Just Some Mom Stuff

Dear 23-Month-Old Caleb

2013-05-10T18:56:00.003-07:00

Dear 23-Month Old Caleb,

I'm a couple days late posting this one because we had to celebrate your second birthday and it's been a busy week! I can hardly believe you're two. But we'll save that for the next, "Dear Caleb" blog post. This one is all about the month leading up to your birthday.

What comes to mind first about this month is that we are communicating on a completely different level now. Almost all of the time, you can tell us what you are trying to say and we actually understand! You rarely sign anymore because you know how to say all of the words you used to sign. One day, over ten new words popped out of your mouth! You are even good about saying, "please" and "thank you" or "thanks." You also say, "bless you" anytime someone sneezes. One time, we heard you say, "Bless you" over the baby monitor while you were in your crib - you were still awake and heard me sneeze in the other room. :) You are talking in three- and four-word sentences now. You say things like, "I got it" and "I spy a bow."

Your obsession with football and the Green Bay Packers continues to grow. You sleep with footballs every night and usually ask to watch Packers highlights ("Pappoh?") as soon as you wake up. You throw your hands up in the air triumphantly when they score a touchdown and you clap when something exciting happens.

You are becoming your own person; your personality is emerging more and more. You have a very logical mind. You like sorting things, especially by color. You're good at puzzles and problem solving. And you like putting things away, in their place. You get really hyper at night and flip around in our bed like a gymnast or wrestle with Daddy. You aren't big on snuggling unless you're sick. You don't like getting messy, but you love to color and do projects where you can use tools, like paintbrushes for example. You're a daredevil, always jumping off of things and giggling like mad. I have a feeling you'll like roller coasters.

I think what stands out about you most is your athletic ability. It's odd saying that about a two-year old but it's true. Somehow, you learned how to correctly hold and throw a football - even with a perfect spiral! You are so strong and you can throw the ball so hard that I don't even know how it's possible! This month, you started catching balls when we throw them to you. You often say, "Catch!" and ask to practice. We clap and cheer when you catch and when you miss, we say, "Almost!" Now you repeat us and say, "Almost" if you miss the ball. Playing ball makes you very happy and it's clear there will be a lot of sports in your future.

You have started to memorize parts of books, so you often help me read. You know some parts of The Poky Little Puppy, like "I see something!" and the part in That's Not My Mom! where where Gerry says, "Aha!" There is also a Thomas the Train Book of Opposites that you know very well. If I say, "Up," you will say, "Down" and so on.

We spend a lot more time drawing and writing these days. Your fine motor skills are awesome! You seem to especially like to write with pens, and you often "help" me with my grocery lists by scribbling all over the paper. You have started writing letters and numbers, too! Sometimes it seems to be a happy accident and you are surprised when you tell me, "Nine!" and other times it seems purposeful. Some of the letters you draw are A, C, G, I, L, M, O, P, S (kind of), U, and V. You write 1 and 9 as well. You always tell me what you draw and often make the corresponding sound for letters. You like to draw circles a lot, and you can say, "circle" very well now too.

You are learning about colors beyond the few basic colors (ie, red, blue, yellow, orange, green). This month you learned purple, pink, black and brown. You can recognize and distinguish between basic shapes: circle, rectangle, square, crescent, heart, and diamond. You kind of know what an octagon is because you associate it with stop signs (which you seem to love for some reason).

Preschool co-op this week covered letters J-N. We played with Jell-o in a jungle safari, made lava lamps, magic milk and masks, played with wet noodles and made pasta necklaces. You had a cold for K week. It's good for you to see the same groups of kids every week. You are still too rough with the other kids, but it's getting better. And you are better about saying, "Sorry" and giving apology hugs.

You also have your first official girlfriend, Sienna. She calls you, "Cable" and her Mommy tells me she talks about you all the time. She also calls every boy "Cable." She hugs you and you two even kissed once. It's adorable. Most of the time she is chasing you and you run away. In the preschool co-op, you two usually wind up playing with each other. She is the cutest and sweetest little girl and as her Mommy Meagan says, "she's completely smitten!"

You continue to learn and grow in your Kinder Kicks class. Some weeks are better than others. One week, you did a fantastic job of following the obstacle course Mrs. Katrina set up. Sometimes you're just not into it and all you want to do is run around. But that's ok :) By the way, Mrs. Katrina also commented about your throwing skills!

It's funny, I didn't think I had much to write about this month but once I sat down, I realized I had so much to say about you! You truly amaze me and make me proud to be your Mommy.

Love you always,
Mommy

Dear 22-Month-Old Caleb

2013-04-05T18:51:00.002-07:00

Dear 22-Month-Old Caleb,

The language explosion continues this month. You said your first sentence, "Hi, mama." You walked into our bedroom one day and said it very clearly, like you've been saying it all along. (And you probably have been, in your head!). Since then, you have put a few other words together like, "all done" and "I spy..." and "bye-bye, Dada" and "I know." I have given up on keeping track of all your new words. Most days, a new word pops out of your mouth at least once or twice. Once when we were checking out at Publix, a nice girl who works there taught you to say, "toes." You learned to say other body parts, like knee, elbow, and butt.

Many times this month, I sat back in awe at how quickly you are learning things. It seems like just yesterday you were a helpless newborn who just laid there and did nothing but sleep, poop, and cry. You are so incredibly smart, and it is so much fun to watch you learn and grow.

You spend most of your free time playing with balls, particularly with one small basketball and football. You have a crazy athletic ability that an almost two-year-old should not have! You can't play ball with kids your own age because you simply through the ball too hard and make your friends cry! It gives Mommy a headache.

You have mastered your numbers, 1 through 10. You've known 8 and 9 for a while but now you know them all! I haven't tested you, but I think you know all of your letters by this point too. And you do an excellent job with recognizing the sounds that letters make.

<sigh> You are so incredibly rough - "all boy" as many would say. I can't get you to stop hitting your friends, or throwing toys (that should not be thrown). It's a constant battle. You will eventually grow out of this, right? </sigh>

We went to the "Hippity Hop Adventure" at the zoo with Grandma and Grandpa, where we did crafts and saw a live musical performance. It was lots of fun! We had a very nice Easter at home, and you got a fun Easter basket with a football, train book, socks, a truck, a Giraffe flashlight, and other little goodies.

The preschool co-op is going great! This month we learned about the letters E-I. We had Easter egg hunts (for both E and H), a rice sensory bin, an oatmeal sensory bin, finger print painting, hula hoops and hopping, a garden sensory bin, a gumball machine sticker activity, and ice painting.

I saved the best update of the month for last. This "event" actually just occurred a couple of days ago, so it's very fresh in my mind. You were doing naked time before bath. (Granted, this is a dangerous activity for someone your age who is not potty trained, but you had already pooped once this day and cleaning up pee is not too bad so I wasn't worried...). You were in the living room - naked - on your hands and knees eating food off the floor like a puppy dog. You were picking up food off the floor with your mouth, without using your hands. You had just eaten dinner and had thrown half of your food on the floor so I figured you were eating a pretzel. You looked so silly, so I walked over close to you to take a picture. At first I was confused because I didn't see any food on the ground. Then I realized, you weren't eating - you were drinking. You were lapping up your own pee off the floor! Seriously?!! After I recovered from that, you pooped in the playroom, and I'm pretty sure you played with it before I discovered it because there were poopy stains that screamed, "Poop was here!" even though the actual poop was a little to the right. I got that cleaned up and started running bath water for you, while you peed in our bedroom and then licked pee off your hands.

