TWO!

Yup, little man turned two last week!  I didn’t think it was possible, but I’m pretty sure the second year flew by faster than the first twelve months.  He is a full-on toddler whose personality is emerging more and more each day.  He is testing our patience all the time and throwing tantrums left and right.  Gotta love the terrible two’s.  And my co-workers keep telling me the three’s just get even tougher – joy!  On a positive note, it is really cool seeing Toby understand so many more things and add words to his vocabulary.  He is saying two and three word phrases, although sometimes he talks so fast, the words just get all smushed together.  I have to get a video of him saying “Everybody, clean up” because his voice is hilarious when he says that phrase. 

Catch up time with the stats:

Weight: He went to the doctor on his birthday not for a regular check-up but for a sick visit…had a bad cough and ended up even having an ear infection we had no idea he had.  Anyways he was 26.4 pounds.

Height: He will be measured at his two-year visit this Friday.  When we measured him at Storyland a couple weeks ago, he was about 33 or 34 inches.

Medical Issues: Seasonal allergies definitely affected him this year, so in April he was coughing a lot, had a runny nose and puffy eyes for a couple weeks.  Children’s Zyrtec seemed to clear it up.  His eczema is coming back a little on his arms but I remember that happening last year in the same spots when the weather got warmer.  He’s had a couple colds/fevers, a tummy bug, and the ear infection since I last updated in December.  Seems like a lot but none of the illnesses lasted for too long.

Sleep: I would say 5 nights a week he sleeps straight through the night and we don’t hear a peep from him.  There’s usually a couple nights a week when he will wake up randomly screaming, so we assume he has bad dreams now.  And then with his allergies, he was coughing a ton at night so that didn’t help.  Naps are good, he is still taking a 1.5-2.5 hour nap each day usually from 12:30-2:30ish. 

Clothes/Diapers: Skinny-waisted boy is in 18-24 month shorts (so glad I saved them since he never grew into them last summer).  He wears 2T for shirts, 6’s for shoes, and 4’s in day diapers, 5’s in overnight diapers.

Diet: Ugh definitely pickier than he has been.  He has an opinion on what he wants to eat now and we’ll go through days where he eats tiny bits and pieces and then will eat and eat and eat the next day to make up.  We basically go through the same five or six dinners each week on rotation, it’s pretty annoying.  He will eat spaghetti w/turkey meatballs, English muffin or bagel pizzas (no peppers can be on it anymore, though), Firefly’s Mac & Cheese (not Annie’s or any other kind), ground turkey for tacos, black bean quesadillas, and homemade chicken nuggets.  I rarely get to try making anything new unless I have a back-up plan or leftovers ready for him.  Sometimes he will surprise me and eat carrots, but most of the time he refuses veggies.  Is 50/50 with eating PB & J’s and peanut butter in general.  Loves fruit, yogurt, bagels w/cream cheese, pancakes, bacon, and “eggies”.  Eats Goldfish crackers, fruit/veggie pouches, cereal bars and “chips” (dried fruit chips) for snacks.  Refused to eat cake on his birthday but LOVES “fri yo” (frozen yogurt).  We were doing Fro Yo Fridays for a treat for the past month or so.  Still doesn’t like juice so he just drinks whole milk, water and smoothies.

Likes: Closing and opening any types of doors, taking covers on and off of bowls, cups, etc.  Playing with anything that has wheels.  Hiding toys, taking them out, hiding them again and doing this same process for 20 minutes. Playing outside – loves the park and exploring.  Reading!  Lots of reading.  Oh my god and how did I almost forget the VACCUUM.  He’s obsessed.  This is a phase that’s been going on for four months now and is probably not going to end anytime soon. He has his own play one now because I couldn’t deal with him asking for me to take out the big one every ten seconds.

Dislikes: Being naked – not sure if he’ll be one of those kids who refuses to wear clothes.  He always wants a shirt and shorts on!  And of course he hates being told no, knows when we try to distract him and move him onto another activity, gets frustrated when something doesn’t go his way, etc, etc, etc. 

