Goodbye 2009

2009 is almost coming to an end. It was our first full year of having Landon in our lives. 2009 was filled with so many memories. From Landon's first words to Landon's first steps. It has also included Landon's first sickness and his first ER visit. Of course we could never forget his 1st birthday or his 1st birthday party. 2009 was a great year. The last half of 2009 was not so great, but I am looking forward to 2010 starting off the way that 2009 did. Hopefully 2010 will end the same way that 2009 started off. As long as Landon is by my side, then it is guaranteed to be a great year. Here is the very last picture taken of Landon for the year of 2009:

Happy New Year everyone and goodbye 2009!

Christmas Pics

Christmas has come and gone. I have finally gotten around to uploading Christmas pictures of Landon. I think I had been putting it off for so long because it was by far one of the worse Christmas' of my life. I'm just glad that Landon knew no difference between Christmas day and any other day. He did have a lot of fun opening up his gifts and I really strived to stay as positive as possible even when people were trying to ruin my day. The day was all about Landon and no matter what people were saying or doing, they were not going to ruin Christmas Day for my baby boy. I'm just glad that the last chapter of 2009 is coming to an end. I am looking forward to starting a new chapter of life come 2010. I am going to have a positive outlook and live life to the fullest for both Landon and my sake.

Landon opening up his first present

It is a Little People Farm. Landon even tried to feed the cow his cookie!

Landon working hard on unwrapping this present

It was worth the hard work- a Winnie the Pooh coloring book.

Taking a break from the gift opening to eat his cookie!

Landon got Scout! For all of you parents of a toddler, I highly recommend this toy. They have Scout for boys and Violet for girls. This toy can be customized for each child by downloading different sayings and songs off of the Leap Frog website. It even says your child's name.

Working hard to unwrap another one

It's a Winnie the Pooh book!

Landon took another break from the gift wrapping to read it.

And yet another break to play with his farm house. It took us all day long to unwrap his gifts because after one or two he would start to become overwhelmed.

Landon struggling to open this one and becoming frustrated.

Tinkie stepped in to help!

It was finally opened.

Riding on his new Power Wheels 4-wheeler. It actually only took Landon a matter of seconds to figure out how to operate it.

My very best gift of all- Landon kisses!

Squash and Spaghetti

Landon loves spaghetti. I especially love him eating spaghetti when the sauce is actually squash. I take pureed squash and pour it over top of the spaghetti noodles. Landon loves spaghetti and has not noticed a difference between spaghetti sauce and the squash sauce. He gets extra vitamins and I still get those oh too cute spaghetti mess pictures!

Muddy Park Days

Landon loves to go outside and play, but he hates to get dirty. We had a lot of rain lately so it has been really muddy outside. Landon fell down at the park and he was not a happy camper. He kept trying to stand up without having his hands touch the ground. He was so upset that his outfit and shoes were dirty. He kept trying to clean off his shoes and was getting so angry that the dirt wasn't coming off.Landon was saying, "Mommy put the camera down and come clean my shoes!" He then fell down again and was over the top angry that his hands and shirt were dirty.

I eventually stopped snapping pictures and helped Landon get cleaned up. He was so grateful that I helped him. He even picked me "flowers" to show his gratitude!

A happy Landon going down the slide (before the mud).

This was right before the dirt meltdown. He was playing with his Pooh cars.

Sleigh Ride

Landon went on his first horse-drawn carriage ride tonight. Jenn's apartment complex held a small Christmas party and they had carriage rides for everyone. Landon loved the horses and the carriage ride. He was scared to get close to the horses at first, but loved looking at them from a distance on the carriage. We even went for a second carriage ride because Landon didn't want to get off. After the second carriage ride Landon wanted to get closer to the horses. I petted the horses on the head and then Landon felt comfortable to do the same. He touched all three of them on their noses. It was a quick touch and then he pulled his hand away, but at least he faced his fears and touched them. He also made sure to touch all three of them. The horses were absolutely beautiful.

We ended the night with Landon eating his first candy cane. I just gave him a small piece of one, but he loved it.

