Our journey through nine months of pregnancy, the adventures of raising our little munchkin and now doing it all over again. Who knew this parenting thing could be so much fun??
Last night after dinner Andrew was walking around with his walking toy while I cleaned up before running his bath. All of a sudden I hear "Uh oh!". It caught me off guard because I had never heard him say that before - even though I know it's a common phrase for kids his age.
I of course had to catch it on video:
I spent the rest of the night cracking up over this. I know we'll probably be hearing this phrase a lot from now on and I know it will make me wonder what trouble he's gotten into. For now, though, it's just so dang cute to hear him say it.
Mondays generally suck because the weekend is over and it's time to get back to work. Every once in a while the weekend is so rough with a cranky fussy kid that it's almost a relief for Monday to come along so someone else can deal with said cranky fussy kid.
Today is not one of those Mondays.
We had such a fabulous weekend and it made me feel like we really did hit the lottery with the munchkin. All weekend I kept thinking to myself "He is such a great kid!". And I even told him that quite a few times.
Saturday morning I popped him in the bike seat and took a nice 30 minute ride with my friend, Emily, around Old Village. We got back and played for a little bit and then got out the jogging stroller for a little walk over to the park. After some swinging he took his new favorite park toy and did laps for 15 minutes.
He loves this thing!
As soon as I got him in the stroller to head home I got a text from J seeing if I wanted to go to the beach (he had just gotten home from his 70 mile bike ride). I told him sure, but I didn't know how long Andrew would last since he'd been up for 3 hours and had just gotten a lot of exercise. We headed out anyway to meet up with some friends. Andrew took a little power nap in his float out in the water with us taking turns keeping him from floating away. I really thought he would have a complete meltdown at some point, but after a little lunch he was happy as a clam.
Playing peek-a-boo with daddy through the tent windows
We were at the beach for 4 hours before we decided to pack it in and get home so he could take a real nap. While he laid down we got ready and then once he woke up we headed to Wild Wings for dinner. We didn't get there until 7:00 so I again expected a meltdown. Instead he happily played with the crayons and "colored" while he snacked.
An artist at work
We also ordered him his own meal for the first time ever and I was pleasantly surprised that he actually ate some of it (chicken nuggets). He busied himself scooping ice out of and back into J's water glass until it was time to go. The whole time there I just kept thinking about what a great kid he is.
Oh - and we hung his masterpiece on the fridge.
Obviously the actual colored in parts were from me helping. He's more of an abstract artist ;)
Yesterday he slept until 9:00 (since he didn't get to bed until almost 10:00 on Saturday) and we got up and made him some pancakes with peanut butter mixed right in the batter - he loved them! J wanted to give the dogs a bath, so we headed out to hang out in the back yard for a bit.
I brought his walking toy outside, but it wouldn't go in the grass so I took him over to the driveway. He took off! Luckily we live in a quiet neighborhood with not much traffic so we could walk up and down the street. I followed along behind him with my coffee and we had a nice stroll all around the neighborhood. By the time we were done he was all flushed and had worked up a sweat. I was a little concerned that he would overheat so we hung out inside for 15 minutes while he drank some water and cooled down before we decided to hop on the bikes for a little ride around town. This time J had him on his bike and we headed to the park by Shem Creek before we decided we would go to the waterfront park so he could go to the playground. I love that park because it's all new and it's in the shadow of the bridge so it's nice and shady. We did the swings for a bit and then he got in the little twirly bucket thing.
He liked it for about 30 seconds and then he wanted out. He did enjoy watching that girl in the one at the right in the picture. She was spinning around super fast and I was convinced she was going to get out and puke when she was done, but luckily she didn't.
We got home just in time for him to take a 2 hour nap before we had some more playtime. He's starting to get a little better with the walking and was practicing his skills after dinner in the kitchen.
He looks like a funny little drunk trying to keep his balance - I crack up every time.
