Family Visits

This is mainly a post to catch up on photos from a couple of the recent family visits we've had. I still haven't posted any pics from my grandparents' visit and it's been killing me that I'm so far behind! The main reason is I'm just busy. We, as a family, are busy.

But I've also been procrastinating the task of deciding what to do with posting a large number of photos.... for now, and because I don't have the time to figure out nor invest in a better solution, I've just created a new album for Callum, like I had once created for Logan. I'll slowly update it with past photos taken during other family visits as I have the time. But for now, let me share a few of my favorites from the last two recent visits.

The minute Callum was born, I thought he looked a lot like my grandfather. He definitely looks like several different people in both of our families - but when you see him up close and next to my grandfather Clock, it's hard to deny those Chinese genes. :)


My grandmother was quite smitten with the little one. She wanted to hold him, more than I had expected her to, any chance she could get. She was a trooper, holding him as long as her arms could support him. :)


Any of these pics will link to the album from my grandparent's visit. You'll also find the (few) pics I took while at my cousin Ellen and Matt's wedding reception event. I don't have too many pictures with all four of us together yet - and this one isn't great - but at least it's a snapshot of our now family of four! :)



I'm not sure my grandparents will get another visit out to California again soon, so I am extremely grateful and appreciative of my parents' hard work to make sure my grandparents' trip really happened.


A couple of days preceding our Texas trip last week, I started talking up the trip to Logan. I wanted him to be excited about the trip but more than that, I wanted to make sure I'd have my little helper with me lending a hand along the way. In the corporate world, we call this gaining buy in from your major stakeholders. ;-) Whether at work, or at home, it seems to be something I do every. fucking. day.

Thankfully, the plan worked. Logan was a real trooper throughout the airport both going out and coming home - rolling around his own suitcase and keeping up with his parents who might have been a little frantic on the way home, when the security check point took 30 minutes too long while their flight, several gates away, was already happily boarding. They were doing a last call for final boarding as we raced up to the gate - I think we were the last ones on the plane. :)

Logan's reading the "plane book" to his dragon Ruby.

Callum was awesome on the trip out - sleeping the majority of the flight out and drive to Bryan. Unfortunately, he was a little stinker on the way home - pissed as all hell that he had to stay strapped in his car seat for the 90 minute drive to Austin before his Mama would pick him up. Oh, the horror.

I think Jon was about to drive us all off the road at one point, so we made a couple of stops along the drive, pulling Callum out and giving him a few minutes break from the car seat to chill out. When we finally got to Austin, and I strapped him to my chest (with the Ergo carrier), he breathed a sigh of relief and immediately conked out.

We really didn't do much while we were visiting Jon's family in Texas. We spent a lot of time catching up on life with Papa, Mimi and Granny B, which was actually much more enjoyable and relaxing than going out seeing/doing stuff I think. Other family members (Doy's brother and sister-in-law, and Jon's two sisters) visited throughout the weekend which was also really nice. We watched a few movies here and there. Logan played with all the toys we got the first time he visited - and we bought a few more to add to the collection to keep there.


Jon, Papa and Logan had a "Boy's Day" on Saturday - eating good ol' Texan BBQ for lunch, napping and then buying his cowboy outfit in the afternoon. Doy, Granny B, Callum and I spent the day lounging around the house, dining at the Club, and chatting about everything from the weather to being a mother.


It was our first time traveling with both boys and overall, I think we really lucked out. Logan, for the most part, kept to his sleep schedule at home - which didn't really bother us, since it just meant he was up later at night to hang out with everyone before bedtime. Callum shifted back and forth from Pacific to Central time, so his schedule was a little harder for me to manage since I'm still nursing him, but not too bad either. I generally just slept in when I put him down for a morning nap while Jon and Logan got up and visited with the rest of the family.

