12 Months

My life was first changed for the better on May 19, 2006 when I met the love of my life.  One year ago today my life became even better when the most perfect baby boy was put into my arms for the first time.  As I sit and type, I have tears (of joy) streaming down my face thinking back on the past year and how amazing and indescribable it has been.  The year has flown by and I'm doing everything I can to remember each detail because as cliche as it sounds, our baby boy is growing up way too fast.  

Raleigh has taught me so much over the past year, but the one thing hat sticks out the most in my mind is that he has taught me about an entirely new level of love that I never knew existed and for that I am grateful.  I am completely crazy in love with this boy of mine and I'm pretty sure these feelings are mutual.

I love the way he says mum-mum-mum-mum and walks towards me with a huge smile, the way he says dada and points straight at Steve, his big blue eyes, his blonde hair, his laughing fits when he's tickled, the way he cuddles into my shoulder when I hold him, how he looks like a little man in his button down shirts, that he can sit in his room and "read" his books by himself, that he pulls everything out of the cabinets in the bathroom and can keep himself entertained while I get ready in the morning, that his perfect day may consist of a trip up and down every aisle at Target, the way he acts shy/flirty when a girl says hi, the way he wiggles/dances when the music is on, his curiosity for everything new...I could go on and on as there is much so much to love.

Raleigh...my little Bubbas - We LOVE you to the moon and back.  Thank you, once again, for making me your mum mum and your daddy your dadda.  Because of you, this past year has been the best year of our lives.  You are, and will forever be, the perfect piece to our family...Happy 1st Birthday Raleigh John.

Below is a clip of Raleigh working on his reading skills..his current favorite book is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Bachelorette Weekend in Whistler

This past weekend, 22 girls made the trek up to Whistler to celebrate one of Marge's last weekends before she becomes a wife on May 19.  The weekend was perfect and made me feel like I was 21 again - we caught up with friends we hadn't seen in a while, Stacie surprised us from Boston, we met some gorgeous Australian boys, played flip cup (team AP!) until we got in trouble by the police for being too loud, saw a black bear, shopped, drank a lot of wine, ate late night pizza, danced in a club, took shots of Fireball and made some pretty awesome memories. 

Congratulations Margie!  We're all incredibly thrilled for you and Jeremy and can not wait for your big day!!

  

11 Months

Today my baby turned 11 months old - my first reaction when I woke up this morning was "where have the months gone?"  It sounds so cliche to ask that, but it's the truth.  I can't believe that Raleigh has been a part of our family for 11 MONTHS!  Steve and I have learned so much about ourselves, each other and love throughout the past 11 months and we have Raleigh to thank for that.  He came into our lives at the perfect time and has brought pure joy to our lives.
  

- Raleigh currently loves all of his instruments - drums, rattles, bells, xylophone...you name it, he'll pound on it or shake it and do a little dance.

- He loves strawberries, bananas, grapes, black beans, avocado, turkey, chicken, veggie patties, cheese, yogurt, pasta and just about snack sized food that is put in front of him. 

- Each night during his bath I ask him if he wants to read Goodnight Moon and he gets the biggest smile on his face and laughs.  I love seeing the excitment in his face as we read and he points to the kitties and the balloon.

- He's close to walking, but a bit hesitant.  I'm thinking that the hardwood floors throughout our house are making him a bit nervous, but in reality, he probably just isn't quite ready. 

- He says hi, dada and kitty, but still no mama.  No matter how much Steve coaches him on saying mama, he still refers to everything as dada (this secretly melts my heart).

- Now that spring has finally arrived (errr kind of), we're spending as much time outside with him as possible and he loves it.  When the wind blows he holds his breath for a second and then takes a deep breath.  And I think the bright orange ball in the sky is still a bit of a mystery to him. 

- When he knows people are paying attention to him, he purses his lips like a little bird and smiles with his eyes.

- His laugh and voice are my most favorite sounds in the world.

- A couple of days after his 10 month birthday, I was diagnosed with my first sinus infection and decided, on the same day, to take him to the doctor for what seemed like the neverending cold...much to our surprise, we found out out he had his first ear infection ( and while we're at it, why not make it a double).  We were both prescribed a 10 day dose of amoxicillian.

- I love this age...just like every other month, but this age is different because he's actually understanding what we're doing and he's getting the idea that we have routines.  When I tell him we're going somewhere he seems to understand.  My baby is growing up fast and I'm still attempting to cherish every single second. 

Raleigh - we love you to the moon and back!

