18 Months and Summer Vacation!

Oh little boy you are absolutly fantastic. I am so in love with you that it takes my breath away! I cannot believe you are already 18 months old. You seem so much older than you are, time please slow down!!!! You do the silliest things constantly. You have started pretending this last few weeks. YOu pretend you are eating something and you will even share your pretend food. It just makes me laugh. The first time I "Caught" you eating something I thought you really were but nope it was pretend and you just smiled at me. You also like to smell your feet! It is hysterical! You smell them and make an eww face! You started all these new things on family vacation.

We went to a river house in Daytona with Grandma Bells side. IT was the Dyal clan! YOu had an absolutly blast! You loved being with all of your great aunts and uncles and your two cousins Nathan and Jared. You also loved your Uncle Ryan and Michelle and of course your grandparetns! You are so funny and such a ham and people love it. You put on a dance and singing show with Nathan, you swam/floated with mama, you went out to the dock with Daddy and fished, you pushed Nathan and were pushed on your fire truck, you ran around like a crazy man and were chased or chasing constantly, you took 3 hour naps almost every day we were there, you ate like a crazy man and probably gained a few pounds, you pretended to be asleep when I said it was bed time just to get out of going to bed, and you loved the beach!

When we got back from vacation I was soooo tired so Daddy took you out to the woods to hike so I could get some rest. He said that you were soooo funny. It was very quite out there and you couldn't take it so you started making animal sounds! You would also point to the trees and yell tree. You are just so silly and pretty darn amazing if you ask me!

LIttle boy you are amazing! The 4th of July was pretty uneventful. We went to church and than we ate dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Bell. Daddy missed us though because he helped his parents move into their new home! ON the 4th you said the word cheese and even said "more cheese". You are starting to talk even more and we couldn't be prouder.

You are going to be the best big brother and I can't wait to see what this next year holds! I love you little boy!

Graduated!

You have officially graduated from your 6 week swim course at the YMCA! You are our little survivor and I couldn't be more proud. Ms. Denise just loves you and I think you love her regardless of you getting angry during practice. You just like to show your displeasure!! I am so happy though that you are finished and I am confident should you fall in with no one around you would survive and thats what is most important!

You have also been so silly lately. Daddy taught you to do a honking think to mama! I will have to tell you about it one day when you are older and I'm sure you will be quite embarassed hahaha!

You also adore your mimi Bell. Whenever we are over there you don't want to leave. YOu make us laugh constantly while we are there and I love you for it! You really do light up my life more than I could have imagined. Yesterday poor max you were riding him like a horse. I'm sure it was hurting him but you wouldn't stop we finally had to drag you off of him.

We are also working on table manners with you. We want you to be a sweet boy who knows his manners in general and it looks like this will be a long laborous process but it will be worth it. You are our sweetie!

We had a busy day yesterday before swim we went and got your 18 month pictures taken at Sears and some of you and me with the new baby in the belly. You were not too thrilled at first but finally warmed up and we got some good pics. I then thought we could continue our date and go eat at the mall. SO we got you chick-fi-la nuggets and fruit and you sat there like the biggest boy ever at your fruit and nuggets and drank your water all out of their containers. YOu didn't throw any food on the ground and were just mezmorized watching all the people around you. I just sat there and stared at you while you ate. You are just such a joy and I love you little boy so much. I want to keep having mommy Pierce dates for a very long time!

I was laying in bed last night Daddy was at work and I was just thinking about how amazingly awesome you are. How blessed and lucky I am that you are ours. My heart is just so full of joy when I think about you. I was thinking about your baby brother as well and feel that I will feel the same exact way with him. You are just so much more than I could have ever hoped for from you silly personality to your heart full of love I wouldn't change a thing!

Potty Training 101

You and your potty frog.... have been doing FABULOUS!!!! We bought you the potty frog about 7 months ago for you to try and get used to. You've played with it, pushed it around the house, on the rare occasion in the past peed in it, sit on it, and have even put food in it and than eaten out of it...

Friday June 11, 2010 you decided you were going to use it as a REAL Potty! You came up to me while I was lying on the couch and you started tugging on your diaper and I asked you if you had to go potty.. so you took my hand and we walked to the bathroom. I took your diaper off you set on the potty and you poo pooed and peed! I have never been so happy in my life! YOu than of course flashed me a huge grin, I wiped you, you got up and ran to play. Of course after this we ran to publix and I got you m&ms and a candy jar for a treat everytime you go.

So Saturday all day you had a DRY diaper. You told Mommy or when I asked you said yes and we went to the potty. You pood and peed multiple times on the potty and I have never been so proud! You enjoyed it and you LOVED your treat after.

