Littlest thief

This is what happens when you leave you diaper bag unattended in the vicinity of a toddler who a) knows that's where the snacks are and b) has an unhealthy obsession with credit cards:

Do you see how there was a diaper in the way of the wallet in the first photo?  And then in the second it was thrown behind him towards the stove?  He chucked that sucker so hard I thought it would tear in two...that's how much he's obsessed with my wallet.  I ended up at the bank today without any ID because of this little episode.

Also, someone should report the parents of this child for leaving the cabinet locks open...there are CERAMIC PLATTERS in there for god's sake.  What ARE they thinking?

Hand wringing

I'm sure you've all read a million articles about vaccinations and the flu vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine and do I or don't I and so on and so forth.  Let me first say that I am a full believer in vaccinating our children and have followed our pediatrician's inoculation schedule...until now.  We have Noah's 15 month appointment tomorrow and are scheduled for his MMR and the seasonal flu vaccinations.  And I'm worried.  No, I'm not just worried, I'm anxious about it.  I have not given a second thought to his vaccinations until now and with all of the reading (research?) I have been doing I am not comfortable bombarding his system with two reactive vaccinations on the same day.   Add on top of that a pretty nasty cold and I fear a recipe for disaster.

I've never asked my pediatrician if he would alter the set schedule for vaccinations and tomorrow I think I will.  Basically I want the first of two seasonal flu shots (he's never had it before so he gets two doses a month or so apart) tomorrow, followed by the second shot next month and the MMR in December.  Now, what do I do about the H1N1?  I don't know if they even have the vaccine available at their office yet.  But if they do, do they have the ONE shot that doesn't contain mercury as a preservative?  So far only one manufacturer has made a mercury-free shot and there isn't a whole lot of it to go around.  Also, from what I've read, it's not recommended that children receive both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 at the same time since both are reactive vaccines.  So that brings me back to do I or don't I and, more importantly, when?

Sigh.  Do you see why I'm anxious now?  I feel like I can't make a definitive decision on the vaccines until I speak with my doctor tomorrow at Noah's appointment.  I don't like going into the appointment knowing I have to make a decision on the spot armed only with the information that I have today and what the doctor says tomorrow...it feels rushed.  And we're talking about my BABY here.  My sweet, happy, snot-nosed baby.  What would you do?

15 Months

Dear Noah,

I'm late on this letter and for that I am so sorry.  Let's just chalk it up to being busy chasing you...EVERYWHERE.  Yes, my son, you officially started walking this past month and your mama is tired.  So, so tired.   Your grandmother and I learned a very valuable lesson the other day when we attempted to navigate shopping without you in your stroller or in a shopping cart, i.e. me carrying you and you screaming at the top of your lungs to be put down.  I don't mind you having a little freedom to explore but it's the fact that my stern "come here right now, Noah" admonishments went unheeded.  You bulldozed displays, ran out of my grasp, and laughed uncontrollably because you thought Mommy was "chasing" you rather than trying desperately to corral you.  We are so going to work on this little man.  Oh, and I am never taking you out in public without some sort of tether ever again.

Not only are you walking, you're also talking.  You have new words, new sounds, and new gestures everyday.  Your recent language acquisitions are: YiYi (Lily, our dog), Jojo (great-grandma), PopPop (grandpa), Pa (please, and you better use this all the time), among others.  You can do TOUCHDOWN!  and raise your hands in the air, you like to "fist bump" with me, "knock, knock" on all closed doors, make elephant noises accompanied by raising your hand in the air to mimic the trunk, and scratch your armpits when you're being a monkey.  You know that the train says "choo, choo" and the cow says "moo, moo".  You're a little sponge and I am constantly reminding Daddy to watch his mouth around you.

We took you for your first official and professional shoe fitting and I am going to admit something terrible.  I had you wearing shoes a size and a half too small.  I know.  I KNOW!  Talk about Mother of the Year over here.  I honestly didn't know they were too small.  In retrospect they were CLEARLY too small...enough that your young and observant Aunt Hilary noticed and demanded you get new shoes.  You owe all your future foot comfort to her.  So we hauled you off to Stride Rite and got you properly fitted with a couple new pairs of shoes.  And to add even more shame, you clearly walked much better in your new shoes.  You were near running afterwards!  Sigh.  Shameful.  I promise to never deny you new shoes and proper fittings again.

Buddy, you're a rock star.  Your fourteenth month was trying for all of us but I think you came out the other side a very cool little kid.  You spent the majority of the past month pushing out tooth after tooth and fighting cold after cold and yet you remained relatively cheerful and playful.  We had our moments, to be sure, and you and I are still learning how to manage each other, but we're hitting our stride in this new place called Toddler-ville, Land of the Bi-Polar Baby and Manic Mother.  It has it's ups and downs but it's a pretty cool place to be and I'm happy I'm here with you.

