cora is 5 months old!

hey, remember when i used to have to time to think of creative blog titles?  yeah, i hardly remember those days either, but i know i used do better.  anyways, baby girl turned five months on the second of may. we don’t have a check up until next month, so i do not have any stats, but rest assured this little girl is a-growing

dear cora bear,

you are the sweetest thing in the world. in the last month you have become so engaged, expressive and communicative. you have also gotten immensely more adorable. i have no idea what it is, but you have definitely turned it on in a way you weren’t doing it before. you are still full of smiles and happy baby gurgles.

physically, you are killing it!  on your five month birthday, you rolled once from your back to your tummy. by the next day we couldn’t put you down without you rolling onto your tummy. these days (about a week later) you are already rolling all over your activity mat and the living room floor. i wouldn’t be surprised if you followed in henry’s foot steps and begin crawling soon. it is crazy to think we could have 2 little movers in a few months! gah!

speaking of henry, you are in love with that kid. you watch him continually all day and want to be where he is. i have a feeling you are really by the whole laying down on the ground thing when you can see henry playing just beside you. you love any and all attention he gives you. and when you are close to him you like to reach out and grab him or his toys. he has been exceptionally generous with you and usually lets you take his toys. and lately, he has been doing this cute thing where he get close to you and when you bump him or grab him with a hand he acts like you punched him and falls to the floor in a fit of giggles. he thinks you are the funniest thing around. i hope it can always be that way between the two of you. i know some of the funniest things in my life are the inside jokes i share with my brother.

you are still a great eater and seem to be pretty interested in food. recently you grabbed a piece of orange right out of my hand and shoved it in your mouth. i think the fact that you didn’t really know how to chew prevented you from really tasting the orange, but it was cute and endearing. and we will probably start solids within the next month. your sleep has been steadily improving, too. we started sleep training and you seem to be taking to it.  i am so proud of you, figuring out how to fall asleep on your own. i know it is hard work for someone your age and i am so thrilled with the progress you make!

you love your dad, too. in fact, he was the first one to make you laugh just a few days ago by rubbing his chin into your belly. i think its his beard – he got henry the same exact way! you guys like to watch you tube videos together and play words with friends on dad’s cell phone. you also love the morning snuggles you get together.

but, lots of people have said to me, after witnessing the two of us together, that you really love me. you smile so big when i am around. if someone is holding you and i am in the room, you just stare at me until i come and get you. if you are crying, you calm down nearly the instant i pick you up. i feel lucky to have you love me so much.  and i love you so so much, too.

the last month seems to have really solidified a lot of the bonds that we share. i am not really sure i can articulate it clearly, but we are totally on the same page a lot of the time. and sometimes, its like you look at me in such a way to communicate ” i understand mommy and i love you, too”.  while out and about, various people have commented that you have “wise eyes” or you are an “old soul”.  I am still not quite sure what those things mean, but i think i agree. when i look it you, it is like you have a knowingness about you. like you are aware of what is going on in a much deeper and broader way. i am sure this sounds ridiculous and schmaltzy, but it is how i feel.

cora, you are such a delightful and amazing baby. you are happy and beautiful and your being is perfect. i have been so intimidated by having a daughter. the bond between mother and daughter seems so sacred but also fragile and delicate. there is so much that i am afraid of doing wrong. i hope i can be a good mother for you, that i can be a loving, accepting and supportive person in your life. i hope we can share things with one another and be honest. i hope you can see me for who i am and know how much i love you. i hope i can see you for who you are, too. we are only five months into this journey, cora, and i have no idea how i ever managed it without you.

i love you. i love you. i love you.

your mama

 

your weekly iphone update

at the park

cute henry loving milk

cute cora loving her mommy

at the park again

ipad time in bed

instagram cora

 

WITL Sunday

i woke up and got ready before the rest of the house and it was only 6:45. earlier in the week bryan mentioned that he wanted to get brunch at townsend because he loves their bacon. i decided if we were going to attempt the trip, it would have to be early and we would have to sit outside. it may sound like i am being uptight, but i don’t like taking both kids out to restaurants that don’t have a lot of space (this one doesn’t) and where they aren’t super fast.kid friendly ( this place isn’t even thought their food is AMAZING).  so we were out the door by 7:50.

getting ready. this picture cracks me up.

henry’s trucks. we have like 8 of these little guys around and henry usually leaves the house with one in each hand.

henry intereacting with cora.

we made it to breakfast. cora slept in the stroller. henry was good fro about 5 minutes before he wanted to run around, which was fine with us since we were sitting outside. and wonderful meal was had by all!  and bryan got his bacon

then we went to the park for a bit.

