Category: Baby

Teddy | 6 Months

Half a year! Teddy, you’ve made it. Not only have you survived without any serious bodily injury, but I don’t think we’ve messed you up mentally really either. You love to challenge us — that’s for sure. You make a decision and you just go for it. Nothing is going to stand in your way!

You continue to show you absolute favoritism to our dog. Boone. Yes, Boone is your most favorite thing in the whole world. I never thought I would have to compete with the family dog, but both Dad and I struggle to get your attention if Boone is in the room. You laugh and screech hysterically whenever he enters the room.

You’re also loving food and crawling everywhere. I cannot turn my back for a second and there is absolutely no getting anything done while you’re awake. You require my complete attention now. It’s fun though. You are such a fun guy to hang out with. You love to explore things around the house. Your favorite thing right now is boxes, cords, and the laptop. That could have something to do with the fact that we moved this month, but I also think you love the computer because you get to talk to Grandma and Grandpa, Nana and Papa on the computer. You love them too, just not as much as Boone.

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Teddy has had so many adventures this month. He had his first Halloween where he dressed up as a pilot and Boone dressed up as an airplane. We really wanted to do a family costume that was a bit more creative but between the move and Alex’s school schedule, there was just no way.I look forward to doing something awesome and creative next year! Not to discredit this year, because it was pretty stinkin’ cute.

We also moved this month. It was a crazy endeavor but we could not have done it without my parents and Creswell helping me pack and our amazing friends who helped us move! Then those who came over to help me UNPACK! Seriously, we are crazy blessed. Moving with a baby was so different from other moves we’ve done. I felt completely disorganized and felt like I didn’t help at all. It was a humbling experience for me and I’ve been realizing that even though I love helping others, sometimes it’s okay to receive help as well. I don’t need to apologize for it either — just take the help and say “thank you.” Again, I am so blessed.

Teddy has his six month check up this week and I’m pretty sure he’s over 20 lbs now. Exercising with him has been fun. I feel like I’m building up some great arm muscles from tossing him in the air and doing “baby-kisses pushups”. He doesn’t stay on his back very long for those though.

The milestones that Teddy met this month include: actual crawling, pulling himself up on things, saying “baba”, getting his first teeth (the bottom two), and eating real food! I feel like this past month he just decided he was going to accomplish a bunch of things and he just did it! Remember how I was saying it’s so nice that he’s not growing up too fast? Well watch out! I’m pretty sure this kid is going to be walking by 9 months.

Teddy can crawl so quickly now. I cannot turn my back for a second. He’s getting into everything. The cupboards, the dog bowls, the boxes, the trash, cords behind the couch. He’s obsessed with everything he shouldn’t be. It’s going to be out goal this weekend to start baby proofing the house, that’s for sure.

Not only can Teddy crawl, but he can pull himself up onto things. He crawls over to his walker and tries desperately to pull himself up to reach the toys. Thank goodness we have carpet now because on the wood floors he would never be able to get up on it. There is an unfortunate side effect to this new talent though. He falls a lot! I’ve been able to catch him many times but it’s crazy how fast he just topples over without any warning! He’s a trooper and gets right back up. We haven’t had any big tears yet.

Teddy’s newest addition to his language set is “baba”. He says this all the time. When I say all the time, I mean it. At his 3:00 am feeding and diaper change, as his 6:00 am wake up call, morning, noon and night. What is hilarious is that he will not say, “dada” anymore. If you say, “baba” to him he just goes and goes repeating it back and smiling at you. But once you say, “dada” he clams up. It’s the strangest thing. But again, when he decides something he’s going to do it. No bones about it. I am of course really looking forward to him saying, “mama”. I’m pretty sure my heart with just melt out of my chest and I’lll cry.

Teddy has also started eating food this month. He loves sweet potatoes, squash, avocado and chocolate shakes. Haha, okay, we’ve only given him a few sips of one, but he sure loves it. I’m so glad he likes such a variety of foods already. What we’ve found most interesting is that he LOVES sour and salty things like pickles and olives. Of course I LOVE them too so it makes me excited to see some of myself in him.

The weekend we moved we also had a fun family celebration! Nana and Papa celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. Papa surprised Nana with a vow renewal which we all were able to be a part of. It was very special. Afterward we went to Santa Barbara for family pictures taken by the amazing Alex Creswell (Andie as we call her) and dinner. It was a lovely day.

