19 Months ~ It's almost Christmas....

What an sheer joy it is to experince the Holidays through a toddlers eyes. Last year at this time, Cody was just sitting up on his own, barely moving and not realizing really what was going on around him. This year we are watching Christmas specials, decorating the Christams tree, going to Santa's enchanted forrest (sorry no pictures, he was running around too much to take one) and wrapping presents together.

Since watching Frosty the Snowman.....everytime he sees a snowman figure, picture, lights or anything, he starts singing the song and I can't help but smile. I can't wait for Christmas morning and day to watch him open his presents. I really don't even care about myself anymore, it is all about him......

We were able to have our Holiday photo's taken this year with the pups (above). I was very happy with the way they came out and very excited to have this memory with the pups and Cody. Friends of ours found this photographer that specializes in pet and family photo's, so hopefully we will get great pictures for years to come

Cody is truely the light of my life. I wonder everyday if every mother feels this way about her child. At 19 months he is talking up a storm, mimics everything we say and do and is just a happy little boy. Of course he has his days but for the most part is a joy to have around. .

Thanksgiving 2010

Me, Grandpa and my Daddy

I'm a little late in posting our Thanksgiving festivities, but better late then never. LOL. We ventured up to my Dad's for the second year in a row and had a blast again. The drive wasn't too bad, made it in 6 hours and thank goodness for the portable DVD player we borrowed for Cody. He absolutly loved this thing and kept him occupied for hours at a time.

While we were there we took a drive into Beaufort, which is a beautiful old town right on the coast of SC, even though it was cloudy that day we managed a horse drawn trolly tour before the big rains came in. Cody was such a good boy. The tour guide would let him hold the bottom of the reins and he thought that was awesome. We also went into Savannah one night to see the Xmas tree lighting. We were told we were a day too early, but that was ok, we had a great time anyways and got to go to the Savannah Candy Companny, which was my favorite. We hope to go up to SC every year around the Holidays. it's fun for us and my Dad & Chris too.....

Massachusetts Fall 2010

~We had the most fantastic time on our latest trip to Massachusetts. This is Cody's fourth trip to Mass and by far has been the best. The first 2 times Cody was under 5 months old so there wasn't much for us to do with the other kids. The 3rd time he was 11 months old, so alot more fun, but he wasn't quite walking yet and we were only there 4 days, so not really enough time to see everybody for more than a few hours at a time.

Cody Sandwich

~We spent a few days with Melissa and the girls, then off to Vicky's house for a few then we ended @ Sandi's house with her girls. Within that time were were able to see my both brothers David & Dom, my sister Cindy and all 3 cousins - Brendan, Stevie and Hannah. What a nice treat for us. Cody also meet his Great Auntie Paps for the first time and we had a special day together.

~I was very nervous to fly this time with Cody as he is so mobile now, wants nothing to do with sitting still and this was our last free flight that he would be sitting on my lap. I had horrible visions of him trying to run up and down the isles and him screaming in my arms as I held him. I was pleasantly surprised and very lucky. On the way up we had the seat next to us empty on the first flight and he calmly sat on my lap playing on the second. For the return flight we were lucky enough to get an actual seat for him on both flights so I was able bring his car seat on. Wow what difference that makes. He was a perfect angel and Mommy may have even been able to read a magazine....

~We both had a great time playing and spending time with the people we love, but this trip especially was hard to leave. Watching my little boy playing with his cousins and his far away friends is bittersweet and makes me just a bit sad that it's a couple of times a year :( but also makes me realize just how speical it all is.......

Fall Festivities ~ 17 Months

Wow, what a difference a year makes... Last year at this time Cody was just barely sitting up and with 2 visits to the Pumpkin Patch not even a smile to be captured on film. This year we herd about this Farm/Pumpkin Patch/ Petting Zoo out west. It really reminded me of something you would find up North (minus the 85 degree weather). There was a farm stand with all fresh fruits and veggies as well as fresh baked goods, plants and flowers. Out back they had a small Petting Zoo with chickens (fresh eggs), turkeys, a pot belly pig and some goats.

