Hello!

Hi blog friends!  I just wanted to stop by a leave a quick update. I hope you all are doing great and enjoying your Friday.  Here are a few things that are going on my world:

Hugo turned one!!!

Can you believe my baby is now one? I can't. He is running, climbing, and getting into all sorts of fun things these days. He just learned how to give kisses and sign "please" (he can also sign milk, more, all done, and light). He is obsessed with our chickens and could watch them all day if we let him:) He loves chasing the dogs around, dancing, and walking to the park. 

His birthday party theme was blue squid. His most favorite book is Biggest Thing in the Ocean (which is all about a big blue squid) and his favorite stuffed animal is a blue squid, so it seemed fitting. I ordered a HUGE cake and about 1/4 of it got eaten. We sent cake home with every guest and still had a ton left over. We froze it and ate on it for weeks. Lesson learned.

We ended up having his party a few weeks after his actual birthday because.....

We moved!

We bought a new place and moved in February. We desperately needed more space. Our old house was 750 square feet, which was fine for us for a bit, but we were feeling very cramped over the past year or so. I LOVE our new place. It's so much bigger but still feels cozy. We are enjoying our new neighborhood too. There is a park 2 house down from us, which is so convenient. 

Kya's Illness

I received some really bad news about one of our pups, Kya, a few weeks ago. I took her to the vet because she has started snoring really loudly and making weird snorting noises when she sniffs. It turns out that she has lymphoma, which is a very aggressive/rapidly advancing cancer. The snoring/noises are happening because the cancer is causing her lymph nodes to be extremely enlarged. She likely only has weeks left to live. I am completely heartbroken. I've had Kya since she was 3 weeks old. I bottle fed her when she was a baby (she was abandoned). We have been through so much together and I can't imagine her not being here. 

My heart just feels so incredibly sad. I've cried so much since we found out. I'm really scared that I won't make the right decision about when it is time to say goodbye. I really, really don't want her to suffer. 

We are trying to make the best of the time we have left with her. She loves running on the beach, so we went to the coast a few weeks back so she could run, swim, and lay on the sand. It was such a beautiful day and we all had the best time together. We even enjoyed strawberries and cream (one of Kya's favorite treats:). 

Hugo update: 10 months old

Holy smokes.  10 months old.  My baby is 10 months old!  He is an absolute joy and I am loving every single day with him.  He is constantly learning and doing new things.  How lucky am I to be his mama?!?!

LIKES:

*Moving!  Hugo crawls, army crawls, rolls, climbs, and walks while holding onto things.  He wants to go, go, go and explore everything.

*Books.  We usually sit on the couch and read for a good 30 minutes or so every morning when we wake up. This is one time that Hugo actually sits still. He gets so excited for his favorite book, I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean. He can even turn the pages by himself now:)

*The recycling bin.  When we are in the kitchen, Hugo makes a beeline for the recycling bin (we have it sitting on the floor by the sink).  He likes to take everything out of it, rip up papers, shake plastic bottles, etc.  It's the funnest thing.  Who needs toys?

DISLIKES:

*Getting his diaper changed (who wants to lay still for 1 minute?  ha!)

*Being buckled into the car seat.  He's fine once we get going, but he has no problem letting us know that he doesn't appreciate being strapped down.

SLEEPING:  

Hugo sleeps in bed with us.  I like having him close by, he likes to be close by, and it makes middle of the night feeding much easier.  He wakes up anywhere between 2-6 times to eat.  This is fine with me at this point.  It's typically a quick feed and then we are both right back to sleep. 

EATING:

He is still nursing a lot and doesn't seem extremely interested in solids.  Some days he will eat everything we offer him and other days he just wants a few bites then he is done.  He is adventurous though and will try pretty much anything.  His favorites include mango, peanut butter (usually on a rice cake), pear, steak, and avocado.

PLAYING:

Hugo loves his stand up piano (like this).  His other favorite toys include maracas and a wooden hammer.  He carries that hammer around everywhere!  He enjoys non-toys a lot too, like plastic bottles with water or rice in them.  When I change his diaper I always give him something to hold to distract him.  It's always the weirdest thing like a sticker or a price tag (that came off of new clothing) that he loves the most.  

FIRSTS:

First tooth (bottom left) - 8/10/14

Started reaching arms up (to be picked up) - 8/22/14

Started moving all around the house via army crawl - 8/29/14

Stood up on his own (with support) -  9/20/14

First wave (he was  SO proud of himself:) - 10/26/14 9mo old

First clap- 11/8/14

Hugo update: 5 1/2 months old

I started back to work last month.  Between that and being a mom, I'm finding it hard to make the time for blogging.  The transition back to work has been very hard.  Much harder than I anticipated.  It's hard to get back into the swing of things, it's hard logistically (pumping,  bottles, diapers, lunch, etc.), and it's oh so hard on me to leave Hugo at daycare.  We are slowly getting into a routine and some aspects of it are getting easier.

I am so thankful to be able to work from home 1 day a week and I just found out that I am going to be able to cut my hours down and work 4 days/week for the rest of the summer (3 days in office, 1 from home).  This arrangement is making it bearable and I could not be happier to have more time with Hugo!

Speaking of Hugo-  he is wonderful!  He  is growing like crazy and doing so many new things.  I love watching him discover the world!

Likes:

*The Johnny Jump Up!  Our friend is letting us borrow an old school johnny jump up.  It hangs on a door frame and can bounce really high.  Hugo thinks it's the best thing ever!  He could spend hours in it if we let him.  He got the hang of it really quickly and LOVES to jump, jump, jump!

*His banana toothbrush and Rusty the robot.

