conner | life at 3 1/2

I know Linden just turned 1 1/2 but my little Conner just turned 3 1/2 last month and that's something to celebrate too! And I realize that it's been so long since I sat down shared what's up in this little boy's life.

 

Conner, I don't really view you as a toddler anymore.  You've grown so much these past six+ months that sometimes I forget that you're still three, and I take you as a four year old.  You're so advanced when it comes to so many things.  Anything relating to physical ability, you can catch on and do so easily!

 

Since we have a yard that slopes to our walkout basement, we let you hop on the kid-sized snowboard this past winter and you blew us away with your ability to ride it down the hill.  You acted like you'd been doing this your whole life and continued to go down the hill countless times with a huge smile on your face each time.

 

 

We got through the rest of Spring with constant colds and fevers every two weeks. But, little boy, when you are sick, you become the best at cuddling.

 

 

You've always loved your cousins, but this year, you've really loved playing with Dylan and Alex.  You talk about them for days after seeing them, and when you're together, it's non-stop wrestling, running and laughing.  You are such the little boy that loves wrestling so much that you always try tackling your little brother that immediately turns into screams.  Linden hasn't quite enjoyed the wrestling as much as you, at least not yet.

 

 

For about a year at daycare, you've been riding around on a small two wheel bike designed for someone your size. This past April, your daddy surprised you with your very own bike like this and everyday you take that bike out riding around the driveway, yard, and down the dirt road.

 

 

You've grown so tall these past months too! I have to keep buying new clothes to keep up with your growing length. You've had a handful of small haircuts, but your hair is still unruly to the point that Dad and I are surprised on the days that your hair is tame. :) You can still burn 6 hours of energy off of a single cracker before you finally get hungry. And we still don't know how that's even physically possible.

 

When you're sweet, you are the sweetest boy on earth.  And when you're upset, your screams know how to fill stadium.  You are a stubborn one too, just like your mom and dad.  But the moments that you randomly come up to me and say "Mommy, I love you so much"... my heart just explodes.

 

 

I really look forward to this summer and all the adventures we're going to have.  Even now as I look at my calendar, our weekends are filling up fast with fun activities, and I'm so thankful we have you with us to make these moments better.

 

You keep us on our toes.  We keep you in line.

You keep us wild.

 



linden | 18 months

Linden boy, you are 18 months already!

 

I can't imagine any other kid like you.  You are the perfect boy to make our family of four.  Your personality comes through more and more each month and it's so exciting to watch you develop your own likes and dislikes, and watching you get excited for things.

 

PLAY

Now that the weather has warmed up a bit, you have discovered how much fun it is to be outside.  All I have to do is say the word "outside" and you go running for your shoes and carrying them back yelling "SSSHOOOES". It never gets old.  You've also quickly developed a love for daddy's tractor. The second you hear that thing fired up you're running over there with your arms lifted up demanding that you get a ride.  And really, there's nothing cuter than watching you ride around wearing adult sized ear muffs on daddy's lap. 

 

You also love any toys with wheels (so much like your brother). It's not surprising to find you with a toy train in your hand scooting it around the floor saying "choo-choo".  You're still not quite sure what to do with all the bubbles when we run the bubble machine outside but one thing you do have figured out is your love for water.  It still isn't warm enough to go swimming at the beach but it doesn't stop you from going straight in while you have your clothes on and splashing around.  You have a huge love of water little boy!

 

TALK

There is definitely a list of words that you know and you know how to say them well! And the rest of it still sounds like a jumbled mess, but you look like you know exactly what you're saying when you have something to say.  Your vocab list includes words like "up", "hi", "bye" (you love telling anyone bye), "choo-choo", "food", "shoes", "uh-oh", "sit down", "get down", "go", "no" and "want this".  And even though I might be missing words and there are still a lot of words for you to learn, you seem to understand what we say very clearly.  You're great at following through with commands, that is unless you're being a little stinker who is intentionally ignoring me as part of a game.  You do that often these days.

 

SLEEP

You're not a huge fan of nap time, and I can't really blame you because who is? But you go back and forth between taking one nap a day and two naps a days.  Usually you'll protest for five minutes in your crib but then eventually quiet down and either play until you fall asleep or just lay down.

