Such sweet sounds!

* EDIT & UPDATE BELOW *

My little G-Man is talking up a STORM! I think month 13-now (he will be 15 months next week) has been amazing in language and large-motor development. (He started walking at 13 months, 2 days.) Here is a list of words (phonetically) that G-Man uses regularly and appropriately (along with translation):
aanj’ = orange
nana = banana
cree or cree’kur = cracker
up = up
see = see
hot = hot
dada = daddy
mama = mommy
daa or diggy = dog or doggy
keee-keee or caa = kitty or cat
baa = ball
go = go (said with determination usually!) ;-)
hi = hi (the newest word!)
cow = everything that’s an animal right now (except for cat and dog)
a-gool = apple or circle, we’re not certain yet but it’s definitely purposeful!
waar = water (he still signs this one too as he says it)
I forgot to list these words in the original post:

shoe = shoe

ark = ark for his Fisher Price Noah's ark playset

And, about 3 weeks ago he started connecting words! He will regularly say, “See up” if he wants to see something above his level and needs us to lift him. Or, “See hot” if we are cooking. He started out asking to “see” what I was cooking and I would respond with, “No honey, this is hot. Ouchy.” It took 1 night of hearing that and the next night it was,
G - “See up!”
Me- “No sweetie, it’s hot.”
G- “See UP!” (with demand in the tone!)
Me – “Sorry sweetie, it’s hot. Ouchy.”
G- “SEE UP HOT!!!!!” with much demand and a grrr thru clenched teeth and red face afterwards! It was awesome! I scooped him up (away from the stove) and told him how much I love his words! Good job baby!

Many of you will notice one word conspicuously absent from this list.
NO.
That’s right; he’s 15 months old next week and has never once said “no”. I am proud of that! He does hear the word from us, but sparingly. We will say, “No honey, that’s a pretty. Let’s play over here!” (or similar if something is dangerous) and redirect him to something or somewhere appropriate. I was in the parent room at church yesterday and one grandfather said no to his 9 month old grandson more than 50 times in a 10 minute period. Seriously!?!?! Are you kidding me? And then, in a few months when that’s all the boy says the parents and grandparents will be soooo frustrated! Yes, kids do need to hear the word no, but say it once and follow it up with what they CAN do! Set your child up for success rather than a constant verbal beating!

Anyway, my little G has been a sponge and I love sharing words with him! I know that he is soaking up all of these words even though he cannot say them all yet, one day, all too soon, I am sure he will!

Some random pics

I've been pretty neglectful in the bloggy world lately. Here are a few pics from our latest happenings.

On Fridays I work long days. I am usually up at 4 and get home around 5 or 6. So, Friday while I am at work. Kyle texted me this picture, it's G-Man still sleeping at 8:15am. Ya, totally unheard of. Naturally, then next day when I was home and desperate for sleep, that G-Man was up at 5:45.

G-Man and Dog having an after daycare snack as we play outside.

G and his new veggie this week - asparagus. Yum!!!!

A very Happy Easter to all

Jesus our Lord is Risen today! What a glorious day to celebrate we had here in Minnesota. It was sunny, warm (high 60's) and a day spent with family. Here are a few, unedited pics from our day. Enjoy. I hope you all had a fun day!

Little G-Man checking out the Easter basket and sand and bubble goodies that the Easter Bunny brought for him.

Mommy and G-Man, yep, that's the dress I made! My first attempt at garment sewing.

Me and my handsome boys!

G-Man checking out Grandpa's "new" tractor.

