Happy Birthday!

My baby boy turned two this week! We had a small party at the park, and he had a blast. He got three different tractors (well, two tractors and a dump truck), a couple of books, a Slinky Dog from Toy Story, a stuffed Buzz Lightyear, a My Pal Scout (stuffed dog that learns his name and favorite things), some cars, and a squirt gun. The dump truck was the clear favorite, but all of his presents have gotten tons of play time.

In other news, he is talking enough to drive the most patient person insane, but it's awesome. On the way to the store yesterday, he told me that he has shoes about 392 times. No sentences yet, but he's putting two words together on a regular basis. The potty thing is still slow, but we are determined not to stress out on it. He'll do it when he's ready, and in the meantime I'll just take him to the potty whenever he asks. He does ask from time to time, but it's not often enough to make me think that he's really ready. I'd rather have him in diapers until he's 4 than stress all of us out over accidents and crying. At this rate though, I think he's going to get it pretty soon.

The little things

Sometimes I stop to think about the little things that Connor does, and it makes me sad to think that, in time, I will probably forget most of them.

Like how he's been a little parrot with his talking skills for a couple of months now, but he still won't say "I love you" no matter how hard we try.

Or how he's already trying to call me "mom" instead of "mommy."

Or the cute little way his bottom lip sticks out when he puckers up for a kiss.

Or that his first big owie was on his left foot, when he stepped on the screw outside.

Or how he will suck air in through his nose and squish up his face when he points at me, and how he knows that this is the fastest way to make me laugh when I'm getting frustrated.

Or that he loves riding in the car so much, he's learned how to buckle himself in, and so far, he's never tried to get out of his car seat while we're driving.

Or how he wants nothing more than to sit with me all day long. Knowing that this will be gone someday helps me get through the frustration of being attached to him from morning to night.

Or how often I forget to watch him when he has a drink and a bowl of food at the same time, because no matter what the meal is, he will pour the drink over his food like cereal and milk every time.

I never want to forget these things, but I know there are a thousand little things like it that I've already forgotten.

Thoughts on school

Chris and I have already been putting some thought into Connors education, and we're both really leaning toward homeschool. The public school in our area is very substandard. The entire district is stretched too thin, and even the best teachers are showing wear lately. It's true, of course, that we still have several years before Connor starts kindergarten in the 2013-2014 school year, but I have serious doubts that things will change drastically enough for me to be comfortable in 3 1/2 short years.

Besides that, the more I learn, the more I'm just not crazy about the institution as a whole. Of course public and private schools have kicked out millions of incredibly intelligent and well rounded adults, but I really question if it's the best way. Every child, every person, has their strengths and weaknesses, so is it really beneficial to make an entire class work at the same pace? It works, but is it best?

We're not decided yet, but I've been doing research anyway. Yes, I know that I think too much and plan too far into the future, but you should all know that about me by now. I have a need to feel prepared for whatever I can predict. It makes me feel sane to think ahead.

The idea of unschooling (not to be confused with the radical unschooling that has been in the media lately) is really catching my attention. I'm not convinced that it's a great idea for an entire schooling career, but for at least primary grades it really seems to make sense. If I had to make a decision right now, I think we would start with unschooling, and gradually work in a flexible curriculum.

And in case anyone is wondering, it is all very legal in California. Our laws are actually very easy going when it comes to homeschooling. I have to submit a letter of intent once a year, and keep attendance records. If investigated, I need to show that he is being taught in English, and that we are introducing all major subjects. All of this is to qualify our home as a private school, with Chris and I as teachers, administrators, and staff.

Anyway, it's all just thoughts right now, nothing solid. It's a very easy idea to get used to though. Plus with all of the extra curricular activities present in the area, he won't have any trouble at all finding friends and socializing with his peers.

Connors first black eye

Poor little guy. Daddy was chasing him around the house, and he tripped and landed right into a stool. And yes, that's mustard on his nose. :)

Connor is talking up a storm lately. He says so many words I can't even list them any more. No sentences yet, but he's getting close. Well, unless adding "please" onto the end of a word counts as a sentence. I don't think that counts though. Right now he wants me to open the front door, so every time I'm not looking, he knocks on the wall so I'll think that someone is there. He's a genius, I'm telling you!

Connors new bed

Thanks to Grandpa Bill and Grandma Lori (LorLor), Connor got the racecar bed that I've been longing for ever since before he was born! It's called a Step2 Stock Car bed, and it converts from a toddler to a twin mattress. We couldn't have dreamed of an easier conversion to a big boy bed. He absolutely adores it, and everyone who comes over is instantly dragged into his bedroom to adore it, even if they've already seen it. He spends almost half of his time playing and climbing on it, and has slept through the night with no issues at all.

Catching up

Ok, so it's been, what, 8 months since I last posted? I really thought I would be awesome at this mommy blogging thing, especially with my love of sharing pictures, but I'm really lousy at it, aren't I?So what's been going on? My baby turned into a toddler, that's what! He's in to everything we don't want him in to, and he gets out of everything we want to keep him in!

