Trying a new app

Since getting my iPhone about 6 months ago has made life a whole lot easier. For example, I just found this application that will allow me to add posts to my blog!!! I am so excited since I never seem to have time to spend on the computer but always have my phone on me and can find a little bit of time here and there to write from my phone. And with my new years resolution to write more this could be a perfect way to keep that. So this is my trial post to see how it works and what it really looks like from the computer. Thank you iPhone!!!

Happy 2011!!

A real quick post before it's time for bed.

One of my New Year's resolution is to get back into blogging about our lives. I realized that my last post was over 6 months ago. Once back to work, my life got very busy and I just didn't feel like spending the little time that I had with D.J. on the computer. But I am very sad that I stopped documenting my little boys developments. So I am setting myself a goal to get back to writing at least once a week about our lives. I know this is a resolution that I can actually keep this year!!!

Stay tuned for many posts to come to update you about D.J.'s rest of his first year and current events happening to us.

Back to Work

I have about 20 minutes to update during the kid's nap time at work. I just realized that I can bring in my laptop to work since they have wireless!! Hopefully I will be able to use this time to update my blog. I have been very busy since starting work. I feel like I never have enough time in the day. By the time I get home, I want to spend time with DJ and the computer is the last thing on my mind. I take the later lunch so as long as I get my work done while the kids are napping, I should have my lunch to be able to do some computer time!

Work was tough the first week because I just wanted to be with DJ most of the time. Plus getting to know all the people working here was a little tough. Some of the girls were a little clicky at first so that was hard getting to know them. But I absolutely love all the people I work with now that we have gotten to know each other. The kids and parents in my room are great too. Even though I would much rather be at home with DJ, this was a good decision coming to work here! DJ just started coming with me today which will be great cause I'll be able to give him hugs and kisses all day! My mom has been out visiting for the last 3 weeks so she has kept him at home to spend time with him. It was great for us to save money too. I am definitely looking forward to him coming with me again though. I have missed him like crazy. I can fully understand why parents stay at home with their children, especially when they are this young. I feel like I miss so much sometimes. But you got to do what you got to do.

Another exciting news, we are renting a nice 4 bedroom house up in Oceanside which means we are moving again. We actually moved all of our stuff this weekend. So you can imagine what a busy weekend we had. Dave and I are both very excited though cause it's a house with a yard for DJ to have plenty of room to grow and play. This is also going to help us get out of debt some so we can eventually buy a house in the next year or 2. We pretty much have decided to stay in California for as long as we can. How couldn't you want sunny, warm weather all year round? My brother still needs some help so he is going to move in with us as well. That will be nice because Dave is going back to a sub in Aug and supposed to deploy sometime in the next year. It will be nice to have my brother around so we aren't all alone. I will try to post pictures once we are all unpacked in and settled.

DJ is doing great. He cut his first tooth 2 weeks ago on Sunday!! He has been a little more cranky but nothing like I thought he could be. He pretty much has been wanting to sleep more and when he's awake take his pacifier. I have to admit that we are very lucky parents with him. He's such a great boy! He is also sitting up on his own for long periods of time. As long as we put toys around him, he'll sit and play for awhile. He's such a people person though so I can't wait to see how he does with the other babies in the room. He's probably going to learn so much just from watching them. I just hope he doesn't turn into a cranky baby cause there are some needy ones in the infant room. I'm also going to start cooking him vegetables to try feeding him. He's been doing great with the rice cereal and we can tell he's ready for more people food. I am using tonight to cook up peas and carrots to try. I will update how that goes once we try it and I have some time. Other than that, he's doing great! I love him to death and am such a happy mommy!!

Well I better get back to the kids since one is starting to wake up.

Mother's Day

I had such a wonderful first Mother's Day. Dave wouldn't let me do anything so he gave me the whole day to do what I wanted!!! I did get to sleep in a little, but then wanted to spend some time with my men. When DJ went down for his nap I went to the gym for a little workout. Dave cooked me lunch and had bought a Coldstone ice cream cake (peanut butter and chocolate, my favorite!) that we had a slice of. I used some of my time to craft and get ready for my upcoming workshop. I couldn't help myself to do DJ's laundry. With him going with me on Tuesday to daycare, I needed to do his sheets. The rest of the day was hanging and enjoying the night with my two favorite men. My husband was the best today and I look forward to next year!!

Here's a picture of us cuddling on the couch for Mother's Day!!

5 Months Old!

DJ turned 5 months old on Sunday!! I cannot believe how quickly he is growing. I swear he does something different everyday. He has been doing great with the rice cereal. He pretty much finishes the bowl every time now. I am still only feeding him once a day. I swear he knows that it's feeding time too. I sit him in his bouncy chair, put on his bib and as soon as I get the spoon out of the bowl, he opens his mouth with excitement. He opens his mouth every time I bring up the spoon with the cereal. It's crazy how quickly he learned that. We are still feeding him 6oz of formula along with once a day for cereal. Here is a video and some pictures from his first feeding that I haven't posted yet.

I have been taking pictures of DJ every time he turns another month old. I found an idea to take it with a stuffed animal so you see how big he has grown since he was born. Here are a few of those pictures.

