Security Measures

I love Instagram!  I pretty much use my iPhone for all of my Kolton picture taking.  Its so fun to make them look way cooler =)  This one was from Sunday.  I didn't get any good pics today unfortunately.

We are in WI visiting family & friends.  We'll be here for a while so I decided to bring Sophie along for the trip.  Upon walking through security with her in one arm and Kolton in the other I was scolded by the TSA agent.  "Why on earth would you ever travel with a child and a dog?!?!"  I told him they were both my babies and the airline allowed it so I didn't see what the big deal was.  Apparently there is a new procedure in place where anyone carrying a pet on board must have their hands wiped down.  Well because my hands were full they couldn't do that.  And you're not supposed to touch any of your belongings until they do.  But I had to strap little man back into his stroller first.  This guy was all a tizzy over it!

I was just so pissed.  Sophie is no harder to handle than another baby.  Would he have scolded me if I dared to travel alone with twins?  I know I'm crazy to do it but its worth having her with me.  I don't think my mom would agree...she already pooped on the carpet.

Little Tornado

Kolton is definitely in a state of some form of transition.  Between the walking and the separation anxiety alone he is a slightly different kid.  Add in a splash of extra energy and a dash of sassy pants and you get quite the little tornado.  AND speaking of tornadoes...we were in a little one today!  No joke!  The sky was black on one side of my house and the sun was shining on the other.  I took Kolton to the front porch to look at the clouds then noticed the trees swirling in front of us even though the air around us was completely still.  Growing up in the Midwest I have experienced this before.  Instinct kicked in and I brought little man inside.  Within seconds there were branches flying every where, hail raining down, thunder, lightning, you name it.  They don't build basements in Richmond!  So I wasn't quite sure where to go????  Both of my 1st floor bathrooms have windows so I went into our walk in closet.  The very same closet that came crashing down a couple of weeks ago!  I don't freak out about storms but for a minute there I was a tad concerned.  We lost power for about 4 hours and there are downed trees and debris through out the neighborhood.  One of our windows (that was already broken) actually blew out but remained intact on the ground.  I haven't heard of any damage beyond repair but the scene is still pretty incredible.

Rock A Bye Baby

No, I'm not pregnant!  Even though it looks like I am in this photo.  Ugh!  I haven't really been able to get back to my pre-baby shape.  But then again, I haven't tried very hard.  It something I'm thinking about but there always seems to be an excuse.  Right now its "I'm going to start AFTER we get back from WI."  But I digress....

We had a really great weekend!  Saturday Kolton and I went to a back yard BBQ to celebrate the 1st birthday of one of his playgroup friends.  While discussing my concerns about Kolton's development with on of the other MOMS.  I got some great advice.  She said "At this age, love goes a long way."  I know I've said it before but I'm saying it again.  I'm really trying to stop all the worry and just enjoy my kind, sensitive, little man for who he is.

Sunday we went to the track.  I love horse racing!  It's one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon.  Mike and I don't really enjoy gambling games like Black Jack or Porker.  But we love to bet on the ponies!

I have spent more time rocking Kolton to sleep over the past week than I have his entire life.  I'm guessing its some form of separation anxiety he's going through.  Thankfully he is still able to put himself back to sleep when he wakes through out the night.  So for now, I'll soak in his preciousness while I can.

Wanderer

I think as of today I will officially say that I have a walker.  Even though Kolton will still crawl he's definitely more into walking now.  He's not super quick on his feet yet but today I had the super fun experience of trying to choose books at Barnes & Noble while chasing my little wanderer.  It was laughable!  What was I thinking!?!?!  I guess I thought he might sit quietly with a book or peruse the isles with me.  Nope, little man took off every time I set him down.  Then did that crazy back arch thing every time I picked him up.  Time to order a toddler leash =)

But just as he has taken a giant step toward independence he has simultaneously become more co-dependent.  Over the weekend I cuddled him to sleep.  The crazy thing was he let me do it.  Since we were out of our element I was grateful for a way to get him down.  But now he expects it for both bed time and naps!  One one hand I love it because I miss my cuddle bug.  But, I've always stuck to my guns on the no rocking to sleep rule.  Kolton has slept through the night since right around 12 weeks and usually goes down without crying.  Ummmm, not so much right now.  Its gut wrenching but, I had to let him cry it out tonight.  But maybe I should just enjoy the cuddles for now because any progress I make will be blown to bits once my mom gets her hands on him next week!

The Vacation That Wasn't

Well folks, that was not quite the vacation I was hoping for!  Mike and I agree that we learned 2 very valuable lessons.  1)  Vacations really should be a week long to allow for bad days.  2)  When vacationing with small children bring reinforcements.  Overall it just felt like a lot of work when we were supposed to be relaxing.  But I did get some priceless photos that will only evoke good memories.

