A New Hat

Moses found a new hat to wear with a message for everyone!

He thinks he's big stuff strutting around in his various hats. Little does he know that people are excited about the message of this hat, and not the fact that he is wearing a hat :-) So for those of you who don't know, I'm due June 9. So far, everything is going well. We'll find out in January what the sex of the baby is and let eveyone know then.

Here is a recent photo of Moses's cousin, Brielle. She received a great report from her doctors yesterday. We are so thankful for her and her parents!

Day Trip to Chicago

Saturday, the Meiss family took a trip to Chicago to visit my brother Zach. We were able to watch his soccer match, eat a delicious meal, and even wander around the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was a very enjoyable day!

The view of the city skyline was awesome from the soccer field.

Uncle Zach prohibited us using strollers on our walk to the restaurant, so he helped out by carrying Moses on the way back to his apartment.

Halloween 2010

Moses was able to enjoy two nights of Trick-or-Treating this Halloween. On Saturday, we enjoyed the day in Ipava with a special visit from Aunt Dianne & Aunt Amy. Moses had his first go at Trick-or-Treating, but didn't really understand what was going on.

Then on Sunday, Moses went Trick-or-Treating with Livey (bumble bee) & Jude (monkey). With Jude leading the way, Moses started to understand the process. . . go to door, say the magic words (which sounded like "tick-o-teet"), grab candy, then say "bye!" and off to the next house. It was pretty amusing!

Moses the chicken with Eliza the fairy princess and Micah the Power Ranger :-)

18 Month Milestone

Today Moses had his 18 month check-up. He was very uncomfortable the entire time we were at the doctor's office. But when he got his shots, he did a great job. The part he hates the most? Lying down on the table. Moses is in the 60th percentile in height (32.75") and only the 30th percentile in weight (24 lbs 5 oz), even with that big looking belly! His head is still huge, measuring in the 95th percentile.

At the moment, Moses attempts to balance anything he can on his head. Here, it's a basket. Sometimes it's a spoon or a bowl. Other times it's a book or some sort of toy. I'm not sure what it tells us about Moses except that he has a flat head, but he sure is proud of himself!

Moses's first jack-o-lantern, hopefully. We need to find the time to carve it before Sunday!

Meet Brielle

Technically, Moses did not get a chance to meet his first cousin on the Dohner side. Brielle is in the NICU at the St. Louis Children's Hospital and so Moses was not allowed in to see Brielle. Aaron & I both had the opportunity to see her and hold her. Since we didn't realize our camera was out of battery until at the hospital, these pictures are taken from others who were there :-) She is so precious, is was so fun to finally be able to meet her. To learn more about all that is going on with Brielle, check out Dianne & Cody's blog: www.stinnettgazette.blogspot.com

Moses enjoyed being spoiled by everyone this weekend. Grandpa Dohner played hide & seek with him.

Aunt Dianne taught him to play with the bead game with sound effects :-)

"Uncle Cody is so much fun!!!"

Grandma Dohner & Dad know how much Moses loves water!

We also had a chance to go to the St. Louis Zoo. The elephants & anteaters were a couple of my favorite exhibits.

After a long day, Moses enjoys a nap :-)

Fall Fun

Grandma & Grandpa Meiss took a fall fieldtrip with the grandkids to Rader Farms. While there, they ran into some familiar faces :-) I'm glad that Moses is able to enjoy going to a farm with someone other than me! He is still very leery of animals, which he must have gotten from me.

Eliza, Moses, Olivia, Ty, Jude, & Micah on a hay rack ride.

Following a day at the farm, Moses broke out in a mysterious rash. The doctor thought that it could have been a result from a virus (very possible as he was out of sorts the week before) or an allergic reaction to something. Seeing as I'm allergic to nearly everything outside, I'm leaning toward the allergy theory.

I know I've been horrible in updated the blog. My apologies are extended to anyone who checks the blog (I think Erin, Michelle, and Jess are the only ones I know about, so sorry girls for my lack of posts!). Here are a couple of quick pics. Maybe I'll get to do more sometime this week.

Moses has a new cousin, the first of the Dohner cousins! Brielle Dianne Stinnett was born last Tuesday. She is having a few health issues and is in the NICU in Joplin, MO, where Aaron's sister and her husband live. We are so excited to meet her and Moses is happy for a cousin to play with at family gatherings :-) I'll post more pictures as I receive them.

Just Your Average Guy

Moses had his 15 month dr.'s appointment this week. His height & weight are in the 40th - 50th percentile (31" and 24 lbs.), but that head of his is still way above normal in the 90th percentile! The doctor said that he was a healthy little boy and Moses ended the visit with three shots. As always, he handled those very well. We are so thankful for our average, healthy toddler.

For his first birthday, Moses received a basketball hoop from my friend Molly Jo and her husband Jared. Well, to be precise, they were very generous & thoughtful and gave Moses a gift card to Toys R Us. Naturally, he picked out the hoop all by himself :-) Aaron thought that we might as well get the ages 3 & up hoop instead of the 2 & up hoop because Moses would be able to use it for a longer time period. Little did we realize that the basket for older children would be way too big for Moses nor did we think that Moses wouldn't actually understand the concept of shooting the ball. So, the ever creative father rigged up some furniture and cushions so Moses could enjoy his gift. Even though his dunks aren't quite YouTube ready, he absolutely LOVES it! Thanks so much, Molly & Jared!

Tot Time at the Pool

This week we've enjoyed "Tot Time" at the Morton pool. From 10 until noon the toddler pool is open for $2/kid & parents are free! Perfect time for toddlers, perfect price for families :-)

Moses absolutely loves the water! He is still very cautious when trying to walk in the pool, which makes me not have to worry about him as much. Thanks, Uncle Nathaniel, for helping Moses with the slide :-)

Eliza, loving the spray toy.

"Yes, I have a big belly!!"

Micah, under the water umbrella.

Good Ole Days

On Saturday Uncle Gary & Aunt Ann had a cookout that coincided with Stanford's "Good Ole Days." Although we didn't see the parade or any of the vendors, we did witness the fantastic firework display put on the village of Stanford. It was a sticky, hot day with no air movement. A perfect time for Ann & Gary's air conditioner to break down :-)

Dale is trying to help Moses shoot a basket, something that Moses obsessed about all night.

Aaron & Nathaniel trying to stay cool while discussing their favorite topic: basketball.

Great-Uncle "Farmer" Gary helping Moses with the backhoe? I have no idea what that is, but I'm told it is not a "digger."

Moses enjoying the fireworks with his dad (above) and his Grandma Meiss & cousin Micah (below)

Micah getting up to get a better view of the fireworks.