Week 17: Happy Belated Easter

Happy (belated) Easter!  Hope everyone had a fun weekend.  We definitely did!  I had a three day weekend which worked out so well since Missy flew in Thursday night.  It was a whirlwind though, wish we had more time off!

Missy arrived, yay!

While Missy got ready on Good Friday, Leif had some tummy time with toys.  He's developing his motor skills so quickly!

Then I took Missy and Leif to The Grove, a very chic outdoor mall and Farmer's Market where there are lots of celebrity sightings.  We thought it would be fun to have Leif take pictures with the Easter Bunny there, and I don't know why I thought there would be no one there...but the line was epic.  We ended up buying See's chocolate bunnies and creatively taking photos of Leif with them...heehee.

At the Farmer's Market while eating lunch

Such a happy baby

First "Easter" photo of Leif

So I forgot to mention...usually when we leave Miles at home, we put him in his crate.  Since he's getting older, we decided to try and leave his crate door open since we were going to be gone for a few hours.  When we got home, he was still in his crate!  It looked like he had come out and jumped on the couch, but that was it.  Hooray for our good pup, he got a treat!

We decided to take photos of Leif with all his bunny things just for fun...

At first we tried sitting him up against the couch, but he kept falling over/getting fussy, so I held him

Then we moved to the bed.  :)

Happy baby with his new bunny from Aunt Missy!

The next morning Leif woke us up at 7:30am on the dot, but at least he was a happy baby.

After much debate on what to do (hubs had the weekend off!), we finally decided to go to the LA Renaissance Pleasure Faire.  Hubs wasn't too ecstatic about it once we got there, but overall I had a fun time.

Entrance

Wicker Man?!  We were waiting for Nicholas Cage to pop out...

Leif was definitely a tired baby when we returned home.  When I went to check up on him later that night, he was wildly inappropriate...

Somehow Leif always flips us off while sleeping.

Since Missy had to leave on Sunday and LAX is so far south of us, we decided to take Miles and Leif to their first beach trip ever.  There is a large dog beach in Long Beach and had a lot of fun there!

Miles moved of course when I tried to take a photo, but he was laying on Missy's arm.  And can you see Leif sleeping? He's doing a much better job on car rides!

A very happy Miles frolicking on the beach

Leif's first steps in the ocean! (well, second-hubs had him in the ocean first)

Leif in the ocean!

Miles didn't like the water, so hubs of course getting him acclimated to the water even more.  Not a fan.

Tired Leif on Aunt Missy after the beach

 And again, once we got home Leif was definitely tired out from the long excursion.

Overall, a very fun weekend with Missy!  Already miss her, such a great sister.  Now I'm at work and since there are no classes, the campus is super quiet.  Only one faculty member in today which means I'm leaving early (he's really nice and letting me go).  I can't wait to see Leif!  Hope he's been a good boy this morning.

Week 16: Top 10 Baby Items

First, Leif is pronounced like "safe".

Yesterday Nancy brought Leif over around 4pm so that I could have a few co-workers meet him.  The ones who I'm not facebook friends asked his name so that gave me a chance to pronounce it correctly.  But everyone else around me keeps saying "Leaf".  When you get a Hawaiian Lei, do you say "What a pretty lee!"...no, you pronounce it correctly.  But for some reason, when people see "Leif", they think "Leaf".  I feel a little bad for our kid, he's going to be plagued his whole life with this problem.  It's funny because my university has a Scandinavian Center and is predominately Scandinavian.  Done with my rant.

So now this post shall be dedicated to:

 The Top 10 Baby Items I'm Extremely Happy to Have

(In no particular order)

1. Sound Machine

We have this exact sound machine by Graco, and it might be a placebo or it might actually work...but I feel like it's a great cue for Leif's night-time sleep.  The reason why I like this one compared to sounds on your phone or other devices is because there are different types of "white noise", and to really replicate the womb the white noise needs to be low and deep.  Most of the "white noise" apps we downloaded were more high-pitched.  Then while Leif is awake and we need to do a quick errand around the apartment, we put him in the crib and play the music on the sound machine.  Again, could be in our heads, but he seems to enjoy the music.  And if we ever wanted to, it has an mp3 hookup for your phone.  Good investment!

2. Moby Wrap 

I would be a complete disaster without our moby wrap.  I suggest any type of carrier if your baby is/will be like Leif (never wanted to be put down!).  I was able to get a lot accomplished around the apartment with Leif in the moby wrap, and walks were great because 1. It would put him to sleep and 2. I get more exercise carrying around 10+ pounds.  The Moby is also great because anyone can wear it since it's just a long piece of fabric.  The only downside is that I got really hot with him pressed up against me on long walks.  And being in California, it's only going to get hotter.  Good thing he likes his car seat/stroller now...

