Little Fish, Little Fish

That's My Boy!

2012-01-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

Holidays, Birthdays & The New Year!

2011-12-31T10:19:00.000-08:00


Thanksgiving Weekend 2011

Thanksgiving was celebrated at my parents house with the entire family, including the Coblapoli's cats, which Aaron spent the entire night chasing around the house and under the bed! A few times we had to rescue him after hearing him from the bedroom "Help! Help! I'm stuck!". Dad made his famous turkey and it was the best one yet! We hung out, ate, played games, ate, watched movies, ate, took naps, ate........ You get the idea. The next day we took Aaron to Old Elk Grove because they were having a Dicken's Christmas Street Faire and they had supposedly trucked in tons of snow for the kiddies to play in. And by tons, as you can see, they meant a small truck bed of snow to dump in a small business parking lot with concrete parking barriers hidden under the snow and a brick wall on one side. Totally safe and kid friendly. What you see in the picture is pretty much the entire area. Also, the street faire had absolutely nothing to do with Charles Dickens. So...... yeah. But nonetheless, Aaron had fun playing in the snow for the first time! And he took a picture with Santa and even sat on Santa's lap and told him that he wanted Flo (from the CARS Movie) for Christmas. And so begins the "If you're good, Santa will bring you...."


Aaron's 3rd Birthday at The Old Spaghetti Factory

Aaron's 3rd Birthday was next. I am still struggling to figure out how to celebrate his birthday so close to Christmas without any Christmas influence. It's super hard because every place is decorated for Christmas, starting in like, oooooh, NOVEMBER. So, being that his birthday is December 21st, he's pretty much screwed on that point. The first year I wouldn't even let Josh decorate the house until after Aaron's birthday. I had the party at his great-aunt Kathy's house and she was kind enough to follow that rule too. Do you know how hard that is?! So the 2nd year we had it at our apartment complex' community center. Which was ok, but it's kind of a big space for such a small group. Not to mention NO ONE SEEMS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT PRIVATE PARTY MEANS. But I digress. So this year I decided to try a restaurant. They still had decorations, but mostly in the lobby. We went to The Old Spaghetti Factory because, well, who doesn't like pasta? Especially kids! The party was ok. He loved his cake (from Freeport Bakery) and all of his gifts, but I think he couldn't have cared less about the lunch portion. So, next year I'll be back to the drawing board on that one. The important thing is that he had family and friends there and that he felt like he was the center of attention.

Nordstrom's Breakfast with Santa 2011

For Christmas we started off with our annual Nordstrom Santa visit. I thought he'd be going to the fabulous Nordstrom in downtown Seattle for most of his childhood, but that didn't happen. I decided to keep the tradition though and so for the past 2 years he's had breakfast with Santa at the Nordstrom in Sacramento. This year was the first year he would really be old enough to ask Santa for something so I was pretty excited about it. He did so well with the Santa at Old Elk Grove and I was hoping for a repeat on that. Unfortunately for me, that didn't happen. He wanted to be shy Aaron, not even really wanting to go up to Santa and just talking to him from a distance. Eventually, we got the picture above, but I really wanted something that was just him and Santa for our card. Luckily, this Santa was super patient and nice and he came to visit us at our table after we ate and eventually got Aaron to take a picture with him there, which is what ended up on our Christmas card. Hopefully next year will go a little smoother!

We spent Christmas morning at our house opening all of Aaron's gifts from us, The Herring Family and Santa, including of course, Flo! He was so happy to get that car! Then we all got dressed and headed over to my parents with the whole family again (yes, even the cats). This year the "adult children" decided to do Secret Santa (best idea ever!) and stocking stuffers for everyone else. Except for Aaron, of course. Christmas gifts are really all about the kids anyway! I think this is one of the better Christmases we've had in awhile! We were all relaxed, all enjoyed the gifts we got and had fun watching Aaron tear into all the packages! He was definitely Santa's Little Helper this year! Eva got a Wii for her Secret Santa gift so we all had fun dancing to Just Dance (all except my grumpy grumperton husband Josh, who won't do anything he considers embarrassing, even if it is just family!). Even mom and dad got in on it! It was a good time with great family and good food.

Then, on December 29th my sister-in-law had a baby!! So now I'm an auntie! I was SO excited!!! I only wish I could see him in person!

And now the New Year is upon us.......

I think things are starting to look up for us and most people I know. I can only hope that this trend continues and grows in the new year.

I wish all of you a wonderful, happy and prosperous 2012!

On the eve of Aaron's 3rd Birthday......

2011-12-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

I invite you all to look back to his 7th month - YES, he was only 7 months here. And now we remember the "CHUBBS"!

Our Christmas Card Preview from Shutterfly!

2011-12-10T14:13:00.001-08:00

Polka Dot Christmas Wishes Christmas

Shutterfly has classic, elegant Christmas invitations for your party.

View the entire collection of cards.

You're Welcome, Society.

2011-12-04T11:17:00.001-08:00

This boy knows how to say:

"What the hell/heck?"

"Woot Woot! Holla!"

"YOUR MOMMA!"

You're welcome, society. You're welcome.

HOWLOWEEN

2011-11-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

Halloween? Make that, HOWLoween! This year October turned out to be a busy month for us and we never got around to the pumpkin patch. Then, a few days before Halloween Aaron caught a cold and of course, gave it to me. (Side note: if anyone in the house gets sick, I WILL CATCH IT). So, not only did we not do our usually October family fun, but we didn't even get around to decorating or costume shopping before Aaron and I were down in the dumps.

Josh was running around on the Eve of Halloween searching for a suitable costume. What makes it even more sad was that this was the first year that Aaron actually knew what he wanted to be for Halloween and we just couldn't find it! Chubbs wanted to be a pumpkin. He'd been saying it all month. "Dadda, I'm gonna be a pumpkin and you're gonna be yeeh-yok" (aka yogurt for all you non-Aaron speakers).  But apparently, pumpkin costumes in a size 4 toddler are hard to find, especially the day before Halloween! SO, I sent Josh to Gymboree (I called ahead to make sure they had costumes in his size) and his choices were Zoo Keeper or Werewolf. Ok, so the obvious choice is Werewolf. I mean, who the heck wants to be a zoo keeper for a Halloween? And what kind of costume is that anyway -- khaki shorts and shirt with a badge? WOW. Big whoop. So Josh brought the Werewolf costume home, I showed it to Aaron and he seemed pretty excited about it so we tried it on and he loved it! He was all smiles! Phew. Saved on that one!

We decided to spend Halloween at my parents' house because they live in a neighborhood with lots of families and plus, they had at least some decorations out. I wasn't even sure Aaron would go trick or treating since he'd never gone before and he doesn't even really know what candy is. The past 2 years (Year 1: Chubby Skeleton, Year 2: Pirate) we had gone to the zoo's Halloween event. But we taught him how to say trick or treat, dressed him in his costume and then I asked if he wanted to go trick or treating to the "Halloween houses" and he said YES! (Thanks to books that his tia Bea & tio Sonny gave him and to a few cartoons, he already understood the basic concept of the holiday). So off we went on Aaron's first trick or treating adventure!

I have to say, he kind of loved it. He tried to go into the first house because he thought there was more to see in there. He loved all the decorations and loved saying "trick or treat" to everyone. Chatterbox that he is (wonder where he gets that from? READ: Josh), he wanted to talk to every single person at every house we stopped at. "Trick or treat! I'm going to the Halloween houses!" or "You have a cat!" or "We are walking to the houses and saying trick or treat!" or "You are a witch!". Haha! What a ham. We only did a handful of houses because it's a lot of walking for such a little guy and that werewolf hood was HOT! So eventually we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's were tia Eva and Grandma Yvette were handing out candy. Aaron did one last trick or treat at their house and got 2 new Cars toys from his dad (Sarge & Filmore). Then we dumped all the candy he collected in our bowl to hand out to others!  Recycling candy!

For the remainder of the night, Aaron helped me hand out candy to the rest of the kids by running to the door and saying "Happy Halloween!" to all the trick or treaters!   All in all, I think it was a great night even though we didn't prepare as much as we would have. I think we all enjoyed the night, and, we all enjoyed each other. What more could you ask for?

Happy Halloween!!!!

Too Cool For School

2011-10-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

That's my kid, in a jean jacket, headed to his first day of a preschool daycare program. He is just too cool. I should have popped his collar. Aaron won't be going to this school full-time, or even part-time really. It's more like a drop off basis type thing. But Grandma & Grandpa were out of town for the week to celebrate Grandma Yvette's birthday (Happy Birthday Momma!) so we needed a back up. And luckily were I live currently there is one right across the street. They take kids from infants up to 12 years old for before and after school daycare as well as all day care that includes playtime and curriculum. They even throw in some Spanish and Potty Training! Woot! Of course, by throw in I mean more like I just paid $191 for 3 full days of care. And THAT, my friends, is WHY he won't be going full-time.

It is a great back up and resource to have and he seemed to like it, though I'm sure he thinks of it more as play time than anything. But it's something new for him and it gets him to socialize with other kids, keeps his brain working on new things and I'm sure (hopefully) they do a lot more activity than we do with him since on our days off we just want to relax. But his Grandpa & Grandma take him on adventures like the story time at the library which he loves. In fact, the teacher at the school said Aaron knew most of the stuff they were going over so he was able to join right in. :) Hooray for reading to him since he was a baby! He loves his books. In fact, he has a Blues Clues video that he watches where Blue reads Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and I kept telling him I would buy it for him once I found it. The other day we were at "the circle market" (aka Target) and there it was! I think Aaron saw it as soon as I did and he immediately started "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! Will there be enough room?". He would not let go of the book once it was in his hands!

This of course, doesn't bother me at all and I never consider books as toys or "gifts" in the sense that he has to ask for them as a special treat because every kid should have books! Now toys, that's a whole other issue. Frankly, his bedroom is more like a playroom with more toys than furniture but as the only small child in the immediate family -- it's to be expected I guess, right? But since birthday #3 and Christmas are coming up and just wanna put this out there -- he has plenty of toys! He does grow out of clothes constantly, however and is now wearing between a 3 and 4 Toddler. He's also a size 9 Extra Wide in shoes. PS - he now comes to my waist. Granted, I'm only 5' but still. It's a bit daunting to see your (almost) 3 year old be almost half your height already.

Aaron is still naked potty trained for the most part, but we are practicing with underwear more often and that's still hit and miss. On his big boy bed, well....... Being with Grandpa & Grandma for a week while Josh and I were on vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC meant that he got to sleep with Grandpa & Grandma in their bed and that put us back a notch or two. So now we're working again on getting him to sleep on his own in his own bed again. Having a toddler use you as a head pillow while simultaneously kicking your husband in the kidney (Ow! My pancreas!) and smacking you in the face is not a good way to sleep my friends. Not At All.

But this boy, this boy is a crack up. He as learned that saying "What the hell?" gets a funny reaction out of adults so he's been using that phrase quite a bit more often. He still loves his singing and dancing. He still falls asleep faster to Dave (Matthews Band) faster than mostly anything else. He is still really into The Cars movie and practically every day asks his dad "Can we go to the circle market and get another toy?". Right now we're on the hunt for Flo & Ramone! And a kid friendly cd player/radio because he loves music. And momma's gonna teach him to shake his booty!

Life with Aaron is wonderful.

The rest of our adult life is stress and work and bills and debts and chores and everything else YOU are also going through. And today, if I wasn't before (I totally was), I am now most definitely the 99%. But this blog isn't about that so .......

I'll just say again life with Aaron is wonderful. He reminds us to love, to smile, to dance to sing, to laugh.

If you ever need a reminder, just let me know and I'll send you a picture of Aaron!

