Swiffer Man

I've posted here before about the quirks that I want to record about Drew so that I never forget them! Well I have another one. I don't think I've ever mentioned on here before this kid LOVES. TO. PUSH. THINGS.

I realize that a lot of kids like to push things around, that's how some even learn to walk! But Drew's love for pushing things around goes quite a bit deeper. For instance, every evening we have naked time after his bath in his room and despite TONS of toys and books around, he often opts to grab his dirty clothes hamper and push it around the room. I think to some extent it's become a ritual and quite an odd one at that, but it's not a battle I'm choosing to fight with this one. Push away son.

Besides his clothes hamper, other favorites to push around are my office recycling bin for newspapers, chairs, ottomans, any big boxes laying around, and when outside; his mower.

This kid could mow for hours on end, seriously, and he definitely gets pissy when daddy is all done and we have to go inside. If we are inside playing and notice Derek mowing, he will whine until he gets to go out and mow as well. When we venture outside for some post-dinner play, guess what he chooses to play with despite having other outside toys? Yep, you got it.

It's absolutely adorable, however, that he turns the mower just like dad and likes to walk behind him in his path. (Don't worry... this 'safety mom' is right behind him ready to snatch him up should something go awry with the mower!)


This trait doesn't stop with toys or bins and boxes either. If he spots a broom, mop or swiffer (below), it's game on. He loves to 'sweep' around the house, even making sure he gets under his bed. Hmmmm.... wonder how many ways I can utilize this trait for chores later in life...

If the kid likes to sweep, why not let him do what he loves, right?!

Just a few other things that I don't ever want to forget:
     - Drew is SO good at saying please ("peas") when appropriate. His manners are darling.
     - When I ask him in the morning where we are going he answers with school ("cool") and on the way home I ask where we are going and he answers with home ("ome").
     - He still goes down SUPER well each night and we feel truly blessed. After we've kissed all animals and tucked him in we leave the room. He generally 'talks' or sings for a while before passing out usually 30-45 min later. He hasn't woken up in the middle of the night for months and months and for that we are extremely thankful. He really is the best sleeper.
     - Everyday when I pick him up from school, he gets so excited to see me and tries to 'jump' for joy. He literally gets the biggest smile and completely shows off and tries his hardest to jump. Maybe soon little man!
     - Drew's taste in food changes daily. One day he will love strawberries and hate them the next. Same with noodles, meets and most fruits. He will ALWAYS eat bread, carrots, crackers and PB&J though!
     - Everyday when we get home from school, he HAS to go lay next to Lacy and hug on her while I'm getting dinner ready.
     - Not sure how it started, but every bath now at the end when we're rinsing, he LOVES to hold one leg up and have one of us throw a cupful of water in the under trunk area down there. At least he likes being clean in every nook and cranny!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Today I'm linking up with Jaime from "This Kind Of Love" for her Wednesday weekly fun!

Here's what I'm LOVING this week!

1. I'm loving running in 64-68 degree temps every morning now!

2. I'm loving that we will be in Orlando shortly to visit our good friends down there.

3. I'm loving a couple new fall colors of  FuzziBunz diapers!

4. I'm loving my Target mocassin slippers while I work.

5. I'm loving the Michael Jackson Pandora station.

6. I'm loving fresh peaches. 

9. But I'm mostly loving these two faces.

Great Daycare = Happy Mommy

If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll recall about 5 weeks ago that I posted on our move to daycare #3. I wanted to give a quick update to keep everyone out there who cares in the loop but more or less to profess my love for 5 minutes. I really am in heaven with our new daycare and am surprised at how much they 'care' about my little man. It seems as though almost everyone working there knew Drew's name quickly as if it's a requirement to learn kids names even in other classes.

Beach fun this past Saturday morning.

He only cried the first few days that I dropped him off and now he can't say 'bye bye' and wave me out fast enough. He loves all of the teachers so much so that he often even hugs them each before he will leave at the end of the day. You can tell by a child's face what the are feeling so much more than an adult. They don't have good poker faces and can't bluff their way out their thoughts. Thankfully, Drew is all smiles ear to ear about his new school and momma is as well. 

