Baby Cannon Turns 2!

 

My Sweet Cannon,

I am getting to your two-year letter a little bit late in light of a couple recent events.  This is important to note because even in these last couple of weeks you have added quite a few important milestones to your history and done a considerable amount of growing up.

Daddy took you to your two-year appointment and came back with the following statistics: you weigh 28lbs, 12oz; are 35” tall; and have 51cm in head circumference.  You are now in the 75^th percentile in height and weight and, of course, off the charts in head size.  Such a smarty with that big brain!  You are still wearing 2T clothes and just started having an opinion on what you like to wear.  Anything decorated with cars, airplanes, animals or trains is fine.  You don’t care what pants I put on you but you absolutely loathe new shoes.  If we put new shoes on your little feet you whine for an entire day about it before deciding that they are not so bad after all.  Your feet are currently size 6 but the dreaded transition to 7’s (and therefore new shoes) is close at hand.

It seems that there is not much that you don’t have an opinion about. You appreciate routine and order in its fullness and are quick to remind us if we accidentally miss steps, such as taking away your toys when you’re in your crib, or forgetting to turn on your white noise to sleep.  With all of this opinion has come an entire vocabulary that is so fun to listen to.  You have started conjuring up short sentences and are able to tell us almost anything you want to.  Your favorite words are ‘ok’ (which you use any time the answer to something is yes and you shout repeatedly if you want to know if a person is alright after a loud noise or jarring action); ‘better’ (meaning ‘please kiss it better’); ‘where did it go?’ (which is always said with your little hands and eyebrows up in question); ‘work’ (to describe where Daddy is any time he is not right beside you); Tank; ball; bubbles; choo-choo; plane; light; and many many more.  You are a little talking machine!

To be realistic, you gave Mommy and Daddy a real run for our money from about 14-22 months old.  You got so frustrated when you couldn’t communicate with us and would throw very long, very loud tantrums that drove us to do a lot of reading and a lot of experimenting.  As you learn to talk these outbursts have become much more scarce and much more manageable.  You seem significantly happier and really enjoy sharing your happiness and sense of humor with the people you love.  When you do something that you think is hilarious (such as hide Tank’s toys in tall places repeatedly) you laugh and run away jumping, normally asking ‘funny?!’ to let us know how funny you really think you are.  Your little smile melts my heart and makes me want you to stay this small forever.

In November, just after getting rid of your binki for good, we took a fun Thanksgiving trip to visit Kimpa and G-ma (pronounced gui-ma, just ask you).  Though your sweet smile could never be tainted, you took a tumble and chipped your two front teeth, creating a small triangle of a hole in the front of your mouth.   I called every dentist in town and they all promised that the only solution was to wait for your permanent teeth to come in, as caps on the front teeth would fall out too quickly.  With this news we have (cried) learned to embrace your chipped little smile and everything else that you have bruised and broken along the way.  In these past 6 months you have also: healed from a very severe case of cellulitis around your eye which threatened blindness if it had not been treated when it was; been diagnosed with an astigmatism in your right eye resulting in glasses; tripped and fallen into the ledge of the fireplace, giving you three stitches on your upper lip; and jumped from the top of a flight of wooden stairs, breaking your wrist (you did this because you were so excited to see G-ma when we got home from the hospital with Baby Elle.  We had been home 5 minutes).  These were just the permanent and severe things that your darling 2-year-old self has gone through recently… you come by new bumps and bruises every day, making you a real live little boy with a vibrant amount of energy that keeps me on my toes and laughing all day long.

When you were about 22 months old you started to enjoy the comfort that comes from slowing down every once in a while and became a bit of a cuddle bug.  You love to be rocked and sung to before going to sleep and will often crawl up into Daddy or I’s laps and ask to ‘hold you’.  This sweetness has become so raw and tender as you have started to interact with your new baby sister, Elle.  You love to stand next to Elle and rub your cheek on her fuzzy little head and talk to her.  You normally just say cute things like ‘baby sister; hi baby sister; it’s ok sister; don’t cry sister’.  You also love to kiss her head and talk about her stinky poops.  I think you know her name is Elle but you much prefer to just call her sister.  You have adapted to sharing the spotlight incredibly well.  Even in the hospital you loved to look at Elle and kiss her little head.  You talk about her whenever she is not around and are always making sure that she is ok.  Her little scab from her umbilical cord has you very perplexed and you like to touch it and say ‘ouch’. 

