Monthly Update: Month 2

And we officially have a 2-month old, folks!  This also means I only have one more month to spend all day with my two littles at home.  I'm pretty sure that come October, little Miss Pookie will be saying good riddance to a full day of cries from her brother and ridiculous singing/baby talk from her mommy to get him to settle down (actually, she's already over it)!  ;)  When having kids was just a "someday" thing, I always imagined myself desperately wanting to go back to work by the end of maternity leave. I am pleasantly surprised that this is not the case (perhaps that maternal instinct did kick in after all!).  At this point, not working isn't an option (especially given my shopping habit & our travel dreams) - don't get me wrong, I do generally like to work and a career is important to me - but, I just don't want to miss anything!  Just thinking about all the photos and videos I send David throughout the workday so he doesn't miss anything makes me think about what I'll potentially miss when I enter the world of a working mom. We're gonna have to figure out a way to attach a camera to Sebastian.  Is that helicopter mom-ish?! ;) 

Anyway, for now, I still have a month to enjoy this special bonding time with my guy and gal.  Serious kudos to those who are stay-at-home parents, single parents, or parents of more than one.  How do y'all do it?!  It sure is hard work but oh so worth it!  :) 

Here is the world according to Sebastian in Month 2: 

• This boy is a Weezer fan!  We constantly have the Rockabye Weezer songs playing - on our phones, the MamaRoo, the car... and surprisingly, David and I aren't tired of it! 
• Speaking of the MamaRoo, at some point in this month, Sebastian decided it wasn't always gonna cut it for getting him to sleep.  :(  We discovered that he loves big, sweeping motions so we had to bite the bullet and purchase yet another baby item (this is where David would roll his eyes and say that the baby industry is even worse than the wedding industry).  We are now the proud owners of the Snug-a-Bunny Swing... can you say "lifesaver"?  ;) 
• Sebastian is doing okay with his tummy time although he prefers doing it on us versus on his play mat.  When he is on the mat, he favors the monkey rattle and likes to grab its tail.  So far, he has rolled from his tummy to back four total times unassisted and he has a pretty strong little neck!
• He loves to "stand" and "dance".  I'm sure he'll be doing the stanky leg like his dad in no time.  ;) He also loves to sit up and observe.  I hope that means he'll enjoy people watching someday with his mama.  
• He surprisingly loves being licked in the face and feet by his big sister.  
• He stays awake A LOT more (read: Mama gets nothing done)
• Sebastian enjoys our afternoon family walks in the ErgoBaby and Solly Baby wrap (summer, please last a little longer!)
• He loves being swaddled super tight with his right arm close to his chest and his left arm against his side so his little hand can peek out in the opening. 
• He is turning into quite the chunkster these days!  We are always amazed by how much he's able to throw down.  His baby rolls are delicious!  ;) 
• Here are the stats from Sebastian's 2-month check-up: 
• Height - 23.1 cm (50th percentile)
• Weight - 10 lbs, 11 oz (13th percentile)
• Lil' man also had to get 4 vaccines (1 orally & 3 shots in the legs) - so tough to watch!  :( 

Cheers to 2 Years!

On Tuesday, August 27, David and I celebrated our 2-year wedding anniversary!  What a difference two years makes!  I can't believe all that has changed since we tied the knot in Hawaii.  All I can say is that I feel truly blessed for the life we have and am so excited to see what's in store for us in the future!

Since we had Mr. Sebastian to tend to, we decided we weren't going to do anything special for our anniversary - just a simple meal and a yummy dessert at home.  A couple days before our anniversary, my mom offered to watch him so we could leave the house and have some time to ourselves.  You can bet we took her up on that offer!  (Thanks, Mom!)  ;)  

So what'd we do?  We still kept it simple and went to our favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Everett, Los Potrillos.  Yes, we spent our anniversary dinner in Everett!  They're that good - trust me! Not only is their food delicious, they are super nice, quick, and cheap.  Perfect combo, if you ask me! David got the shredded beef burrito and enchilada combo while I got my go-to meal - the chicken chimichanga and shredded beef tostado combo (can you say "adios diet"?).  Our dinner conversation was part David complaining about work and part us discussing the past year and whether or not we've checked the boxes on our "marriage to-do list" thus far.  I'd say we can't really complain!  We've got a sweet little boy, a loveable pup, a nice roof over our heads, and both have good jobs. One thing we both wished for was the opportunity to travel/vacation more so hopefully we'll be doing more of that in the near future.  :)  

After a quick meal, we headed home with plans to take our annual anniversary photo in front of our house, pay some undivided attention to Pookie, indulge in a little dessert, and catch up on our DVR in peace before picking up the baby... within about 2 hours time.  Apparently 2 hours is NOT a lot of time!  ;)  We did get some of those things done but we also found ourselves cleaning up the house,  washing a million bottles, prepping for our nightly routine with Sebastian, and of course, I had to get a pumping session in!  Ah, the life of parents!  :)  Before we knew it, we were getting a call from granny to pick the baby up.  And with that, our anniversary was over and we resumed our normal day.  Although it was a quick celebration, it was perfect for us.  

