Luca at 15 months (ish)

Naps: Make that nap! Down to mostly one nap a day, sometime after 11:00 am and for 2-3 hours. 

Feeding/Eating: He loves to eat and will eat mostly what we eat. Bananas are by far his favorite, and really, all fruit is very popular. He's able to do things like eat a whole pluot by biting into it and seems so big! We work on the silverware eating at that is hit or miss, sometimes ending with thrown forks and being "all done." 

Clothing: He's still wearing some Carter's onesies that are 6 month but mostly 9 month sizes are in the rotation. Some 12 month clothes, especially footie PJs. A lot of the summer clothes we have are either gifts or hand me downs so I haven't had to buy much for quite some time. And now he wears size 4 shoes. And boy does he LOVE shoes. He likes to be wearing his and/or carrying a pair around. And he's pretty adament about getting Matt and my shoes and carrying them to us even when we really don't want them. He prefers Matt's bright green running shoes and my plasticy silver flip flops. But at least he understands the concept of pairs and mostly brings us pairs and mostly brings the right shoes to the right person. 

He's still pretty slight despite how much he likes to eat!  

He also really likes hats. He will chose to wear a hat around the house and mostly leaves it on, or takes it off only to put it back on. This morning he even saw my visor and said "hat" and insisted I put it on.

Bedtime: Luca goes to sleep anywhere from 7:30 to 8:30 pm. We still rock him to sleep but are trying to put him down before he's completely out at least some of the time so he can learn to soothe himself to bed. 

Sleeping: He's capable of sleeping through the night but doesn't always do so. He was REALLY sick for a week and we let him come to bed with us when he awoke upset and not feeling well. So then we had to break that habit but we're mostly there. Now he may wake up in the middle of the night but we let him work it out and he's normally back asleep within 15 minutes.

Teeth: Eight full chompers in the front and molars are at the surface. Can't wait for those molars to get through!

Development: So much development! He's walking all over, can comprehend lots of what we're saying and will respond to instruction. The earliest signs of this were with food...being able to sign more and hungry and now he pushes his high chair to you if he wants to eat and walks to the fridge and grunts if he wants his milk. (We're working on words to pair with those!) He still really likes books and is favoring the ones that have some element of interaction like a pop up, texture, moving parts, etc. He also really likes his 100 words books so we spend time pointing at things and naming them. 

On August 11 he started the transition to the Toddler Room at daycare and he's SO ready. He has jumped right in to the morning routine with the "big" kids and seems to really enjoy it. And it totally wore him out on the first two days so he was happy to take a nap in the infant room. The transition has also seemed to encourage his vocal development. He was a regular chatter bug since his first morning with the toddlers.

Personality: Luca is still really laid back. The most fired up he gets is around water. He got his first goose egg on his forehead when he tried to run to a splash pad to play in the water. And at the Kelly's he was so vigorously splashing that Finn was upset by it. We did swim lessons with him at the YMCA and he was the splashiest, happiest kid there. 

He shows his toddler-ness though, occasionally throwing himself on the ground, arching his back, grunting at us, etc. And continually splashing in the dogs' water bowl no matter how many times we say no. 

Mama/Daddy update: Matt and I are doing well. Matt is in summer mode so he's pretty laid back and works from home a lot to help us juggle the dogs, and life in general, a little easier. Sometimes I think we're crazy to have added Frenzy to the mix but we love her and she's such a sweetie. Hopefully Bounce likes the change as that was our biggest hope! 

I've been really stressed with work and trying to stay positive which just makes me appreciate my home life and Luca even more. Poor Matt just has to be my sounding board as I process all of the changes. I've been trying to keep up the workouts to balance things but am only running 3-4 miles per run. I did a strict diet/cleanse that helped me drop some stubborn weight so that's been a definite plus!

Matt is training for a half marathon and is really rocking his runs. It's the most serious he's been about this training and I'm so excited to see that paying off.

He needs privacy, okay?

