Toby: 12 Months!

12 whole months…where oh where did the time go?  Somehow my baby turned into a toddler overnight, and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet…while he’s been very fun to play and interact with, the temper tantrums have been in full force.  “Toddler Toby, you’re not being fun” is something we have been saying often lately. 

This past month brought on the walking and he mastered the skill in basically a week.  It was crazy fast how quickly he picked it up but you could see him walking longer and longer distances each day.  Now he waddles around the downstairs level all the time, usually with a small toy or teether in his hands or mouth.  He rarely crawls anymore.  We can tell he wants to walk more in public but he’s distracted very easily (especially by stroller wheels) so we try to keep him contained in the mall or while doing errands.  I’m still nervous about letting him roam more at the park because of the boo-boo factor but I guess that’s something we’ll just have to deal with.  I do carry a little first-aid kit in my bag now :)

We also survived the first illness this past month…the dreaded tummy bug.  Sigh, I think it was harder on me than him because of my puke phobia.  All in all without going into gross details, it could have been much much worse than it was and I’m sure the next time he gets sick it will be awful haha.  It was so hard watching him recover and not letting him eat that much.  He would arch his back and scream after finishing a measly 2 ounce diluted formula bottle and then run into the kitchen looking up at the bottles since he wanted more.  Just hoping he’s a kid that doesn’t get sick a lot each year…

Other major change is that Hubby is back on a normal work schedule, so 7:30-5:30 or 8-6 depending on the day.  He’s been up early to get up with Toby in the mornings so I can lay in bed for an extra few minutes or actually take a shower if I’m feeling ambitious.  It means a longer afternoon for me and Toby but so far we’ve managed well.  It’s a good thing this change happened during the warmer months where we can spend more time outside. 

Weight: 22.3 pounds (60th percentile).  So relieved after his doctor showed me his stats since I was worried he’s been picky with food lately.  She said that’s normal, though, and the pickiness will peak at 15 months and then get better as he gets closer to 18 months.  So just trust what he’s eating and keep offering all types of food.

Height: 30” (52 percentile). 

Medical Issues: Just the tummy bug this past month.  Skin is doing well, some patches come up here and there.

Sleep: Over the past few weeks he’s been waking up earlier and earlier…a few days he was up at 5:30ish which was not fun.  Now it looks like he’s been up around 6:15-6:30 each morning.  His doctor said there’s not much we can do to get him to sleep in later and he’s probably not going to be ready to drop a nap until he’s closer to 15 months.  So I’ve been trying to put him down for the AM nap by 9:30 at the latest so that way he will be tired enough in the afternoon for another nap.  The afternoon nap he usually fights for a good 15-20 minutes but he does end up falling asleep so I know he still needs it.  Usually in bed by 7:45pm for the night.  I don’t think he needed us to go in overnight at all this past month?  He wakes up sometimes but usually falls back asleep on his own after a few minutes so he’s definitely a good night-time sleeper.  Schedule is: Wake up at 6:30, first nap from 9:30-11:00 (sometimes this is 10-11:30), then second nap from 3-4:30pm (sometimes this is only 45 minutes), start getting ready for bed no later than 7:15, in the crib by 7:45.

Clothes/Diapers: Wearing 12 month stuff and there’s really no need to start wearing 12-18 month stuff yet.  He still fits into a few 9 month onesies.  Wearing 4’s for diapers.

Diet: Drinking four 6oz bottles each day but we have the green light to switch to whole milk.  We still have a full container of formula left so my plan is to mix that with milk for the next couple weeks since when I gave him a sippy cup of milk last night, he just played and spit it out like he does with water.  Will also probably decrease the amount of formula/milk to 4oz for a bottle.  I don’t think he’s ready to give up bottles yet so looks like we’ll do the formula weaning first.  He’s eating basically everything we eat now – he has maybe a few stage 3 purees each week.  We still do fruit purees as he doesn’t like eating strawberries or blueberries in whole form.  He does like bananas, though.  Definitely going through a picky stage – some stuff he was eating before he will not touch now and gets so mad when we try to sneak a piece in his mouth.  Favorite foods: bagel thins w/cream cheese (we each have a half in the AM), yogurt (I think he could eat yogurt for every meal if we let him), chicken, deli cheese, ground turkey, peas, carrots, black beans.  And of course he loves his puffs and veggie sticks.

