Super Bowl Sunday!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

 

Super Bowl Sunday is usually a fun day with family and friends for us.

This year was a bit different.

Tristan has been a Seahawks fan since he was little and the nerves were really setting in, so we decided it would be best to stay home. He didn't want to be distracted and if, heaven forbid, they lost, he would've probably needed some alone time.

Staying home didn't keep us from having fun though.

We all put on our Seahawks gear and played with Calvin's Hawks football.

His face cracks me up! He was being such a goofball.

We even had festive socks!

I made Crock-Pot Pulled Pork Sandwiches topped with Coleslaw and all washed down with hard cider.

I got the pulled pork recipe from a co-worker a couple years ago and I've been tweeking it to make it perfect.

It's so super easy and I promise, promise to put the recipe up on Wednesday.

I also wanted something sweet, so I whipped up a batch of Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark.

It tastes even better than it sounds.

And to make it Super Bowl appropriate, I sprinkled it with Seahawk colored dark chocolate M&M's.

Mmmmmmm...

Confession time: I didn't have any chocolate chips in the house, so I gathered up a bunch of chocolate left over from Christmas and chopped it up. I figured I was just going to melt it over the top anyway.

Totally worked!

Calvin sported his lucky Hawks Dipe but ended up sleeping through most of the game.

The game was a blow-out (as all of you know) and it was smiles all around!

This pic is going in the baby book and I'm going to try and snag a newspaper today to pop in there too.

Happy Seahawks fans!

16 Months

This month has been a rough one.

Not just for Calvin, but the entire family.

We've all been sick and poor kiddo, who's never even had a fever before, ended up with the flu last week.

It was the most heart-breaking thing ever.

Friday morning I woke him up and he felt a bit warm.

The thermometer said 99° but he was acting normal and had teeth coming in so I gave him a little ibuprofen and off we went to the babysitters house.

She texted me that afternoon saying his temp was up to 101°. I got him home and we snuggled on the couch. He was exhausted but wouldn't lay his head down. I think his little head was hurting.

By 7pm he was up to 103° so we decided it was time to get to the dr.'s office.

We took him to urgent care and he tested positive for the flu, but since they were closing we had to go to the ER. Once we were taken back his temp was up to 103.6° and his heart rate was close to 200bpm(!) but his lungs sounded good. They gave him more tylenol and started him on tamiflu but wanted his temp and heart rate to come down before we could take him home.

We finally got him home and in bed after 11:00.

Two days later and you'd never know he'd been sick.

He's still fighting a cough (we all are), and he's been extra sleepy and hungry, but he's been in a great mood. I think he's just happy to be well again.

He's got some new trick up his sleeve too.

He says Please which sounds like "Peas"
He says "cheese"
He says "Toes" and knows where they are.

He's started walking on his tip-toes sometimes.

He loves keeping an eye on the dog when I let him out and shuts the door for me when Alfie comes back in.
I swear last week he said his first sentence. I may have be hallucinating, but he dropped something off his high-chair tray and it sounded like he said "Uh-oh, where d'it go?"

When something makes him happy he does this funny belly-rubbing dance. It's sooo cute, but I haven't been able to catch it on video yet. I don't know if he's signing "happy" or if its just some random thing he does, but it's freaking adorable.

We've put him back in swim lessons at the YMCA. Tristan takes him every Saturday. I finally got to go this week and see what they do on their mornings together. It was so fun.

Is there anything cuter than swimming babies?

I still have a ton of catching up to do.

I kid you not, our Christmas decorations are STILL up.

I've vowed to get them down tomorrow so wish me luck.

Shit Storm 2013

The internet is a place where the truth can be bent, if not completely broken, quite easily.

Blogs, Instagram, and Facebook are excellent means of sharing only the best parts of our lives.

But I'm here to tell you that what you see on the screen is only part of the whole picture.

No one is perfect.

(With possibly the exception of Kate Middleton)

So the pictures of perfectly done make-up, and hair, gorgeous homes of moms without a single stray toy in the background and mouth watering photos of the gourmet meals they prepared on a whim are not what they seem.

What they don't show you is the fact that they're still wearing their pajamas at 2:00 in the afternoon or that they just shoved every toy behind the camera to keep it out of view; or the fact that their kid is throwing random toys into the toilet while mom's busy photographing her latest gluten-free, vegan sugar cookies.

Time for a reality check.

*I was not able to find the orginal owner of this image/meme. If it's yours please let me know so I can credit you.

To make a long story short and much less graphic, right after Christmas we dealt with 5 straight days of nearly white, cottage-cheesy and horrendous smelling poo that no diaper, cloth or otherwise, was able to contain.

Calvin was dirtying 4-5 diapers a day with this toxic sludge. I have quite a tolerance for "gross" stuff, not much gets to me, and I was gagging at every dipe change.

Thank goodness for pants or it would have been on EVERYTHING. 

I had to run a load of wash a day, JUST for the poo leaks and I was very worried that my house would never smell right again.

