End of an era

Well, Ms T felt that Logan could lose the pacifier any time. He only uses it for naps and bedtime, so it isn't like he is totally attached to it. I had been waffling getting rid of said paci, but only for my own selfish reasons.Like wanting to sleep. This weekend we bit the bullet and got rid of the plastic sucker for good. I have to say that it went much easier than I expected. He has a little bit of trouble with going down, but overall it has really been painless. Night wakings were nonexistent, which was a huge relief. He did cry out a few times, especially in the early morning, but nothing that required going in and settling him. I think it was actually better than usual. Let's see if it lasts. Next is the bottle. Yes, he is still on the bottle. We are taking things one step at a time.

I joined a local evenings and weekends Mom's group and went on my first outing. We walked around Lake Murray Sunday morning and I met 5 moms. It was great! One mom lives within 100 yards of our house. Hooray! I am all about making mom friends. It is high time I start building a support network for myself, as I am sorely lacking socially. It was getting downright depressing, but things are looking up.

Logan has added "doggy," "nose," and "shoe" to his vocab. He can find his ears, mouth, nose, and eyes. Every day he does a belly button check on me and Don--we think it is just to make sure we (still?) are human. He really loves that belly button. He also learned to push buttons this weekend with consistency. Pretty neat.

We went to the beach on Saturday and it was so windy. I didn't have a great time but Don and Logan seemed to enjoy it immensely (despite Don getting peed on, our swimmy diapers were too small--oops!). I don't know which part Hoagie liked more, the sand or the water. Either way, he was covered in both when we left. I hope next weekend is a little nicer so we can spend more time there.

Other than that life is just chugging along. I am having one of "those" days, but I am hoping that the afternoon will turn around. Positive thinking, right?

The latest

Ah! So much to report. I will do bullets so I don't miss anything...

• Logan has figured out how to spin around and make himself dizzy. It is pretty funny, especially when he tries to do it sitting down.
  
• On Thursday nights La Mesa holds an old car show right off our street. Last week was the first one and it was so cool! We ran into another family from the neighborhood and it was fun to hang out with them for a bit. They have a"wagon" that looks like an old VW Bus. It is really neat, but looks like a workout to pull around. Logan was kind of serious as he took it all in.
  
  
  
• We walked to a co-worker's house on Friday just to see the outside. She was out front and was kind enough to invite us in -- it is AMAZING. So neat with a mish-mash of funky styles. We also met her whole family as they all come over on Fridays for dinner. We were invited to stay, but Logan had skipped his afternoon nap and we feared a spectacular meltdown that would leave us permanently uninvited so we declined. I am happy to say that we will be going back very soon.
  
• The stucco repair is done! Hooray! Don cranked it out like a champ and it looks nice. He said he swore a lot, but we couldn't hear him so I don't think it counts.
  
• This blog is officially a year old. Oh, how time flies. I can't believe I have stuck with this, I thought it might fall by the wayside when I first started. Glad it is a source of information for those of you far, far away.
  
• I talked with S on the phone last night! It was great and we had much catching up to do. As usual it was like we just talked yesterday. Lucky for Don she lives far away or I might just ditch him and marry her instead (of course we would have to move to MA).
  
• Logan puked twice yesterday. That kid has a strong gag reflex. Figures, I can barely tolerate puke, so this is the universe telling me to get over myself. Or not let him put so much in his mouth.
  
• We saw the craziest scene when walking around Lake Murray last weekend. We came upon a lizard on the path and a squirrel a few feet away. I stopped to look at the lizard and Don noticed a baby rattlesnake inches away in the grass. A small creature trifecta! I took a picture with my phone, but didn't get the squirrel. You will just have to believe it was there, and evidently only around to witness some drama. Silly rodent.
  
  

15

Can you believe Hoagie is 15 months? Amazing. I compare him to a batch of babies that were born on time, which means they are currently 13 months,about to turn 14. So weird that he is ahead. In a short time this difference won't matter, but right now it seems like quite a jump. To commemorate 15 I figured why not do a list of the things he likes right now.

Books: That he likes books at all is so wonderful. For a long time he would squirm away because books were apparently too boring. This broke my heart,as I am an avid reader (That book you left mom, you know the mystery/school shooting one? It is terrible! I am suffering through, but cursing you along the way.) and I wanted Logan to like reading as much as me. Anyway, he is now interested and had definite preferences. Right now (and this could change tonight) he likes Five little ducks, The wheels on the bus, Mr. Brown goes moo (still), Splash!, I love you through and through, Hug, Cleo the Cat, and Kiss good night. We read all of these before bed.

Food: Yo baby yogurt, American Chop Suey (my version), pickles,strawberries, pineapple, pear, oatmeal, olives, tomato and basil hummus,salmon, mashed potatoes, fish, and sometimes grilled cheese sandwiches.Really he likes anything. We are lucky and I fully expect this to change.

Toys: Boxes of any kind (why do we even buy the toys?), Sunshine (does she count?), any shoe he can get his hands on, the watering can, the fancy watering hose nozzle I bought Don, and anything that Don and I have--especially travel coffee mugs (I have to give him his own "coffee" on weekend mornings or he totally melts down with envy).

Sleep: He's doing it. From 7:15 pm-ish till 6 am-ish straight. He naps twice a day (for now) equaling at least another 2 hours. Very little getting up unless there is teething. Speaking of which...

