23 Months Old!

Dear Cael,

As you near your 2nd birthday, I can't help the denial I'm in. I feel like it was just last week that you were the tiny, squishy newborn we brought home. And just yesterday that we were celebrating your 1st birthday. I can't believe that it's almost been another year. 

I have been in such awe of all the new things you've learned over the last month. For starters, you've finally started to talk! Yes, you've finally started I string words together and are talking phrases. Just out of no where. Daddy and I are so proud of you, and impressed. It seems like every few days, you come out and say something new. I absolutely love it!

You've also learned how to jump. You love to jump on, over and off of everything. Including Mommy, Daddy, the couch and our dogs. You bend your knees and jump up off the ground like you've been doing it forever. If I'm laying on the ground, you climb and stand on my belly or back, and then jump off. It seems like jumping is your new favorite pastime. 

You are also teething like a mad man! You're finally working on your two-year molars. I was wondering when that was going to start, but at the same time, enjoying the break from teething that ended after your last teething "session". While I was brushing your teeth the other night, I noticed your bottom left molar starting to poke through. No wonder why you've been such a miserable, hot mess that past couple of weeks. But it's ok; we'll get through it like we did your other 17 teeth!

So as I end this, just know that I love you. You are what my world revolves around. Your Daddy and I will continue to do our best at raising you. The last 2 years have been amazing. Thank you, Little Man, for making me a better person.

Love,
Mommy


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Cael's vocabulary is growing by the day. I don't think other's can understand him yet, but we (for the most part) know what he's saying. His words/phrases include:

uh is it? (where/what is it?)
uh is tis? (where/what is this?)
a go? (where'd it go?)
is stup (it's stuck)
stoop it (stop it)
bye

I'm sure there are a few more I'm forgetting, but that's most of them. I'm still worried that he's not going to be where his pediatrician wants him to be, and he'll have to go for a speech eval and need therapy. But I guess I should be more optimistic since it seems like his language has exploded over the past few weeks.

Currently, Cael has 17 total teeth. He just cut his bottom left 2nd year molar. No signs of the other 3, but I'm sure they're not far behind. Because of how bad he's teething, he's back to having his binky. All.The.Time. It seems like every time we get it away from him, he gets sick, or hardcore teethes, and is miserable without it. The bink instantly calms him down. He'll be hysterically whining and crying, hanging himself off you or throwing himself on the ground. Then when you give him the bink, he calms right down, and becomes a mush. We'll have to ask the pediatrician what her opinion is on the bink, and see if she has any suggestions for getting rid of it. Besides letting him cry it out.

Finally, Cael is a legit dare devil. We have to be careful with this one. Like, he hovers crouched on the edge of the couch, looking like he's going to jump, and then he'll look over at Matt and start giggling an evil laugh. He knows he's not supposed to jump off the couch, but he sort of "threatens" us that he's going to jump. And sometimes he does. His most recent stunt was scaling the front of his changing table, and plopping himself on the top. Then he would stand up, and go to jump off (a good 3 feet), and I'd have to catch him. The boy is nuts.

Those eyes!

17 Months Old!!

 January 5, 2013 - February 4, 2013

Throwing a fit

Here we are at 17 months old. And my Little Man has been one huge ball of crankiness lately. We chalk it up to teething, since he's a hot, drooly mess, and is constantly chewing on his fingers. Plus, after feeling around in his mouth, I noticed last week that he has cut 2 more teeth - his left top and bottom right canine teeth, bringing the total teeth count to 14 teeth. The other 2 canine teeth are almost on their way to breaking through. Last night he had one of the worst nights he's had in a while. He was up most of the night, couldn't get comfortable, and was only (semi) happy in our bed. Sprawled out laying on top of both Matt and I of course. But that's ok because, despite the exhaustion I had today while at work, I enjoyed the cuddles and having him in bed with us.

