Im Back!!

Little playing basketball at Gymboree!! 

I promise I did not abandon this place!!! I had to take a couple of days for myself to gather my thoughts because I feel like the last 2 weeks have been crazy.  But I do want to catch everybody up on my Little, here are some tidbits of us as of late:

Little is talking so much more now!! He is saying so many new words everyday and is starting to put his sentences together better as well.  There are times when he is trying to tell us something and we can't quite understand what word he is trying to say, for the most part he can pretty much repeat any word pretty well.  At school he has been working on colors, so Dada and I have been helping him by using flashcards (not in a drill sergeant way).  His favorite color, in my opinion, is Yellow because when we show him the color he screams "LELLOW"!!  We're still working on numbers and touch on the Alphabet at bath time, because he has a foam book full of letters for bath time games.

Tia Linda and Squishy have a new beagle puppy named Peanut! He is adorable, sweet and very gentle with the babies.  Squishy who is brave by nature loves to baby and run around  with the puppy.  Little, who calls the puppy Peaput, is still very skittish with him and I think it'll take a while for him to warm up to the pup.

Squishy's birthday is coming up very soon (November), Tia Linda and I have been bouncing around ideas for her very special 2nd birthday party.  Tia Linda has settled on The Lorax theme, which sounds amazing already!! Their are limitless possibilities for an awesome Lorax themed party!! A Lorax Piñata!!  Lorax invitations!! OMGOODNESS YES!!

Dada and I have been getting things ready for our special trip north,  I believe Ive mentioned before that we'll be going to New Hampshire in early October to visit some of Dada's family. I can't wait for Little to jump in leave piles, sip hot chocolate in cool weather, meet family that already adore him and to see him in a cute scarf.  I live in Texas where it is pretty warm 80% of the year, so I imagine Little and I bundled up Christmas Story style while others are wearing light sweaters and staring!

Oh and Dada & I.... are engaged to be married!!!!!! YES thats the big news, 2 weeks ago Dada asked me to marry him and of course I said yes!! Whenever we talked about marriage in the past, we knew it would happen but we never really went into depth about it.  Dada and I have always been on the same page about our family, as long as we all take care of each other and are happy then we feel we're doing a great job.  I honestly didn't think this would happen anytime soon and I definitely didn't think I would have to plan a wedding but here we are!!  I am very excited as is all of our family and friends!!  Details to come in later posts but I just had to let out our big news in my little space here!

Other than this amazingness, we've been pretty much going about our little life like usual! Hanging out with family, wrestling, going to Gymboree and our new favorite- playing with Peaput!  Stay tuned for regular posting again people because IM BACK!!

<3 Mama Chuca

25 Months

Favorite Foods: Macaroni and cheese, cheese, yogurt, juice, oranges, water, rice and of course pasta.

Watching: Toy Story 2, Pocoyo and Diego.

Reading: Lately, Little has been wanting to read the same books over and over again (see monthly posts 21-24).  So Dada and I decided that we would change up the books that we read at night before bedtime, of course if Little fusses were not gonna put up a fight.  So we're reading the following books:

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, 8 Silly Monkeys Jumping on the Bed,  Potty, Just Me and My Puppy and The Very Hungry Catapillar.  There are a few more but these are the books that he seems to enjoy the most, especially the hungry caterpillar. 

A few of his favorites:  Little's new favorite friend is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Leonardo) that Tia Linda gave him for his birthday.  He has also been loving bubbles, running around outside, daycare (yes praise the good Lord), playing with a little golf set his Dada bought him, and brushing his teeth.  Brushing his teeth is one of Littles favorite parts of his day, lately he has been wanting to brush on his own so I usually let him have a go then I brush them after.  He has also been loving going "under" things lately, especially while driving!  As soon as we get in the car he starts asking for under, then when we go under a freeway, a tree or a stoplight he is all grins and gets very excited. At dinner time as soon as I put his plate of food together and get him in his high chair, I put his plate in the freezer to cool off and we count to ten.  I count out loud and show him my fingers as I am counting, he follows and tries to mimic my fingers all the way to 10. By the time we reach ten his food is warm enough for him to devour, he has been eating like crazy lately. 

