Pizza! Pizza!

Landon had his first taste of pizza today. We were walking up and down the grocery aisles wondering what we could make for lunch when I saw pizza crust on sale. I have been waiting for the day when Landon could have his first bite of pizza. Since he can't have cheese it makes it a little impossible to eat already made pizza. For some reason it had never occurred to me that I could just as easily make pizza sans the cheese. Making homemade pizza also allows healthier options. I was able to get a whole wheat crust and I also mixed some spinach into the pizza sauce. I then topped it with pepperoni and threw it into the oven. It was so easy to make and was such a hit with Landon.

Wordless Wednesday

One, Two, Three!

I wanted to share a funny little story about Landon today. At least it was cute and funny to me. I hope it translates into writing as funny as it was, but it may be one of those things that you had to be there for to get the full cuteness affect. Either way I am going to blog about it so that I have it written down for our own personal family stories since this blog serves as a time capsule of sorts for Landon's childhood. 

This morning Landon, my mom, and I were sitting out on the porch. Landon had taken my mom's hair clip and was throwing it onto the ground. He had refused to give it back to her so she started counting to three and told him that once she got to three that he would go to time out if he hadn't returned her clip back to her. As soon as she said "one" Landon said "two"! I couldn't help but to laugh and it took everything my Mom had not to laugh as well. She then said "two" and Landon followed that up by saying "three". Landon is too smart for his own good! Needless to say she never made it to three because we were too busy laughing at his cuteness. He did return the hair clip to her though. His cute little face already made it near impossible to discipline him, but now that he is starting to talk I imagine it is going to get even harder to see past his cuteness and put him on time out.   

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today was my twentysomethingish birthday! I realized today that simple birthdays are just as great as celebrated ones. Last year was one of my best birthdays filled with the Cheesecake Factory and homemade videos. This year was a lot more low key and simple, but it definitely gave last year's birthday a run for its money.

Landon and I hit the beach today with my Mom. The beach is also how I spent Mother's Day. It's my favorite place to go with Landon when I am needing to relax and get a way for a few. There is something about the ocean and the salt water filled air that always has a way of de-stressing me.

Landon's footprint next to Mommy's

Landon had so much fun building sand castles

Landon picked out a special present for me- seashells!

After the beach we went to the grocery store where my Mom picked up the ingredients needed to make dinner- rotisserie chicken! She also made me my favorite cake- red velvet! My mom also took Landon out to pick out a card for me and he picked out the most perfect card along with the most perfect balloon. I love my Landon so much!

Landon's 2nd Birthday Party!

This past weekend was Landon's birthday party. I have a few pictures to share from the day, but not many. I am without a camera...ours broke a few months back and Matt has been allowing me to use his ever since. Without our camera I wasn't able to get any pictures at Landon's party. I really do need to get a camera one of these days. I am missing so many important things without a camera. Landon is growing up too quickly for me to be without a camera during these milestones. The pictures that I do have were taken by my Mom and Keyko, which I took off of their Facebook sites. Kevin had a friend of his take pictures of Landon's party so that we wouldn't have to worry about it, but it will be a little while before we get those. These will have to hold you over until then!

All in all, Landon's party was a really good day. Landon had so much fun and that is all that matters at the end of the day. Seeing Landon smile is what made the day completely worth it for Kevin and I. The party got off to a late start because we had so much to finish up and load up into the car. My mom and I had decided to make all of Landon's centerpieces out of candy and cookies. We molded all of the chocolate pieces and pieced the centerpieces together one candy piece at a time. It took a LONG time. We were even up until 5:00 a.m. the night before his party and then woke back up at 7:30 a.m. to work on them some more. As soon as we got the centerpieces out to the car they began to melt. I was so upset. By the time we arrived at the park they were completely ruined. We had done all of that work for nothing. Thankfully everyone at Landon's party seemed to like them as they were- melted and all. 

Thanks again for Landon's cake Mom! We don't have any cake shots of Landon eating his cake because Landon doesn't like to eat cake. He's such a weird boy! Kevin and I were hoping for some more messy cake eating pictures like the ones that we had of him from last year, but we had no such luck. Not even on his actual birthday did Landon really dig in to his cake. He'll take a lick or two of the icing and then he is done with eating it. At least I know that we will be saving on dentist expenses since Landon rarely eats sweets.

Landon made out like a bandit with all of his gifts. Everyone was so generous and we really appreciate it. Landon LOVES all of his toys. Landon has been playing non stop since yesterday. I did keep a few of his toys aside for now so that he does not become overwhelmed with them all. I have decided to switch them out periodically so that he gets around to playing with every single one of his toys. 