Toddlerhood sure is interesting! :)

I can't wait to see what crazy things you do next month...

Love always,
Mommy

Dear 21-Month-Old Caleb

2013-03-05T19:02:00.002-08:00

Dear 21-Month-Old Caleb,

To the outside world, you may not seem all that different than last month, but I have noticed huge changes this month! Here we go:

The language explosion is starting! It seems like every day you are saying a new word. I can't keep track of your growing vocabulary anymore, but here's a quick list of what comes to mind: question, bubble, ball, boat, bowl, Caleb, Nancy, help, cup, pee pee, nose, book, map, car, Elmo, home, uh oh, and cookie. You are still communicating with single words, but I think you will start combining words soon. You will do two signs together, or a combination of words and signs, like sometimes you say, "ball" and then sign, "please." You also started signing, "thank you" this month.
Your pre-reading skills are progressing quickly, too! On Valentine's Day, I nearly fell out of my chair when I watched you sound out a word. It was the word, "boss" on a onesie. You pointed to the "B" and said, "buh," then the "O" and said, "ohhh" and then the "SS" and said, "ssssss." I know you didn't actually read the word but it was pretty amazing to watch you take this huge leap in phonics and pre-reading!
We started a preschool co-op with other Moms and kids your age. It's going great! We rotate houses every week and each week we learn about a new letter. This month, we covered A-D. We read books, did some finger painting, made dough hand prints, and played in cake cloud dough. You even get homework assignments! They're not too hard, though. It's just a coloring sheet for that week's letter. We are keeping them in a folder so you will have your own ABC book! The socialization is really good for you and I love that you get to play with the same kids each week and make friends. We're still working with you on hitting and throwing toys. Some weeks you are so well-behaved and I'm so proud of you, and other weeks don't go nearly as well. It's a work in progress, and that's ok.
You are getting so much from the Kinder Kicks classes, and I have watched you grow in many ways in just a short time! You are the youngest in the class but you still manage to keep up! I'm very proud of how you are improving with listening and following directions. I love how you are willing to try new activities and you're eager to learn and play.
You are starting to express your independence. One way you do this is with clothing. We often have multiple wardrobe changes in a day because you want to wear this orange shirt or that Packers shirt. Sometimes we pile on multiple layers. Sometimes you sleep in the same shirt you wore the day before. I love watching you express your preferences and ideas about things. You're so quirky! Sometimes you have to put things away, "just so." One night, we were leaving the playroom and you were almost out the door when you turned around to turn over one of your cars that was upside down. You make Mommy and Daddy giggle all the time.
A couple of months ago, I was trying to teach you about circles. How to identify them, and how to draw them. I haven't practiced them with you in a while, but you obviously remembered because one day something clicked and you started drawing circles over and over on your "C" homework! (You also did it on your "D" homework). I was so amazed that what we practiced had sunk in and you picked up on it. You are such a sponge right now and I'm so happy watching you learn. You are so, so smart and you amaze me every day.
You are completely obsessed with balls. Any and all kinds of balls. There is a small basketball in particular that you really seem to love. You are constantly throwing balls at us and wanting us to play with you. You have quite the arm! I recently joked that you'll become a baseball pitcher, and Daddy said that wasn't allowed because it's a dangerous position. Funny that he's the over-protective one ;)
We also went strawberry picking for the first time. What a fun activity! We'll have to do that again.

I can't wait to see what new things you bring on next month. Hello, 22 months!

I love you always and forever,

Mommy

The Magic of Busy Bags

2013-03-02T08:58:00.001-08:00

If you have a toddler, then you understand the anxiety that comes from eating out in a restaurant as a family. Toddlers have a tendency to freak out about everything, so you never know what you will get on any given day. There is at least a 50/50 chance that toddlers will lose their minds in the middle of dinner, and you'll have no choice but to ask for to-go boxes and high tail it out of there.

We don't go out to dinner as a family very often for this very reason, but we did last night. I knew we were planning to go out and I prepared myself. That's when I discovered the magic of...busy bags.

Here is Caleb (21 months) at dinner last night, playing happily. This kept him busy for about 30 minutes! In the world of toddler-restaurant-time, that is a lifetime! My husband and I finished our dinner and then the three of us just sat around, playing and talking. No more rushing to pay the check to prevent the inevitable meltdown that we know is coming. It was wonderful :)

So what exactly is a busy bag, you ask? Well, it's simply a small and portable activity you can take with you. They can be educational or just plain fun. Usually it's something you could fit in a small ziploc bag. Last night, I brought a set of colored, reusable ice cubes (from the dollar store!). They came in 4 colors so I brought 4 small containers from home. He had lots of fun sorting, dumping, re-sorting, stacking, and more!

I'm now a big believer in busy bags, and will be looking for more ideas. If you search for busy bags on Pinterest, there are lots of great ideas - like this one. Do you have any other busy bag ideas to share? I'd love to hear them!

Dear 20-Month-Old Caleb

2013-02-07T20:19:00.001-08:00

Dear 20-month-old Caleb,

Well we had a wonderful month! Here are some highlights:

We started a class together called Kinder Kicks, which is a fitness/martial arts class for toddlers and a parent. I like that it will give you a little more structure each week and I think it will help you with listening and sitting still. So far, you mostly run all over the room the whole class. It's great because we both get some exercise! I love that there is a lot of focus on confidence. I'm excited to see how you benefit from the class each week.
We all got sick again, but I'm getting used to at least one sickness each month. I try to tell myself we're building up your immune system, which would happen when you started school anyway. Might as well get it out of the way now.
You're still aggressive, but I'm seeing more of your sweet side come out. You are constantly giving both Daddy and I hugs and kisses. And sometimes you kiss everything, from trees to puppies in a book to my glasses (while I'm wearing them). I hope I can nurture your sweet side and help you grow into a nice and polite little boy. We still have to work on your hitting, biting, and throwing. It's a work in progress ;)
I decided to start teaching you a few basic signs (as in sign language), and you have picked up on it amazingly fast. You first learned, "more" and then "milk." Then "ball," "eat," "play," and "please." We're working on, "thank you" and "sleep." It is really helping you communicate your wants and needs to us!
You're picking up on so much around you. One day we were at the library after story time, and we were doing puzzles with another Mom and little boy. They were Chinese and the Mom was teaching her son to count in Chinese. You started doing it, too! You were saying, "One. Two." in Chinese! The other Mom commented on it and said you did a great job counting in Chinese. You're learning from watching Dora the Explorer, too. When you want something open, you say "Abre" which means open in Spanish.
Your new words include "map" and "baby" and probably other words I can't think of at the moment. You say baby quite a bit, and you understand that YOU are baby. You point to me and say, "Mama" then point to yourself and say, "Baby." You also make a really cute chomping sound for alligator. The word, "Bye Bye" has transformed to, "Bye Bow." And "Pappers" has transformed into, "Papp-OH." You are continuing your toddler jibberish, and sometimes it sounds like you are telling such fabulous stories to us. You are so incredibly animated and emphatic, it is just adorable. I have to remember to get this on video tape because pretty soon you'll be talking for real!
You know a lot of your letters by now, probably most of them I'd say. And this month I have noticed you are not only recognizing letters, but also the sounds they make. This is part of something called phonemic awareness and it excites Mommy because she knows it's an important step toward learning to read. You especially seem to recognize B, P, S, and T. When you see those letters, you point and make the corresponding sound. For a while you were mixing up B and S but I think you have them straight now.
You still love reading more than I could ever describe in one blog post. It is a huge part of our everyday life. It's usually the first thing we do when you get up and the last thing we do before you go to bed. Sometimes Daddy and I get tired of reading books to you over and over and over and OVER, but I remind myself that this is such a wonderful passion for you to have and I am so proud of how much you love books and reading.
We are starting a preschool co-op with 5 other families and kids, and I'm very excited about doing this every week and watching you and your friends learn together. I'm sure I'll have more to report on this next month.

