A temporary blog pause

I wont be putting up any new blog posts over the next 2-3 weeks. It is about to get pretty busy around here and I won't have access to my computer. Will let you know when I am back up and blogging again! XOXO

4D Ultrasound!

We got to see our newest little bundle again today! It was the 28 week 4D ultrasound. The hospital that conducted the 20 week diagnostic ultrasound performs this 4D u/s for free for their patients. This was a neat experience for us since we did not do this when I was pregnant with Michael.

My expectations were probably a little too high. I did expect a better picture. But I am just glad we got this good one!

When the tech started the u/s, the umbilical cord was over the bridge of his nose and it moved down to right above his lips. It looked like he had a mustache! His hands were all over his face too. You can see his right hand in this picture. We could also see that he had some hair! It was so fun to see all of these details! We got to see his little toes and legs too.

We got 60 images and some video but this one is the best one. Walking out of the exam room, I was not super confident that the tech got many great pictures so I said to Chris: "I expected the pictures to be better, clearer." Chris's response: "What did you expect? The baby to be holding up a sign that says HI MOM!" YES!! That is exactly what I expected. LOL. Chris knows me too well.

Things with wheels

Michael used to be TERRIFIED of this little red rocket Red Rider airplane toy. So much so that I had to keep it locked away in a closet because it would make him cry. He would start crying if it was even in the same room as him. There are three buttons on it that make noise and say random space oriented things like, "Welcome to Jupiter."

A few months ago, I pulled it back out of the closet to see if he had gotten over the fear and, low and behold, he now loves this toy. In all honesty, prior to now, he was just too young for it. But now, he is tall enough and has enough stability to push his legs back and forth to make himself propel forward. It is cute to watch. He now just needs to get the hang of steering it around corners so I don't have to stand behind him and turn it around corners for him. But I am happy to do it! And he likes to show me how far he can go.

He loves anything with wheels. His blue buggy is still a favorite ride-on toy and he now knows how to buckle the seat belt. He is not quite strong enough to push the two buckle pieces together but he can put the pieces together so they fit into one another!

Yesterday, Chris bought Michael his first t-ball set. It is a tad tall for him still but he is getting the hang of it. Chris said he is going to teach Michael how to hit left-handed, even though we are pretty sure Michael is right handed. I don't know enough about baseball to understand the benefits of being a left-handed batter, so I will just leave that the two of them to figure out!

Road trip destination: Los Angeles

We recently took a road trip to Southern California! First stop: Disneyland in Anaheim! Michael loved it! Chris loved that there were more things for us to do with a 17 month old than he thought there would be.

We enjoyed taking Michael to Toon Town, the Tea Cups, the Carousel, It's a Small World and The Storybook ride. This picture was taken on the Carousel. Michael was fixated for a minute on the horse next to him! We also got to see the parade! It was a lot of fun but tiring! As any day at a theme park should be! Everyone warned me that Disneyland is not as great as Disney World (in Florida). It was a lot smaller in size but all the Disney magic was there! It is a lot of fun to see it through the eyes of a toddler.

While we were in LA, we also went to the Los Angeles Zoo, The Americana in Glendale, and Grauman's Chinese Theater. We also walked down Hollywood Boulevard looking at all of the "Stars" on the sidewalk, the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

It was a really fun, busy trip. We find that keeping Michael busy and occupied keeps us sane. If he gets bored, he gets fussy. So we wore ourselves out but we also loved every minute of it. LA and it's surrounding cities is a neat place. There is still a lot to see so I am sure we will be back.

Toilet bowls and tooth brushes

No, I am not talking about how I clean our bathrooms. For the record, I don't. When I am pregnant, we have a housekeeper. We hired one when we lived in Fallon and I was pregnant with Michael and I jumped back on that bandwagon once I found out I was pregnant with baby #2. My rationale: I don't want the exposure to the cleaning chemicals. Good reasoning. Plus, Chris has a lawn service. So while we have a lawn service, I will also have a housekeeper :) Anyway, I digress...

The subject of today's blog post actually refers to Michael's current obsessions. He loves to TRY to put his hands in the toilet bowl. He has been successful only once, thank goodness. The other times, I have been able to catch his hot little hands quickly. He is also discovering how to flush the toilet. Fun times. Is this all just the first phase of potty training? I certainly hope so.

The infatuation with tooth brushes amazes me. He will stand at our bathroom sink and reach for our toothbrushes and say, "Mine, mine, mine!" I think partly it is a teething thing, but the problem is the massive meltdown that occurs when I take his toothbrush away from him. It is really the saddest sight to see. But the good part is that he gets it! When I give him his toothbrush, he will put it in his mouth and move it around all of his 12 teeth (+4 more on their way).

I know I am still a relatively "new" Mom. I've only been at this for 17 months, but what I have learned is that this phase shall too pass. Just like the massive drooling phase (2-6 months) and the biting phase (12-15 months). We'll see what will be next!

Score 1 more for me!

In a very surprising turn of events, Chris arrived home to us today! Last week, we were told that deployment had begun back in July and we would not be reunited again until next Spring. In an unusual change of Navy plans, the ship and all the sailors were sent home. There are 5,000 families out there right now celebrating the fact that we get our heroes home right now. Even if it is just for a short time, we'll take it!

This lifestyle really forces our family to be as flexible as possible with plans and schedules. I like to think that I am good at adapting to change, but the reality is that I am not good at it at all! About a year ago I came to this conclusion and I verbally voiced it to Chris and his reply was, "You are just now figuring this out! I could have told you this years ago!" Well, thanks hubs for keeping it to yourself. I did need to figure out that one on my own. Now when I am having trouble adapting to the spur of the moment changes that we have to live our daily lives by, my dear close friends and family get the brunt of my venting. You know who you are (CR, TA, AG) - thanks for always being good listeners!

I am still taking one day at a time. But the smile is genuine and there are no more tear stains. We know our time is limited so we just try to make every moment of every day count.

The timing of life

If you really stop to think about it, timing and judgement are almost the two most important things that run our daily lives. If you are driving and you stop too short, not noticing the car in front of you, next thing you know you have rear-ended the car in front of you. It was all about timing, you did not press the brakes in enough time to avoid hitting that car. I guess it could be considered more a case of poor judgement. (Why were you not paying attention while driving?) But you get my point. And no, I did not have a fender bender. Thank God. I have had enough of those in my life to last a lifetime.

We have recently had some timing/judgement issues work in our favor and others that have not.

With the best information that we had available to us, we said goodbye to Chris, as he left for a work trip that was supposed to last for 3 weeks. It was a casual goodbye. Michael was only half-awake in his car seat because he fell asleep on the car ride to drop Daddy off at his jet.

We found out this week that the 3 week trip has now turned into 8+ months. I guess we should have known better. Now, the memory that is seared in my brain is Chris looking back at me and waving as he is walking through the gray steel door of the airplane hanger. He was carrying his green flight bag and a brave smile on his face. The brave smile, I am sure, was more for me than it was for him.

