Adventures in Vacationing with a Toddler

When you are pre-baby/kids, going on a trip or vacation is all about sleeping in a massive king-size bed, not worrying about cleaning your hotel room, buying lots of overpriced food/trinkets/souvenirs and doing whatever it is that you want to do - whenever you want to do it.

Going on a trip with kids is WAY not like that. At all. And that's okay. Because seeing cool stuff through the eyes of your toddler, makes the convenience and flexibility you used to have, seem like nothing to lose in comparison. (Except for sleeping in...I kinda miss that...:P)

We had an awesome time this last weekend in Jackson Hole and Yellowstone National Park.

It was my first real time going there, and Daniel hadn't been since he was a kid, so it was really fun for all of us. Plus, the weather...omg perfect. 70s all day everyday. I could get used to that. I told Daniel that if we ever strike it rich, we are SO going to buy a summer home in Jackson.

Before the trip, I loaded up tons of toys, games, cards, coloring supplies and hours of entertainment on the iPad for the car ride and we barely used any of it! Jack apparently loves being in the car for hours! What?! He honestly loved the drive, which we split up into two days of travel there and two days coming back, stopping midway in Salt Lake both times to spend the night at Dan's sister's house. It was the perfect way to go.

Plus, we took silly car selfies so obviously that helped pass the time. ;) 

Since it was a five-day trip, we did lots of cool stuff, but to avoid boring you with every single detail, here are the coolest highlights. :) 

We stopped at the Snake River on the way to Jackson to stretch our legs and Jack loved it!!

But I think he liked jumping on the hotel bed even more. lol. 

We saw some beautiful sights: lakes, rivers, waterfalls and geysers...

(this pic is misleadingly dangerous, but still freaks me out when I look at it! ha!)

My happy little adventurer.

And according to Jack, we saw LOTS of volcanoes with "smoke" coming out of them (aka steam.)

(got some last-time use out of the Tula...*sob*)

And we saw Old Faithful, but we got there in the late evening and didn't see it go off.

He and WE had so much fun.

And despite being in the car lots of hours over the past five days, he was such a champ. He loved the hotel and going to the park and eating fun foods, smoothies and famous raspberry shakes. He rocked the road trip for sure. I am so lucky to have a kiddo who LOVES to travel because most kids don't, from what I hear/know.

The trip was unfortunately a little bit exhausting. Jack got sick near the tail end, which I attributed to allergies until Wednesday morning when I woke up with a doozy of a headache and sore throat. (Just in time to go back to work and work a 10-hour day!!) Luckily Jack is much more of a trooper when he's sick than I am and was more focused on having fun, which we had. Lots of it.

It was an exhausting and relaxing vacation (little bits of both at different times) but it was so fun to have our first real family vacation with all three of us together.

Now it's back to reality. Hope ya'll are having a great week!! TGIF, yo, for REALZ.

Jack Update

For those of you who are still counting (aka me. although I think I am starting to finally lose count) Jack Bean is officially 27 months old. I'm totally #sorrynotsorry about this but I need to brag on my kid a little so that's what this post (entire blog? lol!) is all about.

He's so smart it scares me sometimes. Scares me because I worry I am not doing enough to foster his potential. I sound like a pretentious jerk I'm sure, but I also am just a parent who wants the best for her child. I worry sometimes that my lazy days where I park him in front of Little Einsteins on the iPad for an hour so I can get caught up on my most recent episode of iZombie could be causing some sort of delay. The mama guilt....

But really, I think it's fine. Or at least that is what I tell myself so I can sleep at night. lol. By the end of a couple several episodes of Team UmiZoomi or his most recent favorite: Little Einsteins aka "Rocket Ship Show,"  he is already talking about something new he's learned or some adventure he wants to go on. So then we go outside and pretend to hike to the stop of a pyramid to see the great sphinx or row our boat to the Golden Gate Bridge. It's pretty fun.

All in moderation, right?

iPad time :) 

Really, I just want to make sure I am helping Jack learn and I guess the best way to do that is through play. I mean, he's two. I just love watching him learn and grow. It's fascinating to see. I haven't really ever had the desire to become a professional educator, but being around a toddler with this giant sponge of a mind does make me think it is probably so cool for teachers to watch their students learn and master new concepts.

Mostly I just love this stage of the funny stuff he says. I post probably one funny thing everyday or so to Facebook to share with family and friends, but there are lots more I don't share because I am probably already way oversharing as it is, or what he says is completely inappropriate/gross (did you kids are gross?! LOL)

Plus, I also recognize I'm not the only parent out there who thinks her kid is the coolest thing since sliced bread.

Some of our recent conversations:

Me: "Do you really still need that paci, Jack?"
Jack: "Yes, mommy. I need my paci."
Me: "But big boys don't use paci's and you're a big boy now."
Jack:*Tosses his hands out to the side.* "Of course big boys need a paci's!"

