Before College

So we've talked about this before, I think.

I like it when things are on time and as expected. 

I certainly don't like to be behind, especially in this parenting gig.

Cruz is not crawling yet. 

Although he is pretty close.

I would be lying if I didn't admit that when Cruz is not crawling and other babies are crawling, I get a little flutter in my stomach.

Is it my fault?

Did we fail to do enough tummy time when he was an infant?

Ok, he's definitely mobile on the army-crawling-front, so putting something tempting in front of him (dog, cell phone, Wii) hasn't produced any real crawls.

(Sometimes he does a kangaroo-style hop with both legs that is way cuter than crawling. I could settle for that.)

To calm my competitive spirit, I've had to resort to my parenting mantra:

No One Goes To College Still _______

And yet...

I want the world to see what I see in my baby-- Cruz is awesome! He's the best! And I'm a good mama! (Contrary to what strangers may think-- I'm looking at you Albertson's Lady Who Thought Cruz Should Be Wearing Socks in California in Summer. Also, be my guest trying to keep them on.)

So I've thought about helping him.

But how? Getting behind him and moving his legs?

Showing him videos of babies crawling?

Crawling alongside him?

(None of these methods work by the way, I will just save you the time.)

But really, really this is Cruz's figurative and literal journey. 

He needs to figure out mobility on his own.

I need to step aside and allow that to happen. 

Because look-- he's practically ready for college now!

Well, just as soon as he figures out that books are more than just snacks. 

Books for Snarky Babies

Cruz has a book of baby faces. He enjoys babbling to his "friends" and sometimes giving them a nice chomp or two.

It's all love.

This is a "Begin Smart" book, which promises to be a "Book for Smart Babies."

Thaaaat's right.

The inside cover of the book suggests that "Babies are more than cute and engaging."

That's right! They are also a delightful source for chub-nibbles.

I mean, "they have amazing brains."

The book goes on.

"Talk to your baby as you show her the faces in this book. Say whatever comes to mind."

This baby looks kind of annoying.

This baby kind of looks like your cousin Julia.

Overall and a mullet? Who do you think you are, AC Slater??

Bad news-- this baby already needs a comb-over.

I like this girl's style. Let's be friends with her.

Yup, I think we're doing a great job "building a brain for a lifetime of learning."

It's Me, Seven-Month Old Cruz

Oh heeeey!

Guys, being seven months old is no joke. I am one busy kid!

I like to roll, chew, eat bananas and applesauce, play with blocks, go in my walker...

I am curious about everything!!!!!

I know how to say "mama" but somehow it keeps coming out as "dada." I don't know what's up with that!

I love hanging out with my family and friends, and flirting with strangers. The ladies love me!

Oh hey, is that Abby?

My dog is my favorite. I like to chase her around the kitchen in my walker. 

And I go fast!!!!!

Did you hear about the time I rolled so much that I shut my bedroom door and locked my mama out?

Hiiiilarious.

My mama may have told you that she thinks I'll crawl soon. Eh, we'll see. Right now I like to roll with intention and scooch a little bit on my tummy.

But if trying to get the Wii doesn't teach me to crawl, I don't know what will!

As you can see, I have a lot to say! Here's some more:

until next month,

Cruz

Confessions of a Jetsettin' Mama

We just returned from a long, lovely, relaxing trip to Kauai. 

As usual, I have some thoughts.

From now on, I will have to travel with an entourage. End of story. We had seven adults and two kids on our trip. Anything less would have been crazy! If we weren't in a group, who would have held the baby while I worked on my tan?

I brought along So. Many. Toys. I wanted to ensure that my kid would be properly occupied on the plane. Could have saved myself the trouble. All he wanted was the plastic cup from the flight attendant. 

Don't want to change a baby on a plane? No problem. Double stuff that diap.

Want to know how much I love Harry Potter? I set up the pack-n-play in a closet. That's how much.

Ok, it was a really big closet. And it had windows, relax! 

