Simon [4 months]

I can't say it enough: time FLIES when you're having fun!  As he continues to grow, life with Simon becomes more and more fun with each passing day.  Everyday he is constantly doing something new for the first time, amazing us with the many new things he discovers and learns.  As we've settled into a comfortable lifestyle as a family of three, it still seems like it was only a few short weeks ago when we brought our little bundle of joy home from the hospital.  In reality, 4 months have flown by right in front of our eyes as our boy quickly grows out of newbornhood.

 out and about with Mommy and Daddy

hangin' with Auntie

my uncle rocks

Simon had his 4-month well baby check up at 18 weeks.  He received boosters for the vaccines he got at his 2-month appointment and had his height and weight recorded.  Our pumpkin measured 27 1/2 inches long and weighed 15 pounds and 1 ounce.  Eric and I weren't surprised by these numbers, but we were shocked to learn that Simon is in the 37th percentile for weight and the 99th percentile for height!  So, he's tall and skinny; the skinny I totally get... but tall?  We're not sure where that came from, but from very early on in my pregnancy Eric knew that our son was going to be big.  Boy, was he right!

playing with his owl rattle

 trying to hold his bottle

lovin' on Sophie

Simon is learning how to use his hands and is doing a great job.  I've been working with him for a while trying to get him to grab for objects, particularly his toys, and he's figuring it out.  We always have his owl rattle out since it is a noise-maker and an easy attention-getter, plus the handle is a large enough opening to allow for me to put it around Simon's arm for easy access.  He's now grabbing at the handle more and bringing its soft surface to his mouth.  He is also trying to help hold up his bottle during bottle feedings.  His little hands and arms aren't strong enough or coordinated enough to allow him to hold the bottle upright to enable milk flow, but I was able to snap a few photos of him balancing it in his mouth.  Speaking of his kisser, we think Simon has entered the beginning stages of teething!  Our boy has become quite the drool fountain as of late, and when our fingers are near his mouth he bites down very hard.  I decided it was time to break out his Sophie the Giraffe teether so he could have an appropriate chewing accessory.  It only took him about a week to figure her out; I repeatedly placed Sophie in Simon's hands, showing him how to grab her by the neck or by one of her legs, and gently put either her ears, nose, or feet in his mouth to bite.  He loves her now and understands exactly what her purpose is, and our little giraffe friend comes with us everywhere!

Mother's Day at the Berry Festival

I love Mommy

Mommy's 1st Mother's Day

My very first Mother's Day was a fun and special day.  My dad left chocolate-covered strawberries and Cupcake Red Velvet wine with Eric to surprise me with that morning.  Simon and Eric gave me a beautiful Mother's Day card that made me cry, and then took me to the BerryFest for an afternoon of yummy strawberry eats and treats.  Ashley was home from work for the weekend, so she met up with us at the fairgrounds and came over to our house later in the day for some Simon time.  In the evening, we all went to watch Eric's hockey game and got to visit with Pappy the other hockey families (mommies and kiddos) on Eric's team.  My first Mother's Day was such an incredible day and I was so happy to spend it with family and friends... and most importantly, my two favorite guys who made me a mommy!

 Vanessa's law school graduation

ready for the Ely wedding

Jen's baby shower for her daughter, Baby Girl Hawhee

Simon had quite the busy month attending many parties and functions with Mommy and Daddy.  He got to see Mommy's best friend, Vanessa, graduate from law school at Memorial Auditorium.  The commencement was very nice and Simon did great despite the constant loud noises of cheers and applause from the audience.  He nursed and slept and played with Vanessa's husband, Roy, during the ceremony and afterwards we went to dinner with her family.  The next weekend, Simon went to his first wedding with Mommy and Daddy.  He watched Mommy's good friend, Michelle, marry her wonderful fiance, Jay, at Forest House Lodge up in Foresthill.  This time, baby wasn't too fond of the hoots and hollers during the bride and groom's entrance and toasts, so Eric had to take Simon out of the room.  Other than that, he was as cool as a cucumber and was dressed to impress.  Simon also attended his third baby shower, for Mommy's other close friend, Jen.  She is having a daughter, whose name is yet to be determined, and we joke that Baby Girl and Simon are going to be boyfriend and girlfriend.  As fun as an arranged marriage would be (haha), I do sincerely hope that our babes will be great playmates and wonderful friends.

