Babies Don't Keep.

^^this picture was taken about a month ago when I first started this post, and man, he has already changed so much.^^

My easy baby has been not as easy these days and that's been really hard for me. What I thought was a too easy transition into his own room has backfired, and by the end of the day, I just have no more stamina to battle a baby who just wants to be awake. I want to have some time for me, and I want to go to sleep. Selfish desires. 

I woke up this morning feeling so bad how I had behaved the night before. But that's also because I was able to recharge my patience batteries overnight by getting some sleep. After a few failed efforts of baby falling asleep then being wide awake as soon as he was sat down, I found myself googling how young is too young to begin the cry it out method. Judge me if you will, but as I typed it in, it popped up, showing that I am not the first person to google it ha ha. 

So many of my dear friends here have been having their babies, and as I have gone and visited and held those sweet (and not heavy!) babies I can hardly believe that that was me just over two months ago. Two months is hardly anything at all in a non-baby life. And yet just look at my baby now, compared to these little newborns!

These two/almost three months have felt so long, and yet all I have to do it look at pictures of my newborn baby to realize that time is flying. But sometimes days feel like an eternity. It's such a crazy thing. Sometimes I go to sleep feeling discouraged at the daunting thought that I have to do it all again tomorrow. But then morning comes, and my baby wakes up so happy which is just the confidence boost I need to do it another day. 

I guess where I'm going with all of this is that I am trying so hard to cherish these days. And 80% of the time, I feel like I'm succeeding. There's a poem that I heard years ago by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton that has been in my head so often these days that easily helps me put things in perspective. 

"The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep."

I also like to use this poem as an excuse why my house is messy ;)

Anyway, time is fleeting. And I am so grateful for a patient little boy, who still smiles at me and loves me despite my flaws. I hope he stays that way forever. 

My Everyday Baby Lifesavers.

I've been thinking of the cliche things people say about their babies, like "oh, haven't showered in forever," or "sleep when the baby sleeps," etc etc etc. As of right now, these are the things that make my life easier with my baby, and they defy those things you hear about baby life.

1. I think this sleeper is a contribution to why we have a good night sleeper, or maybe it's just luck of the draw, who knows. But my baby loved sleeping in this thing the first two months or so. (So much for that classic cradle ha.) It's also the reason I haven't changed my pre-baby bathing routine one bit, that being that I take a nice long shower then fill up the tub and enjoy a soak ha. It's the best. I just pull this thing in the bathroom, and Baby J just chills there the whole time, so cute and patient. 

2. This wrap is the reason my baby sleeps when we are out and about, and overall just keeps him really happy. On Sollybaby's web site it says that babies that are worn are less fussy. My baby may just be generally not very fussy by nature, or maybe it's because I wear him in public way more than I put him in the stroller. He doesn't like being in it when we are just at home, but when we are out and he is tired (or he just had shots), the wrap is what calms him down so fast. Such a life saver. 

3. Thank you, Kelsy, for clueing me into this great product, that gets rid of the poop stains off of clothes. Enough said. 

4. These blankets are all I used in those first super hot weeks in August when he was an itty bitty newborn. So light and soft, and also handy in those unexpected spit up moments. 

5. I never frequented Burger King my entire life. But here in Okinawa, Burger King has fountain Dr. Pepper, and also one key thing that I have come to LOVE since a having a baby: A DRIVE THRU. Sure I have the little convenient store by my house where I could get my Dr. Pepper, but then I'd have to lug out the baby just to get a drink, then lug him back out. Drive thrus are the best. There are a few drive thrus around here, but it's BK that has the best fountain Dr. Pepper ha. 

6. Man, oh man, this swing. Sometimes I feel like my baby loves it more than he loves me. Seriously, he will be crying and you'd think he would prefer me holding him to comfort him, but no. He wants to be in the swing. The swing also is my go to if I want to "sleep when the baby sleeps." It's the only way I can actually fall asleep, because I know he is strapped in, and if he wakes up he will still be chilling, which subconsciously allows me to relax and actually take a little nap sometimes. 

Hope you enjoyed my little ode to my favorite baby things. Maybe some of them will help someone with a baby keep their sanity as well. 

xoxo Annie,

oh, and Baby J! :)

Family Beach Day!

It was an absolutely beautiful weekend here in Okinawa, so our little family had our very first beach day together. I swam in the ocean and snorkeled for the first time since giving birth, and it was wonderful. Baby J also enjoyed his time in the water until Victor insisted that the water was too cold for him....even though he never cried at all about it. Oh, Victor. What a worry wart.

^^cute little sandy toes^^

Man oh man, we are obsessed with taking pictures with him! We are like kids, being all, "hey take a picture of me with J like this." We just can't help ourselves. His cuteness controls us. 

And having a stroller (and a man) to lug our beach stuff around was nice ha. We have a nice little beach buddy now! He had a great time just lounging around. I wonder how long that will last before he's one of those babies trying to eat sand.

