Simon [10 months]

Eric said to me, "We don't have a baby anymore; we have a big boy."  I have been saying this for weeks!  It feels like we have a toddler already, even though his first birthday is just under 2 months away (pause while I take a second to freak out).  Simon shows us more and more that his days of being a baby are quickly becoming a thing of the past.  Continually growing, continually on the move, and continually getting into everything; Simon is loving life and still takes our breaths away with his innocent curiosity, his uncanny and rapid ability to learn, and his sheer happiness and wonderment for life.

Simon waving!

gazing out the window

sleep monster

In his tenth month, Simon learned several new things.  He just recently started waving, and it's THE CUTEST THING EVER!  He sometimes waves goodbye to me in the morning when I'm leaving for work, he waves hello to Daddy when he gets home, and he has also waved to other friends and family when we see them (and even strangers at the store!).  Along with his "mama" and "dada" babble, he is almost making a "hi" sound when he waves, and I swear he tried to say "all done" when I was cutting his fingernails a few weekends ago.  Simon is trying to climb up on some of the living room furniture--and succeeding at times--and is really showing us that he is quite the little daredevil.  We've reached the point where a close eye is required when baby is in the room otherwise he'll quickly be in an area he's not allowed, either in an attempt to grab at or already holding a no-no object of desire (our phones, the TV remote, videogame controllers).  He loves to stand in the front window now, too, and can commonly be found there around the time I arrive home from work, gazing out at the birds and trees with a big smile on his face.  I'm surprised (and happy) to report that even though he's moving more than ever, Simon's sleep habits have gotten a little better.  He's waking less during the night (even though he's still sleeping with us) and is taking a few naps by himself during the day thanks to my dad's help.  Not every nap is a long one, but even the shortest one is making progress in the right direction.

with Chelsea, Emma, & Elle

morning walk with Bliss

 play nap date with Kinlee

Thanks to a few quiet weekends before Thanksgiving and my holiday break from work, I was able to get in a few 'play dates' for Simon.  He is such a social butterfly at home and around friends and family, so I love getting him together with other babies for more socializing opportunities.  Before they returned home to Texas, Simon and I visited with Chelsea and her girls one more time at the end of their California visit.  She invited friends to meet her at Starbucks on a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon.  The group, which was a mixture between adults and children, sat outside in the sun and my little wiggle worm wanted to explore every corner of the patio.  He crawled all over the place and caught the attention of the other toddlers, including Emma (Chelsea's oldest daughter), who adorably followed him around.  During my Thanksgiving break, the boy and I also went for a few stroller walks with my mom friends and their girls.  Jen and I did two chilly morning walks with Simon and Bliss (both babes slept most of the time), and we also met up with Kesley and Kinlee on another day for a neighborhood stroll.  Kinlee and Simon also took the opportunity to nap while us moms walked, but afterwards we went back to Kesley's house and had some play time.  It was hilarious watching Simon and Kinlee together as they shared toys and wiggled around each other.  She is the closest to Simon's age out of all of his baby friends, so I definitely want to get them together again for more play.

searching for leftover turkey

post-dinner expressions

Simon's first Thanksgiving

[photos courtesy of Kristine]

I was so excited for Simon's first Thanksgiving!  Being old enough to eat with us made the holiday extra special, and I got into the spirit by getting him a cute Thanksgiving bib.  We decided to have dinner at our house; Lester bought a turkey to deep fry, but the bird ended up being too big for his fryer.  He purchased a second, smaller one and fried it at home while making homemade stuffing.  Eric cooked the bigger turkey in our oven (his very first time!) and rather than basting it, he decided to wrap it with bacon.  He also made amazing mashed potatoes with cream cheese and green onions and tried a hand at recreating his mom's candied yams.  My dad baked delicious muffin-sized pumpkin pies and whipped up a cranberry salsa at home, and then came to our house to make fresh green beans and bake the rolls.  I made our traditional green rice casserole, adding spinach for the first time, which came out better than I was expecting.  Once Lester and Kristine made it over with the stuffing and deep fried turkey, it was time to feast.  We gave Simon turkey, plain potatoes, and broccoli, all of which were met with great eagerness.  He had some trouble with the turkey and gagged up a few bigger bites, but did great the following day when we made sure his leftovers were in smaller pieces.  I thought we would have shared more food with Simon, but there ended up being so much sugary, fatty goodness.  Next year, Simon's plate will be much fuller and just might even include dessert as well.  What was most important was that we spent time together as a family, cooking and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and being thankful for everything we have.

