Baby #2 and Easton's 21 month update!

Let's do this again!!!

Dan and I are SO delighted to be expecting baby #2, due May 14th 2015! We are very very blessed to have gotten pregnant easily again and are so excited for Easton to be a big brother! He will be 2 years and 4 months older than his baby sibling! 

So I'm officially 12 weeks along, and I'm feeling pretty good! Thankfully the exhausted, need-to-have-a-nap-everyday phase is over (it lasted from about weeks 6-10) and my morning sickness is gone for the most part too! I feel a little yucky first thing in the morning but once I've had breakfast, I feel a lot better. If you remember my constant complaining of morning (HA... try all day!) sickness while I was pregnant with Easton, this is a welcome change!

We had an early ultrasound at 10 weeks and got to see the little bean and his/her strong heartbeat! Such a wonderful experience to see your baby for the first time, wiggling around inside you :)

We'll go for our comprehensive ultrasound around 20 weeks, which falls right around Christmas, so we'll be finding out the gender then and I will definitely blog about it! So far my mama's intuition is failing me, I have no feeling whatsoever whether its a boy or girl! What do you think!?

Yes, I know... it's HUGE!

I do feel like I've started showing MUCH sooner than I did with Easton! I compared my bump at 12 weeks this time around with my bump at 18 weeks with E and they're pretty much the same size! YIKES! Better slow down on the Halloween candy...

Which is a perfect segway into Easton's update! Here are some photos of the little Lion man from yesterday, in his Halloween costume!

 

Easton is 21 months (closer to 22 now, but whose counting) and I'm LOVING this age!
He says TONS of words now, and is even starting to put 2 words together. Full sentences are right around the corner! I love hearing him talk and say new words. Proud mama!

He loves to read books, make Playdoh animals, play hockey with daddy, do puzzles and play games on the ipad, go for walks, take his nap (weirdo!), watch 'Diego', 'Backyardigans' and 'Chuck and Friends' on TV, help mommy bake, sing "Old MacDonald" and "Wheels on the Bus" (with actions too!), go to Amanda's house (daycare 1-2 days a week) to play with his friends, but most of all, he loves to play with his TRUCKS! My goodness this boy is truck obsessed. Tractors, bulldozers, dump trucks ('dumpy'), big rigs, pick up trucks, monster trucks, race cars ('racey'), police cars ('peece'), you name it, he LOVES all things automobile. Such a boy.

Easton reached a big milestone last month.... transitioning to his "Big Boy Bed"! About 2 months ago, Dan and I bought him a toddler bed and put it in his room for his "friends" to sleep on, knowing that eventually we'd need the crib for baby #2. We made it up with sheets and a blanket, put a bunch of his stuffed animals on it, and told him he gets to sleep in it when he's a big boy! Well, one night, about a month ago, Easton didn't feel like going to sleep at bedtime (which is quite unlike him, we never have issues at bedtime), and he CLIMBED out of his crib! BOOM! It terrified Dan and I, so we decided it was time. The next morning we made a big production about moving his crib and putting his "Big Boy Bed" in its place, and telling him he gets to sleep there now! We tackled nap time first, and he got out and ran to his door 4 or 5 times that day, to me sitting right outside. I brought him back in each time and told him to go to sleep. Its time for a nap. Well eventually, about an hour later, he fell asleep. That night went AMAZINGLY well, he slept the entire night in his bed, not getting out at all! Even in the morning he stayed in bed and just called out to me that he was awake! Since then, he's been great about going down for naps and bedtime, and has only gotten out a handful of times! I figure if he was still in his crib and he really wanted to get out, he would, so he might as well do it from a safer spot! I'm so pleased with how smoothly it went!

Now for the boring stuff - so I remember for #2...

Easton sleeps from 8:00 pm -7:00 am (roughly) and naps for 2 hours from 12:30-2:30 ish.

