Father's Day 2011

This past Sunday was Father's Day and "Joey" made sure Michael got spoiled rotten! 

We made Michael homemade waffles and turkey bacon for breakfast (Michael's favorite morning meal as of late)!  Michael joined us at the table versus breakfast in bed per his request. 

Then, we took Michael out to lunch for sushi, his favorite!  We don't eat sushi too much since I'm not a huge fan, but since it was Father's Day, we went.  Joey loved the chopsticks!

Joey has been not digging the Cheerios anymore...that was until we fed them to him using chopsticks! 

Then, Joey tried to use the chopsticks!  He didn't do too good of a job properly using them, but he did have a lot of fun playing those slender pieces of wood! 

After lunch, we drove down to Girdwood to ride the tram and go on a hike, but Joey fell asleep five minutes before we got there!  Dang!  So, we decided to drive to Whittier, a tiny little town that can only be accessed through a one-lane 2.5 mile tunnel that goes through a mountain.  It was pretty cool, but very creepy.  I really did not enjoy driving through the tunnel...with cars behind you and in front of you and be totally enclosed by a mountain?  Can you say claustrophobic!!?!? 

All and all, I think Michael had a pretty good Father's Day.  I know that I am ready for Joey to get a little older so HE can actually be the one spoiling his daddy!  :)

How to Win Over the Ladies...

I know it's been sometime since I have posted a video on here, so I thought it was about time to put one up! 

Joey has learned what dirt is.  He likes to play with, eat it, and throw it up into the air! 

As you can tell from the video, little Sophie thinks it is hilarious that Joey is throwing dirt on her!  Oh man, so much to teach both these little babes!

Water Baby

Joey loves water.  I'm pretty sure we all knew that.  However, he proved to me how much he really loves water this week!

We went on a hike at Mirror Lake and once we were done hiking, we let the kiddos out of the packs so they could run around.  Joey ran, played, and swung for a while, until he spotted the lake. 

As soon as he recognized that this was water, he walked right in!  He didn't even slow down once he was in the water!

I had to grab him by the top of his hoodie because he was not stopping!  He may have gone all the way to the middle of the lake if I would have let him!

He even decided to sit in the lake! 

I removed him from the water five times, and each time, he would throw a huge temper tantrum!  Once I put him on the ground, he would run right back into the lake!   After about 10 minutes, I actually took him back to the car because I was afraid he would get too cold.  Did I mention that it was in the high 50's and overcast this day???

The next day was sunny and in the mid-60's.  This is super warm for Anchorage!  So, what do Alaskans do on a warm Alaskan summer day?  Why, they go to the beach (lake) and have a party!

 

This time, I was smart.  I dressed Joey in a swim diaper, swim trunks, and sandals!  Joey had a great time playing in the water, kid watching, duck watching, sand playing, and just hanging out! 

Our Mountain

So, there is this mountain, Bear Mountain, that is right next to our house.  We see it everyday when we walk out of our house, drive to work or into town.  We have been wanting to summit this mountain since we've lived in our house!  Well, we finally did it this past weekend! 

Wait, let me backtrack, before I continue on with this story...I am going on a 4-day, 3-night backpacking trip over the 4th of July.  I am joining one of my Alaska BFFs, her mom, and mom's two friends and we are hiking the 33-mile Chilkoot Trail, or Goldrush/Klondike Trail.  This trail starts in Alaska and ends in Canada.  Michael is going to take off of work and stay home with Joey so I can check one more thing off of my Bucket List.  Anyways, I have been freaking out about this trip over the past week, so Michael suggested us summitting a mountain in our area to help me get over my trip jitters.  That was our main kick in the butt for finally doing Bear Mountain.

 This was us half way up the mountain.  It took us two hours to summit the mountain, and just under one hour to go down!   

Joey LOVES being outside so much.  You would never know that just an hour earlier, he was being a total holy terror.  Once we put him in the pack and started hiking, he was an angel!  Within 30 minutes of our hike, he was passed the heck out! 

Michael carried Joey, but I still carried a 21-pound pack up the mountain.  I need to make sure I'm always preparing for this trip!  I've heard that the hardest part of a backpacking trip is not being used to carrying the pack.  Well, I carry my personal little 22-lb pack, aka. Joey, everyday, so I'm hoping that gives me a little bit of an advantage. 

 It was awesome summitting this mountain!  It was 3 miles roundtrip, and 1700 elevation gain! 

 

 Once we got to the top, we all ate and drank a little to refuel for the trip down! 

 All of our heads were in the clouds after that hike!

 Joey and Michael on the top!  We did it!!!

It was pretty steep and painful going up, but going down hurt WAY WORSE!!  My legs were shaking on the way down!  It was horrible!  We ran most of the way down because that was actually the least painful!  Go figure! 

It was a really good hike, though, and I'm glad we did it because it somewhat calmed my nerves for my big trip!

