hello toddler, goodbye baby

Riggs is eleven months old today.  Eleven months ago, we had just arrived home with our little (well, actually, kind of big) bundle of joy.  He was about 4 hrs old and so sleepy after the hard work of being born.  It was very snowy outside that day too, but I'm excited that today Riggs can actually get outside and play in the snow!  

He has grown and changed so much since then, it's dizzying.  He now weighs 21 pounds (33%) and is 31 inches long (92%).  As far as clothes go, his is now wearing pretty much all 12-18 month size clothes, but still size 3 diapers (he has a very small waist and hips). He sleeps 10-12 hr stretches at night now, eats and then is back to bed for about 12-14 hr nights of sleep, with 1.5-2.5 hrs of naps during the day.  He has an adorable toothy grin (eight teeth!) and his hair is really starting to grow in more, though very blonde and fine.

He is into everything, Steve likes to call him a little racoon.  Crawling is his main method of movement these days, but he pulls himself up to stand with ease and "cruises" along next to things he can keep a good hold on, like the couch or his crib.  He is just now starting to wave and is very excited about that, as are we.  And he is a very vocal baby, often babbling to himself, his toys, or basically anyone who will listen.  As far as words go he can say dad, mom, more (nana), papa, tree and dog.  But he can also mimic other simple words, like ball, if he's in the mood.

He eats so much now, but his favorite foods are still soups and smoothies.  He only breastfeeds 3-4 times a day, which is a little bittersweet for me, but I'm glad that he shows no signs of decreasing much more for a while.  About a month ago he started the separation anxiety phase, and he is still very clingy.  Luckily if he can't see me, he is usually fine with just about anyone, but if he catches a glimpse of me or hears my voice he'll usually start whining/crying and reaching for me.  It can be a little frustrating, but in all honesty there is definitely a little part of me that loves it, especially because he's been so independent since birth, happy with just about anyone.  

Everyday we see more and more toddler in him and less baby, I guess he really is growing up.  I love him so much and am excited to start planning his birthday party.  I have no idea what we will be doing yet, and don't have long to plan...so any ideas would be appreciated!

the world is not enough

Hello everyone!  It's Wednesday and I'm linked up again with Michelle over at The Vintage Apple for Oh, How Pinteresting.  First I'll list my 5 favorite pins and then I'll list the top 3 repinned pins (I'm doing less this week because hello!  it's snowing heavily outside and I need to go get my skis out and ready to go).  Here we go...


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Source: fuckyeahnailart.tumblr.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Source: carolinecf.blogg.no via Whitney on Pinterest

Source: skreened.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Source: runnersbooty.com via Whitney on Pinterest

:: top three repinned pins from the week ::

#1

SKYFALL nail colors from OPI

Really, what's not to love about a nail polish

called 'on her majesty's secret service'?

Source: curlsnpearls.com via Whitney on Pinterest

#2

I am loving the Etienne Aigner boots, I'm seriously

thinking about snagging this pair soon.

Source: hello-gorgeous-blog.blogspot.hu via Whitney on Pinterest

#3

I paint my nails dark colors quite often,

so this remedy for stained nails sounds like just the ticket.

Source: shape.com via Whitney on Pinterest

snow (finally!) and a weird rash

As I type this, it is snowing heavily and my heart is happy, despite the ups and downs (lots of downs) of my day.  But I'll get to that later...first some positive recollections.

Saturday evening it snowed, the second time it's snowed this winter, which is really unusual for us.  Steve and I were excited about it and needed to 1) get out of the house and 2) get some fresh air, so Sunday afternoon we headed to Palmer to get the mail and walk around downtown.  When we got to Palmer, there was a little hitch in our plan called crazy wind (which had blown all the snow away boo) so we headed towards home and pulled over to walk by the river, where it was less windy.  There still wasn't really any snow like there was at our house, but we had a nice walk.

It was really refreshing, especially for Steve, who has been struggling with some pretty severe back pain and was all groggy from taking muscle relaxants and sleeping for about 12 hrs straight.  Luckily he is starting to feel better, thanks to keeping up with anti-inflammatory's, the muscle relaxants, and lots of rest.