Preston Hope's 60,000 square feet playground from Sunday morning

From their wonderful cuisine to the stories teachers tell me about Drew to the loving care they are each given daily, I'm so thankful I moved him again. On Saturday, during Drew's nap, I even heard him say 'cool' (school) loudly out of nowhere and thought he was already awake. After a quick peak, I realized he was talking in his sleep and I couldn't be more excited that he was dreaming about school. It really is a working mothers dream to find a place this good with wonderful people who have been there 10-20 years. He is learning so much and I'm so glad that my favorite little man is safe and loved while I'm working. There's nothing better than picking him up at the end of the day and he's full of smiles!

Cards for the Grandparents

Why should I win 'daughter of the year' or 'daughter-in-law of the year' you ask? Why, because I created and sent little cards as a surprise to each set of grandparents with a picture of their only favorite grandchild. I absolutely love shutterfly and know little personalized cards would make each of their days. It took all of 5 minutes to place the pictures and write a little message for each from Drew but I knew they'd adore it.

Brownie points for muah.

My Little Monkey

Reason #579 why you can't leave this kid alone without supervision:

He loves to climb. Everything.

Who else thinks of  Stuart saying "Look what I can do!?!" from the old Mad TV days when they see this??

Fall Is Coming

And that means it's time to get outside as much as we can to feel the warm sun hitting our skin. Derek and I vowed yesterday that we would do at least one thing each weekend outside unless it was just too cold or rainy. Knowing that we're going to have months on end of staying inside, we need to reap all of the benefits mother nature has to offer.

This weekend involved ducks, boats and a picnic. And I'll use the term "duck" lightly  as my 19 month old considers a goose to be a duck.... or really anything with a beak in the water. Kinda like the flamingo is still a 'bird' and the ocelot is still a 'kitty'.

We found a quaint little dock in our Metropark where the wildlife surrounded us from all directions. It was 72 degrees, sunny and just perfect. The problem was that the geese just kept flying away. This quick-thinking mother quickly ran to the car to grab cheerios and graham crackers hoping they would take the bait. They SURE did and Drew loved throwing them bites in between sneaking his own bites.

Then we were off to look at the boats in the marina and watch some coming back in from a morning of fishing.

To end the gorgeous morning outside, we had a picnic back at "our spot" that we've enjoyed before. It's off the path, right along the water and has a wonderful canopy of towering trees.

And you know what I noticed most about time together in nature? Drew didn't throw a tantrum and never showed any signs of becoming pissy. He gladly reached out for our hands when walking along the water and listened when we asked him to stay on the blanket while eating or to remain seated while feeding the ducks. Perhaps the fresh air keeps my blood pressure down, or the beautiful sights keep me less stressed, but whatever it is, I appreciate it and I know Drew does too.

PS - thanks for all the comments and suggestions on my post last week about Drew's new phase! I definitely will try all those tricks and found your comments to be very helpful. I've always known the blogging world is a wonderful one, but the support and encouragement will always be the icing on the cake for me!

New Windows

We've known for some time that we wanted to eventually replace all of our 2nd floor windows. They were all originals from the 1930's and definitely needed to go. Some of them you could open, but had to prop up with something as they wouldn't stay up. Um... can we say TODDLER FINGERS! I would never allow them to be propped for fear of cutting off a little pinky should someone knock out whatever was holding it open. We finally pulled the trigger and had half of them done this week with plans to do the other half in a few months!

This collage includes pictures of Derek taking down the blinds as well as pictures of the old, crusty windows. And yes, that's a cord. It was how they used to prop them up in the good 'ole days, kinda like a pulley system. 

You can hardly see how decrepit the old windows were in this picture, but it's like night and day with the new ones!

And here's how one of the completed windows look...clean, shiny white and really nice!

