Big Foot

And so the madness begins: Roxi is playing soccer. She's had two practices thus far and had her first game last Saturday. All the other kids on her team have played before, which is great. Her coach is all about having fun, which is better still. And even though she hasn't really sorted out the purpose of the game yet (see video #1), she's getting there (see video #2). More importantly, she's having a BLAST.

Gratuitous Gib

Missing Summer Already

Bumper Crop

Little Dude

People to See, Things to Do

Nice Hair

Sand in the Toes

Snip Snip Here, Snip Snip There

Gib had his first proper haircut last month ... somewhat willingly. He went in looking like a baby and came out a little dude.

Swingers

We've been having some technical difficulties here at the Tusselwupper Ranch, so there is much to catch up on ... Roxi's birthday, vacation, doctor visits, haircuts and general mayhem. For now though, here are Roxi and Gib goofing off in the back yard today.

In the Basket

Gotta Sing

Gotta Dance

Breakthroughs

Fair Warning: Some of this post may fall squarely in the category of More Than You Wanted To Know. But what the heck, it's been a banner month at Casa de Tusselwupper and I'm going to share.

Señor Gib:

• Got his bottom left incisor on March 29 and top left incisor on April 5.
  
• Says "kah-kuh," which can mean sock, duck (quack, get it?) or cracker, depending on the context. Cracker was Roxi's very first word, so Rob and I are wondering if nature or nurture is responsible for our children's early addiction to flat breads.
  
• Calls cats "aaah!" and dogs "ooo!" and is genuinely smitten with animals. He blows kisses to the neighbor's dogs - these are the only unsolicited kisses he gives.
• Throws balls. With gusto.
• Throws fits. With tornado force.
• Tries to keep up with Roxi by dancing with wild abandon.
• Likes to play in toilet water and climb on furniture/boxes/people/anything. Once a danger boy, always a danger boy.
• Carries books over to Rob and I for us to read to him.
• Tolerates being watched by our lovely babysitter.
• Is no longer nursing, and as a result, or maybe just because the stars have aligned, he ...
• Is finally, finally sleeping through the night. THE WHOLE NIGHT. And ...
• Waking up at 6:30. A REASONABLE HOUR.

Señorita Roxi:

• Is constantly pretending to be someone or something else, particularly characters from The Muppet Movie, Finding Nemo, Sesame Street and The Wizard of Oz, as well as Diana Ross, Linda Ronstadt, Rudolf Nureyev, Brett Favre and Tyler Hansbrough. 
• Puts on "entertainment shows" for her preschool teachers almost daily. These shows often feature Roxi as Linda Ronstadt and her friend Carter as Fred the Mosquito.
• Elaborates on the truth. Not to achieve selfish aims (though the child will do whatever it takes to get a glass of juice), but because it's more fun. For example, the other day Roxi was telling me about how the groundskeeping crew at her school was trimming the grass and also the peppermint and chocolate plants.
• Tells Rob and I that she's "really disappointed in our behavior" when she's upset with us.
• Knows no strangers. She confidently introduces herself to people she's never met, asks their names and remembers them ... even weeks or months later. She greets people she knows with, "Did you miss me?"
• Plays with - and not just next to - her friends, of which there are many.
• Is as patient as one could expect with Gib, who naturally wants to be doing whatever she's doing whenever she's doing it.
• Has developed a fantastic independent streak. She picks out her own clothes, dresses herself and ...
• Poops in the potty. You know, WHERE POOP BELONGS.

So you want to know how we're doing? We're all sleeping and pooping properly. What could be better?

Gourmands

The Cuteness

Confused But Interested

No Hesitation

Birthday Boy

This post is LONG overdue, since our sweet Gib turned one on March 17. There were mitigating factors ... the poor dude was teething and got a stomach virus on his birthday. So he wasn't really in the mood for cake and cacophony.

However, Gib did get to see "his" parade (the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade) for the first time.

And he celebrated with proper frosting face several days later.

And did I mention the teething? He got his first tooth right before his first birthday and his second soon after. For the record: bottom right incisor on Friday, March 14 and top right incisor on Friday, March 21.

Gib's one-year checkup followed shortly thereafter, with stunning results:
Length: 30.75 inches, in the 85th percentile
Weight: 22.5 pounds, in the 50th percentile
Head circumference: 19 inches, in the 90th percentile

Also, he's a cutie.

Happy birthday, Little Man.

True (Carolina) Blue

Mike, who is our friend despite being a Dookie: Hey Roxi, tell your dad, "Go Duke" for me, OK?

Roxi: Well, I don't think I can do that.

(Pause)

Roxi, clearly thinking this will make Mike feel better: But I could tell him, "Go Tarheels!"

Spring

Here is one of Roxi's recent masterpieces from preschool, entitled Garden Scene, and complete with grass, flowers, sun and lots of bees.

Dancing Queen

How to Be a Benevolent Ruler

How to Look Happy

Talking the Talk

This post is long overdue, but there was some controversy involved. I will now state, for The Record, that Rob was 100 percent right about Gib's first word. It was ball. And he's been saying it for months. I was skeptical at first because "ba!" applied to everything from balls to spatulas to Roxi. However, upon further reflection (and intense scrutiny), it is clear that "BAW!" definitely means ball. Whereas "ba!" means anything else worth mentioning.

And so. First word: ball.

Second word: puff, which sounds like "pfft!" and refers to the baby cereal he likes best.

Third word: balloon, which sounds like "boon!" or "baroooo!" and even occasionally "baroon!"

Gib also says "mama" whenever he's grumpy or wants something ... and "dada" when he's laughing.

Splish Splash