Halloween

Actual Halloween day was kind of a bust. We took Dom around our neighborhood at 5pm and we got hardly any action. Most people weren't ready for trick or treaters so they told us to come back when it got dark. Um, hello, my kid is 1 and is in bed by 7pm. We did have a TON of kids ring our doorbell looking for candy, and Dom actually had more fun seeing all the kids than going door to door.

These photos are actually from a couple days before Halloween. We met up with Steve, Martha and the kids at their school for a Halloween carnival fundraiser they were doing. It was totally last minute, but luckily Dom already had his Tigger costume on stand by. My parents got it for him about 5 months ago and now it was showtime. I threw a little eyeliner on his nose and cheeks and he was good to go.



The cutest thing about this costume is when he walks, the spirialy tail on his butt bounces up and down. It's adorable! Dom loved running around, saying hi to all the other kids and paying some carnival games with this Uncle Steve.



It was his bedtime by the time we left and he was pooped out. I know I'm his Mom, but I think it's safe to say he was the cutest kid there:)

Wedding threads

Well, it's official. Lexi is now a married woman! I can hardly believe it. The wedding was beautiful and full of love and joy. Everything went perfectly and thankfully there was no rain. Lexi was the most beautiful bride I have I ever seen and the happiness that her and Luciano shared that day is something I will never forget.

Dominic look so incredibly cute, it was hard to not kiss and squeeze him a thousand times. He was supposed to walk down the isle with Nicolas and Max but the poor Cub was so tired and overstimulated by 2pm, it just didn't happen. But it definitely didn't take away from how adorable he looked in his black converse and suspenders:)

Snuggles

When Dominic was a baby, he would always love to snuggle and fall asleep in my arms. I loved it so much that I would just hold him during his whole nap. These days he's more indpendent and doesn't even want to snuggle in the morning.

On this particular day, he was exhauted from playing at his cousins house and when I tried to put him down for a nap when we got home, he passed out. The problem was that it was already 3:00pm so when 4:00pm rolled around and he was still sleeping, I had to go wake him up. He'd never sleep that night if he didn't get up. When I scooped him out of his crib, my poor baby was still so tired that he nestled his head onto my shoulder and proceeded to pass out again. It just felt so good that I let him sleep another 20 mins:)

Snapshot Love

The man that can make me laugh, has my heart. And when you look as good as Rob does in a hat, it's a done deal:) I love this photo...it's cheeky, and totally us.


Rob took me to San Diego for the weekend and we had a great time. On Sunday we went to the Cardinals vs. Chargers football game which was a blast! On Saturday night we went downtown and got prime seating at a bar/restaurant called "Nicky Rottens." They had great music, food and beer prices so it was a win all around. We sat out on the patio all night, people watching, making new friends, talking, singing, just enjoying each other.


Life can get busy so it was nice to slow down for a sec and have some time alone. This was the first time we've had a trip away alone since I was pregnant so it was long overdue. But I have to be honest, we both missed Dominic.....but can you blame us?

52 Card Pick Up

Lately he's been practicing letter sounds. I'll hear him in the back seat of the car making throaty "chhh" noises, or hissing like a snake. He still asks "what's this" every five minutes and I love how interested he is in everything. The words his saying right now are "plane" (every time he hears one in the sky,) waa waa (for his sippy cup of if he sees a pool, fountain or any body of water,) baa baa (for his bottle of milk,) baaaaa (this goes for balloons and bubbles,) Baabe (this is baby, whenever he sees himself in a photo or his cousins when they were younger,) and of course DA! (this is whenever he sees his Daddy, he gets super excited and cheers his name out loud!

Dominic found a pack of cards and now loves taking them all out the packet and playing with them. Sometimes he'll pick one or two and hide them in different areas of the living room. One usually goes into the "oven" or "microwave" of his play kitchen. Since the original packet the cards came in is long demolished, I've been keeping them in a little fabric box. Dom loves to dump the cards out and then go crazy swirling them around or kicking them with his feet. I just may have a little card shark on my hands!