A few of our favorites:  Little has been following directions very very well, of course he is a toddler and sometimes he just isn't having it when we are trying to calmly show him something.  But Ive found that if you ask him questions or give him options he behaves better and will follow directions more willingly.   This is deemed as a favorite because although we aren't having full conversations (not that he should be right now) we do know that he has a comprehension of what we are asking.  A favorite "game" of mine is to ask Little if I can give him a kiss, then he'll point to where i can kiss him- mostly his shoulder, head or knee.  He also has been finding random cuts or older gashes and says "bobo" for me or Dada to kiss.  As I said before conversations have yet to ensue but he is learning more and more words everyday and is starting to repeat words, lately we (Dada, Little and I) have been working on numbers and letters.

Dada and I are constantly telling Little that he is a big boy, mostly to congratulate him when he accomplishes something.  Now when we ask him where the baby is, instead of pointing to himself (like he did before) he points to a picture on the wall of him as a baby.  This makes me laugh and it makes me sad. Yesterday Dada sent me an old picture of Little at around 5 mths, barely sitting up smiling like crazy and bald! He asked if I missed that baby and I replied, "Yes because I could squish him and he wouldn't beat me up afterward".  

Oh right, I forgot to mention that Little recently realized that Mama can wrestle too, and he doesn't take it easy on me either. 

<3 Mama Chuca 

*Sorry for the double post of photos from our session, but I really loved these pictures and they are the most recent... perfect timing if you ask me!

Rewind

August 2010

August 2011

August 2012

They don't even look like babies anymore, how did that happen so fast?!  This Sunday we have our session for 2 year photos with Tia Lorri, which will be more proof that my baby is now an actual little (tiny) boy.  Still Im very excited about getting his pictures taken, but less excited about what I may have to bribe him with to get him to smile.  I miss my little wiggle worm baby, does this sad/happy feeling ever go away while looking at baby photos??

<3 Mama Chuca


**That second photo is Squishy in Tia Lindas stomach, in case I lost you for a second. 

Currently

Reading:  I just finished reading Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling, which was HILARIOUS!! I love The Office, I love her character Kelly and I can honestly say that I would love to be her best friend!  Im going to start reading Frida Kahlo; Song of Herself, a book full of interviews, journal excerpts and drawings from the artist.  Ive been carrying it around in my purse waiting for just the right time to start reading.  I have also been looking around for parenting toddler books, Ive heard some good stuff about 123 Magic and Love and Logic for Early Childhood.  As soon as I read them I will definitely have a post about my thoughts.  For Little Im looking to get him a couple of picture books, People and Seasons.  The illustrations are very lovely.

Watching:  2 words- TRUE BLOOD! The season started off a little slow but it is at high speed now, I can't even get into it because I could talk for HOURS.  Other than that, Ive been watching Project Runway, I have a very special Love for Project Runway!! My Project Runway rundown- I definitely want to see more from Dmitry Sholokhov,  not digging Christopher Palu's attitude, loving the design of Ven Budhu but I cringe because he is just mean and not so into her aesthetic yet (show just started) but Sonjia Williams is super cute!  Little has been on a Toy Story, Cars and Pocoyo kick lately, I happen to think Pocoyo is just like Little because he is sooo animated when he is trying to convey a message! Halloween costume maybe??

Anticipating: This weekend Dada and I will be going to Austin Tx with some friends for my birthday!! My birthday isn't til the next week (25th),  but I really wanted to spend that special weekend with Little.  Its very bittersweet- Im very excited to hang out with my good friends in Austin, but I have to leave my Little for the night.  He will be staying with Gramma and Papaw so I know he'll have a lot of fun and be extra spoiled this weekend.

