Swim Date

It's Thursday, and it's hot...and apparently as soon as I get used to this 90 degree weather, it's supposed to drop back down to the 70's!  Make up your mind already weather system!  In the spirit of embracing the present (even if it's a scorching hot "gift"), we hit up the garden and the pool today! Little Guy and I had some quiet swim time together (he is getting so brave with the water!) and even got to relax on our loungers for a little afternoon snack ;)  My herb garden FINALLY got planted (we'll see how it does in my converted antique baby tub!) and then my bestie brought over her little munchkins for an impromptu post nap swim date!  Daddy got home just in time to help us out, 4 kiddos and 2 mommies just didn't seem fair.  Heather and I are constantly saying how our kids are always so busy playing, we never take any pictures- well today we snapped a few and you can tell by the photos they are just too busy having fun together to be bothered with photos!

Emmeline loves babies, especially "her baby" (Jackson), and she is so sweet and gentle with Wesley!

The boys!  Wesley thinks Caden is hilarious and Caden loves to make the little boys laugh!

Best Little Buds!

A few our my favorite things...

It's Wednesday and it's hot...really, it's only 90 degrees and I need to toughen up for the summer months ahead.  We hit up some outside chores today, including our porch and herb garden (both need to be finished tomorrow), and because Little Guy loves it so much, we also got out the vacuum.  I am hoping his utter love for this cleaning machine will translate to his room when he's bigger (hey, a mom can dream can't she?!?)

His FAVORITE "toy"

Apparently I can't get enough of Davis (I secretly would love to live there!); we hit up the Wednesday night farmer's market with our friends from playgroup and we ran into the Girimontes.  We haven't seen Baby Iris in a while (or the rest of the G clan for that matter) and she is just too precious.  I can't believe Little Guy was ever that tiny, how can I already be forgetting that itty-bitty newborn stage?!?  

Little Guy was trying his best to be gentle, it's hard when you're just a baby yourself.

There were four boys and one girl from playgroup at the market.  All four boys were in rompers (again, it was HOT today!) and Little Guy was twinsies with one of the twins Ryan.  

What's cuter than one darling babe?  Two darling babes in matching dino rompers!

It was too late to share this picture last night, but here is what was waiting for me in bed (and I wouldn't have it ANY other way!)

Sleep tight sweet angel!

No car, No problem

The Armada was getting pretty today so we were without wheels ALL day!  Not to worry, we hitched a ride with Noah and his mommy to playgroup and we crossed MANY projects off our to-do list.  Playgroup is such a kick these days, because, a) our kiddos are actually starting to PLAY! and b) it is too much fun to watch all the babies growing up week by week.  Just last week babies that weren't even sitting up a month ago are CRAWLING everywhere!  I love seeing Little Guy interact with his buddies, maybe some of them will be in our graduation pictures 18 years from now (too sad to think about that already!).  Anywho, we have to put the gate up now because we have SO many crawling curious boys and they all stand around it, plotting for a way to "break out!"  We weren't quick enough to get a shot with all the boys, but here's Little Guy with his buddy Noah

Back home we worked on new drapes, MANY thank you notes, a backyard picnic table, dishes, laundry and closet organization....phew, we got a lot done, and hopefully we can wrap it all up tomorrow!  With all that work, we managed to squeeze in some impromtu karoke (Little Guy just can't get enough of my crooning, I need to take adavantage of this while I can!), but I couldn't convince Little Guy to take a break from the action for a nap...Mommy's hoping that we have another great day tomorrow, WITH a nap included!

Orange You Glad

The Armada is getting a little face lift tomorrow, so we hopped over to Davis to drop her off tonight...and why go all the way to Davis and not get dinner, right?  We went to Burgers and Brews (yum!) and even Little Guy got in on the action- well, he ate an orange slice, which is more than he usually eats (nothing!), even if it wasn't a burger.