This photo made me laugh because it reminds me something Glamour Shots, at the mall in the 80s, would capture.  He was actually a bit anxious and wouldn't sit still as I was taking this photos this morning, but you would think that I told him "comb your hair to the side, tilt your head, look off in the distance, right hand on thigh, left hand on the armest...just look casual"  If only I was also able to get the cat to sit next to him - awkward sibling photo...hmmmm.

10 Months

Today my baby boy is double digits - he's a whopping 10 months old!  Where has the time gone?!?!  In the picture below he appears to be all business, but let me tell you that this is far from the truth.  Raleigh has become quite the little joker over the past few weeks.  He'll quickly crawl away from us or walk holding onto furniture and will try to hide from us and then come out with a huge smile and laughing uncontrollably.  He also loves to look right at me and pretend to roll off the changing table only to have me roll him back over on his back. 

Steve and I knew we'd love our baby no matter what, but we had no idea that we could truly love someone as much as we love him - we are thankful for him in our lives every.single.day.  He has also made everyone in our family so incredibly happy - our parents, brother and sister are completely and utterly CRAZY about him.  

Here are a few things about Raleigh at the 10 month mark...

- He almost always sleeps through the night, but there are a few nights that he wakes up around 3am and goes to sleep soonafter. 

- He's had, what feels like, 5 colds in the past month.  We're REALLY anxious for the cold season to be over.  Nose Frida is still our best friend.

- He LOVES cheese!  He also really likes avocado, cottage cheese, yogurt, apple sauce, black beans, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, Cheerios and Kix.

- He sticks out his lower jaw and does a little whine when he doesn't get his way.

- He enjoys Clifford the Big Red Dog and Curious George in the morning while we get ready for work.

- His music class with Gigi (my mom) is one of the highlights of his week.  I'm thinking we may have a drumming phenom on our hands...perhaps the next Justin Bieber...

- His favorite mode of transporation is on the dad's shoulders or in the hiking backpack. 

- He has the same 8 teeth that he's had for the past 2 months.

Here's a video of Raleigh after dinner last night - Enjoy!



First haircut and a little bit of sun

Last weekend I took Raleigh to get his first haircut at the the salon at Kids Club at U.Village.  He had strands of baby hair that were a few inches long so I figured it was time to get it cleaned up a bit.  The haircut lasted all of about 5 minutes and cost a whopping $25, but was definitely worth it to "drive" a yellow car and stare in the mirror.  We left with a great new hairdo, a photo and a baggy of hair to include in his baby book.  If you're looking for a place to take your little one, I would highly recommend this salon.

Since I work during the week, I'm not able to take many photos of Raleigh when the sun is out. Therefore, I embrace the weekends and take full advantage of my handsome boy and perfect lighting. Today, in particular, the lighting could not have been better...below are a few photos I took in our yard this afternoon. If my baby boy is anything like his dad, he'll be spending endless hours in his "work pants" out in the yard, the shop and the garage.

9 Months

Today Raleigh is 9 months old, but seems to us to act more like a 2 year old.  He's at a stage where if he doesn't get what he wants, he sticks out his lower jaw, shows his bottom teeth, closes his eyes and whines.  For example, if I'm working at the computer, he'll crawl over, pull himself up, hold onto the armrest and whine until I put him on my lap.  I laugh and love this little attitude, but I could definitely see it becoming a problem down the road.

Here are a few things about our sweet boy...

- He loves to dance/listen to music.  He started a little music class at Redmond Town Center this week that he'll go to every week with my mom for a few months.

- He grinds/clenches his teeth and it drives his dad crazy.

- He loves his new play area we built for him a couple of weeks ago and will play alone, but would prefer for Steve or I to play with him.

- He's a wonderful eater.  However, he had fresh blueberries for the first time yesterday, loved them, but got a horrible diaper rash. 

- He still wakes up a couple of times each week in the middle of the night, but we're in the process of letting him cry it out and it seems to be working.

- He loves to go out to dinner with us.  He sits in the highshare and waves at everyone around us.

- He says dada, baba, gaga...haven't really heard a mama yet, but I"m sure it's coming soon.

- He crawls and pulls himself up onto everything.  He has stood by himself for a split second, but will immedialy grab onto to something close by.  He'll fall down and pull himself right back up...he seems to be a pretty tough kid.

- He'll let anyone hold him.  Separation anxiety usually starts at about 8 or 9 months, but we haven't seen it yet.

- The other day we were outside in the sun and I thought his hair looked gray and panicked for a second.  I looked closer and his roots are coming in blonde.

