Small Wonder

Words and Sounds

Every day Hayden seems to be picking up more words and sounds.  He now does the cutest sounds when you ask him about Grandpa's car, grandpa's boat and when he sees a plane.  The other day we went to a BBQ for Wade's company and there was this big, orange cat lying in the window.  Hayden couldn't get closer than about 2 feet b/c of the TV and computer, but he kept reaching for the cat and waving to him.  The cat would "meow" really loud, and Hayden would tilt his head to the side and "meow" right back.  Everyone at the party was laughing at him, it was the cutest thing.  Now when you ask him what a cat says, he tilts his head and says "meow."

He's beginning to repeat things we say, as well.  He hasn't repeated anything bad, thank goodness, and we're really trying to keep our language clean, just in case.  But he is like a little parrot.  He even pretends to sneeze or cough whenever we do!

We just got back from spending 2 weeks in LA for my bridal shower and while Wade started training for his new job.  We went back and forth from my mom's house to a hotel in Morgan City and did some exploring.  There's a really nice park that sits on a lake in Morgan City and it has a little beach.  I've taken Hayden there twice and he really likes it.  I bought him some sand toys and he sat there pouring sand all over himself and even his head.  He's such a boy!  He was laying in the sand and rolling all around, just having a good time!

He is beginning to listen A LITTLE better.  One out of every three times that I tell him "no" or call him, he'll respond.  He likes to shake his finger at us and say "no no no."  I've put him in time out a couple of times, but he doesn't get that its not a fun thing.  Once, my mom said she'd put him in time out for something and he went and sat in the chair by himself and said "no no no no." 

He's been in a horrible sleeping phase, though.  For at least a month now, he's been waking up in the middle of the night and getting in bed with us.  There isn't much we can do b/c his crying is so loud, I'm sure the neighbors will here.  It makes for some really rough nights and Wade and I are exhausted most of the time.  He's still such a restless sleeper and all night we get little toes in our backs, punches to the head and sometimes even head butts.


At the doctor's yesterday he had his 18 month appointment.  He weighs about the same, a little over 27 pounds but he's 34 inches tall, 90th percentile for his height.  He got his 2nd Hep A shot in is arm and didn't cry or even really flinch.  I guess shots in the arm don't hurt, especially if you get to sit on mama's lap.  He did get scared during the exam and started calling "mama" and reaching for me :-(

He cut his first incisors in the last couple of days and may be cutting another one.  He's been pretty fussy and clingy today but it may also be because he doesn't understand what's going on.  There are boxes piled all over the house, his toys are packed away and his bed is taken down (he's in the playpen for the night)  its going to be a rough few days for him as we pack and drive back home.  Hopefully it won't be too bad and he'll sleep a lot.

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Hayden's Easter

This was the first year that Hayden got an Easter basket from the "bunny" so I was excited to see him open it.  We woke up early, but I had to wait for everyone else to get up before I could let him have it b/c I didn't have my camera or the video camera.  I had to video it since Wade is in Morgan City training for his new job, I wanted him to see Hayden open his basket.

Anyway, I set it on the floor and he walked around it, trying to figure out how to get into it.  He got a little frustrated, so I untied it and opened the paper.  The first thing he pulled out were the tubes of mini MMs which he stood and shook for a while.  The next thing he grabbed was this cheap plastic carrot light that twirls around.  He loved it!  He kept pushing the button and laughing at it and it was all he played with for a few minutes.  He wasn't too interested in the rest of the basket, though he did pick up a foil wrapped chocolate and ate a piece, foil and all!  The Peeps didn't go over well (though they are my favorite lol) but the chocolate did!

We weren't able to go anywhere today because mom was sick ALL day.  We think she may have had food poisoning.  While we were waiting for her to feel better (we had plans to go to the Aquarium in Baltimore) we all fell asleep and by the time everyone woke back up, there wasn't much time to still go.  We had Easter dinner at Macaroni Grill, though!  YUM!

