Two-years (Plus) Three Months

March 5, 2014 - This is a post I started writing, but never finished. I guess I started it with the intention of finishing it, but with the holidays and work, I forgot about it and never posted it. Well, here it is, without anything new added to it. I'll be writing a new post soon to update with everything :)

I finally stopped tracking Cael's age with months. I now say "I have a 2 year old". Mostly because it's easier, but also because I'm sure I'd get some funny looks by saying "I have an almost 27 month old". :::Btw, I had to count on my fingers just now to figure out he was almost 27 months, because I don't really keep track anymore::: The time is really flying by, and Cael has changed so much over these past 2 years. I just looked back at pictures of Cael when he was a baby-baby, and he looks so different. He's really grown into a handsome little boy, and I really don't think my heart can take much more of that. It's just going so fast.

The poor Little Guy has spent the last 4 weeks sick. It started with a doctor visit on the 6th, and a diagnosis of a right ear infection and viral cold. This was preceded by 5 days of high fevers and lethargy (we figured it was viral and just had to run it's course. Matt and I aren't usually ones to rush right to the doctor), and was followed by 10 days on Amoxicillin (some of which were while we were visiting Long Island). Cael was fine for a couple days following the end of his antibiotic. Fast forward to Wednesday of last week, and Cael's 103.5 fever returned, as well as his crankiness, clinginess and lack of sleeping at night in his own crib. Matt brought Cael back to the doctor this past Friday, even though his fever was pretty much gone. I just couldn't shake my gut feeling that his ear infection didn't go away fully. Plus, I noticed his left ear seemed very sensitive, as he screamed bloody murder when I cleaned it. Turns out he now has a double ear infection, and a new prescription for Augmentin. Today was day 5, and he seems to be improving markedly. He's fell asleep in his crib for the past 2 nights (plus tonight), which is HUGE! His bedtime routine has been so messed up lately, and Matt and I haven't had our bed to ourselves in about a month. Cael usually wakes up in the middle of the night sometime, and ends up in our bed. Baby steps though. I'm happy that he's been going to sleep on his own, in his own bed, and didn't rely on me laying down with him for the past 3 nights. I'm truly hoping this continues.

Since Cael has been to the doctor twice in the past 3 weeks, we got a weight on him. Our scale at home is far from accurate, and I'm trying to weigh Cael every 2 months, just for fun, to see how he's growing. His first visit in the beginning of the month, when he really wasn't feeling well, he weighed in at 29 pounds. I'm sure at some point before that, he had broken 30 pounds, but since he didn't have much of an appetite, I think he lost some weight. Then this last doctor visit, he weighed in at 30 pounds 8 ounces! Little porker gained about 1.5 pounds in 2 weeks, thanks to his appetite being back. That made me feel better. We then measured how tall he was. This is probably not the most accurate, but we got roughly 36 inches. All in all, that's about the 70th percentile. Makes me happy!

Cael talks up a storm now!

Apple Picking, Pumpkin Picking and Halloween - Oh My!

I feel like it's been a lifetime and half since I last posted. Ok, it's been at least a couple months. Cael is currently going on day 5 of being sick, and fell asleep watching Sprout, so I'm taking advantage of this time to catch up.

We went apple picking at the end of September, and had so much fun. Both Matt and I haven't been apple picking since we were both kids, and when I heard about an orchard near us (actually, about 2 hours away "near" us), I instantly wanted to go. Yea, it was a long drive, but I knew Cael would love it and have a blast. Not to mention I would have a blast, too! So we picked a weekend, and the three of us plus Matt's brother, sil and our niece went as well.

We thought we were picking both Jonagold and Golden Delicious, but after picking 20 pounds of apples, it turns out we picked only Jonagold. I guess we missed a turn somewhere in the orchard. It was very hilly, and since it was a large orchard, we brought the stroller. I had to have Matt push the stroller around because I was struggling with all the uneven and hilly terrain. Cael loved it! He also loved eating the apple slices we cut for him as we were going along. The apples we picked were the best apples I've ever had. They were so big, juicy, crisp and sweet. Since then, no other apples from the stores compare, unfortunately. We had so many apples, that I baked quite a bit. I made apple crisp within individual apples, an apple pie, and 2 apple crisps. Everything came out so delicious! I can't wait to go again.

With the month of October comes fall. I am very into fall this year, which is odd for me. I was obsessed with apple picking, and couldn't wait to go pumpkin picking. I'm in love with anything pumpkin scented or flavored (especially pumpkin creamer and sbx psl). Since apple picking was crazy crowded on a Saturday, Matt and I decided I would take a day off from work during the week to go pumpkin picking. That was the best decision ever! We went to a local historic farm on a Wednesday, and we were the only ones in the pumpkin patch. There were also animals, tractors, play barns, and ride-on trikes there for Cael, which he loved. Unfortunately, he was a little cranky that day, so it made our outing a little stressful, but that's to be expected with a 2 year old. Cael still had fun, which is what's important.

