my blue eyed babe

I'm such a softie.

So. New and exciting things happening this week. The latest? Dropping the bink, aka, the pacifier. Little was very much in love with his bink. I thought I was tough though. From about 11 months on I only let him have it at nap and bedtime, and I really stuck with it. I really did! (OKAY. except on long car rides...and not-so kid friendly restaurants...and movie theaters {what was I thinking?!} I think that's it.)**

For about a year now I've been telling myself we really need to get rid of it. Really. But I've been putting it off. Why? Uh, just the fact that he would MARRY it, if he could. I've been noticing a difference in his bite, which can be super expensive to fix. And he had started hiding them all over the house, so the only bedtime and naptime deal was getting ruined. He also started asking for it allll day, so I knew it was time. He's got another love affair going on with his blankie, which is a-okay with me. Blankie can go off with him to college as far as I'm concerned.

Monday was 'drop the bink' day. After much enouragement from Aunt D (Diane), I took one of his favorites and cut the tip off. I showed it to him, and said "Uh OH, Steven LOOK!". He looks at it, tries to put it in his mouth and says "oh no mama, bink is BROKEN!". He handed it back to me, and that was that. I put him down at naptime that day, offered the broken bink (because NO WAY was I going to be the bad guy in all of this) and he didn't want it. And knowing there are about eleventy-trillion others in the house (which I hid) he never asked for another one. All week. Naptime was easy, bedtime was easy. No wakings, whatsoever. By the second day he wouldn't even let me leave it in the room with him. "Take it, Mama, it's BROKEN!"

What a big boy.

BUT. While he was sleeping just fine during naptime, GETTING there was becoming quite a feat. Like today? I work from home at noon on Sundays, and I thought I would wear him out really well this morning. I took him to the splash park at 10am and we had a grand ole time, complete with almost falling alseep at lunch. PERFECT.

An hour and a half after being put down he's still awake, not in his bed, and I had lost count of how many times I had to yell "GET BACK IN BED!" and I was about the rip my ears off if I heard him cry one.more.time.

Dropping it the SECOND time will be just as easy as the first, right? RIGHT?!

I started typing this post right after I gave his bink back. See those two stars right at the end of the first paragraph? That's how long it took him to fall asleep with his bink. ::sigh::

ps- I took it out right after I took this picture. I swear.

we're swimming.

A lot. See?

It's a good thing homeboy loves the water, or we would be miserable this summer.

abc's

Steven is pretty video camera shy. I've tried several hundred times to get him singing on camera and the only ones that seem to come out are when he's singing in the shower. HA! I got one though! He's been saying/singing his abc's for a while, but this is the first full song I've been able to get on camera. Enjoy!

guess who we're heading up to see?

We're coming, Holloways!!

Steven can't wait to see Sadie again!

Easter 2011

Easter was a fun time at our house this year! We started off by celebrating Uncle Jon's birthday with a delicious chocolate cake. Steven really loves blowing out candles and he thinks anyones birthday is also his own.

This was his first year dying eggs and he was too cute about it. He was very careful and he loved seeing them turn colors.

Easter morning we went to mass. Little was SO great during church- we never had to take him outside! I think this was a first ever for church-going.

Hunting for eggs was just about as much fun as dying them. We hid the real eggs (hardboiled) and he would get so excited he found one he would throw it in his basket. I think most of them were cracked by the time we were done.

All in all it was a great Easter!

floaties!

Little and I went to the pool for the first time this season! I was so anxious for it to open, and I knew it would give us a lot more to do in the hot afternoon. And can I just tell you? It's HOT already.

Steven did not like floaties last year, so I was hesitant to even try them this year. He loves being in the big pool, but doesn't want to wear anything, sit in anything, and he doesn't like me holding him. Guess what that equals? Baby under water. Not acceptable. So I busted them out again and....

Success!! (I was right there, by the way. A nice neighbor friend took these pictures, so I was close to him, but wanted to show off what a big boy he is.)

It's SO NICE now, being able to just stand there next to him while he kicks and paddles instead of fighting with him while he screams "Down Mama!" not knowing what "down" would mean. He still loves the baby pool, too (or the "play pool" as I call it so he doesn't get all "I no baby, I big boy" on me).

YAY for summer!