Christmas tree lighting at Mommy's school

showing Simon the lights

Simon the red-nosed reindeer

Simon (and Eric!) both attended their first Tree Lighting ceremony at my school.  Every year, our students with their families gather on campus in the evening to light the giant evergreen tree standing in front of our school, sing and sign (using America Sign Language) holiday carols, and enjoy various sweet treats with hot chocolate.  We attended this event as a family and even though it was super cold outside, we bundled up and kept warm by huddling near one of the many fire pits set up on the blacktop.  My coworkers got a kick out of seeing Simon in his reindeer suit and he socialized really well with all of the 'strangers' he saw.  I am always looking for reasons to bring Simon up to work with me, but there are unfortunately not enough.  Regardless, we enjoyed ourselves at my school's little event and I was very thankful that the three of us were all able to go.  This was the very first Christmas tree that Simon ever saw, and he really took in the sight of the big, breathtaking tree covered in lights!

 in line to see St. Nick

Simon's visit with Santa

lovin' on Lilly

Unlike last time, I got my act together for this huge, upcoming holiday and promptly scheduled Simon's first visit to see Santa!  We made it a family date with James, Athena, and Lilly and met up at the mall to take the kids over to jolly old St. Nick.  Simon was all smiles while we waited in line, flirting with Lilly and gazing at the lights and decorations that surrounded Santa's village.  Athena held him for a few minutes before Lilly took her turn to sit on the fat man's lap, and we watched as James and Athena took their traditional holiday photo with their daughter.  Then it was our turn, and I excitedly and slowly handed a happy Simon over to Mr. Claus.  IMMEDIATE TEARS!  I was shocked!  He'd been in such good spirits that I definitely did not expect that Simon would cry.  Simon's first photo with Santa quickly turned into a family photo, and Eric chatted up the sweet, old big guy as I calmed down Simon.  A few shots later, we got a decent picture where Simon didn't look traumatized and Eric had made a new friend.  When we were finished, our two families headed to the food court for dinner and afterward we did some moseying around the mall.  Lilly still absolutely loves being around "Baby Simon" and I enjoy seeing the two of them together (and Simon clearly loves her, too!).  As always, I hope that we can carry on this Santa-seeing tradition with our dear friends for the years to come. 

sleeping during the parade

 

awake and in awe

our first Festival of Lights

I mentioned before that instead of throwing our annual Holiday Cocktail Party, Eric and I took Simon to the Festival of Lights Parade in Auburn.  Attending this parade held special meaning for us because it was supposed to be Eric's and my very first date exactly 8 years ago.  I say "supposed to be" because on that night we had left my apartment late and by the time we made it up to Auburn, the parade was over and done with.  We decided to make do and ended up going to a little café for dinner and walking the streets of old town, looking at the decorated shop windows and holding hands.  I wouldn't trade that memory for anything, but the idea of recreating our first date with our son made me very excited.  Being our first successful attempt to attend this year, there were some bumps along the way like not knowing exactly where the parade began or being able to find close parking, but we made it to the front of the route just in time to see the first floats and walkers pass us by.  It was freezing cold, so Simon was bundled up in two sets of jammies, socks, mittens, and was wrapped in two blankets.  He surprisingly slept through the first 20 minutes or so until a passing fire engine blew its horn and sprang Simon to life.  Once he was up, Eric and I enjoyed pointing out of all the beautiful lights and waving to the passers by.  The night was so special and I am already looking forward to attending again next year.  At least we are now well-versed in where we need to be next time!

like father, like son

shopping cart fun

focused on Daddy's hockey game

This last month with Simon has truly been such a ball.  I've never seen Eric exude more joy over being a father than I have in these recent weeks.  Discovering the new things that Simon can do, showing him new treasures, and inventing new games are equally as entertaining for us grown-ups as they are for the boy.  The best new skill that Simon has learned is the art of imitation.  He copies the silly noises we make, repeats after us when we say babble words he is familiar with, and again will wave back to us when we wave first.  With Christmas quickly coming, there are going to be so many more wonderful new events and adventures that we will get to share with our son and I couldn't be more thrilled.  Simon is truly the light of our lives, and we are shining ever so brightly with pride and love.

holiday cocktail party

For five years running, the first Saturday of December was reserved for the Holiday Cocktail Party, our annual festive celebration of the holiday season.  It began in 2008 and was the result of my idea to get dressed up for an evening, share our decorated home with our friends, and party hard but in classier style.  My one rule was that no jeans were allowed, and the idea in which I was most proud of was that of playing champagne pong.  Our friends were always in great spirit for our party and looked forward to it every year.

