Monday, April 3, 2017

Reid Plays Hooky from School...

Recently, I stayed home from work to spend the day with Reid because he was sickly with a fever the day before. I thought I would spend the day lounging on the couch with a sick Reid, in between attempts to feed him and ensure that he drink his milk and water. However, as the day progressed, I realized that Reid may have faked me out ! Reid ate and drank to his heart's content as we took on a myriad of adventures on our day "off."  I think quality mommy/son time was exactly what we both needed! Here is a glimpse of our day:

Peek-a-boo with Finn. And repeat.
 
Publix + balloon + toddler Reid = happiness
 
What is even better than a Publix balloon? Blueberries and yogurt, of course!
 

Someone learned how to stick his tongue out...
 
 
Although he looks a little unsure here, BBL had a great time with his older cousins at the park. He especially enjoyed observing a rogue squirrel.
Hanging out at the park with a firm grasp on his snack!
 
 
Rogue squirrel patrol on the job.
 
Baby model strikes again!


Who is a bad influence on who? 
Reid lost his clothes while exploring how water works with the help of his water toy. In his defense, it was hot!


Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Reid Updates, Part II!

In addition to clear expansion in his vocabulary and play-acting (i.e. he will bring us a cookie from his kitchen upon demand), Reid has been growing physically and is becoming more and more independent every day. The minute we pick him up from daycare, he motions for his lunchbox, which he proudly carries as he walks down the hallway. Some days, he will hold on to his lunchbox for the entire trip home and will carry it around the house until dinner time. He also continues to love balls (throwing, kicking, carrying around) and gets a lot of joy out of seeing Finn run after balls in the backyard or in the living room. However, if Finn doesn't relinquish the ball as fast as Reid likes, Reid will wag his finger at him and tell him "da," which mean "drop." Usually, Finn abides and prevents a nuclear meltdown like only a toddler can have. Reid loves giving directions to adults, too. He frequently tells Andy and I where to sit, what to retrieve for him (blueberries! strawberries!), what to pick up, etc. He also loves going to playgrounds and climbing on anything he can find. Recently, we took him to Azalea Lane playground and he was really excited to see trains pass by, although he did get frightened when one train (Amtrak) was a little too loud and a little too close. He has a similar love/hate relationship with his little toy Thomas the Train remote control train, and he will rush to protect his other toys from the path of the train whenever we are playing with it. Oh, and of course he continues to love giving kisses (even to himself) and bubbles and playing in the water. Never a dull moment in the Layden household!









Reid updates!

Reid has been so much fun lately, and we have loved watching him explore the world. He recently began really enjoying play-acting with his toys, and he loves finding cats and smelling flowers on our frequent blue car walks around the neighborhood. While he hasn't started speaking in full sentences just yet, he has a few words that he uses quite often, such as "mama, dada, mo(more), go ? (where did something go), moon, moo (cow sound), bye or ba (bye)." I have also heard him mimic me with "hoorah" and "yay" and "woo," which is adorable. Besides mimicking, he has also been enjoying hide-and-seek, and he will hide behind the plant in the corner of our living room with delight as Dada and I ask an empty room (or Finn), "Where did Reid go?", and he will then pop out from behind the plant with glee. We love our little toddlerman!





Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Dance 'Til You Drop

Let's pretend I'm not writing this post in February. Instead, let me take you back to December and our holiday dance...
Playing with friends at the Chapmans!

We enjoyed a lot of family walks, bike rides, and breakfasts during Christmas break. Reid loved going to Shakers with Mom and Dad.

Playing with cousin Naveen during Ackley Christmas 2016.
Andrea cleared out a great space for the kids during the present exchange. Reid was especially interested in the window hardware.
Uncle Said and Aunt Eva's house has some wonderful views. One day, Reid may get to swim with his cousins during Ackley Christmas!
New tradition: Checking out the lights at Lake Eola followed by dinner afterwards (WWB).