I hope this next month is just as great as the last. I can't believe I have to start planning your second birthday party!!

Love you always,

Mommy

Dear 19-Month-Old Caleb

2013-01-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

Dear 19-month old Caleb,

As we say goodbye to 19 months, we are getting closer and closer to your second birthday and farther and farther from your first birthday. Time seems to be flying by so fast!

Looking back on this month, we had a little mix of everything.

You got SO sick this month, your first flu. You felt just terrible and you broke our hearts because you looked so sad and lethargic, a stark contrast to your usual tornado-style personality. You had the usual runny nose and cough but you also threw up and had diarrhea, both of which were firsts. And your fever went over 103 for the first time. We stayed home for a week and had lots of snuggles and watched cartoons and movies, including the Toy Story movies for the first time.
You somehow shared your virus with me in my eye and I got quite the case of pink eye. My eyes got so swollen that I could barely see and Daddy had to actually take time off work to help me for a couple days. I had to cancel my birthday plans (but hope to reschedule soon!) but I still had a nice day at home with you and Daddy. And I was very lucky that some friends dropped off some gifts and goodies at our door to cheer me up!
All four of your canines came in, at the same time (teeth numbers 13-16). The teething started while you were sick so that whole week is a sleep-deprived blur to me. However, the good news is that you only have FOUR teeth left to go until we are done with teething!
Your behavior has surprisingly gotten even more challenging, especially the hitting and biting. Mommy is frantically reading toddler discipline books. And we are taking bets on when our tipping point will be to sell you to the zoo ;) I think part of the problem is you were very spoiled while you were sick - I pretty much gave you whatever you wanted and held you a lot and gave you all of my attention. So now, you naturally can't understand why you're not getting your way. Hopefully next month I'll report that this is getting better...
On the other hand, sometimes you can be ridiculously sweet. You are still so snuggly at times, giving me lots of kisses and hugs. It makes me forget all the hitting :)
You have mastered jumping and bouncing. You always seem to be jumping, spinning, rolling - in constant motion. One Sunday morning recently, we brought you into bed with us when you woke up for morning snuggles. You naturally wanted to start jumping around. You stood up and flung yourself backwards onto the bed so that you landed flat on your back. I think you love the rush of falling, you're such a dare devil! Only, this time you landed a little too close to the edge. There was just enough momentum to make you do a complete flip backwards off the bed and you landed on the floor, flat on your face. Daddy and I both tried to grab you but you were just out of reach. Once we realized you were OK (just a little cut on your tongue that has already healed), we laughed so hard! It was ridiculous to watch you flip through the air like a tiny acrobat!
I can't even remember which new words you have learned this month. Your favorite new word is Packers (pronounced by you as "Pappers"), as in the Green Bay Packers. You are getting really into football, both watching games with Daddy and playing with your footballs with us. You have quite the arm! You also meow like a cat, but it sounds more like mow (rhymes with now). You are constantly pointing and saying, "Eh! Eh! Eh!" Your jibberish continues and is just as adorable. You have a few jibberish words you say often, like, "A gundhy." I wish I knew what it meant!
This month you also experienced your second Christmas. It was so much fun! You're not old enough to understand what was going on, but you sure loved all the new toys! Santa brought you an easel and a toy horse that makes a neigh sound. And in your stocking was some little musical instruments, toy trucks, and a Santa duck. You got too many other things to list from us and other family members and friends. You loved everything! We haven't opened all the toys yet just because there were so many.
We rung in New Year at the Callahans, where you got to play with your buddy Shawn as you both stayed up way past your bedtimes! You're such a lucky boy to have so many wonderful friends and playmates.

As always, I love you to pieces and I love that I get to spend every day with you. I'm looking forward to this new year ahead.

[P.S. - Stop hitting!]

Love you forever,

Mommy

New Year's Resolutions

2012-12-29T12:26:00.001-08:00

I'm ready to take 2013 by the horns. 2012 was an amazing year in many ways and also very challenging in many ways. I'm ready for this next year of challenges and blessings.

I almost didn't want to make a post about New Year's resolutions because they're SO overdone and no one follows through on them. But, it feels like right now is a natural ending and beginning for me because of various other events in my life. So, let's go with it. Maybe these will be long-term personal goals instead of "resolutions." I want the theme for 2013 to be taking back my life, making time for me, and a renewed focus on my health (physical, financial, and emotional). It feels like I spent most of 2012 just trying to survive, and I want to do better than that.

Here's my list:

Drop 30 pounds. I need to lose more than this, but it's a start and it's a realistic goal. My body loses weight painfully slowly because of PCOS, so I need to make small goals throughout the year. I need to get out of my "survival" mindset and become more proactive about my health again.

Become debt-free except for our primary mortgage. Over the summer, I set out on a mission to pay off all our credit cards and I'm excited to say that we now have 0 credit card debt! I just finished reading Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover and now I'm determined to get rid of ALL of it. The focus for this year will be medical bills, students loans, and our HELOC (second mortgage). If we are committed, I really think we can do it!

Stick to a budget. This is related to becoming debt-free, but worth being a separate goal. I have always been good with money, but have never been strict about budgeting. Now that I have some very specific and ambitious financial goals, I want to get the most out of our money and that means accounting for every penny. I already created a spreadsheet for January and need to finalize it.

Organize the guest room/office. This room is a huge problem area for us, as it always becomes the dumping ground for everything that has no place else to go. I want to get rid of the clutter and actually be able to use that room. That includes making room for our elliptical, so I can actually start using it. I already have a few things listed on Craigslist for sale but it will be a project to sort through everything in there so it's definitely a long-term goal.

Make weekly blog posts. Writing is an outlet for me, and I need to do more of it. It gets pushed to the back burner over and over even though it's something I love. I need to write down a plan for my posts, either monthly or weekly so that I have structure and a schedule to follow.

Make time for myself once a week. This is much harder than it sounds. I'm a stay at home Mom and I work part-time. John is working two jobs and works 6, sometimes 7, days a week. I don't have babysitters or house cleaners or family nearby to help, so my plate is always overflowing. The demands of running a household with a tornado of a toddler and a husband who is never home is much harder than I expected. My point is, I always feel guilty for taking time for myself when there are dishes to be done, emails to follow-up on, coupons to clip, laundry to fold, etc. But I'm over it. I'm setting aside time each week for me, at least in some small way. And I want to encourage John to do the same.

There are a lot of other things I want and need to do, but I don't want to make a huge list of things that are overwhelming. These are the priority items and I want to make this my focus.

I'm excited for a new year! What are your resolutions? Feel free to leave a comment with your plans!

