#26 - Join (or start) a mommy/child group

Some of you may remember that when I turned 28 I made this 30 before 30 list which comprised of some things I would like to do before I turn 30. Some of them were realistic (#13 - Make and drink a pomegranate martini - I mean, come on it was super easy and tasty) and others not so much (#1 - Run a 5K - not sure how I can manage that with my knees). I have been whittling away at these 30 tasks very S.L.O.W.L.Y. Now the big three-oh is looming a mere 8 months away and I have a whopping 22 more tasks to complete (I have not blogged about 2 of the completed tasks in case you are keeping track). That means I need to complete roughly 2.75 tasks per month. :) oh buddy!

This leads me to tell you about #26 - Join (or start) a mommy/child group. Shortly after we moved to Fairfield, I began my search to see if I could join an existing moms group or if I would have to create one. My sister-in-laws have both been active in various MOPS groups, I have sorority sisters who talk about watch mommy run groups, and Stroller Strides is big in the south but not so much here so I wasn't sure what I might find. When I started my search I stumbled upon something that has become near and very dear to my heart - the MOMS Club of Fairfield. I had never heard of MOMS, which is short for Moms Offering Moms Support, but I am so glad I have found them. They have playgroups, moms nights out, meetups at the park, a cooking club, a book club, and they are all close in proximity to me!! I was kind of nervous to go to the events at first because they all knew each other so well and I felt like the new kid on the block but now I fit right in and love meeting new members and hanging out with those who have been in the club for a long time. Another thing that is great about being in the group is Lucas having the opportunity to interact with other kids. He loves all the commotion and going new places. Those naps after a MOMS get together are made up of a deeper kind of sleep ;-)

The above picture is from our Christmas party and below are from when we went to Ross's office for Children's Dental Health Month. So awesome.

Cincinnati Children's visit

It is official! Lucas had a successful visit at Cincinnati Children's Hospital :) The final results from his bloodwork this time showed no elevated liver enzymes and completely NORMAL organ function! Yay!! We have follow-up bloodwork in 6 months but other than that he is good to do more important things...like sit in his toy bin :)

I must take a moment to reflect on the miracle of life. It will never cease to amaze me how precious the gift of life truly is. There are potential roadblocks and trials beginning at conception, continuing through pregnancy, and then lasting throughout life. At this moment I have either close friends or chance meetings with strangers that have revealed this truth. I pray for strength for those Mommies and Mommies-to-be every day and hope they feel my support.

First Haircut

As you can tell from these first two pictures, Lucas was probably due for his first haircut a looooong time ago. It was beginning to look a little like Tom Brady in the back...and there were a few strands in front that were getting interlocked with his eyelashes. The final straw was on Halloween when more people thought he was a little girl than a boy. They didn't even ask if he was a boy or girl! Nope, they just skipped to, "oh, how old is she?" I don't know why I was putting it off so long. I guess I just feel like once those first little baby whisps are gone he officially is a toddler. And, sure enough...he looks so grown up with his freshly shorn locks.
He really did not enjoy the clippers

Sporting his best Magnum from Zoolander

"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful"

Happy Halloween

Lucas dressed up as a pumpkin this year. We let him choose which costume he wanted and he liked the bright orange of the pumpkin over the pokey little puppy costume I thought he would like. I guess bright orange is way more fun than white and brown :) He wore it all day - to the library, the office, and the grocery and finally for trick or treat. We just sat outside and handed out treats rather than taking him to other houses and he had a great time seeing all the costumes the other kids were wearing. But I think his favorite part of the evening was walking around on the driveway with help from Daddy.
When I was little we actually went up to doors and rang the bell - this is the second place we have lived where people sit on their driveway instead. Is this what people do everywhere? Some of our neighbors even had their firepit going. Too bad ours rusted through from teh salty air in NC and didn't make the trip. It sure got cold around 7:30.

My attempt to have a toddler friendly halloweeny meal.

Emotional Development

Lucas has started to show a range of emotions... some of them more uplifting than others ;) My favorite is when he snuggles up to someone/something and loves them or when he gets so excited he laughs uncontrollably. My least favorite is a tie between when he throws himself on the ground kicking and screaming and when he pinches or hits me because he isn't getting his way.

I am pretty sure Lucas might be a little early in this area of development. According to most emotional development models he should start doing this between 18 months and 2 years (and he is 13 months). Maybe it is because I am highly empathetic and he has picked up on this? Whatever the reason, I can't help but feel like a broken record sometimes. "Lucas, no, don't do that because it is dangerous", "Ouch Lucas, don't hurt Mommy", "Lucas we don't flip over on the changing table", "No Lucas do not climb out of your high chair because you could fall"."No", "No", "No".

I can't help but wonder...Does this make me a bad mom?

Product Review: Baby Cache Uptown Crib and Case

It has been awhile since I have said anything about Lucas's nursery furniture; but, I just feel the need to tell you how much I still love it and how well it has held up through the move and Lucas teething. It did not get a scratch or dent in the move and still feels like the most solid pieces of furniture we own. Lucas has teethed on the one side but he did not damage the wood at all...just ate a little finish off.

