Naughty shelf

I was busy prepping dinner tonight while Little Guy was entertaining himself with his coloring books and crayons...well, we probably set the table for what happened next by not discouraging his coloring on his art table....I thought he would keep his masterpieces on his table, but he decided my sliding glass doors and his play structure needed some jazzing up.... When I discovered why I had been able to get so much done in the kitchen, I collected the crayons and talked to Little Guy about where we can and can't color... And the crayons are hanging out on the naughty shelf for a few days...

Exhausted

Oh What a Day!  Today started at 1:45 am when Little Guy woke up...we decided to let him have  a little bit of time to fall back asleep, since that is usually what happens when he wakes in the middle of the night.  Well after 10 minutes he was quiet, but still standing, so we let him have some more time...this lead to an hour, then both mommy and daddy in and out of sleep, and pretty soon we weren't sure what to do...if we went in to rock him, would he think he just needed to stand awake in his crib for hours, or if he left him to fall asleep, could he possibly make it to his 6:00 am wake up time without ever going back to sleep...well, at 5:15, he was still awake- yes, he had been standing, awake, in his crib since 1:45...how that child managed I am not sure since he barely lasts five minutes standing during the day.  Anyways, he fell fast asleep in my bed and slept in until 7:50, which isn't really sleeping in when you've been up for half the morning.  He was a cranky bear (surprise, surprise!) and we had to rush to get ready for make up swim lessons...well I was starving and craving Starbucks, so I decided we would try our luck at the drive thru...I poorly managed our time and then we got hit in the parking lot...grossness!  We weren't hurt, THANK GOODNESS!, but we missed swim lessons and it was just one more thing to deal with for the day.  I was pretty sure Little Guy had poop running down his leg at the park, but my luck was apparently changing, and it turned out to be just be mud...I am so looking forward to the take-out and large soda my dear hubby picked up...if it weren't for baby #2, tonight would be one for a tall glass of wine!

Happy Birthday Papa

Today is Little Guy's Papa's birthday...or as I prefer to call him, my dad.  We didn't get to celebrate with Papa today (he was pretty under the weather!), but we are going to have a yummy BBQ on Saturday!  Daddy is in charge of the meat; I can't wait for yummy food fun!  We love you Papa!

Retail Therapy

It's hard to get super excited about clothes shopping when you're pregnant...the maternity displays are not updated very frequently, and you know you won't be wearing the outfits for too long, so you don't want to spend an arm and a leg...enter spring shopping for Little Guy!  I know it's only the end of February, but I think Little Guy is in the most popular size around, so if I don't get a head start, all the cute stuff is gone come spring!  We had a blast back at Crazy 8 ( I had to talk Little Guy out of every hat they had in stock), and I can't wait to see him in his new plaid shorts and coordinating polos!  Yay for a little retail therapy to start off the last week in February!

Daddy's Boy

Little Guy is usually a self proclaimed mommy's boy (and I might love it...), but today he was determined that his daddy be the only one he cuddled with for nap times. I tried rocking, cuddling, milk...he only wanted DaDa. After about 2 minutes in the bean bag, he was out- I guess buying the oversized bean bag was a good idea after all. Now if I could only get Little Guy to be this into cuddling his dada, and not me, at 2 AM, I'd be set!

Party Time

Today we had two very special parties, one for Miss Iris turning "1" and one for my grandparents celebrating their 64th anniversary! We were so excited to be a part of both celebrations. Before we headed out for the day, we stopped to get Little Guy's spring family photo outfit...the outfit is TDF and while shopping he spotted a hat he had to have. The hat never left his head all day, he was in love! It was a long day of driving, but Little Guy managed to squeeze in a nap and Daddy even managed to meet us at Iris' party! It was precious seeing Little Guy play with Brayden and we always love to snap photos of great grandma and grandpa with their babes...hard to believe they'll be four grand babies at the 65th anniversary party!

Well Baby Check

We had Little Guy's 18 month well baby check today...not only is he healthy as a horse, but he only needed one shot and now he's good until he's FOUR!!  I some how have become the official shot parent and I am glad to have a break from that job!  Here's a photo of our post shot snuggle, sweet baby!