If there's one thing that melts my heart (really there's more like 1,456 things), it's baby shoes.  Little Guy sported his furry crocs today (just like Daddy) and I am pretty sure there's NOTHING more precious (at least not today!).  

This is Little Guy's FAVORITE thing to do these days...drive!  He wiggles his way up to the driver seat whenever he can.  He has no interest in riding in his car seat (bore!), but don't worry, his meany Mommy ALWAYS! straps him in.

Diapers and Dips

Little Guy competed in his first ever Diaper Derby today.  We met up with Noah and Jackson first thing this morning for what was sure to be a fun time! 

After a brief delay (the fire alarm was pulled!), we were off to a great start with the baby girls 6-11 months.  Next up were the boys and there were so many of them that they had to break us into two heats...yes people take diaper derbying that seriously that we had to do heats...Anyways, Mr. Noah took second place in the first heat (YAY!) and Little Guy was up next.  Little Guy is habitually a SUPER fast crawler, never sitting still when I want/need him to (evidence now by all the photos I have of the back of his head!).

Once he started moving, he went every directon but straight- left, right, and BACKWARDS!  Needless to say, we had a great time and he eventually DID cross the finish line, 2 minutes and 56 seconds after he started.  Mr. Jackson was up next and he broke out of the gates with something to prove.  He was THIS CLOSE to crossing the finish line (Mommy was waving yogurt bites for him!) when he decided to take a rest.  A walker came zooming by to claim first prize, but Jackson took 2nd, which was pretty impressive since there were a lot of little boys walking in his group!  We're so proud of our speedy friends :)
Three minutes of diaper derbying will take it out of you.  Daddy got home from a long day at work just in time to take a dip in the pool with Little Guy before he zonked out for a LATE afternoon nap, and I was the lucky lady who got to hit up some Memorial Day outlet sales while they slept.

If this isn't the most precious sight to come home to, I am not sure what is!  Poor Little Guy is cutting some serious teeth (two top and one bottom), so he's been uncomfy lately.  This means more soft snuggles, but they're no fun when your baby's so sad!  What a day buddy bear, you are a champ!

It's a Fiesta!

Today was the 55th annual Fiesta Days parade in Vacaville.  We have lived here for almost four years, and we have NEVER been to any Fiesta Day events.  Noah's daddy scored us some great seats early this morning and we enjoyed over two hours of the parade (we didn't even see half of it!) before we headed to the Santopadres for a tri tip BBQ lunch!

Daddy was working all day so he missed out on Heather's AMAZING cooking!  Little Guy loves going over there, each time he has more fun than the last.  He loves Emmeline and Jackson, but Caden really entertains him and it's precious to see all our kiddos playing together.  We hit up the actual fair later in the afternoon (I had the obligatory fair corn dog, DELISH!) after Daddy got home!  What a fun way to spend a Saturday!

My Little Fish

Little Guy continues to excel in his swim lessons.  Miss Chris says we're close to doing a little SOLO floating time...I am sure Little Guy will be ready for this A LOT sooner than Mommy will be!  In the meantime, we continue to love Friday swim time and extra practice at home.

A Walk on the Wild Side

We went for a little lunch stroll with some friends from play group.  Little Guy always has a blast playing with his friends, and when you play hard, you sleep hard.  He's really starting to love sleeping in his Ergo (Mommy loves this snuggle time!); it's much preferred over his stroller.

Auntie Katie and Uncle Mark came up for some play time this afternoon.  Mr. Ty-Ty just got home from four weeks of boot summer camp (complete with swim sessions that he HATED!) and he was well behaved enough to hang inside with Little Guy.  Check out the size differential between Little Guy and Tyson's head.

We rounded out our day with a birthday dinner for Uncle Luke, complete with friends, family, and delicious cake!

"Hey Now, I am a Rock Star"

Little Guy was a rock star today-  He played patiently along side me while I vacuumed and mopped, hung out quietly while we got the car smogged AND registered at DMW, dug through his books to find some new bedtime stories, and enjoyed a play date with his buddy Jackson and swim time with Daddy.  Daddy even started teaching Little Guy how to go DOWN the stairs (he's mastered going up, Lord help us!)  