Big Boy

2011-09-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

Oh My Goodness, so many changes!

First of all, Aaron is finally in his big boy bed! Josh and I went to IKEA and gave in to getting him a toddler bed which he totally loves! He was so excited to get in it after Josh put it together that he could barely wait for me to put the sheets on first! So far, he's been really good about sleeping in it too. At first, he didn't even leave the bed. It was almost like he didn't even think about it. This last week he's just starting to get up out of the bed after Josh and I leave the room and either try to sneak out of the room, or get toys to play in the bed. And the last 2 nights he's been a bit more needy - wanting the light on and wanting one of us to lay down with him. It's so strange how it seems to have actually regressed instead of the other way around, but I guess we should consider ourselves lucky we're not like one of those families on Super Nanny. Not YET anyway!

Secondly, thanks mostly to Grandma Yvette, Aaron is what I like to refer to as "naked potty-trained"! As long as he's naked from the waist down, we're all good for going in the potty! So most of the time at our house, he runs around without pants so he can do his business properly. Then he loved to run out and announce "MOMMA! I went PEE-PEE!". Grandma is now working on getting him to tell us when he has to go while he has a diaper on. And we've bought undies for both houses so we can practice wearing those too. He does tell us sometimes when he has to go and asks us to take his diaper off, but that is about a 20% chance at best. So for now, I'm happy to let him run around half naked in my house if it means less accidents. Plus, I get to pinch those cute buns every once in awhile!

Everything else is good. He's growing taller and leaning out, though he's still in a size 4T even though he's only 2.5 years old! Right now he's really into the Cars Movie and he's got Cars toys and cars undies. We try not to spoil him too much, but with 5 adults who see him on a daily basis and him being the only kid -- let's just say he doesn't NEED anything. Well, he's always needing new clothes since he seems to grow out of them so quickly, but you catch my drift.

He's definitely an only child and wants everyone's attention -- All The Time. But that's usually if we're all together. If it's just me and Aaron or mom and Aaron for example, he plays all by his little ol' self and he's totally fine. But if he has an audience he definitely wants to be the center of attention!

He's getting to be more and more of a "big boy" though and it's so fun to watch him grow and change and develop. He loves stories and books. He loves music. Loves to sing and be sung to. And he loves to shake his booty! I totally taught him that. Tee hee!

Yes, he's growing and this December he'll be 3. He's my little "big boy" and I love him more than anything.

Working Momma

2011-08-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been almost a month now and I think Aaron and I both have transitioned into my full time work status pretty well. The whole family really, because it's taking all of us to see that this happens. My sister Eva and I carpool to work. She brings over her dog so our dogs can have a play date while we're gone. We take Aaron over to grandpa & grandma's house and we're off for the day. Josh gets off work earlier so he picks Aaron up and takes him home to wait for me to get off.

Aaron wakes up every morning by me putting on PBS and opening his door so he can hear it. And like clockwork, as soon as he hears Clifford the Dog, he's up and bouncing in his bed saying things like "I wanna see Clifford the Dog" or "Let's go in tia's car to grandpagrandma's house". (Grandpa and grandma are one word to him). He's so excited to start his day with his grandparents and I have to say that for the most part, I'm enjoying being back at work. Sure, I stand next to his crib and extra few minutes at night after he's asleep and his hugs and kisses are longer than normal, but that's to be expected, no?

I swear Aaron gets taller everyday. I keep looking at him and think that the time is going by too fast. Part of me wants to make time move slower but on the other hand, I can't wait to see what kind of man he'll become.

He's already wearing a 3/4 T in clothes, a size 8.5 extra wide in shoes and though he's not potty trained yet, I tried buying underwear in "his size" to see if they would help the potty training process along and they were too small for him! He looked like a baby sumo! (Or fat guy in a little coat....... ) He surprises me with this love for trucks and cars. Such a boy thing to love so I shouldn't be surprised, but it's not something Josh and I taught him or even showed him. I'm sure it was a cartoon or a toy or book that he got that started this obsession. Josh and I try hard not to assign gender roles to toys or colors but the kid likes what he likes and he loves his silly trucks! He's got dumpsters, race cars, tractors, trains, shovel trucks, fire engines, etc. You name it, he's probably got it. And he loves his animals. He knows all sorts of animals, ones that I don't even know! I think he's watched a bit too much of that Diego!! LOL. Humpback whales and chinchillas. Yup, he's got those down!

My parents watch him during the day so my mom has decided to try and do the potty training but he seems pretty resistant to it right now. I've heard from many parents that boys seem to take longer than girls. And I've also heard of a few stories about different parents that have kinda forced the issue and it backfired causing the kid to be really late in being potty trained. So I don't feel so bad about him not being there yet and I certainly don't want to force the issue. I am hoping though, that by the end of the year he'll be on the potty bandwagon because I'm kind over the diaper thing!!

Aaron has also recently started to throw fits (you know, those I didn't get a toy so I'm gonna throw a fit right in the middle of the store types). He'll also just open his mouth and YELL right at us, face red and tears streaking, if we tell him "no" or "don't do that". Yeah, it's awesome. Like, being stuck with hungry alligators in a moat awesome. We're still trying the time outs though he seems to handle it a little bit better when I do them than if Josh is the one telling him to go to his time out spot. Probably because if I say he's getting one, HE IS! Don't mess with momma! Haha.... Hopefully he'll get over this phase really quickly! (Please dear GOD!)

Things are going well. I might even say that they're starting to look up a bit. I can see a twinkle at the end of the tunnel. But Aaron, as always, lights up our lives anyway.

I just turned in my SAHM card (gulp)

2011-07-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

I am a huge ball of emotions lately. I knew that when we moved to California, part of the reason was that we would be close to my parents so that I could look for some part time work when I was ready (which is totally laughable because I would never be ready). And so, being that the economy sucks, the job market in California is ridiculous and Josh seems to be in job that is permanently temporary (ie, low pay & no benefits) I applied for a job. I only halfheartedly applied for it seriously knowing it was low pay and thinking that they wouldn't even call me back. WRONG.

Not only did they call me back, they had me interview three different times. THREE. The entire time span between interview 1 and interview 3, I was going insane trying to balance emotions and logic. The entire process seemed like trying to catch and control a runaway train. Do I take it or leave it? Wanting to take something and knowing you should, are two completely different things. Yes, the pay is low (that alone makes me want to cry because it's seriously almost HALF of what I made at UW) and yes, the hours are closer to full time at 32 hours a week, but they do offer insurance, which we are lacking. And it seems like a welcoming environment. I think they were a bit confused as to why, after looking at my resume, I'd apply for a job like an administrative assistant. They asked me in each interview if I was OK with doing these "menial" tasks and if I was sure I wouldn't get bored and leave after 6 months. They had good reason to think this I suppose. But my focus has changed, and my priorities are at home now. I love being at home with Aaron. And someday, we'd like Aaron to have a sibling. For me, that means less focus and time at work and more at home. So in that regard, this job works out just fine. Part of me still wants to plant my feet on the ground and stomp while screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" at the top of my lungs. I'm sure on my first day at work, you'll see scratch marks on the walls and door frame of my apartment as I'm being dragged out of the front door. BUT, I feel (hope, pray) that this was the right decision. I'll guess we'll all find out together........

In the mean time, Aaron is growing and talking (talking talking) more and more. He loves music, loves to sing and dance (though he can be shy at times). He's so smart and he amazes me everyday. Currently, we're hoping to get him a new, big boy bed. I thought about a toddler bed until I saw how small they are and knew Aaron would be out of it in a New York minute. So I think we're going straight to a twin bed. He's still not potty trained, but I am SO ready to be done with diapers. Seriously. I think he's ready to be out of his high chair too, though we've had to prolong it because we have a high table and he can't sit in these chairs (think stool height) on his own. So that means we'll be shopping for a new table as well. Yup, this boy is definitely growing.

Now I feel like I'm going to miss out on a lot of his growing, but I'm relieved and happy to know that he'll be taken care of by family. And he loves his Grandpa Howard & Grandma Yvette. He asks practically everyday to go over to see them or his tia Eva. To him it's like they're one entity sometimes! It's more like "Can we go see grandpagrandmatiaeva?". And anytime I'm on the phone he's practically screaming "It's Grandpa?! It's Grandma?!". It's adorable.

Well, we're definitely in for a new chapter in life and changes for all of us. But change usually equals moving forward, so it's got to be good, right?

Hope you're all well out there in cyberland. Have a wonderful 4th of July from our family to yours!!

Where does he get this stuff?!

2011-06-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I just don't know where he gets this stuff but it's hilarious!

After taking off Josh's hat:

Dadda, you're a mess!

Watching the sun set:

The sun is sinking.

His new favorite thing to say to me whenever I walk into the room:

Momma, get back in the kitchen!

When I was holding him:

I'm a boooooy. I'm a boy. And you're a girl!

After hearing his belly growl:

Momma, I'm hungry.

Every day, at least once:

OW! I have a booboo. You've got to kiss it!

At every single meal:

Are you all done?

Anytime he falls down:

I'm okay!

He saw a spider web today and said:
Yucky! That's a yucky! I wanna take it to the trash can!

This boy, I tell you -- He's just adorable! Everyday he says something new and funny.

Colored eggs, Easter baskets and Ladybugs.

2011-04-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! Easter started on Saturday afternoon for us when Josh and I helped dye his first Easter eggs. We did it outside on the patio because of course, there were a few spills. But he thought it was a lot of fun and so blue fingers and spilled dye was worth it. Then on Saturday night I went to Easter Vigil Mass with my parents. It was my first Easter Vigil lead by candlelight and I thought it was pretty neat. Josh stayed home with Aaron since the mass was past his bed time and anyway - a 2 year old at mass? Not so much.

Since I got home late on Saturday, I went to bed right away and set my alarm for 6:30 am so I could wake up and put the pot roast to cook. Yeah...... too bad my brain didn't want to wait for the alarm because I woke up at 4:30 am, then again at 5:00 am. I figured the universe was trying to tell me to get the heck up so I rolled out of bed and worked on the pot roast. Around 6:30 am I was back in bed. I didn't fully go back to sleep, but I did get a bit of rest in before Aaron woke up at 8 am.

Tia Eva was the first one over on Sunday and she brought Aaron live ladybugs so that he could release them! He was pretty impressed and enjoyed trying to pick them up (though he unfortunately squashed a few before Josh came and picked him up!). The whole Coblentz Family came over for Easter (mom & dad, Eva, Natalie & her fiance Meg) and we all enjoyed a yummy lunch. Everyone brought something and we all savored everything. Except Aaron. He just wanted a PB&J! LOL. And he got it.

After lunch we had the Easter Bunny (Natalie & Meg) hide the eggs and then we took Aaron out to hunt for Easter eggs for the first time. At first he was like "Wha???" but by the 3rd egg he was totally into it. Even after he found the last egg, he still wanted to look for more. But when he came inside he found the basket & gifts the Easter Bunny (all of us) left for him. Toys, coloring books, gummies, an Easter book, crayons, all natural treats and ONE chocolate covered marshmallow egg. His first. He loooooves him some chocolate. So he ate all the chocolate off the top half of the egg and then he was done with it. I was sort of glad because we don't really give him candy. I figure he eats enough junk already, he doesn't need to add candy to that!

The rest of the day we just spend relaxing and enjoying each others company. It was a lovely Easter. It's so nice to be able to watch Aaron really enjoy and comprehend something new. New experiences and familiar faces. That's a good combination I'd say.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter as well!

Seeing Spots

2011-04-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

Spots, freckles, moles, beauty marks....... Whatever you call them, I've got 'em. I've got a ton, in fact.

