on the fritz: 8 months

Frederick is so delicious. I am seriously smitten with my baby. He's crazy active - already cruising all over the place and is getting pretty close to standing unassisted. His favorite thing is to crawl at lightning speed behind William from room to room as they both giggle uncontrollably.

He also is loving kid yoga at the library once a week - he thinks he's big enough to participate and loves to crawl in between the big kids. I think it's pretty funny but I'm sure some of the other moms are annoyed. Sorry people.

He's finally eating solid food (phew!) and has gotten quite chubby lately. He also finally is getting some teeth, which is not awesome for sleep around here but, you know, life goes on.

I have a habit of taking a TON of pictures of that moment when I put him to bed at night. It is the sweetest moment and I don't ever want to forget what it feels like to look down at those little lips that quiver with the memory of milk. I don't want to forget the smell or feel of his soft, coconut oil skin nuzzled into my chest. I don't want to forget the way his eyes get heavy as he gazes at me.

on the fritz: 7 months

Frederick is technically 7 1/2 months but better late than never! I took some photos of him on the bed the other day and William just had to climb up too! They really love each other! I just wish I was better at taking pictures - I stink at using my DSLR. I swear my iPhone pictures turn out better.

At this point Frederick is:
- in full-fledged crawling mode. All over the place. All the time.
- hating solid food, unless he can find it on the floor as he's crawling around. My floor has never been so clean! He gags whenever I try to feed him any kind of "baby food" but he will try things as long as he can hold them (steamed green beans, broccoli, squash, carrots).
- no teeth yet. It's weird for me because by this age William had a few teeth and was eating plenty of solid foods. I'm pretty sure that's why he won't eat much yet. It's nature's way maybe? I'm not worried.
- pulling himself to standing position. I swear he's going to walk earlier than William (who walked at 10 months).
- a champ sleeper. He's not perfect but I'm happy with 12 hours at night and two solid naps during the day.
- growing some hair! Finally! It has just a hint of redness to it but it's definitely brown.
- sweet as sweet can be. I love him incredibly!

similarities

It's pretty obvious that William and Frederick are brothers. From the very beginning people would comment on how alike they look but as Fritz gets older I'm starting to see him change into his own look - I think he's looking less and less like his brother but sometimes I still see the resemblance. Since there's nothing cuter in the world than a clean baby fresh out of the bath I decided to take some pictures of Fritz in the same towel I used for Will thinking that they'd be identical. When I uploaded the pictures onto my computer and looked at them side by side, I was surprised at how different they look to me. Does anyone else see that or do they look a lot alike to you?

In any case, I think they're both really cute. :)

on the fritz: 6 months

Frederick is 6 months old. He is getting so big! I just love him so much. He's such a sweet, happy baby. He's easy to please - all I have to do is smile at him and he's instantly in a good mood. He loves people and I think he's unusually interactive and social. Lots of people comment on the level of interest he has in other people. I'm positive he's an extrovert! He's finally sleeping better in the night (last night he slept for 10 whole hours - oh heaven!) and he takes a couple of two or three hour naps a day. I just love my sweet Freddie!

- this kid never stops moving. It's exhausting to hold him. He wants to go, go, go!
- constantly happy and social. If he's not in the line of vision of other people he squawks until someone comes to smile at him and then he's delighted. Kicking his baby feet in happiness is not uncommon.
- is crawling. Well, army crawling but he's pretty close to getting up on all fours and doing it.
- won't sit up. I think he probably can but he's much more interested in crawling so whenever I try to sit him up he folds in half and gets into crawling position.
- he's not fond of solid food quite yet. I started giving him some food when we were in Arizona a few weeks ago and he gobbled it up. Then when we came back to San Diego he doesn't like it anymore. I mean, he gags over apples and pears! Wha?
- loves his brother a lot! William is his favorite person to be around and they have a great time laughing and even wrestling. I have to remind William to be gentle but I have a feeling Fritz is going to be able to hold his own sooner than I think!
- weight: 16 pounds 14 ounces (37%) - I was kind of worried about this but my pediatrician pointed out that he's burning a lot of calories with how active he is. It's very true but he's still kinda skinny. I guess I don't make fat babies, just tall ones.
- height: 28 inches (97%) - no surprise there.
- head: 17 inches (45%)

brotherly love

I love my boys so much. They really love each other and it makes me melt. Frederick's eyes sparkle with delight when his big brother is near and William loves to kiss his baby and tell him he loves him. The other day both of the boys were on my bed. William was laying by Frederick and I was folding clothes. He was talking to Frederick and said, "Ohhhhh, baby. You're so cute. (kiss) Good job baby! You're so smart! (kiss)". Frederick cooed. I melted. This is happiness.

