Teddy the Rascal

Teddy is the cutest rascal you ever saw, and although a majority of his rascal antics are minor, others are downright dangerous. Most of the time he does things that just make me chuckle, but this last week he had me weak in the knees and in tears two days in a row. Not intentionally of course; he's just a curious, busy, inquisitive little boy that wants to see the whole world all at once.

Here's a little update.

Remember this post about Teddy climbing? He hasn't stopped of course, although I will admit he hasn't done anything quite as crazy as that one time he climbed up the chair. That still takes the cake.

We finally had to move the DVD player up because he figured out how to open it and scratch the DVDs.

 Eating pudding with enthusiasm.

He pretty much looks like this after every meal.

He loves to get into my canned goods and rearrange them.  

He's hit that phase- trying to undress himself in his crib.

One day I was feeding him dinner and he surprised me by how much he was eating. I just kept putting food on his tray until I finally realized what was happening.

Note to kids: if you don't want to eat your dinner, just put it down your Onesie! Mom will never know and you won't have to eat a bite!

He had quite a bit of food stashed down there. Pretty ingenious, kiddo.  

As you can see, most of Teddy's antics aren't outside the realm of what other little boys do. But last week he showed me that he's not trying to be like any other little boy.

On Monday I watched a friend's kids in the morning. Teddy was acting tired so I put him in his crib to see if he would nap. I then went to rock the baby to sleep. I heard Teddy crying, but it wasn't really anything out of the ordinary and I couldn't go get him because I was taking care of my friend's child. Finally, when she fell asleep I went into check on Teddy and I found this:

This is the frame that was on his dresser more than a foot away. Somehow he had pulled it into his crib, broken the glass, and was playing with the pieces. He had blood all over his hands and I was panicked. I took him to the bathroom to ascertain the damage and only saw minor cuts to four fingers. Incredibly, he would not need stitches.

My knees were so shaky as I contemplated the damage that he could have done to himself. What a miracle and blessing that he was okay! I was able to bandage his hands and by the time he had pulled the bandages off the bleeding had stopped.

I thought that was bad, but then the next day he kicked it up a notch. I was cutting an apple for the kids when Nayeli informed me that she had wet her pants and it was on the carpet in my room. I left my knife on the counter to go clean up the urine. As I was wiping up the mess I heard Nayeli yell, "Mom! Teddy has a knife!" I turned to see Teddy with my paring knife IN. HIS. MOUTH. I kid you not, my heart nearly stopped. He had blood on his cheek where he had already cut himself, so I quickly and carefully walked over and took the knife from his hands. It was another moment of trying to calm myself and him, then figure out if I had to take him to the doctor for stitches. Luckily he had only nicked his cheek, but you wouldn't have known it by the tears I shed. I was a wreck! What kind of mother was I?! Thankfully Ben soon arrived home from work and he was able to comfort me.

By Wednesday I was on my guard. There was no way Teddy was going to do anything life-threatening to himself! By the time Ben arrived home, I proudly pronounced that Teddy had not injured himself that day. "Oh, but honey," said Ben, "the day isn't over yet." He was right, dang it, and if we're looking at it long term, I've got 16.5 years more to make sure this kid doesn't harm himself seriously.

As daunting of a task as that seems, I'm going to take it one day at a time and pray like crazy that his guardian angels aren't as exhausted as I am at the end of the day.

And this sweet face seems to make it easier. I mean, is this the face of a little rascal? Never ;)

Teddy Turns One!

On April 28th, our sweet Teddy turned one. It's unreal to think that just a year ago I looked like this:

I weighed over 140 pounds (which on my five foot frame is quite a bit of weight) and I was SO uncomfortable. I literally had difficulty breathing when I sat down because of how Teddy pushed up on my lungs. But it was all worth it, because then my sweet 8lb 6oz boy was born.
 

Chest to chest right after giving birth. I have cried with joy every time I have met my babies (excuse the triple chin- as mentioned before I had a few extra pounds on me :) )

And now look at him- the cutest little rascal:

He likes to bang the pots and pans as I make dinner

As well as get into all the cupboards. We put locks on them (see the cupboard door), but he was still able to get into this specific one. We finally replaced the lock when he spilled the maple syrup... BIG mess!

