Rece's Pieces of News

We are Moving

2007-01-17T13:11:00.000-05:00

This blog will still be here, but I need a combined blog for my boys, so the new site is www.rececarmine.blogspot.com

Please come over and continue on the journey with us!

Big Brother!!

2007-01-16T15:41:00.000-05:00

Yay! Rece is a big brother!! Soon, I will be combining blogs, so give me a chance. The updates might be minimal for a week or so. He was so cute with Carmine. When Carmine was all wrapped up Rece said shoes, so we had to show him that he didn't have shoes on.

Doctor

2007-01-11T13:51:00.000-05:00

Well, Rece had his 2 year check up today. In the last 6 months he has gained about 3 lbs. and 2 1/2 in. He is growing great. Still right around 50th percentile. He is now a big boy and gets weighed and measured on the big scale! We was feeling pretty crummy this morning so he wasn't thrilled about being there. But the doctor was happy with the progress. He does have a croup cough and the beginning signs of an ear infection. The doctor said that they usually wait to give medicine because chances are since he hasn't had ear problems that it won't turn into an ear infection. But, since I am going to go into labor any minute he went ahead and gave us a prescription. So hopefully this whole house will feel better before the baby arrives. And Rece has an opinion on what I am having. He thinks girl. If we ask him what we are having, girl or boy, he says girl everytime. It doesn't even matter what order we say it in. It is cute!

Birthday Party Fun!

2007-01-10T14:30:00.000-05:00

We had Rece's birthday party over the weekend and the boy got lots and lots of gifts! My mom(grammy) made his cakes. He seemed to enjoy it, especially when everyone sang to him. The only "game" we had for the kids was laying out bubble wrap and letting the kids go crazy. It didn't really go as planned since the room was carpeted, but the kids didn't care and they went ahead and popped it with their hands. Rece didn't really get into that too much which I didn't expect, but that is why we didn't really do any games. Overall, I think his whole birthday celebration went really well and the party went smoothly.

However, now Rece has croup! Not fun at all. He woke up in the middle of the night Monday with a terrible cough and then threw up all over me and him! So we both got into the bath and he stayed up a little longer. Yesterday he appeared to be getting better, but then today he woke up with a temp. of 101, so we called the doctor but since we have his 2 year check up tomorrow anyway they told me to go ahead and just keep that appointment. So hopefully it will clear up quickly, because it makes me so sad to think that if I have this baby soon, Rece wouldn't be able to come visit in the hospital and then having to bring a newborn home to a sick toddler! YUCK! Plus I am still a little under the weather, but that seems to be clearing up.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO GREAT-GRANDPA BILL AND GREAT-GRANDMA CLARA!

And Happy late birthday to Annie (Saturday), she kind of got left out on here since we were so busy this weekend, but we got to spend her birthday with her!!

The Final Christmases

2007-01-08T05:26:00.000-05:00

This weekend surrounding his birthday party we celebrated christmas with Averie and Baylor and then my sister and her kids. The top three pictures were with Averie and the bottom 3 with Teri, Becca, Phillip, Claire and Gabriel. Rece, of course, got lots of great things. Thanks everyone!

Rece and Averie yet again got off to a rocky start. I think it was just too much. He went to bed on Friday night with the normal people in his house and he woke up on Saturday morning with 6 house guests! So needless to say Averie was terrified of him the remainder of the day after he smacked her. Actually Rece was more aggressive than normal this weekend. I believe he got Averie, Baylor, Natasha and Gabriel. He just gets so excited but that is just not OK! It was a good weekend and overall he was great. Sorry for the smacks everyone! Someday he will understand that is not appropriate.

Birthday Dinner and Gifts

2007-01-04T09:59:00.000-05:00

We went to Outback Steakhouse for Rece's birthday dinner. Mostly because they have a Gluten Free menu for Tony. But YUM! However we learned when we got there that they don't sing for birthdays. Great for an adult's birthday, but not so for a 2 year old. So we had a nice dinner and we sang for him. He just LOVES when people are singing. We even sang twice because now everytime someone sings Happy Birthday he asks for more. Then we came home and opened gifts. He had no interest in this because his slide was still sitting in the middle of the living room, so he went down the slide about 6 times before we finally made him open gifts. He threw a little bit of a fit (as seen in the picture 3) but we eventually got through the 7 gifts we had for him. Well they weren't all from us. A few from people that can't be at his party. He got some books, aquadoodle minimats, his potty, a step stool for the bathroom and ball pit balls that are eventually going with his slide.

Happy Birthday Little Man!!!!!

2007-01-02T13:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Rece!!
I can't believe how fast these 2 years have gone! I remember SO vividly 2 years ago. Right now I was in the hospital bed with a waiting room full of visitors just waiting for you to make your grand entrance. Little did we know we had another almost 10 hours to go! I know, always at your pace. And just 2 short years later you are in your bedroom "taking a nap" calling out mama. What a difference a couple years make. It is so bittersweet. I love watching you grow and discovering new things and learning every day something that surprises me. You keep me on my toes and keep me guessing every day. But it is so sad to think that you will never be this little again. And it will be all too soon that you won't freely give me kisses and that you aren't calling for mama from your crib. I love staying home with you and I would never do anything differently. Soon you will be a big brother and I know you will be a wonderful big brother. Just know that no matter how much attention the baby gets, it will never take away from the love I have for you. I know you will have your jealous moments, but I also know that you are going to be kissing that baby like crazy and that is something I can't wait to see.
I know you won't remember this birthday but I hope that all the pictures I take of you and all of this writing and scrapbooking that I do will someday mean something to you and you can look back and "remember" it through pictures and words. So far we have had a wonderful day and it is only half way over. Your party will be so much fun, you have so many friends and family coming to see you celebrate. I love you with all of my heart and am so excited to see you explore through the next year!
Love,
Mama

Rece woke up about about 7:25 this morning and I went in to get him and sang Happy Birthday. Grammy was still here but unfortunately daddy had already left for work. Daddy called later and sang to him. He woke up with 2 balloons in his room and his gift from Grammy was all set up in the living room. So he walked out and got to play with it right away. Later we will be going to dinner and then when we get home he will open gifts from mommy and daddy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2007-01-01T23:19:00.000-05:00

We had a pretty boring New Year's Eve. Rece went to bed at 8 and Tony and I sat and watched the ball drop on TV then went to bed about 10 min. later. And today we had a pretty relaxing day. And of course we had sauerkraut and pork for dinner. Well, Rece didn't really care for the sauerkraut, but he ate plenty of potatoes.

And this was 1 year ago today! Look how big he has gotten!

In less than 1/2 an hour it will be my baby's 2nd birthday! I can't believe it. It doesn't seem possible and it is so bittersweet. Stay tuned for at least a week of birthday posts! We will be going out to dinner tomorrow night and his party is on Saturday.

WildLights

2006-12-31T13:31:00.000-05:00

Our zoo does a light display every winter and we went to see them yesterday. It was in the 50s here so it was perfect weather. We got to see some animals also. We let him walk around for a little while and in the second picture he was resisting the hand holding at first but as soon as he realized that the only other option was the stroller he cooperated. And in the 3rd picture there was a peacock walking around, but he wasn't too sure of it. And the last picture showed how the night ended. He was pooped!! We had fun and he loved all the lights!

Christmas Morning, Finally!

