What a mess!

Big guy might be the messiest eater. We gave up bibs around the time that every time he had one on he would rip it off during the meal. I kind of have just let shirts get dirty. eh, that's what the washing machine is for! As you have seen some previous posts- cool drink and tomatoes for real, the kid is messy. But what do you think about refried bean and cheese burritos? Or how about how veggie chili? I guess some people would get upset about messy eating, but I'm happy he's eating and really experiencing his food. He is also very good about when he takes too big of a bite, spitting it into his hand and taking his time eating it. Quite a good skill, if you ask me.

Squatting, weaning, and walking

Last week, when big guy was having all of his medical adventures, hubs and I kept him out of daycare. And amazingly he started a whole lot of new stuff. Besides saying all kinds of new words- he said "hat" yesterday!!! He also started almost walking- I know, I know. I've been saying this for weeks. But seriously, he mastered squatting- like he's a baseball catcher/yoga instructor and was showing it off at his b-day party.

Not only squatting, but then standing up and clapping for himself, before resting back in the squatting position. It's absolutely hilarious and adorable! Then on wednesday, after the surgery, big guy started taking steps by himself. We've been encouraging this by letting him walk with our hands and then letting go once he's up and moving. so, cute. And then on friday, he stood up, took three steps towards his truck, and then grabbed his truck and started walking! It was awesome. He did it again on saturday!

And in another big move, big guy decided he was done with bottles at snack time! That's right, the child weaned himself from the two bottles during the day. He still drinks from one in the morning- begrudgingly and right before bed. However, our dr was very impressed! I was slightly worried that he won't be getting enough milk, but she said he'd even out and start drinking more from the cup. Which is what has been happening. He's doing great, squatting, weaning, and walking!

Tomatoes for real

This whole giving one food at a time for three days is a real drag, once you've been doing it for 6 months! I've started to get a little lax, like giving maybe two new foods within a day. Nothing that would be considered too dangerous or highly allergic. For instance, tomatoes are apparently a food that babies are supposed to be allergic to and that we are supposed to wait until 1 year. But I got antsy and so much food that I cook has tomatoes.

I had made a big pot of vegetarian chili one night and gave it to big guy, but kind of wiped off the tomato sauce from the beans and corn. He seemed fine. I officially decided to do tomatoes on his birthday, when I let big guy have plain pizza. And then really officially b/c a couple days after that we had whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. Which he loved! Picture above! And since then we've had spinach lasagna- omg- the big guy looooves spinach. it's too funny! And we have now officially conquered the world of tomatoes. And I can now officially give big guy all the food I normally make. Yes!

TUBES!

Wednesday morning, hubs, big guy and I started our morning as usual. Big guy slept until 5:30am! Woo-hoo! Which was really good b/c he wasn't supposed to eat anything two hours before his ear tube surgery and our surgery time was 6:50am. We got up and got big guy ready. I think he was thrilled to not be forced to eat something and just allowed to run naked and play for a little bit. We got him in the car and off we went!

We were the first one's there (score!) and apparently it's on a first come first served basis, so we won out. We got registered and then followed a nurse into the waiting room. Big guy got changed into this funny little yellow outfit- picture above. All the little kids who would come after us were wearing these outfits- like it was the future and every little kid had to wear them or like little kung-fu masters.

The nursing staff was AWESOME! And we really liked the anesthesiologist who assured us she would be in the room with him the whole time. And after making sure he hadn't eaten anything and answering some other health questions, they gave big guy "giggle juice." Which makes them all loopy and "high." WHich was funny seeing all these little yellow-clad kids with half opened eyes acting so silly. Then they took my little man and hubs and I went into the waiting room.

Maybe 15 minutes later, the nurse came to get us to see the big guy. I have to say, I was pretty calm during the whole process- they've been doing this surgery for over 30 years! But, when I saw my big guy with an oxygen mask on w/ his eyes half open and breathing slowly. I have to say, I almost lost it and burst into tears. He looked so fragile and there was a ton of blood in his ears. And I was about to cry when I thought, "Don't be the crazy mom who gets hysterical and scares all the other mothers!" So, I held it together and in a few minutes, while the nurse was going over stuff, he woke up groggily and very hungry.