 

Nighttime, however, is a different story.  These days, you get so excited for going to bed at night. We've bumped your bedtime back to 8pm and you seem to do really well with that.  By the time I say "it's time for nigh-night" you start running over to your daddy or Conner to give them a hug good night.  Then you open your mouth wide so I can brush your teeth (and you have 12 teeth now by the way!) and eventually grab the brush and move it around in your mouth to finish off the task.  Then it's off to the crib when I hand you your favorite blanket and you give me a final wave and sweet little "bye" for the night.  My heart ends up in a puddle every night.

 

FOOD

Let's just say you've been quite the picky little eater.  I've always had trouble getting you to drink milk but I'm not concerned.  When you have an appetite, you eat an adult-sized meal.  It amazes me that you're only in the 20th percentile in weight for kids your age.  You love raspberries and this is quite possibly your favorite food ever.  Following close behind are strawberries, yogurt, peanut butter, pancakes, oatmeal bars, pizza and ranch. You love to dunk food whether it's salsa, ranch, guac, you name it.  If you see anyone dunking food into anything you start letting us know that you want whatever we have!

 

 

 



three.

Conner,

 

..And just like that, you are turning three.

 

I want to say I don't understand how this past year went by so fast, but deep down, I do.  This past year of life was a game changer for you with bringing another little boy into our family, but you, little man are meant to be a brother.  I watched from the front row as you transitioned from the early days of not wanting another little boy to share our attention into a little boy that makes sure that Linden is kept in the mix of our chaos. Dad's and my attention was split this past year looking out for the both of you, trying to soak in every changing detail between the two of you, and keeping up with you. I'm sad to think I missed little details of your life, but I amazed at the boy you are becoming.

 

Some of my favorite moments of this past year:

..Realizing that I am carrying on a legitimate conversation with you instead of simple words.

..Hearing you talk about things that happened weeks ago as your memory takes off.

..Watching you play with your toys and pretending with them.

..Potty training.

..Asking me if I'm okay after I hurt myself and then kissing my injury.

..Laughing uncontrollably at night every time I try to get you to go to sleep.

..Hearing you say, "Mommy you sleep with me?"

..You and Daddy building forts out of blankets and couch cushions.

..You telling everybody in the grocery store "HI!" You're not shy.

..Your first haircut.

..Watching you swim at the beach.

..Hearing you ask for Papa and Nana.

..Your endless love for your daddy.

..Driving the tractor.

..Helping me make coffee.

 

The moments are endless, but I know my memory will start to fade and some of these precious memories will get replaced with newer ones.  But, I will never forget holding you for the first time in the hospital.  I will never forget rocking you to sleep at night when you were a baby as you drift off only to open your eyes one last time and give me a huge smile.  I will never forget the look of your little boy smile and little boy laugh.  It is the most contagious thing on the planet. And your unruly curls on your head.

 

I have never met a little boy with as much energy as you. Daddy and I joke that you only need one cracker to give you enough energy to run laps around everybody else all day long. And it's true! You have two gears... 100% non-stop while you are awake, and recharging mode while you are asleep.

 

I can't even begin to imagine what this next year is going to bring for you, but I pray that you stay safe, healthy, and never lose that personality that I love so much. 

 

With all my heart, I love you.

Mom

 



toddler life | 35 months

toddler life | thirty five

In one short month we will no longer have a two year old in our household. I love seeing how much this little boy has grown, but I am so sad how quickly these years have gone by.  It's been challenging, but so rewarding being able to call Conner my own.

Also, you better believe I am in full party planning mode!

Toddler Talks

Stories. Stories. Stories.
Conner loves to tell me about things that happened during the day.  He'll even tell me stories that he's told me a hundred times over.  What amazes me about this age is that he will tell me about something that happened 6+ weeks ago.  Yeah, that's better than my mom-memory at this point.  Every week his vocabulary is expanding and it's just the cutest thing listening to how toddlers pronounce words. Those "R's" are tricky for them and entertaining for me!

And he started singing! Best thing ever and his favorite song right now is "Wheels on the Bus" :)

 

Toddler Play

It's so fun when you realize that your kiddo is starting to play pretend. This past month Conner has really gotten into pretending to give me "surprise treats" and "got your nose" and other made up things.

