Big parenting milestone!

Our 3rd wedding anniversary is coming up this month so AJ and I decided to take our very first post-baby vacation sans baby. We went to Maui, which is where we went on our Honeymoon. We love it there and it has sentimental value to boot. Mimi flew down to stay with Hunter while we were gone. It was definitely hard to leave him but I did okay and knew that he was in great hands. She kept me updated throughout the day with pictures, emails and phone calls so that made it so much better. Unfortunately, Hunter had his first ER visit while we were gone. He had a fever and wasn't eating or drinking but it ended up being a virus and we just had to let it run it's course. His molar also FINALLY came through when we were gone. So, poor Mimi had to babysit a sick and teething baby. Good thing she's 1) a great mom/Mimi and 2) a great nurse. :)

Here are a few of Mimi's cutest update pictures:

My favorite - Hunter stacking 3 blocks. He looks so proud of himself!



Doesn't even care that we're gone... :)



Trying to brush his new molar -



We picked a different resort than where we stayed during our Honeymoon so it was nice to experience a different side of the island but we did go back to our favorite restaurant that we stumbled upon while we were the last time. We mostly hung around the resort, had some great food and relaxed. AJ played golf a couple of times and I got a massage at the most amazing spa I have ever been to. Just my kind of vaca! It was a wonderful, much needed vacation and if we could have shipped Hunter there I could have stayed for another 2 weeks. :)

Here are a few pictures from our trip:

View from our room -



View from breakfast every morning -



Lahaina Grill...our favorite!! -



Hanging out at the pool on our last day -



Missing Hunter -

17 months

Hunter at 17 months: He's about 23 lbs and 31 inches. Next month is the big 18 month well-check so I'm anxious to find out where he ranks on the percentile chart. He still has 8 teeth - 4 on top and 4 on bottom - although he has a molar that is taking it's sweet time to come in and should be popping through any day now.

Papa was able to take some time off so he came down to visit last week. Hunter had a great time playing with him and it was good for him to spend time with Papa!

Yes!

Hunter's new response to everything is "Yes". It's very cute and I'm glad he prefers it over "No" (although he does tell the dog no and shush her on occasion). He not only responds yes when you ask him a question, but he preemptively says "Yes, yes, yes" for something he sees that he wants. Example - If he sees one of us eating fruit, he drops everything and comes over, saying "Yes, yes, yes". If he wants his shoes on, he'll bring them over to you saying "Yes, yes, yes". He'll bring his monkey backpack over to you saying "Yes, yes, yes". I was having a little fun with the yes questions/answers in the store the other day and couldn't resist sharing the video. I think it is hilarious. I'm having trouble with the Blogger video upload so here is the YouTube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIi28SnLl58

He's now saying "Uh oh". He likes to say it when he falls down or anything falls on the floor, even if it is a purposeful drop/throw. Sometimes says it before he drops/throws just to let you know what's coming up. Another new favorite is "Hello" as he holds the phone to his ear. Most often it is the phone at least -- it can also be his hand, the monitor, a shoe -- anything that makes sense to put to his ear. :) I've been trying to take video of it but it he mostly has my cell phone when doing it and by the time I get back from grabbing the real video camera he quits performing. Today he grabbed my phone and said "Hello....hello....Mimi". I said "Do you want to call Mimi?", which he of course responded "Yes" to. So, we called Mimi. :) It is so much fun to have little mini conversations with him. He is growing up TOO fast!

Indianapolis Children's Museum and trip update

Hunter and I took a trip home last week for a few days. We saw Grandma (his Great-Grandma but that is waaay too many syllables :) ) one day, and met up with my college roommate Nicolle and her son Hudson at the Children's Museum another day. Indy has a fantastic Children's Museum. It is huge, has a lot of exhibits - complete with a carousel - and hours of entertainment. I wish the Austin Children's Museum was like that! Here are some pics from the day...

It's hard to get two toddlers to look at the camera at the same time--

Fun in the water and sand --

First time riding a carousel --

Hanging out with Great-Grandma Hunter -

Playing with Aunt Whitney --

Hunter loved to walk all around and occasionally sit on the chairs (he says "up, up!") in the screened-in porch --

This was our first flight since Hunter has been walking so I prepared us with plenty of surprises to break out when he wanted to get down and run. He actually slept for a majority of our flight up from Dallas to Indy but wasn't so great today on our flight home. AJ had a work trip which landed him in Columbus, OH while we were in Indy so he drove over last night to see us and fly home with us today. It definately helped to have Daddy there to entertain, change laps, and so forth. All in all, it wasn't too bad at all and am chalking up to a success. :)

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!!