21 Months of W

W turned 21 months on Saturday.  Where oh where has the time gone (I actually typed 20 instead of 21!!)?

I think this was one of my favorite months with you, little man.  You’ve been trying to say more and your personality is really emerging.  You’ve just been downright fun.  I think I’ve laughed at your antics this month more than any other.  You have this uncanny ability to detect when your Da is making a sarcastic remark or subtle joke and you laugh.  This happened at church recently.  Da said something under his breath and you let out a laugh – hilarious.  There’s no way you understood the joke, but somehow you recognized that it was indeed a joke.  We were out for a walk over the weekend and right after a golfer teed off, you started laughing.  Not sure if it was actually a poor shot, but your timing was impeccable.  I also had a laugh at the grocery store when a man knocked over a sign and you said “uh oh!!”. J

You started ‘gymnastics’ this month!  You attend gymnastics with Nani and from what I understand, you do lots of climbing and even tried a headstand recently!!  Unfortunately you haven’t quite learned that gymnastics should only occur at gym class, on padded mats.  You’ve recently tried jumping off of chairs at home and overturning baskets so you can stand on them.  Mom quickly intervenes.

You’ve picked up quite a few words this month (much to my relief!).  These include: Moon (moo), Chips (dip), Goat (go), Bra (baa), and Zebra (bruh).  You repeatedly say something that sounds like “ dot-in“, which I think means clock?!?  Not sure, but I asked you to repeat it several times and then show me and you pointed to the clock?  You’ve also said oh no a few times (no no) and door (doe).

You’ve started watching Daniel Tiger recently, while mom gets ready for work.  I had a pretty strict no tv philosophy, but the show is on my phone and about 10 minutes long… AND I can actually get dressed so I’m allowing it. J  With that said, I’ve tried other shows on my phone just to see if you might be interested and Daniel Tiger is the only one you like.

You’ve also started telling us when you need a diaper change, which is really great.  You pat your diaper - front for pee and back for poop.  I appreciate that I no longer have to sniff you. ;)

Sleep was especially challenging this month.  You came down with a cold and the first week of said cold, I believe your sinuses were bothering you.  You didn’t seem all that congested, but you pointed to your nose quite a few times.  During that week, I think you woke something like 5 nights out of 7.  It was rough.  After 2 weeks, your cold is just about gone.  Yay!

Separation anxiety seems to have suddenly kicked in full force.  You had a few major meltdowns at Brian and Becky’s house and also cried when I brought you over to Aunt Connie’s house (even though I was with you the entire time).

As is the case every month, you still love books, you still love to be outside, you love to ‘help’ around the house, and we still get comments on your hair. J

Happy 21 months!  Next big event for you is school!  It starts on Saturday and we’re hoping it will be great for socialization and for speech.  You are our everything and more, little man!

An Update on my Boys

Yesterday's post was a bit of a downer.  Like I said, it's been a long week.  But the good news is W slept through the night, which means mom got some sleep!!  I feel like a new person - except now I feel like I may be coming down with A's cold.  Uggh.  Anyway, time to talk about my boys... <3

It’s no secret that I love to talk about W.  I want to remember all the cute things he says and the funny things he does.  Lately, he makes me laugh constantly and I’m always surprised by his level of understanding.  After thinking that toddlerhood was going to be really tough and expecting that I wouldn’t really enjoy this stage, I’ve actually found myself loving raising a toddler (lately).  Well, except for the lack of sleep.  I realize this could change in a minute.  A couple months or so ago, W was having tantrums, hitting, and throwing various objects.  He still does these things occasionally, but not nearly as often.  He’s started saying quite a few more words, which helps him communicate, which leads to less frustration (I think).  Anyway, a couple fun things lately…

W had woken up from a nap and was cranky.  Usually extra cuddles and a snack perks him up.  Well on this particular day, I was in a hurry.  I needed to change clothes so I brought him to the bedroom with me and sat him on the bed.  I thought I’d change quickly, then pick him back up and head downstairs for a snack.  There were a few articles of clothing laying on the bed near him.  He picked one up, held it triumphantly over his head, and yelled “BRA!!!!”.  A happened to be in the room and I think both of our mouths dropped.  Then we burst out laughing.  I had no idea W knew that word (or that article of clothing) and for someone who hardly talks, it was hilarious to hear him say that.  I guess all guys like bras – even at 1 year old.

