Kids say the darndest things

We had a wonderful week in Vermont and a fabulous Christmas holiday. Hope yours was filled with lots of joy and cheer as well :) Ashton got lots of practice opening presents and by his 822nd one, he was really quite efficient. I have approximately zero good pictures because he was like an unwrapping tasmanian devil - a total blur. But he gave us something better than pictures - his first word(s)! I am stating for the official record that his first word was "Ball". He holds them or points at them and exclaims "Ball!" loudly and proudly.

He also says car and attempts to say truck and book. There's no doubt that many more will be pouring out of him soon. The only thing that puts a slight damper on this new development was the fact that two days ago, he pointed at me (like, POINTED - that little finger was seriously straight) and said, "COW!" Well you can guess what I did. I jumped back in shock, that's what. And then I put the kibosh on that right away. We sat down with his farm animal puzzle to set things straight: "No, THIS is a cow. Black and white with spots. Moo!" He looked confused. Great, juuuuuust great. I'm going to get a tshirt that says MOM in huge letters and never take it off. COW is not high on the list of things I'd like to be called. Neither is elephant or hippopotamus, but I think I have awhile before Ashton masters those. 

Tis the Season

Fa la la la laaa la la la laaaaaa. It's almost Christmas! For those wondering how we gear up for the most wonderful time of the year, I thought I'd present a little "Nill Holiday How-To".

Step 1. MEET SANTA. Look jolly and cheerful.

Mmm, fail. There's always next year.

Step 2(a): GET A TREE.

If it were up to Jason, we'd go like the Griswolds from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and cut a tree the size of a small building with our bare hands. Thankfully, it's not up to Jason and there are lots of Home Depots around that take care of that. So off we went last Sunday - Jason had his pocket knife, his gloves, and his "weekend Dad shirt" on and he meant business. Ashton of course had no idea what was happening but was thrilled to find branches, a very long string and some mud to play around in. Home Depot = fun for everyone.

Step 2(b): DECORATE THE TREE. Help with the lights, as long as "help" is defined as wrapping them around your body and tugging at the strands so Dad has to redo everything.

Step 2(c): MARVEL AT THE TREE.

Step 3: STALK THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. Every night this week, except tonight because it was too cold, I've plopped Ashton in his car for a post-dinner, pre-bedtime drive. There are so many great decorations and we go around, Ashton points and says, "DA!" (what else is new) and in general we get into the holiday spirit. Except one house has those blinking moving reindeer that scare Ashton to bits (not pictured).

Step 4: PRETEND TO HIDE IN THE CLOSET BUT REALLY, LOOK FOR PRESENTS.

Step 5: EAT SNACKS.Wait a minute. That's not really christmassy but nonetheless, an important step in any process. 

Step 6: LISTEN TO CHRISTMAS MUSIC. We have a few favorite Pandora stations that are on pretty much every waking minute. This is hard to take a picture of though so you'll just have to imagine it.

Step 7: GO THROUGH ALL YOUR STUFF AND MAKE A LIST OF WHAT YOU DON'T HAVE FOR SANTA.

This doesn't take long; it's a short list.

Step 8: LOOK THE PART AT ALL TIMES. Elves are everywhere, watching.

STEP 9: JINGLE ALL THE WAY. For Ashton, this is what that looks like.

Step 10: Take the joy and pass it on :)

16 Months

Hi readers,

I haven't been the best at blogging lately. Between Aruba, Thanksgiving, selling our condo (yes, we sold!) and trying to find a new house, busy work schedules...well it sounds like I'm all excuses doesn't it. Ashton hit the big 1-6 a few days ago, hence letting him careen around on the turtle in the below video. 16 has also brought more pointing, more babbling, and a continued love for playing with inappropriate things.

On the bench behind him, you'll notice a small silver pot lid and yes, our coffee bean grinder. How does he get his hands on these things, you ask. Answer: we have one half of one cabinet that does not have a child lock on it. Why we've never installed it I don't know, but for Ashton many great things have come out of this open door - not just pots and coffee grinders but also the Great Fork Freedom Act of 2012:

This historical event released many pieces of plastic cutlery that had previously been confined to their cardboard box. One for the books.

Ashton's also been very into hiding. He will wedge himself into any tiny space or behind something like a chair and then peek back out. The funniest part is he doesn't quite understand yet that even if he can't see me, I can see him. Usually "hiding" will consist of most of his body still being visible. So anyway, he can often be found in the little gap between my closet and his crib, in Jason's closet, under the dining room table, etc.

