A Small Glance into Zackary's Past Couple of Months!

Last week we took a trip to Illinois to visit Ben's family. Two days before we left Zackary came down with a cold (I was upset to say the least since the cold stuck with him for half of our trip). So our flight to IL wasn't the best, but on the way home he did much better. He actually sat in his own seat and as you can see here devoured a muffin as Ben and I sat back and laughed at the mess he was making. Well we did pay a lot to fly there!!! We figure it's okay!

I don't usually give him muffins but it was like magic and bought us a lot of time on the plane! I will have to remember this for the future. (Notice the short haircut!)

Here he is with his cousin. She has her pacifier and he has his as well as she has her Minnie and he has his best friend Mickey! To cute!

The first half of our trip we didn't do much because of his cold and it was very hot and humid. Secretly it was so nice to just only have two things to do...read and take care of Zackary. So when he finally felt better him and LO got to to play in the giraffe pool. He didn't want to sit...to funny, but he loved filling up the containers with water and watching the water come out...over and over!

One day as I was scouring the house looking for treasures I found a box with some marble domino's in it. Zackary and I had fun putting them up and knocking them down!

A few weeks ago we headed up north to visit my mom and JG. I had a baby shower to go to so we thought it would be fun for Zackary to come along and we could take him in the pool (didn't add any of those pics cause my prego belly would scare you). He played on the piano, loved the pool, and spent a lot of the time spinning anything he could find to spin. It's his new favorite past time. He can spin 3 things at a time and he's really quite good at it. And very proud of himself. He gets into my Grandma's cupboards here at home and spins lids and whatever he can find on her living room coffee table. (I miss his long hair)

About a month ago a dear friend EB and I took Zackary to Downtown Disney. Well we really wanted to take him to Disneyland but we couldn't find parking. The normal area was closed down so by the time we found where to park and waited in the line it wasn't worth it anymore. But he loved Downtown Disney. There were fountains, and lots of Mickey Mouse's, and Winnie the Pooh's in the Disney Store! This doggie backpack is such a big help when we are in crowds and he wants to walk but I want to have a hold on him. He did so well with it and had it on the whole time. We also used it in the airport for our IL trip.

Giving Mickey a hug.

I had to add this precious picture. Ben brought home flowers one day and I think Zackary thought they were for him. He LOVES flowers still and after these were put in the vase for several days I had to get them down so he could smell them, count them and check out the water in the bottom of the vase.

So in a nutshell that is what we have been up to since my last post. In IL he had his own watering canister to help water Grandma and Grandpa's back yard. So we found him one here and he loves it. He is saying more a lot, and he just doesn't say it he screams it very passionately...it's great. He laughs at everything, and if you ask him to make a funny face he closes his eyes real tight for 5 seconds...funny. His animal impressions are perfect and you should see him with Ben. He will hide in a certain spot and Ben will come and find him and they do this for an hour...with Zackary cracking up the whole time. He has a certain laugh with Ben too...those two are the comedians. Since IL his new thing is to grab our clothing if he wants something and take us to whatever it is. He's pretty good at it too. Today he made me hide with him when Ben and him were playing and he also took me to the Strawberries in front of the house (another favorite of his). I love seeing what each new day brings. He makes me laugh all the time. He's the sparkle in my life.

A Little Man Now

These pictures really tell you the whole story. My written additions don't do justice to the actions in the pictures. You can see what he enjoys, and how much happiness he brings to us every single moment...well we do get a bit frustrated with his lack of wanting to eat certain foods at this moment in time! He, as most children I am sure, reminds me of the little things in life that really if given the time are so much fun! Like chalk. And coloring. Watching him get lost in these little moments well I get lost too and I love it.

My mom says to Zackary, "how old is Zackary..." he lifts up his finger...ONE. Now I am teaching him TWO!

Have you ever tried just punching holes in the side of a cake with your finger? Try it....you get some good frosting on the side.

:)

So the candles did scare him a bit. We had been practicing blowing out candles for my up and coming birthday cake and well, I had to help him and real quick cause he was not having any of it!

I will congratulate Ben and I because we have actually been going out of our comfort zone and taking Zackary out to eat dinner more often. He does really well at certain restaurants and not so good at others! This evening was a tremendous success...and so fun watching him enjoy the experience.

He's not a little baby anymore...look, he's a little man! Love ya buddy!

Saving the Hummingbirds

Yesterday we saved a baby hummingbird. Zackary enjoyed watching the little baby bird chirp, drink it's sugar water I fed it and sleep underneath the lamp for warmth. Luckily I found an open rehabilitation facility and took it there. Subsequently I was also saved this weekend with Ben's mom visiting us and spending all of Zackary's awake time with him, playing, eating and laughing! I wasn't feeling all that great so it was wonderful to have her here taking care of all of us.

As I was driving the hummingbird to it's new home yesterday morning I realized how many times I have fallen out of my nest since having my little man almost 2 years ago and I am so thankful to all those that helped put me back in the nest, feed me, support me and enable my spirit to grow as a new parent.

I wish I had a picture of my symbolic moment, but of course my camera battery was in need of a recharge! Go figure!

Family Weekend

Last weekend had a lot of fun moments for us and I thought I would share them.
So apparently fruit is out unless it's berries or trader joe's applesauce. I did make applesauce for him to keep up with my tradition of making his baby food but he wasn't buying it anymore. He loves this applesauce that I give him now. He becomes quiet as he pursues finding, eating, and smearing every last drop.

On Friday we built his blocks up to be as high as we could. Now you ask, so why is this so meaningful...?" because he ALWAYS knocks them down. We lost track of time playing together and seeing how happy he was at the finished product, well I had to take a picture. When Daddy got home Zackary made sure to show him.

