Alligators...

Trey has new PJ's w/ an alligator on it that has a little chick on his snout. I told him this the other day. This morning at breakfast he pointed to his shirt & surprised us by saying "alligator". I wasn't surprised he remembered just that he said such a big word. Then he said chick, chicken for the little chick.

He understands the concept of tomorrow by going by the sun. If you tell him tomorrow, he will say "bye bye sun" & then "hi sun".

He currently has 2 bite marks on his arms from a little boy at daycare who is in "trouble" according to Trey! The latest bite is worse than the 1st one. The skin is not broken but very bruised. I asked him who did that to him & he said "Trey". There is another child named Trey in his class & so today he pointed to his bites & said "other Trey" b/c that's how we have been referring to him. I hope this stops soon! Daycare is aware & addressing the problem is what we were told.

He seems to be growing taller with every week. Still eating very picky & like a bird at some meals & pigging out at other meals.

Okay, Ok, OK!!, OK?...

Ok-such a simple expression-that Trey has suddenly picked up on & says constantly! He says this now instead of his "awright" for allright. Now OK is said in 5 different ways & shortened sometimes to just Kay. It is hilarious to hear him say this! He sometimes draws it out & makes it about 3 syllables long sounding kinda like Forrest Gump. We've never gotten him to say "yes" but "no" flows like a river, of course. So now we have a yes in the form of OK!

And so, ok, I haven't kept up with posting lately-can I blame it on spring fever?! We've been to parks, a Strawberry festival, & to Florida since my last post. And Trey & Ruben are going "camping" this weekend in a hotel (now that's my kind of camping!) with our friends from Pensacola. They're going somewhere just above B'ham but the campgrouds don't have cabins & we're pretty sure Trey would escape from our little tent! We've been busy w/ all that plus adjusting to the brace & I've been sleeping instead of posting! Ah, ZZZZ are the best...certainly makes handling a energetic 2 year old easier!

Overall, Trey is doing well with his brace. He has worn it at night for over 2 weeks & amazed us by sleeping through the night still even the 1st few nights he wore it. That boy will not let anything come b/t him & his sleep! He will sometimes take it off in the morning before I go in to get him out of the crib. We call it his "fish suit" b/c the pattern on it is shades of blue fish. He will try to put it on by himself already! He breaks my heart though by telling me "hurts" almost each time we put it on him. He is wearing it the full 18 hours a day now so he doesn't get much of a break from it. The real pain for us is that each time we change his diaper it has to be taken off(potty training must come soon!). And putting it on is tricky-for me anyway-kinda like swaddling a wiggly newborn, the guys always seem better at it.

Trey seems to be growing taller after each of my work weekends when I don't see him as much. And he is talking so much more! He likes to say handsome & nice as in "Trey handsome" "Papa handsome", "Mama nice". Then he asks me "Mama help" when he is trying to do something. Yesterday he told me "Mama care" meaning carry for me. He also immediately repeats things we say even when he doesn't know what it means. His little voice is so sweet & cute!! Of course, I'm biased.

Trey had a great Easter & was spoiled rotten by the grandparents! Nana (my mother)had such a good time putting together Easter baskets for Trey (yes, baskets as in multiple ones!) & they dyed eggs together. Ruben & Nana played Easter bunny & hid the eggs. Trey had fun finding them. It was Trey's first time to dye & hunt eggs. He was so excited when he found an egg that he threw them in the basket hard enough that we could hear them cracking! He used my Easter basket from childhood since my search for the perfect basket for him proved fruitless(Pottery Barn for kids have the cutest liners/baskets & should NOT have run out days after I got their catalog!) I went to the store on Good Friday expecting them to be sold out too & they were but the sales lady had to rub salt in the wound by saying "that lady walking out just bought the last one". AAAGGGHHH-so close! But it was fine. We had a great time watching Trey & the basket didn't really matter as long as he could hunt the eggs.

We're trying to plan a weekend to the beach so Trey can play in the water & sand. He loves the water so much! And Ruben & I are planning a big trip for our 10th anniversary in July so Trey will get to stay at the grandparents for several days (I can't stand to think about it too much b/c I will miss him so much!) Nana & Papa can't wait & have all kind of plans for Trey.

Other big news that was a shocker last night-it sounds like Trey has a baby cousin on the way! Ruben's younger brother is expecting a baby with his girlfriend. Since I am an only child & we didn't expect Ruben's brothers to have any children, we thought Trey would not have cousins (just hopefully a baby brother or sister). So this was a huge surprise.

