The case of the missing peanut butter sandwich...

I'd like to share a story with you all about an incident that happened this morning while I was at work and daddy had Eli duty. I had agreed to cover a 12hr shift for a girl at work and knew my hubby would be responsible for feeding all 3 meals to the kiddo, and being the good wife and mommy that I am, decided last night to help daddy out by having all of Eli's meals prepared and ready to go (but that daddy though, he can fend for himself, ha!)

So here I am, carefully cutting up veggies, pulling out homemade chicken nuggets and apple cinnamon muffins out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge overnight, wrapping a peanut butter sandwich (with an extra dollop of love, mind you) in cellophane and neatly setting each item in a designated spot in the fridge or out on the counter so my hubby can just grab and go (and momma can rest assured her lamb chop got wholesome meals for the day.) This is all accompanied by a written list of what to give and when. Go me!

Well I call around noon to check in with my lovies and chat with grandma who was watching Eli for a bit so daddy could run some errands, and asked how he did with lunch. Here's how the conversation went down:

Gramma: I didn't understand what you meant when you wrote 'give the PB&J, (minus the J) and triskets (on the back counter)"

Me: what do you mean you don't get it? It was supposed to be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich but I didn't have jelly so it's just peanut butter...minus the jelly." 

Gramma: oh, I thought you meant to put the peanut butter on the trisket so that's what I did. I don't see any sandwich...?

Me: How can you not see a sandwich?? It's sitting RIGHT next to the box of triskets, they are practically touching.

Gramma: Lindsay, there is NO sandwich on that counter or any counter in this kitchen!

Me: Oh jeeze mom. Well I'll text Aaron and see if he knows what happened to it.

I proceed to text my hubby who has no clue what I'm talking about and denies my accusation of him stealing his own son's sandwich. Now I'm beside myself because I am 100% certain I made that sandwich, cut off the crusts, wrapped the dang thing in cellophane and put it on the counter! My hubby decides to call me since its getting ridiculous to have this interrogation conversation via texting. Our convo:

Hubby: Babe, I never saw a sandwich on the counter I don't know what you're talking about.

Me: I made Eli his sandwich for lunch and placed it next to the box of triskets on the counter. It's not like we have a dog or anything...

Hubby: Maybe Eli ate it for breakfast.

Me: What?? Didn't you give him the pancakes I told you were already made and in the freezer? 

Hubby: Yeah, I did.

Me: Soooo, how would he have eaten the sandwich for breakfast if our toddler still relies on you to make his breakfast?? Did he eat the pancakes in his high chair or what?

Hubby: Yeah.

**Anybody else exasperated yet????

Me: Babe seriously! How could he have helped himself to the sandwich across the room on the counter if he was strapped in his high chair???

Hubby: No. He finished the pancakes in his high chair and when he was done I wiped him down and got him out. I then let him play in the living room while I changed. When I came back out he had crumbs on his lips and I asked him was he was eating. He didn't answer and I didn't think anything of it because I figured he just found one of his snacks lying around and ate it like he's known to do.

Me: So you think he got a hold of that sandwich on the counter and ate it while you were changing??

Hubby: Sure sounds like it, although he musta been really hungry because he ate that in addition to his 2 pancakes then.

Me: Oh man. Well you better check his toy bin and the couch for peanut butter everywhere. Where's the cellophane if he took it????

Hubby: No clue. Havent seen it.

Well folks, mystery solved. This is what I found on the floor in our bedroom when I got home:

Exhibit A: Cellophane wrapping

That little stinkpot helped himself to the food on the counter when no one was looking! Unbelievable! Well Gramma, daddy and I sure got a good laugh out of it :D

Ok well, it's been a long day and I need to get to bed but I thought it was a funny story and wanted to share it. To think, if we had a dog he totally would have gotten blamed for this! Makes me think of all the poor doggies out there wrongfully accused because of sneaky toddlers!

Na Night folks. Until next time....
-Nancy Drew Linds

We have a talker

Long gone are the days where we could mumble something under our breath, or let a "naughty" word slip out of our mouths. This kid will catch it. And repeat it. I'm not worried about the naughty word part really because daddy and I aren't swearers. (Uncle Pibe, though, that's a whole different story!) However, I do have a concern. For our guests really. If you think you can pass wind in his presence, no matter how little/soft sounding you think it may be, and believe it will go unnoticed like when he was an infant, you're wrong. He will call you out on it. Even worse though, is instead of just a "toot" that you let out either intentionally or unintentionally, you've now Sh%& yourself according him because he doesn't discern between the two. If he hears the noise, no matter what he's doing or where he's at, he'll yell out to you, "poops?! Poops?!" over and over again until you try to clarify or vehemently deny the fact that you did either. Either way, he's pretty proud of himself that he identified the act "correctly".

