Beach for MDW

Anthony had his first ever beach trip during Memorial Day Weekend. We were nervous that he might not like the sand, because sometimes he gets fussy when sitting on the grass. I think its sensory overload for him. But, luckily, he L-O-V-E-D the beach. It was hard to take pictures of him because he was not at all interested in what we were doing.. he was infatuated with the sand, water, and people-watching of course. 

 I can't wait to take many more trips this summer to Mimi and Poppy's beach house!

VIDEO-First time at the beach

I love to watch him experience new things for the first time! 

Beach bum! The sun knocked him out!

Yep. My son is a professional at sandcastles already... he decided to make Elmo for his first try. wink wink. 

hmm Mom I wonder what this sand tastes like?

Ew yuck yuck, it is disgusting! 

Ten Months Old

We have just entered the double-digit months! This is crazy! 

Date: 5/25/2014

Age: 10 Months

Weight:  19 lbs  0 oz

Height:    29 3/4 inches

Head Circ.:  42 cm

Eating: He eats every 2 hours. Three times a day he eats baby food and the other feedings he eats 3-5 oz of milk mixed with cereal thickened to a nectar consistency.

Sleep: He starts his night-time feeding at 8:30 and goes to bed right after that. He usually wakes up anywhere from 5:30 to 6:30 am.

Likes: Walking by holding our fingers, music, going outside, Daddy’s guitar, peek-a-boo, people-watching

Dislikes: tummy-time, not getting what he wants, being out of his routine 

Milestones: Eating small bites of “puffs”, making more consonant sounds, knowing cause and effect of toys, learning to sit from stomach position

Please don't mind the extreme shine on Anthony's face. I made the mistake of taking his pictures right after his bath. That doesn't sound like it would be a problem, but we always lather him up with a ton of lotion after bath-time. It makes for super soft baby skin, but not great pictures. Oops! 

"I'm gonna get your piggies....." I love this age, it's so easy to crack him up.

funny little man!

"AHHHH"! This is the little boss-man of our house... and he is sure to let us know when we're not doing something to his liking... (like taking a million month pictures) 

First Haircut

I have been putting this off for probably longer than I should have.... but, seriously... when did Anthony become old enough to get his hair cut?

Joe was ready to take out the scissors and cut Anthony's hair himself. I think the multiple references to Anthony being "such a cute girl" by strangers caused this milestone to come a little quicker than I would have liked.

But, I agreed, and the day was here...gulp...

My big boy before his haircut! 

Mop-top 

Okay, yes looking back at this pictures I admit he needed a haircut badly. 

Waiting our turn

"High-Five Dad! We finally convinced Mom to bring me here!"

He wanted to play at the table with all of the "big boys" haha 

My not-so-little man walking around hamming it up

Here we go...

The stylist was so great with him, she made sure he felt the buzz of the razor before, so he wouldn't be scared. 

He looks like such a big boy now!

My handsome man!

We had such a fun time. They even gave us a certificate for his first hair cut and an envelope to keep a lock of his hair. Guess it wasn't so bad after all! 

Mother's Day

I have wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember. It was my biggest dream. When you're growing up you imagine the type of mom you're going to be (well, at least I did!). I remember watching the things my mom did and taking mental notes. I was guilty multiple times of thinking I would do a much better job as a mother than my mom:

I remember it going a little something like this:

me: I will never punish MY kids
mom: Yeah...we'll see. Go to your room.

me: I'm going to let my kids stay up as late as they want
mom: uh-huh, sure Kels, get to bed!

me: MY kids will eat whatever they want, and if they're not hungry I don't care!
mom: Finish your dinner

me: When I'm a mom, my kids won't have to clean up.
me: When I'm a mom, I'll drive them wherever they want
me: I'll buy my kids anything they wish for!

... yada, yada, yada....

Looking back, I can't help but laugh at my younger self. What in the heck was I thinking? Hands down, there was no better mother than mine. She was self-less, helpful, supportive, and an amazing role model. I just wish I was able to see it when I was growing up. But, I guess it's sadly that way for most kids. They think that everything should be how they want it. I never understood why my mom worried so much when I would stay out late and not call. I thought she was crazy when she would set rules and limitations on what I could and could not do. Little did I know, that she was just being a mom. It's hard to fully appreciate everything that a mom does, until you become one yourself.

So, I want to say THANK YOU. Thank you to my mom for doing all that you did for me, and all that you still do. Thank you for all that you sacrificed in order to make me happy. I am truly sorry for not saying it more.

I hope that one day I will be even half the mom that you were for me.

The moment I became a mother, it changed my whole life. Everything about the way I thought was different. It all became about Anthony. I remember being overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. I wanted to make sure that he was safe and healthy all the time.

Being a parent is no walk in the park. There are amazing days, and there are really hard days. I hardly have time for myself anymore. The house doesn't get cleaned, the laundry piles up, and my poor husband....

But, I wouldn't have it any other way. I have never felt such unconditional love for another human. I mean, I carried this little man inside me for eight and a half months! That is still so surreal to me.

I love being with him, and having special moments together. He can just look at me and it makes my heart smile. When we're together, everything else can wait.

I will love Anthony for the rest of my life.

 

A big thank you goes out to my husband Joe. Thank you for giving me the best gift I could have ever asked for. Being a mom is the hardest, yet most rewarding job I have ever had, but, it is my most favorite job!!

Happy Mother's Day