Party Pics

Happy 2nd Birthday Easton!!

Two years ago today, I would have already been at St. Joseph Hospital, and I think I was already told by the nurse that I wouldn’t be leaving without a baby. I could play that day over and over in my head, and never tire of the story, because as stories should be, the ending is the best part. Although you didn’t come into this world the perfect way that I planned, I soon realized as I held you that perfect had a new meaning. Nothing in this world could come as close to perfect as what we had been blessed with. Happy 2nd birthday Easton!! I hope that we bring you as much energy, love, and sense of achievement everyday as you do to us!! Love mommy and daddy
THE PARTY
We will be celebrating Easton’s birthday with him tonight at home as a family. Daddy began the day with a birthday breakfast of eggs, sausage, and English muffins, and will end it with the birthday boy’s favorite dinner…Daddy’s homemade pizza
The big bash was held Saturday, and let me emphasize the word big! Easton had about 40 family members and little friends who joined him to celebrate his day. We did a construction theme, and had the house and garage decorated with construction signs, banners, and balloons to fit the theme. The kids were given hard hats, and tool belts to decorate. Once this was done, they either decorated a construction cookie, or went over to the demolition site to use the crane that daddy built to knock down a wall of boxes. Mommy prepared a “build” your own taco bar for the supervisors while the little construction workers ate chicken nuggets, macaroni and fruit. After dinner, we sang happy birthday and ate the super delicious construction themed cake. Present time was quite the event! I have definitely learned my lesson and will have a game plan in store for next year! When you get a bunch of 2 and 3 year olds together in a room full of presents, they all want in! Easton couldn’t have enjoyed himself more! Hopefully you enjoy the pictures and video.
On Sunday, the girls met back at our place where we kicked off the start to our annual Christmas cookie baking. The kids were able to play with all the new birthday toys, and help decorate cookies.
Mommy and baby #2 are doing great! We had our 5 ½ month visit last week, and everything is looking great. It has been a wonderful experience to share with a toddler. Easton will try to feel the kicks from the baby, but won’t quite keep his hand on the belly long enough. We are excited about the challenge that having two in the house will bring to us. Easton is already staking his claim on which toys are his and which are the baby’s (unfortunately he is not leaving much for the baby). We find this very odd, because he shares willingly when he is around and playing with friends.
A quick update on some Easton info: Potty training has all but ceased due to a lot of sicknesses (all Easton). Easton had the rotovirus for 4-5 days one week with stuff coming out both ends. We could not keep up with laundry! He lost 4 pound from that. Just recently we had to make a late night trip to the hospital due to him having difficulty breathing. Through x-rays, doctors were able to see the start of pneumonia. He has been well this past week and back to normal! He has been very much into counting things lately, and has inconsistently counted spoons, or trucks up to 8! Just yesterday he added on the number 9.
Enjoy the pics and video!

A Busy Month!

With the house under construction, it has been a bit difficult getting anything done! Shawn is remodeling our family room in order to fix the recent rain damage, and decided to tear it apart and have a little manly fun (bigger crown molding, bigger baseboards, and he is encasing the room entry ways with wood). It is a big mess, but the masterpiece that is emerging has made it worth it! Easton is learning from this too! He understands what a nail gun and a compressor are (and some accompanying parts). He walks around the house with daddy’s pencil bit between his teeth.
Probably the most noticeable change with Easton would be the fact that he is noticing letters on signs as we are out and about. The signs have to be pretty big, (Target, Walmart, Jewel) otherwise they go unnoticed. Potty training is still sporadic, and even more so since demolition. We are seeing that Easton has quite the memory. He is remembering things that occurred months earlier(including just recently the name of the lady who cut his hair 2 months ago). He knows the cities where he, grandma and grandpa, cousins, and friends live.
Other than that, we have party number two to plan for! Easton will be turning 2 on December 15th and is so excited about his construction themed party. Goes perfect with the mess we have going on in our home!
Mommy will post her next ultrasound pictures after her appointment!

