Vacation Rundown

I apologize in advance!! We made our way to Georgia and back since I have posted and we have been oh so BUSY!! On Sunday the 22nd Andy came in for a visit. We spent a couple of days with him before Julian, Nana and Mommy packed up and drove to Georgia to celebrate Aunt Fannie's 90th birthday.

We hit the road early Wednesday Morning. Stopping at La Berge Du Lac to have lunch. Julian LOVED running the halls. We spent a quick night in Birmingham before arriving at Aunt Fannie's just in time for lunch on Thursday. Julian got the opportunity to meet his cousin Ty for the first time. The boys are 2 weeks apart and they were so cute to see together! On Friday Daddy and Aunt Carla flew in to join in the festivities. Saturday was Aunt Fannie's birthday...and her party.

We left GA on Sunday and after a visit with old friends (Matt, Nicky and their brood) and a few hiccups (flat tire on our rental, shut down highway and a sick baby) we made it home safe and sound on Monday evening.

It was back on track with us at work and Julian at school (which apparently he really missed) today. It was a great vacation overall!

Julian running the halls at La Berge Du Lac.
Playing in the square in Downtown Marietta, GA.

Dancing with his Great, Great Aunt Fannie on her 90th Birthday.

Playing with Cousin Ty.

This picture is one of my new favorites. It sums up their personalities perfectly!! Julian is super silly and Ty super serious. They really were fun to watch!

Sweet and Sour

What a rest of the week it has been. Julian is back to 100% which is great.....but man.....he sure is making up for lost time!!

Sweet and Sour is the only way to describe how he has been the last few days. Full of fun but quite naughty too. In the last two days he has bitten two kids in his class. I never in my days thought I would be the mother of a biter! Seriously....it isn't like Adrian and I go around biting each other. I just don't know where they learn it. I know that it is a part of his maturing process......when it comes to things like this.......I sure wish he would mature a bit faster. In all seriousness....his good outweighs the bad....so I guess we should call him mostly sweet.....with a slight chance of sour.

He has added a new word to his vocabulary.....Apple!! We bought some flashcards to work with him (since it is one of his favorite parts of his school day) and the other night when we got to apple he said it plain as day!! This boy is too much.

He does not want to sit still!! I was trying to get some shots of him this morning and this was all I could get!! Playing at school with his friend Hannah.

As you all know....Julian loves him some Yo Gabba Gabba. In the last few weeks he has started to sing and play along. WARNING......It is super, duper cute!

The boy is back!!

It has been 48 hours since Julian started his antibiotics and he is doing exponentially better!! He went back to daycare this morning and you could tell that he missed it. He was in there running and yelling and causing a ruckus within a few minutes of his arrival. The teachers said that he did great! His nose rarely ran and his coughs were few and far between. BE GONE SINUS INFECTION!! I am so glad to have my smiling, giggling generally happy, snot free baby boy back!

He seems to be eating a bit better as well. He has been on a meat and veggie strike. All he seemed to want for the last few days were breads and fruits. He ate most of his dinner this evening so that was a welcome change.

He and I spent some time (as much as we could stand in this heat anyway) in the back yard playing and waiting on Daddy to get home. Here are a few shots of Julian being his usual Hammy self!

Cheesing it up for Momma.
His oh so classic scrunchie face!

This boy is so smart....lately he has been trying to put keys in doorknobs and pull the lever to let himself out of the gate. We are so in trouble!

Still reaching for that lever.

Forget the lever.....now we are going to go for Momma's camera and we will flash a big smile while we do.

Not sure if I mentioned it before but he has got this serious thirst for learning these days. He is all about trying to ape things, say things and he loves to read books with words he can say. At daycare that they do flashcards to foster speech and it is one of Julian's favorite parts of the day so I thought that we should invest in some for the house. Tonight was our second night to flip through a few of them and Julian surprised us when he said "apple" perfectly.....TWICE!! It is amazing to think that just a month or so ago he had a couple of words at most and these days he has a whole arsenal. What a smart little boy we have been blessed with.

Mommy & Daddy Daycare

Julian has been home since Thursday of last week with his illness.

Sunday afternoon he actually showed some signs of feeling better.....nose wasn't running much and was acting like himself again. It was way hot so we decided to hit the splash pad. As usual, Julian had a BLAST. He really liked to stick his face in the water. He surely is part fish.

