Favorite Small Businesses

Happy Monday and Happy St Patrick's Day! 

I really love small business and etsy stores so I thought I would post about some of my favorites!

Happy Lane Soap - My friends aunt is the owner of this store and her soap and scrubs are AMAZING. She often has discounts and deals on her facebook page. I use the bar soap daily and my favorite is the lavender pepermint and coming in close second is almond. Seriously my favorite soap ever.

LB Designs - This is my friends shop and she makes custom hair bows, tutus, and lots of other fun stuff. She's pretty amazing and all of her stuff is high quality! It's a good thing I don't have a baby girl because I could do some major damage in her shop. She's also started making pillow case dresses and other things as well. She also posts discount codes on facebook too! Be sure to check her out!

HB's Custom Creations - My friend recently started out her etsy shop as well. She makes personalized wipe cases, towels, ouchie owls, burp cloths and more. She made me a personalized wipe case for Dominick as a gift and burp cloths (which turned out to be a FAVORITE) of ours. I also cannot even begin to tell you how many compliments we got on our wipe case. We still do.

Base Boutique - Another of my friends makes crochet items. She crocheted Dominick's aviator hat for me back in the fall. She does fabulous work and has a really quick turn around. She can make pretty much anything and does custom orders too. Her work is beautiful.

Another of my friend doesn't have a shop, but does sell the soaplessly clean I talked about in this post and also does "nappy spray". I cannot even tell you how much I'm obsessed with the nappy spray, it's kind of like a diaper rash spray. Dominick has sensitive skin, but we spray a little of the spray on his tooshie and he almost never gets rashes or red. All of her stuff is all natural and very high quality. If you're interested the start up "kits" are $7 and refills are $5. Sarah I haven't forgot about you, but she's out of town right now. 

A Little Update

+Last Wednesday was my birthday and to say it was a great one is an understatement. The only thing better about my day would have been for Ryan to be home. I was seriously so spoiled. Ryan gave me my gifts before he left and my parents sent them to me! They're so amazing!

My friend bought me these flowers and helped Dominick make this for me. :)

If I have to work on my birthday I'd rather it be with glitter, fun colored streamers and a birthday banner!

+Ry was TDY for 2 weeks for 7 level school. Dominick and I really missed him; for the most part though it went relatively well while he was gone. The only "major" issues that happened were an hour after we dropped him off our furnace went out. Thankfully it was just the ignitor and wasn't too hard for maintenance to fix (one of the benefits of living on base). The second was the day before he was supposed to come home Dominick's leg got stuck in his crib. I couldn't turn him, pull it out or anything. It was STUCK. I tried butter, but obviously it didn't work so I ended up having to call a friend who sent her husband over. The crib ended up breaking, but we got him out.

yup...that's butter. He was STUCK.

+When Dominick saw his daddy again he was in somewhat disbelief. He was FULL of hugs and kisses and was so happy to see him. So sweet.

+Dominick was such a big helper why Ryan was away. One of his favorite things to help with is laundry. He puts the clothes in the dryer and is so serious about it. He loves it.

+We've been planning on going home for the fourth of July since last July, but when we were looking at ticket prices and all that we were a bit hesitant and decided to just hold off. Well, then our friends told us they would be going to Alaska and said we should come. At first we said no, but then we sat on it and said YES! We booked our flights and made hotel arrangements last weekend and cannot wait to spend a little over a week in Anchorage.

source

+While most people HATE daylight savings time (especially those with kids), we are actually loving it. It honestly didn't affect Dominick all that much and we get more daylight to spend evenings at the park!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Toddler Beds

Since we had to cut Dominick's bed we weren't really sure if we should get a new/replacement crib or if we should move him into a toddler bed. I wasn't really sure he was ready for the toddler bed and really quite hesitant since he did so well in his crib. I was honestly not ready to continue putting him back into his crib over and over and deal with all that jazz, BUT I also didn't really want to buy a new crib that he was likely only going to be in for less than a year anyways. We ended up switching his crib to a toddler bed.

