another accomplishment!!

This was definitely the weekend for crowning achievements, yey Taji! First we heard him laughing, then we saw him balancing on his tummy with his head held high, WOW! We are so proud of you, and cannot believe how strong you are! Tummy time has sure paid off, next on the list is 'rolling'!

L.O.L (Laughing Out Loud)

It started out as a typical evening interacting with Taj as he played on his play mat. As always, he smiled at me when I made goofy faces and smiled back at him. But tonite, he didn't just flash me his gorgeous smiles...... he LAUGHED OUT LOUD so many times!!! To him, I was the funniest person in the world! It was the most adorable and sweetest sound I have ever heard and at the moment it happened my eyes began to water and I had tears of joy! It is an undescribable moment, another milestone for our little guy! After about a minute or so I remembered to go run and grab my camera so I could videotape it, and I was able to catch a little bit of the laughing! Sorry the video is grainy.... it was a split second so i didn't have much light. :)



and a self-portrait of the 2 of us...... me with my little boy!

more laughing videos to come VERY soon.........

2 years of marriage, 7 years of love

Once upon a time, a man walked into a bar and met a woman....

They dated and fell madly in love....

they grew stronger as a couple and traveled to exotic places.....

then, one night, the man asked the woman to marry him.....

they married......

then a year later, at their 1 year wedding anniversary, their love blossomed and they conceived their first child.....


Their beautiful baby boy brought them tears of joy and so much happiness.....


and they lived happily ever after as a family of 3, with their love continuing to blossom!

happy 2 year wedding anniversary to my one & only, my rock, my best friend! Thank you for being such an amazing and kind husband, provider, and a wonderful father to our son! I love you more with each day, and words cannot express how happy you make me feel! Together, we have created a beautiful life and I cannot wait to see what more is in store for us on this journey of life. I love you always and forever!

Playdates are the new "happy hour"

Have you heard? Playdates are the trend now.... for mommies like me! Especially when my other mommy friends and I were on maternity leave and had summer break! Might be a little difficult to get our babies together as often because most of us are now busy being both supermommies and passionate career women! :) So, as promised, here are the highlights of our summer playdates.....

Playdate #1, Tammy & her sweet little girl DJ

Playdate #2, Taj "chillin' like a villian" with his homie Regan LOL

Playdate #3, South Coast Plaza lunch with Rhonda and our boys :)

Playdate #4, Fashion Island with my awesome work friends Michelle and Rhonda... and their baby boys! Michelle, Rhonda, and I got engaged the same year, married the same year, pregnant the same year, and now we have baby BOYS the same age!! Rhonda's little guy Ryan (Ry Ry) is 4 months older and is Taji's daycare buddy, while Michelle's darling boy Cade is 7 weeks younger than Taj (and lives close by, so I'm sure the boys will grow up surfing together!)

Playdate #5, at the scenic Mason Park in Irvine with Tammy & Dj! Here I am holding little DJ, then a pic with Taj!

Playdate #6, just yesterday, Michelle and I got our "twin" boys together since she is still on maternity leave and I'm home on Tuesdays and Thursdays. At work, Michelle and I are often told we look alike, and it's funny because we really do have sooo many things in common..... including being married to husbands named Brad! too funny! So of course, our baby boys would also look alike...... they are too cute for words!

Look at how smiley Cade is! I loved taking these pics of him! Here I go again doing my photography thing...... I'm really enjoying the camera these days!



check out Michelle's family blog...... another ambitious blogger like myself! http://jamminwiththejacobsens.blogspot.com/

More fabulously fun playdates coming soon..............

Taji turns 3 months old!

Our adorable little guy is growing so fast in front of eyes! He now weighs 13lbs, and has graduated to both size 2 diapers and stage 2 bottle nipples! He is also wearing size 3-6 month clothing!

Look at how his feet are growing....... they are so cute I just want to eat them up!

Taji is also a good eater, hence the "I like boobs" onesie (thanks Uncle Bryan!). I nurse him in the mornings, late afternoons, and evenings, and during the day he drinks three 4 ounce bottles of pumped breastmilk (we started this just about a week ago to keep up the consistency with his daycare feedings.) I'm very happy to announce that Taji has moved on from his colic as well! He's a happy and mellow baby who poops after almost every feeding..... no more gassies!

