I picked up some cheap paintbrushes and filled a cup with water, and let Connor "paint" outside. He absolutely loved it. At first he was a little tentative. He couldn't quite believe that it was okay to get the water outside of the cup. After I showed him what to do, he immediately grabbed both brushes and went to work. I loved hearing his giggles as he wet the cement with water.
Soon enough he moved from painting the ground to painting the railings.
After awhile he couldn't resist the temptation to dump the water out of the cup completely. Connor had a blast running back and forth over the water, getting his feet wet. His giggles turned into shrieks of delight.
I got this idea of painting with water from my sister Kiley, and it's been the perfect summer activity for us. We've done it many times. We've upgraded from a cup to a bucket though. Playing in the water keeps Connor busy and happy for hours. It's been nice to have an activity that he enjoys, that I can do with him, or just sit outside and watch him while I knit, write blog posts, or whatever.
Have I mentioned that I love our balcony? Because it's ringed by a railing, it's the perfect outdoor space for us. Well, a fenced yard would be the perfect outdoor space, but our balcony is ideal for where we are right now. I can open the sliding door and let Connor play outside (outside being his favorite place to be) without having to worry about him wandering off or getting into something he shouldn't be. We've got a couple camp chairs out there, and he can take his toys outside and play. I can still keep an eye on him while I'm inside cleaning, cooking dinner, etc. and he has the freedom of being outside to play.
Besides playing outside at home, we like to walk around our apartment complex. It's fun follow along as Connor wanders down the walkways, exploring where each leads to. He likes to stop and touch tree trunks, leaves, rocks, and pine cones along the way. He especially loves the fire hydrant nearby our building. It's chain makes a fun clanking noise when he swings it back and forth. I've tried bringing a ball with us, to throw and kick around on the grass, but Connor won't hold still long enough to play with it. Once we reach the bottom of the stairs, he's a man on a mission. Walk, walk, walk, stop, touch, smell, walk, walk, walk. Our walk doesn't end, until I've picked him up and carried him (struggling) back up the stairs and deposited him safely inside. If I set him down before I have the door open, he turns around and tries to go back down the stairs himself.
I found a playground about three-quarters of a mile from our house. It's not a bad walk, and gets us out of the house. The first time we went, Connor played a little on the playground equipment but then decided he was more interested in his stroller than climbing stairs or going down slides. So he spent our time there pushing our stroller around on the grass. Haha! Silly boy. Once he started getting cranky cause he couldn't get the stroller to turn like he wanted it to, I packed him up and we walked back home where I put him down for a nap.
Usually it's just Connor and I at the park. We go during the day when I have the car or we walk to the playground. We've gone a few times on weekends or in the evenings, when Brian is home and can come with us. Connor loves it when Dad comes to the park with us. These two are so cute together.
We went to the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper. Each year Reproductive Care Center, the fertility clinic that we went to, hosts a patient party for their current and past patients. This year, the event was as the aquarium. The timing worked with our schedule, so we sent in our RSVP and got our free tickets. The party was on a Saturday night, and was crowded with families. It was fun to see all the kids running around. It made my heart happy.
My heart was happiest watching our own little boy run around with excitement. Connor absolutely loved the aquarium. He was mesmerized by all the different fish. He growled, and shrieked, and laughed, and made bubble noises with his lips almost constantly. It was so fun to watch him. Connor had fun watching the fish, and Brian and I had fun watching Connor. We enjoyed the fish too, but the highlight for us was definitely Connor.
We spent a lot of time in the shark tunnel--a pathway running through the shark tank. Connor was fascinated by the sharks, fish and turtles swimming by. He would excitedly point and growl when one swam by the glass in front of or over us.
A couple of the books we've been reading Connor lately have alligators in them. He likes to point at the alligator's teeth and then point at his own teeth. When we came to the alligator tank at the aquarium, we tried to point them out to Connor, but I don't think he recognized them as alligators. They were hard to see because their bodies were below water while their heads were above the water, and the tank was dark.
Connor did got excited when he saw the picture of the alligator on the nearby lighted sign. He immediately pointed to his teeth in excitement.
The newest additions to the aquarium are a couple of sloths. They were kind of fun to look at, although they didn't do much. I don't think I've ever seen a live sloth in person before, so that was kind of cool.
Connor loved looking at this turtle. It was so close to the glass that we were able to get a good look at its face. When I asked Connor if he could see the turtle's eyes, nose, mouth, etc., he immediately began pointing to his own facial features. Here he is pointing at his own nose.
We were walking through the last couple of exhibits, when Brian had take a phone call. While Brian was talking on the phone, Connor had fun playing in this replica of a deep sea submarine. He was serious at first as he explored the control panel, but once he found that the steering-stick moved he was happy as a clam. He got really excited and moved the stick back and forth as fast as he could while laughing. It was great.