Saturday there was a swell so we headed to a favorite high surf spot and watched the action! Zackary did so well playing in the sand and kept asking for more sand castles from Dad.

I really want to take him to the beach more this summer. He is enjoying his beach toys more now that he's a bit older and watching all the other kids play in the sand and ocean.

After the beach we decided to stop for an early dinner at this Italian restaurant I have been wanting to try. It was okay, but Zackary did so well. We never took Zackary out to eat much because he wasn't seasoned yet but now he plays with the crayons and eats all the food and watches his surroundings. It's been fun, we loved being their with him watching his mind figure it all out.

This restaurant was so kid friendly. They had an etcha sketch for the kids...and coloring books. Love it!!!

The weekend ended Sunday with Zackary's new favorite past-time...watering the garden with Dad. He follows him all around and helps with the hose, water and making sure the dirt is wet enough. Gives Mom some free time and lets them bond together!

Me at 20 Months

I wanted to give you an update on what I am doing now that I am almost 2 years old. When I go on walks with mom and dad I bring my popper along and drag it with me the whole way while smelling flowers, pointing to flags, and watching the planes in the sky. Sometimes a dog comes along but I am only comfortable with Bentley so I ignore the others. I am so good at smelling flowers. Mom and Dad always smile and love it when I smell them so I keep doing it. They should do it more often too! When Dad waters the yard, I go with him and help him with the hose. It's so much fun to do. I can't wait to start camping and playing golf with Daddy.


I love playing hide and seek with Mom and Dad. I am good at it. They can never find me and they look all over. I love it. My favorite spot to hide is mom's closet. I try raising my head up as high as I can into Mom's clothes so they can't see me. Shhhh don't tell anyone my hiding spot.

Mom has all these bracelets that she lets me play with. They make a lot of noise. I also like taking mom's mascaras and banging them against things...they make funny noises. Mom likes to chase me with her makeup brush too, it tickles on my neck. She's so fun! Mom takes me to the local outdoor mall a lot too. It's great cause there are a lot of fountains, koi fish and even an escalator. I go up and down a lot...it's really cool to watch the escalator. I am still in my gym class once a week. At first I didn't really like it but now I love it. It's fun playing on all the pads, going down slides and through tunnels (by myself), swinging high in the sky, playing with bubbles, and going on the trampoline. The teachers are okay, fun but kind of weird but the other kids and moms are really nice.
I am still really into music and my favorite song now is "The Farmer in the Dell." Grandma and Mom sing to me a lot, they have nice voices. My favorite is when it's nap time. Mom sings to me and I try and play with her face. It makes us giggle. I have three stuffed animal friends that I sleep with too. Pluto, Mickey Mouse and Slush, my husky dog. They are really soft and keep me company when I take an hour to fall asleep. It's nice though to relax in my bed after playing so much.

I was really sick about a month ago. I could tell that Mom and Dad were very worried. They cuddled with me constantly and Mom even let me sleep on her, a lot. I decided though that fevers are no fun and I don't want to have another one, ever! When I started feeling better Mom was a little stressed because I changed my naps. It's getting better again now. I also am not as into some foods as I was. My new favorite foods are meatballs, lima beans, peas, sunflower seed butter (thanks for the idea Baba) on toast, and apricot preserves. I still love hummus, and my mom's yummy lentil soup. I am drinking on my own from a cup...it's fun to do. Sometimes I spill, but that's ok.

I love my Mom and Dad...thanks for everything.

My Little Orange Gerber Daisy

I woke up on Mother's Day to a beautiful orange Gerber daisy in my nose followed by my sweet boy who had a smile of sunshine pouring over his face. That moment was wonderful. The day followed by my husband making me feel so special in so many ways.

****side note...I don't know how to undo the underlining or color below. Sorry****

Breakfast was made, flowers were enjoyed, fountains dancing with water were stared at, reflexology was not only relaxingbut such a treat along with my favorite dinner, home made macaroni and cheese, which I devoured!

Zackary loves hide and seek now and peek a boo. Those moments of sheer laughter while playing games is what reminds me to be in the moment each day, live for the present, and you will feel fulfillment.

Ben made not just Sunday stand out but took the whole weekend and helped me relax. We had fun moments together that reminded us how good sun feels on your back as you sleep on the beach, or how much fun a walk or frozen yogurt can be or that catching up on movies gives you a chance to do nothing!

Thanks babe and thanks Zackary for a wonderful mother's weekend. It was perfect! Just me and my boys!

my jigsaw puzzle days

I was talking to a good friend of mine from college on the phone 3 days ago and she explained her life with children as piecing one jigsaw puzzle together after another and it's so true. For the past two weeks Zackary has been sick. This cold accompanied a fever though, our first fever as parents. We figured out the medicines, which worked better, how to get him to sleep (on me) and as I thought no ear infection or sore throat said the urgent care doctor. Well this virus certainly has changed him. I was lucky that I was warned that his diet might be different now well after he's feeling better and its so true. He won't eat! He won't eat anything I make him. He likes bread, cheese, fruit (and he's even becoming finicky with fruit), Fillet Mignon (ha!), yogurt, pancakes/french toast, quesadilla and sometimes lentil soup. I can't believe how much his appetite has changed. And I'm hearing that it will be like this for around 6 months. Great!
His naps are all messed up too...trying to get him back on one a day with the repercussions of him now not wanting to fall asleep at night and waking up again around 5AM. His eczema is a bit better but I really have to watch the acidic fruits he eats (which are his favorite).
Wonder what's the next jigsaw puzzle I'll be attempting to figure out!