So beware, my friends if you let nature take its course around here. And also beware, that HE will announce to YOU when and if he needs to "poops" or already has.

Love that kiddo.

Lator gators. You've been warned.
Linds

Trampolines everywhere!

Last week, our buddies Jac and Parker invited us to Epic Air out in South Elgin for toddler jump time. It looks like every Friday from 9-11am is toddler time, up to age 6. They have a basketball area (on trampolines of course) and a dodge ball area with little soft balls that of course the boys LOVED. There also was a small play area with a couple of tricycles, play houses, and building blocks that Eli explored as well. How fun does this look???

Eli clearly enjoying himself

There's our buddy Parker!

Hi Jac!

Gah! I freakin' LOVE these boys!

As the parent, you had the option to jump with them or not and we decided to give it a try because it's a pretty nice workout. (Who am I kidding? Chasing a toddler and picking him up and dragging him back to the task at hand is a workout in and of itself!)

Overall, I'd recommend it if you kiddo is walking/running/climbing :)

Toodles,

Linds

My little dare devil = heart attack for momma...

All I gotta say is this came from Aaron's contribution to the gene pool, not mine!

 **Disclaimer: no injuries occurred as a result of these "stunts". Please do not attempt what you are about to see at home**

"What do you mean ' sit down!', momma?"

"You must mean you wanna see my stunts. Watch this..."

"Ta da! Look ma, no hands!"

Pray for me!

-Linds

Building a leaning tower....

The other day I was getting dinner ready and Eli happily entertained himself in our pantry. After a while I kept hearing him say "Ta da!" over and over again until I finally looked down at him. This is what I saw:

I love how the top can and bottle hang precariously in the balance up there, ha ha ha.

Alrighty, back to your regularly scheduled internet perusing...

-Linds

Eli has started tumbling class

Now that Eli is a fully mobile, rambunctious, typical toddler, I've been looking for activities for him to get into to keep him entertained. He does pretty well playing by himself but I think we both go stir crazy staying at home all day. We. Need. To. Get. Out. Of. The. House! Ha ha ha. I'm pretty sure Joanne Fabrics is starting to expect our daily visits :)

Here are some pics of Eli at his tumbling class. It's a little room full of padded trampolines, swings, ball pits and ramps--A little boy's dream! If I'm going to be honest, I'd recommend starting a class like this when the child is closer to 2 years old. Eli is the youngest in his class (with all the other kids around 2 or a little older) and veeeery easily distracted-- SQUIRREL! The instructor said this is normal for this age but then it becomes more of a tumbling class for ME bending, lifting, twisting, and dragging him back to the task at hand, ha ha. Oh well. They also dance and sing which is pretty darn cute too. Speaking of which, now I have one of their songs stuck in my head, "Shake, shake, shake our sillies out…"

Crawl through the tunnel

stop and listen for directions...

Take time to chat (stare, whatever) with the ladies...

Stretch time. Eli touching the ground, momma wishing she could touch her feet...

Swingin'

With his teacher as they rocked back and forth singing "Row row row your boat..."

 

So fun! It's pretty neat to watch the older kids who've been in the class a while doing all the activities and singing along with the words. Eli is nowhere close to that but I have hope that he'll get there :).

Ok, he's asleep, now it's time to spend some quality time with daddy. Night y'all!

-Linds

My big boy is getting so independent!

 

I'm trying out a new blogging tool called "MarsEdit". I'm not sold yet. Luckily they offer a 30 day trial period so I can see if I like it or not. I feel Windows Live writer was so much more self explanatory which is what this computer illiterate needs. Ugh! I hate learning curves! So bear with me as I learn the ropes.

 

A couple things about the video, 1.) He stole my spoon and would not give it back, hence the ginormous spoon he's using instead of a baby spoon, and 2.) Not sure why he's using his left hand to eat. So far he switches back and forth and hasn't shown any particular hand preference yet. And have I mentioned how crazy I am about this kid yet? Well I am.

 

Later gator,

Linds

Can't touch this...

Woo hoo! Go Eli, show us whatchu got!

Well folks, this post is going to be the last one for a while. My lap top bit the dust and my hubby talked me into getting a Mac. The problem with this is I use Windows Live Writer to do my blog posts (because doing the post IN Blogger BLOWS! I'm doing it right now for this post and already I'm about to shoot myself in the face.) Well I can't use that program with my Mac so if any of you are super computer savvy and want to help me transition to a new one compatible with a Mac, I will love you forever and ever and ever and ever. Until that day, so long my lovies. It's been a blast!

