Teething...not for the faint of heart

How many teeth do kids have?! It's starting to feel like 100. It's no secret that we don't handle teething well. It takes a precise combination of snuggling, Tylenol & butt rash cream to survive the endless teething cycle. The molars coming in....all 4 at the same time....introduce a new twist. Zach likes to chew his fingers where teeth are coming in, but the molars are so far back he gags himself. It's like in survivor when they think it can't get worse then they take away all their water...only this would be the worst reality show ever. The bonus is I've been getting a lot of snuggles & hugs, which is generally unheard of since you have to stop moving to do those things. I reverse my dislike of Zach's Cars obsession, Lightening McQueen is helping us survive...well that and daddy and wine.

Obsessed

It seems Zach has an addictive personality.  He is officially addicted to the movie Cars.  He likes Thomas the Train, but is obsessed with Cars.  I have seen that movie more in the last 2 weeks than the entire 20 years before that.  If we haven't been graced with Lightening McQueen's presence Zach will bring me the remote control and cry yelling 'Cars mama, Cars' until I turn it on.....at that point he makes a shocking recovery and stops crying immediately.  It isn't a bad movie at least, but we're going to get crazy and get Cars 2 to have a little variety.  Matt kindly pointed out that is wasn't very educational, I objected and told him it teaches you not to be a jerk and to give more credit to those in 'hillbilly hell'.  There is one part in the movie that startles Zach every time.  It is super cute because he knows it is coming and will find a lap to climb on and snuggle with to get him through.  

We try a number of distractions to try to wean him off this addiction, but none have prevailed yet.  If anyone knows of a baby Disney Movies Anonymous program we would appreciate the info.  

Even finger painting wasn't doing the trick....actually Zach hated it, which was surprising since he hates order and cleanliness.  

Clumsy

I took my very first fitness class ever....that may not be entirely accurate, I think I took a half asleep spinning class in college but barely recall so I'm not sure it really happened....anyway...

I took a cycle sculpt class. I took this class since my brother told me how much he loves cycle, but I didn't want to commit to an entire hour of it since I'm a baby afraid of the unknown. The class showcased how clumsy I am. I almost fell off a stationary bike...I'm not sure how that would work our since your feet are clipped to the pedals, but I bet it wouldn't be pretty. I am so vain/desperate to fit in with the other stay at home moms I bought workout pants for my class...didn't work. I even bought the cute little Capri ones but it was like they could tell I got them at TJ Maxx, or maybe they just saw me swearing under my breath during the class or the f words I refused to say but I'm sure you would see by the look on my face. That shit is no joke. I usually delete the swear words but spinning deserves the actual curse word. The instructor was generous and gave us 20 extra minutes as well, which introduced me to the 7th level of hell. If I can ever climb stairs normally again I will love this class, I'll reserve judgement until then & will let you know if I actually manage to fall odd the bike next time.

15/16 Months

I haven't done a Zach update post in quite some time.  Since we went to the doctor last week for his 15 month check up I figured I would do a 15ish month check in.

- Good news, his body is growing into his head.  His head size is not off the charts anymore, it is average wahoo.

- He is just under 22lb putting him in the 30th percentile for weight and approx. 31" putting him in the 50th percentile for height.

- We're still rocking the size 3 diapers.  We are still doing cloth diapers, but are much less dedicated.  Between the traveling and holidays we are hit and miss.  We need to get back in the groove with the clothies.

- 18 month clothes.  We still have to roll the pants, but the shirts fit great. 

- Sleeping...11-12 hours at night and we're just transitioning to 1 nap for 2 hours....praise the lord.  I really thought we'd never get to this place with the sleeping.   

- Running, running, running.  Remember when I was so anxious for him to crawl, then to walk....I take it back.  Now being restrained in things like shopping carts and high chairs make him upset, he would much rather be running and he will not hold my hand and walk nicely through a store....no amount of bribery has worked yet.

