Tractors & Tutus

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Potty Celebration!!!

Mellany is officially going on the POTTYYYYYY!!!!!! I'm not sure who is more excited in this house!!! After a full week of quitting pull ups cold turkey, Mellany is using the potty full time and is dry during the night too. (She even wakes up in the morning and goes on her own!!) To us, she now looks like she is 10 years old. This was absolutely one of the most challenging periods of parenting but one of the most rewarding too. Just as soon as we started thinking "Are we doing the right thing?", she showed us we were. We are just so proud of our baby girl!!!

As a reward for going potty, she would get a sticker and the occasional ice cream. Mellany was able to pick a "big prize" for when the sticker chart was full and she chose Chuck E Cheese. Yesterday, she filled the chart and we quickly got ready and headed to see Chuck E. She had a blast eating pizza, playing games and riding rides. It was just as much fun for the rest of us too!

{{Somewhat}} Wordless Sunday!

We haven't really been up to a whole lot lately other than the normal day-to-day routines....gym, preschool, gymnastics, bank, laundry, dishes, cleaning, groceries, target, etc. etc. etc. It has been cold, wet, cloudy and snowy here which accounts for multiple days staying warm inside. While I would prefer to be cold, it is much better to be warm outside when you have kiddos who need to burn energy. We are just hoping that warmer weather comes sooner rather than later!

Here's what we've been up to lately!

I love mornings with these two!

It was only a matter of time before he discovered that he could reach the blinds from his high chair.

They love the bathing together concept

We always practice safety! Her daddy was so proud she insisted Mickey buckle up too.

Mellany's photography skills....never a dull moment with this lady

This....is what I like to call "The Barrett Look". He was enthralled with Mickey Mouse on TV and looked just like his daddy does when he watches tv.

Just a boy and a purple snake

HAPPY SUNDAY!!!

Johnny: 8 Months!

Not only is our little guy growing in age, but he is really packing on the pounds and inches. I am so anxious to get him in to the doctor to see what his measurements are. He is literally growing and changing every single day....so much that it is hard to keep up with him!! We are loving watching him grow and change and develop his own little personality.

Here's a little bit about our sweet baby this month:

He is recognizing his name!!
His favorite game to play is peek-a-boo. He will even hold up his blanket on his own and drop it down real quick.
When Mellany sings songs to him with motions, there are times when he tries to mimmic her. More often though, he loves to have her help him with the motions.
We are pretty sure he is going to be a drummer. He loves to bang his hands on anything he can....his high chair, Bumbo, table, his play drum. And not only does he use his hands, but he will use toys, silverware....anything he can get his hands on.
He is reaching for EVERYTHING! And is really good at getting what he wants!! He especially likes to reach for the phone while you are on it.
Opinionated. He is definitely figuring out what he likes/wants and doesn't. We have officially entered the phase of "whining"....which is in-between the newborn stage and sign language/talking stage.
Depending on the type/brand of clothing, he is wearing 9 month, 6-9 month, 9-12 month and 12 month clothing as well as a couple pieces of 12-18 month.
We are quickly making the conversion to size 3 diapers. Right now he is wearing size 2 during the day and size 3 at night but as soon as we are out of the 2's, he will be in 3's full time.
He continuously amazes us with his happiness. Smiles, laughs, screams.....life just seems to be so exciting for him! We are always getting compliments on what a good baby he is and how he is the happiest baby they've ever seen.
The little guy is growing out of his clothes so quickly! Right at his 6 month birthday, he is wearing 9 month jammies and 6/9 & 9 month shirt and pant sets. I imagine he will be in 9-12 and 12 month clothes before we know it!
The love he has for his sister is stronger than ever! He really loves when she plays with him, shows him things, talks to him or just even comes near him. I can only hope it stays like this forever!
Bath time is becoming increasingly more fun. He's learned how to splash (courtesy of big sister) and really has a good time with it. His absolute favorite it taking a bath with Mellany. They play with toys, splash each other, etc. (It makes it a lot easier to be the parent giving the bath too!)
Some of his favorite places to be are in the swing and bouncy seat
Teething is in full swing....there's nothing to show for it yet but there are definitely times when he is just plain fussy, grabbing at his hair on the back of his head, drooling so much it soaks his shirt, gnawing on his fingers/toys, so I would expect to see something pop through any time now.

Sleeping:

I hope that he is always this great of a sleeper; we have been so blessed by his sleeping habits. He usually sleeps from 10-10:45am and then again from 1-3/4:00 in the afternoon and will go to bed at 7:30 and sleep till 8:00am. He still prefers to be laid down in his bed or car seat versus being held and usually only takes his binky at this time as well.

Eating Habits/New Foods:

New foods: pears, sweet potato, squash, apples, strawberries, eggs, black cherry

Johnny is REALLY liking food and I almost feel like if we were to cut the bottle out completely, he would totally be ok with that. There are many times that we feed him the bottle but he will take about 3 ounces of it and decides he would rather have food. He also prefers to eat food in its "normal" form versus pureed. For example, since he has some trouble with peas because of the skin and not having any teeth yet, I have tried to give him pureed peas and he will not eat it.

His pincer grasp is really developing too. He can pick up a puff or piece of food with his whole hand but he is really starting to master picking things up with his thumb and forefinger.

Spitting up is almost nonexistent at this point (oh how I have longed for the day where I could say this!!) but burping still exists....his burps sound like a grown man's burp.

New Discoveries:

Moving in the walker. At Kids Club at our gym, they have a walker that is small enough for his feet to reach the floor. He loves to be in it and move around the room. I think it gives him a freedom that he really enjoys.

Accomplishments:

Army crawl! He hasn't done it but a couple of times but he did it. He really wanted one of Mellany's princess toys and by golly he got it. The really neat thing was that he was super proud of himself for it.

Places:

Kids Club at the gym, Mellany's preschool, the Mall to play and do some shopping, Portage, IN for a Cargill Christmas Party

Special Memories:

Johnny saying "Ma-Ma". Every single time he says it, my heart melts!! There's not a whole lot better than your baby calling you by name.

8 Month Photo Shoot

Mellany said she needed the "3" sticker because she is "3"

He has such a love for her!!!

8 Month Videos

Monday, January 19, 2015

{{Somewhat}} Wordless Monday!!

Whew!!! It's been a whirlwind!!! I feel like it has taken forever to recover from the holidays this year....But, it was a blast!! And we wouldn't have had it any other way! Since we've been back, here's what we've been up to!

Johnny & Mellany at Kids Club at the gym. I am told that Mellany doesn't usually have much to do with Johnny at Kids Club but on this particular day she was pretty fond of him, so the employee took a pic and sent it to me. So sweet!

Bath time is getting WAY more fun. Mellany loves to help and Johnny has started splashing and kicking all over the place.

Mellany is also getting pretty brave!!

Loving our "John" quilt! Perfect for 2.

Family trip to Rural King. All you need is popcorn and a kid friendly shopping cart!

...then out for a little lunch!

Happy Boy!

Ice cream for pottying!

I really hope this lasts forever!

Playing with daddy's toys from when he was a kid

A little more bath fun

Mellany wanted to sit next to Johnny for dinner

Pottery painting birthday party for our friends Whit & Quinn. Mellany had a great time and did a really thorough job painting her bowl. This is something we will definitely be doing again.