Yesterday...

was a fun St. Paddy's Day! Trey & I had lunch with Ruben & his friend from work, Jonathon. Trey started trying to say "Jonat..." over & over. But what really surprised me was when we were eating our breakfast cereal, he pointed to the window where the sun was streaming throught the blinds(finally, after 4 days of rain!) & said "shine Mama". I asked him what? & he said "shine, sun, rain gone, bye-bye rain."! I could't believe he said all that without me bringing up any of that. I told him he was so right, that we finally had sunshine & a beautiful day. Luck of the Irish! Now, if Trey could just find that pot of gold!

Tomorrow is a big day for Trey & I hope it goes as well as possible. I haven't posted anything in the blog until I could tell my parents. We recently found out Trey has scoliosis. We have taken him for x-rays, a visit to the pediatric orthopedist at St. Vincent's, B'ham Limb & Brace(who did't take our insurance), another brace place who took our insurance but didn't know how to make the brace, got the Dr. to talk to the insurance company & get it approved at the other place-don't you love healthcare?!

He has 2 curves that are 20 degrees. The Dr. told us he will have to wear a brace to slow the progression of the curves as he grows or hopefully prevent it. We have absorbed this over several weeks & I hate he has to wear it only because of the discomfort it will be to him. Just having him measured for the brace a couple of weeks ago was torture! They basically wrapped him up like a mummy in some gauze with plaster to make a cast of his torso. Then they cut it off of him with the biggest pair of scissors I have every seen. He screamed & cried like he when he gets shots but this went on for much longer than shots. A very nice lady who works there went next door & got Trey fries & a Sprite! Because of course Trey had charmed her with his big blue eyes & sweet smile before the torture started!

We go tomorrow to get it & they will adjust it if needed. Then we go to the orthopedist to make sure it fits. Ruben is going with us this time to help me & for moral support! I know there are much more serious & life-threatening conditions that affect children so I am trying to keep perspective-eventual surgery would be the worst thing that would happen if the curve progresses beyond 50 degrees.

So many new words have been flying out of Trey's mouth! He said "What?" tonight to Ruben & we responded for a minute before we realized what he said! Miss Naomi at his school is Na-Na & he has a friend named Raegan & can now say Raegan which started out as Ray-Ray. I think she may be his girlfriend! He smiles really big when I mention her. He handed me a dime today & said "penny". Apple for applesauce, book, Trey's house, are a few of his latest but I can't remember all of them! He is sweet as ever & rambunctious too!

Has anyone seen....

this baby?? He is adorable, big blue eyes, & his name is Trey. I had him & I just don't know where he has gone...I miss him....I want to pick him up & hold him...but I just can't seem to find him....

Trey has grown up so fast & changed so much! When I see an older photo I can't believe it. I want to step back in time for a few minutes & hold that baby!



Same big blue eyes!

My Sweet Boy

Trey gave me a full-on kiss on the cheek today as I was leaving to go to work. I asked him to "hug Mommy" & he said "no". He loves to say that little word these days! Then he turned his little head & kissed the air. So I said I want you to give me a kiss right here on the check & I pointed. He turned & kissed me on the cheek! More than just pressing his lips. It was SO sweet! I got spit & everything!

He is becoming quite the talker with all his new words & phrases. He informs us of all kinds of things like reciting all his boo-boos 1st thing every morning (most of them minor scratches but being a boy he has lots of little injuries!), likes to say "loud" for loud dog (there was a dog barking early this am in our subdivision which is unusual), loud TV, loud truck, etc. And he likes to assign things to people he knows by saying "Papa's truck, Nana's car, Mama's clothes, & tonight he sais "Trey's couch". He didn't want to leave his couch & his pillow (an adult, king size one that is his favorite but I won't let him sleep w/ it) tonight to go back to bed. Back is another new word as in "Paci back" meaning I want it back, "Mama back" as in give me back whatever I took from him that he wanted!

Now I just have to get him to say "I love you"! He hears it all the time from us.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope you are all having a special Valentine's Day! Trey is my sweetheart & Valentine but I am going to dinner & a movie tonight with my "old" Valentine! We don't have a reservation anywhere so I told Ruben we may be eating at Wendy's!

Trey got chocolate with peanut butter in it-2 of his favorite things-for Valentine's Day & we got him a Winnie the Pooh card that says "you're a little hunny". He loves Elmo now but I still like Pooh!

