21 Months!

I can't believe the next time I'll be posting about Cruz he will be 2! Like I say every time I write, time is absolutely flying by. Cruz has changed a lot in the last 3 months. He is talking instead of whining, he understands everything we say and most of the time he chooses to listen, and he's actually playing by himself for up to 20 minutes at a time. We have introduced spankings and time-outs (horrible for the both of us), drinking out of a "big-boy" cup, and brushing his own teeth. He absolutely loves that last one. He gets up on his stool and walks me through all the steps of brushing his teeth (I think we might have a micro-manager on our hands. He counts to 15 (never when I ask him, of course), knows some of his letters, and loves to color and read. He is absolutely obsessed with any and all animals and much to my dismay he has ZERO fear of them no matter the size or the domestication of the animal. He chased goats at the petting zoo and then got in their face to give kisses. Last week, he tried to put his entire hand into a horses mouth while feeding her a treat. At the wild animal park he was literally in the middle of a flock of ducks and geese and could not have been happier about it (see pic below). I love that he is an animal lover but a little healthy fear would put his mama at ease.

In the last 3 months we have done a lot. We went to the Wild Animal Park, the Zoo, and Legoland for the first time. We went to Palm Dessert with a great group of friends, Nashville for a wedding, and up to Orange County to visit my family. We had a great Easter reading his new Bible, coloring eggs, and had a blast at the Easter party Mike and Sharon's neighborhood puts on every year (petting zoo, snowcones/other treats, great food, arts and crafts, a bounce house, pony rides, balloons, clowns, an egg hunt and a live Easter bunny). We have something planned pretty much every day to keep this extremely busy boy happy. Here are some of his favorite things right now:

-"Choo Choo Train" (this is typically yelled at the top of his lungs when he hears one)
-"Trash Trucks" (or any kind of truck for that matter)
-"More Trucks Please" (when we're driving and he doesn't see a truck for a few seconds he repeats this over... and over.... and over)
-Swimming
-"Motcycle" aka Motorcycle
-Bananas (any fruit for that matter)
-The Beach
-Swimming
-Snacks
-"Light Queen" aka Lightning McQueen
-Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (we've got to take this kid to Disneyland this summer!)

Here are a few pictures over the last few months:

{wild animal park}

{the babies in palm desert}

{caught his first fish in the desert}

{first snow cone at the Bridges Easter Party}

{Easter Party}

{coloring eggs}

{feeding the coy fish at Dee Dee's}

{lunch date at the beach house}

{first car wash}

18 Months!

18 months, 30 lbs, 35 inches

The last 3 months have been fun but absolutely exhausting. As soon as he turned 16 months old, he decided to become pretty independent {and I mean independent in the sassy sense of the word}, very talkative, and extremely demanding 24/7. He goes and goes and goes all day long, crashes hard for 3 hours around 1pm, then goes and goes until bedtime at 7. Just within the last few weeks he has taught himself how to sit still with one toy for about 5 minutes, MAX. After that 5 minutes, he's on to the next. I try and have something planned for him every single day to keep him stimulated. We typically go to the park, have a playdate, go to story time at the library, or go to gymnastics every day. The kid needs as much activity as possible and I actually love that about him:). He is very physical and freakishly strong for his age which keeps me on my toes constantly. I have to watch him so closely wherever we go because he will literally take kids down to the ground in great tackling form {full wrap up and everything}- the cute thing about it is he is trying to give them a hug but is just a little too aggressive sometimes:). I am having so much fun being the mom of a very energetic, loving, smart, and independent boy.

Some of his favorite things:

-Blueberries "by by bys"

-"SNACKS" - he yells it but typically says "peez" after so it makes up for it

-Sand/sand toys

-Mickey "Minnie"

-Airplanes & Helicopters

-All animals

-Trash truck "Tra Truck"

-Reading books

-"O's & Shows" -he eats O's while watching a show- this is what he calls it:)

-The beach

-Bath "bithe"

-Bikes

-Anything he can push

-Apples "apum"

-Zeke

-Playing fetch with Zeke

-Elmo & Super Why

Here are some pictures from the last 3 months, dating all the way back to before Christmas:)

Cruz & the guys @ Christmas Dinner @ the Riechers

Cruz and his best buds, Barron & Evy

Gingerbread Houses!

of course all Cruz did was eat the candy

Cruz & I at the Living Nativity

Christmas Morning

He loves playing with water!

Best friend, Zeke:)

Cruz & Poppy!