Logan slept on a twin bed for the first time (funny that this should happen while traveling - but he actually has a monster double bed of his own at home!) - and without any bed rails no less! I was pretty nervous about the set up because he's a VERY active sleeper and usually sprawls out on his own bed, but he only had one night where he fell off and it didn't seem to bother him too bad (mostly just startled him). I did stuff a number of HUGE pillows all over and around him though. ;-)

Logan also attended Sunday school for the first time - since he and Jon accompanied the rest of the family to church on Sunday while Callum and I slept in that morning. At his age, they don't really do much at Sunday school but paint and play, but still it's another first and something that he can now say he's done (and something that his mother never has)!


I feel we were very fortunate to have the time to steal away for a long weekend to visit Jon's family in Texas, since they wouldn't get to see Callum until he was older, otherwise. Even though I'm on maternity leave, every day still feels like "work" to me (just a different kind of work!) - so I relish these vacations, no matter how hectic they may be. It's rare that I get an entire day where Jon is around to help out with the kids, let alone several in a row! ;-)

A different take of the bridge

More Hipstamatic fun. :)

China Beach

After the museum, we stopped at a secluded little beach in a gorgeous SF neighborhood. If I ever lived in the city, it'd have to be here. Of course, we'd need several millions of disposable income to do so, so that'd never really happen. ;-)

Palace of the Legion of Honor

Callum and I are out with my parents to view the second half of the Impressionist exhibit (Impressionist Paris: City of Light). A fun day outing but MAN it is freezing in the city today!!

The Glorious 10

Callum slept an amazing 10 hours straight last night! (Thank God too since I really needed the sleep after the night before). I'm sure it had nothing to do with the long day of traveling and several interrupted naps of his. ;-)

Also, two "Loganisms" from yesterday:

1) Callum was very unhappy being stuck in his car seat for so long yesterday, while we drove back to Austin to catch our flight. When we pulled over for a fill up, I tried feeding him to calm him down. Unfortunately it wasn't working so well and Callum was still pretty pissed. At which point, Logan informed me, "Mommy, he wants his Logan".

2) When Jon told Logan to stay out of the parking lot, else he'd get hit by a car, Logan replied, "It's impossible!". Aieeee.

Home sweet home

We are home! We had an awesome trip but I'm also glad to be back home and am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight. I've got a lot of photos to pick through before I post any - but I wanted to leave you with just a couple of Logan, modeling his new Texan clothes the other night, that I enjoyed.


Isn't he a looker? ;-)

Potty training in the middle of the night

Logan walked into our bedroom this morning with a very odd looking pair of pj bottoms.

At first I thought Jon just decided not to put his pajama bottoms back on him last night, after he woke up in the middle of the night telling us he needed to go pee, since all you can see is his diaper from the front.

Then he turned around so I got a glance of his behind, with what looked like a flap of material dangling from his butt, and I cracked up laughing. Apparently Jon wasn't fully awake when he helped Logan last night, since he put him back to bed with both legs through one leg of the bottoms. :)

Insomnia

Callum is wide awake at 4am and has been cooing for 20 minutes straight. At least he's not crying?

I recorded some of it on my phone, but the audio isn't posting to the blog correctly, so I'll have to share the recording with you later... :)

Loganism of the day

I washed my hands.

You need to wash your hands?

No, I already did wash my hands.

Oh, when did you wash them?

Thursday.

Checking in from Texas

Summer Thunderstorms

Stopped at Sonic for a snack and the drizzle broke out into a ridiculous thunderstorm, where we can't see more than 10 feet in front of us. So fun! :)

Howdy y'all!

A pic of Callum on his first flight! The kids did really great. :)

We just landed in Austin and now finally on the road to visit Mimi and Papa. We had a bit of a delay at the airport because the airline left one of our car seats in San Jose. :( But they gave us a loaner and will deliver our seat tomorrow!

3 months old

Holy cannoli! (my latest obsession, the Cake Boss, is starting to come through in my speech) Callum is three months old today! Crazy how time flies.

This pic was actually taken a month ago - I can already see how much he's grown!

As I mentioned in a previous post, Callum is now turning around in his crib like nobody's business. His legs are super strong - he kicks and wiggles nonstop - whether awake or asleep. He's also been known to launch his hips up and thrust backwards while on the changing table, which makes for some fun times when you're battling a poopy diaper!