Milestones: Huge language explosion a week or two after he turned 18 months and then again once he started daycare in February.  Easily has over 100 words in his vocabulary now that his consistently says.  He can walk up and down the stairs by himself using the railing, though it still scares the crap out of me.  He can almost jump up and down using both feet at the same time.  Uses forks and spoons on a regular basis though sometimes he prefers to still use his hands.

Things I don’t want to forget: this is going to have be a separate post because there’s so much that’s happened in the past few months!

12-18 Month Favorites

Haven’t compiled one of these posts in a long time…not since 7-8 months!  I do like going back to my monthly Toby recaps to see what toys he was playing with and things he enjoyed doing during the different stages, so I’m trying to make an effort to do more “Favorites” lists.  Some of these items are from previous favorite lists but it proves they’re worth the money!

Little Tikes Gas n’ Go Mower:  Toby used this later in the summer, both inside and outside, and still loves playing with it in our living room currently.  We’ll ask him to fill it up with gas, and he grabs the gas tank and “pours” it into the little opening while we go “glug, glug, glug”.  It sounds like a real mower when the beads start popping!  Great gift for a birthday present.  I like how this is a toy that doesn’t have songs or musical sound effects.

Bumkins SuperBib 3-Pack: I included this bib on an earlier list but these things are awesome – I highly recommend them!  Get the 3-Pack so that way you don’t have to be constantly washing one over and over.  They are lightweight, easy to pack in a bag, and rarely stain.

Leap Frog My Discovery House: Included this on a previous list…he still loves to play with it now.  He’s figured out what all the different functions do and can also switch settings.  It’s another rare toy that keeps him entertained on his own for more than 5 minutes.

Munchkin Snack Catchers: We’ve been using these since before Toby turned 1 and they’re pretty great.  Do some puffs still manage to sneak out sometimes?  Yes.  But they do a good job for the most part.  He hasn’t figured out how to take the entire top off yet, and the top has never come off while he’s stuck his hand in there to grab something.

Big Red Barn and Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom: These are two of his favorite books. probably have been since he received them for his first birthday. I love Big Red Barn because the rhymes are soothing and it’s a great book to read before naptime. I credit Chicka Chicka for his obsession with the alphabet and learning a lot of the letters.

Radio Flyer – The Ultimate Comfort Wagon: This was Toby’s big gift from Santa for Christmas 2012 as we figured we would start using it in the future summer months.  We splurged to get the canopy, padded seats, built-in cup holders, and storage bag, but it was so worth it.  The canopy was awesome when we had our beach vacation in August and gave Toby great sun coverage as we walked back and forth to the beach and downtown all week.  The storage bag was good to stuff in all the wet towels and sandy extras that needed to be hosed down once we got back to the house.  It looks like the price has increased a LOT since last year, though – almost $100!  Not sure if we got it for a good deal last year, but I do feel it’s a solid investment.

Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Smart Screen Laptop:  Another toy that Toby’s enjoyed for a long time since he received it for Christmas 2012. It’s been fun to see how he interacts with the laptop now as he understands which buttons cause songs to play.  He’s been into the alphabet letters song lately, of course.  Since this toy has been used so much, the white numbers on the keys are starting to wear off but I guess that’s to be expected.

Halo Sleep Sack Wearable Blanket: Yup, he’s been using these for over a year now. He moves around a lot in his sleep and I’m still nervous to let him sleep with a blanket so these are a great alternative.  Plus, I’m pretty sure he recognizes it as a sleep cue now, so he knows it’s part of the nap or bedtime routine. 

Infant Boy’s Genuine Baby from OshKosh Axel Casual Shoes: We love these shoes so much that we bought them in size 4 and 5 so he’s been wearing them for several months now.  I think he’s just starting to grow out of the 5’s which means we’ll have to look for something else soon.  They’re great for early walkers (that then transition to fast runners) as the sole is thick enough for support but not too heavy – helps to prevent a lot of tripping.

Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn: Learning Kitchen: Toby received this for his first birthday and I would say he’s played with it at least once a day since we took it out of the box in June.  He’s figured out what buttons to push to make noise, he loves opening and closing the fridge, and there’s a couple songs he will play over and over again. It’s one of the few toys that he will play with independently for more than 5 minutes.  While I would love for him to have a mini play kitchen, we just don’t have the room for it in our townhouse so this toy is a good compromise for now.  It fits perfectly in one of the squares of our Ikea storage system.

