18 months

Our little guy is 18 months old!  I can hardly believe it!  He's growing and changing so much and we've had a few rough spots in there with some sleep issues and his learning how to be independent.  His favorite things are mommy, milk, daddy, his bulldog, going through drawers and cupboards, opening the dishwasher, helping mommy close things, and climbing.

The climbing, oh the climbing!  Every once in awhile I think my heart might just stop from all the climbing as he's up on the kitchen table or on his downstairs changing table, but alas, my heart has not stopped and he has not fallen...yet.

Setting boundaries is hard.  Some days I feel like I say no 2,498 times and he doesn't hear me and other days I say no just a couple times.  His world got a whole lot bigger in the last few months as he's exploring his surrounding and bringing us into his world.  He marvels at things and is very tactile in learning (totally normal for his age).  We went to the beach on my birthday and he loved playing in the sand, he found some shells, touched the algae, waded through the water and the tiny stream.

A lot of things are more fun at this age and some thing are super frustrating. 

Things that are fun:
1. Making him laugh
2. Having 'conversations'
3. Watching him explore and then come back to me for a quick snuggle
4. Showing him all the things
5. Watching him interact with other kids and adults
6. Watching him play with his bulldog
7. Watching him master new skills, like steps and walking on his tip toes

Things that aren't so fun
1. 18 month sleep regression
2. The stubbornness he gets from his parents
3. Saying no 2,498 times some days
4. Not getting what he's trying to communicate
5. Dealing with cranky baby when he's overtired

All in all?  He's a pretty funny little guy and we are incredibly blessed to be his parents!  Oh and he got his first Sunday School card last week...I nearly cried.  I waited years for this and even though it's hard...it was worth it.  Totally worth it!  Do I miss being able to make a last minute appt and get my hair done?  Yep, totally...but braided hair is totally in and well...bushy eyebrows can be plucked right?

The Exploring

Just a little rest with Mom on her birthday

The Learning: drinking pool water from a bowl

The Learning cont: blowing our nose

It seems I was more excited about getting this wrap back than he was...but he was happy to be close to Mommy

The Learning: drinking from a fountain

The Silly: Telling Mom and Dad that he 'loves us'

The stubborn: I don't want to go to bed, I need to explore, I don't want to wear a diaper, I don't need jammies

He likes to put his lavender rollerball on his cheeks...little does he know it's helping him calm down #momwin

Babywearing: because he's close enough to kiss

Out with friends

Naughty: I found these cookies and I'm going to eat them (and share with my puppies)

The climbing...oh the climbing

He's not impressed, or he's hot...it was 95 that day

First shave ice

Mr. Independent

Mr. Independent who still needs Mom snuggles

The Learning: playing with ice and a ladle and giving our bulldog some ice on a very hot day

He eats like big people now

The 'I'm not tired Mama' wrap nap

Making music with the dishes

The 'I'm going to fight this nap until you wrap me' nap

I just need a little drink of water from the dog bowl; I just want to splash my hands in the bowl

The Exploring: Safely in Downtown Seattle with Daddy by his side

Playing with his Uncle Thomas...and stealing a slice of pizza

The first send home from Sunday School (seriously...all the tears!)

I like this chair better over here, in the living room

My beach birthday!

NIt looks like we have a new tradition!  When I was a little girl we often went to the river or lake around my birthday.  My birthday falls very near the 4th of July so it makes total sense to spend the day on the water.  Last year we took Liam to the beach for the first time and he wasn't a huge fan...at all!  Last year it was 93 and the hottest day of the year!

We decided to go in the morning so it wouldn't be so hot and it was a great idea!

This year we went to the Puget Sound on my birthday and Liam loved the water!  We had fun digging with sea shells we found on the beach, we waded in the sound a bit, we chased the crows and the seagulls, and we splashed in a little stream.  It's so much fun to watch his little eyes discover something new!  

I was pretty sore on my birthday from a bit of an RA flare but we still had a lovely time going to the beach, having some yummy pizza, a bit of shopping, a much needed nap, and our most frequented Mexican restaurant.

Family Vacation!

 

 

 

On our way to the airport, healthy lunch in tow

He's not thrilled about being in his car seat while on the plane

After nearly an hour of trying to calm him down he finally fell asleep, we were both in tears...it was a miserable flight!

And then he slept through the Las Vegas airport

When putting the pacifier in your mouth keeps him from crying, you put the paci in your mouth

I don't have a perfect body, but this little boy doesn't care one bit!

He had a great time swimming while on vacation

He was so excited to 'jump' in the water, so trusting that we were going to catch him

That was the face we saw when he 'jumped'

Our excursion while on vacation, it was 10am and already nearly 90.  Our trusty Tula kept us moving though

Hanging out with Daddy since it was starting to get hot

Talking to 'grandpa'

He's not nearly as thrilled as I am about the Children's museum

My oldest nephew wearing the youngest baby...it's too cute!

'Swimming' on his tummy

Playing with his cousin who is just 3 months older than him.

Just a little family photo

Children's museum

More fun in the pool

A little nap on Daddy

Getting ready to go hom

Our trusty Tula kept my little bug nice and close in a very busy airport

Our flight from Vegas to home was much much better than our flight to Vegas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every other year my parents take all of us on vacation.  This year we went to Utah.  Utah is pretty much a desert and in the month of June...it's really hot!  We had a lovely time, even if our little bug didn't sleep much.  Here are some photos of our trip!

Facebook no more

I decided to give up Facebook.  I've been part of Facebook for 8 years and it's become a time vampire for me.  I can't seem to put my phone down nor can I go very long without checking Facebook...not to mention the buy/sell/trade boards for baby wearing are ridiculously addicting.  So I traded my last wrap for Liam and got through the transaction and then I deactivated my account.

It's time to go back to living my life in person rather than at a distance.  It's been 2 days since I gave up Facebook and the time I would've spent on Facebook I've been spending playing with Liam, picking up, cleaning, and actually reading a real live book.

So for now...goodbye Facebook!  Thanks for the community, but it's time to have a community of people that I can actually meet face to face :)

You can find me on Instagram under eskillman or through Pinterest.

Water baby

I'm trying to learn how to entertain Bug without technology.  Last summer I had bought a pool in hopes that we would be able to use it on my days off.  Well Bug hated the water last summer so I kept it in his closet.  Well I brought it out a couple weeks ago and filled it up with water.  Now what I imagined he would do was splash splash like he does in the tub.  I was kinda right, and then he got in the water.  He had a blast with household items even if he was totally soaked!