Little Things

Last week, I had four snow days.  That is unheard of for this area, buddy.  Four snow days means that we got to spend seven whole days together.  It was a 7 day weekend!  It was wonderful.  Yesterday, when I gave Daddy the banana ice cream to feed you for your snack, Daddy voiced his concerns that you were used to my "gourmet" meals and that would would not be pleased when it was just the two of you again.

Today was a long day, but I always enjoy getting to spend my evenings with you.  Tonight, the living room looked like a bomb went off.  You had a good time playing today.  After dinner, you needed a diaper change.  You are completely uninterested in diaper changes so often, I open the baby gate and let you walk (run) to your room.  You come willingly (until it's time to be changed) and you love it.

Once you had a fresh diaper, I closed the doors to the hallway and let you play.  I consider it part of our plan to slowly release you into the wild...er, house.  The living room is your main play area, but we are slowly letting you play in other rooms when we are there with you to run interference and eliminate potential hazards.  My goal is for you to be more "free range" by summertime.  Anyway... you had a ball playing in the hallway.  You played for a good 20 minutes.

It was basically a whole lot of this...

Homecoming

Today was homecoming.  That means a headache for Mama.  However, you seemed to enjoy this year's "favor."

Enjoy little man!

Independent

Every once and a while, you will cry in the middle of the night.  Generally, it isn't anything bad.  You just lost your bink.  So Daddy and I will crawl out of our nice warm bed, tiptoe into your room, and give you back your binky.

Tonight, you took it a step further.  You woke up and realized your bink had fallen out of your mouth.  You cried your "Guys, I need my binky back" cry so I got out of bed and tiptoed into your room to give it to you before you completely woke up and we had another 2 hour Super Bowl party like last night.  I patted your mattress and found a binky.  Before I could put it in your mouth, you shifted, pulled a binky from behind your head, and popped it in your mouth.

You rarely sleep on your back, so when I saw you soundly sleeping with your arms resting behind your head, I had to take a picture.  When you grow up, don't judge me for my night vision pictures of you sleeping.  You're adorable...I want to savor that while you'll let me.

Have you and Daddy been watching David Copperfield while I'm a work?  You'll be completely independent before we know it...hopefully sans binky.

Snooooooooooooow!

Last night it snowed!  We had so much fun playing in the snow today.  Hopefully, we'll get to go back out tomorrow before it all melts.

Um...Mama?  What is this stuff?

Ok...it's a little cold.

Hey, Dad, where did the backyard go?

Hmm...my feet don't seem to move in this stuff.

Going...going...

Gone!  Oof!

Cutest snow-covered bum ever!

Mama, stop taking pictures and help me figure this stuff out!

Since it was pretty cold for a little guy (and you kept shaking your gloves off), we only stayed outside about 10 minutes.  When we came in and warmed up, I sent Daddy back outside to get some snow.  He brought in a tub of snow for us to play with.  It took a while for you to warm up to it...but once you did, oh brother did you love it!

Ack!  It's touching me!

Ok...I will touch it with my cup, but that's it!

Mama!  Save me from the cold stuff!

Oh, hi Kitty.  I will pet you since you're sitting by the gate so nicely.

Maybe this stuff isn't so bad afterall.

Wait, Dad said I could eat this stuff?!

Yum!  This stuff is delicious!

Once your hands started getting cold and red, Daddy grabbed the tub and took it to the kitchen while you were distracted.  It was hysterical when you came back to the blanket to continue playing with your snow tub and it was gone.  You spun around in a circle several times trying to figure out where it went.  Then you gave me this look:

Mother.  Where did my snow go?  It was here a minute ago!

Snow Day!

Today Mama had a snow day!  Hooray!  Right now, you don't understand what snow days are, but someday, buddy, you are going to be just as excited as I am about a snow day.

Of course, I woke up an hour earlier than I have to on work days and you slept an hour later than normal.  I got a lot done while you and Daddy were sleeping though.   Finally, around 8:30 I heard you chattering over the baby monitor.

Your bedhead this morning was adorable.

While you drank some milk and ate your strawberries and kiwi, I made you appleasauce pancakes.

...which you loved.

We had a wonderful chat while you ate breakfast and I made pancakes.  You ate two pancakes.  So you must have really liked them.

"Yes, Mama...you can kiss me, if I get another pancake."

After you finished breakfast, you played in your kitchen helper while I did the breakfast dishes.  You nose is running like a faucet because you are getting some molars.

I love this thing, Mama!  What else can I play with?

Then we went to the living room to play.  Daddy woke up and came out to play, too!

This is mostly what I see when you're playing.  You are constantly on the move!

You tried to escape...

"I know you and Daddy step on this thing and the gate opens...why isn't it working for me!?"

You read your books.

Then, you had your morning tired spell.  You've decided you don't need your morning nap anymore, but you get to a point when you want to cuddle and watch an episode of Sid or Mickey.  Once you've had your one episode, you are up and on the move again!

Watching Mickey together

After your rest period, we baked cookies!  I'm tempted to make this our snow day tradition, but there's all the cookies that would produce if we live anywhere but where we live now.

You did an excellent job mixing with your beater.

"Okay, Mama...now you mix it all together."

"Hang on...I think I should taste that dough to make sure it's ok."

Once the cookies we baking, you helped me vacuum the living room.

"Hey Mom, you missed a spot over here."

By then, it was time for lunch!

We had cucumbers and chicken and crackers.  It was all your favorite c's!

After your (3 hour!) nap, we played some more.

You pushed your wagon around the living room.

At some point, your socks disappeared.

"No Mama, I don't know where my socks are..."

We tried on hats so that we were prepared for the Snowpocolypse that was headed our way.

