Falling for Fall!

Dear Baby I,

Fall is coming! Fall is coming! Even Kohl's has all the Christmas gear up and running! So my question is....Is it supposed to be this hot in Colorado??? Really?? I didnt think so! Our mornings start off with hoodies and hats and our afternoons are barely diapers!!! I think we brought the Vegas heat with us!
Heat aside, Another great week was had by all! We got to wander around our new city a little more - met some new neighbors -made some new friends -  and had a great trip up to Aunt Sue's ranch!
Dare I say you even had a good night's sleep Saturday nite??? After 4 days of up by 3am you were due!!! I do not understand how such a little active human can operate on such little sleep! You are a medical marvel! (NOTE: at the time of publishing this post, we had just suffered a horrendous night with a full blown scream fest at 2am!!! UGH)





Well kiddo, last week was all about you not eating - and I won't say that anything has changed on that front, but I will say that I think Dairy is not being kind to you. We tried the whole milk and milk yogurts weeks ago - and of course they were followed by HORRIBLE nights and some of the most dangerous diaper changes EVER! Since then I have started you with regular soymilk and yogurt and you seemed to be doing fine. We tried the goat's milk dairy because it is supposed to be easier to digest  - and of course you wouldnt eat it. Finally Mommy broke down this week and gave you Mac and cheese (gasps, I know! - fear not readers -it was Annie's Organics - not Kraft (the horror!!)!!) Surprise Surprise you LOVED it! You even ate an entire bowl of it - mostly off the floor - but whatever - YOU ATE IT!! Alas, last night you were a WRECK!!! Screaming your head off for most of the night and drinking nearly 4 full bottles of (extremely) watered down formula! So I do not get it!!??? Are you allergic/sensitive to dairy or what?? I guess it is time for a trip to a Denver Doctor and get the ol' allergy test done! I hate to be giving you dairy and it hurting you - on the other hand Mommy thinks dairy is GAAAAROSSS, and doesnt mind if you dont have it anyway!!  :)
In other news our first week of babysitting went over well. You and Saydie had a great time playing together - you even ALMOST shared your toys with her - until you decided against it! I really think having other kids around will be great for you - and me - as long as they are someone else's!! :) You seem to pick up on things much quicker when you see another tiny human do it. You are already learning to stack your blocks, push your cars around, and dare I say,  put some toys away! I really think the babysitting gigs will be a win-win!
This weekend was full of family fun as always! We brought you to your first bar. HA! It was a full restaurant but lucky us we got seated in the "bar" section - along with 8 other babies. I guess they figured  you little ones would be less noticeable among the drunks!  :) Seriously though, we had a great time and followed up dinner with a nice little stroll through Cherry HIll. Saturday we had a full playdate at the park. Swings, sliding boards, lots of sand and plenty of sunshine! A perfect Saturday afternoon capped off by a trip to the REI MEga store where Daddy joyfully stuffed you in every snowsuit and snowboarding gear he could find!

Yesterday started out with a bang! It took us 45 minutes to get ready and get to church - and then you lasted 6 whole minutes before I had to get your screaming little monster self out of there! Next we headed up to Windrock Ranch to see Aunt Sue- and this time we dared to take the dogs with us. Doc was going crazy with all the open space - and Zorro was pretty content too - until he saw those horses! I do not know what he thought he was going to do to them, but he surely barked them out! You had a great time playing in the barn - and getting VERY dirty. You AND Daddy got very dirty! Good thing I learned to pack you 3 outfits for our trips to Aunt Sue's!!! One extra is definitely not enough!
YOu were so wiped out by the end of the day you fell asleep before we got out of her driveway!
Monday MOnday is back again and so far today is looking up to be a calendar marking eventful day! You woke early -  and cranky. WE played some and then you actually followed me into your room and pointed and cried to get into your bed. Then you Fell Asleep!! WHAT????? Never has such madness occurred! I was a little scared by your willingness to hit the hay! You better not be getting sick!  I must admit  I am enjoying this little unexpected free time and I hope you wake up a little more cheerful than you went down!
Well enjoy your sleep little walking wandering Mr BoJangles. Thank you for another amazing weekend of fun and adventure! YOu make everyday - everything a little more exciting. You are a very special little boy and Everyday I am more thankful to be your Mommy! I love you my dirty little pretzel-eating-food-flinging monkey!
Love, Mommy
PS ...Also a Hip Hooray Happy Birthday going out to your favorite Nona!! 95 years young!! Sorry we missed your party Nona (not like we were invited or anything....I bet that was your Aunt Leslee's doing - when we she learn Mommy is Nona's favorite??!!) We wont miss 96!!! Hope to see you soon! We love you VERY Much!!!

