15 months-Time Flies When You're Having Fun

So I came to a realization tonight, my baby is no longer a baby. It actually started this morning. We pulled up in front of the house where he goes for day care and he did his usual whimpering in acknowledgement of where we were and that I was going to leave him. I said, "stop that, you know you have fun when you are here." He promptly stopped. We walked to the front door where Ms. Lisa was waiting and walked inside. He didn't cry, he didn't cling to me. Instead, he smiled at her, pushed away from me to be put down and commenced playing with a toy that he proudly showed me. So there it is, the first time that he didn't cry when I left him. I was given a kiss and a quick wave goodbye in between playing with the giraffe he'd found.

In just the past two weeks or so, Peyton's personality has blossomed into a little boy. He "talks" all the time, in complete Peyton sentences. He says tons of stuff appropriately. When we left daycare I asked him if he had fun and he said "yep!" I asked him if he played a lot and he said, "yep!" I said "what else did you do today?" and he proceeded to monologue about his day, even though I didn't understand a word of it. When he's proud of himself he loudly declares, "I did it!" He squeals, runs around like a maniac, and climbs on everything. I swear he is going to be a rock climber and a baseball and football player. His skills are unbelievable. He tries to jump, loves to spin in circles and make himself dizzy, and now safely goes up and down the stairs without being told how. He loves to play in the hose when I'm watering my garden. He's a social butterfly, pleading with his eyes to other kids to play with him at the playground and has made his babysitters' 5 kids all ask "when is Peyton going to be here next," especially her 4 year old twins who greet him at the door and can't sleep in on Wednesday mornings because they are so excited he's coming. He says hi to everyone we pass in the grocery store.

On top of everything he's become such a lover. He gets so excited to see me or Daddy when we get home from work, climbs in our laps, gives great kisses and hugs, blows kisses, and loves just sitting with us, talking up a storm. It's the most amazing feeling to see him blossom into this wonderful little boy and know that we've done things right. For 15 months we have done more than keep him alive (the goal of every new, scared parent), we have facilitated his development, physical, social, and emotional, and now he is an extremely happy, well adjusted child who makes everybody who meets him smile. He leaves an impression.

So tonight, when I said to Zack, "Have you noticed in just the last 2 weeks or so how much Peyton has changed from a baby into a little boy?" we both started crying, not because we are sad really, but it is sad to see babyhood end, and scary to see childhood begin. We know there are power struggles to come and every day will be a new adventure, but we are proud. Proud parents of an amazing child who leaves us in awe every day that he came from us. Every sacrifice we've made in the last 15 months is so worth it. I know we both feel our lives were not complete until Peyton came into it. A child is a blessing you can't understand until you have one, then your whole life changes and that's OK because you now feel that it is the way it always should have been. We love you, Peyton.

Guess who's 1!?

So I can't believe it, our baby is one...I guess that technically makes him a toddler now. What a wild and crazy year it's been. I have enjoyed writing this blog to commemorate each month and milestone along the way. This will be my last regular post. I still may blog from time to time to inform about new milestones, big events, etc. I am very happy because our little baby is turning into such a fabulous little boy, but I'm sad because his baby days are numbered.

Peyton had his one year checkup on the 6th and he weighed in at 20 lbs 8 oz and 29 inches long. He's still in the 25th %ile for height and weight so he's thriving well (he just has short parents). No one at his doctor's office could believe he's already a year. He sees a general wholistic practitioner, not a pediatrician, so he's very well known there for his adorable smiles and round cheeks. He's healthy as can be with the only problem being his lack of sleeping at night still. He's able to put himself to sleep well, he always gets laid down awake, but he doesn't stay there. His ears looked good, as did everything else, so we think it's still just teething. Poor baby got 3 teeth all at once and is acting like more are on the way. He looks very cute with his 2 front teeth and he's learned quickly that they are used for biting food. It's so cute to see him break off a piece of cracker and move food to the front of his mouth to try and chew with the 4 teeth he has.

Other things he's been up to include walking (he's still unsteady at times, but he tries to go further and further every day), climbing up anything he can, and saying more and more words. His newest words are "baby," "no way," and "yum yum" or "yummy." We can tell, because we're around him a lot, that he tries to say more than that. He repeats the inflection of words and phrases, even when he can't get the word.