Mister Little Man was so cranky

Cael is also on the brink of weaning. I just know it. And I'm slowly coming to terms with it. Fortunately, I feel like my breasts are adjusting comfortably to it (as opposed to being engorged and painful). He hasn't nursed the last few nights, as he shows no interest in nursing or cuddling for that matter. But he's been nursing most mornings when he gets up between 5:30-6:30. Some mornings he'll go back to sleep in his crib if it's early enough, but others, he's up for the day. Lucky Matt. My original goal was to breast feed for 18 months, and I'm almost there. I can't force Cael to nurse if he doesn't want to, just because I want to. I've been fortunate to get 17 solid months (minus the 5 day nursing strike) of nursing, and that makes me really proud. Plus, my job is sending me to a conference in Ohio at the end of April for 3 days (4 days with travel), so I really should be weaned by then. There'll be no sense in not nursing for 4 days, and then going back to nursing. It's bittersweet for me, but I'm handing it better than I thought. And better than I would have if Cael started weaning a few months ago. Unfortunately, that means the Girls with deflate completely, and there's no going back from that :-/. Oh well, I should have expected it. It is what it is, and definitely worth the breastfeeding.

Cael in his new car seat. He looks comfy

We reached a "milestone" this weekend. Well, I consider it a milestone. Others wouldn't. We traded in Cael's infant car seat, and got an all-in-one convertible car seat. I had a really hard time getting rid of the infant seat, but we really had to. We will most likely not have any use for the infant car seat in the future, and it would only take up room. Plus, Cael was almost too big for it, being 31.5" tall, and the seat went up to 32 inches. His head was supposed to be no less than an inch below the top of the seat back, and it was getting closer. So it was time. Plus, by trading in the seat, we saved 25% off the new seat, which took $57 off the $230 price tag. In addition, we managed to earn $55 in R'Us Bucks by using our BRU MasterCard so much when we moved. A point for every dollar. So we got the seat for $128 after taxes, and it goes up to 100 pounds. It can be used as an infant/toddler seat rear-facing, a booster seat forward-facing, and a booster seat with the seat belts in the car.

And yes, we still have Cael rear-facing, and he'll be that way for a while longer. It's the safest for him. But I won't get on my soap-box about that. Matt doesn't think Cael will be comfortable with his legs bent and/or folded in the rf'ing position, but I assured him he'll be fine and doesn't know any different. So rear-facing he will stay. Oh yea, we got the Evenflo Symphony 65 seat. So far, Cael looks really comfy in it.

Mama and Cael after his bath

Cael still isn't talking much, but is still chatting in baby language. I keep reminding him that he has one more month to get his butt in gear and start talking. Otherwise, the pediatrician will think about sending him for an evaluation. I know he's probably just being stubborn, or being a boy, because I know he understands most of what we say. He's just not talking. He still doesn't say "mama", which pains me, but he also doesn't say "dada" too often or in the right context. He's gone back to saying "what's that" or "what's this", but in a high-pitched, question-asking tone. He also says "thanks" when you give him something. He is also still saying "nice" whenever he pets the dogs, but his "nice" can also be confused with "Tyson", which we also think he's trying to say. Hopefully he'll start picking up talking shortly.

Setting up and playing with his dinosaurs

I know he's understanding more and more with each passing day. For example, he knows (and gets excited) when I ask if he wants to take a bath. He runs to his bathroom excitedly, and bangs on the bathroom door to get in. Once I open the door, he points into the tub, and jabbers. He even tries to climb in with his clothes on. He also understands when I tell him to take off his socks and pants, because he sits down and starts tugging on his socks. He can't get them off on his own, but if I pull them down most of the way, he can pull them the rest of the way off. I started teaching him to put his dirty clothes in the hamper, so while the tub is filling up, I'll tell him to "go put your socks and pants in the hamper", and he'll pick them up off the floor, walk into his room, and put them in the hamper. It makes me so proud, and teary-eyed at the same time, because he's getting so big and independent.

Like father like son!

