Mud Pie?

Zay's babysitter, Lori sent me the picture below in a text message today. I literally laughed out loud when I received this.

It was the first nice day that she's taken the kiddos outside to play and it appears that Zay had a fabulous time!

No modesty here...

Well...our little boy has learned how to take off his clothes! At least part way! He gets quite a kick out of himself when he doesn't have clothes on!

And don't ever ask him where his belly button is...because as soon as he shows you his, he will be looking for yours! One day, he got pretty worried when I had dressed him in a onesie and he couldn't get his shirt lifted up to check on his belly button!

Our little guy is sure growing and changing a lot these days. Seems like every day he is learning something new! So much fun to watch him grow! :)

Ahhhhhh!

Sorry in advance for this blogpost. It's a wee bit on the negative side...

Shane and I have come to the conclusion that we are single-handedly putting our doctor's children through college.

Seriously.

Zay has another ear infection.

We were at the doctor on Monday to have his ears checked after the last round of antibiotics for his double ear infection. Doc said, ears are 'pink', but that is expected since he was just finishing up his 10 days of antibiotics.

Zay seemed to be feeling well for 2 days. That's all we got...2 days!

Last night...Zay was miserable again. Digging and pulling at his right ear. And laying down wasn't an option.

Another visit to the doctor this morning. Left ear is still a little pink...right ear is fully infected.

Another visit to the pharmacy...the other locale we are attempting to drop our entire life savings.

Had the discussion about tubes this morning too. I wasn't surprised. We decided we are going to hold off to see if we can take care of this ear infection with the antibiotics and then see if we can keep Zay healthy for another month. After that the cold and flu season is over and we should be out of the woods and not have to deal with tubes. Fingers, toes, arms and legs are crossed!

We will go back to the doc in approximately 10-15 days to check out the 'ol ears again. Until then, we pray for a little boy that feels better and maybe a little sleep for everyone...this always helps (my) attitude and patience!

One last thing...Shane and I are starting a fund for braces and glasses.......because when you are lucky enough to have the handful of health issues that Zay does, YOU KNOW you will luck out and be the kid that needs braces and glasses too! Just kidding...kind of. :)

My verse for the day...

I lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

Newborn Screenings

I received an email yesterday. More legislation stuff.

This time, it doesn’t directly affect our family, but there are people in Texas it will.

There is a bill in Texas, that if passed, would eliminate the requirement for the newborn screening. Parents would have to ‘opt in’ to get their newborn screened. In addition, this would not require any additional education for parents on the newborn screening.

In my opinion, this seems careless… Do they know how many lives are saved by the newborn screenings? I’m sure it’s all for cutting costs or something, but seriously?

I would have to agree with the statement, that the prenatal education is not nearly high enough in order for this to be fair to babies…or even parents.

As a matter of fact, Shane and I took more than one class before Zay was born, but never ONCE did we hear about PKU. It’s rare, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I would assume that no first-time parent sees it coming.

If it weren’t a requirement, I don't know if we would have known enough to have Zay tested for any disorders when he was born…he appeared to be a healthy baby boy at birth. Chances of him having PKU are 1 in 15,000. Chances of him having hypothyroidism are 1 in 3,500...and twice as many girls have hypothyroidism as boys. The odds definitely seemed to be in our favor. The chances of him have BOTH of these...like 1 in 42 million.

If not tested, we wouldn’t have noticed a difference in him until he was 3-6 months old. And by the time he was the age he is now, he would have severe, irreversible problems. And this is just for his PKU. The newborn screening that also detected Isaiah's congenital hypothyroidism, would have meant he would have slower than normal growth and severe learning difficulties.

So, you can see why I might be a little zealous about the newborn screening test.

It saved my baby's life!

I sometimes have a hard time understanding why people aren't as passionate about these things as I am, but I do realize that until it is your own little baby that is affected by this stuff, you can't fully identify with the heartache it can create.

I really hope that the right thing happens with this bill in Texas, and parents still opt to have their babies screened. There are moments when people really don’t understand the risk they can put their child in when choosing to forgo certain medical options…

I’ve come to learn that sometimes the gift of medicine is a gift from God!

