Aspen 2013

Our little ski family (aka Tyler's dream)

 

  Everyone except the parentals on the mountain (Lindsay, me, W, Tyler, Jessie & Marcus)

Last week was spent in Colorado for the annual Turner Ski Trip. We drove 16+ hours there and back and W was a champ both ways. He was perfectly content to chill in his car seat and play and/or sleep for the duration of the drive. Unfortunately, the drive in was a still a little tense due to the non-stop rain and crazy, dense fog, but we made it safe and happy.

 

 

 Some gorgeous views of the Snowmass mountain

 

It snowed for a large portion of the week, but by Thursday & Friday we saw some sun. I was really nervous about skiing since I'm still a beginner and I didn't ski at all last year, but thankfully I did okay. The very first run was a little sketchy, but in my defense the snow was a little chewed up so I think that contributed. By Friday I was feeling a lot more confident and I did a few, fun runs with Jessie and Lindsay. I did fall once... while standing still in front of the lift. At least I wasn't flying downhill, so there was no serious physical injury :) I also dropped a pole while we were on the lift and we had to go chase it down, and later I ran into the metal bar in the ticket stalls when I thought I was clear to go ahead. Clearly, I'm an awesome skiier :)

  

Proof that I was actually on the mountain and wearing skis at the same time :)

 

  Even though she is prego, Jessie skied and even did some jumps and some moguls. Hardcore.

Tyler and I both skied half days a couple of  times so one of us could be with W. I think it worked out okay, but next time I would like Tyler to ski a lot more since he seriously looks forward to this trip all year long. Jessie was also a big help and watched W a few times so Tyler and I could either ski or run out to the hot tub for a bit. We even managed to squeeze in a date to Pizza Hut (romantic, I know) one nite.

 

Papa, Daddy & W hanging out in the ski locker room

 

 Giving my little Squish a hug after skiing.

  I just can't get over how cute he was in that little cozy sack!

We had a lot of time to sit and tell stories, we played Disney Trivial Pursuit & Ticket to Ride, wandered the shops in Aspen, watched a couple of Lakers game (there's no escape), ate lots of yummy food, and lounged around in cozy sweats everyday. W loved all of the attention from the fam and, of course, the big highlight of the week was him crawling, so I'd say it was a success! All in all, it was a quiet trip compared to the usual chaos of Turner ski trips, so we thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

 W all bundled up. He was confused by the mittens and would occasionally hold up his fist (no thumbs on baby mittens) and stare at it :)

 

Naturally, we have matching long underwear... why wouldn't we?!

First Haircut

Today Winston got his first haircut! Last week Tyler kept mentioning the wispy hairs hanging over W's ear; the same ones that had been bugging me the week before. He still doesn't have a lot of hair, but I know from my brothers' and from Tyler's complaints that most little boys are irritated by those wispy hairs on top of their ears, so we decided to trim them. Winston sat pretty still, sucking on his rubber ducky, while I snipped them and now he is a clean-cut gentleman again :) I tried to get a good photo, but those hairs really were quite wispy, so it doesn't look much different. To compensate I've included cute photos from the bath that followed :)

 Before & After

W's favorite thing to do in the bath is suck water out of his washcloth :)

 So fresh & so clean!

 Raspberry

 And if you make a crawling babe wait too long to get dressed...

 

 

 

...he'll find something better to do :)

Let's go!

Winston started crawling last Thursday (January 31)- a legitimate hand and knee action for several paces. He may have done it for the first time when I accidentally scared him and he suddenly took off across the room to get to me. What's wrong with a little motivation, right?! He didn't do much more crawling while we were in Aspen and traveling home, but today he is back in his own element and crawling everywhere. He is so proud of himself and we are too!

Also, in growing-up news, we had to lower his crib today because he is learning to pull himself up on the slats. Look out world, Winston is on the move!!

 

Sooo happy to be crawling! W randomly started doing this squish-face smile last week too :)

Cutest babe ever!

 

And there are those little teeth we mentioned :)

7 mos

 

19 lbs. 12 oz. & 28 inches

Winston is now seven months old and quite the little man. He has grown up soooo much in the last month. Apart from moving and talking constantly, he is so much more interactive and it's fun to see him learn. He actually understands us when we tell him no and he understands when it's time to sleep, eat, play, shnuggle, etc. We are absolutely loving the stage he is at right now and I'm just trying to enjoy it as much as I can before he moves on to the next.

