Mommy Resume

Love this little guy. 

Traveling Anxiety!

The holidays are here! Hunter and I will be going to see my parents the week before Christmas and I am terrified of this trip! I know that I have blogged about this before but this time I am serious.  The last time we went on a trip was to see my Grandma (in September) in the hospital and Hunter was taking at the most 6 steps at a time but still preferred to crawl and actually hang out in the stroller.  This time Hunter is going to be bananas! I am basing this assumption on the shopping that we did this past weekend with going to stores.   For one, he could care less about the stroller unless he was pushing it, which is fine but only lasts for about 2 minutes.  Two, he not only walks all over the place but runs as well and is not a fan of just holding on to mommy and daddy’s hand.  Also, he loves for you to chase him and it is funny because he cracks up while we are doing it but will pitch a fit if we even think of picking him up! Yikes! Is this normal?  Haha. Oh and to top it off, if he is tired, this is a million times worse! So yes, I am terrified. I did make sure to book the flight at 6 am like we did last time around which works out perfect because he is still sleepy and will sleep on me during the flight.  This would be no sweat because the flight from Fort Lauderdale to Charlotte directly is only 2 hours but the thrifty mom that I am booked a flight with a connection which won’t get us to Charlotte until 11:30 am.  So, I’m really just terrified about getting to the connecting flight, getting us something to eat, diaper change (I guess I could do it on the plane if possible) and mommy bathroom break, all while juggling a bookbag, stroller (just in case) and restless toddler.  I can just picture myself now:  That mom with the active little boy trying to juggling him and keep him entertained all by herself! Yep, not that Sean doesn’t want to come but he is still on his probationary period with him becoming an officer that he can’t take any time off so we decided that me going for 5 days and coming back right before Christmas works. So I won't have "Daddy-o" to help me.  

Here are some things that I am going to include for the trip this time to help me out and to entertain him on the second flight:

·         Carry a bookbag rather than a duffle bag (duh, why did I do this last time!?)

·         Checking with the airport/TSA to see if I can take a lunch box of his milk and yogurt  for him so that I don’t have to hunt to find him something semi healthy and what he would eat

·         I have a bunch of little toys that he has never seen before – little gadgety things

·         Coloring book and crayons

·         Our Blackberry Tablet with little toddler friends apps that he can play – may only last 10 minutes but I’ll take it!

·         Portable DVD player to play Gigglebellies – not a 100% on this yet but will decide later

·         Tons of snacks (obviously)

·         Crinkle paper and bubble paper (he loves this)

...And that’s about it.  I am reaching out to all of you inexperienced or experienced flyers with little ones that have any advice, items or ideas that I could use for this trip to help out this wild child of mine (hahaa).  I would very much appreciate it or if you just have any words of solace for me to relieve this anxiety that I have, I’ll take that too. I'm not a supporter of "drugging" my child either so please don't suggest it.  Our trip isn’t for a few weeks but the “planner” that I am is already thinking of this. 

Thanks!

Thankful...

Thanksgiving time! I don't want to sound cliche with telling everyone what I am thankful for each day for the month of November but I am thankful for a lot of things in general.  I am not going to go crazy but since it is that "Thankful" time of year, here it goes:

First and foremost, I am thankful for my parents. If it weren't for them, I would not be here and without me I would not be a mommy and a wife to the most important boys in my life.  With that said, I am thankful for Sean and for Hunter.  Also, I am thankful for being a sister.  Not only to my brother, Matt but also a sister-in-law and of course, I'm thankful to be a daughter-in-law as well. I love my new families through Sean =). I'm also grateful for all of my friends and extended family that I have because without them I would not be the person who I am today without everyone in my life. 

Now, here are the things that Hunter has told me that he is thankful for:

• Mommy and Daddy(duh!)
• My Blanky's (not just 1, 3 of them) and my monkey and rabbit that I cuddle with in my crib and I know mommy thinks that I look so incredibly cute
• His sippy cup of water and his bottle at nighttime (he loves his water and milk!)
• Millie and Marley for keeping me entertained while mommy tries to cook for 5 minutes without me wanting to get "up, up" and see what mommy is making on the stove and pulling out all the tupperware from the cabinet

• My  firetruck that I love for daddy to push me around the house on.  
• Strawberries, Cheerios and eating Life cereal (sometimes this is all I want for dinner and I'm pretty sure it makes mommy happy because it's so easy!)
• My bouncy ball
• My books - every single one of them that I like to pull out of my bin to read everynight!
• Gigglebellies
• Going to Target with mommy!



