A Big Day!

Hey all! Today the Munch Family got to go to Uncle J's Eagle Scout Court of Honor!!! We are so proud of all the work he's put in.

Congrats!!

During the ceremony, unfortunately, Daddy and Mr. Munch had to step out. Mr. Munch isn't quite old enough to sit quietly through a whole ceremony. They went to the nursery to play, and while there, Daddy got video of a very big first for Mr. Munch...WALKING!!!

I'm going mobile!

Mr. Munch has also added "uh-oh" to his répertoire. He enjoys the challenge of removing his diaper and while he has only succeeded twice, it's about time to stock up on duct tape...

Happy Mother's Day!

As my gift to all of the mothers (grandmothers, stand-in mother's, dad's-who-are-mothers, etc.) I will be updating today!

As I look back at the last year, I've realized that my transition into motherhood went smoother than I expected. On the one hand, I was terrified of making any mistakes. I couldn't believe that the nursing staff had let me walk out of the hospital with this precious, fragile little human being. On the other hand, I figured that all of my years taking care of children would kick in if my brain checked out, so I was golden. This ended up being mostly true, although I'm not sure how much of the auto pilot was experience and how much was instinct. As the months have simultaneously dragged and flown by, I've grown more confident as a mother and a caretaker. I don't have to analyze every cry, Mr. Munch and I have started working out our own systems, and the confidence in what I do is there full force (most of the time), but there are days when I look at my own mom in amazement and I look at my grandmothers in awe and I look at my great-grandmother with...well, reverence is the best word I can use. Those are the days when I am at the end of my rope, I don't know what to do, and I am frustrated to the point of anger, but I can look at these women in my life and say, "They can do it, I can do it too" and while I don't feel like I've been in the game long enough to take this holiday as my own, I raise my glass to every mother out there. Without them, the world would probably fall apart.

Happy Mother's Day from the Munch Family!

P.S. Don't forget to check out our new Tumblr! Mama's having fun playing around with Instagram on her phone and uploading pictures to mamamunch.tumblr.com!

Calm in Chaos

Mr. Munch's life has been pretty down to Earth lately. At least, compared to the lives of other people. Our neighbor welcomed her own baby boy into the world this past week and many of his friends are on or planning to be on vacations soon. Mr. Munch hasn't done much beyond traveling to Grandma and Grandpa's and hanging out at home with Mama, but he still has fun discovering something new everyday.

Today Mr. Munch had milk for the first time! Eaten with a meal of carrots and oatmeal, he had reservations at first (as is the case with everything, even food he ate the day before), but difficulties were encountered when it came time to get the cup out of his hands.

Yeah, good luck getting carrots past my cup!

Colors

This week's book was Mr. Munch's colors book. We learned about animals that were orange, blue, green, brown, black, white,  and even purple! The most fun, however, can be had when a certain baby decides to push the smooth plastic book across the carpet.

Yeah, yeah, colors. Let's slide now!

While Daddy was at work, Mr. Munch took a 4 hour long nap! He seems to be going through a little bit of a growth spurt. While this left Mama plenty of time to get her own projects worked on, she couldn't resist a sleeping picture, for old time's sake.

Still curled up.

After Daddy got home, he and Mr. Munch spent some quality man time together while Mama made dinner for everybody. Pork chops for the adults and beef with squash for Mr. Munch. Afterwards Mr. Munch played in his room until it was time for bed.

Is this how you make it go?

Because of his longer nap earlier in the day, Mr. Munch ended up skipping his late afternoon nap. It was obvious when he had reached the end of his day, however.

So...tired...

*Facepalm*

Today was day two of meat for Mr. Munch. He wasn't thrilled about sitting still to eat, so much of lunch ended up on his hands, face, and highchair tray.

I'm savin' it for later!

Mama and Mr. Munch were just sitting around the house while Daddy was at work when they were suddenly scooped up by Grandpa. The afternoon was spent hanging out and Grandma and Grandpa's house, exploring as much of the house as he was allowed. Mama got some fun pictures, but left the camera behind. *facepalm* Another visit is planned for Sunday, so until then, Mama will be pulling out her old digital camera and saving the book review until tomorrow. Many apologies for the poor post today, but it will be more than made up for this weekend!

