Getting sooo big!
Getting sooo big!
My first blog update in over a month... Dexter is is playing hide and seek/ Pee-a-boo with me right now, haha.
We have so much going on right now. It's summer so of course that makes things busier. We put an offer in on a new house about a month ago, still waiting to hear back. We've been checking out child care center for Dexter to start in August. That's going to be quite an adjustment for our little guy.
Over Memorial Day weekend Dexter went to stay with his Nana in in the mountains about 2 hours away. They had so much fun! I snapped a pic as after we dropped him off, he was walking with his Nana to go see the chickens!
He's been spending a lot of time playing outside at the Sitter's. He loves the water!
He's also getting pretty banged up in the process. He is a fearless little boy...
We had his 18 month check-up this past week. He weighs 23 lbs and is 39 inches long. He's low in weight, but tall and since he eats a ton, there's no reason for concern.
Over the past month or so the tantrums have really taken off! Luckily, none in public yet, but I'm sure that's yet to come. Of course it's when he doesn't get what he wants. I'll admit I give in sometimes to make it stop, but for the most part we are trying to ignore it.
This post has taken me over an hour because there have been various tantrums during... awesome.
Now he has my iphone just so I can finish.
New words that he's saying that I can think of off the top of my head:
Purple
Turtle
House
Outside
Toes
Kick
Bite
Plane
Swing
Water
Cracker
Cookie
Milk
Hop (Bunny)
Pretty (my earrings)
Peez (Pizza)
Broc (Broccoli)
Calls himself "Me"
Papa
Nana
Many times tells us when he's pooped or peed.
Says boo boo when he gets hurt and wants you to kiss it.
Now he has my iphone just so I can finish.
New words that he's saying that I can think of off the top of my head:
Purple
Turtle
House
Outside
Toes
Kick
Bite
Plane
Swing
Water
Cracker
Cookie
Milk
Hop (Bunny)
Pretty (my earrings)
Peez (Pizza)
Broc (Broccoli)
Calls himself "Me"
Papa
Nana
Many times tells us when he's pooped or peed.
Says boo boo when he gets hurt and wants you to kiss it.
I'm sitting in my hotel room (pictured above, pretty swanky) on my third day of four days away from Dexter. I'm at a Regional Sales Conference (large meeting with about 200 or so other Marketing Consultants and such that work for my company from various areas of the southeast). My Mommy guilt is killing me right now. I have to constantly remind myself that I'm not a terrible person or Mommy for working, that many really good Mammas are working Mommies.
Another thing to note: Being a working mamma makes me a shitty blogger. I always think about things I want to blog about then I never have time to do it. Lots of people use the phrase "I just don't have the time", but seriously when I say that it's literally true. Every minute of my time is occupied with something.
During this conference I have def been that person that talks about their kid and shows pics at every opportunity, haha!
I can't wait to see his smiling face. I'm hoping my flight gets in early enough on Friday to see Dexter before he goes to bed!
In other news.... My Sitter is moving to Raleigh (2 1/2 hrs away).....arrgggg! So, now on top of a very stressful work month, I need to find a new child care situation. We are really leaning towards putting him in a child care center. We are going to go check a couple out soon. Besides being freaking expensive, there are a couple other things we are worried about:
What are the sick policies. And, is he going to get sick even more, or has his immune system built up enough now from being sick so much that he would catch every little cold?
Also, we are really concerned about the foods they offer.
Time to do some work before bed!
Gnite.
One of the things I truly dislike about being a Working Momma is that I'm not with Dexter for the majority of his meals. I use his meals on the weekend to try try out new foods. He is a super good eater. He LOVES fruits and veggies!
Ever since he started eating foods I've tried really hard to make sure that he is getting a well balanced diet. (Dexter is a vegetarian, like us.) If I was with him all of the time giving the best foods would be a lot easier. I pack his foods for each day the night before. Since I started my new job a couple months ago I have been unable to make dinners very often. I'm working a ton, rushing to pick up Dexter, then trying to get him fed. This makes me a shitty wife. Poor Justin. I used to make dinner most nights of the week.
When I need to give Dexter packaged foods I try to give him mostly organic products.
Here are some things I keep on hand...
2 in a pack!
These are great to have when we are out shopping or whatever and he needs a snack.
Lately his daily menu has also consisted of oatmeal with blueberries, fruits, veggies, hummus or pb&j sandwiches, raisins, cheese, applesauce, and loves Lentils!
Mom and Paul (Grandma & PaPa) came down from PA for a few days for Easter. Dexter had so much fun! Of course we have a ton of pics of Dexter playing outside with his new water table from Grandma and PaPa, but they are on Justin's camera and need to sorted and resized.
Dexter is starting to say a few more words, including "No". Sometimes it's "No No" and he knows that means bad, or don't touch. He's also doing what a lot of toddlers do, he's saying "No" when he means "no' and when he means "yes". Over the past week we've really been trying to teach him "yes" and what that means.
