Watching TV

Might as well be me and any number of circumstances at night (I have to make dinner, I have to change Callum, I have to put Callum to bed, I have to feed the dogs, I have to take this call, I have to work, I have to pee! etc).

I think Logan often feels the same way.  ;-)

More walking!

Yesterday Callum's teachers informed me that he had taken several steps on his own. The most was 8 steps in one shot! We tried to get him to walk with us at home both last night and this morning but with no luck.

Today when I picked Callum up, his teachers reported he's been practicing his walking like crazy! So I set him down and sure enough, he'd do a quick step shuffle over to me! He's done that a few more times tonight at home. He still probably only makes it about 8-10 steps before he loses his balance and falls over, but still.

So fun to watch and he seems to like it too. :)

11 months old

DOOD.  Callum turned the big 1-1 this past weekend.

Next month, I will be a Mommy thinking back to that epic day one year ago, a Mommy in denial, a Mommy in tears, because her little baby has turned one and is officially, no longer a baby.

So this month, I will cherish my baby more than ever!  ;-)

Callum continues to do what he does best - charm the socks off any man, woman, or child, that gets near him.  He's such a super duper happy baby - there's really not a whole lot that gets him mad.  If he's getting whiny and impatient - it's generally one of two things.  He's either tired and needs to sleep or he's STARVING.

Speaking of STARVING.  Let's talk a bit about my baby boy's appetite.  The kid is a beast.  No really.  HE. IS. A. BEAST.  He eats, and eats, and eats some more.  Our doctor advised us to just stuff him silly before bedtime to try and get him to start sleeping through the night.  And I replied, Ummm, I do.  I feed him and feed him and feed him.  He's got an endless pit of a belly.  He's a bigger boy overall, I think, than Logan was, but he's not hugely fat or has multiple baby rolls like some babies do.  He's just an enormous eater!  (And, it doesn't matter how much, or how little, I'm able to feed him before bedtime - he generally still wakes up in the middle of the night - hungry for more.)

He LOVES music and LOVES to dance.  He can't stop jiggling and jumping and moving actually.  He will generally bounce while standing and playing with his toys, or knock his head from side to side and wiggle his entire body.  Whether you're blasting the tunes or not.  The happier he is, the more he shakes, rattles and rolls.  :)

This last week or so, he's had a few more "firsts" that I haven't yet mentioned.  He's babbling more "Mamas" and "Dadas" which is exciting (although, I'm not sure he equates them with us necessarily - instead, it may be a title for all adults).  He still says "Bup" and just today he has started to say "Uh-oh".  He recently started waving hi/good-bye, and also gives me the sign for "all done" when he's (finally) full from eating.  He's been discovering how gravity works, dropping whatever he can off his highchair tray, or side of the changing table when he's laying on top of it.  Which is most certainly where he learned "uh-oh" from. 

We did think, given how much Callum loves to stand (and almost always on his own - the kid is well balanced!), that he'd be walking by now.  But, he's still only taking a handful of steps at a time, on his own.  I think he could do it physically - but psychologically, it's still a big hurdle his mind is clearly trying to leap.  We're excited to see him start walking of course, but also cherishing this more "limited" mobile stage he's in now.  ;-)

Callum has also recently started to "share" - he loves this little game of give and take.  He'll take a toy and drop it in my lap.  If I don't give it back to him, he gets a little impatient and grunts and wiggles and makes a face.  Naturally, I've picked up on the game pretty quickly.  He does it with me, with Jon, with Logan, you name it.  He'll do it with toys, with food, with pretty much anything he can get his grubby little hands on. 

And, he expects you (or his brother) to share just as much back.

Big Sur

Jon and I had a fantastic time.  Not only was it great to steal away, just the two of us, but it was also wonderful to enjoy such a beautiful, tranquil, peaceful little resort like Post Ranch Inn.  I immediately fell in love with the place and am already thinking about when can we POSSIBLY go again?!?  ;-)

A couple of days before our trip, there was a massive rockslide on Highway 1, just north of Big Sur and the Post Ranch Inn.  The entire southbound lane fell into the ocean, with the northbound lane not doing so hot as well.

The Inn gave us a call - but we decided to stick with our trip and instead go the LONG way around (driving down to Paso Robles, and then back up north along the coast until we got to Post Ranch Inn).  It was a verrrrry long 3 hour detour to our "quick and close" weekend getaway, but I'm so glad we went anyway!  Because once we got to Post Ranch, we had a fantastic time.  :)

Due to the storms, we didn't get out as much as I would have liked, but we still walked around some.  We also enjoyed wonderful massages both Saturday and Sunday, and deliciously decadent food throughout the entire weekend.  The storm hit full force on Saturday night - which was just amazing.  Our waiter at the restaurant told us that they usually get 1-2 good storms a year but that this one was exceptional.  He was right!  It *did* wake Jon and I up several times through the night (the wind was ridiculously loud and strong!!), but our little house stood firm against it!  One of the larger windows in the restaurant didn't fare as well, shattering sometime in the middle of the night (luckily no one was left in the restaurant and all the staff were in the back cleaning up for the night).