Bad timing and poor judgement Score: 1

My Score: 0.

But I try to be as positive as I can with these kinds of situations. This time, it bit me in the butt.

On the positive side, however, when I did get this bad news, I had a dear friend visiting who's timing could not have worked out better. She is another Navy Spouse who knows exactly how this feels and what this means. I was so grateful for her presence. Therefore, I consider the score evened out.

Now, I just try to keep a smile on my face (even if tears are streaming down my cheeks) and take one day at a time.

(The photo I attached to this blog post is irrelevant to the story but it always puts a smile on my face. It is one of Chris's favorites too. A few weeks ago, we were sitting out on the patio at the local Panera Bread and Michael was exploring his environment. He has his "trouble maker" look on his face.)

Bouncing away the hot summer day

I recently discovered there is an indoor play area in Fresno. Yay!!! Considering it has been 100 degrees+ around here for the last month, this was exciting news in my world. I am constantly trying to find new, fun things for me to do with Michael. During the summer when it is SO hot outside, this can be especially difficult.

I subscribe to the daily e-mails of Groupon. Most of these deals are great ones, but we don't live close enough to Fresno to really take advantage of too many of them. A couple of days ago, I received an e-mail from Groupon for the BounceU facility in Fresno. I immediately e-mailed it out to my friends and said, "Who is in? Let's go this week!"

So we all carpooled up to Fresno today (approximately a 45 minute-1 hour drive) and had a blast a BounceU. As usual of Michael, it took him about 10 minutes to get the bearings of his new environment and then he was running around like he owned the place. But overall, he had a blast. We will be going back again soon, for sure.

I tried attaching the video I took of Michael and his friend playing at BounceU, but the blogger software won't allow upload of the video's taken on my iPhone. So I will have to get better about using my Flip Video recorder.

A gassy story

For those of you who know my husband well enough you know he is obsessed with this topic. Bathroom humor is his forte. Maybe it is a guy thing.

I was scrolling through my Twitter feed and this story popped up: Subtle Butt: The fart neutralizing underwear insert.

Just as I finished reading about this new product online (and considered buying it for Chris), my cell phone rings. It is Chris.

Me: Hey Babe. Just saw this new product online that is perfect for you.

Chris: Oh yeah, what is it?

Me: It is an insert you put in your underwear that will neutralize the odor when you poot.

Chris: (In a very sarcastic tone). Ha, ha, you are so funny. Do they come in thong sizes? No, but I can check on that for you.

Me: :) LOL!

Chris: Well, speaking of gas...I almost had to push my car to the gas station today because I was so low!

Me: How do you figure? You still made it, right?

Chris: Yes, but my gas tank takes 16 gallons and I put in 16.001 gallons. Whew.

Me: Would have been pretty funny to see you pushing your car down the street in 103 degree weather wearing your flight suit and boots.

Chris: Yeah, real funny.

I'm still considering buying him the Subtle Butt. What do you think?

Dancing machine

Michael has become a dancing machine. If I hum, he dances, if the TV is on and song comes on, he dances. He walks around the house with the iPod/iPhone in his hand flipping through songs to dance to. And the best yet: Chris taught him to raise the roof. We have tried to get video of it, but he is a smart cookie. When we turn on the video recorder, he stops dancing. I think he knows this is too good and it could be used in a future graduation/wedding video down the road. In the meantime, we will just work on perfecting his moves until he will let us video him performing! Stay tuned!!

Hairy issues

Before I start my blog, let me say that this is (in the grand scheme of life) a silly topic. However, some comments from Chris made it kinda interesting so I though I would put it out there...(and frankly, most of my blog posts are silly, inconsequential life events).

At the end of last week, I went to get my hair cut and colored (highlights). Usual stuff, no biggie. Well, for those of us who are military spouses and we move every 2-4 years, trying to find a new stylist that we can trust can be a challenge. However, for our last 2 locations that we have lived, I have gotten lucky in finding good people so I figured my luck would continue. Not so much.

I walked out of there last week with bleach-blond streaks. My natural hair color is a dirty blond (with natural sun lit highlights) on top/ more brown beneath. I couldn't sleep all night. I was in tears the next morning. I have never had to confront a hair stylist about my hair and NOT liking it before - I did not know what to do! But I did know that I paid way too much money to just let it go and not say anything. Do I trust that she will fix it? Or will it just be made worse with a fix by someone who messed it up in the first place?

The dilemma. So without thinking more about it, I just called her and she was happy to get me in for a fix. I just got home from the redo and here is my conversation with Chris:

Me: So what do you think?

Chris: It is dark as S*@#

Great, so now my hair looks like the color poop. Good times. I'm not going back. I am gonna have to stick this one out. It is darker than I like and not what I am used to, but I would prefer this over blonde-streaky highlights.

We are off to lunch with friends at Panera! Hope you are having a great day!

The Sweetest Kisses

I have been trying to teach Michael how to give kisses. Big, wet, loud ones. Like most toddlers, he will do it but only when he wants to! I have been teaching him by puckering up, making the "uuuummmmmm" noise and then kissing him on the lips. He has been doing it, on occasion with me for the last few weeks.

Tonight, we were playing in the family room with his toys and Chris and I were sitting on the ground with him. He went right up to Chris and gave him these big mouth "uuuuummmmm" kisses about 10 times in a row. It just melted our hearts, it was the cutest thing. I know Chris was just eating it up too! It was one of those moments I'll never forget and wish I had on video tape!

Just don't wanna let go

We had a really busy day today. After breakfast, we drove over to Sequoia National Park. It is about a 1 hour drive to the park entrance off CA-198. Michael fell asleep in the car on the way there and woke up as we were winding through some of the small towns that we drove through to get to the park entrance. Little did we know we still had an hour of windy, twisty roads left to travel. I am not one to get car sick but I think the combo of sitting in the backseat and being 19 weeks pregnant made me pretty queasy. Luckily, we made it without incident.

After ascending thousands of feet in the car and traveling from brown, dry landscape to beautiful, green lush trees, we made it. The park was absolutely beautiful. The nauseating car ride was well worth the beauty of the park. Our first stop was at the Museum. We all needed to get out and walk around after being cooped up for 2 hours. While we were there, a little rain storm blew through and cooled off the air so we had to pull out our sweatshirts. The second stop was at a picnic area. We had packed a cooler of sandwiches, chips, and pasta salad. Michael downed two hard boiled eggs and then decided that searching for sticks and rocks was more fun than eating. Well, more fun that eating table food at least. Towards the end of our lunch he decided to plop down on the ground and chow down a handful of dirt. Taking after that cousin of his again! (The picture of him sitting was after he took a bite - a fuzzy pic because he was sitting about 10 feet away from me and I had to zoom.)

