Logan's a Movie Star

Can you see the resemblance?

The Blue Guy is from the new animated movie "Megamind"...I saw a billboard of him on my way to work and I immediately thought "Woah! Why is my son blue...on a billboard....holding a lazer?" haha :)

Pumpkin Patch 2010

On Saturday we met our friends at the Tapia Bro's pumpkin patch in Encino (Randall's Uncle is one of the Tapia Bro's!). It was a lot of fun and we got some great shots of Logan! Enjoy!

Someday we'll get Logan to smile on cue to the camera and not look so crazy!

Lots of Pumpkins, and ONE Punkin!

Randall and Ford

Mommy and Logan doing "SUPER Baby"

I think he like this one!

Have you ever seen a Laubster Pumpkin? well, now you have!

Can You Believe It?

Logan is 4 months old today!!!

It's amazing how the time has flown! But yup, little mr is 1/3 of a full year today- 4 months! Crazy! Each month gets better and better, and I think he just keeps getting cuter...which I never think is possible as I take these photos each month :) I think this session is my favorite...of course, I've said that every time!

At our last Dr. appointment (this past Friday) Logan weighed in at 15lbs 7oz...oddly enough, that's the EXACT same weight that Earl was today when we took him to the vet...not sure what that means...though the vet DID say Earl needed to lose some weight...but I think Logan is juuuust right (60% thank you very much!). He's still growing UP as well...the string bean is 25.5" long too (75%)! YOWZA! Oh and his noggin holds its own in the 95th percentile...good grief!

His new doctor is ok...definitely different than Dr. Phillips. There were some things i liked about the office ($10 copay is nice, the room is decorated much more like a kids doctor's office- a mural of monkeys, toys everywhere, the equipment seemed a bit newer, and the staff was very nice), and there were some things I didn't like about the office (There must have been 20+ kids waiting to see the doctor that morning...90% of which were coughing, the Doctor had about 15 other patients it seemed, we saw the doctor for maybe 5 seconds and she was very rushed with Logan's exam...made me feel like she would NOT remember us at our next visit)...oh well...thus is the life of having an HMO I guess....hopefully it all works out and we end up really liking Dr. Brown. One thing struck me as odd...they had tissue paper on the exam table, which is standard practice at a doctor's office, but Logan HATES the sound of tissue paper. When she laid him down on the table, directly on the tissue paper without any clothes on, he screamed bloody murder and the Doctor said "Oh, it's the paper! It's always the paper! the little ones just hate this stuff" Umm...ok, then maybe we do something ABOUT the paper the the little ones hate so much! Why not have like 2 designated exam rooms for babies/newborns, and in those rooms you DON'T use tissue paper! A vinyl pad or something easy to clean...kind of weird.

The doctor said that now that Logan is 4 months old, we can start feeding him rice cereal (This also seemed like a very generic piece of advice that she would give EVERY parent of a 4 month old- she didn't ask how Logan is doing with feedings (though given his weight, she probably assumed he's doing just fine!), didn't ask if he seems interested in food etc...)). I think we're going to hold off a little longer on this, just because I don't know that he's totally ready to jump to solid foods...apparently once you start with the rice, 3 weeks later you introduce veggies and then every 5 days you introduce a new veggie and BAM your baby is eating solids...I dunno, for some reason I had in my mind at 6 months Logan would start eating solids, so 4 months seems pretty young, especially since he's just tarted noticing that we're eating food...once he starts trying to grab mine and Jason's food,THAT's when I think we'll know he's ready...but what do I know! Maybe 4 months is the new 6 months and I'm behind the times!

Anyway, on to the photos!!!

Thanks Iris for the awesome design!

Someone is sitting up...well, kind of...the pillows are helping a LOT!

My favorite!

What can I say? He weighs the same as Earl so he wants to sit in the sink like Earl.

Little nugget was tuckered out after a long day! It's tough being 4 months old!

HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY UNCLE BOB!!!

A few days overdue...but here's to you Uncle Bob! Hope you had a great Birthday on Wednesday! WE LOVE YOU!!

Sorry we forgot to call Uncle Bob! We love you!!!

365 Days Later...

1 year ago today I flew home from a weekend in Vegas with my Mom.

1 year ago today I was extremely tired for no apparent reason.

1 year ago today our lives were about to change forever.

1 year ago today Jason and I found out we were pregnant...

...and it started the best days of our lives :)

Love you Logan!!!

A Day for New Experiences...

Like pumping in the bathroom!

Normally while at work (I like that i say NORMALLY as though I've been doing this for awhile, we're surviving on day 4 here people!), I pump when needed in an associates office because that person is rarely in the main office...well, today he's here! Yikes! I'd heard that mom's in the past had pumped in the women's restroom we have in the office so I just figured that that's what I would do as well rather than try to pump privately in my non-tinted window car! So promptly at 9:30 I headed in to the restroom, went into the last stall, the ADA stall mind you, and did my thing...2 people came and went as I sat there pumping for my 15 minutes...neither of them saying anything to me or just out in the open about that odd sound they had to have been hearing. I wonder what they were thinking! Granted, it's a small office and the women in it are mostly all Mom's who have most likely sat in that same stall, or one like it, doing exactly what I was doing- so it was probably just more weird to me than it was them.

