Is it possible for a child to grow two inches in two weeks? I returned from a wonderfully exhausting tour of western Europe to find a toddler where I left my baby boy. (Europe pictures forthcoming, rest assured.)  I woke up early the morning after I arrived home, as I could not wait to hold Peter and see his new tricks.  I was shocked to walk into his room and see his head towering over the crib railing.  Yikes!  He has since introduced me to "all-terrain Peter," a most impressive ability to climb over anything between him and the remote control.  He suddenly began climbing steps yesterday, without the slightest bit of trepidation.  Carpet, brick, concrete... no matter.  He even climbed up onto the fireplace hearth this morning, and this afternoon he climbed the steps up from the basement (under my constant supervision, of course).  He still primarily crawls to go anywhere, but he's also cruising around the room using furniture as his guide.  Here again, the remote control acts as the proverbial dangling carrot.  Hayes finally caught some crawling on film - then we had issues trying to upload to this website. Sorry!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Independence Day. We were fortunate to visit a friend's home and play in their pool all day. Peter thoroughly enjoyed his very first hot dog, and wowed the ladies with his swimming prowess. He also hung out with some dogs, one of which wasn't a big fan after he yanked out half of her eyebrow. I think it scared him more than the dog, but we'll hope that we haven't been banned from visiting those friends again. :)

Perhaps his favorite part of the day was when he came across an empty beer can. 30 minutes of playtime in one 12 ounce piece of tin. Even after he abandoned it, he'd go back for more every few minutes. Who needs Toys 'R Us?! 

Peter has improved his attitude toward self-feeding.  He will eagerly feed himself graham crackers, Nilla wafers, and puffs.  He's even fed himself jelly sandwich bits.  Oddly enough, he refuses to pick up anything else.  An emerging sweet tooth, perhaps?  The smash cake for his birthday should be interesting.  

These days are busy - something new happening all the time.  We'll keep you posted - thanks for visiting!