Traveling with a baby is really different than with just a husband. We went to London in 2009, and one of our best memories of that trip was walking around Regents Park in the pouring rain. No one else was crazy there, which made the experience unforgettable. Well, it rained plenty in Kauai, but you just can't take a baby out in a monsoon. 

If you must travel with a baby, make sure he's a really cute one. Cruz literally stopped traffic wherever we went. See, fellow airplane passengers? Babies in flight aren't so bad!

Have you been to Kauai? No? Then you might not know about the Kauai chickens. These chickens seem to run the island. They are EVERYWHERE. One day, we picked up lunch at a tiny snack shop and took it across the street to a park. I had my plate next to me, when a rooster boldly walked up and ate something straight off of it! 

I may or may not have kept eating.

Hawaiians know a thing or two about cooking ribs. 

Just sayin'.

Also, these chickens are crazy. My father-in-law was describing (in great detail, natch) how he used to kill chickens as a young boy in Brazil. Even that didn't scare them away. 

Cruz was teething on the way to Kauai, and it showed. Omg, Fussy McFussersen. I was dreading the plane ride home, but he was a De.Light. He napped. He ate. He flirted with other passengers. He had a ball trying to grap everyone's ipod cords. I love God's Creation, and even more, I love God's People. I loved sharing one small bit of that with my son this week.

Don't tell my husband, but he was right. The minivan made getting the baby in and out so easy. 

Well, with that embarrassing confession, I think our time is up!

Getting to Paradise

We have made it to Kaua'i!!

But before you get to enjoy Kaua'i, you must get to Kaua'i. Like an initiation. 

Maybe you had a two month old who was a champion traveler. Maybe you secretly thought that the plane ride wouldn't be so bad. Maybe you had once scoffed at parents on planes. You will regret all of those thoughts.

I will tell you this. Three hours into a six hour flight, you will let your kid do whatever he wants to do.

And if that's playing on the floor of the plane, throwing everything out of your purse in chubby delight, so be it.

You may never see your iphone again, but at least you have thirty minutes to laugh your head off reading Bossypants.

Aleady paradise.

Do You Think Albertsons Reads My Blog?

Because we went yesterday and had a great time!

1. We ran over, which is totally fun. Without a baby, I would never run to the grocery store. That's weird, right? Somehow, with a baby, this makes total sense.

In our trusty BOB
2. They had organic baby food, so we tried a jar. Cruz loved it! Apparently the lovingly prepared homemade stuff is not what the cool kids are eating these days.
3. A young man let me go ahead of him in line at the deli because of the baby. First time ever!
4. As we were leaving, a cashier ran after us... to give us these!

Balloons!

Abby was really scared of them.

5. I got hungry on the way home and ate some ham right out of the package. 

Liz Lemon approved.

"You're the best! You're on top! Somebody bring me some ham!"

6. And how did I thank Albertsons for a great morning of shopping?

Well, when I got home, I put away the groceries, and realized that I had accidentally stolen a carton of eggs.

That's how.

Excuse me...

... but which way to the Cape?

Pick Your Poison

There are two phrases that have been cropping up around our house recently.

The first is "pick your poison."

As in, "Hey babe... the Pampers have blow outs up the back, and the Huggies have blow outs down the legs. So when you're putting on a new diaper, pick your poison."

The second phrase is "comedy of errors."

Picture me changing Cruz's diaper. His little feets squirm out of my grasp, he plops them right into the open diaper, then grabs his toes! "Cruz, this is a comedy of errors!" I yell, batting his paws away from his mouth and aiming a baby wipe in his direction. 

Some days both these phrases converge into one terrifying situation. 

Let me preface this next story by saying I get it. Not only would I fail as a mother during olden times (no epidural! no bouncy chair! no free diaper delivery!), but I'm pretty sure we would never leave the house if we lived anywhere but Southern California. A tip of the hat to all you Mamas living across America. And, you know, experiencing weather.

