Henley's First Camping Trip

This past weekend we finally made out to Table Mountain for Henley's first camping trip, and our first camping trip since we got married! We always think of ourselves as "camping people," so it's shocking that it has been over 3 years. In our defense, we have been pretty busy the last few years. We were afraid that it would be difficult since we are a bit out of practice, but it all came back to us no problem!

We picked Table Mountain near Wrightwood, California mostly because it is only an hour and a half from the valley, and they allowed dogs. We originally scheduled this trip for last month, but canceled at the last minute due to a freak storm. This campground is right across the street from Mountain High ski resort, so they can definitely have their fair share of cold days.

Alex took a half day off work last Friday, and we headed straight to the campground. We ended up getting to our site around 3, and the weather was perfect. The campground itself was pretty quiet when we arrived. We took our time setting up camp and exploring the area around our site. Henley loved helping us set up everything. Around 5:00 a nice little rain shower started. We all sat in the tent listening to the raindrops. After a while the rain got pretty intense and the thunder was insane. After much deliberation we decided to head into Wrightwood and grab some dinner. We were all pretty bummed since we planned on having a good ol'fashion campfire dinner. On our run from the tent to the car it started hailing! We found a cute little diner in town and waited out most of the rain. We got back to camp just in time to get H to bed. Alex and I were able to enjoy some wine and roasted marshmallows while Henley slept in the tent.

Born stake driver! 

Listening to the rain and thunder

Waiting out the rain...

Saturday we had a nice breakfast at camp, packed a lunch, and headed out for some sightseeing. We stopped first at the Grassy Hollow Visitors Center to get more information about nearby hikes. It was a nice center with friendly rangers, decent maps and even animal exhibits. Alex has really been wanting to check out the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and they had a one mile segment of the PCT starting right there. We let Henley walk some of this so it took us about an hour. We tried to set off on another trail, but Henley was getting pretty sleepy. We stopped at Jackson Lake on the way back to camp and enjoyed our picnic lunch. We were able to see tons of California Ground Squirrels popping up from their burrows and thousands of ladybugs.

Still with the mallet...

Just chilling with my 'nana.

Are you kidding me? 

That evening we did a small hike around our campground. Henley loves to walk on our hikes, but we don't end up going very far because he always finds something to examine. This time it was a good thing, because out of nowhere it started pouring and hailing again! We ran back to camp and by that point the weather was perfect again. We lit the fire and we were finally able to have our dinner at the campfire. The menu consisted of veggie dogs, corn on the cob, foil potatoes and s'mores. I don't know if I have ever seen Henley eat so much! That night we headed to the amphitheater to watch "Beauty and the Beast."

Evening stroll

Right as the rain/hail was starting.

Mmmm

Helping with the potatoes

I don't know if that s'more is gonna fit.

Our last morning we had a quick breakfast and packed up camp. We headed into town for some coffee and to grab an Adventure pass for our hike. We chose to do Blue Ridge Trail because I heard that you get some great views of the Mountain High ski slopes. We threw H into the Ergo and headed up the mountain. The hike itself was 2 miles up, so 4 miles round trip. We were able to do it in about 2 1/2 hours with a lunch break at the top. It was our first relatively challenging hike with a baby, and it felt really good. Tegan nearly died, but she was trooper!

Day 3 of not showering. Look at that hair! 

Gotta love breakfast in the woods. 

Halfway up

Baby Girl

We made it! 

Too much cuteness to handle. 

Overall, camping with a 19 month old was easier than we expected. There were a lot of challenges, but seeing Henley in that environment melted our hearts. He loved being able to explore nature all day, eat outside, get dirty, follow insects around, watch the sunrise and sunset, scoop dirt, help set up camp and just everything else that camping allows you to do. The main challenge was him wandering off. We just always had one person on him at all times. This usually meant that one of us was at camp alone, but it's nice to have a little break. We had an awesome time and we are already planning on next trip later in the summer.

xoxoxo
-D

A letter to my Henley: 18 months

You wearing your favorite "Off-Off" Pj's

Hey there little boy,

I thought I would change it up and write a letter to you for this big milestone birthday. I can't even begin to imagine what you will be like or look like by the time you actually read this, and I don't really even want to think about. Right now, you are right in the sweet spot between baby and kid. You have so many qualities of a grown-up kid, but you still need mama to nurse you to sleep and wipe your butt. :) In just a short 6 months you will be a 2 year old, and I'll have to start paying for you at the zoo. :)

