Sunday, September 29, 2013

Apple Picking!

This year’s apple picking was a whole lot more fun compared to last year, that’s for sure!  Last year Toby was half whining/half snoozing in the Ergo attached to me; this year he was running up and down the aisles with an apple in his hand the entire time.  He enjoyed throwing some of them, too, but luckily his aim is still low to the ground and he didn’t hit anyone.  He took quite a few tumbles because of all the ditches in the rows but he got the hang of it eventually.  Towards the end we also checked out the pumpkin patch, but we decided to wait a few more weeks until we take home a pumpkin.

Best part about apple picking this year was that Hubby made apple crisp twice…I didn’t even have to peel any apples!

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Friday, September 27, 2013

Toby: 15 Months!

This update is more than 10 days late but that’s not a huge shocker.  I feel like I can’t catch up with anything lately, mostly because of the colds we’ve been battling in this house.  Two colds in less than three weeks is a bummer, but at least Toby handles them well.  You would never know he was sick except for his runny nose.  The first time I thought he was just teething but then I had a sore throat the next day and knew we both coming down with something.  I’m not really surprised we’ve been sick considering we’ve been going to Gymboree, yoga, swim lessons, and playdates. Yay germs!

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Yoga was a last minute addition to our fall schedule but the instructor was offering a good discount so I figured why not.  He’s been pretty shy for the first half hour of class and then slowly warms up so I think this is good for him to experience another atmosphere with other adults and kids. I’ve noticed he checks other kids out a little more than he used to, but he would still rather do his own thing. Gymboree is going really well – he loves his teacher, always stops when she starts to sign a song and stares at her like he’s trying to understand every word.  He is also clapping his hands a lot more since they do that so much in gym.  The only downside about Gymboree is that he has learned to climb over and onto EVERYTHING. The chairs, ottoman, coffee table are all fair game in our house, and he can climb onto the sofa if he uses your legs for support. I’d be fine with the climbing if he wasn’t so insistent about standing and jumping on everything…

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Other major difference this month is the pickiness with food phase has started.  He still eats breakfast and lunch well (minus lunch meat), but he is usually refusing what we make for dinner a good four or five nights a week.  He wouldn’t even eat Annie’s Mac & Cheese the other night because I tried to be sneaky and added in some peas.  Sigh.  I’m going to have to be creative with having more healthy snacks on hand because if he refuses to eat dinner then I have nothing else to give him!

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Weight: 22.5 pounds – only gained a few ounces from his 12 month appointment.  The nurse seemed to be worried about it but his doctor said it’s totally fine and wasn’t concerned.  Go figure.  Somewhere between 25th-50th percentile…can’t remember what the papers said.

Height: 32 inches tall. Another reason why he didn’t gain much weight is because he grew two inches in three months. (I have a feeling she may have measured him a little too tall, though). Anyways he’s back up to the 70th-something percentile for height.

Medical issues: Two colds this past month, definitely getting molars in (doctor said they’re ready to break through any day). Eczema is okay.

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Sleep: Schedule is usually wake up around 6:30am, nap from 11:45-1:30ish, in the crib for bed by 7:15 or 7:30.  Last week he napped for THREE hours and I couldn’t believe it – but now looking back at it, I think that’s when he was coming down with the second cold. Usually he averages 1.5-2 hours for a nap.

Clothes/Diapers: He totally wore a pair of 12 month pants that fit the other day and the jeans he’s wearing in these pics are 12 months but Circo stuff always fits him strange…he has such a skinny waist. But most of his other outfits are 18 months now.  I bought a ton of fall/winter stuff on Old Navy since they had a good sale and all the shirts are 18-24 months since their stuff tends to run a little small on him.  He’s wearing one of the shirts in these recap photos and it’s not too roomy.  I’ve noticed he has a longer torso (with a belly) and shorter legs, so he fills things out quicker on top than the bottom.  Still in 4’s for diapers, has moved up to 5’s in shoes.

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Diet: UGH. That’s all I can say. Latest things he’s been refusing are chicken, ground turkey, deli meats, most vegetables, soup, bread w/butter, and oatmeal.  Hubby made pot roast in the slow cooker yesterday and he ate 5 bites of potatoes and refused to eat anything else.  So dinner has been very hard. He ate a few pieces of a hamburger the other day which was a miracle.  He is, however, a huge fan of Goldfish now.  We share a snack pack when he eats yogurt before taking his nap.  He still loves most fruits, especially when you peel the skin off of something and let him take bites, like from an apple, peach, or plum.  Also loves milk – we try to keep him to 2 cups total each day but he would easily drink more.

