Damian and his Lemon

Cuteness! (not the best video quality but so cute!)

Car Dancing!

I was trying to secretly tape Damian dancing to Rihanna in his car seat but he kept catching me.  It's so cute to watch him rock out!  Please forgive me about the sideways view!  Apparently I do not know how to work my cell phone correctly : /

Aquarium

Pat and I love to take Damian to the New England Aquarium.  They have the friendliest staff, great exhibits, a giant ocean tank in the middle of the building, it's on the water, and it is a great cause!  This is the first time we have been back since November, because it has just been too cold to go into the city.  Damian had the most fun yet!  He was walking around, touching the tanks, and really noticing the different sea creatures.  They also have a great area for children between the penguin exhibit and giant ocean tank.  We can't wait to go back!

We Finally Can Play Outside!

The other day the snow finally melted, although we got a thin blanket of some last night.  I took Damian for a walk/run in the jogging stroller and Damian was able to play outside three days in a row!  He is walking so well now it makes me tear up.  My little baby just keeps growing!

Damian at the gym

This was taken on Pat's cell phone so the quality isn't very good. I just love to see how happy he is!

Down to One Nap A Day!

Damian is now down to one nap a day! He usually takes his first nap at 10:30 a.m. for about an hour or two, and his second nap at 1:30/2 p.m. for another hour or two. The past three days he has slept for three hours during his first nap. By the time he woke up it was almost time to go down for his 2nd nap, so I decided it must be his body saying he was a big boy now! I'm excited my little man is growing, but I can't believe it's already time for one nap. He isn't my baby anymore, he's my toddler! Okay okay, he is still (and always will be) my baby.

It is a little hard to tell in this picture but his butt is up in the air. That's right, he isn't even sleeping on his side. Literally a minute before I took this picture he was on his back with all of his appendages spread out. For all of you out there wondering what time Damian took his nap it was 12:30. And yes, he is still in his jammies. It's a jammie kind of day, and by that I mean laundry day :)

When do your little ones take naps?

Ebates

I just discovered a website, Ebates, that gives you cash back for shopping at any of the places you already do.  This includes Nordstrom, Sephora, Macys, Apple, Shutterfly, Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, etc.  It even includes social discount sites like Mamapedia, Groupon, and other similar sites.

I know that I am going to be checking if any of my online shopping sites are on Ebates!  Any way I can keep/get more money in my wallet the happier I am.

Click Here to sign up for this great website.  They get a commission for "sending" you over to various businesses and you get money in the bank.  It is a win/win all around!





Also, I have had a quite a few people message me on facebook or text me asking about coupons, deals, and saving money for the past few months.  So I thought I would start posting things that I think are worthwhile as I go.  I've responded to messages on facebook about what I do to save money.  I think I will do a post in the next few days of my favorite tips and blogs I follow.  There is something so gratifying about looking at the receipt and seeing how much money I have saved.  It is also a great way to save money and pay off debts!

Side note:  For all of you who love the movie Bambi, there is a $10 (yes TEN DOLLAR!) coupon on disneymovierewards.com :)

Really Really Want This...

There is snow everywhere here in Mass, and Damian and I can't go on our daily walks.  Lately, I've been escaping to furniture stores and Ikea to walk around in.  Let's just say that is super dangerous!  There are just to many things for this little domestic lady to play with. Anyhoo, I walked into one of Jordan's children room displays and saw this swivel chair and ottoman.  I wanted it so badly but could not justify spending that much money on a chair for my son...even if I could fit in it ;).  I am on the hunt for a cheaper version.  Isn't it soo cute?!

My What Big Eyes You Have

Damian and I went on a little play date with Ollie and my friend Allie. Allie took this adorb picture of Damian, and it made me want an SLR camera sooo badly! Look how great the pictures come out! Although, I think some of it has to do with her being a great photographer. It was so cute watching Damian and Ollie play together. Maybe now I can get Damian to say "baby" and know what one looks like in real life. Damian is so used to be called "baby" he thinks it's his nickname.

Parenting Magazine Deal!

This post is mainly for my mama followers. Mamapedia is having a great deal on a 2 year subscription to Parenting Magazine for only $8. If you add the coupon code EARLYPMAG for Parenting Early Years or PMAG3A for Parenting School Years that brings your subscription to only $5!

I regularly purchase this magazine so this is a huge money saver for me. They always have coupons and a valuable 20% coupon for diapers at amazon that I use every time. I participate in a few survey sites, marketing research companies, and swagbucks that offer amazon.com gift cards as rewards. Most everything I buy on amazon is free after the coupon and my rewards.

