Etsy Preview Giveaway : Baby Toys

I was sadden this morning to wake up and discover that I had lost a follower on my blog. I hope I didn't say anything to offend any one of you, it really isn't my intention. I admire all of my followers and I spend many hours a day reading up on your blogs. I downloaded and app for my phone and I even read when I go to the gym (trust me, I'm still getting a productive workout.) As my twitter followers already know, I am in the process of getting a shop started on Etsy to sell my sewing projects, bags, baby toys, and gifts. So as a thank you to all of my followers I am going to do a baby toy giveaway! YAY for GIVEAWAYS!

I will be giving away a set of my Baby Blocks (an item I will be selling in my Etsy store) plus a special surprise for Mama as well! WOW, are you as excited as I am about this giveaway???? I am sooooooo excited! Ok so these blocks come in a set of 3 of 5" blocks, they also come with noisemakers, IE bells, crinkle paper and a squeaker, or at the winner's request, they can be silent. I will not be making these until the winner is selected so that means they are going to be customized and made just for you! You get to let me know what colors, patterns, and sounds you want these made out of it. But wait, there's more (haha, had to go all cheesy infomercial on you there for a second.) I will also be sending a special little gift for Mama too, just because I value you as a follower that much!

Bambino playing with one of the blocks I made him, this one
jingles and it makes him laugh every time!

Check out I Made This in the tabs on my homepage, see what other stuff I have made :)

So here is how you enter, just link up (your blog or your twitter account if you want) below anytime between now and midnight on October 16, 2011. I will be announcing the winner on Monday, October 17th! Winner will be randomly selected. While entering yourself for this drawing, you also get to discover new blogs and other great Moggers (mommy bloggers)

I will link myself up first, but WILL NOT BE ENTERING MYSELF IN THE GIVEAWAY, geesh, that's just crazy talk!

Have Fun!

Five Question Friday : September 30, 2011

1. Do you apologize to your kids if you're wrong?

Can't really answer this one yet, my only kid will be 6 months old on Tuesday, but as a future prediction. . . . yes, at least that's the plan. I want him to know the difference. I don't want him to be an arrogant ass jerk man. 

2. Do you have a class ring, letterman's jacket, or similar obscenely priced high school "must have"?

I had a class ring, I wanted a jacket but my parents refused to spend the money on that too. I think I only wore the ring maybe half of my senior year. Good news is though, I still know where it is. (That's a feat for me!)

3. If you could be one age for the rest of your life, what age would you choose?

25, why? It's perfect. You've already had the trials and tribulations of high school tucked away in your past, the college years are still fresh in your mind and you are still close to all your college buddies and  you have your entire life a head of you! You're just getting started :) 

4. What is your favorite (unused) baby name?

Hmmm, choosing a name was hard, really hard. Kris and I couldn't agree on anything. Whatever name either of us suggested the other always had a reason for shooting it down. He has a client by that name, or I remembered being made fun of by a kid that name. . . . blah blah blah. BUT I love what we came up with for our son, and if our son was indeed a daughter, her name was going to be Riley Mae (after Kris's grandmother) BUT my favorite girls name (Kris wasn't sold on it) Emmalyn Grace. (seems a little trendy now though, I really want original but not trendy for my kids)

5. If you could make your child like something what would it be?


Oh I pray daily that Alex will like "green" foods. Meaning veggies and fruits. My husband doesn't eat vegetables, won't even look at a salad. When it comes to fruit he eats bananas and strawberries but only if they are covered in sugar. I really don't want to forever be the only one in the house who will eat my fruits and veggies!

Yay, I'm Award-Worthy

Last week, I was nominated for my very first blog award! Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you to Mindy at All I Will Ever Need, I love reading your blog!

So now I have the pleasure of nominating other fellow moggers and I am so excited to do so! Here are the rules of the award.

1.  Thank the person who shared the award with you by linking back to them in your post.
2.  Pass this award to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know that you included them in your blog post.
3.  List 7 things about yourself.


I nominate the following for the Versatile Blog Award, YAY!!!