In case you didn't know, there's a war going on

And it's the most fierce war ever waged. It's a war for souls. In the last few months two different girlfriends of mine have found out that their husbands were having affairs. Both of these women are strong Christians, believing and raising their children to love the Lord. Both of them had/have husbands who are ambivalent at best, about Christ and his love of us - for all of us. Marriage is sacred to God, it's a covenant we enter into with Him and someone we love and cherish. God wants marriage to last us our lifetime, he directs husbands to love their wife and wives to respect their husband. When someone sins in a marriage it hurts not only the marriage but God. I so clearly heard this today as I was leaving one of these friends' home: "Satan is busy, but God is stronger." Satan is not going to give up on a single soul without a fight. He sees both of my friends as a strong threat to him. These women are strong, loving Christians, they don't preach at or to their hubby's, they don't drag them to church. They simply live as women of God, living by example of His love for us. They are sinners, (we are ALL sinners) and they know it. They don't put on airs about being "perfect Christians". Because of this and their gentle love, slowly, their husbands will see God in their marriages. It may take 15 or 20 or 40 years, but I believe that with time and prayer that their partners will turn their hearts over to God. Satan cannot have that so he attacks their marriage, tempting with alcohol, false promises, adultery and the "rush" of sin. Then he covers it with lies. I found this in my bible today as I was praying for my girlfriends and it really hit home:

Ephesians 6:11-20 (this is only 11-13) Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil's evil tricks. For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and the cosmic powers of this dark age. So put on God's armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemies attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.

It continues, and I encourage you to look it up in your bible to read. It's a good one! So, if you find yourself under attack, discouraged and fearful, know that Satan is busy, but God is stronger. Surround yourself with prayer warriors and lift up your eyes to the Lord. He is our Salvation, strength and hope.

Where has all the talent gone?

Seriously, what kinds of stars do we watch on TV and in movies these days. Most of our entertainment is computer generated. At the risk of sounding ridiculously old fashioned, there are not any fantastic stars like yesteryear. Take Gene Kelly. That man could act, sing, dance and yes, TAP DANCE ON ROLLER SKATES! Check out this video. It's long and the last 2 minutes are so worth it!



So, like I was saying, where is the talent for our kids to watch and idolize and try to emulate?

still here!

Just incredibly busy! I still haven't started sewing my Easter dress...ya, no time like the present, right? I think tonite I have to get that underway.



G-Man fell last Friday at home with daddy while walking. He cracked his little head on the newel post (the big post at the bottom of the stairway banister) and it bled quite nicely, thru 2 bandaids. Hubby felt compelled to tell me a few times during the day that head wounds, though not severe still bleed alot. I thought it was cute how he didn't want me to worry. He must have forgotten that I was a first responder...



We have been busy getting home from work and daycare and then heading outside to play for an hour! The weather has been awesome and our snow is finally gone. All that's left is a little mud, perfect for playing! the hill in our backyard is quite steep (despite the view from the video) and G-Man's first time crawling in the back yard he crawled right up to it, (after having done some walking), turned around like he does to go down steps and proceeded to scoot down the hill the way he does down the stairs. Such a smart boy! Hope you are all enjoying sunshine and a wonderful first week of spring.

This was shot earlier this week. I was hoping to catch him saying aadio (radio) and annge (orange). I didn't but it's still cute!

I only have a sec

So, here's the latest.
My G-Man is walking more and more each day! Today he showed off for our chiropractor and took 5 steps all on his own. He is also talking up a storm! My video camera is busted (grrr!) so I have to figure out a new option. He now says SEE HOT! We tell him no, he can't see the stove when we're cooking, it's hot, ouchie. He has picked up that several things are hot and ouchie and now he demands to see them by saying SEE HOT! He says SHOE as we get dressed and put shoes on. Today as I was singing Old MacDonald he started chiming in on the EI-EI-OOO parts! It was sooo darn stinking cute!

We played at the park yesterday and G-Man totally enjoyed the textures and dirt in the peagravel! I think he spent 35 minutes just playing with it with his hands and crawling in it. I loved watching him experience something new and just revel in it!

We went to the MN Zoo on Sunday afternoon with our friends Chad and Melis. We had a great time enjoying the unseasonably warm 64 degrees! (For those who don't live in MN that is sooo not normal.) The grizzly bears were the best on Sunday too. Two of them were wrestling and playing righ in front of the glass! G-Man saw them coming at us and as one fell into the pool, spearated from us only by the 2" glass, he almost crawled over my head. From that moment on, G-Man stayed wrapped around my neck, head nestled into my shoulder and eyes as big as saucers fixed on the bears. Again, no pics...ya, I know. I suck.

I have my dress all cut out, but haven't sewed a stitch yet. I am planning on starting that part of the project tomorrow.

Hmmm, I think that's about it. I hope to be back soon with some pics and video! For real!