2006-12-31T13:09:00.000-05:00

These pictures just in time for New Year's Eve! These are a couple pictures my brother got on christmas morning. Rece really enjoyed opening gifts but after about 10 he was a little tired and ready to play. It took a while to open, but I really enjoy that.

Christmas Take 2

2006-12-28T12:37:00.000-05:00

My brother has almost all the pictures from christmas morning, so I will just give you a little preview of that. This is the tree and all the gifts. These also include gifts from Grammy, but still a little ridiculous!

These are pictures from Christmas day and evening at Tony's parents house. This is his cousin Gage. Gage is about a month younger than Rece. They had fun playing together and Rece was so good, he didn't even try to smack/scratch him once! His other cousin Wyatt who is 3 1/2 came up and gave Rece a big hug. It was so cute, but Wyatt must have leaned Rece over just a tad, because when Wyatt let go Rece fell over like a wood board right onto the ceramic tile! Right on the back of his head. It scared me to death, but Rece was ok. He cried a little and we iced his head, but he went right on playing after a little cuddle time. At Grandma and Grandpa's he got a play kitchen with food, an electronic drum set, lots of books, and a few other toys.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEREMY! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY TO SARAH!

Christmas Take 1

2006-12-26T17:16:00.000-05:00

The first christmas that we celebrated was on Saturday, with my family. This is always a big gathering with lots of food and even more gifts. Rece got some clothes and a christmas ornament along with a talking vacuum cleaner and some musical instruments, a few board books, a phone and a hippo. I think that is it, sorry if I missed anything. All of the gifts, he loved. He enjoyed opening the gifts and he pretty much did it himself(if he was interested), but he didn't get excited about seeing the gifts. So, this year was fun and it was kind of nice that he wasn't yet impatient about opening presents. I got a giftcard for a massage! YAY! I will hopefully be enjoying that soon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDON!

Games we play

2006-12-22T17:31:00.000-05:00

I wanted to get this post up before all the christmas posts started. Rece's latest favorite game to play is copycat. But, it is only with faces he makes. He likes to make all these silly faces and expects people to copy them. He thinks it is the greatest.
And he has figured out how to turn most of his toys on and off. That can be slightly headache-inducing sometimes, but it is better that he knows how to turn them on. That means he whines less for me to help him!
His party is really coming along. All gifts purchased and wrapped! YAY! Now we just have to figure out the menu and buy some of the plates/silverware. Almost there.
Ok, this is about gift giving and I would like opinions if anyone has them. I think it is the parents privilage to buy children the big gifts that come with childhood like the first tricycle, first bike, swingset, power wheels, etc. And I think that if someone else would like to get him a big gift the parents should be asked. Not only because it is a big gift and maybe the parents wanted to do that, but also if it takes up a lot of room what if the parents are not ready for it. Or maybe the parents know that the child is not really ready for a gift like it. Now it is different if the parents specifically asked someone to buy it. No one has done this that I know of yet, but Tony and I were talking about it and he understood how I felt but he didn't necessarily feel the same way. Am I being selfish or unreasonable? I just think that is the responsibility and privilage of the parents. I enjoy doing things like that for him. I also think that it partly comes from the fact that we have some friends and acquantances that rely heavily on their parents and I just feel like we had him and we should take responsibility for him and because of that we should have first dibs on what we get him. Ok this is longer than planned but I would like some opinions.

A Year in a glimpse

2006-12-19T16:19:00.000-05:00

I got this idea from mama-c-ta and I thought it was cute. It is the first sentence from the first post of each month. Click on the month to see the whole post. I did the same thing over at the baby's website.

January My "Happy New Year" hat is just a little big for me ; )
February Today I had a playdate with Cade and Keegan and Samuel.
March Tomorrow Rece will be 14 months!!!
April Well of course he would fall and hit his eye right before pictures!
May Look how grown up he looks.
June Well we have had a slightly rough week this week.
July Yummy Fries!!!
August HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE JEFFREY!!
September GO BUCKS!!
October This weekend we went up to visit friends and see my nephew, Gabriel, get baptized.
November Well, I was hoping to get better pictures of him while trick or treating, but the weather was really crappy and wet, so we went down about 1 1/2 streets which was plenty.
December We were in a pinch...... ...so we hired some help!

He wants to be like his mommy!

2006-12-19T10:18:00.000-05:00

He has discovered my shoes. Yesterday he just stepped right on in and started walking around with them on. It is very slow walking but very cute. However he gets very frustated if something isn't working out right.

I am seeing his terrible twos hitting. He has had a temper since birth but within the last couple of days is has started throwing fits. I still wouldn't call them tantrums YET but I see that happening soon. He throws a fit now when we try to put a coat on him and he throws his head back and starts smacking and scratching.

But in better news, I am really excited about the next couple of weeks with him. I am really looking forward to christmas and his birthday this year. I know he will enjoy it. I, however, am dreading the number of gifts he will get. The boy has too many toys as it is and I know he will get more, even though I didn't tell anyone that asked what he wanted/needed to get him toys. but some people think kids need every toy in the store. Really clothes and books would be sufficient.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE CRAIG!

Friends

2006-12-15T16:19:00.000-05:00

Rece is getting better about playing nice with Joey. I am really hoping that by the time I start watching Joey again after the baby is born he will pretty much be over smacking/scratching Joey. Joey watches him so intently.
And Rece showing Joey how the toy works.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUDSON

Nothingness

2006-12-12T11:01:00.000-05:00

He loves climbing in his toy baskets to play.
Apparantly Daddy's socks are way more fun to wear then his own.
He wanted to put on my jacket. He looked like E.T. walking around. Too cute

The Tree

2006-12-11T19:42:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite traditions. Going to cut down a tree every year and then decorating it! Rece checking out all the trees.
We found the perfect tree. Now time for daddy to cut it down.
And dragging it back to the car.
The finished product. Rece didn't have any interest in helping. He and Grammy watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" while mommy and daddy decorated. He loved all the singing in the Grinch. Next year, I think he will have a better understanding of all of it.

Climbing is in full swing

2006-12-08T12:44:00.000-05:00

Daddy was a little nervous about this climbing feat Rece decided to attempt. But Rece thought it was just great.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE JOSH!

Isn't it pretty?

2006-12-07T12:57:00.000-05:00

WooHoo, we got our new car last night!! We got a 2007 Pilot and we are very excited about it. Rece doesn't appear to be very excited about it in this picture, but he does really like sitting higher and in the center. However he won't be in the center once the baby is here. It just isn't very easy to get him in and out of the center.

A visit to Santa

2006-12-04T15:58:00.000-05:00

I was such a mean mom this year and I made my child sit on Santa's lap twice! On Saturday night our town did a christmas in the village and they said free picture with donation to the food pantry. So, I thought great, cheap and good cause. They did digital pictures and gave everyone a floppy disc. The picture turned out good, but the only size I could print it in to even have it come out decent was wallet sized and my holiday frame is 5x7, so we had to go yesterday and have it done again and pay for it. He SCREAMED the first time and was very mad at us. We even let him have his cookies for the first one, but apparantly that didn't matter. The second time he actually did a little better. Santa was trying to talk to him and calm him, but that wasn't happening. You can barely tell, but he is crying in the second one. As soon as we were done the second time he signed eat, so he must not have been too scarred :)

Bittersweet

2006-12-01T16:12:00.000-05:00

These pictures were taken at my mom's house. This was officially her last day in the house. It has been a crazy few weeks, but she is now moved out. It is sad for me to think that another family is living in the house that I grew up in from the time I was 1, but it was for the better. It doesn't really make it any easier. The second picture is his new cheese face. Or his cheesy smile. He didn't get that from me, it must be daddy.