After the picnic, we headed to The General Sherman Sequoia Tree. This tree is the oldest living tree in the entire world. It was quite beautiful. We overheard a tour guide saying that the scope of the size of the tree is like a mouse looking up to a 6 foot human being. So we all stood around gazing up like little mice at the enormous tree. Many of you are probably familiar with the California Redwoods. The difference is this: The Sequoia's are heavier and much thicker (at their base) while the Redwoods are taller than the Sequoia's. The National Park Service has done an excellent job in maintaining the beauty of this park. Michael absolutely LOVED running around picking up little branches, watching the other kids around him and just being outdoors in the the clean, fresh air. He found some big boulders that looked intriguing to him so we played around them for a while. I find it so funny how we spend so much money on toys yet he seems just as happy playing with the rocks, sticks, sand and wood chips of the outdoors. We hated to have to put him back in the car to go home. But alas, it was nap time and the car's gas tank was on E with the light blinking!

So down the mountain we headed. The nausea was not as bad, thank goodness. And we did not have to go for an emergency gallon of gas, we made it to the Chevron outside of the park just in time.

Another highlight of the day was seeing the wildlife. We got to see a deer up close as it was searching for food. Then on the drive down the mountain, we spotted (from our car) a Momma bear and her two cubs. That was pretty neat considering the only time I have ever seen bears before was in a zoo. The Momma bear was actually a lot smaller than I expected her to be. Maybe my frame of reference of the size of bears comes from the movie: The Great Outdoors. Classic John Candy movie.

It was a wonderful and much needed adventure. But of course we pay the price by Michael not napping as well during the day and as Chris says, "He turns into a pumpkin around 7 pm." Tonight the Pumpkin turning was occurring earlier in the evening because he did not get enough of a nap. Thirty minutes after putting him down he was still not settling like he normally does so I snuck into his nursery and picked him up to rock him to sleep. Like a comfy cotton t-shirt, he snuggled right into my arms and fell asleep on my shoulder. It was so hard to transfer him because I was enjoying him sleeping on my chest and feeling his breath on my shoulder. I know one day he is going to be too big to do this with so I try to enjoy and take in every moment. It was a great way to complete a great day.

Quote of the day:

"Molly, be careful in there."

Chris says this as I am getting out of the car to run into Wal-Mart to pick up sewing supplies for a project for Chris. (Background: We are making black-out drapes for his bunk on the ship. Funky sized drapes, I had to break out the sewing machine.)

He could have been dropping me off at ANY Wal-Mart in ANY town in America and these words would have been uttered. Wal-Mart is an interesting cornucopia of people, isn't it? He said this because of the scary looking people walking in at the same time I was getting out of the car. And maybe because I am carrying his second child he is a little more protective. To the delight of both Chris and Michael: I made it out alive. But the interesting thing is as I am walking out of the store, I spot a well dressed woman in a black shiny Jaguar sports car pulling into the parking lot.

Cornucopia, for sure.

Happy 4th of July!

We had a really fun 4th of July! With Michael running all over the place, it is just a matter of keeping up with him these days! We had a bunch of errands to run in the morning. Then we had some friends over for BBQ and hanging out in the backyard.

This picture was taken prior to everyone coming over. Once in a while, Michael will slow down for a moment and sit on Chris's lap. In this case, there was a pro-baseball game on the TV so they sat for a few minutes watching the game. It was sweet.

He has increased the intensity to a whole new level

Michael woke up on Thursday with a new intensity for life! Literally, he stepped it up a level with his activity level. I have been told, "Boys are busy!" I am beginning to understand this now.

Our usual trip to the Farmer's Market on Thursday night became an adventure in chasing Michael around the park. Non-stop. Same with going to Freedom Park yesterday. It was funny yesterday because we were there late morning and he was running from slide to ladder to play station like he owned the place. I got him to take a rest for a minute and took his hat off (in the shade, of course) and he was sweating! I have never seen him sweat like that! Mind you, it was also in the upper 90 degrees, but still! This picture is about a month old but it is a good indication of what he looks like when he is on a mission. Here is walking from swimming in the kiddie pool we have in the backyard to coming back into the house, usually via the doggie door. What a character.

What I am missing about east coast living right about now...

We have lived out west for 3 years and 3 months now. But who is counting, right?

This week it finally hit me. There are "things" that I am really missing right about now about living on the east coast.

#1 Sweet tea in restaurants. Don't get me wrong, you can get iced tea out here, but then you have to sweeten it. Frankly, the artificial sweeteners just don't do it for me. It needs to be made with real sugar that melts after the tea bags steep in boiling water. I'm just sayin'.

#2 Humidity. I know all of my east coast family and friends will cringe when they read this, but hear me out. Humidity is because of the wonderful rain you get that makes your grass, trees, and beautiful flowers green. If those things are green out west, it is because we just spent $300 a month on our water bill to make sure they stay green. I find it a bit crazy, personally. Also, I know the rain and thunderstorms can put a damper in plans on some days but it is nice to have a change in the weather once in a while. Most days out here it does feel like Groundhog Day. Hot, sunny, and no clouds in sight. While that is an ideal weather day for most people, I personally like the occasional rain/thunderstorm. Another perk to the humidity: it is SO good for your skin. The moisture that stays in your skin is saving you a ton of money on moisturizing cream! Believe me on this one. The wrinkles pop out a little more with less moisture in the epidermis.

#3 Chick-fil-A's. I know there are a few of these out here, but never where we have lived. It just reminds me of fun trips to the Garden's Mall and having lunch. They have the best fries and, of course, sweet tea.

#4 BBQ joints. I was watching the Food Network the other night before bed and there was a BBQ ribs special on at the time. So I had a sudden craving for Park Avenue BBQ in Tequesta. Or Beach Bully in VA Beach. I have yet to come across a good BBQ joint out here. There was one in Fallon that we went to back when we lived there. Chris took a bite of the cornbread and said, "This tastes like crap. If they can't even get the cornbread right, the BBQ is probably going to be bad." And he was right, it was bad.

#5 Bagel shops. I love a good bagel. Or a good bagel sandwich. The only thing resembling bagel shops are the Donut shops on every corner out here. Not the same. You can't put cream cheese, lettuce, tomato and sprouts on a donut and feel satisfied with that meal. How gross does that sound? So I stock up on bagels at the local Costco. They do an OK job. Not like Einstein's or Brooklyn Bagel though.

Just feeling a little east coast home sick this week. That's all!

Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy ever!

In Celebration of Father's Day today, this blog post is dedicated to our #1 Daddy!

This picture was taken when Michael was 2 days old. It is, by far, still one of my VERY favorite pictures of the two of them and I am sure it will be for many years to come. It is hard to believe that Michael was ever that tiny!

While Chris cannot be with us this Father's Day, we will still celebrate how successful he has become as a Dad! When he gets home in 2 weeks, we will celebrate again!

Some favorite Chris quotes over the last year (since last Father's Day).

#1. "Just put a boob in his face."

#2. "What time, again, does he go down for his nap?"

#3. "Man, I don't know how you do this everyday!"

