Holy Cow it has been a while since I have been on this site. August is almost eight months old!

Summer has arrived and brought us our first wedding season at the cake shop. The good news is we are super busy, the downside is there is not a lot of free time to be had.

In May we were surprised by a visit from August's great grandparents. They made the DRIVE from Virginia to Boulder just to visit August for a few hours before heading back east!

August and Great Grandmother Rossi

We sent them on their way with plenty of treats for the drive.

August and Great Grandfather Rossi


We have also celebrated my first Mother's Day and Jake's first Father's Day

Mother's Day at the Kitchen

August is now sleeping in his own bed in his room with out his swaddle! He also continues to sleep through the night which is amazing. He is napping in his crib, I am still waiting for the day that he takes 2 good long naps a day... He has also been doing a great job of putting himself to sleep for naps at the cake shop

He has been eating food for a month or so now. Nothing exciting, just baby food. I was determined to make him all his baby food, but reality set in and it is just to easy to buy organic baby food from the store. So far carrots and apples are the favorites. Jake can't wait till August can eat what we are eating, I am not in any rush for him to grow up faster than he already is!

Swim class with dad. He loves the water and even went down the big water slide with mom.

Napping with Dad. This was the first time he put himself to sleep for a nap (August not Jake!)

August had his first plane flight this month! We took him to New Orleans to meet the family. Jake was only able to stay for a few days, but August and I had a week in 80 degrees and humidity. August had to get a new outfit for the trip

I think he looks ready for Jazz Fest, or a safari.

It was great to introduce him to the family and he handled all the attention very well.

Here he is the morning of his party, hanging out with dad in bed.

Meeting his Great Aunt Jacki, he does not yet know that she makes all the yummy Christmas and Easter cookies

There had to be a welcome cake

Hanging with Opa and his great uncles

The next day we brought August to Restaurant August for lunch. He was very well behaved and even got to smell all of dad's food. He was most interested in the gumbo and not so sure about crawfish.

Oma time at Restaurant August. Restaurant August was part of our decision to name August, but it is also his great, great grandfather's name, who was a master baker in Germany. We thought that was fitting!

Family shot outside the restaurant. Last time we were here I was very pregnant.

August and I had to fly home without Jake and I was a nervous wreck. I was hoping and praying that I did not end up sitting next to a jerk that hates babies/children/puppies ect. Luckily, we was very well behaved and our seatmates were friendly. I have discovered that he really like turbulence.

Now we are back home and things are as crazy as ever with the cake shop. August has another trip in the works to meet his great grandparents in Virginia. And hopefully his cousin Clara will also make the trip!



Yippee, August gained one pound! It took a little over a week, but looks like he is back on track, he is now at 12 pounds and 12 ounces.

Monday he had an ultrasound appointment and an appointment with the pediatric urologist at Children's Hospital. He has a dilation in both of his kidneys that we are keeping an eye on. It was discovered at my 20 week ultrasound and has not gotten worse or better since. Worse case scenario he will need surgery, but we are hoping he will "grow out of it". So it looks like we will be going back again in 3 months. Let me tell you, he was not happy with the ultrasound tech this time around. He let us all know that he was miserable! Poor little guy.

Jake's mom was in town last weekend. August got some good grandma time in!



Yesterday was a long day for the little bug. On Wednesdays we go to the gym for swim practice in the morning, then on to the cake shop to get some work done. Then August and I pack up cupcakes and head to a local business in town (Crispin Porter and Bogusky) to sell cupcakes to their employees. We are usually there for 1-2 hours and August gets to visit with our friends who work there. He is worn out when this is all said and done. But last night Jake and I decided to go out to celebrate our wining Best Cupcake in Denver in the Westword magazine http://www.westword.com/bestof/2011/award/best-cupcake-1770405/. We went to Pizzeria Basta (our friends who won best pizza) for dinner. August was a rock star, he slept for most of our meal and when he woke up he was in adorable baby mode. Things did not go as well when we got home. I think I am now over feeding August as he threw up what seemed like a weeks worth of food right before he fell asleep. So we had to change our bed, his clothes, my clothes and his swaddle. I had a feeling this was going to be a problem. I got out a different swaddle and got him to bed. He got out of this swaddle at 3 and again at 5. I actually got up to wash and dry the original swaddle in the middle of the night in anticipation of this problem  The first time in months he has not slept through the night. Now it is almost 10 am and he is still sleeping. This day could be a  mess!

There is not enough space on dad's lap for everyone!