 2nd visit with Aunt Sami

 Daddy and Simon

 silly Pappy

Eric's aunt, Simon's great aunt, Sam, returned for a visit during Memorial Day weekend.  It was such a treat that Simon already got his second visit with her so soon, as she had just been here 2 months prior.  We went over to Pappy's house for a BBQ joined by Sam's boyfriend, Matt (who lives in Chico) and our friends Jonas, Jason, and Brandon (who was in town from Southern California).  Kristine took a bunch of photos of everyone playing with Simon, who was of course the life of the party.  He was passed around so much that I barely held him the entire time we were there, which at first made me feel guilty before I reminded myself that I deserve a much-needed break every now and then.  Simon had been awake the entire day before getting in a little catnap with Kristine, and to our surprise he wasn't fussy in the slightest.  I know he is beginning to enter the stage where he will be awake for longer stretches during the day, but sometimes I think Simon is just so curious and interested in what's going on around him that he'd rather stay up to join in on all the fun.  I really don't mind--especially when we're with family--because who wouldn't want to hang out with an adorable, happy baby?  We enjoyed Sam's short and sweet visit and hope it's not too long before she makes it out this way to see us again.

 

meeting baby Kinlee

ready to watch Daddy and Pappy battle in hockey

 playing at the mall

Simon is so wonderful everywhere we take him, and we feel so lucky that we are able to bring him out of the house with us so much.  Eric and I were happy to take our boy over to visit our friends, TJ and Kesley, and meet their new baby girl, Kinlee.  While they are only 3 months apart, their sizes vary drastically in comparison!  Simon looked huge compared to Kinlee, and seeing a newborn for the first time since we had Simon really made it clear to us how much he's already no longer a little baby.  Next to going to Pappy's house and our favorite stores, Simon has spent his fair share of time getting to know the ice rink where Eric plays hockey, and we were very excited to see Daddy's and Pappy's hockey teams play against each other.  Baby fell asleep toward the end of the game, but he had spent most of the time watching with great interest and cheering on Daddy (whose team won by a landslide).  Our boy is also a great sport anywhere else we take him.  Recently, Simon and I spent a morning walking around the mall just for fun.  When it came to be his lunch time, we found a cozy chair in the outdoor promenade and I comfortably nursed him while reading my Kindle.  When he was finished, Simon was all smiles as I changed his diaper in the sun and let him chew on his burp cloth.  It was one of the simplest, most enjoyable moments we've spent together just the two of us.

post-bath baby

watching "The Muppet Movie"

happiest baby ever

Being this little boy's mother is such a joy.  I've come to the realization that if I could be a permanent stay-at-home-mom, I would do it in a heartbeat.  Alas, that choice is not in the cards for our family at this time, and I've accepted that reality.  For now, I'm soaking up as much Simon time as I can.  Not much makes me happier than our morning cuddles in bed, the way he now smiles back at me when I smile at him first, and the look on Eric's face when he greets us at the end of a long work day.  I love our family so much, and both Eric and I are head-over-heels crazy about our boy.  The minutes are just passing by too quickly, and I'm doing everything I can to enjoy each moment of our son as he breezes through this wonderful, yet terribly too-short stage of his life. 

Simon [3 months]

I'm so emotional over Simon hitting the big 3 months!  It still seems like it was only a few short weeks ago that we brought our beloved son home from the hospital, and now--as Eric noted--he is a quarter of the way to his first birthday!  Since it has in fact been 3 months instead of only a few weeks, Mommy and Daddy are starting to find a routine in caring for baby, who is also beginning to develop a bit of a schedule himself.  The 3 of us are of course still learning and figuring out many things, like what works better and what's just plain easier, and we all know that this whole 'family of three' thing is truly a gigantic learning curve.  But if I do say so myself (and I'm sure Eric would agree), I think we are doing a pretty good job at this whole parenting thing so far!

success with the bottle

 first time taking the paci

eating like a champ with Daddy

At 9 weeks, Simon had his first successful feeding with the bottle.  We first introduced the bottle at 8 weeks through suggestions from my doctor and our friend, a lactation consultant.  I was hesitant at first, but understood that we needed him to get used to feeding from a bottle before I return to work.  When we started, I would pump an ounce for a bottle, begin a nursing session, and as soon as Simon would unlatch to burp, I'd hand him off to Eric, who would attempt to continue the feeding with the bottle.  The first few experiences Simon did not. like. one. bit.  Eric would try and try until Simon got too fussy to continue, and at that point I'd take him back to resume the nursing session.  Poor Eric was just as frustrated as Simon and wondered if he was doing something wrong.  I looked up a few bottlefeeding techniques to share, made sure to leave the room so Simon couldn't smell me, and encouraged Eric as much as I could.  Finally, I decided to try giving Simon the bottle one day and *poof* he figured it out.  It's taken practice from both of us, but after a week and a half Simon learned to drink from the "Daddy boob."  Now, I'm pumping to store breastmilk in the freezer for when I go back to work, as well as leaving a reserve in the fridge so Eric can feed Simon when I need a break or a shower.  One day, Simon was quite agitated waiting for me to finish pumping so I tried giving him a pacifier to soothe him while he waited.  We hadn't been forcing one on him, but had been trying on and off without success since he was a month old to see if he would be comforted by sucking on one a night.  Desperate to ease him so I could complete my pumping session, I offered the paci and he finally broke down and accepted it, which calmed him enough so I could wrap things up and prepare to nurse him.  Seeing our baby boy suckle on a bottle and pacifier makes him look like such an older baby, which excites me and saddens me all at the same time.

