Just a short little update...

Our computer bit the dust a few months ago...so it's been no blogging for me. And at first I thought for sure I'd miss facebook the most...it's honestly the time I write in my blog that I miss the most. I write for the people who read it, but to be honest I love looking back at my entries and chuckling at the little things LBB does.

And speaking of LBB...he's been growing by leaps and bounds and learning tons everyday! Just when I was beginning to think that he wasn't going to talk and the worry-gene of mommyhood starting setting in, LBB had a "language explosion." Everyday he's learning something new!!! It's absolutely amazing to listen to him talk and, honestly, the majority of the time we can understand everything he says. The past few days he has reintroduced his love of the word "No", which he had learned a long time ago but had seemed to forget about. And of course, now the word has much more drama when said. :) But much to the happiness of my parents and sis, LBB finally says "PaPa", "GiGi", and my sister's name. It's adorable. Whenever we see a van like PaPa's or a S.U.V like GiGi's, he points to them and says their name. He makes me smile.

He is learning animal noises. Can match colors. And pretty much is a walking sponge with as much as he is learning.

We went on vacation and sat on the beach. Walked around the canal area. Sat on a balcony overlooking the water, and ate ice cream. It was absolutely wonderful. LBB has been having so much fun just absorbing, and Dear Sweet Hubby and I have been soaking up every wonderful moment of watching him. I'm so blessed that I am able to be a stay-at-home mommy!

He's gone for bike rides with PaPa. Had playdates with his new friend. And started baby story time two weeks ago...

...and had a major issue each week. He kept getting cranky halfway through and acting up, and after trying to figure it out with the children's librarian, we both came up with the same theory...LBB is getting bored. :) He's been ready to move up to the next class for some time now, but is technically too young to do so. But, thankfully, his librarian wants to move him up to Toddler Storytime!!!! We're so excited! During the baby storytime activities he's been bored and able to do all of them while the others in the class aren't...so I think Toddler Storytime will be a nice challenge for him.

It's just amazing how fast he is growing. He looks like a little boy more than a baby, and it's so important to us to make sure we enjoy each moment.

So in hindsight, although I miss the internet, it's been a blessing to have a forced reduction of the time spent on here. I've slowed down. Focused on life. And enjoy every minute of it.

Not to say that I won't be upset when we get a new computer...on the contrary...I'll be happy because I can blog again and share photos of my sweet LBB on facebook for family and friends, but I've definitely learned a lesson of how much is too much. Too much computer is bad...but there is no such thing as too much of time with my LBB.

So, until next time that I take a few minutes at my parent's to write a blog post, have a good rest of the summer!!!!

18 Months...nearly

Last night I read an article about how around 18 months, you'll see an "explosion" in your child's vocabulary.


Sure thing, article that doesn't know my stubborn boy. :)

But then, this morning, just a little over two weeks from LBB's 18 month "month-day", LBB proved them right. He's been a regular chatterbox today. He was sitting on my lap and turned to me and said, clear as day:

"Hey, Mom."

Uh. That's a bit strange.

Then he was playing with THIS puzzle, and I held up the cow and said "This is a cow. Can you say cow?"

And guess what he said.

Yep, that's right. "Cow." So I asked him again to say cow. And he did. Then I held up the cow and said "What is this?" And guess what he said.

Yep..."cow." (Granted it sounds a bit like "caw" but we're getting there.)

So, then I asked Mr. Smartie Pants what sound cows make. And guess what he said.

"Baa." :) Close. But no cigar.

And in other amazing, my-kid-is-a-smartie-and-I-have-no-shame-bragging-about-him-on-this-little-bitty-blog, news, we picked up THIS toy last night, and by this morning, LBB was already able to get all but THREE off the blocks on the right color pegs. Isn't that awesome? And he was also able to get all the pieces in the right place on his little barnyard puzzle, too. It was a very exciting day for us! :)

And just for the record...we adore these Melissa & Doug toys. They are hands down the best toys. Ever. Our wish list of toys from them is growing nearly everyday. ;)

Tot School: Week 1

LBB is 16.5 Months.

