Life is Just Beachy

So, I seriously miss Alaska.  I miss having all of the wilderness in our backyard.  I miss being able to take my kiddo one minute down the road and letting him run and run and run down trails through the woods and mountains.  However, I'm sure if we were living in Alaska right now, I would not be happy.  They have had one of the snowiest (and coldest) Novembers in history!   If you all remember from last year, Joey doesn't do so well with the cold.  So, our happy butts would probably be cooped up inside on those really cold days. 

We are trying to get more comfortable in our new home.   I must admit, I do like living at the beach.  Besides the ocean's calming beauty, the beach is one of the BEST playgrounds ever!  Here are some recent pics...

Joey loves animals.  He really likes the gulls.  He tries to feed them sand.  I don't think they appreciate this.   

He is sad that he was never old enough to make a snow angel while we lived in a snowy place, so he is improvising...on his belly!   

 I think Joey may become a beach bum.

 

He found this hole and promptly plopped his booty right in it! 

Thanksgiving 2011

This was our first Thanksgiving completely alone.  When we moved to Alaska, we joined Michael's boss's family for turkey day, then the next two years we spent the day with close friends.  We do have some family here in our new home, but they went back to Ohio for the holiday. 

So, it was just us three!  It actually wasn't that bad.  It was nice to do the day how we wanted.  No time schedules, no house cleaning for guests, no packing everything up to be at someones house by a certain time.   We actually had planned on eating by 2, but we decided to go out for breakfast and then I was kind of lazy getting the turkey in the oven, so 2 turned into 4.  But you know what?  It didn't matter because it was just us!   (Now don't get me wrong, we do love doing holiday meals with friends/family and we have LOVED every single meal with have spent with people in the past). 



While I cooked and Michael did some football watching, Joey played with his two giraffes.  Yes, he has two now.  My parents sent him another giraffe just in case we lost the first one.  Well, mama is lazy and didn't hide the replacement giraffe before Joey found it.  Joey was in giraffe heaven!

I have never cooked a turkey before.  I was a little nervous about this venture, but we think my turkey was the bomb!  I was pretty damn proud of myself.  I can make jam from berries that I picked and now I can roast my own turkey!  Boo-yah!

Oh, and I made everything we had for dinner from scratch (except the pie and corn...well, I cooked the corn from a can)!  Rolls, sausage dressing, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and turkey!  Get.  Some.

 However, Joey must have thought the food was a little bland because he insisted on seasoning his servings...a lot!

He also decided that he did not want pumpkin pie for dessert.  He wanted turkey/corn/pumpkin pie, with a little butter! 

This really was a great day.  We are so thankful for so many things in our lives.  Our health, well-being, friends and family, and memories.  However, I think that I am the most thankful for my little family.  I am truly blessed to have both of my boys in my life.  :) 

Changes in Attitude

As Joey grows, his attitude towards certain things seem to change almost on a daily basis.  One day he loves corn, the next day he doesn't, and then he loves it again on the third day!  This is a frustrating fact of raising a toddler, but I guess it's a good thing too.  Just because he doesn't like veggies today, doesn't mean he won't like them tomorrow, right?  :)   Always have hope.   

This ever-changing attitude doesn't just apply to food, it happens in all aspects of Joey's life.  Some days he is scared to go down a slide by himself, or walk across a bridge alone and then the next day he goes down the tallest slide at the park!   

 His food palate definitely changes.  This day he decided he liked to eat dirt. 

 

He hates to wear hats!  Will fight you tooth and nail to get the hat off of his head.  However, on this morning, he HAD to wear this hat.  He wore it all morning long.  If the hat fell off, Joey actually threw a tantrum until I could get it back on!   

Joey is and has always been a mama's boy.  He will come a-runnin' to me whenever I enter the room.  However, Joey has really started to dig daddy lately!   Anytime there is a noise at the front door, Joey will stop what he's doing, and run to the door to greet Michael.  We met Michael for a Thanksgiving lunch last week.  As soon as Joey saw Michael, he took off across the parking lot, jumped into Michael's arms, and held on!   It was a great!   Joey has even told Michael "No!" when Michael tries to leave for work.  It breaks and warms your heart all at the same time.  

Joey has napped a few times in his crib, but that's after crying for 30-40 minutes.  Ugh!  He still naps in the car, but I have actually been able to successfully transfer him to his crib here lately!  Holla!   So, with this new attitude (mainly mommy's), I don't mind staying out and about in the mornings until nap time, letting Joey fall asleep in the car, and then transferring him to the crib right after he passes out.   If it gives my kid a couple hours of sleepy time, I'm all for it!