Lori @ Cachey Mama's Classroom
Jamie @ Loving Life
Cheri @ I Am Momma Hear Me Roar
Amy @ Mahlimoo, Me, and Three
Not Winning Mom of the Year
The DeShanes @ Our Journey So Far
The Twerp and I
Tiny Green Elephants
Brit @ Typically Torin
Victoria @ Chronicles of a Shrinking Mommy
Kathryn @ Cummin's Life
Jet's Journey
Stephanie @ Moments That Take My Breathe Away
Heather @ Our Girls Keep Us Moving
Maria @ Bored Mommy




7 Things about Me


1. I am terrified of Mimes, I got chased by one on a unicycle when I was nine at a Festival and they have haunted me ever since.
2. When I was in Kindergarten, I told my class my mommy was in prison, when in fact she worked in a prison. 
3. I am in the process of opening a shop on Etsy for my bags and baby toys. My mom will also be adding her baby sweaters and hats.
4. I married my high school sweetheart, my parents are also high school sweethearts as are my grandparents.
5. My sister and I are exactly 3 years and 1 day apart.
6. My favorite thing to play with my best friend as a child was Homicide Detective, and yes, we are both girls. 
7. My top 2 favorite pizza toppings are tomatoes and green olives

Wordful Wednesday : Let your light shine :)

Make Yourself Monday : Grab Ball and Butternut Squash

Lately, my weekends have been uber productive. Yay! Since I was about 5 1/2 months pregnant, I haven't accomplished a whole lot of sewing which seriously saddens me :( When pregnant, my back killed me when sitting at my machine, there was no way I could last more than 5 minutes and, come on, how much sewing can one really get done in 5 minutes? It takes me that long to just get the machine set up to sew. And, well all you mom's out there know, when with an infant am I supposed to find the time to sew!?!?!?!?  Anyway, now that Bambino can entertain himself for the most part, as long as I scatter an obstacle course of toys around the floor, I have found much more time to get my sewing done. The solution was simple, distract the little one with noisy toys and move the sewing table to the dining room. Ugh! I have cluttered my dining room table and I hate clutter! I used to have a sewing "nook" but since Bambino needs a room, that "nook" has since been replaced by baby crap stuff. 

My dining sewing table

Ok, so now on to what I made this weekend. Of course what I made wasn't for me, it was for Bambino, because he pretty much gets everything these days! I've been sewing a long time but nothing too dimensional, mainly bags and little things like that. I've never been brave enough to really try anything that has more than a straight or "slightly" curved edge, until now. I ventured out of my little comfy box, and made something round! 

Grab Ball

I made Bambino a grab ball. It's made up of 12 little "pyramid" shaped pieces that all connect to make this totally cool little ball. I put bells in it to make it a little on the noisy side because that's what he likes. I was a little nervous about this project because it's mainly hand stitched which is not something I can even remotely claim to be good at. But I was surprised at how easy it was to make, just time consuming, very time consuming. I'm so excited about this, I can see more of them being made in the future, maybe i will add these to my Etsy shop, any interest out there??? In addition to this, I made a couple sets of Baby Blocks for a customer, aka, very dear friend. I am waiting for a new set of noisemakers to be delivered so I can finish them, maybe I'll post some pics later. 

Now on to the next. . . . Kris and I have, in the backs of our minds, wanted to make Alex's baby food at home. I realize that Gerber is fairly inexpensive but there is something that makes you feel good when you sit down to feed the Bambino and say "look what Mommy made for you, nom nom nom." When we first introduced solids to Alex, we just bought Gerber, we were just testing the waters so we thought we would leave the prep work to the fine folks at Gerber, we figured they knew what they were doing. But we saved all the containers because we knew that maybe possibly someday we would make our own food. Little did I know how easy it was going to be. I guess in my world, I thought it was going to be far more difficult. With all those cookbooks out there for baby food I was convinced there were going to be all kinds of ingredients and was going to cost far more than just buying the premade stuff off the shelves. But little did I know it only took making the food as if you were going to eat it yourself and then an oh so awesome puree button on the fancy wedding blender and voila, baby food! This weekend, I began to stock the freezer with lots of wholesome, home prepared baby foods. Green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash to be exact. Hope he likes it, Mommy worked hard!

Mental note: If making own baby food to save money, not all foods make sense. Butternut Squash for example was crazy expensive and it only made 5 3oz containers of food for $4.89. 4 3oz containers of Gerber Squash costs a mere $2.08. I wonder if Acorn squash is any cheaper????

Having a baby changes everything. EVERYTHING.

