Christmas time with a toddler!

This year won't be my sons first Christmas, but last year he was only 11ish weeks old so he didn't really help open prezzies or anything. Heehee. I hope this year will be much more fun :) that being said I am worried about our tree! I come from a family that ALWAYS has a real tree and I would rather have no tree than a fake tree...sooo real tree it is. But my question is, HOW do you decorate for a toddler safe tree? I have been thinking about it a lot lately since the weather has turned cold, today it didn't get above 38 degrees! Brrrr. Soon we will see our first flurries and then hopefully have a white Christmas!! So, I'm thinking obviously NO tinsel, glass ornaments, sharp ornaments, basically anything super fragile lol. So what do you put on it? Plastic balls and child friendly ornaments lol. Cloth ornaments for sure! I am thinking of making some red birds and reindeer out of felt for the tree. I need to find his stocking and finish it, I started it November of last year and it's still not completely done! Oh the projects that get left behind when you have a baby! Goodness. So, plastic ball tree with cloth ornaments heehee :) I am so excited to decorate for the holidays. I love it. I honestly want to decorate NOW but I am being GOOD and waiting for December 1st. I am so happy we have a tree again it from and even a bush now! Christmas liiiiights!!!! Yeeeehaw! Maybe I will even decorate my MAILBOX this year. I am so giddy :) First holidays in our new house! Yay! I'm not too worried about the whole pulling the tree over thing, I'm constantly watching him and I am betting he won't like the prickles that much! He hides from daddy's no-shave-November beard so I'm sure the tree won't be a hit lol. I do wonder how many of his toys he will "decorate" the tree with :) I bet it will be SO cute!

What I Wish For You

Dear Son,
    I wish you to follow your dreams where ever they take you. I wish for you to find love in whoever deserves you. I wish for you to feel loved by us, your parents, every day of your life. I wish for you to grow up strong and healthy. I wish for you to discover the world and the many wonders that lay beyond it. I wish for you to laugh and cry and embrace your emotions. I wish for you to explore if that is what you desire. I wish for you to have confidence and trust your abilities to succeed in all that you choose to do. I wish for your imagination to ways be active and flowing. I wish for you to enjoy the simple things in life, to stop and smell the roses. I wish for you to learn many things and follow whatever is your passion. I wish for you to try at least once before you decide you don't like it. I wish for you an open mind and tolerance for others. I wish for you a kind heart wih compassion for your furry friends, all the creatures great and small. I wish for you appreciation for life, whether wealthy or in poverty, I wish for you to never look down on someone because of their standing. I wish for you an even temper and control to conquer your anger. I wish for you the wisdom to outsmart those who look to hurt you. I wish for you to see the beauty in the sky. I wish for you to not only question but to learn things for yourself, not to blindly follow. I wish for you a love for your family and loyalty. I wish for all the things I feel you should be and know and have. I wish for you to have the parents to guide you in your life. I wish for us, your parents, to be that guiding and loving light in your life. I wish for you to be you, my first born son.

Yay for poop!

Not really a phrase I ever imagined I would think, or say, but it's happened since I've become a mom. You examine poo, you smell it, you worry when it's been a few days since the last one, you think about what foods might constipate or cause a rash. You become obsessed I tell you! Obsessed! If you would have told me a few years ago I would be a poo pro I  would have laughed and then sId "oh ew". I also never imagined it not bugging me any...neither does pee or puke or spitup...anything my child does is OK and I can handle it no problem. I didn't know it would come so easily, or that my perceptions and tolerances for nasty stuff would make me a Mom of Steel... But I am SO glad. It makes my life easier that I am able to take care of everything without puking lol. I'm not saying some of the nasty diapers had made me gag ( they HAVE and my son thought me gagging was hilarious by the way... Little stinker!) but I have yet to puke from one! Yay! I will say Breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months and then basically doing solid food once a week until closer to 9 months made it easier. His poo was sweet smelling until "real" food was introduced. My husband with argue with that statement though, heehee, he insists it was bad smelling then. I'm not saying it smelled like a rose, but I did have a sweet sugary smell to it. What a gross way to describe baby poo!

Duplos make the best phones!

