3 month photo shoot! {sneak peak}

This past Monday since I had the day off for President's Day, we scheduled Gunner's very first photo session!

I've kicked myself everyday for not getting his newborn pictures taken, but I had a really rough recovery & just could not muster up the energy to do them. I wasn't aware the photographer's could come to your house, so I really regret that now. BUT! I have been proactive ever since, and have scheduled not 1, but FOUR photo sessions to capture Gunner's milestone ages for his first year. He will be getting his photos done at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months old!

 

 

Here are the sneak peaks the photographer posted of his shoot from Monday! There are a bunch more coming on Friday when she posts his full gallery, but I just had to share these for now because I am dying of all this cuteness!!

 

 

Much thanks to our amazing photographer, Monica S Photography! She does such amazing work and has done photos for us in the past, and she captured the very best of Gunner with these photos!

 

Visit her website @ monicasphoto.com/



a lovely three days

Oh, thank goodness for three-day weekends!

Got to spend not two, but THREE days with my sweet little Gunner bear.

I don't think there's anything my heart needed more. It's been so tough going back to work and missing out on all our quality time together... these three days I did nothing but spend it with him, and it was nothing short of amazing. Any time, little or long, I spend with him is always so precious to me... but having THREE whole days together just made me so happy - it was like old times again. & honestly, I found myself forgetting that I did have to go back to work eventually. Tomorrow is the dreaded day of the workweek starting up, and as grateful to have had so much time with Gunner, it feels like I'm leaving him to go back to work after my maternity leave, all over again. It's so hard being a working mama, just when I thought I got the swing of it and was adjusting to being apart, throw in some extra time and I got WAY too spoiled, I forgot all about work, well, reality really.

 

But enough mushy sad talk. I really wanted to share how we spent our fun three days together! All three days I tried to do fun stuff together, and of course I left PLENTY of time for cuddling & snuggling at home with dad. That's another thing, with Rick being on his paternity leave right now - it was the first time in... well, ever that we were able to spend time together as a family - & three days at that! It was so nice I could write a whole three blogs (one for each day) - but don't worry - I'm going to give you the short version of it, aka:

 the highlight real::

 

Saturday:

Saturday I had two appointments to try on wedding dresses! Yes, Rick & I have already gotten married... however, we are still planning on having our formal wedding this Summer since it had to be postponed last year (due to this precious little surprise of ours). Anywho! Yes, it is now time to find a new dress for our big day! I have had one for 4 years now in my closet and after so many times of rescheduling or having to postpone, Rick told me to use some of our tax refund and go get a new dress! We've downsized our wedding a lot over the last year, and he said I at least deserved to have my dream dress. I could NOT have been more excited, boy am I one lucky gal to have him!

 

So Saturday myself, Gunner, my mom, my cousin Karin & one of my bestest friends Danielle all set out on the search for my dress! I didn't end up find "the" perfect one.. but I got close. Now I know exactly what I'm looking for, so the hard parts over!

 

After wedding dress shopping, my mom parted ways and the girls (+Gunner) and I headed to the Fountains in Roseville for lunch and some window shopping. I tell you, the Fountains are seriously like another state or city! You'd never guess you were still in Sacramento. The shopping center is so clean and beautiful & the people are all friendly & it's so perfect for family trips, oh, and SO stroller-friendly (which is always a bonus!) I definitely will be taking more trips out there from now on!

We had lunch at one of my favorite places, Boudins (Best clam chowder bread bowl that isn't right on the shores of the ocean). We had a blast! Gunner took a nap through shopping (typical guy) and then woke up to enjoy the sunlight when we were walking around outside. It was so fun!

 

Afterwards Gunner, me & auntie Karin went furniture shopping for her new house! I got to use my nwe baby carrier and that was fun! Gunner absolutely LOVED it because he loves being able to look out at people and not stuck in a stroller or on my chest facing my collar bone! LOL!

 

Saturday night was Rick & my very first "night out" since Gunner has been born! I was very hesitant to leave because I really do cherish our weekends together and try to spend every second with him since I work all week now - but I also know we needed some adult time & to go out and have some fun together. We left Gunner at his godparents house and they were obviously THRILLED to watch him! We went out with Ricks ENTIRE family for his dad's birthday party. We all went to some bar/clubhouse for a big party his friends had put together for him & it was a pretty fun night :) I couldn't get back to Lola & Oscars fast enough though to pick up the munchkin & head home to cuddle up together!