Here he is at a toy store, behind the train display with his back to the register counter. 

So that's fun. 

He also loves to be chased and giggles like crazy when I follow behind and threaten "I'm gonna get you!" before eventually scooping him up.

Eating and reading are still favorite hobbies

as is pushing things around on the floor. Sometimes he does this with relevant things that have wheels, like a truck.

Other times it is a spice jar, a shoe, or one of his Freedom Forks. All in all, he's still quite busy - the trend continues!

License and registration please

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Aruuuuba!

We have just taken our first official family vacation, planes and suitcases and everything. How did it go? Awesome! Myself, Jason, Ashton and our condo had a fantastic time. We had a nightmare travel day on the way back, complete with delays, plane electrical issues, missed connections, etc. but Ashton was a little star. Sleepwise, there were a few nights he was up at 3 am crying. When I checked on him, I was shocked to discover he had put on his swim trunks and was standing in his crib clutching his floatie and snorkel, all ready for the beach. I had to tell him it wasn't quite the time. Those were tough nights but overall, we couldn't have asked for a better week. Ahhh, Aruba. Land of white beaches, warm water, sparkling sunshine and...pointing. What? Yes. Ashton didn't even know what to do with himself there was so much pointing going on. He started off with a kind of half-point:

And then quickly graduated to ocean points, in-your-face points, and my favorite, the on-the-balcony-and-behind-the-back point. Collect them all!

At one point (no pun intended), I joked that I hoped the dark spot in the water he seemed to be indicating was not a shark. Ha ha. Um but then I didn't swim at that particular snorkel spot. I am a firm believer that children can teach us a thing or two and perhaps danger in the ocean is one of them.

There was of course lots of fun in Aruba besides pointing. Because we had such a big group, we all did our own thing during the day at times and then met up at the lazy river at 4 pm for floating and cocktails. After that, showers, big dinners every night in our villa or out on the town, and then the beach bar or the casinos! I admit we got into quite the vacation routine, complete with Jason's eggs every morning. There was an afternoon cruise/snorkel trip, shopping, pool time, beach time, tuna sandwiches, frozen drinks with way too many calories...heaven. Thanks so so much to Poppy (my dad) and Mema for making the trip happen and getting us all together. I have far too many pictures (ahem, 580 to be exact) to post them all here, but my dad always says that if you come away from a vacation with just one or two good ones that's all you need. So, in the interest of moderation, these are my family favorites:

Aruba Ariba! Now it's on to the next...trading the sun and sand for turkey and stuffing - off to make my Thanksgiving list and hit the hay. Good night!

It snowed this week. Which means...

Time for a vacation. Yes, that's right. The Nill family is getting on an airplane and taking things tropical. We are headed to Aruba with quite the crew: Poppy and Mema, Amy/Jason/Brody/Mckenna, and Kari and Ben. We made the exact same trip 5 years ago when Jason and I had first started dating:

Ahhhh to be young and in love.  The beach, the pool, the lazy river, sunshine and cool breeze were pretty unbelievable. And now we are going back - woo! Except it has taken me weeks to pack this time around. I have googled just about everything in a desperate search for survival tips on air travel with a toddler. I made Jason buy an iPad. I have just finished wrapping lots of teeny tiny gifts for Ashton to open on the plane. I stole a stack of post-it's from work (apparently popular with small children), got stickers and new snacks and assembled what I like to call the "Heavens to Betsy, please Ashton be interested in something in this bag for more than 8 seconds" kit. If that doesn't work, I have downloaded lots of music videos and fun clips on the iPad as the last line of defense. He even has his own headphones.

You're thinking, "Kristen, you said it took you so long to pack. What do you have to bring?" The answer is quite simple: everything. Our entire condo, plus the carseat from the car. The thought of forgetting something is so unspeakably horrifying that I have no other choice. This has made my list quite long as you can imagine. Or short, depending on how you look at it.

So our taxi picks us up at 4 AM and we will have with us two adults, one toddler, and an entire condo. We are leaving the walls and the floor because our realtor scheduled two showings this weekend and we have to have something to sell.

I did say 4 AM, as in 6.5 hours from now. Better finish packing!