**Sniffle, sniffle**

-Linds

My smart kiddo…

This is a very fun age (16 months) when he is starting to use more words and understands SO much! I just took this video today (for you grandma):

I freakin’ love that kid.

Toodles!

-Linds

My kid, the adrenaline junkie….

We all wondered what Aaron’s contribution to the gene pool was…Whelp, here it is:

We LITERALY did this over and over and over and over again for 10 minutes straight.

Mom, I don’t recommend doing this with him tomorrow as I’m sure my shoulders and back will be really sore after this :/

Pray for me????

Night night,

-Linds

My cool new trick…

Hey look what I can do:

And for my finale…

Anybody else as cool as me??

Later gator,

-Eli

My kid moon walks!

Oh my word you have GOT to see this! Seriously he does this all.the.time now. What kid walks backwards at 1 year old??? This really has got to be the cutest thing ever. Check out my little moon walker :

What a goofball

Anybody else have a stupid grin plastered on their face right now?! He also does side steps like he’s learning to line dance, it’s hysterical. It all started when he’d go backwards off balance (reminded me of learning to drive stick. You know how you tend to roll backwards until you get the hang of using the clutch and then lurch forward?? Like that) Gosh I love this kid.

On that happy note, night ya’ll

-Linds

Eli knows where his belly button is…

I just HAVE to show you all his latest big boy move. He now hikes up his shirt and points out his belly button when you ask where it is. So stinkin’ ca-uute!

I was able to get it on video so here it is.

I could just eat him up!

Ok, back to playin’. Catchya later!

-Linds

My big boy is ONE year old!!!

Ahhhh! Can you believe it??? That also means that I’ve been blogging a little over a year! I’m so happy I did because I LOVE looking back at how much he’s changed. People always say “enjoy it all because in a blink of an eye, they’re all grown up” which is a big reason why I chose to blog. I wanted to document all the momentous occasions and be able to look back at it and relive those moments accurately. And bubs, you made it all so much fun!

Remember my glow worm, just a few days old?!

How about how little he is in this video. Remember this??

And my big boy today:

This past year has been everything I ever wanted it to be and more. My dream has always been to become a mom and I feel I’m living the dream. I thank God every day for entrusting me with such a precious responsibility and for pairing me with a motivated, intelligent, loving, and very hands-on daddy who has worked hard to provide for our little family in order for me to cut down my hours at work and spend this important, foundation-building time with Eli. Muuuuah! Love you honey for helping me live the dream .

As for you Eli, you are a blast to be around. You have such a fun personality and it only takes a few moments for you to wrap complete strangers around your little finger (Go figure! With Grandma so tightly wound I didn’t think there would be room for anyone else!) You’re quickly learning that with a shy smile and a tilt of your head you can get people trippin’ over themselves to give you anything your little heart desires. This concerns me! You just turned one, where did you learn to flirt???

Ok, shall we tell everyone your 1 YEAR stats? Ok lets do it!

Size: He is probably the only child I know who is wearing his age in clothes! Ha ha. He fits pretty nicely in the 12m clothes, although I find the waist band of 9m pants still fit the best. He’s grown 3 inches since his 9m well visit which means he measures at 30 1/2in tall! He’s 19lb 9oz, up 2 lbs since last weigh in. Definitely my little string bean.

Likes: Finger foods and feeding himself, exploring, cheerios, fruit, hoarding, watching things he’s dropped hit the floor, making noises with his mouth, and sleeping on his belly.

Dislikes: No new dislikes that I’ve noticed. Same as last month.

Feeding: Yay me! I made it to my goal of nursing for a whole year! Woo hoo! We still nurse 4x a day, first thing in the morning, before each nap and at bedtime. I think I’ll continue until it’s not practical anymore or he stops nursing. I feel like we nurse because I want to, and that he could really take it or leave it. So we’ll just play it by ear as far as how much longer it’ll be. He’s still loving all kinds of foods and I’m really enjoying getting and preparing new food recipes for him to try . I stopped pumping back at 10m so I’m all out of frozen breast milk. My plan is to give him organic rice milk or almond milk while he’s with grandma on days I work. I’m going to hold off on cow’s milk for the time being. Our pediatrician said the main thing is him getting calcium so it doesn’t matter if its cows milk or other foods/drinks just as long as he gets it.

Sleeping: No real changes here. He’s been a great sleeper for a while now. He goes to bed between 6:45-8pm (depending on activities we have going on each day) and gets up at 8am. He’s about 50% when it comes to sleeping through to 8am or waking up at 6ish to eat and then going back to bed. He’s also been really good about taking 2 naps during the day.