For us, today was not like any other day because it was raining. Yes, I grew up in Seattle. Yes, I should be used to the rain. But no no I am not. As today will prove, I have no good way of transporting a child in anything but perfect weather conditions. We first head to the mall to buy a shower gift. At this point, Cruz is in the stroller, with all sorts of coverings draped over his head to ward off the raindrops. After a quick pop-in at J Crew, we finally make it over the Macy's. Where the store has not one single item on the registry available. 

Yes, says the lady. Look at the paper. You need to order all of these online. 

Ugh. Shopping can drive me crazy. Cruz is beginning to wake up, and I'm losing confidence that I've timed his nap to perfectly coincide with this trip. We get back to the car. It's raining harder and the mamamobile needs gas. Cruz starts to lose it, and I know I'm never going to make it to our next set of errands without feeding him. 

It's starting to pour. 

We drive to Glenda's Party Cove and the parking lot is PACKED. The good people of Santa Barbara are desperate for party supplies, overpriced groceries and fine jewelry at lunch time, I guess. Whatever the reason, I circle the lot many times to the tunes of a wailing baby. I finally find a spot and pop into the backseat to grab Cruz. Nursing in the car is not my favorite. It feels pretty awkward, even when I'm all covered up. It is more awkward when someone sees me hop back into the front seat and thinks that I'm about the pull out. I also think she saw me carrying the baby. So maybe she was just making sure I didn't drive off with Cruz in the front seat, a la Britney Spears. Nevertheless, she sat behind my car for a good five minutes, a line forming behind her. She lays on the horn. Move along, sister. We aren't going anywhere.

Errand, errand, errand and we're finally on to the last stop of the day. The rain is coming down in sheets. Earlier, as I tore through the house looking (unsuccessfully) for my Costco card (our last destination of the day), I cried out in an attempt to maintain my sanity, "Cruz, this is a comedy of errors!" He munched on his fists in agreement. 

I'm carrying Cruz in the Ergo around Costco. We've taken a new card picture together. Cute. The ladies in customer service all come over to take a look at it. I do not take for granted that I find everything I'm looking for (and then some. It is Costco, after all). We step out of the store and it all happens at once.

The rain before is nothing compared to the rain now. It's dark. It's windy. I am pushing a cart full of bulky boxes. I curse feminism as I walk to the car through standing water. Is there no knight in shining armor to swoop down and offer to help load the car? Is a little chivalry too much to ask? I actually consider offering money to a young man I cross paths with {note: my husband was not along for this trip because he was coaching his team in the first round of CIF playoffs and generally kicking butt as a high school soccer coach}. Alone, I face the question mamas have faced for years-- baby or groceries.

Pick your poison. 

If I load the baby into the car first, I keep him as dry as possible. But then he'll be left alone in the car when I return the cart. I have read enough online commentary to know that this is the Worst Thing Moms Do. Also, while taking Cruz out of the Ergo and strapping him back into his car seat, all of the groceries in the cart will get ruined by the rain. So I opt to load the groceries first, keeping the baby out in the wet. Bless him, Cruz just sleeps through the whole thing. 

Was that the right thing to do? Will I have a present for the shower tomorrow? What were all those people doing in the plaza parking lot? We may never know the answers to these questions. But at least we looked great all day long!

Little Baby, Big Stuff (0-4 months edition)

When I was a bride of just five weeks, I attended the wedding of some of our best friends. I was bursting with the pride of being Tovi's wife and filled with the knowledge of what it takes to Be A Good Wife and Run A Home. I wanted to share {everything} I had learned with my friend. I probably did, and she was sweet enough to tolerate my hubris.

Four and a half years later, I actually wasn't that far off the mark. But of course, I chuckle at myself. Such a newbie. So full of pride.

I recognized the same tendancy in myself when trying to pick out a present for a baby shower the other week. I wanted to buy her {everything} that we love and can't live without. I reigned myself in and bought something off her registry.

But I can only reign myself in for so long!

