18 month appointment

Drake had his 18-month check-up last week. The good news is he's back on the growth charts. He's 34 3/4 inches tall and 29.3 lbs, which is the 95th and 90th percentile respectively for kids his age. For most of his life, Drake has been off the charts for height & weight. He is healthy as a horse. The bad news was he got his final round of baby vaccinations until he starts kindergarten. Shots aren't fun.

Developmental Milestones: Drake can now identify colors. During dinner at Applebees, mom and dad asked him to pick out the "orange" crayon and the "blue" crayon and were delighted to discover that he knows the difference!

Another new trick of Drake's is he loves to give high fives.

Drake Discovered Birds

After being cooped up in our little house all winter, Drake is very excited about being outside. Yesterday, we saw several robins, yeh! Drake LOVES birds. He got very frustrated as he ran toward the robins, only to have them hop and then fly away from him. He turned around with a frown and signed "More, bird." He also loves to watch the Canadian geese fly over. A huge flock of them nest in a field behind our property so he gets to see them quite a bit.

Last week Drake lobbied for the first time. I took him to the Iowa Capitol for a subcommittee meeting for a bill that would require all businesses to provide a reasonable space for breastfeeding/nursing moms. I was fortunate to have a private office to pump milk for Drake while I was working for the Animal Rescue League. But there are many women who only have a toilet stall (usually without a toilet lid) or their car--not comfortable, private or safe options!

Daddy and Drake had a "guys' afternoon" yesterday while mommy got her hair cut & went to the doctor. They hung out at the Jordan Creek Mall kids play area where Drake got into his first little scuffle with another child about whose turn it was on the slide. It was "all good," reports Daddy. There were no injuries and no tears--just a pinch and a shove.