Things That Make Me Smile

Videos like this from daycare:


Dancing from Kelly Walker on Vimeo.

Seeing Andrew cuddling his duck on the monitor when I wake up:

His insane bedhead:

Watching my pineapple get bigger:

My little munchkin cracking himself up:


So apparently screaming is funny from Kelly Walker on Vimeo.


And the fact that it's Friday!  Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Wiggle Love

We haven't been ones to sit our kid down in front of the tv to keep him occupied. Not that I think a kid watching tv is the end of the world - we just didn't have anything that seemed to interest him.  He really doesn't pay any attention to it when it's on with the news or whatever sport we are watching at the moment.

That all changed once The Wiggles came on.

Andrea had mentioned that he likes the music if they put a Wiggles video on at daycare. (No - they don't use tv to babysit the kids at daycare - they sometimes put on a video with music in the playroom during playtime).  Anyway, this past weekend I set our DVR to record some of them to see what would happen.

This is what happened:

For a good 10 minutes he sat transfixed by the singing and dancing Australians.  It was pretty comical to see him watching it. And when a song started up he "danced" around to the music.

So yeah - I don't plan on using the television to keep my kid entertained for hours on end, but if it gives me 15 minutes to get some dinner started or the dishwasher unloaded (without the munchkin "helping") I'll take it.  If only those songs weren't so annoying...

Wordless Wednesday ~ 15 Months of Awesome

15 Months!

Seriously cannot believe that the little munchkin is 15 months old.  Where has the time gone???

(He seems to be getting over his intense hatred of shoes)

Age:  15 Months

Stats:  I'll find out his real stats tomorrow at his 15 month appt, but I'm guessing he's pushing 25 lbs and 31.5"
UPDATE: Here are his stats for 15 months:
Weight: 23 lbs 10 oz (37th percentile)  He dropped down from 46th at 12 months and has only gained 18 oz in 3 months.
Height: 31 inches (48th percentile)  Down from 66th at 12 months. I don't think this was very accurate and want to measure him myself here.
Head:  19 inches. Not sure on the percentile because the nurse had him marked at 18 inches and the doctor remeasured since his head would have had to have shrunk for that to be right.

Size (diapers, clothes, etc.):  I believe we are nearing the end of the size 3 diapers.  They still fit fine and he doesn't leak (much), but I've started doing a 4 for overnights because holy hell can this kid pee a lot in his sleep!  12 month onesies still fit and some 12 month rompers, but for the most part I have him in 18 month ones. All 18 month pajamas because he's too long for the others.  The 18 month shorts are ridiculously huge on him, though.  Oh, and a few weeks ago I put him in a swim trunks from last summer (6 month size) and they fit over his diaper but were pretty short - I thought it was pretty hysterical.  :)

Sleeping:  On weeknights he sleeps ~ 10.5 hours at night (we wake him up at 7:00) with one long nap in the afternoon. Some days he has still been asleep when I pick him up at 5:00 after going down for a nap at 1:00.  On weekend nights we let him sleep in the morning til he wakes up and he normally goes for 12 hours or so. Still only one nap, but normally not as long as at daycare.  Two hours is about his max on the weekends.

Eating:  He's getting better about eating, but is still nowhere near what some of the other babies I see out there.  He's a big fan of oatmeal, pancakes (with peanut butter on them), french toast sticks, mac n cheese, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, fruit loops, yogurt bites, strawberry newtons, and cheesy puffs.  He is starting to do better drinking milk out of a sippy cup so we're at least making some progress.  I'm interested to see what the pedi has to say tomorrow about his eating.

Milestones:  Two of his 1 year molars made an appearance this past weekend (with lots of crabbiness to go with them!).  Still NOT walking or standing independently, though.  He cruises, he climbs, he crawls like a madman, but he doesn't have any interest in walking.  He's babbling even more than before and he's started trying to repeat words after us sometimes.  

New adventures:  He had his first time really playing in the sand at the beach this month (he's not sure if he's a fan yet) and we've broken out his baby pool which he seems to love.

Favorite toys and activities:  He's finally started putting things into things so now he loves the little plastic dumptruck I got for him since he can put the blocks in the back and dump them out.  He also loves the stacking rings since he's figured out to put them on.  I think his very favorite things are cars that he can push around (he will push them all over the house) and he likes the foam letters during bathtime (he's even started putting them into the little bath toy bin).