Mac & Cheese

Yesterday I decided to make Zay Macaroni and Cheese for the first time. Now, I've made a lot of macaroni and cheese in my day...however, I don't think it has EVER taken me this long or involved so much math!

As you can expect, it was Low Protein Mac & Cheese!

I got started by boiling the noodles...Zay's low protein noodles take about 20 minutes to cook. Just seems like that's an eternity while you're waiting!

Once these were done, you have to drain and rinse the noodles to remove any extra starch.

Then...the cheese sauce!

Since milk is high in protein, it calls for 1 cup of non-dairy liquid creamer to make the cheese sauce. I have yet to find the "phe-free" non-dairy creamers...ever heard of Rich's Richwhip or Vance's DariFree Non-Dairy Milk? I haven't found the right store to buy these at yet...so, Coffeemate non-dairy creamer it was...this would just make it a little higher in Phe.

First, I had to figure out how much Phe was in 1 cup of Coffeemate creamer! Thank goodness for this handy reference book!

Come to find out...there are 7 mg of Phe in 1 Tabl. of Coffeemate.

Hmmm...I need a cup, not a Tabl...so, my friend google tells me there are 16 Tabl. in 1 cup.

7 mg of Phe x 16 Tabl. = 112 mg of Phe in the Coffeemate!

I decide to use Parkay for the butter, because I know that is a Phe-free food for Zay.

So next, I have to mix the above ingredients over medium heat until I get a nice creamy consistency of cheese sauce. (this is not how I'm used to making mac and cheese...I always just dump everything back into the pan and mix it up!)

Now I've got the cheese sauce just how I want it...I add the noodles back in and mix it all up!

Perfect.....now just to figure out portion sizes!

Each box of low protein mac & cheese has 3 servings.

There are 33 mg of Phe per serving - this is before the Coffeemate is added.

So...in my pot, I have: 33 x 3 = 99 mg of Phe - before Coffeemate.

Then 99 mg + 112 mg = 211 mg of Phe for the whole entire prepared box of Mac & Cheese.

Ok...now, Zay's not going to be able to eat this entire box in one sitting, so now I have to divide this 211 mg into equal portions, so I can measure Zay's Phe for this meal.

I put the pasta into a bowl on the scale - it weighs 552 grams. I figure Zay can eat about 1/2 of the normal amount per serving, so I divide this by 6 (usually 3 servings per box, so I turn it into 6 servings per box)

Now, I measure out 92 grams of mac & cheese into 6 individual bowls.

Now, finally to figure out exactly the amount of Phe in each bowl...211 mg/6 servings = about 35 mg of Phe per serving ...That's a good amount for Zay per meal.

After all of this, I am PRAYING that Zay likes his mac & cheese!

And he did. :)

One for me...one for you!

As I mentioned in a previous post...Zay has learned the art of sharing (on his terms of course!) It is nearly impossible to prevent the situation below! These 3 have become quite the friends and I'm so thankful Bailey and Bongo are so gentle with Zay!

...Bongo has discovered how to share his bed, and be crawled all over in the process!

...Bailey happily complies to playing fetch and tug-a-war with Zay!

As you can see...they are both ultimately rewarded for their tolerance! :)

In & Out

One of Zay's favorite things to do...

Take things in and out of baskets, buckets, bags, toy boxes, laundry baskets and wagons! And when we are tired of doing this, we start putting OURSELF in and out of these items!

First, all contents must come out...

Now there is room for ME!

Almost got it here, Mom...

Success!!!

Time to do it all again!

Friends...

The Duncan boys (Leyton & Riley) came over to play yesterday...we had lots of fun!

All the boys enjoying an afternoon snack.

Eventually Zay thought it was necessary to help Riley out and feed him his puffs. He's learned how to share well from feeding our dogs. :)

27 years…

Today is my husband’s 27th birthday!

I met my husband when he was 20. Just a wee little baby! And yes, I can say that because I am approximately 11 months older than him…nearly a full year! He woke up this morning telling me that he felt like an old man. Sorry, honey – you aren’t allowed to say that, because that makes me an old lady!

