Summer To Do List

Sometime in the Spring I decided to make a "To Do" List of things to do and experiences I wanted to share with Reed over the coming months. Part of this came from not wanting to get bored at home while Jon was working long hours but I think I also wanted to make sure to make the most of these last few months with Reed as an only child. I've blogged about a lot of the things we've done but I thought I would post my list and a few pics from my Instagram account for those of you that don't follow me. We aren't done yet, but we have made a good dent in the things I wanted to do and have scheduled some of the remaining activities for the next month and a half.

Reed and Mom's Summer To Do List

 

Plant Pumpkins

Go to our local Frozen Yogurt Shop (they carry sorbet)

Spend the night in the mountains (planning a trip for Grandpa's Birthday)

Go to San Luis Obispo (we've been three times)

Play at the Beach (hoping to get over to the coast one more time)

Visit a Horse Ranch

Take Swim Lessons

Play in the Sprinklers (This was an impromptu, fully clothed session, but so fun)

 

Try out a new craft (sidewalk chalk)

 

Go Fishing (need to plan something with Tio)

Have Reed help make something for the Baby's Nursery (you'll have to wait to see)

Go to the Lake (need to plan a trip with Pepe and Nonna)

Check out the Library

 

Make a pie (don't know where I'll EVER be able to get really fresh fruit!!!)

Go to Cat Haven (need to plan something with Grandma)

Make Popsicles (watermelon/blueberry, yum!!!)

Visit the Zoo

Go to a Baseball Game (have tickets for next week)

Visit a Petting Zoo (did this at the Avila Barn)

 

The Type A person I am loves checking things off of a list so I've been really proactive in trying to get as many of these things accomplished. I've had a lot of fun doing most of these activities with Reed and think I'm going to make a list for the Fall/Winter. With a new baby I think it will really help motivate me to do "stuff" instead of staying home and hunkering down and it will be a good way to carve out some special moments with Reed during a time when he'll be encountering a lot of changes. Any suggestions?



22 Months

This month Reed has mastered the art of eating cereal and milk with a spoon. It started off pretty messy, but he's a pro now. I made gazpacho the other night and he devoured it with a spoon as well. He has also gotten really good at identifying shapes. He can pick out squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, hearts, and stars pretty accurately most of the time. His language skills continue to improve and he often uses whole (but definitely not complete) sentences when speaking. Reed loves "swimming" but is still hesitant to put his face in the water or float on his back, favoring kicking and getting in and out of the pool. He's also taken to referring to himself as "Cowboy." "Cowboy running with Mom," "Cowboy playing balls," or my favorite "Cowboy pooping."

Monthly Statistics

Weight: 26 lbs

Clothing Size: Everything is 18-24 months or 2T. He's definitely long in the torso and short in the legs like Mom.

Shoe Size: 6 and starting to get a little snug.

 

Teeth:  16  -  8 on the bottom, 8 on the top. Still waiting for his 2 year molars to come in.

 

Reed likes: Shoes, Soft Sheep and Pup to sleep with, and all his other stuffed animals to play with, balls, reading books, playing outside, Dodger, blocks, going to gym class, bath time, his Grandma and Nonna, rocks, hats, sunglasses, playing with any sort of plastic cup, puzzles, doing "art work," watching El Perro y Gato with Dad, cooking with Mom, and anything that has to do with water.

 

Reed dislikes: It really depends on the day - we've definitely entered the terrible twos where something that is fine one day is the end of the world the next! For the most part though Reed has a pretty easy going disposition.

 

Nicknames: Reedster, Reedcito, Buddy, Monkey, Dictator-tot, Kooky Monster, and Bud.

Food: He loves fruit, meat, hemp milk, and most "carbs."  He is hit and miss with vegetables but I always serve them to him and have him try at least a bite. He loves dipping and his sauce of choice is ketchup. His appetite fluctuates from day to day, sometimes not eating much at all to other days seemingly being a bottomless pit. He's been more adventurous this month in that he's been willing to try new things including gazpacho, tortillas rolled-up with Sunflower butter, sandwiches, and marinara sauce with lots of veggies in it.

Communication: Reed has gotten a little better at using "me" and "you" correctly. He is also good about saying please (usually when prompted) and thank you (usually unprompted).

How Reed is sleeping:  He goes to bed around 7:30pm and has been making it to around 6:00 am most mornings. We've been using a toddler light that is blue during these hours and yellow the rest of the day and I really think that has helped him go back to sleep instead of crying out when he wakes during the night. 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 between noon and 1:00pm and sleeps 2-3 hours.

 

Favorite Moment: We've stayed at my in-laws home in San Luis Obispo a couple of times this Summer and Reed has so much fun each time we visit. A few weeks back we were joined for our normal McClarty Family Sunday dinner by Gran and Papa. Reed entertained us all by going around the table over and over again naming everyone. At one point he threw out "San Luis house" and from there I contributed that it would be really fun for everyone he had named to go to San Luis together. On our way home that evening we made the turn off a main road to one of the side streets we use to get to our house. Reed immediately dissolved into tears and Jon and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Finally we got the following out of him: "no Mommy Daddy house, San Luis house, all the people." We were both amazed that 1) he knew that particular turn meant we were going back to our house and 2) that he had remembered our dinner conversation and interpreted it to mean we were going that night! Luckily he accepted my explanation that we needed to plan a trip before we could go especially because we couldn't just leave Dodger at home by himself.