Trey & I are going to the mall soon for some last minute Valentine present shopping & so he can wear his red shirt for Valentine's that he looks so cute in!

To continue the segment on Trey's latest new words & now phrases, wow how his vocabulary has grown by leaps in the last few weeks! One day this week his teachers wrote on his activity sheet that Trey was impressing his teachers with his growing vocabulary. He said "Mama's dinner" to me a couple days ago while we were eating breakfast & I told him dinner was for food but we were technically eating breakfast that time of day & he immediately tried to say breakfast. He says button for keys on the computer & for buttons on his shirt, "poo" for shampoo, bite when he wants a bite of something, eat when he wants to eat,fries is shouted loudly anytime we pull into any type of drive-thru(me trying to explain that sadly Starbucks does not serve fries does little to quieten him!) & several more I can't think of right now! We got to see Papa for lunch this week & when his Papa asked his name he said Trey right away.

He is also using hand gestures as in "I don't know" by holding his hands to his sides & turning them up. Growing up so fast!

XOXOXOXOXOXO
Happy V-Day!

Our weekend visit

One of our oldest & dearest friends visited us from home this weekend. Shannon helped set Ruben & I up on a blind date...and the rest as they say is history! She came & stayed with us when Trey was about 6 weeks old & was a tremendous help/comfort. I will probably remember more from this visit since I wasn't sleep deprived! Although I do have a nasty stomach bug that did keep me up some both nights & of course, Trey caught it. But his seems much milder than mine (fingers crossed on that one) & I'm still not over it.

We watched James Bond movies, talked, went to Whole Foods, & watched Trey develop a big crush on "Shanna". He almost immediately began trying to say her name & got pretty close. He wanted her in the room he was in & kept waving to her & saying "Hi Shanna!". Saying good-bye was hard for all of us, but probably Trey the most-he gets attached quick!

Today he asked for Shanna several times & then realized it sounded a lot like Nana so he said them all in a row: Shanna, Nana, Papa. So we called the grandparents & he delighted them by screaming their names! Quite the little ham.

Other new words: "good taste" for some applesauce he tried from Whole Foods (we found single serving, squeeze container applesauce for on the go-who knew?!), Mama's clothes, Dada's clothes, orange, Mama's orange (he noticed when I changed clothes & also points to clothes in the laundry or hanging & identifies them).

He also put on his pants today by himself except for pulling them up in the back over his butt-he can't figure that one out yet. But I was surprised at him putting them on without any coaxing while I was looking for socks. Mama was very pleased!

Trey's name

I'm so excited! I just asked Trey "what is your name?" & he immediately said "Trey"!! I have been asking him this question for a couple of days this week & telling him "your name is Trey". Usually he will just say "name". This was the first time I asked him today so I was really surprised when he said Trey. Of course, I immediately repeated my question to see if it was a fluke but he gave me the same answer.

He also said his teacher's name, Miss Anna, a few days ago. When we turned onto 261 to go through Old Town he starting saying "Anna" several times. He tried the day before to say it & it sounded like he was speaking w/ an accent b/c he was sounding it out. I have been asking him "where are we going? We're going to daycare or school & Mommy is going to work" then I ask him "what do you do when you get to school?" He answers, begrudgingly, "night-night" b/c it is nap time when he gets there. So he knows, but still doesn't always do it!

Other new words of late...mess-as in look at the mess I've created! but says it w/ a Southern accent I guess as "mace" almost, school, hurts (as he is constantly doing something that causes him to hurt himself), "mote trol" for the remote control, & still his favorite "big truck". He also says "choo-choo, train" everyday when we go over the 1st set of tracks in Helena, then "water" for the dam at Buck Creek, then "choo-choo,train" again for the 2nd set of tracks. He also identifies things by sound, saying "dog" when he heard our neighbor's dog barking & just now "big truck" when a loud truck went by. Constantly amazed by his understanding & learning!

Happy 2nd Birthday Trey!!

Trey's Elmo Cake


Mama,Trey, & Daddy

Trey with Papa


Where's Trey?!

Trey being silly!


Trey is officially TWO now!!

We celebrated today with cake & ice cream & Elmo balloons. I cooked a special lunch of pot roast. Trey ate some pot roast & loved the cake with Elmo on it. Papa & Nana were here all weekend to celebrate with Trey. He misses them already. We sang "Happy Birthday" to him & he just stared at us like we were nuts.

