Shake It

LBB spent the evening over at his PaPa, GiGi, and Auntie's house...and before we left, he got to spend a little time "playing" Auntie's WII game Just Dance.

And it was stinkin' adorable. :)

First, his little head would start bobbing. Then, he'd start bobbing his whole body up and down...

...and then, while Outkast's song Hey-a played, he shook his little baby bottom to the "Shake it, sh-shake it, shake it like a Polaroid picture" part. It was so cute! My mom tried to get some video of it, but as soon as LBB saw the camera he decided he was done. :)

He loves music so much, and I love watching him dance. :) Even when he was still itty-bitty, he'd sit in his car seat and bob his head up and down in rythm to whatver song was on the radio. He was born to dance.

No TV!

Two weeks ago, when our LBB was feeling very under the weather, all he wanted to do was sit on my lap and watch tv. He didn't want to read. He didn't want to look at a toy. Just tv.

And, at the time, I figured that he was resting, and it's always nice to be able to watch tv when you don't feel well, especially for a little guy who is only allowed a half hour of PBS Kids each day. :) (His favorites? Sesame Street, Sid the Science Kid, and Curious George. He liked Cat in the Hat for a while, but the episodes began to repeat themselves, and he picked up on it.)

But now.

Oh goodness.

Now I can't get him to sit and read with me for the life of me! There was a time when he would sit, be read to, and then read it to himself. But now, between a newfound discovery of television and all the walking he has been doing, LBB wants little to do with a book. So, this week, we are undergoing a little family experiment...no tv with LBB until Saturday.

And not that I have a problem with watching tv...I think if done in moderation, and if the content is educational, television can be useful for little ones. :) That is why when he does watch it, it is on PBS and only for a short amount of time. Before he got sick, he'd actually only watch 15 minutes and then be off. Now he could sit there for hours if you'd let him. :(

I'm hoping that this week off will help in get back in the swing of reading. :) We have a bag full of library books that we haven't even read...and we've had them for two weeks. That is completely unheard of! Normally, LBB and I finish a whole bag of books within a week. I miss reading with my little boy!

Merry Christmas Eve!

I've always loved Christmas, and once my Dear Sweet Hubby and I got married, I spent most Christmases wishing we had a little one in the house. :) And for good reason, as I can see now! Little ones add so much to Christmas...and I know this will become even more true over the next few years as LBB really gets into Christmas and knows what it is about!

Today we spent the morning coloring pictures of the Christmas story and reading his Children's Bible. :) I showed him one of his Shleich sheep and explained how shepherds take care of sheep. As we read the Christmas story from his Bible, everytime I said "Baby Jesus" LBB did the sign language sign for baby. (Such a smartie...now if I can just get him to say it!)

After he wakes up from his nap (which is really a second part of his morning nap...he woke up for a few minutes, quickly showed he was still very sleepy, and was promptly cuddled and tucked into his bed), we are going to make some cookies for Santa and listen to some Christmas music. Then soon after Dear Sweet Hubby should be home, and we can enjoy the beginning of a 2 1/2 day vacation with Daddy!

I love the holidays...but I love them even more now that I am a mommy. I love being in the kitchen and hearing a present being unwrapped by a sweet little boy who doesn't know any better yet. :) I love putting my LBB to bed and having the light of his Christmas tree filling his room. I love cuddling up on the couch and watching Christmas movies and reading Christmas stories. So many new memories...so many treasured moments.

And it's not even Christmas yet! Have a very merry Christmas just in case I don't post tomorrow!!!!

One Going on Terrible Twos

My goodness.

If the terrible two's are worse than this...I'm going to be eligible for sainthood or something. :)

Is it normal for a one-year old to throw a fit that can rival that of a three year old? I'm not sure if it is or not, but it's like someone flipped a switch on LBB. Two weeks ago, he was a sweet, semi-calm (he still had his moments), fairly well behaved little guy. (OK...he did have some issues causing trouble, but in comparison to now, that was nothing. LOL.)

Then BAM! He went from that to throwing himself on the floor, arching his back, screaming, and kicking when he doesn't get his way...which is apparently a lot in his opinion. Up until this evening, all the tantrums were at home.

And then, we went to Target.

And apparently, LBB did not want to do any more Christmas shopping for Daddy. So, he started fussing the moment I put him in the cart. By the time we got to the back of the store, it was full fledged crying. And me, being the softie I am, decided to pick him up out of the cart and push the cart all while holding 25 pounds of toddler.

However, that only pleased him for another 5 minutes or so...by which point he was now squirming, trying to flip out of my arms, and clearly getting frustrated. I let him walk a bit, since apparently that was what he wanted and he felt it necessary to show all the other Target patrons his newfound independence. And his newfound ability to bonk his head on displays.

At which point...

...I did what any good mother would do, but what any independent, stubborn, strong-willed toddler boy would find inapprehensible. I tried putting him back in the cart.

And that unleashed it...the first full-fledged temper tantrum that LBB has thrown in public. I'm talking red faced, screaming, kicking tantrum. Pushing his feet against the cart in an effort to evade my efforts. And, once I got him buckled in, screaming so loud that we made the people in a ten-foot vicinity practially put rocket boosters on their feet and leave the area.

Serious. :)

I was that mom with the screaming kid in the store that couldn't do a whole lot more than try to gently tell him that everything was ok and that he had to sit in the cart.

Thankfully, however, LBB decided within 1 minute or so that his screaming was not getting him anywhere, and had gone back to peaceful, pleasant LBB. Whew.

Needless to say, while I should be cleaning and finishing up a few last minute Christmas gifts, I am sitting in front of this computer, drinking a nice cold Pepsi, and letting my brain "defrag" from a day's worth of temper tantrums. :)

One Very Special Daddy

Two nights a week, Dear Sweet Hubby works the closing shift and doesn't get home until hours after LBB's bedtime.

But, on the nights that Dear Sweet Hubby is home for bedtime, he always reads LBB's cross to him. "Dear Jesus, Please watch over me. The world is so big and I am still so very small. Amen." Sometimes it is changed to "So very sleepy." Or "So very medium." But, every night, it is Dear Sweet Hubby's job to read the cross.

So, needless to say, on those nights that LBB goes to bed before Daddy gets home, one of the guys in our home felt terrible that that little bedtime routine would be missed (yep, you guessed it, it was Dear Sweet Hubby. But I must add that LBB seemed to miss it too, and Mommy is definitely not as good at this part of the bedtime routine. :) ) So Dear Sweet Hubby got an idea...

...on the nights that he works late, LBB and I call Dear Sweet Hubby at work, put the phone on speakerphone, and my wonderful, sweet, loving hubby says the verse for LBB.

Sweet, isn't it? Everytime he closes, I am reminded of how very very very much my Dear Sweet Hubby loves LBB (as if I needed a reminder!) There was one night that I knew Dear Sweet Hubby was swamped at work, so we made do without calling, and my hubby was upset about it when he came home! Now that's dedication!!!!

