Monday, April 29, 2013
Tio teaches Reed a new word
Jon and I went to Seattle this past weekend for a few days of much needed rest and relaxation. When either set of Grandparents watches Reed they are always very good about sending lots of pictures because they know how much we miss the Kiddo. This time around Reed got to stay with Nonna and Pepe and, as always, they were great about keeping us updated the whole time, but the winner has to be the video below that we received from Auntie "C." Tio Drew and Reed are looking at pictures of dogs and he is trying to teach the Little Guy what a puppy is. I think I've watched it about twenty times, it is just the cutest thing!
Monday, April 22, 2013
19 Months
This last month has been a whirlwind. It seems like every day has something "extracurricular" planned for at least one of us, we are squeezing in last minute trips and doctors appointments before our harvest begins, and meal planning and schedules have gone out the window, but I'm okay with it because that is how April typically works for us and I know once May hits, and the peaches and nectarines start coming off the trees, life will have a pretty normal pattern for the following six months. Amid our crazy schedule Reed has developed the ability to string two, and once in awhile, three syllables together. This month there have also been a few tantrums. Knock on wood they have all been at home, and Reed still remains a well behaved Kiddo in public and around other friends and family. He has also been a big help in the garden. He loves helping me check for seedlings that have popped up through the soil and is an excellent assistant irrigator.
Monthly Statistics
Weight: 25.5 lbs
Shoe Size: 6
Nicknames: Reedster, Reedcito, Reed Reed, Buddy, Monkey.
Food: He loves fruit, meat, and most "carbs." He usually picks around any veggie I serve, but will tolerate a handful of spinach blended in his smoothie or anything pureed he can dip his other food into. He also had some fries at In-N-Out that he hasn't stopped talking about.
Communication: Reed has a ton of one syllable words and probably a dozen or so two syllables words. He is starting to string two words together more frequently and will attempt to mimic almost any word you ask him to.
Favorite Moment(s):
Reed has started to help me cook in the kitchen. Mashing avocados onto toast, dumping ingredients in bowls, and his favorite - mixing. We have made blueberry pancakes together a couple of times this month and it has been so much fun. I usually turn music on, ignore the spills, and enjoy our time together. This big kid activity makes me realize how quickly he's growing up and I try to savor every moment of this time together.
Milestones:
03/31/13 First Easter Egg Hunt
04/18/13 First sentences "Dad/Mom sits here"
Favorite Photo Shoot Outtake:
Reed's sense of humor is developing and let's just say the Kid takes after his Dad in that regard too. Some of his favorite things to do are to mimic Dodger's "poop dance" and to point at incorrect body parts when we've asked him to locate something different, then he starts laughing at himself.
Monthly Statistics
Weight: 25.5 lbs
Clothing Size: Everything is now 18 or 18-24 months
Teeth: Still the 12 - 4 bottom/front, 2 bottom molars, and 4 top/front., 2 top molars.
Reed likes: Shoes, Soft Sheep, Pete the Pup, and other stuffed animals, balls, reading books - especially the "Tat Book" (Pete the Cat), playing outside, Dodger, blocks, going to gym class, bath time, his Grandma and Nonna, rocks, hats, playing with any sort of plastic cup, and anything that has to do with water.
Reed dislikes: Sleeping in, diaper changes, taking his pajamas off, being told no, and having his food cut, or otherwise altered, in a way he doesn't see fit.
Food: He loves fruit, meat, and most "carbs." He usually picks around any veggie I serve, but will tolerate a handful of spinach blended in his smoothie or anything pureed he can dip his other food into. He also had some fries at In-N-Out that he hasn't stopped talking about.
Communication: Reed has a ton of one syllable words and probably a dozen or so two syllables words. He is starting to string two words together more frequently and will attempt to mimic almost any word you ask him to.
How Reed is sleeping: We started Reed on a nasal spray this month to help combat his nasal congestion. Apparently he was getting hardly any air through his nose and was relying heavily on mouth breathing. This has helped his nighttime sleeping immensely. He goes to bed around 7:30pm, then he usually wakes somewhere right around 6:00 am, rarely waking up between. He sleeps in a sleep sack, with a pacifier, a sound machine going, and his two "guys" Soft Sheep and Pete the Pup. He goes down for his nap around noon and sleeps 2-3 hours.
