More birthday fun, b-feeding and Disney on Ice

The good thing about having parents who feel a little guilty about not taking you out on your actual birthday, you get to celebrate your birthday over and over again!

Really though, we're STILL going somewhere - Disneyland! - but it will be a month and a half later.

We bought an ice cream cake to have the day of her actual birthday. But my parents were tired after her dinner so they went straight home from the restaurant rather than going back to our home. We decided to save it for when we saw them the next day.

She LOVED Happy Birthday being sang to her. Again.

The awesome thing about maternity leave? Spending tons of time with this little mister. We are inseparable ... because I'm his sole food source. This time around, the hormones aren't raging nearly as hard and the physical recovery was so much easier. These two things make it a lot easier to enjoy being together all day, every day. During the more trying times, I remember that this is my last baby. I won't have another cuddlebug until my kids bless me with a grandchild. Whoa, right? I see other family and friends' children growing up so fast and I realize that these kiddos of mine aren't going to want to crawl into bed with me and cuddle in a few years. I mean, I surely don't do that to my parents:p So I will enjoy this time because it is fleeting.

Those cheeks! And yes, The Bean is yanking on my hair.

I debated putting this next photo in. I'm a somewhat reserved individual. But you know what? There is nothing shameful about breast feeding. In fact, I'm proud to be able to do it because it is a tricky thing to figure out and, by golly, I did it. TWICE. There is something peaceful and soothing about breast feeding for both the baby and the mom. And, when I'm exhausted, and he breaks away and smiles at me, he makes me smile. This is what I see several times a day and during this time, especially when we can be home and relaxed, the world slows down a little and we're at peace, together.

Love how I can soothe (and feed!) him so easily. Then there are other times when he is congested or in a mood and it is not nearly as serene!

I like this next photo because it shows just how much The Bean looks like The Man. When our daughter was a baby, he saw so much of himself in her. A few other people did too but, for the most part, the majority thought she looked like me. And as she gets older, more and more people say that. Now, even though I can't be completely objective, I think she is a good mix of the two of us. But she is a girl with long hair so quite a few people comment that she is my MiniMe. Well, now The Man has his MiniMe:) I swear, every time I post a photo on Facebook and whenever people just see him, people exclaim that he looks just like his Daddy. At first, The Man thought it was because baby boy has a bit of a temper;) But, happy or sad, sleepy or mad, this kid looks like him:

This look right here? Soooooo The Man. I've been on the receiving end many times. *sigh*

The Bun recently had a fantastic review by her her Transitional Kindergarten teacher. It was my first Parent Teacher Conference I had a few concerns from things she has told me. The Bun told me she doesn't have friends at TK and mainly hung out by herself:( It made me sad to think that she walked around the classroom during free time, all by herself. This is what she told me! I felt so bad for my poor little girl. Especially since she was little Miss Popular at her preschool.
Her teacher said great things about her. She said that The Bun is studious, polite and social. Her teacher made it a point to tell me that while The Bun can get chattering when provoked, she isn't one of the instigators. Good enough! I told her what The Bun said to me about being a loner and she said that The Bun had quite a few friends. While I don't think she has as much fun in TK than she did in preschool, it's probably because it's a much more structured environment and that might be why she thinks she doesn't have friends - there's not a ton of free time TO play since they're three hours are packed with learning, learning, learning.
She then went over The Bun's academic growth and said that The Bun met half of the requirements going into TK and should move on to Kindergarten with flying colors by the end of the year.
We needed to celebrate! I happened to have a friend who gave me 4 vouchers to Disney on Ice. Yay! Didn't tell The Bun anything but to wear one of her princess dresses. We drove to San Jose and guess what? The vouchers weren't valid on the weekend. But there was no way we were turning back so I paid for the tickets (they did give us 20% off) and we entered the arena.
She kind of had an idea but since she had never attended an ice show. The Bun knew it was Disney-related but not much else:

How cute is she in her Belle gown?

The next day we went on a Mommy double date and had tea. She got to wear another dress:

Same tiara but wearing her Cinderella dress. She has a LOT of Disney dresses.

It can't be easy being a new big sister. She has to share attention and has more responsibilities now. I continue to be impressed by The Bun. I'm so proud of her because we have really high expectations of her and she rises to the occasion every time. She has the biggest heart, is so caring, intelligent and clever. With a sprinkle of sass;)

My most favorite girl in the whole wide world.

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