Things Nobody Warned Me About

Right now, there is 1.

1. No one told me that being a mom would entail so much beating. I'm not talking about spankings. I'm talking about a 14 month old who runs rampant in the house beating up his beloved mommy. I give you exhibit A. John Dickson and I are having a GREAT day, which happened to be the first day I was off work, and I decided to stop by the library to rent JD a Baby Einstein DVD. (Aside from one or two, Ive decided that these DVDs are terrible. So has John Dickson, as you will soon see). I take little dude home, set his chair up in front of the tv, and hit play. I'm sitting right next to him, looking through a cookbook for something to make for dinner, when I am pelted in the head with not one, but TWO remotes. I sure hope he starts talking soon, because a better way to tell me the DVD is horrible would be GREAT! Other than that, I have had a bookcase pulled down on me (as previously mentioned), have been bitten repeatedly (especially on the eyebrows... a great place to latch on, apparently), have been clawed around the legs, and have had other random objects thrown at me on a daily basis. And no one even bothered to warn me. For shame...

Despite the beatings, this has been a week for the books for me and John Dickson. It has just been an ordinary week, but John Dickson has been in a fantastic mood and his little personality is really starting to shine. On Monday we went to the botanical gardens to feed the ducks. John Dickson actually threw little pieces of bread to the ducks, and was enamored when they would eat. However, our trip got cut short when we rolled over a yellow jacket nest (I took one for the team in the side... John Dickson escaped unscathed, thankfully). If you know me, you know I am nothing if not terrified of flying bugs. Stinger, no stinger, they all STINK! So of course I took off running, John Dickson and stroller in tow. By then, we were so far off the straw path, I didn't think I was ever going to get the stroller back up the hill, especially in flip flops. I'm not kidding... I was yanking, pulling and sliding, and it just wasn't happening. It was one of those utterly helpless moments when you just want to sit down and cry, because it seems it may be the only option, and I was thiiiiiis close to doing just that. I had to yank the stoller backwards up the hill, giving John Dickson whiplash all the way, and grab onto somewhat flimsy bushes to help hoist us up the hill. When we finally got to the top, I turned around to see John Dickson's shoe. At the bottom of the hill. In the water. If it wasn't for a sweet little boy running around, there would be a duck out there sporting a really cute brown flip flop. I'll just say that.

Then again on Friday, we went to Reedy River Park in downtown Greenville to see the waterfall. I actually did not realize there was a whole other section of the park that had more ducks and a little sprinkler area you could run through. John Dickson had a dove walk right up to him and he had a flock of geese who thought he had come armed with food. I tried to take pictures, but I was too busy trying to keep John Dickson from falling in the water to get any good ones. Which brings me to my next topic.

If I had to sum my duties as a parent, they would go something like this... (loving on him is a given)

0-3 months: Keeping John Dickson fed, changed, and rested. Mostly fed.

3-6 months: Keeping John Dickson in motion, at all times.

6-12 months: Entertaining John Dickson.

12-14 months: Keeping John Dickson ALIVE.

I kid you not, it is a FULL TIME JOB. We run around from 7am-7pm making sure that little man is safe. He is into EVERYTHING. We have tried 2 different baby locks for the cabinets, and John Dickson literally laughs at them, pulls them off, and hands us the 409. He is doing cartwheels off of the couch, trying to stand up in his glider, is climbing into his high chair, etc. etc. etc. When I try to pull something out of the oven, I have to take John Dickson to the farthest point in the house, and then run back as fast as I can. I have about a 15 second window. He is FAST now. I was trying to make dinner the other night when I turned around and saw John Dickson standing in his high chair. Just standing there. "Look mom, no hands!" Big, big grin. As soon as my heart started beating again, I ran over and snatched him up. If you don't have kids, you aren't allowed to judge. Just wait, you'll see...

Every stage brings its own new challenges and leaves behind some of the old, but the rewards just grow exponentially. We have a little boy who loves to give hugs and big slobbery open mouth kisses. Night time is THE BEST. Around 7:00 John Dickson starts having pit fits, and literally races around the house laughing and squealing. He will stop to throw a toy and then he's off again. Then he sits still in your lap to read books before bed, and then it is the best time of the entire day. When it is my turn to put him to bed, John Dickson sits in my lap and we just... enjoy each other. He love loves it when you gnaw on his feet, and as that is immediately post-bath time, its the only time of the day it happens anymore :-) He will sit in my lap and actually put his feet up to my mouth. I'll make silly faces at him and he just laughs. This goes on for a while. He is just so still and content. It is just precious. And then we get a good 10 minutes or so of super cute sounds coming from the nursery before he finally drifts off to sleep. And he is getting smart! He is really starting to follow instructions really well, and surprises us everyday with things he seems to understand. For example: I gave John Dickson a piece of jerky to give to Bear, and he started to put it in his mouth. I said "no, no, give that to Bear", and he walked over and literally put it in Bear's mouth. And he loves to close things now... Doors, car doors, the dishwasher, the dryer, drawers, etc. It actually comes in handy!

