cheese!

This morning I held up my iPhone to take a selfie with Kyle at the bike parade. I told him to look at the camera, smile and say "cheese!" - AND HE FREAKING DID IT:

He said "chisssss" and smiled for the camera! This picture makes me so happy, my heart hurts. That smile, those ears, that double chin! My little man.

I hope everyone had a fun 4th of July! I had to go into work at 5:00 (again, the joys of restaurant life), but we made the most of our morning and afternoon. We did the bike parade in the morning, had some bloody marys and beers with friends while Kyle took a nap in his friend's crib (that was a first, and a pretty frustrating experience getting him to go down in a strange room), and BBQ'd at my dad's house for lunch. Jammed packed day with friends & family!

game changers {fridge edition}

As babies grow up, there's quite a few game changers that completely mix up your daily routine. There's the major ones, like rolling over (don't leave me on the bed anymore, mom! I will fall right off and break my head!), crawling (you have to poop mom? Cool. I'm going to crawl away from you as fast as I can and open the bathroom cupboard with the bleach!), pulling themselves up (oh hey cute frames on the shelves! I'm gonna pull you right onto my eye and poke it right out!), standing up in the crib (Oh, it's nap time you say? Well I'd rather stand up and scream for you instead! Go ahead, lay me down and see what happens next!) and walking (bye mom! I'll never sit still again!).

Then there's the less assuming game changers - some of them good and some not so great - like learning to put their own pacifier in their mouth in the middle of the night (whew!) locking a closet door when they're inside and you're putting laundry away (SOS), discovering how much fun it is to pull on the roll of TP when you look away for 5 seconds.... the list is endless.

Today's game changer may seem minor, but it was one I was waiting on for weeks now: opening the refrigerator on his own. Now every time Kyle goes in the kitchen (the place we spend the majority of our mornings and afternoons), you better believe he's opening that door to check out what's inside. He's been very interested in the contents of the fridge for months now; every time it would open his little hands would touch everything in reach and I'd have to pry him away to close the door.

How does this change my daily routine you may ask? I now have to teach him the appropriate times to open the fridge with my permission, or utilize the baby-proof mechanism, which means that every. single. time. I open it, I must first unclasp a latch. Game frickin' changer.

snip snip

There's something about a baby's 1st hair cut that's a bit heartbreaking. Snipping off those delicate baby hairs is like shedding some of the "baby-ness" and a big step toward turning into a big boy.

We just had to go for it though, because those side curls Kyle had going on were getting out of control - they were a good inch longer than the rest of his hair. Brave dad took out his scissors and went to town, and he did a great job! ...and mom only cried for a second :)

unexpected moments

Every so often, the crazy love I have for Kyle will hit me when I least expect it. It kind of feels like my heart may just burst out of my chest and onto the floor, or like a phantom "crazy mom ghost" is floating through the room and decides to stick her sappy hand down my throat with a bunch of lumps.

It sometimes happens during the typical moments, like when I'm rocking him at night and he falls asleep holding my hand, or when he looks up unexpectedly while we're reading a book for a long, sloppy open-mouth kiss. But sometimes it sneaks up on me, and during those times the lumps seem a little bit bigger because they seem to come out of nowhere!

The latest unexpected moment of mom-pride-love-sappycrazylady was when I let Kyle hold a food pouch for the first time. I know, it seems nuts, but something about watching him stand there in his big boy sandals that he loves so much and eating the food like he's been doing it all his life made my heart explode. You would have thought I was at his college graduation from the way I was holding back tears and wanting to run over and grab him and tell him how much I love him.

I never considered that something so trivial would conjure up such emotion. I absentmindedly handed him a pouch for a snack to try something new and thought nothing of it, but the second I saw him in action I was fighting back tears.

I can't imagine how many times the crazy mom ghost will come to visit in the next 10 years, or 20... who are we kidding, does it ever leave us completely?!

the lump maker! I can't take it!

the solemnest place on earth

My almost 1 year old had his 1st (very quick) trip to Disneyland's California Adventure yesterday, and he was unimpressed. I'm sure (well, actually I'm not sure... but I hope!) he was happy on the inside, but the boy barely cracked a smile the whole time we were there. He's still so young and shy around strangers so I didn't know what to expect, but it was pretty funny to watch him stay completely solemn as he visited the characters and went on a couple rides.