How Could I Forget!

Although it has not been consistent by any means, the fact that our little guy has been POOPING on the potty could not go without mention!!! Daddy was able to get the big boy to poop first, so from then on the task was pretty easy for mommy. Easton is extremely proud of himself and will dance around the room upon finishing! Mommy and daddy couldn't be more excited.

Having Halloween Fun

Fall Adventures!

Leaves are Changing and so am I!

Unfortunately, the flu bug had recently moved into our home, and just decided it wants to leave! It started about a month ago with mommy. Shortly after, Easton began some extreme whining. When Easton whines, the only explanation is that something is terribly wrong. He had a severe double ear infection. A week into the medication, I took him back into the doctors office, because he still wasn't himself (as you will see from the Wisconsin apple picking pictures). The medication did nothing, and my poor little guy had suffered through our weekend getaway (Such a trooper)! Easton was given a shot and was put on three medications to combat his coughing, wheezing and ear infection. The flu ended with daddy, and we all hope that's the end of it.
Over the Columbus Day weekend, we headed to Wisconsin to visit Uncle Randall, Aunt Michelle and Cousins Matt and Mali. On Saturday, we tailgated before watching the Wisconsin football game, and on Sunday we headed to the apple orchard for some apple picking. The weather was perfect. Easton loved picking apples and raspberries and feeding them to the horse.
We took advantage of the weather the following weekend and headed to Dollinger's Pumpkin patch with grandma, grandpa and Uncle Chris and Aunt Rossi. Easton road on the steam engine climbed aboard a pirate ship and spent the most time playing in wooden play houses that lined the farm. The whole way home he kept telling Shawn to buy wood and build a playhouse.
Halloween was such a blast this year. The pictures aren't the best, because our typical (almost) two- year old would not wear the costume mommy had hyped up for the past week. I didn't think I would, but after seeing how much fun he was having trick or treating, I got over the fact that "I" wasn't going to have the perfect pirate picture! Easton's cousins came into town for Halloween and an evening bonfire. Easton couldn't get enough of running around with all of his cousins. It was a change not having to worry about him as much. We could actually relax and have fun (....although not for long)!
That Sunday, following the bonfire, Easton had a "boys" playdate at our home. The weather was such a blessing, and we enjoyed playing outside with our friends. It was so cute watching the boy’s chit-chat with each other. He spent the remainder of the day talking about all the fun he had.
Easton loves books and reading. Most recently he has given mommy and daddy the boot with favorite books, and will choose to read them on his own. Some of the words he has memorized, and others he just makes up to go along with the pictures.
He likes putting together puzzles (especially construction puzzles) with mommy and daddy.
He enjoys playing certain games on the computer, and gets a kick out of pushing the buttons.
Easton is developing in so many different ways. It is hard keeping up with him! He is our monkey, climbing on whatever he can, and showing no fear. With all of this "boy" exuding from him, he still remains ever so sensitive and loving. Easton is wonderful at sharing (sometimes we have to tell him to share, but he does). He has learned from his daddy to tell mommy she is pretty, which just melts my heart. He continues to notice my bump, and we joke about the fact that it will be getting bigger and bigger. Pushing the cart in the grocery store is a chore, because my son has one hand planted under my shirt to "keep the baby warm" as he says. I say I have a compassionate little guy!
Mommy and baby are doing well! As of today, I am 17 weeks. Some days I have a tummy that is as flat as can be, and other days I look pretty much like I did with Easton at 4 months. Once we go for the 5 month ultrasound, I will upload them to the blog.

New Favorite Book!

Easton Has a Surprise!