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Milestones/Firsts: Says “ca” for “cat”. Can say “cheese”, “all done”, and “keys”.   When I say “A, B, C”, he will repeat “aaa” for “A”.  Other than that we haven’t heard much or at least much that’s understandable.  His doctor keeps saying that since he was walking early this is normal and he’ll probably only add a few more words by the time he turns 18 months.  Other big milestone has been the climbing this month.  First time staying away overnight from both Mommy & Daddy (we went to a wedding and Grandma and Grandpa came up to watch him).

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Likes: Helping shut doors. Playing outside with his Cozy Coupe (or just playing outside in general). Reading. Watching Super Why and the intro song for Daniel Tiger.  Dogs (smiles so big and giggles whenever he sees one in person)!  Running around with bigger kids at playdates. Pushing things. Playing with blankets and pillows. Chasing after Daddy when he gets home from work.

Dislikes: Going upstairs to take a nap (but then he’s fine once we start reading a few stories). Being shut out of the bathroom (“privacy, please!” “just one minute!”).  Being put in his highchair for dinner. 

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Things I don’t want to forget: How he is so proud of himself every time he climbs onto the living room chair and sits down.  Then he stands up and waits for us to say “no standing” and starts jumping.  How fast he flips through pages in a book when he’s reading by himself.  How he loves sitting in my lap, even if we’re not reading. How he pushes the cars and trains on the floor around now, just like a big boy.  How he tries to hide from strangers by covering his eyes or slumping over completely in the shopping cart.

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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

20 Things That Change

Found this on a parenting website and loved it…thought I would share for any momma’s who still read my rarely updated blog :)

Everyone warns you that having a baby will change your life. Sure, you'll have less money (and sleep), and a lot more responsibility. But when the centre of your universe shifts to your baby, there's much to celebrate too.

You discover an inner strength you never realized you had.

You accept that the last 15 pregnancy pounds you can't seem to shift are absolutely worth it.

You don't need a clock any more - your baby now sets your daily schedule.

You respect and love your own parents in a new way.

Any pain your baby suffers feels much worse than your own.

You don't mind going to bed at 9pm on a Friday night.

Your heart breaks much more easily.

You discover how much there is to say about one little baby tooth.

You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.

You're no longer disgusted by babies' bodily functions - in fact, you're fascinated by them (hooray, a poo!).

The sacrifices you thought you'd made to have a baby no longer seem that big a deal.

You respect your body ... finally.

You realize that a baby's blankie has magical powers!

You give parents with a screaming baby an "I-know-the-feeling" look, instead of a "Can't-they-shut-him-up?" one.

You make time for one more baby hug and kiss, even if it means you'll be late.

You realize that it's possible to love a complete stranger.

You learn that taking a shower is a luxury, never mind a trip to the hair salon.

You finally get to speak to the shy neighbour in your street, because you've got a baby in your arms.

You find that things that once seemed important are now meaningless.

Every day is a surprise.

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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Currently

Laughing at…Toby waving his arms back and forth really fast when he’s done eating.  And sometimes he’ll shout out “Whoa, Whoa, Whoa” when doing it.

Amused by…Toby’s new fascination with stealing things from the fridge and running away with them.  For instance, yesterday he thought it was hilarious to take the milk jug out and run off with it.  And today he managed to snatch a container of hummus and sneak away into the living room.  By the time I realized he grabbed something, he figured out how to take off the lid and smeared globs of hummus on the floor.  I was freaking out and laughing my ass off at the same time.  And he was SO mad at me when I took the hummus back and made him wash off his hands.

Struggling with…change.  Hubby has a new job which means longer commute which means lot of adjusting for me and Toby.  And the solution is not me going back to work, like oh so many people have suggested. 

Loving…fall is on its way!  I remember last year feeling very sad with summer ending and how I wasn’t ready for the seasonal change.  But this year I am all about autumn – bring on the pumpkin goodness!

Grateful for…my Scentsy business is really taking off and I’m pretty proud of my hard work :)  Being my own boss has pushed me to branch out and be creative in all aspects of the business.

Working on…getting Toby to say more words.  I’ve given up on him ever saying Mama but I will take anything else at this point as he’s just not very consistent with saying things.

Wishing…we were back in Maine still on vacation.  This year’s week away at the beach was so different compared to last year, but in a good way!  It was a lot of fun watching Toby “jump” in the waves for the first time, splash in the wet sand puddles, scoop up sand in his toys, and chase after dogs on their after-dinner night walks on the beach.  He couldn’t get enough of the ocean – one day we had to pull him out since his feet were blue and he threw a fit the whole way back up to our spot on the beach.  I think he would have gone completely under the water if we let him!

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