Stylish Kid

I know all Mom's must feel this, but I look at my kid and think "Wow, he must be the absolute cutest baby ever!" He just has such a cool sense of style. I know what you're thinking, How can he have a sense of style when I'm the one who dresses him? Well, it's how he wears his clothes. You could put the above outfit on a kid, and he would just look silly. Somehow, Dom totally pulls it off and makes it looks COOL!

He has a new obsession...my make up bag. He loves to sit and go through each piece, one by one. He examines each piece, checks to see if it opens, then puts in down and moves to the next one. When he gets to the powder brush, he sweeps it across his face like he has seen me do a hundred times before. Once he's emptied out the whole bag, he puts it all back in very carefully. It's pretty adorable to watch and is a vast improvement from what he usually does with something that's in a bag, box or container.....dump it upside down.

I started brushing his teeth a few month ago with a little infant "toothbrush" that slips onto my finger like a finger cot. I put some baby toothpaste on there (safe if swallowed) and show him how to brush up and down, side to side. The other day, as I was combing his hair (which he helped with, see the comb in his hand?) he saw my toothbrush and was intrigued. After showing him how to use it, he wouldn't put it down. He just held onto to, sucking all the toothpaste flavor off the bristles. He was hooked! Now that he has about 5 teeth on the top and 3 on the bottom, I'm going to change him over to a big boy toothbrush. It's like mine but much smaller and I'm hoping the interest remains.

Dominic has the best personality. I know I've said it before, but he is truly a happy kid. it doesn't take much to make him smile and he loves to get you to laugh. Peek a boo is still a popular game in our house. Dom mixes things up by sometimes hiding behind the curtains, a newspaper, his little tiny hands. To see the joy he gets from it is so awesome. Imagine if we all could still be that amused from something so simple...

September Round Up

It happened again. Another month has slipped by me. It seems the clock keeps spinning faster and faster and there's not much I can do about it. Dom is now 15 months old and amazed me every day. Let me fill you in on some of the September highlights.


The biggest occasion took place on Sunday, September 19th. Dominic was finally baptised a Greek Orthodox. His Godparents are Dimitri and Courtney, and it was such a special day. We had our families and best friends gather for the ceremony at Church followed by a reception at the Newport Bluffs Clubhouse. I was nervous because the ceremony was at 2pm and Dominic hadn't taken a nap all day, but he was actually very well behaved and didn't even cry when Father Steven dunked him in the water. I have to admit, he looked totally adorable in his all white Christening outfit...his little chubby legs and white shoes....just too much!

Dom has really changed this month. He's figured out how to run and loves to charge down the hallway. One of his favorite things to do is climb. He's pretty much mastered the couch, but if he can't reach something, he'll grab one of his toys and stand on it until he can get to what he wants. Smarty pants.

Every Friday Dom and I go to his Gymboree class. He has so much fun running around, climbing on everything, playing with the other kids and participating in the various activites. He's on of the oldest in his class, most of the other kids are barely crawling or walking. I think Dom likes that he's one of the oldest. He sorta feels like king of the class, head honcho, the man in charge. The next class up starts at 16 months, so he's almost there.

We have had some INSANE heat waves here in Orange County. A couple of weeks ago it was 112 degrees at our house! Wow! The bummer is we don't have air conditioning so trying to keep Dom (and myself) cool was a challenge. We went and hung out at the mall and lapped up their nice cold air for a couple hours. One of Dominic's favorite things was playing with his water table in the yard. He's just totally fascinated with water and could play with it for hours. He likes filling up cups, measuring spoons, anything with water and then dumping it out. He'll repeat this over and over again squealing in delight. My favorite part of this is seeing his little cute tushy! I know, I know, that's so "Mom-ish" of me, but seriously, how cute is it?!! He looks like the little character in that "Love is..." cartoon!

Another thing Dom does a lot recently is wear one shoe. He has these red converse that his cousin Jake handed down to him. They don't fit him yet, they're about 3 sizes too big but he doesn't care. He'll pick up one of the shoes, walk over to Rob or I, sit down on the floor and lift his foot while handing us the shoe. He loves to put only ONE on and cruise around the living room, playing with this toys. Why just one shoe, I have no idea. But it's hilarious to see. Rob calls him Ronald McDonald when he does it hahaha!

