Odds and ends

In June, our neighborhood was host to a resident mama moose and her two babies. They hung around for a week or so - my in-laws took a bunch of great photos of them as they lounged in our yard (I've included one below - thanks Mim!)

D and I celebrated our 3-year anniversary on June 26. What a ride it has been! We met in 2005, purchased our house in 2007, became engaged in 2009 and married in 2010. Boyd arrived in 2012, and who knows what the future will hold for our family?

To celebrate our anniversary, D took me to Orso and we had a lovely evening out while my mom watched Boyd (thanks Mom!). There was a snafu during dinner - our food was delivered to another table so we waited while the cook made new dishes, but they comped us with an appetizer and a free dessert since it was a special occasion. We picked creme brulee - one of our favorites!

Since I purchased an annual zoo pass, we've visited the animals quite a few times this summer. It's fun to see Boyd interact with them a little more each time we go.

And a few photos from the Sushi Party that Risha and I presented in June...

Boyd - 17.25 months

What a busy month! Baby Boyd turned 17 months old and we had a ton of activities and events to keep us on the move in July. Those updates to come later.

• We're hearing more words come out of Boyd's mouth: water (wawa), boat (bo), more (mo), banana (nana), grandma (nana), emo - which is the Korean word for aunt, grandpa (baba), hot (haaaa), flower (fawa), puppy (pupu), woah, up (buh), night night (nigh nigh), no.
• I bought a frog-shaped sandbox with lid for him to play in - it sits in the front yard and D just recently filled it with sand. Boyd seems to like it. Still can't get enough of going outside.
• More waving, lots of smiling at everyone - even strangers.
• Definitely right handed for eating and drawing/writing. He's been eating with a spoon pretty well and most of the food makes it into his mouth! Has totally mastered drinking from a cup with a regular straw. We're working on a regular cup and water bottle, but I'm surprised at how quickly he's picking it up. And he'll blow on food that he thinks is hot - super cute.
• In the last couple weeks he has started to take our hands and lead us to an area. Then he'll show us things or just begin playing. He's SO ACTIVE. D and I are shocked when he sits for longer than 5 minutes!
• Still doing well with one nap per day beginning between noon to 1 p.m., usually running about 2 hours.
• During our many nights away from home during Risha's wedding and fish camp, Boyd has slept surprisingly well in the travel crib. We'll do bedtime like usual, put him down and then leave the room or camper - it normally takes 10-15 minutes for him to settle and fall asleep. Some night waking occurred but I would pull him into my sleeping area for the rest of the night. 
• I've been up for some inexplicable night wakings since we've been home again. He's upset in the middle of the night, around 1:30-2 a.m., and when I go to him all he wants to do is play in his room or walk around for 1-2 hours. It's exhausting. I think it may be another sleep regression - we're right on track for the 18 month regression. After he starts acting tired again I'll redo the bedtime routine and put him down again. 
• It's so hot again and the temperature in Boyd's room rises in the evening. Lately he sleeps in just a nighttime diaper with the fan on high. If it's especially stuffy in his room, we'll leave the door open to get some air circulation going.
• Boyd is SO GOOD about having sunscreen or lotion put on. He's very patient, even when I'm applying it to his face. 
• I have lost 2 pairs of sunglasses to Hurricane Boyd - I now hide them from his path of destruction.
• We're seeing more affection - puckers up for kisses when we say "popo", which is the Korean word for kiss.Sometimes he'll even offer an unsolicited kiss - I love those moments! He's not big on hugging yet.
• Understands almost all of what we say to him and follows fairly complicated 2-step commands, e.g., pick up your water from the table and take it to daddy. 
• I'm hoping his physical prowess improves. He's not as steady as I'd like him to be, but it just comes with more practice, I suppose! For example, he won't scoot on his bottom down the stairs and instead wants to hold our hands to get down them.
• Loves reading - the two most popular books in the rotation are Goodnight Gorilla and Goodnight Construction Site. I love seeing him flip through pages and point out images or babble to himself. He doesn't seem interested in television and we don't actively offer it to him.
• Assists us in taking off his clothes - putting arms up, pushing shirts off his face, helping with socks/shoes.
• After a bad week of horrible diaper rash and nightmare poops, the culprit was discovered to be strawberries! Who knew? I think it must be a mild gastric intolerance.
• Really enjoys brushing his teeth after bedtime, and likes most baths.  
• Temper tantrums are coming into play. So lovely. 
• Once in a while he'll get startled by something, and I have to admit that I love it when he instinctively runs over and clutches our legs for comfort.

Summer visitors

It's been a fantastic summer for family and friend visits! My dad's cousin Aileen came up for the wedding and stayed on for some exploring of Southcentral Alaska. Darin's brother Doug and his girlfriend Jamie were up for a week and we had a really fun time with those two - fishing and enjoying my in-laws' hospitality on the Kenai. And one of my best friends and college roomies, Stephanie, came up for a long weekend visit. It's so quiet around here now - I miss everyone!

