From the archives :: My baby is growing up!

I found these sweet photos on our camera the other day. I'm constantly telling myself to get that camera out and take some photos. I'm pretty sure my dear husband took these and I'm forever grateful. Anton seemed like such a big boy at the time these were taken. It was late last summer and the leaves were getting dry and crackly. What I notice most are his little bunny teeth. It's funny how they make the same facial expressions from infancy into every other phase. Now that summer is upon us, I'm looking forward to more simple moments involving a bucket, some rocks, and some sunshine. I'm sure our activities will be a bit more advanced this time around. But one thing is certain. I love this kid more and more with every passing phase. Something I never expected and wish I could have told my new mamma self during the tricky moments.

Anton's Updates :: Cooking with Daddy

I came home to a little cooking session this evening.  Anton and Ivalle were busy making some orzo salad with roasted vegetables and some tomato, basil, mozzarella stacks.  They were having such fun together that I had to bust out the camera and take some snaps. I've been meaning to take more pictures of these sweet little moments and document life with a two year old. I've been so surprised at how much I LOVE age two. It has its ups and downs, but for the most part, having a tiny human around is a bundle of entertainment. 

We've been working hard to get him focused on healthy options for meals, but it is no picnic.  Anton has developed some "favorites" lately and it can be a bit of a struggle to get him to try new things. We've been trying some new tips we've both found from various articles about eating healthy with toddlers.

Some of our favorites are:

1. Include the child in the cooking process. This really helps eliminate the whiny pre-dinner grouchies. We put him up on a chair at eye level and give him some tools to participate with.

2. Don't give in when he asks for something he doesn't see on his plate. If he gets used to getting something different it turns into a slippery slope. He's a big boy and not at any risk of starving obviously so if he refuses what we serve then he will learn the hard way. Tough love.

3. Don't make it a battle. We've learned that arguing to eat one more bite or even holding things up to his mouth has backfired. We've even noticed if we ignore or just continue having a conversation while we eat dinner, he will eventually try things he has in front of him.

4. Make the meal time a fun family ritual. Life can be busy at times, but toddlers thrive on routine so if we make it a point to have a dinnertime routine, everyone seems a bit more settled. Lately Anton has been in charge of putting a napkin at each chair and setting out the cups for water. They take so much pride in helping out at this age.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

It's been a wonderful fall. Too busy for words I guess. We're looking forward to a cozy December at home with lots of visitors!

Anton's Updates :: 19 Months

Time for an update!

LOVING

 all things sports

Balls, golf, volleyball, world cup, soccer, slam dunking, tennis, you name it. Anton loves to play on daddy's skateboard and is very interested in bicycles at the moment. He has a tumbling mat that he loves to practice yoga on. We're trying to steer clear of TV and screen time, but every once in a while he asks to watch tennis, golf, or basketball. He's also crazy for elmo.

EATING

Like a champ. A little too much into snacking if you ask me, but what do I know about a toddlers hunger? He loves PB n J, olives, blueberries, scrambled eggs, spicy sauce( "picey"), cheese, beans and rice, pears, pizza, smoothies, tomatoes, banana, cereal, waffles, he's pretty much tried everything at this point and isn't too picky so far.

SLEEPING

He is a pretty good sleeper. Goes to bed around 7:30-8:00 and sleeps until 6:45-8:00 the next morning. Naps from 11:30 to 2:30 sometimes more, sometimes less. He's had a couple nap strikes here or there, but generally goes down easy after a couple of books and a good rock in the rocker. Daddy is the best at putting him to sleep at night. He gets a bit clingy when mama does it.

TALKING

Up a storm! This kid is really developing an amazing vocabulary. He tries to say pretty much everything we say. My favorites are: Elevator, domino, record player, world cup, sweater, 

almost (almosh), beans and rice, etc…. just says a ton right now. He's starting to put together some little sentences such as - "Mama back to sleep", "Nola has yellow dog", "Dada at work", "Anton cooking" etc. He's accidentally picked up some slang and naughty words lately. 

His new thing is to say "oh man". All the time!

DISPOSITION

I would describe Anton as super serious and inquisitive in new situations and very silly and funny at home. He takes a good 10 minutes or so to warm up around new people but talks about them non-stop after they have gone. He is very sweet and snuggly most of the time and has a mini-melt down here or there. Luckily his little tantrums usually only last a couple of minutes and are easy to fix with

 a snack or distraction. He loves to go to new places and races to put on his shoes and hat.

He is getting pretty good at entertaining himself and also enjoys having friends over to play with.  He's starting to appreciate "private time" to use the bathroom. Which really means, he just goes into a corner or into the bathroom to fill up his diaper. I've heard this can be a step in the right direction. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

GROWTH

He weighed 30 lbs last time I checked and seems much taller than most kids his age. He is growing out of his 18-24 months quickly and is wearing mostly 2t-3t at the moment. He wears size 5 diapers and size 6/7 shoes. My baby is such a big boy these days. 

TEETH

He's got the front middle teeth - I call them his bunny teeth. The molars have come in, but he's still missing some of the middle teeth. He's gone through some teething behaviors, but I've never been able to tell if it's really his teeth bothering him or just regular 1.5 year old behaviors.

ACTIVITIES

Loves to go swimming lately and has a blast throwing rocks in the creek nearby. The world cup has inspired him to kick his soccer ball all over the place. He seems to kick right footed but does most everything else with his left hand. He's got a pretty good left handed golf swing down and has been hitting a ball off the tee left handed as well. Has been showing interest in cooking and will stand on a chair and watch mama or daddy cook. Loves to sing happy birthday to everyone he can think of. Is really enjoying music class and has been actually remembering songs and singing them in the car. He will join in during family dance parties. Loves to drum with daddy. Has a nerf basketball hoop and shoots hoops several times a day. Still loves books and will ask to read often. Has a couple of music videos from the world cup that he asks to watch occasionally such as waka waka by shakira and the wave your flag video. Has a bit of an obsession with our garden statues - two buddas, and a pig. But above all else, this kid loves to kick, throw, and chase balls. We always joke about how he really doesn't need anything else in life right now:)

Life just keeps getting more and more entertaining with this little bugger around. We've got a great little summer routine and were soaking up all of this leisurely, and relaxed summer mojo.

Summer Shenanagins

::Swingin with Daddy::

::Reading books over and over::

 ::Walking to the playground::

::Swingin some more::

::Strawberry face::

::Water play::

::Neighborhood dance party::

::Sand at the beach::

:: Mamas and boys ::

:: Putting practice ::

:: Coolin off ::

:: Flirting with Mia ::

:: Skateboarding with daddy on Father's Day ::

A Trip to Hawaii