Cael goes back to the pediatrician on March 5th. That'll be his 18 month appointment, right back on schedule. I believe he gets a few shots then too. But I'm also anxious (in a good way) to see what he weighs and how tall he is. I've been keeping track every other month of Cael's height on the growth chart. Right now, he still fits into most of his 12-18 month shirts, and is also now wearing 18-24 month shirts. He is in 18-24 month pants, otherwise they're too short on him. I absolutely adore the Children's Place jeans on Cael. They fit him so well, and he looks so cute in them. He's also rocking the size 5W StrideRite shoes we got him for Christmas. My Little Man has a big foot. Unfortunately, I think that means he won't fit into the Keen water shoes I bought last summer on Zulilly for an awesome price. I think they're a size 5 or 6, and they'll probably be too small come the warm weather. Bummer.

I haven't done this in a few months, so I'll do it this month:

Some of Cael's Likes
Country music! Every morning, Matt will put on the country music channel, and Cael will sit on the floor or couch, and watch music videos wide-eyed. He also loves dancing (bouncing) to some of the songs.
Grapes! Cael will eat a whole bag of grapes, by himself, in about 3 days. He goes NUTS over grapes.
Chasing the dogs He gets such a kick out of chasing Tyson with an empty water bottle. He swats at him, and laughs hysterically as Tyson sprints past him, almost bumping into him.
Reading books He will still sit on his bedroom floor and flip through his books. They don't stay in his basket for long. Currently, all his books are NOT in his basket, and are sprawled all over his bedroom floor. Currently, his most favorite book is Go Dogs Go by Dr. Seuss.

Some of Cael's Dislikes
Brushing his teeth Cael screams every time I brush his teeth. Initially, when we started brushing, he liked it. Now, he hates it, and I have to basically hold him down.
Diaper changes Still. After 17 months, you would think he'd figure out we're not trying to kill him, but clean his butt. But nope, he screams bloody murder.
Getting changed There are many a days where I come home from work, and Cael is still in his PJ's. Some days, Cael will throw a fit if Matt tries to dress him. So he just doesn't bother, and I don't blame him. Cael has almost mastered the "going boneless" technique, as Matt calls it. Basically, if you pick him up under his arms, he throws his arms up, and slips through your hands, falling to the ground like a wet noodle. I have to go through this each night as I try to get him changed into his PJ's for bedtime.

Just reading my book on a car ride to MD

Baby feet!

13 Months Old!

September 5, 2012 - October 4, 2012
Instead of counting weeks, I'm now going to just count months. Until Cael is 2, that is. Which makes it easier on me, too, because it's getting difficult to blog as often as I was, with an active and needy "toddler". Yes. Yes, I just used the word "toddler". I don't like the sound of it, but maybe I'm getting used to it more.


The last month went by in a flash! I can't believe I have a 13 month old now. And just last month, I was saying I can't believe I have a 1 year old already! Something tells me that this second year is going to fly by much faster than the first year. And that thought makes me sad. But it is what it is, I guess.

Cael is in the process of cutting his 1 year molars. I was wondering why he was going through a phase of crankiness and clingyness. Then I looked in his mouth a week ago on the 27th, and noticed that part of the upper left molar was already cut through his gums. On his upper right side, I could see the molar just under the gums. That explained everything! And also explained why he was waking during the night. I think it's funny that he's cutting his molars before there are even any signs of his bottom left lateral incisor coming in.

I'm so big!!

I finally went through all of the new clothes that Cael got for his birthday. I had to make room in his drawers, so I went through them and sorted almost everything. There was still a ton of 3-6 month clothes (mostly onesies) in the dresser. Yes, he can still fit into Carter's 6 month onesies. The pants that size are too short, but the onesies still fit. However, they're a little snug. He's been fitting in them for a while now, but the season is changing, so it was time for them to be packed away. He fits in 6-9 month clothes more comfortably now, with size 9-12 months being a bit baggy on him. Most of the new [winter] clothes we got for him are a size 12-18 months. Lots of cute clothes. But since he's not really wearing his 12 month clothes yet because they're too big, I'm a little concerned that he won't be able to fit in them by the time winter is over, and he'll have all these clothes that he never got to wear. But I'm sure he'll go through some sort of growth spurt during the winter at some point.