Eric and I have been struggling financially over the last few months.  It's been the Catch-22 effect of one thing happening after another, keeping us from being able to get caught up.  The end of the year is always heavy on our budget with several birthdays on Eric's side of the family, our wedding anniversary, and of course the daunting holidays.  I absolutely love the holiday season, but being festive is expensive.  And it gets expensive fast.

Simon's first Christmas is incredibly important to me.  His first birthday is also around the corner, another event very close to my heart.  While it can be argued that neither occasion really matters because Simon is too young to remember them later, we want to acknowledge these milestones in our son's life and celebrate them as a family to the best of our ability.  And just as importantly, I want to be able to provide for Simon, day in and day out, having the means to get him whatever he will need whenever he needs it, without question.  In our current situation, this means making some changes and sacrifices.

It was with great sadness that Eric and I decided to cancel this year's cocktail party.  I was disappointed to make the announcement; however, I also felt like a burden had been lifted from my shoulders.  Maybe it's because our lives are so different now since we've had Simon, but a small part of me feels kind of 'over' the whole cocktail party.  We have so many wonderful memories of years past, but I almost feel like those days are more behind us now.  Don't get me wrong: we still love and enjoy attending get-togethers with our friends, but hosting a event like our cocktail party isn't on the forefront of my mind as something as or more important than our son.  And we could really, really save that money for better uses.

Instead of scrambling to make sure the house was clean, food was prepped, beverages were purchased, and hurriedly doing my hair and makeup, tonight our little family of three traveled up to Auburn for the Festival of Lights Parade.  I will write more about this in Simon's 10 month blog, but I just wanted to share how incredibly thankful I am that this is how we chose to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season.  The parade was beautiful and it was truly a magical experience to share with our boy.  I'm content to say that I have no regrets about how tonight's evening was spent.

The first Saturday of December has new meaning in our house; it is a day that we will spend together as a family, carrying on a beautiful new holiday tradition.  I'm amazed at how Simon continues to change us.  And I am proud of how we are deciding to change for him.

family & 9 month photos

On the day that Simon turned 9 months old, Eric and I were lucky enough to have a photo session scheduled with the lovely Shannon Squires-Toews of Shannon Squires Photography for our family holiday portraits.  Our little bug was still a bit under the weather, but toughed out our mini shoot the best he could.  I was so thankful that Daddy and Cho-Cho were able to get a few great smiles out of him, as Simon was a little blank-faced when we began.

Hope you enjoy our Fall family photos!  And as always, many thanks to Shannon for her work.

Simon [9 months]

The big NINE MONTHS.  This might not seem like a huge milestone to you, but it does to me.  I remember folding and putting away Simon's 9-month-sized onesies when I first organized his dresser, thinking that they were absolutely huge.  Now, those huge onesies are in the 'wearable' rotation and fit him perfectly.  Nine months means that it has been 3 months since Simon began [successfully] eating solids, so it's probably time for us to venture out from fruits and veggies a little bit to trying more "Big Boy" foods, like cheese, meat, and possibly a few grains.  And most importantly, 9 months means that we are 3/4 of the way to Simon's first birthday, a day that will make me smile with pride and cry like a baby.  This child has now been outside of my uterus for as long as it took for him to grow inside of it, and my mind has seriously blown while trying to negotiate how time flew by so quickly.  Nine months is now here, and we definitely aren't able to turn back!

playful boy

investigating the shiny band-aid

fever baby

Our big boy continues to grow and change.  During his 9th month, teeth #5 and #6 made their debuts in the middle top row, leaving a toddler-like smile on my baby's face.  We met Simon's new pediatrician at his 9-month well baby checkup, the first doctor's visit that Daddy unfortunately was not able to attend with us.  The little man weighed in at 18 pounds and 5 ounces (about 12th percentile) and measured 28.8 inches tall (about 59th percentile).  Simon didn't have any shots during this visit, but did have his hemoglobin checked (which came back negative).  He handled the test like a champ and was rewarded with a shiny, silver band-aid wrapped around his pricked finger.  The scheduling of this visit came in perfect timing with Simon's first fever, which hit while we were in Tahoe, two days before his appointment.  Our little angel threw up, had a 2-day temperature above 100 degrees, and had bouts of sleepiness and lethargy.  As a mommy, it was so sad seeing my baby not feeling like his usual happy and playful self and not being able to do more for him than give Tylenol and lots of snuggles.  I was relieved that the fever had passed by the time we saw the doctor, and was glad to know that his pediatrician wasn't concerned with what was apparently just Simon's first tummy bug.

new jumperoo

first shopping cart ride

cloth diaper baby!

