Toby: 17 & 18 Months!

I decided to start doing an update every other month as I’ve just been so late in getting these done.  Besides, he isn’t having a ton of firsts/milestones every few weeks like he was previously and I felt I was recording a lot of the same stuff each month! 

So the past couple months…he is saying more words and definitely babbling a ton.  I can see he understands much more now.  Like we will ask “can you get your shoes?” and he’ll go right over to the boot mat and pick out a pair of his, one shoe at a time(usually the red ones).  We’ve been dealing with the hats/coat/mittens routine, so he knows where to get his hat and understands how to help put his arms in his coat.  He knows some of his toys by name now.  When I ask “are you ready for lunch”, he will go right to the fridge since he knows we start with yogurt first.  He also understands the words “snack, puffs, Goldfish, pouch”.  When I say “Let’s go upstairs and read stories”, he knows it’s nap time and will go over to the gate and wait for me to pick him up.  The cutest thing he’s done lately is starting to recognize body parts and pointing out certain things.  Asking “Toby, where is your belly button?” will result in him lifting up his shirt and pointing to his belly button while giving the biggest grin.  He also knows where his eyes are, and I’ve been trying to work on nose and ears with him.

Temper tantrums have been in full force the past few weeks and are tiring Momma out big time.  It’s usually due to him being hungry or getting mad when I take something away that he was playing with.  We had a little break from the teeth but I think more may be coming in again…runny nose is back along with restless nights and needing us to go in to comfort him. 

Weight: 23.2 pounds (the nurse let him get weighed on the big kid scale since he REFUSED to sit down on the baby one)

Height: a little over 32 inches (let’s just say he was wiggling around so much that it wasn’t very accurate)

Medical Issues: Had a tummy bug the day before Thanksgiving.  At first we thought he just coughed too much overnight as he woke up with puke in his crib.  But then he barely wanted anything for breakfast and did end up throwing up the little amount of bagel and applesauce he actually ate.  It was weird since he seemed okay the rest of the day, though – no fever or any other symptoms.  The next day on Thanksgiving we started giving more bland food and he kept everything down so I gave him half a yogurt for lunch.  He had the other half and a pouch later that afternoon, but I guess they were too much for him and while we were all eating dinner, he wanted out of his high chair and then ended up puking in Hubby’s lap.  Great holiday story to remember!  He then proceeded to share the bug with Hubby and me that night and then to Auntie, Grandma, and Grammy over the next couple days.  I hadn’t had a stomach bug in almost 10 years and it was AWFUL…ugh little kids and the germs!!!  Other than that, his doctor said all his teeth are in, so he may already be working on his two year old molars.  His skin has only flared up a few times – it’s much better compared to last winter.

Sleep: Basically the same schedule – wakeup around 6:30am, nap from 12:45-2ish (for a few weeks he was sleeping until 3pm and it was AMAZING!  But the past week he’s been waking up at 2…sigh), then asleep for the night by 7:30pm.  There have been a few nights where he’s needed one of us to go in after crying for 10 minutes.  He tends to prefer Daddy being the shoulder to lay on.

Clothes/Diapers: All over the place for clothes right now – some 12-18 month sizes fit (mostly just pants) but he is quickly jumping into 2T stuff for shirts and hooded sweatshirts.  Even 18-24 month stuff is not long enough to cover his belly!  His pants all fit under his belly, though, so he will probably be in 18 month pants for at least a few more months.  Still in 4’s for diapers, we will move up to 5’s for overnights once our current box runs out.

Diet: Not being as picky – he still doesn’t like chicken and green veggies, but he’s gotten better with trying other things.  Last week I tried giving him breaded chicken dipped in ketchup, then with BBQ sauce, then with applesauce and he wanted none of those variations.  He wants nothing to do with broccoli or peas, but loves carrots and sweet potatoes.  I was able to sneak some broccoli on pizza recently since we ran out of diced peppers for our usual topping.  He ate a decent amount before he started to spit the broccoli back out.  Normally he hates pasta but I cut up spaghetti into small pieces last week and he had some with turkey meatballs and loved it.  He loves apples (“aaattle”), bananas, bagels w/cream cheese, oatmeal with blueberries, ground turkey w/taco seasoning, steak, hamburgers, cheese, cheese, and more cheese.  He is starting to use a spoon to eat yogurt…so messy.  We started putting his food on a plate instead of just on his tray and he’s doing well with not throwing the plate off, so hopefully this is good training for when we go out to eat.

