19 Months Old && 8 Months Pregnant

Happy first day of Autumn, Everyone!! As the days grow shorter and the leaves start to fall, we are struck with the realization that our family will be encountering The Big Change before we know it!

Alex and I have been working like mad and collaborating with family members to make home improvements (that's another post entirely!) before the new baby and winter come. This week we are finishing up Garrick's new room (another post as well!) so we can get him switched over, he can become accustomed to his big boy digs, and we can round up tiny baby gear at last in the nursery. Alex and I are both so excited that we have another boy joining us! It will also make it easier to prepare as we have mostly all we need for #2! We have a small registry on Amazon under Alex Guggenmos for anyone wondering what else we might be lacking. Less than 2 months until Due Date!


























Our main man Garrick continues to grow and change as well..it is hard to believe that he will be 2 in less than 1/2 a year!

Some stats about our 19 month old:

• Weighing in at 25.5 pounds, Garrick is in the 50th %ile for weight. For height he is below 25% but we can definitely tell he's shot up since turning one!
• Garrick is very spunky and always full of energy. He is almost always happy & inquisitive.  

• We have a fairly good eater on our hands. He can use a spoon/fork & small cup on his own. He certainly goes through phases of "favorite" foods where he will eat only that food for a period of time and then won't touch it again for weeks or months.  Right now his favorite food is raspberries, steak, and mac and cheese! 
• At 19 months he is suddenly able to get into EVERYTHING. As I mentioned, he is super inquisitive and one of his favorite things to do is open/close things, take stuff apart/put back together. He has figured out how to open doors, ice maker/water dispenser on fridge, bottles, lids on containers of all kinds, windows, and trying to work locks on doors too. 

opened hair gel put lots in hair

• It seems like he is learning a new word every week.  As of the last month he has started to excel verbally and is really trying to say new words daily. This week he started stringing together phrases "bye dad" "hi dad" "mama no no no" "it's a ball" "it's a car" 
• Which brings us to some favorites--balls!! and cars!!! He is very interested in mama cooking and daddy working with tools. He loves animals especially dogs and cats and is constantly giving Remmie big hugs and kisses. He loves baths too
• Favorite playtimes/New Adventures:  
• Garrick got the opportunity to swim at Grandma and Papa Guggenmos's house a few times this summer and absolutely loved it. He would swim and go down the slide for hours. We did go to the "big pool" a handful of times too but had a tendency to be a little timid.
• Going to the park is always a favorite. We have been to practically every park in Morningside and he loves to explore them, swing, and go down the slide. He has lost almost all fear of slides. This summer he has definitely advanced his abilities of climbing, running, etc, he can even climb up a rope ladder on his own to my amazement. 
• He loves to be outdoors and play in the dirt/rocks or gather sticks & leaves.  We have started taking walks down to Cedar St where he recently discovered crunchy fall leaves for the first time. He and I enjoyed kicking them around running through them. 
• He attended his first carnival at Calf Show Days in Schleswig and every ride was a hit!! He enjoyed the carousel, car ride, and monkey maze.   

Finally..Do your kids ever do weird things? I suppose the answer to that question is a resounding "yes;" but sometimes you wonder!! Even as I sit here typing, Garrick is eating peanut butter toast. Suddenly he starts to throw a fit because he's realized his hands are covered in PB and doesn't relax until I get him a napkin to wipe his hands periodically as he eats.  Odd, indeed...made moreso by the fact that this is the 4th time in a week he's done this while eating. So I google "does my one year old have OCD"...oh boy. Any of your kiddos act strangely at this age?

New Blog Website

I made another blog in which to incorporate a bit more of our life in a more share-able manner as opposed to a family-only photo share blog. Check out the first post at:

https://messykitchenmamablog.wordpress.com

You also may have noticed we re-named this blog page. "The life of a [singular] (baby) G" is no longer really applicable as that baby is growing up and another one is entering the picture shortly...So our blog has been renamed GuggenMinnies as a tribute to our two Miniature Guggenmos boys.

How I Accomplish Anything

Surviving the day-to-every-day with a one year old means there is a good chance I will accomplish capital "N" nothing. Which equates to piles of dirty dishes and clothes, dog hair everywhere, and bills unpaid. While some days, these tasks remain unaccomplished, there are a few tricks I employ to achieve a (mostly) clean house, thus maintaining (a semblance of) sanity.

1.) Put The Shadow to Work
Garrick follows me into every room (even the bathroom) so if I am trying to do any various task, I employ his capabilities. "Throw the diaper in the garbage," "Hold the watering can," "Wipe the table," "Put the toys in the basket," "Turn off the light," "Turn the vacuum on," "Open the box," "Close the door," etc.

2.) Snacks
Often when this tactic is used, it feels like taking 1/2 step back to gain 1 step forward, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I absolutely cannot get the computer out to pay bills or order diapers, without Garrick acting like a moth to the flame and trying to press smack every key on the keyboard. Occasionally this means getting out the cheerios or crackers and letting him snack in the living room while I quickly get down to business...& then we vacuum. again.

