Tuesday, November 29

How about sticking to onesies, then?

This morning Milo came over to me, frantically waving his hand toward me and making the best sounds he could to get my attention. "What is it, Sweetie?" I asked him.

Upon closer inspection, I saw that he had poop all over his hand. And he did not like it one little bit.

He had apparently reached down into his pants post-poop for reasons I do not really understand, and gotten the goods all over his hand. And part of his shirt.

So yeah, that happened. At least he didn't fingerpaint all over the walls with his own feces or anything. And while I'm not naive enough to think this will be the last time my son grabs a handful of his own poop, I hope we don't repeat this often.

Monday, November 28

Milo's First Hand Turkey

It's fancy, too, with paint and everything. It's a good thing we send Milo to daycare. My art projects with him would not be nearly so ambitious.
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Wednesday, November 23

29 Weeks 3 Days Pregnant

Another belly shot. About three pounds of baby in there, and my back is starting to feel it.

Tuesday, November 22

Milo's First Haircut

Just one day before he turned 20 months old, Milo finally got his first haircut. And honestly, he barely needed it. He just had this shaggy rat-tail/mullet thing going on in the back that had to be taken care of. Getting a first haircut is one of those traditional firsts for babies/toddlers. You take photos, you save a lock of that baby-fine hair. And then you marvel at how grown up your baby looks.

Also, if you're me, you turn into a big ball of sappy sobbing mush on the way to the haircut. It just made me so sad, to think that my baby was suddenly not going to look like my baby anymore (spoiler alert: he still totally looked like my baby afterward). And the more firsts Milo experiences, the fewer there are left. And when all the firsts are over, what then? He'll just be a big kid, and my first baby will be gone. The whole thing made me a little emotional.

But the actual haircutting experience was wonderful. We went to Sugar & Spice, a kids-only salon, and it was incredible. Little cars for the kids to sit in, TVs to watch during the cut, and lots of toys and things around to play with before and after. I definitely recommend this place, even though paying that much for a kid's haircut seems sort of ridiculous. And yet, I will totally go back when Milo needs his next haircut, probably sometime in 2013.

Enough talk. Time for photos.


Digging the car.

Before.

Mesmerized by the television.

I'll miss that crazy baby hair.

He sat completely still for the entire haircut. Gripped the steering wheel and stared at the TV. We didn't even have to break out the Cheerios.

Watching Daddy in the mirror.

Clearly pleased with his new style.

Saying "cheese!" Pretty cute, for a not-quite-in-focus photo.
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Sunday, November 20

20 Months

Ahhh, 20 months old. I feel like two years is creeping up on us way too fast. I'm not the mom of a baby anymore, I'm the mom of a little boy. At least for another couple months. Then I'll be the mom of both. And don't even get me started on THAT.

Let's see, where to start? How about with the news that Milo got his very first haircut yesterday? I won't go into details, full story and photos to come shortly, but I will say that I can't believe my hairless baby needed a haircut. They grow up so fast, don't they?

Anyway. Let's talk affection. Milo has taken to kissing my belly and saying "mwah." He's kissing the baby, and it's pretty damn cute. At least it's cute until he winds up basically wiping his nose on my shirt. That's kind of gross. Milo also will give me kisses sometimes when I ask for them, and occasionally just out of the blue. Those surprise kisses are my favorite. He gives excellent hugs, but not typically when asked for a hug. Everything has to be on Milo's terms these days.

Which leads me to temperament. Milo certainly has a mind of his own and wants to make his own decisions. When we're about to go upstairs, he'll turn to me and with arms outstretched, say "Up!" When I say, "Can you say 'please,' Milo?" He'll consider it, then turn around and start to climb the stairs on his own. He'd rather just climb up than say please because he was asked to. However, he will say please—only in sign language—for many things, like a drink of water or more snacks. He doesn't say "thank you" unprompted, but will when asked to say it (most of the time).

Milo has taken to calling everything "mine." My water, my milk, my coat, my socks. He'll screech, "Miiiiinnnne!" if he thinks his property is being threatened. I have a feeling this trait is going to get old really fast over the next couple of months.

One interesting characteristic that has really started to come out in Milo is his fear/dislike of being in trouble or being reprimanded. He doesn't often do things that make us really use our stern voices, but when we do speak sternly to him, he just can't take it. His whole face shows sadness and worry, and he starts bawling. It's obvious that he needs reassurance that we still love him and that he's not bad. It takes him probably five minutes, which is an eternity in toddlerland, to get over it and go back to being happy. And it isn't like we put him in timeout or spank him or yell at him or anything. It's just, you know, using a little firmer tone of voice to explain that what's he's doing is not okay and he should listen to Mommy and Daddy. I think that Andrew and I were both like this as kids, this thing about not wanting to be in trouble. It might make disciplining Milo a relatively easy thing over the long haul. (knock on wood)

Language: more and more two-word phrases, occasionally a three-worder. Lots and lots of lengthy strings of babbling that I just know in his mind is perfectly clear sentences. Unfortunately I can't understand any of it, which can get frustrating for him sometimes. He's started using alternate words for things, like instead of "yes" he'll say "uh-huh" or "mm-hmmm." He learned that turkeys say "gobblegobblegobble" and his little high-pitched voice gobbling is adorable. 

