holiday happenings

We've had so much fun around here the past few weeks. Miles eagerly anticipated Santa's arrival this year!

Here we are at Miller Park Zoo having breakfast with Santa and his reindeer. Miles got to try on an antler...and he wanted to sit on Santa's lap too. All along he's asked Santa to bring him two things: a helicopter and a fire truck. 

The Elf on the Shelf came to our house this year, and Miles had fun with her. He liked that she could fly and was always very curious about where she'd be in the house each morning.

We sang Christmas songs A LOT. Jingle Bells, Carol of the Bells, Grinch, Rudolph, Frosty...to name a few...over and over again.

Another highlight was spending time with cousin Abi and uncle Michael who visited before Christmas. We baked cookies, played hide and seek and laughed a lot. Aunt Sarah came to visit too, right after Christmas, and they played a rousing rendition of Jingle Bells together on the piano.

It's so fun to spend time with friends and family celebrating the season!

November

Well it looks like I have some catching up to do! Not sure how a month has gone by since my last post. Time with a toddler does seem to go by fast. Miles keeps us sooooo busy.

One of the best November events had to be our first official school program with Miles. His class has been working an "all about me" program and we got to attend a celebration marking the end of the unit. Miles was so excited to have mommy and daddy at school at the same time. The kids sang a few songs and did a "pin the body part on the body" activity. Miles chose the ear and applied it with perfection! So proud! Then we looked at all the poster boards each family compiled about their child, and each kid's "body" where they applied hair, etc. Miles was as proud as a peacock! We ended the program with cookies, juice and outside playtime.

Our other big November event: voting! Miles "voted" in his first presidential election, and displayed his sticker with pride. If you ask him who he voted for, he'll tell you "Obama Sticker" ... pretty close!

fall highlights

We've had some great fall outings the past few weeks, and here are a few highlights from ISU Homecoming and the pumpkin patch.

toddler talk

Miles is absolutely fascinating to talk to lately! He'll answer questions (most of the time), surprise us with new words and completely throw us for a loop with sentences.

I've been trying to jot down the really good ones...here are a few:

Me: What's your favorite popsicle?
Miles: pinky popsicle

Stop playing blocks, daddy. It's tea time.

While practicing the ISU fight song: Raise the banner red and white to the cymbals very true (instead of to these emblems we'll be true - so close!!)

Mommy, get the cheesy tail! (he hates cheese strings like on pizza - ha!)

Picking tomatoes: He's still growing up (and pointing to a small green tomato).

hide and seek

Miles has started playing a new game - hide and seek. Here's how it goes:
When Miles is the seeker, he covers his eyes and says "ready or not, here we come." Then he counts to 10. :) He usually starts looking in the same spot of the front yard ... then under the bushes saying "is mommy under the bushes? nooooo." then goes to the stairs/porch, etc. Sometimes he forgets and wanders off....When Miles hides, he always goes behind the tomato plant. It's definitely his favorite new game!

We've had some fun outings the last few weeks to Dozer Day, an ISU scrimmage and the Labor Day parade. Now Miles is even more interested in tractors, Reggie and the ISU band. His first "spelling" achievement is I-S-U GO!

We've been able to play outside a lot more since the weather has cooled. Fall days are coming soon and we're looking forward to football, the pumpkin patch and lots of other fun activities.

I'll get some pictures posted soon...

'cago

Highlights from our trip to Chicago or 'cago as Miles calls it! We had a great time riding the bus/train, visiting our old neighborhood, going to the zoo and "big market" -- can't wait to go back when it isn't 100 degrees.

 riding the el for the first time. he wanted to get off at every stop!

 in the old neighborhood

fountain in Giddings Plaza, Lincoln Square

 Miles really liked the "tall buildings" and looking out the window

 classic drive home picture :)

more birthday party

our special guests, Lynn and Andrew

and another special guest, Michael

banner we made...not sure I'll ever do that again

and another set of MILEStones

birthday party

 birthday morning balloons and gifts

 and a banana muffin for Curious Miles

 one of his many cool gifts

loved singing, blowing the candle and eating cake this year!

milestone: twenty-four months

Two-year check-up went well except for Miles crying and clinging to me at first because he didn't want to get weighed or measured...once we got past that it was easy.

