Toddle Along Tuesday: A Boy and His Dog

Today I'm linking up with Melissa at Growing Up Geeky for her Toddle Along Tuesday blog hop! The topic today is Babies and Pets. Colin and Ellie are quite good friends. From the time we brought our little bundle of joy home, Ellie was curious about him, as she had never really been around babies before. She sniffed him, paced back and forth when he cried, and hovered around his bassinet. It was so sweet. Even though she didn't understand him, she felt protective of him. It's like she knew from the beginning that he belonged to her "pack."

 

As Colin has gotten older, he's also gotten faster, louder, and more unpredictable. Not exactly great traits to have around a dog. For a while, Ellie merely tolerated him, but when she discovered that he liked to share his food with her, they quickly became good friends. I'm surprised she hasn't gained weight from all the snacks he gives her! She will eat just about anything, and is delighted when we allow her to lick his high chair tray clean after a messy meal.

Yes, Colin and Ellie are definitely buddies, and I'm sure she'll be great with another little person to steal food from love as well. At 5 years old, she has a nice, relaxed personality, but she can also keep up with our fast moving little guy. I see many more years of puppy love ahead.

PS: A quick word about comments. I've noticed that if you don't submit your comment on the IntenseDebate form, it doesn't get published. I do receive an e-mail, but if I manually publish the comment, it erases all the IntenseDebate comments for the post. And if you do comment through Blogger (I think that's the only way on a mobile device), and you're a no-reply blogger, I can't respond to you! Make sure to check your settings so I can get back with you. :) If you have any questions or ever want to get in touch, my e-mail is sbuxsweetie at gmail dot com. Thanks!

10 Things About Me

Tagged by the lovely Kerry at It's the Little Things!


1. My feet - especially my heels - look terrible right now and I really need to do something about it soon because they're grossing me out.


2. I don't like tapioca pudding. It's a texture thing.

3. I broke my arm when I was very young by falling asleep at dinner and tipping over, crashing onto the floor and landing on my arm.

4. All 4 wisdom teeth are impacted and will have to come out one day. I was going to have them done this year, but got pregnant and decided to put off the surgery for obvious reasons.

5. I have a lot of anxiety over breastfeeding this baby, because of the rough time Colin and I had the first time.


6. I gave up coffee during my first pregnancy, and am allowing myself to have one cup a day this time. I don't know how I'd function without it.


7. Hubby and I have some guilty pleasure shows on HBO and Showtime. Dexter is my fave.

8. We went to see The Dark Knight Rises the day after the Colorado shooting, and I will admit I got a little nervous every time someone stood up to go to the concession stand or the restroom.


9. Growing up, I always pictured myself as a stay at home mom. I've never had a solid career goal because family has always been my #1 focus. I still feel that way even though I have a full-time job. I work to support my family, not because I place a high value on this job, or even on the idea of being a working woman in general. I work because we can't afford for me not to. Given the chance, I would gladly raise my children at home.

10. On a lighter note, I could really use some dessert right now. Coconut cream pie sounds amazing. Anyone want to bake me a pie?!


I tag... 


Happiness Is...
My Messmerized Life
Sweet Little Lovings
Phase Three of Life
The Mommyhood Chronicles

State of the Uterus - 17 Weeks

How far along? 17 weeks!

Due Date: January 6, 2012

Total weight gain/loss: Can I skip this one today? I'm gaining weight faster this time, and it's making me a little depressed.

Maternity clothes? Using the Bella Band a lot more. Can't button my pants anymore!

Sleep: Sleeping well, thank goodness!

Best moment this week: Hearing Colin say several new words including "duck," "quack quack," "spider," and "waffle," although "waffle" doesn't sound much like the actual word.

Movement: Definitely feeling little kicks, especially in the evening!

Food cravings: Nothing in particular. I just want FOOD.

Food aversions: Nothing lately.

Gender: 22 days until we can find out, as long as baby cooperates!

Labor Signs: Way too early.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Being able to carry Colin (who is 29 lbs now) without getting worn out quickly.

What I am looking forward to: Finding out this baby's sex and starting on the nursery!

Milestones: Baby's nervous system is developing now, and he/she should be able to yawn and get the hiccups, although I won't be able to feel those for a while.

