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 

Thanksgiving

Hey All,

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? I hope you all had a relaxing and joyous week/weekend. We were lucky enough to have almost a whole week of fun Thanksgiving festivities. We spent most of the holiday down in San Diego and in Brea doing the rounds to see all the family. Boy has a lot changed in a year. Last year, we bravely packed up the car with a 10 day old baby and me being 10 days out from a c-section. I think one day I will be glad that we made that trip, but I'm not gonna lie...it was hard. This year, our baby is just over a year and even though car trips can still be hard, it's a whole different ball game,

Is he really mine? 

We planned on leaving relatively early Wednesday morning to avoid traffic, but we weren't expecting 4:30 am, which is apparently what Henley had in mind! We made a big pot of coffee and hit the road before sunrise. Henley fell right back asleep and woke up just as we hit Dana Point. We stopped for some breakfast and hit the park/beach to stretch our legs. After about an hour or so, we hit the road again and Henley fell right asleep. We arrived down in San Diego right as SeaWorld was opening. Alex had a little work to catch up on, so Henley and I spent the day with the animals. As always, Henley loved SeaWorld. We spent time checking out belugas, fishes, rays and dolphins, went digging in the sand, ran around, played with water and even touched some snow. The whole day was probably the best day that I have ever had with Henley. He was such a happy boy, he never cried, and we just had so much fun together. I will never forget it.

Playing in the leaves @ Doheny State Beach 

Future marine biologist? 

He LOVES water

Still happy at 5pm!

We spent Thanksgiving Day at Nana's house down in Point Loma. The day was nice and relaxing. Hal and Nana made a wonderful dinner with tons of fruits and veggies, a savory pumpkin bread pudding, creamed onions and peas, and a lovely apple, raisin, and walnut pie for dessert. All together the table was just Alex, Henley, Nana, Hal, MM, Brenda (one of Nana's friends) and myself. It's so nice to spend holidays with family.

Friday we spent the day down in Bonita visiting with MM's side of the family. Henley loved running around and crawling up the carpeted stairs. :) We also had a nice dinner and H ate his weight in sweet potatoes.

Saturday we headed back up to Brea for a late Mediterranean Thanksgiving dinner. We spent the day running around and opening toys from his birthday. After dinner, we headed down the street to check out a light show that a local house puts on. Good way to kick off the Christmas season!

We all had such a great holiday. Running all around does get tiring, but it's something that we really missed when we were living too far away. Henley is a happy baby when he is surrounded by tons of friends and family. Happy Thanksgiving!

We are busy getting ready for Christmas already and we are putting tons of thought into the real meaning of Christmas for us. We are thinking of pairing down the gifts this year and really focusing on creating lasting memories and continuing/starting new family traditions. We are very excited. Stay tuned for updates!

xoxoxo
-D

Disneyland with a 1 year old

Disneyland! 

Henley's 1st Birthday

Upon returning home from Henley's first birthday Disneyland trip, a lot of moms have asked me if there is anything to do there with a one year old. Surprisingly, there are tons of things to do! So much to do in fact, that I am contemplating buying an annual pass because Henley had such a great time. Many people think that it's not worth going since the kid won't remember it anyways, but Alex and I will remember. I spent so much time going to the parks (both Disney World and Disneyland) throughout my entire life, and I always looked forward to being able to take my babies/kids to the parks as well. On the other hand, I wouldn't spend my entire life savings on a Disneyland trip at this age. Somewhere around 7-10 would most likely be a good age for that.

Although I have spent many hours in the various parks, I have only been 6 times with a baby/toddler. I am no expert. I hope this guide helps fellow moms, dads and caregivers to have a great Disneyland trip.

