Road trip/Flight #4 (Part one)

IDEEEHO!

Figured this blog should be in 2 parts. I've been here so long that I have a ton of pictures and stories!

Let's start with part one of our Boise trip!

Grant parked and walked us in to LAX. He made sure we were all check in before he left us at the security check point. I didn't find out until later that I could have gotten Grant a pass so that he could have taken us all the way to the gate. It didn't matter this trip, but if we had more children that would have been super helpful! The other pics are of Jake on the plane. He did great. We fed on the way up and down. We played in between. He didn't sleep much on the plane. He flirted with all the women that walked by. No lie. I'm in trouble with this little flirt!

My grandma picked us up at the airport. We went to lunch and then we went home to hang out and wait for the rest of the family to get off work. I was so happy to be home!

My little brother Dylan is getting so big! He's going to be 8 on 4/3. 

My parents couldn't wait to hold him!

Jake was in awe of Dylan. He just lights up when Dyl walks in the room.

Jake's first haircut. Sitting on Grandma Spellman's lap.

I learned how to crochet while I have been here. Yes, people... me! I'm making a blanket for my bedroom now. It's a work in progress. The picture below was at the knitting shop. Knit one/Quilt two! ;) Jake was playing peek a boo with his auntie Kim!

A week into our trip Jake started suffering from allergies. The allergies turned into a secondary infection. We were in urgent care 2 nights in a row. Finally with antibiotics he's doing great! We ended up extending our trip another week because Jake wasn't feeling well. I didn't want him to fly all stuffed up. I was worried that his ears wouldn't pop, and that he would feel more miserable. I ended up getting sick as well. Pretty much the same thing happened to me. Allergies on hiatus... then secondary infection. I'm feeling better after antibiotics as well. We'll be home next Wednesday. I will be sad to leave my family... but, I miss my husband terribly!

It was been such a fun trip. Jake and I have had a lot of firsts together! First plane ride, first sickness, new foods, first haircut (in a salon where I got my hair done), and new appreciation for California weather.

Part two coming soon...
Cheers,

Stone Chic Sunday Obsessions

The last couple of weeks have been busy for Jakey poo and I. We have been in Boise, Idaho for the past 2 weeks... and we ended up staying a week longer because my precious angel got sick. I wasn't going to fly with a sick baby... if I didn't have to. Now, I'm sick. Jake hadn't been sick until now. I guess I was fortunate to at least get him to 6 months old. Apparently allergy season hit late up here in Boise. Coming from California and our mild weather it shocked our systems. And the one thing that Jake got from me was my allergies. We both got secondary infections. But, we are both finally on the mend. We come back to Southern California next Wednesday. I will make sure to get back to blogging then!

Until then... Here are my must haves for this week!

• With the stuffy, running noses I purchased the following item. At first I thought they were lame, but I heard some good things about them. I thought it's better to use something soft and with saline then a tissue or bibs. They seem to really work. Jake doesn't really care for them. But, they work and do the trick for now.

• Even though I have a diaper bag, I wanted to get something that is even more like a purse. A purse big enough so I can look stylish and also carry all of Jake's needs. I found one. Grant gave it to me for Christmas. It was also perfect for the trip we just took. I was able to carry my things as well as his for our 2 1/2 hour flight. 

Happy Sunday everyone! Blog more soon.

Cheers,

Stone Chic Sunday Obsessions

Good morning family/friends!

Hope you all remembered the time change today! I have been up pretty early getting laundry done and packing for Jake's and my trip to visit my family in Idaho tomorrow! So, it's been busy here already!

• This week I'm obsessed with bananas and oatmeal. Simple, right? It's super easy and he LOVES it. I take about 2 tablespoons of oatmeal (organic), mix it with about 1 oz of breast milk, and it's done. Instead of buying premade bananas or the oatmeal with bananas in it, I just take a banana (organic), mash it with a fork, add a little breast milk... and there you have it... breakfast! I combine the two and he just goes to town. He loves breakfast! 

• I'm not a big advocate for sitting children in front of the television. But, with Jake on the go I can't leave him in a bouncer, swing, or on anything while I'm in the shower. I lay him in his crib with a few teething toys and put on the following DVD. I'm only in the shower for 15 minutes so he's not in there watching Calm Baby for long. Half the time he's playing with his pacifier while he's in his crib. But, the music relaxes him. Sometimes, he'll fall asleep while I'm in the shower because he gets so relaxed. Then when I get out of the shower I put his floor gym down and we can get ready together! When he had tummy pains early on I could put this on and rock him to sleep. It's calming music. They also have a CD and sometimes I just have that on in the background. 