One of the very wonderful things about Chris is his ability to get me to slow down and "smell the roses." He has a wonderful sense of humor that makes everyone laugh out loud, including Michael. My favorite interactions between them are when Chris walks in the door from work, he bends down and opens his arms up really wide and Michael runs right into his arms for a big, bear hug. It melts my heart. The other times are when Chris takes Michael on shoulder rides around the house chasing after the dogs. These shoulder rides get the biggest belly laughs of all. So Happy Father's Day to our #1 Daddy!

Food poisoning and pit bulls

Monday morning started off on a really great note. Are you sensing the sarcasm yet? I woke up at 1 am with food poisoning. The following 24 hours were miserable. I was not really sure how the day was going to go with Michael but he was a trooper and he did great laying low in the house all day.

We have been keeping busy playing and stocking up on groceries. Such a glamorous life we live!

This afternoon proved interesting when I decided to take Michael on a walk to the mailbox. We have one of the community mailboxes that is down the street and around the corner. So I packed Michael into his blue buggy and off we went. He still loves this thing! Once the mailbox was in sight, I also spotted a stray male pit bull. Great. It was far enough away from us that we could continue to the mailbox. We safely retrieved the mail and started on our way back. About 5 steps later I looked back to see him behind us and closing in. He was bee lining down the sidewalk straight for us. I have never moved so fast in my life. The mail hit the ground, immediately, and Michael got unbuckled so fast. In a split second he was in my arms and watching the dog. (He thought it was pretty funny actually). I kept us moving and crossing the street. The dog retreated and then started going from house to house sniffing around. Pit Bulls have a very poor reputation for their behavior and many children have been badly injured from them. I really don't understand the owners of these animals and why they allow them to roam free. Next time I encounter or see this dog roaming around, I plan on calling the animal control. I am really hoping this was a one time incident.

Dear Tooth Fairy

I am pleading with you now. Begging. Please make this tooth pain go away! This upper right molar is trouble. T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

My patience is dwindling. My wallet is open. I am willing to return ALL of the money I received as a kid for my teeth falling out - PLEASE!!!

We have been on the go!

Sorry for the lack of blogging recently, it has been a little crazy busy around here. However, things should be settling down so I will back on the blogging bandwagon.

First, I have to vent: Today I am not a fan of Bank of America, Expedia, and the Navy HHG audit division. The less business I do with these organizations, the happier I will be.

As for our busy schedules. We just had a really fun week hanging out with some great friends and our little God Daughter. Michael loved playing with E and he misses talking to her and seeing her every day! This is a picture of them on a walk around Downtown Hanford. It was a hot day so we stopped for ice cream. Michael loved it, E....not so much a fan. She was into her bunny crackers though!

Michael has been having a tough couple of weeks with teething. His top right molar just wont pop through and it has been giving him all kinds of pain. Poor guy. I am not a fan of this part of growing up, for sure. The other 3 one-year molars have popped through and he looks so grown up when he smiles! Where did my little roley-poley baby go?

He is now waking up from a much needed morning nap - gotta run. I will blog more again soon!

The goal: getting both cars back in the garage

Today we had a big garage sale. You name it, it was out on the front driveway to be sold.

I have decided I am the opposite personality of the people profiled on the Hoarders show. If there is "stuff" sitting around that is not an item that we actively use, it is gone. We live a transient lifestyle, we can't schlep this "stuff" around the country with every duty station move!

So we advertised for the Garage Sale to occur today from 8 am - 12 pm. Chris got up at 6:15 am to get the "stuff" pulled out of the garage and set up. There were at least 5 people outside of the house waiting for him to open up shop. Crazy! We were warned about this. I guess Garage Sale's are a big hit here in Hanford!

We were successful in getting almost everything sold. We have one small box that I need to take to Goodwill and drop off. Chris had a great time negotiating, or lack there of, with the buyers.

Buyer: How much do you want for this pot?

Chris: $5

Buyer: I'll give you $2

Chris: Sold!

Hey, I am just glad it is all gone and out of my hair! Now we do still have some arranging to do in the garage to get both cars in but I am 100% confident we will do it!

Michael chatting away!

He has 2 or 3 different kid friendly telephones and he LOVES playing with them. He will hold them up to his mouth like this picture shows and he will talk into them. It is so cute. But it makes me wonder, does he see Chris and I on the phone too much that he knows how to imitate it so well?

Hmmm.....maybe.

His imitation skills are getting really good! And his understanding of what we say is becoming crisper every day. Yesterday, he had this little basket on his arm and in the basket there were two toy balls. One was orange and one was blue. I asked him to hand me the orange one and he reached in grabbed it and handed it to me. Then we repeated the same with the blue one and he understood it perfectly. Then today he was coughing and needed a sip of milk. His milk sippy was sitting near him on the floor and I told him to reach over and take a sip of his milk. He crawled over and picked up the sippy and took a drink. Amazing. I love it. I am sure over time, however, this "listening" will become a more selective "listening" skill.

Tonight we met some friends at the Farmer's Market and had dinner on the lawn by the Carousel. It was a lot of fun watching the kids run around and visiting with friends. Now, we are looking forward to a long Memorial Day weekend!

Bear Hugs

It is just the cutest thing you have ever seen. Chris opens up his arms really wide and says "HUGS" and Michael stumbles right over into his arms for a big bear hug. Then I do the same action and he melts right into my arms. It is the best feeling in the world!

This is one of my new favorite pictures. I love how Michael is holding onto his cousin, G! So precious! We miss them so much!!

Our whirlwind trip back east!

We are finally home and getting back into our California time zone and routine!

Michael and I made a trip back east to NC and FL. Just a few highlights of our trip:

1. Michael got to meet my God Parents, The McAllister's, for the first time. He loved them to death! Usually it takes Michael a few minutes to warm up to new people but with them it was like he has known them his whole life. He would crawl up on Dr. Mac's lap for back rubs and he would talk a blue streak with Ganga. Truly, I have never heard him chat it up so much with someone in his life!

2. He also got to see Grandaddy and Grandma Mitchell, his Aunt Sara, and his Great Grandmother Memommie. He also met some other family in New Bern, but he tuckered out pretty quickly that night from all of the activity. I think he was most excited about playing with the dogs: Sam (chocolate lab) and Spike (beagle). I swear we heard him say "Bad Doggie" when Sam was acting up!

3. We miss being so far away from our family in Florida. Michael and his cousin, G, LOVED playing with each other. G was usually up before Michael in the morning so G and I would go in together once Michael woke up to get him out of bed. They both would have the biggest grins on their faces and the grins would not go away until bedtime. It was so wonderful to see. We also got to see a bunch of Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins on one night in Orlando. There were 5 little ones under the age of 2.5 years old so at times it was a little chaotic but it was SO much fun! We miss them terribly too!

4. I taught G a few things. He is at such a fun, impressionable age. I would say: "Who is handsome?" and he would say back "ME!" This was also the first time meeting Baby J. He has such a sweet and gentle soul. Michael would try to rub his head and grab his hands and feet and Baby J would just sit there and watch and take it all in. He is beyond precious.

