HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEO!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEO!

(He plays at this window all day...he loves to drive his cars on the ledge. Too cute!)

In so many ways I can not believe my baby is one...it seems like such a big milestone! Yet at the same time I hardly remember life without him in tow. Either way, we are super happy to have Leo in our family! He is a super special little guy that we love to death. Here are some facts about him at 1 year old:

I weighed him on the scale this morning and it said 24.4 pounds...which seems kind of light to me...and is the same he weighed a month ago at Christmas. However he definitely seems a lot taller and leaner to me though- hello, he is walking, nay, running now! We'll get an official weight when we go in for his well-check next week.

(Leo with a birthday gift- a train play tent!)

Leo is so fun to play with now; he is really able to respond and it is so cute. He learns so fast- we show him something once and then that is how he is doing it too. He loves cars and trains and anything with a wheel...and it just melts my heart to watch him push the car along and make noises for it! He is seriously so smart! :) *I'm a proud mom, can't you tell?*

(Leo at McDonald's for his birthday dinner!)

He talks all the time, babbling as he makes laps around our apartment nonstop all day. Although it sounds like he says a lot of things because he imitates our intonation so well, his most recent real word is "cookie". Perhaps that is telling on me as a mother- I love my cookies and so does he!

Eating is still pretty good at our house...and when we go out we have to order him a whole kid's meal for himself or we don't get hardly any of the food we were going to "share".

(He couldn't stop watching the window washer!)

He has started eating the banana whole, instead of in slices, and can take bites off bread and such. He knows the word "bite" for sure! Veggies are still always a hit with him- green beans, peas, carrots, corn, etc. He drinks milk and water sometimes but always prefers apple juice- duh!

As I mentioned, Leo is a full-fledged walker now and is even starting to kind of run a bit. He usually gets going too fast for himself and loves to run to daddy when he gets home. I usually put on Leo's shoes when Nick calls to say he is on his way home and we go get the mail and wait outside...Leo loves to explore outside and play with the wheels on the real cars (and get his hands black in the process...I try to tell myself it isn't worth fighting but I hate it), but his favorite is when Nick comes rolling in. He now says "dada" over and over when we put on his shoes too- it is cute.

Leo is a good sleeper- knock on wood please but he usually sleeps around 7-7! His naps always vary, but as long as he sleeps that well at night I don't mind that much. He loves to play in his crib and has recently gotten in the habit (with our assistance) to throw his nuk down into his bed before he can get out...we are trying to not be that family with the walking, talking toddler that always has a binky. (Although I a not judging...we have those days where his nuk is in his mouth more than it is out for sure!)

(Bad picture I know, he is never still and my phone camera isn't great, but he loves the vacuum!)

For Christmas Leo got some MegaBloks (like giant legos) and he can put them together and take them apart now- perfect timing since he is getting more for his birthday! Another cute thing he does now is lay on the ground, belly down, to play with things...mostly push his cars around. He always kicks his right leg up too when he is in that position. He loves to read too and will turn pages all day if you let him- especially real pages, not board book pages.

Leo claps and waves and gives high-5 on command now- almost always. He is a sucker for peek-a-boo and plays it all the time with anything he can find! He holds his blankets and clothes in front of his face, he ducks behind the table and then springs up, etc. It is too darling...he loves the question "where is Leo?"

Leo has 6 teeth- 2 on bottom and 4 on top- and boy are they sharp! We've made the switch to size 4 diapers...and also switched from Pampers to Huggies- I love Pampers however the Huggies have elastic in the back that keeps it closer to the body. While this doesn't necessarily make much of a difference in keeping things in, it at least prevents him from looking like a plumber when he squats...which is all the time!

(I love him at this window ledge.)

He tries to jump, which is funny and cute, and dances constantly. To be honest I couldn't be more proud of anything than when he hears music and instantly starts waving his arms and rocking back and forth and bending his knees...I feel that same need to respond to music which is why I dance.

(He loves my smoothies...even with spinach in them!)

Unfortunately for me, he can get into almost any cupboard, child lock or not. He is obsessed with the one my makeup and jewelry is in which is always a fun battle. He has figured out to sit down when he doesn't want to be picked up and also to raise his arms straight up so I can pick him up under his arms like normal...that always makes it so much more difficult to pick him up which is definitely his point as he only does it when we are making him stop playing with cars outside and eat my earrings and such...you know, real mean things parents do.

(first chocolate chips!)