*The dogs.  Hugo is really noticing the dogs now.  He watches them very closely and reaches out to grab them when they walk by.  He grabbed onto Kya's tail a couple of days ago and didn't want to let go.  She is very patient with him.  

*Being outside.  He loves sitting in the back yard looking up at the sky, grabbing onto plants, watching the chickens, and discovering so many new and fun things:)  We found a pack'n play at a yard sale last weekend that we have set up in the back yard.  It's his new favorite hang out spot.  

Dislikes:

*Hugo gets fussy when he is tired or too hot.  That's about it.  I can't really think of anything else to put here.  He is truly a very content and happy baby.

Sleeping:

Sleeping is hit or miss these days.  Some nights he sleeps like  a rock, maybe waking up once for a quick meal.  Other nights he is up 5+ times to nurse.  I think the transition to daycare really impacted his sleeping.  He had a hard time taking a bottle at first and ended up doing a little reverse cycling (when they nurse more frequently at night), which was fine with me. We bed share, so it is very easy for me to just roll over and nurse him whenever he pleases.  I'm much better at sleeping through it for the most part now, so I really don't mind.

Eating:

Hugo is still EBF and eats on demand when we are together.  I'm SO glad I stuck with breastfeeding.  It is so easy now and I absolutely love it.  I love the bond, I love being able to nurture my baby, I love when he gazes up at me so satisfied.  I pump 3 times per day at work to cover what he eats at daycare  (which is currently three 3 ounce bottles).  In about 2 more weeks we will start introducing solids.  We are planning on going with the baby led weaning method. 

Breastmilk popsicle!

Playing:

Hugo loves tummy time, rolling, reading, and his playmat.  He has a handful of favorite toys that he likes to grab, twist, shake, roll, etc.  The mirror is still a hit and he is just now discovering other babies, so playdates are more fun now:)  

Firsts:

Rolled from back to tummy - 5/23/14 (4 months old)

Discovered his feet! - 5/28/14

First day at daycare (loved interacting with and watching the other kids and was "very vocal") - 6/3/14

Transitioned away from being swaddled and discovered belly sleeping- 6/7/14

First taste of "real" food (he had blueberries and LOVED them). - 6/13/14  This seemed to go well, but I'm waiting until Hugo is 6 months to proceed with solids/BLW.  

First canoe trip - 6/29/14 (5 months old)

Sat up on his own- 7/4/14

Feet!

Isn't this the most adorable thing?  He was not a big fan of the life jacket, but we thought it was the cutest:)

On the river!  He slept for most of the trip.

Sitting up on his own!

A recent OOTD

Hugo update: 3 months old

My little guy is 3 months old (just turned 14 weeks).  I'm sure every mother feels this way, but he is the most amazing baby.  He is growing and developing so rapidly.  I'm trying my best to soak up every moment.

Likes:

* Being read to.  He sits so still, listens intently, and stares up at the pages.  We read every day and go to story time at the library and at a local bookstore (Green Bean Books) weekly.

* Music.  He loves any and all types of music.  Every day when Ben gets home, they sit in the kitchen and listen to music.  Hugo gets so excited and shakes his hands and kicks his feet!  We also sometimes use music to help Hugo calm down when it's time to sleep.  He still loves dancing to sleep.  Ben and I have had a few karaoke sessions in the living room to entertain Hugo (and ourselves - ha!).  He obviously hasn't developed the ability to distinguish good singing from bad just yet, thank goodness.

* People.  He loves people watching and has started smiling at strangers.

* Airplane pose.  He smiles and laughs the whole time Ben zooms him around the house.  It's the best!

Dislikes:
*His car seat.  For some reason, he hates his car seat.  I think it must be uncomfortable somehow.  He cries and screams the majority of the time he's in it.  We just bought him a new one (a convertible seat).  I'm hoping he likes it better. 

Sleeping:

Some patterns are starting to emerge, but sleep is mostly still hit or miss.  He has started going to bed consistently at 7:30pm every night.  Some nights, like last night, he sleeps really well, only waking up once to eat around 2:00 or 3:00am.  Other nights, he's up every few hours to eat.  We had a really rough one night before last.  He woke up every 1.5 to 2 hours and slept poorly in between.  I think his tummy must have been bothering him because he seemed uncomfortable.  He has started taking a morning nap in addition to his afternoon nap (and sometimes even takes a late afternoon nap as well).  Overall, I can't complain too much.

Eating:

Breastfeeding is going so much better now.  It has gotten tremendously easier  I was able to get my supply up and Hugo has been gaining an average of 1+ ounces per day (which is great!).  He eats on demand, usually about 8 -10 times per day.  I also pump a couple times a day to keep my supply up and to build my freezer stash.  Hugo does have a sensitive tummy, so I've had to modify my diet quite a bit.  I am not eating gluten, diary, or nuts currently.  I'm hoping that once his gut matures, I will not have to be so strict.  

Playing:
He is interacting with things so much more now.  He can reach and grab onto things. - he especially loves his toy robot.  He notices himself in mirrors now.  Ben held him up to the bathroom mirror one day recently and Hugo started cracking up!  He laughed and laughed and laughed at himself.  Cutest. Thing. Ever.  He has a toy mirror that he loves to look at during tummy time.

Firsts:

First hike (with his dad and a couple of friends in Forest Park) - 3/22/14 (2 months)

First "roll" (flipped from tummy to back) - 3/24/14

Discovered hands - 3/28/14

First real laugh - 4/6/14

First flight (all the way to NC to visit family) - 4/9/14 (10 weeks)

First cold - 4/20/14 (Easter)

First plane ride!  

Poor little guy

Favorite place to nap:)

My beautiful boy