8 Months!

I have an eight month old.

I have an eight month old.

I have an eight month old.

I have to keep repeating that lest I forget. She is finally crawling and pretty much thinks she's a big girl. She hates being held and will strong arm you to get down. She has a little trouble going from sitting to crawling because that giant thigh of hers gets in the way but she manages to basically throw herself over it and go. The crawling is hilarious. It's like a half army crawl, half pushing off with her right foot. 

She's also a clapping fool. She adores clapping and it's the cutest thing in the world. 

She's also saying dada! It was pretty impressive - within three days she started the last three things. Just bam, bam, bam! Like she knew I was getting anxious for her to start any one of those. 

Here's the chart of milestones from Baby Center:

Child's Age

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do

8 months

Says "mama" or "dada" to parents (isn't specific) Passes objects from hand to hand

Stands while holding onto something Crawls Points at objects Searches for hidden objects

Pulls self to standing, cruises Picks things up with thumb-finger pincer grasp Indicates wants with gestures

June can say dada to us and definitely passes objects from hand to hand.

She can stand, crawl, point and search for things she drops.

She can't pull herself up yet or cruise, her pincer grasp is incredible and I'm pretty sure that's because of her self feeding, and I have seen her gesture toward a toy before. 

So, I'd say she's pretty on point. I'm pretty sure she's like only a few weeks away from walking. She's freakishly independent and wants to be big girl so badly. I'm so lucky to have such a good baby. She keeps herself entertained very well and is very easy going (until she's not - when she wants something, usually). 

Her faces are incredible. I guarantee she got that from me.

The one thing we could definitely work on is her sleeping. She had gotten on a great schedule of napping 9-11:30am and then 1:30-3:30 or 4. But this week she's decided no, not napping pretty much ever. She's also still waking up between once to three times a night. Guys, I'm starting to die a little from all of this lack of sleep. HELP ME!

Seriously, give me advice. What do you do for your babes? Comment here and let me know!  

How do I get this crazy lady to sleep?!

Our Week in Instagram

I'm not the best at keeping up with pictures on the bloggeroo. So I'm going to try to start doing a once a week Instagram round up. If you're not following me, do it! AmberKellogg on Instagram. 

Here's what we did this third week of May!

Monday

 

Someone learned to crawl!

Tuesday

This is how we read books in our house.

Wednesday

Mom, why are you taking my picture?

Thursday

June fell off the couch. My iPhone thought Jimmy Fallon was to blame.

Along with crawling, came getting stuck. Hilariously stuck.

Friday

We went to a graduation party. I was dressed. June was not.

Saturday

Our new house! I'm dying to move!

Sunday

Disneyland with Cherry Spitz!

Monorail waiting

Pool time!

My beautiful baby.

Sundays are our most fun days. What day do YOU have most fun?

How was your last week? What did you do for fun? Tell me all about it in the comments!

Mother's Day. For Real.

My first Mother's Day was simply amazing. I'm so lucky. I honestly don't know how to put it all into words, just fantastically lucky. 

Thomas woke me up around 945 with Junie and Henry. We had planned on breakfast and Disneyland but got a later start than anticipated. Which, honestly, was fine! We stopped at Corner Bakery but the line was out the door and I wasn't about to wait. I did need coffee though. Don't talk to me before my coffee! (That's a joke, Thomas hates when people say that so I always say it. We're so funny, right?) Jack In The Box was good enough for us. Then we drove by our NEW HOUSE (renting, not buying) and I gleefully waved as we stopped at Blaire's to pick up two sweet cards that my sweet, sweet friends left for me for Mother's Day. Blaire also left me a rose from our new garden, so incredibly thoughtful! 

Fast forward to Disneyland. It was crowded but not as bad as it could have been. June really loves being in her stroller and looking at everything. We rode Casey Jr. and Small World. Innovations made me really sick because of the moving room. The line for the Pineapple Whip Float or whatever was too long so we left. We were there for a good 3 hours. We decided to head out to my grandparent's house to celebrate with my family. Good choice! Yummy tri tip and baked potato was more than worth it! 