Spooky Pumpkin Patch

On the far left of the property they set up a Pumpikn Patch with old fashion red carts, they also had a semi spooky maze house for the kids to go through. I was quite impressed with there set up and will continue to go out west for yesars to come

Silly Cody

~ Silly Monkey ~

The last few weeks have been kind of crazy in the Bautz house. Cody ended up having the ear tube surgery. Over the past 16 months Cody had gotten at least 10 ear infections. After the 7th one we were sent to the specialist. Dr. Kay said that if he got 2 or more in the next 3 months then we should consider the surgery. Well he had 2 in 3 1/2 months so we went back to the specialist. After reviewing the surgery and the fact that Cody only has to go under gas we decided to go for it, especially since when we went he for his pre-op screening, he has another infection.

The day of the surgery we had to be there @ 6:45am for a 7:30a procedure. We were ushered back around 7am and @ 7:30 Dr. Kay came back and went over the procedure 1 last time to make sure we didn't have any other questions. Within 5 minutes Cody was wisked away and back to the waiting room we went. Dr. Kay was finished within 5 minutes and Cody was in recovery within 15. Everything went perfectly, except Cody came out of anesthesia. He was hysterical, it was heartbreaking... Luckily once I got him home and gave him a bubba he was ready to go back to sleepy-time and woke up as if nothing happened and was ready to play.

We went back for our 2 week check-up yesterday and everything looked perfect. So relieved. It just might be coincidence, but we swear his words are much clearer and he is saying more. Just in the last 2 weeks he's saying clock, please, more, ball, truck, apple, grape and a bunch more I can't think of. It's so exciting to watch this little person growing up, but so sad to see my baby turning into a little boy....

Cody ~ 16 Months

In the midst of our visitors last month Cody had his 15 month check-up. He weighed in @ 24.6 lbs, 31 inches long and 47 cm in head diameter. Again his head is off the charts @95%. Funny that by the growth charts 24 pounds is only in the 50 percentile for 15 months, but for every childrens medicine, 24 lbs is is the next step... states 24 lbs or 2yrs, kinda weird.

Cody's 15 Month Photo's

Cody's new favorite thing to do is walk. He doesn't want to play with his toys or watch his cartoons, he just wants to walk. At first it was really cute, he would put his chubby little hand up and to grab your finger hand and bring you over to the front door. Now it's a bit repetitious. But off we go every night around the block. Whats nice is we have a little kids area in our complex that has a couple of slides, so we stop off there for a bit, go down the slides a few times then off around the block we go.

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Cody has also gained a few words in his vocabulary. He's been signing more for months now, but Grandma finally got him to say more. It is really adorable, he says mmmmor and signs at the same time. What he hasn't started saying is NO, which I know is a blessing, but is only a matter of time.....God knows we say NO to him at least 20 times a day, this baby of ours is all boy, he is into anything and everything and the messier the better......

Dom & Trish's Florida Trip

Lion Country Safari

Dom and Trish were here in Florida for the past 2 weeks or so. Cody was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with his Auntie and Uncle as they had him 3 days a week plus we spent all 3 weekends together. I had to work most of the time but was able to take 2 days off there last week here. We had lots of beach and pool time as well as our first trip to Lion Country Safari.

We started off taking an hour drive through the park to see the animals in there natural habitats. Then to the park we went. There were a lot more animals to see as well as a Ferris Wheel, Carousel and a fun little water park for Cody to run in and splash around in. After about 4 hours aut in the 90 degree sun we were all a little pooped and home we went (Cody was sound asleep within 5 minutes)

A few weeks ago Dom called me and asked if we knew any Ministers in the area becasue he wanted to surprise Trish with renewing there vows down here as it was there 10 year Anniversary (so sweet) Luckily a friend of the family is in fact is a preacher and was more than happy to help us out. We set it up @ 6pm on the beach on there actual anniversary. Trish was so surprised and touched. My Mom even made her a beautiful bouquet of her favorite flowers. It was such a nice couple of weeks and I am so happy that Cody was able to bond w/ Dom & Trish.

