This Is How Our Naptime Rolls

That portable DVD player is probably the best $90 we ever spent.

And don't judge...because we probably have the world's most difficult child when it comes to sleeping. :) And if watching 20 minutes of good, wholesome, educational television is what calms him down enough to fall asleep, I'm not going to complain one bit.

Most times he can fall asleep without it, but the days he needs it, there's no sense in arguing the fact.

What tricks do you use to get your little one's to sleep?

Some Rainy Day Fun

Ah, I love Spring. But most of all, I love the rainy days in Spring.

A few days ago, we had a very rainy day...

...and we spent it with a quick morning walk while my little guy wore his Froggie rain boots and Sharkie rain jacket. (Thank goodness for the conveniece store right across the street...I was dying for a Dr. Pepper.)

Then, we built towers with blocks...

...ate lunch with very yummy Alpha-Tots. (Gotta love a great GLUTEN FREE find for LBB.)

And watched a little Veggie Tales.

You can never go wrong with lovely rainy days. We did lots of other fun things that day...like a trip to Chipotle (yum yum yummy yum) and our grocery shopping at Whole Foods (which always makes me a happy girl.)

I love rainy days...there's something so amazingly relaxing and invigorating about them at the same time. So tell me, do you love rainy days? What's your favorite part about them?

And Sometimes I'm Amazed

Well,let me rephrase that.

All the time I'm amazed. :)

LBB keeps growing by the minute. And today, as he worked on an ABC puzzle, we handed him the letter "D", and said the name. Then he said to us:

"D. Duh. Duh. Duck."

Learning letters. Learning phonetic sounds.

Sigh.

1 year ago, I was excited that he was walking running and that he was beginning to talk more. 2 years ago, I was in awe over his sweet smile and waiting for him to roll over.

And now he's on the brink of learning his letters. Asking questions. Learning his colors.

And I'm learning that time goes much too quickly. Much, much, much too quickly.

So, tonight, when it was nearing 11:30 and he was STILL up and not ready for bed, instead of feeling a little too tired to enjoy the moment...I snuggled up with with near 2 1/2 year old, watched Dinosaur Train, and made roaring noises while we learned about Pliosauruses.

It's awesome being a Mommy, no matter how fast the days fly by. :)

To Infinity and Beyond

photo from disney.com

LBB is a Pixar nut. Words can't begin to describe how much he loves Cars, and now his love has extended to Toy Story.

And his favorite?

Buzz, of course. :) My sweet little almost 2 year old does a wonderful buzz impersonation where he sets the "laser" on his arm, and then proceeds to flying around the house making whooshing sounds. It's adorable. And when he is watching Toy Story, which is now a daily thing, he gets excited when Buzz is shown for the first time. And at the part where Buzz realizes he is a toy and that he can't fly, my sweet LBB says in the most sympathetic voice: "Buzz?"

It's adorable...I love seeing LBB turn into a little boy who VROOOMS like Lightening McQueen and flies like Buzz Lightyear. It's all those little stepping stones that show his imagination is beginning to blossom. There's days that I'm very nostalgic that he is getting so big so fast, and then there are those moments when I can't do anything but stop and smile when he pretends he is Buzz.

Elmo & Jason Mraz

We are big Jason Mraz fans in our household. And LBB is a BIG Elmo fan. So, it makes complete sense that LBB is nuts about this video...it's on his Best of Elmo 2 dvd, and it's definitely one of our favorites. :) And whenever he hears "I'm Yours" on the radio (which is often...it's Mommy's relaxing song, haha), he calls it "ELMO!" It's adorable!!!!

And while this blog is titled "Little Boy Blue" there is also that little bit called "and Mommy too." So, here's Mommy's version of the ELMO! song. :)

Also, my thankful thoughts for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and today:


Thankful thought #9: Thankful that my hubby had a good, safe, and productive business trip this week. (That was one of the reasons for my internet break...I had him take the laptop with him.) He had training for his new store opening, and he came back even more excited for this opportunity.