And if you back up a week, John Dickson had a visit from his Granna and Papa while I was in Raleigh. They went to the zoo, had pictures made, and John Dickson had his very first ice cream - banana! I think this pictures sums it up nicely.

Until next time...

How many posts am I allowed to name "Yep, still here!"

As usual, sorry for being so slack, yadda yadda yadda....

I am currently training in Raleigh and am in the middle of my longest separation from my doodle bug yet. It's (full) day 3, with 2 nights (1 more full day) to go. I hope I can make it. In the meantime, to cope, I have gone to the mall across the street and visited Janie and Jack. 3 times now. Unfortunately, the same girl was working every time. And she knows my name now. I thought I had escaped her tonight until I heard someone ask me how much longer I was in town. Whoops! Something about looking at really sweet baby clothes is therapeutic. John Dickson will be sporting a super sweet little romper when I get home. Don't tell Adam. Need to know... you understand... I had to majorly talk myself out of hedging my bets and buying our precious niece or nephew some spring clothes. I'm hoping John Dickson fits in 18 or 24 month clothes as long as possible, as the clothes get exponentially less cute when you pass that mark. On the otherhand, a very tiny part of me wishes John Dickson was a little bit older, because there is a store here that has the world's largest gummy bears (The biggest is $30, with a smaller, yet still huge size for $10). I would so love to bring John Dickson back one!

Apparently I have already missed some pretty cute stuff - with such a cute subject, how could I not, right? Adam caught John Dickson dancing on top of the air conditioning grate and cracking up as the air blew up his shorts. I accidentally brought Adam's truck key with me to Raleigh, so he borrowed our neighbors car, and John Dickson also thinks that that car is hilarious. Apparently he laughs the whole way home. (See below) We've been really blessed to have great neighbors who help us out a lot! It is a lot more difficult than we could have guessed to have no family within 2 hours.

John Dickson also got to go out for a Daddy/John Dickson bonding dinner at Chick Fil A, where John Dickson got his first CFA kids meal, and had his first experience with french fries. He ate every bite. Then they went to the grocery store where Adam raced the cart up and down the aisles, much to John Dickson's delight. He said he had a few near collisions, but "didn't care - John Dickson was laughing!!" John Dickson is a huge mommy's boy, but when I am gone, Daddy is the cat's meow. And loving it, of course! It makes it easier to be gone, knowing that it really is a great bonding experience for my boys. Here are some of the pictures I've gotten so far this week -

This picture is John Dickson eating his breakfast at school. Look at my big boy eating his yogurt with a spoon! Come on now, could he get any more precious?

You can look but you cant pinch!!!

Aside from being out of town... John Dickson turned 14 months last month! He has come a long way just since his birthday... he is doing so well with feeding himself! He can actually climb up into his high chair, turn around, and sit down, all by himself. I have to be careful to wash his high chair tray and put it back immediately so he can't climb up unsupervised! We also have had to start closing the bathroom doors, for 2 reasons.

1) I was putting away John Dickson's clean clothes one day when John Dickson left me. I went to go get him, and found him with a Coke Zero can that had been in the bathroom trash (another new no-no). And yes, he was swishing it in the toilet. Which already had a tennis ball in it. No kidding people, this all happened in about 2 minutes.

2) That little dude can get into the bathtub all by himself! He is a climbing fool!

John Dickson also tried to climb his bookcase. I moved all of his books off because they were too tempting on the shelf they were on, and I didn't want to entice him to climb. But with the books gone, the shelf looked more like a platform than a place to house books, so it had the opposite effect. I was sitting on the floor playing with John Dickson when he decided to step into one of his baskets (on the bottom shelf) to reach the shelf that use to have his books. I was trying to pry his little hands off when the bookshelf suddenly started toppling forwards. Fortunately I was kind of over John Dickson, and he was completely fine. And I survived piggy banks in the head and picture frames on the funny bone. The bookcase is now gone.

John Dickson also LOVES to talk on the phone. He has always loved playing with our phones, but he has all of a sudden started to imitate us on the phone. He holds the phone face down on his shoulder and cocks his head to the side and walks around chatting. It's too funny! He really sounds like he is having a conversation with somebody.

John Dickson is also trying to put his shoes on, with absolutely no luck. He is no longer walking, but running! We try to put the dogs' water up while they are outside, but if we forget and John Dickson spots it, he takes off cackling in anticipation, and then splashes as hard as he can until we catch him. It may sound from this particular post that we are inattentive parents, but we are simply just slower than our baby hurricane.

