Friday, April 20, 2012
Slumber Party Wknd
Ask me what its like to have to pack up my boys and go on an unplanned, spontaneous, "emergency" weekend away, because of our downstairs neighbor's obnoxious paint fumes.... and to get everything and everyone out the door as fast as I can. C'mon, I dare you to ask me! Ha! Well, this was me about 3 weeks ago, and lets just say this whole "getting the house ready, construction at our place and our neighbor's" has turned me into a pro when it comes to improvising, packing up the kids, and having to come up with a Plan B as to where Taj will be napping and where we will crash for the day (since our home was apparently a hazard zone every other day!) Thank goodness for my sister living 30 minutes away.... there's nothing like family when you have an emergency such as this one. Alls well that ends well, and we made the best of it and sometimes those spontaneous weekenders turn out to be the best! We had a slumber party at my sister's, had a breakfast date in Laguna Beach (at my favorite Anastasia's) with our friends, park play with Chloe and friends, and even a dinner at Outback. Oh, and when the coast was clear (or rather the house was all aired out by Sunday), even Sherry and kids dropped by to play before heading to a Laker game.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
She's Out and About!!!
This just made my day, and made me cry tears of happiness :) I'm so relieved that after 2 difficult months of adjustment, Kuki is finally exploring the kitty house and instigating the other cats (ha! that's my girl!) Her caretaker, Linda, is an angel for keeping me updated on her progress and for sending me this video. Kuki is in great hands, what an incredible peace of mind for me. Love the positive energy we are getting these days :)
Inseparable
The little Grover boys are inseparable these days! Photos from the last 4 weeks:
They love story time, and reading together:
(You should see how freaking adorable these 2 are at the library story times.... they both like to sit in my lap and since Jax is usually in his carrier strapped to me he sits higher, and rests his arm on Taj's shoulders..... it really looks like he has his little arm around his big bro!) I will take a picture of this soon!
They love to take baths together:
They have even slept together in their matching cribs in their snazzy boys bachelor pad (major props to Daddy Brad for the awesome letters on the wall he made)
Notice I said "have even slept together" in past tense? There is a reason for that LOL They slept in the same room for about 3 nights before I finally threw in the towel and moved Jax back into his room (aka guest room.) Once mama gets her sleep back she has a tough time giving it up again! Especially since Jax went from sleeping all night (8-6am) to 8-2am and waking up for a feeding. He regressed in his sleeping through the night when we moved him into his crib into the same room as Taj. Not that the boys woke each other up or anything (Taj slept through the whole night, and the second Jax whimpered I ran to him and took him out of the room to nurse him.) Whether it was the humidifier, the change in mattress firmness, temperature, etc.... our little angel began to wake earlier and by me running to him so quick when he woke was only encouraging him to wake like this night after night. Even the kids' pediatrician advised the best time to have the boys share a room is when Jax is at least 2 years old. By then both boys are past the unpredictable night wakings, teething, etc, and most importantly Taj (who would be close to 4 years old) will have transitioned to his toddler bed by this time and learned to stay in his bed instead of fighting it AND mastered staying dry all night (potty training)). Well at least we tried, and maybe we will try again in the future before Jax is 2. Taj loved having Jax in the room with him, he always points out their colors "Jax is green, and Taji is blue!" The one night the boys went back to sleeping in different rooms, Taji noticed right away and was asking if Jax was going night-night with him. So relieved we have a choice in the matter too, that we have a guest room Jax can temporarily use as his room, and that we are planning to move into a bigger house in which each child will be lucky enough to have their own room.
(You should see how freaking adorable these 2 are at the library story times.... they both like to sit in my lap and since Jax is usually in his carrier strapped to me he sits higher, and rests his arm on Taj's shoulders..... it really looks like he has his little arm around his big bro!) I will take a picture of this soon!
