Dump Trucks, Garbage Trucks, Fire Trucks, oh my!

Hayden is still LOVING trucks. Not only has he started peeing on the potty, that is of course a Dump truck, he also insists on having a truck to sleep with every night. A few other things that Hayden is enjoying would be his play set, a.k.a. "park" that Daddy built. He also really likes helping out. He wants to help when we are cooking, cleaning, or shopping. (hopefully it stays this way :)) Hayden had his 2 year wellness visit (a little late). I can't believe how big he is getting... Head-- 75th Percentile Weight-- 95th Percentile (34 pounds) Height -- Over 100th Percentile (37 inches)... he's a tall boy :) His speech has INCREASED incredibly since his ear tubes. He is beginning to talk in complete sentences and likes to repeat himself MANY times when he feels he isn't being listened to. I think my favorite thing to listen to is Hayden saying his prayers at night. He will say "Thank you Jesus for my tow trucks." Super Cute! Hayden also likes to help out with driving, by asking to go "I go that way, Mommy". One thing I have learned recently is to be aware of songs on the radio. The other day he started singing "Boom Boom Pow" and my not so favorite... "I Give You Hell"... yes, he was singing that song. Needless to say we have since been listening to his Elmo c.d. :) I can't wait to see what our summer holds for us!!

2 years old!

WOW! Our little guy is now 2 years old. It seems like just yesterday we were in the hospital having him. This year, he has changed so much... aside from his size... in between 2T and 3T clothes and almost size 10 shoes. He has also hit a lot of milestones... his new favorite is drinking from a straw. He is still "obsessed" with trucks, trains, planes, etc. His other new favorite is Wonder Pets. He is starting to become attached to his Ming Ming stuffed animal (little chick). He is doing a great job identifying his shapes, some colors and letters. We are hoping now that he had ear tubes put in a few days ago, that his language is going to take off, especially with pronouncing Dump truck correctly :)

He is also beginning to develop some fears, such as strangers(a good thing) and the dark(not so good thing). His new found independence is also showing, when it comes to not wanting to eat certain foods or do certain things... basically anything that he is told to do :). He is still learning what gentle means when it comes to the Diddy Dat... his hugs get a little rough. I never knew how much having a child would change our lives for the better. He makes us laugh, smile, sometimes cry, (on a daily basis)! I wouldn't change a thing!! I can't wait to see what his 3rd year brings!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Hayden!!

This year for Hayden's birthday, we decided to go to Airtastic, since this is his new favorite place! :)  He had fun jumping around with his counsins (and aunts, uncles, and grandma).  Hayden also enjoyed opening ups his gifts, and his Train cake!! :)

Train Cake and Airtastic Party

 Since Jake's parents couldn't make the airtastic party, we had a 2nd party the following weekend! :)

23 Months...where did the time go?

Hayden definitely is growing into a little boy... no longer a baby. His personality is really starting to shine through. He is still my laid back little guy, but he is also trying to find his independence, which equals "temper tantrums". Jake and I are experimenting with how to handle it. We are starting to use the naughty step, which seems to be effective... sort of. Although some times, he thinks it is fun, just to sit on the step, even when we don't put him there. He has so many new quirks: He loves to dance...not so much the mambo anymore, just wiggling his little tush with his hands in the air. He still LOVES trains, trucks, and airplanes. He enjoys ketchup... so much so, that he will just eat that with his spoon. Hayden, and the cat, Fumbles, seem to get along very well. The minute we get home, he yells, "Ditty, Dat". Although he is still learning how to be gentle, he tries to lay his head on the cat and give kisses. Crafts, Crafts, Crafts... he can't get enough of finger painting, play-doh, stickers, coloring, and creating shapes. Hayden is so proud of his creations. He will walk around holding them, and show us what he has created. His new favorite words... "uts tat"... a.k.a. What's That. Now when we go to the grocery store, I hear that at least 50 times, especially in the produce department. We literally spend at least 20 minutes, touching and smelling the different types of fruits/veggies. My personal favorite is how much he mimics what we do. Hayden is quiet the observer. For example, when we come home, he will take off his coat, open the closet, put(throw) his coat in there, then shut the closet door. We never told him to do that, he must of just noticed that we do that every time we come home. His biggest accomplishment recently has been the stairs. He will now walk up/down a few stairs without holding onto our hands or the railing. The look on his face makes me smile... he is so proud of himself. The part of the day we enjoy the most is putting him to bed. Our newest ritual is playing on Mommy and Daddy's bed before bath time. He loves to climb on and off, throw the pillows, and do the log roll. Then right before he goes in his bed, while we are rocking him, he gets a huge burst of the giggles. Hayden's favorite thing is to try to tickle us behind our ears. He thinks that is hilarious. I also think he is learning the art of stalling. He will point to every part of our face, want to sing songs, talk, point out everything in his bedroom, etc. before he gets put in his bed. Needless to say, he is keeping us on our toes, and we are loving every minute of it!!!!

