Bye Bye California!

   Well, most of you have heard by now- Gary and I are moving out of California!

  We have been wanting to get out of Los Angeles for awhile now. Not only is it affecting Gary's health, but the prices of rent and homes keep hiking up to insane prices. Plus, him taking the subway everywhere was just being a little too overwhelming after some time. So, I asked him one afternoon if he felt like we should start looking for something out of the area- and he agreed. So, the job hunting began.

   He had several phone interviews over the course of a few weeks-month from companies in South Carolina, Tennessee, Montana, Oklahoma, Virginia, and a few other places. One company in Louisiana was really interested in him, but after some research on the location, we decided it wasn't what was best for us and declined to move forward.

    The one company Gary was hoping to hear back from was a golfing company in Texas. It was a job he knew he'd enjoy, and everything seemed very positive about it all. He had two phone interviews with them, then didn't hear anything for a few days. He started to feel a little down, but I had a good feeling and told him they'd call by the end of the week. Sure enough, the next day they called him and asked him more questions. This was a long, 2 hour phone interview from several different people. They told him they'd let him know by the end of the week. 2 hours later, they called and offered to fly him out to Austin to interview in person. He was so excited!

  A few days later, he was in Austin for his in-person interview. He flew out that morning, and came back that same night (long day! Alex and I spent time at the ocean). Then, the next day, they offered him the job! They told him they loved how he communicated with everyone and were impressed with his skills. So, he is now the new Business Intelligence Developer for them!

  So, we are moving to Austin! The company is north of Austin, right between Austin and Round Rock- and since we like the Round Rock area, we were able to grab a nice place there (so technically we're moving to Round Rock). It's next to parks and shopping, so we get to walk everywhere.

Veterans Park in Round Rock

      

Beautiful shot of the Pennybacker Bridge in Austin

Austin's skyline

   We are excited! It's located right on the Colorado River and many other lakes- and Austin is also considered to have the fittest and healthiest people in the nation. It's HUGE on sports and athletics, which probably explains it. Austin and Round Rock are on the list of the top safest cities, and the number one school district in Texas is in Austin. The housing prices are also great, so this will be a great move for our family.

     I understand all the floods and storms going on, which is crazy! We contacted our management to our new apartment, and they told us it's not serious in Round Rock, and it should be improved by the time we get there. Just some of the lakes are flooded. New adventures for sure!

    So, Gary starts on the 15th of June, and we fly out the 10th. This gives us only 2 weeks to get all the packing and moving done. C.R.A.Z.Y. YES, we have been busy! Thankfully his company is paying for a huge portion of the move. We are having our cars shipped, we're flying ourselves, and we are still in the process of finding movers. Most of everything else is settled. I seriously can't believe that in 2 weeks, we will be in our new place in a new state! 

     We will miss being so close to family for sure, but we're just a plane ride away. We are looking forward to this new chapter in our lives!

Family Updates

I haven't been so good at this blogging thing lately, especially keeping up with everyone else. But, while I have some free time, I thought I'd do some updates.

Alex is 11 months now, and extra mobile. He is into. EVERYTHING. He clears out shelves, reaches up and tries to pull items off of tables, etc, and just- well, a handful and a load of fun! Seriously, I love it. Well, except for the part where he got a little overexcited in the cultural hall at church, and face planted onto the wooden floor, causing him to bite through his lip. Gary had him at Mutual, and I received a text message picture of him with blood all over his face. Poor dude. But he was fine and playing, and he just had a bit of a swollen lip for awhile.

There's a place walking distance from us called Pint Size Kids. It's a big, indoor playground, with different rooms to explore- a workshop room (Legos, cars, tools, etc), a general store room with cash registers, shelves of food- kinda like a mini grocery store, a medical center with equipment, a "play house" room with baby dolls, strollers, stove, kitchen- you get it, and a special, gated area for infants and toddlers. The main floor is a huge track with fake grass for pushing around buggy cars and such. Alex doesn't have to be in the infant and toddler area, as the rest of the playground is safe (it's really there to keep him safe from bigger kids), but I just set him down and let him loose. It's nice because it's completely safe, the staff are obsessed with it being clean and disinfected, and I can relax while he plays with other kids and not have to worry about him getting into something he shouldn't. There's also an actual kitchen area in the back with an eating area, and you can order food from the Cafe a few doors down. So, when Alex and I visit, we have lunch together in the back (and of course they have a changing/bathroom area too). Outside the back is a soccer field (fake, safe grass), and there are also various classes like dance and sports. We love it! It's really his favorite place, and when he's worn out, he'll actually cry when I pry him away to take him home.

