USA trip, 5-month update and goodbye to the binky!

Hello!

I've been missing.

From this blog, that is. But we're back...! From our trip to the US. What an amazing trip we had catching up, relaxing and having some Q.T. with friends and family. I'm so thankful for the time we got to spend on our trip and having our families bond with and watch Decker grow right before our eyes. As I was uploading the 982 pictures I took while I was gone, I was comparing the pictures from the beginning of the trip to the pictures at the very end and I feel like he changed a lot. I also saw my last post was his 3-month 'chair shot' and realized how bad I am at keeping this blog up to date.

But we're back in Australia and it's supposed to be the middle of winter here but the skies have been clear and the sun has been shining. If this is winter, I'll take it! But nothing beats the summertime weather we had while in California and Washington. Spectacular.

Decker is now 1-week into his 5th month of life. I can't believe he'll be 6-months old at the end of August! I'm starting to put together his baby book and I got a little teary eyed when I was going through his newborn photos. When I was in that moment of trying to figure out what to do with this new little being in our lives (who am I kidding... we're still trying to figure this all out!), I sometimes felt like the challenging moments of being a new mom were never going to end. But like all my mommy friends told me, the different stages pass and time flies. 

Our little mister is such a joy to us and brings smiles to our faces everyday. I'm definitely enjoying this precious little baby and all the special moments I get to have with him.  He's still a laid back little guy. He's been rolling around from back to stomach and while we were away, Lolo (Grandma) gave him his first taste of rice cereal! I decided to take up the 'hobby' of making baby food and so far he loves: Sweet potatoes, pears, apples and carrots (mixed in with a fruit). The green beans I puréed? Not so much. We'll try again later. 

Decker still wasn't sleeping through the night or taking naps very well and as a stay at home mom, it can be SO frustrating because I was starting to feel like I wasn't getting anything done. He would catnap for 40 minutes, be awake for 1-hour and then nap for 40 minutes again. All. Day. Long. He was also waking up multiple times in the night.  I've heard that infant boys tend to not sleep as well as girls do so I was sort of just dealing with it. 

We were visiting with some friends over the weekend, they were in the midst of weaning their 9-month old son off of his pacifier, 'the binky'. I then started reading online about infant self-settling and how important it is to get rid of 'the binky'. So many people were saying how their child would wake up a lot in the middle of the night crying because they were searching for it because it had fallen out of their mouth when they were sleeping. A lightbulb went off in our heads and we figured that must be the reason and made our decision then and there to get rid of the damn thing. The next day it was game on. The screaming that ensued for 45 minutes was heartbreaking but he's a smart little boy. He, for the first time, slept through the night!!!! WE WIN! 

It's amazing how this little piece of plastic and rubber could be so addicting to these little ones. 

Today is day 2 and Mister D has gone down for all naps (and took legit naps for 1.5 hours each time) and to bed again with no tears. I love him and binky's suck. I have kept a couple for a 'just in case' situation but as far as I am concerned they are gone. 

Well, that's all for now. Enjoy a few of the recent pictures of Decker F.N King. And oh ya, we recently said Decker's name out loud abbreviating the two middle names...oops! Oh well, could be pretty badass if he becomes an athlete or something similar when he gets older! Ha! 

A winter day at Maroubra Beach

It's always a good morning when you wake up to this sweet face!

Happy 3-months to our little man

Look how big he is! I weighted him today and he's 16-pounds and let me tell ya-my back feels all 16 of those pounds when I lift this little/big guy up!

My mom gave me the idea to take a picture of him on the 28th of every month in his new Pottery Barn Kids chair to see how much he's grown, so here it starts. Btw... I'm super stoked we have a Pottery Barn, PBK, West Elm and Williams-Somoma that just opened up here :) We were at the mall the other day and saw they had opened up a Hollister too. Hello 7th grade! A little bit behind here but far more ahead of NZ and still exciting when an American store comes to the Australian shores.

Back to Decker...

Some fun things he's been doing lately-
-He's found his hands and likes to get in 'boxer' position and looks ready to fight any time of the day.
-He likes to suck on his fingers and hands and keeps them in a tight fist. (Those hands stink so bad!!!  I force him to soak them in the tub to get rid of that rotten smell).
-Decker's such a chatter box. All those cute coo's and baby noises are so sweet
-He started laughing!!!! I love this. But he only did it once a few days ago and now Kevin and I both bop around like jackasses in front of him trying to get him to laugh again. Guess we're not that funny.
-He has now doubled his birth weight
-He's still not sleeping through the night...uuugggggghhhhh!
-Decker continues to have such a sweet personality and is our little buddy. He hangs out and likes to be out and about with us and rarely cries. We are lucky.
-Decker will take his first international flight to L.A. with us on Wednesday!!! I'm clearly more excited than he is. Wish me luck on the 15 hour flight; hopefully he sleeps most of the way. Super stoked to see friends and family in California and Washington and have everyone meet Decker.