We went to the McWane Center yesterday for Trey's first trip there. He loved it especially the water table where the kids wear waterproof aprons & get to splash around a table with running water. On a cold Saturday, the place was packed with energetic kids-what a madhouse!! I am so sad that we forgot the camera (@#*?&!) & have no photos of it. Nana made some with hers. We then got a quick bite at Newk's & went to Whole Foods Market-Trey & the grandparents first trip to both.

Trey got a wicker toy box(Pottery Barn for Kids) from the grandparents & a wooden puzzle from us. Plus some Elmo DVD's from us so he can watch "Mo-Mo" in the minivan & not just at home-as he recently requested when we were traveling!

In case you're wondering...Trey got a cute haircut for his "2 year old" look. Still my sweet doll-faced boy with the blue eyes!

New words this week: garage, "big truck", loud-he says this when commercials come on TV (but never about himself!), choo-choo train & "bye bye big train" when the train was going away (got caught a lot by the train this week), & NO alot. No is not a new word for him but his use of it has skyrocketed the last couple of weeks. He says "No cat", "No Mommy" & "no-no-no" to his toys & food when it falls. Hilarious!

He has sleeping until 9am(!!) most mornings the last few weeks & goes to bed by 7pm. But he has not napped all week at daycare! He will nap at home if we get him settled down for it. He actually has requested "night-night" several times the last few weeks! He goes to his pajama drawer, gets PJs out, then runs in the kitchen & asks for "bottle"! I still heat the milk so tonight he started pushing the buttons on the microwave. Unbelievable! I think he is ready to take care of us now!

We are so blessed & happy to have Trey & look forward to many more years with him.

We still can't believe he's two. We go Tuesday for his 2 year well-baby appt.

What a great day!! I hope he remembers some of it.

Silliness!

NaNa got Trey some "big boy" underwear in the smallest size it comes in & Trey did this all on his own! Kinda scary but hilarious!

This looks like someone other than Trey but I can't decide who.

Christmas photos...

From 2 weeks old to over 70!






The Loot-grandparents went a little crazy!
Can I take a nap now?!

Zoolight Safari

Trey rides the carousel with Daddy





How fast the holidays go by...


We went the Saturday night before Christmas. The weather was unusually warm & the lights were gorgeous. Lots of people were there-so many that Trey got scared! He did not like Santa there either. Maybe next year...

So much to say...

Trey at the Helena Christmas Parade
Trey seeing our tree for the first time
Trey with his Nana at the Christmas parade in my hometown

That goes for me & Trey. He has "talked" so much today, both real words & Trey babble-talk words. And as for me, I am so far behind with blogging that I don't know where to start! I was waiting to post until I could add Christmas photos but trying to get Ruben's camera, my laptop, & Trey sleeping all together at once has proved my undoing in keeping up w/ blogging!

Christmas at the grandparents was a lot of fun. Trey loved his Pottery Barn chair we got him & sits in it a lot. Sampson, our cat, also loves to sit in it...should've seen that coming! Trey also loves his Elmo live doll. He interacts w/ him during his storytelling by mocking Elmo, screaming when he screams, etc.

So 3 trips out of town since Thanksgiving, all the Christmas hoopla, & Trey running wild has led to being behind w/ my blog, our Christmas tree still up, & me doing laundry for 3 days this week! Fond memories, great photos, & a New Year...plus Trey's 2nd birthday just around the corner!

My Christmas present from Trey...

I got my Christmas present from my little guy early this year. Last weekend he finally started giving us kisses!! I am so excited. I kiss him lots on the cheeks & hands & blow him kisses when I am leaving to go to work. He started hugging a few months ago but never would kiss.

Now he is holding up his hands for us to kiss & then will kiss the top of my hand. He has also kissed my cheek a couple of times which was especially sweet. I can't describe the joy I feel when he hugs & kisses me. Its one of the best feelings in the world. He also has started sqeezing us when he hugs us. I want to stop time & enjoy him at this age longer. He is so close to being 2 & acts so grown up sometimes. Not to mention that he is sooo tall!

Today he napped for 3 hours! He is fighting off a cold & didn't nap much this week at daycare so I tried to make sure he got a good nap to catch up. Plus we were going to Zoolight Safari tonight so it worked out well b/c he was up very late for him. Lots of "ights" to see as Trey calls them. Photos to soon follow....it was beautiful & the weather was good for it. He still does NOT like Santa though.