34.5in and 30 pounds. Average weight and a little above average height. Nothing else major to report except that we switched to 2% milk. We asked about potty training and toddler beds but we're not jumping into either one of those for a few months at least.

So right now we're just focused on playing, having fun and exploring all the new birthday toys!! Lots more about the party and pics to come.

almost 2

Miles picked a Curious George party over Elmo, and we're busy planning the festivities for this Saturday. I can't wait!

Meanwhile we have his two year check-up and photo session later this week...and we're taking treats to school on Friday for his class :-)

Miles celebrated his 2 milestone early when we switched his car seat to forward-facing. He really likes it. On the way to school Monday he kept telling me I see you, mommy and cars coming! It was too cute.

Be back soon with a milestone report and pictures!

happy birthday!

Miles has gotten the hang of happy birthday in recent weeks. He got to use it for our friend Michael who turned two last week..and then for mommy this week. So the morning of my birthday I went in to his room and he greeted me with a cheerful good morning. When I asked him whose birthday it was he said happy birthday, nana! Ohhhhh... so close!

He spent the day before with my mom and they practiced and he got it sorta right :)

Later that day driving home from school I asked him again and he said happy birthday, cracker. Hrm.

During my cupcake/candle and singing he said happy birthday to you. Yay! Then he gobbled up part of my cupcake. :) Finally when we were reading bedtime stories he said happy birthday, mommy out of the blue. Woo hoo! It was the best birthday gift.

Ben took Miles to Target to select a gift for me and he chose a big, pink sun hat. Ben said he insisted on it so that's what I'll be wearing proudly this summer.

milestone: twenty-three months

This milestone flew by, and I'm reeling at the thought of planning my baby's second birthday party!!

Miles continues to be fascinated by trucks, especially garbage trucks and fire trucks. Since garbage day is only once a week, we've started watching them on youtube (dear people who created these videos, thank you!). He is in total awe! One of our favorite songs right now is "coming down the alley" to the tune of "she'll be coming round the mountain" which is all about the garbage truck. "He'll be tossing in the trash oh when he comes" for example. Miles has started saying "coming down" when he wants the truck to appear or when he wants you to come with him. Mommy coming down, for example. Ha!

We got out the baby pool this weekend, and Miles like it much better than last summer. He played in it off an on for an hour last weekend at Michael's house and did the same on Saturday. He loves the sprinkler (sprinkles) too. New phrase: "I touch it" when he wants to get closer to the water or anything nearby. "In the water" is another new phrase.

Let's see...Miles had his first trip to Carl's Ice Cream where he got his very own dish of vanilla with candy eyes. He was much more excited about the "big ice cream" statue than the real thing. He also had his first hot dog on the grill...which he liked, but was somewhat confused by. He woofed a few times when we said hot dog so that'll be one we have to explain a few times...

The kids got weighed at school, and Miles is 30# and I'm guessing 34in maybe? Can't wait for his 2yr check-up in a few weeks. It's almost time to turn his car seat to the front which will definitely be a big milestone!

Gotta get planning his photo session, birthday party, etc!!

family

skinned knee

Miles took a slight tumble on the sidewalk resulting in a minor scrape. He barely cried so that's good. We washed it together and then added a Curious George bandage. All better by the time we took this photo :)

He  loves to walk under the trees. So tall! Reach!

Gramps helped Miles make a May Day basket! 

On our walk Miles had a long conversation with the neighbor's cat. A summary: Hi kitty. Itching (when the cat scratched his ears). Up (the cat laid down). Coming (he wanted the cat to follow us). With you. (wanted the cat to come with us). Walking (cat starts to follow us). Coming. Walking. Bye kitty (after the cat stops and sits). It was so funny!

milestone: twenty-two months

Here it is again. Another milestone! Why does time seem to be speeding up?

I shared that Miles is counting to ten so what else is new? He's singing a lot. He knows all the words to Baa Baa Black Sheep and still likes Itsy Bitsy Spider, Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee, I'm a Little Teapot, Wheels on the Bus and sings/dances along to all of them. He's getting really good at the alphabet and likes to sing his ABCs. He'll also identify letters and tell you what's after a letter. Miles knows all his colors too. He likes to build his block towers by color -- the taller the better!

New words continue daily -- this morning he told me happy, happy birthday :) So funny. He's been working on happy, happy for a few weeks and just recently got it paired with birthday. Too cute.

