Reflections by a Parent of a Toddler

So when I first started this blog (and clearly had an abundance of time on my hands), I used to post a "what I've learned as parent" post once a month. These posts were obviously tongue in cheek, as I clearly have no idea what I'm doing as a parent. Since Hayden is officially a walker -- I'm classifying him as a TODDLER. Yikes. So in my two weeks of having a toddler...what have I learned?

• My child is enamored with dog food. And the dog food bowls. Oh, and the dog water bowls. Whenever he comes home from school, he toddles over to the dog's dishes and tries to stick his hand in it.
• My child thinks the word "no" is the funniest thing he's ever heard. He belly laughs when he hears it. The meaner and sterner we sound, the funnier he thinks it is. This is ridiculous and must stop.
• He thinks the nose sucker thing (yes, that's the technical term for it) that they send you home from the hospital with is the best teether around. Gross. I've tried to tell him, it's been up your nose...covered in your boogers, and yet he thinks it now belongs in his mouth. I think it now belongs in the trash.
• If you thought infant teething was bad -- just wait into those horrible molars come in. What a freaking nightmare! I went to babycenter.com to read about molar teething. It said, "Molars are even more painful because they are so big and dull." Wow. Amazing. They don't sugar-coat it do they? How many molars do we have? Too damn many.
• Mr. Tude wants to do things his way. For example, if I hand him his sippy cup of milk, No thanks. He will shove it away and clamp his mouth shut. If I simply set it out for him, then he'll take it on his own sweet time. Same thing with certain foods. I can't offer it to him by handing it, I have to sit it in front of him and let him do it. I find this new independence sometimes endearing, sometimes incredibly frustrating.
• Sometimes, McDonalds is just easier. Yeah, it's not organic. I'm not even sure what's in a McNugget, but it makes him happy. I know the trend is for everything to be organic and to be an Earth Mother and burn incense while you make your child's baby food. If you're one of those moms -- I salute you. I think it's admirable and amazing. However, it's not for me. I work a full time job and my husband works ridiculous hours. So, some days, it's easier to order the happy meal, or bake some Mickey Mouse shaped nuggets or fish sticks or whatever. Some days easier trumps healthy.
• Baby jail + Mickey Mouse Clubhouse = 30 extra minutes of sleep for Mom. Some weekends, Hayden sleeps until 7:30. Those days are awesome. Other days, our wake up call is more like 6 or 6:30. Those days are not so awesome. So, I wake up (kind of), put Hayden in baby jail (or "playpen") with his favorite toys and turn on the Disney channel. I lay down on the couch and nap until breakfast (which is usually 7:45 or 8). So, am I using the TV to babysit my kid? You bet I am.

I think I'm about out of wisdom. In the meantime, I hope everyone enjoys Easter this weekend. Hayden and I are heading down to Beaumont to see Grammy and Grandpa while Clark works nights. I'll be sure to take pictures of Hayden's first egg hunt.

13 months

Long time, no blog. Clark's had a relatively "easy" month by residency/intern year standards, so we've been trying to enjoy every minute. Next month, it's back to reality with another tough month of OBGYN for Clark. We've done all kinds of neat things this month.

Clark took Hayden to the duck pond in his new wagon.

Hayden got to practice one of his new favorite activities. Pointing. He points at EVERYTHING. He also calls everything a "dog." This can be awkward at restaurants.

By all accounts, Hayden thought the ducks were pretty cool and Dad got to work on his new photography skills. I have to say, Clark did a great job.

He also had a pretty good looking model, don't you think?

Hayden's still not enthusiastic about the swings. Maybe one day.

The next weekend was BEAUTIFUL and Hayden and I packed up and headed to Dallas to hang out with Auntie Ally and Hayden's girl, Maggie at the Arboretum.

I am not as good of photographer as Clark. Plus, it's a little difficult to snap candid shots when Hayden and Maggie were wreaking havoc all over the Arboretum. Hayden kept crawling over to a family that was next to us to steal french fries from them. I am not kidding. Maggie tried to stomp some pretty flowers.

Maggie was sweet and gave Hayden lots of kisses.

Hayden gave the Dallas Arboretum a BIG thumbs up.

Hayden turned 13 months old on Monday, the 22nd. What's new with a 13 month old?

• Naps are so over. We're lucky if we get an hour nap out of him in the morning and maybe 20 minutes in the afternoon. While Hayden thinks this is cool, Mom and Dad do not.
• The vocabulary is up to 3 words, "Mama" (which is said rarely, boo), "Dada" (said often and with some recognition), and "dog." As I mentioned before, almost everything is "dog." We're working on that.
• Hayden loves to put things "up." His Mickey Mouse airplane has a seat that you lift up and put things inside. We'll find the telephone, remote, and various other toys inside the seat.
• He expresses his displeasure by whining and the new "fake" cry. As time goes on, Hayden shows more of his "Kelly-like" qualities.
• He's an eating MACHINE. Seriously, this kid hasn't seen a piece of food he doesn't like. This includes dog food and rawhides. We're working on that as well. I'm told it isn't poisonous or anything, however, we're not encouraging it.
• He no longer wants a sippy cup before bed.
• Jury is still out on milk. We've completely transitioned to whole milk with no formula added in (peace out Enfamil. You're not getting anymore of my $$$). However, he doesn't always drink it. Some days, he gulps it down. Others...eh, not so much. I'm determined that this kid is going to drink milk so I'm not giving up.
• We've experienced the first "real food" throw up. Well, the babysitter did. It was traumatic enough to give me PTSD, and I wasn't even there. Needless to say every time Hayden coughs, I'm afraid he's going to barf.