Playing with the boys

Throwing himself into stuffed animals and apparently having a blast from it

Shopping like Mommy

Our sign it's time to start heading home! Snuggling a stuffed lion.

          Anyway, I cannot believe this child is going to turn one in a few weeks. How crazy is that??

     The rest of the Pollock home is doing well. In fact, we are getting ready for some big changes, but that's a different post altogether! We've definitely been busy. Love my family!

Alex 10 months

 A little over a week ago, our sweet little dude turned 10 months old! He's getting so big!

 As mentioned in the previous post, he started walking! He is now a regular walker and he's getting pretty fast! And yes, there have been a couple of little accidents, the biggest being him slamming his face into the coffee table leg. Funny thing is, I was checking and resealing the bumpers to make sure they were safe, and he came to investigate. Then he just sorta tripped and fell forward, and BAM. He cried for maybe a minute before he wanted to be put down to play again. Silly kid.

Yeowch!

He's also still eating his solids regularly. He started eating snacks around 9 months, including corn puffs, cereal bits, cut up soft fruits and veggies, and other soft baby snacks. He also started eating chunkier dinners around that time, too! And speaking of food, he is PICKY at times. Sometimes I'll go over 3 different meals just to get him to EAT something. He's always been a challenging eater though, even bottles and nursing in the past. However, other times he'll eat anything and everything. So, who knows!

He loves bread!

After his 9 month checkup, his doctor noticed he hadn't gained much weight. So, she scheduled a weight checkup for a month later. She did mention how he's filled out more though, and wasn't really concerned. We ended up taking him to urgent care about 3 weeks later due to an ear infection, and noticed he had gained an entire pound. So, by his weight checkup, he weighed even more and was back on his growth curve. We think it was the little virus he had a week before his 9 month that may have triggered it. But of course this isn't the first time he's had to have weight checkups due to not gaining. I'm not really concerned though- he's just little! He's a lot like his Uncle Quinn. Quinn was always small. Plus, he has a lot of the same habits as Quinn. He's generally happy, relaxed, and sucks his thumb while holding a blankie and throwing his other arm across his eyes. His uncle did the exact same thing! Quinn apparently was also a picky eater.

He also loves to play! We discovered how well he responds to interaction, too. When Nana (my mom) was visiting, she was sitting on one side of the coffee table while he was on the other- and they were rolling a ball back and forth. If it fell, he would pick it up, bring it back over, and throw it back to her. We were shocked he figured that out so quickly.

He plays basketball, too! We bought him a little sports center and planned to give it to him around a year old, but gave in when we saw him playing with a ball, and set it up. He will actually dunk baskets. He goes after the ball, goes to the court, and puts it in the net. Love him!

Dunking a basket!

He really is the best little guy! He LOVES water, anything water, loves going places, loves people, and loves cars and playing with cars. He also loves mommy and sometimes I can't do anything without him tugging at my leg wanting to be held. And yes, he still hates getting dressed and will whine about it. That's never changed, LOL. He also loves the kitties (you can see in the video those two love hanging out together!), pulling books and video games off of shelves (again, you can see books scattered in the video), and is an expert at finding ANYTHING on the floor! I vacuum every other day and he STILL finds things. Sigh. Can't win, right? LOL.

He's back to sleeping fully through the night (about 12 hours), and getting in 2 long naps each day.

Anyway, he is momma's boy for sure and I'm excited to continue our future with this awesome little man. 

Easter 2015

      Wow, it's definitely been awhile since I've posted! Alex had just turned 8 months, but now he is 10 months! Time definitely flies by.

     We headed to Bakersfield to see my family on Saturday afternoon, and had a fun visit. Gary and I went to the mall with Quinn and Miguel, and did a little shopping. I got new running/athletic shoes, and thanks to Miguel's JC Penny rewards, I got $20 off of them. That was so neat! I love them! He says now I owe him 20 miles, so it's time I get running again!

     Anyway, that evening, when family was all over and we were sitting around chatting (Gary was napping in the chair, and I was on my Chromebook viewing a few things), I heard everyone call out, "he's walking!!" Now, Alex for the past few weeks has been pushing off and standing on his own, but he had only taken maybe 1 step toward something before leaning against it for support. So, I just sort of glanced down at him, thinking that's what they were talking about. Well, make that glance a double-take, because he was actually walking. He stood up on his own, and started walking across the living room. We all woke Gary up to get his attention. So, now we have a wobbly walker!

