Toby: 16 Months!

Better late than never!  I actually took pictures on the 17th but he was refusing to sit in the chair for more than 3 seconds with the lion so there’s not many.

Getting closer and closer to the year and a half mark, which just sounds so OLD!  This past month has brought a lot of new things in respect to Toby understanding more and more of what we do each day.  He can do a few yoga moves at home, which proved to me he does actually pay attention in class even when I think he’s not.  He can do “downward dog” on demand and also knows what “silly silly spins” and “moon toe” are.  He also knows certain books by title so if I ask him to bring me What Do They Say?, he brings the correct story over to read.  I show him the three stories I am picking out to read before naptime and he smiles when he sees certain covers.  Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom, Little Blue Truck, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar are some of his favs.

I’m getting a little better with understanding what he says, or maybe he’s just saying more lately.  When we sing the “ABC” song and stop after G, he will say “H, I” and sometimes even “J”.  He says “ca, ca, ca” for cat and something like “daaa” for dog.  I’ve also heard him say “ball” but not consistently.  We’ve also heard him say “yes”, “wa-wa” (water), “chan” (diaper change), and “shuuu” (shoes).  He now also roars on command which is freaking hilarious.

This month has also brought more teeth..oh, the dreaded molars.  Constant runny nose, lots of temper tantrums when things don’t go his way, and a few rough nights of sleep are a result of those monsters trying to get through.  All I can say is that we are so spoiled with a normally good sleeper because just one tough night did all of us in.  We (including the cats) all took a nap at the same time after swim lessons on a Saturday to catch up.

Weight: Well, he picked up the scale and then dropped it and stepped on to weigh himself and it said 22.8 pounds, but he was in full clothes and probably had a wet diaper.

Height: Probably still around 32 inches.

Medical Issues: Teething big-time.

Sleep: Wakes up by 6:30AM, goes down for a nap between 12:15-12:30pm, usually naps for 1.5-2 hours, then is in the crib for bed by 7:30pm.  Had a couple rough nights this past month due to the teeth.  Needed a lot of stories read, lots of cuddles, and basically refused to be put back into the crib until 2am. Tylenol sometimes works, but it’s not a guarantee.  We also tried teething tablets but I don’t think they did much for him.

Clothes/Diapers: Wearing 12-18 month outfits from Carters, 12-18 month two piece pj’s from Target’s Carter’s line, 18 month shirts and jeans from Kohl’s Jumpin Beans line, 12-18 pants and 18-24 month shirts from Old Navy.  Some of his 18 month pants are still too big in the waist for him to wear. 5’s for shoes. 4’s for diapers.

Diet: Still being very, very picky. Things he will actually eat lately include: bagel w/cream cheese, waffles, bananas, oatmeal w/blueberries, deli cheese, pureed carrots (refuses steamed), ground turkey (most of the time), yogurt, veggie stick puffs, homemade baked sweet potato fries, Goldfish crackers, grilled cheese, applesauce, pears, plums, homemade pizza w/diced peppers, steak, Annie’s White Cheddar Mac & Cheese (as long as I don’t sneak in peas or corn).  Sometimes he will eat a burger if we’re lucky. Some days he likes hummus with pita, other days he refuses. Hates chicken, soup, tortellini, raviolis, broccoli, peas and most other veggies.

Likes: Helping to put things away if I ask him (most of the time it works if I get his attention and show him what I want to be cleaned up).  Sweeping, swiffering, vacuuming.  Reading (has favorites now that he wants to read over and over and over again). Throwing a ball and then chasing it.  Super Why and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.  Standing up the entire time while taking a bath.  Playing outside.  Climbing at the park.  Running to the fence to check out the trailers and big wheels on some of the recreation department trucks at the park.  Anything with wheels.  Listening to the ABC song and saying “H, I”.

Dislikes: When his mind is set on doing something and you don’t let him, watch out…ear-piercing scream at the top of his lungs will follow immediately.  And then if you put him on the ground, he’ll usually go for the nearest thing and throw it in frustration. Definitely has a temper and little patience, but I suppose that’s normal watching other kids in his classes.  I say “count to three, 1…2…3” and repeat that a few times and it usually distracts him long enough while we’re out in public.

Milestones: Saying a few other words, still waiting for a big verbal explosion. Knows what “clean up” means.

Things I Don’t Want to Forget: When we are reading stories before naptime, I will finish a book and then he’ll push it away to let me know we’re officially done with that one and it’s time to move onto another story.  How he will run across the room and jump into my lap when we are doing certain poses or exercises in yoga…he definitely has some favorites that he won’t miss out on.  How he gets SO excited when he hears the key turn in the lock after dinner…DADDY’S HOME!  How he tries to pick up Maggie now…let’s just say she’s had a rough few weeks with him and is a trooper (though you would think she’d get smart like Ellie and just run away upstairs).  How silly he is!  He giggles at the most random stuff.  We have the best tickle fights now :)

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!

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.

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!

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.