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

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!

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

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?

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

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!

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

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

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

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!