First Easter

Joey's first Easter was AWESOME!  The Saturday of Easter weekend, Michael and I took Joey to the Church we used to regularly attend (we haven't been going much the past few months due to church falling during Joey's nap times.  We did try to still go, but Joey is not a happy camper, so neither Michael nor myself are actually able to pay attention to the sermon.  So what's the point of us going?  Just to be there?  We aren't those people.  If we go to church, we want to actually listen and absorb the sermon, not just physically be in church).   Anyways, the church congregation held an Easter egg hunt and pics with the Easter Bunny.  The church members had laid little plastic eggs filled with candy all along the chairs in the chapel.  This may seem dumb to older kids, but it was absolutely perfect for Joey!

 He loved all of those little plastic eggs!

Once he got an egg or two, he just wanted to suck on it.  Go figure! 

We actually had to do a little manipulation to get him to let go of the eggs in his hands and grab a new one!

 However, he ignored us most of the time and just kept his favorite egg in his mouth! 

Joey did sit with the bunny for a split of a second!  He was not having any of that bunny!  (Sorry, we didn't get any pictures...I know, we suck).

On Easter day, we did go to church.  However, Joey flipped out because it was nap time so Michael had to spend the whole service in the nursery appeasing Joey.  We then went to a fellow Marine's house for Easter dinner.  It was a really good dinner.

 Oh, and we all had Easter baskets waiting for us in the morning! 

Joey's was hiding under his exersaucer and he found it RIGHT AWAY!  That dang Easter bunny needs to get a little smarter in the hiding! 

We hope you all had as good of as Easter as we did!   

Sun and Sand

While we were in North Carolina I had a chance to take Joey to the beach for the first time! (This actually wasn't too big of a deal since my BFF's wedding was at the beach!)

 He seemed to really like the sand.  Nice and slow when he "met" the sand...

 and then BAM, in his mouth!

 Yummm!

 You know how we made Joey wear sunglasses when he was only a few months and a lot of people thought we were so awesome by getting him started early wearing these?  Yeah, I guess we should have been a little more consistent on the wearing of the sunglasses, even in the winter.  As soon as I tried to put those bad boys on him, he pulled them off.  Over and over again.  Oh well, it's the thought that counts, right?

 We didn't take Joey in the water because it was frigid!  I stuck my toe in the water while I held Joey so that should count as his first ocean time.  :)

 Joey made a little friend while we were at the wedding.

 She was actually the flower girl.  You go, Booooyyyyy!!  I told you Joey is a playa. 

Oh, did I mention that we both had to go buy shorts when we got to NC?  We don't own any!  Ha ha!  I guess that's what we get for living in Alaska, huh?

Back into the Swing of Things

When Joey and I left Alaska on vacation, there was still lots of snow on the ground and in the forecast.  But, when we returned a few weeks later, most of the snow was melted!  Woo hoo!!  I had a great time skiing this winter, but I am so happy that warmer and lighter days are here.  Even though Joey was still a little under the weather last week, we were able to get outside one day for our weekly Thursday hike! 

This hike was at Potter's Creek trail head in the Chugach State Park.  This hike is one of my favs.  There are lots of little ups and downs.  It's not a hard hike, by any means, but it still gets my heart rate up!  (I don't know if that's a bad thing or not!  Ha ha!). 

 I still love my ERGObaby carrier, but I have and will be using my framed backpack for most upcoming hikes.  I will be doing a 34-mile backpacking trip along the Chilkoot Trail, or Goldrush Trail, this summer and I need to start getting my training underway.  I have walked 39 miles before (twice!), but that was on flat pavement.  This hike will take us about 4-5 days to complete due to most of the hike consisting of us going up!  We will be hiking some crazy mountains from what I hear.  I will be joining my friend, Amy, and her mom and mom's friends.  I will not be taking Joey because I really don't want to haul him, plus all of our gear, for 4-5 days in the wilderness of Alaska.  One of the items on my Alaska bucket list was to take a backpacking trip.  I think a 4-5 day trip will suffice.  Go big or go home, right?!?!



It was really nice to see my fellow hiking parents.  I had really slacked off in the hiking department before my trip.  I was burnt out with all of the preparation for taking myself and Joey out in the cold.  Plus, I really got into cross-country skiing with Joey, so hiking got pushed to the side.  However, I am rejuvenated after my trip and am ready to start hiking up a storm!  I better be hiking, otherwise this summer's backpacking trip is going to whip my booty! 

The Runs

One downfall to traveling is being exposed to so many different people and their germs. Joey has finally gotten over an eight day run of diarrhea! Ugh, it was horrible! He wasn't eating or drinking, he was pretty fussy and clingy, and just not himself. I wasn't too concerned until I noticed that Joey wasn't having any wet diapers...just diarrhea diapers. (Speaking of which, as soon as the sun comes out, ALL of our cloth diapers are going to have to sit out in the sun so the stains will hopefully be bleached out)! We even took Joey to the Emergency Room because we were afraid he was getting dehydrated! Luckily, dehydration had not kicked in yet, but it was headed that way. The doc told us to have Joey drink Pedialytle, stay away from water, and put him on the B.R.A.T. diet. That is bananas, rice, applesauce, and dried toast. We also switched Joey from a milk-based formula to soy-based. I read that sometimes dehydration can cause temporary lactose intolerance! FYI, the diarrhea is finally gone! We had some solid poop pattys this A.M.! Woo hoo!

