Big Boy News

Well, the boy recently decided high chairs are for babies.  So, he sits at the table like a big guy now...

That's right! I'm a big boy!

Asking for "more" is serious business...

I suppose we should consider purchasing a booster seat..?

Occasionally he will try to stand on his chair at the table but more often than not, he just sits and eats his meal. One morning, he was full of energy and we had a hard time getting him to focus on eating breakfast. Cody was getting frustrated with him trying to stand on his chair.  From the other room I hear, "Hanley, only losers and future felons stand at the table! Now. Sit. Down." Hmm...I wonder what parenting book Cody got that from?

In other big boy news, Hanley starting signing "milk" this week.  Now he signs "more", "all done", "eat" and "milk".

13 MONTHS

 

At 13 months old...

-I am still finding it hard so say, "I have a ONE year old". It just seems humanly impossible for the past year to have flown by so fast.

-I always thought our child and his interest in the bathroom wastebasket was unique until Courtney emailed me this article...
http://theuglyvolvo.com/2013/12/10/a-ten-month-olds-letter-to-santa/

That Christmas wish list couldn't be more dead on. I always knew kids loved keys, glasses, dog food, etc. but I was relieved when I saw #5-the contents of the bathroom waste basket! "Really? It's not just my child?" was the first thought to cross my mind.

The other day, Hanley picked up a dirty tissue from the waste basket (gross...I know!), blew his nose into the tissue (Hey, at least he knew what to do with the tissue), then put it back in the trash. Then continued to dig through the trash for another trashcan "prize" of some sorts.  Glad to know, that just makes him normal.

-He got his first fat lip tonight after a wrestling match with the kitchen strainer.

-He laughs at me when I dance in the car.  My rhythm is just as horrible as his, so we can really relate with each other.

-Oma and Opa bought him a camo duck blind for his birthday and he loves it.  He is so wild in that thing (always making it rock and roll from the inside), it makes me nervous at times!

-He eats a ton of solids but is kind of picky.  So far, I think his favorites are pb & j sandwiches and greek yogurt. We always try to feed him what we are having for dinner (or send leftovers in his lunch for daycare), it's a hit or miss if he eats it/likes it.

-Despite his love for grilled cheese sandwiches, we had to cut them out of his diet after realizing he is dairy sensitive.  He made this pretty clear to us when projectile vomit of grilled cheese sandwich and goat milk was all over me, my hair and down my shirt. I still gag at even the thought of that smell that night.

-He still loves to clean.  He loves the broom at April's house, the vacuum and dishwasher at our house, and likes to help with the laundry at Oma's house.  What a dork! Cody always tells him to get another hobby.

-Everyone told me once your kid transitions to 1 nap/day, its usually a nice long nap (2-2 1/2 hours). Well, that hasn't been the case for Hanley. He still just takes ONE 1-1 1/4 hour nap.  Last week there were 2 days that he took nearly a 2 hour nap.  I hope that he eventually transitions into those longer naps.

-He goes to bed by 7:30pm and wakes up at 6:00am -almost to the minute.  He is very scheduled when it comes to bedtime.

-I hate the fact that Hanley is in bed before I get home from work on Thursday's but I think he enjoys the evening with Daddy.  They seem to have a great routine down for their special evening together.

-I mentioned that The Elf on the Shelf arrived at our house after Thanksgiving. We decided we wanted Hanley to name him. So, we will wait until next year when Hanley can have some input. So, here's our elf that has been so much fun...

First day!

Taking a ride on Eli!

Heading back to deer camp!

Quick Update

Wow.  Life has been busy.  Here's a quick rundown on what's been going on at the Olson house:

-My Mom was here for a couple days.  Hanley got to have an overnight slumber party with Meme while Cody and I enjoyed a night away. We spent the evening at the Convention Center for Cody's annual work party.  After the dinner party, we even made it up to the sky bar at our hotel for another drink (granted we were still in bed by 10:30pm though...lol). I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in! My Mom said Hanley did great (which is pretty easy for him to do when she probably spoiled the heck out of him).

-Roxy had a growth on her hip surgically removed. We had it biopsied and thankfully it came back cancer free!!! It ended up being some kind of severely infected dermatitis. She is healing well and has only managed to pull out 2 of the 10 stitches.

-April taught Hanley how to master the high-five. It's so cute.

-Last month we made the best decision ever and hired someone to come in weekly and clean the house.  Talk about life changing....seriously. My only regret is that we didn't do it sooner.

-Hanley graduated from swimming lessons.  Not sure how you graduate when you fail to master a single technique in class! He never really warmed up to swimming but I can't blame him when the water is so darn cold.  It's like they had to drop the water temperature 5 degree's due to budget cuts or something. We want to put him in lessons again this summer when the weather is nicer.

-We spent the long weekend in Eugene for Thanksgiving.  We ran the Turkey Trot in the morning with Courtney and Kyle then had turkey dinner at Kim and Loren's house. Cody's grandma was in the hospital on Thanksgiving so we made sure to visit her after dinner. I think seeing Hanley lifted her spirits some.