On Sunday you only peed on the potty twice but you know what thats ok. I don't want to pressure you because your not even 18 months yet! But I am so proud of you! You are growing leaps and bounds and growing up right before my eyes! I just want you to know that you can trust me and i will help you go potty whenever you need to! You are the greatest little boy ever!

WE are in your last week of swim and I am so thankful because this has been a huge commitment! You are more scared of the pool at our house but thats ok. We have been practicing with you and have decided the best way to practice is to throw you in basically or push you over the side and give you 7 seconds to float! Because technically thats what will happen. And you know what you FLOAT ON YOUR BACK! You do GREAT! I am sooooo THANKFUL that we have been able to put you in this. Really your Grandma Bell paid for it and I know that this small investment potentially SAVED your life! I love you little boy!

you and your love of singing. I never want to change the musical aspect of you! You love to sing and you sing beautifully! At your grandmas you have found a hot pink small weight and you sing in it every chance you get. At your house you have a hot pink tooth brush holder that you sing in! You love it and we think its adorable! You really are the coolest little kid in the whole wide world!

You are certainly coming into your own and have started say lots of new words!

Here is your word list!
-mama
-dada
-lady
-max
-rock (for rocking back and forth)
-fish
-bubbles
-wawa (water)
-more (also do this in sign language)
-no
-bye
-hi
-down

You are doing soo well! You also have cut lots more teeth and I think you have all four of the front top and bottom in! You are eating more as well.

Last night was the first night that I didn't give you a night bottle! It was very hard for me but we have started a WONDERFUL routine that I hope we do for many years to come. I take you into your room turn off the lights and turn on your lamp. We than rock and I read you a short bible story and we sing Jesus Loves Me. We than say our prayers with hugs and kisses afterwards and I lay you down! You went right to bed without a peep! I love you son! Honestly I look at you or even think of you and my breath gets caught because I am the most blessed mama in the whole world to have you as my son! I love you!

My Funny LIttle Boy!

I don't think there goes a day that you don't have me laughing hysterically! I enjoy every single moment with you. You love Max and you like to tease him with beggin strips (bacon things). So Mimi Bell is holding you and you have the strip two inches from Max's face. As he goes to get it you snatch it away. So Mimi keeps breaking off little pieces for him. WEll you keep looking at the strip like you wanna taste it. You bring it up to your mouth but instead of touching yoru mouth you bring it to your neck. It is the funniest thing and you do it like 5 times. I finally tell you to take a bite if you want so you break a piece off stick it in your mouth chew chew chew swallow and take a huge bite. I am laughing hysterically as well as Mimi and she finally takes it away from you b/c she thinks its not good for you. You scream and cry and than finally eat a piece of cheese you were still hungry apparently.

You are just a funny funny little boy and bring me so much joy. You have a foam sword that I got you from the Target $1.00 bin. You run around hyaing people especially Daddy and Grandpa. It is so funny than they grab it and chase you! You laugh and giggle and run to mama to protect you!

The other day Mimi and Grandpa Bell came over and went swimming with you. You fell into the pool twice and I had you practice you swim techniques you did so good! You also now know how to sign "More" and you do it all the time. I am so proud of you! You really are such a joy! LIttle boy my life is so much better with you in it and I adore you to pieces!

Well I love you sweet boy keep Mama laughing because it makes my day bright!!!!

17 Months!

I can't believe you are 17 months old! You are one little wild monkey that I adore which isn't suprising since you love monkeys! You have been in swim lessons for a few weeks and you are doing wonderful. You can now float on your back and swim to shore! I am so proud of you and hope this is the beginning of my little swimmer man! You love to be in the pool in general also! Mommy and Daddy were simming in the pool and out of no where you would kind of step in. Of course when you did I made you practice your float on your back and swim to the shore and you didn't like that but hey we gotta practice! You also like to hang your feet over the edge and kick kick kick! You think your pretty great and so do we!

You adore Lady still. Every morning you go and smack your lips and get kisses every morning. Its sooo sweet! You follow her everywhere and always make sure she gets a bite to eat of whatever you are having for breakfast lunch or dinner!

This month you have dealt with lots of sickness from the flu to Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. But we made it! I have never been so worried about you and prayed so hard for healing but you are finally getting better. You are breaking through more teeth as we speak so I am thinking that is why you have a runny nose!

You love being outside! Any chance you get you are outside on your bike, your wagon, or just running! You love to be sprayed with the hose and it has become a game! I love spraying you and your little giggle laugh that you give me.

Every person you meet you brighten their day with your big goofy grin! You love to make people smile and I love that about you! Your facial expressions are priceless and I know you get that from your Mama!

