It's the weekend- YAY- and the END of a long week- and a rough one too- so insert more YAY's here!!
WOW, I almost lost my mind this week and patience is something that God has definitely blessed me with!
Maletch was completely not himself this week and when I say not himself- I mean a different baby ENTIRELY! He is normally so sweet tempered, and super fun and VERY BUSY- which means I am busy chasing him and making sure he doesn't eat something that he finds (from out of the sky), or doesn't pull something down from way-high-up, or climb OVER the baby gate, or pull the curtain rod down- that kind of stuff- (and all that can describe a span of 5 minutes). I am constantly saying; "Give that to mommy," "Get down from there," "No, that is not ours, we can't touch that"... and I am constantly asking him, "Where did you get that?", "How did you get that down?", "How did you get back/up/on there?" ...- that is normally my day and I LOVE every part of it and have become used to it! And I am completely serious, that I love it- I didn't know that I like ‘mayhem’- I thought I liked things simple- but I found out that I like ‘crazy’ at my house and I LOVE that he ALWAYS keeps me on my toes! Other things that I had to get used to immediately is that I seriously can't look away for a second cuz he will get into something (even though EVERYTHING is baby-proofed- Maletch has WAYS and he does something NEW everyday- and I am not exaggerating) oh and this one is a BIGGIE- if he gets 'quiet' for even a second- then he is into something- GUARANTEED!
I hope I am painting a good picture of my normal day and what my normal challenges are… OK, instead of playing with his toys and causing mischief- he was ‘clinging’ to me ALL day and would not let go- OK that is weird- we are very affectionate and we do share lots of ‘cuddle time’ throughout the day- but he didn’t want to PLAY at all- or get into things- he just whined every time I had to walk away to get something and chased me and clinged to me (literally clamped onto my leg when I would walk). It got annoying and frustrating that I could not take care of ANYTHING including making meals for us or using the bathroom without a fuss! NADA!
OK and this had lasted ALL day and then to make it worse at ‘meal time’ which is normally not that big a deal (we have a routine for that too)- well that went out the window- cuz as soon as I went to feed him his first spoonful he knocked the spoon out of my hand and food went flying and splattered everywhere- and he was acting like a terrible-two-year-old (except that he just turned one, LOL). It got worse and turned into a huge battle- he did NOT want to eat- so I gave it a while and tried it again- same thing (by then, it had been way too long between meals and he should have been hungry)- NO LUCK- still fighting me. So I decided to try to give him a bottle- and he pushed IT away- then when I INSISTED he take a drink- he threw it!
All he would take without any problem were snack foods (Gerber finger foods) and juice and water from a sippy cup- NO meals and NO bottles (with nutritious formula)!
So I got concerned, but I figured, “OK if I cut out the snacks- then you will have to be hungry for a real meal and will have to eat” right? NOPE! This little bugger ‘held out’ on me for TWO days- barely letting me get anything down in him- so then I worried he might be sick?? And no to that too, not sick! So then WHAT???
