Hayden is 18 Months Old

Hard to believe that it's already been a year and a half since Hayden entered our lives. Every day he continues to amaze me and make me thank God for him.

Here are his "official" 18-month stats. I say "official" because he was so upset at the doctor's office that I'm not sure if he was still long enough to get an accurate height and weight reading.

HEIGHT: 34 inches (90th percentile)
WEIGHT: 26 lbs, 1 oz. (55th percentile)
HEAD CIRC: 19.5 in (85th percentile)

HAIR COLOR: STILL UNKNOWN!

LOVES:
Trucks, Buses, Cars, and Trains
Gears, wheels and ceiling fans (things that spin)
Books (Favorites: Hop on Pop, Go Dog Go, My First Trucks, Goodnight Moon, Runaway Bunny, Five Silly Monkeys, Thank You God, all the Sandra Boynton books, and a handful of others)
Food (Especially Broccoli, Black Beans, Veggie Booty, Edamame, Fish, Oatmeal, Blueberry Pancakes, almost all Fruits & Vegetables, Breads, Cookies/Animal Crackers, frozen bananas and grapes)
Milk
Straws
Forks
Microwaves
Baths
Brushing his teeth
Dogs - from a distance, in books, or stuffed
Bubbles
Grandma
Super Why
Elmo
Cookie Monster
Clocks
Shoes
Music
Being chased
Peek-A-Boo
Pattycake
Horsey Rides


DISLIKES:
Sharing
Getting his face washed after meals (getting better)
Real dogs barking
Loud noises (like the Power Drill or Vacuum)
Getting his diaper changed
Strangers holding him
Mashed potatoes
Cottage Cheese


LATEST ACHIEVEMENTS:
Climbing up and down stairs
Climbing on the coffee table and couch
Dancing
Spinning in circles
Somersaults (unassisted!)
Shape Sorters
Stacking descending-sized buckets into a tall dower
Eating with a spoon and fork
Drinking from a cup without assistance
Showing the number 1, 4 and 5 on his fingers
Blowing Kisses
Blowing air (like the wind)
Whistling (seriously!)
Fake Snoring sounds and laying his head on a pillow
Lots of different animal sounds: Meow, Horse's snort, Pig's snort, Moo, Baa, Naa, Lion's Roar, Cock-A-Doodle, Donkey's Hee-Haw, Monkey's OO-OO-Ah-Ah
Following simple directions (put things in garbage, bring me a book, sit down)
Using manners - Please and Thank You in sign language
Pointing to body parts when asked (nose, knee, toes, eyes, ears, hair)
Pointing to things in books when asked (like "Where's the cat?", "Where's the garbage can?", "Where's the moon?")
Sign Language: More, Please, Thank You, Milk, Bye Bye, Change (diaper), Cookie, All Done, Cold
Words: Mommy ("MumMum"), Daddy, Papa, Grandma ("Maa"), Mail Man, Hi, Bye Bye, Truck ("Tt"), Car ("dAR" - spoken like a Pirate!), Help ("Puh"), Dog ("dGO"), Boo-Boo, Ice, Brr, Juice, Ball, Uh-Oh, LaLaLa (sing!), door. Some words are a little less clear -- gears, shoes, garage, fan, table -- you would only know if you knew "his language" like Mommy and Daddy do.
Saying "Hhhh" when he sees the letter "H" or when asked, "What does the H say?"


SCHEDULE:
7:30am - Wake Up
8:00am - Breakfast
10:30am - Snack
12:15pm - Lunch
1:00pm - Nap
3:30pm - Wake Up from Nap, Snack
5:30pm - Dinner
7:00pm - Start Bedtime routine
7:30pm - Asleep for the night

He had a cold about 3 weeks ago, and the cough has been lingering. He wakes up a couple times at night and we'll give him some water and he'll go right back to sleep. We are so happy that he is a good sleeper and napper.

He's showing an interest in the toilet, and we have a Potty Seat his size, but he doesn't like to sit on it, yet. We have a couple books about going Potty and he likes those a lot, but isn't ready to sit on the potty. We are going to be patient and not push it.

I'm also happy to report that he has been doing great with all dairy products now, and drinks 6 oz of Whole Milk with each meal - 5 oz Cow's Milk, + 1 oz Goat's Milk. We have been transitioning off the Goat's Milk and he'll be 100% Cow's Milk as soon as the last of this carton of Goat's milk is gone. :) YAY!! He likes cheese, too!

Sick Day with Daddy:

All dressed up for dinner out to celebrate Auntie Nicki's 30th Birthday:

Maggiano's Dinner with Grandma Judi for Nicki's Birthday:

Daddy's hair is tickly and tastes funny:

"Hayden, let's get your shoes on!":

Aquarium Visit

This past Saturday, November 8th, was Phil's Dad's birthday (as well as my sister's 30th birthday) so all the Lott family celebrated by visiting the Seattle Aquarium. Hayden really enjoyed the Tide Pool area where you get to put your hands in the water, but threw a little tantrum when we wouldn't let him go IN the water. He seems to be having more of those lately. Phil and I have to work hard at not laughing because he's so dang cute sometimes when he throws a tantrum.