LBB at One Year

OK. So, since I normally did a monthly post about what LBB was up to, I had to remind myself to do it for this month despite the general busyness that has been going on around here! But, it's not so busy anymore (yay!) and life is returning to it's semi-slower pace. :)

From 11 months to 12 months LBB learned lots, and subsequently, became more of a toddler than a baby. :)

• The day after his birthday, he started walking. He had been taking a few steps here and there, but they were mostly "accidental" steps. The day after his birthday, soon after we got home from the doctor, LBB decided that he was ready to walk. And walk he did. Now he walks almost everywhere, and is finally learning how to stand up from sitting position without having to pull up on something.
• Can use a fork or spoon...when he feels like it. He can "stab" his food and feed himself, but more often than not, he'd prefer us to do the "stabbing" and then hand the fork to him.
• He is a chatty little man. He can say actual words when he feels like it, but, same as with walking and nearly every other developmental milestone, only does it when he really feels like it. :)
• Loves reading aloud to us. He'll take the book out of our hands and begin telling us the story. It's absolutely adorable and yet another affirmation that I am doing a good job of instilling a love of reading.
• Loves to play music. On anything and everything...pots and pans. The wall. The table. You name it...if it's a hard, flat surface, it becomes musical.
• Is a BIG fan of sorting things into containers. It's quite comical, because everything needs to be put in a spot. In the bathtub, instead of playing with his Thomas the Train bath toy, he has to put Thomas in the little blue house. He loves his Schleich animals...especially putting them in empty wipe containers. Books go in bins. Blocks go in baskets. And Little People get put under his bed in the trundle. He is very obsessive about sorting!
• He loves fingerpainting. We got him a little smock at IKEA and it is perfect for fingerpainting...now he doesn't require a bath everytime he paints. Just half the time. LOL!
• Is a very fickle eater...I'm not exaggerating here. I am almost always worrying if he is getting enough to eat. His pediatrician says he will eat when he is hungry. But sometimes I think he is just being stubborn even if he is just hungry. But, when he does eat, he is a big fan of jelly sandwiches and mini beef raviolis. Definitely not the healthiest, but I always keep some of each on hand so if worst comes to worst, he is actually eating something. :( We have also had some issues with milk...when he was born, we had to put him on partial-whey formula because his eczema was so bad and that was the only thing that helped. When we switched over to whole milk, that darn eczema popped back up. We are currently trying out soy milk to see if that helps. Fingers crossed that it does!
• LBB is very good at letting us know what he wants. That's nice!!! A far cry from when he was itty-bitty and had to cry for everything. Now he'll point for his water. Reach for a pacifier (which we are adamently working on making disappear.) And even point to which color he wants next when painting.
• Loves the Christmas tree. And since GiGi showed him how to figure out what is in presents, loves to investigate the gifts under the tree. :)
• And he loves throwing things. Sigh. It was cute at first because he laughed like crazy when he did it. But now, it's everything he sees that gets thrown. We went to the library and my ban-shee little boy was throwing books off the shelf. Same at Barnes and Noble. He gets a kick out of winging his Schleich animals across the room. And laughs hysterically when he throws food on Cat #2. Trouble. With a capital T. :)

That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure I will remember more...if I do, I'll post later. I definitely need to round up the weight and height measurements from his last appointment, but I'm not in the mood to right now. :)

A Sesame Street Birthday Celebration

The blizzard did not get the memo that it was supposed to wait until after my little man's birthday party. :) Unfortunately, the roads were treacherous and not many people were able to make it. But, family was there and we all had a wonderful time nevertheless!

LBB was a little crabby as we sang Happy Birthday to him. :)

Clapping for himself since he took the frosting eyes off Elmo. :)

Random Monday Thoughts

*Watching LBB's personality blossom as he goes from crawling to walking makes me smile. He is a very funny boy.

*I never imagined how messy a toddler can get when he insists on feeding himself his applesauce.

*Schleich animals can get a lot of air when thrown from a high chair.

*Pretty pyrex casseroles sitting on the stovetop make me happy.

*I really need to start going to bed earlier. Beginning tonight.

*LBB's birthday party turned out just the way I hoped...but if the snow had held off I would've been much happier. :)

*Life is about taking pleasure in the little things. Fresh white snow. A toddler's toothy smile. Slobbery LBB kisses. A clean(ish) house. Lovely music. And a loving hug to look forward to when Dear Sweet Hubby gets home from work. I don't think I've ever been happier. :)

One little fall...

LBB was walking tons on Tuesday. Walking tons on Wednesday. And then...on our way to pick up the mail, he fell in the hallway. :)

Not even a big fall...just a little one, but he was not expecting it at all. The poor little man just laid their screaming as I picked him up. A few cuddles later and lots of reassurances that he was fine, LBB seemed much better.

But he also seem much more hesitant to walk. Don't get me wrong. He still walks...it just takes a lot more encouragement on our part and the distances are just a tiny bit shorter. :) However, I am fully convinced that a little bit day by day and he'll be back to chasing Cat 2 and giving me a run for my money. LOL

Oh...and I'm in the middle of watching Pride and Prejudice (the 1995 TV version). I love Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Pure perfection. :) I just had to share. I finished the book yesterday (WOOHOO!!!! A classic novel finished all while chasing around a very active LBB!) so I was very anxious to get my hands on the movie.

Terrific Tuesday...

That's the best way to describe today. :)

When I first thought about writing in my blog today, I was going to write about dinner tonight and how I succeeded into "tricking" my little toddler into eating something really good for him. :) I'll start with that, but trust me, the latter part of this post is much more exciting.

As you all know, LBB is a picky little man, not uncommon for his age. I, however, have been on a quest (much like the one in Monty Python and the Holy Grail...you know, coconut shells for horses, french soldiers throwing livestock, and enlisting the help of a man named Patsy to help aid me. OK...none of that is true, but this quest would've been much more entertaining if even one of those things occured. LOL) Anyhoo. I digress.

So, for dinner tonight, I gave LBB a sippy of chocolate milk (hey, don't judge. It was chocolate Ovaltine, so therefore somewhat healthy. I figured it was a nice little treat after 4 shots at the doctors...and I'm a sucker for those big blue eyes of his, so I spoil him a bit.) And then he finally dug into his dinner...Masterful Mac N' Cheese. I got the recipe from the cookbook "The Sneaky Chef" but I really didn't follow it very much. Here is my version:

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MASTERFUL MAC N CHEESE

1 box macaroni and cheese (you can use the Kraft kind, but we splurged and bought Trader Joes Organic White Cheddar and Macaroni)
4 baby carrots, cooked until soft-reserve the water that the carrots cooked in
A handful of bread crumbs (we made our own, and to make it even healthier, I suggest using wheat bread instead of white)

Begin cooking mac n' cheese according to box directions. While water is boiling, place cooked baby carrots in a blender and turn on to "liquefy" setting. Add carrot water as needed until carrots look like baby food. (SHORTCUT: Use 1 jar of carrot baby food) Set carrots aside until macaroni is done cooking.

When macaroni is done, strain the water out and place in a oven safe dish. Mix in milk and cheese according to package instructions, but instead of using butter as box directs, mix in carrot puree. (If you buy the white cheddar like we did, it will turn orange like normal Kraft mac n' cheese.)

Sprinkle bread crumbs all over top of mac n' cheese and place in preheated 400* oven for about 5 minutes, or until the bread crumbs are nice and toasty looking.

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LBB ate this right up...and even I didn't notice the carrots, which is saying a lot since I knew they were in there. I couldn't help but smirk to myself as he gobbled up his dinner. And he even fed himself a few times...fork in the bowl, stab a shell, in the mouth we go! So proud!

But. Onto the more exciting part of this post!!!!

LBB has been contemplating walking for a while now. He walks a bit, realizes he is doing it, then freaks out and won't do it again for a few days.

And then today, all of a sudden, he was standing about 4 feet away from me when I said "Come here!" Truth be told, I was expecting the usual...kneel down, getting in crawling position, and quickly crawl over to Mommy. BUT.