They love to take baths together:
They have even slept together in their matching cribs in their snazzy boys bachelor pad (major props to Daddy Brad for the awesome letters on the wall he made)
Notice I said "have even slept together" in past tense? There is a reason for that LOL They slept in the same room for about 3 nights before I finally threw in the towel and moved Jax back into his room (aka guest room.) Once mama gets her sleep back she has a tough time giving it up again! Especially since Jax went from sleeping all night (8-6am) to 8-2am and waking up for a feeding. He regressed in his sleeping through the night when we moved him into his crib into the same room as Taj. Not that the boys woke each other up or anything (Taj slept through the whole night, and the second Jax whimpered I ran to him and took him out of the room to nurse him.) Whether it was the humidifier, the change in mattress firmness, temperature, etc.... our little angel began to wake earlier and by me running to him so quick when he woke was only encouraging him to wake like this night after night. Even the kids' pediatrician advised the best time to have the boys share a room is when Jax is at least 2 years old. By then both boys are past the unpredictable night wakings, teething, etc, and most importantly Taj (who would be close to 4 years old) will have transitioned to his toddler bed by this time and learned to stay in his bed instead of fighting it AND mastered staying dry all night (potty training)). Well at least we tried, and maybe we will try again in the future before Jax is 2. Taj loved having Jax in the room with him, he always points out their colors "Jax is green, and Taji is blue!" The one night the boys went back to sleeping in different rooms, Taji noticed right away and was asking if Jax was going night-night with him. So relieved we have a choice in the matter too, that we have a guest room Jax can temporarily use as his room, and that we are planning to move into a bigger house in which each child will be lucky enough to have their own room.
Jax turns 3 months old!
....Or should I correctly say "turned" 3 months old last month! He's going to be 4 months just around the corner! Let's pretend its still March LOL......
Happy 3 months to our sweet Baby Jax. At 12 lbs 4 oz (41%) and 25 inches long (90%) (YES, he is long, and will probably be taller than his older brother!), our little angel is growing and getting sweeter every day! Jax is a good eater (exclusively breastfeeding), good sleeper, and just overall good :) He is as easy-going baby as they get, so patient and very go-with-the-flow (I wonder if this will be his personality?) We are one lucky family to have been blessed with him! We awe at his beautiful smiles, his melodic coos, and cannot resist watching him suck his thumb! Yup, we have a thumb sucker, which just adds to the cuteness factor! As I tell other moms, when Taj demands all my attention Jax will wait patiently for me while finding his thumb and sucking on it happily.... honestly, I think the thumb is better than a pacifier! You never have to worry about losing it..... its so nice when your baby self soothes!
In his 3rd month, he became a pro at rolling, loves to lounge on his belly and look around, but most of all, he is crazy for his "kitty cat" playmat and butterfly sensory toy (Aunt Sherry got him):
loves to admire himself in the mirror and we will often catch him smiling and giggling at the baby in the mirror (little does he know that's his face!)
his baby blues are even more blue than his brother's at this age..... i think he will probably have lighter blue/green eyes.
In his 3rd month, Baby Jax had many new experiences. Library story times, the zoo, mini-golfing, the beach, riding in the Baby Bjorn, Irvine Park railroad, his brother's music movement class, and a day trip to Los Angeles. He got his own room (he sleeps in the guest room, but has his own side in the nursery) and began sleeping through the night (9-10 consecutive hours) just 2 weeks shy of his 3 month birthday! In celebration of the 3rd month birthday, here is our monthly photo shoot!
Happy 3 months to our sweet Baby Jax. At 12 lbs 4 oz (41%) and 25 inches long (90%) (YES, he is long, and will probably be taller than his older brother!), our little angel is growing and getting sweeter every day! Jax is a good eater (exclusively breastfeeding), good sleeper, and just overall good :) He is as easy-going baby as they get, so patient and very go-with-the-flow (I wonder if this will be his personality?) We are one lucky family to have been blessed with him! We awe at his beautiful smiles, his melodic coos, and cannot resist watching him suck his thumb! Yup, we have a thumb sucker, which just adds to the cuteness factor! As I tell other moms, when Taj demands all my attention Jax will wait patiently for me while finding his thumb and sucking on it happily.... honestly, I think the thumb is better than a pacifier! You never have to worry about losing it..... its so nice when your baby self soothes!
In his 3rd month, he became a pro at rolling, loves to lounge on his belly and look around, but most of all, he is crazy for his "kitty cat" playmat and butterfly sensory toy (Aunt Sherry got him):
loves to admire himself in the mirror and we will often catch him smiling and giggling at the baby in the mirror (little does he know that's his face!)
his baby blues are even more blue than his brother's at this age..... i think he will probably have lighter blue/green eyes.
In his 3rd month, Baby Jax had many new experiences. Library story times, the zoo, mini-golfing, the beach, riding in the Baby Bjorn, Irvine Park railroad, his brother's music movement class, and a day trip to Los Angeles. He got his own room (he sleeps in the guest room, but has his own side in the nursery) and began sleeping through the night (9-10 consecutive hours) just 2 weeks shy of his 3 month birthday! In celebration of the 3rd month birthday, here is our monthly photo shoot!
