For the past few weeks, John has been extra cuddly during the days, even when he is not tired. He has always been a cuddler, but these days, he practically begs to get in our lap or lay with us on the couch. For the first time this week he brought me his Elmo "soo big" book and then turned around and plopped down in my lap for a little story time. (sigh)
I am L.O.V.I.N.G. this! Especially the story time, I abosultly CRAVE reading to John. I know it is good for him and he loves it and it is so peaceful. We are up to 4 books before nap time and I think he would sit through more.
However - when he does not want to read a book, but he wants to cuddle, it is 95% of the time in front of the TV. Cue guilt...
I don't want him to watch "too much" tv (whatever that means), but I also know this cuddle time will not last forever, and I want to take advantage.
So, I am going to continue telling myself that it won't last forever and it is awesome bonding time for Daddy and I, and that when he is understands how much fun outside can be, or when we can do more activities, the TV will be the last thing on his mind.
Any thoughts would be appreciated, but this was more of a "venting" post, as it has been on my mind.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
13 month
Some 13 month milestones and other fun/interesting/challenging things he is doing:
- dropped all bottles except his night bottle (have not convinced myself it is time yet...patience - I am getting there)
- eats 3 meals a day with 2 or 3 snacks, depending on how he ate the rest of the day (favorite foods as of today: applesauce, yogurt, cheese, grapes, bananas, avocado, veggie dogs, stuffing)
- starting to run; not quite there, but close when he is excited
- sleeps from 8:00 - 8:00 give or take 30 minutes in the morning (but will still randomly wakes up in the middle of the night a few times a month; no pain, just wakes up; can't wait for this to pass, as those nights are MUCH harder for all us when you not used to doing it every night like earlier in his life)
- sleeps about 1.5 hours at nap (still waiting patiently for this to extend, like many of you promised it would!!!!)
- when we sing to him, if he is paying attention, when we stop singing, he will start
- knows his animal sounds, he will bark, roar, make monkey sounds, moo, quack and say "hop, hop, hop" when asked about a bunny (these are all his versions, but they are still distinctive from one another)
- when I say it is bath time, he heads for the stairs, and then right up to the tub, and feels the water until I put him in.
- loves to play hide and seek around the columns with Daddy (this is hilarious and will make you laugh EVERY time)
- He has taken a renewed interest in the dogs - they make him laugh so hard, he loves to pet (beat) them and point out their body parts when prompted. The dogs (especially Kallie) don;t seem to mind quite as much as they used to. They will sit there patiently for several minutes.
- His words (at least the ones that we can decipher), yet unclear, include "elbow" (bo-bo), "fish" (sh), "shake" (shi), "dog" (doog), "ball" (well, I think I am the only one that can decipher this one), "hat" and "hot" (ha), "shoes" (sho), "more" (mo)
- right on track for clothes - wears 12 -18 months depending on the fit.
- LOVES his "How Big is Baby Elmo" book - we could read this thing 10 times and he would sit and listen. Just today he puts his hands over his eyes to play peek-a-boo when we get to the page that baby Elmo plays peek-a-boo.
- Can point (or otherwise indicate) to his ears, eyes, nose, belly, feet and head
- dropped all bottles except his night bottle (have not convinced myself it is time yet...patience - I am getting there)
- eats 3 meals a day with 2 or 3 snacks, depending on how he ate the rest of the day (favorite foods as of today: applesauce, yogurt, cheese, grapes, bananas, avocado, veggie dogs, stuffing)
- starting to run; not quite there, but close when he is excited
- sleeps from 8:00 - 8:00 give or take 30 minutes in the morning (but will still randomly wakes up in the middle of the night a few times a month; no pain, just wakes up; can't wait for this to pass, as those nights are MUCH harder for all us when you not used to doing it every night like earlier in his life)
- sleeps about 1.5 hours at nap (still waiting patiently for this to extend, like many of you promised it would!!!!)
- when we sing to him, if he is paying attention, when we stop singing, he will start
- knows his animal sounds, he will bark, roar, make monkey sounds, moo, quack and say "hop, hop, hop" when asked about a bunny (these are all his versions, but they are still distinctive from one another)
- when I say it is bath time, he heads for the stairs, and then right up to the tub, and feels the water until I put him in.
- loves to play hide and seek around the columns with Daddy (this is hilarious and will make you laugh EVERY time)
- He has taken a renewed interest in the dogs - they make him laugh so hard, he loves to pet (beat) them and point out their body parts when prompted. The dogs (especially Kallie) don;t seem to mind quite as much as they used to. They will sit there patiently for several minutes.
- His words (at least the ones that we can decipher), yet unclear, include "elbow" (bo-bo), "fish" (sh), "shake" (shi), "dog" (doog), "ball" (well, I think I am the only one that can decipher this one), "hat" and "hot" (ha), "shoes" (sho), "more" (mo)
- right on track for clothes - wears 12 -18 months depending on the fit.