3.) Allow for Little Messes (sensory exploration)
Lately, Garrick has been very interested in water play. Last week I managed to get completely ready (including makeup and hair curled!) once and make brunch a second time (hash browns, bacon, fried chicken, eggs, even homemade cream sauce!!) while he stood on a step stool at the sink and ran his hands through the water stream.  In the kitchen we added two plastic serving spoons to the mix and in the bathroom, two clean contact cases. Wiping up a little water was worthwhile to have a fabulous hairdo/brunch.

4.) Rocks, Trash, and Other Bits
Garrick does like his toys but prefers for me me to interact with or near him while he plays.  In order for him to be fully engaged independently, the experience must be new. A few medium sized rocks, some clean food containers, plastic cups, toilet paper rolls, etc can make interesting playthings that he will sometimes sort and fiddle with for a period of time long enough for me to get through an entire task, like folding laundry, with little interruption.

Any tips/tricks that you used at this age to occupy a demanding busy body?

June Happenings 2015

Strawberry Picking Adventure

We headed to Sanborn, IA to Getting's Gardens to pick fresh strawberries with my parents. We ended up picking about 24 pounds of berries! Garrick liked to help his Grandma Sailer throw strawberries into the box and try to pick the stems off, resulting in very juicy hands!! They also had a petting zoo at the facility, and after viewing the animals we traveled to visit my Grandmother Joyce. 

Very juicy hands

Sheep!

Grandpa Sailer reading Garrick his favorite book

Snuggling with Grandma Joyce after an outfit change

Visit from Addie

Garrick was excited for his cousin Addie to come over and play all day. The two of them snuggled on the couch, played with so many toys, colored, and read every book. Garrick loved having a big kid to chase him, "share" toys with, and tackle! 

Gender Reveal...Almost!!

On Monday we discovered the gender of Baby G2! Coming to a mailbox near you:

The guesses have been overwhelmingly in favor of "little lady" with the majority of people assuming we will be having a girl! Cast your final votes and soon the answer will be revealed! Isn't this fun?!

FIFTEEN

"15 weeks pregnant. 15 months old" (couple weeks ago)

(as you can tell, it was quite sunny for the pic!!)

So much has happened in our household in the last few months. The *Newest News* is that our little family will be growing this fall as Alex and I plan to welcome our second child in November 2015!

But let's not forget what's important...

We currently have a 1 1/4 year old who rules the roost!!  

About Garrick:

• weighs about 22.5lbs, has 16 teeth, and hair that keeps getting blonder
• Garrick mastered walking shortly after his first birthday, and shortly thereafter, mastered running
• Garrick has the most infectious smile the world has ever seen! He is always saying "hi" and smiling to patrons/cashiers in stores, and pretty much anyone who walks near him
• Garrick has started saying a lot of words. He goes through phases where he says 2-3 words over and over until he learns a new set, and so forth. Right now he is saying "door," "car," "kitty," and has become re-obsessed with "mama" to my delight

Some Garrick firsts:

• Garrick visited the animals at Deana Rose's petting zoo (Kansas City) in April and he loved the baby goats!!! I am so excited to take him back! Maybe his cousin ADDIE will join!!
• An easter tradition-Hunting for Eggs! We were surprised how much he was into it this year. I think it had something to do with Grandma's hiding yogurt raisins inside them!!
• He visited the animals on a larger scale at the zoo the first week of June. He seemed fascinated by the rainforest with all the waterfalls, plants, and MONKEYS! He would say "ooo" and point when something caught his eye. It was a unbearably busy day at the zoo and Garrick enjoyed people watching but was unimpressed by his hindered mobility to mull among them (stroller)
• (although not technically a first as we went once late last summer and Uncle Lou took him swimming indoors with Addie in May,) Garrick and Mom (and Katie) rediscovered the swimming pool. With temps nearing 100 degrees the last two days, we lathered each other up in SPF 50 and headed for the blue waters of Riverside Public Pool. Despite the scorch, the water was FREEZING and Garrick had a hard time getting used to it. He loved looking at all the kids play and did forget the chilly water now and then long enough to have fun splashing around and finding his "sea legs" as he learned how to wade in half a foot of water

Baby Goats at Deana Rose

baby calves at Deana Rose with Grandma Sailer

Easter Egg Hunt

looking at fish at the zoo/aquarium

MOOSE HAT

Happy Birthday Garrick

Time to make a smash cake for the baby! Like my sister-in-law did, I tried to make a healthier version of a smash cake for Garrick. I attempted a banana cake recipe but cannot blame the oven for it's failure.  It turned out super dense and not smash-able at all so in a pinch I embellished a white cake mix. After a thin buttercream crumb coat I finished the cake off with a cool-whip frosting in a final effort to reduce the sugar content.


We celebrated Garrick's First on Feb 22nd with his mom and dad, aunt Katie, and parents both grand and great grand!

 Opening presents! He got his first tractor from Grandma & Grandpa Sailer...

 Some Great puzzles, books, a tambourine, a giant stuffed dog from Great Grandma Floss...

 And his first caterpillar and dump truck from his Papa.

After initial hesitation, he enjoyed his cake and ate it too.