It has been awhile since our last update, and I am going to do my best to post things as they happen. I am not sure what has happened over the last couple of months - they were here and gone before I knew it!
- The fits have started. I hate to admit it, as I was fooled into thinking we were going to skip this stage. I am still hopeful that it is short lived (I guess everything is in the grand scheme of things). The typical things that you would expect break him into hysterics. Mainly he does not much care for change or things not going his way. Right now, we can still just calm him down within a few minutes and move on. However, we have also had to pull out the time-out until he has calmed down. These are frustrating times for all three of us, but I am trying to look at it as opportunities for life lessons (okay, so it is not that easy sometimes, but it gets me through it.
- He has full blown conversations with us now. He will tell us about his day or what he sees. He tells us when he likes something or dislikes something. He asks us what we are doing or eating or watching.
- He loves to sing or be sang to. He knows the following songs: 'ABC's', 'Twinkle Twinkle', 'Old McDonald', 'Row Your Boat', 'Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes', and 'Hawaiian Rainbow'. He really sings them along with the tune, SO CUTE!
- Still loving his animals, but the newest obsessions is with fish and sharks. He has a little toy "cars" fishing pole that he loves. Daddy tied a small plastic shark to the end, so he can cast it and reel it in. He is really good with it too. Daddy can not wait to take him fishing.
- Still loving his books, we have progressed into short stories now more than his board books. He will sit and listen to longer stories. He loves two short story book in particular that his Uncle Chris, Aunt Adrienne and Cousin Tyler got him. One has a ton of short stories about all of the popular pixar characters (Nemo, Lightening McQueen, Toy Story, etc.); the other one is all about baby animals. Both are PERFECT for him.
- I would list his favorite TV shows, but he actually has stopped watching TV shows. I normally would turn them on when I needed to get something done, but now, he will totally play on his own and entertain himself for up to 20 minutes sometimes(see imagination discussion below). He does love his movies though; favorites include: Toy Story (1&2), Jungle Book, Cars, Ice Age:Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
- His imagination has really started to show itself lately. He is sort of out of the 'baby' toys and is more into things that he can build stories around or play with. Loves to play with his Dr. bag, build tents with blankets, build his legos, fish with his fishing pole, etc. He will talk and narrate the story the whole time. I LOVE to watch him!
- A couple of bad things that have come along with the imagination discussed above is that he is having dreams that are waking him up at night. I will go up there and calm him down and he will tell me about it "orca whale doesn't fit in the basket" or "give me my phone back", etc. Another thing is that is has started showing fear of the most random things, one in particular - the wind! There for a few days he would go into hysterics, but we have managed to convince him that the wind helps the birds fly, it tickles the trees, and it makes Mama's hair look funny.
- And of course - POTTY TRAINING! A separate post to follow...
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Happy 2nd birthday week: Dear John:
Dear John:
Today you turn 2. You are no longer a baby, but a little boy all your own. It is hard to believe how fast the time flies. I have said this at every stage of your life, but again I say that this is my most favorite age, and I think yours too.
You take your time with new things and when faced with a new environment you would prefer to soak it all in for a few minutes until you decide how you feel about it. And MAN, if you do not feel right about it, Mama has learned not to push the issue because you are going to stand your ground. On the other hand, when you find something that you like, you go all in! Some of these things are a passing phase, but some things you fall in love with and can't get enough. These are the things that Mama and Daddy live for; because to see your face light up like it does is the best feeling in the world to us.
When you are at home and in your element, you have fantastic level of confidence, but are still very careful. I love this balance. You totally trust us to catch you or hold you, sometimes to the point that it scares us because we don't know your are going to jump! :) You are careful though and seem to know where the limits are when we are not right next to you.
You demand acknowledgement and will repeat yourself and/or get louder and louder until you get a response. But you also are quick to give thanks even when we are not sure what you are thanking us for.
You are the sweetest boy that I have ever met. You are free with your hugs and kisses and would sit and cuddle ALL day if we would let you. You rub our cheeks or play with our ears or chin while you cuddle or when you are tired. However, you have not said the words "I love you" quite yet; I know you will say it on your own terms and that day will live in infamy and melt our hearts. You love when we have group hugs. You love on Bailee and Kallie and your stuffed animals and you make sure that they kiss and hug each other too.