So... or, rather Sew...

I have been hankering for a proper Easter dress this year. That turned into a thought that the family should have matching or at least, coordinated, Easter clothes too. Then I had to sell Hubby on the idea. Then, I had to find THE dress. It proved impossible within the budget I had set. Naturally, all the shopping was done via the internet. Who has time to run to all the stores anyway? So, I harkened back to my childhood, when Mom would sew an Easter dress for my sister and I each year. Ah yes, I can sew! At least, I can quilt. If I can cut apart fabric, reassemble it into various shapes and sew it into a quilt, I can certainly sew a dress, right?

I spent hours the past few nites browsing thru the pattern web sites and finally came across a spectacular dress at McCalls. What do you think? (it's here) Then, I had to find just-the-right-fabric. Ya. I know. Hard! However, I grabbed my friend Melis, and we hit the quilt stores. They have high quality cottons and cotton blends with fabulous new spring lines that are hitting the stores now! I couldn't decide between two of the fabrics that we found though...so I got BOTH! Yes, I am planning on making 2 dresses! Both fabrics are quite different. I will be using the narrow band of fabric as the spaghetti straps and for a top edging around the dress. The red, white and blue fabric is from a 1930's reproduction line. It reminded me of my Grandma Johnson, Americana, patriotism...I love it! The brown with pink flowers is just plain fun! I plan on topping off each dress with a cute, lightweight coordinated cardigan sweater.

The hard part is going to be deciding which dress to wear for Easter! I think the red, white and blue...then I can put Hubby and G-Man in blue shirts and we will all "go." Of course, that fabric may require that I have a hat too! I am excited!!! Wish me luck! I'll model them here once they are finished.

"WOW!"

Thursday morning I was waiting for G-Man to wake up so we could go to daycare. I had turned on some lights, uncovered him and was talking quietly to him. (he was sleeping in our bed)

He stretched sooooo long! I was shocked at how big his was, arms outstretched over his head...legs straight and toes pointed. It was a great stretch!

Then, his beautiful blue eyes popped open, his face exploded into a HUGE grin and he said as clear as day, "WOW!"

Then, G-Man rolled over to his tummy and slid out of bed and crawled to Monster Dog to say good morning, smiling all the way! It was awesome!

He loves to say "wow" and "see". He's never said "no"...yet! Here is some video of him with a few wows...this is about 2 weeks old.

So much to catch up on!!!

I love this one! He had been jumping in bed. Hubby blames me for all G-Mans new bad habits cuz I was laughing at his antics! Oh well... ;-)

G-Man had pneumonia, he was awful rattley & sick...but he's all better now!

(G-Man at daycare, Tam - our daycare provider - texted this to me!)

I had bronchitis at the tail end of his pneumonia. I am getting back to better now!

Hubby got a wicked BAD BAD cold with sinus infection at the middle of my bronchitis...just yesterday is he starting to feel alive again!

G-Man took his FIRST STEPS at age 13 months, 2 days!!! He walked between me and Daddy! It was soo cool! I teared up, we all cheered and he repeated it! Since then we have been offering our hands and encouraging more walking. He has taken 5 steps all by himself with out any support from us or furniture. Running by Easter????

My G-man is also a chatter box! I love listening to him talk! I will try to get video this weekend. I need to get fresh batteries in the video camera. He will reach for something and say quite clearly, "see, see"! It's awesome! He also says, "whas at" for what's that.

G-Man loves to try to assemble things too. He is always trying to fit things together, put lids on bowls, match screw tops with our water bottles, put caps on bottles and then build towers with them.

And, he is brushing his teeth! I started sitting on the floor and brushing my teeth and helping him brush his. He took over and now will crawl to the bathroom, open the drawer where his toothbrush is and brush his teeth all on his own at least 2x a day! I love it! (At least once a day we do a re-brush for him and get all of his gums and teeth, just so nothing is missed.)

Our internet has been down at home almost every nite when I have tried to blog. We are looking at different providers now, so hopefully there will be more pics and video soon! Thanks all for your patience! Have a spectacular weekend!

G-Man's not just sick, he has pneuomonia!