Meals have become a real fight between Cael and I. Or rather, I should say between Cael and the food. He used to love eating anything and everything I would put in front of him. But now, specifically at breakfast time, he is refusing to eat what I offer him. Unless it's Kix, he'll refuse it. He used to love yogurt, and basically inhale the entire container. Now, he'll eat anywhere from a few bites to only half a container. Even the mini pancakes he'll refuse. Or he'll eat only one or two. I have to search to figure out some new things for him to try. I hate how it's become a constant battle for him to eat real food.

Cael is now a master walker. I've even put him down a few times in stores to let him walk around and have some freedom. I have to get him a good pair of walking shoes. He's been wearing the pair that my mom gave me for him. They were actually my now 15 year old brothers first pair of walking shoes, when he was a baby. It's really cute and special, and I was shocked that my mom kept them. And even more surprised that they fit him perfectly. I'm sure he'll be running soon, as he's picking up speed when he walks excitedly.

Cael is getting quite the personality. He has his father's temper, that's for sure. Which means I'm royally screwed. He gets frustrated if he's trying to do something, such as fitting a block into its' shaped hole, and he can't get it in. He screeches, flails his arms, and sometimes throws the block across the room. Or if he's pushing a toy across the room, and it gets stuck on another toy, he starts getting frustrated and banging the toy. It's funny, and I can't help but giggle to myself. But boy, and I screwed.

Cael-tantrum

Along those lines, is that Cael can throw a temper-tantrum like a 2 year old. According to an article I read online, "one is the new two". And Cael is living proof of that! If you tell him no, or don't do something that he wants (and most times I have NO IDEA what he wants, because he can't tell me), he'll start screaming, and lay down on the floor. A few times, he's thrown himself down on the floor. The first few times it happened, I couldn't believe it. He's only 1, and he's tantruming like a 2-year old. But apparently, it's normal.

Snuggles for his sock monkey.

He does have some favorite toys. For one, he loves his Aden & Anais muslin lightweight blanket. I got a pack of 4 of them before he was born. They're thin, breathable and lightweight, and ever since he was about 5 months old, he's been sleeping with one. He has to pull it up to his face, and I would definitely call it a security blanket. I bring it everywhere for him, and he can't sleep without it. I love how he cuddles right up to it. Secondly, he got a purple sock monkey from my cousin for his birthday. He loves that sock monkey, and it's the first and only stuffed animal that he will hug. He gives it such a big hug, and cuddles with it.

Cael fell asleep on mommy

Blurry, but he's sitting in a new chair he got for his birthday./

Lunch time with grandma and mommy

Pulling apart Aunt Lindsay's cabinet

Nomming on some pizza!

Who is this big boy!?

On top of the world!

In the big-boy cart at Kohl's

He loves that sock monkey!

43 Weeks Old!

I'm pretty sure the nursing strike is completely over. He nursed all day yesterday, and all day today. It feels a little "different" than it used to, but it could be because he has 2 new teeth he has to maneuver his tongue around to suck. He does still try to nip and bite me several times during the day, but no where near as hard as he was. I'm so happy he's back to nursing. I really hope to make it to 18 months of breast feeding. I really appreciate and enjoy each nursing session we have from now on, and I don't take it for granted anymore. It is really a wonderful bonding experience, and I love the closeness we share while he nurses.

I checked his mouth again today, and it appears he's working on his upper left lateral incisor. The poor boy can't catch a break. At least he doesn't seem to be in as much pain as he was. He hasn't had Tylenol or Advil in a few days, so that's good.

