22 Months- 10/30/13

Weight/Length- I'm estimating around 30-31 pounds and close to 34"

Eating- You still eat a lot but prefer snacking to big meals and you've gotten very picky especially with meat and veggies. You actually seem to like deer meat the best which just proves we gave you the right name. You love crackers (any type) and always ask for them.

Sleep- Bedtime- 7:45pm and waking up between 6:30-7am most days. I'm fearing the time change this weekend and hoping you won't be waking up at 5am.

Clothes- Still 18 and 24 months.

Diapers- Size 5 both daytime and overnight.

Appearance- Hair is still blonde but not quite as light as it was this summer and very thick with waves when it's longer. Eyes are still a green/grey combo, more green than grey.

Personality- Still my wild, active, curious little boy. You still love all boy things like trucks and buses and playing outside and throwing dirt. You are always talking and have gotten pretty opinionated and demanding when it comes to what you want.

Likes-

-All the same things as last month though your most favorite things are - buses, playing outside with Jordynn (your girlfriend), your ladybug pillow pet and watching videos on the iPad.

Milestones-

-Went #1 and #2 on the potty for the first time at daycare (you've only done it a couple times though)

-Got to meet Smith for the first time

-First Kiss (with Miss Jordynn)
-Got to climb onto a firetruck for the first time
-Got to visit your Uncle Michael's and Miss Melissa's house for the first time
-You've started lining up and stacking your buses and trucks
-You can climb the ladder at the park and go down the big slide by yourself.
-Painted your first pumpkin.

New words/phrases that you say regularly and in the right context:
-"trick or treat"
-"happy birthday"
-"Jack and Lily" (your grandparents dogs)
-"Jordynn's house" (you say this everyday when you want to go play with her)
-"light shoes" (for your shoes that light up on the bottom)

SWW

 

 

 

This week I'm saying So What if:

 

-For the costume party at Hunters daycare tomorrow I'm having him wear his costume from last year which still fits him because I don't want him to get his real costume messed up before trick or treating.

 

-My 22 month old son's favorite show is Modern Family. He will only sit and watch a cartoon for 5 minutes but he will sit and watch an entire episode of Modern Family (they show reruns every night at 7pm). Probably not the most appropriate show for him but oh well.

 

-Watching an episode of Teen Mom reminded me that I needed to make my annual checkup appointment with my "lady parts doctor".

 

-I had to put our Halloween candy in the closet to keep from eating it...out of sight, out of mind.

 

-I still haven't finished the book (on Kindle) that I started during my vacation in August.

-I was a bit shocked and relieved when I got the rest of our family photo shoot pictures yesterday and saw that we actually got a handful of cute ones. With that said there are several "poses" I wish we could have gotten photos of, but trying to stage a picture with a wild toddler like mine is basically impossible.

-I'm excited to take Hunter trick or treating tomorrow, even though we only plan to go to a few houses on our street of people we know. I hope he doesn't get scared and actually says "trick or treat" like we've been practicing. 



No Rest or Relaxation

This past weekend was a lot of fun but also jam packed and didn't allow for very much downtime. But we got to see friends and family and enjoy the nice weather so I can't complain too much.

Saturday started out early with a drive up to Maryland to visit one of my oldest friends and her newborn baby girl. I was nervous about how Hunter would react to seeing me holding a baby (which he's never seen before), considering how jealous he gets when his father and I hug in front of him I thought this could be bad. But he didn't seem to care, he just wanted to play with her older sons toys. Go figure.

 

After our quick visit we headed a little more North and met up with my mom to attend the fall festival that her church was having. They had a real firetruck there for kids to climb on and that basically made Hunters life. We had a hard time getting him to do anything other than sit on the firetruck.

He kept saying "Sit, Mama" so I had to climb on as well. Then he would say "Go, Mama!" but unfortunately I was not allowed to drive the firetruck.

