New York Part I

Dreams do come true! Over thanksgiving my husband granted one of my biggest wishes and that was to take me to my homeland, NYC (Oh you didn’t know? I have an East Coast Soul, so it’s about time my west coast body reunited with the rest of me) I will start this journey from the very beginning.

Thumbs Up For Two!

Nixon is at such a fun age! I just want to bottle up all of the cute things he does and save them for a rainy day!! He is just getting over a cold and for those 10 days it was ROUGH! But he is back to his normal self and I just keep thinking “Were you always this happy? You ARE a nice boy after all!” I feel like such a bad mom because my documenting his growing up had lacked a lot lately! I just want to remember all the funny things he does! So here’s a list, mostly just for me.

-He is quiet. This could be for many reasons, but most people just comment on how quiet he is!
-He isn’t speaking much, but we are leaps and bounds from where we were! He actually was just approved for Physical Therapy (so random) along with Speech Therapy! I couldn’t be more excited about it!
-His first word was Shoe. He’s been saying “dada” for a long time, but he used it for EVERYTHING! I couldn’t say that “dada” was his first word because it wasn’t specific enough. He always look at family pictures and point to everyone in the picture. There’s one picture that he would bring us and go through the family and then point to his feet and say “Shooooooooooooe?” Everything ends in a question, but he’s not actually asking a question if that makes sense.
-His vocabulary lately have really taken off! I’m so proud! We have been working so hard to get him talking more! He says, daddy, doggy (those two sound the same, it’s all in the context) Cheeee (Chief), Cheese (also interchangeable with Chief) ch ch ch cheeee (no no no Chief) uh oh, gagarooooooooooo (kangaroo), uhoooooooon (ballon), poooooop, and shoe. He can say hot, but its more of the sound you would make if you didn’t like something, like EH! I need to get it on video, it’s pretty funny.

-He really knows his animal sounds and it really just kills me! He will randomly start saying “ha ha ha” and I’ll look around and sure enough he’s spotted a monkey. He knows the sounds of a monkey, dog, snake, bear, lion, owl, bunny, guinea pig, and bird. He’s pretty hit or miss when it comes to cat and dog. The easiest ones!

-We got him a scooter for his birthday, and he doesn’t exactly understand it. He mostly likes to push it around instead of riding it.
-If he sees something flying like a plane he will make a woosh sound and fly his hand through the air. It’s pretty cute. How many times have I said that now?
-He is still a good sleeper for the most part. He goes down at 8:30ish but doesn’t usually fall asleep for awhile. I can count on him waking up after 8:00 95% of the time. Sometimes the landscapers come early, or the garage door will wake him up. He also takes a nap from 2-5 everyday. We like sleep in our house!

-He loves his doggy. Loves him. He loves to sit and feed him, and follow him around the house. His extra favorite thing to do is go in and out of the doggy door, and play in his water. It’s probably one of my least favorites.
-He’s a pretty picky eater, no surprise. He goes through phases of what he’s willing to eat, especially with fruit! I can always count on him eating apple sauce and usually mac and cheese. Right now he will not eat strawberries, bananas, apples, and he’s never really liked oranges. Every morning he eats two pieces of toast! So if he’s willing to eat, he will eat a toooon!

-Last week he figured out how to open the fridge. I even caught him climbing in the fridge to get his sippy cup. Ugh.
-He’s completely iPhone savvy *facepalm* We only have ourselves to blame. Not my proudest moment.
-At his two year appointment he weighed in at 29lbs, (50%) and 50% for height. His head however, it’s up there in the 75th still! He’s no longer above average, but everyone comments on how big he is!

-On Tuesdays and Fridays I can always count on an extra happy baby because that’s when the recycle man and trash man come! He loves to run over to the window and watch as the trucks drive past our house!

-He loves to read books, especially if they are a lift the flap book! He loves the book “Where is spot?” and “Where is babies Belly Button”. We read those two every night before bed!

-He loves to cheer for himself after he’s done something. He will finish reading a book and close it and clap. Or he will stand on the bottom stair and “count” to three (he just makes three sounds in a row) and jumps down and he will clap.

-Nixon LOVES his dad. LOVES him. This last weekend I sat back and watched how every time he would get upset or hurt he would run right past me who was doing nothing, and run to his dad. It’s no surprise he will say daddy and hasn’t ever muttered the word “mama”.

-He loves to play outside. He opens the back door and just comes and goes all day bringing all the toys back and forth with him. And yes, he is hitting Chief with a spatula and thought it was the funniest thing ever. And no, I do not use that spatula when I cook anymore, it’s for projects only!
-He loves to get out of the house and go. If I say “we’re gonna go buh bye” and I’m not ready he will run to the garage door and if I’m not there in fast enough he may or may not throw a fit. Last week he opened the door to the garage probably 10 times so Jim took him outside to play and he just kept going to the cars and trying to get in! He really wanted to go for a ride so for a ride we went! He clearly wears the pants in this house.

-He’s a pretty good traveler! I can’t remember how many flights hes been on in his short two years, but He is totally comfortable with the process. He knows we get on the plane and then it’s a free for all with the light button over head. He also knows not to push the stewardess button!
-He is the cutest little arm folder and head bower in the world.
-When we get to wherever we are going like the store he always waves at everyone as we walk in and then after we check out. I know people are waiting for him to actually speak “hi” but we are working on it! He started saying it last week but I really have to work it out of him!
-He is the boy that cried wolf with poop. I think anytime theres action in his diaper he points to it and says “pooooop”. It’s pretty funny but also helpful because when I know he actually did poop he will only say it once hes completely done.

