http://www.babyblogs.com en Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/templates/default/images/logo_rss.jpg http://www.babyblogs.com 144 24 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=a-new-obsession-57th-fighter-group Daddy recently had the idea to take you to watch the airplanes take off and land at the 57th Fighter Group restaurant, and it's practically all you talk about these days. Let's just hope your obsession with "airpanes" means you're going to be happy to ride on one with Mommy this Friday.
Practically everything in your little life is unsettled at the moment, but you've just been going with the flow. Seeing you do so well with all of the recent changes has really helped us put things in perspective. Everything will fall into place, and as long as we're all together, we're all going to be just fine ... especially if there are airplanes to watch!
LOVE,
Mommy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=a-new-obsession-57th-fighter-group Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=wordless-wednesday_3 Life is trucking along though, and I don't want these pictures to get lost in the shuffle. So here are some shots from the last month or so. ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=wordless-wednesday_3 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=you-at-two Well, to say that you had a blast at your birthday party would be a huge understatement. We were originally hoping to have a mailman themed party at Adair Park, but it was HOT, and it turns out that mailman stuff that is cute and not creepy is really hard to find ... so we ended up with a choo-choo train themed party at our house. And it was awesome. All of your best buds were there, and Grandmere, Aunt Nicole, Uncle Brett, Aunt D and Uncle Andy even made the trip to Atlanta. You had a great time doing cannonballs in the baby pools and running around with the sprinkler like a crazy person. And the icing on the cake? Aunt Nono & Co. got you your very own vacuum! Does this mean you'll stop insisting that Daddy get his out? Somehow I doubt it.
In addition to your birthday, we also got to celebrate Father's Day that weekend. We let Daddy sleep in a little, and when he came downstairs, we greeted him with "Happy Daddy Day!" and lots of coffee and kisses. We also got him some fancy new pancake mixes, because let's be honest -- Daddy's pancakes are one of the things we love most about him. There are a few other things too though -- like how much he loves us and takes good care of us. We scored big-time with the awesome daddies that we have, Adam. I know you don't get it now, and you might not get it for a very long time, but one day you will appreciate Daddy for much more than his pancake-making and vacuum-cleaning skills.
You had your 2-year-old check-up with Dr. Kincaid last week, and except for the shots, the finger prick and the Scooby-Doo band-aid, things went quite well. Why you had such an issue with the bandaid, I do not know, but you were far more offended by that than anything else. It didn't even help when Mommy got a matching one. Maybe you heard that turning two gives you license to act like a crazy person?
So here's a little look at you at 2...
Height: 35 5/8 inches (80%)
Weight: 27 3/4 (50%)
Head size: 19 7/8 (90%)
Clothing size: 24 months/2T
Shoe size: 7
Diaper size: 5
Sleep habits: bedtime around 7:45 pm, wake around 7:00 am, one 2-hour nap in the afternoon
Favorite activities: swimming, going for walks, climbing on Daddy and Lucy
Favorite toys: vacuum, lawnmower, bubbles
Favorite song: "See You on the Moon" by Great Lake Swimmers (aka "Moon Song")
Favorite books: The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear
Favorite television show: Yo Gabba Gabba! (aka "Brobie")
Favorite foods: mac n cheese, beans, any fruit (but especially bananas)
Favorite car/driver: "white car"/Mommy (You often say, "No Daddy drive. Mommy drive." I must say -- I've seen his driving, and I don't blame you.)
And here are some of our favorite current phrases of yours:
"Hold you" -- which is what you say rather than "hold me" when you want one of us to hold you
"I love bubbles/bugs/milk" -- you started this after hearing a character on Yo Gabba Gabba! say that he loves bubbles, and you've expanded it to cover a number of things that you love
"More time" -- you hold your finger up when you say this to ask for "one more time" (usually when you're climbing and jumping off of Daddy or when you want us to read a book again)
"Be right back" -- you also hold your finger up when you say this, and while you started off saying this to us, you now say it to Lucy, Calvin, your stuffed animals, Brobie, your vacuum, and so on
"What's that, Mommy/Daddy?" -- you've just recently started asking this when you want to know what something is called
"Mmmm hmmmm" -- there's something very sweet about the way you answer our questions with your little high-pitched "mmm hmmm"
You're extremely vocal these days, and the other day I realized that we were actually having a conversation. Granted, it was about not putting anything in the potty other than poo poo and pee pee, but it was a conversation nonetheless. Because you're talking so much, your teachers thought that you should go ahead and move up to the next class at school -- Transition A. At first I was scared you might be sad to be away from Bobby and Avery and all of your buddies in the Toddler Room, but you still get to see them quite a bit during the day. And you've already started to talk about your new friends in your big boy class -- especially Harrison and Linden. Of course, when we talk about your day at night, you still mention Bobby and Avery first -- and even though he's been gone for a few months now, you still like to talk about Henry, too.
We've been getting together with Dave, Sue and Dean more lately, and it's so sweet to watch you boys play together. You don't usually show much interest in kids that are younger than you, but you have really warmed up to Dean. You're very sweet with him (most of the time), and when prompted, you never hesitate to hold his hand or give him a hug. And he is absolutely fascinated with you. He watches with wide eyes as you go and go and go. You, this boy who runs and jumps and talks and laughs. You, this boy who is suddenly two.
