Silly Straws

Who knew there were so many different types of sippy cups for kids.  It's a bit overwhelming for me and while I know kids are resilient and learn quickly it can be a bit confusing for them too, at least for Isaac.

We have cups with handles that Isaac uses often but he loves to make messes with the soft spout by depressing the tip on the table or floor and pouring the liquid out so he can splash in it.  Sounds like fun, huh!?  I've also had a couple of cups with straws so I thought I would teach Isaac how to drink with a straw.  There have been times when I've forgotten his cup while we've been out and having him drink from a straw would be handy.

We started out with a small glass of water and a straw cut in half just to make it shorter.  I'd put some liquid in the straw and hold it to his mouth and he caught on fairly quickly although he loves to chew the straw more than suck from it.  So....I busted out the sippy cup with a straw.  But, it has handles on the side like his other cups and he instantly tilts the cup back while trying to drink from the straw.  Then he gets frustrated.  Trying to convince a frustrated toddler to hold the cup down and sip from a straw has been a bit of a challenge.  There is one cup that he loves! 

Mine of course! I have a large water cup with a straw that I got from the hospital when he was born.  It's so funny to see him pick the cup up and carry it around.  And he loves to drink from the straw.  At least he knows how to drink from a straw now but the sippy cup confusions continues....

Mama's Little Shadow

Mornings are not complete around here unless Isaac has explored every drawer in the bathroom.  He loves to reach in and grab anything that will fit in his little hands.  Lately he's been drawn to grabbing my toothbrush.  So, I moved his toothbrush into our bathroom and put it in the same drawer with mine. Now, in the morning when he reaches in he grabs his own toothbrush to mimic mama!

He chews the brush and moves it around from side to side.  He has a mouth full of teeth now too, 12 total so it's important to make sure they get clean.  I love that he's getting used to using the toothbrush daily.  He's getting better about letting me follow up with a thorough brushing too.

Such a big boy!

Snack Time Pool Side

With the end of summer quickly approaching we had to make another trip to the pool!  Each time we go to the pool Isaac's confidence improves.  He still holds on to me tightly while we're walking around in the big pool but doesn't hesitate to explore on his own on the steps.  After about 45 minutes though he's about worn out.

After our refreshing dip in the warm water it was snack time!

Isaac loves to put his snacks on the table, then get them back down, then put them back up.  It's another  fun game and a way for him to exercise his independence.  Once he finished his snacks he wanted to explore the pool area and we walked around and explored the area a bit.  Then it was nap time!  It doesn't take much to wear this little guy out. :)

Kangazoom

Today we were feeling so much better and we needed to get out of the house!  We had a fun outing planned with the moms group to a new place called Kangazoom.  This place is full of inflatables to climb on, jump on and jump in.  There was a designated play area for smaller kids too.

At first Isaac wasn't sure what to do and once we scoped out the place he was ready to investigate.

He had a great time crawling on the strange surfaces that gently moved and bounced beneath him.  Isaac wasn't too sure what to think in the beginning but he caught on quickly.  Once the novelty wore off he was ready to get down and explore some more.

He found the water fountain that was just his size.  I love his continuous curiosity.  We wrapped up this playdate by sharing some snacks with his new friends.

Silly Boy

Isaac had a typical morning of breakfast and playing.  He loves to play with "his" calculator and it was his toy of choice this morning.  Although this morning he decided to lay down on his pillow but he wasn't about to let go of the beloved calculator.  Since he was being silly I covered him up with a blanket and tucked him all in.  Usually this only last a matter of seconds and becomes another fun game.  Today however he surprised me and just hung out all snuggled up.  He's so silly. :)

Wiggles, Tickles and Fun

For some reason Isaac loves when I wiggle my toes.  Anytime I have my feet propped up he likes to come and move my feet to get me to wiggle .  He just loves it.  Only this time he was so tickled that he spontaneously leaned over and blew a raspberry on my leg!

Thanks to Papa Isaac has his very own iPhone, one of Papa's old ones to play with.  He's also been very amused with my earbuds and he likes to carry them around.  He's been working on how to plug them into his phone and I sat down to show him how and put the ear buds in the phone so he could listen to music.

Isaac was so amused.  He pulled them out of his ears and looked ever so quizzically at them. Then he held them up to me.  I put one in my ear and one in his ear and started to move to the music.  He was fascinated.  Then I put both of the ear buds back in his ears.  He was fully content!

Fun with Tissues

Isaac is still a bit under the weather but he's over the worst of it.  Since we've both had stuffy noses we've been using lots and lots of tissues!  I always try to make the best of a not so fun situation and this was a teaching opportunity.  Teaching Isaac how to use a tissue to blow his nose and wipe his runny nose has been a hoot!

