The Switch...

Today was a big day for the "Boo".  We're passing that milestone from needing BM / formula to whole milk.  It seems like such a small step, but to me it's just one more way that he's turning into a 'big kid' and leaving the baby stage behind.

This time of his life really is bitter sweet.  I thought I would be fine with the transition from baby to toddler (I usually don't get emotional over these types of things) but I really do have mixed feelings about this.  I find myself reflecting over the past year and really thinking "where in the world has this year gone"??  I mean, seriously!!!!  He has changed so much in one year.  I'm really trying to take it all in and enjoy every second of his little life, but it's just zooming by so quickly that it's hard to keep up sometimes.

Anyways, we decided to just 'go for it' and abruptly transition to whole milk...I figured I would try it and see how he likes it (mainly because we ran out of formula and just didn't want to buy more).

What do you think.???? Do you think he even noticed????

Didn't even bat an eye....

I hope the transition to a sippy cup will be just as smooth.

Birthday planning

Our invites arrived today for Nathan's first birthday party.  They are so flippin cute.  We ordered them from Shutterfly.com.  They came pretty quickly (which is nice considering I'm such a procrastinator), they were fairly inexpensive, and very good quality.

And look how cute they are???................

I realize he's nowhere even close to being ONE in this picture, but it's honestly one of my favorites.  His smile, his teeth, his eyes, everything about this pic makes my heart melt.

This is about the only thing organized for the Nate-dog's birthday.  So far I know that it will be fairly low key with mostly family and close friends....we just moved to the area afterall and we don't really know a lot of people here yet. 

The day is also MY BIRTHDAY (let's not forget about that people), and it also happens to be father's day.  So, basically hubs and I are getting screwed out of our "special day" because Nathan will be getting all of the attention.  It's okay though, I'm so excited for his birthday that I really could care less.

11 Month Post

So, I'm a little late...again!!!  This post has been written for a while (in my defense), but our little man is so freakin active that I can't find any good pictures of him anymore.  Don't get me wrong, I love any pics of my little dude, but I would love to see him sitting still and smiling for once.

Pictures these days look something like this....

Maybe he's just waiting to be photogenic for his photoshoot in a couple of weeks.  Somehow, I doubt it...if his one year shoot is anything like his newborn, we're in trouble.

So, let's begin anyways.

Okay, so I am officially freaking out....in ONE MONTH my little 'baby' will be 1....and then, he becomes what exactly....a toddler???...eek!!!!!!!

Today, Nathan you are 11 months old.  And you are changing so fast that we can hardly keep up.

This month you popped 4 more teeth.  This has been the month of teething.  I can see another 2 on the way as well.  We can always tell when another tooth is coming because it wakes you up in the middle of the night.  You usually don't require very much...usually just a little cuddle or reassurance that we're still here (don't worry my love, we're not going anywhere).

This month you also started daycare.  We're trying an in-home daycare at the moment....you seem to like it.  So far there are four of you there playing away side by side.  The only tricky part of daycare is that you only get one nap.  That means that you're a little grouchy pants when I pick you up after work.  But don't worry, we still love you, even when you're whining and crying because you want to play in the dogbowl and we won't let you.

This month you are full-on walking.  You still walk like frankestein (think hands held in the air but not quite as creepy) but you've definitely become more proficient.  You also want to walk EVERYWHERE.  So much so, that you've had your first few tantrums this month (in public might I add).  You DO NOT like being confined to a stroller anymore or even in mommy's arms...you're independent and you certainly let us know it.

You also started waving "hi" this month (well, towards the end of the month)....Mommy has been waiting a long time for this milestone.  And let me tell you, it has been worth the wait.  The way you wave your little chubby hands back and forth is the cutest thing I think I've ever seen.  Clapping is a very close second.  This month you clap for everything.....

Yay, you just waved...clap, clap.  

Yay, listen to the music...clap, clap.  

Yay, you can dance....clap, clap.  

Yay, give mommy kisses....clap, clap.  

Yay, you just climbed inside the dishwasher...clap, clap!!!!  (and yes, this one happens on a somewhat daily basis).