Wow…it really was 7 years ago that you were turning 20 years old. Little did either of us know that just a couple months after your 20th birthday you would be sitting next to me in a Principles of Marketing class. Little did we know that a small conversation in class would become an amazing friendship, that neither one of us could turn away from. Only God knew that shortly after our friendship began, it would turn into the most important relationship we would have on this earth. And little did we know after only 8 short months of dating and less than a year after first meeting one another, we would be engaged to be married! And little did we know that we would be blessed to have a little red-headed boy named Isaiah just five years after we first laid eyes on each other. Obviously…we knew very little in 2004 :)...and it’s been an amazing journey to 2011.

I’m so blessed to have spent the past 7 birthdays celebrating with you. I truly look forward to celebrating your next 65 birthdays with you. I’m so happy you are in my life, and I’m blessed enough to get to call you my husband.

I pray that today, on your 27th birthday… You are happy. You are blessed. You are spoiled. You are celebrated. Your are cherished. You are loved.

You deserve it!

You have all my love! And as your little boy would say….I love you THIS much!!!!!!

Zay loves you. I love you. Have a fantastic happy birthday, babe!

Nobody's gonna slow me down ...Oh no, I've got to keep on movin'

Watch out world...our little Zay is ONE TOUGH COCO-PUFF! He may be under the weather, but he doesn't let it get him down! :)

15 month appointment!

Zay had his 15 month appointment yesterday - yeah, 15 MONTHS! I can't even believe it!!

It was an interesting day. Didn't necessarily turn out the way I thought it would...

I was actually happy that we had a Dr. appointment, since Zay has been battling a cold/cough since Monday and also struggled a little bit the week before too. This past week it was enough to keep him up at night, so I was ready to see if we could do anything for him.

Well, come to find out our poor little guy has a double ear infection again. We had no idea! This exact same thing happened when we went to his 9 month appointment...none of the typical signs that he has an ear infection, but as soon as the doc takes a peek, both ears are all red! :(

Our doctor also took a listen to his lungs, which is what I thought was the main issue we were dealing with, since he was up at night coughing. Sure enough, he's got the wheezing and rattling in his lungs again too. Our doctor thinks that this is probably strictly his asthma triggered by the cold he has. However, we skipped the shots he was supposed to get at this appointment, because we have to make sure Zay doesn't spike a fever with the condition his lungs are in...we do not want to our little guy dealing with pneumonia too!

So...after all this, we have to head to the lab to get blood work done for Zay's thyroid. I was already dreading this, because the only place that has recently been able to find a vein on Zay is Iowa City. Not trying to belittle our clinic's lab, but when you have to watch your little one-year old get poked and prodded over and over you tend to get a little more defensive about who is putting a needle in him! Well, unfortunately my fears were realized. They dug around in BOTH of Zay's arms for 10 minutes...all the while Zay is sitting on my lap and screaming at the top of his lungs and tears are dripping off his face. Finally, one of the techs got it and the blood was flowing. Thanks goodness, because I was starting to tear up myself, not to mention the sweat that was starting to roll off my forehead!

After all this, we get loaded up and I call Target to make sure Zay's prescription will be ready to pick up when I get there. I KNEW I was going to be pushing it to take my tired little guy to the store, but I didn't have much of an option. As soon as I hang up the phone with the pharmacy, they call right back. "Sorry, we don't have that particular antibiotic in stock..." Of course they don't have it in stock! That'd just be too easy. Ok, I might have been a little impatient at this point. :) So, we figure out another pharmacy that has it, and I go there to pick it up.

Now the fun begins...Zay is to be on the antibiotic - 3 times a day and a oral steroid -2 times a day. I first tried to disguise the medicines in his milk/formula. He's not having it! So now, we have to hold him down and force him to take the medicines. I HATE doing this...and as you might imagine Zay HATES doing this.

