{19 months!]

Aldon is 19 months old! 

Next month he'll be in his 20s. I'm so unprepared for that. 

To celebrate him being such a big boy, we made a trip into the city to check out the Great Lakes Science Center. He loved it!

Daddy & Aldon in the space room! (apparently there was something very interesting above our heads...)

Making a tornado, and then destroying it.

Oh, it's lightning in a tube, dad? Hm, not impressed.

 

 

By far his favorite "attraction". A metal gong outside in the splash area for kiddies.

So here's the basic rundown of All-Things-Aldon this month:

Favorite food(s): bananas, apples, pb & j sandwiches, and anything in cracker form. 

Favorite book(s): The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss (seriously, Keegan and I can recite it by memory now. We read it about 4-5 times in a row on average. Then take a 5 minute break, and repeat), and Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins.
Recently I went on a hunt for a low bookshelf that has a bench on top for his reading corner in his room, and after exhausting about 15 different options I finally found one! He loves to go in there now and pick out books & climb on top to "read."

Favorite Show: I'm so proud of this... Carebears! It used to be my favorite as a kid. When we made the 6 hour car ride to move here, we rigged the travel DVD player to the back of the seat so he could watch a movie, and I popped in the Carebears Movie. Now he's hooked :)

Favorite Toy: He loves this Melissa & Doug pull-along train he got for his first birthday. He will pull it all over the house, and then take off all of the pieces that came with it, put them in a basket, and completely rearrange it. Then pull it all over some more. The downside? He's not a very good driver, and although it's not very heavy, it can do some damage when he runs over your toe. 
He also loves to carry around this ancient mp3 player I have. It's like his universal toy. He uses it sometimes to pretend it's a remote control and gets really confused when the TV won't change channels, sometimes it's a phone or pager... He always has to have it.

Favorite Game/Activity: Splash pool! It's been 80-90 degrees here the past several days, so he's clocked a lot of time in splashing in the yard. He loves to pick leaves and grass, throw them in the pool, then splash like hell to get them to sink. However, he doesn't really get that Macy doesn't want to, and shouldn't, splash with him in there.... (it's just an inflatable pool)

New words this month: A lot of different animals. He loves to watch the squirrels, birds, chipmunks, etc outside on the patio so he can say all of those now (by far hearing him say 'squirrel' is the cutest thing ever), piggy, sheep, farmer, cow, horsey, light, Tigger, water, "where did he go?" - this one totally cracks me up. He learned it while watching his bff the 'quirrels (as he calls them), and when they run up a tree he turns around to us, arms up and shoulders shrugging, and asks "where did he go??" ahhh I about die every time!, and he can also make cow noises and sheep noises from our visit to the farm! 
There's a ton that I'm leaving out, but these are just a few of his favorites to say :)

New developments/skills mastered this month: He's getting much better at climbing on things, which means I'm getting gray hair. He can climb up on the rocking chair by himself and rock. He's also starting to run more now, as fast as his chubby baby thighs allow. Last night he slept for a little bit in his toddler bed! We have both his crib & bed set up in his room, during the day his mattress is in his bed so he can play on it and get used to it. Since his schedule is still completely whacked from moving he won't fall asleep unless he's laying down with Keegan, so last night after he zonked we placed him in his toddler bed and he went almost all night in it! He did wake up and start crying, but it's a start. Still trying to get him used to the potty, which he enjoys sitting on but won't actually use (instead he just hops off and pees on the floor. adorable).  
He's also getting very good at pointing out body parts/features on people & things. He loves to show Keegan and I where our noses, eyes, mouth and ears are, and loves showing everyone & anyone where his belly is. He also points out toes. He will take all of his toys now, too, and point & say where their eyes, ears, mouths, noses, bellies, etc are!
He's getting more interested in my belly (which he calls the baby), and loves to yank up my shirt to point out that there's a baby in there. Cute at home, not in public. And he's very good at giving his baby sibling hugs & kisses already!

happy 19 month birthday, aldon! xoxo

 

 

{heirloom tomato}

How far along? 19 weeks! (+ 1 day) baby is the size of a large heirloom tomato!
Total weight gain: about 8ish pounds (despite looking like I swallowed a whole cantelope)

