indydentalduo

Little Wet Man

2011-11-15T18:57:00.000-05:00

Boston loves to be outside, rain or shine. The other day he was asking me incessantly to go outside, and it was pouring outside. I finally had heard enough and let him. I only lasted about 10 minutes, but I think he would have stayed out much longer if I let him. He was soaked! But I think he still enjoyed every minute of it. He loves to play outside more than anything!

Quality Daddy Time

2011-11-15T18:56:00.000-05:00

Boston has really been clinging to his dad lately. I think he is getting sick of me, since we are just home (or at Nikki's) most days, not doing a whole lot of anything. He looks forward to his "Daddy time" everyday and usually convinces Mark to take him outside, to parks, to ride his scooter, or to do anything active that he doesn't get to do with his home-bound mommy. He is getting so big and is the cutest little boy.

A Major Breakthrough

2011-11-15T18:54:00.000-05:00

Boston had a major breakthrough two Sundays ago. And considering how the day started out (see Boston throwing a fit on the floor of the chapel overflow during church below) we didn't see it coming.

Boston decided, out of nowhere, that he wanted to hold Savannah for the first time. And he totally loved the attention he got from it. So dang cute.

This is him attempting to give her a kiss.

Are those cute kiddos or what?

Boston has been consistently more and more involved with his little sister. He will rock her in her rocker now, kiss her, talk to her, etc. I can't wait unitl she is a little bigger and can really enjoy her big brother.

Two Weeks Old

2011-11-15T18:50:00.000-05:00

Here's some pictures of Savannah, around 2 weeks old. She is growing faster than I can keep up with. She has already grown out of several outfits, including this first one. She is consistently out of the "newborn" items, and is wearing 0-3 months, some of which are getting tight.

Here's my sweet baby asleep on my bed. I love how she has her back arched. Boston used to do that in his sleep too.

Here's my little girl in her first church outfit. She was so dang cute.

Trunk or Treat and Halloween

2011-11-15T18:34:00.007-05:00

Mark and my mom took Boston to the Trunk or Treat at Nikki's ward. I was supposed to go with, but I seriously underestimated how much time it takes to get a 2-yr old, newborn, and myself ready. Long story short, I sent them without me and intended to meet up with them shortly after. One hour late, and I was still home, cleaning up Savannah, who had just projectile puked all over her costume. Nearly two hours later, I showed up, and Boston was ready to leave. So I didn't get to see any of his cuteness with the activities there. But here he is, nevertheless, sporting his costume that I made him. I wanted him to be a skeleton, since I bought Savannah a pink skeleton pajama outfit. But as they never got to wear them together (she puked all over hers on that day) it was kind of pointless.

Here he is coloring a picture for Halloween. He has gotten really into coloring lately. It's pretty cute to see his little hands at work. That is, when it's not all over our table and tile.

Here's my little cutie in his costume again.

He did a cake walk and got a cupcake for his endeavors. Needless to say, he kept wanting to go back.

Here's Savannah in her costume. She didn't get to wear it to Trunk or Treat because she puked, and she didn't get to wear it on Halloween because it was in the dryer and not dry yet when it was time to go. But we got a picture of her in it later anyway, since we went to the trouble of getting her one. She was pretty dang cute in it, so that's all that matters, I guess.

Savannah's First Week

2011-11-15T18:33:00.001-05:00

Here are some snapshots of the first week or so of Savannah's life. By a week and a half, she had regained her birth weight, plus some, weighing in at 8 lb 11 oz. I am sure she is well over 9 lb by now.

We cannot resist this sweet little girl and are so happy she came to join our little family!

Savannah's Homecoming

2011-11-15T18:15:00.001-05:00

I was so happy on Monday to be going back to pick up my baby girl for good! I showed up at 8:30 to get her, and by 11:30, we were finally on our way. I remember with Boston, his "going home clothes" drowned him. And they were the Gap up to 7 lb outfits. I brought one such outfit as a back up, in case the outfit I really wanted to put her in was too big. Didn't need it. She fit just fine in her outfit. And I later discovered that the up to 7 lb-ers were absolutely not going to fit!

As big as she was for a newborn, she still looks so tiny here!

Boston was a little "iffy" of Baby Savvy at first. We thought it might help soften the blow if Savannah brought him a larger-than-life-size Mickey Mouse.

He was beyond excited!

Check out this happy little boy. He absolutely loves Mickey.

Watching a show, and laying on Mickey... true bliss!

Mickey aside, it took a little time for Boston to be OK with Baby Savvy's "permanent" status. I think he loves her now, though.

Boston's Hair Cut

2011-11-15T18:10:00.000-05:00

My mom's training as a hairdresser sure came handy during her visit with us for Savannah's birth. Boston was looking a little ragged, and my attempts to cut his hair the past few times have not gone over well. Not that my skills were lacking, but Boston simply will not allow me to do it. I had my doubts about whether he would let Grandma. He was resistent at first, but finally relented.

Check out this expression. But at least he has his Woody car for support.

He finally relaxed and let Grandma do her thing...

It turned out super cute. Thanks, mom, for everything you did while you were here with us. You were a lifesaver!

Another Hospital Stay

2011-11-15T12:36:00.002-05:00

Well, it wouldn't be one of my newborns if we didn't end up in the NICU. Just a few hours after she was born, they took her to the nursery to give her a bath. I was antsy about it, and almost asked that they not take her from me (I was alone, since I sent Mark home to be with Boston for the night). I almost wonder if maybe I was being prompted not to have them take her, and maybe this all would have been avoided. I don't know. But they took her for a bath, and I dozed off for a little bit. When I woke up, they still had her, so I called the nurse, who told me that she was "breathing too quickly" (same symptom they noticed first with Boston) so she was being monitored. A few hours later, the pediatrician came in to tell me that they had taken some bloodwork, and that he didn't suspect anything was really wrong. They had her on oxygen to get her stats up better, but he figured they would probably be able to release her the next morning, if the labs came back normal. The next morning, the labs showed increased white blood cells, which could indicate infection, so further tests would be necessary. The new pediatrician that day (Friday) told me that if her labs, which were due back Saturday or Sunday, were normal, they would release her.

Saturday came, and that same pediatrician reported that the labs appeared normal, and all chest xrays appeared normal, but she just felt like they should continue to keep her for SEVEN days, just like they did Boston. I was totally freaking out. I knew in my heart that there was nothing wrong with her. I felt like they were just being overly cautious, and by doing so, she would miss out on nursing the first few days of her life, which are crutial. I worried they she would not nurse if they didn't release her. I definitely did not feel like the benefits of keeping her on antibiotics outweighed the risks. I expressed these feelings to her NICU nurse, who was actually on my side. I prayed that night so hard that if she needed to stay, that I would feel OK about them keeping her. I never felt OK.

Sunday morning, I got a call from another pediatrician, who was working closely with the one who wanted to keep her. She stated that they were taking her off antibiotics for 24 hours to see how she responded, and if all went well for the 24 hours, she would go home Monday. Thankfully, all went well, and she was allowed to go home to us on Monday. So I will take 3 and a half days in the NICU over Boston's 8. But it is upsetting to think that if I had just said, "No, don't take her for a bath..." this whole thing probably never would have happened. Oh well, all is well now, and her stay in the NICU is not even a memory to her, or to Boston, who I felt so guilty for leaving every day to be with Savannah.

Here are some pictures of our sweet little angel in the NICU. It is so sad for me to look at babies with oxygen and IVs and all that. I hope I never have to go through that again. But I'm sure that's wishful thinking.

She's Here!

2011-11-15T12:32:00.001-05:00

Monday, October 17th, I had an OB appointment (which I informed the office earlier that if I was present for - one day prior to my due date - I would cry). I learned that I was still only dilated 1.5cm (for three weeks running), and it was looking like that wasn't going to change any time soon. I was SO done being pregnant. We set up an appointment for the 20th to be induced. I prayed every night right up until the 20th that I would go into labor on my own. It never happened.

Thursday, October 20th came in what seemed like a lifetime. Once again, it was so odd to travel to the hospital knowing I was nowhere near going into labor. When I got there, I warned them all about my passing out fiasco with Boston. Luckily it never happened this time. Although my blood pressure did at one point drop to like 50/38 or so...

By 8:30 am, we are ready to get started. Dr. Hughes came in and broke my water (no pitocin). He informed me it was, in fact, a good idea to induce, as he noticed meconium when the water broke. Lovely. It only took a few minutes for me to start going into HARD labor. It was the craziest thing ever, and I think I seriously stressed my nurse and the rest of the staff out. Because before I knew it, I had like fifth million ladies hovering over me (just like I did when I fained with Boston) trying to figure out what the crap was going on. They lost the feed on Savannah and couldn't track her heartrate, and I felt like I was in la-la land the contractions were so hard and right on top of eachother. Apparently, in a manner of minutes, I went from 1.5 to almost 4, and the baby had dropped completely. Just with breaking my water. My contractions were about one minute apart, and lasting for quite awhile each. They gave me a shot to slow me down. That was the most intense pain I have ever felt. I thought I was a lucky girl, since only a few minutes into "labor" they called for my epidural. The anesthesiologist came in, and I thought, man, we're golden. We're going to have this kid in an hour!

Well, several things went wrong. My contractions still would not relent. They were way too close together, so I had to get another shot to slow them. Then my epidural didn't work. Over the course of about six or so hours (maybe more) I had a total of five separate epidurals. Five times of making me sit up (and hold still for heck sakes) during full on contractions while they tried to make it work. Each session of giving me the epidural took about a half hour or so. I have never been poked so many times in my life. They kept numbing only my right side. The first anesthesiologist tried three times (over the course of a few hours) before he called in another guy to try. It took him two times to hit it right. Apparently I have some sort of separation in my vertebrae that blocks the left from the right where you would normally give the epidural. So they had to get above this separation. Anyway, a million hours later, I was dilated to almost 8, and now I was numb and ready to roll. I told them a few hours into it that I didn't care anymore. I would just do this thing natural at this point. They wouldn't let me, though, since I had a previous c-section. They needed to know I was numb if they had to do emergency surgery. But I guess I now have the privilege of saying I know what "natural" feels like (except for the actual pushing the baby out). I don't care to ever be "natural" again, thank you.

Shortly after the fifth and functional epidural, my blood pressure dropped (which I knew was happening and warned them - hey, check my BP, I feel weird - and sure enough it was 50/38). So I got to get another shot, this time to increase my blood pressure. Finally at 6pm, it was time to push. And at 6:50 pm, I got this little girl!

She looked just like Boston when she was born, except for the little cone head, which went away in a few days. So the finally tally: 19.5 inches, 8 lb 8 oz. We've got a little fatty! We just love this sweet little girl.

Still My Baby Boy

2011-11-15T12:30:00.001-05:00

Mark's mom and Grandma were out for a few days getting some dental work done. We met some of their relatives in Concord for lunch one day, and Boston was so wiped out, he actually let my mom rock him to sleep at the table, and then slept in his stroller.

It's moments like these, I remember he is still my little baby too. He seems so old most of the time and acts so mature for his age, that it's easy to forget he's only two.

Look at that sweet face. I love this boy.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-15T12:27:00.001-05:00

My mom flew out about a week before the baby was due (wishful thinking on my part) to make sure she was here for the delivery. Nikki and I had a variety of activities planned for Grandma and all the kiddos. I secretly wishes (actually sometimes not so secretly) that I wouldn't be around for the festivities (aka, that I would go into labor early), but no such luck. Ah, well... we had a great time with Grandma, nine months prego and all. One day we decided to go to Smith Family Farms to take the kids to the pumpkin patch. Here's Boston checking out a small display of pumpkins.

Here's Boston and Mitchell. I think Mitchell is posing for his mom's camera.

And here's Catherine. Funny, Nikki is taking a picture of Boston in the background, and I'm taking one of Cath.

And here's Grandma with all (well, minus one now) of the Brentwood grandkids.

Here's Bos and Jimmer riding in the wagon.

James is surfacing from the hay tunnels. Boston freaked me out and decided to linger inside and go out another exit. Nine months pregnant, I had a heart attack running to find him. Luckily, I had my mom, Nikki and her older kids there to help me keep track of him. Actually, he was pretty much condemned to the wagon after that. But I don't think he minded.

At the farm, they had a little Indian homestead, so Boston had fun checking out the wigwams (or, tunnels, as he calls anything that has an opening which you can pass through - he has a little bit of an obsession).

Here Boston is waiting for the hayride back from picking out his very own pumpkin. He was so cute wandering around the patch and trying to pick up all the small ones.

We all had a great time, and by the time we were done, I was so wiped out. I really thought I might go into labor, but of course, that never works.

Driving Daddy's Car

2011-11-15T12:23:00.001-05:00

This is a little out of order, but Mark got a new car for his 30th birthday (I think he deserved it)... And Boston is hilarious about it. He always wants to go in daddy's car whenever we go somewhere together. Here he is "driving" the car.

