5 Months

Happy 5 Month Birthday to my baby boy!  Raleigh is growing up so quickly that I kind of wish I could just hit pause and bask in everything about this current time.  I'm anxious for the next few months as many of my girlfriends have said that these months were their most favorite time with their little ones, but I'm just loving how Raleigh is at 4/5 months old.  His two bottom teeth are almost fully in, he's learning to sit up, he's a wild man in his crib, he squeals with excitement while I fill the bathtub, he's still getting the hang of eating with a spoon and seems to have developed a liking for oatmeal (was not a fan of the rice cereal). The one thing he has not yet mastered is sleeping through the night.  Every night I go to sleep thinking "tonight is the night he'll sleep for 7 or 8 hours straight" and everynight around midnight my dreams of a deep sleep are shattered....fingers crossed this day comes soon.  This past weekend Raleigh had his first experience of the Puyallup Fair and his first Seahawks game.  The fair was good...the game, a bit tough.  Even with the giant headphones on, the noise was too much.  We figured this was a good preparation for the two or three Cougar games we're planning on taking him to this year.

Raleigh - I love you more today than I did yesterday...And tomorrow I will love you more than today.  The last five months with you have been the best 5 months of my life. Thank you for picking me - I feel like the luckiest mama alive.  I love you.

 The "Boys BOB Brigade" at the Fair - Rocco, Raleigh and Easton

Here's a peek into what it's like to feed a constantly distracted 5 month old.

Tonight was the first time he sat and ate in his highchair.

Updates

We're in the process of teaching Raleigh how to eat...literally. I had no idea that teaching a baby how to eat from a spoon could be so difficult/entertaining/messy. I realize for some kids they immediately pick up eating from a spoon, not this kid. I think I just assumed that Raleigh would open his mouth and immediately know what to do, but that is absolutely not the case. As you can see from the look on his face (aka a deer in headlights) he really doesn't have a clue of what's going on, but something we learned tonight is that he does like the oatmeal cereal and he wants it scooped into his mouth fast...so we'll just keep practicing.

As we finish up feeding/scooping oatmeal into his mouth, I get the bath going and through the excitement on his face, Raleigh seems to know exactly what the next step is - tub time! He loves the bath! After his bath, I comb his hair, put lotion on his tiny body and let him play for a little bit before it's time for a diaper and jammies. I had to share our little nightime routine as this is the highlight of my day.

I realized earlier today that I forgot to mention Raleigh's 4 Month stats from his doctors appointment a couple of weeks ago...

Length: 25 inches - 50%

Weight: 15lbs 6oz - 65%

Head Cir.: 17 3/4 inches - ummmm technically off the charts, but the doc chose to stick with 99%. 

We always knew we'd have a baby with a big head, but never imagined the day that our son's pediatrician would ask to measure our heads after taking his measurement.  In case you care, Steve and I both measured in the 95%.  For precautionary measures, we have another appointment in a couple of weeks to re-measure Raleigh's head to make sure it's not growing too quickly.  Big head means big brains, right?  Maybe we just have a child genius on our hands....that hopefully learns sooner than later how to eat from a spoon.

These Two...

Melt my heart

Cougar Football Saturday!

It's no secret that I LOVE college football season...I woke up this morning feeling like I was 5 years old and and it was Christmas morning.  I love laying in bed with my Starbucks, watching ESPN GameDay and hearing all about the games ahead.  This morning was extra special as I was able to share this love with both of my boys.  Raleigh slept in until 8 and was immediately put in his Cougar jersey, which will be the routine every Saturday morning for the next 3 months.  Besides for seeing my boy in crimson and gray, my other favorite part of the morning was seeing the Cougar flag flying behind Kirk, Chris and Lee.

This top photo is a bit blurry, but his two bottom teeth are visible!

GO COUGS!

4 Months

This past month has been a month of change, as I returned to work and Raleigh began to spend his days with both of his Grandmas and friends. As hard as it was to leave him, I was happy knowing that he was in safe hands. My absolute favorite part of the day now is picking him up after work and the huge smile that I'm greeted with from my sweet boy.

Raleigh loves to giggle when his daddy dances for him or makes funny faces, he's ticklish on his neck and in his armpits, he kicks his legs in the tub like a natural born swimmer, he rolls over, he loves to socialize, loves walking around the yard with us to check out the progress on our (out of control) garden, AND he's got teeth! I haven't been able to snap a photo of the teeth yet, but I'll post once I do.

This may be creepy to some, but I love laying in bed in the morning and watching him on the monitor in his crib.  I can hear him chatting to himself and enjoy watching him kick his legs and swing his arms. This morning I did this for about 5 minutes and then couldn't take it any longer and had to scoop him up for some cuddle time in our bed.  I know I've said this before, but I love this boy more and more each day.  Throughout my pregnancy I imagined what motherhood was going to be like, but I honestly had no idea how much it would truly sweep me off of my feet.  I am crazy, madly, deeply in love with my son. 

 

Baby Blue

Sorry to have abandoned you, blog, but my priorities have shifted and this blue-eyed boy of mine has completely stolen my heart and any spare minute that I used to have.  

