Summer Vacation Favorites

Overall, Xavier did really well with the crazy travel schedule and time change.  We had a great time and can't wait to do it over again.  As promised, I've compiled a list of our favorite products, and tips/tricks for traveling with a baby for your summer vacation!  We didn't use a beach bag, but I like the cross body style of this one to keep both hands free.  My favorite summer color is gold and this one is very cute.

iGuy for iPad - We unfortunately did not get around to downloading movies to the iPad on the trip down (and regretted every second of it).  We downloaded some of his favorites for him to watch on the way home and it worked like a charm.  Another trick?  Check out the instructions for Guided Access.  It prevents your babies from moving between apps or deleting all of your rap music :)

Life Jacket - Xavier is at the age where he wants to go in the water, but doesn't want me to hold him.  This jacket ensures he won't escape and sink!  We like the under the legs strap to keep the jacket in place when he swims.
Sunscreen, Baby Powder, and Bug Spray - All three are essential.  Xavier wouldn't wear a hat, but the high SPF worked for keeping his head from sunburn, and we were basically on the equator.  Baby powder really works for getting sand off your skin!  And, although our resort does treatments to ensure no mosquitoes are around, I do recommend bug spray when around water!
Swimways Swim Float - He's getting to the age where he's about to tip this thing over, but we got this last summer and it works like a charm.  He loves kicking his feet underwater!  The canopy is great for shade.

Here are some other tips/tricks:

• Stock up on excessive amounts of large ziplocks.  They help you stay organized & sanitized with a baby/toddler.
• When boarding the plane, have someone go first and get everything situated on the plane while the other takes the kid for a walk to get out as much energy as possible.  Steve went first with the umbrella stroller (which doesn't count in your carry-on allotment) and our carry-ons, while I took Xavier on a walk and to get some snacks.  We were always the last to board, which meant 15-30 minutes less time Xavier had to spend in the seat.
• If your child is sitting on their own, and the flight is more than 60 minutes, buy the kid their own seat.  Per airline requirements, children under two are permitted to sit in laps (but still require a ticket and are charged taxes/fees).  We saved the money on the way down, but the flight back was empty so Xavier got his own seat.  It made a huge difference in his comfort (and our sanity).
• If you are spending a lot of time at the beach, look for hotels/resorts that offer beachfront cabanas for you to rent so you can keep the littles in the shade.  Dragging/packing an extra umbrella/tent with you and the baby and the stuff is just a pain.
• A few new toys or items they have never played with before will entertain them more than you'll ever know.  Even if you don't wan't to spend money on more toys, pick up random things, like glowsticks, the medicine dropper for the Tylenol, a calculator, or stacking cups to put snacks in and you just bought yourself an hour.
• Bring extra pacis.  So many extra pacis.  They will disappear faster than you'll ever know.
• You can never have too many sanitizing wipes/hand sanitizer.  Grossness is lurking everywhere.
• Spend the few extra dollars to get a separate room for your baby.  That way the baby can sleep soundly while you and hubby do your own thing.  And don't forget sleeptime extras, like the sound machine and monitor.

Xavier has ear tubes, so his ears never pop.  But from my own experience, drinking and eating during takeoff and landing helps, big time.  I also thought planning the flight during naptime would benefit us, but Xavier was so excited by the newness of it all, he skipped his nap.  On our flight back, he was so tuckered out from the trip, he slept most of the flight.  Next time, we will plan to take the 6am flight so we have a tired baby!

I think that's about it!  Xavier's interests are constantly changing.  My best advice is to keep an open mind and try to not stress about cleanliness (and pray that TSA is having a good day!)!

20 Month Update

Stats:  29 pounds

Clothes:  Still fitting well in 2T and 24-month clothes.  We dug out some of last year's shorts, which were this size, and they still fit!  I love putting him in hooded sweatshirts and cotton shorts with the numbers on them for baby varsity look!  He's wearing size 6.5 shoes.

Favorite Food:  bananas, green beans, spinach, pasta, French toast, Nutri-Grain bars, scrambled eggs, York Peppermint Patties (I love this kid), Donatella flavored gelato, Jamaican fruit cake, papaya, pineapple

Favorite Words:  "uh-neee" - Honey - He hears Steve call me that.  Now Xavier calls me that.  I plan on never correcting him :)

"tay-doo" - thank you

"na-na-na" - banana
"uh-oh", "bye-bye eee-ya", "I do!"

Least Favorite Activities:  diaper changes, going inside the house after playing outside when he's not ready (this is where the tantrums begin), sitting in the high chair for more than 5 minutes.

Favorite Activities:  Dipping his food in ketchup or honey with a corresponding "Dip!", dancing, throwing rocks into the street, pointing to the dog and giving him instructions (the same way I do!), petting the dog, giving Steve and me hugs when we come home, dumping buckets of toys and filling them back up.

Signature Moves:  Having conversations with strangers.  The other day, he ran down the driveway to meet our neighbor who had stopped in her car to talk to him.  With me by his side, he walked into the street and went right up to car, jabbering in response to her questions!

He also likes to wave "bye-bye", sit on his couch and eat snacks, and take all the pots/pans out of the cabinets and organize them neatly on the floor.  Sometimes, he'll even request a spatula and whip us up some dinner.

Mom's Proudest Moment: While changing Xavier's diaper, Xavier was chewing on what looked like raisins.  But, turns out, he somehow managed to get hold of a few pieces of his poop and eat it.  I thought I would throw up.  I brushed his teeth 5 times.