And, of course, posing for the camera!

Little Muddy Boy

2011-11-15T12:21:00.001-05:00

The rainy season is upon us, and Boston has been taking full advantage. Without my knowledge (at least partially) Boston snuck into the backyard through the dog door (I knew about that part) and started splashing in puddles left over from the rain in his brand new clothes and shoes. I figured he was just out there playing on his slides; but alas, he was making a complete mess of himself and his new wardrobe. Thanks to Clorox and Clorox 2, I was able to salvage the entire outfit, as well as the shoes. But who can resist this face?

I think he knew he was being naughty, but I didn't care too much.

He is one cute, muddy mess!

Savannah's Room

2011-11-15T00:27:00.004-05:00

Our computer broke a couple months back, so I have been unable to blog for awhile. I have lots to catch up on, so bear with me while I attempt the impossible. We have had our little girl's room ready for quite awhile, and we were quite pleased with the outcome. We wanted a very girly room, in contrast to Boston's Red Sox/Giants themed room. We fell in love with this crib set, and things just kind of went from there. Next I put together bedding for the queen bed, found little wall decals, made Savannah's name banner, and finally found these awesome lanterns. None of the decor technically went together, but I think it all compliments nicely.

Here's a close up of the crib. I absolutely loved this set the moment I saw it.

Here's the awesome lanterns I found (on sale!) at Pottery Barn Kids. One $10 light kit later, and we have overhead lighting that I absolutely love!

This I am particularly proud of. Nikki taught me how to make this banner. I did it all on my own. One of the hardest parts was deciding on which materials would go well with the room. I think I did a good job...

And here's the queen bed all ready for my long nights with Savannah. I always wanted to have a bed in Boston's room when he was a baby. I have only used this one time, and that was more for Mark's convenience than mine, on a night when Savannah was particularly vocal. I am wondering how much this will actually be used, since Savannah is actually a great sleeper. At least it looks cute!

Here's the changing table. It's so funny to me how decorations can make something so different. I cannot even recognize the nursery furniture in this room from when I had it for Boston. I thought it was such a cute "little boy baby" set then, and it seems like such a great "little girl baby" set now.

All in all, I am pretty happy with the way the room turned out. And it makes a great guest room with the queen bed in there (hint, hint...).

Mormon Night at A's Stadium

2011-09-14T10:52:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, we got to take Boston to his first ever baseball game. We met Nikki and John and the kiddos, and it was so much fun! I have to admit, I was kind of dreading having Boston there with us and wishing we got a babysitter... Boy am I glad I didn't do that! Boston LOVED it! I think he is an inate sports fan. When we got there, the A's were doing well already, so everyone was cheering. Boston was so excited! Every time the crowd cheered, Boston beamed and started clapping and cheering right along with everyone! It was the cutest thing ever.

Part way into the game, Nikki decided to get the kids some cotton candy... At first Catherine was tearing off miniscule pieces for Boston, who gratefully accepted. Soon, however, James realized how much Boston liked it, and he decided he would be the cotton-candy dispenser. He started by breaking off tiny pieces, which Boston pounded... It soon led to James pulling off huges hunks of candy, handing it to Boston, and Boston shoving his face. This lasted for several minutes, and most of the people near us were no longer watching the game. They were watching Boston and James! I must admit it was a pretty cute scene.

I don't know that James himself took more than a few bites, but between Boston and Catherine, that huge bag of cotton candy was gone! We had a lot of fun at the game, and I think we will have to make this a more regular family activity in the future.

Tilden Park

2011-09-14T00:02:00.002-04:00

A couple Sundays ago, Mark and I decided to go to Tilden Park for a ride on the trains and a family picnic. Boston was so excited! We knew he loved the trains already (who doesn't love a good choo-choo boogy ride?) but we had no idea how excited he would be for the picnic.

Here we are on the trains again. He loves them more and more each time we go (as his obsession with trains grows more and more each day).

After riding the trains, it was picnic time... We tried to have a picnic at the table, but apparently Boston had it in his mind that a picnic involved sitting on the grass on a picnic blanket, not at a table. He made it very clear that he wanted nothing to do with the table, and made a bee-line for this huge patch of grass!

Now that's more like it! I think it's because on several Mickey Mouse episodes, they have a picnic in the grass.. such a funny kid. He sure knows what he wants!

He was so happy once we were situated with our picnic blanket... and he soon became really interested with all the dandelions (or fla-las, as he calls flowers) in the grass. He spent several minutes picking them, bringing them to me, counting them, etc.

I LOVE this picture! Here's some fla-las, mom!

And I love his dirty little feet. We just let him go to town in the mud, doing what little boys do. He had a ball!

Here's Bossy chasing daddy!

And here's daddy chasing Bossy!

He spend several minutes picking flowers and placing them in my hands. He was so cute!

Soon he found these little wonders, and was so excited to see how you could blow them!

We had a such a fun day at Tilden with Boston... I think we will need to plan more picnics with him. I had no idea how much he would love it!

Boston's 2nd Birthday

2011-09-13T23:10:00.003-04:00

We celebrated Boston's birthday at home this year, with his cousins, Mitchell, Catherine and James. We had a small party with pizza and cake (which mommy didn't have the energy to make this year).

Here's a picture of Boston's first trike, or "bi-see-cole" as Boston pronounces it. He had been asking for a bicycle for several months and was so excited when he got this one.

Here's Boston checking out his trike. He still has yet to figure out the pedals but it happy just to be pushed on it like a stroller.

Here's Boston's birthday cake, which is just a costco sheetcake with Thomas the Train's Pirate Ship placed on top. Boston is obsessed with Thomas the Train. Everyday he asks us, "Mommy? Daddy? You wanna watch Thomas?" It's as if he thinks it is just as exciting to us as it is to him. It's way too cute.

Here Bossy is opening his gift from his cousins, a cash register, which he has played with like every day. He gets so excited at putting the "COINS!" into the slots and watching them come out of the register.

And here is Boston with his present form Grandma and Grandpa, a "SCOOTER!" He rides this thing all day long, inside and out. It's amazing how much control he has with it at such a little age. Rather impressive, I think.

Boston is getting to be such a big boy. Everyday he seems older and older to me. He is now speaking in full sentences, and he comes up with the funniest things. Just now Mark is walking up the stairs (and Boston is at the top)... Boston says, "Come on, daddy! You can do it!" We get such a kick out of this little smartie-pants and just love him!

Family Reunion June 2011

2011-09-10T18:07:00.005-04:00

This summer we had our first ever Gifford Family Reunion, right here in Brentwood. We did a variety of activities together, among them a tour of the USS Hornet, a trip to our favorite Tilden Park, and the always popular Brentwood farms fruit picking.

Here's my mom and dad sitting outside the "choo-choo buggy" (as Boston calls it) at Tilden Park.

And here they are again, with nearly all their grandchildren.

Here's a bunch of the clan enjoying a nice ride on the steam trains at Tilden.

Kaitlyn and Rachel were good sports with Boston and took him on a second round trip on the choo-choo buggies!

He was so excited to be riding on a real live choo-choo, one of his obsessions in life.

Here's Boston enjoying the scenery (and sweets) outside the Caroussel at Tilden.

Here, Kaitlyn, Rachel, and Alyssa are posing outside one of the many Brentwood farms just prior to picking our own fruit.

Boston is anxiously anticipating his turn inside to pick fruit.

Most of Boston's fruit did not make it into the bucket...

He went to town on the cherries. They were so good!

Here's a bunch of goof balls posing at the farm.

Here we are aboard the USS Hornet. Boston was a stink pot most of the time there.

Here's the grandkids posing, and of course, Boston is trying to break free!

This picture accurately portrays Boston's sentiments on being there... but at least he got to enjoy his choo-choos at Tilden afterward.

It was lots of fun to have everyone here at the same time. Between Nikki and John, and Mark and I, we all had a houseful... I think all the cousins particularly liked being able to get together all at once. Hopefully this was one of many reunions to come!

Disneyland - May 2011

2011-07-19T18:53:00.006-04:00

Toward the end of May, Mark, Boston, and I made a spontaneous trip out to Anaheim to go to Disneyland. Mark's mom, grandma, and niece and nephew joined us. We had a blast. It was amazing how much Boston took in. He loves Mickey Mouse, as we all know, so it was like complete magic to him. He was so excited to meet Mickey Mouse and Goofy! At first he just stared at them and grinned, but then he totally ran up to them. It was the cutest thing ever!

Here's Boston in his "Mousie-Hat". We had it embroidered "Hot Boston," since anything to do with Mickey Mouse is "Hot." He still wears it all the time.

Here we are waiting to go on Dumbo. He totally loved all the rides. I was shocked he was so into it being so young!

Here he is eating a churro for the first time. Yummy.

And, of course, no trip to Disney is complete without the Teacups!

Here's my boy, checking himself out in the mirror at the hotel. He is so funny!

Two of my very favorite parts of the trip were the Disney Junior live of stage, and the World of Color. Boston absolutely loved both. At Disney Junior, he got to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on stage, with little clips of other shows he loves. He was totally enthralled and grinned the whole time. At World of Color, he was so happy and in awe, that he wrapped his arms around Mark (who was holding him at the time) and gave him a huge hug and grinned at him. He was way too cute!

No Way, MOM!

2011-07-18T19:47:00.001-04:00

So I just posted this picture (not really sure when it was taken, but it made me laugh)... to say that I have full intentions of blogging this week. My computer has been on the fritz, and our camera has been broken for several months, but it seems as though the computer is going to cooperate long enough to let me post some pics from the iPhone. So hopefully this week, I'll have some updates!

Backyard Fun

2011-06-09T11:36:00.006-04:00

For Easter this year, the Easter Bunny brought Boston this backyard play structure. It came just in time, since Boston has for months now been sneaking out the dog door to the backyard. He didn't have much to do, except get into trouble (aka, digging up plants, throwing dirt, etc), until then. So we are glad he now has something to occupy his energy!

Boston had a hard time at first figuring out how to get up to the slides. He is a total champ now though! So here's daddy helping him learn to climb up.
Hmm, this looks like it might be interesting...

Yea! That was fun!

Watch out, Daisy... I'm going back for more!

Here he is climbing through the tunnel.

And here's the extreme close up!

This was so funny. I looked out the window, and Boston was taking his blankie up with him.

So this is totally blurry, but I thought it was so cute! He totally layed down with his blankie on the slide!

And this is his little outdoor water feature... not meant to be a kiddie pool, but that's what Boston had intended for it!
Looks like he's making the best of it!

Totally cracks me up that he just climbed on up there!

Anyway, Boston spends much of his days at home in the backyard now. He still uses the dog door most of the time, but at least he has something to do once he's out there.

Frenching It Up... and then some

2011-05-20T00:53:00.003-04:00

Boston has been up to some pretty cute/funny things lately. We thought we'd post just a few of his Boston-isms.

Mark and I have been trying to get him to count, but he has no interest. Until the other day... Mark says, "Boston, one... two..." Boston says, "No!" Suddenly Mark has an idea. He says, "OK, Boston, un... deux... trois..." Boston starts to giggle, and then repeats (in French) his numbers one through ten. Silly boy, we still can't get him to do it in English. Darn Disney Junior!

In my car, I have bluetooth, which I use a lot for hands-free driving (which is the only LEGAL type of car phone use in California). Well, I guess Boston has heard me use it one too many times, because every time we get in the car, he exclaims, "Call Mark!" This has recently been lengthened to, "Bossie, call Mark!"

When I drop off Boston at Nikki's house, I often call out, "Hey, Nik?" if I can't immediatley locate her. Boston now randomly calls out, "Hey, Nik?" at the grocery store, mall, Target, and most people's homes.

Boston loves Mickey Mouse (has pretty much since day one) and refers to it as "Hot Dog, Hot Mouse" when he wants to watch it.

Boston has recently taken a liking to the show "Glee" and will totally tune in for all the songs. It is seriously the cutest thing ever.

Boston has recently become very defiant when going to bed. This is new to us, as he has always been a very willing sleeper. Lately, he yells and screams for a few minutes, followed by knocking on his door and yelling out, "Hello???" Then he retires to his closet, shuts himself in, kicks the doors, and often falls asleep there. Rarely do we find him in his bed.

This boy is still so attached to his blankie. He not only needs it for bed time and nap time, but also for lunch time, play time, basically any time. I think he might just love his blankie just as much as he loves me!

It's a Girl!

2011-05-18T18:16:00.002-04:00

So this is probably old news for most people who read facebook, but I just realized I never announced via blog that we are having a GIRL! We are super excited! Savannah Rose will be joining our family sometime in October, and we are thrilled! Her closet is already stocked (pathetic, isn't it?) and we cannot wait!