We were laying on the floor this morning and he had a baby wipe in his hand he had been playing with.  He laid down beside me and suddenly he lifted his little hand to my face and tried to wipe my nose for me.  It was the cutest thing and I couldn't help but giggle.  He's slowly catching on and loves to grab a tissue and "pretend" to blow his nose by lifting the tissue to his nose and makes blowing noises with his mouth.  Baby steps, right?? :)

World Traveler

Isaac is a world traveler in the making.  The first step was getting his first hair cut followed by a trip to get a passport photo.  I'm sure it's not everyday passport photos are taken of 14 month olds.  However, the guy taking the picture was very patient with Isaac.  After a couple attempts, he finally had the photo we needed.  Isaac struggled to stand still and who can blame him.  He was more interested in the camera the guy was using and kept walking to investigate the camera instead of smiling for his picture.

We went to the post office this morning and completed all of Isaac's paperwork.  It's hard to believe he'll have his own passport at such a young age.  I didn't get my first passport until I was 29.  Perhaps this is the foundation of wonderful things to come in Isaac's future.

Afterwards we had a fabulous breakfast at the Pancake House and then it was time to take Papa to the airport.  Frazer was leaving for England to visit his parents.  So it was just Isaac and I for the next week.  On our way home we stopped at the book store....

We had fun looking for books and found a new book for baby sign language.  Isaac's been doing very well picking up signs to ease to his frustrations so mama needed needed to be armed with some resources.  :)

It was certainly a busy day!

A Sick Little Boy

I've learned from experience that it's great to have plans but make sure they're flexible.  Sure enough, I had our calendar loaded with fun activities but those were unpleasantly interrupted by a sick little boy.  Isaac woke up with a fever that kept rising.  He was so cranky and I couldn't blame him considering how congested he was and his little sniffly nose.  So, we skipped the planned playdates until little guy starts feeling better.

When Isaac woke up from his nap he was roasting! Even with a little Tylenol his fever had climbed to 101.4 so I called the pediatrician for an appointment and took him to be safe.  He was screaming in misery and it was about to break my heart since I knew there was little I could do to ease his discomfort.  And while I knew there was probably little the pediatrician could do it would at least ease my anxieties. They checked for strep but he was clear.  So, Tylenol, fluids and lots of love were in order for the next several days.

I must say there is something so wrong about having to break out the humidifier in the middle of August.  I slept on the floor of Isaac's room to make sure he could breathe and didn't get too congested.  Let's just say it was a really long night for both of us! I finally located the right thickness of pillow to place under his mattress to keep him slightly elevated which seemed to help a lot.  There's nothing worse than being unable to make him feel better. :(

Lots of love and cuddles for this little guy!  I hope this passes quickly....

Catch Air

We've been in Alpharetta now almost two months and while there will always be projects to complete around the house it's time for Isaac and I to start venturing out more.  I joined a mom's group in the area and started adding activities to our calendar this week.  We had one outing Monday morning for story time but today we went to a place in Johns Creek called Catch Air.

Big Boy Shopper

We tried something new today during our trip to Lowes.  Isaac had just woken up from a nap in the car and wasn't interested in sitting in the shopping cart.  Since he's walking really well I thought I would see how well he would do in the store so we gave it a try.

Isaac's First Haircut!

For the last several nights Frazer and I had both been noticing how long Isaac's hair had grown.  After baths it was becoming harder to brush his hair out and it looked like a mullet was starting to take shape.  So, last night I attempted to trim him hair.  Trimming hair isn't a problem unless it's a moving target. After two or three snips I decided it was best to give up.  This was not a battle I was going to win and it wasn't worth the risk of causing injury.

Happy Big 4.0. Papa!

Every birthday deserves a celebration and a special birthday such as the big 4.0 needed a birthday weekend! We started the weekend off with a small celebration with friends at Eclipse de Luna in Perimeter.  It was a great adult night out while Isaac enjoyed quality play time with Grandma Sue.  For some reason the thought to take pictures didn't occur to me until after we were already home for the night.  I think I was too excited for an adult night, diaper bag free. :)

Uh Oh Spaghetti Oh

Papa had a quick trip to California for work and when ever papa has to travel it's an opportunity I siege to make dishes with red sauce.  Sometimes I'm still in disbelief that Frazer strongly dislikes spaghetti sauce.  I'm not sure what tomato's, basil and oregano ever did to him but they really made a bad impression.  Any who, I made some wagon wheel pasta with spaghetti sauce and ground turkey for little man.