W was working on a farm puzzle and I was naming the pieces.  One of those pieces was a barn.  As soon as I said barn, W insisted that we go downstairs.  When we got to the bottom of the staircase, W ran and grabbed a book called Chickens to the Rescue.  He quickly turned the pages until he found the picture he was looking for – a red barn similar to his puzzle piece.

I’ve mentioned that W likes to watch videos of himself on my phone.  I had one video on the other day.  It was from quite a while ago – probably 6-7 months ago.  I was asking him what various animals said.  What does the cat say, what does the sheep say, etc.  Well, as he was watching the video, he was answering my animal noise questions very enthusiastically.  Really cute. J

My mom and W were reading the book about monkeys jumping on the bed.  You know… where one falls off and bumps his head.  Well, upon hearing that, W jumped off the couch and bumped his head on the (carpeted) floor just like the monkeys in the book.

And possibly, my favorite one yet… I was trying to figure out if I should bring W over to his grandma’s house.  He wasn’t feeling well and I didn’t know if she’d be comfortable watching him.  I didn’t want anyone else to get sick.  I texted her, but didn’t hear back right away.  In the meantime, I was trying to get ready for work and the only way I could do so was to give W my phone to watch videos of himself.  In that time, as we were getting ready to leave, unbeknownst to me, W’s grandma called my phone.  Naturally I didn’t hear it and W somehow managed to text back “Can’t talk now  - I’m on my way”.  I kid you not.  Fast forward a few minutes and I have W in the car.  I check my phone and see that W’s grandma called so I try calling back.  No answer.  Then I notice a text - “Can’t talk now  - I’m on my way” and assume it’s from her since I didn’t type it.  So now I’m confused as to whether I’m dropping off W or she’s coming to my house.  So apparently there is some iPhone setting that allows you to respond to a call with automatic text.  I have no idea how to even do that, but I guess W does.  We only figured this out 4 hours later after lots of confusion… “you texted me.” “no, you texted me.”  “it says that text came from me, but I swear I didn’t type that…”

As for the littlest boy, I’m feeling movement every day and it’s exciting each and every time.  I can't wait for the big rolls and kicks.  I’m so looking froward to meeting this little guy.  I hope he has his brother’s red hair and light eyes.  "My boys"... that sure does have a nice ring to it. J

W is 20 Months old!!

Happy 20 months, W!

That scares me.  Mainly because I feel like I JUST wrote your 19 month update… and your 18 month update.  I don’t know where the time is going.

Unfortunately, 20 months is not off to a good start because you woke up with a cold.  But you seem to be in good spirits nonetheless.

In terms of development, we were a bit concerned about your speech.  We’re keeping a close eye on your progress over the next couple months.  But I’m happy to report you’ve added a few new words this month.  You started saying more and juice.  You’ve also said walk, house, button, Dee Dee (Addie) and a couple others words I don’t recall.  You also say mower, as in lawn mower, which sounds the same as “more”.  You’ve been repeating more words that Da and I say.  We’ve gotten a few suggestions from cousin Lindsey, who is a speech pathologist and we’ll continue to work with you.  I’m concerned about your speech, but not overly concerned.  Here’s why: you do seem a bit behind on verbal expression, BUT you excel in other areas.  Like comprehension.  You know so many words.  I’ll ask you to identify objects in books and around the house and you always point to the correct thing.  I think you even know some colors.  You also follow directions.  You make connections and understand relationships.  For instance, one of us will wear a striped shirt and you’ll point to it, then point to your striped rug.  You have no problem matching up puzzle pieces and completing all of your puzzles.  I also keep in mind that your Da and I aren’t the loudest people.  Ma always had teachers say she was quiet and “needed to come out of her shell” and I suspect Da was also pretty quiet in school (I may be wrong).  So I think part of the reason you’re not talkative is a personality trait.  Anyway, enough about that.