Just when I think things are starting to settle down, we get a call from our doctor at about 5:45pm. Zay's thyroid results were back, the levels are off, our doctor had already talked to our specialist doctor in Iowa City and we are changing the dosage. Back to the pharmacy we go!

What a day! What a week! What a month! What a year! Sigh... on to another day.

Our poor little guy not feeling well this morning...

On to a happier note - Here are Zay's stats at his appointment. He's doing wonderfully growing right on track! Still topping the charts in every category!

Weight - 29 lbs 1 oz (fully clothed w/shoes...so probably a little less than this) (90-95th percentile)

Height - 32 1/4 inches (approx 80th percentile)

Head Circumference - 47 (90-95th percentile)

A beautiful picture...

I love this...Shane is such a great dad, and these images paint a beautiful picture in my heart. Nothing better than a daddy reading books to his son. Just have to cherish these moments while Zay is so young and vibrant! So fun to watch him learn and grow! :)

Lent

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.

In years past Shane and I have challenged ourselves to give things up and sacrifice some of the pleasures of life during the Lent season. Not because we have to, but because we think it is good to experience a little sacrifice. Just a microscopic, teeny-tiny, itsy-bitsy comparison of what Jesus sacrificed for us…his life. As one saying I read yesterday said…”Lent is about saying "no" to some things so we can say "yes" to others.”

I’ve challenged myself in many different ways in the past. I think I started out a long time ago giving up ice cream (this was a big deal for me). Then I advanced on to giving up all sweets (this is a REALLY big challenge for me!). Traditionally in high school, I gave up pop, mainly because it was also around the start of track season, and I wanted to be somewhat healthier to get in shape…I suppose this makes it sound like it wasn’t even a sacrifice, but believe me it was! Anyway, the list goes on…

This year I thought I’d try to give up something a little different. Non-food related. So…I’m giving up TV! Yep, no TV for me for more than 40 days! I think this is going to be a real challenge for me. I don’t watch a TON of TV, but there is no doubt I will miss my frequently watched shows…top of the list - Wheel of Fortune! Yep, I know I’m a nerd and my husband constantly asks me why I am not a “Wheel Watcher” yet! One of these days you will probably see my name flash across the screen for being a wheel watcher! :) I'm also really going to miss our DVR’ed shows that we catch up on every so often. And I’ll miss just sitting down and ‘zoning out’.

Yep, I do believe this will be hard one for me! I suppose that is the point! I think it will be a great reality check. It is good to challenge myself in this way – it gives me a great idea of how much of a grip the world has on me!

Someone else pointed out to me, that many times sacrifice is great, because it makes you realize and appreciate all of the blessings in your life...even the small ones like sweets and TV! Isn't it true we consider them "small" until we take them away!

The time is always right to do what is right.

Are there ever times when you just stand in awe of what humanity is capable of?

It’s quite alarming.

Controversy…this is not my strong point. I won’t pretend that it is. I tend to steer clear of arguments, disagreements, and especially deliberate discussions on political subjects. With that being said, I also believe there is a time and place for standing up for what is right. So many times people shy away from these disagreements because they fear of not being accepted. I tend to believe this happens in a number of different areas of people’s lives. Not speaking truth, for fear of being dissected, exposed, and made to feel inferior. I don’t believe this is how God intended for us to live. When something is wrong, someone has to say something. Only those who are truly strong can face this kind of opposition with grace and love. One must choose the higher road and tell the truth with love.

I’ve been relatively silent on the attacks made upon my Dad this past week. Most people I come into contact with on a daily basis, aren't aware of what is going on at Lake Delhi. I live an hour away from the happenings of this controversy, but I live close in heart to my Dad. For this reason I choose to not be silent in defending my Dad. I’ve known him and my mom longer than I’ve known anyone else. Therefore, I know my Dad’s character and it deserves to be heard.

It is clear that my Dad doesn’t need his daughter running to his defense, as there have been hundreds of statements reflecting support of my Dad’s 100% commitment to his own values and beliefs. Not to mention his commitment to his love of Lake Delhi. However, there are those that have to point the finger outward, all the while knowing the truth stands firm in opposition to anything they can loosely compile against it. I’ve never known him to falsely inform anyone about anything. I’ve never seen him purposefully hurt anyone. Even while trying to defend the truth, his intensions are not to cause harm, but to let people have their rights and at the very least let them have pertinent and truthful information so they can form their own opinion. This should not be disallowed, but rather encouraged.

