15mths Old

The summer is flying by, and Warren seems to be growing quicker every day. Here's what he's up to these days:

1) Weighs about 23.5lbs
2) Walks all over the place, then walks some more (who needs toys when you can walk?)
3) Says so many words I've decided to stop trying to keep track
4) Makes sounds for some animals - cow, dog, chicken, cat
5) Still loves VH1 music videos - right now he really likes "Can't Be Tamed" by Miley Cyrus and "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" by Angel Taylor. Otherwise he is disinterested in TV (except when the Two and a Half Men theme song comes on; he loves that!)
6) Obsessed with the book The Diggingest Dog and insists it be read to him before he sleeps
7) Has nine teeth, but the tenth is about to pop through any day
8) Likes to stick his face in his bath water and has figured out how to lay on his belly in the tub
9) Loves to be chased
10) Pulls up our shirts at the most inopportune times just to see our belly buttons
11) Has discovered his manly parts! LOL
12) Favorite fruit is blueberries and strawberries
13) Favorite snack is still yogurt covered raisins, but his Goldfish pretzel crackers are running a close second.
14) Points and says, "What's that?" ALL THE TIME!!!!!!
15) Gets either super silly or exceedingly evil when he is tired
16) Enjoys "helping" with anything, esp. loading the dishwasher and cooking
17) Plays well with Cleo and chases her around trying to get her tail
18) Keeps his plate on his tray and doesn't throw it on the floor; he hands it to us when he is all done... his cup, on the other hand, is still a work in progress
19) Continues to get into Cleo's food and water bowls - yesterday he stuck his foot, shoe and all, in her water bowl.
20) Is wearing 18mths in most clothes, and a 4 in shoes
21) Obsessed with seeing the neighbor dog, Shadow - we are trying to teach Warren that Cleo is a dog, too, but seeing that even Cleo doesn't know that, it's been rather difficult.
22) Mr. Independent, all the way
23) Has had so many haircuts, I've lost track. I think five. He doesn't even cry.
24) Likes arcade car games and kiddie ride machines
25) Is learning how to play with Playdough

Warren, everyday that I am with you, my heart melts and explodes all at the same time. Daddy and I are so proud of you, and we are working hard to help you make the right choices even now (like sharing - you don't really like that idea much).

You have been walking for about 10 days now, and you are so steady and confident it's as if you've been walking your whole life. It makes me a little sad, but overwhelmingly proud at the same time. You have a fabulous sense of humor and you seem to do things on purpose just so we'll laugh at you. It's easy to wake with a smile at 5:45am when I know I'll get to see your face and hold you close.

Bye-bye Paci

Today Warren had to get his MMR and chicken pox vaccines - one in each leg. Later when we got home, he noticed the bandaid on his leg and just kept looking at it. He would go and sit in the corner, pull up his pant leg, and "talk" about his bandaid. Then he would go to his chair, and do the same thing all over again. It was so funny, but just showed how much he is growing and maturing.

This afternoon we filled up the pool and played in the water. Warren loves the garden hose, and he kept drinking water out of it - so much so we turned off the water for fear that he would drown himself! LOL He thought daddy needed to play with it, too.

Of course no day in the pool is complete without a freeze pop. You can't really see it, but the green juice had stained lips and around his mouth.
Warren started walking on his own while we were in Ponca the first of this month, but the past couple days, he has been walking all over the place. We caught it on video today.

For the past week we've only let Warren have his paci at bedtime, but tonight we had him throw them all away in the trashcan (he LOVES throwing things away). Then we had him carry the trash bag to the trash barrel outside and say bye-bye to his pacis. When it was time for bed he cried a little, but not too much considering what he had just given up. I'm hoping for a smooth night.

Oklahoma Visit

June 2nd, we left for our summer family visitation in Oklahoma. This time we left after I got off work, drove to Ardmore (3hrs), and stayed in a hotel. It was nice not to have to drive the full 8hrs at one time. We stayed at the LaQuinta Inn and Suites (highly recommended, esp. if you have pets). We were just leaving the hotel in this pic.

Warren just has to help us with everything now - even luggage.

While we were in the hotel, Warren occupied himself with the ice bucket and toilet paper. Don't worry, we cleaned it all up before we left.

Thursday we drove about 3hrs and arrived in Tulsa to see Grandma Brown, Janice, and the kids, and Cristy and Kheara. Somehow I only got a pic of Gma Brown. We had so much fun with them. Warren even got to swim twice!

After a couple days in Tulsa, we headed to Ponca City to see the rest of our family. Unfortunately, Warren was a bit moody from not feeling well (he cut another tooth!). Here are a couple pics of his "drama."

Bathtime is always fun, no matter what kind of mood he's in.

Warren started walking by himself while we were there! Here he is walking to his Papa, whom he adores. One of Warren's favorite times during our trip was when he got to ride in Papa's wagon with his cousins, John and Sarah.

Warren got to help his grammie make spaghetti sauce!

While he was a little shy off and on, it didn't take Warren long to adjust to all the family members this time around.

Here he is with his Aunt Kim.

