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Monthly Update

Monthly Update

Twenty-One Months

October 31, 2014
That’s right. Time is flying by faster than I can keep track, and our little boy is already twenty-one months old. Since Cullen has been 21 months old for a couple of weeks now, this update is going to be short and sweet.



No major changes or milestones reached over the past month, but this little boy learns so much every day. They way he communicates with us seems to change constantly. It still takes me by surprise sometimes that he has full conversations complete with whole sentences. 



He loves anything with an engine: planes, helicopters, cars, motorcycles, big trucks, and especially construction equipment. He loves to ride down the road pointing out the different types of vehicles. And his day is made if we pass a construction site.



I think my favorite part about this age is the two sides of having a little boy. One minute he is rough-and-tumble, covered in dirt, and trying to wrestle anyone in site. The next minute he wants to give kisses to everyone and proudly exclaims “I wuv you!”



Monthly Update

Twenty Months

October 1, 2014
It seems like this little boy is more and more grown up every day. His hair keeps getting longer (i think it’s finally time for a haircut), he keeps growing out of all of his clothes, he learns more words daily than I can even keep track of, and he constantly keeps us laughing. 


Cullen is into all of the typical boy things: trucks, dirt, bugs, and wrestling. I know for a fact that he would live outside if we would let him. He is on a continuous search for creepy-crawly things. Wrestling with Daddy is a great way to prolong bedtime. And he pointed out every “big truck” on the road this morning.


But he also loves to read, loves giving kisses to everyone, and will even still snuggle on the couch with me on occasion (usually when we are watching Curious George for the 100th time). He is such a sweetheart and I wouldn’t have it any other way. He gets so excited when he gets to go play with his friends at church. I love watching as he forms those first relationships and hope they last a lifetime.


He is getting to be so expressive with his communication. Aside from copying literally everything we say, he is starting to really add his own personality to his language. He has mastered the art of conveying his message with his eyes. He wags his finger at you if he is really serious about something. And he knows that adding a “peas” or “tank you” to any request will almost always guarantee a yes. It is nearly impossible not to give into every request when his whole little face smiles in anticipation. We are in trouble with this one.

I wish he would stay this little forever, but I also can’t wait to see how he continues to grow and continue to get to know the little boy he is becoming.
Monthly Update

Eighteen Months

July 21, 2014
Cullen got to celebrate his half birthday at the beach. He’s so lucky. And so much fun! I think it’s safe to say this is my favorite stage so far. He is a smart, adventure seeking, belly laughing eighteen month old. He so much fun to be around and constantly makes us laugh.



Cullen’s favorite activities these days are wrestling, building, coloring, and dancing. He will out of the blue yell ‘wrestle’ and then body slam you. Or he will walk to the middle of the living room floor, lay down, and demand that you come ‘wrestle’. He also loves building with his mega blocks. He yells ‘build’, dumps all of the blocks out on the floor, and gets to work. He will knock over what anyone else builds, but he wants you to play with him. Go figure. Coloring mainly consists of a few scribbles in a coloring book and trying to keep him from eating the crayons, which he finds hysterical. (Side note, have you seen these crayons. We love them!) His favorite song to dance to right now is “Happy”. He claps and sings “yeah” and “happy” right on cue. It may just be the cutest thing ever!


I am constantly amazed at how articulate Cullen is and how many new words he picks up every day. He can repeat and remember just about any two syllable word. And three syllable words are shortened, but usually still recognizable. You can tell he is the child of a math major because he knows what a protractor is and calls it a ‘uhtractor’. He is also starting to put words together. He tells Macey to ‘um ear’ (come here) when he wants to play or thinks she needs to go outside. He says ‘not me’ when he may or may not have done something. And he says ‘get it’ or ‘i get it’ when he wants something. Like with wrestling and building, he tends to announce what he is getting ready to do. Which is super helpful in keeping up with him. He even yells ‘water’ right before he dumps the dogs water all over the floor. 


While he makes plenty of messes, he is always eager to help clean them up. If he spills milk, he asks for something to clean it up by saying ‘mess’ until you give him a paper towel. And he loves to point out dirt on the floor I haven’t cleaned. Isn’t that sweet of him?



One of my favorite things these days is how Cullen holds my hand all the time. He holds my hand going up and down the stairs, walking outside, taking me to the pantry for a snack. My heart melts into a puddle every time his sweet little hand reaches up for mine. And every time he blows a kiss or gives a bear hug. I love this little red head more than I ever thought possible!

Happy eighteen months Cullen!
Monthly Update

Seventeen Months

July 2, 2014
Things have been a little quiet around here lately.  We have been busy trying to fill our summer with fun and I have been trying to be more intentional about being a part of the fun instead of viewing everything through the lens of my camera.  That means less to share here, but I don’t mind.  It is nice to take a break every once in a while and enjoy making memories instead of being so concerned with documenting them. But after a little break, I am ready to get back to posting more often.


