Big Boy News

Well, the boy recently decided high chairs are for babies.  So, he sits at the table like a big guy now...

That's right! I'm a big boy!

Asking for "more" is serious business...

I suppose we should consider purchasing a booster seat..?

Occasionally he will try to stand on his chair at the table but more often than not, he just sits and eats his meal. One morning, he was full of energy and we had a hard time getting him to focus on eating breakfast. Cody was getting frustrated with him trying to stand on his chair.  From the other room I hear, "Hanley, only losers and future felons stand at the table! Now. Sit. Down." Hmm...I wonder what parenting book Cody got that from?

In other big boy news, Hanley starting signing "milk" this week.  Now he signs "more", "all done", "eat" and "milk".

13 MONTHS

 

At 13 months old...

-I am still finding it hard so say, "I have a ONE year old". It just seems humanly impossible for the past year to have flown by so fast.

-I always thought our child and his interest in the bathroom wastebasket was unique until Courtney emailed me this article...
http://theuglyvolvo.com/2013/12/10/a-ten-month-olds-letter-to-santa/

That Christmas wish list couldn't be more dead on. I always knew kids loved keys, glasses, dog food, etc. but I was relieved when I saw #5-the contents of the bathroom waste basket! "Really? It's not just my child?" was the first thought to cross my mind.

The other day, Hanley picked up a dirty tissue from the waste basket (gross...I know!), blew his nose into the tissue (Hey, at least he knew what to do with the tissue), then put it back in the trash. Then continued to dig through the trash for another trashcan "prize" of some sorts.  Glad to know, that just makes him normal.

-He got his first fat lip tonight after a wrestling match with the kitchen strainer.

-He laughs at me when I dance in the car.  My rhythm is just as horrible as his, so we can really relate with each other.

-Oma and Opa bought him a camo duck blind for his birthday and he loves it.  He is so wild in that thing (always making it rock and roll from the inside), it makes me nervous at times!

-He eats a ton of solids but is kind of picky.  So far, I think his favorites are pb & j sandwiches and greek yogurt. We always try to feed him what we are having for dinner (or send leftovers in his lunch for daycare), it's a hit or miss if he eats it/likes it.

-Despite his love for grilled cheese sandwiches, we had to cut them out of his diet after realizing he is dairy sensitive.  He made this pretty clear to us when projectile vomit of grilled cheese sandwich and goat milk was all over me, my hair and down my shirt. I still gag at even the thought of that smell that night.

-He still loves to clean.  He loves the broom at April's house, the vacuum and dishwasher at our house, and likes to help with the laundry at Oma's house.  What a dork! Cody always tells him to get another hobby.

-Everyone told me once your kid transitions to 1 nap/day, its usually a nice long nap (2-2 1/2 hours). Well, that hasn't been the case for Hanley. He still just takes ONE 1-1 1/4 hour nap.  Last week there were 2 days that he took nearly a 2 hour nap.  I hope that he eventually transitions into those longer naps.

-He goes to bed by 7:30pm and wakes up at 6:00am -almost to the minute.  He is very scheduled when it comes to bedtime.

-I hate the fact that Hanley is in bed before I get home from work on Thursday's but I think he enjoys the evening with Daddy.  They seem to have a great routine down for their special evening together.

-I mentioned that The Elf on the Shelf arrived at our house after Thanksgiving. We decided we wanted Hanley to name him. So, we will wait until next year when Hanley can have some input. So, here's our elf that has been so much fun...

First day!

Taking a ride on Eli!

Heading back to deer camp!

Quick Update

Wow.  Life has been busy.  Here's a quick rundown on what's been going on at the Olson house:

-My Mom was here for a couple days.  Hanley got to have an overnight slumber party with Meme while Cody and I enjoyed a night away. We spent the evening at the Convention Center for Cody's annual work party.  After the dinner party, we even made it up to the sky bar at our hotel for another drink (granted we were still in bed by 10:30pm though...lol). I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in! My Mom said Hanley did great (which is pretty easy for him to do when she probably spoiled the heck out of him).

-Roxy had a growth on her hip surgically removed. We had it biopsied and thankfully it came back cancer free!!! It ended up being some kind of severely infected dermatitis. She is healing well and has only managed to pull out 2 of the 10 stitches.

