boom!

It's so funny when Kyle starts laughing at something out of the blue. One day, playing with blocks is mildly entertaining to him. The next day, his friend Sophia knocks them down and he thinks it's hilarious! I love that he's starting to laugh at actions, and not just at tickles or funny faces.

These baby laughs melt my heart!

baby vs. restaurant: 6 months

Brian and I love going out to eat. Pre-baby, we would spend far too much money going out for food & drinks. But it's so easy and fun! And we have the best conversations over a few glasses of wine and a yummy, non-home cooked meal.

Now that we have Kyle, restaurant outings are few and (very) far between. Mostly because Brian gets home from work so late during the week that we can't really get to a restaurant, eat and be home in time for our evening routine (feed Kyle, bath, read books, bedtime at 8). Not to mention - eating at home is saving us mucho dinero.

But once in a while it's so fun to brave a restaurant, take a break from routine and have some fun. So last night Brian left the office just a little earlier than usual and we headed to SuperMex as a fam - one of our favorite pre-baby dinner spots that we now consider baby-friendly.

Out to dinner with a 6 month old is actually really fun! There's a lot more stuff to pack, but I think this is a great age for it and here's why:

• Kyle is sitting up in the restaurant high chair like a champ, which is so much more fun for him than being stuck strapped in his car seat.
• We fed him his rice cereal (which I pre-mixed at home) while we were waiting for our food and he loved eating it at the table with us.
• He is really into looking at everything around him, so he just chilled in the high chair and scoped out the kids and dogs around us.
• He's old enough to sit and hang out and play with some toys, but not old enough to want to get out of his high chair after 10 minutes and crawl under the table (and everywhere else!).

Last night's SuperMex experience was way less stressful than our first trip, which we made when he was about 3 months old. Back then he would get fussy after a few minutes if we weren't holding him - not ideal for the restaurant scenario. I think we should take advantage of this fun phase while it lasts!

we still love our dog.

When I was pregnant with Kyle, one of my biggest worries was that our beloved yorkie, Penny, would become a neglected step-child. I had heard from many people that once I had the baby my love for Penny would decrease dramatically and she would no longer be a priority to us. This made me incredibly sad, as Penny was such a huge part of our family. I was very concerned that all of these people were right: once you have a baby, the dog gets pushed to the side - or sometimes out the door.

Six months later, I'm happy to report that our sweet girl is very much still in the picture! Although she is understandably the 2nd priority (I mean, Kyle should be #1, right?), I feel confident that she still feels loved and part of the fam. And Kyle LOVES her! He's kind of obsessed, actually. Up until he was about 4-5 months old, he acted like he couldn't even see her. But now that he's growing up and more aware of his surroundings, Penny is like his little buddy. And she is so protective and patient with him.

I wanted to make a list of memories with Penny for us to remember, so here it is:

• Penny is a snuggle bug. Wherever we are, she is right there next to us. It's been hard for her to learn that she needs to keep a little distance from Kyle, because if she gets too close he will grab her legs, face, ear and start cracking up. Poor Penny.
• When Kyle wakes up from his nap and is making noise in his crib, Penny will push his door open and go check on him, then wait outside his door for me to go get him. So sweet!
• The first time we gave Kyle rice cereal, Penny jumped up on my chair to watch him eat.
• Penny will probably be the reason that Kyle starts to crawl. When they're on the floor together, he will do whatever it takes to get closer to her! (see video below for proof!)

• Thanks to Penny, Kyle gets to take so many walks in his stroller. We usually take between 3-6 walks in the park a day and Penny acts like she owns the place. The kids in the park love to pet her, and the old ladies love to go gaga over the baby.
• Penny still barks at the front door (her most annoying feature by far), but she seems to understand that his nap time is quiet time. Of course if a cat jumps into our back yard or a dog barks outside she'll make some noise, but for the most part she takes the opportunity to nap herself. And her barking has yet to wake the baby - we use white noise in his room when he sleeps, and he's probably used to the sound from hearing it so much when he was in my tummy.
• When Kyle cries, sometimes Penny is noticeably uncomfortable. She will lay in a corner and look very sad.
• If Kyle and I are playing on the floor and he starts to get bored, when Penny comes around with one of her toys it's endless entertainment for him. Speaking of toys - Penny hasn't tried to put ANY of Kyle's toys in her mouth! They are all over the floor but she knows which ones are hers and stays away from Kyle's. It's amazing how dogs just "get it" sometimes.
• I still make Penny do silly poses like this one to post on Instagram (check out #petselfiez - hilarious!). She is such a good sport.

• Since we brought Kyle home, Penny has become so much more protective of me. If Brian wants to take her for a walk without me & Kyle, she'll pretty much stay by our side until we coax her into going without us.
• Kyle loves to sit in his bumbo in the bathtub while I give Penny a bath. It's hilarious.
• We actually make decisions about where to put furniture based on Penny's bed and toys. Seems crazy, but we didn't want to move her bed from the place it's been since we brought her home to accommodate Kyle's high chair or pack-n-play. (Quote from Brian: "Hasn't she been through enough in the past 6 months?!") 
• Since we're on a tighter budget now that I'm not working full-time, I haven't been able to take Penny to the groomer as often for her deep conditioning oatmeal treatment (haha). Poor thing looks so shaggy since her haircuts are few and far between and I have been doing some (half-assed) home grooming. Check out Kyle's 1 month and 6 month outtakes below as evidence. (While she doesn't look as groomed, I think Penny would actually consider this a bonus since she absolutely HATES getting groomed.)

it's obvious dog grooming is not my calling.

Of course Penny is not the center of our world anymore and sometimes when I have the baby she gets in the way, but she's still a huge part of the Coriaty fam. We're lucky that these 2 are getting along so well, and that we have a dog that's so easy-going and patient. I feel so relieved that I can be a mommy to our sweet boy and still have room in my heart and home for my first "child" :)

my niece is a kindergartener!

Today was Harlow's 1st day of Kindergarten - such a big milestone! My sister was understandably a wreck... I am already tearing up at the thought of Kyle starting school in 5 years! Kyle and I watched Jacob (Harlow's little brother) this morning while Harlow's parents dropped her off and got acquainted with the teacher and classroom. Then I was able to join them to pick her up from her 1st day. It was so cute to see all the 5 year olds lined up against the wall in their school uniforms with their backpacks and lunch pails in hand. Harlow gave her 1st day a thumbs up and her teacher a big hug, so it seems like she's going to have a great time in school. I'm so proud and excited for her!

my adorable niece!

can't believe my little sister has a 5 year old!

she was pretty stoked to see Kyle there waiting to pick her up!

ice ice baby

Kyle's favorite thing right now is to suck on ice cubes in the mesh food holders. I bet it feels so good on his teething gums, especially in this hot weather! He had 3 cubes today and sucked them all dry. He even tried to share with Penny but mommy caught him in time :)

These things were made to hold fruits and other foods, but Kyle isn't ready for that yet and they work great with ice cubes! They also double as a teether, since he'll chew on the bottom ring too. Makes for 30 minutes of fun!