Our little boy is definitely not a baby anymore. At seventeen months old, he is growing up way to fast. He thinks he is too big for a high chair, thinks he can go up and down the stairs himself, thinks he is too big for naps, knows how to tell us exactly what he wants and knows where everything is (mostly snacks), and repeats everything we say. 


I can’t even keep track of what words he knows anymore.  I think he adds a handful of new words to his vocabulary every day. I love listening to him talk, especially when he doesn’t know we are listening. He has the sweetest little voice, and makes even the most insignificant words sound adorable. My favorites these days are the way he says cookie, bug, ‘sicle (popsicle), ‘side (outside), and of course mommy and daddy. I know every mom thinks their child is a genius, but seriously, Cullen is the smartest toddler ever! He has a fantastic memory, knows a lot of animal sounds (cow, sheep, snake, owl, horse, dog), says “shhhh!” when you tell him a secret, points out every car, bus and bird we pass on the road, and voluntarily throws away any piece of trash he finds. 


Cullen’s favorite activities these days are going to the pool, where he desperately wants to play with the big kids and flirts with all of the teenage girls, searching for bugs, eating popsicles, jumping on the couch cushions, and playing outside as much as possible. 


Aside from the few temper tantrums we are forced to endure, and the joys of teething, this is a really fun age. Cullen is so much fun to be around. He has the most infectious laugh and we have the best time playing together. I love the little boy that he is becoming. He is smart, bold, sweet, and loving. His wrinkled-nose, whole-face smiles are my favorite, and he can brighten even the grayest of days. I hope the memories we are making now stay with us forever!


Monthly Update

Sixteen Months

May 29, 2014
I feel like I just wrote Cullen’s fifteen month update.  Seriously, where is the time going?  Things need to slow down so I can soak up every minute…my little boy is growing up way too fast!

 We had a couple rough weeks thanks to some pretty painful teething. I’ve always heard that the canine teeth were the worst, but I had no idea.  There have been a couple occasions that he has just rolled around in pain.  I was called out of church one Sunday because he was completely inconsolable in the nursery.  No amount of popsicles, teethers, or snuggles from his uncle and aunt could calm him down.  Even I could not comfort him.  It absolutely broke my heart to see him in such pain.  Hopefully the worst is over and those stubborn teeth will finally pop through the gums soon. 




Cullen’s favorite things lately still include being outside, particularly playing with his water table, blowing bubbles, finding rocks and sticks, and playing on his slide (He has mastered climbing up the front and back of the slide, giving me a minor heart attack every time.), dancing (he asks Corey to turn music on every morning and has figured out how to turn up the volume on the ihome), and talking.  He talks all day every day. I just wish I could actually understand what he is saying!

Over the last couple of weeks, Cullen has added some new words to his vocabulary.  A few of his newest words include:

Gigi (or G sometimes) – my Mom
Meme – Corey’s Mom
puppy
outside
keys
eww
boops (books)
up
poop (I am a little ashamed that I accidentally taught him that word.  But as a boy, he was going to learn it soon anyway, right? #momoftheyear)

He has finally started waving ‘bye’ and it absolutely one of the sweetest things ever! And lately he has been stuck on ‘Mommy’.  Not that he wants my attention any more than usual, he just repeats ‘Mommy’ over and over and over throughout the day. The way he says it melts my heart!

This little boy owns my heart.  He makes long work days worth it, and he can always put a smile on my face. We have so much fun keeping up with his infectious personality.  I wish I could keep him this little forever, but at the same time, I can’t wait to see who he grows up to be.

I love you Cullen, with all of my heart!


Monthly Update

Fifteen Months

May 6, 2014

This update is almost three weeks late. Oops! Cullen has changed a bit over the past few weeks, but here is a little bit about him at fifteen months.



This growing boy is now 32.5″ tall (90th percentile) and weighs 24.4 lbs (73rd percentile). He took quite a jump in the weight department; it looks like his weight may be catching up with his height. I’m not surprised though. He eats All. Day. Long. If only I could get him to eat a vegetable.


In addition to the words he was able to say last month, he has recently added
        bebe (‘baby’)
        idoit (‘i do it’, usually when he is climbing in a chair)
        cheechos (‘cheerios’)
        doggie
        juice
        bye (very rarely and only when prompted)
        peas (‘please’, again very rarely and only when prompted)
        nononono (his way of saying no…when he really means it)
        uh-oh

He doesn’t really say ‘yes’, but he will nod yes to just about any question you ask him.  At first it was any time he was asked something…even if the answer was no.  He is starting to get better about only nodding when he means it. 