Joey has decided that he is no longer scared of the big kid equipment at the playground.   The other day Joey did not want to sit in the baby swing, he wanted to swing on the big swing.  He did great!   I pushed him, he held on, and swung for a couple of minutes. 

I know that these attitude changes are only going to get more pronounced and frequent due to Joey getting smarter and older.  It just blows my mind every time he does something that he wouldn't do yesterday! 

Monkey Around

We took Joey to the Santa Ana Zoo last week.   The zoo founder declared that the zoo must always have at least 50 primates at all times and the zoo has lived up to this!   There were so many primates, it was crazy! 

Joey really liked when the monkeys would swing, climb, or jump around.  He's gotten so used to us asking "What does the monkey sound like?" that when we said "Look at the monkey", he actually tried to make the monkey noise that Michael makes!  Ha ha!

There are actually two anteaters in this photo.  The mother is carrying her baby around on her back.  Anteaters will carry their young everywhere until the young is 10 months old!   You know, I feel like I was an anteater a lot of Joey's life!  Ha!

 Daddy and Joey checking out the animals.

 Joey wanted to imitate a tortoise!  I think he's a pretty cute tortoise. 

 This zoo had a carousel and a train ride.  We just checked out the carousel which Joey seemed super excited to ride, until we got on it.  Then he wanted nothing to do with this thing! 

So, we rode this thing instead.  It spun around while the carousel turned.  Joey really liked this.   He actually threw a tantrum when the ride was over.   

Do you know what a sucker looks like?  Michael.   See that little giraffe in Joey's hands?   Michael bought that for Joey because Michael thought Joey should have a souvenir from the zoo.   So, this little giraffe is Joey's car lovey...this way he leaves his big giraffe in the house, aka. less chance to lose it! 

New Look on Life

Even though we are missing our last home, I do have to admit there are some pretty views around us. 

 The view driving over the mountains towards Lake Elsinore.

Lake Elsinore!

Dana Point

Oh, but don't be too envious of all these pretty views, we have lots of nasty views too.  See that dark line above that road that looks like a mountain line?  That's not a mountain line.  That's smog.  Dis-gus-ting!  This the view as you get closer to Los Angeles.  So nasty. 

New Hiking Peeps

Well, we've found a parent hiking group down here in the O.C. (Orange County).  It's nothing like our hiking peeps in Alaska, though.  (We miss you, 907 crew!).  The one main difference is that they only get together and hike once a month!  Ugh!  That is no bueno.  I know that I could post hikes, but this group is really spread out and one thing I wanted to change from living in Alaska was being so far from everything (and everyone)!  I want to belong to groups that are close by.  I'm still joining more groups now and am in the process of posting my own hikes and adventures.  Okay, enough about that, time for some pics!

 Joey trying to catch up to the group!   "Wait for me guys!"

 The view from our little hill peak we summitted!  These are the Santa Ana Mountains.

 Joey letting us know that he wants to climb that hill.



So, we don't have to worry about bears or moose here, but we do have to worry about MOUNTAIN LIONS!!  These felines scare the crap out of me!  Moose and bears usually will only mess with you if you scare them or they have young, but cats?  They will stalk your butt!  

These trails we checked out were pretty nice and very easy for Joey to toddle around.   Even though this group is nothing like our AK group, I am really glad we met up with them and checked out these trails. 

Round Two!

Michael and I knew within five months of having Joey that we wanted to start trying to have another baby close to Joey's first birthday.  Well, after, seven months of trying, we have finally succeeded!  That's right, we're pregnant!  As of right now, I am only 5 1/2 weeks pregnant. 

We are both really excited about this pregnancy, but so nervous!   I forgot how much the waiting game you play during pregnancy sucks.  Right now, we just want to get to the 8-10 week appointment where the docs do the first ultrasound and we get to see the baby's heart beat.  Once we hear/see that heart beat, I think I will be a lot happier because I will know that Baby Dos is a go!

Oh, we are calling the new baby, TBD, for "To Be Determined"!   It's still TBD if the baby is alive, and well, and then the baby's sex will be TBD.  So, TBD is the nickname for this little bambino!