15 months

15 months and all sorts of things going on! Good thing Ashton is not a girl from Latin America. I would have wanted to throw some kind of Quinceañera and after his first birthday a few months ago, I've got no shake left in my maracas when it comes to parties like that. If you know what I mean.  Anyhoo, can't remember if I updated you on this, but the offer on our condo fell through because of issues that came up in the home inspection. So there's no new news on that front: we still live here. Ashton doesn't seem affected by this at all and he's been keeping his 15 month self pretty damn busy. Here are the latest stats:

Weight: 26.44 pounds (91st percentile)
Height: 33.25 inches (98th percentile- I'm not sure I buy this. 33.25 inches would mean he grew almost 3 inches in two months. Their "measuring system" consists of laying a thrashing toddler down on a bed with crinkle paper and marking above his head and below his foot and counting the inches in between. Scientific? Your call.)

Head circumference: 18.75 inches (73rd percentile and somewhat of a relief - he's been hanging out in the 30th for his whole life. This figure suggests he is now better proportioned considering the monster numbers he's putting up in other categories.)

Diapers: Size 5 daytimes, size 6 overnights

Clothes: 18-24 months, some 2T

Shoes: 5.5W

Teeth: 4 on the top, 2 on the bottom, and lots more on the way

Occupation: Sorter. If our house was a Sorting Factory, Ashton would be "Top Sorter". He loves to group things, stack things, put things in cups and then pull them out and then put them back in again.

Vocabulary: He has moved away from syllables that just start with the letter D and now has B's and a host of other sounds noises. As Jason has recently discovered, Ashton's favorite word seems to be "doctor". Whatever he is doing, if you say it, he takes time out of his busy Sorting Schedule and tries to repeat the sounds. You could say "banana", "mediterranean", "Yahtzee" or any other fun word but the minute you say "doctor", I swear he lights up, starts babbling, and looks around for a stethoscope.

Alarming new trend: Peeing in the bathtub. Luckily, this trend is so consistent that I learned about it quickly and within seconds of dropping him in, I have my plastic cup ready to catch it. If you have just filled up a whole bathtub, intending to pour the water over your child's head to wash his hair, you know it's a virtual certainty that the pee-water will get in his eyes and mouth. Ask yourself: how do you carry on with a tubby after you know he's relieved himself in it? Like, a LOT? (Rhetorical question.)

Favorite Food: Ketchup. And in this house, it might as well be oxygen because there's no survival without it. I'd like to say it's used sparingly but sometimes, Heinz's High Fructose Corn Syrup mixed with Red #5 and Natural Tomato Flavors is the only thing you can possibly put on peas to make them more attractive. Sue me.

Favorite Stories: Right now he's into a little series on Pooh and the four seasons. Stand by for a book review.

Biggest Hardship: the baby gate that blocks off the living room and dining room. These rooms are for adults: sharp edges, lots of plants. But if that gate is inadvertently left open, Ashton rushes forth so fast you'd think he'd just been granted access to the promised land. The gate is clear plastic and he has spent so much time with his nose pressed against it, gazing into the forbidden territory and pondering its certain treasures. I think when he is finally old enough, I am going to dissemble the gate and give him a commemorative piece like it was his very own Berlin Wall.

Hobbies: dancing. Perhaps it's more accurate to say "knee bends with a touch of head bobbing". This often occurs whether or not there is music.

Other numbers: 20 (ounces of milk per day), 2 (naps), 43 (times we've read Each Peach Pear Plum), 3 (pacifiers lost) and countless pictures, here about .001% of them. Happy 15 months!

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween! This blog has documented so many firsts and yet...yesterday was not one of them. We are on to seconds! Ashton's second Halloween and we had so much fun. I finished work a little early so we could head up to Cushing Square to hit all the local businesses that have candy out for the kiddies.

Ready to go!

We got up there and it was touch and go for the first few minutes. Ashton was a little grumpy about being in a costume.

But then he met his first witch, scored a balloon, and we were off and running!

We met up with Chera and Owen, who was a contractor :)

Giraffes really love green pumpkins apparently.

After Cushing Square, we came back home quickly to put the finishing touches on our pumpkins and light em up.

And then we hit the neighborhood!

By the end of the night, the boys were picking pieces of candy out of the baskets, putting them in their pumpkins, and saying Bye bye to the neighbors. They got an "A" in trick or treating! Too bad Ashton can't have any of the candy because of his egg and nut allergies. Luckily, Jason is around to make sure none of it goes to waste.

Happy Halloween!