Since we went pumpkin picking kind of close to Halloween, we had to carve the pumpkin the weekend before Halloween. I had Matt gut and carve the pumpkin, and Cael loved to help. He especially loved playing with the pumpkin seeds I sorted out. As far as trick-or-treating, I decided to just get Cael a costume from Target. I was originally going to make him a SourPatch Kid, but I honestly didn't have the time or energy to make it. So it was just easier to buy him a costume. He was a super-cute Lion, and even let me paint a nose and whiskers on him!.Instead of saying "Trick-or-treat" because he can't, he actually roared at almost every house. I had a blast watching him have fun. He did so much better than I thought he would, even though I had high-expectations for the night. I was so proud of him - and the candy he collected.

Apple Picking!!

Pumpkin Picking!!

And He's A Talker!

I just wanted to create a short post to update on how Cael is doing with talking. He is doing phenomenal!! I'll come home from work, and Cael will just say something new that I've never heard, and I'll pick my jaw off the floor. I don't even know if I can count how many words, but I'm going to try!

Apple

Bubble

Ball

Bath

Bus(es)

Brush (as in his teeth)

Cars

Cheese

Cookies

Cow

Cupcake

Dada

Down

Ear

Hot

"Inky" for binky 

Mama (finally!!!)

No

Outside

Pancake

Shower

Tractor (hard to understand, though)

Up

Uh-oh

Yea

He also says some phrases like: where is it, what is it, there/here it is!, where'd go (sounds like a go).

He can also say some animal sounds. He knows what a cow, cat and owl says. At this point, I think his favorite animal is a cat. Anytime he sees one, whether on tv or in person, he gets so excited, points and says "mow". He also says cow and "moo", and "whoo whoo" when he sees an owl. He is making so much progress and we're so proud of him. It's incredible to hear him say new words almost every week. 

2 Year Pictures!

I meant to post these sooner, but forgot. We got an awesome deal and spent close to nothing for these pictures, which were done at JCPenny. We've had his pictures done there several times in the past, and we've been pleased thus far. My Little Man is so handsome, and getting so big!

My Baby Is Two!!

Two I said!! I can't believe it.

We didn't have a party this year. We didn't even have a theme. I was going to attempt a Mickey Mouse cake, but that would have been the only theme-type thing. So I just went with cupcakes. Cupcakes in ice cream cones though! Much more yummy. We had only a few of our friends over, Matt's brother and niece, and us. There were 8 of us total. It was really nice and small, and I didn't have to worry about feeding anymore. Money has been tight, which is why we didn't do a party. But it turned out awesome, and Cael was happy, which is all that matters.

Cael loved the cupcakes I made - half with chocolate frosting, and the other half with vanilla. So much, that he ate 2! But he wasn't too fond of the cones, so Mommy ate those :).

Matt was in charge of getting Cael's gifts this year, since I didn't have time to with work. Cael loved them all! His gifts consisted of some trucks, cars and motorcycles - all of Cael's favorites. Our best friends got Cael a T-Ball stand, and our other friend got him a motorcycle that does wheelies. It was really nice, and was all stuff that will keep him busy for a while (hopefully).

Oh yea. I updated Cael's birthday ticker at the top of the blog page. It saddened me greatly to select the "2 year old" ticker, which meant he's on his way to 3. But we have a year until then!

Stats and Updates:
We had Cael to the doctor for his 2-year old well-visit a few days after his birthday. Both Matt and I were anxious to see how this visit would go. Initially, we were worried about how the Dr would feel about Cael's speech. But since he started to "explode" with words and phrases, we grew less anxious. We also were wondering how much he weighed and how tall he was. We did a few measurements at home, but for some reason, the office measurements are "official". So...At 2 years old, Cael weighed in at 28 pounds 5.5 ounces and measured 36.25 inches tall. Also, his big noggin measured 50 cm, which is in the 90th PERCENTILE! And, he's above the 50th percentile for both weight and height, which is awesome!

Second most awesome thing from Cael's appointment, is that the doctor is pleased with, and not worried about Cael's speech! This is huge, because we worried for a while as to whether he was delayed or not. It's nice to hear that he's where he should be. She said he's a boy, and they start talking later than girls, but tend to do developmental things faster than girls. And she sees no reason to worry because of the advances he's been making.

He got his flu shot, and his 2nd Hep A vaccine. His next well-visit isn't until he's 3!!

What a difference a year makes!!

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!