- He is still a talker.  He gets shy around people he doesn't know which is adorable since he just smiles at them and snuggles up to me.  His vocabulary has grown leaps and bounds.  His favorite words are no and cracker.  We're particularly proud of him when he smiles at us, does something he knows he is not supposed to do, and yells no while doing it....the apple of our eye.

- Favorite toys are any sort of cars, or papa's car (trucks), or tractors (also called papa's cars occasionally to make things confusing).  He loves to get on the floor and drive the cars complete with car noises.  He also loves books still, especially the ones with flaps or that make noise, and weirdly enough a stuffed Woody doll he got for Christmas (he has never seen toy story).  Of course Ba the blue bunny is still his go to best friend.

- Climbing has also become the greatest thing ever.  He will climb the steps and on any toy or piece of furniture he can manage.  His favorite things to climb is the chair in his room, and then climb up that to get on the big bed.  

- Favorite food is still graham crackers.  He still eats about anything, including eggs now.  Every once in awhile he will get picky and reject vegetables.  

- Tummy issues- we have struggles with gas and constipation issues always.  It is still a struggle, but we believe pumpkin helps in combination with a super high fiber diet.  

- He thinks the dog is hilarious and will yell for him at the door when he is outside.  Zach still calls him dog dog instead of JJ.  

- He had his first trip out of the country for Uncle Eric's wedding in Mexico and is an awesome little traveler.  For this trip I made Matt trim off his rat tail/baby curls.  

I just love this kid so much.  He is looking more and more boy then baby, which breaks my heart a little bit.  He gives hugs and kisses and uses his fork.  I feel like he learns something new everyday and it is hard to keep up.  I could go on for days, but these are the highlights.  He is more into independent play and will tell me 'no mama' sometimes, which is nice but again a little heartbreaking.  A little room to breath and get house things done has me missing my days of snuggling and sleeping in the chair together.  We couldn't be more proud or happy of our little guy.  I can't believe it has been so long since his first birthday party and so much has happened!

Not sure who is liking the tractor more...Zach or Daddy?

Hamster tunnel...I mean kids toy....success

This tent & tunnel combo was probably the cheapest present we bought, but has turned out to be the best money spent.  If you have a wiggly toddler I recommend you go to Meijer and get yourself a $15 tent thing.  Zach even lays in it, with Woody of course, and watches Thomas.  He will now lay down when getting tired and needing just a little break instead of acting a fool and making himself crazy.

Happy boy....so ornery...

Dog or Toddler?

Can you guess if I had to say these phrases to a dog or toddler?

- No licking the floor
- You just got pee everywhere
- Get that out of your mouth
- Get back here
- No biting
- Get down from there
- Stop touching your butt

If you guessed both on each of these you are correct.

Embarrassing

Embarrassing facts of the day:

I still check on Zach when he sleeps to make sure he's breathing.

I said out loud today "stop licking the carpet".....to the baby, not the dog.

Potty times

I'm still compiling my new years resolutions, but apparently potty training should be one if them. We have had the baby potty out for awhile. It's just there, we'll mention it occasionally, but it's primary function is to sit do Zach gets used to it and I get a visual reminder that I won't have to change poo diapers forever. One morning z is clearly sitting in the middle of the living room trying to make poo....he's such a little man, he was just missing the sports page....and per usual I ask if he wants to sit on the potty. Hold the freaking phone he runs to the bathroom & we situate & he sits on the potty. Nothing happens, but still a big step.

Oh wait, the saga doesn't end here....if this were a soap opera we would now introduce the evil twin, but since it's just a lowly mom blog we just reintroduce nana. Later that day he went to nana's and pooped in her baby potty. Now if you don't have children this has just been a long, semi disgusting, post about nothing. If you have kids you are either clapping or semi envious of the strides in potty potential in our home. I clapped and cheered more than when I was an actual cheerleader (very briefly). That stinko in the potty made me way more excited than any middle school football game.