library time

We hit up the library twice this week with Callen's girlfriend Avery (just two weeks older). Melissa and I love getting the kids together so they can be rough and play. Tuesday we tried out the baby singing time and loved it. Wednesday we went to toddler story time which was also fun. The turnout to these events is huge. There is nothing better than fun, free, wholesome activities to do with your baby and friends. 

What else are we missing out on that I need to know about?

talking with dad

With Tris in Canada (Eh?) normal cell phone communication is out of the question, so we've been improvising  He has been calling me from his computer and we also video chat when we can.  We were interested to see if Callen would know someone was talking on the computer screen and if he would know it was dad. He is so busy it is hard to get him to sit still in from of the screen but it was a success and he did smile a few times when Tristan talked to him. 

Tristan's work is going well and he is having as much fun as possible. Him and his colleague go to a new fun restaurant every night and walk around the city until frostbite sets in. 

We can't wait to see dad so soon! 

safari park

Our Zoo passes also get us into the San Diego Wild Animal Park, now renamed the Safari Park. Callen, my mom, and I went Friday afternoon and fell in love. There was no one there, the weather was perfect, and the animals were abundant. Because we practically had the park to ourselves I let Callen walk around a lot, which he loves. He does whatever he wants. As we walked the trails he was touching all the plants and stopping to look at any little thing, including gum on the sidewalk. 

Unlike the zoo the Safari Park let the animals roam a bit more freely which gave us the opportunity of up close encounters. We followed this beautiful bird around for a few minutes. We had to hold Callen back from tackling it a few times.

 We also came five feet away from Giraffes. So cool!. I was freaking out more than Callen was. 

Another top contender were the gorillas. They were huge.  

 Checking out the Meerkats that looked like they should be in a Nat Geo commercial. 

And of course you have to document the biggest snot bubble ever. 

library and teeth

Phew! What a day. I decided I could never be a single mom. My mom has been helping me with Callen a lot since Tristan has been gone (and its only day three). What a life saver. 

I had my yearly physical this morning. Tristan and I see the family doctor I grew up seeing and I absolutely love him. We talk about running the entire time. I was checked from head to toe and even had lab work done. I love the reassurance of having a physical so I know I'm healthy. Especially with all the running in my near future I want everything in balance. 

Callen is cutting teeth! It took us nine months but hey, they are on their way! I can tell his appetite has decreased (I've heard that happens when teeth are coming in) and he is more irritable when he is bored or being ignored. His smile is bigger than ever and he has been laughing so much more just in the last few days.

To keep us busy this morning we went to story time at the Carlsbad city library. It was awesome. It came highly recommend from my two friends, Kristi and Annie, and I think it will become a regular occurrence for us. 

Can you spot Callen standing?

 After story time we played with toys. All Callen needs is space to walk around and people to look at. We were in heaven.

After the library we went to lunch with my mom. We all split cheddar cheese fries and a salad. Yum. We then ventured to Costco. Callen loves Costco. He walks down the isles, follows strangers around, and smiles at the old ladies. He is a super good helper pushing the cart.

Somehow I set my Bluetooth to start speaking French. Its been hard trying to call people today. 

9 month dr visit

We visited Dr. Tolba for Callen's nine month check up. He weighed in at 24 pounds 2 ounces (97%) and was 2 feet 5 inches (73%). His height percentage used to be greater than his weight percentage but since his six month check up Callen did more growing out and around than up. We'll work on that for next time. 

I told the doctor I was concerned about his ears and sure enough he had an ear infection. I thought I was just teething but alas, it was more. Thankfully, we were written a prescription for Amoxicillin and hope that will clear things up. 

Dr. Tolba said he is all clear to eat all food expect honey and wait until twelve months to introduce cows milk. He wants Callen off the bottle by twelve months so I need to use sippy cups more and more.

The last, and my favorite, question he always asks is, "Do you and dad find time to spend together alone out of the house?" I love it when my doctor looks after my own mental health and marital well being.

