More Changes...

It's amazing how quickly things change once the ball starts rolling. I guess it was around when he started standing up that his progress started accelerating. So, in the interest of trying to remember when these things happen, I'm going to write a post about it.

As you can see in the video above, he is desperately trying to crawl. Though I think it's more that he's trying to stand. Nowadays when I try to hold him he squirms out of my arms because he wants to be on the ground. But not sitting on the ground, and not on his tummy...no, he wants to stand and walk. So I hold his hands and we stand. And walk. And walk. We walk around the living room, around the kitchen, around the background. He is delighted so it's really cute to see. What's not so cute is my excruciating back pain after so much time bending over. But soon he'll be walking on his own so I'll enjoy this.

I know I said he squirms out of my arms and that's the majority of the time. But he's also started to do this other thing once in a while which is like reach for me and just want to hug me. And, let me tell you, that is awesome. So so adorable.

But his latest move that I find absolutely amazing is that we'll walk around the room and he'll walk over to a book that's on the floor. Then he'll plop down in a sitting position and look up at me like, "now it's time to read mom!" So I read him the book and he smiles and giggles the whole time. And when we get to the end? He picks it up and urges me to read it again. It's just very rudimentary communication but I am in awe that we are actually communicating! And it's because he loves reading which is so great. (Though not surprising since I was such a book addict when I was a kid.) Can't wait to see what he does next!

Things to Do in LA with Kids: Underwood Farms

This past weekend we headed out to Underwood Farms which is about 45 minutes outside of LA. I had heard it was the place to go for Halloween pumpkin festivities but, with the long drive, I almost skipped it. Thank goodness we didn't because this place was AMAZING. So much more than a pumpkin patch. And one of the neatest places I've been to in LA. Of course, the entire time I was thinking how much Jack will enjoy this place in a year or two but, still, we had a ton of fun. And our friends the Lynns were there and made it even more fun. I apologize for all the photos...it was so hard to stop snapping away!

First I had to get the little guy dressed in his best Halloween outfit. I think he looks pretty cute.

He napped on the way out to the Farm and awoke to some overwhelming sights including about 1000 kids and their parents, animals of every kind (ponies, pigs, ducks, alpacas, emus, etc.), hay rides, tractors, a corn maze, and, of course, a giant pumpkin patch. First we hit up the giant haystack pyramid.

Attempting to climb up the pyramid

Family photo!

Us with Kevin, Stacey, and adorable Violet

After that we headed over to the pig races. Yup, pig races.

Truthfully I think my husband was more excited than Jack. Jack seemed far more interested in the other kids and the trees than the actual pigs. Note that he's turning away from the races.

He started crying once his daddy started cheering way to loudly for "his pig" so we had to go ahead to another sight.
Next we just wandered around to all of the animal exhibitions and the little guy was just overwhelmed as he took it all in. So many things to see!

It was right about when I noticed that Jack looked like this (tired and stoned) that I realized he was probably hungry. Well, that look on his face and him diving repeatedly towards my chest.

Luckily, John was happy to feed him a bottle which he blissfully devoured.

With some new energy, we walked around and saw more of the sights.

Giant pumpkins!

A house made of pumpkins!

Finally it was time for the main event...Pumpkins! Or rather, a photo opportunity for the parents who wanted that adorable photo of their baby sitting among pumpkins. I have to say, I more than captured this moment. Here are a few photos (or a ton of photos).

It as a great day. Can't wait to go back when he's older so he can run around all the underground tunnels, climb on the miniature train, and ride the ponies. We found out that Underwood is open all year round so maybe we'll go back for Christmas. :) Either that or the special November event - a Civil War Battle Reenactment. The biggest one west of the Mississippi!

**I just realized Jack looks pissed in most of these photos. He really did have fun...it was just ridiculously hot and super bright. And mom forgot his shades.

Breast Cancer, Ta-Tas, and a Giveaway

As part of October's Breast Cancer Awareness month, the Save the Ta-tas Foundation invited bloggers to write a post on breast cancer. Their foundation was created as a way to fight breast cancer using “laughter and fun”. And as a pretty big supporter of those two things, I am excited to get to write a blog post. The Ta-tas website donates a portion of all sales to the fight against breast cancer. Keep reading and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a one of their onesies. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO COMMENT USING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IF YOU'D LIKE TO WIN.

