Pacifier Free

Personally, I don't want to have a two-year-old walking around with a pacifier in his mouth. I know everyone is different and what works for one may not work for another, but I decided it was time to be pacifier-free. I didn't want to take Zane's pacifiers away too soon before the baby was born or too soon after, so I decided to do it as soon as we got back from Idaho. Now, he only really uses a pacifier when it's time to sleep. I braced myself for what I thought would be a week of sleepless nights and no-nap days. However, to my surprise it has gone beautifully well. We had a couple of missed naps where he just sat in his crib for an hour and a half alternately crying, playing, or goofing off. He fussed a little at bed-time, but you would never know how dependent he (or we) have been on the plug. He hasn't used it at all this week. I think I better throw them away so I'm not tempted to pull them out in a time of desperate need.

A sweet moment

One of the best things I think we've done is make bathtime and bedtime routine Daddy's job. We started it because it seemed like I was doing everything for Zane and this was an opportunity for Daddy to spend some quality time with Zane after work. Kevin does bath every night and I clean Zane's room, get pajamas and everything ready. Then, my favorite part of the day begins. We play a little in Zane's room and then get his p.j.'s and everything on (usually Kevin does that), and then we sit in our rocking chairs and have scriptures, songs and prayer. Zane is not always calm during this time, but usually does pretty well. Tuesday night was the sweetest thing. Zane just climbed on his Daddy's lap. He sat quietly as Kevin read the scripture story. Then as we sang songs, Zane just stared up at his Daddy. I can't even explain the love, adoration and admiration that were in his eyes. I could just see that he loved his Daddy so much. Then he nestled his little head into Kevin's shoulder while we finished singing songs. That's an image I always want to remember.

Bathroom emergency!

A little panic moment yesterday. It had nothing to do with me being pregnant and the fact that baby is head-down pushing on my bladder all day. Nope. Zane accidentally locked himself in the bathroom. I called my Engineer Husband at work thinking he might be of some assistance. He said to get a penny or something to unlock the door. Now, I could have thought of that but the door wasn't locked. Zane had gone in the bathroom and opened the drawers that are right in front of the door. I could only open the door about an inch. I tried closing the drawers, but could not. Kevin just laughed. I tried to remain calm but I know that in that bathroom are all the medicines, probably some tools under the sink that belong in the garage (including, I think, I straight edge razor), and Zane loves to play in the toilet. He didn't seem upset and I just prayed he would come out safe. Eventually he closed all the drawers and let himself out. I hope he doesn't realize that he can do it again, intentionally, if ever he wants some private time!

Another Trip to Idaho

We got to spend another week in Idaho this summer. Kevin had a few more days of vacation that needed to be used before the end of September, so we decided to get a bonus day with Labor day and make a whole week of it. Zane and I really enjoyed having Daddy with us all day every day. It was a sad day when he had to go back to work. We had a great time visiting my family. Zane became quite the hugger (especially with Grandpa). He loved eating all of Grandma's goodies, playing in their beautiful yard, and watching her washing machine go.

We enjoyed a lovely trip to Yellowstone. Kevin had never been there and I was so young the last time we went, I don't remember it. We were going to go on Wednesday but had a bit of car trouble. I'm so glad I have a handy husband. Even though we had to postpone our trip a day, he knew right what the problem was. Once he was able to locate a new alternator it took him about five minutes to install it. Zane and I got to go on a walk to Grandpa's office and visit him there. Zane found lots of fun things to play with.

We were told that you could "do" Yellowstone in a day. Don't believe it! Our informants are drive-by tourists. We rushed to complete just the bottom loop. We did have a good time though, and Zane was a trooper. We saw lots of Geysers, did a walking tour around Old Faithful and timed our return just right to watch Old Faithful go off. We saw lots of bison and elk, a coyote and a bald eagle. We also really enjoyed seeing the Canyon of Yellowstone.

We drove up to Rexburg to see the temple. It is so beautiful. Zane had a great time running around but was definitely more interested in the lawn mower driving around. He loved having Daddy throw him up in the air.

We also went to the Museum of Idaho. They have a Pharoh exhibit right now that was very interesting. Pictures are not allowed. Also in the museum they have a little Discovery Center for the kiddos. Zane really like the little log cabin with a table and chairs just his size, but once he found the computers all he wanted to do was turn the monitor on and off. Kids!

Summer continues!

In addition to family reunions, we've had a great summer. I'm so glad not to be working because I feel like it is still summer (and it is for 9 more days) and I can still enjoy it.

Zane just keeps getting bigger and learning more. I think he looks like such a big boy in the pictures with the piano. (That's the piano Grandpa P. got him that he LOVES).

We still try to make it to the park frequently and Zane is getting ever more brave. He will walk over 100 yards away from me and not look back. Is that healthy? He loves to climb ladders and stairs.

He loves his Daddy. Kevin came home one day and Zane was looking at a book. Kevin layed down on his stomach to look with Zane and Zane decided he needed to be like Daddy and lay down on his tummy too.

He loves to go outside and whenever he's ready to go he brings me his shoes or at least one shoe and says "shoozh".

Here are some more pictures from August