I can't wait to open them all up when the weather begins to cool down and enjoy some fresh breeze!

Where Did Our Non-Stop Happy Baby Go?

I noticed this change in Drew a couple weeks ago and chalked it up to his 2nd molars. And then the constant hands-in-the-mouth and gallons of slobber cut back quite a bit and I realized it was more a 'phase' we had entered. Drew really has always been a pretty happy and easy baby and we've felt very lucky. Knock on wood, but we had never really seen him throw a tantrum or get terribly upset over something.

And then things changed.

I know everyone goes through this, but Good LORD this child just spiked an immense level of independence out of the blue. If you pick him up for any reason lately when he's busy doing something else he squeals and pushes away from you with all his might. If this kid gets a short nap (or no nap) at school, you do NOT attempt to leave the house in the evenings with him to run errands. He does what HE wants to do and goes where HE wants to go now and I'm afraid my little happy shadow that followed me around like a puppy dog is gone. I don't think he's at an age yet where he can understand reason, but we try to always be talking to him in hopes that he'll understand.

North Ridgeville Corn Festival carousel ride from Saturday

The little stinker has also picked a few "buttons" to push of ours including putting his hands in the dogs' water bowl. I think we've grabbed his hands 3,742 times now and firmly said "no" followed by explaining how that's "yucky" and "ewwwww", but he continues to stick it in there every evening. I know he's too young to understand consequences, but I will admit it's hard to not get frustrated when a few small items continue to happen daily. Fortunately, I get so many hugs and kisses that my frustration never lingers.

Train ride with daddy and elephants at the zoo from Sunday

Any tips and advice through surviving this autonomy phase are welcomed. It can be rough and we're just trying to figure out what works best with Drew. He's still a wonderful toddler and overall a happy baby, it's just that when it hits, IT HITS!

Family Pictures

So I wanted to get 12 month pictures done around Drew's birthday but decided to wait a while A) because we had just gotten these done only a couple months earlier and B) he wasn't walking yet and C) knew we were getting these beach pics done in May. We finally booked our session with Tess and were scheduled for the first weekend in August.

I love our photographer for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of her raw talent. She isn't into posed pictures despite my request for a good family shot each session, but it's her keen eye that I adore. She captures shots like the 3 in my header, each full of different emotions.

Drew doesn't smile on cue yet and I love how she still captured some great smiley shots as well as shots showing his "deep thought face".

I think I almost had tears when I opened her package. Each shot was spectacular and this is just a dabble of what all she captured. 

I adore my photographer.

If you know anyone in Cleveland that needs some pics, I'd recommend Tess. Here's her website, but she's on facebook as well: http://www.tesssmithphotography.blogspot.com/.


____________________________________________________

Also, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to the best Mother-in-Law and Father-in-Law there ever was! 

Explorer Before & After

So about a week before we left our old daycare, I was backing out after dropping Drew off. As I was backing up, I saw the car parked to my rear flip their reverse lights meaning they would back up as soon as I was done. The next 3 seconds were SUPER slow motion as I saw the driver back up like a bat out of hell and completely slam into the rear side of my Explorer. It was so fast I couldn't even get my gear back into drive to get out of her way. We both got out of our cars and the driver came over apologizing heavily, definitely distraught by something else going on in her life.

Fast forward a couple weeks later after we spoke to insurance and got the ball rolling on our claim. The bad news, however, is that parking lot 'faults' are often 50/50 regardless of the story since there's generally not compelling evidence either way. I was fuming thinking back to her constant apologizing (admission of guilt) and obvious "fault" that were weighing on her shoulders. Ultimately, after visiting a collision center for a quote, we decided that we would rather not pay the $500 insurance deductible and fight such small marks.

The main reason for this decision was the AWESOME staff at a local collision center. They said just swing it by after ordering our matching paint colors and they would patch it all up FOR FREE!! We did just that, except we tipped the guy of course, and below are the below and after pictures. It's really hard to see all of the dings so I tried to point out a few of the bigger ones. Obviously if you get close, you can see it's been buffed out and painted, but overall we feel it was definitely not worth the money or the claim through insurance.