Ya, how icky is that? I hate it. I hate seeing him so sick. I hate the 3 prescriptions he is on, 2 of which cause sleeplessness. One of which gives him coughing fits so bad he coughs so hard he can't breathe and he clutches me in fear. I hate this! He's at home with Daddy while I am at work, I hate that too. I want to be with my baby. Don't get me wrong, hubby is an amazing Dad and he is wonderful for G, but let's all admit it-Mommy is the best medicine.

Sigh...this just stinks!

I need to get my homeopathic medicine cabinet all stocked up for things like this...if you have any suggestions for me please fire away!

I.Am.Frustrated.

My poor 13 month old G-Man is sick, AGAIN! Runny nose, wicked wet cough (not croupy or whoopy) and a fever that was up to 104 when he woke up last nite. Needless to say he is a friend of infant Motrin the last 24 hours. This really frustrates the crap outta me. I am doing everything as right as I can to build up his immune system and make him a healthy, strong boy and he has been sick so much this winter. I mean really. I am still nursing him. He eats only organic whole, unprocessed foods. He doesn't get juice or anything with sugar. He is gluten and dairy free. He gets adjusted by the chiropractor 2x a month...WHAT GIVES? Ya, I can already hear several of you who think I am ridiculious for doing these things and making these choices..."See, all that weird stuff doesn't work. Does it?" or "Ya, you are doing those things just to be different and it's not helping your child at all."

But, how much more would he be sick or how much longer would these bouts of illness last if I was filling him with processed, sugar-laden crap? Or if he wasn't getting adjusted by Dr. Pam? I guess there is some comfort in those realizations, but it's hard so see him so sick. Hard to hold his little body with a raging fever and feel him shiver. My poor punkin.

I cannot believe this!

I am livid, enraged, fearful, and out of my freaking mind! First, let me tell you that I started listening to talk radio this month. I figured that since I was now old enough to listen to talk radio, I probably should just bite the bullet and do it. Anyway, I have been listening to KTLK 100.3 FM in the Twin Cities, MN. I like it, it's conservative. Mostly my kind of thing, mostly. I am amazed at how much I have been learning too. Now, remember I don't just hear something and believe it, but it gives me the opportunity to learn about a few new things and do a little research of my own to check facts. It's really been enlightning, and at times, it gets me all ramped up. This morning was one of the latter...

"A new report by the International Planned Parenthood Federation is advocating that children as young as 10 be given extensive sex education, including an awareness of sex's pleasures.
The report, "Stand and Deliver," charges that religious groups, specifically Catholics and Muslims, deny their young access to comprehensive sexual programs and education.
"Young people's sexuality is still contentious for many religious institutions. Fundamentalist and other religious groups — the Catholic Church and madrasas (Islamic Schools) for example — have imposed tremendous barriers that prevent young people, particularly, from obtaining information and services related to sex and reproduction. Currently, many religious teachings deny the pleasurable and positive aspects of sex." the report states..."

HELLOOOO???!!!! NO way in hell are you gonna tell my child at age freaking-10 that sex is pleasurable!!!! Are you kidding me!??? Agghhh! I am so not ok with this sexualizing of our children. THEY ARE KIDS! Here's more:

"The report demands that children 10 and older be given a "comprehensive sexuality education" by governments, aid organizations and other groups, and that young people should be seen as "sexual beings.""

Ok, really I am going to freaking lose it here. NO! My child is a CHILD, not a sexual being, not an object. I am not ok with this kind of education. Not ok with it on a religious front and on a moral front. Parents of school-age kids, be aware of what's being taught to your child in public schools. Get the curriculum and protect your child from views that can damage your child. To read the entire report (if you can get thru it in one sitting without screaming) go here.

Our busy weekend: a recap

Lotsa random things here...G-Man was helping Daddy cut holes in the wall to put in a new cold air return.
We stayed in our jammies until noon this weekend and we worked on "IN" and "OUT" for the blocks and our containers.

We visited the Minnesota Zoo on Sunday. Since we have a membership we try to go at least 2 times a month. It's best to get there as soon as they open because the animals are more active first thing in the morning and there are way less people. We spent the first 1/2 hour visiting the outside animals since we were still bundled up. It was a balmy 18 degrees so it was great to be outside in the sunshine. I was wearing Griffin in one of our slings so he was toasty warm! We visited the tigers and it was so cool to see them up close!