In that same room, there were fish tanks, but the room was so dark and the tanks so dim that I didn't really notice anything in them at first. That is, until Connor got so excited and ran over to the glass of one tank and started pointing inside. I followed him over and noticed these huge crabs inside. They were so big it was kind of creepy! We'd just talked about crabs because there is a picture of one in a book we have, and we taught him how their pincers work by opening and closing our fingers in a pincer-like motion. After pointing to the crabs, Connor immediately started making the pincer motion with his hand. Smart boy.
After getting our photos taken in the photo booth--during which Connor was not cooperative, but we loved the results anyway--we headed home. One of our favorite things about Connor is how excited he gets about new things. He got excited over and over while we were visiting the aquarium, and it made for such a fun evening together.
The day after our visit to the aquarium, was Mother's Day. I had such a wonderful day celebrating the fact that Connor is a part of our family. I feel so grateful and humbled and joyful that I am the mother of this sweet, smart, funny, adorable, special little boy. I love him in a way that is impossible to describe.
How did we ever live without him! He makes each day brighter, fuller, and happier. He is light and love and joy. He is our greatest blessing and our greatest adventure. We couldn't be anymore blessed.
There was a family in our ward who we've become pretty good friends with. They just moved a couple weeks ago, but they're still fairly close so we can continue to have play dates and swap babysitting. Connor likes to play with their two boys. Well, at least he likes to play with their toys. Haha! One of the boys is three years old and the other is just a few months older than Connor. They get along fine for the most part, but there is the occasional fight over a toy. They always want what the other is playing with...even if it is the exact same toy. One day, I took Connor over to play, and he got a chance to try out a tricycle. It was too big for him to pedal himself, and not quite short enough for him to straddle it and push it forward by walking. I put him on the seat and pushed him around, and he thought that was the best thing in the whole world. I think we'll be getting him a bike for his next birthday--at least a balance bike, if not one with pedals. He also insisted on wearing a helmet. Safety first! He was so adorable in the helmet.
Another new activity we've tried this month is painting with watercolors. Connor took right to it, and had a grand time painting. He refused to put the paints down on the table though, insisting instead that he hold them the entire time. After helping him wet the brush and the paints, and showing him how to dip the brush in the paint and put it on the paper, he was good to go. He is such an independent little guy that I barely made it through the tutorial without him pulling the brush out of my hands. He was so impatient to do it by himself.
Connor is such a serious little artist. He was very deliberate and intent as he got the brush wet, dipped it in the paint, and put it on the paper. Each time he painted a mark on the paper he would look up and squeal and laugh in excitement. There was even a whispered "wow" or two!
By the time he had finished painting--well he wasn't finished, but I decided we'd better be done--he had spilled the water, soaking the newspapers, and succeeded not only in painting the piece of paper but his stomach and hands as well. At one point he tried tasting the watercolors, and managed to get some blue fingers in his mouth before I could stop him. So he had blue lips as well. He wasn't happy when I stopped the painting...until I put him straight into the bathtub. That cheered him up considerably.
At the end of the month, my Mom and sister Kiley came to visit me. Kiley brought her two girls. We had so much fun for the few days that they were here.
We went to the George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park in Ogden during their visit. Brian and I took Connor here on Halloween last year, but it was dark and cold so we didn't get to fully enjoy the park. This time it was plenty bright and plenty warm. We arrived right when it opened, and were glad we went so early. When we were ready to leave a couple hours later, it had gotten quite hot.
I don't know if there is another 18 month old as excited about dinosaurs as Connor is. As soon as we walked out into the park and spotted the first dinosaurs, he started pointing and yelling "DA, DA, DA!" I knew that we were going to have an awesome time at the park, and we did.
Connor found a pine cone on the path near the first dinosaur we saw. He thought it was a pretty great find and immediately picked it up. He wouldn't let it go, and carried it around for quite awhile before dropping it. Haha!
Right in front of the rocks is an area covered in sand. They have paint brushes on a little bench, which you can use to brush away the sand and dig for dinosaur bones. The kids really loved digging in the sand. He got excited when we discovered a dinosaur egg.
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| This is one of my favorite pictures of him! Note he still has his pine cone. |
I didn't want our fair-haired-fair-skinned little boy to get sunburned, so after coating him with sunscreen that morning I found him a hat to wear. I don't have one his size, so I found an old one of mine and tightened it as much as I could. It actually fit him pretty well. The only problem was he couldn't see if the brim was facing forward, so I turned it backwards. He liked his hat a lot. I also put him in the new sandals I'd gotten for him. They mostly fit him, but sometimes his right foot slips forward so his toes hang over the front. This made him trip a couple of times and he skinned both knees pretty badly. Poor kid. He cried for a minute while I held him, but quickly stopped when he noticed another dinosaur and started squirming until I put him down so he could go see it. Haha!
