Where Has The Time Gone????

My little baby boy is 18 months old.  I can't believe it!  He is so incredibly sweet and funny, without even trying.  He's learning to run and march.  He loves to dance.  He repeats everything and makes the cutest animal noises.  My favorite is when I ask him what sound a lion makes.  He does the biggest roar.  Every morning he sits with me while I put on my makeup (today he sat in the sink- see the below picture).  After each bath we have to wrap him in his hooded towel and show him what animal he is in the mirror (it's either a lion or penguin).  He loves to be outside and even wears his winter jacket in the house.  He loves his big sister and is learning to torture her which makes us laugh, since she has tortured him for 18 months.  He loves to eat.......yogurt, cereal bars, vegetables, cheerios (he even had an imprint of a cheerio on his shirt the other day).  He gets just as excited to brush his teeth as he does to eat ice cream.  He is too happy for words and makes my heart melt.  He says "mama" with authority and when I say "I Love You"........he repeats it back to me in a way that only a mother would understand.

On Sunday I walked around the block with him.  It took an hour, but we made it the whole way.  I enjoyed watching him play in the dirt, throw his football, touch all the leaves and rocks, run, say "hi" and "bye-bye" to dogs and garbage.  He watched birds fly and looked through holes in fences.  The moment wasn't even lost when he stuck his fingers in dog poop that was relatively fresh.  I just wiped it off with my hat and prayed he didn't put his hand in his mouth (he didn't). 

We took him for his 18 month appointment yesterday.  He weighs 26 lbs 13 oz (65%), is 33 inches tall (85%) and of course has a giant head (95%).   He was so cute to the doctor and nurses.  He played with all the toys and had to touch everything.  I gave him a cereal bar and he couldn't figure out where the garbage was.  The doctor was impressed that he knew he had to throw it out and said "well, we don't have to worry about his development".  He blew kisses and said bye-bye, even to the nurse that gave him his shots.  He didn't like getting his head measured, but got over that quick. 

We have had issues with him puking a lot so he is now on Prevacid.  The doctor thinks it is reflux.  He spit up a lot as a baby, so that was a tell tale sign.  We'll monitor him on it for a month.  If it gets better we will keep him on it for 3 months and then take him off it to see if it was enough to jump start a normal digestive system.  If he doesn't get better we may take him to a GI.  We switched doctors as ours was an asshole (sorry about the language) who was even mean to Mike.  Who's mean to Mike??  I love this new doctor, mainly because she oohed and aahed over my baby!!

Most people ask if he is always this happy, and the truth is yes he is.  He obviously has his moments, but overall he is such a joy.  I always say that I had no idea what I would do with a boy.........but now I couldn't imagine my life without one.

WW: In Daddy's Shoes

"CIAO" 2013!!

Felice Anno Nuovo!! (or Happy New Year to those English speaking friends)

The reason for all the Italian is that 2013 is the Year of Mike!  He won't tell me what that means or entails, but I do know it means his first trip to Europe.  Mike and I will be heading to Italy in April 2013 thanks mainly to TerumoBCT for paying for my flight (I have a meeting in London) and my parents for flying out and watching the kiddos!  We are only in the planning phase of the trip but are super excited!!

I used to always do New Years Resolutions.  I don't really like that term so would rather have some life changes in 2013.  I can tell you that Gwen won't be happy with one of them (I'll let you guess which one) but they are all for the betterment of myself and my family:

1.  Unplug on nights and weekends (with the exception of blogging and the occasional shopping).  This one has been extended from 2012 as I did a terrible job of it. I have already taken Facebook, People, E!, and Perez Hilton off my phone.  All that is left is the news, email, and well, my phone/iPod.  I was on my email a lot while trying to maintain my 32 hours/week schedule, but now that I will be going back to 40 hours for the next 5 months, I have zero plans on touching my phone on the weekends (besides to answer it, text, and take pictures).

2.  Eat less processed foods.  This will affect the entire family in a very positive way.  I'll have to start small (oatmeal, yogurt, hummus.....etc) and it will take a lot of work, but it will be worth it in the end when my family continues to be happy and healthy.  I will also update/maintain my food blog more frequently as I lose recipes all the time!  It will be a good way to track my process on the processed foods front.

3.  Accept how I look.  I am no super-model as it is not my job to look good.  Considering I have 2 small kids, I don't look that bad.  I love to indulge with Mike, my friends, and my family.  I don't want to feel guilty about that nor do I want to change it.   I'll never be able to get rid of the large number of beauty marks (moles) on my body, so that is the bigger challenge to overcome, but I can love the rest of me as I am strong............and that feels good.

4.  I tend to spoil my kids.  I buy them things on a whim and it is rare that I say no in the grocery store if she wants something.  I learned that I love and like to be loved through gifts and I am passing that on to my children through gifts, sweets.....etc.  It all ends in 2013.  I am going to shower them with love and affection instead.  They will remember that more so than the 50th bag of M&Ms they devour-----------------------> This is the one Gwen will hate for those that didn't catch on.

5.  Run the Boilermaker. It's a 15K (9.3 miles) in July, in Utica.  I have always wanted to do it.  If I don't get locked out of signing up (it's on my calendar) then I will do it.

The final one isn't really a life change.  I need to organize my freaking house.  There is stuff everywhere.  I am so excited to do this, but have no idea where to even begin.  I started a Pinterest which is a whole another story in itself (I can get lost on Pinterest).

Cin Cin!!