Baby A at 6 Months

I swear he gets cuter every day!

These are his stats right now:

• Weight: 16.8 lbs.
• Height: 26.5 inches
• Diaper Size: He is fitting solidly in Size 2.
• Clothing Size: He is doing great with his 3-6 Months outfits.
• Likes: Making people laugh, eating his delicious pureed foods, sitting up, trying to crawl, wiggling constantly, and having mommy or daddy help him try to stand.
• Dislikes: Not being the center of attention.

The doctor hasn't seen him in 2 months and she was very impressed that he is chunking up so well. He gained 3½ pounds since his last visit and he has now almost tripled his birth weight!

We take walks almost every day and he loves seeing the outside world. He is definitely happier outdoors than anywhere else.

On a walk last week we met a neighbor {a cute little older man with a thick accent with a unique outlook on life} who explained A's mindset pretty aptly: he's like a little bird that perceives being indoors is like being stuck in a cage... and he just wants to be set free in nature!

And one of his favorite parts of nature is all the animals he gets to meet! A perfect example here with these fluffy cuties, Olive and Jeff, when we were visiting our friends, Josh and Danielle.

Because he loves animals so much, we took him to see birds at the local aviary. He was in heaven!

And while there, M was able to catch A's "kisses" on camera! He's such a sweet baby. I absolutely love that he likes kisses and cuddles! 

Something else I love about him is how fascinated he is with everything he sees! Particularly how excited he gets over his shadow and his reflection.

He is so curious about everything, especially anything that his mom and dad are trying to do. If we are holding something, he wants to hold it {and try to eat it} too. One thing he likes doing with us is reading his books together. Meema sent him a new book with textures to feel. And as you can see, A was fascinated!

His smile has always been adorable but now he has two little teeth on the bottom that make his grin even better! And my favorite part is that they are a little bit crooked, which makes them unbelievably cute! We've tried over and over to get a good photo of his little teeth but his tongue is always in the way... so here's just a cute picture of his smile even though you can't see his teeth.

He is also a champion of eating his solid foods now too. He still loves eating his oatmeal {and reading his cereal box!} but he also loves vegetables. Carrots are definitely his favorite.

We've also started trying to give him fruits now as well, but he doesn't seem to love the sweetness of them and pulls some pretty hilarious faces!

He simply refuses to sleep on his tummy. If he rolls onto his tummy while trying to fall asleep at bedtime or naptime, then he will just start whining until we go help him roll over. Which is funny because he knows how to roll over onto his back but he just won't do it anymore.

He loves swimming! We have taken him to both public pools as well as just played in the kiddie pool in our backyard. He is thrilled any time he gets to be in water. And he looks so adorable in his little swimsuit!

Today was officially his half-birthday and so we had a little party and gave him a little gift. His Meema and Auntie Amy were in town for wedding plans, so it worked out perfectly that they got to spend his special day with him before leaving back to Idaho. And then in the evening, his Grandma stopped by and fed him his half-birthday food and watched him open his present {which he was very apprehensive about because he hates the sound of crinkling or tearing paper!}.

I just love this little guy so much! He is always so happy and fun to be with. I can hardly believe he's already 6 months old! Happy half-birthday to this little cutie!

M's First Father's Day

These two boys make my heart happy.

M is the best daddy in the world. He and A adore each other.

I was lucky to grow up with an amazing dad of my own. He set the standard pretty high in my mind and I'm so grateful I married a man who surpasses that standard and is an amazing dad to our son.

I loved this quote that was on the program handout at church today:

"Fatherhood is a relationship of love and understanding. It is strength and manliness and honor. It is power and action. It is counsel and instruction. Fatherhood is to be one with your own. It is authority and example."
—A. Theodore Tuttle

I am so grateful that M is such an awesome dad and a wonderful example to our son {and to me!}. Happy Father's Day!

Baby A's First Tooth

I just noticed it. Bottom left center. He hasn't been grumpy or feverish or anything. We didn't even know he was teething until I randomly decided to stick my finger in his mouth today {which isn't something I normally do so I don't know why I did today!} and discovered something sharp!

He tried to help us get a photo of it but it's barely breaking through the gums so you can't really see it. But it's there—I promise!

Happy Anniversary!

I still feel like we're newlyweds most of the time, so to say it's been so long seems crazy... but today officially marks 3 years of sharing a last name and more than 5½ of being best friends.

Here's a shout out to us.

Together we have made some great things happen.. College graduations, moving apartments and then buying the perfect house, awesome vacations in Europe and Mexico as well as a few here in the US, and welcoming a beautiful baby into our family.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to share this life together.

But for reals. I get a little emotional when it comes to my family and thinking about how lucky we are to get to enjoy being together forever.

I feel like I do a lot for our family yet you do even more. Thank you for working so hard each day to provide for our family. You are an amazing example to me of loyalty and unconditional love. Sometimes I think I take you for granted but I promise I try to show you each day that I appreciate you. Thank you for being the classy one in our relationship. And the logical one. The one who sets goals and has the discipline to stick with it. The one who is truly kind and sincere. Seriously, how'd I get so lucky to end up with an amazing guy like you?!