Peyton's first birthday fell on the day before Easter. On his birthday we went to the neighborhood egg hunt, where there were tons of kids. He had never seen that many people in one place before and was in awe. He wouldn't pick anything up because he was so amazed by the wind (it was a ridiculously windy day) and all the people. He walked around holding my hand, though, which was super cute. We had a party that evening with some of our close friends who have gotten to know him pretty well in the last year. Grandma and Aunt Cathy were also here for the whole week leading up to his birthday, so they got to celebrate too. Peyton had a Sesame Street cake and a little cube cake that looked like an ABC block that he got to tear into without any of the adults having to eat from it afterwards. He really wasn't that into the cake, with me having to give him the first taste to get him to even touch it. He only licked a little bit of icing, but it was enough to give him a bout of diarrhea the next day since he usually only eats very healthy foods. The party was Sesame Street themed, with the focus being his favorite, Elmo. He got all kinds of fun toys. We themed his presents, getting him a play tent and multiple camping story books to get him in the mood for the upcoming summer. He got lots of books, a plastic golf game, a wagon with blocks, some balls, a ride on/hauling toy and several other things. He loves them all.

So, I want to conclude by saying that I could never have imagined how wonderful motherhood would be (and I'm sure Zack would agree with being a father-especially now that Peyton is all about playing with Daddy). The lack of sleep, trying to juggle work (albeit only 2 days worth), housekeeping, parenting, and making sure that he is introduced to all the right things for play and food and development has all been worth it to see how amazing he is now. He's extremely happy, has had one illness all year requiring a doctor's visit, and makes each day better than the last. We love him with all our hearts and hope to continue leading him on his life journey to make him a happy, successful person. I wouldn't change a thing about birthing him at a birthing center with a midwife, being an attachment parent, using cloth diapers, feeding him only organic, healthy foods, continuing still to breastfeed (although minimally now), limiting his television viewing, having few electronic toys, feeding on demand and allowing him to sleep in our bed when he needs to. I love being an mom, Zack loves being a dad and Peyton seems to love life and that's all we could ask for.

11 months old!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZLibXIRcaA

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Our baby is almost a year old! It's so hard to believe that I was due this month last year.

Peyton gets more personality by the day. More than his mobility this month, his social skills have developed. He continues to test his boundaries and definitely does things he's not supposed to for attention. He's destroyed 2 lamps in his room. Those little hands are fast and accurate as was demonstrated the one morning he ended up with OJ all over his head from him grabbing my glass. He's got a toy box in the living room and his favorite thing to do is empty it and throw everything across the room. He's got a pretty good arm. He's talking more and more. Not always real words, but you can tell they are real to him. I caught him "singing" the other day to himself. He's very expressive with his facial expressions too...especially those eyebrows. Anyone who's seen the face I'm talking about would agree. It makes everyone laugh. When we go out he is still initially shy, but is starting to wave and "talk" to people he doesn't know now, as long as he gets Mommy's look of approval first.

Peyton's not walking yet, but he tests his balance. He can stand without holding on to anything for about 10-20 seconds before he falls. Just like crawling, I think it'll just happen one day. The child does not sit still for 2 seconds when he's awake. He has learned to do lots of things that teach me that just when I think the house is babyproofed, it's not. He can climb the stairs, but can't safely come down. He climbed up on the couch the other day with the help of something on the floor that he figured out how to use as a step stool. His new thing is pushing his toys across the room while crawling on his knees and putting toys in other toys. I guess that means the boy needs a dump truck. Maybe for his birthday...

That's pretty much it. Next month will make me cry. Our baby will be one. Zack and I are getting him a little cake and Grandma and Aunt Cathy will be in town to celebrate. We love that baby boy!

Peyton's first Mardi Gras

For the past week we've been in Lafayette, LA celebrating Mardi Gras and introducing Peyton to his Daddy's relatives. Wow, did he meet a lot of people. He was a trooper the whole time and seemed to really enjoy being around lots of other kids and new faces. He definitely liked the attention. And all this while he was sick with a runny nose and cough (which we now know is an ear infection).

We stayed with Peyton's Parrain and Aunt Jessica. He got to meet his cousins, Averie, Marie, and Baylor. Also, he got to be reunited with Aunt Jessica's parents, Chris and Richard. The first night they had dinner at their house and Peyton also got to meet PawPaw and Nanny Bobbie. Even after traveling all day he was happy as a clam to be passed around.