22 months

It is unbelievable that we have two months to go until our son turns two! It’s something how he went from needing us all the time, to Mr. Independent! Our little guy can now reach onto the countertop and push the open button on the microwave.
Not much has changed with vocabulary. Easton continues to build upon it daily and we continue to be told how well he talks. Conversations are a little more understandable and the topics become more involved. When asked, Easton can tell you that his mommy works at the school with the kids, daddy works at the fire station, and that he lives in Shorewood. When he talks about things that have a blatant color, he will name them as such. “Mommy’s black pants”, “want daddy brown sucker”, and so on. He is more familiar with and understanding of time of day (whether it is breakfast, lunch, or dinner). Driving in the car the other day, he told me, “Eastie go to park next week”. There are times when Shawn and I look at each other in amazement because Easton will come up with something or talk about something neither of us was aware he knew.
He is very much into the bath lately, and will take one first thing in the morning (so awesome when mommy is getting ready for work) and one just before bedtime. Other interests include the fire truck. He knows a few of the different fire truck names just by looking at the trucks (pumper truck, platform truck, ladder truck). He is very much into his pirate outfit, swords and ship (he tells us every day, “pay money for pirate ship”). Anyone know where to purchase one of those!
If you have watched the video, you now know that we are expecting a new addition to our family!!! We could not be more excited!! We found out August 6th that we were expecting, which makes me a little over 13 weeks. Easton is literally in love with my belly. If I am sitting on the floor, he will come and lay his head on my belly and talk to and kiss the baby. He is always asking if the doctor can cut it out. He likes to go under mine and daddy’s shirt and come out saying, “It’s a boy”. At dinner time he tells us the food goes into his belly and the baby eats it, and will sometimes try and push the food through his belly button. He likes to show off his big belly! There is no doubt he will make a great big brother! Oh yeah! My younger sister is expecting right along with me, and is due 1-2 weeks after me! Once I can figure out how, I will be sure to scan our most recent ultrasound pictures onto the blog. Looks like our title might be changing soon!

Now I know my ABCs.....

20 months: End of a Great Summer

Back to school for mommy! Both mommy and Easton are making a fairly smooth transition. Daddy says he only cries until my car is out of site(Easton cries a little too:)) Mommy is comforted by the fact that Easton and daddy have a wonderful bond. Whenever I come home from work, I like to hide and watch the two of them outside playing together. Easton has a special way of looking at his daddy. It is no wonder though. Shawn is a very hands on and involved dad! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful guy in our lives (plus he cooks dinner during the school year!).
We enjoyed the Dells so much that we decided to go back (as did Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Mandi, Uncle Michael, Aunt Missy and cousins Morgan, Maddie, Zach and Matt) for a second trip. Unfortunately, Easton was battling the flu and wasn’t as into the waterslides and swimming as he was the first time.
We are glad the flu has passed and have our little talker back! Easton definitely takes after mommy when it comes to socializing. We are always getting comments on how well he talks for his age. When you’re doing it as much as he is, it no wonder! We have noticed that during conversations, Easton will relate something we are talking about to something that may have happened as much as two weeks earlier. We like that he is making connections to the things he talks about. He is now at times up to four words in a sentence, and is getting better at letting us know what he needs. For a while, we were dealing with a whiner. For some reason, instead of asking for something, Easton would whine. We began to put him into the time out corner, and the problem was fixed within a day or two!
Easton is also working with numbers. He understands how many two is, and will occasionally ask for a couple (tuple) grapes. Colors are improving as well! He no longer thinks everything is yellow!
We are coming into the “everything is mine” phase. He doesn’t use the term “mine”, but will take a toy from you that he wants, and hand you something he doesn’t.
We bought a potty for Easton last month, and he wanted nothing to do with it. When asked if he wanted to sit down on the potty, the reply was a very determined “NO!” I left it alone, because as I have been told, boys can be stubborn about this. However, just the other day, before bath, I asked if he wanted to sit on the potty. He said, “Mommy sit down potty”. After I did, he sat on his. We both did a little pushing……and Easton had his first pee-pee in the potty! Mommy was so proud! We did a pee-pee dance, and had a pee-pee candy!
Easton’s attitude is awesome. Unless he is sick, he is always in a good mood. He keeps Shawn and me smiling all day long with the things he says and does. He loves to help and be involved in whatever we might be doing.