Connor loved walking along the paths, going from dinosaur to dinosaur. He was just as excited seeing the fifteenth dinosaur as he was the first. It was great fun. Sadie was our map-reader and led the way...or tried to. The babies weren't very cooperative at times and walked on ahead of our fearless leader. She wasn't too happy that they wouldn't follow her. Haha!
At one point we came upon a shallow puddle in the middle of the path. It delighted Connor just as much as the dinosaurs, and he ran right into the middle of it. He laughed and laughed when he stomped his foot down, splashing the water. It took a bit of convincing, i.e. I had to pick him up and carry him, to get him to move on and forget about the puddle.
The park also has some playground areas with slides, swings, and dinosaur statues that the kids can play on. While Sadie played on the slide, we took a break in the shade and played on one of the statues. Connor immediately pointed out it's eye.
Connor and Kate are so cute together. It was so fun having a cousin his age around for a few days to play with! I wished we were able to visit Idaho more often so Connor could play with the three cousins his age.
It was getting quite hot outside at this point, so we headed into the park's small museum. It's not very big, but it was fun to see all the skeletons, fossils, and bones they have on display.
Upstairs they have display cases full of minerals, rocks, and gemstones. It sounds boring, but it was actually pretty cool. We didn't stay super long because the kids were getting antsy. In the last room, we found an animatronic dinosaur display. It consisted of a triceratops and her two babies, facing off against a T-Rex. As you walk around in front of the display, you trip sensors that cause the dinosaurs to move and roar. Connor didn't like the T-Rex roar, but we both thought the babies' mewling was pretty cute.
It was a fun way to spend the morning. I only wish Brian could have come with us. I have plans to go back soon since Connor loved it so much...this time when Brian can come too.
This month we also met with our friends Matthew Murray and Marcus and Erica Hardy. We got to together for dinner one Sunday afternoon. It was great to visit with them all. Brian sees Matt at work most everyday, but I don't see him very often, and we rarely see the Hardy's, so it was nice to catch up with everyone. Good friends from our days in New York. I think we're all mostly glad to live out west now, and it's nice that we live close enough for the occasional get-together.
At the end of the month Connor turned 18 months old! I can't believe my baby is a year and a half old. I took him in to his pediatrician for his well-child checkup. The visit went great, except Connor had to get his finger poked for a blood draw to check for anemia (results came back normal) and that made him mad. This happened after getting weighed and measured, but before the doctor came in to see us. So Connor wasn't happy once the doctor came in to examine him. Connor screamed and screamed while the doctor listened to his heart and lungs, checked his eyes, ears, and mouth. I had to hold him down on the table so the doctor could examine him. Poor kid was already feeling betrayed from the finger prick, and this didn't make him any happier.
He is healthy and doing fine. The only concern at this point is that he isn't really talking yet. It's not even really a concern quite yet because clearly he understands most everything and is very communicative, just not with words. Even the last few weeks he's started babbling differently, trying out and combining different sounds. We're not too worried at this point, and figure he'll start talking soon enough. The pediatrician told us to keep working with him--talking and singing to him, naming everything for him, etc.
His stats are:
- Weight: 22 lbs 8 oz; 27th percentile
- Height: 33 inches; 71st percentile
- Head Circumference: 18.9 inches/48 cm; 68th percentile
Connor has quite the sense of humor. He'll be playing and start laughing at something he's done. When we read books or watch a show, he'll laugh when he thinks somethings funny. When he lays in bed with us, he'll crawl over and lay on my pillow before I lay down, stealing my spot. When I tell him to scoot over he just laughs and laughs. He likes to try to tickle us, and loves to wrestle and climb all over us when we're sitting down, and he loves tickles.
Connor still loves hugs and kisses, and when he gets hurt will come to me and need to be held and cuddled until he feels better. His love of books is only growing, and we read many a book before bedtime. His favorites right now are Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Wake Me in Spring by James Preller. He loves to find and point to the various objects on each page of Goodnight Moon when we ask him where they are. Connor especially loves to point out the mouse, which is in a different spot in each picture. He laughs every time he finds it. He's become quite the helper around the house, handing me forks and spoons from the dishwasher when I'm unloading it, helping me put clothes in the washer and dryer, shutting doors, wiping up spills, and dusting. He still tries to sweep the floor, and the broom is still too big for him to handle. I've got to get a small broom his size.