So then John and I decided to offer him a ‘stage 2’ baby food dinner (he normally eats ‘stage 3’ and ‘Graduates’) stage 2 is completely mashed, nothing to chew- no chunks. Of course I offered him his all-time favorite flavor (which he hadn’t had in months since we don’t feed him stage 2 anymore) which is Chicken/Apples (yes it comes mixed in one jar) and on the side Sweet Potatoes for the veggie. He gobbled it ALL up- both full jars and wanted MORE- but yet just 2 seconds before he was battling me over the dinner that he was supposed to have. So then I worried, “Does this mean he is becoming spoiled and trying to get his way?” “Is he now going to be picky and PROTEST to ONLY get what he wants?” So John and I struggled to come up with a solution since we were not ‘on board’ with Maletch ‘dictating’ what he will and won’t eat- we especially worried since he was so young- what would we be in for in a few years when kids start that usually? We tried EVERY tactic we could think of- and then some- seriously we tried THEM ALL! Nothing worked…. except prayer- which has ALWAYS worked for me- and I had been praying about this problem from the start and then God gave me the answer- He ‘put it on my heart’ to put my finger in his mouth…….. I had no idea what for- I just do as I am told, LOL….. and WHAT DO YOU KNOW?????? ALL of his MOLARS are coming in!!!! This is crazy for 2 reasons: first he is so young for MOLARS, and second, they are coming in ALL at ONCE! His gums are JACKED-UP! Poor baby, they are swollen, one has a HUGE weird blister thing that I have to have the doctor look at, and they are all bumpy and full of ridges! I feel so bad for him that has to hurt like crazy! AND now I GET it - why certain foods are hard to chew and sucking on a bottle causes pressure and pain on his gums, so THAT explains why he ONLY wanted a sippy cup (they pour right out like a cup with no sucking). In case you are wondering I took off the spill-proof feature that makes you suck on a sippy a long time ago- so he is basically drinking from a regular cup with a ‘spout’. Yes it is messy, but I wanted him to know how to control the flow to his mouth and drink regularly, which he can.
I felt so silly that we feared we were having ‘behavioral problems’ with him when he just needed some dang TYLENOL! Now that we are giving him Tylenol, he is back to his normal self COMPLETELY (wow it was like a magic wand). I can see that he is still in pain, but he is tough and tolerates it with the little help of “acetaminophen,” and the pain doesn’t affect his sweet personality. He already has 7 teeth (all the way in) which is a LOT for his age!
I guess this means that he took me serious when he was 2 months old, he grabbed a piece of bacon off of my plate and started to put it in his mouth, when I took it from him, I said, "No, I'm sorry you can't have this, you need a lot of teeth to eat this!" Then I assured him, "When you get your teeth, then you can have some bacon." Boy, I guess he REALLY wants that darn bacon!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Maletch's First Halloween! He's OFF and RUNNING....
I know I am late posting Halloween photos, but as I mentioned, I would be going back and filling in "time gaps" BUT THIS is TOO GOOD a STORY not to post anyway. I will be putting this post down where it belongs chronologically later this week.
We started off our Halloween fun by taking Maletch to a Halloween Festival in Yucaipa. It was very fun: there were lots of games, TONS of rides (including a ATV Train and one where you could catapult SUPER high in the air with bungie cords- very scary looking), a HUGE petting zoo with TONS of animals, awesome shopping in their store full of unique things, and it had really cute scenery (even a several acre ‘Corn Maze’ you could walk through if you wanted to) and of course they had a pumpkin patch.
Although Maletch was only almost 8 months old and a little too young (and too small) to ride most of the rides, he seemed very eager to! He was interested in EVERYTHING and I was tempted to take him on a few rides, but we ran short on time by that point and had to leave. So we plan to take him to their next festival because they have others throughout the year. We had a great time looking at all the cool stuff, shopping and walking around.
We came home and put him in his Zebra costume which Grandma Pollard sent him and I just thought was too ADORABLE! It had a maine (of hair) down the back of the head and back, and a long tail, and cute ears that 'stuck up'. I couldn't wait to see him in it- cuz I knew it would be so cute on him!
The costume even came with a little 'treat bag,' which when you see the photos of him “pushing the Lion,"- THAT- is what is sticking out of his mouth, LOL! He carried it by the strap in his mouth, so he could have his hands free! He is innovative! He cracks me up!
Unfortunately, since it was a one piece suit with 'feet things' in them, there wasn't much I could do as far as hemming them or cuffing them, and I knew that we would probably have a "fit problem" in the legs- as we do with ALL of his pants. And we did, LOL, poor Maletch and his short legs- it fit him everywhere else, but the leg length and they were several inches too long. That aggravated him because he kept tripping on the legs and ‘footie things’, so he got mad and wanted it off- LOL! So I didn't have much time to take photos but I did manage to get a few!
I threw some random photos in a slideshow below (for now) so you can see the photos, I will edit it a little later. You will see in some of the photos that he grabbed the phone and started making calls, LOL- I think he was trying to call for HELP to get him out of that thing!
