2nd Birthday Wishlist

Our little man’s SECOND birthday is coming up next month.  I can’t believe how time is flying!  We are planning a special birthday party at the babysitter’s house, complete with a delivered pizza lunch, juice boxes, cupcakes, balloons, and goodie bags.  He’s got real friends now!!  So rather than having a party for our adult friends, we decided to focus more on him this year.  We will, of course, celebrate with him on the day of by throwing him a special family party of our own!

We have a few gift ideas in mind.  Since he loves helping us in the kitchen, he's getting this KidKraft vintage play kitchen.  We will lend him some of our pots/pans/spatulas, but also like this toaster and this toy Keurig.  He loves planes and cars, so he's getting this Cars sticker book and this book about planes.  We also got him several new pairs of jammies, including Steve's favorite, these with the monkeys.  He'll also get some new bath paints for the tub.

The things Xavier picks up on at this age always amaze us.  On our walks around the neighborhood, he routinely waves and shouts out "Hello!" to everyone we pass.  Then he will say "Bye, love you!" just like how Steve and I talk!  He is very sociable and active on the playground.  He especially enjoys sliding down twisty slides and stopping at the bottom so he can jump off.  He likes swinging from the bar that's above the slides.  He just hangs, tucks his knees to his chest, and swings.  We never knew at this age he could hold his own weight.  And if there's a group of kids playing, it isn't long before Xavier is right in the middle of the group, playing along too, even if they are middle-school-aged!

See more favorites here!

Our Day in Pictures

And let me start by saying, staying at home all day is tough with a toddler!

I took the day off to spend time with my little man while Steve went to work.  We had a jam packed day filled with trips to the local donut shop, zoo, and a stop for ice cream.  Here's some highlights!

7:30 am - Xavier slept in a little, we raced around to get dressed and out the door for a quick breakfast and play date.

8:45 am - Local donut shop for goodies, which began and ended in Xavier's meltdown. He wanted to touch the donuts and is upset he can't.  I call Steve, on the verge of tears, to calm myself down.  It's not even mid-morning yet!

9:00 am - While Xavier is losing his mind in the backseat, I drive around checking the clock every 5 minutes to see how much time til Dad comes home hunting for the play cafe we are supposed to be meeting other moms for a play date.  Can't find it, throw other half of my donut and a sippy in the back seat, take loops around the highway, and magically, thank the Lord, get a calm, happy baby!

10:00 am - We end up, unexpectedly, at the zoo!

He fits right in with the big kids!

11:30 am - Head home for lunch and Xavier's nap.
On our way home, I noted a funny exchange between Nicki Minaj and Xavier:

While Xavier sleeps, I read some of my latest find at the library, "Primates of Park Avenue".  Think Upper East Side moms meets anthropology analysis.  Though somewhat fabricated, I'm sure, it's quite entertaining!

3:00 pm - Quick trip to get ice cream and play in the shop's play area.  Xavier eats from his first big boy cone.  We made it this far till Meltdown #2.  He didn't want to leave and let me know with his mean left hook!

4:00 pm - Head home for quiet time.  We watch some videos and sing songs together.

6:00 pm - Meet the "6:00 superhero" (Dad) at our favorite Mexican restaurant!  As we left the restaurant, we had Meltdown #3 resulting in Steve stepping on my ankle and me almost dropping Xavier, and somehow, all three of us ended up in a bear hug in the middle of the patio (don't ask).

6:30 pm - Finished our evening playing outside with Xavier, listening to him pointing out planes, cars, birds, and bicycles, throw mulch, and swing on his tree swing.

7:30 pm - Bath time, stories, and bed for our little man.

8:15 pm - OITNB with a delightful piece of Godiva chocolate :)

And an early bedtime for this tired Mama!

Summer Bucket List

Summer officially begins on Sunday, Father's Day.  Keeping with tradition of last year's Summer Bucket List, I'm rolling into the new season with a new List.  Some buckets on my list are repeats we enjoyed from last year.  I'm excited to hang out with the family and cross some off our list!