Seriously, chilly.

Both a statement of the current weather in Illinois and two words Hayden now says! Christmas is only a few short days away and we cannot wait for Hayden to open his presents. Granted it isn't for the first time, however, he's a little older and can somewhat appreciate what he is receiving from Mom & Dad, and Santa. We hope everyone has a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!!!

Talking & Dancing

Hayden seems as though he may soon be talking! So far, unless you speak cave man you probably cannot interpret much of what he tries to say. Lately he has been gibbering much more. Things he has been saying such as "mama" and "dada" he is enunciating a little more. He has also been trying to say new words and sounds.

You can tell he understands much of what is said now as well. Asking him yes or no questions results in much more enthusiastic responses now. For instance, his "yes" answer is comprised of an energetic head nod and a hilarious sound that's hard to describe.

As an aside, Hayden has taken to doing the mambo! He will first move his arms and then follow that up by shaking his booty. It's one of the funniest things ever.

Happy Halloween!!

My little train engineer wasn't feeling too well this Halloween... darn teething!  Jake took him out after we both came home from work to trick or treat, while I stayed behind to dish out candy.  Although, he didn't really get the point :), he started to get excited to see what was put in his pumpkin.  He also liked seeing his carved pumpkin lit up with a candle!! :) 

18 Months

We had a busy, yet fun weekend. To start, Hayden had his 18 month doctor visit. I can't believe it is already a year and a half. He finished all of his vaccinations until Kindergarten... WOO-HOO. Aside from his diaper rash, everything is fine!! He's grown A LOT!! Birth-- 8.3 pounds and 21 inches long. 18 Months --- 30.3 pounds (90%) and 35 1/2 inches long (97%) Also this weekend, Hayden received his first pet... a Beta fish. For the past few months, everytime we go to the grocery store, Hayden gets soooo excited when we pass the fish tanks. So, we thought, why don't we buy a fish for home. That night, Hayden was ecstatic to have a fish, but the excitement didn't last too long. The next morning, he didn't really care about it, Go figure. Jake and his creativeness, helped to name the fish... Blue. :) Something else we did was visit Lyon's Farm Fall Festival. Hayden enjoyed all the antique tractors and firetrucks. He also really liked feeding the farm animals at the petting zoo. We also bought Hayden a few new toys. We are trying to expand Hayden's interests, since he seems to be obsessed with Trucks. We purchased some plastic dinosaurs, a cleaning kit, and a shopping cart. He wore himself out running around the house pushing the shopping cart around, I think he even managed to take out a few of my toes.

