Undies update

Thought you all, as her fans, might like to know that Rachel is wearing undies during all her waking hours lately--even out of the house! (That is, when we get ourselves together enough to actually get out of the house.) Talk about a proud smile...when she's sitting on the pot, her face lights up as soon as she feels her success, every time. Lots of great accomplishments around our house lately! Life is changing very fast...

Three teeth to the wind

So Nathan's second tooth finally popped through! We were delighted and thought this might mean he'd start sleeping better again. Then I looked in his mouth and saw that his top gums are all swollen with burgeoning new teeth, too. Poor kid can't catch a break! But those top choppers are quick--one is through already, though not visible to the casual observer. Here are the bottom two, in the mouth of one happy banana-eater:

Proud smiles

Rachel had her first gymnastics class last night. She liked it okay. I wish you all could have seen the grin on her face as she ran and marched and bunny-hopped around the gym. It was the highlight of my week, to be sure! And then, when Coach Mandy called her up to help demonstrate how to slither like a snake under a bar...I hadn't thought she could grin wider after the marching, but I was wrong! It warms my heart to see her feel so proud. At last, an outlet for all her upside-down proclivities and restless energy!

And Nathan can pull up! He pulled up all the way to standing when we weren't watching him last evening. Again, that look of pride. It is becoming more apparent by the day that he is Daddy's boy--first there was the head, of course, and now there is his magnetic attraction to the TV and its accompanying devices. That's always where he wants to be standing. He's also working hard on growing a second tooth and on getting up on hands-and-knees. He can get up quite well now, but whenever he tries to move forward in that position, his tummy comes crashing back to the floor. But he's persistent and will have it soon!

In other news, Rachel peed all over the floor today. Then she walked into the bathroom, of her own accord, and pooped in the toilet! Small steps, but good ones!

Here's a snap of our family trip to the Bean last week--apparently they keep an absolutely gorgeous baby inside it!

Heads up!

When you have so little hair that you need to use sunscreen all over your head, it doubles as "product." Check out Nathan's classy do!


And Rachel garnered some positive attention from various parade-goers (even from some folks who were on floats!) for her ultra-snazzy Independence Day hat. Guess which flag she colored by herself!

Holy photos, Batman!

At long, long, long last, there are new photos at our shutterfly site. (Link at right.) We're still way behind, and the kids don't look like that any more, but still, they're fun, right? Enjoy! (A few are missing that I'd like to include--sorry to anyone who feels left out. I'll add them in when I find them in an electronic file somewhere!)