As soon as I 'freed him' from his costume, he was so happy and started running around with his "Lion" as usual and pushing it sideways and THEN..... he LET GO and took his FIRST STEPS that night! YAY Maletch!! So Halloween became a VERY special night at our house because our little man started walking! He started out with 3 steps, and kept increasing it. He had incredible balance even at 8 months, and didn't have that many falls.
Of course the "spills" he did take were really hard ones because he started running the same night (Halloween). It made me nervous that he was RUNNING before he perfected walking- but he liked to go FAST! And he still does- holy moly! You should see him now- sheesh! In his first month walking (or should I say running), he fell on the corner of the TV cabinet and his tooth cut his lip which looked SO painful, it was swollen and BLEEDING- a stream of blood ran down his chin! He was so tough and didn’t even cry- I did though- LOL! Thankfully, he was a total PRO within a month, he could turn on a dime, and no matter how fast he was going he would never lose his balance! Praise God we have had no more injuries! He started off crawling half of the time and walking half of the time, and as he got better at it- he 'phased out' the crawling all together! He quickly got to a point that he REFUSED to crawl- which was funny- I guess he thought he was 'too grown' for that? The funny part was that he has a lot of big trucks and things that require you to push them on your hands and knees- well he wouldn't do that- so 'Hercules' over here- would pick up these huge trucks and CARRY them around the room! :)
We started off our Halloween fun by taking Maletch to a Halloween Festival in Yucaipa. It was very fun: there were lots of games, TONS of rides (including a ATV Train and one where you could catapult SUPER high in the air with bungie cords- very scary looking), a HUGE petting zoo with TONS of animals, awesome shopping in their store full of unique things, and it had really cute scenery (even a several acre ‘Corn Maze’ you could walk through if you wanted to) and of course they had a pumpkin patch.
Although Maletch was only almost 8 months old and a little too young (and too small) to ride most of the rides, he seemed very eager to! He was interested in EVERYTHING and I was tempted to take him on a few rides, but we ran short on time by that point and had to leave. So we plan to take him to their next festival because they have others throughout the year. We had a great time looking at all the cool stuff, shopping and walking around.
We came home and put him in his Zebra costume which Grandma Pollard sent him and I just thought was too ADORABLE! It had a maine (of hair) down the back of the head and back, and a long tail, and cute ears that 'stuck up'. I couldn't wait to see him in it- cuz I knew it would be so cute on him!
The costume even came with a little 'treat bag,' which when you see the photos of him “pushing the Lion,"- THAT- is what is sticking out of his mouth, LOL! He carried it by the strap in his mouth, so he could have his hands free! He is innovative! He cracks me up!
Unfortunately, since it was a one piece suit with 'feet things' in them, there wasn't much I could do as far as hemming them or cuffing them, and I knew that we would probably have a "fit problem" in the legs- as we do with ALL of his pants. And we did, LOL, poor Maletch and his short legs- it fit him everywhere else, but the leg length and they were several inches too long. That aggravated him because he kept tripping on the legs and ‘footie things’, so he got mad and wanted it off- LOL! So I didn't have much time to take photos but I did manage to get a few!
I threw some random photos in a slideshow below (for now) so you can see the photos, I will edit it a little later. You will see in some of the photos that he grabbed the phone and started making calls, LOL- I think he was trying to call for HELP to get him out of that thing!
As soon as I 'freed him' from his costume, he was so happy and started running around with his "Lion" as usual and pushing it sideways and THEN..... he LET GO and took his FIRST STEPS that night! YAY Maletch!! So Halloween became a VERY special night at our house because our little man started walking! He started out with 3 steps, and kept increasing it. He had incredible balance even at 8 months, and didn't have that many falls.