Teeth: He has five. Three on top with another one s-l-o-w-l-y making it's way out, and two on the bottom. Not looking forward to eye teeth or molars.

Words: Well, there aren't too many yet, but he did start saying "uh oh" when he drops stuff. So we have balloon, hi, zsa zsa (which is sounding more and more like Sunshine), light, thank you, daddy, and mum. Oh, and ball sometimes. And he has said no once or twice. Really the last bunch are very sporadic, so they don't count so much. But he does say them. Mum only when he is really upset,and light is only understandable by me and Don. He does a TON of pointing and is really interested in hearing what things are. When you ask him to take items out of his mouth while he is walking he will comply, and he understands both yes and no (can shake his head for both). He also understands hi and bye and will wave. All in all he is so darn cute.Hooray for 15!

Phasing out

A frightening new situation has appeared in the land of Hoagie--nap refusal. I am loathe to admit that he may give up that morning nap sometime soon. Actually, it would be easier to go out and do things as a family if he drops the nap, but I fear the process could get dicey. He skipped the afternoon one yesterday and was in rare form by 6:20. Poor kid, poor parents.

I left Don to deal with bedtime and went to an Indigo Girls concert last night with a delightful group of ladies. Fun was had by all and I only wish that they were playing again tonight so I could see them one more time this year. The last IG concert I attended was right before I got pregnant with Logan. I think that is a sign (um, a good one I mean). Not to sound too hokey, but I have loved them since high school and their music has helped me through many a tough time. I have seen them with beloved friends and remember dancing to them at bars, parties, concerts, and weddings. They hold a special place indeed. Yay for fabulous music!

New week again

Alas the weekend is over and we are back to the grind. The stucco went well enough, though there isn't any actual stucco on the hole yet. Turns out there was more prep than we were anticipating. I was totally correct about the cursing though, Don dipped well into his extensive dirty word vocab while chipping away at our outside wall. Next weekend we will spend Saturday arm-deep in quick-set stucco. Woo hoo!

Logan had a very busy weekend. Saturday he went for an early morning stroll,then he was rudely awoken from his nap to catch the Flag Day Parade. He watched with all seriousness and we think he had a good time. It was kind of hard to tell... He really liked the Pug and St. Bernard rescue groups, cause you know, animals are fascinating. Clowns, old men riding around in little cars, bands, drum lines, and waving ladies were only so-so in comparison.

Later on he went to the beach with Don for dad-to-be's Man Show-er, where he played in the sand and refereed a very intense volleyball game. Then he went out to eat at a local brew pub where he ate like a king. I think he had more of my meal than I did.

Sunday Hoagie hung out with me while Don did the above mentioned swearing.We had a good time despite a nasty fall that left the poor boy with a(nother) H*rry P*tter scar. All in all it was a great weekend. Unfortunately, it went by waaaaaaay too fast. I am still in disbelief that it is Monday, despite having gone to work and come back home.

One last item of note: I run into old JNI coworkers EVERYWHERE. I saw three this weekend alone. So bizarre, I haven't been working there in almost four years(!) so it isn't like I still run in those circles, or even that the company still exists. Weird.

Huh?

One of the wonderful benefits of living a block away from a cute Main Street is that we have a prime location for all local events such as street fairs, fests, farmer's markets, and parades. But one has to scratch their head when a parade takes place almost two weeks prior to the actual day it is celebrating. And the holiday, you ask? Flag day! Hmmmm...ok...

Now I must admit that Flag Day holds a very special place in my heart as it is also Beckie M**** Day in the state of Rhode Island. My wonderful friend won a national poster contest and the Governor of the state actually declared June 14th to be her special day. Amazing!!! Unfortunately, that very same day went on to hold a much sadder anniversary for her and her family, so it is bittersweet. Nonetheless, while acknowledging the grief that surrounds the date, I like to celebrate BMD with gusto. So a parade is perfect! Now I have to work on getting her in the parade somehow. A Mistress of Ceremonies perhaps? Waving politely from a borrowed convertible? Most excellent.

TGIF

Friday, sweet Friday. I can hardly wait to have Logan crawl all over us in bed tomorrow morning, that is one of my favorite parts of the day.

We are set for a wild weekend of stucco repair, so I think that means I will be watching Logan while Don curses endlessly at our outside wall. Please cross your fingers that it turns out well and actually matches what is currently there. I am slightly nervous that it will look "patchy."

Logan has started saying "thank you." Well, we recognize the words, but I am not sure they are decipherable to anyone who isn't in the know. It is so neat to hear him learning new things. His favorite books right now are 5 little ducks and the wheels on the bus. Really, anything with singing. I think he tries to sing every once in a while, but for the most part is a very attentive and appreciative listener.

In big milestone news, we are no longer bouncing the kid on the exercise ball to get him to sleep. My back is all messed up from holding him on it because he is so big. I think parental pain is as good a reason as any to ditch the ball. Last night I rocked him in the chair while he drank his milk and then put him down awake. I had no expectations for immediate sleep, but I was pleasantly surprised by his ability to drift off completely on his own. Hooray! I seriously thought this day would never come. I mean, I dreamt about it for sure, but the reality? Never.

I have a baby shower to go to tomorrow. Wish me luck, I think I would rather gnaw my hand off than attend, but I said yes before thinking. I like all those who will be there, I just hate baby showers. And the games. Ugh, don't get me started...