While we didn't have great reception, we'd get mini-updates from my parents via text, on the boys.  They had a really great time with my parents - Logan was a bit moody, going through spells of supreme happiness and crankiness, but Callum was a delight the entire time.  I'm sure my parents were so glad to see us once we rolled up this evening to relieve them of their duty - as fun as it can be to hang out with the kiddos, they are a workout!!  I'm sure my parents will sleep very well tonight  ;-)   (thank you again Mom and Dad!!)

I took several pics along our walk and throughout the grounds.  Enjoy!!

A double rainbow!

About 5 minutes from picking up our boys. Yay! :)

On the road home

Had a fantastic time! Can't wait till we return. ;-)

Now looking forward to seeing our boys. (if we ever get home - the drive down the coast is VERY slow going right now...)

A battle of wills

Logan's personal masseuse

While Mommy and Daddy were getting massages at the spa, looks like Logan was too.

Beach Rock Candle

I took this pic solely for my mom. She used to collect these rocks on the beach when we were kids. Here, they've hollowed out holes and turned them into candles. :)

Cuteness

Sent to me last night but just got this morning. Adorable!

Water Bottles

We also have these cool stainless steel water bottles to use during our hikes (and to take home with us!). Sadly, we haven't been able to get out as much as I would have liked. We did have a nice walk around the property in the morning, but it started storming really bad in the afternoon. It's quite a fantastic storm - I think being this close to the ocean makes it much more intense.

So instead, we hunkered down in our cabin, reading books by the fire and getting massages in the afternoon while the wind howled and whistled madly outside. Pretty phenomenal! And not a bad way to spend our day at all. :)

Happy birthday to me!

Fourth Course

Chocolate Souffle!

Third Course

Mushroom Stroganoff with Asparagus and Fava Beans, and shaved Gruyere and Truffle on top.

Second Course

Butternut Squash and Pear soup (with caramelized pears on top!)

First Course

Cauliflower ceviche, Cauliflower bisque and Cauliflower gratin. Yum!

Cool presents

I really like this place. The architecture is super cool and they're very eco-friendly about everything they do here. They also leave cool little gifts, like this note with a bag of wildflower seeds, to remember our trip by.

My mom got an iPhone just in time...

...to send me cute pics like this. :)

We don't have any reception at our cabin (the horror!) so I'm only online when we make it to the restaurant (like now, for dinner). Still, it's nice to get little updates from my parents on the kiddos here and there.

A stone's throw from our front door

Is this gorgeous hot tub... :)

Post Ranch Inn

We're at this gorgeous retreat in Big Sur. Amazing views of the ocean and tons of trails amongst the property's redwoods to explore.

We're currently enjoying a leisurely (and peaceful! and quiet!) breakfast before we walk around a bit then head back to our cabin for massages this afternoon. :)

Lookin' a lot like the Irish countryside

Jon and I are on our way to a nice (birthday) weekend getaway, sans kids! It's our first time on a trip without them (they're staying with my parents), which is a little weird.

Jon booked us at a beautiful fancy schmancy spa/resort in Big Sur, along the coast. Only problem - due to a landslide on Hwy 1, just north of Big Sur, our normal route is closed, causing about a 3hr detour for our drive.

Oh well. At least the countryside is green and lush! ;-)

St. Patty's Day Daddy Fail #2

St. Patty's Day Daddy Fail #1

Loganism of the day

Mommy: Do you know how to say "cheese" in Spanish?

Logan: Yeah. Cheese in Spanish!

Out on a quick walk

Nom nom nom

How can you say "no" to a kid who asks to make cookies (after being sick all weekend)?

You really can't.

"Sensitive"

Logan's still not 100% and was upset that he couldn't stay home in his pj's this morning. Here he's super quiet on the drive to school, hugging his tiger tight.

Failing at trying not to laugh

Just got home from our fun afternoon bike ride. What a great way to kick off the Spring season!

Birds of Paradise

Logan and I took a nice bike ride over to my parents house. Mom salvaged these pretty flowers from someone's garbage - crazy!

My kid is just so damn cute.

If I do say so myself!

Someone likes my husband...

How cute.

Loganism of the day

Mama, I'm still sick. Can I stay home today?

Sick Day

Logan has caught a cold with a slight fever. His coughing has been keeping him (and me) up at night since he gets hit with these horrible coughing fits, poor kid. So, I stayed home with him today (my dad babysat for a few hours while I snuck out to my own doctor visits).

Callum, on the other hand, had another terrific night without waking up! And here he is, all smiles, at daycare today (his teacher sent this pic to me - isn't that nice?!?).

Now if only the two boys could get their sleeping schedules straight so that Mommy and Daddy could ALSO have a night of uninterrupted sleep! :)

Our new (commuter) car!

If you're my Facebook friend, you might have seen my post about the "Sign of Changing Times", since Jon texted me a video of this new car from the dealership, so that I could weigh in on the decision about whether to buy or not.

One of the (many) things I was interested in, was how big the trunk is. Jon said it would fit at least 3 dead bodies (translation? All of our crap!).

So I said, ohhhh ok...

Angry Birds

Life-size!

(At the Socialcam launch party - woohoo!!)

First Word!

Not Mommy, not Daddy. Nope.

Callum's first word is apparently "up" (although it sounds more like "bup" which is super cute!).

Sleeping through the night

The good news? Callum finally slept through the night!

The bad news? He woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5:30am. *yawn*

They're everywhere!

Look, Mommy, another L!
Where?
Right there! On the window!