Toby: 17 & 18 Months!

I decided to start doing an update every other month as I’ve just been so late in getting these done.  Besides, he isn’t having a ton of firsts/milestones every few weeks like he was previously and I felt I was recording a lot of the same stuff each month! 

So the past couple months…he is saying more words and definitely babbling a ton.  I can see he understands much more now.  Like we will ask “can you get your shoes?” and he’ll go right over to the boot mat and pick out a pair of his, one shoe at a time(usually the red ones).  We’ve been dealing with the hats/coat/mittens routine, so he knows where to get his hat and understands how to help put his arms in his coat.  He knows some of his toys by name now.  When I ask “are you ready for lunch”, he will go right to the fridge since he knows we start with yogurt first.  He also understands the words “snack, puffs, Goldfish, pouch”.  When I say “Let’s go upstairs and read stories”, he knows it’s nap time and will go over to the gate and wait for me to pick him up.  The cutest thing he’s done lately is starting to recognize body parts and pointing out certain things.  Asking “Toby, where is your belly button?” will result in him lifting up his shirt and pointing to his belly button while giving the biggest grin.  He also knows where his eyes are, and I’ve been trying to work on nose and ears with him.

Temper tantrums have been in full force the past few weeks and are tiring Momma out big time.  It’s usually due to him being hungry or getting mad when I take something away that he was playing with.  We had a little break from the teeth but I think more may be coming in again…runny nose is back along with restless nights and needing us to go in to comfort him. 

Weight: 23.2 pounds (the nurse let him get weighed on the big kid scale since he REFUSED to sit down on the baby one)

Height: a little over 32 inches (let’s just say he was wiggling around so much that it wasn’t very accurate)

Medical Issues: Had a tummy bug the day before Thanksgiving.  At first we thought he just coughed too much overnight as he woke up with puke in his crib.  But then he barely wanted anything for breakfast and did end up throwing up the little amount of bagel and applesauce he actually ate.  It was weird since he seemed okay the rest of the day, though – no fever or any other symptoms.  The next day on Thanksgiving we started giving more bland food and he kept everything down so I gave him half a yogurt for lunch.  He had the other half and a pouch later that afternoon, but I guess they were too much for him and while we were all eating dinner, he wanted out of his high chair and then ended up puking in Hubby’s lap.  Great holiday story to remember!  He then proceeded to share the bug with Hubby and me that night and then to Auntie, Grandma, and Grammy over the next couple days.  I hadn’t had a stomach bug in almost 10 years and it was AWFUL…ugh little kids and the germs!!!  Other than that, his doctor said all his teeth are in, so he may already be working on his two year old molars.  His skin has only flared up a few times – it’s much better compared to last winter.

Sleep: Basically the same schedule – wakeup around 6:30am, nap from 12:45-2ish (for a few weeks he was sleeping until 3pm and it was AMAZING!  But the past week he’s been waking up at 2…sigh), then asleep for the night by 7:30pm.  There have been a few nights where he’s needed one of us to go in after crying for 10 minutes.  He tends to prefer Daddy being the shoulder to lay on.

Clothes/Diapers: All over the place for clothes right now – some 12-18 month sizes fit (mostly just pants) but he is quickly jumping into 2T stuff for shirts and hooded sweatshirts.  Even 18-24 month stuff is not long enough to cover his belly!  His pants all fit under his belly, though, so he will probably be in 18 month pants for at least a few more months.  Still in 4’s for diapers, we will move up to 5’s for overnights once our current box runs out.

Diet: Not being as picky – he still doesn’t like chicken and green veggies, but he’s gotten better with trying other things.  Last week I tried giving him breaded chicken dipped in ketchup, then with BBQ sauce, then with applesauce and he wanted none of those variations.  He wants nothing to do with broccoli or peas, but loves carrots and sweet potatoes.  I was able to sneak some broccoli on pizza recently since we ran out of diced peppers for our usual topping.  He ate a decent amount before he started to spit the broccoli back out.  Normally he hates pasta but I cut up spaghetti into small pieces last week and he had some with turkey meatballs and loved it.  He loves apples (“aaattle”), bananas, bagels w/cream cheese, oatmeal with blueberries, ground turkey w/taco seasoning, steak, hamburgers, cheese, cheese, and more cheese.  He is starting to use a spoon to eat yogurt…so messy.  We started putting his food on a plate instead of just on his tray and he’s doing well with not throwing the plate off, so hopefully this is good training for when we go out to eat.