     There he goes! That was pretty neat!

     That night, the 3 of us slept really well! I woke up around 7, Alex around 7:30, and Gary around 8. I made breakfast that morning- breakfast burritos with has brown potatoes, turkey sausage and bacon, eggs, sauteed vegetables, and hot sauce. Yum!

     After the 2nd session of beautiful conference, more family came over and Alex had his first Easter egg hunt! He loved it! He found 2 money ones, so he was able to get a couple of dollars. Here are pictures from the day!

He's so cute! He would pick up the eggs he saw and throw them into his basket. Smart kiddo.

He tore into that basket and threw everything out the moment he had a chance!

      We all had a fun, successful Easter! Not only did he sleep great, he had 2 amazing naps too! Also, yesterday morning was his final Keppra dose. Woo hoo!

      I love my family so much, and am grateful for the sacrifices our Savior made. I'm grateful for the resurrection and atonement, too! I really enjoyed the spirit during conference- makes me feel very loved by our Heavenly Father!

     Anyway, our "awesome" napper is throwing a full tantrum right now because he wants mommy to hold him to help him nap. He fell in his crib when he pulled the mobile (the base rotated and knocked him down), and so I went in to soothe him. He was NOT happy I left! Letting him cry a little doesn't seem to be working. He is mad! So, off I go. 

Our Big 8 Month Old

How is it possible this kid just keeps growing the way he does??

Alex turned 8 months old on the 29th of January. Big kid! So, a few things.

He is still crawling all over the place, of course. But now, instead of both knees, he uses one knee and one foot, meaning he is WAY faster!

He still stands and walks against objects, and a couple of times, pushed off and held his balance without support before falling to his bottom shortly after. He's trying! When we try and walk with him though, he's more interested in crawling. However, whenever I take him to a playground with other kids, he tries standing up on his own.

He mimics sounds and facial expressions now. I love it! Tongue clicking, lip smacking, tongue sticking out, etc. He watches us, smiles, and copies!

Alex first started saying "dada" about two weeks ago, regularly. I don't think he quite understands who "dada" IS, but one evening, I was feeding him, and Gary walked by. He stopped, turned, smiled at him, and said, "dada". Smarty pants! He also says "baba" and "mama".

Speaking of smarty pants, this kid will figure anything out! He climbs over objects to get to things, and when I block them off, he'll creatively find a way. The other day, I put him in his Pack N' Play so I could take a short cat nap. He stood up and was able to reach the lamp on my night stand. So, I moved everything back and out of reach, then close my eyes. Moments later, I heard shuffling, clanging, dragging, and surprisingly, my lamp being moved. I opened my eyes and noticed he had dragged his ladybug toy over to that corner, stood on top of it, then went after my lamp. He is too much!! We are in trouble.

Alex eats solids about 3 times per day now. Since around Christmastime, he started waking up in the night just screaming and would refuse to go back to sleep until he ate. It was frustrating since he was a 12 hour sleeper before that. So, I started adding in more solids, and now he sleeps better. About a week ago, he started sleeping through the night again. I needed that!

We love traveling and going park-hopping. We visit different parks in Los Angeles, and it's so much fun! 

Making friends. He and these sweet boys had so much fun together!

My happy guy!

He kicks his legs and laughs just by SEEING the swing. It's a world of fun when he actually gets to swing. 

He loves: water!!, playing in the sand, being outside, going places, car rides, chewing on everything, especially fabrics, pulling off his socks, climbing, food, being tickled and kissed, and banging objects. He still dislikes: getting dressed, being "messed" with like adjusting his seat belt, buttons, putting items on him, etc. He is very opinionated and has developed a loud scream if he wants something he sees but can't get to it (like a bottle). He throws little temper tantrums too. It's kinda cute :). But those are usually minimal and only when he's tired and/or super hungry. Otherwise, he's mostly a happy, laughing, fun, and sweet baby! Seriously, just easy and happy most of the time.

Another habit of his is sucking his thumb while holding a blankie, or some sort of cloth, including clothes of his he'll find laying around (especially pajamas). It's automatic. This is just like his Uncle Quinn when he was a baby. 

Sucking his thumb while holding his pajamas

Anyway, I love this child so dang much!! 

Alex- 7 Months

 How is this kid 7 months old already?? It just doesn't make any sense.

 We had a couple of setbacks a couple of weeks ago when Alex got his first stomach bug that resulted in an urgent care trip. He was throwing up that morning, not eating much during the day, and had a fever that evening. Now, Alex has always been on the small side, but this little bug resulted in some weight loss that knocked him off his growth curve. Thankfully, he recovered and is back on his curve!

