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One Year check-up

Poor lil guy got 3 shots and a finger prick today.. It was not a fun day to be a mommy. Here are his one year stats! He is in the 75th percentile for height and weight, not little! Ha. 

Uh ohh...

It's Official...

Trenton is a ONE year old. What a year full of chaos and fun! 
It has by far been one of the hardest yet most rewarding years of our life thus far. But, that smile of his sure makes it all worth it. 

Compared to his peers, he is still a pretty mellow mannered toddler, but when he is at home in his comfort zone... it is a whole other ball game. He has definitely mastered the whine/tantrum.. in fact, he has begun to sit down and put his face on the ground if he isn't getting what he wants (he has scrapes on his nose to prove it). It is kind of funny, until he does it on the floor of a store.. yuck! I am a clean freak, but I will say that having a kid has mellowed me out A LOT. I have learned that if I want to live longer than 27 I will need to just let things slide.. after all, I do have a boy. A boy that likes to eat dirt, rocks, chalk, baby powder, pumpkins etc. I no longer care if he throws his food on the ground and goes back to eat it later. ..there are bigger worries now especially since he is walking. Now I worry about his safety. He likes to say hello to everyone, whether they are across the street or outside of a store.. he goes straight for the doors. I've learned, toddlers are CONSTANT. I already thought that Moms were super heros after having given birth and going through the newborn stage. Now, I KNOW they are. You have to have X-ray vision and see through walls so these kids don't do/touch/eat/go/throw something they aren't supposed to. Toddlers are CRAZY and definitely a full time job. How can daycares POSSIBLY watch every kid there the way they need to be? I guess for the parents it is out of sight and out of mind so you just hope that nothing goes seriously wrong each day. Yikkees. 

I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to be home now with Trenton. It is a total sacrifice and decision but I am so content with my life now and I really feel like I am where I need to be. I am so lucky to have such a supportive, incredible, hardworking husband and father to Trenton. Shaun is such an incredible man and is doing everything in his power to give us the best life possible. I just adore that man. He knows and acknowledges how hard it is to stay home and raise a child and thanks me all the time for it. He is just a gem. Being at home is hard and there are long days... especially when you are trying to be a 'frugalista' (watch your spending). We clean, cook, bake, shop, go to parks, go on walks, go to beaches, garden, play in the yard, meet up with friends/play dates etc. I am never bored but it is hard to find free entertainment or just anything that will keep both of our attention for long. We read, play games, do art projects, sing songs, play chase, wrestle, snuggle and take naps. Trying to get things done like write an email or shower is close to impossible. Going to an office was SO much easier.. peace and quiet, enjoy my coffee, get stuff done. He whines and walks in my shower with his PJ's on and holds my legs so I will pick him up. How do people do this!? I have learned that sometimes they just have to cry and figure it out. Shutting the door and letting him cry until he goes and distracts himself with a toy is the best thing for both of us. Which also reminds me to mention the whole SLEEP topic...

We have now (knock on wood) successfully sleep trained him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a HUGE breakthrough. As of just a couple of weeks ago he was waking up 3 times a night and would not go back to sleep unless I gave him 'the boob'. He didn't even wake up like this when he was a newborn! We were so frusterated. I was exhausted. I definitely created bad sleep habits when I was working because I just wanted to keep him happy since I was feeling guilty and night time became our bonding time. To bond, I would feed him throughout the night on demand and bring him into our room early each morning (3am) to cuddle until my alarm would go off at 5. I loved that time and it had become a routine so I didn't think anything of it. However, once I quit, I knew that I really needed to start getting sleep to function. I slowly weaned him off 'the boob' during the night which was HELL. He would pinch, bite, pull and punch me to give it to him. He knew that I knew what he wanted and didn't understand why I wasn't giving it to him all of a sudden. It was so hard and so sad. I felt horrible. I knew that I could soothe him and be able to go back to sleep within 5 minutes if I just gave in but I had to stick it out a couple of nights for both of us. He needed to learn to soothe himself and go to sleep without it. It was a LONG couple of nights. Once he was officially night weaned we had to break his habits of waking up each of those times. He knew he wasn't going to get the boob now but he still needed holding, rocking, soothing from us to fall back to sleep. This is also hard.. it took a couple of nights and then eventually letting him whine and cry for intervals. Finally, after a couple of nights he cried for 17 minutes and passed out. I couldn't believe it. Then the next night, he NEVER WOKE UP! Praise the Lord! It was a miracle. I WILL GET SLEEP AGAIN... unbelievable. I couldn't believe it. Shaun was beginning to think I was crazy with my strategy but then it worked. It was a great day. It has been a couple days now and he is doing great. I am so much happier for him and for us. We ALL can finally get some real sleep that we have been lacking for a year now. Life is good.