I was lucky enough to get into the park for free (thanks to an awesome Disney connection of one of my friends), so it was a fun experience for us to spend a couple hours of Valentine's Day at the park. However, I don't think we'll go back for a while to spend $137/person until Kyle is a little bit older and might actually have some fun. Next time, we'll hit up the main park first because I think there's lots more baby-friendly activities over there; at California Adventure we were limited to the carousel and Ariel's Undersea Adventure - which he actually seemed to enjoy, even during the "scary" Ursula part! 

this picture kills me. such a big boy!!!

snow bunnies

Last weekend we took Kyle to the mountains for our 1st vacation as a family of 3. To say we were impressed with our little guy is a serious understatement. He was so easygoing and fun, and again made us realize yet again how very lucky we are to have such a good baby!

We stayed in a huge cabin with 4 other families - 10 adults and 7 kids ages 11 months (Kyle), 1, 3, 5, 6, 9 and 17. It was Kyle's first time sleeping in the pack n' play (which I was pretty nervous about), but he did pretty well. The first night was a breeze, but the 2nd night he was up for a few hours. Not crying, just having a hard time falling asleep. The next day we realized he had gotten another tooth and a MOLAR, which probably explains that sleepless night!

The cabin we stayed in was perfect. It had 3 separated levels, so we could put the kids to bed on the top floor and bring the monitors to the basement (with a poker table, bar, air hockey table and flat screen) for a few hours of adult fun. The middle level had a kitchen and huge open area, so the babies and kids could play around while we cooked and hung out.

Since Arrowhead was a sunny 65 degrees all weekend, on Saturday we took a drive to Snow Valley so the older kids could have some fun in the snow. We went sledding and bundled Kyle up so he could experience his first snow day! He wasn't a huge fan of the cold because he can't stand anything on his head, hands or feet (and mean mommy tried to cover all 3), but once he got used to it he had fun watching the skiers and eating lunch by the snow.

The other thing I was worried about was naps, since Kyle doesn't typically take naps just anywhere. It can be a process getting him down - especially in the afternoon - so I was a little nervous that he wasn't going to get any naps in and he would be a wreck at the end of the day. But it ended up working out just fine; he napped on the way there and in his stroller on the first day and took a pretty good nap in the pack n' play the second day. All that mommy worrying for nothing!

Packing for a weekend away with baby is no joke, but it was well worth it. We had so much fun and can't wait to go back again next year!

we have a walker!

I've been busier than normal the past few weeks with our first family vacation, work deadlines and making updates to our house. But I wanted to do a quick post to share that KYLE HAS STARTED TO WALK! He took his first step about a week ago, and he gets better every day. Over the past 3 days, he's gone from 3 steps and falling face first to practically walking across the room unassisted. It's so adorable and he is so proud of himself.

My big boy also got his first molar this week. I'm not sure why, but the second I saw it I lost my mind and started crying uncontrollably... I wasn't expecting to see such a big boy tooth in my baby's mouth! I think the fact that he is walking and getting "adult" teeth was just too much for me to handle at once. A mom's heart is a very delicate thing :)

tiny milestones

Of course it's fun to celebrate the big milestones like smiling, rolling over, crawling... but sometimes it's the little things - like watching Kyle eat a snack out of his big boy cup for the first time - that catch me off guard and remind me that my baby is on the fast track to becoming a little boy.

10.5 months

trick or treat

Kyle is entering that fun time when a baby learns to respond to different cues and "answer" questions. It's so fun to watch him learn new tricks! His current repertoire includes:

• giving kisses (aka opening his mouth wide and leaning into your face)
• giving hi-5's
• waving and saying bye-bye (sometimes a couple minutes after someone actually says "bye" to him, but he's getting better!)
• throwing his arms in the air when someone asks him "how big is Kyle?" - this one is still my favorite :)
• making a circle motion with his arms when you say "round and round!"
• dancing/bouncing/jumping in response to the word (they're all the same)
• mimicking certain sounds, like coughs and laughs (he is developing a killer courtesy laugh)
• and the latest... his elephant sound! here's a video of him making his elephant sound as he walks along the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets. Sometimes he puts one arm up when he does it (like when mommy makes the sound with the "trunk"), but he was too busy exploring at this moment to humor me.

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!

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.

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 :)

crawlin' and throwin'. nbd.

Kyle is officially a crawler! He woke up from his nap yesterday and decided it was time. Of course his motivation was Penny - he's been trying to crawl to her since the first time he laid eyes on her. Now he is constantly crawling to her, or her ball. Oh, and his other new trick is throwing! He actually picks up balls and throws them across the room. Yup, I seriously play catch with my 8 month old. How is this happening?