Mommy putting silly stuff on my head.

• Cuddle time with mommy (I had to slip that one in there =)
• Bathtime and driving mommy crazy by drinking the water out of the faucet when the water is running then filling up the cup (that mommy's washes my hair out with) and dumping it all over the bathroom floor!
• Going down the slides at the park

• Taking a ride in my wagon and feeling the wheels with my fingers while mommy or daddy are pulling me
• Running around in the front yard with daddy and always wanting to go in the street

• Playing Peek-a-Boo/Hide-and-seek where mommy and daddy pop out and scare me
• Throwing all of my toys out of all of my toy bins around the house and not even bothering to pick them up (haha)
• Screaming, yelling and laughing at the top of my lungs before bedtime
• Trying to pick the child locks on all the cabinets and opening and closing the toilet lids and trying to reach in to touch the water in the toilet
• Helping mommy sweep and vacuum

• Going in mommy's closet and throwing out all of my shoes one by one and then pulling all of my clothes off the hangers - I think this one is my number 1!
• I know I have more silly things that I love and I'm happy for,  here is just several of them.

We hope you have a great Happy Thanksgiving! 

Back to the budget...

Since we now have a mortgage again, which is waaaaay less than what we were paying in our old house we still need to get back to budgeting and saving money.  Whereas before, during our process of selling our house as a Short Sale you do not pay your mortgage (not proud of this btw) and at that time we were saving my paychecks towards our new house.  We moved at the end of August and I did not have to pay my first mortgage payment until October so we had one month to catch up a little and start to budget.  Now that we are back to the grind with this adjustment, we’ve been making some changes.  Here are a few things that we’ve done just to cut some corners and save our money again especially now that the holidays are right around the corner:

1).  Plan out our dinners for each day of the week Also, I grocery shop every 2 weeks (sometimes even 3 weeks) for food.  We are milk drinkers in this family and need to buy a total 4 gallons of milk a week. I know! 2 organic milk jugs for Hunty and 2-1% milk jugs for us.  Just by doing this has saved about $200 a month!  Plus this also keeps us from ordering take out food a few times a week.  Also, Sean has cut down to going to lunch (ahem, Quiznos) whenever he was not working so he now has a sandwich at home.  I do use coupons when going to the grocery store.  I’m not one of those Super Coupon ladies.  I could probably do it but I really just don’t have the time.  I usually save around $20 buck when I go but that’s about it. 

2). It’s still warm down here in Florida but the past couple of weekends have been cooler so we’ve shut off the A/C and opened the windows during the day (and when Sean is home during the week).  Then we put the air back on at night to 78 degrees and if we have it on during the day.  I’m still getting used to this but I’m working on it.  I usually tend to put it down to 76 or 77.  I’m waiting on our next utility bill to see the savings with this so then I can determine how much this is helping or not. 

3).  I’m only allowed to go to Target or Walmart once a month and I have a $150 budget.  This is killing me too! Especially now that Christmas is around the corner and I am dying to do some Christmas shopping for Hunter.  I just blew my budget this past weekend for the month because they had some great deals on Christmas gifts with coupons.  I’m hoping that I don’t break the rules and sneek another visit in before the end of the month =).  We'll Christmas shop later but I've managed to do some here and there.



One of Hunter's Christmas gifts that I had to buy for him at Target!



4).  I love having a membership to BJ’s.  We have always had one and I really think that buying in bulk is the way to go.  We usually just buy the basics: toilet paper, paper towels, detergent, fabric softener, diapers, dishwasher detergent, bar soap, dish soap and bottled water.  Plus, they give lots of coupons so this helps on cutting down on expenses.  We spend about $175 every 3 months just getting these items. We usually go when I know that we can save a lot with the coupons that they give out that particular month. 

5).  Another way that we save money and we don’t even try is by Sean and I not going out very often.  We do have a date night 1-2 times a month whereas before (pre-baby) wewent out once or twice a week.  Whenever Sean is home on the weekends, we always plan a “family day” and go to places where they’re obviously kid-friendly and not expensive.  Last weekend we went to a fair that was at a church nearby and admission and parking was free.  We had some lunch and played a few games and had great time.  I think we spent a total of $20 and were there all afternoon. 