Love,
Mommy and Daddy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=you-at-two Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=almost-wordless-wednesday-first-swim-lesson ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=almost-wordless-wednesday-first-swim-lesson Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=birthday-boy Two years ago, at 8:35 in the morning, we met you for the first time. We had thought of you constantly, and we loved you already, but we didn't know you. That day is a little foggy (to say the least), but I remember this: they handed you to me, and I looked at that sweet, round face and into those puffy little eyes, and I thought, "So that's who you are then."
And who you are, and who you are becoming, continues to amaze us every single day. We didn't know, then, that you would grow into this boy who has the most contagious laugh in the entire world. We didn't know that you would be sweet and funny (and yes, sassy, too), that you would love to jump and blow bubbles and give kisses, that you would love choo-choo trains and firetrucks and that Daddy would be your best buddy. We suspected some of these things, dared to hope for them just a little, but we didn't know.
You have brought us so much laughter and sweetness. You have made our lives so much more, just by being in them.
Happy, happy birthday to my sweet, sunny boy. A lifetime of happy birthdays to you.
Love,
Mommy and Daddy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=birthday-boy Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=happy-mommy-day Well, we all survived our week away from each other, and it seems we all even managed to have some fun in the process. You had a great time at Aunt NoNo's house and with Nanny and Pop. Your great uncle Boby even came for a visit, and by all accounts, you got a huge kick out of him. Could that have anything to do with the fact that his name sounds like "Brobie," your favorite Yo Gabba Gabba character? Perhaps.
You and Nanny came to pick us up from the airport, and while we were waiting (impatiently) for our bags, your daddy, being the good man that he is, told me to go on out and see you. I asked if he was sure, but I'm pretty sure I was gone before he responded. When I opened the car door and jumped in next to you, we both just stared at each other, wide-eyed, for what must have been at least 10 seconds. So many thoughts raced through my head -- had you grown? had you gotten even cuter? and when did you start looking so much like Pop when he was a little boy? And then you snapped me out of it with a "Mommy!" And then I covered you with ten million kisses, and was actually a little sad when we got home because it meant we had to leave our little cocoon that was the back seat and that I had to actually share you with other people again.
I know -- this all sounds sickeningly sweet, right? Well not for long....
The next morning, Daddy and I jumped right back into our respective Mommy/Daddy rolls, and you were not. having. any. of it. It seemed that your initial excitement to see us had worn off and that it had been replaced with the rebellion that I wasn't expecting for at least another 12 years or so. Friends warned us that you might be a little angry with us and act out for a couple of days, so at least we were prepared for it, but that only made it slightly easier. Luckily, those friends were right and you were back to your normal self after a few days.
The weekend after we got back was Mother's Day, and Daddy gave me the best gift ever -- in addition to convincing you to greet me with "Happy Mommy Day!", I got a Saturday full of wonderful, relaxing "me time" and a Sunday full of french toast, mimosas and lots of time at the park with my two favorite boys. And even though we weren't able to celebrate with Nanny or Grandmere, Mother's Day always serves as a nice reminder for us to appreciate how lucky Daddy and I were to be raised by such wonderful women -- and how lucky you are to have them as grandmothers.
I know I've said it before, but it's worth saying again (and again). I am so grateful to be a mom -- to be YOUR mom. Not a day goes by that I don't think about how lucky I am. I don't always talk about the specifics though, so here are some of my favorite things about being your mommy:
Kissing your boo-boos, your requests for "one more" hug before bedtime, dancing with you and Daddy, dancing with you in the car, the way you smell after a bath, watching you give sweet hugs and kisses to Lucy, hearing you say "pease", "dank do" or "I sorry" without prompting (this just started recently), waving to policemen, holding your sweaty little hands, big hugs and wet kisses, "I lolly"s, going for walks, understanding what you're saying when no one else can, your baby belly, your belly laugh, the way you greet me when I pick you up from school, the way you greet Daddy when he comes home from work, blowing kisses to the moon, hearing you say "Mommy", the way you hand me your plate and say "all done", looking out your bedroom window for "choo choo chains", reading the same books over and over again so that you know when to chime in, playing outside, watching you blow (and sometimes swallow) bubbles, watching you watch Daddy....
And that's not even the half of it.
Thank you for being my sweet, sunny boy. And thank you for the mommy you're making me.
I lolly,
Mommy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=happy-mommy-day Fri, 21 May 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=european-vacation Next week is a big week for all of us. Daddy and I are taking a vacation with Dean's mommy and daddy, your Auntie Shu and Uncle Dave. We're going to a place called London and then a place called Paris -- two places that we're excited to take you someday. We've been looking forward to this trip for such a long time. Now though, now that we're scheduled to get on a plane in exactly 24 hours, a plane that will take us an entire ocean away from you, I'm wondering what the hell I was thinking. Pardon my French (ha). The longest we've ever been away from you is 2 nights, and even then, we were only a 3-hour drive away from you. The thought of being away from you for an entire week - of missing you for an entire week - kinda makes me feel like I'm going to throw up.