I was a little concerned about Calvin's health because this was very unusual, but he was acting like his normal happy self and wasn't running a fever so I decided not to run him to the doctor and just watch him.

In my research I found that this was something that can happen to kids when they are teething. And wouldn't you know it, he popped through his first molar a few days later.

Teething is such a bitch.

Now, there are times when white poo can be a sign that something is seriously wrong, if you are even questioning whether your kid is ok or not I strongly urge you to call your pediatrician.

To top things off, smack in the middle of our Shit Storm, I came down with a killer cold and was sent off to bed for a couple of days. So my poor (and amazingly wonderful) husband was left to combat the crap by himself. He did an awesome job of taking care of both of us.

I didn't write this post as a way to complain about a (excuse the pun) crappy time in our lives, but to show that no one's life is perfect, that we all have those moments (or days or weeks) that we wish were easier.

And to give people a glimpse into real life with a toddler.

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Kids are gross, but we love them anyway.

15 Months

Excuse the late update.

Holidays and being sick definitely pushed my timeline back.

We had Calvin's 15 Month Well Baby check-up yesterday.

The Dr. was very pleased with his growth.

He now weighs 22lbs 4oz (35th percentile)

and he's 33" tall (95th percentile)

Still tall and skinny just like his dad haha!

The doc also thinks he's about to have another growth spurt too since he's been eating everything in sight.

He's added some new skills to his repertoire too:

Signs "more".

He claps for himself when he's done something he's proud of.

Says "Alfie" which sounds like "Hal-pee".

Says "Doggie" which sounds like "Da-hee"

Says "Water" which sounds like "Wah-wee".

Says "Bye-bye" and waves both hands, which grocery store cashiers find especially adorable.
He gives real kisses and even make a smacking sound.

And I think the one that is the most hilarious:
He'll cover both ears with his hands if you say "Earmuffs"...
like the kid in Old School... Anyone??

His first molar broke through a couple days ago and we are anxiously awaiting BOTH canine teeth which look like they should be through tomorrow, but will do doubt take another week.

A local "Natural parenting retail, resource center & Mommy Cafe" just opened here in town and they teamed up with a local photography studio to decorate the walls.

We volunteered Calvin to be one of their models so now his picture is among those displayed.

This is the one they chose to use:

But this one was my favorite:

Hilarious!
*The tiger is from Target by a company called Sweet Sprouts (we actually have 3!), but I cannot for the life of me find a link for him. I believe he's been discontinued.

The "Snowman" theme was not my idea, but I think it's kinda cute and who would turn down a free photography session for their kid?
I haven't been in to see his portrait on their wall yet, but I'm hoping to get in there to check it out soon.

Merry Christmas and a Crappy New Year

I hope everyone's Holidays were wonderful!

I'm sure some of you have been wondering where the heck I've been.
I'm so sorry for the 2 weeks off. The day after Christmas I got a cold that turned into a pretty rockin case of bronchitis.
An ambulance ride, 2 doctor visits and some bruised ribs later I think I'm FINALLY on the mend.
So bear-with-me as I try, try, try to get caught up.

Let's start with Christmas...

We had a very busy and family filled day.

Tristan and I started off the morning opening our stockings in bed before the kiddo was up.

I don't think we'll be able to get away with this once Calvin is older, but for now, it was really nice.

Once Calvin woke up and had his "ba-ba" he went to explore what Santa had brought.

He wasn't sure about the Teepee at first, only going inside to drag out the teddy bear, but now he loves to sit in it and "read" snuggled up with the bear.

He LOVED the hotwheels cars and didn't really care about anything else in his stocking.
Which included a soccer ball, a new hooded bath towel, I Love You Through And Through book and socks.

Tristan's Parents, Grandma and Sister joined us for brunch.

I made this crock-pot breakfast casserole that I'd started the night before. 

Super easy and very tasty.
I also cooked up some bacon (in the oven) and put together a winter fruit salad with ginger dressing that was delicious. I will put up a recipe for that this week.

And what is brunch without Mimosas? Right?

After their own breakfast, my Dad, Step-Mom, and Siblings joined us to exchange gifts too.
The kiddo got more cars and books and had a blast throwing the paper and bows everywhere.

There was a lot going on and Calvin was getting pretty cranky (it didn't help that he's cutting a tooth or 2... or 3).

I put him down for a nap around 12:30 when the house cleared out and we cleaned up a bit and watched Rudolph which Santa had left for me in my stocking.

Once Calvin was awake and fed, we all got ready and headed out for my mom's house to see Grammy, Grampy and my brothers.

After another round of presents and stockings (Santa leaves booze in the stocking at my mom's house haha!...except Calvin's) my Step-dad brought out this for Calvin.

Little Tikes Cozy Truck .

This thing is pretty bad ass and Calvin LOVES it.
The SUV of Little Tikes cars. I think he spent the better part of the evening in it.

