Drew is reading!

Well, obviously he's not really reading. 

He is really starting to enjoy books, though! He will actually drag a book to me then whine until I put him in my lap and read it to him. That, of course, only lasts for a few pages before he's trying to pry the book out of my hands and turn and tap the pages himself. But the fact that he enjoys being read to, even for a few short minutes, is a good step. (And even the fact that he wants to turn the pages and imitate how I try to point out things in the book is great, too!)

He even loves quality content...

But not only does he enjoy being read to, and imitate the way I read the books, he's actually already memorizing the "words" that go with pictures. One of the books we read is called "Baby Faces". It's pretty much just that- pictures of babies' faces with a single word or phrase describing it: yippee, boo hoo, stinky, etc.. Me being me (and have a trace of "drama queen" in me) I read and act out the pages. Boo hoo involves lots of eye rubbing, sobs, and "tears" while stinky finds me plugging my nose and waving away awful aromas. Drew loves this and laughs and laughs. The other day he pulled the book out himself and turned to the page that said "yum-yum" and he started to make the lip smacking sound I make.

Maybe he is reading!

Wordless Wednesday: Peek-a-boo

The blankie

That's my boy. He loves his blanket. (And sucking his thumb).

At first he just loved anything soft. He had three (very different) blankies that we rotated among, and he was happy. As long as he had one, he would pop the thumb in the mouth and drift off to sleep.

Then one day he picked one of those three as *THE* blankie. No other one will do. How it happened, I'm not sure. I don't know if he likes the colors. The softness. Maybe the fact that it has stiff corners (he likes to suck on the corners). Maybe we were lazy and left this blankie in rotation just a little longer during a period in which he really became aware of it... who knows. All I know is I tried to wash it during a nap and put him down with one of the other 3 blankies and no napping happened. In fact, only screaming happened.

*THE* blanket

In the afternoons if he's in his don't-put-me-down-or-I-will-scream-until-YOUR-head-explodes moods I can toss him the blankie and he lays down on it and is happy. It has also been a perfect "soother" for stressful moments, like when he had to get an IV for fluids during the nasty stomach bug.

I try to leave the blankie in the crib during the day (except those really stressful moment), but it does get dragged to and from daycare for nap time. I'd really hate to imagine what kind of notes we might get if we didn't send the blankie. In any case, we were getting a little tired of the blankie never being where we needed it to be. We also worried what would happen if the blankie got lost. I've been there. I was so devastated (and to this day wonder what happened to that blankie).

So we did an internet search to see if we could find a matching blankie. A lot of searching and digging finally led me to the "Lost Toy Fairy" on eBay where I found the same blanket for $50. Yes, $50 for a USED blanket.  Thankfully this post had an "OBO" option, so we offered $25. The counter-offer was $45- she couldn't go any lower because of shipping and this was a "rare" item (how is a 1-2 year old blanket "rare"??). Some lost toy fairy- why don't you just go ahead and state that you specialize in overcharging parents for their children's favorite things? I responded with $35. I told her the same blankets sell at Target for $15 and, though we obviously want this specific blanket and are obviously willing to pay a bit more for it, my husband would kill me if I spent more than $35 on a used blanket. In fact, I think he wanted to kill me for even spending that much.

So, $35 later we have 2 blankies, and thankfully, because the "new" one is used, Drew doesn't notice a difference. For now, at least.

Right around Drew's first birthday I had some photos done of Drew. There was an awesome Groupon for Picture People ($8!) and I was curious to see how they worked with little ones. I knew I was going to be doing fabulous one year photos with Cassie (Doll Eye's Photography) so I didn't want birthday photos. I just wanted something fun, something just because, but something "him". I kept trying to think of a theme- basketball, golf, a "favorite" color... but they all seemed forced. He's only one, he doesn't have any interests or favorites yet. Then it hit me! He does, too! His blankie!

So here is Drew and his blankie.

Love the face. And the mohawk. :P

Sucking on the corner

Peek-a-boo!

Wordless Wednesday: Yay! Bath time!

My current top 10

Today you can get a double-dose of me! I wrote a post over at my aunt's blog- Wynn Anne's Meanderings about 10 things you will NEVER see me do.

Instead of 10 things I won't do, I thought over here I'd share 10 things I'm loving right now!

1. The weather. After months (and I mean months) of temps above 90, this is a welcome relief.

I doubt it will stay like this,
but for now I will enjoy temps in the 80s with sun!

2. Pinterest. Yup. I am totally addicted. Though I'll probably never have time, money, or energy for any of the things I pin, I still love it.

3. Hair. I’ve been bored with my hair for a long time. I never like the way it looks when it’s down, but I hate throwing it in a boring pony tail. I don’t have time for complicated styling (and by complicated I mean anything that involves a hair dryer) so, thanks to my Pinterest addiction, I’ve been trying a couple of fun and cute, but easy, styles. 

I've been loving on this style.
Actually quite simple, and so cute!

4. Drew's hair. How could you not love some of this golden, wispy action??

5.  Green smoothies. I learned about these from two friends and I am enjoying the concoction for breakfast. What makes them green? Spinach, of course! You might not be keen on spinach for breakfast, but I swear you do not taste it! You can find any variety of “recipes” online; it took me some playing to find a mix that I liked, but right now mine include: ¼ of a frozen banana, approximately 6 frozen strawberries (I freeze the fruits myself when we get home from the store), a couple dollops of organic vanilla yogurt, a splash of milk, a squeeze of honey and a large handful of spinach leaves. Sometimes I throw in some frozen blueberries or peaches, too. I also throw in a small packet of probiotic powder and a little bit of BeneFiber. Can’t hurt, right? These are fairly filling (though I do usually have a mid-morning snack still) and I love that I’m getting tons of antioxidants, iron, calcium, fiber, etc. right from the get-go.

Photo and idea courtesy of Tina
at faithfitnessfun.com

6. Coupons. Yes. I’m a couponer. Not an “extreme couponer” (maybe I would be if I had a basement for my stash? J/K!!) but a couponer nonetheless. I just can’t live off of boxed and frozen food the way many extreme couponers do, but couponing helps us save LOTS on essentials like toothpaste, deodorant, even frozen veggies, butter, and bread. Those are things you can stock up on when you can get them for cheap (and by cheap I’m talking 50 cents or even free!). We are having to live by a very strict budget right now, so coupons allow me to save enough that we can still buy quality meats and produce (organic when possible) to make fresh and healthy meals. 

7.  Experiencing God. I just started this Bible Study on Wednesday nights at our church. So far I’m really enjoying it!

8. My little boy's antics. He makes me laugh every evening. Even when I'm frustrated and exhausted.

9. I'm booked for Peru! Yay!!

10. Skype. I love that even though my family is spread across the continent we can still chat "face-to-face". And I love that Drew actually recognizes his grandparents, and interacts with his aunt. It's so much fun!

They're imitating Drew. Heehee!

DrewTube

Videos seem to be the name of the game this week. So here's some more "DrewTube" enjoyment for you! (Thanks for the title Aunt Wynn Anne!)

Doesn't quite grasp the concept yet...

Making music

Stacey would like me to point out that she was listening to the waitress

He now says "doo doo doooo" when he plays with his Scooby.

P.S. I apologize for the poor quality. These were all taken on my phone.

Still dreaming of the NBA

It's long, but it's worth it to watch to the end. He slam dunks!

I proudly showed Jason this video after I took it, to which he replied, "yeah, he does that all the time.... though without all the 'yay's".  Heehee.... I guess that's what Mommy's do!