Simon [5 months]

Simon is now 5 months old!  He has really blossomed over the last few weeks and his growth blows me away everyday.  Our boy truly is the happiest baby, constantly smiling and making friends everywhere we go.  I've been trying to take more pictures of him with my nicer camera, both for better-quality photos and because I've been running out of space on my phone.  We've had a fun and busy first month of summer with many big changes for our little family. 

a day with Daddy

 

watching TV at Pappy's

Boppy sleeper

The biggest news in our house as of late was that after 18 weeks home with my love bug I finally had to return to work.  I agreed before Simon's birth that I would teach summer school this year, and during the days leading up to my first day back I was completely dreading it.  4 hours a day for 4 weeks should've been an easy transition for me, but I found it difficult to stay organized, find the time to prep, and figure out a pumping schedule.  While the change was a struggle for me, Simon adapted with such ease.  Eric was off work on my first day back, so he stayed home with Simon and had great daddy/baby time and sent me many pictures.  Kristine then watched Simon for a couple days and also had a good time, although he would only sleep while in her arms and would do so for hours at a time.  Finally, my dad offered to babysit, which turned into our best setup yet.  He got Simon to take naps in the Boppy pillow, fall asleep with his pacifier, and quickly picked up on all of Simon's fussy cues (hunger, tiredness, gas).  Eric and I loved having my dad here to watch Simon and felt better about not having to drop him off somewhere else.  It worked out so well for us and we were so thankful for my dad's help.  And now that summer school is over, I'm thankful to be off work again for another month!

   activity mat fun

eyes everywhere

watching Daddy's phone

Simon decided one day that his tummy is the place to be!  When we began tummy time at 1 month, Simon was not a huge fan and would only tolerate the belly activity for a few short minutes here and there.  After meeting an acquaintance's baby who is almost a month younger than Simon and appeared to have stronger head control, I realized that we really needed to step up the tummy time in our house.  It definitely paid off because after only a few weeks, Simon is loving the belly-down position!  Lying him down tummy-first is a piece of cake now, and he'll willingly stay in this position for long periods of time.  As I observe him, I think Simon has found that he has a better view of what's going on around him when he's on his tummy; he lifts his head quite high to look at the TV or to watch us walk around him.  And of course if there's anything bright with lots of colors and movement nearby for him to look at (laptop, cell phone, Eric's PSP), Simon's attention is immediately caught.  He also enjoys his large variety of toys that always surround him while he's on his play mat or the Boppy pillow.  His interest in his colorful noise-makers and teethers grows by the day.

dog park visit in the Ergo

 hanging out the Bumbo chair

first time in his jumper

We recently introduced Simon to the Ergo carrier, Bumbo chair, and doorway jumper.  Near the end of May, I scored my Ergobaby Carrier on sale at Target for $20 off ($20 gift card with purchase).  Simon is no stranger to being carried, as he's spent time in my Moby, so the transition from the wrap was no problem for him.  Right on cue, he falls asleep easily and comfortably in the Ergo, as he did when we recently took him to the dog park with Courage for the first time.  This carrier is perfect for summer since it is open in the back and allows for more air flow around both of us than my wrap does.  It's definitely a winner, and is even more comfortable than I expected it would be!  Simon has also started spending some time in his Bumbo Floor Seat.  It was given to us by a friend of Jen's, whose youngest child outgrew it.  Upon sitting Simon in it for the first time, Eric and I thought it was the cutest sight ever and took several pictures.  Simon seems to really enjoy it, too, and will sit in it for longer than I ever expect him to.  Another place where he loves to spend lots of time, surprisingly, is our Graco Jumpster® Doorway Jumper.  Given to us with several hand-me-downs from one of the families from Eric's hockey team, the jumper is pretty much the best baby item ever made.  Simon LOVES it!  I was so excited to set it up and have him try it out, and it just blew me away how quickly he figured it out and fell in love.  Simon jumped so hard in it one day that he fell asleep!  All these new toys just remind me of how fast Simon is turning into a big boy, but it's completely worth it to watch him have so much fun.  

