cousin time

On Saturday, Brian and I got some practice in what it's like to have more than 1 when we took Kyle and his 2 cousins, Harlow & Jacob, to the carnival down the street. I had a little bit of anxiety before we left the house, but once we figured out how to manage 3 car seats (in 2 cars) and found parking, it was easier than expected! The kids were great and Harlow had a blast on the kiddie rides (Jacob was only big enough to go on "the boring one" as Harlow said, but I think he had fun anyway). Kyle loved all the sights and sounds and after 30 minutes, he was sound asleep in the Baby Bjorn. A successful family day!

we stopped to feed the ducks on the way out!

9 weeks

Kyle, you are 9 weeks old!

This week, you discovered how fun it is to stick out your tongue. You do it almost every time you smile now, and it's usually covered in milk. I even caught you licking the Baby Bjorn on our walk. Yum!

I have a tongue!

Mommy has been taking you a few more places and you've been a good boy this week! Our 2nd trip to Target was a success, as was our 2nd attempt to watch cousin Harlow at her ballet class, our first trip to Babies R Us for a new sleep sack (you grew out of yours!), Baskin Robbins with daddy for $1 cone night and a couple more trips to the grocery store. We still haven't braved a restaurant yet... that's next!

just hangin out with mom...

We're still working on getting you to nap in your crib and I think we're making good progress. You're sleeping in there right now, going on 30 minutes. Yay! Big improvement from last week, when you napped in there a total of 0 minutes. I discovered that bending over the crib and keeping my hand on your chest for a few minutes after I lay you down keeps you calm - yay for discovery, boo for my back.

*update - today's crib nap lasted... wait for it... 1.5 hours!

You still love the mornings, and so do I. Nothing better than hanging out with a happy baby first thing in the morning, especially after a "good" night of sleep (new definition of good = 5 hours without waking up).

Tomorrow we're taking Mother's Day pictures, just mommy and Kyle. Can't wait to put you in your cute new outfit and see how our first professional photo turns out :)

2 month check up

Kyle met Dr. Wong today for his 2 month check up and seemed to love every second! I was a proud mama. He smiled and held still while the doc checked his ears, eyes, mouth, heart, belly button, head, height and weight - everything looked great! He asked if Kyle was following objects with his eyes, talking, kicking his feet and holding his head at tummy time - all yes! Then he (and mommy) only cried for a minute after his first round of shots.

The doc recommended we move Kyle to his crib at night soon and not to tend to his every cry throughout the night, which gives me a little anxiety. Maybe next week I'll feel more ready? Right now we have a good thing going and I'm trying not to over-think "sleep training" so I don't end up like this mom.

2 month stats: 12 lbs, 12 oz (80th percentile); 23.5 inches (75th percentile)

waiting for the doc!

grandma Suzie came with us for support... and to take a picture :)

he took it like a champ!

More pics from Kyle's 2nd month

family matters

We had the best, family-filled weekend. Saturday was a successful Mammie Day, and Sunday we drove Kyle to meet some of the extended Coriaty family. After a 3-hour visit, I left the Coriaty house feeling so blessed knowing that Kyle is loved by so many people! He was such a good baby the whole time we were there, soaking everyone in and even taking a little nap. He met lots of Coriaty cousins for the first time, including Joe & Therese, Mary, Nicole and Kayla.

Kayla is Kyle's 5th cousin!

And what a lucky baby boy to have a grandma who loves him so much that she spent Saturday & Sunday working on a license plate mural for his vintage car nursery! It turned out perfect.

Thank you Grandma Suzie!

Kyle's room is really coming together and is almost done! I can't wait to photograph it and share it with everyone.

mammie day

In our family, Saturdays are "Mammie Days," where Mammie (my mom) drives down to see her grandbabies. My mom has been doing this since my 4-year-old niece Harlow was born and we look forward to seeing her every week. Since Kyle was born, Mammie Day ends with my mom, sister, niece and nephew coming over to visit with Kyle and we are both loving it!

kisses from Mams.

Cousin Jacob & Kyle. They're 20 months apart.
I think these 2 will get into some trouble together not too long from now!

8 weeks

Kyle, you are 8 weeks old... and you won't stop growing! I can't wait until your 2 month check up on Thursday to see what you're measuring. Your face and legs have really filled out and you're looking more like a baby boy than a fragile infant.

week 2 vs. week 7 - look at those cheeks!

You're sleeping more than ever, growing boy! You'll wake up in the morning and be ready for a nap just an hour or two later. Then you'll take 2-3 more naps before dinner and 1 after dinner before we put you down for the night. This week you gave us your first 6-hour stretch of sleep, 2 nights in a row! It was the best 10:30 - 4:30 of my life :) We're back to 4 hour stretches now but we're starting to get on more of a schedule, which is nice.

