{Kids Style File} Twining With Mickey

shirt and jeans: H&M | kicks: Vans | vest: BabyGap | smile: August 

True story: August loves Mickey Mouse. Like, loves. With all his heart. Matter of fact, these days the kid has been watching entirely too much Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Mickey and the Roadster Racers on TV. And I ain't even ashamed to say it. Because: live your best life, August.

Live. Your. Life!

The other day when we got home from Aiden's homecoming football game, this little babe walked into the living room, walked up to the TV, turned it on, climbed into his chair, made himself comfy, and settled in to watch Mickey.

All by his lonesome. As if he had a rough day and needed to relax.

Babies these days!

Peep the smile, y'all!

A lot like love...

Since Mickey is his homeboy (he needs that on a t-shirt, by the way), it was only fitting to do a fall-styled photoshoot with Mickey.

And August was all for it. Because: love!

August: What up, M?

Side profiling

We recently moved (more on that later) and it's been a whirlwind with unpacking, getting into the grove of things, and getting my Fixer-Upper-meets-Property-Brothers-meets-House-Hunters-Renovations on.

I'll share pictures of the new place soon, but for now... I'm taking a moment to breathe and take it all in.

For the last three months of the year (seriously... where the heck did 2017 go?!), I plan on doing more of the things that makes me smile. Like loving on my babies, hanging with my friends, writing, and taking all the pictures of my cute babies (#DontDebateMeOnThis #TheyAreCute).

And you should too. Because: YOLO!

Happy October, lovelies! Let's all take a tip from Baby August and live our best lives!

18 Months of August Kingston

August turned 18 months a few days ago and I can't believe my baby delicious is a full-blown toddler now. I'm talking super duper sweet one minute and full-on tantrums the next. Trying to communicate exactly what he wants and very upset when others don't understand him fast enough. Saying words and babbling. Playing nicely with Aiden and then slapping his glasses off of his face the next. Trying to be independent, yet frustrated when he can't complete a task the way he'd like to. And biting on everything with those four new molars that grew in!

It's been a perfect storm and I couldn't ask for the past six months to be any more challenging and rewarding... all at the same time.

August's words:

• "Hi" (with a wave)
• "Bye" (with a wave)
• Shaking his head "no" whenever he doesn't want something 
• "Get down" (whenever he climbs on something, which happens to be all the time. And yes, he first heard the phrase from me.)
• "Hawt" = hot
• "Tha-ci" = paci (aka "pacifier")
• "Sheese" = shoes
• "Bahm-ba" = pamper
• "Ba" = ball
• "Bay-bee" = baby
• "Ah-ah" = all done (also means "I want to eat ____ [whatever he's pointing to])
• "Muah" = kiss
• And a whole lot of babbling

August likes:

• Having "conversations" with pretty much everyone
• Going to get his pampers and wipes when it's time to change his diapers
• Wrestling with Aiden 
• Slapping Aiden's glasses off his face
• Playing with all of Aiden's toys
• Pulling down all the toys off the shelf
• Pulling all the books off the bookcase
• Changing the channel on the TV
• Giving and receiving hugs and kisses
• Climbing on things. All the things
• Running fast 
• Reading books... all of them
• "Talking" on the phone
• Playing with all his animals and learning the sounds that they make
• All things Mickey Mouse 

August dislikes:

• When people tell him "no"
• Taking baths (still)
• Water in his face. Or on his head
• When we take too long to take him out of his crib in the morning (he wakes up way too early)

Can't wait to see what the next six months brings!

Yes, I'm THAT Parent

I'm already at work and HEB is on the way to drop August off at daycare. I shoot a quick text to HEB. "Don't forget to bring the snacks and lunch that I packed for the baby!"

No answer.

"Hello!" I text again.

He texts back. He remembered to bring the snacks and lunch for August.

A few minutes later, he texts me back. "Why can't he have the snacks and lunch from the daycare."

"Send me the menu and I'll decide," I replied.