Playing with Dylan in Palmer's "secret hiding place" on Christmas Eve.
Exploring a Christmas gift- a new kitchen!

Christmas M






Christmas morning!

We look silly, but we love each other !

We love Grandpa!



Opening presents with Apa!
Fun with cousin Gage during Layden Christmas 2016. The pirate ship was a big hit!
Learning how to play the piano...
Nee Nee knows the way to Reid's heart!








Fun during Layden Christmas 2016!

Baseball!


Monday, January 9, 2017

The Holiday Dance

Well, I suppose it is time to post about BBL's holiday fun. It seems like the past month has been a (welcome) whirlwind of revelry, and this mama is tired. Tired but grateful - so, so grateful. Once again, we had a wonderful holiday season, full of our favorite people and memories that we will cherish for years to come. Now, hang tight, this post is bound to be a long one...

We kicked off the holiday season with a trip to Millenia Mall to visit with Santa, which was prominently featured in a previous post. From that point forward, every week was filled with some variety of holiday fun.  One of our favorite events was Holiday on the Drive, an annual College Park event that shuts down Edgewater Drive and includes snow, Santa Clause, reindeer, live music, food trucks, etc. This year, we were able to enjoy Holiday on the Drive with the Millers and the Chapmans. While 2/3 of of the adults spent the majority of the time trying not to spill their wine while chasing after the toddlers (errr... I mean engaging in meaningful activities with said toddlers), we all had a great time - especially Reid. He loved the live music and was in awe of the (soap) snow falling from the sky. He was also sure to keep a diligent eye on his stuffed puppy during the entirety of the event, and he loved snacking on his parents' food (if there was any wine involved, we were sure to keep it to ourselves of course). Overall, Holiday on the Drive was a success, and we look forward to attending next year.



It turns out that Holiday on the Drive was the push we needed to decorate for Christmas.  The following day, we ventured to Home Depot to pick out a Christmas Tree.  Reid was in awe of all of the trees, but he was especially smitten with the singing and dancing stuffed animals that lined Home Depot's aisles. Maybe next year, sweet boy. Anyway, we returned home after buying a tree, and I promptly instructed Reid to put the tree up and start decorating the house. He refused, so the tree sat untouched until after Reid's bedtime.  When he woke up the next morning, we watched him immediately notice the tree, point at it, and promptly start ignoring it.  No surprise because we only put pine cones and lights on the tree, much to Reid's chagrin. See, ornaments look like balls and Reid loves to throw balls and throwing and breaking ornaments sounds like so much fun. Alas, Reid was satisfied (barely) with the tree, threw a pine cone or two, and promptly moved on. I like to believe he appreciated all of our decorations though.


In an effort to cram as much merriment into our weekend as possible, we attended the Winter Park Christmas Parade the following day (Saturday). Despite a slight hiccup (Reid forgot to put on shoes before he left the house) and the quick-ish purchase of some new kicks, we had a truly joyful time at the parade. We were able to say hi to some of our favorite people (Art, Olivia, Grandma, Jenn, Ellison, Dylan, Graham, etc.) and break bread with the Chapmans at one of mama's favorite places (my mama and Reid's mama a.k.a ME)- Power House Cafe. Reid is a big smoothie and hummus fan, and the Power House Cafe did not disappoint. Besides spending time with some of our favorites, the best moment of the Parade goes to Reid chasing after the Santa float. Clearly, he felt he had more things to say to Santa beyond what he came up with during his first Santa visit of the season...which leads me to another holiday event we participated in (after the jump)....



Brunch with Santa at Alfond Inn was chock full of cuteness - picture dozens of little kids dressed in their Christmas outfits, Christmas decor, delicious food, Christmas music, and an up close and personal encounter with the man himself. I believe Reid enjoyed seeing Santa, but I KNOW he loved the food and spending time with some of his cousins. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa for a great morning!





In an effort to keep my [1] reader[s] interested, I will put a lid on this post - you can read more about our holiday adventures in my next post! Ho Ho Ho.