 multitasking daddy

two of a kind

 hangin' with his favorite guy

 

Now that Simon is taking a bottle, two wonderful things are happening in our house: baby boy gets more Daddy-time, and Mommy gets more Mommy-time!  Eric is so amazing and jumps at the chance to spend quality time with his boy.  Sometimes I feel guilty handing over Simon the moment Eric walks in the door after a long day on his feet at work, but Eric never complains and always greets Simon with a huge grin on his face.  As much as I know he absolutely loves his son, a part of me will always feel bad about asking Eric to take Simon for me after I've been home with him all day while I'm not working.  I know deep down that parenting is a job all in its own and can be just as tiring as working out of the home, but I still sometimes can't help feeling guilty needing a break.  Lucky for us, Simon and I have been blessed with a loving father and husband who agrees I deserve a little time off here and there and enjoys hanging out with his adorable son.  And because I love seeing how cute my boys are together, I spend half of my 'breaks' watching the two of them, laughing and smiling and taking photos of their cuteness!

trying out the bouncer for Pappy's house

enjoying time without Mommy
 

napping with Cho-Cho

Simon recently got to spend his first few hours without Mommy at Pappy's house.  I had dinner plans one evening while Eric was at work, and decided it was the perfect opportunity to try to leave Simon with a sitter since he was now feeding from the bottle without problems.  I'd left Simon with Eric before to run to the store a few times, but this was the first time that baby would be without Mommy and Daddy.  Surprisingly, I had no problems saying goodbye to my boy and enjoying some adult time with friends.  Maybe because I knew I was leaving him in capable hands, I wasn't worried at all about how Simon would do.  Just to be a good parent, I checked in after about an hour and of course Lester reported back that Simon was fast asleep in his arms.  When I returned to pick him up, he was all smiles and I was happy to be reunited with my little love.  It's hard for me to ask for it, but I do need and appreciate a little extra help or just a small break here and there.  My dad has been spending a day with us once a week to help with Simon to give me the chance to get some things done around the house.  They hang out and eat and nap together and Simon seems to really enjoy being in the company of his Cho-Cho.  So far, Eric and I are very happy with how much time Simon has got to spend with both of his loving grandfathers.

 

 

new wheels!

 

activity gym
 

cozy in his "sleepy chair" with his "lovey"

Our friends, Ben and Debra, were wonderful and gifted us their old travel system when I was pregnant.  It was a weight off of Eric's and my shoulders not to have to worry about the expense of a car seat and stroller while preparing for Simon's arrival.  As wonderful of a gesture as the gift was, I discovered that the car seat expired in April and after speaking with the manufacturer, learned that the decision to continue using the stroller would be to our own discretion should something happen.  After discussing it and feeling that Simon's safety is our main priority, we decided to purchase a new travel system.  With the help of our remaining Target gift cards and our friend, Justin's employee discount, we found the same exact travel system in a different color and scored it for a great price.  We also had left-over gift card money and coupons for Babies "R" Us and purchased the activity gym from our registry, since Simon is now beginning to show some interest in his toys.  So far, he loves both his new wheels and playmat, and Eric and I love gift cards and sales!

Nicole's baby shower for her daughter, Lila
 

Kesley's baby shower for her daughter, Kinlee

first birthday party for Erica's daughter, Bailey

It has been exciting to prepare for and introduce Simon to my friends' children.  We went to the baby showers for my friends, Nicole and Kesley, and had fun talking about Simon getting to meet his future girlfriends.  Simon will only be 3 months older than their daughters, so our kids will be the same school age and probably very close developmentally once they hit the toddler stage.  We also went to my friend, Erica's, daughter's first birthday party.  I have known Erica since middle school and it was so much fun to hang out together with our babies.  Life really does change as you get older, and I guess my mind was kind of blown when I realized I was hanging out with my friends and our kids.  Eric and I have already realized that we will probably start spending more time with our friends who have families, which makes me very happy.  Sharing motherhood with my friends is going to be a beautiful gift, and watching our children play together is going to make my heart smile.