Thankful thought #10: Thankful for a day off with Dear Sweet Hubby after he was out of town for 4 days. It's always nice to just relax and have fun at home after a few days apart.


Thankful thought #11: Thankful for my family...my Dad drove Dear Sweet Hubby down to the airport (and LBB and I so we could say goodbye) and picked him up, just so I wouldn't have to drive through the city. My Mom watched LBB on short notice Thursday morning while Dear Sweet Hubby and I got our flu shots and then did some pre-Christmas shopping for LBB. It means a lot knowing they are close by and there for us when we need them.

I literally unplugged the television...

...and hid it in my room.

LBB has a slight addiction with TV. Ok. I correct myself. EXTREME obsession with TV. So, on Saturday, I called our cable provider and cut us down to basic cable. (I realized we spent too much time in the evening watching shows when we could be doing other things after LBB went to bed.) On the plus side, hello more time together, less annoying background noise, and about $100 extra a month. Sounds good to me.

And then, this morning, LBB woke up raring to go. At the lovely hour of 4 am. See, LBB doesn't care that we practically eliminated cable, because LBB has a plethora of DVDs to watch...and watch them he does. Now, I can defend myself (slightly) and say that all but one that he regularly watches(Cars, of course) is educational. And of course, I will also state that the majority of the time it was on as background noise.

HOWEVER...

I'm not a big fan of being woken up at 4 am to watch "MiMi's" (firetrucks). I always said when I worked at a big orange retail store that once I quit there I would not wake up before 6 am unless it was for a very good reason.

Firetrucks are not a very good reason, unless they are in my parking lot putting out a fire.

And it was then, as LBB sat yelling because I wouldn't turn that black rectangle that sits prevalently in the living room, that I was convinced LBB had an addiction. And as Mommy, it's my job to reign it in. I tried distracting him. Calming him down. And then, after loads of him yelling, I stood up, disconnected the cables, unplugged it, and put it in my room. And here it sits, unplugged and feeling slightly neglected. :)

For a whole entire day. That's right. LBB went a full day without one single moment of television. And oh, goodness, it was wonderful.

He was less cranky (although he is cranky due to a lovely 2 year molar trying to pop through). He played ALL day. He laughed. He danced. He painted. He played by himself off and on, giving me time to organize my entire craft closet. He learned how to jump. He read TONS of books. He took a very decent 2 1/2 hour nap that Mommy used to catch up on some sleep herself. He had loads of fun in preschool. And he even snuggled with me on multiple occasions. :)

Now...this is only for a few days that the TV hides out in our room. Once we know he's gotten it under wraps a bit, we'll put it back out there, and really stick to our guns on TV time. Some rules we decided on:

1. I am going to make a TV cover. Just something that covers the screen (and doesn't look hideous.) When the TV is covered up, no TV. Period.



2. 30 minutes before dinner. Most days, LBB's choice of what he watches, but if we checked out a DVD that has to do with school that day, then Mommy chooses. And after the 30 minutes, TV is turned off, cover put back on, and that is that.



3. On certain occasions, TV can be a reward...like "LBB, please do such and such." And if he does, 15 minutes of whatever he wants to watch.
   


4. One episode of Veggie Tales on Sunday. That can be his "Saturday morning" cartoons. :)



5. And last, but certainly not least...family movie night once a week. Mommy, Daddy, and LBB have yummy snacks, put our PJ's on, and watch a fun movie. Even if it is Cars each week, that is fine.

I'm not kidding when I tell you that he would easily watch Cars 2 times a day, his Mighty Machines movies for the first 2 hours he was awake, and then random things in between. He would play sometimes while he watched, but not like he should have been. I love watching him learn from these shows (like I Wanna Be a Fireman and whatnot), but it has to be in moderation!!!!

