A Very Quick Update

L had his 2 year check up last week and is doing great. This was the first appointment I wasn't able to make (Daddy took L) and it was the first one that didn't result in tears after the vaccinations. He is getting so big!

Stats:

25 pounds 13 ounces

33.75 inches tall

N never told me his head measurement, but he's still in the 25%.

I have so many things to update on, but it's going to have to wait a little while, I just wanted to share his stats before I forget!

The Countdown to Two

My baby is going to be two.

No, I still can't seem to wrap my head around that.

He has been growing up so fast, it's amazing/sad/scary/wonderful/some-other-adjective. That being said, I am really loving this current stage (minus the tantrums, of course.) He is so clever, so active, so lively and I love every second I get to spend with him. Ok, maybe not every second, but you get the idea. Since it's been awhile since my last post, I'm going to go ahead and update now. I'm not really awake enough to write a fun and witty post right now.

Potty Training: The problem with bragging is that it usually turns back on me. I know better than to jinx myself, but I just couldn't stop myself. The day after my post on our PTing success, L got sick. And we're back in diapers. Still. He goes to the actual potty a few times a day, but if he's really into something, he doesn't bother to tell me. And forget going number 2 in the potty. I'm hoping to try again this summer when I have the time to really focus on it... if he waits that long.

Going, Going, Going: this kid has so much energy, it's insane! He runs, climbs, explores, tumbles, and play non-stop. Not to mention, he's absolutely fearless. I honestly don't know how he does it. Thankfully, it also means that he's still taking an afternoon nap. I'm not quite ready for him to outgrow that yet.

Blah, Blah, Blah: Boy can this kid chatter. He will talk your ear off if given the chance, not that you'll understand the majority of what he's saying. But by the hysterics he breaks into, you know it has to be funny. His vocabulary has grown so much these past few months. He repeats a lot of what he hears, so I'm not going to count every word he "says"just the ones he actually understands.

Names: Momma, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Abby (the new dog- poor Artemis and Herc), Logan, Um (what he named his stuffed panda), Mater, Lola (his nana's dog)

Words/phrases/sentences: yes, yeah, no, hi, hey, hello, that's right, gotcha, uh oh, oh no, ok, sorry, thank you, please, red, blue, bread, juicy, strawberry, block, car, I don't know, are you ok (asked if someone sneezes or coughs), puppy, kitty, snake, yo gabba gabba yo (he always adds on the extra "yo" because of the theme song), down, good night, good bye, nose, eye, mouth, brow (eye-brow), get down, stop it, be quiet (the last three he says when he's yelling at the dogs... which he got from me yelling at the dogs), shoe, oh my God (how many bad juju points do I get for teaching my kid to take the Lord's name in vain?), and dammit (oops).

Every morning and night we ask him where all of his body parts are and he points to them, he just isn't saying them yet. He also understands a lot of what I ask him to do (like if I ask him to go get something for me).

Finally, and perhaps one of the best things that he's doing now, he has discovered a love for books! I was so worried that he was never going to get into them, but for about a month now, he will just keep bringing me books to read to him throughout the day. And he likes to go to the library so he can pick out books. He seems to like books in spanish, but that may be because I sound so ridiculous when I read them. Now if only I could get him into stories in Old Norse...

Party Time: On Sunday we're throwing an Angry Birds themed birthday party for him. I love planning parties, but I am a little overwhelmed right now. I had a research paper due this week, so I've spent the last couple of days trying to get decorations put together and cleaning like a crazy person (something I would have liked to have more time to do...it is spring after all.) On the plus side: we had our carpet cleaned yesterday and it looks amazing! For the first time since we've moved in, our carpets aren't stained! Which just goes to show that even though they were cleaned often, I am not nearly as good with a Rug Dr. as an actual professional is. I also had the couch cleaned. I can get up most of the water stains (microfiber) with some rubbing alcohol and a sponge, but it takes forever and I just don't have the time for that now. The couch also looks amazing. The hard part is going to get L to not bring his sippy cups into the living rooms.

