Were going on a trip!

.And yes, that song was stuck in my head the whole train ride and the next week and it still is.

My mother in law and I along with a whiny and cranky non napping very good TODDLER boy names Logan, boarded the train. 5 hours on a train with Logan was not something I was looking forward to. I cried on and off all morning because he was crying on and off all morning. I was having trouble packing my bag because I could not leave him alone. I had 4 hours to go and that seemed like no time to me. I called Matt crying and told him I couldnt go. Not only could I not pack my bags, but how was I supposed to look all "I got this" on a train with a crying cranky and whiny boy. I didnt want to be THAT person. So I called the dr to squeeze in an appointment. 11:30am. That gave me 2 hours from the time I made it to get everything done because there was no time after the appointment. So, I cut 4 impossible hours down into 2. Today sucked from the start.
    I loaded the boy with tylenol (saving advil for the train ride), fed him, gave him his bottle, cuddled him, sang to him, cried with him and eventually we bot got exhausted and he fell asleep. That gave me 45 minutes to throw together everything I could possible need, pack a bag for the train ride and a bag for the dr. Wake him up (I hate doing that!) and head to the dr. Did I mention I had to go 30mins away because the office in town didnt have any appointments? We go and see the dr. "I think its teething but I wanted to make sure it was nothing else as we will be away for the next week". He had a 101.4 fever and no higher for 2 days. I assumed teething but I was informed by the dr that teething does not cause fever. Which is something that I had assumed was normal because everyone and their best friend told me it was. I was told rudely by this dr that his ears were fine, throat and breathing were fine and he was fine. I could run bloodwork the next day for the "fever" but since I was going away I was NOT going to take proper care of my child. "Oh, ill be staying with a pediatrician so im not too worried". Well if your not too worried there was no reason to come in today. She walked out with an attitude and gave me a pamphlet on fevers. Thanks. I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to need services from 5 hours away and I had already assumed it was nothing but didnt want to burden people if my child was actually sick.
   Got home, got bags, loaded car, headed to pick up mother in law. Got Matt, he dropped us off and drove off. I then had Matt to come back and drop off my phone since I left it in the car. Ooops. I needed to change a diaper but there was no where to change a diaper in the tiny Amtrak station. Got on the train, changed a diaper. All was going to be okay.

Logan was slightly confused as to what to do about this train thing.

But realized he could play!

and stand and make music with his mouth (note the train shirt :P)

and look out the window!

and nap, so sweet!

and bug grandma

and watch out the window with grandma.

We made it. It was not bad at all. He also went to sleep no problem that night. Thank goodness.

The month of July

The month of July was a busy one. Even if we stayed home, it was busy. Logan doesn't stop moving long enough for me to do much. His naps were all out of whack, leading to me showering and grabbing breakfast. Not long enough to eat the breakfast though. Many days, I was thankful for being able to stay at home while my child destroys the house. Other days, I was looking for jobs so that I could get away from my destroyed house for a few hours a day. But in the end, things got picked up, put back together, and hidden under the couch. Logan has a preference for his dad most of the time. Which also gives me extra time during the waking hours. "He wanted you! So you get to keep him!". But that only allows some laundry to be done and maybe dinner to be made. I can not have the dishwasher down while Logan is awake or it just becomes a jungle gym. No matter where he is in the house, if the gate at the bottom of the stairs is open, he knows it! He enjoys going up the stairs. He is now just starting to figure out he can go down backwards. But he doesn't like going backwards because then he cant see where hes going. The month of July was busy with kids birthday parties, friend meet ups, wedding showers, weddings, moving friends and lots of shopping for presents for those events! Logan is so amazing with his his go with the flow attitude. 

His friend Jaxens first birthday party! The boys had a blast playing in the little pool and all the mud that was created from the pool water. Logan also ate the pasta salad (not allergic to eggs! Although probably not the best time to try it out). Logan and Jaxen had fun ridding in Jaxens new wagon.