You are all boy and can be super rough, but also know how to be gentle ("easy"). You are a good listener and you totally know when you are doing something you are not supposed to; evidenced by the mischievous look on your face. You are very well behaved and we are so proud of you.
You are starting to really get an imagination and we love watching you play and be creative. You can find true enjoyment in the most simple things. I hope you keep this attitude throughout life.
Today, baby boy, we wish you the happiest birthday and pray that you enjoy life, as you do today, for all of the years to come. We love you more than words.
Today you turn 2. You are no longer a baby, but a little boy all your own. It is hard to believe how fast the time flies. I have said this at every stage of your life, but again I say that this is my most favorite age, and I think yours too.
You take your time with new things and when faced with a new environment you would prefer to soak it all in for a few minutes until you decide how you feel about it. And MAN, if you do not feel right about it, Mama has learned not to push the issue because you are going to stand your ground. On the other hand, when you find something that you like, you go all in! Some of these things are a passing phase, but some things you fall in love with and can't get enough. These are the things that Mama and Daddy live for; because to see your face light up like it does is the best feeling in the world to us.
When you are at home and in your element, you have fantastic level of confidence, but are still very careful. I love this balance. You totally trust us to catch you or hold you, sometimes to the point that it scares us because we don't know your are going to jump! :) You are careful though and seem to know where the limits are when we are not right next to you.
You demand acknowledgement and will repeat yourself and/or get louder and louder until you get a response. But you also are quick to give thanks even when we are not sure what you are thanking us for.
You are the sweetest boy that I have ever met. You are free with your hugs and kisses and would sit and cuddle ALL day if we would let you. You rub our cheeks or play with our ears or chin while you cuddle or when you are tired. However, you have not said the words "I love you" quite yet; I know you will say it on your own terms and that day will live in infamy and melt our hearts. You love when we have group hugs. You love on Bailee and Kallie and your stuffed animals and you make sure that they kiss and hug each other too.
You are all boy and can be super rough, but also know how to be gentle ("easy"). You are a good listener and you totally know when you are doing something you are not supposed to; evidenced by the mischievous look on your face. You are very well behaved and we are so proud of you.
You are starting to really get an imagination and we love watching you play and be creative. You can find true enjoyment in the most simple things. I hope you keep this attitude throughout life.
Today, baby boy, we wish you the happiest birthday and pray that you enjoy life, as you do today, for all of the years to come. We love you more than words.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Happy 2nd Birthday Week: Buddies
Another big part of our 2nd year was play dates and making buddies.
In the last year, John has gone from not even knowing other children are in the room - to standing back and watching them intently - to trying to play with them and make friends. Overall he is pretty passive when it comes to play dates, although if they are at our house he is more comfortable. He shares really well. He loves going to the park with his friends the best. I think it is because he is on neutral ground and he does not feel smothered.
There is one particular little girl that he is most comfortable around, Amelia. He hearts Amelia. :) It must be her gentle personality that he likes so much; he is super relaxed with her. They will play and laugh and run and share, all with no warm up time required.
He also loves all of his neighborhood friends and asks about them a lot. Again, there is one older little girl (4), Elyse, that John is fascinated with. He will follow her around, is always looking for her to "show" her things. She is so sweet to him and shares and plays with him so well. When it comes to his little boy buddies, he likes to run and swing and play with them too, but John is a few months younger than all of them. The age difference is pretty noticeable right now, but I think as he grows up a bit more and that age difference isn't prevalent, he will be asking for them all the time. Then I will have to adopt the "boys will be boys" theory.
When we see his cousins or friends we have not seen in awhile, he remembers them because we always go through pictures and talk about who people are and what we did with them the last time we saw them. He is enamored with his cousin Maggie, absolutely adores her! He talks about Brendan when we talk about swords or birthday parties. John and Brendan are going to be pretty fun as they get older!
He does not talk much to the other kids, but each time we see them he gets more comfortable and steps a little farther outside his comfort zone.
We are so blessed to have so many wonderful families in our lives and buddies for John to grow up with!
In the last year, John has gone from not even knowing other children are in the room - to standing back and watching them intently - to trying to play with them and make friends. Overall he is pretty passive when it comes to play dates, although if they are at our house he is more comfortable. He shares really well. He loves going to the park with his friends the best. I think it is because he is on neutral ground and he does not feel smothered.