Father's Day at Apple Hill

with Pappy, Daddy, & Cho-Cho

our family

Eric's first Father's Day was quite the success.  After opening his card from Simon and me, we started the day up in Apple Hill at the Jack Russell Farm Brewery.  We enjoyed delicious brisket sandwiches with coleslaw and watermelon for lunch and tried their amazing Cyser, a combination of wine, mead, and cider.  We then made a quick stop at Boa Vista Orchards for apple juice, apple-blackberry wine, pumpkin butter, and apple cookies before heading to Lester's for dinner.  We picked up my dad on the way and made burgers with cream cheese and raspberry Chipotle sauce (The Squeeze Inn's special at the BerryFest we went to on Mother's Day).  It was the first day that Simon had spent with us and both of his grandfathers in a while and it was a nice get-together.  I look forward to many more future celebrations with our entire family together, surrounding Simon with lots of love and the most important people in his life.     

driving to IKEA

4th of July BBQ

Simon's 1st Independence Day

We also celebrated Simon's first 4th of July, which was really more of a relaxing day than a night of partying like years past.  IKEA was having a big Independence Day sale, so we drove out there in the early afternoon with my dad, who treated us to lunch in the cafe when we arrived.  My dad was the one who ended up making out with a bunch of great finds, but Eric and I were happy with our dollar treats and the end--hotdogs for him, a cinnamon roll for me.  Later in the evening, we got together with all of our friends for a BBQ and passed Simon around to visit with everyone.  I held him outside in the front yard briefly during the neighborhood fireworks in the street and he did surprisingly well.  I think he was more intrigued by the bright colors and lights than scared of the loud screeches and booms.  With the holiday falling on a Thursday this year we couldn't stay out too late because of work, but we had fun as always spending time with our friends and sharing so many delicious treats.  Our gang really does know how to throw a food party! 

Simon's 2nd wedding

 Jen and her dates

Mommy & Simon

I took Simon to his second wedding; we went with Jen to Rancho Cicada Retreat in Plymouth to watch our friend, Shannon, from college get married.  The drive was about an hour each way and the weather was a little warm that day.  I wasn't too worried about how Simon would do, so of course he was absolutely perfect and didn't fuss a bit.  I brought a bottle to feed him during the ceremony and nursed him during the reception.  My hands felt a little full not having Eric with me... I had to keep the car seat on the ground and I didn't want to rely on Jen too much to hold Simon since she was 8 months pregnant herself, but he was awesome and even took a little nap while I ate.  And as always, complete strangers kept coming up to us to tell me how adorable Simon was.  I never get tired of hearing how cute my baby is, but I don't think I'll ever get used to hearing it from people I don't know.  The wedding was very sweet, and we were thankful to Shannon, who looked lovely, for having us to share in her special day.  It was also very nice of Jen to ask us to attend with her, as I would've hated for her to have made that drive alone!

happy boy

cool baby

talkin' away

It was a quick and busy month for our family and I'm glad to be back at home with my boy.  My short stint back at work was just a taste of how life will be when I return full time when the school year begins in the Fall, and I am still in shock over just how difficult the transition was for me mentally more than anything.  I'm happy to say that I now know what to expect come mid-August when school starts, and I actually have many positive thoughts about being back this new school year.  We were so thankful to have my dad and Kristine's help with watching Simon, and while I would be a stay-at-home mom in a heartbeat if I could, I have faith that hopefully I can stay at home at some point down the road.  Eric started his new job with SCP Distributors and is really enjoying it and doing well so far.  We have the same hours when I'm working, but the tradeoff is that he's home in the evenings and on the weekends and we have dinner together as a family every night.  With the continued help of family and friends to babysit, I feel okay about our identical work schedules.  But since I'm not working for the rest of the summer, I can focus on my number 1 job of being a mommy and spending as much time with my little man as possible!

