A Trip to See the Turtles

Yesterday afternoon we had the chance to make a visit to Crowder Park which is about 10 minutes from our house. We started with a stop at the playground. This "jungle gym" was really great for Dominic as the "tots" section was an entire area that Dominic could really do all by himself with very minimal help from Mom or Dad. Most of the time, one of us has to really follow him closely when we go to the playground. But this one, was really designed perfectly for someone just his size. We are definitely going to have to make a habit out of coming back.

After he got some energy out from playing, Dominic hopped into the stroller for a quick walk around the lake. Once we got up to the bridge that crosses over the lake, we could see at least 15-20, if not more, turtles swimming right by the bridge. And of course, it was a perfect way to practice saying "Durdle." It was a great way to spend the afternoon and we can't wait to go back and see the turtles again soon!

Dominic's Shadow

I will work to try and get a photo to add to this, but in the meantime, I wanted to share one of Dominic's newest fascinations - his shadow. With the sun always blaring these days, Dominic often catches his shadow following him, or, depending on his direction will work to chase after it. Every time he does see it, he first bends down and touches it and says "Ominie" (his pronunciation of Dominic). It is just one of those little things that makes me melt as his proud Mommy and allows me to further appreciate how perceptive that little brain of his is!

Another new trick of Dominic's that I will be proud of myself for catching on film, if I can, is his habit of sitting on Max as if he were a couch whenever Max is lying down and chewing on a bone. Dominic really finds it quite funny. First off, he knows that he is testing Max by doing it, so he flashes a very proud and mischievous grin when he able to fully accomplish a sitting position. Then, he laughs hysterically when Max gets annoyed and jumps up, dumping Dominic onto the floor. Yesterday, Max must have tolerated this for a solid 2 minutes without getting up, the longest I've seen, but I knew if I stood up to go and get my camera the two of them would follow me and disrupt the pose...I'm thinking you're just going to have to take my word for it. As bad as I do feel for Max, I kind of think he likes the attention deep down and I have to admit that it is quite amusing to watch!

First Day at the Pool

In between thunderstorms yesterday, the sun came out and it was super hot. We decided to take Dominic for a quick dip in the pool before the next storm arrived. He kept claiming that the water was cold (see his pose in the second picture), even though it was like bathwater. Then once Daddy decided to take a seat in the shade of the umbrella, Dominic just HAD to get out of the water and go sit next to him like a big guy. Hopefully, there will be a lot less rain next weekend and we'll make it over to the big pool.

Got to be NC

We spent the afternoon and evening at the "Got to be NC" fair yesterday after Vinny finished up work. It was at the state fairgrounds and they had a little bit of everything there. Of course, Dominic's favorite part was getting to see all of the animals. We got to feed some baby goats and also saw camels, llamas, porcupines, ponies, a kangaroo and a calf. During a huge downpour, we went inside one of the buildings where Dominic got to ride on several tractors. Of course, there was also plenty of other "fair" type things like games, rides and food. We managed to have a great time walking around in between the rain drops!

Should we be worried?

Recently, Dominic has taken a liking to playing with my shoes in the closet while I am getting ready in the bathroom. Usually, he likes to match them up in pairs or line them up in one long row. Tonight, he decided to be brave and actually put the shoes on. He came traipsing out into the bedroom and put on a little fashion show for Vinny and I. Let's just hope that, ultimately, he decides to wear men's shoes! In the meantime, I couldn't resist capturing the moment.

Marbles!

We finally had the opportunity to take Dominic to the Marbles Children's Museum in downtown Raleigh last night. I don't think he stopped running from the time we stepped foot inside until we left. It was the perfect place for our busy little boy. Everything was just his size and he loved it! There was everything from big building blocks to the post office, the grocery store, the farm, both a train and a water table, a life size city bus and the list just goes on. You'll see some of his adventures below. We ended the night with a walking tour of the nearby area of downtown and some great pizza. Can't wait to go back!

Photo Shoot

Vinny did Dominic's 18 month photo shoot last week at a nearby park. As posed as these pictures look, they were about the only 3 seconds that Dominic was still during our entire time there. He knew how badly Mommy and Daddy wanted him to sit and smile for the camera that he thought it was a very fun game to run away from us laughing. Luckily, even with his lack of cooperation, as his biased Mother, I can definitely say that it's hard to get a bad shot of Dominic. He just always looks so adorable. Even if it is the back of his head as he runs away...

Fun in the Sun

We recently traded in one of Dominic's old toys to get this water table so that Dominic would have some more outside toys for the summer. Yesterday afternoon was the perfect day for it. He had a great time splashing around and playing with all of the different parts. Dominic is also a HUGE fan of train tables. There is one at Barnes and Nobles where we go for story time and also one in the doctor's office waiting room. It is very hard to tear him away from either. You'll see from the pictures that this table has a train along with a track that runs around the edge of it, an added bonus for our little conductor!

18 Month Stats

We went to the doctor earlier this week for Dominic's 18 month well visit. The Doctor is very happy with how Dominic is learning and is meeting all of his milestones just fine. He weighs 20lbs and is 31.5 inches tall. Dominic has 16 teeth, which means that he has all of his baby teeth until his 2 year molars come in later on. The doctor is a little bit concerned about Dominic's weight gain, so we're running some tests and trying to figure out if there's anything going on or if he's just just a little pipsqueak like he's always been. Luckily, knowing that he's a good eater and not picky at all and learning all the things he should be at this age, we're both pretty sure that it's the later.

