October to December

G's first birthday party was a blast! James and I completely forgot the camera, so I'll have to get some photos from my mom, but it was awesome! G's godparents, James and I spent hours cutting out all the decorations, and my dad sacrificed unburned fingertips to hotglue the water bottle labels on. G's godparents were amazing: they organized the whole thing, from invitations to getting balloons, to the cake and the adorable little cards that identified the food. The theme came together wonderfully, and I think the room at the church ended up looking great! The original plan had been to have the party at our house, but all our stuff was in boxes, so that idea was scrapped. Another friend loaned us a high chair since we didn't have one, and G had a BLAST squishing and smashing his cake! Godfather got it for him; that particular cake from that bakery is a tradition in his family, and we felt honoured to be included in that tradition.

We left the next day and spent 4 days driving to Alabama. Four days of 10+ hours in the car with a one year old aren't fun, trust me. Seven states, lots of fussing, hunger strikes, complete meltdowns (not all from G) and uncomfortable, interrupted sleep with a cranky baby in the bed and we arrived at camp. The house wasn't quite ready for us when we arrived, and we're still working on getting things done, but slowly it's coming together. G's room is almost unpacked and we just got 4 huge wardrobe boxes out of our room, making it feel like more breathing space. We got the Christmas tree and lights up, and now that all the boxes are in the den instead of the living room, it feels a bit better. After I finish G's room (mostly packing up baby things he's outgrown) I'm planning on tackling the ridiculous number of books we have to unpack (at least 12 boxes). They'll go on our shelves in the den. Pictures will follow when the place is a little more put together and the dining room table isn't a complete disaster.

It's been interesting. Everyone keeps saying it must be a real culture shock for me, but it doesn't feel all that different; just a lot more fried food. It's always hard to move, but because I don't know anyone in the area and have no way of meeting people, it's been very difficult for me. We ended up putting G in daycare so I could work on unpacking, but we haven't been happy with it and are in the process of moving him to a new one. I hate moving him from one to the other because he's had a bit of a rough time adjusting but there was just something that made me uneasy about the first place we went. The place he's going isn't my first choice either, but after being asked if I could take him home on our second day because they were understaffed and finding out that they were closing three extra days before New Year's due to being understaffed, I felt like it was time to get him somewhere else. Since we'll be here for registration next year, it'll be easier (yes...I have to register my >2 year old for daycare, and we're currently on 3 waitlists...ridiculous).  I think the hardest part for me is that I can't even find an Irish or highland dance class, and I'm really missing that part of my life. I'm planning on starting yoga, and I've had a few vague job prospects as well. Michael's was looking for a crochet teacher, but they're so busy that they haven't taken the next step they need to complete, and in January I'm going to start shadowing a vet/vet tech to see if that's something I'd be interested in doing. So eventually I'll be more settled, but right now, all I have is a house that needs a lot of TLC.

Overall it's been good. James loves his job and is already making great progess: his first event, Winter Woods, consists of 3 mini camp sessions for middle schoolers, high schoolers and young adults, and he already has over 50 middle schoolers registered, with more on a waitlist. This is a huge improvement from the 12 people they had last year. I'm so thrilled for him because he's finally doing what he really loves and feels called to do. He's very much in his element and I know that he'll continue to do great. We've found a sitter, and were able to have our first "just us" date night in I honestly can't remember how long. We went to a Mexican restaurant (pretty good), had margaritas ($3.99 and it wasn't happy hour!!) and saw the movie Frozen. 

Other news:

-G has molars coming in. One is in completely, and I just saw/felt the other 3, plus the cuspids. Teething hard right now!

-FIRST STEPS! He's been walking assisted since about 10 months, and had just graduated to only needing to hold on to one hand, but he finally took his first independent steps between me and James the other day (12/15), and he was already so confident! 

-G regularly refuses to let me feed him, and is getting better with his spoon. Almost all his meals require a spoon, though he disagrees, and I'm finally giving in to the mess :)

-I started watching Doctor Who, and I'm really enjoying catching up! I should be there by Christmas for sure! 

-G has been sleeping through the night regularly since starting daycare. Maybe it's because they do one 2 hour nap a day, or maybe just because he was at that point, but we are so grateful!

-I have been posting the patterns I've come up with on Ravelry, and not only have people downloaded the free ones, but I've also sold one of them twice! It's not much money (less than $2), but it makes me happy that someone liked my pattern enough to purchase it!

-G's first time trick or treating was this year. We only stayed out about an hour, and he was carried, but I think he had fun. I know I did! We ended up with a lot of non-candy items, and apparently it's a thing here to give those to the really young ones

-Our professional one year/holiday photos came back! They couldn't be more awesome! Here are my favourites: {Credit: Alison Conrad of Alison Kay Photography}

Splatter Pearls

I love pearls. They are, after all, my birthstone. I used to think that June really got jipped in the birthstone department, since pearls aren't really a stone (and I didn't like them at the time), and the alternate stone is one almost no one has heard of (Alexandrite). Now, I love them and love that June is unique in the respect that we get this awesome thing from the sea instead of just a normal gem.  So now I have pearl necklaces, earrings and bracelets and love to wear them. But though they do go with everything, they are a bit formal and sometimes that's just not the look you're going for.

In comes this awesome tutorial I found. The author of VJuliet knocks off some Chanel pearls that look like they've been splattered with paint. They look awesome! Modern and funky, a completely different take on pearls, colourful and fun. I shared the idea with my mom and she sent me a bunch of glass pearls (I really don't think I could stand to do this to real ones) and decided I'd give it a shot. Since I have a massive nail polish collection I had pretty much everything I needed.

I started by stringing the peals onto a necklace. I strung all the ones I had and got them to a length I liked. I kind of like that they're different sizes instead of the normal uniform size strand. Then, as per the instructions, I took my nail polish and a straw and started trying to splatter. It was pretty much a failure. I tried taking a paint brush and splattering the nail polish. This also didn't work. I tried and tried and tried the straw, but just couldn't get it. I searched nail sites for splatter nail tips but couldn't find anything that worked consistently. Finally, I picked up some coffee stirrer straws at Target's food court a few days later. I figured maybe the smaller diameter would work. It did! I still didn't have as much control over the aim as I would've liked, but it did work pretty well. I used the colours in the tutorial (fuchsia, dark purple, blue) and added a pretty lime for a pop as well. I did do the two sides, though I would recommend doing four sides in the future for even coating. Or at least, make sure you get the sides too!