John Dickson has been playing in his pool and his water table, and if the water is warm enough, he really enjoys it! He especially likes to get wet and then go play in the dirt. Which is ok with mommy! Little boys are supposed to be dirty... its a pretty good indication they are having fun. He does, however, get an early bath on those days, or at least a good rinsing off in the sink (which he LOVES).

John Dickson also has experienced the detachable shower head in the bath. Adam was spraying his back and John Dickson had his hands behind his head, and just kind of leaned his head back and grinned, as if he was getting a spa treatment or something. He has also done this when I have scratched the top his back. To be honest, I don't know how much more I can handle typing tonight. The more I go on, the more homesick I get! If you're still with me, you're probably getting tired of reading too!

I promise many more posts in the weeks to come, as I have the next 4 weeks home with John Dickson. It'll be the perfect farewell to my part time arrangement. Sadly, yes, I will be back to full time.

Until next time...

Monkey Joes!

The joys of being a mom

John Dickson picked a daffodil today, examined it closely, and then...... he gave it to his mommy. Melt. My. Heart.

Little man on a mission!

Disclaimer: You may want to skip the following line and proceed to the stories -

Our little boy is growing up. I said it. After 13 1/2 months, I'm out of denial for a minute here.

John Dickson has finally started to communicate (without words or sign language...) exactly what he wants. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? We aren't sure yet, but it is definitely cute.
He has started bringing books over to me, and then he turns around and backs up into my lap. Liking to be read to is a very recent development, but John Dickson loves a good book now! Especially at bedtime.
John Dickson has learned that the front door is the path to all that is good and wonderful in his world - outside. Like I mentioned, John Dickson was sick this past weekend. It didn't slow him down a whole heck of a lot, but we kept him home anyway. It was also cold and rainy, so we stayed inside. And apparently this gave John Dickson some serious cabin fever (no pun intended). Last night John Dickson would grab my hand and pull me over to the front door. If I didn't open it, he pulled down hard on my hand. I'd let him peek outside, and then he would cry when I shut the door. Repeat. And repeat. Now, this is where we see just how smart that little man is... he goes to his Daddy, grabs his hand, and pulls him to the front door. He would take us from the back bedroom all the way to the front door. And now that he knows you know what he wants, he does NOT take no for an answer without putting up a fight.
John Dickson also has decided that while water is an unthinkable filler for a sippy cup, it is positively the best thing on earth when it is a nice clean glass that is mine or Adam's. He will stand on the floor with his arms up to the counter, pleading for more water. You know, pleading in a John Dickson way.

And in a completely unrelated story, the other night at dinner I would pull up John Dickson's arm and then tickle his little armpit. After that, we kept telling John Dickson to raise his hands, and then when he would, we would tickle him again. He fell for it about 15 times. So don't worry... he's growing up, but he's not there yet!

So sick...and so sweet...

John Dickson had his cranky pants on last night until I realized he was wearing his sick pants disguised as his cranky pants. He had a fever of 101 before being given a dose of Tylenol and some good snuggles. (Even with this fever, John Dickson ate an entire bowl of chili... ) Anyway, John Dickson went to bed early and woke up at 2:30 with a fever of 103. He was sooo pitiful. This morning he slept in until 8:30 and then we went to the doctor. He has a red throat and a runny nose, but no fever! That may be because he still has Motrin in his system, but it is still nice to have a cucumber baby. The pediatrician did a strep test, and it did come back negative. Whoo hoo! So we'll just have to wait out whatever little bug he has. In the meantime, he has been the sweetest, most cuddly John Dickson I think I have ever seen...

As a side note, Ms. Becky (his "teacher") told me she learned yesterday just how much John Dickson loves his bankie... My mind of course, immediately went to him trying to bite her finger off, but thankfully he just threw himself down on top of it to keep her from taking it. Oh to be a fly on the wall!!!

Still here!

You don't have to tell me I've been a terrible blogger... I realized that on my own when I had to try three different username/password combinations to log on! In case you can't tell, I'm back to work...

I'm not even sure where to begin on the past few weeks, so I will start with our favorite new development - DANCING!!! Dancing to his pack 'n play music attachment, dancing to his singing tool bench, dancing to the radio, dancing to anything and everything musical! John Dickson LOVES to dance. And he got his mom's rhythm. Well, his dad's too. Let's face it - we are just a family of terrible dancers. Anyway, it started Sunday night when John Dickson turned on some music and then stood there between me and Adam with his hands on his hips and his lips tucked in and just started to boogie. Three times that night he did this! Adam and I were absolutely in hysterics. Turns out he learned this at daycare. Money well spent - am I right?