Laughing: Lately Little has been one hilarious kid! He's been walking like a dinosaur or old man, making silly faces and/or making funny noises.  We just bought him a stuffed Winnie the Pooh bear and he just has to sleep with that little pooh. So in the middle of the night I check to see if he's cold/hot/alive (yea i still do that) and he's still holding on to that little pooh bear in his sleep. Thats not so much laughing but smiling.  Little, of course, has been asking to read Brown Bear Brown Bear but this time when we get to the teacher in the book he says its Mama! I guess the glasses are a dead giveaway! When I ask him who where Dada is he turns the Children page and points to the little blonde kid!! He does it EVERYTIME and its sooo funny!!

Working: Im thinking of making some photo albums for Little.  We have plenty of "albums" on iPhoto and a lot of pictures on here, but I want something that he can sit down and flip through.  I love pulling out old photo albums of my siblings, family and reminiscing. Im not much of a scrapbook-er so Ill be putting together an "old fashion" type of album for him,  I plan on going through every month and I want to pull key photos for our book.  This sounds like a lot of work because we have thousands of photos but I really want to make this project happen.

Wishing: Im wishing house/apartment hunting were way easier!! Were looking for a new place to call home and since having a baby its not as easy as it used to be. Before it was a small checklist: good rent, good location (close to our fav places). Now the checklist is way bigger: good rent, great location, very very very  safe, bottom floor (groceries and toddler), lots of storage (bike, play house..etc), in-between Dada and Mama's work and a pet deposit we can work with because we think Little is ready for a puppy. (Im sure there is way more to that list that I forgot to mention)  I am very optimistic that we can find something that will work for us even if we have to pay a little more than we would like. After all home is where we are together.

Loving: School shopping! I know this sounds crazy, what parent loves school shopping and he's two how much school shopping do you need to do?! Well...when Little started daycare he was in the toddler room, so he didn't need anything besides a mat for nap time and kleenex.  Now he's in the 2 year old room where he is doing big boy activities! So we have a small list of items to get together for Littles classroom; crayons, glue, toddler scissors, sanitizer.  Im also thinking of getting him a little backpack to bring home his sippy and school work! Too much??

This was supposed to be a monthly type post but I missed last month! Oops!! I hope you enjoy these Currently posts because I enjoy writing them.  Feel free to let us know what have you been up to lately!

<3 Mama Chuca

Scramble Mode

13 months

14 months 

15 months 

16 months

17 months

18 months

19 months

20 months

21 months

22 months

23 months

24 months

With only 2 more days til Little's birthday party, Im pretty much in party/scramble mode right now.  Just finishing up a few last details like checking the grocery list one more time, going over the to do list and crossing off the projects that I didn't have a chance to get to.  Today Im printing out the photos above for a small photo banner, so guests can see how much this guy has changed.

The ole laptop is giving me more and more problems as of late, so thats why I've been a little behind and lacking in the photo department.  Hopefully, Dada can take a look and see what the problem is so I  can get back to adding awesome photos of Little once again!!

Btw: look at that adorable baby, he has grown so much!! I honestly don't remember him being so chubby and squishy.

<3 Mama Chuca

Weekend Recap

Hello Monday

Hello July

Hello Little in the most adorable hat!!

An H&M store just opened on our side of town (sort of), Tia Linda and I took a trip there on Friday.  There were a lot of awesome deals, pushy people and cute clothes! I managed to find this little hat and tee (five bucks each! wow) for my cutie and he loved it!  

The photos above were taken with my phone on our impromptu trip to the zoo on Saturday.  He was a bit under the weather and I thought some fresh air might do some good for him.  Later that night Dada and I went to our good friends birthday soiree and Little got to spend some time with his cousin Audrey and her Mama & Dada.  There were a few tears but later I received a few pictures of a smiling Little, which made me feel a lot better.  Besides Tia Faith (Mamas aunt) and cousin Audrey LOVE Little so I knew he was in good hands. 

Sunday was a very lazy day for Little and I.  Dada went to work and we stayed at Grammas all day with Squish and Tia Linda.  We decided we are going to wait to see Brave with Dada!  Little has also learned a couple of new words: Stop papa (to dada mostly), and hulk (uuk). 

