The life of a toddler

I haven't talked about my little monkey too much recently. Probably because I'm too busy chasing him around, jumping on demand, and doing forward rolls until we both just collapse on the floor in laughter. This little guy has more energy than I know what to do with some days!

Even though being 2 brings on such horrible things like mommy picking out the wrong shoes, opening a NutriGrain bar to see it had broken in its packaging, and only getting 1 sucker when going through the bank drive thru--all of which result in epic meltdowns!--I'm loving this stage of life.

Hampton has the sweetest little voice, and I never know what he is going to say. A few things that have made me smile recently:

As Jordan was leaving for work-
Hampton: I wanna hug. I wanna hug!
(runs and gives Jordan a big hug)
Jordan: Aw thanks buddy. That makes me feel so good!
Hampton: I so sweet!

Anytime he hears the baby pass gas, poop, or anything that sounds like that, he giggles and goes, "Oh! Baby poop!"

He doesn't say yes. Ever. Instead, he says the sweetest, oh-so-southern , "oookaay". The whole family now says ok this way.

He loves Colton. LOVES him. He asks for "baby" the second he wakes up. He is always bringing toys to C for him to play with. And if Colton gets his hands on something that Hampton wants to play with (or I think he shouldn't be playing with), he sweetly takes the toy away and hands him another toy and says, "here you go baby." He also loves to tickle Colton and make faces and noises that make C laugh while riding in the car.

He loves going to school and church, and he asks to go to one or the other practically every day! It's fun to watch him growing and learning.

He's growing so fast, but he will still climb in my arms and give me hugs and kisses and cuddle. I love it so much!!

6 months

Half a year has gone by since our sweet little Colton arrived, but in some ways it feels like there is no way so much time has passed and other times it feels like it has always been the 4 of us. I can't put into words what fun it is to watch this little guy grow. He is such a happy and easy going baby.

You're saying I'm 1/2 way to being a year old?!!

We found that he had yet another ear infection at his well visit on Tuesday. That makes 6!! He is getting 3 rounds of Rocephin shots, then will go back next week for a recheck. Dr. H says that if there is any fluid in his ears at that point, we will go ahead and schedule an appointment with the ENT. I'm ready to just move on to that step. I have so many friends who have told me that getting tubes is a quick, easy procedure, and you can tell a difference almost instantly.

He is now:
~18lbs, 12oz. (He has gone down a bit in percentile and lost since his last appointment. We believe it is due to his complete hatred toward the bottle and me trying to wean. We're working on getting him to take a bottle again--yes, he used to take one with no problem--and going to keep an eye on his weight in the mean time. But as Dr. H put it, he has plenty of reserve, so I'm not hurting him, but we don't want it to get out of hand!)
~26 inches
~Sitting on his own
~Rolling, scooting after things, and rocking on his knees (Are you kidding me?!)
~Reaching for everything
~Recognizing faces. He particularly loves his brother :)
~Flirting with any girl that walks by!
~Wearing 9 month clothes, size 3 diapers
~Laughing at: his brother, the big bouncy ball, anyone who plays peek a boo, crazy noises
~Sleeping well. Naps during the day are still a guessing game, but he sleeps from 8:30-7:30 or 8 w/ a quick wake up usually around 4:30.
~Eating solids like a champ. He's a fan of sweet potatoes, apples and bananas so far.

 Looking forward to another month of growing and learning with these sweet boys!!

Sweet boys!

Stinky feet!

Hampton loves him some Colton!

Cheese!!

Wild thing!

Fire trucks and cupcakes

Today we went to the fire station to celebrate Hampton's friend's 2nd birthday! I talked to him the whole way there about how big the truck would be and that it would be loud, too. I just knew it was going to scare him! He was clingy at first, but after a little while, he was pretty excited about the whole idea! It was a lot of fun!

We learned about fire safety and fire gear, the kids got to climb in and through the truck, we ate cupcakes, and then the kids ran laps around the fire truck. Such a fun idea! The party ended perfectly by the firefighters getting a call and having to leave, sirens blaring!!

Girl Time

In the midst of our struggles, I became somewhat of a hermit. I made any and every excuse to why I couldn't go out until, finally, my friends just stopped asking. And at the time, I was perfectly okay with that. I didn't want to face the world. It was safe in my house, with my husband and our dogs and whatever movie we chose to watch that weekend. Unfortunately, once I finally got out of my funk, I looked around and didn't find many people around me. Some of my closest friends had moved on. I may still say they were my best friends, but they did not. And that was a tough pill to swallow.

I've tried, with some success, to rekindle lost friendships. Some welcomed me back with open arms. Others, well, I'm still waiting to hear when they are free. And I'm okay with that. I'm in a different chapter in my life now.

Shortly after Hampton was born, a girl that followed my blog, friended me on facebook, and we started to talk a bit. She invited me to lunch with her and a group of moms with boys all around the same age. It took a while for me to finally make one of their lunches, but I am so glad I did. I had the opportunity to make several new friends! We have lunch and playdates, and 4 of us now have our second little ones that join in on the fun! And Wednesday night, we left the little ones with our husbands and had a girls night out. Dinner, great conversation, and just a time to relax. It was a time needed (and well deserved, if I do say so myself!) by all of us, and I have my sweet friend Nicole to thank!

My high school friend Sara, also invited me to join in a Mom's Club early in my pregnancy with Colton. It's been so fun to get together with this group of growing (bellies and numbers) ladies, having some snacks and cocktails, and just talking about life!

If I could go back, I hope that I would change the way I was. But in the end, it all worked out, and I have many new friends in the same place I am now by my side.