That isn't what happened. LBB walked! "This must be a fluke" I thought. So I set him 4 feet away from me again. And he did it again. And again. And again.

You get the drift. :)

I stood by the Christmas tree about 5 feet away from him, asked him to come over and look at the Christmas tree with me. Instead of walking, he pointed to the radio just as the Toys r Us jingle came on, and started dancing!!!! He placed his adorable little 1 year old hands on his adorable little 1 year old waist and swayed his little hips back and forth, all the while smiling like he was the cutest thing to ever walk this earth (by the way, I am totally convinced he is. :) )

And since then, he's walked to get toys. Walked with his popper toy. And, most amusing, walked to chase Cat #2. I don't think she knows what is about to happen. :)

Enchanting

That's the best word I can use to describe this past year.

As my LBB turns one, I look back on this past year and am amazed by so many things...how quick it's flown by. And amazed by every little moment of it. All the smiles. All the sleepless nights. All the hugs. All the cuddles.

The firsts...first Christmas. First smile. First Easter. First time crawling. Those first unsure steps (although he is still being stubborn about this. :) He can walk, he just chooses not to.) His first words. And all the little firsts that quietly slip in each and every day as our LBB learns and explores this world.

He is an amazing kid...and I know I'm most likely biased seeing as how I'm Mommy and all that. But everyday he does something that takes my breath away. Does something that amazes me. And something that just plain makes me laugh. If I were to post everytime he did something that struck me as funny, sweet, smart, or just plain adorable...I'd never leave the computer (and as a result, miss all those funny, sweet, smart, adorable moments!)

Not to say that this first year hasn't been filled with moments of worry. Or moments of pure exhaustion. All those typical first year experiences...worrying if my LBB was eating right. Worrying when he bumps his head. Being exhausted that first month when everything in our world was being turned upside down and we had a newborn that we were cherishing but trying to figure out (the joys of first time parenting. :) ) But in the long run, I wouldn't trade any of those trying moments for a thing...those moments make you cherish all the other moments even more.

The moment I held LBB in my arms after those hours of labor, after those months of waiting, I was convinced I couldn't love him anymore than I did at that moment. But, that's the funny thing about being a mother...each and everyday my love grows more and more for him. What I once thought was insurmountable love is trumped every day when I feel like my heart is about to burst from all the love. When he gives me a big sloppy kiss my heart melts into a puddle of goop. And when he nestles up into my neck as we are saying his goodnight prayers, my eyes get misty and I feel like there is no more perfect place to be. Funny thing, love is. Especially love for your child and from your child. This past year I've learned so much about love from such a small little heaven-sent package.

He teaches me daily that while I am not close to being a perfect mother (but oh how I try!), he is the perfect son. :) He is inquistive. Funny. Loving. Caring. Stubborn. Sweet. Adorable. Flirty. Amusing. Creative. Intelligent. Relentless. Helpful. And he unconditionally loves us. What an amazing thing that is. God's goodness shines through him daily, and I never stop thanking the Lord for that.

Looking back, I am nostalgic over this past year. I miss the little things like him sleeping in our bed every night. The non-stop cuddles. The pure necessity of needing us to be with him. But, looking forward, I am loving every moment of his "growing-up". The independence. The stubborness. The excitement he has for exploring, learning, and creating.

As he grows, I love watching the traits he gets from his daddy and I. I love watching the traits that are purely his own. And I adore watching him develop and fine-tune his personality everyday.

My LBB, on this first birthday of many, I thank God for the gift of you to us. I look forward to this next year of growing, learning, exploring, creating, and just plain having fun. And I am so very thankful for everything that you teach me. For every hug and kiss that you give me. And for every single moment of every single day with you. I can't imagine a more fulfilling job than the one I have of being your Mommy. I love you so very much, my dear little LBB. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

A lazy, lazy Sunday

Life has been busy lately...I'm always working on a project. Cleaning. Yadda yadda yadda. :) So last night, before I finally went to bed, I decided that LBB and I were going to have a day where we didn't need to do anything...no major cleaning. No projects. Just lots of fun.

So...that is exactly what we did.

We watched a big band show on PBS. We danced. We played drums. And we sang along. :)

We gave lots of hugs and kisses.

Cuddled tons.

Read lots of books. (8 to be exact!)

Had a nice leisurely lunch.

And took two nice long naps. Played lots. Giggled tons. And even managed to fit in a bathing for a jelly-covered LBB.

What a wonderful day...and what a wonderful way to spend the last day before LBB turns 1 tomorrow!

What a Sweetheart...

LBB got a coupon from Build A Bear Workshop today to get a free Animal for his birthday. :) So, we took a little trip to the closest Build A Bear (about 40 minutes away), and let him pick out a new friend for his Bearemy. He chose a very sweet, very adorable little white bear that has been named "Blizzard."

This evening, after we got home from the mall and grocery shopping, LBB, Dear Sweet Hubby, Bearemy, Blizzard, and I cuddled up on the couch to read a bedtime story. LBB smiled at his bears and read them a bedtime story as well...and then it was off to bed.

Here comes the sweet part. :)

We made a makeshift bed for the two bears out of a toy bin, and showed LBB how we put Bearemy and Blizzard to bed. We told him "Tuck them in now," and what did LBB do? He tucked them in. Ever so gently and full of love. And then we said "Give them kisses goodnight."

And the sweet little boy leaned forward and gave Bearemy and Blizzard the sweetest little kisses on their cheeks.

Sigh.

I love that LBB so so so much. :)

IKEA Lovelies

We stopped into IKEA the other day on Dear Sweet Hubby's day off...everytime we step into this wonderful store I fall in love with about 10 different rooms. And everytime we leave, I am happy that we live in a semi-small space and that there is a store like this out there that kind of tailors to that!

So, here's a few of my favorites...ideas that we took pictures of so we can implement them into our apartment as time goes on. :)

Love this idea of putting some cabinets at the top of the ceiling in the kids room...so much more storage of things that they don't need on a regular basis! (But I'd definitely do white doors.)

Crazy thing about this room...it's almost exactly what I've been planning for LBB's room when we redo it...with a few small changes. One thing I've decided is that lots of storage is a must for little ones!!!!

Sigh...isn't this bedroom just dreamy? I've got some convincing to do. ;)

Love this little art center...I don't really have a place for it anywhere in the house, but I so wish I did!

See the chair on the left? Dear Sweet Hubby has one like it. See the chair on the right? LBB is going to have one someday. :) Matching chairs for my two guys.

And IKEA doesn't have any of these is stock...just go to their website and type in "cutest baby in the entire universe." Go ahead. I'll wait. :) What did it say? "0 matches for "cutest baby in the entire universe." That's because we've already got him. :)

This is my dream house, by the way. All windows. Gorgeous lighting. Sigh.

Love love love this!

And especially love all these shelves! Dear Sweet Hubby has been trying to get me to do this in our house, and I keep ho-humming about it. But now I'm convinced. :) Now to figure out how to do it.

I love these shelves!

That's all! What a fun trip! I just adore IKEA.

Cooking for a Picky Toddler

I'm convinced it is nearly impossible.

One minute he loves a certain food, the next minute he doesn't even want to touch it. I've been surfing the web, perusing cooking for kids blogs, and trying new recipes here and there...but some days the meal I make is a bust and all he wants are Mini-Beef Raviolis. Ugh.

