“Superman with a load in his pants”

A great woman once said “There goes Superman with a load in his pants”. That great woman was my grandmother, and that cute (probably), stinky Superman was my father. It always makes me laugh.  Anything involving my father as a child makes me laugh. Well, now I totally get it. Because today, I had my own little happy Superman with a load in his pants.

This morning I went to spin class (yay, me!) and came home to a happy baby greeting me in the hallway, dressed by Dad. He picked a pretty cute outfit, I must say. And tonight the cape completed the look, for sure!

Cute cheeks, Gap button-down & jeans, First Impressions white T, Trumpette Too socks

Ben happened to be playing with three photo-worthy toys at the same time: Melissa & Doug, Gween Toys, and Kid O. All are either wooden or eco-friendly toys, which is why they are my favorite! They look pretty, too.

Left to right: Melissa & Doug penguin / Gween Toys windmill / Kid O pick-up truck

Here are pictures of Ben running around with his “B” cape Lainie, Jon & Sam got him for Christmas. Such an incredible gift! What kid doesn’t want to run around pretending to be a superhero??

This photo filter was called "Kryptonite", this picture was made for it. Laser Lucy eyes in the background.

Serious Super B-Man in his tent

Ben’s newest trick today is clucking like a chicken. I love when he comes up with something new out of nowhere. I can’t wait until he starts really talking (less clucking, more words). He’s such a character I honestly can’t even imagine what he will say!

Hope everyone else had a nice little Saturday!

{Flashback} Fall leaves + Race day

This past October, my very fit and fabulous {disclaimer: Dan does not approve of me calling him fit and fabulous} husband ran an 18 mile race. EIGHTEEN MILES…the entire length of the beautiful Long Beach Island, where my parents have a summer house. By sheer {bad} luck the weekend was gorgeous and in the high 80’s…very rare for October. This was only bad luck for Dan because running 18 miles in 86 degree weather is basically torture. We had a wonderful weekend {especially when Laura and I stayed up late Saturday night chatting and drinking wine after the boyswent to bed at 9pm *note Jeff was not running any race}. My parents and Laura and Jeff were all there to cheer Dan on at various points along the way and of course, at the finish line!

Dan finished with an amazing time of 3:02. While we waited for him at the finish line we saw people crawling to the end and others vomiting when they finally made it. Dan just grabbed a root beer and some snacks and sat in the shade. Impressive, to say the least. I’m pretty sure he only ran the race so we would all take him to Buckalew’s for lunch afterwards. It was totally worth it.

That Saturday Ben wore an adorable Nautica shirt and white Gap jeans with his navy TOMS. On race day he actually wore his Jets jersey in honor of the game later that evening.

It was a very memorable weekend had by all.

Oh, just mowing some bubbles.

Ben absolutely loves the backyard of the shore house. It’s like his own personal playpen.  And, thanks to a plethora of garage sales on LBI, it’s also filled with lots of fun goodies for him to play with/ruin.

Playing in the leaves and being perfect// Nautica shirt, Gap jeans, TOMS

Grandma taught Ben to throw leaves in the air. Makes for some cute pictures.

Looking forward to next year’s race. GO DAN!

Family photo minutes after the race

Cool Shades

Ben and I had a nice low-key day but we were out of the house quite a bit. I the morning I tried out a new thrift shop in Maplewood which was fun. They have a kid’s consignment shop next door, Milk Money, but they are closed for re-stocking until March. Boooo. Then we did the usual Target/ Whole Foods run that we love so much. I got a wonderful surprise when my sister came to my door around 2pm and chilled with me all afternoon until Ben woke up. I love days like that!

For this outing, Ben sported a new shirt from Crazy Eight. I just love their cute little shirts, I got them all for around $2 a few months ago. Score! It’s time to get some plain onesies for underneath his outfits…this one was waaaay too small – couldn’t even do the snaps. It looks like it was made for T-rex arms!!

Crazy Eight shirt, Target onesie, Gap jeans + socks, TOMS

Why are my sleeves so short, Mom?