Irvine Park's Easter Egg-stravaganza
Let's rewind to a month ago...... in March, my Corona Del Mar SAHM friends invited the boys and I to Irvine Park's Easter Egg-stravaganza. Taji did so well in the easter egg hunt (good practice for the real Easter), loved bouncing in the bounce house, riding the train, and yea.... not so fond of the easter bunny! (But Jax LOVED him)
This is Taj's crew we regularly do things with (Mila, Blake, Sammy, and Oliver (not pictured):
My SAHM friends and I have done playdates at one of the mom's private beach here in CDM, taken the kids to story time, park, and just started going to Monday Toddler Time at the SkyHigh Sports Trampoline place :)
Jax loves making faces and smiling at his bear mirror in the car!
This is Taj's crew we regularly do things with (Mila, Blake, Sammy, and Oliver (not pictured):
My SAHM friends and I have done playdates at one of the mom's private beach here in CDM, taken the kids to story time, park, and just started going to Monday Toddler Time at the SkyHigh Sports Trampoline place :)
Jax loves making faces and smiling at his bear mirror in the car!
....And We Are Back!
Yes, we are back folks, breathing and in one-piece! That was the hardest and most tiring last 4 weeks for Brad and I..... and I can't quite say yet that the worst is behind us because moving is going to be a beast of its own (especially with 2 munchkins.) Brad juggled work, supervising the contractors, and doing a lot of the manual labor and paint touch-ups himself. I struggled to keep the kids occupied, out of the way, and well-fed and rested as much as I could get them to amidst our chaotic schedules. After all of our sweat and tears, our place looks amazing, and for those that have seen our home, yes, it is possible for it to look even more amazing than what we had already done to it! Ha ha. For one, having a storage unit solved many of our de-cluttering and baby equipment storage issues. Secondly, a big shout out to our helpers (Nick, Sam, Reagan, Sonia, Babi, Petra, Grandma Sue) who did what they did to ease the process. Even our realtor was impressed how stylish our home looks! I will just let the pictures speak for themselves :)
Now drumroll please....... since our house has gone on the market, in less than 5 days we have had an overwhelming interest and successful open house weekend, and currently entertaining 2 offers and a possible 3rd on the way!!! Fingers crossed! As I always say, everything happens for a reason, and it looks like we r on the right path :)
Among our family updates: Mama Jana joined Studio Seaside (a pilates/ yoga/ dance studio (AKA a Mother's Haven) AND little preschool type-childcare environment for the kiddies while the mommies work out) and is back in her pre-pre pregnancy jeans (woohoo!). Taj has made his entrance into his "Terrible Twos" (insert Twilight Zone music here), has a regular clique of little buddies he plays with weekly and totally adores, amazing progression in his back floating (swim class), and is saying the darnest things.... he's a little grown-up! Jax is getting cuter by the minute and as I like to say he "found his voice", he's doing so much babbling and squealing (he began saying "Ana" "Ama", and lots of oooh's and mmmmm's), going to Baby Yoga class, and continues to have a sweet angel disposition. The Hubs has been busting his butt at work, and going on a weeklong business trip as we speak. As you can see, we have all been busy! But alas, onward and forward with the blog posts!
Now drumroll please....... since our house has gone on the market, in less than 5 days we have had an overwhelming interest and successful open house weekend, and currently entertaining 2 offers and a possible 3rd on the way!!! Fingers crossed! As I always say, everything happens for a reason, and it looks like we r on the right path :)
Among our family updates: Mama Jana joined Studio Seaside (a pilates/ yoga/ dance studio (AKA a Mother's Haven) AND little preschool type-childcare environment for the kiddies while the mommies work out) and is back in her pre-pre pregnancy jeans (woohoo!). Taj has made his entrance into his "Terrible Twos" (insert Twilight Zone music here), has a regular clique of little buddies he plays with weekly and totally adores, amazing progression in his back floating (swim class), and is saying the darnest things.... he's a little grown-up! Jax is getting cuter by the minute and as I like to say he "found his voice", he's doing so much babbling and squealing (he began saying "Ana" "Ama", and lots of oooh's and mmmmm's), going to Baby Yoga class, and continues to have a sweet angel disposition. The Hubs has been busting his butt at work, and going on a weeklong business trip as we speak. As you can see, we have all been busy! But alas, onward and forward with the blog posts!
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