It's pretty amazing what we can fit in to our schedule these days with Little Guy taking multiple 2+ hour naps!  I am not one to wake a sleeping baby, and truth be told, I usually spend one of his naps rocking him (yes, I know, that's how sleep crutches are developed, but I also know he's not going to be little enough to rock forever, so I am doing it now!).  If only everyone could have a two hour nap break in the day, I am pretty sure it'd be a game changer...

This smile makes chores a breeze!

What will we read tonight?

Sporting the shades with Daddy!

What's Up Doc?

Little Guy had his nine month check up today and he is doing great!  Dr. Walker told him his hair looks like spun threads of gold, we love him!  Weighing in at 19.41 pounds and 29.5 inches long, he is a happy healthy lean little boy.  This was a welcomed appointment, no shots or needles of any kind.  Since we are still recovering from our wedding weekend madness, Little Guy conked out after the doctor for a two hour nap!  The nap was great, but we did miss an hour a gymnastics.  After napping and gymnastics, we were back to the grind with chores and laundry (but we managed to squeeze in quality play time!).

Nine Months Old Today

Little Guy is NINE months old today!!  I can't believe we are three quarters of the way through his first year, how does time go by so fast!?!  I was just saying yesterday how it seems like Little Guy has been in our lives forever, but in reality he hasn't even been out of the womb as long as he was in the womb...crazy how pregnancy seems so long ago and so brief.  Here's a little recap of Mr. Nine Month Old:
You are still loving on "Good Night Gorilla", although Daddy is trying to introduce some new bedtime reading material.  Your favorite toy fluctuates between your push cart, blocks, or toy ambulance...really anything that you can push around or has wheels.  You head to bed at 7:00 and wake up at 6:00, bright and early!  Your smile is infectious, your kisses the sweetest, and your fake cough and cry crack us up everyday.  Here's to the last trimester of year one, we love you!

A walk on the wild side

Little Guy LOVES to cruise around, and now he's on the go with his walker.  Since being mobile, he has no time for sitting still and chilling', but he does still have time for kisses!

Car Seat Manuals

Well, I am still in love with my new car, but today I tried to install the car seat and my love was put to the test.  I am not sure if it just seemed like a tighter fit in the Jetta because it literally was a tighter fit, or if it really was.  None the less, I have decided that all car seat manuals should come with a few modifications that include stiff drinks and marriage counseling.  After an ENTIRE day working on it, it's in!

Room for EIGHT

If you have been cursed lucky enough to ride as a passenger in my awesomely fuel efficient Jetta, you know that leg room and overall comfort are luxuries we may be missing.  Well folks, not anymore!  You can now SAFELY drive in my new gas hog Nissan Armada, with no fear of going through the windshield at every routine stop sign.  I was already in love with the car (my girlfriend has one) before I got it, but so far it is living up to all my hopes and dreams that come with a car that seats EIGHT!

Isn't she a sight!?!

23,414,400 seconds

Little Guy has officially been outside the womb longer than he was in it!  Today marked 272 days since he was born, and he was inside for 271!  That means he's been in our lives for 6,504 hours or 390,240 minutes, or 23,414,400 seconds...is that all?!?  It seems like I've known this little man forever, and I can't imagine my life without him.  My how you've grown in 272 days!

August 18, 2011 12:57 AM

Weighing in at 9 pounds 9 ounces after 271 days growing inside Mommy!

Nine Months in the Making

Today I got to celebrate my first Mother's Day.  For the last nine months I have been able to experience love unlike any other, to know what it means to truly put someone else's needs before your own, and to know what it feels like to be willing to do ANYTHING to ensure your child will be safe and sound.  It's difficult to write about being a mom, any words I type seem to sell my emotions short, but it's too great a journey to not try.  I feel blessed everyday to be Little Guy's mommy and to know that I am capable and strong enough to raise a child in today's world.  I know I am lucky to have strong women around me, especially my mom, who continue to encourage and support me in parenthood.  I look forward to the accomplishments and the challenges as I navigate motherhood and to watching Little Guy grow into a strong, confident, kind, person.

