1-2 step

all baby milestones are exciting, but there's something about a baby's first steps that make you smile from ear to ear and make your heart race with anticipation. micah took his first step last wednesday with his 'pacifier' in hand, and today he took 2 steps! of course micah gets most of the credit, but credit is also due to his daycare provider, beverly. she's so great at practicing walking with him. i'm so proud of him! it's such a joy to watch his chubby feet take those 1-2 steps!

pacifier

until he found his hands, micah enjoyed his soothie pacifier. it was great because that meant i wouldn't have to wean him off of it later on, but at the same time i wanted to have it help him sleep better at night just as it helped malia. he's been fine without one. instead of a pacifier, i just have to pack toys for him to bite on. but for a month now, we've noticed that he likes to continue to suck on his bottle long after he's finished his milk. he doesn't seem to want more milk, just wants to suck on his bottle. i've tried giving him the old pacifier and even other kinds, but he refuses, just wants the empty bottle. and it's funny because you can hear him just getting air. so i try not to let him do it too much, but he likes it. this week, i did a little experiment. since he still doesn't sleep continuously through the night, i left a clean bottle in his crib. when he woke up a couple of times and rolled around, he found the clean bottle, put it in his mouth for a bit, and fell back asleep. so i guess that's his pacifier? works for me. what a funny boy.

layered look

everyone that has come to the house has experienced a malia fashion show. this girl changes up to 10 times a day if we're at home all day. thank God she's not packing a bag of outfits to change into while we're out. she'll go through dresses, skirts, and princess dress up outfits. at first it was cute, but now i have to turn my head so she won't see me rolling my eyes when she's standing in front of the mirror and turning to view every angle of her outfit. i wanted to put a stop to the whole ordeal, but it's probably just a phase, and she seems to be developing her own sense of style, so who am i to stand in the way of that. this past week, it has escalated to another level. the dresses are now being layered, one dress on top of another, sometimes 3 dresses at once. i told her that no other girl wears 2 dresses at the same time. she seemed proud to be the first one to do it.

not a picture of her layered look, but the headband as a belt look

milestones

happy 10 months to micah today! my little man can crawl, stand, dance, say dada/mom/ball, cruise, shake his head 'no', "sing", wave, and today...he clapped! of course i'd like to take the credit for teaching him to clap. it's hard to see him grow up, but it's amazing to watch him learn new things. it's also sad because i know these are my last 'firsts' since i probably won't have any more kids. so i don't want to miss any of it! my heavy, happy boy. i wonder what he'll do next.

21

the number 21 means lots of things to people. for us right now, it means micah's weight. he had his 9 month check-up today and he is a whopping 21 pounds. big sister is only 27 pounds! people are always asking us, how did he get so big? we are asking ourselves the same question! he is quite tall for his age though, 29 inches, whereas petite malia is about 37 inches. so we're hoping he surpasses all our heights. but he is happy, he is healthy, he is showered with love. so maybe he is just bursting with all of that!

i want mama

that's what malia's been saying a lot lately. we knew that when the baby came, it would be different for her, sharing the spotlight. so far she's done great, and understands most of the time. she's a smart girl. but it's when there's a change in the normal routine that she turns from girl to diva. she's still tons of fun, but turn your back for a second and she's a completely different malia. so there's been a lot of whining and tears, some demanding, and some sulking. motherhood is a continuous learning experience, so i've had to try to view life from her perspective. and it's helped, especially with my patience. i know it's a phase, it won't last forever. so it's weird to say that i'm almost grateful she wants to spend so much time with me, even though it's coupled with the attitude. and i've come to realize i feel the same way, i want my mama too.

shamu on the 4th

took the kids to sea world today. didn't have plans for the 4th until i found out my good friend/old roommate would be in town and going there with her family. malia was thrilled to see shamu again and it was micah's first visit. we also had the chance to take our new sit and stand stroller for a test drive. of course it was very crowded and hot, but we had a good time. it's so nice to meet up with old friends and just pick up where you left off. (picture above: m&m with new friend riley)

mobile little man

micah is on the move now, crawling, scooting, trying to stand. it's so cute because his chubby legs kinda get in the way sometimes. he was baptized on saturday. got to spend time with family and old friends. it was also dad's birthday. and tiger woods won the us open today. so it was a good weekend. he also says mama now, which i love, even if it's mostly when he wants his bottle. i love my little man!

micah is baptized

it was micah's special day today, he was welcomed into the church at corpus christi. although he slept through the entire ceremony, it was still so sweet. he just shook his head a little as the cold holy water was poured onto his head. he woke up in the car on the way to the reception at d'lish. even though he couldn't eat the yummy food, he was talking and having a good time. what a blessing!

thanks to vic for the great pics!

malia loves disco

malia & i had a date today at Baby Loves Disco. i won tickets from a website and had heard about the event, so i was excited to take her. jos & jonah joined us. it was downtown at the Aubergine. we parked at Horton Plaza and walked there. the dancefloor is first when you enter. they play music from the 70s/80s, and there is a bubble machine that goes on every so often. they have hula hoops, egg shakers, and scarves you can play with on the dance floor. the kids were dancing/playing and the adults were firing off their cameras and video cams. i danced with lia for probably a minute and we were there for 2 hours. they also have another room where snacks are, tents for the kids to hide in, face painting, and a balloon artist. it was pretty cool and malia is already asking to go again.