Dear 18-Month-Old Caleb

2012-12-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

Dear 18-month-old Caleb, Has a whole month really gone by already? Time is FLYING by these days! This was a big developmental month for you. Here are some things that happened:

You stopped using your "Wubby" and pacifiers. It was actually easier than I expected. You were mostly just chewing on them anyway. That's what prompted me to try bedtime without Wubby - you chewed through yet another pacifier and I was worried about you choking on the leftover pieces. Such a big boy!
You started using silverware. You picked up on this right away with a fork and macaroni and cheese. Sometimes you use silverware, and sometimes you use your hands. I'm not rushing it. You're also really into crackers this month.
This is my favorite development this month - you have become so snuggly. One night Daddy was on the kitchen floor with you, and you just started cuddling against him and hugging him over and over. You do this sweet, humming coo when you snuggle. Since then, you give hugs and kisses all the time. Sometimes you smile and say, "Mama" and then give me a big hug. Melts my heart!
I knew this was coming...your favorite word is, "No." You will say, "No" to just about any question we ask you. Sometimes you say it in a soft voice, almost like a question. Sometimes it's an emphatic yell. Sometimes you shake your head no, too. Sometimes you say, "No" even though you mean, "Yes."
You're becoming more communicative in other ways, too. You tell us, "Up! Up!" when you want to be picked up or when you want Daddy to throw you in the air (something he usually does before bedtime). You stand at the fridge and pull on the handle when you want your milk. You point to things you want and say, "Uh uh uh!!" You added a couple new words, like yellow and "Pa" for Grandpa. You also now bark when you see a dog, it's so cute!
We were all sick for Thanksgiving, so it was a very low-key holiday. I'm really looking forward to Christmas later this month. I know you won't understand the concept yet, but I bet you will love the new toys!
You are still a challenge at times (but what toddler isn't?). We are working on your hitting; you have a tendency to slap Mommy and Daddy in the face when you're not happy with what we're doing (like carrying you to the changing table for a diaper change). Hopefully next month will be a little better in this area...

I love you so much and am so thankful I am getting the opportunity to watch you grow and learn every day. Love always, Mommy

Tidbits

2012-11-16T11:17:00.001-08:00

A very quick, stream-of-consciousness post... - Caleb has started eating crayons and now has colorful poops.

- I put my underwear on inside out one day this week. Not a big deal - until you consider that I didn't realize this until 3:00 in the afternoon.

- I have a couple giveaways to post here, but haven't had time. I am excited about them though!

- Only 4 weeks left of my class. Even though I enjoy school, it's difficult to find the time for it right now. It takes away a lot of time from other things and spare time is a precious, precious luxury in my life.

- We are (I *think*) in the homestretch of our refinance process. It has been a time-consuming cluster of paperwork, emails, and phone calls. I recently started annoying the hell out of people and surprise! things are finally along.

- I ordered a new wall calendar and it should arrive today (thank you, Amazon Prime)! What? Shuttup, I'm excited. My current calendar still says October...

- I turn thirty next month. Eek! Is it weird that I'm not having an age crisis thing happening? I think my 30s are going to be awesome. I do feel like I should do something for my birthday, but I don't know what yet...suggestions welcome!

Dear 17-Month-Old Caleb

2012-11-05T19:09:00.002-08:00

Dear 17-Month-Old Caleb,

This was a much healthier month! Thank goodness :)

You got back on track with your sleeping schedule, and everyone was happier.

You're still a picky eater. This month you went through a phase where you were really into grapes. You seem to be over mac and cheese. You mostly live off of chicken nuggets and cheese. You can see why I was thrilled you were eating fresh fruit. You also started eating Cheerios and pretzels - you like crunchy stuff!

Your language development has been so much fun this month. You are putting sounds together in new ways all the time. I call it "alien jibberish" where you ramble off a bunch of sounds, even more so than last month. You are still very animated in your communication. And you are still obsessed with ducks, and say "duck" all day long. "Dada" is also a favorite. You added "eight," "nine," and "fish" to your vocabulary this month.

Your favorite letter is still clearly "i" but you now also recognize d, m, n, and o. You can also recognize the letters 8 and 9. You have taken letter recognition to a new level by realizing that the letters on the alphabet mat in your playroom also exist in other places, like books, signs and t-shirts. You love to point out the letter "i" whenever you see it! You're still quite the little reader. You start almost every morning by going straight to your bookshelf. And you're still demanding in your requests for us to read to you ;)

You now understand that your actions have consequences. Some days, you get a lot of time outs! Your tantrums are sometimes very intense, wowza! You are constantly testing your limits and learning what's ok and what you shouldn't be doing. You usually like to do the things you're not supposed to do ;) But that's ok - I know it's healthy and normal and part of your development. You are getting better at a lot of things, like climbing on the train table and hitting. I watch you almost start to do something naughty but you catch yourself and do things the right way. One example is touching people on the head. You love to pat people but you are often very rough. We have been trying to teach you how to be gentle for a couple months now, and I can see it is starting to sink in! It's still a struggle and you still hit sometimes but I see you trying and that makes me proud!!

You became especially interested in technology this month. Well you always have been, but you can navigate my smartphone surprisingly well now. I downloaded a game about ducks and you love to play it. You know which buttons to press to start a new game. It amazes me! You're also really into light switches and climbing on the dining room chairs (which allows you to press buttons on my computer).

You were a lion for your second Halloween. And boy, were you cute!! We went to your first Halloween party, at a nearby park, and you had a blast. There were games geared toward toddlers (you especially loved the game that involved catching ducks in a kiddie pool) and you even went on your first hayride. We went trick or treating around our neighborhood but you couldn't quite figure out what was going on so you kept getting frustrated that we wouldn't just let you run around where you wanted to go. Maybe next year you will "get" it more.

Overall, you are an incredibly active child. You run circles around most other kids your age. At that Halloween party, another Mom came up to me and said, "I thought my kid was active until I was yours!" Ha. Yup, that sums it up ;)

Love you always,
Mommy

My Life in a Word Cloud

2012-10-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

I need to make more of an effort to blog regularly. It's really hard to find the time lately.

So, as a compromise I created a word cloud (with tagul) as a visual summary of what's going on in my daily life right now. (And yes, it really does seem like dishes take up a disproportionate amount of time...) Enjoy!

Anyone else want to create one? I'd love to see!

Dear 16-month-old Caleb

2012-10-03T22:17:00.001-07:00

Dear 16-month old Caleb,

It has been a challenging month! You started the month with getting sick from the flu shot, which lingered for about a week. Then you developed a fever, a reaction to the MMR vaccine. Thankfully we got past all that without too much trouble.

But then, in the middle of the month (as Mommy was recovering from a stomach bug), you developed another fever and felt bad for a couple days. Then a rash spread all over your body - tiny little red dots. I assumed it was just a viral rash (as you had once before), but we quickly learned this was no regular rash! You were absolutely miserable and not sleeping at night, screaming in agony - to the point where you really scared Mommy and Daddy. We didn't know what was wrong or how to help you. I took you to the doctor who told us you had Hand Foot Mouth Disease, and then it all made sense. It's just a childhood virus that had to run its course but the sores are quite painful. You gradually got better over the next week. Unfortunately, the virus messed with all of our sleep schedules. I've been sleep-deprived for over two weeks now, and this somehow seems worse than when you were a newborn! Thankfully you are (knock on wood) back on track to being my good sleeper now though :)

Your language development definitely changed this month. Instead of just saying words here and there, you often try to engage in whole conversations with us. Of course, it's all jibberish but you go on for a few minutes and use inflection, gestures, and body language. I sure wish I could understand what you are saying! It's so clear that you are trying to tell us something fabulous. As far as new words, this month you added: black, red, orange, and bye-bye.