You LOVE trucks and we recently picked up a few more at a consignment sale.  You push them around the house and love to play with them on the daybed.  Not sure why.  Maybe you’re imagining you’re on a hill?  You also continue to love being outside and you and Da have spent many, many hours playing in the yard, going to the park, and taking walks.  You love “riding the horsey” on Ma and Da’s lap.  You love chips (Hands down, your favorite snack.  I give you a couple after dinner as a dessert.).  You’ve been “asking” to go to the pool lately by opening a photo album, finding a picture of Da in the pool, and repeatedly pointing to it.  We’ll try to make that happen before the pool closes.  And speaking of photo albums, you love looking at photos and do so almost every day.  You like to find Ma and Da – the toddler version of Where’s Waldo.  You also seem to love our house and your room.  You have much more space to run and play.  Da and I decided your big boy room would be sports themed.  You often wake up and point out the various baseballs, basketballs, footballs, etc. throughout your room.  I love that you love your room. J

Things that you don’t love lately include new foods.  I encouraged you to try pasta.  You touched it, shivered, then gagged.  You’re also not loving church lately.  I think our church friends jinxed us.  They mentioned how great and well behaved you always are.  Well since then, you’ve been getting restless towards the end of mass.  A couple weeks ago, you yelled “goal” and launched yourself off the pew a short time later.  That resulted in lots of tears.  You still hate diaper changes.  Especially the final one – I think you know bed time follows.  Lately, Da changes you and I read you a book.  That seems to be working for the time being.

All in all, we had a great month.  I was at my wits end previously because you were hitting and throwing things – often at poor Addie.  But you’ve gotten so much better.  It still happens, but not as often as it used to.  You’re such a sweet boy almost all the time and Da and I enjoy taking you out and about with us because you’re usually so well behaved.  You are our everything and more, little man!

Parenting a toddler (continued)

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…”

 

We’ve had some frustrating moments with W lately.  I posted about it yesterday.

 

And then I got home from work yesterday and all was right with the world. J  W was awesome.  He started saying “more” in the cutest little voice and pointing to what it was he wanted more of (which was always chips or pretzels, BUT that’s beside the point).  He walked over to the dog and started petting her!!!  He hardly threw anything… just pushed a few magazines off the table and knocked his cup off his tray at dinner.  No big deal.  We read books and played trucks together.  We had a blast.  It was wonderful.  I think I heard angels singing.  Ok, not really, but after some trying times, this was a welcome change.  A nice reminder that these tough times will pass… and then we’ll have other obstacles to tackle. ;)

Parenting a toddler

This is a hard post to write…  Being a mom has been challenging lately.  I feel like I rocked the baby years, but toddlerhood… it’s a whole new ballgame and I’ve got a lot to learn.

W has been hitting the dog and throwing things lately.  He seems to hit the dog most often when he’s angry or frustrated.  I’ll tell him no or take something away and he’ll run over to the dog and smack her on the head.  It.is.so.incredibly.frustrating.  He’s had several time outs, I’ve yanked him away from the dog, I’ve yelled at him.  I feel incredibly guilty about it and nothing has worked.  And honestly, I feel really bad for the dog, but she just puts up with it.

Then there’s the throwing.  And I can’t even come up with a pattern to this.  I think W is confused that he can throw a ball or dog toy, but nothing else.  Yesterday he threw a book at my glass candle centerpiece (and his aim is scary good).  He also throws cups and objects at the dog and then laughs.

As if that weren’t bad enough, we had a doctor’s appointment over the weekend and I expressed concern that W wasn’t talking more.  The pediatrician agreed and recommended speech therapy if W doesn’t increase his word count significantly in the next 3 months.

I feel like a failure.  In my heart, I know that we read to him constantly, talk to him, and look at flash cards.  We go on walks, go to the Farmer’s Market on Friday, attend swim lessons and music class, etc.  He’s a happy boy with a very full life.  I don’t think there is anything we could’ve done differently, but I still feel like I failed him somehow. L

Parenting a toddler has not been easy.  I think this is just a phase and we’ll get through it.  But right now, uggh.

I did have someone at church approach me on Sunday and tell me that W is always so well behaved.  So there's that.  Maybe he knows God is watching. ;)  I probably just jinxed Sunday mass for us.

