Trick or Treat!

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!!!!

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.

Labor Day

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!

Meeting the new cousin

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!

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!!

All kinds of fun things

************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!

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?

Trying threes, Terrible twos, ???? ones....

My Studious little man!!



















This is how dinner started! He ate pretty well, but...















...This is how it ended! This is how a lot of our meals either end or start or both.












He hasn't been doing terrible for meals, just a lot of throwing of food. He thinks he needs to feed Shrek! I have heard that refusing meals is very common at this age. But, I think we have figured something out. Today for lunch he did great, he had ham, cheese, apples, sweet potatoes, and corn dogs(cut into VERY VERY small pieces). Well, I just cut everything up and basically filled his tray. HE ATE ALMOST EVERYTHING!!!!! Only about 5 pieces total went to the dog. I think that maybe by putting quite a bit on his tray it is too much to throw so he just leaves it there if he doesn't want it. He ate ham successfully for the first time. He tried cheese 4 times on his own, no pushing on my part. 3 times it came right back out of his mouth, but that is ok, he TRIED it. He ate real pieces of apple for the first time also. He loves apples, which is wonderful! He likes taking a bite off of my apples better than me cutting them up for him though. I also think he just likes feeding himself more than getting spoon fed now...it's about time! So, I think we will be sticking to fingerfoods more than not!

Eating and Sleeping

Ok, so the biggest issues and concerns I have had with Rece are eating and sleeping. That is no big surprise. His sleeping has really been going great almost every time. And his eating isn't horrible. But, I am still a little paranoid about him choking. So, things like hot dogs especially I chop into miniscule pieces. Also, there are some things that he is just not allowed to have and probably won't be for quite a while, such as chips, pop, peanuts(anything with peanuts in it). I also am very big on him getting veggies and fruits and not too many sweets. There are other things too but just off the top of my head those are a few. Not everyone feels this way, but sometimes people don't think about asking before offering your child something. And with his sleeping I am kind of particular about his naps and such. If he doesn't get one of his naps it screws the whole next day up. There are times that things happen and he doesn't get one and that is life, I understand that. But, now here is my dilemma, when Tony and I go out and leave him with a babysitter how do we express these things without sounding too nitpicky(or is it ok to be nitpicky with him)? Like for an example(sorry mom) when Grandma was over here a few nights ago, she brought ice cream. It was Moose Tracks(YUM) and she was about to give it to Rece. I was reminded that there is peanut butter in there and so I stopped it immediately. But, what would have happened had I not been there? I would have freaked had I found out. I am sure that he would have been fine, but I just don't want him having certain things yet. And I think sometimes when you leave your baby with someone, they think everything should be done their way or if they don't have kids, then they go on what they have heard, or if it is with an older generation, whose kids are grown, they forget what it is like to have a baby and wanting to do things perfectly and your own way and think that they know better. Do you get over this fear? How do you bring up these subjects with babysitters or grandparents? And, how do you know that they will abide by your rules once you leave? I have worried about this kind of stuff from day one and I know most people say oh you will relax once you have another one. But, am I so wrong to want to do things my way? Especially since I am the one home with him all day.

It's the little things...

We got our first good baby carrier. It is called a mei tai. We can wear him on our front, back and hip. The back is a little tricky by myself, so we will stick to the other two unless daddy is with us. (First picture)
Lately Rece has been showing signs of stacking things. (Picture 2) He tries to put anything and everything on top of things. We find things on our couches, our desk and anywhere else he can reach, especially peek-a-blocks!
He is also officially off of baby foods. He is fighting us on vegetables right now but for the most part he is doing great! We make him try everything and if he doesn't like it right now I am not forcing it. He still has his temper tantrum meals but they are fewer and farther between! He is however great at drinking milk, juice or water, as mentioned before. He now has 6 teeth!! 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. He no longer is our little vampire. Lately, especially today, he has been a little chatterbox. All kind or sounds and syllables and pitches are coming out of him. Especially the laughs. He has so many different laughs! (3rd picture-look how ornrey!) He is definitely saying "more" a lot. Pretty much when he wants something he will say it, unless he is in a bad mood, then the whining never ends. I am also sure he is saying "bye". Every time we went out into the garage he would say "ba ba ba ba ba" over and over. Then one time I said "Say Bye" and he made the same sound, so I believe the little smarty pants knows when we go into the garage that we are going bye bye! "Milk" is also a new one that I think he might be saying, but not sure yet. And now he is all over the place. We can't keep him still. He doesn't want or need mommy and daddy for entertainment anymore. Crawl, Crawl, Crawl. As I type he just crawled head first into a wall! Daddy is a little sad that he doesn't want us to play with him! Soon enough he will be wanting to play board games and xbox, I know. He is also growing like a weed. He got measured and weighed on Wednesday and is 30 in. and 23 lbs.! And he is in 18 month clothing!!!















Sorry Grandma T I think that his eyes are green/hazel officially.




















Do you see the long line of drool?

Our Little Sweet Tooth!

