What 19.5 inches of snow + a 3 year old looks like.
Blog
-
Snow Day
Within a week 2 separate Nor’easters have come through Bernardsville! Last week was mostly rain and really high winds that took down a lot of trees and knocked out power for large percentage of town. We were among the lucky in town who never lost power but others were less fortunate and were out for 5+ days. Today’s storm brought snow- and a lot of it! It’s still precipitating but I bet there’s at least a foot, but likely 18 inches of really wet, heavy white stuff.
Andy’s out in CA so it was just me, the kiddos and mother nature. So what did we do to pass the time?!? Andrew and I made paths and played in the snow early in the day while Teddy napped. I thought our shoveling would help later on. Boy was I wrong. Talk about drop in the bucket. But we enjoyed some Mommy-Andrew time nonetheless!
We baked cupcakes for Daddy’s birthday! Andrew is getting really into cooking and baking.I love that he’s able to ‘read’ and understand recipes. As you can see, we’re still perfecting our skills.
Teddy and Mommy played in the basement while Andrew napped. Teddy was a brave boy and tried something for the very first time!
As the snow piled up Mommy started to get nervous that she’d be trapped in the house. I tried to shovel a bit but realized that I was NO match for at least a foot of heavy wet snow and driveway that seemed 17 miles long and the size of a football field.
So…. we called a plow and returned to watching movies and enjoying some quiet time with each other. But we’re ready for school to be open and Daddy to come home. Both of which I’m only mildly convinced will happen tomorrow!
-
Goose Eggs & Heart Attacks
Work has been totally crazy for me the last month and Andy’s travel has picked up again. So I’ve been trying balance the boys and a hectic schedule this week solo. This picture seems about right; just subtract the dog and add another kid.
But this morning I woke up and realized that I had a few meeting-free hours in front of me. While there was still a lot to get done, there was the tangible possibility that I could drop the boys off and treat myself to a latte at Starbucks (dream big). So we did our normal routine; baba, breakfasts, diaper change, clothes, hair, snots (they can’t blow their own noses yet), shoes, jackets, etc.
We were 6 seconds (!) from walking out the door. I was putting the last velcro strap on Andrew’s shoe when Teddy (who had been surfing the kitchen chairs) slipped and smashed his face precisely on the base of our stone kitchen table. Screams, tears and a gigantic, instantaneous GOOSE EGG on Ted’s head! You can see his head but here’s what was going through my head, ‘F*@K!! What do I do?! Ice? Pediatrician? ER? I haven’t read this chapter in my mommy books! Where’s my calm husband when I need him because I’m loosing my sh*t! I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know and Google’s not helping! I broke Teddy! Worst mom ever!’
So I’ll cut to the end… a $30 copay and visit to the pediatrician later I learned that Teddy is 100% fine. And energetic boys with no fear have a propensity to injure themselves a lot. The next 18 years just flashed in front of me and it involves an exorbitant number of cuts, bruises and bandaids (and that’s if we’re lucky!)
Love you Teddy Bear! But can we please leave the heart attacks for when daddy is home next time?!
Oh by the way, this is 100% what we looked like by school drop of this morning:
-
Say Cheese!
This is what happens when I say, ‘Smile! Say Cheese!’
Attempt #1 at one nice smiling birthday photo:
Attempt #2:
Love my little goobers! #theadventuresofAndrewandTeddy
-
Bear Country!
On Saturday we celebrated Teddy’s first birthday with a ‘teddy bear picnic’ themed party! We had gummi bears, Teddy Grahams, bear shaped peanut butter sandwiches for the kids and anything else bear shaped I could get my hands on. The paper plates were even shaped liked bears (thank you Amazon!)! We’re so happy everyone could join use to celebrate this special milestone for our little family!
And what birthday party would be complete without a cake!? Mommy was inspired/fooled into believing (thank you Pinterest) that she could bake a bear shaped birthday cake for Teddy’s cake smash. [Note: I consumed about 12,000 calories in cake and frosting trying to make a bear shaped cake that in the end looked a lot like a deranged Chewbacca]. We started out with some smiles and excitement as the cake got close but I’ll let the photos below speak for themselves as to whether he ‘liked it!’
Happy 1st birthday Teddy Bear! You may have hated the cake but you looked pretty stinking cute while doing it!
-
2:18, 2/18, 2018: Happy 1st Birthday Teddy!
And just like that our littlest turned one! One year ago at precisely 2:18am on February 18th, 2017, Henry Theodore came into this world and he’s been making it a sweeter, more smiley place ever since!
I could gush over our little man’s adorable-ness for eternity. But instead here are all the little things I want to never forget about Teddy at one year:
- When he first (re)meets someone, he stares at them intensely for 20 minutes. But once he recognizes that you’re good people, it’s all smiles, giggles and even a little flirting from there on out!
- He LOVES to eat. His favorites are any carb, yogurt, rice and beans, vanilla cookie, spinach cakes and bananas. He’s really sensitive about texture and not so into other fruits and vegetables. He believes those should be promptly thrown on the floor.
- He smacks his lips when he sees other people eating and will stare at their food awkwardly until someone gives him some.
- He furniture surfs like a champ. But no walking or free standing at the moment.
- He loves to make noise whether it be hearing the sound of his own high pitched voice, banging on the table or pounding on the step stool in the bathroom
- He loves straws. He uses our big plastic straws like drumsticks and resembles a drummer in some sort of 80’s rock band
- His beautiful blond curls!
- He always wants to be in the mix. He’s pretty content as long as he’s where the action is…which is usually trying to keep up with Andrew.
- ‘Teddy the destroyer’; an affectionate nickname given to him because he leverages his ninja, cat-like reflexes to demolish anything you try to build with blocks.
- He’s started clapping, waving and blowing kisses…sometimes.
- He loves to splash during bath time. Bring on the rain poncho!
- He has a passion for finding the unlocked cabinet, opening it and turning whatever is inside into a tambourine.
- They might be exaggerating but he is the current ‘Palmer School favorite’ as declared by all his teachers!
- His nicknames: Teddy (because remember, his first name is actually Henry!), Teddy Bear, Teddy P., Teddy B., Ted, Teds, Tedders, Tedster & Good Time Ted
- He giggles after he sneezes.
- He loves wind in face.
- He’s ticklish.
- You say Dada but your first word was Mama 🙂
- The Kleinfelter genes run strong in him (…and we’ll see how strong at his next height/weight checkin)
- He’s fully embraced our family routine and sleeps like a CHAMP with no fuss!
- The fact that only his pediatrician refers to him or has ever called him Henry.
- His unwavering love, never-ending interest and purest enjoyment from being with his older brother. Teddy’s smile shines brightest for Andrew!
- And the way my heart melts when I pick him up from school and he’s so happy to see me. The big smiles, squeals, clapping and ‘can’t get to you fast enough’ crawling. I’m a puddle!
Happy first birthday my sweet boy! You’ve completed our little family and bring oh so much joy to everyone around you. It’s truly an honor and privilege to have a front row seat to watch you grow, explore and take on the world. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for you as you enter your next chapter, aka ‘Teddy the Toddler!’
Love, hugs and birthday wishes! xoxo