Hunter got to play with the grandson of my mom's boss. The boys are only 3 days apart in age.

And he made friends with another little girl on the church's playground.

 

He passed out in the car on the way home and slept great that night so I think it was a successful day.

 

On Sunday we headed up to my brothers condo for brunch and to celebrate his fiance moving in and to see their newly renovated kitchen which looked awesome. It's also amazing what a woman's touch can do for a place. My brothers condo went from mis-matched furniture, typical no-style bachelor pad to something straight out of HGTV makeover shows.

 

We ate a fabulous meal, followed by this amazing cake that my future sister-in-law made for Kristian's birthday. It not only looked amazing but tasted fantastic!

 

They also officially asked us all to be in the wedding, me as a bridesmaid, Kristian as a groomsman and Hunter as the ring bearer. How cute will he be in his little tux?!

 

On the way home we stopped at the pumpkin patch again to let Hunter play and to actually get pumpkins. He was a bit fussy from only getting a 20 minute nap in the car but once he saw the "school bus" he perked right up. Kid loves buses and trucks.

What he does NOT love is having his photo taken.

So all in all it was a very busy but also very fun weekend. I'm looking forward to a little more downtime this coming weekend. 

Obligatory Pumpkin Patch Post

On Sunday afternoon, the weather was actually nice and I really wanted to take Hunter to a local pumpkin patch that is only a 5 minute drive away. It's actually at a plant nursery but they have activities and fun stuff for kids. We took Hunter there last year but he was too young to really do anything. Since Kristian was busy working on a project at the house and couldn't leave I invited our neighbor to come along so that Hunter could play with his "girlfriend".

Even though I was bummed Kristian couldn't go, having Hunters friend there was great and really helped him enjoy everything even more since he had a buddy to play with.

I've mentioned before that Hunter is OBSESSED with buses, particularly school buses and I knew they had this fake school bus there and couldn't wait for Hunter to see it. He immediately ran over and just stared in awe at the bus. Once I showed him that he could actually get on it and sit down he was in heaven. It was impossible to get him off the thing. He really had no idea it wasn't a real bus.

Whoa!

Pure happiness.

He also got to check out the firetruck.

And the Choo Choo train.

And the Tee Pee

And the moon bounce. The first time he got on it he was scared but I think it was because there were a lot of kids on it. When we went back later it was just him and his friend and he wasn't so scared and actually had a great time jumping.

Hunter and his little girlfriend about to ride off into the sunset.

After they finished playing we went to check out the pumpkins which Hunter wasn't very impressed with at first.

He did however enjoy his "free" ice cream that came with the purchase of a ticket to the patch.

I told Kristian we need to go back together as a family just for a picture since we have one there for the past two years but in the meantime this will do.

I love my little pumpkin.

 

We only stayed about an hour but the kids had a lot of fun. I did not end up buying a pumpkin because I knew I wouldn't be able to carry a big pumpkin while trying to handle Hunter and I didn't plan ahead and bring our wagon so we definitely need to make another trip back in the this upcoming week.

SWW

 

 

This week I'm saying So What if:

 

-Taking our family photos last weekend was a HUGE pain in the ass. Trying to get a wild toddler to look at and smile for a camera when all he wants to do is run around is basically impossible. I left feeling very disappointed that we didn't get any good shots. HOWEVER, I saw a couple sneak peeks yesterday and the ones I saw are SOOOO cute! My photographer is a magician.

 

-Hunters Halloween costume is pretty simple and basic and involves items that he can continue to use/wear after Halloween. Win/Win!

 

-I found out today that Hunter was holding a truck in his school pictures yesterday. The teacher said the room was full of toys to try to make the kids smile and he spotted a truck and refused to sit down unless he was holding it. I figure it's probably very appropriate since he's obsessed with trucks and buses.

 

-We don't have any pumpkins yet.