Life is constantly whizzing by me, and I look at Dom in disbelief at how big he's gotten and how smart and funny he is. I love my baby boy!

Big Boy Playtime

Dominic is almost 14 months old now, wow how time flies. He's walking all over the place and is just so proud of himself. He gets so excited to discover new things and places now that he's mobile. He's learning new things every day and it's so amazing to watch. When I ask him where something is, like his puppy, he walks right over to it and picks it up. It's incredible to me that he is understanding what things are now.

I'm proud to say he's officially off formula. He drinks whole milk with gusto, although it was a process to get there. We had to slowly ween him off it by giving him a bottle with a quarter milk and the rest formula. After a couple of days we moved to half and half. The day that he drank a bottle full of 100% milk was a proud moment.

He had this habit of walking around with the bottle hanging from him mouth, then he's trip and bang his mouth on it. We made a new rule that he can only drink his bottle when he's sitting in his chair. It took a few times of taking the bottle away when he got up, a few tantrums of frustration, a few times of picking him back up and putting him back in his chair...but in less than a week, he got it. Now when it's time for his milk (after dinner, around 6pm) he'll climb into his chair, all by himself, and gulp it down. If he decides he wants to take a break in the middle and play, he'll hand me his bottle, slide off his chair, play for a while and then climb back up and finish up. I'm just so proud of him for grasping what we're telling him and for listening to the rules.


Dom has really grown up so much over the past couple of months. He's a total chatterbox and it's the most adorable thing to hear. First thing in the morning he wakes up chatting away. He talks to himself, his bunny (stuffed animal that he sleeps with,) the cat, Rob and I. He just has so much to say. It's all baby talk, well for the most part. He has this cute little squeaky voice and says "what's this?" about a hundred times a day. Rob and I make sure to always engage him with return conversation and explain what it is he's pointing at. He will make the correct sounds when you ask him "what does a doggy say? what does a monkey say? what does a lion say? what does cookie monster say?" We'll ask him questions and he'll say "yea!" He'll give you high fives if you hold your hand up. He dances all day long and always claps after a song. He cruises the hallways of our home with glee, peeking into the bathrooms and bedrooms. Rob's office is off limits so he'll run down the hallway, giggling and clapping, and step into the office. He knows he's not supposed to be in there, so he'll cheer and clap some more and then runs out. Little rebel!


Today was Dominic's first class at Gymboree. I wanted to find a class or come kind of activity where he could play and learn and have some fun. I can only take him to the park so many times, so we were excited to check out a free class at Gymboree. From the moment we got there, Dom was so excited. He was walking up to the other kids, running around checking out the new scenery.
He made friends quickly and right off the bat was sharing the toys. It was so cute because he handed this little girl each ball, one at a time, until there were none left. We have been practising that at home so it was awesome to see him put it into action. Instead of him throwing stuff all the time, I ask him "please hand that to Mommy" and he hands it over. Seems he's got the hang of it:)


He couldn't wait to get started. He went straight for anything he could climb and had no problem shuffling his little legs and getting to the top. He did bonk his head a few times because he was so excited he was rushing and not always paying attention to putting his hands down.

Rob was able to come join us and it was so fun doing family play time. There was singing, dancing, jumping, climbing....it was basically heaven for Cub. At the end of the session, Rob surprised us by signing Dom up! Now we get to go to the class once a week! What a great Daddy!

closed off

Sublime!

Saturday night was a night to remember. Rob, Marcus, Megs and I went to go see Sublime at the OC Fair...yes, you heard me right....Sublime! It was such an amazing concert, we sang out loud to every song and the crowd was awesome. I love going to see live music. It always does something to my soul to be in the moment, to experience the atmosphere and be right in the thick of it.

As if going to see Sublime wasn't awesome enough, since it was at the fair, we got free admission. After the concert we cruised around, drank many beers and sampled some of the fine cuisine such as fries (a double order for me) massive turkey legs (it was on Rob's wish list,) funnel cake (we split the decadence) and of course, my favorite...bbq corn!