18-months, Part Two

We had Joey's 18-month baby wellness checkup today and he's doing great!   He now weighs 24.6 lbs, and is 33 inches long!   That puts him in the 30th percentile for weight and 70th percentile for height.   He is not too skinny, like I had been concerned about and he is growing right along the curve that he has been following since he was 6 months old!  The doc said that some kids are tall and skinny and some are short/tall and heavier.  I'm completely cool with Joey being tall and skinny...I just wanted to make sure that he wasn't too small.  The doc said that kids around this age will actually stop growing weight wise and just keep growing length-wise.  This also brought up why he seems way pickier now with eating...kids only eat a lot when they're experiencing a growth spurt.   Good to know!

Joey enjoying our weekly fruit smoothie.   Notice that he has his own green container containing a smoothie, however, he must drink out of my cup, as well.  Gree-dy! 

The doc actually laughed out loud when I told her about Joey's Popsicle Panicullitis!    We all know that won't be an issue down here in Cali!  Ha!  I also asked her about our little napping issue.   She said that since he was the age he was when we did all of his life upheaval, he may never go back to naps.   If he was younger, it probably wouldn't be an issue, but...  So, we're to keep trying the naps for another week and sees what happens.   Joey will either start napping, or stop being as cranky because he will get used to the lack of daytime sleep.   G.  R.  E.  A.  T.    Joey also got the next shot in the Dtap series, Hep A, and Influenza.   They did these two shots (they combined two of them) in his arm this time, which he did not like.  at.  all. 

Joey is very aware of routines now.   He knows we get up, eat breakfast, get dressed, brush our teeth, fill up our water bottles/sippy cups, and put on our shoes.  He decided that he wanted to wear his Alaskan snow boots yesterday...even out in public!  I couldn't get these things off of him!   Maybe it wasn't the snow boot part, but the red boot part that attracted him to these shoes?!!?  :)  I actually think he is just jealous of all of his Alaskan buddies and all of the snow they've been getting.  Oh, on a side note, I am making a daily schedule now, hoping that may get Joey back to naps.  Michael and I both have learned that we like a little structure and routine, so why would our son not?  Our Monday-Friday routine is now going to consist of gym for mommy and playtime for Joey in gym daycare for an hour in the early morning, then playground play dates, home for lunch, HOPEFULLY NAP, and then more outside playtime around the house, then dinner, bath, bed.  Maybe Joey is just lacking some structure.  Who the heck knows!  Ahhhh!

Joey definitely knows what the camera is.   A lot of times I can actually get him to ham it up for the camera!  He is still scrunching up his nose when he's happy or mad or sad or whatever.   You have to pay attention to his mouth to get his real reaction!   

Since Joey is getting older and so much smarter, I am trying to come up with cool toddler things to do during the day.  I don't want my child to be bored because I'm a stupid parent that doesn't have some sort of activity for him (us) going on!  (This has actually been kind of tough, since I am an idiot and always under assume what learning level my child is at).  Anyways, today we made a makeshift tent in one of the random unused corners in Joey's room.  I also did this because Joey's future mother-in-law (Becca) suggested a mat on the floor for naps because that's what they do in her kiddo's daycare room.   Maybe by putting Joey in his crib at nap time, he feels like he will be there for-eva (12-14 hours).  If I make the napping zone a little different and cool, maybe he'll want to hang out in there.   We did play in his tent a lot, no nap, but he did seem to really like this area.  I'm going to make my verdict in a few days.  (I did lay down with him in this tent to let him know it was a fun safe place)

One of the fun games we played on our road trip was "What does this animal sound like?"  We would ask this question (using a specific animal each time we asked the question) and then Michael would make an AMAZING sound to imitate the animal.  I don't know about Joey, but I LOVED this game.   Michael is really, really good at animal noises so it's very entertaining to listen/watch him play.   Anyways, I found these wall stickers that are the alphabet.  Each letter also has a word that starts with that letter.  For example, M is for Monkey.   I think I really like these stickers because it reminds me of the sound game.   :)   However, these letters aren't really sticking to our walls (that's why there are a couple of letters missing in the above photo). 

That's all of the updates for now on 17 and 18 months.  Actually there are a lot more because everyday this kid does more and more, but I think I'm done with this post.  Happy 18 month (and 17th month) birthday, little man! 

18-months, Part 1

So tomorrow is Joey's 18-month birthday, and we have his baby wellness appointment on Tuesday.  I was originally waiting to write all of the update from 17-months (yes, I realize I forgot to post anything for the 17-month) and 18-months on one post, but there's so much that has happened, I wanted to break it up into two posts!