There is one particular little girl that he is most comfortable around, Amelia. He hearts Amelia. :) It must be her gentle personality that he likes so much; he is super relaxed with her. They will play and laugh and run and share, all with no warm up time required.
He also loves all of his neighborhood friends and asks about them a lot. Again, there is one older little girl (4), Elyse, that John is fascinated with. He will follow her around, is always looking for her to "show" her things. She is so sweet to him and shares and plays with him so well. When it comes to his little boy buddies, he likes to run and swing and play with them too, but John is a few months younger than all of them. The age difference is pretty noticeable right now, but I think as he grows up a bit more and that age difference isn't prevalent, he will be asking for them all the time. Then I will have to adopt the "boys will be boys" theory.
When we see his cousins or friends we have not seen in awhile, he remembers them because we always go through pictures and talk about who people are and what we did with them the last time we saw them. He is enamored with his cousin Maggie, absolutely adores her! He talks about Brendan when we talk about swords or birthday parties. John and Brendan are going to be pretty fun as they get older!
He does not talk much to the other kids, but each time we see them he gets more comfortable and steps a little farther outside his comfort zone.
We are so blessed to have so many wonderful families in our lives and buddies for John to grow up with!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Happy 2nd Birthday Week: Language
In my mind the first year of life was all about survival and physical development. Obviously there is overlap, but the 2nd year has been more about language and personality development. Language development is such a big part of our lives right now. There for a while I was worried that John was not talking as much as he should be (silly Mama!), but then....he turned it on full force.
Just the other day he counted to twelve (replacing 11 with 7) which blew me away! I knew he could say the numbers and sometimes could put a few in a row, but had no idea he could go all the way to twelve. He starts the alphabet, but stops with D, unless you pause while singing it, he will fill in the blank wherever you are.
One of my favorite parts of the day is when I go get him from nap or night time because he is so talkative and says the most random things. I just sit and listen to him tell me a 5 minute story. I love it.
He can communicate pretty much anything he needs to tell us and it makes life so much less frustrating for us all.
His most common quotes:
"I did it"
"Mama do it"
"Daddy fix it"
"Get Kallie/Bailee tail"
"Mines"
"Chocolate milk"
"Play Diego"
"Watch Dido train"
"tickle, tickle, tickle"
"wipe my boogers"
"Daddy go work"
"I wanna draw"
"Play monkeys"
"Nana and Da coming?"
"Hawaiian Rainbow"
"ABC"
"get me, hold me"
"Mama/Daddy sit down"
"pease" (please)
"Thank you"
"feed dogs"
"stinky poopy"
"change my dap dap"
There are countless phrases, but these are the ones that I hear at least once a day.
Just the other day he counted to twelve (replacing 11 with 7) which blew me away! I knew he could say the numbers and sometimes could put a few in a row, but had no idea he could go all the way to twelve. He starts the alphabet, but stops with D, unless you pause while singing it, he will fill in the blank wherever you are.
One of my favorite parts of the day is when I go get him from nap or night time because he is so talkative and says the most random things. I just sit and listen to him tell me a 5 minute story. I love it.
He can communicate pretty much anything he needs to tell us and it makes life so much less frustrating for us all.
His most common quotes:
"I did it"
"Mama do it"
"Daddy fix it"
"Get Kallie/Bailee tail"
"Mines"
"Chocolate milk"
"Play Diego"
"Watch Dido train"
"tickle, tickle, tickle"
"wipe my boogers"
"Daddy go work"
"I wanna draw"
"Play monkeys"
"Nana and Da coming?"
"Hawaiian Rainbow"
"ABC"
"get me, hold me"
"Mama/Daddy sit down"
"pease" (please)
"Thank you"
"feed dogs"
"stinky poopy"
"change my dap dap"
There are countless phrases, but these are the ones that I hear at least once a day.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Happy 2nd Birthday Week: My favorite Things
To take a snapshot of John's life as he turns two, here are a few of things that light up his life:
Books: This was his first word and they continue to be one of his favorite activities. He will let you sit and read to him for an hour sometimes. He is not particularly stuck on one type of book, he still loves his Sandra Boynton books and can recite all of them to you by memory. He also loves books that have activities (pull tabs, touch and feel, sound buttons, etc.). Even if you have not read that particular book in months, he still remembers the words. Just recently he sat through a longer book "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" by Dr. Seuss. He really learns a lot from books, he understands and can apply it. I am hoping that this is beneficial when it comes time to potty train, and go to school, and any other issues that we might need a creative way to get something across to him.