Today was wonderful. It was nice not having it on. And when I told Dear Sweet Hubby that I had told LBB that he could watch TV a little before bedtime, even he said "You know, why don't we try to pass on it tonight." :) (My Dear Sweet Hubby also has a weakness for television.) I'm so glad we did. LBB was read two books by Daddy, snuggled on the couch, and had his yogurt. A wonderful ending to a wonderful day. :)

Fingers crossed tomorrow goes just as well. :)

A Lesson in Gentleness

The other night, after LBB was sound asleep and Dear Sweet Hubby was relaxing, I took a much needed Mommy's night out and went to (drumroll please...):

The dollar store.

Oh, yeah, this Mommy knows how to rock her quiet time. ;)

And at the dollar store, I bought tons of goodies for LBB's preschool and 3 snowflakes for our patio. (See, I spoiled myself, haha.) AND...I bought "Mexican Jumping Beans".

I thought there was an off chance that LBB might enjoy them. I thought right. Since introducing him to his little "caterpillars" (we make sure we avoid the term "bean" lest he thinks it is a nommy) he has shown a gentleness that is heart melting and adorable. He quietly whispers "shhhh" when he is telling them goodnight. He softly picks them up and places on the carpet, which he observes as soon as he lays on his belly and props himself up with his arms.

He makes sure the kitties stay away from them. He puts them softly back in their new home (a snack container), and hands them back to me to put up on the counter. It is really the sweetest thing, and a lesson that he was greatly in need of due to his extreme toddler tendencies. :) Who would've figured that for a dollar, I could find a sweet little treat for LBB to learn what it means to be gentle? Not me, that's for sure.

OH, and if you want to read up a bit on these cool little things, check out this article! I'm going to do some research so I can make sure these little guys live for a while.

Story+Art "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle (Spider Craft)

Well, that's a pretty long title...but I wanted to make sure that it could be differentiated because we plan on doing some more crafts about this book this week!

Yesterday on our way to the zoo, I was talking with Dear Sweet Hubby about how I didn't think LBB was necessarily interested in focusing on a letter a week (in addition to a weekly theme.) And then I started talking about how he seemed much more interested in reading the same book over and over and over for a week, and it dawned on me...

Why don't I focus on one story and do a few projects throughout the week that tie into that story. Think story+art, along with a little learning (like a field trip that ties in), and voila...my hybrid of preschool for toddler. :) We are still going to do a weekly theme, but this replaces the major focusing on the alphabet...he's not even 2 yet, so we can postpone that (although we do still point letters out, of course.)

At the zoo, LBB fell in love with "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle (and tried to get a little girl he met to read it to him...what a charmer.) So, of course, I bought it for him, because it is for his preschool, after all...sooooo, that makes it ok. ;)

We decided to do his first project with the book today. A sweet little Paper Towel tube spider. Read on for directions!

The materials we used: A paper towel tube, cut to about 1 1/2 inches. A piece of black construction paper, cut to a length to fit around the tube with a little bit of overlap. 8 pieces of construction paper (cut 1/2" by 3 1/4"), and two wiggly eyes. (Because what kind of spider is it if it doesn't have wiggly eyes.)

LBB had a blast trying to make a glue fountain. :) I put the construction paper around the tube for him, since he is so little...I used invisible tape because it was quicker.

Inspecting the glue bottle before starting his project. We started with a little glue on the end of one leg, and put the leg on the inside of the tube. LBB got about halfway through and decided he was done gluing, so I used tape on the rest and tape to reinforce. After all the legs are attached to the inside, I folded them at the edge of the tube so they sat nicely. This becomes the bottom.

Then, just add a little glue to the eyes (or use those fancy self adhesive ones if you have them...I'm beginning to think they would be worth the investment), and you have a cute little spider. :) LBB's favorite part of any project like this is always gluing the eyes on...it's quite adorable.

Nature Walk

Yesterday we went for a very nice hike along one of our favorite parts of the state. Dear Sweet Hubby and I love hiking, and even with LBB in his carrier, we rarely shy away from most trails. :) We started hiking with LBB last summer when he was 5 months old, and back then, he was carried in the front carrier by me. Needless to say, as he got bigger, I was definitely happy when we invested in a Kelty Child Carrier...and when Dear Sweet Hubby started carrying him. Haha!