Joey was so embarrassed by his dirty business.  He thought by wearing shades no one would recognize him.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that the glasses weren't solid. 

While we were at the E.R., we also had the docs look at Joey's finger which was super swollen and starting to turn grey around the nail. Turns out, he had a staff infection! WTH?!?! The doc told us to soak Joey's finger in warm water for 10 minutes, four times a day. Ummm, I don't think the doc realized I have an 11-month old that can't sit still for more than 10 seconds at a time! Once we got home, I tried the whole soaking thing...yeah, that didn't work out too well. After two days, I sterilized a needle, popped the grey part of his finger, and poured some Hydrogen Peroxide over the finger. A lot of pus came out and a few days later the finger finally started looking better.

Screw that dang applesauce!  Give me the whole apple!

 Last week was pretty stressful dealing with all of this, but I do have a couple of funny diarrhea stories to tell you! :)


Story 1: Joey and I were getting ready to leave the house when I looked down and there was a pile of wet doo-doo on the floor. But my child is fully clothed AND in a diaper! The diarrhea has struck. Needless to say, we didn't leave the house because by the time I removed the soiled clothes and diaper, sprayed Joey down, lotioned him up, and put a diaper and clothes on him...well, we've missed the event that we were supposed to attend.

I don't like to eat baby pieces.  I'm about to be one and I can eat like a big boy!

Story 2: I just changed Joey's super dirty diaper...like two minutes prior to his naked time. Within one minute of letting Joey run loose around the living room, I hear it. When I look over, diarrhea is spewing out of Joey's butthole! Are you freaking kidding me?!!? It has only been two minutes!!

Joey was having so much diarrhea and going through so many diapers, that I actually used my leftover disposables from our NC trip.  He was pooping so frequently, that I couldn't keep up with the laundry! 

Story 3: (Side note: all of these events happened on the same day) Joey and I were out running errands. Michael had called and asked how Joey was feeling. I tell him that Joey actually had not had any diarrhea in a few hours. As soon as I hang up the phone, I smell it. The diarrhea has struck once more. I decide to take Joey inside of the store to change him because I know if I try to change him in the car, there will be diarrhea everywhere! I grab a diaper, lots of wipes, a change of clothes, and my baby that is literally oozing diarrhea out of his entire bottom area. I carry Joey into the store and straight to the bathroom. There's a line. No biggie...that was until I see the sign that says "Closed for Cleaning"! Do what?!?! I ask a store associate if there is another bathroom in the store. Negative. So I decided take Joey back to the car and change him there. We get back to the car and I lay Joey down on the backseat while I stand outside of the car. As I remove Joey's clothes and diaper, he starts wiggling around. Then it turns to a downright wrestling match! Diarrhea goes everywhere. On his body. In his hair. On me. On the cars upholstery. Oh, did I mention that there was a bit of a chill in the air that day. Do you know what happens to little boys that get a chill while naked? Yep, they pee. A lot. Joey jumps up on me and hugs me as he is peeing. The car and me get a healthy amount of baby urine all over. At this moment, all I can do is laugh. Of course, Joey peed on me. That only makes this story that much better. I finally get my child cleaned up and clothed. I still need to go into the store, so I take my child and my peed-on and diarrheaed-on self inside!

P.S.- Just so you all know, I actually scrubbed my carpets tonight. Since the diarrhea has left the area, we are doing some serious cleaning in our household this eve!

Traveling with MY 11-month Old

Notice I said "MY" 11-month old in the title of this post.  I received so much great advice from other mamas and mom blogs in preparation for this trip.  Most moms told me that I would worry and stress about this flight and trip and then look back and realize "it really wasn't that bad".  I can honestly admit that the flight to North Carolina was not as bad as I felt like it was.  Joey was actually pretty happy most of the time.  When he did cry, I was able to soothe him as soon as I stood up and walked down the aisle.  He only slept for two 10-minute periods out of the entire 12 hour day!  We received several compliments on how well-behaved he was.  I know that I just overreacted to every little noise Joey made.

Joey obviously found an uncovered electrical outlet!  KIDDING!  This is Joey's after bath time hair!  :) 

I was worried about how well Joey would adjust to the time change (NC is four hours ahead of Alaska time).  I first thought that I would try to keep Joey on Alaska time so he would stay up until 11 PM and have lots of time to visit with people.  However, once daylight savings time started a few weeks ago, I quickly learned that Joey is going to do what Joey wants to do!  Ha ha!  So, we were just going to go with the flow with the whole sleep stuff.  Do you know that Joey put himself on NC time the day after we arrived in the state!?!?  How crazy is that?  And he still took two naps a day!  Every two-three hours he would be ready for a nap and, then, usually around 630, he was ready for bed.  So crazy how quickly he switched!

