Hamra Time: 11/1/13

Monday, November 18, 2013

Sawyer: 21 months

So handsome!

Another month down, another month closer to turning 2...which seems insane to me. Some days I think he is already two by the way he talks. This weekend we went to "Louis" as he calls it just him and I (John had to work) for my cousin's wedding. Oh lordy, is he a handful! I told John when I got back that this trip definitely made me appreciate him even more. I could never do it without him. Sawyer would just take off in a full sprint out of nowhere and it would take me sprinting to catch up with him. Add a dress and heels to it and it was almost impossible to keep tabs on him. I was thankful my mom and dad were there to help too. By the end of the night, I was sweating and exhausted. Luckily, he slept great at the hotel.

STATS

Weight: 32 lbs.

Height: 33 inches

Eating: Getting more picky. Favorite food is hamburgers and usually only wants that when we go out to eat. He also is obsessed with bananas, string cheese and pizza. Every morning on the way to school he has to have a string cheese.

Sleeping: Still a rock-star sleeper. Sleeps from 7:30/8:00 until 7:00 when I wake him for school

Clothing: 24 month- 2T in shirts and pants Size 6 shoes.

Diapers: size 5

Playing: Still infatuated with Wreck it Ralph, not only the movie but his plush toy. He takes it everywhere and even has him participate in whatever we are doing (gives him food, drinks, reads him stories, etc.). He loves to dance, run, play hockey in our living room and anything outside. He also likes the movie Madagascar but only after he has seen Ralph. He will sit still for long periods of time if you put a book in front of him, his favorites are "chicka chicka boom boom" and "There's a Wocket in my Pocket". Rough-housing is another favorite, especially "tackling" dad.

He loves to be outside!

Teething: All his teeth are in!

Talking: It's like we have another adult in the house, he can communicate so well and we talk back and forth having normal conversations. He has starting singing, which is adorable. He sings twinkle, twinkle, row your boat, Jesus loves me, happy birthday, take me out to the ballgame, deep and wide and Lord's Army. I am sure there are more but those are the ones I have heard. He has memorized most of Wreck it Ralph and says the lines before they come on. We have started with the alphabet and he recognized some of the letters and can say about 50% of the Alphabet Song. It's really cute when we point to the letter "M", he yells "Mike" for his grandpa.

Potty Training: Hasn't gone on the potty since last month, didn't show any interest. We didn't really give much of an effort but will start trying more as he gets closer to 2.

Other developments: His tantrums weren't as bad this month but he is pushing a lot at school. He randomly will just walk up to a kid and push them...we are working on this. He has also learned to tattle, the other night Grandpa Engel was watching Hockey and he wanted to watch Ralph (surprise) so he went into the kitchen and told Grandma "Grandpa hockey...Ralph, find it" and Grandpa said "Do you want to watch Ralph?" and his response was "Yes, hand" and reached for her hand so she would come change it. It was pretty hilarious!

HERE ARE SOME PICS FROM OUR TRIP TO "Louis"

Mawmaw and Sawyer all dressed up

Grandpa helping get some water

Ralph even wore a bow tie

Here is what it actually looks like trying to get a photo with an almost 2 year old

dancing with cousin Chase

Found a pumpkin, why not dance with it?

Taking Ralph for a dance

Cleaning Mommy's face

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

'Tis the season of toys

What Mom? No toys?

I came across a blog recently that really hit home, it's from Christella Morris of crawltheline.com called "The Gift of Not Giving a Thing" (read it HERE). It discusses the obsession of "things" during the holidays. As an adult it seems easier to get the things you need and ask for the things you want. But with children it seems it is all about quantity. John and I started feeling overwhelmed with gifts after Sawyer's first Christmas last year and with his 1st Birthday just a few weeks after. A rather large collection of "things"has started to collect, most of which would just sit waiting for a spare moment of his time.

I don't want to sound ungrateful because believe me, we feel truly blessed. We were so very thankful for all the outpouring of love for our new son but didn't know what to do with everything, plus let's be honest, some things he may never use (except diapers + clothes, those come in handy). I toyed (pun intended) with the idea of suggesting friends/family donate to a cause for his 1st birthday but got nervous I would offend people. After reading Christella's blog, I have decided I want to join her new tradition. Sawyer is still young enough that he isn't "expecting" anything for Christmas and if we start now of giving him "experiences" and activity-based gifts I don't think he will ever want anything else.

My favorite quote from her article explains why this is so important:

"This is what I would like for my boys to grow up with. Not mountains of toys (which are growing bigger by the minute, I swear!) but experiences and close relationships with the people in their lives who matter most."

just a few of the toys from Sawyer's first Christmas

So, let me suggest that if you are trying to think of that "perfect" toy for Sawyer, or any child for that matter, think about what may stay with them longer. While he loves Wreck it Ralph now, he might be over it next week. Instead of something he might tire of, he would probably love it if you took him to 1984 to play video games just like in the movie. Think about it, what is your favorite childhood memory? Did it involve a thing or toy? I know some of my favorite memories are not of things but of places I went and who I was there with.

How about a play date or get-together. Take him to the park, zoo or to paint pottery. Show him something he has never seen before. Take an adventure or get books at the library.

The gift of a memory is not only priceless but unforgettable.

He is blessed to have everything he needs, but building a relationship will last way longer than any new toy. Just a thought this holiday season. I feel so truly blessed to even be able to write a blog like this because many families aren't fortunate enough to get Christmas Gifts. We will be donating his old toys he doesn't use to a charity to hopefully help out a family in need and make room for whatever might be under the tree this year.

Happy Holidays!!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Welcome to the World Miss Elliot

Happy Birthday Elliot!

The wait is over, Miss Elliot Ann Johnson was born last Wednesday Oct. 30 at 10:31 pm weighing a dainty (from my experience) 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 19.5 inches long. Everything about her is perfect too, she came out healthy and sweet. If I could love a child as much as I do my own it would be her (as you can see from my abundance of pics). Seeing your best friends welcome their little one into the world is so amazing, you can see the pure joy + unadulterated love in their eyes and know that nothing will ever be the same. But in the best way ever.

Megan, did an amazing job after a long day being induced. She was a rock-star after laboring for more than 11 hours and pushing for almost 2 hours.

Tim + Megan, we are so happy for you and can't wait to see you grow as parents and as a family of 3. We are really looking forward to lots of memories, trips, parties and fun together.
Love you guys!

Read Megan's first post as a Mommy here: http://johnsonblurb.blogspot.com/2013/11/elliot-ann-johnson-best-thing-that-ever.html