Today is my Friday and I am absolutely ECSTATIC about it! The week has gone really well...I've been busy (Disregard the 5 minutes I'm using here to type this- I have to use 1/2 of my lunch break to pump so I'm using the other 1/2 to write this!!), and Lisette has been an absolute dream! From caring for Logan, to sending me pictures and texts of his daily going-ons, to cleaning up etc I couldn't be happier with the situation we're in. I honestly don't think I would be adjusting this well if Logan was in daycare- just my personal preference, I think I would be a nervous wreck wondering if someone was looking after him, if the other babies were playing well with him etc...knowing that Lisette is giving her full attention to him puts me at such ease, and the way he smiles at her when she comes in lets me know that he adores her just as much as we do, and also that he's getting familiar with someone apart from Jason and i which I see as such a healthy thing!

So all in all, this week is ending on a great note....and it will just keep getting better as tomorrow my Mom flies in for a Birthday Weekend visit with us!!

xo

But I Survived!

Thanks to this little image!

Lisette sent this to me just as I sat down at my desk yesterday and somehow it made ALL the difference in the world! Seeing his smiling face, knowing he was doing alright calmed me down and put me in a good place. Plus, I'm busy at work so between trying to get settled on a new project, and taking 20 minute breaks every few hours to pump my day pretty much flew by! I was exhausted since little man decided he wanted to get up a few times throughout the night, but today should be better because he slept straight through from 11pm to 6:30am (And I had to wake him up at that point!)...so here's to day #2 as a working mother! I have learned a few things in just one day...

1) I need to figure out what I'm wearing the night before

2)I need to make lunches the night before

3)I need to suck it up and get up as early as possible so I can shower and get ready without fear the Logan will wake up in the middle of my routine

So things are looking up!

Tomorrow is Going To Be Rough...

...Sigh

Daddy and Logan in SLO

Before leaving the central coast for the Triathlon weekend, we HAD to make a quick trip to San Luis Obispo so Jason could show Logan around his old college town, we could buy Logan some Cal Poly gear (I'm sorry to all of my CSU Rammies...) and so we could OF COURSE stop and have lunch at Firestone (The mere mention of a tri-tip sandwich from this place gets Jason drooling just like Logan!)...so after lunch and a stop at the student store, we wandered down to the creek and snapped this great photo of Daddy and Son. I love it because the only OTHER photo I've seen down at this creek is of Jason and his Nana when I'm guessing he's about 20 and ready to move in to his new apartment...special and beautiful creek :)

Brock Alan Brown Welcome To the World!

On Friday, October 1, 2010, my BFF Lindsey Brown gave birth to her BEAUTIFUL baby boy- Brock Alan Brown! Here are a few pics I stole from Facebook...he's adorable!!! She did an amazing job delivering this little nugget (sorry Linds, I just love calling babies nuggets!). I can't wait to meet him at Christmas and have our FIRST of many Brown Laubster Baby play dates with Logan and Brock! BFFs in the making (Sorry Mr. Cow from my previous post, you will be replaced!). Love you Linds!!

Snug as a bug in a perfectly swaddled rug!

So sweet! Lindsey will be the BEST Mom! Someone I know I will lean on and go to for advice for MANY years to come!!

Snuggles with Mommy!

Eyes open and cuddling with Daddy!

Lovin up some Mama time!

Lake Lopez- Triathlon Weekend!

Since 2001, Jason and his Uncle Bob, Aunt Loli, cousin Jenn and a gaggle of others have camped out at Lopez Lake to participate in or watch the Scott Tinley Triathlon! This was Jason's 4th year competing, and he did an amazing job! Jason, Randall, Suz, Mark and Uncle Bob all competed and completed the course successfully! Becky, Auntie, Logan, Randall's parents and myself all cheered the athletes on and took some pictures to remember the weekend!! Here are a few stand out shots, and the rest can be seen in the slideshow below! Enjoy!

Logan getting acquainted with Auntie after an impromptu diaper change in the dining hall

Jason finishing up the swim...he immediately ran off the course at this point to give Logan a big wet kiss!

Crossing the finish line!!! CONGRATULATIONS MY LOVE!!

Jason and Logan hanging out post race (Please ignore Logan's ridiculously nasty shirt...it wasn't like that when we dressed him....however, little man decided to show us just how much he could spit up in one morning....Mom forgot to throw a bib on him and this was the result! Oh well!)

All bundled up and happy as a clam!

BFFN (Best Friends For Now)

Isn't this the cutest picture ever? This is Mr. Cow...Logan's Best Friend for now (Until he meets either August West Jopes or Brock Brown...his 2 predetermined BFF's). So Cute!