Baby Gear Love: He plays with these cars a lot more now and can actually push them on the floor while he’s moving around.  He also uses this car a lot.  He’s still using little teethers as it seems like his back molars are bothering him sometimes.  We have been using this convertible car seat for the past few months and I can now say I do really like it.  It’s a bit of a tight squeeze with it rear-facing in my Civic but it works.  We only have the one seat so my car is the main vehicle when Toby is with us, but if we were both working out of the house, we’d definitely need to get another seat.  Hubby is the one who will re-install it between cars and it takes him 10 minutes or so?

Milestones: Was walking longer distances in late May.  Also learned how to stand himself up in the middle of the room without holding onto anything last week (was probably 6/10 or 6/11).  First birthday celebrated on Father’s Day, Sunday 6/16!  Went to the Southwick Zoo. 

Likes: Being chased around the downstairs (loves when we run into the entry way and hide, wait for him to come find us, and then run back to the living room).  Playing peek-a-boo behind the curtains.  Dropping food of his tray for the kitties.  When I sing Miss Mary Mack to him while changing his diaper.  Doing flippies on the couch with Daddy.  Helping me load and unload the dishwasher.  Helping me vacuum (but only with the central vac not with the good one, he’s afraid of the good one). 

Dislikes:  Being put back in the stroller after being allowed to roam freely.  Watching the dishwasher be closed.  Seeing any door be closed.  Taking an afternoon nap. 

Things I don’t want to forget:  How he gets SO excited when he hears keys in the door lock – he knows Daddy’s home and runs to the door to wait.  How he will watch Hubby leave in the mornings by looking out the small window next to the front door.  He gets a little sad so I have to distract him.  How he thinks it’s funny when Maggie jumps on the kitchen table to sniff his fingers for lunch meat leftovers.  How he smiles every time he sees Auntie while we’re Facetiming.  How he runs right over to me when I put the phone on speakerphone so he can hear who I’m calling.

ONE YEAR OLD!

I really can’t believe that at 9:43 am last year little Toby had arrived.  While I don’t remember a lot from his actual birth day, I do remember very clearly when the nurse finally placed him on my chest and I cried so many happy tears.  I checked out his eyes to see what color they were (blue like mine), his tiny little button nose and his mouth that was very similar to Daddy’s, his fingers and toes to make sure they were all there, and then felt the top of his head, which was covered with just a small amount of fuzzy brown hair.  The first few weeks were a blur but once we got into a routine, I remember feeling more complete.  I knew something had been missing from my life and Toby had filled that void.

This year has been rewarding, sometimes challenging, but there have always been more good days than not so good days.  We’ve been blessed with an easy-going baby, but I do like to think his laid-back personality has something to do with our parenting skills.  We’ve learned a lot this year, grown a lot, and created so many memories.

Love you, Toby James!  Simply put, I am a better person because of you, and for that I’m forever grateful to you. 

And Happy Father’s Day to my hubby!  Hard to believe this is year #2 for you:

Happy Friday!

This was from a couple weeks ago when we went to a nearby farm.  Toby was too busy looking at the ducks in the pond to smile for the camera.  Quack Quack!

Love my guys :)

Recipe Review: Pumpkin Banana Bread

I’ve been searching for bread recipes that don’t use a lot of sugar, butter, oil…you know, all the good stuff ;)  But I wanted Toby to try some other finger foods for breakfast besides just cereal puffs, so I figured a soft baked bread would work.  I visited Skinnytaste first and found a great recipe for Pumpkin Banana Bread that I made last week.  We always have bananas on hand and luckily I had one can of pumpkin puree left from last fall that was still good. 