Hayden looked adorable in his little outfit that my mom got him - a white polo, blue sweater vest and khakis.  I may have to put it on him tomorrow so I can actually get some pics of him in it, besides the portraits I took today.

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Such a boy!

Hayden and I went for a walk on the trail behind our neighborhood this morning.  He stopped constantly to pick up leaves, rocks and sticks!  He LOVES that kind of stuff and nothing makes him happier than to be outside getting dirty!  He just wandered around, exploring everything around him.  He'd pick up sticks and walk with them for a little while, then see and rock, pick it up and throw it.  He'd carry a leaf for a minute before something else caught his eye.  And he has NO FEAR!  I had to chase him down slopes a couple of times before he rolled down them.  When he was ready to go, he climbed into his stroller and sipped his juice while I pushed him back to the apartment. 

A couple of days ago, we visited a farm that's about 1/2 hour away.  I knew he'd like roaming around, looking at all the animals and I wanted to take some photos for Mandy's nursery.  Hayden loved the cow and kept pointing and saying "mooooo."  He saw chickens as well, and said "bawk, bawk."  It was so funny.  He kept trying to climb under the fences and again, got so dirty, loving every minute of it!  After seeing all of the animals, he played on a couple of old tractors, making "vroom vroom" noises, then he played on the playground for a little while.  We had a picnic lunch and headed back home in time for him to take his nap.

Terrible Two's early?

The last few days, Hayden has begun to pitch some pretty major fits ... stomping, yelling, hitting, knocking things over and out of my hands.  I'm not sure if its just because he's not feeling well (I think he's cutting a tooth) or if he's just hitting the terrible 2's already.  I hope its the first one because its really hard to deal with, especially with our living situation.  If we lived in a house, or somewhere that his stomping and banging wouldn't bother anyone, I'd ignore it ... but since we have mean and apparently noise-sensitive neighbors below us, I have to try and control the tantrums and that is hard to do.  It makes me tense and angry at our neighbors for putting me in this situation.  I don't want to fuss at Hayden constantly ... I want him to be able to run, jump, play and dance without worrying about the noise he's making.

I can't WAIT to move away from this place!

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Scary morning

Monday morning, Hayden woke up after a night of fever seeming to feel ok.  He ran to the fridge so I gave him a cup of milk.  He hadn't eaten or drank much the day before, so when he cried for 2 more cups of milk I gave him to him.  As he was sitting on my lap, he got really still then threw up all over us.  I stripped him down to get him in the tub and while we were in there I noticed his body was really tense and his skin was looking splotchy.  He was shaking a little and making little grunting noises.  I tried to hold him up to look at me, but he wouldn't look at me and his legs got rigid.  I started to freak out and tried to lay in him the water so he'd get warmer, but his body went rigid again and he started to fuss.  When I noticed his hands and feet turning blue, I got out of the tub and wrapped him in blankets while trying to find his doctor's phone number.  As I got him dressed I noticed his lips turning blue and his body was stiff, but he was crying a little.  As I called the doctor, I held him against me and could feel that his whole body felt tense.  The doctor told me to take him to the ER, that it sounded like a seizure ... wow, did I freak out then.

Julie met me at our house and by the time I got Hayden in his seat, he seemed a little back to normal.  He was talking a little and smiling at Colby.  He was really flush when we got to the hospital and they took us pretty quickly.  They checked him all over and he seemed fine.  His temp was normal, ears, nose, throat, belly, etc.  They kept talking about a "febrile seizure" which is caused either by a spike in fever or low blood sugar.  By the time we had been there a few hours, they didn't think that is what happened and said maybe it was just his body's way of reacting to the vomiting.   They didn't check his blood sugar, though, until we had been there for a while and at that time, it was fine.

When we got home, he went right to sleep and slept for 4 hours.  Once he got up, he was back to normal.  He ate and drank, played, laughed and seemed fine. 