But, in good news, WE WILL BE GETTING A NEW CAR this weekend! We are very excited!

And lately, like the last 3 or 4 days, Rece has been telling us that he needs his diaper changed a lot! It isn't everytime, but it is poo and pee. I am sure it is just a phase, but it is some sign that he doesn't want to be sitting in it.

We were in a pinch......

2006-12-01T15:49:00.000-05:00

...so we hired som help!

And he asks to be paid in crackers.

Averie and Rece

2006-11-27T18:14:00.000-05:00

This weekend Averie, Baylor, Beth and Matt came down to visit. Rece is quite excitable and aggressive. On Friday Rece went after Averie a couple of times, but overall he was really good, but Averie has just had enough of Rece and she didn't even want him looking at her. We had to have some parental intervention to get any pictures with the two of them. The visit went well overall and Rece really was good the whole weekend. They are just the most opposite kids you could have.

Random

2006-11-18T14:48:00.000-05:00

Yes, climbing in our house has officially begun. He loves climbing up here and touching the pictures. Part of me says let him do it, he is just exploring, the other part of me says get him down from there before he breaks something.
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Here he was telling me that the song in the book was "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". Head is the only one he knows, but he can pick it out of the book.
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And the wonderful cup throwing has come back! Apparantly not throwing it was the phase. This is going to drive us out of our minds!

GO BUCKEYES! BEAT MICHIGAN!

2006-11-17T21:11:00.000-05:00

HAPPY 16TH BIRTHDAY CAITLIN!!!

I am trying to post pictures but blogger isn't letting me, so hopefully a little later or tomorrow!

2006-11-15T15:42:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT CATHY ANN

Weekend, Overdue

2006-11-10T19:38:00.000-05:00

Ok, so we went out of town this weekend, but I didn't get very many pictures of Rece with other kids, because chasing him making sure he does not beat up other kids becomes more important! But this is his cousin Claire's birthday party. It was a costume party so all the kids dressed up!
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This is me and my nephew Gabriel at the birthday party.
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and this little guy is the other reason we went up there. For Baylor's baptism.
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This has nothing to do with the weekend, but just to show that he has become quite the davedevil and climber! Yay more heart attacks for mommy!

2006-11-03T17:17:00.000-05:00

Headed out of town this weekend for a birthday party and a baptism. We should have lots of good pictures on Monday!! YAY

2 in 2!

2006-11-02T14:04:00.000-05:00

Rece will be 2 in 2 months!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!! I can't even believe it! Time is flying. But I am on top of things, I just got his invitations and a lot of the decorations and stuff like that. His presents are bought and wrapped (except the swingset he is getting in the summer as a "birthday" present). Getting ready for chirstmas, a 2nd birthday and a new baby all within a month of each other is kind of crazy. But I am pretty organized and I think I am ready for it all. We shall see.

And some exciting new!!!! My mom got an offer on her house!!!! It is still quite a bit under what she will except so there will be some counteroffering going on, but this is the best news since it went on the market in the spring! I know, some of you know what this means for us, but for those of you that don't, it benefits everyone involved more than you can even imagine! The only sad thing, is that these people want to fill in my mom's pool if they do buy it :( So many memories in this house make it sad, but there are too many benefits to be sad for too long. My parents built this house when I was only a year old and I had lived there until I went away to college. It will be a very bittersweet day the day we sign the contract!!!

This was at Chuck E. Cheese. All he wanted to do was watch the stage and dance to the music. And this is his friend Natasha. He really likes her, so much so that he usually is not very nice. He pulls her hair and smacks at her face. Good way to treat a friend huh? That is a boy's flirting for you. But at this age???? What is he going to do to them in 1st grade?

Trick or Treat!

2006-11-01T16:46:00.000-05:00

Well, I was hoping to get better pictures of him while trick or treating, but the weather was really crappy and wet, so we went down about 1 1/2 streets which was plenty. He didn't want to walk at all so daddy carried him the whole time. There were a few things he could eat, but not a lot.
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This was afterwards while eating some candy. He knew exactly what it was and kept coming back for more. It was fun, but I know next year will be more fun!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLAIRE!!!!

My little Elephant!

2006-10-30T16:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to Boo at the Zoo! How fun, they had little treat stations, but we didn't worry about that. He doesn't really need the candy and he would only be able to eat a very few things. But we had fun.
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And today we went to a costume party! Rece played pretty well today with all the kids. He really loves Natasha's play kitchen and her keyboard with microphone.

More Halloween Fun!

2006-10-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

*************Last Year at Pigeon Roost Farm**************************

********************This year at Pigeon Roost Farm**************************

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We carved pumpkins on Wednesday. Rece did not care at all about doing this. He just ran around the garage and picked up rocks while I carved them. And this was the best picture we could get of him with the pumpkins. He appeared to be a little frightened of them. So trick or treat will be interesting.

PLEASE HELP

2006-10-26T06:33:00.000-04:00

For the last 2 weeks Rece has been waking up at 5:30 every morning. We have no idea what to do. We don't let him get up then, but we have tried letting him cry it out. Some days his crying is so severe that it just doesn't work, but then sometimes it does. We try going in there to soothe him. One of us goes in and calms him and puts him back in his crib and he at least calms down, but then sometimes he spends the next hour just talking. Why is he doing this? And how do I get him back on track? His naps are still usually good, but there have been some issues with those as well. This all started when he got his cold, but the cold is mostly over and we did go to the doctor to make sure it was just a cold. If anyone has read anything on this or dealt with it please I am open to just about any suggestion. He is teething, but he has never done this with teething before and it is so consistent that I would be surprised if it is teething. I am pretty sure he is sleep deprived and needs more sleep, but I can't seem to get him back on track. I am becoming very sleep deprived especially being pregnant. We need help.

Please remember that this means I will be up at 4:30 next Sunday morning thanks to the time change.

Fall Fest

2006-10-21T18:55:00.000-04:00

Today we went to "Fall Fest" at a local greenhouse. We had fun and Rece loved getting into everything. It was a little muddy but of course Rece didn't care.
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They had a sand area with sand toys and he loved it. He threw a fit when we took him out of it, but a lot of kids came in and he was throwing sand and trying to smash everything that other kids were building.
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He finally loves the swings and they had a swingset so he enjoyed this.
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He loves corn, so what do you think he wanted to do with this?
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The Hayride!
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Sitting on a bail of hay. We got this smile for about 2 seconds so I am surprised I caught it.
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This was probably his favorite part(maybe the sand too). But he just wanted to do this over and over. He also cried when he took him away from this.
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We bought 3 pumpkins and Grandma bought 1 to make pumpkin pie with. But this one almost became pumpkin splat thanks to Rece!