Here it is, the Top Ten Twelve Products We Love!

12. Munchkin Microwave Sterilizers
Bottles, breastpump accessories, pacis, toys... they all go in this bag, into the microwave for 90 seconds and come out clean and germ-free! Easy peesy. 

11. Soothies
This is Cruz's preferred brand of paci. He'll take other brands, but these are fail-safe. 

10. Gerber Organic Cloth Diapers
No, no. We don't cloth diaper this lad. Because I'm working , we made a value choice about going green in everything but diapers (aka, avoiding awkward walks through the office with a poopy diaper in hand). Sorry, Earth. But these puppies make the best burp cloths. Soft and extra absorbent. 

9. The Bouncer

We love our bouncer. Would kiss the bouncer if appropriate. Yup. I would marry that bouncer. How else do you think I get to shower and straighten my hair everyday? One day I was taking Cruz in the stroller and humming to myself, but couldn't quite place the song. I hummed it louder... ah. The bouncer music. 

8. Speaking of strollers...

We really love our BOB. It goes everywhere, is super light, and will be a great runner stroller once Cruz is a little older. Maybe you'll see me and him run the half-marathon together in November?

7. Amazon Mom
When you tell people that you're pregnant, they make a lot of the same remarks. 30% of these remarks are about the cost of diapers. However, thanks to Amazon Mom, the cost of diapers is the least of my concerns. I've really become obsessed with Amazon. I order everything on it. I'm probably single-handedly destroying Mom and Pop businesses in Santa Barbara because I never shop in regular stores! Actually, that's not true at all because if you've ever shopped at a baby store in SB, you'll know that "Mom and Pop" means "this $80 lovey is the least expensive thing we sell." So I embrace Amazon and it's free two-day shipping. 


6. Activity mats of all kinds

I would put one in every room in our house if I could. The bright colors kept Cruz entertained as an infant, and now he can reach all the hanging toys and (most importantly) cram them into his mouth.

5. Mirrors

Cruz is obsessed with looking at us in our mirrors. We spend long moments staring at our good-lookin' selves. 

4. The Nursing Mother's Companion

In the hospital, Cruz ate like a champ. I asked every health professional that came into our room to watch him eat, wanting to be armed with as much information and confidence as possible. When Cruz had trouble with latching on once we got home, I was beyond thankful to have my mom (a former lactation consultant) sit up with us at 4am. When Cruz was still having trouble the next day (and New Mom Panic was setting in), our saint of a pediatrician sent over a lactation consultant. The moral of the story is, breastfeeding is amazing AND hard. It would have been really easy to give up. But with help, education and encouragement, Cruz and I were able to get over our bumps in the road. And when the professionals were gone, I relied heavily on this book. It used to sit beside me for every feeding. Thank you, talented, all-knowing sister-in-law, for this great resource. 

3. Babywearing

We own a lot of carriers. Tovi prefers the Ergo-- it's comfortable, manly, and Cruz instantly falls asleep in it. We also own the Moby (best for extended wearing) and the LuckyBaby sling (best for in and out). Babywearing is so practical and easy. I love carrying Cruz around this way! And at work it's easy to put him in the sling and carry on with my job. 

My sling from the YodMom

2. Boppy

Or Brestfriend. Whichever. All I know is the nursing is work and these lifesavers make it much more enjoyable. Also, Must-Have Item 2B is extra Boppy covers. Nuff said. 

1. Magic Blanket Swaddle

AAAAA! I think this will be my go-to shower present for years and years to come. My brilliant sister-in-law gave us one, and when Cruz slept like a champ in it, I went out and bought more! We never go anywhere without this swaddle. Ob.Sessed. 

We own two of these!

There are oh so many things I wanted to put on this list! Clearly, I would have had a much harder time being a Mama twenty years ago, never mind the olden days. (Although in the olden days I would have been shipped away to one of those schools for the blind ala Mary in Little House on the Prairie, never to have a child. God bless lasik surgery!)