Summer Fun

Tunnel Fun

Playtime!

19 months: Just Hanging Out

E's Word(18 months)

Shawn had thought it would be a great idea to create a dictionary showing the words Easton knows and how he says them. This will provide us with a reminder of not only his growth, but the interesting and adorable way he pronounces things! Once I figure out how to organize this; I will do so!! I will add more words as I remember them all!

Excavator-Oca-boom / Back-hoe- Bach-ho / Bull Dozer- Bo Dozer / Bob Cat- Bob Cat
Loader-Loader / Dump Truck- Dump Dump / Garbage Truck- Darbage Truck / cement truck- cemen truck/ dirt/ road/
Ice Cream Man- Ah Ceem Man / Happy birthday- Happy see dee / Love you- la-lu
Shovel- Shozzle / Rake-Reek / Lawn Mower-mon mower / Weed Wacker- Wee Wacker
Blower- Bolo / mulch-mooch / bucket-bocket / hammer-hamma / screw driver-scho die-va
saw / drill / Octagon- ocagon / Oval-ovo / Star-sar/ Circle- sa-sa /Thunder-Tunner
Lightning-lightning / dark-dock Rain- reen / coffee- ta see / Pasta- passa
Back yard- back yard / sand- sond castle-tasle / feet- seet / Nose-no / Eyes
Mouth-mow / Hair-heyr / Ears- eas / Toes / Fingers-finas
number- noma / bug- bud /Lightning bug- nightning bud / swing- sing sing
waterslide-waddeslide/ blueberry-bolos / avocado- ado tado / banana-bana /juice-jew/ pizza-pissa / sause/ sase /crackers-kakas / chocolate milk-choco-milk stove top- tove top / look out- luk out/pick it up- pick it up /Easton- Eton brush- bush / Diesel- deesel /Helicopter- hop clop / Motorcycle- cycle bike
air plane- ah plane / Zebra-zeba/ Bison/ Lion-ninon/ Tiger-tider/ Bear
Vulture- voture Hippo Monkey-mokey Rhino Iguana-wana Fish-fshies Blanket-blanken Yellow- lallow Red Blue-boo brown-bown Orange-onge
Green- deen Purple-purpa
Fork-fook /Spoon-soon /apple juice- appo jew /grapes/ drink- deek/ winnie/
Knife-no no ni /dinner-dinna /chicken- cheeken /ribs /amen-ahmen /oh God- oh dod
sit down- seet down/ pick it up/ olives- ollis / brown sugar- bown sugar/ school bus- schoo bus/ up (down)stairs- up (don) seers/ open/ shut/ lotion- loshun / round and round- roun-a-roun/ cross the road- coss a road/ lemonade- omenade / mercedes- meer-de-ce-de / baseball bat- be-baw-bat / water balloon- waler balloon/ policeman- pleashman/ fireworks- fiwoks/ roller coaster- rolla toser/

My First Cycle Ride!

19 months

Sorry about the delay on the post, but we've been having way to much fun this summer! We just got back from our first family trip, which took us first to Madison, Wisconsin to visit Aunt Michelle, Uncle Randall, Matt and Mali, and then to the Wisconsin Dells. Easton enjoyed his cousins so much, it was hard to leave. The Dells were so much fun, we are thinking of returning in August! Easton loved the waterslides! "More Waterslide" was the word of the day while we were there!
July has probably been the toughest month we have encountered thus far with Easton. We had a week there where he woke every morning at 4:58 in the worst mood possible, and stayed crabby all day long. All throughout the day it was "hod ju mommy", and our little guy would claw his way up onto me. We thought the terrible two's had come early, but eventually figured out his 2 year molars were coming in.
Along with that, Easton is happily testing his boundaries. There isn't a thing in or outside of our home that he hasn't tried to climb up on and jump off of. He doesn't like the word no and will test as much as he can. He will even get a little bit of an attitude when he is overly tired and start demanding("a wan baba milk").
Aside from that, we continue to be amazed at how much of a conversation we can have with Easton. He is beginning to understand what is his, dadda's and mama's, and will name it as such("dada's dirty shirt" or "mama's choffee"). He likes to blame his messes on others ("Aspen did it")and is learning colors, but continues to call everything yellow the first time around, because it is his favorite. When counting, he will call out certain numbers, and knows visually how many is two.
We are constantly laughing as Easton can be quite the ham. He knows when his being goofy is amusing others and will play it up as much as he can if possible. We feel blessed everyday as we enjoy our little gift!