With his Aunt Sumer.

With his "Nina" (Roy's mom).

With his Uncle Gregg.

I can't believe this is my little baby! He's doing so much more now and saying so many words I have decided it's impossible to keep track of them all!

14 Mths Old

While Warren seems to be slow to walk on his own, he is not slow to speak. He says the following words: boo, dog, book, Cleo, juice, vroom (I guess that officially a noise, but I'm counting it!), banana, bath, broom, mama, dada, papa, brush, boat, ball, bye, hi... There may be more, but that's all I can think of at the moment.

His favorite foods right now are pizza and bananas. He also likes ravioli and spaghetti and meatballs. He likes to eat cheese and enjoys snacking on yogurt covered raisins. He doesn't turn down cheese puffs, either! He just started on orange juice and seems to like it too. He is still very picky about drinking milk or soy and would prefer juice any day. In fact, he knows when juice or milk is in his cup - if it's milk, he often won't even take a drink, but if it's juice, then he'll drink it. I am going to try him on rice milk this week and see what he thinks of that, but I am trying to stop worrying about it all. He likes yogurt, so he can get fat, protein, and calcium from that. He really likes to feed himself, and gets rather upset if we try to feed him or help him eat.
He still makes a funny face on demand, but also furrows his brow when he's not happy or when he's unsure.

This is his concentrating face:

He loves to dance and watch VH1 videos. Right now his favorite songs/videos are "Bulletproof" by La Roux, "OMG" by Usher, and "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz.

He has two bottom front teeth, four top front teeth, and two top molars - which are still working their way in fully.

He has done well since his tube surgery. He is sleeping through the night and hasn't pulled at his ears in about a week now.

His favorite toys are his vacuum and his blocks in his wagon from papa. He also really likes to look at his picture book I made on Shutterfly.

He has become much more cuddly and likes to rock on our shoulder while holding onto a blanket or his dog lovey.

On Tuesday he will get his fourth haircut! Then Wednesday we are on our way home to Okla. for a couple of weeks. I can't wait to see how he responds to everyone.

You light up our life, Mr. Warren, and daddy and I love you with all our hearts.

Ear Tubes

Warren got tubes in his ears today. He was such a trooper. The doctor said he didn't start crying until they starting messing with him getting the mask on and all. The surgery went to plan and he woke up quickly afterward, though he was very fussy and flailing around and could not really hold up his own head. He drank a whole juice box and ate some fruit almost immediately. The nurses said he was doing great, so we just trusted what they told us.

We stayed for about ten minutes after he woke up, and then headed home. He fussed for about 30mins more, and then he was out.
An hour and a half later when he woke up, he was good as new! He seemed to have no clue what had happened to him just a couple hours earlier. He was hungry, and had to have his morning banana.

By afternoon time, he was our normal playful little boy!

We went outside and he used his walker to go all over the back yard.

Tomorrow he goes back to daycare for the rest of this week and part of next. Then he won't be in daycare again until August. We are moving him to a new daycare in August, and I am looking forward to just being with my baby everyday this summer. Any mommies have activity ideas for us?

New Toys!

I've heard people say not to give your kid everything he wants, but no one's ever told me not to get my kid everything I think he should have or want! In the past few days Warren has received several new toys, including a vacuum cleaner that actually makes noise, a laptop, a work bench with noise making tools, puzzles, a light up spinner, and a Disney Cars chair!!... Oh, and a pool!!!

We were setting up the pool to test it out, and Warren and Cleo wanted in, so we let them. They loved it! Warren just laughed at Cleo walking round and round in the pool slurping up water.

While at Toys R Us today, we saw this chair. I put it down so Warren could see it, and he got right up in it and played for about ten minutes. I kept bringing him different (cheaper!) chairs to try, but he wouldn't even acknowledge there was another chair in sight! He loved this one. It's really sturdy, so hopefully it will last many years. It took a little bit to sweet talk daddy into getting it, but eventually he looked at me and said, "If you ask it of me, I will give you the one ring"! LOL (That's a line from Lord of the Rings, for those who don't know.) I am not sure who was more excited, Warren or me!!!!

Warren got right in it once we brought it home and daddy got the feet on. He loves to just get up and down and up and down.

This toy reminds me of my daddy with all his little gadget-type toys. It has this spinner with lights and when you hold down the button, it spins and makes light patterns. Warren quickly figured out how to push the button to make it work (notice the concentration in his face), and he played with it nearly the whole time we were grocery shopping today, so I thought he should have it. He still liked it after we got home, so I guess that means he truly likes it.

Last weekend we were at some friends' house, and their son had one of these vacuum cleaners. It makes noise and has a little dust buster in the middle that comes out, and it really works! Warren loved it, so we thought he needed to have his own. Cleo doesn't like it at all (she is scared of vacuum cleaners), and Warren thinks that's funny.

So about $100 later, and I think our kiddo has enough for now... It's so fun being a parent!!!!

BTW - we go in on Monday at 7am for Warren to get tubes in his ears. Also, we gave our two weeks notice to his daycare, so he will not be in daycare over the summer but will start at Parkview in August.