The next morning we followed up with his pediatrician who said its unclear whether it was a seizure or not.  She said it didn't really sound typical of a seizure, but there are partial seizures that have different symptoms.  She told me if it happened again to be sure to call 911 so they can observe and do any needed tests.  We have an EEG scheduled for Monday, April 2 just to be sure, but she said she's sure it will be ok.

The EEG will be somewhat difficult, I think, and I'm nervous about taking him.  It won't hurt him at all, but I think he'll be scared and fussy.  The appointment is at 11:30 and he can't sleep or eat for 4 hours before.  He has to be tired and hungry in order for the sedation to work.  They will use something similar to Benydryl to sedate him.  They use gel to stick electrode things to his head and once he's asleep, they will observe his brain waves.  Wade is going to take off of work and come with us.  I hope everything turns out ok, but for now, Hayden is completely back to normal!

Such a sweet boy!

I can't even begin to describe how incredibly sweet Hayden is!  He's always given me kisses pretty freely, but in the last few weeks, he'll often stop whatever he's doing, look up at me with his lips puckered and make a kissing noise ... this means he wants to kiss me!  He does it when he's in the shopping cart at stores, when he's playing with his toys, when I'm doing work around the house ... ALL the time!  It melts my heart each and every time!  He'll also hug my neck pretty often, too.

 

He's also been eating like a pig lately!  Much more than he usually eats, I think he must be growing or something!

We've been hanging around the house a lot, lately, not too much exciting going on.  Hayden stayed with someone other than family for the first time a couple of weeks ago.  I had to go get my passport, so he stayed with Julie and Colby for about an hour and was absolutely fine.  Didn't even seem like he missed me too much!

I bought him a hollow chocolate Easter bunny that day b/c I felt bad for leaving him.  When he woke up from his nap, I gave it to him and he chowed down! He ate the entire thing in about 10 minutes and really didn't make THAT much of a mess! lol  You can see the whole series of photos here:  Chocolate Bunny Pics

Last week we had a couple of GORGEOUS days, so Julie and I took the kids to the National Zoo.  It was so nice and we had a great time.  Hayden loved it, though he got a little tired towards the end of the day.  We drove there and it took FOREVER b/c of traffic.  Once we got there, we started with  a snack, none of the kids would stop eating to take a picture lol.  We saw the panda bears first and then made our way to the other areas.  Hayden loved roaming around and stopping at every stick, rock or leaf.  He was licking everything, too.  I have no idea why!  At one point, he slowly got down on all fours and licked the sidewalk??!!!!  All I could do was stand there for a second, shocked! lol  It was kind of hard to get good pics of him b/c he was so active and curious about everything.  We stopped for lunch at by the sea lions, then continued on.  As the day progressed, it got pretty warm, so I rolled up his jeans and then eventually just took his shirt off.  He looked like a little country bumpkin walking around, but he was comfy!  One of the last things we saw were these chimp statues, so we stopped to take pics.  I put Hayden up next to one with Colby to take a pic and he started hitting it.  I think he was scared of it!  Then I told him to kiss it and he did LOL!

The last few days, Hayden and I have just been hanging out, the 2 of us.  Wade is out of town and its the FIRST TIME that I've taken care of Hayden completely by myself for this long.  I'm so spoiled, I've always had my mom around when Wade wasn't there!  I was a little worried that I would get really fed up, but we've been having a great time.  The first day, we just ran some errands and did some shopping.  Hayden was in a great mood and kept me laughing most of the day.  On the way to go play with Colby and Addie, I was popping my gum and Hayden caught my eye in the rear view mirror.  He thought it was hilarious and he was moving his mouth to try and make the same noise.  We played for a bit at the playground, then had dinner at Julie's.  When we got home, we snuggled and watched a movie while he drank his bottle, then he went to bed with no trouble.  The next morning he slept until 7:45!!!  I was so amazed b/c he's been getting up at 6:30 lately. 

