Visitors

We had so much fun with these two in town. We love living in a  city that brings visitors. Here are a few pics from Ken and Kathy's visit. 

A Whole Year!

Tate man turned O.N.E on April 10th. So far, I feel like 1 is my age. Baby is cute, but having a toddler is so much more of my thing.

• He goes through phases where he throws EVERYTHING in the trash. The other day, he grabbed a squirt bottle from the closet and casually walked passed me, to the trash can, threw it away, turned around, and asked for food. I swear we are missing at least $30 worth of pacifiers and I think I know where they are..
• He's runs everywhere he goes
• He randomly chuckles to himself
• He loves balls, balls, balls, cars, cars, cars, and anything else he isn't supposed to touch
• He has started holding my hand when we walk together
• He waves and says BA BA (bye bye) to everyone
• He'll drop everything and dance when he hears music
• Any time I have to wake him up, he'll pop up right away, grab his pacifiers, and act like he's never been asleep. Then two minutes later he cries and cries-- poor baby!
• Oh, man does he love his dad. Really loves his dad. He'll cuddle with him and kiss him (and totally not give me the time of day).  Dad is so much more fun
• He has started sleeping through the night usually 2 or 3 times a week. LOVE THIS.
• He refuses to eat fruits or veggies and almost anything else. Occasionally, he'll eat mashed carrots.
• He usually naps twice a day, but every once in a while he refuses to take that second nap
• He usually sleeps 10 to 11 hours at night and wakes up anywhere from 6 to 6:30am.
• Tantrums are slowing down, though I'm sure they'll come back with a vengeance! He has become better at communicating what he wants.
• He smiles at any one and everything except the camera!
• He doesn't like to be contained unless he's tired or at home. When we are out and about he would much rather be walking then in my arms.

Love this kid. We really LOVE him.  He's the greatest thing that has every happened to us and makes our life so much richer.  We can't  believe how big he is now and love watching him grow!

I've just got to say that I love my big, little boy so much! Today has been full of cuddles, laughs, and kisses. It makes up for all the hard days 100x over. So blessed!

13.1 Miles

I'm documenting this so that I don't chicken out and so that I feel more accountable...!

Me and this hott lady (my lil sis! This pic totally cracks me up!)...

are going running in a half marathon on June 9! I am the worst runner ever and always commit to races and then never run them! So pathetic, I know! I'm determined to do this one and have finished my first successful week of training! It tops out at 3 miles (not even close to 13!).

One Month From a Year

• He's laughing more than ever
• WALKING! He started walking around 10.5 months. He still looks like he's going to topple over at any moment
• He shakes his head for no and points to things he wants
• He says mama and dada and kiki (for kitty)
• He waves hello and good bye when he decides he wants to do so
• Some days he'll eat as much as I do and some days he'll get by on scraps
• I am in the process of weaning him. He's down to 2 feeds a day. So sad about this. I miss it so much. It took me till about 9 months to enjoy nursing & now that I do it's probably a good thing I have to leave him for a few days or I may have never stopped! (joking)
• He loves everything that has to do with the bathroom and shreds any piece of paper he gets his hands on
• Now that he's walking it has made going anywhere nearly IMPOSSIBLE! He wants to walk all the time, but still isn't good at it so he ends up crawling all over the nasty Chicago store floors.
• He's still as wild as ever...funny kid!

10 Months

Totally didn't post this almost a month ago..


What!? My little babe is 10 months? It's crazy! I feel like he is a little boy more than a baby. He's all over the place.

• He took his first steps! He only took a few and he only did it a few times. He's refused ever since! He stands without a problem.
  
• He is ALL boy. He growls and lunges and loves trains and cars. It has been amazing to see the differences between Tate and other girls his age.
  
• He loves touching the TV and hitting the TV. Awesome. I don't know how we don't have a crack on our screen. How many nos does it take to get him to stop!? =)
  
• He opens every drawer in sight and takes everything out of it (nicely folded clothes, silverware, cleaning supplies, etc). Awesome again.
  
• He is fascinated with anything and every activity in the bathroom.
  
• He takes gulps of water every time we are in the pool or bath tub.
• He LOVES black beans. In fact, some days that is all he eats. He also likes eggs, mac and cheese, chicken, sweet potatoes, cheese, cheddar cheese bites, and anything with sugar. He had half an avocado the other day. His eating habits change every day. I never know what he's going to eat.
• He has slept through the night TWICE! Awesome, but he's still all over the place. I think I tried to sleep train him too early and I finally decided to just give up at 9 months and go with the flow. I've stopped stressing about it and it makes things so much better. I'll try again soon, but for now I'm happy and he's happy! He is one stubborn boy!
  
• He has 5 teeth and one is about to poke its way through.
• He is a kamikaze. Seriously. He always has bumps and bruises and it doesn't slow him down one bit. He'll hurt himself and then turn around and do it again over and over.
• He gives kisses, but only when he's in the mood. He does it with a big open mouth.
• When he eats he pulls everything out of his mouth, mushes it all over his face and then puts it back in again. Awesome.
• He throws his food EVERYWHERE.
• The word "no" makes him absolutely furious. Either that or he thinks it's hilarious. Mostly the former, though.
  
• His favorite toys are balls. LOVES them. He hits them around and chases them. Usually he hits two at a time and has become very good and hitting them in the direction he wants them to go.
• I've started taking him to the child care at a gym. He did horribly at first, but is much better now. He does best when there is another kid that pays attention to him and even better when there's one close to his age. He screams like crazy when I leave, but now he'll stop after he can't see me anymore. I think it's good for him....and ME!
• I can sit and hang out when we are at home and he's playing (sometimes), but the second I try to do something useful he wants in on the action.
• He use to ham it up and smile for the camera-- now he just wants to touch it. Getting a picture is impossible!
• He's a momma's boy, but has the most fun when he plays with his dad.
• Surprisingly it has become easier to change his diaper and clothing.
  
• He likes books more than he ever has and will now sit through a reading.
• It's fun that he now knows more about everything that's going on. He knows what to expect and you can't hide a thing from him.
  

Winter

I don't think it would be possible for me to live without these winter items in Chicago.

1. The Bob Revolution- this thing takes me anywhere in this city, in any condition-- snow, rain, poorly constructed/ falling apart streets. Tate wouldn't let me take him for jogs in it over the summer (b/c of his HATRED for strollers, but it's much better now and I'm glad this huge stroller is coming in handy in the winter! Maybe this coming summer he'll go for jogs!).

2. The Bob Weather Shield- take is snug as a bug with this thing. No snow, wind, or rain gets in the stroller at all!

3. Bundle Me- with the weather shield and bundle me, Tate wouldn't need any clothes. He stays so nice and cozy, even when there's a blizzard falling on us!

4. Hunter rain boots/ socks- LOVE these guys. I've been wearing them everywhere and my toesies stay OH SO WARM. I haven't slipped ONCE!

5. Lands End long puffer jacket- I now wish I had bought the North Face jacket when I moved to Chicago a few years ago, but this one works perfectly! My jacket is actually longer than the one in the picture!