The fair has always been one of my favorite places and it truly marks "summertime" when I see the big ferris wheel going up. I didn't go last year because I had just had Dom, and I remember thinking, "I can't wait until next year!" And then, all of a sudden, it was here!

I had such an awesome time hanging out and getting to cruise around the fair hand in hand with Rob was a highlight. Hopefully we can make it back there again with Dom and start a tradition with him of going every year.

Outfit Catch Up

You'll be pleased to know that even though it's been a while since I've blogged, I still have been keeping up with my outfits. I haven't slacked off and resorted back to the first thing I can find in the morning. I'm still trying to get creative and keep it fresh. And here's some of the proof:)

Cool Cub

My handsome son

Time to catch up

I'm a terrible blogger, I know. I feel awful it's been so long since my last post, but time had just flown by. But I'm back to catch you up on what's been going on, so here we go.

My beautiful son is now officially a walker! He struts around the house, quite pleased with himself. It seems like it happened overnight. One day he was taking a few wobbly steps before dropping down and going back to crawling...and the next he was just taking off on his own, flying free as a bird. It's so awesome to see him take that step to independence.


He does this really cute face where he purses his lips. Sometimes he'll make monkey noises at the same time, and it's pretty hilarious. He's learning some animal sounds like dog, monkey, duck and it's adorable because a lot of the time they all sound the same. He's talking up a storm which is so crazy. We always joke that he's French because it's jibber jabber that we can't understand but has a definite accent to it. He points his little finger and then says something with such purpose. He's happy to chat away with the cat, his toys, us and anybody or anything that will listen. He knows how to say Mama but doesn't usually say it unless he's not feeling well. His favorite word is still "Dada" and sometimes walks around chanting it while waving his hands around.

His appetite is still going strong. His favorite meal is pasta with chicken and tomatoes. he would eat tomatoes all day every day if he could. Today I introduced him to turkey dogs, and he loved them. He'd pick up each piece and happily shove it into his mouth. Sometimes he does his happy dance when he's eating which is so cute. He's definitely a foodie like his Mama.

Time is zooming by but every single day is a blessing with Dominic. He's growing up and learning so many new things that I can hardly believe it. I'm so proud of him!

Birthday Cub

Happy Birthday Dominic! I can't believe my baby is one! We had a great party for him at Wakeham Park and it was a perfect day. Tons of friends and family came out to celebrate (guest count was 45 people!) including peeps from San Diego and Reseda! Dom definitely felt the love.

We had lots of snacks, treats and cupcakes with his adorable face on display. It's amazing how much work goes into a party for a one year old, but phew, it was exhausting! But it was so much fun preparing all his decorations and making sure the day went as planned.

The amount of gifts he got was incredible! He loved opening every single one and plays with them all. It was so special to have everyone come out to honor his special day and it everyone had a great time. Dom got to show off his walking skills (shaky but able to take about 5 steps!) and loved all the attention he received.


I still can't believe it's been a whole year since Cub has been in our lives. It's gone by so quickly and he is has grown in so many different ways. I can't help but think about when he was a newborn, so small and helpless. He needed our help to eat, burp, move...but now he's a dynamo who had his own little personality. He's so funny and loving and sweet, I couldn't be prouder of him.
We have been through a lot this past year, learning how to be parents, learning how to adjust to having a baby, learning how to find time in the day for it all. But I think I can safely say that in 12 months I have grown up in ways I could never have imagined. My whole world is my son, everything I do is for him. Every single day I look at him and feel overwhelmed with love. Sometimes it's still unbelievable to me that he's mine. I get to keep him. I will be his Mom forever and ever. That is, without a doubt, the gift that keeps on giving.

More Chompers on the Way

Dom is really enjoying his food. He hardly eats baby food anymore as he much prefers the real deal. His favorites are chicken, tomatoes, pasta, apples, carrots and french fries (hey, he's my kid, remember?) It's so cute to watch him grab the food off his tray and shove it into his mouth. Now that he can self feed with a lot of things, it frees me up too. While he's sitting in his high chair, I can empty the dishwasher, or start on dinner. We chat and sing together while this is happening, and he seems to be pretty content.