Definitely not the most healthy of choices! But, there have been a few meals here and there that he likes. :) For lunch yesterday, I made Pizza Breadsticks (I just mixed some chopped up pepperoni and mozzarella cheese into pizza dough) and he loved that. Then last night I made "Bangers and Mash." He ate all the sausage but would barely take a bite of taters. Sigh. It's all a hit or miss kind of thing. :)

So, my question for you is this: Any tried and true recipes that please your kids? I want to change it up from the normal mac n cheese type stuff (not that it's bad, I just want a little variety since we eat the same meals!)

And we like to call this...

...LBB's pucker sound.

He was enjoying a bowl of applesauce at lunch today, when I tried showing him how we say "Mmmmmmmm" after we eat something we like. What LBB took from my demonstration was a very unique, very adorable, pucker sound. He covers his bottom lip with his top and sucks air in really fast to make a sound that now follows every bite of anything he eats that he likes.

He finished his applesauce, but not until a pucker sound was made...after every bite.

Then at snacktime, while he was munching on his Sesame Street crackers and I was making dinner, I heard a sweet little pucker...after every cracker.

That boy makes me laugh so much! Everyday at lunch it is something new...for a few days after Thanksgiving, he was adament that we had a "toast" (clinking our glasses together) before each sip. Yesterday, he decided that he would pull his bib around his head in a sort of lion's mane kind of get-up that was followed by a peal of laughter. And then today with the pucker noise. :)

Oh! And one last thing...LBB had his first sippy of whole milk today! Our plan is to have him completely off formula (we bought his last can and it is almost gone) by his first birthday, so we wanted to get him used to the milk before the formula was all gone. So far, so good! At lunch he took a few sips and only drank about 3 ounces of it...but at dinner, he drank the whole sippy! Yay! I also decided to get some Chocolate Ovaltine as a nice treat for him...especially since it has 12 vitamins/minerals and is 20% or so of his daily iron, so it makes me a little less worrisome that he is getting all his nutrients. (And with no caffeine you can't go wrong.) :) He hasn't had any yet because I want to make sure that he gets used to the milk taste...but I know he will love it when he gets it...he's a chocolate fiend. Well, any sweets for that matter....

One week...

...until my LBB turns 1.

Wow.

I still can't believe it. Only 1 week...that's 7 days. 168 hours. (Well, even less as I write this.) 10080 minutes. Until my little guy celebrates his first birthday. :)

I'm happy about it...who wouldn't be?!?! But, there is that little part of me that already misses those days of cuddling and napping and just lots of snuggling. Now it's move, move, move...LBB is a very active little man, and there isn't a waking moment that he isn't on the go. Such a funny little man! And it's funny...there are some days that I wake up, go pick my sweet little wonderful boy up out of his crib, and am convinced that he grew up a little overnight. Thankfully, I'm not crazy. Dear Sweet Hubby will say something before I even mention it to him. :)

And speaking of on the go...LBB is this close to walking! Yesterday he walked about 6 feet across the room before he plopped down. He's walked a few feet here and there, but he is standing a lot more on his own now, which is a big improvement! I don't think he'll be walking by his first birthday (although I originally had), but I would put a little money down saying he will be by Christmas. :) It seems the only time he wants to walk is when there is trouble to be had. LOL.

*yawn* I think I'm going to end this post here...LBB had a pretty bad head bump yesterday(he's a-ok though, so no worry now!), so, following the nurse's instructions, I slept on the couch and he in his playpen. However, when LBB sees someone, he will not go back to sleep. Translation: This Momma is running on 3 1/2 hours of sleep or so...and my brain is letting me know it! Have a good day everyone! Tomorrow I plan on posting...but don't hold me to it. ;)

BabyLegs

I just have to share one of my new favorite things. :)

They are called BabyLegs (click here for the website) and are amazing. LBB has recently discovered that he is getting quite strong, and that diaper changes can get a lot more interesting when he puts up a fight...so this Mommy finally made the decision to pick up a pair of these little adorable BabyLegs that I'd been eyeing for a while.

And I am oh so glad I did! They are lifesavers! They take that extra, difficult step of pants with a wiggly baby who needs his diaper changed! And, I've been looking at the website...you can use them for an extra layer under pants. Use them to make a short sleeved shirt long sleeved. Use them on babies, use them on toddlers. Use them for potty training (look at the picture on the website...ingenious!)

I am so in love with these adorable little things! I'm going to order a few more pairs over time because Target only carries the print we got LBB. There are a few pairs that I love on the website. They are the FROST , GOAL , and TRAIN. Aren't these all just adorable?

OK...I just had to share them. :) They are a definite must-have for us now. (And secretly I'm hoping that at some point we have a girl so I can pick up some of the ruffly little ones. ;) But that's just between you and I. Shhhhh!)

Our Family Snowman

Dear Sweet Hubby was in charge of building. LBB and Mommy were in charge of assemble his face. And Cat #2 was apparently in charge of acting like a freak and being extremely scared of the large, white, round frozen man standing outside our patio door. :)

What fun it was building our first snowman...LBB kept watching Dear Sweet Hubby as if he was trying to figure out why Daddy was rolling giant balls of snow around the yard. He did have fun helping me go through the freezer and fridge to discover things that would be good for our friendly snowman...we wanted things that would be fairly bird and squirrel friendly, so we chose strawberries for eyes. A carrot for a nose (of course.) And peas for a smile.

One thing this Mommy did learn was that a "snowman building kit" is a necessity. I am going to assemble a freezer bag with goodies to decorate a snowman with. So, I'm making a mental list of things to add to the bag, and then we will always have it handy. :)

The thing I love about our snowman is that there is so much love in him...even LBB got into the act at the end a little by patting the snowman's base. :) Such a sweetheart.

The Chipotle Charmer

This evening Dear Sweet Hubby had to take a 30 minute drive up north for work, and as suggested but his district manager, took us out to dinner. :) What a nice little treat! So...of course...we went to Chipotle, our favorite.

We pulled into the parking lot, and seeing that it was 5:30 on a Friday night (what were we thinking?!?!?) the line was growing and growing. But, diehard Chipotle fans that we are, we got out and headed inside. I grabbed a seat while Dear Sweet Hubby stood in line.

Our seat happened to be right next to the line, which, hindsight being 20/20, is not the place to sit if you want a LBB to focus on eating. :) While we waited for Dear Sweet Hubby to get the food, LBB pulled out all his "charmer" tricks.

He smiled. He giggled. He chattered. He waved hi. He showed his dimples. And, he even held a few people's hands...he is a little social bug when he is around adults. He made "friends" with a few people, got compliments on his Ohio State Buckeyes sweatshirt (a gift from his Great Aunt), and flirted with the manager as she stood behind the counter. Crazy kid.

He is such a charmer, it is absolutely adorable. :) And a little comedian too. Ah, my LBB, how we adore you so. :)

A story of my day...

Hi! LBB here.

My mommy said I could write a little bit about my day so far. It's only morning still, but it's been a very fun day!

I woke up bright and early at 5:45 am because my kitty knocked something really loud over in the kitchen. But I got to see Daddy before he left for work, so I am glad that she woke me up! I ate breakfast while Mommy read me a Bible story and read a Bible verse to me. Then I watched The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That and it was one I haven't seen yet. They were talking about animal tails. I like to pull my kitty's tail even though Mommy says I can't. Kitty doesn't seem to mind. I know my kitty's name, but I like to call her different names because it is funny. I call her Abby (that's my PaPa and GiGi's puppy) and "Bird". Kitty doesn't seem to like it.