Hunty's first time on the Merry-go-Round.  You can't tell how much fun he liked it but he really did!

Overrall, we are cutting back on things here and there as we find something.  We are finally going to have our yard sale this coming weekend (I know, we keep pushing it back!) so right there we are making money instead of spending it.  I'm definitely looking forward to this one because I'm ready for the stuff we are selling to be out of our den!

Also, I havent's had a chance to talk about Hunter's first Halloween but he went to school that day as a skeleton and then later after I raced home after work we put him in a lion costume (one of the costumes, courtesy of my mom).  He did pretty good, we pulled him in his wagon and we met so many more of our neighbors and were able to enjoy a few block parties on the way but we didn't stay too long because it was starting to get late and needed to get Hunter into bed.

By the way, it is getting harder and harder to take photos of him now that he is all over the place and now that he always has an agenda (and looking at the camera is definitely not one of them).  So, I'm going to have to try and think of some ways to get him to look up every now and then. 

Family diet plan...

Now that Hunter is eating whatever we eat, I am constantly making sure that Hunter gets all of his essential food groups and drinking his milk (which he loves!).  Hunter only gets milk and water. No juice.  He doesn't need any extra sugar in him. Trust me!  I feel as if I have become a  part time nutritionist. This wasn’t by choice but literally on purpose.  It all started one day when he had a little stomach virus and a cold after visiting my Great Grandma in Erie that I noticed his B.M’s were really different colors that I haven’t seen before (sorry TMI) but I did notice that he wasn't eating alot. Not that I wasn't offering.  He was just drinking milk and having some yogurt every now and then.  He does this when he’s teething and when this happens, all I care about is that he is actually eating something but this time it was different.  It wasn't entirely due to teething and not really sure if it was because of the traveling or the fact that I wasn't really paying attention to what his diet (I know. I feel awful!) So this is when I realized that I need to start being more aware of what he needs to eat especially now that he is welcoming new foods to try.  So I did my mommy research (google of course) and found this website called: http://www.toddlermealplan.com/, where they give simple meal plan ideas with simple recipes.  Then on this other website: http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/feeding/recipes/ they have ideas for finger-like foods for the different stages depending on the age of your toddler.  Hunter lately has been determined to feed himself  so this was another reason for the finger foods.  I am not really one to search and read through tons of recipes and then hand pick a few because I seriously do not have time. So since they're all right there in front of you, it was perfect. Lately, my laptop has been plugged into the kitchen and on the counter so that I can just open it up and pick something. I usually jot down the few ingredients that I will need to get at the store for the week (other than the usual stuff) so that I don't have to dig and find something.   I liked these websites because it would give simple ideas without all that crazy stuff that I’ve never heard of, nothing expensive, just plain, simple and healthy.  Then after some time of following these meal plans and hitting the grocery store,  I realized that I not only giving this to Hunter but to Sean and I too!  Lately, I’ve been making finger like foods and foods that do not contain any salt and eating a lot more organic like foods.  Which yes, has become pricey. It has been somewhat of a challenge because I do have to worry about what he is going to eat every night and luckily I only have to worry about what he eats throughout the day on the weekends because I have day care to feed him during the week. 

Here are some of our favorites from the toddler meal plan website: 

Applesauce pancakes (super easy btw)

Mini Meatballs

Toddler friendly meatloaf

Toddler friendly lasagna

The other night, I made sliders and little nachos that had the meat and goodies on top on their own individual chip (I had some extra time to make these for Sean and I when Hunter was in bed) so this was our dinner:

They didn't look this pretty but you get the idea.

It's now been about a month of educating myself on easy, simple, nutritious ideas for Hunter so I'm starting to not worry so much about his nutrtion but this has been fun.  I am always up for new ideas if you have any! BTW, the crockpot has been my BFF also.  I'll save this one for another post!



This has nothing to do with my blog but my little guy loves to read the newspaper!



This past year...

My mom reminds me every now and then of all the things that have occurred this past year and what I (we)  have been through.  Now that things have started to settle down a bit, I have actually realized that she is right! It all started on December 5, 2010 when Sean proposed to me in Key West.  I will never forget how Sean just couldn’t find the right spot to propose to me that night out of all the places we walked around to and ended up proposing later that night in our room at the bed and breakfast place we were staying at.  He completely surprised me because I really thought that he was never going to pop that Question.  He couldn’t have given a better proposal and from that day on was when our lives officially changed.  We decided to wait at least a year before getting married to figure out the plans and I was just so excited to be engaged that I could wait for a wedding and was in no rush for one (or planning it). 