It seems to really bother you when other people are not well.  When I was in the hospital after having Elle you were so excited to spend time with the baby, G-ma, and Daddy but after Daddy told you that I had an ouch on my tummy (from the c-section) you did not like being close to me and would not sit with me or touch me except for a kiss goodbye when you left each time.  It seems that whenever you are frustrated or consumed by a problem in your life, you are instantly stopped if you are brought to recognize someone else’s needs.  You could be in the middle of the tantrum of the century and if you recognize that someone else is hurt or needs something you will instantly stop and cater to them.  You have a very tender heart.

The people that you are most willing to share this tenderness with are those that you trust and are comfortable with.  You are not quick to befriend people and are also not ashamed of your criteria.  Mommy and Daddy have made the list, as well as a select few family members and friends in the ward.   This does not mean that you are mean to those that don’t make the cut, you are just very candid about it and will not share (not your favorite topic anyway) or perform (hugs, kisses, high fives, nice looks) for those that have not yet ranked.  I’m hoping that as you get a little bit older we can have a talk about the art of cordiality.

In December Daddy and I bought a house here in Danbury, CT where you were born.  It is a 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom, split-level house with a huge basement to play in and an acre of land to explore.  You have made your mark on the house already by depositing money into every exposed crevasse you can find (a penny saved is a penny earned, right?!), drawing circles on the dining room wall in red crayon (luckily the room hadn’t been painted yet), and following Daddy around, helping him use his tools with all of our DIY projects.  You LOVE having more room to wrestle, chase Tank and run around and know just where to go to play with your ever-growing collection of toys.  Your favorite things are currently animals, toy airplanes, trains with tracks, and anything battery powered.  You would also probably watch TV all day if we would let you but Daddy and I are pretty strict on keeping it off during the day so you don’t end up without an imagination.

For your birthday we took you swimming at the Ridgefield Recreation Center and had a small party with pizza, cake and presents with the Tavares family.  We also took a road trip to Rhode Island to see Uncle Shawn and Aunt Shelby (who you met for the first time!) and you loved it!  Together the four of us sang you Happy Birthday over a second cake and by this time you knew the drill and blew out your candles before we had even set it down in front of you so that you could get right to eating and feeding cake to everyone at the table.  You put on quite the show and had us all laughing up a storm with your little displays.  I have no doubt that you will be able to entertain a crowd as you get older.

Cannon, you have my heart absolutely locked on you.  I adore watching you grow and learn.  You are kind and sensitive, while still very stubborn and orderly.  Holding you in my arms while I sing to you at night makes me feel so complete, I wish it would never end.  You have me lost in either laughter or utter confusion all of the time, making your world the perfect place for me.  Thank you for being you and for looking at me with such big loving eyes.  I can feel your trust and your faith in me and I am propelled to continue to live in strength.  I will love you forever, more than you can ever know.

Always,

Mama

18 Months

cannon, 18 months

Dear Cannon,

You are only 18 months but these last six months have seemed to transform you from a baby into a full-blown toddler!  You are 32.5” tall (50%), 26lbs 5oz (75%) and have a head circumference of 46cm (75%).  You started wearing 2T clothes right on your 18 month birthday when somehow your tummy was poking out of all of your shirts overnight. 

My favorite thing about you right now is your innocent excitement and your total lack of inhibition.  If you like something there are very extreme facial expressions, dancing, and slurs of excited yet undistinguishable words that are sure to follow.  You are always really happy to go outside, see a puppy, lay eyes on a pretty girl, or be offered more food from the Cannon-approved list.  Your favorite foods are ketchup, blueberries, yogurt, baby food squeezie packs, fruit snacks, hummus, raisins and hot dogs.  The ultimate treat in your book is a fruit and yogurt parfait from McDonald’s.