My son talked on the "phone" 12.15.13! It was so cute! He put a duplo up to his ear and said "hi hi hi" it was SO cute! It's crazy what kids pick up! I'm so happy I get to see him grow up like this :) every new accomplishment is amazing! Granny got to see it first which was funny, usually I see all the firsts, well, first. I always wonder what babies are thinking, well I guess I have a toddler now, bt still! What goes through their minds? I was reading that now they might start dreaming and waking from the dream. I can only imagine what my toddler would dream about. I wonder if they could have nightmares or if it would only be good dreams? So many questions and no answers lol.

Walking is hilarious...

My son started walking on his own this week, the 12th to be exact. He just decided he was going to go and he did it! At 13 months and 1 day :) he was very proud of himself and giggled and laughed. It was very entertaining. He has been standing by himself for quite awhile now, ( pulling up on stuff and letting go) and cursing all over of course. He took a few step (drunken baby style) a few months ago but he hasn't been in a rush to full on walk yet. Which is perfectly fine. We don't parent like that, we want him to discover his new abilities when he is ready to. I don't want to goad him into anything. It's more real if he does it on his own time in my opinion. But it is SO strange to see him walking around, he will just toddle into the living room from the kitchen like it's nobody's business. Today he even reached down for a toy, picked it up and continued walking around! It was so cool to see! He really is growing up and I can't believe how fast it has all happened. Seriously amazing! He understands SO much also, but he doesn't really say many definitive words yet. He will sometimes say "kee" for kitty and he says mama all the time, especially if he wants boobies, he will come over to me saying mamamamamama. But it's so sweet. I love my little smartie pants.

Boobies Fix Everything

I have to say I am very glad I have breasts. They come in handy when it comes to dealing with owwies, oopsies, bam bams, and the like! Boobies fix EVERYTHING, at least they do for my breastfed son. Fall down and bump your face? Boobies fix that! Kitty not want you to pull out all his fur and runs away? Boobies make that better! Pinch your finger in a cupboard while mommy glanced away for a second? Boobies fix that fast! Overtired and need a nap? Boobies are the answer! Get told no and sat on the floor for a few minutes for trying to rip out all mommys hair? Boobies take the tears away! Hit yourself in the head with a hard toy? Boobies will make that memory fade! So many uses for boobies and they all are great lol. If I didn't have boobies I think there would be many more tears. For now it's a great soother :)

Packing with a one year old...

I started to pack up our house today, I only got three boxes done. My son decided he would help and he took many of the things I was packing out of the box and added ones HE thought should go in instead. It was amusing but not very productive. My husband wonders why I never get anything done, well I have a little helper glued to me. Maybe I can get a few more done tomorrow...if my baby lets me! He is so fascinated with packing and unpacking stuff lately, usually it is his diaper bag. But since hubby brought home boxes for packing he has been all about climbing in the box and bringing toys with him. He also STOOD up by himself in the box and stood for a looooooong time today! What in the world! He's going to be walking all over the place soon, then things are going to get really interesting...I need one of those backpack leash things, I'm so scared he's gonna run off from me! That would be the worst nightmare ever! He's a bit of an explorer so I could see that happening, but he does listen well for the most part. Even though he can be very very stubborn. I know those backpack leashes are controversial, either you hate them or you like them, by to me they are a safety procaution! And I remember ME as a kid and I needed a leash, lol, I never had one but I'm sure it would have been beneficial to my mom. Anyways, back to the packing, I hope I can make some headway this week, seems like so much crap needs to be done and time slips away from me SO fast. I still need to send in stuff for starting school again, but that's not the focus of this post lol. Packing with a toddler is! Did I mention how hard it is?! Haha.

Please! No more toys!

I don't know why everyone seems to think that getting toys for babies for every holiday is a good thing! Uhhhh it's not! My son has sooo many toys I don't know what to do with them all, and he really only plays with a select few. But man, people sure love to give toys as gifts. I'm trying to figure out how to tell people to PLEASE not give toys for Christmas this year, clothes, snacks, hats, shoes, baby store gift cards would be much more appropriate and wanted than the other stuff. Especially BIG toys that take up room and never get played with. Well meaning is nice- but when you don't listen to my suggestions please include a gift receipt! I know I can't be the only mom out there that feels this way. He has mountains of toys, but could totally use more clothes! He has nothing that will fit for the summer or even more winter clothes would be fine. He can always use socks and even diapers! Diapers are a great gift! One that I don't think should ONLY be reserved for baby showers. First birthdays are good, Christmas, anytime really! I wish! Stinking toys...grrrrrr

