Trip to San Diego

Malcolm and I recently visited Jenn & Cameron in San Diego. Needless to say, it was so great spending time with them. Cameron grew up so much in the last year. He was so excited to see us and constantly said, "Auntie Kris and Baby Malcolm!" The cousins are fascinated with each other; I can't wait to see them grow up together. Why oh why does San Diego have to be so far away?

Here's a picture of Jenn, Cameron and Malcolm. Doesn't Mal look like a doll?


We went to the zoo on Sunday. Cameron insisted on pushing his little cousin in the stroller:


I love this picture of Cameron:


Mal loved riding around on Cameron's little plane. Jenn took this picture of me and Mal:


Cameron loved holding Malcolm (with help from Mom):


I miss them terribly.

Little Milestones

Mal's holding his own bottle consistently, lifting himself up to a standing position and then cruising around the table and he just figured out how to get himself into a sitting position from a laying position today. He's going to be crawling before we know it!

The Dreaded Thump

There are things that you never want to hear as a parent. One of them is a very loud THUMP which usually means your child has fallen hard onto something. This morning, as I was flushing Mal's diaper, there was a THUMP. I had placed Mal in his usual spot - the crib. I've always felt it was a safe place to put him when I wasn't in the room. (you know where this is going) I really didn't expect to have to worry about him getting out of his crib at 8 months because he hasn't figured out how to lift up his leg to climb things. Needless to say, I was very surprised to hear the THUMP and then find my poor baby laying face down on the floor, screaming his little head off. The trauma! He's fine - no blood, no broken bones, no concussion. I can only figure that he was reaching for something outside of his crib and he flipped over the side. Poor little guy! I feel like a bad mommy, but I know that these things happen. The mattress will be lowered today and if he's able to fall out after that, his nickname will be Houdini.

In less traumatic news, I turned 34 last Wednesday. Tony and I went out to dinner Wed. night to 22 Doors thanks to Mom & Paul (Christmas gift) while Manda babysat for us. Yesterday, Julie had a bbq at her new house so we could celebrate my birthday with friends. We had an unusual summer-like day in Seattle - it was very sunny and 77 degrees. Seriously! Julie and Jeremiah have a fabulous deck and yard - perfect for bbq's with friends. It was great fun to hang out with everyone.

Speaking of Julie, Mal and I spent Friday afternoon with her at the hospital. She was experiencing pain in her lower abdomen and back. Although it wasn't labor, the doc told her to go to the hospital so they could check it out. It was determined that she had a kidney stone. Poor thing! We went there to keep her company and make sure everything was OK. She's officially full-term tomorrow so we were all happy that nothing was wrong with the little one and that she hadn't gone into labor.

8-month letter

Little Squirt,

You turned 8 months old a few days ago and your adorableness increases by the minute. Currently, your favorite food is peas and you still like to make a mess when you eat. You are getting better and better at pulling yourself up to a standing position from a sitting position, but you have no idea how to get into a sitting position. You cannot wait until you can crawl or walk. I now have to keep all eyes on you all the time because you are lookin' to get into trouble!

Here you are, standing in your crib and looking pretty proud of yourself:


You love to make a mess when you eat, but you hate for me to clean you up. I try explaining to you that I wouldn't have to clean you up if you weren't so messy, but you haven't caught on yet:


Here's you, me and your Daddy at a party we went to at your uncle chris' house. You loved it when all of the pretty ladies held you because unlike me, they had long hair for you to pull on.


This month, you started sleeping in your own bed and seem to really like it. We occasionally have our rough nights and you are still waking up a few times each night, but we can definitely see an improvement in your sleep habits. Most nights, you do not want to go to bed because that would mean no more play time with Daddy. I would have to say your most favorite thing this month is playing with your Daddy. Your face lights up every time he comes into the room and it's the sweetest thing.

Love,
Mommy

Going to give it a shot...

I've been buying little things here and there for Mal like books and stuff. They are things that we could easily do without. I tend to be pretty frugal with spending as it is, so the challenge shouldn't be too difficult for me. I'm wondering if I could get Tony to join in...

How about you? Think you are up for the challenge to buy nothing (excluding food, medications and other essentials) for the month of April? Consider it a birthday present to me!

Sleep Deprived = Me

There were some really good nights at first which made me very hopeful. Lately, the squirt's been waking up frequently during the night and getting up too early in the mornings. Ah, the woes of being parents to a babe.

Our weather here has been funky! In the last week and a half, it has snowed, hailed, and thunderstormed. Right now, it's sunny and fifty-something degrees.

My 34th birthday is in a week. I suppose this means I will officially be in my mid-thirties. If you would have told me that I'd be a SAHM 10 years ago, I would have guffawed at you. Me? Children? Wha? Hee.

Speaking of children, sounds like the little guy just woke up from his far-too-short nap. Must run!