Today's Trip

Today while Daddy was at work, Mama and Mr. Munch spent some time relaxing. After a bottle breakfast and some time in his bouncy, Mr. Munch needed a nap. A good thing, too, because the Munch Family spent the day out and about! As soon as Daddy got home, the whole family whirled about for a quick turn around time in order to get Mr. Munch to his doctor's appointment!

I like to stick out my tongue...

Mr. Munch was given a clean bill of health from Dr. Ron. He currently weighs 18 pounds, 12 ounces and is measuring 29 inches long! He was very well behaved throughout his entire appointment, so he was treated to another ball! This time he got green, but he didn't seem to mind too much. It was still fun to taste!

Maybe green and purple taste different. There's only one way to find out!

Because the Munch family lives in a house that was built about 100 years ago, Mr. Munch was also treated to a not-so-fun lead screening. The nurse had to prick his toe, so socks were worn for the rest of the day to make sure that he didn't try to pick his band-aid off.

Such cute stocking feet!

After other time consuming errands were run, Mama sank into her chair at home and realized that she didn't have quite as many pictures as she wanted. While laying on the ground trying to get sock pictures, she noticed that not only were the feet a little further from the gate than normal, but that Mr. Munch was a little shaky. Standing up, Mama realized that Mr. Munch was standing on his own, shaking a teething star.

 The exact moment he realized what was happening.

 Wanting to get a better standing picture than yesterday, Mama snapped picture after picture while Mr. Munch tested his new talent over and over and over again. For a few minutes he alternated between sitting (not for long), standing supported by the gate, and standing on his own! He even continued to shake his toy while standing, further impressing his parents.

One step closer to independence.

Number 1

This morning was a goofy morning in the Munch household. Mama and Daddy had just as much fun making Mr. Munch laugh as he had being entertained! Silly faces, odd noises, and sudden gestures were the fare of the Living Room Comedy Club, so Mama got some good smiling pictures.

Forget Carlin, Engvall, and Izzard! I've got Daddy!!

The mood turned exploratory pretty quickly, however, when Mr. Munch discovered that the balls on his bouncy seat each performed a different task. One twisted, one spun, one felt funny, and one had a turny knob. Many of them had little beads in them to make noise, so he was rather distracted until nap time.

So I spin this one with my thumb while I turn this one...

For lunch Mr. Munch had a brand new food...beef! That's right, ladies and gentlegerms, we have made the step to meat. I don't envy Daddy that morning diaper.

It wasn't his favorite plain, but he gobbled it down once sweet potatoes were added.

Mama and Mr. Munch spent a lot of time together today. Mama was hoping for some picture inspirations, so she put aside her usual cleaning and got down on his level for the day, camera in tow. Every once in a while Mama takes a picture at just the right moment. Because she was the push-off point, Mama was too close to get his face, but here is picture proof that Mr. Munch can (for a few seconds, record of 6s) stand on his own!

Look, Ma! No hands!!

As mentioned before, Mama spent her day on the floor with Mr. Munch taking a multitude of pictures. Some of them I liked far too much to deprive his adoring public of the adorableness that is Mr. Munch.

*the look of pure mischief on the move*

*taking a quiet moment*

And now, a drumroll please....

Our first number picture! I had a lot of debates with myself on how this picture series would look. I played with multiple ideas, none of them seeming quiet right, until the answer literally hit me on the head. Nanoseconds before wood met forehead, the number 6 flashed across my vision. After taking a second to clear my head, I quickly dug through scatter of toys that littered the floor looking for that one...

1 springtime boy.

Tomorrow Mr. Munch will be taking a very important trip. Where too? My lips are sealed until then.

Standing Up In The World

Today was Munch Daddy's day off, so the family spent a lot of time hanging out together. Mr. Munch has been doing a lot of experiments with this whole "standing" thing.

Daddy makes a great jungle gym and great standing support.

It was brought to my attention that I forgot to introduce a stuffed animal yesterday! So today I would like to introduce Mr. Munch's puppy! 

I can see you better from up here.

His puppy vibrates and sings when his head is pushed. Though he needs help turning it on, Mr. Munch likes to tickle his hands and feet when the puppy is on.

Sing me the song of your people.

When nap time is suggested, Mama is swiftly overruled with looks of adorable pleading and "oh please" attitude from Daddy.