G-Man also ate at a restaurant for the first time! I think we've been in a restaurant with him once or twice before, but this time G-Man got to eat the food! Of course I had to ask if the chicken breasts were hormone and antibiotic free. They weren't. So, I ordered a buffalo meat (not sauce) burger which is hormone and antibiotic free and steamed broccoli. He did a great job of feeding himself some bites. By the way, we were there to celebrate my 37th birthday. Ya...that's a whole 'nother blog post.

Sooooo close to walking!

I think my little G-Man is getting ready to walk...in fact I think that tonite he *may* have taken a first step! He is standing for a minute or longer without leaning on anything or holding on to anything. Tonite when I refused to open a drawer for him to rummage thru he pitched a little fit and stepped towards me! I cheered and laughed and he stopped crying. It was pretty neat. Of course, when hubby walked in there was no repeating it...hopefully tomorrow.

Also tonite, I realized that we have a second-generation climber on our hands! He saw the baby monitor on the top of his bookshelf in his room tonite. Of course, he wanted to play with said baby monitor. I wouldn't give it to him so here's what happened. He reached up and held the top shelf with both hands, then he put both feet on the bottom shelf, then he stepped up on top of the books on the bottom shelf and let go of the top shelf with one hand and he used that hand to grab the monitor. Then, he stepped down gracefully and played with the monitor. I was in shock and was holding the shelf so it wouldn't tip. Needless to say, the shelf is getting screwed to the wall tomorrow! Uh, yeah. So, here's a pic of my strong-standing-all-by-himself little boy!

Ya, we're still here

We are just very, very tired! And there is no particular reason why. Except that I got older this week. No more "mid-thirties" for me. According to Ms. Payne, my 7th grade math teacher, I *have* to round up. Ya, I'm now in the "upper thirties," knocking on the door of 40. I was bemoaning that fact earlier this week when a girlfriend asked me what my reaction would be to reading an obituary of a mom who was 37. I was aghast, (appropriately) and shuddered as I envisioned a baby of about 1 year old and a hubby without their Momma and Wife. My first thought was, "Oh that is sooo young!" Ahhh, yes, THAT IS SO YOUNG! Thank you Gina for helping me shift my thinking and perspective. 37 is young! I am proud to be 37! I will enjoy 37! I will *rock* 37!

Today is also my little sister's birthday, so Happy Birthday to you B! I love you so much and am blessed to have you for my little sister. When we were in our teens she loved to try to get people to believe that she was the older sister and I was younger. It bugged me to no end. However, I think it's time I let her win that little charade. So, B? It's all yours you can start telling people you are the older one now, I won't even flinch!

G-Man is working up 2, yes that's right, 2 molars! Poor punkin is dealing great with the pain though! He is also trying to climb EVERYTHING! We have some pics that I will get posted this weekend. It's awesome watching him try to put things together on his own and figure out how to get up on top of things. Each day with him is a gift....truly I am blessed beyond comprehension to have him and Hubby at my side!

It won't be long now...

Gramma and Papa J gave this push cart to G-man for his birthday. He didn't need us to show him how to work it! He is getting pretty good at chasing the cat with it now too!

It's Party Time!

Monster dog dressed to party, and Gramma getting G-Man dressed and ready! He took a great almost 2-hour nap just before the festivities.

G-Man had his First Birthday Party today. It was a great day! He was feeling cuddly, yet social and played quite happily with his uncles, auntie and friends and of course, Grammas and Grandpas. I have a thing with hosting parties and am always afraid that I won't have enough food...then I end up with TONS of leftovers. Again, same thing today! At least it all freezes! So, here are some first birthday shots. Let's not forget the gratutious baby with cake shot. I made gluten free, dairy free, egg free cupcakes with gluten free, dairy free, egg free frosting. The Grammas had requested a messy dessert for him. I don't think I disappointed! Naturally, G-Man's best friend was pretty happy today too...you'll see what I mean as you scroll down.