1.  Go to a Clippers Game.

2.  Enjoy lunch, poolside.

3.  Make pizza on the grill.

4.  Eat dinner on the back porch during a thunderstorm.  (Check - although it was quite a hectic adventure with "ass-hole burgers" as Steve called them, mulch throwing into the pool and on me, and crying/whining when rain hit Xavier on the head!  We need a redo!)

5.  Chase down the ice cream truck a few times.

6.  Make lots of homemade Popsicles

7.  Go on a bug hunt.

8.  Patron a few lemonade stands in our neighborhood.  These are just adorable!!

9.  Play in the rain and stomp on puddles!

10.  Complete Xavier's first Summer Reading Program at the library.

11.  Water balloon fight - Mom and Xavier take on Dad!

12.  Get lots of grass between our toes and dirt under our nails.  Making memories outside is what childhood summers are all about!

13.  Although it gets chaotic, soak up every single moment of summertime.  Before we know it, it will be gone!

It's been a great month of June so far!  Weekends are filling up quickly with activities and Xavier is definitely enjoying all the things summer has to offer!

A quick update on Xavier - today, he turned 22 months old (almost time to stop counting months!).  He's fierce on the playground, swatting people out of his way so he can climb up the bridge to get to the slide!  He's full of adventure and loves to point out a "pay" (plane), "sickle" (bicycle), "car", "burr" (bird), and "corr" (squirrel).  His favorite thing in the world right now is soaking up the outdoors.  He still calls me "uh-nee" (Honey) and is calling Steve "Mommy", "Daddy", and "eeee" (Steve).

Sending sunshine and summertime fun!  XOXO

5 Truths & 1 Lie

Ever played the game "Two Truths & A Lie" as an ice breaker?  I love hearing random things about people!  So I'm sharing some random things/confessions about me.  Hope I didn't just put my foot in my mouth on this one, LOL.  Here goes!

1.  Lately, I have been struggling with my patience level and mom guilt (mom guilt especially after Xavier goes to bed).  Whether it be for something I yelled at Xavier for (or Steve) or for not taking the time to do something I should have.  I need to remember Xavier is only a toddler, and that means tantrums and relentless whining.  But geesh, it's been every single day lately.  He's our little wild child, testing his limits, watching us with a tiny smile as he climbs on his train table to see if we will stop him.  I know it's a phase, but this one is the longest and most challenging.  Maybe when he turns five I will regain my sanity!
2.  Unsolicited advice on how to tame a toddler is, well, unsolicited.  Sometimes I vent just to vent, not because I'm searching for an answer.  Oddly enough, I do find myself giving it to other moms.

3.  I obsess about Xavier's photo sessions.  Whether it be that I haven't had enough pics taken of him to capture that chubby baby face, or that it's Mother's Day and I have to do a "Mommy & Me" session, or that I want the perfect holiday photo of us as a family!  After each session's photos come back, I count out the months until the next session.  It's June, and I'm already thinking about the next Christmas card.  But, I better get that 2nd birthday session scheduled first.  Good grief!!

4.  I want a double vodka with a splash of cranberry and a twist.
5.  Since I'm still in my prime time of having babies, and I only have one, and it's a boy, yep...I constantly get asked about number 2.  The thought of a number 2 crossed my mind about a month ago, but then I came home to Xavier's crayon art all over the woodwork we just had painted in our breezeway.  My response: Not anytime soon!!

6.  I did not eat 12 homemade chocolate chip cookies in one sitting this weekend.  Nope.

Can you spot the lie?

Spoiler Alert:  It's number 6!!  Who does that??

And because no blog post is complete without a photo, here's one.  It perfectly describes our relationship at this point in time.

Vacation Recap

Today, I am sulking because vacation is over, but of course very thankful we made it home in once piece.  Travelling with a toddler is a bit of a challenge, but overall totally worth it!  I can't imagine being away from our little man for an entire week and was so glad we could take him with us and have the relaxing time that we did.