Look what I found at Williams-Sonoma here in Sydney!!! I am a cupcake FANATIC and for those who know me well, Sprinkles cupcakes are my absolute favorite. SOOO, when I found this cupcake mix I was quick to buy!

One of my favorite pictures to date. Grandpa Allan came to visit from Jakarta to meet Decker for the first time last week. If you can't tell, this is Kevin's dad. Those King genes sure are strong!

Afternoons with Decker {2-months}

Since Lil' D is going to be 3-months old this week, I thought I would post a few fav's from this past month. He is such a little sweetheart and a lot of fun. I can't wait for him to start laughing... I feel like any day it's going to happen. Now to only get him to sleep longer at night...

Play date on Jamie's rooftop deck, Coogee Beach, NSW, Australia
April 2013

All snuggled up to Daddy

Hyams Beach
"The Whitest Sand in the World" (according to the Guiness Book of World Records)

The many faces of Decker.
I love this face!!!

Out on an evening walk with Decker...
Sunset at Sydney Park (park across the street from our place)
April 2013

Great Barrier Reef {our first family vacation}

Weekly, I get emails sent to me from Jet Star Airlines advertising their sales on airfare (for those of you don't know, it's Qantas Airlines low-cost carrier). I usually delete them along with the other junk mail I receive but last month I decided to open it and check out what destinations were on sale departing from Sydney and I saw a good deal to Cairns. Cairns is a tropical city located in the state of Queensland and the holiday destination for tourists wanting to see the Great Barrier Reef; which I've been wanting to see since I was like, 12 years old. So, I picked some random dates to take a holiday and booked the airfare.

Shit.
(The first words that came out of my mouth after I hit the 'confirm booking' button)

What in the world am I doing booking a trip to a place where snorkeling is the main activity when I have a 2-month old in tow? We went back and forth about canceling the trip but in the end we just decided to go. Partly because it was going to cost more in change fees from Jet Star than the actual cost of the tickets. But we want Decker to get used to flying and traveling with us so why not start now? I also thought it would be a good trial run for the long 15-hour flight to LA we're going to take in June.

Let me just say that I was one of those people on airplanes that want to enjoy my experience in peace and quiet. When I would hear a crying/screaming baby I would get so annoyed and think-"what is wrong with the parents? Why can't they shut their kid up?" I know, so unsympathetic. But now that I am a parent, I get it. Kids are so unpredictable.

So how did the flight go, you ask?

Amazing! Decker slept the whole time and was so good on the week long trip. I'm so in love with this baby boy.  And I did hear a crying baby on our short 3-hour flight up to Cairns and my first though was-I'm glad it's not my kid. Second thought was-I want to give that mother a hug.

Overall, our trip was really relaxing and it was interesting seeing a part of Australia that is so different to New South Wales (the state we live in). And the Great Barrier Reef? Beautiful. Kevin grew up in the tropics and named a few other places in the world where he thought the snorkeling was better but in my opinion the fish and coral were stunning.

And P.S.- So glad I snorkeled first! (We had to take turns so one of us could stay with Decker on the beach). When it was Kevin's turn to get in the water, I was expecting him to be out there for a couple of hours but he returned after 30 minutes and slightly out of breath. He saw two huge sharks! Yeah, I was done after that. However, after some convincing from Kevin that sharks are just like dogs and are 'curious' and due to the fact he snorkeled way further than I would ever go... I got back in the water just one more time. It was worth it.

Nice "General Warning" sign. I don't think I'll be swimming in these waters. Like, ever.
Trinity Beach, Queensland, Australia

These first-aide stands lined the beach. There is white vinegar in the bottles which you are supposed to rub on your skin if you are stung by a "Stinger" aka- Jelly Fish. 

More croc warming signs on a golf course at Port Douglas, Queensland

Green Island, Great Barrier Reef

Beauty inside the Kuranda Rainforest

A Drive-thu liquor store. Trinity Beach, Queensland

Delicious Mango and Mangosteen's. Tropical fruit is the best!

