20 Months!

Dear Chuy,

20 months! You're almost Two-Years-Old... what? Huh? Really?

I would say all the usual things like 'I can't believe you're almost two', but unfortunately for me and your Daddy, it's pretty darn obvious that you're almost two. Even your teacher at escuela, Ms. Neicy said that 'you've gone and caught yourself a case of the twos'... couldn't have said it better.

Your most favorite word in the entire world is 'no'. Followed by a close second place of 'mine'. You have also been combining these words to make super awesome sentences like 'NO MOMMY... MINE!' When you're not in a terrible two mood, you are still the sweetest most awesome baby on the planet. When you are in 'the zone'... well... sweet baby... you're kind of... a monster. But let me just say, I love my sweet baby monster with all of my heart...

In other news, you've got a new cousin. His name is Baby Bryce and he is super cute... Here you are with your cousin Logan inspecting the new arrival...



You also enjoy bringing toys to the dinner table. We tried (briefly) to take a stand and not allow toys at the table, but, you know, sometimes, you have to pick your battles, so, we've decided that hitting the TV with an empty paper towel roll is most definitely off limits, and instead, it's totally cool to bring toys to the dinner table. Win-win.

One day, as we were leaving escuela, your teacher gave you a small apple. I thought that you would just hang onto it, maybe throw it around, but since I always peel and chop your apples into baby bites, I had no idea that you know how to just eat an apple...

Speaking of apples, they don't fall far from the tree in our house... cute hats for all Corcoran boys!

Um... since when did you sign a contract with Abercrombie and Fitch? You must be a student at the Handsome Boy Modeling School with a drop dead gorgeous handsome face like that...

We took a trip to the park to ride the Zilker Zephyr train and afterwards, had ourselves some ice cream.. yum!

You and I went on a grand adventure this past month. Since Daddy had a dental hygiene convention to attend (which was cancelled due to snow), you and I hopped a plane and went to see Auntie Gigi and Uncle Charles in California!

Here we are on the beach - it was your first time to see the ocean and you made a beeline for it. I had to run to grab you so that you wouldn't just dive right in and swim away.

We did some power shopping while we were in town. Here's a pic of 'baby's first trip to H&M' - Mommy's first trip to H&M too... Mommy had much fun there. Looks like you and Auntie Gigi had some fun too!

Your Auntie Gigi sure does love you to pieces...

All your friends from Sesame Street came to town to put on a show. I've never ever seen you more excited than when Elmo first stepped onto the stage. It was a moment I will never ever forget.

Poor Daddy, no matter how hard he tries to not think about dental hygiene, it follows him around like a bully with yellow eyes...

I can't believe that I almost have a 2-year-old son. Even when you're being a complete Grump-a-saurus Rex, you're forever and always my sweet booty dew...

Love,

Mommy

P.S. I tried three different times on three different days to take a sweet smiley Valentine's Day picture for your card and this is the best one I got...

19 Months!

Dear Chuy,


19 months, huh? That's crazy!


I am, once again, a little bit late getting to the blog this month, so, yet another bit of catching up to do... how's about we do it with a handy dandy photo montage?


Your Grandpa and Granny Sandy came to visit a week or so before Christmas. None of y'all would look at the camera, so, here is a study in profiles... I'm so curious to know what you're thinking in this pic - you look so serious...



We went over to our buddies Swede and Catherine's house for some fondue fun. Here you are taking a break from the dipping goodness... oh how we love to dip things in cheese in our family...

Christmas Eve was spent over at Clover's house - we had much fun, lots of tamales, I think there were 4 different kinds of pie there (and yes, we sampled them all), and you and Clo both got awesome reindeer courtesy of your Nana Libby (Clover's Nana).

This pic is one of about 273 taken on two different cameras and up to four iPhones in an attempt to capture the two of you dressed in Christmas finery... in front of a Christmas tree... smiling at the same time...

I think we did pretty good capturing the moment and I wish we had a picture of all of us being complete crazy people behind the camera as we tried to get you both to smile...

Christmas morning was just us three as a little family and it was fantastic! Santa was very kind to you (and me) - bringing you lots and lots of toys and a cool art easel and bringing me an awesome Shark steam vac... woot!

The first gift you went for was your buddy Elmo, or as you call him, "MELMO!!!!". Santa was kind and left MELMO!!!! unwrapped so that you could play with him immediately upon discovery.

Your Bachan got you a most awesome Dyson vaccuum - it actually works, has attachments, and makes a cool noise. You have much love for your new vaccuum and you are most definitely your Father's son...

Auntie Regina sent the cutest Christmas outfit ever. We all love penguins in our house... specially when they're wearing tuxedos!

She even sent penguin socks to match... cause she's good like that...

On New Year's Eve, we invited some of our friends over for chili and tiramisu cheesecake...

Once again, the crazy parents decided that we needed a picture of all three of you baby-types together, sitting still, and possibly smiling... Weezy has you and Clo beat on the sitting still. I do like how you managed to steal that poor baby's teething giraffe. You toddlers are tough.

