Monday

I am doing another chapter of the "This Week" journaling project that I started when he was 8 months old. His schedule has changed quite a bit since then, so I though it was time. (For those of you that are interested in comparison, the first chapter was done in October 2008)

7:30 - I hear John mingling with his monkey. He basically just goes through each word in his growing vocabulary. I give him until about 7:40 before I go in there. He likes his wake up time. Then we play a little in his room.

8:00 - After pulling out all the toys that we put up the night before, he finally tells me he is hungry. He eats a banana and some oatmeal.

8:30 - We cuddle and watch Sesame Street.I Cherish this time!

9:00 - run a quick errand.

9:30 - play inside and outside, it was a beautiful day.

10:30 - Shannon brings Ryann and Cal over to play. We pulled the bounce house out and all three kids were in it and loving it...for about 5 minutes, then they were 'all done'

11:15 - Head to Peter Piper Pizza for lunch and games. We had a great time, despite some fun rule breaking (see pictures) :)

12:30 - Home in time for a quick change, a book and then nap. He was asleep by 1:00 or so.

1:00 - 3:00 - Mom time! I was able to do the typical chores around the house, catch up on emails and I got to watch 'baby story'!

3:00 - I hear John waking up (this is an unusually long but welcomed nap), I go up there and we read books and cuddle for a bit.

3:20 - turn the music on in the bedroom and dance while we fold laundry (Daddy started this little game). Then we play a bit.

3:45 - snack at the learning tower (peaches and milk)

4:00 - play upstairs (mainly with Elmo Live and the tee ball stand)

4:45 - Daddy comes home and surprises us! We all three play upstairs for a bit, and then we head downstairs to start dinner and play.

5:15 - Daddy takes John to the bounce house while I finish up dinner.

5:45 - Eat a Cornbread Taco Bake (basic tex mex ingredients with cornbread on top). This was the first time we tried this and we all three liked it. It will enter the dinner rotation.

6:15 - John and I walk down to the park with the soccer ball (I worry that he slept so long that he will not sleep, so I wanted to wear him out!) I took a bunch of pictures. Zach, our little neighborhood friend, came up and took the ball. Look at John's stance when he does6:45 - Play 'peek-a-boo barn' on my iphone, while Daddy and I watch a little baseball.

7:00 - Bath (still loves the bath)

7:20 - John asks for some milk, we hang out in the living room and play different games with Daddy.

7:45 - Daddy take John to start bedtime routine (diaper, PJ's, teeth, book, pass off to Mama)

8:00 - John and I kiss Daddy goodnight, sing a song and say a prayer. I rock him for a minute or so, lay him down and put my hand on his back for another minute or so. Then I head out, he whines about it, but then is sound asleep within a minute.

8:10 - Mama and Daddy time

Parrott

WARNING: John will repeat ANYTHING you say. Consider yourself warned.

Fun Pictures at the Park

18 months

We had our 18 month appointment today - everything went well. Stats below. Only thing that was sort of new/unexpected is that the Dr. said we should start full blown potty training now! John tells us when he has to "boop" or sometimes right after, so Doc said since he is recognizing it we should start. He said if we can train them before they learn it is a control thing that we would be better off... so...um... we will see...any opinions on this are welcome!

Stats:
Height: 34.5 inches (94%)
Weight: 26 lbs 10 oz (54%)
Head: 19.25 inches (79%)

Other things this month:

- I took him to the Dr. this month because he does not sweat. Yep, you read that right. We were around so many other kids his age that sweat, and all John does is get beet red. But the Dr. said since his little feet and hands get damp, that he is a-okay. He did NOT get my genes in this area.

- Consistently putting two words together. My favorite is "all done" (code for QUIT!) as it is usually said in the middle of a diaper change or when I rinse his hair in the tub.

- More teeth popped through. Not sure how many more could possibly be in there, but I feel like we have been teething forever!

- Went through (ok, still going through) a separation anxiety from Mama stage.

- After a couple of months (including a few set backs) of working on falling asleep on his own, we are there! He whines a little, but is usually done by the time I get downstairs. Then he just wallers around for a few minutes. I highly recommend not ignoring all the books and NOT waiting until 16 months to start this.

- He has started to grab your hand and walk ("ock") you where he needs you to be. And there is really no turning down his request, he will just repeat "ock" (or your name, if he knows it) over and over and louder and louder until he is in a full scream.

- He loves to be in big open areas. He will just laugh and run in circles. The driveway is the most convenient, thus the favorite right now.

- John and I took the first drive alone to Oklahoma this month (Daddy flew in later). It was MUCH better than expected, thanks to the portable DVD player.

- I bought his first 2T clothes! Although, he can still wear 18-24 months in most brands.