The first night he fell twice; the first he thought the side was still there so he stood up and was searching for it, but fell over. The second was right before Ryan and I were headed to bed. The day that we switched his crib we let him hang out in his "new" bed for a little while while we were getting ready to leave the house. He loved being able to get in and out and was really rather comfortable. Tonight (I'm writing this on March 10th) we laid him down and he fell right to sleep. We're hoping that this is a continued trend. The real test will be on Thursday when I work half a day and he has to nap in there. On the bright side at daycare he sleeps on a mat and naps for 2-3 hours at a time so I'm hoping that he will understand that he has to nap here too. We will see. Wish us luck!

 

 

 

Dominick - 18 Months

Dominick turned 18 months on March 3rd.
 
+We celebrated your 2nd Valentines Day and it was definitely a success. You gave your friends animal cracker boxes and Mrs. Katie said you actually handed them out to each of your friends. I was so proud to hear that. Also the weather was 84 out and you got to wear shorts! So different compared to the rest of the world

+On the 7th you received your first haircut at the salon and did SO awesome.

+You are becoming better at counting. You will always say two, but more recently you've started adding in three. On the 17th you stayed with Ms. Sindy and she said that you were even beginning at one!

+You love to jump and climb. You definitely are a monkey and very adventurous. If you want to jump into our arms you will clap at us to get our attention. You will even jump when we're not looking. You love to jump off the couch, your changing table, the counters, etc.

+You're becoming way more independent at the playground. Before you would just walk right off the edges and it made me a nervous wreck about the openings, but now you are becoming more aware and it's so nice to just watch you play and play.

+On the 15th your daddy went to his friends so I gave you your very first bowl of popcorn and chocolate chips. You loved it. This same night you asked to go ni-ni on your own.

+Sometimes when we are unsure if you have pooped we will pull your diaper back to check and see if you really did or if it was gas and ask you if you pooped. Apparently my panties were showing above my jeans and you pulled them back and said to me, "poop??" hahahaha so funny, I hope I never forget that.

+Also if we ask you if you've gone you will say, "Poop, poop" and run to the potty to sit or your room to be changed. You were playing one day and I asked and you said, "no!" It was obvious you had.

+You call Elmo, "Mo" and it's so cute.

+Your friend Andres had his 2nd birthday on the 4th and his party was also on the 7th. It was pirate themed.

+You used to hate hats, but you're becoming more tolerant. If you find them you will put them on and they're often sideways or backwards. So silly. However, you received a pirate bandana at the party and we would NOT put it on. I tried to get it on your head a couple times and you SCREAMED. Poor kid.

+Not that you will ever remember, but the Winter Olympics happened this month, this year and I want to make note of that.

+You still love motorized vehicles and balls. You will yell, "BALL!" every time you throw it. Maybe it's our warning sign.

+You are really starting to enjoy being read to at night time and it's one of my favorite times of the day. You're SO cuddly and sweet and I love those calm moments.

+You've had a cold for most of the month. I'm assuming you're allergies are just acting out, but I hope it doesn't turn into anything worse and that you get better.

+You are still obsessed with the dog bowls. You always try to drink from the bowl just like Calli and Rocky. You get in trouble EVERY single time. EVERY time and you still go back for more. Hard headed little boy!

+I told you to go say good night to your daddy since you were already on your way to your room so you just blew him a kiss. HAHA!


+When it's nap or bed time I will ask you if you're ready to go night, night and you will start gathering your things, say milk and you hold my hand to your bedroom and try to climb in bed. I ask for a kiss and then lay you in bed. You ask for "be" (blanket) and bear (Snuggy), a drink of milk and then are ready to go to sleep.

+On the 17th you were having a snack and having a little bit of TV time. You were giggling and giggling and we looked in and you were taking your veggie straw and putting it in your mouth and then bending down and Rocky was taking it out of your mouth. You two are the best of friends. You call both dogs Calla (Calli) and you just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them to pieces. Since Calli stays outside longer you will stand at the patio glass and yell, "CALLA! CALLA!" and blow like you're trying whistle.