So this is the closest thing to a smiley / still pic that we're gonna get...sigh.  But, it's still super cute.

Nathan, words cannot express how much your Daddy and I love you.  We love everything about you...including the good and the "you're being a little too difficult right now and I kinda wanna rip my eyes out".

Your Daddy and I finally know the meaning of "unconditional love" now that you're a part of our lives. It's cliche but true.
xoxo

My first Momma's Day!!

Happy Belated mother's day to all the AMAZING moms out there (including my own..who just so happens to be the BEST mom ever)!!!!

Yesterday was fantastic...so fantastic that I think everyday should be mother's day...I think it's become my new favorite holiday!!!

We started the day with brunch with my mother-in-law, hubs and boo.  Then we packed our bags, grabbed the pooch and headed on a hike / picnic.  The day was beautiful...warm and sunny with that 'early summer feel'.  We walked for a bit until we found a cute little secluded spot to sit and take a break.  Hubs surprised me with a bottle of champagne (shhhhhh....I'm not sure if this was really 'allowed'), food, and lots of presents.

And, Nathan isn't really drinking the champagne in this picture...mommy and daddy had already finished it at this point ;) 

We started out like this on our hike, but Nathan's decided he HATES being on the back of the ERGO.  Did I mention our child throws tantrums now??  Um, yeah, well he does...I thought that wasn't supposed to happen until he turned 2???

Then we had some playtime with daddy....which Nathan LOVES.  Boston loves it too....he's always there trying to get in on the action.  Poor puppy, he's been so jealous and craving attention since Nathan came along.

Look at those blue eyes...such a little keeper.

All in all, we had a great day.  It was our first real 'family day' since our move over a month ago...and it was waaaaayyyy past due.  It's nice to just spend some real time together just playing, laughing, and just being there, enjoying each other's company.  Made us feel like a real little family.

We finished the day with a BBQ, more wine, and more family time.  

Being a mom is like no other job I've ever had....and I hope that I'll be good at....afterall, I've got a great role model to try and emulate!!!

Mommy Guilt

Now that I've started working full time again (Boooooooooo) I'm finding the mommy guilt creeping up constantly.  I finally started back at the gym after 18 months a brief hiatus this past week.  I guess I'm having a hard time justifying the extra time away from my boo.  It seems like all I do is work right now and when I'm not working I'm running errands, walking the dog, cleaning the house, or doing the 'left overs' from our recent move.

Let me clarify something...it's not really just the guilt.  When I'm gone I really miss the little guy.  I can't wait to come home and play with him, or even just watch him play and explore.  When I'm at work, I think about coming home all. day. long.  So while I do feel some guilt when I'm away from him, there's also this little problem that I miss him like crazy.

Being a working mom is hard.  I'm also sure that being a stay-at-home-mom is hard.  Being a parent comes with all sorts of challenges (luckily, some big rewards as well).  I guess that as parents we still have to remember to take some time for ourselves.  I'm hoping that by caring for myself as well, in the end it will make me a better wife and mommy.

I mean, just look at those cheeks...who wouldn't want to rush home to this everyday!!!!

Hubs, if you're reading this...hurry up and make us rich so I can work part time...I think that's a perfect compromise:)  Sigh, Some day.....

Favorite things 0-4 months

I've been meaning to write these posts for a while, but something always seems to get in the way (namely, my procrastination).

When I was pregnant I always loved reading these posts and I found they helped me soooooo much.  There are so many products out there to choose from that it's so hard to know what to spend your money on.  So, here goes.....

My top recommendation is....lots of swaddle blankets.  Nathan was a pretty tricky baby as a newborn and he didn't like to sleep very much (he's still a little tricky when it comes to sleep).  These swaddle blankets seriously saved our sanity during those first few months.  I loved the Aden and Anais blankets but after a while he started to break out of these so we switched primarily to the swaddles with velcro.  We still use the Halo sleep sack for him and love it.

My second favorite baby item is this "My Little Lamb Swing" by Fisher price.  Nathan slept A LOT in this thing.  It seemed like for a while he would only take his naps here.

