Elizabeth at 10 months (and 9 months ... and 8 months ...)

So, we fell a bit behind in these monthly updates.  That's because we spend most of our time trying to keep up with Elizabeth, who is capable of pulling herself up, climbing stairs and getting into anything she feels requires her attention.  Here's a quick attempt to catch up.

At ten months, Elizabeth's favorite things are:

• The regular table food that she now gets to eat.  She especially likes Cheerios, pasta shells with tomato sauce, cheddar cheese, and her grandmother's rolls.
• Drums, or anything that can be used as a drum.
• Clapping, or watching other people clap.
• Waving, or watching other people wave.
• Crawling everywhere and opening cabinet doors.
• Babbling.
• Whatever Ben is playing with.

Her least favorite things are:

• Teething.
• Medication that would reduce the pain of teething.
• Having items she is not supposed to have taken away from her.
• Scheduled naps.

At nine months, she paid a visit to the pediatrician for a well-baby visit.  At that time, she weighed 19 lbs., 10 ozs. (60th percentile) and measured 27.5 inches (41st percentile).  Her head circumference was 17.75 inches (55th percentile). 

At eight  months, Elizabeth's first two teeth appeared (bottom front).  By this point she was also going up stairs regularly, and had to be kept from going down them as well.

And there you have it!  She's barreling towards one year at a frighteningly rapid pace, and seems like she won't be satisfied until she can keep up with her big brother.  Needless to say, we're having a ball watching it all (except for meals involving anything she can smear; that can be nauseating)!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From all of us, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, filled with family, friends and reflections on that for which we should truly be grateful.  As the below demonstrates, Ben has already put a lot of thought into that last item.

Election Day

Yesterday, Ben's preschool class -- to use his words -- "voted for the United States."  What was anticipated to be a close race turned into a blowout as Cat won a mandate over Dog with a 7-3 popular vote victory (and an even more commanding 412-126 margin in the Electoral College).  Exit polls revealed that voters approved of Cat's pro-nap policy and vocal support of legalizing catnip.  These same polls also indicated that Dog was unable to close the "likeability gap" following the well-publicized "Hydrant-gate" scandal.

Trick or Treat

Over the past three years, Ben has shown exactly zero interest in Halloween.  He did not want to wear a costume, he did not want to hand out candy to other kids, and he certainly did not want to go trick or treating.  This year was shaping up to be no different -- other than mild interest in carving a Jack-o-Lantern, he insisted he didn't want to dress up or go trick or treating.  We went ahead and got a pumpkin, and Ben had a good time designing and carving it.

Still, there was no indication that he wanted to do anything beyond that.  However, a few days before Halloween, things changed.  Suddenly, Ben announced, "I want to be a dinosaur and I want to trick or treat at Neighbor Dave's," ("Neighbor Dave's" being the house across the street).  It was too late for him to be dinosaur, but we did give him a choice of two "costumes" at hand -- his chef hat and apron, or his Royals shirt and hat.  Ben chose the Royals.  So, on Halloween night, we dressed Ben up as Royals designated hitter Billy Butler, armed him with a bat and prepared to hit the street.  We rehearsed the proper sequence of events:  Ring a doorbell, say "Trick or Treat", answer any questions about his costume, hold out his bucket, and say, "Thank you."  Of course, we figured it was a fifty-fifty proposition as to whether he'd actually follow this procedure at Neighbor Dave's, much less at any other houses.  If Ben made it three houses before glaring suspiciously at a neighbor and asking to go home, we'd consider the night a success.

So imagine our surprise when Ben not only stayed on script, but wanted to canvas the entire neighborhood.  He liked ringing doorbells, he stuck to his lines, he enjoyed seeing other kids in costume, and he had to be dragged home after about fifteen houses.

 Ben as Billy Butler.  To be honest, the only thing that separates this "costume" from something he might wear on the average Thursday is the eyeblack.

After much indecision, Elizabeth decided to dress as a pumpkin.

Showing off the spoils.

Close, but not quite right...

This morning, Ben was building with his Legos and singing the old folk song "Big Rock Candy Mountain." Well, his version of "Big Rock Candy Mountain." Here are a few of his modifications:

Actual lyrics: 
"And you can walk right out again as soon as you are in."  

Ben's version:
"And you can walk right out again as soon as you are eight.

Actual lyrics:
"There ain't no short-handled shovels" 

Ben's version:
"There ain't no sharks or shovels"