We did a lot of research about furniture and what to look for when we were deciding what to go with pre-Lucas. We decided on the Uptown crib and dresser from Baby Cache for a few reasons and I can say that those reasons are still valid (http://www.babycache.com/site/products_uptown.html).

1. It is made of American hard maple. This is a more solid foundation for furniture than the typical pine found in most furniture available (http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/guide-to-furniture-woods-ga1.htm). Why is this important? I knew we had a move ahead of us when we purchased the crib and case and a move can be really hard on sizable furniture. I really did not want to risk the crib becoming rickety. I also am hopeful that this crib will last through multiple children and teething. Plus it is from America which means a smaller carbon footprint in shipping and support of our nation.


2. Baby Cache is the Babies R Us brand of the mother company Munire which has a historically good reputation. But it is slightly less expensive because it is not that name :)


3. The safety standards of the company are high. There are so many things to consider when purchasing a crib - I highly recommend using the Baby Bargains book to decipher things to look for like the mattress holder thingy, space between bars, finishing products, etc., etc.


4. The case drawers use the dovetail system which is supposed to make it last longer and have fewer ways for a child to be poked.


5. The drawers are deeper than typical baby furniture. This is something I never would have thought about - little baby clothes are small and so companies often have shallower drawers. But if you want the furniture to "grow with your child" because it is a convertable crib, then they will need deeper drawers when they are older and their clothes are bigger.

Big Boy Meals

About 2-3 months ago Lucas decided that he no longer wanted to eat from a spoon. So, I adapted and bought lots of frozen veggies, microwavable potatoes, fresh fruit and beans for him to eat. It actually was very easy to whip up a healthy meal in no time flat - pop a sweet potato in the micro on my way to get him after his nap (7 minutes), let him snack on beans from a can while it cooled down, and then cut up some grapes or other fruit while he chowed down on the sweet potato. There were always leftovers that could be thrown in small tupperwares that could easily be grabbed on my way out the door.

Well, now he has decided he is ready for more complex tastes because he rejects just about anything that is a single ingredient. Goodbye simple and easy, hello messy! I have basically been offering him whatever we are eating for dinner and he seems to really like pasta and crockpot meals. Crazy!

Lucas Turns One!

Lucas has turned the big ONE! yay! I am sitting here with a loss for words because in some ways I still cannot believe I am a mom, let alone a mom of a toddler. Lucas has brought so many blessings to my life and I am just thankful for such a precious child.

Lucas had a great first birthday party where he was surrounded by family and friends who love him to pieces. I tried to time the party just after lunch when he is usually the most awake and active for the day and I am so glad he got a good nap in before the guests began arriving. He completely skipped his second nap because he did not want to miss anything (sounds a little like me...). I didn't take many pictures so here are a few from the party!

With the beautiful Natalie - I just love his fire engine shirt I ordered from Etsy... it had his name and a #1 on it

Checking out Cameron - Lucas is the first baby in our group of friends and most of our family with kids live far away (we typically only get to see them for holidays and big get-togethers and I have yet to establish us in play groups here in Ohio) so, other little ones are a novelty for him. Little does he know that this is his betrothed :)

Check out the spoils! He is such a lucky little guy!

Eating a big lunch of beans and fruit - I tried to have things I knew he would love to eat because the distractions would be hard to overcome!

Meeting his great-granny for the first time

Of course turning one is not all fun and games. Lucas had to go the Doctor to make sure he is doing ok and to get some vaccines. I am always nervous about what the doctor is going to say about his weight and this is his first well-baby appointment in Ohio so we had to cover his entire health history (which continues to make me tear up; man, I am such a weany). Other than a little eczema on his feet the Doctor said he was doing great (pending his next appointment at Childrens).

Here are his stats:

Weight - 19 lb. 12 oz.

Length - 30 in.

Head - 18.25 in.

Physical Development: Lucas can... cruise, wave, clap his hands, pick up tiny objects, stand alone momentarily, "play ball", put things inside other things and then take them back out

Social and Emotional Development: Lucas will... smile and squeal with delight when he sees someone he knows, carefully study new people and then usually smile at them, play independently, play with grownups (child led and adult led), notice other little ones (he actually carefully reached out and held Finn's hand at the party), hug, and kiss

Cognitive Development: Lucas is... always trying to figure out how things work by manipulating toys, putting things inside others and taking them out again, talking in his own little jibberish language to himself and others, responds to "no" and other conversations

Speech: Lucas says... Mom, Dad, Hi, Yes and is working on doggie

Party Prep...

I can't believe how fast this year has gone...Lucas is now a one year old and the baby days are behind us and the toddler years in full swing! As you can imagine I had to throw a party for my little man and so it has been a busy 1-2 weeks of preparation (type A preparation means I am one exhausted mommy)! I will post more later about my one-year-old...for now about the party :) The picture above was used for his invitations...below are some pictures of the other prep we did...