Reed has started to help me cook in the kitchen. Mashing avocados onto toast, dumping ingredients in bowls, and his favorite - mixing. We have made blueberry pancakes together a couple of times this month and it has been so much fun. I usually turn music on, ignore the spills, and enjoy our time together. This big kid activity makes me realize how quickly he's growing up and I try to savor every moment of this time together.
Milestones:
03/31/13 First Easter Egg Hunt
04/18/13 First sentences "Dad/Mom sits here"
Favorite Photo Shoot Outtake:
Monday, April 15, 2013
A GEM of a Weekend
Jon was gone all last week on a work trip and then flew straight to the coast for a Bachelor Party. After a week of being a single Mom I decided it would be fun to have a change of scenery so Reed and I headed up to visit my Grandmother Joan. My name for her has been Momma Joan since I was itty bitty. We've been trying to come up with a name for Reed to call her. At first it was GG Joan, then G-Momma, then G-Mom. Reed took this last iteration and combined it into a one syllable name - Gggggemmm. I decided that we should spell it Gem - like a jewel. We'll see how long this one lasts!!!
Anyway we drove up to the Bay Area on Friday and after we got unpacked we headed to a local park that has lots of toys and also a huge pond.
The picture above is one of my favorites because I'm pretty sure that Gem was explaining to Reed that the ducks were taking a bath in the water and then he said "towel" - because obviously if something is taking a bath, it's going to need a towel to dry off!!! The look on her face is priceless.
After the park we made a quick stop by one of Gem's friends' houses to say hi, drop off some citrus my parents had sent along, and to check out their koi pond. I didn't snap too many pics, but at one point we saw a turtle and Reed became obsessed with seeing it again and that is what he is asking about in the picture below.
In the afternoon we hung out in the front yard, played with a soccer ball, rocks, and Reed for some reason decided to smell all of the flowers.
Before we left on Sunday, Gem's walking friend Nancy came over to say hi, and then we headed up to another friend's house/farm to meet some more furry/feathery friends.
Gem loved spending time with Reed and I think the feeling was definitely mutual seeing as when I was telling Reed what we needed to put in the car he pointed to Gem and then said "car" indicating he wanted to take her home too!!!
Anyway we drove up to the Bay Area on Friday and after we got unpacked we headed to a local park that has lots of toys and also a huge pond.
After the park we made a quick stop by one of Gem's friends' houses to say hi, drop off some citrus my parents had sent along, and to check out their koi pond. I didn't snap too many pics, but at one point we saw a turtle and Reed became obsessed with seeing it again and that is what he is asking about in the picture below.
On Saturday morning we headed to Ardenwood Farm. All of the animals adored Reed and would come up to the fence to say hello. I know they are used to being around kids, but a lot of the other children were frightened of the animals and the feeling seemed to be reciprocated.
In the afternoon we hung out in the front yard, played with a soccer ball, rocks, and Reed for some reason decided to smell all of the flowers.
Before we left on Sunday, Gem's walking friend Nancy came over to say hi, and then we headed up to another friend's house/farm to meet some more furry/feathery friends.
Gem loved spending time with Reed and I think the feeling was definitely mutual seeing as when I was telling Reed what we needed to put in the car he pointed to Gem and then said "car" indicating he wanted to take her home too!!!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
A Day in the Life of an 18 Month Old Reed
For the last month I've been trying to figure out a good day to do a "day in the life of" post, but there hasn't been one. I sat down and looked at our calendar for the rest of April and we are so busy, I decided that this past Monday would have to do. The only problem was Jon left at 5:30 in the morning for a brief work trip and wasn't home when the Munchkin went to bed; so I'll throw in a few comments here and there on what Jon and Reed usually do together during a regular Monday. Prepare for picture overload - I limited myself to twenty!!!
6:10 Reed starts to toss and turn. I finish up my stationary bike ride and watch him on the monitor hoping he'll go back to sleep.
