We went to our 15 month appointment this week. The Dr. said his physical examination was perfect (outside of a bad diaper rash, which he gave us prescription for and it cleared right up).
His stats were as follows:
Height - 32 inches (75%)
Weight - 25 lbs 14 oz (68%)
Head - 19 inches (79%)
You will notice that he has always been above the 90 percentile in height until now. I asked the Dr. about that and he said the first phase of growth is insulin the second stage of growth is thyroid and the this third stage of growth is genes... so I am guessing that he will be right under 6 foot.
Other things this month:
- learned to hold his nose when something is stinky (well at least when I say it is stinky)
- started to jump! so cute - he goes up on his very tippy toes and falls forward
- started drinking from a hard tip sippy cup - only because he learned to manipulate the soft tips ones where he can pour the milk out everywhere.
- learned to say the word "no" as well as shake his head no - although I am not sure he really knows how to use it just yet.
- Starting to say Bailee and Kallie.
- LOVES his reflection, he will play with himself at the 2 floor mirror we have in the house and his reflection in glass doors.
- Same sleeping habits, I think I am destined for the 1 - 1.5 hour nap, still sleeping in until about 8 or so.
- Dropped the night time bottle with absolutely no problem.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Spending time with Grandparents
Wanted to post some pictures from our most recent trips to Grandparents houses.
Monday, May 11, 2009
I love these boys!
Being a wife and a mother is the most precious job there is, I thank the Lord every day for these two! 
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Little Gym - Birds
John moved up to the "birds" class at The Little Gym (10 months to 18 months) - and he loves it even more than the "bugs" class. We changed locations to be closer to home and our new teacher, Mr. Forest is great. John really likes him, but he LOVES his guitar!
In this class all of the kids are walking and very curious. Our intro activity normally consists of sitting in a circle, the hello song and playing with bells. Then the kids help put the bells away - John has this down pat - in fact, he puts the bells up before he is has to - I think he thinks it is a game (I am not complaining). Then we do various walking, running, jumping activities. This is the time where the kids normally watch us parents run around and wonder why we are all being so silly.
Then there is exploration time, which is just another word for free time. John likes the balance beams and then really just walking around and rolling on the various mats. But most every time I have to direct his attention somewhere other than the water fountains and the door stops?!?!?
We also have a "skill of the week" where the teacher will demonstrate some sort of bar, mat or beam activity and then the rest of the kid in class take turn doing it. As John is always in every one's business, he is typically right next to Mr. Forest, so John is almost always the demonstrator. He is such a teachers pet!
At the end of every session there is a big trash can of balls that is thrown all over the floor, the kids LOVE this time. Again, John is very helpful when it is time to put the balls away. The bubble machine is then turned on for a few minutes, followed by another circle good-bye song. During the hello and good-bye song the teacher has his guitar and John is standing right next to him touching the guitar and sometimes even plucking the strings. Mr. Forest has to stand up sometimes to finish the song.
We both love it and have a great time!
Nana and Grandpa came to watch a class last week and took some pictures for us.
In this class all of the kids are walking and very curious. Our intro activity normally consists of sitting in a circle, the hello song and playing with bells. Then the kids help put the bells away - John has this down pat - in fact, he puts the bells up before he is has to - I think he thinks it is a game (I am not complaining). Then we do various walking, running, jumping activities. This is the time where the kids normally watch us parents run around and wonder why we are all being so silly.
Then there is exploration time, which is just another word for free time. John likes the balance beams and then really just walking around and rolling on the various mats. But most every time I have to direct his attention somewhere other than the water fountains and the door stops?!?!?
We also have a "skill of the week" where the teacher will demonstrate some sort of bar, mat or beam activity and then the rest of the kid in class take turn doing it. As John is always in every one's business, he is typically right next to Mr. Forest, so John is almost always the demonstrator. He is such a teachers pet!
At the end of every session there is a big trash can of balls that is thrown all over the floor, the kids LOVE this time. Again, John is very helpful when it is time to put the balls away. The bubble machine is then turned on for a few minutes, followed by another circle good-bye song. During the hello and good-bye song the teacher has his guitar and John is standing right next to him touching the guitar and sometimes even plucking the strings. Mr. Forest has to stand up sometimes to finish the song.
We both love it and have a great time!
Nana and Grandpa came to watch a class last week and took some pictures for us.
Friday, May 1, 2009
First Family Vacation - Islamorada, Florida
We had our first family vacation this month in Islamorada, Florida. It was amazing! We rented a beach house for the week and packed heavy (big mistake)!