 I broke it down per park since the Disneyland resort has both Disneyland park and California Adventure. I italicized the things that we actually did with Henley. You will need to purchase a park hopper ticket to do both parks. If you only have one day, you can definitely fill that time at just Disneyland alone. California Adventure does sell alcohol though, so perhaps that may sway you to get the park hopper. :)

DISNEYLAND

Attractions 

• Disneyland Railroad: Loved it at 15 months. I left the stroller at the entrance with all the diapers, and he pooped as soon as his butt hit the seat. Oh well. 
• Alice in Wonderland
• Casey Jr. Circus Train
• King Arthur Carousel 
• Mad Tea Party: Tea Cups 
• Mr. Toad's Wild Ride 
• Peter Pan
• Pinocchio: Loved it! 
• Dumbo: Henley loved this, but it was a little scary holding a squirmy baby on this one.
• Snow White's Scary Adventures: Loved it!  
• Storybook boats 
• Astro Orbitor: Indicated as "Any Height" but seems a little much for small babies.
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters 
• Disneyland Monorail: Loved it but this monorail is different than Disney World's. You have to fold up your stroller to ride. I wasn't expecting this. Something to consider if you are by yourself. 
• Finding Nemo Subs: Henley loved this ride. It does get pretty dark though.
• Enchanted Tiki Room
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Henley loved this. There is big drop, but I felt pretty safe holding H on my lap.  
• Mark Twain Riverboat 
• Big Thunder Ranch: Petting Zoo, 
• Haunted Mansion: Henley loved this. but I recommend a FastPass. The line can be long. 
• Winnie The Pooh
• Jungle Cruise: Loved it and we did it at night so I thought it would be a little scary. 
• It's A Small World: Loved it!
• Rodger Rabbit: Love it! 
• Pirates Lair (formally Tom Sawyer Island): Such a great place for running toddlers. We spent many hours here one morning. 
• Toon Town: Fun area to walk around, explore and meet characters. 
• Fireworks: Bright colors and loud music. What baby doesn't like that?
  
  
  

  

  Eating some snacks on the go! 

  
  

  

  Nemo Subs 

   

California Adventure

Attractions 

• Bugs Land: A few little rides as well as a water play area. Bring some extra clothes to get wet!  
• It's Tough to be a Bug show: Fun show, but can be scary for little guys. 
• King Tritan's Carousel: Loved it! 
• The Little Mermaid: Henley loved it. 
• Monster's Inc: Mike and Scully to the Rescue: Loved it! 
• Toy Story Mania: Line is always long, and there is no Fast Pass option. 
• Golden Zephyr
• Mickey's Fun Wheel: Make sure to get in line for the stationary cars. 
• Animation Building: Turtle Talk Show, Characters Up-Close, 
• Disney Jr. Live on Stage: H loved it, but seating is on the ground and they don't let you walk around. I had to physically restrain H throughout the whole show. :) 
• Redwood Creek Challege Trail: Mostly for big kids but H loved running across the bridges and going down slides. 
• Mad Tea Party show
• World of Color show: This show is usually pretty late, but it is totally worth it. 

Food

• Fortune Cookery @ Pacific Wharf: They had great kids meals with brown rice, tofu, veggies, and a side of carrots. Perfect little meal for a one year old. 
• Pacific Wharf Cafe: Sourdough Bread Bowl with broccoli cheese soup. Another good veggie-filled meal for H. 
• Veggie and Tater Bake @ Flo's: H ate the whole thing! 
• Alfresco Tasting Terrace: This place was a life-saver! H fell asleep in the stroller, and I found this quiet place to grab a beer, watch the parade and charge my phone.
  

  

  Give some time just to run/play around

  
  

  

  They may even sleep in the stroller! 

  
  

  

  Mad Tea Party 

TIPS

• Baby Care Center: Each park has a baby care center with nice changing and nursing areas, high chairs, microwaves, etc. to use. They also sell various baby care products if you forgot anything. 
• Packing food: You are allowed to pack a reasonable amount of food/snacks. I packed Henley some goldfish/cheerios, cheese, yogurt, crackers and hummus, squeeze packs and some fruit in a little lunch box. Also, bring water. The water bottles there cost a fortune, and the drinking fountains always seem to be warm. :( 
• Carriers: I always bring my stroller (mostly to hold stuff), but a carrier is a great idea. I just throw H in to wait in the lines. 
• Parking: If you park in the parking structure, you will be guided to hop on the tram to take you to the front entrance, If you are like me and pack way too much, you can always ask a cast member where the walking path is. It's a bit of a walk, but it beats trying to get all your stuff on and off the tram. 
• Hot Days: If the weather is just too much to handle, you can duck into the Animation Building in CA Adventure. It's a big, air conditioned building. Life-Saver! It's also mostly carpeted, so it you have a toddle-er like me, it's a great place to let them run around! 
• Late crowds: In my experience the park gets much more crowded at night, especially during firework time. Many smaller rides in Fantasyland will close during fireworks. 
• Rider Swap: Allows party of the party to wait in line for a ride, and then the rest of the party (up to 3 people) can then skip the line.

