Second Haircut

Today M and his Mama went to a child-friendly salon at one of our local malls for his second haircut. His first haircut was in early November, but I only took video and I've been too lazy to edit (sorry Mom!) Last time I asked the stylist to leave his curls, so it grew back pretty quickly, hence the second haircut in less than a month...

It was starting to get pretty fluffy by Thanksgiving. (A very tired little M - sitting on his keyboard - after a morning of playing with Uncle M.)

He was such a sweet, mellow little guy and didn't make a bit of fuss. Perhaps because he got to sit in the chair shaped like a tractor (which also happens to be his latest word!) and watch Thomas.

He wasn't much of a fan of the clippers...



After the haircut, we played on one of those coin operated kiddy rides.

He loved it before I turned it on, but I think the motion freaked him out a bit. Now I know I can save $.50 and still have a happy kiddo!

His haircut really makes him look like a little boy. It's a little disconcerting. He was very ready for a nap when we got home, and he slept so long I had to wake him up. He was such a grumpapotamous (and wearing grumpypants) when he woke up. All he wanted to do was cuddle up and rock with me. It was so cozy - a nice reminder that he's still very much my baby.

Another milestone passed. It's a little strange, but also wonderful, to think that soon I will have lost track of the number of haircuts. So many firsts (and seconds...) It's so much fun watching this little boy grow up!

Holiday Traditions: Winter Books

One of the family traditions I'd like to create is reading special winter/holiday books during December. Merritt has started picking up a book, walking over to the closest parent, and tugging on our leg until we sit down and read to him. He won't sit through a whole book, and often wants to look a the pages in his own order - two pages forward then one back, etc. - and sometimes he'll "read" to us in his sweet little jabber. I love it! I like the idea of special books for the seasons.

So far we have:
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren

Ok, only 22 more to go! (Not that I want to get them all this year...perhaps one or two a year) I've been finding inspiration on various mama blogs but have no idea what would be good this year.

M and Daddy reading.

What happened to November?

No, seriously...where'd it go? Our month got off to a rocky start with ear infections for both M and his daddy, but ended with a wonderful Thanksgiving with family. Throughout, I took about 10 photos and not one was good!

M playing with Uncle Morgan. (The shirt is from Provincetown and says "PEE town")

I've been thinking about what holiday traditions I want to start with my little family. Last year was J and my first Christmas together (for the prior 10 years (!) we gone to our separate families) but with a four-month-old we didn't have much time/sanity to think of traditions. Some of the ideas I like:

• Advent calendar - I like the experience/activity ideas that Uncommon Grace has listed
• Read a Christmas book every day of December - I've started our collection with The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren
• New ornament for each child - I like the thought of giving M a box of his ornaments when he has his own home.
• New jammies for Christmas Eve - I love new jammies... I'm thinking of these for M
• Hot chocolate and cookies on Christmas Eve
• Cinnamon rolls for breakfast - perhaps this recipe
• A long family walk after Christmas lunch then a cozy afternoon of Christmas movies

But back to the "where did the time go," question - when did this little lump:

grow up to be such a big boy:

An old vid of M enjoying his dinner, he's such a ham sometimes:

In the garden

Halloween!

My baby elephant...

Sliding and swinging

I love my boy's glee when he's swinging and sliding. Makes me so happy!

A boy and his blankie

I've mentioned before that my boy loves his blankie...



Last weekend we brought Blankie outside and he showed it the back yard.

He calls his blanket "Buh-tie." I'm not sure if he's saying "Blankie" or "Buddy."

One of his nicknames is buddy. Either is pretty cute.

I love that the little guy loves his Blankie so much!

School Picture

M's first school picture. My little easygoing explorer refused to be put down on picture day, so he had his taken in one of his teacher's arms. He looks very concerned in most of the shots. This is the happiest one, and it still makes me want to give him a cuddle!

Speaking of cuddles, I love that M is such a snuggly guy. He used to not stay still long enough to cuddle, but now he'll interrupt playtime for a hug!Tonight I got the best snuggle before dinner.