Before having a baby, you are literally the center of your own little world. Everything you do, every decision that you make has an affect on you, or if your married, "taken" or what not, it has an affect on you together. But then everything changes, dramatically, when you have a baby. Suddenly, you are not alone in your little world anymore and the center of it has shifted in a beautiful way. Now, everything you do, every decision made is done with your baby in the forefront of your mind. Having a baby changes everything. EVERYTHING.

When you become a mom, you don't "just" become a mom, at least I didn't, it took time. The transition from just woman and man to mommy and daddy isn't smooth for everyone. For some, it happens naturally, instantly, and I'll admit, I will be eternally jealous of those people, but for most it's scary ( Blog post: Somebody please tell me I can do this ) boring ( Blog post: The oh so cute newborn blob ) depressing, expensive ( Blog post: So why can't the dog babysit again? ) and all around complicated. I think a lot of women, myself included, have a preconceived notion of what motherhood is going to be like. The perfect baby who never cries, sleeps through the night, always takes a nap when you want them to, they eat the perfect dinner, they breastfeed (this one is personal.) They are well behaved, always listen, can entertain themselves but still enjoy the company of their mother, so on and so forth. But the reality of it is far far different that the perfect baby world we have created in our heads. In my case, this delusional image of motherhood,  (mixed with crazy psycho crazy hormones), well lack thereof, left me feeling sad, desperate, helpless, confused, maybe a little resentful and a whole lot of embarrassment of feeling the way I felt to top it off.

Now, I was never diagnosed with Postpartum Depression so I can't claim to know what those who have are going through. But with a lot of how I was feeling, I wouldn't be surprised if I had a touch of it. I must say that developing PPD was a major fear of mine and I imagine that PPD would be devastating for a new mom. With being a new mom, there is a huge emotional weight on your shoulders when you aren't embracing in your new-found mommyhood.You feel isolated and as for myself, I was struggling with the lack of feelings I had for my son in the first weeks of his life. I was mad at myself for not being the happy go-lucky new mommy I always thought I would be. I found my mind constantly going in the direction of my son doesn't deserve to have a mother like me, he needs better, so much better. But with time, and the realization that I was new at this and it was going to take time, I suddenly was released from my emotional prison to the beautiful world of parenting that I had been blessed with but too blind to see. Now, I will shout it from the mountain tops, "I LOVE BEING MOMMY!"

Having a baby changes everything. Outside of the obvious lifestyle changes that come along with a baby, the main changes happen emotionally. My way of thinking will never be the same. Once I got over the hurdle of   new mommy-hood and the feelings of "OMG what have I done!?" my mind became abundantly clear, it's not about me. I stopped wallowing in my own self pity and everything became about the beautiful little blonde haired blue eyed boy who smiles at me every time I look at him.  You want to feel sorry for yourself, fine, but do it on your own time (good luck finding your own time mommy), your baby's time, is your time!

I've always heard that being a mom is the hardest job you'll ever have. Let's face it, it's complicated. And new moms all moms need a little help and support. If you need help, ASK FOR IT! There is no shame in not knowing what you are doing, I sure as hell as don't. I'm seriously taking mommy-hood one day at a time and learning as I go. Talk to your own mother, your sister, your grandma, your best friend. I have found the e-community to be absolutely wonderful with questions I've had regarding Alex. I can't tell you all how many times my fellow moggers (mommy+blogger=mogger, cute, right?) have made my heart smile. There is a wonderful world of support in the world of Mommy Blogging, take advantage of it, you never know, they may just need your help too.

What was becoming a new mom like for you? I'd really like to read what you have to say. Comments are truly encouraged :)

Thanks!

A very special thank you to

Jamie @4loveofcupcakes Loving Life , Mama G @growingupgeeky Growing Up Geeky , Nancy @withlovechrancy The Chrancy Family , Mrs Viciere @MrsViciere, BLatta @blatta_in_al, Sarah @hellonurse182 Nurse Loves Farmer

Though Twitter and my blog, you have helped me when I've needed a little help with Alex. You are all great and I am grateful I have developed this new great e-family. :)

There are so many more I want to thank but I think I might need to write a whole separate blog, you are all just fabulous!

