Juicy Booty

Look at this kid!! I'm going to get crap from him someday when he's 13 for posting this to the world - but I. Mean. Really? Doesn't get much cuter...

This is little chunky-buns' new favorite thing after his bath. He stands at the rocking chair and rocks it - smiling and laughing and refusing to get dressed or allow us to brush his hair. So this is a nightly ritual.
However - last night - the chair was converted into a urinal.
(You do the math).

Time for Fall

This means a whole new season of HATS!!
(If you know me at ALL you know this thrills me).

I found several handmade hats on etsy that I'm going to have to get for D...or at least one. Here's the newest Autumn hat I decided on for him...I love Nightmare Before Christmas!

Costumes - Act II

Seriously - I'm going to have to get/make D like 300 costumes. I can't decide. I wanted to make one for him - but I have a bunch of other projects in the works for his first b-day so Grandma Susie has graciously offered to buy one for him.
NOW, WHICH ONE?!?!

I looked back at my old blog of costumes (from August if you want to look back too). I love so many from there - but of course have found some more:






VOTE AGAIN

Bathroom Confessional

Okay this proves that we have a VERY tiny bathroom and we're all three in it...

However - welcome to the world of clapping D. Sometimes he gets going so much when he's clapping that he slaps himself in the face.
Here's a current routine for him...doing something he finds really fun, then sitting down and applauding his own efforts...

Rumpus Time!!

Spike Jonze co-wrote and directed this upcoming movie based on another of my favorite stories of all time...should be AMAZING...I'm so excited!

Eco Toys for D

Since day one of baby D...and even day one of Boogie in the womb - I wanted to go the most eco-friendly and organic route possible. Obviously within reason - but I'd say we have done great at keeping unnecessary chemicals at bay.
From pure rubber pacifiers to cloth diapers to organic linens to wooden/natural toys and the purest bottles possible. I have been supported by most for my decisions - however I've gotten disbelieving/skeptical comments from a few about my decisions from others. Either way, I feel good about how things have gone...and I'm entering a whole new realm now with my nearly-one-year-old!

D's graduating to a whole new set of interests which are slowly outgrowing his old toys. He does have a few things he's grown into - including a great wooden puzzle, wooden stacking rings, and new nesting blocks. I am, however, excited about his upcoming birthday and Christmas season - for the new toys that will come his way. He's SO amazing to watch with toys, food, ANYTHING these days. His mind is constantly going, and so is HE!
I've succeeded in finding a whole new set of eco-friendly and natural/safe toys that I am officially filing in my mind (and on this blog) as must-haves for his next phase. I can already tell he'd love the following:

Solid Drum from Plan Toys


EverEarth Ramp Racer

Little Sapling Toys Wooden Car, Bridge & Tunnel Set

Kettler Go-Green Trike w/ Handle

Plan Toys Sorting Bus

Sevi Xylophone Eco-Friendly

AND MANY MORE TO COME (that I don't have time to look up photos of and post right now)!
Not only do I LOVE that these are all eco-friendly and toxin free, but something in me just LOVES wooden toys. I think it's the same part of me that loves vintage items, old houses, antiques, etc. There's something that's so simple and pure about wooden toys that I love, and they seem so sustainable and hearty.
Whew - I better just stop looking and start making some money so I can buy some of this! :)

Photo Update

I realized I haven't posted pics of the boy in a while...and he's had a busy few weekends. So here are a few recent cute shots...

First boat ride with Grandma Susie:

Topless meal at the lake:

Making faces with Momma:

Playing under the high chair:


Toying around in the 'garden' at cousin Amelia's:

InfantSEE

No, I'm not clever enough to have come up with the title for this blog myself. InfantSEE is actually the name of a government program.
Here's the rub: InfantSEE®, a public health program, managed by Optometry's CharityTM - The AOA Foundation, is designed to ensure that eye and vision care becomes an integral part of infant wellness care to improve a child's quality of life. Under this program, AOA optometrists provide a comprehensive eye and vision assessments for infants within the first year of life regardless of a family's income or access to insurance coverage.