In your world, there are two types of animals: ducks and cats. Every type of bird is a duck. And generally, everything else is a cat. And sometimes anything could be a duck or a cat (like flowers or people). At Target one day, you pointed at a man and screamed, "Duck!" This is an example of how your language skills have not caught up with your understanding yet. Because you can recognize many more things than you can say. For example, if I point to a page in a book and ask, "Where is the mouse?" you can easily point out the mouse (or moon, newspaper, cat, red balloon if I ask for those). But without me prompting you, you point to these things and say, "cat" or "duck." I know this is perfectly normal and developmentally appropriate, and that you are generalizing things into categories in a way that makes sense to you. It's so amazing to watch this learning process unfold!

You love to spend time playing in your playroom. I bought a new and colorful rug for the playroom. It's an alphabet rug. The day after I bought it, you walked up to it and pointed to the letter "i" and started yelling "i i i i i" over and over again. I could hardly believe it (I took video so I have evidence)! For months now, we have been studying one letter every week. You really enjoy it but I wasn't sure how much you were understanding. Apparently you were really paying attention the week that we did the letter "i!" You will also point out "n" and "m" though "i" is your clear favorite.

You still love to dance. My goodness, you have some moves! I still don't know where this comes from. Music seems to be very important to you. I hope we can foster this love of music for you as you grow. You especially love 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider." You have a couple toys (a toy radio and a learning puppy) that will sing this song. You know which buttons to press to make it happen and you do it often. You know there are hand gestures that go along with this song and you try to do them with me. You're not quite coordinated enough to do the spider climbing movement, but you try. It's adorable!

You've inherited Mommy's silliness and Daddy's temper. Which means half the time we are cracking up, and the other half we are pulling our hair out. You are generally such a happy little guy, always laughing and actively playing. You are so much FUN to play with. We chase you and tickle you and throw you up in the air. Your giggles and squeals are so incredibly contagious. My favorite part of the day is usually when we start your bedtime routine. It involves a lot of playing peek-a-boo under covers and running to mommy for protection while Daddy threatens to hold you down for more tickles. And then there's the anger. I know part of this is just being a toddler and you naturally get frustrated with things. But I still believe part of it is that famous Marshall temper! If you don't get your way, you make a terrible face and throw things or try to hit. We're working on that ;)

You got your 11th and 12th tooth, your two top molars. We are now more than halfway through the teething. Only 8 more baby teeth to go. I can't wait until this teething process is over!

You should also know that Daddy put you on the waiting list for Green Bay Packers season tickets. The average wait time is currently 35-40 years. Maybe one day you'll appreciate it and take him to a game with you when he's old and grey! Oh, and while we're on the subject - Daddy taught you to throw your hands up in the air in celebration after he yells, "Packers touchdown!" I can tell it brings him so much joy to share his love of sports with you. This may be the whole reason he wanted to have a baby ;)

Even though it was a more challenging month than most, it was still great because I get to spend so much time with you! You are my whole world and I love you more every day :)

Love always,
Mommy

Dear 15-Month Old Caleb

2012-09-04T19:17:00.001-07:00

Dear 15-month-old Caleb,

We are having so much fun at this age! Let me think about what has happened this month...

You graduated from swim lessons. And holy cow, you did an amazing job. You absolutely nailed the "roll back to float." Almost as soon as we finished with swim lessons, we started classes at MyGym, which you really love!

We started going to the toddler story time at the library, because I think you are getting bored at the baby story time (plus you sometimes trample over the babies now). You were the youngest one in the group, and I could tell it challenged you - which is good for you. You seemed to really enjoy it. You did a lot of observing and taking it all in. I am excited to watch you grow in this new class and group. There are a lot of preschool-like skills you'll need to work on, like being able to sit still on the rug when the librarian reads a story. Right now this seems like a monumental task because you just want to run around the room like a ping pong ball. But that's ok for right now :)

Overall, this past month has been filled with new adventures and learning that have been so FUN.

Here are some highlights of things you did this month:

You got your 10th tooth! On the bottom, left side in the back
You started combining words together, like "Hi Dada" and "cat cheese." At first we thought cat cheese was hysterical and a nonsense phrase. I later realized you were trying to say, "mac and cheese." Silly mommy!
Your language is starting to take off! This month, you added these words to your growing vocabulary: cow, orange, duck, banana ("nana"), kitten, kitchen, kite, and spider (at least I THINK that is what you are saying). You continue to make your version of a sheep's baaaah (you omit the "b" sound), and you've started saying "mmmm" for a cow's Moo. Too cute!
You expressed a favorite color - yellow. You consistently play with things that are yellow more than any other color. Blocks, balls, play food, anything that is yellow. Orange is a close second.
You had a wonderful 15-month check-up - you are still tall (75th percentile) and skinny (10th percentile). But you had a rough time with the flu shot and MMR vaccine. That was a bad, sleep-depriving week for all of us!
We finally (FINALLY!) started making use of your playroom. Mommy is not finished organizing, but we still have tons of fun in there.
You also (and I am very excited about this) started doing puzzles! You've been playing with puzzles since Christmas, but I put them away for a while because you kept eating (read: ruining) them. One was sitting out because we moved them into the playroom, and I happened to look over as you were putting the shapes into the correct puzzle holes. It was so awesome! Since then, we've been working on different kinds of puzzles and I am amazed at how fast you are learning. You don't get them 100% but you definitely understand the concept and can put the pieces in correctly a lot of the time. You are doing really well with a shapes sorting board, too (a little different than a traditional puzzle).
You grabbed a pair of my underwear from the laundry pile and put it in the cats' water bowl. What could I do but laugh? ;)
While grocery shopping with Mommy and Daddy, you were able to reach behind you in the cart and dump out a whole dozen eggs from the carton. By some miracle, only one broke and NOT inside my diaper bag (whew!).
Mommy is spending a small fortune buying you new shoes. You are already in a size 6W.

The other big update from this month is the addition of tantrums. I knew they were coming, and the time has come. As far as toddlers go, you're still a very well-behaved kid, though. I can usually see your perspective and understand why you get frustrated and I try to let you know that.

I feel like this has been a big month for developmental milestones. I can't wait to see what new things you do in this next month to come!

Love always,

Mommy

Dear 14-Month-Old Caleb

2012-08-04T20:02:00.002-07:00

Dear 14-month-old Caleb,

This is the month when you completed the transition from baby to toddler. I know I said this last month, but it was even more so this month! I think every kid does this at a different rate. Even though you've been walking for over 4 months, I still felt like you were a baby until now. This month, you made the switch from bottle to sippy cup, started drinking whole milk, and got your first big boy haircut (at Disney!).

Your understanding of the world around you is growing exponentially. You are starting to say more words (like cheese, dog, eye, and hi), but you understandably still have a very limited vocabulary. Even so, you understand what we are saying to you on a new level. When we read Goodnight Moon every night, we can ask you, "Where are the cats?" or "Where is the moon?" or "Where is the red balloon?" and you point to the objects correctly almost all of the time. Even though you can't say all those words, you understand what they are and you can tell us so by pointing.