He was upset with me when I told him that he couldn't have any more. I was the recipient of Landon's mean face because I wouldn't allow him to have a sugar rush before bed.

Solutions For A Picky Eating Toddler

We all know that toddlers can be picky eaters. Landon is no exception. Landon refuses to eat anything other than potatoes, rice, and noodles. He won't eat any meat unless it's a chicken nugget and fruits and veggies are out of the question. He used to eat 5 apple slices everyday as a snack and he would eat a whole pineapple by himself in a single sitting if allowed. Now he won't touch either of them. Landon just refuses to eat. I was getting tired of pulling my hair out at meal times and stressing over the fact that he wasn't getting the necessary nutrients that his growing body requires. I have always pureed veggies into Landon's meals, but now it is becoming a daily habit. I want to make sure that he eats as well as possible even if he refuses to eat anything other than a potato.

If you have a toddler who is a picky eater, then I have a few tips for you. Pureed cauliflower can be mixed into a mashed potato without any significant difference because it is white. Cauliflower can also be mixed into eggs. Just mix the puree into the egg as you scramble it and your little one with be eating healthier and never know it.

Last night I made chicken nuggets for Landon. I pureed spinach and added it to the egg that I dipped the chicken into. I then coated the chicken with flour and baked them. Landon never knew and gobbled them up. Beets and broccoli have also worked well with the chicken nuggets.

Tonight I had great success with mixing pureed squash into Landon's spaghetti. Landon loved the spaghetti like usual. I just had the added satisfaction that he was eating a little healthier without the struggle that usually ensues over his eating habits at dinner. Some people may say that I am deceiving Landon. I just think that I am giving him the very best nutrition. I know he likes these things, but he is at the age where he just outright refuses to eat anything. I don't see any harm in hiding extra fruits and veggies into Landon's food. It gives me a sense of relief that he is getting all of his vitamins and nutrients even if I do go about it in the form of purees. I will routinely blog about new puree ideas as I try them out on Landon. The possibilities are endless.

If you are just starting out with purees then try to puree a number of different foods at one time. I made all of Landon's baby food this way. Buy all of the fruits and veggies that you will be using for the next week or two. Puree it and pour it into ice cube trays. Once they are frozen then pop them out and place them into Ziploc baggies. All you have to do is defrost and mix as you need them. It saves a lot of time and hassle in the long run.

Christmas PJs

Is there anything cuter than a baby with Christmas pajamas on?
Nope, I didn't think so either! Especially when there are reindeer footsies on them!

I couldn't resist putting Landon's Christmas pajamas on him. Last year Landon only wore his Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve. I didn't want them to get ruined so he only wore them that one time. This year I wanted to get good use out of them. Landon doesn't mind either. He likes playing with the little reindeers! Tinkie managed to give me a good laugh. When she saw the reindeers on Landon's feet she started to lick his feet and was checking to make sure that his feet were ok. She was even barking to get my attention. She always barks for my attention when she feels like Landon is getting into harms way. I think she thought that the reindeers were hurting Landon. After a few good licks and barks towards the reindeers she realized that Landon was ok, but continued to lay by his side all night long.

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Landon seems to be climbing mountains these days. He is constantly learning and discovering new things. We took him to the park the other day and he climbed straight up this little wall that they had there. I'm sure it was meant for much older kids, but Landon figured it out rather quickly. When he is determined then look out world! There is no stopping him once he has his mind set on accomplishing something. I know I say it all the time, but I can't believe how quickly Landon is growing up. He never ceases to amaze me daily.

Stinky Feet!

Landon thinks it is the funniest thing to have people smell his feet. His Grandma (Kevin's mom) had started a little game with Landon when he was only a couple of months old. She would smell Landon's feet and then dramatically tell him how stinky the were. Landon has loved this game ever since. He has even started smelling our feet and waving his hand in front of his nose while laughing to tell us that we have stinky feet! Landon is constantly sticking his feet in people's faces so that they can smell them. He thinks it is normal to go around and shove his foot into somebody's nose...only our son would find that normal! It really is the funniest thing. I was watching tv while Landon was sleeping. He had woken up so I paused the tv. The next thing I knew Landon was raising his foot up to the nose of the girl on the tv screen! He wanted her to smell his foot. It was hysterical. I couldn't stop laughing. I love my silly little boy and his stinky feet so much!

