Peyton is doing so well with potty training! He's gotten 3 trains so far from the Thomas the train loot we scored from one of Zack's coworkers and is a present every time he makes a potty training milestone (telling us when he has to go, staying dry at daycare, making it through naps, etc.). Peyton can't stop talking about "Big Buzz" which is the promised gift when he is fully potty trained.
I'm blogging to talk about the new structure in Peyton's life. This week we've started a lot of new things. We've enrolled him in the Little Gym on Wednesdays (which Daddy will have off starting next week so that we can rotate who goes with him), he goes to Miss Lisa's for daycare on Mondays with Sierra, and on Fridays we have started a co-op preschool with some of the MMMamas for 2 hours. The goal is to get him interacting with kids his age more, give him structured activity and direction following and so that school isn't such a shock. There is also the option of activities on Tuesdays (Roxborough State Park's toddler activity) and Thursdays (story time at the Roxborough library). I think it's already benefiting him because today, for the first time, he went and sat on the carpet with the other kids at story time instead of with Mommy. He even interacted with the songs a little bit. My baby boy is growing up fast. I just hope we can do right by him.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Camping at 2-A whole new world
So we went camping last night at our normal, close to home place, near Deckers. It was Sierra's first camping trip, but more importantly it was Peyton's first camping trip he may remember. In the morning before we left, he woke up and wanted to read a book, so I decided we would read his books that pertained to camping. He was SO excited to be going camping like, George (curious George). I went to my 6 week follow up appointment at the midwifery and Daddy and Peyton packed for camping. He was so helpful and as soon as I got home from the appointment he started asking about camping. What was more amazing was while we were on the drive he started talking about gathering water from the pump in a bucket (like curious George) and we had to explain we were going to a campsite without water to gather, so we had to bring it ourselves.
Once we got there he wanted to help with everything. He helped erect the tent and carry stuff from the car. He wanted to be in the tent at all times and was so excited to have his own headlamp that it was on long before dark. He wrestled with Daddy on the air mattress (which now has a hole in it) and by then was extremely tired. He'd had no nap and became super cuddly. He sat on Daddy's lap and made Daddy's day. He soon switched to Mommy's lap and then back to Daddy. He wanted to know all things outdoors. The moon, the sun, the dirt, the bugs...it was all so exciting and new.
In the middle of the night he woke up crying. Was he confused about where he was? Was he scared? Who knows, but he went back to sleep on Daddy and slept until morning. He was so exhausted in the morning, though, that he was super fussy. Less than half way home in the car he fell asleep and slept in the car at home for at least 45 minutes and then went back to bed for another 2 hours or so. That just doesn't happen.
We can't wait to camp again, with plans to do so next week. Things are so different with him now. Daddy took him on a walk to explore. We talked about bugs, trees, the moon, the sun, and animals that might wander into camp. It is so amazing to give to our child the experience of sleeping outdoors and discovering the wild. He's been camping since 6 weeks old, but now, he remembers, repeats and enjoys. I love this part of being a parent. Experiential education...it's how we go to go on amazing excursions with TRiP at UF and now, it's how we will introduce our 2 year old to the great outdoors, bond with him, and teach him to preserve the planet. Life is good.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
2 years old and acting like it
Can you believe it? Peyton just turned 2! It's hard to believe it was two years ago that he came to join our family. It feels like he's always been here. He's such a boy too. He loves his baseball and being outside. His knees are always skinned and he bumps his head several times a week. His legs are always several shades of black and blue. The theme for his birthday this year was camping and baseball. For the baseball he got a glove and ball (way too big for him, but he has hardly taken it off since he got it several days ago), Rockies pjs and a jersey along with tickets to the game on his birthday. That was a bust, though, with a freaky cold front blowing in forcing the game to be snowed out (it snowed 2 years ago too, on the night he was born, but it hadn't been 84 degrees the day before). We'll just have to trade in the tickets for another game along the way. He was disappointed, but took it well. As far as camping goes, he now has his own camp chair and and headlamp care of his grandma and a camelback to wear hiking. I'm not sure how much he'll get to use this stuff this year with the new baby due in June, but it'll work for him for years to come. He also got a Woody doll from Toy Story and is getting a bike helmet (we got a scooter on Craigslist for him, but with how much he falls he's not allowed to try it until the helmet gets here) from other family.