We walked away with only two shots. A follow up Hepatitis B and his second flu shot.

valentines day

Callen experienced his first Valentines day! He didn't know what was going on, besides getting half an M&M, but I sure had fun with it! Trey Rondo invited Called to his little Valentines party so I went all in and handmade valentines for Callen to pass out to the other kids. Technically, I was the one passing out Valentines because Callen just wanted to lick all of them. 

Then I made Valentines for Tristan and the Grandma's and Grandpa's and even the three Aunties that live here. We delivered Grandpa Tucker's valentine to him at work for fun. 

Dad receiving the valentine Callen made for him at the Valentines Day party. 

After making all the cards I caught the craft bug and decided to make a heart banner. I cut out hearts with the Cricut and sewed them together. 

We made heart pizzas for dinner.

Tristan and I celebrated Valentines over the weekend by shopping, dinner, and a movie, alone. It was wonderful. 

one line a day

For Christmas my mom gave me a little journal called Mom's One Line A Day. I am in love. Every night, before bed, I jot down something for that day. What I did, what Callen did, who we were with, my thoughts, my feelings, my plans, the weather, anything. I have a small six line space to fill which makes it easy to say a little something every day. Reading back on the last month it is surprising how much I have already forgotten.

January 4, 2013: I love being a mother. Especially to a sweet spirit like Callen. He makes me smile and laugh. I have purpose because of him. He smelled flowers today for the first time.

January 18, 2013: It was a beautiful day. We went to the park. Callen can go down the slide all by himself. He can scoot himself over the edge but sometimes his shoes stick to the slide and stop him.

January 31, 2013: Pee pee monster! Callen peed on the bathmat, on my slipper, and on the carpet twice all before noon today. 

February 7, 2013: I had to call poison control today for the first time. Callen swallowed an Alieve pill. Nurse said everything will be ok. First time eating peanut butter! He loved it.

February 11, 2013: Callen learned how to open cabinets, cupboards, and drawers today. Ohhhh boy...

canada, eh?

Tristan is off to Canada for two weeks for business. What are we going to do without him? Callen loves him some Dad time and is going to be sad. We plan on video chatting a lot since cell phone usage is out of the question.  Tristan is also planning on visiting Elder Grant Perdue (his younger brother) over the weekend as Tris will only be a few hours from his mission. 

On the bright side...once he gets back it will only be two weeks until we move! 

thirty days

We received our thirty day notice! We found out we will be moving into our home about a month earlier than expected! What perfect news. Our "expected" closing date is March 15th.

Pictures from our latest home visit. 

They completed the outside, took the scaffolding down, landscaped, installed the appliances, and laid down the bathroom tile.

And just because...

love mud

I don't really love mud but I did run my first mud run on Saturday. It was called the Love Mud Run 5K and it was a blast. Diane invited my mom and I to run with her and her daughter Melissa. I did my normal marathon training run before the race not knowing how I would feel after and good thing I did because that little 5K took us an hour and we were wet, dirty, and tired. The race was in Temecula by Vail Lake and it was about 75 degrees, pretty warm. We found the perfect matching shirts to run in it, a heart that said love. Matching makes anything that much more fun.

Some of the obstacles we faced were:

Tunnel of Love: Painfully crawling on arms and knees through a small tunnel.
Sweetheart Slip and Slide: They didn't mention a fire hose spraying you from behind.
Mountain of Mud: Climbing mud hill over mud mound to slide down the other side into a puddle of mud.
Paradise Beach: Jumping off a small ledge into mud and sinking knee deep and getting stuck.

Top of the World: Walking up the steepest hill even cars cant drive up it to only have to walk down the other side just as steep.

Obviously, you can choose how dirty you get. Some people were diving head first into the mud but we took the more girly girl approach.
  Afterward we cleaned up in a hot water shower and changed into clean clothes for the drive home. 

Who's in for Love Mud 2014?