We mostly offer you parfaits when we are out of town and eating more fast food than normal.  In these past six months you have been to Florida to enjoy Disney World with Grandpa Chad, Momo, and all of Daddy’s former Chatham Town roommates and their families; Washington DC to see the sites; and Utah to visit all of our wonderful family there.  During our trip to Utah you were especially taken with Uncle Nick and Aunt Gabby.  It seemed that every time Aunt Gabby walked into the room you watched her with big romantic eyes, just waiting to see if she would notice you.  Uncle Nick put his good looks aside and enticed you with puppies, candy and outings to the park, Chuck E Cheese, the pet store, and Cabella’s.  It did not take long for you and Uncle Nick to form a rowdy friendship that I hope will last forever. 

In talking to Grandma Shari, it sounds like you and Uncle Nick were actually quite similar as babies.  You are both darling, adventurous, all-boy, and incredibly stubborn and strong willed.  Memaw likes to say that “when he is good he is very very good but when he is bad he is horrid.”  I love you dearly my sweet boy but you definitely have not come without your demands in these past few months.  My perception is that you are mostly frustrated with your lack of communication skills at this point.  You can say words like wow, look, hi, go, what’s this, what’s that, doggie, truck and the signs for more and hat; but communicating your desires and frustrations is hard.  You are also just around the corner from understanding how to reason.  When I say, ‘I need to put on my shoes and THEN we can go outside’ your world pretty much ends because you don’t understand anything except for the fact that Mommy said we could go outside but she is walking the wrong way.  My guess is that as soon as you leap over the next few communication hurdles your overall mood will improve dramatically.  Getting those last few teeth in probably wouldn’t hurt either.

At 12 months you had just six teeth and now you are only missing your canines, which look like they should be breaking through on the top in the next couple of days.  After the remainder of your teeth are in, your binkie is going to be gone once and for all.  In July Grandma Shari and Kimpa came to visit and while they were here, they rid you of the binkie completely!  Then they left and you started getting molars… and the bikie crept back in to preserve the sanity of your parents.  This one has been a hard habit to break but the doctor suggested that getting rid of it will help improve your speech and I think that you will like that much more than you will like your binkie.

During Grandma’s visit Daddy and I took a weekend trip to spend with Aunty Michelle and Uncle Nate at Niagra Falls and Kirtland.  You loved your special weekend with Grandma and we decided that leaving you for a couple of days at a time is most easily achieved after a baby is a year old, when they no longer need formula, a bottle (I took yours at 15 months and you didn’t skip a beat), or quite as much sleep.  You had a great time without us and we had a great time exploring.  You especially liked the souvenirs we brought back: a Niagra Falls popper and a new baby sibling!  We’re not sure yet if it will be a sister or a brother but your little sibling will be here around April 3^rd, just after your second birthday.  Now whenever we see babies you walk up to them and point, not quite sure what else to do with them.

You started walking a tad bit late at 13.5 months.  You took your first unassisted steps on a Tuesday and by Friday you were steady and stable.  Before you started walking it was obvious that you had the skills, you just weren’t using them yet.  While we were over at the Kennedy’s house I pulled out the Lucky Charms and bribed you to walk across the living room to me for a marshmallow reward.  You came eagerly and we spent the rest of the afternoon walking from marshmallow to marshmallow.  I was such a proud mother!

After walking came running and once you started you could hardly stop.  You run everywhere and are REALLY fast!  I love to watch your little blonde hair flap up in the wind as you run and jump with all of your energy.  You jump down curbs, over cracks and any other place that looks jumpy and though you’ve got great momentum, your cute little feet don’t quite leave the ground yet.  I love to watch you use your imagination, especially as you play.  You love to play cars, trains, ball, or do anything outside.  And when you are done you make sure to organize them all back into their rightful baskets and to put the baskets back in their designated place on the shelf.  You are a very orderly little boy.  At the park you love to go run around and climb all over everything, but you never exceed your limits.  If a ledge is too tall, you stay away from it.  If a slide is too big, you go to the smaller one.  It is so fun to sit back on a park bench and watch you explore your world or to join you for a push on a swing.  When you are playing by yourself you are always sure to come back every 5-10 minutes to say hello and give me a hug.  It is like you are checking in, making sure everything is still ok.  And it is.  It always is.

