Over the holidays we went on a long road trip to Nanny and Poppy’s house. They live about 5.5 hours away by car. There were only 2 rooms to share between the 4 of us, which meant that we would somehow have to combine the boys into one room or each parent would have to share a room with a child. On night 1, I made Larry sleep in a room with Henry and I slept with Charlie. Cut to the next morning Continue reading
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So what if the Lakers suck this season…
8 Janwhen you have this little baller at home?
Yes, I realize that he doesn’t have a ball, but he does have a sweat band, a basketball hoop and a great smile.
Gonna Take My Bike Out
7 JanWe are a very active family. I teach Pilates, which I love! I used to be an avid spinner and loved boot camp classes, but unfortunately due to a shoulder injury I can’t be as hard-core as I used to be. Now I have to modify most of my workouts. Most recently, I’ve taken to running because it doesn’t hurt my shoulder. This is a pretty major move on my part because I HATE running. Nothing about it is enjoyable to me. I did find an app thanks to a dear friend called Couch to 5K, which has definitely made running more enjoyable. If you hate running but are interested in attempting a 5k or 10k, I definitely recommend checking it out. My hubby also works out 3 – 4 days a week (right now doing the Insanity videos — which are definitely insane!). We also both love to go on hikes and before we had kids we used to enjoy riding our bikes.
For Father’s day 2 years ago, I got Larry the ibert bike seat so that we could take Charlie along on our bike rides. Once we had Henry, I would take Henry for a walk in the stroller while Larry and Charlie went for a bike ride. At one point we ended up on the same corner and a random stranger was nice enough to take our picture.
Despite being super happy that Charlie and Larry got to spend some great QT together, I was also instantly jealous. Now Larry and Charlie have their own little ritual where they ride their bike to Menchies for some frozen yogurt and then they ride to the park. I loved that they have this special time together, but I also couldn’t help but feeling that Henry and I were left behind.
I mean, how cute are they?
Hubby knew I was jealous but didn’t trust me with my own ibert seat, because as many of my friends and family know, I tend to be a little bit accident prone. While the ibert seat is supposedly the easiest thing to use, he was and is still convinced that I would lose my balance. He’s probably right. I swear I am super aware of my surroundings, yet somehow accidents find me. I may have mentioned this before but a few of my friends had an over/under as to whether or not I would walk down the wedding aisle with some sort of injury. Sadly, I did! I fell down the stairs a week before my wedding and got a gash on my left hand. Yep, on the ring finger! Guess who has no shots of her wedding ring on her finger on her wedding day? I also stubbed my toe the morning of the wedding. I am that accident prone! Anyway, I digress.
My birthday was December 27th and Larry got me the perfect gift! The InStep Sierra Bicycle double trailer. It’s almost like a stroller that is attached to the back of your bike so that you can comfortably take you lil ones on a bike ride. It was the perfect gift! It also came with an additional handle and a 3rd wheel so that it can be used as a stroller. How awesome is that? We can go for a bike ride, park our bikes and convert the trailer into a stroller!
We set it up that day and went on our first bike ride as a family.
Here I am with both boys, ringing the bell on my bike (per Charlie’s request).
We rode to the park. Here’s what it looks like with both boys inside.
And here’s a video of our first ride.
I highly recommend both the ibert seat and the InStep Double Bike trailer. Both of my kids love being outside so much and so do we. Now we have another fun activity to do as a family. Thanks, Larry for a great present!
Grateful
6 JanHappy New Year! Lately, every time I write a post (which isn’t often) I feel like I need to apologize for my increasingly long periods of absence.
Sorry!
Okay, I feel better.
Honestly though, posting is getting more and more difficult as the boys get older. Those ‘lil rascals seem to think I am here for their pleasure and only their pleasure. If I try to sit down at the computer during their waking hours it quickly fades from an attempt to compose a post to two boys on my lap watching home videos. I’m not complaining. My two bits of deliciousness will win over a blog post any day of the week, but I do miss writing and documenting the everyday ins and outs of life with my boys. Lately I seem to be napping when they nap and I go to bed pretty much when they go to bed so that doesn’t leave much time for writing.
This year I am hoping to write more often. I’m plagued with mommy guilt over the fact that this blog has well documented the first 2 years of Charlie’s life, but has barely anything to say about Henry. While we are riding this guilt train, I also feel bad that we have a million photos of Charlie and barely any of Henry. I always said I wouldn’t be the parent who failed to capture all of the milestones of baby #2, but in fact, I have become that mom. It’s just so much harder to capture the details when you have 2.