I knew this shelf needed to be moved but Matt insisted on it being in the living room. Thats fine dear, they are your books. The nap after this picture was taken, was spent moving the bookshelf and books upstairs. And yes, that one pink book is actually mine.

Nap times are generally easy if Logan is tired. But if hes overtired, they suck. Matt is so much better at nap time than me, but I must do it when im home and no Matt. We bring him into the spare room and lay with him. If hes ready, it takes minutes. If hes not, it sucks

He LOVES jumping on the couch (or bed). He is also way to wiggly to dress most of the time. I can usually get a diaper on him but clothes may take a while. I do socks and shoes when he is confined to the car seat.

Birthday lunch with Karin and Grampa!

Grandma wanted a bike seat for her bike, and the size one helmit fit perfectly. Logan loved sitting there contently enjoying the ride around the block (many times around the block!). 

He needed a hair cut, his wings were almost ready to help him take off. He sat pretty still (considering it was nap time and he was exhausted already) but Grandma Bard had the same idea as the boys. She surprised us at the door. Logan could hear her chatting it up (not Joyce!) with her hairdresser across the room and kept trying to find her again. 

Logan, ONE year old

Mastered skills:
Imitates others activities- Sometimes yes, sometimes no
Indicates wants with gestures- Not very well. he brings me his snack, cup, or bottle but thats about it.

Emerging skills:
Takes a few steps- yes, he is almost at full time walking status.
Says one word besides "mama" or "dada"- Um.... eh? He says "Yeah" "Dog" or "Cat" but not consistently and not usually in contexts

Advanced skills:
Walks alone- yes
Scribbles with a crayon- havent tried yet
Says two words besides "mama" or "dada" - eh...

11 month old Logan

mastared skills:
 Says "mama" or "dada" to the correct parent - Usually, yes.
 Plays patty-cake and peek-a-boo - peek-a-boo yes, not sure about patty-cake.
 Stands alone for a couple seconds - Yes but just a few seconds
 cruises- of yes. He barely hold on to the furniture when he does it.

Emerging skills:
 Understands "no" and simple instructions- Oh, he knows "no" and he is not a fan.  He comes when you call him if thats a simple instruction.
 Puts objects into a container - Yes. Everything must go into something, hence my morning coffee does not come into the living room as a toy to put a firetruck into.

Advanced skills:
 Walks alone - he has taken one step here and there but nothing more. He wont walk when holding our hands. But he walks with the walked just fine.
 Scribbles with a crayon - Am I supposed to give him a crayon? everything still goes in the mouth....
 Stoops from a standing position - he does.

What can Logan do?