It has only been this past few weeks that you have started liking to cuddle.  You used to squirm and pull back if we would try and hug you and now you love to set your head on my shoulder and wrap your tiny arms around my neck while I squeeze you and rub your back.  I cannot think of a single thing that makes me happier than those moments that you come to me for loves.  I just love your sweetness.  Thank you Can Can for bringing such a light to our lives with your goodness and bright smiles.  I love watching you grow and being a part of your world.

I Love You Forever,

Mommy

12 months! Can It Be??

cannon, 12 months

Dear Sweet Cannon,

You have grown so much this month!  You have added a full inch to your height since your nine month doctor’s appointment, bringing you to 30.5” tall.  You have also gained four pounds in the last three months and now weigh a whopping 23lbs and 7oz.  My little 'string bean' baby of the past can now hold his own, especially if the situation requires mighty thighs or cheeks!  In height, weight and head circumference you are now in the 75^th percentile.  This is good news because it means all of your proportions are about equal and we now get more comments on how much darker your hair has become than on your beautifully large brain.  In the last couple of months you have developed a skin irritation mostly around your elbows and knees that the doctor believes to be a minor case of eczema, having something to do with our laundry detergent or dryer sheets.  I am going to wash your clothes with a milder detergent as well as eliminate dryer sheets and see if that helps.  The rash may clear up without much change once you start walking because your clothes won’t be rubbing on your knees as abrasively.  

Right now walking is not a top priority for you.  I think it has something to do with watching Tank on all fours, not having older kids around all the time, being a really good crawler, and lack of interest.  You did take three steps while we were visiting Memaw in Utah but you have not tried again since that night two weeks ago.  Since then you have shown readiness by doing a lot of cruising and sometimes crawling on your hands and feet, rather than knees.  I love watching you scramble around. 

Something that you picked up on our big trip to see grandparents is peek-a-boo.  You laugh SO hard when someone pops out and surprises you.  You also love to be chased and to play hide and seek.  Your favorite places to hide are under tables, behind furniture and in corners.  You are sure that there has never been anything funnier than when someone discovers Baby Cannon in hiding.  When you get excited you give a HUGE six-toothed smile, put your chin to your chest and kick your little legs as fast as they will go.  If tickling follows, you shrug and laugh so hard that everyone around you ends up laughing too.  Recently, excitement has started leading to hitting people in the face too so we are trying to harness that tendency as fast as possible.  Your most ticklish spots are your neck, your spine, the inside of your legs and your feet.  If I tickle your feet you kick and kick until I stop… then put your foot back in my hand for more.  You love to laugh.

At the beginning of this month, you and I went on a big trip to the west coast.  We spent a week in Utah with some of Daddy’s parents, Memaw and Pogo, and Uncle Brandon where we got to see their new house in Alpine, played A LOT, attended Auntie Savanna’s baby shower for your cousin Pierce who is supposed to arrive on April 1^st, spent time with Uncle Nick and Aunt Gabby, and had play dates with your Murdock cousins and Auntie Dani and her babies Sirri and Tanner.  You took a special liking to Pogo (Grandpa Craig) and wanted to stay in his arms for as long as possible.  You even let him give you a baby back massage in his home-based chiropractic office!  Toward the end of our trip Uncle Brandon taught you how to push a car rather than throw or scoot them along as you crawl; and how to hold and write with a pen.  Your favorite thing to do with Memaw was play chase.  You were thrilled that she was willing to get down on the floor and crawl after you until her pants and tops of feet were dirty.  The two of you laughed and chased and cuddled for hours and hours. 

After our Utah stop we caught a short flight to spend some time with Grandpa Chad and Momo (Daddy’s Dad and Step-Mom).  They loved to listen to all of your sounds and words.  You love to point and say oooh, Mama, Dada, what’s that, what’s this, or wow.  The weather was beautiful and they loved taking you outside to spend time in the sunshine and green grass.  Momo and I took you to feed the ducks and visit the horses at the park near their house.  Grandpa Chad loved capturing all of your different emotions and expressions as he took handsome pictures of you.  After a couple of days Daddy and lots of other family and friends came in town to celebrate your first birthday and Disneyland Day!  On Friday evening storm clouds rolled in so we decided to abandon the park and all join to celebrate at Lamppost Pizza.  You ate pizza, opened FUN presents, and covered yourself in the frosting from your cake.  I think that the only cake you actually ate were the three bites I spoon-fed you.  The rest of the time you just grabbed the frosting and tried to shake it off of your hands onto the ground… usually missing and getting it all over yourself.  We all had a great time socializing and celebrating the year of total joy you have brought into our lives.

