Little Man of few Words

Vincent hasn't picked up many words yet, but he has started to do several signs. One of his favorites is 'milk'. He also does 'more' and 'please'. It is so cute to see his version of the signs and so nice that he is able to tell us what he wants!

First sledding experience

Vince thought sledding was ok his first time down. He quickly lost interest after being sprayed with snow (thanks Daddy). But he enjoyed snuggling up with mom and watching everyone else sled! Maybe we'll try a smaller hill next time!

Baby Poll

Enter your guess for our baby poll! We plan to find out the gender with this baby. Our ultrasound is scheduled for February 1st.

http://www.expectnet.com/games/BabyShalikow2

Behind on the posts!

Between constant morning sickness and other illnesses circulating thru our house, I haven't been very good at updating lately! Vince and Steve have both been sick a couple of times. I've been lucky and only had a mild cold. We think Vince had H1N1 in early November. The poor guy was miserable. I've just discovered that he has at least 4 teeth working thru! Yikes! Other than being a little more cuddly than usual (and slightly crabby), he's handling it fairly well. He is slowing down on the growth chart and only in the 24% for weight. I think it's because he has been a little picky lately and probably has to do with teething and not feeling well. I am hoping to get out and do some fun family things over the holidays and hopefully I'll be better at updating!

Little peanut

Here is a peak at our little peanut. The ultrasound was done at 10 weeks and 1 day. This baby is an active one (just like Vince was)! Peanut's measurements are perfect for the gestational age and the heartbeat was right on target, too, at 175. I am so grateful for a healthy baby (now if this nausea would just go away!!!).

Big Bro

That's right, Vince is going to be a big brother! We are expecting #2 in June. Life is pretty low key right now as I try to deal with constant nausea, fatigue and a very energetic toddler. Poor Vince has been homebound with me and Steve has taken over several of the household duties (most involving food and the kitchen). I pray I am not sick as long as I was with Vincent (nearly 3 months!).

F-A-T-I-G-U-E! What's that spell? FATIGUE

We have one busy boy these days! His newest accomplishment is climbing...on EVERYTHING! I have found him on the couch, on the toy box, on his rocking chair, on the kitchen chair and even on the kitchen table--I must pull him off of furniture 100 times a day! Seriously! Of course, these are accidents waiting to happen, so we've had plenty of falls and plenty of bruises. Despite falls, he gets right up and does it again! He is so proud of his furniture scaling abilities. I, on the other hand, am exhausted from running around after him trying to prevent more injuries! He certainly has a mind of his own these days! He hates getting dressed, won't let me brush his teeth, fights going to sleep, etc. Despite all of these challenges, I love that little man more than ANYTHING! But, Mama needs a BREAK! So, work actually provides a little respite for me.

Speaking of work, I started a new job a last month. I am a Private Duty Nurse providing in home care for a young girl with Cystic Fibrosis. I've decided I am well suited for home care rather than hospital nursing. I think I have found a great fit and I really enjoy it. The family is incredibly flexible and very nice. And my client is a lot of fun!

Check out our photo albums (links to the right or at the bottom of the page) to see what we've been up to.

Torture Chamber...

...aka the doctors office. Yep, Vince had his one year check-up. Ugh, it is becoming quite the nightmare visiting the Doc. Vincent was suspusious the moment we left the waiting room and were led to the exam rooms. He was not happy about the 4 shots and finger stick he had to endure (his least favortite part was being restrained). Despite the pain of it all (for Vince AND mom), he is doing really well. Our towering toddler is in the 99% for height at 32.5 inches! Wow! At this rate he is going to pass us both up.

Another trip to Grandma's house and one fun filled weekend!

We spent Labor Day weekend at my mom's house on Lake Sarah. Saturday we were off to Sioux Falls for Alissa's wedding (one of my oldest friends). Vince enjoyed running around and hangin' with his bud, Raysean (Alissa'a youngest son).

On Sunday, we took Vince to the farm of family friend, Vin Crowley. Vince LOVED it! He got to ride a horse, go for a wagon ride, pick potatoes, ride on the tractors and chase the dog! After dinner we went to the park. We ended the busy day by celebrating Vincent's birthday with my family. Second try and he still didn't figure out the cake!

Monday was Vincent's first birthday! We had a little playtime at the beach then headed back home.

It's My Party...

We celebrated Vincent's birthday with some close friends and family this weekend. Vince wasn't quite sure what to think of opening gifts and digging into the cake. But he did discover cream puffs! We have one spoiled kid--he received an ice cream truck and a pony.