Closeup of the splatter on the pearls

I'm really happy with how my pearls turned out. I think they look awesome and really fun and funky. I like the longer length (and so does Grayson, unfortunately) and I think the colours come together nicely. I did have a lot of clean up though. The nail polish splattered beyond the confines of the magazine I was working on, I used up the entire sample size of the fuchsia polish and most of the purple as well, and I had nail polish all over both hands. It took at least an hour of airing out the kitchen to get the smell out too. Next time I think I'll put down wax paper (a few tacky spots picked up some magazine) and work outside with gloves on. But all in all, it was a super successful project, and I love moving things into my "Completed Crafts" folder :)

The aftermath of the magazine. Next time, wax paper for sure!

The pearls, all ready to wear

I like the length, but it's way too easy for G to grab!

In case you're wondering, the way I find all these awesome tutorials is by trolling (see definition 3) craft sites. Some of the best are Pinterest (of course, though there are copyright issues and not everyone links to a tutorial or real site or anything), CraftGossip, and Craftgawker. But the best by far is a Tumblr site called Truebluemeandyou. It is AMAZING, and my absolute favourite. There are other sites that I know have tutorials, and if I have time I check them out, but between the last three I mentioned, I've usually seen the newest posts.

This Poem is AMAZING

A sorority sister of mine wrote a poem about motherhood and it is so amazing that I have to share it with you all.

I swear, even after reading and rereading it dozens of times, it brings tears to my eyes because it is so true.

Sometimes, when your baby has been screaming and irritable and almost bitten your finger off or pulled your hair out, it's hard to remember what an amazing blessing you have. Sometimes, when you just want to relax or go out to a movie without phoning twelve different people to babysit, it's hard to see just how wonderful being a mother is. Most won't admit to this, but I think that we've all felt that way. Whether it's realizing that your stomach will never look the same again, or trying to chase down that phantom poop smell, motherhood is hard and a HUGE change, no matter how prepared you think you are. BUT, and this is a MAJOR BUT, despite all the things that aren't picture perfect, it's amazing. Having your babe crawl into your lap just to be with you, getting those messy open-mouthed kisses, hearing them call your name or giggle when you make funny faces at them, even just watching them knock over the blocks you've built up at least 24 times...it's amazing. It melts your heart. There's nothing like it in the world. You think you know, you think you're prepared for it. YOU'RE NOT. It's SO MUCH BETTER, even the stuff that's difficult. Especially the stuff that's difficult.

And that's what this poem is. It's perfect. Here's the link for the original:
http://double-d.tumblr.com/post/63100693343/if-my-name-wasnt-mama

And here's the poem itself.

"If My Name Wasn’t Mama"

My fridge would be full of Chardonnay, not apple juice

My Google search history would be “shoe sales,”

Not “why is my baby pooping out full blueberries”

I would never have to know what oral thrush was

I’d eat more entree salads and a lot less half frozen chicken nuggets

Sleeping in on the weekends would be followed up with breakfast in bed

I wouldn’t have to use the hem of my shirt to wipe a runny nose in a rush

Or question the mysterious brown stain on my new work slacks

My car keys would never be found in the toy box after already running 20 minutes late

Phone calls  would last longer than 60 seconds

And my breasts would still hang where they should

I wouldn’t know the feeling of sweet-smelling baby breath on my neck

His hand wouldn’t reach out for mine when he meets someone new

The sun wouldn’t shine from the lilt in his laughter

I couldn’t listen to him talk to himself in his sleep and

No more 2am warm hugs after a bad dream woke him

I would not be able to whisper-sing “Hey Jude” into the blonde wisps of his hair

Or teach him what trees are or what sound a cat makes

I wouldn’t know the depths of his hazel eyes or the curve of his smile

Someone else would be called “Mama”

He wouldn’t be my little boy

If my name wasn’t Mama, I don’t think I’d like it very much

By Danielle Donaldson, posted on tumblr 10/4/13

Follow her tumblr: http://double-d.tumblr.com/

12 Months

Due to the nature of moving and all the stresses that have come along with this particular move and my tendency to freak out and shut down, this post is massively, massively late. It will be accurate to the month though--I take notes throughout the month and then write up these posts. Sometimes, if I'm way ahead of the game, I even fill the post in throughout the month. So let's see. We took G to Disneyland for the first time this month. He was completely mesmerized and totally confused. He didn't smile much, but you could tell he was taking in every little detail. We went to meet Mickey Mouse (with his crocheted hat!) and he tried to grab Mickey's nose and eyes. He was fast asleep in the stroller before we were even out of Toontown. Our schedule: Peter Pan's Flight, Dumbo, Tea Cups, Meet Mickey, lunch, Story Book Land Canal Boats, Casey Jr. Circus Train, home for a few hours, Little Mermaid, King Triton's Carousel, Monster's Inc, World of Colour, Indiana Jones (for mama). As you can see, we did make it to both Disneyland and California Adventure, which was awesome. Unfortunately, the King Arthur Carousel was closed for maintenance and they had to close Small World because of high winds and debris, which was a bummer. But we've saved something for next time!
It feels like just yesterday I was holding him for the first time and marveling at his tiny hands and how much he slept. Then again, a lot of our time in the hospital and the first few weeks at home is a blur of dirty diapers, teensy clothes, 20 minute naps and tons of pumping. It's amazing to see how much he's grown. Not just physically, but in terms of his personality and development too. I feel like something deep and pithy should go here, but really it's just been crazy. Being a parent makes time go so much faster and so much slower, it makes you appreciate 5 straight hours of sleep, it makes you know all the Disney Jr theme songs by heart and it couldn't be any more amazing. We have been so blessed with our little man and the way he has made our lives brighter, sometimes frustrating, hilarious and most of all, filled with love.

G:
-is a little foodie baby: filet, shrimp scampi, stuffed bell peppers (loves those! From Costco), blue cheese, asiago cheese, basil and sundried tomato wheat thins, French onion soup, spaghetti (kinda) and even that Lingonberry drink from Ikea. Sometimes I'm amazed at his adventurous palate!
-cruises like crazy, almost every waking moment!
-regularly holds his bottle on his own (finally), which makes driving when he has to eat so much easier
-pulls himself up on everything!
-fed himself with a spoon (so messy!)