Now if we could just get all drivers to SLOW down in parking lots and watch where they are backing up, we wouldn't have these issues!! ESPECIALLY in daycare parking lots people... there could have been a child walking!!

Cleveland - Not So Bad After All

I still remember exactly which parking spot I was in at work when I got "the call". I had been waiting all week, unable to focus on work and pacing the hallways throughout the office. With a debilitating fear, I spent the day anxiously biting my nails and watching the clock tick by. You see, I was left the fun job of selling our house while Derek was away and the idea of the next unknown looming over my head was almost too much. Derek was to find out that day where we would be headed to live for the next few years and the waiting game was killing me.

Before the call came, I tried to imagine my life in a new city with a fresh start and utilized a "glass half full" mentality. I told myself it was only for a few years and that all that mattered was that I had Derek and my girls with me. (Drew obviously wasn't in the picture yet!). Sure we got to rank all of the cities, but ultimately we knew they would send us wherever they needed Derek. He quickly learned from 'upper classmen' that some people got within their top 10 choices... but some people got their 2nd to last choice out of all the cities. I tried to visualize living in a tiny cozy apartment in NYC, or the possibility of living on the border in El Paso, or even far away in Alaska or Puerto Rico. The possibilities were endless.

Then my phone rang and I braced myself sitting in my car still holding onto my dreams that it would be Dallas, OKC, St. Louis, or maybe another one of our top choices. There was a limited amount of small talk and then Derek says "I'm not even going to joke with you about it babe" and I knew it was bad. My heart sank and I could feel the emotions rising when he said Cleveland. More because I had NO clue even where it was in Ohio, but more because the reality of what I had been mentally preparing myself for for months now has come full circle. We would be officially moving in a couple months to a city that we'd have to live in for 3+ years, yet never even seen before. It would be 13 hours away from family and there would be a lot of snow. FYI... I'm a warm weather girl.

I cried the nasty tears that evening for hours and hours.

I honestly don't think the majority of my sadness was because we got the worst ranking in Derek's class. I don't think it was even that much about Cleveland itself. I believe the reality of moving away had set in full force. Sure, Derek and I had already moved away once before when we spent a year in Jacksonville, but this was different. I knew we wanted to start a family, and doing it alone with only Derek was scary to me. Since Drew's birth I've become much more accustom to adapting my life in whatever way necessary, but before him was a different story. I loved our life in Kansas City and this change was going to turn it upside down and inside out. I simply didn't want to face this huge transition that was about to happen in a couple of months.

After researching online and finding people here and there that knew someone in Cleveland, a few silver linings began to show their face. The cost of living is pretty decent up here and we'd be able to buy a nice house with only a 10 min commute for Derek. Plus, Southwest flies here! There's also a lot to do in general with or without kids around the city and our future children would be able to experience a beach in the summer months. But the most important bright spot to our change was my work. I work for the most fabulous company and since I had been there for over 5 years, they let me begin to work from home so that I could continue working for them once I moved to Cleveland. I did have to step down from management, but I'm very thankful for the option to telecommute and continue my partnership with this amazing company.

Fast forward about 3 months to our arrival in Cleveland on February 10th, 2010. My first fear came to fruition as there was snow. A LOT of snow. And it snowed daily for three straight weeks, hitting heights of 2-3 feet on some days. I was overwhelmed with the fact that my in-laws would be leaving in a few days after making the drive with us and it would be Derek and I stuck in this city filled with snow. Working from home would keep me in the house all day and the weather would keep us there all evening as well. I went to some deep dark places those first few months where I had to really focus on the good in life. At that time, my opinion of Cleveland was probably a 2 out of 10.