These little contraptions are AWESOME!  It's a seat in the handicap stall where your kid can sit while mama does her business.  Do you know how hard it is to unbutton/unzip your pants, pull down your pants, do your business, wipe, pull your pants back up, and zip/button your pants all while holding your baby?  Ri-dic-u-lous! 

 During our stay in NC, we went to 8 different towns, stayed in 7 different homes, visited TONS of family and friends, co-hosted Becky's wedding shower/post-bachelorette party, participated in a fantastic wedding, attended two pre-birthday parties for Joey, ate SOOO much good Southern food, and just had a really good trip.  However, we were both pooped by the end!

Now, our flight to Alaska was a lot different than the flight to NC.  Joey cried almost the ENTIRE trip.  We had three legs to this trip, with the longest flight being 3.5 hours and the shortest lasting 2 hours.  Joey was just not dealing well with this flight at all.  We received no compliments.  Actually, a few comments and eye rolls were made.  Even when I stood up and rocked Joey, he still cried.  (No, I don't think it was his ears).  I actually cried, more like sobbed, during the second leg when Joey would not stop crying.  It was so stressful.  The way I finally got through this was to tell myself "okay, that's 10 minutes I will never have to live through again.  There was another 10 minutes gone.  20 minutes down, 2 hours left".   I must say that after that flight, I am a little jaded and hesitant about flying again...with or without Joey!

Besides the flight, Joey actually did incredibly well on the trip.  He handled all of the different people, places, houses, routines wonderfully.  He rolled with all the punches.  He even stuck to his own schedule!  Babies really are quite the little resilient creatures. I guess one bad flight that was only 12 hours of my life was worth Joey being incredible for a three week vacation!   

North Cackalacky

Okay, the reason that I have been M.I.A. with this blog was because Joey and I went to North Carolina for three weeks!  One of my best friends, Becky, got married to her sweetie and Joey and I wanted to be by her side!  :)    It was a pretty good trip because we got to spend lots of time with close friends and family and we got to see a lot of people!  I went on total va-cay mode and did not take many pictures.  The photos on this post are from my family.  Michael's family took a lot of pics, too, but I'm still trying to figure out how to get those pics off of the cd and onto my computer!  (Once I get that figured out, there will be another post with all of those pics).  :)

 Grandpa and Joey goofing off in the hotel room!

 Great Grandma Koehn and Joey!  I have informed my grandma that she's not going anywhere until after Joey gets married.  Joey, you're not getting married until you're 50 years old! 

Joey all decked out in his beach wedding attire.

 Aunt Becky...one of the prettiest brides ever!

 Hanging with Uncle Alex and Julia.

 "Okay, I'm ready!  Where to next?!?!"



 "C'mon seriously!  Let's go!  I'm ready!"

Trip to Buffalo Wild Wings...we don't have one of these in Alaska, yet!   

 It was so good to see so many loved ones on this trip.  We really appreciate it everyone taking time out of their lives to see us.  Thank you to everyone that let us stay at their homes and fed us!  :)  A special thank you to my Grandma Koehn and Aunt Dolly.  They came up from Florida and down from Ohio to see us!  



11 Months

Joey turned 11 months old a couple of weeks ago and man, oh, man has he taken some "steps"!  :)

Joey took his first steps a few weeks ago, and within two weeks, walking has become his main mode of transportation!  He still crawls when he wants to get somewhere quickly, but right now, he's a walkin' machine! 

Joey has always been a cuddler, but now he has taken it up a notch by trying to head butt you AND give open mouth slobbery "kisses" all over your face.  It's kind of sweet at first, until you can't pry the little leech off of you!  The more you try to get him off of your face the funnier he thinks it is which then makes these little baby make-out sessions even longer!   I guess I should eat this cuddling up now because I'm sure Mama and Dada will be the last thing he wants to hug when he becomes a teenager!

Joey likes to eat almost everything now.  He's never been too picky with his diet, but it astounds me how he'll just jump into trying any food!  My Dad gave Joey a chicken wing to suck on (I know, gross) and Joey loved it!  Then, my Dad dredged the bone in garlic sauce and gave it to Joey.  Joey was in L.U.S.T. with that wing!  After he sucked off all of the garlic sauce, Joey actually dredged the bone in the sauce again and then sucked that off!  Ha ha! 

Joey really likes to drink water.  But his favorite part of drinking water is spitting it back out!  He thinks it is the best thing ever!  He would spit out water all day long if you let him!  I now carry an extra change of clothes, not for diaper blowouts, but leaky faucets!   

Joey can clap.  He knows and understands the word star...he even points to the stars on his wall when you say the word "star".  He talks a lot now.  He'll cry if dogs are barking loudly and birds are squawking or squealing!  He is already throwing mini tantrums.  Joey's little personality is coming out more and more everyday!