Speaking of daycare, John Dickson has been back for 2 weeks now. And despite our skepticism about him eating at a table and sleeping on a mat, he has done surprisingly well. His first day he took an hour long nap, and since then he has been sleeping 2 hours. His teacher said that he wraps himself up in his blanket (bankie, as he calls it... ok, as we call it...) and she pats him for about 5 minutes, at which point he falls asleep and she takes his bankie off of his head. And no, the lights are not on in there for naptime, so I'm not sure why John Dickson covers his head. He doesn't do it at home. I think it's pretty funny, because it is what the orangatans did when we went to the National Zoo.

Anyway, in an effort to avoid too many meals at daycare (I know, I'm obsessed with John Dickson eating healthy - its my thing and it probably wont change anytime soon...), we have been feeding him breakfast before he goes. However, 9 times out of 10, John Dickson convinces Ms. Becky that he needs another breakfast. His daily report has a spot to check for each meal whether he "ate lots", "ate most" or "ate some." You guessed it, John Dickson has only had one day where he didnt "ate lots" for every snack and every meal. And that was the day after he was up in the middle of the night because of teething. Ms. Becky even swore to me that John Dickson ate a tuna sandwich and salad (one of the healthy meals). She said he loved it... In 12 years or so, we are going to have to take out a second mortgage on our house just to feed Adam and teenage John Dickson. If we have another boy down the road, well... God help us.

I have now had 2 incredible mother's days! Last year John Dickson was baptized, and I got to spend the day with both of our families, and this year I had a weekend with my mom, followed by an afternoon with my hubby and my little boy. Adam grilled some cedar plank salmon, and we went for a walk with John Dickson in his turbo wagon. It was pretty much my ideal night. John Dickson bought me a pretty dress (I know! Such a sweet boy.) and some calla lilies. And a card that was not the card I got last year :-) My Valentine's day card was signed "Dadada Nanana" and this one was signed "Dis, Dat, Eh". John Dickson has come so far with his speech! (No, he does not have any words). On Friday, they had cake and tea with mom at daycare, and I got a little plant that had a sign sticking out of it that said something clever (I cant remember what... whoops), but it had little lady bugs made out of his finger prints.

John Dickson IS waving bye bye now! And he has a new use for the laundry basket. It's usually only out when it has clean clothes in it, and John Dickson has decided it is his new hot tub. We will be in the kitchen, and he will leave and go in the living room to climb in and play with a toy while in the basket on top of the (were) folded clothes. It's amazing what you can find when you put away clean clothes in our house. John Dickson continues to empty drawers, baskets, purses, etc in his usual reckless fashion. And telling him "no" (to other things) continues to be a really funny joke to him. I mean, laugh out loud, knock your socks off funny.

But back to bankie... John Dickson now sleeps with bankie, Ralph (his giraffe), and a small pillow (for snuggling purposes). Every night we lay him down with all 3 things, and then we go back in there about an hour later, and there he is... sleeping like an angel... one arm around the pillow, Ralph next to his head, and bankie snuggled in there somehow. Only everything is now at the other end of the crib. It does not matter which direction you put him down in - he will turn around and take everything with him. He is so funny...

Other than that, John Dickson had a great morning with his Grumps last weekend. He didn't cry even one time, and he is even voluntarily playing with Grumps now! This may have been the best Grumps/JD experience to date.

Until next time...

In case you missed it...

You know I have to put the link to my sister's engagement announcement on here!

http://www.legacy.com/TheState/Celebrations.asp?Page=Announcement&PersonID=126414716

And while we are on the topic of links... here is the link to John Dickson's 1 year photos

khartphoto.com/photocart

SOS!!

John Dickson has this very distinct yell that means "help!" The first time he used it, he had gotten his arm stuck in the end table. The second time, he was pushing around the tub that we use to elevate the dogs' food and water, and he couldn't get through the high chair and the cabinets. The third time was yesterday.

John Dickson was pushing our collapsable mesh hamper around, taking all of the clothes out, putting them back in, throwing in some toys, and then moving to the next room to repeat. (His new thing is pushing baskets around the house and collecting things as he goes). So he had gone out in the hallway, and I was in the bathroom getting ready to go to a meeting, when I heard him yelling for help. I went out, and he had completely emptied the hamper, crawled in, and he couldn't get back out! I ran to go grab the camera, and when I came back, this is what I found:

I don't even know how that happened! That little man is A MESS. We also went back to the playground and zoo yesterday, and below are a couple of pictures from that. I think when we went on Saturday there were just too many people, and John Dickson was a little overwhelmed. But with practically no one around, he spent a long long time looking at all of the animals and watching them move around. He wasn't smiley or laughing, but he was very observant and interested and just took it all in.

Congratulations Aunt Erin & Uncle Jason!!

We are so excited to be an aunt, an uncle and a big cousin!!!!!



Hold up... you mean I wont be the only grandchild anymore?!?!?