Two years old! And potty training boot camp!

Two years old! My son is two. Mind-boggling! So many people comment on how old he looks. I also still get comments about how big he is but at his two-year check-up he is right at the 50th percentile at 26.8 pounds and 34" tall.

We had an Elmo party on the 16th with 30-some people. He loves Elmo and he loves Mickey too so it was hard to pick, but hey, I already had an Elmo cake pan and I figured Elmo had a shorter "shelf life" and we should do it while he loves Elmo and he may still love Mickey for years to come. I did make the cake and I was very proud of it! He loved it, although he didn't seem to love it as much as my niece did when I made it for her second birthday seven years ago.

He got a lot of wonderful gifts, books, clothes, toys.

Some of the cute and funny things he is doing these days are sneaking into the bathroom while I'm showering to pick up my laundry off the floor. Hilarious. My two-year-old is cleaning up after me. He is a bit of a neat freak. Whenever I sing, he says, "Row row." He is requesting "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and as I sing it, he sways and "rows." And covers his ears but I'm not sure what is up with that. Whenever he makes a mess or sees someone in a movie or show making a mess, he says, "No, no." But in the same tone as you'd say "Oh, no."

I was waiting for a 3-day weekend to try potty training boot camp. He has been acting interested for awhile. He tells me when he poops and every morning he has been taking off his pajamas and diaper and heading to the bathroom. I bought him a potty back in the summer and he peed in it once when he was around 22 months but mostly he just plays with it. But lately he has been getting angry when I put a diaper on him and since he was telling me and acting interested, I thought I'd try the boot camp. Today was day one and it went OK. He only had one time where he made it to the potty but he knew when he had an accident most of the time and would exclaim, "No no! Poop!" (It was just poop once but he calls poop and pee both poop. Ha ha.)

Two months til 2!

I can't really believe I let the blog go this long! I write so many posts in my head but never get to to the computer to type them!

Our little guy is growing up! Some of his favorite things to do now are to help us; he likes to empty the dishwasher and empty his hamper into a basket and even carry the laundry basket downstairs. He loves pitching the clothes into the washer and attempting to fold.

He says mama (and mommy), dada, monkey, teeth (as in brush his teeth), his new little cousin's name (aw!), the name of his little friend at school, Mickey, Elmo, Cookie (but all the rest of the Sesame Street characters are also Elmo, at least the furry monsters are), banana, apple, ball, baby, cup, uh-oh, no, yes, my, balloon, belly button, go, poop (means poop, pee, and diaper), please, thank you. He says, "Wanna watch" and hands me the remote. He also says "wa" for when he wants to walk and makes that very clear. He says "muah" when he kisses someone or blows a kiss. He is obsessed with babies and will kiss my screen if there is a picture of a baby there. He was checking out the baby in the director's office one day this week. He was pointing, saying "boo-boo", and blowing him kisses. He really melted my heart.

We are planning an Elmo-themed second birthday party. He adores both Elmo and Mickey so it was a tough decision but I think Mickey might appeal to him for a longer time so I thought we'd save Mickey for another year. He might be Mickey for Halloween though!

He scraped up his nose pretty bad the Monday before last. I was upset but he seems OK. One spot on his nose seemed worse than the rest and he keeps picking at that scab.

He got blood work today; so did I . I went first and as soon as he saw the woman coming at me with the needle he got the strangest look on his face and told her no. He flipped out when it was his turn; I felt sooo bad. He kept kicking and telling her to go. He was just so upset.

Tonight was his first time sitting in a booster seat. It was kind of a disaster. They had no high chairs available. He wouldn't stay still and kept climbing all over.

Tonight was also his first night peeing on the potty! First he stripped naked for his nap which I found hilarious! Then tonight he spotted his potty and instantly wanted his diaper and pants off. So I helped him. He was climbing all over the house and I said, "Hey, sit on the potty," and he did. His potty has a flusher on it and he got up and flushed it. I was shocked when I looked in and saw pee in there. I was so proud of him. I hope he keeps it up. I was going to do the 3-day method Thanksgiving weekend but now I'm not sure. I will see what happens between now and then.

Gifts From My Son

So my son has been giving me the gift of being up before the sun. One of these days I need to stop and actually look out the window and watch the sun rise. He is becoming quite the early riser and I did much grumbling about it before deciding to view it as a gift. Today we ate breakfast together. I can tell you before today that has never ever happened on a work day. I changed my hours as of 5/28 as well; I now go in at 8:30 rather than 9:00. I figured I am up, so why not? I love getting home a half hour earlier too. I'm showering at night as well; that is not necessarily a good thing. I love my morning showers but it helps me save time in the morning.

N is no longer the baby on my side of the family. I have a new niece who was born on 5/28 at 10:27 a.m., weighing in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces. So far his reactions have been to smile at her while I'm holding him and to cry when I'm holding her.

He likes to point to images now and say something like "that." The first time he did it he pointed at a picture of a cat, so naturally I thought he was attempting to say "cat." But today he did it for Elmo and Cookie Monster and I think he is saying "that" because I often point and say, "Who is that?" He is too funny. "Uh-oh" is simply his favorite word right now though. He will purposely drop something just to say "uh-oh."