I love you more and more every moment of every day.

Love,
Mama

P.S. I don't have many pictures (read: maybe two but they're blurry) of you since you're, you know, WALKING and all now.  And any time I take out the camera you see buttons and make a beeline for it.  Seems that getting your picture is a lesson in patience.

Pretty! I like pretty!

Isn't this so pretty?  An "S" for Smith, for Sara and for Super fantastic free stuff found on the internet.






Go here to see if your initial is available!

Punkins! And apple cake!

Let's take a look at Punkins! 2008:

And this year, Punkins! 2009:

Differences:

1) No Daddy.  Very, very sad.  Stupid work got in the way.
2) It was downright CHILLY this year.  Stupid global climate change.
3) Noah's a BIG BOY!  Egads, that boy has grown!
4) No bangs this year.  I kind of like the bangs...perhaps I shall cut some again?

Slide!  Possibly the highlight of the day for Noah.

Melts your heart, does it not?

He was more confused by the whole chair thing than he was about the scary feet to his right.

My mother and I also bought every possible baked good the pumpkin farm's market shop sold.  Dutch apple pies, pumpkin pies, apple strudel bread, pumpkin bread, apple cider donuts (it is not, NOT, fall without a dozen of these...perhaps TWO dozen), apple cider, and a half peck of apples...which leads me to this:

I made apple cake!  What?  Was I supposed to eat the apples all healthy-like?  Ridiculous.  Apple cake is a much better use of fresh-picked apples.  Don't argue with me.  And because I said so.  Recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  I kind of love her story of how her apple cake came to be so maybe I will manufacture my own story to tell Noah and he can think his mommy's apple cake came from his long-lost ancestors from Germany.    Though I'll probably have to write it down on some piece of paper, stain it all up, and fold and crease it to pieces to convince him it came from the Old Country.  And then he'll call me out and tell me I got it off the internet.  Kids these days!

Recipe update, aka when I finally cut into it and possibly died from happiness: This cake is more of a morning coffee cake and best when room temperature.  I tried a bit right out of the oven and was a little underwhelmed.  But this morning!  Oh my, this morning...I had a little slice of heaven on my plate.  

Thinking

I have to let go of the idea of my home being perfectly clean and perfectly neat and perfectly accessorized and perfectly perfect now that I have a toddler. Chaos reigns here and I need to be a-ok with that.

I should not buy a new rug for the family room. I have a toddler and a dog and a cat and a husband and that is a recipe for mess and dirt. Why ruin a perfectly new rug?

I need to master the sewing machine that sits in my basement. I get sucked into this crazy blogland where all the people are pretty and talented and make beautiful things with their own two hands. And then I get PUMPED! UP! to do projects and then realize I can't sew a straight line. I need to work on that.

I may have painted Noah's room last night in a fit of "pale aqua blue is for BABIES and Noah is a BIG BOY and must have a BIG BOY room!". So now it is beige. I love beige. For real. I gravitate toward neutral colored walls. I won't lie though...this was mainly spurred on by the Pottery Barn Kids sale email where I saw that my very favorite roman shades that I have been wanting forever for Noah's room are on sale and pale aqua walls just weren't gong to work. I ordered them and decided that new shades meant new paint color and that's how we ended up in the Lowe's paint department on a Tuesday afternoon. Pictures forthcoming.

I need to figure out Photoshop. I have that plus a really spectacular camera plus a new lens and I need to spend some time learning how they all work individually and in conjunction with one another. Which means I have pumpkin patch pictures but I want to work on them a bit. Stay tuned for those pictures too.

I am apparently having blog guilt which is why you are reading such a crappy post. My apologies. Here, cute baby lounging.

To come: pumpkin patch pictures. After lunch. And a nap.

No going back

This baby walking thing? It's still kind of surprising me everyday. I sometimes forget that he can stand on his own two legs as I am still gently placing him on his butt when I put him down. He swiftly gets to his feet and toddles off while I stand there amazed. His arms are reached up and high, his legs woodenly stepping forward, right then left, right then left. I have to catch myself when I turn around to find a tiny person tapping me on the leg and not startle him with my own surprise. Just this morning I jumped out of my skin when he appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, in the bathroom doorway. It seems we waited for this moment for such a long time and yet it seems as though he has always been just this way.

Toddle forth, little one, toddle forth!

Happy Birthday to me!

It's my birthday!  I love birthdays, mine and everyone else's.  LOVE them.  And there is no better thing to come home to than a homemade birthday card from my sweet boy.  

He's got great handwriting for a 14 month old, don't you think?  And some mad crayon skills.  I'm going to take some of the birthday love I have received today and send it on to you.  I wish you a very happy day!!!  And for posterity, this is me at 28:

Major proof I need my eyebrows done...like yesterday.