-April taught Hanley how to master the high-five. It's so cute.

-Last month we made the best decision ever and hired someone to come in weekly and clean the house.  Talk about life changing....seriously. My only regret is that we didn't do it sooner.

-Hanley graduated from swimming lessons.  Not sure how you graduate when you fail to master a single technique in class! He never really warmed up to swimming but I can't blame him when the water is so darn cold.  It's like they had to drop the water temperature 5 degree's due to budget cuts or something. We want to put him in lessons again this summer when the weather is nicer.

-We spent the long weekend in Eugene for Thanksgiving.  We ran the Turkey Trot in the morning with Courtney and Kyle then had turkey dinner at Kim and Loren's house. Cody's grandma was in the hospital on Thanksgiving so we made sure to visit her after dinner. I think seeing Hanley lifted her spirits some.

-I finally returned to work full time. I haven't decided how I feel about it yet...

-I ditched the pump for good. After 12.5 months with a baby or pump attached to me, the freedom feels amazing. Hanley's belly is sensitive to whole milk (one of the few things he gets from me) so we switched him to goat milk. With the cost of that stuff (it's like they think its liquid gold or something!), I am pretty sure we could have bought a goat by now.

-My Mom bought Hanley "The Elf on the Shelf".  We have been having a lot of fun with it!

As if November wasn't busy enough, December is going to be even busier, but I just have to remind myself that vacation is just 24 days away! Until then, we will be chugging along...

12 MONTHS

Today we had Hanley's 12 month Well Baby Check-Up. Dr. Hall said his walking ability/stability is advanced and he was surprised by how social/comfortable he is with others.

Stats:
Head- 50 %
Length- 30 inches, 50%
Weight- 20 lbs 8 oz, 40%

Hanley was due for 7 shots so I decided to split them up into two appointments (4 today and 3 next month).  He did great with his shots! He barely even cried! Normally I would nurse him after his vaccinations to help soothe him but since he's not nursing anymore, I was worried about how today was going to go.  Apparently, there was nothing to worry about....Little man had it covered.

So, we packed up and headed home to play!

At 12 Months Old...

- Hanley started walking 2 weeks ago (at 11.5 months old)

 

- He had his first swimming lesson this week

 

- He has 7 teeth (3 uppers, 4 lowers)

 

- Loves his Big Boy car seat!!!

 

- Goes to bed at 7pm

 

- Still loves Eli and Alligator. He doesn't go anywhere without them and always holds one in each hand

 

- Fights diaper changes. Seriously, sometimes it feels like I am wrestling an alligator just to change the boy!

 

- Still gets to spend Wednesday's and Friday's at home with Mama.

 

- And....Is growing up WAY TOO FAST!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Little Walker

Hanley took his first steps back on September 24th but is quite the little walker these days. He's all over the house! I was finally able get a decent video of him walking...

Happy "Shoulda-Been-Your-Birthday" Hanley Man

One year ago today was my first day of maternity leave and Hanley's due date.  Last year at this time, I was on my 3rd walk of the day with Roxy and doing anything and everything to try to induce labor. Today, I am sitting here pumping while my sweet baby is down for a nap. Oh my, so much has changed in just 1 year.

I feel like Cody and I were pretty realistic about how life would change once the baby came, how it would effect us financially and what kind of parents we wanted to be.  Some things went as expected and others didn't...

1. We said we would never use a wipe warmer and never did. Hanley has never had the pleasure of feeling a warm wipe on his bum...his Daddy says it makes him tough.

2. I said I would make all his baby food. Nope-this didn't happen.  The boy refuses Mama's homemade puree's, apparently Gerber has the special touch.

3. We said Hanley would grow up camping, beginning with his first summer.  Lucky for us, he loves the great outdoors and went camping 5 times over the summer.

4. We said we would encourage and enforce healthy sleeping habits, self soothing, etc. Sleep training began at 3.5 months old.  It was hard on Hanley and I both at first but the end result was a great little sleeper. 

5. I told Cody Roxy was getting kicked out of the house during the day once Hanley became mobile. I didn't want him crawling around on dirty floors.  Well, Roxy won this one...and my floors are still dirty.