 Then we ate homemade enchilada's (I promise to put up the recipe for that one too) and watched Home Alone 2. My brother and I used to watch it over and over again when we were younger. We thought it was the funniest movie of all time.
I wish we had had time for a round of Cards Against Humanity but we had to get the kiddo to bed.
Maybe next year.

It was a fantastic day.
We are so blessed to have such wonderful family.
I've said it before but my son is the luckiest little guy to have so many people that love him so much.
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

New Years was a different story...
We stayed home, put the kiddo to bed and I was somehow able to stay awake to cheers the new year with Ginger Root tea "spiked" lemon and honey.
So. Lame.

Oh well,
Cheers anyway to health, happiness and the new year!
Especially health!

Christmas Eve-Eve

Merry Christmas Eve Everyone!

Last night we had our annual Christmas Eve-Eve get together.

We decided that every December 23rd we would have friends over to our place to catch up, eat, drink and be merry! It's something we started in college when all our friends would be home for the holidays but busy with family events on the 24th and 25th.

We've had an ongoing struggle to keep the attendance at a manageable level.

The first Eve-Eve we had in our house we invited EVERYONE and over 40 people came!

There were people in our basement, kitchen, living room and bedroom.

It was madness. 

It was wonderful to see everybody but there were so many people in my small house that I became very overwhelmed and didn't have nearly as much fun as I should have.

Last year we tried to keep it much much smaller and only 5 people showed.

That sucked too.

I made so much food and no one came.

Lame.

This year was great!

There was about 15 of us all together (plus 3 kids!).

Everyone fit, I got to chat with all our guests and the kids had room to run around a little.

Treats included:
Lot's of Christmas cookies.

 A hot chocolate bar with all the fixin's.

Can I tell you that I'm OBSESSED with the Post-it Roll ?
We used it to label our mugs (peeled right off!) and I now must have it in every color.

I also made festive red, white and green caprese skewers with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, spinach tortellini and a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar.
Yum!

I hope your next couple days are wonderful and blessed.
I know personally, my heart is full and I am so thankful for all my friends, family and readers. I truly love you all.
Merry Christmas Everyone!

Indoor Activities for Toddlers

Christmas is only a little more than a week away and the days have been short and chilly.

One of the things we've been grappling with is how to entertain our outdoor-loving kid.

Calvin will literally pound on the front door crying because he just wants to go outside, but when it's below freezing and completely dark at 4:00 what do we do with him?

I have small list of fun ideas we've been utilizing but I'd LOVE to hear your ideas too!

Crayons and a Big Box:

Never underestimate the power of a box.
I mentioned this one earlier in the month but we've been playing with this one for 4 weeks now!

I just filled an old formula container (with a lid!) with crayons let him loose.


Foam Blocks:

We got these Foam Wonder Blocks for Calvin for this birthday.
They are the BEST!
My brother and I had these same one when we were younger and we played with them for YEARS.
They're a dense foam, so they don't make noise and they're soft enough if he throws them at anything (or anyone) there's no damage.
He loves to knock down towers we build for him and has even starting to stack them up himself.
The other night we put him in a hamper and covered him in blocks and he thought it was hilarious!
If you have kids under the age of 6, you need these in your home.



A Balloon:

Seriously.
This green balloon has survived since Calvin's Birthday Party.
That was almost 3 MONTHS ago!
He loves this thing. He throws it, kicks it and chases it around.
He laughs hysterically when we bop him on the head with it.
It's good for at least 10 minutes of entertainment a day.



Extra Long Baths:

With the cold dry weather we're down to a bath every other night for the kiddo.
It's much gentler on his skin.
So when we give him a bath, we make sure he has lots of time to play.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret:
The best bath toy on the face of the Earth is....

A syringe!
You know you have a couple floating around, left over from an empty bottle of baby tylenol.
Give it to them in the bath and be AMAZED.
He laughs so hard when we squirt him with it, and he'll spend 5 straight minutes taking it apart and putting it back together.
I went out to a bachelorette party a few weeks ago and stole a gigantic one that they (They, not me) used for jello-shots at one of the bars. 
Calvin loves, loves, loves it.
I know... Mom of the year.




Mall Play Area

We try to get Calvin out of the house at least once a day.
Even when it's cold, if it's still sunny we'll get bundled up and go for a quick walk.
But when the weather sucks and we have nothing else to do, we head to the mall.
The play area is completely padded and FREE!
So Mama grabs a latte and I let him loose.
I've figured out that about 2:30 is the best time to go because moms with kids in school have to go pick them up, so there tends to be a smaller crowd.
We have 2 malls that have these areas but honestly, I'll only take him to one of them. It's nice and bright and I know they keep it clean. I also definitely make sure to wipe those mitts off with a baby wipe after he's done playing.





Children's Science Museum:

OK. We haven't done this one yet.
We're waiting on a fun play date.
Our city has a wonderful Science Center for kids called Mobius, and I'm dying to take Calvin there.
We will be going for a fun afternoon soon.

In an effort to keep this post from becoming a novel, I'm going to stop there.
Let me know what you do with your kids to keep from going stir-crazy!
I love new ideas.