18 months

I can't believe Little Guy is officially a year and a half! How does that happen??? In ways I never thought possible, he makes us laugh more each day, smile more with every glance, and slow down just enough to marvel in the goodness of our life. Motherhood has forever changed me and left me wanting to make every day even more special than the last. Here's a little recap of what our guy has been up to:
1. He loves his trucks more than ever...
2. And his Legos, blocks, and balls- basically anything you can zoom, build, throw, or most importantly knock down!
3. In a desperate attempt to tame the three wild hairs he has, we're trying out gelled hair-dos...so far, gel is not the solution.
4. He's mastered saying "please" and can tug at just about any heart string for more food, stickers, playing...you name it and with a slurred "please" tacked on the end, we're putty in his hands.
5. We're still working on our animal sounds, but cow, horse, sheep, and dog are all mastered. Can you tell his daddy's a rancher?
6. He's finally almost ready to pack away his 12 month clothes...almost!!!
7.  He's made it back into the 50th percentile for his weight, coming in at around 24 pounds and 31 inches!
8.  I am embarrassed to say I can't say exactly how many teeth he has since he's not a fan of my getting anywhere near his mouth, but he's cutting his molars...that's another post in itself!
9.  Not to worry, his teeth aren't totally neglected as he LOVES to brush his teeth all day long!  He reminds me every night at bath time and will not stop chanting "teeth, teeth" until he's used at least 3 of his four toothbrushes!
10.  He loves counting 1,2...then he says "go" and has no interest in 3, 4, 5...we're working on this.  And his favorite post bath time activity is spelling his name with Daddy.  So far every letter is a "W", but he still lights up everytime he does it!

We love you Little Guy!  Happy year and a half birthday!

High Five Dada

I have been feeling the baby lightly kick for a few days, but nothing that Daddy could feel by touching my stomach.  This morning we were in for two treats...one, Little Guy slept until 6:45 so we got to "sleep in", and two, while we were laying in bed, Daddy felt the baby kick five or six times.  It was like he/she was high fiving Daddy.  Daddy was pretty jazzed and I was excited to finally get to share my favorite part of pregnancy with him.  I knew I should have been enjoying the last quiet 20 weeks; already since starting to move, he/she doesn't rest very often!

Workin' Weekend

We were spoiled again with Tim the Toolman's magic skills.  My dad came over to install shelves, hang some book baskets, and fix a few plugs.  I can't wait to get started on organizing our office!!  After a full day of work, we joined Grandma and Grandpa at the Buckhorn for Uncle Sam's birthday dinner.  I was certainly not objecting to a delicious steak dinner!!  Little Guy was very impressed by the taxidermy dressing the walls and quite excited when we ran into Lizzy Bug and her family!  I rounded out my weekend with a two hour phone date with my sister...we're getting all our talk time in before she gets a little preoccupied with Baby Mirch...it's crazy to think we just have a few more short weeks until we get to see her holding that sweet baby in her arms!!!

Wine tasting

Daddy had to work all day so we tagged along with the Schroeders to do a little wine tasting. Little Guy and I weren't much in the way of tasting partners, but we did have a lot of fun playing with Lizzy Bug and picnicking with everyone! Little Guy fell asleep on the way home and after a 2.5 hour nap, Daddy came home and we got to see the Schroders again for cupcakes! What a beautiful Saturday!

Dinner with a bestie

It was such a fun treat to get a dinner invite from heather this afternoon. We decided to indulge in the Olive Garden after the kiddos went to bed. We both forgot what kind of crowd you deal with when you go to dinner after 5:15.... Nonetheless we had the most delicious time chatting and just hanging out! It's such a blessing to have wonderful girlfriends!

Just kickin' It

I haven't wanted to be premature on saying what I was pretty sure was happening, but after last night and this morning, I can definitely say I feel the baby kicking! It makes me so excited to know the kicks will just get stronger and soon Daddy and Little Guy will feel them too! At 19 and a half weeks, we are just about half way to meeting our littlest bundle of joy yet!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy valentine's day! Little Guy and I were lucky enough to have a park playdate with some of our besties (complete with a homemade valentine's exchange!) before Daddy came home and we all had a yummy Mexican dinner together! I can't believe it's Little Guy's second valentine's day...he even wrote his own message in Daddy's card, just getting to be such a big boy!!!

