Andrew Milestone Update

This little nugget is 17 months old today and to celebrate, I'm going to brag about him!!

Our Andrew is a curious, energetic little devil who knows exactly what he wants and basically gets it. He is a typical toddler who loves to run, jump, climb, explore and play. His most favorite toy is his older brother - whether James likes it or not. His dimples melt my heart and his laugh brings joy to everyone around him. We are seeing evidence of the "terrible two's" entering our world, but rather than fight it, we are choosing to ignore it. :)

So let's talk milestones. 

We Have a Talker!
I am amazed everyday by the words that come out of Andrew's little mouth. We started with "ball" as his first word and since then he has added Mama, Dada, Jms (James), doggie, duckie, more, boat, thank you, bus, and fishy. Now, if you heard him say many of these words, you would be like "Wha??" But as his Mommy, I can hear him loud and clear!

You Got Me?
We are LOVING the amount of stuff that Andrew comprehends these days. When getting ready to leave the house, if you ask him to get his shoes, he runs to get them. And mine. And James'!  If you say, "Andrew - it's time to go take a bath," he runs to the gate and points to the stairs. When you start singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" he is touching each body part as you sing.  It's incredible! We LOVE to see his little brain at work.  He is truly learning something new every single day.

Kisses!!!

This kid really knows how to dole out kisses. Now that he is a little man, when you ask him for a kiss, he comes running into your arms and gives you a big, sweet kiss. Or he head butts you. They both mean the same thing. :) Lately, he has been kissing on his Ernie, Elmo and Cookie Monster bath tub toys and each night, before going to bed he gives kisses to big brother James. We love seeing that softer, loving side of him.  Makes us see that he is going to be not only strong and tough, but also sweet and nurturing.

Our Andrew is a wonderful little kid. He is growing too fast in my opinion, but I am in love with everything about him. He just moved into the Toddler classroom at school and I was nervous about it because those kids seemed so much bigger. Wouldn't you know, he is doing just fine and actually running the place. That's my Andrew. He is truly a blessing to our family and I am just so lucky to be his Mommy.

Milestone Update

During James' first year of life, we did a really good job of highlighting his milestones each month along with a photo to see just how much he was growing both physically and mentally.  After his first birthday, the ritual ended, but the growing didn't so we thought it would be fun to update you on where James is now that he is just a little over a year and a half old (what?!?!).

Our little baby boy is gone and has been replaced with a thriving toddler who loves to run, climb, explore and play.  He continues to be a happy kid who seems to enjoy life and loves to laugh.  Unless he is in the middle of a melt down that is.  Like most toddlers, the kid knows how to throw a tantrum and boy does he do it up!  Mr. Drama King is his nickname sometimes.  And so are "Destructor" and "Jaws".  The books do not lie.  Terrible Two's do exist and they start somewhere around 16 months.  That's the fun fact that they leave out. :)

Milestone: Talking

The kid has become a bit of a chatterbox lately and its not all jibber jabber anymore. There are real words coming out of his mouth and it seems like he has a new one every day.  I think we are up to 14 words and because I know you are on the edge of your seat to know what they are, here is a list: Car, Truck, Shoes, Banb (Banana), Duck, Ball, Apple, Mama, Dada, Up, Hop, Moo, Cat, Dog.  Now of course, his diction is not 100% so strangers may not know what the heck he is saying, but Mommy and Daddy do. :)

Milestone: Comprehension

James amazes us with the amount of stuff that he understands.  When in the bath tub, if you ask him to hand you the duck, he gives you the rubber duckie.  If you say, "James - go get Mommy the ball," he comes back with a ball in his hands.  When you start singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" he is touching each body part as you sing.  Just last night I asked him what sound a monkey makes and he started making the "oo-oo-oo" sound and put his hands up to his armpits to look like a monkey. It's incredible! We LOVE to see his little brain at work.  He is truly learning something new every single day.

Milestone: Affection

This kid knows how to hug!!  Now that he is a little man, when you ask him for a hug, he comes running into your arms and gives you a big bear hug.  Same goes for a kiss.  You ask for one and he is slobbering all over you.  Not only does he dole out the love to us, he is also showing love for some of his stuffed buddies in the house.  Every morning and every night, we have to give Maurice the Giraffe a hug.  Same goes for Pretty Kitty - his stuffed cat given to him by Grandma Mangiaracina the day he was born.  We love seeing that softer, loving side of him.  Makes us see that he is going to be not only strong and tough, but also sweet and nurturing.

James is an amazing kid and we thank God every day that he is ours.  We are so blessed to have him and are grateful everyday that we are his parents and get to see him grow up.  It's hard to believe that in a few short months, James will be 2 years old.  Time truly flies and we are appreciating every bit of it.

The Wheels on the Bus

Since James turned 1, we have not done an update on his milestones and we think it is about time we do because he is amazing us with his new feats EVERY DAY!

• We are 100% on milk now which means more money in our pocket since formula is now a thing of the past.  THANK GOD!

• The weaning of bottles has begun.  We are down to a morning ba ba and a night ba ba with only sippy cups at school.  The morning bottle is about to go which makes us very happy because we are very tired of cleaning those bottles and their 100,000 parts.

• The walking is getting more and more refined - especially since he is in a new pair of shoes.  Don't get us wrong, he is still tripping and flopping to the floor, but he is walking more than he is crawling and he is doing a damn good job at it!

• James spent a successful few days in the care of Grandma Q., Grandpa Q. and Aunt Suzy while we took a much needed trip for our Anniversary.  He had a blast as did the baby sitters.  :)

• Over the weekend, while he was playing with his Fisher Price Chatter Phone, Mommy started singing "The Wheels on the Bus".  He immediately stopped, stood up and started dancing and singing and doing the arm movements.  We were STUNNED!  We sing this song to him all the time and never got a reaction quite like this.  I'm sure daycare plays a part in this development since they sing all the time.  Seeing this is up there with seeing him clap for the first time.  :)

We must admit, this parenting thing is exhausting ~ especially to an active, on-the-go 14 month old toddler, but it is worth every second.