Well Baby Check-up

Nico went for his 2yr old well baby dr visit and he is doing just as well as we already knew ;) He is 30.75 lbs and 37.25 inches. He is growing well. He refused to talk to the dr but he did comply with her requests. Maybe he knew that he was going to get some shots. Who knows. He was a blabbermouth once she closed the door and he could get dressed. I told you he was headstrong!

Weekend Plans

Nico's weekend plans were abruptly changed when his Aunt Jamie called and requested to hang out with him. How could his Momma say no? So off he went to spend time with Jamie and his cousin Ryann. It meant some early morning wake-ups for Aunt Jamie but she managed to make them earn their keep.

He's 2 and there is photo proof :}

there were candles to blow out w/ a little help from Daddy

presents to open

songs to sing with the gift of all gifts- his new guitar

and I did not count but he certainly had more than one cupcake

We celebrated Nico's birthday with family, fun and yummy goodness. Two years has flown by and we have really enjoyed the ride!

Two Years of Wonderful Nico!

Today is Nico's birthday! We have had a busy morning. He got a chance to play with some new friends at his new school and then he picked out enough balloons to float away.

His day is off to a great start! Can't wait to see what other great things transpire :)

Sunday Fun

After Nico's nap, I put some shaving creme on his table and let him have some sensory fun.

What did he do?

-clapped his hands together and shouted as the shaving cream rained down on him

-talked to the table as he made his creations: "Circle", "Nico", "Elephant"

-rubbed his hands together enjoying the squishing sound

- put shaving cream on each of his fingers individually

-complained when it got on his face

-drew things and erased them with his other hand

-sang

-pointed out the shapes that I made, line, snail

-imitated the sound of the shaving cream coming out of the can

-slid around on his shaving cream covered chair

Just had an all around good time!!

Ok,so

I left the light on for him. Before I went to bed I thought about how I did not put him to bed and I missed the evening snuggles, confident that I would be snuggling with him soon. Well I woke up and my bed was empty. He slept. He slept through the night. In his own bed, he snoozed.

I missed him :(

First Starbucks

Nico and I went to Starbucks yesterday. The chill, the rain and the long day made a Starbuck's run quite fitting. So N go his first hot chocolate. He loved the chocolate goodness. I mean what is not to like?

Silly Nico

Today N and I were playing around. I could not get him to be a good subject so I just started playing around with him. Oh well, we know how to keep this kid happy.

Perfect Match

I made Nico his very first matching game. It is an animal match up and after showing it him one time he got the hang of it. Go Nico! He is so funny as he turns he says, "no, no, no elephant. Oh, elephant, Yay!" So cute! It keeps him pretty occupied which is always a good thing :)

23 Months!

Nico is saying/doing:

"Yummy, yum, mmmm,mmmmm" accompained by a head shake and smile.

"Come on guys" while grabbing our hands.

"No, no!" You could not have thought that one was done.

"Good morning!" followed by kisses and snuggles.

Nico is enjoying:

Watching Backyardigans

Playing ball with his Daddy

Splashing in the water at the sink.

Banging on his drums and making some pretty good sounds.

Nico is eating and loving:

broccoli

steamed carrots

cheese!!

It is really great watching him growing and being such a big boy with his own preferences. He is stubborn (like me), loving, inquisitive, eager and not much of a sleeper.

We love him beyond words!

for Nico

if perfection could be measured

it would be

7 pounds

11

24

08

the greatest thrill

going from nothing

to something

a purpose

the reason for air

life

the truest laughter

the happiest of days

no snips and snails

but all boy

all mine

for eternity

Today is National Day of Writing and this is the poem I wrote during 4th period.

in auntie's arms

Nico had a great Sunday afternoon hanging out with his Auntie and his cousin R. They walked to the park and played soccer. R is the goalie of her team and N loves watching her play. So while she was getting some practice time in, N was alternating between kicking and throwing the ball, picking up acorns and sticks and just running wild and free. Some of his favorite moments were spent cuddling with his Auntie.

