Articles from August 2012

August 29, 2012

First Haircut

First Haircut
Some of you may have noticed that in my Minnesota State Fair post that Henry is sporting a new haircut! Last Friday, Morgan and I both got our haircut and decided it was time for Henry to get his first haircut. He was looking a little bit wild and unkempt. His hair is not quite curly but doesn't lay flat either. So it was all over the place, no matter what we did. Pretty much it always looked like this: The haircut itself went really well! Morgan held Hen and played a video on his phone. Henry barely noticed what was going on and sat quietly the whole time! I was pretty amazed. There were still moments where Henry got concerned. But thankfully, no moments of panic. And no tears! Hopefully, all his haircuts go as smoothly. And, while I'm super sad he really doesn't look like a baby anymore, I can't be too upset because look how handsome my two men are! Pin It
August 28, 2012

State Fair -- Grumpy Baby Edition

State Fair -- Grumpy Baby Edition
It's that time of year again in Minnesota. The time to head to the fair grounds, wander around, and stuff your face. After last year's success at the fair, I had high hopes for this year. That was my first mistake. Ever true to his personality, Henry wasn't into the fair. I'm determined that someday, somewhere we will find an activity Henry enjoys. This just wasn't it.  From the moment we entered the fair grounds pretty much until we left Henry was whining, crying, or saying "all done" or "NO." It was oppressive, and quite frankly a little bit annoying.  I figured the animals would be fine. Turns out horses are terrible... Sheep are scary... And roosters are pure torture... Bunnies -- well they're all right... As the crowds got progressively worse, our patience wore thin. By 11:30, we were all ready to hit the road. To his credit, Henry did enjoy the little fake farm where he did chore
August 26, 2012

Angel

It has been a very difficult 10 days. I apologize for my sudden absence. And, I have to keep this post to a minimum right now, just because I'm not in an emotional state to really elaborate.  But I do want to write about this, even though I know its not an easy or fun topic. Above all, this blog is my journal, my outlet, and my memories. In 15 years, I want those memories to include the good times and the challenging ones. Plus, I think this baby deserves her story... I don't think it has been a big secret that Morgan and I have wanted to expand our family. Well, we had been trying for awhile and were successful in July.  We were over the moon excited.  At 6 weeks 3 days, Morgan and I went into the doctor for an early ultrasound. We were expecting to see a baby with a heartbeat to confirm the pregnancy. Instead, we were crushed.  We saw a gestational sac and absolutely nothing else. The doctor told us not to totally lose hope yet and scheduled another ultra
August 15, 2012

Daredevil

Daredevil
I'm not adventurous. At all. Not even a little bit. I don't like motion, I'm terrified of heights, and I don't take risks.  Of course it would make sense that my child is the total opposite. Tall, giant slide -- he's going for it. Strange dog -- heck yeah! Fire -- even better.  So far, Henry is afraid of one thing, and one thing only -- men with facial hair. He can't stand them. Suddenly, he needs his Mama.  Knowing all this about Henry, I'm still not sure why this activity surprised me. I think in my head I still see him as a tiny helpless baby. Then, he does stuff like this and I'm faced with reality.  All day Henry was running wild. He had so much extra bounce-off-the-walls energy. Just crazy. To get rid of it, he climbed to the very back of the couch {on the little ledge} and just jumped.  Hands out, feet up, head first jump. The first time he did it I gasped. The second time, I tried to stop him. The third time, I was
August 14, 2012

Toddle Along Tuesday: Balancing Motherhood

Toddle Along Tuesday: Balancing Motherhood
Toddle Along Tuesday is back after its small break! The topic this week is balance. My first response is: "What's Balance?" If any of you saw my guest post last week on Growing Up Geeky, then you know I don't have balance. {If you haven't checked it out yet -- you should!} I have a very hard time taking that time for myself and not focusing 100 percent on others. But, like I said in my other post, I'm truly working on it. I'm trying to set some more time apart just for me. And, I'm trying not to feel super guilty if I let Morgan help out a little more around the house. I'm taking my free time and trying, as much as I can, to enjoy it. Why is this so hard for moms? Can anyone tell me? I used to be able to sit down and watch TV or play a video game for hours on end. I never felt guilty, anxious, or worried about it. Taking time for myself was a given. Now, its the complete opposite. I always feel like I'm "on-the-clock" so
August 12, 2012

Tot School: Rainbows and the End of Colors

Tot School: Rainbows and the End of Colors
Over the last two weeks, we have been wrapping up our tot school colors themes and doing some review while focusing on rainbows! Hen and I had a great time, but I think we are ready to move on to shapes!  On the activity wall was a rainbow magnet dry-erase board (Target dollar spot) and a set of pom-pom magnets I made. Henry loved the dry-erase board and spent lots of time coloring it. Hen liked the magnets but got frustrated that they wouldn't stick to everything. I did not add anything new to the felt board for rainbow week. I did, however, add a bunch of colored shapes so we could make a rainbow. He enjoyed pointing out the colors of the shape when I asked him to find them, but didn't know any of the shapes' names. The tot trays were really fun! The first tray was the rainbow sensory bin. I included anything that I had multiple colors in, anything that was multicolored, or anything rainbow specific. It ended up being really full and had gr