We do hate being so far away. The east-west coast flights are not fun at this age. Michael just wants to run around. Sitting on 1 plane for 3-4 hours at a time can be challenging, to put it mildly. We have counted, and to date this was our 8th east-west coast flight (round trip) since Michael was born. Most kids don't travel this much in their first 18 years of life! But the pain of the traveling was worth the time that we got with our family. We can't wait to see them all again!

Until then, thank God for the technology like Skype and Flip Video's!

My Mother's Day

Today, was a day filled with laughter and tears. Mother's Day can be a tough day. For many people who have lost their Mother, especially at a young age, it can be a very bitter sweet day.

The events that made my day special included:

• Chris and The Grant's sending beautiful flowers that I was able to enjoy all week! They make me smile each time I look at them.
• A call from my far away brother and his beautiful wife, Nikole. Next year they will be celebrating Mother's Day with an adorable sweet little girl in their arms.
• Big belly laughs from Michael. Apparently, he thinks it is really funny to hear me trying to sing Carrie Underwood and Faith Hill songs. He is probably right!
• My friend, T, remembering that today may be a tough day and tell me she was thinking about me.
• Hearing that my nephew, G, keeps asking for his Aunt Molls. I'll see you this weekend G! I can't wait!

So everyone whose Mom's are still around to hug, hug them tight. And tell them you love them every chance you get!

Teething Tears

They break my heart. I can't wait for these molars to pop through already. Poor guy. I wish it did not hurt so much. :(

My life will never be the same

When I was pregnant with Michael, EVERYONE loved to tell Chris and me that our life will never be the same. Be prepared they would say, it is going to change drastically. Some of these comments were said in overly dramatic tones and I think we heard it so much, it just got to be annoying to hear.

We were ready for the life altering experience of having our first baby. If it is possible to be prepared for bringing home a newborn, we were as prepared as it was gonna get. And everyone was right: it is life changing. However, not as dramatic as people would make it out to be.

My opinion is that the "life altering" part really did not kick in until Michael just recently started walking. When all he could do was roll over, sit up, and crawl, I had control of where he was and what he was doing. NOW, it is a completely different ball game. He decides to walk from room to room because the spirit moves him and I have to follow suit. I was writing an e-mail to Chris today, as this is the only form of communication that we have right now. The highlight of my days are receiving and responding to e-mails from Chris. (Another one of those things that my military friends will understand 100%). I was mid-sentence responding to one of Chris's e-mails when I had to stop to chase Michael into the office/playroom.

But I love it! He is constantly smiling as he walks around. The dogs follow him everywhere and he has figured out how to get them to chase him. He giggles so hard when they play this game. So our "life altering" 24 lbs of love and smiles and teething tears is the best thing that has ever happened to us. Yes, our life will never be the same as it was pre-Michael, but I would never want it to be. Our little baby is growing up!

His Book Nook

Our office room is also Michael's playroom. I love having a playroom that we can just close the door and not look at the mess of toys everywhere.

Everyday, multiple times throughout the day, he will wander in here to play. He loves going over to the book case and flipping through his books. He is turning the pages of his Toddler Bible as we speak!

So this is a picture of all of that. He sits in this little corner, next to the bookcase and couch and looks through his books. It makes me so happy that he loves his books!

This dog is more work than my child

Katie, our 3 year old Yorkie, should be grateful to still be a part of this household. She was crying/yelping from her crate 3 times last night! She had me up for 3 hours! Nothing is more anger producing than having to get up in the middle of the night for a yelping dog.

Hopefully tonight will be better or she and her crate will be moved into the garage for the evening...

This pity party has ended.

There is always this mental adjustment period that I go through when Chris leaves town for an extended time period (more than 10 days). The first 5 days or so after he leaves has come to be known in my world as "Molly's Pity Party." Now that Chris is back with a fleet squadron his schedule demands that he will be out of town A LOT.

What is A LOT? We are talking 10 out of the next 11 months. I'll give you a second to let that sink in. For my fellow military spouses who read this, I know you can 100% relate. For all of my civilian friends, I don't expect you to fully understand. I did not get it myself until, back in 2004, I dropped Chris off to go on his first deployment. I drove home and walked in the garage door of our home in VA Beach and it hit me: he will not be walking back through this door with me for another 6 months.

This next year is going to be an interesting adventure. We have already done 2 deployments in the past. But this was at a time in my life when I was working full time and during the second deployment I was also in school working towards my MBA. Seeing as this is the third deployment, this should be a breeze right? I don't think so. I think they only get harder and more challenging.

The demands of raising a busy toddler on my own, with no daily reprieve at 5:30 pm or on the weekends, feels daunting. It most certainly makes me appreciate what single parents do every day, 24/7/365. I say a special prayer for all the single parents that I know.

Will we get through this? Absolutely. But it wont be easy and it won't be without tears. 3 1/2 more weeks till Daddy gets home from this month-long trip. You better believe I am counting down the days.

Food for thought

Last night I watched the final episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. You can catch all of the episodes here on Hulu.com. I think it is pretty amazing what this guy is doing and it really seems to be making a difference.

I feel like I have been bitten by the healthy food bug since watching Food, Inc. We have always eaten pretty healthy, we are not people who go to McDonald's, Wendy's, or In-and-Out Burger every month. I would estimate we hit up those places once or twice a year. We cook at home a lot and make healthy meals. But after watching this food documentary on where our food comes from and how it gets to us has made me think more about the quality of what I am buying. Yes, regular (hormone filled) chicken and (corn fed) beef are cheaper, but as my Mom always told me: "You pay for what you get!"

The one story line that stood out to me in Food, Inc. that really made me change my purchasing habits was the story of the 2.5 year old toddler who died after eating a burger tainted with e-coli or salmonella (I cannot remember which one). I could really put myself in that Mother's shoes. That poor child passed away after eating a burger! And our Federal Government did not do a recall on that beef quickly, at all. Leaving an untold number of people exposed to this deadly germ. Crazy and yet so sad. I absolutely cannot imagine losing a child, but losing them because they ate a burger?

I encourage all of my friends and family to watch Food, Inc and Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution. They are so shocking. I would be surprised if these shows did not move you to make smarter choices too.

The best money we ever spent

Is on lawn care and housekeeper services.

Back when we lived in VA Beach and Chris was on deployment I could not justify paying someone else to mow the lawn or clean the house because I had the time to do it. Well, now with a busy 13 month old, the last thing I want to do when he naps or goes down to bed for the night is clean the house! I want to sit on the couch and catch up on TV shows or curl up with a good book and read.

And the house looks so much better, outside and inside, than if I were trying to do it myself.

The little things in life that make me happy :)

It's crate time!