I love you M.

Here's to a million more days together!

See that silly grin? My boys are so good at making me smile like a crazy fool.

Baby A at 5 Months

This cute boy has been growing up like crazy this past month! He was so little when he was born that I haven't been sad as he's gotten bigger because I was too busy being happy he was healthy. But this past month, I swear he's growing like a weed plus making so many developmental advances that it's making me a little sad because he doesn't seem like my itty bitty baby anymore!

These are his stats right now:

• Weight: 14.8 lbs.
• Height: 26.5 inches
• Diaper Size: He wears Size 1 but we'll be upgrading to Size 2 once we use up the package of 1s.
• Clothing Size: He still wears 0-3 Months but it's on my to-do list this week to pack those up and bust out the 3-6 Months.
• Likes: Rolling from his back to his tummy {but not his tummy to his back!}, fake coughing, high-pitched squealing, giggling and smiling, cuddling with his blankey.
• Dislikes: Being left to play by himself, feeling hungry for more than 0.2 seconds.

He is getting harder to take places because he loves the world so much that he looks at everything and can't fall asleep. So when we are out past a naptime, he gets overtired rather than falling asleep in the carseat or stroller like he used to. But his excitement to see the world is a lot of fun when we go anywhere in his stroller.

We got a jogging stroller this past week and Baby A loves going running or even just for walks. He absolutely loves being outside and now that he can sit up in a stroller and see the outside world while we go on walks makes him so happy!

Sometimes when he gets fussy, we go into the backyard to look at the trees and hear the birds to help him cheer up. He particularly loves the windchimes that we have and gets so excited that he flails his arms and legs about in excitement when he sees it.

He rolls like a champion but doesn't use rolling as a method to move around yet. He started rolling tummy to back first, but now he prefers back to tummy.

Lately, his tongue seems to be his favorite fashion accessory and it's always poking out and wiggling all over the place.

He also loves using his hands for everything! While eating, they are constantly moving and scratching my arms and poking me in the face. He likes playing with things like my hair and luckily he doesn't pull—he just likes feeling it run through his fingers and giggles.

We've been feeding him oatmeal cereal at night the past couple of weeks. At first he hated using a spoon, but now he's starting to get the hang of it... even though he still always ends up making a total mess! That's why eating always happens right before bathtime.

We haven't started feeding him any other solid foods besides cereal yet because we wanted to establish his familiarity with the spoon first, but we had watermelon on Memorial Day weekend and couldn't resist letting him have a little lick... which turned into a full-on attack and he got mad if we tried taking it away. With a mom and dad who both love sweets, we shouldn't be surprised that he does too!

We got a jumper and an exersaucer for him because A loves to be standing so much of the time. Apparently it's a lot more fun to stand with his parents' help rather than to have to stand on his own.

But luckily, he'll enjoy playing in the toys as long as he still gets our attention!

We feel so fortunate to have such a happy baby!  He loves his mom and dad and smiles, giggles, and squeals for us almost all the time. He is rarely grumpy and, even when he is, it consists of him making some whiney-sounding noises and trying not to smile when we smile at him. It's actually quite funny in these moments to watch him not know whether to be happy or sad. We think he's the best baby in the world and we are so glad to be his parents!

Auntie Amy's Graduation!

This week, Baby A and I took a trip to Idaho to celebrate Auntie Amy's high school graduation.

M had work obligations and couldn't get away to come with us, so it was quite the adventure to drive several hours just me and the little man. Thank goodness his stuffed animals entertained him for portions of the drive or we both would have gone crazy because he hated staring at the back seat for hours on end {whoever though rear-facing carseats were a good idea should come talk to me!} and would just whine until I'd pull over and sit in the backseat to play with him.

But thanks to toys like his trusty roaring dinosaur, we made it!

True to family tradition, we started the celebration off with dinner at Johnny Carino's. Poor Auntie Amy didn't get much of a choice because as the fifth kid in the family after the other four all had their dinner celebration at the same restaurant, she was stuck with the tradition factor.

Then came the main event. Her 4-part singing group, Chanteuse, was asked to sing the national anthem at the beginning of the graduation ceremony. Her choir, Bonnevaires, was also asked to perform. I loved the opportunity to hear her sing because I miss her other performances due to the fact that we live in different states. She has an amazing voice!

The graduation was held outdoors but it was chilly and windy. Baby A doesn't handle wind well so he simply looks like a massive bundle of blankets in all the photos!

We are so proud of Auntie Amy for graduating and excited for her college adventures to begin in the fall. She adores Baby A and is an amazing friend to me. We love her like crazy!

The next day, Baby A got to spend lots of playtime with Meema and Papa. It's funny to watch two grownups turn to mush in adoration while playing with Baby A. It was fun to show them his latest developments and see them get to spend time with him.

One other thing that cracked me up about our trip was introducing A to his first cat. My family's cat, Dude {yes, that's really his name!} is a huge ball of fluff, very mellow and just loves to snuggle, so he was fun for A to play with. Baby A kept giggling and running his fingers through the fluff. It was adorable!