I was TERRIFIED for the flight, imagining John screaming the whole time - but to my surprise, it was a lot easier than expected. Don't get me wrong - it was not relaxing by any stretch of the imagination, but it was not the nightmare I had envisioned. He slept for about an hour both there and back, the rest of the time we read books, ate, watched the ipod with no sound, played with new toys that I packed in the carry on, etc. He LOVED the stewardess, and they loved him. His favorite thing was the introduction of stickers! It was so fun to put them all over Daddy, we were finding elmos face in various laundry throughout the week.
The drive down from Miami to Islamorada was long and slow as the majority of the way is a 2 lane highway "A1A Beachfront Avenue" (if you are an 80's baby, you just sung 'ice ice baby' in your head!). We had to stop 30 miles out for the nearest grocery store. Once we finally got to the house - we were floored! The pictures do not do it justice - it was incredible. I posted a separate slide show with scenery pictures below. This house was super kid friendly, not sure if it was by design, or just the lack of nik naks. The safety gate around the wrap around porch outside was the best thing of the whole trip. John was able to run around out there without us chasing him around telling him to be careful. I won;t describe everything - see pictures below.
We spent most of the week relaxing and playing by the pool/beach. Other trip highlights include:
- Carl and John went out to the ocean and caught a crab (see video below).
- Carl caught a nurse shark off our beach the first day we were there.
- Carl and I chartered a boat and went fishing. Carl caught a huge fish and I spent the 4 hours with my head down trying not to add more chum to the water. Who would have thought I would get sea sick?!?!? we were out the 2 days before and I was fine!
- Carl and I rented a boat and went 8 miles off shore in the middle of the Atlantic and went snorkeling at Alligator Reef - Beautiful!
- John started out the trip with a terrible cold, and then mid week I came down with 103 fever 2 days in a row. John got over his, but I had to go to a SHADY Dr. down there. One shot and a whole lot of antibiotics later - I was fine. Thank goodness I had not heard about the swine flu - or I would have sworn to you I was dieing.
- We went out to a few restaurants and sat outside and enjoyed the views. although we had to watch John carefully as he liked to feed the birds, which our fellow diners did not appreciate!
- John will finally wear a hat! Thank goodness! Oh, and the baby sunscreen worked great along with the swim shirts, hats and shaded porch. He did not get even the slightest pink. More than I can say for Daddy!
One of the coolest memories from this trip was the pet that we had for the week. There was 12 foot crocodile that slept in our pool at night! I am not kidding. There was some warning letters when we got there, but then we saw the tracks every morning. We never actually caught her as she would only come when we were asleep, but sure enough, every morning you could see where she had been (there are some pictures of his tracks in the sideshow below)
Islamorada is the sport fishing capital of the world. We heard it described as "spring break without the tourists". That was a pretty accurate description. Everything and everyone is so friendly and mellow. It was an older crowd down there, we found ourselves to be the youngest by at least 20 years in most spots. I am sure there was a nightlife, but we were either too tired, or enjoying our own house too much to venture out. We will be back for sure!
We took over 700 picture while we were there. Here are some of the highlights (sorry, it is long):
Here is the video of Carl and John catching the crab:
Here are some pictures of the house:
I was TERRIFIED for the flight, imagining John screaming the whole time - but to my surprise, it was a lot easier than expected. Don't get me wrong - it was not relaxing by any stretch of the imagination, but it was not the nightmare I had envisioned. He slept for about an hour both there and back, the rest of the time we read books, ate, watched the ipod with no sound, played with new toys that I packed in the carry on, etc. He LOVED the stewardess, and they loved him. His favorite thing was the introduction of stickers! It was so fun to put them all over Daddy, we were finding elmos face in various laundry throughout the week.
The drive down from Miami to Islamorada was long and slow as the majority of the way is a 2 lane highway "A1A Beachfront Avenue" (if you are an 80's baby, you just sung 'ice ice baby' in your head!). We had to stop 30 miles out for the nearest grocery store. Once we finally got to the house - we were floored! The pictures do not do it justice - it was incredible. I posted a separate slide show with scenery pictures below. This house was super kid friendly, not sure if it was by design, or just the lack of nik naks. The safety gate around the wrap around porch outside was the best thing of the whole trip. John was able to run around out there without us chasing him around telling him to be careful. I won;t describe everything - see pictures below.
We spent most of the week relaxing and playing by the pool/beach. Other trip highlights include:
- Carl and John went out to the ocean and caught a crab (see video below).
- Carl caught a nurse shark off our beach the first day we were there.