cora and me at the park

later i made these cookie/cakie things i found on pinterest. the original recipe is a paleo one, but i used regular flour and real chocolate chips. the awesome part is there is no added sugar. they get their sweetness from bananas and the chocolate chips.

i tried a new work out in the afternoon – called the dailey method. during that time bryan took the kids to the park again. then we came home for dinner, baths and some evening movie with snuggles.

week in the life conclusions:  i had a good time doing this again. i feel like i did a better job than last year at taking photos and i am proud of my effort because there were a lot of times that i thought getting the camera was more trouble than it was worth. but it proved to be worth while and a really great encouragement for me in regards to memory keeping. but i am glad i am done for now. taking, deleting and editing 100s of photos and then putting them here with the words that go with them for seven days in a row is no small feat these days. i am exhausted (and sore). and glad to return back to normal picture taking.

 

 

WITL Saturday

saturday morning is set aside for my alone time during the week. i woke up and helped get the kids ready so bryan could get them out by 9. cora takes her first nap in the stroller and it is usually best to get out the door by then.  i hung out at home for about an hour before i headed out. i got SO MUCH accomplished in that one hour: dishes, laundry, vacuuming the entire apartment, straightening up. i forget how efficient i can be when i am on my own.

i took some pictures of the apartment in this quiet, empty state. even though i was able to get a lot done while alone, i prefer to have a full house, with toddler screams and baby giggles and “oh, toodles” somewhere in the back ground. but it is nice to have this kind of time to help me remember i feel that way

henry’s crib + its contents that morning: one pillow, 2 blankets, 2 frogs, a water bottle, a glowing lady bug, a glow, singing sea horse and about 1/8 of his library.  i love that this project encourages me to take photos like these.  now, at some point down the road, i will have this as a memory of what henry had in his crib at this date.  that part of it is so cool. i would never take a picture like this otherwise.

the photos in our bedroom.

the pile of stuff currently occupying the top of my dresser.  after this i left for yoga and i didn’t take any more pictures the rest of the day. bryan took the kids to the ferry building for the farmer’s market and the out to a pizza lunch (pizza is henry’s current favorite). I grabbed a quick lunch after class then BARTed it to Nordstroms for a dress fitting for ali’s wedding. then i came home and we just hung out around the house the rest of the day.

 

WITL Friday

let me start by saying friday was such a great day.  henry woke up with AWESOME hair.

another great hair shot, but kind of a funky face.

cora woke up in a good mood, too!

henry figuring out the best strategy to reach the top shelves.

holding my cora girl

such good hair!

more good news: zip car moved into our building, meaning in order to use a car all i have to do is go downstairs. before, we had to walk a block or more to get a car. which was completely impossible with 2 kids + 2 car seats. but now, it is so possible. we took our inaugural drive to (where else?) roy’s house!!!

henry in the back.  he was pretty stoked. so we went out to noe valley, got some starbucks, visited a park and then headed back home. friday is treat day and i usually take the kids somewhere to get a special treat after midday nap. this day we went to the ferry building and got miette. that evening i met some mom-friends for dinner at zero zero. we had the very best time. i love having such awesome women around me who are experiencing the same parenting peaks and pits. people who i can rely on for support or answers to lame questions or a compassionate and non judgmental ear.  i am so lucky.

 

 

WITL Thursday

 

breakfast for c dog

dishes

coffee

grocery list. irony of the day: i forgot to add tortilla chips to the list and forgot to buy them for some soup i made. i also didn’t buy butter, even though it was on the list.

henry at the museum, takng other kids toys.

my daughter and me at the museum. she is cute.

henry playing on rocks

sibling snuggles

henry watching a movie before bed

 

 

WITL Wednesday

i took far fewer pictures this day. our morning was very hurried so i didn’t get any of us getting ready. but here is the stroller ready to go.

we journeyed to the post office. i had to ship back some purchases and ship out some stuff to ohioans. henry was adamant that he “carry” a package. i/he got a lot of funny stares on the way to the post office.

then we made our way to the park. henry really wanted to play near this fountain. it kept him busy for quite a while. until we met our friends at 11 for lunch, actually. henry would later fall into this fountain. i didn’t get any pictures, but i will get to the story later.

waiting for our friends at la boulange. after lunch, we headed back to the fountain area so that henry could play some more and i could catch up with my friend. henry was doing a great job keeping himself occupied by throwing rocks into the fountain. at some point i looked up just in time to see henry slip right into the water. it was very shallow, so there was no risk to henry. he stood right up and was a little freaked out. i tried to remain as calm as i could and just kept saying “you’re fine. you’re fine.”. i got him out, realized all i had for him was a change of shirt, so i changed that and his diaper and i covered his legs with a blanket and we walked home. (quick aside: when i told my dad this happened, he told me he was proud of me for letting henry play by the fountain at the risk of him falling in. the only way he will learn to be careful is by getting wet! i am not sure why or how to explain it, but his reaction is hilarious to me.)

so we went home and henry was actually in a really great mood. i washed his hands, put some pants on him and we snuggled until nap time. then cora fell asleep on the couch.

and that was as far as i got for the day in photos. on to thursday!

