Almost 11 months and more TEETH!

This poor baby.....he currently is rocking out with ten teeth....with two more molars coming in as we speak! He will have a total of twelve teeth at 11 months old. Ridiculous. He has been a champ throughout the whole experience and I can't believe that it hasn't affected his sleeping at all. He has been getting used to daycare, but struggles when I go and drop him off. He cries and I have to peel him off me like he is some kind of a leech. Bless his heart. He ends up calming down within about ten to fifteen minutes after I leave and plays with the kiddos and eats a ton!

Emerson, Leni's cousin turned a year old on August 20th. I cannot believe that he is one already and that Leni is only six weeks younger than him. I haven't fully accepted the fact that I am the mother of a soon-to-be one year old. It doens't even seem possible that he has been on this planet for almost a year. What a roller coaster these last (almost) eleven months have been. I have experienced every emotion possible and then some. Wouldn't change one single part of it though. I am excited about his first birthday and also very emotional. It has been such a joy watching him grow into this little person that can speak, crawl, laugh, climb, hug, kiss, clap, wave and various other cool things, but it is also a constant reminder of how fast life goes by. He reminds me to cherish each day and live in the present. Children have a way of making people stop and really just enjoy that specific moment. It is a wonderful thing.

10 months and the arrival of three new teeth...

Tomorrow Leni will be 10 months old. Beyond crazy! He has been hanging out with dad during the day while I work. He has been doing really well with dad, and has even learned some silly new games that his dad has taught him.....they play hide and go seek, a 'chase me' game and a snuggle game with this giraffe rug. He misses me when I leave in the morning for about 30 minutes per his dad's report....he stands at the door saying 'ma, ma, ma, ma' in the most sad voice. He then proceeds to get over it fairly quickly and starts playing with daddy.

I have enjoyed being back at work. It has been very eventful already and I am busy with a good number of clients. My brain has been very overloaded trying to get back into the swing of things. It is very odd being at a desk where it is relatively quiet around me and I can actually accomplish tasks that I start! I can't even believe how much I can get done without a little 10 month old at my heels. I have also been working out at the gym. I am trying to prepare myself to run in my second 1/2 marathon in October. We shall see how that goes; at this point I can run 3 miles without stopping. It feels great to be able to get back into shape again and really put my strength to the test.

Leni was supposed to start daycare tomorrow, but he is sick :( He has his dad's cough and runny nose. We thought he was in the clear, but he somehow got the tail end of the sickness. We took him to daycare last Friday to meet Laurie and all the kiddos and he was in heaven! We put him down, and everyone started laughing at his silly Mowgli-style crawl, and then the kiddos surrounded him and starting handing him toys. He was as happy as a clam and was smiling and laughing at each and every one of them. Daycare is going to be great for him and I am so glad that Laurie is his provider. She is so sweet and loving and all the kids just treat her like she is their family. Leni is going to learn so many things at daycare that I could never teach him on my own. I am really happy how every thing has been going lately. Levi and I are so lucky in so many ways.

We bought Leni some 'big boy' pj's. He is so big now that he is wearing 12 month jammie separates and they are tight on him! It really made me realize how old he is and how he isn't really going to be a baby much longer. He is standing on his own now without needing help pulling himself up, so I am sure that walking will be right around the corner. Levi and I were watching him crawl around the house the other night and it was just so amazing to both of us that we have this little blessing in our life and that he is ours. Babies are so amazing. I am grateful every single day that he is my son. He is our world.

9 months and counting

The little guy is now 9 months old!! 9 months old people!! What is happening?! So many amazing things. Little man is now climbing on every thing (from the dishwasher to the baby gate), standing by himself without support for a few seconds at a time, pulling himself up in a heartbeat, getting his sixth tooth in, eating us out of house and home, loving books and flash cards and enjoying hanging out with his poppa now that he is home for the summer. He is already worrying us since he doesn't want help with anything anymore. He wants to stand on his own, not with anyone holding his hands. He likes to feed himself more than he likes to be fed, and he likes to turn the pages of his books wihtout assistance. All I can say is that we are going to be in serious trouble when that little dude really starts walking. He wants to be on the go as it is, ALL THE TIME!