Theme of the Week: Our Body

This was our first week of Tot School, and we had lots of fun! We are learning what works best for us. So, here's our weekly recap!

Monday

Dear Sweet Hubby was home when we did Tot School today, so LBB and Dear Sweet Hubby worked on putting the eyes, mouth, and nose on the face I cut out of cardstock paper. LBB did ok with this...but had more fun trying to eat the paper eyes. He did have lots of fun pointing out everyone's nose, and could point to his nose when asked. He still has a bit of trouble with his eyes and nose, but every so often he can point to them when asked. We went with my Mom to pick my Dad up, and on the way there, LBB had a blast pointing out the airplane he saw and all the trucks and buses. I am going to make sure we do a week about cars, trucks, planes, and trains. :)

LBB also had a blast dancing to Head Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. All in all, it was a wonderful first day of Tot School! We read "The Nose Book" by Al Perkins and his Sesame Street Babies Eyes & Nose, Mouth & Toes book.

Tuesday

We watched a Baby Einstein DVD called Baby DaVinci:From Head to Toe. We got through the eyes, mouth, and ears segment, and LBB was able to point to his eyes, ears, and nose more consistently, but not as often as just his nose. LBB played with his Sesame Street Your Body flashcards while I pointed to each body part on him, which he got a kick out of. We did pudding body paint in the evening (right before bathtime! HaHa!) and he had a blast painting his tummy and his arms.

But the most exciting thing was when we were reading a book called "Pirates" by Viviana Garofoli, he was able to find the little green bird that was on each page! The first time he did it with me I thought it was a fluke, but when Dear Sweet Hubby came home from work, I read the book to him, and LBB was able to find the little green bird each time as well! So exciting! We also read "The Shape of Me" by Dr. Seuss. (In the picture below.)

Wednesday

LBB was able to point to his knees while we were dancing to Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes today! I was so proud of him. He was also able to show me his foot when I asked him where it was. (He'd do this cute little leg lift thing and smile at me. Adorable.) We used his felt board and person that I made, but he was more interested in pulling the person off the felt board and trying to go for a walk with him than anything else, but that's ok. :) That's the fun of tot school! He also took his Melissa and Doug wooden food playset and fed his Bearemy a stick of butter. I asked him if he could feed Bearemy and put the food in his mouth, and LBB got it right away. :)

Thursday

We discovered that since this is usually storytime day, we are going to skip doing Tot School at home on the days he has storytime at the library. He gets so much stimulation from storytime that by the time we get home, neither of us seem very motivated to do Tot School. :)

At storytime, they learned about Springtime Animals (just in time for Easter). At the beginning of each class, they do a little drum song to introduce themselves, and as usual, LBB was nuts about the drum. He loves playing it and is the most vocal of all the kids in there when he gets the drum. They also played with little bunny and chick finger puppets, and after showing him once that it goes on the finger, he was able to put it on all by himself. He did great sharing with the others, and loved when it was parachute time. :) I love taking him to storytime because he has such fun.

When we got home, we worked on some Easter stuff. We made Jelly Bean Prayer Eggs for his PaPa, GiGi, Auntie, and Daddy, and he had a blast putting each bean in the egg. It's a great way to introduce colors! We also brought out his Easter Sensory Bin. I dyed some rice some nice springy colors, and then made some Egg Shakers out of plastic eggs (making sure to tape them shut so he couldn't get to the beans and such). We put some empty eggs in as well, and his grasshopper shovel and rake, and he went to town. LBB loves his sensory bin, and we are going to start changing it up each month with a new theme. He loves to scoop and dump the rice.