I keep this champagne cork on our kitchen window sill from the night Sean proposed. 

Proposal night in KW.

I found out that next December 29^th to be exact, that I was pregnant! About 3 months before I had a miscarriage and was thrilled that I got pregnant soon after.  What a way to bring in the new year huh?  We had already set our date for the wedding to be April 8, 2012 so I knew that I was going to be a busy girl.  I was very fortunate to have an easy pregnancy so the planning with my mom (via Charlotte) was pretty easy.  We decided to get married in Key West, since this is the spot where technically Sean and I orginally met way back on our cruise in 2007 and where he proposed.  So we knew that this destination wedding would be a hit.  Plus we would have a lot of our family coming in from out of town and what better way for them to be on vacation and see us get married.  That Monday of our wedding week (we were married on a Friday), was our ultrasound visit to find out if we were having a boy or girl. My mom was already down from Charlotte helping with the last of the wedding planning and had brought down a bunch of goodies if we were having either a girl or boy.  She's so prepared!  I remember that I was opening a lot more things that if we were having a boy and she even got us a stroller and carrier that was more boyish colors than for a girl.  My mom kept telling me that we were having a boy and sure enough, we were! I’ll never forget that when the ultrasound tech was doing the measurements on Hunter’s little foot that right then was when I knew we were having a boy, his foot looked exactly like Sean’s! Narrow and long toes.  I had already told the lady that it was a boy and right after she confirmed it.  Sean was so excited that he was going to have a litle boy and I was so excited to have another a little guy that would look just like him!  Before I knew I was pregnant, I had already bought a dress so when I was 18 weeks pregnant at the time of our wedding, I needed to get another one.  I had already tried to get my dress altered and they told me that there was no way they could do it,  because I was "showing" already and obviously, I didn't want to be uncomfortable.   I got a new dress and I was more happier with this one than the orignal one. I did have to spend more money on it but it was worth it!  Our wedding couldn't have turned out any better and we had such a fabulous day with all of our friends and family.  I remember feeling soooo exhausted that night woke up starving that morning not realizing that I hardly ate the dinner at our wedding.  Too bad I didn't save any food for myself! We had such a great time. 

That summer we started to realize that having a baby was going to need some extra room in the house and we looked into some options that we could make regarding the house. We had Hunter on September 8, 2012 and the next month we put our house on the market and decided to do a Short Sale.

We knew that we wanted to get out of our house and into a bigger one but knew that we would not make any money on it because the value went way down and figured if we were going to do anything that now would be the time.  We knew the one major disadvantage of doing a Short S7tg6gtale was the effect it was going to have on Sean's credit afterwards but were fortunate enough that my name was not on the deed so we knew that I would need to buy our next house. They approved our Short Sale twice. The first offer, the buyers walked away and then the day that we put the house back on the market we had an offer the same day.  Our second offer was approved 5 months later and we moved out at the end of August into our new home in Fort Lauderdale.  

Old house.

New house!

Now we are just enjoying our new chapter in a new city and new house.  We've been doing some work on the house and yes, I admit we still have at least 10 or so boxes that have not been unpacked but we have the rest of our lives to get them unpacked! We are in the process of getting a shed and having a yard sale with our community in the next 2 weeks to get rid of all the unnecessary stuff. It's a work in progress.  In the meantime, we'll see what the future holds for us.  Who knows where we will be next year!

Our big guy, Hunter

I wanted to update you guys on Hunter and what he is up to now that he is 13 months old! Gosh he is growing fast.  So, last Saturday as I was warming up Hunter's food in the microwave (leftovers) he yells out, "Hot, mom"!  (it sounded more like "hahht, maaaahm"). First, I was like was that Hunter or Daddy that said that (LOL) and where and when did my little boy learn this?! Hunter has started to actually say some words from all that blabbing.  Whenever I heat up his food, I always tell him after it comes out of the microwave that "it's hot and that we need to let cool down a little".  Also, whenever I am cooking and he wants to me to pick him up and see what's going on on the stove, I always tell him that "its hot and that its a no-no".  So, I guess all of my talking to him has paid off.  Plus, I love that he gives me compliments at the same time! Thanks, Hunty. 