Maternity clothes? It's official, I think I need some maternity pants. I tried squeezing into "fat jeans" (size 1's or 3's) two days ago, and um, it was embarassing.
Stretch marks? Nope!
Sleep: I wake up consistently at 2 am to pee. Then I'm awake until 3-3:30ish because I've finally reached the point where I can't sleep on my stomach, yet sleeping that way has never sounded comfier.
Best moment this week: Has nothing to do with being pregnant, but on a whim I decided to make some 4-ingredient peanut butter cookies, and turned them into sandwich cookies with some pb filling, for Keegan. Yea, "for Keegan." Oh my heaven. Don't worry, I'll share the recipe :)
Miss Anything? a night of uninterrupted sleep would be divine.
Movement: A lot of swirls, which feel like that drop you experience in your stomach when you're on a roller coaster. Today there were a ton of strong kicks!
Food cravings: Lemons, lemons, lemons! I'll just cut them up and eat them, sprinkled with sugar. Toddler Wonder wanted to try some the other day, and hilarity ensued when he chomped down on a segment. I've also been on a weird stretch where I'm actually eating things I've always hated (Jess, if you read this, still no ketchup. Don't worry). I despise ranch dressing, yet now I can't eat veggies or salad without it. And today I ate pizza, another absolute ick for me before.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Actually I've been feeling really great this week!
Gender: We will find out soon.... :)
Labor Signs: are a long ways away!
Symptoms: I've definitely reached the emotional stage (or if you ask hubs he'll tell you I was always there, it's just now worse). I cried over America's Got Talent auditions the other night. Oh, and over The Price is Right, and Jeopardy, and Wheel of Fortune... all when the winners were announced. (side note- when did I become a geriatric? sheesh). At least they're happy tears?
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Baby appointment next Friday and hopefully finding out if Aldon has a baby brother or sister! (I've been having dream after dream that baby is a girl. With Aldon, I didn't want to know his gender at my appt- 17 wks is when we found out with him- but this time around, I. Cannot. Wait.!)

For comparison purposes, this was me pregnant with Aldon at 19 weeks. Definitely poppin', but those jeans were a size 0 and fit me into my third trimester.  

....and 19 weeks with baby 2! (another size comparison, Aldon then at 19 weeks gestation and now, just shy of 19 months!). The pants? elastic, baby.

And as promised, some peanut butter amazingness! 

Keegan's favorite cookies are pb, and I'm sure he would eat his own hand if someone covered it in Reese's. However, I suck at baking and find it a pain in the ass, especially cookies. None more than pb cookies (they're a bit prissy don't you think? Roll the dough into perfect little balls, then roll in sugar, then make the little fork marks.. ugh). Needless to say, I never make pb cookies.
And then I stumbled upon this recipe, posted by Jillee! I'm beginning to be a little obsessed with her blog. Amazing. The cookies are designed to be gluten-free, and consquently have only 4 ingredients. None of us care about gluten, but I LOVED that they literally took 5 minutes to mix up and then 10 in the oven. Oh, and did I mention that they're freakin' delicious?? Taste just like 'original' pb cookies, except they have a much softer, chewier texture. 

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar (I followed Jillee's tip and used 1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 white)
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda

Directions:
Mix everything together into a bowl with a spoon, it comes together in 5 minutes or less I swear. Then follow the usual directions for making peanut butter cookies: roll into small balls, roll these into white sugar, place on a baking tray and press down lightly with a fork to flatten. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

The cookies by themselves were seriously amazing. But there's always room for improvement, right?! Following another Jillee post, I decided to whip up some peanut butter filling to turn these babies into peanut butter sandwich cookies! For the pb filling you will need a 2:1 ratio of creamy peanut butter to powdered sugar (I used 1 cup of peanut butter, and 1/2 of the sugar, and had a ton left over. Next time I would reduce it down to 1/2 peanut butter, 1/4 sugar). Whip with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Then spread a dallop between two cookies and smoosh :) 

A Day at the Beach!

Let me start by saying, if it was 80 degrees out every day, all day, I would be one happy girl. I love the heat. Love, love, love.

Lucky for me, it has been near 80 all week here. We're right down the road from Lake Erie, so we decided to cross off another Summer Bucket List item.