Check out my 17 week pregnancy update from the first go-round!

Boy or Girl?

When I was pregnant with Colin, hubs and I both had a feeling we'd have a little boy. When the time finally came to find out, the ultrasound tech confirmed what we had felt all along. "There's the scrotal sack!" she proclaimed. Ha! 

We do plan to find out what we're having with this one, but this time we have different gut feelings. I think it's a girl; he thinks it's another boy. Just for fun, I thought I'd share a few old wives' tales about gender and see if they amount to anything. It will be fun to look back once we know what we're having, and see if any of them were right. (Thanks, Sarah, for the idea!)

Is baby's heartbeat fast or slow? At 12 weeks, it was 171. Then, at 16 weeks, it was 154. Since both were above 150, for the sake of the old wives' tale, we'll say this one indicates GIRL.

What are you craving? Last time, I did want the occasional sweet treat, but I couldn't get enough fast food, protein, and savory foods. This time, I am definitely wanting more candy and desserts. Sweet cravings are supposed to point to a baby GIRL.

Even or odd? According to an old Mayan legend, if the mother's age at conception and the year of conception are both even or odd, she's having a girl. If one is even and the other is odd, it's a boy. This one also says GIRL.

How's your skin looking? Those crazy old wives (whoever they are) say that if your skin breaks out, you're having a girl. The reasoning? Baby girls try to steal their mothers' beauty. Ha! Sadly, my face looks worse than it did in high school, so for this one we'll say GIRL.

Any morning sickness? Just like last time, I've been very lucky not to have experienced the horrors of morning sickness. I had a few queasy moments in the beginning, but nothing bad at all. According to the OWTs, this one says it's another BOY.

Soft or dry hands? Supposedly, if the mother's hands are soft during pregnancy, she's having a girl. If they're dry, it's a boy. Mine have been dry, as they always are. So BOY.

Chinese gender predictor test? I did two. This one says GIRL and this one says BOY.

Based on these predictors, the score is 5 to 3. Want to make a guess? I've added a poll on the right side of the page. I can't wait to find out what we're having and share the news!

 

The Sweetest Sound

This morning, I went in for my 16 week check-up. Baby and I both seem to be doing great. My blood pressure was a little low (105/63), so at the recommendation of my sister in law (who is a nurse), I ate something salty after the appointment to bring it up a little. I indulged in a McGriddle and hashbrowns from Mickey D's on my way back to work. It's a tough job, eating delicious McDonald's breakfast food, but someone has to do it. ;)

They drew blood at the appointment today for some more routine tests. My first trimester screening came back great, though, so I expect all will continue to go smoothly. The best part of the visit was getting to hear Peanut's heartbeat again. Today, it was 154. At 12 weeks, it was 171. I don't know if those old wives' tales are true or not, but I'm still feeling like this baby is a girl. Justin thinks it's a boy. If all goes well, we will see who's right on August 20th! I can't wait to share the news with you all once we find out if we're Team Blue or Team Pink!

Here is a recording I took of the baby's heartbeat today. The ultrasound photo is from the 12 week scan. Enjoy! I've listened to it at least 10 times already this morning. ♥

State of the Uterus - 16 Weeks

Here we are: 16 weeks. I'm 4 months pregnant! Now that I am well into the second trimester, I'm starting to feel more pregnant. I think I'm starting to look it, too. Sometimes I feel like my bump looks like chub, but on certain days, in certain outfits, I feel like I look pregnant and not just like I've eaten a few too many toaster strudels.

How far along? 16 weeks, or 4 months - whatever floats your boat.

Due Date: January 6, 2012

Total weight gain/loss: +4 lbs... okay, maybe 5. Don't judge.

Maternity clothes? Using the rubber band trick and my Bella Band to get by.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well right now, other than the fact that Colin woke up at 5:40 am yesterday morning.

Best moment this week: I won a "What to Expect" blog giveaway. Woohoo! I also got to go see The Dark Knight Rises with my darling husband on Friday night.

Movement: Feeling more flutters, and I've felt a couple movements that made me go "whoa! That was the baby!"

Food cravings: I've still been thinking about cranberries. I wonder if they sell those in the summer?

Food aversions: Nothing in particular this week.