One thing I have been quite good at is documenting Henry’s monthly birthday. He hates it. I don’t know if we have had one month where he hasn’t burst into tears when trying to capture his picture. Here are some of my favorite month to month crying shots from months 1, 6, 8, 9 and 10. It’s also amazing to see how he has evolved in 10 months from a puffy eyed newborn into baby boy.
Henry I apologize in advance for deriving so much pleasure from your tears, but they are absolutely and irresistibly adorable.
The boxer
6 months and he hasn’t quite learned to dislike the chair, although he kept vacillating from tears to smiles.
A hat, a rattle and a giraffe couldn’t keep the tears away.
We got so many cute, happy photos during his 9 month shoot, but this one is by far my favorite. I mean, that face!
At this point, his response is Pavlovian. We put him in the chair, he cries. This time we couldn’t even get him to sit up for a few pictures before the meltdown.
In other news, Henry just took his first step (yesterday) and did it again today! He is 10 months old, has yet to roll over, but is crawling, standing on his own, cruising, and now apparently on the verge of walking. This is all happening so fast! I feel like I haven’t even had a chance to appreciate the last 10 months because I have been so worried about his tummy issues, the fact that he hasn’t rolled over, the fact that he doesn’t eat solids, Charlie’s jealousy issues, moving and the daily nuances of life in general. Dumb move on my part.
Here’s a fun fact I’ve learned looking back on it all — babies/kids eventually do all of the things they are supposed to do. They may be ahead of the curve or behind the curve, but they eventually get where they need to be. From now on, instead of stressing out over every missed milestones I’m going to attempt to stay present and enjoy the special things both my boys are doing at this particular moment.
Right now I am very present and thankful that Charlie’s jealousy over Henry is turning into a genuine love for his little brother. It took 10 months but we have finally made it out of the “I want to throw Henry in the garbage” phase. Yes, Charlie frequently said he wanted to throw Henry away. But now he doesn’t! He wants to play with Henry, crawl with Henry, sleep in the same room as Henry, give Henry bottles and give Henry kisses when he falls. Ahh! Finally! It’s like a breath of fresh air to see how much the ‘lil guys love each other.
And with that, this grateful mama is off to bed. Yes, I do realize it is 8pm. That’s how I roll… and also why I don’t have time to write anymore. And we’ve come full circle.
It’s Not Just a Walk in The Park…
16 FebObviously, the best thing about pregnancy is the reward of a beautiful baby. Once baby finally arrives, one of the worst things about pregnancy is coping with the aftermath of what growing a baby inside your uterus for 9 months has done to your body.
Charlie’s Top 3 Toys for Standing and Cruising
10 FebI am a big fan of toys that evolve with baby. All three of these toys are appropriate for multiple stages of development.
Teething Tips
7 FebTeething at its easiest doesn’t impact a baby at all. Teething at its most difficult can come with fever, fussiness, restless sleeping, lack of appetite, spitting up, vomiting and more. Most babies experience something in the middle of the spectrum.
Charlie’s first 3 teeth came in with relative ease. At least I think they did. Charlie got 2 of his 3 teeth during his December to Remember of illnesses. Some of the night-time wake Continue reading
First Word?
4 FebHmm, we are on the fence about whether or not this counts as Charlie’s first word.
Check out the video. Would you count it?
What was your baby’s first word?
Baby Food Bar
3 FebIs it crazy to drive from Los Angeles to Newport Beach just for some baby food? Pomme Bebe, a “baby food bar” (bar meaning restaurant, not edible block of food) has piqued my curiosity. I’m not a baby food snob by any stretch of the imagination. I do try to make as much of his food as possible, but I am not going to beat myself up over serving him a jar of Earth’s Best baby food.
Big Brother
2 FebSome people will say it is a waste of money to purchase or register for a baby monitor with video. I wholeheartedly disagree. The video monitor gives us peace of mind on a daily basis. Sometimes Charlie cries in his sleep; or wakes up for a few minutes, cries and goes back to sleep. Rather than going in the room, we look at the monitor and assess whether or not he needs assistance. Obviously there are times when a certain type of cry is all you need to hear to know that your child is in distress. A “normal” cry is not always so telling, which is when the video monitor comes in handy. It was also super helpful when we sleep trained Charlie.