My cute mess maker

He loves being outside and LOVES strawberries

On his actual birthday, I took both Teddy and Nayeli to their one and three year well check-ups, respectively.

The windows at the doctor's office are on the third floor making them fascinating.

Poor Teddy had to get shots (my mother-in-law is convinced he'll never forgive me for the trauma I caused tohim on his birthday) but after a nursing and a good nap he was back to normal. It was a pretty standard day, except that Nayeli and I made cupcakes for him to celebrate that night when Ben came home.

We sang Happy Birthday, then let him dig in. He licked the candle...

...then licked the frosting off the top...

Then dumped the chocolate cake bottom on the floor! Whose child is this anyway?!

He is just precious, isn't he?

We did baths and pajamas, then opened gifts. Nayeli was happy to help out with the opening, of course.

It was a pretty simple day, but that's the way I like birthdays. I am not an elaborate party planner, and so while my kids are little and I can keep it simple, I will. 

As a side note, I sewed a pennant banner that can be used for birthdays at our house, but it wasn't done in time for Teddy's birthday. When I did finish it, I decided that it had taken so long that by golly, I was going to hang it up somewhere. So it's out on my porch right now, making our apartment reminiscent of a circus.

Back to Teddy- he has been a difficult baby (see this post) but he is the sweetest, cutest, most loving little boy and I love him with all my heart. I am so happy he came to our family and for the things he has taught me about patience, love, sacrifice, and myself. 

Happy birthday sweet Teddyman! We sure are happy you brighten our lives every day!

Teddy the Climber

Teddy has taken us by storm.

It all started with his wanting to be like his sister. I always put a stool up for Nayeli while I'm cooking dinner, and it wasn't long before Teddy was right at her heels, trying to be a part of the action. 

I was impressed by his agility and coordination at such a young age (10 months), but it was nothing compared to what was coming.

One night I was casually humming to myself as I cooked dinner and I turned around to see this. Keep in mind, I did not even know that Teddy could climb up to a seat, let alone up the chair! I'm pretty sure I gasped out loud!

I knew Ben was not going to believe me, so I went and made sure Teddy was secure and then snapped this picture. Because OH. MY. GOSH. he was only 11 months old and I was not prepared to have a child that coordinated yet.

The next day he was able to hoist himself onto the couch and climb up to my pictures. I've decided that nothing in my home is safe now.

To tame some of the climbing adventurer in Teddy, Ben helped me blow up an air mattress for the kids to climb on in the living room. They loved it, although I don't think it deterred Teddy from climbing other things. Oh well.

Anyone want to put their money into the pool guessing how long it is before he breaks a bone? Here's to hoping I can save him from himself, at least for the time being.

Teddy at 9 months

At the end of January Teddy turned 9 months. I can't believe how the time has flown, except that every time I look in the mirror I can see the growing bags under my eyes that have appeared since his birth. Teddy is the sweetest, most wonderful little boy and has brought us all a lot of joy, but he is an awful sleeper. I'll get into that later. For now, here are a few facts about Teddy:

- He is crawling and can pull himself up on furniture. He used to only army crawl which was really cute.
- He weighs 18 pounds but has only gained four pounds since his two month appointment. He's in about the 50% for weight now.
- He gulps as he eats and was extremely difficult to burp as a baby. He can now burp himself except when he is nursed to sleep- then I still have to burp him before I lay him down.
- He will eat almost anything. He's getting really good at eating finger food and prefers them to baby food.
- He has six teeth: two on bottom and four on top. He has earned the nickname "Jack-o-lantern smile" from the family who sits behind us at church. He was really into biting while nursing for awhile but we kicked him of that habit quickly.
- He is the most intense and alert baby you could ever imagine. He is constantly moving and taking in the world around him. This may contribute to why he is a bad sleeper? Who knows.
- He loves to give big slobbery kisses.
- He has learned to clap and can sign "more" when eating.
- He loves to get into everything. With Nayeli I never had to put locks on my cabinets but as soon as Teddy was crawling it became a necessity.
 - He LOVES hair. He often pulls and tries to suck on mine. He made me want to cut a pixie cut for awhile, although I'm glad he didn't because he is now more gentle with it and will play with it while he is nursing.  

What else? Here are a few photos to illustrate other things about Teddy:

He loves to be outside.

