Weekend in Pictures: Memorial Day 2013

Memorial Day to me is like the kick-off to summer mixed with a send off to spring. It reminds me of all the things I love about this time of year...the pool, bbqs, finally letting my legs feel the sun, sitting out in the grass in a lawn chair even if it means mosquito bites and having the sun out until well after 8:00 pm.
This was Sawyer's second Memorial Day and we had a busy one (are you surprised?). Sawyer's vocabulary exploded with new words like "helicopter", "caterpillar", "umbrella" and "firetruck". We had nothing less than a jam packed weekend of activities, here are the pictures...

FRIDAY NIGHT

Jen Rowe & Michael Owens get hitched at the Historical Firehouse

Beautiful Couple & evening for a wedding

Betty was in the wedding and home for a few days

SATURDAY

Grandpa gets a new boat!!!

Sawyer's new playground

want to push the horn so bad

A beautiful day to swing and fall asleep sitting up

SUNDAY

Family BBQ & Pool Day

Water is freezing but still worth a dip

You're never too big for a kiddie pool

Yes we have matching swimsuits!!

Sawyer's chair

CHEESE!

giving mom a shoulder ride

Delivering Trina's Beer

What a helpful little guy

Learning to eat corn on the cob 

He figured it out quick

Finish the night with Andy's!

Weekend in Pictures

Another fun & event-filled weekend that is best illustrated by the countless pictures I snapped. Here are a few of my favorite, it is starting to loo a lot like SUMMER!

Friday Dinner & Andy's Frozen Custard with our besties Megan & Tim

best Godmother ever!

Having a little too much fun in Megan & Tim's Jeep

Saturday Afternoon Park time with Sawyer

Beautiful day for a park visit with mommy

Saturday Evening — Game night at the Blair's

with Trina, the Tarwater's and Mullis'

Lovebirds at dinner

Fashion courtesy of Trina's Hawaii Trip

Sawyer got a little hot in his Hawaii attire

These two are way to cute for words

Sunday Morning Family Bike Ride

New helmet!

Let's try this out Dad!

This is COOL!

Cool breeze got to him

Sunday Afternoon BBQ at the Grandparents

New Slide

Smelling the flowers

Learning hockey moves from Grandpa

Playing in the water to cool off.

Sawyer: 15 Months

I am a couple days late on my Sawyer monthly update but we have been so busy. Friday, May 17^th Sawyer turned 15 months. I can hardly believe it. That means he has been walking for 5 months, incredible!! He has changed so much especially in his communication skills. He understands most instructions and usually responds. We had his 15-month checkup this afternoon and the doctor said he is looking great. She even said his mobility and vocabulary is considered advanced, of course that made us beam.  He got 2 shots and they did one last blood panel (hopefully) to check on his Anemia, and we are happy to announce it came back normal so we can discontinue his iron supplement. Next appointment will be at 18 months (August) and he will not get any shots, yay!

STATS 

Weight: 26.5 pounds – 89^th percentile  

Length: 31 inches (2 feet 7.5 inches) – 60^th percentile

Head: 47 cm (18 inches) – 54^th percentile

Eating:  Still a great eater. Sometimes the way a certain food looks will deter him from trying it but once we get him to taste it he usually likes it. He has a new obsession with blueberries. He loves to drink with a straw and straight from a cup, probably just because we are doing it. He also is getting much better with his spoon and fork.  We are switching to 1-2% milk instead of whole as recommended from his pediatrician.

Sleeping: Loves to sleep! Averaging about 11 hours a night sometimes more. At school, most days he falls a sleep in his lunch (literally) and takes a 1 ½ to 2-hour nap and is ready to crash after school. On the weekends he will take 2-3 naps for 1-2 hours.

Clothing: 18-24 months, they are a little big but fit him much better than the 12-18 month. Wearing size 5 shoes. Starting to really like hats, especially his St. Louis Cardinals hat my mom got him. He wears it backwards just like daddy. He also likes to try to put his own shoes on and will go and pick a pair out to wear.

Diapers: size 4

this boy runs everywhere

Playing: Outside, Outside, Outside!! Anything that involves an activity outside is where Sawyer wants to be. We are starting the Tour De Playground around Springfield testing out all the different offerings. So far our favorite is probably Sequiota because it has a couple different options and he loves the slide. He even goes down the slide by himself. He loves to swing too.  Another big development is he is able to catch a ball now; he gets so excited every time he does it! He also has found a new love of climbing, anything he can get up on he will try.

Should I be up here?

Talking: I made his word list this weekend because of his pediatrician appointment today and he has quite the vocabulary. He is attempting 2 word combinations as well like “thank you” which sounds like “tank ooh”. His favorite new saying is “uh oh”, which has led to him throwing things just so he can say it. According to babycenter.com, he is right on track with his vocabulary if not ahead: http://www.babycenter.com/0_your-15-month-olds-language-and-cognitive-development-speaki_1213394.bc

Headfirst down the slide of course!

Teething: 8 teeth. We examined his gums and he has around 6-8 teeth on both top and bottom about to break through. Please say a few prayers because the next few weeks might be intense with that type of teething going on J

Potty Training: This is a new section in my Sawyer updates but I thought it was worth adding because he has shown an increasing interest in the toilet. He wants to flush and lift the seat up. So the this weekend I asked him “Sawyer do you want to go potty”, he shook his head yes so I removed his diaper and set him on it. He didn’t go of course but he did smile as he sat on the toilet. After I let him close the seat and flush, then wash his hands. He smiled the whole time. We did it again yesterday when he pointed to the toilet. We’ll see if this keeps up.

