17 months, 28 weeks, and lots of change

At 16 months we began to notice a lot of new progress in Buxton's development. It was like his speech and fine motor skills went into overdrive. And it's been non-stop with him fearlessly climbing everything, running all over the place, and saying new words all the time. He can say over 10 words now, not all pronounced perfectly but well enough to know what he's saying. Of course along with this stage comes the whining and tantrums to get what he wants immediately. He is a really sweet boy though and so low maintenance that I know I can't possibly get another as easy as he is. He is constantly giving kisses, waving at strangers everywhere he goes and not an hour goes by that he's not laughing hysterically at something. He melts my heart with every smile. I've really enjoyed Buxton lately and being pregnant has forced me to have more down time this summer with him than I probably would have otherwise. The down time is when we really get to connect and interact. And it's also when I get random awesome shots of him like these below. We were just strolling around the backyard when he spotted an airplane, and the afternoon light just happened to be so perfect. I think these are my favorite of him so far because I captured his eyes in a way I always wanted to and have tried many times for.

I had to share this pic cause this is a typical Buxton expression. A little bit mischievous on top of a lot of sweetness.

Ben did a little "remodel" to the gazebo area because the grass that was under it started to turn to mud. So now there is black indoor/outdoor carpet on the ground with logs from the woods behind our house and pine straw to serve as the border.

Buxton will only eat blackberries when he picks them off the plant, which of course means they end up all over his clothes.

And finally, here I am at 28 weeks and carrying a 15 in long chinese cabbage. But if baby girl is anything like her brother there is a good chance she is larger than what Babycenter.com is predicting. I'm feeling VERY pregnant these days. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of change as far as the growth of this baby. The 3rd trimester starts this week and even though time has flown by I'm getting more and more ready each day for this baby girl to be here. I'm so happy to report that I'm on track to meet my goal of gaining less than 30 lbs total. Swimming, walking, doing yoga regularly and holding off on the sweets has helped me meet this goal and I know I've fared much better in this heat wave because of it. This is a shot I took with the timer and I couldn't figure out how to make the camera focus on me instead of the yard!