And finally, we have a standard bath/bed routine. We have dinner, bath, then he sits on mama's lap and has a bottle. After the bottle, he flips over and snuggles up with his head on my chest. Sometimes he falls asleep, but usually we just cuddle quietly for about 5 minutes. The sweetest 5 minutes of my day. Then I put him in his crib and he cozies up to blankie. On Sunday, we did the usual routine, but after we dressed him in his jammies J and I were chatting about the weekend. Apparently M got tired of waiting for his bottle, because he said, "Mama!" then started walking down the hall to his bedroom. It was the cutest thing seeing him toddle in his seep sack. He looked like Swee'Pea! We followed him down the hall and when he got to his room he went to the rocking chair and pointed up at the bottle that was waiting for him. I love that my baby is becoming a little boy!

This Moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama.

Light of my life

This little guy makes me so happy every day!

With my buddy

"Put me down Mama, I want to go hug my pumpkin!"

Pumpkins

On Sunday we went pumpkin picking with friends at a local farm. I met the moms and their daughters about a year ago at a new moms group. It's still amazing to me to think how much we've gone through over the past 12 months.

It was a perfect fall day. We went first thing in the morning, which was good, because by the time we left at 10:30am it was packed.

The kids are such buddies. Whenever they greet each other there are many smiles and much mutual nose beeping.

We went on a hayride to the pumpkin field. M sat on Daddy's lap and wasn't to sure of things.

At first M wasn't too sure about the pumpkins.

But then he realized that they make good drums.

And that they're fun to try to roll.


And then it was true love.


We didn't have all that much luck getting three old-year-olds to pose for a picture together. I think this picture is hilarious, and represents all three personalities well.

This Moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama.

Nature vs. Nurture

Apparently, the urge to climb up a slide is innate in children...

My Boys

M walked over to Daddy, said "Boo!" and then sat on his lap.

Melts my heart. I love my little talking toddler!

Sliding

This afternoon we went to the park. J and I took turns taking M down the slide on our laps. It was his first time on the slide and he loved it. I do love making that baby laugh!

Crummy show...

I am at this very moment watching the worst show on television. Outsourced.

Oh. My. God.

I heard a few bad reviews, but I liked the movie. So, I was willing to give it a try. But, I want that half hour of my life back. It was so unbelievably bad! So far beyond trite and insulting, but worst of all, not at all funny. I think I need to re-watch the movie just to cleanse the palate.

Ok, just had to share.

So far, no loves in the latest crop of television. Of course we have the little peanut to keep us occupied in the evenings - between his cuteness before bed and cleaning up the chaos he wrecks on the house after, there's hardly time for tv. *grin*

"No J, pause buttons don't work on babies..."

Thankfulness

It’s 9:26 PM and the power is out. I’m writing in word and will post tomorrow. We’re having an end-of-summer storm.

Usually I love power outages, but tonight Mother Nature did not have the best timing.

I had finally motivated to get off my lazy bottom and was in the middle of laundry, tidying and making food for M. I was in the basement getting a can of tomatoes (for his latest favorite – star pasta with tomato, zucchini, cheese sauce) when it went out.

It startled me and I knocked over a jar of tomato sauce when I was trying to make my way to the door.

Wet laundry in the wash, a dryer that locks you out when the power goes out (darn New Zealand technology!) food half cooked, new tv shows not recording, a tomato and glass mess on the basement floor, and…the worst of all…I forgot the yummy Fig Newtons in the car and was going to zip out after I finished in the basement, but with the power out the garage door won’t open (without using the safety release, and even Fig Newtons aren’t worth that.)

I was not in a good mood when J came downstairs to see if I was ok. Did I mention that we both have cold and he had gone to bed early?

Anyway, I was all sorts of grumbly for about five minutes before I had one of my Pollyanna-esque mood adjustments. In the grand scheme of things my slightly disrupted plans are so not a big deal. I have a wonderful life!