+When your food is hot, you blow on it to cool it down. I'm not sure quite how effective it is, but you still do it and it's adorable. You're also doing so good at using utensils.

+You love to be independent and walk by yourself, but you also like to run in the street. I made you hold my hand and you're starting to get better about it, but you still like to try to walk alone.

+You are in a big "no" stage right now and it's not the most fun. You're also in a testing your boundaries phase and that's very annoying. You like to see how much you can get away with. I'm hoping it's short lived because you're definitely giving me a run for my money.

+The other night I ate a plain veggie noodle and you wanted to try one for yourself. You were standing next to the trash can so you tried it and then opened the lid of the trash and threw it away. I guess plain wasn't for you. You do love them with spaghetti sauce on them.


+You LOVE blue cheese. It's my absolute favorite so I was thrilled that you loved it too. I didn't think you would since the kind I was eating was REALLY strong, but you absolutely did.

+You are such a climber and very clever. Our window sill sticks out enough that you can stand on. You pulled your chair over and climbed up into the window. That was fun...

+You play the "drums" on your belly. It's quite possibly the cutest thing ever.

+You love puzzles and are so good at putting them together. You look at the piece and then look to see where it matches and put it in.

+You were SO good while your daddy was away. I couldn't have been more proud of you. You really missed your daddy while he was TDY but you loved the opportunity to facetime with him almost every night. Thank goodness for that.

+I will say to you, "I love you and you and you and you" while pointing to your nose, both sides of your chest and down to your belly. You started saying, "you, you, you, you" while jabbing me in my face or chest. I guess it's your way?

+You say so much now, honestly I don't think I could think of all the words you say, but I love that you're able to communicate with me even more. I can tell you something or say something to you and you understand me too. It's wonderful.

+It seems like you really grew up this month. You really do listen so well and love to hold our hands. You hold my hand when we take you to change your diaper, get ready for bed and really anything. You're so sweet.

+You give kisses when we ask (most of the time) and it's SO sweet. Your kisses and hugs are my favorite.

+We turned your forward facing and it's made the world of difference on our car rides. You stay awake more and just take in the world around you. While I know most people wait until 2 or even longer, we decided to turn you right around 18 months.

+Remember when I said you could care less about TV? Not anymore, you LOVE Bubble Guppies and ask to watch constantly. Sometimes we oblige.

+You have the sweetest, funniest personality. I wish I could keep you this age forever because you're still young enough that you still need me, but independent enough to where you don't need my full attention 100% of the time.

+I'm not sure of your 18 month stats since we had to move your dr's appointment due to your pediatrician having to take emergency leave. We should know closer to your 19 month appointment, but you will get your shots  on the 13th.

+I know there's more, but I just cannot think of it all. You are so special and SO loved. I hope you never forget that. We love you more than you will ever know. We are seriously SO, SO proud to be your momma and daddy!

Dominick - 17 Months

Dominick turned 17 Months on February 3rd. 
 
+Dominick has had such a rough start to the month. You ended your 16 month sick and started your 17th month sick. Your ear infection was finally almost all healed AND while on your antibiotics you got a yeast infection. Sweet boy. You were off of your antibiotic for a week before we had you back into Urgent Care and diagnosed with your THIRD ear infection since December 23rd. On the 24th of Jan Dr Thaker gave you a referral for an ENT!!!!!!

+You LOVE puzzles and put together your first puzzle unassisted on the 12th. I was super proud. I'm not sure if this is a big accomplishment for a 17 month old, but I was really proud.

+You learned how to say and sign thank you (dan oo) and help (heh). For help you put your hands together and move them up and down and for thank you you mostly just put your hand to your chin. You can also say belly (beh) and you know where that is.

+We saw a baby at the jewelers and we said, "do you see the baby?" and you replied with "bay bay". The way you said it was so sweet and so funny and because you have a complete loser for a momma I taught you to say, "aye bay bay" later that night.

+You got a pillow pet for Christmas and we took it to daycare. You use it for nap time.

+You are getting SO much better using a spoon/fork. We give you one to eat with for every meal.