Above, playing with friends and cousins. The push cart that G is leaning on was a birthday present from Gramma and Papa J. Without anyone helping him, G grabbed the handle, and took off walking across the living room ALL. BY. HIMSELF. He has done that a few times today. Sooo, cool!

G and Mommy and a messy cupcake all for him!

G and Daddy and what's left of the cupcake, with chocolate frosting all over his face!

"Mmmmm," that was after G let the dog lick his hand! Hehehehe!

Cleanup!

It was a spectacular day for celebrating, wishing and reflecting

Today my baby, my little boy, my Bug turned one year old. Well, technically, he doesn't turn one until 11:40pm (CST), but you get the idea. Every time I have looked at the clock today I was immediately brought back to where I was and what I was doing exactly at the moment one year ago. It wasn't until after 6:00pm that things got fuzzy and I don't have a time to attach events, feelings, progress to. It was perfect. My last day and hour being pregnant and G-Man's entry into the world was so perfect, so peaceful, so powerful and so beautiful. It was an experience that has changed me forever. And this past year has continued to change me. G-Man has not been the only one to grow and learn! To read more about this time last year, check out this blog entry.

Today we started the day with kisses and playing! G-Man *loves* his baths so when he crawled into the bathroom this morning and tried to get into the tub, I said "Sure, we can start your day with a bath!" We usually save baths for bed time, but today his HIS day, so we had a fun splashy bath! Then we played some more, napped and took off to meet Daddy for lunch at Panera. It was nice to see the Hubby in the middle of the day and I treasured that we were all able to spend that hour together for G's birthday lunch. G-man even ate some of the antibiotic-free chicken from my sandwich! From there G-Man and I hit Stride Rite to get him measured for shoes since he is starting to walk a little (furniture surfing and holding our hands and stuff). Then, off to our chiropractor, Dr. Pam who was also at my house with me while I was in labor! She was a lifesaver!!! We had quite a few good laughs that afternoon.

Finally, back home to play and play! Gramma and Papa J. came over to visit and wish G-Man happy birthday. It was a wonderful day and there is a party on the horizon!

in case you missed it...

Seriously, if you live in Minnesota how can you *not* book a photo session with Tina? These are just the sneek peek from my little boy's one year old pictures that Tina came over & took last weekend. You really need to check these out! I can't wait to see more!!!!!

an unexpected rite of passage & roots

I was kinda giggly (well, almost) tonite. See, I was making the first birthday treat for G-Man to take to daycare! I WAS MAKING A BIRTHDAY TREAT FOR MY SON! Ya, it totally took me by surprise how big of a deal this was to me. Naturally, they are gluten free cupcakes too. Unfortunately, they are not dairy or egg free (or sugar free) so poor boy gets to bring them to daycare, share them with his friends and he doesn't get any. I don't even want him playing with one. He will have a truly gluten free, dairy free, egg free one to demolish at his party this weekend though...

I was such a "mom" tonite too. I made more baby food and prepped what looks to be a great soup for dinner tomorrow. I have really been into root veggies lately and they are just so delish! Next time you are at the grocery store, treat yourself to the carrots that are not peeled and cut up. Get a bag of carrots, they way they look when they come outta the ground. Then take them home, cut off the tops and scrub them with a kitchen scrubbie. Don't peel them, just eat them! You will be amazed at how good they taste! The baby carrots that are already peeled and everything taste almost sterile in comparison. And it really is no time at all to lop off the tops and wash them. Then, pick up a bunch of beets. Ya, that's one of the foods I made for G-Man tonite too. He loves 'em! Be sure to pick up the smaller beets, they are yummier. Peel them, cut into smaller pieces, and boil until they are soft. Then enjoy! Yum!!! So, back to my root veggie thing...when I saw this in the grocery store I didn't think twice! I washed and chopped everything up tonite so it's a matter of sauteeing with some onion, oil and garlic then adding some veggie broth and simmering. Yum! Talk about an easy, wayyy healthy dinner!

Some early edits back!

Tina was back to our home on Saturday to shoot pics of G-Man for his first birthday. She is busy working on edits and posted some on Facebook. I can't wait to see the rest of them! This one is in my craft room. I picked up the white G at Michael's Crafts for $2.99. I think it makes a great prop! And, he's wearing the "1" shirt that I made for him. Love that wild hair! Heheheheh! Have a great week everyone! It's birthday week here and we are going to celebrate his first birthday like baby rock stars!

p.s. Just a cool fact, the coverlet that is behind G-Man draped across the top of the sofa belonged to my Grandmother. I think it's cool that it is in the photo with him!