I didn't realize it has been almost a month since the last post! August had his 4 month check up last week. We found out he had only gained 9 ounces in 2 months. Not good. I went into panic mode and got online to research organic formula so we could supplement him and get his weight back up. I also met with a lactation nurse to figure out why he has not been gaining weight. The conclusion is that my milk supply is drying up because he sleeps 10-12 hours a night. Who knew that having an awesome sleeper would cause so many problems! So now I am pumping after every feeding and getting up in the middle of the night to pump. We are hoping to avoid waking August for a nighttime feeding. So far so good, he has gained one pound in 2 weeks.

The good news at his 4 month appointment was he rolled over for us! He has been rolling front to back and back to front. His grip is getting stronger also, he reaches for his toys and has been able to pull them off his activity mat.

Here he is practicing tummy time in front of a very dusty mirror!

Holding on to his toys.

We have also been spending more time at the cake shop. Last week Mandy was out of town so it was just the 3 of us working away (Jake, August and I). We were able to borrow a pack n play for August to hang out in, but he got bored so we had to get creative with ways to keep him entertained

Doesn't he look entertained?

This is his new adorable baby pose. He only does this with his dad.

Next week we are going to have his 4 month pictures taken. Wish us luck.

Here is a video of August sucking his thumb. He just started this about a week ago!

So we have discovered hands and feet, rolled over both way and thumb sucking. Now that I am no longer starving him who knows what will happen next!

Happy Mardi Gras!!!

I made this for August for today once I realized that he did not have a Mardi Gras outfit (gasp!). I think it is cute, Jake is not crazy about it. I don't think he understands the tackiness that is Mardi Gras.

We are going to have a small get together tonight with Red Beans and Rice and King Cake. Speaking of King Cake, we sold much more than we expected at the cake shop, yipee!

Last Friday August came with me to girls night. Our friend Isabelle started having us get together on Fridays for Potluck dinner and drinks. Awesome idea! And kids are welcome. August met Eston for the first time, he is 19 months old. Maybe one day they will be able to relate to one another. Eston brought his ambulances over to show August, it was pretty adorable.

As you can imagine, August was a hit with the ladies. Here he is hanging out with Kimberly

Look at the difference from the first time they met!

Next week is his 4 month check up. I have no idea what he weighs or how much he has grown and am looking forward to finding out. Jake's mom is also coming out for a visit. I'm fairly certain she is not coming out to see us!

Jake has been putting a lot of time into August's daily outfits. There are mornings when August is dressed a few times until Jake is happy with the end result. So far August has been patient with this process. Here is a recent winning outfit.

Pretty adorable.

August went to daycare at the gym yesterday for the first time. We get 2 hours of daycare each day for an extra $25 a month, sounds like a deal to me. I have been avoiding the gym daycare b/c it is cold and flu season, but it has been next to impossible to get a workout in lately. The shop has been to busy for me to leave him with Jake,  so I broke down and dropped him off. He seemed to be fine with it, they didn't have to come get me out of swim practice! When I went to get him he had been fed and was in a fresh diaper. Full service day care...He immediately crashed out in the car on the way home.

I think August may have discovered his left hand. The pediatrician keeps asking us if he has discovered his hands and I am always on the lookout for some sign of this "discovery". He does like to eat his fists, right or left, it doesn't seem to matter, I am not sure if that qualifies as dicovering his hands. Jake is convinced that August is left handed, we'll see. But he does like to look at the left hand.

We are getting closer to getting a bike trailer. I have decided on the Chariot Cheetah with bike and stroller options. This seems to be the only bike trailer that he can go in now (with a baby support). So now I am trying to figure out how to save up the $$ for it! I keep telling myself it is cheaper than a second car...

I am also in the market for a used pack n play. August is still sleeping in his in our bedroom and we need one for the shop. It becomes very tedious to pack up the pack n play every time we go to the shop. Lately I have been letting him hang out on his changing table in the bathroom. There are so many reasons this is wrong; it's the bathroom, and that is gross, one day he will roll off this thing and that will not end well.

It was one of the best purchases I have made for the shop!

The bump on his head is getting bigger. At about 6 months it should stop growing and hopefully start shrinking. I am getting tired of answering questions about it to the general public. A man behind the meat counter said it looked like a huge pimple. Thank you very much for your obnoxious opinion...

Jake is on the way to pick us up for the cake shop, got to go pack the pack n play.

August and I walked to the cake shop again yesterday. The novelty of an hour and a half walk has worn off and I also have blisters. I am ready to get a bike trailer ASAP! He has been spending quite a bit of time at the shop lately, so I am also shopping around for used Pack n Plays. Essentially a playpen that he can nap in while we are at the shop. He has a swing there already, but it is a back and forth swing, not side to side, and he is not into it.