Friday

LBB didn't have any Tot School today, although we did introduce the Letter A to him. I made a Letter Basket (I'll have to take a picture this week) and put things in that start with the letter A. I also printed two A's off the computer and cut them both out. One I put some magnets on the back and put on the dishwasher (his magnet area), and the second I just let him tote around. We are taking an approach of slowly introducing each letter of the alphabet in play so that it doesn't get to structured right now. Once he gets used to Letter A and can point it out when asked, we'll introduce Letter B. :)

We also put LBB in nursery at church for the first time today! We were at the Good Friday service, and he was being very rowdy, so I brought him done there, and he did excellent! I was more nervous than he was! We also brought him on Easter, and he had even more fun, and found another little guy his age to play with. So sweet!

Saturday

LBB colored eggs today, and he had a BLAST! He loved dropping them in the dye and pulling them out (using his hands, of course.)

So, there's our week! We had tons of fun doing all the activities, and I look forward to this week. I noticed a big change in LBB...it really helps having some time each day taken out to focus on doing something with him. We played before, but it is easy to get distracted (Both he and I! HaHa!) so it's nice being focused. We've also had a lot more luck with meals now that I'm planning every single one of them...snacktimes included. I know I was doing a good job as a mom before, but I feel like I'm doing even better now! Yay!

15 Months...

...WHAT?!?!?!

OK. So I don't know how that happened! But then again, I suppose I've said that a lot on here, so it's probably old news to all of you. :) However, it still knocks my socks off how quickly time flies by with a child. Sigh...stop growing LBB!

But truthfully, I wouldn't trade this stage for anything. Newborn LBB was fun. 6 month LBB was a blast. 9 month LBB was exciting. 12 month LBB was amazing. But toddler LBB...well, that's a whole different scenario. There's never a dull moment with him (as I said in my last post), and there is not a day that passes that he doesn't learn something new. Or does something hilarious.

And that's not to say there haven't been some...issues. :) I read a quote tonight that said "Raising kids is part joy and part guerilla warfare." (Ed Asner.) Yeah, I'd say that sums it up pretty well.

Since I haven't done one of these in a while, here's an update of LBB at 15 months...I'd share his height, but I only have his weight due to a nice little ER visit on Friday night. LBB weighs 25.6, which means he didn't seem to gain a whole lot of weight, but, he also sprouted up a few inches in my opinion, so I think it all evens out. So here goes. At 15 months, LBB:

• can feed himself with a spoon. It's a tad messy, because, well, he tips the spoon upside EVERY time. Most of the time it's a gamble if it's going to make it in his mouth, or on his leg (which still makes it in his mouth...and he still uses the spoon. I really should start taking bets with Dear Sweet Hubby whether or not each spoonful will make it in. :) And he won't let us help him much anymore, either, so if we want him to eat anything...we have to let him do it himself. He's embracing this independence thing with arms wide open.
• And speaking of eating...he is the pickiest eater ever. I swear. (However, I'm sure my mom would disagree with this. LOL!) He only likes applesauce, mini-beef ravioli, corn, Gerber fruit snacks, and Chipotle. Yes, you read that last one right...bring him to Chipotle and he can put down a small quesadilla, a serving of pinto beans, a little rice, a whole container of chocolate milk, and some of their fresh salsa. Crazy kid (and he doesn't even flinch when he eats a bit of jalapeno, whereas I'm reaching for a drink as quick as possible!)
• Loves to dance. He's a big fan of music in general...he'll pretty much listen to anything and find a beat to dance to.
• Is running. And it scares the living daylights out of me.
• Can climb onto the couch. And bounce on it. And maniacally run across it despite all attempts by Mommy and Daddy to stop him. He's fallen off once, but it still hasn't fazed him.
• Is learning to say the word "Baby."
• Is doing great in his toddler bed, although we do have a few rough days here and there.
• Can help make bread. Sweeps the floor. Helps unload the dishwasher. And use his swiffer to "clean" after he's swept. He can also put things back where they belong, and sometimes we don't even need to ask him to.
• Loves going for walks.

