I'm 5 Months Old Today!

Here I am at 5 months old. As you can see I am not only way bigger than my little monkey, but I like to crush it. Mom says I am ALL BOY!! I like to play rough and burp and fart like a grown man.

Today is my 5 month birthday and I am still living up to my name, Big Boy! At my last doctors appointment I weighed in at a whopping 17 pounds and measured 27 1/2 inches. I'm pretty much off the charts right now and show no signs of stopping. Mom says her baby has turned from a newborn into a robust, active, little boy.

I'm learning so many new things every day. My biggest news this month is that I've mastered the art of eating solids! Our nurse said it would take a few weeks for me to get the hang of it, but it really only took me a few bites. C'mon, eating is kinda my thing! I love my cereal and oatmeal but I can't wait for fruits and veggies.

I have found my feet and love to put them in my mouth. But then again, pretty much everything goes in my mouth....my hands, my shirt, toys and mom's hair! Mom says I am quite the inquisitive little guy - I love to check everything out and I always want what mom and dad have in their hands. I continue to babble and talk to mom and dad. But I've also learned how to scream which isn't always fun for them :)

With the holidays approaching I've experienced a lot of Christmas traditions for the first time. I got to meet Santa and sit on his lap. I didn't smile of course. I'm saving that for Mrs. Claus! And then we got to go buy a Christmas Tree. It was really cold that day so the rents dressed me in a ridiculous looking suit and hat - I couldn't even move. But it was a fun day!

I'm looking forward to celebrating Christmas with mom and dad. Then my Gigi and Papa are coming to visit me on the 28th! I hear we are going to eat our way through the city!! Well, that's about it for now. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. I'll talk to you again soon. In the meantime, here's a video of me meeting Santa and some other fun pictures...

Captain Serious meets Santa Claus!

Eating solids for the first time. As you can see I got as much on my face as I did in my belly. But now you'd better believe I get every last drop in my tummy!

All of a sudden I LOVE tummy time. I can push myself up and mug for the camera. Is crawling coming soon?

I found my feet.....my extra large, Barber feet and finger toes! Good thing my hands are just as big so I can grab them.

I REALLY love my daddy!

Winter Baby! It's getting cold outside so mom bought me some funny looking hats.

Here I am in my grown up man outfit and cap going to meet Santa. I'm practicing my best Captain Serious face here.

Me and my family buying a Christmas Tree. I'm sporting the Cleveland Brown's colors for dad, even though I am really a Chargers fan!

As usual, I am tuckered out after picking out a tree. All these festivities make me tired.

Really?! It must have been dad's day to dress me.

Jack's First Thanksgiving!

Jack's First Thanksgiving. He loaded up on lots of yummy cereal, formula and oatmeal. Mmmmm!

Ok, I realize it's nearly Christmas and I am just posting pictures of Jack's first Thanksgiving. We've just been so busy. At some point this month I decided to give up the idea of being a super mom. Which means, the blog will not get updated every week, the last 7 lbs of baby weight is still there and Christmas cards are not getting sent this year. Take that perfect moms!! I'm going to try to stay in the moment and enjoy time with Jack instead of worrying about all the things I am SUPPOSED to do. Ahhh.....what a relief!

Anyway, back to Jack. We traveled to California for his first Thanksgiving and Jack got a taste of a true California holiday - it was 88 degrees on Thanksgiving Day. We sat outside and it was gorgeous. He wore shorts and a T-shirt....gotta love Cali! We had a great trip, of course. It's always awesome to spend time with family and friends. Jack had fun with his Mimi and Papa and all 8 of his aunts and uncles. But most precious was his interaction with Marseille. She just ate him up and was so sweet with him. I love seeing them together - they're going to be great pals one day!

It's sad that we don't get to see our families all the time, but times like these leave lasting impressions. Thank goodness for photos, videos....and skype! It's forced the grandparents to get on board with technology. Love it!

Here are some of the fun pictures from our trip to Cali...