Gender: It kills me to know that I'm far enough along to have an elective ultrasound. Alas, it's not in our budget. We'll have to wait a few more weeks to find out.

Labor Signs: Way too early.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Seeing the numbers on the scale go down, instead of up!

What I am looking forward to: Finding out the sex!

Milestones: Baby should be able to hear some sounds now!

Check out my 16 week update from when I was pregnant with Colin! No picture on that post, though. I don't know what I was thinking!

Homemade Haircut

We like to save money whenever we can. Really, we kind of have to. Even with both of us working full time, we've got a house, a car, student loans and a kid in daycare (soon to be two!) to worry about. I'm dizzy just thinking about it, really. So, over the past few months we've been trying to save money by doing Colin's and Justin's haircuts ourselves at home. The last time I cut Colin's hair, I did it with shears. While it made me incredibly nervous and he cried the whole time, it turned out pretty decent. The back and sides weren't totally even though, so last night when we decided it was time to give Colin a trim, Justin convinced me it would be a better idea to use clippers. He used the "4" setting and started with the top. He thought it would be even that way, at least.

This was the result.

Even though it was so much a little shorter than I thought it would be, I immediately shrugged it off, accepted that it would grow back and marveled at how cute the new 'do was. No I didn't, that's a lie. I cried. I said that it was too short, and may have even thrown a "how could you do this to my baby" at my poor husband. In reality, it IS just hair and WILL grow back. Plus, my kid is cute no matter what his hair looks like, so there is that. Even so, I don't think we'll use the clippers on top next time. Maybe just to get the back and sides even. This morning, Colin kept rubbing his head. I think he was a little freaked out by the whole thing, too. Hopefully we'll both get over it in time. :)

How do you handle your toddler's fast-growing hair, especially moms of little boys?

Banana Muffin Love

Have I ever mentioned my love for quick breads? See, I have this habit of buying bananas, letting them turn nearly black, and making delicious banana bread with them. Justin and Colin love it, too, so we all get pretty happy when that luscious banana bread aroma fills the house. Sidenote: In the fall I'm a total pumpkin bread fiend, too, and I'll probably be making some the next time I see a can of pumpkin in the store! But, I digress. Back to the banana bread.

I don't know what the deal is, but the last few times I've made loaves of banana bread, they were undercooked in the center and overdone on the outside. My solution? Make muffins instead! Yeah, I could probably tweak the temperature, cooking time, etc. to come up with the perfect loaf. But, who doesn't love a good muffin? So, my love for banana bread morphed into a love of banana muffins. I've experimented with different recipes along the way, but just recently found one I love. I'm pretty sure you'll want to try this one, so here you go!

Perfect Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 very ripe bananas

3/4 C sugar

1 egg

1/3 C butter, melted

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F. Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray. In a large bowl, combine bananas, sugar, egg, melted butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer. When well mixed, throw flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into the same bowl and mix again until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans. Bake 25-30 minutes.

Hello, gorgeous.

These babies are best served hot with some butter on top. Yum. They're just as good the next day, though. Whenever I make a batch, I put the leftovers in ziploc bags so they're easy to grab for an easy breakfast or snack on the go. Enjoy!

 

Sensory Water Fun

Living smack dab in the middle of sunny South Carolina, we often have a dilemma. Colin loves to play outside, but it is just so hot outside, and I worry about him being in the sun too long or overheating. I've seen a few blog buddies and Pinterest friends post about how much their kids like to play with water outside, so I thought I'd give it a try. We don't have a fancy water table or anything, so I made do with the Bilibo. I grabbed a few water safe toys, threw them in, and added water. Then, I brought it outside and encouraged Colin to go to town! He was hesitant at first, but after a few minutes he was having a blast making some of the water spill out, splashing, and poking around at the toys inside to watch them bob up and down. I also threw in the top to one of his old bottles, and he used it like a cup, practicing his pouring skills. He even snuck a few drinks of water that way, silly boy.

When he decided he was finished playing in the water, Colin ran around in the sunshine to dry off. I love this little face so very much. I hope I remember his adorable toddler expressions forever!

We will definitely be trying some more water activities outside this summer!