It’s my hope that people will understand the commitment and loyalty my Dad has shown to them. And realize that he is one of the few that are willing to literally go to bat for them.

I feel for my mom and dad right now. They’ve taken on so much more than their share. They’ve poured their heart out in helping the Lake Delhi situation. They want the lake back just as bad as everyone else. But I commend them for not standing behind dishonest people, who clearly cannot answer the questions of those supporting them.

Life is about more than just a Lake. Life is about standing behind what you are doing. Life is more than merely spending a summer boating. Life is about being able to sign your name at the end of the day…knowing your actions are who you want to be. Life is about people. Loving them. Supporting them. Encouraging them. Life is not about deception and secrets. Life is only for a moment, we have eternity with God. Therefore, I choose to stand behind what is right on this earth, and know that God will bless us in eternity for it.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Pictures of a cute little boy...

"Mom, did you give me the right stuff?"

"Let's have a taste..."

"Yep...I think I'll kick back and enjoy!"

Zay's First Haircut

These are pictures from a few weeks ago after Zay got his first haircut! Isn't he just the cutest little boy!!! Love him!! :)

I have pictures of him actually getting his haircut too, but they are on my husband's phone. Hopefully I'll post those one day too!

Also, sorry for the blurry pictures...obviously Zay doesn't feel documenting special events, like haircuts is nearly as important as his mom does. He is busy digging through "his" cupboard, in these pictures. Enjoy!

Lake Delhi

Many of you know that I am from a little town in Eastern Iowa called Delhi and grew up on Lake Delhi. Some of you might know the catastrophe that happened there last summer...the dam breach. Some of you may not know, that my Dad, Jim Willey, was the president of the Lake Delhi Recreation Association, which owns the dam. I say was, because as of this morning, he has resigned.

Such a sad day for Lake Delhi. Also, sad the circumstances which caused his resignation.

I know few people that work as hard as my Dad. I am constantly telling my Dad to slow down, get some rest, and take some time for himself. Taking care of Lake Delhi was no different. He has worked endlessly to restore the lake for so many people. Some that appreciate his efforts, others that have no idea what type of on-taking such a role requires. Either way, today it is done and it is someone else's turn to step forward.

My reason for this post?

Simply to say that I'm proud of my Dad. He is intelligent, strong and wise. I have watched him persevere with grace and honor. Few people could have helped Lake Delhi the way my Dad did and he will be greatly missed in leading the mission to restore the lake. Even fewer people are willing to take the scrutiny of such a public position. Thankfully, my Dad stands by his beliefs and is willing to step aside when the things that are happening are questionable. For his example, I am grateful.

My Dad's resignation letter reads...

Friends of Lake Delhi –

For those who were not at the LDRA meeting tonight, or at what followed the meeting in February, this may be difficult to understand, but it has become painfully aware to me that those who are intent on taking control of Lake Delhi will not rest until their ambition is realized. For that reason I am submitting my resignation, effective immediately, as President of the Lake Delhi Recreation Association and resigning from the Board of Directors, not as a concession to those who seek control, but because it is my opinion that given the restrictions imposed by the LDRA Board of Directors at the meeting earlier this evening, I cannot function effectively as President, and I will not pretend to agree with the intentions and tactics of those seeking power. This evening Larry Burger and a majority of the LDRA Board going along with him succeeded in doing what the LDWC had attempted to do in February, imposing restrictions which I not only take as a personal insult, but more importantly indicate a lack of support from those who had elected me to a leadership role. When you are no longer allowed to lead, you are just the one out in front.

