Jordan Matthew: TWO years old!

My BABY boy is now a two year old. I'm not sure how it happened. He turned two almost a week ago now. I had wanted to write a big post about who he is at this age, like I did for Jacob, but life got in the way as usual. So here's just a basic update on him instead.

Weight: 22-23 lbs, depending on the day
Height: 33 inches
Size: Mostly 18 month. He can fit into some 24 month but they are usually a bit big, especially pants. Pants are incrediably hard to fit him in because he's almost too long for 18 month pants but 24 month pants fall off of him. 
Favorite Food: He has been in an anti-eating kick again lately. He likes cheese, olives, fishies, chocolate milk
Words: EVERYTHING!!
New Accomplishments: He's been doing pretty good with going potty on the potty, he goes at least once almost every day. He copies everything anybody does or he hears about. He can "sing" a few songs. 
Likes: balls, cars and trucks, his block, his pacifier, being thrown, being tickled, books, playing peekaboo, climbing, blocks, swinging, sitting on his potty, flushing the potty, balloons, music and dancing, slides, candy
Dislikes: when Jake takes something he was playing with, being held when he wants down or being set down when he wants to be held (aka not getting his way), Halloween decorations ("scary!"), sitting in the cart at the store

Birthday: On Jordan's second birthday, I was able to stay home from work! I made shaped pancakes for the boys for breakfast. Lolo and Papa came to get Jacob. We took Jordan out shopping {because his loser mom didn't buy him a birthday present! Ahh!} but he couldn't find anything he liked. We went to the mall and he rode on the carousel and played at the play area. He had a blast! Then we had to go grocery shopping - boring! We came home and he took a nap. When he woke up, we went to pick up Jake at Lolo and Papa's house. Since it was late, we ordered a pizza and ate dinner over there. When we got home from that, we tried to give Jordan his presents. He opened up a frog hooded towel from us and hated it so much he wouldn't open up the rest of his presents, so we saved them for his birthday party. Overall, I think he had a very nice day. 

Random Facts: 

• He has no coping skills. If he's upset he pretty much just screams. 
• He doesn't usually like to go to bed/nap but if you give him his block and paci he will lay down and sleep. He's really pretty good about it. 
• He likes to be Mr. Independence. "I do it!" is one of his most common phrases. 
• He thinks he's really funny.
• He's good at puzzles. He can count. 1 2 3 4 3 is how he counts right now. He can sing along to parts of the alphabet. 
• He likes to clap his hands to music.
• His language and vocabulary are out of this world! Just the other day he put on mis-matched socks and when we said "Those aren't the same" he said "No, they're different" What??!
• We tried to get rid of his pacifier but it was not happening. We will try again soon.
• He thinks he's 3 years old. If you ask him how old he is, he always says 3. If you tell him he's not three, he'll tell you he's four instead. 
• If you say "I love you" to him, he says "Love me"
• We think he's pretty great 

Birthday Pictures: 

Last night as a one year old!

"That's too bright!" - Jordan

birthday pancakes

mmm, some of them had chocolate chips

waiting in line with his token to ride the carousel at the mall

on the carousel at the mall

Sneak Peak: 

And here's a sneak peak from his birthday party (which was today) 

Silly Saturday 9/22/12

The Hulk
Matt and I were cleaning up the kitchen while the kids were playing. We heard a huge crash in the living room followed by another huge crash. We held our breaths while we waited for Jordan to start crying. He didn't. We walked in there and he was standing by the couch and our coffee table was upside down on the other side of the living room! Little Hulk!


Pizza Man
Jake and I walked into Hungry Howies and Jake walked right up the counter and says "I like cheese pizza!"
Then when we went back to pick it up he goes "Hey, is our pizza ready yet?" OMG.


Smelling Sweet
While I was in the shower, the boys woke up and came into the bathroom, found Matt's deodorant, and rubbed it ALL OVER themselves. At least they smelled really good!



