Chase's 20th Month

Merry CHRISTmas! As I celebrate Chase’s second Christmas, I reflect on this time two years ago when I was 5 months pregnant with him and couldn’t wait for him to arrive in the world. It’s so hard to believe how much time has flown and how much God has blessed my family. Indeed, every good gift is from above!

Chase is still all about PB & J sandwiches. He knows exactly where the peanut butter is in the pantry and where the jelly is in the fridge. I’m having a hard time getting him to eat a good variety of food, so he’s on vitamins to ensure he’s getting proper nutrition. In spite of the vitamins, we’ve all still had colds, sinus infections, and viruses this past month…makes me appreciate the times when we do have good health and that we don’t have any serious illnesses.

Christmas lights have been up since Thanksgiving weekend, and Chase has enjoyed plugging and unplugging the lights over and over again. Knock on wood; he’s never tried to insert any foreign objects into receptacles. He’s enjoyed pressing all of the buttons on my Christmas snowmen and houses (they all sing and light up) hundreds of times. He dances whenever he hears music. Tim and I call it the “old man dance” because all he does is bend his knees and bounce without any rhythm.

Chase is starting to use more words, such as “tub, tub, tub” for bath-time and “gaw-gaw” for cracker. He also says “ow” sometimes when he falls down even though he’s not really hurt. His most often spoken words lately are “hot” and “cold.” I’ve emphasized that the oven/stove is hot and for him not to get near it when mommy is cooking. He’s also learned that it is too cold to play outside. Fortunately, we’ve found things to keep him occupied indoors, such as bringing his little mini-ATV inside of the house (good thing it doesn’t leave dents in the walls from all of the times Chase has ran into them). On our short visits outdoors this month, he’s enjoyed stomping in the snow.

Another highlight from the month of December has been dog-sitting my sister’s chocolate lab “Sadie.” Chase loves Sadie since she is much more youthful and playful than Dexter. Sadie follows Chase around the house and even stays in the bathroom while Chase is taking a bath. Chase thinks it’s hilarious when she pokes her nose through the shower curtain while he’s taking a bath.

Last but not least for Chase’s 20^th month of life, he got to see Santa Claus at Bass Pro Shops. He didn’t cry or get scared, but he wasn’t overly thrilled about seeing Santa either. He had to sit on my lap with me sitting on Santa’s lap for us to get a picture. Maybe he’ll warm up to Santa next year! Ultimately, Tim and I look forward to teaching him the true reason for the season when he’s old enough to understand….JESUS! May the birth of Jesus, and moreover, the incredible sacrifice HE made for us on the cross be magnified in all of our hearts throughout this Christmas season!

So much to be Thankful for...

Riding on my Cool 4-Wheeler

Still Dressed up after Church

Posing with Daddy in front of our Maple Tree


Loving the Pretty Leaves

A Close-Up


"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. " Psalm 106:1

I'm so thankful for my 19 month old toddler as well as all of the other blessings God has given me! We enjoyed the vibrant colors of Fall and cooler weather this past month. Chase and I took many walks and watched the colorful leaves dance around in the breeze.

Some of Chase's highlights from this month (some have already been mentioned on Facebook):

-Being overprotective of me and showing a jealous side whenever Tim shows me affectio

-Developing more of a vocabulary

-Giving hugs and saying "awww" as he puts his head on me and cuddles

-Rough playing with his cousin Bella one minute and then loving on her the next

-Playing on our neighbors' swing-set and in their sandbox

-Riding around on his battery operated 4-Wheeler that Grammie and Papa gave to him on Halloween

-Laughing whenever he passes gas around Mommy and Daddy (probably because he's used to seeing us laugh whenever he does it)

We're very excited to begin Chase's second holiday season. It's hard to believe that he just started crawling this time last year! We can't wait to share memories and pictures from Thanksgiving and Christmas. Warm wishes to anyone who still keeps up with my blog (as I know Facebook has taken over nowadays)...May God bless you during the 2010 holiday season!