Sharing on the other hand is still a skill that we'll be working on a for a long time. Basically anything Linden starts to play with, Conner all of a sudden needs. Sometimes it drives me nuts that I can't just put Linden down with a toy to play while I get things done because Conner will snatch it away in two seconds.  But then there are those rare moments that Conner will search for the just the right toy and rush over to give it to Linden and that makes my heart burst!

 

Toddler Eats

Sometimes I scratch my head when I think about this little boy's eating patterns.  Some days, he'll eat half the fridge and pantry and other days he'll eat five strawberries and be good for the rest of the day.  I suppose that's normal for a busy little body though.  I know when he's hungry, he'll eventually ask for food.

Conner has a renewed love for baby snacks.  Funny and very annoying.  I now have to stock up on twice as much baby snacks because if we're out and about, and I give Linden something, Conner is right there asking to eat the exact same thing.  Nevermind I just gave him some trail mix or crackers or whatever he asked for ten seconds earlier.

 Toddler Sleep

Conner developed a new habit this past month that he has never done before.. he started hauling himself down to our bedroom in the middle of the night and waking us up.  Joe and I have always been adamant about not letting him sleep in our bed because we didn't want to start that habit, but there have been a few times now that we'll plop him down in between us and let him snooze.  Again, I really don't want this to become a problem, so we plan to nip this in the bud and just put him back in his own bed even if it means one of us sleeps in his bed with him.

 

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toddler life | thirty four

toddler life | thirty four

Hello from my two week hiatus! There's been a lot of life happening here and a ton of distractions which means I've got some updating to do.  

First up... Conner!

He turned 34 months a couple weeks ago, so I am waaay behind.  He continues to change every month, but the changes seem so subtle that they almost go unnoticed.  We're coming to an end with his monthly updates which is so sad, but he's growing up, and I have to let go little by little. 

Toddler Talks

I think back to where Conner's vocab was last year, and where he is today with it, and I'm just amazed.  He was a late bloomer with speech, and that makes me even more proud of him now.  We hold conversations with him.  Like real conversations.  And he tells us stories of things that happened hours, days, and even weeks ago.  His favorite story to tell is when our dog Mia ran down a sand bluff toward the river at the bottom.  Such a simple story, but he loves telling it.

 

Toddler Play

With two boys at an interactive age, Conner has learned that he is not the only that likes to play with toys.  And sharing is H A R D.  If he sees Linden playing with a certain, he runs right over and inserts himself between Linden and said toy.  Sharing is definitely a learned trait.

This past month Joe salvaged some of his old toys from his dad's house and brought them home to Conner.  That means that Conner has more outside toys that he can plow through the yard with.  (Including Joe's Tonka truck from his childhood and you know how much Conner loves his Tonka!)  We now have a deck box dedicated for all the yard toys.

 

Toddler Eats

I still consider Conner a picky eater.  I had an epiphany this past month when comparing Conner's eating habit with Linden's eating habit.  Like with everything else, these boys have different eating habits. It's always been a bit of a struggle to push solid foods on Conner.  Even as a baby/early toddler he just wanted to drink milk and have a few bites of food. 

I realized that things truly haven't changed much over the years. Conner will consume about 200 calories from solid food and ask for milk the rest of the day.  We've always limited his milk intake after he turned one to help push him toward table food, but he'll just go the day without eating much.

The boy loves to drink his calories which I am not a fan of.  Because of this, I always love making or sharing a smoothie consisting of a plant based protein and blend of super greens for him.  This makes me feel better that he's getting proper nutrients while we continue to push him to eating a bigger variety.  Don't get me wrong, he still loves fruits and some veggies, but he just doesn't eat a whole lot in general.

 

 Toddler Sleep

This past month Conner has been very adamant about me putting him to bed at night.  Most nights I catch myself getting slightly annoyed because I have other things to do and I want some me time, but then I quickly remember that these days won't last forever.  And in the end I cherish the fact that he wants me to read to him, lay down with him and say nighttime prayers with him.  Also, hearing him say "amen" is about the sweetest thing you'll ever hear.

Disclaimer: If it isn't obvious yet, you can tell what shirt is Conner's absolute favorite. I promise he wears more than his blue shirt (on some days).

 

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