August 30, 2015

Fox, Katie & Nadine in 2015: Week 33

 Day 225
Bunco Night with my favorite ladies! I always look forward to this every month, we have so much fun!

 Day 226
 
This boy loves to do Ring around the Rosie. He thinks he's so funny doing it too!

Day 227
 
Reading at the children's museum. Seeing him read a book really warms my heart, I love it so much that he loves his books. 

Day 228
 
On this morning, Fox learned how to roll his eyes at me (really???) and how to say "All done".

Day 229
 
A boy and his shark!

Day 230
Helping Mommy cook!

Day 231
These two are my world!
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August 29, 2015

Fox | 15 Month Update



Weight: 
21.12lbs (35%)

Height: 
31 inches (43%)

Health: 
Besides a pretty bad diaper rash, he has been healthy as can be!  

Nicknames: 
Big Honey, Bubba, Schatzi, Bubbles, Mr. Fox, Foxy, Pumpkin, Poodle

Eating: 
This month was the worst! We went to Germany for two weeks and I was so worried he was starving himself. That kid would not eat anything. Wouldn’t even touch his regular favorites. It was really bad and stressful.
Luckily, everything went back to normal instantly, once we got home and he’s been eating great ever since. Still not a fan of trying new things (unless we’re at Costco and he will eat all the samples he can get his hands on…haha).    
  
Teething: 
No new teeth this month, still at 12 teeth total.   
  
Sleeping: 
Again, being in Germany threw everything off. He slept so badly, I felt like I had a newborn all over again. His naps were fine (2-3 hours), but he wouldn’t go to bed until 11pm and most nights we were up for hours due to jet lag. Once we got back home, it still took a while for him to get back on track. 

Diapers:  
Size 4

Clothing: 
12-18 months
  
Social: 
A lot like last month! This boy definitely knows what he wants and what he doesn’t want. He is stubborn like his Mama and recently started to throw tantrums when he doesn’t get what he wants.
He has also been super attached to me and cries every time I leave the room. He acts shy sometimes, especially when we’re in a group class like gymboree. He loves to give kisses to his stuffed animals and is so sweet to them. We love this age, he’s so fun!

Words: 
Dog, Cat, More, Ball, Danke (the german word for Thank you), Done, All done, Nein Nein (No No), bye bye

Likes: 
Music and dancing (his favorite song is “Hoppe Hoppe Reiter” – german song), being outside, other babies and children, sleeping on his side and stomach, Cosie, bath time, having his mommies attention, watching videos of himself, bread with hummus, cell phones and remotes, playing peek-a-boo, Roomba (vacuum robot), his stuffed animals, shaking his head (like he’s saying “no, no, no”), opening cabinets and drawers, his play kitchen, looking at pictures of Katie, me and himself on our picture wall, toy lawn mower, our vacuum cleaner, Baseball bats, play phones, playing soccer, riding and sitting in his cozy coupe, being independent, steps/stairs, drinking out of a straw, the Children’s Museum , the Aquarium, playing hide and seek under our kitchen table, when his Mommies come home from work, Open Play at Gymboree, Flowers (he asks to smell them), reading books, his Uncle Maurice, carousels on the playground, petting zoo, sandbox, tricycle, balls

Dislikes: 
When we take something away from him, changing his diaper or getting dressed (basically anything where he is restrained), putting lotion on after his bath, car rides, most food, kisses from our dog Cosie (I don’t blame him, he never quits!), when we leave in the morning, being held, when his Mama left his side (he was very attached this month!)
  
Fun things we did: 
This boy is still really busy while we’re at work: Story Hours at the Library, Baby Dance, Children’s Museum, Aquarium, Gymboree, Play Dates, Splash Pads…you name it, he’s doing it.
We went on his first trip to Germany where he had a lot of fun playing with cousins, playing soccer with his Uncle Maurice and visiting a lot of playgrounds. 

