Moving!!!

I am moving...my blog.
I'll be deleting this one as soon as I have everything transfered over.

This is the new URL:
http://adventuresinbabythings.blogspot.com/

Hope to see you there!!!
=)
Sandi~

Vocab and Yogurt

Patrick's new game is to play "I spy" while eating breakfast. He will name everything he that can in the vicinity. The dogs, the cats, the boxes (to which he says "Bock, auf!" meaning he wants it opened. Auf is German), toy cars, cows (on the yogurt container), the fruit flavor of the yogurt (which is also pictured on the container and is always either "apple" or "lemon"). Then he will point to the things he doesn't know and ask me what they are. Sometimes he'll try to repeat the word, and sometimes he will laugh and move on to another word he knows...Or like yesterday, he will keep pointing to it because he thinks it is very funny to here me say "Frog, ribbit ribbit" over and over again.
His favorite word this morning was "lemon" since that was the flavor of his yogurt. Every bite he said it over and over again. It was very funny, and very cute.

Blue!

I think blue is Patrick's favorite color. He has the Twilight Turtle, which can be switched between 3 different colors: Amber, green, and blue. He goes through all the colors until he gets to blue, then says "Boo" and nods all matter-of-fact and keeps it on blue. If I change the color he changes it back to blue.
It is so adorable!

Nursing & Weening

I never was one of those women who wanted to nurse much past one year (more power to them though) I always said that if my child can walk up to me, lift my shirt, and latch on...it is past time to ween.
Well...he didn't walk up to me...he crawled. *Sigh*

Not that he hasn't been slowly weening as it is. For the most part he only nurses in the morning and evening. And the last couple of days he's been skipping the pm feeding.

So, it is time to get serious about this weening business.
It isn't easy, because we both enjoy the nursing. It is our snuggle time. I know he'll be snuggly when he gets a bit older. Right now life is just way too exciting to slow down for even a moment. I get a squish and a big wet kiss, and he's off to explore and be chased, and get into trouble.

My goal is to have him completely weened by the end of this month.
I'll miss it though.
Letting go of babyhood is really hard.
Now wish me luck with this. Patrick will not be very pleased to have his boobies taken away! LOL!

(More) Words

I thought it might be a good idea to write down Patrick's first few words, before there are just too many to keep track of anymore. He's been learning a word or two almost every day now! He is incredible!
These are in no particular order, but they are all the words he knows and says. He actually understands even more words than this...but that is just too long of a list already.

Mama and Dada (obviously)

Owl

Woof and dog

Meow

Baum (German for tree)

Duck

Book "Buhp"

Apple

No

Ja (German for yes)

Button "tuhn"

Bird "eeee" (This is because, as much as I like to avoid baby talk, I said "Birdie" once or twice, so "eeee" it is. I should note, baby dragons and airplanes are also called "eeee")

Flower "ow"

Baby "baba"

Blue "boo"

Balloon "boon"

Bear and Ball are both "Ba" (but he knows the difference between them)

Turtle "LdlLdlLdlLdl"

Spoon "Gohk" (yeah...no idea...)

Yellow "e-ow"

Cup "up" or "babababababa"

What's that? "Ow?"

I want that! "Dat!"

He also says "Owa" when he wants to tell me what something is

Yum! "mmmm num num num" (Ok, that doesn't really count, but it is super cute!)

And, we aren't sure, but we think he says "Agua" for water.

******
Edit:

He also says "bowl", "auto", and "more"...Oh! And his newest word is "Light" He is very proud of it and repeating it over and over. Very cute!