Phrases are probably his newest development - I got it, there it is, be right back and I did it are all regular sayings now. He's regularly saying hi mommy and lots of two word phrases too.

Elmo and Curious George are still the favorite shows which is nice and we're in no hurry to introduce him to anything else at this point.

I still need to post the Easter church pics and some others...

ten

Miles counted to ten twice last weekend! He started with one, two and we'd repeat the number to encourage him. He gets stuck on three sometimes. And some numbers get lumped together like fivesix. He definitely has his own style ;)

easter

We had a wonderful Easter weekend celebrating with friends and family. Miles enjoyed his first Easter egg hunt, and really liked it. He was selective about his eggs...he'd go after purple, for example, instead of grabbing a blue egg nearby. Not all eggs are created equal in the eyes of Miles. His favorite part was definitely opening them (still doing it) to see what's inside - stickers, candy, a cow! So much fun.

george

Miles has gotten into some new books lately. Curious George is a current fave, as well as the Gossie and friends books (Gertie, Ollie, Peedie). Our library has a huge stuffed George, and Miles loves to go say hi to him each time we're there.

Animals in general are pretty amazing for Miles right now. He had a lot of fun during our zoo trip a few weeks ago, and he's saying "aroo" for kangaroo, which is the same thing Abigail said at his age :)

Tacos, his frog at school, is a good friend. They set him free in the pond this week, and I was wondering how Miles would react. He asked about him when we got to school today - his cage is gone - and I reminded him that he was swimming with his friends. Hopefully that will do for an answer!

We're looking forward to our first Easter egg hunt this weekend with our friend Michael. I wonder if they'll get the concept? Oh well; I am sure they'll make it fun no matter what. 

milestone: twenty-one months

Time keeps ticking, and Miles keeps growing! Here we are again at another milestone.

We've been spending a lot of time outside since the weather has been so nice. It's amazing to see how much Miles has grown over the winter...he can master many of the park toys and move around so fast!

The ever-expanding vocab includes more and more new words daily. Miles will repeat pretty much any word you say. He's also starting to say phrases. Miles said "I want Gossie" (a book he's loving right now) yesterday and has said "love (wuv) you" a few times. :)

He's growing out of clothes about as fast as I can buy them -- everything is a 2T now, and I hope that gets us through the summer. His hair's long too so it's time for a hair cut again!

big boy

What happens when Miles dresses himself

Prefers to pull the wagon rather than ride in it

Could not believe how big he seemed in the swing compared to last fall

Miles is growing more independent by the day. After we played at the park on Sunday he insisted on getting out of the wagon to pull it. He pulled it a block and a half! It was soooo cute - he pulled the wagon with one hand and held my hand with the other...doing it his way, but with mommy's support. I'll take it!

mommy adventures

Two weeks ago I had my first "social" overnight away from the boys. I spent Saturday and Saturday night in Chicago with lots of friends to celebrate Natalie's bridal shower and bachelorette party. We had lots of fun, and the boys did super great. Miles cried a little when I left, but was quickly distracted by an Elmo cracker. I could NOT wait to get home on Sunday to play with Miles, and he was happy to see me too.

This past week I had my longest business trip to date away from Miles -- about 2.5 days. It was sooooooooo long. Miles did wonderful being kept busy with a trip to see grandma and grandpa Sunday afternoon, school on Monday and then playing with grandma on Tuesday. I tried so hard to make it home before bedtime, but it didn't work out. FINALLY this morning I got a smiles, hugs, kisses and snuggles! Big "mwah" kisses over the phone were super cute, but I missed my little boy so much.

School transition got better after 2 weeks...still a few tears every once in a while, but nothing too major. Miles is acting more like himself in general, and his teacher commented on his vast vocabulary, knowing his colors, etc. so I think he's impressed her :) School naps are better, too, which makes our evenings a lot more fun.

milestone: twenty months

Miles has started singing a lot more in recent weeks. His favorite songs are:

-Itsy, Bitsy Spider with the climbing, etc. motions. He's saying itsy, bitsy, down, washed and a few other words
-Ring around the Rosey. Likes to play with Elmo included and says ring and ashes (sorta sounds like achoo)
-Alphabet song. He's doing a lot of the right sounds like a,b,c,g,h,p
-Elmo's World theme. Very good at la la la....Elmo's world