Trey will one day be a grown man & I often wonder what he will do, where he will live, if he'll have children & how many, & how often I will see him when he's all grown up. I can't really imagine it b/c he still has so much growing to do. I want him to enjoy his childhood & have wonderful memories to carry him through life. Christmastime is a very special time & will be one of those memories...

I'm so glad to have Trey for all my Christmases now! Kisses & all!!

Santa...

We were warned, read about, saw it happen, but didn't want to believe it...that 2 years old cry when they see Santa....

We stood in line to see Santa at the Galleria a couple of nights ago(new Santa this year) & Trey was fine until I placed him on Santa's lap. Santa told him he like his shoes and Trey burst in tears! I couldn't believe it-our little man who never mets a stranger & has not been afraid of anything it seems. The photos are in between a cry & a tiny smile only b/c I tickled his belly & jumped back. Not his best photo op for sure!

Santa at least has on a Santa suit this year unlike the one last year that wore a plaid vest. But he is a "thinner" Santa w/ no Santa belly! I heard that the mall hired him to show the kids a healthier, thinner version of Santa. Christmas is about a lot of things but being health-conscious is not one of them-it originated as an indulgent feast to prepare for the brutal winters. So he was an ok Santa but I object to the mall boycotting the original jolly Santa! Interesting parallel that Santa is associated w/ both-guess he needs all that extra fat for surviving the North Pole!

Maybe next year Trey will be more "jolly" when he sees Santa & can tell him what he wants under the tree.

Another peanut butter lover is born!

We decided to let Trey try peanut butter last Sunday even though he's not quite 2. But w/ the holidays coming up & nuts everywhere, I decided it would be better to try it now while we're at home instead in out of town. Luckily, no reaction occurred other than the universal one to peanut butter-lots of "ummm" & "more"! He was licking it off a spoon & reminded me of the scene in "Meet Joe Black" where Brad Pitt's character tries it for the first time. Love at first lick!!

The best part is now he can have PB&J sandwiches!! Easy, protein (which he doesn't like a lot of), & fairly cheap.

Downstairs...

In the mornings when I go up to get Trey, I tell him we are going downstairs. Yesterday he said "downstairs" when I started to walk down w/ him before I said it. I said "what did you say?" & he said "Let's go downstairs"! I was amazed. He has been saying Let's go for a week or so b/c this is what I tell him when we're ready to leave home. But he put them all together for a little sentence! Very exciting.

He is sleeping late again today in this dreary rainy weather we are having-again! Good for sleeping though.

Trey's latest words...

Trey saw Elmo on TV today & exclaimed "mo-mo"! He said this a few weeks ago in a store when he saw the new Elmo Live doll. I thought it was a fluke but apparently that is what he calls Elmo. He is getting the live doll for Christmas so I'm glad he has taken an interest in mo-mo! He also is calling TV "t-t" in an attempt to say TV when he's trying to wrestle the remote from us.

He pulled my toenails today & I squealed in mock pain. He loved the noises I was making so much that he giggled louder & more than I've ever heard him do. It became a fun back & forth.

Lots of fun Christmas events coming up soon...Trey is almost 2 & they say that's when they want nothing to do w/ Santa. We plan to take him next week when I'm off to have his photo made w/ Santa @ the Galleria & I'm hoping he proves to be the atypical child who's not scared of Santa or shy around him. We'll see...I should get our Christmas photo cards tomorrow featuring, who else, but the little man! I can't wait to see them!

Trey's Turkey Day

Trey had so much fun at the grandparents house last week that he has slept until 9am Monday. Then went to bed before 6pm & slept until 9:30 yesterday! That is a record. Today he is back to his usual 8am wake-up call. I have been loving the extra sleep!

Trey ate ham & turkey during Thanksgiving! This was amazing since he usually snubs all meat. We worry about him getting enough protein so we were glad to see him eating Grannie's ham & turkey.

Damages done at grandparents house: broken coffee pot, broken coffee cup, broken ceramic cat, & broken container for honey. That's all we know about for now! Luckily, Trey escaped unscathed in all these incidents but needless to say their house is not child-proof or at least not Trey-proof! I told him Grannie will not want us back at her house. But of course they were just glad Trey wasn't hurt. What a little tornado he is!

Christmas Time!

