Victoria, Canada

Our Whale Watching adventure this weekend was CRAZY an interesting thing to do with an 11 month old. Our first step was getting suited up for the cold day.  Of course they didn't have baby J's size....

Once the boat got moving, she fell asleep for the hour ride to our destination.

Then all hell broke loose when she woke up!  Just kidding.  She has to be a mover and a shaker, which means being stuffed into a stay puff marshmallow suit is not her favorite choice.  The natives were restless!

We saw TONS of ocean life including Sea Lions, Seals, Bald Eagles and of course Killer Whales!

After a 120 mile trek we headed back to the hotel to get dry and later ventured out for dinner.

It was definitely a trip we won't soon forget.

Baby J Got Her Passport Stamped!

This weekend we traveled to beautiful Victoria, Canada on the Clipper.  It was an adventure to say the least! We had a beautiful room at Inn at Laurel Point overlooking a beautiful garden and the bay beyond.  Our first day we explored and had some great food.

We woke up the next morning, went for a walk and then headed to Fisherman's Wharf to get ready to hunt some Killer Whales!  It was an exciting adventure that I'll share more about tomorrow.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband.  He's an amazing daddy.

Butterfly

We had a nice weekend, went to the park with a blanket for an hour on Saturday.  Of course I had to take some pictures of baby J.  She is getting a little personality and we just can't get enough of her.

Those are some big teeth!

Looks just like Jessy with her 4 teeth.... Saw this little guy this weekend.  Speaking of animals.  We hopefully have a Robin laying some eggs under our patio.  They have done this several years that I have lived there and since Robins have such a low success rate of survival, I tend to let them build.  Mike has never seen this event before so... why not!  I'll keep you posted as to what happens!

Goofy Times Two

We laid in the park this weekend after our hike.  Daddy did baby exercises and we had a good time laughing and goofing around.  Nothing better than sunshine and babies in May!

Photoshoot

Hotel bed morning photo shoots are the BEST, especially when you're still in your PJs! Daddy was making her laugh!

Palouse Falls

We had a beautiful weekend visiting Palouse Falls on Saturday.  We spent some time exploring and laying in the sun.  I took my camera along and will be posting pictures this week of our adventure.

I love baby J's face in this one, she looks like an angel.

Baby J decided to take off cruising in the grass to meet a dog in the park.

 We also did a little morning photo shoot in our hotel room, I'll post those pictures tomorrow!

Happy Mother's Day

Sleeping Beauty - Sleep Schedule

For the first six months of Baby J's life I was feeding her every 2 to 3 hours all night long.  "It was rough" would be an understatement.  But we continued on this path with her.  At 6 months she was only getting up 3 times a night for feedings.  We thought about night weening her... but I just can't make her cry it out. Especially thinking that she is hungry. (She was eating 6 ounces EVERY time she woke up).  At 9 months she dropped a feeding on her own and at 10 months she dropped another one... on her own, in her own timing.

Looking back my husband and I are really proud of how we have raised her.  We have always been there for her, never made her cry for something she needs and it has created a very happy, secure baby.

As far as her sleep schedule goes, we are to the minute.  Why?  Because she's just that type of baby, and that's okay.  Just because you had a baby that didn't need a schedule, doesn't mean that other babies don't need one.  Through trial and error we have seen this with our daughter.  She needs to go to bed at 7pm. Not 7:15, not 7:20.  Yes its that scheduled.  But if you saw how she reacted you'd understand.  She has become an excellent little sleeper and we are so proud of her.  She has gained the confidence she needs. In fact one day we had a new babysitter who put her down for a nap and she immediately called me and said that was the easiest baby she has ever had.  Yup!!

What's nice about this?  We can travel and stay up till 9pm with her and its not an issue.  She seems to know that because we are not home, things aren't the same.  She sleeps just as good.

I say all of this because I know there are a lot of moms that are more laid back on their baby's sleep schedule and they tend to make you feel like you're crazy not normal. Every baby is different... if what you feel you are doing is the best for your baby, then do it proudly!

After my mother died when I was 9 years old, Mother's Day became one of the hardest holidays for me. It was a constant reminder that she was gone. People would always ask "What are you doing for mother's day?" when they didn't know.

My mother was one of the most beautiful, caring people in the world. I know one of her fears is that I would forget her, that I was too young to remember.  She was wrong.  I can still smell her Charlie perfume, see her cock her head to the side when she was making a point, and the beautiful clothes she ALWAYS wore.

This year is the first year that I'm truly happy again.  I have a reason to celebrate.

Grandma Fun

My dad came over for a visit last night to play with Jessy.  He was standing in the middle of the room and told her if she crawled through her tunnel he would too.  Of course how she understood him is anyone's guess.  She immediately crawled into the next room to go through the tunnel... so he had to follow... and then get stuck!

She was pushing and pulling to get him out.  And then decided she needed to get into the tunnel with him which wasn't helping. I was laughing so hard.  I know dad was exhausted but baby J slept ALL night so she was too.  Hey dad... your HIRED!

It was 84 degrees on Friday so we stripped our clothes down to play on the couch! We all took turns putting the bunny ears on because, well she insisted!  It made her laugh.  I love her little teethy grin!

Swimsuits and Teething Rings

Went swimming again this weekend.  Baby J was teething and held her teething ring from the car, into the pool and back out.

I can't believe she is going to be ONE next month!  So crazy.

9 & 10 Monthly Favorites

VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker She LOVES this and spends a good portion of her day doing laps in our house.  Plus she knows how to push the buttons to make it play songs and then dances to it!

Step2 Infant to Toddler Swing She loves to swing and instead of finding a park to go to we brought the swing to her!

aden + anais Muslin Dream Blanket  Since the weather has gotten warmer I needed to upgrade from her fleece baby blanket.  I love this blanket, its the right weight for summer and its HUGE.

Beaba Stackable Formula and Snack There's a reason this is on everyones favorite list.  We have started traveling and this is awesome.  I can store her snacks and even formula in the separate compartments.  LOVE LOVE.

Since the weather has been amazing, we've spent a lot of time outdoors.  I come home from work and lay out the comforter on the lawn for our afternoon snack.  Baby J is learning to share!  Mostly because if she doesn't the dog will just come and take the cookie out of her hand anyway!