My Little Ham and Monkey

Warren is developing quite the personality! He is so much fun, we just laugh at him all the time. Today he kept hitting his juice cup on the floor and thinking it was super funny!

BEFORE:

AFTER:
Is that a cute face or what???

Warren has also started climbing up and into whatever we will allow him. Today he decided to get into his toy bucket.

We still have this crazy piano that is in need of repair, and Warren is tall enough to play it w/o a chair... well, mostly - look at his feet!

On another note, Warren has had an ear infection every month since he was 9mths old, and the ENT decided it's time for tubes. I am so relieved and hope it helps Warren to sleep better and be more comfortable. His surgery is Monday the 24th.

My Second Mother's Day

This little man is the reason I get up at 6am on the weekends and still have a smile on my face. I can't imagine my life without you, Warren.

Thirteen Months Old

What is Warren doing these days?

1) Non-stop jabbering - he says new letter sounds constantly! He says "Cleo" very clearly now, and he even corrects her when she barks! He says "juice," "nana" (banana), "brush," and "bath" now, too.

2) When he is playing with our phones, he will hold it up to his hear when you tell him to say "hello."

3) He makes an "uuuuuuuuuuh" sound, like a motor, when he helps daddy grind coffee beans. He is trying to imitate the coffee grinder noise! So funny.

4) He is totally off the bottle, but not really drinking much milk. He'd rather have juice anyday. We started him on soy milk though, and he seems to really like it, so we're hopeful.

5) He can walk while pushing his wagon or convertable car walker. He usually does this with his mouth wide open and laughing proudly at himself.

6) He likes raisins, esp. if they are yogurt coated; he LOVES bananas and pretty much has one a day.

7) He loves to lie on his daddy's lap and watch VH1 videos. Heck, he loves to do anything with his daddy, which you can clearly see in this pic!

8) He throws his cup off his highchair, esp. when we are watching, and also throws his food on the floor to tell us he's done eating. Needless to say, we are working on table manners.

9) He started play-screaming, esp. in restaraunts, and even slapped my face and tried to bite me when I told him to stop screaming. Thankfully he's only done that once, but I am not so naive to think he won't try it again.

10) He likes to flip through board books, but he doesn't like being read to.

11) He blows kisses.

12) He is very much independent and stubborn. In this pic, he kept putting the bubble wand in his mouth. We would tell him not to, but then he would do it again, even though it tasted bad!13) He throws a hissy fit at the start of nearly every diaper change. We try to distract him with a toy or some other item of interest, but it's a 50/50 chance whether or not it works.

14) He LOVES to be thrown up in the air!

Pooper-scooper for a Day

Because I am not crazy enough to pick up scrapbooking, and because I still want to have memories I can read and see, I try to post often on this blog. In preWarren days, the posts were usually just about me or something Roy and I did, but now, it seems everything is about Warren. Well tonight's post is about poop. Yes, folks, poop.... (Are you sure you want to keep reading?)

I suppose if you are a mom, this may not be so bad, but as usual I am being overly dramatic; it's my nature, and I apparently have passed it on to my adorable niece... but I digress. Back to poop.

Ever since Warren was born, he's had trouble pooping. You may remember reading blog posts about it. Since he started on baby food, though, he has become much more regular, though often his poop is hard and just little balls (are you queasy?). I have discovered when he is having a hard time pooping, that if I push his knees into his chest when I'm changing his diaper, it often helps.

This happened yesterday, but sadly, pushing his knees back didn't seem to help. He didn't seem too bothered by the black hole in his butt (ya, that's what it looked like), so we went about our business. He ate dinner while visiting on the webcam with Grammie and Papa. Then he was messy from dinner, so it was time for a bath. (You see where I'm going with this, don't you?)

I put him in the tub and he was playing like normal, but then he started leaning forward and getting red faced. "Oh, geez," I thought. "It's finally my turn." I had heard stories about this happening, and each time I thought Warren was passed the age when this would happen. Nope.

I caught a whiff of stink. I swished aside some bubbles, and there they were: floating balls of poop. (are you gagging?) I wasn't really sure what to do. I knew I had to get them out, and I really didn't want to crush them or break them up anymore, so I did what I never thought I would be doing - I gently scooped each one out with my bare hand and put it into the trash can. I truly believe poop smells worse once it's been wet. It was bad, and of course I had to stay right next to the tub because Warren was still in it, along with little floating bits of poop (and the carrots, or something orange that accompanied it).

I drained the tub, washed down all the remaining poop, refilled the tub, and continued with Warren's bath like normal. Roy heard me talking about the stink, so he came up and politely escorted the bag of poop to the outside trash barrel.

I was pretty grossed out, and to be honest I can still smell the poop even as I type. I guess it will be a memory-by-association thing. I facebooked about it, but I figured I should add it to my blog, while the details are still "fresh" (LOL), so when I look back on this years from now, I won't forget that I become a pooper-scooper for a day.

Hey, is this one of those embarrassing stories I can pull out for Warren's girlfriends to read, so they get scared away????