Bottle Lovah

If you're not a parent yet, or haven't been a parent to a one-year old for awhile, you may not know that the big thing now is that all kids should be off of the bottle by the age of one.  Doctors recommend breaking this habit when kids are around 12-months old because it's easier to break this habit when they're younger.  Docs also don't want kids to sleep or walk around with a bottle all day because the constant juice/milk could cause tooth decay, and if kids are carrying around a bottle, they may not be playing and exploring as much because they only have one free hand.  I completely get all of these reasons.  They make sense.

So...I have to admit something.  Joey is still on the bottle.  Not much, maybe 2-3 a day.  He gets a bottle with soy milk (finally off of formula!!) right before naps and bedtime.  We don't let Joey carry a bottle around.  He also does not go to sleep with the bottle nor is it left in the crib with him.  He can take a sippy cup like a champ.  He actually has sippy cups with milk and water all over the place, in the house and in the car! 

After Joey's 12-month check-up, we actually tried to cut out bottle cold turkey.  I actually put his milk in a sippy cup when he went down for bed.  He drank the milk out of the sippy cup with no problems or complaints at all.  But then I realized I was being stupid.  How is drinking milk out of a sippy cup different than drinking out of a bottle at bedtime?  After days and days of going back and forth about this, I finally realized that the bottle was not our problem.  Our problem is that the bottle, or milk, is part of Joey's bedtime routine.  He expects that milk to help him wind down for sleepy time.  So why get rid of the bottle, if we're not ready to get rid of that part of his bedtime routine?

Michael and I have talked about this for a few weeks now.  We don't mind Joey taking milk before bed.  We know that it is a good way to wind Joey down from the day.  As soon as he's done sucking, the bottle is taken away.  He does not get to carry it around the house.  He does not get to take the bottle to bed with him.  He also does not fall asleep with the bottle.  He is always still awake after the bottle and when he is placed into his crib.  

 

Plus, one issue that bugs me about this whole "no bottles after 1" is what about moms that breastfeed their kids past the age of one?  Aren't the bottle and the breast the same idea?  A lot of moms nurse their babies before bed.  Do doctors tell breastfeeding moms to stop nursing at one?  I haven't heard many that do!  What about pacifiers?  Do doctors want the pacifier habit broken at 12-months, as well?

So, after all of these thoughts and opinions and discussions, we are going to keep Joey on the bottle for a little longer.  Don't worry, not too much longer.  We are going to try to start giving Joey his bottle a little earlier and earlier before bedtime so it won't be associated with bedtime anymore.  Then, once, that bedtime routine is completely broken, the bottles will be taken away, period. 
 

This has been a hard and exhausting decision in our household.  Michael and I usually always follow the doctor's orders.  We like modern medicine and advice.  But this time, we're going to follow our gut and do what we think works best for OUR family. I guess if Joey is obsessed with bottles for the rest of his life, he can blame it on us!  (If he's anything like us, he's gonna love the bottle, the beer type, anyways!)

I'm Coming Out!

And we have some molars! 

  Two of the bottom molars have broken through the gums this past week.  I'm not too sure if the top ones have broken through yet, but I think they are trying!  I haven't been able to get my finger in Joey's mouth for too long because Joey bites!  Those teeth are like puppy teeth!  OUCH!   However, for the split second I had my finger in Joey's mouth, the top gums felt super swollen and bumpy.  So, maybe the teeth are out?

Who knows?  Maybe this kid is just a drooling machine! 

13 Months

Joey has been changing so much over the past month!  Not only is he physically growing, he is mentally growing too! 

We did a little family hike this past Saturday up at Prospect Heights.  It was a great hike!

He has really learned how to communicate without using words!  He now points at everything, and if we give him the wrong thing, he continues to point and grunt until we guess right!  When Joey is hungry, he now goes to his high chair and tries to climb up into the chair!  If we get him corralled into his room at bedtime, he will eventually go to the rocking chair and try to climb up into it when he's ready for sleep.  He hasn't said any new words yet, but he does understand some things we say now.  If you ask Joey "Where's the ball?", he will go and bring you his soccer ball!  It's so cool!

Joey is so chill when we're outside!

Joey recognizes family members on Skype.  He gets pretty excited and will point at our loved ones.  He's also starting to eat the high allergenic foods we have avoided over the first year of his life.  We still haven't introduced peanut butter, but it's coming soon.  Luckily, we have had no issues...well, except for the whole milk thing.  Boo to that!

Joey was bitten by the Alaskan state bird, the Mosquito, at the corner of his eye.  When he woke up the next morning, his entire left eye was all puffed up!  Poor little man.  Luckily, the swelling went down after 24 hours. 

 Joey also has increased the amount of tantrums he has a day.  He stomps his feet, cries, and folds his body in half.  I've heard this behavior can last until kids are over the age of three!!!  *Sigh*  This is going to be a long two years! 

I don't really want to use bug spray on Joey because of all of the chemicals.  I learned this handy little trick in one of the classes I attended...put netting over your child carrier or stroller!  I did this on our hike today and it worked like a charm! 