One of Luca's signature moves lately is shutting the door. He'll toddle off to his room and you can bet that a few seconds later you will hear the door slam shut. I can just picture how this might happen all over again when he's a teen and wants his own space.

Fortunately for us, he's happy if you go in his room with him and he shuts the door with you both in the room to play without interruptions. 

My first half marathon - lessons learned

On June 1, 2014 I ran 13.1 miles for the first time in the Windermere Half Marathon in Spokane. I'm certainly glad I did it but I have to say it was hard. Here's what I learned...

What I will do again

• Train with friends. I had Linda and Sarah to run with during work lunch breaks and Brenna to run my long runs with on the weekends and that was key for successful training.
• Race with friend(s). I had Brenna by my side for the race and for that I am so grateful. It meant I had someone to anxiously wait with before the race and someone to push me when I wanted to quit during the race.
• Recruit cheerleaders. We had Matt, Luca, Colin, Evelyn, Ciaran and Finn following along the course with us and then I say other friends along the way which just gives you that added boost of energy every so often. 
• Hang with the right people. I have to thank Matt for being such a good support during my training and for being so proud of me. And thank people like Linda who kept me accountable and reminded me to have fun with it. So grateful.

What I will do differently

• Start with base mileage. I went from running 0 miles to 13.1 in twelve weeks and that was a lot for my body to handle. If I had been running at least 5 miles on a regular basis before my training plan started, I would have been much better off.
• Run more. I followed Hal Higdon's Novice 2 Training Plan and it was good, it did get me across the finish line, but I'd add more week day mileage to go along with the long runs and probably stretch it out to be longer than 12 weeks so I could have more than one week running distances like 10-12 miles. I felt GREAT six miles in and wanted to quit at 10/11 miles so I want to push it so the feeling I had at six miles lasts longer into the race.
• Eat differently. I don't know what the magic combination is for me leading up to my race day but my stomach could have been much better off than it was for this race. 
• Break the rules. I stupidly didn't wear headphones for the race since the race rules say they are discouraged. Never again.
  

Standing Steady

Luca is getting steady on his feet...until he falls. But he is successfully standing and clapping at the same time!

Dinnertime antics

I'm sure avocado is great for your face and hair so at least he has that going for him!

Chaos

Matt was snapping my picture to show off a new lilac Stitch Fix tunic I got which shouldn't be too tough...unless you have a dog that craves my attention and a baby that is fascinated by the non-baby-gated stairs and beelines that direction when given the opportunity. So here's what we got. The blurred chaos is apropos for life these days. 

Full of surprises

Before you have kids, people will tell you things like the love for a child is unlike any other, or that your children are your world. I remember thinking, "yeah, okay" but I really didn't think about how that would affect me and change who I am as a person.

So I am still surprised when I get caught up in my love for Luca. Like the fact that I have almost no desire to break Luca of his new habit of waking up at 2 am for snuggles because it gives me extra time with him. Or that I missed him so much at work the other day that I contemplated spending 30 minutes driving to/from daycare to spend 15 minutes with him for my lunch break and then cried when I ultimately decided not to.

I mean really, who have I become!?!

Luca smiling in his sleep because he love snuggling too!

Our little eater (and drinker)

For the most part Luca is a good little eater. He enjoys most things we give him but definitely favors fruits and vegetables over proteins. We mostly just let him feed himself by hand but he is learning how to use a fork. And he's got drinking through a straw and sippy cup down...still working on drinking from a (shot) glass though!

Stitch Fix - I think I have an addiction!

I have to share a quick post about a service called Stitch Fix. I randomly stumbled upon them on the web and was immediately intrigued. An online personal shopper that just mails items to my home? Sounds fun, convenient and fashion friendly! I signed up and have been really happy with the results. They send things I wouldn't necessarily pick out on my own so it's broadening my fashion and really, just so fun. You pay a $20 styling fee to have five items sent to you based on your style profile and then if you keep any of the five, the styling fee is waived. And if you keep all five, you save 25% off the whole deal.

