28th Birthday

Since my birthday this year happened to fall on Labor Day weekend, most of our family and friends had other plans. I remember a year when I was younger and my birthday was on Labor Day weekend I had invited like 15 kids to my birthday party and only 2 could come. This year, we didn't even bother trying to invite anyone to celebrate. I thought it would be fine to celebrate with just our family: Me, Phil, and Hayden. I was wrong.

I arranged for Phil and Hayden to do a free preview class at The Little Gym in Issaquah at 9am so I could sleep in on my birthday, for once. At 8:40 I could hear them downstairs still eating breakfast. Not wanting Hayden to be late for his class, I went downstairs and helped get Hayden ready and out the door by 8:55am. Then I finished off some cold blueberry pancakes by myself. It was so quiet I barely knew what to do with myself. Oh, TV, that's right. So I got a couple chuckles out of The Soup episode.

Then my mom & clan called and serenaded me to a boisterous "Happy Birthday" song and then I chatted with them for a bit.

After that I watched some Jon Stewart and then Phil came home with Hayden. Hayden was so excited and full of energy when he came and gave me a huge hug. That boy lights up my life! I heard all about how much fun they had at The Little Gym. I knew he would love it because he has already learned to put his head down to do somersaults on command, and loves balls and I knew there would be plenty of opportunities for both there. Phil said he also did really well on a stair apparatus and scored a 9.6 on the parallel bars to beat China out for the gold. ;) Even though Hayden really enjoyed it, we looked over the pricing: a $40 annual "Membership fee" and then $370 for a semester (20 classes), and we decided $20 per class was too steep for our budget.

Phil wanted to finish his half-eaten breakfast so I played with Hayden and fed him a snack. Then Phil put him down for a nap. He had a tough time falling asleep probably because of the later morning snack but once he finally fell asleep, he slept for almost 3 hours. Yay!

During those 3 hours, I took a shower, watched some more tv, got a "Happy Birthday" call from Grandma, and a wonderfully unexpected call from a long-lost friend. Then Phil and I ate lunch and got Hayden's stuff all ready to go out for the rest of the afternoon/evening. It's quite a task to pack a diaper bag and think about the food and drinks he'll need for the rest of the day.

I opened Phil's gift to me. A beautiful necklace and matching earrings from Fireworks Gallery, that I had strongly hinted to him a couple weeks ago at the mall. I sure make it easy for him. He says I'm really hard to buy for, so I guess this helps me from being disappointed, but sometimes I wish he would just get me something he thinks I would like because he knows me so well, rather than basically pick it out myself and act surprised when I open it. I hear many husbands are like this, though, so at least he paid attention, and at least I didn't actually buy them and wrap them for myself, like some wives I know!

So after Hayden woke up, we headed down to Westfield Shopping mall where they have just opened a whole new wing of the mall. What were we thinking going to a mall on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend??!! The traffic backup off the exit was gridlocked. But I must have had some birthday magic on my side because we miraculously found a decent parking spot right away. The mall was packed with all the back-to-school shoppers. PACKED.

Phil hung out with Hayden on the kid's play area, which was very cool, but also packed. Nice of Phil to let me go have some baby-free shopping time. But shopping alone can also be kinda lame. Sometimes I don't mind, but on my birthday, it felt pretty lonely.

The new mall has a new 2-stroy H&M store. I had been to H&M in London and was excited to check it out, remembering the good styles and prices. It was more than a madhouse, but I managed to find 19 items to try on, waited in line for the fitting rooms for about 20 minutes, ended up with 7 "yes" shirts and then waited in line another 20 minutes to pay. Oh, and a super obnoxious couple was fighting behind me while we were in line and I wanted to turn around and smack the boyfriend for some of the things he was saying to his girlfriend or at least tell the girl "Dump that jerk! You deserve better, girlfriend!" But I kept my mouth shut and eyes forward. Waiting in lines alone on your birthday sucks.