Little Moments: (Finally outnumbering the milestones above!)
-Baby snores!
-He spent ten minutes one night alternately kissing and biting my face, then pulling my hair. (We're working on it)
-I love watching him play with the dogs, and caught him actually tugging on Pippin's toy while she gently pulled on the other end!
-Moose was trying to get the wheat thin in G's hand, G was intent on getting Moose and it turned into a beautiful, intricate, hilarious dance.
-I was trying to get G to take a nap, so we were curled up in bed together. Finally, after about an hour, he laid down on his back, stared at the ceiling and just started babbling, like he was having a conversation with me. It was so adorable! And again, I wondered what he was trying to say.
-G and I played in the water while I was watering the bushes outside. I'd turn the sprayer up into the air, and let the water fall down on us. He'd always get this shocked look on his face; I think the cold was surprising. But then he'd break out into a grin and clapping. We were both completely soaked, and he was in a giant puddle, but we were both grinning.
-I fed G some toast with a berry jam on it for lunch one day. He loved it! Everything within reach of the high chair was covered with jam, and I was sure his pants were ruined, but he ate almost the whole piece of toast (minus the few pieces I snagged)
-I came to pick him up at daycare, and he was curled up asleep, holding his bottle like it was a stuffed animal or lovie.
-Every night, and every store we go into, we have the same conversation. G: *tried to stand up in high chair or shopping cart* Me: *sits him back down, usually by grabbing his legs through the leg holes* G: *starts to cry* Me: No, honey, you can't stand up there, you'll hurt yourself.  Repeat every 5 seconds.
-One morning: I couldn't sleep the night before, and neither could G. I was so ridiculously sore from a new workout DVD I'd tried the day before that I could barely move. As I was cleaning up the yard, G got a hold of dog poop and managed to get it into his mouth before I could spring across the yard (remember that workout DVD?) to grab it from him. Pippin was barking her head off at the parrots and planes and running crazy circuits around the yard. It took over an hour and a half to get G down for his nap.
- We were sitting on the bed, and G was getting fussy. I started to scissor my legs up and down on the bed, and G thought it was hilarious. We sat there for probably 10 minutes, with him laughing and me getting a good leg workout.

In lieu of the normal photo, I will post some photos from Disneyland:

Doesn't he look thrilled? (Promise it was just the sun in his face)

Meeting Mickey. Trying to keep his hat on.

We may have had to hold his hands down, but we did get a photo with the hat on and everyone looking at the camera! Yay! Success!

First carousel ride. Sooo confused.

Pooped out baby!! 

My absolute favourite photo from this month! Look at that handsome boy!!

An Open Letter to Barnes & Noble

10 October, 2013

Barnes & Noble

To Whom It May Concern;

On September 11, 2013 I placed an order for three books on bn.com. I had a $40 gift card and was excited to share some of my favourite children’s books with my son. I chose to order on bn.com to make the most of the money I had, and was able to choose the free shipping option, making the total of my order $40.02; pretty good. I entered the gift card information and placed my order. I saw the confirmation page but didn’t write down the number; the email would surely arrive shortly, and if not, bn.com would still have the information. A few hours later, I checked back and there was no sign of my order. I called customer service and they confirmed that there was no pending order and that the full balance was still available on the gift card. I placed the order again, upon their recommendation and received two email confirmations of my order. Later that day I received a shipping email. Instead of telling me that the two books that were available would ship immediately (as I expected), it said all three books would ship October 2. I called customer service again because I thought it was ridiculous that I would have to wait almost a month for the books I ordered when 66% of the order was available immediately. When I called I was informed that because I chose the free shipping option, they would package the items in “as few packages as possible.” I didn’t realize that meant “1 package, regardless of the delay time.” I tried to explain this would be past our celebration, since one of the books was a gift, but to no avail. I resigned myself to waiting.

On October 2, I received two shipping notifications. Finally! However, upon opening the email, I saw that only the two immediately available books had shipped and the third was not included. So I had waited a month for absolutely no reason. I called customer service again and was informed that the third book should ship within a week. This is also when I realized that the order had been duplicated and my credit card had been charged. I was mad because I had been assured that no other order was there. The supervisor was unavailable until the next day, so I was told I would receive a call the next day. After speaking with a supervisor, I was told that the order on my credit card would be cancelled and refunded, and he would try to stop the delivery of the duplicate order. I was very upset because this order had now taken up much of my time and would take up more, since I was sure it would be delivered and I would have to find the time to drop off the box for return. With a 12 month old, this is not an easy feat. The supervisor offered me a $25 gift card for my inconvenience.

On October 8, I received another email telling me that my delayed order required my attention. When I clicked on the link, I was told that the order would ship on October 24, much later than the week I was promised by customer service. I called back because I am moving to Alabama on October 21, and would have to change the address to reflect my move. I was assured that the product would ship on the 24^th as there were currently 90 copies in stock for 400+ orders, and that more stock was coming in from the publisher. The address was changed without issue, and it changed the amount of the sales tax, dropping my order to $39.87. I realized on October 9 that the balance of my gift card had not been refunded. When I called customer service again, I was informed that once the order was placed, the remaining 13 cents would go back to the card. This makes no sense—the gift card would be charged when the order was shipped, but despite the order amount having changed, I couldn’t use the extra money until then. I know it’s not a lot of money, but it’s the principle and it would’ve made a difference on an order I placed later—I was 9 cents short, and this would’ve made all the difference. I was offered a $5 gift card, which was very kind. I was also told that the previous supervisor should not have told me any numbers on the books, and assured that stock was being replenished even now and that the book would ship on October 24 as I had been told.

On October 10, I received an email informing me that my order was cancelled. I was infuriated, irate. I was so mad that I was shaking. After all of the problems with this order, this was the last straw. I called customer service again (this makes 7 calls to customer service about this one order) and was informed that they didn’t know why the order was cancelled. At first, the representative told me it was because the book was out of stock. When I said I had just spoken to someone yesterday who assured me the inventory had just arrived, he changed his answer to “we don’t know.” He offered to place a new order for the book. When we got to the payment, I said I wanted to pay with the same gift card I had originally used, since the balance should be returned to it. I didn’t have the gift card, since I thought I had used up the entirety on the original order, but the representative looked it up and found the information. When he told me I would be responsible for hipping charges, I really lost it and asked to be transferred to a manager. This time, I wrote down the name. I spoke with a manager named Rhonda. After explaining the entire situation, she agreed that I should not be responsible for the shipping charges. I maintain that with all of the problems, I should not have to pay for the book, but would accept free, expedited shipping. She placed the order as a pay-by-phone order since the funds would not be returned to my gift card for 24 hours, and said that she would make sure she checked on the gift card and applied payment the next day so I wouldn’t have to worry about it. It would be shipped to my current address wit the understanding that it would arrive before my move. I was and am so angry that I am shaking. The price for the book has now changed. Instead of the $14.99 that it cost on October 2, I am now going to be charged 15.86 plus tax. She did not apply the coupon I asked the original representative to apply (I was so upset I forgot to mention it to her) and I was offered absolutely no recompense for this issue, which is by far the most ridiculously asinine problem I have experienced. She also could offer no explanation for why or even how the order was cancelled.

