Walking and Pumpkins

It seems like it's been very hectic here. The biggest news is that Lucy is walking! It took her a while to get there as she's been standing and taking a few steps for quite some time. She seemed surprised and excited to take off. It seems she wants to spend most of her time walking around too. She also is talking quite a bit and saying a number of words. She likes saying "hi dad" when she hears Mike's car in the driveway and night and sometimes shouts out "dad" too which is cute. She has been practicing saying hi to everyone and every animal we see and waving. Her sleep has been quite disrupted which hasn't been so much fun for anyone. Hopefully it's a short lived stage. She's been busy visiting family and friends and having visitors to our house. She really does love socializing with people.



Mike was finally able to find out some good news about his health. After an ultrasound, a lump was found and we were unsure what it was for a long, stressful two weeks. He met with a ear, nose and throat specialist who is a surgeon and he said it is an enlarged lymph node that is nothing to be concerned about. Apparently you can have some lymph nodes bigger than others or it may just be inflamed. He was very confident. His thyroid condition is most likely due to Hoshimoto's Disease which causes one's immune system to attack the thyroid, causing it to burn out. There is very little other complications, however. He will need to continue taking the synthetic thyroid medication and have regular check up's. We are very thankful that he appears to be in good health. School continues to be interesting and a learning experience for Mike. He is still excited to be a barber. He is carpooling now with another student so that helpful.



It definitely is fall here and has felt like late fall, even for Minnesota. The cool, rainy days have been energy drainers. Hopefully it warms up for a bit before winter arrives. We have been thankful for our family and good friends that have been supportive of us during this trying time.



Take good care to each one of you. Below are some pictures of Lucy and her recent activities.







Here's Lucy on her second day of walking. She is pretty proud of herself.

Lucy enjoyed having her cousin Addy over to play. Girl time!

Lucy's cousin Easton also came to visit. That look is priceless! It was fun to have him over.

A few Saturdays ago, Lucy and I went to the "great pumpkin weigh off" in Red Wing. The biggest pumpkin was almost was almost 1500 pounds. It was HUGE. Unfortunately, we didn't take a picture of it. We had lots of fun playing at the park it was at too. Lucy loves swinging! There also was a band that she enjoyed watching and dancing to.

Yesterday, Lucy and I met my good friend, Debbie, and her 6 month old son, Aiden, at a Pumpkin Patch in Northfield. Here's a picture of Lucy and Aiden on the hay ride. They had to be pretty bundled up as it's been unseasonably chilly here. We had a great time seeing and playing with them.

Debbie, Aiden, Lucy, and I at the pumpkin patch. As you can see, Lucy wasn't too excited about me holding her for the picture. There was a lot of fun things to do there, including a sandbox filled with corn, which she really enjoyed. We are still finding corn in places from it.

Lucy and the pumpkins. We ended up getting a small one to take home with us.