Birthday's and Packing!

Tomorrow is my 30th birthday. Eh. Blah.  Feels just like another day except that I will be in the "30's" club.  I'm starting to be okay about it.  It's not like I can control it or anything but I do hear alot of people tell me that your "30's" is a whole new world and that it's a lot of fun.  We'll see.  Tomorrow will be the first day of it. =) 

Well, its just about that time for us to finally go on vacation to Las Vegas and celebrate our birthdays!  The day we leave is also Sean's birthday (our birthday's are 4 days apart).  We will be there for the whole week.   I do feel like our vacation is kinda long compared to the previous times that we have been out there but on the other hand we are not staying on the "strip".  We will stay at our Timeshare that is right off of it and does not have a casino and is a family oriented resort where they have lots of things to do for kids and has a pool and gym, etc. so it won't feel so much like we are in a casino contstantly.  Sean's family from C.A., his sister in Lake Tahoe, his sister here in Miami, and my brother and his wife will be joining us as well.  We all can't wait to see each other! Also, Hunter will be meeting his Grandpa Jim for the first time so we are very excited for them to finally meet.  

This week, I have been getting everything ready for our trip.  I purposely made sure to book our flight through Southwest because they allow 2 free bags to be checked in (per person) and also the carseat and stroller are free. Seeing that I am like every average mom and woman in America, I will be packing  all of the overthought "essentials" in the 4 suitcases we will be bringing.  Here are what each of my suitcases will be carrying:

Suitcase #1: Hunter's toys, bath toys and swimming stuff (float, goggles, ear plugs and toys) and swimming diapers and some books

Suitcase #2: Hunter's clothes, bibs, medicine cabinet (haha), bath lotion and cleanser, wash cloths, his blanky's, bottles, bottle liners (we use Playtex), sippy cups, extra pacifiers, sound machine (for him at night)and I'm sure I will find a few other things (haven't packed yet)

Suitcase #3: Me and Sean's clothes/shoes (haven't packed yet

Suitcase #4: Me and Sean's clothes/shoes( haven't packed yet)

+ Carseat

+ Stroller

Now in case you are wondering or even you even thought of it, I am planning on going to the store to buy his diapers, wipes, baby food/table food and our food,  water, formula etc. the morning after we get there.  We have a kitchen in the room so it will be nice to make ourselves meals while we are there because spending money on food out there is ridulous plus I don't want Hunter eating junk. 

This was before the suitcase was packed and Hunter decided that it was really fun to get on top of it. 

Oh, I almost forgot I have to bring Hunter some new toys for the flight along with his food, diapers, etc.  So I have the bag for new toys and things that we know he will like to fidget with and then the diaper bag full of stuff.  Over the past few months we've been collecting Hunter new toys from the Consignment shop, yard sales and even had some left over from this past Christmas! Hunter has all new stuff to go on the trip with and explore all of them.  Hopefully some of them will help to keep him occupied for the long flight over there and back.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  When we get to the airport it will be a nap time for him so I'm hoping that we can keep him awake until we get on the plane and then he will pass out for awhile on the way there.  Last time we flew with Hunter, he had breakdown in the airport right before we got on the flight.

Then to top it off, when we get back we are closing on our house on the 17th and then closing on our new house at the end of the month and will be in our new house by August 1! Phewww....this is such a busy month for us.  I'm so ready for everything to be settled. This mommy needs a break (not the vacation one) an official b-r-e-a-k! 

