15 months

Jordan turned 15 months on Friday and as usual, I'm a bit behind on blogging about it. For starters, here's some video I took of Jordan practicing his walking at 14 months.



Actually, it seems like he's regressed a little because he really enjoys crawling still and hasn't walked that much since I took this video. Fortunately, I don't mind much and am not in a hurry.

At 15 months, JJ loves going up and down stairs. He loves to take whatever toy Christian is playing with (poor Chris, he usually just gives it to him so he doesn't have to hear him scream). JJ loves to eat. He especially wants to eat whatever is on someone else's plate (nevermind that he has the same thing). He even dances a little when he's eating. Speaking of dancing, JJ loves to dance and whenever he hears music he sways from side to side. It is the cutest thing I've never seen. I say never because Chris didn't (and still doesn't) like dancing, so it's my first experience with a dancing baby of my own.

He loves playing in his playroom and he loves throwing things and taking them apart. By that I mean he'll take his little bucket with shapes in it and he'll take them all out and throw them everywhere and then he'll get the rings and take them out and throw them everywhere and then he'll pull the garage and get the little people cars and throw them. I'm like child! play with these things, don't throw them! My OCD self (I have selective OCD...a blog post for another day), of course, then goes and picks everything up so that he won't trip on the toys when he's walking. I put the toys back on the shelf and the moment he sees them he goes and does it again. It's like OCD baby (the apple doesn't fall....). He can't see orderly toys just sitting there, he has to just grab them and throw them.

The sleeping situation is still bad. I give him a bath at night and then a bottle (which lately he's been refusing) and then we read some books. It's pretty funny because lately he wants to get off my lap to go to the bookshelf and pick out his own book. He sits there contemplating which one to bring me, picks one out, holds it out for me to grab and then comes back to settle in my lap. I read the book (and it better be fast because he has no patience for slow reading) and then when I close it, he turns it over for me to read to him again. I've tried to be slick and just go through the pages without reading, but he points to the letters and grunts as if to say "read it woman".

After the book (or books) I sing him some songs and then we say prayers and I rock him to sleep or I put him in the crib. If he's sleepy, he'll just stay there, but usually, I have to sit next to him in the rocker and put my hand through the crib slats because he refuses to go to sleep without holding my hand. Around 1 am he wakes up crying (he can't go back to sleep on his own) so I bring him to my bed (and sometimes give him a bottle). The whole rest of the night he is constantly waking up and whining whenever his pacifier falls out. It is so tiring and so annoying, I just don't know what to do about it anymore; nobody is getting any sleep. Then at 5am he's up again whining because he wants another bottle.

I still wonder is if it's the reflux (is it gone? still there?) that's causing him to want to drink milk all night long. I want to do the cryitout, but all the times I've tried, he throws up in the crib. I HATE having to bathe him again and change him again and change the sheets and clean the room after that, so I'm quite hesitant to try it again (and no, I will not leave him to sleep in his own filth).

I need the Super Nanny to come to my house and help me with this sleep situation with the boys (yes, Chris too, but he is a whole nother story...will post about it another day). Other than the sleep situation, he's a delightful baby that loves his mommy sooo much. He is super attached to me and doesn't like anyone else to hold him if I'm there. The koala love is fabulous, but sometimes it backfires a little. A couple of weeks ago, he got called for a photo shoot for some diaper (don' t remember what brand now) but he couldn't do it because it required that the baby leave the room without mommy to go take pictures (that was so not happening). It would have been ironic if he'd gotten the job though because he wears cloth diapers and there he'd be advertising for disposables. He's going to daycare now about 2 hours a day and actually stays without crying now, so we're making some progress on the excessive koala love.

Ok, I think I've written enough of an update for now (it's feast or famine around here), so until next post. Tah tah!

I swear I don't know where he gets it from

I've got some new Christian tidbits overheard at my house:

Ren: If you don't behave Chris, Santa's going to bring you Moxie Girl toys.
Chris: Oh yeah, well Santa's going to bring you a bag of rocks.


For this next one, let me set the scene: Chris is running around playing ninja with a fake, rubber knife (It got left behind in the putting away of my Halloween stash):

Chris: What time is it? (he asks this alllll the time).
Me: It's time to go to sleep.
Chris: No, it's time to cut some arms off.