Let's see...Hunter has also been walking all around and testing his foot steps of where he can put them now.  For instance, since he has gotten better balancing he will put one foot in his wagon of  blocks and his other one on the outside and try and push it at the same time (I know, silly boy).  My dad bought him a Thomas the Train Power Wheels for his 1st birthday and we finally found some time to set it up for him (amongst other things).  He loves it. He loves the fact that he can push the little button and it goes but does need to work on his multitasking of turning at the same time while he pushes.  He thinks that if he stands up while he pushes the button at the same time that that is the way to make it turn. Haha.  Then of course, I have to go chase after him in case he stops pushing the button and flies forward.  He is such a little boy and so eager to figure out things and always insists of himself doing it (not us!).  He has a very strong personality.  My mom says that he reminds her exactly of someone that she knows =) Check out this video of him.  He was a bit on the cranky side but Sean and I realized that we haven't really shown any videos since he has been walking (please ignore the mess).  Oh yeah, Hunter's new nickname is "E.T." since he walks like him.  So cute!

We are just about through with getting rid of the bottle.  He occasionally prefers one at night before bed depending on how tired he is because he likes for mommy to hold it for him (lazy butt).  Then there are times where he expects to have it so its a work in progress right now.  During the day he either has a the NUK sippy cup or the Playtex Straw one.  Since he is a "lazy butt" he prefers the ones with the handles even though the bigger Playtex ones didn't come with a lid with handles, the smaller ones do so I have to switch lids for him to put on the bigger ones.  Luckily, all of the Playtex lids fit all of their cups so it works out. 

His NUK sippy.

Here's the straw sippy cups that I switch the lid on the right to put on the sippy on the left. 

I have been told numerous times from his teachers at daycare that he is a really good eater.  This is coming from him not even really caring about food until he was around 8 months old.  He would eat here and there but wouldn't really eat more than about 5 bites of something.  I'm not sure if he just wasn't interested or it was alot of teething. Maybe a little of both.  Either way, I love it! He has a cute little "Pooh Bear" belly that me and Sean joke about now.  He eats every kind of fruit that I know of except for Papaya, even I'm not a big fan. He really loves strawberries, kiwi and mangoes.   He eats all veggies that I have given him: brocolli, peas, carrots, squash, potatoes, yuca, asparagus, beans.  He eats meats and really loves meatloaf and especially when I make a pork loin and make BBQ out of it.  Whenever I make mashed potatoes for him, he really likes it when I put some in a bowl for him and he can "try" and dip his own spoon into it to feed himself.  I guess he is eating alot more now that alot of his teeth are in.  His top and bottom 2 molars have finally arrived so I think his teething is starting to taper off. 

He is also great sleeper now!   He finally started sleeping through the night around 8-9 months but I think now since he only takes one nap a day (in the toddler room) that he is pretty exhausted by the time I get home.  On a really tired day, he can go to bed as early as 6:30 but most nights around 7.  Daddy has started to put him down to take another nap around 3 ish if he is able to so that I can spend a little more time with him but it's only about 15-20 minutes longer but I'll take it!  If not, early to bed, early to rise.  So that is why I wake up at 5:30 so that I can play with him before we have to leave for work and day care.  On weekends, he goes back and forth between 1 or 2 naps. It all depends on his day.

Hunter's latest artwork from the week at his school.

A couple of weekends ago we took Hunter to the beach (we live 10 minutes away, don't know what took us so long) and the last time we took him when he was around 7 months he wasn't such a big fan of the sand.  Yeah, nothings changed. He still didn't like the sand.  He preferred sitting near the shore in the sand rather than sitting on the dry sand.  He would just cry like what is this all over my hands and legs! Get it off! So, unless we had him in our laps on the beach, he was not having it. Hahaha. I guess now that we live more closer to the beach he will like it more and more when we go.

Not a fan of the sand, Mom.

I love the water (and Daddy), though!

"I don't like it!"

The other weekend we took Hunter to a pumpkin patch here near our house.  He loved those pumpkins. I think he thought that they were orange balls because he kept on wanting to get them to roll.  It was cute. 

Also, Hunter has become quite a little reader! He's much more interested in reading more books before bed (we still have to watch a few Gigglebellies songs before bed too =).  Here are a few of his favorites:

That's what we've been up to.  He is just a normal curious and very energetic little boy who is very interested in the world around him. Doesn't want to miss a thing! We love every minute of it and he sure keeps us on our toes!