I watched you excel in swim lessons. Your swim instructor even remarks how she is so impressed with how well you swim at this young age. You now love the water (so much that we decided to get an above ground pool)! At the beginning of lessons last month, you would cry every time. Now you smile, giggle, and clap. You know you are doing well and you are proud of yourself. Hopefully it all seems a little less scary with Mommy as your cheerleader by the side of the pool :)

We went to the Orlando Science Center a couple of times this month and got annual passes. It is such a fun place for you. You just have a blast each time we go! The last time we went, Grandma and Grandpa came with us and you got to touch a baby alligator!

Something fun you started doing this month is dancing. You really shake your booty when you hear music, and sometimes even when there is no music playing! It's like you have a song playing in your head at all times. You've started turning around in circles, too. It's adorable :)

You are still a picky eater, but you're more of a "normal" picky eater now. Mac and cheese is your favorite. You also love cheddar bunnies, and sometimes grapes and chicken nuggets.

Here's to another great month!

Love always,
Mommy

Dear 13-Month Old Caleb

2012-07-04T20:25:00.004-07:00

Dear 13-Month Old Caleb,

This was your first month of toddlerhood. The month you started swim lessons and transitioned to one nap. The month you started eating "real" food and meals. The month you learned where your nose is, and how to say, "cat" over and over.

Swim lessons has taken up most of our time the past few weeks. It's only 10 minutes a day, but it's five days a week and we schedule our whole day around them now. You are doing great! You still cry sometimes but at our last lesson (half way through the 6 week program), you were actually smiling and clapping for yourself during the lesson. We are doing a program called ISR (Infant Swim Rescue), which teaches you how to save yourself if you ever fall in the water. You have grown to love the water already!

Your language skills are starting to blossom. You say more words now, like: mama, dada, cat, hi, and duck. But more than that, you are understanding the words we say. If I ask you to help me close the dishwasher, you know what I'm asking (without gestures to help). The same goes for giving kisses! Speaking of kissing, you like to push Mommy's and Daddy's faces together so we will kiss. And then sometimes you lean forward and kiss us, too. It's adorable :)

You still have an insatiable hunger for reading. You're starting to remember certain parts of the books. When I open to the M and N pages of the B is for Bear book, you point to your nose because you know that, "N is for nose. What can you smell?" When we read "I love you stinky face," you give me a kiss at the part where I usually whisper in your ear. When we read the Thomas the Tank Engine book about shapes and sizes, you move your finger around in the area where I trace the square shape. It's amazing to watch you learn.

We traveled to South Florida for a weekend and had a great time playing on the beach for the first time at Hillsboro Beach. However, you had a very rough time sleeping away from home and Mommy and Daddy were very sleep-deprived. We won't be traveling anywhere for a while! But that's ok, there are a lot of fun things we can do from home.

I can't wait to see what new things you learn next month!

Love you always,
Mommy

Hillsboro Beach on Dwellable

Dear 12 Month Old Caleb

2012-06-04T19:48:00.001-07:00

Dear 12-month-old Caleb,

This month, we got to celebrate your first birthday! You had a great party at a park we always go to for playdates. It was the hottest day of the year (up until that point at least), so we were all sweating and trying to stay in the shade. It was still a wonderful day and it was so much fun to celebrate YOU!

Even with your birthday aside, it has been a busy month! You started waving. Although it looks like you are just flopping your whole arm up and down, I still love it :) You now give kisses upon request - without any gestures - which means you are understanding language in a whole new way! Speaking of language, you said "duck" one day; you repeated me saying it while I read to you. You haven't said it again though.

Speaking of books - that should be the theme for this month. You became an active participant in the reading process this month by picking up books and bringing them to me to read to you. You have been quite demanding at times - even picking up my hand and placing a book in between my fingers, then whining in protest until I start reading. Once I start to read, you clench your fists and giggle in excitement. There was one day in particular where we were home most of the day and ALL you wanted to do was read, all day long. You wouldn't play with other toys or even watch cartoons. I counted, and daddy and I read to you over 80 times in that one day. We were going bonkers! Your love of reading still remains but it hasn't been quite as strong as that one day (thankfully).

Your 7th and 8th tooth came in! And your eating habits are getting so much better - I can hardly believe how far we've come! You are eating more and more things. Your favorite by far is cheese; you shovel in the little pieces I cut up and never leave any left on your tray. You also eat peas, beans, yogurt, ground turkey, mac and cheese, broccoli, carrots (though you don't seem to like them!), and little cruncher snacks.

We took our first big family trip this month to Rhode Island and Boston, where you got to meet lots of family! We were especially happy that you got to meet your great grandma, who adores you. In Boston, we went to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park! It was quite a big adventure. At first, you were scared of the loud crowd but you seemed to get used to it after a while and even fell asleep in the carrier against mommy's chest. Hopefully we can go again one day when you are older and can appreciate it more.

You are officially a toddler, and no longer a baby. At times you are so full of life that you make me think of a wild animal. I don't know where this energy comes from! You are starting to throw tantrums and you are rough with other friends, though you don't mean to be. You have a strong-willed personality and I know discipline will be a challenge for us all. Most of all, you are a silly, happy little guy. You love to laugh. You giggle at the silliest things. It makes my heart smile.

Here's to another great month!

Love always,
Mommy

Our Breastfeeding Journey

2012-05-18T19:45:00.001-07:00

Dear Caleb,

Today was the last day you received breast milk. It has been a long and ridiculously hard journey to get to this point. But it was all worth it.

I remember when you were teeny tiny and all you wanted was to be attached to me all day and all night. Those early days were rough, but yet somehow I miss it. I remember you would always fall asleep nursing. You were perfectly content at my breast, close to me, and you drifted off to sleep easily. I love thinking of those sweet moments.

It was harder for us than most, so a few things were a little different for us. You lost weight in the beginning but we supplemented to make sure you got enough calories. I made sure you got some breast milk every day, though. The feeding process for us was difficult sometimes. Maybe you got confused because you always got the breast and bottle. For a long time, you were a champ switching back and forth between both. And I am thankful for that!

As you got bigger, it became difficult to breastfeed you in public. There was just too much going on for you to latch on and concentrate on eating. You were so aware of everything and just too busy! But that was ok, because we had plenty of time at home to nurse. We spent many hours in our glider, with our nursing pillow. Sometimes I felt like all I did was nurse and I multi-tasked on my phone to pass the time while you ate. But I made sure that some of our nursing sessions were all about you and me. I liked to play with your hair and tell you how much I love you. You would look up at me with your big blue eyes and I felt like there was no place in the world I'd rather be.

I can't help but be sad that our breastfeeding journey is over. I have been much more emotional about this breastfeeding thing than I ever imagined. But you weaned a month ago, so I know you are done. I pumped for another month to get us past the year mark. I'm happy that we ended on your terms instead of mine, though I will always wish we could have gone longer. But I think that is just part of being a Mom!

I am so grateful to have had a beautiful nursing relationship with you. The bond we have is better than I could have ever imagined, and I know breastfeeding strengthened it.

Now I'm looking forward to watching you grow and bonding with you in new and different ways.

Love you always,
Mommy

Why I hid books from my child

2012-05-16T14:09:00.002-07:00

I'm not sure how to feel about Caleb's latest stage. He loves books. I would go as far as to say they have become an obsession.

On one hand, I'm thrilled to see that he has a love for books and is showing pre-reading skills already. I've spent a lot of time making sure we read to him every day and it's wonderful to see that it has made a difference.