Other developments: He has mastered pointing out the facial body parts as well as belly, feet and toes. He can point out cheeks, ears, eyes, mouth, tongue, hair and head. He is better at pointed it on someone else but knows how to do most of them on himself.  

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Biting: A new parent's confession

Those teeth where made for chompin'!

When I was pregnant, I had visions of how my son would be…his accomplishments, his smile and laugh, all those cutesie things. I thought maybe if I visualized a son that didn’t throw tantrums, chuck oatmeal on the floor or bite his peers, he would be destined to be an angel child. It doesn’twork that way. No one wants to admit they have a problem child especially a BITER. Well, I write this blog today as the mother of a child that has a biting problem. For many weeks straight, I received a call from his school everyday, if not twice a day that he was biting. I was terrified, embarrassed and worried about how we could break this habit as quick as it started. I did some research, talked to other parents and his teachers and I am proud to say he has gone 8 days now without biting! It is a daily, even hourly struggle when you are going through it. You have to be on a constant lookout for those triggers so you can stop it. Persistence is key. Here are my collective tips I took away from my research but if you only remember one this from this post, know BITING IS A NORMAL BEHAVIOR OR PHASE FOR MOST YOUNGER CHILDREN. Don’t be embarrassed, it happens to the best parents.

WHY THEY DO IT

• Communication: Children under the age of 2 usually bite because of their lake of communication skills. They don’t have words yet to show that they are excited, tired, happy, hungry or upset. Just like you and I, they are filled with feelings they want to express and using their mouths is the most intuitive and easiest way to get them out.
• Teething: It may be as obvious as teeth trying to come through. Biting down on something is a great way to relieve the pain of sore gums and little ones don’t know to discriminate on what that thing is until they are shown it is a negative action.
• Emotions: Toddlers experiment with their emotions & feelings.  They don’t understand that something that feels good to them may not feel good to another toddler.They are constantly testing actions to see results and reactions. This is how they establish outcomes and help establish themselves as individuals with separate feelings from others. 

I didn't mean to bite, I just want to give you a kiss!!

HOW TO STOP IT

• Find the triggers: We found with Sawyer, it was never out of anger but from being overexcited and tired. He didn’t know how else to release his excitement but through his teeth. When he got really tired he would try to snuggle and would sometimes nudge and bite. Or sometimes just that he wanted to kiss us and he didn’t know the difference. Some other triggers might be: hunger, overstimulation or being crowded.
• Be Proactive: If you have identified what triggers your child to bite you can intervene before a bite even occurs or be close by at those times.
• Redirect and give Alternatives: Give them something else to focus their energy on like a toy or book.  I read a good quote that said “Toddlers are like two-ton trucks, when they get going with an idea, it can be hard to stop.” So the sooner you notice them wanting to bite the easier it will be to get them on to another activity. Taking them out of the situation all together is helpful too.
• Let them know it hurts: Just like everything else, children have to learn that biting hurts. Don’t overreact but confront them in a stern voice right when they bite. Say things like: “That’s biting!” “Biting hurts, we do not bite people”. Make sure they see your disapproval and try to remove them from the situation. Give them an opportunity to help if they have hurt another. Comfort the other child so they can see the attention goes to the victim and not the biter.
• Praise them for not biting: Everyday that I pick Sawyer up from school and he hasn’t bitten, I say “Great Job Sawyer on not biting, you’re such a good boy”. He may not know exactly what I am saying but kids are smarter than you think and he will start to relate the two.

Please don't bite me!!

WHAT NOT TO DO

• In my opinion biting back is not an option. This sends a confusing message that it is not okay for children to bite but okay for a parent to do it.
• Try not to overreact when they bite someone.This might make them want to bite again if they find the reaction to be exciting or funny.

NOTE: Remember I am not an expert just a curious parent. What I say may not work for everyone and don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you have tried everything and your child continues to bite, contact your pediatrician. They might have some other options to help.

Helpful sites: 

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/biting/Stopping_Toddler_Biting_Behaviors.htm

http://babyparenting.about.com/od/discipline/a/stopbiting.htm

Mother's Day 2013

Mother's Day Weekend couldn't have been more beautiful. Great weather, wonderful company and fantastic food. This was my 2nd (well sort of 3rd if you count in utero) Mother's Day and they just keep getting better. The weekend started with yellow roses and adorable hand-made (literally) artwork from my little man. We spent that saturday playing at the park with my mom, he really enjoyed feeding the ducks. Sunday we had our usual breakfast at Gailey's and later that afternoon met my family for lunch at Vintage Veranda Tea Room where my sister Rachel works. If you haven't been there, I recommend checking it out, especially for their beautiful patio and amazing desserts. After lunch, we took Sawyer to the park to enjoy the nice day. John surprised me with not 1, not 2 but 3 - 1 hour long massage gift certificates, talk about relaxation!!! I am very blessed and I want to thank my amazing husband and son Sawyer for showing me so much love! Also, my beautiful Mother and Mother-in-law. I couldn't celebrate this holiday without them!

From Sawyer 

Afternoon at Sequiota Park feeding the ducks 

Had to include this photo, this is how he spent his sunday morning

snuggles for mom at Gailey's

Vintage Veranda Tea Room Mother's Day Brunch

loves the big boy slide

My beautiful mom 

Like to do it all by himself