Last night after dinner we had a dessert that was chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. Very Rich. So, we decided not to give Rece any, or at least I did. Because of all the chocolate, we knew he couldn't have his own piece and because of his little temper tantrums (we had to take him out of ColdStone Creamery one time cause his ice cream was gone) we knew we couldn't give him just one bite. Well, daddy decided to give him a bite and of course he wanted more. Daddy only gave him a couple of bites and he didn't do to bad, but saw that daddy still had a plate even though he was saying all gone. So daddy put the plate up to Rece's face to see what he would do. Sure enough HE LICKED IT! It was so funny. I didn't think at this age they knew how to actually lick!!!

So Many Things...

Ok where do we start...

My friend Averie came down this past weekend. We had lots of fun with the daddies while the mammas worked on painting our basement(will post pictures when it is finished!). Her mommy thinks she is teething so she was slightly unhappy this weekend, but we love her anyway! : )
Averie says "Please stop touching me!!!!!!!!"

In other new, Daddy had to leave this morning for Chicago for work!! :( We had to leave the house at 6:00 to have him at his coworkers house. For once mommy and daddy had to wake me up! He will be back on Thursday afternoon.

Okay, mommy talking now...Is this normal...Rece eats very large meals, like adult size portions. Just a couple of examples: For breakfast maybe a baby bowl of baby oatmeal, a whole banana and a cereal bar. Or for dinner, he ate an entire potpie and mashed potatoes! This isn't every time but it is the majority, usually 2 out of 3 meals a day! It is crazy, does anyone else have a child who eats this much at this age?

Attack of the Graham Cracker!

Well, Rece had his first graham cracker and wouldn't ya know that this is when he chooses to learn to bite pieces off of food instead of just sucking on it! I thought he would do his usual thing and just suck until it got mushy...NO...he sticks as much in his mouth as he possibly can and then takes a huge bite. Moves it around his mouth until it mushes and then swallows. He did pretty good but there were a couple gags and once he was almost out of his highchair because there was a scare...he made the coughing face but no noise was coming out! I almost had his buckle undone and he finally got it out...a little scary!

Here is the beginning...nice and clean and a whole craker!

Now note this cracker was whole...see how much he shoved in his mouth at once!

The graham cracker has attacked! The aftermath.

I LOVE BEETS!!

Rece is doing much better with table food. He is STARTING to adjust. He prefers to feed himself. We seem to have better luck when that happens. In the last few days he has had pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns, waffles, chicken, beets, pears, etc. He loves beets...he even makes his "yumyumyum" sound while he is eating them. We are still having trouble with the canned fruits, which I don't blame him. I am not a big fan of canned fruits but fresh fruits just aren't that great this time of year. So we supplement a little with baby fruit! Today we had our first baby food-free lunch! He had some of a chicken patty, a little bit of canned pears, and a few beets....Beets he didn't get to eat on his own...just a little too messy and they stain! But he loved them. I am still a little paranoid about him choking so some of his bites are microscopic until I see how he handles them, but I am getting better.
In other good and surprising news Rece is napping wonderfully, maybe too wonderful! Yesterday he took a 3 hour and 45 minute nap!!!!! That is unheard of around here. And it wasn't just a fluke! He has consistently been taking 2-3 hour naps ever since we moved him to one nap/day. I think I am going to stop letting him sleep past 3 hours though because then he doesn't need as much sleep at night!!!! Well, I will leave you with just a cute picture of Rece, nothing to do with this post!

Alright, it is National DeLurking week...so everyone who is checking out my website come out of hiding and leave a comment! And just so you have something to comment on...I need some thoughts or advice if you have any:
Rece is really having a hard time transitioning to table food. He likes his baby food so much that he resists trying table food. He will eat a few things well, but mostly he turns his head at everything. He is having issues with texture too...on his hands and in his mouth. And the only thing I can get him to eat on his own is fruit/veggie puffs! I need help...I am ready to stop buying baby food soon!

Yesterday we had a big birthday party for me!!!!!! YEAH!!! This is my cake that my mimi made me (or Grandma T, whichever she prefers!) I didn't really get as into the cake as mom would have liked...actually I had a screaming fit before I would even touch it...but eventually I decided it was really good, I just didn't really want to touch it! Then

we got to open gifts...and man did I get a lot of them. I was just lost in all of it, cause there were quite a few kids there that wanted in the middle of everything...but I got LOTS of toys and some clothes and some money!!!! Oh, and in other news.......drum roll please.....I STARTED CRAWLING!!!!!!!....and it only took me a year to do it. I am still not all over the place but just little crawls so far!

Happy Thanksgiving!! We spent the day first at Grandma Beanie and Grandpa Rocky's house, then we went to Great-Grandma Clara and Great-Grandpa Bill's. The first picture is of me and my cousin Gage. He is crawling and since I am not, he pushed me over then climbed on top of me. He was in my face so I screamed and cried (and most of you know that ear-piercing scream that I have), then he started crying. And to make it worse all the grown-ups were laughing!! I ate some pumpkin pie, some mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. All were really good except the cranberry sauce!! Hope everyone else had a good day : )