School transition to the toddler room has been rough. Lots of crying, anxiety and general uncharacteristic behavior. We're trying to get through it. After five days it's getting better...

valentine

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playtime pics

 playing guitar with daddy. Miles LOVES music - singing, dancing and playing instruments

 dressing-up in mommy's shoes

 playing with the puppets at the Children's Discovery Museum. Our buddy Michael has Bert and Ernie

getting bubbled during the Sesame Street class at the museum. So fun!

toddlerdom

Recently Miles has started talking about one of his friends from school constantly. Her name is Avery. He'll say her names at the funniest times - during diaper changes or watching Elmo, for example. We have no idea why. At school he doesn't pay her any more attention than the other kids. But if I say anything about school, the first thing Miles says in return is "Avery." Maybe this is his first girlfriend? I'm sure she has no idea.

Tantrums continue and seem to be getting longer. They definitely occur more when Miles is tired (like on Monday evening when we got home from school - Miles only had a 40 minute nap all day - ugh). We try to soothe and move on or ignore it; not much luck so far. I'm sure we'll have many more times to perfect our tantrum response.

Recent new words: airplane, blimp and elbow (he said this one totally out of the blue today while eating dinner. He pushed up his sleeve and showed us his elbow too :)).

The only other news to share is Miles will transition to the toddler room at school in two weeks. This room has the same schedule for all kids so I'm hoping he'll nap better in a quieter/darker room. Hard to believe he's moving up already..2 is just around the corner. 

milestone: nineteen months

It's been another month full of fun! The biggest change the last few weeks has been the way Miles plays. His imagination has really taken off! We've been having picnics with Elmo and friends. Miles makes alphabet soup using his ABC's and puts a few in cups to share. He stirs it, says it's hot and blows on it. Adorable! He's been feeding Elmo a lot - he eats every meal with Miles in the chair next to him, complete with bib and food from the play kitchen.

Today Miles played a new game: library! Ben took him to borrow some Elmo dvd's and when they got home Miles pushed books across the coffee table and beeped -- he was reenacting the automated return at the library! Sooo smart and so cute.

We are trying to keep up with all his words - Miles is up to 80+ now, which still includes unique sayings like "lellow" for yellow. He'll surprise you and say "buckle" when getting into his car seat or "button" when we push the garage door closed. It's so much fun to hear!

Other new words include "pee-pee" and "poop" and he's got the application of them down well though we're not sure if he just notices he has a wet diaper when he says "pee-pee" or if he's going. He definitely has "poop" right - he will tell us before and after he goes. We are going to try a potty chair soon and see how he responds to it.

More teeth are in so he's at 10 - including a new molar, so the last few weeks he's had some bad nights with tooth pain. All in all, Miles has done well, and the bad nights just remind me how great the good nights are (not to mention how long we waited for them!). 

Can't believe our next milestone is 20 months (we'll be out of the teen months)!

snow

Miles loves his boots and we FINALLY got to wear them and play in the snow! He tried to walk down the hill at first until he realized he got to ride in the sled. After the first trip down he said "more, more, more" so I think he liked it. We didn't stay out long but it was long enough for him to get hooked on sledding!

Christmas pics

First time decorating cookies! Miles liked poking the cookie ...

and shaking the sprinkles...

and eating the cookies, of course! These are the cookies we left for Santa.

First Christmas was at nana's house. This is one of my all-time favorite pics of them - sooo sweet.

Miles had no idea what to do Christmas morning but once he realized we got to open the gifts under the tree, he was all about it. It took us almost an hour and half to open presents because we stopped to play with everything...then he'd play for a bit and Ben and I would take turns opening. Worked well!

We had a peaceful Christmas morning in our jammies!

Such a fun day. Miles was sad to see the tree and decorations go bye bye. Me too. Have to get some Valentine stuff up to cheer us up!

first haircut

I completely forgot to post about Miles' first haircut! We had been putting it off because his long hair is so darn cute, but we decided it was time since it kept hanging in his eyes. Before:

He wasn't sure about the whole process at first, but didn't mind it once the stylist moved to the sides and back, and he liked the clippers :)

Best part was going up and down and spinning in the chair.

*Sigh*...he looks like SUCH a little boy now!