My Angelo Is A Toddler!

Angelo's 1st birthday party. He had a sugar free cupcake!

It’s official…Angelo is 1 and now considered a toddler. I can’t effing believe it! My little guy is just tremendous in every way. Though I’m very happy about my son’s achievements, I can’t help but feel very sad today. My best friend Dawn had a son a year ago today. He passed away a month later. I’m so proud of how she has been able to carry on through her grief.

Earlier in the month I traveled to Michigan to visit everyone and went to Bradly’s grave. I told Dawn how proud I was of her and I couldn’t understand how she has been able to be around Angelo this whole time. We were pregnant together. We planned to raise our kids as the best of friends. I can’t believe it’s been a year already. Bradly, we love you. Happy Birthday, dear angel.

Now on to the Bubs…

Angelo is walking really well, yay! The only time he stumbles is when he tries to run and/or is outside and doesn’t see a step. We’re always right there, hovering just in case. He’s throwing his toy balls everywhere and still making a huge mess in the living room when he’s pulling stuff out of our drawers, LOL. Angelo is not interested in holding our hands, he just wants to walk everywhere…especially outside. He just loves that!

We took him off formula and he’s drinking whole milk now. He’s done with baby food as well. This kid will eat ANYTHING, I swear to God. He has four teeth, but I can tell there are a few more coming in and I think they’ll be in all at the same time. He’s obsessed with pasta. He’ll take it in every form and with every flavor. That’s the Italian in him I suppose.

Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten him away from his bottle completely yet. He only takes the sippy cup in small doses. He throws a fit if his liquids aren’t in his ba ba. It’s awful! I only give him stuff in his bottle twice a day and we’re hoping he’ll be done soon.

Angelo says “Mama” all the time. He used to say “Dada”, but now he could care less, LOL. Dave says I sabotaged him this whole year. Bubbas also says “OH, Hi, Up” and babbles like crazy. He knows who everyone is. When I say, “Angelo, where’s Dada?” he looks at Dave’s chair and if he isn’t there, starts looking around the room. When I say, “Angelo, come see Mama”, he drops everything, holds his arms out and starts running over to me to give me a hug.

He still has some separation anxiety with me, but only me. If I leave him alone with Dave and the girls, he’s fine until he notices I’m there, but behind the baby gate. He’s been throwing fits lately too when he’s tired, wants his bottle or gets something taken away from him. He literally throws himself around the living room and that scares the living shit out of me. I worry that he’ll throw himself onto something sharp and really hurt himself.

The Bubs has a strange nap schedule. Most of the time he takes his nap from 10am-12:30pm and an afternoon nap that lasts about an hour and a half. Lately he’s been having trouble going down for both naps and he’s been skipping one a day. My schedule is changing due to the girls going back to school and I’ve been thinking about taking Angelo to daycare for a couple of hours, 3 times a week. It’s my step-daughter’s friend’s mom and she watches babies in her home, which makes me feel better. I want Angelo to get social with kids his own age and this would be perfect, I’m just waiting to find out if she can fit us in.

We took Angelo to the doctor not too long ago. He’s 23 pounds and 31 inches long. He’s only gained 1 pound and 1 inch since his 9 month appointment. I swear he’s much bigger than that, LOL!

Anyway, he’s doing just fine and we’re so very proud of him. There’s a lot of other little things to add, but I just don’t have enough time.

Almost Time for the Big Birthday!

Angelo at the beach in Hilton Head - May 09 (9/10 mos)


In the pool for the first time in Hilton Head with daddy!


Getting ready to cruise the wardrobe at home - July 09 (11 mos)


Chillin' at the Dublin Fireworks

In three weeks my darling son, Angelo, will be a year old. It’s been an amazing journey so far and I’m stunned we’re approaching the big birthday already. Watching the Bubs learn and grow has been my favorite part of being a mother so far.

I scheduled his 1-year appointment for next week so we’ll see how much he’s changed physically since his last one at 9 months. His regular doctor is taking a 6 month leave of absence so we’ll be seeing someone different this time. I believe next Wednesday Angelo gets his last set of shots for a while. I’m guessing he’ll be around 24lbs and about 30 inches long.

My ’lil guy is really developing well and as it seems, on time. He cruises around, barely holding on and walking quite fast. He’s walked across the room without assistance a few times and we’re working hard to get him consistent. He’s been quite lazy about it though. He’s got tremendous speed with crawling and I think he prefers that right now.