 

-Yesterday was my husbands birthday and we didn't do anything exciting to celebrate. He wanted to go hunting so I didn't even see him until 8:30. I did make him some cookies and had those waiting when he got home.

-I didn't buy my child any Halloween pajamas this year.

-On the nights when there is nothing good on t.v., rather than do something productive, like clean my house, I just go to bed early. 

Toddler Date Night

On Saturday our neighbors (the ones with the little girl that Hunter loves) invited us over for dinner. So after we finished our disastrous family photos (yeah, Hunter did NOT cooperate) we headed over for some steak and adult beverages.

She and Hunter have quickly turned into BFF's and get so excited to see each and play. Hunter went from having a massive meltdown and being a total pain in the butt during and after pictures to being a perfect angel at his buddy's house. The two kids not only played well together but sat at the little mini table and ate dinner together (well they each took about 3 bites). And the grownups got to sit and talk and laugh at our crazy kids. It was a great night all around except for the fact that even though Hunter went to bed over an hour past his bedtime he was still up bright and early before 7am on Sunday.

They actually share really well with each other. Hunter is very sweet with her.

First dinner date. My child of course digs right in and doesn't wait for his date to start eating. Oh well.

 

 

After dinner they spent about 45 minutes chasing each other through this tunnel. It was probably one of the happiest times I've ever seen my son have. They were both squealing and giggling and having a total blast.

Oh and this? Well this is a photo of my sons first kiss. When we were leaving I asked him to go give her a hug and he did but I didn't have my camera ready. So then I told him to giver he a kiss, thinking he would just kiss her on the cheek like he's done in the past. But no, not my child, he went for the full on lip kiss. And she leaned into it too! Her mother and I were dying over the cute. Her father on the other hand was ready to get his shotgun out. Fortunately a not even 2 year old boy is pretty harmless. Now in 15 years, that may be another story!

Five on Friday

 

1. Our family photo shoot got rained out last week so we are doing them tomorrow and I'm really hoping that we get at least a few good ones but with a wild toddler that doesn't like to sit still or smile for pictures this should be interesting.

 

2. Of all the new shows on t.v. the only one I've gotten into is The Blacklist, partly because I really like James Spader. Other than that I haven't added any new shows to my line up and I'm still completely obsessed with Scandal.

 

3. I have not decorated the house for Fall/Halloween other than a few decorations my MIL brought over and put out. We'll get a couple pumpkins for outside but I really have little desire to decorate for any holiday other than Christmas. It's just more work/money than it's really worth in my opinion, especially when we are the only ones who see it.

 

4. I've mentioned my sleep problems before, well I've tried taking Melatonin a few times and so far that shit ain't working for me, in fact I think I toss and turn even more the nights I take it. The only thing that really seems to knock me out is Benedryl and I'm not going to take that every night. Oh and the nights I get the bed all to myself (like when Kristian was on his hunting trip), I sleep great! But I really don't want to be one of those married couples that sleep in separate rooms.

 

5. One of my good friends is due to give birth any day now and I can't wait to get my hands on a squishy newborn. Hopefully it will help settle down my baby fever (or make it worse). 

SWW

 

This week I'm saying So What if:

 

-I still don't have my sons Halloween costume. We know what he's going to be, we just have to get everything for it. Maybe this weekend.

 

-Saturday and Sunday morning Hunter and I hung out in bed for an hour while he watched videos on the iPad and I dozed off. It was rainy outside and Kristian wasn't home so we had a lazy morning both days.

 

-I can't ever walk out of Target without buying something for my child.

 

-I was a little glad that we had to cancel our family photos on Sunday due to the rain because Kristian decided to spend an extra day on his hunting trip and we probably would have had to postpone them anyway (since it rained, I couldn't really be mad at him for not getting home in time).

 

-I sort of miss my husbands beard that he grew for his trip (he shaved when he got home), I had kind of gotten used to it.