The next day was our fourth annual family Disneyland Day!  Normally we have lots of kids at Disneyland Day but this year you were the ONLY ONE!  I think it is pretty safe to say that your feet didn’t touch the ground or the stroller one time that day, except when I laid you down after you fell asleep in my arms on Pirates of the Caribbean.  You loved every ride you went on and had wide eyes and a pointing finger every time I looked over at you.  You were the perfect Disneyland baby.   You love large groups of people, whether it is Mother Goose at the local library or a huge theme park.

The next day, you spent the day hunting for Easter eggs, decorating cookies and riding the Easter train with Grandpa Chad and Momo while Daddy and I spent another day at Disneyland.  They loved spending time with you and getting to know your sweet personality.  You are a very organized baby.  You like to sort things into piles, then pull your piles apart and sort everything into different piles.  You also like to stack anything with sides.  When you put your mind to a task you become VERY focused on your mission and rarely divert your attention until the task is complete.  I predict that this will later translate into both a ‘work-hard then play-hard’ mentality as well as some one-track-mindedness, but only time will tell.

Through all of our travels you have turned out to be quite the man’s man.  You love grandpas, uncles, and anyone else that likes to wrestle or talk about sports.  When you’re not with the boys, you like to be with Mama.  You have become a bit cuddlier lately and will lay your head on my shoulder or lap when you get tired or shy.  You also still love holding hands, especially while on your changing table or riding in a shopping cart.  I love holding your hand and hope you will keep holding my hand for years to come.

Cannon, this year has changed me.  You have softened my heart and opened my eyes to the most tender kind of love.  You have allowed me to mother you and comfort you, and as a result we have an incredibly strong connection.  I hope to always love and care for you with the purity of caring for an infant.  I love knowing you; I love watching you grow.  I am so grateful that you are my son and that you chose to come to Earth at this time.  I am sure Heavenly Father misses having you around but He watches over you all the time.  You can have the same kind of loving relationship with Him that you have with Daddy now if you keep His love in your heart and show that love in the things you do.  I love you and can’t wait for  you to wake up tomorrow.

I Love You Forever,

Mommy

Cannon is 10 Months!

cannon michael, 10 months

My Sweet Can Man,

You have been SO much fun this month!!  You love to laugh and play and make big messes!  Your favorite places to play are the kitchen and the bathrooms.  You love to pull the toaster out of the kitchen cupboard to see how many crumbs were left inside from its last use.  You also enjoy unraveling the toilet paper in the bathroom and let Tank rip your mess to shreds!

You and Tank are becoming quite the duo!  You hold onto his tug rope and he drags you around from the other side.  You sit in your high chair and he waits patiently at your feet for his half of the meal.  You throw his ball and he happily brings it back.  He even follows us into the nursery while you get your diaper changed and into the bathroom during your baths, which you now LOOOOVE to take in the bath tub like a big boy!  It seems that the only thing he is waiting on before becoming blood brothers are your abilities to aim when you throw and for you to take your first steps.

You are a confident cruiser and can switch between pieces of furniture or hands easily but walking does not seem to interest you yet.  Your crawling abilities are being perfected as you explore the world around you.  I am constantly finding little trails as I pick up in the evenings that just seem to say 'Cannon was here'!

Just the other day we were at the Kennedy's house taking care of their kids Ethan (5) and Eva (3) when you found their cereal shelf.  I was cleaning up in the next room over and realized that I had not heard you in a while, so came to see what was going on.  There you were, sitting in a pile of Cheerios with the box on one side of you and the empty bag on the other, looking as innocent and happy as ever.  You could not see the problem... probably because you were being so good about cleaning up after yourself, eating at least half of the mess right off of the floor.  I decided just to let you eat for a while as I took pictures and laughed to myself.