frederick: five months

I wish you could hear the giggle coming out of this sweet baby boy in this picture. I love his laugh. I love the way his eyes shine when his big brother is in his line of vision. I love the way he wants to play with him at any opportunity. I love watching him greet new milestones. I love that he is fitting into one of my favorite hand-me-down outfits and looks so cute in it. I love that he loves me in the morning without makeup, crazy bed head and stinky breath. I love how he'll smile at any friendly face, especially that dashing baby in the mirror. How he loves him so! I adore this sweet baby boy. His freshness, his smell, his happy personality. I love being his mother.

fritz at 4 months

My Frederick is growing so fast. I feel like he's growing at turbo speed - much faster than William did! Is time just generally going faster than it did a few years ago? Sure feels like it. (And when did I start complaining about time passing by like an old lady?) Anyway, here's some fun facts about this age for posterity's sake:

He rolls all around the place and if I lay him on a blanket on the floor, it's only a matter of minutes until he's several feet away. He also scoots and pushes with a lot of strength from his toes to get moving.

it's OK to snooze during Sunday School when you look as sweet as this.

He thinks big bro, Will, is the funniest clown he's ever seen. These two boys have a lot of laughing ahead of them in the future, I think. It makes my mama heart happy.

some "mom+baby time" during nap time.

He's very tall (just like William was/is). A few weeks ago at his 4 month check up he was 27 inches long (99%) and weighed 16 pounds (73%). He's a strapping lad.

still loves the swaddle.

He has the most contagious little giggle. I know that baby laughs are all pretty impossibly contagious but his is so jolly. I just love doing the most ridiculous things to make him smile, which doesn't take much. He's incredibly social and if anyone looks his way with a cheerful glance, he immediately slaps on the biggest grin you've ever seen. I love him so.

fritz's first swim

Last week the temperature in our house was 85 degrees by late afternoon. I was in such a rotten mood and so were my boys. Fritz was so tired and restless because he was sweaty while trying to sleep. Finally I had a brilliant idea the other day to put him in a lukewarm bath. As soon as I put him in the water, he started squealing and kicking with delight. I've honestly never seen him so happy. I laid him on his back in only about an inch of water and I swear he thought he was doing the back stroke. I would pull his legs down to the bottom end of the tub and he would move his arms and kick his legs to push off towards the front end of the tub. I did this about 15 times and he was so happy. Watch out Michael Phelps! 23 medals, here comes Fritz Bryant!

We've spent plenty of time at the pool this summer since Fritz was born but I've never taken him in the water for fear that he was too young (have any of you swam with infants?) So, this weekend we mooched off a friend and used their pool. I think it's safe to say that he likes water.

Oh my heavens, I love this baby too much.

lottie and fritz

We met sweet Charlotte at the ranch and she's crazy cute. Holding her is like holding the most delicious bread dough. She's soft, squishy, smells delicious and just melts into your body. Frederick is quite a bit longer but she's got him majorly in the fatness! Stephanie did always produce cream! They're just two days apart and it's fun to think about them growing up and seeing their personalities develop. I took some pictures of them (on the iPhone so they're sadly not great) and died when they were smiling and holding hands. Babies are the best.

free as a bird (a naked bird)

On a particularly "warm" evening a few weeks ago, we stripped William down to nothingness after eating watermelon and let him roam around in the backyard. David filled up the watering can over and over again and gave it to Will so he could water the roses and other plants for me. I was cracking up watching his skinny, little body prance around on the grass. David would squirt him with the hose whenever he ventured near to fill up the can and scream and laugh hysterically. It made me smile so wide and I thought, "This is a perfect summer memory that I'll think back on when my children are older." I love being a mother to my boys.

And yes, I do feed him. In case you were wondering.

octobow

My in-laws took William to their house for a long weekend and it was really strange not having him around. It was like having one child again, which made it easy to be able to get some things done, but I missed my guy! We FaceTimed with him on Sunday afternoon and he was running around the house showing me everything and saying, "Look mama!" I just love that kid. 

I think Frederick really enjoyed some quiet, uninterrupted time with Mom and Dad. I think he also really enjoyed not being laid on to of or having random toys put on his head by his brother . . . wait, I just filled in for Will. 

 I have seriously cute boys. Just look at them bonding. My heart!

Now, excuse me while I go to the beach for David's family reunion. Then I'm off to Bluewater Days next week! I can't wait!!!!!

will the comedian

This boy has been cracking me up lately. He says the best things. I hope he knows how much I love him because I'm sure it's been hard on him to have my affections focused on the new kid on the block. Even still, he's handled our new life situation pretty swell and keeps me laughing and shaking my head throughout the day at the funny/cute things he does and says.

A few memories: 
The other day I told him that I was going to put Fritz down for a nap so I wanted him to play with his toys in the living room with a movie on. He ran into the room, saluted me and said, "Yes sir!" What in the world?!


He likes to shush Fritz in the car (the poor baby hates being in his car seat and screams from our house to every destination) and says, "It's ok baby. We're going to _________ (the park, the gym, Costco)." Like he cares, but it's really sweet. 


