From baby to boy...

It's hard to believe, but in just one week, Kaiden will be 18 months old! Can it really be true? It seems like he's been here forever, yet at the same time, seems like he was just born yesterday. That little jaundiced newborn is new a full fledged toddler, clamoring up the stairs, eating everything in sight, and talking more than I thought one person ever could!

His distinct personality and tastes shine through every day, and each moment he becomes more and more his own being, a little boy no longer reliant on his Mommy for every nourishment and comfort. Heartbreaking and a blessing, all in one.

His language skills have exploded in the past couple months, and now sports a vocabulary of well over 60 words, not to mention the assortment of animal sounds and made up noises! He is (usually) wonderful about communicating his wants, though he's not a very patient boy, and can't stand it when you take"too long" to get something!

Reading books is a favorite with him. It's amazing just HOW much he enjoys them! He has his own bookshelf, and daily he pulls every book down, sorting through them to find just the right one. Then it's over to Mommy or Daddy, with a plea of "book?", at which point commences reading the same book as many as 20 times in a single day. Some of his current favorites include "It's Not Easy Being Big", "Maisy's Big Flap Book", and "Mr. Brown Can Moo".

He loves animals, of course! He is his mother's son, after all! Snuggling, harassing, and kissing "Kitty" (otherwise known as Oliver) are common sports around here, and he LOVES helping feed the rats, getting kissed by them, and being tickled by their whiskers. Oftentimes he'll go over to the cage, and ask "wats?", while giving you the biggest puppy dog eyes he can muster.

He's a very smart boy, if I do say so myself! I'm quite proud to say, we still have a very successful nursing relationship. He's learned manners, and to ask when he wants milk, and when he's finished he'll proudly state "Aw dun!", and pull my shirt back down! haha He loves table food as well, it's absolutely amazing how much food this boy can pack away! I swear, there are days he eats more than I do!

Last but not least, he's already showing some interest in potty learning! It's a bit bittersweet, and the thought of not having any cute cloth diapered bum in the house makes me a bit melancholy. Hopefully he doesn't learn *too* quickly! ;) He was doing amazingly well last week, and had one day where he didn't have a single wet diaper while he was awake! Unfortunately, he's a bit under the weather this week, so the potty has taken a back seat for the moment. I'm sure having those four new molars isn't making him feel cheery either, but hopefully he'll feel better soon and be back to his normal crazy self. In the meantime, there's lots of snuggling and cuddling going on, which is quite a nice change!

Just a little knitting...

I've got to say, quick and easy projects are the best! This only took a couple days to finish off, and is a very simple knit. This sleep sack was made using the "Sheepy Sack" pattern, and was knit with Patons Merino in the Retro colorway. It is a gift for a special mama, so shh! Don't tell! ;) It is being modeled by a Cabbage Patch preemie doll I've had since I was a girl. I usually have funny issues with pooling when I use Patons, but I was quite pleased with how the colors distributed in this sack!


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Listening to: Alicia Keys - Karma
via FoxyTunes

Diapers, diapers everywhere!

Sunday night I finished up some diapers I made for a trade with the wonderful mom who runs Biltmore Baby! She sent me some adorable fabric for the outers, as well as some hemp for the inners and organic velour to top the soaker pieces. YUM! If you've never played with it, OV is SO luscious and soft!! All the diakers have a cotton print outer, internal hemp, velour inner, and a hemp soaker topped with organic velour (except the tan inner - which is velour topped).

Six of these diapers are from the Fattycakes pattern, in size medium. The other diaper is from a pattern of my own I'm working on.

Shoes and Swifts...

Robert made me a swift for Christmas! Hooray!! No more tangled mess of yarn around my feet trying to wind it into balls!! I sanded it down and made the dowels a bit shorter, and now I'm waiting for the paint to dry so I can finally use it! I couldn't decide between paint or stain, so I let Nate choose... Shockingly enough, he chose *purple* paint! Though, that was only after I rejected his "Red Sox Colors" idea. Shame on me for only wanting to paint it ONE color! ;)

Here's a before pic:


And how it looks right now... lol

Before I forget... A HUGE rave for Pedipeds soft shoes!! Trish and I went to Lamey Welleham last week to find K some snow boots, since he's got fat feet and we were having a hard time finding something that would fit, and still be relatively easy to get on him. We finally found a pair that goes on well, though he does NOT like wearing them! Can't blame him though, with those big thick soles! At least he has something to wear so he can play outside now, though! A very good thing considering all the snow we have!

While we were there, I was looking for some new soft sole shoes for him, since he's outgrowing his Robeez. In addition to the Robeez, they had Pedipeds there, which I'd never seen in person before. They didn't have a large selection, and only had one style in K's size. Darn those big feet! I LOVE them though! They have a bit thicker sole than Robeez (or their comparative knock-offs), so they can be worn outside. Despite the thicker sole, they are still *VERY* flexible and good for the feet. I'm also really grooving that they look like "real" shoes, and thus go with everything. They are also really easy to get on and off, which is a major plus!

Best of all? Kaiden LOVES them as well! He keeps asking for them, even! This is the same kid whom we can't even keep socks on, so I am VERY pleased! I can't wait to get another pair! No action pics right now, but they are "Charlie" in brown. Next on the list are a pair of XL white/blue Liam's!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!! I hope ya'll had a safe and happy holiday!

Monday night Nate, Kaiden and I went to a hockey game, followed by indoor fireworks! Kaiden was mesmerized, and despite one meltdown midgame, had a great time!! Of course, our team won 3-0!! :) After the fireworks we came home, where I promptly fell asleep, and missed the ball dropping. Darn!

We started off the new year in quite a SNOWY fashion! After a snowstorm that brought us about 6" new years eve morning, we were greeted to 2008 with ANOTHER storm, which dropped yet ANOTHER foot of the white stuff! Snow is up to the windows, snowbanks in our yard are higher than the cars, and our mailbox has all but disappeared! Winter has just started, and I can't wait for it to be over!

Out the office window...

Where'd the mailbox go?!?

Out the livingroom window...

Gotta love snowbanks as high as the car!