I am a loyal Barnes & Noble customer. I have a nook and have spent a fair amount of time, energy and money building up my nook library. I love supporting brick and mortar bookstores, only using the online feature when I need to save my money. But this, this is asinine. This is unacceptable. I do not know how you keep customers when you treat them like this and expect them to put up with a SAGA to receive the products that they are paying good money for. I do not have the money to switch my e-reader and my e-book collection to a kindle, but it is an appealing idea with all of these unnecessary, unexplainable problems I have encountered (this is not the first order I have had issues with.) I cannot believe that your company expected me to shoulder shipping costs, and still expects me to shoulder the change in price when I had no choice in the cancellation. I am disappointed and furious with your company right now.

Feel free to contact me with any questions, I am more than happy to answer them. I will be posting this on your facebook page as well as my facebook an my blog as an open letter to your company.

With disappointment,

Emmi Lawrence

emmiblawrence@gmail.com

www.emmiblawrence.blogspot.com

Big News!

James and I have some HUGE news that we're excited to share with you all!

James has accepted a job as Diocesan Youth Coordinator and Summer Camp Director for the Diocese of the Gulf Coast and Beckwith Camp and Conference Center! This means that we'll be moving to Alabama in less than a month! (PS: I know you thought we were pregnant again!)

It's absolutely terrifying and totally exciting. I'm thrilled to start on this new adventure, but even a cross-town move is overwhelming for me, and we're moving almost clear across the country! It'll be so nice to be closer to his family, but I'm also sad that my family and friends will be farther away.

Beckwith is the camp that James grew up attending and working at. It's on the outskirts of Fairhope, AL, which is an adorable little town that we had fun exploring when we visited for his interview earlier last month. Click here for more information on the camp. It's absolutely beautiful, and we are so excited to be back in the Episcopal Church. When James first read me the job description, my first thought was that it seemed to have been written with him in mind; he is excited to be back in youth ministry and even more excited to be making use of his Recreation Management degree.

We will be living in the town of Bon Secour, an unincorporated town whose population is less than 1,000. It'll be quite a change from Orange County. There are plenty of larger cities nearby though. Foley has outlet stores, and Mobile and Pensacola, FL are each about an hour away. But you don't have to take our word for it: come visit us! We don't want to lose touch with our beloved friends, so come visit and bug me on facebook since I'm terrible about keeping in touch.

We're still working out exact dates, but James will start work on or before November 1, so it's all happening really quickly. I'll make my excuses here and apologize for delayed posts and I'm placing a hold on my goals for right now. I'll do my best to get up G's 1 year post in short order, however. Look forward to new posts, and maybe even a new segment: "A Californian in the South" maybe :)

I can't wait to start this new chapter in our lives!


Here's a few photos of the camp:

In the gazebo on the pier

Beckwith sits between Mobile Bay and Weeks Bay

11 Months

I know this is late, but what a month it has been.

We all went up to visit my parents over Labour Day weekend. It's become a bit of a tradition; not only is it my parents' anniversary (28 years!) but it is also the Pleasanton Highland Games, which are always fun. I love the music, and the food, and the shopping! Plus, I usually get to see my old Scottish country dance teacher and some people from Highland classes too. This was the first year G was with us, and it was quite an experience. G doesn't like the stroller, and it was way to interesting there for such silly things as naps. Eventually, he did succumb to a nap, in the middle of a Celtica concert. They were not amused by this fact, considering that their goal is to be as loud and as rock as possible, but I still bought the CDs because they are like magic aural sleeping pills for G. James went back to Orange to work a two day week, but I was lucky enough to stay up north with my parents and see some friends of mine.

When James got back, we went on a retreat/mini-vacation to Beckwith Camp and Conference Center in Fairhope, Alabama. It's the camp that James grew up at, and it was a nice little break. It was the first time we'd ever left G overnight, and it was a bit rough. I kept waking up in the middle of the night, though that might be attributed to the bed. The town itself was cute; lots of walking, an independent bookshop, a used bookshop, a bead store and a YARN store!! We had so much fun: I was invited to go paddleboarding one morning (and didn't even fall), we walked around camp and found lots of frogs, went kayaking another morning, drove into the outlets one afternoon, and were able to meet James' parents and brother for lunch out last day. It was fun, but after 5 days and four nights, I was so ready to see my baby boy again. I missed him so much.

After 7 hours driving home with him, not so much. Just kidding, but really, it was a rough drive. He was teething worse than I've ever seen when we left him with my parents. A few nights, he even slept in just a diaper because, even with the Tylenol, he was burning up. I don't think I've ever seen him so fussy and irritable before, even with all the tummy problems. And for all that, the tooth didn't even break through! Since then, another tooth has come through and the tooth in question finally broke the surface, but man, I'm not looking forward to another year and a half of this. Other than that, it's been a really quiet month for us, with not a lot going on.

G:
-is so long! It's like he grown more every day! He's even lost most of the little baby rolls. (Mind you, he's still too short for the 9 month pants)
-can drink assisted out of a cup!
-has drunk through a straw
-waved goodbye for the first time (Italian style, toward himself)
-is starting to cruise around regularly, and considers any moment not moving a moment wasted
-has pretty much moved beyond puffs and purees, though sometimes more texture weirds him out.

Little Moments:
-I made a few meals' worth of pasta stars and sat down to eat some myself (it was only 10 am, and I pulled some aside for his lunch). I was sitting on the kitchen floor, and he had pulled himself to standing on me, hands on my shoulders, eating off my spoon, even though his face was maybe 6 inches from mine.
-G has a breakfast buddy at daycare that he eats breakfast with every Wednesday and Thursday morning. He gave another little girl a kiss, and the next day, his breakfast buddy kept ignoring him and taking his toys away! Already a heartbreaker...
-Pulled himself up on the bottom shelf of the fridge and stood there, staring into it. So like a guy!
-He fed me a puff at church one week!
-Mom and I were at Costco and put little glasses on G! He looked like Harry Potter! SO CUTE!