For his birthday celebration today Nick and I took him to McDonalds...what kid doesn't love that? But mostly we did it because after I delivered him and was starving (no food all day since he was born at 8:40pm) I requested a Big Mac even though I am pretty sure I had never had one before. It just sounded like the biggest thing I could think of and I knew I was really hungry. Thus we indulged in a BigMac tonight in honor of his actual birth day...such a sweet memory that I would do again in a heartbeat! He is having a little "train" party- family only- on Saturday...pictures of that to come I am sure! *Sidenote: I told Nick later to remind me that I never really want to eat a BigMac again unless I have been in labor. It was definitely not as good as a year ago!*

It is funny because when Leo was born I remember thinking that I couldn't love him any more than I did at that moment...but here I am now, definitely loving him on a whole other level! Brad Paisley says it best I guess..."and I thought I loved you then."

Happy Birthday little man!

Nursing and Weaning Leo

Warning- if you can't tell by the title...well, then you really didn't read it...but I am blogging about our nursing experience; I'm not going to be gross or anything, but if you'd rather not read about that subject then please pass on this entry :)

On Christmas night, I guess there had just been so much going on or something, I forgot to nurse Leo to go to sleep. We had been slowing down for the last couple of months and really only nursed to go to bed and when he woke up (the morning was more for my relief than his). Anywho, I realized that we hadn't nursed when he was pretty much asleep already so I just skipped it...kind of sad but also so great that he didn't care so much. The next night I decided we'd try again- I mean at this point he was 11 months and I really had only planned to nurse him until he was a year...because I thought that is just what you do plus then every article and doctor and such says that it is the best for your child...so duh, of course that is what we'd do!

Leo didn't seem to mind that we hadn't nursed the second night either. He still cuddled up and wanted me to rock and sing him to sleep, but he didn't miss the nursing. Truth be told I was a bit sad- it is a hard thing to give up that sweet mom-and-baby-only time. Plus it sounds like I had a real easy time with nursing- Leo latched right away and never looked back and although I was definitely uncomfortably full at times, they were pretty few to be honest. I had plenty of milk, however I wasn't soaking through pads or anything. I resumed exercise about 5 weeks after birth and was fine (as long as I nursed right before...at least in the beginning).

Yet there were a lot of parts that I was not going to miss too. I will not miss nursing bras or trying to dress in clothes that I can nurse easily in (at least at the times I knew I was going to be nursing not at home). And I know that there are lots of people that struggle with weaning their child and I consider myself lucky that Leo just lost interest.

After we had gone a day or two without nursing, I was pretty full and in pain- Nick googled what to do for relief (I asked him to) and lots of sites came up with the same result...put cabbage leaves in your bra! I was so desperate that I tried it, although I don't think it did anything other than act as a cool compress...and make me crave stir fry!

So all in all Leo and I had a great nursing experience- I had planned to nurse anyway but I am grateful that it was so easy. Sure there were times I wished that Leo took a bottle- he would take one and we tried it with breast milk a few times, but I just wasn't super in to that- but those times were when I was being selfish...I wanted more sleep or to go out alone for more than an hour at a time, etc. I know that there are a lot of reasons for not nursing your child, however it is my opinion that most of those reasons are fairly selfish; it has been proven to be the best for your child and even formula companies have to state that they know they are second choice. (Notice I said my OPINION and MOST...please save your attacks for somebody else!)

There you go- not really much of a reason for this post other than I felt like it was kind of a big deal to stop nursing (in our world at least) and I had been thinking about it for awhile. The end.

P.S. Even though Leo has quit nursing to go to bed, I still have not let anyone else rock him to bed...naps, yes, but not to bed. I keep thinking one day I will let Nick try, but then I think I'd miss Leo too much...maybe after he turns 1 this week. I'm sure that will be a whole other post!

New Year's Resolutions

So I made some resolutions and I feel like they may need a little explaining: this year my resolutions are as follows:

1. Act, or act more quickly, on good intentions

I have no shortage of good ideas...it is in my genes after all...however I lack follow through a lot of times. I usually let the fact that it would be a little bit difficult prevent me from doing a lot of things- I mean who really wants to take their walking child to Hobby Lobby? However a lot of my good ideas are about helping others yet I usually find an excuse to not...they might think I am too forward or something. And by the time I talk myself into doing what I originally had thought, someone else has met their need or the need as passed or something like that. I want to try harder this year to actually go out of my comfort zone to do the things I think. Yikes.