Callum is such a happy social baby - smiling and cooing galore. He still has his moments where he pitches a fit when he's left alone, but overall, he's just a content mellow little baby and rounds out our household quite nicely.


He also seems to be growing like a weed - he moved into his 3 month clothing right after his 2 month birthday. And just this weekend, I noticed that a few of his 3 month clothes are now snug around his belly! Our 4 month checkup doesn't happen until after we get back from Hawaii (so he'll actually be about 5 months old), which feels soooo very far away. Sometimes, I wish I could take him in more often just because of all these little growth spurts and developments I'm noticing - it'd be great to "weigh in" at the doc's and see how he's doing real time.


In addition to the smiles and coos we get, we've noticed he's been watching and inspecting his hands a lot more. This past week, while visiting an old friend, I noticed Callum grabbing and hanging onto his little toy rattle. He even brought it up to his mouth a few times - so he's definitely trying to fine tune those gross motor skills of his. He also likes to watch my hands as I pass them by his face, and occasionally has even tried to grab his feet! He can't yet sit up on his own of course, but I've been working on his balance every day just so he gets used to the feel of standing on his feet, or sitting up and holding his head/neck up on his own.

All in all, he's doing great and we love him to pieces!

As for me, I'm hanging in there. My bad days are when Callum has a rough night and wakes me up more often than I'd like (like last night!). But most days are great. My back is doing better now that I've returned to PT. I haven't been able to exercise as regularly as I'd like, since I'm still subject to whatever schedule Callum decides for the day, but I'm trying. I will probably go back to Weight Watchers soon, so that I can get rid of these extra pesky pounds that won't leave my belly and hips. I have to say I am also already getting a little anxious about returning to work, since it's creeping up pretty quickly. So, I'm trying to keep busy, stay productive, and enjoy every little second of maternity leave with Callum (and Logan) that I possibly can!

Pulling your weight

Now that Logan can walk and talk, it's about time he starts pulling his own weight around here. Right?

We are off to Texas in a few days, and what great timing, that this little suitcase I bought for him arrived over the weekend. I thought it would be fun for Logan to cart a few things on his own through the airport. My idea could be awesome - or it could be disastrous. We'll see. :)


I asked Logan what we should pack in his suitcase to take onto the plane. I said, do you want to put some of your clothes and underwear in there? He said yes, and then exclaimed, AND CARS!!


I guess I should have known that was coming. ;-)

Notice the wheels light up. A nice little bonus for kids.

Loganism of the day

Jon asked Logan if his underwear went on his head. Logan responded:

No, it goes on my penis.

My grandmother's rum cake

There was no Splenda, margarine or lowfat milk harmed in the making of this cake.

Houston, we have a problem

I think nature's evil evil prank on Jon and I are to bless us with boys who are extremely active sleepers. I remember having the same problem with Logan and am now going through it all again with Callum. Unless he's in a DEEP SLEEP when I lay him down in the crib, he will spin himself around 180 degrees, pushing off the rails of the crib and banging his head against the other side, waking himself up.


Which is particularly frustrating at 5am when I still need a couple more hours of sleep.


This last pic was taken just a few minutes ago - where I literally replaced him (with head on the cloth diapers, to the left) at least three times, each time with him spinning back around in about 2 seconds flat and then screaming bloody murder because it woke him up. ARGH.

Lemon Sorbet

The weather was super hot today. There's no better excuse than that, to try out my new ice cream maker (attachment for the mixer)! :)

31 months old

I want to say just a few things about my growing-up-so-fast-I-want-to-freeze-time toddler.


Within this past month Logan has really taken the notion of "scared" to a new level. He's brought up the idea of "scary" before - usually asking me if something is scary. But now he's brought the scary factor into his bedroom and bed. So far, it hasn't been too bad, thank goodness. He notices shadows cast onto the ceiling from his nightlight and tells me they are scary. But, when I explain they are just shadows and show him (putting myself or my hand or whatever, in front of the light) he tends to just accept it and moves on with a cheerful "Oh, okay!".

