Corbin's first steps!

I can't believe our little man is actually walking! Corbin took his first steps today and I'm so excited that both Brian and I were there to witness it. I was helping him walk down the hallway by holding his hands and Brian was laying on the floor in Corbin's bedroom. I let go of Corbin's hands when we got to the door and he took about three steps in to Brian then belly flopped right on top of him.

We were so excited, so of course we tried it again, but this time he just stood there and clapped. It won't be long before we are chasing this kid up and down and round and round!

(I will add a video, hopefully, as soon as I can get the time to upload them)

11 months old

Age: 11 months

Weight: Approx. 23 1/2 pounds

Height: Approx. 29 1/2 inches

Not a whole lot new to report these days. Corbin is still thriving and growing bigger by the minute. He seems to be developing so fast, and I think he is getting a little frustrated because his body can't keep up with everything his mind wants to do. Sooner than later, though, he will be running around doing everything he wants to do. (Yikes! I don't know if I am ready for that!)

He is walking around everything and barely needs to hold on any more, but still isn't too sure about walking holding on to someone's hands. I think he likes the comfort and support of a stationary object.

He is impossible to photograph because he just doesn't want to sit still, so I have a feeling that the quality of our pictures in general are really going to suffer. I'm just hoping I can start to capture his charming personality in candid shots instead of the stationary photos I've been so used to taking.

He is really starting to be more open to different foods and can really handle almost any texture so we have been offering him all kinds of foods these days. I've enjoyed baking him all kinds of healthy, kid-friendly dishes and once I can convince him to take a bite, he usually realize that he likes them and will devour the whole plate.

I can't believe this is my last monthly post before he turns 1! Where has the year gone?

Our Chicago trip and Corbin's new best friend

We took a much anticipated trip to Chicago to visit a couple of our best friends and their new little boy. I've mentioned them before, Dan and Alexis, and I will probably mention them many times in the future.
We had been wanting to visit them out in Chicago for a while now, and Alexis and I were finally able to convince our men that it was a MUST now that we both have sons. I mean, they needed to meet their future best friend and travel buddy since we are adament that we will always travel together.
It's a good thing that the trip went well and the boys seemed to get along great (as well as a 10 month old and 3 month old can). Dan and Alexis were great tour guides and showed us all around the city. The trip definitely wasn't long enough and we will hopefully be making it back out there again soon.
Here are a couple pictures from our trip. I wasn't a very good tourist and really didn't end up taking many pictures at all.

Corbin's first plane ride

I just had to share a few pictures from Corbin's first plane ride. We took a long direct flight to Chicago to visit a few of our closest friends. We didn't buy Corbin his own seat, which made me a little more nervous than I already was, but all in all things went really well.
He was asleep before the plane even took off, and woke up an hour or so before we landed. It was a little tough keeping him occupied the last half hour or so, as he was getting a bit antsy and I think he was sick of being passed back and forth between me and Brian.
But he loved looking out the window and eating the breakfast cookies the airline provided. Anything that keeps the kid quiet and happy works for me on those long flights.

(please excuse the awful photo quality)

On to double digits!

Age: 10 months old

Weight: 22 1/2 pounds

Height: approx. 29 inches

This kid won't stop growing! I swear he is getting taller by the day. His weight gain has almost completely stopped and he is just becoming more of a little boy every time I look at him.

He has gone from just standing, to walking around everything he can get his hands on. He has also gone from having only his two bottom teeth to six teeth! Two on the bottom and four on the top which all popped through within just a few days of eachother.

He is the funniest kid you will ever meet and is just full of personality. Other than that, things have been pretty standard around here. His language is developing rapidly and he is babbling a lot now. He loves to flirt with every woman we see and is going to be trouble when he gets older I can already see it.

Hasn't he been through enough?

Poor Corbin has been run through the wringer the last couple weeks.

First it was the Febrile Seizure, which caused us to find out he had a double ear infection. Well two days later he broke out in a nasty rash and turns out he had Roseola.