He's still in a picky phase with food, even turning up his little nose at some of his past favorites! He started LOVING milk, which is so strange, because he used to not want anything to do with it. He still loves to "dip dip" his food in any sort of dip really, loves yogurt, grapes, cheerios with milk, toast with PB and honey, most kinds of soup, crackers, cheese, beans, apple sauce and pasta. Not a huge meat guy.

For a while, about a month ago, I thought  he was getting ready to potty train. He peed on the potty 4 or 5 days in a row before bath time, but then just stopped doing it. Or he'd peed on the floor or in the bath right after I'd take his diaper off! Little Monkey. Thats ok though, our initial plan was to wait until #2 is here in the spring, and the weather is nice, to start the potty training process, so that's what we'll do. He'll be about 2.5 which I think makes more sense anyways.

He's wearing 24 months or 2T clothes, size 6-7 shoes, and size 5 diapers. He hasn't grown much since 18 months I don't think. I'd say he's up to about 28 lbs now, and around 36" tall.

That's about it!

Here's a photo overload of the little dude, mainly from our trip to Mary Lake in August, and our pumpkin patch visit in October.

Fifteen months!

Easton has changed so much in the past few months, especially in terms of his cognitive development, so I thought I was due for an update.

It seems as though he understands 90% of what we say to him (although whether he chooses to listen is another story entirely). He is able to follow simple instructions, and although he can't say more than a few words, he can express his feelings and let us know what he wants or needs. 

At fifteen months, his vocabulary consists of “that” (sounds like dat), “there” (dare), dada, mama (very rarely... usually only when he wants food right off my plate), doggy (although we haven't heard him say it in a while), ya, and uh-oh. I'm really excited for this vocabulary "explosion" over the next few months, so he can communicate with us more easily. 

Some of the things he can do physically now (I suppose most are since his first birthday) include; putting his boots on, brushing his teeth (even though it's more like sucking the toothpaste off the brush), climbing the playground, going down the slide (on his stomach, feet first is his preferred method), drinking from a cup (most of it ends up on his clothes but he sure tries hard!), using a fork and spoon, signing “all done” when he’s finished eating, pointing out his head, feet, toes, belly button, eyes, ears, mouth and nose, identifying dozens of different animals and everyday items in books, and building pretty impressive towers with his lego blocks. I'd say he's pretty clever, but I guess I'm a little biased. 

He loves his stuffed gorilla Congo, being outside (in any weather!), going to the park, walking Lucy (he insists on holding her leash too), dancing, being chased, helping me sweep, cook, put the laundry in the machines (and press the buttons) and then “fold" it, playing with bubbles, cars, trucks and balls, reading and going to the library, taking baths, his soother (we're working on it...), watching Curious George, eating fruits and veggies, yogurt, raisins, cheerios and pasta, and giving us kisses.

He hates having his diaper changed, drinking milk, coming inside, having his nails clipped, long car rides, and when you don’t acknowledge him in under 0.07 seconds. 

He weighs about 25 lbs, is 32.5 inches tall, wears size I8 months – 2T and has size 6 feet. He hs thinned out a ton in the last few months, and is starting to look like a toddler instead of a baby. He has ten teeth, including 2 molars (with another breaking through at the moment - not fun). He sleeps approximately eleven hours at night (8pm-7am) and still takes two daytime naps, one in the morning for 1.5 hrs, and one in the afternoon for about 45 minutes.

 

He has such a sweet personality. He's sensitive (definitely from my side of the family!), determined , curious, careful, helpful, outgoing and oh-so-charming (he's got me wrapped around his finger, thats for sure!).  He’s rarely in a foul mood, unless he hasn’t gotten enough sleep or he's in pain from teething. He has his cranky, clingy days - like any kid - but all in all... he's a keeper! He’s not shy with other people or kids, although he can take a few minutes to warm up to others and trust them, then he's your best bud. He's at SUCH a fun age right now - I can't wait for summer, for being outside, exploring, and going to the park/beach/zoo!