I have never thought about boobs more in my entire life. As a new mom, they are constantly on my mind. In the past, they were just two things I had to contain in a nice, little, lacy bra. Okay, fine, I'll be honest…. A nice, not-so-little, comfortable t-shirt bra. But then I got pregnant. And things…intensified. They were huge. And hurt. I bought bigger, uglier bras. Then I had a baby and bought bigger, uglier nursing bras. Boobs were all over my life and I had better get used to it. After I gave birth, the hospital offered me a crash course in this new way of thinking when I had about 5 nurses pulling and positioning my breasts trying to help me breastfeed. A lactation consultant calmly examined my nipples and told me they were great for latching. I'd go to a mommy and me class and women were whipping them out and breastfeeding their newborns. Breastfeeding was, at first, quite a trial. Why in the hell don't they tell you how difficult it can be? So many books and classes made it sound like breastfeeding was the most magical, natural thing in the world and a newborn would latch on minutes after being born and angels would sing and bells would chime and there would be a pixie dust glow about the room. Maybe that's what it's like for some women, but not for me. It was a skill that both my son and I had to learn. But once we did we were off and running. I am now one of those women who breastfeeds in the mommy and me class and who casually nurses my son for an entire cross-country flight. I can certainly complain about some aspects of breastfeeding (and do) but only to my husband. And, well, maybe to the whole world wide web…the saggy boobs, the humongous size increase, the feeling like a human pacifier, the fact that your husband can't substitute for you at 3am, etc. All downsides to nursing. But most days I think of my friend and I am extremely grateful for this gift, saggy boobs and all.

Jenny is exactly one week younger than me. We've been to Italy together, we've thrown joint birthday parties, we've worked together for years. She's tall, I'm tall. She likes food, I like food. She's funny, I'm funny. So when she told me right after our 31st birthday that she had breast cancer, I was floored. 31 years old? My age? Impossible. She was so healthy! Way healthier than me. She would describe her 10-mile hikes, her yoga sessions, juice smoothies, and her exercise classes and I would shudder in horror. Yet suddenly I was pregnant and bemoaning my aching boobs, and she was about to have a mastectomy. And a few months later I had this tiny little being that I loved and, by some miracle, I could feed and nourish him all with my boobs. In the blink of an eye, our roles could have been reversed. I easily could have been the one who, early on a Saturday morning in the bathroom, found a lump rather than a positive pregnancy test. But here I was breastfeeding my newborn and I thought about what I would do if that opportunity were taken away from me. If these boobs I'd been complaining about and that nurses had been poking and prodding were no longer. And I was so sad. Then I was pissed. And then I was full of admiration for Jenny. She got her diagnosis and then refused to be a victim. She researched, she read every article and website about the subject, she fought her cancer with surgery, with Western medicine and with Eastern acupuncture and diet changes. She handled it about 100 times better than I ever could have. Breast cancer, like all cancers, is so damn unfair and cruel. And it doesn’t discriminate based on age. I could have easily been the one diagnosed in the middle of my 30s. I know women with double mastectomies certainly go on to have children and bottle-feed their newborns and I think that's so amazing. But to want to breastfeed and not have the option because of breast cancer… It breaks my heart. So even with my saggy boobs, stretched out nursing bras, bouts of mastitis, breast pads, engorgement pain, pumping sessions, and a teething infant, I'm forever grateful for this experience.

Learn more about donating to the fight against breast cancer by visiting Save The Ta-Tas. Ta-tas is helping me give away one of their baby onesies. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment. For an additional entry and chance to win, you can follow my blog. Once we've picked a random winner next Wednesday 10/19, I'll email that person to get the desired size and address. Good luck! Contest valid for residents of the U.S. only. Must be 18 years or older and remember to provide a valid email address. We can't have an ANONYMOUS winner because I won't know how to contact you. Thanks!

Latest Favorite

This weekend Jack got a surprise from his Grandma... the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Table.
It is now his new favorite toy and, I have to say, it's pretty amazing. It's got 4 "stations" and they all speak numbers, letters, shapes, read book pages, make animal sounds, and play the piano. It also does all those things in Spanish. And plays lots of songs. And pretty much can talk to Jack. It's awesome. And will occupy Jack for a good 20 minutes at a time. A new record!

Photo Challenge Week 4 - What's in my Desk

When I was working I had a glorious desk. Big, L-shaped, power stapler, pens of every color, shape, and size, hole puncher, rulers, etc. Now that I'm at home, I don't even turn on my computer until 8pm, let alone have a desk I use. Everything I do, I do on my iPhone. It's my calendar, my address book, my camera, my email, my music, my games, my news source, my note pad. It's (sadly) my entire life. Thanks Steve Jobs.

Next week...Emotion.

Today Jack is...33 weeks old.

Jack had a lot of fun with all his toys this week. His big toys. He is loving his walker.