Mommy made me take a nap, but I only slept for a little bit. Mommy says that since I am still sick I should be resting more, but I don't want to rest, I want to play and have fun. After I woke up, we got ready for the day, and Mommy and I went for a walk because she says we've been cooped up in the house for too many days. I don't like being sick because we don't go outside very much. Our walk was nice. On our way out I ran into the apartment manager and she said she really like my snowman. She is nice. My mommy hasn't written about our snowman yet, but she said she will soon. We walked across the street to the store so Mommy could get her soda. While we were there I met someone's Grandpa. He talked to me and even gave me a quarter for my bear bank. He did a magic trick with the quarter...I don't know how he did it, but it was pretty cool. He was very nice.

When we got home I had a snack and a sippy, and Mommy let me check my facebook page. GiGi put a Sesame Street video up of the two headed monster brushing his teeth (my Mommy says click HERE if you want to watch it.) I thought it was really funny. That is what I am watching in the picture at the top of the page. I like to brush my teeth. Mommy has to help me a little to make sure I get all the spots, but I do a pretty good job on my own. Right after we watched the video that GiGi posted, Mommy saw that it was time to watch Elmo's world. I like Sesame Street, but I don't sit through the whole show, so we just turn the tv on around when Elmo's World usually comes on. But we turned it on a few minutes earlier, and got to see my favorite music video. I watch this on the computer usually, but it was even better on the tv! Mommy also said to click HERE if you want to see it.

That's my day so far. Mommy is making me take a nap now, so I've got to go! Have a great day everyone!

One small step for mankind...

...is apparently one GIANT leap for a 25 pound little boy. :)

I would've sworn months ago that LBB would be walking before his first birthday. But, now that his first birthday is only 20 days away, I wouldn't put betting money on it. He can do it, because we've seen him take 3 or 4 steps here and there...but he just doesn't want to do it. And when he sets his mind on something, he sets his mind on something. :) He's a bit stubborn that way.

Last night, LBB was standing with only one hand lightly resting on Dear Sweet Hubby's chair, and Dear Sweet Hubby handed LBB his sippy. LBB took it, held it with both hands, stood there while he was drinking it, and then even bounced around to the Christmas music for a few minutes. And then...he realized he wasn't holding onto anything, freaked out, and plopped right down.

Now we can't get him to stand for anything. :) But, I do have a feeling he is getting close. Once in a while he will hold onto something with just a fingertip, and look as if he is contemplating whether or not he wants to go for it. One of these days I know he'll just get up and go...but until then he is going to be extremely stubborn about it all. :) I have to remember that he will walk when he is ready...until then he is going to do what he wants in the mobility department!

Oh...and speaking of sippy's, did I mention that LBB is completely bottle-free now? All sippy's, all day. Yay for LBB! (And yay for Mommy...bottles take so much time to wash!)

And can you believe, only 38 days until Christmas!?!?! WHOA! I've been a busy little bee getting ready for Thanksgiving, LBB's birthday, and Christmas...and now I've really got to get my bottom in gear! LOL!

SNOW!!!

When I was still pregnant with LBB, Dear Sweet Hubby read the book "Snow" almost every night. LBB loved it then...he'd immediately start bouncing around in there. :)

So, of course, when we found out we were to get lots of snow this weekend, Dear Sweet Hubby pulled out the book for bedtime story last night. :) And when LBB awoke this morning, he got to see big, fluffy, beautiful flakes floating in the air and white all over the ground. Needless to say, LBB has spent much of his morning thus far in front of the patio window watching the snow.

And, even more adorable, he spent a bit of his watching time with Cat 2 while reading his "Snow" book.

How sweet is that?

Ball

My LBB is a smartie. :)

This morning after breakfast, we were working on say "ball." And he said it! The best part, he associated it with a ball! He kept rolling the ball, and then when I picked it up the first time, he pointed at the ball and loudly proclaimed "BALL!" What a smartie pants! He got a kick out of being able to say it too...he just kept sitting there giggling everytime he said it while he held the ball.

What a big boy...this Momma is feeling very proud today!

WHAT?!?!?! One more month...

...until I'm the momma of a 1 year old? I need a pause button on the remote control for life. ;) It goes much too fast.

And LBB is growing much too fast. I think he's taken leaps and bounds just from last month. sigh. And along with the leaps and bounds are less cuddles, more play, and more exploration. He's getting so big, and is beginning to need me a little less each day (in his opinion...I disagree. It's still a very big world out there.)

*LBB had went to the doctor a two weeks ago or so and weighed in at 25 pounds 2 ounces! Wowza. Just last month he was 23 pounds 11 ounces, so that is a definite growth spurt. There are some days he wakes up and I swear he grew over night.

*LBB loves trying new foods...the only foods he's shown a dislike for are BBQ sauce, hard boiled egg yolks, and cheese. He'll eat a few cheesy things now and then, but give him a bit of cubed cheese and he is not a happy little man. He really likes spicy foods, but we do try to limit it so it isn't too hard on his little tummy. :)

*Stands by himself once in a while. He did it in library story time...stood there in the middle of the class for easily 3 minutes. Since then he hasn't done it. I've noticed he will do something to show us he can do it, and then wait awhile before it gets placed in his routine. :)

*And the same goes for walking...he's taken 3 or 4 steps by himself a few different times. But in general, he doesn't seem that keen on it. I know he'll do it in his own time...for now, he seems really happy crawling.

*Can say MaMa, DaDa, Nom (when eating), BaBa, Baa (usually when looking at sheep), and is beginning to say Abby (PaPa and GiGi's puppy.)

*Points when he wants something. He is usually very enthusiastic about this!

*Waves hello and goodbye...but he definitely likes "hello" more than "goodbye." He only waves goodbye when he is really in the mood to!

*Reads books like crazy...this isn't anything new, but we easily read at least 5-6 books a day. He is a definite bookworm!

*Loves to help and do what Mommy and Daddy do. He likes to clean. "Vacuums" with his puppy vacuum. Tries to clean the litterbox and toilet...both definite "NO's". Helps load the dishwasher (he puts his kitchen cabinet utensils in there. Cute.)

*Loves fingerpainting, coloring, playing with his Schleich animals, and looking at his Hot Wheels. He is beginning to put blocks together, but really likes taking them apart. :)

*Gives lots of kisses!!! So so so sweet. However, sometimes it is accompanied with a nibble. That's not so sweet.

*Claps for himself. Raises his arms and smiles when he does something good like "Hooray for me!" and like to put one finger up like "I'm number 1!" He's a pretty confident little guy...I'm proud of him for that!

*Likes other kids, but is also a little "eh" when it comes to playing with them. Sometimes he has this look like "I really don't want to play with that person." Usually that look occurs when there is a book in his hand.

*LBB is also learning to share. :) It's the sweetest thing...he will hand us his sippy. Share a piece of his food. Give us a toy. But sometimes he is also very selfish...I think that's all part of toddler-hood. :)

I know there is more. But life is super quick and I sometimes forget to write things down. ;) I got this nice Baby's first year calendar from my mom when he was born and it is practically empty...I'm going to have to try to fill it out from memory and guess on some of the dates. Oy. Silly procrastination!

My little monkey...

LBB loves to climb. He loves to swing. He loves to hang upside down.

And he LOVES bananas.

Ever since the day we first introduced them all pureed and in a jar, he couldn't get enough of them. He eats banana cookies. Banana puffs. Banana Pudding. And...his favorite of all?

A banana cut up into bite size pieces.

Every.

Single.

Day.

I'm not joking...this has become a staple in our lunchtime preparation. If he doesn't get a banana, you can tell he is frustrated. It's funny, because two weeks ago, we had bananas in the house on occasion, and usually I swiped them and froze them for baking before anyone else could get to them. :) Now, it's a whole different story. I know that from this point until LBB grows out of his banana craze, I will always have to have a bunch of Bananas.

