Cousin rivalry

When it comes to siblings, there is always a bit of rivalry. Apparently, it's the same way with cousins.
A couple of weeks ago, Matthew Althoff, Asher's older cousin by 9 months, came to visit. While the boys loved being together, things could get kind of rough if one, the other or both were tired, hungry or otherwise out of sorts.
Check out this video. It may seem like they are just playing around, but what you don't see is that moments prior, Asher had practically thrown Matthew into a wall after Matthew tried to take one of his toys.
Oh, the boys' GiGi asks that you please ignore her singing in the background. :0)

Snips and Snails Part II

I promised I would post pictures of Asher trying to climb trees and generally being a boy in and earlier post. Here you go.

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Short but smart

Asher had his 18 month check up today. He only cried a little when he got his shots -- whew. While everything is perfect health wise, I was a little disturbed when they measured him. It looks like he may be on the short side. (Sorry, Asher. Looks like you got all your mom's bad genes.)

He weighed in at 27 pounds and 6 ounces, but only measured 31.5 inches. His weight ranked in the 71st percentile. His height in the 27th percentile. His head is still on the fast track, with a circumference of 19 1/2 inches, or the 91st percentile.

That means as an adult, he'll probably look somewhat like Danny Devito. Oh well.

At least that big head is good for something -- it houses his extra-smart brain. Asher can say more words than I can count, knows how to say please and thank you, can do the motions to "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and started telling me when he needs to potty. He even goes in his little potty on occasion. Maybe potty training will be easier than I expected. We'll see.

Playing piano

We think Asher may be the next Liberace. Check out this video of him playing a piano duet with his cousin Ashleigh. At the end, he gets even more help from his Uncle Harry.
(Don't you love how he periodically stops, looks around for applause, then applauds himself?)

Snips and snails ...

Whoever decided boys are made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails wasn't joking.

Saturday, I took Asher to visit his Great Grandma Loanna and Great Grandpa Dean. Dean made yummy enchiladas that were to die for.

While we were waiting for the enchis to cook, we hung out in the back yard. This is when it occurred to me that my little boy was, well, a little boy.

In a three-hour time span he managed to:

A. Attempt to steal a margarita.

B. Climbed on lots and lots of big rocks, then climbed behind the rocks where he became wedged between a rock and a wooden fence. Ouch! He was rescued by his GiGi's friend Dave.

C. Climbed on the rocks some more, then tried to actually climb a tree. His arms were a little to short to reach the branches, thank goodness.

D. Dumped a large container of potting soil onto the ground near the patio, then rolled around in it -- literally. He has potting soil in his hair, all over his clothes and inside his diaper.

E. Ate dog food. Actually, he ate dog food at two different locations this day.

F. Stuck his head in the dog water bowl. Now, this isn't an ordinary dog water bowl. It's a giant pot of slobbery, filthy water used by three slobbery but sweet boxer dogs. The water must taste better than it looks, because the kid went back for seconds.

G. Learned he can get in and out of Dean and Loanna's house through the dog door. It's just his size -- he doesn't have to crawl in and out of it, he can actually walk through it.

H. Brought Mommy a crispy, dead locust shell.

Needless to say, I was pretty wiped out after the visit. Here are some photos.

Asher gets a haircut!

Question of the day ...

I was thinking today, parents put up with a lot when babies get their teeth -- runny noses, runny diapers, biting, crying, crankiness. So, who in the world decided kids should get the money from the Tooth Fairy? The way I see it, parent should be the ones collecting the money -- they earned it.

The Terrible Two's ... and he's not even 1 1/2

Asher is exhibiting symptoms of the Terrible Two's. Mind you, he's only 16 months old. Last night we went grocery shopping and he threw an outrageous fit in the dairy aisle. He loves this little Blues Clues yogurt smoothie things, so I threw some in the basket. That wasn't good enough for him. He wanted to devour them right there in the store. I told him we had to pay for them first, then he could eat one at home. He threw his head back, screamed and started throwing an honest to goodness fit right there in the store. You would have thought I was murdering him. It was embarrassing, to say the least, but we both lived through it.
On a happier note, he is obsessed with brushing his teeth. About 80 times a day he runs to the bathroom, hops on his steppy stool and says "teeth." I can think of worse things than having a toddler who brushes his teeth during all of his free time.

Where did the time go?

I looked at the calendar Monday and realized Asher is 10 months old. Where had the past nine months gone? Whoever coined the phrase "time flies by when you're having fun" wasn't kidding.
It's also been awhile since I've updated this blog, so I thought I better fill everyone in on what's up at the House of Althoff.
Asher had a great Christmas. He got tons of presents, which now serve as clunky accessories and tripping hazards in my living room. That's OK, though. The boy needs a place to roam, play and use his imagination. If it has to be the living room, so be it.
He also took his second road trip. This time it was to Austin, Texas, to meet his great-uncle Pat and Pat's new wife Olivia and his great-grandma Velma. He loved them all. He also got to meet mommy's friend Danette and her family. He had fun playing with Danette's boys, Spencer and Fletcher, until Fletcher hauled off and kicked him in the chin. Asher is tough, and he only cried for second. He immediately forgave Fletcher and went right back to playing with Fletcher's toys.
Asher is cruising now, which means he walks holding on to anything he can grab a hold of. It also means he falls down a lot. At one point, he had a large bruise on his forhead and on his cheek.
Asher also stands unassisted for short periods of time. He especially loves to show off this skill while in the bathtub, which almost gives mommy a heart attack every time. It won't be long until he finally takes that first step. In fact, I'm expecting it any day.