Likes: Helping to clean up (most of the time), reading,  watching Super Why (gets so excited for super letters to show up), being chased around the house and playing hide and seek (he will want you to hide), listening to music on the TV radio station (we listen to Pop Hits).  Likes anything to do with alphabet letters.  His new obsession has been to take a few items, place them in one spot in a room one by one, and then move them to a different spot one by one.  He will repeat this for a good ten minutes and entertain himself.

Dislikes: Getting lotion applied.  Having his diaper changed. Having things taken away from him.  Having the bathroom door shut.

Milestones: Saying more letters in the alphabet when I sing – he will now say “L” and “O” when I stop and wait for him.  Can point to his belly button, head, and eyes when asked where they are.  Starting to use a spoon more on his own.  Saying about 10-15 words consistently now, he has repeated a handful of other words once or twice. 

Things I don’t want to forget: How sometimes he will touch my mouth until I open up to show him my teeth – he loves touching them but it grosses me out.  How he will reach down and start undoing the velcro straps when I ask him to take his shoes off when we get home.  How he does more Yoga moves and songs at him now – he flaps his arms when I sing “Fannie the bird”. How he sometimes jumps up and down in one spot (his feet don’t leave the ground) to certain songs.  How hard he laughs when we bring out the laser to let the kitties chase.  He will run all around with them and laugh his butt off when they jump up to grab it on the walls.  How he will listen to me sing “Jingle Bells” and then say “Oohh” when I start on the verse “Oh, what fun…”.  How he will still rest his head on my shoulder after we read stories before I lay him down for a nap.  I only rock him a minute or two, but I savor every second.

What Toby Really Wants for Christmas

I stumbled upon this hilarious blog post earlier today and had to share on Facebook just because of how true it is.  You can see the original post here.  Here’s Toby’s spin on the wishlist (but I’m sure he would want everything on the original, as well):

Dear Santa,

My Mommy comes up with a wishlist for me each year, but let’s be honest, she doesn’t know what I really want.  Flash cards?  I will crumple them in about three minutes or as soon as she turns her back.  Plastic food?  Why is it plastic?  Please give me real food to play with!  Here are some other ideas for you:

1. The remote

More specifically the one with the touch screen that I know Mommy and Daddy do not want me to have.  They seem to be okay with me playing with the other remotes so why can’t I put my greasy little hands all over this one?  

2. The bathroom door to be taken off the hinges

I despise the bathroom door being shut more than anything else.  What are they doing in there?!  Why can’t I come in the tiny room, too?!  I’m not sure what this room’s purpose is for yet, other than it’s fun to open and close that white seat and rip the soft paper into tiny shreds.  I want in this room, and I want in NOW.  I demand the door be taken off, this will save everyone in our house many tears.

3. The Swiffer

I love swinging this thing all around the house!  The long stick makes great banging noises on the walls and Mommy says I’ve been pretty close to breaking a few picture frames, but I’m not sure why that’s bad.  Mommy’s not a fan of me playing with this, but I will throw the biggest tantrum ever if she puts it away.  Cue big crocodile tears NOW.  Please give me one of my own that I can access any time I wish.

4. A couch

I’ve been put in something called “Time-Out” a few times for running all over the couch and it’s not fun.  Don’t they get that I need something to climb on like in my gym class?  Mommy always says “this isn’t Gymboree, Toby!”, but I want it to be Gymboree ALL THE TIME.  I would like a couch in my room, please, as the spare bed in there just won’t do.

5. Ellie’s Whiskers

The gray kitty is not a fan of me, I guess, and she really doesn’t like when I try to touch the funny white things coming out of her cheeks.  I’d like a few of my own so I can actually touch them for more than just a second before she runs away.  I will keep them in a wipes box for safe keeping.