He has gotten so good at grabbing things with his hands and trying to play with everything. He absolutely loves his feet and can play with those for hours. He is really starting to sit up on his own. He still flops down after a few minutes though. He is making more and more sounds. I think he repeats when I say hi to him. He just started making this stink face yesterday. Dave and I think he makes the face whenever he his breathing through his nose. Not sure where it came from but I laugh every time he does it, which is pretty often. Hopefully I can get him doing it on tape cause it's great!

This has been a long week of work for Dave so we're not sure about plans for the weekend yet. We also have my mom and his Aunt, Uncle, and 2 cousins flying in next week. We will definitely be taking some time to relax and also make sure the house is ready for visitors.

First Rice Cereal Attempt!

We had DJ's 4 month checkup on Wednesday. He weighs 12lbs 10oz which is 10%. He is 25 inches long which is 50-75%. He was supposed to get shots, but he ended up having an infection in his eyes so we rescheduled for this upcoming Wednesday. The doctor recommended starting rice cereal once we notice DJ was feeling better. I couldn't believe it!! How quickly he is growing up already.

We were going to try Saturday, but hadn't washed up his bowls and spoons we bought Friday night. We decided to try Sunday morning. After his bottle we let him play for about an hour. We sat him in his bumpy chair to feed him. Pretty much the whole time, I could tell he wasn't sure about it. He ate a few spoonfuls then didn't want anymore. Every time I put the spoon near his mouth, he would grab it with his hands then want to chew on the spoon. He kept making faces like he didn't like it once he got a taste of the cereal. It was so cute though. We have some great pictures of his milk mustache! I will try to post pictures later but wanted to make sure I posted this while I was working on my blog!

Much Needed Update About Pittsburgh Trip

Well, I'm finally forcing myself to sit down and write something to update anyone who even reads this. I think I blog more for myself to remember everything that is happening in our lives. It's my little public diary I guess!

Anyway, our trip to Pittsburgh was the best. We flew out Tuesday March 9th at 8 am. We were both a little scared having a flight that early because that meant we needed to be at the airport by 6 am. Since this was our first time flying with DJ and all of his baby stuff, we wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to get through security. We weren't sure how DJ would react to waking and eating that early in the morning. He did great though. He went right back to sleep on the drive to the airport. Luckily the airport wasn't very busy so it didn't take us long to get through security. Plus there were no problems with our stuff which made it even easier. Once on the airplane, DJ did even better than we thought. We fed him at take off to keep him on his 3 hour feeding schedule and to help with his ears. He played for a little then fell asleep pretty easily. We landed in Minneapolis and had a 2 hour layover where we were able to feed DJ. Once on the plane, DJ feel asleep and slept almost the whole flight. He started getting fussy right before landing so I made a bottle and Dave fed him during landing. He did so great which started our trip out on good terms.

That night we just hung at my parents house. Wednesday was spent at Dave's moms. DJ got to meet his Pap, Great Grandma, 2nd cousin Danny and his daughter Kennadi. It was so cute to see them together. DJ LOVED watching her play. Kennadi gave DJ kisses before they left which was just adorable. Thursday we went up to my Grandparent's house in Erie. It was such a great day seeing DJ with his Great Grandpa. I could tell that it brought my Grandpa such joy being able to hold and play with DJ. This is truly his first great grandchild. He has some, but only through marriage. I was the first grandchild to have their own baby. It was bittersweet though since my Grandma isn't around anymore. I can see how much my Grandpa is still hurting about her death.

Friday my friend Katie came over before Dave was going to spend the day at his mom's house. It was so great to see Katie again. This was the first time since giving birth that we have really gotten to sit down and talk. I was holding a workshop at one of Cori's friends house so I spent the afternoon getting ready. That night was a VERY successful workshop with everyone ordering at least one product! Unfortunately Dave had a tough night with DJ. He didn't react well to seeing new people and not having me around. Dave and I were supposed to go out and celebrate St. Patrick's day in Pittsburgh together, leaving DJ with my mom to babysit. But with DJ acting that way, I didn't want to leave him. So I sent Dave out to meet up with some of his family while I stayed home. I was a little disappointed but that's what being a mom is all about. I will sacrifice anything for my son. DJ seemed to be feeling much better after spending some time just chilling.

Sunday we went about an hour away to Johnstown where his sister is living. We stayed there until Thursday. That visit was really nice. It was not stressful and we felt very much at home. Dave's sister gave birth to Parker in February so it was great meeting and introducing DJ to him. We had such a great time with our nieces too. Dave's sister is engaged to a guy who has a son and daughter as well. That was nice to finally get to meet him and his kids. They definitely have their hands full though! That mini trip was probably the best part of our whole vacation.

Friday we drove back up to Erie to spend more time with my Grandpa. We visited my Grandma's grave. That was very emotional, but I'm glad we saw it. I think I needed a little closer. Saturday was spent with my Dad's side of the family. We had a family reunion that everyone could attend. My dad is the oldest of 7 so we have a pretty big side of his family. We haven't all been able to get together in forever. That was a great experience for DJ to meet all of his family too. I'm glad they planned that. Sunday we hung at my mom's. Monday was spent at Dave's mom's with some of his family. Then Tuesday we flew out. DJ did great on that flight as well. I am so glad we were able to get home to see everyone. It was a great trip and wonderful hanging with all of our family!!