Christmas - Doster Style

In case you haven’t heard, I have the flu.  I have been a little dramatic on social media about it, self-admittedly.  So while I am having an awake-spell, I thought I’d take a few minutes to jot down some quick memories of the best Christmas ever.

I’ve said many times that having a toddler is awesome, but the holidays are the extra icing on the cake.  So, without further ado, here are our holiday happenings!

We kicked things off by visiting Santa at the Village at Sandhill. I was a little worried about how things could go with the big man—we got this reaction a few days beforehand during a great-grandaddy visit:

Doster is not a big fan of unfamiliar situations sometimes.

We lucked out and had the whole place to ourselves!  That allowed plenty of time for Doster to slowly warm up to ole Kris Kringle.  

We escaped meltdown-free and had a fun time playing at the toy store.

We also really enjoyed visiting the Lights Before Christmas at the zoo.  We didn’t stay too long due to a looming bedtime but we were there long enough to take in the amazing sights. 

Doster is in LOVE with lights right now, so it was especially fun for him.  My favorite part of the night happened when James took him out of his stroller and Doster starting dancing his little heart out to the background music.  He got high fives from strangers for his sweet moves.

The next big Christmas event was Dawkins Family Christmas which happened the Monday before Christmas this year.  During DFC we spend some time with my Dad’s side of the family (he is one of six!). When I was little, it was just a bunch of cousins running around, but now, there are even more little ones since the kids are now parents. 

A much better picture this time

Four Generations

The Whole DFC Crew!

Our Immediate Crew

Doster was in a fantastic mood, and was LOVING being around the fam.   My dad snuck him extra cookies and he ran around with the big kids.  This was the first time I’d ever seen him open a present and really understand what to do.  He loved his cars and was playing his little heart out.

The holiday-rockin’ continued on Christmas Eve morning with our annual breakfast at Original Pancake House with James’s parents.  It was so much fun this year since Doster actually loves eating.  He woofed down scrambled eggs, fruit and French toast.  He had fun waving at new people and spending time with GrandD and Pop. 

The grands came back to our house to share some gifts before Doster settled in for a long-winter’s nap. 

Taking a rest between Christmas Eve activities

One of my favorite pics ever!

We always head to my Dad’s house for Christmas Eve dinner and presents, and Doster HAD A BALL.  He really loves his aunt and uncles so much.  He was spoiled rotten with gifts and even humored us by sleeping in his pack n play so we could hang out a little longer. 

annual sibling couch pic

The next morning was very exciting for James and me.  We invited our parents to join us as Doster opened his presents.  We thought it would be something fun to share with them and we are so glad that they came! 

It was so much fun watching Doster play with his toys and being with our families.  My heart was full and happy the whole day!

 After naptime we headed to Grammy’s in Irmo for our final stop.  Doster seemed to like looking out the window at the dogs more than anything.  We were joined by the rest of my family and James’s parents. 

Sweet Lola was very patient with our wild man...

Our best shot

Uncle Graham gave Doster the coolest car track windy thingy… but his real gift was that he put it together for us too! 

We had such a big day and had so much fun spending time with our family.  We are so blessed to have such so much support and love in our lives!

Here's to a happy (and healthy!!) 2015! 

Dear Doster- 18 Months

Dear Doster,

I can’t believe you are already 18 months old—that’s a year and a half!  I’ve tried to find a way to type out what I am feeling about this time we’ve spent together so far, but it’s tough!  Maybe my brain is rebelling against me from sugar-overload (holiday baked goods, hello!) or maybe this is just a special kind of love that isn’t really describable with text. 

You are my heart.  That’s it I guess.

Seriously, Gigs and I spend as much time with you as possible.  And even after you go to sleep, we talk about you, and watch our videos of you… I suppose we are a little obsessed.  You truly amaze us every single day and we are so lucky to be your parents!

Half -birthday = Half a cupcake

Brainchild

Let me take a minute to brag about you document a few things for the record.  At your 18-month checkup, Dr. P asked me to estimate the number of words that you can say.  I had never really thought about it, but I guessed 70 or 80.  He basically looked at me like a crazy-person and said that he would have been happy with 5-10. 

