Go Diego Go!

John is absolutely IN LOVE with the show "Go Deigo Go!". He sits still and completely focused on the TV during the show, with the occasional "Whale!" "GRRRR!" or "Pete" depending on the animal that Diego is saving in that scene. As soon as the credits come up he says "more, more" and hands me the remote.

The first time he did this was after nap and we were cuddling, so I went ahead and played it again; just KNOWING he would not sit through it again. "More, More" all over again. I have to admit, it is nice to have it if I need a few minutes!

Here he is while I made dinner:

Product/Service/Website/etc. review

My Learning Tower (thumbs up)
(I know I did a dedicated post to this already, but I thought it was fitting to throw it in here as well)
This is a ‘must-have’ for an older toddler and I am sure we will get years of use out of it still. It gives them so much freedom and Independence and lets them feel like they are a part of we are doing. But it gives us the comfort that they are safer than climbing on a chair or bar stool. Don’t get me wrong, there are still ways they can hurt themselves, but overall pretty safe. The website is http://www.mylearningtower.com/ but I am sure you can find one or put a ‘want add’ out for one on Craigs List.


Prvcy jeans (thumbs up):
I am a SUPER picky jean person. I bought the brand "prvcy" at Nordstroms and I highly recommend them. They do not stretch out as you wear them. I love "seven" jeans, but an hour after I wear them, they are a size too big and become baggy in areas I don't want to be baggy. :) The Prvcy brand truly fits like they do when you try them on! They are a little pricey, but for a good pair of jeans - totally worth it!

www.Shopathome.com (thumbs up):
If you are an Internet shopper, and/or with Christmas coming up, I highly recommend that you become a member of this site. It is free. You get a certain % of cash back when you buy from their participating store. Stores will use this as a form of "advertising". The list of participating stores is pretty big. I have received 2 checks now, it is legit. The best thing, if you add them as a toolbar, it will automatically search for you, so if you forget to go here first, it still counts your purchases.

'Nuby' sippy cups (thumbs down)
Maybe it is just the type that I bought, but for a toddler that likes to explore things, I do not reccomend. The soft tips that do not really attach to anything SCREAM for a mess. They might be agood tranistion cup, but once they are fully weaned from a bottle and master the sippy cup, pack these away! I MUCH perfer the cups with a straw or some sort of blocking device. :) (I stopped using these a long time ago, but just packed them away, so it was fresh on the brain)

Target: (thumbs up)
I know that Super target does not have the widest selection when it comes to groceries, but for your basics, you can't beat their price. And now... literally! They have started price matching competitors print adds! I tried it out this week, it is a bit of a pain, as you have to completely check out and then go to guest services with your receipt, but in the end, it is worth it. More coupon type savings on top of the coupons.

With Christmas coming up, this might come in handy instead of running from store to store for toys and what not.

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox (iphone application): (BIG thumbs up)
We have a couple of toddler games on the iphone including peek-a-boo barn, sea life flashcards, teapot, shapes and colors, etc. but the monkey preschool lunchbox beats them all in John's eyes. This is a great distractor in the car, on a plane, trying to cook dinner, etc. A must have!

www.MPIX.com: (thumbs up)
This is a picture printing website. They have great prices and great prints. I have not tried any of their "products" but their photo prints are great. I know a few professional photographers that use this site for their prints. Again, keep in mind for Christmas ideas.

Wiggly Play Center: (thumbs down)
I am not sure if these are everywhere or not, but I am not fan of the one I went to. I am sure we will be back because it is a popular "playdate" area, but not by my choosing. Seemed dirty and all the big kids ran over the little kids.

Morning Star frozen foods: (thumbs up)
Quick, easy, healthy meals for John that keep in the freezer. Can't beat it.
http://www.morningstarfarms.com/products.aspx?coid=23|59&family=934|674

18 months pictures

Look on the left column of the blog. I added a new slideshow for his 18 month pics. My friend Ashlea took them for us. THANKS ASHLEA! You did a great job!

Seaworld

We will be making Seaworld a regular trip! I loved it and I am pretty sure everyone else did too! It was sort of like the safari day, where John seemed sort of out of it the whole time, but I know he loved it. I can tell by the way he reacts to his new stuffed mammals/souvenirs (whale, 3 penguins and a dolphin). And he INSISTS on reading his whale book every night, nothing else will do.

We flew down with John on Friday, it was only a 45 minute flight, easy! He played with the window shade most of the time and then games/videos on the iphone. Once we landed, Nana and Da were there to swoop us up and head over to the RV. The park was literally 2 minute drive to the front gate of Seaworld, it was THE way to go!

After nap and lunch, we headed out for John's favorite dinner.... Mexican! After dinner, we headed home and tried to go down for an early night, but John had other plans....I think he was finally asleep around 10:30 or so, but was up and ready to go in the morning! I did not get a picture of it, but I bought this zip up travel bed thing. I recommend it for when you have limited space, although I think it is meant for a little smaller baby, it was perfect because John loves to curl up.

