Life in the Schmitt house is about to get a whole lot more exciting...baby # 2 is on the way! We are due in March, and couldn't be more excited to give Noah a sibling! :)
Life in the Schmitt house is about to get a whole lot more exciting...baby # 2 is on the way! We are due in March, and couldn't be more excited to give Noah a sibling! :)
Today you are 20 months old! First, I have to tell you how proud I am of you for going pee on the potty for the very first time last night (and again this morning)! It may have just been luck, but it was a very exciting moment nonetheless! Recently, you've been showing an increased interest in the bathroom/potty, so Mommy and Daddy decided it was time to introduce a potty chair into our nightly routine. Much to our surprise, you really seem to enjoy sitting on your potty before bath time. We aren't quite ready to dive into serious potty training yet, so for now, we are in the pre-potty training phase aka "just having fun and getting you acquainted with the potty" :)
Hands down, the biggest developmental leap these past few months has been your ability to understand what is being said to you, along with your ability to communicate to us. You've been picking up on a few signs lately, too. Your most used signs are "more" and "all done", which have been especially beneficial during mealtime. You continue to expand on following instructions and are learning the meaning of new words every day. You now know 5 body parts (feet, head, hands, belly button & nose). You are also able to recognize and point to a variety of pictures in books when asked. You especially love reading your "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" book, and can recognize/point to all 9 animals on the last page. Perhaps the most impressive new skill you have shown us is being able to recognize all 5 characters in your favorite TV show, "Daniel Tiger". We had no idea you knew all of their names :) You have even added "Daniel" to your list of words you can say. It has been pretty amazing to watch your communication skills grow so much these past few months. You can say a handful of words, but still prefer to babble (in sentences) quite a bit. It has been quite cute listening to you "talk" to us when we ask you a question. It is very clear that you know exactly what you are saying. In time, Mommy & Daddy are looking forward to all of that adorable babble to turn into real words :)
With your newfound communication skills, it has become very clear as to what your preferences are, therefore; I thought it would be fun to update you on a few of your current favorite things:
Favorite TV show: "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood"
Favorite movie: "Cars" (Disney)
Favorite books: "Brown Bear, Brown Bear", "Little Blue Truck", "Goodnight Moon", and "Dr. Seuss's ABC". You also really love your First Words book.
Favorite toys: Die-cast cars from the movie "Cars", tractors, dump trucks, planes & fire trucks (basically anything with wheels!). You still love books, and have become more interested in completing puzzles lately, too (you can complete your 8-piece farm animal puzzle on your own now).
Favorite activities: playing outside/at the park, going for rides around the neighborhood in your blue car, riding in the shopping cart, bath time (still a big favorite of yours!), and being chased.
Favorite foods: Granola bars are the new favorite at the moment; however, you seem to be going through a growth spurt as of the last few weeks and have been eating pretty much any and everything we put in front of you. No complaints here though (especially after going through a rough picky phase just about a month ago). You are a growing boy, that's for sure! ;)
This past weekend we celebrated Easter here in PA with Grandma Schmitt. We celebrated the day with an egg hunt in the backyard, a delicious brunch at the Cheesecake Factory, and even squeezed in a trip to the playground. It was a picture perfect day with lots of sunshine, so we spent quite a bit of time playing outside together. Sometimes the simplest days are the best days :)
This past month was also filled with lots of other fun events, including a day trip to the Cleveland Zoo, your 1st egg hunt at a community Easter festival, your 1st ride on the mall train (all by yourself, I might add!), swimming lessons, and lots of park play dates with friends. We've been keeping pretty busy lately and have been spending lots of time outside enjoying the spring weather. We are looking forward to a busy summer and your second birthday in just four short months! Let the party planning begin!
Until next time, here are some of my favorite photos from the last few months.
Helping Daddy with the lawn mowing ;)
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Very excited for the 1st ice cream of the spring/summer season :)
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Cleveland Zoo
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Riding the train at the Cleveland Zoo
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1st Easter Egg hunt
Easter morning fun!
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One of my absolute favorites of all time <3
No height/weight stats this month, but you are transitioning into size 24 month clothing and into size 5 diapers.
I love you,
Mommy
Last week you turned 18 months! I feel like I blinked after your 1st birthday, and woke up to a 1.5 year old! Where have the last 6 months gone?! I'm still amazed at how fast time flies by. Since 18 months is somewhat of a milestone half birthday, I wanted to update you on what you've been up to since the start of 2014.
Daddy and I have been watching you grow into quite a big boy these last few months. You are becoming more and more coordinated as each week passes. You enjoy climbing all over the furniture (the couch seems to be your favorite piece of "jungle gym equipment"), learning how to walk up & down the stairs "like a big boy", and you have taken quite an interest in learning how to ride & "pedal" your ride-on toys. Other new favorite activities include playing basketball with Daddy (including throwing and bouncing the ball) and running around the backyard. You absolutely love exploring and playing outside! I have no doubt that this spring and summer will be filled with lots and lots of outdoor play time.
A few months ago we let you watch your first movie, "Planes", and it was an instant hit! Since then, "Cars", has also become a clear favorite of yours. Since you love these movies so much, we've started to collect various die cast cars of your favorite characters from both movies. They are clearly your favorite toys to play with!