Oh. And the biggest of them all...Hayden is WALKING. He kind of looks like a drunk, munchkin version of Frankenstein, but it can definitely be labeled as walking. I think all that big boy barf knocked something loose, because the very next day Hayden took 5 steps in a row. He's now walking around, but still prefers his awkward crawl. I think we'll be in full blown walking stage by next week. I will attempt to load a video of him walking. Please ignore a) the Little People Rabbit he insists on carrying around...in his mouth, b) my obnoxious encouraging baby voice and c) the fact that Hayden's wearing a Polo with no pants. Okay, I've literally tried all day to upload that video. I'll try again later...

In a not related to Hayden, but important note, I would like to say SIC 'EM BEARS. Clark and I are very proud to be Baylor Bears and we love our school very much. We met there and made some of our best friends there. We have lots of happy memories there. I can say that neither of us have been more disappointed in our school, our administration and our athletic department than in 2003 during the Patrick Denehey/Dave Bliss scandal that almost effectively ended the Baylor Basketball program. Our hearts broke as our school began associated with such a horrible, reprehensible event. For the past 7 years you couldn't say the name Baylor without associating it with the murder of Patrick Denehey and the attempted cover up by Dave Bliss. Our scholarship players left, our schedule cut, scholarships cut, Bliss was fired, our AD was fired. Two weeks later, Baylor hired Scott Drew. Scott Drew turned our basketball program around and made it 1000x better. I'm taking time out of our Hayden-centric blog to post this because of Baylor's outstanding performance to date in the NCAA tournament this year. Tonight we play Duke for a spot in the Final Four. Not only is this exciting because IT'S THE FINAL FOUR! IT'S DUKE! WE'RE BAYLOR! It's exciting because of where our program has come from and what all Scott Drew has done for our school. I am even more proud to be a Baylor Bear today. Clark, Hayden and I will be glued to the TV today at 4 pm to watch the Bears. Sic Em!

Hayden is 1!

My little man turned 1 today! While there were times that I felt dragged on forever (I'm looking at you newborn stage) there were times that just flew by (7 mos, 8 mos, 9 mos, where did you go?). I know I mentioned this in the 11 month post, but he is such a little man now! No more snuggling for him! He'll sit in your lap for about 30 seconds before he's off to the next activity.

He says "mama" "dada" and "dog." Have I mentioned that already? Probably. I'm kind of a bragger. Besides, I think Clark and I are the only ones convinced he actually says dog. Daycare informed me today that he took one tentative step, but I haven't seen it, so I'm not calling it yet. Hayden is also very big into pointing these days. He points at everything! He also knows the room where Sophie's kennel is, b/c he'll point at it and say, "dog" (or something similar sounding to dog). He has 7 teeth with 2 more coming in, one of which is a molar. Molars are absolute nightmares, let me tell you. I think we may have to rethink one of Hayden's foods, hotdogs. The American Academy of Pediatrics wants hot dogs labeled as a choking hazard. That stresses me out. And why are they telling us this now?! Do you know how many hot dogs this kid has eaten? He had one at his party, actually!

Enough with the statistics...let's see the party pics!

Having a little juice before the party starts. A little primer, if you will.

Hayden's smash cake. In hindsight, that blue icing was a bad idea. It was some potent stuff! It stained EVERYTHING. And let me tell you, Hayden's, uh, diapers have taken on a color that is not found in nature.

Singing to the somewhat bewildered birthday boy.

Yum, blue icing! Who needs the cake part?

Yes, that's blue icing in my ear. Saving it for later.

What's with this stupid cake? It gets in the way of all the icing!

Hey, John Marshall, isn't yelling fun? My mom really thinks so.

Hayden's girl, Maggie was a big help opening presents, especially since Hayden was seriously crashing from a blue icing sugar high.

A Mickey Mouse airplane?! That I can ride?! Awesome!! Thanks Nan!! You're the best!

Wee!! A ride in my new wagon!! Thanks Grammy and Grandpa... y'all are the best too!

It would require a new blog to post pics of all the presents Hayden received. Needless to say, Hayden is a blessed and loved little boy. We truly couldn't be more thankful for all our sweet friends who came to celebrate Hayden's big day and took time out to buy him a gift or make him a gift. We also appreciate everyone who traveled to come and celebrate as well.

Anna is the newest addition to Hayden's posse, clique, or street gang. They're a rowdy bunch. We love Anna so much, and she clearly loved the party, as she slept through most of it. I would say, "aw, remember when Hayden slept all the time?" and then remember fondly the sweet newborn stage. But then I remember those sweet little angels sleep during the day, but sleep not a wink during the night. So, Anna can have the newborn stage. Hang in there, Kass! Soon, this sleep deprived time will be behind you and you'll be planning a first birthday party of your own. I would recommend a white cake...with pale pastel pink icing. Just to be safe. Hayden is looking forward to Baby Horn joining his posse this summer!