This afternoon before his nap I took a few photos of Raleigh in one of my very favorite sweaters.  As you can see from his eyes, he was on the verge of falling asleep and was out about 2 minutes after these were taken.

We Love you Raleigh John!

SNOMG...Snowmageddon...Winter Freeze

Whatever you want to call it, it was the real deal of winter storms.  By the end of my 4 day lockdown, I felt like I was trapped in the twilight zone and on the verge of losing my mind.  Thankfully, I was able to work from home Tues, Wed, Thurs and Fri and Steve was conveniently scheduled to do a remodel on a home next door so life wasn't too difficult.  Raleigh had a horrible cold all week so I'm glad I was able to be with him, but it was tough holding him on my lap, talking on the phone with a co-worker and writing an email all at the same time.  Unfortunately, we didn't spend much time outside, but below are a few photos to re-cap my week.

Here are a few things that I learned this week...

- I am EXTRA thankful for Raleigh's weekly caregivers - my mom, my mother in law and the fabulous Miss Ali.  It is a tough job watching a very active baby all day.
- As much as I thought I wanted to be a stay at home mom, I'm not quite ready. However, I desperately wish that I could be a part-time/stay at home mom.
- I must get out of the house at least once a day.
- Power outages with a baby make me a little nervous (thankfully ours was only out for 3 hours).
- I need/want new snow clothes.
- If you pull a plastic sled with a baby, they'll immediately tip over.
- The NoseFrida is a lifesaver!  If you're a new mom, going to become a mom soon or have a baby with a cold, you must invest in this contraption...it seems gross, but it's worth for your baby to breath.
- Raleigh needs a mouth-guard...he grinds his teeth on and off ALL.DAY.LONG - any one have a remedy?

Below is a little video of Mr. Raleigh from this week...

Weekend Update

Yesterday we spent the day downtown...we parked at Pike Place Market and walked around for a couple of hours, enjoyed lunch at Beechers, shopped and then happy hour with my parents at rn74 - great ambiance, excellent drinks (Steve had a "shot and a beer" which was a Rainier in a beer coozie with a shot of Fernet Branca), and better food.  Afterwards, I dropped Steve off at the Thuderbirds game and Raleigh and I came home to snuggle on the couch.

Today, I ran errands, Steve worked around the house and Raleigh attempted to get in to everything he's not supposed to touch...we're still working on the baby-proofing.  Along with putting cords, cell phones and tv remotes in his mouth, he's on the verge of eating us out of house and and home.  I also think he's already trying to figure out how to talk back to me.  But, whenever he looks at me with his sweet baby blues and smiles his big smile, my hearts melts all over again. 

Just before sunset tonight we went down to the park and took a few photos...he's my favorite model.
 

8 Months

I'm now at the point where I feel like I'm starting the countdown until Raleigh's first birthday - how is it possible that he's only 4 months away from turning ONE?! Time needs to slow down a bit. Each month I say I've reached my favorite age with my boy, but where he is right now is absolutely my favorite. Every night while I feed him his bottle, I can't help but stare at him and just think about how lucky I am to have him in my life. Raleigh is truly one of a kind and makes my heart beat just a bit stronger when he is near me.

Here are a few highlights from the past month...

He knows his name - we say Raleigh and he turns and smiles at us.

He crawls all over the place and pulls himself up onto his toy trucks. I've always thought I've kept a clean house but his white socks and white onesie's would suggest I need to mop a bit more often.

The crawling and climbing have led to a few bumps and bruises, but nothing a few snuggles can't cure.

He says Dada and gaga...and we think we may have heard him say kitty.

His laugh is the sweetest sound I've ever heard in my life.

He waves and smiles at strangers (someday soon I'll teach him about "stranger danger).

He slept through the night on his 7 month birthday and is slowly becoming an all night sleeper.

He'll feed himself a pouch of food, Mum Mums or a handful of puffs in about a minute flat. He has quite the love for food with the acceptation of peas.

He's an excellent dinner date when we go out to a restaurant.

He had no issue with Santa, but that may have been due to the fact that Santa didn't say a peep and for all that Raleigh knew he may as well thought he was sitting on his Dad's lap.

When he doesn't get the immediate attention that he's looking for he lays belly down on the ground, tucks his hands and arms under his face and cries. I usually laugh and try to grab a camera, as I have yet to catch this fit on film.

He has 8 teeth! 4 on the bottom and 4 on the top. When I brush my teeth in the morning I now hand him his toothbrush at the same time and we "brush" together.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!