After his bath and more playing it was time to get him to bed and to say goodbye to another weekend. There was no "Thank god he's asleep and we can get some peace and quiet!" or "Thank god someone else gets to handle him tomorrow!". There was only "Wow, we have an awesome kid and I wish I could hang out with him again all day tomorrow.".
So yeah, it's definitely not one of those Mondays...
Over the past few days the munchkin has taken a tentative step here and there. Well, last night he was able to put several of them together and took what we consider to be his first steps. Yay!!!!!
I've been having a countdown for him since he needs to be walking before his 18 month appt. So he was down to 34 days yesterday. I doubt he was feeling the pressure from me, but whatever it was, he did it!
I tried to get a video of it, but the best one I got was this one and J's head is in the way of his actual steps at the end. I'm sure I will get some this weekend as long as he gives us a repeat performance.
I sat on the ground with his while he was standing by the chaise and he took 5 or 6 steps to get to me and collapse into my lap. My face hurt from smiling so hard.
Andrew discovered something new last night - his hermit crab squeezy toy in the tub. Now he's trying to say "crab". When I showed J the video he laughed and said it sounds like he's saying "crap". Whatever - I'm just impressed that he is making the "cr" sound.
This weekend was busy as usual. Friday night we had a relaxing night at home. Andrew decided that the walking toy was unnecessary and busied himself with a giant tub of cheese puffs:
After dinner and bathtime he then wanted to play with what seemed like every single toy that he owns. He was none too pleased to have to quit to go to bed, but his protests were short lived since he was really tired.
Saturday we went to a friend's little boy's 5th birthday party. I was unaware that it was going to be outside and that we would be sweating to death, but we made the best of it. One good thing that came of it was that Andrew actually ate an entire piece of pizza. Yes, I fed my almost 17 month old pizza and was happy about it. The fact that he was actually eating something made me not care that it was cheesy greasy deliciousness. Oh, and after that he downed two (small) pieces of cake - although a good bit of it ended up on his face (and on the ground).
We got home in time for the sugar crash so he could take a nap and we could do some stuff before going out to the movies for a date night (my mom came down for a visit and to babysit so we got a rare night out alone).
Yesterday morning I came downstairs to Andrew happily bouncing on the couch next to my mom. I was amazed that he wasn't screaming since he hadn't eaten yet, but apparently he saves the yelling for me. After breakfast he was being a little cranky so J put him in the jumperoo and he bounced in there for about 15 minutes. I am amazed that he 1.) still likes that thing and 2.) hasn't completely destroyed it yet. He goes CRAZY with the jumping (I have a video somewhere that I need to upload - it's insane).
We decided to hurry up and head over to the park for some swinging and playtime before the rain came in so we all hopped in the golf cart and headed over. After 5 or so minutes in the swings we put him down with a walking toy that always stays at the park. He busied himself for the next 20 minutes doing this:
He was in heaven just doing laps around the park - it was hilarious. He was so good about making the turns and changing directions when there was an obstacle in the way. By the time he was done his little face was flushed and he had worked up a sweat. I gave him his sippy and we headed home for lunch and a nap. All that activity wore him out and he was down for the count for 3 hours. After naptime he was raring to go again so we took him for a little stroll around the neighborhood in our makeshift beach wagon:
He had a blast sitting in there and kicking his feet. Afterward I divided my time between chasing him and helping J put the new baby seat on his bike. By the time we were done Andrew was filthy and tired so it was off to the tub. He always gets a second (or third or fourth) wind after the bath so he spent 30 minutes playing with all of his toys before we made him go to bed. I tried rocking him for a few minutes but he kept staring me right in the face and giving me his biggest and cheesiest grin. I plopped him in the crib with minimal protests. listened to him "talk" to his cow and duck for a few minutes before rolling over and sacking out. It's crazy how much energy he has. If he is awake he is moving. I can only imagine what will happen once he (finally) starts walking unassisted. It's going to be a track meet around our house, I can just see it...