Thanks again to everyone who came out to make Landon's day a special one. We really do appreciate everyone for coming out and sharing in these moments with us. I'm also incredibly sorry again for our late arrival and to those who had to leave early because of it.  

Two Year Stats

Landon just had his two year check up. He is now 30 pounds and 35 inches tall. I knew he grew some because he is now up to my belly button! Landon seems to have a long torso because most of his shirts are becoming too short on him. The bad part about that is that all of his shirts are new. We just bought his summer wardrobe in 24 month/ 2T sizes. All of his 18 month bottoms still fit with some room so we decided to go up to 24 months so that they would fit all summer long. Unfortunately, it looks like he will be outgrowing all of his t-shirts in length in just a few months. He wore an outfit today that came as a set. The shorts are still big on him, but the shirt shows his belly whenever he reaches his arms up into the air. Landon also has some really big feet. He wears a size 8, but soon to be 9. He is also in size 4T socks. He gets his large feet from Kevin (size 13!).

Landon is still a little behind on his speech. At this age he should be speaking over 50 words and Landon only says a handful consistently. Landon is now starting to mimic what we say though. He is slowing starting to talk and catch up to everyone else. They will re-address his speech when we return for a follow up for other things in three months. 

Landon's favorite hobbies these days are to color and to take bike rides. Every day he asks to go on a bike ride. I try to take him out on the bike daily, even if it is only for a few minutes. He loves to go out on the bike and it provides me with a good work out. About twice a week we will ride the bike to Target to get an Icee. I always plan this bike ride around nap time. Landon always falls asleep in the bike and will stay asleep in the bike for about an hour. I usually take a blanket with me and spread it out on a patch of grass. I read while Landon sleeps. It's a great way to spend an afternoon. I only wish that our bike trailer converted into a stroller. That way I could push him around the stores while he continued to sleep. It would make shopping a lot easier! Maybe one of these days I will look into upgrading our bike trailer. It's practically brand new though so I can't really justify the extra expense.

I am slowly working on party preparations for Landon. We still have to buy the table cloths, party favors, and other small decor. Other than that things are underway for his party this weekend. I have a lot of candy to still make. Thankfully my mother is picking up where I have been slacking on the candy making. It's so hard for me to make it with Landon. He will usually allow me to make just a few pieces before wanting my attention.

We are still in awe that Landon is two. There are days that I look at him and am still able to see the newborn that he use to be in his face. Although, more days than not I struggle to find the baby in him and am seeing a growing boy instead. When he sleeps I can still see his ultrasound picture in his face. I cherish the moments when I watch him sleep and am able to still see his ultrasound picture in his face. Pretty soon I will be writing about his 3 year check up and then his first day of school. Time sure is going by way too fast, but I love the sweet little boy that Landon is turning into.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy belated Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there. Yesterday was very low key, but definitely one of the best days that I have had in a long time. I took Landon to the beach and him and I enjoyed the relaxation that only the ocean can provide. It took Landon almost an hour to venture off of the beach towel and onto the sand. He was scared to death to touch the sand, but after an hour he became brave enough to go onto the sand. He would slowly creep to the edge of the towel and put his toes onto the sand. Once he realized that it was ok to touch the sand and no harm came his way off to the ocean we ran without looking back. Landon had so much fun splashing around in the water. That too took him a little while to open up to, but once he did there was no turning back. We spent hours at the beach, six to be exact. Landon had so much fun. He made several friends throughout the day and somehow he was the one designated to filling up the water bucket to make sand castles whenever the water ran out. Once the water bucket would become empty Landon would run over to me and grab my hand so that we could run down to the water together and refill the water bucket. It really was a great day and Landon and I made some new friends while there. The only downside to going to the beach by ourselves is me getting really bad sun burn on the back of my arms, neck, and back. I had no one to completely get the back of me with sunscreen so I got completely fried by the sun. Seeing Landon's smile all day long was completely worth the pain of sunburn though.  

This Mother's Day was spent doing what I love most. Watching over Landon while he is having fun. It's not about the eating out or the presents. Maybe I am just saying that because I had to make my own Mother's Day card and gift this year, but none the less I loved the time that Landon and I spent together. I spent Mother's Day doing what I love best....mothering Landon. Every time Landon said "Momma" I took a second to appreciate that one little word. With every "Momma" that I heard my heart melted a little bit more. I was over the moon with every kiss and hug that Landon gave me. After all, without Landon I wouldn't have a reason to celebrate Mother's Day. Being a Mom is by far my greatest accomplishment in life. He is my reason for living and the push that I need to strive for success. Without Landon I would be no one. I would just be Amanda...and Momma sounds a whole lot better to my ears than Amanda.