W is 19 months old!

Happy 19 months, W!

Didn’t I JUST write your 18 month post?!?  And you’re now closer to 2 than 1… WHAT?!?!  Well, your dad says you’re already practically 2, so I shouldn’t worry about that.  I guess he’s referring to your stubbornness, the way you throw a tantrum and get angry when you don’t get what you want.  You also have a tendency to yell and make your dissatisfaction known.  Yes, I’m pretty sure you’re giving us a taste of the “terrible twos”.

Anyway, you had a really eventful month.  We all flew to Baltimore to visit Aunt Lori and Uncle Bob.  You were an awesome little traveler and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience.  Soon after, we moved into a new house.  We’ve only been there a couple weeks, but I’m  certain you love it.  You run through each of the rooms and push your talking dog and chomping alligators from room to room.  You also love to play in the yard.  Being outside is quite possibly you’re most favorite thing ever.

Not a lot to report on the development front.  I’ve noticed you trying to repeat words we say, but you still don’t do a lot of talking.  You do seem to learn the meaning of new words every day – you just don’t have much interest in speaking them… yet.  You do surprise me every now and then by saying a word randomly that I thought you’d forgotten.  We were eating dinner outside recently and you pointed to a stick on the deck and said stick.  You haven’t said that word in a long time, which supports my theory that you can say words, but you just don’t seem to want to very often.  You started music class with dad.  It doesn’t sound like you love it, but at least it’s an activity the two of you can do together.  We’ve also gone to the farmer’s market, parks, and attended lunch in the park.  You’re still a very picky eater.  Refusing to try any food you’re unsure of.  I made you a smoothie recently, thinking it’d be a good way to have you eat more fruits and veggies.  I thought it was delicious, but you pushed it aside.  I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed.  We’ll continue to try, but I’m not sure how to expand your pallet.  Your favorite things lately are cheese pizza, bagels and cream cheese, French fries, and apple cider (Grandma G got this for you at the farmer’s market and you were obsessed).  Oh!!  My favorite thing you’ve started doing… I’ll ask for a kiss and you’ll grab my face and plant one on me.  It’s adorable. J

Grocery shopping  is never complete until someone comments on your beautiful hair.  I’m not even exaggerating.  Every single time we’re at the store, someone comes over to compliment your hair.  We’ve had people come up to us and share pictures of their red headed children.  We even had a lady ask if she could touch your hair?!?

This month was so busy, I’m sure I’m leaving several things out.  You are our everything and more, little man!

 

W is 18 months old

I'm a little late on my monthly post...

 

Happy 18 months, W!

I can’t believe you’re a year and a half.  Half way to two.  That seems impossible.

I’m still waiting for you to really start talking.  You haven’t added many new words.  You started saying no… or more like noooo.  Daddy also taught you to say goal in honor of the World Cup.  I actually think you’re just not interested in talking and when you are, you’ll figure it out quickly.

I am continuously amazed by your level of comprehension.  The other day, I received a box in the mail.  You noticed it had a hole and pointed it out.  I told you there was a hole in the box.  You then ran over near our closet and pointed to the hole in the wall.  You also notice when pictures are duplicated in books.  You have one particular book with a toy car on the cover.  You page through until you find the exact same toy car in your book.  You love to help.  You help us clean by getting out the cleaners, wiping down tables, shaking rugs, and sweeping.  Recently, you’ve been helping us pack for our move.  You also help put cans of pop in the refrigerator.  You love picking up shoes and slippers and bringing them to us.  You always insist that we wear them.  You love to be outside and love to run.  You love orange juice, pizza, and French fries.  You also love chasing and being chased by Addie.  You know where your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, hair, hand, fingers, belly, feet, and toes are.  You’ve started putting the envelope in the basket at church (which is really cute) and you’ve also started having tantrums (not cute).  You love a challenge, but get angry when you can’t accomplish a task.

We found out that you hate swings, which seems odd?  I thought all kids liked swings.  But you love the slide.

This past month, you’ve gone to the park quite a bit, had a play date at the mall, attended “gymnastics” class, visited mom at work, and went to the farmer’s market and library with Nani.