Since moving to CA, the dogs have been a little off. In NV, we had a doggie door that they could use all the time to come and go to the bathroom outside. In this new house, we don't have a doggie door :( Frankly, it is no big deal for me to let them come and go during the day. It is the night time potty breaks that I get a little angry about. Michael is sleeping through the night, yet the dogs were waking me up to go outside to go pee 2x per night!

I had to crack the whip. Lay down the law. Put my foot down. I set up the crates 2 nights ago.

The dogs are now spending the evenings sleeping in their crates. Thank God for dog crates. After the first night of restful, uninterrupted sleep Chris finally agreed with me that this was the best solution. (The other solution would have been to spend $400+ on a doggie door that fits into a 96" sliding glass door. No, thank you.)

Lucy, our 5 year old Yorkie, is not too happy with the situation. She has been pretty spoiled for all of her 5 years. So for the last two days, she has sulked during the day by hiding out underneath our bed. She is normally very social with us during the day, wanting to play catch and tug of war with her rope toy. So it is going to take some time for her to adjust. But she will get there, hopefully.

Strawberries and cheese

These are two of my very favorite foods, so when I first introduced them to Michael I was shocked that he did not like or want them! I thought, "How is it possible that he doesn't want to even try these fabulous foods?!?" So, like all the baby books say, keep trying. So I did. And he never took to either of them until this week.

My discovery: he only likes strawberries and cheese at room temperature. He is now chowing down on strawberries like they are going out of season - and thank goodness the season is only starting! I bought a big clam shell of strawberries from Costco and it is already half-gone!

The particulars of Michael's like's and dislikes are always amazing to me. It is so fun to see his personality develop every day.

Love this picture too!

Here is another favorite picture taken recently. We had these shots done for Michael's 1st birthday. He was not happy about a big, black camera being in his face, but we got a couple of cute snapshots out of the session. I did not plan on planting lipstick on his cheek, it just happened! It left him with one rosy cheek for the rest of the day.

It has been pretty uneventful around here. We are pretty settled from the move, so now we are just trying to get into a good daily routine. Today, I think, we are headed to the park to hit up the bucket swings then to run a few errands around town.

Boys!

This morning turned out to be a little hectic, and I am not sure how that happened. Our internet was down so a tech from Comcast showed up at 9 am. Chris did not have to go into work until a little later so we both were fielding phone calls trying to get some paperwork completed and catch up on e-mails from the last 24 hours. Next thing I know, Chris is out back with Michael, who crawled his way out there while Chris was on the phone (in the backyard). Michael was sitting in the mulch in the back yard digging in the dirt and mud. It has been raining the past few days.

Chris was beaming. Michael had mud on his face, hands and feet. It was so cute.

Now, I have to figure out how to get the dirt out of his fingernails without him squirming all over the place!

A favorite photo

We had this picture recently taken and it is one of my favorites! Years ago, one of my cousins told me that some of her favorite childhood photos are of her and the family with her Dad in front of one of his Air Force jets. Since she mentioned that to me, I always make it a priority to get family pictures like this one. I know that they will be treasured favorites many years from now. These days we are just taking advantage of every minute of our time with Chris. Soon he will be on work up's and deployment and we will be praying for his safe return. For now though, we soak up the love and make every minute count!

Michael's new car

We just recently bought this blue push-buggy for Michael and he LOVES IT! I literally have to have it out of sight if we are not using it because he wants to be riding in it or climbing all over it if he sees it.

Here are pictures of us hanging out in the backyard. We have had really beautiful weather recently and we have been taking advantage of being outside as much as possible! I love the pose on the last picture. So funny!

P.S. No keys are needed for the push-buggy. Those are my keys he is playing with!

Happy Easter!

What a blessed weekend! We had a great Easter weekend! Church and then brunch with some good friends. I planned on putting some of the plastic Easter Eggs around the back yard and seeing if Michael would crawl around to pick them up, but it was way too cold for that! I think it was in the 50's on Sunday! So after church and brunch, we climbed into our sweats and lounged around (inside) our toasty warm home.

Today we did some shopping at the Navy Exchange and Target. Michael sat, shotgun, in the shopping cart and decided that he wanted to hold the push handle, which was a good 4 inches farther distance from the seat. It was so cute. I did get a pic and will post it once I get it uploaded. When I tried to move his hands closer to him, he would just not have that. He moved them right back the the higher handle. I just love his little personality and I thank God everyday for the wonderful family I have. I am so blessed.

Sorry...

...for the lack of blogging recently! It has been crazy around here getting unpacked. Michael is also at a very busy age so I am constantly chasing him around. He is not walking just yet, taking steps here and there, but he is a speed crawler. We have dubbed him Hurricane Michael as he blazes a path of destruction wherever he goes!

You all know I cannot pass up posting a new cute picture. This was taken on our last night in Fallon, hence the blow up mattress. He loved crawling on it and as you can see he is in trouble mode with the look on that face.

We have an upcoming fun Easter weekend! Grandpa Jack is coming into town and we have plans for Easter Sunday service, brunch after church, and hunting for Easter eggs in the afternoon. Happy Easter to everyone!

Boxes, boxes, and more boxes.

We finally made it to our new home and we LOVE it!

There are a few things I have learned over the past 5 days that, I think, are worthy of sharing:

1. NEVER schedule a move during March Madness.

2. If you do schedule a move during March Madness, tell your husband that the Direct TV people could not come to set it up for at least a week. This way he is focused on helping to set up the house and not focused on watching Michigan, Butler, Duke and West Virginia.

3. Refrain from having the internet hooked up until AFTER about 2 weeks. Same idea as #2. It is easier to procrastinate online than finish unpacking that dish pack.

4. Hire a babysitter for the first week. I like to get it done so that I can put my feet up and enjoy. It is not "done" until the last picture is hung and the last rug is placed.

5. Make sure there is a map in the car. I know, rookie mistake, but the directions seemed easy enough. 80 to 5 south to 198 east. Well, I ended up on 99 south and almost had a mental breakdown. Thank goodness for good friends who can talk me off the ledge and give me good directions (thanks T)!

My hands are raw from cardboard boxes and packing paper, so I am taking the night off to get caught up on the internet. Tomorrow is a new day with a new list of things to get done!

Fun times

This has been a fun couple of days! Here are a couple of pictures of when we took Michael to the park on base. He loves that bucket swing, he could sit and swing for hours. I really love the big smile that he is giving both of us as he comes to the top of the swing. So fun!

The picture of the jet was Chris arriving back to the flight line, today, after flying his final flight with TOPGUN in the F-16 Viper. Michael, Uncle Mikey, and I got to be there to see him taxi in and park. He was then greeted by a bunch of his co-workers for congratulations and bags filled with water! He got soaked, but loved every minute of it. It is certainly bittersweet leaving this command and heading back to a fleet squadron. We have really enjoyed the wonderful people and exploring the areas nearby like Lake Tahoe. We are now off to new adventures in a new part of the country!

Is it possible?

