A Typical Afternoon

EVERY DAY, as the clock approaches 4:00pm or later, Trey starts asking for "Dada" and checking the front door windows constantly. He simply cannot wait for Doug to get home! And as soon as Doug DOES get home, Trey sits down on the steps, and helps put his work boots away, and then takes Doug's dirty socks to the laundry room. I don't know how, why, or when this routine began, but it is precious to watch, and I finally had enough sense to get a short recording of the process :).

Last week we began letting Trey sleep with a pillow. He has wanted a pillow for a while now, whenever he is in our bedroom, and I know most pediatrician's recommend waiting until children are around 2 years old, or are transitioning to a toddler bed, but we started a little early. I am completely confident in Trey's ability to lift up his head if he is feeling "smothered", and the pillow is VERY flat- trust me! He gets so excited about his crib and it was a fun milestone to start :).

We visited a new park this week too- the Treadtown Park in Huntersville. This park is perfect for younger children and we had lots of fun! The last fun part to our week was getting to view the Maternity Pictures from our photo shoot with Melody... I added a few "peaks", but these definitely don't come close to how beautiful they all were! Melody with SnookySmiles Photography (button at the bottom of the blog) is WONDERFUL!

The Adventures of Trey!

It's been a busy 2 weeks around here! Football season is in full force, and I am SO GRATEFUL that the Redskins have had 2 wins in a row! Woohoo!!!! Trey and I had a fabulous playdate with the Hip Mama's at Mel's Mini Whinnies in Huntersville. There were kitty cats, bunnies, and mini horses- and the best part was, Trey could pet and love everything and I didn't have to worry about telling him NO! :) Trey loves animals (especially cats), but he prefers all of them on his own terms. He loved petting the horses, walking next to the horses, and even making horsey sounds, but the SECOND I would put him on top of a horse, he would cry. We didn't push it, and he still had a great time.

Right after our trip to see the horses, Trey came down with a small stomach bug, and we had an eventful morning filled with Trey and I heading down to school, only to have him puke ALL OVER ME on our way into his classroom. That was a ton of fun, especially considering the fact that we live 30 minutes from his school, and I have an extremely sensitive stomach, which in turn caused me to start gagging and other things... Luckily this only lasted about 24 hours and he was back to his fun self again!

We also did Maternity photos for Carrington last week!!! They went wonderfully, and Trey was a GREAT picture taker, and did everything we asked and smiled on cue. I was so impressed and happy with the way everything turned out. It helped a lot that Trey is in love with my belly so asking him to "kiss Mama's belly" or "touch your belly" was an easy task for him to follow through on!

Another fun part of our week was staging our own photo session with Cousin Allie! We had to change the location at the last minute, but the pictures still came out beautiful. Their matching outfits were the most adorable things I've ever seen, and the pictures are so darn cute! Both kiddos were DONE taking pictures after about 45 minutes, but it was plenty of time to get some good snapshots :).

Other than that, life is moving along! We did get to attend Eddie's belated 2nd birthday party, where Trey and Eddie chased balloons and had lots of fun. I've been busy getting ready for Carrington to join our family, which mostly consists of me purchasing matching Brother/Sister outfits as often as possible, creating birth announcements, setting up photography sessions, and monogramming like crazy- ALL THINGS I LOVE!

We have been working on Trey's numbers and constantly count to 5. He can't form the words very well, but the TONE of the words is definitely there! Trey also loves to say "Uh-Oh" and is obsessed with Yo Gabba Gabba. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen... the second the beginning music comes on the television, Trey immediately enters a trans and stays that way for the entire duration of the episode. I've never seen him so content for a solid 20 minutes before.

I almost forgot to share Trey's newest toys!!!! Last weekend, Doug did a major cleaning session in the house and Trey followed him around "helping" to clean. Ever since then, Trey cries and begs to play with the windex, swiffer dusters, brooms, and all other cleaning supplies. I finally got so tired of fighting with him about NOT being allowed to play with Clorox and Windex, that I made a trip to the dollar store where I purchased the following: a large blue cleaning bucket, a broom, a mop, 2 squirt bottles, a duster, and a dish soap sponge. He LOVES all of it and now spends hours going around the house "cleaning" for Mama and Dada. I wasn't sure how Doug would feel about the new toys, but he thought it was hilarious, and one of the best $7.00 I've ever spent! Everything in our home has a layer of water from the squirt bottles, but water never hurt anything, right? :)

Fall has Fallen on our Family! :)

My favorite time of year is FINALLY here!!!! There is so much I want to do, and I'm feeling the pressure to pack it all in before Carrington gets here, mostly because I'm afraid I'll miss these fun experiences with Trey if I wait too long. I know that's a silly way to think- especially because I won't be an invalid after Carrington arrives, but these moments with Trey are so precious, and I'm definitely feeling overly sentimental.