Lounging at 11 months old. Holy smokes!

He's comin' to get you!

Goal Update

This was supposed to autopublish on Sept 2...obviously, that did not happen...
A few months ago, I posted about my goals. I thought an update was in order to see how I'm doing.

1) To update the monthly blog post within a week of the 14th, complete with photos.

Well, I've done it at least once. It really is finding the time to upload the photos that throws me off. The post is usually written and waiting for the photos to be added. I'll have to be a bit better...maybe uploading as soon as I take them?

2) One other bog post per month, going back to the roots: recipe, craft project or book review.

Well, I have quite a few craft posts lined up and ready to go. They're waiting on photos (see a trend?) or for the actual project to be completed. So I think I can definitely mark this one as done! Yay!!

3) Weight loss and exercise. 10-15 lb less by October and 30-60 minutes at the gym twice a week plus dance.

I still haven't been cleared for dance by the PT, but I've been working on getting to the gym. I read it takes 66 days to get into the swing of exercising regularly, and I'm definitely not there yet, but I am trying. I'm up to 35 minutes on the elliptical each time I go, going 2+ miles! As far as the weight loss, it's not really going at all. Since I stopped pumping I've also stopped losing weight. I'm not sure I can meet my goal by October, but I'm not going to give up! After all, I lost the pregnancy weight and more before the 1 year mark and I'm determined to get healthy (plus the really adorable pair of jeans that I can't quite fit into yet are goo incentive too)

4) Choose at least one new recipe per month and make it, taking pictures along the way and posting. Work up to one new recipe a week.
Wow. Well, considering that we're still cooking and eating well after 8 pm, the weekly new recipe is a bit too ambitious. Hopefully moving the playard into the kitchen so G can be safe while I cook will help, but this is something I really want to try. I have so many new recipes from Better Homes and Gardens I want to try!

5) Choose at least one craft project per month and FINISH it. (Take progress pictures if possible!)
Um. I'm trying! I'm actually really working pretty hard on my crafting right now! And I've finished at least two since I posted this! Yay me?

6) Unpack the boxes in the bedroom and get that bathroom up to scruff by September 1.
Well, I did half of this! The boxes in the bedroom are unpacked and mostly put away. The bathroom is not going to be organized by September 1, but it's so much better than before! And it will get done!

7) By November 1, unpack and paint the middle bedroom, reorganizing and setting up the crafting area.
Haha. Well, I still have another month, right? I am doing my best, but other things (like sleeping, eating and bathing) keep getting in the way of my good intentions. We really do have to paint though...

8) Floss nightly. 
I wish I brushed my teeth nightly. TMI? Well, I usually fall into bed and I'm terrified tat the light being on/any noise in our en suite bathroom will wake the baby. But again, I should be better.

I'll let y'all judge if telling someone has kept me more accountable. I think so--a few of the things I've actually accomplished to the best of my ability or at least semi-accomplished. And posting it here has given me a bit of a kick to accomplish these things. So, I'll keep these goals for now since I haven't gotten into a routine with all of them, and we'll check in in another couple months!

10 Months

The months go by so fast, and yet are so full! I still can't believe that G's birthday is just around the corner and am not sure where that tiny newborn has gotten to. We had our first experience with G bringing home a bug from daycare. Apparently one child showed up and seemed fine, then started throwing up. By the end of the day, every child but Grayson had gone home sick, and 3 of the teachers had it too. We thought he had somehow escaped getting sick, but after one of the largest dinners he's ever had, we were woken up around 2 am by him throwing up. It was all over him and all over the crib and he was understandably miserable. So we changed the crib and changed him and tried to give him some milk, but he promptly threw that up too. So we just rocked him and soothed him and got him back down again. We thought it had run its course and headed down to Coronado to meet a family friend for the weekend. Unfortunately, he was still sick and couldn't seem to keep milk down, and we ended up getting it on Saturday. Both of us were feeling fine that morning and had gone out to a nice lunch, but by the evening were violently ill. James said he's never been that sick, and let me tell you, when both you and your partner are this sick, taking care of a 9 month old is almost impossible. We could barely move ourselves from the couches and just wished we were home. James felt better by Sunday night, but my nausea hung around for a full week and I ended up having to get an anti-nausea pill in order to keep food down. My mom was a lifesaver and came down to help us with G, which was wonderful. All in all, all the kids in the infant centre got sick, 4 teachers caught it, 2 parents and 1 sibling, who then passed it on to the preschool. Nasty stuff.

We went to my friend's son's first birthday party, which was fun. G got to see a little boy around his own age (he's surrounded by girls!) and got to ride on a pony for the first time. He was more interested in the ribbon he pulled off the pony's mane, but he seemed to enjoy it. Our swim lessons got off whack because of the stomach bug, but we're back to trying to get him into a lesson a week, but because you can only schedule makeups 6 days in advance, and since it's summer, they're usually full by then. Someone has offered us the use of their pool, and since we know the general pattern of the classes, we're thinking when the classes run out, we might just go by their pool weekly for a bit. We're working on getting back into our routine, but I've had some doctor's appointments and PT too. I'm finally trying to do something about my kidney stones and had a CT scan yesterday. We also went to a family reunion, and my parents flew in for a day to come. Unfortunately, we ended up having to leave after dropping my parents off at the airport. I wish we could've gone back, but G was at that sleepy but still fussy state and had been for over an hour. It turns out he had a very high fever (101.9 with tylenol) and the next morning he had one tooth broken through and two other buds visible that hadn't been there before! He's been iffy about food lately, but I can't blame him.

In other BIG news, we got a new car! We knew that we would eventually need a bigger car; between a car seat and the dog's kennel, they take up the entire backseat and our trunks are full of luggage when we travel. There would've been no room for a second baby (eventually). So we'd been looking at third row SUVs since I was pregnant and had been seriously considering the Hyundai Santa Fe or the Highlander. However, we found a used GMC Acadia that was a really good deal and ended up bringing it home yesterday! So now, the Acadia is my car, and James has my old Matrix. He has been wearing me down to that idea for a long time. We ended up with a spectacular deal since the original person we were working with was an a** to us, and we sent a letter to the general manager about our treatment; they ended up being very accommodating in trying to make it right. It's crazy...I feel so tall, but it's a lovely car. It has leather seats, heated seats, second row bucket seats, a third row, a sun roof over the front seat and middle seat, a USB port for my iPod (vital), bluetooth connectivity for my phone and all sorts of gadgets I'm not used to. One of the coolest things is that it has remote start, so when I pick G up from the infant centre, I can start the car and cool it down so it's not so beastly hot when we put him in! It's a very dark blue that looks like black out of the sun, but I can deal with that. It's really exciting! And I ended up getting the finance guy to give us an even better deal than we had originally expected! James says I have "stealth negotiating skills," I say he felt sorry for me since G wouldn't hold still and even bit the ear off his squishy pig lol.