Cody's 1st Boat Ride/ Keys Baby II ~ 15 Months

We went on our annual lobstering trip down in the Keys with Matt, Amber and her family, and of course had a great time. Cody took his first big by boat ride on the first day of our trip. He was a little apprehensive at first but once we got going, he was happy as a clam. He would sit in the captains chair or on the front of the boat and watch his daddy, uncle and auntie catch the lobsties. After about 2 hours in the hot sun, my little monkey fell fast asleep on my arms. Overall for the entire weekend they caught over 40 lobsters... YUMMY

The second day while the boys and Amber went back out on the high seas Cody and I spent some mommy and me time back at the condo and down by the pool. The pool @ the condo is perfect for little ones. It has a walk in little end that he could sit and play with all his toys while I caught some rays. A nice weekend was had by all with some yummy dinners ahead.

~ Summer Fun~

~I love the Slide~

~Zoom Zoom~

~Happy Monkey~

Cody is has pretty much grown out of all his baby habits except for a couple.... his blanky is the first one. He is attached to both his lovely and his blanky and can't sleep or nap without them. The nice thing is that is doesn't matter which lovely or blanky he has, he is a happy boy and it's really cute to watch him walk around with them clutched in his fists. The second is his bottle. This one worries me a bit. He has been drinking all liquid other than milk from his sippy for a while now, but when it comes to milk, he throws the cup and walks away. He is drinking milk in the cup @ school but at home will only drink a few ounces. I am trying to be strong and will only give him the bottle @ night (not ready to give that up yet), but it is hard when he cries for his Bubba....

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Cody is finally cutting more teeth. He got 10 teeth well before his first birthday 6 on top and 4 on the bottom but hasn't gotten any since. I was a little worried because he got his bottom molars before the 2 on the bottom sides, but all is good now.

Grandma, Uncle Dom and Auntie Trish are coming back over the weekend and we cannot wait. I took a few days off to spend with eveybody and have some fun stuff planned. We did just fine without my Mom but I am happy that she's coming home......

Summer Family~Time

In the past few weeks we have had a bunch of out of town visitors. First Craigs niece and nephew were down from Ohio for a few weeks. They come every summer to spend some time with us down in S. Florida. It was really fun to see how much more Cody is interacting with them. They were here in April and he wasn't quite walking yet. Now he chashing Curtiss around and playing real games with him. It's really great when the kids are all together.

Next my brother Dom was here for a few days. He flew down in order to drive home with my Mom, then will drive back with her in a few weeks. My sister in law is also coming back with them and they are both staying for a few weeks. We have a bunch of fun South Florida outings planned. Can't wait... My brother was was just smitten with Cody. They really bonded in the few days he was here and Cody even said UNCLE, which surprised the heck out of all of us.

With Grandma gone for a few weeks, that leaves Craig and I to fend for ourselves....hahaha. We are just fine, but praying all stay healthy for a while

Codyman ~ 14 Months

Life has been a little crazy in the Bautz house. About 3 weeks ago I got a call from Mom and she had fallen in the parking lot of the grocery store. Luckily Cody was still in the car and had not fallen with her. From there all heck broke loose. Craig ran to get the baby while I met my Mom and the ambulance @ the hospital. While I was waiting with her to get her x-ray done, Craig called and said the baby was burning up. I left my Mom (thankfully nothing was broken) and met Craig @ the Dr. He had 105.5 temp. We stayed @ the Dr's office for over 2 hours until they got his fever to break. They weren't sure what it was probably just a virus but all we could do is keep him hydrated and treat his fever.