And so does my boy. Aaron has 4, including this one on his knee. The others are one on his arm, one on the back of his knee and one on the side of his torso. Not that I'm counting or anything. ;)

Don't worry about the Band Aids. There was no injury. Aaron just decided to dump the box of Band Aids while I was trying to take this photo.

Will he?

2011-03-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder.......

Will he remember ...

The smell of the blanket he's sleeping on?

The sound of the wind chime outside?

The warmth of his momma?

My face as he cuddles up to me?

My eyes filled with admiration?

My arms filled with love?

Will he remember us in this moment?

I hope so.

It's been 3 months you say?!

2011-03-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

It's been 3 months since my last post?! Whaa???? Yeeeeah.... about that --

I'm kind of at a loss. It's not that a lot hasn't happened. It's just that I guess I'm not feeling very inspired to write lately. And I certainly don't want my posts to be boring. But I think you'll have to settle for boring at this point. Except for that picture. It's pretty adorable, isn't it? That was his St. Patrick's Day shirt. He said that it had a "flower" and a bow on it.

Aaron I think is on rapid speed right now. He's developing faster than I can blink. He's talking in full sentences sometimes, knows tons of new words and I'm sure learns new ones everyday since he repeats just about everything we say now. Sometimes he'll come back from his grandparents' house with words I don't even use! So for example, the other day I was changing is diaper and he pointed to his nose, sniffed in and said "mocos". YEAH. Chalk that one up to Grandma Yvette and her allergies.

He loves to sing and loves music. He drums on the trash cans in the kitchen, plays his mini piano (a hand-me-down from yours truly) and sings the full Itsy-Bitsy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. He also requests Fly Me To The Moon from his dad, because that's what Josh sings to him to go to bed. He dances to the intro to Curious George and to Yo Gabba Gabba sometimes. It's not really a surprise though because both Josh and I are really into music. I'm thinking of starting "Music Mondays" for him! Introducing new music to him on a weekly basis. And my new music I mean a new Dave song every week. Haha - just kidding. (Sort of, not really).

Usually during the weekdays we'll wake up and I'll fix him some breakfast, sit him at his little table in front of the tv and we'll have "school time". Aaron's great-grandparents, Henry & Jo, sent Aaron the So Your Baby Can Read dvds and so I've been playing those for him in the morning and we call that "school time". He'll usually watch a dvd and a half before he loses interest, but he IS paying attention and knows some of the words now. He even asks for school time sometimes!

Aaron has also been wanting a play buddy lately and so he's always dragging Josh, my mom or me to play cars, or blocks or something else he's really into at the moment. "C'mon momma, let's go play cars!". It's totally endearing. I might have to join a mommy play group or something so he can play with other kids!

I really do wish I could just give him a sibling, but we're trying to be smart about it and not emotional. So hopefully I'll find a job soon so we can lift ourselves out of this small hole and maybe next year......

Right now he's got us, his grandparents and his tia Eva to play with almost everyday. And of course, his "buddy" Ulrich. Haha! Sure, Ulrich is usually running in the other direction and hiding under the bed, but Aaron doesn't notice!

Some other things that amaze me about Aaron -- we read him books often and so there are a few he knows well. And he'll literally sit down with the book and "read" it to us! He tells us the whole story! It's so adorable.

He also knows the way to grandma's house! LOL! Seriously -- if we're driving to my parents he knows we're going to grandpa & grandma's house. And if we're on our way to Eva's he'll say "Tia Eba's house? Tia Eba's house?". He knows we go over a freeway bridge when we're going to her house so he says "up the hill!" before we even get there and "down the hill!" when we're at the top. He's so smart!! That's totally from me. LOL. ;)

Yes, Aaron is doing well. And is well loved. He's always the best part of my day.

So since I haven't been updating the blog often enough, please feel free to check out my Flickr page and my YouTube page. The YouTube page has some new stuff for sure.

2 years old and already getting 95%

2010-12-23T23:16:00.000-08:00

Aaron at his 2 year old check up

Aaron had his 2 year check up today. The Chubbas is 34 lbs, 6 oz and 33 1/2 inches (2 3/4 feet) tall. No surprise he's in the 95th percentile for weight & head circumference but less than 50th percentile for height. But with a mom who is 5' and a dad who is 5'7 we're not really surprised!

The doctor appointment went well and besides his cold, he's a healthy, happy boy. She also said he's on the fast track with his language skills so that was awesome to hear.

Further stats: he's currently in between sizes sort of. In Gymboree and Gap he can still wear 2T, but I think most other brands he's closer to getting into a 3T. He's a size 6 in diapers. We've got both a potty and a potty seat for the regular toilet, but he's not really telling us yet that he's got to go. He wears a size 8 extra wide in shoes! We've only had luck at Stride Rite so far!

So now that we've got all the "turning 2" stuff out of the way, we can concentrate on Christmas. Christmas Eve will be celebrated at tia Eva's with mom's yummy enchiladas and Christmas Day will be here at our home with a delicious Honey Baked Ham (courtesy of tia Diane).

We hope you and your family have a wonderful and happy holiday! Merry Christmas!

Happy 2nd Birthday Aaron!

2010-12-21T23:59:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Banana Slices

Aaron's Birthday Breakfast made with LOVE

My son turns two today. Two years old. He's not even a baby anymore. He's so wonderful and so smart and so loving. He says new words everyday. He says "please" and "thank you" and "excuse me". He says "I love you, momma". He knows just as many words in Spanish as he does in English. He can count and read letters and numbers. He knows basic colors. He talks and sings -- he loves to sing. He is a happy boy.

It's so crazy to see how fast they develop and grow in such a short time. Really, if you think about it in terms of the span of your human life, the amount we learn while we are young is incredible. And he is just like a giant, chubba sponge.

On Sunday we had a birthday party for him and he had his Grandpa & Grandma Coblentz, tia Eva, cousins and friends to celebrate with him. The theme was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and because I have been sick with a cold for the past week, all the planning and purchasing of party supplies was left up to Josh. The party was a great success. And thankfully we saw not one bit of Christmas wrapping paper or Christmas themed gifts! So glad because seriously, I didn't want to have to disown anyone! He received plenty of gifts, had an awesome cake and wonderful company. He is definitely loved!

Of course, I am one of those people that just love him to death and I couldn't keep my kisses away from him so the day after his party, he came down with my cold. Last night he threw up and was up every few hours because he was so stuffy. Originally, I had planned for Josh and I to take Aaron out for a special pancake birthday breakfast (something I wanted to do every year) this morning but under the circumstances, I ended up making him a pancake breakfast instead. I think he's feeling a bit better tonight, but he's still sick. How much does that suck? Poor kid. But we're all taking good care of him.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful, perfect, angel babycakes. We love you SO much!

Raider..... Pirate...... Same Difference!

2010-11-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T22:21:00.000-07:00

Pirate Baby & Pirate Daddy

Happy Halloween from the notorious pirate family -- The Herrings! AAARGH!

Happy October

2010-10-17T22:38:00.000-07:00


This is my favorite photo of the day.

Well, we made it! We made it to Sacramento and into our new apartment! We've almost fully settled in. Aaron has his own room!! How exciting is that?! (Trust me, it's exciting!) We even got to enjoy almost 3 extra weeks of summer. But I think Fall is finally moving in, and I'm a-ok with that.

We moved into my old neighborhood and we live 2 minutes from mom & dad in one direction and 5 minutes from Eva in another. And Natalie lives just short car trip away in San Francisco. Aaron is enjoying having so much time with family and he calls Eva "tia" (aunt) and he calls grandpa Howard "papa". So far he's still calling grandma Yvette "momma" too, but I just think he doesn't have the GR down yet which is why he calls my dad "papa".

Our new apartment complex has a pool, a mini golf area, a playground for kids, an exercise room and a billiard table. Aaron has been to the playground a few times (he loves the slide) and to the pool with his dadda twice, which he loves! He's gonna be one of those fearless kids that just walks right off the step - I can just tell! Gotta keep our eyes on that kid!

Today, we all went to a pumpkin patch and Aaron had so much fun! He got to see farm animals, ride a pony, go through a maze, pick a pumpkin and go in a bouncy pen. He was in heaven. Josh and I are still trying to figure out what we're gonna dress him as for Halloween, but we're leaning toward something from Yo Gabba Gabba!, Dora the Explorer, or Go, Diego, Go! Those are the 3 cartoons he's really into now. Josh wants Aaron to go as Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba! just so he can dress as DJ Lance Rock! Haha!

Josh is still on the hunt for a job and I'm not looking for one myself, but if it comes down to it, I will probably look for something in the State. I am trying to get used to being back in California. I'm so glad we moved at the beginning of Fall so that I didn't have to last a whole summer here, not that I'll be able to skip it next year! And I'm getting my barrings back - getting to know Sacramento again. It's strange because some of it is exactly the same. Exactly. Yet plenty has changed. Once we get to know the city better, we'll probably decide which area we like best and try to move there. You never know what the future holds!

The important thing is that Aaron is wonderful, healthy, smart and has plenty of people who love him. We are all lucky for that. Next week is his grandma Yvette's birthday and it ends in a ZERO. We will all be celebrating with her.

So happy October, happy birthdays, happy National Coming Out Day, happy Breast Cancer Awareness month, happy Fall and any other occasion that deserves a "happy" in front of it!

I hope you're all happy! We are!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-09-18T18:23:00.000-07:00

Aaron, Adriane & Rocky

Well folks, it's official. The three of us little fishies (plus dog) are moving out of Washington. We will miss it here. I will particularly miss the green, the water, the mountains, the clean, the living GREEN, the temperature, the 24 hour supermarkets, the huge seagulls, the sea otters, the ferries, Pike's Market, the farmer's markets, the shopping, the metropolitan yet small city feel, hearing the boats and trains from my condo. I'll miss most of it in fact.

But we're trading it in for other things. Things that we feel like we need. Things to help keep us SANE. Mostly, it's a change we hope will do us some good.

So we just got back from a trip to California to see my family and came back with an apartment leased and waiting for us at the end of this month. I'm busy with all the details and will have to pack and hope Aaron doesn't pull everything right back out of the box!

But during our trip Aaron had fun with his grandparents and his tia (aunt) Eva. For the first day after we go back he went around the house saying "TIA! Where are you?". So cute! He likes his tia's little backyard because it has grass and flowers and cement for chalk and a hose!

Eva and I took Aaron to South Land Park to see if he'd actually let us put him on the pony rides and he did! And his pony was named Rocky! It must have been fate. (Rocky - Adriane, get it?) He also went to Funderland which has a bunch of small rides for little kids. He went on the CHOO-CHOO train and the cars. He was kind of small for everything else. The one other ride he could have gone on was a solo ride and he wasn't up for that just yet!

He's talking so much more now and says new words everyday. He can count to 10 in both English and Spanish now and he can almost count to 20 in English. He loves to sing! He sings to himself all the time. He also loves to point out buses. If you're in the car and he sees one he yells at the top of his lungs "BUS! BUS! BUS! BUS! BUS! BUUUUUSSSS!" and doesn't quit! Somehow he's learned to dance like he's at a hoedown. I blame that Dance-a-lot Robot on the Disney Channel!

He still loves to eat but has become a little more picky than he used to be. Well actually, he used to eat pretty much anything! Now it changes from day to day, but I can always count on diary and carbs! If it has bread, pasta or cheese he's gonna eat it!

He changes and grows everyday. I still look at him and see part baby, but now it's becoming more little boy. I love my boy.

So now on to a new chapter in our lives! Next time I post it will be from Cali.

Hello Sunshine!

I'm hungry and tired but I'm doing this post, dammit.