So, no more talking. Here's some pictures that represent Mother's Day to me.

I want to recreate this for Thomas. My sash says "Daddy's Girl."

Three generations of Looney/Losey/Kellogg women. We all make weird faces.

One of my favorite pictures, EVAH.

This is how my day started. ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

She makes the best faces.

Kind of jealous at how she gets to ride rides.

Her head is as big as mine...

Thomas photobombed this one. I love it.

She is the happiest baby. Short nap and three hours of Disney and she was still going strong.

So ladies, how was YOUR Mother's Day? I want to hear all about it here on the blog! Any good presents? Hope it was fantastic for you all!

Momma's Day

I considered last Mother's Day my first Mother's Day. I was 20 weeks pregnant and to me, that qualified me enough to be considered a mom. Not many people actually agreed with me, though. Since the baby was still inside I guess I wasn't technically a mother yet. Even so, my family all got me sweet little gifts for our sweet little baby and it was a wonderful day.

Now that this year is truly my first Mother's Day, I'm kind of at a loss. We usually spend the day with our mothers - at a casino with his mom or at my grandma's with my mom. But this year, it's MY day too. Thomas has hinted that he's already found a little gift for me and asked what I wanted for breakfast. My choice of breakfast? Yes, please! We also decided that the three of us would go to Disneyland for the day. 

It's an odd feeling though, being celebrated. I acknowledge that being a stay at home mom is hard. It is. It's a million jobs rolled into one. But, I can't imagine life any other way. My little Buggie is my heart and soul, not really a job. I almost feel like we should be celebrating her for being such a perfect baby. We do that pretty much every day though. This year, I'll enjoy my first mother's day with my first baby and my first husband. (Last one, too.)

What do you new moms have planned for Mother's Day? Any new traditions you'll start?

Judgements

There's something I've worried about for years that I'm just realizing I've been wasting energy on.

My tattoos.

Being a tattooed mother.

Being judged in public with my child.

But guess what? 

I haven't experienced it yet.

I got my first tattoo at age 18. It was hidden on my back below my waistline so I knew my parents wouldn't see it. I've never been very good at hiding things from my mom though, this wave of guilt always washes over me leaving me sweaty and nauseous. The next morning I took her aside and softly said, 

 "I have to show you something."

I pulled up my shirt and revealed the inch long waves that formed the symbol of my zodiac sign. She was disappointed but glad I told her. My next tattoo went the same way. Got it on a whim, only revealed it later. 

I've wizened up though. I tell my parents of my upcoming ink and they're fine with them. In fact, my dad has been known to brag about how pretty they are. The only person in my family that I have a hard time sharing my tattoos with is my maternal grandma. She lamented for years about how I would look in a wedding dress. (I looked gorgeous, btw.) A month after our wedding I got a new tattoo and my grandma still hadn't seen it up until this past weekend. I was feeling brave so I wore a short sleeved shirt and the bottom of the tattoo peeked out of the bottom. It didn't go horribly but suffice it to say, she's not a fan.

I guess because I've been judged before due to my tattoos I assumed that it would only be worse now that I have a child. In all honesty, I haven't noticed a thing. I haven't caught any side eyed looks, any hushed whispering as I walk by or raised eyebrows. 

Here's my guess though - I'm too busy raising a child to notice judgement being passed. I no longer have the time or energy to care about what a stranger thinks about my body. My daughter is my main priority. She's the only thing that focuses and drives me. 

Or maybe people are stunned by my daughter's beauty to notice my tattoos. Probably that.

Photo by the amazing Rebecca Dever. Also, no makeup. And minus one tattoo.

Inheritance

Have you ever sat down and truly thought about your personality and traits, outside of being a mother? Maybe most women think about this while pregnant but recently, it's been hitting me over the head how June may end up with my, how do I say, difficult personality. She's wildly smart but incredibly stubborn (at 7 months. yeah.) and resourceful. Is karma going to bitch slap me for my teenage years? While thinking about all of these personality traits I began to worry about the physical traits we're passing to her as well. What if she gets hairy like Thomas? Oh god, that could happen, right?! 