• Last obsession this week is actually my husbands obsession. The Jura - Capresso machine. The obsession started after our last trip to Oklahoma City to visit my brother/sister in law. They made us coffee/espressos and Grant fell in love with it. He talked about it for months... I finally I ended up buying this particular model below for Christmas. I can't lie though... I love making lattes with it. And now, I have become the barista in the house. I like to make my own latte! I've always been a Starbucks snob, but sometimes I don't even like theirs. I start out with a cup... sometimes 2 a day! Thanks OKC Stones for one of our obsessions! ;)

Hope you all have a nice Sunday! The time change will definitely call for another latte... thinking around late afternoon!
Cheers,

27 weeks - weekly update - 6 month baby well check up!

Last night, I was holding Jake while he slept in my arms. I treasured that moment. I didn't want to put him in his crib right away. I let him sleep on my chest. I held him and prayed. I thanked God for the blessing of this child. I thanked God for the opportunity to become a mother. It's inevitable that one day he will have to move on and grow as an adult. But, until then... I am his mommy and I will love on my son as much as I like. I can't spoil this infant. I want him to be happy, and that in turn makes me happy!

It's hard to believe how fast time flies. I feel like I say this all the time. But, seriously... He's 6 months old already! I'm amazed when I look at him everyday. He does something new that makes me smile. Becoming a mother has been the toughest thing I have EVER done. However, the most rewarding. Watching him grow and explore is priceless. It was a difficult transition at first... from working everyday to not working and being a stay at home mom... but, I get to watch this little guy make every move. I'm fortunate to be able to be home. I wouldn't want it any other way. It's so rewarding watching him grow from a newborn to a little boy. I'm learning that I can still be me and be a mom. As it turns out, Jake likes to be active as well. :)

On to more important matters! Let's talk about how big my baby is getting. He did great. I love our pediatrician. Dr. Lao is super sweet and patient. If you know me, you know I ask many questions. In fact, I bring a list. I place Jake's next appointment in my blackberry and as questions come up, I place them in my phone. Then I don't forget anything. 

My baby love is doing great! He's still off the charts. His stats are the same as last appointment. He's 28 1/2 inches (95% percentile), and 20 pounds (90% percentile). He gained 3 pounds and grew 2 1/2 inches! Big boy. He's eating everything! He loves to eat. His favorite so far is green beans and sweet potatoes. However, he loves bananas and pears too. OK, he has liked everything but sweet peas. :)

He reaching and pulling things down. He's in the crawl position (getting onto his knees), but he's still scooting around. He's almost officially crawling! Yikes! Jake also is trying to pull himself up on things. Can't really leave him alone because he's quite mobile. 

He's talking so much. He's making all kinds of sounds. And he is trying to communicate without crying. I just love his sounds. He isn't much of a crier. He's pretty easy going. I'm hoping he stays easy going while we travel next week. Just him and I are going to Boise, Idaho. I'm not going to lie... I'm a little nervous traveling with him alone. I'm not sure what to expect. I'm sure he'll be a good boy though. I mainly worried about carrying everything. What is important to bring? Tylenol (in case), pacifier, food, etc. Thank goodness I'm still breastfeeding. That is built in! I haven't seen my parents since Christmas. That is too long. We plan on going back for the Fourth of July as well. We'll see! I like placing times on the calendar. Then I have something to look forward to. It doesn't make it as hard to leave knowing I'm going back! 

Here is a picture from the doctors office taken on Grant's cell phone.

Road trip #3

Over the weekend Grant and I took our third road trip as a family of 3. Seems like we are constantly on the go lately. I so look forward to our weekends away. Grant works so much and travels often so we are doing little weekends away when we can. California is an amazing state, right? We start out at the beach (where we live) and ended in the mountains skiing. Just awesome.

I have never been to Mammoth, so needless to say I was SUPER excited. Growing up we always went to Big Bear or Arrowhead. I was a figure skater growing up. So, I spent most weekends at the training center in Arrowhead. Mammoth is so different though. Both beautiful places.

