Mateo Update

Mat is now just over 14 months, so I thought I'd do a little update on him.

Mobility: Mat is SUPER mobile. He's trying to run even, but sometimes his upper body moves faster than his feet can, which spells disaster. He likes to climb on things, too. He enjoys "funny walking," like walking backwards, walking on one heel and one toe, etc.

Speech: We have been teaching him sign language, so he signs a lot more than he speaks. He can sign for "food, milk, more, all done, help, and please." He says thank you ("de-da") and mama. He also says "bee-bee" a lot, but it seems to be for many things, so I haven't pinned that one down yet.

Personality: He is a funny dude! He plays jokes on us by pretending to feed us and instead feeding himself at the last second. He thinks silly faces and sounds are funny. Mostly it's fun to watch him laugh at his own self when he thinks no one is watching. He is typically very happy, though his mood can turn in a second. The signing has helped tremendously in him being able to communicate his needs to us, thus bypassing some serious breakdowns. He does not usually like you to show him how to do something; he's very much so an "I can do it myself" kind of guy.

Likes: His stuffed Easter bunny (aptly named "Bunny"), milk, watermelon, ham, broccoli, playing in water, and watching big kids play. He also likes the "Isty Bitsy Spider" song and dancing.

Dislikes: Holding hands when walking, macaroni and cheese (strange, I know), having his diaper changed.

All in all he's a healthy, full of energy kiddo! And just for fun, here are some recent photos of him playing in the sprinkler.

Rafi's Birthday

Okay, so I'm a little late in reporting about Rafi's birthday, but better late than never I say! This year we kept it simple and invited Rafi's friends to meet us for dinner at Mighty Fine Burger. We had quite the turnout! As a surprise I baked (with Tina as my baking assistant) a hamburger cake using pound cake, brownie, gum drops, fruit slices, cookies, frosting, and pine nuts. It was pretty awesome and even drew a small crowd of onlookers. I was pretty proud of it and admit it hurt to cut into it. I made a smaller, life-sized personal burger cake for him, too. Rafi had a really good time that evening, and we thank everyone for coming. Thanks also for the gifts and cards. He appreciates it all and all of you!

On Saturday Greg and Rob came by to play some video games - a luxury Rafi doesn't indulge in much anymore. They played some FIFA (of course), but the games took a quick turn once I brought out Rafi's second surprise - Rock Band! If you aren't familiar with the game, it comes with a guitar, drum kit, and microphone. You play the instruments and sing with the music in order to earn points, pass levels, earn more songs, etc. It's pretty addictive, I admit. So anyway, happy birthday to Rafi!

Just for funsies, here are photos of Tina and I in baking mode.