When I'm being rational about the whole thing, I know that this is good for all of us, important even. You get to spend the first half of the week at Aunt Janono's house and the second half of the week back at home with Nanny and Pop, and I know that you're going to be well taken care of and spoiled and happy and ABSOLUTELY FINE. And I know that this is good for Daddy and me, because as much as we LOVE spending time with you and being your parents, we need to remember to make time for each other and to be a couple. And next week, for entire week, we will be a couple. On vacation. Having a wonderful time. And NOT talking about our baby non-stop.
My hope is that you will be so busy having fun that you won't miss us for even one second. I'm sure the week will fly by. And unlike the usual feeling of dread when a vacation is over, we will be so excited to get back to our home ... to get back to you.
Have fun and be a sweet boy. We'll see you soon, mon amour.
xoxoxoxoxo,
Mommy ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=european-vacation Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=easter Surely you (and my other three devoted readers) are not surprised that I'm posting Easter pictures two weeks late....
We had a great Easter weekend, complete with three(!) egg hunts. By the last one, you were an old pro, picking up eggs and putting them in your basket with your eyes closed, but it didn't quite start out that way.... Your first hunt was at school, and while you were quick to get to the eggs, and had your basket completely filled in a matter of minutes, you seemed to enjoy emptying it even more. The other kids took advantage of this, and we ended up leaving with about 8 eggs (which was plenty). From there, we went home, where you, Evie and Connor had a little egg hunt in the cul-de-sac. You were in a particularly sweet mood and even shared one of your eggs with Baby Molly. The next day, you got to have a sleepover with Ted and Sophie while Mommy and Daddy spent some time with friends. When we got to Aunt NoNo's house the next morning, we found a yard full of eggs and 5 Easter baskets all lined up by the door. You had so much fun following your big cousins around, and Tiff even made a special egg for you with your name on it.
This week, you and I each conquered a very persistent, very nasty stomach bug, and we're finally ready to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend. Tonight we're meeting the rest of the cul-de-sac crew at our very first Decatur High School soccer game to watch our neighbor Jacob play. I'm not sure who's more excited -- Daddy, who is obsessed with soccer, or you, who is obsessed with Jacob. Tomorrow we're heading to the Sweetwater 420 Festival in Candler Park with Angie, Uncle Chaz, Teri and your buddy Mason. We'll see how long you two boys are entertained by the live music and the crazy drunk people (aka Daddy and Uncle Chaz). I personally find them pretty entertaining. Hopefully you'll agree.
Lots of love, sweet boy,
Mommy ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=easter Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=springtime-fun-with-friends-and-fam Well, Spring has taken its sweet time, but it's finally here. It's been teasing us for the last month or so -- giving us a nice day here and there and then disappearing again, but I think it might finally be safe to put away the winter clothes. (I'm already regretting saying that and am knocking - very hard - on wood.)
Nanny and Pop came for a visit a couple of weeks ago, and of course, it turned cold and rainy just in time for their arrival. That was fine, though, because we used it as an excuse to finally take you to the Atlanta Children's Museum. You wore yourself (and us) out, running around like a crazy person, and you passed out the second we got home. It was so much fun to watch your face light up as you explored and interacted with the other crazy kiddos (and your crazy Pop).
The next weekend was beautiful again, and we spent most of it outside. We walked down to Decatur's Touch-a-Truck Day with your friend Mason and his parents, which we thought would be a dream come true for you, given your obsession with trucks. Shows how much we know.... While you enjoyed looking at all of the trucks (your favorite, of course, being the fire truck -- but only because there were no mail trucks there), you had no desire whatsoever to sit in any of them. And after about an hour of sirens blaring and horns honking, we were all ready to head back home. Maybe next year you'll enjoy it more ... or maybe we'll just take you to the post office instead.
Last weekend was a little chilly again, but we put our coats on and headed to the zoo with Dean and Henry (and their parents). It was a bittersweet day. On the one hand, we got to see elephants! And giraffes! And monkeys! But on the other hand, we had to say good-bye to Henry. He and his parents got on an airplane for Portland that afternoon, where we're hoping they will only live for a few years. We're happy for our friends and this exciting opportunity they have, but we're going to miss them so much. Needless to say, we're looking forward to some fun family trips out west.
Your daddy makes fun of me for planning so much and always keeping us on the go (which I'm pretty sure I get from your Nanny, even though she likes to make fun of me for it, too). I just can't seem to help myself -- I love watching you experience new things, and I love making plans and spending time with our friends and family. Most of all, though, I love spending time with you and Daddy. And sometimes it's nice to make a date for just the three of us ... especially when it involves popsicles.
xo,
Mommy ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=springtime-fun-with-friends-and-fam Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=a-creature-of-habit They say that all children need (crave even) structure and routine, and based on our recent experiences with you, I would have to agree with them (whoever "they" are).
Exhibit A
Last week, I decided to take a slightly different route home after picking you up from school. And by "slightly different," I mean about 2 blocks different. I don't know why -- I was feeling wild and crazy, I guess. Well, you noticed immediately and were not shy about voicing your displeasure. Apparently, you wanted to look for a choo-choo. I tried explaining that on the new route, we would likely get to see a mailman (yay!), but you knew good and well that you would have an opportunity to see the mailman once we got to our neighborhood, and you were not about to be fooled by me and my feigned excitement about the mailman.