Milestones:
Using a spoon to eat "liquidy" dishes
Learning his basic shapes

Favorite Photo Shoot Outtake: (no Reed's room didn't get new paint, the rocking chair is in the soon to be nursery and my leather chair is now in Reed's room, but to keep consistent I tried to do the photo shoot in the grey rocker)

Mother's Day in July???

For Mother's Day I told my Mom I would like to take her on a "date." I gave her a list of options including a Spa Day and Dinner and a Movie. If you know my Mom it should come as no surprise that she instead chose to be around two of her favorite things - Reed and animals, yes for our "date" we went to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Unfortunately it's been so hot in the Valley lately we had no choice but to go in the morning, which meant our window for looking at animals was only abut two hours before Reed was spent and ready for lunch and a nap. The good news is we saw almost all of the exhibits including the new Sea Lion Cove and Grandma loved spending an extra morning with her Little Guy (and me too)!

 

 

The Fourth (and Fifth) of July

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at our friends Russell and Laurie's house. It was scorching hot so we were pretty much in the pool the entire time we were there. I didn't even have time to snap a picture of Reed in his adorable navy polo shirt and red, white, and blue plaid shorts, as soon as we got to their house the Kiddo wanted to swim. He spent a lot of time with Mom, Dad, and Auntie "C" in the pool, but by far his favorite person of the day was Tio. Drew played with him in an inflatable tube that was decorated like a donut, did big tosses in the air with him, and at the end of the night introduced him to a summer classic - the Slip 'n Slide. Reed would lay on his belly and hold out his hand, then Tio would hold his hand run 10-15 feet and let Reed go, launching Reed down the rest of the slide. The Munchkin was so tired by the end of the night he had his eyes half closed for the three minute drive home, but I think he would have kept playing with Drew for hours if I would have let him.

 

 

This morning we continued our fun week by heading up to my Grandparents' ranch. One of their cows had a calf a while back and we finally found a day that worked to go see the little guy. We picked Grandma up on the way and Grandpa met us up at their house too. We went inside for a bit and Reed played with an antique coffee grinder, much like the one I used to play with at their house when I was little, read some books with Great Grandma Didi, and had a snack. Pretty soon he was demanding to "see animals!" We obliged and headed down the hill to the pen Great Papa Dean had corralled them in. Reed had fun checking out Grandpa's truck and then ran over to see the cows. He was enthralled with them and kept wanting to get closer (while holding Grandma's hand of course).

 

 

 

 

Escape from the Heat

This past weekend Reed and I headed to the coast to meet up with my friend Sarah, her daughter Alyson (2.5 years), our friend Skye and her son Parker (11 months). Although the trip had been planned for quite awhile it worked out to be a great weekend to get out of town as temperatures sky rocketed back home. Sarah and Skye's drive up from Southern California took forever so once they arrived and got settled in we headed to a park around the corner so the kids could burn off some energy. My other friends Jonna and Sean along with their twins (3 months) and son Keegan (2.75 years) were able to meet us and stayed around to enjoy some pizza too (Reed loved his cheese-less Hawaiian pie). After dinner we played Ring-around-the-Rosie a bunch and then it was time to say goodnight.

Sliding with Sarah and Alyson

Reed and Keegan

 

Practicing his balance beam skills

Now this is a kids' table!

Reed slept great overnight but the other kids (and Moms) didn't fare too well so we decided to stick fairly close to home for the morning so we could get back quickly when nap time came about. We ended up at the Avila Barn where we all enjoyed feeding and petting the animals, the country store, and a tractor ride. Parker napped during the tractor ride and the two older kids were in a great mood so we decided to hit up the deli and ice cream shop that are also there. I was a little concerned because I hadn't brought more than a few snacks for Reed but we were able to split a steak salad which he devoured and some strawberry sorbet. We headed home and the two older kids went down for long afternoon naps. About the time they were waking up Parker went down for his nap. This meant Reed got to watch one of Alyson's movies during snack time - he thought this was awesome!

College Roommates turned Mommies

Practicing his big brother skills with Skye and Parker

Alyson

Parker and Reed

Can you tell he was excited to see horses?

Attempt at a group shot

Waiting for the Tractor Ride

 

Once Parker woke up we headed to Big Skye Café for dinner. This restaurant was a favorite of mine and Sarah's when we went to Cal Poly and we had a great time sharing it with our Kiddos. After dinner we walked around by the creek down town and even got to see a few ducks swimming. Our friends headed home early on Sunday morning while Reed and I stuck around for a bit to clean, play in the park, and have a picnic. While it wasn't a restful or overly relaxing weekend it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed my time with Reed and everyone else. On Saturday when we were walking back to the car we stopped to cross the street and Reed said "love Mom" it was so special and I told him I loved him too and what a great time I had with him in San Luis, he followed that up with "miss Dad." This kid is too much!!!