6/25

FathIt is absolutely crazy how you learn something new each and every day!  We get so excited and just swoon over each and every little thing that you do...but we are just so proud of you!  I don't know if I have told you this before...but we think you are just absolutely perfect! ;)

Some of your new and favorite things to do are to make snake sounds (SSSSSSSS) and you make this little mean face when you do it! haha.  You also do the cutest Choo!Choo! for a train sound... Auntie said it's the cutest thing she has ever heard and Uncle David made you do it on speaker phone so Sheena could hear.  We have tried to get it on video but you become a mute when a camcorder is in front of you!  You just stare at it and refuse to do it...BUT when we are replaying the video back and you hear us say "What's a train say?"  THEN you answer it... you little butt.   You also do cow, sheep, dog, cat, elephant, monkey, and lion noises....you cluck for a chicken, and you hop when you see a bunny rabbit.   Genius, I tell ya...GENIUS! 

You love saying "Uh-oh!"  You also say "Uh-Uh" when you know you are doing something you are not supposed to be doing... or when you want to say no.  You say Uh-Uh and you shake your entire upper half "no"...not just your head...but everything!  you say "KiKi" for yucky and you also have started throwing your arms in the air and saying "All Done!"  You say "I stuck!"  If you fall down, you'll say "I stuck!"  If the dogs are laying down and won't get up...."Stuck!"  It's the cutest.  You call Macoy "Coy" and Rocky is "Dog."  (You used to chase Macoy around and yell Cat...so I still wonder if you understand they are both doggies...)

You are certainly a little boy that loves being outside!  We have bought you so many different toys for summertime and you are just getting the biggest kick out of all of them... you have different cars you can ride it, a water table you can play at, side walk chalk (which you just want to eat) but you absolutely love playing in your swing in the tree...and of course the pool.  Daddy and I are getting concerned though because you have learned to climb the stairs to the deck surrounding it... we are trying to figure out how to put a gate around it now.  You love the water so much it worries us that you will climb the stairs and try to reach in it or something which would result in you falling in... of course, this is assuming that we are not watching your every single move...which we usually are. Better safe than sorry though.

You are really enjoying spending the days with Amber!  She is always doing something fun with you and she sends Mama lots of pictures all throughout the day of your fun activities!!  I am so glad you have warmed up to her... you were pretty sad the first week or two...but now you two have fun together!!! 

You are still in love with your little girlies... you run up to Baby Kambree and give her the sweetest little kisses.  You just want to run and play with the big girls though (of course!)  They love you and get so excited anytime they get to spend time with you... it makes me happy to know that you will be close to your cousins growing up!  Kendalyn begged me to let you stay the night last night... "Please! I'll take the best care of him, I'll feed him, make sure he has a clean diaper, Please Steen!"   It was pretty cute!

You are still obsessed with Mickey Mouse and Chuggington.  I am pretty sure Mickey will be the theme of your second birthday party but your Daddy said I can't start planning quite yet!  You are still in the Mama's Boy phase...it makes Daddy sad sometimes because you give me so many hugs and kisses!  At bedtime, you only want to sleep next to me...-'d you cry most times I leave.  I love all the extra special kisses and cuddle time...but I know Dada wants some too! You are truly such a sweetheart; you love giving and blowing kisses... You love holding hands...you love cuddling...you are just a little lover boy!  You might be the cutest little sweetheart around...but you also are an ornery little fella as well!  You have started climbing everywhere!  You were standing on the coffee table dancing the other day!  You are just all boy. Rough and tough... But a softie on the inside :) 

Father's Day was last weekend!  You bought your daddy a weed eater and made him a platter for grilling. We used your handprint to make a lion's mane and we painted "Daddy is King of the Grill" If you bake the paint into the platter then it supposedly stays that way!  He loved it!  We had Poppy and everyone over to cook out and swim that evening. It was a nice day...but it was also a tough one. It was also Ma's 51st birthday. We smiled and had a good day...but in the back of our minds...we were thinking about how wrong it felt and how hollow our lives still feel without her.  After everyone left...me, you, and Poppy went out to her resting site to take a birthday card and flowers. That was the first time you have gone out to see her. It breaks my heart to see you in a place like that. I miss Ma so much. I wish you would have gotten to spend more time with her... :( 

Feb 7th

We are still trying to master textured foods with you...you just gag and puke on so many different kinds! So far...we have gotten you to eat waffles, cookies, yogurt dippers, crackers, apple pie, a little bit of a lunchable, cinnamon roll hash browns....and that's pretty much it! We have to fight you on everything else! Eggs, chicken nuggets, fries, Mac and cheese - all made you puke! We aren't giving up though! If you can eat an Oreo without a problem...I think it's your pickiness getting the best of you. You're not going to live on sweets, mister!