Typical day in the Hapgood house!

I decided to walk you through a general day, during the week of our lives.  I have written about this before when Hunter was about 4 months old but now things have gotten a little easier different and my commute has also changed since we have moved. Plus, I have had some of you ask me how my day goes and know that I am busy so here is a way that you can see what a typical day goes for us.

Every morning my alarm goes off at 5:32 a.m. sometimes I am able to snooze for those extra 10 minutes depending on if Hunter is awake (yes, sometimes he is) or our dog, Millie is dying to go outside already.  Either way, I try to get in the shower before anything or else I get stuck into feeding Hunter and getting him ready before I get myself ready and that means that I’ll be late (yes, there are exceptions to this).  Okay, so back to getting me ready first around 5:45ish then after my shower I go and make Hunter a bottle before he wakes.  Hunter is pretty picky about his morning bottle/sippy (I’m getting rid of the bottle sometime soon just not sure when) so I pour his Organic Vitamin D milk (I just had to throw that out there because I am so over formula! ) and I’ll heat it up a little for him by putting it in hot water until he wakes up.  Let Millie out.  Grab myself some water and head to the bathroom to put my make up on and dry my hair.  At exactly 6:17 a.m. (I’m not kidding) Hunter is usually blabbing away already in his room.  I get ready in the bathroom that is right next to his room so that I can let Sean still sleep if he is there or if not, daddy is usually chomping at the bit to go in and give him a kiss before he needs to leave for work.  I usually let him blab away for awhile until I am done drying my hair and all I need to do is put my work clothes on before I leave.  After drying my hair, I grab his bottle/sippy and go feed him.  I love this time because I get to cuddle with my little guy before I start my day.  Right after I get Hunter ready so that we can play some before I need to leave at 6:55 a.m.  I usually have his outfits picked out for the week on Sunday so that I don’t have to mess with what matches.  I am so anal about him matching and his socks matching that I don’t feel right when we leave the house if he doesn’t match too well.   Yes. I have a problem. After he is dressed, he is ready to cruise/walk whichever and I quickly change into my work clothes (I have these ready the night before also because I have no time to figure out what matches).  We turn on some cartoons or the news and Hunter’s munches on some Cheerios while I grab my lunch, bottle water and his tote for the day.  His little tote includes – 1 bottle of his milk, 1 sippy cup of his milk, 1 sippy cup of water, a fruit and a yogurt.  I always make sure that he has a fruit and yogurt everyday even though his day care provides snacks and other healthy stuff for lunch but just gotta make sure and I know for sure that he will always eat both of these.  Especially when he’s teething he will usually only eat some yogurt and fruit.  Always be prepared!

We have about 10 minutes to play some before we need to head out the door and off to day care.  We both go give daddy a kiss (if he’s there) and we’re off! His day care opens at 7 a.m. and is literally across our community and by the time I get Hunter in the car and stuff situated I am there right at 7.  Drop him off,  talk to his teachers for a bit, give Hunty a kiss and I’m off to the bus/Tri-Rail Station. 

Before we moved,  I used to take the train to work, now I take the bus.  I know that everyone has their own opinion about the bus but I’m just going to clear it up for you.  Yes, when I think of the “public transportation bus”, I think, hobos and grossness but actually I LOVE the bus.  I’m in shock to find that I even like it so much.  Here’s why, its super clean and the bus is one of those newer, big, hybrid buses with free Wi-Fi.  The bus station is 13 minutes from his day care and the bus is full of professionals that are going from Fort Lauderdale to Downtown Miami.  The bus stops a few times when we get to downtown and I get off at the last stop before it gets back on the highway (I-95).  The bus is called 95 Express.  It takes all of the Express lanes so that we don’t wait in traffic.  I could drive into work but what’s the point?  I would sit in traffic (not in the Express lanes) and pay the tolls (which add up a lot down here).  Plus, I can play all of my games on my iPhone on the way home.  The big plus to riding the bus for me is that I can relax on the way home. Unwind from the day.  People fall asleep on the ride all the time. Me, I haven’t felt the need to do this but I guess if I wanted to I could and feel safe. 

Super quiet!

My building is about 2 blocks from where the bus drops off and the bus takes about 45 minutes from the station to downtown in the mornings which isn’t so bad considering that I do live about an hour away. The bus runs every 15 minutes.  I usually end up taking the 7:30 a.m one but if I’m able to grab the 7:15 one then that’s great but if not I’m at work by 8:15 a.m. which is when I’m supposed to be there.