Let's Eat!

Dear Baby I,
Well another week living in Colorado squalor little man. Heck with all these trips to the zoo, parks, story hours, tree lined street strolls, street fairs, farmers markets, and playdates I am really starting to feel bad for you! No wonder you never sleep! You - We - don't sit still long enough!

But this week bumpkin we are not going to talk about your (lack of) sleep. This week mommy wants to address your current state of Hunger strike we have going on. The past month or so you seem to have a huge dismay for foods on a spoon. Your combatative skills are dead on! You can swat that spoon away from your face to get yogurt on the walls of the next room! I just cannot seem to get it to sneak into your mouth. We used to be so fond of the yogurt too! Ahhhh, the good ol' days.

And what happened to our love of avocados and bananas? Now you act like they taste liver and onions! At this rate you are going to be in grade school sipping your lunch out of a bottle!
This all started, of course, with the dreaded Graham cracker initiation. I knew it would end up being my fault! Grahams are the only thing you want to eat - well, grahams, cell phones, turkey basters, remotes, pens, and key chains....obviously. :) Food? Not so much! I am beginning to think I am going to have to take the Zorro approach with you and wait you out - when you are hungry enough you will eat!
All in all we had another great week - eating and sleeping issues aside. We are finally welcoming in a tooth on the upper deck! I can only imagine how cute that crooked little grin of yours will be once there is a top toofer. Watch out ladies! YOu are also a full blown (wabbley) walker. Even typing that statement scares me! God help me now!!!
This week we had a great playtime with your new friend Brady at the bookstore for story hour. Of course neither one of you had any interest in the readings....just tearing the books off the shelves and dashing toward the staircase every second you two (thought) you could! You screamed your way through the farmer's market on Wednesday - only after swiping a peach from the "Peach Lady's" stand. This weekend we attempted another road trip to Boulder - in your new fancy schmancy big boy car seat! Another not-so great idea on MOmmy and Daddy's part. You are still not a fan of the car  - or your seat!
Sunday was our lazy home day with a little trip down the block to the street fair. You were a hit with your big floppy hat and cool red wagon!
The warmer weather seems to be hanging on lately. I know sooner than later I will be wishing it back...but for now I think it is HOT HOT HOT! Maybe you are too hot to sleep? Although as I am writing this, it is 6am...you have been up since 4am and the over-tired-crankiness is starting to set in. But rather than give in, you are throwing all of your tools off your work bench and smooshing your grahams into the carpet. Oh well....
Well baby, time to get ready for another day. As I see you cramming your million dollar-no-sugar-whole-wheat-organic- grahams into your tool belt I think it is time to get you moving!  Rumor has it it won't be so hot today - maybe we will attempt story hour again....if it doesn't interfere with your 16 minute nap time! :) Tomorrow we get to hang out with your new friend Saydie as Mommy re-enters the world of babysitting and takes on 2 under 2!! Oh no! You guys will have strength in numbers!!
I love you Baby BabblesOn!
Love, mommy

Stranger than Fiction!