1 1/2 years old!!

SCHOOLS OUT!! Both Easton and mommy are excited to be home together! Mommy is especially excited for all the things that we have planned as a family.
We have already made it to the community water park, and I have to say, that was a bit interesting. At first I thought the money was wasted, but was pleasantly surprised when Easton went from the ankle deep part of the pool to about where it hit his chin. He was trying to get to the waterslide where all the kids were. Unfortunately, they don't allow babies to ride down with mommies! Guess he will have to learn to swim fast! While there, he learned how to climb out of the side of the pool, and jump into the water. We enjoyed playing with the kids and making some new friends. We hope to make even more friends when we go to mommy and baby swim classes, and busy baby time at the park district.
We had a great time going on our first family zoo trip. Easton was so excited to see the real animals and liked saying their names, and mimicking their sounds. The weather was perfect and all the animals were out playing and swimming.
Easton is doing a great job talking and continues to add to his vocabulary everyday. His doctor said his words are very clear and understandable for his age. He likes to sing bits and pieces of the alphabet, the wheels on the bus, and roll over. If we get to a song he doesn't know, he will lip sync! It is hilarious to look in the rear view mirror and see his lips moving to the lyrics. He is putting two and sometimes three words together. He was in his bouncer the other day and said thank you dada. Easton has learned that mommy has difficulties saying no when he uses the word please. He has the cutest little way of looking at me and saying, "please mama, more", and I can't resist. He is very polite and almost always uses please and thank you. He is also working at counting. So far he can count to three. He doesn’t always get it. He might get to two and add a nine or a six.
He is doing well with letting us know what he wants, or making choices. We can almost carry on broken conversations. If we ask what he wants for lunch, he might say hotdog, or if I ask if he wants a sandwich, he might say no. He will come to me and tell me he wants milk, juice, or water to drink or more pineapple or pasta at dinner. He is a great helper, and loves to help mommy and daddy put away groceries. The mouthwash will end up in the fridge and the peanut butter usually ends up with the pots and pans, but his thoughtfulness is much appreciated!
We might be looking into getting a potty soon! Easton is already letting me know when he has to poop. He will walk up and say, "Poop...poop....poop". Shortly after doing this, he finds his way to a corner, or chair( for leverage of course), and proceeds to go. If you look at him, he will say, poop. I have tried taking him to the big boy potty when he comes to tell me he has to go, but he doesn't want much of that right now.
18 month doctor visit: 26 lbs (58%), 33.75in (85%), he is also in the 85% with his head size.

I Know my Animals

Playtime!!