- LOVES his "How Big is Baby Elmo" book - we could read this thing 10 times and he would sit and listen. Just today he puts his hands over his eyes to play peek-a-boo when we get to the page that baby Elmo plays peek-a-boo.
- Can point (or otherwise indicate) to his ears, eyes, nose, belly, feet and head
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
High Maintenance Eater
I wanted to document the efforts we go through to get food down John so that if/when there is a 2nd child, I can have a bag of tricks all ready.
I would not necessarily call John a 'picky' eater - but I would label him as a 'high-maintenance eater'.
Things he does while trying to feed him:
- turn his head almost all the way around
- grip his little lips super tight
- close his eyes
- spits or pulls EVERYTHING out the minute you put it in there
- block the food with his tongue
- clears the tray with a couple of violent sweeps of his arms
- continuously gives us the "all done" sign before he has even had a bite
- gives ALL the food to the dogs
Tricks we have used to get food down him
- hold a drink up to his mouth and then slip a spoonful in
- give him a helper spoon
- turn on the TV and get him in a trance
- chase everything with a bite of applesauce
- dip it in a sauce (ketchup and BBQ work the best)
- serve it on an adult spoon
- put the bowl on the high chair and let him play in it
Although the adult spoon and the sauce is currently working, I know those too will soon fade; so any other handy tricks you guys have are welcomed....
I would not necessarily call John a 'picky' eater - but I would label him as a 'high-maintenance eater'.
Things he does while trying to feed him:
- turn his head almost all the way around
- grip his little lips super tight
- close his eyes
- spits or pulls EVERYTHING out the minute you put it in there
- block the food with his tongue
- clears the tray with a couple of violent sweeps of his arms
- continuously gives us the "all done" sign before he has even had a bite
- gives ALL the food to the dogs
Tricks we have used to get food down him
- hold a drink up to his mouth and then slip a spoonful in
- give him a helper spoon
- turn on the TV and get him in a trance
- chase everything with a bite of applesauce
- dip it in a sauce (ketchup and BBQ work the best)
- serve it on an adult spoon
- put the bowl on the high chair and let him play in it
Although the adult spoon and the sauce is currently working, I know those too will soon fade; so any other handy tricks you guys have are welcomed....
Monday, March 16, 2009
Baby Paelyn Preperation
Last weekend we had a baby shower for Tina and her baby-n-waiting "Paelyn Addison Clark" who is due on April 24th. It was more like a girls day than it was a shower - and it was so much fun.
We started out here at our house for appetizers/snacks and then on to get our nails done, out to eat and then back over to Lindsay's for desert and to hang out.
There are 7 of us that came together on pledge day at Gamma Phi Beta and have been friends ever since. Christie was not able to make it, as she lives in LA, and we missed her terribly. We have all been through the typical (and not so typical) life changes throughout the past 11 years; we have faded in and out of each other lives for various reasons; and we all live in various places and lead separate lives, but at the end of the day we are all still friends and can always call each other up anytime and pick up where we left off. It is a great friendship that I treasure always.
The mother-to-be looked awesome in all of her pregnancy glory!
Here are some pictures:
(Yes, I know this has nothing to do with John, but I wanted to document this occasion, so, oh well)
We started out here at our house for appetizers/snacks and then on to get our nails done, out to eat and then back over to Lindsay's for desert and to hang out.
There are 7 of us that came together on pledge day at Gamma Phi Beta and have been friends ever since. Christie was not able to make it, as she lives in LA, and we missed her terribly. We have all been through the typical (and not so typical) life changes throughout the past 11 years; we have faded in and out of each other lives for various reasons; and we all live in various places and lead separate lives, but at the end of the day we are all still friends and can always call each other up anytime and pick up where we left off. It is a great friendship that I treasure always.
The mother-to-be looked awesome in all of her pregnancy glory!
Here are some pictures:
(Yes, I know this has nothing to do with John, but I wanted to document this occasion, so, oh well)
Friday, March 13, 2009
John's Jungle party
John's first birthday party was a jungle theme, inspired by his trip to the zoo. Thanks to all of you that were able to come, we had so much fun! And we missed those of you who were unable to come, we thought about you though!
I am not sure he ever actually ate the cake, but he sure did make a mess with it. I think Daddy got a few bites of ice cream down him too. John and I went directly to the bath after the high chair - there are no wipes in the world that could have tackled that!
He really was not overwhelmed at all, he enjoyed the whole day. The cousins stayed through the night and we had a great time playing with all of them. My how are evenings have changed?!?!
Daddy found a lot of great big stuffed jungle animals that were a big hit as well. Asher and Kaeyden rode the tiger a lot - but with Kaitlin's cautionary "be careful" warning! SO CUTE!