What's going with me a Nick? We're still in school and working our butts off. We put in a patio last month and learned the hard way that landscaping is a ton of work. But I got an awesome tan (and an injured hand) and Nick got to show off all his manliness by moving 20 or so 80lbs bags of concrete by himself (he's such a stud!)

Growing Up

Ok, maybe one day I will cease to neglect this poor little blog, but I have no idea when that day will come. A girl can hope.

So I'm going to fill you in on the past few months in just a few sentances. I had planned on dedicating posts to each major event, but I could never find the time or motivation, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. So Thanksgiving came and went- we hosted, cooked a 30lb turkey named Gordo, and it was lovely. Christmas flew by- L got tons of toys and he is still delighted with all of them. We went to Green Bay and Milwaukee for the New Year. We went to the Packers/Lions game on the first where Nick watched the game and L and I walked around the stadium (he did not want to stay in the seats.) We then spent a few days with family and, apart from freezing our butts off, had a great time. Valentine's Day was delicious. So there you have it.

It is so hard to imagine L as the little tiny (quiet) baby that he was not too long ago. Heck, I can hardly remember him being small and chubby this time last year. My baby is definitely no longer a baby. The realization first struck when I cut all of his hair off (and by "I", I mean a trained professional). He no longer has those beautiful baby curls-- which also means no more tangles and hair in his eyeballs.

Before:

After (not right after. This was V-Day):

As if cutting off all his hair and, thus, making him look years older wasn't enough, he is now mostly potty trained. Yeah, that's right. This weekend we potty trained. And it was rough. We used this method, and I have to say, it was pretty successful. We didn't follow all the "rules," but he tells us when he needs to go and goes in the potty 90% of the time. We are still working on pooping and I'm sure it would have been easier if I had remembered to start him on a high-fiber diet days before we started training. So maybe he's not completely potty-trained, just mostly potty trained. That being said, I am incredibly proud of my big boy and myself. 

I'm not going to lie, the first day was hell. 3 hours in and 15 underpants later, I was ready to quit. But I didn't. I knew that if I could get him to go in the potty just once all the positive reinforcement would get him to go in the potty again. And that's all it took. We still had plenty of accidents, trust me, and we ran through the 30 pairs of underpants that we have pretty quickly, but it had finally started to "click" for him. Today was day 3 and we still had a few accidents, but I didn't have to do laundry and that is way better than I ever imagined. 

I'm not the type of person who likes to brag (much), but I'm so proud of all of us for getting through this weekend. Also, I got so much crap about "starting too early" that I feel like I kind of have to brag about it (minus the fact that the people who gave me said crap don't read this blog.) I hate how so many mothers seem to get some sort of pleasure out of criticizing other moms, and I especially hate when they assume that they 1. know me, and 2. know my child. Is my son young? Yes. Too young? Not at all.

I'm not the type of mom who forces her kid to grow up too quickly and I certainly don't feel the need to compete with other moms. Unfortunately, these comments really made me doubt myself and I think that was part of the reason why that first day was so hard. And I strongly dislike them for making me feel that way.

So why did we start training him when he is only 22 months old?

-He was interested in the toilet. Not in that what-is-this-thing-and-how-can-I-play-with-it sort of way that he (and I'm sure every toddler) was from the moment he could crawl. He wanted to be on it (or maybe in it. He's kind of gross.)

- He started taking off his diapers to go potty. He wasn't taking them off because he was wet/dirty, he was taking them off before. Yeah, it was yucky. So I did my homework and a friend recommend the 3 Day Method. We felt that it was the best system for us since a. it involved a downpour of positive reinforcement and b. it was guaranteed to work quickly. The most reassuring thing about this method is that the person who came up with/ wrote it trained all her boys at 22 months. Coincidence? I think not. Or maybe, who knows.

So there you have it. To those friends of mine who will start training soon my advice is (and I'm no expert): be consistent and patient and stick with it. You know your child, don't let anyone make you question your decisions. Ever. 

To those who thought I was crazy: nana-nana-boo-boo stick your head in doo-doo.

How did this post get so long? Meh. I'm exhausted. It was a long weekend. And now my baby is all grown up. 