2006-10-16T15:02:00.000-04:00

So, the newest thing that he is doing is NOT eating! I am really hoping this has to do with his cold. Cause it is driving us crazy. He used to get snacks in between meals, like crackers or fruit. Well the last week or so, he was pretty much just eating snacks and requesting them. So I decided until he was eating good again, we were going to cut out snacks, because maybe those were making him full. Well today he had 1/2 a pancake for breakfast. Then for lunch he wouldn't even take a bite of the macaroni and cheese but did eat a little bit of applesauce. But he will sit there with a full plate of mac n cheese in front of him and do the eat sign and say snack! I feel bad if this is just part of his cold and nothing tastes good but crackers, but for some reason I have a feeling that isn't it. Should I give in and let him eat crackers all day until the cold is gone? Or should I stick with just meals. After all, crackers are not bad for him. Anyone who has gone through a food boycot have any ideas??

He has finally learned that playing on the equipment at the park is fun! He still doesn't really understand space awareness, so I have to stick pretty close by. But, it is better than just chasing him around in the grass. I can do that at home. He also loves slides now. He still can't figure out how to sit and scoot to the edge. So, I have to be holding his hand or he will just step off of it. And I usually catch him at the bottom. But he wanted to go down one of those small tube slides and I couldn't help him at top and catch him at the same time, so I went and helped him up top and got him situated. He just flew down the slide and flew all the way off, right on the ground flat on his back. No crying, just whining. It was pretty funny.
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I just love this hat. It is too bad he doesn't leave them on very long, so we aren't going to be able to use this one very much since it doesn't have a tie.
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This is him doing something that he is not supposed to be doing! Shocker huh?
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This is what I found when I got home today. Two sleeping boys!
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Ok, now referencing that third picture up there. Does anyone else out there have a child that just does not respond to any discipline? Now remember I am not spanking. But, it is getting so frustrating lately. If he is getting into something he knows he is not supposed to, half of the time he will look at us as if to say 'what are you gonna do?' And the second we say 'No touch' he touches it. So we have tried ignoring, but if we ignore long enough he will touch it until we actually physically remove him from the object. Yelling? That is funny and he thinks so too. I can be a pretty loud person and even yelling as loudly as possible gets a smile or giggle. Most kids at least get a little bit upset when someone yells at them. I hate yelling at him, but being patient for 10 hours in a row while saying no touch please gets really tiring. Time-outs? Well, when we do them on his time-out stool he thinks it is a great game and every time I put him on the stool and walk away he thinks he should get up laugh and chase me. And this continues for the entire minute. So we do time-outs in his pack-n-play. Half the time he gets upset and doesn't like it but the other half he just sits and talks to himself. Other than that I have nothing for a 21 month old. And the things he is getting into it isn't like I can just move them. The vents, the computer and the phone. Those are the primary offenses. I can't move any of those or block them. And then there is the TV. We tried the TV guard and he has learned how to pull it out from under the TV. So any advice that doesn't include spanking and that doesn't consist of "he will grow out of it". I know he will eventually, but in the meantime I don't like spending half of my day yelling at my little boy. It makes me feel like such a lousy parent.

2006-10-14T20:29:00.000-04:00

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY RYLEE!

21 Month pictures

2006-10-10T12:52:00.000-04:00

This is how most of the photo session really went!
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I love this!!
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Pictures

2006-10-06T14:48:00.000-04:00

We got Rece's 21 month/christmas pictures done last night. We also got some family pictures and pregnancy pictures in there. They turned out pretty good. As usual, it was nearly impossible to choose which to buy. Rece was a little terror in the fact that he did not want to stay in that room. When we get pictures we always go to Target and we try to get the same girl. She is great with Rece and even when I figure the pictures are not going to be that great she manages to get some great shots. The only thing I wasn't thrilled about is that they didn't have their christmas stuff yet. Normally, I wouldn't expect that in early October, but I got a coupon in the mail like a month ago with all christmas pictures on it and advertising New Christmas backdrop. So, we have a non-christmas, plain backdrop for the christmas pictures. But, oh well. I was going to get his 21 month pictures regardless and I didn't want to make a special trip just for christmas pictures. The family and pregnancy turned out really good. I will post a couple when I get them, but there are way too many to post all of them.
I really hope this next baby is even close to as photogenic as Rece, but I figure if he/she isn't it will cost less! :)

YAY

2006-10-04T15:00:00.000-04:00

Well Beth had the baby...........

IT'S A BOY!!!!!
Baylor Josef
8 lbs. 7 oz. and 21 in. long!

That is really all I know other than everyone is doing great! She should have pictures set up sometime soon!

And Happy Birthday to Averie and Baylor's Daddy, Matt! What a great birthday gift!

Exciting Day

2006-10-04T07:48:00.000-04:00

Good wishes and prayers out to Beth and her family!!!!!!!! Her C-section is scheduled for 10:30 this morning. I will let you know as soon as I know anything!!

Weekend Update

2006-10-03T16:08:00.000-04:00

This weekend we went up to visit friends and see my nephew, Gabriel, get baptized. Rece loved playing in Annie's new yard! He has also now found the fun in puddles!
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After the baptism Rece got to play in Aunt Teri's backyard. He also found the wonder of slides. Except he doesn't quite understand the steps, so daddy's arms got a workout!
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And this is the whole reason we went up there!

2006-09-29T13:12:00.000-04:00

This is his new scrunchy face. He does it when he doesn't like something, but also when he just wants to be cute.
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He loves sunglasses.
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They both look guilty, don't they?

UPDATE

2006-09-27T08:32:00.000-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since an update. We have just been busy. But I am glad to say that the biggest accomplishment in the last week or so is that Rece has stopped throwing his sippy cup!!!!!!!! Of course now he has decided that it is fun to bang it on the table over and over again. But, now that he no longer throws it we have started working on a regular cup. We just started yesterday. But he is doing better than I expected! It will be a while before he is on one all the time, but we have started and that is all that matters. Right now he just gets water in it. His vocabulary is starting to grow a little bit. But he usually has to be prompted to say something other then tickle. But if I say sock he will repeat it, but he doesn't just point to or pick up a sock and say it. I guess that will come. We have been so busy getting stuff done for the nursery and buying the baby stuff that we need. That is what our weekends have become especially after Rece goes to bed. Oh and he has said his first bad word. Thank you grandma! We had people over for the football game on Saturday and my mom blurted out "SHIT" and sure enough immediately after that Rece said something to that effect, it sounded like "SHI" We couldn't help but laugh. He hasn't said it since so hopefully he didn't realize what we were laughing at.

HAPPY 9TH ANNIVERSARY AUNT TERI AND UNCLE CRAIG!!

2006-09-18T15:04:00.000-04:00

Obsessed with the lights!!! AAHHHHHHH
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Just playing!
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Playing with cousin Haylie
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Watching the game with daddy!

2006-09-14T07:51:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT SUSAN

AND ALSO

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MOMMY AND DADDY!!
LOVE, RECE

Where were you?

2006-09-11T21:03:00.000-04:00

Where were you 5 years ago today?
Well, Rece wasn't around, but someday this will be in his history books and he is sure to ask me where his mom and dad were when this happened. This is one of those events that you will never forget where you were.

I was in college for my second year. I was driving to school I guess when it was actually happening. It was an eventful morning for me before I had even heard about it. I got to school and ran to my class as I was running a little late. But as soon as I got there they told everyone to go home. So I still didn't know what was going on. But when I went to get my car, it had been towed! So, I walked home and had to go visit my landlord and that is where I saw what was going on, in his apartment on his TV. The whole time we were driving to get my car, I was thinking, don't these people know what is going on, isn't there more important things to worry about besides where cars are parked? In the events of that day, my car getting towed was a miniscule event, but I will never forget it.