Our tree is up! I'm so happy that's done & we're way ahead of our usual Christmas crunch schedule. Trey got to run around & see live reindeer at Pine Hill Tree Farms in Tarrant. Ruben & I were the "elves" that put up the tree & decs after Trey went to bed that night. Luckily, Trey has not bothered the tree much at all(knock on wood) but did seem impressed w/ it the next morning. Sampson is happy because his favorite nap spot (under the tree) is back.

Famous last words...

No-No, NO-NO, NO-NO!! Trey has started "no" finally in the last couple of weeks & it has quickly progressed to an emphatic NO-NO!! repeated over & over. Of course, he is only mimicing what we have said over & over to him to tell to stop doing something!

This weekend he started saying "me-me" over & over. We think he is referring to himself or saying it meaning "mine"! He says it when he wants something or if we're tryng to take it from him. Such as the toy kitchen set he was playing with the other day-everyone in Pottery Barn Kids got to hear him scream "me-me" over & over as I carried him out while attemptng to push the stroller-very embarrassing! I think my idea to get his own chair for Christmas is a hit though since I could barely drag hm away from it.

Other new words...knock(he knocks while saying it), truck, dog (vs calling them all cats), "poc" meaning pocket, chair, hair, eyes, nose, blue(for blue colored M&M), color for crayon coloring, socks...& my favorite "oh no" for when something won't do what he wants! His vocabulary has exploded in the last 2 or 3 weeks. Its like he suddenly realized everything has a name & he wants to learn it.

We put up our Christmas tree this past weekend...photos to be posted soon I hope. Trey & I are in Florida now at the grandparents for Turkey Day.

Trey and Daddy

We went to BabyGap the other night & it was Ruben's first trip :)) He found so many cute things for Trey & a matching hat for Daddy. They look so cute together! And the stripy I Love Dad PJs are very cute. I told Dad, no more trips to the Gap w/ you! We bought way too much...early Christmas gifts??!!

Ok, you asked for it...here it is!

Trey's shiner! The bruising has come in & looks just pitiful. I want to buy him a shirt that says "No, my parents don't abuse me, I'm just a wildman!" & have him wear it everyday until it goes away!

Trey's black eye

Trey zoomed off the couch & hit the coffee table tonight like he's done too many times before w/ us both sitting on the couch. Unfortunately, tonight he tagged his left eye just below the eye on the outer corner. He promptly developed a goose egg the size of a marble & it started turning black & blue a few minutes later. It looks so bad & painful! I was so upset b/c at first I thougtht it was his head, then I saw the bump sticking out so far, & he was screaming. But then I got really upset b/c I realized his Christmas photos are the day after tomorrow! He has an oh-so-cute outfit picked out & now we can capture his 1st major bruise at the same time-that's just lovely! We may have to bump that photo a few days or he may have to wear some make-up, a little concealer, a little foundation never hurt a baby boy :))

I just breached the silence of his nursery to check on him (as I often do after a head injury just to satisy my urge to check) & also to check out the developing rock of gibraltar on his face! I told Ruben it will be a great photo to send all the family & folks who don't see him much. Ruben laughed & I told him to expect a visit from Children's Services.

Trey was so tired from 3 days of playing with the grandparents,staying up late, & missing naps that he still went to sleep soon after his dive. But not before he ran into a wall & bumped his forehead! Craziness at the Vuittonet household tonight!

Fun times!

Trey has had so much fun w/ the grandparents the last few days! He has given them a run for their money though. It has been fun to see them interacting & also to see someone else have the same battle of wills w/ him that I go through. He has learned the word "no" in the last few days & says it in quick succesion "no-no, no-no" for emphasis!

So Papa & Nana got to play w/ Trey, Ruben & I went to dinner & a movie(ate @ Heads & Tails & saw Pride & Glory), & I feel like we gained a whole new room in our house! Ruben & I cleaned out our bonus room(for about the 5th time in the past 7 years!) so we know have work spaces again. I filed paperwork that dated back to December '06-you guessed it-the month before Trey was born! The horror!! The good thing was some of was so old I no longer needed to file it. Now I have a space to work on Trey's photo albums & memory book which is almost as behind as my filing!

Trey's 2nd Halloween

Trey had a ball at the pumpkin patch. We took the train in Calera to their pumpkin patch. Trey could not stay away from the huge orange blow-up pumpkin! We did get a few other shots of him but most were of him facing the huge pumpkin.