All Hallows Eve

I love Halloween, and having a little one to take Trick-or-Treating makes it even better! This was L's first time ToT, but he loved it. We only went to his aunty's and grandma's houses, but we did spend some time running around a park to burn up his surplus of energy. He was a dragon this year- the cutest little dragon ever! Here are some pictures of his little adventure:

L and I had so much fun, though we were pretty pooped come 7. He even went to bed early tonight. Weird, I know. We are really sad that Nick is stuck at work tonight, but he will be home early tomorrow so we can love on him!

Update

Can you believe that our little monster is now 18 months old? I sure can't. He's growing so fast!

A lot has happened (as expected) since my last post. First off, L now weights 23lbs, 12oz and is 31 inches tall, which puts him at about the 25th percentile. According to his growth chart, he will likely sprout up to the 75th percentile in height very soon. For some reason his growth spurts hit a little later than the average and he always goes between the 25th and 75th.

He is super active, like always. He runs like the wind and climbs like a goat/monkey/cat/some-animal-that-climbs-really-well. He can open doors, drawers, cabinets, and he gets into absolutely everything. Baby-proofing has kept him out of scary stuffs, but we still end up with messes.

L has taken to removing his diapers, especially if there's poo in them. Which is yucky. His pediatrician said it might be time to start introducing a training potty to him. I picked one up, but for now I'm only having him sit on it, with his diaper and clothes on so he gets used to it. I don't think he is anywhere near ready for anything more advanced. Today, he peed on the dog. She just stood there. Potty training is going to be fun.

L is definitely more talkative now- he has started to say phrases as opposed to just words. His current favorites: "get down," "stop it" (to the dogs), "oh no," and "mash good" (we've been listening to a Halloween cd lately- The Monster Mash is his favorite song.)

We are currently working on learning colors and some sign language.

L is attending The Little Gym with his grandma on Wednesdays, and he loves it! He is making friends, tumbling like a pro, and learning sign language. It has really helped with the tantrums- oh yeah, he is definitely a toddler!

As for Nick and myself, we're both currently enrolled in school. Nick is now studying Anthropology and Linguistics- two things that really interest him and hopefully will be what he chooses to continue to do. I am taking a couple art history courses as pre-reqs for the masters program. I love my Baroque class, but my introductory one is turning out to be a giant waste of time. I have really taken to crafting lately (thanks to the wonderful inspiration-machine known as Pinterest.) I am sewing again, though I'm still a novice...and my sewing machine hates me, but I'm getting better and crafting some pretty neat stuff. The plan is to make all of the holiday gifts this year, but we'll see if I actually accomplish it.

Nick is working all the time, especially since a bunch of higher-ups are in Albuquerque for the week(s?) I feel so bad for him, but he tackles everything like a champ. He is such a good role-model for Logan. I'm still working with my mom, doing mostly wedding shoots. This week I will tackle my first solo photo shoot, and I'm pretty excited/nervous about it. I'm also working on a painting that was commissioned by a friend, and it is coming out pretty good, if I must say so myself. And I do.

So I'm going to be one of those bloggers and post two separate posts after one another, because that's how awesome I am. Stay tuned.

Uh... how is it July?

I've been rather neglectful lately. Is it really possible that my last post was in May? Yes, it is entirely possible. Oops. I guess this means that I'm going to have to dump a ton of updates.

So here's what happened these past two months (in no particular order):

- Logan got a haircut! I really struggled with the decision to cut his hair because I loved his long locks and I don't like making that sort of decision for someone, but I could really tell it was bothering him. Plus, Mo- the stylist- assured me that he would keep his curls and finally be able to see without hair covering his eyes. She was amazing with him.

- Logan now weighs 21 pounds, 13 ounces and is 31.25 inches long (65th percentile!). He's still super cute. New words: kitty (which is often pronounced with a "t" at the beginning. We're working on it), diaper, down, and a bad word that he heard from Mommy. (My language is definitely better now.)

- Our new house is coming along. Here's a picture of the front from when we first moved in. Just imagine an agave and yucca plant next to driveway and new, tiled numbers.