Saturday morning, after breakfast, we headed out to park. I of course had looked up the schedule and all the exhibits and had a general plan for the day (no I am not horrible to travel with!). Only to find out that the online show schedule was not updated! I panicked to myself for a split second and then moved on :). We spent the morning walking around to all the exhibits, we fed the dolphins, went through the shark tanks, bought flip flops for Nana, saw the alligators, fed the ducks, and lastly went to see our friend Pete the penguin.

Especially after lack of sleep, we headed to the RV for lunch and nap. I seriously had to dance him to the car to keep him awake. After nap - back to Seaworld.

We practically RAN to the dolphin show because I was BOUND and DETERMINED John was going to see that show! :) It was full of acrobatics with a little dolphin thrown in. It was okay, but I think I was expecting more. John stood on the bleachers or in one of our laps and sucked his thumb, but reacted when the dolphins went away; he wanted them to come back. He has never sat still for 30 minutes, so I am pretty sure he was into it.

Next up - SHAMU!

After Daddy poured water on his head and cooled him off a bit, I think John was more comfortable. When we got into the show, John sucked his thumb and starred at the all the people (I like to people watch too). Once the whales came out, he loved it, he laughed and pointed and kept saying "more" when they would go under water, etc. His reaction to Shamu was worth it all!

As soon as we got back to the RV, he was himself again. I am not sure if it was the heat or all the new things and the crowds that had him overwhelmed, but I was glad to see a smile on his face. He was back to normal in the RV; hats off to Nana and Da for making it so comfortable and easy!

We flew home on Sunday, another event less flight, he is such a good little flyer!

Here are some pics.

Safari Saturday

John has a true love for stuffed animals of any kind! Back to back weekends in September we visited 'Land' and 'Sea' to get John up close and personal with the live version. Seaworld post in the works.

We took him on a local safari at the Sharkarosa Wildlife park in Pilot Point Texas. (If anyone local is reading this, you should go! It is about 30 minutes North for Frisco and only $8/tckt, under 2 free). We walked around and saw all the small animals up front including, capuchin monkeys, lemurs, deer, african porcupine, kangaroos and wallabies. We even got to pet a baby kangaroo and lemur.

Then we got on a safari choo-choo train and went out to feed the big animals. The train was open on all sides and the buckets of food were literally 6 inches from us. These huge animals would come up and we got to pet them as they ate (expect we could not touch the camels; apparently they spit and it smells). I thought this was so super cool! I have never seen anything like this, we were literally up close and personal! We saw Clydesdale horses, camels, zebras, buffalo, emus, lamas, pot belly pigs, and a half zebra half horse! There were a lot more that I do not remember, but it was SO COOL.

John's was more than a bit hesitant with all of this, but I truly believe he liked it. He had his thumb in his mouth the entire time, except once I think we got him to reach out to a camel. He got to pick out his own souvenir, and of all the stuffed animals that he did not have yet, he picked another monkey! The minute we got in the car he was saying "llama". I know he liked it, but he gets so shy when it comes to something new. I think as long as we keep exposing him to new things he will come out of this shell in his own time.

Let it go

Through all of my team environments and working experience, one of THE hardest things for me to do is let go and let someone else do it. I fully admit that this is not the best attitude to have for several reasons, but it is what it is! :)

However, when it comes to John, I have a whole different outlook and it has really helped me to change my ways. As he is growing up and exploring his world he has to not only figure out things for himself, but doing it differently than Mama is OK!

Don't get me wrong, there has been several times I have had to hold back "THE YELLOW ONE GOES ON BOTTOM!" or "THE SQUARE WON'T FIT IN THE TRIANGLE HOLE!" or "ELEPHANTS ARE NOT GREEN, TAKE THE GREY CRAYON!"

I am not sure what kind of "thinker" he is, but I love to see him learn and grow. And I love to let it go and see his interpretation.

"uh huh"

Just a funny side note:

John's most said phrase for the last month or longer is "uh huh" (next to "no" of course). I am not exactly sure where he learned this, as we (including all the people he is around most) do not use this phrase in place of 'yes'.

19 months

I am a little behind on posts, but hope to catch up this week.

Here are some fun/interesting facts from John's 19th month:

- Uses 3 and 4 words together

- started thumb sucking a lot more than he used to

- will watch TV for a more extended period of time; but still not more than 10-15 minutes unless he is tired. (favorite: Imagination Movers, Mickey Mouse Club (he sings the “hot dog” song every time he see Mickey anywhere; Sesame Street; LOVES the Jungle book)

- wears a 7.5 shoe!

- Loves when people come to the house, but needs quite a bit of warm up time when we go other places

- No more crying when we leave him with Johanna!

