Boyd - 19 months

• I'm relieved to report that Boyd has figured out how to descend the stairs feet first while pushing backwards on his belly. And he'll also plop down on his bottom and scoot that way too.
• Loves to say the word "door" and point to any door in sight. He'll also request to go "up" and "down." We still hear "mama" and "dada" A LOT. "No no" is a funny one to hear from his mouth too. He's definitely adding words to his vocabulary but these are his favorites.
• He had a weird rash on chest that went away within 2 days. I can't figure out whether it was food-related or a contact rash from clothing or lotion.
• His trusty Columbia green fleece coat has been retired and replaced with a 3T black fleece with hood. I'm a little sad to see that jacket go! It's kept Boyd warm through many adventures and made an appearance in more than a few photos. But alas, it's too short and a bit tight now.
• With the new fleece comes a bigger zipper that he'll help me pull up when putting on the coat. 
• He's offering lots of unsolicited kisses (complete with duck lips) and still cocks his head to the side with a smile to say "I love you."
• Mom called me this morning to report that Boyd said "Hi mama." That's a big deal - two words together! 
• I'm wondering if Boyd is ready for some potty training. A few times I have taken off his diaper and then he gets a mischievous grin on his face and starts to pee on the floor. Then he'll point at the wet spot and say UH OH. Like it happened out of thin air and I didn't see him just do it. Toddlers! So I bought a potty and may see what happens. I think he knows what "tee tee" and "poo poo" mean and I figure it won't hurt to experiment with some training.
• Ordered a play kitchen and wooden food/condiments for Boyd's big Christmas present. And he has a train table with tracks that I purchased off of Craigslist for our house. He already has these items at Grandma Ann's house.
• Last week Boyd played outside in sand box while D completed some front yard chores. At that point we had experienced 10 straight days of pouring down rain, so it was more like mud box! At first he was content to sit outside the perimeter but soon climbed inside and was thoroughly soaked and muddy.

Earlier this month at the Anchorage Museum's free day.

Dollhouse at the museum.

Cool new display in the Imaginarium section of the Museum - a kid-sized plane complete with complex instrument panel.

Alaskan Junior Bush Pilot!

I feel like all is right with the world when my baby sleeps!

The gift of a new book, from my boss's daughter.

We visited the Anchorage Library for a kids' reading event. There is a great grassy area and fountain outside.

Mmm, oatmeal and blueberries for breakfast.

I thought I was SO smart by getting to this new playground early in the morning (9:30 a.m.) last Saturday. It was definitely quieter but everything was wet! We have frost at night so the sun didn't have time to melt it by the time we arrived. Lesson learned for mama.

My sweet boy having snackies at his new (to us) table and chairs.

So funny to see Boyd take up the tape measure and hold it up to something for a measurement. Like father, like son!

Boyd - 18.5 months

Boyd's 19-month checkup (10/7) is actually scheduled closer to his 20-month birthday. I'm eager to see his stats - we haven't been to the pediatrician's office since he was 15.5 months old.

• The music class we attended last spring no longer has a Monday offering, so Boyd and I are attending a gymnastics/tumbling session on Monday mornings from 10:15 to 11 a.m. Last week was our first class and afterwards we went to the State Fair with my mom and sister. Boyd's friend Opal (from music class) is also attending gymnastics with us. It's 45 minutes but the class flies by. We ran around, skipped and jumped during warm-up, and then checked out the equipment (balance beams, mats, bars, trampolines) before playing with a group parachute, bubbles and balls. It's actually a pretty good workout for adults too!
• Boyd usually pops right up when we wake him in the morning. He goes from laying down to standing up and clutching his lamb and cow lovies. It's like we've caught him sleeping on the job and he's trying to convince us that he's not tired at all. 
• He can be pretty insistent when he wants something - but what toddler isn't?
• In the last week he has started to help me spread out his nighttime jammies after I get him out of the bath. It's adorable to see him very intently fixing the piece of clothing and smoothing out the edges.
• Just the other he started this funny maneuver before bed. After bath time he took my hand and led me over to the bookcase in his room and had me sit down. Then he pushed my shoulder to make me lay down and finally pushed my head down and said "night night." And then he placed his lamb and cow on top of my face. Really, kid? I had to keep myself from laughing. He basically wanted to put me to bed so he could keep playing. I tried to get up twice and each time he ran through the routine again.
• I went through and pulled out his too-small clothing. There's something a little sad about putting aside his 12-18 month stuff and weeding out the worn pieces. My baby is definitely getting bigger. 
• I'm a Craigslist addict for baby stuff - I can't stand to pay full price for ANYTHING, especially things that Boyd will grow out of fairly quickly. I managed to be the first one to respond to a lady's ad for a toddler's wooden table and 2 chairs. Only $30 and she even came to my workplace to drop it off. 