Obviously I should have done this list a little sooner...I am already loosing track of the words.
Not quite 14 months old, and he has quite the vocabulary! When people ask me if he's walking yet and I say no, and they get that look (you know, that slightly rude look that just screams "Wow, shouldn't he be? What's wrong with him?") I smile and say "He's decided to use his brain first, he already has more than 10 words in his vocabulary. That usually wipes that silly look right off their faces. Don't they know that all babies develop differently? I have heard of 6 month old babies walking, and babies not walking until 18 months, and both are normal. I am sure there are other babies out there with a very high vocabulary for their age too.
I just counted...it is more than 20 words! Wow! (14 if you only count words he actually says "properly" and clearly)

The one thing those snobby people (What is with those weird baby snobs anyway? Subject for another post...) can still stump us on is when they say "Doesn't he say bye-bye?" It is supposedly one of the first words babies learn, right up there with "Mama" and "Dada". Patrick does not say "bye-bye"
Kinda hard to be worried with all the other words he knows. It is a bit odd though. I think he just doesn't believe in "bye-bye" =)

He does give high fives though, which is pretty cool.

I just read on BabyCenter that a 14 month old should know around 3 words. So either people just aren't paying attention and are missing the words babies know, or Patrick is just absolutely brilliant. I'd like to think it is a little of both.
I also think that speaking to your baby like a real person, reading to them, and repeating words and making them fun, makes a really big difference too.

Only 3 words? That just can't be right! Babies, all babies, are a lot smarter and know a lot more than people think!

Christmas with the Plumpkin

There is nothing cuter than a very focused baby opening Christmas gifts, then actually delighting in what he unwraps!
How cool!!!

Patrick had a wonderful Christmas!
He got to help us decorate on Christmas Eve. And he helped us open our gifts, as well as his own, on Christmas morning. Then, we went off to spend some time with Grandma & Grandpa D, his daddy, his Aunt Jenny & Uncle Tim, and the whole big family.
He had so much fun!
And today, he slept a whole lot =P

*Gush*

God, I just LOVE my baby boy!
I just want to squish him all the time!

Nightmares and Miracles

I love reading stories about miracle babies/children. Like the one about the little boy who received the special hearing aid and heard his mothers voice for the first time. Those things bring tears to my eyes and just warm my heart. I could watch videos and read stories like that all day long...

But there is a dark side to the miracle stories...and that is the accident stories. I try to avoid the ones with bad outcomes, but even the ones with good outcomes, like one with a little boy who survived an internal decapitation (I know, doesn't it just make you cringe inside?) Just terrify me. Because the thing about miracles is that...they are not common things. If they were, they would not be called miracles now would they?
And it makes me so afraid to get in a car with my son. And it definitely makes me terrified of driving...even more than I was before.

I used to have only one ultimate fear...dying. Now I have two. I bet you can guess what my second fear is.

SO people post these stories about babies in accidents...and my heart plummets and my skin goes cold. And I am afraid.

And I see these idiots out on the road, driving like morons just because they want to get some where 5 seconds faster, texting, and being otherwise distracted...and I am afraid. And it also makes me angry. "Accidents" almost are not even accidents anymore. They are "Avoidables" because, had everyone been doing what they should (i.e. paying attention to the road and being sober) most accidents wouldn't happen. Doesn't anyone care about their own safety and the safety of others? Or at the very least, the safety of children!? It really is terrifying. And the stories, even with good outcomes, don't make it better.

I posted a while ago about mothers being fearless. I never thought you could be both fearless and utterly afraid. But you can.

I do believe in miracles. And I love to read about them. But the accident ones just chill me to the core. They frighten me completely.
Because anything bad happening to my own little miracle...is my worst nightmare.

Missing my plumpkin.

My baby boy has been having a wonderful time with his daddy and GrandparentsD! And I have watched way too many movies in the theater. I had a whole lot of fun too.

But oh how I miss him. My heart aches. I need to squish him and see his little face.

I cannot wait to have him come home to me tomorrow!

I love that he can go off and play and be so happy without me. And it is so nice to get a little break from all the worry (ok, most of the worry) and diapers and baby chasing and such...

But I just miss him so very much.

Patrick's New Room

Patrick slept in his own room for the first time last night. He only woke up once around 3:30am and I think it was because his teeth started bothering him (or maybe he just missed me?). Still, once in the night is a huge improvement over 3 or 4 times in the night! I feel so very well rested!