Please ignore the streaks on the tv. Landon loves to kiss Tigger and Pooh when they are on. He will follow them all over the tv screen with kisses!

Landon Love- How I Love Thee

My last post was kind of a vent about how tough things have been with Landon lately. He really is an amazing little boy, even on the most difficult of days. I just wanted to balance out the venting post with a post compiled of all of the reasons why I love Landon. So here goes:

• I love Landon's sweet kisses and hugs


• I love his adorable, contagious giggles and charming smile


• I love how open his heart is


• I love that Landon always takes a minute to enjoy each and every blade of grass on our walks


• I love the way his eyes light up when he discovers a new leaf or rock


• I also love putting those leaves and rocks in my pocket because he always comes back to my pockets several hours later for them...he knows that Mommy kept them safe for him.


• I love that he has complete trust in me


• I love laying on the slide and gazing at the clouds, birds, and planes with him


• I love that he has no fear and is ready to take on the world at all times


• I love that he has his own mind, even if it does drive me nuts at times!


• I love the way he comes running to me with outstretched arms


• I love the way he walks up to me and kisses my leg for no apparent reason


• I love his eagerness to learn and try new things


• I love his innocence and how he doesn't see fault in people. He loves everyone and even kisses strange people and pets while we are out and about.
• I just simply love Landon!

Mama said....

...there'll be days like this, there'll be days like this my Mama said. Have you ever woken up and just knew that it would be a trying day? I woke up this morning and just knew that it would be one of those days. This morning, or shall I say last night, started with Landon crying non stop. He was up roughly every 2 hours throughout the night crying for no reason. The second I patted his stomach he was back to sleep, but it never lasted for long. When I brought him down the stairs for our daily glass of soy milk I went to the pantry to make him cream of wheat. Landon decided that he wanted crackers for breakfast. I told him "no" and the tantrum of all tantrums ensued. He proceeded to close the pantry door on me and then threw all of the plastic bags from the plastic bag holder all over the kitchen. Once he was bored with making a mess of the kitchen he then proceeded to hit and kick me. He never did eat his cream of wheat. In fact, he went with no breakfast at all. He refused to eat it. Every time I gave him a bite he would just lick it and then put some in his mouth and spit it all over the floor. As soon as I told him that I had enough of his behavior and placed the uneaten bowl in the kitchen sink he screamed bloody murder. He sure didn't want to eat it, but how dare I throw it out on him! Landon calmed down for a few and then signaled that he was ready for his nap around 10:30 a.m. Whenever Landon is ready for his nap or bed he will wave "bye-bye" and then walk up the stairs. I get him ready to lay down when he decided to hit me in the face with the remote control. I took the remote away and he then proceeds to throw his race cars at me. He even managed to cause the inside of my mouth to bleed. My tooth went through the inside of my lip. I don't know what to do with him. Time outs aren't working. He doesn't seem to grasp the concept yet and hand smacking is a joke. I've smacked his hand twice over the past couple of months with little sucess. The first time was when he decided to throw his sippy cup at my face because it was empty. He managed to hit me in the nose. I thought I was going to need a third nose surgery after that blow! The second time was because he was playing with the electrical outlet (unplugging and replugging a plug) after I repeatedly told him no and that it was dangerous. Both times have resulted in him hitting me back. I quickly realized that hand smacking was not for Landon. I just don't know what to do when he misbehaves. He has now even started giving me kisses whenever he does something wrong. That tells me that he knows the difference between right and wrong. I am at my wits' end with his behavior as of lately. I know that these days will pass. I'm just wondering how long it will take.