I swear he doesn't watch serial killer movies.


Speaking of watching things that he shouldn't. Last night Chris wanted to see Adam Lambert sing on the AMA's. Let's just say I'm suuuuper thankful that he fell asleep before Adam came out because... Hello! Men on leashes (I have to admit that was pretty cool)! Face to pelvis thrusting (woah, very risquee)! Making out with a dude (Hey, Brittney and Madonna did it)!... and that was just while Ryan Seacrest was introducing the act (j/k)!

I knew he was going for shock value, but that was over the top; any ONE of those things would have gotten the job done (publicity), no need to show all your bag of tricks in one performance Adam...save some for later. You know it's good for a singer's career to have everyone talking about them (he was #1 trending topic on Twitter last night), but it's especially beneficial when they are saying good things. I think he lost alot of fans last night (not me of course) and he gained some too I'm guessing. Hopefully the gain outweighs the loss.

Adam pushed the envelope alright....unfortunately the sound was also really bad and Adam sounded a little off key (nerves?) so it's pretty sad that that was the first impression that people that haven't listened to his music got. Hopefully he will sound better this week when he appears on Letterman/Good Morning America, hopefully he'll recoup some of his lost fans and redeem himself, and hopefully I'll be able to let my son watch it this time.

Adam, you've been a naughty naughty boy; keep it up and you'll be getting a bag of rocks for Christmas this year.

Adam. And the difficult questions begin....

The other day, Chris and I were in the car listening to Adam Lambert's new single: For Your Entertainment (which Chris asks me to play over and over again and I totally don't mind) when the following questions came up:

Chris: Mommy, does Adam Lambert wear make-up to look cool?

Me: He wears make-up because he's a singer on TV (I've told him that people on TV wear makeup).

Let's just say I had to be careful how I answered that (let's not encourage the boy) because my son is a little too intrigued by my makeup bag and it's contents. If he wants to be the next Adam Lambert and wear makeup when he's in his 20's so be it, but I'd rather it didn't start in pre-school.

Christian: Mommy, does Adam Lambert have a girlfriend?

Me: Um, I'm not sure babe. He might. He might not.

Sure, I could've used that as an opportunity to say that he might have a girlfriend or a boyfriend, but I think Chris is a bit young for that conversation just yet (what do you think?). I mean, he just turned 4!

I'm not sure if he asked me that because he's currently obsessed with girlfriends (he tells me he has several) or if he picked up on a different vibe from Adam Lambert. Hm, kids are quite perceptive.

Anyway, whether Adam has a boyfriend or a girlfriend (or both?) is of no consequence and none of my business (unless he's accepting applications) because he's got a beautiful voice (and hello, having that face doesn't hurt) and is extremely talented.

I was having conniptions about having to wait until next week for his album to come out, but fortunately, an online stream is available now for your listening pleasure (and mine!) right here. The songs are pretty catchy. Santa, if you're reading this, I'd like this CD under the tree this year...thankyouverymuch.

I can't wait until he goes on tour; that is one show I don't want to miss. I didn't see him on the American Idol tour because I didn't want to have to sit through all that cheese just to see him. It's bad enough that I tuned into AI this year just for the parts where he would sing. I'm thinking a meet and greet would be excellent. Do you think they would frown upon thirty-something-mom-types sitting on his lap for pictures? Yes you say? Oh darn. I thought he was there for MY entertainment.

Anyway, back to the album....my favorites are Music Again, For Your Entertainment, If I Had You, Aftermath, Time For Miracles...oh I could keep going. Just listen for yourself. What do you think? Which songs do you like/dislike?...oh...and how would YOU have answered those questions?

New Moon: aka They're too young for you Claudia!

I went to see New Moon last night as part of a special preview event. There was major security which involved purse checking and body wanding so that no phones would be snuck in to spoil the surprise for others. I was half expecting for them to tell me to remove my shoes for a second there.

Once I gathered my drool napkins, nachos and soda (and signed the loan documents in order to be able to purchase said food items) I settled in my seat and was ready for the eye-candy-marathon.