Almost a Year and a Half

I can't believe how FAST time goes by! Hayden has grown in so many ways. A few of his new favorite things are Ketchup (yes, he is part Mezger:). For his first time eating Ketchup, instead of dipping his chicken nuggets into it, he used his spoon to eat just the Ketchup. Another favorite of Hayden's is climbing onto the couch. He really likes to stand on it and scream, but he knows when he gets the "mom" look from me, he needs to sit down. He still really enjoys reading while sitting on our laps, too. One of his other things he enjoys is dancing. It has to be one of the cutest things I have ever seen. He will move his little tush, put his hands and arms into the air, and every now and again, he will add a spin or two into it :). His vocabulary is beginning to increase a little more, and consists of Daddy, hi, which is now Hiya when he walks into a room, ug (hug), yaya(mommy), and cup. Hayden is still very into making the sounds for everything, such as trains, dogs, ducks, firetrucks, lions, owls, and my cellphone :). Hayden is adjusting really well to daycare. He has two weeks behind him and seems to really enjoy it. He has been able to experience many firsts there. The daycare provider is more brave then me, and lets him have popsicles(which he refuses to hold by the stick), playing with play-doh, and visiting the "swamp" (wetland near their house). Today, I taught him something new, which I will probably regret, but he is fascinated with flushing the toilet. There is something about the silver handle and the sound, that makes him giggle and keep doing it. :) I must say, I have LOVED this age, and I can't wait to see how he continues to change and grow!!!

Daddy's Birthday Weekend

This past week, Jake turned 31. Happy Birthday!!! We spent his birthday at, where else, but Chuckee Cheese! Hayden enjoyed the pizza and his first bite of Chocolate cake. Hayden really enjoyed riding on the tractor and truck. With our 40 tickets, we purchased glasses w/ a moustache. Although, Daddy enjoyed them the most, we all laughed while we took turns wearing them home. Also this weekend, we visited Brookfield Zoo again. Hayden really liked the monkeys at Tropic World. His favorite thing to do was to just run around in the open areas (while Daddy chased him and Mommy took pictures :)) Hayden experienced fireworks for the first time too! He was such a good boy while we sat and waited. We put him in his p.j.'s before we left, and sat in chairs while playing with his truck toys. Once the fireworks began, Hayden really liked them, but seemed bored after 5 minutes. He then began to play peek-a-boo with the fireworks. During the grand finale, he put the blanket over his face!

Hayden loves Summertime!

Hayden seems to be enjoying his summer, especially since he is able to walk. His new thing is to get his shoes from the front door, walk to the back door, and point to his sandbox in the backyard. He LOVES to play in his sandbox. He also enjoys playing in his pool (after he gets use to it), and going to the park. Although, the park days tend to scare Mom. He is a little dare devil. He runs around, and climbs everything. He seems to enjoy it, so Mom will just have to get use to it.

Walking

For the longest time Hayden would cruise around furniture, walls, window sills, etc. without any help. Up until a few weeks ago he would walk provided someone gave him at least a pinky to hold onto.

As of this past week, he is able to walk unassisted. Granted he's a little wobbly and doesn't handle cornering well, but what do you expect after just a week!

It's the cutest thing seeing him learn to walk. He doesn't keep his arms at his side yet. He keeps them up high using them to help keep his balance. He also gets the silliest look on his face. A mixture of being happy, excited, scared, and proud all at once.

Both mom and dad have never been more proud of him. We both have never been more aware of his surroundings watching out for hazards. He's already bumped his head a few times, but that's to be expected when your learning.

On another note, Hayden continues his unprecedented growth. He's by far the biggest kid in his class at Gymboree. He's at least an inch taller than other children his age. We've read the growth rate slows down drastically after the first year, we'll see.

Hayden is ONE!!!