Full of Thanks

We may not have had a traditional Thanksgiving, but my mom made sure that we still had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner...just a few days late! Even though things aren't perfect right now I still have a lot to be thankful for. First and foremost, I am thankful for Landon. He makes each and every day worth waking up for (even if it is before the sun on most days)! I am also thankful for Kevin. He is, afterall, half of the reason that Landon is here today. I am also thankful for my family. They have been here for me when I needed them the most and for that I will forever be grateful. Last but not least, I am thankful for turkey! Afterall, we can't have Thanksgiving without turkey. My mom prepared an amazing dinner for all of us. She even made sure that everything was completely milk free. The only thing that Landon couldn't eat was the macaroni and cheese. Landon loved chowing down on his food. He especially loved the stuffing.

Landon licking his fingers clean!

Landon was even able to enjoy some apple pie.

Landon loved every last bite of his food. Here is the aftermath!

Walt Disney World!

We had a rather nontraditional Thanksgiving this year. Some friends of the family came down to FL over Thanksgiving and we met up with them in Orlando. We haven't seen them in several years and they have never seen Landon so it was nice to be able to spend time with them. Instead of doing the traditional turkey and family dinner we spent the day at Magic Kingdom. Only my mom, Alex, Landon, and I went down there. I was a little disappointed that nobody else came along, but we had a good time nonetheless. It was Landon and Alex's first time at the Magic Kingdom. We have lived in FL for about 13 years now and somehow Alex has never been to magic Kingdom. We have done all of the other parks as a family, just not that one. Landon had a really good time looking at everything. It was so unbelievably crowded so we didn't get on very many rides, but we did make sure to get on the Winnie the Pooh ride. I wasn't leaving the park without taking Landon on that ride. I gave up the Dumbo ride, but I was not giving up the Winnie the Pooh ride. Landon absolutely loved that ride. The whole time we were on it his face was in complete amazement. He loved pointing out the characters to me.
It became so cold by the end of the night, but Landon didn't mind. We were able to snuggle up with his Pooh blanket and stay warm on the Pooh ride and in the Pooh souvenir shop.

Landon's other favorite ride was definitely the tea cups. The tea cups make me sick, but I rode them so that I could experience them with Landon. Landon loves to spin around in circles. He will spin around in the computer chair for hours at a time if I allowed him to. The faster the tea cups spun, the bigger Landon smiled (and the sicker Mommy became)!

Since the line to ride Dumbo was so long we settled for taking a picture in the Dumbo that was on display.

We did manage to have Landon meet Pooh and Tigger, but it did not go as smoothly as I was hoping. We waited in line for OVER and hour to get a picture with Tigger and Pooh. Landon was so excited while waiting in line...he couldn't wait to get closer to them. Even as we were the next ones to go up to them Landon was excited. As soon as he was in front of them he took one look up and freaked out. Needless to say that after waiting for an hour I never did get a good picture of Landon with his heroes- Tigger and Pooh. Landon couldn't get away from them quick enough and was waving "bye-bye" to them the whole time!

As I mentioned, the park was really crowded. I was really surprised by that seeing how it was Thanksgiving Day. All of the lines for the rides were at least an hour wait. It wouldn't have been so bad if Landon was older, but an hour wait for a ride seems like eternity for an 18 month old and complete torture for said 18 month old's mother! There was no way that I was going to wait in those lines with Landon. Even without doing very many rides he had fun. He loved seeing the different sites throughout the park and really enjoyed the afternoon parade. Landon slept through the nightime light parade, but I enjoyed watching it. The fireworks after the parade scared him to death so I had to keep ducking into different buildings to get him away from them. He was clawing at my neck and driving his head into my collar bone to try to get away from them.

While we were down there Landon was able to meet Santa! On Wednesday night we walked around Downtown Disney. They had Santa there to take pictures. My pictures didn't turn out too well, but the Disney people were able to work their magic and take some really good pictures of Landon with Santa. Now I just have to order them.

It was raining off and on that night. It rained the hardest while we were in the line waiting for Santa so I put a poncho on Landon. He loved playing around in it.

Of course no trip to Downtown Disney is complete without a picture with Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet. The one picture where Landon is actually looking at the camera I manage to mess up by cutting off Tigger's head. Oh well, at least Landon enjoyed sitting with them. The first thing he did was give Pooh a kiss!