As with many toddlers around your age, you are going through a bit of a picky eating phase right now, changing your likes and dislikes almost weekly (and sometimes even daily). At the moment, your current favorite foods are: hot dogs, smoothies (your favorite is strawberry/blueberry/banana/spinach), pancakes/waffles, and of course, you still LOVE cheese. You recently went through a stage where you hated yogurt (an old-time favorite of yours!), but now you seem to love it again. Go figure! You are always keeping Mommy and Daddy on our toes, that's for sure ;) Other new meal time developments include feeding yourself with a spoon, learning to "dip", and even learning to drink from an open mouth cup! Despite the mess that learning these new skills create, it's been fun watching you explore and learn :)
You continue to impress both Mommy and Daddy by understanding so much of what we say to you. Over the past few months, you have really started to follow simple commands by going to your highchair when we say it's time to eat, going to the gate when we say it's time for bath and/or bed, and bringing us your shoes when we say we're going outside or bye bye in the car. A few months ago you started shaking your head yes and saying "yeah" when we ask you a question, and lately it seems like you are on a "yes" kick, which we are thankful for! Almost every time we ask you a question you shake your head yes, so I can't complain about that, because just a few months back everything was "no". I have no doubt that the "no" phase will come back, but until then, I am enjoying the "yes" phase. You are almost always willing and eager to help us clean up around the house by helping Mommy push the vacuum around and picking up your toys. You have even taken a big interest in helping us throw things away in the trash can when we ask you to. Sometimes you get so excited to help that you will empty your wipes container and throw them all away ;)
In other fun news, you are up to 16 teeth now! We are almost there, buddy! Just 4 more teeth to go, then we will officially be done with teething. Hooray! Can you tell that Mommy is just a tiny bit excited to say bye bye to teething?! ;)
Well, it's a gorgeous afternoon outside today, so I'll wrap things up so we can head outside and enjoy the sunshine for a bit. Happy 18 months, baby boy! I have no doubt that the next 6 months will fly by just as quick, and we will be celebrating your second birthday faster than I can blink. In the mean time, we are anxiously awaiting the official arrival of spring, along with your 1st cousin being born in just a few weeks!
Until next time, here are some of my favorite snapshots from the last few months.
Happy New Year!
Chillin' in the foam pit at gymnastics class
Looking more like a big boy than a baby!
"Cheese" face :)
Mommy's cookie monster ;)
Happy boy with your new Cars toys!
Big smiles after a long afternoon nap :)
One of my new favorite photos of you, just playing contently :)
Enjoying the late winter "heat wave" by exploring outside & collecting leaves
Here are your latest stats:
Weight: 25 lbs, 12 oz (69th percentile)
Height: 34" (91st percentile!)
Clothing Size: Still 18 months, but we'll be transitioning into 24 months very soon
I love you,
Mommy
A year ago I had never given much thought to purchasing organic food, and I certainly had never stepped foot into a Whole Foods. Now, much of the food we purchase is organic, and grocery shopping at Whole Foods has become a weekly thing.
Our journey of choosing to "go organic" sorta happened by accident. It all started when I was researching baby food options for Noah last winter. (You can read more about finding savings on organic baby food in my post, here). After a few days of reading up on the effects of potentially toxic pesticides on growing babies, I made the decision to go organic with regards to Noah's baby food. I was confident in this decision, but still hadn't given much thought about seeking out organic food for myself.
Fast forward a few months and my husband was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. The cause of Crohn's isn't currently very well understood, but I couldn't help but wonder if all of the toxins in our food had, in some way, contributed to this disease. Surely, toxic + persistent chemicals, antibiotics, and growth hormones couldn't be helping his situation, right?! It was then that I decided to make a change to what we as a family would be putting into our mouths on a daily basis. In my opinion, there is really no downside to eating organic, so I convinced the hubby to start making the switch from conventional produce to organic. We started off slow, making the switch little by little - first focusing on fresh produce, meat, and dairy.
Here is a quick look at what organic food items our household currently purchases:
- Fruits & Vegetables (especially items from the "Dirty Dozen" list)
- Dairy (including milk, yogurt, cheese, and butter)
- Meat
- Eggs
A few tips on how to save on organic food ::
- Don't be afraid to purchase store brand versions of organic products (vs. name brands). In particular, we really like Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value.
- Look for coupons, and when combined with store sales, you may be surprised to find that many organic options can actually be cheaper than the conventional option.
- Don't forget to check out warehouse clubs, like Costco. Costco continues to add new organic options on a regular basis, and they recently added a huge organic in-store display.
- Farmers markets are always a great place to shop for organic fresh produce.
{Resources}
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
USDA's National Organic Program
Whole Foods: Reading Organic Labels
Organic Trade Association
Growing a Green Family: Unscrambling Organic Eggs
While there is still much debate over whether organic foods are actually healthier for you than their conventional counterparts, research has shown that organic dairy and grass-fed meat are in fact higher in Omega-3s. {I found this recent study regarding organic milk to be particularly interesting - Study: Organic milk contains more heart-healthy fatty acids}
One of my goals for the new year is to write more about health + wellness. I've learned so much over the past year, and it's become a huge passion of mine. I continue to learn new things on a daily basis, and my hope is to share my passion with others. I hope you'll continue reading!
Until next time...
Sumer
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