I can't believe our little man is one!!! This year has gone by so fast. I can still remember bringing him home. I don't think I have ever been so happy, excited, scared, and overwhelmed all in one day!! Just looking back at the blog posts and pictures, reminds me how much he has grown in this past year... he is no longer a baby :(. This month, Hayden has definitely become more aggressive in his crawling! The minute I turn around, he is in another room. He also loves to climb the stairs. He gets so excited, and turns around to make sure someone is watching him accomplish the climb! I think his favorite activity this month has to be using his walker. He has managed to control his speed with the walker by using his knees if it gets too fast. This is the first time, that if we take his walker from him, he will cry! He can't seem to get enough of the assisted walking. Jake and I think that the month of April is going to be the big one... walking... we shall see! A few other activities that Hayden has grown to like, are standing at the window, gripping the windowsill, while watching the cars zoom by. He also wants to point to everything. If we ask him where the balloon, tree, light, dada, or mama are, he will show us by pointing and grunting! His independence is beginning to show, especially during feeding time. He wants to use the spoon to "feed himself". He is moving on to eating many more table foods, his favorites being cheese/bread, yogurt, and pancakes. He is also down to two bottles a day. Mostly drinking whole milk and juice/water from his sippy cup. Although Jake and I are sad that his first year is over, we are so excited to watch him grow into toddlerhood :).

Happy 1st Birthday, Hayden!

Wow, I can't believe his first year has flown by so fast! :(  We had a fun family gathering to celebrate Hayden's first year.  After playing a Hayden trivia game, and adding what everyone brought to put in Hayden's time capsule, we enjoyed a Hayden picture cake. :) Hayden enjoyed his #1 smash cake that Jake and I made using applesauce!

Crawling is a Whole New World

Hayden is 11 months old and is officially a crawler. Now that he knows how to get around, I don't think he has stopped. He LOVES being chased and is a fast little guy. In a matter of seconds, he will move from the family room, to the kitchen, then into the living room. He is so curious about everything; the hard wood floors, the kitchen cabinets, the fireplace, the fake plants, basically everything we don't want him to be into :). Needless to say, Jake has been spending a lot of time babyproofing the house. Hayden is fascinated by lights. He has discovered a light in our bedroom that turns on by touching it. Once it turns on or off, he lets out a jolly laugh, it is so cute. He also gets excited when we let him turn the light switch off when we leave a room. This month, Hayden has tried an array of new foods. Knock on wood, he seems to like everything he has eaten. Although, he didn't seem to enjoy eating spaghetti noodles as much as we thought he would. I think more noodles ended up on the floor, then in his mouth. Hayden's new favorite seems to be Gold Fish crackers. He also seems to favor Gerber's Mac and Cheese, I think it makes his gums feel better. Speaking of gums, he has 8 teeth and two more making their way through. We think he might even be getting his first molar. Back to eating, he has shown interest in feeding himself. Hayden has been practicing how to eat with a spoon. He does a great job bringing it into his mouth, we just need to work on what happens after he takes it out. A few other favorites of Hayden this month, are watching us blow bobbles with gum, he tries to eat them. He also likes watching us snap our fingers. He will look at his fingers, but can't figure out how we do that. We also have a ball pit for Hayden and he will crawl in and out multiple times. His eyes are full of pride everytime he is able to make it in or out.

Adorable!?!

Hello everyone!

Please note that although the last post shows that I added the post, it was in fact written by "Mommy". Just to make sure no one thinks I am referring to myself as "adorable"...Yikes!!!

Our little man is 10 months old!

This month, Hayden has been working very hard with his mobility. He is getting sooo close to crawling. He still prefers to roll everywhere, but he is beginning to do the army crawl when his toys are out of reach. Every once in a while, he will push himself up on his hands and knees. A few times he crawled backwards a little, but then he went right back to rolling. Hayden's new fixation seems to be pointing at everything. He won't stop pointing until you have named every single item he points to. Another new past time of his, is mimicking our laughs. If you laugh like the Count from Sesame Street, he will copy you... pretty darn funny! My personal favorite, is after nap time when we go into his room to get him, he has learned to pull his bumper down and peek his cute little head over it. Puts a smile on our faces every time. This month, he also experienced his first ear infection. It started off as the sniffles, then turned into a horrible cold. We took him to see the doctor, and found out he had a mild ear infection. The doc. said we caught it just in time, but he wanted to put him on antibiotics just to be safe. If his ear infection wasn't enough, he also has two more teeth breaking through, which puts the grand total of pearly whites at seven. Hayden also received his first "big boy" haircut... by accident. I purchased a baby clipper set to try to tame his "crazy hair". Unfortunately, my first attempt went a little overboard which equaled a buzz cut. Although I miss his crazy hair, he looks more like his papa...adorable.