Of course the "spills" he did take were really hard ones because he started running the same night (Halloween). It made me nervous that he was RUNNING before he perfected walking- but he liked to go FAST! And he still does- holy moly! You should see him now- sheesh! In his first month walking (or should I say running), he fell on the corner of the TV cabinet and his tooth cut his lip which looked SO painful, it was swollen and BLEEDING- a stream of blood ran down his chin! He was so tough and didn’t even cry- I did though- LOL! Thankfully, he was a total PRO within a month, he could turn on a dime, and no matter how fast he was going he would never lose his balance! Praise God we have had no more injuries! He started off crawling half of the time and walking half of the time, and as he got better at it- he 'phased out' the crawling all together! He quickly got to a point that he REFUSED to crawl- which was funny- I guess he thought he was 'too grown' for that? The funny part was that he has a lot of big trucks and things that require you to push them on your hands and knees- well he wouldn't do that- so 'Hercules' over here- would pick up these huge trucks and CARRY them around the room! :)
Sunday, March 8, 2009
John Is Such A Good Sport!
While John helped me "take down" after Maletch's shoot, I had him pose for me too. He was such a good sport because it was very late and he was very tired. I really like these shots of him, I just wish his eyes weren't so droopy, LOL! Poor John!
Bruno wanted his picture taken too.
Bruno wanted his picture taken too.
We had 3 cats when Maletch was born, but Bruno quickly became Maletch's best friend. Bruno adjusted better than the other 2 (Tigger & Gismo) to having a baby around. Bruno is the only one that puts up with Maletch's rough play. He pulls on his tail, pinches his ears, and pulls out handfuls of fur occasionally. Bruno doesn't seem to mind the occasional pain infliction, HaHa, because he thinks Maletch is way more fun to play with and much more fun to watch than me & John! =)
Although Maletch has learned to play "more gentle," the other 2 are still very scared of him and run away from him- which Maletch thinks is a 'game of chase' =) And that really freaks them out like, "Oh no! He's after me!" and then they look like they are "running for their lives" and head to jump over the safety gate and go upstairs, where he can't go. It's kind of funny but sad at the same time that they are so afraid (still). We are so glad that Bruno seems to know that it is innocent play and that he is so good with him.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Happy Birthday Maletch!!
It is so hard to believe that our son is already a YEAR old! I can remember bringing our little guy home from the hospital like it was yesterday! What an exciting day that was full of so much emotion- it felt like I was dreaming and it still does! Well Happy Birthday sweet Maletch, it has sure been a fun and fast paced year, and my happiest year EVER!
Below is a slideshow of some pictures I took at home in my mini-studio. It was supposed to be a photo shoot of Maletch eating his own big-boy cake. Thank you Grandma Denise for making the cake! And I say "supposed to be" because you will see what the "eating" photo shoot turned into, LOL, more like a very messy play time or maybe even a "war" between Maletch and the cake! And I think the cake won, I'm not sure?? ... you be the judge! Maletch kept running "off the set" and since he was completely COVERED in chocolate frosting, he was tracking chocolate footprints all over the carpet and don't get me started on the handprints all over everything, LOL! He was running through the house smearing chocolate on everything: the couch, the curtains, my photography equip, EVERYTHING! (he is such a fast little bugger =)
Although I had planned on letting him get as messy as he wanted to for the shoot, unfortunately, I was unable to capture the messiest moments on film because I was too busy chasing him around with wet towels and giving him "mini-baths" since I couldn’t keep him “on the set.” My camera and I got covered in chocolate frosting too, it was hilarious! I don't know if I will ever be able to find and clean all of the frosting off of everything (I am STILL finding chocolate in the most peculiar places). So this might not have been the best "idea" of mine, but it sure was a LOT of fun!
The funny thing is I am glad the photo shoot went exactly as it did, because I got to capture Maletch exactly how he normally is: curious, highly active, and mischievous! Oh and yes- notice the photos of Maletch dumping the cake OFF the plate- that's our son!
P.S. I know that handprint looks so "perfect", like maybe I had him do it- NOPE- I found that (among so many)- he did that all on his own!
