Life With A 19-Month-Old

I've learned that when you have a busy toddler it is hard to find time to sit down and blog about it. I no longer get to plop down on the couch and catch up on my shows during his nap time. I usually spend those 2-3 hours doing stuff there's no way I could get done with him awake since he wants to get in my way and

destroy everything help... like sweeping, putting up dishes, cleaning, and doing laundry. I've also learned that the toddler/tornado metaphors are 100% truth. In a matter of minutes he can have a Tupperware cabinet cleaned out, or a toy box pushed to the opposite end of the house, leaving behind a trail of blocks and cars.
But life with a 19-moth-old isn't always bad. He follows instructions well, and that comes in handy at times. He can also tell me what he wants (or doesn't want) which takes away the guessing game from when he was younger.
In the past few months since I last updated, Fox has grown tremendously. He weighs about 26 pounds and stands 33.5 inches tall. He has 11 teeth and the 12th (his 4th molar) should be breaking through the gum any time now. Actually, there's a good possibility it already has - he just never lets me look in there. He knows all of his body parts, and he can recognize and make the noise of a rooster, cow, duck, dog, train, and truck. His favorite show is still Yo Gabba Gabba. And he absolutely loves being outside. Silence is very rare in our house. When he's not talking, he is singing, whining, or yelling.
Speaking of yelling... life is full of a lot more tantrums lately. I want to change his diaper since he just slept 10 hours and he's soaked? Screaming fit. I try to get him out of the bath? Acts like I am abducting him and tries to escape out of my arms. I tell him not to smash the dog in the face with a wooden ball? Ball gets thrown across the room. Fun times!
As much as he makes me want to pull my hair out at times, I wouldn't trade a single moment. He is so dang smart and funny! He keeps me smiling and laughing, and I am so glad I get to spend so much time with him.

Chatterbox

Fox is such a talker now! He has a good mix of baby babble and real words. There are around 20 words he knows and can identify, and he repeats several random words we say [like "psycho"].

Here's his current vocabulary list:
- Hello
- Hey
- Bye Bye
- See Ya
- Night Night
- Daddy
- Momma
- Titan [our dog]
- Dog
- Who's That? "whosat"
- Here You Go "heego"
- Bath
- Teeth
- Ball "baa"
- Yeah
- This
- No
- Uh Oh
- Banana "nla nla" [not sure why he puts the L sound in there...]
- Yay
- Paci "dadi"
- Milk "muh"
- Fish

Yesterday he started saying Poo Poo, Blanket, and Diaper after me. So we may be adding that to this list soon. And I swear he has correctly identified a boobie twice on both Brent and I, but I can't bring myself to say that is part of his vocabulary yet haha. We are also working on his animal sounds. He barks like a dog "ruff ruff" and makes monkey sounds "ooh ooh ahh ahh" and occasionally will quack like a duck. He also says a bunch of stuff that I have no idea how to translate. His little voice is so stinkin' adorable and he always has such enthusiasm about everything.

He also amazes me every single day with how much he knows. I told him something he picked up off the floor was trash, and he went and threw it away. I didn't even know he knew what the trash can was! And yesterday Brent was bringing firewood upstairs and when Fox saw him, he ran over to the fireplace and excitedly pointed and said something I couldn't understand.

After doing some reading online, it seems like Fox falls right into place with other average 15-month-olds. Maybe a tiny bit ahead. But to me, he'll always be my little genius! Haha :)

The Ending of a Breastfeeding Journey

437 days. 

I am so proud of that number. Why? Well, because breastfeeding isn't a walk in the park. And I am so glad I made it so long without giving up.

My journey started in the hospital, when the nurse handed me my tiny, hungry baby. I will always remember the first time he latched. The look on his face said it all. I knew I was doing the right thing for him and I when I saw that look of satisfaction.

We faced several obstacles over the last 1 year, 2 weeks, and 10 days. One was the STUPID nipple shield. I hated that thing! If you've ever used one, you know just how annoying and frustrating these things are. Another, and probably my biggest obstacle, was pumping. I loathed the entire act from start to finish.

But in that moment when your baby is nursing, his eyes getting heavier and heavier, and he dozes off and looks so peaceful with a full belly and in a milk drunken stupor, all of the struggles are 100% worth it.

I started the weaning process just after Fox's first birthday, eliminating nursing sessions and giving him milk in a cup. Slowly making my way to this past month where he was only breastfeeding once at night. This past Monday night after putting him down for bed I realized -- he hadn't asked for my milk at all. I have been allowing him to nurse at night whenever he asked because I felt he was attached and not ready to let go of that last session just yet. Or maybe I was the one attached. Either way, it slipped both of our minds. Then tonight rolled around and the same thing happened. He went to bed happy and content -- without nursing.

my little milk drunk baby :)

A very rare occasion - he is sitting still!

It is a very bittersweet feeling.

There were many challenges, but I'd do it over again in a heartbeat.

And I sort of already miss it.

Fox is One Year Old

What an exciting year!

My little 7 pound newborn is now a 20 pound toddler. In such a short time, he has went from a baby who slept all day to a little boy who practically runs across the living room floor. I cherish every single hug, kiss, and giggle. I never miss an opportunity to get in the floor and chase him on all fours. Surprisingly I haven't shed a tear and I think it is because even though I miss the tiny, wrinkled infant... I love more what he is growing up to be.