Trash Talking
We had to bring the boys to our Relay For Life planning meeting last week. While we were there, one of the girls calmly said "Just FYI, your child is licking the trash can.... he's still cute though!" Sure enough, there was Jordan!




And, then there's this picture I saw on facebook. I laughed WAY too hard when I saw it!

New Baby Celebration Giveaway

In celebration of the newest member to the Young Mom's Deals family, Mr. Garrett Patrick, we are hosting a fantastic giveaway for your new baby, older siblings, and of course for the parents. Prizes are valued at over $1250! Hurry and enter if you'd like to win!

Are you expecting a new baby or know someone who is? Be sure to enter for your chance at some very great prizes! These would make fantastic baby shower gifts too! Even if you have an older child, prize pack #2 will be right up your alley!

To check out reviews for all of the products, please visit YMD's New Baby Celebration Reviews and take a look at everything that we have to offer! Here is a breakdown of the prizes:

Prize Pack #1: For the Baby ($675 value!)

• 1 Arm's Reach Mini Convertible Co-Sleeper (Cocoa/Natural) ($190 value)
• 1 Beco Baby Carrier ($130 value)
• 1 Teething Tots Amber Necklace ($22 value)
• 1 pack of Swaddle Designs receiving blankets ($40 value)
• 2-pack Vitamins Baby Blankie Buddies ($16 value)
• 1 Triple Paste gift basket ($50 value)
• 1 Holistic Baby Sleep System ($45 value)
• 1 Buggy Love stroller cleaning set ($50 value)
• 1 mixed pack of Peter Rabbit Organic baby foods ($15 value)
• 1 mixed pack of NurturMe dehydrated baby foods ($20 value)
• 1 pair of Project Pomona Baby Jeans ($28 value)
• 2 products from Me4Kidz ($10 value)
• 1 Super Baby Bundle and $20 store credit to Bundles and Buzz ($60 value)
• 1 Tiny Love Take-Along Mobile ($25 value)

Prize Pack #2: For the Big Sibling ($350 value!)

• 1 PlasmaBike ($80 value)
• 1 kids rug from RugsUSA ($100 value)
• 1 toy from Wonderworld Toys ($28 value)
• 1 customized coloring book and placement from I See Me! ($22 value)
• 1 toy from Mudpuppy ($15 value)
• 1 Zoobies animal ($30 value)
• 1 mixed pack of BuddyFruits ($25 value)
• 1 Triple Paste gift basket ($50 value)

Prize Pack #3: For the Parent ($215 value!)

• 1 set of Bamboobies breast pads ($17 value)
• 1 set of disposable breast pads from Avent ($30 value)
• 1 nursing cover from Tommee Tippee ($33 value)
• 1 nursing cover from Bebe au Lait ($35 value)
• 1 set of Daddy Scrubs ($55 value)
• 1 Couponizer set ($20 value)
• $25 Amazon Gift Card

Young Mom's Deals would like to thanks the following blogs for contributing to the gift card portion of this giveaway: Acadiana's Thrifty Mom, The Birth of a Mother, Michelle Wraps U Skinny, Confessions of a Messy Mama, and Blog by Donna.

Contest is open to residents of the US who enter using the Rafflecopter form below between September 22, 2012 at 12:01am EST and October 22, 2012 at 12:01am EST. All entries will be verified. Winners will be contacted by email and must respond within 48 hours in order to claim their prize. Love{&}Bugs is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. See Rafflecopter widget for further terms & conditions.

{Wordless Wednesday} Rainbow

I am a Bad Mom

This post is inspired by a post written by Life With Levi. Her post was inspired by some comments on her facebook page regarding the way she is raising her son.

It seems as moms we are prone to judgement. Everybody has an opinion about the way we are raising our children. And the only opinion that matter is our own. As long as our children are happy and loved and we are proud of the decisions we are making, nobody else's opinions matter. 