I have noticed recently a big desire on his part to be more independent. He wants to spoon-feed himself yogurt. Which is adorable, but messy. He wants to sit in a kitchen chair instead of his high chair. (It might be time to invest in a booster seat. Any recommendations?) He also wants to walk down the stairs instead of being carried.  He reaches up for my hand, my heart melts, and we walk down the steps together.  It is the sweetest, and I don’t mind one bit that it takes five times longer to make it down our stairs!

I am blown away every day at how smart he is and at what he can do. Over the past month, I’ve watched him go from pulling all of his toys apart to actually putting things together. He knows how to put the animals in Noah’s Ark, and he knows how to put most of the shapes back into his shape sorter.

While there are some days where Cullen pushes my buttons and wears me out (there are moments when I feel like he is hitting the Terrible Twos a little early), I wouldn’t trade it for anything! I love spending time with him and getting to know the little boy he is growing into. This is an incredibly fun age. He keeps us laughing and amazes us every day!


Monthly Update

Fourteen Months

March 19, 2014

As of Monday our Little Man is fourteen months old. Where did that last month go? Before you scroll any farther,  I would like to apologize for the ridiculous number of photos in this post.  It is completely unnecessary, but I could not help myself.  He is just so cute!


Cullen’s favorite thing to do right now is read. He brings me books constantly and shoves them in my face or pushes them to my chest until I agree to read. Then he sits in my lap and soaks up every word and picture. Immediately after the last page, he asks to read it again. And again. And again. We started reading this book about a week ago, and I have already memorized it.  It has been stuck in my for the past two days. I guess that is a small price to pay for his love of books. I thought we had a built up a pretty good library of board books, but we may have to find a few more. Just for my sanity. 

He has also gotten into the habit of pulling out DVDs for me to read. I have tried explaining that I can’t read a movie, but he doesn’t care. So in addition to books, we read a lot of movie covers.

I really do love that Cullen loves reading so much. It provides an opportunity for him to learn and a chance for me to sneak in some snuggle time. I will continue to read the same books over and over as long as it makes him happy. 

Cullen has picked up a lot of new words over the past few weeks. He now says cookie, shoes, thank you, and fish (goldfish). I think he has started calling Macey DeDe, which is pretty adorable! 


Our picky little eater has not gotten much better. He refuses to eat any kind of meat or vegetable. He loves grapes, blueberries, yogurt, goldfish, bread, and cookies. Occasionally I can get him to eat a ham and cheese sandwich, but it’s usually when the sandwich was intended for me. He is growing fine and a very happy little boy, so I’m not going to force the issue. Like I said last month, we will continue to offer him what we eat, and I’m sure he will eventually eat better.  I hope so anyway.

As you can clearly see here, Cullen is loving outside. And he is non-stop. If you remember, last month, he was perfectly content to sit in the grass and let me snap a few pictures. Not this time; Corey and I chased him around the yard the entire time trying to get a few good shots. Cullen spent most of our photo session pulling weeds (which our yard definitely needs right now.) Maybe we can put him to work this summer?



Monthly Update

Thirteen Months

February 20, 2014

Our little man is now thirteen months old.  I feel like he has changed so much over the past month.  There is no sign of baby left in him; we have a full gown toddler on our hands now.  


 Cullen has mastered a lot of new skills over the past month:

  • He throws away his own diapers.  Sometimes without even being asked.  But you have to watch him; he usually tries to take something out of the trash in return.
  • Running.  Walking is a thing of the past. He is always moving as fast as he possibly can.
  • The fake sneeze.  If you fake sneeze, he will throw his head back and say “Ahh-oo”. It is quite possibly the most adorable thing ever!
  • He is really fine-tuning his verbal communication.  You can tell that he really understands most of what we say to him, and occasionally he even does what we tell him.  He still says “dis” (this) and “was dis” (what’s this) to just about everything. But he also answers any questions you ask him with a very thorough explanation.  No one knows what he is actually saying, but he is definitely not just babbling.  I can’t wait until he starts using actual words.  I can tell we are going to get some gems from this guy.

Meal time has become a struggle over the past month.  I know a lot of little ones start to get picky at this age, but I was not prepared for his level of pickiness.  He will always eat yogurt, quinoa, cheerios, and goldfish.  But that is all.  I can occasionally get him to eat half of a baby carrot, three tiny bites of banana, or a couple tiny bites of a grilled cheese (His favorite part is the crust, which I find really odd.)  I have no idea how he has gained over a pound this past month, because he doesn’t eat anything. I have tried everything I can think of to get him to eat more: offering less milk, offering lots of options at one meal, giving him only one option, putting his food on the coffee table so he can graze, nothing seems to work.  So I guess we will just keep offering, and he will eat when he is ready.