Sensory Tub

Nico's first sensory tub! Yay! Sensory tubs are a simple way for little ones to explore things with their hands. I made Nico's tub with a fall theme. Some of the things in the tub were: leaves, cinnamon sticks, mini gourds, mini pumpkins, a wooden plate, a rake and eventually Nico :)

Ok, Nico

When did you get so big? It is perfectly ok to slow this thing down a bit. Your Momma can barely handle it. You funny little, constantly talking, expressive face self is the best thing ever and Momma really wants to savor every second. So with that said, I love you more every minute!

things Nico likes

*saying "No"

* the Geico commercial w/ the pig saying "whee, whee, whee all the way home"

*opening his mouth in surprise and turning up his hands and saying "where"- he does both of these multiple times during the day

*reading books, too many books

* blowing bubbles

*climbing on anything

*the remote control, he likes to be in charge of things

* singing

Out of the Crib

The days of putting my sleeping/drowsy/too awake babe are now behind me. This little Hercules woke me up last night to scoot over and give him some room. I knew that he could scale his crib if he was frustrated and eager to get out, but he used to just call for me and wait for me to scoop him up- wait this means I won't hear him calling for me in the middle of the night. This is really going to be different but I digress. Anyway we transformed his crib into the toddler bed and he seemed pretty excited. I loaded his bed up with all kinds of stuffed critters- a whale, a bear, Tramp from Lady and the Tramp fame and a microphone. Want to know how long he lasted? About 2 seconds before he was running back out to us laughing. It turned into a ping-pong match. Us putting him to bed and him returning to us laughing his head off. It took a breathing treatment and some serious threats to get Bam Bam down for the night. Hope this one isn't a long one ;P

the haps

Nico has been up to a lot. He is always on the go and I am always thinking of ways to keep him busy or engaged. Some of the things we have been up to this weekend are lots of reading, lots of playing and a few outside activities. One thing that we tried this weekend was Muffin Tin meals. I discovered these cool things on-line and basically they are simply a meal placed in a muffin tin. They can have a theme or be pretty random. This weekend Nico had two. The first one is pictured above: quesadilla, edamame, steamed carrots,salsa, green peppers and grapes. The second one he had as breakfast before church. I think he likes them :) Nico and I also made home-made play dough. The best part was it was super easy and I didn't cringe when he was eating some of it- no gross toxins for my sweetie.

22 months and a day!

Wow, wow, wow he is almost 2! Can't believe it, I am pinching myself as I type. He is growing,growing, growing and turning into such a big boy. I love watching him grow and miss the baby stage all at the same time. Today we went to Mommy and Tot Yoga and he had a great time. He was able to do the moves and he eventually warmed up to socialize with the other children. I loved watching him contort his body- he is so strong! Amazing little boy who I love to pieces:)

Ten for Tuesday- the Nico one

On my blog I always do the ten for Tuesday well it is late on Tuesday and I haven't gotten around to it and I needed to update N's blog so I just combined the two. Plus there have been so many things that N has done lately that I don't want to forget.

1. When I went to get him out of his bed this am he said, "Good Morning" I about melted on the spot.

2. When we said our grace at dinner tonight it was so stinking cute. He always repeats what I say or chimes in with me when he knows the words. Tonight when I said, "Thank you Lord for the birds that sing" he chirped. Absolutely too cute!

3. He loves bubbles. In the tub I always blow bubbles to him and he tries to catch them but seeing him try to blow them with me is hilarious.

4. He was a party animal at Ryann's party. He had a ball. He danced, he jumped off the couch...he was doted on by the ladies.

5. What is the funniest thing ever? I gave him some Pixy Stick in grape and his face was too flippin' adorable. Shock, disgust, confusion all muddled together. He did not want any more.