2nd Boat Trip

Since our first boat outing went so well, we decided to go for a repeat on Labor Day weekend! It was a little drizzly as we entered Whittier but nothing we couldn't handle. A Princess cruise ship was docked in town and we saw bus after bus (plus the train) come through the tunnel as we waited for our turn.

An early wake up call makes for a 2-nap day. D brought out Boyd's infant seat for this trip. It's way small for him but it actually worked perfectly as a napping spot on the boat.

Our shore break for the day. The beach was deep and smooth enough for us to bring the boat in directly and not have to use the canoe.

Overcast but not rainy.

He really loved beachcombing and exploring his surroundings. No toys necessary.

Mr. Cheesy.

A little lillypad pond that D tipped me off to. It was through the tall grass via a short deer/otter trail.

Kids in the Lower 48 have sandy beaches. Alaska kids have rock beaches.

This cheap little wind-up toy kept him occupied more times than I can count. SO GLAD I brought it.

"He did it!"

Having a bigger boat and more powerful motor means we can go much further out than we used to. And sleeping on the boat means we are free from having to set up camp on land, schlepping all of our gear up the beach, and returning to a spot at the end of the day. Although I really don't mind sleeping in a tent on shore - it's kinda fun in a different way.

This time we set the shrimp pots on our way out of Passage Canal on Saturday morning, and then motored south past Culross Island and south down to Latouche Island. That's where we spent most of our time fishing and checking out the area.

In the evening the benches came down to form our bed, which is where Boyd and I slept. D fashioned a bed out of plywood and the front two seats (since 2 adults and one baby is a tight squeeze on the benches). Our usual nightly routine didn't mean a hill of beans to Boyd - he was AWAKE and MAD that we wanted to put him to sleep. We all finally fell into an exhausted sleep at 10:30 p.m.

The sun peeked out on Sunday morning - no rain!

After breakfast we left the benches down for a comfortable lounge-y area.

Sea porpoise.

So hard to see - sorry about the crap photo but these sea lions were super far away.

Rockfish - one of 2 that D caught.

Lazy Sunday on the boat.

Peaceful Sunny Cove - where we anchored up for the night.

We got lucky with the sea forecast - very few choppy waves and most of the time seas were 2 feet or less! That made it so much easier for me (a person who gets mildly seasick if I'm not careful) to deal with a rambunctious toddler.

Boyd's hair is getting long in the back - not so much in the front - and I love the little curl that shows up.

Getting warm - have to let some air in.

Best seat in the house and by far his favorite. He was very good about holding on and not falling.

Future captain.

It was a good fishing weekend - 3 halibut, 2 rockfish and a nice bucket full of fresh spot shrimp. I don't think we can ever fish long enough for D, but at least he got more time in this trip compared to our first outing. 

"TA DA!"

Leaving Latouche Island and starting the 3-4 hour trip back - first to get our pots and then head back to Whittier.

The kid managed to stay up until his regular nap time, and then passed out on top of me. The sound of the engine and the movement of the boat is a surefire way to get him to sleep!

Up and ready to pull the shrimp pots.

All suited up as we motor into the Whittier harbor. Daddy and Boyd headed off to get the car while I stayed with the boat.

Since it was a holiday weekend, D had Monday off too and it was nice to have a relaxing, family day at home to do laundry, clean & package fish, and do household chores. Hope you all had a great holiday as well!