But now, LBB has gotten a taste of hiking on his own and not being carried by Mommy and Daddy, and he loves it! So, yesterday, we carried him for about 1 mile before he decided he didn't want to be carried anymore. He then got out and hiked the majority of the remaining 2.6 miles with us...pretty impressive!

What was even more amazing was not just the fact that he was hiking all on his own and for such a long distance, but the curiousity he shows! I love watching him investigate the flowers. Feel the rocks. Pet the wooly caterpillars. Watch a spider crawl by. Clap for the cricket when it jumps. Sing and dance in the middle of the pine trees that he and Daddy ventured off to explore. It is magical.

He is so focused when he hikes. He watches everything. Takes in as much as he can. Collects rocks that he finds interesting, along with sticks, leaves, and you name it.

I have a feeling that we might as well just start leaving the backpack carrier at home...he doesn't show much of an interest in it, and he is well capable of hiking these long distances (he just did a 1.5 mile hike last week as well.) Besides, he has so much fun watching everything on land, on the water, and in the air...and he can absorb so much more when he is on his own two feet. :) He's a natural born outdoorsman, and I know that makes Dear Sweet Hubby soooooo happy.

I love my little outdoors guy.

I Lost My Toddler Manual

Because if I could find it, I'm sure I could find where the pause button is on the 21 1/2 month old model. ;)

LBB had a wonderful day today. He had his first Toddler Storytime at the library, and I was a little nervous, but he did sooooo well. :) He had a few Toddler moments, but thank goodness it is a storytime full of toddlers, because he was not the only one. He sat quietly for a while, which is usually a good sign with LBB because that means he is listening and absorbing. Towards the end he started opening up and stood right by the librarian (remember how much we love her?!?!?) and just watched as she read. Then he wandered off and played with the feltboard. After storytime he brought the felt pieces to the librarian and said bye-bye. So precious.

And...he made a new friend! Two of his friends from Baby Storytime were there (they had moved up a session earlier) so he got to spend some time with them, but when we walked in, he was immediately enthralled with this little baby he saw. And then...

...he met the baby's sister. :)

LBB and this little gal hit it off pretty quickly. She called for him to sit by her in the fire truck before storytime. In storytime they played with the felt board together. She held his arm as they listened to the story and even gave him a hug when she left and said bye. :) Ah...the cuteness of toddlers.

In other LBB news today, he's been an absolute monkey. He climbed up onto the arm of the couch. Stepped up onto the 1 foot tall bench in the firetruck seat at the library. Climbed over his arm chair like it was a mountain. And then, while I was cutting up an apple for him, I turned around to see him SITTING on the top of the kitchen cabinet. AGH! This boy is definitely intent on trying to see how far he can scare me!

But most amazing of the whole night was bedtime. Normally bedtime is pretty drawn out, and depends on perfect timing of tv, storytime, snack, and all that stuff. But tonight...LBB was playing with cars, and we cleaned up so we could do a little letter work before bed. We did a page of his letter workbook, and then got his pj's on. And while normally we would go and watch a little tv while he ate a few crackers or a piece of bread, tonight he crawled into bed. Handed us a bedtime story. And sat quietly (well, with a little bit of talking to his GI Joe) while we read the story, his Bible story, and his Elmo book. Then we said prayer, tucked him and his stuffed friends in, and voila. He was ready for bed. Craziness. Sometimes it is super evident that he is growing up.

I really need to find that Toddler manual...even if I could pause him growing for just a little bit. :)

Elmo, Elmo, Elmo

We are having an Elmo overload in this household. We did LBB's room in Sesame Street because he really showed in interest in all things Sesame Street, especially Elmo. We did his first birthday party in Sesame Street...and it was all cute and adorable.