For some time, certain individuals have criticized my communications and asserted that I share too much information, and that they do not want me to send messages as LDRA President because my messages make them look bad. At the LDRA meeting this evening, Pat Dede was put in charge of all communication for the LDRA. Further, I was restricted by the LDRA Board to not put any messages out from the LDRA. If you would like to be put on Pat Dede’s email list, please send her an email to be added to her list. For those who would like to occasionally receive a personal email from me, when I have something to share, I will keep you on my personal email list unless you contact me to let me know that you would like to be removed from my list.

Having said all of this, none of this is actually about me. My participation on the LDRA and the time I have invested in the Board and as LDRA president has always been for the betterment of Lake Delhi. What I have done in the past, and what I do going forward, is what I believe is in the best interests of Lake Delhi.

I leave the LDRA Board with no regrets. I did the best I could with the circumstances we encountered. I will take these last lines to thank Bob Galiher, who only stayed on the LDRA Board for one last term as a personal favor to me, who always has the best of intentions for Lake Delhi, and who will always look for the best solution and see only the good in those he deals with. Likewise I appreciate the minority on the board who supported me tonight. For those who conspired against me for this meeting and at the previous meeting, you now have what you wanted. You will have God and Lake Delhi to answer to for your actions. Good Luck with that. Mostly I would like to thank Dave Fink, who more than any other person has made sacrifices for Lake Delhi. No one knows more about the Lake Delhi dam, has donated any where near as much time and effort, or is more deserving of your continued support than Dave. If you truly want Lake Delhi back, do not let anyone undermine or alienate Dave, or the future of Lake Delhi is truly in question.

As we all know, the fight to restore Lake Delhi is not over. My commitment to the people of Lake Delhi to work with you in every way that we possibly can to restore our Lake and community is not diminished, but I will have to continue my efforts, like you, as an individual working to restore what is so important to us all. I will continue to do what I think is in the best interest of Lake Delhi whenever and wherever possible.

One of the comments from my detractors has been that I am long-winded, so I will end this here. The sun will come up tomorrow, and with Dave Fink’s continued efforts, and in spite of some other’s agendas, Lake Delhi will be back –

I would like to thank the many people who have supported Becky and me with their kind words and prayers as we have gone through this difficult time together.

Lake Delhi will be back.

See you on the Lake –

Godspeed and God Bless

Jim Willey

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain

Update on Zay!

This post is long overdue! It’s been a long time since I've updated what Zay is doing these days, so I thought I’d take some time to jot those things down.

*Walking! Zay took his “first steps” a quite a long time ago, but up until this last weekend we labeled him as “the walker that chooses to crawl”. And even now there are days when he just decides crawling is easier, faster, less dangerous, and the choice of travel for a little guy like him. Whichever way he decides to get around, I’m so proud of him!

*Sign language – he has really caught on to using signs! It’s so nice that he can tell us when he is hungry or thirsty or all done or wants more. And it is very important to Shane and I that our children have manners – and Zay uses the ‘please’ sign very well. Except we are a little confused if he just thinks ‘please’ means ‘NOW’. Haha! He is more inconsistent with ‘thank you’, but we are working on it!

*Talking – Zay doesn’t mimic our words yet, but has a list of his own words that he will say. And once in a while we will hear random sounds come out of his mouth that sound just like a phrase we say. The other night he was really studying my mouth when I was saying different words and trying to form his mouth in the same shape as mine, but I couldn’t get him to make any noise with the action.

*Kisses and Hugs – this is something that I LOVE about our little boy. He is affectionate and so loving! He kisses EVERYTHING. And I’m not joking…mommy, daddy, grandmas, grandpas, babies, doggies, teddy bears, even pictures of puppies, babies, and characters in books. What a sweet little boy!

*Separation Anxiety – I really thought Zay wouldn’t deal with separation anxiety, mainly because he’s always been a social and independent little boy. However, the past month or two we’ve really been struggling at the church nursery. This is the only place he doesn’t like to be left. He LOVES going to the babysitter, and even when we’ve had people watch him in our home, it’s never been an issue. The boy just doesn’t care for Sunday morning playtime at church. And man…it’s hard on mom too. I can hardly walk away from him when he’s so emotional. We are still working on it, and hopefully it will pass. Until then, I’ll continue to enjoy having Zay sit on my lap during church.