3. Nail File

In every infant safety kit you will find these tiny nail clippers.  I seriously haven't touched those until last night, and after five minutes trying to use them I threw them and gave up.  Since Leif's birth, I've been using a plain old nail file from my nail polish bag.  It's easy on his nails since they aren't very hard and it doesn't take very long to file them down.  Only problem is that I used to do his nails while he slept on me, but now that he's much larger, it's hard to get his hands and not move him around.  Last night was a good example...I tried and tried but every time I started on a finger, he would flail his arms and rotate his head back and forth in a troubled sleep.  So instead of waking him up I put him in his crib and then tried working on his nails there...no luck.  More flailing.  So I'm at a point where I'll need the hubs to hold him while I work on those nails.  Which leads me to...

4. Baby Gloves

If we do not put gloves on Leif at night, he will surely scratch himself.  A few nights ago he gave himself a pretty good gash on his cheek, and so far most of his little scratches and cuts are very close to his eyes.  So baby gloves are definitely a necessity!  Lately when he wakes up in the morning his favorite thing to do is suck on the gloves, but I don't mind.  I'd rather have soggy gloves then have people think he was in some sort of baby bar brawl.  Yikes.

5. Bottle Cleaner

I love this bottle cleaner, since it has a sponge on top, bristles below and then the bottom unscrews to reveal something that looks like a pipe cleaner to get in those small crevices.  Plus having a separate sponge cleaner vs. a regular dish sponge makes me feel like we're keeping Leif's feeding supplies way more sanitary (plus the obvious shape which is much easier to clean deep into bottles).

6. Grass Countertop Drying Rack with Twig

Drying bottles, pump accessories and milk storage containers on the Boon Grass Rack is so convenient.  I highly recommend the twig due to holding the nipples and lids; the grass can get filled up quickly!

7. Pack'n Play

Even though we have a one bedroom apartment, it's nice to have another place that Leif can take naps while we keep an eye on him.  Our Pack'n Play is exactly the same as the above photo, but unfortunately we never changed him on the built in changing table and Leif never really slept in the bassinet.  But he takes almost all of his naps in the raised mat and it's nice that it moves down when he's able to stand up.  (Thanks Barbie & Barbie's mom for this as well as for the grass/brushes!)

8. Baby Bather

 This baby bather sling is wonderful-I'm able to pour water on his body and the water goes straight through the sling.  It also adjusts from this lowest position to a much higher, sitting position.  Leif only takes a couple baths a week, but definitely a great investment.

9. Night Lights

We have three of these night lights from IKEA, and they are all the same colors but different shapes.  They are not super bright, but they help in seeing Leif for late night feedings and diaper changes.  The only disadvantage: if he's a little more awake during his diaper change, he'll stare at them and not want to go back to sleep!

10. Lovey/Chew Toy

This isn't the exact lovey Leif has, but he has a blue teddy bear one and a green-striped koala one.  The koala travels with him where ever we go; I'd like to think it does keep him happy/secure when we are not home.  Then the blue teddy bear lovey is with him the moment he wakes up.  I've had to wash both of these now a couple times due to how much he sucks on them!  

So there is my top 10 list of items for Leif (not including of course the really important items like a crib, breast pump, diapers, etc).  

I will leave you with my #100happydays photo from yesterday, Day 22:

Stopped by during my lunch break to check on Leif-he was doing so well!

Week 16: Sorry It's Been A While!

Hello everyone...

I feel terrible for not keeping up the blog for so long.  Time seriously flew by, lots of people came to visit, I tried to squeeze as much time as I could in with my little Leif before returning to work.  And alas, it's already Day 2 of Back-to-Work and I miss Leif terribly.  Let me fill you all in on what happened in the last few weeks with my 100 Days of Happiness photos (sorry for the Facebook repeat for my FB friends!).  I left off with Day 2, so here is:

Day 3

The first day my folks came to visit.  They were so happy to see Leif!  (and us of course)

Day 4

The folks & I went to see Noah while hubs watched Leif.  Later that evening hubs and I played board games...typical evening.

Day 5

Leif wore the same shirt twice in a row...because we had to take his three month photo shoot again!  :)  I was/am super happy for coffee every morning, pretty flowers, and while my folks watched Leif the hubs and I went on a "date night"; which only consisted of going to the mall where I bought a new pan from Macy's with a gift card and stopped by Barnes and Noble.  Nothing too exciting since I worried about Leif the whole time!