Tony was in class as it was happening. He had to sit through two classes that morning. He was released after the second class, Anthropology. He went home and turned the TV on to see what was going on and that is when he learned what had happened. He watched TV with his roommate for quite awhile until we had to go pick up my car.

I couldn't help but think Thank God that I didn't know anyone in NYC, but as it turned out my uncle was at the Pentagon. Thank goodness he is still with us but he did get hurt, burned up his back. He was a firefighter helping people while all this happened. He has some great pictures of that day, but I am sure he will never need pictures to remember. He was there when the plane hit, he saw it all.

#1!

2006-09-10T18:55:00.000-04:00

Yes I know he needs groomed.

GO BUCKS!!!!
I wish I could have gotten them together but that just doesn't happen. I couldn't even get a good picture of Rece by himself.

Labor Day

2006-09-08T14:20:00.000-04:00

This was at our town's Labor Day parade. Can you tell he liked it? He clapped after pretty much everything and he loved the band going by. He was about the only one that didn't jump out of his seat when the guns went off too! And there is he with the vinegar fries again!

2006-09-07T20:04:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VICKY!

2006-09-05T13:55:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDY GREAT-GRANDPA BILL
AND ALSO TO LAURA!

Lesson Learned!

2006-09-04T18:11:00.000-04:00

Never let Rece sleep in just a shirt and diaper!

Why you ask??? WARNING: TOO MUCH INFORMATION AHEAD!!

Well, because there is a chance that you will walk in to find poop everywhere!!! All over the crib, all over his arms and face!!! And it wasn't even like he pooped and then took his diaper off. No, he has recently found his private area and any time the diaper is off his hand is down there. So he took the diaper off to play with himself and then pooped with his diaper off. How do we know this? Well, first his butt was the cleanest part of him. Second, the diaper had not a drop of poop on it! Oh, how gross! We will never let him sleep like that again. Well, at least until he is potty trained.
So, I took him and we both got into the shower and Tony cleaned off the crib. I am not sure which job is worse. But it was gross no matter how you looked at it.

2006-09-02T20:30:00.000-04:00

GO BUCKS!!

Meeting the new cousin

2006-08-31T14:12:00.000-04:00

YUM Ravioli
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This is what happens when a toddler "helps" water the flowers! He loves putting his hand in the spray, but today he decided to walk right into it.
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INTRODUCING....Gabriel Michael! We went up to see my sister and new nephew last weekend and had a great time. He looks a lot like his older brother Phillip!
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Look at how big his feet are!!
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This was as much interest as Rece gave Gabriel. Little does Rece know this is going to be our family in a few months!!
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Phillip gave Rece a ride in his jeep! Rece loved it.
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This picture was taken at the Fair and from a camera phone, but I just thought it was really cute!

2006-08-28T08:21:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREAT GRANDMA CLARA
AND A BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO UNCLE ADAM(ON SATURDAY)

2006-08-24T08:06:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHANNON!

Sleep

2006-08-23T08:26:00.000-04:00

Why is it that my child only sleeps in when I am up and ready for the day or we have somewhere to go????? Yet, when I really need an extra hour of sleep he is up bright and early!!!!! Like today, I was up ready to get the day going and well I just heard him at 8:15 and he is still in there barely talking or making noise, so you better believe he is staying in there a little longer!
And yes I know the answer to why is because it is Rece! And of course I wouldn't take him any other way!

2006-08-21T21:13:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA M!!!

Ohio State Fair

2006-08-17T10:56:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we went to the Ohio State Fair. We had a great time eating fair food, petting animals and riding rides. He wasn't so sure about the first ride with Grandma but then after that he relaxed and seemed to enjoy himself. Next year I am sure we won't be able to keep him off of the rides.
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We have been getting all the baby stuff up out of the basement and he has found the pacifiers and started to play with them. He chews on them in the corner of his mouth! It is really funny and strange to see him with a pacifier cause it has been so long since he has actually used one!
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Rece has a new cousin!!!!!!!!! IT IS A BOY!!
Gabriel Michael was born yesterday August 16 at 7:10 pm. He weighs 7 lbs. 15 oz. and is 21 in. long!! We all can't wait to see him.

2006-08-10T21:26:00.000-04:00

Does this picture really need any words???
Just that this is the robe that he got for his first birthday from Great Grandma Clara and Great Grandpa Bill!! And it says Rece in the sailboat!

2006-08-09T15:14:00.000-04:00

He has now moved to a booster seat. Partially because I have been babysitting Joey a couple days a week and partially because there will be a new baby in January. He does great and we decided for space we weren't going to use the tray and he loves being at the table.
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This was on vacation as are the rest of the photos. He has learned how to take his diaper off. Just great. He doesn't do it often but he has done it a couple of times.
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He loves putting sunglasses on and can actually get them on without poking his eye most of the times. These were annie's and I wish I would have gotten a picture from the front cause they have rhinestones on them and he looked like a little diva!
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Annie and Rece being silly!
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We went to Chuck E. Cheese with Averie and her mommy and daddy and Annie and Aunt Teri and Becca, Phillip, and Claire. It was so much fun. he didn't really care much about the little kids area with the slide but he liked the rides and he loved climbing in the tubes. Becca took him up there and said once he figured he had to crawl he had a blast!!!

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We went to Averie's house for dinner on Thursday night and then for ice cream. Averie was not so sure of him being in her wagon, especially when his feet were on hers.
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How cute!! I wish I was at a better angle, but you get the point. In 15 years these pictures could be really embarrasing for the two of them :)
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This looks like it is about to be a tackle but it isn't. Rece was kind of chasing Averie. She doesn't really like it. He just wanted to play though. Rece loves "playing" with other babies and kids. Probably more than most 19 month olds.

New contest

2006-08-02T09:48:00.000-04:00

Check out the new contest on the sidebar! We can win some new babylegs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go win Rece some!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-08-01T11:33:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE JEFFREY!!

Teething + Growth Spurt =

2006-07-27T16:33:00.000-04:00

VERY CRABBY BABY!!!!!!!!
I am pretty sure that is what is going on. I know he is teething. One of the molars is half way through and another of them is very swollen and maybe a tooth up front too! And the child has been eating everything in sight. He never used to eat a snack during the day or it would mess up his meals, well the last couple of days he has been requesting a snack twice a day. And he has been eating his meals great! His communication has just boomed. It still isn't verbal, but he signs like crazy and it has been so helpful. On occasion now he has even told me when he needs his diaper changed! And the same with walking. At home he pretty much walks everywhere, but there are occasions when he sees something he really wants and gets down and crawls because he knows it is faster. And we are working on walking while holding my hand in public. He still has a tendency to crawl but as soon as I stand him up he is usually good.
And those of you that actually know Rece know just how persistent and stubborn he is right? Well he has added an obsession to the list: the vents in the floors. He is still obsessed with the stereo also, but now he goes and takes a vent out of the floor. I can tell him no 5000 times a day and he just smiles and goes back to the vent. This is driving me and Tony crazy. We have already lost a bath toy to the vent. Now, don't go calling child protective services on me, but I ALMOST hope that he hurts himself just slightly. It isn't anything that could hurt him severely but just a little cut. Or something that scares him. He has walked away with it a couple times before I could get to him and I could just see it dropping on his foot, I don't know that I want that but it may happen anyways. Someday he will learn right. Oh, and the grossest part of all of this is that he will take it out of the floor and then put one of the edges in his mouth!!! That is disgusting!
Well, we will be heading on a little getaway next week for a whole week!!! We are all very excited! We will get to spend a whole week visiting with Annie and Brandon and Averie and Beth and Matt and my sister and her kids!!!