For Halloween he dressed up as a pirate & we went to a Halloween festival at Kendra's church. Trey had so much fun. Then the next night he went to a Halloween party.He hated the hat but luckily forgot all about when he got there & started playing.

He was so worn out from all the Halloween fun he took a 3 hour nap yesterday!

More words!

Trey has had a surge in vocabulary this week! He has said "trash" when we walked by the large trash cans at Wal-Mart, "phone", "car", "paste" for toothpaste, nose (he can point to it for awhile now but just said it the other day when it was running), Na-na for Grannie, "eyes", "off" (as in I want this costume off!). He also says hot & cold but gets them mixed up sometimes.

He also loves to point out that the "baby" in all his photos needs "shoes"! I like to see his cute little (ok, not so little!) feet in photos so I leave him barefooted. He keeps pointing to the framed photos we have hung in the dining room & saying shoes, shoes, over & over.

All children are babies to him, I realized today. We saw a group of kids walking across the street & he kept saying babies. They were about 4-8 yrs old. I told him they were bigger babies than him.

His latest trick has been stripping his pajamas off in the morning before I get upstairs to get him from the crib. And yesterday (on the coldest morning we've had yet this fall) he was completely naked! The diaper & all. Little stinker was just grinning at me! They need to make PJ's that zip up the back!

Trey's words...

door, key, light, juice, shoes...these are just a few of the words that have been flying out of little man's mouth the last few days. He seems to have a new one every couple of days & is really amazing us w/ them. He pronounces light as "ight" & points at the light in the ceiling.

He said door to Ruben Sunday when they were backing out of the driveway. He pointed to the garage door & said door, making Ruben realize he was leaving the garage door open. Ruben called me at work to tell me & I couldn't believe it!

Other words: thank you(he first said it as "tink you" just after a year old, now it has somehow evolved to "thanking ya".

He turned 21 months last Saturday & is quickly approaching that 2 year old milestone that seems impossible for me to fathom. That age is definitely not a b-a-b-y anymore-shh, don't let Trey know! I want all the time holding him & rocking him to sleep I can get. Before he's a little boy handling frogs or heaven forbid a sullen teenager!

I have been slacking(as one of my friends pointed out!) in keeping this blog up to date lately. Life has a nasty way of getting in the way sometimes. But lots of holidays are coming so I need to get back to it.

Trey is well & in Atlanta...

Trey recovered fairly quickly from his blisters & rash. And is sleeping later & later each day which makes me very happy!

We are in Atlanta this weekend & will be travelling home to Florida next week due to a death in the family. Trey's Uncle Frank (Ruben's younger brother) that lived in Atlanta has died this week. It is a very sad time for us & we are sad for Trey that he will not know one of his 2 uncles. Since I am an only child, Trey won't have aunts & uncles on my side. I had so many uncles & aunts since my father had 6 brothers & sisters plus my mom's side.

Trey senses something is up but he's having a good time anyway. He is getting to see so much at his very young age. He has been to Chicago, Atlanta twice this year, Panama City, Memphis, & of course Florida. We are staying downtown Atlanta so lots of skyscrapers for him to see. I think the first big city I went to was Orlando when I was 6.

Not much exciting news to post but thought I should post that he is well since my last post was about his HFMD.

HFMD & other tidbits...

We found out today that Trey has Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease(HFMD)-sounds much worse than it is! Its a virus that causes blisters on those body parts & a rash on the legs.I saw the rash as I was getting him out of the care at daycare today.It explains why he hasn't been eating much lately & why he has been waking up so incredibly early-according to the Dr. His Dr. wasn't in today & he saw a Dr. I haven't met. I was at work so Ruben took him. Poor little guy! The worst part is they can get the blisters in their mouth/throat making it painful to eat or suck a bottle (yes, little man still gets his bedtime bottle of milk w/ rice cereal!) Trey's symptoms started at the beginning of the week so hopefully he will begin to feel better over the weekend.

Sampson had to be taken to the vet today for a large puncture wound on his head (near his left ear). He got major antibiotics. They said it was from fighting w/ another cat. Ruben got to make the rounds today between the vet & the pediatrician. We need to be able to get life insurance on that cat for all the $$ we've had to invest in him this year. Trey's copay was much less than Samps!


Cooler weather is seeping into the early mornings around here...fall is coming! Which means more trips to the park for Trey and fall hayrides/pumpkin patches! Can't wait. I'm debating on what he will be for Halloween.