Toby and I would share a piece in the mornings before moving onto yogurt and fruits, and we both loved it.  It’s not overly sweet, so you may not be a fan if you’re used to eating sugary pumpkin bread.  It was a very easy recipe to put together during nap-time and the house smelled a-maz-ing as it was baking.  I didn’t make any changes to the original recipe (left out the nuts since we still haven’t let Toby try any yet).  Definitely a recipe to keep making in the future!

Curls & Overalls

I have a damn cute kid.  That is all :)

DIY Mod Podge Clip-Boards

One of the first projects I worked on for my Scentsy business was decorating some clip boards I had picked up at the Dollar Tree.  I think it’s really useful to have a hard surface to write on when you’re at a home party, and I liked the clipboards so you can clip down a piece of paper or a catalog underneath while browsing and testing things out.

The boards I bought were brown and basic, so I decided to layer them with pretty scrapbook paper and used Mod Podge to seal underneath and on top.  They came out okay – some have a few bubbles even after I used an old credit card to try and smooth them out.  But considering I used the paper I had on hand and didn’t spend a lot of money on them, I’m happy with the outcome!

This is the tutorial I found on Pinterest if you are looking to make your own!

Visit my Scentsy site at http://OurScentedCasita.scentsy.us or contact me at emily (at) ourlittlecasita (dot) com

Sharing this project at Six Sister’s Stuff, Be Different…Act Normal, and I Heart Naptime.

 

Toby: 11 Months!

Eeekkk the countdown until a year is on!  Toby turned 11 months earlier this week on Thursday, and like usual, I needed to wait until the weekend to attempt a photoshoot.  He is even more of a squirmy worm now and he’s gotten to the point where he will fuss like crazy until you put him on the floor so he can explore.  Thank goodness it hasn’t happened too often in public yet…

Biggest news this past month is someone has been practicing steps!  On May 13th, we were hanging out in the living room and I was sitting in our chair finishing my coffee.  Toby was cruising around the coffee table and then suddenly decided to walk right over to the chair, taking about three or four steps without holding onto anything.  I was like “WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!” and then we immediately called Daddy.  Of course I tried to get him to repeat the walking but he refused and would keep crawling to me.  Now he will walk with you if you are holding one of his hands, and he’s pretty steady but can’t do it longer than thirty seconds.  He will take a couple steps randomly unassisted but definitely isn’t walking across the room on his own at this point.  Not sure if he’ll be actually walking before his birthday?

I also think his verbal skills have really blossomed in the last few weeks.  He is saying a lot of “g” sounds and recently he says “ate, ate, ate” all the time but I’m not sure what he’s referring to when he does that.  Doing a lot of “da’s” but no “ma ma” yet.  He can also roll his r’s – not even kidding.  Not sure where he picked that up from since me and Hubby cannot do it.  He seems to understand when I call the kitties and instantly looks for Maggie or Ellie when I say their names.  Hubby also thinks he knows what his toy green car is.  Curious to know what the first official word will be!

Weight: No idea and I keep forgetting to weigh him with me.  I’m assuming at least 20 pounds, maybe close to 21 pounds?  He has gotten leaner, though, as he was wearing a pair of 12 months jeans a couple months ago with no problem but the same pair of pants is now loose in the waist.  Sure feels heavy, though!

Height: Again, no idea!  1 year check-up is 6/17.

Medical Issues: Still hasn’t been sick (knock on wood!).  Eczema has been kept under control, has had much less flare-ups as the weather has gotten warmer.  Only issue has been the teeth…all four front tops one are in, and the side ones next to the bottom front teeth are also coming in.  He’s handled them really well, though, considering.

Sleep: Nighttime sleep has been great, still sleeping from 7:45pm until 6:30am, and rarely needs us to go in at night if he wakes up suddenly.  There were a few mornings where he slept in til 7:30am and I woke up at 7am completely shocked.  I was hoping his schedule was shifting until he went back to waking up at 6:30am…grr.  Sometimes I can sneak in a quick shower before I get him as he enjoys playing quietly in his crib.  Naps have been an issue…I thought he was getting ready to combine the two naps but we tried doing that a couple days and it failed miserably.  I try to get him down in the morning by 10am, he sleeps for 90 minutes, and then try to get him down again around 3ish, when he sleeps anywhere from 45-90 minutes. 