A zoo day with Boyd, Grandma Ann and Aileen.

We had a day of visitor overlap - Doug, Jamie and Stephanie. Dinner was a salmon feast out on the deck as we all enjoyed the warm, sunny weather.

Stephanie, Boyd and I visited the Glen Alps trail head to do a short hike on Powerline Pass and marvel at the Anchorage skyline.

Love this girl! We were missing our 3rd Musketeer - Emily - who is in Texas with a brand new baby girl.

New boat!

With the growth of our family from 2 to 3, our trusty little black Hewes didn't seem to be as good of a fit for us. D and I agreed we would prefer to have: 1) something bigger and heavier in the water for safety's sake; 2) additional interior and back deck space; and 3) an upgrade to a hard top from a soft top (without leaks!).

We drove out to Eagle River a couple months ago (a bedroom community of Anchorage, approximately 20-30 minutes away) to check out a boat which had been advertised on Craigslist. It was a beautiful day and nice drive. Boyd and I took a quick peek at the craft, which is a Hewes 22' hard top Searunner, and then amused ourselves in the seller's yard and driveway. D did his due diligence and thoroughly checked out the boat.

Keeping busy while Daddy goes boat shopping.

More keeping busy, and then a celebratory dinner at Lucky Wishbone!

Afterwards we drove back into town and dined at Lucky Wishbone, practically an Anchorage landmark diner for over 50 years. My dad LOVED eating here and I'm so happy that we're introducing our next generation to a lifetime of Wishbone meals.

Boyd - 16.5 months

We just reorganized Boyd's room and removed the daybed that previously took up one whole wall - I slept on that thing for months while Boyd was a teeny tiny infant. It will go to Risha and Gabe's house to serve as an extra bed for some of their wedding guests. In its place, I put a small bookcase with our kiddo's books, toys, blocks and stuffed animals. I also had D affix it to the wall so the shelves can't fall on Boyd in case he pulls on it or tries to climb it like a monkey. You never know with kids. I read a horrifying story about a dresser in a 3-year old girl's room and now I make D bolt all bookcases and dressers to the wall.

Boyd updates:

• Spinning around in circles - he did this a few times last week, just going around and around.
• Makes an "O" face all of the time! It started a couple weeks ago and he does it when surprised, happy, hearing a plane, or when he wants to get our attention. It's his new go-to facial expression.
• Boyd rode on a toddler swing for first time and liked it for all of 30 seconds. We also practiced going down a BIG curvy slide (scary for me, meh for him). I also purchased 2 toddler slides at a garage sale - one for our house and the other for my mom's. Oh and D modified a Radio Flyer wagon that Risha & Gabe gave us - it's super stylin' now!
• Knows what he wants - whether it's playing outside or preferring a particular food. He'll be a huge fussbudget one minute and then instantly calm down with a smile on his face once he gets his way.
• Had a nice play date 3 Mondays ago with some music class friends and their moms, plus Risha and Jilly. Since then we've visited two parks and the Imaginarium at the Museum. Fun to see the kids growing up and becoming actual little people, as opposed to babies.
• Drinking bathwater - oh geez, this is gross but I can't stop him from doing it! I say "no no" and he says it back to me, then puts the water to his lips. Kids are weird. My friend Lindsay says her son drinks dirty water too, so I guess I'm not alone.
• Also in the bath, Boyd likes filling and emptying a bottle with bathwater while watching the air bubbles come up.
• Has started to play with cogs and gears on toy. He's so interested in the minute details of how things work.
• Playing with and in water is guaranteed to keep Boyd busy for a while. He gets soaked but sometimes it's worth it to keep him out of our hair. :-) Lately he's been dipping a cup in a bowl of water and then dumping the contents of the cup into my flower pots. 
• He has opened and closed our screen door so many times that it came off the track.
• My baby is officially weaned! I didn't offer to nurse him a couple weeks ago and he didn't seem to mind, so we've skipped it ever since. The process was surprisingly easy. 

The busy season

Oh wow, it's a whirlwind of activity around here! One of my oldest friends (we met in high school 22 years ago!) was married this past Saturday, and as a bridesmaid I've had a very busy month, especially this last week. Between her wedding, work, trying to squeeze in family and friend time, I feel like it's been go, Go, GO all of the time! But the wedding was beautiful, as was the bride - and we all had a wonderful time.

Risha's wedding is this Saturday (already!), and my mom and I are throwing her bridal shower tomorrow (yikes!). Busy times all around. But we've had a month of sunny and scorching hot weather (up in the 80's at one point) so that was fun. This week it has cooled off considerably and the clouds have rolled in. Please cross your fingers for NO RAIN on Saturday for Risha & Gabe's outdoor wedding.