After tracking down Phil and Hayden it was almost 5:15pm. We knew we needed to get to dinner fast. We thought Red Robin would be a good bet since it's not attached to the mall and maybe wouldn't be as crowded. Plus, Hayden LOVES the atmosphere of RR so we knew he'd be entertained during our meal. But as we walked toward the end of the mall where we parked, I remembered The Rainforest Cafe was in the mall, and knew that would be fun for Hayden. Astonishingly, there was no wait and we were seated right away! Hayden was captivated by the fish tanks and wanted nothing to do with his high chair. So maybe we'd made a mistake coming here! Phil and I took turns touring Hayden around the restaurant, and I ran back to the car to get Hayden's milk from the cooler. The service was quick, which was nice with a baby, but it was really mediocre food. This restaurant seems to put all their effort into ambiance and none into food quality. Phil couldn't even finish his burger because it was so dry and tasteless – like it went from freezer to microwave. My pasta wasn't much better.

Phil was complaining about his food and a stomach ache, and was off in the bathroom when the waitress brough over my birthday dessert. I insisted that she and the waiters who came with her not sing, since it was just me and Hayden at our table. A guy at a table next to us looked at me and made a sad/pity face, like "I'm sorry you are alone for your birthday dessert." Hayden was squirmy and anxious to go explore the restaurant some more, so I managed a few bites of dessert and then walked around with him until Phil came back from the bathroom. We ate some more over-priced giant chocolate brownie w/ice cream while taking turns entertaining Hayden and then Phil realized Hayden's diaper was soaked through his pants!

Phil took Hayden to change him (I had just changed him before we sat down to eat dinner, so I was shocked that his diaper would be that soaked!) and his clothes, while I stayed back at the table, alone again, to pay our bill, gather up all our stuff and clean up a bit and wait for them up front. At least Phil was nice enough to change Hayden out of his wet diaper and wet clothes.

We got Hayden home way later than his bedtime so I felt bad. While Phil was putting Hayden to bed I got Boggle out and turned on the TV to wait for him. Then he decided to take a shower and get ready for bed so I got sucked into a Sandra Bullock/Hugh Grant movie on TV. When Phil finally came downstairs he didn't notice (or pretended not to notice) Boggle and at this point, I didn't really care to play. I watched the stupid movie while Phil fell asleep on the couch and then I went to bed alone and left Phil on the couch.

Next year I hope my birthday doesn't fall on Labor Day weekend. Today seemed like any ordinary day. Maybe even a little worse. :( On the bright side, I can't wait to wear my new clothes and jewellery!

15 Months Old

Hayden turned 15 months old on Wednesday, August 20th. He had his Well-Baby Doctor visit today and here are his official stats:

Weight: 24 lbs, 10 oz. (50th percentile)
Height: 33 1/2 " (+97th percentile)
Head Circumference: 19" (75th percentile)

He is super healthy all around. Although he didn't enjoy the poking and prodding of the doctor and definitely didn't like the 2 shots he had to get. :(

Hayden's been doing well so far as we've been introducing dairy back into his diet. Yogurt, hard cheeses and goat's milk have all been ok as far as I can tell. The pediatrician advised sticking with the goat's milk if that's working for him until 18 months, and then try to transition him from goat's to cow's milk an ounce a week at a time.

Phil and I celebrated our 9th anniversary on the 14th by going to a movie and The Cheesecake Factory. Now that I can eat dairy, I totally indulged on some fettuccine alfredo and cheesecake. And gained 5 lbs already. Nice.

So I have yet to spend an overnight away from Hayden, but I'm ready, and it's just a matter of when and where. We decided not to go away for the weekend because Saturday was the Lott family reunion in Centralia. I barely got to visit with anyone because Hayden continues to have a tough time in large crowds and gets really clingy to me when a lot of relatives are around. It's strange because at Stroller Strides and at PEPS he is crawling all over the other moms, so maybe it's a male thing. We've also learned that the minute we arrive, we can't just hand him off to other relatives, not even Grandma. I have been assured by many experienced moms that this "Stranger Anxiety" phase is totally normal and healthy, and that he will grow out of it. But I feel a little bad that Hayden just wanted to be off cruising around all the cars in the driveway rather than be social.