Easter 2011

2011-04-26T00:25:00.005-04:00

This Easter was so much fun for us. We didn't think Boston would actually get into the whole egg hunt thing, but he totally did! We had Easter dinner at Nikki and John's, and afterward Mark and I hid 80 or so eggs for the four kiddos in the backyard. We made a few of them very obvious (right there in the grass), thinking that Boston wouldn't get the whole "hunt" for eggs business. Boy were we wrong! He did pick up all the eggs from the grass (see below)... He just kept piling them in and running from one egg to the next! Too cute!

But he not only got the ones from the grass, he actually found eggs! This picture was taken right after he found one hidden at the corner of the house... and as he was picking it up, he noticed another in the mulch. Can you see the "I spy" in his eyes?! So cute!

Here he found two eggs beneath this plant. I was such a proud mama! I couldn't believe my baby was actually LOOKING for eggs!

The hunt was dang cute while it lasted, but I must say it didn't last too long after he cracked open the first egg and realized it was packed with candy. He spent the next several minutes opening one egg after the other, and shoving candy into his mouth as quick as he could. I'm probably a bad mom and let him eat too much, but it was so cute to watch!

And here's all the kids (plus John) parading their stash of candy... And then there's Boston sneaking a taste from Catherine's basket too! It was so much fun, and I am so glad Boston was big enough this year to enjoy it!

Dad and Uncle Ken's visit

2011-04-22T12:42:00.005-04:00

This past week we had a quick visit from my dad and uncle Ken. My dad had a dental emergency and decided he might as well coax his brother into making a trip with him to have his treatment. Kristin and I were so glad he did. Once the dental visit was over, we were able to have a few days of fun before they had to drive back to St. George.

The night before they left to drive home we decided to have a BBQ outside. It has been such nice weather the past few weeks that we wanted to take advantage of being outside. The only problem was Kristin and I hadn't purchased a grill since moving from Indiana. We made a quick trip to the home store and ended up with this beauty. Ken and I spent a few hours putting it together while Kristin and dad went to buy the fixings for an amazing feast.

If you have ever put one of these together, you may know how much of a pain they are. Kristin and I put one together in Indiana and I swore I would never do it again. Well, when you visit the store and all the assembled ones have scratches and you don't have three days to wait for the store to put it together, I guess you do it yourself. They said it should take about 45 min. Well, Ken and I can attest to the fact it takes much longer than 45 min. I will again vow to never do this again.

Sue and Ken Anderson took my dad and Ken into the city on one of the days while I was working. They had such a great time. This was Ken Simkins first time visiting San Francisco so he wanted to see the Golden Gate. I will have to admit I was shocked when, on my day off, I gave them the option of visiting the Winchester gun museum and mystery house or returning to the city for the day, and my dad chose the city. I would never have pegged him as one who would pass up a gun museum for a city.

While in the city we took a bay cruise out under the Golden Gate and around Alcatraz island. It was foggy on the water but beautiful in the city.

We had to have a break for the traditional San Francisco favorite, clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.

My dad's decision to visit the city all made sense as we approached these ships in the harbor. The San Francisco Maritime Museum. We were able to tour all these ships and go through some interactive displays about San Francisco's maritime past and beginning as a port city. It was very interesting and actually quite fun.

Once we had our fill of the water, ships, sourdough, and the city, we left, complete with sunburns and totally exausted. Overall we had a great time while Ken and Dad were here. So glad they could come for a visit.

Mom and Gma's visit

2011-04-03T18:23:00.020-04:00

For her spring break my mom decided she would come visit us. She needed a travel partner for the drive, and we were so happy that she selected grandma. We had so much fun while they were here, and Boston loved seeing his Grandma and Nana. One day we took a trip into the city and down to Fisherman's Wharf. Grandma decided she wanted crab, so we had a delicious lunch at Alioto's and enjoyed the beautiful view of the bay. This was only our first of many crab experiences while Grandma was here. I think Alioto's just made us want more, so we bought fresh crab packed on ice for dinner that night and had a feast, complete with fresh sourdough bread, warm butter, and my new favorite cocktail sauce. These are a couple of pictures from our day in the city. After spending the day at the wharf, we drove across the Golden Gate and into Sausalito for a few pictures across the bay. Boston with his Grandma and Nana. He was such a good boy the entire day. This shot is for Jackson. He has decided that next time he visits us, he wants to go to this museum down at Fisherman's Wharf. He specifically called and let me know he wanted me to show my mom the museum.

While mom and grandma were here, we decided to take a trip down memory lane. It was fun driving around and seeing where my mom grew up.

This is the Church in Danville where my mom and her family were baptised into the LDS church.

This is the house in Walnut Creek where my mom grew up. They actually planted those red wood tree's in the front. They were huge!

This is Aunt Nee's house in Concord. It took a few wrong turns to get there since so much has changed. Aunt Nee owned a huge orchard here, and it has all been converted to housing now. They named the street where the original house is Leeland after Lee. I thought that was kind of cool.

This is mom and grandma out front of their Concord house.

One morning we went to Mimi's Cafe here in Brentwood for brunch. It was a relaxing day after touring all around the east bay.

Uncle Bob was in Walnut Creek checking up on a rental property, and we thought it would be a shame if he was so close and we didn't meet up for lunch. We met at a small place in down town Walnut Creek and had some time to talk and catch up.

Mare and Becca made the trek from Nevada City down to Brentwood for a short visit. This is in front of our house. We spent the afternoon talking and went out for dinner here in Brentwood before they had to drive back.

Overall we had such a great time visiting with everyone and seeing Mom and Grandma. Thank you guys so much for making the trip. We look forward to doing it again.

What happens in Vegas...

2011-03-08T02:21:00.001-05:00

I took a few days off work this week so that we could come see my dad in Vegas. We have been staying at the Aria Hotel, which is beautiful, as an aside. Well, tonight I went to get us some ice after quite a long day. For some background, Boston has recently begun to open doors. This has posed some challenges, mostly just making him a little harder to keep tabs on. Tonight, as I went for ice, Boston posed quite a challenge for Mark (I'm already giggling just writing this)! Mark had just begun to unwind, including stripping down to skivvies only, when he heard the slam of a door. Boston had taken the split second advantage he had been given (just after I left, but before Mark had a chance to lock the deadbolt) to hightail his little behind out the door and take off running down the hall. Mark's only thought was to get Boston back as soon as he could. It was not until the escapee was apprehended that he began to realize his present attire was not fit for social interaction. He reached our door just as it closed shut, locking him out. Meanwhile, I'm walking back from the ice machine, and soon I hear a familiar voice. I get closer and think, "Man, Boston is loud!". Then I get even closer and see this crouched figure, very interestingly clad, clutching a toddler to his front for dear life. At first I thought the two of them were just waiting for me for the fun of it. Boston seemed to be having a good time, anyway! But it quickly became apparent through the panic in Mark's eyes (and his urging for me to move faster) what must have happened. All I have to say is, it's good I listened to that little voice that told me to grab the key on my way out to get ice. I think I have a pretty awesome idea for the next "What happens in Vegas commercial...". Maybe we should submit it!

At the Zoo with Daddy

2011-02-09T00:44:00.001-05:00

We got annual passes to the zoo awhile back, but we hadn't been back since. So Mark decided on his day off that he would take Boston for a little adventure. I was pretty impressed, as I never thought Mark would dare take on an all day outing without me. But they had so much fun. Look how excited Boston is to be going with Daddy!

Here's Boss checking out the animals. I love this kiddo!

Boston and Daddy had a great day. I foresee may more outings to come, since our weather here is so beautiful lately.

Gorgeous Golden Gate

2011-02-09T00:37:00.001-05:00

It was such a gorgeous day on Sunday. Not a cloud in the sky. Warm, sunny, hard to believe it was February! After the beach we drove through Sausalito and headed to the Golden Gate Lookout. It was beautiful!

Boston's First Day At The Beach

2011-02-09T00:17:00.006-05:00

We had so much fun at the beach this last Sunday. Boston absolutely loved it! He was so excited to get down and dig his little hands and feet into the sand. And he loved the water, too! He would laugh and laugh when the waves came up and got his toes. He would even try to stretch his feet out as far as he could to touch it when the waves didn't quite reach. He was so stinkin' cute!

I definitely think we will have to make this a recurring thing. It was so nice to actually get out and do something, and Boston had an absolute blast!

TV Time - Boston Style

2011-02-08T23:57:00.001-05:00

Just a few more pics of Boston doing his favorite thing... I so regret buying this entertainment unit! If only I had the forethought. Ah, well...

Muir Beach Lookout

2011-02-08T23:54:00.002-05:00

We have decided we need to start taking advantage of living so close to the beach, especially now that it is getting warm. So this Sunday after church, we headed out to Muir Beach, near Sausalito. We stopped off at this little lookout first, and it was gorgeous.

Boston loved getting to run around for a bit after our drive.

I love this picture of Mark and Boston.
Isn't the view gorgeous?

Meet Me In San Francisco!

2011-02-08T23:37:00.001-05:00

A couple weeks ago, I was texting Cath, and I found out they were going to be flying to San Fran with Brent's work just for the afternoon the next day. So we ditched church (it was Stake Conference) and met them for clam chowder and a cable car ride.

It was great to see them, even just for a few hours. And Boston was so good! He fell asleep in his stroller while walking in Union Square. It was so nice, Mark and I got to shop in peace! I love this picture - this is what Boston always does when he's tired: plays with his hair and smells his blankie.

Here we are on the cable car ride back to the Pier. Boston was a little cranky on the ride there, but on the ride back (after his nap) he was totally working the crowd! He is so cute with people and always makes them smile. He talked, flirted, danced, clapped, you name it! He totally captured everyone on the car. Too cute!

Chocolate Conniption

2011-02-04T01:20:00.003-05:00

So the other day, I am at work when I get a text from Mark. He tells me that when he and Boston woke up, he noticed we were out of milk. So he went to get some and noticed some yummy looking donuts at Safeway. So he picked out a dozen (all the while, Boston is watching him lay them in one by one, saying, "Num, num, num!") and drove home. He broke off a bite of a glazed one for Boston. Boston smacked Mark's hand away. So Mark figured he probably just wanted to feed it to himself. So he broke off a bigger piece and handed it to him. Boston threw it down on the floor and screamed at Mark, then slammed himself on the floor and buried his nose! So Mark figured, OK, I guess he doesn't want donuts. So he gave him cereal, at which Boston's tantrum only heightened. Boston kicked and screamed, all the while yelling for num nums. So Mark had the bright idea that maybe Boston wanted to pick out his own. Yep, that was it. He opened the box, and Boston picked out the messiest, chocolatiest one, and happily went to town...

Yum, yum! What a stinkerpot!

Daisy Love

2011-02-04T01:11:00.002-05:00

So when we had Boston, I was convinced that Starkisha would be the one who'd always stay by his side. But it quickly became apparent that is was Daisy, which was shocking to us, as Daisy has always been so weird around anyone but Mark and me. This dog LOVES Boston. And Boston loves her, too.

It's so cute, Boston will just be sitting somewhere, and Daisy will come and jump into his lap and start cuddling into him.
Most of the time, Boston is really good with her and will just pet her. Sometimes he gets a little carried away though. So cute.

Parental Advisory: To all mom's of toddlers...

2011-02-04T00:58:00.003-05:00

This is why furniture items should be securely fastened to the wall. Boston has taken up the habit of climbing into the drawer of the entertainment unit. It was secured to the wall with heavy duty molly's. His constant climbing pulled the molly's clean out of the drywall (and no, I don't LET him do this... I turn my back for two seconds, and it happens). So we went and bought a stud locator, and now the unit is bolted in so tight, I wonder whether we'll be able to undo it when we move out!

You can't really tell from the picture, but that drawer is suspended several inches above the ground! Guess this is why these types of items have cautions on them. Geez!

More Christmas Pics

2011-02-04T00:09:00.005-05:00

We had a bunch of pics on the iPhone that we hadn't downloaded yet, but I wanted to post them. So here's some more Christmas Day pics!

Getting So Big

2011-01-10T02:32:00.003-05:00

Boston is getting so big lately. He is talking a lot and picking up on things very quickly. The other day we went in to get a coke (okay, it was like 7:00 in the morning, don't judge) and the lady at the counter (who knows us well by now...again, don't judge) said to Boston, "Good morning, handsome!" He replied back, "Ah Mo-nay!" Then as we walked away, he said, "Bye, see ya," which is one of his favorite things to say. But that was the first time he had ever said good morning, and he says it all the time now. It seems like that's the case with a lot of things lately. One day he will just pick up on it, and then it becomes part of his daily dialogue. I guess we'd better watch what we say! He has already repeated several things I've said such as, "Oh crap," "Shoot," and other choice phrases. Here are a couple cute videos (kind of long though) of Boston. In the first one, he kept saying, "Hi, Mama." He has recently started putting words together in short sentences, the longest of which was, "Bye, see ya, Mom," about a month ago. But he has learned to address people when he talks, which is so cute when he does it. In the second video, at the very end, he says, "Bye, see ya." I also love the second video because today was the first time Boston had ever been given dip for his food, and he was very much into it.

