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!!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone!! Declan had a wonderful first Christmas and we had a great time watching him discover all of his new toys. He has loads of new stuff to play with....a race track, ball popper, infant laptop, blocks, stacking cups....we could go on and on for a while! We're in the process of adding more storage to his play room for all his new goods. For a few weeks he spent every afternoon trying to tear open presents but on Christmas morning he wasn't into destroying all the packages. However, he did like playing with the paper, cardboard, plastic and bows. He also enjoyed all of the Christmas food like breakfast casserole, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. Declan got his two front teeth for Christmas :) He doesn't seem to be too affected by teething so we're hoping that trend continues! Here are a few pics from Christmas day.

Christmas pajamas from GaGa and Ma

Race Track

Declan with some of his new toys

Eating Christmas breakfast casserole

He tried to feed himself and we had cheese and eggs everywhere!