22 Months Old! T-Minus 2 Months!

Little Man is getting ever so closer to the age of 2. And I'm in complete denial. I haven't done anything or planned anything for his 2nd birthday. Except that it's going to be a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme. Cael loves MMC. Someone today asked me how old my son was. I stuttered as I replied "He's 22 months old." 22 MONTHS OLD!? That's only 2 months until he turns 2! Oi vey. The next 2 months will fly by too. I can't believe it's already July, and with July comes busy weekends. With August comes even busier weekends. I have 5 friends that are all pregnant and due anywhere from August to October. Plus, Cael and I will be going camping with my mom in the middle of August. I've taken off 2.5 days of work to go, and I'm super excited. (Minus the 7+ hour drive to get there).

Here's a breakdown of July. This weekend, we're helping Matt's brother and his wife move into their new apartment. In Virginia. Two floors below us!! Yup, that's right! We'll have family here, and Cael will have his cousin to play with! We're both super excited. Then next weekend, Matt, Cael and I are going to Long Island for the weekend. It's my bff's son's 2nd birthday party. Plus, she's pregnant and due in September, so I have to see her and her cute bump. Then Matt and I want to go to King's Dominion this month with Cael, which leaves the 3rd or 4th weekend in July for that. KD is a theme park within an hour of us, and it has a kiddie area for Cael. He loves things like that, so I'm excited.

Now onto Cael!

We have finally reduced Cael's binky usage. Granted, he still gets it for naps and bedtime, but I'm more than happy being back to that. After having it away from him, then Cael getting sick and needing it back, to the obsession that was having 3 binkies at one time, I'm happy we're back to where we started. It sounds like a waste, but how Cael was with the binks was bordering obnoxious. He'd have one in his mouth, and then have one in each hand. And when he didn't have them, he was miserable. Which made us miserable. So now, we take it from him when he wakes up in the morning, and when he wakes up from his nap.

I was home this past Wednesday so Matt could spend the day fishing, so I conducted Operation Binky. I let him cry and scream and whine and pull on me while he didn't have a binky. All day. It was obnoxious, but by Thursday, he was better. Distractions and playing with toys definitely helped him too. And over the past week since he hasn't been walking around with a bink in his mouth, he's become a TON more verbal. Just babbling and his babbling is changing. He's pronouncing different sounds that he hasn't pronounced before.  He even started saying a new word!! He now says "Bye!". And he knows when to say it, too. Granted, he says it with a British accent, but he says it nonetheless. He also started saying "Stop it!" He's heard us say it a million times to the dogs, so why wouldn't he pick that phrase up!? When he says it though, it sounds like he's saying "Stupid". It's kind of funny, actually.

Cael finished his first season of soccer 2 weekends ago. This past weekend was soccer Open House, so we went to that as well. Since he seemed to love it so much, and did so well with the program, we signed him up for the summer season. We're going to continue doing Saturday mornings, and his first "practice" is July 13th (which we will be missing, since we'll be on LI). I love watching him kick the ball and participate in all most of the activities. He has so much fun, plus he gets to socialize with kids his age. Fabulous program.

Over the past month, Cael has developed some new obsessions. He LOVES to play video games like his Daddy. Meaning, he'll hand us the XBox controller, whine for the game to be turned on, and sit and stare at the TV while he spins his character around. I guess seeing Matt play a couple times, it's something he likes. It keeps him quiet and occupied, and Matt doesn't let him do it all the time. But Cael will let you know if he wants to play.

He also loves water.  We knew that from his baths, but we've introduced Cael to a few new water areas this past month. We've gone to the pool here in our complex a couple times, and I took Cael to the local splash pad last weekend. He absolutely LOVED it. He'd run through the water sprays like it was nothing, and laugh out loud. And when he's in the pool, he thinks he can swim on his own. We got him a one piece swim suit that has the floaties built in around his body. He does really well with floating, and he loves to jump off the end into the water. He even goes under without a problem. I love that he's a water baby.

This past month, we introduced Cael to peanut butter. No, we didn't get the permission from his doctor (GASP!), but I've seen other moms with toddlers Cael's age giving peanut butter. Plus, we don't have any nut allergies in my family, and only Matt's sister can't have tree nuts. We were on full alert the couple of times we gave it to him, but he did fine with it. He enjoyed it, so I bought him the Ritz snack crackers with pb.

This past Christmas, my older brother and sister-in-law got Cael this really cute, real-metal car. It's the type that he sits on and moves by pushing forward with his legs. He finally figured out how to push himself on it. Granted, he moves slowly because his feet hit the front tires if he goes fast, but he seems to really enjoy the car now. I'm so happy that he figured it out, because now he gets a kick out of pushing himself around the kitchen and living room. It's another toy that he can play with.

I think that's about it for updates regarding Cael. Stay tuned for growth stats and pictures!!

Stats Update:

Length: 36 inches! (95th percentile)
Weight: 27 pounds! (46th percentile)
Head circ: 50.8 cm! (96th percentile!)

So in summary, I have a big-headed beanpole!