Below is a slideshow of some pictures I took at home in my mini-studio. It was supposed to be a photo shoot of Maletch eating his own big-boy cake. Thank you Grandma Denise for making the cake! And I say "supposed to be" because you will see what the "eating" photo shoot turned into, LOL, more like a very messy play time or maybe even a "war" between Maletch and the cake! And I think the cake won, I'm not sure?? ... you be the judge! Maletch kept running "off the set" and since he was completely COVERED in chocolate frosting, he was tracking chocolate footprints all over the carpet and don't get me started on the handprints all over everything, LOL! He was running through the house smearing chocolate on everything: the couch, the curtains, my photography equip, EVERYTHING! (he is such a fast little bugger =)
Although I had planned on letting him get as messy as he wanted to for the shoot, unfortunately, I was unable to capture the messiest moments on film because I was too busy chasing him around with wet towels and giving him "mini-baths" since I couldn’t keep him “on the set.” My camera and I got covered in chocolate frosting too, it was hilarious! I don't know if I will ever be able to find and clean all of the frosting off of everything (I am STILL finding chocolate in the most peculiar places). So this might not have been the best "idea" of mine, but it sure was a LOT of fun!
The funny thing is I am glad the photo shoot went exactly as it did, because I got to capture Maletch exactly how he normally is: curious, highly active, and mischievous! Oh and yes- notice the photos of Maletch dumping the cake OFF the plate- that's our son!
P.S. I know that handprint looks so "perfect", like maybe I had him do it- NOPE- I found that (among so many)- he did that all on his own!
Friday, March 6, 2009
A Party for a Prince!
We had a small and cozy gathering for Maletch's 1st Birthday Party! We didn't really think a huge party for a 1 year old was necessary or appropriate since kids this age don't really care and won't remember anyway. As much as we would have liked to share his big day with all of you, we didn't want anyone to travel long distances to be here. We were fortunate to have a few local friends and family over which made the day that much more special! Even through there were only 17 people in our house, our downstairs is very small, so it was still a tight squeeze!
Our main focus to celebrate, preserve and commemorate this occasion was on his Time Capsule. This idea came to me when I was PREGNANT it is something that is really meaningful to me and a fun way to make his 1st birthday ACTUALLY memorable to him! It will be given to him at a later milestone such as his 18th birthday, or high school graduation, etc.
We kept it in the theme of "Past and Future" past meaning items or anything from this last year which will be "from the past" then, and it also includes items he can use for his future like money and savings bonds.
What is especially meaningful to me is the personal letters and photos because I think of my Great Grandmother (G.G.) and my Grandfather (Papa) who both passed away when I was very young and sadly I don't remember much about them. I think about how cool it would have been to have received a letter from them. I know it would help me to remember them and most of all feel a connection with them. I am so thankful for the letters to Maletch because this is a way for everyone to be able to say whatever they wish to him when he is around 18. It is a way to let him know how much he is loved and to preserve a connection with him.
I am so excited about all of the things we have put away for him. So many of you are so creative! I am really touched at the generosity of everyone which really helped to make his Time Capsule such a success! I am also surprised at how big and full his Time Capsule became so quickly and I know that there are even more items on the way which I am greatly looking forward to. I can't thank you all enough for your help with this special gift and I am presently working on your personal Thank You notes. Once we have the remaining incoming items all together, I will be posting a photo of his Time Capsule for you all to see what is all inside!
Maletch did very well at his First Birthday Party with all of the unfamiliar faces. He was very happy and social and everyone got a chance to hold him and interact with him, which was wonderful! He just loves being the center of attention- LOL! He did have one major fussy episode (which is so unlike him and is ONLY when he is tired) which happened at his dinner time. But considering the party extended over EIGHT hours and he didn't get to take ANY of his regular scheduled naps- to have only one episode was pretty impressive and we have to give him a LOT of credit! Hey- by then I was fussy too, LOL! Also, considering most one year olds are "absent" off-and-on at their own parties to take their naps, I was surprised he was able to hang out the whole time while constantly being held and played with by everybody, participating in all of the activities, and constantly having those dang paparazzi taking his picture HAHA- without a nap-what a trooper!