My five Stitch Fix pieces.

Here's a peak into my latest Fix, which I kept all of for under $200. Score!

If you join, please use this referral link as I get credit towards my account for referring you to the service.

Rough and tumble

Luca got his first visible injury yesterday. He was trying to keep up with the two older kids in class and tripped. He tried to catch himself which made the fall more awkward and he landed face first on a wooden step. Learning balance is tough on a guy.

Then to top it off, today at daycare he got bit by another baby. The teachers said he was really tough and didn't cry, just had a look of shock and then enjoyed some snuggles. He's a tough one.

Luca's 11 month update

I wish I had done this all along, but what better time to start than now? Here's a rundown of who Luca is at 11 months old. 

Naps: Two naps a day. Typically one longer 2 hour nap and one shorter 1 hour long nap, but he alternates which one is in the morning and afternoon.

Feeding/Eating: On average Luca has 4 6-oz bottles of formula each day and eats solids 3-4 times a day. He seems to really enjoy eating. We give him most things we’re eating but haven’t tried peanut butter, strawberries or honey. He loves all fruit and veggies and tolerates proteins.

Clothing: 6-12 months depending on the brand. We’ve noticed that he must have a long torso because his jackets and t-shirts all ride up and show off his belly.

Bedtime: Between 7 and 8 pm

Sleeping: Most nights he sleeps 11 hours straight with a wake up time between 6 and 7 am. He strongly favors stomach sleeping. On vacation he woke up most nights and got to sleep in bed with us for the rest of the night. It was a special vacation treat for Luca and me. (As such a heavy sleeper, Matt is pretty unaware of these things.) Luca is so sweet in the middle of the night that I don’t even mind getting up with him. It just gives me extra snuggle time. And I’m shocked that I feel that way because I seriously love sleep!

He has his first top tooth coming in right now, you can see his gum bulging and the corner of white about to cut through so he’s had a few rough nights where he wakes up totally inconsolable. Teething tablets seem to help calm him down and it’s still just one awakening in the night when he does it.

Development: Luca ditched his patented army crawl and has committed to real crawling 90% of the time. He loves standing though and cruises around on furniture or against walls. His balance is improving and you can see it’s getting easier and easier for him to do things like bend down to pick something up when he drops it from a standing position.

His verbal communication still sounds like babble to us. He definitely says “dada” and “mama” but doesn’t seem to understand the meaning yet. He’s getting better at repeating words to us, specifically “go” and “uh oh.”

He claps, waves (sometimes), high fives and pats his mouth to make noise (a good distraction if needed as he loves it). And we can get fun open mouth kisses which he does with a big grin.

Just two bottom teeth are officially there but the top two are surely close to coming through.

Personality: Luca loves people. He seems to be very social and likes new people and his known friends. When we’re out to eat he will completely ignore Matt and me and stare at nearby tables hoping to get someone’s attention. If they make eye contact, he instantly gets a big grin on his face. It’s pretty cute, though I do feel like I should apologize for by staring baby.

He continues to be a pretty laid back, easy going baby. He traveled like a champ and did well with a lack of schedule/routine while we were in San Diego. I do think he appreciated getting home and back to normal though. You can see that he’s getting more stubborn about certain things that he wants or doesn’t want and we’ve had a few glimpses into tantrum behavior (uh oh!).

He is one of the three oldest babies in the infant room at Spokane Falls Montessori with Hanna and Amelia ahead of him. He spends the most time playing with Hanna who is 6 weeks his senior. He really seems to love his teachers, Erika, Chelsea, Coreanna and Emiline. As do we! His favorite activity has to be the water table that they occasionally fill with a small amount of water (or snow when we had it) and let the kids splash around. Luca will even check throughout the day to make sure he isn’t missing out on water to splash in. So it’s no surprise that Luca likes bath time and loved the swimming that we did in San Diego. The only struggle is his desire to dive face first into the water to drink it up.

