Monthly Update: Month 9

I can't believe my little buddy has been out in the real world for as long as he was in my belly!  Wow. The nine months leading up to Sebastian's birth seriously felt like FOREVER! Conversely, the last nine months have been a blur!  I almost can't remember what it was like without the little munchkin  in our lives.  Here's what he's been up to this month: 

• Our little man is extra talkative these days (daddy thinks he must take after mommy) so we call him Mr. Blah Blah - his favorite "word"  ;)  Towards the middle of the month (around David's birthday), he officially started saying "Dada" - although I don't think he associates the word with David yet because sometimes I'll leave the room and he'll start screaming "Dada" until I return.  ;)  I am also happy to report that he doesn't discriminate and is also saying "mama" now; although not as frequent as dada.
• He tried "meat" for the first time this month and loves it (chicken and turkey)!  We always try to taste his food pouches whenever its a new flavor and wow... the meat ones are not so yummy.  As long as he eats them, we're good!    
• Sebastian started partaking in school-offered lunches this month!  His first meal consisted of bananas and green beans! His teachers say he is a really good eater!  
• He tried spaghetti for the first time!  We cut the noodles up really small and put them on his little dinosaur plate to pick up with his hands.  In order to minimize mess, we tried to put saran wrap over his high chair tray but that didn't work out as well as we had hoped.  ;)  All in all, I'd say most of it ended up in his lap but I think he really enjoyed it.  :) 
• Sebastian is doing the "normal" crawl now - he's finally figured out how to incorporate his legs!  :) Man, is he super quick!  He still likes to stand every chance he gets.  Its only a matter of time before he starts walking... crazy!
• He seems to favor the color yellow - he'll have a pile of toys in front of him and he'll always pick up the yellow ones to chew and hang on to. 
• He loves to make big splashes during bath time - still loving the water!
• He has two new upper teeth to keep his bottom teeth company!  He likes to grind them - it is the worst sound EVER!
• Sebastian loves to blow raspberries on David's shoulder.  Its hard to believe such a little dude can produce SO much drool! :) 
• He's exhibited a couple instances of stranger danger - sadly, it was with family members he's seen multiple times.  But, I gotta admit, I do love it when he automatically looks for me and reaches out for me to grab him.  :) 
• Sebastian is sleeping SO much better these days!  He used to take super long naps after daycare (4:30-7:00 PM) in his car seat but after suggestions from a couple friends, we no longer let him nap past 5:00 PM.  His bedtime is now between 5:30 and 7:00 PM.  Although he does need to eat in the middle of the night and does a little whining/whimpering thing around 1:30 AM every day (and some times each subsequent hour or so thereafter), we've noticed that going to bed early makes him happy!  Oops... makes me feel a little guilty that we were "depriving" him of sleep for so long with an original bed time of about 9:30 PM.  I'm glad we finally figured it out!
• Here are the stats from his 9-month check-up: 
• Height: 72 cm (58th percentile - What?! Pretty good for a lil' Kopino!)
• Weight: 16.9 lbs (6th percentile)
• PS. Can you tell that both Sebastian and Pookie were SUPER tired in this photo shoot?! ;)  We had a tough time getting a good shot because neither one were in the mood and just sat there blankly for the most part.  Oh well!  

David's 32nd Birthday

This weekend we celebrated David's 32nd birthday!  For someone who truly hates celebrating his birthday, we've done a lot to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the day he joined the world!  On Friday (his actual birthday), he had lunch with Henry and Becker while I was at work.  My goal was to get off early that afternoon but that didn't work out as planned (per usual).  By the time we got home, Sebastian was really tired and passed out around the time we were planning on heading out to dinner.  We ended up just ordering Chinese take-out from this yummy place in Mukilteo and celebrated at home. I know, we sure know how to party!  ;)  

On Saturday, we met up with David's parents at the Alderwood Mall for some lunch at Anthony's.  Later that day, we headed north to visit our dear friends, the Nikonovs for a St. Patty's themed dinner (SO yummy)!  We just love hanging out with Vitaliy, Maureen, and their adorable minis - we don't do it nearly enough!  Maureen even made a special meal for the boys - pureed spinach and pear (delish, btw) and some puffs.  Most of it ended up all over their faces, clothes, and the ground but I'm certain they enjoyed it.  :)  It was SO cute to see Sebastian and Max seated next to one another in their high chairs.  They kept on staring at each other and I swear they were communicating using their own baby language of grunts, shrieks, and random babbling.  A true sign they will be best buddies in the future.  ;)  The only bummer is that we didn't take any pics of them together! Boo!  Oh well, next time!  

This morning we "slept in" aka the baby didn't wake us up until 6:00 AM and David blew out the candles on his yummy cornbread cake.  Yes, I said cornbread!  A couple weeks ago on a whim, we bought some cornbread from Fred Meyer.  This cornbread is seriously so delicious and addicting!  It  is on the sweeter side so I would consider it more of a dessert than a side dish.  We can probably eat a whole pan of it in one sitting and we came really close this morning!  ;)  After playing around and a short morning nap, we headed to my parent's house for lunch and a Skype session with my brother in London.  