Busy, Busy

2006-07-24T14:48:00.000-04:00

This is what we do for torture around here! At least that is what it looks like. We were actually tickling him and he was cracking up!
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This was at the wedding that I was in a last weekend. This little girl, Lannie just thought Rece was the greatest! She just wanted to dance and dance.

And if you would like to check up on Rece's little brother or sister you can go to "Praying This One Sticks" The website will eventually be in the sidebar when I get a chance to update everything.

Happy Anniversary Vicky and Rob!

18 Months

2006-07-18T21:28:00.000-04:00

Today Rece had his 18 month appointment today. It went pretty well. He is between 50th and 75th percentile for weight and between 25th and 50th percentile for height. He got two shots and did not do great but they are the last two shots until he goes to school!!!
Milestone Questions:
Can he walk up the stairs holding someone's hand? Yes, but he prefers to crawl.
Can he throw a ball? And anything else that comes into contact with his hand.
Does he give kisses when he feels like it? Oh, yes
Does he say 4-10 words on a consistent basis? Uh, no. But he signs that many.
The doctor says that the word thing is fine. They would only start to worry about language if at 2 1/2 he wasn't able to string two words together. But he was glad that he could verbalize and appears to hear fine and he is glad about the sign language, because he said at least it is some way to communicate.
So over all it went well.
I am beginning to notice a pattern. He is going to push every milestone to the point of it being very close to the deadline. The doctor said he has a granddaughter that walked late like Rece and he said she is 6 and very healthy but she just had that attitude like, I don't need to do any of this and she didn't potty train until she was almost 4. I kind of figure this will be the case with Rece. He is in a hurry for nothing. Oh well, I should enjoy a laid back child right?

2006-07-17T21:51:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY AND WYATT!

2006-07-14T10:55:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREAT-GREAT-GRANDMA L.!!!!!!!

2006-07-13T21:10:00.000-04:00

He loves it when I blow bubbles(for about 10 seconds) but he likes the wand even better. He brings me the bubbles and signs please. But after about 2 blows he wants the wand and then puts it in his mouth. GROSS. He doesnt' even seem to mind the soap taste.
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Last week for the first time since starting cloth diapers, we got so behind that we ran out of clean ones. So, we used an "old-fashioned" cloth diaper. With regular safety pins. It covered everything but when we peed, we had a wet pillow to clean up. Those diapers to not hold anything. No wonder the need for "rubber pants"!

UPDATE ON WALKING: He now stands up, walks a few steps, either rebalances or falls, gets back up and repeat. He is getting really good at standing up without using anything for help or support. He has even realized that he can squat down to pick things up. It is funny now to turn around and just see him walking toward us. We are still getting used to it.
And he loves chasing the cat and she usually lets him pull on her fur and she doesn't do anything. Well, today he cornered the cat and she didn't like that too much. She bit him, nothing to break skin, just kind of a warning. HE LAUGHED!!

3 Years!

2006-07-12T23:05:00.000-04:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOMMY AND DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!!

18 Months

2006-07-11T10:13:00.000-04:00

Here are his 18 month pictures. It is not easy trying to get him to sit still enough for any pictures. But they do capture his personality pretty well! Nothing was really posed as you can imagine.
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This one is my favorite!
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He kept going to the curtain to lean on it and somehow she captured it with his eyes closed!
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Signing "please"
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Drum Roll......

2006-07-09T08:20:00.000-04:00

So, the blog has been kind of slow lately and this is partly why.....

Yes, mommy is PREGNANT!!!! And everyone is so excited!
But some days are good and some are bad, plus I have an ear infection to add to the occasional morning sickness. I am due Jan. 25, 2007. The baby's website will be coming soon. So stay tuned.

And Rece is doing great with the walking. He just yesterday started to walk to nothing specific. Still only about 6 steps on average then sits but he is getting there. Oh, and he started signing please!!!!!!!!! This one has been the most distinct sign since milk and he hasn't don't that since he stopped nursing. He knows he has to sign please for pretty much everything now. I started at the doctor's office for my ear infection. I was trying to keep him entertained and he was eating crackers, but he had already had enough, so I said nope, no more, unless you sign please, and I just kept doing the sign. And sure enough about 10 minutes later he did it! He sure wanted that cracker. And then he did it again, so I knew it wasn't a fluke. It is great and amazing. We have worked on this sign for a couple of months with no luck and all of a sudden he is a signing machine. Then we were at the park on Friday and I asked if he was ready to go home for a nap and he then signed please then bed! We had his 18 month pictures taken on Friday and we got a picture of him signing please! We will have those up soon.

2006-07-05T08:32:00.000-04:00

Yummy Fries!!! with vinegar!!!!!!! Mommy's boy.
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Kisses for Grandma T!
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This is how he watched the fireworks. He did great, not once jumping or becoming alarmed. And these are some LOUD fireworks! He got distracted occasionally, but watched the whole show. He is such a people person, he loved being downtown!
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Also over the weekend he turned 18 months!!! He still isn't walking but he definitely is working on it. He takes 5 steps or so and then dives to whoever he is walking to.

We also celebrated our 1 year blogging anniversary. We started blogging a year ago on July 4!!

Fun and games! (with a little sleep mixed in)

2006-06-26T10:31:00.000-04:00

Now how sweet is this little boy?!?!?!?
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Sitting on the sofa hanging out with daddy when the game begins

And climbing down!

And wanting back up, but not knowing how unless daddy helps!!

Rinse and Repeat!
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Do you think he was tired, falling asleep sitting up and all. He is getting another molar, so he is a little more tired!
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We went to the park Saturday morning. This was the first time he showed any interest in climbing on the equipment. He loved climbing up the steps and through this tunnel over and over!
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This was at our family reunion yesterday. He loves water. And see that skinned nose? That happened while with Grandma T! How dare she ;)
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He was telling me all about his overnight visit with Grandma T, including the nice scraped nose!

2006-06-21T21:26:00.000-04:00

Today we hung out with Joey and while Joey's mommy ran out to do an errand, I watched the boys. I put Joey in his swing and Rece decided to help push. It was very cute and he knew just what to do. Joey gets a kick out of Rece, however does not like it when Rece grabs his face!
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He has finally decided that he likes sunglasses. It is a great game, he hands them to me, I put them on, he takes them off and repeat!
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UPDATE ON WALKING: He takes steps, but they are still very unstable. But, he is getting very brave. He loves walking/diving between me and Tony and sometimes he will just start walking off in some other direction! It is a great time had by all. It is so fun to watch him advance like this. And, now if you say "Walk to mommy" while he is standing at something, he will turn and do it (of course, only when HE is in the mood!)
But on the other hand he has learned that he can crawl and carry things in his mouth. My concerns about walking, however, are now gone. Progress is all I needed to see.