Likes: Helping to clean up (most of the time), reading,  watching Super Why (gets so excited for super letters to show up), being chased around the house and playing hide and seek (he will want you to hide), listening to music on the TV radio station (we listen to Pop Hits).  Likes anything to do with alphabet letters.  His new obsession has been to take a few items, place them in one spot in a room one by one, and then move them to a different spot one by one.  He will repeat this for a good ten minutes and entertain himself.

Dislikes: Getting lotion applied.  Having his diaper changed. Having things taken away from him.  Having the bathroom door shut.

Milestones: Saying more letters in the alphabet when I sing – he will now say “L” and “O” when I stop and wait for him.  Can point to his belly button, head, and eyes when asked where they are.  Starting to use a spoon more on his own.  Saying about 10-15 words consistently now, he has repeated a handful of other words once or twice. 

Things I don’t want to forget: How sometimes he will touch my mouth until I open up to show him my teeth – he loves touching them but it grosses me out.  How he will reach down and start undoing the velcro straps when I ask him to take his shoes off when we get home.  How he does more Yoga moves and songs at him now – he flaps his arms when I sing “Fannie the bird”. How he sometimes jumps up and down in one spot (his feet don’t leave the ground) to certain songs.  How hard he laughs when we bring out the laser to let the kitties chase.  He will run all around with them and laugh his butt off when they jump up to grab it on the walls.  How he will listen to me sing “Jingle Bells” and then say “Oohh” when I start on the verse “Oh, what fun…”.  How he will still rest his head on my shoulder after we read stories before I lay him down for a nap.  I only rock him a minute or two, but I savor every second.

Popsicle Invitations

Well I worked on these invitations back in April and I’m just getting around to posting a how-to now.  Since Toby wasn’t obsessed with anything in particular and I still wanted to do some kind of theme, I decided on something that was fun, colorful, and easy to put together.  Since he has a summer birthday, we hosted a summer picnic/BBQ using the classic gingham design, some polka-dots, and lots of primary colors.  When I was searching for birthday picnic ideas on Pinterest, the Teddy Bear Picnic theme came up a lot, but I strayed away from that as it seemed a little too feminine.

I saw a picture of popsicle invitations and fell in love – I knew it would be perfect to set the picnic theme.  They took some time to cut, punch, and actually put together but it was worth it, as they came out pretty cute.  Unfortunately the downside to these invitations was that the post office really took a beating on the envelopes – the popsicle sticks must have gotten stuck in the machines causing some of the invitations to get a little crumpled.  So if you decide to make something similar, I recommend passing these out in person rather than mailing, or talking to the post office about the most cost-effective way to get them out without being crushed. 

I printed the invitations on 5x7 white cardstock cards (pre-cut).  For each invitation, I took an invitation card for the front and then used a scrapbook paper piece for the back.  I put the cards together like a sandwich and only put a glue dot in the top two corners to start.  However, for the top right corner I needed to make sure that it was placed low enough so I wouldn’t punch it out (see below photo).  I rounded the top left and bottom corners and used the 2” punch for the top right corner.

I then separated the two paper pieces slightly so I could place the popsicle stick in the middle and centered on the back piece.  I then put a glue dot on top of the stick and also on the two bottom corners of the back piece.  Then I carefully laid the top invitation piece and smoothed everything so the glue dots stuck.

Once I had these steps down, it wasn’t too difficult to make the rest.  Here’s what they looked like after they were done.  I loved that polka dot paper so much!

What Toby Really Wants for Christmas

I stumbled upon this hilarious blog post earlier today and had to share on Facebook just because of how true it is.  You can see the original post here.  Here’s Toby’s spin on the wishlist (but I’m sure he would want everything on the original, as well):

Dear Santa,

My Mommy comes up with a wishlist for me each year, but let’s be honest, she doesn’t know what I really want.  Flash cards?  I will crumple them in about three minutes or as soon as she turns her back.  Plastic food?  Why is it plastic?  Please give me real food to play with!  Here are some other ideas for you:

1. The remote

More specifically the one with the touch screen that I know Mommy and Daddy do not want me to have.  They seem to be okay with me playing with the other remotes so why can’t I put my greasy little hands all over this one?  