What I'm looking forward to:  We're taking a little vacation to the mountains of NC next month around my mom's birthday. That will be our first vacation with the  munchkin in tow - should be interesting.

"Dut"

What the hell is "dut" you ask?  Well, that is Andrew's attempt at saying "duck".  See for yourself:

I've been a little bit worried because I read about all these other babies that already seem to have a full vocabulary (Dude - I so need to stay off The Bump) and our little munchkin doesn't say much more than 'mama' and 'dada'.

I have felt like a bad mommy for not working with my kid more and getting him to talk.  His 15 month appt is this Wednesday (Jesus! How is this kid already 15 months old?!?) and I worry that Dr. Graham is going to wonder what's wrong with  my non-walking and non-talking kid.  To be fair, it's not like he is silent. He babbles constantly, but I can't understand a damn thing he's saying.  He seems quite content with his conversations, however.

On Saturday I was playing with him and his big stuffed duck.  When I said duck he repeated "dut" after me.  I can't even tell you how happy I was that he was trying to repeat after me.  I'm not 100% sure that he associates it with his yellow fluffy friend, but I'll take it.

At the very least he is repeating after us.  Now I just need to get J to clean up his potty mouth before the munchkin repeats another "-uck" word.

Good News (I Guess)

This morning on my way in to work I went to Nason Medical Center to have my foot looked at. I considered just going to Doctor's Care (AKA Doc in a Box) but decided that Nason is a little more high tech and a lot less skeezy.

Got there right at 8:00 when they open and by 8:45 my foot was being x-rayed.

Right around that joint above my middle toe is where it hurts.  As in hurts-to-touch-my-foot hurts.  The doctor gave it a little squeeze and I almost kicked him in the face.

Anyway, there is no break (at least not one visible on the x-ray) so they diagnose me with a nice case of tendinitis.  A prescription for some Anaprox and orders to "take it easy" and I was out the door.  I'm supposed to only do low impact things for a while until it heals.  And he said when it starts to feel a little better don't take that as a sign that I can get back to running. I guess I'm supposed to be pain free before I do that.

Damn.

There goes all the progress I'd made with my mileage the last month or so.  I'm not sure how I'm supposed to get through the next however many weeks without being able to run or do some good hard cardio. I already feel like a slug and it's only been a week.  Maybe it's time to look in to using the pool at one of the other locations for my gym.  Maybe I can squeeze in some laps between all their geriatric water aerobics classes.

Stupid tendons...

I Overdid It

I think it's official - I've pushed too hard with my running.

At the beginning of the year I set the goal to run at least 50 miles per month.  I've done great so far (except January when for some reason I was a slack-ass and only ran 30) and started out June with a bang.  The first week I ran 21 miles and then last week I got in 16.  Of course in all my enthusiasm for making up some mileage and creating a buffer I decided to ignore the somewhat dull ache in my right foot.

As of last Friday I could no longer ignore it and it was no longer just a dull ache.

I finished up my 5 mile run with a noticeable limp.  By the time I got home there was no denying that something was wrong.  I spent the rest of Friday night limping around trying not to put much pressure on it.  I had some trouble sleeping that night because it hurt, but I'm a glutton for punishment and still got up and did a 21 mile bike ride with some friends on Saturday morning (the only reason I did was because I could pedal without pressing down with the sore part of my foot).  I spent the rest of the weekend (and this week) trying not to hurt it any further all the while taking ibuprofen and crossing my fingers that it would heal itself.

Now here we are almost a week later and it hasn't gotten any better.  I've been wearing flip flops at work when I'm upstairs in the office.  If I have to go downstairs where people will see me I put on real shoes, but when I'm walking around upstairs I don't want to be walking around in heels.

I haven't been to the doctor yet because I'm not sure what they can do for me besides tell me to rest and stay off of it as much as possible.  Of course I've been seeking the advice of Dr. Google and I'm about 85% certain that I have a stress fracture in my foot.  Awesome.

According to this I should rest for 6-8 weeks to let it heal.  I am, in a word, bummed.  I had been doing so well with my mileage and was ahead of where I needed to be and now I can't do anything.  I can't even go to the gym and do the elliptical because it hurts too damn much.  I feel like an absolute slug from not getting to do any cardio and it's killing me.  I am going to try to ride a stationary bike today and see if that feels ok.

I know I need to let it heal and then ease myself back in, but I know that once it does feel better I am going to be so tempted to go right back to running (and running hard).