6. What Mommy Drinks in the Morning

She always tells me she’s making “coffee” but I have no idea what this is.  All I know is that it’s “HOT, NO TOUCH, HOT!”.  I would like to try this drink because milk is getting a little boring.  Please also provide me with some mugs of my own.

7. Fissssh

Also known as Goldfish Crackers.  I love Fissssh, please make sure my Mommy has plenty of snack packs in the cabinet at all times.  And tell her I don’t want to share anymore.

8. More lotion containers

I’d like a few new containers as I enjoy taking them out of the baskets my Mommy carefully organizes and placing them in random spots all over my room (and my parents’ room).  Bonus points if the tops are easy for me to take off on my own before Mommy realizes what I’m attempting to do.

9. Extra wipes boxes

You can never have too many of these! 

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!

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…

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!

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.

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.

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.

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).

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. 

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.

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.

Toby: 14 Months!

Someone has become a big boy this past month…no more bottles in this house!  I started by offering him a sippy (the  cheap Take and Toss kind) of milk at lunch and after a few days he realized I wasn’t going to give him water so he ended up drinking the milk.  So the mid-morning bottle after his first nap turned into 3-4 oz of milk with lunch instead.  Then I worked on getting him to drink a sippy in the afternoon after his second nap.  That was tough the first few days since he refused to drink when he was sitting in my lap.  I finally just left the cup on the ottoman and waited for him to get it himself.  Success!  He would roam around, drink for a minute or two, play, then keep drinking and playing until he finished.  Of course the Take and Toss cups are not exactly leak-proof, so I follow him around with a burp cloth to clean up little milk puddles wherever he drops the cup, but hey, I’ll take it.  Then we followed the same process for the morning bottle and replaced that, and a few days later we offered a sippy at night and he took it with no complaints.  I’m fine with keeping the night sippy for now since we brush his teeth afterwards and books are read after that point.  I’m not sure how it would affect the night-time routine if we omitted it completely.  Overall, it wasn’t too hard to wean from the bottle once I went about the method of offering at lunch first.  We’re lucky he likes drinking from the cheap sippys – much easier to clean (I HATE STRAW CUPS WITH A PASSION) and I won’t feel bad if we forget one somewhere or if it’s gets too gross and we need to actually toss it.

Other milestones this month…he has learned how to climb down a few stairs at a time on his own.  This was pretty exciting to watch him do in Gymboree.  And just yesterday he practiced going up and down the two stairs to get into the finished part of the basement.  Something else that’s new is he will bring a book over to you and if you’re sitting on the floor, he will back up until he plops down in your lap.  He also does this randomly when he’s just playing.  Probably the other thing I’ve noticed more recently is how much he enjoys music now.  He is loving Old McDonald’s Farm lately, along with Itsy Bitsy Spider and BINGO.  He enjoys watching the Nursery Rhyme version of a Baby Genius DVD we have and smiles so much when he sees the farm animals or dogs running around while the songs play. 

Speaking of TV, I’ve also noticed he’s stopping to watch more while playing, so I try not to keep it on for background noise unless we’re listening to one of the music channels.  We do still watch the Today show in the AM’s for an hour or so, because frankly, I need to watch some kind of news to feel connected to the outside world.  But for shows for him, we really only let him watch Daniel Tiger’s neighborhood and then a couple other shows on the weekends.  He won’t sit down for an entire episode, though, he really only watches the introduction song and the first five minutes.  He will sit down for the entire Baby Genius DVD, which is a good break when I need to get dinner ready (AKA open the oven without a tiny person running around) and before Daddy gets home.  The 4pm-5:30pm timeframe has been the toughest…I just run out of things to do by that point!

Weight: Probably getting closer to 24 pounds?  Really have no idea, especially because his 12 month shorts and some pants still fit!  Wish I had a little waist problem…

Height: Assuming just over 30 inches.

Medical Issues: Nothing new…dry patches on the undersides of his elbows and knees.  Ha, and he had two black eyes in less than 3 weeks. 