I had luckily thought to bring an apple juice box (they had some there to put into bottles anyway) and big guy tanked it! We got him dressed, spoke to the Dr, and got our discharge instructions. 5 ear drops in both ears twice a day and some antibiotics- he had active ear infections when the Dr. went in.

We got into the car- big guy was grouchy, tired, and hungry. We stopped at the D&D and got more apple juice and bagels. And these pics below are of big guy in the car enjoying his first bite of food in over 14 hours! Could he get any messier???

And can I say- hubs and I have seen an immediate difference. Big guy has been talking non-stop! He has said the following new words- Ball, Block, Truck, and Duck!!!!! It's amazing, and he's thisclose to walking. Which is just awesome. He's back to being his normal happy, bubbly baby. Which he has been, but it just feels different!

One Year Dr's Appt!

Big guy had his first year Dr's appt on tuesday afternoon. Our wonderful Dr said he was "perfect!" Which is of course what every mom wants to hear! He is 32 inches long- 95th percentile! Almost 23 lbs- 52nd percentile! And head is 50th percentile. He's doing everything right developmentally- they were very happy to hear about the new pointing skills.

Dr. W said that he was right on track for the difficulty with sleeping thing- sleep is cyclical and babies this age wake themselves up during a light sleep time and then get upset when they are suddenly standing! And the difficulty with eating at the table- totally normal, big guy is just too busy to sit still. She liked my thoughts (which were really my friend J's thoughts) about changing up the view when he eats and trying to put him in his booster seat sometimes, not just his high chair.

Dr. W also said his terrible two's start now! Oh no! And apparently I made a face when the dr said that. oh no, not the terrible two's! And she eased us into his tubes surgery the next morning by making sure he'd be ok. It was a great appt and we go back for a 15 month appt. Oh, and big guy got 4 shots! But he cried for maybe two minutes and then was fine. And he flashed the mean nurse who gave him the shots a smile on the way out. He's just such an awesome kid.

Cool drink

Big guy loves drinking from straws. The other night I gave him a tiny bit of water in a cup and actually let him hold it! Normally, I offer the cup w/ straw while I don't let go. But, I thought it'd be a fun to let him give it a try. As you can see he had a lot of fun!!!

Got any gwapes?

Big guy has been eating whole wheat cinnamon raisin toast for quite some time. That's right, I found whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread! I was so psyched. And I thought the other day it might be a good idea to try some grapes. Seeing as he was already eating raisins. Well, I cut into 8th's some red grapes and the big guy loves them! I know I am supposed to peel them- but it's a huge pain in the ass. Instead, big guy separates the flesh from the skin of the grape- which I feel better about b/c Nanny S said that means he's using exercising his tongue. Um, if that means anything!!!!

First B-day Party

Big guy's awesome truck from hubs and me! So cute watching him push it around the house!

Big guy's b-day gift from Grandma Dino/Grumpy Grampy- Rody the inflatable horse!

Sunday was the big b-day party for the big guy! My perfectly laid out plan of having the party from 11-1 because that is when big guy is up between morning and afternoon naps and ready to eat totally went down the toilet. Instead, big guy decided to wake up at 5am, take a 40 minute nap and be awake/grouchy until 1pm. Sigh. I continuously remind myself that now that I have a child, nothing will ever go as planned and to just go with it!

Grandma Dino and Grumpy Grampy came around 10, followed shortly by Nanny S. Grandma Dino brought over bagels w/ a variety of cream cheeses, an edible arrangements bouquet, and the cake. Also- a very cute present- picture above! Then everyone else came- Grandma J, Great Aunt B, Grandma C, Uncle I, Aunt K, Uncle E, and Cousin C. It was quite a full house! And big guy loved every second of it!

Big guy was a total ham and even though no one besides hubs and I knew he was in a bad mood, he had a great time. big guy was showing off his standing prowess and was clapping non-stop. The clapping was so precious. He would start and then everyone else would start clapping and cheering/saying "Yay!" And then he would start all over again!

big guy wasn't eating very well, but did munch on a bagel with veggie cream cheese. He had some yogurt for lunch and slammed his hand into b-day cake. He took a big lick of icing and then made a face and it all slid out of his mouth. He was so not interested in cake! And he spit out the ice cream also. After that, big guy went up for a 2 hour nap- he was so miserable.