 

To say I've been a bit busy would be an understatement, but I promise I'll be back soon. 

Indianola Days : 2011

When I was growing up, I'd spent weeks visiting my cousins Matt and Mike, my aunt, my uncle and my grandparents at their homes in Indianola (10 minute drive from the Kingston ferry on Puget Sound). We'd play at the beach, have bonfires, go on long bike rides, jump off the dock, go crabbing and on boat rides...for me it was the perfect summer camp. Each summer, the people of Indianola celebrate their little community with "Indianola Days." I hadn't participated in Indianola Days for about 15 years so it was fun for me to get back this weekend, but even more exciting to share this memory of mine with Steve and Raleigh. I can't wait until next summer when Raleigh can run around with the older kids and swim in the Sound.

We randomly ran into Steve's good college buddy, PJ and his wife and kids who were attending a family reunion at the house next to where we were hanging out on the beach.

Cousin Mike and Raleigh

Paul, Olivia, Lauren, Raleigh and Henry

Cousin Matt bought his wife Lisa a golf cart for her birthday - best.gift.ever!  Steve and I went for a little spin up to check out the country store and the salmon bake.

The infamous Indianola Dock

Somtimes you just need a little assitance going to the bathroom when you've got wet swimtrunks on.

2011...The Year of the Boy

Honestly, there are so many boys that have been born or are going to be born in 2011 that I'm wondering if the graduating class of 2029 or 2030 will have any girls for the them to ask to prom. Let's see...here are the boys born this year to my friends...Nadine had Wyatt, Megan had Brady, Karli had Liam, Steph had Riley, Max had Wyatt and Smith, Rauh had Jack, Lynne will have baby Pete soon (fake name) and Stacie will have baby boys 2.0 by the end of the year.

Today, Raleigh spent a few hours 'hanging out' with sweet baby Jack. Not sure how much Jack wanted to hang out with Raleigh, but I think Raleigh enjoyed his time.

I can't wait to see what the future has in store for each of our boys. From knowing their mama's, I'm sure they'll each grow up to be pretty amazing guys that hopefully have a chance with some of the adorable girls out there...Parker, Charlotte, Emma, Avery, Addi, Addy, Eden, Maddy, Hayden, Taylor, Sloane, Delaney, Allie and Ava (if she's in to much younger men) just to name a few.

3 Months

This month-birthday is bittersweet for me as it marks the end of my maternity leave and my return to work. At three months old my sweet boy is happy and healthy, but come August 1 I'm going to be one sad mama when I head back into the office. For the past three months, I've spent just about every waking moment with Raleigh and have honestly cherished each of those moments (even the tears) together. I will miss him tremendously throughout the days while I'm at work, but will race home at night to snuggle him and kiss his sweet cheeks.

Since his 2 month birthday, we've successfully driven 11 consecutive hours to Montana and have flown to LA, I'd say this boy of ours is well-traveled and we definitely plan to keep it that way. I also left him for the longest period of time this past weekend while we shot a wedding - 12 hours away from my boy. Thankfully, I was completely distracted by the bride and groom so I didn't have much time to miss him, but once we got home, I woke him up just so we could catch up a bit and I could kiss him goodnight.

Here are a few of the things that I love about Raleigh, at this very moment...

• I love that he doesn't mind tummy time and rolls from his stomach to his back - going both directions.
• I love that he doesn't mind the camera in his face and actually looks at me when I take his photo and sometimes even smiles. I really hope he doesn't grow out of this phase, but I have a feeling, at some point he's going to be annoyed by me constantly taking his picture so I'll enjoy it while I can.
• I love his nightly bath ritual. He smiles the second he gets in the tub and loves kicking his legs and splashing his arms.
• I love his laugh...my heart melts when I hear a little chuckle out of him.
• I love the way he smiles his slightly crooked smile (thanks to his Dadddy) when I talk to him and call him by name.
• I love that he's ready for bed at 8:30 on the dot...I don't love that he doesn't sleep through the night...we're working (very tirelessly) on this one.
• Most of all, I love the joy that he has brought to my life. Along with Steve, we love our boy more than anything in the world. We truly had no idea the affect Raleigh's little life would have on us at just 3 months old, but the love we feel is truly one of a kind. A couple of times this past month, I've cried just looking at him and thinking about how special he is and how perfectly he fits into our family. I 100% feel that he was meant for us and we were meant for him.

Here's just part of a conversation we had this morning.

Happy 95th Birthday

Today, my wonderful Grandpa Ralph turns 95 years old and still feels and looks great. A month ago, we had dinner with him and introdued him, for the first time, to Raleigh. My Grandpa is my only living grandparent so introducing him to my son and his fourth great-grandchild was extra special for me.  I couldn't help but imagine how different my Grandpa's life was 95 years ago when he was a newborn compared to how Raleigh's life is now...times have sure changed ☺

Happy Birthday Grandpa!  We're looking forward to celebrating with you and the rest of the family tonight.  We love you!

4 Generations