Playing in the water. Trying to eat it as usual.

Monday morning, it was obvious that he didn't feel well. He didn't have a fever so we took him into daycare. I got as far as the parking lot at work before the daycare called to tell us that Julian had begun running a fever. I promptly turned around and took him home. He was pretty blah yesterday so I took him to the Dr. He was diagnosed with a sinus infection and is now on a 10 day stint on antibiotics. As of last night he still had a fever so Adrian stayed home with him today.

Here is a picture of his pitiful self yesterday.

Today he felt much better and he was tuckered out by the time bedtime came around. His new favorite "toy" is his saline nose spray bottle. He even likes to take it to bed. Here is how I found him this evening. Silly baby boy!

This video was taken on Sunday after the Splash Pad. Julian is in a climbing phase so we had all of the pillows on the floor so he could have a ball. Not sure who had more fun.....Daddy or Julian.

Sick Day

We had plans for a Saturday. Baby Shower, hanging out with friends and running errands. We spent the whole day at home. Julian's nose was pouring with drainage and just wasn't being himself. He slept in until 8:15 and woke up slowly so we knew right away that he wasn't feeling like himself. He ate well at breakfast but didn't touch his lunch. After going down for what ended up being a very quick nap (35 minutes or so) he still wasn't interested in eating.

Not sure if it because he was hungry, tired, didn't feel well or a combination of the three but he threw a tantrum like no other. Kicking, screaming, punching, rolling. Momma just held him and cried. I felt so bad for him. It hurt my heart to see him not feeling well and super frustrated because he couldn't express his needs. Before I had my own child I wondered if I would be able to handle the monster tantrums. Today was the first real one. I handled it, I wasn't upset like I worried pre-baby that I might be. I was sad for him, I wanted to help him and I couldn't. So I cried like a baby. LOL.

We finally got him to eat some fruit then later crackers and cheese and he chowed down on dinner. By the time bed rolled around he was full, feeling a bit better but very tired so it was early to bed for him tonight. I sure hope that he feels better tomorrow.


He is teething something fierce so back to the fingers in the mouth (the grinding is back as well....gggrrrr!).
Even though he didn't feel well I still got a smile.

Watching people drum on youtube with Daddy.

Teacher In-service = Play Hookie Day!

Julian's school had teacher in-service today so Adrian and I took the day off so that we could play Hookie with him. Not that it was super exciting....we mostly ran around town going to Dr. Appointments (Adrian had his knees and eyes checked out today) but we did make a quick stop at Ikea for a super cool Igloo tent to play in!

Poor baby J is battling another cold. Here is to hoping that he feels better soon!

Julian, enjoying his new Igloo!
Trying to eat his foot!

I guess that is what happens when more teeth are coming in.

Getting some love from Diesel.

TWO!!

Julian amazes us every day!!

Tonight it was during an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba. There is a little boy counting on his fingers from 1 to 10. he says ONE and holds up a finger. Next thing you know Julian yells TWO!

Adrian and I look at each other....not really sure if we both just heard what we thought we did.

Sure enough....Julian has added the #2 to his micro arsenal of words. LOL. Going to have to try to get video of it. Then find my cord (still MIA) and get it up for all to see.

This kid cracks me up!

Arg!!

That is my statement for tonight. I have a video of Julian giggling at me as we played tonight and I can't post it because I can't find the cord to my video camera. NOT COOL!!

He is SO much fun right now. I can't even begin to express that enough. For the first many months he was a bump. Seriously!! He was my bump so of course every gurgle, smile, fart, drool, breath, etc. was amazing. Now that he walks and is starting to talk he is just plain FUN!!!

I love it when he giggles just to be silly. I love the scrunchy face he makes just to make me laugh. I love it when he is feeling squirley and runs from the front door to the back door pumping his arm and screaming just so that he can hear himself. I love watching him do things like try to open the doorknobs or use a fork because it shows that he has been paying attention for the last 14 months and that he is figuring his world out. I love the happy noise he makes when he is excited about something (be it Yo Gabba Gabba, his favorite meal or his bed). Did I mention that I love this boy??

He is 14 months old today. Fourteen months ago I gave birth to the most amazing little man. He has brought endless smiles to my face. He has taught me that my heart had more room and ability to love than I ever knew possible. He has shown me what a great partner I have in Adrian and my love for him has grown alongside our little man.

