18 Month Photos!

Here are a few of our new photos taken by Ann Wade Parrish. She is so awesome and we LOVE her! She always gets some great shots of our sweet P and the whole family too. Preston's first year we had them taken every 3 months and once he turned a year old, we changed to every six months.

We headed up to Oak Mountain at 8:00 one morning and it was absolutely perfect outside. Not too hot yet and the sun was still hiding behind the clouds. I would totally recommend an early morning outdoor photo shoot if you have a little one, especially in these 95 degree temps we have in the summer, bleh!

Preston really enjoyed himself out there so we will definitely be going back to visit and play.

I have a TON of favorites but I narrowed it down to 18 for the blog. Appropriate for 18 months :)

Recharging the Batteries

O boy, what a nice day it has been.

Because the past two days were not so nice.

Baby boy has decided to bypass the remaining front teeth for now and cut in his molars. Yikes. What a vacation that's been over the last two weeks. And did I mention we didn't even notice they were cutting in until one was all the way in and another was halfway in?  I was on the verge of calling my child a B.R.A.T. when the tooth discovery was made by the Hubs. Then I felt HORRIBLE. I'll take that Mom of the Year award now.

So anyway, this past weekend he ran a fever for a few days and started the fussing so I'm pretty sure another tooth will be pushing it's way through any day now.

Then on Monday, Memorial Day, Hubby started running a high fever and complaining of a sore throat. Oh man. So all day Monday and Tuesday, I have been taking care of my two guys, one whiny and clingy and one not feeling well. Come to think of it that fits both of them :)

The point of this is not to complain because I love caring for my boys. But sometimes a wife/mom has to recharge the batteries to keep sanity calm and carry on. And that's exactly what I prayed for this morning, a little time to get myself regrouped.

Blake went back to work this morning, against my wishes I might add since he still wasn't feeling well (fever was gone though). Preston was up at the crack of dawn, probably b/c of teeth and was already in fussy mode. Our playgroup had planned an outing at the pool at 10:00 a.m. but Preston was so cranky by 8:15 that I put him down for a nap, thinking playgroup was a lost cause. I was really looking forward to it since we had been cooped up for a couple of days.

I went ahead with my bible study (which is Beth Moore's study on Daniel and let me tell you, it is A.W.E.S.O.M.E, totally a must for anyone looking for a new study. It's definitely some food for the soul). So anyway, I was feeling a little down because I had a notion P's fussiness might continue the remainder of the day and I was just weary. So, what to do but hand it off to Jesus. It's amazing what the power of prayer can do to your spirit.

I finish my study, take the dog out and lo and behold Preston wakes up at 9:30. I thought to myself - we are getting out of this house and going to the pool! So I rush like a mad woman slapping some pb & j's together, loading up the beach bag and slathering on the sunscreen. We were of course still late but we made it! And it was so worth it. Preston had fun playing in the water with me and the others and it was nice to have some girl time chat for Mommy.

After lunch and more pool time play, we loaded up and headed home, Preston falling asleep on the way. That was about 12:45 ish and he is still asleep in his bed as I type at 3:44 p.m.

Today was just what I needed to freshen up my outlook and fuel me with a positive attitude. Now I'm going to have a glass of pink lemonade and wait for my little guy to wake up and my big guy to come home from work :)

Our big boy is 18 Months!

Once again I have failed to update the blog consistently so this post will probably be a little long.

We went for Preston's 18 month check up yesterday. Compared to our last few appointments where he totally flipped out, this one was slightly better...in that he only screamed most of the appointment instead of the entire appointment. Progress, yes!

I managed to peel him off of me long enough to set him on the scales, giving us a whopper of 29 pounds. And apparently he was measured wrong at his 15 month check up since he was an inch shorter this time (33 1/2 then and 32 1/2 now). He is in the 95% for weight and 50% for height. Shrinking Growing great!

He passed his 18 month evaluation with flying colors and gave a few struts in the room to prove his awesome WALKING abilities. Oh, did I forget to mention that? Our boy started walking 2 days after he turned 17 months. So so so so so so so so proud!!!!!!!!!!

Here's a short little iphone video of the day he started walking. We weren't at home so I didn't have my videocamera so I apologize for the poor quality. This is probably the 3rd time he walked across to me in those first few minutes so please excuse my annoying voice...

Once he started walking that day, he progressed rapidly and within a few days he was a pro! What a relief! I can tell he is much happier now that he knows he can get around without crawling or "crab-walking" everywhere. Not to mention I can actually set him down in a store/sidewalk etc. to let him walk around...which he prefers...and so do my arms. 

He is saying more words now although he can't say some of them very well. He's giving it his best shot though and I'm sure his pronunciations will continue to progress over time. Let's see, of course we still have Lola, kitty, ball and juice which are probably his favorite words. He can also say book, stinky, hey,  Daddy, block, bird, Moose (referring to Moose A. Moose on Nick Jr), banana (sounds more like ba-na), dog-dog for dog. I'm not sure why he doubles it because we never said it that way to him. He also says baby. He loves to point out the babies when we are out in public. Although most of the "babies" are about his age, lol.