Kevin giving Decker an up and close experience with a Kangaroo

Barron Falls.
Barron Gorge National Park, Kuranda, Queensland, Australia

Mango Trees

Little Mister discovered his tongue on our vacation. 

These guys are everywhere!!!

Our new arrival

Born February 28th

Isn't he sweet? These pictures were taken when Decker was about 8-days old and he has already grown so much since then. Today, he is 7-weeks old. We get a lot of people asking about his name and how we chose it. It seems like when we told our friends from the US what his first name is, the typical response was "cool!" or "I love it!". The typical response from the Australian folks is: "Hmmmm. That's different." It makes us laugh. It is different and unique and that's one of the reasons why we chose his name. His middle names are after Kevin's Grandfather and my Grandfather. So now you know.  :)

I've been so bad about keeping up with this blog but mommy-duty calls. This is a full-time gig! No one could ever prepare me for how tired we would be and the days seem to run into each other. I'll be looking forward to the days that this little one sleeps through the night. He just started smiling last week so those little milestones make us smile.

This little boy is so sweet and he has us wrapped around his little fingers; that's for sure! He's smart, attentive, alert and hopefully adventurous because we've got some fun plans coming up for the three of us: A trip to the Great Barrier Reef in a couple weeks, a trip to the US in June and many fun Australian adventures in between!

A Nautical Nursery

A lot of my friends have asked for pictures of the nursery so here it is!

Bedding by Pottery Barn Kids (we still have to get a mattress!). Yellow and White Chevron Rug by Urban Outfitters. Baby Kangaroos and Koalas quilt made by Grandma Lolo. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star canvas sign by me (idea from Pinterest). Tissue Poms and bunting from Etsy. 

Nautical Pillows from friends. Stuffed bear and elephant from Auntie Honey and Auntie Kandyce. Star blanket from Cotton On.

Closet organization and Baby Kings clothes... can't wait to play dress-up!

This is a dresser that my mom used as a changing table for my siblings and I. Originally a brown wood but I refinished it white as a "Shabby Chic" dresser for myself and added some pink crystal knobs from Anthropologie. Now, the dresser will be used as Baby King's changing table. Knobs custom made and purchased off of Etsy. 

You know that feeling you get when you are at work and the day is dragging??? You know, when you are constantly looking at the clock?  You say to yourself, "at least 1-hour has past"... but really it's only been 10-minutes. Uggghhhhh! This is how the last few weeks of pregnancy are, but worse. I've organized the nursery, the house is in order, the hospital bags are packed, so now what?

(Shoot, I just remembered we do have to install the car seat in the car!).

We wait. 

I want to get out enjoy these last weeks of summer: Take road trips, explore Australia, long beach days. But I seriously have no energy or motivation. I am tired. This whole pregnancy has been smooth sailing and has whizzed by but not these last 6-weeks. Everything is on hold at the moment because "Little King's " arrival is so close. One week until his due date, to be exact. He is welcome to make his arrival now, if he wants. We are ready. 

My amazing friends here in Sydney threw me my baby shower... at a bar! It was awesome. It was so great to have everyone together in a relaxed setting. The pictures are to come back from the photographer soon! Yes, there was a photographer there! :) I'm so grateful to have such a fun, sweet group of good friends here.  I can't wait to see the pictures because some serious detail went into putting this together. 

Speaking of friends, a couple of months ago our group decided that we needed to start having "Family Dinner" once a week. It's such a fun way to break up the week and catch up. There is just one rule: We have to pick a different restaurant each time. No problemo. Sydney has SO many restaurants with any type of cuisine you can think of so it's been really fun. We don't discriminate either; we've had: Hot Pot, Teppanyaki, Moroccan and Lebanese, just to name a few. 

From left to right (clockwise): 1.) Best Coconut Hot Chocolate. Ever. At Max Brenner's. 2.) Chocolate and Strawberries at Max Brenner's. 3.) Valentine's Day Felt Fortune Cookies for Family Dinner.  4.) "Love is in the Air" on Oxford Street, Paddington.

Since Kevin and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day (everyday is Valentine's Day for us. Duh!) we decided to have last weeks Family Dinner a Non-Valentines/Valentine's Day themed dinner. Some of Kevin's colleagues visiting from overseas joined us so we had a mix of people-the more the merrier. 

The weather has been awesome here... no more 115 (F) degree days(!!!)... just pleasant summer weather. Here are some pics from the beaches we've hung out at in the past few week. 

Marubra Beach

Bronte Beach (one of our fav's)

That's all for now - hopefully we will have some bigger news to report in the next few days!