Now to his speaking. It is pretty clear that Rece is in no hurry to do anything, but his speech has seemed to regress. He barely says anything now. He jibber-jabbers all the time, but very few actual words. Now, I have heard that when focus is on one activity, he may lose focus on another, and clearly a lot of focus is being put on walking, but still! Any thoughts from any of the moms or early childhood majors!! ;)

He has been a lot of fun lately, just laughing at everything. Also, lots of frustration goes along with that. LOTS of temper tantrums!

Oh, and he got his first molar! This child I am sure will never do anything "by the books". He now has his 4 top front teeth, his 3 bottom front teeth and a molar. And it is a top molar, which supposedly "most" kids get their bottom first! He was a champ though. He had one fussy day and was a little more tired for a couple of days, but then bam it was through!

FINALLY

2006-06-14T13:40:00.000-04:00

Check it out!!!! HE STANDS!!!!!!!!!! It only took 17 1/2 months to do it. But yeah, today I would stand him up and he would actually stand there. And he was laughing most of the time. He actually was very controlled when he sat down, very rarely falling. AND HE TOOK 1 STEP!!

2006-06-09T11:19:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREAT-AUNT CLAUDIA AND JESSICA!!!

All kinds of fun things

2006-06-07T19:45:00.000-04:00

************So do you think he likes the lemon or the chili better???**********

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Look what I learned to do!!
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Yesterday, he went back into the bedroom to play and when he goes back there and shuts the door I generally let him play by himself until he starts whining. Well, I heard the door shut, then I heard playing for about 15 min. Then I heard nothing. This is what I found!! Two nights ago was the first time he got to sleep with a pillow in his crib because the last few days he lays his head on a pillow any chance he gets. Now at night he pretty much stays in the same position all night! I still haven't gotten a picture yet.
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We went to Blocks Bagels for lunch. And with lunch comes a pickle. What I was really trying to get a picture of was him using the pickle as a phone to talk to daddy, but then he started doing this as soon as the camera came out of course!
Pictures still to come: sleeping with a pillow at night and using a spoon!

2006-06-03T10:08:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA T!!!

Rough Week

2006-06-01T21:47:00.000-04:00

Well we have had a slightly rough week this week. First of all, to start the week off right our air conditioner does not work! Yay for weather in the 90s. So on Tuesday we were pretty miserable at home and cranky. Well, it turns out that he was cranky for a reason. We all went grocery shopping Tuesday night. And we had said he felt a little warm at the store and so we were going to take his temp. when we got home. Well, as we are pulling into the garage, Tony looks back and says "Oh, he is puking". So I get him out of the car and he continues to throw up. Not fun. By the end of it we all had vomit on us. This was the first time Rece had really thrown up, so he was a little scared and upset. I would be too. So, Rece and I got into a bath together and cleaned up. His temp was 100.7. We decided to all sleep in the basement since it was cooler and we decided to let Rece sleep with us on the futon. I now know that co-sleeping is 100% not for us! I barely got any sleep. How does such a little body take up so much room and move so much??? But it was important that I would be right there if he started throwing up again. The next morning his temp. was 101 but has since gone back to normal and no more throwing up.
Don't worry Averie, I am pretty sure it is all out of my system. I haven't had a fever since Wednesday morning!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHILLIP!

HOT HOT HOT

2006-05-30T16:25:00.000-04:00

This weekend we went to visit Averie! Boy was it hot out! We went shopping with the mommies while the daddies did hard manual labor!! We had lots of fun playing. Of course I ruined it by grabbing her face. She wanted nothing to do with me after that! :) I can't believe I get to see her next weekend too! Her mommy is babysitting me while mommy goes out!

This was one of Averie's new kittens. I was trying very hard to be gentle!

I tried so hard to climb up, but I never did quite make it!*************************************************************************

I went swimming in Grandma's big pool yesterday but mommy forgot to take her camera. Silly mommy! This was today in my little pool. This is how I preferred to play in the water. I love splashing.

My Great Escape!!

2006-05-24T19:34:00.000-04:00

Rece has been a little under the weather and he loves just hanging out with me on the couch especially when he is tired or sick! I love that. And he is getting pretty good about getting off the couch without divebombing!

He was just laughing up a storm here. It almost looks like he is standing, but don't worry he isn't! He is just up on his knees.

Rockin' out with the boom box!

This is his new way of crawling! You think this is one step closer to walking? He only does this outside but it is pretty funny.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BETH AND MATT!

Ok this is totally unrelated to any of the above. I don't usually use this blog as a place to put my views or for anything me related. Well, this is Rece related I guess.
Why does everyone think that their way to parent is the perfect and only way to parent??? This has been driving me nuts lately. I know everyone thinks that they are making the right decisions for their children, so do I, but people act like they are 100% certain of what they are doing. Why?? There is no proven method, not to mention every parent and child is different. I don't know any other child like mine. And I don't know why other people think that they might know better than I do about raising my child. Why are there constant debates?? Do what is right for you. Obviously everyone is going to have their own views about certain issues, but why can't you have your own views but also accept that that isn't the only view? I used to be like this before I had kids...I know, like someone without kids has room to judge. But ever since having Rece I have been very open minded to other peoples ways. Maybe it is because I have changed my mind a few times or maybe it is because I see my friends' kids and see that they are so different from Rece and each other. Who knows, but I am glad that I don't feel the need to judge. Again, I am not saying that I am totally judge free, because I do sometimes say oh, I would never do that, but I never say Why would you do that to your child? Some issues that I speak of...
Breastfeeding..and if you do, do you do if for more than a year? Yes
Co-sleeping? No
Crying it out? Yes, I used this method for Rece and I will for my other children. And he is still a very happy, healthy, well-adjusted child. He still is a mama's boy and loves his hugs and kisses. I do not believe I damaged him in any way.
Pacifiers? In general I would rather not use them, but I did for 5 months with Rece. This shows that it depends on the child.
Natural birth vs. medicated? Natural-waterbirth hopefully next time.
hypnobirthing...we used this and some people thought we were nuts.
cloth diapering vs. disposables? Now cloth and love them. I said I would never use cloth. Never say never.
Solids at 3 months? Solids at 6 months? 6 months
Constantly teaching or sitting back and observing? More of an observer
TV or no TV? We are kind of on the line with this. I have the TV on while Rece is in the room for part of the day, but I don't ever put shows on for him and I probably won't for a while.
Spanking? Definitely not for us.
Vaccinate or not? Vaccinate
The debates could go on and on. And just because I do or do not believe in certain things for myself doesn't mean they don't work for other people. These are the things that worked for us. And I think everyone should stop doing what "they" say and go with your gut. That has been the only way that we have worked. Every time we go with what "they" say it backfires. I guess we don't have the perfect child. Who knew??? Feel free to bring up your own debates that you have had to deal with. And please feel free to disagree with me, out loud or to yourself! :) And you can state your opinion or defend why the method works for you without putting others down!

2006-05-22T12:30:00.000-04:00

The first picture is before we went on a walk in the morning. This was the first time I did babylegs with shorts. Tony is not so sure of it, but they kept him warm, so oh well. The second picture is after the walk. I laid him down thinking that he would wake up immediately but he just kind of hung out there!! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDON!

2006-05-20T15:40:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUBY!!

2006-05-19T08:05:00.000-04:00

HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY UNCLE KEITH!!!
HAVE BUT AND BE CAREFUL!!