6:15 I can tell he is up for good so I go get him. He's in a great mood. I change his diaper and we head down the hall.
6:20 This time of year Jon is usually still asleep and Reed wakes him up around 7:30 by knocking on the door and then "pushing" him out of bed. When he notices our bedroom door is open and Dad's not in bed, he's confused but accepts my explanation of Dad being at work and runs in to climb up on the bed. He shuttles a few stuffed animals and a quilt from his room to ours and the faces come out.
7:10 Reed helps me make my bed by couriering pillows over to me. Once the bed is made he dumps all of his alphabooks on our comforter and we go through a few of them.
7:30 Reed goes into his room to play with blocks and I let him play independently while I brush my teeth, feed Dodger, and start a leg workout in our room where I can hear what he's doing.
7:50 He finds me and proceeds to launch a massive ball attack.
8:00 My nose tells me that Reed needs his diaper changed. Then we head back into the laundry room to finish sorting through the piles.
8:10 Reed finds a basket and asks to hunt "eggs." I convince him to hunt stuffed animals instead
8:20 I fold clothes and switch the laundry around. Reed finds a hat in the laundry and puts it on himself.
8:30 Reed requests some "crisps" so we go to the kitchen for a snack of Snap Pea Crisps, Mangoes, and water. He makes it a leisurely snack so I get out my phone and make a grocery list.
9:00 Done with his snack Reed wants to play "tar" (guitar) and "dance"
9:30 I fold clothes while Reed plays in his room
9:40 I put Reed in the carrier and we take Dodger for a walk. Reed helps walk Dodger for the last 10 minutes.
10:15 We are back from our walk and Reed wants to read books, he requests "Meat----Balls" (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs)
10:30 Reed helps me fold clothes
10:40 We head to the kitchen to make pear bread. Reed is very helpful when it comes to "meas----ure" and "mix"
11:10 We've been gone all weekend so I raid the fridge for food. Reed ends up eating sausage, pasta, peas, applesauce, and rice milk for lunch.
11:30 Diaper change and a quick story before I lay him down for his nap.
11:40 Reed is asleep. I clean up the kitchen, get the pear bread out of the oven, get the mail, pay some bills, catch up on our HOA duties (Jon's the President), pick up the house, finish unpacking mine and Reed's suitcases, change the laundry and fold more clothes, take a shower, and make a smoothie for Reed.
2:10 Reed wakes up. I change his diaper and we clean-up his room. He asks for something to eat so I give him the smoothie.
2:35 Jon calls to check in on us so I juggle the phone while I load the car and herd Reed through the house.
2:45 We leave for Fresno.
3:25 We arrive at Reed's Pediatrician's office for his 18 month appointment. It is 45 minutes before we are seen and in the process Reed starts having an allergic reaction to something in the exam room - red hives, scratching himself, watery eyes, and sneezing. The NP says he's growing steadily and seems to be advanced in his language development. I wipe the Kiddo down with diaper wipes and hand sanitizer and get out of the office asap.
4:45 Reed is doing much better after just 10 minutes so I brave Trader Joe's . . . he's a trooper and is so happy when the cashier rewards him with a strip of stickers.
6:05 Dinner. Reed eats a big pile of shredded roast turkey dipped in hummus, three pieces of rye toast spread with avocado, and some hemp milk. He tries a bite of cantaloupe but doesn't like it. I oblige him when he requests some "O's"
7:05 Reed brushes his teeth, while I put lotion and his PJs on. He gets a dose of allergy medicine, fluoride, and his inhaler. We head to the living room to put a Signing Time DVD in. While Reed is zoned out to his show I clean up our dinner and make a batch of corn bread and start working on a pot of chili I'm making for our friends Shannon and Kevin who just had a baby.
7:30 We head back to Reed's room. I turn on his sound machine and night light, then get him zipped up in his sleep sack. He grabs his pacifier, Soft Sheep, and Pup. We cuddle up in the rocker to read a few stories. Jon usually reads the bedtime story while I cuddle with the Monkey, but he seems okay with Mom doing both tonight.