Over the next couple of days, I asked you if you wanted to look for the mailman or the choo-choo, and each time, you replied with "choo-choo." And so, we're back to the old routine. I assume when you tire of it, you'll let me know.
Exhibit B
Every day, when I pick you up from school, we discuss the various people and things that we're going to look for on our way home. First is your friend the police man ("eesh man") who always waves at us when we're stopped at the traffic light on 3rd street. Both of your faces light up when you see each other -- I'm not sure which of you enjoys this game more. We also look for a fire truck in midtown, because one day, about a month ago, we happened to see one. Of course, we haven't seen one since then, but we continue to look (and you've been surprisingly patient). After the fire truck, we look for doggies, bikes and people running as we drive by Freedom Park and Candler Park. After that, it's the choo-choo, which, unfortunately, you're less patient about than the fire truck. If we don't see a choo-choo every day (MARTA counts as a choo-choo too), you are not a happy boy. And after the choo-choo, we look for the mailman. A couple of days last week, you actually got to meet our mailman, and she (yes, she's a "she" but we still call her "mailman") even entrusted you with our mail. You were absolutely star struck. You just stared at her with eyes opened wide, and you couldn't say a word. It kind of reminded me of the time Daddy saw LL Cool J at the airport.
Exhibit C
You have become quite the little helper lately, and as soon as we walk in the door, you want to help me turn off the alarm, turn on the lights and let Lucy ("doggie") outside. We've just recently started allowing you to feed her, too, and you have been taking your new responsibility very seriously. You walk veeeerrrrry sloooowwwwly with Lucy's food, which we appreciate ... but Lucy does not. One day, I needed to do some laundry after we fed Lucy, so I asked you to help me. And every day since then, you've been asking to do laundry after we feed Lucy. Luckily, laundry is not something that's on my daily to-do list, but I promise that once you're a little older, I will let you do all the laundry you can handle. (I assure you that when I started this blog, my intentions were all good. Now, however, I'm beginning to see some real benefits to having all of this in writing.)
Exhibit D
Every night before bed, we have to read No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. Not once, but twice. Every. Night. As we read, you always shake your finger at the monkeys and say, "no more". (Oh, how I wish you listened to direction as well as you gave it.) And then when we reach the end, you hold up your finger and say "one more", instructing us to read it one more time. You still love your choo-choo book and doggie book, and you've recently gotten into Pat the Bunny, but No More Monkeys is still your favorite bedtime book. Sometimes you like to read it by yourself, or to Donnie (your bear), but more often than not, you still depend on us.
And we'll take that for as long as we can.
We love you,
Mommy and Daddy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=a-creature-of-habit Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=wordless-wednesday-cabin-pictures http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=wordless-wednesday-cabin-pictures Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=my-funny-valentine Valentine's Day might just be a fake holiday created by "the man" so that he could make some money ... but who cares? It's also a good excuse to eat candy and smother my favorite boys with hugs and kisses all day. And as a bonus? This year we had snow!
Happy ♥ day, my love.
Mommy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=my-funny-valentine Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite-things With the exception of a couple of recent biting incidents at school, you have been cracking us up lately. Here are just a few of your latest and greatest moments.
Daddy has been trying to teach you how to say "ravioli." Most of the time, the conversation goes like this:
Daddy: Ravi
Adam: Ravi
Daddy: Oli
Adam: Oli
Daddy: Ravioli
Adam: Rolly
And while that's pretty funny in itself, you recently changed things up a bit.
Daddy: Ravi
Adam: Ravi
Daddy: Oli
Adam: Oli
Daddy: Ravioli
Adam: Fish
Needless to say, we both started laughing hysterically. And when you saw how funny you were, it was as if you decided to try to make us laugh even harder.
Daddy: Ravi
Adam: Ravi
Daddy: Oli
Adam: Oli
Daddy: Ravioli
Adam: Bobby
Ha. It just never gets old.
Another funny routine you've started is a little game we like to call "Where's Your Spoon?" We usually play during dinner, and it always starts the same way -- you give us your most mischievous smile (which happens to be one of my favorites) as you slip your spoon into your booster chair. We gasp and ask, "Where's your spoon?!?" You smile, and then you lift your bib up while we say, "Noooo, it's not under your bib." Then you fold one ear forward while we say, "Noooo, it's not in your ear." Usually after confirming that it's not in the other ear either, you "allow us" to discover that you're sitting on the spoon, but sometimes you make us look in your nose too. We play this game a couple of times each night, and surprisingly, it never gets old. But don't go thinking this is going to be cute when you're 15.
You're talking non-stop these days, and even your teachers are surprised by how verbal you are. You still speak your own little language quite a bit, but you're adding new words to your vocabulary daily. You know the names of your grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, and you love to look at their pictures and recite them all. Our personal favorite is "Janono," which is what you've been calling your Aunt Joanna lately. Daddy, who was called "Erk" by Ted and "Eek" by Sophie, is particularly pleased with this new nickname. You also enjoy talking about one of Mommy's best friends, "Jaaaaaaaay."
