Look, Mom! I'm a Baby

We have this large photo of baby Parker hanging on the wall in our bedroom. This morning Parks decided he wanted to recreate the photo. The end result is below. Ha! This kid. His sense of humor is fantastic.

My Threenager

I want to capture this moment in a post before it passes. Parker is growing and maturing so quickly. Everyday he comes up with a new joke or makes a comment that catches me off guard. His current obsessions are bird watching, picking dandelions, construction trucks and eating rice and noodles. Here are a couple of pictures of him rocking the tee I picked up for him in Brooklyn. He's such a ham! I want to tell him to stop growing up but it's so exciting to watch him become his own little person. 

Deep Space Crib Bedding from Land of Nod

Well crafted, adorable and brightly colored. Check, check, check! The new "Deep Space" bedding from Land of Nod is perfection. The collection includes a quilt, crib skirt, crib sheet, changing pad cover and toddler sheet set.

Victory! Getting My Toddler to Brush His Teeth

Victory is ours! I think we have finally figured out a how to get Parker to brush his teeth without biting me (he would bite me when I tried to use a finger brush to stop my from brushing his teeth). Three different toothbrushes (one, two and three), a fun pop up book about brushing his teeth and a couple of hours of scouring the internet for tips have resulted in something so simple that I'm kicking myself for taking so long to realize it. Make it a game. Make it fun. Thanks BabyCenter for the advice and for making me realize that we were not facing this issue alone.

Last night as we were going through our bedtime routine, I changed Parker's diaper and then I changed Monkey's diaper. I handed Parker a toothbrush for himself and one for Monkey. I showed him that Monkey was brushing his teeth and he thought it was so funny. Then he voluntarily started brushing his own teeth. Hallelujah! I think he may have even brushed a couple of his back teeth. Every child is different so this strategy may not work for everyone but Parker loves to copy us so I figured he would enjoy copying Monkey too. We'll keep working on this and hopefully one day brushing his teeth will not become such a production every night. If there are any Mamas out there going through this, I feel your pain. Literally. I have the bite marks to prove it.

[Brushing Monkey's teeth]

[Checking Monkey's diaper. This thoughtful little boy amazes me everyday.]

[Brushing his own teeth and smiling about it!]

Mini Me Look Inspired by Slim Sweats

Ahh Monday. I'm not ready for you but here you are again. On the bright side, this is a short work week and my sister in law is coming TOMORROW. Enjoy this mini me look and have a wonderful day, Mamas! 

Oh and speaking of sweatpants. Check out this video. You are welcome. 

Mini Me Look Inspired by Slim Sweats by marychu on Polyvore

Nike Kids Pico 4 (Infant/Toddler) / Gap Denim Jacket - dark wash / Zara Mao Collar T-Shirt / Hosen - Sweathöschen in Hellgrau Melange - ein Designerstück von..., $34

When Bad Hair Happens to Good Babies

This weekend was full of fun times but none of them matter because Parker now has a terrible haircut and we have to figure out a way to fix it. Ugh. It's so bad you guys. It started innocently enough. Tuan's hair person offered to trim Parker's hair after Tuan's haircut. He sat in Tuan's lap and she started trimming and he did fine until the clippers came out and scared him. Once he started wiggling it was all downhill from there. Now my poor kid has a crazyyyy cut that is uneven on the sides and straight across in the front. Does anyone have any advice on how we should proceed? Should we shave it? Can we fix it? Oh boy. I'm leaning towards cutting it super short so it can grow out evenly. The lesson here is pretty clear. Never accept free haircuts. Help!!

Our friends and family have been getting a pretty good laugh out of this one. Comments so far include.

From Brandon, "What are you gonna do? He has an image to maintain, his internet presence is at stake." 

From his nanny, "It's horrible. That haircut better be free."

From Tania, "Did you let Bich babysit?"

From Bich, "He looks like Andrew!" (not necessarily a good thing)

From Quyen, "Oh my god! I literally couldn't stop laughing. Please get it fixed!!"

From Susan (ever the optimist), "Hair grows back really fast."

[Check out the side view. OMG.]

[Looks pretty sad about his new hair cut. We've all been there, kid.]

Parker's First Swim Class

After much preparation and worry, we have survived Parker's first swim class! The class was held at the private residence of Miss K who generously volunteers her time to teaching kids how to swim. Parker clung to me so tightly I had to pry him off my body but he was able to "swim" once I let him go. It's incredible that he instinctively knew to reach for the edge and for my hands under the water. As Kim promised, there were plenty of tears. We were a little late so his cute swim trunks didn't make it on. The more I think about it, the more I want to just get these. So much more comfy. Hopefully the next lesson will go over a little easier.