After he got up, he was in much better spirits. He had a snack, watch the men folk play wiffle ball outside, and we ate some pizza for dinner! This birthday was definitely the "truck" bday. Hubs and I got big guy a huge truck- pic above! It's so cool and honks and makes cool dumping/grinding noises! He got some cool farm trucks, another dump truck with sand box tools, and some fun books from the art museum. Oh- and a play cell phone- so cute!

Overall, it turned out to be a great day, even if it didn't go as planned. Big guy had fun and was definitely exhausted. He slept a good part of monday (as I had off for president's day) and was definitely happy to have some quality time with the mamabear!

Is this a one year old thing?

Ok- big guy has been a one year old for less than a week and already I'm noticing some of the "independence" that is headed my way! Big guy has suddenly decided he is not interested in staying in his high chair during meal time. Much to my frustration! Instead, he twists himself around and faces the other way. Or, if he isn't strapped in, but just has the tray locked in, he will somehow squeeze himself up and stand in the high chair. (And yes, he is never alone in the seat- I'm always there.) Not only does he not want to sit, he's not really interested in eating. Like he suddenly has sooo many other things to do, besides eat!

The second hint of independence is he's been giving me a hard time at bed. Or something is going on. The first couple nights he would cry for a half hour straight when I put him in bed. Which he has never done, ever since learning to put himself to bed at 4 months old! Ok, I just go upstairs and rub his back and he's out in 2 minutes. But for the past week, he's been getting up at 11 or midnight. And except for one night, big guy has immediately gone back to sleep after a few kisses and some back rubs. So, is this a one year old thing?

The little trickster

Big guy is a trickster and a stinker! Yesterday, as hubs and I were cleaning our house he was crawling/frolicking/walking while holding onto hands. At one point, hubs was holding the big guy's hands and he was running towards the couch. I was just turning to go wash some dishes, when big guy let go and ran the last five steps!

We clapped and cheered and we got a big smile in return. Then a few hours later, big guy did it again! Which got me thinking that big guy probably knows how to walk unassisted and is choosing to trick us into thinking he can't. My theory seemed right on to hubs! Kind of like how he knows how to hold his own bottle, but chooses not to. Example- last night big guy is drinking some milk while I was getting him ready for bed. Not only does he hold the bottle- he was holding it with one hand! The little stinker!

Anatomy of Eating White Pizza

Big guy loves white pizza! He starts off with some demure, sensible bites.

Then he gets a little more into eating the yummy mozzarella, ricotta, and garlic w/ crust!

Then it's an all out shovel as much in as possible fest!

Big guy then flashes an "I'm so cute and love you for buying my pizza" look! I fall for it every time!

And finally, we do a prayer to the white pizza g-ds! Oh great pizza, please send unto me more cheese! And that is how big guy eats his white pizza.

Pointing

Big guy has started a new pointing thing. He did it for the first time the other day when we were playing. He looked up and pointed at the light. So, I naturally said, "Oh, the light!" And since then, we've been on a pointing extravaganza! Which is actually really fun, but sometimes I don't know what he is pointing at! And then we are just guessing and hoping we get it right.

How much do you love me?

And now for our next installment of funny things the hubs says to me!

So, over the weekend, I completely lost my voice. Not as fun as it sounds. Well, hubs was really on my nerves. Probably b/c I couldn't speak to tell him this, he was somehow just getting more and more irritating. By sunday, I was actually cursing at him through whispers. After he finally figured out that he was being a d*ckface ( my new favorite word) here is what he said to me:

"Tell me how much you love me from 1-10. Use one hand."

Ah, I guess he did understand how much of a jerk he was being

Happy 1st Birthday!

Big guy enjoying some mashed potatoes on his bday!

My big guy turned 1 year old today. No longer a "baby" who is measured in months. Now, he is big time- measured in years! I keep marveling over the fact that he is so different from when he was born. It's amazing- he came out and couldn't do anything for himself. But now, he crawls, cruises, feeds himself food/beverage, he can say words, he has preferences for toys/activities, he puts himself to sleep...