He also spends quite a bit of time in the Baby Bjorn while at the shop. He loves this, but it is very hard to get anything done. We are looking forward to the day that he can be in a carrier on our backs.

Here he is with Jake working away

Jake was on baby duty this morning so I could attend a diastisis rehab class. Diastisis is a separation of the abdominal muscles as a result of pregnancy (amongst other things). I have to wear a very uncomfortable and unattractive splint until I am healed as well as do some very tedious exercises. We go back in 3 weeks to be remeasured and learn the next phase of exercises. My separation is about 3+ inches wide and knuckle deep. This separation is what is fixed in a tummy tuck surgery. Chances are I had a separation before I was pregnant (crunches are a sure fire way to cause diastisis) but it worsened with my large baby!

August and I are heading back to the cake shop today for another wedding cake tasting then we are off to find some body contouring garments. This splint around my midsection makes me bulge out in the most unattractive areas!

Here is a video of August and his new mobil.

Last night we were treated to a traditional Saudi Arabian meal. Zulfa and her husband Redwan are here in Boulder while he finishes his degree in Chemical Engineering at CU. Zulfa was required to do volunteer work for her school back in Saudi Arabia. She did that work at the cake shop. Last week was her last day and we celebrated with this meal.

I am going to have to ask her to write down everything we had as I can't remember the names of the dishes.

The dinner started with Saudi Arabian Coffee, which looked like tea and tasted of cardamom. The coffee was accompanied by dates. They don't put sugar in their coffee, so the dates are for sweetness. Then we had these amazing little candies (of course I didn't get pictures of any of this). Jake must have had 6 of them. And dinner finished with a traditional Syrian cake. Again, I can't remember the name, but we are gong the get the recipe. It was amazing.

August had a great time being spoiled by Zulfa. She adores him, I think that is the real reason we were invited over. Zulfa would hand August over to her husband to go tend to dinner and he was not quite as comfortable with babies!

Zulfa told us that if a married couple is not pregnant in the 10 months after their marriage the mothers will start asking them what is wrong. Zulfa and Redwan's marriage is an arranged marriage and she first saw him on Skype (he was here studying and she was home in Saudi Arabia). It is fascinating to hear about their traditions. She showed me her wedding pictures, but Jake was not allowed to see because she did not have her head scarf on in the photos. Actually the men and women have their own weddings. They do not have a ceremony where they are together before friends and family.So in the photos that I saw she was wearing a beautiful western style wedding dress. Jake couldn't even see a picture of their cake since she was in it without her head scarf.

 There are 2 engagements. The second one is where they sign the contract to be husband and wife, but they cannot live together until after the wedding and that be as long as 6 months after the second engagement.

While Zulfa was at the cake shop she was not able to bake or handle any cakes that had alcohol in them. Nor was she allowed to handle vanilla. Everyday was a new learning experience for us. We are going to have them over to our house for a traditional New Orleans feast. I just have to remember that they can't have pork...

We stayed well past August's bedtime and he did not get up until 10 this morning.

Jake did a great job of putting him to sleep while we finished dinner.



Tonight Jake is being interviewed on a local radio show, I think we will listen to that and skip the Oscars.

August and I found out yesterday that walking to the cake shop is uphill. The entire way. And it still took us an hour and a half.

It is snowing to today so no walking for us. We usually walk to Whole Foods for our cake demo but Jake is going to come get us so we don't have to try and wheel the stroller through slush and snow.

August slept a full 12 hours last night and got in a 3 hour nap this morning. Now he is sleeping again in his swing. I am not sure what is normal for a 3 month yr old, but Jake and I are very happy that we get to sleep at night.

Here is a picture of us at the shop yesterday

Saturday Jake is going to stay home with August and I am going to go to the shop. We have 3 wedding tastings set up and it is a lot easier to navigate tastings with out August attached to me in the Baby Bjorn. And I think Jake is excited to get a day off from the shop!

August and I walked home from the cake shop yesterday. It took us one and a half hours. We had to stop a few time to adjust his hat and binky. We will see if we can beat that time next walk. It is great that we can go on the bike tral the entire way home. I am looking forward to getting our bike trailer so we can ride to and from work.

August slept most of the way, but he did not like the sun in his eyes. I think he might need some sunglasses already.
He is still a rockstar sleeper. Last night he slept eleven and a half hours. He has been napping in his swing this morning for almost 2 hrs. He has not napped this long in a while, usually I only get 20-30 minute naps from him! I hope this sleep trend continues. I am waiting for the day that he decides that sleeping through the night is boring.

This is our first blog about our life with August!

He turned 3 months old last week and it's about time that I start keeping track of his daily life as time seems to be moving much to quickly for me!