As our boy quickly became a crawling machine, we had a difficult time keeping him safely in one place (i.e., away from the entertainment unit, out from behind the couch, off of the banister-free stairs that we've yet to figure out how to block off).  Because at this point his swing was only being used for climbing, I decided that it was finally time for us to upgrade to a jumperoo.  We had originally received the exersaucer from our Babies"R"Us registry during my pregnancy, but ended up returning it to help afford other items we were in greater need for after Simon's birth.  After lots of searching, I found a Fisher-Price Rainforest™ Jumperoo™ on Craiglist in great condition and scored it for only $35!  Simon loves it and is already an experienced jumper thanks to his doorway jumper, which he's long since become too tall for.  The jumperoo has three-position height adjustment, so this will grow with him as he continues to become taller.  I also recently decided that Simon was big enough to try sitting in the front of the shopping cart.  We made our first attempt during an evening shopping trip to the grocery store and he was perfect!  The different perspective was captivating to him, as he barely made a peep the whole time and couldn't stop staring at everything around him.  And while we're on the topic of new additions and big changes, I am happy to share that we are now a cloth diapering family!  I'd like to write a separate post about this if I ever have the time, but for now I will just mention that I was interested in cloth diapers during my pregnancy, but it wasn't something we were able to begin immediately.  So far, we've had a great experience and I'm loving the change we've made!

catnapping next to Dad

sweet snuggles

a late-night snooze

We are at the heightened state of separation anxiety with Simon, which has led to complete and utter refusal from him in regards to sleeping in his crib.  Because the phrase "co-sleep or no sleep!" is so unbelievably true and as working parents Eric and I are in desperate need of rest, Simon made the return to our bed and sleeping in my arms all night long.  His constant noise-making and tossing and turning quickly began keeping Eric awake all night, so my poor husband started rotating between sleeping on our bedroom floor, the couch, and the living room floor.  On the morning that Simon turned 9 months, Eric was sleeping downstairs and the most horrific, it-happens-to-everyone-at-some-point thing occurred in the middle of the night: Simon rolled off of our bed.  He woke up crying; I began screaming; Eric was up the stairs in two strides; and I was traumatized for the rest of the day.  I was absolutely terrified of letting this happen again, especially without Eric being in the bed with us, but there was still no getting Simon back into his crib.  So, I decided to try sleeping with Simon on the floor in his room.  I made us a nice, little bed with several blankets and pillows and Eric tucks us in every night, putting up the baby gate in the doorway for safety.  It's cozy most of the time and I surprisingly sleep pretty well (as does Simon, too, when he sleeps!), and Eric has been able to return to our bed.  While it's not a long-term solution, it's mostly working for now.  On the unfortunate occasion when Simon refuses to go down with me, Eric will take a shift so I can catch a couple hours of sleep in our bed as he walks around with Simon in his arms or in the Ergo until the boy falls asleep or finally gives up fighting and passes out on the floor.  I very much miss sleeping in the same room as my husband, but we've agreed that for now we have to make this sacrifice in order for all three of us to sleep at night.  We remind ourselves that this phase won't last forever, and any good night's sleep we can get is a reward in itself.  I also try to take comfort in the fact that some day--sooner than I expect--Simon won't want to sleep or cuddle with me anymore, so I'm trying my very hardest to cherish this time while I have it.  When he sleeps well, I absolutely love snuggling with him, and deep down I'm honestly in no rush for my baby to grow out of wanting to be held by his mommy.

 Mommy's little pumpkin

hayride with Daddy

Simon-o-lantern!

The weekend before Halloween, Eric and I took Simon to The Pumpkin Farm, a family-owned pumpkin patch that is right behind our house and just a short walking distance from our front door.  I was so excited to share this Fall festivity with our boy and appropriately dressed him up in a Jack-o-lantern body suit.  The three of us did the hayride on the tractor around the property and Simon was entranced by all the new sights surrounding him.  We looked at crafts, treated ourselves with a bowl of apple slices and caramel sauce (just plain apples for baby!), and set out in search of some pumpkins.  I sat Simon down on the ground in front of a batch of beautiful, orange gourds for some photos and his 'boy instincts' quickly took over, as he dove his hands right into the piles of hay beneath his knees.  Eric and I just stood back and watched with enjoyment as Simon was fascinated with the straws of hay, picking them up and waving them in the air.  With his face covered in dirt, he then began playing on the large pumpkin nearest to him, which to me clearly indicated that it was the one to come home with us.  On our way out, Eric remarked that when we return with Simon next year, he will probably be big enough to play on a few of the many attractions that The Pumpkin Farm has set up for children.  Either way, I look forward to continuing our pumpkin patch tradition with our family for many years to come.