I am very excited about finally having his room set up! There are still a few things to do in there, but it is already a lovely little room, and he loves being in there. We played in there for over 2 hours this morning.

I did miss him though. My room looks very large and empty right now. Time to rearrange and decorate!

Who takes care of mommy?

Well, I have done it again. I have neglected myself so thoroughly that the anemia has returned with a vengeance, on top of a never ending cold...cold number two in 2 months.

I have done a fantastic job of keeping Patrick happy and healthy. I fail at doing the same for myself. The awful thing is that in not taking proper care of myself, I have a difficult time taking awesome care of Patrick. Hard to chase a baby around and laugh and play all day long when you are on the verge of falling over.

I really need to get with the program because no one is going to take care of me, but me. I deserve it. And really, so does Patrick!

Hopefully, I have learned my lesson this time!

Have Baby, Will Travel

I think Patrick has handled all the traveling way better than I have! That baby is just amazing (yes, I am sure I've mentioned something like that before)

He just enjoys almost every experience. And he stays pretty chill, even when he's not exactly having the time of his life. This last road trip to Kentucky was no exception. He was wonderful, calm, and happy 90% of the time. He got a teeny bit cranky once we were there, and had one day where he refused to take a nap. Well, can't really blame the poor little guy - he is cutting 4 teeth at once.

We had a wonderful time visiting with family, and he of course enjoyed the new people to smile at. His GiGi taught him to high-five too.

I feel as if we have been traveling almost nonstop since Germany. I am exhausted! But at least I know that if I were to take another trip somewhere soon, Patrick would be ready and willing to tag along. And we would, of course, have a blast!
I just can't believe how easy and fun it is to travel with him!

Patrick's Party!

This past Sunday was Patrick's birthday party. It was so much fun! Just the right number of people came, and Patrick had a wonderful time! It almost seemed as if he new the party was just for him. He enjoyed his cupcake too!

It was so fun having Zaky P. and Aethan help us unwrap the gifts, and then help put some of the toys together.

The party went even better than I could have imagined. I am so thankful to have such wonderful friends and family - and really, such an amazing little boy.

I just still can't believe he's 1...

Patrick is 1 Year Old Today!!!

Today we went to the Build-A-Bear Workshop and Patrick chose an owl to stuff and take home. The owl's name is "Owl". He has a little blue scarf that is apparently also named "Owl". What are the odds?

I cannot believe how fast it all went by. One day I am in labor, walking around a lake with Drew helping me, feeling a bit afraid and telling him that if this gets any worse I just don't know if I can do it...and then I am holding this wiggly little thing in my arms, and I don't even care that he's kinda gross and slimy, I think he's amazing.
And then he's rolling, crawling, talking, almost walking...eating real food...
saying his first words...

So much has happened in a year. So much has changed. And now my teeny little baby is growing into a funny little toddler complete with a mind of his own...it is crazy!

I love this. I love all of it. While it does make me sad that as he grows, he leaves another little phase of babyhood behind, watching him grow and change is just incredible.

I love motherhood. The tears, the sweat, the messes, the long nights, the temper tantrums, the laughter, the cuteness, the sweet moments...all of it (ok, I could do without the poo)
It is just an amazing experience. And I can't believe it has been a year already...but there is no time to be sad about how fast it went, there are many years, milestones, and moments coming...how exciting!

Happy Birthday Patrick Josef Dambrell! You are my Sunshine!

Mommy is Sick

Uhg. I feel like I have been such an awful mother today. Usually I have no problem chasing the baby around until he is completely worn out. But today, I feel so sick and so very weak. Chasing him around has been next to impossible. I am sluggish and a bit on the unstable side. He's spent most of the day either in his walker (which doesn't really move much on the carpet) or in his activity bouncy thing. I even put him down for a nap about an hour earlier than I normally would have...twice...Both times he played and babbled for a bit, then took a good nap. He's only now getting a teeny bit frustrated with me. Sweet little guy, he's been easy going as usual, letting his mommy be a slug for the day.