Thurday, for lunch, we ate with Mrs. Connie, Daddy's Mom's childhood friend. We also made plans to get Peyton's first haircut from his PawPaw (the pics are so cute, he was so good). He also met MawMaw (his great grandmother). She was in love, as was expected. She gave him a little radio she got from the casino and a piggy bank full of coins (we haven't checked our luggage yet to see if it made it or got smashed on the trip home). Miss Margaret, MawMaw's friend was there too. This was the day Gwen and Philip got in from Texas too. I can't remember if Tiffany and her friend Holly came that night or the following day, but they were at the house too. It was crazy full.

During the day on Friday we headed to Pizza Village to have lunch with MawMaw and as a surprise, Uncle Ricky and TroyAnn, Uncle Earnest, and 2 of Ricky's sons showed up too. We got a picture of the whole Roger clan. On Friday night our friends Ben and Rachel came, but didn't get in until really late. Peyton got to experience his first Mardi Gras parade on Saturday, when we headed to Carencro for the block party at Aunt Sandra's house. Uncle Fred provided the music. This was Peyton's longest day by far, but he only fussed for a little while because he was hungry. We got tons of beads that day, and Peyton made out with quite a few toys as well. We danced and ate and had a good ol' time. Peyton got to meet Joshua, Daddy's cousin Jodi's son, who is 6 months old. Aunt Jessica's sister and her 2 kids came in on Saturday from Florida. Talk about a full house. Saturday night we stayed in because after getting home from Carencro, Peyton's cough got bad. Poor baby couldn't catch his breath and actually ended up throwing up because of all the drainage that was running into his tummy.

Sunday he was no worse for the wear and we had a bonfire at Chris and Richard's property that night. He was content sitting in the sling on Daddy all night.

We finally went to Cajun Field on Monday to watch the parade. It was fun, again, keeping Peyton content in the sling. He met so many more people these last few days, that I can't even begin to think who they all were. Peyton did us the favor of being a good boy and going home with Aunt Jessica so we could have one night to ourselves. Tuesday was Mardi Gras and we were again at Cajun Field. This was the longest day by far without anywhere for naps. He finally gave in a napped in our arms briefly. By the time we got home, he had his second wind and was happy, playing, and entertaining everyone.

The whole trip was so much better than I could've ever anticipated. Peyton loved meeting everyone and was so good considering how little sleep he got the whole week, and I think everyone loved meeting him. He's quite the little charmer when he wants to be. He didn't even fight bedtime, which surprised me with him being out of his element. Runny nose and all, he had an exciting week. He comes home with multiple gifts as well. A Mardi Gras outfit from Aunt Sandra, a Superbowl champs outfit from Gwen, a Saints outfit, bear, and telephone from Aunt Janet, money from Mrs. Connie, and the little radio and bank from MawMaw.

Thanks to everyone for the hospitality. Peyton is truly blessed to have such a great extended family.

10 months old today!

Here we are, 2 months away from 1 year! With increased mobility and increased intelligence comes increased mental fatigue for Mommy and Daddy. Peyton is testing us. His favorite "test" is to sit in front of the fireplace hearth, and act like he is going to climb up. Then he makes sure we are watching and tell him no, and he shakes his head side to side in the "no" sign and then, with one last glance to make sure we're still watching, he books it up and grabs the fireplace screen. There are days when he will repeat this process over and over and over. He knows all the things he is not supposed to get into and those are the first things he goes for when we turn our heads. I can't believe how fast the kid can crawl. He's getting really fast at cruising on the furniture too. With this speed comes lots of falls and tears. He has no regard for what is safe when he gets it into his head he should be able to do something. It's making his mother a nervous wreck!

In other news, this month I don't have to say we think he's teething, he is! The first tooth has been cut, but is barely in and is still bothering him a lot. It is causing a ton of wakeful nights, making for a crabby baby and a tired Mommy.

Peyton has more words daily. "Up" is his favorite. It has multiple uses. "Pick me up," "take me out of the car seat," "go upstairs," "get me out of the high chair." His second word is "mama." Sometimes in the middle of the night he doesn't even cry, he just says mama over and over. If mama does not come, then the screaming commences. He also says "dada," "bye bye," and multiple other sounds that sound like he is really trying to say the appropriate thing.

Next week we go to Louisiana so Peyton can meet the rest of the Johnson family. Hopefully he'll fly as well as he has on past occasions. I hope they all realize Hurricane Peyton is on the way!

Until next month...