CLICK HERE to be directed to this AMAZING deal! You can thank me later ;)

Chuckles

Here is a video I took on my cell phone of Damian chuckling.  Please forgive the quality and the side view.  I promise it will put a smile on your face :)

7:30 a.m. And Ready To Go

This morning, Damian and I were playing with his toys when he told me he wanted to wear his coat and monkey hat. In 13-month-old language that means he was pointing and motioning for them. As soon as I grabbed his jacket he extended his arms to put them in the sleeve. It was soooo cute!

Favorite American Idol Auditions

So one of my favorite shows to watch at night is American Idol.  I haven't kept up the past few seasons, but with the addition of Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez I decided to give it another chance.  I am loving the new season and the energy the new judges bring.  Here are my two favorite auditions so far:

What a Morning!

This morning was a crazy an interesting one.  Damian woke up at about 7:15 a.m. (which is normal) and I changed his diaper as usual.  After about 5 minutes of waking, he had his poop face on and I heard an explosion in his diaper!  A few days ago I made the grave mistake of smelling his butt and ended up with poop on my face!  Luckily the poop stayed off of me, but it was all over Damian's leg.  I cleaned him up, put him in the bathtub, and let him play for a while.  It is so cute how much he loves his bath!  When I took him out, I put his little head cap and robe on and let him roam around for a few minutes.  Damian had a huge smile and ran up to give me a kiss and hug (his favorite thing to do!) and then sat on my lap.  I thought he was trying to be cute and cuddly but then he pee'd on my lap, walked away, and laughed!  Sneaky sneaky boy!

One Year Doctor's Appointment and Meeting Uncle Vic

Damian had his one year check up with the doctor a couple days ago. Everything went well except our little man needs to fatten up. I guess I prepared his meals to be a little TOO healthy. The doctor recommended we add butter on his food and all sorts of (yummy) fatty goodness. Let's just say Damian LOVES his new diet. He has whole-wheat toast with butter and peanut butter, peanut butter on his bananas, ground beef cooked in butter, etc. I am super jealous of his diet because I love butter! The doctor said once he's at the weight that he likes then we can cut back a little bit.  Pat and I eat a really healthy clean diet but we like to really splurge once in a while..as you will notice later in the post.  I'm a foodie at heart so when I splurge I go all out.

We also met Pat's Uncle Vic yesterday in Connecticut. Unfortunately the reason why he was in the east coast was because his mother passed away (we are so sorry for your loss). I hate that Damian and I met him under those circumstances. However, I am glad we got to meet him because Pat has said great things about his Uncle Vic through the years that I was excited to finally meet him. He took Pat, Damian, and myself to Shady Glen. We all ate "The Bernice Original Platter". It was featured on Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate" so I had to try it. Let's just say that burger is DELICIOUS! The episode it was on will be featured Jan 20 at 7:30PM if any of you are interested.

Coaches Convention

Pat is away at the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) convention in Dallas, TX until tomorrow. I can not wait until he comes home! There is a AFCWA (American Football Coaches Wives Association) convention that occurs at the same time. It is a way for all the wives to get together and relate to the crazy life as a coach's wife. Next year's convention is at San Antonio, TX so I think I will end up going to that. If anything Damian and I can go to the riverwalk :)

Miss you Pat!

Damian Turned One!!!!!

I can not believe it. My little baby is now a toddler! I would be lying if I said I didn't tear up. This has been the most amazing, mind-blowing, exciting, fun-filled year I could have ever imagined. Damian is truly the best baby I could have ever asked for.

He has grown so much! On December 27th, 2009 my little man was born. A little sweet baby I could fit between my hand and forearm is now a toddler who walks extremely well and loves to give kisses.

Pat and I put together a little birthday party (last minute) and invited family and friends over that were in town. Damian ate his very first cake and it wasn't what I expected. I thought Damian was going to shove the cake in his face. Instead, he took little pieces in between his fingers and took very proper little bites. Towards the end it did get messy but not because of his bites.

My friend Sandra brought her twins with her and Damian had so much fun with them. They were playing with all of his presents together...too cute.

It was perfectly intimate for a one year old but with enough excitement to keep kids and adults entertained. Thank you to everyone who made it special. We love you!

Damian's First Christmas!

We had so much fun celebrating our very first family Christmas with Damian. He received so many fun presents. I dressed him in the adorable Santa outfit we used for his professional holiday pictures. I figured it was the last time he would be able to wear it so I took full advantage.

Damian loved playing with every toy he received. He couldn't decide which ones he wanted to play with so he kept bouncing between all of them. Damian even ate two turkey dinners and sushi for his first Christmas. We had a great Christmas and look forward to many more to come.