25 Things because it's been a while

1. This kid is on the move! He is not quite crawling, but has definitely figured out how to get himself around. He is currently happy with doing an army crawl/slide across the floor to get to where he wants to go. He also loves his walker and will “run” after the puppies in it, and has even used it to turn off the Xbox when Daddy is watching TV.

2. He loves food! Especially bananas, sweet potatoes, and avacados. He wears a lot of it, but he is still growing so it’s safe to assume that some of it gets to his stomach.

3. He has his first gym membership. He is enrolled in the MyGym in Maitland, FL in their weekly Tiny Tykes program. He loves participating in (with help) songs and games, and thinks warm up stretches are hysterical. He loves flying in their airplane and is working on many skills such as crawling, pulling himself up, and social play. 

4. He has traveled through and visited eight states in the U.S.A. While not quite a world traveler yet, he has covered a good portion of the eastern United States including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan. And yes we drove so we have earned our road tripping with kids badge.

5. We are now four teeth and counting! He has his top two and bottom two teeth in currently.

6. Bath time is the best time. Nicholas loves splashing in the water, playing with his bath toys (a fish, a boat, and squirting rubber ducks), and really anything that has to do with water. As soon as it gets warm enough we will have to get him in a pool because we are pretty sure he will love that too!

7. He loves his doggies. Ronin and Toby are great big brothers. They still haven’t quite figured out where Nicholas falls rank wise. They are very good with him, but a little cautious as he has a tendency to scream in excitement upon their arrival and grab a big chunk of their fur. They love “playing” with him on the floor, and they both get each other happy and excited. He is also very sensitive to them and will cry if they are mean to each other. 

8. We have lots of great babysitters. Nicholas appreciates being in the great care and company of those that are available to watch him. A big shout out to our moms (Cindy and Patti) who take care of him during the day when I’m at my part-time job. Also a big thanks to Debbie and Katie who help out when I need to run a quick errand or go to an appointment. We appreciate you all so much and consider ourselves blessed. 

9. He does funny things such as beat boxing and blowing raspberries. The beat boxing is the most recent and the most funniest. It’s a combination of spitting/raspberries and making the ‘t’ sound.

10. Nicholas made out like a bandit on Christmas. Being the only great-grand child on my side of the family and one of two on Chris’ side, he gets lots of extra attention. We have had fun watching him explore and play with his new things including a mobile walker, activity jumper, stuffed animals, and a digital puppy that can say his name! (This can be kind of creepy, but he seems to like it. ) 

 

11. We survived our first trip to Disney World. We did a little mini-trip and took him to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas with all the grandparents in tow (all five of them!). We took lots of sensory breaks, and spent some time in the Baby Center, but overall it was a success. He went on two rides: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the People Mover, and he saw the Wishes Fireworks show. We took the ferry boat ride on the way back which wound up being his very first boat ride. 

 It came out blurry, but you get the idea.

12. He loves sleep! While we weren’t so sure how we were ever going to survive a night again based on the first few months, Nicholas has finally discovered that sleep is a good thing. He sleeps a good 12 hours every night, and is the first one to decide that it is time for bed. He can sleep pretty much through anything (i.e. UCF alumni center party with D.J., Disney World light show, grocery stores, etc.) and at 9pm he turns into a pumpkin. From what I’m told, he’s pretty much his father’s son. 

13. Selfies are hysterical. He loves watching himself on the camera screen. It’s so great it sends him into fits of laughter. The only other thing funnier than that, is the video recording of him watching himself. That makes him laugh even harder. 

14. He has visited lots of cities in Florida already! With so many family and friends spread out throughout the state, we have done many trips to various cities around Florida. Some places we have been (other than the Orlando area) include Titusville, Melbourne, Ocala, Jacksonville, Brandon, and Summerfield. We plan on doing a trip to the Keys this spring/summer.

15. He picked a great year to be a UCF fan. In Nicholas’ life time, UCF has only lost one football game (South Carolina) and has won a BCS Bowl Championship. May he never know different.

16. He was Superman for Halloween. Next year I might have him be Batman to see how long we can keep this superhero thing going. 

17. It’s finally time to lower the crib. We made this decision during nap time when instead of sleeping he was partially standing leaning over the side. We have a future sky diver on our hands. This child has no fear.

18. He went to his very first sporting event on December 11, 2013 to watch UCF’s basketball team. We took on the Howard Bison at the CFE Arena. We won 79-64 and were joined by close to 4,000 fans!

19. He visited the dentist for the very first time. Ok, maybe it was to get my teeth cleaned, but he loved it there. He was quickly whisked away by the staff and I discovered him when I was checking out at the receptionist’s desk typing on her computer. 

20. On April 20, 2014 he will be turning one. That is almost three months from now. Oh dear Lord. 

21. He falls asleep every night listening to either music (classical/Disney/lullaby) or ocean waves. Sometimes I turn back on the ocean waves when I can’t go to sleep. 

22. He loves having his teeth brushed. It’s the weirdest thing. He smiles really big when I show him his “toothbrush.” It’s actually a Baby Banana infant training brush. He lets me brush all of his teeth with it (all four of them I should say) and whines/cries when I stop. I’m just glad this isn’t something I will have to fight with him later on.

23. He attended his very first Johnmas. And we had a great time. Technically speaking, he was at the first one, but didn’t have a great view.

24. He is making new discoveries every day! He is getting into the crawling position, sitting up without support, doing crazy daredevil things such as flipping himself over on the changing table and crawling to the edge, attempting to feed himself with his spoon (not going well), and so much more. He is also discovering all of Daddy’s electronic toys…remote controls, Xbox controllers, Xbox console, you get the idea. 

25. He has so many special people in his life. Thanks to all friends and family for being a part of it.