When you're not making me laugh, you are certainly making yourself and everyone else laugh.  You love to pull your flirtiest of faces, shrug your shoulders, put your chin down and giggle when you get excited.  It is absolutely irresistible.  Your other charms include lots of waving, nuzzling, kissing, fluttering your lips, holding hands and jabbering at anyone that will listen.

At the end of December you pulled out all the stops and soaked in a week of Grandma Camp.  Daddy and I went with some of the other grown up Murdocks on an eight-day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean and Grandma Cheryl came all the way to Connecticut to love on you while we were gone.  I missed you like crazy but knowing you were at home with Grandma made everything alright.  She had lots of fun stories to tell us when we got back.  I felt like I hadn't seen you in a year, you had changed so much!  You had two top teeth on their way in, you didn't need your wrap to sleep any more and you changed from two naps a day to only one!  Now you wake up between 6 and 7am and go back down for a nap around 9am.  You sleep for two hours, then we get the party started for the rest of the day.  Every once in a while you ask for a second nap but I think those days are numbered, which is ok since we have 1:00 church this year.

Your mischievous tendencies paired with your sweet nature make me want to squeeze and play with you all day long.  Thank you for being so loving.  For setting your head on my lap so that I can play with your hair and for holding my hands at every opportunity.  Your chubby little fingers could not be any cuter.  I love your smile and your laugh but mostly that you are all mine (and daddy's) and I get to spend so much time with you.  You are my sunshine.

Forever,

Mama

PS.  You also stopped spitting up this month!!  THANK YOU!!

A couple more from our 10-month collection:

Cruise Pics

There were at least 3 billion photos taken within our group.  Here are some of the highlights from our camera:

I conquered the rock wall

The first two days were SOO windy!!!  Hang on Miranda!!

My inlaws are so fun!!

Hot mother in law!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Michael loves to dance - this is how we welcomed 2013 :-)))

This is our whole group!  From left to right: Dean, Linda, Mckay, Lydia, Derek, Becca, me, Chad, Rachel, Michael, Savanna, Jon, Bruce, Lisa, Miranda, Bryce

Nastiest animals ever.  They were all over the rocks in St. Thomas and Michael was getting way too close to them.

This donkey had real teeth!!

Glad somebody likes to snorkel :-)

My cute SIL Savanna, Rachel, and Jon

Becca rinsing the salt water off after snorkeling

Murdocks

More Murdocks

I can't wait till Cannon learns to snap his dad with towels

Happy 26th Birthday to me!!

Reenacting the zip line

Drinking coconut milk - this is the guy that cut it open for us

Taking a customary indian picture

Big boat!!

Our cousins Miranda and Lydia with Aunt Lisa

Welcome 2013!

My birthday is January 1st so the start of a new year always ushers in a new age and phase for me.  Lucky for me, this year's new age (26!) came with Caribbean sunshine as Michael and I were on the Oasis of the Seas in the Eastern Caribbean.  Ironically enough, we snorkeled on my birthday. 

This may sound silly to you but I am deathly afraid of fish (specifically being touched by them).  And when I say deathly, I mean DEATHLY.  We're talking panic attacks in the middle of the ocean.  Snorkeling and haunted houses actually hold hands at the top of my 'things I never want to participate in' list.  In the past, I have thought it was a good idea to try and conquer fears.  And I still think that conquering can be beneficial in regards to things like public speaking, needles (which I have recently worked hard to move from my 'fear' list to my 'hate, but can handle it' list), hair cuts or other things that will benefit you in the long run.  Fish, though?  Why get over fish?  That's like feeling the need to get over not liking liver or something; it's always a personal choice to jump in a large body of water.