Other than that, Trenton is a pretty good/normal toddler. Although, I guess sleep troubles is totally normal for toddlers. He is saying a couple of words like dada, momma, dog and his all time favorite word right now... "Wooowww". He points to everything and says "woow", he drops things and says "woow", he falls and says "woow".  Apparently I say that word a lot because he picked it right up. He knows what sound a cow makes (Moooooo), he knows what "yellow" is and if you say "Onee" he will say "two". He can take things apart and put them back together, he unscrews things and screws it back, he plays in the tupperware drawer and puts the right lids on, he puts things away in the right baskets, he helps me do laundry.. he is a pretty smart kid and it is so fun to watch him learn and discover everyday. He is just so precious & life is just SO good. 

This is the stuff life is made of.. and I finally feel like I am LIVING life. AMEN?! 

Hugs, 

Momma T

                                     

Pics update.. Almost 1 and on the move!!

Football Sunday with daddy.. 

First pumpkin carving experience and still a little young I guess ;) ... 

PJ time! Nothing cuter.. 

11 months young & just about walking!

Our little boy is becoming a toddler before our eyes. We were looking at pictures of him with dark red-ish hair when he was so small he could barely hold his head up trying to remember those days that are long gone. I close my eyes and try to go back there but it is just not the same. He is just about walking now and we couldn't be more proud. There is something SO incredible about watching him intentionally take each step with fear and excitement filling his eyes. These are his first steps of freedom.. away from the arms of mommy and daddy and out to discover the world on his own. Unbelieveable. He is very observant and interested in his surroundings now.. just loves to explore. He is LOVING our backyard now as you can imagine but if I take my eyes off him for even a second he is gone which is a little scary. He just brings us so much joy and fills our hearts with love and pride. Being a parent is undescribeable. You always have a HUGE mix of emotions inside-- fear of the "what if " every second, excitement for each new word/sound/discovery, SO much love everytime you look at them, disbelief when you realize you created them, sadness when you realize they aren't as little as they were etc. The list goes on. Just the emotions alone are exhausting but I wouldn't change them for the world. We are so in love with our little boy, life is SO good and we are so blessed. What is amazing is that we keep thinking this is as good as it gets and then it gets better.. We are beginning to realize that we have really just begun. Can't wait for the next chapter of toddlerhood and being a stay-at-home-mom ;) more to come on that topic.. 

I apologize that some of these pics might be redundant for those of you have have Instagram.. I need to take more pics. Check out his walking vid below! We are in big trouble! 

Hugs, momma T

Fav Baby Gear (at 9mo)

Just a quick post for all you mommys-to-be someday. Thought I would share some of the things we use daily at this stage of the game. Everyone is different when it comes to how they want to raise their lil ones and what products they want to use but these are things that have worked for us!

First, the Bob stroller.. I don't know if you remember my post back when I was prego and trying to decide/research which strollers were best but EVERY mom was telling me to get this stroller. I ended up getting a City Mini which is a lighter weight more affordable everyday stroller and this Bob Stroller (as a gift- THANK YOU AUNT VICKY & UNCLE VIC!). The Bob is worth every penny. You can also get many gently used on craigslist etc. It's amazing.. easy to push, holds everything you need, goes over almost any surface you can dream up and fits the lil guy very well and will up until should no longer be in a stroller :). It does it all.. just a little heavy to haul around (only complaint).