 

-I'm so sick of constantly having to buy my son new shoes because he literally wears holes in his. He drags his feet on the sidewalk when he's playing on his riding toys and it ruins his shoes.

 

-My kid went poop in the potty for the first time yesterday and I'm not upset that I missed it (he did it at daycare). I would have no problem if daycare takes the credit for a majority of his potty training.

 

Puddle Jumper

After a solid four days of rain from Thursday - Sunday we were starting to go a bit stir crazy this past weekend. It didn't help that Kristian was gone on his hunting trip for all four days so I was on solo mommy duty. It just reaffirmed that I never want to have to be a single mother and I give single parents all the credit in the world.

Fortunately my child was actually very well behaved all weekend, with only minimal tantrums and didn't seem to mind being stuck inside as much as I thought. But I did still try to get him some fresh air in between rain storms. On Sunday, the rain let up for a couple hours and we both desperately needed some fresh air so outside we went. It wasn't long before Hunter was running through and jumping in the puddles. My first instinct was to tell him no, that I didn't want him wet and dirty, then I remembered he's just a little boy full of energy and jumping in puddles is one of those little joys in life that I didn't want to take away from him. So jump away he did, until he was a soaking, muddy mess. But he had the best time, and really, what else is there to do after days of rain?!

The face of pure joy!

My beautiful boy. This kid owns my heart.

Five on Friday

I've spent most of this week battling a pesky stomach bug so needless to say I'm very happy it's Friday!
 

 

  

 

1. As I mentioned I've been dealing with a stomach bug all week. Wednesday night was a BAD night in my house for both me and Kristian and all I can say is thank God we have two bathrooms. But despite the fact that he had been up puking all night he still went on his hunting trip yesterday (and puked 3 times on the way down to the cabin). Not sure if that's dedication or stupidity.

 

2. I cried last night watching the Glee tribute episode. Watching Lea Michele sing a farewell song to her on and offscreen love was just heartbreaking. That wasn't acting, that was real life for her.

 

3. I finally figured out our family photo ensembles for this weekend, too bad it looks like our session may get rained out.

 

4. My husbands birthday is in less than two weeks and I have no idea what to get him. Maybe the fact that I not only let him go on this trip but I helped set it up can be considered my birthday gift to him. Yeah that should work :) In fact, I think he owes ME a gift for doing the solo parent duty while I'm sick.

 

5. I've mentioned before how I don't sleep well, well last night I actually slept straight through from 10pm - 4am without waking up once which is huge! It could be because I had the bed to myself since both my husband and dog were gone. Or it could be because I spent the night before in the bathroom and didn't get much sleep, but I'm going with my first theory.

SWW

 

This week I'm saying So What if:

 

-I still don't know for sure what we are wearing for our family photos this weekend. I spent my entire drive home yesterday mentally going through all our closets. First world problems right?

 

-Even though they've started potty training Hunter at daycare this week I have no desire to do it at home. He already has a potty that he likes to sit on (fully clothed) but has never actually gone on it and I don't feel like pushing him since personally I don't think he's ready. If daycare is able to get him to actually go on a regular basis then I will probably start at home too.

 

-Kristian sweet talked the assistant director of the daycare into letting Hunter go yesterday even though he had had 3 diarrhea poops the day before and technically wasn't allowed back for 24 hours. But we both have SUPER busy weeks at work and he promised we would come get him if he had even one bad poop yesterday. And guess what he didn't! So it just proves that sometimes that 24 hour rule isn't necessary. We knew he wasn't actually sick. My kid just shits a lot sometimes.

 

-The last two nights instead of putting away laundry or something else productive after Hunter went to bed I also went to bed at 8:30pm. I haven't felt well, work is kicking my ass and all I've wanted to do is be lazy and lay in bed.

 

-I have an urge to cut all my hair off (okay maybe just to my shoulders) even though I know I will regret it later because I always regret it later.

 

-I finally used the vacuum seal bags I bought a while ago for some old comforters and old Hunter clothes and now I want to vacuum seal my whole house.