*Haircut – Zay got his first haircut a few weeks ago. The mullet is gone…and so are his cute little curls. But it was time! I’ll make a separate post with pictures of his new ‘do.

*No more bottle. This is pretty old news. Shane and I were SO worried about getting rid of the bottle. I don’t remember the exact day we took it away, but it was probably around 13 months…I know, I know…bad parents letting him have it past a year! The problem was, Zay NEEDS his formula! THANKFULLY, this was the easiest transition in our parenting experience to date. We did it cold turkey and never looked back. And not once did Zay have an issue with it! Phew! (Now for the paci…oh my, that will be another story!)

*Food – no big updates here. I’m really hoping to find some time and energy to make some more new recipes for Zay. He is starting to really have preferences and almost always prefers the things I make homemade for him, rather than the premade Cambrooke Low Protein foods. I guess that’s good and bad! No quick shortcuts, but thankfully it’s a lot cheaper to make things from scratch. I was also talking with someone the other day and it dawned on me…a lot of boys/men really prefer their mom’s cooking. Well…I’m really not that great of a cook, I’m getting better, but it’s never been my strong point. However, I’m pretty sure I will always be Zay’s favorite – because no one else will know how to cook for him. Ha! Sometimes you just have to focus on the bright side!

*Acting like a puppy. Zay loves our dogs. He crawls as fast as he can right next to Bailey and Bongo making a funny sound like he’s one of them. It’s so cute!

*Throwing fits. I thought these weren’t supposed to start until ‘terrible twos’? Zay can really turn on the tears and get mad when he doesn’t get his way. He tries signing ‘please’ several times, and then gives up and throws a fit if we don’t give him what he’s asking for. Oh my, some days I just have to laugh at his antics.

*Exploring – our little boy is quite the explorer. Our house is pretty darn babyproof, yet Zay can find his way into trouble. Getting stuck under chairs. Climbing on EVERYTHING. Using toys to get higher and climb on furniture. Moving anything that stands in his way to get to where he shouldn’t be. It’s fun to watch him explore and even impressive to see the things he can accomplish, but oh so scary to see everything he can get into!

*Following directions – so fun to see him learning how to follow directions. He will go get things when we ask, he will stop dead in his tracks with me saying his name in a certain tone (My husband says it’s my ‘mom voice’), he definitely knows what ‘no’ means, he will give things to me if I ask, etc. For the most part he’s a good listener when I have his attention.

*Books – yep, Zay still has a huge fascination with books. We spend most of our evenings reading books! I love that he likes to sit on my lap and listen to me read a book. And he knows if you aren’t focusing on the book…he turns around and looks up at me like…”aren’t you forgetting to say the words, mom?”. Like with the following directions, he generally brings the books to us, and then it’s a whole process to get situated just right on our laps before we begin reading. Oh man…I know someday I’m going to miss him climbing up onto my lap and snuggling while we read!

*Health – I don’t think I ever posted Zay’s stats from his last checkup in Iowa City and to be honest I only remember his weight. So, a month ago he weighed 27 lbs 13 oz. This means he’s only gained an ounce since he was 9 months old! Over 4 months with no weight gain, however he grew 2.5 inches!! I’m sure his weight will only continue to slow down with him taking off walking! And many people have told us that he probably didn’t walk earlier, because he was such a big boy! That’s a lot of weight to balance!

*Music & Dancing - our boy has moves! Ok...so they are about as great as his mom's moves, but we still have fun little dance parties! He is always bringing my phone to me to turn on Pandora so he can dance. So cute!

*Balls - Zay LOVES to play catch with the ball. And if we aren't available to play with him, he tries to get Bailey to play fetch with him. And if Bailey won't participate, he will just throw the ball and fetch it himself. Anything and everything turns into a game with him...even chasing after balls.

Well, I’m sure there are a hundred more things that he is doing right now, or funny little expressions he makes. Hopefully I can keep up a little better, but of course our lives tend to get a little crazy and I forget to make time to get these things posted. Oops!