This program ensures that babies get their eyes checked along with the rest of their little bodies in their first year of life. If you think about it - unless your pediatrician referred you to a pediatric eye doctor - most people do not take their children in unless they notice a problem, or until their kid heads off to Kindergarten. With eye-related issues, it appears early-detection is the best, and risk factors can be identified in children as young as six months. So - I think this is great!

I had all but forgotten that I knew about this program. I had read about it in a magazine a long time ago and meant to cut out the blurb (I cut things out that I see in magazines so I don't forget about them). However - this program slipped my mind until recently, and now I have to rush as D is going to be ONE YEAR OLD in just a month and a half!! :(

I looked up providers in my area on the website and will call to make him an appointment. I encourage any of you that have a baby younger than one year to take advantage. It may seem ridiculous I guess - but a free comprehensive eye exam to just "check" is okay in my book!

Halloweenie

All that voting - and I HAVEN'T PICKED A COSTUME.

I took the results down - but the winner was a tie between the Monkey and the Elephant.
2nd went to a three-way tie between the Garden Knome, Turtle and Shrek.

I can't pick! Too bad folks. I'll keep you posted on what we decide - if any of the originals.

I realized that I need to be focusing on the 1st B-day Party that happens before Halloween...yipes...decisions, decisions.

Gettin Schooled

Has anyone seen the new show on MTV "Get Schooled"?

YEAH. I don't see much live TV anymore - everything is on DVR and it takes me forever to get to it. I did, however, catch most of this new show by accident this evening.

This show is a reality show - following a few people per episode and their amazing "livin' the dream" jobs that they got through sticking with their education. The three people I saw: a girl that works for LeBron James in marketing, a guy that is Kelly Clarkson's music director, and a girl that is a speechwriter for President Obama. I only saw the beginning but they were all saying - I stuck with school and now I'm doing my dream job.

Ummm...WHAT? I stuck with school. I did well. I want MY dream job! There's only like 5 of the jobs they are showing in the United States...and I guess MTV is trying to make it seem like if you don't drop out of high school you can be Kate Hudson's freaking personal stylist, the PR director for Jay Z, etc.

I guess I'm jaded when it comes to having a dream job...but come on MTV. Let's see what these people really went through to get these jobs. And then, let's get me one.

Larry Shue

You probably don't know who that is. But I do. (Well, not personally). That is to say, I'm very familiar with his work.
Larry Shue is a playwright. I have him in mind because I'm working on the poster image for the next mainstage show at my theater, Geneva Underground Playhouse, "The Nerd".

"The Nerd" will open at G.U.P. in November. The short version is, it's the story of two Vietnam vets, one tells the other that he owes him one. Fast forward a few years, and one of the guys is having a gathering at his house, and his vet friend shows up at his door with his stuff, taking up the favor, needing to stay with him. Needless to say, he's a nerd.

I wish I could audition. I wish I could act again. I will someday, but I'm not going to spend my only time I have with my kid away from him (nights and weekends). However, I am feeling a bit nostalgic tonight. Maybe because as I type this and am at my computer I'm watching The Sound of Music on TV, and I once played Liesel ("I am sixteen going on seventeen" girl). I think a lot of it is because one of my favorite roles EVER that I've played was Catherine, a knocked up Southern belle, in "The Foreigner" by none other than LARRY SHUE!

So for tonight, I will just relive the memories. Maybe I'll watch the show's DVD. I loved that show. I loved the cast and the experience. Here's some photos from the First Street Playhouse's 2006 performance:

Anywho - I'm excited to see how my theater's performance of The Nerd turns out. More to come :)

Dining Room Loitering

D has a new love...the dining room table & chairs.

Yes - a person could walk into my house and not even know he was there until you saw this:

He's so into the whole thing - I even get under the table with him - and I got this shot:

And - his favorite trick is pulling up on the chairs. After I took the last picture he went around to the other side of the chair and started his exercise routine. I just love the second picture!