Daddy has had to work late all week, and you've really been missing him. We've called him every night before you go to bed so that you can tell him "I lolly" and "nigh nigh, Daddy." Luckily, we're Daddy-napping him from his work this weekend and are heading to the North Carolina mountains with some great friends. This is a tradition that we started years ago, before there were any kids in the picture, and this year, there will be 5 little boys under the age of 3. It's going to be a wonderful, crazy weekend -- and very different than how this tradition started. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
I lolly,
Mommy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite-things Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=our-holidays-with-moose During the aforementioned pants-free weekend, we were obviously confined to our house, and after about 36 hours, we found ourselves trying to entertain you with (gasp) television. Now, I personally don't have anything against TV (as evidenced by the ever-growing list of shows on my DVR), but I hate the idea of regularly plopping you down in front of a TV rather than interacting with you. The thing is, you've just never shown a lot of interest in TV -- you've always been far too busy running around and exploring. And much to our dismay, this weekend seemed to be no different ... that is, until we noticed you running into the TV room every time there was a commercial break. Great. Our kid won't watch the somewhat educational shows that are geared toward children, but he's obsessed with commercials? And then we realized that you were really just obsessed with the Noggin (now Nick Jr.) characters (mascots, if you will) -- Moose A. Moose and his trusty sidekick, Zee. Well alright, I thought, we can handle this. The problem was that, while Moose and Zee appear for each commercial break, that still leaves about 13 minutes in-between each break, in which you repeated "Moo" over and over and over again. You were beginning to sound like a cow. And then I had the genius idea to see if there were and Moose and Zee songs on You Tube. Jackpot. And thus, the beginning of a beautiful friendship (and slightly unhealthy obsession) was born.
You were at the height of your Moose craze when we went in Texas for the holidays, and luckily, Nanny and Pop (not to mention Joanna, Jay, Ted and Soph) were all very patient and let you get in some time with Moose and Zee on their computer each day. We had a WONDERFUL time with everyone over the holidays. Naturally, you were spoiled rotten, and you kind of, sort of, almost got excited about Santa this year (okay, not really, but you at least enjoyed pointing to his picture and saying his name). You got some really great gifts, but more importantly, you got to spend time with some really important people. In addition to lots of quality time with Nanny and Pop, you got to meet some of Mommy's best friends in the world (all of whom seemed to be appropriately impressed with you), and you spent a lot of time playing with (and following around) Ted and Sophie. You're really starting to interact and have fun with them, and it's obvious that they're crazy about their baby cousin. They love making you smile and laugh, and their faces just light up when you say their names. And I'm pretty sure you're the only person alive who can still get a hug and a kiss from Ted.
After we celebrated Christmas, Daddy had to come back home for work a couple of days before us, and that meant that you and I were flying solo for the first time. I was absolutely terrified. Luckily, you took pity on me, and while you didn't nap like I had hoped, you were really quite well-behaved. You were definitely busy -- and wanting to be entertained non-stop -- but you were good. Thank you for that. And when we got home, Grandmere was in town for her chance to spoil you rotten. And boy, did she. We had a great weekend with her, opening present after present and taking our usual walks through town. Grandmere gets such a kick out of you and thinks you're the smartest boy that ever lived (possibly tied with Daddy).
Since then, we've been laying low. Well, not really. We've actually been pretty busy, but we've at least been home. You've had a number of firsts recently. You started saying "I love you" (which sounds more like "I lolly") a couple of weeks ago, and at first, we were pretty sure you were just repeating us. But I think you've started to understand the concept behind the words, and the other day, you actually said it to Daddy out of the blue. It was the sweetest moment, and needless to say, you made his day. You also tried peanut butter for the first time, and luckily, you didn't have any negative reactions to it. In fact, the only reaction you had was to say "mmmmm" repeatedly. I think you might have a new favorite food.
You've had one more recent first, but I'm hesitant to write about it because I have no idea what it even means. For the last couple of weeks, you've grown increasingly interested in our toilets. You love to point at them and say "potty" and flush them and run away laughing. One day, I asked you if you wanted to sit on the potty, and you nodded. Once you got up there, though, you were a little scared. I decided I'd get you a potty of your own, just to have it around and so that you could sit on it if you wanted to. I bought the potty this past weekend, and on Monday, you said you wanted to sit on it. I was just enjoying how cute you looked on your little froggy potty, and then you got up, and Daddy noticed that you had actually used it! I was absolutely shocked. I think we all were. Since then, you've done it a few more times, but not consistently. The last thing we want to do is to push you before you're good and ready, and so we're just following your cues. This may be the very beginning stages of potty training -- or maybe you just enjoy sitting naked on a frog potty every now and then. I mean, who doesn't?