Dinosaurs: I think this must have started one day when Granddaddy was watching a dinosaur movie with Brendan and John, because before then the obsession had not started. Since then, my house is full of roaring (loudly) and stomping dinosaurs. He calls them "didos", although he can identify and say "t-rex" and "triceratops".
Park: Going to the park is a favorite of mine and his. I love to get him outside. He likes to take his "bikacycle" that Nana and Da got him for Christmas. He plays on the big toys, and swings, but a lot of his time is spent people watching. The other kids at the park are fascinating to him. I have to remind him to go play. He also likes to walk across the big field and play down on the trails.
Bath: This took some time, but ever since he could sit up on his own, he has loved the bath. There is NEVER a fuss to go take a bath with bubbles. He does not like to rinse his hair, but other than that, he would stay in there for hours if you let him. In fact, that is the only frustrating part - getting him out. He lays down and pretends to swim, he plays with his fish and talking frog and his little tug boat. Although is favorite thing is the plastic cup and bowl that he can fill and empty 1000 times.
Playing chase: This it the cutest thing. He and Daddy will run around the house chasing each other. If Daddy is chasing him he says "hide, hide" to himself; or he will scream "Daddy get me, Daddy get me". If he is chasing Daddy he screams "I get Daddy, I get Daddy". With a HUGE smile on his face. And as Daddy gets close to him or touches him he go limp and lets out a belly laugh. It is so funny.
Lights/Dark: Taking a lightsaber, ray gun, flashlight or a head lamp into a dark room might be the coolest thing ever. He loves to be in a dark room (we have emptied his closet for this very activity) with any type of light and play and run. He has discovered shadows which makes it even cooler!
Animals: Another items he has loved since day one is animals of ANY kind. Live animals, stuffed animals, plastic animals, movies and books about animals, drawing animals, you name it, he loves it. He feeds them, sleeps with them, plays with them, talks to them, reads to them, takes them with him in the car, again, you name it, he does it. I could write an entire entry on just his love for animals (in fact maybe I will later), but for this purpose, just know that he would be a-okay with getting lost in the jungle to be raised by the animals.
Foods: Well, I am going to back up 2 weeks and take a snap shot of that, as ever since he got sick, he has been PICKY. Some of his favorites: chocolate milk, applesauce, chicken and french fries, jello with whip cream, cheese, hot dogs, fruit of any kind (peaches, strawberries blueberries, bananas, oranges, etc.), fruit snacks, M & M's.
TV/Movies: Backyardigans, Go Diego Go, Zobamafoo (i.e. "animal show"), Garfield, Dinosaur Train, Jungle book.
iphones: He loves to play on our iphones. Particulary "monkey preschool lunchbox" and "peek-a-boo barn". I really think those application helped to teach him colors and shapes. He can navigate the iphone better than most new users :). He also likes to find the pictures on the phone and scroll through them and name everyone.
Books: This was his first word and they continue to be one of his favorite activities. He will let you sit and read to him for an hour sometimes. He is not particularly stuck on one type of book, he still loves his Sandra Boynton books and can recite all of them to you by memory. He also loves books that have activities (pull tabs, touch and feel, sound buttons, etc.). Even if you have not read that particular book in months, he still remembers the words. Just recently he sat through a longer book "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" by Dr. Seuss. He really learns a lot from books, he understands and can apply it. I am hoping that this is beneficial when it comes time to potty train, and go to school, and any other issues that we might need a creative way to get something across to him.
Dinosaurs: I think this must have started one day when Granddaddy was watching a dinosaur movie with Brendan and John, because before then the obsession had not started. Since then, my house is full of roaring (loudly) and stomping dinosaurs. He calls them "didos", although he can identify and say "t-rex" and "triceratops".