This is just a cute picture of Boston enjoying his dip.

Here's Boston trying to sit inside his Mickey Shoe Car Garage. It's a little small, but at one point he actually got one of his legs all the way in. It looked like he was wearing the garage like a pant leg. Too bad I didn't get a picture of it!

He is totally into anything Mickey Mouse lately. So cute. The other day, Nikki kept trying to get him to say her name. She kept saying, "Nikki.... Ni-ki..." to try and get him to repeat it. She said after the fifty millionth time she had said, "Nikki," he went and got Mickey and handed it to her, looking triumphant. Too cute.

Here's Boston, happy with his McDonald's shake I got him when he wouldn't eat anything that day... He had no trouble downing the vanilla shake. Go figure.

Boston is always pulling funny faces. Here is one of his "surprised" looks that he gives. He's so funny.

Just another cute shot of him and his shake.

Here's Boston enjoying his tool bench that Grandma got him for Christmas. The saw and drill make lots of noise, and he loves to get them both going at once.

He looks like he got caught doing something naughty here. Just making lots of noise, as always.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-10T02:26:00.004-05:00

This Christmas was really fun for me. Even though Boston was too young to understand why he was being showered with all these gifts, he was really excited at all the new toys. He even helped open quite a few of them. And some of them were almost completely unwrapped several days before Christmas, as he just couldn't keep his little hands off the shiny paper-covered boxes under the tree. At my house or at Nikki's. So he was pretty excited when he was finally allowed to tear open all the packages that he had been eyeing for several days. There are lots of pictures here, so I will just give a quick run down of the morning. He has a little sick that day (as he was most of December), so he started off a little slow. But the excitement and curiosity finally got the better of him. He enjoyed opening most of his presents, the favorites of which I believe are the Mickey Mouse Choo Choo and the gigantic mat of the ABCs. I find letters, numbers, and shapes all over my house. In kitchen drawers, crammed in the doors of the entertainment unit, you name it. But he loves it. Truth be told, we went a little overboard this Christmas on toys. But in our defense, Boston really had nothing to play with before and wasn't interested in playing with anything at the house. Now he pretty much has a designated play room and will play all day! So here's a bunch of picture from Christmas...

Random Shots from the Past Six Months

2010-12-28T01:17:00.009-05:00

I know my blogging has taken a serious hit since we left Indy six months ago (wow, crazy!) so I figured I would post a few pics to get us caught up to this Christmas...

And since stupid blogger uploads pictures backwards, you will get the update in reverse order. So prepare to move backward over the past several months with me here!

This is Boston, sick, as he has pretty much been the entire month of December. He has had several colds, two different flus, you name it. Luckily, I have only had to call in sick once, and Mark once as well, to take care of him. So here he is parking himself in front of the TV, which consequently he does all the time now. We'll have to monitor that one...

Here are some beautiful flowers my hubby sent me on my birthday earlier this month.
Here's Boston walking around naked in the kitchen, with nothing but his diaper and, of course, his shoes. My little boy has a fascination with shoes. It's almost scary. He is his mama's son. But I do take comfort in the fact that he also loves tools and cars and all boy toys. He actually shook his head "no" at a lady in church this week who tried to offer him a doll. So I'm not as worried about the shoe fetish as I may have been...

Love it, strut it!

Boston on Halloween. He was Pooh Bear dressed as the hunny bee. You know that one. Too cute.

My camera was seriously sucking, so the pics I got on Halloween were not the greatest.

Gotta have that lollipop. Boston's favorite candy. I kept him quiet at the DMV for two hours with two tootsie pops a few months back. Some dude took a picture of him! He was too cute, I'll admit. Not a peep. Just sucked away!

Here's Mark's office. He has been working with Dr. Bradburn since September. They work really well together and are so much alike. We are really grateful to Keith for hiring Mark, and I think he is also grateful to Mark for how well the practice is doing. It was definitely a win-win situation for all involved. I definitely know the Lord had a hand in setting this up!

Here is beautiful Clayton, the little town Mark works in. It's only about a half hour from our house, so the commute is not bad at all. Much better than the hour long commute I have been enduring since October... But, that all ends now! In January, I move to Manteca, which is a little over a half hour away. And I will be training to take over as the managing dentist. I was shocked to get this news, since I have only been with the company since October. I told them no when they offered me the position at first, because it was supposed to be full time. They asked again, and I said no again. They asked if the only reason was the full-time thing. When I said yes, they said they would work with me, but they really want me to do it!

Here's the house we are living in. We finally got it replenished with furniture. I'll have to take pictures. When we sold our home in Indy, the lady wanted everything in it, as is. So we got nothing, except a sold home. Which is good in retrospect. It all worked out.

Here's Boston one night, when we were living with Nikki. We slept in one room together. And for some reason, Boston thought it would be appropriate to wake up at 3 am and play. So here we are playing tea party. Once again, I go back to being comforted by his other manly interests.

This is Boston discovering that he had a pocket, and could fit Mickey Mouse inside it. He spent the next several minutes putting him in and taking him back out. Too cute.

Boston loves to sit inside little things. This is the tea tray, featured above. I would much rather see him doing this with it than what he was doing before. But what are you gonna do? He always finds something like this laying around to sit in. On Christmas day, it was boxes. At Nikki's house it was the sewing machine tray. Come to think of it, maybe I should keep him away from there... That's where he gets into all these girly things.

Here's Boston thinking he is so big, because he had just learned to climb the stairs, and just made it up all the way.

And here he is mid-way up them. He learned really well over at Nikki's, which made it nice for when we moved into our house, which also has stairs.

So there's a very quick run down, with pictures, of what the past six months have been like for us. Did I leave anything out? Oh, yes. In October, we bought a new car. A 2010 Honda Accord EXL. Beautiful car. In November, I bought another new car. A 2011 Honda Accord EXL. Not because I thought the 2010 wasn't new enough. But because some idiot lady made an illegal left turn right into me. Broadsided me, and then ran me in to a traffic light pole. The car was totalled. It had less than 1000 miles on it. Luckily, I walked away from it with nothing but a laceration on my wrist. Other than that, I think I pretty much hit all the highlights!

Too Cute For Words

2010-11-26T01:07:00.002-05:00

Updates on us later... but I had to post these. He posed himself, by the way. Just sat down and starting striking it! It was the cutest thing I've ever seen!

Updates...

2010-10-09T09:59:00.003-04:00

OK, for everyone who talks to us all the time, this will be a boring post, since it doesn't have any pictures, and you already know all of this... But for anyone else, read on... This summer (and early fall) has been the most stressed out either of us has ever been. Mark decided not to do a periodontal residency (which he had already been enrolled in and was set to start July 1st) late in June. We had some very quick decisions to make, but the answer seemed obvious: we always wanted to live in California, and I have a sister here who volunteered to watch Boston while I work. So it was a no brainer. We put our house up for sale in July (which closed in August, thank goodness), packed up, and got ready for the move clear across the country.

I finished up my requirements in early July, and we moved out of our home in Indianapolis, and in with my sister in Brentwood, California. We thought it would only be for a couple weeks, but we were grossly underestimating how much time things take. It took Mark until late August to get his DDS license, and it took me until September. We moved out without a real plan (no leads as to where we would be working) but figured since we were licensed in California, if we couldn't find jobs in the bay area, we could always go anywhere in the state. We had interviews in San Diego set up, as well as in the central valley, since it seemed we were getting nowhere on the job front here in Brentwood.

Just before we were about to head out to San Diego (they had two offices within 10 minutes of each other, and wanted us each to take one), Mark got a call from a dentist in Clayton (about a 20-30 minute drive from Brentwood). Mark had been talking with him for a couple weeks. He was looking for an associate eventually, but he just hadn't been ready yet. Well, things changed. He called and told Mark that his hygienist was out on maternity leave, and that he could take over her part time hygiene position for a month or so, and then he would transition him into the practice as a dentist. Mark is now practicing with him, has signed a two-year contract for a full time dentist associate position, and they are already talking about opening a second practice together. As for me, I had been pursuing the only other dentist in Clayton. She is expanding her practice next year. We really hit it off, but until she opens the new office sometime next year, she doesn't have room for a second dentist. So we have agreed to keep in touch, and hopefully the time will be right for both of us sometime next year. For now, I finally received a job offer, and I am actually super excited about it. It was supposed to be a five-to-six-day-per-weeker... but they liked me so much that I talked them into 3-4 days per week, and higher pay (Maybe it also had something to do with how I TORE UP my working interview - I did two root canals on a patient in about 45 minutes, not to mention like 8 fillings in a half hour, and all the work was beautiful!).

So that took care of the work aspect, but we have been stressing about how to afford moving into our own place. Things here are pretty expensive anyway, so 1st and last months rent, plus deposit, adds up to a pretty hefty sum, which we just don't have yet. We have looked at several houses, and there was one that we looked at about three weeks ago that we just kept coming back to. The only problem was, we knew we wouldn't be ready to pay all that money up front for at least another month or so. But, as fate would have it, the people who ended up renting it just found out that a house they were trying to buy was going to work out afterall... So they had already paid for September's rent, plus half of October's, and were hoping someone could step in and take the lease. So that's where we come in... We really lucked into this one (I guess you could call it luck, I don't) and are very excited to be able to give Nikki and John back their house. We really appreciate all they did for us during this transition, but I know they've got to be ready to give Catherine back her room... let's just say that lately, Mitchell's family prayers have involved phrases like, "And please help Mark and Kristin find a house..." Well, we are certainly glad we finally did, and we move in on Tuesday! So there's our life for the past three months. Pretty crazy. I will post pics soon of the new house!

He's Walking!

2010-09-27T19:31:00.003-04:00

Here's a short video of Boston walking... he is getting better and better everyday. Check him out!

He's Special Agent Boston!!!

2010-09-27T19:25:00.004-04:00

Boston absolutely loves the show Special Agent Oso. It is definitley not my favorite, but it makes him happy. Check him out...

So intent...

So focused...

I don't know what it is about this show, but it keeps him glued!

OK, mom, I think I'd rather play with the camera afterall!

His Sunday Best (or James')

2010-09-27T19:10:00.002-04:00

Here's Boston this Sunday, in James' clothes from head to toe (or shoe). I thought he looked pretty dang cute, mohawk and all. Oh, the benefits of having a cousin exactly one year older! Thanks, Nik!

Ice Cream Sundays

2010-09-13T00:27:00.003-04:00

And, yes, I meant Sundays, not sundaes. Yesterday Nikki brought homemade ice cream sandwiches to primary. She made, like, 120 of them, so there were plenty of leftovers, much to Boston's delight. After dinner, I put a whole one on his tray. At first, he just looked at it and grinned... Then, he began to taste it...
Next, he began to bite it...
And then he smiled at it some more... Then, he played with it...
Then, he began to devour it...

And finally, he demolished it!
And he was super happy about the whole thing! He seriously ate almost the entire thing - two full sized chocolate chip cookies and the ice cream in between - and he loved every minute of it! This post was for you, Jessica, since you needed your "Boston fix."

Night-Night, Lew-Lew!

2010-08-12T23:20:00.003-04:00

So this is kind of blurry, but you'll get the picture... Today, Boston and I hung out with my dad and Rachel. My dad kept falling asleep on us, so we did a number of things, from tickling him with a feather duster, to throwing balls at him, etc. He kept waking up, and then falling back asleep. So we decided to try something that might just help him sleep a little better...

Night-night, Lewey!

Time For Cake!

2010-08-02T00:45:00.002-04:00

After opening gifts, it was time to cut into the cake. The first to go was the Rice Krispie Mickey. All my nephews jumped in, calling an ear, a head, whatever they could claim! Then we cut into the cake. The top layer was a yummy vanilla cheesecake flavored cake with chocolate chips and buttercream frosting. The bottom was chocolate cake with chocolate chips and buttercream frosting. Both were equally delicious! And Boston loved them both as well.

Here's Boston trying to decide what to do with it. It was hard not having a high chair there, but we made it work on mommy's lap!
Boston starts by poking in a finger or two, as Grandma watches on.

He's being a little timid at first, so mommy tries to help. Boston won't let me feed him anything else, so why cake?

Nope, I can do it myself, mom!

Yep, I've got it down now!

Such good cake, mom! Thanks for making it for me!

I started getting too much cake dripped on me, so I stuck him ontop of the table and hung onto him from behind. That's when he really went to town!

And here's the aftermath. We headed straight for the tub.

We had so much fun with him!

Boston's 1st Birthday Bash

2010-08-01T20:33:00.005-04:00

We celebrated Boston's first birthday in Vegas this year at my parent's house. We had to go to Vegas to do something anyway, so we decided as long as we were out there, we may as well celebrate a little early. Boston was super excited to see everyone and to see all the new toys and his cake. Here's Boston (center-obviously), Natalie (left, top), Brayden (left-bottom), and Addyson (right) checking out Boston's new ride-on Mickey Mouse toy from Grandma and Grandpa Gifford.