Nap time is so overrated.

Though the past couple of days have been fairly warm, this evening got rather chilly. Mama found a one piece sweatsuit to put Mr. Munch into. 

Mama's boys are too cute!!!

Tomorrow will be the debut of Mr. Munch's number pictures! I haven't figured out how I'm going to do that, so tomorrow will be a surprise for all of us! Until then!

Sat/Sun

So this was a draft last night. Suddenly a wild party appeared! When hosting your birthday party, sometimes things get pushed to the back burner. However, this does not mean that you must go without the pictures intended to be viewed yesterday.

A couple of days this past week have been a little chilly, so Mr. Munch slept with a blanket. He didn't need it yesterday for his nap, but he wasn't thrilled when Mama took it out of his crib. As soon as he had his blanket, he was out like a light!

Monsters can't get me when I'm under my blanket.

Mama also found a picture that she had meant to use, but somehow got put into the wrong folder when transferred. I now debut Mr. Munch and Grandma! The last time we visited, Mr. Munch got to crawl around Grandma's whole house for the first time. When he came to the slick wood floor wearing his corduroy overalls...let's just say that he and friction weren't seeing eye to eye. He also practiced his standing with Grandma and even practiced some steps!

The view is so different from this angle...

While getting ready for the party, Mama made sure to take some time out to play with her little Munch. Peek-a-boo from over the top to through the mesh was one of the favorite games.

Even though it's peek-a-boo, I can still see you...and it's hilarious!!

While watching Mr. Munch play with his toys, I've noticed that he is showing toy preference in shifts. The latest favorite is a tower that you slide different colored/sized stars onto and it will light up and play music. He has figured out where the buttons are and has shown premeditation when turning on the toy and is pretty good at sliding the stars off. Try to put them back on, though, and the face you get...

I'm sorry, you thought you could touch my toys? Think again.

Day of Harmony

So there are those days every once in a while when the stars align and a family has a day when every schedule is different, but it runs smoothly. Today was one of those days. Mr. Munch was in a move-and-play-alone mood while Mama and Daddy were cleaning the apartment.

Watching the birds in the tree outside.

He got into some shenanigans, but nothing major.

Maybe if I tip the pail over, they'll stop making me take diaper breaks.

 He accompanied Mama and Daddy on some errands and was surprisingly content the entire time.

They see me rollin', they hatin'.

Nap time followed soon after, however, and it became one of the increasingly rare times when Mr. Munch fell asleep while having a bottle.

Eyelids are so heavy. Must not zzzz......

Book Review Thursday

As promised, a close-up shot of Mr. Munch's diaper cover. Cute find, Daddy!

Look out, here comes the spiderbaby!

Mr. Munch is still working on those top four teeth. The evidence is clear in the late nights, the buckets of drool, and the death grip on his raspberry.

Must. Chomp.

And to conclude today's regrettably short post, the highlight of Mr. Munch's relaxing day was story time! As we relaxed in his room after his bath, Mama read That's Not My Monster, one of Mr. Munch's favorite books. It has many different textures and plenty of bright colors. Normally he likes to stop on the page with scratchy spines, but today we made it to the end and spent plenty of time petty the fuzzy ears!

I wonder what this page feels like...

Soft and fuzzy!

If this book looks familiar, it was also in a recent post, featuring the front page with furry eyebrows.

"That's not my monster...It's eyebrows are too furry."

Overhaul

As many of our regular readers have noticed, there has been a distinct lack of Daily Dose over the past couple of weeks. This was mostly due to the fact that Mama has been ill and/or recovering and to difficulties retrieving pictures (all pictures today are from Mama's phone). Camera pictures will come once Mama has either troubleshot (troubleshooted?) the problem or given up and handed it over to Daddy. 

The time has not been wasted, however. Mama spent her free time devising a schedule for the Dose! This will include a biweekly letter picture on Mondays, a biweekly number picture on Tuesdays (but not the same week as the letter pictures), a "book review" by Mr. Munch on Thursdays, Mama Reflections on Saturdays, and on Sundays Mr. Munch will be introducing his readers to each of his stuffed animals! We hope that you are as excited about this as we are!