Ultrasound

We had our midpoint ultrasound today! We brought Little Guy along so he could "see" his baby. He thought it was cool for about two minutes then he just wanted to lie with me on the table....preferably with his head on my stomach...which was covered in ultrasound gel. We bribed him along with goldfish and soon we were seeing the face (still kind of scary with the far set eyes), the profile, legs, feet, and arms. I made it VERY clear that we did not want to know the gender, so once the tech started looking in the stomach/bladder area, she turned the screen away. Daddy was convinced we were having a girl, but after seeing the alarmingly masculine arm our child has, he's putting all his chips on boy....it was a wonderful chance to see our littlest love and everything is moving along just as planned. By the time I go back for my next appointment, Auntie Katie should have a sweet little love to cuddle herself!!! What exciting times!

Dada....cracker

As Little Guy's mommy and daddy, we are impressed and thrilled with every new word he learns....there just seems to be a few hang ups. He very clearly calls for his Dada, but also refers to a cracker as Dada. He's also very excited to be a big brother and 95% of the time when he's asked where his baby is, he points directly at my stomach...the other 5% of the time he points directly at his penis, this is awkward. And while he loves to see babies and always alerts me with "baby, baby" when he hears a baby, he will also pull on his diaper and say "baby" when he needs to be changed. So yes, his vocabulary is blossoming, but we still have a little work to do.

Day 4

We started our fourth day at 8 AM and made a beeline to the World of Color Fast Pass line.  Apparently this is a hot ticket show and without the fast pass you don't stand a chance getting close enough to see it...After the fast passes we hit up Daddy's favorite ride, Soaring Over California. We hoped on the Little Mermaid ride next, and truth be told it was picked because there was no line and the ride never stops- it's constantly moving and you enter and exit via a conveyor belt.  There are chains in place for long lines, but I am not quite sure it would have been worth waiting for.  The Merry Go Round was a huge hit- funny how we have one two minutes from our house and when we're all the way down south that's the ride Little Guy picked out!  Daddy rode CA Screaming next, we stood back and watched him since I can't go pregnant and Little Guy has many more years until he's tall enough.  We hoped over to the rockets next with Jackson while Emme and Caden rode the mini roller coaster.  The rockets are stated to be okay for the young ones, but it made me really nervous going over water, pretty fast, with minimal safety restraints...After the rockets my college roommate and her family met up with us.  I haven't seen Lisa since she's been pregnant with her second daughter and it's been over six months since I have seen Aubrey so it was really nice to spend the day with them.

We couldn't miss the new Cars land- boy was it crowded.  Little Guy hasn't seen the Cars movies and he wasn't that interested (which was nice since you could barely walk through) so we headed over the Bug Land.  The kiddos loved running around and we rode the Caterpillar ride about 100 times...Monsters Inc. was another great find of a ride with no line and indoors so we stayed nice and warm.  We haven't seen Monsters Inc. but after going on the ride I think we need to rent it. We hit up the outdoor play area complete with nets, slides, zip lines, and rocks to climb all over.  Little Guy loved having a chance to burn some energy and these pregnant mamas took a chance to sit and relax.  While we played, Daddy headed out with the Santopadres to ride Cars.  They had a special pass so they got to by pass the over 3 hour wait and were in and out in about 30 minutes.  Daddy said it was really fun but he's not sure he would have enjoyed it as much if he had waited for 3 hours.  After a quick bite to eat, we headed back to the hotel for a nap to get ready for more fun and World of Color.

After naps we hit up Autopia but Little Guy was too short.  He was pretty bummed since everybody else was riding it, but we found other things to play with and he was okay...next time he should make it, he was just shy by littlest mark!  After Autopia we headed to Main Street to watch the whole parade with no rain modifications.  We had front row seats and the kiddos all loved waiting and eating popcorn.  Little Guy's reaction to the parade was classic, he was excited and shocked every time something came by!  After the parade we headed over to CA Adventures to play around and get ready for World of Color.

World of Color asks you to get there an hour early so we did...then you sit and wait so you don't lose your spot...we almost lost Noah once, and we had to make a few trips to replenish our snacks since the kiddos were getting restless, but we made it to the show.  It was a great compilation of all the classics and the new Disney movies, but it was a little long and ran late so we ended up with sleeping babies in our laps.  I bought Little Guy a wearable blanket since I knew it would be cold, but it ended up too big and made for quite the funny pictures.  It was freezing that night, so as soon as the show was over we hugged the Walles and headed home.  It was our last night in the park and the latest we lasted so everything worked out perfectly!  I can't believe our first trip to Mickey's House is over...with only the drive home to look forward to tomorrow, I can't wait to plan our next trip with Little Guy and his baby brother or sister!