I think he likes it!
Yep, he REALLY likes it! Check out that smile!

Here's Boston opening his present from Aunt Annie (or Auntie Anne, as she likes to be called) and his cousins, Jackson, Natalie, and Brayden.

Thanks for my Mickey Mouse tableware and jammies! And I love my piano, too!

Here's Boston and mommy opening his gift from Aunt Angie, Uncle Ron, Kaitlyn, and Rachel, as cousins Stephen (top), Alyssa (left), and Benson (bottom) watch.

I love my lawnmower! Thanks, guys!

Here's Boston with his new Aphabet Pal. Thanks, Aunt Jena, Uncle Ryan, Harrison, Stephen, and Benson! I love it! As an aside, Mark and I have wanted to get this for Boston for awhile. Actually, Mark has wanted it for awhile. He plays with it every time we go to Babies-R-Us and tries to spell bad words, which it won't pronounce. Way to sensor, Leap Frog!

Here's mommy's favorite gift ~ Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Simkins for all my cute clothes! I was super excited to get these clothes for Boston, especially since we only have one pair of jeans, and we will definitely be wearing them all year long, living in Cali!Here's Boston and Natalie playing with his new Mickey Mouse car! Doesn't he look excited!

Happy Birthday, little man! We love you so much!

My name's Mommy, and I'm the Boss! (AKA, Boston's birthday cake)

2010-08-01T19:11:00.008-04:00

OK, so there are lots of pictures here, but I am super proud of this cake! I had it in my head that I was going to make Boston a Mickey Mouse cake since he was just a few months old. At first, I envisioned a complete 3-D replica of the Clubhouse. Then I realized my name is Mommy, not Buddy, and I don't live in Hoboken. So then I thought I would just do a round cake with some Mickey cut-outs and maybe some figures on top. Then, my ideas got more elaborate from there, until finally, I came up with this:

Oooh, Aaaah! I know it isn't as good as Buddy would do, but I still feel like I'm the Boss!
Here's me and my masterpiece!
And here's me with all my helpers. Kaitlyn and Rachel were real troopers helping me with this cake. I started baking it with Kaitlyn at 3:00 the night before the party. By 10:00 pm, Rachel came home from girl's camp, and we were still fussing with rolling out the fondant. So Rachel and Kaitlyn (and Mark, although I know he doesn't really want to be mentioned as a cake-maker) came over to grandma's and helped me roll out fondant until after midnight! Then they came over the next day and helped me decorate it for two more hours! Kaitlyn was awesome with piping, and she actually made the grass for us!

This picture is kind of dark, but I love how in awe Boston was of the cake. I think he thought it was a toy or something!

Cutest boy! He had just awaken from his nap to all this chaos!

Doesn't he look like, "Oh, what is that?!"

Mommy and Boston getting ready for the party to start... He looks so old to me in this picture!

Mark's family got to come down to my parent's house for the party as well, so Boston had lots of cousins from both sides with him to celebrate! Poor kid, he looks so tired here!

And here's the back of the cake, which I think might be even cuter than the front, since the black Mickeys are only on the back. Oh, did I mention that the cake topper Mickey is a "cereal treat" covered in fondant?

Here's Boston with Mommy, Daddy, and the cake again. This cake took so much time to make, but I had lots of fun doing it. Thanks Kaitlyn and Rachel for helping! You guys were awesome!

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

2010-08-01T18:21:00.003-04:00

After going to the aquarium, Boston got to try his first chocolate chip cookie. We tried to get him to eat something normal, but he wouldn't, and I knew he had to be hungry. He is on this self-sufficient kick, where he won't let me feed him anything. So anything he eats, he has to feed himself.

He went totally nuts with it and was so excited the whole time he ate it! Check out this cheez!
Super-messy little fingers!

OK mom, I'm all done!

He was so cute with it, and it was a good trial run before his birthday cake yesterday. Love this little boy!

A Day at the Aquarium

2010-07-30T01:29:00.003-04:00

So we have been living with Nikki and John for a couple weeks until we start working and find a place to live. Catherine has been sweet enough to lend us her bedroom and is bunking with Mitchell! Boston is loving being around his cousins, although I don't know that I can say the same for little James. He is having a tough time sharing the spotlight with his baby cousin! Just before Mitch and Catherine started school, we decided to head on up to San Fran for a day at the aquarium. Boston was totally into it!

Here he is checking out the jelly fish with his mama. Hmmm, I think I'm going to have to start wearing base for the first time since high school! Holy redness!

And the next two pictures are Boston and daddy checking out the fishies!

At one point, Boston totally dove for it! Actually, at more than one point!

Here's John and the kiddos enjoying themselves at the aquarium. I think this is the first picture I've seen where these kids aren't "posing."

It was pretty crowded and stuffy inside. Luckily, they had a place where you could go out and get some fresh air. And yes, Mark is wearing a jacket. And yes, Boston is wrapped in a blanket. And yes, it was July. I LOVE San Francisco! I'm so happy to have moved to the bay area. It's just gorgeous!

So Where Do We Begin?

2010-07-30T01:10:00.002-04:00

I know most everyone already knows what we've been up to. But for those of you who keep in touch via blog only... Woa! So much has changed for our little family so quickly. As you probably know (knew?), Mark was planning on starting a residency in periodontics this summer, and we were going to be spending three more years in Indiana. That didn't happen. Long story short, lots of crap happened, and we decided it was in our best interest to both be finished with school and get started with "real life." So we started packing...

Above: Boston in his new "play pen" while we packed. He refuses to be in the pack and play now that he can stand and furniture cruise. So we stuck him in our cleared out closet to play while we worked.

And packing led to putting the house up for sale. There's a long story there; maybe I'll post about it once we figure out what the crap is going on with it! Anyway, we headed out to Brentwood, CA to look for jobs. We are still waiting on our licenses, but so far things are looking good. We are loving it out there and are happy to be by family again. Don't know that Nikki is quite as happy to have us SO close!

I have so much more to post, so stay tuned... Boston's first birthday is coming up also, so I'm sure there will be even more to post in the next few days.

Little Boys and Tonka Trucks

2010-06-18T21:11:00.005-04:00

What is it about little boys and trucks? I swear they come hardwired to know exactly what they should and shouldn't like. Boston has been pushing things around the living room for awhile now. Any object he can find, he'll "drive" it around the living room. The other day it was the bookends from his bookshelf. Well, we decided it was time to break down and get the poor kid some cars and trucks. We went to Meijer (or as Nikki calls it, Mujer) and picked out a couple tonka trucks for him. He has gone absolutely hog wild for them! Ten months old and already such a little boy! He will drive them all around the house. Yesterday, he drove it from the entry way, thru the living room, and into our bedroom. This kid LOVES trucks! The most hilarious thing is, he hasn't figured out how to get it to stand back up if it falls over, so he throws a hellatious fit when it tips. I was able to catch it on video, and it's the funniest thing in the world. Boston has been doing a lot of fit throwing lately when he doesn't get his way. He has also been doing a lot of biting when he doesn't get his way. The other day, I interrupted his play time to make him eat lunch, and he was not pleased. So he threw a total fit, kicked, screamed, punched, and finally BIT me on the shoulder. I told him, "NO!" He tried to bite me again. He is still the cutest thing ever, but he is becoming quite the stink pot! Anyway, here are some pictures of him driving his truck around, and finally the cutest videos in the world. The first is him driving his truck around and the start of the fit when it tips over. The second is the continuation of the fit after it tipped over. What a little stink! Enjoy!

10 Months Old - So Many New Tricks!

2010-06-08T08:42:00.005-04:00

Boston is ten months old, and I can hardly believe it! He really is growing up fast, which makes me so sad, but I have enjoyed every second of it. He is still the best little baby ever and is very content most of the time.

He is learning so much these days - here's Boston standing up at the couch. He can't get himself up all the way alone (he tries), but with a little butt boost, he'll stand and pound on the cushions, and is so proud of himself!This is one of Boston's favorite faces to make. He scrunches his face and sniffs in and out as he does it. I think most babies make this face/sound at one time or another, and I think he is too dang cute doing it!

Here's a couple pictures of Boston getting "packed."

Don't you just love the tongue?

OK, mom, I'm ready to get out now!

Here are some facts about Boston, age 10 months:

1. He totally knows the difference between "mama" and "dada" and addresses us each separately now (last month, I was dada too). My favorite is when he's on my lap, he looks up at me, smiles, says "mama" so sweetly, and then gives me a hug! I just melt!

2. He loves playing with his dogs. For awhile it was just Daisy that would play with him, and he laughs and laughs at her. Starkisha now joins in the fun, if there is a toy involved. Boston will hold her toy out for her, she comes and grabs it from him, and he laughs hysterically. Too cute!

3. He is starting to use a sippie cup (I think I've said this before) but still will only take a few sips. Not enough to make it easy on mommy being away.

4. He has four teeth and likes to bite things/me - can you say ouch!

5. He gives me kisses all the time. He'll say mmmmmm and lean in and give me a long kiss! Watch out, ladies, this one's going to be a little charmer!

6. He dances to a few of his toys that play music. Don't know where he learned that from!

7. He is very predictable and very scheduled. He has his set routine, which he sticks to every day. When he can't stick to it (like on Sundays), he is NOT pleased.

8. He is very finicky about eating. Most days we can hardly get him to eat any food at all. There are only a few baby foods he will still take - most of them involving chicken and some sort of noodle. He mostly just likes to eat yogurt drops. I think he would eat solely that if we would let him. He has been eating more of our foods though, which is kind of handy when he'll do it.

9. He is into EVERYTHING! Babyproofing has become necessity.

He is so much fun, and we love him so much!

Boston's First Swim

2010-05-31T17:00:00.003-04:00

Boston got to swim for the first time today. We got him all slathered in Water Babies, put on his 'lil swimmers diaper and boardies, and busted out the camera because he was so cute! Check him out in this picture - he just noticed I had the camera and went for it!

Here he is crawling, trying to get ahold of it!
And here he is cheezing it up before heading for the water!

Here's Boston in the water, in his little froggie floatie... he totally loved it!

He was splashing like crazy, squealing, giggling, and kicking all over the place. He absolutely loved his first little swim! So dang cute!

Chocolate Milk Chaos

2010-05-31T16:36:00.003-04:00

The other day I decided to let Boston try chocolate milk from a sippie cup. We had him stripped down to his diaper because we were outside working in the yard and it was so stinking hot, so I handed him a sippie with chocolate milk while he played in his pack-n-play. At few minutes later, I went to check on him, and this was how he looked!

Really, these pictures do not do justice to how much chocolate milk was ALL OVER him. Check out his left eye though... so funny!
I think he really enjoyed the little bit he actually got in his mouth, though.

And this is about the goofiest little smile I've ever seen him give. So funny!

Macaroni Madness

2010-05-29T14:17:00.002-04:00

I know it seems like all my posts lately involve Boston eating something in his high chair. I swear it's not the only thing he does. We don't just stick him and there and feed him all day. That being said, he is definitely aware of food now. The past week or so he has refused to eat any of his baby food. Mark was having a hard time getting him to eat while I was at school one day and decided to try mac-n-cheese. What do you know, he loved it! Here he is with a few noodles on his tray (and spoon in hand, which he now demands). It was so cute to see his little fingers work together to grasp the noodles!

Of course, we haven't quite mastered putting spoon with food in the mouth, but we've got spoon alone down!
I thought this was so cute - check out those greasy little fingers!

Since then, Mark and I have really made a conscious effort to eat more healthy, since Boston is obviously going to demand to eat what we eat. So lately, here are some of the things Boston has enjoyed: fresh bananas, pumpernickel bread from Cheesecake Factory (not so healthy, but who wouldn't love that), feta cheese (seriously, are you kidding me?), cottage cheese with pears, and a vegetable medley of squash, zucchini, tomato, and spinach. I can't believe our little baby is so big!

Silly Boston

2010-05-22T18:29:00.005-04:00

Boston is getting so big these days. He has been doing some "big boy" things lately, like sitting in his high chair and feeding himself snacks, and playing quietly in his pack and play while mom and dad clean/study/whatever. Here's our big guy in his high chair eating an afternoon snack. Notice anything funny?

If you didn't notice, here it is closer up. Boston got one of his snacks stuck in his ear, all by himself. He didn't even realize it was there. I cracked up when I saw it!

Boston has enjoyed playing in his pack and play lately. I thought he might last week when I stuck him in the laundry basket. The pack and play has become a morning routine now. Boston wakes up, eats, gets held for awhile, and then plays in his pack and play (while watching Oso or Mickey Mouse) while I get ready for school and Mark sleeps in a bit. Looks pretty happy with the arrangement, don't you think?

He is so cute in it!

The best is when he stick his face right up against the netting and makes faces at us. Check him out! We just love this kid so much!

