CherryBerry Smile - yes, Micah helped me devour a huge frozen yogurt sundae on the way to Oxbow
Thursday, September 20, 2012
A weekend with "Gram" and "Papa"
This past weekend, Kyle went up North to get a final weekend in of fishing. Because it is challenging to keep our house "show ready" with an active toddler and a golden retriever, Micah, Brutus and I headed to Stewartville for the night. Micah always has a fun time with his grandparents, and Sunday was no exception. The weather was gorgeous, so we all headed over to Oxbow Park in Byron to check out the free zoo. Unfortunately, the zoo had closed by the time we arrived, but we still had a great time walking around the park and playing on some of the park's playground equipment.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
New House
It's a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and I am enjoying a few minutes of relaxation on the couch. The house is spotless, Kyle's working, and Micah and Brutus are both fast asleep for their afternoon naps. It has been a busy few weeks!
Last Friday, Kyle and I closed on our new house. We LOVE our new house, and are getting anxious to officially move into it and make it ours. The house itself needs paint and remodeling in areas. All will be done in time, as we fully intend that this house will be our "long term" house. Below are a few pictures of the inside. More outside pictures will be coming in another post.
Last Friday, Kyle and I closed on our new house. We LOVE our new house, and are getting anxious to officially move into it and make it ours. The house itself needs paint and remodeling in areas. All will be done in time, as we fully intend that this house will be our "long term" house. Below are a few pictures of the inside. More outside pictures will be coming in another post.
Kitchen - I'm so excited about all the counter and cupboard space
Main floor laundry room - new front loader washer/dryer to be delivered next week
Pantry off the kitchen
More kitchen - Brutus decided to place himself in every picture
Dining Room - and some of Micah's old toys/baby equipment that we started to move over
Upstairs Living Room
Micah's bathroom
Likely Micah's Room
Baby's Room
Master Bedroom (and new end tables that don't fit in our current bedroom)
Master Bathroom
Walk-Out Basement
More basement...
Guest bedroom
Guest Bathroom
And a few shots of our backyard from our deck
We are still living in 328, as we are patiently waiting for the right buyer to come along. Ironically, we did receive an offer on it last Friday, the day that we closed on our new house. It was first time home buyers, and they would have been able to close in early October without a contingency. Unfortunately, we could not come to an agreement on the price - after wanting us to pay closing costs, their offer was lower than what we paid for the house in 2008. We keep having consistent showings, so hopefully someone will love it as much as we have.
Currently, our new place is considered our "weekend home". We've been going up regularly, and already love the neighborhood. Everyone seems really friendly, and there are a few young kids around Micah's age. There's a great playground within walking distance of our house. Lucky Brutus as there are several dogs to socialize with in the neighborhood. Ironically, another pharmacist lives right across the street from us. Tomorrow, the neighborhood gets together for an annual picnic, so we are excited to meet more people.
Finally, a HUGE thank you to my Dad and Mom. They have been so generous and supportive with our house situation. Prior to 328 going on the market, they watched Micah for a few weekends in May/June to allow Kyle and I to get our house market ready. Once on the market, they have come down numerous times (and sometimes even at last minute) to assist with getting it ready for showings and/or open houses. They allowed Brutus to stay at their house from June until the end of August to avoid the stress of having to kennel him during the day should a showing arise. They would've kept Brutus longer too, but we began missing him a lot. My mom watched Micah during the closing, as our daycare was closed for staff training. They've assisted with moving and landscaping at our new house. They've offered financial support should we need it. They truly have been amazing throughout this entire process, and we are both so thankful for everything that they have done for us.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Sleep
As I stated in Micah's 19 month post, sleeping in the Raadt house over the past month has been less than desirable. Within a short period of time, Micah went from consistently sleeping 10-12 hours/night to waking up and screaming for up to 2 hours straight in the middle of the night. Kyle and I would take turns rubbing his back, rocking him, and laying on his bedroom floor trying to get him to calm down and go back to sleep. In the end, he would end up throwing all of the blankets, stuffed animals, and even his pacifier out of the crib, and would eventually fall back to sleep from crying so hard. It was definitely a difficult time for Kyle and myself, as I would generally end up in tears too due to lack of sleep and complete frustration!
Throughout this month, Kyle and I went back and forth on transitioning Whippy into a toddler bed. At Micah's 15 month well child appointment, our pediatrician had warned us that he was nearing 35 inches, and at a risk for climbing out of his crib. At that time, he was sleeping great in his crib, so we clearly weren't in a hurry to transition him into a toddler bed. And, up until August 26th, he had made no attempts at climbing out of his crib.