I started to think:  am I exaggerating? Am I one of those moms? An embellish-er?  I made a list the next day, and you DO say a great amount of words—probably over 100.  My little super-genius.

I promise, I’m not trying to be a braggypants but each day, I am shocked about what comes out of your mouth.  Sometimes, I don’t even know where you learned these things.

First library book!

Favorite words:

• Paci
• Mommy 
• Daddy
• Yo Gabba
• Poop (sorry, but true)
• Who Who ( there are owls all over your nursery)
• Pouch (like applesauce)
• Eat
• Color

Other Favorites:

Books: Goodnight Moon, Nicholas the Bunny, The Dog Book

Shows:  Yo Gabba Gabba

Foods: Avocado, eggs, pouches of anything

Toys:  Anything with buttons to press, duplo
You are pretty game to try new things!  Which is one of my favorite things about you! 

We gotta' try new food 'cause it might taste gooooood (Daniel Tiger singing here!)

Dislikes:

• Bed time
• Being put in your high chair (you roll with it once you get started)
• Giving up the paci (since it is only a bed time thing, you have to relinquish it in the mornings)

Demeanor

You know plenty of words but are a little picky about your conversation partners.  With new people and new places, you are a bit quieter and want to hang close to your parents.  I get it; new people can scare me too! We let you take your time and warm up at your own speed.  You love to wave at people, though.  Any shopping experience is full of waves—which people seem to adore.

You are very gentle and sweet. You like to know where everyone is!  You love dancing, spinning and laughing.  You also enjoy making others laugh—if you get a cackle you’ll repeat what you did to earn another.

You know what you want you know how to get it! You point, ask, and say please (and you still do the sign too, which is heart-melting).  Sometimes, you can get a little meltdown-y when you aren’t given what you covet.  I guess that’s just the life of a toddler.

18-Month Well Visit

Aside from learning that you are a wordsmith, we had a pretty typical check up.  You clocked in at 24 lbs and 4 ounces (28^th percentile) and 31 inches tall (also 28^th percentile).  

Don’t worry, you’re head is still big—70^th percentile.

You were not a fan of any of the exam: the weight check, the poking and especially the shots.  You now recognize the shot lady, and it is full on meltdown-time when she enters the room.

Dr. P said it’s about time to phase out the paci, so that will be a fun adventure for all of us!

Randomness for the Record

• When you give a hug, you say: Awwwww
• You associate people with the groups you see them in most.  Like when Grandy comes over you ask about Pop…
• Good lord, you are obsessed with animals that you know (particularly, Brighton and Einstein)
• Last night you could not comprehend why we had to stop coloring and go to bed.  Dare I say, you like coloring more than Yo Gabba Gabba?
• I just can’t get enough of your dancing—you are nonstop entertainment 

• You try to wink-- it's about the cutest thing in the world

• You sometimes think it is funny to hit- which results in immediate timeout

And you take timeout very seriously -- or not.

October (In December)

Darn it, I've had this blog completely written for weeks, but never clicked "publish".  So before I go crazy posting a few thoughts about Thanksgiving and such, I thought I'd better give the October blog a go...

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October 2014 goes down in the books as one of my favorite months in the history of all my months. 

The weather was gorgeous, there were so many fall activities to do, and the baby (who is really a toddler, but I’m more comfortable with “baby”) was especially fun.


Park Play
Since the weather was perfect we hit up the park A LOT in October.  We’ve frequented Citadel Park for a long time, but I really fell in love with Rosewood Park this month.

The little slide is actually small enough that he can negotiate the whole thing himself.  

We had one incident with the tunnel that resulted in a little knot on his head.  He wore it well and learned the word “boo boo”.  



Here’s a few shots from our park play date with Andrew.  Technically not in October, but it was our first time wearing the big jacket, so I need to document it. Right?

Pumpkin Patch Kid
I must have picked the hottest day of the month to do the Pumpkin Patch.   We had a little lunch and then Doster sweated his way around the pumpkin patch.  Side note on lunch—it was Doster’s first “fast food” lunch, and I am pretty impressed with Chick-fil-a.  Those people make it pretty simple for parents and I feel good about grilled chicken, fruit and milk.  A++ experience.