 

State of the Uterus - 15 Weeks

This pregnancy seems to be slipping away faster than my first did, and I think it's because I'm chasing an almost 18 month old little monkey around and growing another baby at the same time. Add a full time job on top of that, and I don't have a whole lot of time to dwell on the fact that I'm pregnant. Also, I am (thankfully) not having many symptoms, and the ones I have are bearable, so I don't feel very pregnant most of the time, either.

 

How far along? 15 weeks!

Due Date: January 6, 2012

Total weight gain/loss: +3 lbs

Maternity clothes? I think my bloat has gone down some in the last week, which is exciting, because that means that as I continue to grow, soon it will be an actual "baby bump" and not just my bloated belly. Ha! Not having to wear maternity clothing yet.

Sleep: I've been sleeping a lot better this week. Last night I turned in around 10:30, and Colin let us sleep until around 7. It was magnificent!

Best moment this week: See the next question :)

Movement: I've started feeling the first flutters, and it's pretty exciting! It's so light, like there's a butterfly in there or something, and it's inconsistent. But it is happening!

Food cravings: Suddenly today, I've been thinking about cranberries.

Food aversions: We made pork BBQ sandwiches in the crock pot on Friday, and I didn't like it. So, I did what any pregnant lady would do... I went and got a burrito from Moe's. :)

Gender: We should know in about 5 more weeks!

Labor Signs: Way too early.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Being able to have a glass of wine every now and then. I've never been much of a drinker, but I do enjoy the occasional glass of wine. It's been sounding good lately, too.

What I am looking forward to: Feeling big baby kicks and not just teeny flutters.

Milestones: Baby's ears have found their permanent place on the sides of his/her head by now. If they're not already, the eyes should be moving to the correct spot on the face, too. Little peanut is starting to look less like an alien by the day, so says What to Expect. :)

Dressed up to go to a wedding. Just a tiny bump so far!

Check out my 15 week "bumpdate" when I was pregnant with Colin!

 

18 Month Well Visit

This morning, I took Colin in for his 18 month well visit. I recently learned that he was supposed to go for a check-up at 15 months, but I could have sworn that at his 12 month visit, Dr. G said she'd see us at 18 months. We didn't get a reminder call or anything, either, so... we kind of skipped that one. No big deal, though. We got all caught up today.

Dr. G was really impressed with Colin's growth and development. She was amazed by all the teeth coming in, and was thrilled with his vocabulary. While she was listening to his lungs, he said "bye bye" and "uh oh," trying to not-so-subtly ask her to cut it out. Ha! That's my boy. 

Dr. G mentioned that Colin is old enough for us to start using time-out as a discipline method. It's always funny to me when pediatricians offer parenting advice, because I feel that's a little beyond what they're paid to do. However, we love and trust Dr. G and while I take her advice with a grain of salt, she's usually right. So, we may have to start giving time-out a try.

At the end of the visit, Dr. G's nurse came in. She's such a sweet lady, but she also has the worst job ever: vaccinating children. Seriously, I don't envy her at all. Today, Colin got two shots, one in each thigh. He cried, but only for a minute or two, and even waved bye-bye to the nurse as she left, through his tears. What a trooper.

He's napping now, and I took the whole day off to be with him, so I am enjoying a little time to myself. Here's hoping he won't be too cranky from the shots when he wakes up.

Oh, and here are his stats from the visit today. Hooray for a happy, healthy boy! As long as he stays healthy, we won't see Dr. G again until he turns 2. I can't believe how fast he's growing up! 2 sounds so far away, but it's really not. My goodness.

 

Wordless Wednesday: Fussy diaper-clad boy

July 4th Flashback

I feel like it's been too long since I've linked up with Melissa at Growing Up Geeky for her Toddle Along Tuesday blog hop! This week's topic is July 4th.

This year, we had an uneventful holiday, which I was thankful for. Sometimes you just need to relax, you know? The hubs went to a matinee movie with his brother while Emily, our niece, stayed with Colin and me at our house. I took the kids on a wagon ride, Colin napped, we had some lunch, and we played some more until the guys got home.

We didn't go to any cool fireworks shows or anything, as we've been trying to keep Colin's bedtime routine as consistent as possible, but I did step outside once he was tucked in to catch a glimpse of the neighbor's over the top private fireworks show. It was a good day.

