P Fam gathering at the Lake

J & I had the joy of getting to spend the day with my family on Saturday. Daddy was working, as he is EVERY Saturday :( But it was great for me, as I was able to get an "infant fix" with Miss Mallory.

Isn't she just too cute?

And getting to watch J interact with her...

He was sooo gentle (shocking, I know!) it was just too sweet...

He quickly got bored though, and enjoyed playing with (okay, playing around) cousin Cam...

Although, his attention span being what it was, quickly decided it was more fun to run like a wild man getting into everything at Grandma & Grandpa's...

So when Grandpa asked J if he wanted to go outside and play ball... He quickly jumped at it & everyone breathed a sigh of relief... After Mommy had time to catch her breath, she went out to try to capture some of this fun between Grandpa & Grandson, which was neat...

...or at least until Mommy got busted & J's face lit up (which was super cool on its own)

Apple Picking...

We had so much fun apple picking... But why should you take my word for it, when you can witness J's joy...

Eating apples straight from the tree...

We went with a group of local Mom's & Kiddo's... It was fun meeting new people, but it was also crazy because I let J just roll, as opposed to keeping him in his stroller as other mom's had their kids...

Before we left the apple orchard, we visited the petting zoo they had for us... J was so cute... He was a bold little boy wanting to feed the goat...

Well... as long as the goat was on his table...

Once he jumped down, eager to munch on the goods in J's hand... The food went flying, as J clung and tried to hide behind my knee...

While the goat made load noises about exerting the effort to get off the table to then be gypped out of the promised food J had previously tempted him down with....

After this, we washed our hands & enjoyed fresh baked apple & pumpkin doughnuts with fresh cider. There is nothing like fresh apple orchard cider... Yum!!

not MY child - Monday!

In following my "not ME Monday", I'm sharing some "not MY child" this week....

It wasn't MY child who caused daycare to do construction modifications, only to figure out how to open the gate within a week. Nope... Not MY child.

And it wasn't MY child who has taken to removing his diaper and taking it to his daycare provider Angie & say "done". Nope! My child has been taught better than to run around like a free bird in public...

Last, it couldn't be MY child who sat on the toilet (introducing potty training) without doing anything - then fussed to get off. Only to get in the tub, put a HUGE smile on his face & say "AHHHH!!!", as he peed a nice stream into the tub. No, MY child has been better trained than that...

20 Month Pic's...

I was not joking on Thursday when I said we had a very busy weekend planned... We started Friday with apple picking, which J LOVED! I mean - LOVED IT! Then we raced home for lunch & a nap, so that we were in good spirits for our 20 month pictures... Mommy wanted the curls captured on film before we cut them (yes, this will be happening soon... sniffle, sniffle)

Then Saturday, we spent 5 hours in the car going visit Grandma & Grandpa P, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Kristi, cousins Cam & Mallory, and Uncle Arn & Aunt Molly. It was so much fun watching J interact with Mallory, as he is not around infants hardly at all... And as always, it was great spending time with family. J is such a trooper for traveling with me... :) Mr. M & I will be going up with J next Sunday to say a our winter goodbye to Grandma & Grandpa P - so I'll try to snag the video to share of J interacting with Malls as I was holding her.

And then today, Daddy took the brunt of J time... I'm converting to the Catholic religion as an non-baptized adult through the RCIA process, and for the past year, Mr. M has been watching J every Sunday morning for me to attend Mass & RCIA classes. I get home around noon, which, coincides with J's nap time. Today, I got J down for his nap, then ran to the grocery store for my weekly stock up... When I got home, Daddy (who had shopped for today's meal with J while I was a church) had lunch/dinner ready to go... J woke up from his nap & let us know, he is not ready for brat's just yet... So we spent the late afternoon in the yard playing ball & "chase"... Then we came in for J's dinner & bedtime (which went beautifully!)...

Now that you are caught up, I'll share some of his pics... I have to compliment his photographer, as he really worked to get these shots. J was not a very good subject, as he just doesn't sit still at all...