Eating can be so much fun!

2010-05-16T17:02:00.002-04:00

Boston was cracking up last night as he was eating. He was giggling like he has never giggled before! We sat and enjoyed him for a long while, and then we thought, we really should be video-ing this. By the time we got it ready, the laughter was starting to die down, but this video is still totally cute (and so is this picture)!

Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to rotate the video... but it still gives you a little preview. And this is seriously the END of his laughing spell! So cute!

Not quite a play pen, but...

2010-05-16T16:56:00.002-04:00

I put Boston in the laundry basket today with a few toys, just as a little joke, but he totally loved it! It killed me! He is still in it, as I blog, and he is showing no signs of fatigue! He has just been chillin' with a few toys and babbling and having a good time!

'Sup mom!

I love this extreme close up! Check out those eyebrows (and that red hair)!

This is totally fun, mom!

And my favorite... I just love this little guy!

Tent Time!

2010-05-16T16:48:00.002-04:00

Boston has been crawling underneath his exersaucer a lot lately. It totally makes me laugh... he will just sit or lay underneath and play! The other day, Mark decided to add blankets over the top to see if he would like a little tent. Well, he did! He crawled on in and set up camp with a few of his toys and absolutely loved it!

I've got my blankie, my ball and bat, and I'm ready to roll!

Is that the cutest kid, or what?!

9 Month Well Check

2010-05-10T23:34:00.005-04:00

I can't believe Boston is nine months old! We had his well check today, and here are his stats:

Height - 29 inches, 75th percentile
Weight - 21 lb 10 oz, 50th percentile
Head - 95th percentile (of course)
Cute-o-meter - 100th percentile (although this one was only documented by me!)

Boston is such a fun, cute, sweet little boy! We are enjoying every minute we get to spend with him. Here's what Boston is up to at age 9 months:

1. He is ALL OVER THE PLACE. He cannot hold still for two seconds. He will not allow you to put him in the exersaucer anymore - he is simply too busy to sit and is always on the go! This is probably why his weight went from 90th percentile to 50th!

2. He has learned to sip from a sippie cup, as long as it has a straw! Halelujah on this one! His doctor says we should start introducing cows milk slowly over the next three months so that he can transition easily when he's a year.

3. He loves to eat and wants to eat what you are eating. He is on the stage 3 foods and is loving MOST of them. He still does not love green veggies, but he will eat them if he's hungry. We have been giving him little tastes of our food. He had garlic mashed potatoes and went nuts for them at dinner on graduation night (don't know if that was a good idea). The doctor says we can feed him what we eat (with the exception of eggs and nuts) as long as he won't choke. So we will continue to slowly introduce him to new foods.

4. He loves those little Gerber graduates puffed cereal snacks. We sit him in his high chair with a bunch on his tray, and he goes to town and will sit quietly for a long time just enjoying his snack!

5. He has four teeth. The bottom two are all the way in, and the top two are still working their way out. His gums are still so swollen and owie looking up there!

6. He still has the cutest, deepest little baby voice. I love to hear him babble all day long. He is so dang cute!

7. He is wearing size 12-18 months clothes, although a few 6-12 months items still fit. We are switching him now to size 4 diapers, since the 3's barely cover his little bum crack!

8. He still loves watching Playhouse Disney, especially Special Agent Oso, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Handy Manny. He recognizes the theme songs and cranes his neck around to watch and smiles when he hears them. I might be in trouble...

9. He has tried (and LOVES) coke. I know, I am a terrible mother.

Here are some pictures of him enjoying his cereal snacks today after his well check. Such a cute, big boy!

GRADUATION!

2010-05-10T23:18:00.001-04:00

The day has finally arrived (and passed)... we graduated from dental school on May 8, 2010! I remember thinking 2010 was AGES away! I cannot believe it finally came! Mark's Mom, Dad, Annie and Brayden, and my Mom, Angie, Ryan, Brent and Catherine all flew out to be with us for the occasion. Ryan got to "hood" us, which was really neat. Mark and I started the tradition this year for IU in having family member hooders. It was really cool to have Ryan up there with us, rather than just faculty members. It was a LONG ceremony (assisting students and hygiene students graduated along with the 100+ dental students), but we can now call ourselves "Doctor." Here are some pictures taken throughout the ceremony, thanks to Annie. I can't believe Mark and I forgot our stinking camera!

Here's Boston chillaxin' with my mom during the ceremony. Apparently, my mom and Angie kept him quiet throughout the entire two hour hoopla by feeding him Ritz crackers. What a cutie!

Here we are after the ceremony with our "diplomas," AKA empty cardboard tubes for "show" which will soon be replaced with our diplomas.

And here's the three stooges! Me, Mark, and Ryan Pini... it seems SOOOO long ago that the three of us used to stay up all hours of the night at our house studying for bi-weekly exams back in first year! Holy crap! It's finally over!

And here's Mark with his proud parents! Yea for Drs. Simkins! But Mark still has three more years for perio... haha, glad it's not me!

Boston and Brayden

2010-05-10T23:01:00.001-04:00

Boston got to meet his cousin, Brayden, for the second time this past week. Mine and Mark's family came out to Indy for graduation, and little Brayden got to come along for the ride. Boston had so much fun bugging him (AKA, crawling over to him and trying to touch him, pat him, smack him, poke him, etc). They were really cute together - it was funny how aware they were of each other. Here are a few pics of the boys in their little baseball outfits.

It looks like Brayden is bigger than Boston in these pictures, but it's just the angle. Brayden is quite a bit smaller (4 1/2 months) than Boston (9 months), but he really held his own with all the poking and smacking Boston did to him! And don't worry guys, we didn't let Boston hurt him... he was just VERY interested in his cousin.

Big Boy, Biter Biscuits!

2010-05-10T22:39:00.003-04:00

OK, I have lots to blog and catch up on. So much has happened the past little while, so we will start with what Boston has been up to lately. Boston is now nine months old and has learned a few new tricks. Aside from crawling like a maniac, he has learned to "self-feed." He discovered biter biscuits about a week ago and absolutely loved them. They made a huge mess (we learned he has to be in his high chair or everything is covered) but it was totally worth it! Here is our little cutie enjoying his biscuit... or rather, here is how our little cutie looked after enjoying his biscuit!

One Crawling Maniac

2010-04-26T21:31:00.002-04:00

OK, so Boston has been army crawling like crazy lately! He is so stinking cute how he just throws his little body around. Nothing is safe anymore! We are going to be "baby proofing" soon, I think, because Boston is in to EVERYTHING! Here is the cutest little video of him crawling after the vacuum, which he absolutely l0ves. It's kind of long, and most of the action happens in the dark (no pun intended)... but it's worth watching because he's so stinking cute. Oh, and as for going private... I have been informed (by my sister) that I am just being freaky. Since you can't google my blog, there is no real threat. So unless I find a real reason, I guess I'll continue without going private. Enjoy!

Not quite the Cake Boss, but...

2010-04-24T15:15:00.007-04:00

OK, so last week at our graduation party (which I have no pictures of because Boston demanded to be held the entire time... whoever took them of us, cough up!) a couple people suggested that I make a cake in the shape of a tooth for our "LDS Graduation Party." I don't know why people think I have a knack for these things, but I'm beginning to. Well, I thought, I'll do ya one better... I'll make a denture! Mark thought I was crazy at first. Guess he doesn't "get" my inate genius after all these seven years. Well, I decided to go for it. First, I made two batches of rice krispie treats and molded them into denture teeth. At this point, I think Mark started to believe in me. Then I made pink fondant and white modeling chocolate. I read online that fondant is harder to work with than the modeling chocolate, but I'm not sure that's the case... Anyhow, this morning I made two sheet cakes and buttercream frosting. And then I got to work!

Here, I had the two cakes stacked, and I even cut out an area for the "palatal vault." As Mark would say, I "beveled" it... that's dorkie dentist talk for cutting on an angle to blend the margins.

Next, I "dirty iced" it. That's dorkie Cake Boss talk for frosting it prior to putting on the fondant.

Then, I got the fondant rolled out and onto the cake. I even made sure to place the "posterior palatal seal," or that part of the denture which goes into the soft palate to help with suction.

Next, I covered the teeth in white modeling chocolate and placed them onto the "wax rims." All you dentists and dentists wives will know what I mean =)

Afterward, I piped in papilla, rugae and "sealed" the denture to the "cast." AKA, I piped on the gums and bumps in the top of the palate. And then, I beheld my masterpiece!

I must say, it turned out even better than I expected!

Private Blogs

2010-04-16T09:27:00.002-04:00

OK, it's kinda freaky that just anyone can read whatever I post... I believe I am going to follow suit and go private. If you read this blog and want to continue reading, leave me your email address or email me directly. Also, let me know who you are if it isn't clear in your email address! Obviously there's a reason I'm going private, so if I don't know who you are, don't bother!

Rollie Pollie

2010-04-12T20:38:00.004-04:00

Boston is not crawling yet. But who would when you can haul some serious bootie just by rolling? Boston can be on one end of the living room, and he'll literally reach the complete opposite end of the room in a matter of seconds. Here are some of his favorite things to get into: the curtains (which have been tied up out of his reach), the sliding glass door jam (which has been cleaned with q-tips and bleached since I caught him playing in it), the doggie door (he inches himself over to it and either sticks his feet out of it or trys to put the door in his mouth), the TV stand (that one makes me nervous), and a new one today - the underneath side of the chair.

How he managed to roll himself under this chair is beyond me (well, not really, I watched him do it). But the funny thing is, he must have liked it, because these pictures were taken the SECOND time he did it. I pulled him out the first time, and he proceeded to roll himself right back underneath.

He had a pretty good time banging on the under side of the chair. I think he liked the tag or something. Anyway, whatever makes him happy, I guess. I sure miss the days where I got to lay him down, run and get a drink from the kitchen, and run back. Now he has to be secured in his exersaucer for me to so much as pee!

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BACK-YARD!

2010-04-11T14:41:00.007-04:00

So you were supposed to be singing that to the tune of "Take me out to the ballgame," but whatever... So after church, following his photo shoot in his church get-up, we decided to take Boston out to the backyard to play. It was pretty darn warm today, so we got him suited up for the warm weather. We got him all slathered with sunblock and went out to play. Mark gave him a real live bat and ball, which he was totally enthralled with! There are lots of pictures here, so I won't comment on all of them, but some were just too cute to leave out of the post.

After playing with his real bat and ball (more like, after mom and dad watching every move I make with my bat and ball) we decided to switch it out for some real playtime. He loves this toy Angie got him. As soon as we brought it out, he totally dove for it!

He is so cute! We just love this little guy!

Boston's Sunday Best

2010-04-11T14:39:00.001-04:00

I don't particularly feel like writing a novel as per the usual, but Boston was so stinking cute today at church, we just had to take some pictures. He was in his khaki linen suit (the jacket is off because it got so hot today) and the cutest little man shirt. We also did a mohawk on his hair. Or at least, we attempted to. It turned out pretty cute, I thought, even though there isn't much there.

Enough said, I think!

Yummy Yummy French Fries!

2010-04-07T20:51:00.003-04:00

We didn't get any pictures of Boston on Easter, which I'm kind of sad about. Don't know what the heck I was thinking, but oh well. I considered re-staging it, with him, his basket, and his cute little outfit. But then I decided it wouldn't be the same. So here's something else cute...

Mark has been home with Boston this week, which he loves, but he hasn't been out of the house much. So today in my roughly hour and a half time slot between morning and afternoon clinics, we decided to get lunch at Wendy's. Boston, as always, just sat there being a good little boy. But he was totally eyeing our food. So I grabbed a fry, licked off all the salt (I know, that's totally gross) and held it up to him. He totally went for it. I thought he would gag, but he loved it! It was so cute watching him. At one point he actually started taking tiny little bites and gumming it! He ate two whole fries. It was the cutest thing in the world!

So, not quite as fun as easter pics, but still pretty darn cute!

Some Spring in our Steps...

2010-03-18T20:25:00.005-04:00

This month has been hell, and while the worst is yet to come (we have practical boards next week), at least we now finally found patients who are willing to come out to Lexington to sit for the exam. With the stress of procuring patients behind us, we decided we needed to try and enjoy the beautiful spring day today. We went up to Carmel and walked around the outdoor mall and then came home and had a little fun in our backyard. It was nice to be able to wear short sleeves and sandals for the first time in a long time. I love this time of year! Boston seemed to really enjoy the outdoors as well, at least for a little while. I love that I was able to put him in a little spring outfit and sandals as well. Too cute, I think.

So, what am I supposed to be doing with this football, dad?
Oh, it is fun!
I think I'm getting a little tired...
Yes, definitely. My eyes are starting to droop like mommy's do.

I think I'll just lie down and get comfortable... maybe take my shoes off.

Yes, that's better!

