September: 7 Months Old and First Day of Fall!

So now the months seem to be flying and Jack is 7 months old, which means lots of babbling, playing, resisting……and Halloween clothes.  I told Travis once we had kids that I was allowed to back date all my oppressed holiday decorating and obsessing and go full blown, and I can’t wait!  Even though it’s still September, I couldn't resist sticking him in little pumpkin socks for this week’s photo:

Age: 7 Months

Weight/Size: 18+ lbs….aka HEAVY

Favorite Words: Does screaming count…?

Favorite Activities: Playing in the sink, swimming in the hot tub, going in the front pack around town

Signature Moves: Constantly blowing raspberries, rolling on his stomach in his stroller on our evening walks and slapping anything with his palm

Likes: Frozen chew toys, necklaces that I wear, balls, listening & watching other little kids, anything that flashes or makes noise

Dislikes: Coughing, getting his nose wiped, Monday mornings at the daycare

Mommy Likes & Dislikes:  The train at the park- kept him entertained and gave me a 15-minute mental break  Dislikes: The train ending so quickly and sick babies :  (

Sleeps: 8pm-6:30am, sometimes waking up and playing around 5am for a half hour or so.  Two big naps a day and a powernap in the afternoon

Changes in Mood/Behavior: Since he’s been teething, he loooooVVVVVvvvves to be carried non-stop, however when he’s ready for a nap he goes into his crib with no objections!  He’s also been eating his mushy foods at dinner like a champ, butternut squash is the current fave.

Eating 8 ounces 5x a day, one solids (or mushy) meal at dinner

Clothes: 9 Months!!

Looking forward to: Halloween with the baby!!  I’ve been looking forward to reliving my childhood vicariously through a kid since I was no longer allowed to trick or treat….

....this past month in pictures.....

We’ve had a super busy month, which included lots of activities naturally to entertain the babe- it’s also the beginning of football season!!!  I’m beginning to think now that I have a kid and I can’t lay out in the sun and relax for 4 hours while sipping on a pina colada that Fall might be my favorite season??  Finally the temperature has cooled down (like, high 80’s but still) and nothing gets me in the mood to bake more than some serious cool nights and Sunday football:

 The first day of Fall also means that our next batch of Longshadow wine is ready, so another trip out to Temecula to the vineyard to visit the place where it all began...

Jackson’s been sick with a head cold recently so lucky for him we’ve had a few “Mommy and Me” days that he’s been too sick for the daycare, but clearly a ball pit can fix anything:

Rolling onto his stomach on our walks in the Orbit:

A few more pics of just hanging out at home in our Fall apparel (even though it's been 90 degrees, I can pretend at least!)

Next up, Halloween!  It’s taking a LOT of willpower not to hang my DIY Halloween banner early.

September: Heat Wave.....

O…..M……G it’s hotter than hell, seriously.  Like 100 degrees every....single....day......bleh.   And what better way to beat the heat then to dress the baby up in his birthday suit, which clearly he has no problem with:

So last week was a little crazy……with Jackson now officially in daycare full time, I’ve been stressing majorly and losing sleep over everything that could possibly go wrong there…..but on our daily evening walk around the neighborhood he finally babbled the sweetest sounding words…..”Ma-ma”.  Possibly the best day I’ve had all week for that small reason, I completely melted and almost cried in front of all the joggers and other dog walkers!!

Teething- first tooth came in last Tuesday!  Rough day.....followed by his second bottom tooth a few days later! :)

Almost 7 months old in the backyard swimming in the hot tub with Dad!!

August: 1/2 Birthday!!

We've made it little guy.....

Happy 1/2 Birthday!!

It's hard to believe that in another six months Baby Jack will be a year old....really??  The nighttime bottles-turning purple when crying-glaring at Mommy days seem so far away, he's really evolved SO much since he came into our lives.......

Age: 6 Months

Weight/Size: 18 lbs, 50% weight & 85% height percentile

Favorite Words: Still “Da-da”, we’ve been working on Ma-Ma a LOT though (well I have been at least- I’m determined)

Favorite Activities: OMG- he just figured out that he could “bounce” in his play yard chair….and he’s a complete crazy baby in it, I keep thinking he’ll launch himself out of it so now it’s a joke between us that he’s actually going to use it to escape one day….also attempting to dance and loves hanging upside down!

Signature Moves:  Chomping on his feet, and sideways “creeping” on the downstairs rug (gateway to crawling…..right??)

Likes: Drinking (or pretending) out of Mommy’s cup, Swimming in the hot tub or pool, playing in his water tub, bath time at night before bed…there is an obvious pattern here

Dislikes: Green “puffs” aka healthy cheerios

Mommy Likes & Dislikes: Last Sunday after pooltime we were sitting in the  backyard when he turned towards me and fell asleep on my chest…I completely melted and decided this child can have whatever he wants for the rest of his life.  Dislikes: Dried guacamole smashed all over the new highchair

Sleeps: 8pm-ish to 7am-ish; Naps 3x a day (last nap powernap)

Changes in Mood/Behavior: Way more alert, smiles when he sees either Travis or myself and very aware of where we are at all times, and a lot more vocal these days- doesn’t want to sit still.

Eating: Avocados and Quesadillas.  LOL!  And a bottle 5x a day still

Clothes: 6 Months, 6-9 Month pajamas

Looking forward to:  More homemade baby puree madness (can’t wait to start mixing the fruits & veggies to really step it up) and more advances towards crawling : )

....this past month in pictures.....