You still get compliments on your red hair wherever we go.

You are our everything and more, little man.

 

 

My new favorite product for toddlers...

I spent time with a fabulous mom friend over the weekend.  She has her hands full with a one year old and a two year old, but she is amazingly organized.  W and her daughter played at an indoor play place at the mall and then we decided to hit the food court for lunch.  W is picky, but he loves pizza.  So Sbarro it was.  My friend and I grabbed the pizza and found a table.  She then introduced me to disposable placemats.  Maybe I’m behind the times because I had no idea this awesome product existed.  If I put a plate in front of W, it will wind up on the floor within seconds.  Usually he’ll eat food right off his tray or off of a table.  But who knows how often those mall tables are cleaned – yuck.  Enter the amazing disposable placemat.  It sticks to the table and then you just roll it up with all the crumbs and leftover food when done.  Game changer.  She also had disposable bibs, food pouches, and Plum Organics fruit snacks that W loved.  I was feeling pretty inadequate that I had none of these things in my diaper bag.  I also forgot the high chair cover.  Fail.  I ordered the placemats as soon as I got home.  If you eat out with toddlers often, I highly recommend these.  Genius.

17 months of W

I’m way overdue on posting W’s 17 month update…

Happy 17 months, W!!  I don’t think there have been too many changes this month.  You continue to understand so many words and commands.  You haven’t said too many new words, but your understanding amazes me.  Mom and dad went on a little trip and we heard that you said “pop” for grandpa and some version of Uncle Matt. J  You say go, but I don’t think you quite understand what it means.  I’ll tell you that we have to go bye bye or daddy had to go to work and you’ll repeat go.  Perhaps my favorite thing that you’re doing is pointing to pictures of mom and dad and saying ma and da.  Last night, you pointed to a picture of Elin Nordegren and said ma.  It made my night.  Anytime you want to compare your mom to a model is fine with me. J  We had a rough month in terms of sleep and illness, but I’m hopeful that we’re all on the mend.  This month, you completed a music class with Nani.  You spent time away from both mom and dad for the first time.  Your most favorite thing is being outside and you often cry when it’s time to come in.  You still love Jeopardy, trucks, and balls. J

W is 16 Months Old

Happy 16 months, W!  You turned 16 months on Easter. J

This month has been SO much fun!  The weather is FINALLY warming up and we’re spending more and more time outside.  You absolutely love being outside and cry when we come in.  You’re usually a very happy guy and it seems that you learn something new every day.  You know at least 50 words now and can follow instructions.  You say: mama, dada, up, down, duck, stick, truck, amen, uh oh, ball, bowl, and basketball.  You’ve said car, Addie, puffs, and a few other words, but have only said these once or twice.  You also say can – as in can of pop (dat), vacuum (googoo? I’m not sure what exactly you say, but you say it consistently and very often), and you have a very distinct sound for clock, but I’m not counting these because they are really hard to make out.  You point at EVERYTHING and want to know the name of it.  You love pointing to each and every basketball hoop while we’re out for walks.  This month, you started taking a music class with Nani and we went on our first zoo trip of the year.  We also visited dad’s class and you had your first official hair cut (you hated every minute of it).  You love watching Jeopardy and your favorite things to do lately include playing with the vacuums, running, playing with Grandma G’s cats, and throwing balls down the stairs (as well as several other items that you get in trouble for i.e. cars, Legos, vacuums, your ride on dog, toy boat, socks, hats, etc).  You still love Pete the Cat.  You often get compliments of your red hair and cute outfits (mom will take credit for your stylish wardrobe;)).  You’ve gotten quite independent recently and aren’t afraid to walk around the places you’re familiar with (church, grocery store).  My favorite month to date!

Happiness is... W

I have so much on my mind…  The weekend was wonderful and I would typically do a recap, but I want to  talk about W and how wonderful he is.  I know all moms think their children are fabulous and they absolutely are.  Children are such an amazing blessing.  Sure, they are challenging and frustrating at times, but the sweet moments make up for those difficult times (remind me of this when I’m in the throes of terrible twos).  I’m so incredibly grateful to have W in my life.  I’m so grateful God chose me to be his mom and I remind myself every single day how fortunate I am.  W is a miraculous gift.