9 month update

Wow, it feels like I just did the 8 month update on here. Peyton had his 9 month check up today and weighs in at 18 lbs 6 oz and is 27 1/2 inches long. He still has a tiny head in the 6th percentile, but I think that is what makes him look like a little boy vs. a little baby. Still no teeth. The girls in the doctor's office are in love with him. Grae, the PA that sees him, thinks he'll be walking before our 12 month visit, and we agree.

So Peyton can get around with the greatest of ease these days. He crawls FAST! He can stand up using just about anything for leverage, from the couch to a door to the wall. He loves to walk across the room holding our hands. We have to keep an eye on him at all times . Turn around for a second and he's gone and getting into something he's not supposed to be. We've put latches on all the cabinets, padding on the fireplace, and fixed up all the outlets. The biggest thing is still the stairs. We have awkward stairs that you can't really put a gate on so we're trying to teach him how to do them correctly in case he somehow got to the stairs without us seeing him, but I don't see that happening.

Peyton's first Christmas was awesome for both him and Mommy and Daddy, oh, and of course Grandma, who spoiled him rotten. He surprisingly unwrapped his presents and actually liked the toys, not just the boxes and paper. My favorite pic is one of him seemingly reading the directions of how to install his swing. Of everything he got, he plays with the peg board with the hammer and the plastic blocks, the most.

On top of his first Christmas, he also had his first cold, which he proceeded to spread to the whole family. Since then he's had a hard time getting back into a sleep routine, but it is getting a little bit better.

For the next 6 days I will be alone with him for the first time. I'm a little nervous about how I will ever get any meals made or cleaning done, but who knows, it might actually be better than when Zack is here.

Hard to comprehend, but by the time we go in for Peyton's 12 month appt there may be a little brother or sister on the way that we'll have to start a new blog for.

8 months old-how time flies when you're having a good time!

8 months sure does fly when you are having fun! Peyton is becoming more of a joy by the day. He's 18.2 lbs according to the Wii. From his new set of words (baba, mama, dada, buhbuy) to the squeals at the top of his lungs, to the new skills (crawling, scurrying up mommy's lap, downward dog, imitating, pulling to stand and cruising along the side of the playpen or crib, going from tummy to sitting, and ever improving fine motor skills) he's a miracle and a joy to watch. With the development of all these skills comes some frustration for him. He gets mad when he can't do something which leads to more fussiness than normal, but he's still a great baby. Couple that fussiness with possible teething. Yes, I know I say that every month in my update, but it has to be soon, right? He's 8 months and is still toothless, which is fine by me since I am still breastfeeding. The good thing is that in the past week we seem to be getting back on a waking up only once a night routine, which is making me happy. The trip to Florida, the time change, and a change in weather really threw him for a loop. I think the humidifier is helping a lot.

As far as eating goes, Peyton is an awesome eater. The only thing we can't get him to eat so far is meat, but I'm sure if we try it mixed with something he likes he'll enjoy it too. I still make all the baby food which is supposed to make for less picky eaters, so we'll see.

Another thing we are proud of is our skills as parents with "elimination communication." I know it's a foreign concept to most, but it is a means by which you follow your baby's cues in order to toilet them instead of having them go in a diaper, so that when potty training does occur it's easier since they already know the potty is where that happens, not a diaper. I'm happy to report that we catch "poopoo in the potty" 95% of the time and he does #1 in there after naps and in the morning. Even if potty training is still difficult, this time, learning how to communicate with Peyton even without words, has been time well spent. Plus, he seems to enjoy it!

My favorite thing that Peyton is doing now is giving me kisses. It is the sweetest thing and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and usually left with a very wet cheek:) As of now, he'll only do it to me, but he seems to be a pretty smart cookie and will probably start with Daddy soon too. He also loves to laugh and smile. My least favorite thing is that he gets into everything he's not supposed to. Gone are the days of sitting him in the living room while I run to the kitchen. He's across the room lickity split trying to get some cord, the dog's bone, a shoe, lick the sliding glass door, climb on the brick fireplace, or any number of other things he shouldn't be getting into. Those things are way more fun than toys.

I'm so looking forward to Peyton's first Christmas. All of his presents are bought and Grandma is coming from Florida. I'm sure he'll be much more interested in the paper, bags, bows, and ribbon, than the actual presents, but it'll be fun to start experiencing Christmas through a child's eyes again.

So I guess that's it. It's a lot. Each month more seems to happen in the span of a month. So in the words of Peyton, buhbuy.