Until it became an obsession. :)

I always said I wouldn't be one of those moms that got annoyed with what their kids watched, no matter how annoying it may be. That was, of course, before I had LBB. And while I show a great deal of patience for all things Elmo, there are some days that it becomes a tad too much. (And I always make sure I don't let on that I'm getting tired of hearing about Elmo...I know it is a really big thing in his Toddler life, and I want to make sure he knows I am interested in what matters to him.)

Like today...we got LBB all ready for bed, and had his bedtime story placed in his bedtime bin (we put his pj's, diaper, slippers, water sippy, and bedtime story in a bin.) And as we started reading "Hello Calico", he immediately said "Elmo." Sigh. We bought him a pop up Sesame Street book a while back, and it is easily one of his favorite books...but it would be nice to read him another book once in a while. :) So, we snuck in the rest of "Hello Calico" and then read him his Sesame Street book. Then we had to say good night to all of the Sesame Street decals above his bed. We had to put BOTH of his Elmo's in bed with him, Bearemy, and his little fox (there really is no room left for LBB, but he manages. Haha.) And of course, we couldn't leave the room until we followed the normal bedtime routine, with an added set of two kisses for Elmo 1 and Elmo 2.

Sigh. See what I mean? Elmo overload. This coming spring we plan on switching LBB to a twin sized bed, and along with that, a new room theme (I make his quilt, so I want to make a quilt that is going to grow with him...and the Sesame Street theme is not being transferred over!) So, until then, I'm going to dream about redoing his room...and while I know I'll still have to read him his Sesame Street book each night, along with the obligatory Elmo goodnight-kisses, I won't have to say goodnight to decals on the wall. :)

And just as a sidenote, I'm not complaining at all. :) I can't help but smile when he has us be involved with all things Elmo...it is so sweet, but there are definitely moments when I can't wait to have a little less Sesame Street consuming our lives.

There was a clue in yesterday's post...

...about what we were doing today.

Did you catch it? It was in LBB's theme/letter book bin, and was the very first book in the stack.

That's right...that little "Dappled Apples" book was a hint that we were studying apples. And what better way to finish up our Letter A week than with a trip to the apple orchard?

We went down to the apple orchard with my parents and sister, and it was perfect weather for it! We picked apples. Went on a wagon ride. LBB got a little toddler sized pumpkin for his room. We walked through the scarecrow display. Climbed up a hay pile. Watched a camel. Played on a a wooden ship. And LBB even got to listen to some harvest themed children's music...which he danced like crazy to in the wooden ship. :)

Granted, there were a few toddler moments...but he did much much better than I had expected and even sat in the pull behind wagon for a little bit before he got impatient enough to climb out. He had a blast running through the apple orchard, and was very curious when he saw his PaPa climb up a tree to get to some apples that were out of reach. I have a feeling my little monkey was taking notes. Haha!

He did feel bad for the apples that had fallen off the tree, and tried repeatedly to put them (rotting apples and all) into our bag. And if an apple fell while we were picking another one...oh boy. Then he really started fussing. He is such a caring little guy...it melts my heart! :)

So, without further ado, here are some pictures from our day out...enjoy, and hope that you are able to be enjoying some beautiful Autumn-like weather in your neck of the woods!

P.S. Have I mentioned that Autumn is my FAVORITE season?!?!? Hands down...and the crazy thing is that I loved this time of year before we had LBB, but now that we have LBB, I love it even more! :)

A 21 month old and his OCD

What a nice little trait Dear Sweet Hubby and I have passed onto LBB. :)

LBB has a nice habit of lining cars and toys up in neat little rows and groups all throughout the house. In fact, a normal day consists of me coming across at least 4 different groups throughout the house. He lines them up on chairs. He lines them up on window sills. He lines them up on his bed. He lines them up on our bed.

Simply said, my son has OCD. I'm convinced of it. And if you touch the group of cars and move something, he definitely lets you know that he is not happy with your actions. :)

So, for now, all we can do is chuckle a bit...but we do know as he gets older we will have to help him relax a bit and teach him that sometimes it's ok if things are out of place. For now though, he's content in his obsessiveness, and that makes us content.