6. He is great at understanding choices. Juice or milk? You want to read, in My Pond or That is Not My Car? Mommy or Daddy? He gets it.

7. He has taken to refusing t he phone. He will Skype with you but don't call him.

8. He still loves his Baby Einstein dvds. He just loves them as background noise but he is not in a trance watching them so I can't complain.

9. At his daycare, his friends always yell out my arrival and that smile he gives when he sees me truly is priceless.

10. He is consistently sleeping through the night. I kid, I kid ;)

Healthy Boy!

N visited the nutritionist today and got glowing remarks! He is super healthy and is just perfect ;) Really he is. His weight is in the 60th percentile and his height is in the 80th percentile. His adjusted diet is working well for him and she has no concerns. Wonderful news. I will keep up what we are doing and she even gave me some new recipes to try. I feel much better than I did when we first got the diagnosis. We are all coping well.

In other news N is using sentences now. How cool. His vocabulary is improving and he is being so much more communicative. He asked his Daddy, "Where the ball?" and I think I melted. Oh my I love that little boy. No worries he is still saying his usual, "NO!" "nooooooooo" and "Mine"- it really balances things out.

Weekend Away

N spent the weekend with his Auntie J. He had a ball running all over her house, shopping and going to the park. There was some freak mishap with her cell phone but he is not telling the details. He loved waking her up by 6:30 and keeping her going

all day. He came back in one piece but was awfully grouchy, his late afternoon nap helped out with that issue. Here he is modeling the new jammies his Auntie got him...doggone tired and pretty doggone cute too!

Seriously

I could not love this handsome little boy any more than I already do. He, my friends, is really too cool for school!

21 Months!.

bigger, bigger, BIGGER. Nico is getting much bigger. He seems like he is so tall and he is feeling rather solid. All of a sudden he is looking much more big boy like. Oh and there is really no rule that the terrible twos start at two. This boy is getting a head start on that one. He is trying my patience in new ways. Kicking, hitting, running away...yeah, he is such a handful.

Ways Nico is like

A stalker, ex-boyfriend:

the multiple times he calls me during the night and is not put off by me ignoring his calls

how he shows up in all of these random places

he doesn't take no for an answer

how he appears over my head when I am asleep

Ways he is like my middle school crush:

he is SO adorable that just seeing him makes me giddy

the way I love saying his name

I talk about him all the time

I check him out from head to toe every single day

And I am sure that there are more on both counts but I have bags to pack. We return to reality tomorrow. A tear, a tear! Shoot a tsumani is more accurate.

Sometimes

N does something that makes me die laughing like trying to get on his rocking horse by doing some running jump that lands him on his side with the horse on top of him.

Or he will do something that makes me wonder who is teaching him when I am not looking. Like him knowing the sounds an elephant makes or how to do flips.

And then he will do something that has me shaking my head. You know climbing on the middle of the table or splashing enough water on the floor to make me think we have a leaking roof.

I always love when he gives me an unsolicited kiss or hug.

And even though I know I should be bothered, there is something so special about him saying "Mommy, Mommy" even if it is 2 am and he wants to get in our bed.

But I really love those moments when he understands something and he makes it his own. I love watching him learn and grow and throw tantrums (just seeing if you were still reading) and laugh and jump and play and dance. He dances like no one else.

Because sometimes just sometimes I am not too busy or too caught up in myself to remember that he is all that matters.

I should have known

he was just too quiet

gorgeous smile!

playing with the kangaroo and the giant toothbrush

showing off the smile that couldn't get any more gorgeous

this is when I told him to show Grammy his pretty smile, he couldn't resist

So N went to the dentist for the first time. He was not pleased. He cried during the cleaning but that was a pretty quick process. The upside to it all is that I loved his dentist and during the week since his check-up he has let us brush his teeth without so much of the dramatics. I guess all of the gushing we did over his pretty smile, the getting a new tooth brush and being allowed to play with floss has changed this little man.

