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.

Doug LOST Trey and didn't even know it!

I had to post this story right away, otherwise I would never remember, and it's a "classic" that every parent goes through at some point. :)

Trey turned 17 months old yesterday, and this is also the same day that we purchased handle lever locks for all of our doors, since Trey can now open all the doors in the house. The most important door to install this lock on has been the garage door, since it doesn't have a deadbolt, and I have unfounded fears of Trey escaping into the garage, someone not knowing he is there and pulling in... I know that is morbid, but it is a very real fear for me nonetheless.

Yesterday evening, around 8pm, Doug began installing the garage door child safety lock, and in the process, cracked the large garage door about 8 inches to allow air in, since it gets SO stuffy in the garage. As I've mentioned before, Trey wants to do EVERYTHING Doug does, and so Doug didn't see the harm in letting Trey play in the garage with a few tools while he continued to work on the lock. While Doug was hard at work, Trey must have gotten a very brave idea to "shimmy" his way under the 8" of space where Doug had cracked the large door. During this process, my mom and I were upstairs and didn't realize there was a problem. At about 8:15pm, our WONDERFUL neighbor, Carolyn, rang the doorbell. I heard Doug answer the door, and then I heard Carolyn say "I thought you might have lost this"... Um... DOUG?!?!?!

Turns out that while Carolyn was in her house, her son Wesley looked out their window and saw Trey wandering outside alone. He went to his Mommy and said, "I see one of my friends outside". Carolyn looked out, and sure enough, there was Trey, outside at 8:15pm, all by himself. Luckily for us, she promptly returned him to us, while we were blissfully unaware he was even gone. I'm pretty sure this puts us in the "Bad Parent" category, but at the end of the day, all I can do is be grateful that Trey was safe, and that we have fantastic neighbors that look out for us, and hopefully don't judge!!! :)

Family Visits and More Firsts!!! 17 Months Old :)

It's taken me forever to sit down and write a new post- not because I haven't had plenty to say, it's just that there is SO MUCH going on, I don't even know where to start!

First of all, Trey wants so badly to do EVERYTHING that his Daddy does! It doesn't matter what it is- mowing the lawn, using tools, painting, even laundry! If Doug is doing it, then Trey is attempting to do the exact same thing! I have loved watching them play and work together, and it melts my heart to see how much Trey looks up to Doug like his hero.

Trey's final day of "summer school" was last week, and this of course also meant saying goodbye to Miss Amy. I definitely took this harder than Trey! For their final project, they made thumb prints of "Thumb or their Friends" and each student put there thumb print on a paper for each other- sooooo adorable! I have said it a thousand and a half times before, but a great school and childcare provider is a precious gift that I am so grateful for!

We also got to see Trey's cousin Evan TWICE in one week! We spent an afternoon at Northlake playing in their playplace and then had a pooldate with all the cousins later on in the week! It's fun getting Trey and Evan together, since they are only a few weeks apart and virtually identical in their accomplishments! Like I said, Trey's Aunt Melissa, Uncle Brian, and cousin Rylee also came to visit and we got some super adorable pictures with the two of them. I bought them matching outfits (I just can't help myself) and took full advantage of how cute they are! Carrington better watch out, since she and Trey are going to be "twinsies" all the time!

That week, Trey did a FIRST- he jumped into the deep end of the pool ALL BY HIMSELF!!!! I still can't believe how brave he is, and now I am terrified to take him to the pool by myself! :)

We also had a visit from Uncle Brian, Jake, NaniJay and Big Daddy! Trey LOVESS his Uncle Brian and sobbed uncontrollably when he left. It was heartbreaking to see how much Trey loves him and how upset he was when they were gone. The good news is that Brian is coming back this week for another visit. Woohoo!!!!

Our second FIRST of the week was..... TREY CAN OPEN UP ALL THE DOORS IN THE HOUSE BY HIMSELF!!! This is terrible news, since he now escapes into the garage, which doesn't deadbolt, and can get into the bathroom alone, or the licquor closet with the glass bottles... the list goes on and on, and he has certainly kept me on my feet! Today I went and bought some lever door locks, which are insanely expensive and annoying to install, but necessary none the less.

Our last fun news to share is that I brought a little box turtle home to show Trey. As I was driving into the neighborhood last night, I saw the little turtle in the road, so I stopped and picked it up, since I knew Trey would think it is so cool. It was fun to watch Trey's eyes light up at the new animal moving around :).

Trey's words are increasing daily, and we've now added the word "sock" and "banana" to our ever expanding vocabulary.

Meeting the Firemen and ANOTHER Haircut!

We've had a busy week, starting with a visit to the firestation with all of our friends and their Mama's! It was SO much fun!!! Trey was allowed to run around the firestation, climb up and into the firetrucks, touch everything, and I never had to tell him "no-no"... it was quite a treat for both of us! He had a blast and it made for such a fun day!

Trey also had a busy week at school where he made construction paper pigs, colored pig pictures and did piggy finger painting. Notice a theme??? Summer camp will be finished next week, and then we will be anxiously awaiting school to start in September! That will bring on changes, like a new teacher, in a new room, with new faces! I'm going to miss his teacher Miss Amy like CRAZY, but I'm slightly comforted by the fact that Carrington will have her as a teacher next year :).

In keeping with the farm theme at school, and add that to the fact that Trey has been playing with his toy farm at home every chance he gets, we have continued to learn our farm animal sounds. I will be the first to admit that there are some animals I simply don't know the sounds to, and for those animals, we skip sounds. Trey hands me the farm goat all the time, and I have no clue what a goat actually sounds like... I think it would say "Baaaa", but we've already attached that sound to the sheep, so I give up! Trey LOVES yelling out "Baaaaa" and chasing Molly around with the sheep- it's hilarious to watch and I keep meaning to catch it on video.

On a more sad note, the road in front of our neighborhood has a rooster that wanders around, and whenever we pass the rooster, I point to it and say to Trey, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!!!" This week, as I was driving down the road, I saw what I assumed was a dead animal in the street and attempted to (sort of) miss running over it. Well, at the last minute, the animal lifted it's head up to try and get out of the way, and I realized (too late, I might add) that it was our friendly neighborhood rooster. In my defense, it had already been run over, but I most certainly put him out of his misery. I felt terrible and had to pull over and calm down. I was also sad about ever pointing him out to Trey and practicing our rooster sounds. :(

Trey has been teething and waking up sporadically in the middle of the night- he usually is only up for 10 or 15 minutes, and Doug and I don't go in to soothe him, since Trey needs to know that he can put himself back to sleep. The upside to this teething is that although he isn't sleeping completely through the night, he IS sleeping in every day until at least 7:30am, and many times past 8am. This has been wonderful, and I hope he keeps up the good work!

Friday morning, I took Trey (without Daddy) to go get a haircut! I was a little bit anxious about doing this alone, but it turns out I had nothing to worry about at all, and Trey did awesome!!! He looks so handsome, and every time I get his hair cut, he looks more and more like a little man, and less like my baby. This devastates me and makes me so happy all at once!

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! :)