On August 26th, Whippet's 19-month birthday, Kyle and I awoke to a hard thud coming from Micah's bedroom accompanied by loud crying. Micah had bailed over the side of his crib. Our decision was instantaneously made that he would not sleep another night in his crib. Unfortunately, we had to make our first trip the ER that morning, as Whippy began vomiting, was lethargic, and had some balance problems. It was concluded that he had probably sustained a concussion - poor guy! But, he rebounded quick, and we even continued with our plans to go up North that day.
Micah got a new toddler bed and all the necessary bedding last Wednesday. We picked one out at Ikea on our way up North on Aug 26th, and picked it up on our way home. The first few nights, he woke up several times throughout the night, and would want to play with his toys for hours at a time. He's currently still waking up 2 times/night and coming into our room to check in with us, but it's getting easier to carry him back to his room and put him back to sleep. And, either way, it's better than having what seemed like endless hours of screaming. We're optimistic that one of these nights he'll return to sleeping through the night...
Throughout this month, Kyle and I went back and forth on transitioning Whippy into a toddler bed. At Micah's 15 month well child appointment, our pediatrician had warned us that he was nearing 35 inches, and at a risk for climbing out of his crib. At that time, he was sleeping great in his crib, so we clearly weren't in a hurry to transition him into a toddler bed. And, up until August 26th, he had made no attempts at climbing out of his crib.
On August 26th, Whippet's 19-month birthday, Kyle and I awoke to a hard thud coming from Micah's bedroom accompanied by loud crying. Micah had bailed over the side of his crib. Our decision was instantaneously made that he would not sleep another night in his crib. Unfortunately, we had to make our first trip the ER that morning, as Whippy began vomiting, was lethargic, and had some balance problems. It was concluded that he had probably sustained a concussion - poor guy! But, he rebounded quick, and we even continued with our plans to go up North that day.
Micah got a new toddler bed and all the necessary bedding last Wednesday. We picked one out at Ikea on our way up North on Aug 26th, and picked it up on our way home. The first few nights, he woke up several times throughout the night, and would want to play with his toys for hours at a time. He's currently still waking up 2 times/night and coming into our room to check in with us, but it's getting easier to carry him back to his room and put him back to sleep. And, either way, it's better than having what seemed like endless hours of screaming. We're optimistic that one of these nights he'll return to sleeping through the night...
Labor Day mid-afternoon snooze in the new bed.
Monday, September 3, 2012
19 Months
Happy 19-month birthday Little Man! Over the past month, I feel like I've noticed the most changes in our little Whippet in the shortest amount of time. At times, he seems more like a little kid to me than a toddler. A tantrum over something petty will generally bring me back to the reality that we are still raising a toddler. Here's what Whippy has been up to over the past month.
1) Language has exploded - literally! As you recall in my 18 month post, Kyle, myself, and our pediatrician were all a little concerned about Micah's meager vocabulary which had prompted us to schedule a 21 month follow up versus the typical 2 year well child visit. I'm considering canceling. Something has clicked within Micah where he probably has at least 50 words or sounds. In addition to bus, truck, mama, dada, etc we've added cracker, apple, "mmmm" for milk, hose, oh-no, circle, up, "popper" for popper toy, blocks, oatmeal, pop and several more. It's fun to hear his little voice.
2) Wears 2T clothes, size 6 shoes, and size 5 diapers.
3) Books are still a favorite toy. His book collection has probably grown to over 50 books, and he wants us to read them to him all...the...time. Several of his books have been read so many times that they're being held together by tape, which is a wonderful reminder of how much this kiddo loves to read.
4) Eating is hit or miss with him. He's definitely become more picky, but I still refuse to have a standby supply of hotdogs or chicken nuggets in the refrigerator should he not like what we're having for supper. He's now developed a sweet tooth, and loves ice-cream, or "ice" as he calls it.
5) Went an entire week without a pacifier! Unfortunately, life circumstances have caused him to start up again, but we are now down to only at bed time.
6) Loves to dance - favorite song is "Wheels on the Bus" by Pete the Cat. Check it out on YouTube - the video is quite entertaining.
7) We've just started to begin potty training. When I say started, I mean that he plays a role in flushing the poo-poo from a dirty diaper down the toilet.
8) Loves brushing his own teeth, but does not like when Dad nor Mom try to assist.
9) Sleeping has not been great over the past month. More on that in an upcoming post.