Walking to my buidling in the morning (it's the one on the far left).

When I leave work at 4:30 p.m, the bus is usually on time and picks up me up about 4:45 p.m and is a straight shot back to the bus station to get my car (remember I’m the last stop before it gets back on the highway).  I jump in my car and depending on if I have to get Hunter or not from day care (because daddy usually grabs him around 2:30ish) I’m usually at his day care right at 5:30 p.m. (day care closes at 6:00 p.m.) and if I just go straight home, I’m there about 5:20 p.m. 

Upon arrival to his day care, I am greeted by huge smiles and excitement from my little guy which I love because no matter how my day went, all that matters is seeing him smile.  I get the rundown of how his day went from his teachers.  It always goes well unless he decides not to take a nap that day but even if he doesn’t nap, he is always good.  We say goodbye and we’re off to the house! At home, we are greeted by Millie who I’m sure took her job seriously that day barking at every little noise she heard and is anxiously waiting for us to let her out.  Depending on Hunter’s status (aka napness that day) at that time, me, Hunter and Millie usually go on a walk around the block in his wagon.  Then I come in, change out of my work clothes (yes, I take them on a walk in my work stuff....if I change, then I’m not going to take a walk either! I do change my shoes.)

"Yay, daddy here's!" (Sean took this photo for me when he went to pick him up. I guess it was during his snack time.)

Next, its about 5:50ish and I need to find something to make for Hunter to eat.  This can be a bit of a challenge because I usually feed him our leftovers from the night before because I can’t make dinner before his bedtime every night.  So if for any reason we didn’t have dinner the night before, I’m usually busy just trying to find him some healthy stuff in our fridge (which is usually pretty easy).   He has also become somewhat of a picky eater. For instance, some days he wants to feed himself, not that I don’t let him he jusst doesn’t want any action from someone feeding him from a spoon. Sometimes, he just wants to eat some fruit and Cheerios (or something of that nature).  Other times, he just wants some deli turkey and cheese or every once in awhile, he doesn’t want a thing – usually due to teething. So therefore, he will just eat about 2 bottles of milk before bed.  Also, in the middle of juggling Hunter’s dinner and him eating, I have to quickly feed Millie and Marley before Hunter wants to jump out of his highchair (even strapped in, he only sits in there for a little while).  He just can’t sit still (he’s such a little boy). Then its off to the bath tub where he gets all of that extra energy out.  Then, I feed him a bottle before we watch the Gigglebellies on our bed and we cuddle and read books.  This is my second favorite part of the day.  This is where Hunter starts to get very sleepy and just wants to lean on me and cuddle.  Actually, this is his last chance to get some energy out and usually climbs up our headboard on the bed to the window above to shake the blinds and then will resume to cuddle time with mommy.  He usually only lasts for about 3 or 4 Gigglebellies songs (about 15 minutes) and then I give him some more milk if he wants it and then lights out at about 7:10 p.m.

Phewww okay, then I sometimes will run on the treadmill for a bit and then get me and Hunter’s lunches/snacks prepared and my outfit ready for the next day. Also, I try and find myself something to eat or if Sean is home he usually starts dinner and then when I am done on the treadmill I finish up.   By this time it’s about 8:30 p.m. and I may be able to squeeze in one of my shows to watch before bed and I’m usually pretty tired and I’m in bed by 9:30 p.m the latest.  Yep, I’m officially an old mommy going to be so early but I need my sleep to function for the next day. 

Also, I’m finally starting to relax now after our move and not feel so frazzled by all the responsibility of buying our house so it’s been really nice to come home and not worry so much and just be with my boys and enjoy it.  

Traveling with Hunter

Lately, Hunter has become a little frequent flyer.  He has been to North Carolina, Vegas and now Pennsylvania.  We are also planning another trip in November to meet my mom in Myrtle Beach.  This past week just Hunter and I made a trip up to Erie, Pennsylvania where we met my mom.  We went to visit his Great Grandmother who isn't doing so well and I've been really wanting to go see her and of course wanting Hunter to meet her.  I was a bit nervous because Sean wasn't going to be with us to help with everything and also because we were going to have a connection in Philadelphia that I thought we wouldn't make it because the layover was so short but it worked out.  Hunter is not one to just fall asleep easily when he is tired (he's been like this from day 1).  He needs his routine and his crib and then he knows its naptime/ bedtime.  He will fight sleep until he can't take it anymore and just scream.  Not that I was worried about him doing that because I've gotten to the point now that he is one year old and if he is going to cry in public then thats just what he will do.  Hunter is a very happy baby just when he is hungry or tired he is a mess and lets you know it.  So, anyway, Hunter did very well on all the flights.  Only on one of them, he had an outburst because he was so tired and it only lasted about 30 seconds. No biggie. I was very proud of my little boy.