Spring has arrived here in NC and Dexter loves being outside. Hopefully we can get a move on our house upgrading plans soon. Our yard is super small and isn't really toddler friendly. The house we've been watching and wanting lately has a giant yard that would be perfect for a swing set play yard thingy. But, before we can make a move on the house two things have to happen: 1. Justin has a classic car that his Dad gave him for his 30th birthday that we are trying to sell for money for our down payment. Once the car sells the money has to sit in our account for 45 days. 2. We need someone to rent our current house. We are keeping it as a rental property in the hopes that in a few years maybe the market will be better and we can sell it and at least break even.
Hopefully the house we like right now will still be on the market when all of the above falls into place.
In other Dexter news he loves to love (harass) Spitfire.
Once again I'm super late with this update, and I don't have the really good pics from Justin's camera yet, but it's an update none-the-less.
Last weekend we made the trip out to Wilmington to visit Justin's side of the family and to get Dexter's first haircut. Justin's Grandfather, Dexter's Great Grandfather is a barber. He owns this old barbershop where he still works everyday.
Dexter sat so still while getting his mullet cut off. There really wasn't anything to take off top, just the back, ha. He looks like little boy now, less like my little baby.
Here's what's new with Dexter:
He's loving playing outside.
He says: Please (Pees), No No, Hot, Milk
He has started throwing major tantrums when he doesn't get his way (Good times).
Me & Life Update:
My new job is keeping me super busy, but it's good and I like it so far. I'm a bit more stressed out, but I'm trying to keep it under control. I get most stressed out on weekday mornings when I'm trying to get ready for work while entering Dexter and getting him ready for school (the sitter's, we call it school). There are mornings where I just want to completely give up.
The morning always starts off nice. I get up with Dexter and we watch cartoons, he helps me eat my cereal while he drinks his milk, and we cuddle. Then we head upstairs to get ready. Justin is still sleeping but I need to bring Dexter in the room. Then I have two choices, both of which sux.
First option, pack-n-play. Sometimes Dexter will play in his pack-n-play for a good 1/2 hr before freaking out because he wants to get out. Second option, let him run free in our room. This is what he wants to do, the problem is, even though our room is pretty much child-proofed I still have to chase him. And, either way after 45 min (about how long it takes me to get ready, post shower) he is cranky and whiny. Which makes me really frustrated because I'm not giving him the attention he needs and I end up looking like shit because I can't focus on getting ready either. (I'm in outside sales, I have to look decent, and feel good about the way I look.)
Once I'm somewhat put-together, I get Dexter ready to go.... Then the morning goes on from there.
My point is my life is hectic. Everyday feels like a marathon. Mornings are hard, I work my ass off all day, I pick up Dexter, get him home, fed, bathed, pack his meals and such for the next day, get him to bed, some nights head to Yoga class, other nights try to whip up something for Justin and I for dinner, work a bit more before bed if needed, wake up and start the marathon again.
All of that said, I am very grateful for my son that gives this marathon purpose, my husband that helps me stay sane, and for my yoga practice that balances it all out.
Dexter has learned to climb up on not only the kitchen chairs, but also onto the table! And yes, that's where we keep the cat food...time to find another place to put it to keep it away from Dexter. (We never eat at that table.)
He's added a few words to his vocabulary: Boot, Done, Bye Bye. He's also learning animal sounds, I've heard him: Moo, Meow, Ruff Ruff, and Quack.
He's 20lbs, 7oz. He's light for his age, but average for overall size.
This past week all of us were sick :( I had my very first sinus infection. Still getting over it. It was brutal. Awesome timing too since it was my second week on the new job.
It seems like Dexter has had a cold or illness every other week since October. He's around 3 other kids at the sitters. One kid gets something then it goes through all 4, sux.
Dexter's favorite book for the past few weeks, really since he became really interested in reading books, is "Maisy Train". I have it memorized, haha. We read it about 4-8 times per day. He picks this book out over and over again out of a pile of books. He loves it!
Today was my last day as the Marketing Physician Liaison at The Neurological Institute. I've been with the company for 2 1/2 years. I knew for a while that I had to find a new job, but I kept putting it off. First I wanted to have the baby first, then I wanted to wait til he was 6 months, then I said I'd start looking when he turned one...Finally I actually just went for it. There are a few reasons it took me so long to move on, first it's a smaller company than I'm used to, so it was a family and I was comfortable. Second, it was the easiest job I think I've ever had. So the fact that the pay was garbage made sense. By staying with the company I was short-changing my family and selling myself short.
Monday I start my new job. My first week is training in DC. I will miss my baby and husband sooo much! I'm going to be working for LivingSocial. If you don't already receive the LivingSocial Daily Deals emails, check it out. Sweet discounts for restaurants, spas, entertainment, ect and we're in most cities.
Besides the new job, we are also looking to move into a new house. Unfortunately, we can't sell our current home without completely loosing our ass. Our only option is to try to rent it out and keep it as rental property. It could turn into a pain in the butt, but worth it. We just aren't sure yet how easy it will be to get a renter at the price point we need to cover the mortgage. Assuming we are able to rent it out, we are looking at some killer houses! We are going to check one out this Sunday. It has a pool :) That's not on our "wishlist" but hell, if the house is cool, why not?