Here are the reasons why I am a bad mom. 

I am a bad mom because....

I got an epidural during my first labor and delivery

I didn't get an epidural with my second

Both my boys are circumcised

I co-slept with Jordan

I exclusively breastfed both boys and never used formula

I breastfed Jordan for 19 months

I bought store-bought baby food for Jacob

I started Jacob on "solid" food (cereal) at only 4 months old

I waited until 6 months to start Jordan on food

I never gave Jordan cereal or baby food, he started on "real" food at six months old

I use cloth diapers

I also use disposable diapers sometimes.

I let my kids watch TV and movies

I don't play with my kids very often, they play by themselves

I work outside of the home. I went back to work when Jacob was 2 months old and Jordan was 3 months old

I took pictures of my kids every day of the first year of their life

Jacob's baby book is more filled out than Jordan's is. Neither one is completely done. 

I have a favorite child. It isn't always the same one. 

I buy my kids second-hand clothes and toys.

I let my kids wear clothes that are stained. Or mis-matched. 

I used a pacifier with both my boys. My almost 2 year old still uses a pacifier.

I spank my kids and put them in time out when other methods don't work. 

I don't make them pick up their toys every day. 

I don't clean my house nearly enough.

I put Jacob in a forward facing car seat at 1 year.

Jordan is still rear facing at almost 2 years and will be for awhile

I don't make good food for them very often. 

I let my kids eat fast food and sometimes candy. 

Sometimes I give in to them just because I don't want to hear them cry. 

I don't make my oldest take a nap every day. 

I sometimes take a nap on the couch while my oldest watches TV or a movie.

I shower with my kids. 

I don't bathe or clean my kids every day. 

I don't make my kids wash their hands before they eat. 

I only brush their teeth once a day. 

I read to my kids every night before bed. 

I tell my kids "no" frequently. 

My kids believe in Santa. 

My kids know there is no Easter Bunny. 

I use bribes and threats. 

I hug and kiss my kids every day. I tell them I love them every day. 

I let my kids try to do things for themselves. 

I get frustrated easily and yell too often. 

But you know what.... I'm still a good mom. And so are you. I do not need to justify or defend any of my decisions. I am the only one who knows how to raise my children. And so far, I am doing an okay job. 

STOP THE MOMMY WARS!!!!!!!!

Jordan's 2 Year Check-Up

I took Jordan in to the doctor today for his 2 year check-up. He weighed in at a lowly 21 lbs there (clothed!) and was 33 inches tall. He is the 20th percentile for height, which is about where he's been, but as predicted he dropped from the growth chart for weight. He is less than 3rd percentile for his weight. The doctor wasn't overly concerned and neither am I. He does want him to come in in another three months for a weight check though.

He said he may have some underlying issues such as a malabsorption issue or even possibly Crohn's disease or colitis or something, judging by his low weight and the frequent amount of stools he has each day. However, generally with those conditions you would see blood in the stool as well as complaints of stomach pain, which we have not noticed. He said it could just be that he's going to be a thin kid and this is his new normal. So we'll just watch and see. In the meantime I am to try to give him extra calories when possible. He gave me a recipe for high calorie chocolate milk and Jordan gobbled down his first glass when we got home. He's back on whole milk instead of skim for awhile now too.

Otherwise, he checked out perfectly healthy with no concerns. I did forget to ask about him wanting to eat dog food but he hasn't been doing that as often anymore so that's okay.

The doctor was very impressed with his language and says he's at about a three year old level for speaking. We skipped vaccines this time because he's been sick with a cold and low grade fever.

He goes back in for a three year appointment next September and a weight check in December (we're bringing him for Jake's 4 year appointment in December) We'll be catching him up on his vaccines at that time too, granted he's not sick then.

Overall it was a good appointment and Jordan is still a healthy little boy. (Emphasis on the little!)  :-)

{Wordless Wednesday} Garage Sale Helper