I could probably write a novel all about the awesome things to do at Disneyland. There really is so much to see and do there. I would go in with a few rides/attractions that are your "Must Dos's," and then just take it slow. There are many shows that just pop up and it's nice to just stop and go with the flow. Have fun and I am always here for questions, Also, if you have any tips please comment below! 

xoxoxo

-D

Henley Kai is One!

Our little man is one year old. I can't even believe all that has happened in one short year. Henley took his first breath, then came the sweet newborn smiles, he started rolling over, then came crawling, and 2 weeks short of his first birthday he started walking! Those early newborn days feel so far away, and yet I can still remember so many little details. Every new developmental stage is so different, each coming with its own joys and difficulties. I am so lucky to have this little guy. His happiness brings me so much happiness. This is what I wanted out of life. Let's see what the next year brings! 

The birthday weekend was a success. Here's a little photo journal of our birthday adventures! 

I took Henley to my favorite restaurant for his Birth-DAY lunch...Souplantation! He was loving the tiny baby ice cream cones and mac and cheese. You only get one 1st birthday! 

 Big Disneyland Day! I made a cute little banner for his stroller which he immediately tore off!  

He screamed for the train as soon as we entered the maingate. Unfortunately, we did have time to ride it.  

Gotta get those Mickey ears and birthday pin! 

He wore these for approximately 30 seconds, and only because I distracted him with snacks. (Ignore my dad's face on the stroller! haha)

He had such a great day at the parks. We rode Nemo Submarines, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and Little Mermaid. We even stayed for Mad Hatter Tea Party and World of Color. He was such a trooper all day. I wish we had more time to wait in line to see some characters because he loved to watch them. I am so glad and thankful that we were able to spend his birthday at Disneyland. It's sometime I've dreamed about for many years. Now I just need to convince Dad to let us buy a pass. haha 

Sunday was Henley's mustache bash! The party turned out great. We were surrounded by so many loving family and friends. 

Henley was not a huge fan of the mustaches. 

The stick-on mustaches were a hit! 

Henley even fell asleep on Dev right in the middle of the party! He really is growing up. 

Henley with his smash cake. We tried to just give it to him but he wouldn't touch it until we gave him a fork. Happy man! 

I love my family! 

Now on to start the next adventure of our lives: Toddlerhood! 

A busy couple of weeks

This time last year, we were walking around Brea in the dark, breathing through contractions and crossing our fingers for a long night. In two days, it will be Henley's first birthday, and as he approaches 1 year old it feels like he's becoming the fun baby we've been waiting for. In the past two weeks, Henley has started:

• Walking wherever he wants, whenever he wants
• Taking books off the shelf and bringing them to us
• Coming over to me and climbing into my lap (he's done this to Darnell for a long time, but not me)
• Sitting and paying close attention while we read a book
• Turning the pages of the book we're reading, (almost) always right to left
• Snuggling with me just to snuggle–resting his head on my shoulder
• Using a spoon and a fork to feed himself
• Eating from his own plate without throwing it to the ground
• Being a master of the sippy cup (with a straw) 
• Turning lights off (but never on)
• Deliberately imitating us (sticking out his tongue, copying when we do things with toys)
• Happily letting us put him into his high chair
• Swiping through pictures on our phones
• Recognizing himself in a mirror (walking back and forth and checking himself out when he has a funny hat)
• Teasing me into chasing him across the room, and squealing when I take the bait

Henley, I love you. What an awesome person you're becoming!

11 Month Update

Hey all! This is technically going to be an 11 + 1 week update since I never got around to the update last week and honestly I can't remember Henley developments from one week to the next. He just changes so dang fast!

Weight: Last night he was weighing in at 22.6 pounds. As far as clothes go, he can fit into some 9 month old clothes and some 18 month clothes. As a lady, I know how that goes. haha

Hair: Still blonde as can be and curly in back.

Eyes: Still deep blue.