Milo still loves coloring, and he wants us to write "M" all the time. He knows star, circle, R, M, triangle, and square. If you ask him what color it is, everything is green.

He loves listening to music, hearing me and Daddy sing, and dancing. He swings his arms back and forth, sort of bends forward, and stomps his feet. He's an awesome dancer. 

Current favorite books are: When Dinosaurs Came With Everything, aka "Dinesoar;" If You Give a Pig a Party, aka "Oink;" The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear, aka "Mouse," and No David, aka "David." There are a few others in rotation, including Elmo's bedtime book and this mediocre ladybug book, but those first few are read every single night by yours truly. Sometimes I hate the monotony of reading the same thing every night, but other times I love the predictability of it all. Milo always says "oh no!" when we learn that the big hungry bear especially likes strawberries that have just been picked. I love that when we get to the page with the T. rex Milo roars and that Milo always giggles when we see the strawberry wearing those silly glasses with the nose and mustache attached, or when we read the last page of No David Milo always wants a hug. I'm sure next month we'll be on to something new, and then I'll be nostalgic for all our current reading routines and traditions.

Milo can reach doorknobs but he can't turn them. He sits on the potty every night before bath and has actually gone peepee in it twice. Both times surprised him. He loves peas and will eat them before touching anything else on his plate. He loves to jump. He loves wrestling with Daddy. He likes to sit on the couch and snuggle next to me and pull a blanket over his lap. He loves his paci but sometimes we make it through all of story time without it. He loves wearing his hat. Putting non-hats on his head and calling them hats is still funny. He learned how to say "cheese" when someone wants to take his picture. He always tries to eat with his fork or spoon before giving up and using his hands. He's getting tall and lean, but he still has his round baby cheeks and his inverted knuckles. He's okay with holding hands now to cross the street or go up or down stairs or sometimes just to walk around.

He doesn't say the words, but I know he loves me. I know because of the way he says "Mommy!" and smiles when he sees me. I know because of the way he blows me kisses when we say goodbye. I know because of the way he lays his head on my shoulder right before bed. I know because of the way he leans on my shoulder and holds onto my hand while I'm reading to him each night, sometimes rubbing my hand with his thumb. And I love him too. More than he will ever possibly know.



Thursday, November 17

Milo's Second Halloween

So now that Thanksgiving is just a week away, I thought it was time to post some Halloween photos. Some are from Milo's daycare Halloween party/trick-or-treating extravaganza, a few are from our post-dinner attempt to trick-or-treat. But sadly, we forgot to take the camera to the daycare party, so we missed most of the early action. The shots we do have were taken after the group came to our house to trick-or-treat and we were able to grab the camera. By that point, Milo was about done with the whole thing, if he was ever into it, that is. Not sure he really grasped the concept of trick-or-treating, and he didn't like following the other kids around to different places in the backyard for some reason he couldn't figure out. And I'm pretty sure he must have been roasting in his fleecy costume. The sun was out and it was quite warm that afternoon.  All that said, it was pretty fun to see Milo in his adorable little bumblebee costume holding his little pumpkin treat bucket. 

What the heck is going on? And why am I holding this bucket?
At least you're not making me wear the hood.
Are we done yet?
I do like this little green cup. Cups are fun for sure.
Look, flowers! Bees love flowers!
But I don't want to smell the flowers again just so you can try to take a picture this time. You should have taken the picture the first time I smelled the flowers.
Look, Daddy, nunchucks!
What? You're supposed to unwrap it first? Nonsense.
My first (and possibly only) taste of Halloween candy. Mmmmm.
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Wednesday, November 9

First Glimpse of Sissy

We had a 3D sonogram last Saturday. My takeaway: Sissy's eyes and nose look like Milo, but her mouth belongs only to her. We had trouble getting really clear images because 1) she had her arm blocking her face for much of the session and 2) her face was pressed up against the wall of the uterus, making it difficult for the machine to do its thing. A few of the best pics below, with a couple of Milo for comparison.

All curled up.
 
Look at her big lips!

Looks like she has chubby cheeks already, at only two-ish pounds.



Remember a couple of years ago, when Milo flipped us off in utero? Sissy is following right in her brother's footsteps.
Ahh, yes, here it is: Milo giving us the finger, with a smirk and everything.
My sweet boy.


Wednesday, November 2

Look what I did

There's just something about pregnancy that makes me want to change my hairstyle. So I did. It's a good fall/winter look, don't you think?