Cullen and Macey are best buds these days.  Mostly because he feeds her.  When he is in his high chair and decides he is done eating, he drops his leftovers, one piece at a time, so that Macey can eat them.  He constantly shares his snacks with her.  He also LOVES  to watch her through the back door and then gives her a treat when she comes back in.  So basically, Macey loves him because he feeds her, and Cullen is okay with that.  He gives her more kisses than he gives me, and he loves to snuggle with her!


Bedtime has become a lot easier in the past month or so too.  When Cullen gets tired, he starts laying down on anything he can find: a blanket, a stuffed animal, Macey.  We then brush his teeth (easily his favorite part of the day), give him kisses, and lay him down.  He snuggles up with one of his stuffed animals (lately its been his fox) and goes right to sleep.  No more fussing while we rock him to sleep, no more crying when we leave the room.  It is absolutely wonderful! (I wish I could say the same about naps.)  The way he cuddles up with his stuffed animal and snuggles himself in has to be the sweetest thing ever!



I think it is safe to say that this is my favorite age so far.  I love watching him explore and learn. He can be clingy at times (thank you new teeth), but he is generally a happy little boy that spends most of his day laughing out loud.  I love the way he throws his head back and belly laughs at just about everything. I am so excited to watch him grow into a little boy. I am sure he is going to be wide open and Corey and I will both be exhausted at then end of every day, but I know we have a lot of fun headed our way!


First Birthday Monthly Update

Twelve Months

January 24, 2014

We officially have a one year old.  My little baby is now a toddler.  Excuse me a moment while I wipe away a few tears.  OK.  I’m better now, so let’s talk about this ball of personality living with us.



 Cullen took his very first step the Saturday before Christmas.  It was only one step though.  a couple of days later he started taking two and three steps throughout the day.  By the first of the year, he was taking five or six steps at a time, but was still a little unsure of himself.  By his first birthday, walking was his default mode.  He is still a little unsteady and falls a good bit, but he almost always starts off walking. He is now chasing Macey in circles around the kitchen table.



Mealtime has become a little more difficult lately.  Cullen loves yogurt, grapes, quinoa, and snacks.  Everything else has become a struggle.  We are trying mostly finger foods, and at dinner are giving Cullen what we eat.  Most of the time he will try what we give him once and then play with it, but he usually eats well at breakfast and lunch and he does well at dinner on occasion.  I’m hoping that if we just keep offering, he will eventually eat better.  But I hear most little ones are picky eaters at this age.  Plus, Cullen seems to be growing right on track.  He is in the 58% for weight (21 pounds, 12.5 ounces) and the 93% for height (31.25 inches.)  Not sure where that height is coming from!

Cullen now has eight teeth.  And he shows them off with the best cheesy grin I have ever seen.  His whole face wrinkles up so much that his eyes close.  It is my absolute favorite!

For the past month, at least, Cullen has been saying ‘dis’ (this.)  He points at everything and says ‘dis.’  It could be something he wants, something he is just noticing, or something he has seen a hundred times and just wants to point at.  It is super cute!

Cullen’s favorite things to do these days are playing peek-a-boo behind the curtains, chasing Macey around (I’m glad she is so good with him!), clicking pens (not sure how he learned that, but it’s so cute!), getting chased by adults, and reading books by himself. He loves to sit with a pile of books and flip through page by page; seriously the sweetest thing ever!  We are having so much fun with this little boy!



Side note: this kid can throw a temper tantrum.  Every single time he doesn’t get his way.  Have the terrible twos started super early?  (But most of the time he is awesome!)
Monthly Update

Eleven Months

December 29, 2013

As I mentioned yesterday things have been a little crazy around here lately, so at almost two weeks late, I figured it was time to update you on this little eleven month old we have cruising around.



Some stats for this month:  

Right at eleven months, Cullen weighed about 25 1/2 pounds.  Not sure about height…I didn’t even attempt that this month.

Cullen has five teeth and two more that are going to pop through any minute.  

Saying ‘Mama’, ‘Dada’, ‘hey’ and ‘no’.  My mom swears she has heard him say ‘GiGi’.  



This is more of a development in the past week, but Cullen is taking a few steps.  Usually just one or two then he decides crawling is easier, but he is definitely on the verge of walking.  For a little while now, he has been standing on his own.  It’s funny when he is standing and you can see him trying to decide if he wants to take a step or sit and crawl.  Such tough decisions for a such a little boy.



Sorry this has been so short, but we have a lot going on with cleaning up after Christmas and planning a first birthday party! (Which I am super excited and sad about at the same time!)  So I will leave you with two more pictures of our big boy, and I am off to shop for party supplies. 

Side note, does everyone else have such a hard time getting their little one to sit still for more than two seconds? Getting a good picture of him is hard work!