Family photo on Jack's first Thanksgiving. He looks thrilled as usual.

Hanging with Uncle Jess and Aunt Donna.

Jen and my beautiful niece Marseille.

The cousins! We forced them to don Christmas Pj's for a photo op since we won't be seeing them at Christmas. They both cried but M recovered quickly. Jack - not so much! We spent the morning opening gifts for the kids which is always fun.

Opening gifts proved to be exhausting for baby Jack.

Jack with his great auntie Marlene. He got passed around all day and was a total trooper!

The boys on feeding duty. We have two kids that absolutely LOVE to eat!

What a hunk! And he knows it. We think he doesn't smile because he's practicing being coy with the ladies.

Baby M with her grammy Delora. We had a really fun family day at my mom's house. Jack got to be with all of his aunts and uncles.

At Dave & Busters with Mimi and Papa.

Uncle Adam was so great with the babies. Who would have thought a 13 year old boy would love babies so much. He's turned into a sweet young man.

With beautiful Auntie Marina.

I can't decide if Jack and Marseille look like the cutest bank robbers ever or funny looking old people.

Jack's first experience in first class. Of course mommy had to give up her seat so he could spread out. As you can see he's quite enjoying himself. Uh oh, we've created a monster!

I'm 4 Months Old Today!

Here I am at 4 months old. Finally, a smile! And of course, my hand in my mouth. You'll start to see a trend forming here.

Let's call this my month of discovery. In the past few weeks I have become so aware of my surroundings. I'm constantly looking around and am fascinated by movement, color and light. I grab and pull at my toys and try to put everything in my mouth. I am obsessed with my mouth - everything goes in it, especially my hands! My favorite is my left index finger. It calms me down when I'm upset or tired.

I know my mom and dad so well now. I love to touch and explore their face and just stare at them with my big blue eyes. We have so much fun playing with my toys and listening to music. Mom and dad dance for me all the time but they look pretty silly.

My big news is that I am rolling over now! It started because I hate tummy time and wanted off my belly. But now I roll from my back to my stomach all the time. It's quite a rush!

I'm also giggling a lot and mom and dad have even managed to capture it on camera a few times. We just have so much fun together, laughing and playing. Mom and dad take me everywhere so I am taking in all the sights and sounds of the world. Mom says she just loves hanging out with me and showers me with kisses and hugs all day long. We are a blessed family.

I'm looking forward to my third flight back to California for Thanksgiving next week. I can't wait to see my family again. I'm sure I will have tons of fun pics to post. But for now, here are a few pics of me from the past few weeks. Talk to you again in a month!

Caught laughing...until I noticed the camera was on me! Mom says the sound of my laugh is the best sound in the world.

My first picnic and trip to Piedmont Park with mom and dad. It was a rare 75 degree November day - just gorgeous! We were joined by mommies friends Sarah and Olivia. I brought my fingers for lunch. Tasty!

Here I am straight chillin shirtless at the park. Mom actually caught a slight smile on camera! But I ruined it by sticking my hand in my mouth.

This t-shirt is from my Aunt Dani and Uncle Lionel in Chicago. I love you Auntie!!!

As you can see I am starting to roll over now. Look out world!

My bumbo helps make me strong so I can sit up by myself. Because we all know what happens when I can sit up - solid foods!!!

Mom got me my first set of Nerf Balls but I really don't know what to do with them yet. So, of course, I just put my favorite finger in my mouth. Dad can't wait until we can go out throw a real ball around.

I may not know what a football is, but I can wrap my freakishly large hands around one!

I only have two words for this one....Blue Steel!

Chunky Monkey!

Like my shirt says, this was My 1st Halloween! Don't I look thrilled!! I am 15 weeks old here and mom estimates I am about 16.5 lbs and 26 inches long. What a moose!

It's Jack's first Halloween!! This is by far my favorite time of year. I just love everything about October. I love the cooler fall weather, going to the pumpkin patch, dressing up and passing out candy to all the adorable kids. It also signifies that the holiday season is fast approaching. And of course, it's my birthday month - 35 this year! What's not to love! So of course I was beyond excited to celebrate for the first time with our little man.