The Muppet Family

 our Animal

 trick-or-treating gang

Celebrating Simon's first Halloween was such a complete joy for our little family.  With a tip from a fellow mom on Facebook, I purchased Simon's and my Halloween costumes from Costume Express back in May during a major clearance blowout where costumes were clearanced down to between $3-$8.  I scored an adult Miss Piggy and 6-12 month Animal costume for $15 including shipping!  All that was left was to get a Kermit shirt for Eric, which I easily found on eBay in early October for $7, and green pants (actually scrubs) and hair color which totaled roughly $13.  I was so in love with our family costume, which was quite a hit while we trick-or-treated.  We were happy to be invited trick-or-treating with our friends, Taylor and Stephanie, who just bought a house one neighborhood over from Athena's parents.  Since she and James were out with Lilly near her parents' house, they were able to meet up with us in one big, happy group.  Justin came along in costume, and my dad also joined in to witness Simon's first trick-or-treating experience.  Our boy was fantastic and didn't fuss one single bit.  I carried him the entire way (we walked for about an hour and a half), and Eric joined us at every doorstep, proudly kneeling down to Simon's level and handing out his pumpkin bucket for treats.  We were surprised at just how much loot our little Animal earned and loved the reactions our costumes received from the candy-givers.  We had such a blast spending the evening with our friends and their children (as well as all of the grandparents in tow!) and we hope to be able to trick-or-treat with our friends and their wonderful families again next year.

 handsome boy

 beautiful Lake Tahoe

Mr. & Mrs. Eric Veater

As I briefly mentioned above, we traveled to Lake Tahoe to see our friends, Eric and Meko, get married at the beautiful Edgewood Tahoe golf course and country club.  This was Simon's second trip away from home and first stay in a hotel.  We got a room at Mont Bleu (none of us were impressed with our stay here and would not recommend this hotel), where the wedding party and most of our friends stayed, and mostly spent time together alone as a family on Friday night since we were the only ones who brought their child.  Eric, Simon, and I got dinner at Cafe del Sol, one of the casino's restaurants, and hung out in our hotel room watching TV and relaxing.  The morning of the wedding started off a little rocky with Simon's fever, but after a few phone calls to the nurse practitioner we decided to still try going to the ceremony since we'd already made the trip.  While he was a little fussier than normal, Simon actually did great at the wedding despite not feeling his best.  He gave smiles and tolerated being held by some of his aunties and uncles, and a couple nursing sessions and doses of Tylenol got us successfully through the reception.  We had been so close to going home and missing the entire event, but our boy ended up being a tough little champ.  It was so beautiful sharing in the newlyweds' special day, and we look forward to bringing Simon back to Tahoe for a second, hopefully illness-free trip.

chillin' with Cho-Cho

big boy bath time

meeting Elle

Life with our little monkey never includes a dull moment.  He is loved by us so much and clearly has lots of love for us as well.  Simon also has bunches of love for his Cho-Cho, who is still babysitting while Eric and I are at work.  The two of them have such a special relationship and really enjoy their time together.  In light of Simon's fall off of our bed, my dad began teaching Simon how to get down from the furniture safely by sliding down on his tummy.  He picked up the skill in no time at all and it's the funniest thing to watch him do!  And speaking of special relationships, Simon was just finally able to meet my friend Chelsea and her daughters, Emma and Elle.  Chelsea moved to Texas with her family back in January before Simon was born and was recently back in town visiting with her girls.  Being pregnant at the same time (Elle was born about 2.5 months before Simon), Chelsea and I had spent time together talking about pregnancy and all things baby.  As Elle was baby girl #2 after big sister Emma, Chelsea was a wealth of knowledge for me and had lots of valuable information to share as I prepared for Simon's arrival.  Getting the babes together and spending time with Chelsea during her trip home was very special for me.  It still surprises me after 9 months how much life has changed and how our priorities have shifted.  Mommy dates and family time have become among my most cherished moments so far during parenthood, and I excitedly look forward to thousands of more special moments to come.