Happy 14 month birthday sweet boy. This time 14 months ago I couldn't go to sleep in awe of the beautiful, amazing little being you were. I had no idea what a wonderful ride I was in for. Here is to many more good night kisses on your sleeping little forehead. Mommy loves you.


Julian playing with his new "toy". The roll from Mommy's empty tin foil.

New hat!

I love this face!

No, No!!

Time for the weekend wrap up! Strap in because it is a going to be a long one!

Friday morning started with a laugh. As we were getting Julian into his carseat so we could head to daycare Lance was barking his head off. I said to Julian " Your doggie won't shut his mouth. That is it! We are taking Lance to the flea market to sell him off this weekend." Julian's reply....without missing a beat....."Bye, Bye!!". This child of ours sure does have an amazing sense of humor!!

Saturday was a good (and busy) day! Julian slept past 8AM for the first time ever! Once he decided to get up we had breakfast then left to get Julian's hair cut. After the cut it was off to the Children's Museum. As usual.....he had a blast! We all came home and napped. Dinner was BBQ at the neighbor's house. YUMMY!

Going down the slide at the children's museum.
Playing in the "dirt". Daddy buried him!

Today was another fun filled day. This morning was low key. Julian played with Nana (who was visiting for the weekend) while Mommy and Daddy ran errands. After his nap, it was back to the children's museum to meet up with friends. After the museum closed Julian and Ollie brought the fun back to our house with some good old fashioned sprinkler fun! I do think that maybe dinner was Julian's favorite part of the day though!! What do you think??

Julian enjoying his ravioli!

Julian and Ollie trying to decide what to do about the sprinkler.

They had so much fun!

Sometime over the course of the weekend Julian started saying some new words. Added to his arsenal are the words "No, No" and "night, night". He really cracks us up with his "No, No". It always comes with two and he doesn't hesitate to use it! We are so in trouble!! HA! At night as we tuck him in the last words we hear are him saying "night, night". SO SWEET!!! It is so neat to see him talking up such a storm! The words are coming fast and furiously now!! I will have to see if I can get some video of him talking. It is so sweet to see. We are so in love with this boy!

Tantrum City

For all those "all knowing" childless years of mine I was under the impression that it was the "terrible twos".

HA!! What did I know??? Julian seems to have reached the terrible 14 months. He is in a flurry to learn these days. His attempt at words is coming fast and furious and he is like a little sponge. The one new this new thirst for knowledge has brought with it is TANTRUMS!!

Yes.....all caps because just like everything else....he doesn't do it halfway!! He will full on fall out when he gets frustrated or gets mad at you taking something away. We joke that he may need a helmet because he doesn't care what is or isn't in his way. So far we have been very lucky and we are hoping that this phase ends soon (which we are told it should since we don't give in and it is just a frustration thing).

Other than his occasional tantrum.....he is the same old lovable Julian. I ordered him a hat for this winter. It came in tonight. It is so stinking cute!!! I can't wait to get some good shots of him wearing it!!

Puppy Love

Julian is really starting to interact with the dogs these days and I think the dogs actually like it!! They love it when he comes to them and holds his hand out for some kisses. He thinks that it tickles and runs away giggling. Lately I see that the dogs are just as excited to see Julian as they are to see us each night. I am glad to see that all of my boys are getting along so well.

Lance showing Julian some love after a long day. This evening Julian had a field day going up and down the sidewalk in the front of the house. We only did it for about ten minutes because it is unbearably hot outside. I can't wait for it to cool down a bit so that we can actually take walks or go to the park at night. Come on FALL!!

Kisses and snuggles and cuddles

Our boy is a lover. Anytime we are out and about and a stranger begins to talk to him he starts to blow kisses. When we leave school and say goodbye....the kisses come out again. I love that about him.

As of late he has really started showing even more affection. Sometimes he will stop what he is doing just to come by and give a hug or snuggle a bit.

Tonight before bed he was feeling super cuddly and loving. As we went through our bedtime routine he chose to snuggle instead of running around like he had previously been doing. When it was lights out he took turns giving Mommy and Daddy his big open mouth kisses. We must have gotten a dozen or so each!!!