G:
-18 lb, 2 oz and 27 inches tall at his last checkup (7/22)
-gives big, wet, sloppy, open-mouthed kisses! Really, it's more like he's mouthing you, but it's adorable to watch him lean forward tp give you a kiss
-pushed into a crouch on his feet for the first time (7/22)
-started consistently crawling forward, though with one leg bent in
-pulled himself to standing on the baby gate! (7/30)
-consistently pulls to standing on anything he can, including mom
-is obsessed with opening and closing doors (the bathrooms doors, the fridge, the kennel, cabinets)
-started clapping! Especially when music comes on or he is particularly happy
-had his first pony ride's at a friend's son's first birthday party. He was far more interested in the ribbon he pulled out of the pony's mane...
-puts EVERYthing in his mouth
-has 3 new teeth. The two incisor on the bottom are coming through, and the upper left as well
-tried more new foods: bananas, avocados, nectarines, mangoes, watermelon, asparagus, cheddar cheese, rice, potato soup, a bite or two of chicken
-loves his red bell peppers mixed with rice and adores blueberry waffles

Little Moments:
-We fed G a green bean one night and he ate it. We took him for his bath and got him into his pyjamas and I was feeding him his last bottle and noticed he was gagging a little. I sat him up and saw something green in his mouth. It was the green bean, the insides eaten out, still in his mouth an hour later!! He must store food in his cheeks like a chipmunk or something. Then I laughed and that started a chain reaction of giggles :)
-Crawled into the kitchen and dumped the dog's water bowl onto the floor. Then he preceded to flop on his stomach in the puddle and try to swim. He spent 10 minutes playing in the water before he lost interest and I cleaned it up.
-G was super tired, but just wouldn't go down for a nap; he was far more interested in crawling around. He would drag himself onto the dog's bed and flop down like he was going to sleep. He would also crawl into the kennel and do this--too freaking adorable!
-I think what melts my heart the most is when he crawls into my lap and puts his head down on my chest. It's always when he's tired, and he never actually stays there, but it's still too adorable.

My beautiful boy!

9 Months

[And I managed to get this up within a week!! Woot!]

How did 9 months go by so quickly? We've had a busy month! We got to go out to the movies while we had a sitter one night and saw "Now You See Me," which was really good, with an unexpected twist at the end that I really enjoyed. I've been moving forward with physical therapy for my hip, though some days it feels like it hasn't done much good. She's mostly focusing on strengthening my stomach in order to keep my hip from continuing to pull out. G and I went to story time at the library and I made a mommy friend, who set up a play date with some other moms--it was a lot of fun and I got to meet some more moms who have kids close in age. Before that, we had our frst play date with someone close in age: G's cousin, who is only 4 days younger than him! The moms had a good time too, sitting in a park and talkin while the babies played. G had his last GI appointment, where everything was pronounced OK, and it does seem like it is getting better. Hopefully, this pattern continues, though he still gets pretty red in the face sometimes and you can tell he's not comfortable. I'm hoping that will resolve itself too. Our trip to Florida was definitely the highlight of the month though, so bear with me for a longer paragraph:

The flights out there went great. Even though the TSA threw away my ice packs from his milk since they weren't frozen (seriously) and I had to use ice from a restaurant, tied into one of their gloves to keep the milk cold. G slept the entirety of the flights and had no problems. When we got to Panama City, it was raining. And it continued for the next two days. There were flash floods and they cancelled the Fourth of July fireworks for the first time anyone could remember, having them on July 6th instead, which meant G got to see them. He was so entranced. Luckily, the sun came out for the baptism and even though we were late due to a boat emergency, the baptism went well. I am so grateful to all the people who made it happen, even shuttling people over and back from the island on their boats. G dipped his head back into the water on his own and my mom's homily was lovely. The outfit she made for him was great too! I loved it and I hope it becomes an heirloom for our family. G had an absolute blast swimming: in the bay, in the Gulf, in the pool at the condo, that kid just adores being in the water. James and I got burned pretty badly, but G was greased up really well. We got to go out to the island again with my parents and I even bought something off the ice cream boat (yes it's real, and I've never even had an ice cream from a truck before!) The condo we were in the last few days was great: right on the Gulf and the pool to swim in too. I ventured back into the Gulf after my first terrible experience in 2007 with a jellyfish, but had no problems this time. The company was, of course, fantastic. It was great to see James' family and wonderful to have my parents there with us. We had plenty of people to watch G which meant we could sleep, and we did a pretty good job of exhausting him most days, even though his schedule completely went out the window (and he started sleeping in a crib!!). James' brother even watched him so we could take his parents to see Despicable Me 2 (his dad loves the minions) which was just as cute as the first one. And the food! J. Michael's, Salty Sue's, Bonefish Grill, Gracie Rae's, Newk's and fresh, fresh seafood: shrimp, baked oysters, crawfish, gumbo, etoufee, shrimp J Michael, buffalo shrimp panini, bang bang shrimp, crab soups, I could go on. I want to live there simply for the seafood. The flights home were a bit more rough: G was so exhausted that he was extremely fussy, though he did sleep a bit. The TSA agent who examined the milk didn't close up the ziploc bags properly, so milk spilled into the cooler, soaked through and saturated my diaper bag, which was a God-awful mess to clean up. There was a woman who was removed from one of our flights (thank goodness) for a yapping dog that wouldn't calm down (I feel so bad for that poor dog, he sounded terrified). But, we got home safely and that's the main thing. A big thanks to Chris and Laura for driving us out to LAX and picking us up---we really appreciate it. And another thanks to Jenn for looking after Moose and Pip, watering the plants and taking in the mail. A very successful, fun trip for sure, but it was nice to be home again.