Things I need to do
1. Buy another swim diaper just in case he has an accident

2. Get control of my hair

Side note, at dinner Parker saw some flowers and said "BONG" (flower in Vietnamese). This kid will never stop surprising me with how much he knows.

[Reeeaacch. At one point he was crying so loud both the dogs came over to check on him.]

[The anxiety on his face is classic]

[At the end of the lesson Kim had him swim to the top step. He was able to reach for it and push his body out of the water.]

[A proud mama and teacher!]

[Crying because he was cold once we took him out of the water. Pineapple hooded towel from CottonOn Kids.]

Swim Lessons are Upon Us

I've scoured the interwebz researching what we will need in preparation for Parker's swim lessons which start next month. I can't believe we are so close to summer! Below are my picks for the essentials required for a successful swim lesson experience.

Mamas: If anyone has any advice please chime in!

Toddler Swim Gear by marychu featuring sun care

Sun care / Native Shoes 'Jefferson' Slip-On Sneaker (Baby, Walker, Toddler &... / Batman Beach Wrap / Gap Origami Boat Swim Trunks - new dark orange / I Play Infant Toddler Boys' 2-Pack Swim Diaper Set / Columbia Unisex-Baby Infant Mini Breaker Sunsuit / Circo Shark Hooded Towel - Skyline Gray

Feeding Ducks in Scripps Ranch



 

[Free fun! Feeding ducks in the pond by the Scripps Ranch library. Thanks for the tip San Diego Family Magazine!]

 

Parker's First Visit to Disneyland

Last Saturday we took Parker to Disneyland for the first time and it was so much fun. In preparation for the trip, I planned our itinerary using Minitime.com, read a bunch of blogs with advice on how to survive Disneyland with a toddler and did research on all the rides he could go on. We tried to stick as close to his normal feeding and napping schedule as we could so he wouldn't be too out of wack. The result? A happy day at Disneyland for us and Parker. Success!

 

What I learned:

1. Take advantage of the baby center. We were there at least 4 times during our visit to heat bottles, nurse and change diapers/outfits. They even carry nursing pads and have tiny potties for kids who are potty training.

2. Be patient. We took things nice and slow as to not overwhelm Parker with rushing around. Don't feel like you have to go on every ride.

3. Make sure to pack a lot of snacks and water. Snacks are a great distraction while you are waiting in ride lines.

4. Get cash before going to the park. The balloon vendors only take cash. We totally failed at this.  

5. Plan ahead and make sure you know which rides your little one can go on.

6. Ride in the first or last car of the tram that takes you to the park so you don't have to collapse your stroller.

7. A lot of the kiddie rides are still kind of scary i.e Pinocchio, Mr. Toads. We skipped those.

8. Bring PJs so you can change your little one before they get to the car. I guarantee that they will fall asleep pretty quickly after a fun filled day. We also brought along Parker's current favorite book Brown Bear, Brown Bear.

 

[Enjoying some of the scenery. It's not all about the rides.]

 

 

[How cute are his Mickey ears? I love it!]

 

[A family photo with Jessie! Also, I need to stop wearing clothes that are too big for me.]

[We had lunch at the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. For about $25/person we ate all the ribs and bbq chicken we could fit in our bellies. It was a really satisfying lunch and we were so full we skipped dinner.]

[Messing around in Toon Town]

 

 

[The highlight of Tuan's day: seeing all the Iron Man suits on display at Innoventions]

 

[Waiting in line for Astroblasters. Parker is really tired.]

 

[The highlight of Parker's day: following this duck around for 30 mins.]

 

[We had to buy him a new shirt because the other one was totally soiled after lunch.]

 

[2nd highlight of Parker's day: eating a Disney churro for the first time while we waited for the parade.]

 

[Mamas tired feet.]

 

[I really wanted to get him a balloon but we failed to pull out cash before we got to the park. DOH!]

[He loved the parade.]

 

 

[A baby carrier is a MUST. He was getting squirmy in his stroller because he didn't want to miss any of the action.]

 

[Love]

 

[I know this is blurry but this is one of my favorite moments of the day. Parker discovered that he could mimic the steamboat noise and was cracking up.]

 

[Don't mess with these guns!!]

 

[In his pajamas and reading while we wait for the fireworks.]