That is the best feeling! Seeing him initiate the kisses, snuggles and cuddles makes my heart happy.

My vow to be better.

Hang on folks.......you are in for a long one.

Tonight I got to thinking about this blog. This blog that was so lovingly started almost a year and a half ago so that I could share the everyday doings of my sweet baby boy. I must admit....the photographer inside me got the best of me. Over time (blame work, home, or just the fact that I got lazy) this wonderful idea became nothing more than a place to post pictures with a small blurb. Well I am really sad about that, especially because this little boy gets more and more amazing with each passing day. You are not so fortunate as to be here to witness it in person like I am and I vow to do a better job about posting (almost) daily with stories and such. Pictures may still only come a couple of times a week but at least you will have more perspective on Julian's fun filled daily life. That being said.....here are my stories from tonight.

The first one is from his bed time routine. Julian has really taken to trying to say words lately. He pretty much tries to mimic everything you say and do (like a belch that slipped out on accident) at times. Adrian and I have been taking full advantage of our sponge like little boy and tonight we were reading his "first words" book. He can already say a few of the words in the book (such as Bye Bye, Dog and Ball) and tonight as we flipped through we noticed something different. Of the 100+ times that he has said Ball tonight Julian added the sign. It is very similar to the sign for more so Adrian and I (who can both be a bit skeptical at times) weren't convinced that it could in fact be the sign for ball. Once the bed time routine was done we raced downstairs to consult his sign language flashcards (which we now realize are surely intended to aid the parent more than the child) that were sent home from daycare. Sure enough, it was the sign for ball indeed!! AMAZING!! Who knew that this bit of man would be teaching us a new language today?

Just as we came upstairs tonight we decided to check on Julian. First.....a little back story.......

He has two molars coming in (teeth #11 and 12) and he is having a tough time today. All day long his fingers were shoved in his mouth (I had forgotten what that was like) and the poopy diapers (Julian's sure fire signal for teething) were flowing all weekend.

Okay....back to tonight. Adrian goes in and checks him. I am in there playing with the video monitor camera (we are trying out a new location and I decide that I don't like it so I am doing a last minute shift). Adrian leaves and as he does Julian sits up...wide awake (multiple wakings, light sleeping and crying out are other sure signs that the boy has serious mouth pain going on) so I freeze. After a couple of minutes he lays back down. I know that I am not out of the clear.....that I will have to stay frozen for a few minutes more so that he can really be back asleep or surely I will be busted. Three to five minutes pass during which Julian lifts his head, tosses and turns and drifts in and out of consciousness. Adrian starts to wonder what is up and opens the door to see what I am doing. I am shaking my head no as stealthily as possible (because he can see this in a dark room right?!?!?) but Adrian charges in anyway. Next thing I know....Julian is sitting straight up staring and Adrian and I (who are staring at each other). I am giggling (good luck keeping that quiet) and Adrian is frozen and looking at me (because if he doesn't see Julian then surely he isn't awake). We all start giggling at this point. Julian is up. Oh well.....lesson learned. Dose the boy with some Tylenol and get on with life.

We decide at this point to snuggle a bit. Julian isn't much for snuggling before bed these days so Momma takes all the snuggles that she can get. I sit and I rock him back to sleep. As I do I think of all the times that I was so tired and just wanted to go back to bed and get my sleep. Those days passed too quickly. Even though I thought I was treasuring them as they passed I see now that it was impossible. I miss them and they passed to quickly just the same. As I sit there and rock my now little boy while Adrian rubs my feet (because he is truly the man of my dreams) I know that I am loved and that this amazingly wonderful love I have in my life is the stuff that only the best dreams are made of.

That brings me back to the reason for this post. I am sorry that I haven't been sharing like I should. Julian is the most wonderful thing. He is a miracle in every day. I promise to be better about sharing my miracle.

A weekend in Austin

We had a great weekend with Adrian's family in Austin. Julian must be part fish because he had a BLAST in the pool over the weekend. There were plenty of giggles and kisses to go around.

Splashing in the pool with Grandpa. Kisses for Grandma.

Sometimes he makes the funniest faces!!

Happiest baby ever!!

Smiling after some quality pool time.

We also started introducing utensils over the weekend. So far so good.

He likes his new fork so much that he doesn't want to put it down.....even to drink his milk!!