Over the course of our few trips, I have made some adjustments to our packing.  It is true, that you can never take too much when you have a child but I do think that there are few things that you can downsize in order for you to not take so much and overpack (yes, I am horrible at this).  For instance, why take a toy car when you have a toy truck?  Even though he LOVES both of them, he can settle for one because they generally are the same concept (I know, duh!).  Also, taking toys that you know are his favorite are a Must when you are at your actual destination but taking new toys or silly stuff that you can make fun on the actual flight are a definite Must.  With Hunter having his usual toys at the hotel made him feel like he is at home with his routine but new toys on the plane keep him from getting bored.  Here is an example of a new toy, it was actually a book, that kept Hunter from getting bored:

You would think that after reading this book that he was done with it.  No.  He loved the fact that he could put his fingers through the little slot and that I could take it and do the same thing.  Also, I would bring it up to my face and play peek-a-boo with him. He absolutely loved this.  The most simplest toy/book worked.  I also brought him little toys that shake and rattle and some silly putty! LOL.  He surprisingly, didn't try to eat it but loved the feeling of it between his fingers. Also, an umbrella stroller is another Must.  I'm not sure if this is typical but Hunter will not stay put in his usual stroller so I didn't take one on the way up there because what's the point?  He will just stand up in it (while moving) and give me a mini heart attack so my mom had one for us when I got there. Plus, he's loving that he can walk now and does not like to be strapped in anything but my mom said that I absolutely needed one and that it was time for an umbrella stroller.  Sure enough, she was right.  I think Hunter loves how he is snug in it and that there isn't a bar or anything preventing him from leaning out a little (he's strapped in, of course) but he actually stayed in the stroller the whole time! I was excited about that.  Oh, and now that he is fully on whole milk now. No formula.  I was really worried that being at the airport they wouldn't have Vitamin D milk.  Hunter drinks organic Vitamin D milk but in an emergency it won't kill him to have the other stuff.  So, just in case, I had a little formula left over and I brought it.  Yes, I had to use it.  US Air does not provide milk.  So unless I had some with me from purchasing at the airport (which was like finding a needle in a haystack for the red kind).  I had to go that route.  Glad I brought and Hunter didn't even notice the difference. 

Hunter and Mimi pushing around his new favorite stroller.

I also have to thank all of our "flight friends" that we met on our trip.  Joanne was on our first flight (it was just us in the row) and she played with him and made silly faces and he would crack up.  Then there was Devin on the connecting flight from Philadephia to Erie, who was 20 years old and had no clue what one-year olds do so I had Hunter show him all his tricks:  giving mommy kisses, showing with his hands "hi and bye-bye", howling like an Indian (opening his mouth like a big "O" and pushing his hand to his mouth back and forth making sounds), blowing raspberries and doing the "Wave" with his arms up and down.  Devin thought is was the coolest thing and would do it with him and Hunter would just crack up too!  Next would be George (or Jim, can't remember) where we were a little snug on the Turbo Prop plane from Erie to Philadelphia and he apparently talked Hunter into sleeping and Hunter actually fell asleep on me! Thanks so much George/Jim! Then there was Dennis on the way home who Hunter loved to touch his goatee on his face.  My boy is not shy.  I guess he loved the texture of it and had fun with that. I felt bad for Dennis because he was trying to do a crossword puzzle and Hunter would not leave him alone.  You feel so stuck in that window seat!  Also, I do have to thank US Airways for being so great and accomodating to us and everyone else that was exceptionally nice and went out of their way to pick something up if we dropped something.  Overrall, I can say that I can definitely take another trip with him.  It's exhausting but worth it.

Hunter meeting his Great Grandma for the first time.

I love my Mimi!

And the best part about coming home, was coming home to daddy!

Not sure you can tell but I dressed Hunter in his Steelers outfit to be ready to watch football with Daddy when we got home! (and yes, I know this is a terrible picture)