Breathing Scare

Landon gave me quite a scare on Tuesday night. He had just finished playing with our neighbor's son who is a little younger than him. Once we came inside I noticed that Landon was wheezing. It wasn't too bad, but enough for me to hear it from a few feet away. I gave him a warm bath in hopes that the steam from the tub would clear things up. After his bath he started running around like usual to try to avoid getting his diaper on. From there his wheezing became worse. He was really having a hard time breathing. I wasn't sure whether to take him to the hospital or wait it out to see if it would clear on its own. At that time Matt had just came over so I was able to call my Mom and asked her to come over to check on Landon. I knew she had experience in this since she has asthma and I too have had it since childhood. She thought his wheezing was bad enough to get him to the hospital because it wouldn't let up. We went to the hospital where they treated Landon and sent us home with an inhaler. We didn't get back in until almost 4:30 a.m. The hospital stay was a nightmare. Landon wanted nothing to do with the doctors and even refused to have his shirt taken off so that he could be changed into a hospital gown. He wasn't feeling well and with it being so late at night/ early in the morning Landon was overly tired...not the greatest combination. He made the doctors work for their money that night!

I am so thankful that my mom and sister were able to come with me to the ER. I didn't even have to ask them. It was as if I had no choice in the matter. They were coming along whether I wanted them to or not. It is very well known that I am a nervous wreck whenever something happens to Landon. I usually cry more than Landon when he gets hurt or when he is sick. I hate seeing him in any sort of discomfort and the hospital was no exception. The worst part of the night was when Landon had to get his temperature taken for the second time. The hospital is no longer allowed to take temperature readings in the ear for some reason. They have to be done orally or rectally now. The first time around Landon cooperated for an oral reading. That was right upon entering the hospital when he was calm. The second temperature reading came after he was already screaming for over half an hour because he didn't want to get undressed for the hospital gown or have his oxygen levels checked again. Since he was screaming so badly they had to take his temperature rectally. Landon was crying out for me and grabbing me by the neck. He was so scared and had complete terror on his face. He even scratched his face up pretty badly in the struggle that he gave. He had reached his breaking point with the hospital staff at that point and was a complete mess. I couldn't handle the fact that he was in such agony and started crying right along with him. Once they were done with Landon's temperature reading my mom and sister jumped right in with trying to help me calm Landon down. We ended up grabbing a bunch of the hospital gloves and started blowing them up into balloons (this is a lot harder than it sounds!). My mom then drew a face on one of them and handed the pen over to Landon so that he could draw on them as well. It is so nice to have family around in those situations. We may not always get along, but we are always there for one another when needed. It never matters what is said between any of us in an argument. Grudges are never held because of what one may have regretfully said to another based on emotions or fears. Family is always there for one another. At least my family is. They are the only ones who I can count on when times get hard. Everyone else leaves when times gets rough or when things are said that they don't agree with. Family is always there time and time again. Thank you again Mom and Jenn for staying up all night and morning with Landon and I. We appreciated it. I know I would have been a mess sitting at the hospital all by myself.

Landon has been wheezing off and on ever since. It seems to be when he is active. Once he starts running around or jumping then he starts wheezing. We took him to his regular pediatrician for a follow up appointment on Thursday (what a great way to spend his birthday!). Landon's pediatrician said that Landon has intermittent asthma. It's not as severe as mine, which is a daily thing. Landon's will come and go. Allergies and colds will be what triggers his asthma. Landon does have a nebulizer to use when needed. I am hoping that it will not be needed. Trying to give him his inhaler is hard enough. I definitely do not want to struggle with him to do a breathing treatment. I barely have the patience to sit down and do a breathing treatment for myself at my age. I couldn't imagine having the patience to sit through it at 2.

I really do hope he outgrows this, but something is telling me that this is only the beginning. The way he starts wheezing with activity is what worries me. I want him to be able to run around like a normal child without wheezing and coughing. I want him to be able to play sports without having to keep an inhaler on hand. I know I did all of those things with asthma, but it definitely was no fun sitting on the sidelines some days because I couldn't breathe. There are days where I blame myself and find myself apologizing to Landon. I feel like I am the cause for his allergy and asthma problems. He inherited them from me so I am continually apologizing to him when he is not feeling well. When I am not busy apologizing to him for giving him my genes I am often staying up all hours of the night just to watch over him as he sleeps. He hasn't been able to sleep too well lately. He starts choking when he is sleeping so I keep him propped up. I still feel the need to watch over him throughout the night just to be on the safe side, which provides me with very little sleep. I wouldn't have it any other way though. I love him to pieces and I don't mind being sleep deprived to make sure that he is breathing ok throughout the night.