 

Sunday

Sunday is always my family day. Every Sunday my family gets together and meets for lunch somewhere. Sometimes we also run errands or go the fruit market - but no matter what, we always get lunch together. This Sunday was extra special because it's the first one that my Grandma Ruby has been able to join us in, in about three months. She had some health issues come up around Thanksgiving and has been hospitilized since then & the last few months was in a rehabilitation center to help her recovery. We've been going to her rehab facility the last month or so on Sundays to spend it with her, so it was so much fun that she was finally out of the hospital & able to come out with us again! It's the first time we've all gone out to a restaraunt since before Thanksgiving, so we had LOTS of fun! We usually go to the same Persian restaraunt every week, but this week we decided to celebrate the occasion and all went out to Red Robin. I ate WAY too many appetizers & Gunner was as happy as a clam being passed around by all the family.

 

My Uncle Mahmood bought Ethan & Gunner matching sunglasses and brought them to lunch.. OH MY GOODNESS I've never seen anything cuter than infant sunglasses! I've been looking for so long but never been able to find any small enough & sure enough, he did! The boys looked A-Dorable! Ethan is such an amazing older cousin to Gunner & he just loves him so much, it M E L T S my heart. All day long I heard how "baby Gunner" wants his bottle, or "baby gunner" loves Ethan, or "baby Gunner" is so cool. It's the sweetest thing. Before Gunner, Ethan was the baby of the family, and we've always had a really special bond together... I was so scared he'd have a hard time adjusting to sharing his auntie roya with another little boy.. but he's done such an amazing job. I've never seen such a better, more loving, little guy than Ethan when he's around his little cousin "baby gunner" <3

 

After Sunday Funday with my family I came home to Rick's family at our house - so Gunner got even MORE attention and loving and our house was full of love & story telling from the night before:) It was so much fun!

 

Sunday night Gunner went to bed REALLY early (definitely because of his extremely busy/fun Sunday with all his family). So Rick & I took the quiet time to catch up on our dvr and all our shows. It's little things like that, or relaxing nights at home - that really make me thankful for my life. Nothing makes me happier than being at home with my family... and something as simple as Gunner sleeping peacefully while we catch up on our dvr and eat leftover Valentines Day candy - was the very best night for me.

 

Monday (President's Day)

Monday was mama's "chores" day. I only get 2 days a week where I'm at the house and free from work. One day is always the "Fun" day to spend with the family and go do all the fun stuff I can't all week. Then the other day is always "catch up day" where I have to catch up on all my errands & chores I couldn't do all week... and also prepare for the next workweek to come! Since I got a bonus day in my weekend, I took today to really get ALL the things I've been meaning to do, done! It felt AMAZING! You know you're old when you get excited for a day free of plans, to just clean the house & do laundry! Gunner slept in with dad and I woke up bright & early like it was Christmas - because I knew I had the house to myself to CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN! I did 5 loads of laundry, vaccumed, did all the dishes & sanitized all of Gunner's bottles and pacifiers, cleaned our room & Gunner's nursery (including replenishing all the diapers, wipes and sheets) & put ALL the house laundry away! WOWZERS. I felt like a superhero. Rick does so much throughout the week, I felt like it'd be nice if he could just relax and play with Gunner and not have to worry about the house & laundry for once. And BOY, did our house need it! Gunner had two loads of laundry to himself! Yeah, definitely going to need to stay on top of things better now that I'm back at work.. I can't wait for the next three-day weekend to roll around ! (lol)

 

As if that wasn't enough for a FULL day's worth - Gunner had his 3 month photoshoot scheduled for today so I had to get his outfits all together for that! The photographer came to our house (he's still too small for an outdoor shoot) and took all his photos and got all his outfit changes done - I am SO EXCITED to see what they look like! This photographer has done photos for us in the past, and she is just amazing. And Gunner was smiling & laughing the whole time, so I'm really excited to see how they look!