Thanks Little Guy for making mommy hood such an awesomely rewarding experience, I love you.

Happy Mother's Day

For my first Mother's Day we went to the Bay Area Discovery Museum.  We started our day with a little breakfast picnic in the park, then headed west to Sausalito for fun and exploring.  Little Guy loved the tunnels, the climbing mountains, the wharf, and the art room.  We can't wait to go back again.

Who's this handsome dude?!?

Little Guy made a friend...

Little Guy and Daddy "steering" the fishing ship into the harbor...

This is My Country

Today we hit up the May Fair Pancake Breakfast and parade.  Breakfast was delicious and the parade was a blast.  Little Guy and Noah loved the horses, floats, and music...the loud sirens and cannon shots were not well received.  As far as first parades go, I think this was a hit!

Little Guy and I at the "This is My Country" themed May Fair Parade.

Even on a good day...

hey, even on a great day, s**t happens...our said great day included swim lessons, play group, shopping, swimming, and some naked playing time.  You can guess what happened during play time (and if you can't guess, here's a photo clue)

Notice the spots up top...that's what happens when your child crawls through the poop and spreads it around with his knee...

Aside from using my pet stain remover to clean baby poop off the carpet, our day was loaded with fun.  Little Guy rocked swim lessons and showed off his new skills with Daddy after work.  We went to play group (met three other August babies, two with birthdays on the 18th!) and Sam's club with Noah and his mommy.

Precious to see them sharing the cart

We were scheduled to have a family BBQ, but Auntie Katie had other plans and spent the day in the ER getting IV fluids, no fun!  She's home now resting and will hopefully be back to her normal sassy self soon (let's hope, we have a wedding next weekend!)  Doc said it's just a gross bug, a "perk" to saving lives for a living.  Get well soon Auntie Katie!

Catching Up

Too much fun is hard on the house cleaning...we needed today to regroup and show a little TLC to our house and diaper stash.  Unfortunately, Little Guy is also cutting a tooth and probably coming down with a cold, so he did not share my enthusiasm for cleaning.  Looking for a way to get a little something done, Little Guy took his first ride in the Ergo on my back and he LOVED it!  We started cleaning the garage (definitely not a one day project!) and got our diapers cleaned and sunned...who knew the pool fence would serve so many purposes?!?

 Let's hope this tooth breaks through soon and this runny nose is nothing more than a teething side effect...hey, a mommy can dream can't she?

Perfect Day for a Picnic

We headed out to the park today for a little picnic with some friends, new and old.  It was a perfect day for picnicking!  We're hoping to do weekly park play dates so we can explore new parks in our neighborhood and around town...let's hope we stick to it.

Noah and Little Guy enjoyed others' snacks...everything always tastes better when it's not yours :)

Heather is a park veteran and she turned us on to her little trick from the twins' swinging days.  Love Little Guy and Jackson swinging together...I am sure it will be too soon before they are too big to do this...but in the meantime, it is SO precious!

Days Like These

I just have to take a minute and say, "I love being a stay at home mommy".  It's days like these that I just want to freeze in time, to enjoy every minute of Little Guy and relish in the blessings of motherhood.  The weather is heating up and there's something about warm evening walks, lounging in the cool house, or splashing in the pool that makes me feel grounded and domestic.  Little Guy spent a lot of time sleeping today (I think it's a growth spurt), but in between naps, we fit in play group, swimming, and some pretty precious diaper-less playtime (no accidents to report, just a darling little bum crawling around!)

We rounded out our day with dinner outside- Little guy naked in his high chair, gnawing on an apple, while we enjoyed a fresh chicken salad...all was good around us and it reminded me once again how lucky we are and how special this family is.