2. The bathroom door to be taken off the hinges

I despise the bathroom door being shut more than anything else.  What are they doing in there?!  Why can’t I come in the tiny room, too?!  I’m not sure what this room’s purpose is for yet, other than it’s fun to open and close that white seat and rip the soft paper into tiny shreds.  I want in this room, and I want in NOW.  I demand the door be taken off, this will save everyone in our house many tears.

3. The Swiffer

I love swinging this thing all around the house!  The long stick makes great banging noises on the walls and Mommy says I’ve been pretty close to breaking a few picture frames, but I’m not sure why that’s bad.  Mommy’s not a fan of me playing with this, but I will throw the biggest tantrum ever if she puts it away.  Cue big crocodile tears NOW.  Please give me one of my own that I can access any time I wish.

4. A couch

I’ve been put in something called “Time-Out” a few times for running all over the couch and it’s not fun.  Don’t they get that I need something to climb on like in my gym class?  Mommy always says “this isn’t Gymboree, Toby!”, but I want it to be Gymboree ALL THE TIME.  I would like a couch in my room, please, as the spare bed in there just won’t do.

5. Ellie’s Whiskers

The gray kitty is not a fan of me, I guess, and she really doesn’t like when I try to touch the funny white things coming out of her cheeks.  I’d like a few of my own so I can actually touch them for more than just a second before she runs away.  I will keep them in a wipes box for safe keeping.

6. What Mommy Drinks in the Morning

She always tells me she’s making “coffee” but I have no idea what this is.  All I know is that it’s “HOT, NO TOUCH, HOT!”.  I would like to try this drink because milk is getting a little boring.  Please also provide me with some mugs of my own.

7. Fissssh

Also known as Goldfish Crackers.  I love Fissssh, please make sure my Mommy has plenty of snack packs in the cabinet at all times.  And tell her I don’t want to share anymore.

8. More lotion containers

I’d like a few new containers as I enjoy taking them out of the baskets my Mommy carefully organizes and placing them in random spots all over my room (and my parents’ room).  Bonus points if the tops are easy for me to take off on my own before Mommy realizes what I’m attempting to do.

9. Extra wipes boxes

You can never have too many of these! 

ROAR! Halloween Recap

While I love looking through everyone’s Facebook and blog photos of their happy, smiley kids on Halloween, I do have to admit I’m a bit jealous.  Just keeping it real here…our Halloween was not so fun.  We’ve learned that Toby does not do well being away from home after dinner at someone else’s house.  He gets too cranky too fast and makes everyone stressed and miserable.  It’s tough because it would be nice going out to see friends more instead of asking people to come over our house, but I guess we need to wait until he’s older.  So many pros and cons to having a kid on a schedule, but he is very used to the routine.

Earlier in the evening, I got Toby in his costume, we waited for Daddy to get to our friend’s house, and then headed out down the street to start Trick or Treating. This was our first year going out since last year Toby was only a few months old.  I was hoping he’d be excited to see all the big kids and run after them, but nope, he demanded to be held by Daddy the whole time.  We made it to the first house, rang the doorbell, and a sweet older lady opened the door.  She was about to give Toby a Kit-Kat bar, but he burrowed his head into Daddy’s shoulder, refusing to look back at her OR take the damn candy. We decided after that experience it wasn’t worth going to any other houses and we headed back.  Let’s hope next year is more fun!

Toby: 16 Months!

Better late than never!  I actually took pictures on the 17th but he was refusing to sit in the chair for more than 3 seconds with the lion so there’s not many.

Getting closer and closer to the year and a half mark, which just sounds so OLD!  This past month has brought a lot of new things in respect to Toby understanding more and more of what we do each day.  He can do a few yoga moves at home, which proved to me he does actually pay attention in class even when I think he’s not.  He can do “downward dog” on demand and also knows what “silly silly spins” and “moon toe” are.  He also knows certain books by title so if I ask him to bring me What Do They Say?, he brings the correct story over to read.  I show him the three stories I am picking out to read before naptime and he smiles when he sees certain covers.  Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom, Little Blue Truck, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar are some of his favs.

I’m getting a little better with understanding what he says, or maybe he’s just saying more lately.  When we sing the “ABC” song and stop after G, he will say “H, I” and sometimes even “J”.  He says “ca, ca, ca” for cat and something like “daaa” for dog.  I’ve also heard him say “ball” but not consistently.  We’ve also heard him say “yes”, “wa-wa” (water), “chan” (diaper change), and “shuuu” (shoes).  He now also roars on command which is freaking hilarious.