There was definitely an implied "duh" and an eye roll that followed that statement. #toddlerattitude

Another one...

Me: "Jack, how far away is the moon?"
J: "It's way too far away. We need a rocket ship to get to that moon."
Me: "Oh? Where can we find a rocket ship?"
J: "We find one if we become astronauts. I be a tiny astronaut and you be a big astronaut, mommy!"

Problem solved.

And on Tuesday when it was #NationalBestFriendDay, I told Jack:

"Happy Best Friend's Day, Jack!"
Jack: "You my best friend too, mama! I WUV you!" *hug*

The sweetest...:)

And one gross one just because it was really funny.

Jack: "I pooped lots of them poops!" 

So proud, son.

He can count to 30 still and recognizes numbers all the way up to 20. He knows all his shapes, colors and animals like the back of his hand. He's really picking up on identifying letters now too. He's definitely always shown more of an interest in numbers and shapes than in comparison to letters though, which is interesting and the complete opposite of me. (probably a good thing. ha.) Maybe one day he'll become a mathematician. :)

Despite the fact that Jack is a little smartie pants, he is still just a two year old, which means we have our tough days too. He's generally in pretty good spirits and is mindful unless he's tired or hungry or teething or didn't get a good nap or woke up on the wrong side of the bed or someone told him no... You know, all the things that make toddlers angry. hahaha.

Potty training is not awesome. I We just really aren't in the mood. Sounds lazy? Yes, But we also have some major projects/travel going on right now and I am perfectly fine paying a little bit longer to buy diapers/wash cloth diapers until we are both ready to potty train. Jack is ready, but I'm sure not. lol.

I was going through my phone in anticipation of doing this blog post to see if I had any worthy pics of late, but I am taking fewer and fewer pics. It's just so difficult to catch him actually sitting. He's always going and going and playing and learning and it's awesome, but definitely tough to catch with the camera. Blurry photos are the name of the game for sure.

He's still my skinny man with only 27 pounds on him. I actually just found a picture from his nine month well check and he was 19 pounds! He's only gained 8 pounds in the past 18 months!! What?! He is eating better though so that is nice. He's almost weaned from nursing entirely as well. He's finally fitting better into his 2T clothes, but still wears a lot of 24 months. The length on the 2T stuff fits great, it's just too big around the waist. He's about 37 ish inches? I need to double check. ha.

Favorite foods:

*Chicken
*Popcorn
*Celery and peanut butter
*Most fruits
*Watermelon being the most favorite right now.
*Carrots
*Bell peppers
*And Ramen noodles....(we don't do that one much, but he still loves it.)

He has not yet weaned from that paci though (see above mentioned convo)... I know. I need to be more firm, but right now it's not causing a lot of issues, so I am not too worried about it. I think after our trip coming up, I am going to get more serious about it. lol.

A friend and I were just talking the other day about how it is so easy to see a child's personality from a young age and Jack's personality is definitely out there already. I'm interested to see how it changes as he gets older, or if he stays similar to how he is now.

*He's loyal, loves his friends and family. Has his "favorites" for sure.

*He is inquisitive. Always asking me questions about how things work, why things happen the way they do, etc.

*He's all about problem solving. "We have a big problem! I need ___ to fix ___" is a statement I hear A LOT.

*He is sweet. He knows when he hurts me (intentionally or accidentally) and is quick to apologize. He constantly tells people thank you and please without me having to prompt him. He's also started asking me if I'm okay. "You okay, mommy? You sad? You happy?" It's really cute.

*He is sensitive. He gets his feelings hurt really easily.

*He's bossy. Oh boy, is he bossy. "Sit right there, mommy! Not there! There!" omg....

*But at the same time he is pretty laid back. He goes with the flow. He might really think we need to go to the park, but if we can't for whatever reason, he's usually pretty good about accepting a walk around the block or playing in the backyard as a substitute activity.

*He doesn't like being upset. If he gets mad or angry or hurt for whatever reason, he has a small cry about it and then gets over it. He's been like that since he was a baby. One time I remember he hit his head really hard on this trunk I have and he only cried for a few minutes so I didn't think he bonked very hard but a day or so later, there was a huge bump and bruise!

*He's funny. He loves making jokes. He thinks the most random things are funny and loves to giggle. I'll have to post a video of that giggle. Cracks me up.

*He's finally sleeping through the night all of the time... there is occasionally like one night a week maybe that he will wake once, but it's brief and he goes right back to sleep. (out of the times that he awakes enough for me to notice I guess. I think we all tend to wake slightly during our sleep cycles.) He's still in our bed though, so once we get past certain major life events coming up, we are planning on doing the full on transition into his own bed. Getting there...baby toddler steps! haha. He's doing so much better with naps! He will actually ask to go "nigh night" during the day once he's tired. Yay!

This is my wake up view <3

Napping like a boss.

Everyone keeps asking me if we are experiencing the "terrible twos" yes? and like I mentioned above, there are definitely some days that are filled with more whining and crying than I'd like.