My Favorite...

For Daddy....

And we had to clap after we threw the ball to the photographer...

The hat that saved the day...

And finally, in the words of our photographer -

The shot that killed Elmo... J is actually laying down for this picture, not by choice, but because he lost his footing & the photographer (whose feet are seen in the above pic) took advantage the moment... To get this great pic (below)!

Have a great week... I will be sharing the apple orchard & family gathering pics this week as I have time to get them loaded.

Goodnight Daddy!

Mr. M is generally working during J's bed time. As a result, we've started a bed time phone call for Daddy to say ask about J's day & say goodnight.

I'm loving my blackberry because it enabled me to catch J "talking" to Daddy without him knowing... (sneaky mommy) J gets so animated while talking on the phone that I had to share it with each of you...

only, I couldn't decide whether I liked it better in full color or black & white... I'll let you see 'em both & decide...

I'm so totally loving his curls....

And no... (read: total innocence) I don't have any idea where J gets his very skilled 'hand talking'. I never (okay, maybe always) talk with my hands... :)

We are going to have another busy weekend, so it may be Monday before things get back to normal & I can catch you up...

pre-Dinner Entertainment

Most nights I am on my own for prepping dinner and getting J off to bed... As Mr. M is returned the favor every morning, getting J up, fed, dressed and off to daycare...

And...Most nights, J is perfectly happy to just chill in his highchair (read: contained) and hang with Mommy while she gets dinner cooked. Granted, most nights, I try to do quicker things so his confinement is minimized.

However, I got creative and made Goldfish encrusted chicken tenderloins.

Creativity ended up being maxed, as J's patience for waiting to be fed maxed....




I was amazed at how happy my old blackberry & my sunglasses made one little boy...



Although, that happiness was minimal in comparison to his delight in eating. He was so focused on eating that where he'd 'ham it up' in the first picture, he couldn't be bothered with even gracing me with a look...

A Boy and His Sword...

What is a boy supposed do when his Daddy gets him a sword?

Well, when you are teething, the logical answer is - Chew it!


He was NOT a happy boy when Mommy took the sword away...

"not me" Monday

One of the blogs I follow (McKMama) does "Not Me" Monday's... I love reading her (or her children's) "not me's" as preview to what I have to look forward to as a Mom and Wife...

So here's my first shot at it...

It was not me who referenced Payton's love for Mr. J is based in table scraps... As most of the time she is either running away from him, or getting pushed out of his way (after he stops & takes time to decide if he *should* be scared of her or not)

And certainly, wasn't me (nope!) who so desired to get pictures of this in action, as promised... I didn't throw more scraps from J's tray to his seat so I could capture Payton demonstrating her love... Nope... Not me!


Nope... I couldn't have found this to be just too cute!

Or this...

And I certainly have not developed a new found love for Clorox Disinfecting Wipes... And thankfully, she hasn't figured out the tray above her head has even more goodies... (No, really, seriously, she hasn't)

Also, I did not apply the "no blood, no pain" rule to my son when he took a tumble playing at the park by trying out his climbing skills on a picnic bench seat then trying to jump off on his own. He didn't possibly conk his head on the way down. Nope... I'm way more responsible than to let that happen by standing on the other side of the bench.

And I most certainly do not have a wonderful husband who ran out of gas (not once, but twice) this week. Nope... Didn't happen. Not with me & J in the car, and definitely not with Mr. J alone because the first time only enough gas to get home was put in the car, even though there was plenty more in the can. Nope! Never!

Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't not tell you how well J didn't nap yesterday. How he instead ran around and around and around in his crib like it was a race track. How he didn't con mom by giving her a very clear "Mom" and holding his arms out to her. Nope, I'm not that much of a sucker... Uh uh. I didn't decide that since we are doing our renewed & improved 7 PM bedtime that I concluded snuggles at 2 PM were far better than nap time anyway.