You were very fussy the other night...you woke us up about 330 in the morning and cried for hours! Mama just knew you had an ear infection so I took off work and to you to the doctor...ummm...there was nothing wrong with you! You were just being a bad little baby! So that was great news; we are still in the observation period to see if you need tubes...so I was really depressed that I thought you were going to need them! Thank goodness that's not the case right now! Other good news...you've gained a pound in two weeks! We have worked so hard trying to get you to eat...just need to keep it up!

We went to your baby cousin Kambree's baby shower this past weekend...I can not believe you won't be the baby anymore! I know you are going to look so big when we meet her next month! My baby is growing up! :(

Poor baby is sick again! :(

You had a fever all last weekend - it was horrible timing and mama was extra bummed out about it. I always hate when you are sick...but last weekend was the Relay for Life.  Sheena had bought "memory bags" that you and the girls all decorated in memory of ma.  They're set out during the walk and everyone walks or runs by and sees them...I really wanted to take you out there and walk around th track and see all the bags... But you had a fever of 102.4 so we stayed home :( Sheenas mom did take pictures though for us.  

Soooo by Monday I thought you were doing better....Tuesday, not so much.  You basically started screaming and wouldn't stop... You screamed all night, you wouldn't let me put you down, you cried anytime I had to walk away for even a second.  I left work about 2 and came home and took you to the ExpressCare.... Talk about EMBARSSING!!!! You were screaming at the top of your little lungs the entire time we were there...I mean SCREAMING!!!!  The nurse hurried us into a room and looked at you and said "How long has he been like this???" Ummm, thanks lady.  I'm sure he just loves screaming like that too.... I was annoyed with her because she acted annoyed with your crying and screaming.  Anyhow, the doctor rushed in (I assume because they wanted you out of there HaHa) and they said you had a double ear infection.  Your ears were fine when your Daddy took you Friday.... But I guess it developed over the weekend.  Soooo we started an antibiotic.  If you get another one after this one, e will have to go back to the ENT.  Please...no tubes!!!  Soooooo....we thought you were better.  Wrong. You started coughing really bad yesterday.  It scared us because it kind of bad a wheeze with it... S your Daddy took you to the doctor this afternoon.  The doctor said your ears were looking better, your lungs sounded clear, but she was also worried about the sound of your cough.  She sent yo guys to the lab to have a Pertussis swab done...we will know the results of that in five days,  she switched your antibiotics and started you on steroids in the process.  You had thenPertussis shot already so I would be surprised if you actually had it but I am glad we are checking...that is not something you want to mess around with and especially since there were a lot of cases of it this winter.  Better safe than sorry!  So you have this terrible little cough that has made you throw up a few times...but you are still in pretty good spirits! 

Amber has been watching you the past few weeks - Her father in law works with Daddy and he recommended her.  She's been fabulous with you... She sends us tons of pictures throught the day and always has a very detailed note for us at the end of the day on what you had done, what you ate, diaper changes, etc etc!   I love knowing that you are in good hands at your own home when we have to be at work!  It's terrible leaving you though... You are going through a very clingy stage with Mama right now.  You cry when daddy or anyone else tries to hold you when I'm there...so it's absolutely awful when I try to leave for work and have to leave you with her.  I know that you have a lot of fun with her...you just don't want me to go :( so you cry and cry and cry.  It's heartbreaking.  Se always texts me just a few moments later though to let me know that you're doing better though.

You have learned so much lately!  You sign "More" and "Thank you" all the time,  Auntie taught those to you and you do fabulous with it!  They all took you to the zoo one day when I was at work (Rebecca, David, Sheena, and the girls) and they Said you were loving the tigers,  They tried to get you to leave but you signed "More" so you stayed! Sooo smart!!!  It was raining a few weeks back and you insisted on going outside...so mama took you outside and we danced in it! Haha,  at first you didn't know what the think... You looked at me like I was NUTS... But you started to really enjoy it! Lol.  Same thing with the shower... You decided to crawl in there last night while I was showering.  You didn't know what was going on at first! I took off your shirt and you were in your shorts and diaper and you started to play and play... It was pretty cute!  So you had your first little shower!!! :) 

You seem to understand every thing these days.  I can not believe how big you've gotten!  " Close the garage door!" "Put that in the basket" "Where's the doggy?" "Hand mama your truck" "go get Daddy" We love including you in things like that... It's really teaching you independence.  You love being our little helper too.  I was unloading the dishwasher yesterday and next thing I knew, you were taking the dishes out and handing them to me one at a time.  You were so proud of yourself too!  You didn't understand though that we were all finished and wanted to put them back in the dishwasher afterwards lol 

We are really enjoying you (like always) and loving watching you learn new things every day.  Everything is a learning experience with you and I love it so much.  

 Amber had asked if you wanted to do your ABC's and that picture above was your face, lol. 