 

After she left, Rick went and got Chinese food for us (last cheat day before my diet starts back up tomorrow) and rented the movie Flight for us to watch. Gunner laid down with us and we all watched the movie & ate dinner together as a family. It was a really good movie but Gunner was real fussy. So with all the stops to give him attention or a bottle or change his position - the 2 hour movie took about 3.5 hours to get through. But, we still really liked it! After that, I gave Gunner a nice long bath to calm him down and relax him - and before I could get his clothes on he was falling asleep! One bottle later - he was/is OUT (still is asleep actually so that's how I'm getting to write such a long blog!)

 

 

 

All in all, I could not have imagined a more fun three days together. I got constant time with Gunner, LOTS of cuddles throughout the day & in the morning (what I miss most about being at work) and it felt like we were back on maternity leave together, just spending all our days and nights together without a time frame. However, tomorrow reality awaits & I'm not looking forward to going back to work. BUT, only FOUR days until the weekend! Then it's funtime for this mama again<3
 

The boys in their matching shades!

 

Sunday Funday with the fam! Here's us & the boys in our sunglasses :)

Daddy playing with Gunner on our family day off together.

Having fun shopping at the Roseville Fountains!

Wedding dress shopping! Unfortunately I didn't find "the" dress, but I'm a little closer!

Having lunch at one of my favorite places, Boudins! Gunner wasn't too thrilled about it..

This little munchkin LOVES tummy time! He always has so much fun rolling over and over and holding his head up to watch everything going on in the house.

What I miss most about being back at work -- morning snuggles with this cutie.

valentines day #babysfirst

Oh, Valentines Day.

How are you my MOST favorite day of the whole year. Ever since I was little I remember looking forward to this day all year. My mom & dad used to spoil my brother and me with candies and surprises - and I remember always getting to wear as much pink and red as I wanted (and loving it!) And now, fast-foward a couple decades - and it's still my favorite day of the year. Nothing makes my heart happier than seeing everyone showered with love, and everyone being EXTRA sweet all day. It really is the sweetest day of the year.

 

This year, being my first year as a mommy, I really wanted to make it extra special for both of my guys. This is Rick & my FOURTH valentines day together - and it's just as special as the first one. And I was obviously over-the-moon-excited to introdruce this LOVEly day to Gunner! Unfortunately, I am back at work now - so I had to spend it apart from my loves. I honestly was fighting back tears all day long because I wanted to be at home with Gunner and doing fun Valentines day stuff with him. But insead, I had to work (being a grown up definitely is tough at times). So, instead - I did my very best to surprise Rick & Gunner before and after work!

 

In the morning, I woke up extra early so I could get my valentines day surprises in order before I had to leave for work. I uploaded Gunner's pictures and edited them so I could send out his speical "Valentines Day Card" to all of our family & friends (via text message because mama procrastinated and couldn't mail them in time). Then I decorated the house with Rick's surprise and it turned out SO perfect~! It was 50 post its that covered the bathroom mirror with 50 different things I love about him(Thanks Pinterest!) - it was great. Then I laid out Gunner's special vday outfit so dad knew what to put him in for their day together (Ricks on his leave now with the baby) - and was off to work!

 

Work went by incredibly slow because all I wanted was to get home to my family. Luckily everyone got their vday text I sent out and LOVED his picture! It was a definite success :) During the workday, Rick texted me to go out to my car and get my valentines day card he hid in trunk.. I was VERY confused why it was there - but all he said was that "I couldn't find a big enough stamp".. low & behold - I went out to my car to find a HUGE valentines day card he had hid for me! Too stinkin cute!

 

After work I RUSHED home to my babies.

 

Every year Rick & I have a tradition for valentines day. We always go out to dinner and then go to the movies and I get to choose the chickiest of chick flicks that we go see! It's so much fun. This year - when I got home, I told Rick that I really wanted to just stay in with the baby because I reallyjust missed him so much and couldn't imagine leaving him for the evening. So, my incredibly sweet hubby totally understood, cancelled the plans - and ordered (my favorite) Round Table to be delivered instead. & also surprised me with apple cider bottles (I'm not much of a drinker, so that's always my go-to "celebration" drink). It was perfect. Nothing makes me happier then being home and spending time together as a family, and that's exactly what we did. It was all I could have asked for.