6. I said I was going to do P90X during maternity leave. Ha!

7. We always planned on me going back to work. Many people told me once I had that baby in my arms, I would re-consider that decision. I will admit, yes it was VERY hard to leave him once my maternity leave was up but I went back to work....part-time.

8. To no surprise, the spreadsheet was dead on.

9. I said I was going to nurse for 6 months. Well, I killed it on that one! It's a wonder I didn't give up after battling mastitis so many times though.

10. I said I wanted a natural birth. Pitocin was not in my birth plan but other than that, I rocked one long, tough labor.

A baby changes a lot. Some days are tough but every day is a blessing.  I am glad we mostly prepared and realistic about how a baby would change the dynamics of our family.

P.S. Dear Hanley- Happy "Shoulda-Been-Your-Birthday" little man.  Oma said it perfectly today, you were worth the wait! We love you.

First Fever and Spookley

I got a text from April Tuesday last week saying Hanley was running a fever. Oh no, my boys first fever. I ran my end of day reports at work and rushed out of the office (even forgetting his milk! You know my mind is elsewhere when I leave behind the breast milk!). I drove home like a mad woman, breaking traffic laws right in front of cops and all.  I was on a mission.  I knew there probably wasn't a lot I could do, but sometimes Mama snuggles go a long way.

I stayed home with him on Wednesday. We pretty much snuggled and read all day. My Mom bought him a new book for Halloween so it was perfect timing for our low key day at home.  I can't tell you how many times we read Spookley! He loves it. Thank you Meme!

 

Sharing with Sister!

Learning to shares begins at home, right? Well, who better to learn to share with than your own big sister?!

I really thought Hanley would enjoy the Gerber cookies I bought him.  Well, it turns out he thought Roxy would enjoy them too.

"Yumm...this is pretty good"

"Hey Sis, you want a bite?"

"Oh okay, go ahead...eat the whole cookie"



Then, Hanley turned to me a signed "more" so he could feed another one to Roxy! A bite for the boy, then a bite for the girl...thats about how it went! Dinner time is getting pretty interesting at our house!

Faulk Baby and Familiy Run

We had a great weekend in Eugene.  It was actually one of the very few weekends that we did a lot but it didn't feel overwhelming.  I often overbook us so bad that we end up running around town and are on a time schedule constantly.

We went down to celebrate with The Faulk's.  It was a Faulk Baby Beaver Birthday Bash...one big party with lots of reasons to celebrate: Mindy and Clayton's birthday, Beaver football, and a Baby Shower/Reveal Party! IT'S A GIRL!!! We are soooo excited for them...they will make the best parents! Hanley had a great time at the party. Mindy showed him where her Mom hides all the toys for her grandkids.  He wasn't shy about helping himself to all the fun girly toys!

One of my favorite parts of the weekend though was simply getting up in the morning and going on our first family run.  Hanley and I have been on many runs together but we can't ever seem to convince Cody to join us :o)  You see, I like to think of myself as somewhat of a runner.  Cody, not so much. He doesn't share the same love for it as I do. We both grew up playing sports and have a little bit of a competitive side.  Each time we make a bet, I always say "If I win, we go on a family run and you push the stroller!".  The best part about this run was I didn't even have to win a bet to get him to come along.  The three of us enjoyed a 4 mile loop on a cold, foggy Saturday morning.  About halfway into the run, I asked Cody if how he was doing with the stroller.  His response, "The stroller is holding me up.  Not like slowing me down but literally keeping me from falling down." I started laughing so hard but I am happy to announce, he survived the run.

The rest of the weekend included breakfast with Grandma Tina, shopping with my Mom, dinner with the in-laws, watching football with friends and brunch at my parents house today before heading out of town.

Liquid Gold

It all started 3 or 4 weeks ago.  I had a clogged duct on the right side and started getting mastitis from another clogged duct on the left side.  My production was down and my emotions were up. 