He sends me a picture of the menu.

My response? "Umm... no. He can have the lunch on certain days, but I'll pack his snacks. No fruit juice and no apple juice. Just water is fine, which is what I pack anyway. Also, he's gonna drink organic milk (which is what I pack) and not regular milk. And no super sweet snacks -- that stuff is filled with high fructose corn syrup! And no sugary cereal for breakfast -- just feed him the oatmeal before you drop him off."

HEB responds, "OMG! You're THAT parent!"

I mean... I guess you could say that I'm THAT parent. Like, when it comes to things that really matter to me. Like with food and developing somewhat healthy eating habits for Aiden and August.

I'm THAT parent who asks the daycare how often they clean off the tables after mealtime or arts and crafts. I'm THAT parent who wants to know how often toys are disinfected and if teachers are kind and caring and what exactly do they do when babies are crying. (I mean, they need to comfort my baby boy when he needs comfort.) I'm THAT parent who wants to know all the details all the time... because I need to be in the best possible position to advocate for my boys.

But I'm also THAT parent who feeds Aiden pancakes or waffles for dinner (without syrup) because I'm too tired to actually cook. Or... who lets him forego a night without showering because I'm too tired and lazy to fight him on it. Or... who goes hard for certain things while letting other equally important things fall at the waist side.

In the end, balance is key.

12 Months of August Kingston

Whew!

Baby August is one-year-old and officially a toddler! He's a walking, babbling machine without a worry in the world and I love it!

August likes:

• Food. Any food. From anyone's plate. At any time. Even if he just ate three minutes ago. 
• Opening and shutting the kitchen cabinets. Over and over and over again.
• Screaming. Especially on a crowded subway. (He likes to hear his own voice.)
• Unraveling the toilet paper in the bathroom. (Gotta remember to keep that door shut!)
• Walking up to mommy, Aiden, and HEB, resting his head on us, which is his definition of a hug
• All things Mickey Mouse (which was surprising considering Aiden was a total Barney guy)
• "Reading" books
• Eating books
• Pulling down books off of the shelves 

August dislikes:

• Detangling his hair
• Washing his hair
• Whenever anyone touches his hair
• Whenever someone doesn't share their food with him fast enough
• Being strapped in his stroller when he doesn't want to be strapped in his stroller

It's been a year of ups and downs, hits and misses for me. But for August, it's been a year of joy, warmth, and love! And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Like my friend, Kelly said, "There's nothing like August in December!" Happy, happy to my little guy! 

Grace

Today, August turns one-year-old.

Wow!

I still can't believe that I'm a mother of two. That I've been a mother of two for the past year. That I've survived motherhood with two kids (with equally different and equally demanding needs).

But here I am. Here we are. A year later. We made it.

We're making it.

When I think about this past year -- all the trials and triumphs, ups and downs, hits and many, many misses -- I can only think of one word: grace.

This year, more than ever before, I've learned to extend an incredible amount of grace to myself. I've reminded myself over and over again that I haven't been doing this a long time, that I'm still new to this, that there's a learning curve to this whole thing and that's quite alright.

Grace.

Because sometimes I showed up late for things. Sometimes I was absent-minded while at work or at home. Sometimes I was overwhelmed. Sometimes I was anxious. Sometimes I didn't make time for working out because a nap seemed so much better. Sometimes I was less than patient with my children. Sometimes I yelled at Aiden when I knew that all he needed was a time-out or a nap or alone time because he, too, was feeling overwhelmed.

Grace.

Because if I was kicking ass at home and being an awesome parent, I was failing at work and taking more hits than my Type-A personality is used to taking. Because if I was kicking ass at work, then I was less than stellar at home. Because if I was kicking ass at motherhood and at work, I was a negligent friend and girlfriend, ignoring my relationship with my boo and my girls. No doubt about it, there was always a trade-off. I really learned to stop worrying about being good at one thing and not-so-good at another thing because...

Grace.

