Said by Baby Daddy

'Object Permanence Blows' . . .

15 Months

Handsome: You have been incredibly busy this month. The busiest month so far. So busy that you felt sleepy during the monthly photo session. . .

If anyone needs sleep this month, it is Mama and Daddy. You have had a handful of good nights, but are typically waking 1 - 4 times each night, and have been up an hour at a time on a couple of occasions. You take one nap for 1.5 to 2 hours at daycare, and two shorter naps when at home, during which we try to do the same ;).

We try to pack as much as we can during your waking moments, and here is what you've done this month:

(Slightly confused if this was done by Justin or Daddy )

You have done so much at daycare in the past month. You color, paint, play outside, and are learning sign language. Proud Mama moment: you had a tractor cutout, and colored it green. 

Speaking of green - you spent your first time in a green tractor with Papa in October. This may or may not have been in response to spending time in a red one earlier ;)

Hawkeye Football and John Deere - The quintessential Iowa fall. 

Your new hobby is to climb onto the fireplace base, pull open the doors, and play with the metal curtain inside. We've tried to barricade it with Izzers' kennel, a storage ottoman, and some pillows, but you squirm your little tush right past our defenses, laughing all the while. You have reached the stage at which you run faster and laugh when you are being chased because you are doing something you shouldn't be. 

Are there Fruit Loops in here? Or just more trouble?

This month you discovered that the Fruit Loops (or 'crack' as we call it here) were kept in the lazy susan, and in trying to get to them knocked over the canister holding flour.

Don't forget to put the filter on the shop vac. Oh, you forgot? Well this mess has nothing on that then ;).

You spent more time outside, and we had to break out your cold-weather gear on ocassion. 

Your footprint in the house is expanding. You can pull things off of the kitchen table and break into closets that are not locked. Izzers has been forced to retreat to high ground to get some peace and quiet.

He cannot grab me here... yet.

Time for you guys to clean, there is still flour residue on the kitchen floor.

Halloween was fairly quiet. You were dressed as 'Linus' from the Peanuts Comic Strip. Mama took you to see your grandparents, great-grandparents and Darwin and Susie! (Daddy was busy listening about vacuum carburizing and contour induction hardening [Mama edit: Snooze boring Snooze]). You got three pieces of candy - and Mama ate all of them. True story - we're horrible parents but you do not need candy. (Then again neither do Mama's thighs). 

On a few rare occasions, your hair has settled down. 

Jon Hamm has nothing on me . . . 

On another occasion, you 'Made it rain' Cheerios. Isabelle was incredibly grateful for this.

Working on adding fuel to the 'Tank' - you mastered drinking through a regular straw. 

It is true what they say . . . The way to a Tank's heart is through his tummy. 

This is how you sleep - yes, you occasionally fall asleep on a floor. Note the fingers in his mouth. When actually falling asleep, he rubs his nose with the blanket.

Other things of note:

* You have maintained clothing size for a full month - this could be a first!

* You can identify where your belly and nose are.

* You muted FOX news again - Mama is sooo proud of my little liberal boy :)

* You say 'Cah' when you see a car, truck, or other vehicle. 

* 'Cah Cah' is how you say 'Tractor'

And with that, we move on to month 16, where we dream of taking a nap with a Tank full of tryptophan.

14 Months

Justin, this is Baby Daddy's first attempt to do a monthly post solo, and I'm also rusty on blog posting. As the readers (if there are any left) know, it's been over a month since Momma and I made a post. So, I'll make this apology short. I am sorry, and if this 14 month blog post is the thing that I do that disappoints you the most in your lifetime, I'll gladly accept that. And now, a summary of days 395-425 (ish) you've been with us. . .

As briefly mentioned in the 13 month post, this past month you officially started walking. No walls, no carts, more than three steps at a time, walking. This lasted about 3 seconds, then we went into baby/toddler sprint mode. The strides aren't long, but there's a lot of them in a short amount of time. You can make it from one end of the house to the other in a seconds, and you can be fairly stealthy about it.