Mommies by Day

I am so excited!  Heather and I have finally "launched" our much thought about crafting blog MommiesByDay! We have been talking about having a place to post any crafts, recipes, or fun ideas we come across and how they work when we try them out.  Well, now we have the place and we are excited to share the fun things we do when our babies are sleeping...we're mommies by day, crafting divas by nap!

Patio Seating

We started our day with a trip out to the ranch and a birthday breakfast for my father-in-law.  It was a delicious start to our family fun day that included A LOT of house work, some swimming, and a yummy outside dinner downtown.  Our patio seating inspired us to start planning our dinners for outside, which is one of my favorite things about summer!  Little Guy is starting to "couch surf" and is getting pretty confident with his climbing.  Daddy says he'll be walking by June 5th, I took the over (yet again) but I may lose this bet, we'll see.

"Oh What A Beautiful Morning,

Oh what a beautiful day. I've got a wonderful feeling, that everything is going my way"...I wanted to burst into song this morning when Little Guy yanked my hair to wake me up and it was 6:38 AM!!!  YES, we have finally busted out of our 5 AM wake-up rut!  Oh glory hallelujah!  So, with such a welcomed start to our Saturday, it's no surprise that our day just kept getting better.  We met up with our friends for the opening day of Vacaville Farmer's Market and the one year celebration of our local baby store Eco Chic Baby.  

Our wagoners! Noah and Little Guy loving life.

We were there an hour a tad early to score a swag bag and guess what? I was the first person in line to purchase something (no, there was not extra prize for being first, it was just fun!)  Fitted diapers and wool covers, I am determined to love you!  Because we love parties and we love rompers (I am a recent convert), we decided to dress our boys in matching rompers for the party, twinsies!

I am in love with Little Guy's new Livie and Luca shoes- the strap is a little snake with its tongue out!

We could only get one of the twins to match; Evan's already outgrown the romper he has!

We had to let the good times roll with a Cinco De Mayo dinner at the Santopadres- naturally Heather's dinner was AMAZING and for the first time the boys really seemed to play together and Little Guy didn't cry once with the loud noises!  We are so lucky to spend these fun spring days with such wonderful friends.  Fingers (and toes!) crossed that we're "sleeping in" again tomorrow!

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

makes a mommy very very tired!  Little Guy is continuing his 5:00 AM wake up call, and as of late, he is stretching out his bedtime...so he hasn't quite got the rhyme down yet.  I am hoping that after this next tooth comes in, he'll be back to his sleeping in self (who would have thought there would EVER be a day where 6:00 AM would be welcomed as sleeping in?!?).  Regardless of these early mornings, today we were ready to go to our first official Star Fish swim lesson at 8:15 AM sharp.  Little Guy got the hang of submersion right away, had his mouth closed under water, and came up ready to do it again.  I just can't get enough of the swimming baby cuteness!  We're looking forward to a fun weekend of farmer's markets, celebrations, and dessert nachos (happy Cinco de Mayo!)...and hopefully Daddy will be feeling better so he can join in the fun (sick husbands/daddies are no fun!).  Happy Weekend everyone!

Farmer's Market

I am not going to lie, today started out a little rough...which shouldn't be surprising when your day starts at 4:45 AM...Little Guy was in rare AWAKE form this morning, again, at 4:45 AM...but we rallied together after morning naps and had quite the productive day, him in the Ergo, me power-washing the backyard.  We roped Daddy into a Davis Farmer's Market trip (our first time!) and everyone had a blast.  

We met some friends from playgroup and enjoyed fresh fruit, live music, and plenty of grass to crawl around on (this was the first time Little Guy crawled on the grass).  As if this wasn't enough fun, Daddy was able to cross one off his bucket list: visiting the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame!

After such a fun day, who can blame a guy for snoozing on the way home.  Sweet Dreams Little Guy!

Berry Much

A special happy birthday to my mom.  
We love you "berry" much!