I truly believe that W could change the world if he wanted to.  He has this amazing positive effect on people.  To know W is to love W.  I was reminded of this several times this weekend…

I took Friday off so W and I could spend the day together.  I had chosen Friday awhile ago and it worked out perfectly.  The weather was the warmest it’s been all year (as I type, we currently have snow on the ground).  I decided we would go on our first zoo trip of the year.  We had a blast.  The monkeys and the meerkats were W’s favorite and he actually started to cry as we left the meerkats and headed toward another exhibit. 

I had this perfect plan – we’d go to the zoo, W would sleep during the nearly 1 hour ride home, and then we’d visit A’s class.  Well, W had other plans and did not sleep at all.  I debated whether or not we should still visit A at school.  I ultimately decided to go.  If W fell asleep on the way there, we’d visit another time and if W got too cranky, we’d just head home.

We arrived and W was awesome.  My typically shy around people he doesn’t know boy walked around the classroom, played ball with the students, and pointed out the clock.  Several students in other classrooms wanted to meet W and we made the rounds.  The students LOVED him.  But my favorite part was the interaction with the autistic students.  Now, I don’t know very much about autism.  What I do know is that many autistic students thrive on consistency and W being there could have easily set them off.  We met one student who came up to W and played peek-a-boo with him.  W proceeded to laugh and smile at the boy.  They both seemed to enjoy each other’s company.  Another boy we met in the hallway.  A explained that W was his son and the boy repeated “my son”.  After that, whenever we saw the boy, he would say “my son”.  It was really cute and heartwarming.  There was another girl who apparently had little confidence and broke down from time to time.  But she had no problem playing with W, talking to him, and offering toys.  She even told me she was great with kids – no lack of confidence whatsoever.  She was very sweet with W.

Here’s the thing I picked up on (and again – admittedly, I’m one of those moms who thinks her kid is the best)… W could have been incredibly cranky.  We were at the zoo for 2 hours and in the car for another 2 hours.  With NO nap.  But W was perfect.  He brought joy to so many of those kids.  He brings so much happiness to nearly everyone he meets.  And another thing – I think he was perfect for the kids.  A explained to me that some lacked self-esteem and doubted themselves.  Not around W.  They had no problem at all interacting with him.  There’s something  special about a toddler – they view the world with innocent eyes.  They do not judge.  They do not criticize.  They laugh at a simple game of peek-a-boo.  They do not have high expectations or prejudice.  And I think W made some of those students’ days.

I was reminded of this 2 days later, but with the other end of the spectrum…. We’ve been attending church as a family since W was 10 days old.  We love seeing our church friends every week.  Lately, A or I spends most of church in the lobby with W.  He gets tired of sitting and wants to explore.  Well, this Sunday, we were getting ready to leave after a long Palm Sunday mass when I turned around and saw W in the arms of an elderly man.  He was talking to W and W was content.  Typically, W would be crying, reaching for A or me.  But he was fine being held by the older man and the older man had the biggest smile.  So darn cute.  And another example of W bringing happiness…. To young and old and everyone in between.  I love my boy so much.

W Turns 15 Months!

Happy 15 months, W!  I can’t believe it.  Makes me a little sad.  But this may have been my favorite month yet… do I say that every month?