I'm proud of me

So everyone knows that after having a baby, that there is some extra baggage on your body that is still left and is tough to get rid of.  I know that I am not the only Mommy out there that tells herself that, "once I'm ready and able to start exercising (6 weeks postpartum) that I will start exercising and lose that weight."  Well. Yes.  I am that Mommy.  I don't want to make excuses for myself but breastfeeding for me felt like I was a bottomless pit! Plus, as much as I was pumping out bottles for Hunter, I knew I needed to consume the calories and liquids to ensure he had his meals for the next day.  Now that I am not pumping anymore and just nursing him at night and in the mornings, I do not have that constant hunger pain.  Also, I must say, that I feel sooooooooo liberated without that "thing" (the pump) anymore.  People have asked me if I finally stopped breastfeeding, which I find hard to hear because it wasn't by my choice.  It was really Hunter's.   He has pretty much weaned himself already.  I know that he is very used to drinking bottles during the day because he is at day care and I know that has something to do with it but pumping out bottles on the weekend was no fun.  So, in between I was mixing breastmilk with formula so that he would get used to formula and before I knew it, he was drinking it but still wanted to nurse at night and in the mornings so it just made sense and my body adjusted.  Ok. Now where was I (breastfeeding is such a popular topic when your a mommy and are doing it)....  Oh yeah, so in preparation for Las Vegas I put myself on a diet and exercise routine.  Well, not exactly a routine with the exercising but made a promise to myself to eat not nearly what I used to eat and to exercise at least 4x a week. I knew the exercising part was going to be tough because the only time that I am able to (or even want to) is at night.  Before he was crawling, I was able to get on the treadmill and work out while watching Hunter play but now after his mealtime and bath, he wants to play all over the place. 

Here's how it used to be.

Here's how it is now. 

Plus, if I try and get on the treadmill while he is busy into something he wants to climb on the treadmill with me! So that is a no brainer.  I can't work out until he is in bed.  Hunter's bedtime can range anywhere from 6:15ish - 7:30 pm. Depending on the time, I am able to run about a mile and then do some crunches and lunges and by then I am ready to pass out. Remember I get up every morning at 5:30 am. I hardly eat anything after the workout and before bed because I usually eat a bigger lunch and plus I'm tired.  My goal was to lose 10 pounds before Vegas so far I've lost 7 and I have about another 2.5 more weeks until then.  I don't want to blame breastfeeding at all for the reasoning why I wasn't losing my weight but my goodness does it make huge difference! Hunter and I are still planning on breasfeeding for a year so I plan on not giving that up. Hopefully he doesn't =)

Here is a photo taken of me when my mom came to visit (about a month ago):

Before.

After.  

I'm still working on the tummy area which is seriously so hard to get rid of but it will take some time and I know that it won't go back to exactly what it used to be.

I also have to share that Hunter is starting to learn where mommy does not like for him to crawl to and its the pets' beds! Hunter is obsessed with Millie first of all so wherever she is, Hunter wants to be. So therefore, if Millie likes to be laying on her bed, so does Hunter.  Unfortunately, the only place that I can put Millie and Marley's beds is at our front window.  They both like to look out the window and wherever one is the other has to be even though they "act" like they don't like each other =).  Also, it started out with one bed that was Millie's but then we had to get another one because Marley kept sleeping on Millie's bed and they would fight in the middle of the night about it. So here is a place where Hunter absolutely has to go to every time and test the word,"No" because there is so much hair on those beds.  Yes, I wash them but not that often!

Silly boy with one sock (which is a trend in our house btw)

It's official!

We have a house! Well, its not officially official until July 19th when I sign our closing papers but I've already signed all of the mortgage papers.  We just got through the inspection and will have the appraisal on the house early next week.  The sellers are even covering our closing costs too! They really wanted to sell this house quick and it worked out because we needed to move quick!  Yep, so looks like moving into a house before Vegas didn't happen...but at least I have a little bit of on ease of mind because I won't be worrying while we are in Vegas if we have a house or where we are going to be living!  So anyway, we bought our house in Fort Lauderdale, near the beach (about a mile away), near the airport and near downtown Fort Lauderdale, its a 4/2 and has a an underground pool.  We have a little bit of work to do in the house before moving in and then of course, over time, we will do more.  Sean and I are sooooooo excited to be relocating to Fort Lauderdale.  We see it as a "new chapter" of our lives.  The name of our community is called Riverland Village and it has a nearby park in the neighborhood and 90% of the houses are on the water (except for ours).  It also has its own child care center in the community so that made it extra easy for me figuring out where I was going to put Hunter during the day.  My commute to work is a little bit longer than my current commute but will cross that bridge when I get to it.  Sean's commute is the same.  I will post pictures of our new house after its completely final. Ahhhhh, finally! 