Happy 2-year anniversary, Hubby!  I love you even more than our wedding day!  Thank you for choosing me to be your wife (or for being duped) and for being the best husband and dad ever! Cheers to many, many more years of love, adventures, and memories together!  :)

Don't worry, I didn't eat it all! Yum... my mouth is watering...

Happy boy!

Coffee & Heath Candy Ice Cream Cake from Carousel Cafe & Ice Cream... Delish! (Although writing/spacing could use a little work...)

Getting a little festive with our wedding colors :)

Happy

Happy

Happy

Mr. & Mrs. Fox

On Saturday, August 10, we witnessed the nuptials of our friends, Stephanie and Heath (finally!) at a beautiful outdoor ceremony overlooking the Seattle marina.  Right after the ceremony, we feasted on the most delicious meal catered by Palisade Restaurant (David had the steak and I had the risotto - yummy).  

Steph created a nautical theme for the wedding - she did a great job with everything! It was timeless, classic, and sophisticated... just like she is!  And don't even get me started on how beautiful she looked in her wedding dress!  :) We sat at the Zeta table and it was fun catching up with everyone, as well as with our friends, Anne and Emad.  Following dinner, we headed to the Palisade bar to close it out before making the trek to Peso's because we wanted to feel super old... just kidding (but seriously, how was that ever a regular part of our 20s?!).  While there, we had a nightcap, a gut-wrenching snack, and did a little more catching up!  :)  Of course, no trip to Seattle is complete without seeing Mr. Hank Shim!  So before we headed back to the Hood, we met up with Henry in front of his condo so David could "bro it out" with his BFF for a quick minute.  (Thanks for leaving your lady friends just to see us, Hank!)  

Not only was this an important celebration for the new Mr. & Mrs. Fox, but it was the very first time we left Sebastian (and of course, Pookie) with my parents (my Aunt came over to help as well)!  Good news - although he was a little fussy, granny and grampy are still willing to babysit in the future!  :) Thanks for taking such great care of our babies and for staying up 'til the wee hours of the morning so mommy and daddy could have a much needed night off!  

Congrats, Heath & Steph!  Now time for some baby Foxes so Sebastian has more playmates... ;)

Here comes the bride!

First kiss!

Cheers to Mr. & Mrs. Fox!

Stacy, me, Jenny, & Lil' Jen

Oh good Lord, please excuse my bloated appearance... :(  But, aren't my friends so cute?!  :)

Look at that view!

Cute!

Otnesses & Kos

Soon-to-be Wilsons & Jen/John

Me with Emad... where's Anne?!

BFFs

A Little Rant

In a moment of honesty, I had a bit of a breakdown last night.  Nothing to be overly worried about... just me being impatient, upset, and ridiculous about the current state of my post-partum body. Admittedly, I am probably unrealistic in my expectations of losing all that extra weight so quickly.  But in my defense, its hard not to when a good majority of my friends who have had babies seemingly popped out their kids and left the hospital looking perfect or at the very least have not worked out at all and still look amazing within weeks. Why can't I be one of those people?

On top of all that, my PUPP (pregnancy-related rash) came back with a vengeance!  My dermatologist says that my case is one of the worst she's seen (of course) and so I'm on another round of prednisone for the next few weeks.  Prednisone, as is evidence on my face, arms, thighs, and belly causes bloating and weight gain.  Awesome.  Oh, one more thing... I got a call from my OB and apparently I have some kind of residual bacterial infection from pregnancy so am now also taking four horse pills every four hours for the next seven days.  What can I say...?  Mama is a hot mess! 

At my 6-week post-partum check-up, I was finally cleared to start exercising.  Since then, I've started doing some workout videos at home when the baby lets me put him down.  I've also incorporated some old school methods accessed via YouTube - 8-Minute Abs & Windsor Pilates.  I'm hoping that once I'm off the meds the weight will come off more easily/quickly (fingers crossed).  

Thanks for letting me complain.  I know this should be the least of my worries.  I know it took 9 months to gain this weight and shouldn't expect to lose it all in a matter of weeks.  Despite this rant, it isn't my #1 priority but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't on my list of top 5!  ;)  Anyway, I'm done for now. Wish me luck, friends! And most of all, wish David luck who has to hear me bitch all the time!  ;)   

Newborn Photos

When Sebastian was just 7 days old, our friend Crystal of Crystal Marie Photography came over to our humble abode take his newborn photos.  It was really fun to watch her work her magic and put him in the most adorable poses (but of course I'm biased, right?!).  :)  

As of today, Sebastian is 1 month and 21 days old.  I can't believe how different he looked "way back then"!  Here are some of our favorite photos.  Thanks, Crystal, for capturing such precious pics of our lil' guy!