The Blue Cast

When Declan woke up Tuesday morning he was limping. His doctor thought that he might have pulled a muscle but on Thursday the limp was worse and Declan had resorted to crawling at daycare. The doctor sent us for a bunch of x-rays and blood work and a few hours later called to let us know that Declan had fractured two little bones in his left foot. Apparently this is common in toddlers so they call it a toddler fracture. We were referred to Cincinnati Children's hospital on Friday and left with a blue cast. Declan has already figured out how to walk in the cast and is even back to wrestling with his Pottery Barn chair. He hasn't let the fracture slow him down! They started us out with a cast that ends below his knee but if he wiggles out of it (they say it happens) then he'll have to have one that goes above the knee. Here are some pictures of his cast....

Iron's Fruit Farm

We are really enjoying fall in Ohio and are finding lots of activities to fill our weekends. The last weekend of September we went to Iron's Fruit Farm and the Apple Festival in Lebanon, Ohio. At Iron's Fruit Farm Declan fed some goats and then tried to chase the chickens. He also tried to pick up some very large pumpkins. He a had a great time walking through all of the booths set up in downtown Lebanon at the Apple Festival. They had lots of great crafts and food. We got a wooden scarecrow for the front porch and Declan has been giving him kisses every afternoon. 

Cincinnati Zoo

We live about 20 minutes from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden so a couple of weeks ago we took Declan for his first visit to the zoo. He absolutely loved all of the animals and the carousel. We left with yearly passes so we'll be visiting the zoo very frequently. On our first visit Declan was able to see elephants, monkeys, zebras, tigers, giraffes and a rhino....he made animals sounds the whole time! We were also able to go through the exhibit with animals that come out at night and Declan loved the Fennec Fox. He now has a stuffed "fos". Here are some pictures from Declan's first zoo adventure.

Watching the monkeys

He was very interested in the peacock....we told him the story of Ma
making a peacock mad after taking one of it's feathers :)

The zoo has new baby zebra...she's the one on the left.

Declan with his stuffed fox...or "fos" as Declan calls him.

Finally Moved!!

We made it to our new house in Mason, Ohio on August 24th and we are finally settled in! The movers were wonderful but it took a while to get all of our stuff organized. Tim started to work a couple of weeks ago and Declan started to his new daycare this week. The first few days were a little rough but he seems to be adjusting pretty well. He really likes music and art and is doing a great job learning new words. His favorite new phrase is "come on momma". Here are some pictures of Declan in our new home -

He loves playing with Elmo on the iPad!

Declan loves to color.....

.....with washable crayons!

I think the stairs are Declan's favorite part of our new house.

 

Cincinnati

The Steckel family is moving to Cincinnati!!! Tim and I have both accepted positions at L-3 Cincinnati Electronics and will be moving to the area on the 23rd. I've made a promise to start keeping this blog up to date...hopefully someone out there is reading it. Lots has happened since our last post....Declan turned 1, started walking (then running), and talking. I'll start by posting a few pictures from this past weekend and then catch everyone up on the last few months.

Be My Valentine

We're a little late but here are some pictures of Declan's first Valentine's Day. He's quiet the little flirt at daycare so his "Most Eligible Bachelor" shirt fits his personality perfectly. Declan got a Valentine's Day goodie bag from GaGa and Ma....his favorite thing in the bag has turned out to be the Valentine monkey. Only two more weeks until his first birthday!!!

Declan's Valentine's Day shirt from GaGa and Ma.
It was a hit with the ladies at daycare.

GaGa and Ma brought Declan a Valentine's Day bag of goodies!!

He loves the Valentine monkey...he has John 3:16 written on his heart so we've
named him John. 

11 Month Update

So we're a few days late on the 11 month update....we've been a little busy. Declan is learning and growing so fast. He's been trying new foods and found a few new favorites to include salmon and chocolate pudding. He still hates milk. Declan really wants to start walking by himself and "practices" all the time. We actually had to hide his walker today so that we could get a break....he doesn't know how to turn it around so there is a lot of running into walls! He stands and pushes all of his toys. Here are a few pictures from the last month. After loading all of the pictures I realized that he has a paci in all of them.....

Practicing with the walker

He's on the go....and he moves fast!

Playing with Mommy's kettlebells

He tries so hard to pick up the kettlebells but so far has
only managed to turn them over

Still loves Mickey Mouse.....

Declan recently discovered the drawer under the stove
and he loves scrapping the pans on the floor

A Visit With Oma

Declan's Oma, German for Grandma, came to visit a couple of weekends ago and he had a great time playing with her. Here are some pictures from her visit....he's already looking forward to playing with Oma again!!

Learning to walk...he does okay as long as it goes slow!

Declan loves to drink out of a water glass.....who needs a sippy cup!?!?!

Declan's New Chair

Declan got a My First Anywhere Chair from Pottery Barn. He prefers climbing all over it to sitting it and I think he wishes that it rocked....he rocks back and forth so hard that he'll knock it over if it isn't sitting against the couch. Of course if it's against the couch he gets to climb on it and try to get up onto the couch.....his ultimate goal :)

Watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

New Year

Happy New Year!! Our 2012 is off to a great start. Declan started to his new daycare last week and is doing great.....but I'm pretty sure he misses Mrs. Katie.  His new class has a total of four babies and they are all about Declan's age. He adjusted very easily and has already made some new friends. He's also started eating the school lunches and has tried lots of new foods. He likes chicken fingers, grilled cheese, pot roast, split pea soup, blueberry muffin and loved the cheese quesadilla with guacamole at Casa Blanca. He's also doing great with his sippy cup so we're hoping to get rid of the bottles soon!!