13 Months

Bryson's now 13 months old. That seems strange to type. When I was in college, I remember people at church saying 'oh, he's 15 months old' and I'd think why don't they just say he's a 1 year old? It all makes sense to me now!

Not too much has changed this past month, but here's some of the highlights:

Shoes: size 5

Clothing: 12-18 months

Interests: Elmo, cars/trucks/trains, books, opening and closing doors

Words: dada, a form of 'I did it!' and 'all done'

Bryson had his second ear surgery this past week. His old tubes were removed, and new tubes were placed that are supposed to last longer. He also had his adenoids removed. He seems to be doing quite well. It appears that he can hear more- we will have his hearing re-checked by an audiologist in October. I'm praying that this new set of tubes will reduce the infections and we'll have a healthy winter.

Fall Cleaning

I never really get into the spring cleaning craze. I'm so ready to get outside and work in the flowerbeds, that I'd rather put it off until the fall!

I've been struggling with how to organize and keep track of Bryson's toys. They started taking over the downstairs. We toyed with the idea of using the game/media room for its true purpose, but we didn't have a couch for Brandon and I to hang out on.

Our neighborhood garage sale was this past weekend, and our neighbor decided to sell us her NICE, white couch for $75!! So, that kicked my playroom idea into high gear. We spent all afternoon Sunday installing these shelves in the game room closet- total cost: $112 from Lowes.

Floor/1st shelf: Bryson's toys and puzzles

2nd shelf: sensory tubs (rice, beans and noodles), Lincoln logs and speech therapy toys/manipulative's

3rd shelf: my scrapbooking stuff

top wooden shelf: speech therapy games, printing papers, folders and assorted scrapbooking stuff.

I love the way this all came together. Bryson only have a few toys left downstairs now, and we spend more time up here at as family now that we have a couch to hang out on......And, what would a post be without a Bryson photo? He seems to be enjoying the game room now too!

Great Garage Sale Weekend!

I had some amazing finds this weekend out garage sale-ing. I found this tool bench, with all the parts and batteries included for $20 at this AMAZING garage sale on Friday morning. I ended up spending $44 there- half on this workbench and the rest on 13 items of clothing (all for $1 each), 2 wooden games and a bag of musical toys. My parents neighborhood had their annual garage sale, so my neighbor Amanda and I went late Friday night to just scope it out and see who was setting up. I got these bristle blocks for $4......

and this Schwinn tricycle for $18!! I googled it when I got home, and it retails for $120! Bryson already loves it- he just figured out how to ring the bell this evening :) I can't wait for him to be able to ride it around.

I'm going to keep the trike and the workbench in the attic and pull them back out around Christmas....... This next weekend is our neighborhood's annual garage sale, so we'll see what other goodies I find!!

12 Months- better late than never

I realized that I never posted Bryson's 12 month photos! It was very difficult to get him to sit still in his rocking chair- thank goodness my friend Lauri took some professional photos for us!

Milestones:
*Bryson's now walking!
*Completely off the bottle, taking whole milk and water through a sippy cup.
*He moved up to the next room at school! Now, he only has one nap a day.
*He eats whatever we eat- and we rarely find a food he doesn't like.
*Bryson weights 27 lbs, and is 30 1/4 inches tall. (90th %iles)
*He's a HUGE thumb sucker- speech therapy, here we come! :)
*He really enjoys playing with other kiddos- we caught Bryson and our neighbor, Lauren, playing peek-a-boo the other night with each other.

Did I even mention.....

that I'm starting my own private practice? You should check out our website! It's www.tulsaspeech.com

Also, if you're ever curious about speech milestones- check out the 'milestones' tab on the website. It lists what sounds your child should produce correctly by what age, as well as expressive and receptive language milestones.

And- if you live in South Tulsa/Jenks/Sapulpa/Glennpool and need speech therapy- check us out!! :)

First Birthday Party!

Bryson's first birthday party couldn't have gone any better- it was a perfect evening! We had his party at my parents neighborhood pool. I ordered our cake from Target- I decided not to attempt to make it myself. They even made a smash cake to match the large cake!!

By now, you should be able to tell that Bryson LOVES to eat- and he was not shy about diving into his cake!!

I can't believe that my little boy is turning one! He is becoming more steady and swift in his walking. He is also turning into quite the social butterfly. He was happy to see his friends at the party, and even helped Brandon open some of his presents.

Toys and Visitors

August is flying by. Between back to school, starting a private practice and planning Bryson's 1st birthday party, we've been quite busy. At the very end of July, we hit the motherload at Target. Twice a year, Target puts about 1/2 of their toy department on sale! Luckily, I was in 'the know' and got there early! Here's what I got- 75% off:

I love working with pediatrics- it gives me an excuse to purchase all these new games, and this sale is a great way to stock up for birthday gifts. Total, I spent $66.22 for everything!

Then, Grandy and Papa came to visit. It was wonderful having them in town and Bryson really enjoyed seeing them. Here's a few photos from our time together:

They spoiled us, taking us to all of our favorite places to eat :) That's what grandparents are for!