Instead of saying "no" when he doesn't want to do something (i.e. take a nap, go potty, stop laying on top of Fritz) he says "Sorry Mom". Sometimes he says it with such fierceness that it makes me laugh really hard. 


My favorite thing that he does is he grabs his backpack, puts one or two toys inside, kisses me, goes to the door and says, "Goodbye Mom. See you later. I love you!", and proceeds to go out to the garage, get in his truck and "drive away". Don't worry. I watch him from the front window the whole time.

blessed

Frederick was blessed on Sunday and it was beautiful. My parents came into town for the occasion (and they're staying until the 4th - yay!) along with David's parents and sisters, my brother and his wife from Laguna Beach, my cousins from Del Mar and a few of my dearest friends. David gave Frederick a beautiful blessing - Fritz and Will are so blessed to have him as their papa.

After church we snapped a few photos. I felt kind of guilty because we did absolutely nothing for William's blessing. Like, seriously not even a family picture. And I went a little overboard with this one. Oh well. William, if you're reading this one day - we really do love you!

with my parents and David's parents

I'm really loving summer entertaining on our covered back patio. Our house is really small so it's nice to have this outdoor space when we have such lovely summer weather. I served yogurt parfaits with the best coconut granola, awesome ham and cheese sliders, beet, goat cheese and honey-balsamic salad, fruit and my mother-in-law made delicious banana cream pie tarts. It was delicious!

Yes, I stamped Fritz's initials on the cutlery, hand painted a banner, dipped baby food jars in paint and several other silly crafty things but at the end of the day, it turned out really cute and I was happy. So whatever.

my brother and sister-in-law, holding a wiggly Fritz

beautiful friends - Meg, Stephanie and Ashley

I'm so grateful for all my friends and family for coming to celebrate. We're a really blessed family!

our little contender: birth announcement

I really wanted to get some professional pictures of Frederick for his birth announcement but one morning, after his nap, he was in a particularly adorable mood and was wearing one of my favorite outfits so I laid him on the bed and just started taking pictures. I happened to catch this one and thought it was so cute. I started playing around with it on some different Minted announcements and came across this one and knew I had to have it. The picture worked perfectly with the theme of the announcement and it made me so happy. I love this little guy, even if he is balding (reminds me of this commercial - makes me cry every time)!

growing up: 2 months

Frederick had his two month check-up and shots yesterday. It's awful seeing your sweet baby cry but we got through it. I love his pediatrician and was happy to hear that Frederick is a healthy baby. He has changed so much in the last few weeks. They grow so rapidly when they're newborns and I love watching him become this little person but it makes me sad that he's growing out of each stage (and clothes).

He's quite the chunk (14 pounds is 90% for weight), much larger than William was at this age (he was in the 50-60%). They look so alike but Fritz's eyes keep getting more and more blue every day. His hair is getting lighter as well with a slight tint of red. He smiles and "goo"s at me while I nurse him. It melts me into a pool of butta. He is such a good baby. Very easy to please with either milk, snuggling or a nap. I feel so blessed to have his sweet personality in our family.

sweating bullets

I drove to Arizona for the weekend with my friend, Kristi, who was also heading to the heat for a girl's weekend with her high school friends. It worked out perfectly for her to drive with me - we were able to split the gas and she was so helpful with the boys! Plus she is always so fun to talk to and be around so it was a win-win for me. I'm sure she was dying inside to get out of the car the whole time with my children being nightmares! What a bummer way to start her girl's weekend without her kids!

I got there about an hour before my nephew's wedding reception which was held in my parent's backyard. I'm so sad I missed the sealing ceremony and the luncheon (I heard it was delicious!) but at least I got to see my new niece in her beautiful dress, eat some cake and popsicles and spend time with my family. Of course I have no pictures of the event (except a few random shots on Instagram) to prove I was there but I was and it was beautiful.

my dad holding Fritz.

I also got to go to lunch with my sisters, go to Target by myself one night while my mom babysat (one of the highlights of my whole year) and also hit up Last Chance as fast as I could right before leaving town. It was sooooo hot! I have never done well in the heat but living in San Diego has spoiled me forever, I think. William didn't seem all that phased by it since he spent every minute possible on the trampoline.

I love that kid dearly (I mean, look at those puppy dog eyes) but he has been quite the handful lately. I think he's finally having the reaction I was anticipating him having about the baby. He still loves Fritz and enjoys holding, kissing and touching him but then he mostly enjoys hitting, kicking and shoving him, especially while I'm nursing. I'm a pretty patient mother but most days I'm about to pull out all my hair while sobbing into a pillow by bedtime. I just have to keep reminding myself - it gets easier, it get easier. That's the good thing about having done this whole newborn thing before. I know it's "normal" and that he'll eventually get over it but if anyone has some tips on how to make it easier on our family, I'd love you forever.