18 Months

"Tiger Woods," "Lady Bug Momma," & Chase in his spider PJs

Chase and Bella taking a bath together after they got all sticky with lollipops on Halloween

Chase in his Halloween outfit




Trying to blow bubbles

Sitting on poor Dexter's head

Chase made it to the year and a half mark! He weighed in at just 24 pounds and an ounce at his 18-month check-up, which only puts him at the 30th percentile for weight; however, he’s at the 85th percentile for height. He’s long and lean like his daddy! He just now graduated to size 4 diapers. Of course he being such a busy body and not wanting to eat much lately has added to his lack of weight gain this past month. He’s also been battling sore gums with all four of his incisors breaking the surface. Ironically, he still loves to brush his teeth…probably because chewing on his toothbrush makes his gums feel better. He’s also been super clingy to his pacifier and blanket lately…I’m not looking forward to breaking him of the pacifier habit!

Outside of the discomfort of teething, we had a little bit of a scare on October 24th: Tim worked that morning and I took Chase to church knowing he was a little on the fussy side because of teething….little did I know that he was battling more than just teething. By the time I picked him up from the church nursery, he was very lethargic. I put him down for a nap as soon as we got home from church and heard him moaning and groaning in his sleep. I went in to check on him and noticed he was burning up…checked his temperature and it was over 100. I didn’t worry just then, but I kept checking his temp periodically and it was only increasing. By the time it spiked at 104, Tim was home from work and we rushed him to an urgent care facility. It turns out he had the parvovirus, which is also nicknamed the “slap-cheek” virus because it results in a rash that develops on the cheeks a few days after the fever breaks. Praise the Lord with the help of the doctors, some Motrin and Tylenol, we were able to get Chase’s fever down and confirm that it was nothing serious.

Overall, it’s been quite an eventful month for our family as we welcomed in Fall. Amber had the first baby girl on the Breeden side of the family in over 30 years: Jaycee Claire Turner born on October 11th. My best friend in CA just found out she is having a baby boy this month. We wrapped up the month by spending Halloween with my family. We had a blast taking the kids trick or treating…even the adults dressed up this year. I was a lady bug and Tim was Tiger Woods. Chase was a cute, blue, fuzzy monster…kind of looked like a cross between the Cooke Monster and a Teletubby. Just look at the pictures…they speak louder than words!

A Recap of our OBX Trip and Chase at 17 Months Old

Chase in the pool with his awesome daddy

Chase playing in the sand

Chase with Mommy's big sunglasses on

Chase playing on the piano....little Mozart

Chase riding in a dump trunk ride at Chuck-E-Cheese's

This past month has been an exciting one as we vacationed down in Nags Head, NC for a week with my family. The days leading up to our vacation were filled with anticipation as we longed for a break from our normal routines and couldn’t wait to stick our toes in the sand and ocean. Tim, Chase, Dexter, and I left for Nags Head, NC on September 18th and made our first stop down in Oregon Inlet since we had time to kill before our cottage would be ready for us. The surf was rough and the water was a little bit cool on that first day, but it was still pure exhilaration for us to know that our vacation had finally begun.

One of the best moments of our vacation was when we first arrived at the Tradewinds North cottage at milepost nineteen. The cottage had three levels including eight bedrooms (most with adjoining bathrooms), flat screen televisions everywhere, a recreation room with a pool table, two hot tubs and a pool, and a huge kitchen and living room area on the top floor that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. Tim and I chose a bedroom on the second level that had a door leading to a balcony that also overlooked the ocean. We kept the glass sliding door in our bedroom cracked on most nights so we could hear the soothing sound of the waves crashing.