 

I really cannot wait until next year when Gunner is a little older and can understand the specialness and fun of holidays, then I can really break out all the fun crafts and traditions for him. But for now, we did the best we could to show him the fun of Valentines Day & all and all - it was pretty perfect :)

 

 

Oh! And Grandma Patty also LOVED her valentines day surprise I had delivered to her work - a Heart Shaped Pizza! She said the whole office was jealous of her pizza, so that was definitely worth it! (PS proud gandma with her dual-monitors covered with Gunner!)

 

Gunner's Valentines Day Card/Text for everyone

 

Wasn't too thrilled about his candies and surprises - afterall, they aren't as yummy as his hands. Oh well, next year we'll go bigger and he'll actually know what they are! (lol!)

Biggest card ever?!

Watching movies with mom & dad from his swing

today I have a three month old!

So I apologize for the extreme late blog post, but this is also mommy's first month back to work (blog coming soon on that). Luckily I save all your updates in my notepad in my phone throughout the month, so I never forget a single thing for you big blog each month!

Well Gunner man, you are officially NOT a little baby anymore! You're rolling over, scooting yourself around, and escaping out of your swing and bouncer! It's insane how mobile you are AND how much of a little personality you have now!! Each day is a whole new adventure with you and I've loved watching you grow more and more into your own little person.

Here are the big updates from this past month:

-You are VERY independent now. kinda breaks my heart but thats I'm learning to accept you're a growing boy. You prefer to spend time alone on the in your playmat than anything else.

-You definitely got your stubbornness from your mommy. Now you don't like to be cuddled all the time.. You like to lay by yourself and you REFUSE to let us help you get comfortable! You will moan & groan and scoot yourself around and toss & turn until you make yourself comfy.. And only THEN you will sleep. But god forbid if we move you, you do it all again and cry if we try to help you out.

- You're Mobile! You're figuring your body and how to move different positions and to do things you want. You'll throw your body weight and arms & legs around to move or scoot around.

-You're an escape artist! We can no longer leave you unattended in your swing or anything if you're not strapped in because you will find a way to get out (luckily we've caught you before you made it out!)

- Teething! You have 3 big teeth coming in your bottom gums! Anyway now they'll break through

- You can drink almost a full 4-ounce bottle and eat every 2-3 hours

- You can now sleep 4-5 hours at a time! During the day you only sleep a couple hours, but towards the evening you can sleep a lot longer. I still am not used to it and am constantly checking to see if you're breathing! Everyone said you'd gradually sleep longer & longer and it finally happened! (Thank you) but sometimes I miss you being awake and really want to wake you up! Lol I know I know, never happy.

- You only sleep on your side and/or your stomach now (much attended the whole time because, again, mommy gets paranoid of everything)

- You are always naked ! You love being naked more than anything and cry if you get hot at night. So a lot of the time well strip you down till you fall asleep and cover you up with blankets. (You kick them off if you're awake)

- We don't go out as much because now you get antsy in your carseat after an hour or so (understandable)

- You are always laughing and smiling!! It's the sweetest thing! Everyday I wake up to you talking and laughing to yourself.. And you can talk for 20-30 minutes to us now!

- Even though you've found your independence, this month fallen asleep more times on my chest than i can count! The last couple months you haven't really liked laying on my chest and now you do again, and some nights that's the only thing that puts you to sleep.. And I LOVE IT

- You're very alert and always looking around - in public you like to see everything and you cry sometimes until we turn you around to face outward because you love looking around and are so amazed at everything.

- (Probably my favorite update) You 100% know me and dads voice. Anytime one of us is gone and we call on speakerphone - you recognize our voice and start talking and laughing instantly. It is THE sweetest thing!



I'm sure I'm missing a lot, but these ar the best and most recognizable updates for you. Everyday you grow more and it's so visible now. Even your little face is changing again. I just cherish every moment and everyday together because I know soon ill be sitting here writing your six month blog!

january days <3

This is my last month of maternity leave with my little Gunner Bear, so I made sure to take TONS of pictures. I know that once I go back to work, I won't get to take pictures of him all day long like I have since he was born - and that's really hard. So I made sure to capture as many sweet moments as possible this month so that I can cover my desk in photos when I go back to work in February.

 

Here are some of my favorites from this month:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watching the fights with dad like a big boy!

 

 

two month teether?

First off, I cannot even believe I am typing, let along LIVING this out.

My little baby two-month-old is TEETHING.

As in, growing teeth and already being WAY too much of a big boy for my heart to handle.

