Monday, June 29, 2009

9 months: Devon (June)

Joe had his first Father's Day this year and I he seemed to enjoy his big day. He jokingly called it "unsung hero's day". So for his special day I made him breakfast (I do this most days, but I made sure to do it on Sunday), spent time all together as a family, I got him a new ipod shuffle for his renewed interest in running, and I got a sub for my yoga classes so I could stay home with Devon while he went and got a massage. His parents stopped by for a short visit and I got started on dinner. Whenever I ask Joe what he wants for dinner he always says,"Whatever". This time he told me I could do anything I wanted, but make something I've never made before. I wanted to make something a little fancy so I made beef tenderloin with a currant & red wine sweet sauce, herb crusted potatoes, and phyllo apple pear pies. Sounds like a good day to me ....



Devon is officially teething. 2 little teeth poked through on the bottom after a week of low grade fevers. He is crankier than usual, but is typically soothed when held and played with. He still sleeps through the night and takes extra long naps during the day. He was on a clockwork schedule for the past 3 glorious months, but now everyday is totally different. I am trying to roll with it, but I am a creature of habit and hope he will get back on a schedule soon. He is Army crawling his way around the house and is pulling himself up to stand. He is talking up a storm, learning what "no" means, and is giving the cats a run for their money. He loves to crawl all over me like a jungle gym, but I call it "Mommy gym" (see video. It's hilarious). He just started eating real food yesterday including bananas, dehydrated strawberries and the classic .... Cheerios.

I was getting a little tired of the monotony of day after day of the same thing so I decided that I would take a trip to California and see my older sister Katy to change things up. Devon and I flew to Phoenix, had a short layover, then on to Riverside. We stayed Monday to Thursday and I think it was just the right amount of time to get away and just the right amount of time for Joe to realize that he can't live without us ;)

I had a moment when I realized that it was my first time traveling alone EVER IN MY LIFE. This made me panic a little, but by then it was way too late to turn back. I had this realization as I was walking into the Tucson airport loaded with my little baby, a huge suitcase, a carry on bag, and a car seat waving goodbye to Joe. In spite of all my nervousness Devon was the perfect traveling baby. He never cried on any of the flights and was content sitting on my lap playing with one toy, a water bottle and the seat belt. He was a little cranky before takeoff, but other than that he was an angel.

SIDEBAR: Those of you who are traveling with babies .... you can either pay half price for a ticket and the baby can ride in a car seat OR you can roll the dice, show up to the gate with a car seat and find out if there are any extra seats available. If there are, the baby can ride for free. If not the baby can sit on your lap and you can check the car seat right there at the gate. I got the extra seat 50% of the time. It was really nice to have him in his own seat because he was more likely to sleep and I could relax a little, but he slept in my arms anyway and that was sweet as well.



While in California I got to go to Disneyland and see all the new stuff. It's funny that even after 10 years of not being there I still remember where everything is. I ate a churro, saw California Adventure, rode small world, Pirates of the Caribbean and the jungle cruise. Small world was sorta boring, but it was better than Pirates because I TOTALLY forgot that the first drop was as big as it was. I thought it was 3 little dips, but I was SO wrong. Devon didn't cry, but I was so caught off guard at the slope that I screamed which scared him .... then he cried. I really wish I would have skipped that one, but I have to say that I am surprised that they even let me on that ride with him at all. The jungle cruise just plain scared him to death and he cried the whole time. Like .... real tears cried. It was awful. We were there about 4-5 hours and by the end I was exhausted. I was glad we got to go, but I will definitely wait to take him when he can ride all the rides.



I think the best part of the whole trip was just hanging out with Katy and being moms and sisters together laughing, watching TV and talking. The day after Disney we literally didn't leave the house. And I literally didn't change out of my pajamas or put on make up (the ONLY thing I forgot to pack was my makeup. I could not believe it. I left the entire bag on the counter of my bathroom. I borrowed some from Kate, but I was really annoyed that I forgot it.) We even got a little bit crafty and stayed up late sewing. She had everything we needed to make a "taggie". It's a small baby blanket with little ribbons, or tags, around the edges to stimulate the baby's senses. I think it turned out great. I even went home and bought fabric to start on a baby quilt. I haven't been doing any hobbies lately so this was a great project for me to get back into sewing.



All in all it was a great trip. It was great to see Katy's new house, little baby and spend some one-on-one time with her. She was quite the gracious host letting me use her make-up, hair ties, using her pass to take me to Disneyland and making me a BLT for lunch. You're the best Kate!

1 comment:

Kate said...

Awwwwwwweeee, you are so cute! it was a great trip, but i'm just sad that we didn't take ANY photos. I forget ALL the time to capture moments. It was so fun having you here and just hangin out! I love you!