I don't think we would've survived those first few months without a baby carrier...and more specifically, the baby bjorn.  For this age I found the bjorn the best, and Nathan seemed to love it the most too.  I tried the Ergo and the moby wrap as well but much preferred the bjorn.  The Ergo is great once they're a little bigger (and we still use it and love it).

For my stroller rec, we went with the Bumbleride Indie...again, another favorite of mine.  We still use this stroller for everything.  It's a great all-around stroller, especially if you're active like we are.  I run, hike, SHOP, walk, (shop some more), in this thing.  I love that it's not too heavy like some of the other jogging strollers and it fully reclines so it's great for him with or without his car seat.

Next up, some sort of reclining bathtub that can fit in your sink.  I had a c-section so the last thing I wanted to do those first few weeks was bend over and bathe N in a big bathtub.

This was probably our favorite "toy" at the beginning...some sort of activity mat.  We took this thing EVERYWHERE.  Whenever we travelled or went to a friends house, we lugged this thing along.  At first he just loved looking at everything (including himself in the mirror), but once he started reaching for things he loved it even more.  We did A LOT of tummy time on this thing too.

And here is the infamous Sophie...and yes fellow bloggers and mommas, it really is worth the $20.  Nathan loved this thing. 

Another favorite that I would HIGHLY recommend is a glider.  We still use ours every night as part of our bedtime routine and during those first few months, it really was a must.  I spent countless hours breastfeeding and rocking this little guy to sleep.  He loves it and we love it.  We have one by Dutalier.

Other favorites:
Binky or pacifier..Nathan love the avent ones
Medela pump in style advanced breast pump
Pack n' play...we used this at the beginning when he slept in our room and now we still use it when we travel
Breast feeding pillow (I used the my breast friend and loved it)

That's all I can think of for now.

Wow, all of these old pics are just reminding me of how fast Nathan is growing....can you believe he's almost 11 months??...geez!!!!

Belated 10 month post

This post is super late...like 2 weeks overdue.  So that means our little guy is more like 10 1/2 months old and soooooo much has happened in the past month (and a half).

So this month was a biggie....We officially have a little walker on our hands.  And when I say "little walker" what I really mean is "a chubby cutie pie who can take 10 little steps and then falls down".  I'm not sure when you can offically call a baby walking, but because I'm such a proud mama, we'll just say he's started now!!!

Everytime you walk Nathan, you have this HUGE grin on your face and we can tell how proud you are of yourself.  I'm glad that you have so much confidence already.  You also always walk with your arms held high as evidence below.

This pic is blurry but wanted to show his cutie pie grin!!!!

This month you also started saying MAMA!!!!  And let me tell you, it's like music to my ears.  You can also say nana, rara, dada, baba, and the list goes on and on.  I'm not sure if these words mean anything to you yet, but mommy thinks you're a genius so they must mean something:)  Speaking of genius, you're still not waving bye-bye.  But, I think it's because you know how badly we want you to do it, so you're actually protesting against it....see, genius!!!!!!

Your sleep this month has been horrendous.  You've learned that when you wake in the middle of the night, if you 'protest' long enough you will end up in our bed.  We desperately need to break this habit but I'm hoping it will just correct itself soon (like tonight, please).  I think you're just recovering from this whole 'moving accross the country' bit so I'm willing to give it a little more time.  And I honestly don't mind the snuggles right now.

You still love to eat...surprise, surprise.  You are eating 100% finger foods now with 3 bottles per day. 

You still take 2 naps per day.  Each are about 60 to 90 minutes.

You are now switching to 12-18 month clothes and size 4 diapers.  You're a little tricky to dress since your belly is so pudgy compared to your legs.  I'm a little sad that eventually your chub will disappear now that you're walking.  I'm going to miss all those little rolls on your knees.

Favorite "things to do" this month....

Playing with the dog Bowl (again)

Pulling out every drawer and cupboard in our house 

Lifting the toilet seat up and down

Crawling up and down the stairs (supervised)

And your absolute most favorite....Pulling every book off the bookshelf

BUSTED!!!!!!

You are a very busy little man but your daddy and I love that about you.  We love that you're exploring and learning about everything.  I think that means you're going to be a smartie pants when you're older!!!