I've had a pretty good month aside from our vacation too. James and I had our 3 year anniversary, which is hard to believe. I got my hair done after 6 months of having not done it. It was so nice to relax at the salon, and it felt great to have my hair looking right: no split ends and finally the correct red again. I also got to reconnect with some of my sorority sisters at Mimi's one night which was a blast! Better than therapy, I'm telling you! I'm starting to wean off pumping. While we were in Florida, I dropped to pumping twice a day, which is making life a lot easier. I had one blocked duct one morning, but no problem since I resolved that. I'm slowly weaning down my time too. I dropped from 20 minutes to 17, now I'm down to 15, the I'll drop to 12, 10, 8 and finally 5 minutes, which I'll do for a week. But in a little more than two weeks, I should be completely done pumping! It's exciting and I'm thrilled since pumping has always been painful, but it's also causing some anxiety about whether I have enough milk saved up, etc. I've already dipped into my December stash and used up all of November's, though there was very little frozen from those months. I'm trying not to worry since it's so silly, and I'm so grateful I was able to have such a freezer stash and make more than enough milk to feed my boy, but sometimes it still makes me worry.

The rundown: Grayson:
-"jumped" off the side of the pool into it
-had his first real play date with his cousin, who is only 4 days younger than him
-has his two upper front teeth coming in
-saw his first fireworks, had his first boat ride and swam in the bay and the Gulf
-was baptised on Shell Island in Florida on July 7
-scootches himself around on his butt, all over the floor
-said "Dada" on July 8
-said "Mama" on July 9
          (I am sure that he doesn't realize he was calling either of us by name, but he is saying them nonetheless!)
-loves to eat: green beans (unpureed), peas, toast, soup, yogurt, pancakes, eggs (just a bite when we were out), rice, potatoes (includes french fries occasionally), red bell peppers, zucchini (mixed with oatmeal since it is very watery), apples, pears and blueberries (especially mixed with yogurt).

Little Moments:
-Scootched himself over to the clean laundry basket and started pulling all of James' clean, folded boxers out, one by one.
-He figured out how to show his whale bath toy in the drain to plug it up to "save" the water. He then proceeded to start messing with the actual toggle for the drain. Smart boy!
-Instead of using his hands, he decided to go bobbing for toast on his placemat.
-Falling asleep propped up on my legs. My legs were extremely sore by the time he woke up, but he was just too darn cute
-Waking up from his nap on daddy, looking over at me with a giant smile and then conking his head back into dad's chest
-We took ourselves out to lunch and G woke up, so we gave him a french fry since we had no "real" baby food handy. He proceeded to squish it into his hand and tried to rub it all over the seat, the back of the booth and into daddy's shirt/beard.
-Baby breath. It's the most amazing smell ever.

Still won't sit up for a photo! 7/14

Trying to crawl on the couch! 7/14

8 Months

It's been a pretty good month. I know I haven't updated for a while, but I am horrible about uploading pictures. In fact, we didn't even get the official 7 month picture on the couch. Whoops. It's been busy though. My mom came and visited after Mother's Day, and she was able to see his first food, which he had after his doctor's appointment exactly on his 7 month birthday. It's been going ok, but there have been some challenges. Hopefully this will clear up. I'm trying to make all our own food, and thanks to a shower gift, it is so simple! We just cut up the veggies, add water, press the timer button and the machine steams and purees the food. Then we put it in a silicone brownie mold and freeze it into cubes. So far, he likes his oatmeal, carrots and sweet potatoes. Rice cereal is snubbed, as are green beans (I think it's the texture) and peas. I'm going to try the peas again, pureeing them smoother. He liked the broccoli but it gave him horrible gas and resulted in some sleepless, painful nights, so we'll avoid that. Up next are fruits, so I'm hoping those go better.

After G's swim class on the 24th, we drove up to Walnut Creek to surprise my mom as a late birthday present. Dad was my co-conspirator and the drive went pretty well. We left around noon and got there at 7:40. Dad said he'd make sure they were home by 8, but they got held up, so we ended up waiting for them in the house. Dad didn't see my creepy text of "We're in the house," so he was freaked out when he saw us hiding, but we were able to really surprise mom!! She screamed, she was so surprised. Unfortunately, it was waaay past G's bedtime and he'd been stuck in a car all day, so he started crying at that point. It was so nice to be up there and see them, and because of Memorial Day, we didn't have to leave until Monday.

I went to physical therapy for my hip this month too. Apparently, my hips are tilted out of alignment. My therapist said this is common with young, "hypermobile" women who have given birth/been pregnant. She was able to give me some exercises and is confident we can fix it. It's still hurting a bit every now and then, but going well. I'm not allowed to go to dance for a while though, and I have to wait for my therapist to give me the ok to go to the gym. I am over 10 lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight though so I'm thrilled (only about 10 more to go!) I've also been dealing with a bout of kidney stones, but can't take any pain medications for it since I'm still pumping. In other health-related news, I had a rough weekend in terms of clumsiness: I bonked my head on the table when picking something up off the floor, slammed my hip into the bedframe, stubbed both my feet into the playard at different times breaking my left pinky toe, slammed my finger down on an open staple and ran both knees into the door of the dog kennel, scraping them up. This was followed up by running into a door frame and scratching my arm, and stubbing my broken toe 3 more times during the week. Oy vey.

My birthday was this month too. I'm now officially in my late 20's, having hit 26 this year. Eeek. James took me trampolining and we went out for drinks and appetizers and a sushi dinner. It was fantastic, and a good friend of ours watched G. It was great. However, he has not been sleeping too well lately. I don't know if it's his tummy or that he's just used to getting up multiple times at night, but there have been a few nights that I've stayed up with him on the couch and he (meaning I) has (have) only slept about an hour, all in 10 minute spurts. Luckily, the past two nights have been great, so I'm hoping it's the beginning of a trend. Though I hope he goes down a little easier than last night, which was an absolute fight. I think he gets more tired now since he's started going to the Infant Center all day when I work now. He's just too active and gets bored at work with me, and this results in screaming, which is not conducive to working on the phone. But he loves it there, and now that he's going all day, he's actually happy to see us when we pick him up and reaches out for me *heart melts*!

In other news, I just have to share the weirdest thing from yesterday. I was driving to work, and as I came up on an intersection, there was a car crawling through it. I figured it was an older person driving super slow (happens a lot here), but when the car just stopped in the middle of the intersection, I decided to go around it. There was no one in the car!! So I pulled over and called the police to report it since it was causing a fair bit of confusion at the intersection. Chapman's wonderful Public Safety came up and knocked on my window when I was pulled over; I can only assume that since I had my flashers on, they thought I was involved, but I was on the phone reporting it at the time. It was gone by lunchtime, but I'm super curious about what it was all about.