The plus? At 19 cents a banana, that is one snack I can enthusiastically feed LBB...that and the fact that it is super healthy while he thinks it is super sweet. All I can say is that I've hit the jackpot. :) The banana jackpot, that is.

This little man...

...loves to clean. Strange, huh?

If you give him a container, he will go around the room finding things laying out to put in it. If you give him a paint roller, he will roll it back and forth across the tile...I think he is sweeping. If I'm loading the dishwasher, he will pick up one of the wooden spoons out of his play cabinet in the kitchen and put it in the dishwasher (in the correct spot, mind you. He's a smartie pants.)

And today, after I vacuumed, I gave him this adorable little puppy vacuum I bought at a garage sale this summer. The minute I gave it to him, he immediately set to work. He "vacuumed" the living room. He "vacuumed" the dining room. He moved things to vacuum under them. He even got under the table. :) And he ran over the cat with his vacuum...in a statement that it's her fault the floors get so furry. (Well, I'm not sure that was his intention...but I like to think it is. LOL!)

He was so focused on vacuuming...and he did it just the way I did which I thought was super sweet. And he even checked the "belt" and the wheels to make sure they were functioning properly. LOL. What a character!

I can only hope that in a few years he loves to clean just as much as he does now. :) Fingers crossed.

Raising a Reader...

Even before I was pregnant, I always knew that I wanted to instill a love of reading into my child.

And once I got pregnant...I knew it was more important to me than I ever thought possible. So, we got to work. :)

Dear sweet hubby read to my belly every night before LBB made his grand entrance. As soon as we brought LBB home, he was surrounded with books. We read while he drinks his bottle. We read before naps. We read after naps. And we go to library storytime once a week, and on a fairly regular basis, make a few extra trips. Our library bag is always bursting with books...ones we've read and ones we haven't dived into.

And, to be honest, sometimes it feels like all of that doesn't matter much. Sometimes LBB just doesn't care about a book. But...that's pretty rare. :)

And then there are moments when it smacks us right in the forehead about how much he loves books. At storytime this week, he was so wrapped up in looking at a book after the class (usually they get 15 minutes of playtime at the end), that he didn't notice the kids playing together until he looked through the book a second time. :)

But today. Ah, today took my breath away and made my heart melt. LBB's aunt sent him some Halloween movies, which he loves. Thing is...he watches about 15 minutes, we pause it for another time, and he goes to do something else. Today, he was sitting watching Winnie the Pooh with his Daddy, and he suddenly got off Dear Sweet Hubby's lap. Crawled away...

...and a few minutes later, Dear Sweet Hubby looks behind the couch (it's in the center of the room), only to see LBB sitting there reading a book. My LBB left a perfectly adorable movie that he was enjoying...to go read a book. That is when it hits you that you are doing something right. :) Sigh. Everyday I am more and more proud of my LBB. He makes me smile. Makes me laugh. And makes my heart melt in the most unexpected ways. :)

5 weeks and a Mommy Rut

First off...can you believe? 5 weeks until LBB turns one? I read it in an email today, and I simply cannot believe it! Where did the time go? Somewhere between intermittent contractions at midnight on our due date and holding his bedroom cross while we said prayers tonight, my LBB went from being a small(ish) bundle that slept, ate, soiled diapers, and cuddled to a big burst of energy that crawls everywhere, reads lots of books, eats lots of different foods, and gets told "NO" an average of 1,000 times a day. (OK...that last part may be an exaggeration but it sure feel like it.)

And thankfully, the day that it sinks in how quickly this year is going, my LBB was super cuddly. God definitely knows what this momma needs sometimes. We snuck in lots of cuddles, and he even took a little snoozer in my arms. :) What a wonderful day.

The fact that it was such a wonderful day in that aspect really helped to balance the "mommy rut" I'm feeling. I'm not sure exactly why I'm feeling that way...I don't think I have much of a reason to since I'm not doing anything different than usual. The house is clean. Dinners are cooked. All that good stuff. :) I thought I would be out of my rut after the boy's had a guy's night out last night, but instead I spent my "time off" deep cleaning...I think that didn't help at all in helping me have some me time. LOL! But anyhoo...that's my issue. Pretty small issue, so I know I'm super blessed if that's all I have to complain about. :)

Our Little Outdoorsy Man

LBB loves being outside. Well, more than loves. He adores being outside. He is definitely our little outdoorsman in the making.

It never fails...whether we are hiking, walking along the lake, or even looking at the trees in the yard, LBB always has a smile on his face. He's constantly eager to explore and discover...in the summer he loved the sand and the rocks in the water. In the fall he relished in being able to hold bright, bold, colorful leaves. I'm very excited to see how he will be this winter in the snow. :)

Even the other day, when we went for a hike in some chilly conditions, LBB smiled through it all and couldn't get enough of the waves crashing against the shore, the trees blowing in the wind, and the mist on our faces.

I love that about him. I have no doubt that in a few years we will be on the lookout for a children's kayak (Dear Sweet Hubby is already researching them). I already have it budgeted for next spring to get LBB his very own pair of hiking shoes. And Dear Sweet Hubby has been eyeing this adorable little pack for LBB to bring with on hikes to store his treasures in. :)

We look forward to exploring nature with him through the years and showing him the wonders that God has given us!

No No No No No No NO!

I'm becoming a broken record.

And the record that is playing is this one: "No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No..."

You get the drift. :)

LBB has a penchant for trouble. I've said that before and this is definitely not the last time I'll be saying it, I'm sure! Every morning he wakes up about 6am or so, and by 6:30, he is ready to rumble. He gets into everything. While I'm cleaning up one mess he's made, he goes for another. While I'm picking up that pile of CD's he's pushed of the shelf, I look over and he's climbing up on a book bin in an attempt to get on the top of his bookshelf. I think that by the time he goes down for his morning nap, I say "no" an average of 15-20 times. :)

And I'm not complaining, really, I'm not. :) It's his spunk and his vigor for life that makes him him. I can't imagine him sitting in one spot for more than 3 minutes or not trying to open the drawer that he's been told at least 100 times to leave alone. I can, however, imagine a morning where he sits quietly on my nap cuddling. :) But, those sweet, quiet days are long gone, and in there place is an almost-toddler who loves to explore, discover, and, honestly, cause trouble.

What a Little Character!

This morning LBB came across Dear Sweet Hubby's work baseball cap. (It is perched atop my beloved's head pretty much every day that he is working!)

LBB has always loved his Daddy's hats, and especially loves playing with the brim of them. But today, he figured out that he can play peekaboo with it. All I can say is super adorable!! He sat there, holding it up and down and giggling up a storm when we'd say peekaboo. And then...

...he discovered something...

...he placed the hat on his head, sat there and smiled (with the hat covering up his eyes)...

...and said "I DaDa."

GASP! My LBB! My little 10 month old sweetheart! What a precious boy. What a smart little cookie. Wanting to be just like Daddy and trying so hard to do so. :)

PS. I refuse to believe it was just chance that he said that...he was super proud of himself when he did.

Dr. Doolittle

My LBB has an uncanny ability for attracting animals. It amazes me. Dear Sweet Hubby and I were discussing how he just seems to connect with animals, even at such a young age. We love witnessing this in our LBB.

