Catching up...

 Our Reyes Boys,

I am SO behind on my posts. Mommy’s computer broke and then things just got busy, I suppose.

Joey is 10 months… closer to 11 months, really. 

At his nine month appointment, Joey weighed 22 pounds and was 2 feet and 5 inches. This put him at the 88^th percentile for weight and the 79^th percentile for height.  We were actually just at the hospital a few days ago though, and Joey was still at 22 pounds, so perhaps he’s slowed down a bit in his weight gain. Probably because...

Joey is a scooter bug! He doesn’t crawl, but instead uses his front arms to pull himself around on his tummy. It’s pretty adorable (see video below for complete cuteness).

 Also, Joey has just started pulling himself up a bit. He’s only done it a few times, but he gets SO happy when he does it! He likes to walk along the edge of the sofa or shelf and I have a feeling he might be walking before he ever really crawls. I checked Parker’s blog, and he started pulling himself up around 10 months also and he was walking by 13 months.

Some other cute things: Joey likes to wave. He will wave hello and goodbye… and sometimes just because. Also, he loves rolling around on the bed or sofa. He will keep rolling and rolling forever.

He’s still baby talking… lots of “Guh, guh, guh” and “aaaaaay” sounds.

He likes baths, doesn’t mind diaper changes, likes peek-a-boo, and laughs when we blow on his hair.

His hair! It’s so long! He’ll definitely be getting his first haircut before Parker ever did! I’m not even sure we can wait until Joey’s birthday, though I think we will try to hold out. :)

 Joey adores Parker and loves just watching him. He also likes “playing” trains with Parker which, for Joey, means taking apart any train tracks Parker just put together. Still, for the most part they do very well together and it is fun seeing them grow as brothers!

The biggest thing for Joey is probably that he got a hearing aid! He has partial hearing loss in the right ear, and we’re hoping the hearing aid is beneficial for him, specifically for locating which direction sounds are coming from, which he has trouble with. We won’t really know how much it helps until he’s old enough to tell us though. He’s doing really well with it and for the most part he leaves it alone. 

Joey is SUCH a happy little guy! He's generally content and smiling (unless it's time for food!).

He brings us so much love and joy every day and we are so super blessed to get to be his Mommy and Daddy.

And now for the Parker Bubs...

Parker has been a busy boy! He’s now in his second session of gymnastics, which he really seems to like. He goes with his daddy every Friday.

His new favorite show is Daniel Tiger, which I have to admit—I like too! It’s a second take on the old Mister Roger’s Neighborhood and it’s just super cute and really well done.

He REALLY likes listening to the Toddler Station on Pandora. He loves "preschool" songs and often goes to his room to get an instrument to play along with the music.  

A few nights ago, Parker decided to use his train tracks for something new: 

Parker reads three books with Mommy every night and it’s amazing to see him read these books that really should be beyond his reading level. He just has such a love for letters, and reading has come easy for him. We are thankful for the mind God has given him and excited to see him continue to grow.

He got an injury this month--his first real head injury by tripping and hitting his head on the coffee table. Mommy took him to the E.R. Thankfully, he didn't need stitches. The doctor worked her magic with medical glue. Parker was super brave and did a wonderful job while they fixed him up.

He did such a good job, in fact, that he got three Thomas the train stickers!

Speaking of Thomas, a few weeks ago we went to visit Mommy's friend, Laura, who has a BIG collection of Thomas toys. Laura and her boys--who are now too old for Thomas--helped Parker build a big train track. Parker didn't stop playing for hours, he had so much fun! 

Another thing Parker has enjoyed this month are tools. He has a set of toy tools and a set of real tools at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Something else he's enjoyed lately... singing! I tried to upload a video we took of him singing in his bed, but it didn't work properly. Trust me--it was cute! :)

Parker continue to amaze us with the things he says and does. Sometimes, he is lost deep in thought--concentrating on the task at hand--while other times he is silly and carefree and makes us laugh. We love him so much and are thankful for this time in his life. Right now, the "twos" aren't terrible at all. We relish the hugs and kisses and laughter. The curiosity and creativity. 

Parker bubs and Joey bug--we love you both so, so much and it's just such a blast watching you two together. God has blessed us much!

Love, Mommy and Daddy