 

At first, nobody believed me. Blamed it on "first mama paranoia" or just "over analyzing" the situation. However, all the signs were there: drooling all over the place, sucking his hands constantly, not sleeping as well (after we finally started getting on a schedule), being more fussy than normal - fussy at ALL in his case was a huge indicator since he's always so happy. The signs were all there. However, like I said, nobody believed he could teeth so early on.

 

I started doing some mama research to see if I was maybe just over-anazlying everything. Google, WebMD, you know - consulting the professionals. It all added up. So, I called our pediatrician, explained the symtoms and she instantly agreed - our two-month-old is teething!

 

Once the shock wore off, and the tears stopped (yes I had a little meltdown that he was already growing up and teething) - I started consulting my "professionals" online again for ways to help make this transition easier for my little bug.

 

Now, three weeks later - he has THREE huge teeth coming in his bottom gums! Yes, THREE. One on the left side, and two on the right side. They are huge! To be honest, I'm terrified for him because they look pretty fierce for such a baby size mouth. But he's been SUCH a trooper through this whole thing, I can only imaging he'll continue to be mama's strong boy.

 

Yes, Gunner is a huge trooper! Because he is so small still, he doesn't understand or LIKE any of the teethers we have tried. He has a really tiny mouth already, and all the teethers, teething rings, etc. are all too big for his mouth and he just cries and spits them out. We, unfortunately, canot give him any pain medicines (baby motrin, etc.) because he's still too young for all that. So, for the most part - he is handling it all natural. Just baby orajel when it's real tough, and LOTS of cuddles with mom and dad. I'm so surprised though, because with all that - he's doing amazing!

 

At first it was real hard for him, the first few days I noticed the teeth coming in and the gums swollen - he was really fussy. But after about 3-4 days of being fussy - he's back to being the happiest baby! Nighttime is the worst for him, and even that isn't nearly as bad as expected.

 

I'm anxious to see when these teeth are going to break though, by the looks of his gums and the teeth - it could be ANY day now. I just hope I am here (I go back to work next week) when they do, so I can be the one to cuddle and comfort him<3 I'll keep you all updated though on the adventures of teething and how he does when they do finally break through :)

breaks my heart to see him sad.

extra cuddly now, which I will admit is one perk of teething.



Hard to see, or photograph, but here is 1 of 3 teeth about to come in!

always sucking on those hands now

poor baby. nights are the hardest, but a warm bath and cozy pajamas always helps him fall asleep.

today I have a two month old!

my oh my how fast time flies! seems like just yesterday I was sitting down to write about our very first month together. And now, just like that, another month has passed us by. But what a BEAUTIFUL month it has been!

 

December: WOW. You surely picked a very eventful time of year to be born Gunner bear. Your very first weeks of being born you got to experience your first Thanksgiving holiday, and this month was your very first Christmas. & it was amazing. Even though you were just one month old, we went the whole nine yards for your first Christmas. Between crafting for your grandparents gift, your first letter from Santa, wrapping & unwrapping ALL of your presents from Santa (oh yeah that happened), to going all around town to see all of your family and share such a special day with them - it was amazing. I know you probably won't remember this first Christmas, but it was the most amazing one for me and your dad, and we took plenty of pictures so you can look back on it one day and know that it was incredibly special. But then again, each day with you is incredibly special.

 

 

December was a BIG month for you little man. You grew a lot, and really have come into your own. You have your own personality now and every day it grows bigger and bigger. I know I probably will say this more than a thousand times, but this is my most favorite age yet. Here are some of your biggest highlights this month:

 

-You now weigh 11 lbs, 13 ounces. That means you have gained EXACTLY five pounds since you were born. Which sounds like a lot, but in your first month is when you gained most of it. Since your 1st month checkup, you actually only gained less than a pound.

 

-You are now 22 inches long!

 

-Your eyes are getting lighter and lighter each day. Your dad and I are still arguing if they are more blue or more green - they sorta change between the two. Either way though, with those beautiful eyelashes (I like to think that's the Persian in you) - your definitely going to have some beautiful eyes no matter what color they turn out to be.