We went to the zoo today, and as usual, animals flocked to him and abandoned other kids. And it's the most beautiful thing to watch...when animals are around him, you can just see a comfort on both ends. LBB has no fear. He reaches right to the goat to pet him, even after a friendly little nibble on his fingers. He sees the bear on the other side of the glass, and he tries so very hard to pet it. He smiles at the tigers. Laughs at the farm animals. And watches in awe as fish swim past him.

He has become "friends" with the turtles at the local aquarium. He chats readily with any animal that stays in his vicinity for more than a moment. And he studies each new animal that he sees.

It is amazing. I am convinced that there aren't many 10 month olds out there that hold this same gift. Because, after all, each 10 month old has their own unique gift.

But I am also convinced that in 20 years or so, my LBB may just be going to college or pursuing a career that is centered around animals. In fact, I'd be willing to put a little money on it...if I had any to spare, that is. :)

Here's the Stats for 10 months :)

I told you I'd post them eventually, did't I? :)



So, at 10 months, LBB has taken huge strides! I am amazed everyday with everything he is learning.



First, off, I can't believe that a year ago I was still pregnant with LBB and getting very excited to meet our little man! It amazes me that in less than two months now, he will be a year old. Absolutely crazy!

OK. So onward to the facts, stats, and what LBB has been up to. (And I'm determined to get this post done. I actually started writing it yesterday. But then I ate way too many cookies and got a little woozy feeling. Ha.)

*LBB weighed in this month at 23 pound 11 ounces. That is one less ounce than last month, meaning...I think he is starting to slow down on his growth! He is so much more active now, so when I start to worry, that is what I need to remember.

*He drinks about 15 ounces of formula a day. And 98% of the time, that formula is in a sippy cup. He rarely uses a bottle nowadays...just one more sign that my LBB is getting bigger!

*He eats 3 meals a day, 2 snacks, and not a single jar of baby food! All meals are mommy and daddy meals as well, and the snacks are the Gerber graduates. His pediatrician wanted him off baby food by 1, but as soon as we started slowly weaning him, he was all for the table food. LBB adores beef raviolis. I think he could eat them every single night! He loves his cheerios. And he has a sweet tooth that rivals even mine. sigh.

*Colt is a crawling machine. He can get across a room in a few seconds flat...especially if there is a girl there. We went to a class at the library and he started chasing 4 year old girls around...and he was keeping up while they ran. LOL.

*And he is also this close to walking. He started by creeping along furniture. Then he moved onto his push-walker (which he loves...especially the one at PaPa and GiGi's house...it has compartments to put things in.) Then he held two hands and walked no problem. And most recently, he only needs to hold one hand and walks side by side. Wowzers!

*Can stand for a few seconds all by himself, no help necessary.

*Still loves to read. On a regular basis we can go through 5-7 books a day. Needless to say our library bag is always on hand, and it's not unusual for us to make at least two trips a week.

*Goes to library storytime once a week, and is making lots of friends. LBB is super social (he gets it from his Daddy, that's for sure).

*Is a silly little chatterbox. He has long conversations and doesn't hesitate to interrupt you to tell his story. If you keep talking, he gets louder. :) He is very obstinate that way. He says "DaDa" a lot lately. Uses "BaBa" when he is hungry. "Maaaa!" when he doesn't want to go to bed. When PaPa has an ice cream cone, LBB is very good at saying "PaPa." And the other day, after getting into trouble, Dear Sweet Hubby gave LBB a tiny little tap on his bottom, and LBB turned around, hit his Daddy in the face, and said "bad-bad DaDa!" Oy. I've said it before and I'll say it again...I'm gonna have my hands full with that one. :)

*Has learned how to clap, play peekaboo by himself, and loves to surprise people.

*Can color like crazy. He colors at least once a day and we have a growing art gallery of his creations. He focuses and watches what he is doing...which is amazing to see. :)

OK...I'm sure there's more. It's been an active month for LBB. But, I don't want to gush too much ;) so I am going to sign off for tonight!

A Day at the Firehouse

It was Open House Day at the fire station today, and LBB got to go with me and his PaPa.

He had fun, especially once he got a cookie and a balloon. :) I'm looking forward to him going each year as he gets older and understands it a little more. But this year he had fun watching all the activity. He got to watch the extrication demonstration and look in the firetrucks. He got to wear a fireman's hat (which went nicely with his fire truck shirt. :) ) and even got a jr. fireman badge.

It's times like this that I love having a boy who is such a boy's boy. He loves this kind of stuff...big trucks, water spraying, and all that stuff. :)

LBB is 10 Months Old!!!

That means...oh my. Two months until he is one. Wowzers. Wowzers. Wowzers. :) We are all very excited.

I am going to make this short and sweet because I need to go box up some clothes to bring to the consignment shop tomorrow after LBB's flu shot booster, but LBB had a wonderful day to celebrate being 10 months. (One of these days I'll do a post just for his achievements.)

Today, LBB woke up bright and early. Well, it wasn't so much bright outside as it was early, but it gave him more time to play with Daddy before he had to leave for work. So they played played played and had a very fun morning! Then we went out for the day with GiGi. He got a cool airplane rocker, one of those fun wire and bead block toys, some books, and some DVD's...all for some really good deals! We had lunch, picked up his Auntie from school, and then hung out for a bit at PaPa and GiGi's house.

And then, I took him out in the backyard to play in the nice crisp Autumn leaves. He. Had. A. Blast! First he crawled in them. Then he played in them. Then he stole Auntie's soccer ball and rolled it around the yard. He swung in the Autumn sun. And then I went and got him his Little Tikes push walker that has a little mailbox bin in front. He pushed it ALL around the yard (I think he made at least three complete circles), all the while picking up leaves and dropping them in the bin. It was completely adorable. :)

He started with big leaves, then decided that he was going to focus on the little crushed leaves. He'd pick each little leaf up, holding it gently, examine it, and then drop it in the bin. Such a sweet little man.

After his playtime, he got to go get dinner and ice cream to celebrate his 10-month day. He had a blast...and had a very fun time sharing everyone's hot fudge. :)

We have got a sleep routine down!

I fear writing this lest I jinx myself.

However, I have to share because I am super proud of my LBB!!!!

Every morning around 6:45 to 7:00 am, LBB wakes up for the day. He plays for a bit, has a small bottle (since we are slowing weaning him off for his first birthday), reads a book, and then has a nice hearty breakfast. At 8:30 am, we watch "The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That" and then it's time for his morning nap. He sleeps about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, then wakes up. We play some more, have a snack, watch "Sesame Street" and 2 hours after he woke up from his morning nap, he is down for his afternoon nap. And then, it's play play play, read read read, and have dinner, snacks, and a nightime bottle, and bedtime at 7:30 pm.

That's right, you read the correctly. 7:30 pm. Crazy to think that 3 months ago we were lucky if he was sleeping the night through, much less going to bed at a time earlier than 10 pm. But he is. He sleeps through the night on a general basis, and if he does wake up, usually gets himself back to sleep. I'm so proud of him. :)

And, a sidenote. We decided that letting LBB watch tv was not a terrible thing, as long as it was limited (2 half hour shows a day), educational, and that the tv had to be turned off at all other times. We also make sure that when watching "The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That" and "Sesame Street" that we are involved and having fun with him. I think that makes a world of difference. I've never been ok with the idea of sticking a kid in front of mindless tv, but I do believe there are certain shows out there that can really help a kid learn in different ways, and that is never a bad thing. :)

Buffet Pants

LBB eats solid foods 99% of the time now. There is rarely a moment that I need to pop open a jar of baby food.