We went today to his 2 year well child visit. He weighs in at 25 pounds and is 34 3/4 inches tall, just shy of his Daddy's goal for him to be 3 feet by 2 years old (in order to get to 6 feet by adulthood-have you seen his parents? Not gonna happen). As usual, he was well ahead of normal in the motor development chart, doing a lot of 4 year old activities. He runs, jumps, rolls, throws, kicks, hits a baseball (from a tee or pitched to him) at a level well beyond what we would think possible. His climbing is only limited by his lack of height. He also loves to color and draw and is starting to talk up a storm, which is good because the temper tantrums he throws when we don't understand what he's saying are amazing. Speaking of tempers, he has one...big time. He gets frustrated easily when he can't do something right (like his mom) and has a short temper (like his dad). The terrible 2's have been upon us for some time now, and they aren't fun, but we know it's just a phase, and every time we successfully come up with a strategy for dealing with one of his triggers, it feels like a major victory as parents.
He seems happy now about the new addition that is joining our family in June. He kisses my belly and tells Sierra hi. He gets a "kick" out of her kicking him when he sits on my lap at night. We are dealing with a little bit of reverting to baby-like behaviors, cuddling more (which I'm not complaining about), wanting to be carried, and refusing to potty train even though he knows full well how to use the toilet, what it's for, and when he needs to go. That's probably the most frustrating. We really wanted him potty trained by baby time and with only 3 months left (and my energy for such things waning) it's not looking good. Maybe it'll just happen one day, like him starting to repeat everything we say (that happened overnight). We'll keep our fingers crossed.
Every day is a challenge, but a wonderful one. It's a journey we wouldn't trade for anything. And when you sneeze and hear a little voice say "tat-too" (bless you) or you give him a toy he wants and you get a "tankcoo" (thank you) and an occasional "I wuv you" followed by the most fabulous hugs and kisses in the world, you feel like your doing things right and he's on the right track.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Ear tubes!
Today Peyton had surgery to put tubes in his ears. It was a tough decision, especially for me who didn't want my little boy to have to be under anesthesia, but after 5 ear infections in 8 months and many many sleepless nights up with a screaming child, we determined it was for the best. We were further justified when he went to the ENT and they tested his eardrums for movement (a measure of fluid behind them) and they were deemed "flat" basically meaning they weren't vibrating the way ear drums should because of the pressure. Everything went great. I only got teared up when they took him back and he started screaming and reaching for me. Zack came and stayed until he was released. He had a ball before the surgery with so many nurses to play ball with him, which was good since it was 6:30 in the morning and an hour before his actual surgery. That's a long time to keep a 20 month old occupied who's been not allowed to eat and drink since 8:30 the night before. Afterward he cried for about an hour or so, but was pretty cooperative. He even took the tylenol with no problem that the nurses said was not the good tasting stuff he's used to. Right before we got home he finally stopped wailing and is now back to his old self. The doc said we made a good decision because the left ear was all pus behind his eardrum (and is still draining like crazy) and the other was a mix of pus and mucus (yuck). He's showing no signs of having any ill effects from the anesthesia. The doc said he'd most likely puke at least once, but he's had a whole cup of milk and some crackers and is playing and acting fine. Amazingly, he's even keeping the cotton ball in his left ear. He's such a little trooper. I thought we'd have a lazy day sitting around watching TV, but he's not in the mood to sit still. I wish he'd go nap so we could get some errands done since he's doing so well, but he doesn't even seem tired. So it looks like we made a good decision. I can't wait until he's healed to see if there are big changes in his speech and sleep patterns.
Friday, October 8, 2010
1 1/2 years old and no longer a baby
A year and a half, 18 months. Time flies. We no longer have anything resembling a baby on our hands, we have a budding little boy. A little boy who loves to throw the ball, climb, run, and flip, mimics everything we do, throws temper tantrums with the best of them, cuddles better than anyone on the planet, and has a litany of priceless faces that we recently memorialized in a collage photo. He is also a little boy who has gets sick every time he's teething, refuses to sleep through the night, and tries our patience at times as he pushes the envelope to see what he can get away with.