On another note, Hunter had his 9 month appointment today.  My little peanut weighs 17.10 pounds and is almost 30 inches long.  He is in the 10th percentile for weight but in the 80th percentile for length.  He is going to be just like his Daddy.  Tall and skinny! When I took him, Hunter had a cold and hadn't been eating alot for the past few days and it may of had a little to do with him being a lightweight (not much). Also, our pediatrician told me to really try and get him to eat table food and by the time he is a year old he should not be eating any more purees.  I've been trying with Hunter daily to eat table food but he just like to play with it.  He does love these:

This is about the only thing he will pick up with his fingers and eat.  He loves his mesh teether that I put fruit in it for him but I've been trying to get him to actually eat fruit without it this thing.  He doesn't quite get it.  So, I am going to start not using anymore just for the simple fact that he can understand what he is actually eating.  He will eat mash potatoes and rice but not with his fingers.  His pediatrician told him that he can pretty much eat anything except for honey, peanut butter, and foods that he could choke on.  Also, foods that you or anyone in your family are allergic too.  Looks like mustard is out (I'm allergic).  Not that I was planning on giving it to him.  Anyway, so I'm going to get creative and be on a mission to find some foods that Hunter will eat.  He is just a snacker.  The doctor asked me if he eats a lot at one sitting and I told him no, unless he is starving or something but he has never been a big eater (just like his daddy too).  I'm trying to find some ideas for him.  If you have any let me know. 

Hunter has also been standing up on anything that he can grab onto and has started to even take some steps to reach another piece of furniture.  Where did my little baby go?  I think that when your baby reaches about 6 months, growing is on a supercharge from there.  It is true.  Enjoy your baby as much as you can because they really do grow fast. It's so much fun though.  Hunter has even learned how to whistle.  One morning, I was getting ready for work while Hunter plays right by the bathroom near me and he started to crawl into our bedroom where Sean was sleeping.  All of a sudden, I hear whistling and I think that it's Sean doing it (he had his back turned) and he is trying to see if Hunter will follow the noise but no, it was Hunter! It was so cute. So ever since then, he's been whistling a lot. 



Hunter loves when we have our laptops out (also cell phones).  He goes straight for it if its open and on. 



Here's one that I snapped real quickly of him.  He pulled out the dwarer of the wall unit and decided that he wanted to be closer to the T.V.

Family, Fun and Firsts!

The Hapgood residence has been pretty busy the past couple of weeks.  My dad and Elaine came to visit and then my Mom and Greg.  During this time, we were able to go on our boat (without Hunter),  go to the beach, look at some houses and Sean and I were even able to go on a date!   In between all of that Hunter got baptized!  We had such a great time with them.  Hunter has also been learning how to grab onto furniture  anything he can grab and stand up with.  He has really gotten to the point where I have to watch him every second.  One day, while he was crawling full force to the coffee table, he was going so fast that he banged his head on the bottom shelf of the table.  I felt so bad because the whole time I was watching him and was unable to prevent it.  This happened a few days before his baptism and had a bruise next to his eye and it was swollen.  Luckily, it went away before his big day.  Hunter did pretty well.  He got a little fussy during the time the Priest was blessing him but once he had the water poured on his head he got a burst of energy  (I guess he thought it was bath time) and wanted to play! As far as the house hunting has gone, we didn't get the house that we put the offer on due to multiple offers but we are in the works of deciding on one.  We need to soon because we have to be outta here by July 17! Enjoy the photos and videos.  

Here's where Hunter started to get crabby.  I had to give him the pacifier.....it was the only thing to keep him from yelling =)

This is after the Priest "washed him of his original" sin.  As you can see, Hunter wanted to jump in the bowl of water and play.  I had to keep a tight grip on him. 

Family photo!

My little guy looking handsome in his Christening outfit that his Grandma Foxy gave to him. 

Hunter gets a little block with him name on it that goes on the wall at the church.

Here's Hunter playing with my dad's shoelaces...its his new thing now.  He always grabs your shoelaces!

Here's my mom giving Hunter a massage.  I guess you're never too young for one =) I think she was reading him that TIME magazine article on breast feeding...haha!

When we went to the beach, it was Hunter's first time and also his first time in a swing! He loved both of them. Here are two videos of him: