NYE

This week I learned that having a sick baby means losing all track of time and reality. Kyle has his 1st ear infection, which means that pretty much all of my energy and brainpower since Christmas has been dedicated to making him feel better. He hasn't been sleeping well (naps or at night), so Brian and I are both running on fumes and learning what it takes to care for a sick child, which is one of the saddest things ever.

I honestly didn't even realize that today is New Year's Eve until I woke up this morning and checked Facebook and saw everyone's "year in review" posts. I guess it's safe to say that we'll be ringing in 2014 at home, and (HOPEFULLY) fast asleep. Brian and I haven't really gone "big" for NYE in a few years anyway, but funny to think that instead of toasting champagne with friends - or even watching Ryan Seacrest on TV - we'll be trying desperately to catch some zzz's and hoping our baby gets some too so he can be well.

Even though we're ending 2013 on kind of a low note, this year was absolutely the best year of our lives. It's amazing how much everything changes with the birth of your first child, and how much you learn. Everything I do is for him, and my heart explodes every day watching him grow. He is truly a blessing and has turned me into someone I've always wanted to be - a mommy!

Feb 2013                                                                                        Nov 2013

My hope for 2014 is that I can continue to grow as a mother and wife. I want to always put my family first, and to keep learning what's best for my son as he grows from a baby to a toddler. Kyle turns 1 in just 6 weeks, and I know that things will be much different with him than they were this year. I'm going to have to start disciplining him (waaaaaah) and teaching him how to become a respectful, smart, fun and honest little man. I truly can't wait.

Christmas!

Kyle's 1st Christmas was ridiculously fun. He spent a good chunk of the day getting some good naps in, and he was so happy spending time with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and of course mom & dad.

We did breakfast at our house with my family, and then headed to Grandma Suzie's for dinner. Kyle's big present from Santa was his big red wagon, and he also got so many fun toys from everyone that should last him all year!

What a lucky boy!

hey, it's Christmas Eve!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas Eve! I spent my morning making this amazing candy cane fudge while Kyle took a glorious 2-hour Christmas nap. Brian only had to work half-day, so he's home now putting the finishing touches on Kyle's Christmas present (he's in the garage making a custom seat for his new red wagon!). Penny is in her xmas jammies and we are all enjoying the beautiful sunny day. So far, Kyle's first Christmas is filled with chocolate and family, what could be better?

8 days 'till Christmas

Just in case you don't have a calendar handy, guess what - only 8 days till Christmas. That means only 7 days until Christmas Eve and 6 shopping days left (because who wants to go shopping on Christmas Eve?).

Kyle will be 10 months in 6 days - just in time for Christmas - which means I'll post a 10 month update soon. But in the meantime, here's a video of the cutest thing I've ever seen: Kyle saying "bye bye" and waving to us in Target. I almost cried, right there in the check out line.

Kyle's favorites: 9 months

I want to start making quick lists to remember the top 5 toys/books/random items that Kyle loves at different stages! I wish I would have started this when he was born, but better late than never. Here are his faves at 9 (well, almost 10) months:

1. Fisher Price Baby's First Blocks

This has been Kyle's go-to toy since he was about 4 months old and he still loves it. I used to take the baby, a blanket and this bucket of blocks to the park and it would keep him occupied for a good chunk of time. Now, he'll crawl over to it, pull it off the shelf, take the lid off and pull out each block. He also likes to put the blocks back in the bucket, and bang 2 blocks together. I pull out each block and tell him what shape and color it is. He also likes to throw them across the room and shove them in his mouth, of course. He hasn't yet gotten the hang of putting the correct shape through the corresponding hole, but I have a feeling this toy will be enjoyed on a whole new level when he does. The thing I love best about it is that it's easy to clean up and easily portable. We took it to my mom's house a month or so ago and he loved playing with it there with his cousin (who is 2.5 and also liked it! Go figure!)

2. Fisher Price Brilliant Basics Stack and Roll Cups

I'm cracking up looking at this picture because we play with this toy wrong. It didn't even dawn on me to stack these cups this way! We do it upside down (stacking them like bowls), but I think I'll try it the "right" way today and see what he thinks. Kyle pretty much likes banging the pieces together and throwing them around. He LOVES the ball, which makes noise. This was the first ball he threw. He also takes the ball and puts it in the bowls and shakes it around. This is another toy that I think he'll play with for a while, because you can do more stuff with it when he gets a little older - the bowls interlock, and it can also help teach numbers, colors and size. Our friend's 3-year-old was playing with it like that when they came over the other day.

3. Where is Baby's Belly Button?

This is Kyle's favorite book! This was the book that taught him to lift up flaps and turn pages. Of course some of the flaps are now torn, but I let him pull on them because that's how he learned to "read" it. I read this to him almost every day, and he will even crawl over to his bookcase and pull it down and read it by himself. The cutest!

4. Push Walkers

We bought Kyle the Fisher Price Musical Lion Walker (left) and we got the Winnie the Pooh helicopter walker (right) as a hand-me-down. He loves both of them, but I think he actually favors the Winnie the Pooh one, even though it doesn't really work the way it's supposed to (we haven't even changed the batteries, so the music doesn't play and the Pooh doesn't move up and down anymore). Kyle loves to open the green console and put other toys in there, and he spins the propellers all the time. Now that he knows how to pull himself up and walk with it by himself, he uses the orange handle and also likes to hold onto the steering wheel and push it backwards! The lion is also pretty cool for around 6-7 months, when he liked to spin the wheels and push the buttons (which he still does).

5. Baby Einstein Videos

Kyle never liked the stage 1 or 2 videos, but he's really into the stage 3 videos (12+ months), especially Baby MacDonald and World of Colors. Our pediatrician recommended limiting TV to two, 20-minute sessions a day, so we usually watch it once first thing in the morning and once more after his afternoon nap, unless I'm not feeling well or really need to get to some e-mails - then I might play it once or twice more. ;) Selfishly, this is one of my favorite things to do with Kyle because he's starting to let me snuggle with him when we watch his show, especially in the morning. We wake up, mommy gets a cup of coffee, and we sit on the couch with a comfy blanket and watch a video while we both take a few minutes to wake up. Heaven!

Honorable Mentions

Big bouncy balls (he loves to throw), paper, his bouncer, toy cars (I think these will definitely make the top 5 in the next couple of months), doors, big plush blocks, wooden spoon, plastic cutting boards, tupperware...

Note - No links or sponsors, I'm just listing things my baby actually enjoys for my own reference and in case anyone is wondering what life is like for a 9 month old :)

Kyle's letter to Santa

I came across this blog post from The Ugly Volvo called "A Ten-Month-Old's Letter to Santa" and I couldn't stop laughing. My favorites are the laptop cord, an iPhone, dog food, a wall-mount entertainment center (AKA the toilet paper roll) and a handful of dog fur - all of which greatly excite Kyle on a daily basis.

This post inspired me to create a list on behalf of Kyle with all the things he really, really wants at 9.5 months:

1. A bite of mommy's burrito
2. Mommy's earrings, bracelet and watch (which she doesn't even wear anymore!)
3. Permission to open all of my dresser drawers and pull out all of my clothes
4. A day pass for no diaper changes - will they ever stop?
5. A fresh newspaper, preferably from the ground, to rip apart and chew
6. More doors to open and close all. day. long.
7. More cutting boards to pull out of the cabinet (see below)
8. Knee pads to protect my little legs from bruises I get from crawling on the tile
9. A piece of daddy's beard
10. Penny's ear. Or tail. Or leg.

[1 minute] snuggles

After months of having a tiny baby sleep soundly on your chest, it's bittersweet when they grow up and decide they'd rather crawl around than snuggle - even for 1 minute - with mama.

BUT I'm finally getting some snuggles again from my baby! Sometimes when he wakes up from a nap, he's happy to lay his head on my chest - if only for 1 minute or so (and maybe with some guidance from me...) while I tickle his back.

I am soaking in every one of these precious seconds. My heart is so happy in this moment; I want to remember it forever!

breakfast with santa

I love this tradition. Santa drives in on a yacht and hangs out while we eat a yummy breakfast, and then take a picture with him. This year it was raining, which made it feel extra cozy inside! My sister & I have been taking my niece and nephew every year, and it was fun to bring Kyle for his first time.

little man

I can't resist this little man! First of all, he's in size 12M clothes here. Whaaaat! (That sweater!) Second of all, he sat on the box so still and just smiled at the photographer like he knew what he was doing. We were in and out of this mini photo session in 3 minutes.

This Christmas is already my favorite thanks to this handsome guy. Now if only I could find time to decorate the house!

blink of an eye

Yesterday was one of those days that Kyle woke up from his nap as a bigger, smarter, different baby. This seems to happen about once a month - he takes a nice, long 2+ hour nap and I swear he is growing while he sleeps.

After he woke up yesterday, he seemed taller and his face more mature. And he snuggled with me for the first time in months. He actually laid his head on my chest (willingly), and stayed there while I tickled his back. For a full minute or so. He did this a few times, and then sat on my lap for a bit while we watched a Baby Einstein video. I was in heaven.

Also - after that magical nap - he learned to turn the pages of his books. Usually when I read to him, he grabs the cover and slams it shut, or picks up the book and throws it. But last night, he turned each page of Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? and seemed genuinely interested while I read the book to him about 10 times.

And that night after I nursed him, he laid in my arms and we were silly with each other and laughed for a good 10 minutes. He would hand me his paci, I would do something silly and he would crack up and take it back. Then he would take it out of his mouth again and hand it back to me so we could play.

It might seem crazy, but every so often he goes to sleep as a little baby and wakes up just a little bit older.

Long Beach Turkey Trot

Kyle and I had so much fun at the Long Beach Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! A turkey trot is something I've always wanted to do, but never got around to until this year. I had the 8 a.m. start time, so I woke up at 6:30 a.m. to get dressed before waking Kyle up to bundle him up and head over to the beach for a 5K run. Brian and Penny dropped us off so we didn't have to worry about parking, which was a nice treat so we didn't have to get there early and walk an extra mile to the course.

I'm a little ashamed to admit that this was my 1st time exercising since I found out I was pregnant. I've always been pretty active, but the day I found out I was pregnant I stopped working out just to be safe (even though the doc said it was perfectly ok). I am a worry wart and just didn't want to take any chances! And then once he was born, well - it's easy to make excuses. It felt great to finally get out there and burn some cals. I ran the entire time (except for a couple pit stops to adjust my baby's beanie and blanket) and even loved feeling sore the next day.

It was our first time using the jogging stroller, and Kyle seemed to like it. He was checking everything out, didn't make a peep during the course and loved eating his breakfast outside by the beach. We were home in time to get the turkey on the BBQ and put Kyle down for his morning nap. A successful Thanksgiving morning!

I'm going to try and take him for a run at least once a week now - no more excuses :)