So far life is actually a little bit easier now that he can get around, because he's not so frustrated all the time that he can't go anywhere, and isn't constantly looking for my hands to pull himself up. But I think we're still in the honeymoon crawling 101 phase, because he'll still sit still and play for a good chunk of time before he takes off.

PS - Day 1 of crawling he found the remote control and got the battery out, and day 2 of crawling he tried to stick his finger right in the socket and then pull off the protective cover. Fun times ahead!

12 years

This weekend Brian & I continued the tradition of our annual Knott's trip to celebrate our date-a-versary, only this year we had an extra little guy tagging along with us! We had so much fun, even though we didn't go inside the park - we ate at Pink's (yummmmmy chili dogs) and did a little people watching and shopping. Next year we will definitely be taking Kyle into Camp Snoopy for some kiddy rides!

I think we've been to Knott's every year since we started dating, but we didn't think to start taking the picture with us holding up the year until the big "4". And sadly we missed year 9 :(

2001 - skinny babies!

2005

2006

2007

2008 - and no beard... what?!?

2009

2011

2012 - 5 months pregnant

2013 - with our baby boy :)

trick or treat!

On Halloween, we took Commander Kyle around Grandma Suzie's neighborhood to meet the neighbors and of course everyone thought he was adorable :) He even grabbed some candy from Ken's bowl! (Which mommy ate... plus about 50 other pieces of chocolate. Oops.)

After we made the rounds, we had a nice quiet night in with Grandma with some sloppy joes and cole slaw. Yum! The perfect 1st Halloween for our little guy.

ready for launch

Commander Kyle is ready for his 1st Halloween!

adventures in food

We started our food journey on Saturday and it didn't go as I'd hoped. I think it's safe to say that Kyle is not a fan of peas. After giving them to him, I'm hearing from almost everyone that their baby didn't like peas, either - so I'm hoping our next attempt veggie will go over a little better.

It's crazy how many schools of thought are out there regarding how to introduce solids. I'm reading so many books & blogs and getting advice from everyone, and it's all over the board. Many people are saying that rice cereal is no longer necessary and to start with a sweet potato, apple or avocado... but for now we're going to follow the path recommended by our pediatrician: start with rice cereal for 2-3 weeks, then introduce green veggies (along with rice cereal) for 2-3 weeks, then replace the cereal with orange veggies and continue feeding him green/orange veggies until our 9 month check up, when we can start on fruit.

Kyle responded great to the cereal (I mix with breast milk, he loves it and it didn't give him any digestive problems), and I'm hoping to find some green/orange veggies that Kyle loves. We'll keep trying something new every 3 days, and we'll see how it goes. I'm not opposed to introducing some intro fruits as well if necessary, but figure I might as well give this plan a shot and see how it goes.

Any food advice is welcome!

zoom zoom

This weekend I let Kyle's cousin Harlow take him on his first "ride" at Babies R Us. Maybe not my most responsible mommy move, but it made Harlow feel super grown up and got Kyle out of his car seat for a few minutes to stretch his legs. His expression in this picture cracks me up.

i hate you, teeth

My hatred for teeth started when I was 5 years old and chipped my 2 front shiny new permanent teeth in half. Then, I chipped them in half again when I slipped in the bathtub around age 8, and again at age 12 diving into the shallow end of my neighbor's pool (long story). As an adult, I've had to have teeth pulled, root canals, multiple fillings, you name it. The worst!

I think teeth are terrible, and now even more so because my poor baby is cutting his first tooth. I can feel a little nub coming through his bottom gums, and he is drooling like nobody's business. He wakes up in a puddle almost as big as his head.

Yesterday, he woke up from his nap and would not nurse. He just laid there in my lap and looked up at me crying and acting like he didn't know what to do (this is very unlike him). And this morning, he couldn't fall asleep even though he was so. tired. and clearly needed a nap. He would just lay there, fall asleep for 1-2 minutes, and then wake himself up fussing. I tried to help him get some rest, but it was obvious that he was in pain. This cycle went on for almost an hour until it finally got the best of him and he was able to zonk out for a while.

I've heard terrible, horrible, no-good stories about teething and was hoping & praying that Kyle would have it easy, but it looks as though he's not off the hook. Teething is most definitely a bitch and our journey is just beginning.

nom nom nom

Today Kyle got his first taste of rice cereal. He was a pro! He ate it up like he's been doing this his whole life. He loved it and gobbled every bite, then wanted to play with the spoon forever and ever. I can't wait to give him veggies in a couple weeks! Eating is fun!