That a bag of frozen breast milk in the freezer had me in tears yesterday? Yup. You read that right. It is only 5 oz. and I just cannot bear the thought of throwing it away. I mentioned to Chris that I just cannot bear to throw it away before we move and he was so sweet to recognize that I was about to cry so he gave me a big, long bear hug. I don't know why I am so emotional over this bag of milk.

Maybe it is because I recognize that, soon, Michael won't need me anymore for this nutrition.

Maybe it is because I see him growing up so fast and all I want to do is slow time down.

Maybe it is because it makes me think of the emotions my own Mom went through with all 3 of her children in the nursing and weaning process. I wish everyday she was here to talk about this kind of "stuff."

Or Maybe it is because we are about to embark on a new chapter of our life, one in which Chris will be deployed a lot, and I cannot bear the thought of him missing one minute of Michael's life.

As for that bag in the freezer, it is still sitting there. It will have to go by Thursday, when the movers pull the plug on the fridge. But I promise you I won't be the one throwing it away.

3 days to go!

The packers are showing up on Wednesday! That is only 2 more "sleeps" or nights before they arrive! I have been busy organizing things around the house in order to make their job a little easier. We will go ahead and take down all pictures and wall hangings. Then I group together all of the pictures/picture frames, etc. I will also make sure all the toys are in one place, clothes are organized, and draperies are taken down, cleaned, folded and put with the other linens. There is always so much to do! But I enjoy it. Or I should say, I don't mind it.

At present, I am sitting at the breakfast table with Michael. He is chewing on a bagel while throwing his strawberries and kiwi over the side of his high chair to Katie and Lucy to dine on. Unfortunately for me, they don't like fruit so much. So I will be down there picking it all up!

Happy Monday to all!

Table tops are no longer safe

Michael has taken to reaching on top of all side tables, kitchen table, etc and pulling everything off the top! Today's infatuation: pulling all of the Kleenex out of the box. Geez! Here we go!

Wednesday's nap time

Yesterday, I put Michael down for his nap. As usual, he fusses for a few minutes before he falls asleep. After he quieted down, I went to check him on the video monitor. He was sitting straight up in the back corner of his crib. This is a super odd position for him to fall asleep in so I had to go in his room to make sure he was OK. He had, in fact, fallen asleep sitting straight up in the back corner of his crib with his Mr Bear in his hand. I guess he was that tired!

A few minutes later I checked on him again and his head was slumped down. He was out cold. Rest assured he was still breathing so I did not move him. Eventually, he figured out that this was an uncomfortable position so he extended his legs and arms out and got more comfy. It was so cute.

Today we are headed into Reno to get both cars serviced prior to the move to CA. It should be a good day with Chris and Michael making some fun stops in Reno.

Movies

About every 3 months, Chris and I go on a Blockbuster binge. We walk through and rent a bunch of new release movies that we have not seen yet. This month we picked up: The Hurt Locker, Food, Inc., and Couples Retreat.

I just quizzed Chris on thumbs up or thumbs down on the movies and his response was: In between. This response did not surprise me as many times I ask Chris a question his response is usually: Yes and No.

We were excited to see The Hurt Locker because it won Best Picture at the Academy Awards last week! It was a war movie so we expected a lot of blood and guns, but as a whole the movie did not "Wow" us. We actually thought the scenes were pretty predictable. At the end, I made Chris promise me he would never want to join the Army and become a bomb detonator. God Bless the men who do that job. They need special angels looking over them, for sure.

Couples Retreat. Again, we thought it was pretty predictable. Nothing to write home about. But better than flipping through the TV channels for 2 hours.

Food, Inc. This one was interesting. I give it a thumbs UP. Chris did not watch this movie, as he was not interested. I, however, have had a handful of friends who have stopped eating meat after watching this movie. So I braced myself for the worse and watched it. The first half of this documentary was pretty gory. After watching it I have decided to buy more organic meat. I think this will be easier to do once we live closer to more stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. I am also going to try to cut out red meat. Save it for special occasions, like dinner at Ruths Chris, for example. We will be eating more organic chicken, fish, and vegetarian dinners. This is better for our waistlines and hearts anyway.

On a non-movie note, we are 8 days away from the packers showing up for the move to CA. I am super excited about this move! I can't wait! And since the time change over the weekend, Michael has decided that he only needs 1 nap a day. This change certainly requires more energy and planning on my part but so far it has been good.

DVR

Here is a picture of Chris getting his grove on the dance floor in Opal, which is a night club in the Mont Bleu Hotel, South Lake Tahoe. We were there on Saturday night for a formal Navy dinner. I alway love the formal dinners because we get to get dressed up.

How often do I wear 3" heels anymore? Answer: About once a year.

We had a great time and, maybe, a few too many glasses of wine. It was tough getting up on Sunday morning, but hearing Michael giggling and laughing at himself in his bed put smiles on our faces and we just had to go pull him out to play with us, headaches and all.

We made it home on Sunday and practically crashed on the floor of the living room. Michael climbed all over us playing with all of his toys while we tried to get over the events of the previous evening. It reminded me, once again, why I don't like to drink.

The time change "spring forward" crap has been a big thorn in my side! Michael's nap/sleep schedule is off and will probably take a couple of days to get back to normal. So when I put him down to bed last night, it was a little later than normal. I then joined Chris on the couch, where he was Facebooking and I grabbed the remote to catch up on some DVR shows.

I pressed play on "Giuliana and Bill," it is a reality show of the E! news girl and Bill Rancic, who is the first Apprentice winner. About 3 minutes into the show, the DVR informs me "Do you want to erase this episode?" WHAT??? No, I want it to keep playing! Well, it turns out that our DVR can only record 2 shows at a time and I am sure that South Park and Frasier were the other 2 shows that Chris wanted to record, so my show got the boot! What the heck?!

Chris: I'm sorry, I did not meant to delete it!

Molly: This is the second time this has happened! Why do my shows get the boot?

Chris: I never deleted your shows!

Molly: Hmmm, short term memory loss. Well played Rattigan. No excuses next time. Now, go to the Style Network and re-record my show.

My big laundry helper

This week, when I was doing laundry, Michael decided he wanted to be of assistance. Such a sweet boy.

As you can see from the picture, he was pulling out of the hamper all of my freshly dried towels and putting them back into the dryer. Apparently, he felt like they were not dry enough. He actually did a great job getting most of them back into the dryer.

Now, if only I could get Chris to embrace Michael's enthusiasm for laundry, I would be all set!

Safety Day!

Michael and I ventured over to the Fallon Police Department today. We met up with Detective John who pulled out Michael's car seat and then re-installed it so it was super tight and secure. Most all police/fire departments have someone certified in installing any type/brand of car seat.

Since Michael's safety is our top priority, it makes me feel good knowing it is super secure and locked tight into the car. I also got some tips from him on belt placement across Michael's chest with regard to our car seat and it should be tight enough that I can only place my pinky finger under the shoulder belt on top of his shoulder. All great information!