At his docs appointment he was 22 lbs 14 oz, 33 inches. He's getting taller and skinnier dropping down off his weight growth curve and moving up on the height curve. This could also be because our once connoisseur of fine foods, who would eat everything but meat, suddenly doesn't want to eat anything. He's too busy to eat. You can almost see the changes in him cognitively. He's wanting to say more and more words, is spending more time on activities that test his brain, like the shape sorter (which he can now easily do and does over and over and over), coloring, looking at books and trying to say the words that go with the pictures, and participating with the TV when he watches his favorite show, Play With Me Sesame. He is also on the road to potty training, often taking himself to the potty during the day (now if we could only get his babysitter to offer him the potty more often, he might be 100% trained by the end of the month). His joy in life is making us proud as can be seen by the grin on his face and his self applause when he does something right. We've got him putting away his toys before bed every night, which is one of his favorite games-we'll see how long that lasts. We are working on the Gator chomp. That should be good to go, hopefully by the UF/LSU game this weekend or next week at the latest:)
Every time I blog, I think, this is my favorite time. He's becoming such a little person. His personality is a joy. He loves to sing and dance and seems to be very musically and athletically inclined, which should be genetic since both his parents were both athletes and musicians. He is the greeter whenever we are out somewhere of all who come near him. He waves hi and gives a big toothy grin. I had a guy stop me in the grocery store one day when he was in the Ergo on my back and I couldn't see him, to tell me that Peyton made his day because he looked over at him, gave him a huge smile and started waving. That's our Peyton, he's a real people person. Unfortunately for me, but good for him, he has been going to his baby sitter's house more lately as I have begun working more and Zack changed his schedule. He loves spending time with the other kids, plus there is every toy known to man at that house. When I pick him up he is typically covered in dirt, food, markers, paint, or something to show he was having fun. It makes it easier for me to leave him, but harder because I'm not getting to spend nearly the time with him that I was.
We are so pleased by how Peyton is turning out, temper tantrums and all. Now if only we could get over the never ending cold/teething and get him sleeping through the night, life would be perfect.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Longboat Key trip-16 months old!
Last week, we took a family vacation to Longboat Key. Before we went we thought Peyton would enjoy things like chasing the birds and throwing rocks in the water. We had no idea how much fun he was going to have (and how little interest he would have in chasing birds and throwing rocks into the water). We were there with Grandma, Granddaddy, Aunt Carrie, cousins McKenzie and Justin, and Aunt Cathy came down one day to visit too. Peyton was so good for everyone. He stayed with Grandma and Aunt Carrie and was well behaved and played hard. This gave Mommy and Daddy several nights out to dinner alone and a kayaking trip, which were much needed. We have had very little alone time or date nights in the last 16 months. He napped well for everyone, and even slept pretty well at night even with the time difference, teething, and being in a weird place. His favorite thing to do was to play in the water and shovel sand. He had a shovel glued to his hand almost constantly. He loved running into the shallow water and tide pools and would fall down and just pick himself up and do it again. It was so much fun to watch. He enjoyed the beach much more than the pool. He would sit in the raft out in the ocean just bobbing up and down and almost drifting off to sleep on several occasions. We had to go early in the morning, stay until about noon, let him nap for about 3 hours and then we would go back in the evening because of the heat. He didn't seem to mind the humidity and heat much, though. He wanted to be outside all the time and got very angry when we would make him come in.
The trip was good for him socially and developmentally too. He got to play with his cousins and took to everyone very quickly. He is even more of a copy cat than ever. You do something once and you'll see him doing it shortly thereafter. Running on the beach did wonders for his balance and his hand eye coordination improved a lot-the first day he couldn't figure out how to shovel and get it in the bucket and by the last day he was filling buckets with sand-and he's doing better at catching and is on the verge of jumping. His personality grows more everyday, as does his stubbornness. At times he is quite the handful, getting into everything and constantly testing his boundaries.
Anyway, here are some links to videos from the trip. I thought it was easier to do it this way than put links to every one on facebook. Enjoy!
Friday, July 2, 2010
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.
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