Park: Going to the park is a favorite of mine and his. I love to get him outside. He likes to take his "bikacycle" that Nana and Da got him for Christmas. He plays on the big toys, and swings, but a lot of his time is spent people watching. The other kids at the park are fascinating to him. I have to remind him to go play. He also likes to walk across the big field and play down on the trails.
Bath: This took some time, but ever since he could sit up on his own, he has loved the bath. There is NEVER a fuss to go take a bath with bubbles. He does not like to rinse his hair, but other than that, he would stay in there for hours if you let him. In fact, that is the only frustrating part - getting him out. He lays down and pretends to swim, he plays with his fish and talking frog and his little tug boat. Although is favorite thing is the plastic cup and bowl that he can fill and empty 1000 times.
Playing chase: This it the cutest thing. He and Daddy will run around the house chasing each other. If Daddy is chasing him he says "hide, hide" to himself; or he will scream "Daddy get me, Daddy get me". If he is chasing Daddy he screams "I get Daddy, I get Daddy". With a HUGE smile on his face. And as Daddy gets close to him or touches him he go limp and lets out a belly laugh. It is so funny.
Lights/Dark: Taking a lightsaber, ray gun, flashlight or a head lamp into a dark room might be the coolest thing ever. He loves to be in a dark room (we have emptied his closet for this very activity) with any type of light and play and run. He has discovered shadows which makes it even cooler!
Animals: Another items he has loved since day one is animals of ANY kind. Live animals, stuffed animals, plastic animals, movies and books about animals, drawing animals, you name it, he loves it. He feeds them, sleeps with them, plays with them, talks to them, reads to them, takes them with him in the car, again, you name it, he does it. I could write an entire entry on just his love for animals (in fact maybe I will later), but for this purpose, just know that he would be a-okay with getting lost in the jungle to be raised by the animals.
Foods: Well, I am going to back up 2 weeks and take a snap shot of that, as ever since he got sick, he has been PICKY. Some of his favorites: chocolate milk, applesauce, chicken and french fries, jello with whip cream, cheese, hot dogs, fruit of any kind (peaches, strawberries blueberries, bananas, oranges, etc.), fruit snacks, M & M's.
TV/Movies: Backyardigans, Go Diego Go, Zobamafoo (i.e. "animal show"), Garfield, Dinosaur Train, Jungle book.
iphones: He loves to play on our iphones. Particulary "monkey preschool lunchbox" and "peek-a-boo barn". I really think those application helped to teach him colors and shapes. He can navigate the iphone better than most new users :). He also likes to find the pictures on the phone and scroll through them and name everyone.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Happy 2nd Birthday Week: A year in pictures
Here is a month by month pictorial of John and how he has changed over the year.
March
April
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January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
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September
October
November
December
January
February
Friday, February 19, 2010
Happy 2nd Birthday Week: A day in the life....
6:45 - Carl gets up
7:00 - I get up
7:30 - Carl is out the door and I head to the kitchen to make coffee, feed dog, pick up kitchen, check email, etc.
8:10 - John finally starts waking up. First words out of his mouth "I have boogers, wipe my boogers". :) We rock in the chair for about 10 minutes and talk about our day and cuddle.
8:30 - Downstairs for breakfast, toast sticks and strawberries and cream oatmeal. I pull out all the tricks, but the kid is NOT eating these days. A few bites and some chocolate milk later, we are up and rushing around to get out the door.
9:30 - Little Gym. He was SO brave and independent today. Had a great time.
10:30 - Ran by the bank and then headed home for snack. Milk and Dinosaur fruit snacks with a few goldfish thrown in there. While he snacks he typically stands at his tower and reads a book or plays with something, so it takes a good 20 minutes.
11:00 - Upstairs to play. Today this consisted of Diego train, drawing on the easel, and playing with all the stuffed animals.
12:00 - Downstairs to watch "Dinosaur Train" while I cook lunch and work.
12:20 - sit down to lunch of meatballs and perogies. 25 minutes later he has about 1.5 meatballs down him, 2 pieces of perogie and half of a cup of milk. He insists that that giraffe is finished (his animal choice of the day) eating. He is spitting out anything I put in his mouth and will not look at me. So we get down. This has been a battle for about a week... hoping it is just a phase.
12:45 - he finishes watching the Backyardigans and plays with giraffe while I work.