Yesterday marked two months since I had last run. June 15th was the day I did a 6 mile run and pushed myself too much through the pain. I've been paying for it since with a stress fracture in my right foot.
But this week my foot has felt better. I haven't worn the walking boot since Sunday and Monday I was able to do the elliptical at the gym with no discomfort whatsoever. The elliptical is one thing, but running is a whole new ballgame. On Tuesday I decided to walk down to the farmer's market to pick Andrew up (our daycare walks to the farmer's market on Tuesdays and that is where the parents pick up our kids). I forgot about the road closures with the work they're doing on the sewer lines so I had to take a roundabout way to get down there (the market is maybe a mile from our house). I had the jogging stroller and walked with little spurts of jogging - to get there faster and to test out my foot. No pain.
However, yesterday was the big test. I was feeling somewhat confident and was itching to get in a little run for practice. I hopped on the treadmill at the gym and hoped for the best.
I am very excited to say that I was able to do a 3.05 mile run with NO PAIN! Yay!!! I'm back, baby!!
I know there is no way I am making up the missed mileage from two months off so my 50 mile/month average goal is shot. Oh well. The important thing is I am able to get back to doing what I love. I just need to make sure I don't over do it (again) and if I start feeling any discomfort I need to give it a rest instead of trying to push through it. My follow up appointment with the orthopedist is next Wednesday so I assume I will be getting the all clear from her as well.
This morning I dropped Andrew off at daycare as usual. We walked in and there he was - the new baby that started on Friday. I hadn't gotten a chance to see him yet because he wasn't there yet the other mornings and was already gone when I picked up Andrew yesterday.
His parents must have been early today because there he was, snuggling on Marc's chest on the couch. I had already seen a picture of him that Andrea had posted, but that picture did nothing to show how little he is. Gradon (not a fan of the name) is only 6 weeks old so he is still a little peanut. I looked from him to my seemingly giant 24 pounder that I was carrying and I couldn't help but smile, thinking back to when Andrew was that tiny. I almost can't believe that he was that small.
Then the baby started to wiggle around and stretched out, letting out one of those cute little baby groans. And with that sound it happened - my entire body said "I want one".
We've talked a little bit about it and we were both in the 'yeah, we probably will have another' camp. Well, now I am squarely in the 'we WILL have another' camp. Seeing the expression on Andrew's face as he sat there and checked him out was priceless. He was sitting on the couch looking at the baby with the curious look on his face. I love watching little kids around babies.
So anyway, J and I will need to have a talk soon about our future plans. At the beginning of the year we said we'd start trying closer to the end of the year. Well, here we are mid-August and the end of the year is rapidly approaching. I think it might be time to get this show on the road. I've been charting since AF returned just to get a handle on what my cycles would be doing. Now I'm getting excited at the prospect of actually using that information for something.
What I'm really excited about is the prospect of having another one of these:
Vintage Andrew
A squishy sleepy adorable little newborn. Yeah - I definitely want one.
When it's open he wants to climb up in it. Or play with the rack. When it's closed he reaches up and tries to push the buttons (buttons are his other obsession). And now we know that when it's running he likes to dance to it.
I'm actually sad that they will be ending this weekend because I love watching all the events. But that is the problem. I LOVE watching them so I end up staying up later than I normally would and my ass has been dragging all week.
I've seen a lot of people complaining about their regularly scheduled programming being messed up. I don't get that. Maybe it's because I am a sports nut and I love watching pretty much any sport (except the NBA and golf), but I get so excited when the Olympics come around. I find myself watching random sports that I know nothing about but that I find oddly fascinating. Seriously - we sat there watching the entire gold medal match in women's water polo last night (we record the daytime stuff on NBC everyday). Those women (and the men who play) are amazing athletes. Treading water for that long while also trying to shoot a ball and not be dunked by your opponent can't be easy.