I have to admit, I thought you’d be saying more words by now, but I think I was being unrealistic.  You haven’t added a lot of words this month in terms of speech.  The only new words I can think of are down (you said this a couple times last month, but now it’s consistent) and if I ask you what a snake says, you’ll hiss.  You also sign “all done”.  BUT you know what so many words mean and I’m amazed at your level of comprehension.  I gave a list previously, but some new words you’ve picked up since then are: car, clock, drum, cat, mouse, bird, socks, belly button, and probably many more.  You’ll see a cat on tv and start meowing or see a picture of shoes in a book and then run and get your own shoes.  You saw a watch on a flash card recently and I tried to explain that a watch was like a clock you wear on your wrist.  You then pointed to the clock on our wall.  Cutest thing ever.  We all think you’re really bright (not that we’re biased or anything).  You can do puzzles now.  You don’t always fit the pieces exactly, but you can match the pictures.  You still love to read and Pete the Cat is still your favorite.  You’ve gotten better with eating.  You still love meat (chicken, meatballs, hamburger, sausage, corned beef), but you actually ate fruit for the first time ever.  You’ve had strawberries and pineapple.  A major feat!  You’re also starting to feed yourself with a spoon.  You’ll dip the spoon into yogurt or applesauce and then put it in your mouth.  You’re down to just one bottle – right before bed.  You were hitting a lot and that was driving me crazy.  But as you’re learning to communicate and mom and dad are using positive reinforcement, you’ve gotten so so much better.  You can go up and down the stairs these days.  You’re favorite game lately is throwing things down the stairs – mainly balls and dad’s shoes.  But you’ve also thrown blocks, blankets, and cars.  I’m trying to teach you that it’s only acceptable to throw balls.  Oh, and you fall all the time.  We had to call the pediatrician’s after hours line for the first time due to a fall.  It seems like you are never bruise free.  I hope that doesn’t mean several ER trips are in your future.  In the past month, we’ve made a trip to Chicago, gone to the library, gone to the mall, and even went outside for a couple walks.  You also got your first pair of big boy shoes and I think you actually like them.

Such a fun month!!

We love you so much!  You are our everything and more.

 

And finally - 3/17/13 vs. 3/17/14

 

14 Months of W!

Happy 14 months!!

This past month has been a doozy.  Crazy weather (snow, dangerous cold, and rain today?!?), busy weekends, and colds for all of us.  Much to my disappointment, you didn’t add very many words to your vocabulary this month (words are my favorite milestone!!).  You have said uh oh and down a few times.  Grandma W says you say hot when you spy her coffee.  You have started following directions.  I’ll say “go get a book” and you do.  I’ve also told you to put something in the garbage and you toddle right over to the trash.  Your dad and I have both witnessed you pick up lint off the carpet, walk over to the trash can, and throw it away.  Grandma G has told you to go get her glasses.  You find them and bring them to her.  This morning I was telling you that we were going to go bye bye and we were going to Nani’s house.  I walked into the kitchen and turned around to find you standing there with your coat! 

You LOVE to read.  LOVE!!  I think we go through at least 20 books a day and that’s not counting the books you read with your grandmas.  You get bored pretty quickly with story books, but love pop ups and books that have flaps to open.  The exception to this is Pete the Cat story books.  We read Pete the Cat Saves Christmas every single day.  I had to order another Pete the Cat just to give myself a break from Saving Christmas.

You’re running all over the place.  You stand yourself up in the middle of the floor without any support (you actually started doing this at 13 months).  We’ve started to do puzzles.  You haven’t quite gotten the hang of it, but I’ve watched you match the pictures on your farm puzzle.  We still get comments all the time on your red hair.  We went grocery shopping for Super Bowl snacks a couple weeks ago and no less than 3 people came over to say hi to you and comment on your hair and cuteness.  Last week while we were grocery shopping, a lady came over to say hi and gave you a bag of animal crackers (daddy wouldn’t let you have them).  You’re getting a little better about eating.  The rule seems to be if it’s meat or bread, you’ll eat it.  Anything else belongs on the floor.

One other exciting thing that happened – your mom submitted a picture of you to Baby Gap (I can’t help it, I think you’re the cutest ;)) and you were featured on their Facebook page. :)

I think that covers it.  We’re having so much fun watching you grow and learn!

I've been slacking on pictures...

A Rough Start

Today has been awesome.  And I mean that in the most sarcastic way.

Today has started out horrendously.  But that means it can only get better, right?

The horrendousness (is that a word?) actually started yesterday afternoon.  A and I were home again because of the cold weather.  I was working on my laptop when I heard a loud noise.  W had tripped over a balloon and fell face first into the corner of our bookshelf.  The sound of it was horrible and I can only imagine how much it hurt.  W had a bruise and a bump on his forehead and a bloody lip, but I was surprised that he didn’t cry very much all things considered.  The lip stopped bleeding relatively quickly and he barely had a bump on his head by evening.