He's started to throw tantrums more and more lately. The terrible two's are coming fast. He likes to throw himself backward if he's sitting down so his head bangs into the floor, which of course hurts and makes him cry harder. I make sure he's safe where he is, and then try to ignore it until he calms down enough for me to hold him and talk to him. My first instinct is to grab him and hold him when he hits his head, but I know it's just for show to get attention, so I'm trying to not give him and give him the attention he wants. Hopefully, he'll catch on and stop doing that. We've had a lot of play time with other kids this month (playing at friends house, cousins visiting, and nursery) so Connor has had a lot more experience with having to share toys. He's not a fan of sharing, and it doesn't go so well most times. Although, there hasn't seemed to be quite as many tears the last couple of instances. When Sadie and Kate were here, Connor started developed quite the scowl/frown. He puckers his lips and lowers his brow until it almost covers his eyes, all the while glaring at the offender. It's quite the look. He's scowled at both Brian and I many a time since their visit, and I think it's here to stay. It's hard not to laugh or at least smile when he pulls that face--it's so funny and cute. He doesn't appreciate our mirth though, it just makes him more mad. I wish I had a picture of him scowling.
He wears size 18 months shirts and onesies, size 12 pants (they fit perfect length wise, but are still a bit big at the waist), size 5 diapers, and size 4 shoes. He's got all of his teeth except his top right canine. It's been trying to come in for awhile now, and making him miserable on and off. I hope it comes in soon so he can get a bit of a break before his two-year old molars appear.
He's started to really love wearing hats, especially his blue baseball hat that he wore to the dinosaur park. I find him putting things on his head all the time--bowls, tupperware, towels, baskets, and even buckets. He likes to put his green bucket on his head and then try to walk around. He can't see a thing, so I have to watch him closely so he doesn't bump into or trip over anything.
His eating habits have changed a bit. He used to eat really good at every meal, and now it's hit or miss. I feed him four smaller meals throughout the day now instead of three bigger ones. Sometimes he'll eat really good and eat everything on his plate and want more, and other times he won't eat a bite. He's a better eater in the morning and at lunch, but rarely will eat dinner. He's decided he hates vegetables, except for tomatoes and sometimes cucumbers. He'll drink down the vegetables in the fruit/vegetable pouches without a problem though. He loves all fruits except watermelon. His favorite things right now are strawberries, bananas, Ritz crackers, yogurt, raisins, string cheese, bagels with cream cheese spread on top, and tomato soup. He usually doesn't mind deli ham or turkey.
He still takes one nap during the day, and continues to sleep through the night without waking. He is still in our bed though. We gave up trying to transition him to his crib, but I think we're ready to start trying that again. He likes to sleep sideways in our bed, and he's getting tall enough that we're running out of room width wise in the bed. Brian and I are woken up more than once by a foot in the back or arm to the face. He's a wiggly sleeper! I think it will be good for all of us with him in his own bed. Hopefully this time we can get him to sleep through the night in his crib...or at least sleep in his crib at all. I'll update how that's going next month.
During the month of May, we contacted a realtor and have been working with a mortgage lender to get a quote for a mortgage loan. The market is crazy here in Utah, but it only seems to be getting crazier, so we've decided to jump in a try to find a house. We need a place of our own with no downstairs neighbors, a yard for Connor to play in (and for me to grow some trees, flowers, and a few vegetables), hopefully a third bedroom, and a little more room all around. That's been taking up a lot of our spare time, but it's all been good. Wish us luck on that front.
Brian has been busy with his calling as Elders Quorum President. He's had lots of meetings trying to get things rolling and reorganized in the new quorum. This last week or so he's been working on shuffling ministering assignments around and getting secretaries and Sunday teachers in place. Our ward is also in charge of a section of a local peach orchard owned by the church. The peaches go to the cannery and then are used in the Bishop's Storehouse. It's time to thin the peach fruit on the trees, so he's been going to help out with that the last couple of evenings. He's also a busy guy at work, still trying to get all the latest TVs tested and write their reviews. He's got a lot on his plate, and it seems like we see him less and less these days. I'm glad it's summer so that I can get out of the house with Connor and spend time outside.
I'm just holding the fort down at home, trying to keep everything on schedule and running smoothly, and caring for Connor of course. We've had a lot of fun together lately. I've started a new knitting project, a cabled blanket, that I'm making for my sister Annie. It's been good to have something to work on a little bit at the end of each day that helps me relax. It's a fun pattern that's a little challenging but satisfying. I've never really knitted cables before, so it's been fun to try it out. I've got the first 20 rows or so done, and I think I've got the hang of it. I'm still teaching the gospel doctrine class in Sunday School. I didn't think I'd ever say this because this was the calling that I've always dreaded, but I'm enjoying it quite a bit. I learn so much every time I prepare and teach a lesson. It's actually become fun for me.
I can't believe that May is already over. This year is just flying by. Time needs to slow down just a bit. I don't want the summer to rush by before we've really had a chance to enjoy it. Although, we're doing our darnedest to take advantage of this beautiful season. One of these days, we may even squeeze in time for a vacation. Here's hoping.
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