2010-08-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

So we finally took Aaron to the Woodland Park Zoo. We had been talking about it and talking about it and we finally found a sunny, warm day with nothing else planned to visit the zoo. Aaron loved it and he was in total awe of both the giraffe and the elephant but the elephant was definitely his favorite. He cried when we left the elephants to visit another animal! And yes, he can now say elephant. :) We want to visit the aquarium next.

It seems since I posted that last entry with his vocabulary it's grown almost double! It's like one day they knew a handful of words and the next day there babbling away! A lot of new animal words and sounds and definitely more compression in general. I just did a video yesterday but I'm to lazy to upload it here so you can see my YouTube channel and see it there.

Recently, Aaron's taken to "playing" with the dog Ulrich, though I'm not sure Ulrich has any idea what's going on. Aaron runs around chasing him and Ulrich just runs around in circles trying to get away from him! If Aaron catches up to him, he kind of lightly grabs his back or smacks him gently and then laughs and laughs and runs away! It's pretty adorable and so far there has been no negative reaction from Sir Ulrich!

I'm also trying to teach Aaron his first chore!! (Haha!! It's really more for the dog and Aaron to build a relationship). When Ulrich's food bowl is empty, I'll say "Oh-uh! The doggie's food is all gone! Do you want to feed the doggie more food?" and Aaron will usually answer "YES!". So I ask him to get the bowl for me and he picks it up, brings it to me where I'm waiting by the bag of dog food, I fill it up and give it back to Aaron. I taught Aaron to grab it with both hands and he does, then walks it over to the placemat on the floor, squats and places it in the floor. Then I tell him what a great job he did and I call the dog over and we both show Ulrich his full food bowl. So far it's working out well. I figure this will teach both Aaron and Ulrich a few things. Now if only I could teach Aaron how to vacuum! Haha!

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got about 20 minutes of nap time I'm guessing so I'm going to make good use of it!

Aaron should totally model

2010-07-31T21:50:00.000-07:00

Aaron's Zoolander! (Thanks for the idea, Maya!)

Brought to you by your future graffiti artist

2010-07-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

Today it was hot in the Northwest. Like, 95 degrees in some spots. And for those of you who say that 95 isn't that bad -- Seattleites do not have air conditioning so SHUT IT! Moving on.....

Since I knew this week was going to be warm I had been thinking of activities Aaron and I could do outside - even if it was on our little "stoop". I had been actually thinking of sidewalk chalk for awhile and yesterday I went to Safeway and lo and behold -- there was sidewalk chalk for sale right in the front of the store in a summer display. So today I swept our stairs and little entrance area, put the baby gate up at the end of the stairs and introduced Aaron to sidewalk chalk! Hooray!!!

Aaron loved it. Ulrich loved keeping Aaron company. And I loved being outside for a change without having to restrain Aaron in one way or another (hand holding, stroller, babe in arms). He spent a little over an hour outside coloring on the walls and ground. It's like he's a baby Picasso. I sent a photo to my mom's phone and she said "He is going to become a graffiti person now!". Yeah, I'm pretty sure sidewalk chalk does not lead to a life of crime, but I guess you never know. Of course she thought it was totally adorable anyway.

Recently Aaron, Josh and I went to The Hi-Life (for their awesome $5 breakfast) and Aaron dropped his cup on the floor when a nice woman who was waiting for a table picked it up for him. I said thank you to the lady and Aaron turned around and looked at her and said "thank you!" and the woman just started cracking up. She thought it was the cutest thing. And it was. Score one for teaching baby good manners!

We're also trying to get Aaron to say "help" when he needs it instead of screaming (loudly) in frustration. When Aaron can't get a toy out of his toy box he screams. When he's sitting on something and doesn't realize it and can't pull it out from under him, he screams. When he traps himself behind a piece of furniture and the wall, he screams. So we tell him that it's inappropriate to scream and then we ask him to ask for help. So far he still yells at first mostly, but when I look at him and say "Aaron, what do we say when we need help?" he says "heeelp". On rare occasion he uses it all on his own. Like when he's screaming his head off because I'm changing his diaper and he hates it and is trying to roll over and yelling "HEEEELLP" at the same time. Yeah. Awesome. I'm just picturing having to change his diaper in public when he starts that up. Score one for baby on this one. (sigh) You win one, you lose one I guess.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go stick my head in the refrigerator. And if you happen to see some sidewalk chalk tags in your neighborhood, I swear -- it's not my boy!

18 months - My baby is a toddler!

2010-06-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

My Aaronito is 18 months old! Today we had his 18 month check up with the doctor and he's doing great. Aaron weighs 30 lbs exactly and is 32 inches long. We went over diet & nutrition and development.

Aaron pretty much eats everything we eat and now that I've cleared it with doctor that includes shellfish, raw fish and smoked fish/meats. AWESOME! Today we tried real sushi -- he's had a cucumber roll before and he loved it! -- but he wasn't too keen on the texture of the raw fish I think. But then again, it takes most adults awhile to get used to sushi!

He does a lot of baby babble and even likes to sit and "read" his books out loud to himself but he does have a small vocabulary. Aarons' current words are:

Truck (sounds like cock)
Car (Caa -think Boston)
Yes (yesssss)
No (NO no no no no; nonono!; nnno and other various forms)
Mama (usually Mmaaama!)
Dada (DaDa!)
Gaga (we have no idea where he got this word. He uses it for binkie. WE say binkie and he knows what we're referring to, but he says gaga.)
Nina (Neena! -She does the Goodnight Show on the Sprout Network)
Hot (ot - like the H is silent)
Chicka (Caca! -- A bird that does birthdays of the day for The Sprout Network)
Juice (jewwwz)
Cracker (cacker)
Agua (wawa or a-wah. Agua=water en espanol)
Block (again, cock)
Ball (ba-al)
All done or All gone (aah gah)
Elmo (emmo)
Banana (nanana)
Apple (app)

There are a ton of other phrases Aaron uses that Josh and I can understand but aren't really clear to others and has other words that he's just starting to say. Today he said "house" just once while I was reading him a book! His vocabulary is picking up more and more. I really want to get him some flashcards!

We also let him walk a lot more on his own (he hates being in the stroller anyway of course) and today we took him in the stroller from our house to Sam's Sushi which is about 7 blocks away and on the way back he walked the entire way home!

He's definitely developing quickly now. I can't believe he'll be 2 in December! Crazy! :)

Crazy good.

What IS that that I'm feeling???

2010-05-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

This is the box. The box full of bottles that is sitting in my living room ready to go to storage. The transition of moving from 3 bottles to 2 went just fine. He never asked for a bottle and I was still giving him the one before he went to bed (mostly to make me feel better). I was planning on continuing the bedtime bottle for awhile longer when I packed this box. But then.......

PEE-PEEEEEEEEEEE. Wet sheets, wet pajamas, wet baby at 3 am. For 2 days in a row he peed through his diaper for his naps and bedtime. I washed sheets 4 times in 48 hours. (And if you know my washer/dryer machine combo, you know how insane that is). So I went to the store and bought the night time diapers. On the 3rd night for bedtime, he still peed through his pajamas. And that is when I decided to stop the bottles all together. Tonight he went to bed without a bottle and tomorrow morning I will know if that was the issue. If the kid is dry tomorrow, ALL the bottles are going into that box and into storage.

My only real concern with ending all the bottles is that he's not getting enough milk. He won't really drink milk out of a sippy cup yet. I give him yogurt and cheese but I'm worried that's not enough. Hopefully, if I keep trying with the milk in the sippy cup he'll get used to it.

Meanwhile in Mommyland......... Something strange is going on. I don't know how to explain it. I mean, the other day we all went out to breakfast for Josh's birthday and we walked past a pet supply store and they had some cats there for adoption and I stopped to show Aaron the cat (Aaron, look! A cat! What does a cat say?) and I saw it's long white fur and big blue eyes and I couldn't stop staring. We went inside and I looked around a bit at the dog stuff but really I was just headed towards the back to look at that cat. And I read the card .... it's an older cat - seriously, like 12 or something - and it's missing teeth so you have to feed it soft food only and I just keep thinking Why would someone abandon a cat that is so old?. And then... I stuck my fingers in the cage and I Touched The Cat. ME. Um, hello! Dog person here! Cats are strange creatures that are better viewed from a distance. Just ask my allergies. My lungs appreciate that I am definitely a dog person. But I petted it, and felt sorry for it and almost wanted to take it home. If you could it's seen it's blue eyes...... But we left empty handed and for the next 24 hours I thought about that cat.

Then there's the desperate feeling I have to purge. Get all of this junk out of here! We need more room! Why? What's different now?

The other night I had a dream that my mom was pregnant and giving birth. But the baby was mine. Strange. All dreams are I suppose. But still.....

A few days ago I was looking on Craigslist for a new place to move into (mostly) and after a short while I realized I was really looking through the pets section for dogs. WTH?!

Something is going on here. Something. But I can't explain it. All I can say is that I think my brain is getting ready for something but my body has got a long way to go before it catches up with that silly, little brain of mine.

Stay tuned..................

The Beginning of the End of BOTTLES

2010-05-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

So, yeah ... Aaron still drinks 3 bottles a day. Don't get me wrong - he has his full 3 meals, but he has a morning bottle, one in the late afternoon and another before bedtime. I know what you're thinking. Oh yes... if you're of an older generation you're thinking So what? I didn't take my babies off their bottles until they were 2 years old. And if you're of a younger generation you're thinking Seriously? He's still on the bottle?

But as I had been feeling for months like I should be weaning him off the bottle, and the fact that he no longer really finishes one (instead he turns it upside down so it can drip all over my carpet, tile, couch), and I found the hand out the pediatrician gave us at his one year check up which said to start weaning him off back then, I decided to start today.

I actually kind of did it all gung-ho like and wasn't going to give him any bottles, anymore, period. He didn't have his morning bottle or afternoon bottle. But I did end up giving him one before bedtime. He never asked for it but anything I can do to make bedtime easier, I'm all for it. I'll probably only do it for a few more weeks until he gets used to drinking cold milk with out of a sippy with meals.

And that is the beginning of the end of bottles. At least for this kid. Hooray for future cupboard space!

We're walking and we're talking

2010-04-08T23:15:00.000-07:00

My Chubbas - 15 months old now. He's walking all on his own, just like I predicted in my last post. Aaron weighs around 28 lbs, wears sizes 18 months - 2T and we had his feet measured again and he's a 5 WIDE! We'll be visiting Stride Rite soon to get some proper walking shoes for the little guy!

Aaron also drank from a straw for the first time today! :)

Aaron has also added a few more words to his vocabulary besides "No no no!". LOL! Aaron pretty much refers to all vehicles as "trucks". He's been calling his grandma Yvette "mama", he says "agua" (water), "nanana" (banana), "app" (apple), and he makes animal noises!! I can ask "What does a lion say?" and he says "RAWR"! It's the cutest thing ever! He also does a rooster, cow, duck and is just learning monkey.

Right now Aaron and I are in California visiting Grandma Yvette and tia Eva and so we get to enjoy the sunshine and the outdoors. He played in the sprinkler for the first time and *loved* it! He also walked on the sidewalk for the first time just holding my hand and he was so enthralled with everything around him!

Aaron is also off jar food for the most part (unless I get really lazy) and he just eats whatever we are eating. There isn't really much he won't eat. I still have him on 2-3 bottles a day but I think when I get home I'm going to switch to sippys totally. I know we're probably behind on the sippy thing but I don't have anyone to tell me these things in Seattle! :P

We are all enjoying him and I'll try and update more often!!