Just before bed, A mentioned that W seemed more unsteady than usual, which made me nervous.  But then again he’s one and started walking fairly recently – I wouldn’t call him stable.  W also gets wobbly when he’s tired.  He went to bed at his usual time – around 8pm.  I put some Motrin in his final bottle in case he had a headache or any lingering pain from the fall.  W was up again at 9:30pm.  Then again at 11:30pm.  Then again at 12:45am.  At this point, A and I brought him into our bed and he slept for a couple hours.  Around 4am, A placed W back in his crib and we hoped to get a bit more sleep before having to get up for the day.  W, however, had other plans.  He was up at 5am and wouldn’t go back to sleep.

I’m not sure if he was in pain, just having trouble staying asleep, teething again, or all of the above?  I felt awful for him (and for me).  And now I’m wondering if I should have called the doctor or should have taken him in to the pediatrician this morning?  My instinct told me he was ok, but now I’m second guessing myself. L

Then I had a 7am conference call this morning.  I decided to call in from home.  In order to make it to work by 7, I’d have to leave the house by 6:15 and that just wasn’t happening.  So I called in a little before 7.  By 7:10, the meeting hadn’t started so I texted my coworker.  Turns out the meeting had been rescheduled and I hadn’t received notification.  Perfect.

When I finally got to work, I had an email from a partner company.  They basically had no idea what I was requesting even though I explained very clearly.  I know that’s vague, but getting information from these people is like pulling teeth.  I thought we were on the same page with my recent request… wrong.  It was just one more frustrating thing to add to the list.

But then, the day started to improve….  Remember when I mentioned that W’s 12 month photo session was a disaster?  Well, somehow the photographer managed to capture some perfect photos of my sweet little man.  I’m so in love with them – she did an amazing job.  Here’s hoping the day continues to improve. 

A few of my favorite photos:

 

 

W's Birthday Party in Photos

Assorted cupcakes, music note shaped cookies, and music note crayon party favors.

 

 

All food items had a musical name.

 

 

Tables were decorated with music note confetti, balloons, and miniature musical instruments.

 

 

A's parents were kind enough to let us borrow their house for the party.  Ours is just too small.

 

 

We asked guests to select a song that either reminded them of W, represented a wish for him, or was popular during his first year.  The selections were fantastic.

 

 

 

Birthday boy did NOT like his musical cake.

 

 

Monthly banner and board containing W's stats and favorites (I'm proud of that board!).

 

 

Presents from mom and dad - Anywhere chair and school bus

 

 

I'm so happy with how the party turned out.  It was exactly what I wanted. :)

 

 

 

Surviving the toddler years

As we’re nearing the end of the first year, I’m getting more and more nervous about parenting.  That seems silly, but let me explain.  When you’re pregnant, you’re so excited about having a baby…. You don’t (or maybe it’s just me?) think about the toddler years, the kid years, the pre-teen years (gasp!!), etc.  The focus is on that little, tiny baby.  Then the baby arrives and it’s basically feeding, changing, comforting, engaging.  That’s all been pretty easy and I know I’m oversimplifying, but still... the first year seems more about fulfilling basic needs as opposed to teaching and molding a little person.  I mean sure, there have been tough, cranky, sleepless nights here and there, but for the most part, the baby part hasn’t been all that difficult.  Raising a toddler, on the other hand, scares the bajeebies out of me.  Potty training?!?!  Gross.  I’m so not looking forward to all the peeing and even worse… pooping everywhere!  OMG.  I don’t even know where to start.  I have no patience whatsoever and just the thought makes me shudder.  And the other thing that scares the bajeebies out of me – disciplining.  It’s my job to raise an independent, respectful, grateful, well behaved little man.  How the heck do I do that?!?!  I’m not really into spanking so do I do time outs?  A naughty step?  The corner?  Will I suck at following through?  I can’t suck at following through, then he’ll know he can get away with things.  What if I’m too easy going?  What if I’m too hard on him?  I need to tell him the right way to do things and not just emphasize what’s wrong, right?  Will I feel bad when he cries?  I.am.already.freaking.out.  How do we survive the toddler years?!?!?