Our First 'Getaway'

I am always a bit torn when it comes to traveling for Spring Break.  One part of me longs to pack my family up, settle in the car, and just drive.  Escape for a week to somewhere warm, somewhere without cell phones, deadlines, and to-do lists.  But a bigger part of me craves a week at home, a week to regroup, relax, and clean windows.  This year, I especially craved a week at home with Cruz, a week to do normal things like feed him cereal, go for a walk, and watch Kathie Lee and Hoda in our pajamas.

Last week, I got just that.  Time to live at home with Cruz.  Time to be a mom.  Time to drag out his morning cereal, lay around in pajamas, snap picture after picture after picture, and peek in on him sleeping soundly in his crib during naptime to the sounds of his Rockabye Baby CD.  We had time to frost cupcakes for St. Patty's Day, sit as a family at the table for dinner, and get those windows cleaned.  We made up for lost time this week and now it's on.  On to summer break...

We also found some time to go on our first little getaway since having Cruz.  We've been blessed with a great little sleeper and I have been extremely weird about breaking his cycle; therefore, Cruz has not spent one night away from his 'crib routine' in five months.  Call me superstitious, but every time Beau mentions Cruz's sleep habits, good or bad, I demand he find a piece of wood to knock on immediately.  Weird, I know, but sleep has always been highly important to my productivity and overall mood.  My own mom would cringe every time I was invited to a sleepover, as it meant nothing more to her than a late night, followed by a crabby, sleep-deprived daughter in the morning.  If Cruz is anything like his mother, we both need our beauty sleep...

I digress. 

Beau took the day off on Friday and the three of us traveled to Williamsburg, Iowa...a perfect 'prequel' or trial round before more daring family trips in the future.  Packing for a baby is exhausting!  I packed my own washcloths and towels, a crib sheet for the pack 'n play, books, toys, and outfits for a week's stay instead of a night's.  I debated how many bottles to pack, how much formula to pack, and purchased my first pack of 'Little Swimmers.'  Yes, the three of us were shacking up in a hotel room, complete with a continental breakfast, two queen sized beds, and an indoor pool. 

We shopped 'til we dropped on Friday.  Bought out Banana Republic, found some steals at Baby Gap, and was delighted to find one of my favorite outfits for Cruz in size 6-12.  He now has the same exact gator shirt in size 'newborn,' '0-3,' 3-6,' and now, '6-12.'  Cruz was such a good baby.  He sat front-facing like a big boy in his stroller, drank a bottle in the handicapped dressing room at Banana, and gave the flirty eyebrow lift to several female sales associates.  We had lots of fun with him and I'm convinced Beau is a better shopper now that he has a buddy to hang with.

After a full day of shopping, we scoped out our hotel room.  Cruz was so cute.  I laid him on his very own, queen-sized bed, and he immediately rolled to his tummy, laid his head on the soft comforter, and flashed me a satisfied grin.  He approved.  He liked his new home.  In addition to the bed, Cruz was a big fan of the elevator, the long hallways, and the frequent smiles from strangers, including a strange, but friendly hotel 'wanderer' we coined as, Moes, Dwight Shrute's brother from The Office.  It just goes to show that babies don't care where they are as long as they're fed, changed, and loved. 

One thing Cruz was not so sure about was the crazy big 'bathtub.'  He got super serious when we explored the pool room.  It would be Cruz's first experience swimming and I was anxious to see how it would go.  As much as he loves splashing in his bath, I figured he'd be a maniac in the pool; however, I failed to consider the temperature of the water.  He looked like such a big man in his little swimming trunks, and tried his best to act like a big man once those little tootsies graced the water.  The look on his face was priceless.  He was scared and a little stressed, obviously, but never once did he cry.  It's as if he was trying his best to be brave and trust his parents; however, it didn't stop that bottom lip from popping up!  It wasn't too long before we decided to wait for '85 and sunny' conditions to introduce Cruz to swimming.  

Looking pretty confident in their matching trunks :)

 
The first dip...

 

"What the heck was that?"

Friday night, we met Rob and Jill for a nice dinner at Monica's, a great restaurant in Iowa City with a crazy menu.  I couldn't decide whether I wanted the lobster penne or the 'Mama's Meatloaf.'  Cruz was a trooper once again, but so sleepy by the end of dinner.  He couldn't keep his eyes open!  By the time we got back to the hotel, he was fast asleep in his carseat...Vacation was a lot for the Cruz dude.

Overall, our first little getaway proved to be a successful one.  We learned a few things, as we always do, like how to occupy a bored, restless baby in his carseat during the last leg of the car ride, how to feed a baby in a clothing store, and how to transform a queen-sized bed into a secure crib, but were proud of ourselves and proud of our Cruz.  And although little getaways are a nice change every now and then, home felt that much sweeter for the three of us.  

Cruz took a two and a half hour nap in his crib that afternoon.  He was glad to be home...  

 

The Big FOUR!

On Saturday, we celebrated Cruz's four month birthday.  He is a third of the way through his first year and growing every day.  It's crazy to think that just one month ago, I was saying goodbye to my simple days at home and beginning to live the life of a working mom, and now, four weeks later, I can't remember life before this stage.  We've pieced together a morning routine that involves a lot of teamwork, my transition back to school has been easier than expected (I tend to be a bit of a pessimist sometimes), and day care seems to be a positive experience for our little boy.  I think it has something to do with the cute girls that work there ;).