And lastly... I can not brag on Mr. M's wonderful clothes selections for J. He most certainly did not pick out adorable OUTFITS (yes, that is not a typo, we are talking true outfits here) all in a shocking 3T. And they did not fit our 19 month old so well our jaws dropped. (yes, a little long in the legs, but perfect fit everywhere else) He did not have a blast doing this... AND he most definitely did not have J all Bear's'd out yesterday in his new clothes.

Fall Day at the Park

What's a mom to do with a well napped boy? Well, an afternoon at the park of course... :)

Climbing...

and more climbing...

and swinging

and even more climbing...

and crawling through tunnels...

don't forget the slide...

After all this fun... We headed home... He ate dinner, and crashed out very shortly afterwards. It was a wonderful day, and an easy night...

Enforcing Bedtimes Improves Health

As a strong believer in bedtime routines and sticking to a set time, I was thrilled to see this article - so I had to share....

I realize not every night can fall to plan, and working full-time has definitely challenged my previously stern routine. After reading this though, I'm going to make an effort to return to my previous strictness. Especially in regards to the waking more frequently... It makes me question that by getting to sleep later (i.e. not his usual 7 PM) he's not sleeping as restfully, and therefore more prone to being easily disturb....

Definitely something to ponder...

snip:
Setting bedtimes can improve sleep quality and quantity for infants and toddlers, according to a growing body of research. Not getting enough sleep affects children's behavior, memory, attention, and emotional well-being, experts said.

snip:
In that study, 405 mothers and their infants or toddlers under the age of 3 were randomly assigned to a bedtime routine or instructed to follow their usual habits. The mothers recorded daily sleep diaries and filled out questionnaires every week. The researchers found that moods improved after using the bedtime routine.

Parents mean well, but some mistakenly believe that keeping their babies up late will help them sleep, said Mindell, an associate director of the Sleep Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"They think that if they keep them up late, they'll conk out, that they'll be exhausted and they'll sleep better," she said. "And it backfires. We know that overtired babies take longer to fall asleep and they wake more frequently at night."


How much sleep do you need?
Newborns
• Birth - 2 months old need 10.5 - 18 hours
Infants
•3 - 11 months old need 9 - 12 hours (and additional naps)
Toddlers/Children
• 1 - 3 years old need 12 - 14 hours
• 3 - 5 years old need 11 - 13 hours
• 5 - 12 years old need 10 - 11 hours
Adolescents need at least 8.5 - 9.25 hours
Adults typically need 7 - 9 hours

Source: National Sleep Foundation
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/14/bedtime.children/index.html

J helping me "clean"

I love to straighten up the house on Friday's, so going into the weekend - things are put together and organized. Granted, it doesn't last, but it makes me feel good.

Here are some pic's of J "helping" me...


....And he was still actively at it, before noticing I was snapping proof of his destruction...
Once he *found* what he was 'looking' for... He took a time-out to try to figure it out how to open the DVD package...

Lucky for me, he is a great helper and we quickly had his room put back together and in some semblance of order... Or at least as much order as you can have with a 19 month old...

Daycare

I'm a work-out-of-the-home Mom.... As a result, J goes to daycare Monday - Thursday from around 8 - 8:30 to 5 - 5:30... Lucky for Mr. M & Me... J LOVES IT!!!!

He gets to feed the fish every morning...

He plays with his friends... Sits in on the older kids pre-school learning his ABC's, counting to 10 and learning his body parts.

Runs like a wild man outside...

And best of all... Has the most wonderful daycare provider in Angie. She spoils him with love and attention as if he is one of her own....

....for that, we could not be more thankful.

Although, as much as we love Angie, and seriously we know she loves him, we wonder if he challenges her affection too much...

In her 18 years of watching kiddos, she has never had to have any kind of barricade. After, um, 6.5 months with Mr. J... She not only created a barricade, she remodeled her daycare to create a barricade for containing him... :)

He is so on-the-go busy, it is amazing to sit back to watch him.... But watching him, we all love to do...

And after the busy day...

I pick up a happy but tired boy...

That's the part of my day... I love most...