Hope you had a great weekend too!

Exploring Oki with the Babe.

After a windy and rainy weekend, I was feeling especially cooped up. It's already easy enough to fall into cooped up habits when you have a small baby, and my goal is to not let everyday be like that. Sure, I have some (like today ha), but it's so nice to get out with friends and go to some of my favorite spots on the island.

Anyway, me, J, Mickelle, and Madison headed down south for a day at the beach after said rainy weekend. I hadn't been to Shipwreck Cove (named by me and Sherry ha) in almost a year, and that place just makes me feel so happy. It's magical. The boulders created great shade spots for the baby, and he went for a dip in the ocean with us, and liked it, I think!

^^I actually squealed when I first put this hat on him. too cute!!^^

^^lounging^^

 After a little while there, we decided to seek out the much talked about restaurant referred to as"Thai in the Sky." Amazing view, with really yummy food that unfortunately I didn't get to fully enjoy, because my baby decided to have a meltdown. We all have our limits.

What a great day! Hope to have another one soon.

Tokyo, according to my iphone

This past weekend we took a quick trip to Tokyo. We had a great time, and we love Tokyo. We also had a great time traveling with J, which was something we were a bit apprehensive about. This was kind of a tester trip to help us see what works and what we can plan for better when traveling with a baby.

But the thing about traveling in Japan is that they are extremely baby friendly, so I don't know if it will be this easy when we travel to other countries. Most tourist sites, metro stations, airports, etc. have amazing mothers rooms with little curtained compartments where you can nurse your babies. The rooms also are equipped with changing tables and bottle preparation areas. Seriously, Japan is great. We spent Saturday evening in Ginza and I was worried about where to feed J dinner since it was mostly just a bunch of stores, like 5th Avenue in NYC. But sure enough, we went into one of their big fancy department stores and found the blessed nursing rooms.

This time around we stayed in a much more modern city area (unlike last time) with towering sky scrapers and beautiful views. This was nice with the baby because we didn't have to trek too far to see and do things.

Some little things we did differently this time around because of having the babay:

Forgo the diaper bag and bring a diaper backpack: So much easier.

Eat dinner early: Thus the picture of the empty restaurant ha ha. We had been to this restaurant before and loved it but didn't want to risk a crazy long wait or be crammed at the bar. It was so nice.

Have a little bit of "down time" in the afternoon at the hotel: this is when J usually gets grumpy if I've been out all day, so we just hung out for about an hour so he could just relax. Then he was great until we came back in the evening.

We also spent our first evening in a hotel right by the airport since we were getting in later. That was such a good choice. The Tokyo airport is an hour outside of the city so rather than staying up even later traveling into the city, we just got up in the morning and headed in. It helped keep J happy and well rested. Which helped keep ME happy and well rested!

So there you go! Time to start prepping for the next traveling adventure, just a few weeks away!

Baby J fresh out of the bath.

I'd like to say no white comforter was harmed in the taking of these pictures. But you can only have a naked baby pose for so long before he covers it in pee. And when I say cover, I mean cover! Boys.

Oh, I love this sweet little boy. There is nothing better than a little squishy naked baby. Even Victor absolutely swoons and squeals over him during "naked baby snuggle time." My new little habit is to just strip off J's clothes and bring him into the bath with me after I have showered and he has been patiently waiting. I know I should establish the bath pattern at night to help get him ready and relaxed for bed, blah blah blah, but I can't resist bringing him in with me in the morning. He really likes it too.

 ^^tried to capture a smile but this is the closest I got. He was too distracted by the "real" camera^^

 I've totally missed the boat on those little monthly updates that better mom bloggers do. So let's do a little 2 and a half month update shall we?

Not gonna lie, things get harder as this boy gets bigger with more personality. He fights naps and he gives his papi a hard time when I go out and he is watching him. Sometimes once he goes to sleep I think "finally! I need a good long break from you! See you at 3am!" And yet what do I end up doing just minutes after I have my precious alone time? Looking at pictures on my phone that I took of him during the day and thinking how sweet he is. Ha. Parenthood is a double edged sword.

But those negative things really are only hard about 15% of the day. He is a good little baby. He generally behaves great in public because he loves new sites and scenes. He really only gets fussy when he's tired.

He also is smiling now for real! It makes me and Victor melt. It sure is rewarding feeling like we are finally getting some reciprocation of love ha ha.

I'm really just trying to soak in these precious days where he is so sweet. (and not mobile ha)

We love our Baby J!!

I make plans to blog...

But then this happens...

...and I just don't want to move him. Because he's just so little and precious and this time is fleeting. 

And, you know, he is finally sleeping and he needs to sleep or he will be a grumpy Gus. 

So I'll just stay here for two and a half hours reading "dad is fat" by Jim gaffigan, which is hilarious btw. 

My life now. It ain't so bad.