1st Haircut and Super Hero Cape

The pictures will tell the story here! No tears for little Chase during his first haircut, just pure love - getting to drive the car and watch a movie! He did have a BIG brother as a good role model to show him how it's done!

 This was a big day for Lance too however.... he has been scared to wear the cape ever since his first haircut and has refused at every haircut. But today, we told him that Chase was going to wear a superhero cape and he should try it too, and what do you know, he did!

CHASE update

One might think that since I am STILL not working, that I might be on top of so many things - projects, cleaning, blog, pictures, losing weight, etc. I don't know where my time goes.... I take that back - I do know where my time goes. Watching after a rambunctious, smiley, busy 16 month old! And picking up toys, grocery shopping (and other shopping in general) along with dishes, laundry, the normal stuff.... and maybe a few too many naps while Chase still naps - GUILTY I am!

So, here goes both the 15 & 16 month update. I actually do keep notes on my phone to make these updates easier. I had numerous entries for the 15 month update that just never made it to the blog... so you all get to suffer through 2 months of a growing little boy.

Yes, Santa brought me a new backdrop and lights for Christmas, but I have yet to set it up and them a try - I have a feeling that there is a photo shoot in the near future in this house! For these updates you will get the oh so handy iPhone pics - I need to kill the obsession of taking so many. It's just so convenient to capture every moment that we will NEVER get back!

At 15 months YOU:

• are my little climber - onto the couch and up onto the step stool (to brush teeth with your brother!)
• have made cooking dinner the most - MOST - frustrating part of my day. When I get into the fridge, you want something from the fridge - NOW. When I get into the cupboard to get out ingredients for dinner, you want something from the cupboard - NOW. Doesn't matter if I have given you a snack, doesn't matter if you already have a cup of water. You also love to pull EVERYTHING out of the drawers that I have not locked so that while I am walking around trying to put together dinner or set the table, I trip every 3rd step over the lids, cups, etc. I smile while writing this, but OH I am not smiling while fixing dinner most nights. - I sure wish you liked TV a little more for about 20 minutes at dinnertime. Ok, I'll stop with that one.
• LOVE books. You're finally at the cutest age where you find a book, turn around and back your little bottom up to my lap (or anyone lap) to sit and read a book. I love it probably just as much, if not more than you do.
• want to eat with utensils. So the messy eating begins, but as I remember with Lance, you'll get the hang of it pretty soon.
• got into a few presents before Christmas and had a few favorite ornaments that came off the tree EVERY day. :-)
• tell me "nigh nigh" as I am closing the door after I lay you down for your naps or bedtime. Doesn't sound exactly like nigh nigh, but I know what you are trying to say.
• found a love for a remote control car - and BOY do you love the horn on that toy. BEEP BEEP BEEP until the battery needs to be charged.
• think it's fun to chase me or anyone around the kitchen island
• just love to crawl through tunnels (and hide in them when it's time to go number 2)
• have such a LOVE for your Daisy
• babble all the time! Not too many words yet - I'll post all the words on the below 16 month update. You learned a lot from 15 to 16 months I must say.
• DANCE DANCE DANCE and spin in circles. The way you dance is so .... smooth! You dip your little shoulders back and forth. A tiny bit of hip movement. And when you do it from your highchair - Oh my! If that doesn't make someone smile.... mark that as one of the cutest things ever I am going to miss so much.

At 16 months YOU:

• nap twice a day still - we tried the 1 nap switch, but it's just not time yet. Like clockwork, you are ready for a morning nap around 9:30 ish, which lasts around 45 min to an hour. Then you are ready again around 1:30 ish for the afternoon nap that is usually around 2 or 2.5 hours. One lucky Mommy here. So ya, I should probably not nap so much and do something with that precious time. You're also down for bed no later than 7 and get up pretty much right at 7. Hasn't been too many night awakenings - one good little sleeper just like your brother. We are the luckiest parents!
• are wearing size 6 shoes and into 18 month clothes
• follow your brother everywhere and are starting to want to do everything he is. You love having him around so much, even though he doesn't always want you around.... you do like to knock down his towers, take his Lego's when he is trying to build. It's so tough, I know.
• and your brother do the BEST hot dog dance (from Mickey clubhouse) EVER! Need to get that one on video - I'll add it to my list. The dip of the shoulders, the sway of your bottom, up on tip toes - Oh, it's the cutest!
• eat a vitamin (just like your brother) every morning with breakfast. Mom is still worried about choking (even though you have almost 10 teeth in) So I cut it in half. But when you see me get out those vitamins, boy do you get excited!
• are an EXPERT at turning around and sliding down the stairs - and when we get to the bottom, you love shutting the gate and clapping and chanting "YAY" for yourself. (I'm grinning big picturing you doing this!)
• can do sign language for the following words: apple, cat, all done, book, fire truck (some of these might be our own sign we made up!), please, more, paci, thank you - just getting started on that one.
• say the following words - and again, to clarify, a person off the street would probably not know what you are saying (with exception to the first few) but Mom and Dad know just what you are saying. The babbling is turning into talking: Dada, Ba Bye, shoes, Daisy, tractor, cracker (those two sound a lot alike), nigh night, brother (bubba), and the BIG ONE - that everyone understands and that you say ALL THE TIME. "UH oh" But it's more like uh ooohhhh, with the emphasis on the second part.
• shrug your shoulders and hold your arms out with hands pointed up - saying "go?" asking where did it go? When you wake up from a nap, it's the first thing you do, asking where your brother is - so sweet!
• are learning about emotions, mostly from a book and flashcards on the iPad. When we get to "crying" you seriously almost start crying ( I think because I am fake crying) but when you learned that "laughing" comes after crying, (and because I do a hilarious laughing impression" You get so excited and are quite the little actor with your laughing too! The best I must say though is your "SURPRISE!" Your eyes get so big and your mouth as wide as it can get. I just LOVE it
• your favorite books are Good Night Gorilla (mostly because of the surprise page I think) and the set of 4 books that Lance loved too - just one picture and word per page (Colors, First Words, Trucks, Animals) You sit so still and bring one book after another.....
• think its the best to drop Lance off at school and hang out in his classroom.
• get into my bathroom drawers (yes, they need locks) and like to play with my headband. I put it on your head, but you like to put it under your chin like a necklace - makes me chuckle.
• are just a happy, energized, on the go, curious, friendly little guy that makes me and so many people smile - especially the people at the stores when we shop. You wave and say Hi to everyone
• CLIMB on anything and everything you think you can climb on! Which means ALL eyes must be on you constantly.

I guess I can end with that - although I am sure there is something I am missing. Honestly, such a fun age right now. Such personality - just a happy go lucky little guy. And what I love most is that you make everyone else smile :-) At the grocery store, at a restaurant waving, blowing kisses......

And now some pics to follow that LONG update!

"hellOOOOOOO"

 He He, Look at MEEEE......

 A little iPad flashcard fun.... until you press the round button over and over and over again!

 Helping, or NOT helping with the laundry! I put it in the dryer, you take it out.

 the SMILE i love the BEST

 My little fruit monster! Screams for a spoon, then eats with his hands because it goes in MUCH quicker.

 Daisy Love, oh Daisy Love!

 Crawling up and all over the couch

 Must brush teeth at least 2 o 3 times a day!

Weekend Chicago "adventure"

Ya, we'll call it an adventure......

It's Friday night before a 3 day weekend and Keegan and I are talking about what we will do for the extended weekend. The usual conversation "I don't know, stuff around the house I guess." There was a free John Deere hockey night, so Keegan planned to take Lance to that on Saturday night - he was so excited to take him and I was excited for him too! I get a call less than an hour after the game had started "we're on our way home, you need anything?" Lance was ready to leave after his popcorn snack- 30 minutes, bummer! And all he could tell me when he got home was "I saw Spider Man Mommy!" They saw a man in a Spider Man costume for about 5 seconds - the highlight of his night I think.

Sunday morning we pack up quickly and head on the road for a quick trip to Chicago with the boys. We had talked it all out Friday night and were pretty excited for this spontaneous trip, after all we had an amazing 10 year weekend there! Museum, lunch somewhere fun, Disney Store, his first subway ride, Shed Aquarium, swimming at the hotel pool......

It probably wasn't really as bad as I make it out to be, but DISASTER is a word that comes to mind quickly as I reminisce on the feelings we both had during and on our ride home from the weekend. Chase only slept 20 minutes on the car ride up, which is so unusual for him and not what we had planned for (rule number 1, 16 month olds are not predictable and plannable - nor are 3 and a half year olds!) We had a nice but brisk, just short of a mile walk to Navy Pier to the Children's Museum. And after only being at the museum for an hour and a half, which by the way was not free like I was told when we joined the museum here in the QC, the boys were both antsy, a little cranky, and just not enjoying the exhibits to the fullest, plus it really was time for a late lunch.... at a sit down restaurant of course - HA. What were we thinking anyway? (BEER maybe?) I had packed the best goody bag of different snacks and toys and stickers... good thing they brought the food quick.  They weren't terrible, just ready to do something else, especially Chase, like nap! The walk back was not bad. A bit chilly, but no crying... we'll just get back to the hotel, check in, get Chase down for a nap and then have a nice evening that we had all planned out.... you know where this is going, right?