Joey is so freaking smart.  He does say a lot of words, but they are not the real words...only words that mama and dada can decipher.  For example, "wa" is water, "mi" is milk, "ba" is ball, etc.   He can say "mama" and "dada" and "no" like a champ.  Even though he still doesn't say a lot of words, he totally understands most of the things we say now.  You can ask him where something is or to do something, and he knows what you mean!   It's so cool!  

He picks up on things so quickly now!   For example, he knows most of his body parts.   We try to teach him a new one every day.  It usually only takes him two-three times of telling and showing him for him to get it.  It's incredible to see a child learn something!   

He really likes music and puzzles.  If a good song (in his opinion) comes on, he will start bobbing his head and moving his hands, sometimes even putting a good hip shake in there!  He used to only like pop or hip hop, but now he has broadened his taste, and likes rock and roll! 

He is such a little parrot now!   Whatever we do, he wants to do.  We finally upgraded him to a booster seat from a high chair in the dining room.   However, you can see from the above picture that he wants to sit in a normal chair like the adults!   Also, Joey also started to imitate us praying.  We usually pray before we eat a meal.  We hold hands, bow our heads, and give thanks.  The other day, once Joey was in his chair with his food in front of him, he grabbed for my hand and bowed his head!   How freaking adorable is that?!?! 

The professionals say that around 16 months old or so, children may become attached to a stuffed animal or blanket (aka. a lovey).  Well, Joey finally imprinted on something...this giraffe that my mom gave him during our North Carolina visit.   He always is holding it in the mornings when we get him out of bed, but within the past two days, he has started to actually carry it around with him during the day and to the car for rides!  I'm not sure if the 45-days of constant change kick started this new thing, or it was just time for Joey to have a lovey.  Whatever it was, Joey loves Mr. Giraffe. 

Joey is sleeping like a champ at night...I'm talking 12-14 hours a night!  However, naps in the crib at home have become non-existent!   If we get in the car, he'll pass out, or if you rock him for long enough, he's gone.  But if you go anywhere near his crib during the day, he won't have anything to do with it.  I know some kids give up naps completely around this time, but I'm pretty sure Joey's not ready.  First off, he is SO PISSY if he has no nap.  It is like living in hell on earth when he hasn't napped at all.  Also, if he was ready to give up naps, he wouldn't pass out as soon as we got into the car or into my lap!  We are hoping that this revolt is just from all the change in Joey's life over the past couple of months and once he gets completely settled, he'll be back to napping (or at least not so pissy).  As for now, I am actually planning my day around driving my 18-month son around in the car for a couple of hours every afternoon so he will get a nap.  I really hate catering and spoiling my child like this, but if I say "Screw it!  You will nap in your crib!", both of our lives are hell.  I am ready to shoot myself and I hate my child by the end of the day on those days.  That is no way to feel...at all.  So, yes, I may be catering to my kid, but if I'm making it a better living situation for both of us by taking a little drive everyday, then it's completely worth it in my book. 

Storytime

There were a few story time get togethers in Anchorage, but I can honestly say that we never attended any of them due to the length of the event vs. the distance from our house.  It just wasn't worth our drive for the 30-minute reading.  In our new home, we are super close to a medium-sized city so we are trying to take full advantage of all toddler opportunities.  

We found this free story time at a local cultural museum in our town.  The above photo shows the view from story time area!   Wow!

It also has a Monarch Butterfly garden that the kids get to run thru after story time!   We did see a few butterflies, but I don't think Joey cared too much.  He was too busy running around!  I'm still trying to explore our new home and find all of the mom/toddler groups.  Give us a little time and we'll be able to tell the locals all of the cool toddler spots!   :) 

Da Beach

We live super close to the beach, aka Pacific Ocean, at our new home.  Like, 1.5 miles close!  When we first saw our home, I even asked Michael "Do we need to worry about tsunamis?".  (We live high up on a hill, so we're probably safe). 

Do you see the ocean at the treeline in this photo?   This is the view 1/8th of a mile from our house!!   Depending on where you stand in our backyard, you can see some of the ocean, too!  Crazy!

 I'm finding that the beach is a great playland!

 Joey can play in the sand and water! 

 And run for as long as he can stand!

 

If the beach isn't enough entertainment for Joey, there's always the beach playground!!  How cool is this?   This place is only a 1.5 miles from our house, so a super easy walk to get some multi-playtime use for the kiddo.