Isaac has been fully crawling for a little over a month now. For about 4 months he was content with army crawling everywhere. I thought he was fast then...it's nothing to how speedy he is on all fours. He is into everything that doesn't include his toys. The dishwasher (I swear he has a radar on that thing. The moment it opens up, he's right there), the outlets, pulling out cords, anything Aliyah is playing with, Sony's cat food, Sony, the bathroom, my car keys, my wallet...all places and things that I would prefer he stay away. Almost everything goes into his mouth immediately. I call to him and say, "Isaaaaaac, no." And what does he do? He looks back at me and flashes his signature grin. Stern mom protocol disengaged.
He's eating solid foods like a champ, as well as still taking in lots of formula. I thought his milk intake would taper off some after introducing more solid meals, but it hasn't at all. I stopped breastfeeding at 8 months. I was hoping to make it a year, but this kid eats like, well, a boy. That added with traveling a lot for work and his bad habit of biting me, I decided to throw in the towel. I would have liked to have gone longer, but I made it three months more than with Aliyah, and I will admit, not being tied down to nurse or pump is somewhat freeing.)
I'm finally starting to make some mom friends out here in Arizona. It only took me three years! In all seriousness, having some mom friends that I felt really comfortable with and wanted to hang out with is something I longed for, but I also know myself. I'm not overly social or extroverted with people I don't know well, so in the back of my mind, I just kept telling myself to be patient and friends will eventually come. The past few months, my neighbor two doors down who is single, but has a group of friends, many of whom are moms, has included me in their "card" night. (I put "card" in quotations because in the three times I've been invited, they have never played cards. One of the women's husbands told her they should change it to carb night for the lack of cards and abundance of snacks.) The first time I went, I enjoyed everyone immediately. Each time the get together was held at my neighbor's house I was invited. I think I might just be part of the group now since this last time it was held at someone else's house and I was still invited.
Just this past weekend, I met up with one of the mom's to get our girls together to play at a park for an hour. We ended up having a great time and the girls played well and even found some other girls to play with. The love of Frozen brought this group of random girls together and it was pretty cute. From what Aliyah was telling me, they were building a castle for Elsa and Anna.
I left Isaac home with Sebastian that morning and decided to spend the rest of the morning with just Aliyah. So rarely do I do that with her, and while I know it's important, I was really able to experience how much it made a difference. Not one tantrum the entire morning and she and I just enjoyed one another's company to the fullest. That day we went to the park, split some coffee shop breakfast, went to church, grabbed a jamba juice and then made our way back home. At the end of the morning, I realized I need to carve out some time every couple of weeks (or more as she gets older) and do this with her. I remember my Mom used to always make time for me, whether it was a lunch out, a movie, a little bit of shopping or the library. Those moments count. Like any young kid and teenager, I didn't appreciate it nearly as much as I should have at the time, but I do remember having fun during those outings and I am so grateful for those memories.
This past weekend hit about 98 degrees so Sebastian and Aliyah tried out the pool for the first time this season. Sebastian said it was a little cool still, but Aliyah could have cared less. She loved being in the water and even sang, "I'm a turtle! I'm a turtle! And I'm as happy as can be!"
Aliyah is at the age where anytime I tell her to smile, she immediately flashes some crazy face. Sigh. I often resort to bribery in order to get a normal smile out of her.
The weather has cooled down again this week to normal temps, so we're having some nice laid-back evenings in the backyard and enjoying the perfect Arizona weather for the moment.
A few last photos, which I'm sure Sebastian is thrilled that I'm posting. Three out of the four of us got sick with some weird stomach bug. (Aliyah has not gotten it...fingers crossed it stays that way.) We rarely get sick, which I am grateful for and this was a quick one, lasting about 24 hours for each of us, so I can't complain. It could be much worse.
When you're sick, Sony is sure to make you feel better by cuddling and licking you. Gotta love that cat. He knows all the right ways to make us love him even more.
That's about it for now. I would say it feels good to catch up, but who am I kidding? I have so many photos to blog I could write for days. For now, this will do.