So yeah - I pushed too hard and now I'm paying for it.  This sucks.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Giant Berry? Or Tiny Pepper??

Toddle Along Tuesday ~ Dear Andrew

This week's topic for Toddle Along Tuesday is a letter to your kid in the future.  Even though I sometimes still have trouble picturing my little munchkin as a grown up I know that he is growing and changing every day, so in the future I would like him to read this:

Dear Andrew,

First and foremost I want you to know that I love you as much today as I did the day you came into our lives.  Watching you grow has been the greatest pleasure of my life.  As you embark on your future adventures in life there is some advice that I would like to give to you.

Be kind.  Be kind to others and be kind to yourself.  You have such a big heart and I love to see you use it.

Relax.  As an almost 15 month old you were constantly on the go.  I love that you are active, but I also want you to take the time to enjoy life around you.  There is so much that you can miss if you don't sit back and take it all in every once in a while.

Love.  And when you do, do it with your whole heart. I know it can be scary sometimes and it's hard to let people in, but when you find the person that is right I hope you will give your all.  You have so much love to give and I know it is going to be one very lucky lady that gets to be on the receiving end of it.

Last of all - smile.  I know sometimes you might feel like you have nothing to smile about, but I can promise you that you do.  Know that your smile has the power to not only change your mood but also that of those around you.  There's nothing so bad in life that a smile can't make it at least a little bit better. I know that even on my worst days seeing your smile has made everything a little brighter.

You are an amazing person, Andrew, and I love you more than you will ever know.  I am excited to see what your future holds because I just know it's going to be something great.

I love you forever and always,
Mommy

(Just a little reminder of your infectious smile)  :)

So - do you have something that you would like your little one to read 10, 15 or even 20 years in the future? Head on over to Growing Up Geeky and link up!

Weekend Recap

I suck about getting on the computer over the weekend so I never have any posts while we're doing all our fun stuff.  Instead you will have to settle for a giant photo dump this Monday morning...

Friday the in-laws got into town and we went out to dinner, which I thought would be a total trainwreck since we didn't go until almost 7:00 (munchkin's bathtime), but he did amazingly well.

Saturday morning J did his 70 mile bike ride and I was able to join some friends for a (comparatively) easy 21 mile ride.  I wasn't sure I'd be able to go due to my foot, but that's a story for another day.  I was back at 9:45 and the munchkin was still asleep - the bonus of not getting him to bed until 9:45 the night before.

After J got home and showered we woke the munchkin up to head to the beach. The in-laws opted to stay at the house since his dad forgot shorts (who comes to Charleston in June and doesn't bring shorts???) and his mom hates to sweat.

Anyway, when we first got there Andrew was not having anything to do with the sand and I thought the beach trip might be short lived.  Thankfully he started to acclimate after a little while:

He spent a little time digging in the sand with his daddy.  And he even let me put a hat on him without instantly taking it off:

After a while he started crawling around and took off towards the water:

I love the trail he is leaving behind him

Those are all of our tents that you see in the background.  Clearly we were there with a bunch of fellow parents - we don't travel light!

He watched daddy play with the water for a bit.

We stayed at the beach for almost 4 hours which is way longer than I thought we would last.  After a nap at home for him we got ready and went to dinner with his parents.  Then I dropped them off at home and his mom gave Andrew his bath and put him down for the night while I went back and joined J and some friends for an evening out (it's his friend Mike's 40th birthday tomorrow so a bunch of people came in to town).

For Father's Day we just hung out around the house mostly.  We were going to go join our friend's at the pool, but Andrew went down for a nap and by the time he got up they were all out there and drunk and J had too much work to get done so we had a relaxing day at home.  Andrew "helped" his daddy open his gift:

We got him an NC State cornhole game.  If the munchkin ever decides to get up and walk maybe he can play with his daddy.

Then we set his pool up in the yard and let him have some playtime:

I did some laundry while Andrew hung out with his daddy (my mother-in-law somehow managed to put his diaper on backwards Saturday night so his entire crib was soaked. How he didn't wake up from that is beyond me.)  All in all it was another great and way too fast weekend.  Now it's back to the grind and counting the days until we can do it all again.

Looking Back

Ten years ago today I avoided making what would arguably have been one of the biggest mistakes in my life.    June 14, 2002 was to have been my wedding date. (For the record, the only reason I remember that it's today is because it's Flag Day).