So, when we first introduced him to the buffet down the street a few weeks ago, LBB was in awe.

LBB and I went this past weekend with my family, and he was in Heaven. :) He ate mac n' cheese (a whole scoop.) He ate fish. He ate jell-o. He ate potatoes. He ate anything you put in front of him. Then, he started on dessert, which, needless to say, he is definitely like his Mommy when it comes to chocolate.

If you can't picture it, a good comparison would be the caterpillar in Eric Carle's "A Very Hungry Caterpillar." By the time we left the buffet, LBB was definitely feeling an overstuffed belly. :) He walked out with his PaPa and GiGi holding his hands barely able to even move each leg. We were gentle on him the whole night...for fear of his full belly being bumped and having a little mess to clean up. Ha!

I say trouble...

"right here in River City."

Well, not River City exactly...but I think this song goes through my head at least 18 times a day. :)

LBB is trouble with a capital "T"...he takes after his Daddy in that aspect. I was, after all, a perfect angel. wink, wink.

Today at breakfast, he decided he would start throwing his cheerios on the floor. When I told him "no", he laughed and acted like he was eating. He'd pick up a cheerio, put it towards his mouth, and then roll the cheerio back into the palm of his hand. Then he would proceed to drop it on the floor. As if I wouldn't notice that. Ha.

Yesterday he kept shoving a toy in his mouth that really shouldn't have been. So, we would say no. Then he'd giggle...and do it again. Then we'd say no. And he'd do it another time. And giggle. He finally got to the point that he would just laugh at us. So, needless to say, said toy got taken away. Sigh. I can't imagine how he will be when he hits the "terrible twos".

But, all those troublesome moments are made ok with the majority of "angel" moments that he does have. :) I love watching him have those little moments of trouble because I know that it is helping him learn boundaries, learn about life, and it really shows just how spunky he is. I could, however, do without the laughing when he is being disciplined. We'll work on it.

Pardon the lack of posting...

...but I've had my hands full with a rambunctious LBB who doesn't feel the need for naps. :) Ever.

Well, I take that back...he's been averaging about one good nap a day. But, he is generally sleeping ALL THE WAY through the night, so WOOHOO!!!! Alrighty...I'm sure you can see that that makes me one very happy Mommy. :)

And...LBB is super active. He learned how to walk on his own behind his push behind walker, and now he goes all over the place...until he bumps into a wall. At that point he makes it clear that he needs grown-up assistance in turning. I know he knows how to do it, but he is still working on it. He loves chasing the cats with his walker, navigating his way to his toys, and quickly scooting past me in an effort to get to the things he is regularly told "No!" to...like the CPU. I have a feeling once he lets go of that walker and figures out that he can walk on his own, I am going to have my hands full. (And psssst....just a little secret, I'm very excited about it! I'm sure I'll be eating my words then, but don't hold me to it. Ha!)

LBB went to the first session of fall storytime at the library this past week, and he is turning into quite the ham. He was dancing like crazy to the music, singing along, sitting by the librarian and playing with her name tag, and making new friends. I love watching him learn and explore his surroundings, and, to be honest, it's moments like that that I am reassured that I am doing a good job as a Mommy. Sometimes it's easy to doubt yourself, you know? But, then I watch him play, listen, have fun, and most importantly, behave as well as a 9 month old can, and it makes me very happy and proud. I think having the doubts means you are, in reality, a good parent, because you are aware that there are always things you can improve on. I think I worded that right...I am sure you all know what I am saying!

But, seeing that it is 2:30 am, and I am beginning to ramble, I better head to sleep. Tomorrow is sure to be another busy day full of giggles, fun, and chasing a adventerous LBB around. :) Night all!!!

LBB Cracks Me Up!

Everyday with LBB is sprinkled with something new. :) As he gets older, he is showing more and more of his personality...and I LOVE IT! He's hilarious!

The other day we went to Wendy's with his PaPa, GiGi, and Auntie, and LBB happily snacked on a littile bit of Frosty after his dessert...until...he got a brain freeze. :) He got a cute little expression on his face and quickly rested his forehead on the table. I can imagine what was going through his mind..."Oh. My. Gosh. This feels terrible. Argghhh. My brain is freezing!" And after LBB was done with dinner and dessert, he rested his little bitty chin on the table and stared at us with a look that said "I'm all done. Why aren't you people?"

LBB also loves to sneak up on people...except there is one problem. He is not quiet. At all. As he is crawling to the person, all you hear is peals of giggles...and then he'll stand up and laugh when you see him. :) What a goof.

And this evening, my sweet and funny LBB was playing with my cell phone while I picked up the computer desk, and all of a sudden I hear him chattering. I glanced over and didn't think anything of my "innocent" LBB sitting in the middle of the living room. And then, I hear Dear Sweet Hubby's voice through the cell phone! LBB called his Daddy to say hi while Dear Sweet Hubby drove home. :) Too cute!!!!

OK. I'm done gushing...for now. :) Have a great night!

I am 9 months old!

Hi everyone, LBB here!

My mommy said I could write this time because I am 9 months old now, and I am a very big boy. :) Plus, I've had an exciting few days, so I can't wait to share!

First of all, I got a new fish! My first fish Allis went to Fishie Heaven a few months ago. Then my other fish Shelby decided to go see Allis. :( But now, I have a new fish...his name is Google. He is a black goldfish with really funny eyes. He doesn't seem very smart, and smells a little, but I like to watch him and giggle at Google. He spends most of the time swimming along the top of the water...I think his eyes make him floaty. We got some new decorations for his tank too. I picked out a bright orange plant, white rocks, and a cool submarine. I think he likes his home, but my Mommy and Daddy have to clean it up almost every day because he is so messy.

I've been crawling around everywhere, which I'm sure my mommy told you, but I love to crawl! It's my favorite thing to do. I especially love to crawl to places that my Mommy says are no-no's. It's funny watching her say "no." I think she makes a funny face and her voice is much more stern than normal. I giggle at her. Each night when I get a bath, my Mommy and Daddy get me undressed in my bedroom for my bath, and I crawl all the way to the bathroom. I love taking baths now. I don't have to use the baby tub, so I get a whole tub to myself to splash around in. My kitty cat sometimes comes and watches while I take a bath. She is funny.

The other day my Mommy and Daddy took me to the grocery store, and I met a girl there. She was a few years older, but that's ok. She started talking to me, and I held her hand. My Mommy and Daddy say I'm a flirt, but I don't know what that is.

I had to go to the doctor yesterday. I got my height and weight taken, and they said I am 30" tall and weigh 23 pounds 12 ounces. My doctor says I am at the top of my class. I like my doctor, but he keeps telling Mommy that she needs to let me cry myself to sleep. I don't like when he says that. He also said that I can start switching from baby food to real food...that is awesome. I have 4 teeth, with 3 more coming in right now, so I don't like the mushy food anymore. Last night my Mommy and Daddy gave me some Chinese. I had rice and mushrooms, and it was really good. Today for lunch, I had noodles and some sweet potato puffs. I also had some banana baby food, but that is ok, because I really like bananas. When I went to the mall with my Mommy, GiGi, and Auntie, I had some ice cream, raspberry lemonade, soft pretzel, and rice. That was a good day.

We went to the bookstore after my doctor appointment and I got a book about fall. It is fun to look at. It is one that has different textures. I like the squirrel fur the best. We had a squirrel come visit me. He hung on our patio screen. Mommy shooed him off with a book. He really liked seeing me. I liked seeing him too. He was really nifty.

Well, I gotta go for now. Talk to you soon!