Moran Family Adventures: musings of a boy mom

Fall Traditions  I'm kind of a sucker for holiday festivities. Oktoberfest, haunted houses, turkey trots, Christmas wonderland, really anything for a photo opportunity. Having Jellybean has made that a billion times worse! Capturing the FIRST of everything is such a big deal to me now. Now that we live in a part of the country that actually has seasons, I'm going to take advantage of all the fall festivities and flood my Instagram with picture after picture.  Living in the Pacific Northwest, I was introduced to the full glory of Mother Nature's paintbrush. Then I left my little corner of the country for Arizona and Texas. While there's something to be said about those breathtaking rock formations in Arizona and...well if I come up with something nice about the Texas landscape I'll blog about it later...in my eyes, nothing can compare to the colors of the trees as they fight furiously to hold on to those last few days of life before winter. There's a reason I...

Our Adventurous Family  Since we bought a house with easy access to the water, that of course led to us wanting to buy tons of water sports items. We eventually narrowed it down to a kayak and a Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP). The next step, as is common for us now, was to figure out how in the world we would do any of those activities with a baby. SUPing with Jellybean was out of the question, at least for now, so, I googled "kayaking with a baby." With the right equipment, and a capable husband who can paddle for three, it's actually pretty easy!  I went on trusty old Amazon to find sunscreen, a bathing suit that provided good UV protection, and found a good infant life vest at Bass Pro Shops. I didn't even know they made life vests for kiddos that small. They come with a special attachment on the neck piece that keeps babies heads afloat in the water. Since we already had a sunburn experience at the baseball game, I was pretty adamant about keeping my little ...

Getting Sentimental  Earlier today, I was watching One Tree Hill and came upon the episode where Haley and Nathan hear their child's heart beat for the first time. Hearing that heart beat gave me an all too familiar feeling and my heart skipped a beat as I recalled the first time I heard Jellybean's heartbeat on the sonogram machine. To me, that baby in my belly was a positive test result but.....wasn't really my reality until I heard that heart beat for the first time. I remember laying down in my midwife's office waiting...and waiting....holding my breath. Everything I had read said although the tests may be positive, nothing confirms that little miracle's existence like the first sounds of life.  When I first heard Jellybean's, I didn't burst into tears and cry like some. I was more amazed that there was a beating human heart inside me...that wasn't my own! It seemed surreal to hear that muffled underwater sounding beat of his tiny yet powerful ...

Busy Bee I'm not one to sit still on a weekend. It drives Matthew crazy because all he wants to do is stay in and not do anything. As the years have passed, we've learned to compromise, although we're still working on finding that happy medium between staying in or going out and 'splorin as we call it. Being so close the building blocks of our country's history, you better believe we're out and about on the weekends! And we're bringing baby along with us.  When Jellybean was still sleeping most of the day and didn't weigh a billion pounds, I'd carry him in the Ergo and we'd check out popular sites. As the summer heat raged on and my little man turned sleeping 20 hours a day to just needing naps, we transitioned to a stroller. Although I prefer the ease of baby carrying, little man would sweat his baby booty off and my shoulders would be in so much pain. Yes, I say my shoulders because true to mama's boy form, Jellybean preferred my carry...

Life's A Beach Growing up in a suburb to a major city, beach days were definitely something to look forward to. My family would frequent the Oregon coast during those beautiful Pacific Northwest summers. And even though I'm a hardcore Washington State *everything* fan, I think Oregon beaches are better. But, the one thing the beaches in the Pacific Northwest have in common: you do not go in the water. Unless you want to freeze your booty off! For me, going to the beach means putting on your jeans, UW hoodie, and flip flops for a possible stick your toe in the water moment. It's always windy, it's usually chilly, but fun nonetheless. Us Pacific Northwesterners are eager to find the sunshine in a gloomy day, and that applies to our not necessarily status quo beach days.  Matt on the other hand, grew up in Hawaii. To him, you most certainly go in the water and then lounge on the beach in a bathing suit. Surf, boogy board, snorkel- you name it, he did it growing up. W...

Baby Gear  As we creep up on Jellybean's six month anniversary, I look around and can't believe how much STUFF I've amassed in such a short period of time. Do I really need all this stuff? Probably not! I'm a sucker for Amazon and those reviews are extra enticing. However, there are quite a few things that I'm so glad we bought because they have done wonders for keeping my little man happy and smiling. I'm sure first time moms all go crazy buying everything in sight and then scale it back considerably for baby #2, 3, 4..... etc.  Britax Car seat/Stroller  I'm not gonna lie, I was drawn to this set because it came in Seahawks green! Well, first I searched Stroller/Car seat combos and this had the best review, but then I saw the color options and I was sold! I really don't have any complaints here. Jellybean seems really comfortable in his car seat and the stroller folds up so easily! It's pretty compact and lightweight and I can open/close it...

America's Past Time  Growing up right across from Portland, Oregon, I am a Blazer Believer. Basketball is at the top of my list for best sport ever. Matt on the other hand, loves baseball. Since good baseball seats are cheaper than good basketball seats, we go to way more baseball games. Living in Tucson for 3 years spoiled us. To this day, Chase Field is still our favorite stadium and we miss Spring Training so much! Even though I'm a Seattle fan and Dad is a Cleveland fan and we have no idea which side Jellybean will take, one thing is for sure: this kiddo will have sports in his life.  Baby and Baseball We're pretty adamant in our belief that having a baby doesn't necessarily mean everything has to  be put on hold. We're all about doing what we used to and making adjustments to accommodate our little man. So at 7 weeks old, Jellybean went to his first baseball game. The Indians were playing the Orioles and we just couldn't say no.  I can't say ...

ONE MONTH Loves Mama's milk Sleeps on mom's chest  Hates being put down  Hates Tummy Time  Laughs during sleep No bottles, no pacifiers Smiles as falling asleep  Nicknames: Charlie, Jellybean, Bear Cub  THREE MONTHS Rolled over! Just once, never again  Still hates Tummy Time  Smiles all the time  Hates Bottles Hates sleeping in crib  Outgrown newborn clothes  Loves colorful toys/funny faces  Nicknames: Charlie, Jellybean, Bear Cub, Char Char, Charzard  SIX MONTHS  LOVES Tummy Time  LOVES thumb sucking Takes a bottle Loves bath time  Will fall asleep in crib  Laughs at funny noises Grabs everything in sight, everything goes straight to the mouth   Loves to touch feet  Scoots like an inch worm  Wobbly but can sit up unsupported  Loves Jumperoo and Bumbo Nicknames: Charlie, Jellybean, Bear Cub, Charlie Charles ...