Happy 3 Months Logan!

As always, I did a photo shoot to celebrate Logan's 3 month birthday :) Iris once again made us an awesome shirt design for Logan to sport during the session...enjoy!

Hey! I'm 3 months old! And don't you forget it!

As a 3 month old, I like to squirm about and stick my tongue out! Phhhbbbbt!

Mommy loves these pants...makes me wear them A LOT!

I just keep getting cuter don't I?

What-chu talkin about Willis?

It's a tough job being a model!

Look! I have feet...do you have feet?

From Tummy to Back!

Tonight Logan rolled over (THREE TIMES!) from his tummy to his back!! We've been working on this with him for quite some time...and tonight he succeeded! Jason and I were SO excited for him and proud of him (and excited for ourselves that we got to witness it!)! I put him on his tummy earlier today and thought he was close...so I abruptly stopped his progress because I didn't want Jason to miss it if at all possible! So tonight, after dinner, little man was awake and active so we figured we'd give it a try!

As soon as we put him on his belly, we knew something was different...in a good way. He was holding his head up SO high- higher than he ever had before...and the biggest change of all, he was SMILING while on his tummy! Usually he cries bloody murder when we do tummy time...but tonight, he was smiling and cooing- definitely ready to do something *BIG*! So after a few seconds on the tummy, he started wiggling to his right and then WOMP...over went his big ol' head, followed by his body and Viola...he was on his back in no time! The squeals from Mommy and Daddy plus his suddenly new found view kind of shocked him for a bit, but then he seemed happy with his progress :)

See the video Jason captured of it all below :) Our little boy is growing up....sniff sniff...but we're VERY excited to get this baby on the move! Look out Chase and Earl...he's going to be crawling after YOU!

Here's a video of the little munchkin in action!

Where Has the Time Gone? And Why Haven't I Been Posting?!

My oh My! Where has the time gone? Have 16 weeks really already gone by? This time next week will I really be packing up my from my first day back at work (and beaming the BIGGEST smile EVER as I make the quick drive from Santa Monica back to my baby in Playa Vista!)? Wow. Unbelievable.

Yup, you've guessed it, my maternity leave is coming to an end. A big part of me is absolutely devastated. I'm not ready. Logan's not ready...how is it here so fast? I always knew I wouldn't be ready, whenever i would tell people I got to take a whopping 16 weeks off from work I always followed that up with "It seems like a long time now, but I guarantee you, come October 10th as i go to bed before setting my alarm for the first time I'll say "Wait, I feel like I've only had a day with him!" and sure enough, that's exactly how I feel. Someone told me that women in Sweden get a full YEAR off for maternity leave- a full year! Can you imagine? Wow...how great that would be. On the downside, I guess women's rights are pretty archaic compared to the rights we have here in America....there's a give and take with everything I guess. It seems to me that Mom's should stay home until the baby is done breastfeeding- but how would that be monitored? Some women DON'T breastfeed, some women do it for a few months, others for 1 year and still others for beyond one year (not sure how i feel about that...) but still...wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about pumping, and storing...you could just nurse as the baby needs and be done with it? Or better yet, what if everyone was allowed to bring their baby to work with them....now THAT would be amazing....but I'm all too aware that those are dreams that will not be coming true for me...but I don't want to seem ungrateful...I am extremely grateful for the great company I work for and what they were willing to do for me to make a schedule work for me and my family...

My new schedule will be much different than what I've been used to the past 5 years I've been out of college...I will now be working 4 days a week (Monday through Thursday), and 8 hours a day (Granted, that's what EVERYONE is supposed to work, but those of us in the construction world all know that its rare to only work 8 hours in this line of work, but Morley has clearly stated that my shift will be 8 hours a day so I'm going with it!). I've been put on a team that is building a hotel in Santa Monica, right along the water pretty much. I've always wanted to work on a hotel, and after speaking with my team today, it sounds like I may be handling a lot of the finish trades- which is what I most love about construction- nice finishes. I'll also be handling the LEED documents (LEED = Green Building) which is great- because it's something that I can take care of throughout the next few months- it isn't a crunch issue that needs to be completed tomorrow...it's also a great thing because it could be a nitch for me to use on my next project!

So while I know Monday will be hard, what's going to make it easier is knowing that I work for a great company that is willing to work with me to make this transition back into the working world a bit easier :)

Sorry for the somewhat boring post....here's a list of other things I intend to post on before i Head back to work!!!

- Logan's first flight

- Our fun trip to Seattle for Lindsey's shower and to meet the fam!

- Logan @ 3 Months (Photo shoot!)

- Logan learning to use his hands and utilize one of his toys!

- Jason's triathlon at Lake Lopez (And tales of "camping" with a newborn)

- The birth of Brock Alan Brown (BFF in training for Logan!)

Taa Taa for now!!

xo