Since those first couple of nights where I think he truly was a little scared of the shadows, he's tried telling us he's scared of [fill in the blank] when going to bed, using it now more as a delay tactic than anything I think. We treat all of these exclamations very lightly and don't make a big deal out of it, but inside, it has started to worry me a bit that we've entered the "nightmare" phase. Especially since he's also had a couple of rough nights here and there where I think he actually was stuck in a bad dream. But, like I said, so far, it hasn't been too bad so we're just hoping this is another one of those blips on the parenting radar.


Potty training has been going wonderfully. Logan has really taken to wearing his underwear every day - he continues to operate accident free at school, and now at home too! However, I must admit that there are some evenings when I know Jon will be home later than I'd like, that I'll do my best to keep up with the potty training to a point, but then I switch him to his pj's and nighttime diaper if only because I can't deal with the accidents while rocking a tired baby to sleep. But, essentially, he's progressing just fine, even napping with his underwear and most mornings waking up with a dry diaper! (I'm just not brave enough to try underwear through the night yet)

The one area we continue to struggle with, is his pooping. *sigh* He just does NOT want to poop on the potty, and has even now started telling me he wants to poop in his diaper.... so we'll see. I know it's only a matter of time but MAN. Right now it feels like we're going to be one of those parents of a 7 year old who still likes to wear diapers from time to time. ;-)

(Update: since I drafted this post a couple of days ago, he just pooped in the potty on his very own last night! There is hope yet.)


Swimming classes continue through the summer and I'm so happy we're going. Don't get me wrong, it's a half an hour struggle with the little punk. He has decided he hates getting his face wet (he also screams at me not to put lotion on his face, so maybe there's something about touching his face that he doesn't like), which of course doesn't bode well for learning to swim. However, we're plowing through. I trickle water over his head and face throughout the class and encourage him like nobody's business anytime he gets his face just a TINY BIT wet.

I'm also that parent bouncing him on my knees and joking and laughing and squirting water and pretty much turning everything into a game - because I've found that he's much more receptive to trying anything out if he thinks there's a tiny bit of fun involved. The thing that kills me is he actually likes being in the water, and has a fun time with all the little toys they hand out, etc. He just isn't so into the drills that the teacher wants us to work on. It'll be interesting to see if he takes to Hawaii or not - when there aren't any lessons to work on, but just playtime to be had. ;-)


I forgot to mention a month or few ago, that Jon decided we should do away with Logan's milk bottle at night. There was one too many puke sessions in the bed for Jon to deal with :) so the NO MILK FOR YOU Nazi came out of the closet. At first, it was a real struggle. Logan did NOT want to give up his milk bottle and frankly, I wasn't 100% on board with it myself. I figured, he'd give it up when he was ready, just like everything else in his life to date. But, I didn't argue too much - so we moved his milk bottle out of his room/bed first and at the dinner table. After doing that for a bit, we changed out the bottle to a sippy cup at night. It was really hard for him to accept that he could drink milk out of a sippy cup and frankly, that's I think what helped end the night time bottle all together. He just can't grasp the concept of drinking milk out of a cup! (even though he does it at school, so who knows)

We still allow him a bottle of milk in the morning when he wakes up (at the table), but he's done away with the one at night. We figured this would also help us with the potty training anyway so that he's not going to bed with a full belly of liquid (which seems to be working). I'm not sure how long we'll continue with the morning milk bottle, but for now, it's sticking and we're not fighting it.

Every day, when I would drop Logan off at school (prior to maternity leave, since that's now turned into Jon's duty), he would throw a fit. He seemed to hate the idea of being left behind, being "abandoned" by his mother, and would cling to my leg with big fat tears streaming down his face. The teachers were great at helping distract him each morning so that the drop off wasn't as bad, but it was hard (for both of us). Some mornings he did wonderfully, but the majority of the time he was a big cranky mess. Since Jon took over this job, he's been slightly better, but still had tough mornings the majority of the time. However, I'd say this last month he's really turned a corner - and he's suddenly decided it's fun to go to school and leave us in the dust. So now, when Jon (or occasionally, I), drop him off at school, he skips off to hang with the cool kids, waving us a kiss goodbye. Just another sign that our little boy is growing up. :)


One of the newer developments in Logan's personality, which I've noticed just in the last week or so, is "The Boss". Logan's always been more aggressive and in-your-face than most of the kids at his school. He gets impatient at the flip of a switch and is louder than all hell. He's very much like his two parents. So, I don't know if this was just the eventual evolution of all that, or the emergence of his increasing vocabulary, or the birth of his little brother, or what. But he's starting to become a little bossy dude!