Dear Baby I,
Well buddy you must rate pretty high on your Uncle Ronnie's list of VIPs! In a completely UN- Uncle Ronnie move, he and Prada drove out for a surprise visit to see us in Colorado!!! It was such an unexpected- although desperately appreciated treat! We loved having them here and didnt want them to leave! Team 1901 Back together again!! Hooray! It was the perfect end to a hectic week.
   The week started on a shaky note - The Fourmile Canyon fire in Boulder had us worried about Aunt Sue. We took an impromptu trip to see her and see if we can help. Her house was fine but the fire was dangerously close - and she had to be evacuated. Apparently her horses can be more stubborn than you monster mash. They wouldnt get in their trailer to leave the ranch. So poor Aunt Sue had to spend 3 long days trying to get them safety. Fortunately everyone ended up safe and sound - unfortunately for you Daddy says you are NEVER getting a horse! :(

  Next up on our week was our first playdate at the Denver Zoo. We had such a good time - you especially loved the train ride! You made 2 new friends, Evan and Georgia. Oddly enough you suddenly became more interested in walking since being around kids that walk. Hmm... succumbing to peer pressure already! The Mommies were very nice too! Although, all their talk of getting ready for Baby #2 had me ready to jump in the lion's den! We are still going strong on our ONE AND DONE motto kiddo! Seriously though,  our neighborhood really is a parents dream come true! There is so much to do so close to home. I feel so blessed and fortunate that I get to stay home with you everyday and watch you experience all these new people and places!  I love hearing you sing you "bah-bah" song, waving to Super WHy and Barney everytime they come on the TV screen, and I especially love digging all of clothes and shoes out of the garbage can after you put them in! Or the way you will only eat a banana if the peel is still on it or when you clash the pots and pans all over the house! I secretly love it all! Everything is a new adventure and I love being there every step of the way!
  Uncle Ronnie and PradaBear arrived Thursday nite and we were so happy to see them! The dogs seemed pretty happy to have their "pack"again too. We had a great late Birthday dinner for Uncle Ronnie followed by everyone crashing and going right to bed! I guess that is what happens when you hang out with 37 year olds! Friday we had a great day roaming around the city and checking out all the neighborhoods. In only-uncle-Ronnie-fashion he decided he was going to buy a house here  - effective immediately - so we also checked out the local real estate market. Let's just say the recession hasnt done much to the good folks of Denver. The houses - behemoth as they were - were ridiculously priced - but nonetheless fun to look at. That night we went for Uncle Ronnie's ceremonious Cheesecake Factory Birthday Dinner - complete with singing waitresses! Then off to the Tattered Cover for some late night book browsing. Kiddo, I hope you grow up to love to read as much as you love to tear those books off the shelf! You are like a little tornado in there!

   Saturday started off with a bang! Uncle Ronnie had a great yoga class and then found a nearby church for sale -JACKPOT! And equally impressive Daddy and I had a great Yard sale score and found the perfect dining room table for the house! It was a win win!! Then we all headed off to Evergreen to go to a BIG mountainous dog park - Shall I say win-win-win-win-win!!! We were happy - the mutts were tired and happy (double bonus!) All was well - until someone decided sleeping was not going to happen for them that night! Grrr...

   Sunday Morning Uncle Ronnie and Prada headed back to Vegas :( But I have a good feeling they will be back soon - I hope at least! It was so great having them here, we wished they never had to leave! After church, you, Daddy and I headed over to the Farmer's Market -  Denver-Style. You riding in the back of Daddy's new bike trailer. I tried it out - I cant believe how horrible of a bike rider I am!! Mommy needs some practice before we venture out like that for sure! Then we set up your ultra cool birthday present form Aunt Gina and Uncle Mark - a backyard playset!!! You are one lucky kid Monster Monkey Boy! Finally we are  home and you are in Hour 3 of what is being officially dubbed "YOUR BEST NAP EVER!!!"