So far M has slept through everything, J bought us the best LED flashlights, it’s not as hot as it was a few weeks ago, so I’m not missing the air conditioning, the laundry will finish overnight, the tv didn’t look all that exciting anyway, M will not suffer for having zucchini and leftovers and I probably should go to bed early myself.

Plus, there was the most amazing fruit in our CSA box tonight – kiwi berries – they’re like miniature kiwi but not as tart. Not quite as yummy as cookies, but pretty darn good.

Ok, I’m off to cozy up in bed with one of these amazing little flashlights and a book…and my honey...well, my big honey. Hopefully the little one keeps sleeping!

Self portrait with M when he was five months. He was so round and squishy!

Favorite Baby Products: Beco

I've loved the idea of babywearing ever since, well, I was a baby. Apparently, I spent a lot of time in one of those frame backpacks - I actually remember hiking on my dad's back in one of those.

We started with a Bjorn my wonderful co-worker gave us. It was so useful in the early days when he was a teeny tiny thing. I could actually make dinner!

Plus, he was pretty cute and just the right distance for a kiss.

When he got heavier, the Bjorn wasn't so comfy. I did some research, then stopped doing research because babywearers online can be kinda...passionate...about the best way to wear your baby. Suddenly I felt guilty for Bjorning! I settled on a BecoButterfly 2, since I wanted a soft structured carrier like the Bjorn that was comfy for me and good for M. I love it - and so does M. I used it for months instead of a stroller. It was so easy and would fit in the diaper bag - great for grocery shopping.

I have no decent full body shots of M in the Beco. So, enjoy the cuteness...

Our Little Family

Poor M, always having to put up with kisses from Mama and Daddy...

Teething or Cold?

Unfortunately, it's probably both...

M has been a grumpy fountain of drool for the past few days and now he has a a fever. The poor kiddo had a tough day. There were lots of pauses to snuggle with blankie and whichever parent was closest. I even got one of his very precious post-nap-snuggles. Usually M is ready to go after a nap and won't stop for anything, but every once in a while he will lie on my chest and doze for a bit. It is so sweet and cozy and wonderful.

It was a rough day for Mama and Daddy too. But, we had nice time going shopping and taking a walk to the park. He refused to let me put him down while I was prepping dinner, so I broke out the sling and made it one-handed. After a dinner where he only wanted applesauce (and to feed Mama graham crackers - I am so getting this if it's a cold) we had bath time. He loves bathing in the tub - and hates to get out at the end. Then he had about an ounce of bottle and fell asleep.

Now we're enjoying some very cheezy tv and a much deserved beer. Whew!

M has started driving things around and making "vroom" noises. It's so amazing to see him learn and grow. My baby is becoming a little boy!

Books

M has started showing interest in books. He has started carrying a book over to me and sitting in my lap (he's not so subtle, my lad) it's so cute!

After months of wondering why all the books suggest reading to infants, when at most my little guy would use them as a teething toy! Here's to many more years of reading together.

M with Go, dog. Go! (Note: The shirt says "PEE-town." It's from Provincetown, MA.)

Saturday at the zoo

Yesterday we took M to our small local zoo. J and I had never been before, but heard it was nice and, of course, kid friendly. I didn't expect him to get all that much out of it, but it was a beautiful day so at least it wout be a nice walk with my boys. But he loved it!

He had the biggest "full body smile" whenever he saw a new animal. He kept pointing at the animals and saying "doggie!" (every animal is a doggie.) We saw "doggies" of all sizes, some with fur others with feathers. He loved them all!

M pointing at a feathered "doggie."

Playing

Playing, originally uploaded by linseyclair.

I love his face when he's concentrating.

Cousin Alex

M met his cousin Alex for the first time during our visit to the Cape.

Alex is five months older than M. We had a few incidents of both boys not not wanting to share and a few hugs that started out sweet but went on a wee too long, but in general they got along really well.

I have this sneaking suspision that they're going to have lots of fun growing up together...and get in lots of trouble...