-I can’t believe I’ve made if this far without mentioning his LOVE of Toy Story! All day, everyday! He got Woody and Buzz for Christmas and Its been the best ever. He makes Buzz fly, and loves to watch the movies with them by his side.
We Love this little guy of ours! I feel so lucky to be his mom and that I get to stay at home with him all day and hang out! He really is so funny, and he’s my little buddy! Seriously, Nikkins Monster, you’re my favorite!

This picture was taken in July, when he was about 17 months, but it’s still a favorite

9 Months Old!

I think we can all remember when I was so excited to hit that 9 month mark in pregnancy, but the same can’t be said now. STOP GROWING! Nine months has been really fun!

-Just a few days after Nixon turned 9 months we were lucky enough to have my parents come to town! We had so much fun while they were here! We did everything you can imagine! We went to Schnephf farms (again), got predicures, shopped like crazy, fixed many things around the house, went to the park,  and got some Christmas shopping taken care of. Nixon loved all the attention and we were both in a depression after the left.

-Nixon got to meet one of his cousins for the first time! Kali was in town for a few days so we got together for a delicious breakfast and caught up. It was so fun to get these babies together!

-It was a big month as far as food goes. We moved to stage 3 foods because he would easily eat 2 size 2! It was time to upgrade. We also started him on finger foods, and he LOVES them! Puffs are our lifesaver! I was shocked at how fast he was able to pick them up and get them to his mouth. Such a smarty pants!

-We had our first Halloween with a baby and it was so fun! Mid September I started putting Nixon’s skeleton jammies on him and pretty much never took them off. I mean have you seen anything cuter? Then when Halloween came we made sure he had a late nap, woke up around 6:15 and he was ready to party all night as the cutest baby elephant. Our neighborhood is apparently a HUGE hot spot for trick or treating. We thought we were prepared with our 8 bags of candy… we didn’t stand a chance! We were cleaned out of candy in 45 minutes! It was insane! But we were happy to pack up and head over to our friends house to party with them!

-Nixon was pretty ambitious in the teeth department this last month. On Oct. 27ish he got his top right tooth, and a week later, about the 3rd, the top left popped through! He now has 4 teeth! YIKES!

-Someone decided that a nice three week cold would be a great way to celebrate our new teeth! It’s been really fun *not* but we are on the up and up and I am still alive.

-Chief and Nixon have taken their relationship to the next level. Nixon loves watching and giggling at Chief, and loves when he licks and sniffs his belly/legs/feet. Chief loves Nixon, Nixon loves Chief, and we are a happy family.

-And if all of that weren’t enough, we have a crawler/scooter. It’s entertaining to watch because he hasn’t figured out how to use his limbs in unison. He kind of army crawls, but uses his frog legs when those toes are lucky enough to catch on the ground. Does this make sense? Just know that it’s cute. (and I write all this for me to remember, lets be honest)

-The least favorite trick that he’s picked up, grinding his teeth. I mean what the hell. 

And because you haven’t seen enough baby videos by now, here is Nixon’s personal favorite to watch

8 Months Old!

Every month we find ourselves here, and every month I think all the same cliché things, and every month I go over how cliché it all is. Blah blah blah, moving forward.

-We had a rough week in month 8. There was excessive crying, there was ridiculous amounts of whining, there was nasty congestion, there was the mysterious red rash, all leading up to one very fed up mother. We took a trip to the doctor only to find out that there was no ear infection, no inflamed throat, no foggy lungs, only one very healthy baby. Bittersweet. So it’s true, I was that mom that took her baby to the doctor for teething. There are no teeth to show for it in month 8. *inset eye roll*

-Buuuuuuut one thing came from the doctors office, we were able to address an issue that Nixon has been dealing with for awhile. I’ve been woken up in the night by his random screaming, or he’s been found red faced and jaw clenched, trying so so hard to push the poops out, with little to no luck. But because of our teething appointment we were able to get things out of the way (pun intended). Prunes don’t cut it with this kid, so we’ve had to up our game to prunes, and 2 oz. of pear juice a day. I hate that I’m giving my BABY juice, so full of sugar at such a young age! It’s for the greater good, and I water it down but I still just hate it. Some days are better than others, and some days he’s still found struggling and in tears, and it’s so so sad.

-The scrunchy face has made its way into our life. I have no idea where it came from, but it sure it the cutest! When his smile starts to fade, it usually goes to the scrunchy face. Or sometimes he skips the smile and goes straight for the scrunch, and the heavy breathing that come along with. It’s just funny. He’s just funny.

-We were really enjoying our days at the pool, but sadly those have come to an end. He loves the bath/shower/pool and so we would spend a solid hour+ poolside a few days a week. He was always so happy there! All good things must come to an end, until next year, pool, MUAH! I thank you for those happy baby hours!

-We went to Schnepf Farms with some friends and tried out the baby bjourn for the first time. We aren’t really sure if he loved it or hated it. It was close to bed time and he’s usually pretty grumpy after 6 when it’s getting close to bed time. We stayed for a few hours and then he let us know that we were crazy if we thought we would extend his bed time! That, and he HATES sudden loud noises ie: crowds erupting in cheers, football touchdowns, you get the jist.

-Selfies, selfies, selfies. Need I say more?

-Nixon’s schedule hasn’t changed much. He’s started to wake up earlier, it use to be 8:30, then slowly went to 7:45, and now, that sweet little demon, has decided that between 6:15-6:30 is a great time to start crying. None of the adults in our house really like it, but how do you change it? Ugh. Moving on.