Also this week, you had your first inconsolable cry for no apparent reason... at your cousin Harlow's ballet class. Your auntie was holding you outside as we watched class through the window and everything was great, and then BAM! A cry fit like I haven't seen. For 15 minutes. In public. And then you fell asleep. Oh, babies.

You are smiling and cooing like crazy, it's the cutest thing ever. And you'll stretch for a good 10 minutes at a time, a few times a day. It must feel so good to stretch all those muscles out after months of being squished up! You still don't like to be in one place at a time for very long, but you do enjoy tummy time for a few minutes every day and still like driving in the car and being outside (well, except for those 15 minutes at ballet!).

cheese!

big streeeeetch!

strong boy.

talking to daddy.

I'm excited to take your 2 month pictures with Penny on Tuesday! Also excited to take you to the doctor, but dreading your first round of shots. I think we need to take Grandma Suzie with us for support.

cutie on aisle 6

I somehow managed to go 7 weeks without stepping foot inside a grocery store. Brian has been picking up necessities on his way home from work and cooking some dinners, but I'm not ashamed to admit we've been doing a lot of take-out and pizza. This morning when I was forced to eat a tortilla and piece of cheese for breakfast (I cannot even call this a quesadilla because I didn't have time to grill it or even warm it up), I knew today was the day... Ralphs here we come.

apples...

...and beer

I was a little nervous Kyle was going to get bored and start crying because he usually doesn't like to be strapped in his car seat for very long, but he was a good baby! We started off in produce, and by the time we hit my favorite aisle he was out like a light. A nice old lady even stopped to tell me that he looks just like me. She was wearing bifocals and using a cane, but I was excited to hear it anyway :)

Kyle stayed asleep long enough for mommy to get her eyebrows done on the way home for the first time in 2 months. You're welcome world!

auntie love

I've been an auntie for 4.5 years now and it is one of my absolute favorite roles. I love my nieces and nephew like they are my own! Now, one of my favorite things in the world is being able to watch my sister Karrie with Kyle. She loves him so much, and at only 7 weeks old it is very apparent that he loves her back. He snuggles up to her and is so calm in her arms. This may have something to do with the fact that she's been showering him with non-stop kisses and hugs since the second he was born!

Karrie finally got her wish to babysit Kyle yesterday when I left him at home and ventured out alone to my postpartum check-up. It felt weird and sad leaving him behind for a couple hours, but knowing he was with his auntie (who was sending me non-stop pictures and video, of course) made it ok.

In this video, you can see the love for her in his face! So sweet!

Brian, Kyle and I are so lucky to have family that loves us so much. And I'm so happy that my sis finally understands the love I have for her babies - auntie love!

my son & his auntie "KK"

(wo)man vs. crib

For some reason I've not been ready to put Kyle in his crib. It seems way too huge for such a tiny baby (not to mention it's in the other room. Down the hall.). I haven't even wanted to lay him down in there for a nap! He's still sleeping in our bedroom in his snug-a-bunny sleeper (which he loves, and goes right to sleep at night) and napping in my arms or in the swing.

This is Kyle 3 weeks ago (I put him in his beautiful crib just long enough to take the picture):

sweet little baby!

But after 7 weeks of baby mostly napping on me, I realized I was making a classic first-time mom mistake and that this is not an ideal situation for real life. At some point I will want and need to put him down in his crib so I can get something done during nap time other than watch him sleep! And sadly enough, I won't always be around for him to snooze on. He also needs to get used to sleeping there, since he is growing at the speed of light and the snug-a-bunny won't last forever.

I decided today is the day to try and put him down for a nap in his crib. I could tell he was very tired, so after some coaching from my sister I swaddled him up, rocked him a bit, cranked up the lullabies and laid him down. First attempt = 3 minutes of sleep, then awake and confused. I gave him some love, rocked him a bit more, put him back down. Second attempt = 5 minutes of sleep. Did it one more time, and he slept in his crib for 30 minutes! I was very proud of both of us!

Sound asleep!

I'm definitely not ready for him to sleep here at night, but I'm going to try and put him down in his crib at least once a day so he can get used to it. Baby steps :)

7 weeks

Kyle, you are 7 weeks old!

Is it just me, or are these weeks flying by like crazy?! It's weird, I can actually see you growing before my very eyes. It feels like every day I wake up and I can see changes in you. Your face, tummy and legs are fuller, your diapers and clothes fit differently (on Monday you weighed 11 lb, 7 oz and you're now wearing size 0-3 months, or some 3 month PJs and onesies), you're moving your arms and legs like crazy - just right now you're laying on my chest and I hear you sucking your hand! This is a first.

