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. :)