- Here's what I have decided is the library (minus the glider in the corner):

- Our living room doesn't usually have wood on the ottoman and floor, Nick is working on a project for class/home

-Our kitchen, which sadly is usually this unorganized. We're working on it.

- Late June, Nick's wonderful grandmother Janet came down to visit the family here in New Mexico with her sister and brother-in-law (also wonderful people), so we went down to Mountainair for a NM Tafoya family reunion. It was so nice to get together with everyone, especially those we haven't been able to see in a while. And Logan loves his great-grandma. I only took one picture while we were there, which is sad, but it's kind of cute:

- Also in June, Nick turned 27. We had a little get together, but I didn't take pictures of course. For Nick's birthday I got him a keg set (for beer) and a couple of weeks ago he was finally able to use it. The beer came out great too.

- Nick and I have been getting our craft on lately. I've been working on Logan's big boy viking themed room and I decided it was time to get him a growth chart, but I wasn't about to pay $50 for one. So I made one myself. Nick is taking a couple carpentry classes and is currently working on a giant workbench, so our garage has become a workshop for him. Saw dust smells great. He also made me a beautiful cutting board (which can be seen in the far corner in the kitchen picture).

- We also celebrated the Fourth with the McMillans, and as always it was great. Logan lost interest in the fireworks after five minutes, but he had a blast exploring the deck.

- I recently started working for my mom as her assistant photographer/ human slave. I like photography, so it will be fun. I also got proof of all my hard work:

- Lately, Logan discovered his inner artist. Here's my favorite photo from the ones he took the other day:

-Finally, the monsoon started. We've need rain so bad, so this is a very welcome sight. However, we will need real gutters or this is going to cause huge problems in the future.

Anyway, that's all for now. I hope everyone is doing as well as we are and I hope to have pictures of the upstairs uploaded soon- because, after all, I good photographer always has her camera.

Excitement excitement!

May has been pretty exciting for us so far.

L is now 13 months old, is speed walking, and can say "dog," "hello," and "pop." Oh but let us not forget the time he said "hey babe" to the very pretty salesperson at Zales. He's a ball of trouble, a constant flirt, and absolutely adorable! I love that he's so curious, so excited and so happy, though I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty exhausted too.

We are now homeowners! Its a beautiful two-story home in Rio Rancho, and I love it! There is a lot more cleaning to do than I originally expected-- whoever lived here before us never heard of putting glossy paint in bathrooms or cleaning showers-- and I seriously hate unpacking, but I do love it. L is having a blast running around and exploring. I will post pictures of it once we're settled and I have the motivation to do it.

We got Nick a new truck the day after we bought the house (and are finally paying less a month for his vehicle! Yay!) It's a 2011 Nissan Frontier in blue. It's really nice, and he totally deserved it!

I also graduate with my BA in History on the 14th. Its still strange to think that I'm finished since I've spent the better part of a decade there. I don't know if it has totally sunk in yet.

Finally, I totaled my car this afternoon. Both Logan and I were in it at the time, but apart from some minor bruising (on me) we're both fine. It was, however, the scariest experience of my life. It was my first real accident and I may never forget the sounds of it (L's screaming being the worst part of it.) All I can say is thank God for a good car seat. I am so glad that we decided to keep Logan rear-facing rather than turn him around. My neck is pretty sore, so I could imagine how he would feel if he had been forward-facing.

Dance Baby, Dance!

I have been trying for forever to get a video of Mr. Monster dancing and I finally got one! It's not the best view since I was on the bed and he wasn't, but it's very clear what he's doing. Apparently all I needed was some Lady Gaga! Please pretend you don't see the mess- it's finals time for me.

Isn't he an excellent dancer?

A Belief Conundrum: Easter

Yesterday was the monster's first Easter... and we didn't do a single thing to celebrate it. Well, Grandma Lori played "Easter Bunny" and got us all one big basket full of socks for Nick and myself and swim gear for Logan- we were all very excited, Nick and I go through/lose socks way too quickly! But that's it. I had planned on taking Logan to church, but he's in his "I'm a toddler now so I don't need naps" phase and there was no way he was going to church. So we drove around for hours, went birthday shopping for his Aunty Hopie (I'm so excited to give her her presents!) and then just hung out at home (Sundays are Nick's sleep-in days.)