And I don't know about you, but when it's 80 out, there's no better place to be than the beach! :)

Aldon has been to the beach only once before in his life, on the 4th of July last year (he was 7 months old). He loved it! Needless to say, his affection hasn't changed any :)

Being that it's still mid May, the water of course was FREEZING. I wouldn't go in past my ankles. My fish child? Could barely stay out of it! Daddy braved the chill with him while mom watched from a safe, warm distance on the shore ;)

Wading in the FREEZING water. Crazy kids.

he thought it was hilarious how the sand stuck to his wet toes!

mama & toddler playing in the sand.

raking for buried treasures! he insisted we take every rock we found home. every. single. one.

laying out, soaking up the rays.

the best way to get sand off of your wet toes, according to Aldon.

Down On The Farm

The past few days last week in northeast Ohio were pretty cruddy, weather wise. Cold, no sunshine, just ick. Friday, it was a glorious near 80 and sunny! Taking advantage of that, we set out to explore the area a bit and possibly scratch an item or two off our Summer Bucket List.

Lucky for us, we stumbled upon Lake Metroparks Farmpark! The Farmpark, about 25 miles outside of Cleveland, boasts over 50 different breeds of livestock. They also have a dairy processing center- where you can see cows being milked and even get a hand at it yourself!, a greenhouse that showcases hydroponics, aquaponics, and organic gardening, and a Woodland Center that teaches the importance of forest conservation, and cultivating honey and maple syrup. They also have a Farmer's Market during crop seasons and sell CSA shares!

Aldon made so many new friends today on the farm! I know this is a place we will have to be visiting more than once (they're open year round!).

Yes, he's milking that cow! My little farmer toddler milked his first cow ;)

by far his favorite on the farm, were the sheep. I wish I knew how to upload it, but I have the funniest/cutest video of them having a sheep conversation. They would "baaaah" at him, and he would imitate them right back!

petting his first sheep.

these baby chickens had just hatched a few days before, he thought they were all ducks. no big deal.

In the plant science center, they replicated everything that goes on underground into one big tunnel-like exhibit. Aldon found this precious little gem and decided he needed some lovin'

oh, and the plant cow needs love, too.

Summer Bucket List

This summer will be my first go-'round with being a legit 'stay at home mom.' Last year, I took classes for part of the summer, and then had a few weeks off at the end where it was just Aldon and I. I'm starting to get worried about what I will do to fill our days, every day... I'm so used to having a to-do list, places to be, etc. 

So, to combat any possible boredom that may incur, Keegan and I sat down to write a "Summer Bucket List" of all things Aldon might want to do/accomplish before this summer kicks the bucket. I'm sure we will be adding to it in time, but here's what we have for now:

Things To Do Before Summer Kicks the Bucket:

- visit a petting farm/zoo

-go strawberry picking

-make homemade freezer jam

-visit a museum

-visit the Science Center

-go to the beach (eh duh)

-catch a fish

-build a sandcastle

-take home a seashell

-bury my parents in the sand/have them bury me

-learn how to blow a bubble

-make a friend

-slide down a water slide

-run through a sprinkler

-have a picnic

-go camping

-make a (real) s'more

-plant a flower/some other plant

-run barefoot through the grass

-stay up past my bedtime

-look at the stars & constellations at night

-wear floaties

-surprise daddy on father's day

-learn to count to 3 (possibly 5)

-learn my basic colors

-pick a flower

-write a letter/draw a picture to send to my grandparents and friends back in Michigan

Stay tuned to see how we tackle this list! :) 

{bell pepper}

How far along? 18 weeks! (Baby is the the length of a bell pepper)
Total weight gain: about 8ish pounds (despite looking like I swallowed a whole cantelope)

Maternity clothes? Maternity shirts mostly, I can still squeeze into my "mom jeans"
Stretch marks? Nope!
Sleep: I actually managed to stay up until 10 pm last night! Usually I'm sleeping by 9, and wake up around 6 am. However, since our move Toddler Wonder has been on all sorts of a whacked sleep schedule- this morning we were up at 5 am. Ew.
Best moment this week: Felt baby from the outside :)
Miss Anything? caffeine! (I have a feeling I will be saying this every week, but seriously on days like today it's a crime to not have it).
Movement: S/he hardly ever moves. Stinker. But I did feel some pretty good thumps yesterday!
Food cravings: Sour citrus fruits/flavors, and then just random things will pop into my head that all of a sudden sound amazing and I must have right now (today for example, it was cheesy lentils. I ate half of the pan. Moderation never has a set amount, after all)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Red meat, still. And oddly enough, sandwiches. Twice this week a sandwich (nothing fancy, just some sort of bread or wrap with usually turkey and tons of veg) sounded fantastic, but as soon as I took a bite it just grossed me out.
Gender: We will find out soon.... :)
Labor Signs: are a long ways away!
Symptoms:
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy now that things are finally settling down!
Looking forward to: Next baby appt in 2 weeks and finding out if Aldon has a baby brother or sister! 