Snow Day!

Today, the DFW area got more than 6 inches of snow...with more expected tonight. It has been snowing for almost 17 straight hours. In TEXAS. I'm so confused, but I like it! During all the snow at Christmas time I was too scared to take Hayden out in it, b/c he was still a little wheezy and I didn't want to push my luck. Well, randomly it decided to snow here today, so we decided to let Hayden have some fun.

Unfortunately we were woefully unprepared for snow-play.

Yes, Hayden's hat is pink. I wanted Hayden to wear his sweet Baylor hat that Dawn knitted for him, but he always manages to pull it above his ears. This fleece hat has flaps, so we went with that. Yes, those are socks on his hands. I'm so sorry, but we never purchased baby mittens. I didn't think I would need such a thing, living in Texas in all. Now, if we lived in Chicago, sure, I would have purchased baby mittens. However, we don't, so we didn't, so baby gap socks had to work. Instead of trashy, let's say it's inventive.

Hayden was mesmerized by the snow. So much so that he couldn't be bothered to look up at the camera when I was holding him. He was also angry because I wouldn't feed him snow, like Clark did. Dr. Meador's explanation for the safety of snow eating was, "Well it's the snow from the top, so it's the cleanest." Amazing. I clearly look like I live in place that rarely sees the sun -- I'm so pale. I feel like I could give the Cullens (Twilight reference alert!) a run for their money. Anyway, I digress.

So the other great idea Daddy had was to sled down the drive way. While holding the baby. On a Pampers box. And he wanted me to take a picture. I did. Unbelievable.

Doesn't Clark look super pleased with himself? Hayden could barely contain his excitement.

So then we built a snowman.

Not our best work. Those are pecans for eyes and branches off our crepe myrtle tree. We kind of ran out of steam looking for a nose and mouth....it was pretty cold.

Tomorrow Hayden's school is closed because of the inclement weather, so that means I'll be home attempting to work from home. Wish me luck!

11 (and a half) months!

Um, where did my baby go? That's a little man in that picture! I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by. As we approach Hayden's first birthday, I have to say I'm getting a little nostalgic. You can go and look at old posts on this blog where I say that I will never miss the newborn stage. That's true, I don't miss the lack of neck control or the sleepless night. I don't miss the every 2 hour feedings. I do miss the snuggles though. As Hayden gets more and more mobile, he's not much into being held and loved on. He wants to GO! I also miss being able to sit him down in one place and know that he's not going anywhere.

Hayden is no longer using a bottle, and that makes me a little sad too. One of my favorite times of day was bedtime. I loved sitting in the chair in his room, feeding him his night time bottle and reading Harry Potter to him. Well, now he holds a sippy cup and doesn't sit still long enough to listen to more than a few pages of Harry at a time.

He's also completely off baby food and feeding himself table food. He loves broccoli, mashed potatoes, french fries, meatballs, chicken nuggets...well, basically Hayden loves food. He has been referred to by more than one person as an "eating machine." Luckily for us, he's not picky at all. I have yet to come across a food this child doesn't like.

Hayden is now walking behind his push toy. It's so cute to see him toddle around (and also a little scary). I don't know how close we are to truly walking, though. He pulls to standing all the time (on everything...very safe), but doesn't stand on his own yet. I think he could, he just doesn't trust himself. I'm not rushing this walking thing though. He's fast enough crawling. I don't know what I'm going to do when he's walking!

Each stage of "babyhood" had its own trials and its own joys. The newborn stage was fun for its sweet cuddles and long naps during the day (not so much at night). Of course, that's what makes the newborn stage so hard...no sleep, not a lot of interaction between you and the little one, and basically just not knowing what the hell you're doing. This stage is so fun because I know his personality, his laughs, his big smiles, and watching him achieve things. It's definitely difficult because there is NO time for yourself. Every second that he's awake, you are watching him like hawk, making sure he isn't slamming his fingers in the door (like today), trying to make phone calls on the house phone (like today), trying to eat your cell phone (everyday) or stick his fingers in light sockets, despite the fact that they're covered.

I do think that I'm getting better at the whole "mommy thing." Just one day at time, is my motto!

New Tricks and an Afternoon of Swinging

Uh oh! Someone is standing up! I turned around on Friday and this is what I found! He's still not sure what to do once he's standing up. He'll tentatively side step towards the couch, but he doesn't look happy doing it.

Today we took Hayden swinging at the park. The jury is definitely still out on swinging...

So we tried to slide instead....

And some quality Mommy and Hayden time...

Welcome Anna Eloise!

Hayden is pleased to announce the arrival of his sweet friend Anna James. She made her debut on December 31 (a little early). Mom and Dad (Kassidy and Jason) were so glad to see her sweet face, and so are we! Everyone is happy and healthy, and Hayden loves her.

As you can tell, this meeting as very memorable for Anna.

After the visit, Hayden was out!