The Breakers.Thanksgiving.Isla Mirada

Taylor's parents came to visit us and spend the Thanksgiving holiday.  They are pretty much the best!  It was a low key visit, we hung out around the house a lot while Taylor was at work.  Mom and Dad Barlow just wanted to soak up every second that they could with their Grandson and it's so sweet to watch. They are always so conscious of little Anson and his schedule and I appreciate it so much.  Despite our efforts, Anson was on a sleep strike for that week.  Little booger.  

Thanksgiving Day was lovely.  We took an afternoon drive down the A1A to admire all of beautiful houses and they weren't just beautiful, they were enormous!!!  Honestly, they were lovely homes, but who needs houses that large?  It's fun to dream of what life would be like.  We took the A1A to West Palm Beach, where we stopped at The Breakers.  The Breakers is on old hotel right on the water with a lot of history, it's burned down twice and been rebuilt!  Now that's dedication!  Mom and I wondered through the hotel to enjoy the ambiance and walk through the ballrooms.  We fantasized about what it would have been like to live in the 16 and 1700's wearing corsets and ballgowns, going to balls and having your every whim attended to.  DREAMY!!  Of course the boys just sat on a couch in the middle of the hotel on their iphones--curmudgeons!  All in all, it was a great afternoon.

Thanksgiving dinner was of course, DELICIOUS!!  We enjoyed the usual prospects: Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, bread and my Mom's 7up jello salad.  We wended the night with mixed berry pie and ice cream!!!

ISLE MIRADA

We jetted down to the Florida Keys for a quick trip so that boys could rent a boat and do some fishing.   The night before the said fishing trip, Dad Barlow hooked a tarpon, but it broke his line and he got away.  Super cool experience though!  Unfortunately, they didn't catch anything the next day either.  Mom Barlow and I got to go for a ride on the boat, which was beautiful and then we got to visit the GINORMOUS tarpon at the shop where they rented the boat. We had some delicious seafood on our way home, it was so good that I hardly came up for air!!  

I think his hat is a little small...

O Captain, my Captain.  Wipe that smile right off your face!  I think someone was born to be on the some body of water fishing for the rest of his life.  He's like a little kid in a candy store.

The girls.

The tarpon, the co-pilot and some pelicans.  All pretty awesome!

  What a great 10 days with the Barlows!  Thanks Mom and Dad B for being wonderful and for not allowing us to spend Thanksgiving alone!!  We love you!

Anson: 7 Months

It is our little Boy's 7 month Birthday, five days late!  He is already so different from last month, it's so fun to watch him change literally everyday!  I love teaching him new things and watching him get the hang of them.

Anson is happiest when he first wakes up in the morning--he loves to play on the floor after breakfast with his toys and talk and roll around. He is at his best when he is well rested, which he fights way more than he used to, when he has a full tummy and when we are making him laugh or cuddling with him.

Anson loves his play mat, rattles, balls, plush blocks, plastic water bottles and anything that makes noise like wipes packages and the wings of his butterfly toy.  He also loves to bounce, kick and barrel roll all over the room.  He is definitely mobile now, he's army crawling backwards and in circles, he even got up on his hands and knees for a few seconds.  He is sitting up unsupported for longer and longer spurts each day.  Anson has found his voice and loves to hear it, so he talks and fake coughs--it's hilarious!

Anson,

You are an incredible little boy and we love you like A LOT.  The joy that you bring to your Daddy and I is indescribable.  Sometimes I look at you and talk to you and tears fill my eyes because I am so grateful that you are ours.

Your boppy helps support you and you're SO CLOSE to sitting up without any pillows or help at all.  It's a whole new view of the world for you. 

You love playing on the floor more than anything because you're free to kick and role to your heart's content.  You LOVE your toys, but when they get boring you love to play with the most random things, especially Mommy's water bottle because it's so brightly colored and the wipespackage because it's so noisy.  When the package crackles, you get so excited and kick your legs like crazy!  

You briefly sucked your thumb and eventhough I didn't want you to pick up the habit, it was still so cute to watch you do it.  We had a bit of a cold front come in this month and so I got to dress you in all your warm clothes that you've never worn.  My favorite is your kimono with the helicopters on it, you look adorable in anything though.

For the first few months of your life, your Daddy was at home working on the house and then guiding off and on during the summer.  Now he works five days a week for 10 hours a day and so he is so sad to leave you in the mornings and so excited to see you when he comes home.  He likes to snuggle and play with you every night when he comes home.  You light up when he walks through the door and you get a big smile on your face. 