Second, the Wubba Nub binky. I have said it before and i'll say it again, amazing. I send it to all of my prego friends. These binkis are great from day one. They make it easy to find them in the dark in the bed or in your purse and the lil guy LOVES it. He was able to grab the animal and put it in his mouth pretty early on. AND, its like a binky and toy in one.. it has become Trenton's little comfort. Great invention. Kinda looks funny as he is standing and crawling now with the monkey or giraffe hanging from his face :) We love it.

Playtime.. I'm sorry, many (including pediatricians) are against the walkers but our lil' guy has loved his walkers ever since he was big enough to hold his head up. At first, it wasnt used to move anywhere, he could just sit up and play with the toys on it which was great. Now, he RUNS in the thing, which I get could be a little dangerous but we have a one story house so he's not falling down any flights of stairs. He is able to run from room to room or walk around the kitchen with me while I cook dinner. He is happy, we are happy. We don't leave him in it all day, but I can see how some might abuse it. We do try to keep him on the ground, exploring and learning to stand as much as possible. We aren't worried about his stregnth or motor skills though so I guess it really depends on your childs developement.

In close second to his walkers are his bouncer and excersaucer. He really likes being able to bounce and scream and we LOVE these because he CAN'T go anywhere.. probably a better choice over the walker from a parents point of view.

Before the walker & bouncer was the playmats. This one in particular was fun to watch him play the piano with his feet and shrill with excitement. Now, he can sit at the piano and bang on it. Great invention. Too cute. Playmats are great becuase they are on the ground, safe and entertained for hours.. well ok, 10 mins.

Out 'n About.. the beloved cart/high chair cover. This item is so nice to have.. restaurant high chairs and shopping carts are NASTY and this thing just makes me feel so much better since he touches everything then sucks on his hands. It is so cute, folds up into a cute little package, easy to throw on and whip off one handed. Just another product that makes a mommy feel a little bit better when out and about.  

Feeding.. the pouches of food these days are great. They come in the craziest concoctions like the kale, zucchini, apple & greek yogurt is one of Trenton's fav combos. They are great for on the go. The recently discovered spoons that click onto the pouches and the food comes out of the pouch and into the spoon is great. You can turn to close it and cap it off to throw it in the diaper bag or purse for later too. In addition to the pouches, all of the snacks like puffs and yogurt melts that he can easily eat with only 2 teeth have really been great. He hums as he eats each puff or melt.. they taste great and i dont worrry about him choking. ALSO, if you noticed, i put the UP&UP brand on there.. we have really enjoyed all of targets brand baby stuff including these snacks and their pouches of food. Great prices too which is helpful becuase our lil' tank goes through food like crazy!

Speaking of Target.. that brings me to the diapering section of the baby gear world. The target Up & Up diapers have worked GREAT for us. They are very affordable (psst! even cheaper than costco!) and are a good quality to me. I mean common, its a diaper people.. they are on and off in a matter of minutes and you go through them like water. Thus, I'm a huge fan of the Target brand :)

Lastly, the least fun of all the products but a total must have.. the Arm & Hammer Diapering Pail. These diaper pails sure have mixed reviews.. some LOVE the genie, some HATE it. Really?!? How could that be, it stores stinky diapers. Well, we like this one just fine and the liners arent too expensive. I also love the fact that you can refill the baking soda if things get real stinky which hasnt happened yet (believe it or not). He is a stinky kid and its done a really good job at keeping the stench out of our nose and his room so again, i'm a fan!

Things I bought and won't/haven't used much... milkies milk saver (not as easy as it looks), hands free pumping bra, Petunia Picklebottom Diaper Bag (hate to say it, i HAD to have it- but it is SO big and hard to find things in. Just cute. Use it only for trips not day-to-day) & miracle swaddle blankets (The velcro seems to be uncomfortable on a little baby- i used Aden & Anais blankets as swaddlers and burp rags- love them still!).

Things I never bought and haven't needed; baby monitor, bottle warmer, wipe warmer, nap nanny, crib bumber.. i'm sure there are more things but those are the obvious/popular ones that I can think of.