Work is ridiculously overwhelming right now. My boss is in Europe for 2.5 weeks and I'm up to my eyeballs in projects. But I'm holding my own and feeling good about what I've accomplished in the midst of all of this stress and activity. And I'm looking forward to MY 2.5 week vacation starting July 4th! Sounds like my brother-in-law and his girlfriend are coming up in July, and my awesome friend Stephanie will be here for a long weekend in July as well. SO FUN!

Thanks for hanging in there with these postings - I'll have Boyd's 16.5 month update up shortly.

Boyd - 16 months

16 month updates:

• I think our boy is part feline. He has taken to crawling on top of things and fitting his chubby legs and bottom into trays/lids.
• Need to work on sharing and playing nicely with other kids. I'm not too worried about it - babies are inherently selfish and sharing is a learned skill. He doesn't hit or play rough, but he ends up really wanting a toy when he sees another kid playing with it.
• He does this sweet stomping dance with his feet when happy
• Loves pushing buttons - on the remote, phones, the carseat, my Kindle, reading light, garage door opener, etc.
• Adorable alert: bringing D his shoes to signal that he wanted to go outside, and when that didn't work, hauling over my shoes too. He loves his little green Keen sandals.
• Has learned to blow a whistle and blow bubbles
• He's Mister Independent now - will only hold our hands when he needs a little assistance or balance
• Figuring out how to sit - sometimes he'll try to crawl on a chair and then turn around to face forward, other times he'll back up and plop his bottom down
• Also along those lines, he's been using Drift as a seat. Poor dog is pretty patient. 
• I'm happy to report that hat and sunglasses usage is improving. It's been really hot lately (high 70's) and sunscreen on the top of his head just doesn't cut it (I still use it on his body). He actually wore his bike helmet with a minimum of fuss during a ride this past weekend too!
• Will knock on doors with his hand in a fist, and not just pound on them with a flat hand
• After giving high five's, "E.T." finger pokes, and kisses, he'll clap his hands and congratulate himself. Where does he learn this stuff? He makes us laugh all of the time. 
• My mom says he is "charming" - a totally apt way to describe Boyd. Lots of smiles for people. A lady I work with at the hospital says he "never meets a stranger," which is very true. We're pleasantly surprised at how sweet he is with people he doesn't know, and how fast he will warm up to someone - as long as that person doesn't want to hold him.
• Tons of affection for our pets. And he's very good about being gentle with them. 
• Understands SO MUCH of what we say and follows commands
• Is starting to color with Crayons
• Enjoys playing in the dirt and moving dirt from one container to another. We need to get him a sandbox, pronto. Dirt is too messy!
• The pediatrician says Boyd's clumsiness is normal. I brought it up in his appointment last week. Boyd is more confident in his movements so he goes faster, but that means he'll fall or trip more often.
• We've had some blips in his sleep. He was hit with a cold a few weeks ago and then went through some growth spurts. And last night we suspect he had some tummy troubles - plus his room is sweltering in this heat.
• We have a new comfy lounge chair for him. It's something I found on Craigslist - a $119 Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair for $25!
• Will say "MOO" when answering the question, "What does a cow say?" Sometimes he'll make a soft noise when we ask about cats.
• It's confirmed - he currently has 14 teeth with 2 on the way. I brush his teeth every night after bath time. 
• Lately we've been hanging out on Mondays with a few mamas and their kiddos from our music class.

See a pattern here?

Sweet morning cuddles with Mr. Bear.

Handling a screwdriver and some wood like a pro - he's definitely descended from a carpenter.

Getting some outside time, even in the rain. We found a massive earthworm and played with street gravel.

Bath time antics

Boyd's bedtime is usually around 8 p.m., so that means his bath begins between 7:15 and 7:30. It's a nice low-key period for us both to unwind and settle after a long day. Depending on his mood, sometimes I'll play kid music on Pandora radio using my iPhone. Lately he's been protesting a bit when I wash his hair - I need to be more careful about getting water in his face!

He's just SO ADORABLE, I can't even stand it sometimes.

And in the photo below: this just started - Boyd helps me roll up the bath mat and gets impatient if I go too slow! He even stands it up on its side.

Video: Bears at the Zoo - 15.25 months

A few weeks ago I met up with Risha, Jillian, and some friends of theirs for a morning at the Alaska Zoo. I finally broke down and purchased a 1-person season pass since Boyd seems to love this place. We mention the word "zoo" and he breaks out in a big grin.

 In the following video you can hear our group getting excited about the show the bear is putting on for us!

Video: Museum stroll - 15.5 months

Boyd and I visited the Anchorage Museum during another one of the monthly free days. We arrived right after the facility opened and scored a great parking space, plus there were practically no people there! Love it when things work out like that. It's difficult enough to get a high-energy toddler in and out of places, so I really appreciate when the forces of the universe work together to cut me a break!