We've had a busy week- we had 2 playdates, one with Miss Ella, who is a brand new big sister now, and one with Ellie and Sammi (our photographer's little girls). Trey has gotten SO GREAT at sharing, and I'm so proud of him! While visiting with Ella, we even had a "moment" when I asked Trey to give Ella a kiss (I thought he would turn and kiss her arm), but NO... and they gave each other a full blown kiss on the LIPS!!!! I was shocked and (of course) snapped a picture at just the right moment. My baby is becoming a big boy :(.

Doug also surprised us on Thursday night and announced that he took off from work on Friday so we could have a family day at the zoo! Doug LOVES the zoo! Don't get me wrong, Trey and I also enjoy the zoo very much, but nothing compares to Doug's adoration of family day trips to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia. We had a fantastic time, and Trey was so interested and involved in everything. I was most surprised at how much he ended up loving the penguins! This was by far Trey's most favorite part of the day, and it was hilarious to watch him point and run around trying to chase them. Trey also loved the choo-choo train and the carousel, neither of which is special for the zoo, but both are super fun regardless of where you're at! The next day we went to Dan Nicholas Park for the Autumn Jubilee! Trey painted his first pumpkin and played on their amazing playgrounds. I love this park- they have paddleboats, a carousel, a train, a petting zoo, a splashpad, huge playgrounds, massive picnic areas, and fishing! I could go on and on about all the things this park offers, AND the admission is free! The rides cost a small fee (for example, the train is $1), but it is extremely affordable and so fun!

Trey's "new" thing he is doing this week is saying "uh-oh" to everything. It's adorable, and I've tried multiple times to video record it, only to have Trey be a stinker, but I'll keep trying :). Have I mentioned before that Trey also has an obsession with his shoes and he will bring shoes to us to put on him all day long- he insists on wearing different shoes all the time, and throws a fit if we don't put whatever the "shoe of the moment" is on him! It's a crazy thing, and it's not uncommon to see us out in public with 2 different shoes on his feet. I'm sure this phase will pass, but it's definitely interesting! Within the last month, the other obsession has become "Yo Gabba Gabba". Trey is 100% enthralled and amazed with this show and will watch an entire episode in pure rapture! I've never seen him act like this before, and I'm shocked! Up until now, he has shown NO interest in the television at all, and to be honest, there is no other show that even remotely slows him down, but something about "Yo Gabba Gabba" does it for him! I know other parents have experienced this long before now, but apparently the television is something Trey has discovered late in life (well... if late in life is 18 months old)!

Enjoy the new pictures! This week we are riding ponies on Monday and we have Maternity Pictures on Wed!!!! SO FUN!!!!

Playing, Playing, Playing!

After my exceptionally long post yesterday, I realized that I forgot to mention a few other new moments this week :). Trey attended his first cultural birthday party! Our neighbor's son turned 1, and we were invited to the Indian festivities! Needless to say, their party schedule is a little different from ours. Trey's 1st birthday began at 1pm and ended at 3pm. In contrast, their son's birthday began at 7pm and ended at 10pm (just at the amenity center)- and I'm sure it continued on well past that! We didn't make it any longer than 8:30pm, but it was a joyous affair, with beautiful costumes and lots of food!

Trey also sat on the potty for the first time yesterday. DO NOT TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY- he is in no way at all prepared for potty training or even has a comprehension of what is involved, but he does know the word "poo-poo" and after he went poo-poo in his diaper, he tried to take it off and sit on the potty, so I figured, what the heck, and I let him sit there for a little while :).

Today Trey went to school and made a beautiful twinkle twinkle star with glitter and yellow construction paper. When we got home, Doug was already home, and as soon as Trey saw his Dada's truck, he immediately got excited and brought his star into the house and handed it right over to Doug! I'm trying not to take it personally :).

18 Months Old!!!!

Today, September 20th, Trey is 18 months old! In celebration of the big day, we went to the doctor's for our 18 month checkup, and just as we suspected, Trey is perfect in every way! :) His stats are:

Weight: 22.06 pounds (9th percentile)
Height: 32 inches (14th percentile)
Head Circumference: 26.5 (17th percentile)

Trey has hovered around this 22 pound mark for FOREVER, so these numbers did not really surprise me. The fact is, he started off a very big boy, and is now turning into a much smaller "big boy".

I read an article this past weekend in this month's parenting magazine that said an 18 month old should have 30 words, so Doug and I counted up all of Trey's words, and including the animal sounds, only made it to 20. This concerned me, so when we saw Dr. Loads this morning, my biggest question was that I thought Trey might have a language delay. Dr. Loads then proceeded to ask Trey to say several "common" words (Mama, Dada, hi, bye, hot, dog, night-night, and then all of Trey's body parts) and Trey did awesome. Dr. Loads then turned to me and told me point blank to "chill-out". Apparently, most children at this age have 5-10 words, and we have absolutely nothing to worry about. I fully blame the stupid October issue of Parenting magazine!