This month has also brought more teeth..oh, the dreaded molars.  Constant runny nose, lots of temper tantrums when things don’t go his way, and a few rough nights of sleep are a result of those monsters trying to get through.  All I can say is that we are so spoiled with a normally good sleeper because just one tough night did all of us in.  We (including the cats) all took a nap at the same time after swim lessons on a Saturday to catch up.

Weight: Well, he picked up the scale and then dropped it and stepped on to weigh himself and it said 22.8 pounds, but he was in full clothes and probably had a wet diaper.

Height: Probably still around 32 inches.

Medical Issues: Teething big-time.

Sleep: Wakes up by 6:30AM, goes down for a nap between 12:15-12:30pm, usually naps for 1.5-2 hours, then is in the crib for bed by 7:30pm.  Had a couple rough nights this past month due to the teeth.  Needed a lot of stories read, lots of cuddles, and basically refused to be put back into the crib until 2am. Tylenol sometimes works, but it’s not a guarantee.  We also tried teething tablets but I don’t think they did much for him.

Clothes/Diapers: Wearing 12-18 month outfits from Carters, 12-18 month two piece pj’s from Target’s Carter’s line, 18 month shirts and jeans from Kohl’s Jumpin Beans line, 12-18 pants and 18-24 month shirts from Old Navy.  Some of his 18 month pants are still too big in the waist for him to wear. 5’s for shoes. 4’s for diapers.

Diet: Still being very, very picky. Things he will actually eat lately include: bagel w/cream cheese, waffles, bananas, oatmeal w/blueberries, deli cheese, pureed carrots (refuses steamed), ground turkey (most of the time), yogurt, veggie stick puffs, homemade baked sweet potato fries, Goldfish crackers, grilled cheese, applesauce, pears, plums, homemade pizza w/diced peppers, steak, Annie’s White Cheddar Mac & Cheese (as long as I don’t sneak in peas or corn).  Sometimes he will eat a burger if we’re lucky. Some days he likes hummus with pita, other days he refuses. Hates chicken, soup, tortellini, raviolis, broccoli, peas and most other veggies.

Likes: Helping to put things away if I ask him (most of the time it works if I get his attention and show him what I want to be cleaned up).  Sweeping, swiffering, vacuuming.  Reading (has favorites now that he wants to read over and over and over again). Throwing a ball and then chasing it.  Super Why and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.  Standing up the entire time while taking a bath.  Playing outside.  Climbing at the park.  Running to the fence to check out the trailers and big wheels on some of the recreation department trucks at the park.  Anything with wheels.  Listening to the ABC song and saying “H, I”.

Dislikes: When his mind is set on doing something and you don’t let him, watch out…ear-piercing scream at the top of his lungs will follow immediately.  And then if you put him on the ground, he’ll usually go for the nearest thing and throw it in frustration. Definitely has a temper and little patience, but I suppose that’s normal watching other kids in his classes.  I say “count to three, 1…2…3” and repeat that a few times and it usually distracts him long enough while we’re out in public.

Milestones: Saying a few other words, still waiting for a big verbal explosion. Knows what “clean up” means.

Things I Don’t Want to Forget: When we are reading stories before naptime, I will finish a book and then he’ll push it away to let me know we’re officially done with that one and it’s time to move onto another story.  How he will run across the room and jump into my lap when we are doing certain poses or exercises in yoga…he definitely has some favorites that he won’t miss out on.  How he gets SO excited when he hears the key turn in the lock after dinner…DADDY’S HOME!  How he tries to pick up Maggie now…let’s just say she’s had a rough few weeks with him and is a trooper (though you would think she’d get smart like Ellie and just run away upstairs).  How silly he is!  He giggles at the most random stuff.  We have the best tickle fights now :)

Apple Picking!

This year’s apple picking was a whole lot more fun compared to last year, that’s for sure!  Last year Toby was half whining/half snoozing in the Ergo attached to me; this year he was running up and down the aisles with an apple in his hand the entire time.  He enjoyed throwing some of them, too, but luckily his aim is still low to the ground and he didn’t hit anyone.  He took quite a few tumbles because of all the ditches in the rows but he got the hang of it eventually.  Towards the end we also checked out the pumpkin patch, but we decided to wait a few more weeks until we take home a pumpkin.