After some immature squeeals and whistling in the audience (mostly from me), the movie began and I was super excited to be able to get a first glimpse of it before anyone else (a thousand thanks to Melanie and her friend Melissa for the hook up). Fortunately it's been a long time since I read the book, so my enjoyment of the movie was not hampered by comparisons between it and the book. I was able to completely concentrate on the bicep...erm story line on the screen.

I still don't like how Bella is played (too much sucking in of breath and funny faces and cross eyed looks) but the special effects with the wolves and their 8 packs...erm...pack more than made up for that. Actually, several of the men look pretty cute. I found myself calling out many team (both existing and made up) names throughout the movie. Team Edward! Team Jacob! Team Carlisle! Team Charlie!

The movie starts out a little slower and then it picks up the pace really fast, so much so that you want it to slow down so it doesn't end.

The Volturi scenes are pretty awesome. I love the costumes and their makeup. They look downright scary.

One of my favorite scenes is when Jacob, Bella and Mike go to the movies, it was so funny and tender and heartbreaking all at once. Sigh. I heart Jacob. He's so cute, I don't see how it's even a difficult choice for her. Dumb girl. Don't get me wrong, Edward is hot and all, but the acting just doesn't convince me that he's oh so in love with her. Jacob totally looks sincere.

Anyway, that's my take on the movie. No spoilers, then again if you already read the book, there's nothing to spoil, but I'll say this, the last scene in the movie definitely leaves you wanting more!

Walkie Talkie

Jordan's latest nickname around the house is walkie-talkie.

This is because in the past two days all he does is try and walk. It's super cute because it's like he finally realized that he can do it. It's pretty neat because from what I remember with Christian, he learned to walk first and then later, he learned how to stand up (without holding on to anything). So whenever he was going to walk he would crawl over to the couch (or whatever else he was going to use to help him stand up), pull himself up and then walk.

Jordan on the other hand, learned how to stand up at the same time (or probably before) he learned how to walk (he would practice doing it on the bed all the time and the bed is super wobbly, so when he finally did it on the floor, it was easy). So he'll be crawling and then stop, stand up slowly (looks like a surfer trying to gain balance) and then when he's got the balance, he takes a couple of steps. He's very cautious not to take too many so that he doesn't face plant, only about 4 or 5 (the most I've counted is 9 although R says that yesterday he walked from the TV to the couch (about 7 or 8 feet). Yesterday I got it on video because he just wouldn't stop doing it over and over again. It was cute to see how proud of himself he was every time he did it too.

As far as the talkie part goes, he's been copying alot of words that we say lately, so I've heard him say several things:

jeh-che = leche (milk)

coco = head

dato = gato (cat) or pato (duck)

wow-wow= dog He can say this, but he thinks our dogs are cats so he says "dato" to them all day long.

kee-tian = christian

Bah-bah= Spongebob (he sings to the song too...whenever the show comes on...OOOOOOH who lives in a pineapple under the sea?...Jordan says BAH BAH BAH BAH!"...too funny).

tato= zapato (shoe)

He likes to clap now and he holds a finger up to tell you that he's one. He puts his hand over his mouth to do the indian sound, but makes no sounds...lol. He also does the little tricks that his brother used to do (put his hands on his head, pokes his hand). He also likes to grab markers (or pencils or crayons or whathaveyou) and pretend to write (or actually write if the cap is off). It's so funny because sometimes he puts his face really close to the paper as if he's really concentrating and he holds the pen/pencil correctly too which looks pretty funny because you wouldn't expect a 14 month old to do that.

Mama needs a money tree

My son Christian has reached that age where he asks for everything...and I mean everything he sees. I'm almost scared to turn the TV on these days. Catalogs that come in the paper are also dangerous. I guess it's my fault because the other day I gave him the Toysrus catalog and pen to circle a couple (key word: couple) of things that he liked. Bad idea. Now he wants to go around with a pen circling everything he sees everywhere. I've created a monster.

The sad thing is that I want to buy him all the things he likes, but I know I can't (and shouldn't).

And now, an example of how bad the "mommyIwant monster" has become....