To top it off, it was my first full week at work and by Thursday night I was having a hard time adjusting to being away from Hanley so much. I ran in the door at 7:30 pm hoping to spend as much time with Hanley before  his bedtime.  However, it turns out I came home to 10 oz of wasted breast milk sitting on the counter and my little man already in bed. To be honest, I had a catastrophic meltdown. I tried my hardest to explain to Cody that I wasn't mad at him but I was devastated about the milk.  I had spent 1 1/2 hours at work pumping and was only able to bring home 12 oz of milk (remember, my production was down- normally I would pump and send 18-20 oz of breast milk to daycare for Hanley). Our freezer supply was down and I knew I couldn't replace the wasted milk sitting right in front of me. I couldn't even bring myself to throw it away.  I let it sit there until Cody dumped it down the drain.

I cried myself to sleep that night.

The next morning I called the lactation specialist.  I told her my son was 10 months old and I was hoping to breastfeed until he was 12 months.  I then explained my meltdown and told her I was putting too much pressure on myself to keep up my supply. I wanted advice on formula or other options I may have but she just wanted to talk to me about how I can increase my supply, "Add more pumping sessions in while your at home and at work, pump in the morning and before bed, pump after nursing him on the days your home with him, take supplements, drink milk tea..." When I got off the phone, I felt worse.  Is she for real? Does she know what being a Mom is like? Do I have more time in my day to attach myself the pump more...NO! This is REAL life, woman!!

I felt discouraged. I refused to take supplements or to drink tea.  I am kind of a believer in nature.  If my body decides its time to stop production then that was just the way it was going to be.  I needed to accept it and figure out a game plan for Hanley.

Over the weekend, Cody and I had a long discussion about introducing cows milk or formula to take some of the pressure off of me. However, by Monday my production was back to normal we never had to worry about supplementing.

Then, Friday last week, Hanley started to bite me. I flicked his cheek and told him "no" but that didn't seem to phase him.  I lightly popped him on the mouth once and sat him down to cry while I prepared him a bottle instead.  By Sunday morning, I felt like HE was the one trying to tell ME "no", he didn't want it.

It's not like he was slowly losing interest or anything.  He just flat out woke up and decided that he was done.I honestly see so much of Cody in him.  When Cody decides on something, that it.  It's a done deal and he is all in. Cody is also all about efficiency.  I think it may have clicked with Hanley that he can get the milk a lot faster from the bottle.

So...after trying so hard to avoid being attached to that damn pump all the time, I have spent the week attached to it more than ever. I have 4 more weeks to go but I am taking it one day at a time.  Thankfully we have now have a freezer supply so it's not like I feel an overwhelming amount of pressure.  However, I think I have scarred Cody. He is so afraid to waste any of that liquid gold.

My emotions seem to be in check for the most part.  I think Hanley weaning himself probably took a lot of the emotional aspect out of the process. I am thankful for our 10+ months of bonding while I nursed him but I have realized that I am still able to enjoy his cuddles, even with a bottle feeding....

I took this picture on Thursday last week.  I had NO IDEA it would be one of our last nursing sessions. It was early morning, we laid in bed, he cuddled his alligator blanked and held my hand.  I am pretty sure I will remember this moment forever.

11 MONTHS

Wow. This was a big month.  Nobody prepared me for the jump from 10 to 11 months.  In 4 weeks time, he's like a new boy!

At 11 months old...

 

-He took his first steps 2 weeks ago.  He is taking anywhere from 2-5 steps at a time now and can stand up on his own without the assistance of nearby furniture.

 

-I started signing to him this month.  I started signing "more" and he picked it up quickly! The only problem now is he will often sign for "more" before he is even done with his bite! I am now trying to teach him "eat", "all done" and "milk".

 

-Him and Roxy are finally starting to bond....bond over food that is! He loves to drop her food from his high chair!!! Since we don't feed Roxy table scraps, this is a pretty big deal to her.  Probably the highlight of her day!

 

-Exactly 7 days ago today, He decided he was done nursing and it came as a complete shock. If I can work up the courage, I will have a separate post about this at a later time.  For now, I am attached to the pump for what seems like all day!

 

-We spent a lot of time in Eugene the past month which means Hanley got a lot of time in with the Grandparents! Probably my favorite moment was when I went to pick him up at my parents house after the Dirty Duck race, I asked my Mom how he was and she said, "I don't know, your Dad HOGGED him the whole time!" There's just something about seeing my Dad with Hanley that makes my heart happy.