I was moving so fast to this window, you couldn't even see the stripes.

When you aren't running around the house, you like to chase Izzers. Momma and I know this is happening because we hear the 'Banshee' Scream. It looks like this:

If you are close enough, Izzers will play with you a little, and then try to lick your fingers in an attempt to calm you down (it's an Izzer thing). Eventually, after an evening or playing, Izzers looks like this:

You can't see me in the blanket. This is not the Iz you are looking for.

The only thing you seem to do faster then motate (yep, motate) on two feet is eat. Not only are you fast at eating, you eat a lot. Still. More so than Momma sometimes a lot. And you are not picky. At all. And Dad is very thankful for that, because some day you are going to need to start eating Dad's lettuce that Mom will try to feed him as part of some 'diet.' You are still Tank. All 27 pounds of you.

I know this is where they hide the ice cream. . .

One other thing that continues to amaze me. Your hair. Specifically, its craziness. The 'Flock of Seagulls' look in the picture above is just one example of how it tends to become uncontrolled. It is to the point that I can only hope to contain it for minutes after your bath.

Trying to contain the curl has nothing to do with the fact that Justin has more hair than Baby Daddy. Honest.

You began to really start playing with your toys this last month, and not just watch someone play with them. When you're not jamming to your Harley's radio, or racing your cars down the ramp, you took the time to remove a furnace vent cover and put one of your blocks into the duct work. Dad enjoyed going after that.

I'll go with this one. It will have the least amount of drag and most downforce of any available car.

Speaking of playing, you have become obsessed with playing outside. I think this is in part because you are doing it on a regular basis at daycare now. Whether it's in the backyard or just on the deck, you want to be there, where you work on playing with leaves (thank you fall!).

Justin - now impressing the ladies with heart shaped leaves to go with his curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

You know you want to take me out there. You know you do.

Some other notes from Month 14:

- You moved to the toddler (go go Elephant) room at daycare.

- You had your first chiropractor visit. Do not call them back crackers to Momma. She does not approve.

- Sleep habits were the same as month 13. Dad got a chance to hang out with you in your rocking chair a few nights a week. And while I love spending time with you, I love sleeping horizontally, in my bed, as well :)

- You went to Great Grandma and Grandpa's 60th Anniversary celebration.

Notice Momma selects the picture that doesn't have her in it

- You got to experience your first ride on a piece of farm equipment, when you and cousin Annabelle were able to twist Gammy and Papa's arm into giving you a Gator ride.

My guess is that there wasn't much twisting needed.

- You also got to experience your first fall on the farm, which means you got to sit in a tractor for the first time.

I got this guys. Just let me know when supper is.

- And you may have had to put Annabelle in timeout when she came over to visit. . .

Okay. Not really. She did this on her own to grab toys out of the kennel. Honest. Hold on, there is someone at the door. . . DHS? (kidding)

And with that, this post (which hopefully was worth reading) is ovah. Momma and I love you, more and more each day.

13 Months

Justin. Handsome. You are now 13 months old. That is crazy; crazy like Charlie Sheen crazy. But, as you get bigger (something you are VERY good at), you simply get more fun. This month has been more difficult for Mama and Daddy, and you, but still - you make us smile and feel blessed every. single. day. Here is what you are up to:

We have spent a little more time outside. It is hard not to when visiting Gammy and Papa. Cousin Annabelle grabs shoes and takes them to their owner, saying 'Ousside', which means she wants a ride on Papa's John Deere Gator. She wins that battle almost every time. 

You are dealing with separation anxiety. You scream when we go downstairs to switch laundry or even take Izzers outside. Somedays at daycare you let it be known that you do not approve of us (read: Dada) leaving. I'm talking real tears Dude. 