   Logan, almost 11 months old, is extremely active at all times. He wakes up and takes off, which is not a good thing when hes in your bed. His energy is amazing and trying to get him to actually replenish it can a bit tricky. For naps (2 a day still thank goodness), he needs to fall asleep on his own while being fed, or he needs someone to hold him down to prevent him from squirming to much (yet he was never a swaddler). If I put him in his crib, he cries. I let him cry. And then he calms down and plays with non existent toys and jumps and bangs his hands on the crib. And then he cries. And screams and works himself up so much that no nap is going to happen. So CIO doesnt really happen because its just not worth it nor does it really get us anywhere. So we put him in his crib when he falls asleep. He falls asleep being held while eating and that is usually how I get him to sleep. When hes being a fussy butt and overtired, we take him into the spare room and lay with him on hos tummy and he knows that we mean business. Matt usually puts him to sleep at night. He goes to bed between 8:30-9. He goes in his crib. I can successfully change his diaper at 11 without waking him up. He wakes around 2ish to eat and ends up in our bed because I fall asleep. Then at 5 he eats and hes up between 5:30-7. The inconsistent wake up times suck. Being out till 1am for once and having your kid up at 5:30, sucks. Not being able to nap because your having severe thunderstorms at 8am while the baby of course, is snoozing peacefully sucked. Oh well, hes cute. We say that about the dogs and cats and now Logan. Its a good defense mechanism that has saved him from whoknowswhat many times. So in conclusion, his sleeping habits suck but they also allow me to sleep from 11-7 with just a few small wake periods and that to me, is good enough.
   With all this recharging, what does he do with his energy? He can stack blocks of all sizes, and anything that is stackable is subjected to being put on top of something else. He puts everything into anything. When Matt and I are drinking our coffee, Logan starts to get PO'ed when we wont let him dump a car into our cup. every toy we own is still subjects to going down the tumbler slide. Half the toys end up outside the gated living room which is just fine because Logan can just move the gates and get them. He likes to put bottles into a standing position. He likes to put his mouth on every cup he sees. He loves to chase the dogs. Him and snickers have been knows to chase each other around the couch a few times. Logan climbs on anything he can get a foot onto. The dogs water dish gets splashed in a few times a day and toys may get thrown into the basement via the cat door. Logan can say "mama" which is not often except when he wants me or snickers pissed him of and then its "MMMAAAAAMMMMMAAAAAA" in a whiny girly annoying voice. If he is making a noise, It is usually "dada", which is fine because it gets me out of things when I tell Matt it is him he wants. Logan can say "hi" and "dog" but neither are consistent or very promptable. Logan claps, high fives and occasionally waves. Logan crawls everywhere and pulls up on everything. He climbs stairs, alternating legs. He stands alone when distracted for a few seconds at a time. He cruises along the furniture barely holding on but has not attempted to walk. He has taken one step here or there but nothing that is yet brag worthy. He could walk if he tried but he lacks the confidence. He bangs on his drums and pianos. He likes to play in the tub and does not mind the pool. He is an awesome shopper when its nap time or you keep snacks on his tray. He doesnt really care for the tv. He loves all his tool toys and eats them. He takes cars and sort of makes a "vroom" noise with them. He loves figuring things out. He does not get frustrated learning things and tries things many times over and over. He is understanding "no" as a "mommy does not want you to do that". He looks at me and repeats what he did not get a "no". He stops for a moment and does it again all while looking at me. I take away what he was doing and he pouts and moves on fairly well right now. His "no" things right now are banging toys on the window and eating power cords (he does not need a recharge). But if you tell him "no" when trying to put a car into your coffee cup, he gets very pissed and that results in a "MMMAAAAAAMMMMMAAAAAA"

The Zoo!

   We wanted something to do on Saturday so we went to the Zoo! We could have gone to Philly for my nieces party, and at 6pm on Friday were still considering it, (or we would have tagged along with others if it was an option) but our long Sunday kind of made our decision. We headed to the Southwick Zoo which was a slight drive away in itself.  

It was hot and sunny so we tried the hat thing.

Didnt work to well...

 Birds!

He liked the birds. It also helped that they made a noise and that got his attention.

We went into the goat pet. The goats were not too thrilled that we did not spend .25 cents to get them food so they proceeded to eat our clothing.

There was a deer walk through area. Again, we didnt buy food so they didnt care about us at all.

Dont worry though, we did feed our own animal.

House Guests

A few weeks ago, we had some house guests from PA. Logans galpal Bella brought her mom and brother with her to our house for a few days. 

Logan, Bella and her brother played with Logans bazillion toys. The house was new (tagsale! 15 bucks!!) and Logan and Bella kept going into each others house. We had to tell them to keep the door open! No grand babies yet!

Coming to visit me, in the boring half of the state, limits our activities. While driving through Holyoke sucks, the museum itself is fun. Logan looks as if hes waiting by the cart for Bella to make a decision on what kind of cereal to throw in .

Its like a cave!

Ladies first.

oh hello.

Jaxen, Bella, and Logan enjoyed some Stanley Park time. And snacks.

And swings!