No excuses!

Hello everyone! I am desperately trying to get back into the habit of updating this blog. It's been so long, and to be honest, that's what has kept me from posting. I felt overwhelmed by the amount of time that had passed since my last entry so I just kept putting it off. Well, here we are, almost 9 months later and I'm attempting it again. I have no excuses this time. As I said, I felt really overwhelmed, so I am obviously not going to try to update you on every little thing. I'm too tired, and you probably don't want to read that much!

Let's just skip ahead to present day- our little baby is not so little any more! He has definately grown into a toddler with a mind and personality of his own. He loves to run around the house and see what fun things he can get into- I think the most entertaining part is that mommy is constantly chasing him around to divert his attention elsewhere. Isaiah is so full of life and his laugh lights up the whole room. We can often get him giggling so hard that he falls to the floor and his laugh turns silent. Of course- Jeremy and I are usually laughing hard right there with him. It's been so much fun to see how Isaiah has developed. His mind amazes me! I know that I'm a proud mommy, and I'm certainly a little biased, but he really is the smartest boy at this age that I have ever met! Don't get me wrong, Isaiah is the stereotypical "boy"- he likes to play with his soccer ball and basketball and anything that makes noise. He torments mommy and daddy by climbing onto the furniture to jump up and down, and he grabs at the doorknob each and everyday just hoping for the chance to go play at the playground, but he LOVES his books! Actually, not just HIS books- he loves everyones' books. We are trying to teach him to share, and I think he's getting a little better with his toys, but books seem to be off limits. Poor Finn can't even look at his own books without Isaiah taking them away.

My wonderful sister has been watching Isaiah ever since our daycare closed. It really has been a blessing to know that Isaiah is in a safe and loving environment. I definately have her to thank for his continued mental development. Stephanie has been using the "your baby can read" program with Isaiah and Finn. We started doing it in August and I am in awe of the progress that Isaiah has made. It consists of watching a short dvd twice daily and going through flashcards and books several times per week. When I am writing it down, I feel kind of silly- I promise, I'm not trying to make my 1 year old study- he BEGS for it! He seriously loves it sooo much. Doing flashcards is a reward for Isaiah, and believe me, he is one unhappy boy when the video or flashcards are done for the day. I have no doubt that this program is a big reason for his advanced development. I learned that the typical vocabulary for a 15 month old is 3-6 words. We started a list of words that Isaiah says and it is now over 75! He recognizes many other words and can point to them or act them out if you say them, he just hasn't figured out how to form the word yet. I am hoping that his love of reading will continue throughout his life.

We are currently dealing with the dreaded "teething" stage again. I swear, it seems like this is never ending! Isaiah just cut his 4th molar and for some reason, it was the worst. The poor little guy wants to chew on everything! I caught him, just today, lying on the floor, chewing on the staircase! I really hope we'll be done with this soon. Now that the weather is getting nicer, we are spending a lot more time outside. We try to take Isaiah down to the playground whenever possible. He's quite the little daredevil. He really likes to swing and insists on climbing up to the slide like a big boy- one step after the other, holding onto the railing. Nobody can tell him that he's a little boy!

Jeremy and I are trying to decide which activity we are going to sign Isaiah up for. He has so much energy and I feel like he needs an outlet where he can release it! As of now, it's a toss up between soccer and gymnastics. This weekend, Danielle and I took the boys to Gymnastics Unlimited for an open gym for kids 5 and under. It was our first time there, and the boys had a blast! They ran, jumped, rolled and laughed for a full 2 hours. There was a long trampoline that the boys loved running and jumping on. At the end of it was a huge pit filled with foam blocks that they liked to dive into. Isaiah even tried his luck at the rings. I was pretty impressed that he was able to hold himself up on the rings while I swung him back and forth. We had such a good time- it's something that we'll definately be doing again soon! Because of our experience today, we're leaning toward doing gymnastics classes with Isaiah. It will be a great opportunity for him to learn coordination, balance, patience and sharing as well as meet some new friends. I could go on and on, and really, I already have, so I'll end for now. Here are some pictures and videos from the last few months. I hope you enjoy!
Tschida Birthday Tradition- At Isaiah's 1st birthday- He picked the ball and the shot glass. Sounds like trouble to me! Playing with daddy's lightsaber! Thanks Danielle and Andy! He is NOT a fan of the snow! At least not yet... Getting his 1st haircut. He sat there like such a big boy and never made a fuss. Isaiah's baptism Messy face! This was Isaiah's attempt to feed himself spaghetti. Sitting quietly "reading" books on his own. Look at that belly! Sooo handsome! Playing in the water table at the Children's Museum is fun! Did I mention he likes books!? I was doing some house work upstairs for about 30 minutes. I kept checking on him and this is what I found. Hunting for Easter Eggs at church Hanging out on the rings! I'm sooo strong!
Making music with Daddy
Reading flashcards (13 months)
Spinning in circles is fun!
Gymnastics Open Gym!