Best part about apple picking this year was that Hubby made apple crisp twice…I didn’t even have to peel any apples!

Toby: 15 Months!

This update is more than 10 days late but that’s not a huge shocker.  I feel like I can’t catch up with anything lately, mostly because of the colds we’ve been battling in this house.  Two colds in less than three weeks is a bummer, but at least Toby handles them well.  You would never know he was sick except for his runny nose.  The first time I thought he was just teething but then I had a sore throat the next day and knew we both coming down with something.  I’m not really surprised we’ve been sick considering we’ve been going to Gymboree, yoga, swim lessons, and playdates. Yay germs!

Yoga was a last minute addition to our fall schedule but the instructor was offering a good discount so I figured why not.  He’s been pretty shy for the first half hour of class and then slowly warms up so I think this is good for him to experience another atmosphere with other adults and kids. I’ve noticed he checks other kids out a little more than he used to, but he would still rather do his own thing. Gymboree is going really well – he loves his teacher, always stops when she starts to sign a song and stares at her like he’s trying to understand every word.  He is also clapping his hands a lot more since they do that so much in gym.  The only downside about Gymboree is that he has learned to climb over and onto EVERYTHING. The chairs, ottoman, coffee table are all fair game in our house, and he can climb onto the sofa if he uses your legs for support. I’d be fine with the climbing if he wasn’t so insistent about standing and jumping on everything…

Other major difference this month is the pickiness with food phase has started.  He still eats breakfast and lunch well (minus lunch meat), but he is usually refusing what we make for dinner a good four or five nights a week.  He wouldn’t even eat Annie’s Mac & Cheese the other night because I tried to be sneaky and added in some peas.  Sigh.  I’m going to have to be creative with having more healthy snacks on hand because if he refuses to eat dinner then I have nothing else to give him!

Weight: 22.5 pounds – only gained a few ounces from his 12 month appointment.  The nurse seemed to be worried about it but his doctor said it’s totally fine and wasn’t concerned.  Go figure.  Somewhere between 25th-50th percentile…can’t remember what the papers said.

Height: 32 inches tall. Another reason why he didn’t gain much weight is because he grew two inches in three months. (I have a feeling she may have measured him a little too tall, though). Anyways he’s back up to the 70th-something percentile for height.

Medical issues: Two colds this past month, definitely getting molars in (doctor said they’re ready to break through any day). Eczema is okay.

Sleep: Schedule is usually wake up around 6:30am, nap from 11:45-1:30ish, in the crib for bed by 7:15 or 7:30.  Last week he napped for THREE hours and I couldn’t believe it – but now looking back at it, I think that’s when he was coming down with the second cold. Usually he averages 1.5-2 hours for a nap.

Clothes/Diapers: He totally wore a pair of 12 month pants that fit the other day and the jeans he’s wearing in these pics are 12 months but Circo stuff always fits him strange…he has such a skinny waist. But most of his other outfits are 18 months now.  I bought a ton of fall/winter stuff on Old Navy since they had a good sale and all the shirts are 18-24 months since their stuff tends to run a little small on him.  He’s wearing one of the shirts in these recap photos and it’s not too roomy.  I’ve noticed he has a longer torso (with a belly) and shorter legs, so he fills things out quicker on top than the bottom.  Still in 4’s for diapers, has moved up to 5’s in shoes.

Diet: UGH. That’s all I can say. Latest things he’s been refusing are chicken, ground turkey, deli meats, most vegetables, soup, bread w/butter, and oatmeal.  Hubby made pot roast in the slow cooker yesterday and he ate 5 bites of potatoes and refused to eat anything else.  So dinner has been very hard. He ate a few pieces of a hamburger the other day which was a miracle.  He is, however, a huge fan of Goldfish now.  We share a snack pack when he eats yogurt before taking his nap.  He still loves most fruits, especially when you peel the skin off of something and let him take bites, like from an apple, peach, or plum.  Also loves milk – we try to keep him to 2 cups total each day but he would easily drink more.

Milestones/Firsts: Says “ca” for “cat”. Can say “cheese”, “all done”, and “keys”.   When I say “A, B, C”, he will repeat “aaa” for “A”.  Other than that we haven’t heard much or at least much that’s understandable.  His doctor keeps saying that since he was walking early this is normal and he’ll probably only add a few more words by the time he turns 18 months.  Other big milestone has been the climbing this month.  First time staying away overnight from both Mommy & Daddy (we went to a wedding and Grandma and Grandpa came up to watch him).

