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!

Wishes and Memories

As I mentioned before, Landon and his Uncle Alex spend a lot of time together. I love that the two of them are close and are able to bond, but at the same time this gives me a bit of disappointment. Not because the two of them are spending time together, but because Alex reminds me so much of our dad. Alex is growing up and the more he grows the more he resembles our dad, even down to his mannerisms. My heart always feels a little empty and broken when I see Alex and Landon together. It hit me especially hard today at the park. Alex was pushing Landon on the swings and just the way he was moving and the facial expressions that he made took my breath away. He looked and acted so much like my dad and I couldn't help but think that my dad would be doing the same exact thing with Landon if he was here with us today. I so badly wish that my dad could be here with us and see Landon. I wish that I could hear him tell me that he was proud of me and that he could see Landon grow up. I wish that Landon would have a "Pop-Pop" and I also wish that my dad could see the amazing man that Alex is turning into. Certain events in one's life are so much harder when a loved one is no longer here to share them with. The birth of a new baby and child rearing is definitely one of those events that makes you long for the person that is gone. I never had grandparents growing up so I am so very grateful that Landon has my mom and both of Kevin's parents. I know that he has 3 grandparents who love him dearly and I am so glad that he will experience growing up with relatives since I never did. But at the same time a part of me is feeling kind of selfish lately and wishing that he had a 4th grandparent. Especially as of lately. I know that my dad is here with us in spirit, but I'd give anything to see him holding Landon. Life is way too short and you don't realize it until you lose the ones that you love most. Make sure to hug and kiss those that you love daily and never take a single day for granted. You never know when that day will be your last.

Boys Will Be Boys!

Have you ever wondered what happens when you get an 18 month old together with an 18 year old? Well, wonder no more. I found out first hand that no matter the age, boys will be boys. As I was coming down the stairs today I heard Landon squealing in laughter. I looked around the corner and saw Landon wrestling with his Uncle Alex. Landon has never even seen wrestling or anything of the sort before, but he was able to give Alex a run for his money. He pulled some moves on his Uncle that left Alex telling me that he was hurting! I think rough housing just runs through the veins of boys and they can't help themselves. Alex even told me that Landon managed to pull his hair and bite him in the butt. I was able to catch the last few blows on camera. It sure was funny watching the two of them go at it. Landon had such a good time wrestling with his Uncle Alex, but I don't know how much longer Alex will be able to keep up with Landon!

Landon trying to drag Uncle Alex by his shirt!

Even Pooh and Eeyore were body slammed!

High flying!

Don't worry, this was all taken place under the adult supervision of Tinkie!

For the Love of Hair!

Kevin and I have decided against cutting Landon's hair. I know most people cut their baby's hair around their 1st birthday. It's one of those milestones to check off the list and a set of pictures to put into the baby book. But for us, this is another milestone that we have decided to wait on. We may get a lot of complaints from people (mainly my family) about Landon's hair being too long, but we absolutely love Landon's hair. We have decided to re-approach the hair cutting subject when Landon is 2 and see how we feel then. I just think Landon's hair is at an adorable length. I love every last strand of hair on his head and can't imagine cutting one bit of it off. Landon has my hair which means that it is relatively easy to care for. I just brush it once in the morning and he is good to go for the rest of the day. However, that was not the case today. Landon awoke from his afternoon nap looking like this:

And this!

The whole left side of his hair was sticking straight out to the side. It was too funny. No matter how hard I tried, I could not make his hair go back down so he spent the rest of the day with his hair sticking straight out. It finally went back down after I bathed him and brushed his hair before bed. He just woke up and when I went to settle him back down for the night the same bit of hair was sticking back up! I just love him and every last strand of his hair to pieces! Landon doesn't even allow a bad hair day to cramp his style...he still enjoyed reading his books.

Turning over a new leaf

We have been going through some life changes lately. I can't say it's for the best, but we're making the best with what has been given to us. I guess you can say that we are turning over a new leaf...Landon included!

As a result, Landon has had a lot of extra time with his Uncle Alex. These past two days have been rather breezy out and the three of us have taken long walks together enjoying the cooler weather. Landon loves his Uncle Alex and today they enjoyed playing football together outside. I think Landon is going to be quite the little sports champ when he is older. I must also add that he is getting really good at kicking a soccer ball around.