Here's a pic of the kids table at our New Years shindig - you, Tanner, Tristan, and Clo all enjoying some chili and cornbread!

Here is a very rare photo of the three of us together all at the same time. These types of pics don't happen very often...

So, here we are - it's almost February, you're almost 20 months old, and Valentine's Day is just around the corner. You are so chatty and funny lately it's an absolute joy to be in your presence (with the exception of the few times that you need to just lay on the floor and scream for no reason...).

I can't wait to celebrate 'Baby's Second Valentine's Day' with you and as always, I'm so excited to see what new tricks you'll have up your sleeve in the next month.

Love,

Mommy

P.S. I'm completely fine with you dumping the contents of that cabinet on the floor all at the same time. Why? Because you love to put them all back and close the doors when you're done...

Whole bunch of catchin up!

Um... hey there... how have you been? Sure has been a long time since I've come around this neck of the interweb... oopsies... just been busy, you know having fun, work work working, and all that kind of good stuff. We have a whole bunch to cover on today's edition of "What Have We Done" and I think I would prefer to do it as a photo medley... mostly because I love medleys...

Here we go! First stop, Halloween!

Why have one DJ Lance Rock when you can have a whole DJ Lance Rock family!!! We got to rock our costumes at Tallulah's second annual Tiny Tot Halloween party - it was much fun.

Instead of letting you loose with a sharp knife and a pumpkin, I thought it might be more fun (and by 'fun' I mean 'safe') to use craft paint and paint up our pumpkins this year...

Turned out pretty good, don't cha think?

17-months old!!! Something super duper major happened this month... you got promoted to the next room up at day care - the 18 to 24 month old room... the big kid room... Ms. Neicy is your new teacher and she's amazingly kind and good hearted. You've been having fun getting to know the older kids, participating in show and tell, drinking from a real cup, all sorts of good stuff.

We all went to Goblins In the Garden at the Wildflower Center. Here- you and Clo are having a secret baby conversation... wonder what you guys are discussing?

Paper towel rolls are the most awesome toy that have ever been invented. I'm not sure why I've ever bothered to purchase other toys, as this one is the best.

I taught you how to do knuckles and then how to blow them up. You are really into both.

Hanging with your cousin Logan at Fujiya! You two are hard to get in focus in the same photo at the same time...

Your GM Aubrey came to visit and I took a bunch of blurry photos of the occasion...

Such a good helper in the garden!

You and your bestest friend on the whole planet... puppy.

Thanksgiving 2010!!! Fredericksburg, TX

We were lucky enough to be invited to go to an awesome ranch house out in Fredericksburg with our family friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. We knew the house was going to be awesome, but what we didn't know was that there were tons of farm animals waiting for us when we got there...

Like Finn, the 5-week-old baby cow that slept on our back porch and let all of us pet him and some of us feed him with a giant baby bottle.

You and Clo both decided that homemade cranberry sauce was the total baby jam and that the canned stuff can just go away.

Here's a rare pic of the three of us together in the same picture!

Our Thanksgiving dinner - I took the pic, so, am absent from the table...

This awesome place also had 5 or 6 horses too - here you are bravely petting one of them... they wanted carrots real bad.

When we got home to Austin, we got to go and visit with Miss Weezy May!

You kind of mostly wanted to shake her bouncy seat really hard, poke her eyes out, and steal her bottle... which translates into complete love for a toddler...

18 months old!!!!!

I swear, the day you turned 18-months old, you started chatting up a storm. Most of what you tell us we can't understand yet, but you seriously have crazy intense conversations with me, Daddy, Puppy, yourself, your crib, pretty much any available listener.

We decided to take you to see Santa Claus again this year. We weren't sure how you would react to him - strange guy with large beard at the mall - but we wanted to make sure you had the opportunity to chat with him about Christmas presents.

Turns out you were ho ho horrified of Mr. Sandy Claws. Your father decided (on Santa's suggestion) that we do a 'drop and run' so that we could at least get a picture of you with the Jolly One...

Here's Daddy dropping and running.

Here you are with a 'Daddy, why did you leave me here' look on your face...

Look, Sandy Claws, I'm not sure what your game is, but I know I don't want to play it.

...and furthermore, I would love some new books, maybe a baby vaccuum, and perhaps a puzzle or two... and make it snappy.

...and then Santa threw you into my arms and started singing "Jingle Bells"...

Whew! Glad that's done... til next year... mwah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!

Last weekend, we took you to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live! It was pretty darn awesome.

You were mesmerized by your TV friends being all live and in person! I was pretty darn excited that Biz Markie and Leslie Hall were there too.

All in all, we've had a super fun, super busy couple of months. We're gearing up for your second Christmas and for a whole new year. I can't believe that it's almost 2011...

Love,

Mommy

P.S. If you ever wonder why there are less pictures of you in your second year than there were in your first, it's because most of the pics I take look like this...

...mostly due to the fact that you can't ever stop moving... not even in your sleep!