 Day 6

We were invited to a BBQ hosted by Angela, Leif's part-time nanny & my friend/co-worker.  First time Leif was actually happy to be in his stroller/car seat!  Top right is hubs walking with Angela's son and I can't forget Miles, who has been slightly neglected now that Leif is in our lives, but we love him just the same.

Day 7

Day 7 happiness was Leif, Miles finding his sun-spots, playing cribbage with my pa and the new vibrating/singing elephant my pa bought for Leif.  It works-especially on the hubs (made him fall asleep on the couch, haha).

Day 8

This was the last day my folks were in town, so they hung out with Leif, then we took a nice, long walk by the river.  My order from Old Navy arrived when we came back, which is where Leif's new straw fedora came from.

Day 9

My goofy baby & fur-baby make me super happy (Miles has a weird habit of burying himself under blankets when he takes naps-he heard something and got up to see what was going on).

Day 10

Happy to take walks in my Ergo Baby Carrier now that Leif fits in it.  And happy to have had the hubs come home from work to hang out with Leif.

Day 11

Our aunt, uncle and cousins from the hubs' side came out to visit from Seattle.  The top left photo is a hat that was given to us from our uncle-he won it at Knott's Berry Farm.  Top right is our cousin who is also apparently a baby magnet like the hubs.  And the whole Griffen family!

Day 12

We took a trip out to Burbank so I could go to Old Navy and return some things; Leif did a really good job in the car and with the hubs at the mall!  But I was really happy to spend a day with the hubs since he had been busy at work.

Day 13

We pushed our luck and had another adventure the next day-great success!  Leif slept most of the way to the CLU Scandinavian Festival where he met Katy, music student and friend.  Then we hit up the Reagan Library/Museum since we have a family membership thanks to my pa where we saw Air Force One (Leif took a huge poop on it!), then their rotating exhibit was a baseball museum.  Leif is with Babe Ruth's saxophone and the next photo is a replica of Fenway Park.

Day 14

I met up with Angela & her kids at California Pizza Kitchen for lunch where Leif did a great job...until right before we left where he decided to scream at the top of his lungs because he was hungry.  I was able to feed him in the car before we left for home!

Day 15

Nana arrived!  If this photo doesn't make you smile/happy, then you my friend have no soul.  Just kidding.
I love my Leif! 

Day 16

SALSA & BEER!!!  If you don't know that this is our favorite restaurant by now, well, now you know.  Ha.  Not pictured is one fussy Leif to the right of me.

Day 17

We spent the afternoon at the Getty Center, where we found out Leif is not a fan of French art/artifacts (he was super fussy in those exhibits), but loves Jackson Pollock and Italian paintings.  And the top left photo is of two "drug urns"; thought these were interesting since the left one held antidote for snake bites, but they never said what the right one was for...

Day 18

Last day Nana was in town.  But we were happy to stroll through Burbank since we met up with the hubs for a quick lunch.  Here is Leif snoozing in IKEA.

Day 19

This was my last full free day before my maternity leave ended, so we took full advantage and visited the poppy fields about an hour north of us.  It was neat to see acres of orange poppies, but it was super windy and we had to pay $10 which was silly.  Afterwards we hit up Chronic Tacos which was yummy.  The bottom left photos were taken in the morning-I found a hoody that barely fit Leif so I wanted to put him in it.  He's so stinking cute with his daddy.

Day 20

I had to work at a concert this afternoon, but in the morning we took Miles to the dog park since he needed to get out and be social.  When I got home from the concert I spent all my time with Leif.

Day 21

First day of work wasn't too bad at all, but of course I texted the hubs throughout the day to see how he was doing.  The left photo is what he sent me, and when I got home at one point I had to put him down on his jungle mat...hard to tell in this photo, but his motor skills are developing and he was able to grab onto the spinning toy hanging above him.  I'm so proud of Leif!  

So here we are today, Day 2 of work.  I was able to catch up yesterday (which is crazy-I thought it would be way more chaotic around the office!), and now I'm able to finally write in this blog.  I miss Leif a lot and still worry about him, but I know he's in good hands.  Today he is with my friend Susie's mom who lives about five minutes away from campus...which means I'm going to visit him during my lunch break and then she may bring him over to my office when I'm done so he can meet a few of my co-workers.  But he'll be going back and forth between sitters, and I feel like even though it's good for us (cheaper), he's going to not be on a routine.  So we are going to start looking around for a good daycare that's affordable.  Pretty much any care for him is expensive for us, but we'll figure it out.  Daycare at my school is basically another rent payment (and this is with an employee discount!), but I wish it wasn't so expensive because it would probably be the best solution.  Sigh.  Being a parent is super expensive, but we knew this already.  I'm actually looking into working for Mary Kay on the side to make extra income-a music student is a rep and she told me more details about it.  Sounds rather interesting!  I like my job, but it really doesn't pay much and there is no way to make any more unless 1. My title changes or 2. I find another job on campus.  Since the hubs starts classes in June through the "Professional Development" program, I can't leave CLU until he's finished, which is another two and a half years.  I've been thinking about asking my boss at some point about the idea of changing my title to executive assistant since that pays more than admin. assistant (and hearing about how the music department was having a difficult time with me gone!), but I don't know how that will play out.  In my ideal world, I would stay at home with Leif while working at home; that's where Mary Kay comes into play, but I don't see me making enough to support the family on it, and my benefits would fly out the window.  Again, being an adult/parent is hard!!!