Once everyone else arrived at the cottage, the fun began. The guys played dozens of games of pool while the girls lounged around chatting. Bella and Chase put lots of miles on their little feet exploring the cottage. We spent many days at the beach getting all sandy followed by a dunk in the pool or hot tub. We even snuck in a day to go to the NC Aquarium in Manteo. As the days went by, the surf calmed down and the temperature got warmer. Surprisingly, Chase did not divert from his typical sleep schedule throughout the entire vacation, which unfortunately had me getting up at the crack of dawn every morning. However, the plus side to getting up around 6 or 6:30 in the morning is that it allowed me to watch sunrises and take Chase for peaceful strolls on the beach. Laurie was in the same predicament I was in with having to get up with Bella every morning. Chase and Bella both had horrible colds during our vacation, which was definitely a bummer. Chase started to feel better as the week progressed, but he still battled a runny nose and was extremely clingy to me. He said “momma” (finally after all of the months we’ve been hearing “dada”) several times during our vacation. He also learned to say “bye-bye” while waving this month. He’s been waving for quite some time, but we couldn’t get him to say “bye-bye” and wave at the same time until recently. In contrast to his limited vocabulary, Chase’s diet during our trip included quite a variety: bananas, green beans, hot dogs, raisin bread, applesauce, squash, peanut butter crackers, Cheerios, etc.

Speaking of eating, I was disappointed we didn’t have our typical seafood buffet indulgence while we were down in OBX. It was easier (and cheaper) to fix meals at the cottage rather than drag the kids (especially two sick babies) out to a restaurant. I was also saddened that I didn’t have more time out in the sun since most of my beach trips were brief with having a 17-month old with a short attention span battling a cold. I guess a part of me is still selfish and trying to get the hang of parenthood; I was somehow disillusioned when I envisioned coming back from my vacation with a golden tan and completely relaxed. The bottom line is that when you’re a mother, you really don’t ever get a complete vacation when you have to watch after a little one all day. Bless my mother’s heart; she helped out a lot with watching Chase while we were at the cottage so that I could still sneak in an hour of napping in the sun in my beach chair or reading my Parents or Lady’s Home Journal magazines at poolside. Nonetheless, life isn’t quite the same as it was when Tim and I were “Chase-less” and we could spend a full day basking in the sun and staying up late not having to worry about waking up at six in the morning while on vacation.


My family left the cottage on Friday to head back to Hampton Roads, so Tim, Chase, Dexter, and I spent the last night in the cottage by ourselves. It was a nice way to wind down the week. Tim and I had one last night to look at the full moon and sparkling water beneath as we sat on the third floor balcony after Chase went to bed. We headed back home on Saturday, September 25th. We stopped at a Hardees’ drive-thru on the way home for lunch. I was turning around in my seat to give Chase French fries when I somehow pulled a muscle in my neck. I spent the first night back home in my own bed with a sore neck that hurt every time I rolled over in bed. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot to mention that the motorized cooler is temporarily out of order and at home in the garage about to undergo a serious overhaul after the chain broke on it and the motor mount got warped when Chase and I were riding it down in OBX. (Tim was not happy about that.)

All of this may sound like I’m complaining, but the inevitable truth is that I’m head over heels in love with being a mother to Chase and I still wouldn’t trade it for any other lifestyle. I’ll gladly wipe my son’s snotty nose at six in the morning while I’m down at the beach. I’ll also cheerfully rub in self tanning lotion to fake the deep tan that I didn’t really get on my vacation. I’ll pull a muscle in my neck to keep my son fed and happy while we’re stuck in traffic on the way home. Last but not least, I’ll even break a ridiculously expensive motorized cooler if it means a few minutes of me getting to ride on it with Chase beaming. Life on a sandbar isn’t always as blissful as I expect it to be, but I’m just thankful I had the opportunity to go on a vacation with the people I love the most and end the Summer of 2010 with happy memories. I look forward to sharing how Chase will grow in the next month as we venture into autumn. Until then, Tim and I have one last day of vacation (we took Monday off from work too) while Chase will be at my grandmother’s house all day…it’s always good to have a vacation from a vacation!

16 Months

Mommy getting in some motorized cooler time with Chase

He's going to break hearts with those blue eyes when he gets older.

