Take a Hike

This weekend was perfect weather to go out on a walk.  It was cool enough that the mosquitos and black flys hadn't come out yet and warm enough to not freeze.  I think we will only have a few more weeks like this.  So Jeff, Jason and I went out on a walk around a nearby lake.  It was a bit cooler than expected and Jason eventually got tired of sitting in his stroller, but we did have a good time.  To entertain Jason we let him get out and walk a little bit and he would have loved to walk the entire way.  Unfortunatly we wouldn't have gotten around the lake in time for Jeff to go back to work this morning if we took the hike at Jason's pace.

That afternoon I went out for a much needed girls night.  For the first time I left while Jason was still up.  Jeff played with Jason for an hour and had to put him to bed.  I was so worried that there would be massive amounts of tears.  There weren't!  But my momma's boy did miss me because Jeff said that they would read a book about Momma Bear and her little boy and Jason would wander over to the window and look longingly out it  :(  The next morning he must have been excited to see me because he decided to get up at 5:30 when he normally wakes up at 6:30ish.  I didn't need that after a late night with the girls, but I was dying to see my baby so we got up and played a bit while Daddy slept in.

We are starting to get excited about our big trip (10 days!!!) and also more anxious about leaving Jason.  He has gotten much more independent, but I worry that he will be so upset by being left without Mom or Dad.  I also worry that it will be a hard plane ride for our little toddler.  He wants to walk around and explore everything!  We will be taking 3 flights to get down there the first two are about an hour each then the last one is 3.5 hrs.  I really hope he will nap in my arms for the longer flight because he will not be happy being cooped up in one place for that long unless he is sleeping.  Maybe we will get lucky and there will be an extra seat next to us!  I have been reading all the tips I can find about flying with a toddler.  I know to bring plenty of diapers and a change of clothes.  We are bringing books and toys and even a magazine full of doggies (his favorite.)  We will also bring lots and lots of snacks for him.  I am bringing the DVD player since we have it, but he isn't normally interested in watching TV or movies (unless it is a dog food comercial.)  Anything you can think of that we are forgetting?

morning walk

Today Jason is 14 months old and to celebrate we have a fresh video for you. You should probably turn down the volume so you don't hear my annoying baby voice. In the 2 or 3 weeks Jason has been walking he has gotten so much better at it! Now he wanders around the house most of the time and is willing to try walking other places. Yesterday in church he wanted to walk up and down the aisles and got very upset when we had to contain him because he was banging on the windows.

This weekend we were hanging out at home and Jason we playing with his toys. We got tired of pushing him around on his little car so he decided to give Pooh Bear a ride. It was adorable how thoughtful he was.

Our Easter with a Toddler

So as he always does Jason wanted to prove me wrong. Right after I posted my last entry he decided it was high time he walked. It started with a couple of steps to Mommy, but now about half of the time he wants to get somewhere he is walking. He hasn't started running around yet, but we don't know how long we will be safe from that.

Just like his Daddy, Jason loves to be outside. Jeff's first word was outside and when I go out to grill something Jason complains that he has to stay in. Last week we had a few warm days and Jason and I just walked back and forth in the front yard. We are so happy to be having some nice weather lately and love going on walks to enjoy it. Sometimes Jeff even gets home early enough from work to go out with us.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Jeff and I decided at the last minute to take a trip to Niagara Falls since we never know how long we will be in any one place. We packed up and headed out on Thursday evening to arrive Friday morning. We spent Friday walking around the Falls and the surrounding town. Jason loved just watching the water and would have spent the entire day doing that if Mom and Dad would have let him. After a day we felt like we saw everything so we packed up and drove back into the USA. We went shopping in Buffalo, NY for a formal dress for our cruise. After searching all day I finally did find one that worked. Easter morning we went for a swim in the hotel pool since Jason loves playing in the pool. Then we went up to our room to find what the Easter bunny had left us and do an egg hunt. Jason actually did eventually figure out what we were telling him when we asked him to find the eggs. And he really loved the animal crackers hidden inside. Then we left for our long drive home.

In his Easter basket Jason had a stuffed bunny that he loves. In fact Jason is a fan of anything cuddly. He loves blankets, stuffed animals and doggies. We visited a friend with a dog and Jason fell in love. Now any time he sees a dog while we are walking or in a comercial he squeels. He also loves being read to. He will pick up a book and grunt at you until you come over and read it to him. We are so lucky to have such a sweet little boy!