He got a ton of great gifts - of which I can not pick a favorite, as he has already gone through cycles with them. The day of the party, I would say it was the little hammer from the Sutton's. But in the days to follow it was the boat from the Keith's and the remote control car from the Sutton's. Now, I would have to say his favorites are the nestling buckets from us and then tent from Nana and Grandpa. In the weeks to come, when the weather gets nicer, I would be willing to bet it becomes the plastic picnic table from Great Granddaddy and Ellen and the swing from Grammy and Granddaddy. The one constant though - the books from Uncle Brent, Aunt Abbey and Cousin Brendan - he loves the Sandra Boynton books, especially the "Doggies" book. All the "little people" toys from the Phillips and the Duncan's are a hit as well! But my personal favorite is the PJs and the monkey towel from the Carr's! And I can not forget the "Mason" bull dog pup from David and Cynthia, John loves to bark at that one.
Here are some pictures from the day:
I am not sure he ever actually ate the cake, but he sure did make a mess with it. I think Daddy got a few bites of ice cream down him too. John and I went directly to the bath after the high chair - there are no wipes in the world that could have tackled that!
He really was not overwhelmed at all, he enjoyed the whole day. The cousins stayed through the night and we had a great time playing with all of them. My how are evenings have changed?!?!
Daddy found a lot of great big stuffed jungle animals that were a big hit as well. Asher and Kaeyden rode the tiger a lot - but with Kaitlin's cautionary "be careful" warning! SO CUTE!
He got a ton of great gifts - of which I can not pick a favorite, as he has already gone through cycles with them. The day of the party, I would say it was the little hammer from the Sutton's. But in the days to follow it was the boat from the Keith's and the remote control car from the Sutton's. Now, I would have to say his favorites are the nestling buckets from us and then tent from Nana and Grandpa. In the weeks to come, when the weather gets nicer, I would be willing to bet it becomes the plastic picnic table from Great Granddaddy and Ellen and the swing from Grammy and Granddaddy. The one constant though - the books from Uncle Brent, Aunt Abbey and Cousin Brendan - he loves the Sandra Boynton books, especially the "Doggies" book. All the "little people" toys from the Phillips and the Duncan's are a hit as well! But my personal favorite is the PJs and the monkey towel from the Carr's! And I can not forget the "Mason" bull dog pup from David and Cynthia, John loves to bark at that one.
Here are some pictures from the day:
Friday, March 6, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
12th month
Our 12th month was a month of emotional growth for the whole family. I personally think this was one of John's biggest months, but hard to describe it milestones. He is more independent, holding him does not fix everything anymore, in fact, it can make it worse sometimes. He may not be speaking yet, but you can tell he understands what we are saying to him, whether he chooses to act on it is a different story. He also communicates with us so much more - he jabbers all day long, but he also points and changes his voice and facial expressions when he is trying to tell us something.
Some other things that happened this month:
- walks really well now
- learned to stand up from a sitting position
- dropped his sleep sack, starting to sleep with a blanket
- went down to one nap
- got his last 2 front teeth on the bottom
- uses his sign for "all done" ALL THE TIME, not sure he totally understands what it means
- had really bad congestion for over a week
- loves to be outside
- turned his car seat around!!!!
Some other things that happened this month:
- walks really well now
- learned to stand up from a sitting position
- dropped his sleep sack, starting to sleep with a blanket
- went down to one nap
- got his last 2 front teeth on the bottom
- uses his sign for "all done" ALL THE TIME, not sure he totally understands what it means
- had really bad congestion for over a week
- loves to be outside
- turned his car seat around!!!!
Monday, March 2, 2009
12 month well visit
We went for our 12 month well visit last week and we got another clean bill of health. The Doc said that he was slightly ahead in development (like I needed a doctor to tell me that!).
We got the green light on whole milk, unrestricted diet and no bottle. We started the whole milk - he did not skip a beat. However, I do not think it is keeping him full through the night, so he is waking up a lot earlier, thus effecting the nap again (never ending cycle). We have tried eggs and peanut butter and he likes them just fine. We have not, however, taken the bottle just yet. With the party this past weekend, we did not want to make any drastic changes. I will probably start this process Wednesday (unless I can come up with another excuse to put it off).
Stats:
Weight: 23 pounds 12 ounces (63%)
Height: 31.5 inches (91%)
Head: 18.75 inches (82%)
We got the green light on whole milk, unrestricted diet and no bottle. We started the whole milk - he did not skip a beat. However, I do not think it is keeping him full through the night, so he is waking up a lot earlier, thus effecting the nap again (never ending cycle). We have tried eggs and peanut butter and he likes them just fine. We have not, however, taken the bottle just yet. With the party this past weekend, we did not want to make any drastic changes. I will probably start this process Wednesday (unless I can come up with another excuse to put it off).
Stats:
Weight: 23 pounds 12 ounces (63%)
Height: 31.5 inches (91%)
Head: 18.75 inches (82%)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
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