The rash finally subsided and then a week later he came down with the stomach flu. Luckily that only lasted two days, but then he just wasn't himself so we took him to the doctor and he had yet another double ear infection. The day after that doctor's visit he came down with a cold bug.

The poor kid can't catch a break. I think with his lowered immune system, it just made him susceptible for everything he came within 10 feet of.

Hopefully with the onset of warmer weather, all of these bugs will go away and he can be his happy, healthy self again.

Scariest day of my life

I experienced something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy on April 26th. I will start from the beginning ...

Corbin woke up not feeling so great, and had a slight fever so I gave him some tylenol to help with his discomfort. While his fever wasn't that high, he just wasn't himself so I figured it couldn't hurt. Our day continued and he was very clingy, but seemed to be feeling ok. His fever was gone when I checked his temperature at 2:30 p.m. so I decided not to give him another dose. Shortly there after, he was getting very tired, but wanted nothing to do with his crib, so I ended up holding him while he slept to help him get some sleep.

He woke up from his nap around 4:45 p.m., and like his mama, he takes a while to wake up, so we came out to the living room and sat in the front window while he woke up.

Shortly there after, I could tell something wasn't right with him. Then he started looking around like he couldn't see, but following the light and the sounds. I couldn't get him to make eye contact with me, which was my first moment of panic. I thought maybe he was just a little dazed and too hot, so we went outside for a second and this is when things really got bad.

He started to go limp, and was completely unresponsive. I rushed back in the house screaming his name and dialed 911. At this point he was practically lifeless and wasn't breathing. I thought he was dying in my arms, and saw flashes of my life without him ... I about collapsed, but knew I had to keep it together to help him. The dispatcher sent the ambulance and instructed me to do CPR. Corbin took a couple short breaths after that, was slowly moving his eyes back and forth, his heart racing and had a tight grip on my finger so I knew he was still with me.

The paramedics arrived just minutes later (it was now about 5 p.m.) and took over from there, asking what happened and assessing his situation. Corbin was coming back to consciousness at this point and they told me he was going to be okay.

I was so confused as to what had happened and why they were so calm. It turns out he was having a Febrile Seizure, which is common in children under the age of three. While his fever wasn't that high, certain situations can trigger one of these seizures.

After consulting Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, we were instructed to take him to his pediatrician to check all of his vitals.

We rushed him to doctor's office and it turns out he had a double ear infection, which was causing the fever, which caused the seizure. Since there was a clear reason for his fever, he didn't require any further evaluation and we are just supposed to treat him at the first sign of a fever from now on to avoid a repeat seizure, which he is now more likely to have.

Let's just say I am a paranoid mother now and will be taking his temperature religiously and over-evaluating every little cough and sniffle. But do you blame me? I'm just so relieved that he is going to be ok and there isn't a more serious cause of the seizure.

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny must really like Corbin because he got some things he has been wanting for a while now. He finally got his own cups with straws, bath toys, a tooth brush, snacks and even a silly songs CD.

He wasn't quite sure about this basket full of goodies on the living room floor when he woke up, but once he realized it was all kinds of good stuff for him, he got very excited.

I think I took it too far ... Corbin was far from thrilled when I put him IN the basket.

The Fish Family Easter Egg Hunt

One of my best friend's family throws a giant Easter Egg Hunt and BBQ every year, and now that we have a little one, we get to take in the festivities! Corbin got all dressed up in his Easter best and we headed over to the Fish farm. The weather was pretty cooperative and all the kids seems to be having a great time. Corbin was able to crawl around and find a couple eggs of his own, before I tortured him with his first holiday photo shoot. He was happy as can be shaking the eggs he found, and I've found if I sit him on a blanket he stays put.

After the Easter egg hunt, we ate some great food at the potluck, and Ashley's grandpa knows how to cook hot dogs just the way I like them ... charred and crispy. So delicious that I ate two!

Now we're looking forward to next weekend to see what the Easter bunny brings for Corbin.

Let's go Mariners!