Finally, Teddy’s biggest and most exciting adventure this month was his first trip to Disneyland! We drove down on Monday morning to meet Grandpa, Grandma Aunt Jewels, Uncle Thomas, and Uncle Jonathan to celebrate Grandpa’s birthday. We spent all day on Monday at the park and then Teddy and I were able to stay another day at the park on Tuesday. I know that Teddy won’t really remember the trip, but I know Alex and I will have fond memories of his first trip.

I can’t believe we’re entering into the holidays. I’m so excited for Teddy’s first Thanksgiving and Christmas. Until then though, here are a few pictures from this month with our little Bubba Bear.

Teddy’s Firsts | Crawling

We officially have a crawler on our hands! For a few weeks Teddy has been doing this weird kind of army crawl where he drags his legs behind him and uses his arms to pull himself. We say he looks like a zombie because he also makes grunting and gasping noises while he does it. If there were zombie babies on the show “The Walking Dead” he’d be a star.

Teddy hadn’t been showing any signs of getting ready to really crawl except doing the rock-a-rock where he gets up on his hands and knees and just rocks back and forth. I had been trying to get him to crawl from that position but every time he would just belly plop and zombie crawl to his destination.

Last week though, at bible study, Sally plopped him down and he just went for it! We didn’t believe it at first so I grabbed my camera and he did it again! Over and over he kept crawling. We all cheered him on. It’s so sweet to see how everyone just loves this little guy so much. He has so many people rooting for him and loving on him!

Now that he’s had a good week of practice I literally can’t leave the room for a second. He can crawl from the living room to the kitchen in 10 seconds. It’s crazy. I was texting my inlaws saying how there’s no way I can get anything done while he’s awake now and they all said, “Don’t! Just enjoy him.”

I think I will. I love this crazy, crawling, zombie kid.

Teddy’s Firsts | Food

We now have a baby on the move and always hungry! About a month ago we started letting Teddy try some of our foods. A few beans here, an avocado there, some chocolate shake. He was really into whatever we gave him to try. We even gave him a lemon and he seemed to enjoy it, after the first shocking taste.

With each new food comes a whole new adventure for this little guy and as a food lover myself, it sure makes me happy that he’s so into food. What has been pretty comical though in this whole food experience is that every time he takes a bite he makes a scrunched face as if he doesn’t like it. Then he’s “mmmmm”ing and opening his mouth for more. But, as soon as you give him another taste he does it again. So hilarious.

Now that we are all moved in we’ve been giving Teddy actual foods to eat. So far he’s had avocado, sweet potatoes, squash, bananas, black beans, and tomatoes. He’s a huge fan of sweet potatoes and squash but he DOES NOT like bananas. It’s absolutely hilarious to me how much he hates them. He gags and shivers whenever I try and feed them to him. I can’t believe such a little person who hasn’t experienced much of anything can have his such strong opinions. I love that he’s not a particularly picky eater though. It makes giving him new foods to try more fun.

It’s been so fun watching him experience new foods. Pretty soon he’ll be eating us out of house and home! He’s definitely a growing boy, that’s for sure and he’s changing more and more everyday.

Moving with a Baby

Are we insane? Yes… yes we are. Moving with a baby is HARD. Packing is a joke, cleaning is non-existent and so is rest. Any time Teddy was sleeping I was packing/organizing/cleaning. But the reality is, I have a part-time job and a full-time job being his Mom. Alex has a full-time job and a full-time school load AND he’s a Dad! So, when our lease was up we really had to consider if moving was going to be an option for us, or if we should just renew our lease.

Alex began the process of looking for a new place, just to see what was out there and what our options were. He spent neither every lunch break for a week looking at places. He narrowed it down to three places and made a spreadsheet (because that’s what we do) comparing them all. Together we decided on apartments in TO, 7 mins from Alex’s work, close to church and our doctors, and the mall. It’s a one bedroom with a den (for Teddy), central A/C and a washer/dryer AND dishwasher. It has everything I needed to feel good about making a move. So, the packing began.

My parents and Creswell came out the weekend before the move and we kicked the crap out of packing. Every single thing was packed except for essentials. It was a huge blessing and I still can’t believe we were able to get it all done in two days with a baby. Teddy was a champ but definitely was having a bit of a panic attack at us packing everything up. The poor guy didn’t understand what was happening to his house!