Of course Jack had to be a Monkey since that was his first nickname. It proved to be a very popular outfit this year. We had a great time dressing him up in all kinds of Halloween gear and making him take pictures. He didn't seem to mind, but he wasn't overly thrilled either. I have a feeling he'll be more into it next year!

Here are a few pics of our family day at the pumpkin patch and then on Halloween day. Is it me or does he just get more delicious every day!!! The older he gets the more fun he is. We're just really enjoying our time with him and watching him learn, explore and grow. Enjoy...

We started off the festivities by taking Jack to the pumpkin patch. Isn't he quite the stylish kid in his fall outfit! I'm loving the hat.

We put our poor baby in the dirt just for a photo opp...

...So he paid us back by barfing all over his new outfit. That's our boy!

We're not sure what wore him out faster...picking pumpkins or taking 10,000 pictures.

Halloween Gangsta! Skull cap courtesy of the Impastato's.

Mmmmmm, candy! Should I or shouldn't I?

Well, of course I should!!!

Our little monkey with his daddy!

Cali Baby!

What a smirk! Here's baby Jack at 13 weeks smiling at his Mimi Kathy. California looked good on my little man.

Well, we've been back from California for a week now and every day I think about how much I miss it. What a fun week of family, friends, laughter and yummy food. And the weather was spectacular all week. It was so special for Christian and I to take Baby Jack home to meet my side of the family and all of our wonderful friends. We really did make so many great memories. I could probably write a book about it, but I will spare you all the details. So I will just give you some of the highlights of Jack's first trip to the West Coast.

- Jess & Donna's wedding shower was an absolute blast. The two families really got along well.
- We took Jack to meet my dad's mom, his great grandma Molly Sandoval. I just love seeing the generations together.
- Jack went to the beach for the first time and dipped his little toes in the Pacific Ocean.
- Our little man rolled over for the first time!
- Baby Jack met pretty much everyone we know in California...which is a lot of people. He was passed around like a doll but handled it well. Get used to it baby boy!
- The cousins, Jack & Marseille got to bond. The photos are priceless.
- We spent a lot of quality time with my mom, Joey and all my brothers and sisters. I miss them more every day.
- Mimi Kathy made Jack belly laugh like we have never heard him. It was adorable.
- Mom and Dad got their In-N-Out and Rubios...maybe next year Jack.
- And last but not least, our little monkey was so amazingly great on the plane. We are so proud of our expert little traveller!
- Check out a few of our family moments below...

Jack in the airplane on the way to Cali. All the other passengers said he was the perfect little traveler!Mimi Kathy can really get Jack to belly laugh. It's the sweetest thing.

It was so special for us to take Jack to the beach - it's a huge part of who we are. This was in Laguna Beach on a gorgeous California day.

Splashing in the water with my mom and buddy. I love and cherish family time.

Mimi and Papa with Jack & Marseille in their little sun hats. Looks like M wants Jack's hat instead!

Jack's first dip in the Pacific! As soon as the water hit his little feet he started to cry. But I know he'll be a beach baby soon enough.
We kept taking pictures to get the perfect shot. Then Jack got hit by a wave...poor baby! We cracked up but he was soaked. What horrible parents we are!

Jack's was over the beach at this point.

I love this picture! Jack bonding with his Aunt Jenny.

Jack and his 6 month old cousin Marseille. They look so alike, don't they?!

Holding hands....so cute! But M looks like she wants to eat Jack.

Hanging with Grammy Delora, Uncle Adam and Aunt's Kasey and Marina. I think Jack had barfed all over his shirt so we let him go topless.

With the happy couple, Uncle Jess & soon to be Aunt Donna. Jack loved them both!

Jack got to meet his great grandma Molly Sandoval. What a special photo this is.

Heading home. Jack decided we didn't feed him fast enough at the airport so he took matters into his own hands.