7:40 I lay him down and head back out to the kitchen to finish up cooking.
8:00 Reed is finally asleep
6:10 Reed starts to toss and turn. I finish up my stationary bike ride and watch him on the monitor hoping he'll go back to sleep.
6:15 I can tell he is up for good so I go get him. He's in a great mood. I change his diaper and we head down the hall.
6:20 This time of year Jon is usually still asleep and Reed wakes him up around 7:30 by knocking on the door and then "pushing" him out of bed. When he notices our bedroom door is open and Dad's not in bed, he's confused but accepts my explanation of Dad being at work and runs in to climb up on the bed. He shuttles a few stuffed animals and a quilt from his room to ours and the faces come out.
6:30 Reed lets me know he's hungry by saying "eat" over and over again. We head to the kitchen for a breakfast of leftover oatmeal, blueberry pancakes, and rice milk.
6:45 Reed says he's "done" with breakfast so I clean him up and then let him run free while I clean up the kitchen. I hear him say "shoes way (away)" and look up to find him putting my bike shoes away for me.
6:55 We head back to his bathroom to do his inhaler, brush his teeth and hair, and change his clothes. Then we start a load of laundry.
7:10 Reed helps me make my bed by couriering pillows over to me. Once the bed is made he dumps all of his alphabooks on our comforter and we go through a few of them.
7:30 Reed goes into his room to play with blocks and I let him play independently while I brush my teeth, feed Dodger, and start a leg workout in our room where I can hear what he's doing.
7:50 He finds me and proceeds to launch a massive ball attack.
8:00 My nose tells me that Reed needs his diaper changed. Then we head back into the laundry room to finish sorting through the piles.
8:10 Reed finds a basket and asks to hunt "eggs." I convince him to hunt stuffed animals instead
8:20 I fold clothes and switch the laundry around. Reed finds a hat in the laundry and puts it on himself.
8:30 Reed requests some "crisps" so we go to the kitchen for a snack of Snap Pea Crisps, Mangoes, and water. He makes it a leisurely snack so I get out my phone and make a grocery list.
9:00 Done with his snack Reed wants to play "tar" (guitar) and "dance"
9:30 I fold clothes while Reed plays in his room
9:40 I put Reed in the carrier and we take Dodger for a walk. Reed helps walk Dodger for the last 10 minutes.
10:15 We are back from our walk and Reed wants to read books, he requests "Meat----Balls" (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs)
10:30 Reed helps me fold clothes
10:40 We head to the kitchen to make pear bread. Reed is very helpful when it comes to "meas----ure" and "mix"
11:10 We've been gone all weekend so I raid the fridge for food. Reed ends up eating sausage, pasta, peas, applesauce, and rice milk for lunch.
11:30 Diaper change and a quick story before I lay him down for his nap.
11:40 Reed is asleep. I clean up the kitchen, get the pear bread out of the oven, get the mail, pay some bills, catch up on our HOA duties (Jon's the President), pick up the house, finish unpacking mine and Reed's suitcases, change the laundry and fold more clothes, take a shower, and make a smoothie for Reed.
2:10 Reed wakes up. I change his diaper and we clean-up his room. He asks for something to eat so I give him the smoothie.
2:35 Jon calls to check in on us so I juggle the phone while I load the car and herd Reed through the house.
2:45 We leave for Fresno.
3:25 We arrive at Reed's Pediatrician's office for his 18 month appointment. It is 45 minutes before we are seen and in the process Reed starts having an allergic reaction to something in the exam room - red hives, scratching himself, watery eyes, and sneezing. The NP says he's growing steadily and seems to be advanced in his language development. I wipe the Kiddo down with diaper wipes and hand sanitizer and get out of the office asap.
4:45 Reed is doing much better after just 10 minutes so I brave Trader Joe's . . . he's a trooper and is so happy when the cashier rewards him with a strip of stickers.
5:50 We are finally home and Reed helps me unpack groceries by putting things on the counter, while I put together dinner - so much for the homemade meal I was planning, we are just going to be scavengers today I guess!!! Honestly, I really do make a homemade dinner almost every night and usually Jon and Reed play during this time.