The weather has been pretty crummy this week and I'm not ready for summer to be over already. Phil is going to take the week of Labor Day off work to hang out with us more and celebrate my birthday. He's also training for the Kirkland Triathlon.

Mr. Serious

I love my boy.

A Day at the Farm

Hayden and I visited my Grandpa Doug this week on his birthday. While my Aunt, Grandma and cousin were exploring the Oregon Coast, we decided Grandpa shouldn't celebrate his birthday alone. We went to visit him on my Aunt's farm in Black Diamond, WA where he was helping look after the animals. Hayden had a great experience watching Grandpa feed the horses some carrots. They are noisy eaters! Hayden was a little too timid to pet the horses, but was blowing raspberries at "What does the horsey say?" and was mesmerized by their every movement.

He was also saying a high-pitched "Maw!" when the barn cat, Oreo came around.



He really enjoyed getting to stick his hands in the chicken feed and hear them clucking around. Grandpa let him touch the eggs. There was a rooster on the farm next door that cock-a-doodled quite frequently, and Hayden also tried mimicking those noises. Adorable.

Nursing Update

Disclaimer: While breastfeeding is a wonderfully natural part of motherhood, I realize not everyone enjoys reading all the details about my experience. If that's the case, you need not read on.

So it looks like breastfeeding Hayden has come to an end. Before vacation, I was down to just nursing him in the morning and pumping in the evening and supplementing the rest with formula. My milk supply was rapidly dwindling. On vacation, I brought the handheld pump and couldn't even get 3 oz. total each evening after 20 minutes of pumping. My hand was sore and that's really not a fun way to spend an evening on vacation. I've pumped a few times since we've been home and can't even get 2 oz. out now. In the mornings, my let-down can take up to 5 minutes and Hayden is usually too impatient to wait for it. And lately, when the milk finally lets down, he sometimes gags and coughs like it's poison. Maybe the taste has changed or he's just getting so used to all formula now that the breastmilk tastes bad to him. I am down to just a 5 oz frozen bag and then we'll be done. If my milk come backs or I get engorged, then I will pump and add that milk to formula for him to benefit from the nutritive content.

I have mixed feelings about it. I wanted to nurse Hayden as long as possible. Breastmilk is SO beneficial for a baby, and the World Health Organization recommends all babies be breastfed until age 2. Most of the moms I know were happy to make it to 1 year. That was my goal originally, too, until Hayden had that whole issue with dairy. Hayden can't just go to whole milk or even regular formula. He has to have a special hypoallergenic formula that is $30 a week! Breastmilk is FREE!! :) Not to mention much better for him too! But what can I do? My milk is drying up, and he doesn't want to nurse.

We have started slowly introducing some dairy into Hayden's diet. Starting last week, he had some yogurt made with Whole Milk. Something about the chemical properties of yogurt makes it have less cow's milk protein and therefore least likely to cause a reaction. The yogurt seems to be going fine, so tonight, he had a tiny bit of cheddar cheese on his egg & spinach scramble. Since it can take up to 3 weeks for his colon to become so inflamed it bleeds, we may not know he has issues with dairy until we see blood in his diapers again. So we are taking things very slowly and in very small amounts. The goal is to have him drinking whole milk by 18 months.

The upside to weaning is that now I can eat dairy ALL I WANT!! And wine, and anything else I want! I'm sure I'm about to gain 10 lbs on the cheesecake, quesadillas, and milkshakes I been deprived of for the past 10 months! I already treated myself to the tiny bag of Cadbury Mini-Eggs I stored up since Easter as a reward for avoiding dairy all this time. Yum! And last night for dinner I had lobster Mac n'Cheese. Yes, I need to be very careful or start going to Stroller Strides 6 times a week!

And finally, the biggest plus of all... no more pumping. My breasts can belong to me again and I won't feel so much like a cow (until I gain all that weight! Haha!).

Sorry there are no photos for this post.