Stomp, stomp like a dinosaur

2010-03-07T22:35:00.000-08:00

See this boy right here? This boy took his first steps yesterday - All. On. His. Own. :)

Aaron was at his toy chest, trying to walk over to Josh who was sitting on the couch. He reached out for Josh's leg and simultaneously let go of the toy chest but Josh quickly moved his leg out of reach and Aaron sized up the situation, and took 3 steps over to the couch without holding on to anything! It was awesome! Josh and I both clapped and yelled "YAY!!" and Aaron just smiled.

He already walks behind his fire truck (it has wheels and a handle so he can push it and walk behind it). He will walk holding our hands and recently I've been able to grab just one of his hands and start walking and he'll come along with me. Soon enough, he'll be doing it all on his own!

One year olds are nuts. And by nuts, I mean........

2010-02-12T21:55:00.001-08:00

Greetings and apologies first of all. It's been way too long since I've graced you all with an Aaron update. But as I've said in the title, one year olds are nuts! Aaron is so busy moving and getting into everything and pointing and asking "Dat?" (what's that?) and saying "nOOOoooo". He also shakes his finger at the dog and says "Nooo" when the dog barks. I might have taught him that. Perhaps. On purpose.

AnyWHO.... Aaron is not walking yet, but he sure does move. He's quick and he loves getting into any cabinet or drawer. The newest drawer is the spice drawer. Lots of little bottles for him to play with. And I can't tell you how many dented cans of food we have. He also loves to sit very very close to the dog food and stick his foot out so that he's almost touching it with his toe and then look up at me so I can tell him "No toque! That's for the doggie!" and so he can do it anyway. He also loves the vacuum and I assured him that as soon as he's able, he can use the vacuum as much as he wants!

He's doing very well though and thankfully is on whole milk (goodbye formula!) and will eat regular food. I still keep a small stock of jar food but I'm trying to move more towards regular food. It's harder to get our schedules the same because I don't eat as many times as he does but I'll just have to figure it out. He loves pasta with butter and cheese. He also loves bananas and yogurt (still). And he LOVES peanut butter and jelly. Man, I'm making myself hungry. Moving on...

Aaron also likes to say "DADA!" when he sees Josh. No "momma" yet though he still refers to me as "linda" occasionally. And when Josh goes to work, we go to the door and wave goodbye and Aaron waves and smiles. It's pretty cute. Also, there is the network called Sprout on cable and they have this puppet bird named Chicka (she's a chicken) and Aaron loves her. He squeals when she comes on and says "CACA!" -- I guess he hasn't gotten the "ch" sound down yet!

I don't know how much he weighs right now but I'm sure it's close to 30 lbs. He's so heavy. And unfortunately, he is SO hard to put to sleep for me. He's a year old and I'm still rocking him to bed, sometimes for an hour. It's insane - bad for me and bad for him. And since Josh is still working nights, I'm the one doing it every night. My wrists are killing me! Aaron's doctor and a few other mom's have told me that I just have to let him cry in his crib. At first the idea just stabbed my little heart and it still does, but holy Zeus I don't know what to do anymore. So a few nights ago I rocked him for 15 minutes and put him down still awake. I turned on his night light (with music) and left him in there (saying goodnight first of course). He cried on and off for about 15 minutes before he fell quiet. He had had a long day so it was luck the first night. The second night he had only had one nap and so he fell asleep in less than 10 minutes of me rocking him. But the third night and tonight, I've rocked him for 10 minutes and put him down and he's cried longer than 20 minutes. Last night Josh had off and he went in and rocked him to sleep. Tonight I just laid him back down in the crib and turn the night light on and rubbed his back until he fell asleep. (sigh) I guess it's supposed to get easier every night..... we'll see.

But other than that, we are all doing well and enjoying each other. You might know that I'm at home now with Aaron (SAHM) and Josh is looking for a 2nd job. We are also looking to move out of our tiny condo and into a home with a yard but haven't had any luck yet. Plus, it'd be awesome if Aaron had his own room. It'd be SO AWESOME.

Wish us luck! I'll keep you all updated!

Happy Birthday Aaron!!

2009-12-21T00:05:00.000-08:00

One year ago, on December 21 at 10:15 pm Aaron Howard Herring was born. Yes, my Chubbs is a year old!

My sweet little angel babycakes! (sigh) I can't believe it.

Well, Aaron had his birthday party on Saturday at his great aunt & uncle's house. The entire Herring clan was there and a few close friends who were kind enough to sit through a 1 year old's birthday party! Aaron had an Elmo themed birthday party and got his own mini birthday cake. He opened up a few of his own gifts and mostly liked the wrapping (LOL) but loved the Mickey Mouse card he got from my friends Sara & Tom and he loved Grandpa & Grandma's rocker/tricycle toy they got him. When he got home, we took out a few more toys and he really likes the puppy on a string that his aunties Calena & Melanie got him too! He pulls it towards him and laughs!

Aaron will have his 1 year doctor's appointment sometime next week, so I can only guess his weight is around 28 lbs. He has 8 full teeth (4 on top, 4 on bottom) and his bottom 2 molars are halfway out and they top eye teeth are just starting to poke out. He always seems to get several teeth at once! Lucky us!!

He fully crawls now, pulls himself up on his own, walks from one piece of furniture to the next on his own by holding on to them, and he still loves foooooood. Right now he's drinking about 3 bottles a day and 2 solid meals. He loves Cheerios and has recently been introduced to Ritz Crackers (which bring a smile to his face) and plain pasta noodles. He still LOVES his YoBaby yogurt too.

Right now we're not buying anything smaller than 18 months in clothing for him and the Nowali moccasins are still the best things for his feet!

We saved a few gifts from his birthday party to open on his actual birthday so tonight, while watching Chicka on Sprout wish happy birthday to the viewers (we sent his name in!) we're going to open a few more gifts.

A few days ago he got his first professional haircut at this place that specializes in infant/kid hair and he did great! But now with his new haircut he looks even more like a little boy and less and less like little baby! I can't believe he's ONE!

The next celebration is obviously Christmas. That will be a post (or two) on it's own!

But here's my little angel babycakes today-- ONE YEAR OLD. Happy Birthday Sweetness. Mommy and daddy love you more than anything, ever. :)

(That his chocolate frosting all over his face and harms and MY hands from his birthday cake!)

11 months old!

2009-11-30T12:08:00.000-08:00

My Chubbs is 11 months old! Can you believe it? The countdown to 1 has begun! I'm already thinking of scheduling a 1 year photo and what theme his party will be. He loves Elmo and Mickey Mouse so that's pretty narrowed down. :)

I've gotten a few inquires already (I'm guessing since the bday and Christmas are coming up) on his sizes and likes. So here it goes:

Aaron is currently in 18-22 month year old clothing. He runs warm like me so keep that in mind. He can't fit shoes because he's feet are too fat so he wears socks or I've found these Nowali moccasins that work perfectly in size 12 months (or 21-22 in Swedish sizes).

He wears size 5 in Pampers diapers (he gets a weird skin rash if we use another brand) and he's really into Mickey and Elmo. He can always use pants (elastic waist is best) because he seems to outgrow those first.

He has TONS of blankets so he doesn't need those. As far as toys go, we'd love for him to have a lot of toys, but we just don't have the room right now, especially for the big stuff. What would really be nice actually is a toy chest. Something softer or made of plastic so that if he bumps his head on it, the injury won't be that bad!

Aaron is pulling himself up now, standing with only one hand gripping onto something, crawling, army crawling and occasionally, still rolling. He's learned to shriek now, which is awesome (not) but he's totally cute so I guess I'll over look it. He still loves his bath time (if you'd like to see a bath time video and you're on You Tube, let me know) and he still uses the bouncer occasionally.

I'm planning on having a small birthday for him at aunt Kathy's but I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures, of course!

I hope you're all doing well and that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Aaron's pics from Thanksgiving are up on my Flickr site!

Attention People! My son is a genius!

2009-11-10T10:41:00.001-08:00

Hola folks! So there have been a few developments lately that I thought I'd share (especially since I have not written ONE word in his baby book and need to remember this stuff some how). Aaron just recently started getting up on all fours and doing that rocking back and forth motion -- well, the other day he actually crawled! He only did 3 or 4 moves forward before he fell flat on his belly, but he actually crawled on all fours! It was fantastic! Since then he throws in a crawl here in there in between his current method of movement - the army crawl. He's moving pretty fast and I'm sure he'll be fulling crawling in no time. ;)

Aaron also had 3 full teeth on the bottom and now you can make that 3.5 and another one on the way towards the back! He's already got 4 full teeth on top too. Unfortunately, though he had no real symptoms when he was first teething except for crankiness galore, he is definitely showing physical symptoms this time around. His tummy is NOT doing well. Poor baby.

Which kind of relates to my next development - Since his tummy isn't that great, his little bum is suffering and my mom (who is visiting to help out while Josh gets used to his new job schedule) let Aaron go diaper free for awhile to "air out". I guess after about 20 minutes she decided to take him over to the toilet and see if he'd go to the bathroom. She held him on the toilet and asked him to go pee-pee and he had a little drop. So she asked him again and instead of peeing, he pooped! He pooped in the toilet! And then he peed which went all over the floor because he was in a sitting position and, well, he's a boy! But YES, my 10 month old boy peed and pooed in the toilet. GENIUS! Then apparently he reached for the toilet paper. No joke! I mean, he sees me do it all the time, so I guess he figured he was supposed to do it too! My mom tells me that her and her sisters used to take my uncle Anthony when he was 5 months old to pee and poo in the toilet and he would do it! Crazy stuff if you ask me! But genius!

PS - can you believe he's almost one year old!!? It's insane. More updates to come!

Aaron's First Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-30T12:43:00.001-07:00

There are just way too many cute pictures of the pumpkin carving to post, but I love this first one so here it is! I had Josh carve a pumpkin for Aaron last weekend (all the pics are posted on my Flickr site) and Aaron was VERY interested in the pumpkin guts, of course. I think it was probably most fun for me because it's so fun to watch him experience new things and to learn about new things. Plus, he was half naked and half naked babies are always adorable!

In development news, Aaron started army crawling his way around instead of just rolling. And he can actually get on all fours and rock back and fourth, but no actual crawling on his hands and knees. And unfortunately, he's figured out how to open the dog cage. Yay! for being smart, boo! for getting in trouble. He's a little stinker already. He'll do something he knows he shouldn't be doing -- for example I have the stack of magazines on the bottom shelf of a side table and he always goes for them because he likes to tear them up. Well, we tell him "NO" when he does that and we move him away from the magazines. But he'll get back over there and touch the magazines with one hand and hold it there while he looks back at me! Then I say "no Aaron, those are mommies" and he takes his hand off, then immediately puts it back and looks at me again but with this little smile in his eyes. YEAH - a little trouble maker already! Geesh - what am I in for?

Anywho, his mistake of a haircut is looking a little better and most people are nice about it, saying they like it (psha, right!). Other than that, he's doing well! My Chubbas!

Wishing you all a Happy Halloween!

The Pumpkin Prowl! (A picture post)

2009-10-26T16:38:00.001-07:00

Aaron being very patient, waiting for me to put his costume on.

Costume on, check out his new trick or treat bag.

Welcome to the Woodland Zoo's Pumpkin Prowl!

Josh & Aaron checking out some cool pumpkins.

Aaron checking out the little witches on my headband instead of looking at the pumpkins!

Family photo. Notice Josh & Aaron look spent. Not me - I love Halloween!

Aaron at home on the floor getting all his new found energy out before bed time!

I just had to mention the cool Vans I have. They match Aaron's outfit perfectly!

More Halloween themed photos to come!

Gap Casting Call

2009-10-14T15:28:00.001-07:00

Ok, I know I already posted one today, but I really want to see if Aaron can win this!