He also enjoyed the Jelly Fish. They circle around you in a glass tunnel.



We had to speed through the rest of the aquarium because he was hungry and cranky for a nap. It's hard to schedule big group outings because everyone has a different schedule. I had hoped Hayden would be more flexible. After we went home and had a good long nap, we returned to Phil's parent's house for a big Lott dinner with everyone once again. Hayden was in better spirits then, and loved playing with his older cousins, Jude and Ethan. I also gave him some of the lemon meringue birthday pie for dessert and he LOVED it! What a day!

Halloween 2008

I carved 2 pumpkins this year. An elmo with dracula fangs and the itsy bitsy spider. Hayden enjoyed taking the tops off the pumpkins and looking at the candle flickering inside. Phil roasted the pumpkin seeds for a delicious treat!


For our PEPS meeting we tried to get a group shot of all the babies in their costumes. It was meltdown city, and this is the best photo that was taken in the 10 second attempt that was filled with screaming and crying and moms trying to get a picture. Disaster.


It had been a soggy day earlier, but we lucked out and the rain held off in the evening for the trick-or-treaters. Grandma Doris and Grandpa Jim stopped by to bring Hayden a little candy bag (which Mommy and Daddy are happily eating for him) and also cousins Jude, Ethan and Greyson trick-or-treated our house.



At first, we thought we'd just stay home and pass out candy. But Hayden seemed very interested in going outside, so we threw on his costume and circled the block. He loved walking around in the dark and seeing all the other people outside at night. What a new experience! Hayden did a great job reaching into the bowls and picking up one piece of candy and even used sign language "thank you". I was surprised how much he liked it and seemed to understand what was going on. So cute.

Fall Festivities

PART 1: Jubilee Farm


So we managed to get another beautiful afternoon and even more amazingly - free time! so Hayden and I drove out to another pumpkin patch called Jubilee Farm. The nice thing about this place, as opposed to Remlinger, is that it's entirely FREE and wasn't crowded at all (although we were there about a half hour before closing on a Tuesday afternoon, so that probably had a lot to do with it.)

Hayden loved exploring around the grounds. There was a great big new John Deere tractor he circled over and over.


Then we rode the hay wagon out to the fields to pick out a pumpkin. To be honest, I didn't care much about the pumpkin, what I wanted were some nice photos of Hayden in the pumpkin patch. Unfortunately, Hayden's been super clingy to me lately, especially in strange places, and he did not like to be out of my reach out in the field. So, most of the photos I got of him are all close-up, but some turned out pretty nice. He was especially intrigued by a bright orange pumpkin flower.





One thing I didn't think through very well was how I was going to carry Hayden, huge vine clippers, AND a pumpkin back to the wagon stop. It was quite a challenge! Hayden refused to walk, and the uneven ground was covered in tall grass and vines, so it was not the best for a toddler anyway. When I did make him walk, he kept falling down.

Then when we almost made it back, I found a perfect pumpkin and thought it would be fun to have a 2nd for Daddy. What was I thinking?! We get back to the barn to pay for our pumpkins, but to get off the hay wagon with our 2 pumpkins and Hayden, I had to get Hayden off first, set him on the ground, then quickly grab the 2 pumpkins up off the wagon. I turned my back for 5 seconds and the next thing I hear is a big splash and then a wimpering yell. Hayden had bolted around to the side of the wagon (no doubt to see the wheels!) and landed in a HUGE mud puddle. It was ankle-deep mud and water, he had mud all over his legs up to his chest. Thankfully he didn't get his face in it at all, but of course his hands did as he caught his fall. The only water available to rinse him off a bit was the ice cold water for washing off pumpkins. If falling in a mud puddle wasn't bad enough, that was the tops! So I quickly paid for the pumpkins while he's wet and upset (but actually not crazy crying, just kind of whimpering), carried him back to the car (getting covered in mud myself) and changed him into the spare set of clothes from the diaper bag. OOPS. The clothes I never have needed to use, so it was a short-sleeve onesie a size too small, and lightweight pants. Note to self: stock the diaper bag with appropriate back-up clothes! So at least I got him out of the wet, muddy clothes! I got him in the car, blasted the heat, ran back for our pumpkins and got out of there!

Wow. What an adventure! I have so much appreciation for single moms. The whole day would have been so much easier with Phil there too. But you know what? Hayden is fine. And we have 2 great pumpkins. And priceless memories, even if they weren't the Kodak moments I was hoping for.

Part 2: Baby Loves Disco

On Saturday the 25th, we went to Club Heaven in Pioneer Square (a nightclub-area of Seattle) for the Baby Loves Disco Boo Bash. It was a Halloween theme so all the kids were in costume and even some parents. One family was the whole Simpson's family with really great costumes. Hayden dressed as Yoda, courtesy of Grandma Judi. I threw on a pair of cat ears last-minute to get in the spirit of things (Hayden saw me and said his high-pitched "Maw!" - SO cute!)