Five Question Friday ~ September 23, 2011

Oh SO GLAD it's Friday, but still struggling with why casual Friday doesn't mean I can wear my oh so comfy yoga pants to work????????? But here it is, five question Friday because you all know you just love reading useless tidbits about yours truly. :)

1. Dream job...realistic and completely unrealistic.

Who has time to dream??? I think as I age my dream job changes, right now my dream job is to be at SAHM primarily (I would get paid for this of course) but my side job would definitely be sewing, I would love to make a business out of my love for sewing. I am SERIOUSLY considering opening an Etsy shop to sell my bags, quilts, and my new favorites, baby toys :)

2. Do you fart in front of your significant other?

I don't fart. I'm a princess, lol ;)

3. What's the furthest you've ever traveled from home? How far and where was it?

If I were to answer this off the top of my head I would definitely say The Bahamas, but I think I think that because I had to cross ocean to get there but if we're going by mileage (air miles, not driving miles) My mission trip to Espanola, New Mexico is the furthest at 1302.94 Miles from my hometown. Our trip to Brownsville, Texas is a close second at 1285.89 Miles and then it's the Bahamas at 1059.37 Miles, again these are air miles. 

4. How do you celebrate birthday for your kids? Family only or friends? ... Alternate for those without kiddos: How did you celebrate birthdays as a kid?

Well, my kid is appraoching 6 months old so we haven't celebrated a birthday yet but I would imagine something big and totally awesome is going to happen for Bambino come April 2012! Growing up I always shared my birthday's with my sister. Ali and I are 3 years and 1 day apart so most of our birthdays were joint birthdays. When I was in middle school, I had slumber parties with my friends from school, and always a collection of pumpkins to carve because my birthday it 3 days before Halloween. 

5. Fave thing about fall?

Check out those leaves!

EVERYTHING! I love the fall, it seriously is the best time of year! I love the temperatures, I love the colors of the leaves as they change. I love that I get to pull my sweaters out of hiding and snuggle under blankets on the front porch and watch the leaves slowly fall around me. I was born in the fall, I got engaged in the fall, and I got married in the fall, the county fair is in the fall. Fall is the best time of year to go hiking in the Hocking Hills.  I share my fall birthday with my lots of family, Pop, cousins, my sister, my cousin. . . . bottom line,  I LOVE fall!

My time has grown wings

6 Months. That's how much time moves in the blink of an eye. At least in the blink of MY eye. 6 months ago, I was exactly 38 weeks pregnant with what seemed like no end in sight. Little progression according to my doctor and the pain in my back, feet, and hips were telling me it was going to be a looooonnnnggggg 2 weeks until the little Bambino decided to say "hello" to this world. I couldn't wait for the pain to go away but even more I couldn't wait to meet Alexander James. Now my Bambino is almost 6 months old and growing bigger by the second!

Alex is thriving! He's been a great eater since the beginning (formula fed, boy rejected the boob from the get go) he's getting taller and gaining weight like a champ! He's accomplished so many milestones in 6 months. The big one, he was born, he's holds up his head, he's rolling over, semi-sitting up on his own, he's eating solids and sucking on watermelon like nobody's business. He gets up on his knees and has graduated from dragging his face across the floor to rocking back and forth on hands and knees, I swear he'll be crawling next week! He's trying so hard to hold his own bottle when he eats but usually ends up flipping the nipple out of his mouth and squirting formula up his nose and in his eyes. So much has happened in the past 6 months, I can only imagine what the next 6 months hold in store!

6 months. As much as I have enjoyed watching Alex grow and thrive, he can stop now. I command him to stay my baby forever. For whatever reason, hitting that 6 month old mark scares the H-E-double hockey sticks out of me! It forces reality to kick in and forces me to accept that once 6 months old comes, he's officially closer to a toddler than a newborn. He will only be my snuggle bubby for just a short while. Whilst I totally get that it's important for him to grow and reach all his dreams, blah blah blah,  but right now as long as he's too young to understand this, I need to be selfish and stubborn, I need to throw myself on the floor and kick my feet and demand that he stay my little Bambino forever, FOREVER!

Ok, so that was a tad bit overkill, but here recently it's really come to my attention just how quickly he's growing up. He's already outgrown his carrier car-seat and is in a "big boy" car-seat (still rear-facing), he sleeps on his belly at night, by choice. He is wearing 6-9 month clothes and has been since 4 1/2 months. . I already miss how tiny he used to be, how he used to fall asleep on me all the time and lay on Kris's chest and not thrash around like he does now because he wants to move on his own. I miss all the "little" memories but I do know that Alex growing up is inevitable and no matter how much I want it, he will never stop so all there is for me to do is make new memories to miss later. I love watching how Kris falls in love with him more and more everyday and how happy this baby makes us. I love my little family. 