Friday really sucked b/c it was cold and rainy so every time we tried to do something, it was miserable.  We spent most of the day in our jammies at home. 

Today, I was pretty bored and anxious to get out of the house.  We went to Target in the morning, then hung out at home.  Later this afternoon, I decided we would get dressed and go out to eat on a "date."  I didn't want to spend more money, so I was going to go "gift card" shopping.  We went out to Tyson's Corner first, so that Hayden could play in their indoor playground.  He had a blast even though it was so crowded with mostly bigger kids that almost ran him over.  He loved the slide and went over and over again.  After the playground, instead of going out to eat, I decided to just eat in the food court, so we shared a Five Guys cheeseburger and some fries.   After we ate, we went to Linen's N Things, then headed home.  We read some books, watched The Goodnight Show and then he was off to bed!

Tomorrow we have Colby's birthday party and then Wade comes home on Monday!  I can't wait, I miss him and so does Hayden!

Finally back to normal

We've had such a busy few weeks, but we're finally getting back into a routine.  We had a really nice visit with Hayden's Pawpaw even though it was really cold.  We visited the Natural History museum, a bunch of memorials and monuments and Mount Vernon.  Hayden had a great time playing with his pawpaw.

The day after he left, we flew out to New Orleans to visit with Grammy and Grandpa.  Hayden was really good on the plane, I guess he's getting used to flying now.  He was awake for the first hour then slept the rest of the time.  We had a busy time in New Orleans but had a great time.  He spent the weekend with grammy and grandpa while I went to Lafayette and Hayden was again pretty good on the flight home.  We really missed daddy, though and were very glad to see him!

A few days later Kelly, Brian and Eleni arrived on the train.  Again, we visited lots of great places and even had a couple days of very nice weather!  Hayden was quite a trooper and hung in for very long days while we saw Arlington National Cemetery, Natural History Museum, White House, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Wall and the Korean Memorial.  We also visited the National Zoo, which was really neat even though it was very cold.  I had Hayden in the soft carrier the whole day, which was great b/c it kept us both really warm.  I didn't think he'd like it that long, but he was really good and seemed to be very comfortable and happy in it. We brought them to the train station Tuesday night, but really miss having them around!  Hayden was very entertained by Eleni the whole time!

Yesterday we spent most of the day at Julie's so I could watch Colby for her.  Hayden and Colby played in his room for a long time, then Colby fell asleep in his bed and Hayden fell asleep on my lap.  He didn't sleep long, but once we got home, he refused to take another nap. 

Today we got together with 7 other mom's and their kids - a couple of them around Hayden's age and two small babies which he was fascinated with.  He kept straining to look over the table at 2 month old Robbie when he cried, it was so cute.  I can't wait to see him with his new cousin.  Again, Hayden fell asleep on my lap before we left the restaurant.  He's been doing that a lot lately, which is so unlike him.  He normally won't go to sleep anywhere but in his bed at home, but he's fallen asleep on my lap 4 times in the last week.  I guess he's just exhausted from staying so busy, poor thing :-(

And guess what??  UH OH, mommy got a new camera!  I've been having such a great time taking tons of photos every day, poor Hayden, if you think he was photographed before! 

As far as updates on growth and milestones, he's still learning and growing everyday.  He now knows the noise that a duck and a chicken make and he dances along to Blue's Clues.  He dances quite a bit and is really becoming a little clown.  He likes to like lemons b/c he knows we'll laugh, its so funny.  He'll do something like play his xylophone or stack and book, then look at us and clap, expecting us to clap with him.  He loves to dance and I have no idea where he gets his moves from!  He's picking up a few more words:  eyes, nose, na-night and ba ba.  He also sometimes tries to repeat words when we get him to say them.  He's also starting to listen to us a little better and in the last week has been really cuddly and sweet.  He gives kisses all the time and loves to hug us!  He also tries to make faces by holding his ears and moving his tongue, I think he picked that up from Eleni.  