Sleep: Oh two naps a day, I MISS YOU!  He started fighting afternoon naps again, then a few days after that he refused his AM nap two days in a row, which he never ever does.  Then it went back to fighting afternoon naps.  Some days I would try to just let him have quiet time for 45-60 minutes but in the afternoon he got really cranky with that.  So for the past week he has been doing one nap a day, but unfortunately he hasn’t started sleeping in much later or taking a longer nap yet.  He did sleep in til 6:45 today, so here’s hoping that his sleep patterns re-adjust soon.  Current schedule: Wake-up between 6-6:30 (some mornings I hear him up at 5:45am), nap from 11am-12:30ish, upstairs by 7pm at the latest, in the crib by 7:15 or 7:30 depending if it’s bath night.  I’m hoping I can stretch him until 11:30 or noon over the next week so he has more of a lunch before (right now I give him yogurt before putting him down as a mid-morning snack). 

Clothes/Diapers: No changes – still in 12 month shorts or pants, 12-18 month onesies, jumpers/rompers, and t-shirts. 4’s for shoes, though I did buy him 5’s in some Crocs a couple days ago, but they’re roomy.  Still in 4’s for day and overnight diapers.

Diet: No major changes, has gotten a little pickier with veggies but for the most part is a good eater.  Typical eating schedule now: Half a sippy of milk in the AM when he wakes up, has some puffs or a rice cake.  Breakfast at 8am (usually splits a bagel thin with cream cheese with me, then he has some fruit or oatmeal and water to drink).  Mid-morning snack at 10:30am of yogurt.  Lunch when he wakes up from a nap, usually no later than 1pm (cheese, deli meat, peas, hummus/pita, veggie sticks or leftovers with half a sippy of milk and more water if he wants).  Afternoon snack around 3 or 4 – usually a fruit or veggie pouch and some more puffs if he’s really whiny.  Sometimes he gets half a sippy of milk, sometimes just water.  Dinner by 6pm – usually eating whatever we have and then has some veggies out of a jar since he thinks it’s cooler to eat them that way than on his own in actual form. Last sippy of milk before bed.

Baby Gear Love: Red Flyer Wagon. Cozy Coupe. Used the Ergo last week at the fair and it still works great.  He was fine with me carrying him around and I barely felt his weight on my back.

Milestones: Not saying too many new words, at least ones that I can understand.  I think he tries to repeat “done” sometimes but it’s not consistent.  Other major thing I’ve noticed is him climbing down a few stairs on his own.  Oh, and first hair cut!  Daddy and Auntie were saying he was looking a little shaggy and that he had a mullet in the back, so I trimmed the fronts, around his ears, and in the back a little.  At least he has curly hair so you can’t tell if it’s uneven.  Next time we’ll have to take him somewhere to get it cut professionally.

Likes: Catching bubbles at Gymboree. Chasing us and being chased around downstairs.  Hiding behind the living room curtains.  Picking up the kitty food kibbles, dropping them in one by one into their dishes, and then dumping them back out to start the process over again (at least he doesn’t seem to eat them anymore).  Watching the weather report.  Pushing his Cozy Coupe around outside in the front. 

Dislikes: Always excited to go outside until he realizes we’re going to the car instead of letting him play with his Cozy Couple (MELTDOWN).  Being told no after opening drawers in the kitchen (we really need to put locks on some).  Being shut out of the bathroom.  Getting lotion applied to his arms.  Holding hands when we walk.

Things I don’t want to forget: How my heart melts every time he backs up to plop down in my lap.  How he reaches to grab my glasses when I’m not paying attention.  How he hides under the kitchen table.  How he thinks it’s hilarious when I peer in the window at him before I open the door to get him out of his car seat.  How he throws toys at us if he’s mad about being put in the car seat.  Freshie fresh.  How he will sit on my lap so we can row our boat and sing and then grab my hands when he wants to do it again.  How hard he laughs sometimes.  How he loves helping me push the central vac and gets so mad when I don’t let him help.  Listening to the pit patter of tiny feet running all over the house every single day.

Two Little Words

When Toby and I returned back home yesterday afternoon, I changed him, said “all clean” like I’ve been doing for weeks now, and then placed him back on the floor so he could play.  Not less than 10 minutes later I hear him grunting under the kitchen table.  “UGH, I JUST CHANGED YOU!” I exclaimed.