You still like to kiss and poke Mama's belly. I'm sure its not because you know your little brother Hayden is in there its because its big and in your face! Before you know it you will officially be a big brother! I'm so sad for you to have to share me but I know you will love your little brother like crazy!

You have been so attached to Daddy lately and I adore it! You love to be rough with him and climb all over him! You are so silly when you are with your Daddy!

For Mommy's birthday we went to the beach and you had a blast! We dug in the sand. You then decided you wanted to moon all the people there so you kept pulling your pants down! It was very funny!

You climb on everything! The other morning I caught you on TOP of the kitchen table! Oh goodness what am I going to do with you. Before I know it you and Daddy will be on the roof for who only knows what!

Pierce you really are the light of my life and God has blessed us 10 times over by giving us to you! Yes your wild and high energy but I wouldn't change that for the world! You will always be my first born and the little boy that made me a mama and I am so thankful! I love you little boy more than the moon and the stars and can't wait to see what the future holds for you!

Love always!!! Your MAMA!

My Crazy Little BOy!

Little boy you just change and grow sooo much. You are quite a handful and I adore you for it. You are so silly that you fill most of our days with giggles!

This morning I made you eggs with cheese and you were so hungry pointing at it. I told you to wait because its hot. All of a sudden I feel a gust of baby breath on me as you are blowing on the eggs/me to cool them down. You then flash me a huge grin. I adore you. That was the sweetest thing to me. Often you will be disobeying and as I try to correct you you look up into the corner of the world almost as if you are rolling your eyes at me. You then look at me and grin and of course all is forgiven. You certainly have me wrapped around your little finger.

You are now in swim lessons and you are doing phennomenal. It is safe start so it teaches you to survive should you fall in the pool. After only 5 lessons you can swim from about 3 ft away from the edge and pull yourself up! I am a very proud mama needless to say. The instructor mentioned yesterday that you are very smart and agile and I will most definatly have my hands full. I looked at her and said you are speaking to the choir I have a wild child! YOu are amazing though.

You still love to poke my big growing belly and stick your finger on my belly button. I hope you know your little brother is in there and that one day you guys will be the best of friends. I still get so sad and my heart aches when I think about you have to share mama and daddy with another little baby. I want you to always know how much we love you son. OUr love for you will never lesson it will only grow!

We no longer give you your paci during the day except car, nap and night time. We quit in hopes that it would help your verbal skills. Low and behold it has! YOu are saying more and more words consistently. You say Dadadada and point to Daddy, Mamama, Hi, Bye and I think sometimes you say Lady! YOu are smart as a whiz! I love you little boy.

You are still a little pistol quit often. You poked grandma Bell in the eye with a crayon the other day for no reason, you threw a fork at her head and missed it and it flew across the kitchen for no reason. You do all these things with a smile on your face. You throw food on the floor on a daily basis we are trying to break this bad habit. But when we are at Grandma Bells you seem to do it more often to get on her nerves. Not sure why but I try to hide my laughter!

I am starting a tradition with you that we will hopefully carry on when little brother arrives but every morning when Daddy gets home from work we wait out on the front porch for him. We talk and wave at the passing cars and when Daddy pulls up you get a grin from ear to ear and make a sprint for him. Today you tripped and scrapped your knee but nothing that mama and daddy couldn't fix. You are so silly little boy we really love you lots.

You climb on everything. You climbed up onto the kitchen chair today while I was cooking breakfast so I pulled it over to the counter and you watched with aww as I made your breakfast. You are sooo cute I just can't stand it sometimes.

You LOVE to sing!!! IT is sooo funny. You love the itsy bitsy spider, you also love Way up in the High little Bird! YOu are so funny when we sing them and you do the motions. We sing all the time. IN the car when we are driving I will have Z88.3 on the radio and as I sing you sing right along! I love it and it will always be a special time that I get to have with you!

Little boy I will never know why God chose to bless me with you my sweet little sunshine but I will never be able to thank him enough. You are amazing I love you to pieces and I hope one day not only will you know how much mommy and daddy love you but you will know how much the Lord above loves you and you will love Him back!

Mothers Day!

Son I want you to know how much I love you. Thank you for making me the mother that I am today. Thank you for 2 great Mother's Day! You are amazing little boy. I just adore you. Of all the things I have accomplished in my life having you was one of the greatest. You will forever be my first little boy who initially made me a mother and I am so honored to say that. I can't believe how big you have grown and how much you have changed. You are amazing and I adore you. Well I will write more later to talk about your swim lessons! :-) I love you little boy!

Love Your mama!