It's finally Spring, which means the start of baseball season! We took Corbin to his first Mariner's game during opening weekend with my sister and her family. We all had a great time despite the rainy weather. It definitely wasn't a sold out crowd so we were able to sit pretty close in, but right on the walkway which made for easy access with all the kiddos.

Corbin enjoyed standing up on his chair watching everyone walk by, but actually sat down and watched the game for a minute or two. We're looking forward to taking him to more baseball games this summer, and have a feeling he will actually be playing baseball before we know it. (this kid can throw a ball like no other 9 month old can!)

9 months in, 9 months out!

Age: 9 months

Weight: 22 pounds, 1 ounce (75th percentile)

Height: 29 1/2 inches (90th percentile)

Our chunky monkey isn't so chunky! Okay, well maybe he is still a little chunky, but now that he is on the move and totally unstoppable, his weight gain has really slowed down. You can really see it in his face too...I mean, he actually has a chin and a neck now!

Corbin is developing faster than I can keep up these days. He is now pulling himself up to standing, and wants to stand at everything. We went to a Mariner's game and he stood up facing backwards almost the whole time. I think we are still a ways away from him standing alone or actually walking, but it's fun to see his development and confidence grow every day.

He is really starting to babble and talk now, saying "mama" all the time. While they say he isn't meaning me/mom when he says it, sometimes I wonder otherwise. He is picking up other sounds too and is throwing some "papa"s and "baba"s into the mix. I have a feeling it's not going to be long before he starts making sense of all this language stuff.

I'm starting to give up on all of this pureed baby food and just work on feeding him small pieces of steamed veggies, fruits and meats. He seems to really enjoy eating when he can feed it to himself. While my kitchen gets destroyed with every feeding, as long as he is getting some in his mouth and the much needed nutrients, that's all that matters. The good thing is, the pediatrician isn't worried about him eating 3 full meals of solids (I mean ... look at the kid ... he obviously isn't starving!) so we are just going to keep working at it and letting him get the hang of feeding himself. He is learning to chew better with each feeding too, so that will help avoid choking and open the door to trying other foods and textures.

Other than that, we are full steam ahead in planning Corbin's first birthday party! We feel like if we get the plans underway now, and take it at a good pace, we will avoid the family catastrophe come the beginning of July when all the plans will be finalized. So keep July 9th clear on your calendar because this is going to be one party you don't want to miss!

(Can you tell these pictures are getting harder and harder each month? This kid won't sit still!)

Finally a sunny day ...

We FINALLY had nice enough weather to get outside this week. I feel like we have been couped up inside since November. I've been looking forward to nicer weather so we can finally enjoy our yard and take more walks to the shops and parks down the road.

Corbin, on the other hand, wasn't so thrilled with this new "grass" stuff. He sat and picked the grass from his blanket, but as soon as I tried moving him onto the grass, he got pretty mad. He wouldn't put his feet down and when I tried to get him to crawl, he would lift his hand up super high before barely putting it down. It was a pretty funny sight, but I know he will learn to love it soon enough.

Holding his feet above the grass while he plays ...

Ok ... so this stuff isn't so bad ...

I quit my job!

Holy cow I quit my job!

After much consideration, conversation and debating ... Brian and I finally decided that I could quit my job and stay home with Corbin. I had been working as a casting producer since we moved back to Washington and while hearing about other people's issues can been quite interesting, it had gotten to a point that just wasn't working for us anymore.

I was spending at least 2 hours a day commuting, and putting half of my monthly income into daycare so it's not like I'm giving up our life-savings.

I am SO excited to be able to see Corbin every day and help teach him all kinds of new things. Not to mention be there when he starts doing all of these firsts from now on. I'm hoping this new switch will allow us to work on him accepting solid foods more frequently as well.

I'm still going to be able to bring in a little money though, since I've decided to nanny a couple kids a few days a week.

I'm even more excited that this switch comes right as the weather starts taking a turn for the better so we can spend the Spring and Summer days at the park, or the zoo, or wherever else we want!

Bath time!

Corbin has become obsessed with bath time. And I must say ... it's a savior at the end of the day when he starts to get a little fussy. I can pop him in his rubber ducky tub and he will just splash and play for an hour.