Barnett/Breeding Family Reunion

July 12th - 19th 2008
Lake Odessa, Michigan

Phil, Hayden, and I attended my step-dad Mark's big family reunion last week. His cousin ("Uncle Dick") owns a beautiful home on Jordan Lake and about 40 relatives came out this year for the reunion. It was a week of awesome watersports, games & activities, fabulous food, and catching up with extended family. And even though I'm just a step-relative, I could not have felt more welcome by all the wonderful Barnett & Breeding family. We enjoyed introducing Hayden to everyone! Even Mark's parents (Grandpa David and Grandma Marilyn who live in LA) had not met him yet, so it was wonderful to have this opportunity.

Click here for the Shutterfly photos. Read below for the details:

So... As I expected, the flight out to Michigan was pretty challenging and exhausting. Hayden fought off a much-needed nap and wrestled around on our laps. He'd sit still and read a book or play with a toy for a few minutes, but then there were some moments that seemed like torture. He wasn't even interested in the portable DVD player -- except that he wanted to push all the buttons, and when we wouldn't let him, that just made him more mad! It was especially interesting trying to change a poopy diaper in the plane's cramped lavatory with no changing table. I did a wall sit with my back against the door and laid him on the top of the toilet lid and across my thighs. I guess those killer wall sits we have to do in Stroller Strides paid off! :) Thankfully, Hayden wasn't nearly as squirmy as he usually is when I change his diaper, and after a good hand-washing, I was actually a little impressed with the two of us for pulling that off. Then, of course, just as the plane landed in Detroit, Hayden finally fell asleep in my arms! But he awoke as soon as I put him in the car seat in my mom's car. He's probably the only baby I know that doesn't like to sleep in cars!

We spent Sunday at my mom and step-dad's house in Ann Arbor and then on Monday we all drove to the reunion about 2 hours away, near Grand Rapids. My mom, step-dad, little sister, Phil, Hayden and I stayed in a cottage on the lake about 1/4 mile away from Uncle Dick's house. I had hoped we could get away with Hayden just taking 1 nap a day, but he was clearly tired and needing a morning nap every day, so we'd stay at the cottage until after lunch and then spent the afternoons and evenings at Uncle Dick's. Hayden thankfully took his afternoon nap in the Pack n' Play at Uncle Dick's house and usually they were 2+ hour naps (I was pleasantly surprised with his ability to sleep in a foreign environment), so that was great time for Phil and I to get out on the boat. They have a new MasterCraft boat designed for wakeboarding and "surfing", so Phil was thrilled! I even got to go wakeboarding a couple times! We hadn't been since we sold our wakeboard when Phil's parents sold their ski boat a few years ago. Luckily, Phil and I picked it back up quickly and even did a few sweet jumps and some not-so-sweet face plants. Phil also enjoyed trying the surfing.



They also have a Sea-Doo and a Hoby-Cat sailboat, which Phil and my step-dad took out one windy afternoon.


Hayden didn't really enjoy the boat or swimming in the lake. On the boat, he didn't like having to wear the snug-fitting life jacket, and the lake water was a bit too cold for his liking. There was a great inflatable pool in the yard and that is where he preferred to play. He also enjoyed their big swing hanging from a large tree and just walking all over their huge grassy yard. He quickly became a very good walker because he skinned his knees on the brick patio on the first day and after that, didn't like to crawl anymore.


Hayden experienced an unfortunate accident on Tuesday morning. We were eating breakfast and all of the sudden he tipped forward in his portable high chair seat and slammed his face on the dining table. Apparently, someone forgot to strap the seat down to the chair when it had been brought in the night before, and we didn't realize it wasn't strapped down when we put him in it the next morning. He got a bloody nose, and a cut under the end of his nose, cried hysterically for a few minutes, and then was fine. I think Phil and I were more shook up than Hayden. Luckily Phil and I both caught him before he hit all the way to the floor. Big lesson learned. Always check the straps!

Wednesday evening we did the 10' Banana Split tradition. Only this year, with so many people, it was actually more like 20 feet. There were at least 4 picnic tables end-to-end holding rain gutters (new) full of banana split heaven. Yum! And I'm so glad I'm not restricting my dairy intake anymore so I could dig in! I even let Hayden have some banana (no ice cream for him, yet!)