Mother's Day

2006-05-16T12:49:00.000-04:00

Well for Mothers Day Rece was in a wonderful mood!! He must have known. We started off by going to church and he just talked and talked. We have a very small family oriented church so luckily we aren't forced to go into the "cry room" just because he is a little loud. Usually we get lots of smiles and compliments on what a happy boy he is. He was getting a little too loud so we did cover his mouth a couple times. But what does a 16 month old boy do when that happens?? Tries to talk louder or tries to bite! After church we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house (Tony's parents). That is where these pictures are taken. As you can see lots of kids. The little boy in the orange is Kayden and he is one week younger than Rece and the one in the sweatpants is Gage who is 1 month and 5 days younger than Rece. Wyatt is 2 1/2 in the background with the overalls. Yes of the three younger boys, mine is the oldest and the only one not walking!! He had fun playing with them.

The second picture is Kayden and Rece. It is impossible to get 3 one-year olds to face the camera at the same time! And the last pictures is just of his cute outfit! Then later that night we went out with my mom and the rest of my family to Abracci's. It is a VERY nice Italian restaurant. I didn't expect them to have kid's menus but they did. And the server was great, he even filled the milk directly into the sippy cup. We have never had anyone offer to do that before. Rece ate his pasta great and he was still in a good mood. Squealing like usual! I am surprised we didn't get any complaints! But unfortunately he is not quite at the age where he understands inside voices :)

2006-05-15T12:40:00.000-04:00

So many May birthdays!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHASITY!!

Mother's Day pictures and stories to come!

2006-05-14T09:21:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SYDNEY!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL THE MOMMYS OUT THERE ALSO!

Jokes on Mommy

2006-05-12T15:30:00.000-04:00

Today, I was changing Rece's diaper. Routine diaper change until he starts peeing. He doesn't do this very often, but it happens occasionally. I covered him up as I was saying, "Dude, what is that all about". HE STARTED LAUGHING! Not just smirks and smiles. NO! He was giggling! Who taught him that trying to pee on mommy is funny? Cause whoever you are, you are in trouble! Actually it was pretty funny and I couldn't help but to laugh after that.

This website hasn't really been all that exciting lately. Sorry about that, but you will have to take it up with Rece. It seems his development has come to a bit of a halt. Not much new and exciting going on around here. Even his teething has slowed down. His last one came in about 2 months ago, leaving the count at 7. I think that is coming back though. Today he has been a little bit grumpier and whinier than usual. And he seems a little warm but the thermometer says no fever. So, only time will tell! We have got such a busy couple of months ahead of us, so hopefully soon we will have some good pictures and good stories to tell...baby shower, graduation party, bridal shower, confirmation, a bachelorette party(which Rece will not be attending), 3 weddings, another graduation and party and a family reniun! WHEW we are going to be exhausted! And that is only the stuff that we know about and have gotten invitations to! Not to mention a birthday party that we can't attend cause too much is going on! Have a good weekend and if we don't post before HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

2006-05-10T14:54:00.000-04:00

These are our new friends Benjamen and Rachel!!! They are only a few weeks old. Their big brother is Samuel!

Rece can just crawl around on our little cement patio for like an hour. No toys, just crawling! His 18 month pants are never going to survive to the next child!

Is anyone else starting to believe this child will never walk??? This is how he prefers to use his "walking" toys! 16 months and 23+ lbs. come one Rece I need my back for a long time still!!

HAPPY 20TH ANNIVERSARY AUNT CLAUDIA AND UNCLE TOM!!!

2006-05-08T11:36:00.000-04:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY LAURA AND ERIC!! HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT BUSY MONTH!

2006-05-03T08:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we met Averie and Beth halfway between where each of of lives. This was at Bob Evans. We went to the mall and shopped a little and then had lunch. Then we headed off home. Hopefully now that we found this halfway with a playground we can do this more often!!

I told you he loves milk!!!

This is he fuzzibuns diaper. We finally tried it last night. It was great, he didn't poo, but the pee stayed in great! We did put in an extra insert just to be on the safe side.

"Peek-a-boo"
He just recently has very actively been playing peek-a-boo. He covers his hands with his eyes usually. It is really cute.

Who eats cardboard and paper??? My son of course. He has been actually biting the cardboard off the books. Twice just this morning I have had to go fishing in his mouth for the pieces!!

2006-05-02T07:29:00.000-04:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY GRANDMA AND GRANDPA!!!
YAY FOR 25 YEARS!

Growing Up

2006-05-01T10:33:00.000-04:00

Look how grown up he looks. Of course he would look even more grown up if he didn't have to hold onto the door for support!! ;) Who knows when this child will walk. He is not in a hurry to do anything....just like his daddy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE BILLY!!

And check out the new contest We would LOVE to get a few more cloth diapers!!

WOOHOO

2006-04-30T10:08:00.000-04:00

Happy 10 year (dating) anniversary to Mommy and Daddy (yesterday)!!!!!!!

I can't believe that we have been together for 10 years...a whole decade!! That is just crazy. I love you Tony!!

Cloth Diapers

2006-04-28T15:50:00.000-04:00

Well I thought I would give everyone an update on the cloth diaper biz. I LOVE THEM. We are 100% cloth diapers and mostly cloth wipes. We still use disposable wipes when we go out and about. And I am assuming Rece loves them too because his diaper rash/staph infection is GONE!!!! YAY! We have 13 bumGenius. I really like those and am glad that I decided to go with those for the majority. They are great overnight even. I just add an extra insert and voila totally dry in the morning. Then I have 1 bumpkins AIO. This one is so-so. I don't think I like AIO(all-in-ones) in general. It takes forever to dry. Plus it seems a little big although we are in the weight range. I haven't had any leaking problems, but have been too scared to try these overnight. I would like to try another brand of AIO so I can see if it is just in general I don't like them or if it is brand preference. Any suggestions??? Then we also have 1 Fuzzibuns. I like them, again haven't tried them at night but I have a feeling with an added insert they would also be fine. And we also have 1 swaddlebees. So far, my least favorite of the pocket diapers. It just doesn't seem to have as much coverage and I don't like how they snap quite as well. They still work fine and I know the coverage issue is supposed to be for a trim fit, but I would rather have better coverage. I will post a picture of Rece in one of the colored cloth diapers later.

2006-04-28T08:28:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILLY!!

2006-04-25T12:42:00.000-04:00

I would never do such a thing as put grass in my mouth! Never!!

What? You mean tampons are for women?

This is what I find every day when I am getting ready. He is obsessed with my make-up and tampons. Should I be worried ;)

He put daddy's shorts over his head all by himself. But, to say the least he was not happy when he could not take them off by himself.

Rece refuses all vegies. I used to be able to get him to eat a couple. Then it went to I could at least get them in his mouth but they would come back out. Now, when I do the airplane, this is what happens. He laughs and covers his mouth! Although this night he did put a couple of peas in his mouth on his own, then spit them out. Step in the right direction right?

Groomed

2006-04-19T11:08:00.000-04:00

Notice the dog, Shrek in the picture

VOILA!!! He always looks so much smaller :)

"Come Here Shrek!!!"

He loved going up and down the two little steps. And he actually went down backwards once!!

YAY for warm weather!!

Thank You

2006-04-18T08:57:00.000-04:00

Thanks everyone for voting, but he didn't win :( Oh, well. If you would like to check out the winner you can here.