Here are a few things about Mr. W right now:

• He really likes eating solid foods and his favorites are carrots & pears
• His armpits are crazy ticklish
• He has two tiny toothbuds poking through on the bottom
• He can push himself into a sitting position by himself, and is often sitting in his crib waiting for us to come get him in the morning now
• He is still obsessed with his swaddle and falls asleep sucking on it
• He smiles almost 24/7
• He mostly rolls to get places, but can scooch backwards on his tummy and scooch forwards on his bum
• He is still very squishy :)
• He still sleeps 12 hours a night and usually takes an hour long nap two or three times a day
• He likes to shnuggle with mama, and will make his way over to me and then grab hold of my leg when he wants a hug
• He loves to play with his dad and kicks his feet and pumps his arms when he sees him
• He does not like avocado
• He loves opening the blinds and looking out the window in the morning
• He still likes walks and watching cars
• He likes to swing at the park and watch the other kids
• He likes to sleep on his side with his arms and legs curled up around his swaddle
• He thinks dropping his toys is cool
• He is kind of obsessed with my wallet even though he has never played with it. He also seems to like watching his stroller when he's not in it. Since they are both bright red, I think it is safe to assume that red is his favorite color.
• He has some awesome shin fat (Tyler's fav)
• He likes to grab at noses and eyes
• He loves reading books and turning the pages
• He is very good at growling, making happy squeals, and purring
• He is oh, so adorable!! See for yourself:

 

 

 

A look at those sweet chunky thighs from the back :)

Toothbuds!

Happy birthday Pa! I grew a tooth just for you!

Swaddle Love

Winston has grown up soooo much in the last month! He is constantly moving and yesterday he sat up all by himself for the first time! It only took him about 30 seconds while he was on his stomach to swing his feet around and slowly push himself off the floor. He teetered a bit the first time he pushed off, but the second time he found his balance and was sitting!! I started cheering when he made it, so, of course, he instantly realized how cool he was and was very proud the rest of the night :)

He did it again this morning (lots of cheering followed again) and then after he ate some big boy food, he drank his bottle almost completely by himself for the first time. I LOVE seeing him learn new things because I know he is loving it so much too.

Lately he has just seemed like such a big boy that I sometimes forget he is still my baby... until I see him sleeping. There is something about a sleeping baby that is so, very baby. Especially since W is very attached to his swaddle and has taken up the habit of sucking on it while he naps. Sooooo cute and so, very baby. I'm kind of obsessed with this half baby/half little boy phase!

 My sweet babe

 

 If you can't tell he is up on his knees (and there's some cute baby cleavage too!)

 

I sat up all by myself!!

W's seven month check-up is next week so I'll wait till then to give a more formal post of everything else he's up to right now.

Swingin'

I take Winston to the park at least once a week, but we always just walk and occasionally stop and play on a bench. Yesterday I realized that he would probably like to swing, so today he had his very first swing!

 

He was very giggly when I put him in- I think he liked it :)

Family Photos 2012

It's been a little while since I promised a look at the family photos we took at the end of November, but here they are:

 

 

(all photos courtesy of Melissa Puente, taken in front of Beverly Hills city hall)

6 mos

While we were in Hawaii Winston turned 6 mos old. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by with him. Recently Tyler and I were wondering why we hadn't attended an event last June and after thinking about it for quite some time, we realized it was because we were in the hospital having a baby! We kind of just feel like he's been with us forever. Lately I've had a bad case of shnuggle-itis, and about an hour after I put Winston in bed I just want to go pick him up and shnuggle close for a bit. He is just so sweet :)

Our little gent has accomplished quite a bit in the last month:

• He sits all by himself
• He reaches for us and tries to pull me close if I am sitting next to him and he wants to be held
• He eats solid foods and his favorites are carrots, green beans, & bananas (and he does NOT like plain rice, so luckily he doesn't seem to have inherited his daddy's taste)
• He rolls everywhere and can spin and shuffle backwards across the floor
• And he has discovered more uses for his vocals cords- he squeals and fake coughs a lot

Winston's personality is coming out a lot more now. He is very perceptive and likes tiny details. He will flick a tag or pick at a stitch or button for a lot longer than he will bang his toys on the floor.  He also likes mirrors, walks & watching cars drive by, his daddy, kisses on his tummy, and his swaddle. He still sleeps with his swaddle pulled up by or over his face, likes standing, singing songs (Itsy Bitsy Spider & Jingle Bells are favorites right now), his hands, and he is still very ticklish. I swear this kid laughs and smiles more than any other 6 month old. Oh, and a sure way to get him giggling is to bounce him up and down on the bed :) He is sooooo happy all the time and we absolutely love him!

 

 

20 pounds 28 inches

Happy New Year!

 

Wishing you lots of smiles & giggles in 2013