He loves playing on Yaya and Jefe's bed

Buds

Throwing the ball for Zeke

"Weeeee"

My handsome boy:)

Buddies

Sitting naked on Zeke's head

Playdate at the Davies' house!

I just had to add this one... His face says it all.

15 Months!

28lb 6oz (95%), 32.5in (98%)

12 teeth (+ 4-he's cutting 4 incisors right now-ouch!)

Updating every month after 1 year would be a little crazy, so I decided every 3 would make me seem less of an overly obsessed mama (although I totally am!).

Since Cruz started walking at 1, the changes have been constant. Physically, he is an ANIMAL! I'm sure every mom thinks it, but this is one of the most active kids I have ever been around-hands down. When he is awake he goes 110% and then when he gets tired he crashes hard and fast, typically with at least 3 pacis in hand and snuggled up to his favorite stuffed giraffe. The thing I'm most amazed with is how verbal he has become. He was always a little chatter box, but, as most moms will tell you, the comprehension and verbal skills grow SO fast after the babes turn 1. He understands everything we say and will try to repeat any word you ask him to (for example, groceries, ends up like "ro-shees"... and he even says his name, "cooz"). I have written down most of the words he says with comprehension and the list is up to 33. SO fun to finally be able to communicate with my boy!

The thing I am loving most about Cruz (besides everything:) is how comfortable and outgoing he is with everyone. He is not shy at all, which I really admire about him. It can't be easy to see new people and have no reservations about saying "hi" and giving a smile. I've noticed this more at family or friend get-togethers, where Cruz just trots around from one person to the next, occasionally asking to sit on someone's lap. He is totally out of the mama's boy stage and, surprisingly, I love it. Unless he's hurt and needs comfort or tired and wants to snuggle, he is totally independent and absorbing everything around him like a sponge.

The last 3 months we have worked hard to keep this kid busy during the day. Between trips to the park, play-dates, gymboree, the beach, and running around wild in the backyard, he seems to be pretty happy and exhausted when the day is over:). Babywise continues to prove its worth even as Cruz gets older and it's not just the great sleeping anymore. When your baby gets the sleep they need they are "optimally alert" when they're awake, meaning they are in the best state of mind for learning and development. I truly believe that his great sleeping habits totally play into his advanced vocabulary and good overall health. You know I could talk about Babywise/Healthy Sleep Habits for DAYS so I'll stop that and the brag-fest 2011 now before it goes too far:).

Some of his favorite things:

-food (any and all)

-milk ("mee")

-mickey mouse clubhouse

-zeke ("zeee")

-the park ("pot")

-shoes ("achoo")

-cars/trucks (especially the "tra tra" trash truck)

-balls ("ba")

-books ("boo")

-sesame (especially elmo)

-trains

-the beach

-blocks

-his basketball hoop

-people

-outside ("outschide")

-sand toys

-he LOVES to dance (especially the mouskedance on mickey mouse clubhouse)

It is such an honor and joy to be this kid's mama and I am so thankful I get to stay at home to watch him grow!

Here are some pictures from the last few months:

McBride Update

It has been a while since I've updated on here but now that I feel a little settled I decided it was time!

We have moved home to San Diego and couldn't be happier (minus leaving our wonderful friends in Atlanta:( ). We are staying with Chase's parents for the time being until we figure our life out a little bit. This is our 7th move in 3 1/2 years of marriage, one of those including across the GLOBE to Hong Kong, and another across the country to Georgia. Needless to say, we don't really want to do much more of that so we want to bunk up with our fam until we find a place to land for good!

Mike and Sharon completely baby-proofed the place, moved furniture around, bought toys, diapers, wipes, etc to get this place ready for us. They worked so hard to make it perfect for us and we are absolutely loving it. Sharon's cooking is to die for (and frankly, I don't know if Cruz will ever eat my food after our stay-cation with them) and we've figured out a system of cleaning, baby-sitting, running errands, etc that works for all of us. I get to workout everyday and take my little man to all of my favorite beaches, parks, and restaurants-LOVING it!

We feel so blessed to be close to all the people we love (my family is only 1.5 hr away-so nice!) and we're really excited to see what the Lord has next. Things aren't exactly 'ideal' right now, but the one thing I know is that the Lord's plan is the best plan and that's the only plan we want for our lives:).

Prayer Requests: Exciting job opportunity for Chase. Health for all of us. Continual guidance and encouragement in marriage and parenting (especially as the season of tantrums start). Easy labor and delivery for my sis, Angela (due 11/11/11). God to open up doors to really create a strong spiritual community among our good friends here (you know who you are:). Thanks!