Unscathed…(except for Mommy’s Frayed Nerves)

It was just a 5 minute stop at the Grocery to grab some nice Italian bread to go with dinner…I was whisking quickly down the dairy aisle when our little dervish, who had been chattering happily and doing his stand, sit, stand, sit routine in the big part of the cart decided to do a semi-SlowMo Superman dive over the edge of the grocery cart! Somehow, by the grace of an Angel and perhaps my cat-like reflexes (soooo kidding for anyone who really knows me) I was able to lunge around the side of the cart and grab onto his corduroy jacket mid-air…while he was completely inverted - cranium headed for the cement floor. There he was dangling upside down - with mommy having some sort of precarious half-grip on just his clothing…I somehow lowered him safely to the floor and hugged him to me while two older ladies looking on gasped to each other and covered their mouths. I’m sure they were thinking...See what happens when you let your child ride in the big part of the cart?! SEEEE YOUNG LADY??!@#$%!!. I felt like telling them “Its because he screams like a jailed Ban Chi if I put him in the front part of the cart!”
Well Tanner had startled himself so badly that he let out this little whimper like he was about to cry - and then realized that he was just fine and proceeded on with his acrobatics. That’s when mommy strapped him into the front part of the cart, despite his ear-piercing protests…Disaster averted but warning heard…Mothers of strong-willed children take heed – it isn’t worth it! Let ‘em scream…

Sleep Update

Someone asked me recently how Tanner was sleeping these days and I realized maybe I haven't given this topic fair air time recently...maybe I was afraid to jinx it...or maybe its just that when things go well, we have a tendency to forget to talk about it! Tanner has been sleeping great for a little over 2 months now! I find that I'm finally allowing myself to believe that it's going to stay this way and isn't temporary (hopefully?)...He goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:30 and sleeps until 6:30 - 7:00am. Its glorious. He gets up for unknown reasons maybe once or twice a week - but its usually brief and he goes right back to sleep. He's always been great at going to bed. He has his bath, jammies, bottle and binkies (at least 2), books and then we do "night night light"...He usually winds himself down in his crib for anywhere from 10-20 minutes - he doesn't fuss, just putts around rolling this way and that, talking to himself and getting comfortable...
It took 14+ months, but we are finally able to lay our heads down at night feeling like we can COUNT on a good night's sleep. Glory Be.

Should have taken down the mobile sooner...

How was I to know what would happen! About a week or two ago Tanner became unusually fascinated with the mobile above his crib. He wanted me to wind it up every night and he'd bob his head side to side to the music...It became part of our bedtime routine and was quite cute. Well this afternoon he decided to boycot his nap and raise cain in his crib instead. He was talking happily to himself and just hanging out so I came downstairs and had the monitor on. About 15 minutes later he still wasn't asleep and I wondered what was keeping his attention so well that he wasnt fussing. Then I heard it. A great big SNAP! sound. I looked at the monitor and saw that he was sitting happily in his crib playing with a pile of plastic and fabric pieces and parts. I went up and sure enough he had managed to reach up and grab it - pulled so hard that he broke it off at the base. Part of it was still attached to the crib! A nice clean break in the plastic. Good and broke. I found it hilarious. I told him to put it back and the sweet little boy that he is, he tried. Then I told him it was a "hat" and well, see for yourself:

I don't know what happened, mom...

Kind of a strange hat...


I can't get it to go back on, mom...

Tools and Misc...

My sweet boy...

Goofin' around...

While waiting for the snowstorm, we took Tanner's new sled out of the package and inflated it. It was sitting in the living room and next thing we knew he was using it as a tanner-sized couch!Notice Theo relaxing in Tanner's recliner! I had to take the picture...

Rob got a gift certificate to Home Depot for Christmas (Thanks Barrett & Amy!) and we made the trip down on Saturday to pick out a new drill...(perfect timing, btw, since our old one just died over the summer!) Dada was checking out his new set and naturally Tanner had to get in on it.

We knew Tanner was smart but come on!!! Seriously...I found Rob building this castle with Tanner's new Melissa and Doug blocks (again, thanks Uncle Barrett & Aunt Amy) during one of Tanner's naps...it took Rob about 10 minutes to build and Tanner destroyed it instantly upon discovering it...

:)

Tanner has been walking up to us and saying "poop" for about a week now. Not every time, but several times he's taken the initiative to let us know! I find it so interesting that he does this because the last thing on earth he wants it to get changed! Still, I'm thrilled that he's aware of the event. Today he started saying "poop" about 20 minutes before it actually happened. I thought, "there's no poop the little fibber, as I kept checking his pants. Sure enough, there it was 20 minutes later! The other night he pooped in the tub (just after it had drained, thankfully) and I scooped it up with TP and tossed it in the toilet. He watched the whole thing and I talked to him all about how we poop on the toilet then flush, etc etc...I told him "Bye Bye Poop" as it went down the flush...He was very fascinated by the whole demonstration. And for the next half hour he walked around saying "buh bye boop" over and over...Anyway, that's way more than anyone wanted to know on that subject, I'm sure...

Snow!!!!

When we asked Tanner if he wanted to get his boots on to go out in the snow, he dragged my rain boots over. So just for fun, I put them on him...it was hilarious. They were nearly up to his hips. He tried to walk in them but that didn't go so well.

He was mesmerized by the big fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky...he kept saying "ooooooo..."

Fun on the Kinder Boggon - round and round the back yard...

Theo loved chasing the sleds...he has as much fun as any of us...

Tanner's first snowman...which melted and fell over later that afternoon. It was nearly 45 degrees!


Tanner didn't want to keep his mittens on...I bought him those "L-Bow Mittens" that have a thin sheath attached to the mitten that goes all the way up the arm...they stay on great but he was having a fit about it so I finally took them off. But he really wasn't happy about that either. I think he realized how cold it was without them! So today when he and Rob went out he kept them on...and it went so much better! Tanner just LOVES it out in the snow. He cries when we come back in no matter how long he stays out. Today they were out over an hour - using two different sleds and traipsing all over the property - even next door to visit Christina, who was out playing also...Rob had Tanner on his back on one of the sleds...going down a small hill in the back yard...Rob would give him a great big shove to get started and Tanner would go sailing down the hill all by himself, head-first, lying on his back, looking up at the snow falling...laughing all the way...This child really loves a thrill...Oh boy.