I first noticed it with me - he'd tell me what to do, to come with him somewhere, to eat or cut a piece of food a certain way or instruct me to share something with him. I didn't think much of it. But then I started noticing him bossing the dogs around - mostly Odin since Grover is still too much of a puppy for Logan to try and contain. He'll tell Odin to sit, to eat, to lay down, to walk over there, to go in his crate. Whatever it may be, he's been practicing his leadership skills on the poor dog. At the time, I just chuckled and thought it was kinda funny. Especially since Odin would usually just look at him and stay in whatever position he was in.

But the most recent of all, I've now noticed him bossing other kids his age. One day I happened to be early picking him up from school and the kids were still playing outside in the playground. He didn't notice me yet, so I got a few minutes of time to observe my little guy - standing strong, feet planted into the ground and literally hands on his hips, very general-like pose, and - I kid you not - YELLING instructions and POINTING at the other kids to do whatever it was he wanted them to do. He was telling them to go here and go there and pick up the dirt and put it in that garbage truck and move it to that other truck and whatever else. I was a little surprised and not quite sure what to make of it quite frankly, but put it to the back of my mind pretty quickly. I forgot about his behavior until a few days later when we were hanging out with the Jodoins, and I suddenly noticed Logan bossing his BFF Robert around as well! Telling him to play with his trucks a certain way or pick up the dirt from one area and put it to another.

Now, anyone who knows me, knows I've always been pretty bossy myself. Is this a first born trait? Likely. Do you pick it up from your parents. BLOODY likely (Hi Mom. Hi Dad.) Can it get you into trouble at times? Of course.

But I also like to think, it's that trait that can help you become a great and confident leader. In work, in your relationships, amongst your friends. In your life. Once you've matured and learned to simmer it down a bit of course. ;-) I know my son is going to have a lot to learn - I've certainly had many a hiccup being the boss (or thinking I'm the boss) in my life, but I'm hoping whatever I've learned along the way, I'll be able to help him through it too.

In fact, I look forward to it - just one more thing that we first borns have to share together.

Loganism of the day

I want to see the doctor.

The doctor?

Yes.

Why?

Cuz he can make me happy.

Oh. Can Daddy make you happy?

No.

Can Mommy make you happy?

No. Only the doctor.

I see. How does the doctor make you happy? What does he do?

He gives me bears. (chewable vitamins)

What do you do with the bears?

I eat them!!

I think I have the happiest baby on Earth

A four hour nap doesn't hurt either. ;-)

Balance

Hard to see in this pic but Logan has set his juice cup smack in the middle of the couch while climbing down to go see his Daddy, who just got home.

Loganism of the day

After spilling yogurt down the front of his t-shirt:

Uh oh. That's why I need a bib!

(Couldnt agree more buddy).

Bulking Up

Logan found these small one pound weights and wanted to do some "exercising". ;-)

Delay Tactics

Of all the bedtime ritual delay tactics (need milk, need juice, want to read a book, need to go potty, want to rub my back, scared of [fill in the blank], lay down with me Mommy, need my Daddy, etc.), I think I like tonight's the best.

Tonight, I was attacked by the Kissing Monster.

Logan got it in his head to start kissing me non-stop this evening, as I lay next to him in bed singing him songs and quieting him down for bedtime. It was pretty cute at first, just a small peck here and then another peck there. But then it got so out of hand, I actually started laughing, and couldn't stop! Logan caught on of course. So, the more he kissed me (in the end, tackling me as I tried to "hide"), the more I couldn't contain my joy and laughed even harder. He was thrilled to detain his bedtime a few more minutes. And, I was thrilled to be so very loved. :)

A Little White Lie

I had to call them trees to get him interested in eating his broccoli. But I'll pretty much say anything to get him to eat a couple of veggies...