 

-You've finally started to fill out. Mostly in your chubby thighs, and your ADORABLE belly (yes, you have a little tummy now and it's so cute!) and even your cheeks got bigger! Lol, sorry about those chipmunk cheeks baby, you definitely got those from your mama. But don't worry, people will only pinch them for a few more years.. at least until you can politely ask them not to ;)

 

-You TALK!! You found your voice and my oh my it is the SWEETEST thing yet! You just talk all day long and are constantly "cooing" now. More and more each day and it's so sweet.

 

-You found your smile!! This is the biggest and best accomplishment yet. From day 1 you had a little grin, and it's grown more and more - but this month you definitely discovered your smile. You smile ALL THE TIME. & there is nothing that makes us happy than when you flash a big gummy smile and just grin ear to ear. I love it. Everyone absolutely adores that smile of yours, even your doctor was laughing at all the smiles you gave her. She said she hasn't seen such a social baby in a long long time<3

 

-You can hold your head up completely on your own now. Whether your laying on someones chest or on your belly for tummy time, you can hold your head up and look around whenever you want and for a really long time too! 

 

-You're really wanting to crawl. You've started pushing your legs off of things to try and scoot, but you can't quite make the move yet - but you're trying really hard. Maybe by next month you'll get a little movement in that department.

-You still love bathtime more than ANYTHING. Now you get them almost every other day, but sometimes once a day just because you enjoy them so much and just laugh the whole time and splash around.

-Last month you hated being naked... and this month you LOVE it! You get really hot (you seem to be hot-blooded like mom) and start crying during the day/night if you get too hot and sometimes I'll let you sleep in just a diaper and blankets because that's when you are most comfortable and sleep the longest. And now after bathtime when you get your lotion and massage you just smile the whole time, until it's time to dress you then it's a battle (lol).

 

-You HATE being covered with blankets. Every single time we cover you up - no matter how long it takes you, you kick those covers right off! I think you think it's a game because everytime you kick them off we run in to cover you back off and you laugh and kick them off again! I finally just got really tall socks for you so that if you uncover yourself, at least your feet will stay warm.

 

-You finally grew out of those adorable little newborn diapers. That was your daddy's saddest day yet. He saved a couple of them because they are just too cute. It's crazy to think those were BIG on you at one point! But now your in level 1 diapers. They are pretty big on you, but at least you're comfortable in them and can more around a lot more.

 

-You also are almost out of all your newborn clothes. This was mommy's saddest day. You went from premies for two weeks into newborns for two months and now you're heading towards all those 0-3 month clothes. It breaks my heart to know I have to pack up all those precious little outfits, but I know you have a closet full of clothes that are just calling your name. It's like a whole new wardrobe, so that's the exciting part of it. But still, lets not jump right into those 3 month sizes quite yet, I don't think my heart could take it.

 

-You're almost over your pacifier now completely. You were never totally fond of it, but this month you maybe actually sucked on it for a total of 3 times. 

 

-You recognize voices & faces now. Whenever your daddy or I come into the room you turn all your attention to where we are at and just smile and stare, it's so precious. Now you can make eye contact and have full on conversations (in your own language of course) and show your emotions and laugh with people. It's really really amazing to watch.

 

-You can sleep up 3 hours at a time now (thank you for that one). Not every night, but a lot of nights now you sleep 3-4 hours at a time before waking up for a bottle or diaper change. I can't thank you enough for that one. 

 

-We're still working on getting your nights and days switched around, but you're getting there. I've started taking you out a little more so that's helping you to learn what day time and night time are (at least I think so).

 

-You are eating about the same amount. Last month you could eat 2-3 ounces every 2 hours.. this month you can eat almost a solid 3 ounces at a time, and about every 2 hours. 

 

 

Those are the biggest and best milestones that happened this month. It's been a pretty busy month with all the holiday events and excitement. You've grown a LOT this month. Maybe not in your physical features, but definitely in your personality. I can't wait to see what month 3 will bring, and how much change we will see you in. Your dad and I talk all the time about how wish you could just stay this age forever because you're just so much fun right now. The talking and smiling and just how incredibly happy you always are - you're so amazing. But then we think to the future when you will start crawling and talking and all the amazing things to come, and we know that as bittersweet as it is to see your growing out of things, you're also growing into things, and that's pretty special too. I know that time is flying by and I'm hoping that now that the holidays over it won't fly by as fast, but I'm definitely excited for what's to come in this 3rd month with you<3