Just after your first birthday, we switched you from formula to whole milk, and *gasp* took away your bottles. Luckily, you did very well with the cold-turkey change. It took you a few days to really "get" the sippy cup, and we did offer you the bottle (with water) once to make sure you were getting enough to drink, but you weren't having it! We are not missing the cost of formula or bottle liners at all. We took away bottle at your pediatrician's recommendation - the thought being that it would be easier to make the connection that milk comes in sippy cups, and milk is what you get. I'm glad it worked so easily - if only everything worked that easily ;)

Football season started and you are again cheering for Iowa. Thank heavens you were asleep for the last half of that ISU debacle - I don't want that monstrosity of a game to haunt your mind. Though it may explain some of your sleeping problems . . . (see last section). 

Just in case you someday lack enthusiam about getting in the bath, I have documented your current feelings about the "splish splash". The pictures below demonstrate your dramatic nature when you hear the water running inside the tub. 

Your hair has grown by leaps-and-bounds this month and it just does not lay down/lay straight. We are finished trying to contain the curl - it will not have it!

 As the weather has gotten cooler, we have pulled out your fall clothes. You, for the first time, are actually wearing clothes intended for babies your age. You wear mostly 12-18 month clothes right now, though some 18-24 month clothes (okay, all of your pants are bigger, or 'loose' fitting), and even some 12 month shirts fit you!

You have started walking in your fourteenth month, but at 13 months you were mostly cruising and taking 2-3 steps at a time. Your first steps came at the doctor's office on August 18. You took 2 steps towards Mama and fell into my arms. :)

Your toys are all over the house, though we wouldn't have it any other way. You still prefer to be pushed on your riding toys and get crabby when we leave you to push on your own. 

You give kisses, and the headbutts have reduced in frequency. My nose appreciates that. 

You continue to love Izzers, and think that every animal you meet should treat you as Izzers does. You hold your fingers out to cats expecting them to lick your fingers as Iz does, and get confused when they do not. Then you push your fingers into their faces? Oh well, you'll learn. We think he is saying 'Izz'.

And now for the big elephant in the nursery - your sleep, or lack thereof. Right after your first birthday - just a couple days after switching you to whole milk and taking away the bottle, you started waking in the night. But this waking is much different than before. When you awoke previously, you would fuss a little bit, and then either a) put yourself back to sleep, b) take a bottle or something to drink and go right back to sleep, or c) respond to some soothing measure by Dada (typically he gets up as I sleep through about anything) and fall asleep again. But not this - this is screaming fussing. You just fuss and scream. You want picked up - you want put down - you want to be held - you dont want to be held - you aren't wet - you aren't thirsty - you aren't hungry - you aren't too cold - you aren't teething (you did have one tooth pop up this month, but it's nothing I would contribute this much fussiness to). It's like having a colicy baby again in some ways. You will fall asleep with us, but then scream again as soon as we put you in your crib. Most nights you only go back to sleep after sleeping in the rocker with Dada for an hour. And this happens anywhere from 1-3 times a night. It has been very consistent since your first birthday.

Your pediatricians office suggested trying soy milk to rule out a slight lactose intolerance. That didn't work. We have tried letting you cry for a little while, but you only get madder. We have tried food and water when you wake. We have made sure you are getting enough to eat during the day - again, not a problem. The latest idea is that you are having night terrors, or nightmares. Supposedly it is a phase. We'll see. My chiropractor has said he can help with that. I don't love the idea, but I don't love not sleeping, or thinking that he is actually having night terrors. Thus, we have given up letting him cry, though we usually give him a minute or two 'just in case' he can put himself to sleep. We don't want him to get in the habit of calling for us and we come running; but we don't want him scared and alone either. He has a simple, calm bedtime routine, and we put him drowsy, but awake so we know he can put himself to sleep.

Sorry for the novel, but if we ever get caught up on sleep and have another baby, I like having this as a reference! You are taking one nap that lasts about 90 minutes to two hours.



You have seven teeth now! You got 'written up' TWICE at daycare for biting. Bad behavior Justin :(

Until next month . . .

