Life As We Know It: Florida, Mother's Day, and More

Hello Friends!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged. I have been meaning to get an update out there for the past week...but never have. Anywho, here's a quick update on life in the Schiff Household!

A week ago, May 6, Gabriel and I got home from vacation in FLORIDA!! We went with my family for a week of R&R. Jesse couldn't go because of his work schedule... which sucks, but next year he will be there! :) Anyway, we rode with my parents on the 10+ hour drive down there. We left Saturday Morning, drove all the way to Florida, stayed in a hotel that was 30 minutes from our Condo, and then woke up Sunday morning to check in and head to the beach. And in case you're wondering... Yes, a 10 hour car ride with a 10 month old is SO much fun! :) Actually, in all reality, Gabe did pretty great during the drive. I'm so proud of him! But as you can imagine, my little man developed a hatred for his carseat! haha.

Our condo was AMAZING. First floor, ocean view, that walked straight out to the pool. I mean, how convenient and awesome is that? Gabe LOVED the beach and the pool. My little man definitely loves the water. We sat in the sand a few times down by the ocean and let the water wash up on us. It was so much fun and he loved it...except when it splashed him in the face!

During our stay in Florida, Gabe and I also got to see Jesse's side of the family! His Granny, Papaw, Aunt, and Cousin! They came and picked us up and we stayed the night with them. It was so much fun and we were so happy that we got to spend some time with them. It was the first time that both Gabe and I had met his Aunt Diane and Cousin Lydia. We enjoyed a nice lunch with them at a restaurant called "We Got Crabs" on the beach and then headed to their new home to spend some time together. Gabe LOVED it and I think he got a bit spoiled during our stay too! :)

We spent the rest of the week laying by the pool and the beach, shopping, and taking walks. We were also lucky enough that our condo came stocked with baby essentials such as a high chair and pack-n-play! The pack-n-play was so convenient for Gabe while we were all at the beach. We just took it down there with us and let him play in it and take his naps! I loved it and he loved it! :) Our condo was very close to some of the souvenir shops, so I took Gabe on a few walks during the day and we did a little shopping! :) We also enjoyed spending time with our family. Gabe loves his cousin, Emeri! He was always trying to get ahold of her and her things! So CUTE! The one thing I didn't try in Florida was the oysters. Yes, I am the only one in my family who has yet to try them! (I am also the only one in my family who has never been to Vegas....but that's a different story for a different day! haha) Anyway, we had a great time! I'm sad that Jesse missed out on this vacation...but we will have plenty more in the future! :)

Some BIG news that happened while we were in Florida is that Gabe got more teeth in! Can you believe it!? We now have 3 teeth in that precious little mouth...YES, 3!!! He has 2 on the bottom and 1 on the top! There is another one on top that is trying to push it's way through. I'm almost positive that in the next few weeks he will have at least 4 teeth if not more. My little boy is growing up way too fast!

Well, today is Mother's Day! My FIRST Mother's Day in fact! Jesse and Gabe bought me a dozen roses and a very nice card. We then spent the day hanging out at home and then had dinner with my family at my brother's house. It was a great, relaxing day!

Since we got home from Florida, Gabe has started pulling up A LOT more and he's been walking while holding onto the coffee table a lot more too. I never thought this day would come and now that it has... I want it to slow down! He's growing up so fast! I can't believe that in a little over a month he will be ONE! Oh my goodness...where does the time go? Anyway, since he has started to pull up more, Daddy got the task this weekend to lower his mattress in his crib. Why? Well, because Mommy went into his room the other morning when he woke up and found him standing up in his bed, looking over the top, trying to figure out how to escape! And yes, that was the end of the mattress being up. So, I'm happy to say that is mattress is now lowered and Mommy can sleep in peace knowing that he can't escape! :) What else is my favorite little boy doing? Well, he's saying "DADA." Yep, that's right... Not "MOMMA" but "DADA." At first I brushed if off by saying... "Oh, he doesn't know what he's saying... that's just his new sound." But NOPE, I was wrong. I know this because he will literally look at Jesse and say "DADADADADA" Guess who is one proud Daddy? And Guess who is a little jealous? ME! haha. No really, I'm happy that Gabe has said his first word but I realllly wanted it to be "MOMMA." Oh well, I'll let Daddy enjoy this moment...because as you can imagine, he's thrilled!!

Friday, my mom and I went to a spinning class at a new fitness gym here in town. I'm not going to lie... it was intense. Probably one of the best workouts I've had. Seriously! My legs are still hurting tonight and my bottom has hurt as well. However, I think the bottom hurting is a result of sitting on that bike for an hour straight! I don't care what people say...those things are NOT comfy at all!:) So now, mom and I are going every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning to the class. I'm also going to start doing Yoga and Zumba on Tuesday and Thursday's. One of the best parts about this fitness center... free childcare! Yes, free! SO convenient! I love it that I can take Gabe with me, drop him off at the childcare room, and then he is in the same building I am so if he needs me, I'm there. I also like knowing that I can check in on him anytime while I am there! Anyway, I'm serious about this working out thing now. I want to lose more weight and I want to wear a bikini and I want to wear all of the cute clothes hanging in my closet. Oh and I want to lose about 10 pounds by the end of the month as well. I do know it's going to be tough, but I'm determined now more than ever! So, again, it's playoff time for fitness!

Oh, Just a little FYI... I will be doing another HOUSE TOUR very soon. I've been holding off on the house tour since we've moved because I'm doing a little redecorating and I wanted that to be all done. I'm waiting on a few more pieces and then the house tour shall begin!

Alright friends, that's all for tonight. It's time for this Momma to go to bed. I've got spinning class bright and early in the morning! Here's some pictures of our vaca and Mother's Day! (Some of these pictures were taken by my sister in law, Nicki and our cousin, Lydia! :)) ENJOY!!