Milestones: He’s officially walking…a LOT! Lack of balance doesn’t stop him from speed walking either. I’ll be excited when he prefers walking to crawling when we’re out and about and I’d otherwise have to carry him. Sheesh he gets heavy (and there is NO way I’m letting him crawl on icky public floors!) He also now walks all over the house going “Ma? Mom? Mom?” or “Dod? Dod? Dod-ee?” when one of us has left the room. It’s SUPER cute!

That’s all .

Buh-bye sweet BABY boy…

…Hello sweet toddler *sniffle, sniffle*

-Linds

My little Frankenstein :)

So I’m considering having my son audition to be the next frankenstein. We’ve been practicing, check out his skills:

Wow, did you see that look he gave me for accidently tripping him?? Ha ha. Simmer down now child.

I’m just kidding, no auditions . That’s my kiddo learning to walk. Sigh. This little guy has been a lean mean walking MACHINE today! I am thoroughly entertained watching him stand up, start toddling, and then have to correct his balance every other step. I find myself shifting my weight in an attempt to help him out, ha ha .

I told my sister that he’d be walking by the time she got back from her vacation in Punta Cana. I was right!

Now excuse me while I go grab my running shoes to keep up with this kid.

-Linds

Baby steps…

The last few days Eli has really done a lot of “walking” (meaning 3-4 solo steps, without help.) Its funny to watch because he clearly has no clue he’s doing it, it just happens. I’m waiting for that “lightbulb” to go off in his little noggin when he’ll realize what those 2 little things attached to the bottom of his legs will allow him to do . Daddy and I were encouraging him to take steps to either one of us and we’d cheer when he’d venture away from his trusty piece of furniture that holds him steady, so I think he’s starting to put two and two together.

Here are a couple of video clips of him teetering on his feet all by himself. Daddy lured him away from his toy chest by holding my highly coveted headband in his mouth. That got him movin’! Ha ha! Sneaky, sneaky sir (the remote was unavailable). The second video, Eli has it in his mouth. Weirdos .

Here’s the second short clip

How come when an adult walks while drunk I get annoyed, but when a baby walks like he’s 3 sheets to the wind I can’t stop grinning?? Does  it GET any CUTER than the drunken baby swagger?!? I think not.

Ok, the baby sleeps, back to studying .

-Linds

Eli loves his grandma…

 

We have my mom’s living room all blocked off and baby proofed but Eli succeeded in climbing over the little ottoman mom put up between the couch and recliner—the little stinkpot! It was super cute though so I wanted to get it on video. But alas, he found playing with grandma too fun so I couldn’t get it this time. You get the general idea how he ended up doing it if you notice in the beginning of the video he tries throwing his leg up onto it . Now just picture him pulling his little body up and over and there you have it!

He’s really beginning to show a lot of personality. Love that kid.

Night night all.

-Linds

Eli waves for the first time!

Well day one is complete and I am happy to report that Eli seems none the wiser that he has a new accessory on his head. These past 24hrs in the helmet went without a hitch. He slept normally and wasn’t fussy or trying to take it off at all. I’m a proud momma . Thank you all that called or texted inquiring about how he did his first day in it. That means a lot to me.
Today we had a play date with Eli’s buddy Mason, and decided to take the boys in their strollers and walk around the mall. The boys brought their aunties and we all had a nice time just hanging out and strollin’. I think Eli had a little crush on Sara’s sister because she had him giggling and she got him to wave for the first time! It was SO stinkin’ ca-uute that I just had to get it on video and show you all. This is for you grandma :

How cute is that?! Being all shy. Poor kid had 3 blondes inches from his face cheering him on. Ha ha.

I feel bad because I think there are a LOT of people who are not familiar with the Doc band so they look at him full of curiosity. I’ll bet they think I’m a paranoid momma who won’t let my child out of the house without a safety helmet on! (My hubby would probably say that that’s not too far from the truth, ha!) Either that, or they think he’ got a disability like he must bang his head on things or something, Breaks my heart. No peeps, he’s perfect, just trying to round out that noggin of his is all.

I saw a helmet on the internet the other day that was decorated with construction cone stickers and a decal that said “Just fixin’ my flat!” Ha ha ha. I about died. How funny! Some people are just so creative.

Well that’s all for the update. Toodles!

-Linds

Eli rolled over for Momma!

Yaaaay! Finally, just for me. I put him down on his belly for some belly time, and he wasted no time rolling right over—front to back, like he’s been doing it all his life! My baby is growing up so fast.
Here’s another video of my little wiggle worm, aka “kamikazi”:

They really have no fear at his age do they? Ha ha. Love that face
Ok, daddy is off to a work dinner so Eli and I are crashin’ gramma’s place for some grub. Toodles!
-Linds