Watching Fox learn and grow has been so amazing! I have been able to witness every single milestone and I feel so blessed to be able to do so. His first smile, his first laugh, rolling over, sitting up, crawling, pulling up, walking, and everything in between. His vocabulary is growing and I swear he picks up a new word or two each week. Currently he can say hello, bye, daddy, who's that, yes, eat, and momma (which is very rare). He points at everything, understands when I ask him a question ("Where's your cup?") or give a command ("Give me your paci."), and he has different gestures to let us know what he wants. He amazes me each day with what he knows. 

 

This first year has been so great and I thank God every day for such an awesome little boy.

Monster First Birthday

Sunday, September 30, we celebrated Fox's first birthday.With the help of my family and friends it all came together nicely. Here are a few pictures from his big day!

A few of his gifts and the drinks

One of the centerpieces made by me. The monsters were cut with my Cricut using the Mini Monsters cartridge.

Cute balloon banner inspired by Pinterest

The birthday boy in his high chair

Momma & Fox

Ceramic "1" I found on sale at Michael's and a few of the cupcakes I made

The smash cake I baked and the lettering was cut out with a Cricut Cake

This idea was inspired by a friend. Water bottles wrapped with duct tape. I found the monster tape at Target.

He had a blast!

11 Month Old Update

Fox is zooming all over the place on two feet! He started taking steps about a month ago, but this past week he has gotten really brave and he's letting go and walking everywhere. And he has also started making turns while he's walking instead of just making a straight path across the floor. Once he makes it to his destination he claps.

He has two adorable little teeth on bottom and I think he may be working on a third although I can't see anything so I have no idea which one it may be. For those of you who are wondering -- he has NOT bit me yet! And boy am I thankful.

He is doing really good with meal times. He eats food I've pureed, jarred baby food, whole fruits and cooked veggies, and loooves his whole grain Cheerios and Goldfish. Pretty soon we are going to start giving him pieces of meat from our supper... I was waiting until he had enough teeth to chew but he's doing good with just his front two so I think he's about ready.

Birthday plans are coming together. We have the park picked out, invitations made, envelopes addressed, and almost all of the decor made. All we need to do is book the park (on the agenda for tomorrow), send out the invites (I plan on getting them in the mail on Saturday), and figure out the menu. Then wait as the month of September flies by!

Big 10

Fox turned ten months old on Monday!

Some of his latest accomplishments:

• Dances to music and "sings" when someone is singing to him
• Walks by himself for a few steps
• Copies us when we shake our head, wave, laugh, or scream
• Picks up food and feeds himself a lot more now
• Gives kisses
• Blows kisses

Two more months to go until he's a whole year old! It's gone by quick but I am so fortunate to be able to spend most of my time with him.

Nine Months

Sorry so late updating, but Fox is now 9 months old! He spent his 9 month birthday celebrating his cousin's birthday at a barnyard bash with a petting zoo and pony ride. He also got to go swimming this month for the first time, and he absolutely loved it.
Fox and I spend most days together and he has some serious separation anxiety. I can't leave the room without him crying or trying to follow me. Even when Brent is home he still freaks out. As long as I am in the room with him he's perfectly fine and will go play with his toys. I really hope he gets over this stuff FAST!

Some new things Fox started doing in the past month:

• Playing Pat-a-Cake both by himself and when we say it or do it
• Pulling up on and cruising along furniture
• Standing by himself for a few seconds
• Babbling all kids of nonsense
• STILL not saying momma! Grrr....
• Does the hand gesture for "come here"
• Calls the dogs by clicking his tongue
• Walking behind toys

 His growing hasn't slowed down yet and he eats like a piggy! At his 9 month checkup he weighed 19.2 lbs and was 28.25" tall.

Silly Boy

My handsome boy is now eight months old and he is such a silly boy! His personality is really starting to show and I could seriously sit and play with him all day. He cracks me up! 

A few new things he's doing now:

• Crawling on all fours
• Pulling up
• Clapping
• Saying "dada" and "baba"
• Waving at strangers and when you say "hey" or "bye bye"
• Mocking us when we shake our head, growl or roar, scream, sing, and clap
• He has taken a few side steps while standing at a toy table

I took him outside and sat him in the grass for the first time the other day and he didn't think it was very fun. I snapped a few pictures and this one above was one of my favorites... drool on his shirt and everything!

A Little Update

My little guy amazes me every day with how much he is learning, doing, and growing.

Some of the things he is currently doing:

• Sitting up for long periods of time and playing by himself 
• He knows what to touch on his toys to get them to light up and make noise
• Drinking from a sippy cup with a straw like a champ
• Going from crawling position to sitting up, and from sitting up to crawling position
• Rocking back and forth on his hands and knees and lunging forward while in this position
• He puts one knee forward like he wants to crawl, then collapses to his belly after one try

I absolutely love how much he loves me. He looks to me with adoration and I just melt into a puddle of mush! He is such a momma's boy and I can't complain :) His little personality is starting to show and he is such a silly guy.

Happy Half Birthday

Fox is 6 months old!

He weighed in at 15 lbs 14 oz and took his shots like a champ.

Super Seat!

For Christmas, Fox told me he wanted the Summer Infant Super Seat. He said it was 10x better than the Bumbo... and his wish came true.

At first he didn't really know how to sit in it so he was extra stiff and straight.

A month later he discovered that when he hit the ball it spun.

Now at almost 5 months old he loves sitting in it and being surrounded with all his toys.

I love that sweet face! I could kiss it all day long - slobber and all.