Bryce's First Vacation..The Good and The Bad!

Its official! What I assume will be Bryce's first vacation is all booked minus a few details! My family will be taking our 2nd Mediterranean Cruise, but this time we are bringing 3 more boys with us! My Dad is very happy about this as he will have wing-men! Last time we went, it was just the 4 Kolodnys. This time around we will be cruising as a gang of 6.5! My parents, Katie, her boyfriend Frank, Jason, Bryce, and I will be taking on Italy, Croatia, Spain, and Greece. I think I have the countries right, but don't hold me to it as Geography is not my thing! We will be traveling to Barcelona for 3 days or so, then boarding a Celebrity Cruise Ship (Celebrity Solstice) for a 12 night cruise which will stop at 9 different ports in the various countries. I know a lot of you reading this might be thinking we are crazy for taking Bryce on this type of trip but so be it..we are doing it! I do know it is a bit to take on as a first trip with Bryce, but I would not have it any other way! I have cruised many times before, but never with a baby, so I did a lot of research on the different Cruise Lines to see what I felt most comfortable with. Seeing as though I was probably one of the youngest on our last Mediterranean Cruise, I don't imagine there will be many kids, but it will be adventure and one we will never forget! I always said the last cruise was almost the perfect vacation..the only thing that would have made it better was if Jason was able to go with me! We visited a local Cruise Store and got the best of accommodations and know that this trip will be once in a lifetime! This is already the topic of most conversations and the planning is in full swing. I welcome any advice on traveling with a baby, so send it my way!  I am hoping that flying overnight helps Bryce sleep! My Dad has been waiting for the day we can have our first trip with Bryce, and he is already planning the next trip in his head. It is amazing the dynamic Bryce brings to my family. I love my Dad to pieces, but have never considered him a man made of patience. He knows that..its not a secret, however he has more patience with Bryce then anyone! The family joke is we all want to be Bryce! Jason and Katie's boyfriend, Frank, get along great and we are destined to have a great time! SO, you might be wondering, what could be the "Bad" side of the post...well the Cruise isn't until April 2012. It seems so far away, but we know Bryce needed to be a little older and it was pushing it for all of us to be gone from the business in little notice. I do not ever want time to fly, but in this case I do! Come on April 2012..the Kosherdez's (all of our last names combined-Kolodny, Sherard, Hernandez) are ready to say Bon Voyage!!

Going on 8 and Mommy's Late!

I say it every post, but I cannot believe how quick time is flying. I feel awful that I haven't posted since Bryce turned 6 months, but I guess it is better late then never! Every day is a new day so needless to say a lot has happened since I last posted. I guess I will just bullet point some fun experiences we have had!

• Bryce was just under 16 lbs at his 6 month appointment but now he is probably pushing 18 lbs! He also seems to be growing length wise, which I am happy about! He still wears 3-6 month clothes, but I have put in him a few 6 month outfits here lately, which are only appropriate for work (they are pretty big). My Dad politely tells me that his shorts look like Capri's, or that they fit him like Capri's fit my Mom and I. What can I say..his hasn't been too blessed in length yet! He is only almost 8 months so give him time! He is still tucking along in his size 3 diapers. He sleeps in Pampers Baby Dry at night, but can pretty much wear any brand during the day.
• Eating/Sleeping/Schedule-We start our day around 7 am. Wait, let me back up...Bryce starts his day about 6:30, but Mommy doesn't go get him till closer to 7. He just plays in his crib, and I lie in bed pretending I can sleep more! If Jason is going to work with me I give Bryce his morning bottle on our way to work, around 7:30. If Jason isn't going with me, I feed Bryce at home about 7:15 before I head to work. He typically goes back to bed shortly after going to work and sleeps about 4 hours. When he wakes up he gets 6 oz and then its play time. We have set up a whole area at work for him with all kinds of toys, DVDs, contraptions, etc. so he has the run of the place. After the 11 am bottle he typically eats every 3 hours and will only take short cat naps the rest of the afternoon, especially while in the car! His bedtime bottle is given around 8 and then we play a little before bed. Getting him to fall asleep is still tough at times, but overall it is not bad. Bryce also gets a fruit or veggie once a day and has not turned anything down! We also give him 4 oz of juice or water each day. He loves his white grape juice! One thing that I do struggle with, and advice is welcome, is that during bottle feedings he is so not interested in eating. He looks around, plays, and just seems like he is bored with the bottle. He still won't hold his own bottle, but I know he is hungry, so I don't understand?! Is this normal?? Any little thing that catches his eye, makes for a sloppy, long, and stressful feeding!
• Activities-Bryce typically spends his day breaking, smashing, moving, and scooting! He is all BOY! He basically sits up on his own, but occasionally he gets excited and tumbles over, so I don't leave him completely alone while he is sitting up! He also scoots around non-stop and is FAST! He crawls at times, but mainly pulls himself around with his arms. I know crawling is coming soon! We put cushions down at work, because the floor is so hard, that between him crawling around, and being so active, he has hit his head once or twice and its not fun! He is busy-always looking, growling, playing, "talking", etc. It is so much fun and each day is better and better!
• Tonight I went to Luby's (be jealous!) with my parents, and put B in a real high chair for the first time. He loved it!! He looked around, got some water from Pops, and maybe even a tiny bite of mashed potatoes! He did so well, and we are definitely doing to start using the highchair. GOODBYE 30 LB (NOT INCLUDING BRYCE) CAR SEAT!! That thing is such a pain to lug around, although its nice to be so strong! Thanks for my guns, Bryce!
• Bryce has 2 teeth on the bottom coming in at the exact same time. They are so stinking cute! I love when I get big smiles and can see them. It totally changes the way he looks! He is also getting more hair, finally! We still have a lot of progress to make, but at least we can spike it when we want :)

I am sure there is so much more I am forgetting, but this post is long enough. I am going to start posting shorter blogs, more often, so I can make sure I keep track of everything. Time is rare, so I feel like doing this will help me actually post. So this is it for tonight, but soon I will post pictures!!