I lolly,
Mommy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=our-holidays-with-moose Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=stats-and-snow Last night we got a light dusting of snow here in Atlanta, and we are all so excited (and scared), we can hardly stand it. Here are a few pictues.
xo,
Mommy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=stats-and-snow Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=you-at-one-and-a-half As of yesterday, you are a year and a half old. I wish I could just push pause and keep you right where you are for a little while longer. The first time I had that thought was when you were about three months old. Friends assured me that each new phase you hit would be a little bit better than the last, but I could never imagine enjoying you any more than I did at that very moment. I get it now. You really DO just get better and better. I know that we'll continue to love you and enjoy you more and more each day, but I can't help but think that I will MISS this you when he is gone. I can only hope that the trend continues ... at least until you hit puberty, and then I'm pretty sure we're going to ship you off to spend lots and lots of time with your grandparents. Just kidding. Kind of.
Adam, your personality grows bigger and brighter by the second. You are a wild and crazy little boy, but even more than that, you are a sweet little boy. And a funny little boy. You are constantly making us laugh, often intentionally (though sometimes not). And ohmygoodness, that laugh of yours. That sweet, hearty belly laugh is the best sound in the entire world. I'm pretty sure you could end wars with that laugh.
You are learning so much and so fast. Your vocabulary has absolutely exploded, and you repeat almost everything we say (which has made for some serious changes around our house). You love to talk about the moon, lights (especially Christmas lights), doggies, trucks, the mailman, your cousins and your friends at school (especially Bobby, whose name is apparently VERY fun to say). You've also recently started putting your finger to your mouth and saying "shhh" whenever you see a baby. You aren't exactly quiet about it, but still, it's cute.
Even though you are adding new words to your vocabulary daily, you still aren't able to express yourself (and your wants) all the time, and this often leads to some serious frustration on your part. Which leads to some serious stomping around and head thrashing and sometimes even hitting. This is usually mildly amusing until we reach the hitting part. We're working with you on this, trying to reason with caveman simplicity ("No hit."), but we haven't seen a whole lot of progress yet.
You're at the age now where you are becoming quite a creature of habit, and you have various routines that we try to follow throughout the day. You usually start babbling happily to yourself between 7 and 7:30 in the morning. As soon as I walk in to see you, your face lights up, and then you point to your light and say "on?". Once I turn on your overhead light, you point to your lamp and again say "on?" Then we play peek-a-boo and give kisses for a few minutes (all the while, you are still in your crib, refusing to budge until you're good and ready), and then I either give you your book about trucks or your book about dogs. You flip through the pages, "reading" out loud (still in your crib) while I pick out your outfit for the day. Usually, once you're done with your morning reading, you're ready to come out and join the world. If only it was that easy with Daddy.
Daddy usually drops you off at school in the mornings, and as y'all leave, you give me a kiss, then you watch me give Daddy a kiss, and then you lean in to give Daddy a kiss. Every morning. Once you get to school, you're always excited to see your friends (you usually yell "Bob-by!" as soon as you see him), but these days, you're a little hesitant to have Daddy leave you. As soon as you see breakfast being served, though, you're off to join your friends at the table. Mommy usually picks you up from school, and you always shout "Mommy!" when you see me. You come running and give me a hug that immediately erases the last 8 hours from my mind. Once I pick you up, you insist on saying "bye-bye" to all of your friends and giving each one a high five. Then, when we walk by the fish tank, you say bye-bye to the fishies. And then, when we walk by the photos of babies, you say bye-bye to the babies. One day, you were too busy playing to be concerned with the fact that I had arrived. That is, until Avery came over for a hug. Once you saw me hugging her, you ran over and said, "MY mommy!"
Lessons on sharing are going about as well as lessons on hitting.
We finally turned our sunroom into a play room for you, and boy, do you play. You have a beach pail that you like to load up with various toys (your phone, a block, a car, whatever), and then you swing it over your arm, wave and say "bye bye" to us. You leave the room and then come running back in seconds later, only to repeat the process again. You also love the broom, and you have a love-hate relationship with the dust buster. You like to walk around with it, and you often ask us to turn it on ("on?"), but you don't really like to be anywhere near it while it is on. You love helping us feed Lucy and going for walks with her. Sometimes you pull her leash out of the closet and just walk around the house, pulling an imaginary Lucy behind you (which makes her even crazier than usual - thanks). You, for some strange reason, do NOT like towers of blocks. You like banging them together and will occasionally stack a couple, but whenever Daddy or I go beyond that, you knock them over immediately.
You're very into music, which your daddy, your Pop and I are thrilled about. You still LOVE guitar, and you usually make Daddy sit down and play his while you "play" yours. Inevitably, you give up and decide to just dance with Mommy instead. You love singing, dancing and clapping along to music. You like for us to sing the "Get up and dance, Adam" song that you learned at school while you dance around like a little crazy person. You recognize (and often do hand motions to accompany) The Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Wheels on the Bus and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. When we're in the car, you often request what we call "your songs" (which is the mix CD that I made for your first birthday). As soon as you hear the first few notes of "See You on the Moon," you start nodding your head to the beat and raising the roof with your hands. We dance a lot in the car, and we couldn't care less about who sees us.
Next week is Christmas, sweet boy, and we are heading to Texas to spend the holidays with Nanny, Pop, Joanna, Jay, Ted and Sophie (and a bunch of extended family too). As always, the traveling part makes me nervous, but we couldn't be more excited about Christmas. It means so much more now that you're here. Everything does.
