12-15 Months... Oh My!

What a few months it has been! He walks, he talks, he follows commands (when he wants to!). He's been quite the mover & shaker lately. No fear... ever. In the past two weeks, he has fallen off his counter hight chair, our bed, and on the cement. Mom of the year? Probably not.

The grocery bag cupboard is still a hit.

Here we are at the 15 month check-up. He did not like it one bit. We had to take this picture after the nurse left. He wouldn't even sit down when she was there. He cried when she wasn't touching him. She said that this is the time that they figure out why they are there. :|

P.S. He's not pointing at his weight... but rather ready to push a button :)

TJ LOVES the water. We signed him up for Parent & Tot classes at the local community center. He enjoyed every minute. Even the quivering lip from the 84 degree water. (We actually took his bath-water thermometer to get an accurate evaluation :)).

"kick, kick, kick"!!

We did about 3 Easter Egg hunts this year. He sure picked it up fast and was not shy at all. Nevermind that it was below freezing on this day!!

He's enjoyed his first sucker.

He's training to be able to push his dad in a wheelchair... someday. :)

He vacuums.

He slides (this is actually Uncle Tri & Cousin Drew but I didn't have a picture of TJ & Daddy).. He was so excited to go down this big slide.

And slides again.

He made a new friend (this is my friend Michelle's son - Justin). We went out to Denver for a quick visit and Justin & TJ had a lot of fun together. We're looking forward to going back in a couple of weeks!!

TJ's girlfriend, Anya, turned 1!! Her party was a lot of fun. She had tails & ears for the kids to wear. TJ was a lion. He didn't like the headband.. he's all testosterone..

He still enjoys looking out the window. Lately he's been laying down in front of it on his tummy & kicking his legs. I can never get to the camera and back in time to catch it... but it really warms my heart. He has such a great personality.

Man.. his crib is starting to look like cramped quarters!!

He sure knows how to find places to relax & read. Hope this habit sticks.

Hard to believe how much he has grown. I'm really looking forward to this summer and all of the new adventures we will experience. He's really enjoyed the spray park & pool so far. On the agenda: another trip to Denver, Okoboji, and Yankton! Stay tuned... :)

15 Month Check-Up

So our little man is over 15 months.

Crazy.

Our stats:

Wt: 24.6lbs (50%)

Head: 85+%

Ht: 32.5in (85+%)

He's realized that the doctor & nurses are not as fun as they appear. He started fussing when he was weighed and really didn't stop until after the shots. He was nice enough to wave "bye-bye" to the nurse & even blow her kisses, though.

Not sure it will ever get easier.

Fitting Room Scare!!

So TJ & I went with our friend Christine to look for a dress. We had already been to JCrew and were now at Francesca's. Which by the way, is my new favorite store. The prices are good... their sale prices are GREAT!! Their selection is awesome. I don't think I've ever went into a dressing room with so many options.. and then had so many options to chose from that I actually liked ON!!

Anyway, for those who may not know Christine, she is a quadriplegic and so I help her try on clothes. There is just enough room in the fitting room for her wheelchair, myself along side her, and TJ to play in the corner. He got bored. Fast. So he left. I couldn't run after him b/c Christine was not descent. Before I could get out the door, he had helped himself next door (the "doors" were curtains & not actual doors). I hear an "AAAHHHHHHHH". Yep, my son walked in on a teenager trying on a dress. Fortunately for all of us, she already had said dress on. She said that he just scared her.

I felt horrible.

But it's a good story :)

Happy Memorial Day to all!!

Trans

Yummy dinner. Both Thuc & TJ ate their vegetables!!

Ingredients:

• 1 packages (10 ounces each) frozen broccoli spears (I used 16oz)
• 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese (I used 2c)
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup sour cream

Preparation:

Cook broccoli according to package directions; drain well. Arrange broccoli in 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese; top with cubed chicken. Season with salt and pepper; spoon on the cooked rice.
In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Blend in flour; add milk. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and fold in the sour cream. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 to 20 minutes.
Serves 4 to 6.

1st Birthday Photoshoot

Sorry these photos are backwards... I'm not about to wait to upload them all again :)If it bothers you, go to the end of the post & scroll up :)

These are all the work of Lindsay Ernst Photography. This is one of my favorites. She had me lay him down. Good thing she has a quick shutter finger because this only lasted for a 2 seconds... literally!

The end.

I think he likes it.

Lesson learned: avoid blue frosting!

Always willing to share.

I remember how good this is!!

The day he was sick & not having it. Glad I had a re-do so I could close cupboards & countertops, too ;)

Isn't he just soooo cute?!

Another favorite.

Not sure how I got such an adorable, fun, laid-back kid... but I am thankful & love him to pieces!! Happy 1st Birthday, Little Man!!

We have a 1 Year Old.

Man, going through my previous posts, it would appear that TJ has gone from newborn to toddler in just a couple of months. I suppose that's pretty true if I think of how fast it has happened in my mind.

TJ is a mover and shaker now!! A walking, talking, kissing, "zerberting", little MAN. I'm still holding on to his baby hair... not sure when I'll be ready to cut it... but it's not right now :)
What did our parents ever do without etsy.com?

Not have cute personalized t-shirts like this!! :)
He's figured out the ipad. Well, kind of. He loves "Talking Tom Kat". He can pet the cat & it purrs. Talk to it, and it repeats what you said back in a silly voice. Give it a glass of milk. Beat it up. It's fun... and probably the most this little man talks!
He's also found a good leaning post/area. I've learned to "lock" my phone now. I've had some conversations with people I haven't spoken with in a while. Which is nice... but most think something is wrong since I am calling. Sorry Aaron Haug, Josh Waetzig, & probably many others that I didn't "catch".

One day, before his 1st birthday, I put him at the first step just to see what he'd do. Boy was that stupid! He went all the way up, all by himself, on his first try. His new favorite place to be is sitting on the first step, kicking his legs. Then, when we're not looking, he likes sprinting to the top, walking straight into daddy's office, and pushing buttons on the answering machine, computer, tv, remote, printer... you get the idea.
This is after his first (of two) smash cake experiences. We had a Creighton Basketball themed 1st Birthday Party for him with our close family. He loved it. In fact, he was a very spoiled (err loved) little boy. His next smash cake experience was on his actual birthday when we had our friend & photographer Lindsay come over to take photos. He was sick & not having it. I think Lindsay spent a good portion of her afternoon at our house... thank you Lindsay! Fortunately, our 3rd try, a week later, yielded much better results. I will post some of those pictures soon.
We were also fortunate to join our friends, the Lau's, in Hawaii at the beginning of the year. It was such a wonderful & relaxing vacation. We hope to make it an annual event. TJ did fantastic the entire time... the plane ride, the beach, the pool, dinners. He knows how to get another vacation experience out of us!! :)

Well, there's the "down & dirty". I'll try to post a video of the little guy walking. It's pretty adorable!!

Last Post Sept 25th.

Yikes! Time sure flies.

This is one of my new favorite photos. Hard to believe my little guy will be 1 year old next month. I'm starting to feel very nostalgic and a little sad to think how fast the year has gone. Hopefully this next year I can be a little better about blogging about our life as a little family. :)