Eighteen Months Old!

Oh, wow, I knew I missed posting in April but hadn't realized I missed March as well! There is so much to share! I hope this post doesn't ramble too much.

I'll start with today. Our little man is 18 months old! Happy birthday, N! We had his portraits done yesterday in his baseball jersey. A baseball and bat were two of the poses. That was fun. He kept throwing and running after! We did manage a few good shots. I told the photographer she could stop with less than 10. There were some cute ones and honestly, the more they take the harder time I have deciding.

I guess the big news for April was he had a little surgery. We drove to Albany, NY, to see Dr. Kotlow for N's lip and tongue tie revisions. We knew he was tongue tied shortly after birth but we didn't know much about it. All the medical professionals told us since he was nursing well, we could just take a wait-and-see approach. Poor little guy had been through so much already I agreed. If only I knew then what I know now. He did breastfeed fine and he gained weight rapidly. But then at his nine-month well baby check his doctor felt he wasn't eating enough solids. She sent us to see a pediatric ENT who agreed he had a tongue tie and said we could wait, he could clip it in the office but might not do a great job (due to his having teeth already) or we could book the procedure for the OR. I knew I didn't want the OR thing. So we left and figured we'd decide later. Fast forward to February I am a La Leche League meeting and a woman there had just driven to Albany to have her two sons revised. She showed me pictures of her older son's lip tie and I thought N didn't have that. I lifted his lip and was shocked to see he did! His front top two teeth came in with a gap. So after much thought, discussion, and research, I decided I wanted N's fixed as well. Yes, he was old enough nursing was essential anymore but I read about the consequences of unresolved ties. We booked the procedure and the hotel and drove up to Albany on a Sunday. (The reason so many people go to Albany is Dr. Kotlow revises with NO anesthesia and he uses a laser instead of scissors.) He had the surgery on a Monday morning. The doctor talked to us for a bit, put on a video for us, and when he came back in, N just held out hsi arms to him! I was amazed; he doesn't usually do that. So the doctor said, "We'll be back." I didn't realize it was time! But he was only gone six minutes. He came back red-faced, sweaty, and crying. I held him for a bit and he nursed and then he was just fine! In fact, he was all smiles when the doctor came back, even gave him a smile and a high five. The ride home was pretty long but he did well.

So that was not even three weeks ago and he has started saying new words now. In addition to mama and dada which he was already saying, he now says thank you (heard it only once), uh-oh (says over and over and over), poop, bye-bye, mine (occasionally), and I think hi as well. So he had six words by 18 months. Woo hoo!

We had to do stretches so the tongue and lip wouldn't reattach. The tongue was nearly impossible as he had nine teeth already (just got his tenth a few days ago). The lip was easier. For the tongue he said to put peanut butter on top teeth. He is allergic to peanut butter so we used sunflower seed butter (which he loves). It has a similar consistency to PB so I think it had the same effect. He really had to work that tongue to get it off his front teeth. As of today, I saw NO reattachment so that is good.

He had a new teacher at school from 1/21-5/10. I was sad to see her go. He is now with one of the college students; she is great and I really like her. He moved from Toddler A to Toddler B in March (the 18th I believe). He is doing well! He is starting gymnastics now (Junior Gym Nest). He went Friday for his first class (a free trial to see how he likes it) but he did not participate just watched (which is normal for a first time) so they sent a note saying he can continue to watch for free. Once he starts joining in then we will pay. I'm excited. I never was involved in any of that so I want that for him.

He just loves to help. He helps put stuff away. Whenever I'm in the kitchen and open the fridge, he is right there filling it with bottled drinks. He is getting independent. For the past few weeks he has tried dressing and undressing himself. He gets his coat and runs to the door and wants to walk to the car by himself when he sees I am ready to leave. He is getting to be a better eater too. He was anti-meat for awhile but today he ate maybe one-third of a hot dog at a baseball game and then he ate chicken for dinner but wouldn't touch mac 'n cheese. Yay!

He had his first ER visit in March. It wound up being a not-so-big deal but it was scary at the time. He and I were sick with a virus. We went to urgent care on Sunday but there wasn't much they could do for us. I stayed home Monday and Tuesday with him and as he napped Tuesday I figured we were well enough to go back to work and school Wednesday. (He had also stayed home with S on Friday so it had already been awhile.) When he woke up from his nap he was covered in hives. Big, ugly, nasty hives. Welts really. I was alarmed. He has food allergies and very sensitive skin. We had recently been having issues with detergent but not a detergent I had used on his stuff. I didn't know what to think. I gave him Benadryl, and called the doctor. They said to bring him in. She thought it was an allergic reaction and prescribed steroids (oral). I gave him him his first dose and he got even worse later that night. It was terrible. I called her and she called back and I was crying. She said to go to the ER. I mean, he was just covered in welts and he was clawing at them. He was so miserable and I could see why! At the ER they said it was the virus coming out of his body. They gave him a steroid shot. We stayed home Wednesday and he was still no better Wednesday night. I called the doctor and they said to come in. she still felt it was an allergic reaction and said to get in to see the allergist. So I called first thing in the morning and got an appointment. He and I went back to work and school Thursday afternoon. And Friday was his last breakout. it was so horrible. Poor little guy was just miserable.

