Bring on the Temper Tantrums! 16 Months Old :)

In the last 2 weeks, Trey has discovered that he can act out in the form of a temper tantrum, and Doug and I were completely unprepared! The first time he did it, Doug had told him "no" and Trey got so upset that he threw himself down on the floor and banged his head on the carpet 3 times. We were shocked, and did absolutely nothing, since we had no earthly idea what to do! The logic of banging your own head against the floor because you are angry seemed so stupid! Luckily, there has not been a repeat of this crazy act, but instead Trey has resorted to sceaming, crying, the occasional hitting, and all around ugliness. We decided that spanking Trey with our hand to discipline his hitting was probably counter productive, so off I went to HomeGoods to purchase a paddle- or in this case, a wooden spatula. We've only used it once, but I have very high hopes for its usefulness! :)

We've had a busy few weeks- once we got past the 4th of July holiday, and some extra company, we added a new project to the household and bought a new swingset for Trey! This has been one of the greatest things we have ever done!!!! He loves everything about it- climbing, sliding, swinging, jumping... there is nothing he won't do and it provides hours of entertainment. The only downside is that it is at least 95 to 100 degrees outside every day, and I feel like I'm dying out there playing with him! :) We've also been busy going to Eliza's 1st birthday party, where Trey did his first public temper tantrum (that was GREAT) because he wasn't allowed to stick his hand in their dog's crate (the poor dog is blind and deaf, and Trey was scaring the tar out of him!). We've also had a few playdates with some other neighborhood friends, including cousin Allie! :) AND- we got to visit Big Daddy, NaniJay, Grammy and Papa in Virginia this past weekend, plus go to Madison's 3rd birthday party! SO FUN!!!!

Trey's summer camp at Memorial Preschool is almost over (August 12th) and then he'll get some more quality time with NaniJay until the fall school session starts again. I can't believe how quickly he is growing and learning! The first 9-12 months are filled with milestones like rolling, crawling, walking, clapping, and doing all of these amazing things. But now I'm amazed on almost an hourly basis! The things he is beginning to understand and SAY are so exciting! This morning I went to get him out of his crib and he looked at me and said "Mama, muwah (his sound for kisses)", and reached his hands up. When I picked him up, he took my face in his hands and gave me a big kiss... it was so precious I almost cried. He wants to "help" do everything- fold clothes, put trash in the trash can (and pretty much anything else in the trashcan), unload the dishwasher, the list goes on and on. And his vocabulary is getting bigger by the day. His full list of sounds, so far, is Doggy, Kitty Kat, Cow, Horsey, Snake, and Birdie. He knows where almost all of his basic body parts are, and he can say "Hot" and "Brrr" (obviously for cold). He also makes a crazy sound for household items like the lawn mower, vacuum cleaner, and drill.

That's all I can remember so far, but I'm sure we'll have more to update in the next few weeks! :)

What a Smart Boy!!!

Today has been insanely busy... it started off nice and relaxing- Trey slept in until 7:30am, Doug and I watched a movie in bed, and then we all came downstairs around 9:30am to have some breakfast. As we sat down, Doug checked out craigslist, just to see what was "out there" when he came across a deal that was just too good to pass up... a BRAND NEW, ultimate cedar playset- all the bells and whistles, for an unbelievable price. I was certain that it was already sold, but when Doug called to check, it was still available AND they were willing to sell for even less. This is all a little "fishy" to me, but I'm not one to pass up a good deal, so away we went. 4 hours later, we were back home with a big playground for Trey, and a very hungry boy. :) As a special treat, we went to McDonald's and in the drive-thru line, I decided to test Trey's ability to remember what we've been learning- here is the video!!! Enjoy!

4th of July 2010!

I am just now sitting down to write about the 4th of July holiday weekend! It's been so busy around here... Uncle Brian and Aunt Kristyn came to visit for the weekend, we were also joined by Brian May and his wife Jess on Sunday, and then NaniJay and Big Daddy came to spend the week with us this past Monday! It feels like it has been non-stop, and Trey was such a trooper through all of it!

Our 4th of July was a ton of fun, as always! We hosted the neighborhood block party, and our good friends Ed and Melissa were able to rent a bounce houe (HUGE hit with the older kiddos), and we had cornhole, grilling, and fireworks. I couldn't have asked for anything better. Trey spent the majority of the party mingling with the guests and playing with other kids toys! The only downside to any of this was the lack of sleep from having company staying up far past all of our bedtimes, and Trey has been getting in molars that almost made me cry for all the havoc they have brought!

I knew Trey had been teething for a few days (nothing new here, he has a mouth full of teeth), so when he started chewing on his fingers and not sleeping too well at night, I wasn't all that surprised. By Saturday (July 3rd), the teeth had brought on a VERY upset stomach, which led to the most severe case of diaper rash I have ever seen. My Sunday, Trey could barely stand to have his diaper changed, and by Monday afternoon, there were open sores and bleeding. Our pediatrician was amazing, and prescribed a FABULOUS cream, but it has taken almost a full week to get this under control! Luckily, through all of this pain, Trey only had one really bad nights sleep, and he has been in a great mood (as long as we don't have to change that diaper!).

Trey's big accomplishments are that he now knows, without a doubt, where his "head", "nose", "belly" and "tootsies" are and can point to each one respectively. He does a very silly imitation of 'what the doggy says'- which looks more like a jump, and doesn't sound anything like a "ruff". He also knows what the kitty cat says, and can say NO with the very best of them! When he wants something, his new sound is "Na-na-na-na", while holding out his hands and begging. I find this a little annoying, but I know this is his way of communicating and soon he will have real words.