Neon Sunday Funday swimming and playing all day at home

 Starbux date with Mom

 Santiago Irvine Park hike with the whole fam

 Water Play at home

Showing off his skills

August: Food Prep & Guacamole

So if you're one of my good friends, you're well aware that not only do I have a position that requires me to shop online (forecasting, trends, etc), but I'm a HUGE advocate for it....and to my surprise what do I find this morning???  H&M is finally offering online shopping, probably a dream come true for this Mommy with champagne taste on a beer budget!!!  Ever since I stumbled across the additional 50% off sale section a couple of months ago and picked up 5 tops, one pair of jeggings and one dress for $30 I've been hooked.....but enough about me.

Here's what the baby picked up this week, it's time for "solid foods"!!

Baby Cuisinart: 2-in-1 Baby Food Prep w/steam & blend options, amazing.
Table Highchair: We have a thick granite countertop at home, so this little (and travel-ready) folding highchair  made in Italy comes with it's own bag and is available in 6 colors- of course we went with the lime green for Jack : )
Beaba Multiportions: Easy freezing, Easy to pop out and serve!
Beaba Feeding Utensils pack: Not only do they match the highchair (I know I know, I'm a little ridiculous when it comes to coordinating) but these utensils have a rubber handle so it's easy for baby to grip!  Easy to pack in a ziplock and take along too
Silicone Baby Bib: I'm all about convenience with my little guy, and this bib not only looks adorbs but is machine washable and folds up and snaps for super easy storage at home or in a baby bag!

So Jackson isn't quite 6 months old YET (tear....) but last weekend he literally shoved his hand into my guacamole while out at lunch and gnawed on his Dad's leftover quesadilla (he IS our baby, we knew it.)

.....so we bagged the "steamed apples" idea and went straight for the avocado for his "first food":

This month has gone SO much faster than the rest....it's almost time for his 1/2 birthday!!!

July: Summer is here!!

It has been hot hot HOT in Anaheim Hills this July, so much needed pool & outdoor time is a must!  

July: 5 Months??!!

We keep saying we love every age more than the last month…..but this age he’s really starting to love knowing that he can affect things in life and be a contributing member of society…..while he doesn’t have a job yet though, this is our most favorite age yet!  He’s growing up too fast!! : (

Age: 5 Months

Weight/Size: Almost 16 lbs! 95% for height, 40% for weight

Favorite Words: Da-da-da-da, ba-ba-ba-ba (All yelling of course), and random babble

Favorite Activities: The owl play mat (never gets old), his “car” (a plastic driving wheel with a fake key and working blinkers), chewing anything and everything, and picking flowers in the backyard (or tearing flowers petals from their stems really)

Signature Moves:  Rolling across the living room from one side to the next, grabbing his feet - my fave!!

Likes: Splashing in the bath, anything water-related (SO fascinating apparently) & toys!

Dislikes: Getting taken out of the bath, sharp shiny objects purposely being moved out of his reach 

Mommy Likes & Dislikes:  His baby giggles, there truly is no sound in the world better than that, and I’ve been told he has a really good baby laugh!!  Dislikes: Loose “stroller drop off” rules

Sleeps: 8pm-ish to 7am-ish; Naps 3x a day for an hour each in crib w/little to no assistance or rocking

Changes in Mood/Behavior: A lot less likely to be content with staying in one place for a long time…..our babysitter commented this week, “I can tell he is going to be an active boy!”  Pretty sure that’s what our breeder warned told me before I picked up Hunter for the first time

Eating:  Still 6-8 ounces 5x a day, around 8 oz before bed

Clothes: 6 Months, 9 Month pajamas (he's a tall one)

Proud Parent Moment: When I accidentally dunked him in our pool when I missed a step going in….good thing my reaction was of pleasure and happiness when he came up sputtering when I really felt like crying and having a panic attack!!

Looking forward to:  feeding the baby some solid foods!  I’ve been researching like crazy and just bought a Cuisinart Baby Steamer-and-Blender-in-One machine!  He has been showing a lot of interest in our food lately (loves strawberries, not so hot on apples), so I can’t wait to see what he’s going to like and what he’s going to throw on the floor…either way Hunter will get fed too which makes my life just a little easier! : )

July: 4th of July 4 Day Weekend Recap!

So we ended up feeling crazy on July 4th and decided the baby needed to see 

fireworks

at his ripe young age, so we napped him a little later than usual and headed down the street to a huge park for the scheduled fireworks show with blankets & folding chairs and all- he was totally mesmerized!!  He was startled when the first one went off, and by the end he was a liiiiiiittle cranky (who isn’t after being up for almost 4 hours, right?) and was asleep the minute he hit his car seat on the ride home!  Here are a few pics from his first 4th!!

The following day we took Jack out to Long Beach to the big aquarium- I’ve never seen so many strollers in my life, or maybe I’m just noticing them more…to which I had to argue to the “stroller parking” attendant that just anyone shouldn’t be allowed to walk up and “claim” a random stroller that might not be theirs (we all know my mega-mommy splurge was my stroller) that they’ll just sell on Craigslist alongside the baby monitor that was stolen off my front porch last year….anyways the aquarium was a hit and even allowed us time to eat at Rock Bottom during his long nap afterwards!

Saturday we had a pool party with the Jackson family and Jack loved watching Cole play in the pool while the Daddies enjoyed a much-needed beer in the sun.....