I really wanted a professional photo shoot of the cake smash session - it is a new trend and every picture I have seen is super adorable. Unfortunately, I am new to the area and do not have an established relationship with a photographer or any moms that could recommend one for that matter. I did get one recommendation for a local photographer who turned out to have a beutiful protfolio but I was too late to book her before the party. So, Ross and I tried to create our own cake smash session. Ha! It was fun and pretty much unsuccessful in the photo department but hey - he knew what to do with cake at his party!

First the icing threw him off...he kept shaking his hand and flinging icing all over the room

Ross tried cutting a piece so he could get past the icing

Lucas then tried to move the cake stand with his foot

I tried showing him how yummy it was...no luck!

The theme for the party was Firetrucks and the crowning glory was this awesome firetruck made out of a moving box. Ross is such an amazing Daddy - I asked if he thought it could be done for the party and he went above and beyond by putting in lots of hours. Lucas loved it!

Side of truck - notice the sweet ladder and wheels

Lucas inside the firetruck smiling at everyone around him!

He was bouncing and squealing with joy!

Of course it isn't a party without a party hat! I found this great blog with a template and tutorial for how to make a party hat out of fabric. (http://imakestuff.typepad.com/i-make-stuff/2009/11/birthday-hat-tutorial.html ). First I brainstormed with my mother in law about whether or not we could pull it off. Then I went to my local craft store and got the supplies. I think the finished hat turned out great!

Lucas's first birthday hat

Checking it out

Look at my hat!

And of course, what is a party without decorations?!?!?! I wanted the feeling of the decorations and the party to be more crafty and home made than from the store so I tried to designate certain things to be purchased and other to be made. I bought plates, cups, napkins, plastic silverware, #1 candle, and a table cloth. Then my friend Tricia made the birthday banner and we made tissue balls as a substitute for balloons - which was perfect because I am secretly afraid of popping balloons and do not like to have them around a crowd of people. You just never know when one will accidentally pop and with the way my bladder is these days...it might not have been pretty. (http://diy.wed-central.com/?p=62)

Firetruck themed birthday banner... AWESOME!!!

Pom Poms!

Finally, I channeled my inner Martha and made a firetruck cake and dalmation cake with the help of my mom and my bestie Tricia :)

You can find directions for the firetruck cake on youtube

(http://bit.ly/betty_crocker_firetruck)

The dalmation inspiration came from a book my Grandmother had given my mother when she had my older sister. It is the Baker's Coconut Animal Cut-Up Cakes (copyright 1959)

Accelerated Play

Pulling up on this little trike

knocking down my tower

It is truly amazing to watch the way Lucas plays with his toys and how they have become tools for his development. He has been playing with his stacking cups and busy balls for several months now and just this past week he began putting a ball in the cup. Then he realized how much fun it is to put stuff in other things (maybe because I cheered and acted ridiculously happy) so he took it to the next level and has been putting lots of stuff in his shape sorter cube (seriously, I found the remote in there the other night). He still knocks down any towers I make...maybe stacking will be the next!

Putting the busy balls in the shape sorter cube

Ball in the cup

Trip to the Aquarium

We took Lucas the the Newport Aquarium for a fun family day. This aquarium is awesome! It has lots of tunnels to walk through that make you feel like you are in the ocean with the fish and sharks swimming all around you. Lucas was pretty quiet the entire trip - just observing all the tanks and the people around us. He even did great for the little show they had which was a diver underwater in the shark tank telling us about the sharks and answering questions. I think this trip really highlighted for me the joys of being a parent - watching Lucas learn and be excited about the world around him. I found myself always looking at Lucas to see his reaction to the sharks, Denver the sea turtle, the brightly colored fish, or the jellyfish. I just love seeing the world through the eyes of someone who is experiencing it for the first time because it makes you stop and appreciate life. At the very end of the aquarium they had a penguin exhibit. I love penguins! Lucas was too sleepy by this point to really get into their funny antics. Maybe next time :)

Beach Days

We had a wonderful and eventful weekend...we are under contract to sell our house! This economy is anything but a sellers market and Ross and I had decided we would prefer to sell our house rather than be landlords. Either way was a lose situation for us and the unpredictability of renters (upkeep of house, paying their rent, finding renters, etc.) was not something we relished. It turns out that Lucas's room was the number one selling point for them - they have a 5 week old son and have similar themed nursery decor. In some ways I am secretly glad his room will remain the same but jealous some other little boy will get to enjoy it. Oh well! Time to move on...Now we can truly enjoy our last month and a half in the coastal carolinas doing what we should be doing...going to the beach!

We have a pop-up sun tent with spf 50 fabric for Lucas and we were surprised at how long he stayed inside playing with his toys and the towel. When he finally decided to venture out and he touched the sand for the first time the look on his face was priceless. He had a great time playing and crawling in the sand. I think we will have many more fun beach trips ahead of us but we may be leaving each time much sandier than we did before :) Any ideas about how to prevent sand burn from him crawling on the sand....or rug burn for that matter?