this post is past-due!

Two weekends have passed.

Last weekend, we were surprised by a visit by my Aunt Becky & Uncle Tony. They were in town just to "get away" from home. It was her last weekend before her work / her school year started where they live and she wanted to have one last hoorah for the summer. They came to see Mercer (oh yeah - and us too). We went and had breakfast up at the square then walked around the farmer's market on Saturday. Then they headed to the Aquarium downtown as we headed up to the mountains. It was a nice surprise... and as uncle Tony would always say: "I'm glad YOU got to see ME." (that comment kinda goes with the saying on his T-shirt, doesn't it?!)

Our friends had the use of a mountain house on a lake in Blairsville; they invited us up. One day while we were there, we all went to Vogel State park and to a beach that they have built on a lake there. Mercer got to try a new swimming experience... quite a bit bigger than a pool / surrounded by a beautiful backdrop of the mountains. He was in his floaty and did pretty well.

Mostly we hung out at the house on the back porch. Mercer's been climbing a lot lately and had fun climbing into the rocking chairs on the screened in porch... and then ultimately rocking them back-and-forth. (Yes, Mercer is still drooling a lot as seen on his shirt. I asked about it at a doctor's appointment he just had and she said it was fine.) It was kind of interesting how Mercer and his buddy, Jackson, were doing the exact same thing at the exact same time - as seen in this series of photos!
It probably went something like this: The boys climbed up onto the chairs... We told them to get down... They sat down... in unison!

Oh how Mercer is growing up! He turned 18 months old last weekend.

He had his 18 month appointment a few days ago. The doctor said he was doing really well -- progressing as he should. He kept taking her books for her to read to him. She commented on how he really seems to like books. "Is he climbing," she'd ask. OH YES. "Is he talking?" OH YES. "Is he really into boy stuff like cars and balls?" OH YES! "Is he into everything?" OHHHH YESSSS!!! She used a number of words to describe him throughout the office visit as he was running from one end of the room to the other... a "firecracker," a "whirlwind," "exhausting." She used that exact same word - exhausting - at his 15 month appointment. Guess she really means it!

He has always been following the growth chart along the 75% curve. This visit, he strayed a little from that curve. He measured in at 33 1/4" tall and 26 lbs 14 oz. He's in the 80th percentile for height and 65th percentile for weight. He looks less like a baby and more like a little boy already. *gasp*

He's nodding now. You can ask him a question and he nods his head up and down now. (He's known "no" - the side-to-side nod for awhile.) Probably the cutest thing he says now: "cockle." He says that when he sees a motorcycle or a bicycle. (I'm shameless... I kept pointing out each & every motorcycle we saw in the mountains last weekend. We saw a TON of motorcycles and I still love hearing him exclaim "cockle!") He also screams when he sees a tractor (or a bulldozer) now. "acker" "acker" And he really goes nuts when he sees flashing lights on a police car or ambulance.... squealing and screaming.

It has been interesting to see how excited he gets by these things. Another thing I noticed recently - in a rain storm how "magical" it was for him for us to open an umbrella over the three of us this past weekend. His eyes just absolutely lit up and he smiled in amazement. It's beautiful to see things through his eyes.

A nice shot of Mercer gazing out over the lake last weekend.