I haven't done much more of anything regarding Cael's birthday party in September. I've been looking for themes through websites, and I have found a few that I like. I really like the owl theme that says "Look Whoo's Turning One", but Matt wasn't too excited over it. He seemed to like the "Lil' Quarterback's 1st Birthday" theme (http://www.birthdayexpress.com/Lil-Quarterback-1st-Birthday-Party-Supplies/58027/PartyKitDetail.aspx). It has orange, green and brown as the main colors, so it would be easy to find accenting supplies, like napkins, cups and cray paper. I would buy the important stuff with the theme on it, like a banner, cake plates and a big balloon. I really don't want to spend a lot of money on his party, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if we do. 

Rocking on the awesome consignment find!

I finally went to a consignment store that I've passed innumerable times. They carry a lot of baby things, toys and clothes there, and get new stuff in weekly. I had seen a Little Tykes rocking cow on their Facebook page that I wanted to look at and possibly buy for $15. But when I got there, I wasn't really impressed with it because the color was faded in some spots. I didn't feel comfortable buying it for Cael. But right next to the rocking cow was an old-ish looking wooden rocking horse. It was solid with a finish on it, leather fabric for ears, oogly eyes and salt and pepper faux hair for a mane. It was $9.99, and Cael seemed to like sitting on it, so I decided to buy that one. Can't go wrong with $10! I got it home and wiped it down really well. It skeeves me out that I couldn't wash the fur, but I can deal with that. I have plans for it anyway. I really want to sand the whole thing down - which is good, because there are some rough areas on the wood - and either paint it or refinish it. I also want to buy new faux fur for the mane, and replace that as well. It will be my little project for Cael. I'm excited about doing it.

My handsome, blue-eyed boy

Speaking of projects, I really want to make a growth chart for Cael by his 1st birthday. I'm guessing by the time he's 1, he'll be able to stand without assistance, so it would be the perfect time to start tracking his growth. After looking through some websites, I'm pretty sure I want to make it out of canvas cloth. I was thinking about a wooden one, but then it's too bulky, and will be difficult to store and/or move around. You'd be talking about a 4 foot-long piece of wood, so it would be quite bulky. I found a few on Etsy, and another on a website for $25 that I liked. It would be much easier to just buy it, but I figured it would be more personal if I made it myself. I'll have to keep checking Pinterest for ideas. But one project at a time.

Cael crawled into Tyson's cage by himself.

Drying off after playing in the sprinklers

Matt's mug finally came in! Better late than never. I love how it came out! And I love the pictures of Cael.

42 Weeks Old!

42 weeks old. They can't all be happy pictures!

We were out most of the day on Sunday, so I couldn't take his weekly picture until the late evening, right before his bath. Because of this, he was cranky. That's ok - it shows a different side of him.

Since we were outside for a total of about 5 hours Sunday, Cael slept AMAZINGLY that night! He slept from 8pm to 5:45am, woke up and ate, then fell back to sleep until 9:00 am!! It was glorious, amazing, incredible, etc. I has to be because of all the fresh air he got. Of course, I couldn't fall asleep until 11:30 that night, so I didn't get as much sleep as I could have, but I still got a pretty good chunk of sleep.

Part of why I couldn't get to sleep was because Matt is away. He went to VA for the entire week to see his best friend. He really needed a vacation, as he hasn't had any time off since Cael was born. Plus, it will give us a healthy break from each other. It sucks because I'll have to take care of everything on my own, but I'll manage.

I'm also excited for Thursday. My best friend (Matt's best friend's wife) is coming up from VA and visiting from Thursday evening to Sunday. I cannot wait! I haven't seen her since Cael was a month old. She's not going to believe how much he's grown, changed, and how he is all over the place. It will be so good to see her for a few days. I do a countdown every day. :)

We've learned that, if given the choice, Cael will choose pasta over chicken. He LOVES pasta with sauce. He loves chicken too, but if we're having both for dinner, he'll pick the pasta. He's pretty much eating everything that we're eating now. Even if it is full of spices (I usually cook with garlic powder, salt pepper, seasoned salt, parsley). It seems the more flavor it has, the more he likes it. That works for me, because I have a very bland palate. I would love for him to enjoy more types of food, unlike myself.