He's all about holding his own food right now. We have peaches growing in our backyard and he loves to nosh on those. I love the above photo of him. Marcus took it at my Mom's house. He looks so grown up! The kneeling pose is killing me. He looks like he's about to propose.



He's gone through some big changes the past couple of weeks. Sunday (June 27th) was a "hallelujah" moment. He finally, after a week of restless sleeping and grumpiness, broke his two top teeth! Poor thing has been drooling and chewing on everything trying to get those babies out and finally, we can see two little white spots in his gums. If they grow out as fast as his bottom two teeth, we should be seeing them pretty soon. He's going to look so weird with four teeth!


Am I the only one who has a kid that loves to drink his own bath water? He's not thirsty, I make sure he gets plenty of fluids through out the day. But no matter what, as soon as he plops down in the bath, he grabs his bowl or cup or spoon or duck (basically anything where he can get a pool of water going) and proceeds to drink it up. The best part is he always ends up with a bubble mustache....and is there really anything cuter than a baby with a bubble mustache?

Outfit Bonanza

I have been trying to keep things interesting in the wardrobe department, but I had to put the red lipstick down. Every once in a while is fine, but it just wasn't me to wear it more than a couple of times. I'm more of a natural girl and so I went back to that.

I keep forgetting to take full length photos so here are some head shots. They obviously don't do the outfits justice, but it gives you some idea of what I have going on. Both tops were paired with dark wash skinny jeans. The above outfit I wore with purple flats that have silver studs on the toes and the below outfit was paired with bronze flats.


I'll try to get some full length photos soon, and in the meantime I will try to keep my promise of "stepping it up" and not wearing just any old t shirt, jeans and flip flops to work. Maybe I'll even try another dress soon...ooooh....exciting huh?

How much is that doggie in the window?

Rob and I are both animal lovers. That love is especially strong with dogs. After losing both Cleo and Luci, we decided to take a break from having a pup because it's a lot of work, time, energy and money. We had our hands full with our Cub, work, life. And truth be told, I think we both were really hurting from the loss of our two furry kids that the thought of having another was too unbearable to consider.

The subject of getting another dog has come up here and there, but we usually decide that it's not the right time and maybe when Dom is 4 or 5 we will consider it.

Dom is about to turn 1 (in 3 DAYS!) so we are far from him being 4 or 5. But suddenly Rob and I are having a serious conversation about getting another dog. It really started with a trip to Main Place Mall, more specifically "Puppy Palace." I wanted to go look at and hold doggies (which I need to do from time to time to get my fix) so instead of our usual Fashion Island trip, Rob suggested this place. Of course I made him call first and make sure they had plenty of pups for me to play with, not just one that isn't allowed to be picked up.

Once we got there, we both zeroed in on this gorgeous Olde English Bulldog. He's only 2 months old, and so so so sweet. We got to play with him and hold him and he really was such a precious little guy. Dom wasn't 100% sure about him but was definitely intrigued. He'd climb off my lap to get a little closer and then when the doggy would lick his hand or try to nuzzle with him, he was outta there. He'd throw his hands in the air and bury his face in my lap. The more time we hung out, the more comfortable he got. And the more I fell in love.

(Dom yelling) "Hey Mommmmm! Can we get him?"

Are we ready for another dog? Probably not Rob works a lot and I have my hands full with Dominic. A doggie needs lots of love and attention, someone to potty train him and take him to obedience classes. If it was just Rob and I there would be no question. We would get an Olde English Bulldog and a Pug. Done. But, it's not just us. We have our sweet Dom who needs love and attention, not to mention a watchful eye since he's taking his first steps now. It might just be too much to handle. So maybe we wait a little bit longer before we take the plunge? I'm sorry Frankie Knuckles, I guess it's just not our time. What?..yea, I named the bulldog.....I know, I know...I couldn't help it though. Can't you just picture him with a fedora and a cigar?