He is still obsessed with pulling objects out of containers and putting them back in. This includes but is not limited to snacks in a cup, toys in a basket, books on the bookshelf and his new favorite, laundry. When I transfer washed clothes to the dryer, I now have to put them in the floor and let him do it. Otherwise he will start pulling the wet clothes back out of the dryer just so he can be the one to put them in there. He's my big helper :)

He still loves his books. He carries them around and will hand me one to read that he picked out. He turns the pages for me, usually trying to skip over a few and then ends up handing me another book before I'm finished reading the current one. And often I am left all alone reading aloud since he tends to wander. His favorite book is not even a real book. It's his hardback photo book containing pictures from when he was born. He carefully turns the pages (he must realize it's a special book because this usually isn't the case) and points to the "baby" in every picture. It's so cute. 

He loves his cars and balls. Those are his first toys of choice over anything else. He "vroom vrooms" all over the house pushing his little trucks. He loves to see the big trucks outside too. The garbage truck is always a favorite to watch coming down the street. He also loves to point out the birds and airplanes in the sky. He's very intrigued by them.  

And to end the post, here's a sweet picture of our little guy. 

Little P

I feel so bad for not updating this blog like I want too. A lot of my attention has gone to my new DIY blog but it's time for an update on my sweet boy.

He is doing so much better with his walking. He has taken several steps at different points in time over the last month. And he is finally letting me "assist" him in walking by holding onto my hand or sometimes just a finger! I'm so proud! He used to get mad every time we tried it but now he seems to enjoy it! Unless he's in a bad mood... Now we just take walks through house and it's so cute. He's still a little wobbly but I really think with a lot of practice he will get the confidence to finally let go on his own.  He's even pushing more toys around and walking behind them. He has been able to push heavier toys around pretty easily, like his riding car and wagon. But now he's strolling his little lightweight shopping cart around. It's so light that if he puts his weight on it, it will tip over. So he's learning to rely only on his walking skills to push it around.

He will be 17 months old on April 4th and the doctor said if he is not walking by 18 months we may have to start physical therapy. I really think we're getting closer but please pray for Preston to continually improve and to gain the courage and confidence to step out on his own, literally :)

In other news, we experienced our first busted lip. He stood up against the side of our bed and either tripped or lost his balance and fell, banging his mouth and biting into his lip. He had two little teeth mark impressions in his bottom lip :( After a little clean up and some milk, we were feeling much better.

Here's a cute picture of him where you can still see some of the battle wound. I know this is probably the first of many injuries but it still hurts a Momma's heart to see him in pain :(

I know his hair is a mess. I just can't part with those curls yet!

And this one makes me laugh.

Lola and Kitty are still his favorite words. Although he insists on yelling Lola's name every time he says it. I guess it's because Lola has some ear problems and can't hear very well, so when we call her name, it's a little louder than normal talking. But we don't actually yell it...every time he wakes up from a nap I come in to his room greeted by "Lola!" And here she comes right behind me. Soon after that, "Keeteeeee" (Kitty). It cracks us up how he calls them so differently.

And ball is still a big word around here. Although it sounds more like "bull." He can also say juice. Everything is juice, including milk or water. It's kind of odd though because he only has juice maybe every other day. We drink a lot of milk around here. He knows what milk is when I say it so maybe milk is much harder for him to pronounce. Oh well, we'll work on it. He also says book and even threw out MaMa a few times. Although when asked to repeat it he says DaDa. Stinker. But on the subject of DaDa, he now calls him Ded-eee. It's so cute. I'm jealous. He loves when Ded-eee comes home from work. So does Mommy. He takes off full force to get to him. So does Mommy. Ha, just kidding on that one. 

Another thing he does now is when he sees food he wants, it's "Mhmmmm." Just a warning, if you are at our house eating a snack and you hear a little voice behind you "Mhmmmm," be prepared to share. I learned that the hard way with an oatmeal cream pie...

This is one morning after breakfast. Cracks me up. Totally kicked back. He's so funny.

And here he is "helping" with the dishes. He loves the dishwasher. If I don't want him to climb in it, I literally have to get all my stuff together that's going in there, open it really quick and throw in the dishes. Otherwise it's battle. I usually don't mind though. He likes to pull his sippy cups out and attempts to put the tops back on the cups. And you may notice the utensil basket is missing. That goes up on the counter immediately. The first thing he would go for is a knife. Nice.

And here he is on St. Patrick's Day. This day is really special to me just because St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) was the day I found out I was pregnant with Preston, two years ago. I wrote up a post about it last year. 

And we can end with one of him watching cartoons. He looks like a big boy (tear). I really can't believe how fast he is growing up!