please excuse my messy mantle behind me, I still haven't feng shui'd everything yet ;)

Whew! it's been a seriously long two weeks. I know, I missed week 17. I was busy ya know, moving to a different state and chasing after the three children I live with- hubs, toddler, and fur child.

I think Aldon is taking very well to being an Ohio babe. He's always had his own room, but our house in Michigan was older than this country I swear and his room wasn't exactly 'baby-proof' for him to just be able to roam and play in. He loves his new room! It's not uncommon for him to go in there and shut to the door so he can "have his privacy" to play with his toys. Seriously, toddlers are divas. 

Macy as well is livin' it up. She loves having much more yard space to play in. However, the birds, squirrels, chipmunks and deer also love the yard as well. And Macy doesn't love them loving "our" yard. So she barks. and barks. and barks. And lays out in front of the patio door and barks. and runs over to the huge window looking out the front and barks some more. I should probably mention that earlier this week made a special trip to go sign her up for "summer school" aka a 6 week training/obedience course ;)

Other than that, we are all just enjoying the month of down time we have! It feels so strange to not have an agenda every day... Keegan doesn't start with his company until mid June, so we've been spending the time going to the zoo, exploring the neighborhood, checking out the parks around us, driving down the lake (the whole three minute drive).... It's quite nice :) Later this week we have plans to check out downtown Cleveland more and explore the Great Lakes Science Center and theCleveland Children's Museum!  

I know I'm a horrible blogger (this is just more of a way to keep the masses updated), but I have SO many plans/ideas floating around for Aldon & I this summer that I plan on writing about! I'm excited!! Hopefully I'll be able to get them all down :) 

{avocado}

How far along? 16 weeks!
Total weight gain: down one pound from last week...

Maternity clothes? Maternity shirts mostly, I can still squeeze into my "mom jeans"
Stretch marks? Nope!
Sleep: I actually managed to stay up until 10 pm last night! Usually I'm sleeping by 9, and wake up around 6 am.
Best moment this week: Definitely felt some baby movements, and hearing baby's heartbeat for the first time.
Miss Anything? caffeine! I feel like a junkie going through withdrawals.
Movement: just a few flutters, and a small thumps.
Food cravings: Sour fruits, especially citrus. And smoothies, my kitchen has been a disaster the past few days cause I have been making smoothies nonstop! (my favorite, vanilla lime...yum) And no judgement here, but the craving for sour was so strong that I ate almost a whole container of frozen limeade concentrate straight, right out of the container. Yeah...
Anything making you queasy or sick: the thought of eating red meat, ugh.
Gender: We will find out soon.... :)
Labor Signs: are a long ways away!
Symptoms: Itchy, dry skin. It's relentless. The worst is my back, where I can't even reach to scratch/slather moisturizer all over without help.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  If it weren't for trying to get ready to move, I'd say happy buuut... this move is making me a little moody haha
Looking forward to: Finally being settled in in Ohio and done moving!! 

This week baby is the size of an avocado! Roughly 4 1/2 inches long and weighing 3 1/2 ounces

I had a doctor's appointment today and things are coming along perfectly! I'm measuring right on track and baby's heartbeat was good and strong (~156 bpm). S/He even kicked at the microphone looking thing the doctor was using to try and listen lol. I'm supposed to have another CBC this week to check my hemoglobin levels again, but with us moving it's being postponed until I see my doctor down there. The meds must be kickin' in though, cause I've been feeling terrific! I still have a few moments where I'm out of breath and dizzy, but not unbearable like it was. I can't believe the half way mark is already coming up... Which means at my next appointment we will probably be able to find out if baby is a boy or a girl!!