 

-I had wanted to go to the pumpkin patch this past weekend but decided not to because it was too damn hot and I didn't want us all to be wearing shorts in our pictures at the pumpkin patch. Again first world problems right?

 

 

Reunions and Introductions

On Saturday, I was able to visit with one of my oldest and dearest friends Kristen who had flown up from Florida for a wedding. Since she was staying up in MD about an hour away from where I live I threw Hunter in the car and we drove up to have lunch with her, Kent and little Mr. Smith.

I haven't seen Kristen in person since she came to visit when Hunter was about 5 weeks old. Needless to say he's changed a bit. We were so excited to get our little guys together and watch them play and interact and they ended up doing really well together. We had lunch at Olive Garden and both boys were well behaved, no major tantrums or meltdowns to embarrass us. There were only a few minor disagreements over wanting the same toy car but nothing too dramatic.

I think they liked checking out each others toy stash.

 

After lunch, they still had some time to kill before they had to get ready for the wedding so we all went back to the hotel to hang out by the indoor pool and indoor mini golf where the boys could just run around and burn some energy and Kristen and I could finally talk and catch up a bit.

This is what we got when we tried to get them to sit next to each other for a photo.

 

 

We've been friends for 15 years! Ever since AOII Bid Day way back in 1998. Man do I feel old!

It's amazing how far we've come. Two little boys and twins on the way! (For Kristen, not me!)

 

Even though we only got to spend a few short hours together it was totally worth the drive up to not only see my pretty friend in person (and rub her twin filled belly) but to finally get our boys together. Now we just have to figure out a way to make FL closer to VA!

 

 

Lions and Tigers and well you get the point

One of the things on my mental "summer bucket list" was taking Hunter to the zoo for the first time. Well the summer sort of got away from us and I knew we were quickly running out of nice weekends to do this. So last Sunday I insisted we take advantage of the perfect weather and head down to the National Zoo.

I've been so excited to see Hunters reaction to seeing these animals in person. He can now recognize and say most of the bigger animals and I figured he would get so excited seeing them in the flesh rather than in his books and flash cards. Well to my surprise he didn't seem to be that impressed. He pretty much kept a look of part confusion and part concern the whole time. He did smile and laugh a few times, mainly at the little monkeys swinging around. But to be honest he got the most excited when he saw a police motorcycle parked on the sidewalk. I think next year he will hopefully get more out of it.

The weather really was perfect and I've decided the fall is the best time to go, when it's sunny and 75 rather than in the middle of July when it's 90 degrees and packed with tourists. Hunter did really well taking turns between riding in his stroller and walking while holding our hand. He only got fussy as we were leaving because it was naptime and he saw a toy car on a table that someone was selling that we refused to buy him.

Family photo in front of the turtle pond. This was pretty much his expression the whole time.

Checking out the Lions. He kept saying "Cat" and "Roar"

I always insist on seeing the Pandas. We weren't able to go into the Panda house because of the new baby panda but I did get to see on of the bigger ones relaxing outside.

The elephants were pretty cool.

Hunter enjoyed the Small Mammal House because he could go right up to the glass and see the little animals running around much better.

They have wires going across part of the zoo so that the Orangutans can cross from one yard to another and we got there just in time to see one climb the ladder and walk across. It was pretty exciting and slightly nerve wracking.

It looks like a monster!

 

I loved this elephant display and was happy we got a decent picture together.

Checking out the lions.

Towards the end of the day he was getting sick of his stroller and insisted on walking. He actually did really well holding our hands and not moving at such a slow pace. It helped that the zoo wasn't super crowded.

 

Even though Hunter wasn't quite as excited about the trip as I had hoped we really did have a wonderful time together. I've always loved the zoo and have been going since I was a kid and it was such a special thing to finally be able to bring my own child. I know we will be going back many more times as he gets older.