6:05 Dinner. Reed eats a big pile of shredded roast turkey dipped in hummus, three pieces of rye toast spread with avocado, and some hemp milk. He tries a bite of cantaloupe but doesn't like it. I oblige him when he requests some "O's"
6:40 Reed announces that he has a "poop." As I carry him back to change his diaper Jon calls. I put him on speaker just in time to open up the craziest poop explosion I've seen in six months. We say our goodbyes to Dad and head to the bath. Usually Jon and I tag team bath time.
7:05 Reed brushes his teeth, while I put lotion and his PJs on. He gets a dose of allergy medicine, fluoride, and his inhaler. We head to the living room to put a Signing Time DVD in. While Reed is zoned out to his show I clean up our dinner and make a batch of corn bread and start working on a pot of chili I'm making for our friends Shannon and Kevin who just had a baby.
7:30 We head back to Reed's room. I turn on his sound machine and night light, then get him zipped up in his sleep sack. He grabs his pacifier, Soft Sheep, and Pup. We cuddle up in the rocker to read a few stories. Jon usually reads the bedtime story while I cuddle with the Monkey, but he seems okay with Mom doing both tonight.
7:40 I lay him down and head back out to the kitchen to finish up cooking.
8:00 Reed is finally asleep
Monday, April 1, 2013
A Good Egg
If you had told me a few months back that Reed would be doing a solo Easter Egg Hunt with 17 adults watching, I would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the thought, but on Sunday that's exactly what we did! I bought some eggs at the Dollar Store last month and Reed was immediately excited about them because he thought they were balls. I decided to try out hiding them in the dining room and let him go on a "hunt." He loved it and we've been playing this game at least once a week for the last month. It was also a great game for me because I could hide eggs and then let him do the hunting while I did something else like fold clothes, or make a phone call. Anyway I wasn't sure how he would do hunting eggs outside since we hadn't played that game, but decided it wasn't his fault he was the only kid at Easter this year and we should give it a go. An extra bonus of only having Reed hunting was not having to worry about his egg allergy with real eggs or plastic eggs full of candies he can't have.
Once everyone arrived and Reed had a chance to open some very generous Easter gifts we went to the front yard to commence hunting. The Little Guy did great, even with a swarm of paparazzi following him around documenting his every move. He actually needed very little help and only had to be pointed in the right direction a few times.
It was such a nice day we decided to take advantage of the weather and get a few group shots.
Great Grandma Didi and Great Papa Dean joined us a bit later for lunch to make it a grand total of 20 people at our house. For our first time hosting Easter I think the day was a success.
It seems weird to praise a child for dealing with a lot of attention, but I feel like it can be really overwhelming for a toddler to have his house full of cameras, noise, and Big People, even if he knows most of them. Reed really was a trooper, so well behaved, and even polite, my heart really did swell when I put him down for his nap and thought of what a special day he had experienced.
Once everyone arrived and Reed had a chance to open some very generous Easter gifts we went to the front yard to commence hunting. The Little Guy did great, even with a swarm of paparazzi following him around documenting his every move. He actually needed very little help and only had to be pointed in the right direction a few times.
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| High Fives for a job well done! |
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| Reed, Mom, and Dad |
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| Papa, Pepe, Reed, Nonna, and Gran |
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| Grand-Uncle Peter, Grand-Aunt Laurie, Grandma, Reed, Grandpa, and "G" Momma |
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| Hunky Greg, Jackie, Grand-Aunt Penny, Grand-Uncle Mark, Auntie "M", and Hunky Kevin |
Great Grandma Didi and Great Papa Dean joined us a bit later for lunch to make it a grand total of 20 people at our house. For our first time hosting Easter I think the day was a success.
It seems weird to praise a child for dealing with a lot of attention, but I feel like it can be really overwhelming for a toddler to have his house full of cameras, noise, and Big People, even if he knows most of them. Reed really was a trooper, so well behaved, and even polite, my heart really did swell when I put him down for his nap and thought of what a special day he had experienced.
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