1:10 - lay down for nap. Falls asleep by 1:25 or so. I work the whole nap which is sort of out of the ordinary, but there is a project going on.
3:15 - I hear him waking up, so I run around and start some laundry and the dishwasher. I go up there and he plays with this dog blanket, orca whale and giraffe in his bed while I put away his clothes. Then I get him out and we lay on the rug in his room and let his animals listen the music that this little baby Einstein toy has.
4:00 - Dogs bark - AHHH - Daddy is home early!!!! Downstairs for a quick snack of graham crackers and peanut butter and cake. :)
4:15 - Daddy and John disappear into the bathroom for a little hair cut. I blog and do laundry.
4:35 - They emerge from the bathroom and John's hair looks great. I wish we could take him somewhere, but he HATES scissors and he will tell you all about it. Daddy is able to maintain his hair with that clipper thing. We may try again with the hair cut in a few more months?!?!?!
4:45 - this is sort of 'play around and do whatever he wants' time. Carl and I switch off depending on where John is and what he wants to do. This time he sat with Carl and played "monkey preschool lunchbox" on the iphone and I cooked dinner and did some more house stuff.
5:45 - sit down to dinner, John had a hot dog, broccoli and cheese, applesauce and some BBQ beans. I should clarify, this is the meal I put in front of him. Again, only a few bites in and he starts refusing. Daddy makes a deal with him if he has 3 more bites of hot dog and 1 more bite of beans that he can get down. I stayed quiet, fully anticipating that we would never leave that table. Pleasantly surprised, John did it and got down.
6:15 - run around and chase Bailee and Kallie and stop for a quick poop.
6:30 - diaper change with Mama; and then bath time with Daddy while I clean the kitchen and type this blog. :)
6:50 - John stands in his tower and draws and drinks orange juice out of a big boy cup. He is pretty whiny tonight. After he has had all he can handle, I sit down on the couch with him and we watch the recorded 'Survivor' together.
7:50 - Daddy scoops him up and it is off to brush teeth and read books. After hugs and kisses for Daddy, I rock with him, sing a song and say our prayers. He quietly rolls and kicks around quite a bit, but is asleep by 8:45 or so.
7:00 - I get up
7:30 - Carl is out the door and I head to the kitchen to make coffee, feed dog, pick up kitchen, check email, etc.
8:10 - John finally starts waking up. First words out of his mouth "I have boogers, wipe my boogers". :) We rock in the chair for about 10 minutes and talk about our day and cuddle.
8:30 - Downstairs for breakfast, toast sticks and strawberries and cream oatmeal. I pull out all the tricks, but the kid is NOT eating these days. A few bites and some chocolate milk later, we are up and rushing around to get out the door.
9:30 - Little Gym. He was SO brave and independent today. Had a great time.
10:30 - Ran by the bank and then headed home for snack. Milk and Dinosaur fruit snacks with a few goldfish thrown in there. While he snacks he typically stands at his tower and reads a book or plays with something, so it takes a good 20 minutes.
11:00 - Upstairs to play. Today this consisted of Diego train, drawing on the easel, and playing with all the stuffed animals.
12:00 - Downstairs to watch "Dinosaur Train" while I cook lunch and work.
12:20 - sit down to lunch of meatballs and perogies. 25 minutes later he has about 1.5 meatballs down him, 2 pieces of perogie and half of a cup of milk. He insists that that giraffe is finished (his animal choice of the day) eating. He is spitting out anything I put in his mouth and will not look at me. So we get down. This has been a battle for about a week... hoping it is just a phase.
12:45 - he finishes watching the Backyardigans and plays with giraffe while I work.
1:10 - lay down for nap. Falls asleep by 1:25 or so. I work the whole nap which is sort of out of the ordinary, but there is a project going on.
3:15 - I hear him waking up, so I run around and start some laundry and the dishwasher. I go up there and he plays with this dog blanket, orca whale and giraffe in his bed while I put away his clothes. Then I get him out and we lay on the rug in his room and let his animals listen the music that this little baby Einstein toy has.
4:00 - Dogs bark - AHHH - Daddy is home early!!!! Downstairs for a quick snack of graham crackers and peanut butter and cake. :)
4:15 - Daddy and John disappear into the bathroom for a little hair cut. I blog and do laundry.