This is from Colin's first July 4th. Oh, what a difference a year makes!

 

State of the Uterus - 14 Weeks

Hello! I know you've been patiently awaiting a pregnancy update since I made the big announcement about the new little tenant who is currently occupying my uterus. For consistency's sake, I thought I'd start doing the same weekly pregnancy survey I did when I was pregnant with Colin. I thought it might be fun to look back and compare my symptoms and baby bump between the two pregnancies. So, here we go!

How far along? 14 weeks!

Due Date: January 6, 2012

Total weight gain/loss: +3 lbs

Maternity clothes? I have used the Bella Band a little bit, and sometimes use a hair band to close my pants if I can't button a pair. No need for "real" maternity wear yet, though.

Sleep: I am constantly exhausted during the day, but have been waking up at night to use the bathroom and have a hard time falling back asleep when that happens.

Best moment this week: Having the 4th of July off work to hang out and be a bum.

Movement: I have started to feel tiny "bubble pops" just like last time, but I can never tell if it's baby or gas.

Food cravings: Throughout the first trimester I wanted sour candy. I thought that craving was subsiding until I heard Rita's Italian Ice came out with a new Sour Patch Kids flavor, and I had to go try it. It was awesome, by the way.

Food aversions: Eggs. I've tried them a couple times, and they just don't taste good to me while pregnant. With the exception of French toast, of course. YUM.

Gender: We will find out next month! My gut says "girl" this time, but of course I will be happy either way.

Labor Signs: Way too early.

Belly Button in or out? In. It never really popped out the first time, so I don't expect it to this time, either.

What I miss: Afternoon coffee. I've cut down to one cup a day, in the morning.

What I am looking forward to: Feeling baby kicks, and finding out what we're having!

Milestones: This week, baby's movements are becoming less jerky and more graceful.

Here's my 14 week "bumpdate" from my pregnancy with Colin.

Vocabulary Boom

For a while there, it seemed like Colin was kind of stagnant in his vocabulary, but lately, he's been saying all SORTS of new words. He has started repeating us, too, when we say things like "don't do that" or "I don't know." It's so funny, because he uses the exact same inflection, too. Here's a list I've put together of the words he can say, and the ones he can understand (but doesn't say yet). For example, if we say "Go get a pine cone," he'll go find one in the yard and bring it to us. So far, with all his words combined, we're up to around 90, and I don't even think I've captured them all yet! I honestly didn't realize his vocabulary was this huge until I sat down to get all his words on paper.

Words Colin can say at 17 months:

Uh oh
Bye bye
Hey/hi
Mama
Daddy
Ellie (Eh-yee)
Dog/doggie
Ball
Circle (Kirkle)
Oso
Girl
Bear (Beh)
Apple
Car
Please (Peese)
Thank you
Horse
Wow
Whoa
Fish (sometimes sounds like pish)

Bird
This (Dis)
Books
No
Yay (used for yes)
There (it) is!
Tree
Emily (Eh-ee)
Shoes
Moo (keeps his lips together)
Bubbles
Cheese
Eye
Nose
Open
Go
Baby
Puppy
Dinosaur (dido)
Beep beep
Ready, set, go (reh, seh, go!)
All done (throws hands up in the air, used when finished eating)
All gone
I don’t know
Don’t do that
Choo choo
Hoo hoo (for owl)

Oh no (oh doh)

Words Colin recognizes (but doesn't say) at 17 months:

Colin
More/Again (claps for both)
Snake
Elephant
Lion
Whale
Dolphin
Cow
Turtle
Pine cone
Outside
Hungry
Tired/sleepy/night night
Paci (for pacifier)
Jake (and the Neverland Pirates)
Mickey
Do you want to....
Where is.....
What’s that?
Look at....
Snack (he goes to the pantry)
Cup
Mema
Papa
Uncle Tim
Uncle Clark
Aunt Callie
Little Red Chicken book
Chair
Sit down
Bath
Puzzle
Truck
Milk
Juice
Cracker
Cookie
Diego
Push the button (garage door opener)
Foot
Give me five
Clap

Brush your hair

Brush your teeth

If you haven't kept track of your child's vocabulary, I highly recommend that you give it a try. I bet you'll be surprised at how many words and phrases your little one knows!