I entered Aaron in the Gap Casting Call Contest and I need your help! Please go to the Gap Casting Call Website and vote for Aaron. His ID number is 678332615 and he's under the category "Baby Boy".

Yes, you'll have to register to vote, but do it for us! We'll love you forever!

Thanks!!!

P.S. - In case you're reading this Gap people - I love the Gap. Always been one of my favorite stores and I'm also a proud ex-Gap employee! WOOT! And I'm done whoring.....

Warning: If you let me cut your child's hair he'll end up looking like Llyod Christmas from Dumb & Dumber

2009-10-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, seriously..... Don't ever let me cut Aaron's again. He went from having his sweet little naturally emo haircut:

to the Lloyd Christmas Dumb & Dumber haircut:

I'm pretty sure this might make me a horrible mother. Josh made fun of it for days. Needless to say, Aaron will be wearing hats for awhile. Poor kid (sigh).

Well besides the terrible haircut, Aaron has begun teething again and he's got good days and then very bad, awful, no-good days. We're doing all the things we're supposed to.... but mostly it's the waking up at 3 or 4 am that is driving me insane. I went from drinking an occasional cup of coffee to 1-2 cups a day.

On a different note, we went to our first "social function" together --- A wedding! My friend Sara got married this past weekend and we took Aaron. He did really well which was awesome. And pretty much everyone thought he was adorable, including the photographer! I'm sure he's gonna be in like, half the photos! I hope Sara won't mind! I took a few photos myself and they are up on Flickr.

In development news, Aaron rolls around everywhere and now he can get on his hands and knees and rock back and forth but usually ends up launching himself backwards instead of forward. He'll get it soon though, I'm sure! And just the other day, he pulled himself up in his crib all by himself! NO help from mom or dad whatsoever! He's still saying the "dadada"s and "bababa"s and occasionally the "mamama"s (which is strange because he started off with "mama", but whatever). And we're pretty sure he tries to say doggy too. It's funny because he knows Ulrich's name. So anytime I say Ulrich, he looks for the dog.

Other than that, everything is going well. We are looking forward to Aaron's first Halloween and plan to go to the Pumpkin Prowl at the Zoo. ;)

Hope all is well with you! More updates to come soon.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal - ECK!

2009-09-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

I'm guessing he isn't a fan of cinnamon just yet.......

Inside belly 9 months. Outside belly 9 months!

2009-09-25T16:30:00.001-07:00

Look at that face! C'mon, you know you wanna kiss it!!

Well we took Aaron in for his 9 month check up yesterday and the pediatrician says we're doing great! Aaron is 28 inches tall (50th percentile), 24 lbs 13 oz (>90th percentile) and his head is 46 1/2 centimeters (75-90th percentile)! That's my Chubbs!

He got is regular flu shot too. Don't worry - it was the REGULAR flu shot and not the N1H1 Swine Flu shot. That stuff is way too new for me to want to try out on my baby! And the only reason I gave Aaron a flu shot at all was because the pediatrician said she gave it to her baby and I work with older adults who are vulnerable to this type of stuff so who knows what I'm bringing home!

So now that Aaron has reached 9 months we are moving up to the next step in both his formula and jar food and he's gonna be eating food at least 3 times a day now. He sleeps through the night mostly so I'm not worried about that! He's wearing stage 4 diapers and we're starting to get 12-18 month clothing for him! The next thing is the car seat! YES - we STILL have to get that! I know - I know - but we just don't have $250 laying around right now! Ugh!

Aaron still loves his "bouncy" (Johnny Jumper) and he's starting to pull himself up on things. And when I say things I really mean Josh or me because we don't have a coffee table! HA! He's still not crawling but he gets around just fine by scooting and rolling around.

The other day we went to Babies R Us to get his new crib (old one was recalled!) and after we went down to the waterfront and hung out since it was such a nice day. He loves being outside! (New pictures on Flickr)

The new project I have to get on is his baptism. I've kinda let the ball drop on that one but part of it is Josh's fault! He won't pick a Godfather! I think I'm gonna just have to do it for him.

I've got a few new videos of him but I haven't posted them to You Tube yet. I'll let you all know when I do!

He's wonderful and healthy and happy (mostly!) and that's what makes everything worth while.

UPDATE: Grandpa & Grandma Herring bought the car seat for Aaron! Yay!! It should be arriving soon. Thanks G&G Herring!! Love you!

World Traveler. Ok, maybe just interstate for now.

2009-09-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

My Chubbs! He rode in a plane for the first time! (Don't you just love this picture?!)

SO, our trip started out flying to Sacramento on Alaska Airlines. It was an early flight and we got there just as the plane was boarding. The woman checking everyone in was so nice and so helpful. She moved us to an empty aisle! Aaron and I sat next to the window and Josh next to the aisle. Aaron was perfect on the flight! He only cranked once or twice and only just a little bit at that, but we were able to distract him immediately. And then with the white noise and the bottle, he fell asleep! It was awesome. I had a harder time since I caught a cold the day before we left so my stupid ears wouldn't clear and were blocked the whole trip! UGH!

The day after we arrived mom, dad and Eva threw a party to welcome Aaron to Sacramento and introduce him to the family and friends there. Unfortunately, I think the traveling hit him that day so he was kinda grumpy and most people didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with him.

The rest of the week Aaron spend with his grandparents (my parents) living the good life while Josh, Eva and I went to LA for the Dave concert at the Greek and to visit family. We all had a really good time.

By the end of the week though Eva, Aaron and dad had all caught my cold and so the plane trip back wasn't as pleasant as the plane trip there. Aaron was grumpy and considering this is his very first cold, I could understand why! Josh had to get up at one point and stand in the back and rock him to sleep. After that though, everything was alright. Poor little guy! Not to mention the woman who was checking people in at the Sac airport wasn't as helpful! She was just kind of like, "Oh nope. Sorry, no empty aisles." There was no searching or offer to move single people around so we could get an aisle to ourselves. I there were, in fact, empty seats on the plane. Lame. (You hear that Sacramento Alaska Airlines people!?!)

Overall though it went well and all my worrying went down the drain. It totally helped that my cousin Michelle let me borrow her car seat, high chair, rocking seat and playpen for Aaron so I didn't have to take anything except his stroller! You rock Michelle!

Aaron is now an official traveler! He even got wings on his way back!!!

Where to next?

Leaving on a jet plane

2009-08-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

My stinkin' boy! Isn't he adorable?!

Well, we're getting ready for Aaron's first plane trip! I'm so excited and nervous at the same time! I hope of all hopey-hopes that everything goes well and without incident. And by that I mean both no screaming baby, no poopy diapers on the plane, and not TSA asshats. Just nice, happy baby with pee pee only diapers and really awesome and friendly TSA agents. (That's me, putting that out there in the universe - making it happen! *crossing fingers*).

We're on our way to California. A stop in Sacramento for a few days where Josh and I will leave Aaron behind to enjoy his grandparents and then we'll head down to LA with Eva for a Dave (DMB) concert. :) I figured Aaron's a bit too young for his official first Dave concert.

Today we went to the doctor's office just to ease my mind about the plane trip and a few other small items we wanted to go over the doctor with. Aaron's doing very well - a healthy 24 lbs! :) Clear ears (for the plane!), normal temperature, normal developments -- and we learned we have to up the food. We'd only been feeding him once a day (meaning FOOD and not bottle) but we are going to be changing that to two times a day now and next month - three times a day. SEE - I don't have anyone to tell me these things here in Seattle so thankfully I have a wonderful pediatrician for Aaron.

I will be taking plenty of pictures on my trip and will hopefully post them to FLICKR as soon as I get back.

Wish us luck everyone! A few days and we're on our way!

Mama?

2009-08-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

What do you think? Is he saying Mama?

Aaron is one popular dude

2009-08-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Hey there!

Well, Aaron has had a very busy couple of weeks. Many visitors and many new places! A few weekends ago our cousins from Sacramento came up to visit us and Aaron had his first visit to Pike's Place Market! There was LOTS of things to see and do there.

The weekend before last, his auntie Melanie came to visit him and she got to spend all day hanging out with him. We all went to the Ballard Seafood Fest and had fun looking at and smelling all the food. Aaron got himself a new onesie with the Seattle skyline on it!

He also had a visit from his cousin Jodi who came and sat with him for awhile while Josh was at at appointment. Aaron's very first time being "babysat" by a youngin' and by youngin', I mean someone who hasn't been a parent yet. ;)

Then last weekend he has his tia Natalie come visit him. Natalie hadn't seen Aaron since he was born, so this was a wonderful reunion! After Aaron got used to Natalie, he took to her very well and they had their own little connection. Yay for awesome family!

And as some of you might have heard, the last 2 weeks in Seattle was like living in an OVEN. Oh sure, you Californian cousins laugh because you say 90 degrees isn't that hot. Well HELLO folks. Seattle DOES NOT HAVE AC. Seriously. At one point I was calling around to ask restaurants if they had AC and I wasn't the only one! Last Thursday was actually the hottest day in Seattle, ever. 102 degrees.

Aaron had developed a heat rash earlier in the week because of all the heat so we had been keeping him in his diaper only, giving him cool baths and feeding him popsicles. But Thursday we gave in and headed to the mall for some much needed AC. Of course, everyone and their mother was there, literally, so it wasn't as cool as it normally is because of all the bodies! But it was still better than being outside. Aaron's heat rash is all gone now though and he's feeling much better. Well, actually, I'm not sure he ever felt that bad about it. I think I felt worse about the heat rash than he did!

This week his grandpa Howard and tia Eva are visiting so he'll be busy still!

Aaron also got a wonderful gift from some neighbors of his great aunt Kathy and great uncle Henry. They gave him a Johnny Jumper! He LOVES that thing! All you have to do is say "bouncy bouncy bouncy" and he's off! :) I've even got video!

Aaron still isn't crawling but he's rolling around all over the place, even in his sleep! That kind of freaked me out at first, but I think he's old enough I don't have to worry about it much. He can sit on his own and he likes to stretch out his legs a lot and if you hold him very lightly, he can almost stand on his own! He's starting to verbalize much more and we're pretty sure he's on his way to saying "mama". Right now it's more like "ma ma ma ma ma"! LOL.

I've got so many pictures and now even video of Aaron (on You Tube!) that I posted the link to my Flickr account on the blog side bar. I might do the same for You Tube if I get more video. So please enjoy and feel free to comment! I'd love to hear what you all think!

Hugs & Kisses from all 4 of us! (That's Ulrich - being the 4th! Don't forget about the four-legged family!)

7 months! How time flies......

2009-07-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

Aaron is 7 months old! Can you believe it? Time goes by so fast.... soon he'll be at the 1 year mark. Can't he stay a precious little baby forever!?

Well, he's doing well.... turning over on his own, scooting around but not yet crawling. He has 1 tooth on the top now for sure, but the other 3 on the top are just poking out. His hair is getting lighter and lighter and is now closer to Josh's color. He's my little golden boy now. And we're still not sure what color his eyes are, though we're betting they'll be hazel.

Last night we took this video of him. I was trying to capture all his "aaww aw aw ah aw"s because I think they're hilarious. We got some of that and some laughs and some whines.... so here it is! Enjoy! ;)

I could never love again, so much as I love you

2009-07-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Hi.

Welcome.

This isn't so much as an update on Aaron as it is an update on mommy (me!). Last night I was holding my little chubba-chubba in my arms, putting him to sleep by the sounds of the Dave Matthews Band and I looked down into his sleeping face and thought, How could I ever love anything more than this?