So I think that is a good update for now!

My little mischief maker!

N is just cracking me up these days. He likes to run away and hide from me and when I come after him he says, "Ha ha ha." He loves to climb the steps and go to the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He is all about shutting doors these days! He also loves to put his puzzle pieces in a bag and carry it around. He comes downstairs in the morning and goes straight for the bag of puzzle pieces. He also loves to "help." He put a bunch of (clean) clothes in my hamper the other day. He was very pleased with himself. Mm, I love that boy.

We took him to his 15-month appointment last night. He is still 24 pounds and is now 31" tall and his head finally grew; the nurse measured 18.5" although I could have sworn it was 17.5". But it grew. It was 17" for a long time. He got three shots; they still make me sad. These were the first three in his arm; up until now they were all done in his legs. He got varicella, Hib, and MMR. The nurse blew up a glove for him and kept whacking S with it. N was giggling. We brought it home with us but now he is scared of it! He still thinks it's funny if I hit his daddy with it though; he just doesn't want it anywhere near him!

February Update

Our little guy N is just about 15 months old now! He is walking very well. He still occasionally falls over but his balance is pretty good. He likes to "run" away from me now. He escapes from the bedroom and goes to the bathroom and shuts the door behind him. When we're downstairs he'll go to the stops and climb up and wave bye to us from each one. Once I catch him it's a big gigglefest!

He still loves to answer anything that looks like a phone. "Hello?" And he points remote controls or anything that looks like one at the TV and presses the buttons. He is a little thief too! I had the diaper bag all packed the other day with his sippy cup of water. And when we got to my sister's (2 hours away!) the cup was not in there. I ran out to the car and it wasn't there either. When we got home I found it on the kitchen floor. He must have taken it out of the bag and ran to the kitchen. He loves going through the cabinets.

He is doing pretty well in the toddler room but he has gotten clingy again with me. His first few weeks in there he was very happy to scamper off and when I'd come to pick him up he would just continue to happily play. Now as soon as I put him down he cries. It really saddens me. I think it's good for him to be there; he gets to learn so much he'd never learn at home. But I do wish I could spend more time with him. I wish I could work part-time.

They tell me he's eating better there. I still don't feel like he's a great eater. He is picky too. He doesn't eat much meat and he'll only eat pureed veggies. Hey, I tried baby-led weaning first and he was never interested in veggies. His first food was avocado and broccoli wasn't far behind! He still is not interested.

I am so enjoying watching my boy grow up. He is such a joy and a pleasure, and yes, a tiny bit of a challenge, but totally worth it! <3

January Update

Our boy is walking all over now! He started transitioning to the toddler room at his school three weeks ago and his first day there is when he started waking close to 100% of the time. He seems so grown up now. He doesn't seem as clingy as he used to.

Some adorable and funny things he has done lately are: wipe my noise with a tissue (payback, Mom!), as well as put his cup on a coaster on the end table. He points remotes at the TV and " answers" anything shaped like a phone. When he is in the tub, he grabs his Aveeno Baby wash as soon as he sees me get the washcloth and he turns it upside down and "pours" it onto the washcloth. So funny.

Christmas and a New Year!

The holidays passed in a blur this year. We have been fighting a lot of sicknesses here. Baby boy N had a fever before Christmas and then the weekend before when we were going to be celebrating with my family he seemed sick. Hubby S got sick the weekend before as well, with the same thing he had back in September where he coughs til he throws up. I have a touch of it too but not as bad as he does. We actually all went to urgent care last night. I have an earache and S may have pneumonia but we never heard for sure.

N enjoyed opening his Christmas gifts. At first he'd only be interested in the first gift and wouldn't care to open a second gift. But then he loved it and he started opening gifts that weren't even his. He also took off walking on 12/22, taking way more consecutive steps than he ever had, at my parents' house. He continues to walk like that, never all the way across the room but 5-6 steps in a row. He is a bit wobbly; it is so cute. He carries a blanket around with him though and it trips him up all the time. I wish he wasn't so attached to the blanket because it is sad to see him trip!

N and I had such a cute moment on 1/2. He was eating some puffs (he loves the apple-strawberry flavor from Target, yay!) while sitting on my lap and I kept pretending to try to eat one out of his hand so then he fed me one. And then he kept feeding them to me and I couldn't get him to stop. Then one fell down my shirt. I was wearing a V-neck. I said, "Oh, where did it go?" and he kept saying, "Ah go?" And then I pulled it out and he just giggled. So then he thought it would be funny to start purposely putting them down my shirt and he'd say, "Ah go?" and then he would crack up when I pulled it out. It was so stinkin' cute! It was the first time I heard him try to repeat a word I was saying. He was clearing saying "go." Ah, I ♥ my little munchkin!

So here we are in 2013! I wonder what this year will bring! I'm hoping we can conceive a new sibling for N but we will see.