This morning began just like any other normal morning. You woke up and immediately started nursing. We usually lie in bed for a while just talking to each other while you nurse. You find Tegan and stop drinking to say "Hi Teg-Teg." You then jump out of bed and run to the kitchen yelling "Dada!" You find Dad and you guys make coffee together. You love to smell the coffee grounds. You run around the house and try to find ways to slow down Dad while he gets ready for work. Once Dad is off, we make breakfast. These days you are loving yogurt, banana and eggs. If I give you

toast, you just suck the coconut oil or cream cheese off the top. You are just mastering "Yes" and "No." It's awesome that I am able to ask you what you want. Your yogurt usually ends up everywhere but your mouth, but you have fun playing around with it.

Giving kisses 

After breakfast, we head out on our daily walk with Tegan. We stroll though the neighborhood in the baby carrier, and you are so good at pointing out things. Your favorite are still the cats, but you can also spot cars, trees, birds, trucks, trash trucks, dog poops, water puddles, and dogs. You also love finding cracks in the ground, and Dad loves the way you say "crack." You also have to say hello and wave at every passerby. You are such a ham! 

Mmm strawberries 

You love your friends 

Today we had a fun zoo day planned with some of your friends at the LA Zoo. We have been taking you to the zoo starting around 4 months old, and it never gets old. You find new things to discover each time we visit. Who knows? Maybe you will become a zoologist like your mama! Today, you found the seal right when we walked in. Of course you had to say hi to him and give kisses through the window. I usually let you just run around by yourself at the zoo, but today you had 5 other friends to run with you. You are getting pretty social and starting to recognize your friends when you see them. You love to say Joshie for Joshua and Ju-Ya for Julia. You also give the sweetest hugs and kisses to your friends, although I don't know if they always like it! I guess you gotta make-up for always stealing their snacks. :) 

I am mostly shocked this past month with your vocabulary. You basically repeat everything I say. You answer every question I ask you, although I'm not sure that you always know what I asked. You are picking up names of so many things. You are also picking up words that you know from songs and T.V shows. When you wake up from afternoon naps, I just sit with you in the bed and we just have conversations. I love to hear those words with your high little baby voice. Your inflections on words are also incredible. You can say the same word in many different ways. It blows me away.

Physically, you are a monkey. You climb anything and everything. Surprisingly, you really don't fall too much. You are very coordinated. You also have crazy muscles. We've had many people comment on them. You love to jump off tables and couches. You push things around so that you can get on top of the kitchen counter or entertainment stand. You like to find the most precarious thing to stand or walk on.

I'm finally tall enough for Autopia! 

Yesterday we had your 18 month check up. It's no surprise that you are in the 95th percentile for height, measuring in at 34 inches! Are you my baby? You weigh a whopping 26 pounds 14 oz (85th percentile)! We saw a new pediatrician, and he just thought that you were the best baby ever. He admired your social development and happy attitude. He was shocked by how healthy you are. Your Dad and I were so proud of you in that moment. It's always special to see you touch other people with your extraordinary energy.

I love to see you change and grow everyday, You are becoming a little person with such a personality. You are my little buddy and best friend. I love exploring the world with you, and seeing things from your perspective. You light up every person you come in contact with. You are a little mover, and I hope I can challenge you and give you the platform you need to truly be yourself. We are in this together for the long haul. Hang on tight, we are all in for an amazing adventure!

Love you with all my being!
XOXOXOXO
-Mom 

My week with a 17 month old!

Boy has this past 5 months flown by! People always say to cherish your time with the little guys because they grow up so fast. Honestly, the first year went by surprisingly slow. I think that was a good thing and a bad thing. Since Henley nursed so much during that first year, I was really able to just sit with him and be in the moment. That definitely helped to slow down the time and take it all in. On the flip side, it always seemed that Henley's physical developments were slower than his mental ones. He would act like he was frustrated to move on to the next level. That made things tough, and some times I couldn't wait for him to master the next challenge. Once he started walking, that got a lot better. 