Fiddling with the cord of the vacuum cleaner

Helping Mommy vacuum

Our little guy is 16 months old! Last month, I posted that he had just started walking. This month, he’s RUNNING! He LOVES to be outside. Now that he has refined the art of walking, he’ll grab me by one of my fingers and walk me to the door to motion me to go outside. He’ll also put my flip flops on for me. He loves exploring the outdoors, and he has had lots of mosquito bites this past month to prove it (yes, I put the kid-safe bug spray on him and I’ve even tried the dryer sheet idea).

Aside from being outdoors, Chase likes to help me vacuum. He also likes the Swiffer mop. I like the idea of having a kid who actually likes to clean! When he’s not helping me clean, he’s usually playing with his toy cars and trucks. With all of the playing he does throughout the day, he wears himself out and is more than ready for bed by the time 7:00 rolls around. Oftentimes, he’s exhausted even before then. He sleeps from 7 PM to around 6:30 AM and usually takes a mid-day nap for an hour or two. In fact, he’s napping now, which is why I’m taking advantage of my free time to update the blog!

Unfortunately, Tim and I have only had the boat out once this month, but we had a blast when we went! Chase loves going for boat rides and sometimes the humming of the motors will even put him to sleep. This past time, we anchored the boat and he got to float around in his little whale float for a while. He thought it was hilarious when Tim and I would make big splashes with our hands in the water. The best part of the trip was walking with him on the beach with him holding on to my index finger the whole time. We have a family beach trip to Nags Head coming up next month and we’re all so excited. I can’t wait to capture new memories in my blog for next month.

15 Months

"Swinging is fun!"

"Pushing around my toy firetruck (check out my hair and lack of pants in this picture, ha, ha)"



"Trying to keep cool with the water hose"


"I love Dad's motorized cooler!"

"Dad taking me for a ride around the yard."

What is 24 pounds, not quite 3 feet tall, strawberry blond, and cute as a button although stubborn at times?....CHASE!

Chase hit the 15 month mark over a week ago and just had his 15 month check-up with the pediatrician this week. Praise God, all is healthy! He is FINALLY walking! Yay! The disclaimer to him walking is that he’s still very unbalanced and can only walk a dozen steps at most at one time. Nonetheless, I’m proud to see my son meet this milestone!

Eating has become more of a challenge over the past couple of months. When Chase first started eating table food, I could feed him just about anything. Unfortunately, he’s starting to get a little pickier with certain textures and colors (his cousin Kenden is the same way, only even pickier). However, chicken nuggets, applesauce, yogurt, French fries, goldfish crackers, fruit snacks, and peanut butter (Dr. Baust has given us the “ok” for peanut butter, egg whites, and other foods that some pediatricians forbid due to the potential for allergies) are always a go.

Chase’s favorite thing to do right now is go for a ride on Tim’s motorized cooler, which was Tim’s Father’s Day and birthday gift. I know how ridiculous and redneck the idea of a motorized cooler sounds, but it’s the #1 form of entertainment on Lane Crescent right now. Chase expects Tim to take him for a ride every afternoon. If Tim isn’t around to give him a ride, he’ll climb up on the cooler and pretend he’s riding it by shaking the handlebars and making motor sounds. He is quite animated and definitely has a strong personality…can’t wait to see what this next month will bring as he continues to evolve into toddlerhood!

14 Months

Chase will be 14 months old tomorrow! As you can see in the pictures, he loves putting miles on his walker. We're still anxiously waiting for him to take steps on his own, but he's not quite there yet. Not much has changed since the last posting, other than another tooth or two making an appearance through his swollen, sore gums. Aside from teething, he is happy on the go and loves climbing the stairs. If I turn my head just for a second, he is up the stairs (thank God for baby gates), and he can even go down them. He is so cautious about going up and down the stairs; his cautiousness may be one reason he hesitates to walk on his own. Another funny thing to note for this month is that he LOVES talking on the phone. He has accidentally speed dialed my parents and Tim's parents. Whenever the phone rings, he makes a bee line for it. I have to high-tail it to beat him to it. He'll put the phone up against his ear and say, "daddadadda." His vocabulary is still primarily the "daddadda" language. He's such a ham!