Hmmm. I'm forgetting things. And I can't go look because his milestone calendar is hanging in his room, and he is finally asleep. :) So, I suppose it's off to work on his curtains for his new room! Have a great night!

Well, well, well...

It's been awhile again, hasn't it?

And LBB sure looks peaceful in that picture, doesn't he? It is quite opposite though during his awake hours, that is certain. :) During his awake time, he is pulling dvd's off the shelf, throwing books on the floor, chasing the kitties, climbing over the furniture, asking to go for walks around the apartment building, and avoiding his toys in general.

So, there's my excuse...I've been chasing a busy toddler around all day. :) A busy toddler, who, incidentally, is now a toddler who sleeps in a toddler bed! We made the decision a little over a week ago to switch him over...he'd been attempting to climb out of his crib, with no successes. So I decided we would do a trial run of his crib conversion, and he did amazing the first day and night. Then, for a few afternoon naps after that, we had some major struggles, so yesterday I pulled out his playyard and put him in there for afternoon nap. Guess who is sleeping soundly in his toddler bed right now for naptime? :) Yep...apparently he didn't have any desire to sleep in the playyard again, so he is snuggled up with his Bearemy and GiGi blanket.

I'm amazed at how well he did transitioning...and I'm even more amazed at how parenthood changes with something that is seemingly simple. Now, we can read his bedtime stories, with him in bed. We can say his prayers with him tucked in and comfy. And we can give him a little kiss when we check on him at night. It is quite the amazing feeling. :)

I have loads of other fun things to share with you, but I think I'm going to share those for a later post...I've got a little bit of free afternoon time that I haven't had in the past few days, so I am going to go do something fun. Or maybe constructive. I don't know...it's just nice to have a little quiet time. :)

The King of Clean

I have a new helper in my morning chores. :)

The other day while I was sweeping up the hallway, LBB went into the hall closet and pulled out the swiffer. And quickly went to work "cleaning." He swiffered his bedroom. Swiffered the hallway. Swiffered the kitchen. And even attempted to swiffer Cat 2. Granted, I don't put the swiffer pad on (can you imagine how many I'd go through?!?!?), but LBB is very excited to help clean up the house.

It's now a morning routine...I pull out the broom and hand LBB the swiffer. And Dear Sweet Hubby is off today, and seeing that the swiffer was very big for LBB, shortened it up for him. Now, LBB has a LBB-sized swiffer that he can use to his hearts content. He spent this morning helping around the house, and is keeping his swiffer in the hallway for easy accesibility. :) You never know when you might have a mess that needs swiffering.

Now...if I can only get a guarantee that he'll be like this when he is 15. Hmmmm.

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. :)

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. :)

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. ;)

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!

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!

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.

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!

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. :)

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!!!

Let's chalk this up to mobility...

LBB's mobility, that is. :)

Pardon the lack of blogging recently...life was crazy. Then a little more crazy. And suddenly, LBB learned how to crawl.

And...

Life. Changes. Drastically.

But, I must add, in a very good way.

LBB has been working on the crawling aspect for a while...he could just never seem to get the hang of the whole butt up and chest up at the same time. Then, a few days ago, he figured out the army crawl. Both Dear Sweet Hubby and I were ecstatic...our LBB was finally mobile. And, by the next night, he was a full fledged crawler.

And now...he is into everything. We had childproofed the house a while back, but I never imagined all the stuff he can get into. And run into. And bonk his head on...they need to seriously invent furniture that is completely childproof. I love watching him explore though. He's figured out that he can go from room to room, and spent this morning crawling around the house investigating everything he sees (needless to say, the baby gate got put up today.)