Time seriously flies when you are having fun. Take a look at Alexander James over the last 6 months :)

Wordless Wednesday : 6 Seconds of Expression

A Few Minutes in the World of Alex ~ Photo Montage

Mommy made me blocks to play with, so much fun!

I only like socks when they are not on my feet, I promise to pull them off and always shove them in my mouth. :) 

Whew, playing is hard work!

Night time, mommy has me all cleaned and in my jammies :) 

Make Yourself Monday

"What did YOU Make Yourself this past week?"

This past week, I've regained a bit of my sewing bug :) I made a few wristlets but I don't have any pictures of that, yet. I did however make a couple Baby Blocks for Alex to play with. Then on my sick day, because apparently no matter what  I can't even make myself relax, I made a new tote bag to carry around all the Bambino's stuff. What can I make next????

5 Question Friday ~ September 16, 2011

1. If you had a weekly newspaper column, what would you name it?


Hmmm, surprise surprise . . . "Happy Heart" It could be composed of readers responses in regard to what in the previous week made their hearts happy :) 


Mine? My son's smiles. 



2. What is your wake up beverage of choice?
Constant Comment Green Tea (Hot) Gives me that caffeine fix and it tastes yummy :) I've never been much of a coffee drinker, however I do treat myself every Friday morning to a Mickey D's Caramel Frappe, mmmmmmm mmmmmmmm goodness!


3. Who is your mentor/inspiration?

Oh, I've never been a fan of this question. I have so many things/people in my life that give me inspiration, how do I choose just one to tell you about? I have been blessed in my life to be surrounded by lots of family and friends and they all inspire me in different ways. They are my smorgesboard(sp?) of inspiration! 

4. Would you wear your mom's clothes?

Sometimes I do wear my mom's clothes, she's a stylish lady :) 

5. When you were a kid, did you put posters on your wall? If so, what were they of?

Nope, no posters. Mom didn't like us to have posters on the walls (can't say that I blame her) But I did cover the back of my door and the walls of my closet. To be honest, I can't remember what they were of, just that they were there. My guess is they were probably posters of JTT and Leonardo DiCaprio, oh and probably Devon Sawa too, loved him!

Oh come on, you know you 

were into them too!

Wordless Wednesday : Giggles

9-09 ~ 9-11 Weekend Recap

Quick uneventful weekend Recap:

Friday: 

• Work (of course)
• Hit my mom up for some babysitting so Kris could cut the grass and I could get a coat of paint on the front door. 
• Picked up Alex from mom's, and then sat up with him until he FINALLY went to sleep after 1am!

Coat #1 on my faux door, don't we look
patriotic? Red white and blue tape.

Saturday:

• Went to Lowe's first thing in the morning (ran out of paint)
• Got the final coat of paint on the faux door and the 2nd coat on the front door while Kris was on Daddy duty
• Worked a wedding 4-12midnight, giving Kris his first solo "Daddy and Me" night

Sunday:

• Slept in, yep, ALL of us slept in. Alex didn't get up until 9am so Kris and I were able to have a nice breakfast together.
• Great visit with an old friend who came over for Chili and the Bengals/Brown game
• Went to my mom and dad's so Alex could visit with family.
• Alex got to see his Grandma and Pop, Gma and Gpop (his great grandparents, my grandparents) and Aunt Ali and Uncle "Nay Nay" (Nathan). Ali and Nathan are also his Godparents
• Aunt Ali kept blowing in Alex's face causing him to go all "bug eyes" on us. There is a (really bad quality) video below, just watch his eyes, he's so cute :)
• Alex did great Sunday night, after his bath, he played  a little with his toys and then after his bottle fell asleep and slept all the way until I had to get him up so I could leave for work at 6:30. I hate waking him up like that but somebody's gotta bring home the bacon! He was really cute too, he's started sleeping with his but straight up in the air.

Visiting with Family, my little "stud muffin"

Afternoon nap on the living room floor. Butt, straight up in the air.