Windblown

Last weekend the weather was so nice that we loaded up and headed to the park with Preston. We rolled down our front windows to enjoy the warm air and Preston thought it was hilarious. He just oohed all the way to the park. He ended up with total windblown hair which looked like he had wings on his head. After the park we took him for a stroll in his car. He loves to hold the steering wheel and beep his horn. He already thinks he owns the road :)  And FYI, there is not a photo of me and Preston like there is of him and Blake because Hubby failed to tell me my v-neck shirt was hanging a little too low for public viewing...geez. Here are a few pictures from our fun day out.

15 Months

My little boy is getting so big! We are quickly sailing through his second year of life and he is changing so much. We went to the doctor yesterday for his 15 month check-up and he got a good report from the doc. He is very healthy, weighing in at 26 lbs 11 oz (78%) and measuring 33 1/2 inches long (97%). Big man!

He was not happy at the doctor's office though. As soon as we walked in the examination room, he immediately started fussing and getting clingy. I think he remembers about shots now...oh well, we made it through...poor guy.

My main concern was Preston's walking...or lack of I should say. He can walk against things but gets upset if we try to get him to let go.  He will stand alone for a little while if he's not paying attention...but the second he realizes there's no one holding him up, he drops. His doctor thinks it's just a matter of confidence and that nothing is physically or neurologically wrong. But if he's not walking by 18 months we have to see a physical therapist. So...we are working hard and practicing "letting go" as much as possible. I think it will happen soon but persistence, practice and prayer is what we're going to need :)

As for other things, he is currently sleeping about 10 or 11 hours at night and taking two naps a day. If he sleeps a little later, he can make it with only one nap.

He is a very picky eater. I think he could live off of bread, cheese and fruit...he loves his milk and I'm thankful for that. We stopped breastfeeding a few weeks after his first birthday after he transitioned over to whole milk. It was a lot easier than I anticipated and it was on his terms which makes me happy.

He loves balls and cars. He has an obsession with one particular ball which is detailed in the post prior to this one. He recognizes his cars as voom vooms. He tries to make the noise but it's more of a spitting sound, lol.  He drives them around the house voom vooming away. His favorite word is still Kitty. Every time he sees the cat, it's "Kitty!!!" He isn't saying Mama yet...I say "Mama" and his replies "Dada". I'm relentless though and refuse to give up :) He knows what a lot of things are but can't say them yet. I can tell him to go get his milk and there he goes to the place he left it.  If Moose A. Moose is on tv, I tell him "Moose is on!" and there he goes to the tv. He still LOVES Moose :)

If he gets tired he just lays down flat where he is...even on the kitchen floor, ha! I haven't been able to get a picture of it yet. He also likes to cuddle with blankets. He loves to climb stairs. He can go up and scoot down but still supervised. He's obsessed with pulling every book off his bookshelf. They are on his floor 90% of the time. I try to keep them cleaned up but as soon as I do...he's right behind me pulling them back off. Oh well, they are his books. He is cute though because he tries to put them back on the shelf himself but can't quite get them in there right :) He likes to be read too although he tries to turn the page before I can finish reading it. I'm just glad he likes books!

He loves to dance which is more of a rocking back and forth motion. Any time he hears music (any kind) he dances. This could be because Mommy dances around the house to music or tv and apparently it's pretty funny to the little guy.

I know there's more fun stuff but I can't remember them all at the moment. He's such a sweet and funny little boy and we just love watching him grow and learn everyday! We are truly blessed.

THE Ball

Forget a security blanket or favorite stuffed animal...my child is infatuated with this red ball. It is actually part of a set of 3 balls that came with a basketball hoop for the bathtub. The other two balls are different colors, one yellow with blue stars and one purple with blue stripes. He will play with the others in the tub but the red ball is in constant attendance.

Let me just break it down for you. He sleeps with it. He drinks (one-handed) with it. He eats with it. I tried to take it away today at lunch while I was feeding him. He refused to eat anymore until I gave it back. Sheesh. Yesterday we were in Walmart (ball in tow of course) and I gave him his snack cup. It's the kind with the flaps for no spill (love). Anyway, he was holding the ball with one hand and reaching for his snacks with the other and couldn't quite get his hand back out with his snack because his other hand was unavailable to hold the cup steady. He pitched a fit. I tried to explain that if he would put his ball down, there would be no problem. I ended up holding the cup. Stinker.

And since Preston is still not walking without support from an object or person, he crawls arounds like he is gimping because he won't let go of the ball.

It's adorable though to see how much he cares about this simple little toy. It's a humble reminder to me that we adults often get side-tracked in life and focus too much on the bigger, better or more complex "things." Our church's vision is "Loving God and Loving People." How simple, right?

Matthew 18:3-4 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven."

What a mighty God we serve that uses his precious children to minister to us.

Thank you for the reminder, my small one.