It was Xavier's first experience on the beach.  He really liked the sand. His instincts kicked in as he bent down to pick up sand and throw it!

Jamaica has the warmest ocean water I've ever stepped in, felt just like bath water, in April of all months!  The water was clear, there were no shells, and zero seaweed.  My kind of beach :)

Xavier even wrote his name in the sand :)

Aside from the sandy beach, we also had a blast in the pool!

Xavier made lots of friends in the kiddie pool and LOVED sliding down the water slide, like a hundred times!  Mom and Dad also had a blast sliding down the adult twisty-tubey slides, like a hundred times:)  We had some help watching Xavier, so Steve and I had a ton of QT to hang out, teach each other how to play Backgammon (I'm now a HUGE fan!), and enjoy dinners without having to take care of the baby.

I was blown away by the perfect weather we had, 90 degrees and just enough breeze to keep us cool every day, and not a single drop of rain.  Jamaica also has some of the best sunsets!

The sweetest thing happened right before we left.  We made arrangements with my family to take the dog while we were gone.  That night, Xavier brought Steve the dog's toy and said "doggy."  Then he hugged Steve.  Awww, he missed his dog after only one hour!  So adorable :)

Disclaimer:  No filters used on any of our vacation pics.  There was no need to :)

Summer Vacation Favorites

Overall, Xavier did really well with the crazy travel schedule and time change.  We had a great time and can't wait to do it over again.  As promised, I've compiled a list of our favorite products, and tips/tricks for traveling with a baby for your summer vacation!  We didn't use a beach bag, but I like the cross body style of this one to keep both hands free.  My favorite summer color is gold and this one is very cute.

iGuy for iPad - We unfortunately did not get around to downloading movies to the iPad on the trip down (and regretted every second of it).  We downloaded some of his favorites for him to watch on the way home and it worked like a charm.  Another trick?  Check out the instructions for Guided Access.  It prevents your babies from moving between apps or deleting all of your rap music :)

Life Jacket - Xavier is at the age where he wants to go in the water, but doesn't want me to hold him.  This jacket ensures he won't escape and sink!  We like the under the legs strap to keep the jacket in place when he swims.
Sunscreen, Baby Powder, and Bug Spray - All three are essential.  Xavier wouldn't wear a hat, but the high SPF worked for keeping his head from sunburn, and we were basically on the equator.  Baby powder really works for getting sand off your skin!  And, although our resort does treatments to ensure no mosquitoes are around, I do recommend bug spray when around water!
Swimways Swim Float - He's getting to the age where he's about to tip this thing over, but we got this last summer and it works like a charm.  He loves kicking his feet underwater!  The canopy is great for shade.

Here are some other tips/tricks:

• Stock up on excessive amounts of large ziplocks.  They help you stay organized & sanitized with a baby/toddler.
• When boarding the plane, have someone go first and get everything situated on the plane while the other takes the kid for a walk to get out as much energy as possible.  Steve went first with the umbrella stroller (which doesn't count in your carry-on allotment) and our carry-ons, while I took Xavier on a walk and to get some snacks.  We were always the last to board, which meant 15-30 minutes less time Xavier had to spend in the seat.
• If your child is sitting on their own, and the flight is more than 60 minutes, buy the kid their own seat.  Per airline requirements, children under two are permitted to sit in laps (but still require a ticket and are charged taxes/fees).  We saved the money on the way down, but the flight back was empty so Xavier got his own seat.  It made a huge difference in his comfort (and our sanity).
• If you are spending a lot of time at the beach, look for hotels/resorts that offer beachfront cabanas for you to rent so you can keep the littles in the shade.  Dragging/packing an extra umbrella/tent with you and the baby and the stuff is just a pain.
• A few new toys or items they have never played with before will entertain them more than you'll ever know.  Even if you don't wan't to spend money on more toys, pick up random things, like glowsticks, the medicine dropper for the Tylenol, a calculator, or stacking cups to put snacks in and you just bought yourself an hour.
• Bring extra pacis.  So many extra pacis.  They will disappear faster than you'll ever know.
• You can never have too many sanitizing wipes/hand sanitizer.  Grossness is lurking everywhere.
• Spend the few extra dollars to get a separate room for your baby.  That way the baby can sleep soundly while you and hubby do your own thing.  And don't forget sleeptime extras, like the sound machine and monitor.