What I Hope June Doesn't Get From Thomas and Me:

When I was younger, think ages 2 to 10, I constantly stubbed my big toe to the point that the skin would literally flap back and have to heal over and over. I hated wearing shoes but loved running around and my toes simply got in the way. My big toes were big. My cousins teased me and told me they were bowling ball toes. They had a point. I did eventually grow into my toes and I am unashamed of my bowling ball toes now but I hope June skips that whole shame of her toes part. 

Please note my excessively swollen feet. This was 11 days before I had June.

 

I married a man that is equal parts Greek, Samoan, Mexican and Irish. He is simply stunning to look at and while I hope that June one day looks as exotic as he does, I hope that she evades the hairiness that he seems to have fallen curse to. 
 

That's a lot of hair.

 

I don't see shades of gray. ((I don't mean the book, 50 Shades of Grey. I can physically see the book and then say, no thank you.)) I mean this in a figurative sense. In my mind things are very black and white, right and wrong, yes and no. There is no room for a "maybe" or for someone to play devil's advocate. While I can readily admit this rigidity, I simply can't change it. I've tried. Those shades of gray don't exist. I hope June is more flexible in her thinking. 
 

I am terrible at math. Terrible to the point that I think it's a learning disorder. Numbers have no meaning to me. Again, I've tried. I've been tutored, I've taken classes, but all to no avail. 

 

What I Hope June Gets From Us: 

A curious mind. I love to travel and explore the world. I find new places exhilarating. Travel, June, travel!  

Abby and I in Scotland on 4th of July 2007.

 

 

Thomas and I are performers. I just hope she gets a mix of our creativity and passion for something in the art world. 

Godspell. Not as bad as the production of West Side Story I was in but bad. Very bad.

 

 

I hope June loves her siblings the way Thomas and I love ours. My brother and sister are two of my best friends. I couldn't love, trust and admire two people more than I do my siblings. And I know Thomas admires his 3 sisters more and more every day.  

I know, we're a ridiculously good looking family.

 

 

I want to June to want to learn. Thomas and I are both inquisitive. I must learn something new every day or I get bored. I love reading, I love filling my mind with new facts, I love trivia. I hope June is curious.

I graduated! (Also, that gown hid my 6 month pregnant belly quite well!)

 

I just think this is funny.

Mommy's Time Out

As a stay at home mom days often bleed into one another. Mondays and Tuesdays become Moneusdays and I sometimes forget that Thursday even exists. This is not to say that I don't love spending my days with my darling daughter but adult conversation and a fun hobby can go a long way. 

Before June was even a twinkle in my eye and before Thomas was the man in my heart, I was asked to join an improv group. Not just any improv group, the greatest improv team in the world, Cherry Spitz. I nervously attended one of their practices and simultaneously felt at home and intimidated. I hadn't performed comedy since high school but I felt comfortable enough to let loose and try my best. 

Improv has been a very integral part of my life since that fateful first practice with Cherry Spitz. It was through a friend on the team that I met Thomas. While I took a few years off from the team, I re-joined in January. I was feeling antsy sitting at home all day, every day. I needed a creative outlet and a chance to clear my head alone. 

Every Wednesday I put June down for her afternoon nap, get Pandora going on 90's pop and leisurely drive to Orange to meet with my dear Blaire. We catch up about our significant others, jobs, lives and babies (June and Brownie, of course) on the drive to Downey. There are ten of us on the team and we love to mercilessly make fun of one another. That being said, if an outsider were to take a jab at one of us, we would fiercely defend the wounded partner. We're a funny, weird, mean family. We have at least two shows a month and there's nothing like performing for a live crowd. The nervous energy and giggly spirit take over and it's a whirlwind of laughter. 

We happen to have a show this weekend - April 28th. We're performing at Stages Theater in Fullerton. Only $7 and guess what? YOU CAN BRING BOOZE! WOO HOO! It's a fabulous time for a date night with your lovah or your cheap date. 

What is your outside hobby? How do you get that little respite we all need?