Snow Day!!!

There is something special about a snow day. Maybe it's the element of surprise, maybe it's the midweek day at home, maybe it's the magic of all the snow, or maybe a combination. Whatever the reason, it is impossible not to feel joy in the moment it is announced. Today I found out by a phone call as I was getting Dax ready for daycare. Wahoo! A day with Dax was exactly what I needed. We had an awesome day...

We played with colored vinegar and baking soda. Dax was surprised by the fizz it made and enjoyed watching what happened every time.

Changing it up and putting baking soda in the vinegar to watch it bubble

Then we had some more sensory time with a bowl of water. He sat for a full 30+ minutes exploring the water. If you have/know/have ever known a toddler, you know how incredible that is!

I figured I'd take advantage of his interest and sweep the kitchen and dining room floors. Silly Mommy thinking I could do anything without catching his attention.

During his afternoon nap I spent the time preparing some fun felt games for the little man. My hope is that they can keep him entertained and quiet during church.

A pond to add fishies, sand and plants, a garden to add flowers, a plate with removable food, and butterflies with interchangeable wings

At the end of the day, we ventured outside to work on shoveling the driveway and get some fresh air. Dax toddled around on the driveway, spent time in his sled, sat and watched Mommy, and enjoyed the snow.

Silly boy fell over and was still loving life!

It looked like he was trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue!

Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of time! I am so grateful to have had this day with my sweet, curious, happy little boy.

I just couldn't resist adding this photo, too!

Conferences

I'm in the midst of conferences. The benefits are that I get to connect with families in a way that phone calls and emails just don't allow and I truly enjoy the conversations. The tough parts are long hours and, now more than ever, the lack of family time during these two weeks. I am so incredibly blessed with an awesome support system and have been lucky to have a little visitor during my dinner break each conference evening...

"Let me through, Mama, I want to explore!"

"This baby is fun!"

"I love school!"

 While I would have loved more snuggles in our short time together, it was so fun to see his joy and excitement in checking out the materials in my classroom. His favorite stops were a bin of interesting pointers, a basket of stuffed animals, and of course any balls he could find. And even though I had to plan a few extra minutes to clean up everything that my little tornado took out, I am so thankful for Grandma, Grandpa, and Daddy's willingness to bring Dax to see me.

Logical?

How did our life transition so quickly from DINKs to new parents to a full-blown family with a toddler? Dax is still growing at the speed of light. And I'm pretty sure he moves at the speed of light as well. He has started to assert his independence and we're crossing into new territory. Two things I have learned from teaching that I hope to translate into parenthood are that it is important to be consistent and that consequences need to be logical. I never knew it would be so hard - it's pretty stinkin' cute when Dax gets sassy and nearly impossible not to laugh.

Michievous little cutie

Though he doesn't really need consequences for this, we are trying to be consistent with keeping his blankies and nukies in the crib. It's very cute when he walks around with them now, but it will be much easier to break him of the habit as a little guy than when he's older and completely attached. Thus, our rule is that they stay in the crib. He just recently started trying to keep hold when he wakes up. Instead of fighting, we let him snuggle a little longer in his crib before taking them away. As it turns out, that may be a new game...

Who is teaching who something here?

I think he's showing us that he's not ready to drop them yet :)

The other situation that often requires our attention is mealtime. When Dax is finished eating, he lets us know by throwing his food on the floor. I think that is pretty typical of one-year-olds, but is still a habit we'd prefer to break. Recently I decided to have him pick some of the food up and throw it in the garbage when he's finished. He is very obedient and completely adorable following through on his clean-up duties. Perhaps another new game?

So, while we're still debating if we are giving him logical consequences (and if he even correlates the actions with his behavior), we're trying to be consistent and loving every moment figuring out each new stage of parenthood.

Anticipation

Over the weekend we had some family pictures taken. It was so fun and I was eagerly awaiting the sneak peek that our photographer promised would be on Facebook shortly (exact words: "I'm so excited to get home and edit these and I might post some tonight!"). Two LONG days later, they arrived and I could not be happier. Thank goodness they were posted today because I was dangerously close to obsessing over checking for them. God must have thought I needed a lesson in patience.

Today I realized that I could empathize with Dax's anticipation when I tell him Daddy is on his way home. He loves checking out the neighborhood anyway, but can hardly contain himself when he knows Jake will be here soon. It is very sweet (and quite possibly torture for the little guy if he is anything like his Mama!).

Mommy and Daxy snuggle time while Daddy is still at work

When will Daddy be home?

Still waiting...

There's his car!

I'm so glad he's home!

Now he's in the driveway; I get to see him soon!

Where'd he go? (in the garage)

Now what's he doing? (getting the mail)

I love Daddy!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Jake and I rarely do anything big to celebrate Valentine's Day, but Dax adds a new element to the celebration. He was a tiny little guy last year and now he is a full blown toddler - running around, complaining when he doesn't get his way, chatting up a storm, and making us laugh almost constantly. He truly makes every day worth celebrating. And makes a low-key, Applebees carside-to-go Valentines dinner special.

Dax's Valentines for his daycare friends

Mommy's Valentines for her students

Ready to deliver his cards

Playing with a sucker he got from a friend

Ending the day playing with Daddy

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! We hope that you enjoyed time with the ones you love!

12 Months

It is slightly less shocking to think that Dax is "12 months" versus "1 year" old. How can it possibly have been a whole year since that long day last January? Looking at Dax, though, it is impossible not to notice his transfer into toddlerhood.

We will go to the doctor next week for his well-check, but took our own unofficial stats. He weighs around 20 pounds and is 29 inches tall.

Thanks for the height chart Grandpa Olson!

He changes daily and we are in love with each new stage. He is generally more expressive and playful,

Ooooh!

Peek-a-boo!

And started walking. Yep, he's walking! He has been pulling himself up on things, walking along furniture, using our hands for support, and taking steps on his own for awhile, but in the past couple of weeks he has come to use it as his preferred way to move. It was a pretty abrupt transition from being very hesitant to walk without support to constantly letting go of his support systems and cruising around on his own. He is still a bit unstable, but it no longer phases him and he will get back up as quickly as he can.

He is also talking. While this development is a much slower transition, it is exciting to note his quick growth in both receptive and expressive language. He understands and responds to many things we say to him now, and continues to learn and use new words and noises daily. Some of our favorite things he says include:

Animal sounds: horse, snake, cow, sheep, monkey, and tiger
'nana - banana
hiya! - turtle (as in the sound his ninja turtle action figure makes!)
Nanana - batman (as in nananananananananananananananana batman!)
ball - everything round is a "ball"
Mama and Dada :)
none - "one" while holding up one finger to show how old he is (see video below - and feel free to stop it 5 seconds in when Mama tries to get a longer performance than Dax was willing to do)

He is also learning body parts and will point to show where his nose, mouth, tongue, and head are. While eating dinner one night he was throwing food on the floor and heard us saying, "No!". He promptly pointed to his nose. Silly boy!

Look at our sweet little guy rounding out his year in pictures:

Happy birthday Dax! You have made our lives infinitely better and we look forward to every moment with you in the coming years.