Simon [2 months]

We blinked, and BAM!  Simon turned 2 months old.  I feel like his monthly blog posts are going to sound like broken records, but it's true when I say again that he is growing so fast.  After taking and editing this photo, I went back to his 1 month picture and was blown away to see how much he's changed in just a month's time.  I'm glad I'm addicted to taking photos of him all the time so I can closely chronicle his rapid growth, although sometimes I wonder if I'm really able to keep up!

 last time wearing Mommy's favorite crab pajamas - size newborn

 filling out the swing more

cuddles after first shots

One of the major milestones Simon hit during his second month was growing out of size newborn diapers!  He'd been leaking through his diapers and having blow outs for a couple days before it occurred to me that maybe it was time to try a size 1 diaper.  Luckily, we had plenty on hand from our baby showers, my diaper cake, and extras given to us by friends.  The moment I tried a size 1 on him, the much-needed extra and full coverage made it clear that he would be wearing the newborn size no more.  Simon also began growing out of some of his newborn jammies and onesies and is now in that stage where 0-3 and 3-month size jammies are still on the big side but offer way more room than the tight newborn ones.  When we went to Simon's 2-month well baby visit, we were able to confirm that our growing boy is in fact doing just that: he clocked in at 12 pounds, 3.5 ounces, and almost 24 inches!   

hanging with Auntie Ashley

 meeting Aunt Sami

Simon and his aunts

Right before entering his second month, Simon finally got to meet his Auntie Ashley ("Auntie" for short), Eric's sister.  She spent a lot of time with us during the few weeks she was home from work, and we really enjoyed her extended visit.  Auntie got practice changing and dressing Simon, as well as rocking him to sleep on a few occasions.  At 5 weeks, Simon also got to meet his Great Aunt Sami, Eric's mom's sister.  Sam came to town from Las Vegas for her birthday and to meet her grandnephew.  With luck (and a huge work delay), Ashley was still home when Sam arrived, even though she was originally scheduled to be back on the road for work.  We were very happy that Simon got to spend time with both of his aunts at the same time, who both had been disappointed they weren't able to be present for his birth.

 St. Patrick's Day party

 dressed for the occasion

 our Irish family

Simon's first St. Patrick's Day was fun and casual.  On Saturday the 16th, we went to a party celebrating both the Irish holiday and our friend, Nick's, 28th birthday.  Decked out in the onesie I bought him back in January when I was still pregnant, Simon was a trooper and spent most of the night sleeping in various friends' arms.  It was nice being around all of our friends and showing off Simon, and I enjoyed sipping my first taste of beer since learning I was pregnant 10 months ago!  On Sunday the 17th, we had our first family photos taken and enjoyed delicious corned beef and cabbage cooked in the crock pot for dinner.  The day sure was different from our celebrations of years past going out for green beer at the bars, but this year we were perfectly content relaxing at home as a family. 

seeing the Easter Bunny

Easter outfit

opening his Easter basket

   

I wanted to make a big deal out of Easter this year, particularly because our families aren't big into celebrating the holiday.  I got a cute outfit for Simon, purchased him a very cool Batman Easter basket from Target (similar to this) and filled it with goodies, and Eric and I put together delicious fixings for Easter dinner at our house.  And then it hit me; it didn't occur to me until the day before Easter that we needed to take Simon to see the Easter Bunny!  After doing some frantic research and getting reassurances that I'm not in fact a horrible new parent for making such an oversight, I found an Easter event at Fairytale Town (across the street from the Sacramento Zoo) where Mr. Bunny would be available for photos.  Eric and I hadn't been there since we were children, so when we went we had fun reminiscing and planning future visits for when Simon is big enough to play on the structures and run around.  We didn't stay for the egg hunt because we forgot the stroller (read: NEW PARENTS!) but we may make this our new family tradition for Easter.  Pappy and Kristine joined us for dinner in the afternoon and we showed Simon all of his Easter goodies after he woke up from his nap.  Mini-crisis averted, Simon's first Easter was special and I was a very happy mommy at the end of the day.

fun in the bath

cozy in the towel

being a monkey in his robe

Eric and I were both surprised at how much Simon likes and tolerates baths.  We take the time to make sure the bathroom is nice and warm by turning on the wall heater and ensuring that the bath water isn't too hot or too cold.  Simon always seems very comfortable in his tub from the moment we lay him in, and he doesn't fuss or cry if too much water gets on his face.  Bath time is a team effort (for now, at least), and is fun family quality time that I think we all enjoy.  I remind myself, and Eric, that at some point bathing will be one of those things that Simon will eventually be able to do on his own, so we'd better enjoy the fun while it lasts.  It's hard to mind the work when Simon is so easy-going about it! 

 first walk out with the stroller

 hanging in Mommy's Moby Wrap

Simon smiles!