Fast forward to 17 months, and I feel like we just had his 1st birthday party. I look at 12 month olds now and think that they are so little! These days it's difficult to get H to sit still for his monthly photo, so I am just going to describe a typical week for our little man. 

My Week with a 17 Month Old

Now that Henley has his own little group of friends, we have been able to celebrate a few first birthdays! This past weekend, we celebrated Maila's birthday at Travel Town. H is super into trains at the moment, so of course he had so much fun. 

Choo-Choo

Taking a ride on the train. 

We took a family trip to Ikea to get the house a little more organized. H loved to help us with all the home improvements. We also decided to convert the crib back from the toddler bed to the infant crib. He wasn't using it at all so we took one side off. Now that Alex and I are taking turns putting H to bed, we are trying to put him in the crib to start the night. I was shocked because he slept from 8:30 pm-3:00 am alone in the crib on Tuesday night! What's happening?! 

Helping Dad with the crib

Peek-A-Boo!

The words that are coming out of this boy's mouth are crazy. He must have picked up over 20 words in the last month. Not only can he say so many more things, but he is repeating almost everything I say. The boy never shuts up! He will also just sit and talk when he is by himself playing. The talking is also making driving more fun. I will just shout out words that he knows and he will say them back. Makes the short 10-15 drives so much better! New words at the moment: Trash truck, Coppy (Coffee), Yeah, No, Pee-Pee, Poo-Poo, Bumpy, Dumpy, Wa-Wa (Water) and Mo-Mo (More).

Sitting in bed telling me a story

Most days we still try and get out of the house. Our favorite outings are the zoo and the park. We are also part of a playgroup at a local college. H has tons of fun there, but we aren't allowed to take pictures. :( 

He loves to brush the goats.

How I see Henley the majority of the time

On the days where we stay home, I have to be creative and find tons of activities to keep him busy. At this age, he is also playing with toys that I thought he didn't like again. I guess doing a toy rotation would totally help with this. We finally got a kid table at Ikea, and he is slowly starting to get the hang of it. I try and give 1 meal a day at this table. 

Breakfast

Still loving the hummus...so proud! 

Dumping...he favorite word at the moment

Exploring

His favorite game at the moment is going into the closet and closing the door. He does this in the bedroom and the broom closet. He can actually close the bedroom closet doors, which can be scary when you don't know where he is. :) 

We aren't officially trying to potty train yet, but we do keep the potty out and let him sit on it while we read. He is starting to say "pee-pee" when he pees, so he might figure it out soon. Unfortunately, he already out grew the cloth diapers that are supposed to fit until potty training. We might have to rush things due to that. :( 

Thanks for reading and I'll have all the stats from his big 18 month check-up next month!

16 Month Update

16 Month Update

Who is this big kid?

STATS: 26.5 lbs (according to our bathroom scale); 31.5 inches

CLOTHES: Mostly wearing 18 month clothes these days. I'm gonna need to start buying 2 year old clothes soon!

FAVORITE FOODS: Scrambled Eggs, Strawberries, Broccoli, String Cheese (which he calls "Chee-Chee"), Rice, Sweet Potato and Yogurt.

FAVORITE WORDS: Uppy (Up), Trash (he loves throwing things away), Chee-Chee (Cheese), Hot (while he touches the oven), Teg-Teg (Tegan), Hi (to everything NOT living), Oh No! and Uh-Oh!

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Reading, playing ball with Tegan, swimming, spinning with Dad, playing at the park with his friends, sorting, playing in and with water, being chased, going up stairs and climbing anything.

LEAST FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Diaper changes, being picked up while playing and car rides, although he's been getting much better!

FAVORITE PLACES: Park, Disneyland, Fro-Yo Shop and Maddie's Playhouse (Indoor Playground), Zoo and Aquarium.

Living Desert in Palm Springs

MOM'S FAVORITE H MOMENTS: Big open-mouth kisses first thing in the morning, lip-smacking to tell me that he wants milk, the big hugs he gives his friends we he sees them, and his fascination with all animals and their sounds.

DADS FAVORITE H MOMENTS: Reading with Henley before bed, rough-housing together before dinner, late night walks in the Ergo when nursing just won't get him to sleep.