Nonetheless, the whole family wanted to go snorkeling in St. Thomas.  The boat was scheduled to stop twice.  The first time to see turtles and the second to see sting rays.  I am not sure who reads 'swim with STING rays' and thinks Steve Irwin was probably just kidding but that adventure was not even a second thought on my radar.  Turtles though?  Turtles are so sweet and beautiful and... SLOW!!  When we got to the turtle bay I waited for everyone to leave, then I put on a mask.  I'm sure the view was great as I tried to stick my face in the water off the back of the boat without having to get all the way in.  I stayed back there for a good 5 minutes and somehow didn't see a single fish!  When Michael saw me testing the waters he came back and stood by as I jumped in and swam a lap around the boat.  In the process we saw a beautiful giant sea turtle!!  I watched it grazing on the ocean floor for a minute then followed it as it came up for air.  It was so magical!  We swam a little further from the boat and saw a few more turtles before our time was up and the captain called us back to the boat.  As we neared the boat I saw my first school of fish, almost drowned my husband, then pushed a seven year old boy off the step ladder to get back in the boat.  His dad gave me a dirty look but I flashed him one of those beautiful runny-maskara/I-think-I-might-die smiles and I think he forgave me.

What have I learned from this experience? 
A. I am ok with being afraid of fish for the rest of my life if I can still swim with the turtles every once in a while.  Jacques Cousteau and I can always talk about the art of frying an egg or something in the afterlife...

B. There will be no fish in my 2013 resolutions!  I love resolutions.  They are like goals that nobody expects you to accomplish.  Last year I read an article that said that a person is least likely to reach a goal if it is made in the month of January.  Either way, I love making them and I often times do accomplish them (cheers to those of us that accomplished all that we set out to do in 2012!!)!  Here is what I have resolved to do this year:

1. Pay off my car.  We bought my cute Honda CRV in June of 2012 and paying it off will make us debt free.
2. Have FUN with Cannon.  In my opinion, motherhood is an awesome excuse/reason to do fun things every single day.  As much as I enjoyed working, it is AWESOME to spend my days swimming at the pool, taking pictures, going on walks, dancing, going to the library, playing with my baby, going to the park or dog park, etc.  It's great that all I have to do is change stinky diapers, do laundry, clean the house and cook to pay for my extravagant lifestyle!  I have actually gotten to a place where I really like most of those things!  I want to make sure I take advantage of all of the FUN that we can.
3. Restrict my baby voice back to only using it with the baby.  As much as my 28-year-old husband wants me to pretend to be Elmo as we talk about our mortgage...
4. Be an awesome co-captain.  Believe it or not, sometimes Michael and I have different opinions.  I want to work on taking more of a team approach than siding...  Team Murdock always takes the cake anyway ;-)

Cannon Ball is 8 Months!

cannon, 8 months

My Sweet Can Can,

I have just enjoyed every minute with you this past month!  I think this is the month that you have changed the most so far and it is thrilling to stand back and watch.  You are officially a champion crawler and you are determined to get into everything that is reachable by your chubby little fingers.  Your favorite things to grab are Mommy's hair, cords, and dog food.  You also like to play with cars, balls, Tank, and kitchen supplies.

We spent the first two weeks of November visiting your two sets of Californian grandparents and they could not get enough of your cute little smile.  When we visited Irvine you gave your first ever kiss to Momo (Grandma Rachel)!  Chad and I tried to get kisses but Momo was your only true love for a couple of days.  Eventually the kisses started coming our way too but it was so cute how particular you were to only kiss Momo at first.  Grandpa Chad loved to spend time with you balancing on a soccer ball in the living room and it was with him that you pulled yourself up to standing for the first time unassisted.  Ever since then I cannot hold you down.  You crawl like a mad man, stop, and pop up along side anything you can grab hold of.  I love to watch those little eyes and nose appear over couch cushions, dish washers and coffee tables; and you are SO proud of yourself every time.  While there we also met Navy Bishop and Ava Demasters.  Just so you know baby, these are good names to remember in about 15 years and 4 months...  Mommy approves.