Love,
YOUR Mommy ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=you-at-one-and-a-half Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=wordless-wednesday_2 Because I think of this blog being mostly for you, Daddy and me, I tend forget that there are faraway people who love you and who are anxious to see pictures of you and hear about your latest and greatest feats. I'm overdue for a proper update (which seems to be the overriding theme of this blog), but in the meantime, here are some pictures from the last few weeks.
love,
Mommy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=wordless-wednesday_2 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=givin-thanks Spending Thanksgiving at the beach has become sort of a tradition on Daddy's side of the family, and I could not be more in favor of it. It's so nice to occasionally have a vacation that's just that - a vacation. We don't do much but eat, drink, play on the beach and sleep. Occasionally we shop. But then it's right back to the routine. The week is full of down time, and this year, I spent a lot of that time thinking about how lucky I am.
A friend of mine recently summed up her thoughts on Thanksgiving much better than I've ever been able to. She said something along the lines of "When you can't possibly name everything that you're grateful for, you know you've been truly blessed."
I tend to be a bit of a list-maker (Nanny is rolling her eyes right now because that is the understatement of the year), and in the past, I've enjoyed making little Thanksgiving lists of all of the things I'm thankful for. But to be honest, that list has gotten too long to keep up with. And let's be honest, since you came along, I've had a little less time to devote to list-making. My point is, we've got it good. I can't even imagine it being much better.
xo,
Mommy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=givin-thanks Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=halloween-and-the-weeks-that-followed I can honestly say that for the first time since becoming an adult, Halloween was not a letdown this year. First of all, your Grandmere was in town, and she spoiled you rotten ... which is exactly what Grandmeres are supposed to do. You stayed home from school on Friday to spend the day with her, and you somehow convinced her to give you an entire carton of blueberries with your lunch. Needless to say, on Saturday, your poops were navy blue and smelled like blueberries (which is the only reason I'm not complaining about this). Too much information? Perhaps.
On Saturday, you (okay I) woke up all excited for your Halloween party that night. Daddy and Grandmere helped keep you entertained for most of the day while I got ready for your friends to come over. Aunt Joanna, Uncle Jay, Ted and Sophie came over a little early so that they could be assured some quality time with you. You're so lucky to have your cousins so nearby. They've loved you from the get go (even Ted, which was honestly a bit of a surprise), but now that you're walking and talking, they're absolutely crazy about you. I can only imagine how much fun y'all are going to have (and how much trouble you're going to get into) over the years.
Once the Halloween party started, things were pretty hectic for the first 20 minutes or so. Let me just say that I never thought for a second that our house was big enough for 11 kiddos (and all of the parents that come along with them). And I was right. It wasn't. But once all you kiddos sat down and started eating, everything started going more smoothly. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great, which is why we had to stay inside for most of the party, but when we saw a break in the rain, we all ran outside to give the Trick-or-Treating thing a shot. You surprised us by getting the hang of it pretty quickly. You and rest of the younger kids followed Evie and Connor (who, being 6 months and 10 months older than you, were the leaders of the pack) from house to house. It took a while for y'all to realize there was candy in your buckets, but once you did, you all had a good time throwing it, picking it up and putting it back in your buckets. This went on for some time. Luckily, we live in a cul-de-sac. Something tells me that next year, your interest in candy will be very different.
On Sunday, we had our neighborhood Halloween parade (it was supposed to be Friday night, but it was delayed due to the rain). You rode down to the park in the wagon with your friend Evie, and your Baby Elvis costume was quite a hit. One silly woman called you a super hero (I guess because of your fancy red cape?), but everyone else knew who you were immediately. I mean, what super hero walks around with gold sunglasses and a guitar? The super hero of rock n' roll. And who would that be? Elvis. Duh.
A couple of weekends ago, your Nanny and Pop came into town for a visit. They kept you home from school one day and were supposed to take you over to Aunt Joanna's for a sleepover with Ted and Sophie, but unfortunately, Teddy got strep throat. Ted and Soph were both so disappointed that you couldn't come over, and Aunt Joanna said that Sophie was mad at Ted because he was the reason she didn't get to see you. Luckily, he was feeling better by Sunday, so we all got to get together for dinner at El Taco (sort of an early birthday celebration for Nanny). We also went to Piedmont Park that day and met up with a bunch of your friends for your very first concert -- The Baby Grands opened up for Secret Agent 23 Skidoo (you owe me for this one, kiddo). We had a great time with Nanny and Pop that weekend, but the time always goes too fast. We're excited to spend Christmas in Texas with them this year (though we are NOT excited about the flights).
Last weekend, we went over to your new friend Mason's house for a play date/dinner date. You, Henry and Mason all ran around like crazy boys and wore each other out early. We put you all to bed, and then your parents had an impromptu dance party and wore each other out, too. On Saturday, we went to your friend Sadie's house for another play date/dinner date, though this one didn't involve dancing. We try not to put you down and then wake you up to go back home too often, but you always amaze us and seem completely unphazed by it. We're so lucky that you're such a good sleeper. (I continue to knock on wood each time I say that.)