 

-Our babysitter was on vacation which made me realize it really does take a village to raise a child! He spent one day with my friend Sarah and her two girls (Josie and Brooklyn), one day with my co-worker Shaira (and her nieces!), and one day with my neighbor and her daughter (Kate), then Cody and I had to both take one day off work to fill in some childcare gaps. As much fun as Hanley had getting passed around, I think we were all happy to have April back in town!

Mari's Visit/Stuebing Wedding

I have been wanting to post about Mari's visit and Wayne and Brooke's Wedding but I keep getting side tracked with life!

Mari flew in the Monday before the Wedding. Cody and I took the week off work and headed to Elk Lake where we met the rest of the crew.  We rented a little cabin on the lake and enjoyed a few days of relaxing before all the Wedding festivities began!



Group pic!

 

Fun with Meme!

 

The view from our cabin

 

Getting ready to take the ski lift up Mount Bachelor
 

Mountain top brews!

When we got back to Eugene, we had a full schedule ahead of us that included: American sushi dinner at Izumi's, shopping, lunch at Café Yumm, Rehearsal dinner, hair appointments then finally, the WEDDING!

I took my camera to the Wedding but I didn't take many pictures.  Hanley was being really clingy and pretty much wouldn't let me put him down or let anyone else take him (I can't blame he kid, he hadn't pooped the entire week and he was a clearly uncomfortable!).

It was a beautiful wedding at Deep Woods! (Photo Credit: By Tania Vargas)

Hanley and Kallen meeting for the first time!

Before we left town on Sunday, my parents held a BBQ at their house for my Step-Grandpa's birthday.  We had friends and family come from California, Alaska, Texas, Colorado, Mexico, and Canada (and of course Japan) join us for the BBQ!

 

It was a fun packed week but saying good-bye to Mari is never easy...

 

10 MONTHS!

Our little man is already 10 months old.  That means his first birthday is right around the corner. Let the party planning begin!

At 10 months old...

 

-We have gotten into a pretty good bedtime routine.  Cody puts him to bed each night. We often hear him chatting in his room before drifting off to sleep.

-He switched up his nap time routine on us and I am hating it.  I prefer it when he is predictable!

-This week he SCREAMED with JOY the minute Cody walked in the door after work.  I think my heart about melted right on the spot.

-We are teaching him to wave.  It's pretty cute.

-He spent his first full week at the babysitters.  He did much better than I did.

-We have introduced the sippy cup in preparation for weaning.

-He is learning to self-feed with sweet potato puffs! When we first started, they mostly ended up on the ground which meant Roxy always made sure to be nearby so she could scoop them up. Now he makes most of them into his mouth and he loves them!

-He eats oatmeal cereal each morning.  I wish we would have started doing this much sooner.  It helps keep him "regular" if ya know what I mean...! (Yes, we celebrate messy diapers in this house because a boy who hasn't pooped in a couple days in a handful!).

What? Four Years?!

 

It's hard to believe that 4 years has passed since our beautiful Wedding day! It's been 4 jam packed years of home projects, traveling, long work hours, and of course baby making & parenting!

We spent our anniversary dinner with my entire Hoot to Coast team at Denicola's Italian Restaurant carb loading on Thursday night. Romantic, eh?

That weekend we spent a part since I was running and Cody stayed at home to be Mr. Mom.  So, we decided to postpone the celebration until the following weekend, which happened to be Labor Day weekend.

We dropped the boy off at the in-laws and spent one night away in Florence. Just the TWO of us! Our first night together away from our little man.

As crazy as it sounds, I really wanted to go somewhere I have never been: The Sea Lion Caves. Despite Cody's resistance, he took me there only to find out there was an issue with the elevator and it was currently down. Nobody would be going down into the cave...

Next he took me somewhere else I have never been: Honeyman State Park.  Cody was shocked when he realized I had never been there either! (Side note: He spend a lot of our courtship complaining that all the places he took me to ended up being places I had already been to! Little did he know, he just needed to take me to Florence, Oregon! Haha...)

We spent the rest of the day in Old Town, enjoying lunch on the water, watching the both games in the hotel bar and going out for dinner.