Lots of snow!

So far, February has been a very, very cold month, so we haven't gotten out to do too much and we're getting a little stir crazy!  A couple of weeks ago, Julie and I did brave the cold to take the kids to the Natural History museum (my third time going lol)  We took them to the mammal exhibit and they had a great time.  Hayden got to walk on his own this time and explore whatever he wanted.  He really loved pushing the buttons on the exhibits and raising the flaps that show information.  He also loves the tvs that are built into the floor.  He was so good and thought he was such a big boy walking by himself with his friends!  They shared a snack at the museum and afterwards we took them to Pentagon City to have lunch and get a treat from the candy shop.  I accidentally parked Hayden's stroller too close to the register and he pulled down a box of candy hearts!

The weekend of the Super Bowl, Rob and Julie helped us get our entertainment center and then we all had lunch at Friday's.  You should have seen the look on the hostesses face when we asked for 2 highchairs and she saw we had 3 kids.  Yikes!  It was fairly calm, though, considering the kids were all really tired.  They all came over the next day to watch the Super Bowl.  The kids get along pretty well.  Hayden just loves Addie and she loves him.  She calls him "my Hayden" and acts like a little mama to "the boys."  Its so cute!

For Valentine's day on Just Mommies, we paired the babies up so they could have Vday Sweethearts.  Hayden was paired with this precious little girl Lauren, who lives in Texas.  He got some really yummy cookies from them and an Elmo Valentine book.   We sent them a chocolate sucker, Elmo book, little backpack, sippy cup and a kissing monkey.  It was such a cute little idea.  We all had graphics in our forum signatures of the babies together, it was so cute!

Hayden is becoming so grown up and does so many cute things.  Now when he gets snacks, I can give them to him in a little bowl and he'll sit in the living room and watch tv while he eats them.  He doesn't really spill unless he tries to walk around with them.  He watches tv a lot more intently now, but only if I put one of his shows on.  He only gets to watch a few times a week and in the car.  He really loves Blues Clues, Backyardigans, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einsteins.  In the car he watches Blues Clues and Baby Einstein's Baby Wordsworth, which he really likes.  He'll sometimes say the words before they say them on the DVD.

He's getting a little better with getting into things and we are trying hard to stay consistent.  I got him some new plastic dishes and stuff to put in his cabinet and he loves it.  He'll pretend to stir things with the spoon and likes to put things in containers and put the top on.  He also likes to watch us cook and make things in the kitchen.  He'll stand on his little step stool and can barely see over the counter, but really enjoys it.

We had a little bit of snow a couple of weeks ago and Julie invited us to come over and try to take the kids sledding.  There wasn't much snow and by the time we got out there it was mostly melted, but we tried anyway.  We got some little kiddie sleds for really cheap at Target and Hayden loved it.  He cried when it was time to go inside and likes to just sit in the sled inside the house!  It snowed another few inches in the last couple of days so we went out sledding a couple more times.  He really is starting to enjoy going outside when it snows. 

For Valentine's Day my Aunt Debbie sent him this little stuffed lion.  He hugged it the whole time he was in the car when I gave it to him and carried it around the house when we got home.  He loves to snuggle it and give it kisses and we keep it in his crib with him.  He also got a gift card to Toys R Us from Grammy and has a couple of other things coming from Nanny and Kelly, but we haven't gotten them yet.  We can't wait to go spend the gift card, but haven't really been able to get out b/c of the weather.

Today Julie and I took the kids to a nature center in Maryland (my first time visiting that state and the furthest north I've ever been, woohoo!)  Hayden really liked it.  It was so cold that we just did the inside part, but it was neat.  They had a pond with a turtle in it that Hayden really liked.  He would have stayed there the whole time watching it.  There was also a big rabbit in a cage that he loved.  He would laugh and make funny noises every time it moved.  They had a few other animals (owls, snakes, spiders, etc) but he didn't really care about those b/c they didnt' move much.  Afterwards we had lunch and now he's in his crib (going on 2 hours) and still hasn't fallen asleep, but he isn't crying at all.  He just makes little noises occasionally.