Milestones: 
He’s learning so much these days. He understands a lot of things, especially when I tell him in german  (Katie always says that he understands more German than English, which I think is also true, but only because Katie speaks german as well when she knows the german word or sentence).
He learned so many funny quirks this month, like saying “Ahhh” after he takes a drink, closing his eyes really slowly when you wink at him (like he’s trying to do it too) and making this really funny surprise face and sound, with his mouth wide open, whenever he thinks something I really cool! This had been my favorite month so far! He’s so funny and he knows it!
  
What we’re looking forward to: 
Getting back to our regular routine, having playdates with our friends, a first birthday party and we’re already looking forward to FALL!
 

August 22, 2015

Fox, Katie & Nadine in 2015: Week 32

 Day 218
Ready to fly home! 

Day 219
 
Fox was SO excited when he saw Cosie (and vice versa), you could tell that he was happy to be home!

Day 220
 
Stealing some tortilla chips from Aunt Ashlie

Day 221
 
His favorite game: "Where's Fox?"

Day 222
 
Early Morning Selfie

Day 223
 
It's almost impossible to go grocery shopping with Fox these days. If you only need to grab a few things, you can probably keep him entertained in this little shopping cart!

Day 224
We tried out a close by gymnastics place. Turned out, Fox was way too young for it and we'll stick with Gymboree for now!


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August 18, 2015

Fox, Katie & Nadine in 2015: Week 31

 Day 211
Who is this kid?
Also, I need a new phone, my phone is way too slow to capture this busy guy!

 Day 212
 
Yep, you guessed it. Another night of jetlag...snacks at 4am!

Day 213
We're officially in trouble!

Day 214
 
Morning cuddles are his way of apologizing for giving his Mama a sleepless night!

Day 215
 
Dinner with two of my oldest friends!

Day 216
 
Fox and grandma are napping together!

Day 217
 Another favorite: Doener! Yum!
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August 16, 2015

Fox, Katie & Nadine in 2015: Week 30

 Day 204
First night in Germany, 2am. Who needs sleep?

Day 205
 
This is how a delirious toddler on jetlag sounds. It was pitch dark, as you can see, the middle of the night, and Fox started to crack up, for no reason whatsoever. How can you be mad for not getting any sleep after you hear this sweet voice?

Day 206
 
Katie always dry heaves whenever I tell her how much I miss this meal from Germany. It's basically raw ground beef with onions on a bun. Yes, raw. It's delicious and everyone eats it over there. It's called Mettbroetchen, so if you ever get the chance to try it, do it! You'll thank me later! :)

Day 207
Fox thought my brother Maurice had the best toys ever!

Day 208
 
Jetlag at its finest! 

Day 209
 
It doesn't look like it here, but Fox HATED bath time in Germany. He just screamed and screamed and refused to sit down. One night, I even had to take a bath with him, just to get him clean. Until my mom had the genius idea to give him some bubbles to play with. Obviously he dumped everything in a split second, but loved playing with the bottle for the rest of the trip during bath time. 

Day 210
Do you see this kid? And do you see my pillow to the right of him? This is how much room he left me every single night!
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August 14, 2015

Fox, Katie & Nadine in 2015: Week 29

 Day 197
We have a wild one on our hands. This kid always sports a bruise or in this case, a fat lip. All boy!

Day 198
 
Worst passport picture ever! We were so excited to get his first passport in the mail though! Luckily we'll get another chance for a better picture for his german passport. 

Day 199
 
I remember a few months ago, I worried that Fox wasn't interested in books at all. I've read to him since he was itty bitty, but he was always too busy to sit down and read with me. 
Now, he can't get enough of books. Always picking his favorites from the bookshelf and backing up into our laps so we can read to him. I love it!

Day 200
 
We had a ton of leftover flowers and plants from our Home Show, so we all took some home!

Day 201
 
I'm not a gardener at all, so this was the best shovel I could find to plant my flowers...haha. I'm sad to say that everything died already...I told you wasn't a gardener! 

Day 202
 
I made a little snack box for the airplane for Fox. He loved it and it kept him busy for such a long time, just opening and closing the compartments and choosing (and eating) his snacks!