He has figured out how to fill and dump his toy, and if he slashes really hard, it makes bubbles. By the end of his bath, I usually look like I've taken a bath too he gets me so soaked with splashes.

But nothing beats that smile and a happy, clean baby!

8 months and counting ...

Age: 8 months

Weight: Approx. 22 pounds

Height: Approx. 30 inches

He just keeps growing and growing! I swear every morning when Corbin wakes up, he has gained a pound and grown an inch! I feel like he is so much more of a little boy now than a baby. While I love watching him grow and develop, I get a little sad that these months are just flying by.

Corbin started crawling this month and now he doesn't want to do anything else. He is such a fast little bugger and is already looking so much skinnier. His new favorite thing to do is crawl over to the back sliding glass door and look out at the dogs. We are working on him understand what he is allowed to play with and what he isn't since it's impossible to keep everything out of his reach.

I keep working on introducing more solid foods, but this kid just isn't having it. While he obviously isn't starving from a diet of just breastmilk, I know he could use the additional nutrients he can get from food. I'm lucky if I can get him to let me feed him 3 meals a week, let alone a day! We are working at it and trying to figure out what the best approach is, but I will definitely be talking with the pediatrician about this at his 9 month check-up.

His sleep is ... well ... the same as usual. We go through good spurts and bad. Between his teething and having a cold off and on, you never know if he is going to sleep all night or be up every hour. And now that he can crawl and sit up, he wakes up and pops right up into a sitting position and just yells. Usually he will just lay back down on his own, but sometime we have to go in and remind him that it's still time to sleep and lay him back down.

Other than all of that, he just continues to be one happy little guy and amazing me every day with the new things he can do.

(these pictures are getting harder and harder to take now that he can move on his own!)

(And here is that pouty face he give me when I won't let him crawl away)

I.NEED.SLEEP.

Our little man has decided to take a couple steps backwards and is waking up three or four times a night ... every night. This has been going on for almost two weeks now, which means I've hit a new point of tired.

The problem is ... I don't know what to do to fix the problem. I'm not willing to try the whole "cry it out" method, because to me that just seems wrong. But that leaves me with a big problem ... what to do?

Happy 7 months, little man!

Age: 7 months

Weight: approx. 22 pounds

Height: approx. 29 inches

So much has happened in a matter of one short month. Corbin went from just being able to roll over from his back to his belly, to eating solid foods, sitting up unassisted, rolling over from his belly to his back, and getting his first two teeth. I can tell that crawling is in his very near future too.

As for other accomplishments, I'm happy to say his sleeping habits are much better now. He is taking a good long nap in the mornings (usually around 2 hours long) and an hour nap in the afternoon. He sometimes takes a short nap in the evening too depending on how the day goes. This is such a nice change from his earlier naps of 30 minutes flat every hour or two. While he is still waking up a time or two at night, I know this will get better over time as well.

Corbin has also been eating solids regularly, but I feel like I'm a little slow at introducing new foods. He isn't too crazy about this whole eating thing ... either that or he is a picky eater already. He's tried sweet potatoes, peas, avocado, carrots (which he LOVES), broccoli, apples, pears (which he HATES), banana and peaches. I have so many tasty recipes I want him to try, and hopefully love, so I should probably pick up the pace at introducing new foods so we can move on to a more exciting menu.

Corbin has become such a goof ball lately too. He laughs all the time, and has also figured out how to growl and squeal. It's so fun to play with him when he gets going. He literally will be rolling on the floor laughing.

The months are flying by way too fast and I have a feeling I will have a mobile little kid very soon and be wondering where my little peanut of a baby went.

Our big boy can sit alone!

After many topples and wobbles, something finally clicked and Corbin can now sit up without any help. Not only can he sit up alone, he went from not sitting at all to sitting for more than 15 minutes the first time. He is so happy now that he can sit up and play with all his toys ... but the funniest sight is when he starts to get tired of sitting, but can't figure out how to lay down. He starts swaying from side to side until he just topples over.