+On the 14th we were coming out of the commissary and there was a school bus going to the bx. Your face got so shocked/excited and you kept saying "ooooooooooooooo". You just looked at it in awe. We don't have school buses on base since everyone walks or gets dropped off so that was a real treat for you.

+You are obsessed with motorized vehicles. You use everything and everyone to run your cars on and make noises. It's rare that you aren't playing with your cars or something that goes.

+Your second favorite toys are balls. You could play catch, kick or shoot hoops for a REALLY long time. You are getting SO much better at catching AND throwing. You definitely have an arm on you. Maybe you'll be a pitcher one day (not a qb, because they get sacked and tackled and hurt. ;o))

+We got you a leaptop for Christmas and you love it. You always dance to the music and it will literally keep you occupied for SO long.

+You love blankets and to be snuggled up. Every night you have to have your two loveys and your blanket to go to sleep. After supper you will take your milk and climb up on the couch grab a blanket cover up and drink your cup. You also normally will watch a cartoon. Once you're done you'll get up and go play. It's super sweet.

+You are becoming so much better at reading before bed. I love that you're starting to like being read to more because you have SO many books and I love children's books. You normally pick out a few books and we will read as many as you let me.

+You LOVE to jump off of things into our arms or really on the ground or anything for that matter. We will say, "one, two, three, GO!" and you started to say, "two, GO!" Sometimes you will say, "one, two, GO!" You're SO smart.

+We started making your breakfast and taking it to daycare so you can sleep in a little bit longer. Your new wake up time is around 5:45ish.

+You are becoming a better eater and less picky. You absolutely LOVE fruit and I don't mind giving it to you. You also really like cooked vegetables, but I think carrots are your favorite. You love, love, love condiments, but we try not to give them to you too often because you'll only eat the condiment. haha!

+You still love to be outdoors. You like to ride your bike, hit the baseball, ride in your car and go to the park.

+You are SO social and are comfortable almost anywhere. You check in every so often, but you are so good and so happy. People always comment on how happy you are. You love being around your friends and I love that you are easy to take places. When you see your friends you hug them or get so excited.

+You love. love. love. your daddy. Every day when he gets home you run to him and are super excited.

+You are getting better at listening to books and we are actually making it through a whole book, sometimes two or more. Momma normally does your bed time routine and daddy will come in and say good night.

+Since it's winter and so dry you only get a bath every other night, but you ask for a bath EVERY day. You say "bahy, bahy" and will raise one arm and rub the other hand on your belly (it's really rubbing up and down on your belly with both hands). It's my favorite sign that you do because it's SO cute. You also try to pull your shirt up over your head.

+You pooped on the potty this month and I'm pretty sure it was an accident, but we cheered and got super excited for you anyways. We had a dance party in the bathroom. Sometimes I think you're ready to start potty training (I know there's a certain window when you're young to try), but we just haven't took the plunge and I'm okay with that too.

+You are doing so much better in restaurants. There was a short period that we really didn't enjoy going out to eat with you, but you're getting SO much better and it's actually quite enjoyable. You tried your first corn dog this month (I find them disgusting) and really liked it. Actually, you liked the hot dog and didn't enjoy the breading...which is exactly how I feel too.

+We have been doing time outs with you, but have increased your time to 45 seconds and sometimes one minute. You are responding so well to them so I think we have made a good choice with that. Sometimes I feel like that minute goes on forever, but it really helps you calm down and it's a distraction from whatever it was that you were doing.

+You are a climber. You can climb into the dining room chair and will sometimes even climb onto the table. You do mostly good with just getting into the chair and sitting like a big boy. When we get home from daycare and work you get to have a snack and sit like a big boy.

+I really think this month we've taken leaps behaviorally. We were definitely on a downward slope the past few months and I think we're taking a new corner. It's been refreshing and nice and we love when you're happy and on your best behavior. I know that it won't always be like this, but it's been SO nice.

+When we ask you a question or anything really you will laugh and say "noooooo!" It's really funny. At daycare you tripped and then went crying to Mrs. Katie. She said, "you're okay, I'm pretty sure you're going to live" and you looked at her and said, "noooo!" and giggled. I love it.