He's still eating purees for breakfast, because I mix it with his cereal, but nothing much more beyond that. He loves yogurt, too. I found this yogurt from YoBaby that is like a "meal" because it has pureed fruit/veggies on the bottom. The one I gave him yesterday morning was peach and squash. Since I don't have any pureed fruits made yet, I just mixed his rice cereal in the yogurt. He loved it! I've also learned that he's not too fond of oatmeal cereal. After experimenting for a few days and rotating rice and oatmeal, I've realized that he didn't want to eat anything with the oatmeal mixed in. So we'll just avoid it from now on. He also had a waffle for breakfast too, for the first time. He loved that as well! The boy can eat, that's for sure!

Sleeping with his tush in the air. I love how he's hugging the blanket.

Today, Cael and I were supposed to go to a water park with the local Mom's group I'm in. However, it was really chilly, windy and overcast, so we ended up staying home. Plus, since Cael and I have been out for most of the day the past 2 days, I figured it would be best if he got a good, solid nap. And he did - he slept for about 2.5 hours. Only one nap, of course, but it seems to be all he needs. 

So while he napped, I cleaned the apartment like a crazy woman in anticipation of my friend visiting in 2 days. I'll be completely honest - other than vacuuming every morning and doing some dishes every day - I haven't really cleaned the apartment. It was truly disgusting. And I hate to admit that. So I scrubbed both bathrooms everywhere (around the toilets, the toilets, the floors, tubs - you get the gist), dusted and organized the entertainment center - which was horrid with all the dog hair, and burned all the cardboard. I felt very much accomplished. I feel like a terrible mother for putting this off for so long, especially since Cael is very mobile now. But now it's done. Tomorrow, I plan on going through the "junk drawer" and throwing away quite a bit from there, and then cleaning off the kitchen table. I'm just happy that I finally have the motivation to clean. I feel like such a lazy bum.

Hit & run.

Cael is into everything more than ever. And he doesn't listen to the word "No". In fact, when I say it (and sometimes I have to repeat it several times), he'll turn around, look at me, and then go back to what he was doing. He's too young for punishment, so right now, if he doesn't listen, I have to redirect him. So I'll go over to him, pick him up, and sit him down on the other side of the room. Sometimes it works because he gets distracted by a toy, and sometimes it doesn't, and he'll go right back to where he was. Regarding punishment, I like to think that we will be spank/slap-free parents. I really don't want to use any type of physical punishment, but instead use other options. But as of right now, I'll just redirect.

One thing that he loves doing, is pulling the DVD stand down. First he'll start by pulling one or two Blu Ray discs down at a time. Then he'll just grab the stand, and pull it down. He's done this a few times already, and luckily, he hasn't dropped it on himself yet. I'm sure it's bound to happen. Getting a new entertainment center and DVD stand is on our list of things to-do. Unfortunately, that stuff requires money to get.

Playing with his puppy, Tyson

Cael is working on his 5th tooth. It's right there! So to-date, he has both bottom middle, top right lateral incisor, and top middle right teeth. His top middle left tooth is the tooth that is about to break through. I am starting to feel it poking through the gums. Speaking of teething, Cael has started to bite me after he's done nursing. It could be because that top tooth is starting to cut through, but part of me thinks it's just him doing it on purpose. After he's done nursing, he'll take the tip of my nipple in his mouth a couple of times (like he's testing the waters), and then go in for the kill. He'll bite down, and then look right at me like he's waiting for a reaction. I'll give him a firm "No", and say, "You don't do that!", and he'll just stare at me. Then sometimes he'll try to do it again, and then I'll just fasten my bra and take the boob away from him. I initially thought he wanted to wean, but now I don't think that's the case. I think he's either a) fucking with me; or b) just saying he's done, and/or teething. So far he hasn't broken the skin, and I hope he doesn't.

Bath time!

My lil' shark