Likes: Helping shut doors. Playing outside with his Cozy Coupe (or just playing outside in general). Reading. Watching Super Why and the intro song for Daniel Tiger.  Dogs (smiles so big and giggles whenever he sees one in person)!  Running around with bigger kids at playdates. Pushing things. Playing with blankets and pillows. Chasing after Daddy when he gets home from work.

Dislikes: Going upstairs to take a nap (but then he’s fine once we start reading a few stories). Being shut out of the bathroom (“privacy, please!” “just one minute!”).  Being put in his highchair for dinner. 

Things I don’t want to forget: How he is so proud of himself every time he climbs onto the living room chair and sits down.  Then he stands up and waits for us to say “no standing” and starts jumping.  How fast he flips through pages in a book when he’s reading by himself.  How he loves sitting in my lap, even if we’re not reading. How he pushes the cars and trains on the floor around now, just like a big boy.  How he tries to hide from strangers by covering his eyes or slumping over completely in the shopping cart.

20 Things That Change

Found this on a parenting website and loved it…thought I would share for any momma’s who still read my rarely updated blog :)

…

Everyone warns you that having a baby will change your life. Sure, you'll have less money (and sleep), and a lot more responsibility. But when the centre of your universe shifts to your baby, there's much to celebrate too.

You discover an inner strength you never realized you had.

You accept that the last 15 pregnancy pounds you can't seem to shift are absolutely worth it.

You don't need a clock any more - your baby now sets your daily schedule.

You respect and love your own parents in a new way.

Any pain your baby suffers feels much worse than your own.

You don't mind going to bed at 9pm on a Friday night.

Your heart breaks much more easily.

You discover how much there is to say about one little baby tooth.

You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.

You're no longer disgusted by babies' bodily functions - in fact, you're fascinated by them (hooray, a poo!).

The sacrifices you thought you'd made to have a baby no longer seem that big a deal.

You respect your body ... finally.

You realize that a baby's blankie has magical powers!

You give parents with a screaming baby an "I-know-the-feeling" look, instead of a "Can't-they-shut-him-up?" one.

You make time for one more baby hug and kiss, even if it means you'll be late.

You realize that it's possible to love a complete stranger.

You learn that taking a shower is a luxury, never mind a trip to the hair salon.

You finally get to speak to the shy neighbour in your street, because you've got a baby in your arms.

You find that things that once seemed important are now meaningless.

Every day is a surprise.

Currently

Laughing at…Toby waving his arms back and forth really fast when he’s done eating.  And sometimes he’ll shout out “Whoa, Whoa, Whoa” when doing it.

Amused by…Toby’s new fascination with stealing things from the fridge and running away with them.  For instance, yesterday he thought it was hilarious to take the milk jug out and run off with it.  And today he managed to snatch a container of hummus and sneak away into the living room.  By the time I realized he grabbed something, he figured out how to take off the lid and smeared globs of hummus on the floor.  I was freaking out and laughing my ass off at the same time.  And he was SO mad at me when I took the hummus back and made him wash off his hands.

Struggling with…change.  Hubby has a new job which means longer commute which means lot of adjusting for me and Toby.  And the solution is not me going back to work, like oh so many people have suggested. 

Loving…fall is on its way!  I remember last year feeling very sad with summer ending and how I wasn’t ready for the seasonal change.  But this year I am all about autumn – bring on the pumpkin goodness!

Grateful for…my Scentsy business is really taking off and I’m pretty proud of my hard work :)  Being my own boss has pushed me to branch out and be creative in all aspects of the business.

Working on…getting Toby to say more words.  I’ve given up on him ever saying Mama but I will take anything else at this point as he’s just not very consistent with saying things.

Wishing…we were back in Maine still on vacation.  This year’s week away at the beach was so different compared to last year, but in a good way!  It was a lot of fun watching Toby “jump” in the waves for the first time, splash in the wet sand puddles, scoop up sand in his toys, and chase after dogs on their after-dinner night walks on the beach.  He couldn’t get enough of the ocean – one day we had to pull him out since his feet were blue and he threw a fit the whole way back up to our spot on the beach.  I think he would have gone completely under the water if we let him!