As Simon grows, I feel more comfortable taking him places, moving around with him, and being more mobile.  We're learning that getting out of the house with him isn't as big of a deal as we first thought it was, and getting hungry while we're out and about just means we have to stop for a bit to nurse... which I now know is really no big deal out in public.  Most of the time, Simon is out like a light while in the car, shopping cart, or stroller.  We've gone on walks a few times, which are really good for both Mom and baby, and Dad and doggie, when they're able to join us.  We plan to start making family walks more of a regular thing while I'm still off of work and now that the weather is nicer.  I also started wearing my Moby Wrap so Simon can sleep while I get things done around the house.  On those few days when he fusses awake every time I put him down, I can throw on the Moby and put away laundry, wash dishes, and even prepare a meal while he snoozes away against my chest.  But like I said, these days are rare; most of the time I am blessed with a wonderful baby who takes great naps in his swing and wakes up as happy as can be.  He's begun giving us smiles, which has excited us so much!

 ready to visit Mommy's work

 happiest baby ever!

 first attempt with the bottle

We've had so much fun with Simon over this last month; continuing getting to know him and learning his cues, experiencing all of his little "first moments," looking into his eyes and knowing that his smiles mean that he knows who we are... or is at least entertained by us!  When Eric and I brought him to my work for the first time, it was such a joy to see the look on the kids' and my coworkers' faces as they met Simon and were charmed by his cuteness.  I myself still sometimes cannot believe that he is mine, that Eric's and my genes came together to create something so perfect and beautiful, that this flawless creature grew inside of me and was once a part of my being.  In his short life he's already learned so much from us, like how we will come to him when he cries, and sing to him when he needs to be soothed, and feed him when he needs to be nourished... which, by the way, we've begun doing with the introduction of the bottle.  Expect a report on that soon!       

diaper bag!

You know how something is sometimes considered a great buy because it just felt meant-to-be?

This was totally MEANT TO BE!

Weeks ago, before I ever knew there was even a possibility that I was pregnant, I saw this absolutely adorable Betsey Johnson diaper bag at Ross.  It was one of those "oh my gosh I want that, but I have no reason to buy that" moments.  I rationalize many of my purchases, but there was just no way I could talk myself into buying an item that I had no idea how far into the future it would be before I'd actually need said item.  So I hugged it and walked away, thinking to myself that this was just the diaper bag I'd want when I have a baby.

Well, now I'm pregnant.  And something inside of my brain decided to trigger a memory one day and be like, "HEY!  Remember that totally gorgeous diaper bag you saw back in May?  You must have it.  You must find it.  Go.  NOW."

So I ventured off to Ross.  And because prego brain has already set in I had no memory of where exactly I'd seen it, I had to travel to 3 different Ross stores before finding my dream bag (which is never an inconvenience in my mind, especially since we live relatively close to these locations).  You should have seen the smile on my face when I made my purchase and carried it out of the store on my arm with pride.

In addition to being pretty much THE. CUTEST. BAG. I'VE. EVER. SEEN. ON. THE. PLANET. I scored a major deal on something stylish and practical with many features I love:

• Zipper top: I hate flaps, buckles, snaps, magnets, etc., plus I often suffer from purse-tips-over-and-all-contents-spill-out-everywhere syndrome.  A zipper makes me--and my items--feel safe and secure.
• Matching changing pad: it's padded for comfort, lined for easy cleaning, and conveniently clips on to a strap inside the bag's main compartment.  And of course, I won't have to worry about changing baby's diaper on a dirty surface.
• Insulated bottle holder: I wasn't necessarily looking for one, but it's a great accessory.  It also has a strap that can be clipped to the side of the bag for easy access.  And it matches.  We like to be coordinated.
• Multiple pockets: I love multi pockets.  It makes carrying multiple items easier.  And because I plan on doubling my diaper bag for my purse, I can easily organize my personal items into different pockets separate from baby items.
• The price: if you're a bargain shopper like me, you know that stores like Ross carry name brand items ticketed at almost half their normal retail price.  This bag was no exception; I did say the name BETSEY JOHNSON!  Even compared to this eBay listing, I practically stole this thing from the store.  

See!!!