4:35 - They emerge from the bathroom and John's hair looks great. I wish we could take him somewhere, but he HATES scissors and he will tell you all about it. Daddy is able to maintain his hair with that clipper thing. We may try again with the hair cut in a few more months?!?!?!
4:45 - this is sort of 'play around and do whatever he wants' time. Carl and I switch off depending on where John is and what he wants to do. This time he sat with Carl and played "monkey preschool lunchbox" on the iphone and I cooked dinner and did some more house stuff.
5:45 - sit down to dinner, John had a hot dog, broccoli and cheese, applesauce and some BBQ beans. I should clarify, this is the meal I put in front of him. Again, only a few bites in and he starts refusing. Daddy makes a deal with him if he has 3 more bites of hot dog and 1 more bite of beans that he can get down. I stayed quiet, fully anticipating that we would never leave that table. Pleasantly surprised, John did it and got down.
6:15 - run around and chase Bailee and Kallie and stop for a quick poop.
6:30 - diaper change with Mama; and then bath time with Daddy while I clean the kitchen and type this blog. :)
6:50 - John stands in his tower and draws and drinks orange juice out of a big boy cup. He is pretty whiny tonight. After he has had all he can handle, I sit down on the couch with him and we watch the recorded 'Survivor' together.
7:50 - Daddy scoops him up and it is off to brush teeth and read books. After hugs and kisses for Daddy, I rock with him, sing a song and say our prayers. He quietly rolls and kicks around quite a bit, but is asleep by 8:45 or so.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Happy 2nd Birthday Week: This month
Well, it is that time of year again! Today kicks off John's "birthday week". join me each day for a new blog entry.
Today will be the normal monthly entry of new milestones and memories for the 24th month of life:
- Had his first real sickness. In the past his colds have been minor and controllable with one dose of medicine. This month we had a doozy! 4 days of fever an awful cough and did not eat enough to keep an ant healthy. He is not a "vomiter", but there was one night that he repeatedly vomited until there was nothing left. This may have been the worst thing I have witnessed, broke my heart into 1000 pieces, but he was totally fine with it. As Carl would say - someone forgot to tell John he was sick! If it was not for the fever and the outward symptoms, you would have never known. He is a tough boy!
- Ordered him a bunch of 2T clothes for the Spring - still a bit too big. He is still in his 18 - 24 month size. But wears a size 6 diaper (the biggest they make). Something does not add up?!?!
- He learned my first name (thanks to Daddy) and has started to call out "Jamie" when he is in the other room and wants me to come where he is... hmmmm????
- Switched back from Johanna to Kara on Thursdays. It is going well, he has shown no signs of anxiety with it.
- Slept like a champ this month, sometimes until 9:00 in the morning and 3 hour naps every now and again. His nap has crept to 1:15 and sometimes later. He still goes down at 8:00 at night, but some nights we can still hear him rolling around until about 9:00.
- Dallas had a record setting sow storm this month with prime snowman making opportunities. Unfortunately, John was in the thick of his sickness and could not enjoy it outside. Luckily, he had not played in it before, so he did not really know what he was missing. Daddy made him a small snowman and put it on the front porch so he could look out the window at him....oooohhhh...so sad!
Okay, so this was sort of short as I am going to expand on other things in the upcoming posts.
Today will be the normal monthly entry of new milestones and memories for the 24th month of life:
- Had his first real sickness. In the past his colds have been minor and controllable with one dose of medicine. This month we had a doozy! 4 days of fever an awful cough and did not eat enough to keep an ant healthy. He is not a "vomiter", but there was one night that he repeatedly vomited until there was nothing left. This may have been the worst thing I have witnessed, broke my heart into 1000 pieces, but he was totally fine with it. As Carl would say - someone forgot to tell John he was sick! If it was not for the fever and the outward symptoms, you would have never known. He is a tough boy!
- Ordered him a bunch of 2T clothes for the Spring - still a bit too big. He is still in his 18 - 24 month size. But wears a size 6 diaper (the biggest they make). Something does not add up?!?!
- He learned my first name (thanks to Daddy) and has started to call out "Jamie" when he is in the other room and wants me to come where he is... hmmmm????
- Switched back from Johanna to Kara on Thursdays. It is going well, he has shown no signs of anxiety with it.