BIG NEWS: Levi just found out that he got his job back at Foothill Farms Junior High for the 2009-2010 school year. He is beyond excited and I am so happy for him. It all turned out in the best possible way and we are all looking forward to his return to teaching. I too am returning to work--back at River Oak starting the 14th of this month. I am really excited to return to work. It has been an amazing nine months, but I really am ready to be around a bunch of adults and use my 'MFT' brain again. The cobwebs are thick in that brain of mine at this point, so it is going to take me a while to get back into the swing of things. Levi and I are both very thankful to be working and starting new chapters in our lives. I know that I will miss the little man like crazy during the day, but he has his poppa until the beginning of August and then he will have a few days a week with grandma and a few days in daycare. I know that it will be really great for him as well-he will be able to spend some one-on-one time with this grandma and go to daycare and hang with some other little ones.

I absolutely cannot believe that so much time as passed already. He has grown so much in this past month and has learned so many new things. He has hit up two very important vacation spots for both Levi and I--Maui and Capitola--this summer and he loved every minute of them both. He definitely is a beach baby. He hardly even ate any sand in Capitola!! A huge change from Maui, that is for sure. I just love every inch of that little man--from his laugh, to his silly faces, to his 'mad boy' face to his squeals and happy yells. He truly is such a wonderfully beautiful and delicious baby :)


So many positive changes are occuring, and I am looking forward to the rest of this year and the beginning of next. Soon we will be celebrating his 1st birthday. I can't really think about that too much right now without crying a little bit....okay, crying a lot :)

Five years

On May 15th, we hit the five year mark of my mom's passing. I truly cannot believe that it has been five years already. Every year on the anniversary of her passing we do something special to remember her. This year Levi and I took the little man to Muir Woods and Stinson Beach for a day of relaxation and reflection. This year was especially tough for me. It is amazing how well my mind and body remember the chronology of what happened the few weeks before she died up until the actual day of her passing. I always start to feel differently the end of April...this was the week that my mom recieved the phone call from the doctor regarding the brain tumor that they found. About a week or so later she went in for surgery on that brain tumor. She was able to come home for Mother's Day, which was really wonderful. Unfortunately she went back into the hospital four days later with pnuemonia and she passed two days after that. I remember it all so vividly.

Everyday I miss her. I miss how she laughed all the time, how she made up crazy words, how she loved Chardonnay and had a glass every night after work, how she made everyone around her feel like they were the only person she had ever known and cared for in her life, how honest she was, how loyal she was to her friends and family, how she never judged people, and mostly, how much she loved me and supported me every single day of my life. She backed me on decisions even if she didn't agree with them, mostly because she strongly believed that I would have to make my own mistakes to truly learn from them. She was the most beautiful woman I have ever known. Her grace and beauty were so remarkable.....

This year I was sad but mostly extremely angry. I now know what it feels like to love another person more than you love yourself. Lennox is my world and I would do absolutely anything for him. Knowing how this feels, and knowing what my mom went through with cancer and having to share her sickness and her ultimate last breath with me must have been horrible for her. I remember her telling me that she wasn't scared of dying, she was more afraid of how I would handle her being gone. I am angry that she wasn't able to be at my grad school graduation, wasn't able to receive the phone call in December of 2005 about my engagement to Levi, wasn't able to be at any of my bridal showers or help me plan our wedding, how she wasn't able to walk me down the aisle at our wedding and most of all I am angry that she was not able to be at the birth of her first grandchild. I am beyond angry that she was robbed of being a grandma to this amazing little man that fills my heart with such immense joy and love every single day. She didn't deserve to miss out on all of that. I know exactly how she would have been with him. How much she would have loved watching him learn new things, and how much she would have loved to be outside in her garden with him playing all day long. I miss having my mom here and with me. I know that she is here in spirit, and I do feel her around me often, but it really isn't the same, nor is it as comforting as having her here with me to hug, laugh with and talk to. It just isn't the same.

I think about how much I hope I am even half the mom to Leni as my mom was to me. She was my teacher, my friend, my confidante, my inspiration, my heart. I was lucky to have her for the 24 years that I did.

Scootie Patootie!

Guess who is scooting all over the house now? He just started doing this army crawl/tummy scoot deal yesterday....and today he is starting to really get it! He is really interested in scooting towards the phone or the TV remote, or really anything that he hasn't seen a million times before (such as all of his toys...). It is super hilarious to watch. I guess we better started putting in all the plug protectors and the cabinet closer things now because he will be crawling any day now! I can't believe it!! So exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time!! :) Get ready Maui....Leni is mobile!

Firsts....