Dad's Proudest Moment:  On the way to the babysitter, the deejay's were talking about a new movie coming out by saying, "MILF's, like, you know, Mom's I'd Like to... dot, dot, dot".  Then Xavier repeated, "dah, dah, dah....dah, dah, dah".  When they brought up the V-word lady part, Steve quickly turned it off! (I'm wondering what in the heck Steve listens to in the mornings, haha!)

Other Milestones:  Grabs his bottom right after he poops and says "boo?".  Then he proceeds to pull his pants down.

Singing and dancing to the songs in Frozen.  He picks up a lot of words from this movie.  He likes to sing, "dee, dee, dee, dee....no" (Deep, deep, deep, deep snow.)

This is by far my most favorite age!  Yep!  He's so sweet and interactive with everyone around him, I love to sit back and watch it.  The favorite part of my day is when we play outside and throw sticks and stones together.  And then, he finds a little stoop to sit on, points to me with that little pointing finger, and asks me to come sit by him :)

Greetings From Jamaica-mon!

It's official, Xavier loved the beach!

He couldn't get enough of the ocean and found the sand to be endless entertainment.  His favorite part was crawling into the water and he loved to pick up handfuls of sand, and throw them as far as he could.  However, it resulted in most of the sand landing back in his face and him crying :)  It was pretty great seeing his eyes light up when he first looked out into the ocean screamed, "Aaaahhhhhhh!"

I can't wait to share more pictures when we get back!

Beachbound Baby

We are heading to the Caribbean very soon for our week long resort vacation!!  It will be Xavier's first time at the beach and on a real vacation!  I'm so excited to see how he reacts!  But, we all know what it will really be like.  Kid eating sand, throwing it everywhere!  Everything dirty, sticky, germy.  People judging me as I try to sip my drink of the day while holding a baby on my hip.  Haha!

Here are some of the goodies that will be coming on our trip with us.

Swim diapers - absolute must for babies who aren't potty trained.

Sunblock stick SPF 55 - we use aerosol sunblock too.  The stick is great/convenient for areas where we want more protection, face, hands, head.

Baby powder - I hear sprinkling babies skin with baby powder is the best way to get the sand off.  We shall see!

Water shoes - best way to protect those precious little feet.

Swim trunks and shirt - the shirt has SPF 50 built right in!

For myself, I picked up these gold sandals from Target.  I'm trying to decide between a couple different cover ups.  I already have a sarong, but am looking for something to wear over my bikini while walking on the resort's grounds.  I like this one and this one.  I'm sure I'll end up just buying both!

I plan to recap our adventure of flying with a toddler (oh, this should be bliss!), beach-bag essentials, and tips for keeping your sanity.

Our Easter

Happy belated Easter!  We were filled to the brim with happiness with another fun holiday weekend!

On Easter Eve, we had family come to town and Xavier got to open his first Easter basket.  It was filled with all sorts of fun things, including Brown Sugar Cinnamon poptarts!  What a treat for him!!

We had a little egg hunt in the backyard, snapped some family photos, and headed to brunch.  Xavier really liked hunting the eggs (after a few attempts of getting him to stop throwing rocks and focus on egg hunting - haha!).

On Easter morning, we were so excited to show Xavier the Easter Bunny came!  It was fun watching him dig into his Easter basket goodies.  Have I mentioned holidays are so much more fun when you have a kid?!  Some of his favorite things this year were the magnetic blocks, bubble bath, and, of course, the very first thing he pulled out, the banana.

On Easter Sunday, we had more family come in to town so there was a third Easter basket for him!
And P.S. If you have a million plastic Easter eggs rolling around the house, they make perfect bath toys!  Many of ours have little holes in the bottom, so we have been making it rain!

First Surgery

Ear tubes.

Xavier had several ear infections starting around 9 months.  Our pediatrician recommended tubes surgery after Xavier's third infection in a three month period.  Unfortunately, every time his scheduled surgery came around, Xavier would get a cold and start wheezing.  The surgeon won't operate on kids who have been wheezing recently, so we had to wait and wait, then he'd get sick right before the next scheduled surgery.  We put off surgery until at his 18 month check-up, the pediatrician noticed some fluid in his ears.  He doesn't get sick much anymore, so we decided now was the time.

The surgery was a breeze!  We were the surgeon's first appointment that morning.  The nurse gave him some benzo-like liquid to drink and he was on the verge of falling asleep!  Steve and I went back to the waiting room, sat down to read a magazine, and before I could finish my article, they called us back.  Xavier was awake.

He was a little groggy/cranky at the office immediately after waking up, which the nurses warned us about.  But, after we put him in the car to take him home, he was back to his old self again.  Lots of smiles and laughs the whole way home.  With the exception of a few (hilarious) falls from the dizziness, you never would guess he just had surgery.  That day, his naps were normal, bedtime was normal, and he ate just fine!

Time will tell it's effectiveness.  He did great!

Winter Recap in Pictures

Spring is right around the corner and we have been in such better moods!  I'm working on my fitness, we are playing outside more, and Steve has gotten back into cooking.  I also have plans for tackling some summer projects, including taking down our Christmas tree (yea, it's still up).

Although we sometimes wondered if winter would ever end, we still had fun making festive drinks and playing in the snow.  Here's a few highlights in pictures.

Xavier read lots of books,

sled down some neighborhood hills,

built (and ate) his very first snowman,

and brushed up on his yoga.  Check out the form on that down dog!

We made snow cream.  I never imagined something made out of freshly fallen snow could taste so good!

And we celebrated Dr. Suess's birthday with homemade party hats.

It was an action packed last couple of months and we are looking forward to making more memories with our guy!