Photo Post – A Month of Fun

As I said in my last post, we’ve been getting up to all sorts of mischief since we moved into our new place, but my pregnancy sickness and general exhaustion has kept me from updating regularly about all our fun. Still, I DID take photos along the way, so at least I can share the fun with you visually.

Firstly, can I just say how EXCITED I was to have virtually attended one of The Bloggess’ book clubs online earlier this month, when OUT OF THE BLUE, she randomly chose me as a winner of a signed copy of her audio book?

Check this out! I mean, I have been reading The Bloggess for a very very long time, and I had already pre-ordered the book on Kindle and had read it twice by the time the book club happened, and weirdly, watching her read bits from the book, I made the comment that it was making me wish I had the audio book. And Lo and Behold! Only a few minutes later, she gave it to me!

And she signed it with a heart, which I’m certain she does NOT do for everyone, and in fact it was meant specifically for me because she knows just how amazingly awesome I am and totally wants to be my best friend now and forever.

Ahem.

In other news, we are settling in well to our new abode, even though it is small and cramped and I am the only one without any personal space whatsoever. But hey ho. That’s the way the cookie crumbles or something.

Dexter is blossoming before our very eyes these days. While still shy around strangers, he is much more outgoing since we moved here, interacting with other kids at the swimming pool and the Mommy and Me group I joined.

He was a little uncertain of the swimming pool when we got here, but now he’s actually getting in on his own (or sometimes falling in and having to be rescued), and it is a joy to see him so happy. Of course, Florida in July is ridiculously hot, so we are stuck indoors for much of the day, as we’ve already suffered sunburns and don’t want to repeat the whole healing process once again. But this kid wears himself OUT.

Seriously, he is perfectly happy in his room by himself now, even going so far as to fall asleep on his own once he’s exhausted all of his climbing options.

He’s also doing superbly well at feeding himself these days. At 17 months old, he’s never actually had a high chair to sit in, so I think he’s a bit late in the skills, but he’s definitely getting there  now. Whether sitting in his chair in front of the TV slowly forking bits of ravioli into his mouth (he really prefers to use silverware rather than his hands), or at IHOP directing a grilled cheese sandwich in his gob, he has figured out his place in the eating world.

Though his ice cream skills are certainly lacking… Our patio doors are now coated in a thick layer of orange sherbert.

Dexter is REALLY loving his daddy lately. This is proven more each day, but especially at night time, as Mark is the ONLY one who can get Dexter to go to sleep. He’s started a new routine for him (after stealing my copy of What to Expect: Year Two) and now Dex is bathed, snacked and in bed before 9 each night, and more amazingly, he SLEEPS! ALL NIGHT! This is an amazing step forward for us, and I am so proud of both of them. For most of the last month, I had been spending every night in bed with Dex, sleeping with him in his tiny twin bed, and now I get to actually use my OWN bed! AND sleep with JUST me and Mark together. It’s brilliant.

And of course, the biggest change of the last month has probably been in Dexter, himself. After a really bad mommy haircut back in February, his hair was getting very long again, and I would find him constantly sweaty and dishevelled. So on a recent trip to WalMart, I saw they were doing children’s haircuts for only $8. So we gritted our teeth and offered him up to the gods of hairdressing.

To his credit, he did really well. When the stylist came at him with her electric razor, he just looked at me as if to say, “Well… if you’re SURE, mom…” I smiled encouragingly while daddy took photos. But after a few minutes the poor wee Wubba decided he’d had enough, and he began to cry. The stylist suggested I sit down and hold him, and so that’s what we did. Within a few minutes (and with a few tears in my eyes) I said goodbye to the sweet baby face and said hello to this new little boy who looked like Dexter but older.

Of course, as soon as we got home, the stress of the day caught up with him and the little men fell fast asleep in my arms, secure that his mommy kept him safe.

So you see, things happen, but I can’t always blog them right away. Lucky for me, I tuck these memories somewhere in the cockles of my heart and eventually I will find a way to share.

But it makes me wonder – what have YOU all been doing the last month? MY blog isn’t the only one I’ve been neglecting, and I long to know what exciting tidbits I’ve missed along the way.