He can go backwards in it very well but is still working on going forwards. He is also still enjoying the jumperoo. He bounces and bounces all day.

Then this week we got a swing that we hung from a tree in our front yard. He loves the swings at the park so we thought this would go over well and, man, it certainly did.

He squeals in delight...the higher and harder I swing him, the louder he laughs. As for movement, nowadays when I take my eyes off of him, I look back and he's in a totally different place. He's not crawling. But what he is doing is scooting backwards, rolling all over, spinning in circles and, within the last couple of days, usually all his energy and grunting and struggling and inching forward. It's pretty comical to watch just because he's trying so hard. I also left him today sitting in his crib and I came back and he was standing up. So that happened.

This week we also had our first successful restaurant high chair experience. We went to a super super casual restaurant (no waiters) and the little guy sat in the wooden high chair for the first time. He picked at my steamed vegetables but mostly just dropped them onto the floor one by one. At the end of the meal I was extremely grateful that we hadn't gone to an actual nice establishment where I couldn't have picked all of his veggies off the tile floor. But it was a good start.

And now, more pics from the week!

Testing out his "new" hand-me-down stroller

Another trip to the Americana

Enthralled by the fountain

Updating his Facebook page

Five for Friday: Bad Guys from Childhood

My top 5 Childhood Bad Guys

5. Sheriff Nottingham in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves"

4. The Fratellis in "The Goonies"

3. J.P. and Natalie Sands in "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"

2. Johnny in "The Karate Kid"

1. Velda Plendor in "Troop Beverly Hills"

What are your top five?

Bouncing like there's no tomorrow

Jack may be outgrowing his infant bouncy seat... But he enjoys it so much!

Favorite Books

Jack really loves books which is so great. He can be in a bad mood and when I start to read a book he quiets down and pays attention. Every night his bedtime routine is basically the same. Dinner of some awesome pureed vegetables and fruits, then relaxing time outside next to the pool. Then it's inside to his nursery where we read the same 3 or 4 books every night. Next up is a bath, getting into pajamas, then some nursing, and straight to bed. We've been reading the same books for probably three months and he loves them. So I thought, for posterity's sake, I'd share them here. His favorite books at 7 months...

There's a Wocket in My Pocket by Dr. Seuss

Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

Elmer's Colors by David McKee

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss

Hand Hand Fingers Thumb by Al Perkins

Link Award

The lovely Kerry was nice enough to make me one of the recipients of this Link Award.


So what I'm supposed to do is link back to some of my previous posts in the following seven categories and then pass the award on to seven other blogs that I enjoy. Normally I wouldn't bore you with links to my old posts but I figure I should do what my nice Australian blog friend says.

Most Beautiful - Has to be the little guy's birth story. That's part one and here's part two. I'm so happy we both took the time to chronicle every detail. Because right now if you asked me to tell you Jack's birth story I'd say, "I got induced and then I had him 24 hours later."

Most Popular - This post detailing Jack's nursery decor is the most popular page on my blog by a mile. Probably because of all the Ohdeedoh.com people popping over.

Most Controversial - Funny enough, one of the most popular Google searches to get to my blog is "forward facing stroller dangers". Not that it's a controversy, but apparently people think it's a raging debate.

Most Helpful - Learn all about me in 25 items or less!

Most Surprisingly Successful - Pretty much a lot of the Five for Fridays could qualify but this particular one on TV Moms is funny because so many people get to the blog after searching "Claire Huxtable". Who knew Mrs. Cosby was still relevant?

Most Under-rated - Under-rated means that I actually think any of my posts are worth a damn but, really, it's just me rambling. But I chose to link all of his weekly birthday posts because, are you serious? Have you seen how cute all those pictures I take of Jack are?

Most Pride Worthy - I love all the posts that my husband writes but this one on "life after baby" is just so darn cute.

Now I'm supposed to pass the award on to seven other blogs I read....which may be hard. Let's cheat and do five...

1. BabyDurso
2. MiniLynn
3. BabyBodden
4. A Mighty Fine Life
5. Growing Up Senge

Jack attends a birthday party

A little while ago, Jack got to attend his first birthday party. It was his friend Violet's 1st birthday and I'm pretty sure he had an awesome time.

First, the birthday girl let him sit up front next to her, in the midst of all of her presents. He was especially enthralled with the tissue paper.

Then she decided she was more intrigued by Jack than all of the gifts that she had gotten.

Jack was into it...until she got a little too close.

He loved watching her take down some birthday cake.

And even though his mean mommy wouldn't let him partake as well, he still had an awesome time. I hope Violet and Jack get to celebrate lots more birthdays together! (At least until they decide that the opposite sex has cooties.)