Simon with Athena's daughter, Lilly

being cute with Mommy's friend, Hayley

Cinco de Mayo with Uncle Bucky

 

It has been such a treat and a blessing watching our friends with Simon and seeing the joy and love they share for our darling boy.  As I stated many times during my pregnancy, Eric and I felt extremely lucky to have the support of all of the wonderful people in our lives as we prepared to welcome Simon into the world.  The support of our friends has not wavered, as they continue to gush and smile and love on our son every time he is in their presence.  I don't know why this continues to surprise me; Eric is constantly reminding me of how truly amazing our friendships are and he is of course right.  It is our goal to give Simon the family life that Eric and I did not have growing up, and I am sure that with so many surrogate aunts and uncles among our close friends, our son will experience more love and attention than he'll know what do to with.  I've never been more certain that we've chosen wisely in regards to the people with whom we share the best moments of our lives.  We have an incredibly awesome extended family.

sleeping angel

tall boy
 

best smile ever!

 

Time is passing by so quickly, and I am trying my hardest to document as many moments as possible.  Simon is growing like a weed before our eyes, and it's scary to think that we could blink and miss something huge.  He's still smiling like crazy, and Eric and I are waiting breathlessly for his first laugh.  His neck muscles are becoming stronger by the day as he holds his head up more and more.  His grip is getting lots of practice as his curious fingers find more things to grab, like my hair, and the toys that hang from his activity gym, and the loveys that accompany him in his car seat everywhere we go.  He is so long that I can barely hold him in a cradle-like position, and he's getting lots of practice standing on his strong little legs.  With each day that passes, we get closer and closer to seeing what his personality will be like.  I know in my heart that he is going to be such an awesome young boy.  Nothing has made my life more complete than getting to know the little life form who is and will always be... my first-born son.

ina [28 years]

Last week, I celebrated my first birthday since the birth of my blog last year!  (And I'm now feeling guilty for not writing more for Eric's birthday last October... oh well haha).  Being my "First Mommy Birthday" as Eric put it, the day was sweet and special and full of emotion.  My wonderful hubby began the celebration just after midnight on the day of my birthday, which is in part with our accidental tradition of staying up until 12:00 in the morning to be the first to wish each other "Happy Birthday!"  He surprised me with one dozen beautiful long-stemmed roses and cards from both himself and Simon.  After going to bed all smiles and waking up later that morning, Eric gave me a Starbucks gift card loaded with almost a week's worth of coffee money!  This I plan on using sparingly.

 my roses and cards from Eric & Simon

After getting ready for the day, Simon and I left to pick up my dad, who took us out for a delicious sushi lunch at Blue Nami.  We stopped for a few errands and came back to our house to hang out.  My friend, Jen, stopped by for a visit with her boys and brought me another Starbucks gift card!  Her sons, Tahoe and Brydon, played with Simon, who was all smiles for our visitors.  After they left, my dad helped me with Simon until Eric got home from work and began cooking my delicious birthday dinner for the two of us.

falling asleep while being fed by Cho-Cho

Before we ate, I opened my last 2 gifts from Eric, which were beautiful dresses he picked out and bought for me.  As the weather's gotten warmer, I've been complaining about not being able to fit comfortably into my capris and shorts quite yet (I know, only 3 months postpartum) and thinking that cute summer dresses would be a smart purchase for the heat.  He did great with his selections and I absolutely love them!  Shortly after dinner, Simon was exhausted from the day's fun and went out like a light before we had the chance to take pictures.  He roused for a few shots before getting cranky and passing back out immediately after we put him down in the bassinet.  I was emotional about sharing my first birthday with my son but really wanted a few, albeit poor-quality, photos to record the day.

 Mr. Fussy Pants

out like a trout

My birthday continued into the day after, with Vanessa taking me out to lunch at Panera Bread and Nicole treating me to coffee.  Both of these ladies were looking forward to some exciting events happening in the days to come.  Vanessa was preparing for her graduation from law school, a goal she began striving toward 10 long years ago and has now finally completed.  Nicole just reached full-term of her first pregnancy and is waiting the arrival of her baby girl, Lila, hopefully any day now.  I had a great time catching up with both of them and celebrating the great milestones in each of their lives in addition to my birthday, and Simon was his perfect, no-fuss self during both outings.

after hanging out with Nicole

The year of 28 has started out wonderfully.  My dad was 28 when I was born, and here I am at the same age with my beautiful 3-month old baby boy.  This was just the first of many more birthdays to come that will be completely different from those celebrated in my past; it's not only just "Happy Birthday, Christina!" anymore, but also "Happy Birthday, Mommy!"  And the best part about that is the fact that my little man might be able to say those three wonderful words to me himself when it comes time to celebrate next year.  I already can't wait!