We got back from dinner with plans to go down to the hot tub but we both just wanted to crash.  I guess it's fair to say that parenting really ages you!

I dreamed of sleeping in until noon but our internal clocks had us both wide awake at the 6 o'clock hour! Good thing it was a beautiful morning for a walk on the beach.

After breakfast, we stopped by the Casino to come home not a dime richer.

Sometimes as parents, its easy to focus so much on the baby that you lose sight of the love you have for each other. For this reason, I think it was really important for us to experience a night re-kindling that love and attention without the distraction of naps, dirty diapers, tears, feedings, etc (although, I can't wait for the day that I can ditch the pump and we can really have 100% freedom!).

When we got back into Eugene, Oma and Opa were happy to report that Hanley was awesome while we were away! Thank goodness because we would like to repeat our night away some other time!

9 MONTHS!

Well, now that Hanley is almost 10 months old, I suppose I should post his 9 month stats!! Can you tell it's been a busy month?

Every time I bring Hanley in for a well-baby check, Dr. Hall (who we love!) asks about Cody.  Each time I have to tell him he is busy at work and unable to make it to the appointment.  So after his 6-month check up, I told Cody he needed to make arrangements at work to make it in to Hanley's next appointment so Dr. Hall would get off my back about it! Cody got off easy when he made it to the 9 month appointment, one of the few well baby check-ups that doesn't include vaccinations! Regardless, Dr. Hall was happy to see us both make it to his appointment.

 

Stats:
Head Circumference: 18 inches, 50%
Length: 28 inches, 50%
Weight: 18 lbs, 9 oz, 30%

He's dropped in percentile in all area's but Dr. Hall had no concerns and said we have a happy, healthy boy on our hands!

At 9 months old...

-He is a crawling machine!

-He loves to pull himself up onto all the furniture in the house and is very proud of himself for being able to do so.

-He finally enjoys eating solids! His current favorite is sweet potato and corn puree.

-Has 5 teeth.

-Has spent a total of two nights away from Mama and done very well each time!

-Is still very vocal!!

-He got the chance to meet his Aunt Mari and spend a week with her while she was in Oregon for Wayne and Brooke's Wedding!

-Moved his bedtime from 9:15pm to 8:30pm! Score for Mom and Dad!

-Loves story time! We have to read the board books because he likes to be really helpful and turn the pages himself.

-Has a weird obsession with the vacuum cleaner and chases it around the house!

-Has horrible hair (just being honest here!). He has a messy mop on top and barely anything on the sides! Poor kid never had a chance...

 

Time seems to be flying by faster than ever but Cody and I both agree that the older Hanley gets, the more rewarding parenting gets.  It's such a joy to watch him learn and explore something new each day.



198 Miles, 12 People, 1 Team, and 1 Heck of a Mr. Mom

I underestimated how difficult it would be to prepare for Hood to Coast this year. However, I made a commitment to my team and I had been looking forward to HTC for 10 months now so regardless of how prepared I did or didn't feel, I wasn't about the throw in the towel!

The days leading up to HTC, I was pretty emotional.  It would be the first time I would spend an entire night away from Hanley.  Even though it was going to be hard, I knew it was a good thing for everyone. My night away taught me that Hanley can survive without me and it gave him and Cody a chance to spend some special one-on-one time together.

This year, I didn't make any "rookie" mistakes like I did when I ran HTC 2011. I stretched out and re-hydrated properly after each run.  It made a world of a difference and I felt great! I remember being so sore last time, I felt like I couldn't walk for 2 days. After my 17 miles this year, I didn't really feel sore at all. Heck, I was about to go for a run the next day!

I had the extra challenge of pumping in the van every 4 hours. Bless my teammates for being so easy going about it and letting me hog so much space in the cooler!

We got less than 2 hours of "sleep" during the second major exchanges.  By "sleep" I mean laying in a wet, lumpy field as it rained on us at 2am. Despite the lack of sleep, I felt good running my 3rd leg. I guess motherhood has prepared me well to function off little to no sleep!