I am determined to stay ahead of the holiday season/schedule this year. I guess I'm doing my New Year's Resolution early. I learned my lesson last year! No dozen out of town trips, no waiitng to the last minute w/ a little one, no handwriting of Christmas cards! Life on a planned schedule seems so boring but its very efficient. If I can pull this off, I may finally be on the correct path to being a better, more sane mom-but no wonder most moms seem so controlling & stodgy!

In happier news, Trey turned a whopping 20 months old yesterday(Sept. 18)! So hard to believe. Mainly because that's only 4 months away from 2 years old! It sounds so different to say "my baby" vs. "my 2 yr old".

Trey Goes Greek!

We took Trey to the 36th annual Greek Food Festival downtown this afternoon. It was hot & loud but he had fun. He liked the greek chicken & rice & the pastichio(my fav). He really liked the music & watching people dance. He wanted to get on stage w/ them! We had a good time & saw some people we know.

I survived my first experience w/ Kid's Market today! For you Moms, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. With my friend Kendra's help, I contributed enough stuff to sale that I get to "priority shop" in a couple of weeks. Its very exciting but very OCD w/ the rules & oh, did I mention the rules? Not to mention standing in line twice today in the humidity to get the elusive high # to priority shop. And all this for a chance to buy gently used baby clothes for ultra cheap! Trey will be quite the well-dressed little man!

We leave tomorrow for grandparents where Trey will wow them with his new tricks.

My Blonde Day...

I feel like I had a "I must be a blonde" day! (No offense to all you blondes out there!) I took Trey to Kindercare for the afternoon and planned on running a bunch of errands. Its like looking at a buffet-your eyes are bigger than your stomach & your to-do list is much longer than any amount of time you have. That's on any given day for me. But today was special in that I kept making stupid mistakes that cost me time & a parking ticket :(( I also got hustled by 2 guys on the street while attempting to dash into The Kirklin Clinic (one followed me to my car & tapped on my window while yelling "Ma'am" at me, I got in the car & the door locked just in the nick of time!) This was around 2pm so not in the evening at all. Trey was safely tucked away at daycare, thank goodness!

I told Ruben I was done making decisions for the day because of the way my day went. Then Trey managed to run across the couch & fall off bumping his head hard on the floor. All right at bedtime. So I am upstairs now blogging & then tiptoeing into the nursery to check on him. I hate it when he bumps his head(which has happened all too much) but especially at bedtime!

Trey & I are going to the grandparents in Florida this weekend to celebrate Grannie Phillips' (my mom) 65th birthday. We are staying several days next week to be there Tuesday on her birthday, so Ruben is not going with us. I wish he could go. Trey will be giving Grannie her photo frame that we made at Ceramic Creations. She will love it!

Trey's hi-jinks & accomplishments today...using his Da-da's electric toothbrush, chewing a tiny piece of bubblegum(he loves it!),putting his shorts on & getting it right(they were the stretchy knit kind), & following my instructions when I told him to close the doors on the entertainment center-that was more amazing than any of the above since he seemed to know what I was telling him to do & then actually did it!

Tomorrow we plan to take him to the Greek Festival downtown. He can't eat the baklava yet(nuts & honey, his last 2 off-limits things) but I'm sure we'll find something new for him to try. Maybe grape leaves!

Trip to Memphis

We went Labor Day weekend to see our friends, Edwin & Candace, & their munchkins. William is 3 1/2 yrs old(our godson) and Anna Bowen is 13 months. Trey had so much fun playing with William and running around in their yard. He got to play in a sandbox, ride on a motorized jeep, and play with their dog(a collie mix). He had a blast!

The Memphis Zoo was a lot of fun except for the heat. Trey liked seeing the animals & being outside a lot of the day. I think he liked seeing the sea lion the best because it swam right up to the glass & hung out. Trey threw his sippy cup down & the sea lion tried to bite it.

Trey got a stuffed panda bear as a souvenir. He also liked seeing the panda bears. It was his first trip to the zoo. We have to visit our zoo once the weather is a little cooler!

Memphis Zoo

The giraffe family....



Tell me this doesn't make you laugh w/ him...

Candace, Miss Anna Bowen, Trey, & I at the end of a very fun but very hot day at the zoo...

Testing...1,2,3...photos

This is my 1st time to upload images directly from the camera to the blog...will it work?? i hope so. Then I can give my blog eyecandy! I think its working....Isn't he adorable?! Oops I uploaded one photo twice.