18 Months.

September 20, 2013 marks 18 months for Gage!  He has been sick all week so he hasn't been his happy self for the past few days.  At the doctor he weighed the same as he did in August (he had to go then because he had hand, foot, and mouth).  He lost 2 lbs from being sick AND probably from teething.  He hasn't been eating much so that explains it!  He does have 16 teeth now and has been chewing on his fingers...poor baby, you know thats gotta hurt.

I just posted a few weeks ago so here are some pictures and his measurements :)

So....we let Jen borrow the bouncy seat for her twin girls.  When Olivia and Elise grew out of it she gave it back and someone was VERY happy about that.  We call this his red-neck recliner :)  Clearly he is WAY too big for it.

Gage LOVES chairs.  My sister gave us this little white ikea table with chairs and he loves sitting at that table!  Believe it or not, he will actually sit in the chair and stay still for like 30 seconds.  

I promise....I didn't cut his hair this time, but LORD it was so tempting.  Him and his daddy went and got haircuts the next day, see pic below :)

Playing outside, he would do it ALL day if he could.  

Sunday @ church with the Bergman's and Meemaw...one of our most favorite times of the week!

18 month check-up.

Gage DOES NOT like anyone to help him eat anymore.  So, we basically prepare ourselves for a mess each time we eat (this is very hard for me...I'm OCD).  Here he ate him some baked beans, yummmm!

18 Month Measurements:

Height:  33.75 inches (84%)

Weight:  24.8 lbs (29%)

Head:  48.5 cm (68%)

Our sweet little boy.

Gosh, Gage is growing up.  Seriously, where does the time go?  I feel like I haven't posted about him in....well, months.  So, it will just make me feel better to talk about him and "what he is doing" now-a-days.

Erik was changing him the other day and he said, "Come look at his legs."  So I went in there and he probably had 7-10 bruises on each leg.  Wanna know why?!  Because that boy is NON stop.  He trips over air, seriously.  He cannot walk, he only jogs or runs.  He is always in a hurry (like his momma), but he is the happiest little boy.  He is always smiling and laughing.  Although I can get stressed and upset, he can turn that around in a matter of seconds.  How could I not be thankful and grateful for this little life that God has put Erik and I in charge of?  What is better than being a mommy?  I dunno, but right now that's on the top of my list (besides being a wife, haha).

I do have to say, Gage loves his PawPaw.  Every time we pull in the driveway its, "PawPaw, PawPaw."  Everyone loves my dad but there is something about him that Gage adores (I guess he sees what I have seen all these years).  If we walk down to the barn where PawPaw is, Gage automatically walks to the 4-wheeler/golf cart.  I don't really know what that thing is.  Its like a gas powered golf-cart.  But anyways, him and PawPaw ride in it all the time.  Gage gets up in the seat and says, "Go".

Now when Gage eats, he DOES NOT want help.  He likes to feed himself and prefers a fork/spoon over his fingers.  He is feeding himself yogurt now and does pretty well.  He still LOVES his water and is starting to not be so interested in whole milk, depending on the day.

He is into EVERY.THING.  Drawers, cabinets, plugs (yea, I know...dangerous), dog food, dog poop (yep, he definitely picked up a turd and brought it to me this weekend), you name it....he has gotten into it.

He is not into kisses right now unless you tell him to give someone else a kiss.  If you ask for a kiss, he won't do it.  When we tell him its time for bed, guess who he goes up to first for a kiss?  Daisy. After he gets a face lick from Daisy (yea, gross...I know) then he will kiss Erik and I.  If Daisy won't lick him, he holds his mouth open (he gives open mouth kisses) until she does.  That poor Daisy, she has been such a good dog with him.  He pulls her ears, rides on her back, pulls up her gums and checks out her teeth (lol), and eats her food.  Seriously?!  I promise, I'm not a bad parent.  I just let my child eat dog food, get licked in the face, and play with plugs.

Despite what one may think, I think Erik and I are purty good parents :)  We love Gage to pieces and are so thankful for the joy he brings us!

Corvian.

I knew it was going to be SO tough leaving River Oaks Academy.  I had been there for most of my teaching career (minus half a year at Lincoln Heights), it was comfortable, and most importantly....I had made friendships with the staff, parents, and students.  I definitely struggled the last week of school...lots of tears and goodbyes.  However, I knew there was a purpose for me somewhere else and I was excited to start the journey!

This year, I began by 5th year of teaching at Corvian Community School.  Going in, I knew it was going to be a learning experience and a complete 180 from what I was use to.  I will say, I was nervous and a little concerned at first.  Being that they were going from 70 to 470 students, there was a lot of work to be done.  If it weren't for my assistant (I hate calling her that but she says "thats what I am"), I don't know what I would have done.  How did I teach kindergarten all these years without an assistant?!

Anyways, we got the room together in a little over a week and it was time for the kids to come.  I felt like a first year teacher again.  At Corvian they believe in the whole child.  Not just academics but social, emotional, and physical aspects too.  We can go outside as many times as needed, we don't have to spend hours upon hours writing lesson plans, we don't have to write objectives on the board, we don't have a "pulling cards" system, we aren't told when we have to teach math, and we can wear what we want.

We spend the first 6 weeks building community; the kids learn how to spell their classmates names, they learn different ways to greet their friends, they learn how to treat one another through a Promise that we write as a class and they build relationships with one another. No, we don't open a textbook and we don't give spelling words as homework.  Isn't that what life is all about, being smart?!  Nope.  It's about learning how to treat yourself and others.  Yes, the academics is so, very important but its not the Be All, End All.

Seems great....and yes it is, but just ALL new to me! So needless to say, I had (still have) a lot to get use to.  I know Corvian is a GREAT place.  I am so excited for this opportunity and am forever grateful that I was chosen to be apart of their staff.   Here are some reasons why I already know that this is an awesome place:

1.  I have been given praise on my work ethic (personal)
2.  The staff is shown on a daily basis that we are appreciated
3.  The administration are three of the easiest people to talk to.  They always say "whatever you need,
     we will get you".
4.  The parents are SO supportive, its un.believe.able
5.  It's not a place mandated by test scores; its a realistic place that encourages classroom community

I could go on and on about Corvian.  Corvian is the RIGHT way to do education and I can only hope that in time, all schools will follow this model.

Check it out:  http://www.corvian.org