The easiest (and funnest) way to catch up is with pictures! I'll start digging back in July, when the last post was, and work my way up to now!

At 13 months, Connor started walking. The cats were most unhappy with this, but he sure was pleased!At 14 months he got a new tricycle. He still loves this thing! It's convertible, so at first you can put the big handle underneath it to make it a rocking ride-on toy. We're about ready to take off the big handle all-together to make it a traditional trike.
At 15 months, we took a trip to San Diego to visit with some of my Cloth Diapering friends from the internet. It was a lot of fun to meet other crunchy mamas like myself, and Connor had a blast and made lots of new friends.16 months saw Halloween! Connor was the cutest clown in town, in my humble opinion, of course!
17 months saw our first snowstorm of the year, and Connor played in it all day!


18 months saw Christmas! Yay! Santa was NOT a hit this year....
The new car from Grandpa Bill was a BIG hit though!
The Wiggles have taken over our lives ever since....
And dinner with Grandma Joyce was delicious, of course!At 19 months, he learned how to eat with a fork!
It doesn't always work as planned...
But he has fun anyway!


19 months also saw a new haircut!

20 months didn't see a lot of action, but he sure is handsome!
And 21 months brought my favorite time of year, SPRING!

Tracks of a Central Californian Dirt Eating Stink Bug

Have you ever seen one of these before? Check out the crazy tracks...

And the creature that creates them...

He's still not walking on his own, but he can crawl like nobody's business! Once he gets to the dirt though, he's up on all fours because he doesn't like how it feels on his knees. He does the same thing in the grass. Too cute!

He's a pro at using his push toys though...

Happy Birthday Connor!!!

Today my baby is one year old! When did this happen? It can't be! How did we go from this:
To this?

We have a party planned today, so there are lots of pictures to come. I did forget to post about his first haircut though. It was last Wednesday, and we went to a place called Cool Cuts for Kids in Bakersfield. He absolutely HATED it, but the woman who did it was super fast so it was over with quickly. Here's the before:

And a few during:

And here are a couple after shots:

Looking forward to summer

Things are still moving along around here. I work in a public school that did major layoffs this year, and I was one of the unlucky ones to get a pink slip. BUT our program (after school) was approved for a waiver that gives us full funding next year, so I do have a job after all! So now I can go back to looking forward to summer for the vacation, instead of worrying about it as the end of my job.

Connor is a regular pro at pulling up and cruising now. He can even get back down on his own! (That was a big challenge for a while) We're getting closer and closer to his first birthday, and I'm not ready at all! I think we're going with a Mario Brother's theme, which should be fun.

I am really looking forward to this summer. We want to go camping at least twice, maybe three times if we can make it work. Nights are usually warm enough by the end of June, so that will give us a good two months free for camping. There is also a family reunion in June, which should be a lot of fun. Connor loves car rides and meeting new people, so I'm hoping he has a good time.

And of course, here are a few new pictures!

Connor decided that he hated his playpen, so we went to Amazon.com and turned it in to a ball pit! Yay! Now I can cook breakfast in peace!

February? Man, I'm bad at this blog thing anymore.

February? I haven't posted since FEBRUARY? Oh my, I'm not very good at this, am I?

Well, today is Sara's 16th birthday. It's not as scary as it sounds. Sara is a good girl. The filter between her brain and her mouth is a bit too thin sometimes, but she has one of the kindest hearts I've ever had the honor of meeting.

Happy Birthday Sara!

Here she is circa 2003, and about a month ago. Yes, that is Connors beanie on her head.

As for Connor, he is growing in leaps and bounds. He is 21.5 lbs (63rd percentile) and 29.75 inches long (86th percentile). He is army crawling all over the house, and just started pulling up a few days ago. He's not too good at the whole getting down part yet, but he's getting really tired of falling, so I'm sure he'll figure it out soon enough.

He has also officially gone on a baby food strike. He will only eat finger foods for a bit over a month now. It's fun, but frustrating also. It was so much easier to get a balanced diet inside of him when I could feed him with a spoon now and then. I'm having to get much more creative now. Mealtime is also MUCH messier now, as you'll see in the pictures I'm about to upload!

Oh, and of course I have more pictures of my fancy cloth diapers and his very first head bonk, as well as a few shots of those first teeth!

Bathtime!

Mmmm... Carrots!

We love Mr. Bubbles!

Big toothy grin!

Eli Monster All In One Punk Rock diaper

Yay for kitties!

Oh yeah, I'm that cool.

I love to brush my teeth! I even give Mommy a turn once in a while.

Pat-a-cake is my favorite game.

I feed myself... sort of.

Hanging out with Daddy

The first bonk.

Watch out world, I'm crawling!

Mommy wanted a photo shoot for Earth Day, but I didn't think that was a good idea.

Where's Connor?

Peek-a-Boo!

Almost there...

And I'm standing!!!