Since it was in the 40’s today, Ben and I even ventured to the park after his nap and he ran around for awhile. I love to tire him out. Now Dan is home and it’s almost time for Ben to go to bed so we can catch up on our TV shows. Goodnight!

Wintry Mix

I absolutely love Ben’s winter jacket. We got it for him in October the week of Dan’s 18 mile race in LBI at the cutest shop, Petite Etoile. The brand is Appaman, and features the cutest boy and girl’s clothes. His winter jacket fits perfectly and is just an overall quality jacket. He gets compliments on this jacket all the time, we will definitely be buying him another Appaman jacket next winter. Some things are just worth it!

The size of his jacket was 12 months, and I was a little worried about him growing out of it by the end of winter (he is now 17 months) but it still fits great! Ben is also on the thin side.

Appaman Puffy Coat in Cobalt (Retail - $104)

I know Ben already has an awesome winter coat, but I had been eyeing up this really cute skull jacket Ben’s buddy Asher has from the Gap. I didn’t want to spend another $50 on a coat when Ben already had one…unnecessary. BUT, last week Gap had a 40% off Sale SALE, and this skull jacket was now $6. Yes…SIX DOLLARS. For a winter jacket in January. Um, what? So yeah, of course I got it. And now Ben has two winter jackets…b/c he is that cool.

Gap Skull Jacket $6 on sale

Ben this morning hiding in his tent while I was rounding him up for a thrift store/ Target/ Whole Foods run. He is hilarious.

And of course, Gap jeans and TOMS

If you haven’t checked out the winter Gap sales, get there NOW. It’s probably slim pickins, but you never know. Who would have thought a lovely jacket like this would be there for $6? I also have to add their new spring line is A-DOR-ABLE.

I am also excited about checking out Petite Etoile’s new Spring line…I believe they are also going to carry TOMS this year, b/c I’d love to buy Ben’s next pair there.

Spring is just around the corner!

On the Banks of the Old Raritan

I love Tuesdays. Tuesday morning is Music Class day. We get out of the house for over an hour, I can walk there, my friend Allison is in the class, and Ben loves it (by loves it, I mean he screams, runs around, steals items from other strollers, sometimes poops, dances, and just causes general ruckus). Sounds fun, right? So many great things about Tuesday. Except when our teacher keeps cancelling class! This is the second week in a row I got up and showered for NOTHING (well, normal people shower everyday, so I guess this isn’t such a bad thing). So, instead of music class today, we went to Allison & Asher’s for a playdate! The second best part of this (first being how much I enjoy hanging out with them) is that they live upstairs in our building. I know!

Since Ben is hopefully going to go to Rutgers, I like to periodically dress him up in Rutgers garb. It’s like a subliminal message with his clothes. Dan selfishly wants him to go to USC (so he can visit Southern CA), but I have a feeling he’ll follow in Mom & Dad’s footsteps and life will take him to the banks of the Old Raritan…

Rushing to see his girlfriend in a Rutgers shirt, Gap jeans, Trumpette Too socks + his sippy cup

Here are the boys during their playdate. Ben repeatedly gets mad at Asher for trying to be his friend. I really hope this is just a stage and Ben isn’t “that kid”. I don’t think he will be with such fun and awesome parents like Dan and myself, but one can never really be sure.

Asher showing Ben who's boss

Are you kidding me with those dimples?  Asher is the best. I can’t wait for them to be best buds and pick up chicks together. Asher has some pretty cool duds, so we’ll have to do a co-fashion post with these two cute men.

The Age of Aquarium

For some reason I cannot stop singing “The Age of Aquarius” a la 40 Year Old Virgin as I type this. Anyway, we went to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago on Sunday. What a fun little adventure! Ben wore our favorite outfit…his panda shirt, jeans & TOMS. Typical. I think it’s officially time to go shopping (or else this blog will be pretty pointless soon)…the problem is Ben has a lot of nice clothes…and he hasn’t grown out of them! It seems crazy to go shopping when he’ll probably have a growth spurt in a month. Also, I tried to put him in his adorable Tommy Hilfiger jeans on the trip – he looked ridiculous and they came up to his nipples. They will eventually fit…and he will look amazing.