 

WITL Tuesday

egg+bacon+cheese+basil on a mini bagel for breakfast. i also had coffee. henry only ate a bael and some bacon. i nursed cora.

after breakfast and getting dressed, henry started in on his puzzles. this morning was the first ever he expressed a preference for what shirt he wanted to wear. and he wanted orange stripes. it was awesome. i am so excited to see what kind of clothing he has a tendency towards. i love seeing this guy turn into his own person.

cora hung out on the activity mat.

then chaos ensued. candice arrived. followed shortly by roy, his mom and little brother. i may or may not have forgotten to completely close out bedroom door. and candice may or may not have gotten an eyeful of bryan post shower. i may or may not have apologized profusely.

baby frank!

cora fell asleep and i put her in her bed, fully expecting her to wake up within the next 20 minutes. While I waited with her, the boys did an art project outside. she ended up sleeping 1.5 hours. by the time she was up, the boys were so over painting and needed some physical exercise. so, away to crossroads we went!!!

boys played in the garden area.

i watched the babies while they were in their strollers.

home for lunch. i call this a “tapas” lunch, which basically means a little bit of everything. henry did have some turkey, which is missing from the plate.

this is henry post nap. sometimes he wakes up on the wrong side of the proverbial crib. he just isn’t happy, cooperative or, well, fun to hang out with when he is in this mood. i call it his post nap dismay. we usually hop in the stroller and go for a long walk if henry is too surly. added benefit: cora will usually take a nap, too.

i tried to cheer him up with some self portraits. he seemed…unconvinced.

later, henry taught cora about trains.

i seriously love these kids.

 

A Week in the Life – Monday

I attempted to do Week in the life last year. This year it came in April. If you are unfamiliar with what I am talking about and want to read more about it, you can look here.  So here is today, monday, april 23 in pictures + words.

our morning started with breakfast, ipad and wardrobe changes. henry had oatmeal. i had coffee. cora got a bottle from dad.

candice came over and took us to dolores park to meet roy’s family. candice always gets henry situated in the car while i take care of cora.

street parking near dolores park is CAH razy.  luckily, we found a spot about a block away and had a short distance to walk to the playground in the park. yet, henry still wanted to be carried.

candice + henry

giant, awesome slide a the playground

roy is here!

roy being awesome

henry following a little girl around

snack time

and those babies.

i spent nap time doing some painting for an upcoming craft we are doing with the boys

post nap self timer photo. henry did not care for the 10 seconds of beeping that preceded the photo.

and we got our invitation to ali’s wedding.

 

happy egg hunt day!

let me start by saying, we had a truly fantastic weekend. i spent saturday at ikea with a friend after the park (hello new rug) and was able to pick up some much needed household stuff as well as get a much needed break. i came home refreshed and ready to tackle some of our storage problems. so i spent the night organizing, setting up the easter baskets and hiding 10 plastic eggs full of candy for henry. we hid them in very obvious spots figuring henry would know what to do since we had the egg hunt with roy earlier in the week.

so henry woke up and had no idea it was any day other then a regular sunday. after i got him from his crib, he came into the living room, saw one egg and went to town opening it and eating the candy. nevermind the basket full of toys!  nevermind the rest of the “hidden” eggs. we had to talk him into getting all the other eggs.

i would say his other favorite part of the whole thing was taking the foil off the wrapped chocolate eggs.

i made strata for breakfast while henry played with all his new toys. we watched up. and then i spent the morning and all day through henry’s nap cleaning and organizing and fixing things in the apartment. it was, seriously, perfect. it is amazing how much it energizes me, too. i feel so much better now that all the closets are organized, all the toys are better arranged and all the ill fitting clothes we had are in a bag ready to go to goodwill. i put more recent photos into our frames, threw out some of the broken toys that were bugging me and made some big decisions about how to keep and store stuff going forward. and its like it cleared things up in my head. so then i watched 16 & pregnant (and felt equal parts awful for the families and competent about my life) and took a shower. once henry woke up he played with a train set i bought him on a whim at ikea yesterday.

henry, the engineer. so much his father’s son.

so proud and telling his dad all about it.

then an afternoon walk, skype with the duxbury’s and some dinner. it was a really good day.