Clothes/Diapers: Moved up to size 4’s and we have switched over to Cruiser’s which have worked really well.  Also in 4’s for overnights.  For clothes, he’s wearing all 12 month or 6-12 month clothes with the exception of a few 9 month size pants that still fit.  And he managed to squeeze into a 9 month white onesie for the photoshoot.

Diet: Drinking four 6oz bottles a day, usually at 7:30am, 11:30am, 4pm, and 7:30pm.  Eats breakfast at 8:45am, lunch at 1:30pm, and dinner anytime between 5-6pm.  Doing great with finger foods and eats basically anything that we’re eating, as long as I can tear it into little pieces.  Not a fan of eating fruit, though, unless it’s in puree form, so I’ve been making smoothies for him.  He still eats some purees, but definitely not as much as he was last month.  Favorite foods would probably be yogurt, chicken (he loved the one I marinated in sun-dried tomato dressing last week), ground turkey we use for tacos, and sweet potatoes.  But he will really eat anything, though, he’s not picky (thank goodness).

Baby Gear Love: Nothing new? 

Milestones/Firsts: Started clapping on 5/1.  Took first steps on 5/13. 

Likes: When I say the ABC’s to him when changing his diaper (NOT singing).  When I sing and clap to B-I-N-G-O.  Chasing the kitties and looking through the cat door in the basement door to find Ellie on the other side.  Climbing up the stairs…he will go all the way up to the loft now.  Climbing over our backs when we lay on the floor.  Being thrown up in the air and also being “Super Toby” when we fly him.  Going into the bathroom and taking the toilet paper off the roll.  Being chased around the living room. 

Dislikes: Being put down for an afternoon nap.  Having the living room gate closed (the gate has now been moved to just block off the stairs).  Being kept out of the bathroom.  Being told “no” after opening the garbage. 

Things I don’t want to forget: How he will pull books out of his toy bin and quietly go through them very fast by himself.  He will come over to me if he wants me to read one to him, but sometimes he likes reading on his own.  How he can be a little “fresh” and will pull your hand off of something if it’s covering whatever he wants to see or get into.  How he squawks like a bird when he gets excited.  How proud he is when he uses his walker to go a far distance.

Still hard to believe almost an entire year has gone by.  So true with how the days seem long but the months go by so quickly.  Last year around this time we were in Maine celebrating our second anniversary and took time to do maternity photos.  Some days I miss the bump and feeling all the kicks, but I do have to say the outside kicks and squirms are a lot more fun!

Three

“Today I give myself to you in marriage.
I promise to laugh with you in times of joy and comfort you in times of sorrow.

I promise to love you on your best day and on your worst day.
I promise to trust and respect you, even when it is hardest.

I promise to care for you, no matter what may happen.
I promise to help you when you need it, and step aside when you don't.
I promise to comfort you and encourage you, and to help you reach your goals.

I promise to remain faithful to you for better or worse, in times of sickness and in health.

I promise to be your best friend, your companion, your soul mate.
Today I promise to love you forever with all my heart.”

***

Three years ago today, on a beautiful and breezy day in York Harbor, we repeated those vows to each other.  We’ve been through a lot this year with all sorts of major life changes, and I’ve have to keep reminding myself of the promises I made to my partner in life.  Three years isn’t a very long time in the scheme of things, but what I do know is that the good days will always, always, always outweigh the not so good days. 

Love you, hubby! 

New Adventure

Things have been quiet lately because of a lot of changes I have made in regards to work.  I don’t like to talk about my job on here (mostly because I know some past c0-workers read, hi guys!), but we decided about six weeks ago that it was time for me to quit.  Lot of reasons went into this decision, but bottom line is we both thought it was best for our family moving forward.  Not really much else to say (can you tell I’m sick of having to defend myself?).  My last day was a couple weeks ago and instead of taking a break, I decided to jump right into a different opportunity that will be more flexible and be based on what I want it to be.  I was looking for something that can be done around our schedule rather than us trying to always do things according to my work schedule.