Love this little man! Here are some photos from the past few months.

The above are all from our family trip to Mexico in January.

And the climbing phase begins... 

Easter brunch 

7 am: A little too eager...  

Shopping with daddy ... there's nothing more fun apparently!

Yea...  

Selfies with mama wayyyy too early

Smoothies are a crowd favourite

The snow had finally melted enough that we could use the sidewalks!

Apparently he liked it...  

Congo!

First trip to the park this year

Happy First Birthday!

Happy 2014 everyone! I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Christmas and New Years, and that you’re enjoying the fresh start that a new year brings.

I know I remark every month about how fast Easton is growing up, but I really cannot believe he turned ONE today! The baby days are gone... Hello toddler-hood! A whole new ball-game. I was a little teary eyed last night as I put him to bed, my little squishy newborn is now a 25lb toddler (still a baby to me!) and although I love seeing him grow and learn, I just wish the first year didn’t go by so quickly.

Since the last time I blogged (his ten month update), quite a bit has changed… Easton is full out walking now. He took his first independent steps before he was 10 months, and by 10.5/11-ish months he was toddlin’ like a pro! It’s so cute when he walks because he uses his arms as much as his legs, as a way to balance I suppose, so he’s always got his hands up near his shoulders. He also doesn’t bend his knees very much so he kind of thuds along, swaying side to side a little bit. It’s pretty adorable, if I do say so myself.

He’s also learned to go DOWN the stairs, which is a great skill to have but scares the bejeezus out of me because he’s not 100% proficient at it yet, and tends to get distracted by things and slip. We have to follow behind him in case he takes a tumble, which he’s almost done on numerous occasions! Boys!

Easton also says a few words which is just CRAZY to hear. He says mama, dada, uh oh, and I think I’ve heard him say ‘da’ (dog) and “baow” (ball) a couple of times. He also points at things he wants or where he wants to go, and makes a cute “oh” sound as he does it.

His sense of humour is developing nicely and whenever someone he knows makes a silly face or does a crazy gesture, he laughs hysterically! He’s got an amazing belly laugh that is so hard to describe, but it just warms my heart.

On the flip side, I have noticed he’s starting to throw mini tantrums when he doesn’t get his way. He pulls the huge pouty face and whines and squeals so loudly, it’s such a cringe-worthy sound! I usually distract him by pointing at something and saying “Ooohh look Easton” after which he does the aforementioned “point and OHHH”, but sometimes I just ignore him and he stops right away once he realizes I’m not down with that!

He still loves to eat, and his repertoire of foods is expanding. We recently got back from a week in Mexico where he tried lots of new things! I’m also still breastfeeding him 3 times a day - when he wakes (6:30-7:00 ish), around noon, and at bedtime (7:30-8:00). I have plans to wean him down to just the morning and bedtime feeds in the next couple of weeks as I hope to pick up more supply teaching during the day. We’ll see how that goes! Ultimately, I’m ok with nursing twice a day until 18 months or so but I don’t think I’ll go beyond that, although the World Health Organization is now recommending 2 years. He gets a bit of cows milk from a straw bottle here and there, so hopefully the transition goes smoothly.

Sleep is going great! He still takes two naps a day (albeit short ones) and finally sleeps through the night for 11 hours! Hallelujah!

Easton had an awesome birthday party this past weekend which you can read about here:

Monster Bash!

To our little man on his very first birthday,

Easton, you bring a smile to our faces every single day. You are such a happy, smart, handsome, silly, determined little boy and we're so proud to be your parents. Getting to know you this past year has been the best time of our lives and we can't wait to watch you grow in the coming year.

We love you more than anything!

Happy Birthday E!

Love you always,

Mama & Dada

I think that’s it! Sorry for such a long post but I didn’t want to miss anything.

I'll leave you with some adorable Cake Smash photos that I took yesterday!


Have a great day :)

** Banner made by Chantal at UrbanFIZZ Home Decor! **