This week began with us driving up to Roseville to our new home!! Isaac did great and he enjoyed crawling around the near empty home as we moved stuff in. Thankfully, my cousins (Dana and Kerry) live within walking distance so they came over and helped us by taking turns watching Isaac and moving our things in from the U-Haul- they were SO MUCH HELP! Thank you Dana and Kerry! We are so blessed to get a home for rent so close to them.
The next day Jake set up Isaac's new sleeping quarters- a crib. It's a little funny to think that Isaac is 8 months old and is just now moving to a crib from his pack-n-play! We got a lot of use out of it that's for sure! I for one am particularly excited about Isaac being in a crib so I don't have to reach down as far to pick him up. Especially with all the moving, my back is reassuring me that getting a crib was a great idea.
Isaac adjusted to the crib without any problems (YAY)! He did get some practice when we were traveling in Michigan, but still I was very thankful that this was an easy transition for him.
Isaac is enjoying the unpacking process... There are more things to explore and climb on. My favorite was when he found Belly's dog food.
Maybe he wanted some fiber? (name that movie!)
Here's one more video taken at the end of the week. Isaac is realizing how handy crawling can be. :)
At 37 weeks this boy can crawl and pull himself to a stand!
I think he could crawl earlier, but he didn't have that many opportunities to try since we were traveling and as you can see from the video, he's not in a rush to get anywhere. ;) But it is completely fair to say that Isaac started crawling in the beginning of being 8 months old.
We arrived home from our travels during this week and on the first full day back, Isaac napped for 3 hours in the morning and then 2 hours in the afternoon! Poor boy. His body needed some major catching up on sleep!
When he wasn't sleeping this week he was doing some crawling, but more pulling up on things to stand. This required a little more attention from us since his balance isn't very good, so when he falls many times it can be face first! Lesson learned for his mom and dad.
After our time in Colorado (ending August 11th), I drove to Salt Lake City and picked up Jake and he continued the drive with me and Isaac to Elko, NV. Along the way we stopped at the salt flats in Bonneville and had a little photo op.
The next day we left Elko, NV and made it to Roseville, CA to sign the lease for our new home!
On the 14th we drove to Fallen Leaf Lake (near South Lake Tahoe) to spend the next week at my extended family's cabin with my Mom, Dad, sister's family (Ashlie, Adam, Josephine (3) and Eleia (1 (2 on the 19th!)), and my niece, Charlotte. My sister-in-law is 8 months pregnant, so she and the rest of my brother's family was unable to make it up this year, but the brave Charlotte still wanted to come, so she drove up with my Mom and sister. My brother and his family were missed, but it was nice to have Charlotte representing the clan. I rarely get to spend one on one time with her, so it was quite a treat. We had a marvelous time and the weather was spectacular.
Ashlie kayaking with Eleia
"Mother may I?"
Isaac didn't sleep the best at night, but he was a good baby during the day. We kayaked, hiked and did a lot of hanging out. :) In the evening we played cards and drank tea. It's always a good time at the lake.
We are home at last. It's been fun, but it feels SO good to be home. Our journey started on August 3rd with driving to Roseville to see a home for rent and WE GOT IT!!! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! It's in West Roseville, so it's closer to Sacramento airport and it has a fantastic backyard. It's also within walking distance to my cousins which is fantastic. The only downside, was that I was flying out the next morning to start my road trip in Colorado, so we couldn't do any moving or sign the lease until we got back.
The trip to Colorado was fun and adventurous, but also very tiring. I learned what it was like to be a single parent and it is no easy feat! Just when I thought of stopping to get a coffee, Isaac would be starting to fall asleep and there was no way I was going to interrupt that process, so I just drove. Getting stuff in and out of the hotel was also a challenge since I couldn't really leave him alone. I ended up wearing him in the Ergo and that worked, but still took planning and organizing to make it all run smoothly.
Jake drove our car to Las Vegas so I wouldn't have to drive from San Luis to Vegas. Isaac and I flew to Vegas from San Jose and then drove to Richfield, UT. The next morning we went to Grand Junction and Jake flew in (he had been working). We then drove to Boulder, CO to visit his sister, Kate, the last aunt to meet Ike. It was lots of fun visiting with her and her boyfriend, Nick. We also got to visit the Celestial Seasonings factory which I LOVED. We didn't get to go on a tour since infants aren't allowed on the tour and we ran out of time, but there will hopefully be a next time!
After Boulder we drove back to the Western Slope and stayed in Delta, CO in order to attend my dear friend's wedding. Naomi and I went to nursing school together and grew close over learning how to handle schoolwork and whether or not we wanted to marry these men we were dating. :) When I married Jake she did our flowers and so it was an honor to be invited to support her marriage to Jeremy. They got married in the Black Canyon, pretty much on the edge of a cliff and her brother officiated it. They are a WONDERFUL couple and it was such a beautiful wedding! Congratulations to Naomi and Jeremy Werlin!!!!