Teeth: 8 teeth!

Sleep: Sleep is getting a lot better! He still has his days but the long drawn out bedtimes are starting to subside. He still nurses quite a bit during the night, but that's ok with me. He is currently taking a 2+ hour nap in the bed during the day.

Food: Food has never been an issue with Henley. He will literally eat whatever is in front of him. The downside is that I have been giving him food, more specifically crackers and cereal, in order to keep him entertained while I do stuff like dishes or grocery shopping. I think it may be getting out of control! haha Some new foods that we are surprised that he liked were sauerkraut and seaweed salad.

Babble: Still only really saying Mama and maybe Dada, but he loves to talk. He mostly says Ba Ba Ba Ba, which I have no idea what that might mean. He goes on for a while too.

On the move: He took his first steps last Friday! He is still only really walking when we play on the floor with him. This morning I was in the living room and Alex was sleeping in the bedroom. Henley was standing holding on to me and when he heard Alex, he took off and walked all the way to the bedroom. He even turned the corner! So proud of my little guy. He loves it too. Big smiles all the way!

Playtime: He loves reading books, taking strolls around the house with his walker, playing with his sensory board we made, playing in sand/woodchips, stacking blocks, moving toys from one container to another, dancing to the Hot Dog song and throwing balls.

Hates: Diaper changes and any time we lie him down on his back. I swear he will go from laughing to screaming bloody murder in 1 sec. It's crazy!

Look out next month for Henley's one year update! This time last year my mom and I were hiking and walking all around LA trying to get this baby boy out! I am so excited to celebrate this big day with him, and I know I will break down and cry at least once. 

xoxoxoxo

-D

Uncle Love and Dad's Week Off!

My brother came to stay with us this past weekend and Henley was able to spend so much awesome quality time with his uncle. This visit also coincided with Alex having a week off work for fall break. We decided to take advantage of the free time and enjoy the city around us.

Destin arrived via train on Friday morning and we headed straight to the zoo! FYI, I can get somebody in for free with my pass, so if anybody wants a zoo day let me know. Henley went to his first petting zoo, but he was a little too afraid to touch the sheep. We crawled around and played in wood chips for a long time, and Destin nice enough to give Henley most of his ice cream cone. This kid is already a beggar.

 Saturday morning my parents drove up and we went to a local pumpkin patch at Pierce College. The event was awesome but the weather was hot! We took Henley to another petting zoo, but this time he loved it. All the goats and sheep loved him too. They kept coming over and rubbing against him. We took a hayride, walked through a corn maze, ate kettle corn, and Destin and Alex raced up the rock wall. Such a fun day.

Na and Henley at the pumpkin patch.

Henley made a new friend.

He sat for 20 minutes just playing with hay.

 Saturday night we decided to check out this German restaurant right across the street from our apartment. I had intentionally been avoiding it because it looked pretty sketchy from the outside, and I did not think Van Nuys would have a legit German restaurant. Boy was I wrong! This place was awesome. The place was fully decorated which Henley loved, customers were sitting at the bar in lederhosen, and they made traditional German pretzels. What more can you ask for? Oh yeah, and the chef, also in full lederhosen attire, got up and sang while we all toasted. And Henley even made a girlfriend who gave him her stein necklace. We will definitely be back!

Mama's boy eating his pretzel

On Monday, Destin and I headed to Little Tokyo because I had never been and Destin likes everything Japanese. We had an awesome lunch, followed by tasty mochi ice cream. We also stopped and played in a bush outside the court house. If Henley doesn't get out of the carrier/stroller every 30 minutes or so he gets crazy fussy. I am always finding the smallest area of dirt in the city to put him in. 

Henley pretty much ate half of this! haha 

Alex and I took Henley to the aquarium on Thursday. It was such a nice day and since it was a weekend the aquarium was pretty much empty. We just let Henley crawl around wherever he wanted. Being there really made me want to set up something at home. I know Henley would love it, but I am not sure how long we will live here and an aquarium is hard to transport.

Amazing 

Touching a bonnethead.

I have the 11 month update completed, but I just need to take some pics. I can't believe that he will be a year old in 3 weeks. We are working hard around here getting ready for his big Disneyland trip and birthday party. I am so excited! 

xoxoxo

-D