Landon's 1st ER Visit

I knew it would only be a matter of time before Landon had his first real injury. Last night as I was getting Landon into bed he ran into the corner of the window sill. Just from the sound of his screams I knew it was going to be bad. Landon rarely cries when he gets hurts. In fact, just the other day he was bit up by ants and didn't even flinch. He screamed like I have never heard him scream before. I went over to see what had happened and saw that his upper lip was cut a little. I took him out of the room and into the bathroom to clean up his lip when he opened his mouth. It was filled with blood and that is when I realized that he had torn off his upper labial frenulum (the piece of skin that connects your upper lip to your upper gum). It was completely separated from his gum. Once all of the blood was cleaned up Landon had pretty much calmed down. I, however, was still a wreck. I thought I was going to vomit and I was having trouble breathing. My nerves were all over the place and I couldn't stand seeing Landon in so much pain. I think I lost it more than Landon did. I was a wreck all night long and within minutes Landon was back to his old self. Once Landon was all cleaned up I called his doctor to see what should be done. When the doctor returned my call she sounded kind of perturbed with me. I had explained what had happened and asked her if the piece of skin would heal on its own or if I had to take him to the ER. She told me that there is nothing that she can do over the phone and that I shouldn't have called. If it was in fact torn, then I had to take him in immediately for it to be repaired and she then reiterated that she could do nothing for me over the phone. All I wanted to know from her is whether it would heal on its own or not. Of course we took her advise and took Landon into the ER. Several hours later the doctor saw him and told us that there is nothing that they can do. The piece will heal on its own and if it doesn't re-attach then it is no big deal. I just have to keep pressure and ice on it throughout the next couple of days. Obviously, the doctor has no children or else he wouldn't have suggested for me to try to keep Landon still for me to put pressure on his wound. We are overcoming the ice obstacle by eating popsicles and water ice. I think Landon's pediatrician sent us into the ER because I had bothered her at home to ask her what should be done. I'm sure she knew full and well that it would heal all on its own. She just wanted me to spend all night in the ER since I disturbed her. We will soon be looking for a new pediatrician. I am hoping that Landon's lip heals soon and that this is the last injury for him for quite some time. My nerves can't handle any more!

Landon wanting his hospital bracelet off. He didn't like it on his wrist.They made me wake him to take his weight. He was not a happy camper.

At a loss for words

It doesn't happen often, but even I can be at a loss for words at times. Whenever Landon and I are out I continuously hear "He's too cute to be a boy" or "He's too pretty to be a boy." I have even been told "What a shame he's a boy. His good looks are going to waste." I never know how to respond when people say these things. Just this morning while I was enjoying some much needed girl time at Starbucks a woman walked in and said "He's too pretty to be a boy." What makes someone say this? Is it suppose to be a compliment? Maybe I am taking it the wrong way, but I find it offensive when people say these things about Landon. Yes, Landon is a cute and handsome looking boy. But where in the rules of life does it say that only girls can have good looks? Not all boys are made of snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails. Not all boys are rough, tough, and dirty looking. Why is it so hard for people to believe that some little boys like to dress well and look put together? It just drives me nuts to continuously hear that Landon is a waste because he is not a girl. I just wish people would think before opening their mouths. Now that I am done with my rant, I am going to go and snuggle with my sleeping, handsome, charming little boy.

Mommy's Little Helper

Landon loves to help me clean around the house. He is now able to pick things up and put them away when asked and he loves the attention he receives when he does a good job doing so...he even claps for himself when his job is done! Landon also loves to mop and sweep. The other day I was sweeping the kitchen floor and Landon had brought me the dustpan and held it in place so that I could sweep the dirt into it. He did it without even being asked. I love how cleaning comes second nature to him. Landon's favorite thing to do is to mop the floors. He has even learned how to use the Swiffer Wet Mop and can push the button to spray the solution.

Landon also loves to help out with the laundry. He takes the clothes that are in the washer and places them into the dryer. The other day while I was folding the clothes Landon had climbed into the dryer before I could stop him. He had the grandest time playing amongst the clothing. He loved handing me the clothes from inside of the dryer. Let's hope that Landon continues to be Mommy's little helper for years to come.

18 Months Old!

Landon is 18 months old as of today. I don't know where the time has gone to. I can't believe that in just six short months my baby will be 2. It just seems impossible. This day has hit me rather hard. I associate an 18 month old as a toddler and no longer as a baby. I want to be able to stop time and keep Landon as a baby for all of eternity. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to watch Landon grow up and see the man that he grows into, but I am just upset that it seems to be happening quicker than I would like. I know I must sound silly and over emotional right now, but to be honest I have been over emotional since the day Landon was born. He has turned me into a blubbering mess. Any new achievement of his makes me cry, as does every passing milestone. I guess only other moms will understand. I am still amazed at how such a little boy can impact my life so deeply.