I am now an Independent Scentsy Consultant and I’m BEYOND excited to join this company.  I officially signed up last Thursday and the amount of training and resources I have access to already is unbelievable.  I also have an amazing sponsor/director and have been introduced to a team who has welcomed me with open arms.  So one week in and I’m already super impressed with what they have to offer! 

If you’ve never heard of Scentsy before, here’s the short story…it started with the idea of a wickless, flameless alternative to candles.  You start with a warmer that works with the heat of a light blub to slowly melt scented wax bars.  Over the past several years, the company has grown tremendously and they have now added a Layers line (home and body products that use the same scents), plus they have come out with other companies that sell fondue products (Velata) and purses, jewelry, and accessories (Grade Adele).  I’ll be focusing on just Scentsy Fragrance for now.

I went to a party a few years ago and bought two plug-ins for our bathrooms and several wax bars.  I also received another plug-in and more bars last year as a gift.  I love Scentsy because:

• I switch out scents all the time!  With 80+ scents, there’s plenty to choose from.
• I choose how strong I’d like the scent to be – I always start off with just one block.
• I select warmers to match each room’s décor instead of having a ton of barely used candle jars all over my house.
• Wickless, flameless, sootless!  Great, safe alternative to candles.
• It’s the perfect gift for the someone who has “everything”.
• The wax bars are affordable at just $5 each!

If you’re interested in learning more or browsing my online catalog, here’s the link to my site: http://ourscentedcasita.scentsy.us 

You can also follow me on Facebook!  http://www.facebook.com/OurScentedCasita

I’ve been busy planning for my launch party, which is this weekend, so I’ll be sharing lots of DIY projects in the next few weeks.  I love that I’ve been able to incorporate some crafty skills into this venture! 

Here’s to  new beginnings!

Favorite Milestone!

So Toby has achieved my favorite milestone yet…clapping!  He would always love to help me clap (he grabs onto my hands while I do the motions) but this past week he became coordinated enough to try on his own.  Then on May 1st he went nuts while he was eating dinner.  Here’s a video I managed to take:

Between waving and clapping, he’s been more adorable than ever lately.  But then of course on the other end of the spectrum, we’ve had more temper tantrums when we hide “technology” away aka the remote, our laptops, phones, etc.  He’s pretty smart realizing that we try to shove things under a blanket on the couch quickly before he notices.  Yeah, there’s no hiding anything from him anymore.  Let’s just say I am the queen of distraction and have had to be very creative with having him focus on something else.  He’s a fan of when I sing “Bingo” lately :)

Fun at the “Farm”

Auntie was interested in hanging out with Toby and I last week on one of her days off so I started researching some places to check out so we could spend time outside instead of being stuck in the house.  I have a Groupon for a butterfly place but we decided to save that for a rainy day.  I knew of a huge farm near us with lots of outdoor attractions (including a corn maze that Hubby and I explored a few years ago), but when I saw the admission price, we decided it was a little expensive.  Maybe when Toby’s walking on his own it would be worth it. 

So I started looking for other farms in the area with petting zoo’s and found one nearby that also has ice cream and a farm store.  They opened in March and don’t charge anything to check out their animals.  It’s definitely not a huge farm or anything but it was perfect for us.  When we went, only the goats were out but according to pictures on their Facebook page, it also looks like they have cows and horses.  We’ll have to go back soon to see the cows, considering Toby was laughing his little butt off at the goats.  As soon as I took him out of the stroller, he reached his hand out to “pet” one and then started giggling with his chicken cackle.  It was adorable! 

After we enjoyed some ice cream, but Toby’s still not a fan of how cold it is.  He was content with his carrot-mango puree and puffs :)  I can tell this summer is going to be a lot of fun since he interacts with so much of his surroundings now.  I’m already looking to see if we can budget zoo season passes.