No napping of course. Hmmm... much to Lance's disapproval, we packed up and headed out again for a walk to the Disney Store - surely a 3 year old can't pass up a new toy, right? Less than a mile walk, getting colder, Chase tired, Lance a little tired and mad because he ONLY wanted to swim - we arrive at Disney Store. Lance immediately spots Jake and the Neverland Pirate toys, then his eyes drift more and more and more, from one Disney theme to the next and he just can't decide which toy he wants. He finally picks one out, and as we stand in line, he panics and decides he really wants something else.....  all while Keegan and I take turns walking Chase around the Disney Store as his eyes grow heavier and heavier! Lance decides on a toy, Chase falls asleep... now what? A cab ride back to the hotel! Lance had a huge smile on his face the entire way back, and excitedly asked if he could sit up on his knees so he could see out. Riding in a car without a car seat is a BIG deal for a 3 year old you know!

Daddy held Chase in his arms in the lobby for a 30 minute nap while Lance and I walked around to check out the hotel. Then, FINALLY, swim time..... Suits on, anxious and then frustrating that we were so out of sorts that we had difficulty finding the pool, really? And then... Brrrrr.... nice heated room, not so nice and warm pool. We managed for almost 45 minutes - the boys could care less. Chase thought it was the BEST!

If we were on "at home routine time" it would be bedtime, BUT pretty sure we can't call it a night in a hotel at 6:45, right? So, we throw the boys in the bathtub. Keegan and I start in on our beers packed on ice, and order a pizza. (So much for that plan of the train ride up to Wrigley ville for a fun dinner - what were we thinking!?!?) The boys play, read books, play on the iPad, eat some snacks while Dad cabs it to pick up the pizza, and then a fun time listening to some whining from the little guy before we all finally hit the hay by 9:30 - WHEW!

Windy and cold walk out to the Children's Museum at Navy Pier.

 What Lance was talking about for the entire car ride up and the entire time while at the museum and lunch... swimming in the pool. Chase could care less about it being cold, he thought it was the BEST!

 "HELLO Chicago!" They just loved looking out at the city from our hotel room.

Pics from the Museum:

Favorite part of the museum, except for Lance's sleeves getting wet of course! There were some smiles and laughter in between the other not so fun moments.....


A little bowling.

 Dad showing Lance how to work the catapult, watch OUT

 Diggin for Dinosaur bones......

 Chase drives while Lance washes the windows. This might have been Lance's favorite activity at the museum, other than the water play area.

 Say CHEESE

The trip wasn't over after day 1 though.... even though I suggested it should be after some temper tantrums before we even had breakfast! We had plans to go to the Aquarium, and that is what we were going to do. No sense in driving all that way for a night stay and driving straight home, even if it would have saved us frustration and a slight raise in blood pressure ;-) LOL.

Breakfast plans.... changed to Joy quickly getting out at a Dunkin Donuts and eating in the car on the way to the Aquarium - finishing up in the cheaply priced $20 parking garage. Another mile, but much colder and windier walk to the entrance (Two boys crying at this point....) A short wait for tickets, thank you GOD, to find out that general admission does not include; sharks, dolphins, whales or the Polar Play. "Whatever, they aren't going to last anyway!" After one, maybe two fish tanks, Lance says "I want to see the sharks!" "Sorry buddy, we don't have wrist bands for that" Which creates much sadness..... we divert once, then "I want to see the jelly fish!" Umm..... apparently those aren't included in the general admission either. Oh boy, upset again.... Snack maybe? Ok, I'll stop there because I think it is understood how this trip went. In and out in less than 45 minutes.  

The boys were buckled in their car seats, the DVD in and playing, Chase with his pacifier.... Ahhhh..... peace, relaxed! And we talked and chuckled for almost an hour about the trip and about future trips, and the reality of those, or not!

Thanks for tuning in on the long one! One for some reason I didn't want to forget, despite the frustration and disappointment.