He is fun, funny, smart, handsome, very silly, and just so enjoyable. I am truly blessed to have him as my son. I can't wait to see everything he'll do this year! Today, he had a great day! He got up around 5am, was in a great mood. He had a fun day at school- they said he really enjoyed when people were serenading him with "happy b-day!" (I really like being sung to on my bday too!)

We came home, I made Sheppard's Pie- one of his favorite meals. We took a bath, then hung outside until hubs got home. We ate dinner and then- went for a walk! That's right, it's actually nice enough outside to go for walks! I'm so excited. A little cabin fever! big guy LOVES the outside. HE was so thrilled and just was bouncing, clapping, pointing at everything (trees, dogs, trucks) and just had an awesome time. Happy birthday big guy!

Peek-a-boo

Big guy has started playing peek-a-boo with everything he can get his hands on. He loves crawling over to our curtains that cover the sliding glass door and hiding under them. Then he will (very dramatically) rip them to one side and flash a smile! So, now when he goes over, we say, "Where is big guy?" And then he shows himself and we say, "Oh, there you are, I didn't see you." Which of course brings about all kinds of giggles and smiles.

Big guy will also play peek-a-boo with books, mail, blankets, pretty much anything that he can cover his face with. THe other day, big guy was covering his eyes with a coupon from bed, bath, and beyond and playing with hubs. they were certainly having a grand time!

It could have been a lot worse

Last wednesday, big guy woke up with a terrible cough. At the time, I didn't think much of it, other than it was beginning the next round of illness. Later, when I picked big guy up from school, he was so grouchy and exhausted. The morning nap had apparently been interrupted by a fire drill. He was in bed and zonked out by 6:15! I noticed that he was snoring- which isn't unusual, he always snores, but that he was a bit louder.

As the hours progressed, he got progressively louder and then the snore turned into a honk, kind of like a goose. Hubs and I decided to go to bed early ( a good move!) From eight to ten at night, it got worse. He had also started coughing and then crying in his sleep. By ten, we had been waking up every ten minutes, so I got up to pee. As I walked by his crib, he stood up to cry and couldn't get anything out. OK, something was seriously wrong. My bubba couldn't breathe correctly!

We called the after hours nurse and she said to steam him, then cold air. And if that didn't work, as in he fell asleep and continued to wheeze, it was off to the ER. Guess what? We went to the ER. As soon as we saw the triage nurse, she knew it was croup- which is an inflammation of the upper respiratory system. So, not only do you cough, wheeze, and honk, but you also sound like you have a frog in your throat. The poor big guy!

Well, the big guy got a dose of steroids- though I am promised that his future professional baseball career will not be injured. We were there from about midnight to three am. And big guy was in good spirits. Flirting with the nurses and doctors. And for as awful as a reason that we were there, we had a great experience- everyone was nice and helpful.

Of course, it could have been a lot worse. Big guy is ok now. Although, both the hubs and I got laryngitis- which is adult croup. And I'm still getting my voice back a week later. Big guy is on the mend, preparing for his bday tomorrow! Bday party on sunday. 1 year appt on tuesday. And tubes on wednesday. So, we are chugging along.

First Steps

Last sunday, big guy took his first unassisted steps! Hubs and big guy were playing with our giant workout ball- it's bubble gum pink. Big guy loves to smack the ball b/c it makes a funny noise. And very often, he is picked up and sits on a lap while one of us bounces. He finds this hilarious!

Well, they were playing with the ball. Big guy was pushing it with his body and then throwing himself at it. To much hilarity. Big guy pushes the ball a little far. Hubs was going to grab it for him and instead, big guy takes three steps and then lands on the ball! Hubs of course clapped and cheered.

Yeah, it was great. But guess where I was??? That's right, in the basement, doing laundry. All I hear is hubs calling my name and asking when I am coming upstairs again. Um, in a few minutes. Yeah, he just walked. Dammit! How did I miss it? Stupid laundry.

Object Permanence

HEY HEY! I'm back, sort of. To find out about my adventure (which sucked) and my absence from writing- stay tuned for the post- "It could have been worse."

In the meantime, more griping about daycare? No, but something funny. Last week I went to pick up big guy and on his little clip chart was his summary of the day, in the first person! And a "skills analysis"!!!! Much like when they gave me the list of finger foods with poptarts at the top, I perused quickly and then threw it into my coat pocket while trying to escape quickly.