Back to the changing table we went, repeating the process of getting a new diaper on.  After I snapped his onesie, I said “all clean” again and picked him up from the table.  Before I set him back down, he looked right at me and repeated “aww cwean”.  It was clear as day to me, however to someone else, he or she may have not agreed.  I said “all clean” again and heard a little parrot repeat “awwww cwean”.  I said the phrase again and hear Toby giggle after he says the two words, even though this time it sounded more like “aa keen”.  I teared up instantly because for some reason I felt like this was the first time I was hearing him say words.  Actual words.  Hearing him yell “go, go, go” is funny but most of the time I still feel like he’s just practicing “g” syllables.  But to hear him repeat me and have it be so obvious in what he was expressing…well, let’s just say it made up for a whole week’s worth of meltdowns.  Maybe this age isn’t so tough after all.

And of course I tried to take a video of him saying it and he got camera shy.  I’ll have to be sneaky about it and try again this weekend :)

Toby: 13 Months!

Feels like we were just celebrating his first birthday yesterday…which reminds me I need to write up his birthday recap posts soon before I forget more details!

This month has been exciting to see him interact differently with his toys.  Instead of just touching things and shoving stuff in his mouth, he actually tries to figure out what each toy does now.  For instance, he knows how to put the plastic CD’s in his music player, though he does need a little assistance sometimes.  And if he doesn’t get help right away, he gets frustrated.  The lack of patience definitely comes from me.  He also understands that he can puts his blocks through the shape sorter top and that other toys in his play kitchen go through certain slots.  His hand coordination just isn’t there all the way yet.  He can stack his rings now, which I was so proud of when I saw him do that the first time.  He loves the positive reinforcement – each time he does something on his own, I exclaim “yay!!!” and clap my hands, and then he gives a huge smile. 

Other big milestone has been the first words!  “Go, go, go” is what we finally realized he was saying, so I think “Go” is the first official word.  Other than that, we think he also tries to say “good” but not much else is comprehendible at this point.  Although, I swear he tells me “okay” sometimes.

Moving on to the not so fun stuff.  People keep telling me this age is the best, but the attitude and temper tantrums are really getting to me.  I feel like the bulk of my day is now spent cleaning up messes and thinking of new ways to avoid meltdowns instead of enjoying time with my son.  I never thought I would love the baby stage so much, but oh my gosh can we please rewind back to the 7 month old days?  Sigh.  Maybe things will get a little better when he can communicate more but right now my stress levels are at an ultimate high.

I’ve been desperate to meet other parents in the area so we signed up for a Gymboree class.  We did the free trial a few weeks ago and Toby seemed to have a good time.  It’s a big, open area with tons of things for him to climb on and explore.  The class is very laid-back and not structured, which is nice, since Toby would rather do things on his own than participate in singing songs on the floor.  The instructor will introduce a few new activities each week but isn’t forceful about making the kids try them.  Our membership includes open gym time so we will definitely take advantage of that to get out of the house.  I would like to take him outside more but it seems like his eczema is acting up again so we’ve been staying indoors on hot days.

Weight: Guessing he’s around 23 pounds?

Height: Probably still around 30 inches.

Medical Issues:  Well, his eczema really only cleared up for the spring months and now it’s back, mostly on the inside of his elbows and knees.  Using the Aveeno Eczema lotion and hydrocortisone cream again.

Sleep: Back to normal with sleeping til 6:30ish in the morning.  First nap from 9:30-11, second nap from 2:30-4, but some days those times are off by 15-30 minutes.  He hasn’t been fighting naps as much, so I guess all the walking and running around makes him tired.  In bed by 7:45pm, but some nights he does cry for 10 minutes and needs us to go back in.  Very rare when we have to wait another 10 minutes and go back in.

Clothes/Diapers: Wearing 12 month shorts and some 12 month onesies still fit.  Moved up to 12-18 month rompers, one-pieces, and pj’s this past month.  Sneakers are a size 4, sandals are a size 3.  Still wearing 4’s in regular and overnight diapers.

