Friday, January 22, 2016

FIVE ON FRIDAY: FIRST EDITION

ONE
Tae is 10 months (!) which I guess means I need to start planning his birthday party. Since he was born March 19th I thought we could have a joint St. Patrick's Day and Tae's 1st birthday party. We don't have too many friends down here that have children, so this will be a fun way to celebrate Tae (and us surviving a year) without boring all our single and childless friends.  I have only one piece of the party done, Tae's shirt. I found it here and think he will look adorable in it.



TWO
The other night at dinner Tae was hilarious.  He loves playing "Where's Tae?". Normally when I try to get it on film he stops, but he just kept on going and I slyly filmed him.



THREE
Thursday I found one of my favorite necklaces (from here) I hadn't worn in awhile and threw it on.  Tae thought it was a new toy.


FOUR
I'm on day 12 of the Whole 30 and am feeling pretty good. I haven't had any meltdowns and even managed to get some workouts in this week.  My goal next week is to work out 5 days straight.

FIVE
Tae and I went to our first play group here and it was so much fun. I was a little nervous because I didn't know what to expect, but it was great. A friend and I met up there and then the kids enjoyed and music.




Wednesday, January 20, 2016

MUSIC TIME

Yesterday I rushed home from work to take Tae to a music hour at a local cafe. I met a friend and her daughter there. I had no idea what to expect, but it was awesome.  It was basically a man playing a bunch of kid songs on the guitar, but they also had musical instruments for the kids to join in. At first Tae wasn't too sure of things and just sat and observed, but after a few songs he warmed up and started exploring. I think he ended up having a great time.  Hopefully this will be a way for me to meet other moms in the area and set up some play dates for our little guy. 

What is this stuff?
Hmmmmm...

Mama! 

I'm gonna go check things out mom.


Getting up the nerve to move closer.
Playing with another instrument. 

He loved the triangles.



Tuesday, January 19, 2016

DOUBLE DIGITS

10 Months 
January 19, 2015 


Height: 30 inches 
Weight: 19 pounds 4 ounces (lost some weight since last month)

Likes: 
  • Music 
  • Playing "Where's Tae?" 
  • Putting his hands up in the air and then clapping for himself 
  • Crawling all around the house 
  • Pulling up on anything he can 
  • The beach 
  • The park 
  • Being outside
  • Planes Go, On My Beach, and any flip books
  • "Talking" 
  • Giving kisses 
  • Fake laughing 



Dislikes:
  • Napping during the day 
  • Falling 
  • Not getting his way
  • Being held by other people (not mom, dad, or Keila) 
  • When we leave for work (but I'm sure he gets over it quickly because Keila is amazing)

Milestones:
  • Understanding more--both Portuguese and English 
  • First scar
  • Crawling full force 
  • Gives kisses


Sleep
  • We got off track on this, I think because of all the traveling.  I ended up holding him and letting him sleep with us (which I loved). When we returned from all our trips we started to sleep train. So far he has done really well, it wasn't easy but we stuck with it and were firm.  I hope he/we continue.



Eating: 
  • Loves pasta, bread, and fruit (kiwi, mango, papaya, and bananas).
  • Stole mama's croissant of my plate and started double fisting it (Thatta boy) 
  • Eats any and everything
  • Started spitting food out as a sign he is done

Favorite Moments: 
  • His first Christmas! We didn't go all out and by that I mean we didn't even buy him presents, but it was fun anyways. 
  • Seeing his face while he experiences new things: the beach, turtles, crawling, music class,and pulling up on things. 
  • Walking in the door from work and having him light up, clap, smile, and crawl to us will never get old. 


Pics to Remember: 





This kid absolutely loves Keila (and we do too!) 

Action Shots: 






Mommy's Thoughts: 
I can't believe God gave us this little guy.  He fills our hearts with so much joy, laughter, and love. This month in particular it has been so fun to watch him learn how to crawl. He started out with a little lucky fin, but now we cruises all around the house. He definitely keeps us on our toes, just when we think we have him figured out he changes it up a bit.  We don't mind, as long as he is healthy and developing. 