The next 2 days were pure hell. He wasn't sleeping at night and would nap on and off all day. On the third day he woke up from his nap with yellow goo coming out of his eye. Back to the Dr we went. He now had an ear infection on top of the virus. My poor baby. It was truely heartbreaking watching him go through this. Thankfully by the next morning his fever had broken, but he now had a rash over his entire body. I called the Dr. back and they diagnosed his virus was something called Roesella (I verified this on line of course). A high fever for 3-5 days followed by a rash. It was a complete week of sleepness nights and careful watching.

I am happy to report our monkey is back and crazy as ever. He is into everything, I mean everything. One minute the house is neat and the next is complete mayham, The joys of a toddler....

Water Boy ~ Cody 13 Months

When I say this kid loves the water, man he loves the water. He would stay in forever, to the point of shivering. Everytime we've been to the pool or the beach he cries when it's time to leave. I am so happy I have a water baby, since I myself was a fish as a kid. We hope to start him in swim lessons shortly, the sooner the better....

Cody's walking is getting better by the week. He has also mastered going up and down the stairs. Every night after his bath and story time he follows me to the stairs and down we go on our bum bums, one step at a time. It really is the cutest thing. His lovely in one hand and my arm or shirt in the other.

Cody now says mama, dada, grandma, papa, bella, signs for more, shakes his yes and no and his absolute favorite words are UT OH with his up in the air. At first we thought is was the cutest things ever, but now we would like him to say something else. hahahaha. With time his words will get better so for now we just practice.....

Cody's 1st haircut....

The weekend of Cody's actual birthday we took him for his first big boy haircut (I forgot to uplaod this) Cody, I and the grandma's headed over to Snip-its, a salon that specializes in childrens haircuts. I was a little apprehensive on how Cody would do... other than being a little scared and shy, he did very well. They were very good there and we will be heading back every 3 or so months. Can I tell you how cute my little guy is with his new haircut. I wanted to try to save some of the curls in the back, but nobody would let me give him a mullet so off it came. I am very happy with the end result...

Now that Cody has mastered walking (well almost) he is really getting around. If we take our eyes off him for even 1 second he is gone. His favorites are the stairs and the dog bowls. Luckily we had already gotten the gate for the bottom of the stairs so that is up almost all the time. We are teaching him how to go up and down but for a while the gate will be a permanant fixure in our house. The dog bowls are another story. We really try to remember to pull them up but on more than a few occasions, we have caught him playing in the water bowl and I can't guarantee he hasn't snuck a a piece of dog food here or there (YUCK).... Boys will be boys right?

At Cody's 1 year check up he really hadn't gained or grown too much over the past couple of months. he weighed in @ 22 lbs and 29 inches. His head circumference was still big, holding @ 45cm. His doctor said he is right at the average and it's ok that he hasn't gained alot since he is so active.

Cody's 1st Birthday Party Weekend

Cody's 1st Birthday Party by far exceeded my hopes and dreams. I'm not sure what I expected, but it was such a nice day. Vanessa & Larry, Sandi & Ari and Vicky & Randy all flew in for the the weekend. We all went out for adult fun time on Friday then party time on Saturday. I had thought that maybe Cody would be overwhelmed by all the people but he was in good spirits all day and was sound asleep by 7:15pm.

We had a slip & slide set up for the older kids, a baby swim activity center for the younger kids, plus a monkey pinata filled with candy and toys, and of course tons of food, drinks and yummy yummy cake.

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out with the girls, going out to eat, playing by the pool and Cody's first trip to the beach. I was a little nervous about how he would do, but I was pleaseantly surprised. He LOVED it. Everytime a wave would come near him, he would squeale with delight and clap his hands. He is definetly going to be a beach baby,we just have to go more often.
Once the Birthday weekend was over, The girls extended there vacation and headed down to Ft. lauderale with there husbands. My mom took the baby for the night so Craig and I could join the adult festivities. We had such a blast just walking around Ft. Lauderdale Beach, being silly and having fun. We also had a farewell dinner with all of us, the friends here and the friends that flew in. It was such a special weekend/week and I am so thankful to both My Mom and Craigs parents for helping us put together the party and my friends for being here... I am a lucky girl.