I kind of feel bad that Nick and I didn't get Logan anything for Easter, but I don't really know how to approach the subject and he's too young to really care. We plan on being completely open and honest with him in regards to religion and we plan on allowing him to believe in whatever he wants to believe. So the big question is, do we tell him that you get chocolate and eggs on Easter because Jesus died and rose from the dead or because it was originally a fertility holiday (and fertility is kind of a big deal to me)? Or just overwhelm his little brain by telling him that it is both? Since Nick and I believe different things, it's really hard to make a decision and we only have a year to decide (not to mention this upcoming Christmas and the Santa Indecision Crisis.)

I recently read Rousseau's Emile for the second time and it really went a long with what I believe when it comes to educating children- that you shouldn't reason with them until they're old enough to grasp it (or at least that's the idea, I'm certain it will be much harder to do that IRL.) That's what I want to do with religion, but I don't really think it's possible and it's really bothering me. How can I allow my little monster to make up his own mind when the world is full of other people who will be more than happy to fill it with whatever they believe then accuse me for being a bad Christian/mother/person/pagan/whatever?

It really is quite the conundrum.

I do have one picture from yesterday that I will post later today, because my little boy is super cute.

One Year Stats

L had his 12 month checkup today.

He didn't even notice the toe prick, but I'm sure the whole office was aware of his shots.

Poor thing.

He now weights 19 pounds, 11 ounces (around the 25th percentile)

He is 30.5 inches long (50th)

And his noggin is about 45cm (25th).

I'm so relieved that he has put more weight on, we were a little worried for a bit. The doctor says that he looks great and is hitting all of his milestones right on schedule. I'm so proud of my little man!

One

Where did the last year go?

It really does seem like just yesterday that the OB plopped this tiny little boy onto my chest

and now that wonderful little boy is a toddler.

Did I mention that as of 5/11 he has been a walker?

He just got up and walked all of a sudden and has been doing it 90% of the time ever since.

We celebrated his birthday yesterday and had such a blast, though I have to say, hosting birthday parties is exhausting!

Here are some of the highlights:

Playing on his little piano

Too busy walking to let me take his picture

Cake! I'm pleased to say that he didn't get sick afterwards

Applauding himself! He was great!

I am so honored to be little Logan's Mommy and though I am sad that my little boy isn't a baby any more, I am so excited for what this next year has in store for us!

New tricks!

There are so many things I need to update on, but I probably won't until after L's birthday- which is only two short weeks away! When did my baby grow up?

L got to open the present from his Grandpappy early since GPa is on his way back to England now and L absolutely loves his new toy!

10 and 11 months

We are all super worn out and I swear my brain is dead, so I'm going to update on what I can remember and then fill in the blanks during the post about our vacation. Oh yeah... we're going to Milwaukee tomorrow. Yay us!

L can stand all on his own! He doesn't do it very often, but he no longer freaks out when he realizes that he's not holding on to anything (which he did for weeks).

While standing on his own, he took one teeny step and BOTH Nick and I were home to witness it!

By the time we get back from vacation L will have 6 teeth instead of 2 and he is being a champ about having four teeth ripping through his upper gums all at once.

I'm trying to get him to say "Cowabunga"- so far I've gotten Wawawawa in response and I think that's amazing since I'm not really serious about him saying it (he still only says "mum," "dada" and "hey" to Artemis.) I also think he occasionally says "I did it" but I think it's really my brain running away with me.

He's been drinking 3oz of organic cows milk a day for a week now. It's a little early, but since he eats so much yogurt, the doc felt he was ready. We won't replace the rocket fuel completely for a few more months, but it's a start (and oh so much cheaper!)

Sadly, L seems to lost all interest in books. He doesn't want to sit still long enough to be read to and he likes to scream when we just read aloud while he crawls around. He doesn't even chew on them anymore. I really hope it's just a phase because it's breaking my heart a little.