Dominic at 18 months

I cannot believe that our little man is already a year and a half! Every day he is more and more like a little boy and feels so far from being a baby. Dominic is very independent and usually only wants "aaaalp" (Help) after several tries at something himself. In fact, he is quite resistant to holding Mommy's hand or even walking next to Mommy and likes to do his own thing. He is certainly a leader and not a follower. He's also very tough and pretty fearless - at times a little too much. Overall, he's a very happy little guy and quite affectionate too.

Dominic's talking has progressed a ton over the past 2-3 weeks or so. He is now saying so many words, that I can't get over it. Each day, he repeats and learns even more. At first, I was trying to keep a list and count how many, but I just couldn't keep up. He loves to make animals sounds (Moo, Baa, Meee, Neigh Neigh, Oooh ooh aaah aaah, quack). His pronunciation still needs a lot of work and B words are his best, but I'm able to understand about 90% of what he tries to tell me. I'm most proud of the fact that he can ask nicely for things by saying "pease". I do still usually have to remind him, but we've got to start somewhere, right?

Dominic absolutely loves to sing and dance. Finger play type songs are his favorite. He doesn't mind giving a few screams or shouts out of no where either - most often in the grocery store for some reason. Dominic is a real flirt and although he'll play shy at times, he just can't get enough attention. Recently, he also started saying "cheese" for the camera.

Dominic cannot get enough of cars, trucks, trains and buses. He loves making all of the noises that they do and will endlessly play with his toy ones, driving them all around the house. He points out most large vehicles on the road and is very excited when yellow school buses go by. And, I am a very lucky lady because I can never lose my car in a parking lot anymore, as Dominic picks our car out for me now and points me in the right direction every time we're out.


And what I find so fascinating is that at just 18 months, Dominic has a personality very similar to his Daddy's. He knows just what to do to tease a smile or a laugh out of Mommy. And just like his Daddy, sometimes, he takes it a little too far, but I'm not complaining. Now, I've got two great guys to remind me to relax, sit back and have a little fun!

Who Needs Tiger Anyway?

Dominic got his very first set of golf clubs today, along with his first lesson from Daddy. He was great at being his own caddy and wheeled his set out of the garage all by himself. Dominic was very patient while Daddy showed him what to do and was super excited when they hit the ball across the lawn. He's certainly got some practicing to do on his own, but it was definitely a great start!

Rocking out with Mr. Al

Dominic went on his very first school field trip today. We attended a Mr. Al concert at the Progress Energy Center in downtown Raleigh. Luckily, our group coordinator arrived very early making our class first in line and allowing us to sit in the front row. This gave us plenty of room to dance and play the whole time. Dominic was such a good boy playing with his friends and reading books while waiting patiently for the show to start. Then, once the music began he sang and danced along like a pro...what a fun morning!

Clifford the Big Red Dog

We took a trip to Barnes and Nobles tonight with Uncle Vinny, Aunt Maria and Vincent to meet Clifford the Big Red Dog. Dominic was very excited when he saw Clifford. I asked Dominic if he wanted Clifford to hold him and he reached his arms out and said "up" like he does when he wants me to pick him up. So, we got on line for our photo op. The whole time, I kept asking Dominic if Clifford could hold him and he kept repeating the same action and saying "up". I was a little leary after our recent experience with the Easter Bunny, but we gave it a shot anyway. As I suspected, once we finally got up close, Dominic was not too happy to be left alone by Clifford's side. Luckily, he was fine with Mommy staying in the picture and Aunt Maria quickly stepped in to capture it for us. What a fun night!

Determination!

Dominic has his own cabinet in the kitchen that has a lot of his books and a few toys. There must have been something stuck all the way in the back that he just couldn't get to without diving all the way in. Luckily, Vinny was right there with the camera to capture this precious moment.

Easter Week

We had a really fun Easter week. Aunt Catherine came to visit for the whole week and Uncle Bill, Aunt Linda, Billy, Matthew and Jacquelyn came for an extended weekend. It was so much fun to have everyone around. There were multiple trips to the playground, lots of hanging out, singing songs, of course tons of eating and just some good quality time to catch up! Thankfully, the weather was great too. Here are a few shots of the week. We hope they all come back real soon!

Matthew and Dominic at the park.

Vincent and Dominic being pulled by Matthew on the way to our community Easter egg hunt. The boys both got lots of treats and it was fun for the rest of us to help them get all the eggs.

Dominic all dressed and ready for Church. If only Cousin Billy would be done getting ready so we could leave!

Opening up one of the MANY Easter presents and baskets that Dominic got that day!

Dominic and Vincent playing soccer with Aunt Linda

All of the Cousins...What a good looking bunch!

Matthew and Dominic - buddies!

Intently reading a book with Aunt Catherine. Must be a good one!

Visit with the Easter Bunny

We took a trip to visit the Easter Bunny last week with Dominic's friend Alexandra. Dominic was not very excited to sit on the Bunny's lap. When I asked him if he wanted to, he emphatically shook his head no. Since at this age, sometimes, "no" does mean "yes", I tried putting Dominic on the Bunny's lap anyway. That was just a series of back arching and reaching for Mommy. Luckily, it was not very crowded that day and the Easter Bunny was nice enough to come over and stand next to Dominic while he was safely in his stroller. As you can see by Dominic's look in the first picture, he knows that it's not quite right that a large stuffed figure in roaming the mall!
Looks like we'll have to hope for better luck next year. Maybe once he realizes where all of his Easter treats come from, Dominic will be more enthusiastic about having a visit with the Easter Bunny.

Sunday Dinner

There is no question that pasta with red sauce is very near the top of the list when it comes to Dominic's favorite foods. Lately, I have also discovered that rigatoni is his favorite shape, as once I cut them up into little pieces, they form perfect little rings for Dominic to put on his finger before he eats them. Here is Dominic demonstrating his process and showing off for the camera a bit...