Night Out

Last night we celebrated the National Night Out with our neighbors. We hung out at the lake with the first responders and all of their cool equipment. There was a big turn out of folks, free food, games, prizes and an overall festive atmosphere. N had a great time running from neat thing to neat thing. He especially loved watching the helicopter land and take off. His eyes were as big as saucers when the helicopter whizzed overhead. He wasn't the only one impressed, I loved it too. We had a great evening and by the time we walked back N was asleep in his carrier.

hanging out on the helicopter

taking in the cool trucks

the cutest little fireman ever!

first time in a bounce house

Gotta have friends

N had a nice play date with his buddy Toby. I don't think there is anything on wheels that these fellas don't enjoy :)

did you catch that?

that was Nico leaving you in the dust :)

20 Months!

So on Saturday N turned 20 months and there was no better way to spend the day than with his great grandparents, his grandparents, his aunts, uncle and favorite cousin R. We had a nice, albeit super hot day eating loads of bar-b-que and drinking tons of water. Nico came home from his grandparents on Friday and I can't believe how much I missed him. Just seeing his eyes light up when he saw me just melted my heart. He seems even more toddler like since he got home. He is talking much more, a million teeth came in and he is on the go more than ever. This little boys runs everywhere. He doesn't walk he just runs. I feel like I may say "Slow down" more times a day then I blink. But you know I wouldn't have it any other way. The house seemed quiet without him and I am so thrilled that his little self is filling our home up again. What seems different about this little guy:

he is talking more than ever

he is so independent

he is climbing on everything

he has figured out how to maneuver in all kinds of situations

he has opening and closing doors down

he is singing SO much, I am talking endless singing

he has learned the word No and he is not afraid to use it :P

he is so into his cousin, he follows her to the end of the earth

I am looking forward to uncovering more about this stage, it certainly seems rather exciting!

Vacay!

Fun times in the pool!

the first Skype

Yesterday, we had our first Skype with Nico. I was so hesitant to do it because I didn't want to upset him. Well, guess it won't be the first or the last time that Nico proves me wrong! He was fine. He smiled and was so shy when we tried to talk to him and then he could not be contained. He wanted to get down and run after his cousin. He was more interested in eating his noodles and being on the go. Oh well. He wasn't traumatized and we got to see just how great he is doing. I would call that a success :)

Nico Update

(from the grandparents)

*he slept, all night mind you, in a full size bed and he did not get up once

*he loves running around outside

*he is eating very well, including a huge helping of mac -n- cheese

*he is staying up very late

* he is very stubborn and headstrong (he gets that from his momma and daddy equally)

oh, and he is not interested in chatting with his parents!

Dearest Nico,

My sweet baby boy. You have been gone for a few days and your Daddy and I are amazed at how big your absence is to us. The first day it was so quiet. I mean very, very quiet. It feels strange not having you blur by us on your way to your big adventures. And not reading your favorite stories every night is just plain odd. I walked in your room today and put away some of your clothes. You know what was missing...you taking them out of the drawers before I could get them in good. Or you hanging on my legs as I walk. I know your Daddy is missing all of the playing you guys do. The laughing, playing the keyboard and rolling around on the floor. I don't think he has watched Sanford and Son since you have been gone. It would be strange not having you dancing as the show comes on.

But the upside to all of this is we know that you are off having big adventures with your grandparents. You are being showered with love. And that is what makes us the happiest is to know that there are so many people who love you like we do. So I hope you are enjoying running in the grass, swimming in the pool and just doing everything that you can while you are in Florida.

We love you and miss you so much!

Love, Momma

19 months!!