Then throughout the week Alex and I began packing up the essentials. The weekend rolled around and we had family come visit. We celebrated Nana and Papa’s anniversary and also attended church on Sunday. Everyone thought we were crazy. Maybe we were, but our time with our family and church family was precious. On Sunday, after church, Alex got the UHAUL and a bunch of church friends met us at our apartment (6 to be exact). It took all six of us and Teddy 6 hours to move all of our things from the old apartment to the new apartment. Did I mention that this new one is an upstairs unit? I didn’t? Oh. Did I mention that we might be crazy? I did? Oh…

4 of the guys lugged our bed, or couch, out table, our entertainment unit, Teddy’s crib and our PIANO up the stairs. I couldn’t believe it. All in 6 hours time.

This past week I’ve had so much help unpacking the place. Almost every day someone has come over to either watch Teddy so I can unpack or help me unpack while Teddy is napping. I can’t say it enough, WE ARE BLESSED.

The new place seems to be agreeing with us. I absolutely love it and Teddy is warming up to it as well. In fact, he’s finally sleeping through the bulk of the night now in his own room. For the past four nights he’s only woken up once. I’ve enjoyed the sleep and the extra energy I’ve had to be able to work and unpack. Again, we’re blessed. And also, crazy. 

Our family tradition. We always have Del Taco the first meal in a new place.

Teddy’s First Halloween

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We are currently in a crazy time of our lives. Alex is in school and possibly one of the hardest semesters he’s had. I started a part-time job at our church and to top it off we’re moving. Needless to say a super, ultra cool Halloween costume wasn’t the first thing on our list.

But, as luck would have it, Auntie Jonna had purchased Teddy a pilot outfit for my baby shower in a 6 month size! Huzzah!! To top it off we had Boone’s costume from the year before. Seriously, our dog is pretty great.

So, without further ado, Teddy the pilot and Boome the plane!

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We made sure to stop by Auntie Jonna’s for Teddy’s first trick-or-treat experience. Then he headed out to a fun party with tasty chili, cornbread, treats and trick-or-treating. What a blast!

Teddy was great at the party and it was so fun to see all the kids being able to walk around a neighborhood and ask for candy. Everyone was so friendly and some of the houses were so creative!

We had such a great time celebrating Teddy’s first holiday tradition. He even waited until we got home to conk out because he didn’t want to miss anything.

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Teddy | 5 Months

Teddy you are our little squirmer and talker! You are always on the move. You love to jump, “walk” in your walker and army crawl. You also learned how to say, “dada” this month and you LOVE to wake up around 5:00 am with a song in your heart — except you usually share it with the entire neighborhood.

You, as usual, are very vocal about your distaste for things like your carseat and being left alone for any amount of time even if I just walk into the kitchen. You have been tasting different foods this month and I think you’re finally ready to start trying some food! At first you always make a face as though you’re shocked and mad that we fed you, but then you seem to really enjoy whatever we give you.  You’re very excited about starting to try new foods and you often try to reach for whatever I’m eating or drinking. Your hand-eye coordination is really good! You even seem to understand the difference between food items and non-food items.

You continue to be the happiest and easiest baby in the world. Even when you got sick this month with a cold we would still smile and laugh constantly. You had so many fun adventures this month including your first camping trip! You were a trooper and even slept fairly well through the night.

You most definitely are going to start crawling this month and we are SO NOT READY! But, ready or not, HERE YOU COME!

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Teddy is a champ. He’s always up for anything and boy have we tried a lot with him this month! Teddy had his first trip to San Luis Obispo this month and his first sink bath, he started saying his first word, he went on his first camping trip, and even went to the park for the first time! He is such a trooper and a dare devil. He’s fearless and comfortable doing just about anything. Some things make him apprehensive at first but once he gets going he loves whatever we throw at him.

His sleeping patterns this month have left much to be desired. He’s back to waking up every 4 hours and I am exhausted. When does the sleep come again? My brain needs it.

One thing that is amazing though is this kid’s ability to fall asleep anywhere (he gets it from his Dad for sure). In the middle of a noisy church service, a classroom, a starbucks or the beach, if this kid is tired there ain’t nothing gonna stop him from sleeping.

He still isn’t too fond of the adventure chair unless someone is sitting in the back with him. I don’t mind doing it, but on long car rides I’ve found myself getting pretty sick in the back so we’re at a point where we’re wondering if we should just let him be frustrated and figure it out or try something new. For the most part, Teddy is a super easy-go-lucky baby but when it comes to the adventure chair there is no changing his mind. He HATES it.

A few things he does love are his jumper and his walker. I LOVE it because he just goes and goes while I am cooking, doing dishes, or doing laundry. It sure beats caring around this 18 lb hunk of baby. That’s right, folks! 18 lbs.