Since I was in Van 1, we finished early and headed to Astoria for lunch.  After a 36 hour diet of Cliff bars, PB & J sandwiches, water and chocolate milk... a REAL lunch sounded amazing! After lunch we did some sight seeing. Since Whitney flew in from Texas for HTC the team decided to show her around Astoria. We checked out The Goonies house and the school from Kindergarten Cop then made our way to Seaside to run across the finish line as a team!

When I got home, I jumped out of Tyler's truck and RAN across the street and up the driveway to hug my little man.  I missed him so much that tears started rolling down my cheeks.

It turns out Cody is one heck of a Mr. Mom! I came home to a happy little man who slept through the night for Daddy and had another tooth!

I was happy to be home with both my boys but really enjoyed doing something just for myself.

Thanks Team SWIWS for another great year!


Van 1 at Timberline: Me, Courtney, Nicole, Whitney, Tyler, Cord

Meme's Visit

My Mom made arrangements to come spend a week with us.  She arrived on a Friday so she could watch Hanley while I joined the gals from work for our summer office party and Cody went fishing with his buddy Jeff. My poor Mother came up to spend a fun week with Hanley and ended up really taking care of the whole house...

I woke up Monday morning with mastitis AGAIN. I went to work and was miserable all day.  When I got home, I went straight to bed until it was time to get up and put Hanley down for the night. 

I wasn't feeling any better on Tuesday but I went into work anyways.  Since we had a light afternoon schedule, I left at lunchtime. I came home and my Mom made me lunch then she took Hanley and Roxy to the park so I could take a nap.  I was pretty emotional by Tuesday night because I felt like I hadn't spend any time with Hanley at all. When it was time to put him down for bed, I didn't want to let him out of my arms. 

Wednesday morning I was feeling a little better.  I was still sore but at least my fever broke. The day didn't turn out to be any more calmer though.  A routine oil change on the truck turned into a chaotic day of running it around for a second opinion, leaving it with the mechanic for 2 days and a hefty bill. So, it was nice to have my Mom to help with all the running around and to have her extra vehicle!

By Thursday evening I was feeling better which meant our camp out to East Lake was still on.  Cody took Friday off of work and we headed out that morning.  As we pulled out of the drive way Cody said, "It was really a blessing to have your Mom here this week". He couldn't have been more right.

The Non-Update

I have to apologize for the lack of updates.  There has been a lot I have wanted to blog about: my Mom staying with us for a week, my birthday at East Lake, Courtney's visit, and of course Hanley updates.  While life has been crazy and Hanley has been busy learning to be such a big boy, I am just too darn exhausted to blog! So, for now I will leave you with a picture of my two favorite guys and promise updates coming soon...

Daddy, Hanley and Eli on a lazy Sunday morning!

Shopping & Swings!

Hanley was such a little trooper today shopping with my Mom and I! When we were done picking out the perfect dress for her for Wayne and Brooke's Wedding, we took Roxy and Hanley to the park to play...

 

 If you can't tell, Hanley had a blast (and Roxy too!).

8 MONTHS!

What sums up our 8 month old:

-Jabber mouth

-Loves his alligator blanket

-Has 4 teeth

-Still doesn't like solids

-Takes two 1- 1 1/2 hour naps

-Mama's boy

-Loves Roxy and Maxi (They tolerate him even though he is guilty of pulling their hair)

-Loves his high chair

-Can't help himself but to fall asleep in the car

-Has been camping four times

-Goes to the babysitters 3 days a week

-Loves to rough house with Daddy (They broke the guest bed this week jumping on it!)

-Loves to be outdoors

-Is very ticklish

Hanley and I spent his 8 month birthday in Tillamook for the day visiting Great Grandma and Grandpa Robideau! Here's a few pictures from the day:

 

 

Okay, Hanley.  I think 8 months is enough...you can stop growing now!

Another Trip to Crescent

We set out for Hanley's 4th camping trip on Wednesday afternoon in celebration of Independence Day. It was going to be a 4 day camp out which would make for Hanley's longest camping trip yet.

We beat Loren to Crescent Lake, picked out a site and set up shop. The mosquitoes were thick, like nothing I had ever seen at Crescent. Within 3 minutes, I had more than a dozen bites. Thankfully the mosquitoes were leaving Cody and Hanley alone- I guess I just have extra sweet blood!