Belugas + Dolphins, oh my / Row, row, row your boat / Tide pool fun / Camping

Fun day at the Aquarium. Ben’s favorite part was the tide pool where he could splash around and make a huge mess. Of course. The biggest problem with that is it was 20 degrees outside and going out in a soaking wet onesie is not good parenting. I’m pretty sure, at least. He only went outside in a semi-soaking wet onesie, so I think we’re good.

Drop-kick (Crazy Eight shirt, Old Navy onesie, Trumpette Mickey socks)

Ben kicking us out of our bed. What a cheeky little monkey!!

We are finally back to NJ after 12 hours of traveling yesterday. Poor Ben. He was such a good sport. We get on the plane and of course Ben is the ONLY baby…not a good sign. Then we were delayed 1/2 hour. Then another 1/2 hour. Then and hour and a 1/2. Eeek, thanks for nothing, Newark.  Ben luckily slept most of the time, and then watched Dinosaur Train the rest of the time, with intermittent screams and shouts. But we got a ton of compliments on our little angel, so that was nice. The young girl in front of us said we ” held it down”. A compliment, I think.

Day by daaaay…

This post is going to be filled with lots of random mumbo jumbo.

Most importantly, is the news of THIS. Yes, a re-make of Wet Hot American Summer at Sketchfest in SF. How I wish we still lived in Cali at times like this! I can’t believe they got the whole band back together. A-mazing. It is reasons like this that I love that entire cast. So yes, this is a random thought that has nothing to do with Ben. But, as you can see, it is also very important to me. Almost as important as Ben’s cute little outfits.

Fondue with cheddar.

Chris Meloni was even there to play his beloved role of Gene. I still can’t watch SVU without laughing. LOVE. Thank goodness for Twitter to alerting me to this gem, along with up-to-the minute pics of Paul Rudd, Michael Ian Black, Marguerite Moreau, etc, etc. Good times. Wish I was friends with everyone in this funtastic group. *SIGH*

Ok, back to our Chicago trip! And this precious face:

Starting the day off right//Old Navy pajamas with TOMS

Every morning we wake up and we venture off to breakfast. This is the life! I could get used to this. No cooking, no trying to figure out what to make for Ben each morning…someone has already done it for me! Ben has been eating like a champ, thanks to the Residence Inn. The above picture was Ben heading down to his breakfast…I hope he doesn’t expect this type of treatment once we are back in NJ. Waffles and yogurts for you, buddy!

Off to lunch in the snow / Ben vs. Hunter / @Hub 51 / Ben Gapped out for a wintery Chicago day

It was a full-blown stow storm here in Chicago on Friday. It was nice at first…very pretty and I was excited for the snow. But by the time the evening came it was just a hassle. We had a wonderful lunch at Hub 51 next to our hotel…what a cool place. I had a ridiculous plate of nachos. It IS vacation, after all. That evening,  we tried to go out to dinner with the stroller, only to realize we couldn’t push the stroller because of so much snow. Soooo, we just held Ben and ran a block to Rosebud Trattoria…yum, Italian! Ben was crazy at dinner and we were probably in and out in about 20 minutes. Typical.

Extreme V / Gino's East + my huge banana hands / Jersey Represent / Waiting for deep dish

Check out Ben’s extreme V…could not resist a picture…if you haven’t seen this SNL skit, you are missing out. Ben Stiller & Andy Samberg at their best.

Anyways, we decided to head out to a nice touristy place for our Saturday evening. We wanted deep dish pizza. We ARE in Chicago. Can’t leave without some ooey gooey pizza.  So we headed to Gino’s East which was only about a half mile from our hotel. It was such a fun place…just the cheesy (pun intended) atmosphere we were looking for. And the pizza was delicious. Perfect evening.

Today Dan is off, so we’re heading out for some more touristy activities (so many activities!) Sears Tower? Shedd Aquarium? So many choices!!! And then…back to reality tomorrow.

Brrrrr….Chicago

So far this winter season has been extremely mild in NJ (nice for a family who just spent 4.5 years in Southern California). So why not travel someplace where we can really experience winter? Great idea!