Boyd was pretty happy to walk around and explore, as usual. To keep his hands busy I let him carry around my wallet, as you can see...

Video - Blowing bubbles - 15.5 months

Someone DOES NOT need my help!

He has the motions down, not so much the execution. :-)

Snow showers in MAY

(Here's another post I started and never got around to finishing...)

In all my years as an Alaskan, I've never seen a late-season snow like this one. Snow on May 18 - isn't that crazy? It didn't stop us from going to an outdoor food festival though.

This was the longest winter - officially it made the record books at 232 days of measurable snowfall. That's almost 8 months of snowy, cold weather!

Snow in mid May! It took a few days for it to mostly melt and I took Boyd on a bike ride in the Chariot once the roads were clear. I love this Chariot - so far we've used it for XC skiing, bike riding, and as a stroller.

Yes, we took our baby out in a snowstorm to a food festival. He had the most fun out of all of us (me, D, Risha and Gabe).

Oh yes, he will...

I've seen this all over the internets, and it always makes me laugh since I was in labor with Boyd for 12 hours.

Mother's Day weekend

I'm behind with my updates! Did everyone have a lovely Mother's Day? We sort of made it a weekend celebration, since the boys were fishing/hunting/shrimping that Friday through Saturday evening. Once D was home, we ran errands as a family, hit up a midtown park to watch the ducks, and then enjoyed ice cream treats from Dairy Queen. A great day!

Having Mondays off from work is a wonderful gift that I enjoy every week. Just a day for me and Boyd to enjoy being together. The first photo box below is from a full day of errands and activities on a Monday last month. We went to music class and the grocery store and then to a local book store. Boyd had a blast walking up and down a small set of stairs, and sitting in a kid-sized chair. He must have been pretty cute because a few people walked by to watch him toddle around.

These next photos are from Mother's Day weekend...

It's raining but nothing stops this outdoor baby.

The adorable face that greets me each morning.

First visit (of many, I'm sure) to Home Depot!

Sunny, but cool, day at Cuddy Midtown Park.

Boyd - 15 months

We've had some really great days with Boyd. Sleep is going well (knock on wood) and he's really turning into a little person with his own preferences and opinions. I'm also happy to report that he's following commands as well.

• More teeth have arrived - MORE TEETH! This time it's the lower canines. I can't see his upper gums because Boyd generally doesn't cooperate when we want to open his mouth, but I'm assuming they're on their way too. This means the tooth count is currently at 14, possibly 16.
• When we say "I don't know", Boyd will lift up his arms and look around
• Our boy is obsessed with chap stick and lip balm. His new favorite thing to do is get hoisted onto our bed, crawl over to D's side, and then gesture for us to give him the lip balm. He'll pretend to put it on himself and/or me, then occasionally rub it on his belly. Lately he wants the cap off too so he can dig his little fingers into it.
• Purchased new boots for him - Baby Bogs. Another mother in our music class recommended them to me. Boyd LOVES them. I say, "let's put on your boots!" and he immediately reaches for them and very adorably attempts to put them on his feet. They're still a bit big so I hope he'll grow into them this summer.
• I was so proud last week - as we read Baby Beluga before bed, he successfully identified most of the animals on one of the pages (I asked, he pointed). And when we got to the "good night, little whale, good night" page where the Eskimo girl is waving, B started smiling and waving too. He's been doing it every night since. He gets SO excited for that page and will flip to it if I'm not reading fast enough.
• My mom has 2 American flags displayed at her house and Boyd will point them out when asked. When she says "salute!", he'll put his hand up to his forehead in a mock salute. SO CUTE.
• Music class ended Monday. During the last session, Boyd correctly tapped his nose and eyes as we sang the song, "Old Brass Wagon." He was his usual smiley and friendly self, and even submitted to a hug and kiss from his friend Jillian.
• I'm pretty sure he said "ma" this morning after I said we're going to Grandma's house. No real words yet. Come on kid, talk already!
• He knows the difference between regular milk and "mama's" milk, and is pretty excited to nurse in the mornings.
• Once he started walking, there was no turning back. Some days he practically sprints and I can't keep up with him.
• Going outside is probably one of his favorite activities, hands down. He CRIED the other day after I made him come inside. I'm letting him "get dirty" outside and explore more.
• He's adept at removing and screwing caps on bottles. Is also able to thread a shoelace through little holes, place small items into little containers, etc. 

Enjoying a homemade smoothie while out at an Eagle River restaurant a few weekends ago.

He's quite enamored of the dog's food storage area.

Trying out the lawn chairs at Fred Meyer. I ended up getting the white ones - one for home and one for Grandma Ann's.

Springtime in Alaska.

Another free museum day. He loved the padded area.