No cry sleep training: an experiment

With the new baby coming, I've gotten pretty nostalgic lately and have been looking through some of the photos we took of Colin when he was brand new. I remember fondly the way he could fall asleep anywhere and everywhere. I would hold him as he napped, and feel the soft little puffs of milky breath against my skin. He was such a peaceful baby.

And then he became a toddler. Yikes. Colin is still my sweet boy and will cuddle occasionally, but over the past couple months, he has become a little tornado of chaos and energy. He's in full-blown teething mode now, and is currently working on his eyeteeth and molars (ouch!), so I think sometimes that causes him to be moody. We're working on teaching him what behaviors are appropriate, and which are not, even when he's upset (ie hitting us and himself, throwing toys, falling dramatically on the floor and wailing when we won't let him play with something dangerous). But perhaps most upsetting of all, when my little man reached toddlerhood, he decided that bedtime was a game and that he didn't have to go to sleep if he didn't feel like it.

Here is how bedtime would go.

1. Warm bath

2. Clean diaper & pajamas

3. Sippy of milk, brush teeth, give pacifier

4. Give in to his desire to play, read books, watch TV, etc.

5. Comment often at how wide awake he is, and wonder when he will go to bed

6. Wait for extreme signs of sleepiness, lay him down in his crib

7. If he stands up and/or cries, pick him up and cuddle until he's ready to sleep

8. Lay him down and pray he goes to sleep

Something had to give. Since the hubs and I both work full time outside the home, we don't get much time together as a family, and even less time together as a couple. We value our time with Colin, of course, but it is nice to have a couple hours to just hang out and be together before we turn in for the night. Out of desperation, we decided to try a technique we had seen on Supernanny once. It goes like this. When your child stands up in his crib (or gets out of bed), you go in, tuck him in again, tell him goodnight, and leave. When he does it again, you go in without a word and tuck him in once more. You continue to repeat the tuck-ins until he finally gives in and goes to sleep.

The first night we tried this, I tucked Colin in 8 times. I actually expected to have to do it more times than just 8, so I counted that as a victory. The first few times, he laughed when I walked in the room, and I had to work hard to keep a straight face. He's so dang cute that it was tough not to smile right back! But I was on a mission. Justin waited outside the door throughout the whole thing, but I was the one to go in each time, for consistency's sake.

The next time we used the technique, it took 4 tuck-ins. Colin seemed to know more quickly that I meant business, and that his crib was for sleeping, not playing. 

The last two nights, guess how many times I had to tuck him in? ONCE. ONE TIME. That's it! We followed the usual routine, which I should mention starts around 7:30 pm to make sure he's in bed by 8:30ish, although it was a little later than that tonight. Actually, we were afraid we were in for it this evening, because when Justin tried to hold him and steal some pre-bedtime snuggles, Colin wiggled and fussed like he wanted down. We decided to go ahead and put him straight to bed rather than letting him down to play, and bam - that was it! He rolled over, found a comfy position, and went to sleep. And then a chorus of angels sang a series of hallelujahs.

Have you tried any sleep training methods with your toddler? If so, how's it going?

 

A Summertime Tip

Okay, y'all. I'm going to take a break from baby talk for a minute to share a fascinating tidbit with you. Okay, so maybe it's not as fascinating to you as it is to me. But, I found it helpful, and hopefully you will, too. You see, we live on land that used to be incredibly wooded and bug-ridden, and we tend to get some unwanted little visitors this time of year. Most recently, we've had fruit flies. They're tiny, they're disgusting, and they TOOK OVER A LOAF OF MY BANANA BREAD. They had to go. My sister, who was visiting this week, found an easy fruit fly remedy on Pinterest and shared it with me. I had to give it a try. So, here's what you do.

Yes, I realize this looks like pee. Trust me, it works.

Take a small and/or narrow cup and pour some apple cider vinegar into it. It doesn't take much. Then, add a few drops of dish soap (I had Dawn) and swirl or stir until it seems pretty well mixed. And then? You leave it on your counter and walk away. It took about a day, but on our first attempt, we caught three fruit flies. Muahaha!! Take that, you little buggers!