This month Teddy was dedicated to the Lord at our church in Newbury Park. Almost all our family was able to make it up and it was a wonderful service. I remember seeing pictures and video of my brother, sister and I being dedicated and thinking how fun it would be when I had my own. I definitely teared up while we were up there with our extended family and church family lifting us up in prayer and praying blessing over Teddy’s life.

We chose 1 Samuel 1:27-28 as his life verse because it is the verse that came to me the day I found out I was pregnant. It also was the inspiration for his name because the verse explains that God was faithful to answer our prayers for a child and because of that we acknowledge that he is a gift from God and should be constantly given back to him, for his whole life. To say we are blessed seems to be the understatement of the century but we are. Here’s a link to the dedication video if you haven’t had a chance to watch it yet.

The craziest thing we did this month was a train ride from Riverside. The train was WAY better than driving because I could change his diaper and feed him whenever I needed to without having to pull over — but man, lugging around a stroller, bags, diaper bag, and an 18lb baby through Union Station is quite comical. I survived though and Teddy really enjoyed the ride.

Okay, I take it back. The CRAZIEST thing we did this month was take our 5 month old on a camping trip. EVERYONE thought we were crazy and brave. I just tried not to think about it. Being out here has been challenging and having a baby makes being a part of a community even harder because (surprise) it take a lot of work to get places and do things with a baby.

So, when our church announced that we were doing an all church camping trip, Alex and I resolved that we were going to make it happen. I am so glad we did. Teddy was fantastic and we had so much help and love shown to us on the trip. Did I mention how much I love our church family? Teddy does too, that’s for sure. He even ALMOST crawled to Miss Sarah, on the beach. This kid is not lacking in the love department at all.

What an amazing month it’s been so far. We never think it’s possible to love this little guy more, but every day we are in awe of how much more we love him. I think it’s been the craziest yet. Next month will be even crazier though because we’re attempting a move — with a baby! More on that in the future. Until then, here are a few favorite photos from our adventures this month with the Bubba Bear.

First Words

Five days ago Teddy started intentionally trying to repeat what I was saying while we practice our daily, “Dadas” and “Mamas”. I was really trying to stress the “mamas”, to which my mom said, “Ohhhh, good luck with that. It’s ALWAYS ‘Dada’ first!”

Then Teddy and I got sick. The lessons stopped and the cuddles, humidifier and Vicks vapor rub began. Nothing but a few coughs and squeals from our little Mr. Sunshine.

Finally, today we were just starting to feel better… And Daddy gets sick! We still had an errand we needed to run so we hoped in the car with me driving and Alex in the back. He figured, let’s give it a shot. He started saying, “Dada.” And would you believe???? Teddy started saying it!

“Dadadadadada! Dadada! Dada.”

I was driving, but luckily Alex caught it on his phone so I could watch it back later. At least I got to hear it for real. It was just the cutest thing in the whole world. I didn’t even mind that it wasn’t a “Mama” first. And even though he’s still coughing and hacking he’s been going non stop! “Dadadadada!” Alllll the live long day!

Just the cutest.

I imagine it’s hard being the working parent so I’m just very glad Alex not only got the first word, but it was “Dada.” Just melts your heart.

Teddy | 4 Months

Teddy, I know I say it all the time but you are just the best baby! You are so easy, friendly, cuddly and so darn sweet.  You make everyone feel like a million bucks with your sweet smile and you’re growing leaps and bounds. Your doctor says you have the biggest personality and you are so strong. He’s right! You are constantly on the move, squirming and scooting and rolling everywhere. You are getting very tired of your playmat and find it boring. You always have to exploring whatever I’m doing. It’s so sweet to watch you intensely taking in all my moves when I’m making dinner or doing dishes and playing with Boone.

You love to grab and pull. And you really love your puppy Boone. He dances around for you and you laugh. You started laughing some really deep laughs this month and it brings Daddy and I so much joy to hear it. Thank you so much for not growing up too fast — I love every moment I get to spend with you.

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Teddy is now 15.25 lbs and well over 2 feet long now. He is usually in the 90th percentile for weight, but he’s dropped down to the 70th which the doctor said is probably because of all his moving around. He rolls everywhere and squirms all the time.

My favorite thing that Teddy has done more intentionally now is holding my hand and reaching for Daddy’s & my face. It is just the sweetest thing every time. He LOVES to intertwine his fingers with mine and he even finds it comforting while we drive in the car if he can hold my hand.