2. Be nicer to myself

I think any mom or wife could agree with the fact that it is a lot easier to be nicer to others than yourself sometimes...I mean I would never tell the checker at HEB that she was too chubby or lazy. I would never tell Leo he wasn't able to do something or make him eat junk because I am too tired to prepare something nutritious and healthy or skip lotioning him after his bath because I'm in a hurry. You get the idea. So I want to take a few minutes to be nicer to myself every day, in thought and deed, because a happy momma is a productive and loving momma! Everybody suffers when I am cranky for sure :)

3. Read some

No lofty goal here, just that I want to read some. I have enjoyed reading a few books this past year that in general I probably wouldn't have taken the time to read...you know, just for enjoyment. So I don't have a list of books or a numerical goal or anything, just the fact that I want to try and keep up reading- like have something I am reading at all times, even if it is only for five minutes at a time and every other day. :)

So there you go...my official attempts to become a better person this year. Of course there is always the "lose x pounds" and such, but these are the ones I am actually going to be accountable for this year!

As way of information, Nick's resolutions were to actually read scriptures daily & record progress and to be less sarcastic & make fewer jokes about others. Leo's resolutions were to learn to play nicely with others (so far we haven't had a ton of exposure to other kids...no wonder he is so healthy!) and to peacefully coexist with Koshka (our cat). Nicholas and Leo made a bonus/extra credit resolution together to teach/learn how to throw a spiral with a football...yes it is a lofty goal, but Leo's throws with his right hand currently have a lot of backspin on them so you never know! :)

Happy New Year!

11 months...

Warning! Most of these pics were taken either 1. on my phone, 2. at Christmas, or 3. both. :)

Okay so I know this post is severely belated, however I still need to write it!

11 months was a huge turning point for Leo! The day before he turned 11 months (Christmas Day) he totally took off walking; up until this point he had taken series of steps by himself before, however on Christmas Day he just walking all over the place! He started standing up all by himself, not pulling up or holding on to anything, and just walking everywhere...and just like that my baby was gone!

He talks all the time- mostly just babbles and gobbles, but he can say "mama", "dada", "ko-kah" (for Koshka), "no no", and a bunch of other "words". One thing is clear, he totally thinks he is talking and mimics our intonation and sounds nonstop.

Leo loves to vacuum...I mean LOVES it! He likes when it gets close enough to blow his hair and he now throws a little fit when I won't let him help...I guess that is a good thing?

Recently he has figured out how to stack big blocks and push the ball down the tube/chute thing on his play table. When he does new little tricks like this he claps for himself which is pretty cute.

He is such a lover and gives hugs and kisses freely...at least to me and Nick. He is such a good boy and happy almost all the time. He loves to smile to strangers at the store or at church and waves on command now...most of the time.

Leo's 4 front teeth (2 on top and 2 on bottom) are getting pretty big which makes his smile look so much more like a little boy than a baby. He has 2 other top teeth that just broke through. And he has started doing this forced smile where he scrunches up his nose and shows his teeth...it is priceless.

He loves Koshka and she tolerates him well, especially considering how loco she is. He likes to chase her. Leo is a total boy- he loves anything with wheels and tools and gears and such. Twisting caps off and on bottles is a favorite and he has even gotten to the point where he wants to put the cap on his sippy cup by himself...he usually takes it on and off many times and claps when he gets it on just right.

He is still nuts about his baths- he loves the water! He isn't phased in the least when we pour water over his head to rinse! He rarely sits in the bath though because standing and playing with the faucet is his favorite. Recently kicking up a huge splash is a ton of fun too.

Leo loves to play with his cousins; he does his best to keep up with Belle and Livi! We are lucky to have at least some of our cousins close by! He is getting more bold with the other kids at church too...taking their toys and running them over. It is so interesting to see him interact with other kids.

We can't believe that soon he will be one year old! We love him so much and can't imagine our life without him...what did we do before him??? (Other than sleep and whatever we want of course...) :) Love you buddy!

I have a lot to blog about!

Just touching base...too much to do to stop and blog at the moment but I needed to make a list of things I want to blog about so I remember and actually do it someday.

1. Great Montana Christmas

2. Leo's first visit to Urgent Care

3. The worst day of 2011

4. Nursing and weaning Leo

5. Nick's parents' visit

6. New Years Resolutions

That is all I can think of so far...see all you have to look forward to? :)