16 months old, 1st haircut and new tooth!

Well, either I measured incorrectly last month or Hunter hasn't really grown that much this month because it looks like he is still around 30.5 inches long and about 21.5 lbs. We have a lot of exciting updates since my last post!

Hunter had his first haircut on Friday, 8/13 (which also happens to be AJ's birthday). We went to a little place called Snip-Its. They cater to kids and it was very cute and entertaining. Hunter really did a great job...he wasn't super squirmy and behaved very well. I was sad to get his hair cut for the first time -- it feels like we're running out of "firsts" -- but I managed to hold it together. :) Here are a couple of pics:

Pre-haircut. Look at those curls!

Mid-cut...being entertained by Daddy and some Goldfish:

Post-cut with his new big boy 'do:

1st haircut certificate:

Hunter's 8th tooth finally popped through yesterday. He now has 4 on top and 4 on bottom. His little gums are so swollen around where his molar would be coming through and I think it is really bothering him right now. Last night he woke up at 1am for the first time in months.

He has learned how to fist bump -- "pump??"-- anyway, REALLY cute. He's also starting to hide things in random places. GREAT. The other day I found his missing shoe in a kitchen cabinet. The next day, a coaster in the plant. Today, some laundry in a shopping bag. I'm just waiting for the day that I can't find my cell phone and I hear it ringing in the trash can. He's also becoming quite the climber. He's been using his little musical table as leverage to climb up on to the ottoman and the fireplace so I thought it would be safe in the middle of the room.....not so much....

Hunter's 7th tooth

After a month of looking like it was going to pop through any day now, Hunter's 7th tooth is officially here. He now as 4 on bottom and 3 on top. He's not a fan of getting his teeth brushed so I've given in and have reverted back to the finger brush rather than the big boy toddler toothbrush. I've tried sitting him up on the bathroom sink while I brush my teeth so he can see how "cool" it is but that's not exactly working for him, sooo....we'll have to keep trying with that!

I think it's about time that I break down and get his hair cut for the first time. :( Check out his bedhead from his nap the other day - his hair can get a little crazy looking at times! I'll be sad to see his curls go!


You can't really see the curls in the back in this pic because I had just brushed his hair but you can definitely see how long it has gotten! His Elmo DVD is on this TV in our bedroom so he always heads over for it and turns the TV off and on and off and on. Then, he takes the DVD out of the DVD player and walks around with it saying "Elmo, Elmo". This is why we keep all of the doors that he can access during the day. :)

His newest words are "baby" and "pizza". It makes me a little sad to hear him saying "baby" because I feel like HE should be the baby! I have some Lean Cuisine pizzas in the freezer and now it's "pizza, pizza, pizza" whenever I open the door and he sees one. Not to mention, whenever I buy his little frozen Earth's Best pizzas they have Elmo on the box which only adds to his obsession. He has to hold the box while we finish shopping to keep him quiet!

No!

Yep, he's learned the word "no". The funny thing though, is that he doesn't use it to say no to me. He uses it when he knows he is doing something that I'll say no to. For example, today he managed to climb his way on to the fireplace hearth. I have no idea how he did it - I was washing dishes at the kitchen island which faces the living room and literally looked down and right back up and there he was. I said his name and he started cracking up saying, "no, no, no". He also does the same thing when I catch him getting in to a drawer he shouldn't be. I don't know what I'm in for with this but I'm sure I will look back on this post in the future and slap myself for saying that it's pretty cute. :)

Not much new to report this week. He's started saying "moo" when he sees cows. There is a cow on his milk carton so whenever I open the refrigerator door he starts saying "moo, moo, moo". He's really enjoying Gymboree and I love watching him have such a good time. The kids aren't super social with each other at this point but they play around each other nicely and interact a little bit. It's super cute!!

Rough life

Man, this kid really does have a rough life. Poolside, snack trap, sippy cup, what more could a little guy ask for?
I just love that pic. It makes me smile every time I see it. :)

More fun at the pool.

Someone discovered a new, fun place to play this afternoon!

He's finally mastered the straw sippy cup and drank 4 cups worth of water the day the day that he did because he was so proud of himself and walked around with it in his hands all day long. Very cute. As of today he can now stand up by himself without having to pull up on something and is basically running rather than walking. Andrew has been here for the past week and he spends much of the day walking around saying "An-doo, An-doo, AN-DOOOOOO". Here is a video of him watching AJ and Andrew mow from inside last week:

Practicing his dribble the other morning. :)

15 months

Hunter at 15 months: A fun-loving, full fledged toddler who loves books, balls, balloons, Elmo, and pushing buttons (literally most often, but occasionally figuratively :) ). No well check this month but I'm estimating he's 30.5 inches and just under 22 lbs. He sure has been eating a lot so I'm anxious to see where he ranks on the "percentile" chart at our 18 month well check.

He is a very active little guy. Now that he's walking he would rather walk around and get into things that he isn't supposed to rather than play with the bijillion toys he has in the living room. He is getting faster and faster at walking but still has to crawl over to something to pull up to a standing position. He is quite the talker, but not so much around other people. He's also getting into a little bit of a shy phase but a lot of friends I've talked to say their babies went through the same thing at this age. He's much more verbal when he's at home than when he's out at an unfamiliar place. He repeats what you say at the end of a sentence when you're not even expecting it which is soooo cute. Example: Me: "Mommy is opening the blinds." H: "Bides", Andrew: "I wonder why Hunter likes touching your chin" AJ: "Because it's scratchy" H: "Cat-shee". He's a downright genius, I tell ya!

He is doing MUCH better from a sleep perspective. We're getting in a solid 10:30am nap AND 3pm nap. Woo hoo! He's going down while still awake and putting himself to sleep both at night and naptime, which honestly I never thought I'd see. :) I'll savor this as long as I can before he starts cutting out one of those naps.

He really amazes me every day. He's still so cuddly and I am making sure to savor every moment because I know it won't be long until he's too busy to love his mama!
Here are a couple of recent pics:

With Mimi before we had to take her to the airport. :(

Still coming up with more indoor, non 95 degree heat things to do - Hunter's first drawing:

Yes, that is blue crayon on his teeth...

Baby Picasso:

Catching up on some email with Daddy:

Another tooth!

Hunter decided to give me his very own birthday present...a new tooth popped through today! It is his third one on the bottom so now he has 3 on top and 3 on bottom. It looks like the 4th will pop through any day now but they look a little funny right now because the third on both the top and bottom are on the same side so he has his two middle teeth and then the tooth directly to the right on each.

My mom is in town for my birthday and we are having a great time as usual. Hunter has changed so much since she saw him last. He is walking and talking so much. We're trying to get him to say "Mimi" with no luck so far. He'll point to her when asked "Where's your Mimi?" but won't say it yet! Hopefully he will before she leaves. :)

Father's Day

We went to Dallas this weekend for a wedding - it was a quick trip up on Saturday and back on Sunday. We were very close to the Six Flags/Cowboys Stadium area so I wanted to take AJ on a tour of the new Cowboys Stadium for Father's Day. It was great to watch his face light up when he found out that we were going to be able to go on the field and tour the locker room. It was like watching a child's eyes on Christmas morning. :)

Hunter was asleep through the first part of the tour but woke up and got to experience some of the action - even walking on the field all by himself!

Right after we first got there before Hunter woke up -

AJ throwing up the Hook'em Horns in the Cowboys locker room. Apparently this Roy Williams guy played for Texas. :)

One of the first pictures of just the two of us in (what seems like) several years -

Hunter pointing at the football (and saying "football, football" over and over again)

Daddy and Hunter in the end zone -