He's walking! Ahhh!

We took a trip to Grandma's house over the weekend. Vince had been on the verge of walking for a week or two. But he took us by surprise, when, after the 3+ hour car ride to Garvin, MN he was suddenly walking more than 2 or 3 steps! As the weekend went on, he walked further and further! So, he is officially walking now!

Tiny Terror

Tiny Terror--That is what (out of frustration and love) I've started calling Vince. He is quite the explorer and getting into EVERYTHING!!! In one day he:

• emptied his bottom dresser drawer onto his bedroom floor
• found my photo albums and began tearing out pages
• pulled a placemat and plate from the kitchen table breaking the plate
• and used the oven door as a stool

He is on the verge of walking and keeping us busy! I wonder if it's a boy thing, a baby thing, or a Vincent thing!?!

What a difference a month makes!

Wow! Vince has been one busy guy this month. Seems like he transitioned overnight from his army-crawl, to the hands and knees crawl, to cruising, to walking (running) behind toys! And he just keeps going. I can't believe how he gets around! Certainly keeps me busy!

Vince and I have been doing a parent and child swim class recently. While he loves the water, he is not a big fan of the structured time and the cold pool. But I have learned ways to teach him skills in the water. Maybe next summer he'll do better at following directions.

We broke down and took Vince in for his first haircut! I liked his hair long, but it was growing over his ears and eyes. He did a pretty good job. Now he looks like such a big boy with his new do!

I thought maybe we should begin working on good dental hygiene habits, so I decided to try brushing Vincent's teeth (still only two) and gums. He absolutely loves it! He comes 'running' the minute he sees the little toothbrush/gum massager on my finger! I haven't decided if it's the brush or the toothpaste that he likes best. But I think some top teeth might be working their way through, so the brush probably feels good on his gums.

Baby Races

One of the Lakeville Pan-o-Prog events was a baby crawl-a-thon. Vince doesn't stay still these days, so I thought it would be fun for him to show off his worm crawl. I think the pressure was just too much for him. By the time he started to move, the baby next to him was finished. So, we didn't get a trophy--the consolation prize was a ribbon, a sand pail and shovel. It was a fun event! But it was over way to quick. I'm thinking we might host a baby crawl-a-thon of our own with Vince's buddies!

4th of July weekend!

So much fun stuff to do!

On Friday, we celebrated my niece, Raina's, 10th birthday at her beach bash. It was Vinny's first trip to the beach. I was a little worried he might try tasting the sand, but he didn't. He absolutely loved playing in it and throwing it around (yes, I will eventually discourage this). He loved the water, too!



Saturday was the Apple Valley Freedom Days parade (1 1/2 hours of floats!!). And of course, Vincent's first fireworks on Saturday night. He did really well and actually stayed up until 11:00 to watch them.

Time to recuperate for another week of fun with Lakeville's Pan-o-Prog celebration.

Pictures from June

Trip to Grandma's and a trip to the ER

We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa on Lake Sarah over the weekend. And went to Fun Days in my home town of Westbrook, MN. Vincent went to his first parade, which he really enjoyed! He got to see some of his little buddies, too!

Vince fell off of Grandma's bed Sunday morning (stupid mommy thought he could nap there). We made a trip to the Marshall ER to be sure he was ok. He is doing just fine but is getting a nasty bruise! I feel horrible about it. Lesson learned!

Toofers are creeping up

At 9 1/2 months, Vince's two bottom teeth are finally poking thru. He has been quite the trooper. Only occasional crabbiness. He's been a little more cuddly and clingy and his sleeping is somewhat erratic. Here's a quick peak at his pearly whites!

9 Month Portraits

Jam Session

We've had this little piano since Christmas, but I kept thinking Vince was still too small to play with it. Well, tonight Steve pulled it out and Vince LOVED it. Check out his jam session below! He totally reminds me of Schroeder from Peanuts.

Vincent's stats

Vince had his 9 month well child check on June 10th. He is 20 lbs, 14 oz (56%) and 30 inches (93%). We've got a tall guy--he's been in the 90's since birth. He is healthy and happy!

Vince Crawling

Check out Vince crawling across the room. I think he looks like a worm. But he gets around pretty well and he's getting faster everyday!

Shalikow's Summer Party

We hosted our first party at our new home over the weekend. We lucked out with great weather. Had a blast hanging out with family and friends--eating, drinking, playing volleyball, roasting marshmallows around the fire! So appreciative of the great people in our lives!

Welcome

Ok, we're giving this a try to keep everyone updated on the Shalikow family!