Day 203
Travel day! Fox had fun at the playground in the Chicago airport, here he is calling Mommy! He was obsessed with this phone and it was so funny, when we went back to the playground on our way back two weeks later, he immediately ran back to the phone, he totally remembered it!
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August 11, 2015

Fox's First Trip to Germany!

I haven't been to Germany in over three years. 

The plan was, to fly there as a family of three this November, but when Katie's mom surprised us with a family cruise during that time, our plans had to change quickly, so it was decided that Fox and I would go by ourselves within the next couple of weeks. 
I'm not going to lie, I was TERRIFIED of the thought to fly alone with a very active one year old, but I was even more terrified about having to take care of him by myself for two weeks, in a new environment and how this would mess with his sleep and eating habits. But more on that later.

After I psyched myself out for two weeks straight, I have to say, that I have the best little flyer there is. Fox was so chill and content, I couldn't believe it. The entire trip was 21 hours (including a layover) and he only slept 3 of them, but he never fussed once, he was a ROCKSTAR!
Play Area at the Phoenix Airport…a great start to our trip!

I love the Chicago Airport! Our 3 hour layover was so much fun, because they had a huge play area there, they even called it a Children's Museum. Fox loved it!

A lot of my family members had never met him, well, let me rephrase that, only my mom and dad had met him once, so I was really excited for my brothers and grandma to get to know him. 
 
We spent our first day at a local petting zoo with my mom and little brother. Fox LOVED Maurice, he was obsessed with him, following him everywhere he went, which was very surprising, because he was very apprehensive toward everyone else. 

 

 

 

 
I love this boy!

 
Look at that face!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later that afternoon, we went to my aunt's house, where we met up with my other brother, dad and cousin. 
 

 
This girl and I got into so much trouble together when we were little! 

 
Fox loved it there. The sandbox, the toys (my aunt has small grandchildren, so it was paradise for Fox), the grass…he was in heaven!

 

 

 
My two little brothers. 

The next day my mom and I walked into the city where they had a kidsfest. 
 
She was so proud to finally be able to push a stroller!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fun thing about living in a small town (or village) is definitely that you'll meet someone you know everywhere you go. We ran into three of my cousins, which was so fun!
 

 
Fox meeting his great cousin for the first time, he wasn't sure what to think of him. 

 

The next day, we went to a Jungle Gym, which seriously kicked my butt. In order to get down the giant slide with Fox, I had to carry him up the play structure, about 549 times and I was seriously drenched in sweat when we left, but seeing his smile on the slide made it so worth it. 
 

One day, I met my best friend, who now has a two year old. I just couldn't believe it, it was so surreal seeing us all of the sudden with babies! How did that happen? 
 

 

 

 

Later that afternoon, we went to my dad's house, where Fox had to give "kisses" to all the animals in the yard.
 
This is his way to give a kiss…lol

 

 
Helping grandpa do yardwork

 

 

 

 

 

 
Grocery shopping one day, he loved this little car. 

Another day, I met up with three of my cousins for a playdate. 
 

 

 

Fox was not happy whenever I was holding the baby, he got so jealous and tried to push him away and climb on my lap himself.
 

 

 

Another visit to a different petting zoo, this time with two of my friends and their kids.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
A boy and his animals

 
Obviously, he had to give "kisses" to all the goats.

 

 
He seriously hugged like thirty of them…sweet boy!

 

The one thing my mom really wanted to do with Fox, is take him to get his first ice cream cone. 
 
Turned out, it was the most expensive ice cream cone ever, because she lost 100 Euros in the process, but Fox loved his treat. 

 
He even stole my cone, so he could have two!

 
I think he approves!

Later that day, we met with a few other family members at my grandma's house, where Fox was doted on by my little cousins the entire time. 
 
Playing soccer with my cousin's son.

 
My aunt showed him how to attach clothespins to his shirt.

 
Me and my cousins.
 
My brother Dominic (Fox got his middle name from him)

 

 
There you go, this is what happens when you leave him with my aunt for a minute…haha. 

 

 

 
My grandma!

 
He had so much fun!
 