Some of Teddy’s favorite people are his grandparents. He LOVES to Facetime with them and we do it as often as we can.

Some new tricks Teddy learned this month was sitting up on his own. I still prop him with pillows but he sure has some strong abs! He can sit up all on his own from a reclined position. He’s using his strength any way he can, from turning over his play gym to throwing things, and kicking and grabbing. If he wants something he just goes for it!

Another thing he’s been up to this month is getting up on his knees while on his tummy. He is working so hard to crawl, but I think he’s still going to hold out until 6 months to actually do it.

Alex thinks that he’ll be crawling by the end of this month. We’ll see!

Teddy is also obsessed with his feet. He grabs them all the time, even in the bath, which makes it hard to keep him reclined. Once he’s fully sitting up on his own we will have to transition him to a bigger tub, that’s for sure! He can’t quite get his feet into his mouth yet, but he does everything he can to try. It is so amazing to see him trying to accomplish things on his own. I’m so proud!

Now, some new things Teddy is doing that are not so awesome… He has been waking up more during the night. The doctor said it’s probably because he’s so much more aware and that putting him in his own room soon would be a good idea. I agree! It’s like every sound wakes him up. And, he’s eating a lot more — which is most likely because he’s going through a growth spurt.

But, seriously will we ever get to sleep again??

The last thing that hasn’t been that awesome is Teddy’s lack of enthusiasm about the adventure chair. We started calling it that because we wanted him to like it and be excited for all our adventures. We were doing great there for a while, but now he seems to be very aware of the fact that he’s strapped in. He can’t grab for things as easily and he can’t reach his toes. He gets so frustrated! I hope that goes away soon because we drive a lot!

Overall though, this kid is amazing. He’s the best Teddy around. I can’t wait to hear his little voice in the next few months and see how he will continue to grow!

Until then, he are a few pictures from this month.

Happy 4 Months, Teddy!

A Weekend Away

This past weekend was the first time I’ve ever left Teddy over night. In the days leading up to it, people would ask, “How are you doing?” “Are you nervous?” And I would just say, “I’m trying not to think about it.”

Honestly, I felt if I dedicated any of my brain to thinking about leaving my baby over night and how he would cry without me and probably not be able to function I would either a) crawl into a ball and cry my eyes out and never leave his side or b) discover that the opposite was true and then do a).

I just decided to take it one step at a time.  I knew I was leaving him in eager grandparent hands who would probably pay him more attention then I ever do, so that helped make things easier.  And, I was only going to be 45 minutes away in Palm Springs.

After the drive down on Friday night my parents offered to let Teddy sleep in their room and they would bring him to me so he could get use to sleeping there and so I could get a good night’s sleep. It worked wonderfully.

I left early Saturday morning for the Bachelorette Brunch for Jeannemarie at the Mission Inn which was so lovely and tasty.  Then, since we couldn’t check into the timeshare until 4:00, Julie Ann and I went back to the house to see Teddy. Yes, I was already missing him and it had only been 4 hours. I got one last feeding in and we took off!

I picked up JM and we made the trip down to Palm Springs. We stopped by Julie Ann’s apartment and then hit up Ralphs for drinks, dinner, snacks, and trashy magazines. Some of JM’s friends that I invited came out too and we enjoyed an evening of girly drinks, crosswords, silly games, friends re-runs and pizza.  Then we soaked our feet in the spa and passed out on the couch around mid-night.

I only woke up twice in the night thinking that I had to feed Teddy or that he rolled out of his bed or something and I just prayed that he was being good. I got a few pictures and video from the grandparents which helped soothe the sting of missing him.

On Sunday we relaxed in the lazy river and ate out at Ruby’s. I think it helped that we were busy chatting away all day so I didn’t have to think about Teddy every two seconds and realize that he wasn’t with me.

Around 4 we left to head home and I couldn’t wait to smoother my little guy with kisses. I got to my parent’s house and there he was, totally fine and still alive!

He had such a wonderful weekend being entertained by Grandma and Grandpa and alllllll the people at their church. They even went over to Grammy and Pa’s house for lunch afterward. It made me so happy to know that he got to help create such fun and sweet memories with them and it all at once broke and filled my heart.

Sometimes it’s so hard to be away from family, especially as Teddy is growing so fast, but I know the Lord has us here for a reason and we are fully expecting and continuing to receive His blessings.

So, I survived! Goooo Teddy and Gooooo Mommy!!