Looking back, Mama realized that she started doing a picture per letter last year and only got to letter E (waaay back in November, eesh). This week we will pick up where we left off, so in honor of all the pictures Mama has taken that Mr. Munch wants to check out up close,

F is for Face!

Mr. Munch has also figured out how to hold his own bottle! While this can come in handy sometimes (like when Mama and Daddy are busy during breakfast), but the Munch Family still enjoys snuggle time, so he hasn't gotten much practice.

I'm hungry now, I will eat where I want.

Daddy was at the store the other day when he found a cute Spiderman diaper cover! (The close up picture is on the camera, so just take my word for it for right now.)

Spiderbaby is on the move!

Mama and Daddy have also completed the bedroom clean-up and baby proofing, so Mr. Munch now has two rooms to play in!

So much space! So much freedom!

Even though he has more room than ever, Mr. Munch still likes to hang out in his own room sometimes. You never know what interesting stuff you may find hidden away!

Indiana Jones's got nothin' on me!

Mama got some new serving spoons and Mr. Munch just had to help break them in. Nothing says "welcome to the kitchen" like baby drool and banging cutlery.

That moment when you see disaster coming at you and it's too late to stop it.

Mr. Munch is also earning his in-utero nickname, Monkey. He has figured out the troublesome art of climbing; climbing onto Mama and Daddy's bed, climbing up his gate (though thankfully not over yet), and climbing all over anybody who dares hold him.

Better put on your running shoes, Mom!

Even though he is very much a busy body who likes to move and climb and throw toys around, Mr. Munch also has a serene side. It's not unusual to come in from another room to see him cuddling with a stuffed animal or flipping through one of his books. He has even figured out how to turn on his classical music box so he has some soothing background music.

Blue elephant, orange tiger, green crocodile. Got it.

Mr. Munch is also enjoying the view from the cart seats whenever he goes with Mama and/or Daddy to the grocery store.

Weeeeeeeee!!!

Tomorrow we have more pictures from the last two weeks to catch up on as well as Mr. Munch's thoughts on his favorite book, That's Not My Monster!

Sprouting, and Not Just Up

While we enjoyed having Great-Grandma visit, we had to let her go back to Arizona to give our love and hellos to Great-Grandpa. We had fun seeing you!

Another minion to add to his collection.

Now that Mr. Munch is gaining mobility and, along with that, some independence, he is no longer content to stay in a bouncer or exersaucer for much of any length of time. He has been spending his days playing in his room or climbing all over Mama and Daddy (whenever they allow).

I'm figuring out how to get into mischief!

This also means that he is exploring more of his world. Mama and Daddy have noticed that his attention span is (slowly) increasing. On his way to a nap, Mr. Munch spotted the television. Mama caught his reaction when he saw Muppets for the first time...

It's time to meet the Muppets...

He greatly enjoyed watching and even craned around Daddy's shoulder to watch as he left the room.

Mama and Mr. Munch stopped by Grandma's house for a visit, even though Uncle J was the only one home. Mama decided to experiment with the sun coming through the windows. We took a picture for Grandma and surprised her by making it the background on her computer. Mama got some other cute pictures, but she got some silly ones too!

Mr. Munch likes sticking his tongue out.

Mr. Munch loves looking at his books. His favorites in the past have been the squishy plastic ones he can take in the bath, but when he figured out that his monster book had textures...

It's...so...FUZZY!!!

As we bid a fond but hopefully not long goodbye to the warm weather, Daddy Munch made sure that family got out for some fresh air. Mr. Munch enjoyed car watching, leaf watching, and squirrel watching from the safety of his play pen while Mama and Daddy grilled and chatted with the neighbors. 

What is that thing with the poofy tail? 

It looks fuzzy enough to be in my monster book...

But Mama, the title refers to something sprouting, but nothing in your post has yet sprouted...what's up with that? 

That, my friends, would be our other exciting news! While we have yet to get photographic evidence (it's difficult enough to look at without the bulk of a camera), we are excited to announce that Mr. Munch has his two top teeth! It took a few long days and nights before they showed their enameled little heads, but the Munch family, with the assistance of children's ibuprofen, made it to the other side. We believe he may have one or two others close to poking through, but we've been wrong before, so we'll just stick with what we can see. Once our bunny boy has grown his teeth in a little more, pictures will be taken, have no fear.