And then some pictures of us at the wedding...
Later that day (the 9th), Jake had to leave for work and I stayed the rest of my trip with my friend, Tammy, in Grand Junction. Tammy is like a second Mom to me. She was my director for Sweet Adelines when I lived in Grand Junction and I got to work with her at the Grand Valley Surgical Center. She and her husband, John, are so witty and loving. God totally blessed me by putting them in my life when I lived in Grand Junction and it was lots of fun to stay with her during this visit.
Isaac also had a marvelous time and enjoyed this little game that Tammy's grandson had put on her Kindle. It's not much of a game, but the kitty on the screen reacts when Isaac touches her. He was quite entertained.
The first evening I was there, Tammy invited the people that I had worked with over for peach daiquiris and appetizers. It was great seeing, talking and laughing with them. I miss working with those women and I pray my next job has a community among coworkers like GVSC.
The next day Tammy and I visited Bailee (one of the girls I worked with) who just had her second baby and he was only five days old!! Crazy to think that that was Isaac just 8 months ago.
That evening I met up with my aunt and Isaac tried Feta cheese for the first time. I think he liked it. ;)
Then we went to chorus practice. Isaac was pretty worn out, but it was wonderful to see and hear the ladies sing. I also got to sing a couple songs with my old quartet, Cover Charge, which was fun. It's been awhile since I've sung that high, but there's nothing like creating harmony!!
Blow the pitch!
Isaac being held by Jennifer, enjoying the "wall of sound." :)
The traveling continues! This week started in Grand Junction and ended back in Roseville and then Fallen Leaf Lake. Isaac has been quite the trooper. He travels well, but doesn’t get his full naps when we are driving, which is a bummer. I look forward to us getting home and reestablishing a routine. However, since we are trying to move into our new home, I am not confident we will really be able to establish a routine until we are all moved in and living continually in Roseville. So it looks like we have a bit of a road before us.
I love all of the sounds this boy makes; he’s like a little monster. He loves to pull himself up to standing and he loves to hit things with his hands. He gets really excited when we hit next to his hand in a rhythmic fashion. Maybe he'll be a drummer! ;)
We listen to a lot of music when we travel- mainly Music Together and then a mix of Tom Chapin, Barenaked Ladies, Psalty, Rosenshontz and a few other child music artists. It’s fun to find new kid music, but it also seems to get old pretty fast. I also made a Disney mix which is a lot of fun to listen to. I gave a copy to Ashlie and Kate and I think everyone’s favorite song (including Isaac) is “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan. hehe, fun.
This week started off with Isaac and me traveling to Las Vegas to pick up our car to drive to Grand Junction. Ike has a hard time being left alone, so it was a little difficult to get all of our stuff in to the hotel room by myself. On the way out I ended up just putting him in the Ergo and that worked much better. The other main obstacle was keeping his solid food cold. We have a cooler, but it still takes work to remember to ask the front desk if they can put the ice packs in a freezer if you don’t have one in the room.
This video was taken in the morning at our hotel in Richfield, UT.
On the 5th (Wednesday) I picked Jake up from Grand Junction airport and then on the 6th we drove to Boulder to visit Kate (Jake's sister). Isaac didn’t do great when we were in Boulder. He seemed to cry a little more and sleeping was so so. It was still a fun time and great meeting up with Auntie Kate!
NAPS. Naps are huge with this kid. If he gets them he’s an utter delight and usually sleeps great at night. If he doesn’t get them, my day is a mix of sporadic ups and downs and prayers for a better day.
I’ve started blending a lot of his food, more for ease than anything else. I still try to stay away from “baby food,” just because I have a weird thing against it. I did get a couple jars while on our trip and used them more as a mixing agent. They seem pretty harmless, as the ingredients are just what you would hope- pear blended. But I still prefer to make his food and blend his food myself. I think there is some pride in it… Some main mixes are chicken and sweet potato and maybe some peach or prunes (the prunes are the main ones that I get that are baby food).
Still working on his crawling. He pretty much does it, but not with gusto, so it’s hard to claim the milestone.
I love spending time with Jake- just me and him. Now, especially with a little one, I have to make us time intentional. Since Jake is gone usually a few days a week, I have tried to make one day out of the week where we spend some exclusive one on one time. This last week, on the 31st, my Mom and Dad watched Isaac so Jake and I could go out. We had such a good time.
First we went to the Derby Wine Estates to get dinner and wine and listen to my friend, Aaron, perform. Then it was off to the Fair.
After walking around some, we went on a few rides, starting with the Zipper (a childhood favorite of mine). As we stood in line Jake looked up the history of the ride and its safety.
Our view from inside the cage of the Zipper!
We then went on the Hammer and finished the night with a ride on the Ferris Wheel. Such a great time with the one I love. If I were to die on one of these rickety rides, I would want it to be with him.