You see when Aaron was first born I think I walked around in a daze..... partly because of those damn drugs but mostly because I don't think I realized that those 9 months had finally produced a beautiful baby boy that I could hold in my arms. A boy that I had to take care of, who was my responsibility and depended completely on me. Suddenly the confidence I had (I just knew I was going to be the best mommy ever!) went out the door and I was a bit nervous and unsure. On top of that I felt bad that he wasn't birthed and instead yanked out of my tummy via c-section. Was that traumatic for him?

Then there was the acid reflux and the gas and the constipation and the formula issues. Because of all those things he cried (a lot) during his first few months. I did the best I could and tried everything to ease his discomforts. And I was home, alone. All day. With the baby. By myself.

But he got older, got over his issues .... Sure, new ones came along (like teeth!) but they're not as bad. I went back to work. And now I come home to a smiling, happy baby. A baby that is happy to see me and hear me call him "chubba-chubba". A baby that puts his little hand on my face to get my attention. A baby that puts his arms around me now. A baby that laughs.....

Aaron is happy. No matter what else is going on at work or at home, Aaron is happy.

He is my love. He is my home and my happiness. I only hope I can provide for him everything I ever had and more. (Props to mom & dad for raising 3 *mostly normal* and happy girls).

I love you baby boy! KISSES from mommy!

6 month check up

2009-06-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hooray! Aaron is 6 months old and doing wonderfully, thank you for asking! :)

Stats:
Height: 27 inches - 50-75th percentile
Weight: 20 lbs 14 oz - 75-90th percentile
Head: 44.4 cm - 75 percentile

As you can see, the boy loves to eat! His doctor said he's definitely going to be getting in his 4 top teeth soon (yes, 4!) and so I bought one of those feeding nets ...... I guess it's called a Fresh Food Feeder because you can put ice chips in there too, but also we're introducing him to jarred baby food and this way way can give him fresh fruit instead of jarred all the time.

Also, Aaron will need the next car seat soon and man, those things are expensive. One of my best girlfriends in Sacramento won't let me get anything less than a Britax (*wink, wink* Steph!) since they're the top safety rated care seats so I guess we're gonna have to start saving for that.

SO, I've decided to post a list on the right column of things Aaron uses on a regular basis or will be needing soon because I actually do get asked this question. Mostly by grandparents and great-grandparents, but this way you will all know in case you're feeling generous towards your poor, soon to be jobless niece/cousin/granddaughter/sister/daughter! :) Yeah, I went there.

The good (great) news is that Aaron is doing just wonderfully and I would think it safe to say that his acid reflux has been gone for awhile! He's sitting up and just recently started to roll over thanks to Grandma Yvette's help. He seems to be right on schedule!

Until next time! ((HUGS)) to you all!

Father's Day & Half Birthday!

2009-06-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Aaron's half birthday and Josh's first Father's Day! I let Josh sleep in until 12 noon (because that's his favorite thing to do!) and then after a yummy breakfast that mom kindly made us, Josh and I packed up Aaron and walked to the Ballard Locks to watch The Elliot Bay Pipe Band (as in bagpipes). Aaron loves to be outside so we had no trouble with him, walking him through the park. We found a big tree and sat under it because it was kind of overcast and we weren't sure that it wasn't going to rain. Luckily, it didn't.

Aaron fell asleep in Josh's lap before the band even really began and he slept through most of it. But it was so fun to be in the park with a bunch of other families and kids and to experience that as new parents. Aaron finally woke up towards the end of the performance I decided to change him (ok, it was more like Josh said "MAN, something stinks!") so off to the bathroom we went. First time ever changing him in a public restroom. That, my friends, was and adventure. I was tempted to just change him right there on the grass in front of God and all, but we could tell he kinda of had a blowout so..... small, cramped public restroom it was. BTW, I now understand the importance the paper towel option in a rest room. Because seriously, sometimes wipes just aren't enough.

Anywho.... after that we walked around the park, went to the locks, showed Aaron the big boats, the fish ladder and then walked back home. It was a really pleasant day. We got back home and I put Aaron down for a nap and then I took mom to Larsen's Bakery and we got some cookies and a yummy apple twist for all of us to share. We also brought a pizza home for dinner and that was Josh's first Father's Day! :) I think it was lovely.

Happy Father's Day to all my uncles and cousins who are dads and of course, to my daddy! Love you!

Have a seat, please.

2009-06-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

Aaron sat up for the first time by himself Sunday night! We had him propped up on the couch and all the sudden he stretched his hands out and sat up! We couldn't believe it! Mom, Josh and I all gathered around him and watched him do it over and over again, clapping each time he did it and yelling "YEEEEAAAAH!". It was amazing!

Aaron weighs 19 pounds now and is mostly in 9 month clothing. He's also got his 2 bottom teeth coming in so he's a little cranky about that now and then. Good news is he's not cranky about the reflux or gas anymore and today we're moving him back to the regular Enfamil formula instead of the Gentlease.

He's doing wonderfully other than the teeth and he's growing fast. This is were I ask "Where's the pause button?"!

First trip to the park

2009-05-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Aaron has had a lot of new developments lately!

One, as you can see above, I realized that he's big enough to actually sit in his stroller without the car seat! Such a big boy!

Two, Aaron can hold his own bottle now basically. I mean, he grabs it with his fits most of the time instead of his open palms, but he holds it on his own! Such a big boy!

Three, I put Aaron in his swing this morning and he literally pulled himself up on his own and sat up in the chair!!! All on his own! Such a big boy!

Four, we (my mom, Josh & I) took Aaron to visit a friend in Des Moines on Saturday. She owns the Des Moines Dog House and Aaron actually lasted the entire visit without fussing once! He was actually really happy the whole time and seemed to take really well to Tammy (the owner). We all sat down and ate hot dogs and he was just a happy chubby baby, checking everything out. Then, we came back to Ballard and went to Golden Gardens for Aaron's first visit to the park. He saw the sound, the sand and all the people. Trust me, there were TONS of people because it was a sunny day in Seattle. AND he touched grass for the first time. Didn't start to fuss until the very end and that's because he had a dirty diaper.

Overall, Aaron's doing a lot better though and he's so much bigger now, it's crazy! We went and visited some old friends who have a 1 year old and he actually was BIGGER than their 1 year old! Granted, their 1 year old was a small boy (he was only in the 2 percentile!) and Aaron is kinda hefty, so I'm sure that made the difference seem even greater, but they litterally weighed the same weight! Hehehe! But we're all doing well. Mom is helping out while I'm back at work until the end of next month so I'm starting to look for day care or a nanny. Wish us luck with that!!

Hope you're all well too!

Love & hugs, The Herrings.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2009-05-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

Let the laughter ensue!

4 Month Check Up

2009-04-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Today Aaron had his 4 month check up! He's weighing 17 lbs and is 24.5 inches long. A short chubber, just like his momma! He wears 3-6 month clothing and he really likes the onesies that his Auntie Bea gave him from the Gap. (OK, I really like them. But they're awesome because they have alot of give and they're light weight.) His check up went well otherwise - Dr. Archibald said he was "perfect". :)

Aaron is doing really good with holding his head up all on his own. He's not quite so "bobble-headed" though he does get tired then his head goes down! He's much more aware of his surroundings now and he loves to play with things that light up. But more than that he likes to hold a wet wash cloth or his burp cloth because he sticks it in his mouth to "chew" on. We're pretty sure he's starting the teething process but the doctor said that infants can go through all the teething signs and not see actual teeth for months!

And if I haven't mentioned it before - Aaron loves the bath! Some times it's the only thing I can do to get him to calm down when he's crying too. So rest assured, Aaron is a clean baby! Right now my sweet chubbs is sleeping in his swing. He's a long day with the trip in the car, the doctor's visit, and the 2 shots he got. Hopefully he'll go to bed early tonight!

Well folks, that's all for now! Hope all is well with you!

Aaron's First Easter!

2009-04-13T15:32:00.001-07:00

Josh and I took Aaron to the mall for the first time on Saturday to get a picture with the Easter Bunny! I was worried he'd be scared of the bunny and scream his head off, but he just sat there with his usual look of discontent. (haha - that's kind of a joke for those in the know) Aaron did really well actually. I think all he cared about was that someone was holding him! :0)

We walked around the mall for a little bit since he was doing well and pretty much made it in the mall for about 1 hour before wanting his bottle and getting really cranky. I just feed him in the car but other than the last 5 minutes, the mall trip and Easter photo op was successful! Yeaaa!

I hope you all had a great Easter!

~~Josh, Adriane & Aaron

First Shower

2009-04-08T17:47:00.000-07:00

Today Aaron took his very first shower with me! I was kind of nervous, worried about holding his slippery little body standing in the shower but it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Of course keeping his bath chair in the shower with us helped considerably!

Aaron is doing much better with his gas and reflux, though it does still effect him some. I think he'll grow out of it by 6 months like everyone says.

He is definitely doing a lot more laughing and giggling, which is just wonderful. It's so heartwarming to hear him laugh. The first time I got him laughing by kissing his neck, he would laugh and then I would laugh because it was SO cute that he was laughing and then we'd do it all over again! I can tickle him sometimes and just get him in a giggle fit! It's adorable.

This past weekend my BFF Stephanie from Sacramento came to visit us and she was so sweet. She took him right up and shared all the baby responsibilities - of course she has 2 children of her own! She also bought him a Light & Sound Aquarium for his crib and she bought some bowls and spoons so she could help me try and feed him oatmeal for the first time. He's still young, and I'm not planning on supplementing the cereal for formula just yet but I do want him to get used to eating. So Steph made a small amount for him and at first he kind of just held it in his mouth and looked at us but as soon as he figured out it was food, he took right to it! So now every once in awhile I will feed him a bit of baby cereal before I give him is bottle.

He also recently got a swing from his Aunt Kathy and he does like the glider motion of it. Unfortunately the stupid thing stops on the glider motion even though the motor is on, so we're going to have to see if we can exchange it.

Other than that, he's growing and growing. I can't believe the difference 3 months makes! I'll keep my camera clicking for you all!

Koala Baby

2009-03-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hi All! Well, it's been awhile since my last update, I know. It's been busy and we've got so much going on.... we're just trying to survive like everyone else I guess.

So Aaron is 3 months old now! These are pictures are of Aaron after a bottle. He fell asleep on me and Josh said he looked like a little koala bear. He weighs over 13 lbs now and is a long boy! He opens his hands all the time now - they're not closed up in tight little fists anymore. He's reaching for things and grabbing his stuffed toys, our fingers and my hair (ouch!). He's "talking" alot more and he laughs... it's so adorable. Babies are so funny though - you can do something that will make him laugh and the next time you try it he looks at you like he's going to cry. Now all you have to do is smile and goo at him (if he's in a good mood) and he'll smile right back.

The other day Josh came home from work and Aaron looked up at him as soon as he walked in the door and smiled and reached out his hand to Josh! It was so cute! I'm convinced Aaron gets sick of seeing my face everyday. Wouldn't you?!

He's doing well though. Now I'm just struggling with the idea of going back to work - and probably sooner than I had hoped out of necessity. There was one day I cried all afternoon when the idea of going back to work hit me and I was so upset about missing anything with him and having someone else taking care of him. I know it's just part of life and plenty of women do it, but I know it's going to be hard. I miss him just thinking about it. That's life. He is going to be ok and we'll survive.

I'm still not taking him out much - I took him to work for a visit and of course he decided to be grumpy that day. I wish the weather was better so I could take him for walks at least but he's still eating every 2 - 3 hours so there's not much you can do when you take him out anyway. Aaron will have another appointment towards the end of April and we'll get his new weight then!

Hope you all out there are surviving! ((HUGS))

Best. Picture. Ever.