It was strange to be inside a nightclub with all these families. They even had the bar open if the adults wanted. The music was fun, there were fun lights, bubble machines, and musical shaker instruments for the kids. It was a really cool idea, except that the place was so PACKED. It was almost impossible to take a step without having to watch the toddlers all over banging into all the adults' knees. And at first, Hayden was just overwhelmed and clinging tightly to my neck. He loved the bubbles and shakers, and love getting up on Daddy's shoulders for a great view.



It got really hot with all the people dancing around, so his costume needed to go. There was also a side room they called "The Chill-Out Room" with pillows, books, toys, and seating areas.




Our friends Rachel and Jason with their baby Taylor also came. Taylor was dressed as a shark and Rachel was a surfer chick. It was nice to have some friends there because frankly after about 20 minutes, I would have been ready to go.


There was a nice snack spread for the kids with apple slices, cheese, and stuff, so Hayden and Taylor enjoyed munching on all that while we got a cool spot in a seating area above the dance floor. Overall, it was a fun time, but probably not worth the admission price ($12 each!).

Part 3: Green Halloween Festival

OK, so as if Baby Loves Disco wasn't enough stimulation for one day, when we got home, our neighborhood's "Green Halloween Festival" was going on just a block away at the park, so we just HAD to go check it out. Hayden was getting kind of crabby, but he enjoyed being outside. There were all kinds of festivities: Hay maze, pony rides, giant inflatable slide, bounce house, real bunnies & ginnea pigs to pet, music and popcorn (no candy at a "Green Halloween". Lame.).

Everyone we passed thought Hayden's Yoda costume was so adorable. I have to agree!





But alas, all good things must come to an end.

Remlinger Farms

On Saturday the weather was beautiful so Phil and I took Hayden to Remlinger Farms. It was the first weekend of their Fall Harvest Festival.


He did not like the lines. Since the weather was so nice and it was the first weekend of the festival, the place was packed. We almost didn't even go because admission is $15.25 per person, including any children over 1. I think that stinks that even the kiddos get charged the same price. Lines and over-priced admission were the 2 low-points of the farm. The rest was great.

When we first entered the farm, there was an old school bus and an old fire engine, full size for the kids to climb all in and out of. Hayden was in heaven!


Then we went on a pony ride. Hayden wasn't so sure about riding the horse. When I first put him on, he was fine, but once the pony started walking, he got kind of freaked out and wanted off. So I carried him for a little bit and we walked along side the pony until he got more comfortable. Then I tried putting him back on the pony and he loved it! It took us around a little trail through tall bushes, and when the ride was over, he continued rocking on the horse and making his horse noise. So cute!


The sad part is that I lost his hat somewhere on that little trail and the horse people weren't being very cooperative in letting me look for it, so the rest of the day he went without a hat. :(

After the ponies, Hayden went on this little canoe ride that he didn't seemed too thrilled with. He was just a little confused about the experience. By the time he got comfortable with it, the ride was over.


Then we went on the steam-train ride that went all around the park for about a 15 minute loop. Hayden really enjoyed that! The train blew steam and tooted the horn several times. Remlinger Farms did a nice job setting up little scenes along the train ride, almost like a Pirates of the Caribbean-type ride. At the end it went through a dark tunnel with glowing eyes on the wall and surprisingly, Hayden wasn't scared at all! Of course we talked to him, held him close, and laughed about the "scary" things so hopefully that helped.

We also did the petting zoo and met up with a family from PEPS and had lunch with them. Hayden wasn't all that interested in the petting zoo animals. He was fine to look at them, but didn't want to touch them. He did like his first cheeseburger and fries, though!

Phil took Hayden into this big hay pit for some fun jumping. Under the hay was a trampoline-type surface so it was super bouncy and all the kids in there were having so much fun rolling jumping around in all the hay.



After lunch, we waited in another long line to ride on the antique car ride. Hayden got to drive the car and thought that was very cool! By the end of the ride we could tell he'd had just about enough fun for the day. Even though it was sunny, he was very cold (especially without his hat!), it was about an hour past his nap time, and he was losing patience with long lines. So we called it quits and headed home.


There was a lot more we could have done, but didn't have the time. We missed getting a nice family photo or any shots of Hayden with the pumpkins. He really protested posing for the camera since there were so many fun things to do and explore. I don't blame him! We still need to get pumpkins, so maybe we'll go to another pumpkin patch (that's free!) to get pumpkins and photo-ops before Halloween.

September Photos

September had some amazingly beautiful days. Typical Seattle to tease us like that, but now it's October 1st, and in my book, summer is officially over.

Here are some photos from September:

Swinging at the park

Jumping in the Bounce House at our friend Aria's 4th Birthday party

Fun with a straw

Got milk?

At the lake on a sunny day

At the Puyallup Fair on a rainy day

At the Puyallup Fair, not getting to enjoy any rides because you have to be over 2 years old for EVERYTHING. :(

It's not a leash, it's a monkey backpack with a conveniently long tail... really...

Cute outfit from Brazil from Grandma Augusta.