Kolton loved playing with the temp control.  We couldn't keep him away from it!  We stayed at a Comfort Inn right on the beach.  It actually worked out really well.  Never underestimate the luxury of free breakfast=)  But, the hardest thing was feeling trapped in the room while Kolton slept.  We ended up going to bed before 9:00 every night.  Next time I'd say a balcony to escape to is a must.  

We really loved the laid back atmosphere of Nags Head. 

I want to say a special "Thank You!' to Megan & Marshall and the Keyser family for all of your help and hospitality.  You showed us how beach vacations are done right and we can't wait to try again!

Kolton finally tolerated wearing a hat!

Future grumpy old men!

Snuggled in after a great afternoon on the beach.

Pool Time!

Home Sweet Home!  Kolton ended up getting really sick so we made the quick decision to head home last night.  Unfortunately that meant leaving Mike behind because he has work to do.  But it was definitely the right decision because little man hardly made a peep the entire 4 hour drive home and is now still sleeping peacefully.  

A couple other quick thoughts about the trip...

GPS needs to have a no bullshit route.  It ended up taking me through downtown Norfolk when I'm sure there was a better way to stay on the expressway.  That probably added a 1/2 hour to our drive home.

I still love my 2004 Mazda 3!!!!!  I did a lot of driving over the past few days and my little car is the best.  I got her brand new and she has been very good to me =)

Show Stopper

We are in Nags Head, NC. I've never done a blog post on my phone so excuse the spelling errors! Is traveling with a toddler ever really a vacation? OMG the packing alone is enough to not want to do this more than once a year. So far we have not really done anything but drive and sleep. Friday night was Kristin & Alec's engagement party in Baltimore. So Saturday morning I drove 3 hours back to Richmond, spent 3 hours packing, then drove another 3 hours to VA Beach to meet Mike. I was exhausted! yesterday we made the rest of the trip down to Nags Head...another 2 hour drive. We were able to spend some time on the boardwalk before leaving VA Beach. There was an art show and A LOT of people. Without a doubt the star of the show was Sophie! I forgot how much people are fascinated with pugs! No less than 10 people wanted to pet her and about every third person exclaimed "Oh look at the pug!" Not one person said anything about Kolton. Well I better get my screaming child down to breakfast. Hopefully I'll figure out how to post photos soon! And what do you do when your child goes down by 8:00 in your hotel room?

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Yup, that's the same shirt he slept in last night!  I am a terrible Mama sometimes =)  He may be the only toddler in America still in his infant carrier.  But he is still within the weight limit so I think its OK...right?

I think we may have finally found a place to live.  It's a terrific townhouse about a mile from where we live now.  The really awesome thing is we didn't really have to sacrifice on space at all.  AND its only 9 years old so we didn't really have to sacrifice on style either.  PLUS there is a community pool.  ALL for about $500 less/month than we are paying now.  WHOO HOO!!!!

But I can't believe this will be Kolton's 3rd home in his short life.

Evaluation Day

Today was Kolton's speech and motor skills evaluation.  Basically, two observers played with him for 2 hours.  They introduced different toys looking for specific skills and asked me a number of questions.  I was impressed that they were able to fully understand his personality.   I was afraid that they were going to quickly judge him.  

Kolton had one minor freak out for about 5 minutes.  And all i could think was "no, no, no, baby, not now!"  I think they just chalked it up to over stimulation.  In the end they are not worried about his motor skills at all.  He walked around freely and also stood up from a three point stance.  But he definitely qualifies for speech therapy.  Little man was pretty quiet the entire time.  Which is normal for him.

What does all of this mean?  Basically I need to turn into a babbling fool!  Is this something that most Mommy's do that I just didn't know about?   I mean I knew it was important to talk to him but I didn't know I had to narrate our entire day.  Even though its therapy for him in reality its a coaching session for me. Its actually going to be kind of hard for me.  Because Kolton plays so well by himself I'm not really in his face all of the time.  Changing the way we play is going to take some focus and concentration on my part. So they next time you see me and it seems like I'm talking to myself you'll know why!

After all that I got a little treat this evening when he fell asleep in my arms with his head on my shoulder.  We stayed like that for over an hour ;)

Multi-task

Just another day at the office!  I took this photo last week when it was slightly cooler outside.  The tie onsie cracks me up!  Also gotta love Sophie doing her thing.  Kolton has become quite the little multi-tasker.  While he still hasn't  mastered the skill of walking he is now walking and drinking his milk at the same time.   I imagine someday he'll be pacing and drinking coffee.  He definitely showed a lot of interest in taking unassisted steps this weekend.  He walked freely around the family room but stayed mostly on the area rug.  Then he took a lot of steps outside at the mall...we are starting to get recognized for our frequent visits.  Maybe this is the break through we've been waiting for!!!