17 Months Big!

April showers brought May flowers and a whole lot of activity at the Toso home! I am amazed at how the days fly, and am worried the summer will be gone in a flash!
Our little “love bug” is as cuddly as ever, if not more so! He is constantly stopping play to give mommy and daddy little hugs. They are very much appreciated, especially when the day has been a rough one. He is very gentle and just naturally caring. He has daddy’s looks, but mommy personality. He definitely loves being around Shawn and me together. He is a very happy and calm toddler in general, but his whole being changes when we are together as a family. His face and eyes are full of light, and he is energized. However, if any hugging occurs between mommy and daddy, our little referee is quick to break it up. Easton is very possessive of his mommy and sets boundaries accordingly. If we are all playing together, Easton will be on my lap playing and making no room for daddy to squeeze in. He loves being outdoors, and even after a full day of fun in the sun, he will show his dislike about coming in for dinner. He enjoys playing in the sand, mowing the lawn with the bubble mower and picking mommy the most beautiful flowers (dandelions).
Although Easton isn’t what you would consider chatty, when he talks, he does it well. He is learning more words each day and has quite a vocabulary. He has a fixation with anything to do with tractors or lawnmowers. He can name a good majority of tractors (backhoe, excavator, and loader) and even knows certain parts of the excavator (boom and bucket). We frequent building sites and stores that sell heavy equipment (right up mommy’s alley). He can say (not at all clear) smoke detector and show us where it is. Hola(not sure if I spelled that right!), If we ask, “where does the bus drive?” He will answer road. If I ask "Who is coming home today?" He will say daddy. Easton will let us know if he needs something like juice, milk, or food, and hands us his plate, fork and spoon and say all done, when he is finished with a meal.
Speaking of meals, our little eater is slowing down his consumption of food (thank goodness). The doctors say that he no longer lives to eat, and will now just eat to live! He is a very healthy eater, and will eat almost anything you give him. Unbelievably, our son loves pickled beets! He no longer has a high chair!! Our big boy is now sitting at the table!
As you will see in the videos and pictures, Easton is on his way to being a pro football player. He is big for his age, matching up to the two year olds that we see when we go to kid programs. If you click on the You Tube link on the videos, you will find many more. It is so hard choosing which to post!

Easton Update (16 months!)

Time is flying, but we are doing our best to enjoy and nurture every moment! Here are a few new things happening around the Toso house:
Lately, everything that Easton comes into contact with or wants an explanation for gets an "oohh! Wastha?" This is especially true when we are at the grocery store and around food. It's neat to think of how he has progressed. We used to show him things, now he shows us what he is interested in.
His new thing (thank you daddy for teaching it) is to shake hands. He sticks his hand out, smiles and says, "Hi!".
Easton has definitely passed his shy phase, if there ever was one. We can't go anywhere without him running up to strangers and saying "Hi".
I think one of my favorite things about Easton is his sensitive side. Even at this young age, we can tell he is going to have a big heart. At first it was just with this animals; hugging, kissing and cuddling. Lately, he will come up behind me when I am cooking or doing things and wrap his arms around my legs and hug me. After that He makes his way to the front of my legs, says hi, and gives me another hug, and pats my leg for a little bit. If Easton gets in trouble, he takes it hard. He doesn't scream and cry, but he does cry. He sits down in the middle of the kitchen floor and does the most heartbreaking cry you will ever hear, with a face that brings me to tears(daddy too). He genuinely feels bad for what he did wrong. He has made it hard to stand my ground.
Easton continues to do his best to talk, and just recently we have noticed that he repeats words directly after we say them. Prior to this, he would learn a word after much repetition. His favorites are sun, rain, mailbox, garbage, weiner(unfortunatly a major favorite) and tractor.There are a few more homes going up in our subdivision, so daddy and his little construction worker take walks to check out the daily progress and enjoy the cool machines.
A funny story: Grandma and Grandpa Bozue stopped by to hang out one afternoon, and so we went to the driveway to wait for them to pull up (Grandma likes seeing the excitement on E's face when they pull in). Grandpa got out of the car first and took Easton from me and pointed to grandma and said, "Old lady". Easton put his finger to his lip and said, "hussss". For anyone who has read "Goodnight Moon", you will understand that it is the old lady who is whispering hush in the book! We were so excited about his connection, and so was grandpa when we explained it to him.