All the track and field events are kind of fun to watch. Pole vaulting? Crazy. I can't even imagine flinging myself 15+ feet in the air on a flexible pole and flying over the bar to go plunging back down to the mat. The triple jump is kind of odd, but interesting. And watching Usain Bolt smoke the field and make it look easy is just amazing.
My favorite summer games events are the swimming ones. I swam competitively from 6th grade through my senior year of high school and did the 200 IM and 100 fly so I know how hard some of the events are. And watching some of the close races that come down to the touch on the wall are some of the most exciting things ever. I still get chills watching the men's 4 X 100 freestyle relay from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Most of all I love seeing the stories of the athletes. We watched the decathlon the other night and after the U.S. athlete wrapped up the gold medal he went and found his mom in the stands and got a big hug from her. Seeing that interaction made me a little misty eyed. Thinking of how proud that mom is of her "little boy" made me smile and daydream about one day watching Andrew accomplish something like that. With the way he dives off the couch and tumbles around everywhere I think he'd make a great gymnast or diver. What do you think - Olympics 2032? A mom can dream...
As I mentioned last week we are having a bit of an eating struggle in our house lately. I'm determined to get out of the jarred food habit and munchkin is determined to not cooperate.
Well, this weekend we tried something new (and something that we probably should have been doing for a long time now). I gave him control.
Before we took a little trip to the store I fed him lunch and because I wasn't up for a battle I broke out a jar. I gave him two spoonfuls and then put the spoon in his hand. He was very eager about scooping the food (or at least sticking it in the bowl) and putting it in his mouth. Of course he also investigated with his other hand, but at least he didn't dump it on the floor.
He did a reasonably good job at getting the food in his mouth and he as very pleased with himself.
When we went to Wal-Mart I made sure to pick up some of the bowls with the suction cup on the bottom so we could stick one to his tray and (hopefully) keep him from slinging it on the floor. Dinner that night consisted of a jar of spaghetti and meat sauce with some macaroni noodles added in. He was decidedly less neat with this eating endeavor.
He did do some eating so I am counting it as a success. I'm thinking we will need to ditch the cushion on his high chair once and for all, though. If not I will be washing it daily.
Of course HE will need to partake in one of his favorite activities after mealtime:
He's not the neatest eater in the world, but the important thing is that he was eating and he was interested in the food.
Tonight I have some veggies to steam for him and I picked up some sweet potatoes since he loves those. I know it's going to be a looooong process, but I'll take the baby steps forward as a win for now.
I feel like I'm saying this to Andrew on a daily basis. It's not that he doesn't eat anything at all, but he doesn't eat a variety of foods and he would still eat jars of food happily for every meal if I would give them to him.
What am I doing wrong?
He's 16 months old and still not eating tons of finger foods. Or at least finger foods that are good for him. He'll eat a hot dog in a minute flat (ok, maybe that's an exaggeration), pops chicken nuggets in his mouth with no problems, shovels in mac n cheese like it's going out of style, and can't get enough of the mini pancakes with peanut butter on them.
Pretty much anything else we put in front of him gets either A.) Mashed into the tray with his little thumbs B.) Squeezed in his little fists until it is pulp or C.) Picked up and tossed on the floor. Where it doesn't go is in his mouth. I don't get it - he puts everything in his mouth. Everything. Except for food.
This has caused a number of meltdowns on my part, the worst of which was Tuesday evening when I ended up in tears. I'll blame part of that on hormones, though (damn you, CD1!). I told J that I feel like I'm failing because I can't get him to eat. He insists that Andrew won't starve himself and he will eat when he's hungry. I fear that he isn't getting the nutrients he needs.
I've done plenty of reading online and have googled everything I can think of to find ideas how I can get him to eat. I have a feeling this weekend is going to be full of me trying to get him to eat something and him throwing it on the floor. I'm hoping that I'm wrong and he will surprise me by chowing down on something, but I need to prepare myself for the fact that it probably won't happen that way.