Look at those teeth!

We've been watching these little tooth buds make their move and one finally broke through, quickly followed by the second. Corbin got his first two teeth and boy does he already know how to use them! This boy likes to chomp on everything and I think he is enjoying the new ability to actually tear into stuff.

Are you ready for some football?!?!

As you know, we are pretty big sports fans. We definitely have our favorite football teams, but any reason to get together and watch a game is a good reason for us. We got together with my sister and her family for a couple of NFL playoff games to root on the Seahawks and the Jets. Our best case scenario was that they would end up playing each other in the Super Bowl, but our worst case scenario is what ended up happening. Oh well! It was still fun and gave Candice and I a good reason to test out some fun appetizer and brunch recipes we have been eyeing.

I smell like maple syrup!

Ever since Corbin got sick, and then I got sick, I have noticed a major decrease in my milk production. This in turn is making for one unsatisfied camper when he finishes eating. After doing some research and taking the advice of some very knowing mothers, I decided to take some alternative measure to get these ladies flowing. So the new items in my daily diet are: Brewer's yeast, Flax Seed Meal, Oatmeal, Gatorade and Fenugreek pills.

Have you ever even heard of half of those things?

Turns out, they are all (minus the gatorade, which just aides in hydration) natural products or herbs that just help kick start your body. Not to mention packed full of omega-3s, fiber and all other good things for me. The best thing is, there are recipes out there ... like lactation-boosting cookies, that help me get these ingredients into my daily diet, and they actually taste pretty darn good. (Ask Brian!)

The one side effect, I smell like maple syrup! That is the result of the Fenugreek pills, but I'm not complaining because it is all definitely working!

I am not anywhere near ready to stop breastfeeding Corbin yet, and hate the idea of formula, so I figure this was worth a shot. Hopefully things get back to normal and I can slowly phase out these pills and other ingredients and trust that my body will just keep up the good work, but in the mean time, its a good thing I like the smell of syrup!

Half way to 1!

Age: 6 months

Weight: 21 pounds

Height: 28 1/4 inches

Holy moly Corbin is 6 months old! And he is the happiest 6 month old I have ever seen! This kid is always laughing and smiling these days. It's hard to have a bad day when he gives you that big gummy smile of his.

He is working really hard to figure out this whole crawling thing. He can get the arms up, and the knees under, but not both at the same time. We have a feeling he will put the two together any day now and then there will be no stopping him.

He has recently begun rolling over in his crib, and while I have a feeling this is going to be helpful for him to get more comfortable and sleep longer at night, right now it's frustrating for him because he either gets himself smooshed against one side (thank goodness for breathable bumpers) or he gets to his belly and then can't roll back to his back when he wants.

Speaking of sleep ... he has decided that come midnight, he only wants to sleep in one hour spurts and has been waking up ALL.NIGHT.LONG. While its definitely a step in the wrong direction, I am assuming its only temporary. Everyone has their reasoning as to why he might be doing this: developmental spurt, hunger, loneliness since he doesn't see me as much during the day. Whatever the reasoning might be, I'm hoping he starts sleeping longer at night for all of our sake!

Corbin also got to taste his first tastes of something other than milk. We tried out some rice cereal and sweet potatoes. I think he is still trying to decide what he thinks about these new flavors. We are in no hurry to get him eating more solids, but it's been fun introducing these to him as once he is on the move he is definitely going to need these extra nutrients to fill his belly.

AND...he has FINALLY mastered the bottle! Thank goodness for the patience of my best friend Ashley. She and her sister have been working with Corbin at daycare and now he takes a bottle like he has been doing it all of his life. Now maybe Brian and I can go on a date or something. Gasp!

Are his rolls getting smaller?!?! (and yes his legs are really that long ... I didn't stretch the picture)

Do you think he's saying "Mom...quit puting me in these onesies that are 3 sizes too small!"?

Here's his new favorite smile, with his bottom lip sucked in.

Now I'm off to start planning his first birthday party! and no I'm not kidding! Mark your calendars for July 9!