In LBB's Words: Basketball

I may only be 21 months old, but I know a lot about the world.

And I know A LOT about sports.

That makes me Mommy's basketball coach. See, she doesn't have a whole lot of luck when it comes to certain sports, so it's my job to help her. That's what a good LBB does.

Today, Mommy and I went to the basketball court with my blue bouncy ball. He can really bounce high. I gave Mommy Mr. Bouncy and pointed to the hoop, just in case she needed a refresher course in the basics of basketball. She didn't think she'd do well, and even told me that she wouldn't make a basket, but then she made one, and I yelled proudly for her! I'm a good coach.

I ran and got the ball again, and gave it to her, thinking she would make another basket. But she didn't. I have to be honest and admit that I showed a lot of frustration. I was about to cheer for her, but instead I flung my arms back down and huffed as I walked to go get the ball. Mommy laughed, but I don't think it was very funny. She missed two more baskets after that, and then I decided I didn't want to play basketball anymore. We'll have to try again another day.

After that, Mommy and I played "GO!" It's a game my Auntie made up with me...you stand at the same spot and yell "GO!" and run as fast as you can. I always win...but everybody says it's because I start running and then yell "GO!" They say that is cheating or something like that, but since I'm not even 2 yet, I don't think they can hold me accountable.

I really do love sports. My Mommy and Daddy, and most everyone else, think I will be good at sports. I can't wait till I get to start trying different sports out...but so far my favorites are soccer, throwing (which my mom says will make me a good little baseball player), and running.

Well, that's all for now! Thanks for stopping by and reading! I'm off to dream of kicking my soccer ball around.

Mommy's Night Out, Daddy's Night In

I don't know if you've noticed recently, but I've been blogging a lot...my goal at the beginning of the year was to blog more than I did last year. And then, our computer broke. Now that we have internet access again, I'm trying super hard to catch up...I think I'll make it. Anyways...back to my post. I'm done rambling.

My mom called me today asking if I wanted to go out for a little bit when Dear Sweet Hubby got home from work. I always have such a difficult time leaving, even though as time goes on, I'm getting a bit better at it. Normally when the boys have a Daddy-LBB night out, they go somewhere while I stay home and craft. (Or clean...that's usually what happens.) So the nights that I go out instead...they are pretty rare. :)

We went to the baby store. Breezed around some crafts stores. I drooled over some purses and earrings at one store, while my Mom picked out the most adorable one. Went to a home decor store. Did some price shopping on groceries. (I'm trying to save even more money, so we can get more food...LBB is eating us out of house and home!) And we even grabbed a bite to eat, which was unexpected, but so wonderful. :)

And the boys had a wonderful time too! LBB got some much needed Daddy time, and they played ball, ran around outside, went for a truck ride, played cars, and...this is the most adorable part...they cleaned out a spot in the garage because LBB wanted to push some of his cars around in there. :) Adorable, right? Dear Sweet Hubby keeps a stash of special cars in the garage, so if LBB goes out there he doesn't get bored or into trouble. It's always a highlight for LBB. (Have I mentioned what a wonderful Daddy my Dear Sweet Husband is?)

And when I got back, LBB was covered in just normal little-guy-play-grime and needed a good old bubble bath to get clean. :) So sweet! Mommy time is wonderful for me...and so wonderful for those too as well! Plus, they get the added benefit of a Mommy who got a break. :)

Next time though...I'm going on a payday so I don't have to just drool over the purses! This Mommy needs a new bag since we don't use a diaper bag anymore!

The No-TV Challenge

LBB has been having some issues with too much tv, but the needle that broke the camel's back was when he woke up at midnight the other night demanding to watch tv and not going to sleep until 3 am. That's when Mommy said "Enough!"