What a great Saturday!

It was a fabulous day! The day started with some morning playtime at home. Then our family photographer, good friend and scrapbook (Creative Memories brand) supplier (K calls her my 'dealer') - Tina came over! She got some fun one year pictures of my G-Man! We were even her first model with one of her new props (scroll down on her blog to see it!)! I can't wait to see how the pictures turned out! Tina had blogged earlier this week about some First Birthday Props. I was motivated by the cute t-shirts, and I just happened to have some fun Sock Monkey quilting fabrics. I picked up a couple of $3 tees at Walmart and some fabric paint. It took about 20 minutes to make both shirts. G-Man wore one of them today for the pics. I think this will be a birthday tradition for as long as G-Man lets me make them for him. It will be fun to pick out the print fabric together and make the shirts with him as he grows!

This afternoon it was off to Gramma and Papa J's for some playtime while the hubby and I went on a nice long walk in the snowy woods at a county park. It was spectacular. It was unseasonably warm, at 34 degrees F and sunny. A delightful day to be outside tromping thru 12" deep snow in the woods.

The hubby indulged me with a trip to Ikea. Really, going to Ikea on the weekends is NOT for the feint of heart. It's sooo stinkin' crowded and crazy. But we did pick up a new Expedit tower for toy storage. I love these things. They can be set up horizonally or vertically. I think it turned out pretty nice!

By the way, the black horizontal stripe near the top of the shelf is a strip of chalkboard paint. We have it going all the way down the wall. I love it! We have more fun with parties here seeing the artwork and commentaries from friends and family. You can pick up green or black chalkboard paint at your local hardware or home improvement store.

Tomorrow morning it's church for G-Man and I then some playing! I have to move a ton of pics and my scrapbooking software to a different laptop too, that will probably consume my evening once he gets to bed though. Have a great start to the week everyone! It's G-Man's birthday week, so we'll be celebrating as I reminisce about where I was and how I was feeling one year ago. Sigh...

Research time...again.

So, my little guy is turning one year old next week...ONE! I can't stand how fast it's flown by! Among the millions of things that I have on my to-do list are re-researching vaccinations, his current health status, his exposure risk, and the homeopathic remedies and alternative remedies for the diseases for which we vaccinate. We have thus far, chosen not to vaccinate our little boy. It's a purposeful decision. Likely, one that you may not have made. So, if you have vaccinated your child(ren) why did you do it? Was a purposeful choice? I don't mind if you make a different choice from me, but please folks BE PURPOSEFUL! Don't vaccinate because the dr. says to.

Some of the things we take into consideration are our sons' diet. He eats whole, organic foods, nothing out of a box or jar. The food you give your body makes a huge impact on how it can respond, keep you healthy and fight illness. We also read the manufacturers research on each vaccine they make, the drug study that they did, including the ages of children in the study and the duration of the study. We also look for what other drugs were given at the same time by the manufacturer in the study. At most dr. visits your child is scheduled to get 3-6 vaccines, are any of them studied at the same time to see if there are drug interactions? So far my research says NO!

Last year one of the elementary schools in our school district had a chicken pox "outbreak." Their response was to encourage parents to re-vaccinate their kids. I found it really interesting that some of the kids who were vaccinated once and re-vaccinated in this outbreak did get chicken pox. It bothers me that there is a vaccination we are giving our kids that DOES NOT WORK. Worse yet, we know it doesn't confer a lifelong immunity. So, we will see what, in 15 years or so a HUGE outbreak of chicken pox in 20 and 30-somethings. 20 and 30-somethings who will be very, very sick with chicken pox - much more sick than they would have been as children.

So, it's off to continue research, see what else new stuff there may be for me to read...we've logged dozens and dozens of hours researching vaccines, and we're not done yet.

I wanted this to be longer...

Yum, I still love beets!

G-Man playing in "his" drawer in the kitchen (wearing his MN Wild Hockey sweats!)