Mama/Daddy update: Matt and I are still enamored with Luca. Matt does a really good job of embracing and loving each stage while I have a tougher time seeing him grow up. For example, I refuse to round up his age so even if he’s 10 months and 28 days, I still say he’s 10 months old, not 11. Our vacation time was really special to us as it’s the most concentrated family time we’ve had with Luca since maternity leave. Going back to work after vacation was tough but we both like what we’re doing so it makes up for it, but we were very eager to pick him up from daycare on Monday.

We plan to leave Luca overnight with Matt’s parents on Saturday for my birthday so that’ll be a big first for us. We’ve both been away from him overnight but only with the other parent watching Luca. I’m nervous for it but know that he’ll do just fine and is in good hands. Hopefully we can take a night away in Coeur d’Alene and just enjoy it. 

Pooped Pup

We wish we could just bring Bounce along on vacation with us, and do when we aren't flying, but our trip to San Diego meant 8 days at doggie daycare for our lovable pup. I always feel a bit guilty leaving him but then don't have to feel bad when I get his report card that says he plays nonstop while there.

We got a glowing report card that even said Bounce was very well behaved. (Shocking if you know him!) The only downside is the terrible stench he comes home with, a not-so-lovely blend of dog slobber, dirt and pee. Once we got him home and bathed he has just lounged around the house trying to recover from his playful vacay. 

 Ragged Bounce on the drive home

Notice the cracked window to keep fresh air moving in.

Moping after his deep cleaning bath. 

Back to his favorite spot with Luca.

Airplane round 2

We took Luca on our second plane travel yesterday, marking his fifth and sixth flights. He did great! The first flight to PDX was just an hour and he just ate a little, played a little and fell asleep for landing. The second flight to San Diego was two hours and after having a bottle and some apple, he fell asleep for most the flight. Lucky us!

(I should note that he hardly slept the night before our trip so he was kind of a zipcode zombie and pretty mellow which actually worked out well.)

Now it's time for spring break in San Diego! Whoop!

Dinnertime

Yesterday I had to pick Luca up early from school because he wasn't feeling well. Fortunately once he was home he acted just fine so we had a nice long dinner of toast and applesauce. He was loving it, clapping and celebrating after putting food in his mouth. I should have filmed more but here's an accidental video I got while trying to take a photo. I love that Bounce is just deadpan staring at me. 

Wrestling

Luca and I wrestle, often first thing when we get home from work/day care. I “pin’ Luca by kissing his chest, stomach and neck. He giggles and pulls my hair. I roll to my back, pulling him onto my chest and he “pins” me back with open mouth kisses on my face. I flip him back to the ground and he giggles like crazy. 

Blogging for my memory

Well this thing has languished, hasn't it? I've decided to resistate our blog and not because I think people are dying to read about our lives.If that was the case y'all would be dead by now. I've decided to blog because my memory needs it. Life with Luca is wonderful and crazy and new and going by so quickly. And I just fear that I won't be able to remember all the little things that I love so much because it's happening so fast.

So I hope to write short blog entries that capture these fleeting moments to help me remember what I fear I may forget.

Wrapping up a decade

Inspired by my good friend, Nick, who paved the way of turning thirty and writing an awesome blog post to summarize his twenties, I did the same. I'm sure I missed a few milestones here and there (Hey, I'm thirty now, my memory isn't what it used to be!) but here's the rundown of the past ten years. I'm pretty excited to see what is in store for me next. 

20: A student at Gonzaga University (go Zags!), I spent half of my twentieth year studying abroad in Florence, Italy. By studying I mean travelling around Europe—hitting 16 different countries total, drinking wine and eating lots of pasta and gelato. This was also the year I became an Aunt for the first time (to Corbin).

21: I rang in this birthday in Florence and then returned to the real world where I had to work my butt off to lose the lbs I might have picked up from all the wine, pasta and gelato (totally worth it though!). I also had elective surgery to bring my ta-tas down to a normal size, a decision I am so happy for and experience I often forget even happen since I feel like I now have the body I was meant to have.

