New Mobile Pics of M

M watching his current favorite movie "Cars"

M being happy

M watching The Wiggles as he eats breakfast

Baby Registries, Yes Registries, Plural

Is it wrong that I need at least four locations to find the items I want for our baby? Or is it that I just create these registries for my own sanity? Probably a little of the two.

Sears (and potentially Walmart) have the crib & changer combo that I like:

Bright Steps 4-in-1 Austin Crib 'n Changer Combo, Espresso

Burlington (AKA Baby Depot), Kohl's, JC Penney, and other online retailers have the 4-piece bedding set I like:

Carter's Forest Friends Bedding

Here are some of the other adorable accessories:

Carter's Forest Friends Valance

Enchanted Hollow Canvas Wall Art

Carter's Forest Friends Wall Decals

Carter's Forest Friends Mobile

Babies R Us has supplemental decorations that I like to complement the bedding:

Carter's Tree Tops Rug

Carter's Tree Tops Wall Art

Since I could not find a one-stop-shop, I have cross listed cribs and miscellaneous items on the registries...

Even though the theme has been chosen, these two were both a close second--especially the quilts:

Carter's Green Elephant Bedding

Carter's Tall Tales Bedding

Overall, it is an owl themed nursery. Other cute ideas to follow!

Hello....Is There Anybody Out There?

OMG has it been for-ev-a since I've posted. So much has happened--however mundane--that it probably isn't even possible to catch up. In lieu of delving back 5+ months, I think it's best to just go from here.

BIG NEWS
As the baby ticker may have been a dead giveaway to many of you, we are expecting again. Guess what...it's going to be a boy! I thought for sure it was a girl, but my motherly instincts were incorrect. I already had the nursery bedding and decor chosen and we also had a name chosen. Now I feel like we are starting over, as we cannot agree on a name for a boy. Hopefully we will be inspired soon.

TODDLER UPDATE
Little M is almost 22 months old! He is chatting quite a bit. His latest expression is "oh, no!" Other words in his vocabulary include: cars (his favorite movie right now), more, wa-wa, milk, mama, dada (his favorite word), up, sit (order he gives to the dogs), tv (although it sounds more like "t-g"), eat, night-night (for bed time), uh-oh, cat, dog, out (outside), shoe, sock, on, hot, bye-bye, hi, etc. ...and these are just the words I can understand! :-D

D gave M his first (and second haircut). Here's a peek at haircut #1:

M's first haircut: faux hawk

D and I have discussed submitting a video to Apple. M would be a great advertisement for the iPhone and iPad. He works both with ease and is very comfortable perusing the apps. It is hilarious! I think I have some photos of him giving his older cousins a tutorial on the iPod--I will upload later...

Hope all had a great weekend and the week is starting off with a bang. Happy Monday!

Vocab and Other 20 Month Old Stuff

M is starting to talk a lot these days. He says hot, dada, mama, dog,
cat, Keata, box, hi, ba bye (goodbye), ice, out, tree, ball, keys,
book, and more to name a few.

He is also curious about the potty. He closes the lid and flushes. He
wants to sit on his Diego potty seat, but usually right after he has
pooped in his diaper. He also likes privacy when he poops; so he will
play alone and then return with a surprise. We aren't pushing him;
just being encouraging and working on timing.

M is very lovable and social. He gives tackle hugs at school. He has
also been known to kiss little girls and blow kisses upon request. He
is very friendly. We love our happy little guy!

A Continuation of Rambles

I cannot believe how much time has passed between blog posts. Kinda sad, right? Things are a little hectic with a toddler, so I don’t take much time for personal matters. My blog posts have gotten rather sparse.

Let me see if I can recap the past 6-12 months' occurrences a bit...

I actually considered the whole stay-at-home mom thing, but realized that it wasn’t for me. When my son was three months old, I returned to work in academia in the field of program coordination. Dr. S gave me the opportunity to work from home and go to campus occasionally for meetings and events. It was exhausting, but wonderful. Whenever my son become mobile, it was no longer a realistic option. At that point (which was about six months ago), I came to a crossroads with work and personal life. While I enjoyed being at home with M, I also enjoyed the adult interactions at work. I made the decision to go to the office three days a week and arranged for in-home care for M.

The set-up worked well for a while until M’s in-home care provider changed. He was no longer getting the interaction, socialization, etc. that he needed. It became difficult for me to not worry about him while at work, so I chose to put M in daycare. It is week three of daycare and, aside from the bugs he’s had, he has adjusted rather well. My son is a social toddler, so he enjoys the interactions and structured activities of daycare.

For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you've probably caught a glimpse at our daily occurrences. Sorry I temporarily lost touch in the blogosphere.

Sick Day

Well, we finally took the plunge and enrolled M in daycare. He started last week and has already caught a fee daycare bugs: diarrhea, pink eye, congestion, and the neverending runny nose. Perhaps since he is only going three days per week, he can spend the other four days at home recooperating! ;D I am hoping the daycare illnesses are mild and of short duration.

Nonetheless, aside from not feeling well, M is in good spirits. He loves daycare and has already made a few friends. He comes home happy and tired. D feels like he is contributing more; he picked up M on his first day of daycare and dropped him off the next two. I can go to the office and know that my son is socializing, learning, well cared for, and content. His needs are being met and he is happy. Such a well-adjusted kid!

M sleeping on Mommy

Mad Skills

Here is a moderately brief look at 4.5 minutes of M's mad skills.
He is ~10.5 months old here (45 weeks old yesterday) and almost walking.

YouTube

It is a little hard to believe that the ole one year birthday is just around the corner. Any suggestions on the size and peeps to include? I'd like to keep the party relatively simple and the guest list moderate (close friends and family). I considered doing a Halloween theme where all the kids wear a costume, but may delay this idea until next year. Please let me know your thoughts.