Fav Baby Gear by taylorengle featuring medela

Medela / up&up Baby Diapers Bulk Pack (Select Size) / Happy Baby happy tot Green Beans, Pears Peas / Fisher Price Discover 'N Grow Kick & Play Piano Gym / Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder 2 Pk Girl / Munchkin 2 Pack Mighty Grip Straw Cup, 10 Ounce, Colors May Vary / Munchkin Click Lock Food Pouch Spoon Tips 2 Pk Girl / Evenflo ExerSaucerJump Learn Stationary Jumper Jam Session / Munchkin Arm Hammer Diaper Pail / Safety 1st Sound 'n Lights Activity Walker Surfin Safari / Balboa Baby Shopping Cart Cover - Suri - Free Shipping / Balboa Baby Shopping Cart Cover - Suri - Free Shipping / Balboa Baby Shopping Cart Cover - Suri - Free Shipping / UP STRAWBERRY YOGURT BITE / WubbaNub Giraffe / up up Little Puffs Blueberry (1.48 oz.) / Munchkin Stay Put Suction Bowls

9 Months

I feel like 9 months is a huge milestone and I can't believe we are already here.

My 'baby' is almost a toddler.. he is growing too fast  :(

Trenton is eating finger foods (favs are blueberries, cheese, watermelon and cheerios), he has 6 teeth (4 on top! & 2 on bottom), he is standing on his own without holding on to anything and is learning new things everyday. The teething part has been rough lately, he is not sleeping well and is up multiple times a night. Poor little guy has been in a lot of pain lately and doesn't really want to eat becuase of it. Besides that, he is doing so well. I'm sure every parent thinks this (at least of their first child) but he is SO SMART. He is an observer like my brother is. He sits, watches/listens then does. He mimics things we do, he finds things we hide, he can totally understand us.. it is so incredible to see how much he learns each day! Not to mention, he will be walking any day now. Catching him standing on his own in the middle of the room freaked us out! He just doesnt quite know what to do from there.. yet. We have lowered his crib all the way down as he stands up and is tall enough to jump that bad boy if he got really determined.

He is still such a good, mellow mannered kid. I saw him in a totally different light when he was around other babies his age a couple of weeks ago. One baby was a month younger and one a month older than him. They were both all over the place and Trenton just kind of sat back and observed. One of the babies just ran right over him, took his toy right out of his hands and kept going.. Trenton just watched and looked at me like "did you just see her?" haha. I learned so much about him that day. Compared to other kids, I saw how his personality differed. It is hard when all you know and see is your child day in and day out. I also realized that he is HUGE for his age. He is not fat, unhealthy or too chunky but he is just a BIG baby.. his hands, feet, head.. everthing. He is a big healthy boy. It was so interesting seeing him interact with other babies that were so close in age and how each of them reach the certain milestones at different times.

He shakes his head 'No' now but I'm not quite sure he knows the meaning (YET! thank goodness). We are trying to teach him to shake his head up and down but it is just not sticking, haha. How do they learn 'No' so easily and before they learn 'Yes'? He claps his hands, waves goodbye and dances to music. He LOVES to snuggle, hug and kiss (with his mouth wide open and usually making a humming sound). He is such a happy, sweet little boy and still never cries. Although, he does make a mean pouting face & has 'the whine' down for sure. I'll have to catch that one on camera.. his face scrunches up in amazing ways. It makes us laugh but he doesn't think it's funny.

We have tried to 'baby proof' the house but haven't gone too crazy. He figured out how to get the baby latch off of the kitchen sink cupboard.. lil smarty pants. He found the pots & pans cupboard which was an exciting discovery. He opens & closes every door, drawer, cupboard and top that he can find. He bangs everything and throws it on the floor. He LOVES to unplug every cord in the house and suck on it (yeah..). We have socket plugs in all the sockets but he thinks those are fun toys too. When we say 'No Trenton' he tends to laugh at us then repeat that same action 12 more times. He thinks it is a game until we distract him with something else to do. I joke that he has OCD like me (in ways) becuase he will clean the same spot with a towel over and over and over again.. he gets in this zone where you can call his name loud and in his face and he will not stop doing what he is doing. He does things repeatedly A LOT. It is probably just one of the ways babies learn.. but is pretty funny to watch. When he sees somthing he wants, no matter how far across the room, how high up or how difficult to get to.. he WILL get it. His determination is unreal. There is NO stopping him at that point.