G:
-Has had rice cereal, oatmeal, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, broccoli and peas. He does not like the green veggies.
-Is starting to paddle with his arms at swim class and doing great with putting his head under. One teacher told me he's really advanced for his age (this simply means he's not screaming when I take him in the water). He's now a "guppy" and in the intermediate level
-Is really starting to "walk" when supported. Actually, it's more like a waddle
-Watches Sprout while I pump. He really likes Story Train and Poppy Cat and Caillou (such a whiny voice...). It actually lets me pump without tantrum-level screaming. Or at least for the most part...
-Is starting to lift his belly off the ground, get on his hands and knees and scoot backward! This usually results in crying because he really wants to go forward.
-Held his bottle, tipping it up enough to actually drink from it on his own!
-Loves a wooden spoon and a box more than any other toy
-Loves the puffs and baby mum mums
-Shakes his head no all the time! Sassy boy.

Little Moments:
-James will hold G on his shoulders, which allows G perfect access to suck on his hair. Since we're pretty sure he's teething again, this results in a lot of drool and James having to wash his head :)
-May 28: An hour and a half long nap in the recliner with G asleep on my chest. Best nap ever
-G trying to play "Boo!" with James by hiding his face in James' chest,then popping up too look at him, after James boos him first
-James asked G if he wanted James to come visit at daycare before he left for lunch, and G shook his head emphatically!
-Bathing him in the sink in Coronado, and watching him try to catch the water from the faucet, or save it from going down the drain
-When he's tired and "conks" his head against you. This is the adorable head drop/snuggle, not the screaming headbutt that almost splits your lip.
-This might be horrible, but I feel a little leap of happiness when he fusses when I leave him at daycare. He used to not even notice that I was gone, but now he notices and he reaches out for me when I pick him up. So sweet.
-He pushes himself up onto his knees, lifting his tummy off the floor and kinda rocks back and forth. He ends up going backwards, but it's so cute!

Won't hold still for a photo anymore :)

Goals

Here are my goals for the next few months:

1) To update the monthly blog post within a week of the 14th, complete with photos!

2) One other blog post per month, going back to the roots: recipe, craft project or book review

3) I am currently 10 lb less than my pre-pregnancy weight, but still 10-15 above my goal weight. By October, I'd like to have lost at least 10 of those pounds. This should involve exercising as soon as the PT gives her ok (This means dance one night a week, plus a least two other trips to the gym for at least 30 min on the elliptical, working up to an hour)

4) Choose at least one new recipe per month and make it, taking pictures along the way and posting. Work up to one new recipe a week.

5) Choose at least one craft project per month and FINISH it. (Take progress pictures if possible!)

6) Unpack the boxes in the bedroom and get that bathroom up to scruff by September 1

7) By November 1, unpack and paint the middle bedroom, reorganizing and setting up the crafting area

8) Floss nightly

Supposedly, telling other people your goals can help keep you accountable to them, so hopefully this will help me actually accomplish these things! I'll keep you updated with how these goals are doing. They aren't going to be the easiest things or me right now, but I'm going to try to stick to them. Plus, I LOVE crossing things off a to do list (I even add things after I do them just to cross them off. Example: shower or brush teeth) 

7 Months

Apparently I'm just as bad as keeping up with this for G as I was when I was pregnant.

G is 7 months! I can't believe how quickly time has gone. He has had his two tests done: an upper barium GI and a lower GI barium enema. The latter was the least fun for us since the poor guy was not too happy about it. The doctor said there was nothing structurally wrong, which is great because it means no surgery. It's kinda tough too because it means we don't know what's going on yet. However, it seems to have gotten a bit better, even if he's still not sleeping through the night again yet. The doctor gave us the go ahead to start solid foods (rice cereal, oatmeal, orange/yellow veggies, green veggies, fruits) and hopefully that will help with his tummy troubles. Either way, I'm really looking forward to starting solid foods with him! He'll have another doctor's appointment in 6 weeks and we'll get the results of the 20 or so stool samples they're testing for everything under the sun.

I'm doing alright. G decided to share his cold with me for Mother's Day, which hasn't been pleasant. My mom came out for a few days, which has been great. It's so helpful to have someone else around, and definitely helps my sanity to have another adult to speak to throughout the day. Plus, I hate cleaning pump parts, so getting a break from that is always nice. Though I'm below my pre-pregnancy weight, my body seems to have morphed into a different shape, so nothing fits correctly. Mom took me shopping for some new clothes that I feel like I can actually go out in (a real bra helps with that too) so I'm feeling a lot better about how I look, even if I don't normally get makeup on my face...or a shower. (Ah, motherhood).

We still have a lot left to do with the house. There are still boxes in the middle bedroom, and that room needs to be painted. Plus, I have to put my clothes up--they're currently sitting folded at the foot of the bed. There's also a few bathroom boxes in our bedroom and I really need to organize the bathroom and the kitchens. But, the big kitchen has a new gas stove!! We found a deal on Craigslist and it's been fantastic! It actually cooks things correctly and quickly and it's so much bigger--our pots and pans actually fit! Plus it has a double oven, so if we host Thanksgiving there (or anything with a baked dessert and a baked entree) it'll be great! I love it! And removing that part of the cabinetry to make room for it left room to put the trash can in the kitchen and makes it look so much nicer!

G:
-Loves being sung "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes," especially when I get to the "nose" part and grab his nose! Then we sing it backward! (toes, knees, shoulders, head)
-Thinks having the blanket float down over his face then whipped up again is hilarious
-Can hold himself up on the coffee table
-Is sitting up with very few topples
-May possibly be teething again (ear tugging and drool again)
-Can take steps when you help him stand up!!!
-Is rolling onto his tummy if he sleeps in his crib (cue the panicked checking on him every 5 minutes--back into the car seat we go)
-LOVES the water! He even got his head all the way under in his first swim class and has started kicking! He also now splashes in his bathtub (I'm sure James is thrilled about this)
-Is really trying to crawl, but would rather "walk"
-Babbles almost all the time. Still mostly "bababa" and "vavava" or "fafafa" with a lot of raspberries blown and "mmmmm" and "aaah" as well. Especially during the hymns at church

Best Moments:
-G falling asleep on me. I know this will eventually come to an end, and probably sooner rather than later, so I'm appreciating every little nap.
-Playing with G on the floor and watching his face light up when he makes his toy make noise
-Playing our "falling" game and hearing him laugh and laugh
-Watching him get this big grin on his face when his Daddy comes home

Yummy Oatmeal! (5/18/13)

I love the outdoors! (5/29/13)