Another car safety action that Chris and I have implemented is no talking or texting while in the car. Everyday, people are killed or badly injured because of these two activities and they are things that can wait. But as we all know, with driving, sometimes you can be the safest person on the road. It is the drivers all around you that you have to be on the lookout for. So keep those eyes peeled!

Three days in one

Today felt like the longest day ever.

This is what happens when Chris goes into work at 4:45 am. Who does that? Apparently he and his co-workers do. Ugh. But he is so sweet to kiss me good-bye every morning, even if I am dead asleep. I am a super light sleeper so I wake up a little when he leaves then fall right back to sleep.

He got home at a decent hour this afternoon, then back to the gym for a Basketball game. I (not so secretly) hope they lose so he will be home in time for Michael's bath-time. It's their thing and Michael loves it when Chris does bath time.

We were also on the go today. We had Michael's 12 month well baby check up and I got the thumbs up! Healthy 12 month old baby boy! And I was also told: No, there is nothing I can do to get him to stop from biting except to distract him to another activity. We'll see how this goes. Telling him NO was not working.

Time for clean up from dinner and off to the bath! Have a great night!

The Move

I just checked my "Countdown Clock" (see directly to the right top page of the blog). I can't believe we have only 17 days until we move! I am quite calm, considering our lives are about to be filled with a chaos of boxes and paper everywhere!

This past week was super busy with Michael's first birthday, first haircut, trips into Reno, etc. I feel like I need a vacation from the busyness of last week! Like I have said in previous posts, it is feast or famine around here (regarding things to do). Last Thursday, Michael came down with a stomach bug. His bug lasted about 12 hours, then I picked it up and it lasted a good 36 hours on me. It was NO fun! Especially for Chris who had to take care of both of us. He is a trooper.

But I am happy to report everyone in the house is back to feeling 100%, Michael is back to chatting away, like crazy! And I am done complaining to Chris about how badly I feel.

Tomorrow is a day of errands to the dry cleaner (to get Chris's uniform cleaned for an upcoming formal dinner) and Michael's 12 month old well baby check up appointment. I love seeing his Pediatrician as she alway tells me, "You are the bomb Mom!"

More to come this week...keep checking back! And thanks for reading!

Stride Rite

When we were at the mall on Tuesday, I decided to pop in the Stride Rite Store. Since Michael was born, I have had the toughest time getting shoes on his feet. This child has only worn socks for the last 12 months because I could never get the shoes on and then get them to stay put!

I do think it is better for him, while he is learning how to walk, to be able to sense his feet as much as possible so I have been fine with socks. But, I thought it was time to break down and see the experts. This was the store that my Mom took us to as kids for good quality shoes so we will continue this tradition with Michael. Mom's know best.

Well, it turns out, after the lady at Stride Rite measured him, he is a size 5 WIDE. This is the exact reason I was unsuccessful at getting other shoes on him! Now we have our fancy little leather, size 5 wide shoes for Michael to sport around in. He even wore them out of the store.

You can see them in the pics above, aren't they so cute?

The Big 1st Birthday!

First, I would like to give a pat on the back to Chris and myself for making it through the first year. I know birthday's are in place to celebrate the person who was born on that day, but I think they should also be a day of celebration for the parents. We made it to year 1! We can do anything!

It was a fun day for all of us. We have started the tradition of carrying in big balloons and singing "Happy Birthday" to him when he awoke in the morning. Then we went to Gymboree play and music class, did some shopping in Reno and came home. We had dinner and cake and called it a night. A great day was had by all!

This past year has been an adventure that we will treasure forever. We thank God every day for our healthy, beautiful son.

The first barber shop haircut

We took Michael to Chris's barber shop today. I remember when my OB was delivering Michael he said, "Do you want me to give him a haircut on the way out?" He was kidding, of course. But not about the fact that Michael had a lot of hair! I was a little nervous about him cooperating while Lee came at him with scissors to trim his hair. I think she ended up cutting about an inch off around his ears and the back of his head. The second picture shows him sitting at Subway while Daddy ate some lunch. He was happier in the restaurant. I like this pic too because you can see his bottom 4 teeth. There are 4 more on the top. Tomorrow is his first birthday and we have a fun day planned! I just can't get over how he looks so much more grown up with a little haircut!

Snow play at Tahoe Donner

On Saturday we went to the Snow Play area in Tahoe Donner for some sledding. It was a ton of fun! Michael is, obviously, too small to go sledding or manage a sled board by himself so we got on there with him. And Chris pulled him along too. He seemed to really enjoy it. He also loved watching the other kids playing in the snow. Chris and I got to go down in the tubes (imagine big inflated tires). It was super fun, but super tiring! I think we only lasted about 30 minutes!

The Cuteness Factor

I was on the phone this morning catching up with a friend, whom I had not spoken with in a few weeks. The time was getting right by me without me even noticing. Michael was playing with various toys and stuff around so he was having a fun time. Then I picked him up and he laid his little head on my shoulder and almost fell asleep, instantaneously, on my shoulder! Poor babe! He was so ready for his nap, it was so sweet.

The cuteness factor was super high this morning!

This was a picture I got of him yesterday, as usual, he was on the go!

Stroller riding in comfort

This was taken yesterday while Michael and I were at the mall in Reno. As you can see, he got himself super comfortable in his Bob jogger.

High 5's

While I was out skiing, and freezing my tush off today at Squaw Valley, Chris was at home with Michael. Chris taught Michael how to give "High 5's!" I love it! When I got home, he showed me and it is just so darn cute. Last weekend, all in the same day, Michael started clapping and waving. It is amazing to see him do these things. These are the little things in life that make life special!

I've included 2 new pics that I took from my cell phone on Saturday. At the top of a lift, I had a beautiful view of Lake Tahoe.

The tired one

My last two posts have begun with "The" so I thought I would continue the trend tonight.

I have been staying up too late over the last couple of nights reading that I am not getting enough sleep to keep up with Michael during the day. I know I need to go to bed earlier, but I am into these murder mystery books that are just so hard to put down!

One of my sorority girlfriends suggested the book: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. It was so good I read it in about a week. It turns out that it is the first book in a trilogy, which I was thrilled to find out! Now, I am onto the second book: The Girl Who Played with Fire.

I usually read novels, not murder mysteries, but these are fascinating reads. I highly recommend them! I am thinking of hiding the book from myself tonight so I can get some sleep. We are skiing again this weekend so I need some rest!

The old soul

We went into Reno today for Michael's Gymboree class and lunch at Whole Foods. As we were sitting in the cafe area at Whole Foods, eating chicken, green beans, and mac & cheese, we were approached by an elderly Asian man. He came over to tell me, "Your son has an old soul and will grow up to be a Saint one day." OK. Maybe. Time will tell!

For those of you who have been around Michael, you know that he is a thinker, a watcher, he contemplates. It takes him good 10 minutes to warm up to anyone new before he flashes a pearly and gummy smile. So this man's comments did not surprise me. I thought it was kind and nice of him to say.

I guess, time will only tell.