But I learned to be okay with the imperfections. I learned to listen to the stress-related tension in my neck and shoulders. I learned to take deep breaths over and over again. And I learned that sometimes, it feels damn good to cry it out, shake it off, and get back up again.

I've learned to extend grace and compassion to myself because this ish ain't for the whips. And more often than not, I'm doing the best that I can.

August Kingston, 11 Months Old

It's official... I've got a walker on my hands! August isn't fully walking on his own, but he's taking more than three-four steps, he's walking across the room without falling, and he's figuring out how to turn around without dropping to the floor. He still crawls when he needs to get to something super fast, but he's very excited to try out his new trick every chance he gets.

He also still likes pulling down all of the things so walking just makes it more exciting for him...

Halloweening 

August likes:

• Eating food (he's got four bottom teeth now -- and none on top!)
• Yanking food off of your plate if you don't feed him fast enough
• Going up to Aiden, HEB, and me and resting his head on us, which indicates that he either wants a hug, wants to be picked up, or just wants a little TLC
• Making clucking noises with his tongue 
• Attempting to make kisses noises ("Muah!")
• Clapping 
• All things Mickey Mouse
• When you sing the ABC's to him

What hope looks like... #AandA

August doesn't like:

• When Aiden closes the door to the kitchen -- or the bathroom -- so that August can't get in. (Can you say, "Waterworks"?)
• Getting dressed. Still. Ugh... that baby just wants to move around all day, everyday. 
• Getting strapped into his stroller when he's not in the mood

I had to snap this picture VERY fast because lil dude was on the move!

And... now it's time to start planning his first birthday party! All Mickey e'erythang! Who's ready?!

Embracing A Messy First Birthday with Bounty

There’s a saying that I always use when describing this thing called motherhood – “The days are long, but the months and years are short.” No matter how many things I still haven’t gotten done from my never-ending to-do list, or how exhausted I am at the end of each long day, in retrospect, the months and years always seem short.

Time flies when you’re a mom.

I cannot believe that this week Aiden turned nine-years-old. And I cannot believe that in just two short months, August will be turning one.

Aiden’s birthday has always been a very special day to me – not just because it’s a day that I celebrate his awesomeness, but it’s also a day that I celebrate single motherhood. I made it. Another year. He’s healthy and happy. Another year.

We made it. We’re making it.

August’s first birthday will be even more special. Not because I love him more or anything like that, but because it’ll be a celebration of surviving my first year as a single mom of two.

While I’m looking forward to the singing and dancing and taking pictures to capture special moments, the thing that I’m looking forward to the most is the first cake smashing!

Not gonna lie, there’s going to be cake and frosting all over his face, body, clothes, and high chair. And the cake may even find it’s way to the walls and floors. It’s gonna be a big ‘ol mess!

But luckily, I’ll have a roll of Bounty on hand to absorb the mess quickly. Not only is Bounty 2x more absorbent that the leading ordinary paper towel brand, it can also last 50% longer, which can save this delicious single momma a ton of money in the long run. 

In fact, just a couple weeks ago, Aiden, August, and I attended a Bounty event where we put the quicker picker upper paper towel through the ultimate test. There was a little bit of cake decorating (for Aiden) and a lot of cake smashing (for August). And spills, stains, and splashes. Usually this would have caused me to feel some anxiety (I mean, who wants to clean that up?!), but it literally took 2-3 minutes to clean up the messes and put a smile back on my face. Score! 

Even though the planning part of August’s first birthday celebration will add to my never-ending to-do list and leave me a little more exhausted at the end of my already long day, I know that the actual celebration will come and go in the blink of an eye.

And I don’t want to spend the entire celebration tackling food splats, water spills, and messy fingerprints – I want to be able to look back and say that I enjoyed this memorable moment. I want to be able to say that the day was filled with love and hugs and yummy treats.

Thanks to Bounty, I’ll be able to focus on capturing the perfect shot of August smashing his birthday cake – a sign that he’s happy and healthy, a sign that this single mom thing isn’t so bad, and a sign that we made it… another year.