On the other hand, it's getting out of control. It is ALL that he wants to do lately. He doesn't want to play with his other toys or watch TV. We don't normally watch TV, but I put cartoons on out of desperation (one can only read so many children's books in a day) and it was a complete fail. First, he was terrified of Yo Gabba Gabba and had to be safely seated in my lap to watch it. (This foiled my plans to get a couple things done while he sat quietly glued to the TV). Then, he got bored with it and brought me a book to read. Seriously? What kid does this?

A couple days ago, I counted how many times we read to Caleb that day. Over 80 times. EIGHTY. Do you know what happens to an adult brain after reading children's books that much? It's not pretty. Yesterday afternoon, I shut his bedroom door to and hid the books in the living room so he had to find something else to do. I may be the worst mother in history for hiding books from my child, but this is what it has come to!

I wonder how long this stage will last?

Dear 11-month-old Caleb

2012-05-04T19:12:00.002-07:00

Dear 11-month-old Caleb,

This has been a fun month! We have at least one birthday party to go to most weekends, sometimes two. You are a social little guy with lots of friends your age and everyone is turning one. It's getting hot out and we've visited a very fun splash pad a few times. You had mixed reactions about it ;) We still go to story time and the park on a regular basis, and I can tell that you love it. Going to the park is completely different now because you are running all over the place and I can no longer just sit on my picnic blanket and socialize with other Moms! That's ok, it is so much fun to watch you explore everything. You're getting really good at climbing, too! My little monkey :)

Eating has improved quite a bit this month, which is a huge relief for mommy. You're still not eating enough "real" food, but you're making progress. You are eating food pouches and yogurt every day, and you do well with practice foods like little munchers. And one night, you even ate some black beans! Mommy was ready to throw a party.

Toward the end of the month, you learned how to give high fives. It might be the cutest thing I've ever seen! Daddy and I clap and cheer, "Yay!" every time you do it, and you love it. You do it over and over and over again. Anytime you see a hand, you go for a high five. You pull out our hands from our laps and flip them over so you can high five our palm. I think you are proud of yourself for learning something new (and I am too!). It seems like the high fives have helped you learn how to clap, which is very exciting because we've been working on teaching you that for a while. I love to watch you get excited and clap and squeal. You are one happy baby!

Baby....it's time to say goodbye to the baby phase. And hello to the toddler phase! I hope I'm ready!

Love you always!
Mommy

Thoughts on Weaning

2012-04-29T09:27:00.001-07:00

For the past month, I've been thinking about when to wean.

It's funny - the power in a word. When I talk about "weaning," I'm not talking about giving up. I'm not talking about citing reasons for why I couldn't breastfeed. Weaning is a powerful word for me because it means I made breastfeeding a success. I never thought I would get past those first few weeks, and yet we are less than a week away from a year and Caleb still gets a little (and I stress a little) breast milk every day. It's a powerful word because it is a direct contradiction to the term "primary lactation failure," which is my official diagnosis.

I've gone back and forth repeatedly as to whether I should stop at a year or keep going. Last week, I stopped nursing Caleb at the breast. We were down to only the morning nursing session and he had been repeatedly rejecting it. It was time, and I think we were both ready. So now I just pump. Most days, I have been able to pump enough for 1 full feed per day (about 5 ounces) - though the last few days I'm making much less for some reason. I'm taking it as a sign that my body is tired of pumping, too.

On one hand, I'm only pumping in the morning and at night and it's part of my daily routine so I'm used to it. How hard would it be to go a little longer? Plus, I still have mommy guilt for not giving him exclusive breast milk, especially in the beginning, so I can easily justify giving him breast milk for a longer period of time to make up for it.

But on the other hand, I have a host of reasons to stop. Being a breastfeeding Mom is hard on so many levels, even for Moms with a full supply. You look at and treat your bodily differently; your body is not completely your own. I have spent the better part of a year attached to a pump for an average of 2+ hours a day, and it's wearing on me. I want to enjoy a glass of wine at the end of a long day instead of being attached to a giant sucking machine. I'm tired of taking 30+ pills a day (some of which make me gain weight). I don't want to worry about my calorie or water intake daily. I want to be able to cut calories and exercise without stressing over a drop in my supply.

I know that I have done well. I know that I have gone above and beyond what many would be willing to do. People often tell me this but I don't want to compare myself to others, good or bad. I know what I wanted for my baby, and we didn't quite get there. But at the same time, I made the best with the cards I was dealt.

I never quite knew how important breastfeeding was to me until I was faced with this struggle. I decided that I would do whatever it took to make this work. And I really gave it my all. I have made ridiculous sacrifices to be a breastfeeding mom, but for me it has been worth it.

I estimate that in this year, I have spent over 700 hours pumping and gave Caleb somewhere around 1800 ounces of breast milk. That is hardly what I would consider a lactation failure.

I know I'm ready to stop because I am finally looking forward to life beyond breastfeeding. I'm looking forward to packing up the pump. I'm looking forward to claiming my body back as my own. And having some freedom in the evenings where I can do something other than just pump, pump, pump. I think that I will always be upset that I didn't get the breastfeeding experience I wished for, but I'm ready to put it behind us.

Auction: Breathing for Owen

2012-04-09T13:45:00.001-07:00

Owen wearing his special vest!

One of Caleb's little buddies, Owen, has Cystic Fibrosis - a genetic disorder that affects the lung and other organs. Owen is not even two years old but he has to deal with daily breathing treatments and more. This breaks my heart. If you were to meet Owen at a playdate like I have, you would never even know that a little boy so full of life has a huge medical struggle going on inside his tiny little body every single day.

The good news is that there is research being done to help find a cure! You can join the Breathing for Owen team for the Great Strides walk, which is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's largest fund-raising event.

To help raise funds for Owne's Great Strides team, there is a great virtual auction taking place right now. There are some wonderful items up for grabs, including some amazing photography deals, crafty custom made blankets and bows, and even pressure cleaning! Check out the auction album here to start bidding! Bidding closes on April 14th.

Here are a few rules and tips about the bidding process:

-Please keep bids in increments no smaller than 50 cents.

-You will be notified when the auction is over if you had the winning bid.

-Once notified, we will get you in contact with the donator to arrange for pick-up or shipping.

-Monetary donations and payment for auctioned items should be made to PayPal address: GreatStrides4Owen@gmail.com. Once all payments have been received, it will all go to Owen's Great Strides team.

-Monetary-only donation: Make sure to choose the personal option and say it is a donation in the options so there are no fees associated with it. Leave your name in the note so we can thank you properly!

Dear 10 Month Old Caleb

2012-04-04T20:42:00.003-07:00

Dear 10-month-old Caleb,

This month, I watched you start the transition from baby to toddler. Like any Mom, this phase comes with a flood of conflicting emotions. Excitement and pride to see you flourishing and learning new things. Awe in watching your little personality and sense of humor explode. And of course, a little sadness that you will never again be my tiny little baby. But mostly, I am thrilled at the wonderful little person you are becoming, and I fall more in love with you every day still.

You took your first steps at 10 months and one day, and now you are starting to walk more than you crawl. I sometimes wish you had been a late walker. This all seems to be happening so fast! You are also climbing on things, and you can go up and down steps. You started making a fishy face, which might be the cutest thing I've ever seen. Not all your new tricks are cute, as you've also started picking your nose. You like to pick other people's noses as well.