OMG

Last week my Handsome gave me kisses on request. Today, he gave me a headbutt. Then I got another one. In addition to that fun, we are now dealing with:

Separation Anxiety
A whole lot of fussiness
Sleeping (well, not sleeping) like a one-month old
Nightmares? (his doctor thinks maybe)
Wanting to be held/not wanting to be held/wanting to be put down/wanting held
Something resembling temper tantrums

If you need me, I'll be calling the pharmacy to verify just how long birth control lasts and doubling that.

I adore you darling boy, but we went through a few months of fussiness/colic - we've paid our dues. For heaven's sake, work with us :) Love, Mama

P. a . r . t . . . why? Because Justin is 1!

Justin's first birthday party was a huge success. Granted, it took me over 8 hours to make cupcakes and frosting - our definition of 'success' is a little different than the average bear family's. And Justin has been a bear lately :/ A grizzly cub, in fact. Anyway - back to the topic at hand: The First Birthday Party. Many people say they are more for the parents than the baby, and I completely agree. I would've called it a "Hey, We Survived Our First Year as Parents" party, but that would've been tacky. 

The theme was 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar". The invitations (totally outsourced) were sent out in advance, and Tank was excited for the big day. Mama and Dada, on the other hand, were exhausted from all of the work in the week leading up to the party. Nah, we were pretty darn excited too. 

We worked hard to get the living room (you know, THE room we had done anything to since moving into this house) ready to go and decorated. Dada spent the day before your party chopping off half an inch of the large shelf holding the tv - as it turns out the shelves on the right are about an inch smaller than the ones on the left - which you really can't tell until you try to put them in there. Oh well; Nothing a borrowed saw, four hours, and lots of swearing couldn't fix ;)

Justin's monthly pictures were on display anchored in pails full of candy meant to go home with guests, but were forgotten (at least that is what Baby Daddy told me). 

Even Izzers got in the spirit. 

The food was (mostly) based on the book. There was fruit salad and apple-pear-snicker salad, brats and burgers with fixings, deviled eggs, and cupcakes. The drinks were cleverly labeled, if I do say so myself; juice boxes and water bottles labeled 'Caterpillars' and adult beverages labeled 'Butterflies Only'. 

The cupcakes - no, the Damn Cupcakes. In the weeks before the party, I debated as to whether I should spend the money to have the gourmet cupcakery in town make them, or whether I should make them myself. Ultimately I decided that it just wasn't worth the $70 it would cost to buy them. So I made them myself. Eight hours, three trips to the store, two ruined batches of frosting, one ruined smash cake, and a drink later, they were done!! I already have someone lined up to make them for his next birthday party - seriously. And if that person fails me in a year, I have absolutely no qualms spending $70 on cupcakes. 

People - We are very lucky that so many of our guests could make it and we are all glad that you came :)

The Rundown:

First things first: The Family Picture

This makes the third or fourth family photo we have :) 

After some mingling, grilling, and foodening (that's 'eating' in non-Mitch speak), it was time for a good old fashioned cake smashing . . . and Justin did not disappoint. After singing 'Happy Birthday', he dug right in. 

 Then, after the rest of us scarfed our cupcakes, it was time for gifts. Justin helped pull a few strings and was very enthusiastic to play with his gifts, or at least the boxes. 

Whassat Mama?

Just what I've always wanted - A HANGER!!

A bathtub hoop. The first time we put this in the tub he would not turn away from it - he spent the entire bath sitting (WHICH DOES NOT HAPPEN), looking at it, with his back to us. He has since gotten over sitting. 

 Every kid gets a Harley for his first birthday, right?? No, just mine? ok!

He loves to push the buttons until the rock music comes on - then he dances. He does not get the dancing from me, either. I know, you are all surprised on that one. 

Justin's Toy Garage - or part of it, complete with a Little People Car Race Ramp, Little People Farm (He likes to carry around the sheep?!?), Farm Tractor, and Ball Popper. 

It is a good thing these parties only happen once a year.