Yesterday you were in your swing while mommy & daddy ate dinner. You started to fuss a little, so I went over to you, sat in front of the swing and said hello (ok, maybe it was more like a squeal and instead of hello it was "who's my sweet, precious, handsome boy?!"). You looked right into my eyes and smiled from ear to ear! We were having kind of a bad day, but the second you did that all frustration flew out the window and my heart melted into a puddle. 

You've also been "talking" a lot more. I've been trying to catch it on video but was only able to get this one little coo! I'll keep working on it :)

Daddy went to Angel stadium for Opening Day this week. You're a little too young still, but we hope we'll be able to take you to your first game later in the season. Since the 2 of us stayed home, I got you dressed in your Angels gear and sent a picture to daddy. Let's go Angels!

I took you to Barnes & Noble twice this week and you were so happy both times! I think you like the soft music and all the colors. This makes mommy very happy :)

future bookworm?

my big 7-week old!

hanging with daddy in your Joe Jost's gear.

morning snuggles

I love this picture I took of me & Kyle this morning. He looks so precious! He was so content laying on his blanket, kicking his legs and looking at the toy I was holding up. Love these moments with my baby boy.

mommy & Kyle

old friends & new babies

Kyle hosted his first houseguest last night - our friend Ana, who is in town for a few days from her new home in Northern California. I was so happy to see her, even for a short time! Today a group of our friends got together for lunch in the park behind our house to catch up before she headed out to her cousin's house.

It's funny to think of what this group of girls was up to 10 years ago, when we worked together at Lucille's and our "play dates" were 21 & over :)

Thanks for staying with us, Ana! And you look cute in this picture! xo

smiles for grandma Suzie

we love when grandma comes to visit!

6 weeks

Kyle, you are 6 weeks old!

You had an exciting day today - you went to your first party for Emily's 4th birthday, where you slept in the Baby Bjorn the whole time and wore your first party hat (and made dad wear one too). Later, your cousins, auntie KK and Mammie came over to visit and give you lots of lovin.

party hats!

Every day is a new adventure with you since you're still learning what you like and what you don't. One day you love taking walks in the park, and the next day you cry the entire time! You are starting to like baths, but don't like the lotion part; you seem to like your diaper changed and love to lay on your changing table, where you stare at the picture of the Ferrari on the wall; you sometimes like tummy time and sometimes fight me the whole time; you like it when I sing you songs at night and usually love to take drives. You're starting to notice toys but aren't quite following them with your eyes yet. You still like your big swing, where you'll sleep for a couple hours in the afternoon. We're figuring it out together!

I'm so amazed by how strong you are. It seems like you were born holding your head up, and I can't believe some of the things you try and do. When I'm burping you on my shoulder it's almost like you're standing up on my tummy! You like to push off with your legs and hold up your body and look around. Strong boy! And your eyelashes seem to grow by the day - long and curly. I'm pretty jealous of them, actually.

This week we made a trip to Target and I don't think we'll be doing that again for a little while. Turns out you're not quite ready for shopping trips yet. Or maybe mommy isn't ready :)

Also this week we saw your first tear! You were crying in the car on our way home and a teardrop came out of your eye. Oh so sad.

Penny loves hanging out with her brother. When you're in the swing, she'll lay on the couch near you the entire time. And she loves laying on the blanket/mat with you - wherever you are, she's there keeping her eye on you!

buddies

Kyle's first month in photos

Have you checked out our Shutterfly site lately? I just updated it with a bunch of photos from Kyle's birth and first month!

I'm 9lb 2oz, ouch!

our new family

Mammie

Auntie KK

You can see the rest here!

making friends

Last night, Kyle met his GiGi (great grandma Harlow) for the first time, and mommy forgot to take a picture. Nerds! GiGi brought Kyle some sweet goodies and he loved looking at her glasses when she talked to him. Next time I'll take lots of pictures to make up for it.

__________

Today, Kyle and I ventured out to our friends Anna & Emily's house for a few hours. It was one of those amazing "good baby" days! He fell asleep on me for an hour while I ate lunch, woke up happy, nursed under the hooter hider for the first time, tried out a new swing (and loved it!) and even smiled a couple times. I had the best time hanging out with him and chatting with my friends. Today my mommy confidence got a much needed boost!

Emily promised to teach Kyle how to play and blow bubbles when he's old enough.

announcing Mr. Kyle

aye aye

Kyle's such a good eater now... he gained 10 oz. this week and now weighs 10 lbs, 9 oz! Aye aye!

We love our super cute Baby Gap outfit from our friend Morgan :)