You have six teeth so far, and you're putting your mouth on everything, including the floor. Sometimes you lay down and just lick the ground outside. You often chew on my shoulder when I'm carrying you, and you like to bite our toes and fingers, too. Books are especially in danger around you.

Speaking of books, you love them. When I read to you, you perk up and watch and help me turn the pages. When I'm not reading to you, you sit down with books and turn the pages by yourself. I hope you will always have this love of reading! You seem to really enjoy a "Flaptastic" Colors book at the moment, and a couple other books about farm animals. You starting making new sounds this month, mostly the "Z" and "V" sounds. It's adorable when you babble, "Zazaza vavava." I can't wait until you start talking!

You are completely a mama's boy right now. If I thought you were clingy before, you kicked it up about 10 notches this month. You adore Daddy but there are times when nothing but Mommy will do. And for now, I'm enjoying that. There will be a time when you want nothing to do with me, so I am going to take full advantage of the fact that sometimes (ok, a lot of the time), all you want is for your mommy to hold you.

I'm planning your first birthday party, and I can hardly believe it. I only have 1 more month of the baby phase. I will try to cherish every minute of it!

Love you always,
Mommy

How to Make a DIY Cloth Diaper Sprayer

2012-03-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! My name is John and I’m Rachel’s husband. I’m writing a guest blog post today for those do-it-yourselfers who are cloth diapering and want to install a toilet sprayer to clean those diapers.

This may seem like a lengthy process but I have made it a detailed as possible to make the installation extremely simple. The supplies should cost around $25.00 plus tax depending on the plastic line (see supplies below), not including tools. It should take around a half hour to complete.

First there are some parts you will need to purchase either from a Home Depot, Lowes, or your local hardware store.

Parts List

One kitchen sidespray spray head with hose
One 3/8 in. x 3/8 in. x 3/8 in. brass compression adapt-a-valve
One 3/8 in. x 1/2 in. brass compression x MPT coupling

Pictured L to R: Kitchen Spray Hose; Brass Compression Adapt-A-Valve; Brass Compression X MPT Coupling

One package 3/8 in. 3-pack plastic delrin comp sleeve
2-inch piece of 3/8 in. OD x 1/4 in. ID latex hose or “shark bite tubing” (The only catch with the tubing is they may sell it in 1 foot sections).
One roll of thread seal tape

Pictured L to R: Plastic Delrin Comp Sleeve; Latex Hose; Thread Seal Tape

Once you have all these supplies you will need the following tools:

Tools Needed

Two 5/8 open end wrenches or 1 5/8 open end wrench and one adjustable wrench
One hammer
One flat head screw driver

Wrench (left) vs.Adjustable Wrench (right)

Now that you have all the supplies and tools here are the installation instructions:

Instructions

Turn off the water to the toilet by turning the valve clockwise.

Toilet Shut Off Valve
Using your 5/8 wrench, remove the toilet supply hose from the shut off valve.

Toilet Water Supply Hose
Use your thread seal tape and fully wrap the exposed screw on the top of the shut off valve three times.
Install the brass compression adapt-a-valve onto the fitting you just used the thread seal tape on (the silver finished part of the compression valve is the one you are screwing on) and tighten these using the 2 wrench tools. Note: Make sure the center brass fitting is facing out toward you for easier installation of other parts later.
Remove the top brass screw on the compression valve. Use the thread tape again like last time. Screw the toilet supply line onto that screw you just tapped and tighten using both wrench tools.
This next step may be the most complicated but I’ll do my best to explain it. Remove that center thread cap on the compression valve (set aside for later use) and use the thread tape like the previous two times. Now remove the screw cap from the MPT coupling (set aside with the other cap). Now use the thread tape on the newly exposed threads on the MPT coupling like the others. Inside both of the screw on brass caps you set aside are little round brass couplers. You need to used the hammer and screw driver to pop those couplers out of the caps. Turn the caps over so the open threads are facing down. Insert the flat head screw driver into the opening on the top and gently tap the screw driver with the hammer until you have successfully popped the ring out. Repeat this for the second brass cap.
Take your piece of 2-inch latex hose and put both of the brass caps on the hose having the open end with threads facing each end of the tube. Now, open the package of plastic compression sleeves and slide one onto each end of the hose. Now the brass caps should be able to slide to the end of the hose without coming off. Take one end of this newly formed plastic piece and push one of the ends into that fitting until it will not go in anymore. Screw the brass cap onto that center thread on the brass compression fitting and tighten them using both wrench tools. Once this is tightened, you should be able to slightly tug on that plastic line without it coming out of that center fitting. Take that threaded piece of the MTP coupling and thread tape both exposed screw ends like all the others. Take this piece and push it onto the other end of the plastic tube until it feels like it won’t push anymore. Tighten this with those two wrenches like the others. Just like before, gently tug on this fitting to make sure the plastic tubing is tight and does not slide out.
Take the spray head with hose and screw that hose onto the last exposed threads with thread tape. Tighten this like the others with the two wrenches.
Finally, turn the water back on and check for any leaks. If there are any leaks, most of the time it can be fixed by tightening the fittings more or by using a little more thread tape.

I hope these directions and pictures were clear and helpful. If anyone has any questions feel free to shoot them my way through Rachel and I will be happy to try and guide you through. If you don’t feel up to the task and live in the Orlando area I can be contracted out to perform the installation for you.

First Steps!

2012-03-14T18:52:00.002-07:00

At 10 months and one day, Caleb took his first steps. It was an extremely ordinary day at home - we were staying home all day so I could take full advantage of nap time to get work done. We were in the hallway near the bathroom and he just took off while holding onto a bath toy. Awestruck, I watched him and tried my best to count how many steps he was taking. He got to 9 before plopping down. NINE STEPS! That was amazing, and then that evening he took 14 steps while John was watching him. Thankfully, I whipped out the camera at this time and caught 14 steps again on video!

9 Month Breastfeeding Update

2012-02-20T08:19:00.002-08:00

Breastfeeding a 9 month old is so very different from breastfeeding a newborn. He is now very active at the breast, always putting his hand in my mouth and his food in my armpit. He smiles and makes his soothing/grunting noise, and flails his arms all around. It's no longer a peaceful, sleepy activity like I remember it used to be. He doesn't breastfeed for long, since I don't have much milk to give and he is a more efficient at sucking now.

I'm hoping we are past the painful biting stage. He currently has 4 teeth and has chomped down quite a few times. Most Moms just pull baby off and put him down when this happens, but I think Caleb would be content to not breastfeed at all. Since our breastfeeding relationship is just hanging on be a thread, I don't have that luxury and just had to work through it.

He still rejects the breast often, but usually takes his morning feed. Since I have had all night to "fill up" there is enough there for a decent feed and I cherish those nursing sessions. The past few days, he has been on a complete nursing strike and wanted nothing to do with it. He has also had a runny nose, so I hoped the two were related. But I was starting to worry he would never nurse again. This morning, I tried nursing in our bed instead of the rocker in his room and he latched like a champ. For some reason, whenever I get near the rocker now, he starts to cry. So we may be nursing in the bed now. I hope we can keep it up for a couple more months.

On the days when he rejected the breast, I pumped enough to give him 1 full bottle per day. So I am keeping up with my goal to give him breast milk every day. I realized that is my new definition of breastfeeding success. I can't exclusively breastfeed or even come close to it, but he has gotten a little bit of breast milk every day of his life thus far. Obviously I can't keep this up forever, but I am hoping to get to a year.