Dec 30, 2015

shideler clan 2015

You would think bringing a bag of marshmallows to bribe your child during family photos would work, right? Not as well as I had hoped. Our first mistake was we should have waited until after he gave us some half-decent smiles before handing over the mallows. Second, the mini-mallows would have been the smarter choice in size. Those jumbo marshmallows are not the most photo-friendly bribing treat...
GAAAAH. LOVE THESE BOYS!
EVEN LINCOLN, WHEN HE THROWS A DISGUSTING FACE AT ME.

Dec 28, 2015

10 & 11 of Simon

10 month Simon. His attire this day was... I'm not sure.
 
 11 month Simon in his Christmas jammies.

 Checking himself out in the mirror.
I've managed to stay on top of Simon's monthly pictures... just not posting them. These past few months have been a complete whirlind of busy-ness. We had three separate trips in a two months span, plus throw in a Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday- It's been busy.

Simon has been SUCH a joy in our family. And I can really say that with honesty because this wasn't always the case. Like I mentioned in his 9 month update, I was really struggling with him. No need to bring up those nightmares difficulties, let's focus on how amazing Simon is now. :)

He is a completely content baby. Give him a few toys and he will sit there and play. Right now he's pulling himself up on the chairs and couches and will just push a train or tiny car across the seat cushion-- back and forth, back and forth. He has the biggest grin that makes his eyes squint entirely shut. He doesn't give those smiles out too frequently when we're in public and someone is trying to get him to smile-- Do that, and he will give you the ultimate stare-down. He prefers to do them mostly at home when only his mama and dada can see.

He is still COMPLETELY cuddly and is nicknamed cuddle bug (I used to call him a leech when it was not so endearing during the pre-9 month phase) and my heart swoons every time he lays his head on my chest. He's so content and happy being there.

Ryan and I had our first trip sans kids a week before Christmas. We returned home at night after he had been put to sleep so I had to wait until morning to give him my "I've-missed-you-so-much" hugs and kisses. I went in to get him out of his crib and he just smiled and laughed when he saw me. I brought him back to bed with me and, seriously, he just laid on me, not moving a muscle. Every few minutes or so, he would lift his head and look up at me---as if to make sure I was still there, and then laid his head back down. This went on for 20 minutes. TWENTY!! I loved it.

He's a decent eater, nothing in comparison to how Lincoln was, but still pretty good. He's sleeping a solid 13 hours at night and two naps during the day. He's learning to keep a tight grip on his toys after dealing with a thieving brother so many times and he's babbling away to make sure he's involved in all the conversations at home. Is he really turning 1 year next month?? say it ain't so.