Teddy has been pretty pumped to get to finally use some of Andrew’s big boy toys! 
Category: The Kids
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Hand me downs has its ups!
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TEDDY: 11 MONTHS!
Our little man is 11 months! He continues to be such a ball of sweet, loving, playful energy! He really is such a delightful little person to be around.
At 11 months Teddy is finally (!) starting to cut some more teeth (current count = 2). His top teeth are just starting to poke through his gums. It appears that his teeth come in multiples as 2- if not 3- teeth are making their arrival! But budding teeth aren’t stopping Teds from eating. The little man LOVES to eat. If I tried to list his favorites, I’d need to list all foods ever. He consumes everything we put in front of him and then stares at your food and smacks his lips!
With Teddy’s new mobility, he’s now into everything! He’s figured out how to climb stares and he can push his walker quite proficiently. He’s a professional furniture surfer and can pull himself up on everything. He’s also figured out that there is a new and exciting world filled with tupperware, utensils and snacks living behind the kitchen cabinets. He’s constantly pulling himself up to the cabinet, opening the door and pulling out whatever is inside. Where are your child locks you might be asking…well we have some from Andrew but needed to reorder some that are broken. In that time, Teddy has figured out what those locks mean and specifically targets the unlocked cabinets. When you say ‘No Teddy’, he just looks you in the eye and says ‘Doh’ and keeps going. I think that’s Teddy for ‘I’m in charge here lady.’
When he’s not getting into mischief, our bear loves following his brother around, banging on the step stool in the bathroom and splashing in the bath. He’s still an excellent sleeper (7pm-7am!) and sports 12-18 mos clothes.
Onward to the big 0-1! Love you Teddy Bear!
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Mickey’s Zoo
On day 2 of our whirlwind weekend we visited Animal Kingdom, affectionately nicknamed ‘Mickey’s Zoo!’ We went on ‘safari in Africa’ to see the animals, visited Nemo and Dory, rode flying dinosaurs and hung out with some 3-D bugs. Mommy, Daddy and Kiki even snuck in some adult sized roller coasters!
But the highlight of the day for Andrew was certainly dinner. We were visited by some very special friends; Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy! Andrew was very excited to get the characters to sign his autograph book, give them high fives and knuckles. While the picture don’t always show it, he was a very happy boy!
As always Mickey and friends delivered up some special memories we will all cherish for years to come!
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Mickey’s House
Last weekend we visited ‘Mickey’s house’ aka Disney World! While it was surprisingly cold, a bit crowded and totally exhausting, we had a great time! It’s such a privilege to experience these special places with kids and see the magic and wonder through their eyes!
‘Half the fun is getting there!’ Andrew was particularly excited to break in his new Lightning McQueen suitcase. He did really well and rolled it 90% through the airport himself. It’s nice to see the boys starting to carry their own weight….literally!
First stop on Thursday evening after we arrived, Hoop De Doo Revue! A Kleinfelter favorite! Both boys got really into the dinner show, especially twirling your napkins and banging on the washboards. Andrew was also quite pleased when he realized he could just bite right into the corn bread!
We were up bright and early to spend the day at Mickey’s Castle with Papa, Coco and Aunt Kiki. After some obligatory photos in front of the castle where neither boy looked at the camera, our first stop, was the Speedway! Anyone shocked that Andrew wanted to ride the race cars first?! He loved it and Mommy may have a mild case of whiplash from his driving!
After that we were on a roll! I’m really proud of Andrew and his willingness to try new things AND his ability to wait patiently in line (for the most part…). Teddy seemed to get really into it to! We rode roller coasters, tea cups, trains of all kinds, flying carpets, boats, carousels; just about everything they could go on!
It should come as no surprise that Andy and I pushed two very exhausted little boys home in their strollers that night!
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‘Periments’
Snow was falling, school was closed, it was bitterly cold, Daddy was traveling and Mommy was trying to keep everyone occupied while she attempted to work (because it wasn’t a snow day in California!). So….we opened up the lab kit Andrew got for Christmas and did ‘periments.’ The baking soda and vinegar volcano to start; an oldie but a goodie!
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Polar Express
After Christmas in Maryland, the Kleinfelter clan left warm and sunny Florida for frigid single digit temperatures in New Jersey; proof that grandchildren can make you do ANYTHING! Amongst lots of family time and hanging out, we took a ride on the Polar Express. [Note: I saw on Facebook that a local train company does a reenactment and bought tickets for everyone.] It was awesome and really well done! What you have to appreciate is that the Polar Express is Andrew’s favorite Christmas movie and book (Santa + trains = instant hit). So that fact that he got a golden ticket, had it punched by the conductor, drank hot cocoa, sang the songs, ‘saw the boy’, traveled to the north pole with dancing elves, got a silver bell (‘the first gift of Christmas!’) AND was visited by Santa…WOW. Win, win, win! I see a new tradition in the works!
Once he got a ticket, he never put it down…for days!
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TEDDY: 10 MONTHS!
Our little man is 10 months (Yes, I know that was really 2 weeks ago but we’ve been REALLY busy…AGAIN!)!
However…Teddy has teeth! Around his 10-month mark he officially cut his first 2 bottom teeth; and at the same time no less! His new chompers were also accompanied by several days of crankiness, some sleepless nights, short naps and lots of ice cubes to suck on!
We also started to transition Teddy away from his formula and more to solid food. We cut one bottle from his schedule and upped his food; a change our little man LOVES. We joke that he has a budding career as a competitive eater since he likes to chow down so much. In fact, on Christmas night he couldn’t go to sleep and had a stomach ache because he literally ate too much. He loves yogurt, bananas, cheerios, crackers, spinach bites, rice, and beans. He’s skeptical about most raw fruits and vegetables (texture?) but will eat them if I mix them in with other things. He’s also become quite efficient at holding his own applesauce pouches. As you can see, he doesn’t go hungry!
He’s still loves following his brother around, banging on the step stool in the bathroom, splashing in the bath, looking out the windows in the family room and ringing the silver bell we acquired while riding the Polar Express (more on that later). And remotes! Teddy loves remote controls and phones! Gravitating towards all technology just like his father!
Happy double digits Teddy! We love you!
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What to do, what to do…..
Andrew and Teddy’s school was closed the week between Christmas and New Years which meant 10 wonderful days home together (only slight sarcasm there!). While most of the time was filled with family and friends, there was some downtime where mommy struggled a little to keep her boys entertained when it was too frigid to go outside. So we improvised! Pulling yoga pants from drawers became the coolest thing to do!
We did laps around the house for exercise!
And trips to Costco were an adventure!
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Merry Christmas from Merryland
It’s a PB&J Christmas! We had a great and busy 5 days at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. So much family, excitement, wrapping paper, toy cars, energetic children and love under one roof!