Leni man has had a month full of firsts. Levi was on Spring Break from school from the 5 to the 11 of this month, so we decided to take advantage of that and do some family things. Leni had his first trip to SF, his first trip to the ocean, his first time putting his toes in the sand and his first time in a jacuzzi all in one day! He loved every minute of all of those firsts. He was really intrigued by the sand at first and then just wanted to bury his feet in it. The expression on his face was priceless. Yesterday, we took him on his first trip to the Sacramento Zoo. He seemed to like the flamingos the best and could not stop staring at them! I took the funniest picture of him staring at the flamingos as they were making all sorts of crazy noises. Leni had his first Easter at his grandma's and grandpa's. He loved seeing all the kiddos play in the pool and the jacuzzi. He is absolutely smitten with his cousin Ainsley, he can never stop staring at her when she is around.

It is so awesome watching him grow up before my very eyes. He is such a sweet and smiley little man. He loves watching other kiddos, and he loves to eat!! He has been eating just about every type of fruit and veggie you can imagine and so far he hasn't been grossed out by anything that we have fed him. He is a really good eater. Hopefully he will stay that way!! I almost forgot....at his 6 month appointment he was still 17 1/2 pounds and was 28 1/2 inches long! He is 2ft 4 inches! That just totally amazes me!

We are on the official count down to Maui. We are leaving on June 4th and come back on June 10th. We are staying at the Marriott on Ka'anapali beach. We are so looking forward to introducing the little man to the island that holds so many cherished memories for us. It is going to be beautiful! We are then taking lil' man to Capitola with the fam. This is the other place that is very special to both Levi and I. What a fantastic summer we are going to have :)

Almost 1/2 of a year....

It has been awhile since my last post. Little man is sick right now (for the third time in 6 weeks) and is currently snoozing away in his crib. We took him to the doctor's yesterday, and he currently weighs 17 1/2 lbs! He has his actual six month appointment this Friday, so I will update you all again after that appointment. We had our house warming party the first weekend of the month, and it was so awesome! Everyone seemed to have a blast, the day couldn't have been any more perfect and the weather was amazing. We had about 10 or so kids here from a few months old up to about 4. It was crazy how many little ones were running around in the yard. Lennox sure is lucky to have so many friends his age to play with!

Leni's top tooth is coming in as we speak and it is a big one! Poor guy has been going crazy waiting for this one to come in. I am dreading his other big front tooth's arrival--he has been one sad little man over these last three weeks. Leni is eating a bunch of delicious foods now.....pears, bananas, squash, prunes, carrots, applesauce, peas, avocado, and sweet potatoes. He is a great little eater! He loves eating all the foods that I grind up for him with our food mill. It is crazy that he is eating solids now and will soon be crawling!

I have been spending a lot of time with Keri and Megan and their kids--Lola, Jackson and Rocco. We meet once a week for a little mommy's group. It is so nice to have a day to hang with some ladies my age and let the kids tire each other out. Leni loves watching toddlers run around and get into trouble. He just stares at them and sometimes even tries to imitate them (like when Jackson, Lola and Rocco start screaming at the top of their lungs...). Anne and I have been meeting a few times a month to let James and Leni hang out....we have been meeting at McKinley Park, walking to get coffee at Peet's and then walking around the park for some exercise.

It sure has been beautiful outside (with the exception of this crappy wind lately) and I have been going on long walks with the little guy daily. I just love our neighborhood, our neighbors and having the park so close by. Leni gets to go on the swings all by himself at the park and he loves it! Like I have said before, he is a kiddo that loves to be scared. He really gets a kick out of the adrenaline rush--super scary for what he is going to be like as a teen! He doesn't get scared by things that most babies his age would cry at....we'll just have to see how this one plays out!! :)

I can't believe that he is almost a 1/2 of a year old. Time flies. It flew by before we had a baby, but now it truly goes by in a flash. I know that he is going to be a year old before I know it and it makes me a little sad. I love watching him grow up, learn new things, see things for the first time and figure things out....but it is also sad that it all happens so quickly and before I know it he won't be a baby anymore. It is bittersweet. Being a mom is the most rewarding, amazing, overwhelming, crazy, beautiful and difficult task that I have ever taken on. I love being a mommy, but it is true that you have no idea how tough it is until you become one. I see a lot of both Levi and I in him, as well as my mom. There are certain expressions that he has that completely make me believe that I am staring at my mom. It is such a gift, and I love that I can see her in him. I know that she is just smitten with him, just as we all are. I wish that she would have still been here to see her daughter become a mommy, but I know that she is around....I just can't see her as much as I would like :)