We learned our lesson at the beach last month and it's kind of a hassle to get you in and out of the water and all sandy and you don't really like it anyway.  This time we just laid you on a towel under an umbrella and you were as happy as can be. 

You taught yourself to blow raspberries with your lips, but Mommy taught you how to spit with your tongue and to my dismay, you love to do when you eat and get food everywhere!!  I can't be mad though, because I taught you how to do it and it's super funny. 

You are such a doll Anson.  You are so enagaging and the most lovable little boy ever--You lure everyone in with your big blue eyes and endearing smile.  Your dimples are to die for and we can't get enough of them.  Thank you for always being such a good boy and for loving us so much, we couldn't ask for a sweeter or more beautiful baby.  Love you always!

Love, Mommy & Daddy

A & A

Dear Addy,

I have no clue that you are not interested in playing with me and you want to stay as far away from me as possible..

 

Little do you know that I will be crawling soon and you won't be able to escape me!!  Bahahahaha!

Love, Anson

Life's a ZOO

We went to the Miami Zoo.

Tigers Talked.

Elephants preformed for food.

Camels drooled.

We fed the Giraffes.

It was a fab day.

Anson: 6 Months

Okay, so I am way behind AGAIN! Promise that his 7th Month post will come at the end of this week when he turns 7 months!

6 Months Stats: Weight:14lbs 10oz Height: 26inches 

Dear Anson,

Most of your 6th month was spent traveling to Arizona, Southern California and then we moved to Florida for Daddy's job.  Through it all, you were amazing! You are such an angel, you're always on your best behavior when I'm most concerned that you"ll have a hard time.  We had a blast with Daddy's family in California and we're starting to get settled in Florida.  You had a really hard time getting back on your schedule with the 3 hour time change, but you did surprisingly well for how exhausted you were.  You are growing so quickly, changing everyday. 

We introduced you to veggies this month and probably a bit prematurely, but we are new at this and we're still learning.  You are so patient with us and no one would ever know that you had constipation or any discomfort, because you are so content.  You took to veggies quite well, you love carrots and peas, but squash hurts your tummy and you do not like sweet potatoes.  Your appetite is steadily growing and you're packing on the pounds! It's amazing to watch you grow into a little boy. 

You met your Granny for the first time (you met Grampy back in July at Deer Springs) and the joy that you brought to her was sweet to see.  She loves you so much and you loved her instantly. 

We took you to the beach for the first time.  You didn't like the water or the sand much much, so needless to say, we don't take you there very often. 

You have some crazy hair and your Daddy LOVES it!  He yells at me if I gel it down.  I just leave it now, because you are cute the way you are, no need for gel. 

You are rolling  like crazy, anxious to discover the world around you.  You are so close to sitting up on your and we practice everyday.  You love it when we snort at you and you are giggling and smiling all the time.  You have the funniest stretch that you do when you wake up in the morning and from naps that I have yet to capture on film.  You stretch your legs and arms up and out as far as they will go and push your belly out, it makes me laugh every time!  You love to to be read and sang to and I try to read a book everyday and I sing to you every night before bed.  You've started singing back to me sometimes and it is the sweetest sound that I've ever heard!

Thank you are being such an good little boy.  You really do have a sweet temperament and you  are more than Mommy and Daddy could have ever dreamed!  We feel so blessed to  have you!  We love you so much!

Love,
Daddy & Mommy

So-Cal

Taylor's family + gorgeous condo + Seaworld + Disneyland = BEST WEEK EVER!!!!!

 

 So watching Taylor's Dad with Anson is quite possibly the cutest thing on the planet! 

 

Bailey, Claire and Hazel LOVE Anson and he adores them.  It was so fun that they couldn't get enough of holding and playing with him!

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It was a brief time in the pool, but getting him dressed in his swimming outfit made in worth every second!  Pretty much the cutest monkey on the block!  The pool area was beautiful!

 Seaworld was fantastic, but I mostly enjoyed hanging with the stingrays, Shamu and the dolphins.  Let's be honest though, the dolphin show makes Shamu look like a junk show.  Also, watching Mom # 2/Grandma snuggle Anson was one of the highlights.  Anson LOVES his Grandma!