Thanks to Bounty, I’ll be able to focus on the moment, not the mess.

{Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Bounty. Thank you for support Mommy Delicious.}

August Kingston, 10 Months Old

August is eating all the things (he's got three teeth now!), dragging all the things, pulling down all the things, and vocalizing about all the things he approves or disapproves of. In other words, he's really coming into his own. It's been fun -- and exhausting! -- to witness.

He recently went through a growth spurt so we've had to buy him all new clothes. That wasn't so fun for my bank account, but kids fashion is kinda my thing, so hey...

August likes:

• Eating. Real food, not just that baby puree stuff anymore. And he yells when you don't give him the food on your plate. Or when you don't give it to him fast enough. 
• Bouncing up and down while holding on to things. His crib railing, the edge of the sofa, my legs. 
• Biting. (Let's just leave it at that.)
• Standing, attempting to balance and take a step, before falling and crawling to get there faster. 
• Clapping while giggling.
• Attempting to taste people's feet. (Is that weird? Don't answer that!)
• Taking pots, pans, and containers out of the kitchen cabinets.

August doesn't like:

• Getting dressed. There's something about having to sit still for longer than five seconds that rubs this baby the wrong way.
• When Aiden takes his soccer balls, footballs, and other toys away from August.
• When he eats all the food and there's nothing left to feed him. (Brace yourself for tears and get ready to distract him with something fun!)

I can't believe we're so close to him being a one-year-old and that we'll be planning his first birthday celebration soon. Time truly flies when you're having fun!

August Kingston, 9 Months Old

August is incredibly mobile now and is quite literally crawling all over the place, from the time he wakes up at 5:30/6 in the morning till the time he goes to bed at 7/7:30 in the evening. I'm kinda used to the crawling around, but the touching of all of my things? Eh, not so much!

Caught red-handed!

Two teeth!

Aiden crawled all around when he was August's age, but he didn't touch my decorative things. Like, the house still looked like a grown-up house. But August? Lil man touches e'rything! And he's not satisfied until everything is on the floor. Seriously... he pulls down all of the things.

All. Of. The. Things.

And he's resourceful! Even if I block him off from certain parts of the house, he finds a way around the blockage. Needless to say, momma's got her work cut out for her!

When I'm not chasing him all around the house, it is great to see him blossoming and showing more and more of his personality everyday. He's really such a joyful baby and a lot of fun to be around. (Except when he's ruining Aiden's play things.)

New fave toy

Watching Aiden Phelps-it-up at Saturday swim

"I *think* I'm making him fall asleep, mommy."
#BuiltInBabysitter
#DontJudgeMe

August likes:

• Finger foods (cooked carrots, cheerios, superfood puffs, strawberries, the list goes on and on)
• Crawling over to everyone who has food in their hands and babbling until he gets their attention and they get the hint that he wants some of their food
• The kitchen (seriously... what is it with babies and kitchen cabinets?! I can't keep him out of there!)
• Sucking my cheeks and then biting them (ouch!)
• Climbing on HEB
• While on the couch in a seated position, flipping onto his stomach, and sliding off the couch feet first 
• Crawling over to the air conditioner when it's on and tasting it (#DontAsk)
• Playing with Aiden's basketball and soccer and football
• Playing with Aiden's farmhouse and farm animals
• Destroying Playing with Aiden's play area
• Being rocked to sleep by Aiden 
• Cruising all of the furniture 
• Babbling "dah-dah-dah"

August doesn't like:

• When you close the kitchen or bathroom or bedroom door and don't allow him to go in there (ask me how I know)
• When he's crawling full speed towards something and you pick him up and redirect him towards something else (again... ask me how I know)
• Getting dressed (still)
• Banana chunks (I'm gonna try to offer it to him again in a few days though)

Otherwise known as "baby bliss"

I think this dude is gonna walk pretty soon -- he's on a mission! Stay tuned, everyone!