  All in all, week 2 in Denver has been nothing short of fabulous! Great family time, great weather, happy dogs - and of course some crappy restaurant food (I guess we cannot have it all!) Thanks again to Uncle Ronnie for making the grueling trek out - we couldnt have asked for better company than you and PBear. Hopefully you make a habit of the spontaneous 12 hour drives! We Love you and Can't wait to see you again -SOON!
I love you my Little sleepless boot scooter!
Love,
Mommy

Crack(er)ed Up.

x

Dear I,

Week 1 Denver and we have been having a great time! As one Daddy in the park described our new neighborhood of Park HIll - its like a fairy tale place to live for little kids! Really there is not much to complain about here other than the HORRIBLE lack of cell service...and what I mean by horrible is non-existent service. Otherwise it has been pretty picturesque!  Our days have been filled with walks to the park and farmer's markets, setting up the new house, making some new friends, and patiently trying NOT to kill Doc.

  YOu seem to be adjusting well, although I fear you are getting a cold - or allergies - Im not sure what the difference is just yet. I would like to say you are sleeping better - but I would be profusely lying about that. Nap time is getting better. Hooray for that!! YOu somehow learned to take your pants off recently. That is a lot of fun...especially when you try it at the park! Shaking your head "no" is also a big thing for you right now. Everything is NO NO NO!! Even yes means NO for you. And then there is the dreaded Pandors's Box I have opened with the Graham cracker I gave you. That is now ALL I can get you to eat. YOu throw - or shall I saw HURL - everything else across the room! My only saving grace for getting some nutrition in you is that you will eat anything I put pasta sauce on. Noodles, cauliflower, broccoli, veggie burgers - as long as it is RED you will eat it....otherwise hurled at the wall it goes! You cause quite the scene at restaurants I might add!

  We had a great long family weekend for your 2nd Labor Day Weekend! Friday night we went to the Taste of Denver Food festival downtown. You sure love to be in a crowd! Funny thing we didnt eat too much there - I think Daddy and I ate more of your cheerios than anything! Coloradans dont know too much about Great food - but suprisingly they know a lot about fried food!!  French fries, fried pickles, fried twinkies, fried hot dogs - UGH!!  Even your junk-food-loving Daddy thought the French fries were too greasy!! A beautiful place to be it is without a doubt - an epicurean nirvana it is definitely NOT!! I guess the ultra fit lifestyle of Colorado does not include their grub!
  Saturday we spent the day unpacking some more and setting up shop here on Holly Street. Either it is a tiny house - or we have way too much STUFF!  - Or perhaps it is a little bit of both!! But we are slowly getting settled in and the Halloween/Fall decoration up. Sunday Daddy had the grand plan of heading out to the Rocky Mountain National Park - as did thousands of other people. The traffic to the park was pretty intense. Luckily for us you slept most of the way - and ate your beloved graham crackers! Once inside the park you and I got our first glimpse of life 12000 feet above sea level! Suprisingly no headaches or nausea thank God! But it was pretty windy up there - and definitely NOT the 95 degrees it was back in the city. We had a great time poking around the grand Rockies - although Zorro HATED it - I think he prayed for someone to dognap him and get him out of there! On our way home we stopped at Estes Park and walked around the town - along with the thousands of others who thought that would be a great idea as well. It was a great little town, albeit completely rampant with tourists, with of course some pretty mediocre restaurants. On our long drive home we saw Big-horned Elk clashing roadside. It was pretty amazing to see - what was even more amazing were the people getting out of their cars to watch and take pics - mere feet from the ELK  -that could easily taken them out of the heavy traffic congestion - FOREVER!!

Monday was a much needed lazy day at home - and even better it was a Daddy/Isaac afternoon!  Daddy made dinner while Mommy slept. Then you guys headed out to the Nature and Science museum while Mommy sat home on the porch and quietly read her book (the Happiness Project, which I highly recommend thus far!)
  All in all it was a great week with an even greater weekend! I even successfully got the toothbrush with toothpaste INTO your mouth for a full 30 seconds! This place must be a fairy tale! Next up is a play date tomorrow afternoon at the zoo with a little boy we met and his mommy! I am sure it will be fun - if for nothing other than to have someone to share our graham crackers with!
I love you Mr monkey mash! And I love the fun we are having as our family grows  - stronger not bigger for heavens sake! Now we just have to conquer this cold/allergy bug and all will be well in fairy land!
I love you! Love, Mommy

TouchDown Denver!