He is learning the natural consequences of having an older sister, like having to dress in pink sometimes. It's a good thing he's a natural- note the hand placement here.

He loves to put his sticky hands in his hair after eating.

He loves to mooch food from Nayeli.

He also loves to pull her hair. It's caused more than a few tears in our home.

He's discovering our apartment and I now have to keep certain doors closed.

He loves Ben.

As for his sleeping, things are getting better but it has not been an easy road. For the first six months of his life, Teddy woke every 2-3 hours at night. That's not an exaggeration. I did EVERYTHING I could think of, but little changed. Finally, at about six months, I had a heart to heart with Heavenly Father and told him I couldn't do it anymore. I needed the problem to be taken away or strength beyond my own.

Like the loving father that he is, he gave me both things. After my prayer and a blessing from Ben, for the first time since his birth Teddy slept through the entire night. He didn't do it the following night, but it was enough. I felt Heavenly Father was sending me a message. I heard him telling me, "I'm here. You're not alone". Sometimes it is really difficult to be away from family because if I lived closer I could drop the kids off after a bad night with the baby. That's why it was a welcome reassurance to feel that I wasn't alone. I felt him strengthening me and making me feel that I could do it.

I haven't told a lot of people about Teddy's sleep problems because I got tired of the advice. Initially I poured over baby sleep books, highlighting text and dog-earing pages. I talked to mom after mom about their experiences. I created pages and pages of sleep plans titled, "How to help Teddy sleep better". I read article after article on the internet and then... I just felt so stinking confused! I felt everyone was telling me, "If you would just do this..." but I felt I tried everything I was comfortable with doing and nothing got better! Essentially, no one else was living what I was living and no one else could figure out what needed to be done but me. I finally had a moment that the Spirit said to me, "Your kids are your kids. They are not her kids, or their kids, they are your kids. You must be the one to decide what is right for your child". And then I stopped stressing about what I could be doing and just did my best. Soon, things got better. Not perfect, but better.

Most nights he wakes only once, although every once in awhile he's up four times a night. A lot depends on illness, teething, temperature, etc. But this last week was the first time he slept through the night TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW! We're making progress people. We're making progress. Besides, he really is such a sweet boy and I love him so much. He was meant to come to our family.

Teddy at 6 months

Our sweet little Teddy turned six months at the end of October. I posted this picture on Instagram with this caption:

"Teddy can sit up well, is rolling both ways and all over, has his two bottom teeth, is super ticklish like his dad, loves his older sister, is very social and tries to make friends with any person who will make eye contact, still wakes every 4-5 hours to eat, and is the sweetest little boy I could ever have asked for."

I'm so happy to call such a cute little boy mine, and it's been great to see the bond he and Nayeli are forming. She smothers him with love and often says, "Oh Teddy, you're my best friend I've ever seen!" I have no idea where she got that from but it's the cutest.

My little rascals at work making messes :) They are so so fun.

Halloween 2014

About two months ago, Ben took me completely by surprise when he stated, "Let's dress up as a family for Halloween!" I was shocked because Ben hates dressing up, but since he was offering I began plotting costumes for our family.

I found two animal costumes on Craigslist for only $16 for both! They were a lion for Nayeli and a monkey for Teddy and they were the perfect sizes! I was so lucky! As a bonus, they were in great condition since they were worn by an only child once. Welcome to buying children's clothes secondhand in Oregon. It's awesome.

Anyway, I hadn't wanted to do something too complicated for our family and the costumes sealed the deal. With a small excursion to Goodwill and some khaki items from our closets we were officially headed on a Halloween safari.

Nayeli the Lion

Ready for candy! (Teddy was napping when these photos were taken- we love him just as much as Nayeli I promise :) )

Thursday night (the 30th) was the ward Halloween party. There was a chili cook off and Ben made his "award-winning" chili (it won first place in our ward in Provo). It got a runner up prize last year and this year too! We've now dubbed it "Three-peat champion chili".

The Petersen Family Safari

The carnivorous lion enjoying a corn dog.

Halloween night we made pumpkin pancakes for dinner and then took the kids trick or treating to a few of our neighbor friends. We have the only kids who live in our area of the apartment complex and so Nayeli and Teddy were the stars. One elderly neighbor even got them special gifts. So sweet.

The cutest lion and monkey I ever saw.

 

The "silly" pose