All the pouts.

But for the most part Jack is so good. He really is a good soul and I am so lucky to be his mama. (Please remind me I said all this when he turns 3...I hear that is the real struggle age.)

Hope you all are enjoying these updates. I really do appreciate having such awesome family and friends that are supportive of my family and encourage my constant over share of my kid. ha!

It's mostly just fun to get to share this learning journey about parenthood with all of you, and to have a fun way to be able to look back on all of this later. I just know that I am one lucky mama. :)

Balance

If I had one million dollars to bet, I would bet that every single parent has dealt with the issue of balance at one point in time always during their time in parenthood.

I'm struggling. I am struggling to make sure I can do all that I have to do. Often, I get everything done with the sacrifice of myself and my own personal time. I make time for work. I make time for Jack. I make time for my husband (at least I try), but rarely do I take time for me.

There are times when I have seriously felt guilty over taking a shower every day. Seriously. True story. How does that even make sense?! Since when is personal hygiene a luxury?? But I bet there are some of you out there who can relate.

I feel guilty for working out. Exercise, people! That gets pushed so far down on my list of priorities. It's really disheartening.

There are some nights when I get home from work and all I want to do is curl up with a book or watch the latest episode of the Bachelorette (hello, guilty pleasure!) but normally those desires are pushed to the wayside in order to accommodate keeping a clean house, feeding animals, and taking care of a needy toddler.

I'm tired. Hell, I'm beyond tired. Tired is what I used to think I was after I would stay up too late at night reading when I had school the next day.

I'm freaking exhausted. And I only have ONE kid! How do you people do it, fellow parents? I'd love to hear your words of wisdom here. I'm so burnt out.

Thankfully we are going on a short trip next weekend and I am beyond excited. It'll be a lot of work still, but so fun to get away and go on an adventure for a few days.

In the meantime I am going to keep going to bed early and drinking copious amounts of coffee.

Saw this on FB yesterday and it fit me perfectly :)

Car Seat Safety

I am going to preface this post with the caveat that I am NOT a car seat technician or expert or even someone who has done a ton of research on the expert. But I am starting to do more and more because the topic of safety for my child is of the utmost importance for me, as it is for most parents.

Jack is quickly approaching 2 (check back soon for 23 month update!) and according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is safest to keep your child rear facing in their car seat until they are 2. However, you can continue with extended rear facing until you meet the height and weight requirement. I am contemplating doing this with Jack, but I'll admit, I look forward to being able to actually look at him in my rear view mirror while I am driving.

We use this car seat, which makes it possible for him to stay rear facing for while yet.

According to most of the research I've done, rear facing as long as you can is the safest for your child, and despite Jack being tall for his age, he's been perfectly content still rear facing.

Plus, reading this article and watching the videos in this article makes it pretty convincing to keep him rear facing.

What do you do with your child? Any recommendations either way and why? I'd love to get your thoughts!

On Parenting: Intro

As many of you who read this blog are my family and friends, I wanted to introduce you to a new series I'll be doing here on the blog. I typically use this blog as a way to journal my life as a parent as well as keep track of the fun things Jack does as he develops, aka when he learned to sit on his own, first words, walking, etc. I love that I can look back on those milestones with this blog aka online baby book.

That said, lately I've become quite passionate about a style of parenting that might be considered different than how some choose to parent. That does NOT mean I consider other methods of parenting WRONG. I am not JUDGING you, other moms. I am just saying, I've found a new way to parent that works for me, my husband and my son. I love learning new things and I want to have a way to track what I learn here on this blog so that in years to come (perhaps when bambino #2 pops into the picture) I have this fun resource to rely back on.

Sooo, welcome to my new series: On Parenting! I'll pick various topics that concern/interest me in parenting and I'll write my thoughts on the topic. Agree or disagree, I love to hear your opinions. And I'll say this once (and probably a million more times) just because I disagree or do something differently, it doesn't mean I think your way of parenting is *wrong.* The only time I'll ever call someone out on their crappy parenting is if they neglect or abuse their child. That to me is WRONG a million times over. There is zero excuse for abuse or neglect.

So please don't mistake my alternative parenting as judgement or me trying to start a "mommy war." A war takes place when two sides refuse to listen respectfully to one another or refuse to acknowledge there are different ways to parent. I don't want to war with anyone. I just like learning about new ways to parent that might fit into my lifestyle.

Also, I am not a parenting expert. I know, I know, SHOCKER, right? I sometimes have the tendency to sound like a know-it-all (sorry, family!) so don't get me wrong, I fully understand the is SO much more for me to learn in parenting. After all, I've only been doing this for the past 18 months, give or take the nine months I spent gestating my son.

But if you are willing to learn, or just hear what I have to say, then tune in to my new series On Parenting, but if you'd rather just look at cute pictures of my kid, you're welcome to do that too. :)

Gratuitous cute baby face picture. ;)

Stay tuned... :)