Dear Disneyland, the Halloween party was fantastic.  Thank you for letting my nieces and son get dressed up  and for loading our buckets and bags with candy (which we're still eating), for the dazzling parade quickly followed by the most spectacular firework show that I've ever seen!  I will bring my kids back when I actually have kid(s) and they are older and can enjoy it.

Disney Day #2

I quite enjoyed reliving my childhood.  I haven't been to Disneyland since I was 5 years old, so this was the BEST 25th Birthday present. I rode every ride that I could get my Nieces, Natalie or Mom #2 on.  The teacups were just as great as I remember, accept that it felt more complete this time with my nieces laughing their brains out as we spinned as fast as we could.  I don't really remember the nauseous feeling afterward though, so you can keep that Walt.  I know Anson didn't have a clue what was going on, but I still had fun showing him the park, getting a picture with every character we could (where there wasn't an INSANE line) and getting him a stuffed Mickey that was of course Halloween themed at the end.

First, thank you Mom and Natalie for working your buns off and getting us all free passes into Disneyland and thank you Seaworld employee for letting me use Lauren's pass so that we could get in free there as well!!  Thanks family for the party of Anson's and my life!  Thank you for the delicious food, the lovely accommodations and all the love and help with Anson!  Love you guys!  It was such a blast and I hope that we can go on another trip like it sometime soon!!!

Side note: Taylor's parents hauled Anson and all of our crap to Arizona pre Southern Cal, then to So-Cal and then Taylor's Dad hauled us to Florida--talk about the best Parents and Grandparents ever. Thank

 you from the bottom of our hearts, it helped us out so much!

Portland-land of my birth

Anson and I had the chance to go to Portland and visit my family for a week back in September and it was SOOO FUN!  This was Anson's first time on an airplane and he was a dream!!  He fell asleep during the decent into Portland, so if his ears hurt him at all, I didn't know because he didn't make a peep!  I was super grateful because mine were killing me!

Anson hadn't met any of his Uncles, Aunts or his Cousins yet and so naturally I was super excited!  I had a blast introducing him to everyone and I have to say that I really enjoy watching people gush about how cute he is because I think he is the cutest kid on the planet!  It was a pretty low key trip-- we hung out at home and with the family mostly(which is the best thing ever), hung out with a few of my friends, went to lunch and dinner a few times and went shopping.

I didn't get much sleep, so I took quite a few naps when I could get Anson to sleep.  It was unusually hot and humid while we were there and because Anson is a hot box when he sleeps like his Mommy, he didn't sleep much.  It wasn't until the end of the week that I figured out that the swaddler was to blame and going through a growth spurt which made him extra hungry.  So, even with all the craziness of traveling, I decided to introduce Anson to rice cereal.  He did super well!

Here are some pictures from the trip!

These were taken right before he fell asleep in my arms.

 

My Daddy helped me give Anson a bath in the sink.  Also, he has a chopper(pictured)  and couldn't resist putting his Grandson on it!  He sure is a proud Grandpa and it's the sweetest!

Here I am with Ry and Anson.  Ry is the second to youngest Grand baby in the family and he is not so little anymore.  Crazy how time flies!  Ry- you are such a miracle!!

Thanks so for a great trip everyone and for loving my little guy so much!!  Love you guys!

Anson: 5 Months

Way behind the times once again.  This time I have an accuse though...  Anson and I traveled to Portland (post to come), packed up a small amount of our things and Taylor drove to Florida where we are living for 6 months, Anson and I traveled with Taylor's family to Southern California (post to come) and then we joined Taylor in Florida about a week and a half ago.  Anson will be 6 months next week, but at least that post will be on time!

Dear Anson,

So many new things have taken place this month and you are getting to be more and more fun by the minute!  I introduced you to rice cereal, you went on a plane for the very first time and you were a trooper I might add, you are babbling more than ever (you love to hear your own voice), you are reaching for things that are in your line of vision and smiling more all the time.  We can't get enough of your little dimples and your sweet giggle! 

We love to take silly pictures of you and you are quite a ham, so it's not very hard to catch you at hilarious moments!

You LOVE the bath and splashing.  It's as though every time your feet crash in the water it startles you and gets you even more excited resulting in more crazy fun splashing!

 

You have decided that the blow dryer is terrifying and as these photos show, you just got madder and madder that longer I kept it on.  So, what's your Mommy to do?  Of course I turned it off and gave you lots of cuddles and kisses.  I hate when your sad, scared or hurt and I always want to be there to make you feel better!