Ok, that's all for now. We haven't packed anything and we have to leave the house by 4 tomorrow morning. But before I run away, here are some recent pictures of our little Monster:

Stats and Stroller

L had his nine month check-up yesterday and I'm pleased to say that he has gained some of the weight he lost from the plague is back but he is only in the 5-10 percentile for weight. Now that he can eat solids again, we're hoping he'll gain more soon. So here are the stats:

17lbs 7oz

28" long

He is currently getting another bottom tooth and his two front teeth in, so we're in for a rough week. I have a feeling that we will have to replace the nipples on his bottles pretty soon.

We finally got a jogging stroller! Its super cool, but super heavy. I'm going to go jogging with it tomorrow and I am so excited about it! I never thought I would say that I'm excited to go running. Isn't it snazzy? L seems to be enjoying the extra fabric on the straps.

Nine!

This month L has been sick. The plague went around our house during Christmas and then made a second round a couple of weeks ago. The second time hit our poor little Monster really hard. He’s now on probiotics and a soy formula until the lining in his stomach heals. Poor little guy. He’s a million times better and happier after a few days on the new formula, so hopefully in a week or so he’ll be back to eating like normal.

Now that he’s feeling better, he’s been really mobile. He’s been getting a little bored just hanging in the living room, so lately we’ve been roaming around the nursery and hallway. (Though he often stops to strum the radiator thingy.)

He’s been trying to open doors... when he’s not crawling into them.

He enjoys hiding from me. The first time he snuck into our bedroom and second he hid under the crib. He laughs like crazy when I find him... and then he tries to crawl away from me. He’s so freakin’ cute!

L was having some difficulties sitting back down while standing, but he has it mastered now! He’s so much happier now for it!

L finally let me get a picture of his little tooth! In two months he will go to the dentist for the first time. He’s supposed to be the best in town, but I’m still super nervous about it (I have a crazy fear of dentists.)

We’ve been spending the weekends watching the NFL playoffs and L seems to enjoy the game almost as much as his daddy. We’re trying to get him to do the “touchdown” sign, but haven’t had much luck yet.

The diaper situation looks like it has finally been resolved. He still has one little patch of rashiness, but his pediatrician says that it’s nothing to worry about. Words cannot explain my relief.

In other news, Nick is enjoying a semester off from school before starting back up this summer at CNM and I go back for my final semester tomorrow. I am in no way ready to go back to school, especially since the monster and I have been having so much fun lately, but it will be nice knowing that I’m almost done.

So 2011 isn’t off to the best start, but we’re still excited for this year. Now if only I can make up my mind on things for L’s first birthday party...

Everyone's a Lobo

Woof! Woof! Woof!

Only L didn't have as much fun as his Daddy and I did. The noise kind of freaked him out and we had to leave a little early. But he LOVED looking at the cheerleaders. No matter how loud the crowd was, he would calm down the second the cheerleaders hit the court for time-out/halftime performances. It was kind of funny.

The Diaper Fiasco:

The past couple of weeks have been a non-stop battle against our diapers. I love cloth diapering, but I have to admit that I'm reaching my limit. L's diapers were hanging onto the ammonia smell a little bit, so we picked up some of Rockin' Green's Funk Rock Ammonia Bouncer. After an overnight soak, we washed as normal and the smell was completely gone. It was amazing! However, we soon noticed a rash on L's belly, which we learned was from his diapers. So now after more soaking and a ton of washes our diapers have never been cleaner, and he's still getting a rash from them. I'm washing them for the eight time right now with the All Free and Clear stuff (not what we usually use) and praying that it gets the allergen off. I'm seriously at my wits end. And I don't want to see our upcoming water bill.

At least our little monster is super cute!

Happy New Years

I can't believe 2010 is (practically) over already! This was quite possibly the best year ever and I am so excited to see what 2011 has in store for us!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

I totally stole this idea from my wonderful friend Tree, who is a million times more creative and blog-savy than I will ever be. Please don't be mad at me!