Since the forecast was expected to be nice, we left the elk tent at home and roughed it in our little tent.  The first night was great (other than the mosquitoes-which mostly stayed at bay the rest of the weekend).

Thursday was a busy day.  We took Hanley out on the boat for the 1st time.  He HATED his new life jacket. He screamed bloody murder when we put it on him. I can't really blame him because it was so tight at the neck, it was practically choking him. (When writing this I asked Cody for better words to explain how bad it was choking him - he came back with "Whats the point of keeping your head above water when you can't breath?"). Yes, it was that bad. Either our kid has a huge dome piece or that life vest has a major design flaw. So, we spent the morning breaking the law and let him cruise without it. He loved the boat as along as he wasn't wearing his vest. (Side note:First thing we did when we got back into town was exchange his life vest for a new one. Hopefully he can tolerate the new one so we can take him out on the boat when we go to East Lake for my birthday). Later that day, Amie and Tyler came up for the day.  We hung out down by the water for a couple hours before the guys went out fishing. They stayed for dinner then had to head out before the tunnel closed at 8pm.  It was great to spend the day with them (and the wee one on the way!).

 

 

 

Thursday night was hell. Hanley was up ALL NIGHT.  The temperature dropped Thursday night and I think it just got too cold for him and to top it off, he is teething. At 4:30am, when we were completely out of options, we went on a midnight family drive to Davis Lake.  Despite being absolutely exhausted, it was a beautiful drive. We even saw a couple deer. By the time we got back to camp, Hanley fell asleep. We packed him back into the tent where he slept until sometime after 8am.

We did some exploring on Friday, Hanley took a much needed 2 hour nap, I got in some reading and a nap myself, the guys went fishing, and Kim finally joined us for the weekend.

Hanley and Opa reading the map before heading out to explore Summit Lake

Friday night was round 2 of hell. Again, no sleep for any of us.

We had a great day on Saturday (which included a visit from Uncle Ole and Aunt Cathy) but decided to pack up and go home after dinner...not wanting to chance another sleepless night.  We hated to cut the weekend short but knew it was the best thing for Hanley. He needed the sleep as much as we did.

It turns out, we made the right choice.  We got home and he slept through the night.

I know it sounds crazy but this was actually probably my favorite camping trip so far this year. The weather was beautiful, Hanley was so much fun during the day, and we got to watch him explore the water. I have taken my book camping with me every single time and never read more than a paragraph until this trip.  It was by far the most relaxing time I have had (excluding the whole lack of sleep and leaving early).

Father's Day and More

The days seem to be passing by in the blink of an eye. Here's another quick update:

We went camping for Father's Day weekend.  It was the first time we camped with just the 3 of us (which means no extra helping hands!) and without the wall tent (we roughed it in our little old tent!). Hanley did great. Roxy...well, I will give her a C+. I guess thats what we get for picking out a site right on the river. She wanted to be in the water 24/7!!!! Despite forgetting key items (ie: one of the sleeping bags, fire wood that actually burns, etc) and our obnoxious dog, we had an excellent time. Cody got in lots fishing and we went on a family hike and a few walks.

Last weekend I went down to Eugene for the day for Brooke's Bridal shower.  My parents were in town for work so my Mom made for great travel company while Cody and Hanley stayed home.  It was the first time I have been that far away from Hanley and the first time Cody had Hanley to himself for more than just a couple hours.  It ended up being a great day.  I think Cody learned a lot from his full day of Daddy Daycare and enjoyed some important bonding time with the boy. And I too, enjoyed a baby-free ladies day!

 

Little man just got his 3rd tooth this week and he may be working on the 4th.  Soon, that gummy little smile that I love so much will soon be full of a full set of chompers!

I love spending Wednesday's with Hanley-its my favorite day of the week. Each Wednesday morning I sing him the "It's a Mommy and Hanley Kind of Day" song. I think it might be his favorite song! We only have 9 more Wednesday's together, then I am back to work full time.  So, we have been making the best of each one with lots of cuddles!

Hanley has become so expressive lately.  This is his new favorite face...

Green Beans

Before the first bite:

 

After the first bite:

 

Yup, still not a fan of green beans or any kind of solids for that matter!