Angelo is getting into EVERYTHING. That started about 2 months ago, but now it’s really bad. He’s been into the “open and close” stage, where all he wants to do is open drawers and cabinets then take everything out. He makes a huge mess, LOL and it drives Dave crazy. Especially since he’s messing with our Wii games and remotes. He also LOVES Daddy’s laptop. When you try to take something away from him and replace it with one of HIS toys, he throws a fit. Damn…and I thought I wouldn’t have to go through that stage since normally he’s a perfect child. I guess he still is, since I’m hearing that this is common at his age.

Bubbas has 3 teeth! Two on the bottom center and now he’s gotten his first front tooth in. I noticed him grinding his teeth so I’m trying to get him to chew on his teething toys instead. I’ll let you know how that goes because right now it’s not doing much good. Due to the teething, he’s still taking 2 naps a day.

He’s eating normal food now. Bubs prefers that to baby food any day of the week and quite frankly, I can’t blame him. His favorite stuff is rice, pasta (with sauce), garlic bread, mashed potatoes, veggies and beef. I mash everything up real good for him and he’s the best eater in the family…for NOW. LOL! I wonder what he’ll be like at this time next year. I’m going to wean him off the bottle soon because I don’t want him on it passed his 1st birthday. He does OKAY with a sippy cup, but we need to be more consistent with him so he’ll forget about his precious bottle.

Angelo talks a bit, but is still babbling for the most part. He can say Mama, Dada, up, oh, hey, hi and me. I was changing the pictures around my home and found some of Angelo when he was first born. I cannot BELIEVE how much he’s changed. He doesn’t even look like the same kid, it’s crazy! He has light brown hair, lighter skin and is starting to take on more of Dave’s features. He has A LOT of hair and it’s pretty long so I’m thinking it may be time for his first hair cut.

I also have to schedule his 1 year pictures, but I’m not sure where I’m going to take him yet. We’re having his birthday party on August 1st, a few days after his actual b-day because the girls will be coming home from vacation with their mother and need a few days to adjust.

As for me…

I’ve lost all my pregnancy weight, yay! I can’t remember when I actually hit the milestone, but I think it was about 2 or 3 months ago. I haven’t been as active as I would like, but I’m getting back into the swing of things. I still have some stuff to work on, my stomach for example, but I’m sure I’ll get there eventually.

My latest project is re-decorating the house. I’m SO sick and tired of the same old crap. I don’t feel like spending a ton of money so instead of buying new furniture, I got a couch cover with new throw pillows. I also moved the recliner that was in my office to the living room. Now all I need is a cover for Dave’s chair. It’s looking God-awful. I plan to paint my home office pretty soon and I’m DYING to paint the rest of the place, however, we plan to buy a new home within the year and I don’t feel like re-painting this town house when we move. So who knows what I’ll ending up doing with that.

Dave and I rearranged the girls’ room and bought them new beds. It’s looking quite organized now and they have more space to romp around. I’m also dying to get new bedding for my room and add new colors. I need to do something with it as it’s quite bland and I don’t want that energy bleeding into my sex life, LOL. Bland is BAD. Right now I’m just on the new energy wave and desperate for simple change. Perhaps it’s the fact that I’ve made major changes to my life in general (getting married, Angelo turning 1, etc…) and I want the design of my home to reflect that.

New Pics of the Bubbas!

"See my teeth Mommy? I've got 2!"


"Shhh...don't tell Mommy"


"I love electronics!"


"Gimme that Wii!"


"I've got a pee pee diaper. Hurry up Mom!"


Angelo and Mommy - May 9th

9 Months Old!

Angelo is 9 months old today and doing all sorts of great things! In the last entry I said that the Bubs pulled himself up and now that's ALL he wants to do. Yesterday I caught him walking while pushing a box of diapers. We're still trying to get him to balance himself with his walker toy, but he gets distracted by all the gadgets on that thing. He takes good steps just by holding our fingers and when I say "flat feet", he gets off his toes. It's awesome! It looks like I'll be ready to get him his first pair of shoes soon.

Our goal is to get him walking better by the end of next month. He's also in cruise mode with the couch and anything that appears to be stable. This child is everywhere, I tell ya! When we have to put him in his Pack 'N Play or Jumperoo for a few minutes, he throws a fit because he wants to cruise and crawl. He doesn't like being confined, that's for sure. I caught him lifting his leg to climb out of his crib the other day so Dave lowered his mattress.