Even though Easter has passed, it couldn't go without a mention! Our family celebrated Easter with a weekend of fun. Most of the Bozue klan came into town, and so Easton was able to enjoy playing with his many cousins over the long weekend. On Friday we had our annual fish fry at grandma and grandpa Bozue’s house where grandpa used his deep fryer to yet again cook some amazing cod. On Saturday we celebrated cousin Matt’s birthday by having an old-fashioned birthday party at grandma and grandpas. On Sunday, before heading again to grandma and grandpa’s, Easton woke to find lots of new toys in his playroom! The Easter Bunny spoiled him with a Little People bus, Little People talking farmhouse, Little People talking zoo and a bag of balls for a ball pit. We spend lots of time playing and talking to the animals. He is doing a great job of identifying a handful of his favorites.
At grandma and grandpa’s house, Easton stopped halfway to the front door, pointed and said yea-yo. I smiled, because he had notice one of the yellow eggs his Aunt Missy made for the Easter egg hunt. Once all the kids had arrived, we gathered in the front yard and let the kids run wild! Most had to be pointed out to him, but Easton did get a few eggs! I think back to last year, and our son was 4 months old and sleeping most of the day. Now he is running around with other kids participating in the games.
On Monday we went to see Grandma Eva and Grandpa George in Waukegan. Easton enjoyed the many mechanical animals that grandma and grandpa have in their living room and all the good food grandma cooked!

15 Months!

15 month doctor visit: Easton was updated on his shots, and doesn't mind them to much. He cries until daddy picks him up and holds him. Doctor said Easton is advanced for his age intellectually!! His head size is above average (75%),he weighs 24 lbs. (48%), and he is in the 70% for height. It has been pretty difficult getting things done around our house lately. Easton is going through the “only mommy will do” phase, as well as showing a little stranger anxiety. It has made it very hard to leave for work in the morning, because try as we might to come up with creative ways of sneaking mommy out of the house, Easton seems to know what’s up and latches on. It is hard watching him cry as I pull out of the driveway. Luckily Shawn will call before I can make it a block to let me hear Easton laughing in the background. As soon as I walk in the door after a days work, he will latch himself to my legs and hold on! No down time for mommy! What about when Shawn leaves for work? Easton runs to mommy, smiles and says, “Bye, bye, da”. It has been the same for family, friends, and strangers too. It can take him quite awhile to warm up (depending on the mood). He clings to mommy and gives his admirers the cold shoulder until he feels good and ready to show his stuff. If they push a little too much to get his attention, he lets them know. Easton has learned to speak his mind, and he does it quite well. We have been working quite a bit with him, trying to teach him what he can and cannot have. At first it was going pretty well, and we thought we were on easy street. I guess you could say we spoke a little too soon! He has learned to yell out and throw himself on the ground if the mood strikes, and for a while it did strike often. Luckily those bad days, although they seem long, are few and far between. As I have said before, we are lucky! Easton is as loving as ever. He still enjoys cuddling his animals, and now hugs and kisses them when asked. He even has them hug and kiss each other. He shares this affection with mommy, daddy and close family (actually the neighbor got hugged a few days ago). We have a little acrobat in the house that is learning to do somersaults! He goes down for the pose, and we help him over. It is especially funny when he wants to do his acrobats too soon after a meal! Easton is testing out his speaking skills daily, and it is hard not to giggle when he does. Most of the time the language is a high pitched gibberish that only a few can comprehend, but we are excited to say that he does get a few actual words out. His favorites lately include hey-yap-ter (helicopter), pap-a-cle (popsicle), ovo (oval), ocpa (octopus) and sco bu (school bus). Occasionally he will say thank you when you share something, and continues to bless people when they sneeze. This is the best when we are out and complete strangers sneeze. They don’t expect a one year old to yell out “Gad ba”, and are smitten when he does. I don’t want to jinks it, but bedtime has been a snap lately. Around the 7:30 mark, Easton will say, “na na”, and point upstairs. We take him up and before we can finish prayers, he has thrown tiger in the crib and is tearing himself away from us to lie down. On occasion he will cry for a few minutes, but generally will fall asleep fast. Phew! Easton loves going to the babysitters! He can*t wait to get out of my arms when we arrive, and it’s a struggle getting him to leave with me! She has a son who is a few months older than Easton, and a playroom that could rival a Pottery Barn Kid’s store! He enjoys playing in the kitchen area of the playroom, and sitting at the table and serving tea or coffee (quite funny to see). Art time is another of his favorites, and mommy and daddy love to display the work! He has learned a lot interacting with other kids his age. We feel very blessed to have found someone who does so much with our child.