 

Fox learned so much during our two week stay, it was crazy! Here he is showing us how tall he is, raising his arms when you ask him. I've been trying to teach him this for months, and all it took was one afternoon with my aunt and boom! 
 

 

 

 

 

My sweet friend Katja (if you remember, we met when she was an au pair in San Jose) came all the way from Cologne to meet Mr. Fox.
 
And yes, he's having another ice cream cone. When in Rome…, right?

 

 

 
It was so great to catch up with her and I really appreciated her coming out. Hopefully we'll be able to meet up with the rest of the Cali girls next time I come to Germany.

This must have been Fox's highlight of the trip, riding the electric lawn mower with my uncle. 
 

 

 

 

One night, my dad and I took him for a walk in the woods, probably one of my favorite things. I loved the smell and I was in awe for the entire trip on how green Germany is. So pretty!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This kid is definitely not a country boy. He freaked when he stood in the straw!

My sweet grandma and Fox. 
 

 

Phew, if you made it through all of these pictures, congratulations! ;)

It was fun to see my family and friends, especially the ones I haven't seen in years and I enjoyed eating some of my favorite foods there (I ate at my favorite restaurant like six times…haha), BUT this trip was far from a vacation.

Dealing with a toddler on jet leg was HORRIBLE, something I don't wish on anyone and something I won't do to myself ever again. I thought it would take a couple of days to get into the swing of things, but NOPE! We were up for an entire week between midnight and 5pm. People tell you to keep the lights off, don't feed the child, don't play, but hello? Are you supposed to be sitting in the dark for five hours with a kid who is clearly wide awake and ready to go? 

2am…who needs sleep?

And then we had to get up at a reasonable hour (I tried not to let him sleep past 9am) in order to get on a schedule, which meant neither of us got any sleep. 

If that wasn't enough, Fox also refused to sleep in his crib and now we're paying the price, being back home and trying to get him back to his regular sleep schedule and sleeping in his bed. I'm hoping we'll get there soon, it took about three days for his night time sleep to get back on track, but naps are still a cluster f***!

The other thing that was pretty awful, were his eating habits. This kid would not eat anything, even though I got him all of his favorites at the store. The struggle was real! I totally blame the high chair, I don't know what germans are thinking, but none of the high chairs I saw had straps, so Fox could climb out at any point. What the heck? At some point, I got really worried about him not eating enough, which only worsened when he got really bad diarrhea and as a result a bad, bad diaper rash. 
I was seriously so glad to be home, to get him back to normal and luckily, he has been eating like a champ since we got home, thanks to Katie.

On top of all that, Fox was so clingy, it was ridiculous. He was fine as long as I was in sight, but if Mama tried to use the bathroom or even worse, tried to shower, all hell broke loose. So it wasn't like I could get a ton of help with him, it was all me, 24/7, 16 days straight, which left me physically and emotionally exhausted. 
I'm sure I would've been fine caring for him by myself in our regular environment, but the sleeping, eating and clingyness was kicking my butt big time! 
When we got home, I crashed. Hard. It took me about three days and a lot of sleep to get back to normal and I was actually really excited to get back to work, where I could use the bathroom by myself…haha. 

Fox had a blast though, he seriously had the best time ever! I don't think I ever saw him smiling and laughing as much as I did these past two weeks. He truly enjoyed the new experiences and had so much fun! For that, I am grateful. I'm also grateful that I was able to see my family and friends and especially for my grandma to meet Fox.

My mom and grandma are planning to come visit us next spring (depending on my grandma's health), which would be the first time flying for her (she's terrified!), and I truly hope they can make it. 
As far as I'm concerned, I might change my mind as soon as I'm fully recovered, but for now, I'm pretty sure I won't be back until my youngest child is at least three or four years old. LOL.

The flight back was just as smooth as the flight there, if not better. Fox slept a total of seven hours and none of the flights were delayed this time. He was awesome! When we got home, he was so freaking excited to see all of his toys again, especially his train table. I wish I had recorded it. He just ran from toy to toy, pointing and gasping in surprise and it was the cutest thing ever. He was so happy to be home. And so was I. There's no place like home!
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