He is now sleeping through the night consistently, his typical sleep is from 9pm-5am. He loves his bedtime ritual (bath, last feeding of the night, and mellow time in his crib). He falls asleep in his crib tucked into his sleep positioner (prevents him from traveling around), sleep sack (prevents him from kicking off his blanket), and falls asleep listening to his Cloud B lamb- the ocean sound (we take La La the lamb in the car too.... he likes the whale/ocean sound for when he sleeps in his carseat.)

We have also been taking advantage of living close to the beach, taking daily stroller walks, and picnicking...... Taji has become a beach bum!
Taji is smiling so much, I love his sticking-out-his-tongue smile! Every morning that he wakes and I peer into his crib, he flashes me with his biggest and sweetest smile! He also does the cutest little giggle. He loves playing by himself in his playmat.....
...... grasping on to his rings and plastic keys, and excitedly shaking them in front of his eyes.....

Taji is also doing really good with tummy-time, and doing the "soldier crawl" babi taught him (crawling on his elbows and pushing off our hands.) He holds his head up high without the bobbling, and is rolling his legs from side to side when laying on his back!

Taji loves his music...... Alternative, Classical, Jazz, Reggea.... you name it! Our TV's Music Choice channels are always on, especially when he's playing and sleeping. Allows us to expose him to a variety of music. The soothing Soundscapes music channel is my favorite for when Taji takes naps.... the eclectic soft music with the sound of our water fountain makes our home feel like the Spa!

Yesterday, Aug 17th, was Taji's first day at his home day-care with Charlotte (or Sha Sha as the babies call her!). I was more nervous and emotional than he was, but the second we arrived and he gave Sha Sha a big smile I knew he was going to be okay and is in good hands. Charlotte reported that he did great for his first day- eating, pooping, and napping regularly. I missed him so much and was able to sneak a peek at him during lunch. He likes the new environment, so much to look at and play with. He also likes the attention he gets from Sha Sha, and watching Ry Ry (Rhonda's 7month old Ryan.) I feel very fortunate that I am able to work part-time (Mondays, Weds, and Fridays) and on these days Taji gets the social interaction, different environment and stimulation that Brad and I could not provide alone. In the long run, I really believe that his part-time home daycare will strengthen his social skills, play skills, self-esteem, and prevent separation anxiety or attachment issues. I love that he gets the best of both worlds, a happy and healthy balance for Taji, mommy, and daddy.

And last but not least ( I know this is the longest post ever!)...... I forgot to mention that among Taji's "firsts" this 3rd month (first time on a boat, first time at a bar (had dinner with daddy one night at the local Quiet Woman Bar & restaurant), and first all-day fieldtrip (to the Getty Musuem)...... tonite on his 3rd month birthday, Taji received his "first" big boy bath in his baby tub in our tub! At first, he appeared hesitant with the new position (he was so used to his "jacuzzi" Prince Lionheart Washpod) but within a few minutes he began to kick and splash around!



Happy 3rd month buddy! We are so proud of how you are growing and blossoming! We love you so much!

P is for Picnic

We have been doing lots of P's (picnics) lately, it has kind of become a weekend ritual for us. So funny how the P's took over the R's (restaurants)..... oh how I miss dining out! Instead, we are big fans of take-out and also like to picnic it outside by the beach or at the park, so much easier with the lil dude. He loves the breeze, people and bird watching, and is mezmerized the trees and plants! Here's a few from our family picnic with Babi on her last day before she was wisked away to the airport:

taji LOVES babi

Dear babi,

You are the best babi a lil boy could ever have! I love all the times we play together, when you make silly faces at me, and whistle a tune. I love when you tap my nose and make the telephone sound, it always makes me smile! I love falling asleep on you, and will miss you sitting next to me, entertaining me, in the backseat of the car. You care so much about me, and helped me learn how to roll from my tummy to my back when I was tiny back in the day. You also taught me how to do the "soldier crawl." You took good care of me when mommy and daddy were out, and you always made me feel better when you burped me! I love all the fun gifts and adorable clothes you bought me. Babi, I love you soooo much. I will miss you very much, but I look forward to seeing you and smiling at you over Skype. Have a safe flight back to Czech.

I love you!

Moc pusinek pro moji oblibenou babicku posila,

tvuj prcek Tajinek :)