All in all, it was a great birthday weekend full of yummy food, family, and friends!  Happy birthday, hubby!  Cheers to many, many, many more birthdays to come!  We love you!  :) 

A birthday sign for daddy!  A couple side notes… 1) Getting a baby to sit still for a hand print is no easy task! Also, make sure that the ink you are using isn't permanent!  Took a lot of scrubbing and a couple days for the ink to completely go away!  Oops!  2) Getting Sebastian and Pookie to sit still together is very rare these days and mommy definitely failed on that one this time around! I tried!

 Ugh… clearly these three weren't in the mood for a picture (story of my life)...

Big boy in the Anthony's high chair

Yummy cake made by Maureen and Maeve to celebrate David and Vitaliy's birthdays!

Cornbread Cake! ;)

Sebastian helping daddy blow out the candles

A Visit from Uncle & Auntie

During the first weekend in March, Kelly and Adrianna flew up from California to visit Sebastian and the rest of the Ko fam.  Although it was a short visit, it was fun catching up with them in person!  Here are some photos from Auntie Adrianna - the newest member of the KJ Photo Team!  :)   Thanks for coming, guys!  Can't wait to see you again in June!  :) 

Monthly Update: Month 8

Wow. Our baby is 8 months old!  Is it weird to feel like the world is going in hyper speed and to have a fear that blinking would result in seeing a big boy or man in front of me?  Obviously I'm being overly dramatic but I do feel like that sometimes!  I say this every month, but time is going too, too fast! Here's what Mr. Sebastian was up to this month: 

• Sebastian started standing up on his own this month!  He is definitely very pleased with this newly acquired skill and is practicing every chance he gets!  When he's propped up against a table or toy he's even able to make mini steps sideways.  The look on his face is priceless - SO proud!  :) This is both awesome and scary at the same time!  As I keep saying... we REALLY need to baby proof - especially for our little daredevil!
• We lowered his crib a notch - even if he's not sleeping in there at night he does nap in there from time to time!
• This month he started doing this thing with his mouth - a cross between blowing raspberries and trying to make bubbles (is that the same thing?!). Super cute and super wet! ;) 
• He's beginning to practice "talking" - he currently says "ba ba ba ba" a lot - sometimes it sounds like "da da".  We also like to have shouting matches from time to time.  ;) 
• He's loves Mr. Wubba again! ;) 
• He can eat a whole food pouch in one sitting - and mixed with some oatmeal!  We can't believe how much this kid can eat!  We hope this means he'll be a good eater and won't be ridiculously picky like his mommy.  
• He has always enjoyed bath time but we're letting him stay in his tub a little longer so he can play with his toys.  His favorite bath toy is a little turtle squirter.  He clings to the thing as if its the most precious thing in the world.  Watch out if it ever floats away!  ;)  We also removed the little bump in his whale tub since he's able to sit up on his own.  We can't believe how big he looks in the tub now!
• Sebastian has legit play times now.  I know he has play time at school but prior to now we could get away with keeping him entertained on our laps at home.  Now, after his naps, we spread out the blankets and various toys so he can play for a couple hours.  Our living room looks like a toy store exploded - definitely a hazard for this clumsy mama! 
• There are some mornings when he's wide awake while we're getting ready for work.  If that's the case, then he hangs out with us in the bathroom in his walker while he watches the Mickey Mouse Club.  The two of us always have a dance party when The Hot Dog song comes on at the end. So catchy and so fun!  :)  After MMC is Doc McStuffins - he is not so much a fan of that show so then he occupies his time by trying to run over our feet with his walker.  ;) 
• We are beginning to see signs of "jealousy" with this kid; especially for my attention.  Actually, sister Pookie has been exhibiting similar behavior lately.  When we're on the floor for play time, Pookie will strategically place herself in between me and the baby so I can pet her and give her all my love and attention. As soon as that happens, Sebastian immediately stops whatever he's doing and army crawls around Pookie and starts climbing on me with a quickness while kicking her away in the process.  I feel so loved and wanted but dang, sharing is caring! :) Another thing they do is gravitate towards one another's toys. If we're not paying attention, Pookie will have one of Sebastian's stuffed animals in her mouth and Sebastian will be gnawing on her Kong. ;) 
• As you can tell from the pictures below, it is getting harder and harder to get him to sit still long enough to take a photo!  Ugh!  I always get all sweaty after trying to wrestle him into his spot and every time we have to change his diaper or get him dressed!

Picture Day

Here are Sebastian's first-ever school pictures! We were totally expecting those creepy floating head pics since it was the same company that did our school pictures back in the day. Considering he was stuck at home with a fever the two days before, they turned out okay.  :)