- We put him down completely awake at nap and bed time and there is no crying

- LOVES his bounce house

- this month we started thinking about potty training. We got him books (“where is the poop?” is his favorite) and then a soccer ball potty, he sits on it with his bare bum all the time, he sometimes tells us when he needs to “boot” (which can mean either pee or poo). He will regularly pee in the potty after nap if I get up there in time, but only after several minutes of sitting there. He sort of lost interest with our busy schedule lately, so we let it slide, but we may start back up and see how far we can get again….

- some new favorite words: up, whale (first “L” sound he has made), base (pause) ball, walk (“ak”), airplane (“airp’ane”), "hi mama" typically after I have said 'no' to something - I think he thinks it gets him out of trouble! And of course I smile. (I am the one in touble!)

- eats absolutely anything I give him. It has always been this way, but in the recent past, he would spit things out and I would have to have a back up for dinner, or dip whatever it was in applesauce. Now, he will eat anything and A LOT of it.

- stopped using all of his signs and replaces them with words.

- he understands possession to a degree. He points to and labels our drinks, bathroom drawers, blankets, chairs, etc. (“Mama’s dink”, “Daddy’s dink”).

- Favorite thing this month: stuffed animals (‘whale’, ‘Pete’, ‘little dog’, ‘Mike’, ‘oo-oo’ (monkeys), etc.)

Friday

John got up around 7:15, I went to get him about 7:30. We played in his crib with the giraffe and the dog blanket, "dog b-t", for a bit and then our morning routine started. Cuddle, breakfast, play time, coffee, pick up the house, etc.

Friday is our Little Gym day. He was in a mood to do is own thing in class today and not really particapte with the group. I tried to take pictures, but it was hard to do and play with him. Here are a couple of pics that I could get.

When we got home we had some stawberries and milk and then went to the park. His new word today (yesterday was the first day I heard it) is "up". So he wanted to climb "up" everything. Which makes me a little nervous, but he has to learn sometime. You have to be right behind him or in a position to catch up him everywhere. When it was time to go, there were some tears, but then he laid on my shoulder and let me carry him all the way home (must have been a little tired).

I made some left over chicken for lunch. When he is done with his meal he says "all done" and then starts to clear his tray and put everything on the bar. He then points to the fridge and holds out his milk for me to put it away. He played for a bit and then we went up to read and nap. He fell asleep around 12:15.

Like clockwork 1.5 hours later, I hear the little man rolling around. I run and get him and we ran to the mall for another errand and the playground. I took pictures this time. He is very passive when it comes to other kids, wonder if that will change?


When we got home Daddy was already here! They played upstairs for a bit and I ran to the grocery store. When I got home I gave him crackers with hummus and he LOVED it! I love finding new snacks!

Nothing too far out of routine the rest of the evening, play; get on learning tower, eat dinner, play upstairs, take a bath, milk, books, bed.

I hope he can sleep, knowing that it is GAMEDAY tomorrow!

Thursday

Thursday are a little different, as Johanna comes to the house to watch John.

I got up and left for work early and Daddy stayed and waited for Johanna. John woke up about 8:00 and was telling Daddy he was hungry before they even got diaper changed (this rarely happens).

They ate breakfast and then Johanna came to play and Daddy left. John has a real hard time when we leave on Thursdays, but a few minutes after we are gone, he is fine and does not cry all day (Johanna sends me pictures during the day).

I thought I would highlight what "play" means these days around here. It is much different than when we did this project 10 months ago.

Some of John's favorite things to do when it is playtime:
- bounce house
- sand box
- reading books
- running in circles around the island
- remote control car
- any type of ball (soccer, basketball, baseball, football, bouncy ball, noisy ball, etc.)
- bicycle (quad-cycle)
- climb up and down from chairs, couches, beds, etc.
- get in his learning tower and play at the bar
- fill buckets with ANYTHING
- play swords with Daddy
- get on Daddy's back and chase the dogs
- run around the columns and play hide-n-seek/chase
- play on the iphone (peek-a-boo barn or this shape game)
- climb in and out of the tent, put things in and out of the tent
- draw with the color-wonder makers and finger paint (I recommend these for little ones, they are not messy)
- stuffed animal play (feed them, carry them, move them, love them)
- STICKERS! This keeps him entertained forever, $1 bought me several pages and several hours of fun!
- his toy car (put gas in the car, put the animals in the car, get in the car and tell Mama and Daddy bye-bye)
- shape sorters and puzzles (he is getting good at these)
- wonder around out front or back or at the park and just pick stuff up

On with the rest of the day...

I got home about 3:00 and then took John to the neighborhood pool with some other Mom's. We only stayed an hour or so (weather not very good for pool). Then we came home and made dinner. Pinapple chicken (no pineapple for John. I will not go into detail of why) and left over Quinoa.

The evening routine carried on with bouncing and playing with Daddy, bath, play downstairs, milk, books, bed.

Daddy fixed the projector upstairs and then we watched the opening day of College Football!!!!!