Bumps and Bruises

Calling all Moms: Where can I buy a protective baby bubble? Seriously, Jake has been crawling all of 48 hours and my ice packs are all thawed. I am feeling like an awful Mom right now because he has literally bumped his head 2x since he woke up, and that isn't even including the knot on his head from last night! I think that he is just so excited about his new found independence and mobility that he forgets about holding himself up on those arms and that is when the head meats the hardwood floor. Of course I put him on the area rugs to begin with, but he B-lines it for the bare floor.

He is also pulling himself up on everything! My psych developemnt classes taught me that babies were born with this innate instinct to stay clear of all hazardous objects!? I am getting a carpet quote for the house by the end of the day to include and extra foot of plush padding....no I won't, but how do you keep them from hurting themselves while letting them explore their surroundings?Crap! He is now pulling himself up on the stairs, what the heck. I might have a nervous breakdown by the end of day. Bubble Wrap might work....

HD crawling coverage!

Chris finally got around to showing me how to upload movies from our "nice" video camera. Of course Jake did most of his crawling while I was getting the camera, but here is a sneak peek.

Crawling!!

Jake finally got his forward momentum down and started to crawl today!!! He B-lined it straight for the dogs water bowls and his knees are red from the friction, but his smile is ear-to-ear (and so is mine.) Video is poor quality because it was from my camera, I still have yet to figure out how to post with the HD video, but I'll get it figured out soon. Ahhhh! He is headed out the back door as I write, gotta go!

Triathlon day

Today Chris and I competed in a sprint (750m swim, 13mile bike, 3.6mile run) triathlon this morning. Chris did the entire course, while I did the bike portion of a relay with friends Al and Jaime. It was a beautiful morning and this is one of our favorite races of the season.

The countdown to the "big one" is on with only 2 short months to go. We are trying to pick up the training pace and enter as many events as possible. That way we are guaranteed to get in a good workout, because we prepaid for it:)

Can you find the needle in the haystack? Sometimes you get delirious after you finish the swim and it takes awhile to remember where you racked your bike, what the heck your bike looks like, and where it is. I think that the next time I need tape on my handlebars my color choice will be from the obnoxious neon selection.

Welcome to the human blender.
The mass swim start is insane. You are blind in the water because of all the splashing. You are getting bumped, kicked and literally swam on top of by those darn competitive freaks of nature. You are swallowing gallons of water because the waves are perfectly timed to when you poke your head up for a gasp of oxygen. Meanwhile you yourself are trying to beat every other person in the ocean to the tiny spec of a buoy that rarely can be seen between the swell sets. And this is just the beginning of the race...
Chris did great on the swim and fought the nasty current the whole way. He is the man above the white cap and in between the 2 red caps with his left arm out of the water in mid stroke.

Coming in from the bike portion and looking strong. Quickie transition and off for the 3.6mile jog around the neighborhood.

Finsih line!

Our relay team placed third in our division, yaay! They gave us cute blue ironman visors alnog with our medals..sweet.Jake is such a wiggle worm and loved crawling all over Vinny and followed him wherever he could.

Al and Chris chillin after the race. Jake has a new favorite teething toy

Pearly White

Jake has a tooth!! Those recent "He's a late bloomer" comments from random people must have really gotten to him, because he started teething shortly after. His pearly (and razor sharp) white is on the bottom and luckily the teething process was free from any alarming temperatures or sickly sniffles.
Jake has also started to crawl, kinda. He crawls backwards pretty well, turns in circles, and is able to get back into sitting position after being on his tummy. I find him sitting up in his crib every time I go to get him and I can hardly believe how fast my boy is growing up.
Spring break is already over, but we sure made the most of it. Warmer temps for days in a row sent Jake and I out to the park, the beach, the water park, and of course on long training runs.

Tonight we walked the dogs out to the park a few blocks away. It has a beautiful view of Diamond Head and Jake loves watching the dogs run up and down the hills.

My little guy was tired of sitting on the floor and decided that he would pull himself up on the lounge chair to relax.
Jake has taken a keen interest in Chloe lately and loves to reach out for her, yell at her when she is crying (so funny), and as you can see, keep her company.
Another beach day with some friends.

My friends kids, caught a ton of crabs and starfish....
they promised me that they didn't pull off the other 2 legs and that it only had 3 legs when they saw it:)
Racked out after hours of playing at the beach.

back that butt up!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! The green onesie was as festive as we got this year. No Guinness, no corn beef, and no red headed Eric blaring Irish rock in our living room:) An ongoing debate in the house lately does involve Jake's Irish heritage from my side...let me know what you think. I say that Jake has a bit of strawberry blond hair while my defiant hubby says "no way, are you blind?". Hmmm...



Jake's first BOSE experience. To tell you the truth he was a bit more interested in the taste vs. the audio.
My very own man on a ball!!


Jake is slowly but surely getting more comfortable on his belly and scooting around. However, the movement is either in a circular motion or reverse. His frustration with not being able to be independently mobile builds by the day, but I'm sure he will get his forward momentum down soon enough.
Another change for us recently has been a switch to all formula. I was an emotional basket case last weekend and Chris witnessed the "mommy meltdown" that he had been hearing about. I thought that I would be fine and enjoy the independence that comes along with formula, but my emotions over rid my rational mind and I was not so pleasant company. Luckily all is better this week and Jake is eating much more which is great.

Counting down the days until spring break.....:) I can't wait to hang out with Jake, get a ahead or at least caught up with schoolwork, and hopefully recharge. Is that too much to ask? Jake is 8 months as of yesterday and seems to get more independent by the day, which makes me a little sad, but is amazing to watch.

Getting ready to go to a "soccer themed" Bday bash for Jake's pal Will.

Today Jake and I ran in a 10k race in town. The wind was unforgiving and I felt like I was doing parachute training for 6 of the 6.2 miles, but we kicked but and came in first in our division :) Dad had to sit this all woman race out although the thought of putting on a wig and regitering under the alias "Christina" did cross his mind.
Chris had a hockey game tonight and had a great unassisted goal. Jake is REALLY into clapping lately and cheered for Dad and the team throughout the game.

Jake is very interested in the mechanics of his toys lately. This colorful, musical, and shapely toy is only one of his favorites only because of the turning wheels that captivate his attention.
Last weekend I had a simple task for Chris. I wanted the razor edged prehistoric plant (coming out of the trash bag on the left) removed from a pretty blue pot so that I could plant something else in it. This simple task was an unknowing feat that took a lot of labor, a few hours, and a couple of curse words before all was said and done. Thanks honey!!

These flowers look much better don't you think?
I made some delicious teething biscuits that Jake adored last week. Thanks for the recipe Heather! As you will see in the next pic, Jake loves food and was insistent and determined to eat all the maple biscuits in one sitting. BTW the Bumbo nor the bouncy seat are safe for my wiggle worm of a child any longer.


My dog is a thief!!!