18 months and still growing

Can you even believe that I am already 18 months, actually almost 19 months now. I had my doctor's appontment last week a little late due to the Blizzard of 2011 and Mommy's busy work schedule. The report from the doctor is and I quote, "She's perfect." You heard it here folks, I am perfect. Dr. Link said I am 24 pound even and 33 1/2 inches tall, which means 50th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height. He told mom to just keep doing whatever they are doing because I am perfect and growing perfectly. If you didn't notice in the picture above you might notice here that poor Bear is looking a little rough. Well a couple days before this picture was taken I puked in my bed in the middle of the night. Mom came in, in the morning and discovered it. Dad and I were so proud of how well she handled it (if you didn't know, mom does not do puke). Needless to say I got a bath and everything in my crib had to be washed. So poor bear got his first bath and well he just hasn't looked the same ever since. This past weekend, mom was sick and tired of being couped up inside at home and since we had entire day of nothing to do we decided to do an outing. Mom, Dad and I went to the bookstore (here I am playing trains), we went to the pet store, lunch and then Wal-Mart. It was a fun outing.
I also checked out the hamsters and rats in the bookstore. I thought they were pretty cool, but mom disagreed.I loved checking out the birds. Mom went to Hobby Lobby while dad and I went to the pet store. She came over to meet us and I had to show her all the cool things I discovered. It also happened to a day that they had puppies from the local animal shelter there. I got to meet them and dogs from the greyhoud rescue. It was the best store we visited that day. I tried to convince mom and dad that Gretchen needed a playmate, but mom disagrees. I really, really like my rainboots and now that I can get them on by myself there is no telling when I'll put them on. I mean this outfit looks cool, right?

Mom has a very busy semester taking a class and teaching a class so she is always excited when she's there at bedtime to read to me. Gretchen loves story time too. Notice the blanket, Aunt Kim made that for me and I love to use it at storytime.

Isn't this minne mouse so cool. She has velcro on her feet and hands so she can give me a hug. Sometimes mom and dad hook her hands so she hangs on my back. It's a fun game.

Oops almost forgot this picture from the bookstore. I found these other kids reading and I asked to borrow one of their books. Dad was very excited at my book choice.

Now that I am 18 months I want to give you an update on all the cool things I can do and say:

• I can pick out my clothes now, I just started that this week. I picked out pajama pants my first day and mom and dad said ok since I picked it out.
• I can climb up and down the stairs much quicker and safer now
• I try to do the sign for I love you
• I hug and kiss Gretchen every morning before we leave
• I let Gretchen out of mom and dad's bedroom when we get home at night so mom can let her out to go potty
• I give Gretchen her treats when she goes potty
• I can say lots of words. New additions to my vocabulary include: cracker, treat, clothes, shirt, boots, shoes, hat.
• One of my favorite words is hat, I think we need to wear a hat even when it's 50 degrees outside
• I enjoy looking at mom's scrapbooks, especially when it's pictures of me
• I can put my boots on by myself and I try to put mine and everyone else's shoes on
• I can give the sign of peace at church, and it usually lasts a good 5 minutes for me (everyone wants to shake my hand)
• I play pretend, especially in my crib when I don't think it's bedtime or naptime yet
• I can throw Gretchen's ball for her

I'm sure there is more, but that's a snapshot of what I can do and what I'm up to.

Blizzard 2011

Well Blizzard 2011 became a reality and the we couldn't have been happier. Daddy's work closed at 2:00 on Tuesday and closed for Wednesday. Mom's work didn't officially close on Tuesday, but they used their discretion and headed home at 3:15. By 5:00 p.m. they announced a closure for Wednesday too. I didn't understand why mom and Dad were so excited , but then I found out it meant we all got to stay home together. In an unprecedented move, mom's work is also closed today so that's why we can update the blog. Woohoo for two snow days. Sorry dad you have to go to work.To start the day off we sat and enjoyed some yummy muffins mom and I made the night before while we watched Blizzard 2011 news coverage. I love muffins.
Wow, Lake Shore Drive looks like a mess, glad we don't live near there.
Here I am sitting atop the huge pile of snow that was created as we dug out our driveway. Notice how I am all the way up to the front window.
This is dad taking a break right before the driveway was done. Our snowblower doesn't work so we had to shovel our way out....I'm not sure what the big deal was I helped and it didn't seem too hard, but mom and dad seemed to act like it was quite the workout.
That little bit at the end of the driveway is all that's left, but dad needed a break. He was exhausted.
While mom and dad worked I decided to take a break and see if my car could cut it in the snow.
Mom and I took my sled over to the park. Look at how close my feet are to the snow. It was so much fun, I cried when we had to leave.
That's the tracks from my sled you can't even see mom's boot prints. Mom said it was a huge workout for her, because the snow was up to her knees.
While we were at the park, dad took another break. It may not seem like mom did much work, but conveniently dad didn't take any pictures of mom shoveling out our front walk this morning.
Dad and I. Gees doesn't he know we don't have time for pictures, I've got a lot of work to do here.
See mom did make it outside, there's proof.
Whew this is hard work. Now I know why mom and dad had me...child labor.

Can you see me? Good thing I have this bright green coat, I might get lost in the snow otherwise.
This snow is so tall. While mom and dad shoveled they didn't have to worry that I'd go anywhere because the snow was the fence.

Dad went out to shovel a path for Gretchen. Here he is playing around in the snow drift by our garage.

Me and Emily having a snack at Gramma and Bakka's

Mom is taking a class and teaching a class this semester and one night while she was at class she called to check on me and dad just let me have the phone. Look below for the video of this hysterical call. All looks ok here, but once dad made me get off the phone all He** broke lose.
Meltdown city after having to give up the phone. I sobbed throughout all of dinner. Dad made me go to bed early, he is soooo mean. Paging all grandma and grandpas out there, you should definitely talk to him about this bad behavior. Why was I punished for just wanting to talk on the phone.
Our friends the hellman's came over to play. While the parents watched the Bears vs. Packers game, we played with my kitchen. Then I showed Kayleigh my cars and track. She thought it was great, but I actually think her dad thought it was even cooler than she did.

Have you heard about my love of shoes? I took all mom's shoes off her shelves and started trying them on.
While at Grandma and Grandpa Gerken's I got to try on Grandpa's headphones. When they are on you can't hear anything but the music. Hehehe it was funny when mom and dad tried to get my attention.
Do you love my crazy hair. Mom and dad really like this cute vest. Mom got it on sale for like $1.50...great deal mom.
And this is why they call me Crazy hair Gerken on occassion. This is how it started in the morning, and Grandma and Mom spent the rest of the weekend trying to tame it.


Here is the video of me talking to mom on her break from class. Listen closely for mom trying to get dad's attention. The second one is the complete meltdown after the phone was taken away...she is stilll upset during dinner.

I'm getting so BIG

Can you believe that I'm almost 18 months old? I know me either, but it's true in just 10 short days I'll be a whole year and a half Since I'm getting so big I figured I'd try out mom's shoes to see if they fit me better. I'm sort of a shoe lover already. I'm sorry it's been so long since an update, I really have no excuses, except that I'm busy being a kid.

The week after Christmas Grandma and Grandpa Gerken came to visit and delivered the kitchen they got me for Christmas. Here I am helping Grandpa and Daddy put it together. Grandpa thought we needed instructions, I didn't think so.I'm not sure who had more fun with all my new toys, me or Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma helped me unpack all my groceries and dishes.
As for Grandpa, well I guess he decided to take a break in the tent, he's soo silly.
Grandma and Grandpa also brought this neat toybox/bench that the Gillespies, a family friend, didn't want anymore. Daddy and I love the new addition. I think it's pretty neat to climb up and sit on.
Mom and Dad had friends over for New Year's. One of them is my favorite babysitter, and one of mom's good friends, Becky. I got to play with everyone for a little while before my bedtime.
Ever wonder how someone ever becomes a bank robber...maybe this is it! Mom and Dad did not coax me into putting these on my head I did it all alone; however, they did run for the camera because it was too funny. These are my pretty pink tights. I think they're better on my head than on my legs.
Haha, didn't know it was me, did you?
I know understand the camera more and will say cheese and do a super cheesy grin for the camera now, here's an example. This is the stool/chair Bakka made me for Christmas. I came up with another use for it that he didn't even think of, it's my own personal desk and I set up shop and read to my new baby.
Mom and I enjoying some playtime in my tent together.
I am getting so big now that I insist on sitting in the rocking chair alone some nights. Mom and Dad sit on the floor and read to me or I read to them. I'm getting to be a very good reader.
I LOVE all my books and I even try to put them away sometimes.
So I'm not sure if you've heard the story about how Dad's X-box died a couple of weeks ago. I guess it's the screen of death and he had to ship it back to the company so they could fix or replace it. Well this happened just days after Christmas when he had gotten several new video games. He was very upset because it meant he couldn't play his new games. We've been anxiously awaiting it's return and tonight it came. The doorbell rang as the UPS man ran away and Daddy went running to the door. Here we are excitedly unwrapping it, it's like Christmas morning all over again. (Mommy says it was nice having Daddy around for the past two weeks, but now he may disappear to the basement to make up for lost time with his Xbox.)


Here's a fun video of Daddy and I unwrapping the Xbox....if you wondered how I reacted to opening Christmas presents...it's pretty much the same.

A wonderful holiday weekend

We hope you all had a great Christmas, we know we did, and we had so much fun with everyone we got to see. Here mom, dad and I are all dressed up after Christmas Eve mass. We went with Gram and Bakka and then had dinner at their house before heading out to Wheeling for Christmas with the Gerken side of the family.
We started the festivities in Dixon on Thursday with cookie baking and decorating. Mom almost ruined Christmas by messing up the recipe for cut-out cookies. The one year she doesn't taste test the dough beforehand. Luckily, Uncle Jason was there to save the day! Thank you Uncle Jason for single-handedly saving Christmas twice (he also found the lost doughnut cutter).
Ellie helped me learn to cut roll the dough and cut out cookies.
Mom showed the fine art of using lots of flour to make it not stick to the rolling pin.
You can never have too many sprinkles or too much frosting.
Emily really enjoyed the cookie she decorated.
Isaac was working on a supery sugary surprise for his dad.
You have to taste test the cookies as you go, we've learned a valuable lesson from mom's mess-up taste testing is actually a crucial part of the process.
Carly won the award for best decorator. She outlasted all of us and was so serious with her decorating. If you had one of the cookies with LOTS of sprinkles, it was probably a Carly original.
The cookie baking/decorating team! Minus Carly who was tired from all the work she had done.
Enjoying some lunch after working on cookies. Then it was off for naps before we decorated them.
Gram and Bakka decided to start a new tradition this year. All the grandkids got new pajamas to wear for Christmas Eve. We were all so excited to open a gift early.
And here we all are all dressed in our new pajamas. Aren't we just the cutest bunch of kids you ever did see?!?
Christmas Eve morning, Carly and I enjoying some milk waiting for everyone else to arrive so we can have donuts and open gifts.
My first Bakka donut. I loved them!
A fun picture of mom and her siblings.
Aunt Chris was showing me her camera, someday I'm going to have one like this. Better start saving up mom and dad.
Bakka made me, Carly/Molly, and Emily these chairs. They are a chair and the back folds down so it can be a stool too. I love mine, but so far I haven't even let it go into the bathroom because I like the chair part too much.
Gram and Bakka taking one last picture with me before I head out for our next Christmas party.
Christmas morning at Grandma and Grandpa Gerken's. Do you like my new shades?
Gigi really appreciated the help I gave her, or at least she pretended to if she didn't.
In Dixon the new joke became Mullet Wear. Dad is modeling his new mullet wear that he got on Christmas. It's serious on the top and a party on the bottom with these Monopoly Manpri's. Watch out world a new style is headed this way.
Mom, Dad, and I with our Santa hats on Christmas at Aunt Patti's.
Chris made this stuffed animal for me for Christmas. I think it's really cool.
Mom started this new tradition this year to make a birthday cake for Jesus so we'll always remember what the real reason for this holiday is. Maybe when I get older we can add candles.
At Aunt Patti's house she also had Uncle Tim's side of the family and he has a great niece who is 11 days older than me, Cora. Here we are on Christmas. Funny how we dressed similar, from the back everyone kept mixing us up.
Grandpa and I were dancing and playing at Aunt Patti's.
Every time we spend the holidays with the Gerken's we seem to play a dice game. I think they're teaching me to gamble from an early age. I'm great at throwing dice now.
Grandma and I just relaxing after all the festivities.
Back at home unpacking all of my Christmas presents. Yes I know, I'm spoiled. And this doesn't even include my sled, or my new kitchen, wow. Thank you everyone for the great gifts, it was very nice of you and I love everything.
Well I guess I better clean out this toybox to make room for new toys.
Feeding my new baby. I'm such a good mommy, well except for when I threw her down and then threw the baby carrier on top of her, but what do you expect I'm only 17 months old.
DAddy was trying really hard to get me to want to climb through my tent tunnel. I was too scared, but he looks like he is having fun.
Well with all of the pictures we've taken I'm going to have to start helping mom scrapbook so we can get caught up. (hahaha caught up a phrase that is never realized in scrapbooking unless you stop taking pictures)
Last night we tried out my new sled. It was a blast and I giggled and giggled. We just went across the street to our park and the little hill we have there. It is just my size.
Yeah take me up for another ride.
Santa brought me this great track for my matchbox cars and it is really cool. I think Daddy likes it just as much as I do.


Thanks again everyone for making my 2nd Christmas great. I miss you all, but am glad we got to see most of you.