Dexter, Grandma, and Chase

Just had to upload these pictures of Chase and his two best friends, Dexter and Grandma Anderson. These pictures were taken over Memorial weekend when we traveled to visit family in Staunton, VA. Chase slept a good portion of the ride there and back, and did really well throughout the trip. By the way, Chase has another tooth in since my last posting; it's the bottom left first molar. I was suprised that a molar grew in before the rest of his incisors. Maybe he'll have more teeth through by the time I post again.

Chase at 13 Months

Enjoying being in the Captain's chair of the boat

The next few pictures are from Chase's one-year portraits

Playing in his first kiddie pool

We’re over the big one-year birthday bash for Chase and well into toddling now. Chase still isn’t walking independently, but he can walk very well with his walker and holding onto someone or something. I know it’s just a matter of time before he builds up the confidence to walk on his own. Dr. Baust (Chase’s pediatrician) was surprised he wasn’t walking yet, because his motor skills seem advanced otherwise, but we’re not wishing away his crawling days just yet. At his 12-month check-up, Chase’s measurements weren’t much different than they were from his 9-month visit. He’s about 21 pounds now and 31 inches long—long and lean, but healthy. He’s still a decent eater, but his appetite has been a little more persnickety due to fighting off colds. He got another cold since his birthday; so far, turning a year old has brought on more sickness, which I blame on more exposure to germs since he’s into EVERYTHING now. If I had a motto to my life it would be, “Chasing Chase,” which sounds ironic since he’s not even walking yet.

As I’m typing this, I hear fussing in the background. Chase is still cutting teeth (the story of his life) and has 6 through the gums (3 on top, 3 on bottom). He is extremely clingy to me today. I remember last October I had to work overtime, causing me to go into work early and leave late, so Tim was dropping off and picking up Chase from my grandmother’s house in the mornings and afternoons. Chase got so excited when Tim arrived to pick him up in the afternoons. I remember feeling so sad that I couldn’t be there to experience the smiles and excitement that came with every afternoon pick-up. When I was able to start working a normal shift again and I’d go with Tim to pick up Chase in the afternoons, Chase would crawl straight to Tim and completely ignore me, which left me feeling glum. However, now he is so clingy to me at times that I can hardly get anything done without him hanging on to my leg and fussing for me to pick him up and carry him around. I almost miss the days when he ignored me (not really).

Happy (belated) Mother’s Day to all of the other moms out there keeping up with my blog! “You have chosen to bless my family. Let it continue before you always. Lord, you have blessed my family, so it will always be blessed. 1 Chronicles 17:27.

11-12 Months

One Year Old!

I’m awestruck Chase will be a year old on Thursday! A part of me is sad that this first year went by so fast and that my baby is transitioning into a toddler. However, another part of me is excited to see my sweet little boy learning new things and meeting new milestones. I only wish I had more time to savor each moment as he grows. To say life has been busy is an understatement. These past few months have been slam full of things to do and it has taken every ounce of energy for me to keep up with my daily routine, yet alone extra tasks. Consequently, I had to combine the 11 and 12 month blog postings since I didn’t get around to posting an update last month.

Over the past two months, Chase’s appetite has taken off like a rocket. He’s eating a wide variety of table food, drinking juice, and showing little interest in formula nowadays. He has five teeth and more to pop through in the near future. Teething has been a dramatic experience for him even with Tylenol, teething tablets, and teething toys, but we’re all surviving.

Other than the discomfort of teething, Chase got his first really bad cold last week. I had to take him to the pediatrician for the first time outside of normal check-ups. Unfortunately, he wasn’t feeling all that well for his first birthday party yesterday (Sunday, April 18th), but the party was still a go. We had my family, Tim’s family, and our next-door neighbors over for a cookout. The theme of the party was “Elmo” and we had beautiful weather for batting at an Elmo piñata outdoors. Chase dove into his first birthday cake and said, “Num, num, num” (for “yum, yum, yum.”) It was too stinking cute, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my son! He’s got a smile (even when covered in chocolate) that could melt any heart.