Thank you Lord for Tae and our little family.  We praise you for the happiness and joy he brings to our lives. I thank you for the daily reminder of who you are through Tae. He challenges us to give grace, have patience, and forgive, just like you do with us.  He also shines with your joy, that is something I hope he never stops doing. I pray that Your words are imprinted on his heart and that he chases after you with all of his heart, mind, and soul. Thank you for growing us through him. 

Friday, January 15, 2016

TAE ON THE MOVE



Tae, can you put your hands up? 

His new trick.
Mr. Dooly, I think someone has some teeth coming in.

Happy little guy! 


Wednesday, January 13, 2016

TURTLE ADVENTURE


About 4 kilometers from our resort there was a sea turtle reserve, Projeto Tamar. There are tons of sea turtles that come up on the beaches in this area and because of human interaction and other things a lot of them get stuck and can't make their way back to their home in the ocean.  This reserve helps the turtles and educates the public on their lives and the need to help them survive.



Last time we were in Salvador we went by this place, but didn't stop.  This time we wanted Tae to experience it, so we took him for a morning.  It was like a mini sea world, but with more lines.  That is one thing about Brazilians, they love them some lines.  I am always amazed at how content they are to wait and wait and wait. 



The reserve itself isn't that big, but they had a bunch of different exhibits and viewing tanks. We saw huge turtles and even little baby turtles that were going to be released back into the ocean that night.  They were so tiny and adorable.





They had some interactive parts too.  Tae loved the part where you could feel turtle shells.  Jess and I were really surprised at how smooth they were.  They had turtle skeletons and we learned that their bones are infused to their shell.



It was a fun and educational day. Tae loved looking at the different fish and turtles and we loved watching his little expressions and interest. After Projeto Tamar we walked around the little town and then headed back to the resort for more churros. :) 

Monday, January 11, 2016

PRAIA DO FORTE: PART 1

We just returned from the most amazing vacation to Praia do Forte, in Bahia, Brazil. We stayed at the Iberostar, and what I wouldn't give to be back there right now.  We normally wouldn't peg ourselves as all inclusive travel people, but having a kid changes everything and on this trip we were all about the conveniences. It probably won't be like this forever, but man was it nice to just relax and not have to plan ANYTHING. 


We started bright and early on Saturday, leaving our place at 4:30 to catch our flight.  Tae hasn't been the best of sleepers lately so I thought it would work out with the early wake up.  Turns out he wanted to sleep in and didn't wake up at all, I had to get him up and transfer him into his carseat and he was not happy. Karma kid, that's how mama feels when you wake me up!  ;P 


The trip there was uneventful, we arrived early so our room wasn't ready, but it was totally okay since we had our magic wristbands we had full access to everything.  We hung out while Tae napped at the bar and started training our stomachs for the rest of the week.


We spent most of the week just relaxing and playing in the pool (oh and eating).  We soaked in every second with our little guy, even if he was being fussy and not his normal happy self.  He loved the pool, but particularly liked crawling around the edge of the pool which made us on full alert.


In the (early) mornings and evenings we would take long walks, either on the resort grounds or on the beach.  It was so peaceful and beautiful. Tae loves to be outside so he was in heaven.  We even found a playground that he loved.  Every single time we passed it he would pop his little head out from his stroller and start rocking.



We have a beach baby on our hands.  This kid loves the sand and the ocean. He will sit and be still and just stare at the waves. We didn't get in the ocean because there were so many pools to choose from, but we definitely enjoyed the sights and sounds. 





Our days pretty much consisted of playing at the pool. Tae would crawl around the side and pull himself up and down a million times on the lounge chairs. He was so proud of himself and would turn to us for approval. Seriously, melt my heart.  This kid has so much joy and shares his smiles freely.




Unfortunately Tae ended up taking a spill on one of his million pull ups on the lounge chair.  It was so sad, he screamed and screamed. Mostly, I think he just scared himself. He did have a pretty good scrape the next day to prove it. 

From the mama's point of view, I was so shaken up. Talk about heartbreak.  This is one of the first times he has gotten "hurt" and man did I feel horrible. In that moment my Portuguese left my brain and the tears and ugly cry face started. I pulled myself together, and realize that he will fall again, now I am more prepared. :)