And then there's me.  Long story short, a few days ago a spot on my back was sensitive and itchy, and then it turned into a weird rash.  I decided to go to the Doctor this morning and found out I have shingles.  Not at all what I was expecting and pretty upsetting (and a little scary - have you heard all those horror stories about shingles?)  Oh and also, I found this all out after locking my keys (and my child) in the car.  Pretty stressful to say the least :(.  Luckily, it's in the really early stages and I have a good chance of heading off the virus before the rash spreads and gets to the really painful stage, but only time will tell.

my lovely little shingles outbreak

It's times like this that I'm so happy I have my little Riggy to cheer me up.  Seriously, the faces he has been making lately are so cute and funny and just instantly make me smile and forget my own problems.

a year ago, I looked like this

Okay that's just a little scary.  And for the record, it doesn't really make me want to be pregnant again, for long time.  I love having my little Riggy on the outside!  It's just crazy how much difference a year makes, isn't it?  There are only 23 days left until this year is over and 2013 begins...I hope next year doesn't pass quite so fast!

why I didn't blog much last weekend

l-r

top row: breakfast at the Green Store with Steve, who was off work because of pretty dang cold weather | me enjoying our new truck | Steve in front of said new truck...thank you baby for getting me such a nice (and functional, have you seen Tutka lately?) ride!

middle row:  yes that is throw up, yes it is gross.  But it was Riggs' first time, and I have to document it, right? | feeling much better after puking up everything he ate for dinner and then sleeping in it.  Let me tell you, when I imagined the joys of motherhood it didn't include cleaning up puke first thing in the morning (reality check) | reading in the morning while mommy lays in bed and enjoys not cleaning up puke at 7am.

bottom row:  remember how I mentioned it was cold here? | Riggs going rogue at kindergym | wrapping presents for my baby (who is actually only 37 days away from his first birthday - sob) - after nearly a year it still feels a little surreal being "mommy and daddy".

Hope you had a good week too, hopefully without any puke or -22 degree temperatures!

Riggs meets Santa

We took Riggs to get pictures with the Santa at Nordstroms on Sunday.  For those of you who don't follow my blog much, you might not know that Riggs loves to smile for the camera.  He can be playing with something, or eating a snack, or even nursing, and if you point a camera (or iPhone) at him, he will just stop what he is doing and give you his biggest smile.  He also is not a clingy baby at all and usually happily goes to whoever wants to hold him or play with him.  Naturally, I wasn't really too worried about picture with Santa because of this.

I was wrong.  Out of nowhere, he decided to start being clingy about a week before we planned on getting his pictures done.  He wants me and only me usually, but if I'm not there Steve is his second choice and he will literally cling to us, his little hands holding so tight to our clothing that his knuckles turn white.  We sort of planned for him to be this way and so we ate at the Nordstroms Cafe to fill his little belly with artichoke soup before heading upstairs to the children's department to get the pictures taken. Steve carried him up there, and I hid.  That's right, I hid behind a rack of clothing about 20 ft away so that he wouldn't be able to see me.  Steve acted really excited to meet Santa, and handed Riggy over to the jolly old man (who was soo patient and nice - exactly why we paid to get the pictures done there versus somewhere else).  Luckily he didn't cry at all, but he definitely didn't crack a smile, like, at all.  This was the closest he got to a smile during the 5 minutes he spent with Santa:

But he did seem to really like Mr. Claus, especially his beard and his gloves.  It was so cute to see him inspecting his face very thoroughly while Santa chuckled merrily.  And despite the lack of Riggs' usual big, toothy grin, I considered the afternoon a success. We got plenty of adorable pictures without that grin, and I know I'll always smile at the memory of that day, Riggs' first time meeting Santa.

Merry Christmas from Santa and Riggs

stripes, bows, and chains

Hey Y'all!  I know it's been sort of quiet over here for a while, we've been busy!  I truly don't think I opened my computer for more than five minutes the entire weekend, which is just crazy for me.  But it's Wednesday again and and I'm excited to share some pins with you!  So here we go, I'm linking up with Michelle over at The Vintage Apple. for Oh, How Pinteresting.  First I'll list my 7 favorite pins and then I'll list the top 3 repinned pins.  Ready? Okay!


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Source: bonadrag.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Source: take-a-bottle-of-ciroc.tumblr.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Source: classy-but-sassy.tumblr.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Source: yummypins.org via Whitney on Pinterest

Source: fabydesign.tumblr.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Source: thepinkpeonies.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Source: wildbirdsunlimited.typepad.com via Whitney on Pinterest

:: top three repinned pins this week ::

#1

I really like this outfit.  I would probably choose different boots, but I love 

the overall idea.  I just can't get enough stripes lately! 

Source: taytay-268.polyvore.com via Whitney on Pinterest

#2

I know this is sort of a revealing picture but I just love the bow on this suit!  

Besides stripes, I am also a little bit obsessed with bows right now...

Source: shop.ilovelolli.com via Whitney on Pinterest

#3

I saw this picture on one of my favorite blogs, Adventures of Newlyweds, and I just love it!  

This is just such an adorable set up for a couple, Ashley is such an amazing photographer.

Source: adventuresofnewlyweds.com via Whitney on Pinterest