It was nice to have the help from my mom on vacation. A couple of the nights, I would put Hayden to bed back at the cottage and my mom stayed with him there and then I went back to Uncle Dick's for s'mores around the campfire. It was fun to be around all my second cousins (is that what they are?). Many of them are married now and starting families, too. The last time I saw most of them, I was 15 or so. We've all changed a lot since then! One night a big group of us "30 & under generation" went to see the midnight premier of Batman: The Dark Night. We got home at 3:30am but it was worth it! Considering Phil and I haven't been to many movie theaters at all lately, it was a special treat. And thanks to Red Bull, Phil managed to stay awake during the entire movie! :)

Friday evening, we had a Wedding Shower and Baby Shower for 2 of the second cousins.


And have I mentioned the Sky Ride? It's hard to explain. Watch the video:




The weather was beautiful every day except the last day when it rained all day. Phil got sunburned on his shoulders, but Hayden and I didn't even get a tan I was so careful about sun protection! Phil and I got some mosquito bites, but Hayden went to bed before they got too bad, so I didn't notice any on him.

The flight home was slightly better because Hayden fell asleep for the last hour of the flight. Oh, and we sat next to Brad Goode, King 5 Morning News Anchor, on the flight home. Nice guy. His wife and 4-year old daughter were in the row behind us and they were all nice and supportive of Hayden's occasional crabbiness.

I have to say, as much fun as it was to see all the family and enjoy the lake, it's good to be home. It's not a true "vacation" for me when my full-time job comes with me! Being away from home is certainly more challenging and required a lot of planning. But Hayden is such a joy, I really can't complain. Surprisingly, I didn't forget to pack anything, and we even managed to check just one bag per person and one carry-on each. Hayden adjusted pretty easily back to the 3-hour time zone change and seems happy to be home with his own toys and crib.

Next up: An overnight retreat without Hayden for the first time. Our 9-year wedding anniversary is coming up so Phil and I are planning a little weekend get-away in August.

Hayden is walking!

I'm calling it official now. After a week or so of sporadic steps, Hayden is now dominantly walking, or trying to walk, as much as possible. He takes about 5-6 steps between furniture or from a wall to something else. He still sometimes gets going too fast and falls down but is getting better and better with each attempt.

Here is a good video of him walking all the way from the living room to the kitchen! Nothing like a little Veggie Booty to pursuade him to move (since as soon as I'd turn the video camera on, he was too distracted by the camera to show off his skills!) Enjoy!

Father's Day 2008

I don't know if the day could have been any better. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed a nice balance of activity and relaxation. The day started off with a blueberry pancake breakfast and then Phil went out on a drive with his brothers and dad. They explored some twisty roads and stopped for coffee. They are all car nuts and Phil's twin brother, Adam, just got a new motorcycle! Hayden and I hung out at home and prayed that Daddy would return home safe and ticket-free! :)

After a nice lunch and mid-day nap, we met up with Phil's family at the Woodland Park Zoo. I haven't been to the Woodland Park Zoo since probably when my niece was 3 or something. She's 15 now. Hayden really enjoyed the animals that were close enough to see and moving. He loved the Sloth Bear, the Orangutan, the Elephants, the Flamingoes and the Goats. We didn't have time to make it into the Tropical section where they have the monkeys, so we'll have to make another trip to the museum soon and I'm sure he'll love those too. He was pointing and saying "Ba" or "da" or his new favorite sound, "Jgjhjghgjh". He was a little frustrated by all the in and out of his stroller. It was hard for him to see anything in his stroller. Boy, that kid is getting heavy!







There's also a cool area in the Zoo called the Zoomazium. Hayden loved the fish tank and the drums in there, while his older cousins climbed all around on a giant tree house. Here's some video of Hayden drumming with Daddy:



We ended the evening with a big family meal at our place. Phil grilled up some Choice Steaks and we enjoyed some more time with Phil's family watching the Lakers beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. Hayden was so exhausted from the thrill of the zoo he zonked out for the night around 7:30pm. Good food, good wine, good times.