I know I will catch myself saying this every month, but I think four months is my new favorite stage.  Lately, I can't play or interact with Cruz without shaking my head in amazement at his growth and development.  As he figures out the world around him, he's becoming quite the little person.  He smiles, he giggles, he smacks his lips together and makes fish faces, and he loves talking to his mama and daddy.  And although we're both sad to leave our little nugget at day care every day, it makes us appreciate our nights with him even more.  The family time the three of us have together are the times that will define this stage in my life twenty years from now.  The time I will always look back on and smile.  And probably achingly miss...

 

Cruz at Four Months...

Where do I start?  Cruz's biggest accomplishment this month was probably learning to roll over.  At 12 weeks, he was trying his hardest to conquer this feat, and would twist his entire body in the most awkward position, only to get stuck on his arm.  At 14 weeks, we watched Cruz roll from his tummy to his back with enough ease to convince us he'd been doing it forever.  After his inaugural tummy roll, the next morning, I peeked in Cruz's room and found him sound asleep on his tummy.  I thought we had discovered a new sleep position; however, he's not much for routine.  Some mornings I find him on his tummy, some on the opposite side of his crib, and some with his little head on the other end of the crib.  

Speaking of sleep, Cruz is a professional.  Last night, he slept 11 hours straight!  We gave him a bottle at 7 and he fell asleep.  At 7:30, we attempted to wake him up, but after tickling his feet, whispering in his ear, and changing positions nearly thirty times, we gave up and decided to see what happened when we put him in his crib.  At 6:30 the next morning, I had to wake him up!  He loves his crib, and who can blame him?  His daddy worked hard on it.  

Perhaps the funniest milestone this month was the discovery of splashing in the whale tub.  It started rather timid, with a sudo-deliberate hand tap or light kick in the sudsy water.  Then, one Saturday morning, Cruz became a bit gutsier.  I was soaked, the floor was soaked, the glass on the window was dripping in baby bath, and Cruz was soaked.  He couldn't even keep his eyes open because he was splashing so much.  He's all business while he's splashing and saying bathtime has become more entertaining is an understatement!

Cruz has always been a man of many faces, and now he is a man of many noises!  What started as cute baby coos has now morphed into shrieks, gurgles, and flat-out yelling!  He just recently discovered how to giggle, yet we can't make him laugh without giving him the hiccups too.  I love his hoarse, burly little laugh and could waste hours attempting to hear it!

Cruz tries hard to prove he is a 'big boy' in many ways.  He sits in his bumbo seat while we prepare supper, attempts to hold his bottle during feedings, and can now keep his head nice and strong while I hold him on my hip.  Despite, his attempts to grow up faster than his mom wishes, he still holds onto lots of sweet characteristics that make him remain 'baby.'  He loves to cuddle, especially when he's getting sleepy.  He'll snuggle in close and always grab onto our shirt collar, a sweatshirt drawstring, or a necklace.  I'm convinced there's nothing better than these moments...

 

Other 'firsts' this month include Cruz's first cold, his first bowl of rice cereal, and his first Bears NFC Championship game.  We're convinced teeth are in the near future, as Cruz can't seem to go five minutes without a hand, finger, or toy shoved in his mouth.  He chews hard, drools like crazy, and will try and eat anything that gets within five inches from his face.  He looks like a baby bird!

 

Yes, our little peanut is growing into a little person as every month goes by.  A little person who loves to play, loves to smile, and loves to sleep.  A little person who will sleep 11 hours straight in his crib at night, yet won't last five minutes during the day.  A little person who loves books. stuffed animals, and tricep extensions with Dad.  A little person in major need of a Baby Gap 'Tall.'  

We love you, little person.    

 

My 'Bear' Bottom Boy...

Cruz has officially graduated from newborn sizes to 0-3!  Hello, cute Baby Gap pants!   

I love getting Cruz dressed in the morning.  Sometimes, while he's hanging out with Beau or sleeping in his crib, I'll sneak in his room and look through his closet and drawers, putting outfits together and rearranging his sizes.  His closet is chock-full of clothes and as quick as he grows out of it, I have to make sure he gets wear out of all of it.  The other day, I packed his newborn sizes into a storage box...that hurt a little to say the least.  As much cute 0-3 clothes as he has, I'm hoping he stays in this size for awhile! 



Where thar is Cruz, thar are Pirates!

It all started with a joke about a pirate, a bar, and a steering wheel.  I'm really not sure if Beau had a love affair with pirates prior to this joke, but after a year or so of perfecting his pirate voice and getting rave reviews of his famous joke, Beau adored all things pirate.  Oftentimes, I would get home from work to find my husband, walking around the house with nothing but an eye patch and a bottle of rum.  Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit.  Beau's brother Gabe did give a toast at our wedding reception that ended with the entire room lifting their glasses and toasting with a great big 'yarrrrr.'  That, I am not making up. 

Ironically, about the time we found out we were having a baby boy, Baby Gap introduced a new line of boy's clothes, complete with skulls, crossbones, and pirate ships.  Other stores soon caught on to the growing trend and before too long, pirates were everywhere.  Williams Sonoma has an entire section of pirate birthday party decor.  We registered for a pirate ship night light at Pottery Barn.  And I just purchased 'A Pirate's Night Before Christmas,' at Barnes and Noble.  One of the first things Beau bought for his son was a little onesie with a skull on the front.  Yes, while little girls Cruz's age are dressed in lacy tights, ruffly dresses, and frilly headbands, our son chills in pirate ships.  He would wear an eye patch if he didn't have trouble focusing with two eyes as is. 

The other day, Cruz wore his first pirate outfit.  Together, we hung out on the living room floor and practiced our pirate talk.  I'd say he has a ways t'go!