Happy 2nd Birthday Landon!

We are now parents of a two year old! Our Landon Love celebrated his 2nd birthday yesterday. We had such a busy day that I wasn't able to blog about it yesterday. It is hard to believe that this time two years ago we were holding a newborn in a hospital bed. We were staring at all of his little features and basking in the new love that we felt for each other as we became a family. These two years with Landon have been the best two years of our lives. Landon wasn't able to understand that it was his birthday, but he sure did enjoy all of the things that we did for him yesterday.

I made breakfast for us as Kevin and Landon watched cartoons (Winnie the Pooh of course). We then had to take Landon to his doctor appointment, which I will blog about tomorrow to fill everyone in. After his doctor appointment we headed to Toys R Us so that Landon could pick out something special. Landon picked out a book and a Tigger outfit. We also got him a swim vest because the arm floats slip right off of him.

Daddy told Landon that he could have anything in the store knowing that Landon would go for a book or something small. He wasn't thinking that Landon would find a gigantic Winnie the Pooh! Landon was then told that if he could lift it into the cart then he could have it. Landon sure did try to get Pooh into the cart.,

Landon didn't want to leave Pooh behind!

After Toys R Us, Landon and Kevin took a much needed nap and then we headed to the mall. From the moment Landon was born I have been looking forward to taking him to Build-A-Bear for his second birthday and that is just what we did. Landon picked out a puppy and he was able to put a heart, which turned into 3 hearts because Landon insisted on adding more, into his puppy and then helped fill him with stuffing. Landon loved stomping on the pedal that made the stuffing come out. We picked out a birthday shirt, hat, and cupcake to decorate his puppy with and then named him Buster. I wish we would have taken pictures of it, but the camera died as we were entering the store. Kevin did record it on video, but we don't have any actual pictures of him building his puppy. We then followed up Build-A-Bear with a stop at the play area for Landon to run around. He loves playing there and it gave me a chance to do some solo shopping for the first time in ages.

Landon cuddling up with Daddy and his new puppy Buster!

We then managed to pull Landon out of the play area so that we could come back home and make dinner. I made Landon's favorite- spaghetti. He ate an entire bowl of it. After dinner came presents. Landon loved his Winnie the Pooh musical stage. He hasn't put it down since last night. It was the first thing he went to when he woke up this morning.

I also made Landon a cake for the first time. I have made cakes before, but have never actually decorated a cake before. I made Landon a small Winnie the Pooh cake. It was far from perfect, but in Landon's eyes it was perfect. That is all that mattered to me. He loved his Pooh cake. He didn't like eating it, but he did love looking at him. Landon isn't much of a sweet eater. He never has many sweets and I think that the cake was too much for him. He licked some of the icing off and then he was done with it. I was hoping to get some messy cake eating pictures again this year, but we had no such luck.

We really enjoyed our day and are looking forward to Landon's party next weekend. Happy 2nd Birthday Love Bug! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

May 1st

I woke up this morning certain that the calendar was playing tricks on me. Can it really be May 1st? Most certainly not. If it were in fact May 1st, then that would mean that our Landon Love will be 2 in just five days! Surely the calendar was mistaken today. April Fools came a little late this year and decided to play a trick on me today. It can not be May already. I am not ready for Landon to be 2. Oh my goodness where has the time gone? I do not like you May 1st and I want you to go away and disappear from the calendar so that I never have to see the month of May again. 

Come to think of it, we haven't had the best of relations with May 1st. May 1st, 2008 was the date that we were originally scheduled to have Landon. My blood pressure was still rising and I had horrible swelling for several weeks at that point to where I could barely lift my legs. We were scheduled to induce labor on May 1st. Unfortunately, the hospital was overbooked and they had to postpone to May 6th. That was the LONGEST five days of our lives. With every passing day I was growing more and more upset that I was not holding my baby boy. At least we now have five more days with a one year old. 

I guess I can't close my eye and click my heels three times in hopes of turning back the calendar. I will now have to get started on trying out different "butter" frosting recipes for Landon's cake. I found a few different options online for milk free frosting and I will test them out today. Let's hope I find a winner.