Our Valentine is 14 Months!

It was so hard choosing what to talk about this month. There are so many cool things being said and done, I didn't know how I was going to condense it all!
Easton continues to have his very calm demeanor, but we are now beginning to see a little bit of a comedian and daredevil emerging. Starting in the morning, as we enter Eaton's room, we find our son peaking over the bumper pad in his crib and giggling. Once our eyes meet, he is up and spinning in circles until he falls. We are in stitches at this point! Mealtime is always fun. He will give a very sweet smile and offer up a bite of his food. However, as we thank him and come in for the bite, he giggles and pulls his hand away, placing the food instead in his mouth!
I am so excited, because Easton is learning many of our routines. After dinner, we clean the kitchen and mop the floor. Easton has started to scoot the chairs across the floor in preparation for the sweeping. When the brooms and bucket come out, he is right along side, helping us push and pull! He is also beginning to mimic the movements we have coordinated to nursery rhymes. Among other things, that is at the top of our "to video" list and we will post it as soon as we get it!
As funny as he is, and as much fun as we have, there are those days we realize we have a boy. It has been a challenge keeping him from climbing and standing on whatever he can. He has some good bruises to show for his tricks! Easton is great at clearing out the cabinets in record time. By the time mommy and daddy can get a handle on that mess, someone will come running out of the bathroom toilet paper in tow(buy stock in Charmin)! Speaking of bathrooms, Easton has figured out how to lift the lid on the toilet (boy was that day fun).
As far as teeth go, Easton is on or ahead of schedule (we are finding this with a lot of things) with cutting his teeth. He has his twelve month molars and has been working on getting his incisors out. These have been the most painful for him.
He is doing very well with talking and can get a lot of the initial word sounds out, which makes it pretty easy to understand him. His new words are "so big", "good boy", and "bye, bye da".
Grandma Eva, we are sorry to say that we may not have green olives the next time you visit. Easton, among everything else, has taken a liking to them. He says olive very well, and asks for them every time the refrigerator is open!

And We're Off!

When the second of my co-workers started a blog about her child, I wondered why I hadn't done so already. So many of our family and friends are from out of town and out of state, and it gets hectic driving around to show off our little guy! And since I am not the best with emailing pictures to individuals, I felt this would benefit us all! We are looking forward to sharing all of the latest moments of our lives with you!


Easton passed his one year mark on December 15th! It was an amazing day, and we were so excited to have so many family and friends join us. I think as many parents would agree, the highlight was our little guy delving into his "literally" first bite of cake and ice cream!

Shawn and I are amazed at just how fast time can fly and how a year can change a person. From leaving the hospital at 5lbs. 11oz to now a strapping 23lbs. our boy has grown! We are not a bit surprised with the amount that he eats! Our future football player can consume anything mom and dad can, and is getting good at using a spoon. His favorite foods include daddy's roasted chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes and homemade ravioli.

Each month turns out to be our favorite month! There are so many new and amazing things that happen. Easton is truly a bright boy and picks up and repeats everything mommy and daddy do and say. Even some things we wish he wouldn't! He is a babbler, and one of our highlights is having corny conversations about the days occurrences with him. He loves to help in the kitchen, and is a little chef in training. He enjoys pulling out all of the pots and pans, and pretending he is cooking with daddy and mommy.

Mommy's favorite time of day comes just before bed, when Easton climbs the stairs and pulls out his favorite truck book and pretends to read. Believe it or not, he already has some of the words memorized and will point them out when mommy and daddy ask.

Speaking of bed. Shawn and I have been pretty lucky with Easton, as he has been a wonderful sleeper since birth. He goes to bed around 7:30 p.m. and will wake up around 6:00 a.m. He most often will fall back asleep and stay that way until 8:00 or 9:00 a.m.