- Slept like a champ this month, sometimes until 9:00 in the morning and 3 hour naps every now and again. His nap has crept to 1:15 and sometimes later. He still goes down at 8:00 at night, but some nights we can still hear him rolling around until about 9:00.
- Dallas had a record setting sow storm this month with prime snowman making opportunities. Unfortunately, John was in the thick of his sickness and could not enjoy it outside. Luckily, he had not played in it before, so he did not really know what he was missing. Daddy made him a small snowman and put it on the front porch so he could look out the window at him....oooohhhh...so sad!
Okay, so this was sort of short as I am going to expand on other things in the upcoming posts.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Did I mention....
Did I mention that 23 months and 2 weeks is the absolute best age! I seriously can not get enough of John. He is so much fun. He wants to learn, he wants to play, he wants to love, he makes us laugh, I could go on and on. He totally understands what you are saying, even if he pretends otherwise. He really is a good listener and well behaved 99.99% of the time. And that very small fraction that makes up the rest of the time, I still count my blessings, as it is not that bad either. Sure there are moments of exhautsion or frustration on our part, but honestly, it passes so quickly. One sweet hug or kiss or rub on the cheek makes it all better (for me and him!)
Just wanted to remember this feeling, as even on a rainy, dreary day like today, I can not wait for nap to over so I can be with him again.
Kiss your babies!
Just wanted to remember this feeling, as even on a rainy, dreary day like today, I can not wait for nap to over so I can be with him again.
Kiss your babies!
Monday, January 25, 2010
23 months
A few things from this last month:
- My favorite age! He is so much fun and makes us laugh!
- In the last 2 weeks, I have seen a lot of change in his physical appearance. And that says a lot considering I see him every day. He looks more and more like a little boy in the face, he is taller and thinner (looks like a starved orphan when he wakes up in the morning), his hair is getting thicker, etc. (just crossed my mind that I should probably make sure his shoes still fit and that I am not cramming them in to a size too small, eek!)
- Although his language gets better and better every minute, there are a couple words he keeps in his language; "doot" = do it, "op" = open, "bay and Kayee" = Bailee and Kallie, "cap cks" = pancakes, "asslepas" = apple sauce, "bikacycle" = bicycle.
- Said his name for the first time
- Favorite things: Backyardigans, dinosaurs, animals, Diego, the park.
- Favorite word: mine
- Jumped from a standing position for the first time(both feet off the ground at the same time). This is a big physical development.
- He says 'sorry', 'thank you', 'please', and 'bless you'; although not always at the appropriate time and not without a little reminder from me sometimes. But nonetheless is super cute and melts my heart every time.
- Nothing really new with food or sleeping, he goes in phases with both.
- He is 'reading' books much more now. He has a great memory! But still loves to sit and have someone read the same book over and over and over and over....
- Two phrases we are trying to break "go away" and "get out", both of which come from Carl and I talking to the dogs... oops....
- My favorite age! He is so much fun and makes us laugh!
- In the last 2 weeks, I have seen a lot of change in his physical appearance. And that says a lot considering I see him every day. He looks more and more like a little boy in the face, he is taller and thinner (looks like a starved orphan when he wakes up in the morning), his hair is getting thicker, etc. (just crossed my mind that I should probably make sure his shoes still fit and that I am not cramming them in to a size too small, eek!)
- Although his language gets better and better every minute, there are a couple words he keeps in his language; "doot" = do it, "op" = open, "bay and Kayee" = Bailee and Kallie, "cap cks" = pancakes, "asslepas" = apple sauce, "bikacycle" = bicycle.
- Said his name for the first time
- Favorite things: Backyardigans, dinosaurs, animals, Diego, the park.
- Favorite word: mine
- Jumped from a standing position for the first time(both feet off the ground at the same time). This is a big physical development.
- He says 'sorry', 'thank you', 'please', and 'bless you'; although not always at the appropriate time and not without a little reminder from me sometimes. But nonetheless is super cute and melts my heart every time.
- Nothing really new with food or sleeping, he goes in phases with both.
- He is 'reading' books much more now. He has a great memory! But still loves to sit and have someone read the same book over and over and over and over....
- Two phrases we are trying to break "go away" and "get out", both of which come from Carl and I talking to the dogs... oops....
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