Cooking with a toddler 101

Cooking with my son around is always interesting! Sometimes he is perfectly content to play in the kitchen while I cook- but MOST of the time he cries and grabs my apron and demands to be "up where the action is" so I do most of my cooking one handed with my baby on my hip watching me intently and laughing when I turn the mixer on. Today I made us pancakes for breakfast, and my breakfast I mean lunch haha. I make all my food from scratch for him, and things like pancakes ALWAYS are made from scratch. I can't stand the "fake" ones lol. I can taste those a mile away! Yuckers. He enjoyed his pancakes, and when he was done eating them he smashed them into oblivion and then cried when I cleaned his hands because he thought he should go through the day with banana pancake sticky fingers. He only tried to get into my cooking once while we were cooking together, and that was when I was separating the eggs. He decided he needed to poke his finger into he egg yolk and when his finger "popped" through into it he found that VERY fascinating and had to repeat it with the other two eggs! He loves to help me in the kitchen. So we had a fun afternoon of making pancakes and then eati them :) I love my little buddy. Today is a great day!

Faces

I always wonder what my son is thinking. He makes some of the funniest faces and I wish I could see inside that little mind! Either that or thought bubbles would pop up above babies heads until hey learned to talk haha! I think I've got his facial expressions pretty well figured out which is a plus! The "scrunchy face" usually means he isn't quite sure about something /someone, he thinks something you are wearing looks strange, or he has accomplished something he hasn't before or is more complicated to do. He also has the "pouty face" which is a precursor to the "mad face" which means comfort needs to be exercised or all hell will break loose! He also has the "kissy face" which is so adorable! That means he's in the sweetest mood and wants cuddles or kisses :) It's one of my favorites for sure! He keeps me on my toes figuring out what he needs but that's just part of being a parent. He is my everything, even when he wants to pull out my hair wih hands clasped like vice grips!

My thoughts about showering :)

My son is very interested in everything we do now. He wants to be held while we are washing dishes, cooking, eating or anything involving us doing tasks above his head lol. He will cry at mine or my husbands legs and put his arms up and open and shut his hands until one of us picks hi up. Then he's happy as a clam! He never tries to get into what we are doing- he is perfectly content to watch so I guess that's lucky! I think it's sweet how interested he is in everyday tasks- hopefully that means he will want to help when he is older! :)

We took a shower today-together of course because if I dare try to shower alone he will jerk the curtain open and try to climb in fully clothed. So I bypass the wet baby in clothes and diaper scenario and just take him in there with me. He loves it and plays with the drain or his boats and cups. I have to say I'm not the type of parent to hide my body from my kids. I think it's important and healthy for them to see a naked body and not be ashamed of it. I would say I am a rather uninhibited parent type- an so it my husband! I know many might find that strange, but for us it's normal.

Here I am, with a one year old!

My son turned one just a few weeks ago, it's hard for me to believe it has been over a year since he has been born! How time flys, it's truly shocking! He's doing great and is the sweetest little boy. He is everything I always pictured for my first born ( except the boy part, I always thought I would have a Girl first until I got pregnant- then I woke up one day and knew I was having a boy lol) he has the blue eyes and blonde hair I always imagined! And he is so handsome, he really is a nice looking kid :). This past year has been full of surprises and learning experiences for sure! I can't tell you how many times I got peed on or had to fish odd items of of my child's mouth that he just "had to eat". Today I fished more cat food out of his mouth ( yucky ) and he wasn't too happy about that. But I didn't want to see catfood pooped out on his diaper like I saw a few days ago! No thanks! Not to mention what goes into the catfood- not stuff I want my child ingesting that's for sure! I mean I don't even let him have processessed foods...( yes I AM one of "those moms" ) oddly enough though, the catfood WAS whole so I guess his little tummy had problems digesting it anyways ( cringe ). I should have started this blog awhile ago...and I've been meaning to... But somehow life just kept getting in the way and not to mention I have a rather demanding baby lol. But I'm starting it now so yay! I hope to fill it with lots of mommy thoughts and baby thoughts and stuff I believe in or feel strongly about :) well, that was a good first post.