Health-wise I'm not too shabby.  I still can't fit into most of my jeans pre-pregnancy and I tried shimmying into my old dresses; those fit in my waist and hips, but due to breast-feeding, they will NOT zip all the way up.  But my weight is still slowly decreasing which is great, and being at work will allow me not to graze on food all day at home.  I'm not sure when I'll be able to start training for my 10K in August; probably when Leif fits his jogger.  By then it's going to be scorching hot-I guess I see 5am runs in my future, ew.

Alright, I've taken a lot of time from work, need to finish a few things here and there and then I get to see Leif, yay!  Happy Tuesday everyone.

3 Months: Photobook

Check out my photobook of Leif!

Week 12: Growing Like Wildfire

If I had to sum up my thoughts since the last time I wrote, I would say:

Leif is growing up too quickly.  

Leif turns three months tomorrow, and there is a noticeable change in him since I've posted.  He's been chatting up a storm, growing out of his clothes, finding his fingers and grabbing onto things, smiling more and is noticeably heavier.

Tomorrow my folks fly in and stay in CA for a week.  I'm excited to see them and for them to see Leif significantly older!

And lastly, I'm participating in a facebook/social media challenge called "100 Days of Happiness"...I have to post a picture of something that makes me happy per day for 100 days straight.  Only 71% of people successfully completed it.  I think it's a great idea!  On day 2 now, and I'd like to post the pictures on my blog too.  So catching up to today:

Day 1:

Day 2:

Week 11: Happy St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Leif's cute outfit is courtesy of his Nana, thank you!  Can you believe this is size 6 months?  It's just a little baggy on him.  He's a big baby!

Highlights of my last week or so:

-We've been taking Leif on walks with the moby wrap more often, and what's cute is hubby is starting to wear the wrap too:

-We took Leif to the mall and the car ride was almost intolerable-he screamed almost the entire way there.  After a quick feeding in the car, he passed out in the moby wrap and had a fairly calm baby the rest of the trip.  We then drove over to my co-worker's/friend's place (Angela) to visit her and her two adorable kids.  This is also our part-time nanny when we need her!

-I tried out a 'warrior' class at the gym Angela goes to...they're offering a $100,000 reward for a 90-day challenge.  As enticing as it sounds, it still costs $300 up front to participate and the point system sounded complicated.  But none-the-less I tried out their most popular class at 8am Saturday morning.  Since Angela is currently pregnant with her third kid, she isn't participating in the challenge or classes, but her husband is.  I was thrown into a large space with about 60 other people and the workout for the day was to get in groups of 10 and then rotate station to station for 4-5 minutes.  Stations varied from overhead shoulder presses with small weights, to medicine ball throwing to linked sit-ups.  Then after that we crammed into an 80 degree heated tiny room where we did these boxing exercises with partners (think constantly tapping gloves over your head for 3-4 minutes as fast as you can).  I was dripping.  But I made it through the entire workout without giving up/stopping and was proud of myself for being able to do something like that 11 weeks after giving birth.  After talking to other members of the gym about the challenge, I decided I wasn't going to sign up since working out hard/changing my diet could affect my milk supply.  One gal said it would dry her up, Angela said with her second kid it was fine for her...but 1. I don't want to take the chance and 2. I can't afford it.  They would have put me in the "Most Fit" category and seeing a lot of other super fit chicks in the class, I doubt I'd win.  I would want to spend all my free time with Leif anyway than in a gym.  I'd rather just keep working out at home next to him and/or with him, and he'll soon be big enough so that I can push him in his jogger while I go on runs.  

That's about all!  Leif turns 3 months in 10 days, my folks will visit in 10 days, we have tons of family visiting in April (Nana, Missy and aunts/uncles/cousins), and I go back to work in less than a month (boo).  

Alright everyone, have a fun and safe St. Patty's Day!