Day Three

We started our day with the most amazing character breakfast!  It was money well spent to see Little Guy's awe struck face every time a new character walked in the door!  We had Chip and Dale, Tigger, Pooh, Captain Hook, Minnie, Tigger, Goofy, and others all stop by our table.  Little Guy left with a balloon (that was a real highlight!) and a few bottles of chocolate milk- another one of the treats Disneyland had to offer!  Right after breakfast it started to rain, just as promised...we thought we were prepared for the southern California rain, but it ended up being a freezing cold down pour!  We hid out in Toon Town only to find our strollers flooded when we finally emerged from the rides!  We trekked over to Pirates and decided that between the rain and meltdowns of the last two days, we would head back to the hotel for nap time.  It proved to be a good idea, Little Guy was out for 2 plus hours and ready to go when he woke up.  We tried for the parade, but the chance of showers had it canceled so we headed to CA Adventures and checked out Turtle Talk with Crush.  Our little guys were a little too young, so we just hung out in the animation theatre- they had a blast chasing the lights on the floor!  We caught the Pixar Parade for the second time and then had a bit of a dining disaster over at Soaring.  It all worked out in the end and we hitched a ride on Monsters Inc.  We haven't seen the movie, but after riding the ride, I think I need to see it, it was a really cute ride.  We were lucky enough to catch the crazy Mad Hatter Dance Party ( think ravers mixed with Disney kiddos, too funny!) and grab some Coldstone ice cream before watching the fireworks from our hotel sidewalk.  Phew, it was a cold, exhausting, SUPER FUN day, and we were in bed at 9:30, talk about your party animals!

Meeting Tigger!  He was the only one Little Guy would touch!

Scary...Hook!

Catching the Pixar Parade...it was freezing!

Photo Op with Mickey!

Buddies after the breakfast!

Waiting for the parade...it got rained out, but the boys had fun together!

Day Two

We met up with our besties the Santopadres for our second day of fun!  We all had matching shirts (Heather and I LOVE any reason to wear matching clothes!) and let me just say, they were darling!  We used our magic morning passes and hit up Peter Pan and Dumbo before the the park officially opened.  We then spent time exploring rides I had never been on like the story train and Winnie the Pooh- the Santopadres have Disneyland down to a science and they knew exactly where to go and what to do!  We had a delicious sandwich lunch and tried our luck at nap time again on Pirates.  It didn't happen this time, so we headed over to CA Adventures and did some more exploring, including the Little Mermaid ride and the merry-go-round!  Little Guy held on as best he could, but without a nap, he started melting down before dinner.  Daddy got to ride Tower of Terror with Uncle Chris, J, and Cory before we all headed over to the ESPN Zone for dinner.  We met our other besties, the Medinas, and the ESPN Zone gave us our own room (they must have known we had EXTRA cranky babies!) complete with TVs and plenty of room for the kiddos to run around!  It was the best dinner we could have hoped for considering four of the five kids hadn't napped and one had just gotten done with an eight hour car ride!  We decided then and there that naps were a necessity for tomorrow if we were going to try to make the Soundsational Parade and Fireworks!  We made it to bed early, wanting to get a good night's sleep before our character breakfast tomorrow!

Loving the jungle cruise!

Matching Family Shirts!

Meeting Minnie!

Our whole gang- thanks Auntie Heather for making our shirts!

Day One

Today was our first day in the happiest place on Earth, and it didn't disappoint!!! Little Guy was in awe from the moment we set foot on Main Street. Fellow ride-goers kept remarking how great it was to see him so excited- little did they know he gets pretty jazzed about everything, but it still brought a smile to everyone's face as he would clap and bounce in anticipation when we were next in line!  He loved seeing the characters from afar, but as soon as it was our chance to give them high fives, he was DONE ;) It was a beautiful day, Daddy was in shorts and Little Guy wore his first of many Mickey shirts! Here are some highlights from day one along with TDF pictures:

Our day started off with a 1 AM departure time and Little Guy made sure to get his point across...he was not a fan of the early time and let us know with an hour of screaming...once he was back to sleep it was smooth sailing and we arrived in Anaheim around 8:30.  A quick breakfast at IHOP which included Little Guy's first taste of juice  (the first of many "new" treats in Disneyland!) and we were off... our first character was Goofy, and I was bound and determined to get the photo, even if Little Guy wasn't.  We rode the Space Orbit rockets (puke!), Buzz Light Year (FUN!), and Tune Town before getting Little Guy some personalized Mickey ears ( I couldn't talk Daddy into any!).  The next ride was a highlight...the merry-go-round!  After back to back rides we hit up Pinocchio, the Jungle Cruise, and Daddy did Indiana Jones.  We managed to squeeze in lunch (TDF corn dogs!), but no naps.  Just as we were thinking Little Guy might make it without a nap, he fell victim to a meltdown and ended up asleep on Pirates of the Caribbean.  We headed over to CA Adventures with our sleeping baby, Daddy rode Soaring Over California (his FAVORITE ride!) and then we all hit up Toy Story Mania.  Daddy claims I only won because Little Guy was helping him, but I'd like to think it's my stellar aim.  We decided to grab a quick bite in the park, got lucky and had front row seats to the Pixar Parade and were home in bed by 7!  It was an amazing day, one we will never forget even if Little Guy may not remember it!  Blame the pregnancy hormones, or just being a sappy mom, but it made me tear up laying in bed that night realizing how big our baby is getting and how truly blessed we are to be sharing such a fun adventure together!

Hat, sunglasses, snacks, check!  All ready!

 

First character spotting...when did I get so pregnant?!?

Little Guy loves dogs, but this one is a little TOO big!

His favorite ride!

Cuteness!

Playing on the tree house while Daddy rides Indiana Jones

Little Guy's Halloween inspiration!

Happy birthday!

Happy happy birthday to my dear friend Alyssa!! We share a love for our Armadas, August babies, and July 7th due dates!!!! I can't wait to celebrate her big day tomorrow when they join us at the happiest place on Earth!!!!

All packed up!

We are all packed up and ready for our 1 AM departure!  Little Guy is on the mend and ready to go meet Mickey!  Mommy and Daddy can't wait to see his little face light up when he sees all the magic!  T-minus 5 hours and we'll be on the road!  M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!!!!

I heart Amoxicillin

So Little Guy is clearly not better and it is just our luck that Daddy and I are both now sick too!  We spent the day, which started promptly at 2:15 AM when Little Guy announced he as "All Done" sleeping, consoling a very sad and weepy baby.  We scratched our trip to Truckee, both feeling like crud and not really sure what the deal was with the babes.  As the day wore on and Little Guy refused to sleep anywhere but on my shoulder, I decided to call the doctor.  We have friends with pneumonia and double ear infections, so I started to think maybe it wasn't just a cold plaguing my sweet boy.  Naturally, our local hospital isn't open for appointments on the weekends and the next closest hospital was all booked.  We waited to see if they could fit us in, and bless Dr. Martin's heart, he stayed late and waited for us to rush three towns over!  He listened to his chest, took one look in both ears and declared a double ear infection!  No wonder Little Guy wouldn't sleep laying down or stay sleeping for more than a few hours.  We started the magical pink medicine right  away and it was like our baby was back to new!  A good 12 hour night's sleep for EVERYONE in our house and Little Guy is feeling like a champ.  Daddy on the other hand is NOT fairing as well and will be resting up before our big trip on Tuesday! 

Getting Older

Today Little Guy and I hit up the park for a some vitamin D and fresh air.  There were two little girls there and they took an immediate liking to Little Guy.  It was cute at first...then it got depressing.  These cute little girls were full of sass and naughtiness.  They were quick to talk back and had no interest in listening to their babysitters or grandmas.  I watched them playing with my sweet guy and thought, "Oh Lord PLEASE don't tell me this is what I am in for as he gets bigger!!!"  While I sat there wishing for Little Guy to not get one day older, five year old Samantha started describing her grandma to her new friend...it went something like this:

Samantha- "See me grandma, she's the really old lady over there.  With short hair"

Friend- "Oh..."

Samantha- "Hers has gray hair and lots of wrinkles..."

So not only do they get sassier and talk back, they describe you in such a pleasant and self-esteem boosting manner...I can't wait for Little Guy to grow up, NOT!