And oh, poor Cat #2. She loves LBB dearly, but she was always able to leave his side when she needed some time for herself. Not so anymore. LBB will hunt her down, and relentlessly pursue her, no matter how many times I pick him up, put him somewhere else, and sternly say "no." Now she's taken to hiding behind the curtains in our bedroom window. :)

The wonderful thing about LBB is this: once he figures something out, he is eager to learn the next step. So, within one day of crawling, he was pulling himself up on furniture and inching along to get to things he wanted. He is beginning to walk behind his little push toy, and if you hold his hands, he can walk easy-peasy. :) That's my guy...a little go-getter.

So, that is my very valid excuse for my lack of blogging...I've been on my toes chasing him when he is awake, and cleaning up after him when he is asleep. :) It's a different type of motherhood than what I was experiencing 2 weeks ago, but it is such a wonderful change that there is no possible way I can complain!

It's been a while, hasn't it?

As most of you probably know, I've been on an internet hiatus. And my oh my, what a nice break it was!!! I could almost get by without coming on here ever again. Almost. But then I'd miss my friends, all the valuable information, and let's be honest here, all the silly mindnumbing games I've somehow gotten addicted to on facebook. :)

But in that time away from this amazing box of information (aka my computer), I got a lot done.

OK. Let me take that back. I really didn't get as much "stuff" done as I planned. But I did a lot more important things than stuff. I cuddled. I played. I read. I relaxed.

I simply enjoyed life.

What a wonderful blessing that was. And what a wonderful life to enjoy!

That time away made me cherish the moments that are fleeting...the sitting-in-the-middle-of-the-living-room-and-reading-to my-sweet-LBB moments.

The first few days I did get quite a bit accomplished...and I suppose I still got a lot done even though I didn't get everything done on my list. I made shoes for LBB. I played the Alice in Wonderland Nintendo DS game my sweet hubby got me for my bithday (that's right. My birthday. Two months ago. And this was the first time playing it. Wow.) I worked on a few things for my etsy shop. And some other things that I can't quite remember at this point. :)

So, that's the update on that.

And what did sweet LBB do while on Mommy was on an internet hiatus, you may ask? Well...lots in fact. He's been one very busy boy since I last wrote. In the past three weeks, he has gone to the zoo twice, gone to the aquarium once, got to see his Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt that live in Las Vegas, went on the carousel, started sipping from his sippy cup, gone to more library storytimes, smiled at every person he sees everywhere he goes (we are definitely going to have a nice loooooonnng talk about "stranger danger" when he comes of age), and most recently, the biggest developments all at once:

*He is going to sleep on his own. In his crib. Not in our bed. I loved the whole cosleeping concept...and I miss knowing he is right there. But I always said that when he was ready he'd let us know. And he slowly did. And now he is in his crib as we speak, sound asleep. Not to mention he is now going to bed TWO hours earlier than he used to and sleeping through the night. WHAT?!?!?! How did this happen? All I have to say is I am very proud of my LBB.

*His tooth is coming in...finally!!! Dear Sweet Hubby got his first tooth at 4 months or so. I got my first tooth at (wait for it, wait for it) 13 months. So, quite honestly, we didn't know what to expect with LBB. 4 months came and went. 5 months came and went. 6 months came and went. And still not a single sign of a pearly white. 7 months came and...almost...went. :) But, a few days ago, LBB went to go gnaw on my finger (which is a very common thing for him), and I was taken aback by a sharp little thing in the bottom of his mouth. And then...the next day, TWO sharp little things in the bottom of his mouth. That's right. All these months with no little teeth, and BAM! Two at a time.

*He is almooossstt crawling. This morning he got one arm moved and then fell. This evening he moved both arms and legs and fell. Tomorrow...who knows. But his GiGi told him she expects him to be crawling when she gets back Sunday night. :) Maybe it'll be just the motivation he needs.

*And he is almoooossstt standing up on his own! Serious! He's been pulling himself up slowly but surely. Last night I sat in the chair and he was on the floor, and he turned himself around a bit and pulled himself up. And then fell flat on his bottom. The crib is definitely going down to the lowest level now! My LBB is nearly mobile!