Although I had planned to put him down for his naps and I really didn't want him getting “off-schedule”- there just really wasn't a good time to "stop" the activities. Good news is it didn't affect his schedule the next day at all. It is nice he's always been flexible when we get off schedule for a day. We were extremely happy and proud of our little “energizer” party animal- Good job Maletch!
Here are a few photos from the party...
Our main focus to celebrate, preserve and commemorate this occasion was on his Time Capsule. This idea came to me when I was PREGNANT it is something that is really meaningful to me and a fun way to make his 1st birthday ACTUALLY memorable to him! It will be given to him at a later milestone such as his 18th birthday, or high school graduation, etc.
We kept it in the theme of "Past and Future" past meaning items or anything from this last year which will be "from the past" then, and it also includes items he can use for his future like money and savings bonds.
What is especially meaningful to me is the personal letters and photos because I think of my Great Grandmother (G.G.) and my Grandfather (Papa) who both passed away when I was very young and sadly I don't remember much about them. I think about how cool it would have been to have received a letter from them. I know it would help me to remember them and most of all feel a connection with them. I am so thankful for the letters to Maletch because this is a way for everyone to be able to say whatever they wish to him when he is around 18. It is a way to let him know how much he is loved and to preserve a connection with him.
I am so excited about all of the things we have put away for him. So many of you are so creative! I am really touched at the generosity of everyone which really helped to make his Time Capsule such a success! I am also surprised at how big and full his Time Capsule became so quickly and I know that there are even more items on the way which I am greatly looking forward to. I can't thank you all enough for your help with this special gift and I am presently working on your personal Thank You notes. Once we have the remaining incoming items all together, I will be posting a photo of his Time Capsule for you all to see what is all inside!
Maletch did very well at his First Birthday Party with all of the unfamiliar faces. He was very happy and social and everyone got a chance to hold him and interact with him, which was wonderful! He just loves being the center of attention- LOL! He did have one major fussy episode (which is so unlike him and is ONLY when he is tired) which happened at his dinner time. But considering the party extended over EIGHT hours and he didn't get to take ANY of his regular scheduled naps- to have only one episode was pretty impressive and we have to give him a LOT of credit! Hey- by then I was fussy too, LOL! Also, considering most one year olds are "absent" off-and-on at their own parties to take their naps, I was surprised he was able to hang out the whole time while constantly being held and played with by everybody, participating in all of the activities, and constantly having those dang paparazzi taking his picture HAHA- without a nap-what a trooper!
Although I had planned to put him down for his naps and I really didn't want him getting “off-schedule”- there just really wasn't a good time to "stop" the activities. Good news is it didn't affect his schedule the next day at all. It is nice he's always been flexible when we get off schedule for a day. We were extremely happy and proud of our little “energizer” party animal- Good job Maletch!
Here are a few photos from the party...
My 2 handsome men! (I'm such a lucky girl!)
Earl, Tui, Kobe, & Kayla
David & "G" Thank you 'G' for making the yummy cupcakes!
Wes & Lola
Lil' William and William
Laura & David
Grandma, Morgan, and B-Day Boy
Grandpa and Mommy playing "I'm gonna get you" 
Maletch's 1st Cupcake: It was so funny to watch him eat it! He squished it in his hands and then he threw some on the floor and he even got a huge chunk on his knee (under his PANTS)- still can't figure that one out?? Even in spite of all the fun he had with it, everyone was very impressed with how much he actually did eat, which was quite a bit considering.
Got to wash it down with some milk!
I LOVE this photo of him shoving the cake in his mouth!
This boy is not going to miss a thing! Look at him turned around in his high chair! I think he wants to ask, "Does anyone have any more cake, please?"
He got so many presents between his birthday and Christmas, we need a bigger house! Everyone teases me that we have "Toys R Us" at our house!
Our Happy Birthday Prince!
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