That first year was pretty tough. We didn't really make a lot of friends since I worked from home and a lot of Derek's co-workers were older with families. Fortunately we got pregnant fairly soon after the move and just focused on the good in the city and getting back to KC as much as we could. Obviously when Drew was born it was the highlight of our lives and with his wonderful birth and amazing hospital experience came an increase of my opinion of the city. His January birth helped us survive our second winter in the city seeing as how we spent most of our time inside watching him grow. We slowly began to make some friends here and there and found ourselves enjoying what the city had to offer. Around this time my opinion of Cleveland had probably risen to a 5.

After this last winter (our 3rd here), things were even better. It was an extremely mild winter for Cleveland with  minimal snow and spring showed it's beautiful face early. We joined the zoo and the children's museum and have enjoyed so many events and festivals with Drew in the past 6 months that it's really become 'home' to us. Sure we miss our family and friends in KC, but overall I'd have to say that right now Cleveland is a 7 to me. Yes, there is crime, but that's over on the other side of the city. Yes, it's 13 hours drive from home, but we've gotten lucky with some cheap Southwest flights and parents coming in town often. Yes, we get a lot of snow overall, but based on how hot this summer is we might get yet another mild winter! WIN!

I can definitely say that this experience has brought Derek and I even closer. We had a wonderful marriage before, but not having family or friends to help you with your newborn added an even deeper level of connection between us. We HAD to rely on each other. Period. And I'm so thankful that I have been with my best friend every step of this crazy journey. I guess you could say that I'm eluding to the fact that I like Cleveland? It's weird thinking so, but yes, I honestly can say that I like Cleveland now. It gets a really bad rap in the media and it's reputation is pretty low, but in general it's got a lot to offer if you just open your eyes.

We still can't wait to get back to our true home, but for now the tears are completely gone. Cleveland is a-ok in my book and I'll be just fine if we have to stay a few more years!

Fun with Pudding

What takes 5 minutes to make and makes a toddler very happy?!

Chocolate Pudding! 

Weekend Recap

So my camera is off being cleaned therefore you get some iPhone pics on this fine Monday. We had a really nice productive weekend and enjoyed some slightly cooler weather. We're looking forward to next weekend where the highs are 78 and 75! I can't believe how fast this summer has gone by and we're trying our best to soak up as much time in the sun as we can with Drew!

1. Future baller.

2. Horsing around.

3. New placemats from Mimi and Gramps!

4. Playdate with Jack.

5. Good hair day (which is unusual!)

6. Fun in the tub.

7. Park time.

8. Sneak peak of our family pictures.


And my absolute favorite picture from the weekend is one of the many wet, slobbery kisses I received from my little guy. 
I couldn't love them any more than I do and my heart literally explodes when he puckers up and leans in.

Is there really anything better than your own child's kiss?

Drew the Drooler

I mean seriously? This is what our shirts look like about 4 minutes after I put them on. He would win gold for the most slobber exiting the mouth within a 24 hour period! I know it's from his second molars coming in, but I made the mistake the other day of googling "excessive drooling". Why do I do that to myself? A website popped up with suggestions that our toddler could have mouth and tongue weaknesses and or large tonsils or adenoids.

I'm just going to listen to my instincts that tell me once these last 2 teeth come in he will be done slobbering all over. We have changed all of this sippy cups out with those that include a straw to build up the muscles so hopefully that helps. But for now, I'll continue to be thankful that my baby is an easy teether and doesn't really get fussy or sick like other babies. I will, however, look forward to the day he can wear a nice shirt and it not be drenched before we even leave the house!

Morning At The Beach

We've really enjoyed these mornings lately in the upper 70's as opposed to the 90 degree weather our friends and family in KC are dealing with. The beach even makes it feel chillier with the lake winds coming through and it's a welcomed change from the heat. I love watching Drew at our beach as he is such a funny toddler and very apprehensive around some textures. Even though he has been to a few beaches, he really didn't want to move and stood in the sand for a while when we first got there. Ultimately he walked very cautiously but was very aware of the ground under his toes moving with each step!

I love catching moments like this that happen by themselves. It makes me smile to see the two of them together.