Yesterday we were watching TV and they were playing a commercial for a Nerf Wii game which looked pretty cool:

Chris: Mommy, buy me that!
Me: What is that?
Chris: It's a nerf gun game
Me: Oh that looks cool, we'll see (bonus: no darts to poke Jordan's eyes out)

The next commercial comes on

Chris: Mommy, buy me that!
Me: I don't think you want that.
Chris: Yes I do. Why not?
Me: It's a carpet cleaning product.

Yeah. It's gotten way out of hand.

On that vein, time for a shameless plug. If you'd like to help me win $500 (so I can get Chris that oh-so-desired carpet foam), head on over to ivillage on Facebook and help Jordan win the Cutest Kids Costume Contest! The child with the most votes wins $500 (Hello!) so please vote and pass this on to your friends so they can vote too!

Jordan is dressed as a baby Michael Jackson (from Thriller of course), so check it out! Voting runs from: Monday, Nov 9 - Sunday Nov 15.

Please click on this link or this link.
You have to have a Facebook account to be able to vote.

I'm not sure if you can vote every day, but please give it a try!

Thanks

Hunka hunka burning love

I went to the movies with my mom tonight. On our way over there we listened to the new Pearl Jam CD. Once we were in the theater, they gave a preview of the 2012 movie (featuring Adam Lambert's Time for Miracles song), then they gave this preview for New Moon and finally, the movie started, This is It (great show, go see it, it's not sold out). I'd say my night was pretty much complete.

I got home and told the hubby about what a great night I had:

Me: "Pearl Jam in the car, then Adam Lambert's song, then New Moon preview and then Michael Jackson movie, what more could I ask for?"
Ren: (keeps watching the news)
Me: "can you turn the A/C down cause it's pretty hot in here".
Ren: "it must be you from getting all worked up about your evening line-up"
Me: "ha ha, that's true"
Ren: "how about you turn the flames down so I can hear the news"

What a comedian.

Walking!....almost

My little man is beginning to get brave. On 10/27 my mom and I were at her house talking about whether we thought JJ would be walking before Christmas (maybe) or Thanksgiving (prob not) since he seemed to not be interested in walking one bit.

Not 1 minute later, he was kneeling on the floor and he lifted himself up to a standing position (without holding on to anything!) and took three steps towards me. I was freaking it out because he'd never even let go while cruising before much less come to a full standing position and then walk away. My mom caught the tail end of it and saw him walking towards me.

The next day he took another 3 steps by himself.

Yesterday R said that he took 6 steps by himself.

I think I should make it a point to keep my camera handy because he keeps doing it and I haven't caught it on camera yet. Ah!

I am returning from the dead...

...just to show you the pictures of Christian and Jordan in their Halloween costumes!

Jordan was dressed as baby Michael Jackson (does that come as a surprise to anyone?). Christian was dressed up as Batman. He wore the mask intermittently throughout the night, but I managed to get JJ to wear his wig the whole time he was trick or treating. I guess he forgot he had it on at some point.

At around 6:45 we went trick or treating, but it felt strange because it was still light out. The first 10 or so doors that we knocked on, did not open the door. That kind of sucks. There also weren't that many kids out. Chris got tired pretty quickly, so we headed home after a short while.

It's kind of sad because Halloween these days isn't what it used to be. Nowadays, there's hardly any kids out because they all go to the mall. For some reason getting candy from Abercrombie and Fitch just kills the Halloween fun for me. Alot of people stop giving candy altogether because they get tired of buying it year after year only to have no kids show up, the kids don't show up because people don't give candy, so the cycle continues.

I loved trick or treating with my cousins when I was young. I remember a whole herd of us would go from house to house (with parental chaperones) and almost everyone would open the door...and no, there weren't any razor blades in my candy. Some houses had such cool decorations on the outside and some were even decorated inside. Ooooh spoooky! I remember we would pass many other herds of children too. After we got tired of walking around (or the parents were tired) we would head back home and check out our stash (which was always huge)! This is when the wheeling and dealing would commence. I cringed when I got pennies instead of candies and I was always trying to trade away the candy corn for gum. Ah, those were the good ole' days.

I know I can't turn back time and let my children experience Halloween in the 80's, but hopefully Chris and JJ can make their own wonderful Halloween memories so they can carry those with them for many years to come.