I can't even imagine being sick like this when he's older and much more active, but still too young to understand that mommy doesn't feel good. I better start taking better care of myself so I don't get sick. Seriously!

Adventures in Michigan

Patrick and I just got home from a little trip to Michigan. We went there to surprise a good friend of mine and her hubby for their baby shower. It was a really fun time! Patrick loved meeting all the new people, the doggy Boomer (who really inspired Patrick to say "woof" every time he sees or hears a dog now) and of course he loved seeing Jenn & Chris!

It was cold! We both loved it! I bought Patrick two very adorable hat & mitten sets. So what if he'll only get the chance to wear them a couple of times...they are THAT adorable!

He was wonderful on both the flight there and the flight back, he was a trooper with the crazy non-sleep schedule we were on and all the nonstop parties and gatherings.

I love adventures with the plumpkin!
<3

Patrick's First Halloween

Mom, Patrick, and I had a whole theme going for Halloween this year. Mom was a bat cave, I was a vampire, and Patrick was the cutest little bat there ever was!
We went to a kid friendly Halloween party in Port Orange. Oh the adorable children and babies in costume! Crickette's little guy, Adrian, was dressed up like a sushi roll...and he was happily nibbling his own costume! So cute!

I was not sure if Patrick would make it to the Trick-or-Treating. He was on toy and baby overload at the party, and having a blast! But he caught his second wind and took to Trick-or-Treating with great excitement! He screeched and laughed happily much of the time. It was so much fun!



The only downside...I think the entire population of mosquitoes devoured me. Not Patrick though. Lucky little boy takes after his daddy, if the mosquitoes even touch him, the bite lasts no more than 24 hours.

Since Patrick is too young to eat candy, I took it upon myself to munch on some of his loot. I can't eat candy like I used to, that's for sure!
I am already plotting ways to keep him from getting sugar crazed on Halloween when he is older. I witnessed little children on a sugar high, and it was a bit scary! I have a feeling though, there is no way to stop it. Halloween = Sugar High, it is as inevitable as the rising of the sun.

Happy Halloween!

So, this isn't actually Patrick's Halloween costume, but it is super cute!

Mom's Don't Party!

As annoyed as I sometimes get with friends who invite me out to stuff at the very last minute, not leaving me time to find a sitter (i.e. make sure my mom is free and doesn't mind guarding the baby while he sleeps), I find I am thankful that at least they invite me!!!

It has happened. Someone who I have been trying to meet up with for a while now, and said they were trying to meet with me too, had a party...and did not invite me. I'm not shy, I asked why I wasn't invited...the answer?

"Well, I figured you had the baby"

Wow!
I don't know whether to be hurt that it is obvious this person really isn't trying all that hard to see me...or just shake my head because sometimes people are just really really silly. Because the truth is, I don't think she meant anything by it. But still...OUCH!

Believe it or not, I don't mind a break once in a while from unintelligible baby talk, poopy diapers, baby chasing, and being spit on, kicked, and having my face pulled off...

So, just so you know - Mom's DO like to party sometimes. And if you're having one, go ahead and invite the mom and let her decide whether she'll get a sitter and come celebrate with you, or just stay home and chill with the baby knowing that people out there somewhere really did want to hang with her...

Patrick's First Word

Patrick knows a few words now. He says "doogk" or "doht" when he wants to know what something is(not that these are really words, but they are consistent sounds). If you ask him where the "flower" "fish" "kitty" or "owl" is he will point to them, respectively (though he does sometimes get fish and flower confused). If you tell him puppies say "woof" he will sometimes say "voof" back. He says "Mama" a lot, sometimes to me.
He understands no very very well now too...

But just now, he pointed to the owl on my pajama pants and said "Owl!" He was very happy when I praised his obvious genius. Then he pointed to another owl on my pants and said "Owl!" And giggled when I told him he was the smartest boy in all the world. Then he crawled over to his bouncer, pointed to the blue owl and said "Owl!"

I think it is official! "Owl" is Patrick's first word!