- Carl and I chartered a boat and went fishing. Carl caught a huge fish and I spent the 4 hours with my head down trying not to add more chum to the water. Who would have thought I would get sea sick?!?!? we were out the 2 days before and I was fine!
- Carl and I rented a boat and went 8 miles off shore in the middle of the Atlantic and went snorkeling at Alligator Reef - Beautiful!
- John started out the trip with a terrible cold, and then mid week I came down with 103 fever 2 days in a row. John got over his, but I had to go to a SHADY Dr. down there. One shot and a whole lot of antibiotics later - I was fine. Thank goodness I had not heard about the swine flu - or I would have sworn to you I was dieing.
- We went out to a few restaurants and sat outside and enjoyed the views. although we had to watch John carefully as he liked to feed the birds, which our fellow diners did not appreciate!
- John will finally wear a hat! Thank goodness! Oh, and the baby sunscreen worked great along with the swim shirts, hats and shaded porch. He did not get even the slightest pink. More than I can say for Daddy!
One of the coolest memories from this trip was the pet that we had for the week. There was 12 foot crocodile that slept in our pool at night! I am not kidding. There was some warning letters when we got there, but then we saw the tracks every morning. We never actually caught her as she would only come when we were asleep, but sure enough, every morning you could see where she had been (there are some pictures of his tracks in the sideshow below)
Islamorada is the sport fishing capital of the world. We heard it described as "spring break without the tourists". That was a pretty accurate description. Everything and everyone is so friendly and mellow. It was an older crowd down there, we found ourselves to be the youngest by at least 20 years in most spots. I am sure there was a nightlife, but we were either too tired, or enjoying our own house too much to venture out. We will be back for sure!
We took over 700 picture while we were there. Here are some of the highlights (sorry, it is long):
Here is the video of Carl and John catching the crab:
Here are some pictures of the house:
Monday, April 27, 2009
14 months
It is hard to believe that another month as flown by! If you are a frequent of the blog you have noticed that we have not had many entries this month. Been real busy around here with family, work, vacations, etc. More to come in the next few days.
This month was pretty consistent with last month, not a whole lot of drastic or outwardly changes or milestones, but still SO much fun!
- John went on his first family vacation to the Florida Keys (post to follow)
- We gave him shellfish for the first time with no reaction!
- He is using his words a lot better now and it gets easier everyday to communicate with him. This month he has added the following words to his vocubulary (note: these are just the ones that we can decipher, they are not actually words just yet, but we are well on the way): "eye" (as he forcefully jams his finger into your eyelid), "bird", "bath", "baby", "juice" (he has had this one for awhile, but I don't think I have mentioned in)and "bye-bye".
- He has a pretty nasty cold this month
- He catches on to things much quicker these days, it is pretty amazing.
- He is currently cutting a molar - I KNOW it this time!
- When he is looking for something he will put his palms up as if he is shrugging his shoulders while he looks for it, pretty cute!
- He plays peek-a-boo at the most random times
- Learned to wave and say "bye-bye"
- His sign language now consist of "all done" as well as "eat". I have not worked with him near as much as I wanted to, but he still caught on to these pretty quick.
- He can open the doors with the pull down levers - more baby proofing on the "honey-do" list.
- Went from a size 4/5 to a size 6 in shoes
This month was pretty consistent with last month, not a whole lot of drastic or outwardly changes or milestones, but still SO much fun!
- John went on his first family vacation to the Florida Keys (post to follow)
- We gave him shellfish for the first time with no reaction!
- He is using his words a lot better now and it gets easier everyday to communicate with him. This month he has added the following words to his vocubulary (note: these are just the ones that we can decipher, they are not actually words just yet, but we are well on the way): "eye" (as he forcefully jams his finger into your eyelid), "bird", "bath", "baby", "juice" (he has had this one for awhile, but I don't think I have mentioned in)and "bye-bye".
- He has a pretty nasty cold this month
- He catches on to things much quicker these days, it is pretty amazing.
- He is currently cutting a molar - I KNOW it this time!
- When he is looking for something he will put his palms up as if he is shrugging his shoulders while he looks for it, pretty cute!
- He plays peek-a-boo at the most random times
- Learned to wave and say "bye-bye"
- His sign language now consist of "all done" as well as "eat". I have not worked with him near as much as I wanted to, but he still caught on to these pretty quick.
- He can open the doors with the pull down levers - more baby proofing on the "honey-do" list.
- Went from a size 4/5 to a size 6 in shoes
Monday, March 30, 2009
cue guilt....
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.
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.
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....
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