So, that's what is new in LBB world. :) Quite a bit, isn't it?

Oh my! 7 months!!!!

Less than half a year until LBB turns ONE year old? Wow. I cannot believe how fast time goes with him! Everyone always said it would...but I never believed it until the day he was born! Since that moment, time has flown. I love every moment of it.

This past month has been THE most fun month of all so far! We still have the cuddliness, but LBB has turned into a very playful, very active, and very opinionated little guy! And, at 7 months, LBB:

• is sitting up all on his own! He started this days after he turned six months. I love that he can sit up now...he plays tons with his toys, loves to play peekaboo with his blanket, and "reads" his books, all while sitting up like a big boy.


• is getting even closer to crawling on his own. A few days ago, he would lean forward from sitting and try to crawl and fall flat on his face. :( But the past two days, he goes from sitting position to crawling position and holds himself up like that until he tries to crawl, then he topples. :) I know one of these days, he will start crawling when we least expect it. Time to pack up the coffee table...I don't want him to bump his head on it, and I definitely know that he'll want all the room he can get once he is seriously mobile.


• scoots like crazy. He doesn't get too far away from his starting point, but he can easily turn himself all around.


• no teeth yet, but little signs of teething here and there. I feel so terrible for him when his teeth are bothering him.


• loves taking baths in the big tub. He is crazy about bath toys, especially the tugboat that his Auntie got him.


• has been going to storytime on a very regular basis at our library. He loves the books, the songs, and watching the other kids.


• has been in his Daddy's boat! We went for a ride for the first time today. LBB did well at first, but then was not a happy camper. But, we know that a little bit here and there will help him be comfortable out on the water.


• We've gone to car shows, fun fest, fireworks, and so much more! LBB loved the fourth of July festivities and didn't cry once during the fireworks! He did so wonderful and is such a brave boy.


• picks toys out of his toy bins. I love watching him decide what he plays with!


• is slowly transitioning to sleeping in his crib more than our bed. I don't mind when he co-sleeps. But he has been stirring more, and I think he may be getting ready to be in his own bed. The majority of his daytime naps are in his crib, and he sleeps the first two hours in his crib. We are trying to incorporate more crib-time at night than bed-time. :) He is still not sleeping through the night...but like I've said before, I believe that when he is ready he will just do it. Until then, trying to convince him is just a moot argument!


• Tried Stage 3 foods a few weeks ago...he did pretty well for the first time. He got a tad gaggy after 5 or 6 spoonfuls of lasagna, but we'll try again in the next week or so. He loved having different meals to try though, that's for sure! One thing we have discovered...this boy loves sweets. :) You can tell he is my son! LOL!


• is chattering up a storm. Showing much more personality. And revealing that in about 17 months I am really going to have my hands full with a very spirited 2 year old! At least I'm prepared! He can say MaMa right now, and actually associates it with me for the most part. I love it! Except for when he is crying and keeps saying my name...then I feel like crying for him! LOL

OK...I think that is all I've got. I think. If something needs to be added, I will put it in here!

Guess what LBB did today?!?!

Allow me to brag for a bit.

This evening, when we got home from seeing his GiGi, he was not an iota of tired. So, I put him in front of THIS toy that he got from Santa for Christmas. And guess what...

He sat up by himself for easily 15-20 minutes completely unassisted!!!! And, to make it even more impressive, he was playing, spinning parts of the toy around, and opening and closing the storage bin. What a smartie!

Isn't that insane? I knew he was getting close to sitting on his own, and granted I don't think he could stay upright in the middle of the room with nothing to hold onto, but it's a start! He can sit by himself in the middle of the room, but he leans really far forward...almost to the point that his little chin is on his knees. :)

OK...that's all. I just had to brag a bit! I'm off to bed before LBB wakes up for his 2 am cuddles!