After Irvine we traveled up north where Kimpa loved lifting you up to grab the chains on the ceiling fan and taking you on walks outside to talk to you about the leaves, doggies, turkeys and everything else in their neighborhood.  One of my favorite things to watch was when we set you down outside and you crawled onto the concrete.  Kimpa and I were watching you, trying to figure out what you were doing when we spotted a little ant crawling towards you.  You watched it until it got close then slammed your hand down on the cement and smeared it as far as an ant will smear.  You did this several times in a row... oh dear, you are SUCH a boy.  Grandma played with you on the floor to music for hours, eventually leading you to learn how to dance!  You love to bob your little head back and forth when you hear a fun beat and get especially excited when songs have hand motions like the Hokey Pokey and the Hand Jive.  You laugh so hard when people dance, jump, growl or make funny faces at you.  Your toothless little smile has friends and strangers all over the place grinning ear to ear.

While visiting Kimpa and Grandma Cheryl you also won the hearts of Grandma Lee, Dave and Joycie.  We took you over to Grandma Lee's house in your tiger costume on Halloween and she could not stop laughing because you just brought her "so much joy," as she says.  As Grandma giggled, Dave crawled around with you, baby proofing and wrestling as he went.  You loved Uncle Dave instantly and tended to gravitate to him whenever he was around.  We have some darling pictures of the two of you playing together on the floor with your whiskers painted on your cheeks.  Joyce spent her Cannon time pushing the stroller and making a mess out of you!  She LOVED to spoon-feed you and enjoyed letting you smear all of the food in your mouth into your hair, stroller, face and clothes.  It warmed my heart to watch you take your place among so many people that I love.

In general, you are a VERY happy baby.  You make it known when you are hungry, which is now about every 4 hours for a bottle and twice daily for solid foods like oatmeal and pureed fruits and veggies.  You do not like avacado in any form but are willing to take anything else we have given you so far.  Your favorite things are pureed bananas, gumming big chunks of apple, and drinking water from a glass.  Your naps are on more of a schedule now, which makes both of us very happy.  You generally wake up around 7am, go down for a nap around 9am, sleep for about two hours, eat some oatmeal, take a bath, play for a bit, then go down for your second nap.  Your afternoon nap normally ends around 2 or 3 and you generally stay up from then until bedtime at 7/7:30.  You are a great sleeper.  If we wait too long to put you down or you are upset for any other reason you talk like crazy.  Normally you are just full of baba's these days but when you're mad there is a whole new slew of consonants that surface.

As far as October activities go, we had a whole lot of Halloween fun.  Grandma Cheryl made you, Daddy, and I Three Amigos costumes that we wore to Daddy's work Halloween party and our ward's Trunk or Treat.  Everyone loved how cute you were in your little ruffled shirt and sombrero!  We also flaunted your adorableness around the local pumpkin patch and some of Daddy's other friends in a ducky costume that your cousin Zachy wore when he was your size.  We picked out our carving pumpkin at the Stew Leonard's grocery store here in Danbury and ended up getting stuck in the mud on a hay ride and finding out that you are deathly afraid of cows.  You have done great with every other type of animal at the petting zoo, puppy store, and zoo but when we got to the cows you were NOT a happy camper...  Mommy thinks it is your first plea to stay a vegetarian but Daddy has other plans.  You also have strong opinions now about who is holding you or playing with you and are not afraid to choose favorites.  Nothing makes me feel more loved than to see those little arms straining in my direction.

Cannon, thank you for your laughter and your INCREDIBLE amount of energy.  You have me smiling all day and sleeping hard every night.  You are such a perfect little boy.

All of my Heart,

Mom

Boston Boston Boston - Day 2

We LOVED Boston!!  Here is the evidence:

I want Michael and I's tombstones to hug!

Mother Goose was a real person

Gorgeous statue

The architecture was so fun.  We loved picking out our future Boston home (that we will never live in)

Boston Massacre site

Lunch at Legal Sea Foods

Oh this boy...

On the ferry

Cannon standing on a Cannon on the USS Constitution

Captain of the ship

We hiked up the stairs of the Bunker Hill Monument (behind us).  294 steps.  Time to start working out.

View from the top of the Bunker Hill Monument

Cannon took a little nap... this is his good morning face.  Oh baby... the drool...

The men at the bottom of Bunker Hill Monument

This red line leads you through the whole Freedom Trail... We figured that out after following the map for the first 95% of it.

Happy happy boys!

This is his suave face... watch out ladies!

Paul Revere Monument in front of his bell tower

Paul Revere's house

End of the trail!