Was a really nice weekend and now I have to move on to some busy weeks ahead, 3 weeks til our party for Little! 

To break that down:

19 days til Little's birthday party

22 days til Little's actual birthday

eesh Im crazy because I'm kinda just starting...kinda!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend and have an even greater week!! 

<3 Mama Chuca

Rewind

With a big birthday around the corner Im becoming very nostalgic these days.  Little changed so much that first year and even more the second year.  Lately we've been trying to teach him how to hold up 2 fingers instead of 1 when we ask "how old are you?" and he almost has it down.  All I can say when looking at the photos above is... Isn't he the cutest baby you've ever seen, really?!?!!!

<3 Mama Chuca

Wordless Wednesday: Us

<3 Mama Chuca

23 Months

Favorite Foods: Yogurt, strawberries, bananas, chicken, juice and rice.

Watching: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Go Diego Go, Toy Story 1-3 and a couple of animal and shape apps Dada downloaded for him.

Reading: When I Get Bigger (Little Critter), I Love You Through and Through, No No Yes Yes and Binky (this was the first book he ever loved).

A few of his favorite things:  His favorite toys right now are Woody the Cowboy and Buzz Lightyear, he calls Woody "hat" and Buzz "busss".  When he goes to bed they both have to be on the bed with him and sometimes we get the pleasure of having them join us on trips out of the house.  He loves an animal app I downloaded on my phone, its full of animal photos and the noises they make.  He can make the noises when asked about the following animals; cow, horse, elephant, bug (a squeal), dog, cat and lion.  We also just bought Little a Melissa & Doug chunky puzzle that he loves!! He also loves singing songs with Mama and Dada, swimming, jumping on the bed with Dada (wrestling), coloring, driving his toy cars across the room, pushing a shopping cart that belongs to Squishy around and pretending to drive Dadas jeep.  He also happens to love pushing a small chair around Grammas house, this hobby of his is very irritating because it makes the worst sound while the plastic chair is being pushed over the tile.  Gramma sometimes hides the chairs to give all of our ears a rest, but Little and Squishy can usually find the chairs within an hour and resume this horrible game.  They love it.

A few of our favorite things:  One of Dadas favorite things to do right now is to wrestle with Little, they are a match made in heaven.   One of my favorite things about Little is that every time I take my glasses off he has to find them and put them back on my face PRONTO! As soon as Little wakes up in the morning, the first thing he asks for is a nana even if he hasn't opened his eyes yet. He just sits up, crazy hair all about, and says "nana" then points to the door, it is adorable.  Little has been learning a new word almost every week!! He's also starting his 2 word combos now, he says "my mama" and "no mama" (thanks to Dada).  Some of his new words include: Papaw, no, choo choo (hello new combo), shoes and he is still signing the words "sorry, thank you, and hurt".  We also love that although he is shy, hell still give a friendly wave or high five to people we meet and see.  

Little will be 2 years old very soon, how can this be?
Our Little makes us laugh every single day and we love him more than we could ever possibly imagine.  This kid is our world.


<3 Mama Chuca

Fishies!!

Last Sunday we had a little get together at Gramma & Papaws house for some Fathers Day fajitas.   Gramma bought the babies a pool to keep them cool, made some delicious fajita tacos and then we got Papaw a super yummy ice cream cake.  Unfortunately Dada couldn't make it due to a schedule change at work but we did give him his gift as soon as he woke up and took him to a big Fathers Day breakfast that morning.  Later this month Dada will go on a deep sea fishing trip with Papaw, so I took care of all the fees and packed his backpack full of his favorite goodies for the trip as a gift.  

Now take a look at those photos!! Could I have more?? Yes I do, I held back!!  We have a couple of fishy babies, they absolutely love the water and had a blast splashing around.  

The baby shower I hosted Saturday went off great and Im sorting through all the pictures to share here later. Now on to planning Little's birthday party!!  eeeesh... Im one busy Mama!  Happy first day of summer!

<3 Mama Chuca

P.S. A good way to enjoy this summer is to go out, buy a pool and do some fishy watching yourself!