We just love him so much and can't even imagine (or really remember) life without our little boy. Life is so FULL when you have a child.. it is amazing. It is as if we finally 'woke up' and are really living life now. He is our everything and we both just cannot wait to get home and see that smile each night. We talk about the second one sometime soon but don't have any definate plans as to when. I just already miss the little baby that he was just a minute ago. I hardly remember the days when he was 8 lbs. He is so NOT anymore.. haha.

Here is a quick peek at our 9 MONTH OLD! I really need to take more pictures.. these aren't the best but it is what i've got right now. He is just so darn cute. I just love my boys.

hugs, Momma T

8 months old!

Trenton is crawling/climbing all over the place, pulling up/ standing on everything, eating finger foods, loving his sippy cup and brushing his 2 teeth with mom & dad. He's a blast and full of energy.. Wearing us out! A little nervous for him to walk..but that little smile just melts our hearts. 

Made a big ruler to track his growth.. He's about 27 inches (give or take)! 

Hugs, momma T

Trenton & Cannon Smith

For those whom haven't seen this yet.. I just love this photo and forgot to post it a couple of weeks ago. Notice the matching board-shorts?! They are 15 months apart and already buds like their Dad's ;) 

First Lake Trip!

First, thank you to everyone for my special bday and bday wishes. It was a great weekend at Lake Havasu with the Maloofs 'n friends (normal lake gang). Trenton just LOVED the lake and SO enjoyed playing with everyone. Anywhere there is water, he is happy.. 

Here are a couple of pics from the weekend.. enjoy :) Isn't he getting so big!?

hugs, Momma T

7 Months Today!

Well, 'we' are crawling, chatting, eating LOTS, throwing everything, bumping into walls/running in the walker, just all over the place ...and have 2 teeth (on the bottom)! He is SUCH a 7 month old :) whatever that means, ha! I will say it is a very fun age.. just keeps getting better. He has the cutest little personality.. smirks, snickers, laughts histarically, is ticklish, smiles, flirts, yells, says momma when he wants up, fake cries to get attention then smiles when he gets it.. just halarious. SO MUCH FUN.  It feels like that was a long month but we have had so much going on.. never a dull moment in this fam.. such is life! Can't believe he is mobile already, crawling from room to room, putting everything in his mouth, pulling up on the coffee tables/cribs/anything. It's incredible to watch them learn about the world and grow so quickly. We need to get to babyproofing and a baby tooth brush! yikkees. crazy... We are so excited for the future & toddler time but i'm already missing the little baby!Goes so quick. He's a big, healthy, growing boy. I love his rolls and puffy footsies. Nothing better.. enjoy!

hugs, Momma T

6 MONTHS!

Our little newborn is already 6 months old... unbelievable. He is a healthy lil' chubs with the cutest smile and little man personality. He has SO much energy (like his Dad) and gets excited about the funniest things. He is scooting and rolling all over the place but not yet crawling (forward). He eats all sorts of baby food and is LOVING it. His arms fly out to the sides when he gets excited. He is noticing his hands and realizing that they are connected to his body which is halarious to watch. He loves his walkers, jumpers and cartoons of course. He says dadadada and momomom now.. not quite Dad and Mom yet though. He squeels, screams and talks to everyone in the grocery store.. such a happy baby.

We just LOVE him SOO much and can't wait to rush home each day to play. We are having so much fun as parents and are learning so much along the way. It is crazy to think that very soon we will be celebrating his first birthday.. time is flying 'cuz we're having fun :)

Here are his 6 month stats from his Dr. appt the other day. He is about 1/2" shorter and 1 lb heavier than shaun was at this age. Grandma Kathy found Shaun's growth chart and it is incredible how similar they are. So neat to see.. he is so much like his Dad in so many ways :)

His hair still looks a little 'strawberry' in these pictures but it is coming in totally blonde.. which we figured would happen since we were both little blond toe heads :)

Hugs, Momma T

5 month photoshoot

hugs, momma T