He was so cute outside. I think it was just as refreshing for him to be outside as it was for us, until he got too tired, at least. It really was such a nice day, and I am glad all the craziness could be left behind at least long enough for us to enjoy one beautiful day together. Next week will be another story...

Why I Hate Working (Or Rather, Schooling)...

2010-03-18T03:24:00.002-04:00

Mark has been home with Boston a lot these past couple weeks. I have had a full schedule of patients, and Mark is almost finished, so he has been on daddy duty a lot. Two days ago, Boston said "mama." Twice. And I missed them both! Mark said the first time, he woke up from a nap and he heard him yell, "Mama!" So Mark went in to get him, and Boston just smiled up at him. The other time, Boston was playing in his exersaucer. Mark said he looked around for me, said "mama," and then put his arms our for Mark to take him out of the exersaucer. Thus, the reason I am looking for a part-time job as a dentist. I do NOT want to be a part-time mommy!

It's Play Time!

2010-03-15T00:44:00.002-04:00

Boston got this cute little toy from Angie for Christmas but has been too little to play with it, until now! We decided to try him out on it, and he absolutely loved it! Check him out!

Daddy, are you watching me? Look, I'm spinning the football!
He looks like such a cute little tank here! Check out that belly!

He has actually been doing better with sitting up since he's been playing with this. It's like he finally has an incentive. And look, he's already learned how to hold a bat. Except he likes to use it to hit the football rather than the baseball!

Gotta love the cheeks! Thanks, Angie, for my toy! Now that I can sit and play with it, I love it!

If You're Eating, I'm Eating! And Then Some...

2010-03-15T00:17:00.005-04:00

The other day I was getting dinner ready, so I asked Mark to feed Boston while I was cooking. Mark tried, but Boston wasn't interested. So I had him bring Boston's exersaucer into the kitchen so Boston could hang out with mommy while I cooked. He played and did his own thing, and everything was great. When dinner was ready, Mark and I sat down to the table to eat. Boston gazed at us in awe. He stared at every bite we took (from his exersaucer). He had nothing to do with his toys. He just watched, mouth open, as we ate. We felt so bad we couldn't share with him - he obviously wanted it. So instead we broke out his baby food, which he had turned down not more than fifteen minutes previous. He went to TOWN!

I usually have him wear a bib, but how messy can he get without one, really? Turns out, pretty messy.

By this time, I just let him do whatever he wanted with his food. Yay for IKEA high chairs! He played in it quite a bit. I even let him have his bowl, just to see what he would do with it. Bad idea. He splashed it everywhere! Oh, well. At least he wasn't watching on in envy as we ate anymore.

So what happens when a baby eats a TON of food for dinner one night? The next morning he has the biggest monster blowout ever. For daddy. In the car. While mommy is interviewing for a job about an hour from home. Yep. I walk out from my interview to see Mark's head hanging out the car window, in the rain, like a dog! I get a little closer, and I swear Mark's face is green. He says in a soft, panicked voice, "Help." He looks seriously ill. I look inside the car to see the driver's seat reclined all the way back, a blanket covering the upholstery, and a naked baby laying on top, wallowing in a sea of orange poo. It was in his hair. It was in his ear. It was under his armpits. And Mark just says, "I didn't know what to do..." So I tell him to go for a little walk (and hand him some wet wipes and hand sanitizer). Apparently he is not skilled in the tuck-and-roll (AKA my method for getting a poo-saturated onesie off a baby without spreading it everywhere). So about ten minutes, fifty wipies, and one very poopy blanket later, we've got a clean baby and are ready to roll on out of there. Thank goodness for odor-eliminating dirty diaper baggies! And just FYI, you can roll a blanket tight enough to fit into one of those if you really want to!

Kick Butt Cakes

2010-03-05T22:51:00.003-05:00

These pictures are really for Nikki to see, but I think they look pretty darn good. They are my Nothing Bundt Cake knock-offs that I made for TJ's shower tomorrow. The two on the left are chocolate-chocolate-chip with cream cheese frosting, and the one on the right is white chocolate-chocolate-chip with chocolate frosting.

This one turned out the best, I think, and consequently was the last one I did.
This one was the first one I did. The cake fell a little, but I think it still looks alright.

And this is the white chocolate one. I hope it tastes good. I haven't tried this kind yet (I just kind of made up the combination), so hopefully it's not another "Mark-making-pumpkin-pie-for-Thanksgiving-dinner" phenomenon. The chocolate frosting is not quite as pretty, but it tastes good. There ya go, Nik. Not too shabby, huh?

Silly Daddy, puking's for kids!

2010-03-05T09:14:00.004-05:00

So, Mark had Boston yesterday morning while I was at school. He has actually had him a lot lately, since he is pretty much done with everything, and I am still playing catch-up. On my way home, I called to see how things were going. It took Mark a few tries to finally answer the phone. When he finally did answer, he seemed very frazzled and distracted. I asked him how things were going. He replies, "We are having some major issues..." OK, what is going on, I wonder? He proceeds to begin his explanation with, "Boston just had the biggest, smelliest poop ever." I laugh, knowing there must be a story. There's always a story. Turns out, Boston had just awaken from his nap. Mark goes to change his diaper, and it's completely full. Of poop. In his words, no surface was left uncovered. So he begins the wiping process and inevitably gets some poop on his hands. Now, he begins to dry heave. Boston is used to us making faces and sounds to try and get him to laugh, so he thinks this gagging is hilarious, and starts to giggle at his daddy. Mark continues trying to clean him up, but the gagging is getting the better of him (all the while, Boston is laughing). So he puts Boston in his crib, semi-clean, bare butted, and runs to the bathroom to throw up. Yep, he actually throws up. Then he goes to get Boston and realizes there is still poop on him, and now on the sheets. So he gets Boston taken care of and has to strip the crib. This is where my phone call comes in. So he then proceeds to tell me that the diaper is just sitting in the UNLINED trash basket (which is made of wicker), that he couldn't get the diaper closed all the way, and that he was not willing to go back into Boston's room to clean up because just walking in to get Boston from the crib made him gag again. Oh, my frickin' heck! Are you kidding me? So I am driving home thinking, it must have been a blow out, right? It must be really bad. When I get home, I find out it wasn't even a blow out! Just a lot of smelly poop. Wow, he obviously hasn't changed enough diapers... So I get rid of the evidence and laugh my bootie off at him. You've got to be kidding me!

So here are some pictures for you... don't worry, nothing nasty. Here is Boston sitting in his stripped-down crib. Check out his two little teeth!

I thought this picture was silly. He loves sticking his tongue out (see video below)!

Such a cute little man... gotta love the full body shot! Except that Mark hates this outfit. He says it's "girly" and that boys shouldn't wear "matchie-matchie" clothes or "stretch pants." He's a baby, for crap sakes! And they are not stretch pants. They are sweats. I think he looks cute in it. But one day I had Boston in this outfit, and Mark watched him in the afternoon. When I came home, he had changed his outfit!

I love this little inquisitive face. Such a cute boy! Doesn't he looks so big now?

Oh, Brain, Where Art Thou?

2010-03-04T23:14:00.004-05:00

I guess I have a lot on my mind lately, between worrying about taking boards, getting patients for boards, finding a job, being a mommy... did I leave anything out? I'm sure I did. Here are a few things I have done lately...

1. Had a guy in to try in some wax rims for making a denture (basically, they are an outline of the shape and height of the denture) and let him leave without recording his bite... therefore, I had to bring him back for a literal 2-second appointment before I could move on.

2. Dropped Boston off at the babysitters without his rocker to sleep in (luckily, he does OK in his carseat).

3. Showed up to school in scrub bottoms but no top, because I had been home during lunch to feed Boston and forgot to put it back on. Yes, I did have some sort of shirt on, though.

4. And here's one of the best, made bread in the breadmaker, but forgot to attach the little knob that mixes it. Turns out, it is very necessary. Here's what happens when you don't.

And it doesn't smell good either. Hopefully life calms down soon, cuz I would like my brain back.

Exersaucing!

2010-02-18T22:13:00.002-05:00

Boston has learned to really LOVE his exersaucer the past week or so. He really gets going on all the toys. He'll sit and play in it long enough to make me feel guilty for not holding him... (although it doesn't take me long to feel like I need to be holding my little guy- he probably gets sick of me taking him away from his toys). He looks like such a big boy sitting in it.Stinkin' cute! He does the funniest thing with his legs when he's in there, too. Rather than putting his tippie-toes on the ground (as it's designed to do), Boston likes to bend his legs backward at the knee, and just sorts of hangs there, knees bent. It's pretty funny to see.
And I don't know about you, Nikki, but does this picture remind you of Mitchell? I think it's the look he's pulling. That and the beyond-chubby cheeks. Gotta love it!

For all y'all who thought we exaggerated...

2010-02-18T21:50:00.003-05:00

Here's proof of how much snow we have had!Check out those scary icicles... (Does that totally look like it's spelled wrong? Icicles?) And you've gotta love the snow all over the camera lense.

Snow all the way up to the window sills... (Sill? That looks wrong too...) with Starkisha looking on from the inside.

And to give you some context, there's Mark standing by the big heap of snow... up to his thighs! He's had so much fun shoveling it, like, five times this month! Let it snow, I guess...

La-la, la-la, ELMO'S WORLD!

2010-02-14T15:52:00.004-05:00

OK, here's a real post. Enough of the nasties, bring on the cute! We gave Boston his bath yesterday and put him in his Elmo towel. I have to admit this has been sitting in the bottom of his hamper untouched for several months. Not because I am behind on his laundry. On the contrary, Boston's stuff gets washed and put away much more quickly than ours (if it didn't, he would probably grow out of it before we got around to it). The reason this cute little Elmo towel has not been used is because it has to be washed SEPARATELY (ugh!) or else everything in the wash gets red fuzz balls on it. But I decided it was time to do a special laundry batch for this towel, because I knew Boston would look so cute wrapped up in it. I was right.

This is Boston showing off his mad sitting-up skills. He's not leaning back against the couch - that's why he's lunged so far forward. Cute for the camera though.

Here it looks like he's trying to give a teaser peep show! Ta-da! Here I am!

I love his little toes hanging out the bottom. And, of course, his cute little arms, chest and tummy!OK, mom, I'm really tired from sitting up for these pictures. I think I'll lie down and chew on my towel (a habit he has picked up from night-night time with his blankie, which he loves!). So how's that for better than a nasty, dirty house?

A prettier picture...

2010-02-14T15:46:00.001-05:00

...and sanity restored.

Feeling like a SLAVE (to dental school)!

2010-02-13T14:20:00.005-05:00

SO... Kristin comes walking into the family room with her lunch all ready to eat (toast, and yogurt with granola). I am thinking, oh, that looks pretty good. Then I start to notice what she is using to eat it (a rubber spatula) and what the yogurt is in (a mug). [Note the stack of bright orange cards on the back of the couch - those are flash cards and will make sense later.]

Now you may be wondering... Why the odd use of these items? Well, here is the picture to show exactly why.

Look at that hell hole of a kitchen. You may wonder who in their right mind would live with such a mess. The answer is nobody, in their right mind. We lost our right minds a few weeks ago, shortly after signing up for board exams and intiating our final semester of dental school. This represents the sad existence of two beyond-stressed-out dental students, trying to study for boards, take care of a six-month-old, and struggling to graduate on time. Kristin has had to face the fact that her days of putting in "part-time" at school are over if she ever wants to graduate. So, with school from 9-5, quality time with Boston until he goes down for the night (around 9 or 10), and attempting to study for boards, it seems there hasn't been much time for anything else. So weekends are our "catch up" days. Hopefully we'll be able to post a prettier picture by the end of today.

Six Month Well Check

2010-02-08T22:06:00.006-05:00

Boston turned six months old on Feb 6, and today we had his well check. He weighed in at exactly 20 lbs (80th percentile), he is 27.5 in tall (75th percentile), and his head circumference is 18.25 in (97th percentile). So he's just a big guy all around. He got his shots today and showed us (and the medical assistant) just how strong his lungs are. I've never seen him cry like that. It was so sad. Real tears and everything. Luckily he won't need vaccines again until he's two. Glad to be done with that for awhile. One funny thing is, we always get a handout on what your child should be doing at this age. Today it said that putting him to sleep with a stuffed animal or favorite blankie can help settle him and make bedtime easier. We were always so worried to have anything with him in the crib, because until now they say any loose anything in the crib can suffocate him. But with the go ahead, we decided to let him take a nap with his little mallard duck that Vickie got him and his extra soft blankie from Jena. He went right to sleep without protest, and when we checked on him he was asleep with the duck right up by his face. So stinking cute! So once again, for bedtime tonight, I put him in with his blankie and duck. He was very excited when I handed him the duck after I laid him down. He immediately grabbed it from me and started sucking on it. A few minutes later I went back in to find him asleep right up next to his duck again. He's getting so big!