- This is the first month I have seen him play WITH another child, versus along side them. He seems to be very social when other kids are at our house. He still needs his warm up time when we go somewhere else though.

- We started 'the beast' class at Little Gym. The class is actually for 19 months and older, but the teacher thought he was ready - duh!

- He says Hi to everyone he sees (this seems a little late to me, so that is whyI am documenting it)

My Learning Tower

I first want to give credit where credit is due... Summer introduced me to this product and I am so thankful!

We got John a "My Learning Tower" (http://www.mylearningtower.com/) and we love it! The picture is self explanatory. This helps give John the freedom of being with us when we are trying to do something on the counter. He can climb up there on his own and eat a snack, color/scribble, sort mail, etc. And on a selfish note, it has made preparing dinner and doing the dishes much easier.

Pimp My Playroom

As John has become increasingly less interested in most of his baby toys, Daddy and I went on a "restock" spree. We wanted things that would keep his interest as he enters the next phase of toddlerism. Physical activity and creative play were the focus (at least those were my focus)

Playtable in gameroom:

(Could be a lot better with a train set, but maybe later)




Sand & Sea table:

(He loves this thing, although we had to drain the "sea" as it was just mud!)

'lil Kawasaki 4-wheeler:

(Still warming up to this. He likes it, but I am not sure he gets that it will take him from one point to another. He also needs some steering training)

Magic Castle Bouncer:

(H.A.T.E.S it! This picture is the closest he will even get to it)

Born and Bred

John took is first trip to OU last weekend! Carl and Granddaddy took John down to Norman for his first beer at O'Connells, get some OU gear and to see the Switzer Center. Yes, the Swizter center is closed to the public, but apparently Granddaddy thinks all of the big signs saying DO NOT ENTER were merely a suggestion.

At O'Connells John was mesmerized by the big moose head so lunch was a breeze!

This is a flag on display at the Switzer Center and had a plaque stating that it was donated by none other than Granddaddy! (Although it says William Louis Richards Jr.) Granddaddy has several things on display here.

Of course you have to get a picture of the Heisman trophy!

This picture is my favorite.

Welcome to the world Maggie!

(Okay, so I am a little behind, but things are slowing down around here...lots more to come)

My niece Marguerite Jewel Richards was born on August 5 at 12:00 PM weighing in at 9 pounds 15 ounces and 21.5 inches long. She is PRECIOUS! She goes by Maggie. Welcome to this world Maggie, it is a miracle and a pleasure to have yo in our lives! My wish for you this early in life is that you follow your big brothers lead and you become an incredible sleeper for your mommy and daddy!

I love you and miss you already!

baby number 2?

I know some of you just freaked out when reading the title of this post and your computer could not load fast enough! :)

But, no there is no news of a 2nd baby in this Jones family.

However, I did want to post about my thoughts on a family expansion.

New babies are all around us right now - CONGRATS to the Keiths and welcoming Claire Elise into this world on the 25th!!; we are still in waiting for baby girl Richards to join us anyday; Cousin Janna is expecting #3; I met Tina's new baby girl Paelyn a few weeks ago; Linsday S. just announced on her blog that they are expecting #2; The Reyes are now 26 weeks along with 2nd baby girl Reyes; Lisa and Eric are expecting baby girl #2; and a friend from work will go on materinity leave in October; and lastly there are a couple of friends and family that I sure hope are thinking about having a baby (hint, hint) :)

I always thought that we (or at least one of us) would feel "ready" to start trying for a second baby. And maybe that day will still come, but not so far. I really expected this feeling to come about once I was around new babies again...wrong.

I am in no hurry by any means, but I do like the idea of John and his sibiling to be close in age. The question I keep asking myself -What does "close" mean? Close enough that they will be best buddies and share friends? I think we may have already passed this threshold. Close enough to enjoy the same activities? Sharing toys, similar sports, same movies, etc. Or just close enough that they would be in the same school at the same time for at least a year (elementary, middle school, high school).

Then of course there is the argument of having them farther apart - more one on one time with baby #2 because John would be in preschool/school; only one in college at a time (assuming a 4 year degree, which is a big assumption); spreading out the cost of cars/insurance; John being able to help out more with the baby and have that protective "big brother" feeling; etc.

And having baby #2 for us will not be a game time decision, as I have to make an appointment to see my Dr. (which could take a month) before we could get past our defense! :)

Anyway - there is really no conclusion to this post, just wanted to remember these thoughts.

Two words

Something I forgot to mention on the 17 month blog -

This past month was the first time that John started to put 2 words together. Mainly it is "more _____" (balls, water, etc.) or "bye bye _____" (water, bowls, rock, light, Ba'ee, Ka'ee, balls, etc.).

We are in the habit of saying goodbye to whatever he does not want to stop doing, it seems to help him get over it quicker.

What a big boy!