Landon had his 18 month check up today. He is now 32 1/4 inches and 25 pounds! He has not grown much in height, but he has put on some weight. I'm hoping all of his pants will fit him soon. Landon is becoming rather tall and thin making jean shopping impossible. All of his 12 month pants fit perfectly around the waist, but are too short...they come above his ankles. However, his 18 month pants fit perfectly in the length, but fall off of his waist. He only has 1 pair of jeans that fit somewhat ok and 2 pairs of khaki pants that fit. Those all have adjustable waists and adjustable leg lengths. He has over 10 pairs of pants that he can not wear because they are too big and fall off of him. It's definitely going to be a challenge getting him into pants this winter. Landon is still not talking. He calls me "Momma" and everything/everyone else is "Ma" or he will just point and whine. Landon has stopped making any attempt at talking and so he will be seeing a speech therapist in the upcoming months. I know he will talk when he is ready, but I am concerned about it because he was talking at one point and just stopped. I do know that Landon's hearing is ok and that is not the reason for his speech delay. He is able to follow commands without hesitation on his part. If I tell him dinner is ready and to go to his chair, then Landon will go directly to his high chair. If I tell him that it is bath time, then Landon will walk up the stairs to the bathroom. Landon can even throw things into the kitchen trash can and sink when asked. Landon still loves to read and he is developing a love for puzzles. Every time we go to the library he wants to play with the wooden puzzles and at the doctors office today he wouldn't put the puzzle down. With the exception of him not talking, Landon is developing well. He is so smart and continues to amaze us daily.

We were too busy today for me to take pictures of Landon, but I did snap a few shots of him in the car. We had to pick Aunt Jenny up from work and while we waited for her to come out I sat Landon upfront with me to play. Landon had so much fun sitting in the front seat while hanging out of the window and eating animal crackers.

Trick-or-treating fun!

Halloween was a lot of fun this year. Landon was able to walk around collecting candy into his hunny pot basket (yes, I realize honey is spelled wrong, but that is how Pooh spells it!). Landon dressed as Tigger for Halloween. When Kevin and I took him to Toys 'R' Us for his costume I had originally put him in a Winnie the Pooh costume. Landon made the cutest little Pooh Bear, but Tigger is his favorite so we went with the Tigger costume. He made the cutest little Tigger as well. I loved the fact that Landon had a say in what he wore this year. Last year Landon was too little to pick out his own costume or to walk around and so it really felt like this year was his first "real" Halloween. The day before Halloween we took Landon to go trick-or-treating around the mall. He had a blast running from store to store. Most stores were handing out lollipops so Landon was able to enjoy his first lollipop. Since Landon is allergic to milk the lollipops were all that he could eat. I sure had my fill of chocolate these past couple of days!

Eating his lollipop

Trick-or-treating at the mallTigger from behindOf course, no visit to the mall is complete without a carousel ride.

Halloween day was so hot and I was afraid that Landon was going to roast in his costume. You know you live in FL when you can go around in a sleeveless romper on Halloween and still be hot!

My mom and I carved Landon pumpkins. I carved a Winnie the Pooh pumpkin and my mom carved a Tigger pumpkin. Landon loved his pumpkins.

Landon waving to his pumpkinsGiving his Pooh pumpkin a kiss!

Luckily, Landon tolerated the heat well and wore his costume all night long. We started Halloween night off by making a stop at Tropical Smoothie. They were giving free kids smoothies out to children dressed in costume. They were even able to make Landon a strawberry and banana smoothie without the use of yogurt. He absolutely loved it! It also happened to be happy hour at Tropical Smoothie so my mom bought me one as well. I had my first smoothie (I'm not a fan of fruit because I am allergic to most of it) and it was really good. I ordered one with oranges and limes. Needless to say we will be making more stops to Tropical Smoothie in the near future.

Tigger waiting on his smoothie

After we all got our fill on smoothies we headed out for some trick-or-treating fun. Landon fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep for the first portion of trick-or-treating. Alex decided he was tired of watching Landon sleep so he picked him up to wake him. It worked and then we were able to properly trick-or-treat. I felt a little weird going up to the houses trick-or-treating for Landon as he slept so I was glad that he was woken up. Landon had so much fun going from house to house. He especially loved looking at all of the Halloween decorations that people had up. After we finished up trick-or-treating we brought a very tired Tigger home and tried to get pictures of him in costume in front of him pumpkins. It didn't work out as planned. Tigger was far too hot and tired for any pictures. Who could blame him though, it was insanely hot out and it was past his bedtime. All in all, it was a good night and I am already thinking about his costume for next year!