10) Does not like having his fingernails nor toenails clipped.
11) Is growing a nice mullet. He is probably in need of a haircut, but I can already envision the kicking, screaming and tears that would accompany it. And, I guess that I'm not ready to part with those cute little curls too.
12) Continues to excel in motor skills - running, jumping, going up and down the stairs without assistance. climbing on furniture, etc.
13) Still has tantrums, but they have decreased in frequency : ) Unfortunately, he's been hitting a lot, especially when he gets angry at us. We've started timeouts, and they are not being well received!
14) Knows that a baby exists in mom's stomach, and will give him/her kisses on command.
15) Still demonstrating only a few minute interest in Sesame Street or Thomas the Train. Unfortunately, I caught him watching and enjoying the Nascar race tonight. He's still a few years away from buying any Wrangler jeans and a Kyle Busch shirt. And, several years away from attending a guy's Nascar trip out to Las Vegas with Kyle.
16) Loves to help cook, but has a better understanding that the stove is "hot" and isn't so adamant watching something cook on it.
17) Loves going for bike rides in his Burley. His tolerance for stroller rides is decreasing though. He wants to get out and walk after sitting in his stroller for any extended length of time.
18) Enjoys being given choices such as when picking out clothing.
19) Future race car or truck driver - maybe? Whippy loves to be in the driver seat of anything. On a recent trip up North, he enjoyed pretending to drive our 4 Runner.
1) Language has exploded - literally! As you recall in my 18 month post, Kyle, myself, and our pediatrician were all a little concerned about Micah's meager vocabulary which had prompted us to schedule a 21 month follow up versus the typical 2 year well child visit. I'm considering canceling. Something has clicked within Micah where he probably has at least 50 words or sounds. In addition to bus, truck, mama, dada, etc we've added cracker, apple, "mmmm" for milk, hose, oh-no, circle, up, "popper" for popper toy, blocks, oatmeal, pop and several more. It's fun to hear his little voice.
2) Wears 2T clothes, size 6 shoes, and size 5 diapers.
3) Books are still a favorite toy. His book collection has probably grown to over 50 books, and he wants us to read them to him all...the...time. Several of his books have been read so many times that they're being held together by tape, which is a wonderful reminder of how much this kiddo loves to read.
4) Eating is hit or miss with him. He's definitely become more picky, but I still refuse to have a standby supply of hotdogs or chicken nuggets in the refrigerator should he not like what we're having for supper. He's now developed a sweet tooth, and loves ice-cream, or "ice" as he calls it.
5) Went an entire week without a pacifier! Unfortunately, life circumstances have caused him to start up again, but we are now down to only at bed time.
6) Loves to dance - favorite song is "Wheels on the Bus" by Pete the Cat. Check it out on YouTube - the video is quite entertaining.
7) We've just started to begin potty training. When I say started, I mean that he plays a role in flushing the poo-poo from a dirty diaper down the toilet.
8) Loves brushing his own teeth, but does not like when Dad nor Mom try to assist.
9) Sleeping has not been great over the past month. More on that in an upcoming post.
10) Does not like having his fingernails nor toenails clipped.
11) Is growing a nice mullet. He is probably in need of a haircut, but I can already envision the kicking, screaming and tears that would accompany it. And, I guess that I'm not ready to part with those cute little curls too.
12) Continues to excel in motor skills - running, jumping, going up and down the stairs without assistance. climbing on furniture, etc.
13) Still has tantrums, but they have decreased in frequency : ) Unfortunately, he's been hitting a lot, especially when he gets angry at us. We've started timeouts, and they are not being well received!
14) Knows that a baby exists in mom's stomach, and will give him/her kisses on command.
15) Still demonstrating only a few minute interest in Sesame Street or Thomas the Train. Unfortunately, I caught him watching and enjoying the Nascar race tonight. He's still a few years away from buying any Wrangler jeans and a Kyle Busch shirt. And, several years away from attending a guy's Nascar trip out to Las Vegas with Kyle.
16) Loves to help cook, but has a better understanding that the stove is "hot" and isn't so adamant watching something cook on it.
17) Loves going for bike rides in his Burley. His tolerance for stroller rides is decreasing though. He wants to get out and walk after sitting in his stroller for any extended length of time.
18) Enjoys being given choices such as when picking out clothing.
19) Future race car or truck driver - maybe? Whippy loves to be in the driver seat of anything. On a recent trip up North, he enjoyed pretending to drive our 4 Runner.
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