I get home and we are eating our afternoon snack when I finally take a look at it. Listed at the top are all the awesome skills they say the big guy has- very verbal, moves a lot, good hand/eye coordination, etc. Then it has a section of stuff he should be mastering over the next few months. This is the part that cracks me up, b/c they have all this stuff listed that he does at home, but I guess doesn't do for them.

Example- hold his own sippy cup. At home, he picks up his cup and drinks whenever he's thirsty during a meal. In fact, he chugs water when he eats cheese, which is like every night. the kid is a cheese lover! Ok, no big deal. But then it says he has to work on object permanence. Now, I'm pissed. He obviously knows that things don't disappear when they are out of sight. Take anything he is playing with and put it behind your back, he moves to the side to find it. WTF! But then I think, maybe big guy is being a bit passive aggressive too????

He's discovered his dingle

The big guy has discovered his penis. It's the last unexplored body part. Hands, feet, toes, legs, hair, and now, the groin area. Big guy has this habit of crawling around naked a lot- ok, I slightly encourage it and think it's really cute. He has earned the nickname- Mr. Naked. The other day we were doing some naked standing, nothing unusual and the big guy looked down, saw it, and then grabbed it.

Then I exclaimed, "that's your penis!" He looked at me then back down. We then proceeded to take a bath and as he was sitting, he spotted it again. He grabbed for it again, and I yelled, "Yes, that's your penis!" He was way more interested in what it was doing down there, then anything I had to say. But, the self discovery continues. And this is just the beginning of touching, talking about, thinking about the penis. Boys! how do they walk around with those things!

ENT appt

On wednesday, we finally made it to the ENT- ear, nose, and throat dr. We were recommended to go since big guy has had near constant ear infections for 6 weeks! Not fun. Our first appt was canceled due to 12 inches of snow- psht, I would have made it, maybe. And mother nature tried to prevent us again, ice rain was in the forecast. But, it turned out to be mildly slippery. And when did ice rain become weather?

We made it there and must have had one of the first appts. People were grumpy there- I guess they were slowed down by the weather. We got into a room relatively quickly and only waited a short time before the nurse practitioner came in. Or as I call her in my head, the bitchy nurse practitioner. I think none of the nurses were there, so she ended up doing the nurse's job. SHe was a huge jerk.

anyway, the dr was nice and listened to our history and then took a peek. Yup, the infection we were attempting to keep at bay had turned into one, even with a preventative 5 mls of antibiotic at night. The verdict- tubes! That's right, my bubba has to have surgery. Ok,Ok. They've been doing it for over 30 years, perfectly safe, and takes about 10 minutes start to finish. But, it is still surgery.

After I got into a fight with the bitchy nurse practitioner- she was talking mumbo jumbo. The big guy got a hearing test, so we could have a baseline before surgery and then he'll have another one after surgery to see the improvement. The audiologist was awesome. We got to sit in a soundproof room and there were speakers. And three really creepy stuffed animals that lit up, moved, and talked! That's right- a bear that drummed, a dog that barked, and a squirrel with a trombone. It was hilarious and frightening at the same time. Luckily, the audiologist warned us ahead of time!

Big guy passed his hearing test like any person would who has fluid in their ears. Everything is muffled. It's so sad to me that he hasn't been hearing properly all this time. The good thing is that I am really loud. So, my big guy is scheduled for surgery on the 23rd. In the meantime, I'll continue to talk so loud and obnoxiously!

What I haven't done in 21 months

Since we have stopped breast feeding, there is all this stuff that I can start doing again. For instance, have my period. BOOOO! Yeah, it totally sucks. 21 months without one is awesome. I highly recommend it!

I also had my first caffeinated beverage. I've had sips, but never a whole soda. It was so good. I also took a tylenol for some neck pain I was having. It was also so good. Not eat dinner- unheard of. Nor let myself get thirsty- too unbearable.

Then I got to thinking about stuff I did when I was pregnant, but couldn't while breastfeeding. Like eat anything with mint in it- did you know it is bad for one's milk supply? Eat peanut products, which, I was allowed to eat, but felt weird about.

Sleep 14 hours interrupted- oh wait, I'll never get to do that again!