Dear Baby I,

Day 1 Denver is under our hat! I would love to say it went without a hitch, but this (lack of) sleeping thing  has the whole house in a tizzy! Daddy may be missing that bachelor life sooner than he thought!
Our last weekend in Vegas was great! So sad to say "see you soon!" to Uncle Ronnie and Prada Bear, but no goodbyes - only see you soon! I am sure we left enough stuff behind to have to make a pit stop back in Vegas soon. And I think we can assure ourselves that jumping from a Vegas "winter" to a Colorado winter in less than 3 months, will not be a smooth transition. I Feel a warm weather getaway in our not so distant future. Plus Uncle Ronnie will have to get sick of such a clean house after awhile! And  of course, I am sure your uncle will come out to Denver to visit! He is such the travel bug! Maybe he will rent out a rock star tour bus and he and PBear will do the drive! I hope so! We miss them already and we cannot thank them enough for all they have done for us for the past 4 years! Thank you!!! We love you!!!
  As for our new life in Denver, we are settling in a little at a time. We definitely have too much STUFF for this little house! We need to downsize. Mommy thinks Doc is the first thing we should sell off at our moving in sale! ANd then there is our beloved Zorro, I missed him dearly - but Oh My Gosh does that dog shed! Well it was a nice week off we had from the white fur ball storm!

  Unpacking has been fun. ( I hope you can sense the sarcasm!) You have so much stuff kiddo! I dont know how you managed to pass out your daddy in the 'jam-packed closet' race but you really have put us both to shame! No new clothes or toys for you until you are at least 25!! Thank Goodness this house comes with lots of storage - albeit dank and creepy - yet spacious! We already have a section of the basement labeled "NExt Yard sale"! OK, I do - because it mostly filled with your Daddy's junk, but no need to tell him that!
   The weather has been great so far! Cool and crisp in the morning and night time and just warm enough  for the afternoon trips to the park. Yesterday it was packed - although I quickly realized that I was the only Mommy - ie, non-nanny - there. That was weird. I kind of felt like I should be working - but THANKFUL that I am not - and I get to stay home and watch you throw your tantrums...I mean grow. :)

   I do love having you, me and Daddy back under one roof. As you will grow to realize monster, family is the most important thing you will ever have and these times together will create memories we will all have forever!
  Well the ordoriferous draft wafting in over the computer screen tells me my Mommy time is up. Super Why is over and apparently so is that diaper! Time for the first clothing change of the day (we are averaging 4!!!) and to get this day in motion! We have parks to play in and a story hour at the library to scream thru!
I Love you My little Monster Monkey squishy pants!
Love, Mommy

ps...Let's get crackin on this sleep bug this week! Mommy's bags under her eyes dont fit in well with the ultra healthy and fit Colorado scene! :)

Leaving Las Vegas

Dear Baby I,
Well it seems like just a few days ago we were welcoming the summer and here we are ushering it out. Where does the time go? I bet before I know it, we will be school shopping for you! One more thing for Mommy has to cry about!