So...we're having a momentary tv turnoff for the next few days while LBB is awake. I did let him watch 10 minutes last night before bed as a treat and reward for helping clean up all his Hot Wheels (which is a big job), but tonight I'm going to see how he does without his usual bedtime tv. He hasn't had a problem with naps and skipping it...so we'll see. Send us good wishes that it goes well! :)

But...not having the tv on during the day is so nice. It was getting to the point that it was on just for the background noise sometimes, and to be quite honest, that drives me crazy! I don't like having television be that big in our lives, even if it is wholesome programming that he is watching. Not to say that we aren't ever going to let him watch tv, but we are making him go Cold Turkey for a bit until he can handle himself better with it.

Yesterday and today have had their share of "BOAT! BOAT! TV! TV!" (He loves watching his boat dvd), but I've stood strong and haven't given in, and we're seeing some definite improvement. There's been less fits. Lots more playing. And best of all...lots more reading! Just today (And minus naps, he's been up 5 hours), we've read 8 books! Curious George, Thomas the Train, and of course his Sesame Street Pop Up Book (twice). It's so nice reading with him...it makes this Mommy very happy. He's also painted a picture for his great-grandma. Played with play-doh. Helped me make flashcards for the first 2 weeks of preschool. And even played "basketball" outside at the basketball court (but that's another post.)

All in all, it's been a wonderful day, and it's not even late afternoon yet. I should've tried this "No TV" thing sooner. :)

Drawing Cats

I asked LBB to draw a picture of Cat #2. He picked up the little writing book his Grandma got for him, grabbed his favorite color marker (yellow), and sat right in front of Cat #2. Then he opened up the book and started drawing. :) It was the sweetest thing, and he showed it to me when he was done. There is one leg and a round circle looking object, but I know just what he was working on. I love that little guy...he is so cute and shows such concentration when he is drawing. Each mark he makes is with extreme toddler precision.

He started using crayons when he was 4 months old, and he loved it from the start. Now he loves anything art related...clay, paint, markers, glue, crayons. You name it.

But as I write this, he is walking around with a yellow marker still. And he stopped...stared at the hallway wall and all it's nice white openess, and just as he lifted his arm, I said "We don't color on the wall." He slowly put his arm down, and walked toward me with a defeated look on his face. Ah. He cracks me up.

A Trip to the Wildlife Park

Today LBB and I got to go to the Wildlife Park with his GiGi and Auntie, and he had so much fun! He loved seeing all the animals, and it was so much fun watching him interact with them. And what a nice Wildlife Park! There were deer, chickens, goats, sheep, horses, donkeys, llamas, a lynx, elk, a bobcat, racoons, foxes, and more that I am sure I am forgetting. :)

When we got there, we got a bag of animal feed. LBB lovingly fed a goose (which I think may have been his favorite...) and got to feed a deer. He watched the river otter, and then we made our way to the sheep area. He loved feeding them...he started off with just one, but they quickly became a group that obviously had a plan. Because just when we were least expecting it, the main sheep grabbed the feed bag out of my hand!!!! What a stinker! He dumped the food all over the place, and then ate the bag. Serious.

And my poor little LBB...it traumatized him! He stood there just screaming and crying, so his awesome GiGi made sure we rushed to get him another bag. :) It took him a while to get back in the hang of feeding the animals again...but right towards the end he regained his courage and fed one of the baby goats. It was so sweet.

I am so glad we got to go with my mom and sister! LBB had such a fun time and really got to see all the animals he is always learning about up close and personal (and in the case of the sheep, too personal!) There were so many sweet moments, but it's late...and I think that all the extra moments are best just held close to my heart. :) We'll definitely be going back sometime with Dear Sweet Hubby so he can watch our sweet LBB with the animals. :)

Listening to My Mommy Instincts

I've posted several times before about how I could never get LBB to eat a bite of food.

And then...the other day...I had an epiphany.