My First Mother's Day

I love being a mom. I have the cutest baby in the world and I am so grateful to him for officially introducing me to the world of mommyhood.

I love this munchkin and feel so lucky for the opportunity I have to be his mommy.

It was fun having a day to be pampered for being a mom but I couldn't help but feel that I'm so new to all this! And that the day shouldn't be for me but rather just for the well-practiced mothers who have been wonderful examples to me throughout my life.

Particularly my own momma.

I love my mom so much and hope that I can even a portion of as great of a mom for Baby A as she has been for me and my siblings. Her whole world has revolved around her five kids since the day they came into the world. She is so unselfish and caring. She is an amazing example of quiet service to all those around her in need. She has a million friends and everyone loves her because she is so kind and a true friend. She is my hero and I hope I can be a mom like her!

Today also made me extremely grateful for the daddy and baby who complete me being a mommy! My boys were so sweet to me. M brought me breakfast in bed {which was adorable because I don't really like breakfast but he managed to make a tray of food that I would enjoy!} and gifts. He also teamed up with Baby A to give me the cutest massive card ever.

Gosh, I love my boys!

I know that this is a holiday that is heart-wrenching for so many women who would love the opportunity to be a mom but have not been able to due to a spectrum of reasons. I truly believe it takes a village to raise a child and I am so grateful for all the women who love my baby and nurture him and me as if we were part of their own family.

Wow, this is a holiday that makes me really, really grateful.

Baby A at 4 Months

This kid gets more and more fun each day!

He had his checkup {and shots which made him horribly miserable, but that's another story for another day} and these are his current stats:

• Weight: 13.1 lbs.
• Height: 25 inches
• Diaper Size: He is still wearing Size 1.
• Clothing Size: He is still wearing 0-3 Months.
• Likes: When dad comes home from work, when mom sings to him, standing or sitting up, laughing and being tickled.
• Dislikes: Being sick, nursing instead of getting a bottle, being held horizontally rather than getting to sit up, loud noises and big groups of people around him.

I love that he is chunking up a bit and has made it to the thirtieth percentile in weight! As his doctor said, that's a big step up since his birth weight was the third percentile! I love my Chunky Monkey!

His personality is adorable and he definitely already has some quirks. One of our favorites is that, because he sneezes all the time, he's figured out the sensation and knows its coming and so sometimes he does a fake sneeze that sounds like he's yelling "Huh!" right before the real sneeze comes. It cracks us up every time.

Another quirk is that he does a little shiver when he pees. We first discovered this because he pees every time we put him in the bathtub. Then we started noticing he randomly shivers the same way throughout the day... and then suddenly the wetness indicator on his diaper turns blue. It's hilarious!

He still cuddles with me {which makes me a very happy momma!} but he is starting to be so distracted by everything in the world around him. He's enjoying tummy time more now that he is strong enough to hold his head up high and realizes it allows him to see all around him. He started rolling from his tummy to his back about two weeks ago but is still a bit uncertain about the fact that he is making it happen and not just falling over.

We got him a chair similar to a Bumbo and he loves sitting in it! He doesn't like to lay on his back hardly at all anymore and always wants to be standing or at least sitting.

TV fascinates him and although I swore I would never be the kind of mom that would just plop my kid in front of a show to keep him entertained, but while he was sick from his shots I lowered my elitest standards for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Henry Hugglemonster. He loves it! And the distraction really helped take his mind off how much his cute little body was hurting.

He has become very attached to his blanket {but truthfully, it's not a particular blanket but rather just any that are soft and fuzzy} and has to have it next to his face when he falls asleep.

By next to his face, I mean that is how we try to position it... but he likes to pull it up to his face. And a lot of times he pulls it completely over his head while he is soothing himself to sleep.

Speaking of soothing himself, he also likes to sing himself to sleep. But in actuality, this singing sounds more like a cross between moaning and humming. And it tends to get louder and louder until he finally falls asleep.

His motor skills are continuing to develop and he has become very adept with his little hands. He grabs at everything and immediately puts whatever he has found into his mouth. He is getting quite fond of pulling his mom's hair...

He is funny around people. He does well in one-on-one time with new people and, like his dad, has a special fondness for blonde girls. It takes a little bit of time for him to warm up to girls with darker hair because they don't look like his mom. He hasn't really met any blonde guys so I'm not sure if he'd be hesitant around guys that don't look like his dad too. And he really doesn't like large group settings and people talking loudly. He does fine at a restaurant or somewhere that the noise stays at a steady roar... but when we have company at our house and individual people are speaking loudly, he gets upset.

I love that he has such a strong personality and has definite preferences and dislikes. He's so much fun!

Baby A's First Soccer Game

Anyone who knows M already knows the fact that he LOVES soccer {or football as he calls it in his cute British accent}. So it won't come as a surprise to anyone that he is secretly plotting how he can guarantee that his son shares the same passion for the game.

And one of the first steps to guaranteeing this is to surround him with soccer. So we took A to his very first live game!