The Month of Many Firsts

This past month has been very busy! Hayden experienced his first Thanksgiving, first Christmas, and first snow experience...WOW, that's a lot of firsts. This month was also a big one, when it comes to Hayden eating food. He tasted his first teething biscuit and cereal puffs(which he can't seem to get enough of). He is now moving onto table foods. Jake and I are a little apprehensive about this, but we are also taking baby steps... so far he has tried crackers, pasta, and some veggies.

Hayden has been working very hard with his mobility. He continues to roll all over the house but is very close to crawling. He can push his upper body up very well, but is still trying to figure out what to do with his legs.

A few more teeth have been added to Hayden's mouth, which now equals five. He has two and a half on the bottom, and two on the top. He looks adorable when he smiles with his pearly whites showing.

Hayden's new favorite things to do are clap and wave hello and goodbye. He seems to be his happiest in the bathtub. He has become very fond of SPLASHING! Whenever you say, "all done", he begins to kick his legs around, which drenches Mommy and Daddy!

Clap your hands, everybody ready for a Barnyard Dance!

Two things Hayden likes lately, clapping his hands and the book Barnyard Dance.

Every Saturday Mommy or Daddy take Hayden to Gymboree. We sing and play and in the course of that clap hands. We used to clap for Hayden, but recently he'll clap on his own. Even at unexpected times like on the changing table. It's as if he's applauding us for finally changing his diaper. We love positive reinforcement!

Often it takes Hayden a little while to fully wake up from a nap. If you try and change him or play too soon he'll get grumpy. So, Mom and Dad have learned that sitting down with him and reading a few short (to us) books helps him calmly wake up completely. His favorite books right now are "When You Are Happy" and "Barn Yard Dance".

"When You Are Happy" is a self-help book for babies......just kidding! It's a nice colorful book that tells elaborately tells what we would do when he's in his different moods to comfort him. For example.."When you are cold, I will weave you a blanket from leftover sun".

"Barn Yard Dance" is a cool little song book with all of the bard yard animals dancing. His favorite part (at least Daddy thinks so) is "Take another spin with the Barn Yard Dog!!!"

Month 7

It has been a busy month for Hayden. He is getting so BIG. He is officially wearing 12 month clothes now. He just recently sprouted his third tooth. He has two on the bottom and one peaking through on the top. Hayden is also beginning to become more mobile. He seems to enjoy doing the log roll around the family room. He is now able to roll both ways, for a while he would only roll to his right. Because of Hayden’s fondness for rolling, he now favors his stomach when sleeping. The good news is that he is now sleeping 11-12 hours straight through the night. The bad news is now Mom is not sleeping through the night. I am constantly waking up making sure he is still breathing.

The little guy is becoming very tactile. He is picking up, pulling down, and throwing anything and everything he can get his hands on. His favorite activity seems to be making noises by hitting all sorts of things together. His new nickname is little drummer boy. He LOVES playing his new little drum set. Jake keeps calling him Big Ern (a la King Pin), but I’m not too fond of that, so I like Little Drummer Boy better.

This past month Hayden has also started a Baby Sign Language Class through Gymboree. So far, the only sign he has made is light, but Jake was proud when he did. I am hoping he will begin picking up the basic signs for feeding and bathing. Jake and I have also been busy transforming our office into a playroom for Hayden. I didn’t know it was possible to accumulate so much “stuff” in such a short amount of time.