Is he too young to go away for a month? Nah, he is doing big things!! Today was a super full day. N had his last day of school, hung out with my friend Rhoda who traveled all the way from Denver and came straight to see him when she got off the plane, headed over to his auntie's house to spend the night and cuddled with his big cousin. And no matter how full today was, tomorrow is an even bigger day. He gets to go to Miami and hang out with his grandparents. My boy is living the life. Trust me when I say, 19 months has never been so big time!!!

thanks Toni

for coming to hang out with me before i go away. and teaching me how to electric slide. and making me laugh. blowing me kisses. chasing me around and just showing me your love. you tired me out and i feel asleep listening to Bob Marley.....bliss.

Happy Father's Day

yeah, he gets it from his Daddy.....2 Cool!

Happy Father's Day! You are and will always be the KING!!!

big boy news

* N is in love with Baby Einstein's dvds. He grabs them and tries to put them in the dvd player. He walks around with the cases. I think he would be content with watching them things all day long.

* His allergy testing results came back. We will have to do some adjusting of his diet and soon.

* He loves being in the tub. I can hardly get him out of the water. I predict many pool days in his near future.

* I think we are pretty much finished with the bottle. He will take them but he is doing a great job drinking out of his sippy.

* he is turning into such a big boy... his cheeks are getting smaller, legs are getting longer and his vocabulary is growing, teen yrs here we come.

* he knows so many of his books by name. I asked him to get me some and he came back with all of them. When I lined them up on the bed, he could pick them out. What was the most awesome was when he was reading and he kept saying "please, baby please" and those are the words from the story. Too cute!

* i love him so much and being his momma is the best :)

solo adventures

Well N is less than 2 weeks away from going on his LONG excursion with his grandparents so I guess it is fitting that he is going on more adventures without his Momma. Today my sister and niece took N to a picnic in VA. My niece's friend hosts an annual Welcome Summer Picnic and my niece was nice enough to take N along for the ride. According to his aunt, he had a ball. He played, ate well, drank his weight in water----today was rather hot and he played with a little baby. He must have enjoyed himself because he went down super easy tonight. I just hope he manages to sleep all night long...cue the Lionel Ritchie music...all night, all night.

Look at my baby!

I love these photos and I hope you like them too :)

so photogenic

Our family had a photo shoot w/ a very talented photographer. While we haven't gotten all of the pics yet, the preview is certainly worth checking out. So click on this to see them now!

18 Months and 2 days

Nico is officially 1 and 1/2. Oh my. This time is flying by. I will say he is all toddler and no baby these days. I look at him and the days of him being content to cuddle in my arms are long gone. But that is ok because he is always doing things to make me fall out laughing.

He is

eating a lot of cheese

almost climbing out of his crib

shaking his bum to the Sanford and Son tune

giving pounds and high fives

chatting so much

loving his Daddy

pleasing his teachers

and yet he still finds the energy to melt my heart.

So each day I love him more and and more.

babyproofing :)

N has been his normal wonderful self but he has discovered that he is absolutely FEARLESS! How so? He is climbing up and over everything ( he may cause me to have a heart attack soon)! This week alone he has managed to end up on the middle of the dinner table sipping on a drink, scaled the coach and climbed over that, had his foot dangling over his crib and used the laundry basket to reach the ironing board. Yeah, what did I tell you about a looming heart attack. This is only after he has decided that he enjoys standing on the lower oven handle and pulling himself to the higher handle to see what is on the stove! I never knew he would become Spiderman. I learn every single day how babyproofing is a joke.

Brunch

Today N and I made ourselves a yummy brunch. We made waffles, N helped every step of the way. He poured ingredients and stirred the batter. It was fun. He even drank some orange juice for the first time. A great start to our Mothers Day weekend!

Busy, Busy Boy!

Nico is feeling better. Yay! He is responding well to his breathing treatments, he has gotten a lot of love from his folks and he has enjoyed the warm weather. I realize there hasn't been a bunch of pictures and hopefully after you see these you will understand why.

Stealing Mommas heart with this face!

helping Auntie J unpack

getting into the cds

ignoring Momma to watch tv