...but I am tired! I am processing a blog about G-Man's up coming first birthday and his one year well-baby dr. appt, and vaccines...or not vaccines...it's not an easy decision to make, at least it shouldn't be an easy decision for any parent to make regardless of the side they come down on. So, enjoy a picture or two and I'll gather my thoughts, get some sleep and post it later this weekend. Have a great weekend!!

(this was taken by my mom last week while he was playing at her house)

We are having sooo much fun!

I cannot believe how many things my little boy learns to do in a week! It is just mind boggling! I kinda expected this:

I just didn't expect it so soon! Last night G-Man had been "practicing" with finger food. He pushes it all over the table really well! So far it has yet to make it to his mouth, but he is having some wonderful tactile experiences so I really don't care if he isn't self-feeding yet. Anyway, Monster Dog has figured out that G-Man drops food and drools food and spits food and it all lands in the general vicinity around G-Man. So where does Monster hang out? Ya, right under G. G loves this and is getting a little distracted by Dog. Dog had finished cleaning up the immediate mess under G-Man and was walking away when G screeched and said "da" and reached out for him. Needless to say, Monster Dog smelled food on that sweet toddler little hand and was more than willing to lick it clean. This elicited squeals, real squeals of happiness from my little boy and howls of laughter from me. Needless to say my camera was not nearby. Fortunately for me, they figured it all out again today and at least my camera-phone was close!

I figured since we were playing with our food we may as well try different modes of eating it. Today was the first time G-Man took a bite from a banana. Of course, when it got set down in front of him he proceeded to poke it to death. Like I said, tactile learning!

And lets not forget to do our indoor gardening this winter, ok? We have 2 live plants in our house, that's almost 2 too many for me. Thankfully they are snake plants and they can survive even me! I have high hopes for more plants if G-Man keeps up with his gardening skills! Who can be upset with a baby playing in the dirt? Certainly not me!

He started splashing with deliberate action this week in the tub too, both arms, both legs totally going! And of course, we were both laughing pretty hard. I thought it was cute enough to get his Daddy (which is pretty much a constant) so I yelled, "Hey, K!" I had barley finished when a little wet parrot echoed clearly, "haaayyy ki!" as loud as he could! My head snapped around and I said, "It's Daddy to you little man!" I mentioned that to our daycare provider and she said that he echoed her when she said "hey hey hey" to some of the kids earlier that day too! Also in his verbal repertoire, Mama, da (dad), daa (dog) and caa (cat). He uses all 4 of those words appropriately and without prompting. Quite often when the cat walks past him he will look at her and say "caa" all by himself. It's just incredible!

A great find for baby wearing mommas (& daddy's too)

I love my Mothering magazine. I read it cover to cover when it arrives and get so much great info and resources from it. It's a more natural alternative to Parenting and those kinds of main stream mags. There are no ads for formula or disposable diapers. Instead there are ads for cloth diapers, natural supplements and vitamins. It's FULL of homebirth stories, breastfeeding support and research, non and delayed vaccinating information, baby wearing and other naturally focused things. This month' issue has a product review that completely caught my eye! This is something that I cannot wait to purchase. I think it may, in fact, be the present I buy myself for my birthday. I wear G-Man alot! We have a new Ergo baby carrier and we use it so much! Even at home, when G is having a tough time and needs to be snuggled, I put him in, he snuggles close and we are both happy! Baby wearing is wonderful for so many reasons, but it gets bulky in the wintertime. This rocks! You can check this great vest out here. It comes in lots of great colors too! Oh, and they make a softshell jacket too...hmmm.

And, it's completely reversible (front to back) so you can wear it with a back babycarrier too!

Gramma's Coffee Pots

Gramma Nancy loves old things-and they love her! She says they follow her home from flea markets, garage sales and stuff like that. Little G-Man just loves her collection of old coffee pots! These generally sit on the hearth surrounding the wood burning stove, but since there was a fire in the stove we relocated the coffee pots. G loves taking the lids off, making music with them, and reassembling them. Gramma is making it even more of an adventure by putting "stuff" in them for him to discover...clothes pins, snow globes...things like that. They had great fun playing coffee on Saturday afternoon!