Xavier has ear tubes, so his ears never pop.  But from my own experience, drinking and eating during takeoff and landing helps, big time.  I also thought planning the flight during naptime would benefit us, but Xavier was so excited by the newness of it all, he skipped his nap.  On our flight back, he was so tuckered out from the trip, he slept most of the flight.  Next time, we will plan to take the 6am flight so we have a tired baby!

I think that's about it!  Xavier's interests are constantly changing.  My best advice is to keep an open mind and try to not stress about cleanliness (and pray that TSA is having a good day!)!

20 Month Update

Stats:  29 pounds

Clothes:  Still fitting well in 2T and 24-month clothes.  We dug out some of last year's shorts, which were this size, and they still fit!  I love putting him in hooded sweatshirts and cotton shorts with the numbers on them for baby varsity look!  He's wearing size 6.5 shoes.

Favorite Food:  bananas, green beans, spinach, pasta, French toast, Nutri-Grain bars, scrambled eggs, York Peppermint Patties (I love this kid), Donatella flavored gelato, Jamaican fruit cake, papaya, pineapple

Favorite Words:  "uh-neee" - Honey - He hears Steve call me that.  Now Xavier calls me that.  I plan on never correcting him :)

"tay-doo" - thank you

"na-na-na" - banana
"uh-oh", "bye-bye eee-ya", "I do!"

Least Favorite Activities:  diaper changes, going inside the house after playing outside when he's not ready (this is where the tantrums begin), sitting in the high chair for more than 5 minutes.

Favorite Activities:  Dipping his food in ketchup or honey with a corresponding "Dip!", dancing, throwing rocks into the street, pointing to the dog and giving him instructions (the same way I do!), petting the dog, giving Steve and me hugs when we come home, dumping buckets of toys and filling them back up.

Signature Moves:  Having conversations with strangers.  The other day, he ran down the driveway to meet our neighbor who had stopped in her car to talk to him.  With me by his side, he walked into the street and went right up to car, jabbering in response to her questions!

He also likes to wave "bye-bye", sit on his couch and eat snacks, and take all the pots/pans out of the cabinets and organize them neatly on the floor.  Sometimes, he'll even request a spatula and whip us up some dinner.

Mom's Proudest Moment: While changing Xavier's diaper, Xavier was chewing on what looked like raisins.  But, turns out, he somehow managed to get hold of a few pieces of his poop and eat it.  I thought I would throw up.  I brushed his teeth 5 times.

Dad's Proudest Moment:  On the way to the babysitter, the deejay's were talking about a new movie coming out by saying, "MILF's, like, you know, Mom's I'd Like to... dot, dot, dot".  Then Xavier repeated, "dah, dah, dah....dah, dah, dah".  When they brought up the V-word lady part, Steve quickly turned it off! (I'm wondering what in the heck Steve listens to in the mornings, haha!)

Other Milestones:  Grabs his bottom right after he poops and says "boo?".  Then he proceeds to pull his pants down.

Singing and dancing to the songs in Frozen.  He picks up a lot of words from this movie.  He likes to sing, "dee, dee, dee, dee....no" (Deep, deep, deep, deep snow.)

This is by far my most favorite age!  Yep!  He's so sweet and interactive with everyone around him, I love to sit back and watch it.  The favorite part of my day is when we play outside and throw sticks and stones together.  And then, he finds a little stoop to sit on, points to me with that little pointing finger, and asks me to come sit by him :)