1st Dentist Appointment!

For Nicholas, not for me or Nick. ;)

Nicholas had his first dentist appointment today and it went better than I could have hoped for.

He's a pretty easy kid. Don't get me wrong, he has his insane fits for no reason and is a whackadoo at times, but 98% of the time he's pretty freakin cool.

I've found that preparing him for what's to come as opposed to "springing" it on him has always worked best. If he needs shots, blood taken, or if we have to do something he's not going to like, I tell him a bit in advance so he is prepared. On Monday I started talking about the dentist and what they were going to do, to say "ah" or stick out his tongue (which he loved) if they asked him to.

I'm glad he had a good first experience because I want to make sure he takes care of his teeth the way my Mom made sure we took care of ours :)

Nicholas is 3 years old

Our super cool little dude turned 3 on March 12th. Two days before his birthday, he was refusing a nap (the usual now, I think they're going away forever), and when I went to get him out of his crib he looks at me and says:

Mama, you are my best friend. Then: Mama, I'm so happy when I see you.

ALL THE TEARS GUYS. ALL THE TEARS.

We are pretty lucky. Nicholas is outgoing, smiley, has tons of energy, and likes to have a good time. When we get to someone's house, he's not shy, he instantly runs to the toys/his friends/whomever, and just throws himself into whatever is going on. He's got a bouncy, happy personality and he is constantly smiling and laughing.

He's definitely still a Mama's boy but things are getting better with Nick, he takes him out more and I'm hoping to start some kind of sport with him this summer and then I think their relationship will become even stronger.

Nicholas loves dinosaurs big time- that's been holding strong ever since we went to Edaville last August. His talking gets better every day, and some of the things he says crack me up so bad (I didn't fart, I dropped a cupcake!) or make me cry (see above). He loves puddle stomping, shopping with Mom, terrorizing Dexter, hugs and cuddles (when he initiates, of course, haha), being out of the house, taking walks, coloring, painting, and stickers.

His doctor's visit was uneventful, he is growing at a great pace and is right where he should be.

I am grateful for this wonderful life we have and count my blessings every single day.

xoxo

Dinosaur Party!

Hello yes, I am a big slacker. Life has been wonderful, crazy, fun filled, and one event after another.

Nicholas turned 3 on March 12th and we celebrated with a dinosaur crazy birthday party.

One thing I knew I would be good at when I became a mother was planning. I've been planning parties with friends since I was around 10 years old, and it's just my jam. I love doing it, it makes me happy, it makes me feel useful, and I love sharing my home with the wonderful people we are fortunate enough to know.

Here are some pictures from the dinosaur crazy day. Everyone had a great time, and I'm happy to say I wasn't even exhausted when the event was over. It was a perfect day.

Thanks for the free dinosaur foot printables, Pinterest!

I'm not very crafty, but these turned out pretty cute!

This was my favorite! I bought party hats at the dollar store and cut off the top of them, and then took a little glue with the elastic and attached it to the hat and to their heads, then I glued a little pom pom on top. Once I started, I couldn't stop. So fun!

Thanks again for this great idea, Pinterest. These came out better than I could have hoped for!

Foster Cat Rudy

I haven't fostered any cats for awhile. My last foster was over the summer, and into the fall, and her name was Bear. She was very fearful and it took a really long time for her to be comfortable. I had her almost 4 months and I'm happy to say she ended up going to a wonderful home.

My most recent foster was named Spaz, and he was another fearful guy. The shelter manager always ends up giving me black cats, and now it's a joke because pretty much every black cat that comes in that needs a foster, I think she pretty much just picks me :)

Spaz was a small guy of only 6 months and he was a hisser. He would hiss out of fear, and was never aggressive. But, he really loved "rough" (strong) petting up around his head, neck and ears. And no joke, the first time I got him to purr, I shed a tear. He was with me for about a week when I wrote a bio for him that we put up on the website:


Meet RUDY! Rudy is a 6 month old guy who is quite shy. Don't be deterred by the nervous hiss he may give you at first, as he is incredibly loving and sweet. While not a lap cat, once he is comfortable with you he enjoys hard scratches and petting up around his head and ears, and he'll eat treats right out of your hand! He has the deepest purr and will lean in for more while kneading his paws into the ground, and when he really trusts you, he'll give you that oh so rewarding head boop (a sign of love in the cat community!). He let's you know when he's had enough by scooting away to a quiet corner. Rudy would do well in a quiet home and would be fine with other cats and calm dogs as long as he is given time to adjust. He'll do fine with older, quiet kids who will go slow around him and let him get comfortable. Rudy is in a foster home getting some extra lovin' and getting acclimated to family life. Email us at info@lowellhumanesociety.org if you'd like to schedule a time to meet this fella at the shelter (and take him home!)

Also, the shelter manager was kind enough to let me rename him (let's be honest, Spaz is a pretty crummy name!). Rudy is the name I have picked out if we ever find a male Boston Terrier to add to our family.

Well, a few days after the bio was posted the shelter got a call that someone wanted to meet him! I brought Rudy to the shelter and talked with the girl who was interested. It was going to be her first pet so she had a lot of general questions, and I helped her as best as I could. I explained how I would sit and talk to him in a quiet voice and explained about his hiss, that it was fear based and not aggression based. She told me she is a rape counselor so she knew a lot about talking softly and giving someone (in this case an animal) time. I thought it was a really good fit and then she told me that what drew her to Rudy was the bio on the website! I have to be honest, it felt so good to know that what I wrote was what made her to decide to call.

I'm happy to report that Rudy (who she will probably rename Freud, but that's ok, it's still better than Spaz) was adopted and is now living the good life in his forever home :)

xoxo

Oh Sweet Nicholas

You are growing so fast, and I'm lucky enough to be home with you and get to see how much you are learning each and every day.

Here are some of my favorite things over the past few months.

One of his new favorites is "I want a kiss" or "one more hug." He will take and give 45,000 kisses and hugs if you will let him, and I love it. He loves to laugh, dance, and be goofy. He's very cuddly with me and is getting more cuddly with Nick. He likes to kiss Nick on the nose, but only Nick, not me.

He had some pretty chapped lips a few weeks ago, and now, even though they're better, he constantly asks for his "lippy stuff." Just like when he had a runny nose he'd ask for a tissue, and now that it's all better, he still asks for it.

He'll go weeks sleeping through the night without a problem, and then spend a week waking up 2-3 times. I always take him out of the crib and cuddle with him for a few minutes, and that's all he needs to go back to bed. He leans up from laying on me, with his eyes closed, hair disheveled, a little drool, and says "I go in my crib now." And I tuck him back in and he is content (and so am I).

When we get ready for bed, or for a nap, he INSISTS that "Dexter come too." He's still learning to be gentle with Dexter, and Dexter is a saint. I know that Nicholas really really loves him and wouldn't understand if Dexter wasn't always around.

Another silly thing he says all the time when I ask "Do you want to do (such and such)? He goes: "Ooh yeah that's a good idea yup!" Along with "I'm so funny" or "I don't know!", those are just a few of my favorite sayings.

I know these may seem like little things, but I know one day I will miss them dearly.

Love my boy.

xoxo

Family Christmas Visits

I haven't had time to blog much lately, and forgot to write about when my Mom & Dad and Erik & Joe came to visit after Christmas. We had a really great and relaxing time with everyone, and Nicholas got some really wonderful gifts (as did Nick and I). Here are some pictures from the visits.

Happy 1st Birthday Alice!

Yesterday we celebrated Dan and Kingsley's daughter Alice's first birthday. It was nice and low key with just immediate family. Always good to get to relax and just breathe.