Joey also LOVES to be outside!  Even if he has not slept all day, is teething, or just in a bad mood, put the kid outside and he's a completely different kid!  He doesn't care if he's walking, strollin', or ridin' piggyback, as long as he's outside, he's good!  It makes me feel really good that he seems to enjoy the outdoors.  All of this time I have been taking him outside, no matter the weather, seems to be paying off!  :)

Camping with our Toddler

So, we have taken Joey camping a couple times since he has been born.  However, we had not taken him camping since he formed an opinion on life.   We finally tried the whole camping thing again over Memorial Day weekend. 

Let's just say, Michael is in no rush to go tent camping with Joey anytime soon.  Joey's bedtime is around 630 P.M....he did not go to sleep until 1215 AM!  And that is not because of us not trying!   

We let Joey play and play outside until he started to get super fussy and rubbing his eyes (sure signs of sleepy time) and then we would go lay with Joey in the tent.  Didn't work.  Then after hanging out in the tent for 30-45 minutes, we would let him go back outside and play some more.  Then back into the tent.  Then back outside.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat!  So frustrating! 

We think the problems were that bedtime was in a new location, his routine was completely different, and it was super bright in the tent!  Michael, eventually, put a tarp over our tent to help block out some of the light.  This helped a little bit.  We had also uploaded a white noise application on my iPhone.  We played that app to help block out the laughing and talking from the peeps by the campfire.  Joey eventually passed out, but I really think he was just so exhausted since it was six hours past his normal bedtime!  We had to get up around 615 AM due to the river coming into our tent!!  So, Joey was super fussy the next day!  He did sleep most of our four hour drive home, though! 

Michael is really burnt out from camping with Joey after that one-night adventure.  However, when we leave Alaska, we do plan on driving and camping most of the way.  This will definitely be a very interesting and TIRING road trip.  I'm hoping that after a few days, Joey's new routine will be one of camping and traveling.  It seems like every routine/habit takes three days to break or start.  Hopefully, Joey takes after his Marine daddy...adapt and overcome! 

First Guest of the Season!

The 2011 summer season has begun in our household!  We had our first guest of the season visit us last week!  One of my good friends from college, Manning, came up to see us and the Great North!  She was only here for about five days, so we tried to cram as much as we possibly could in her short visit...even with a full day of rain and gloom mixed up in there!

We were able to take Manning out on a hike with my mom group!  It was actually the most intense hike I have done with this mom group, so I think that worked out perfectly for Manning!  She is an avid runner and really in shape, so I think our normal hikes would have bored her to tears.  This hike was uphill all of the  way!  I was freaking exhausted!  We aren't exactly sure how far we hiked, but I'd guesstimate it was about four miles!  Go us!   

We had planned on going on a rafting trip with some Alaskan friends of ours while Manning was here, but, unfortunately, the rafting trip didn't work out for us.  I felt bad about this since we had promised Manning a rafting trip if she would camp outside, in a tent, for one night.  She agreed and then we didn't even get to go rafting.  However, Manning handled this last-minute change of plans like a champ.  She did inform us that she still hates camping the morning after!  :)  (that's okay, Michael hates camping now that we have a toddler too!).

Manning was able to go ice climbing...on a glacier, while she was here!  Michael nor I were able to go with her because of Joey, but luckily, one of my AK friends had some guests that were going.  We were able to hook Manning up with my friend's friends and they were able to conquer the glacier!

 Manning and I did a bunch of sightseeing.  We had one full day of rain, so we took advantage joy riding! 

Manning's boyfriend should also be super jealous of Joey.  Joey definitely worked his magic on Miss Manning.  Joey was actually quite flabbergasted that Manning even left the state.  He's trying to up his game even as I type, so the next one won't get away! 

 Manning trying to check out Mt. McKinley/Denali with the children's telescope. 

 Joey wearing Daddy's hat.  He really looks up to his Daddy!

We had such a good visit with Manning!   We're so glad that she was able to come up and see us! 

Hiking with Daddy

We were pretty fortunate last weekend because Michael had four full days off from work for the holiday!  Michael got to go fishing, we went hiking, and then we had our first 2011 visitor (more on that later!)!  Before we picked up our guest, we went on a really nice hike that is actually only five minutes from our house! 

Michael carried Joey to give mommy a break...even though, mommy really needs to be carrying Joey at all times for training purposes!  Oh well.   

We hiked a really nice trail that just kept going and going and going...  The dogs were pretty happy to get out of the house, too! 

Joey finally feel asleep about an hour into the hike!  He's so nosey!  If he didn't have to be up in everyone's business, this kid could get way more shut-eye!   

When we were almost back to the vehicle, we let Joey get out and walk a bit on his own.  Michael had to help him for a little while.   I think Joey may have been a little overwhelmed by the vast area he was allowed to explore!  He actually stayed in one spot!

This was a really beautiful, peaceful trail.  I just wish we would have explored it earlier!