Everything changes

While I was pregnant the advice someone gave me was don't worry everything changes. So if you were going through a particularly difficult time it will change. Oh boy has everything changed. One week Jason will love french toast and grilled cheese and the next week he will hate it. He refused to eat pancakes last week (weird, I know!) but gobbled them up today. He continues to love taco meat though. Hopefully next he will be interested in eating his veggies :)

A couple of weeks ago he was so close to walking that we knew he would be doing it by his 13 month birthday, but he got sick and just wanted to cuddle so there was some regression. I do think we are getting closer to the walking milestone. Yesterday he wasn't paying attention and took a few shuffled steps toward his toys. Every other steps he has taken has been towards me. I just hope that he is walking by May so that I don't have to spend my cruise worrying that he will walk and I will miss it.

What cruise, you ask? Jeff and I booked a week long cruise from Rome to Athens stopping in Pompeii, Sicily, Crete and Ephesus. We are so excited to be going on a trip by ourselves, but I am nervous about leaving Jason. I know he will be in great hands with his Grandparents, but I am worried about him missing us too much or us missing him too much. The cruise is booked and we are going and it will be great to spend some time together just the two of us. I'm getting excited!

I am also so lucky that I have been welcomed into a great group of friends here. They took me in and we have been able to do something a couple of days each week. Jason even has an arranged marriage here. It has been wonderful to get out of the house and walk around in the warm weather we had been having. We are even trying to make our hubbys be friends and are all having dinner tonight. It just so happens that they all have girls so Jason is playing the ladies man with all his girlfriends. I will have to be sure to take pictures the next time we hang out.

The framed picture was from when he was 6 months and this photo was taken when he is 13 months

Smart Baby

Jason has gotten so smart! Not only can he show you his body parts, but when you ask him to pick out one of his toys he will go and get that specific one. He is also forming an opinion about what he wants and doesn't want. We love him so much, but our poor little boy has been getting frustrated. He has started throwing tantrums when his toys aren't preforming as he would like them to. Also he definitely knows what he does and doesn't like to eat. Right now we are struggling to get him any fruits and veggies. He hates picking up anything slimy. I thought I had him fooled when one day we covered cut up peaches with crumbs from cereal and he ate them, but we haven't had a repeat preformance. What am I going to do to keep my little boy happy and healthy?

New House

So we are into our new house! We love having more space and Jason loves trying to climb the stairs. When we first got in here we put up baby gates. There are some things you discover when you move into a new house like the floors aren't level at all. So in the office Jeff's rolling chair can sometimes roll away from the desk. Now that the kitchen is further away from Jason's room he sleeps in even when Jeff has to get up at 4:30 am! Also for some reason the internet is much faster here then it was at our old place. So here are the promised pictures:

Our room:

The upstairs bathroom:

The office:

The kitchen:

Downstairs bathroom:

Living room:

Craft area in the basement:

My baby is 1!

Can you believe it? Our little boy is 1! I thought I told him never to grow up, but it doesn't seem like he has listened. In a way I am happy he didn't heed my warnings because this little man is so much fun to play with and no less cute then he was as a baby. As we always tell him he is our sunshine!

On Friday (Jason's birthday) we had the pleasure of having Jeff stay home with us. We all got to go to playgroup and Daddy found out how Jason and Mommy spend most of their days. Jason had his first taste of birthday cake there and didn't want to get messy at all. After a nice nap, Jason received his present from Mom and Dad, a rocking horse. You might think that first thing he wanted to jump on and ride it, but Jason prefers to cuddle "Fred" and push him around the room.

(video deleted to make room for new photos)

On Saturday we had a bunch of kids and their families over to celebrate Jason's birthday. I may have invited too many people for our little house to handle, but I think everyone had a good time. At least they are all too nice to tell me if they didn't. His party was a winter wonderland theme and the older kids got to make a snowflake out of popcorn while the younger ones played in the living room. We had another cake and again Jason didn't want to make too much off a mess. Jason is now the boy with too many toys and we had to put some of them up for a little bit.

I know I shouldn't worry, but I am a mom and I do. Jason isn't walking yet. I hear about all these moms with babies younger than mine who walk and Jason doesn't. I know every book and resource says he is fine for not walking yet and he will do it in his own time. I keep telling myself that I don't want him to walk yet anyway because then he will be all over the place, but I think that is just a case of sour grapes. I am sure that in time Jason will decide that staying upright is much more fun then crawling around. Jeff predicted 13 months, should we hold him to it? :)

(video deleted to make room for new photos)