Backing up a little - I had gotten engaged when I was 23 (almost 24) after only four months of dating.  Seemed like a good idea at the time.  Thankfully it ended up being a kind of long engagement (over 18 months) and before I made a huge mistake I came to the realization that it wasn't right.  In my heart I knew he was not the man that I was supposed to end up with and I did not see the marriage lasting more than a few years (if that).

As the date was drawing closer I began to freak out.  The evening of March 31st I was at work (I worked at a tv station and didn't get done until 11:00 PM) and I was losing it.  My sister called to ask me something and she could tell something was wrong.  She asked if I needed anything and I just asked her to stay up because I needed to talk to her when I got home (we lived together).  I made it through the next couple hours at work and hauled ass at 11:00. My then-fiance was the director for the 11:00 news so he had to stay for another hour.

When I got home I started talking to my sister, not really knowing what to say, until I finally blurted out "I can't do this!".  We stayed up until 3:00 AM talking.  I was scared that people would be mad at me for calling it off because plans had already been made.  She assured me that people would be more upset if I went through with a wedding that I knew wasn't right.  I sent a quick email to my mom telling her I needed to talk to her the next day and went to bed.

She waited until 11:00 to call me since she knew I was up late due to the time that I sent the email.  We talked for a while and I told her my decision.  She supported me completely and assured me that no one would be mad at me.  I felt a little bit of relief, but knew I still had to do the hard part - telling my soon-to-be-ex fiance that it was over.  On April Fool's Day of all days.

He came by my apartment during his break between the 6:00 and 11:00 news and I was a nervous wreck. The ring was in the box on the dining room table.  He knew something was up based on the expression on my face. I sat on the couch on one side of the room and he sat on the love seat facing me.  I honestly don't remember what I said or how I broke the news to him, but I made it clear that I could not marry him.  When I handed the ring back to him he told me I could keep it, but I insisted he take it.  He left to go back to work and I was relieved/upset/happy/sad - you name it.  The worst part was that we worked together and I had to go in at 10:00 to start my overnight shift. Talk about awkward.

The next few months were kind of weird at work.  Plus I was freaking out not knowing what to do next.  My sister was finishing up her residency at UK Children's Hospital and had accepted a position at a pediatric practice in Walterboro, SC (50 miles outside of Charleston) so the decision was made that I would just move with her and start my life over.  Ryan (my ex) actually moved before I did. He interviewed for and got a job as a director at a tv station in Atlanta and moved a few weeks before I left. I was honestly happy for him despite some of the ugly things he said to me after our breakup.

Oh, and one final detail that I find absolutely hilarious - Ryan married another girl named Kelly two weeks before J and I got married.  I only know that because when I was planning our wedding I would try to look up people's wedding webpages and I randomly typed in his name to see if anything came up.  It's funny because I would have picked the day he got married (April 18th) had it been available at our venue, but we had to take May 2nd instead.

So yeah - I avoided making a huge mistake a decade ago and I couldn't be happier.  I mean, if I'd gone through with it I wouldn't have this amazing little guy in my life:

Wordless Wednesday ~ Little Hidden Surprises

TAT ~ My, How Things Have Changed

I'm hopping back in to Toddle Along Tuesday this week and the topic is how life has changed.  I'm taking this as how life has changed since the little munchkin made an appearance into our lives.

There of course were the obvious and expected changes.  At the beginning we slept a lot less and I cried a lot more (I was a hormone bomb that would detonate at the drop of a hat).  And we had this little person who we would both lay down our lives for at any given moment.  That all encompassing love was expected, but the intensity of it still took me by surprise (and still does sometimes).

One of the more subtle changes that caught me a little off guard was my attitude about morning time.  I'll preface this by saying I was one of those people who LOVED to sleep in - especially on the weekends.  Staying up late on Friday or Saturday night and then lounging in bed until 10:00 the next morning was heaven.  I was never a morning person.  I would curse my alarm every weekday morning as I stumbled over to turn it off. I hated having to get up and start my day in the 6 o'clock hour.  In short - mornings sucked.

Then this little man came along.

Now I'm not saying that I bounce out of bed all bright eyed and bushy tailed singing a song and rejoicing that it's morning time.  I still grumble when I hear my alarm go off and this is something that will probably never change.  But now after I turn off my alarm I pick up the monitor and take a look to see my sleeping munchkin in his crib. More often than not with his little butt sticking up in the air and at least one of his cuddly toys shoved up underneath him. This almost never fails to make me smile - and it's nice to start the day off with a smile.

