Another bit of press for our girl, this time in the highly publicized Tupper Family Association Newsletter.

It Was A Good Run

We're closing in on 16 months, and Roxi finally reached a milestone that most wee ones hit much sooner: an ear infection. And so she's taking her first regimen of antibiotics. Perhaps I should be grumpy about having to give her drugs at all, but instead I feel pretty lucky that we made it so long without 'em.

Plus, this kid thinks it's FUN to take medicine. What a peach.

Two's Company, Ten's Just Perfect

One of Roxi's favorite mid-afternoon activities these days is rocking in her rocking chair. She'll amble by her room, stop suddenly and start calling "Wock! Wock!" to me down the hall.

Today was no different. As she was enjoying the ride, I handed her Turtle thinking she might enjoy the company. Boy howdy was that a hit. So much so that she immediately requested Moose ("moo"), doll ("wah-dee"), brown bear and pink bear ("beh" for both) ... then through wild gesticulations also requested her doll head pillow, a dollar store video soccer game, a race car that came in a Cheerios box (still wrapped in its protective cellophane wrapper) and last but not least, a bright yellow take-out menu.

It was crowded in that chair. And Roxi was ready for anything (including ordering a sandwich from Jimmy John's).

Me like pasta.

Universal Truths

Eating preferences come and go. What was a delicacy yesterday is swamp goo today. But we have discovered a few basic rules when toddlers gather:

The water in your cup is better than the water in my cup. Even if it came from the same tap.

The snacks in your container are better than the snacks in my container. Even if I have a full container and you only have five little crackers in yours.

Your lunch is way better than my lunch. Even if your lunch consists of carrots, which I would normally throw across the room.

My food suddenly becomes quite appealing once you start eating it.

If you put a fist full of grapes in your mouth, I will applaud your effort and attempt to do the same.

Here's a photo from our rained out camping weekend: Roxi having a big time in the fish (aka fuh, fuh, fuh) section of a local pet store. You can imagine her utter delight two weekends later, when we took her to ...

THE AQUARIUM!!!! (in Denver)

Our girl literally RAN from tank to tank, pointing and screaming, "Fuh! Fuh! Fuh!" She is mid "Fuh!" in this picture. The little cut under her eye is courtesy of one of our cats, who will not be getting any fuh! or fuh!-like kitty treats anytime soon. No worries though - Roxi's sweet face is healing up just fine.

Roxi was VERY excited about the otter tank.

If you look to the left of Rob's hand, at the bottom of the tank, you can see an otter making his/her approach towards the glass.

Ye old otter, mid-flip.

Checking out the big tunnel tank.

By the time we got to the giant Japanese crabs, Roxi was pooped. So many fish, so little time ...

15 Month Checkup

Another visit with Nurse Rhonda and Dr. P. Another set of reassuring statistics and kind words. Another two vaccinations (measles/mumps/rubella and chicken pox), plus a toe prick for an iron test. Another opportunity to be impressed with our tough nugget Roxi, who cried for a grand total of 15 seconds after all the needles.

Without further ado, here are the numbers:

• 23.125 pounds - 50th percentile
• 32 inches long/tall - 90th percentile
• 18.75-inch head circumference - 90th percentile
• Just enough iron in the blood to count as "normal", so Dr. P recommended a small dose of daily iron supplement.

It was another fine doctor's visit, complete with plenty of compliments that Rob and I accepted with grace on the outside and giddy glee on the inside. She's developmentally right on target, if not ahead of the game ... and in the peak of sassy health. Roxi also impressed Dr. P by climbing on his lap and discovering new screens and noises on his computer.

New Favorite Word

daw-bih-dee (emphasis on the first syllable), which means strawberry

After many months of ambivalence towards her throng of stuffed animals, Roxi is starting to show interest. Her favorite friend, by far, is Turtle. She won't take naps or turn in for the night without him, and she spends a fair bit of her day time either carrying him around or talking about him. Often times we know Roxi has woken up from a nap when we hear gentle murmurings of "tuh-toh, tuh-toh" through the monitor. The picture above was taken at 11 p.m. one evening (with no flash so as to not wake the sweet pea, thus the grainy quality).

Turtle is especially loved when Roxi is sleepy.

Pals.