Angelo has said "Mama" at random times in the last few months, but yesterday he crawled over to me, looked up and said, "Dada" very clearly. About 2 minutes later he started rambling "Mama Mama Mama". The other day I swear I heard "Up!" I can't wait until this kid can verbally communicate. A lot of people tell me not to wish that too soon, but I can't help it.

Now, on to the best news ever!

Angelo has finally cut his first tooth!

I'm going to have a hard time getting a picture of it since every time I try to get him to smile, he sticks his tongue out. His tooth is at the bottom center. The one next to it looks like it'll be popping soon, along with his two front teeth.

The Bubs is sleeping through the night most days, but he has moments of waking up around 3am. That hasn't happened in a week or so and only occurs when he's slept too long during the day. We've been keeping a good schedule.

He's now wearing size 12 mos, but they're just fitting him. Now I have to try and find 12-18 months, but that's been difficult. I have a lot of hand-me-down clothes that are 18 months, which I believe have shrunk so that's what I'm going to try next in effort to save a little cash.

That's about all for now. I'm sure I missed a few things, but I'll be posting another entry soon.

Cristin

Lots of Growth!

Angelo and Mommy (8 mos)


Dave and I - After the ceremony

Hey everyone!

As most of you know, Dave and I got married on Saturday, April 4th. It was quite an eventful day even though we had a very short ceremony. I'm so glad it was short because I was terrified that I would flub my words and sound like an idiot. The wedding was great! We rolled in, got married and rolled out. Nice, eh? Once the weekend was over we had to get back to normal with the kids, school, work and everything else.

Angelo has been doing a lot of new things this week. First, he's picked up a lot of speed with the scoot-crawl and yesterday he started crawling using his knees. He's been pulling himself on to his knees as well and is able to stand on his own while holding something stable. He's also starting to get off his tip toes and stand flat on his feet. Yesterday afternoon Dave went to get Angelo from his crib and found him standing on the mattress while holding the crib bars. I can't believe I missed that! He was screaming pretty loudly because he couldn't find his way back down, LOL!

The Bubs is into discovery mode big time now. If it looks new, he wants it and goes after it. We were looking at baby gates yesterday, but I decided against it because I really feel that Angelo needs to explore the house. I'll just designate certain times for him to do so under my or Dave's supervision. We did get those outlet plugs because I caught him trying to put his fingers in the holes. We bought a new Baby Einstein video. It teaches them terms for items around the home and uses sign language.

Finally, I got this walker toy that the babies push around and it's supposed to help them learn to walk. Angelo was able to stand while holding it and he took a few steps and pushed it on his own. Right now he gets distracted by all the neat toys on it, but I'm guessing he will be moving with it soon enough. We took all 3 kids to the park by our house the other day. I put Angelo in the baby swing and he giggled the entire time. It's still a little big for him, but he leans forward and holds on to the chains just fine. I'm mad at myself because I forgot my camera. I will get a shot of him the next time we go.

Dave and I took him to his 9 month appointment yesterday. He weighed in at 22 pounds and was 29 inches long. He's still coming in the 90th percentile for weight and length, but he's cemetric and doing just fine. Our doctor told us that we can start transitioning him off baby food to mashed table foods such as potatoes and veggies. He suggested that Angelo get more consistent with his sippy cup and be off of formula by his 1st birthday. We can also be done with baby food by then, YAY! His first birthday is less than 4 months away. Can you believe it? I can't...

Now, on to me...

I haven't been working out much lately due to all the excitement with the wedding and Halle's 5th birthday. I've been able to maintain my weight and not gain, which I'm happy about. I feel like I'm just now able to get back to my normal schedule so when Angelo goes down for his nap today, I'll be able to get a work-out in.

We have had some crappy weather lately and I'm DYING to get out of the house for walks with Angelo and the girls. Cabin fever and I just don't get along. The other thing I'm dying to do for some reason is buy new clothes. I feel like frump girl again and it's pissing me off. Other than that, things are going really well.

8 Months Old!

Angelo is 8 months old and so much has happened since my last update! First of all, Dave and I got engaged on our anniversary, March 17th. We will be getting married on April 4th. We’re having a very cheap and simple ceremony, thank God! After having to go to the mall for dresses, I cannot imagine what it would be like for me have a big wedding that takes about a year to plan. No thank you! Dave’s ring came in early, but mine aren’t here yet so I’m a bit nervous. I don’t want to be rushing around at the last minute.