Grant and I went up on Friday late morning and just relaxed. We unpacked and then went back out to explore the city. We went to eat and checked out the lodge. After that we went to the grocery store to stock up on food and wine. Yep, wine people. That night we didn't want to do anything. We ordered pizza, opened a bottle of wine, put a movie on, and did nothing! It was amazing! Jake fell asleep early, so we put the monitor on him in the bedroom and enjoyed our time together.

The next day Grant's cousin Amanda flew into town. After she arrived we went to the lodge, got ski equipment, and went to lunch! Vacation = food. :) Anyhow, the next day Grant and Amanda skied, while Jake and I played inside. It was really snowing. In fact, I heard the wind the entire night howling. When I woke up, I opened the window and thought we were snowed in. Amanda (who's originally from Pennsylvania) laughed at me. She called it a "snow flurry". Oh, California girls. So, they left, and I turned the heater on and drank a mocha. ha ha.

We all had a blast. What a relaxing weekend!! That night we drove back. I'm so glad we went. I'm excited to go back... and next time snow board!

Here are some pictures from our trip!

Jake woke up, and Grant went in the room to comfort him. Jake knows to look at the monitor when he wakes up. Too smart! This image made me laugh. Had to take a picture! Priceless. 

On the pod heading to the lodge.

Beautiful babes.

It had just stopped snowing for a second. And Jake was asleep for the picture.

My boozy baby

It's starting...

My little man is officially getting into everything! I put a blanket on the floor, put his toys down, and then I let him explore. I'm never far. I'm usually sitting next to him on the floor or I'm in the kitchen. A couple of days ago I went to the restroom and when I got back... this is what I came back to:

I had diapers on the book shelf, and he yanked them down. I put them back, and he pulled them back. He thought he was so funny! After about 10 times of this... I removed everything from that shelf. :)

His next accomplishment will be pulling himself up on something. He's currently plotting how he will pull himself up on his jumperoo.  He stares and grabs at it while he's on the floor. 

He also loves to clap and sit up while he plays. Such a big boy!

Stone Chic Sunday Obsessions

Even though I'm still in Mammoth Lakes, I decided to log on briefly to post a few obsessions.

I can't wait until I turn this blog into a book I can give to Jake's wife one day. I was going to print my blog out at the end of the year, but I then decided I'm going to do it when Jake turns one. So, in September... that will be the plan! Until then, I keep blogging about my little family.

This week I'm obsessed with the following items:

• First on my list is Sophie the Giraffe. The most expensive giraffe. Ha! Do you remember my story with Sophie? The first one I had was stolen out of my stroller when I was trying on clothes (who steals a teething toy another child is currently using?). Then  I ordered another one for Christmas, and accidentally threw a box away with about $100 worth of baby toys. I told myself I wouldn't buy another one after already spending $40 dollars on it. Well, I bought another one anyhow. $60 dollars later... we have Sophie home again. Jake loves it. It is cute. And I believe it helps soothes his little gums.

• The floor gym. Jake has been playing under this since he was 3 weeks old. I even take it with me when we travel. I lay a blanket down (underneath it) and lay out some of his toys. He loves touching the items on it (I added more rings hanging from it), and he reaches and is trying to crawl towards his toys I lay out.

• I had a little blanket with a bear attached, but I couldn't resist this one. It's a little lamb with the softest material. I bought this at a boutique in Mammoth. Swirlz Fur Lamb. It is super soft, and there is a satin lining underneath it. Jake likes to hold on it it. It's adorable.

• Summer Infant Slim and Secure Handheld video monitor. LOVE this. I think I would love any video monitor though. I like to be able to watch my little man sleep. It gives me peace to see him sleeping comfortably. Yes... my little man does sleep in his crib now... in case you were wondering. :) 

Well, back to my vacation! We come home later today. I will have to post pictures from our trip then. Have a good rest of your Sunday!

6 months old - 26 weeks

Jake is 6 months old today. He is half way to a year old. WHOA. Can time slow down? I was looking at pictures from when he was born and looking back at all the "sticker" pictures I have taken and amazed at how fast he is growing. What are his stats? Not sure until next week. I take him to his 6 month baby well check up next Wednesday. I will update my blog right after I'm sure. ;) I'm not looking forward to the shots. I hate seeing that sad little face. But, in a weird way I'm relieved he after he gets them. Like it prevents him from getting sick. I guess it does technically.

This morning he was up and about quite early so I took some shots of him. He's happy even early in the morning. Boozy is getting so big!