We've got a busy few weeks coming up.  Hayden's Pawpaw is coming to visit tomorrow and will be staying until next Tuesday.  The day after he leaves, Hayden and I are flying to New Orleans to visit Grammy and Grandpa and I'm sure we'll stay very busy during that visit.  Then, 3 days after we get back from New Orleans, Kelly, Brian and Eleni are coming to visit for a few days, and of course, we'll be very busy while they are here!  I'm sure we'll have plenty to write about after all of that!

Beginning with the word

After Hayden's first word a few weeks ago (eat), he's been picking up words left and right.  Here is a list of the words he's saying right now:

• eat "eeee"
• bath "baa"
• ball "buh"
• apple "aappuh"
• up "uh"
• mama
• dada

He can actually hold and scribble with a crayon, though he doesn't do it for long.  I've also noticed that he can walk backwards and he runs a little bit.  The other day I noticed him matching the lids of his sippies in the kitchen. 

Yesterday I watched my friend Julie's little boy Colby, who is 21 months old.  They got along pretty well.  Hayden is really good about sharing his toys and although he thinks its funny to be rough with us and hit us, he's very nice to other kids.  Hayden would take out a toy, then show it to Colby. They both played the xylophone together and shared their snacks with each other.  They sat together at the Spongebob table and ate lunch together.  Hayden kept stealing Colby's cup when he wasn't looking, but other than that, things went great.  Oh, and Hayden's refusal to take a nap while he was here resulted in a grumpy boy when they were gone.  Hayden gave him a hug before he left and Colby gave him a kiss, it was too cute!

15 Months Old

My baby celebrated his 15 month birthday on a plane without his mommy!  He flew to New Orleans with Wade to spend 2 days with Grammy and Grandpa while I got some much needed rest and relaxation!  I missed him like crazy, though!

This last month has been a whirlwind of growing up for Hayden!  I just can't believe how much he's grown and how active he's become.  He's a running, climbing, growling, laughing ball of energy who amazes me every day. Mostly he climbs ... ON EVERTHING.  On the couch, on his stool, onto tables, chairs, whatever he can get onto!  In the last week he's started to pick up a few words here and there ... he now says "mama," "dada," "eat," "bad," and "wow."  That's the words we can understand.  He's getting a little better at communicating his wants and needs, but we still have lots of frustrating times.  Mostly, though, its his activeness that just makes me go ... woah.  He is ALL BOY ... rough and tumble all the way.

He can point to his head, hair, eyes, nose, tongue, belly, feet and toes, when he's in the mood, which isn't often.  He's still signing "more," sometimes does "eat" and will also do "all done."  He bends over to pick things up, squats and dances.  He's trying to use forks and spoons and eats really well.  There STILL isn't much he refuses.  He'll hold out his arms for his jacket, lift his arms to take off his shirt, hold out his foot for his socks and shoes and responds to instructions really well (when he wants to listen.)  He also knows what it means to clean up his toys and loves to help me "sweep" with his little broom. 

I've made a few friends here and we've been hanging out a lot with Julie and her kids.  She has an 18 month old son and a 4 year old daughter.  We went to their house so the kids could play today.  They are still a little young to actually play together, but Hayden had a great time.  He played with the toys and watched the other kids in amazement.  They both sat at the table and had a snack of bananas and cookies.  It was really cute to watch.  He was mad when I made him leave, but he was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as we got home. 

We've also gone on a couple of outings in the last week.  We went to a soft play room last Thursday which was really cool and Hayden loved it!  It was full of soft mats, blocks, balls, stairs, slides and a ball pit.  I could let him run around without worrying about him getting hurt, so it was really neat.  We also went to an open play at a gym yesterday which was just a big gymnasium full of toys that kids could run around and play with.