2009-03-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

This is my new favorite picture of Aaron! Isn't he the cutest? What a silly boy, laughing with his daddy!
Aaron is now 10 weeks old! I can't believe it! Time is going by quickly when it comes to Aaron. He is growing and growing and even though he's only 2 months, he's fitting into his 3-6 month clothing. I'm sure he's around 15 lbs now, but I'll know for sure later this week when he goes in for his 2 month check up.

Aaron is still dealing with reflux and gas, but I ended up switching the bottles back to the original Born Free bottles and now we're buying the formula for fussiness and gassy babies. It's seemed to help with the gas some. The medicine that he's taking for his reflux helps, but it hasn't made the symptoms go away completely. So, overall he is doing better, but still has some issues. He's awake more often during the day and he usually goes to bed around midnight and lets me sleep until the morning. He can wake me up anywhere from 7 am to 8:30 am.

This past week Josh, Aaron and I were at my parents house to watch the dogs while they were in California. Aaron got to spend some time with Ulrich and Bailey which is good. He's totally oblivious to them most of the time, but there was a few times when Ulrich was close enough to his face, that Aaron noticed him and actually looked at him. Ulrich is his normal spazzy self and he was just excited to get close to Aaron. He gave Aaron kisses all over whenever he got close, but sometimes he was more interested in getting my attention that in getting Aaron's and I'd have to watch that he wouldn't step on or over Aaron. Bailey is just a big wuss so she wouldn't come to close to Aaron ---- she'd come just a few inches away and put her nose in the air to sniff.

This week I also have a HOA meeting so I am hoping Aaron will be in a good mood so I can take him for the first 5 minutes to introduce him to all my neighbors. Then Josh can take him back home.

Everything else is going well -- he's received gifts from his Grandma & Grandpa Herring and they also bought him a jumbo box of diapers and wipes. He also got a box of clothes from his Great Grandma White in Vermont! Thanks to everyone for thinking of him and sending gifts and help! We so appreciative of your gifts!

Until next time!

Aarons' goos and gaas

2009-02-19T15:57:00.000-08:00

Ok, first off - I've fixed the comments link so now you can actually post a comment if you want! It wasn't working in the beginning.....

Secondly - Though this video was taken when Aaron was 7 weeks, Aaron is now 8 weeks old and soon going to be 9 weeks!! Can you believe it?! I've tried to post this video a few times but I was having trouble. It finally worked so please enjoy! It's a little long and my voice is totally annoying, but Aaron is the star so it doesn't matter!!

Most of the good stuff happens in the first minute in case you're short on time. :)

Can you say "adorable"?!

Progressing.... 6 weeks

2009-02-05T15:20:00.000-08:00

Well, Tuesday Josh and I took Aaron to the doctor's to see what was up with all his fussing and gas issues. It's amazing that pediatricians can diagnosis problems for someone who doesn't talk! I know Josh and I talk on Aaron's behalf, but seriously, those pediatricians know their stuff!

Aaron's doc says that his system is still immature and she thinks it's a combination of him being a really gassy baby and that he seems to have reflux. The flap in his esophagus is still immature and not working properly and so he tends to spit up, but not all the way - just so it sits in the back of his throat. Of course this is all very uncomfortable for him, not to mention that he had his constipation come back on Friday, so it's back to the Karo syrup. The doc did give us a trail medication for the reflux and so we're going to hope that works. It's only been 2 days but he does seem to be doing slightly better - at least less fussy. He's still uncomfortable though.

Aaron was weighed at the doc's and he's now 10 lbs, 12 oz! That's insane!! At least we know he's not starving, despite his digestion system problems. Poor kid. :(

Yesterday I had a dentist appointment so Grandpa & Grandma Coblentz came over to babysit and Aaron wore his shirt that says "Grandma loves me". Then, later that evening he had more visitors! My boss Pat and the President of our association, Laura, came by to visit and drop off a lovely quilt that Laura hand made for Aaron. It's a wonderful quilt - I love the pattern and I noticed that she put a handmade tag on the backside that says who it's for and who it was made by!! So cute!

Tomorrow I have another doctor's appointment for myself so Aaron and I are relaxing today, playing it low key, listening to the Foo Fighters. We're cool like that.

Here's a picture of Aaron from the weekend with his little hoodie on. I told you he was cool.....(just wait until you see his rock and roll outfit!)

Sweet Dreams

2009-01-27T14:04:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wonder what babies dream about? I mean, really - what could they possibly dream about? What reference do they have in their baby brains to draw dreams from?

Aaron dreams. He frowns and smiles and sucks and even laughs when he's sleeping! It's the funniest thing ever. I see his REMs and the breathing pattern changes when he changes his expressions. Sometimes he even cries out when he's sleeping and then goes right back to sleep all on his own. He's so adorable.

Physically, he's definitely heavier, his head is larger, his hair thinner and his eyebrows darker. Most of the time I look at him and see me. Sometimes I can look at him and see his Tia Eva when she was a baby. But Aaron definitely has physical traits of Josh too. Josh tells him he has his Frenchy frog legs!

Aaron is awake much more and he "talks" with goos and gaas and grunts! He actually grunts alot -- he sounds like an elephant so I'm always telling him "Yo soy un elefante!". He's still got the gassy thing going on, even though we changed the bottles. It's actually alot better, but not completely gone so my mom bought a third system to try out by a company called MAM. I'm going to try that out today. When Aaron wants his bottle, he wants his bottle right now darn it! so if he gets really upset, I have found that the kitchen fan calms him down. Evidently he likes white noise. Now I'm going to look for a CD of white noise to play while he's in his crib.

Wherever he falls asleep during the day though is where I leave him! I try and get chores done when he's sleeping and if he's in a deep sleep, that's when I take a shower. Below is a picture of him in his chair with a stuffed penguin his Tia Natalie made him by hand. He seems very interested in it, doesn't he?? This was right before nap time.

Well, I hope you are doing well out there! Keep in touch.

~Adriane

One Month Old!

2009-01-21T22:27:00.000-08:00

Today my baby boy is one month old! Hooray Aaron! And he has definitely grown!

Unfortunately, Aaron has been really fussy/cranky lately and we think the reason is gas. He was constipated and that was part of the problem, but we called the nurse at his doctor's office and she told us to try Karo Syrup for awhile. The Karo Syrup worked right away but we're still gonna use it for awhile until we're sure he's totally back to his normal BMs. It still seems like the gas is still bugging him though, so now we're trying a new bottle system. We were using the Born Free system (because it's BPA free) but now we're trying the regular ol' Playtex drop in system. I just started it so we'll see how that works out. If you've got other gas reliving suggestions, please let me know!

Aaron did have a one month birthday visitor today! My friend Sara came by and brought Aaron an adorable outfit with a monkey on it. Before her visit, Aaron took a bath and got all spiffed up, making sure to put on the adorable sailboat onesie Sara gave him before he was born. He looked adorable. Too bad he was so fussy toward the end of the visit!

Here is another bath time photo:

Floor time with mommy

2009-01-17T18:29:00.000-08:00

ENJOY!!

21 days

2009-01-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

Today my sweet boy is 21 days old. Hard to believe he'll be a month old soon!

Last week we had his 2 week doctor's visit and he is already passed his original birth weight and has grown to 21 inches! He's drinking more and sleeping a bit longer, though he's also getting more and more fussy - but we're thinking that might be a gassy thing. We're trying to work it out.

We gave him another bath today and I think I might try and start giving him one twice a week at least because he's got some baby acne (you didn't even know that existed, did you?) and though the doc says it's perfectly normal, I'd rather it not be there. He's a handsome boy regardless!!

Aaron likes to stare at me after he's been feed. He just looks at my face and studies it. He doesn't make any noises - he just stares. Though sometimes he does make faces!! His faces crack everyone up. I've already given him his first nickname - Popeye! I even sing him the Popeye the Sailor Man song because sometimes when he first wakes up, he only opens one eye at first. Sometimes he opens the right eye first, sometimes it's the left. It's almost as if he's checking everything out first!

I've also tested to see if he can mimic me yet by sticking my tongue out at him. He stares and studies and moves his mouth around and so far, he's stuck his tongue out back at me twice! I'm not trying to get him to be a bratty tongue user -- but I am trying to get him to be aware of his body parts! His grandpa Howard is also teaching him that (or motor skills, as grandpa calls them) by getting him to use his hand to grab objects like his pacifier or keys and such. I'm not sure Aaron knows what he's doing - but he's playing along anyway!

Aaron is enjoying his time with his grandparents and tia Eva, but we'll be home soon. I hope my neighbors can handle it!!

Bath Time

2009-01-04T20:47:00.000-08:00

Today Josh and I gave Aaron his real first home sponge bath. Aaron can't have a soak bath yet because he still has his umbilical cord and his little pee pee is still healing from the circumcision. Aaron is a little fussy when it comes to being messed with too much so he wasn't keen on the idea in the beginning but once we got to his head & hair, he loved it. Aaron loves to have his head rubbed so washing his hair was a breeze.

We've also been taking him into the bathroom with us while we take turn taking hot showers because he's been really stuffy this past week and has a bit trouble breathing, especially at night. The steam seems to really help him and we also bought some saline drops for his nose, but he doesn't like that like he does the warm steam and heat lamp in the bathroom. And we put him at an angle instead of flat on his back when he sleeps, so I'm hoping that's helping him sleep better too.

Aaron also enjoys sleeping a lot just like his daddy so it's only natural that I would have caught them sharing one of their favorite activities together. Aaron is starting to sleep longer and eat a little bit more than 2 oz now. On Tuesday he has his 2 week appointment, so we'll probably have another update then. One thing that hasn't changed yet - he's still the most adorable baby on the planet!!

10 days old and snipped!

2008-12-31T09:08:00.000-08:00

Aaron is 10 days old today! Hooray!

On Monday Aaron had his 1 week follow up appointment with the pediatrician. Everything looks great so far. He's healthy and almost back to his birth weight, which is awesome. (Babies usually lose weight in the hospital before they leave but are expected to get back to birth weight in a few weeks).

On Tuesday Aaron went to see my doctor to have his circumcision. Josh felt pretty strongly that Aaron should have a circumcision, so we took him and I waited in the other room while the procedure was being performed because I was too chicken to watch. Josh is definitely on diaper duty until Aaron is all healed. Aaron was pretty upset with Josh yesterday, but I think he's doing much better today.

I also saw my doctor for a follow up visit and to have my surgical tape removed. I'm healing well, and everything looks good for us both so I'm happy.

For those of you who don't know, I had to have unexpected c-section, and ended up with a high fever after the operation. I think both my physical and emotional wounds from that are healing at the same pace. The important thing is that Aaron is well and healthy and that is all I could ever ask for. He is an adorable baby and I spend most of our shared waking moments staring at him, taking in his facial expressions, movements and sounds.

Josh and I are trying to get used to our new and mostly unpredictable schedule. Josh has been wonderful in taking the late night shifts and waking up in the middle of the night to help me with diapers and feedings. He is also healing well, as the c-section was a big shock to both of us and my recuperation in the hospital wasn't always easy.

We're both very lucky to have the help and support of both our families!

We take tons of pictures every day so I'll try and post as much as I can. I hope all of you are well and thanks to all of you that have sent your well wishes and congratulations. :)

~Adriane & Josh

Welcome!

2008-12-27T17:48:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Josh and I would like to introduce you to our first born, Aaron Howard Herring. He was born on December 21 and weighed in at 7 lbs 6 oz and was 19 inches long. We will be posting updates and photos up here periodically so please keep this web address in your favorites so you get all the latest updates on our new family. Comments are always welcome here and I'll be checking the site often.

Thanks for visiting!! ~~ Josh & Adriane Herring