Bumbo the Babysitter

Jon is running later than usual and both boys aren't tired nor ready for bed. I finally set Callum in the Bumbo on the table next to me so I could eat a bit of dinner. *sigh*

Nana and Callum

We're wrapping up Nana and Clock's visit (they leave tomorrow) with a nice lunch at a nearby cafe.

Even though Nana is talking in the other direction, I love how smiley Callum is (he's smiling at my mom). He seems to smile quite a bit at my mom and Nana both - probably because they look like me?

Loganism of the day

Look, there's cars in your eyes.

(While driving home today, I turned around and looked at him. He was noticing the reflection of other cars in my sunglasses...)

Loganism(s) of the day

I'm finding that swim days are good days to capture "Loganisms" - probably since I have a chunk of time where there are no (Callum) distractions and it's just Mommy and Logan time. ;-)

1) After swim class:

I want to go in the boys room.

Mommy can't go in there.

Why not?

Because I'm not a boy.

But I'm a boy.


2) In the changing room:

What are those? (pointing to my boobs)

Those are Mommy's boobies.

Oh! Mommy's boobies are big. Logan's boobies are small.


3) Out to dinner with my family: my brother Zane took Logan to the bathroom when he said he needed to go potty. Upon returning, about 10 feet away from our table, Logan does a big fist pump in the air and yells to us at the top of his lungs:

I WENT POOP!

He sat down, turned to me and quietly said:

Mommy, I feel better.

And then, a couple of minutes later, he follows with another fist pump and:

GO SHARKS!

Happy 4th!

My cousin Ellen, and her fiance Matt, finally tied the knot last Friday. It was a very small private ceremony for the parents, siblings and grandparents only. However, they had a celebration party over drinks and hors d'oeuvres on Saturday, which we attended. We wish the new couple all the best!! :)

We had a great time seeing my mom's side of the family. My grandparents (Clock and Nana) are also out here visiting, to be a part of Ellen's wedding and to meet Callum, so Callum and I have made a couple trips over to my parent's house last week to spend time with them. And, because all my family was in town this weekend, we got together for a nice dinner at Buca di Beppo on Sunday night. It was great to spend time with the family, but I think the extra attention was wearing on Logan, as he couldn't sit still for very long. Thankfully, we had a room to ourselves, but it was clear as we were approaching his bedtime that he wouldn't have enough energy to go out and see fireworks (which I was REALLY wanting to do this year since I know he would have loved it). What a bummer. :(

So instead, we bid our farewells and headed home to watch fireworks on the TV for a bit before bedtime. It definitely isn't the same as sitting smack under the real thing, but he liked it alright. I think what he liked more was the fact that we let him stay up later than usual because of it. ;-)

Since yesterday was a holiday, we had an extra day to hang out and enjoy the beautiful weather. We connected with the Jodoins for lunch and then went back to their place to let the boys play all day long. They (and we) had a great time together, as always. Thanks guys!


(will post a collection of pics from my grandparent's visit later this week after they return home....)

Spoke too soon

Potty training a toddler is proving much more difficult with a baby attached to the hip (my hip, not the toddler's. Although, I'm sure it'd be difficult with that too).

A couple of times now, I've been unable to rush Logan to the toilet in time, seeing as how I've got my hands full nursing Callum. I know this can be a long process and we'll get there eventually but MAN! It's frustrating to say the least.

I'll be glad when this in-between, always on your toes, stage is done! (Only to then start it up again when Callum is ready. Ugh.)

The top of our coffee table

A collection of items belonging to each member of the family.

Happy to see Daddy

I sometimes worry that Callum won't be as interested in, or immediately know his Daddy, like Logan does. Since, with the second, Jon sees him, feeds him and holds him much less than with Logan (due to taking care of Logan while I'm with Callum).

However, it's the super happy captures like this (taken while Jon was babysitting) that put to rest any doubt I might have had.