Remembering 9/11

This is one of those days where when you are asked where you were when it happened, you will always remember. I for one, was in Mrs. Theiss's Marketing class my senior year at LHS. We hadn't been in the class long, in fact I think the period had just begun because before all of us had even sat down I remember another teacher coming into the room with a solemn look on her face saying "you need to turn on the T.V." What we saw next will forever be burned into our brains. Never will we forget, never. The same instance the T.V overhead was turned on, was the same instance AA Flight 175 hit the South Tower. We watched it happen, live and before anybody could even comprehend what was going on we were all struggling with the idea that this must be some sort of joke, that what we just witnessed couldn't possibly of happened. What a horrible accident. Accident. Yeah right, we were so naive but it didn't take long for the world to figure out this was intentional. It happened because somebody wanted it to. Horrible. Terrible. Tragic. Uncomprehendable. Like most of the country, the world even maybe, we spent the next week, some longer, glued to the media, the TV, papers, internet. It was a week before school was even somewhat back to normal. Most of the classes consisted of talking about the attacks if not watching the media coverage. 


Still, every year, Kris and I seem to be watching the same documentaries, I think we feel like it's the only way we can honor those who lost their lives that day, those who suffer from the outcome of the events that took place. Every year on September 11th, we relive that day, over and over again. As we watch those images replay, it still feels like it just happened. I can't believe it's been 10 years but instead of looking at those as 10 years of pain, look at those as 10 years of growth. Think about how strong the tragic events of the day made us. A day that many thought would question their faith, has made it deeper. Our belief in our country is unbelievable and our hearts are bigger. An image I want to remember is after 9/11, looking down the street and seeing every house, building, business proudly showing their belief in our country by displaying the American Flag. To me, they screamed "God Bless the USA!" from the mountain tops. 


In July 2002, I went (along with 50+ other youth) to New York on a youth mission trip. 9 months after the day that rattled the country, the coolness and emptiness was still there. We went to visit the site where the World Trade Center towers once stood tall above the NYC skyline and were overwhelmed by the mixed emotions. I have a picture, filed away somewhere, of 2 youth standing behind the gates that surround the deep hole left at the site. They are holding eachother, with their heads bowed and eyes closed tight with so much emotion in their faces. Neither knew somebody directly that lost their lives or were injured there 9 months before, but they still mourned the loss of every one of them. The loss of their own innocence, they grew up that day and saw images of ugliness, tragedy, fear, and hope that they were struggling with understanding. I remember walking up and down the wall outside of a nearby church and looking at all the pieces of clothing, pictures, letters, stuffed animals and flowers that loved ones of the lost had posted, some in memory, some in hopes that somehow, by the grace of God their loved ones may still be alive somewhere. It was heartbreaking to witness. I believe now, that I was supposed to see those things, they have given me something that I will always cherish. They gave me a view of the pain that I couldn't see from my home in Ohio, they showed me the day through the eyes of those that were there, those that were suffering. It taught me the power of prayer, the power of faith and the power of hope. 


So, today, on the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, remember those who lost their lives that day. Remember the families who lost their loved ones, think about all those who were affected by that day. Remember who we were, and who we've become. Continue to grow your faith and cherish your loved ones and this amazing country we live in. Stand tall, stand proud and stand free.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. 

                                                      Where there is hatred, let me sow love, 

Where there is injury, pardon 

Where there is doubt, faith, 

Where there is despair, hope, 

Where there is darkness, light, 

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, 

not so much to be understood as to understand, 

not so much to be loved, as to love; 

for it is in giving that we receive, 

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, 

it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.

Where we you the day the towers fell?

Mommy's Lil Song Bird

Alex has found, or is in the process of finding his voice. Kris and I call it singing and he does it ALL the time. He wakes up singing, goes to be singing. All week long, he sang all the way to the sitter's house, and then sang all the way home when I picked him up. I think he was singing to the boy in the backseat, AKA his own reflection in the mirror. He is starting to discover different tones and sounds, some are so loud the dog howls and some we have trouble determining whether or not they are cries or just excitement. No matter what they are, I swear I could listen to him all day, all night. When he's tired and fighting sleep, he hums and squeals as he's thrashing his head around trying desperately to NOT fall asleep. Every day he's learning or figuring out something new. What will tomorrow bring?

This is a video from a few weeks ago when the "singing" first started, you should hear the little guy now!