Diet: Drinking all whole milk now – 5oz when he wakes up, 4oz after he wakes up from each nap, then 6oz right before bed.  Still doing bottles…sigh, that’s a battle I’m just not ready to fight yet.  He will drink water out of a sippy or straw cup with each meal, though.  Hasn’t been too picky this past month, except with fruit.  I’ve cut raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and watermelon all into little pieces and he refuses to put one piece in his mouth or let me feed him a piece.  However, he will eat watermelon if I hold it in a big slice for him and he will bite off small chunks.  So we’re still doing purees for fruits that way he at least gets a couple servings a day.  New favorites are hummus with pita bread and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Baby Gear Love: Sing-With-Me CD Player, Laugh & Learn Kitchen, blocks, ring stack.

Milestones: Can run without tripping or stumbling (most of the time).  Learned how to take rings off and stack them back on.  First official word: Go!

Likes: Wheels.  Particularly on his stroller or other strollers.  Still loves reading and going through books.  Pushing the ottoman around the living room.  Playing with swaddle blankets (likes them draped over his head and playing peek-a-boo).  Going through all the kitchen cabinets and taking stuff out.  Playing with my cookbooks.  Pushing the kitties’ water dish around.  Helping me vacuum.  Watching Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (but usually only the introduction song and the first five minutes, then he gets bored and will play until he hears the ending song come on).

Dislikes: When Daddy leaves in the morning.  Shutting the bathroom or basement door.  Or the dishwasher door.  Or the fridge door.  Diaper changes.  Putting pj’s on.  Being picked up after being allowed to roam around. 

Things I don’t want to forget: How he started giggling when he realized he could push the foot rest up on his stroller (he was out of the stroller, touching the front wheels, and figured out he could do this when me and Auntie took him to the town beach).  How hard he laughed when he realized he could rip paper towels apart (that left a fun mess in the bathroom).  How he will chase Ellie around the living room and then look for her when she hides under the couch.  How he snuggles more now, especially when he’s tired.  How he knows it’s time to go to the gate or be picked up when you say “is it naptime?  is it bedtime?  is is time for a bath?”.

12 Months of Milestones

I was looking back through Toby’s monthly updates and realized it’s difficult going through each one to look up his milestones, so I thought it would be best to include them all in one post.  It really is a miracle how much “stuff” happens the first year.    Now we’re just waiting for all the baby talk and babbles to become words we actually understand :)

Months One-Four:

• Started to find fingers/hands – 1 month
• Smiling – close to 2 months
• Putting weight on legs while standing – 2 months
• Grabbing toys – 2.5/3 months
• Giggling/laughing – 3 months
• Rolling from tummy to back – 3 months (9/19/12)
• Cooing/Babbling – 3.5 months
• Rolling from back to tummy – 3.5 months (10/10/12)
• Grabbing feet – almost 4 months
• Bringing toys to mouth – 4 months

Months Five-Eight:

• Tried first food – pears – 4.5 months (11/3/12)
• Sitting with assistance – 4.5 months
• Making “k” noises – 4.5 months
• First tooth – bottom front left – 5.5 months (12/3 or 12/4/12)
• Slept straight through the night – 5.5 months (12/4/12)
• Scooting – 5.5 months
• Sitting on own without assistance – right before 6 months
• Sitting in shopping carts and restaurant high chairs – 6.5 months
• Started to get up on knees and rock back and forth – 7 months
• Stopped using a pacifier – 7 months
• Sitting up in crib – 7.5 months (1/27/13)
• Army crawling – 7.5 months (1/28/13)
• Crawling on knees with belly off the ground – 7.5 months (few days after army crawling started)
• Pulling himself up using couch, ottoman, etc – close to 8 months
• Standing in crib – close to 8 months (2/13/13)
• Babbling more - 8 months
• Cruising – 8.5 months
• Climbing up stairs – 8.5 months
• Using pincher grasp to bring puffs to mouth - close to 9 months

Months Nine-Twelve:

• Using push walker to take steps – 9.5 months
• Waving – 10 months
• Clapping – 10.5 months (5/1/13)
• Took first steps – right before 11 months (5/13/13)
• Walking long distances – 11.5 months
• Learned how to stand himself up in the middle of the room by pushing up on the ground – 12 months

Wow, looking at this list, I can’t believe how much happened during his middle months!  Makes sense, though, as that time frame was most definitely my favorite.  Seeing him interact more with toys, sit on his own, and then start to become mobile (without getting into too much stuff yet) was so much fun.  Do things slow down at all the second year or just keep flying by as fast?!