Goodnight Moon: a current favorite

SLEEP: He still nurses all night long! He goes down around 8 pm and wakes around 6:30 am. Not the longest sleeper, but it could be worse. He still takes 1-2 naps a day averaging about 2 1/2 hours.


BREASTFEEDING: Still going great! When people ask me if I still breastfeed, I totally forget that many babies stop nursing by this point. I can't even imagine stopping. Not only does it make my life easier in many ways, it still feels so natural and normal. I am lucky that I am able to feed and calm Henley this way.

A little snack in the woods

A lot has changed since little man's first birthday. He is understanding so much! I have always spent most of the day just talking to Henley about anything and everything. All of a sudden he just began to respond to most things that I say. It's crazy! Every morning I would say "Get in your chair" and I would pick him up and put him in his high chair. One say I said it and he just walked over to the chair and tried to get in. So cute.

We are able to get out a couple days a week with an awesome group of moms and just as awesome group of babies! It is so nice to see Henley making friends. You can see his little face light up when he sees one of them! The last few play dates he has even given some of them big hugs when they walk up. Henley and I are so lucky that we found these mommies (and daddies)!

We are headed to Tahoe next week with Na-Na and Pop-Pop and we couldn't be more excited! We rented a house with a big backyard and hot tub so we can relax a little with little man. The drive is somewhere around 8 hours so we'll see how it goes!

Xoxoxoxo
-D

Christmas Celebrations: Part 1

This year, with Henley being one, Christmas time is a lot more fun! We are all getting into the celebrations and working on starting new family traditions. Now that there is so much to do, I realize how little time there is between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I thought that I would do one big blog dedicated to Christmas, but that would be way too long. So here is our Christmas Celebrations: Part 1!

After much deliberation, we decided to be optimistic and go ahead and get a Christmas tree this year. We weren't sure how Henley would do with it in the house, with him being so grabby and all. Well, so far so good. We opted for a little tree and stacked it atop an ottoman and a box that I wrapped in Christmas paper. My mom joined us for a little trim trimming party. I made some mulled wine, Cranberry Brie Pastry Bites  and sweet potato gnocchi. It was my first attempt at gnocchi and it was delicious! Get the recipe here: Sweet Potato Gnocchi w/ Brown Butter Sage Sauce It was such a fun night.

Love my momma! 

Gotta get the family picture. 

Checking out the ornaments

Since my mom had some time off work, we decided to take Henley to Knott's Berry (Merry) Farm. I spent many days there as a kid, mostly conquering all the roller coasters of the park. I didn't realize how much there was to do for little guys. The park was only open 8 hours that day, so we actually didn't get to do everything we wanted. The park was dead, and we were able to walk on to every ride. During Christmas time, there is an awesome craft fair at the front of the park. On the weekends, I believe that the craft fair is free. They also have the best Santa's village that I have seen in the area.

Meeting Snoopy!

Hi Snoopy. 

His face when he saw the train.

Peek-A-Boo

Mine Train

We took Henley to see Santa in Downtown Brea a few days ago. I have heard legends of babies being scared of Santa, but Henley is not an easily frightened kid. Apparently, I was wrong, The moment he saw Santa he started crying. We tried to calm him down, but he just could relax. I'm not gonna lie, it was a little funny. He just kept looking at Santa and then looking away. We took a family picture all together, instead of just leaving Henley with Santa alone. Poor baby. We actually just got a printed picture, so I will have to get that up here later.

Downtown Brea @ Christmas Time 

And Lastly, since my mom is once again traveling for work during the holidays, we did our big gift exchange with them yesterday. Of course, Henley was super spoiled. He loved opening all of his presents in his big chair. He got a big barn, a bubble gun, some softy toys, books, clothes and a cool wooden pull-train. Alex got a cool flying thing. haha My parents were super sweet and complied an external drive with all the pictures and videos they ever took of me. I am super excited to look through those. My mom also gave me a journal that she wrote for me starting when I was very little. I need to get myself a big glass of wine and just read through it soon. Also, my grandma got me a.....DISNEYLAND pass. I am so excited! My family is just too much.

This past weekend we also attending my parents annual friendship Christmas party, but I want to do a whole post on that soon. Look out for that. 

I hope you all are enjoying this wonderful season. 

Extreme cuteness-Brought to you by Henley and Tegan

xoxoxo

-D