Also on my mind this weekend...

Moving, Aaaaaaah!  Just wake me when it's over!  We have considered abandoning the idea all together.  But then we also looked at a couple places and applied for one (we're 3rd in line).  Like a lot of other people in this economy we might need to make some small sacrifices now to ensure a better future tomorrow.  Its a whole other serious post for another day.  Thinking about it makes my head hurt.

I'd love to hear if any other new parents have become as boring as us.  Friday night Mike and I sat in the dark; him on the computer, me on the iPad.  Saturday night I went to Kohl's at 9:00.  Did you know they are open until 11:00 on Saturdays?  The last time I went there at night it was during the holidays and I was amazed at the number of parents that had their kids/babies out that late.  I figured they were just stressed and trying to get their shopping in.  Nope!  Totally the same scenario.  I'm not judging(really!) just observing.  And right now I'm eating Cheetos and watching Aladdin (yes, the Disney one!).  I swear I'm an adult...having a glass of Pinot Grigio just to make sure =)

Sleepy Time

Now that its summer my TV watching schedule has dramatically decreased.  Mike might disagree with that statement but honestly its true!  I used to have shows I wanted to watch every night of the week.  I'd even be up until 11:00 most nights.  I don't know why but I'm not a huge DVR person, I like to watch episodes as they air.  So, to make my point the past couple of nights I've let him watch whatever he wants.  I have been asleep by 8:00 both nights!  I don't mean to but there is something about basketball and politics that has me drifting off like a sweet lullaby.

When It Rains...

Ever wonder why a bad day just keeps getting worse?  How is it that unrelated events can all go wrong at the same time?  Yesterday was one of those days.  Just a bunch of little things that individually weren't really a big deal.  But, by the end of the day I was screaming I WANT A DO OVER!!!!

Now that we are reconsidering our decision to move and I'm frantically searching CraigsList, Zillow, and Trulia I think I'm just a little edgy overall.  Then the wire shelving in our closet came crashing down.  Which is ironic because I used to sell custom closets (for about 8 months) and always told people this could happen but really didn't believe it myself.  Both top and bottom racks pulled the screws straight through the dry wall.  I still wanted to make it to the gym so I just left it for the time being.  Well once again it was a waste of time because the KidZone had to come get me out of the yoga class.  This was the first time I had not dropped off diapers and Kolton decided to poo.  He rarely poos in the afternoon and I had already changed two that morning.  Oh, and they also thought he had peed himself silly because he was all wet.  Really he had spilled his water all over on the way there.  Does it make me a bad mom that I just dropped him off anyway?  So I got him home, changed, and out for a walk in the wagon.  Guess what...It started to rain!!!!

Thats when I gave up, told Mike we were going to the diner for dinner and drowned my sorrows in a chocolate shake =)

Great Weekend!

The sitter worked out really well Friday night.  She told me that Kolton fell asleep on her while she was reading to him.  I was a little worried only because he was showing some signs of clingyness.  He's such a momma's boy that he cries a little when I go out of sight, even if its just to go upstairs.  This happens at our house too so it isn't just a strange place thing.  The one nice thing about being a stay at home mom is I feel zero guilt over going out for a night.  I spend so much quality time with the little guy that having a little quality me time is well deserved.  It was so great to catch up with the Baltimore ladies.  I'm starting to call Kristin's guest room "my room" because I'm there so much;)  That's Kristin's boyfriend, Alec, in the pic.  But I'm totally relieved to have found Rachel so if any of you gals need a sitter let me know!

The weather this weekend was ridiculously beautiful...80's and sunny with low humidity.  We don't get that luxury very often.  I know I post a lot of photos at the mall but it really is a fun outdoor thing to do.  There was even a little concert going on.  People brought chairs and claimed spots on the lawn.  Welcome to family life!

Sunday Funday!  Its taken us a little while but we now realize there are a ton of festivals going on in Richmond.  Today we went to Broad Appetit.  Broad Street is a main drag that runs from downtown Richmond all the way out here in the West End so that's the reason for the name.  A few blocks were shut down and local restaurants...there's that word again....set up booths and sold small tasting plates for $3.  There were a ton of people pushing strollers there as well.  What's crazy is there really isn't any place to conveniently change a diaper.  I don't think I've ever noticed changing stations at any festival but there are always a lot of kids.  I ended up laying Kolton down on a sidewalk behind the porta potties!  I have a skip hop changing pad so it wasn't like he was on the actual sidewalk but still...gross right?  I used an extra diaper to give his head a little pillow.  But if anyone has a magic secret strategy please share because I think we'll be going to a lot more festivals.  We had a really lovely afternoon and it'll help us discover Richmond a little more too.