The big thing is, we need more space, more yard, and in a different area of the city. With my new job I work from a home office. I did that in the past but it was before Dexter. Now what was my office is now Dexter's room. I will be cramming into the guest room/Justin's office until we hopefully get a new house.
Our house will be listed for rent shortly after I get back from training.
Dexter is changing a bunch too! His cute new thing is bringing me a book to read when I sit on the floor, He finds a book, brings it to me, and sits on my lap to read it. Sometimes he even makes it through the whole book, haha.
He eats a ton! You would think he would be chubby, but he's a rail. He's only 22 lbs!
Here's an average day menu:
Wake Up- Soymilk
Breakfast-Mini pancakes, Banana, Yogurt, watered down apple juice
Lunch- mock chick salad sandwich, green beans, applesauce, water
Afternoon Snack- tortilla roll up, peaches, graham crackers, Soymilk
Dinner- 2 tofu dogs (chopped), dog bun, corn on the cob, sweet potato fries, water
Bedtime- Soymilk
He eats more food than I do, it's crazy!
So, it's been over a month, but here are the pics from my amazing birthday weekend in the cabin. I miss the cabin so much. I miss the Hot Tub and the Theater room the most! Justin is determined to have a theater room in our next house.
View from the hot tub...
Theater room...
Justin and Ian being super serious!
Heather cooked every night!
"Bundle of Fun" Cabin I <3 u!
Ok, so I have been an incredibly bad blogger lately! I know I complain and mention this a lot, but it really comes down to lack of time. I always think about things I want to write about, photos I want to take, and not to mention I want to completely redo the look of my blog, but I have no "free" time. It's incredible how much free time you really do have before having a baby, even working full time.
Anyway... Last weekend was my Birthday Get-A-Way! We went to the mountains outside of Gatlinburg, TN. It's about 4 hours away from us. We stayed in an amazing cabin with a game room, theater room ,and hot tub. I am completely in love with that place! It was so nice to get away and relax. Our friends, Heather and Ian joined us. That's us pictured above. Those photo places were everywhere. Of course we went to the first one we ran into and got ripped off, haha. The clothes were pretty gross too, but it was worth the laughs.
Dexter spent the weekend with Justin's parents in Wilmington. It was very hard to leave him, but I knew he would have a good time. It was also easier this time because he left in the morning and he's really happy in the morning. Last time he got in the car for the long drive right at bedtime, he was tired and sad and I hated myself for letting him go.
Me before we rode on a Jurassic Park ride. I wanted to just stay in the cabin all weekend, soak in the hot tub and watch movies, but I didn't want to be a party pooper so I gave in and we did some silly stuff. It turned out to be really fun.
Soon I'll post the pictures we took of the cabin. We had an amazing weekend, but I was so happy to see Dexter Monday night when we got back. It's so funny how he looks different and bigger after not seeing him for only 3 days!
Here are some the things Dexter is doing lately:
-Saying: Momma, Dadda, Itty (Kitty), Ba-min (Bateman, our dog), Ball
-He climbs on everything, stands on everything he can.
-Starting to nicely pet the dog, still gets a little too aggressive with the cat
-Still won't fit into size 12 month jeans, his waist is way small.
-Points at things
-Gives high fives, shakes hands
-Gives kisses, almost gets "throwing kisses"
-Tries to do Itsy Bitsy Spider
-"Swims" in the bathtub on his belly
-Plays with his toys independently for 5-10 min straight
-Eats a ton. Some things he really likes now: mangos (all fruits really), Ravioli (Annies), Peas, Goldfish type crackers (Annies), LOVES cheese, but I try to limit how much he gets
-His mullet is getting a bit out of control.
We alternate Christmas celebrations each year between my family family in PA and Justin's family in NC. This year was PA. We all had so much fun! So here are the pics...
This is Dexter's cardboard house! Everyone that came over helped to color it and signed their name on the inside. Dexter loved running in and out of the little house.
My cousin Matt loved the house too!
This plastic rat hung out with Dexter in the house a lot!
Dexter and his second cousin, Maddie. She's too cute!
Christmas Eve Celebrations! Second cousin, Nathan. Dexter is still excitedly attacking other children, so this is me holding him back. It's embarrassing.
Obsessed with standing on chairs, toys, anything right now!
Second cousin, Jack.
Daddy and Baby. Baby looking a bit tired.
Grandpaul
Nathan
Cousins! Choas!
Grandma and Grandpaul
Miami Dude, Cousin Matt
Christmas Morning! Uncle Joshy dressed up as Santa Clause!
Dexter was a bit confused.
Kids with their toys.
Mommy and Baby!
Family in the snow
Dexter wasn't too stoked on his first experience playing in the snow.
I'm not really sure what's happening with my hat here.
Cute, cuddly, snow baby!
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