There was probably a reason only 30 people were on our plane to Chicago….it’s really, really, REALLY cold here. When we arrived yesterday it was in the mid-20’s (warm) and today is a brisk 14 degrees. I have to say Chicago is a beautiful city. I am really enjoying the trip so far. Dan is at a trade show all day but Ben and I are having fun. We went swimming, shopping, eating, and now we are napping (well, Ben is).

As far as his clothes, Ben chose an effortless and comfortable Puma track suit for the plane ride, and jeans, a Gap onesie and his Appaman puffer for his first Chicago outing. Thank goodness for the Bundle-me and rain cover for the stroller…Ben is so comfy he has fallen asleep twice in the stroller, which is odd for him.

Here are some pictures of the flight and the trip so far…we still have 4 nights to go!

Elite Ben / Big boy, empty plane / Mommy + Ben / Nap time

Chicago Riverwalk / Brusha brusha / Kissy face / Hotel sleepy time

“It’s great to be here in the great state of Chicago.”– Dan Quayle

Doctors + Playdates

I had to take Ben for his dreaded MMR shot on Friday…something I was not looking forward to, but wasn’t so bad. Dan had left for Atlanta early Thursday morning, leaving me alone to take care of Ben and the 2 crazy dogs. Of course, since Dan was gone, this meant Ben was up 3x that night, and woke up extra early, and extra fussy. Dante was throwing up in the bedroom, while Ben was screaming in pain from a new and horrific looking diaper rash. Yay! Happy Friday to me! Luckily, after the doctor I headed to my parents’ house, where they  let me and my entourage stay for the next 3 nights.

Friday afternoon Ben also had a very fun playdate with his long-distance girlfriend, Mia (23 months) and his buddy Jake (5.5 months).  Unfortunately Ben was super cranky and laid on me most of the time and cried.

Ben wore a gorgeous new Darcy Brown sweater from his great Aunt Eileen. He also wore his signature jeans & TOMS. (For the record, Ben has a lot of other jeans and pants, but are all size 18 months…who knew Ben would be so svelte and not grow out of his current clothes as quickly as he used to!)

Fun at the Doctors' office (aka pre-MMR)

Ben in his playdate best - Darcy Brown sweater, Gap jeans, TOMS

Ben and his gold lamé purse

 

Ben is already looking forward to his next playdate with Mia this summer in LBI! After that, it won’t be long until their arranged marriage.

We leave for Chicago next Wednesday…Ben’s 2nd plane trip and our first “real” trip as a family! I’m very excited since I have never been to Chi-town and will be updating the blog with Ben’s Windy City wear.

{Flashback} Aden + Anais

I had never even heard of Aden + Anais swaddles until I was in the audience of the Mother’s Day Ellen Show in 2010. Just for being in the audience we got 4 Aden + Anais swaddles and 2 burp clothes (along with a plethora of other gifts including a Teutonia stroller, a 6 month supply of diapers and a video monitor!)

We began using these swaddles from day 1 in the hospital. I loved how HUGE they were, especially for beginner swaddlers like Dan and myself, and how soft and breathable they were. I also used them to cover Ben’s carseat when on walks, or on a picnic at the park (it was August and we lived in a small 1-bedroom apartment…I was outside as much as possible!) And now, Ben uses them as his security blankie…he can’t sleep without them. He also loves to wrap them around his neck and walk around the house; he looks like a mini-Hugh Hefner (I mean that in the cutest possible way!!) The burp cloths are also amazing…they are thick and absorbent, and when they get older you can use them as bibs! They snap around their neck, and cover almost their whole body…genius.

To sum up this post, Aden + Anais blankets and burp cloths were the best baby purchase we made (I use that term loosely, since we got them for free) and put this at the top of the Mommy Must-Have list!

Day 2 - Baby Burrito

Ben in Balboa Park

Ben enjoying the NYC skyline

Rough Day

And just for fun, here is a picture of me & Laura right before the Ellen Show…good memories! What an amazing sister I have to fly 3,000 miles for 1 night to come with me to a show full of pregnant woman and hear us scream over baby stuff!

Me (7 months pregnant) and Laura before Ellen