22: This was the year that I graduated college then got my first “real” job at a marketing communications agency in Vancouver, WA and moved into an apartment to live by myself for first time. Marking yet another first, I bought a car on my own for the first time—my first, but not last Subaru.

23: At the time it was a tough decision, but I chose to start grad school at Washington State University (Go Cougs!) to get my masters degree in Communication. I picked up and move to the small college town of Pullman, WA which was daunting at the time but gave me a change to be truly independent. As a last hoorah before two-years of being broke and studying, I went  on a cruise of the Blue Danube with my Grandma, Mom and Aunt.  

24: I guess this was a lowkey year for me. With a grad student budget, I was pretty broke and spent my time buried under academic journals. While that sounds kind of depressing, it was far from it. I made good friends and took plenty of study breaks to “play,” including regular visits to 80’s night at the college dance club/bar.

25: I finished grad school classes and left Pullman without finishing my thesis so I could start a new job (don’t recommend doing that, by the way). Fate brought me together with Kate O’Farrell, another Gonzaga graduate, who I lived with in Portland. This was the year I became forever indebted to her as she introduced me to Matt over tequila shots at a bar in Seattle. Oh, and I had my second knee surgery to repair my meniscus which restricted my driving for six weeks forcing me to live with my boss during the week so I could get to/from work. Ah, memories. 

26: This year began with a bang. Matt flew from Knoxville to visit me in Portland for our official first date two days before my birthday and stayed for the whole birthday weekend. Best. Birthday Present. Ever.  No longer a poor college student, I got to vacation again—off to Alaska with my best friend Kristen where we glacier trekked and sea kayaked. Then Matt and I got engaged and I scored a job for an education management company located in Knoxville, Tennessee (I still think it’s crazy to think that I just upped and moved to the South to be with a boy, but it clearly worked out well!).

27: Ring Ring Ring—wedding bells rang this year. Followed by wonderful honeymoon in the Mexican Riviera. And our family grew by one cute puppy (Bounce). We also spent a lot of time exploring the South knowing we wouldn’t live there forever. We had trips to Nashville, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; Ashville, North Carolina; Charlottesville, Virginia; Charleston, South Carolina. And went in for my third knee surgery (third times a charm?), this time to remove that pesky meniscus. Whew; that was a busy year!

28: I was a cheerleader for a good part of this year as Matt made final strides on finishing his PhD in Accounting, wrapping up our time in Knoxville. To celebrate his new DR. title, we traveled to the Dominican Republic (DR—get it?). Then did a little cross-country move to Sacramento, CA for Matt’s first professor job. Fortunately I also landed a job at a local advertising agency and we officially settled into life as Californians. 

29: I view this year as one were finally are of the age that changes are starting to be fewer and farther between and we can  start to settle (though, not for long!). I kept things interesting though, with big trips to Brussels, Greece and Maui. Plus a little jump out of perfectly good plane. And perhaps the most significant milestone of the year, I finally finished that master degree I started back at age 23 (hallelujah!).

Reason 18 to love Sacramento

It's only a two hour drive to a Dillan Dog Beach.

Last Spring my mom came to visit during her Spring Break so we decided to drive out to the beach to check it out. It was April so the weather wasn't super warm, but it was comfortable. And of course, we are on the west coast so the ocean was way to cold to get into--except the dogs didn't seem to care.

Happy Holidays!

Master in the Hoag House

Well, it's official. I'm finally a Master of Arts. And I hate to boast, but I'm going to do it anyway to try and redeem myself a little. It might have taken me 3.5 years to complete my thesis, but I rocked at being a grad student in classes (*cough*notice my gpa*cough*). So while my self discipline is lacking, I can jump through assigned hoops really well.

And it's worth pointing out that I made this process much harder than it needed to be, but it's still tough. And it reminds me that Matt's determination to finish his PhD (in 4 years no less!) is quite admirable.