(And yes, that is him asleep for the night in his pack and play. Mark and I - or maybe just I - still cannot bear to have him in his own room. I just feel secure knowing he's right there, and all I need to do is lean over to really check on him. Or maybe I just want him to stay a tiny little baby. Either way, our little guy still bunks with us.)

almost SIX MONTHS

2010-02-03T15:57:00.004-05:00

We are a couple days shy of six months today, but I had to snap some pics of Boston. He is getting so dang big and just gets cuter by the day. He has his six month check-up on Monday, so I will post his stats then, but here's what he's been up to lately...

He has one tooth. It is barely just cutting through, but it's there! It's tooth "O," or the bottom left front tooth. He has been a little cranky with it, but not too bad yet.

He absolutely loves food. Can I get a Halelujah?! He is slightly picky with it (imagine that!)... He has to have his veggies mixed with rice and his fruits mixed with oatmeal. He hates the runny consistency of the baby foods themselves, and he hates the taste of the cereals themselves. At least, that's what he told me... But when you mix them together, my little boy just dives for the food! It's the cutest thing ever. He really goes to town!

He still loves his play gym as much as ever, although we have been trying to encourage the exersaucer a little more. He does OK with it but doesn't love it yet. He does really like his swing now, which is nice. But still the by far favorite is the play gym.

He can sit up for about 30 seconds or so by himself, but then he tumbles forward (or sideways). We'll keep working at it.

He still HATES being on his tummy, and as a result, he has yet to roll from back to tummy. Because he doesn't want to be on his tummy. Stinker!

He still sleeps really well. Don't know that it could get much better, actually. He is on a great schedule for us: he goes down between 9-10 PM, which gives us time with him at night after school. He usually wakes up once, around 5 AM, then sleeps until 7 or 8 (I actually have to get him up to feed him before school sometimes, because weekends he'll sleep until 9 or so). He takes a good morning nap and a good afternoon nap. And I get to spend time with him at lunch, in between when he's awake. So most of his waking hours, I am with him, which makes me feel much better about being at school.

We are, as always, just loving this little boy to pieces. And I really can't believe he is six months! Where has the time gone?!

Oh, and something I've thought I should add. I've seen a lot of people's blogs who list their baby's nicknames. Well, Boston has a lot of them. Hopefully I remember them all...

Here are the ones frequently used:

Sir (or any variation thereof, little sir, sir baby, baby sir, etc)

Lewby-Lew (or Lewby, or Lew)

Turd (usually Turd-bird, sometimes little turdie, turdie-birdie, etc)

Bean (or little Bean, baby Bean, Beanie baby, Beanie butt, etc)

Ones used, but not quite as frequently:

Bubba (or bubba guy, little bubba, etc)

Little Man

There are many, many more, but those are the ones that come to mind. We love our little Lewby-Lew (that one is Boston's favorite - he always laughs when we call him that)!

Boston - Bean and Red Sox

2010-01-25T21:54:00.001-05:00

Boston is finally big enough (or his head is) to fit into his Red Sox hat. He totally doesn't mind wearing it, and he is so dang cute in it!

What a little stud, right?!

My little Bean makes the Sox look good!

And I thought one little "hoodlum" shot would be fun... He didn't really like his hat turned sideways though. He started fussing as soon as I did it!

I love this cute little boy! Sometimes I just can't get enough of him!

Scissors and Insomnia

2010-01-25T21:34:00.001-05:00

I got my hair cut Saturday... but it didn't look like this. Saturday night, I got two hours sleep.

I'm getting ready for church early Sunday morning, and I decide the "side bangs" my stylist cut aren't short enough. They are almost as long as my hair, so what's the point? So I take matters (or scissors) into my own hands. I grab the hunk of side bangs, and I cut. Only, I cut the wrong angle. So now they're longer in the middle than the sides. That just won't do, I think. So I "fix" it. Only, now they are so short that they just stick straight out. Not to mention that even if I can get them to lay flat, there's just this random hunk of about an inch wide of very short hair. That won't do either, and I'm late for church. Mark comes in and looks like he is going to crap a brick. Yup, it's that bad. So I do a little twistie in the front of my hair, secure it with, like, five bobbie pins, and pray it will hold. I'll figure it out after church.

At church, people tell me my hair looks cute, and I want to cry, cuz I know the truth.

I get into the car on the way home from church and undo the bobbie pins. Oh, no! It's worse than I thought. It looks about an inch long. Crap! There's no coming back from that. I pray it just looks that bad because it's been all rolled up in the bobbie pins.

I get home and get my hair all wet, willing it to grow... OK, now that it's wet, it just grazes my eyebrows. Maybe I can work with that... So I cut full on bangs. I get them all blown dry, and they are super short and won't lay flat. Crap. So I get them wet again, slather them with mousse, gel, wax, you name it. I guess I can live with the result (above) until they get a little longer. If anyone at school asks, though, it was very much intentional. I just needed a change. Change I got.

White Trash Mommy

2010-01-19T19:12:00.003-05:00

As you read this post, keep in mind it's about 30 degrees in Indy today... So my afternoon patient canceled today, which meant I got to stay home with Boston (yea!). I had lots of errands to run, so I decided Boston and I would just take Mark into school, do our errands, and then come back to get him when he finished. It started off great. We did our first errand, and Boston was perfectly happy even being in the car. Then it got even better - Boston fell asleep in the car, so I decided it would be good to just go sit outside the dental school and study while Boston slept. About a half hour passes, so far so good. Then I realize I have to go to the bathroom... really bad. If you know my family, you know almost all of us get "spells," AKA gastrointestinal attacks that mean you need to find a bathroom, and pronto. I tried to ignore it for a few minutes (bad idea). Finally, I realized I needed to go, NOW! And I prayed and prayed I would even make it inside! So I dragged poor sleeping Boston into the school bathroom. He wakes up hungry and wants to eat, NOW! So I feed him (yes, right there in the bathroom). He's eating and all of a sudden lets out a huge fart that I just KNOW is a blowout. So I go and change him. Yep, it's a blowout. Luckily I always keep a spare outfit in my diaper bag. I decide to go to a more appropriate location to finish nursing him (the coat closet in our dean's office, AKA the "lactation station"). Just as he's finishing, guess what? Another HUGE toot! So I change him, again. And find that he blew out, again. Only this time, I don't have a THIRD outfit for him. So I get him all cleaned up, and this is how he looks:

Yep, that's certainly picture (and blog) worthy. As I'm getting him all put in his carseat, he starts crying (remember, he was rudely awakened from a deep sleep so that mommy could have a spell in the nasty bathroom prior to all this fun). So our dean comes out of his office to check Boston out (he has seven kids of his own, so he loves kids) and sees him sitting there with no pants. I have to defend myself, explaining that I do not make a habit of bringing my baby out in the dead middle of winter, with no pants. So I tell him what happened, and he just laughs. Actually, come to think of it, I think Boston has had a blowout every time I have fed/changed him at school. Just never two blowouts. So word to the wise: always carry TWO changes of outfits in your bag. Lesson learned.

Oh, and as an aside, I had several blankets with me, so Boston was perfectly warm on the trek back to the car...

FIVE MONTHS OLD

2010-01-10T17:36:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe my baby is five months old! The time is just flying by WAY too quickly. I took him into the doctor about a week ago, (he ended up having a sinus infection, nothing contagious) and he weighed in at 19 lb! I can't believe he is so BIG! There was a new medical assistant there who just went nuts over him (who wouldn't?). We have had to get out, yet again, more of his bigger clothes the past couple days. He just transitioned over to Carter's 9 months onesies, Gerber 12 month onesies, and most of his clothes are 6-9 or 6-12 months. So big! He is the cutest dang thing in the world, if I do say so myself. And here's proof: He is such a joy to be around everyday. I relish every second I have with him! Here's what Boston has been up to lately:

1. He still loves his little play gym, but now he really gets going on it! He grabs the toys and shakes them with such force that the whole gym moves back and forth. At the same time he has his little legs kicking a hundred miles an hour. It scares the crap out of Daisy! She won't go by him when he really gets going!

2. Where he used to give me "open mouth" kisses, he now sticks his tongue out every time I go to kiss him! He has learned to mimic me when I stick my tongue out at him, and he just loves it!

3. His talking and coo-ing has turned very LOUD. Now he just babbles to himself, in a very loud and low voice, as he plays. He even tends to do this as he is being rocked to sleep - he'll turn into me and start babbling loudly as he lets his eyes shut. It's so loud that I had to take him out of church for doing it!

4. He is eating solid foods fairly well now. I have discovered that he likes things to be the consistency of mashed potatoes. Actually, he would just eat mashed potatoes all day if I would let him. But if I mix his oatmeal or rice cereal to that consistency, he does well with it. I think it is for this same reason that his favorite vegetable is peas. They are a lot thicker than the other baby veggies.

It is so hard to be away from him each day, but it is nice to know I am leaving him with someone I trust and someone who enjoys taking care of him (thanks, Jessica). He has come up with a pretty nice schedule, though, since we came back from Vegas. He now goes to sleep around 11pm, pretty much sleeps for Jessica most of the morning, then I pick him up for lunch, bring him back an hour or two later, and he takes another afternoon nap. I really hope this continues, because then he is pretty much awake the entire time I have him, which I love! And I think it makes it nice for Jessica, too. I just love this kid so much! I am really praying that I can find a job that lets me stay at him with him a little more. I would love nothing more than to just be a mommy right now, and nothing else!

Boston's First Christmas

2009-12-29T01:04:00.006-05:00

Santa Claus is one smart guy... he came and visited Boston in Las Vegas this year! Boston went to sleep on Christmas Eve in his new reindeer jammies, had a blow out, and had to be changed, so we didn't get any pics of him in his Christmas jammies =(. Oh, well. When Boston awoke on Christmas morning, it appeared that Santa left him several presents!

Boston really enjoyed helping Mommy unwrap his gifts! I would get a corner started, and he would grab the paper and rip. Then he would try to eat it!

Boston got two Mickey Mouse Clubhouse movies from Santa this year! I'm sure his attention span will only last a few minutes on them now, but in the future he will probably be even more happy to have them. He did watch for about 10 mintues or so on Christmas morning while I packed. Such a cutie pie!

I love it! And I want to eat it!

Here's Boston and Daddy, anxiously awaiting more gift opening!

Cool wrapping paper, Dad. But I think I like your thumb better! Boston has been going to town on fingers lately. His own fingers, Mark's fingers, my fingers, whatever he can get. If you hold his hand, watch out. It's going in his mouth!

OK, I guess I'll try the teether, even though I was perfectly happy with your thumb!

This picture cracks me up! Mark is like, "Oh! What could it be?!"

Don't really care about my rattle, Dad. I've got your finger again!

Here it looks like Boston is pretty in to opening this present. Check out the determined look on his face.

Cool! Links! I love them, Dad!

But I think I would be happy with just the wrapping paper, as well.

OK, bud, just one more present to go!

Oh, I'm so happy mom!

I can eat this, too!

Looks like Santa brought Boston a pretty good haul this year! Teethers, and rattles, and movies! Yeah!

So what happens after an exhausting morning of opening Santa's presents? Sacked out! And just so everyone is aware, I monitored this nap while I packed up the entire time to make sure Boston wasn't being smothered... I am kinda freaky about stuff like that!

We just love this little boy so much and enjoy every second we have with him!

Boston and James

2009-12-19T10:17:00.004-05:00

So the other day, we were looking at old pics on our computer, when we stumbled upon this:

At first, we thought, how did one of Boston's pictures get in with these old ones? And since when does Boston use a pacifier? Then we realized that this is NOT Boston, this is James! This picture was taken almost exactly one year ago when we were visiting my sister Nikki in California. I was just barely pregnant with Boston, and little Jamesy was about 4 months old, Boston's age now. I seriously cannot believe how much this looks like Boston! I think the only difference is that Boston has fatter cheeks!

So this picture is definitely not the best comparison, but looking through all my pictures, I realized that we really don't have any profile shots of Boston. So if you aren't convinced looking at these pictures, I guess you will just have to take my word for it!

One of the best things about it - James is still a little doll, and it looks like Boston is headed for the same path!

Be Jolly!

2009-12-16T23:51:00.002-05:00

We had Boston in his B'JOLLY pj's the other day, but he wasn't being so jolly...Eventually, he decided he was OK...

But then we decided to see how he liked his highchair for the first time. He was, once again, not so jolly!
He did finally warm up to it, though. Too bad we can't say the same for the food we tried to feed him. I really wish this kid would find something he liked to eat!

Doesn't he look so dang cute? I must say I do like his little dangling feet, too!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

2009-12-16T23:43:00.003-05:00

Indy weather has been getting colder and colder. We have had to pull out the "big guns" when it comes to keeping Boston warm. I had him all ready in his winter get-up and thought he was so stinkin' cute, I just had to take a picture:Don't worry, I also had him bundled in blankets once I got him into his carseat! I love the look on his face - get me out of all this crap, mom!