+People also always comment on how you act SO much older than what you are. You really are so smart and really seem developmentally ahead (and I'm not just saying this because I'm biased). You're the youngest by at least a few months and some years from all of your friends. You try to keep up with all of your friends, even the big kids.

+You {LOVE} to dance. You raise one hand and spin around. You laugh and laugh and laugh. Music is your favorite.

+You are very curious and inquisitive; this hasn't changed. You always have been. You love seeing how things work and learning. I brought you to work on day to pick up my W2 and you saw the big printer. You were SO impressed.

+You also really enjoy coloring. Whenever you see your crayons you ask to color (ca) and will sit for a very long time playing with crayons and coloring.

+We love you more than you'll ever know. You're the biggest blessing and you are constantly on our mind. We are always talking about you and thinking of fun things to do with you. You're our little sidekick and our best friend. We often ask each other how we got so lucky to be YOUR parents. You've got the sweetest personality and are SO funny. It's easy to give in to you and hard to get on you, but we want you to be the best you can be and enjoyable to be around. I think we're doing a pretty good job because you're turning out to be a stinkin' rad little dude.

Weekend Recap

+We got rain!!!! Living in the desert we really don't see rain that often so when we do you'll see lots of people out playing in mud puddles and facebook posts of rain and how it's a welcome site. And then following the rain are beautiful rainbows. I was told there was a double, but I only saw this single and it was so bright and beautiful.

+Ryan's been TDY since last Sunday and to say we miss him is an understatement. Thankfully, we've been able to facetime with him every day. We sure miss him though. They're best buddies for sure. He'll be gone for my birthday this week so we will celebrate once he gets back with dinner or something. He already gave me my presents before he left. Sweet thing.

+On Fridays I only work a half day (except for this month, I'll work half days on Thursdays). Anyways, I picked Dominick up from daycare and he took a nap and we went to the BX to grab a few things. Since it was $.99 ice cream at Baskin Robins I treated him to a scoop. He was in heaven.

+Saturday we planned on doing a Target run, grabbing Panera for dinner and then going to church. While at Target I started getting a stomach ache (like in the fall when I was treated for ulcers) so we grabbed Panera to go and went home. It ended up working out. We got to facetime with Ryan, played and we watched Rio (well Dominick only started it) before bed. Tell me he's not adorable?! I dare you!

+We have to put the dogs up pretty much whenever Dominick is eating because he feels the need to share ALL of his food. It's just easier and less distraction for him. He finished before me and went to try to "retrieve" them. He mostly just sticks his fingers under there to feel their paws. :)

+Sunday morning I made waffles for breakfast so we started out with a picnic. I ended up moving him to the table because he was giving my anxiety. I put vanilla greek yogurt and cinnamon on his and his hands and face were a hot mess. He loved it though.

+Dominick LOVES hugging the dogs, but most of the time he crawls all over them and Rocky always lets him, but Calli normally gets up and runs away. She ended up tipping him over on his face and he got this big bruise and puffy eye. I gave him some hylands bumps and bruises (get some if you don't have some) and you can't even tell anymore.

+Since it FINALLY stopped raining on Sunday we went to the park to blow some stink off us. It was cold and pretty windy, but we had a good time regardless.

+Our friends have a hill in their backyard and he loves to go to the "top" it's not very big at all. Well there's also a small hill at the park and he thought it was so fun to climb up and then run down. He looks so tiny.

+He INSISTED on wearing his mittens even though they weren't very helpful at the park. When I got him home his hands were sweaty so I guess they did their job. I figured he would fight me tooth and nail to wear them, but he definitely didn't. Silly guy.

+My friend makes this bath "soap". It's actually called Soaplessly Clean and it's AMAZING. It's organic oatmeal, lavender and something else. It makes Dominick's skin SO soft and is so wonderful. She gave us some for Dominick's birthday, but I just got some more because I needed a refill. It really helps with D's dry and eczema prone skin. LOVE IT!