So we are still in Daycare Crisis mode! Nancy decided to take off for the summer and have us two weeks to find a replacement. Ummm...finding the right person to watch your prized possession isn't exactly easy! I don't want you with too many kids, I need to feel you'll be safe with this person, I didn't like one last smoked, we can't afford a lot more a month... It's just been tough! We have one more option we are meeting with on Wednesday and then Nancy's last day is Thursday. Soooo...we are down to crunch time!!!!!

You are such a little ham; you love putting on a show! You love to "run" where you run in place as fast as you can...every one gets a huge kick out of that! You still love to dance and sometimes you sing your own little song. You love making people laugh...you start laughing too. You also love to make really loud (obnoxious) high pitched shrieks/shrills/screams. You think it's so funny... No matter how many times we tell you not to do it...you just find a way to somehow get your voice higher and louder. It's funny...we just don't let you know that! ;)

We have been trying to do flash cards lately...you have no interest in them. You want to play basketball or just step all over the cards! You're so smart though...I need to not stress about teaching you stuff. You are like a little sponge and you absorb a lot more than we know!

This weekend is Memorial Day... That's a day to remember all the loved ones that we have lost. I wish you could have met your Poppy T...he would have just loved you so much! I can not even put into words how much I wish Ma was still here to watch you grow... She loved you so incredibly much and wanted to be here to see her grand babies grow up... But she got to see your birth, she was there to see you learn to walk, dance, run, she was there for your first birthday, she helped teach you to say your first words "Touch This! Touch that!" Because of a song she would sing to you that said "this way and that way." You just started saying This! That! And then you added "Touch." Ma told me that we pushed a lot of love into our time with her and I guess that's true. She spent so much time with you in the fifteen months you two had together... Most babies don't get to spend that special time with their grandparents, but you did. Lots of pictures and lots of memories! I'll teach you all about Ma when you get older! She's special, Lathan. Very!!!

Hey little Mister! You continue to amaze us each and every day. We are realizing more and more that you know more than you lead on... You will randomly make the correct animal sound or point to our eyes and say "Eye" but if we really want you to do it...you just ignore us. We have found out recently you know what a lion is, a monkey, a duck, an elephant, a pig, and a cow. Who knows what else you know! :) You will sometimes "Moooo" when you see the cow, you'll quack for a duck, make monkey sounds, make elephant sound with your arm as a trunk, and so on! You just understand every thing that we are saying now...it really is neat. We say sit down, you listen. Hand that to mama...you hand it to me. It's just nuts how much your little brain absorbs in such a short amount of time!

You still have the dinner battle with us... If it's not waffles, French toast, or some sort of crackers (PB&J on crackers, cheese on crackers, Lunchables, etc) you refuse to eat it. You just spit it out immediately. It's frustrating; I worry about your nutrition all the time. Are you having enough vegetables, enough fruit? Getting enough protein, calcium, enough vitamins? Dr. Parr just tells me to let you eat what you want to eat...as long as you're eating SOMETHING...we are fine.

You have some mornings where you are a total Grumpy Pants! You throw yourself around and head butt, kick, tell and s ream because you just do not want to wake up that early! Once we get you up and moving...you turn into your happy little self. You want to read books, play with your toys, and you know your routine. Daddy typically gets you dressed so Mama can start her make up for work but you know as soon as you're ready...you run into the bathroom to find me to brush your teeth. You love brushing! That's a good sign! :)

The weather is finally getting nice out! You absolutely love being outside! You throw such a fit if we will not take you out there. You love playing basketball, swinging, playing in the grass, riding in your truck or whatever else you can get your hands into out there. You just love being outdoors. I am excited to get our pool open this summer; with as much as you love water...you're going to love swimming! We bought a bike trailer so you can ride behind Daddy's bike when we go for rides... At first, you screamed and cried when we put you in it. We knew as soon as we started riding you would be fine...and you were! You said "Wheeee!@ the entire ride! The next night...you fell asleep on the ride! Goodness, what a rough life!!!

Mothers Day was last weekend. That was a hard day for Mama. A VERY hard day! I miss Ma so incredibly much. We planted an apple tree at our house and one at Auntie's house in her memory. You got down and helped "dig" the hole... Which made me smile. When you weren't doing that, you were running around having the time of your life with Kendalyn and Kassidy. All I wanted to do on Mothers Day was something in memory of my Mom and just spend the day with you. You are the absolute love of my life and I know I've said it before, but I couldn't make it through this without you. Your hugs and your kisses make Mama's heart feel whole again. Your Daddy is amazing...but it's you that can make me feel the best!

Sheena had a dream the other night that Ma was well again. She was crawling around on the ground playing with you! Ma just kept saying how much you reminded her of Uncle Dave...and I have actually heard that so many times as well. Before Ma passed away, she would always tell me that being around you and the girls brought her back to when we were kids. She loved watching you play with them. So that dream is so neat to hear about...so many people say you look like Uncle David, and I do have to agree! There's soooo much of your Daddy in you too, though! So I can't figure out who you look like more! I just know you're absolutely perfect.