Weekday mornings used to consist of me getting ready and rushing out the door.  It's a nice change of pace now to have my morning time with the little munchkin.  When I was still breastfeeding I absolutely loved our morning time together.  I adored getting to sit there quietly with him, stroking his fuzzy head and cuddling a little to start the day.  Now that we are done breastfeeding I am enjoying feeding him his breakfast and hanging out with him while I get everything ready to head out the door. Those 15-20 minutes in the morning are pretty fantastic. He's almost always in a great mood after a good night's sleep and starting out the day with a happy munchkin somehow makes my whole day better.

How could seeing this in the morning not make me smile??

So yeah - I won't say that having a baby has made me a morning person, but it has made me a happier person in the morning (even if I would like a little more sleep).

What about you?  What has changed in your life since you had a baby (got pregnant, got married, etc)?  Head on over to Growing Up Geeky and link up with Toddle Along Tuesday.

Who Needs to Walk?

Apparently that is Andrew's attitude.  He is 14 1/2 months and is still showing no interest in walking. None.  If we try to hold his hands and get him to walk he protests and sits right down.  He doesn't even try to stand unsupported.

It's not that he doesn't stand at all - he pulls up on everything and cruises like nobody's business (especially when he sees something he wants).  He just doesn't seem to want to walk.

I'm wondering if when baby Laure is back in daycare next week (her family is on vacation this week) and he sees her walking all over the place that it will inspire him to get up?  She is a month younger than him and had started taking steps before her family left for vacation.  Maybe seeing that little peanut walking around will be enough peer pressure to get him on two feet.

At least for right now, though, he seems content as long as he can crawl, cruise, and of course climb:

I guess even if he won't walk he is still one cute little munchkin.  :)

Nifty & Thrifty Thursday (yeah - I know it's Friday!)

My lovely friend, mrs.monica, over at Running Through Parenthood... In Heels has started a new Thursday series called Nifty & Thrifty Thursdays.  Clearly I am a day late, but I still wanted to participate and share a couple deals that others might find useful this week.  So without further ado - here we go!


I receive weekly emails from Michaels craft store with all the deals they have going on.  Normally I disregard them (I signed up for them when I was planning our wedding 3+ years ago), but this week I took a peek and they have some good deals going on for Father's Day crafts.


First up is the Creatology Ceramic Mug with Markers:

Currently on sale 2 for $3.  Perfect for your kiddos to make a personalized Father's Day gift for their awesome dad.




Next up is the Recollections Photo & Craft Storage Boxes:

These are normally $3.89 each, but are on sale 5 for $10 (save $1.89/box).  And who doesn't need more cute boxes to save photos and other mementos?  




Finally they have all of their 12" x 12" Recollections Open Stock Paper on sale:

Regularly 59¢ per sheet on sale 6 for $1 (16¢ each).  Perfect for scrapbooking and other great crafts - there are tons of different patterns and designs.


So there you have it - my thrifty finds for the week.  I'll try to do better next week (and get it on for Thursday). I just gotta keep my eyes peeled for some deals. I'm cheap so it shouldn't be too hard  ;)

Do you have any thrifty finds you would like to share?  Head on over to Running Through Parenthood... In Heels and link up!

"I Got Booted For Elmo??"

Andrea just texted us some pictures of the kiddos on their walk this morning. There are only 3 kids at daycare right now since two of them are on vacation with their family for two weeks. I know Marc and Andrea are loving it since it's gotta be easy peasy with just 3 kids compared to 5 or 6.

Apparently Gavin took advantage of the extra room in the stroller and insisted that his bright red friend come along for the ride:

He LOVES Elmo. I've witnessed him running around the house yelling "Elmo! Elmo! Elmo!" when I've been dropping off the munchkin some mornings.

Gavin seems very entertained by his seatmate

I cracked up when I saw this. Andrew has a look on his face like "What the hell?!  Elmo gets the front and I'm stuck back here??".  I guess at least he has plenty of room to spread out in his middle seat - little baby Anthony is in the very back, probably lounging.

So far the munchkin hasn't really shown an affinity for Elmo.  I guess that's a good thing - I would hate for him and Gavin to start fighting over who gets to sit with their furry friend.

Wordless Wednesday ~ I Could Stay Like This Forever