{Insert bright lights and angelic singing here}
The epiphany occured as I watched LBB gulp down his whole milk (he loves to drink sippys...I have to bring a sippy of water EVERYWHERE we go, even if it's a quick trip to the store.) And I've read that if your toddler is filling up on liquds to take their sippy and give it to them after they've eaten, but that didn't work either. And then it dawned on me.

He's getting so full from whole milk...why don't I switch to our milk? I mean, sure, he's supposed to be on whole milk until he turns 2, but he's only a few months short. And in my opinion, while I know the argument that whole milk is higher in fat which is good for brain development is a strong one, I'd rather have him getting healthy fat and calories from actual foods.

In fact, he eats so little that he has been the same weight since he was 12 months old or so...and he's grown at least 3 inches. That's not good math.

So. I switched him to drinking the same milk as us on Saturday.

And since then, he's eaten like a champ. He ate french toast. He ate eggs. He ate hashbrowns. He ate fishsticks. He ate chicken nuggets. He ate stir fry chicken. He ate hot dogs.

In fact, one morning, he ate a whole bowl of oatmeal, a waffle, and a sippy of milk.

Insane, huh? And that's all on top of his normal love for fruit and snacks! I'm so impressed. He's happier. More energetic (which I did not think was a possibility, but it is.) And he is so willing to try new things now!

Before bed tonight, when he would usually be begging for water or the such, he pointed to the fridge and pulled out his plate from dinner that had the last of the hashbrown, corn, and fish stick, and sat on the couch and ate it.

I'm so glad he's eating...I was starting to majorly stress over it. But now I breathe a little sigh of relief each time I hand him his plate...and I actually look forward to cooking. :) Before it was a little depressing knowing that he would just turn his sweet little nose up at anything I made. :)

But even more so, I'm just glad I listened to my gut. It's hard to do in this day and age when every doctor insists that their way is the right way, but I have to remember, that deep down, I'm his Mommy and I know what is going on with him. That's pretty empowering.

He's a Hoot

LBB makes me chuckle. Constantly. :)

Well, not constantly. There are those moments when I am convinced he is just testing my patience for the fun of it. But I still try to smile it off. I do well 98% of the time.

He is absolutely in love with trains and boats right now. Whenever he hears the train that blows it's whistle near our house, LBB stops what he is doing and yells "CHOO-CHOO!!!!" It's super cute, if I do say so myself. And tonight, he spent some time watching train videos on YouTube. Then he watched a clip of the Thomas the Train movie he watched yesterday. And...when it came time for bed, insisted on bringing one of his Thomas engines to bed with him.

And when it comes to boats, that little guy is just like his Daddy. :) Apparently a love of all things that float on the water is hereditary. He first started saying "boat" when we went on vacation and got to see some big ships. And for a while, he thought that the train blowing it's whistle was actually a boat, but he knows the difference now. So, among the train videos, he also watched a LOT of boat videos as well. Then, proceeded to go through his room to find all the boat toys he could and bring them out to the living room.

Oh...he's such a boy. And I love it. When we first found out we were pregnant with LBB, I can admit that I was originally hoping for a girl. :) (After all, don't most mommies?) And the day we found out that the little baby that was being so rambunctious, so stubborn, and so strong, was a boy, fear took over. I didn't know what to do with boys! Needless to say, I got over that fear within days, and spent my pregnancy super excited that we would be welcoming a bouncy baby boy. And when he arrived, it was love at first sight. Now I am in awe that I could have had any fears over raising a boy.

And each night, when I put away Hot Wheels, clean up Duplos, rebuild train tracks, put his ride-on fire truck back by the window (and his fireman hat on top of it), and put oodles and oodles of truck, car, firefighter, and construction books back on the book shelf, I am struck by how awesome it is to have a little boy...

...and how awesome it is, that whenever we hear a train or see a boat, he makes this wonderful look of excitement and surprise and says "WHOA!" Sigh. He's sleeping right now, but if I could I'd give him tons of big Mommy hugs. :)

God is very good and knows exactly what he is doing, that's for sure. :)