It has been a long week for us. Your first week into One Year Old has definitely been a busy one. Uncle Ralphie and Daddy spent your whole birthday loading up the moving truck. The next day we regretfully took Noni and Uncle Ralphie to the airport. :(  We didn't have too much time for Mommy's hyperventilation stint though...we had a yard sale to get ready for! OK, so the Thursday and Friday Yard sale was a semi-bust....but we did get rid of a few things - but we ended up taking much more to Denver than expected. Go Figure! Friday afternoon the moving truck pulled out of the driveway and headed out to the Great Mid West. We headed to the Doctor for your 1 year check up. Saturday was the kicker though. Daddy and Zorro and Doc drove off to Denver. I am not sure I ever cried so much in my life. Separating the dogs was one of the hardest things I have ever done. FOr those of you non-dog lovers this probably sounds a bit overly fanatical - but trust me, I can cry now just thinking about it!  I am sure it will be equally as hard next weekend when you and I fly out to Denver. Leaving Uncle Ronnie and Prada here in Vegas may just put me over the edge when it comes to winning the hyperventilating lady in the airport award! Hoy Vey! I cannot wait for that!
Moving is a hard thing kiddo. THankfully you are too young to know what is going on. Sometimes I wish I were! I think kids are way more resilient than adults  when it comes to adapting to change anyway....Or maybe your Mommy is just a big crybaby wuss! I can definitely use an unemotional night off soon! I am dehydrating here!
The Moving Truck arrives in Denver Friday and we are to arrive on Sunday. That gives Daddy less than 48 hours to unload the whole truck and set up the house before we get there! He is surely got his work cut out for him! THanks goodness you have such an amazing Daddy - otherwise I think he would have killed me for all my breakdowns by now!
Being in Vegas with you this week with all our stuff packed and gone, has been challenging to say the least! I never realized how important my baby gate was! Even all those toys you never play with helped buy me sometime to make dinner! Now I am on my own! Good thing Prada is here to play with you - without chewing up your toys and bouncy balls! Hint HInt Doc!
It wouldn't be a complete post if I didnt mention your sleep habits this week. OR shall I say LACK of sleep! Hitting the big 0-1 has not helped us get some shut eye around here! FOr the past week you have been up all night moaning and groaning. We narrowed it down to the whole milk your daddy gave you (GRRR!) or more toofers coming. Not sure what it is just yet, but I hope it figures itself out soon! THis crying all night stuff is for the birds. Not too mention you are one MEAN bed hog when you toss and turn all night!
Well kiddo, I think you have finally fell asleep in your crib in the bedroom. I no longer hear the torturous wailing or your toys being flung around the room. Time for MOmmy to round up more of our stuff for the final suitcase! I realize you will probably never remember Vegas Baby, but I will do my best to remind you how important this past year has been to all of us - you me, daddy, Uncle ROnnie and the dogs. It has been such an amazing year for all of us. Our time together here has been such an unforgettable experience we were lucky to be a part of. Next up is the next chapter of our journey for all of us. Remember we love you very much Sir I and no matter where we are or how far apart our family may be they all love you very much. Ugh..I am crying again...
Sweet Dreams my little monster monkey.
Love, Mommy

366.

Dear Baby I,

How did this happen??? How did you get to be ONE year old in such a short amount of time? How did you go from a crying, helpless little bundle of joy to a screaming, laughing, cupboard emptying little Monster? Where did the time go? It was a blink of an eye - yet I cannot remember one second before you were here. I Feel like my whole life was turned upside down and inside out in the past 365 days and I wouldn't have it any other day.
It has been a "quick year", but let's be honest - it has had some long days - and longer nights for sure! Thinking back I sometimes wonder how we both made it through this year. You surely gave me a run for my money this year. I cannot imagine what other event in life can you make feel so many different emotions in such drastic fashion. We laughed, we cried, we pooped, we didnt poop, we stayed up all night, we ate LOTS of watermelon, and we watched our Beloved Super Why.
Your First Bday party was a HUGE success. You played, you ate - and you mashed up your first watermelon cake with gusto! I better get practicing now on next year's cake to avoid this year;s icing disasters! You also got a lot of cool toys too - including an awesome wagon from Uncle Ronnie and Thomas the Train from Daddy! Now the hard part - getting all the stuff onto the moving truck!

As a new mom I gained such a HUGE respect for all moms this year. (thanks Mom!!) It is definitely not a job to be taken lightly. In the past 365 days I can probably count the amount of hours I was NOT in your sight on one hand! It has been an AMAZING honor to watch you grow this year and I am so thankful God chose me to be the Mommy of such a darling, healthy, curious, active, adorable and vocal baby boy. Let's hope year 2 brings us lots of love, family, fun...and to go out on a crazy limb - SLEEP!
I love you Mr. Monster Sir I! Happy First Birthday!!
Love, Mommy