Then, last week he got the flu and a cough which is still lingering. First flu! Luckily the fever only lasted a couple of days.

Anyway, last weigh in: 14 lbs 11oz
Length: 26.5"
Head: 17.05"
(These were a month ago, so he's probably grown a little since!)

According to his doctor, he is "long and lean". Looks like we'll have a tall kid on our hands! He stays small because he's active, and he's active because he's so small. It balances out!

Alex can still stand and walk against objects, sit up on his own, and crawl everywhere. Everywhere. It drives me crazy but I love it. Thank goodness for the pack n' play! Keeps me sane while I have work to do!

Alex loves: Anything relating to water, FOOD!, his lovey chicken blanket, being tickled and played with, harassing and chasing the cats, and exploring anything and everything.  He does not like being dressed (though he smiles and laughs during undress), being changed, getting his nose cleaned, and getting anything adjusted on him (seat belt, buttons, zippers, etc).

Also, I noticed some bulging on his lower gum line, so it looks like teeth are starting to make their way up! He developed a "teething rash", as you might be able to see in the photo above, though it has faded a bit. Now he has this new obsession of letting his tongue hang out. So weird.

Although he has always been somewhat of a happy baby, I love this laughing, fun phase he is going through. We stopped nursing at 6 months, though a few days ago he showed interest again. Surprisingly, after weeks of not doing anything, I'm still producing some milk, so he was able to get some. But for the most part, he's a solids and formula baby!

Alex sleeps from about 7:30-5, then back to sleep until about 8-9:30. Then he'll have another few naps during the rest of the day. Though lately he has been waking up a little more often, but I think the teething might be a factor. Could also be the cough (which is getting checked out Tuesday).

I love this boy!

Wearing the same hat his uncle Quinn wore as a baby!

Both snuggling while we both were suffering through the flu

Sink bath!

Mr. Splashy Pants having the time of his life.

Baby's First Christmas

     We've enjoyed this Christmas season with Alex and letting him experience all of his firsts! We tried to stay in the holiday spirit for him, too, which involved decorating the home a little more and doing some trips! We didn't get a big Christmas tree, just a little thing, but it worked! Active baby + Christmas tree- yeah.

   

Visiting Santa Clarita

Our fireplace decorations with our little tree (which was knocked over a few times anyway)- and yes, Alex's was blue since the paint smeared and I got lazy ;)

Town Center Mall

Nativity Scene

     We kind of missed Santa Clarita, so we paid a visit and planned on seeing Santa that afternoon. However, the line at the mall was ridiculously long, plus, the lady at the front with the balloons who was supposed to be guiding the line, was letting people cut. It just wasn't fun. So, we passed and instead took him to our local mall on a weeknight.

     We weren't sure how he would react to Santa. We were in line at our mall for a good hour-hour and a half, but it wasn't all bad. Alex was laughing and all smiles at everyone around him, cheering the crowd up. There was another baby girl around his age named Charlie, and the two of them just stared at each other laughing and laughing. SO cute. Everyone was laughing too. I eventually walked to the Starbucks and bought some spiced root beer and a mango smoothie for us.

     Alex's reaction to Santa?

      He thought Santa was the funniest/coolest thing ever. The moment we handed him over, he went for the beard. He also grabbed at his gloves and tried eating them. Then he went for the glasses- all while laughing. He had an absolute blast. Love this dude!

     On Wednesday evening, we headed to Bakersfield and stayed until Saturday afternoon. Alex was able to experience his first Christmas! While he didn't sleep very well while there (different environment, different crib, mommy and daddy sleeping in the same room, etc), he had SO much fun with his cousins and family.

    Christmas morning: So many toys and fun stuff! Gary and I also got some really neat gifts!

Smiling! Yes, Gary did get new socks, LOL

My cute dude in his new sweater

I love this! Looks like he's plotted a master plan. 

Exploring new presents!

Bow!

All tuckered out! It's the only nap he would really take. 

Yum!

What's in here, Daddy?

Presents!

     Anyway, we had a good time and a lot of fun! Then the next day, we went to John's Incredible Pizza, where Alex had a blast with his cousins, our friends Jeremy and Emilee and their two boys, and lots of other people!

SO fun! He was holding on tight!

Playing with Dad

I can play, too!

Helping shoot baskets

Having a blast!

    Anyway, we enjoyed spending time with friends and family. What a fun season this has been!