Trey has started pre-school again- thank goodness, and he is having a great time! The color of the month has been Red, and they are learning to say please (which comes out like 'pees') and thank you (which sounds like 'tutu'). Trey also made adorable red finger painted hearts for Grandparents Day, which we mailed to NaniJay and Big Daddy, and Grandma and Grandpa DeEsch. Last week, Doug, Trey, and I all attended the Fall Ice Cream Social at Trey's school where Trey proudly pointed and waved to his favorite friends- Davis and Owen. Doug said it was so weird to see Trey acting like a real person, with real friends, and him showing us what he does. I loved it! Trey was so excited to show his Daddy the playground, the swings, his teacher, and his friends. I've said it a thousand times, but I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to have Trey in such an amazing school and environment.

Trey and I took a trip up to Virginia (just the 2 of us, while Daddy went on a guys bachelor weekend). The reason for the trip was to go to Aunt Kristyn's bridal shower, where Trey proudly represented the groomsmen by wearing his Ringbearer T-shirt.

The last big change for us this week has been the purchase- FINALLY- of a double stroller! We have researched and tested and debated and gone back and forth over a stupid double stroller for so long that at this point, I didn't even care! And then- LUCKY US!- our neighbor, Lorrie Noll, GAVE us her Graco tandem stroller and infant car seat! I didn't particularly want a tandem stroller (they are very heavy and bulky), but I was afraid of using a double jogger exclusively, although that is what I really wanted to do. So thanks to Lorrie, I felt GREAT about getting the double jogger I've been really wanting, since we now had the best of both worlds! And, another BIG thank you to NaniJay for buying us the double stroller we've been wanting! It was delivered on Saturday and I LOVE it! We went with the Tike Tech City X3 Twin, and I could go on and on about all the things I love in this stroller, but until I actually use it, I'll refrain :). We did take it for a quick test drive, and so far, it's a winner!

The weather has also started cooling off, and I am so excited for the fall! Pumpkin Patches, apple picking, a day trip in a few weeks to ride horses, and Halloween! Yay!!! I also ordered Trey's Hallween costume, and I'm hoping that I will be there with him when he wears it! With Carrington's due date just around the corner, there is a small chance she will arrive on Halloween, but who knows! :)

My first night away from my baby!

At 17 months and 1 week old, I had my first night, and weekend, away from Trey. I know most of you are reading this and thinking, "really? what the heck took her so long?". I don't disagree with you, but there honestly has not been any reason or occasion for me to be away from him. Doug and I have had many date nights, and parties, Doug has gone out of town on business, or there has been one reason or another for one of us to be gone, but I have always been there the next day, until now. My soon to be sister-in-law had her bachelorette party weekend down here in Charlotte, NC, so Doug and Trey headed to Wilmington, NC for the weekend and I got to experience what it was like to truly stay up late and sleep in the next day without any responsibilities! It was wonderfully liberating and sadly lonely all at the same time! It was a fantastic weekend, but when Trey and Doug got home, I was thrilled to see them.

Trey's little world has stayed pretty much the same all summer long- tons and tons of company, trips, and lots of spoiling! After spending the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa in Wilmington, NC, he came back and spent a few days with Grandma DeEsch here in Charlotte. While Grandma babysat, I had a parent-teacher conference with Trey's new teacher, Miss Judy. I assumed this would be a quick meeting where we would go over the rules of the classroom, I would drop off diapers and a change of clothes, and then I would head in to work. I was wrong! An hour later, I was fully informed on the classroom curriculum for the year, which included Trey learning his shapes, colors, numbers, ABCs, (as a new topic each week) and possibly potty training starting in the Spring (I'm all about this, because I'm pretty sure the more help I can get, the better!). I know potty training seems so far away, but Trey has started showing some real interest in the process. Whenever we change his diaper, he wants to do it himself, by taking his wipes and wiping himself, and he'll even bring me a diaper to tell me he needs his diaper changed. I know this is not full blown signs, but it is definitely a step in the right direction! Trey's class will consist of 8 little children, 6 boys and 2 girls, and 2 teachers. 6 of the kiddos we already know, which also makes me so happy. His first day of school is this Tuesday, and I am dying to get back into a regular routine. Our lives have been too crazy for far too long!

Trey's new word these past few weeks is "baby" and then he will go and pat your belly. Very sweet when you are pregnant, but probably less sweet if you are not :). I can tell you that Doug does not find it quite as precious when Trey's taps his belly and says "baby". If Trey had full control of his world, he would spend all of his time outside, where he loves to play in all the dirt, throw it around, dig, and fill his buckets. He is the filthiest child on the face of the planet, and there are some nights I can't even get all the dirt off of him, but he loves it and I don't have the heart to tell him no.

Lastly, I've been unbelievably sick the past 4 days, and today is the first day I've felt remotely human, so for Labor Day, we packed a picnic lunch and spent the afternoon at Ramsey Creek Park. It was wonderful- the weather was gorgeous, Doug did some fishing, and Trey climbed trees, copied everything his Dada did, and flung himself into the water. It was a blast, and I couldn't help but spend the entire day smiling at how much I love my boys and my family.