Angelo has been fantastic. His scoot-crawl is almost an all-fours crawl now. He can pull himself up to a kneeling position when he’s found something to keep his arms stable like his wipes box or crib bars. He can also balance for a few minutes while standing and leaning his back against the couch. He goes back and forth from standing on his toes to flat feet. We’ve noticed that he’s really getting into his toys, especially his penguin roller coaster. He also found his way up over the step from the living room to the dining room. Now it’s time for baby gates!

The Bubs is showing some disinterest in his bottle and formula lately, so we’re giving him solids about 3 times a day now. He hasn’t been eating much in the last couple of days due to his teething and he’s been taking more naps. We’re anxiously awaiting his teeth as his gums are still very swollen.

This child is now into size 9 months for clothing. Only a few 6-9 months still fit him so pretty soon I’ll need to do some shopping. I have some stuff, but not nearly enough. I weighed him on my Wii Fit and he’s coming up 24.4 pounds. He has a doctor’s appointment on April 8th, so we will find out exactly how heavy and long he is. After me coming up short a few inches last time, I’m guessing that he’s about 30-32 inches long. We shall see.

We haven’t gotten him to say “Da Da” yet, but we’re working on it. I’m getting ready to buy him another Baby Einstein video. There are a few choices, but I’m going to get him something to teach him his first words. We’re almost done with “Baby’s First Moves”.

Now, on to me…

I’ve lost almost 20 pounds since the beginning of February. Dave told me that he’s been checking me out lately…nice! I still have another 20 pounds to go before I reach my pre-Dave weight, but so far, so good! I wanna reach my goal weight by the time we take our family vacation to Hilton Head at the end of May.

New Stuff

The ‘lil Bubs is no longer little. He’s a big boy now! We got back from Vegas on Wednesday and he caught a cold. Dave’s mom took him all over God’s country to show him off and I’m guessing someone had it and passed it right along to him. The poor kid is snotting all over the place, ewww!

I mentioned in my last entry that he started the scoot-crawl before I left for Vegas and that made me very happy. Now Angelo is rolling over from his back to his tummy and then popping up in the crawing position and off he goes! He’s picked up a lot of speed since we returned from vacation. He’s still doing the scoot-crawl, but is trying really hard to go full throttle with the natural crawl. While he’s on a roll, he grunts until he’s reached his destination. Too cute!

We also got him a new car seat. His feet and ankels were hanging out the end of the infant seat and it was time. He seems a lot happier in the upright position while in the car. I was really happy because the one we wanted was $55, but it rang up $39 so YAY for us, woo hoo! Ya gotta love Walmart.

Angelo has got the bottle holding thing down pat now, but only on his back. We’re trying hard to get him to do it sitting up and I’m using the new car seat as a teaching tool. Once he gets the hang of that, he’ll do better in the play pen/Pack ‘N Play. We put that back together so that he can play with his toys and I won’t have to chase after him all the time. Once he’s on the floor he’s off and scooting and that makes it hard for me to get stuff done while he’s awake.

He’s been sleeping through the night consistently again. The earliest he wakes up is 6am, which has been real nice. Now that he’s sick, his naps are about 2-3 hours and he needs about 3 of them to feel good. Hopefully he’ll feel better soon.

I heard “Mama” again today and this time he wasn’t crying, he just wanted up from his crawling position. Now he mumbles and throws his hands up when he wants to be held. Yesterday, the girls and I were having and indoor picnic and Angelo was giving hugs. It was absolutely ADORABLE!

I’m going to try and get some new pics and video in the next day or two. He’s changed physically so much, it’s unreal.

Now on to me…

Vegas was a blast and we did a lot of walking. I did the best I could with eating healthy, but honestly, there isn’t a whole lot available for a reasonable rate. We saw the Criss Angel Believe show and that was good. If you’ve seen his reality show then you won’t be surprised.

I didn’t gain any weight while in Vegas, but I haven’t lost much since then either. I’m still trying to get back into the swing of things with my work outs, however, I’m sick again and I’ve been exhausted. Dave and I are on a new visitation schedule with the girls and we have them more now. I’m still trying to adjust to that. This time though, we have every other full weekend off so now we can plan more stuff for when we do get them on full weekends.

That’s about all for now. I’ll be back soon with more updates on Angelo and hopefully he’ll be doing more cool stuff.