Learning Important Life Lessons . . .

Like how to lick the spatula after Mom makes a cake.

Video

Okay, I didn't get him to actually say fish, but here is proof that I can't leave our child alone for any amount of time. I left the room for about 30 seconds, and he automatically climbs on the table.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FoYDcAyxKc

Fish

Patrick now says, "fish" and knows what they are! I bet Grandpa Cook is super excited about that!

Other words he is working on:

hi
up
this
bye
amen
hot
cold

Growing Up and Using a Fork

We had macaroni and cheese for lunch today, and Patrick was being a little ham, so I thought I would take some pictures of him. He is doing a very good job of feeding himself and using his fork. He would take a bite and then make this silly face at me. He had two big servings and a whole glass of milk! (Which he will only drink with the cup upside down, btw).

More Proof that Patrick is Silly

I always talk about how silly Patrick is, so here are some stores and pictures to prove it.

The first four pictures are of Patrick being silly while mommy is trying to work. I try to work during nap time, but that doesn't always work out. I have to keep him in the office or else he goes and climbs on top of the kitchen table.

Here he is laughing at the puppy movie and pulling his socks off.


Here he is climbing on our boxes of books. Climbing is his new favorite thing.

Here he is eating the socks he managed to get off his feet.

Mommy just told him he was a silly boy, and he agreed with me.



On Friday, we had a play date with some friends to make cookies. We were waiting for our friends to come pick us up and Patrick got a hold of the sprinkles. I caught him before the whole bottle was on the floor, but I was still vacuuming for several minutes. As soon as the sprinkles hit the floor, though, Patrick dove and tried to vacuum them up with his mouth.



Here is a picture of the three boys at play group. Jack, Miles, and Patrick. Miles is our friend that lives just a couple blocks away, and we play together a lot. Miles is six months older, a bit taller, and talks a lot. Patrick is starting to talk a little more now that he has a friend that talks.


This last picture isn't as much silly as it is pathetic. Today (Saturday), has been a rough day for Patrick. The last couple days he hasn't had much of a nap, he has been teething, and then last night he threw up a couple times while we were at our friends' house. We brought him home and he slept fine last night, but we knew he wasn't feeling himself when he woke up. So I spent a lot of the morning with him in the rocking chair. He has a slight fever, but we think that could also be his teeth. He finally slept for a good three hours and woke up at 1. He ate a little and was finally starting to talk and get in to stuff and act normal. He did this for about 1 1/2 hours, and then he laid down next to the couch with blankie and in about 2 minutes he had fallen asleep again! I guess we just played too hard this week. Hopefully all this sleep is doing some good and he will be back to normal soon.

Taxes!

I should not be so excited about that subject, but we are still poor enough that we benefit greatly from credits, and we still get wonderful refunds. This year is no exception! Our federal return is over $12,000 because we bought a house, have a kid, and oh yeah, Obama likes to give out lots of money to "stimulate the economy." I don't know if our refund will stimulate the economy or not, but we are thankful for it!

I have used Turbo Tax online for three years now, and even though I don't qualify for the free edition any more, it is still really worth it because it only takes me a few hours to do my taxes (got them done during nap time today), and the questions are really easy to figure out and answer. Because of the house credit we don't get the e-file, so I have my fingers crossed that it will still come relatively quickly because we have goals for this money: 1) pay off all debt except house and student loans 2) save at least $5,000 3) do a couple minor projects on the house like gravel for the driveway and pavers in the backyard and 4) possibly one small splurge item like a new computer.

We'll see if I'm still so excited about taxes next year!

Groundhog Day

Happy Groundhog Day!

We celebrate by eating sausages for dinner (get it?). Anybody else celebrate this odd but exciting holiday?

Silly Boy

Every night before we go to bed, one of us checks on Patrick and puts a blanket back on top of him. We are never sure what we will find when we go check on him. Some nights he is squished in the corner of his crib, or his legs will be hanging out the sides. Last night we found this -- he was wearing an over-sized turtleneck with his pajamas and had somehow gotten one arm out of his shirt. Silly boy.

Finally!

Patrick's eye teeth finally broke through today! Hooray! Now he will have a normal smile and not be crabby for a few months until he gets his second molars.

Little Update on Patrick

Patrick is 18 months old now, and I thought I would give a quick update on him and his cute personality.

• He's healthy. We have been lucky enough to get through the winter so far with only one runny nose and a couple of coughs. No earaches or bronchitis or fevers so far.
• He's happy. Patrick wakes up happy and is pretty much happy all day long unless he gets really tired or really hungry. And then he is still quick to laugh.
• He eats well. For a toddler. He still eats the majority of his calories at breakfast, but dinner is usually not too much of a battle. He tries more and more to feed himself. Today at Wendy's he was a pro at dipping his french fries and chicken nuggets in the ketchup.
• He's a magician. Seriously. I don't know how this kid eats the way he does and has never choked. Today he put half of a chicken nugget in his mouth and just chewed, chewed, chewed, and then he swallows with his neck all strained forward. One day it was half a banana in just two bites. Reed think he is half PYTHON because he just swallows everything.
• He sleeps. We have mastered one nap a day, and he needs his 12 hours at night, so he pretty much sleeps from 7-7. This is heaven for us right now, because I don't think I have the good fortune for all of my babies to sleep like this.
• He is starting to talk. Like everything else developmentally, Patrick does things on his own time table. I don't know why I bother reading What to Expect; he's just going to do things when he's ready, including talking. The only frustrating time is when I am feeding him and he just points and does his whiny nasally noise. He does have a few words now, including: mom, dad, dog, go, yum-yum, and oddly, "clean up." He knows the animal noises of the alligator, lion, and monkey.
• He is still busy. If possible, more busy than before. But he is also starting to listen, which is nice. He kinda know what things are his to play with and what isn't. He doesn't always care, but he knows. The only thing I can't get him to really listen to is when the stove and oven are hot. Which is frustrating because I don't want his curiosity to get him hurt!
• He is making friends. We are making friends in the new ward, and so is Patrick. There are 4-5 little boys in the ward about his age, and we have had a few play dates. Miles lives just a couple streets away, and he play with him often. Miles is older and very verbal and bossy right now, so it is very amusing to watch them play.
• He loves nursery. As long as mom doesn't come anywhere near him.
• He finally gives kisses! But don't ask him to cuddle unless the puppy movie is on. He loves the puppy movie (Milo and Otis), and it is the only thing he will watch. He only watches it when I am either getting dressed or trying to cook dinner. He even laughs at his favorite parts.