Daddy and Mommy got you a new toy this month.  You love your new play mat--you love playing with the toys that hang above you and the song it plays and you love to stare at yourself in the mirror.  Your hand-eye coordination has improved so much since we got you this toy, it's fun to watch you reach out for things.  You're growing up so fast!

 

I always mention how much you love your Daddy, because you do and the way your face lights up when you see him makes my heart skip a beat.  Now that you are reaching for things, you especially love to reach out for your Daddy's face when he holds you and feel his beard (when he had one).

You have officially turned into a little boy.  You no longer look like a newborn baby, your eyes are getting brighter and bluer like your Daddy's, you are so excited about every new thing you see and you love to take it all in with that intent stare that everyone loves so much.  We can't get enough of your love and cuddles and we want you to know how precious you are and how much we love you now and always!!

Love, Daddy and Mommy

Anson: 4 Months!!

Okay, so I am a slacker in getting this post up and my baby is nearly 5 months old, but at least I'm fitting it in right?  Life has been busy--I feel like all I do is just clean, clean, clean, but if you want your house to stay nice, I guess that's what you have to do (I don't even clean everyday, but still it's insane).  I have been booked at the salon on Wednesdays when I work and Taylor has been guiding like crazy. Meanwhile, our Anson is growing like a weed and changing everyday!  I have made it my calling to focus on his development everyday-- he has tummy time, we read books, sing songs, he plays independently on his playmat, hangs out in his swing and in his bumbo chair.  He watches me cook dinner almost every night and we listen to the lullaby station on pandora radio.

4 months stats : weight: 12lbs 7oz   height: 25 inches

Anson,

You have accomplished a lot this month and you are quite possibly the most adorable little person that your Dad and I have ever encountered.  You're smiling constantly, which is so fun and you laugh now which brings us incomprehensible joy.  You have truly transformed from a newborn to a little person in the last few months and it's so sweet to watch you learn and grow, but so sad for your Mom to look back at pictures of you and marvel at how tiny you were just four and half months ago.  You reach for your Dad's and my face when we are close to you and it makes our hearts go pitter patter, because you finally know who we are, you recognize our faces and you light up when you see us.

You adore your Dad, it so precious when he walks in the door from work, because you get a big grin on your face.  Your daddy loves you, his world begins and end with you.  He misses you even when he's only apart from you for the day and he loves to hold and snuggle with you every second that he gets.  Your Dad claimed that once you were old enough, he'd let you cry it out no matter what as long as you had everything you needed (clean bum, full tummy, not too hot and feeling well).  Let me tell you that anytime he hears a peep come from your room, he promptly gets up, because he can't stand to hear you cry. 

You discovered your feet this month and you are always playing with them.

You have pretty good control of your hands these days--you're reaching for toys and holding on to them for little spurts of time, and you LOVE  the toys that hang above you on your playmat and you are trying to turn the pages of your books when I read them to you

 

I am in LOVE with this sweater that I bought for you and I was soooo worried that it wouldn't get cold enough for you to wear it before you'd outgrown it.  We happen to live in a place that has pretty wacko weather patterns and it got cold for a week, so I put it on you and it FITS!!!!  It is the cutest thing on the planet and it's still quite big which means that it will fit for a while.  It just broke my heart when I put it on you for the first time because you looked so precious. 

You are getting so good at sitting up in your bumbo like a big boy, before we know it, you'll be sitting up on your own with no help at all!

I won't say that you love tummy time, you really don't.  You'll lay there for a few minutes and then get frustrated and roll over on your back so that you can play with your feet.  Your neck is getting very strong though and you are able to hold your head up comfortably without any trouble.  On the other end of the spectrum, you LOVE baths, they make you smile.

Your cute moments are not few, actually you have about 20 cute moments a day.  Thanks you for loving us and we want you to know that we are so grateful to be your parents.  You are a very even tempered little boy, you love your schedule and you hate it when we throw you off.  I know sometimes it's hard when you want to take a nap and you aren't comfy in your bed, but we try as hard as we can to be consistent.  We are doing the best job that we know how and we hope that you will love us for how hard we work. We miss you when we are away from you for only a few hours and you always greet us with a sweet smile when you lay your eyes on us.  We love you so much sweet baby and we know that many happy tomorrows lie ahead! 

Love, Daddy & Mommy