Anyway, Doster loved seeing all the pumpkins and it was so cute to watch him try to navigate through them (since he is not tall enough to step over them).  We told him he could pick any pumpkin he wanted.  

Snapping a picture was a completely different experience than last year. He could barely sit up on his own last time.  This year, he would not sit still.  





Fair Enough

Ahh, I can still smell the lovely aroma of fried-everything...

Since I had to volunteered to work at the station tent, James and Doster met up with me after my shift ended, and we enjoyed some animals and classic fair food.

Daddy/Doster Selfie at the Blue Grass Stage

I let my baby eat funnel cake.  Don't judge me.

Boo at the Zoo
I think Boo at the Zoo was one of my favorite experiences to date.  I was a little nervous about the logistics – when would he eat, how late would he stay up, how bad would traffic be – but it was all perfect.  I left work early, gave the baby a late nap and an early dinner, and we were on our way!

A Rare Family Photo!

At first we met up with the Childers and the Walls.  How cute are these kiddos?

It was nice to see them, but it was clear that little man’s pace was a little different than the experienced Graham and Campbell.   We watched Campbell participate in the magic show (I wish I had a picture—she was so cute) and then we ran in to Olivia and her family.

Olivia is in Doster’s class at school, and they are BUDDIES!  His face lit up when he saw her – high fives all around.

They were on the same speed and enjoyed trick or treating and seeing a few animals together.  

They were so cute together, I can’t even stand it.  

I really do love Doster’s class from school.  They are such a good crew.

It was also nice to get to know the Goldbergs better as well.  They were really fun and relaxed and easy to talk to… you can’t ask for more than that!  

After we parted ways with Olivia and family, we tried to tempt Doster to dance, but he was a little overwhelmed by the craziness. Can’t say I blame him.

We headed to a bench outside for a little late night snack and milk.  It was fun to relax for a few minutes and watch other families file out.  We put our jammies on in the car and went right to bed once we got home.  Perfect night!

Halloween!
Our little man hit the streets very eagerly this year – that boy LOVES his car.

He kind of managed a “trick or treat” that was really more of a “twe tee” but it was adorable.  He’s getting really good at saying “taaa tuu” (thank you) so that was fun to hear.

We hit up a few houses on our street and called it a night.  

Doster had his first pizza for dinner and was not really impressed (good, more for me).  We ended the night with cozy pajamas, a Halloween present from Grammy, and a thoroughly exhausted baby. 

 Halloween night was really warm, but then the next day was freakishly cold here in the Midlands. 

 We all stayed in PJs all day and caught up on a little football and Daniel Tiger.  

A pretty successful Halloween weekend I’d say! 


So in conclusion—
Fall is awesome.
October is especially awesome.
Having a toddler is the most awesome.


To my Doster:

You are so much fun right now. There are just a few little blurbs that I want to be sure stay in my memory!

• You are a PARROT these days.  You’re figuring out how to say words, and even putting a few together.  You’ve twice said: Uh oh Daddy.
• You a little wary of new places.  You are usually okay with new people, but only if they are on your turf.  Once you get comfortable, you open up a bit.
• Your new favorite word is TV (“TB”). I promise I try to regulate—but it’s the only way to keep you still enough to dress you in the morning.  
• You can name all of the kids in your class when I show you their picture.  
• Today I asked if you wanted to go to school and see your friends and you said: Libee (Livey/Olivia).  
• You LOVE knocking down blocks. 
• You really like going down the three steps to our bedroom.
• You are always very concerned about Brighton’s collar.
• You are so good at bedtime.  For a while, you fussed, but now you completely embrace our routine.  You are so sweet about giving hugs before bed.
• You weighed 23.8 lbs last week (I took you in for a cough, but apparently that’s just par for the course this time of year).
• We practiced “saying AHH” before we went to doctor, and you still do it
• You love to wave at people
• You say a lot of words, but I love it when you just say HI