No, no Mama...this is YOUR hat.  Mine is green.

Finally, it was dinner.  We had Grandma's pepper steak.  You are still unimpressed with beef, but you loved the veggies, mushrooms, and quinoa.

"You're taking my picture...that means I'm eating something that will potentially cause me to make a face.  I'm on to you, Mother."

Yum!  Quinoa!

Finally, we snuggled up in Daddy's chair and watched our daily episode of Sesame Street.  It was a rerun, but you didn't seem to mind.  

Look up high / In the sky / It's a school! / It can fly!

And tomorrow, we get to do it all again!  I hope you enjoyed your first snow day, Little One.  Tomorrow we will play in the snow.  I can't wait to see your reaction to it!

14 Months

Age:  14 Months

As soon as I took off the chair cover, you were standing there waiting to sit in your chair.

Favorite activity:  Reading!  It makes my teacher-mommy heart swoon to sit and watch you read books.  You carefully turn the pages, examine the pictures, and sometimes you "read" out loud.  Every night when I come home from work, you book basket is empty and your books are sitting out where yo've clearly been reading them.  Once in a great while, we'll catch you trying to nibble on your book but a quick, "No sir!" and you go back to reading.  Except the little Disney chunk books...they must look too much like little sandwiches.  You can't resist chewing on them.

Shhh Mama, I'm reading...

Honorable mentions:  You love your new Kitchen Helper.  You enjoy standing like a big boy at the counter and playing while Mama cooks.  I love having you nearby and I can't wait to have you helping me cook dinner.

"Helping" Mama make muffins

Least favorite activity:  You do not like getting help from Daddy or I.  You are Mr. Independent. The other night at dinner, you didn't want the pieces of hamburger that I had cut for you.  No, you wanted to take your own bites.  When we're out, you rarely get to walk on your own because you absolutely refuse to hold our hands.  Please don't make me put you on a leash, child.

See...you won't hold our hands...

Milestones:  You can feed yourself with a fork/spoon!  Oh sure, you miss 75% of what you attempt to eat, but that 25% that makes it in always makes you so proud.  You try to put your socks and shoes on when we hand them to you while we're changing you.  You can also point to your tummy and your head when we ask you.  If you can flip your bin of blocks over and push it over to the couch, you pull yourself up on the bin and start climbing.  No climbing!  Ack!  Mama's not ready!

Words:  "Bye-bye!"  

Signs:  You've figured out what "more" means and you're using it for things besides just food.  We're still working on "kitty" and "up."  However, you have started climbing up in my lap, pulling the blanket over us, and signing "more."  You mean "more Mickey."  You also start signing "more" as soon the Hot Dog song comes on when we're watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  It's adorable.

Sleep:  One brief dance party after I mistakenly decided to teach you the cup rule after dinner one night, but otherwise you've been sleeping through the night.  That being said, it takes you anywhere from an hour to two hours to wind down at night after we've put you to bed.  On a normal night, we hear the following: fake cries, real cries, screeching, singing, babbling, your favorite tongue waggling noise, whining, your bink hitting the floor, the seahorse hitting the floor multiply times, your glow worm landing in the book basket, and my absolute favorite - big, belly laughs.

Best Moment:  Christmas!  You are one lucky little boy, buddy.  There are so many people who love you.  Gifts aside, there were so many people who loved on you.  We're so thankful to have so many people who love you almost as much as us.  I hope you always know how much you are loved.

When I returned home from my first day back at work, you were so happy to see me!  Daddy said your naps consisted of 5 minutes of silence, 15 minutes of playing/bink banging, and 20 minutes of "Ma ma ma ma ma"s.  Evidently you missed me as much as I missed you!

Wait, wait, wait...these are for me?!

Worst Moment:  Yesterday was not your best day.  You slipped on the hardwood floors and face planted into the air vent grate.  The goose egg popped up on your head almost immediately.  Then, you got frustrated.  Sometimes when you get angry or frustrated you use your head as a weapon.  Man, your noggin is lethal.  You've clocked both Daddy and I accidentally and on purpose over the year.  Yesterday, in your fit of anger, you head butted the coffee table.  Let's hope it's the last time you use your noggin as a weapon. 

Use that noggin for good, not evil!

Eating:  I spent half of the month worrying that you were eating too much and the other half of the month worrying that you weren't eating enough.  Sometimes you eat so much that I swear you have a hollow leg and then you'll eat like a bird.  I'm told this is normal.  You still love vegetables, but you're eating what we eat so you've had adventurous foods this month like lemon garlic chicken, brussels sprouts, pot roast, crosnes, and purple carrots.

Helping Daddy build with your new blocks

Favorite Food:  You cannot get enough vegetables and crackers.  Some nights, that's all you eat.  Other nights, you eat anything and everything we put in front of you.  Your newest favorite is the green smoothie I make for you every once and a while.  Organic whole milk, organic spinach, two strawberries, two chunks of mango, and two chunks of pineapple.  You slurp.  It's adorable.

These are amazing, Mama!

Teeth:  You have one molar now!  Hooray!  The one on the bottom left is in and I think the one on the right is starting to come in.

We love you, buddy.  We're so thankful that we get to be your parents.

Small Moments

Daddy must run a pretty tight ship because you are learning new things at the speed of light (or so it seems to me).  I'm already looking into a preschool curriculum for the summer.  It's never to early to start letter flash cards!

Every night, you and I sit together while you drink your milk and watch Sesame Street (sometimes, it's Mickey Mouse).  Most of the time, I fall asleep before the end of the show.  Something about Sesame Street sends me into a catatonic state.  Then there are the nights we snuggle under Daddy's red blanket and giggle.  I don't know what Donald was saying that was so funny, but the giggling made my night.