Chase will have his 12 month check-up this Friday, so I’ll pass along his measurements afterwards. All I can say for now is that he’s getting heavy and his “high water” pants always make their way up his long legs. He’s still in size 3 diapers, but most of his clothes that fit him just right for now are size 18 months. Another thing growing….his hair….and, it’s very strawberry blonde (heavy on the red hues), which is funny because we never anticipated having a baby with such reddish hair…guess we can’t hide those Irish genes!

We’ve been chasing Chase all over the place, and he’s not even walking yet; but, he’s getting very close. He can walk with assistance and stand as long as he has something to hold onto for balance. Needless to say, we’ll have our hands full even more when he is walking. We’ll be in for lots of fun this summer as Chase loves being outdoors. We’ve already had the boat out twice this year and we look forward to going out on the water more.

Wow, there’s so much more I could say, but I think I’ve captured most of the highlights. I’m typing this as Chase is sleeping. On most nights, he sleeps from about 7 PM to 6 AM. I’m not too far behind him going to bed on most nights! With that said, until next time….good night!

10 Months

Hard to believe we are two months shy of Chase’s 1st birthday! Chase is such a busy little boy these days. Praise the Lord; other than a mild stomach virus that lasted for 24 hours, he’s still been very healthy. He weighed in at 20 lbs. at his last pediatrician appointment and he is already almost half of my height (2.5 feet). As you can see in the picture, he is almost as tall as his “big brother” Dexter.

Chase is going through somewhat of a clingy phase. He loves his Great Grandma Anderson since he spends the weekdays with her while “Mommy” and “Daddy” work. Of course, he loves us too and wants to be held very often, especially when he gets tired. He’s starting to cuddle with blankets, stuffed animals, and even Dexter. However, if he’s not tired and in a cuddly mood, he’s wide open and crawling all over the place to explore new territory. It’s tough for us to keep up with him at times.

Chase’s eating and sleeping habits haven’t changed much since last month. However, we are amazed at how much he’s grown and all of the new things he learns with each passing month. Can’t wait to share more adventures in the 11th month!

Teeth have Arrived!

I can't believe I forgot to mention in my last posting that Chase has teeth now! His front top left tooth was the first one to poke through the gums right around Christmas. Since then, he got his front bottom left tooth and the other top one. The right bottom tooth is just about through the gum too. So, Chase got a belated Christmas gift....."All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth...."

9 Months Old

I can definitely say that Chase’s 9 months outside of my womb went by a lot faster than the 9 months of my pregnancy with him.

What is Chase up to these days?
-pulling himself up into the standing position
-taking baby steps while holding onto something for balance (i.e. the couch: he can walk the whole length of the couch while holding on)
-crawling everywhere and putting lots of miles on those little hands and knees
-vocalizing his emotions more (i.e. he sometimes likes to scream as loud as he can just for the mere entertainment of hearing his voice, but other times, it’s obvious that he’s frustrated when he screams)….we’re hearing lots of “dada’s and momma’s” these days.
-still sleeping on the 7-5 schedule….only wish we could stretch it a few hours longer on the weekends so we wouldn’t have to get up so early when we don’t have to work, but all in all, we can’t complain with his sleeping habits.
-loving his time with Grandma Anderson….he lights up whenever we first bring him to Grandma’s house in the mornings before work
-rolling toys across the floor and chasing after them….sometimes he takes laps around the house doing this
-experimenting with finger foods such as Cheerios and puffs….most of the time, they end up on the floor at home
-still drinking lots of formula….makes me miss the breastfeeding days, because formula is not cheap!
-mimicking actions such as when Tim and I are chewing food
-riding in a new car-seat now; enjoying looking out the windows during car-rides to observe new sights

Chase goes for his 9 month check-up in early February in which case I’ll pass along his latest weight, height, and any other interesting news. Hope everyone is having a great 2010 so far!