-I finally returned to work full time. I haven't decided how I feel about it yet...

-I ditched the pump for good. After 12.5 months with a baby or pump attached to me, the freedom feels amazing. Hanley's belly is sensitive to whole milk (one of the few things he gets from me) so we switched him to goat milk. With the cost of that stuff (it's like they think its liquid gold or something!), I am pretty sure we could have bought a goat by now.

-My Mom bought Hanley "The Elf on the Shelf".  We have been having a lot of fun with it!

As if November wasn't busy enough, December is going to be even busier, but I just have to remind myself that vacation is just 24 days away! Until then, we will be chugging along...

12 MONTHS

Today we had Hanley's 12 month Well Baby Check-Up. Dr. Hall said his walking ability/stability is advanced and he was surprised by how social/comfortable he is with others.

Stats:
Head- 50 %
Length- 30 inches, 50%
Weight- 20 lbs 8 oz, 40%

Hanley was due for 7 shots so I decided to split them up into two appointments (4 today and 3 next month).  He did great with his shots! He barely even cried! Normally I would nurse him after his vaccinations to help soothe him but since he's not nursing anymore, I was worried about how today was going to go.  Apparently, there was nothing to worry about....Little man had it covered.

So, we packed up and headed home to play!

At 12 Months Old...

- Hanley started walking 2 weeks ago (at 11.5 months old)

 

- He had his first swimming lesson this week

 

- He has 7 teeth (3 uppers, 4 lowers)

 

- Loves his Big Boy car seat!!!

 

- Goes to bed at 7pm

 

- Still loves Eli and Alligator. He doesn't go anywhere without them and always holds one in each hand

 

- Fights diaper changes. Seriously, sometimes it feels like I am wrestling an alligator just to change the boy!

 

- Still gets to spend Wednesday's and Friday's at home with Mama.

 

- And....Is growing up WAY TOO FAST!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Little Walker

Hanley took his first steps back on September 24th but is quite the little walker these days. He's all over the house! I was finally able get a decent video of him walking...

Happy "Shoulda-Been-Your-Birthday" Hanley Man

One year ago today was my first day of maternity leave and Hanley's due date.  Last year at this time, I was on my 3rd walk of the day with Roxy and doing anything and everything to try to induce labor. Today, I am sitting here pumping while my sweet baby is down for a nap. Oh my, so much has changed in just 1 year.

I feel like Cody and I were pretty realistic about how life would change once the baby came, how it would effect us financially and what kind of parents we wanted to be.  Some things went as expected and others didn't...

1. We said we would never use a wipe warmer and never did. Hanley has never had the pleasure of feeling a warm wipe on his bum...his Daddy says it makes him tough.

2. I said I would make all his baby food. Nope-this didn't happen.  The boy refuses Mama's homemade puree's, apparently Gerber has the special touch.

3. We said Hanley would grow up camping, beginning with his first summer.  Lucky for us, he loves the great outdoors and went camping 5 times over the summer.

4. We said we would encourage and enforce healthy sleeping habits, self soothing, etc. Sleep training began at 3.5 months old.  It was hard on Hanley and I both at first but the end result was a great little sleeper. 

5. I told Cody Roxy was getting kicked out of the house during the day once Hanley became mobile. I didn't want him crawling around on dirty floors.  Well, Roxy won this one...and my floors are still dirty.

6. I said I was going to do P90X during maternity leave. Ha!

7. We always planned on me going back to work. Many people told me once I had that baby in my arms, I would re-consider that decision. I will admit, yes it was VERY hard to leave him once my maternity leave was up but I went back to work....part-time.

8. To no surprise, the spreadsheet was dead on.

9. I said I was going to nurse for 6 months. Well, I killed it on that one! It's a wonder I didn't give up after battling mastitis so many times though.

10. I said I wanted a natural birth. Pitocin was not in my birth plan but other than that, I rocked one long, tough labor.

A baby changes a lot. Some days are tough but every day is a blessing.  I am glad we mostly prepared and realistic about how a baby would change the dynamics of our family.

P.S. Dear Hanley- Happy "Shoulda-Been-Your-Birthday" little man.  Oma said it perfectly today, you were worth the wait! We love you.

First Fever and Spookley

I got a text from April Tuesday last week saying Hanley was running a fever. Oh no, my boys first fever. I ran my end of day reports at work and rushed out of the office (even forgetting his milk! You know my mind is elsewhere when I leave behind the breast milk!). I drove home like a mad woman, breaking traffic laws right in front of cops and all.  I was on a mission.  I knew there probably wasn't a lot I could do, but sometimes Mama snuggles go a long way.

I stayed home with him on Wednesday. We pretty much snuggled and read all day. My Mom bought him a new book for Halloween so it was perfect timing for our low key day at home.  I can't tell you how many times we read Spookley! He loves it. Thank you Meme!