So enough about me... Mamas, Mama-in-Training and Veteran Mamas, what's on your baby product list?

It probably isn't a good sign...

... that this is Cruz's reaction to my dancing

Don't Leave Baby in the Corner

Picture this. I am innocently working at my computer on Thursday afternoon. Cruz is playing in his Baby Einstein aquarium world. As usual, he's babbling to himself, and trying to get the dangling fishies into his mouth. 

Aw, so cute, I think to myself, and then innocently turn back to my project. 

Ho ho, thinks Cruz, I have tricks up my sleeve, woman.

A minute later, I glance to my right and see that Cruz is hard at work, rolling from side to side. This is a new game! He's really starting to gain momentum, and also trying hard to grab at the toys. I'm enchanted {insert major eyeroll from readers. Of course she's enchanted! She thinks it's cute when he poops!}. The rolls are getting bigger, faster, until finally...

Face plant.

Um, excuse me? I say to the baby. You are not supposed to be able to do this for a longlonglong time. I finally rescue his arms, which are pinned underneath him, and let him flip back over. 

I send a quick text to my mom. Cruz just rolled onto his tummy. But then quickly followed it up with another: Twice.

So we have a mobile baby. Here's a list of the places we're no longer able to stash him:

on the bed, while I dry my hair

on the changing table, while I grab a new outfit

on the couch, so I can get a snack

I think life just got more complicated.

Mamamath

One mamamobile

Two BOBs

One little guy

One big guy

Zero meltdowns!

Two Sofies

Two college roomies (minus their third-- we miss you, Sarah!)

One {wonderful} day!!

That's How We Roll

Does it matter...

... if you think you may have accidently dressed your son in girls' pants? And because they look great and comfy, will continue to do so?

Trials and Tribulations

5pm is the worst! I'm tired, Cruz is cranky, Abby needs someone to play with, and we're all ready for Daddy to get home. So to combat the evening fade, Cruz and I have developed the 5pm Baby Dance Party. We'll be coming out with our DVD later this year. It's just that good.

We always start out by dancing to The Princess and the Frog soundtrack. 

...Trials and tribulations, I've had my share...

By the second song, we're shimmy-shaking across the living room. I'm even kicking the soccer ball, so Abby thinks that someone is playing with her. By the time Mama Odie belts out, Open up the windows and let in the light! we've decided that 5pm is our favorite time.

UPDATE: Did you know that I was on my school's Electric Slide Dance Team in second grade? Well, I busted out those moves today during 5pm Baby Dance Party. Genius! {By the way, an Electric Slide Dance Team is exactly what it sounds like}

Winner!

Want to know why we're in a celebratory mood today?

Cruz. Slept. Through. The. Night.


That's right, my boy is a genius. I don't mind bragging about this because I did absolutely nothing to get him to this point. In fact, just because he slept through the night doesn't mean that I did. I woke up at 4:30 am, a little surprised at how late it was. I listened for his little baby noises and drifted back to sleep. By 5:15, I was slightly worried. I rolled out of bed to put my hand lightly on Cruz's chest. Yup, still breathing. Back to sleep. When he finally cried shortly after 6, I jumped out of bed, more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed than I remember being in a long time.

So how did he get that tuckered out? Maybe it's from doing activities 

all day long.

Or from watching the ornaments I hung over his changing table. As soon as Cruz sees those ornaments, he starts cooing, chatting, and kicking his legs like he's running. We've been hanging out at the changing table a lot lately. Cruz has a serious crush on those ornaments. They are his  Evangeline. (Oh, you haven't seen The Princess and the Frog? Go watch it right now. It's your new favorite.)

But whatever the reason, I sure am proud of my baby! And this may not happen again for months... I'm just living in the moment of a full night of rest!

NOTE: Lest you think it's all roses... a full night of sleep equals a SERIOUS diaper situation in the morning. By 7am we were doing laundry and had taken a bath...