Toby: 13 months

I have no idea when I'll stop doing these updates. What I can tell you is that they will included less food/diaper facts. I am no longer keeping track of his diapers! Well, that's kind of a lie. On the days Nanny comes in I still make sure she keeps track of everything, just so we know what Toby was up to that day.

On June 23rd, Toby turned 13 months old. I have a toddler. He has been a toddler for a month.

He's just so awesome. And fun.

 

Aaron is on school vacation starting TONIGHT! Today is his last day of school. I am so psyched. That means we will have 4/7 days together as a family. I will still be working 3 days per week during the summer and Nanny will still be coming in two days per week. While I had originally hoped to not pay someone through the summer, I also came to realize that it's not fair to ask someone to take a 13 week unpaid vacation. I was afraid she'd look for another job. And could you blame her?

 

So, we agreed to keep her on for a minimum of 10 hours per week. I'm happy with this decision because it will keep her happy (we love her and want to keep her!!) and it will also give Aaron time to do the things he wants to get done around the house (paint the exterior, rebuild our rock walls, do some landscaping, remodel the bathroom, put on a new roof. You know, the usual! wink.) So, I guess with his to-do list ever growing, it's good that we still have someone coming in two days per week.

 

Toby is so much fun. We are really looking forward to summer activities with him. He's very very curious and doesn't stop. I am loving this stage.

 

 

We are no longer doing pictures in the "brown chair" in his nursery. That was soooooo last year, pah-leeeze! We are going to do our monthly pictures in front of his "growth" chart. Aaron and I bought him this wooden growth chart for his birthday and every single month (we started on his 1st birthday) we are going to measure him on it.

 

 

 

Free touch a truck event at the local library. (Free ice cream too!)

 

Mr. Mister eats real food. Garlic green beans, mushroom ravoli, blueberries, cheese!

Hummus, tomato, steak, Annie's Mac & cheese, and of course, the staples of his diet,
blueberries and avocado!

 

Okay, let's gossip about Mr. Mister:

• He has 6 beautiful teeth.
• He's crawling everywhere and getting into everything! I don't mind though.
• He eats everything we eat. He no longer gets purees. He drinks whole milk. The kid loves onions and mushrooms (there is the proof he's really mine) and he mostly feeds himself (except yogurt and ice cream, for obvious reasons.) He's such a good eater. We still haven't done honey or peanut butter, but we plan to this month. He has had pretty much everything else!
• He stands alone, without support. Frequently.
• HE TOOK ONE STEP UNASSISTED LAST NIGHT! (Gasp!)
• He HATES to be inside. He loves being outdoors. We go for a walk every single night after dinner/before bed if the weather permits (he "drives" in his little car [AKA: we push him.])
• He loves the water. Camp will certainly be a fun time this summer!
• He has added "down" and "hot" to his vocabulary. "Hot" sounds a lot like he's trying to hock phlegm out of his throat.
• He uses quite a few signs. He also signs "dog" occasionally.
• Speaking of which, he's obsessed with our animals. All of them.
• We dropped bottles all together over a month ago so, we're working on Binky now. He occasionally gets it during the day and always at naps, night, and car rides. I would like to take it from him during the day completely but, he recently started grinding his teeth and I can't stand the sound of it so, selfishly, I gave Bink back. But soon we're going to pull it during the day.
• I am very proud to say my kid still hasn't watched TV. We haven't had a TV in this house for almost a year (okay, we have a 20 inch in our bedroom that we only use to watch the occasional movie.) BUT, the kid has NEVER watched it. I plan to keep it that way for a long time. He can entertain himself with a book or blocks, so, why give it to him? (Granted, we'd have to actually buy a TV/cable if we wanted to let him watch it.) One thing we do plan to do when he gets a little older is have a family movie night. We will make popcorn in our new popcorn machine and watch a movie together once per week. I really want him to view TV as a treat not a pastime. Aaron and I don't particularly enjoy TV so obviously that's why this is the mission of our family. I get that different things work for different families; I don't judge if you let your kid watch TV. We have just made the choice long ago not to let our son watch.
• He's just so curious. I can't get over how much he likes to explore. He can figure things out pretty quickly.
• He talks (babbles) a lot. He will carry on a "conversation" with pretty much anyone.
• He loves to laugh and sing.
• He still sleeps through the night. Bedtime is 7:30. He's starting to wake a bit earlier now, about 5:30, which is a bit rough for us.
• He still loves music. He has quite an array of musical instruments now. Legit, instruments. He has a tambourine, drumsticks, a rain-stick, maracas... and a few other things. It's pretty ridiculous. He will dance all over the place.
• We still go to a lot of classes. We do a lot of experience-based things. I can't stand keeping him cooped so, even if it's going to the mall or the library, we always find things to do.
• He has a very very busy summer. I'm a hound when it come to activities. This week alone he is booked every day! (Park today, Storytime tomorrow morning with Daddy, Swim lessons tomorrow evening with Mama and Daddy, A Solar System event Wednesday night, A concert Thursday, A hike or kayaking on Friday.. and who knows what the weekend will bring.) I try to find something for him at least 4-5 times per week. A lot of the activities are short; 1-2 hours long but it gets him out of the house, learning, and keeps him social. He loves it. I just don't see keeping him in the house if there are things we can do to learn... (and many of them for free!)