Today Daddy and I are picking you up early from school and driving to Myrtle Beach to spend Thanksgiving with Daddy's family. We'll get to spend four full days relaxing with Grandmere, Aunt Nicole and Uncle Brett and Aunt Danielle and Uncle Andy. This vacation is coming at the perfect time. Work (and life) has been a little stressful for Mommy and Daddy lately, and we are really looking forward to just enjoying our family. We have so much to be thankful for, Adam, and you are at the top of that very long list.
We love you,
Mommy and Daddy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=halloween-and-the-weeks-that-followed Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=wordless-wednesday http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=wordless-wednesday Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=flashback-friday I just realized that Boo at the Zoo came exactly one year after your very first trip to the zoo. Looking at the pictures below, I can't believe how much our lives - and you - have changed in the past year. I'm looking forward to recreating this shot and embarrassing you for many years to come.
Love,
Mama ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=flashback-friday Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=15-plus-one-and-a-half-months Yes, you just had your 15 month doctors appointment -- a month and a half late. Sorry about that. The good news is, you're doing great and are hitting all of the important milestones that you should be hitting -- walking, talking, associating, etc. The bad news is, you had to get shots. In addition to the combo shot, you also got a seasonal flu shot and an H1N1 flu shot. You're still measuring right around the percentiles that you've been hitting all along. You weigh 23 lbs (25%), are 32 3/4 inches tall (75-90%) and your head is 19 1/8 inches (75%). Dr. Kincaid said that you are the cutest, sweetest little boy -- and I'm sure she doesn't say that to all the kids.
Last weekend we went to Boo at the Zoo, but to be honest, we focused more on the zoo than the boo. Lots of older kids were dressed up for costume contests and were trick-or-treating at the booths set up around the zoo. We took advantage of the distractions and had the animals mostly to ourselves. We saw the elephants, giraffes, zebras, gorillas, monkeys and lions. We were lucky and got to hear the lion roar, which you thought was pretty cool. You have now added a monkey sound ("ee-ee-oooooo-ee-ee") to your repertoire. Later that day, we hit a different park in Decatur than our usual one. You enjoyed all of the push toys and watching the other kids run around, but your favorite activity seems to be trying to climb up the slides, rather unsuccessfully, I might add (except when Daddy takes pity on you and helps you).
On Wednesday, you had your annual fall festival at daycare. Daddy had to miss it because he was in Dallas for work, but I came and took lots of pictures for him. You had a good time with all of your friends watching and dancing with Greg the Music Man and marching in a costume parade outside. Speaking of costumes, I'm going to just go ahead and apologize now. All of your friends were cute, fluffy little animals -- a duck, a frog, a monkey, etc. And then there was you -- all decked out in your tacky sequined Elvis jumpsuit. But you looked SO cute -- and yes, also pretty ridiculous. The teachers and other parents couldn't stop laughing at you. I know that it's just a matter of time before you start insisting on costumes like Bob the Builder and a Transformer and Batman -- I had to take advantage of what might be my last year having any say in the matter. I'm just hoping that one day, you will be a very cool, very well-adjusted kid, and that you will take pride in the fact that your parents dressed you up as the King of Rock n' Roll rather than Barney the purple dinosaur (no offense to the Barneys out there).
Your Grandmere is coming into town tonight, and she is SO excited to see you. We have a busy weekend ahead -- a neighborhood Halloween parade and a small Halloween party for some of your friends at our house. Halloween is one of those "holidays" that I never cared much about -- until I had you. It's so much fun watching you experience new things. I can only imagine what you will think of all of the kids in their costumes. I'm guessing it will be another year before you're skilled in the art of trick-or-treating, but I think you'll enjoy climbing on all of the neighbor's front steps -- especially if they have dogs ... and if you can score me some mini Snickers bars, that would be great. Thanks.
Love, love and more love,
Mama]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=15-plus-one-and-a-half-months Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=fall-days Fall is here, and I couldn't be more excited about it! A lot of people up north (including some family members of yours, ahem) might not consider our fall to be a "real" one, but I think they're just jealous because it's only the middle of October and it's already snowed up there. And it's a lovely 75 degrees down here today. So ha. We win. So far, September and October have been wonderful -- full of playdates with friends, a trip to the beach, pumpkin-picking, a couple of festivals and the arrival of some new babies on the scene.
We went to Hilton Head with your friend Henry, his parents, his doggie, and Aunt Angie and Uncle Chaz (who hates being called Uncle Chaz, which is primarily why we do it). This was your second time to the beach, and it was so different than the first one. You were running around like such a big boy. You and Henry were hilarious to watch -- y'all would run right up to the water, but as soon as a wave came in, you ran away as fast your little legs would take you. You did this over and over. And over. Our second day there, you were feeling a little braver, but you preferred the pools of water on the beach that were left from high tide. You know, the bath temperature water that's probably the perfect temperature for breeding bacteria? Yeah, those. And of course, we were right there with you. You loved splashing around and even lying down in the shallow water. You also enjoyed your first game of soccer! Up until now, you've enjoyed throwing balls, but you hadn't quite gotten the concept of kicking. I will never forget seeing your daddy's face light up when he saw you running around, kicking your ball for the first time.
Last weekend, we did a very lazy version of pumpkin picking. I promise, next year we'll take you to one of those places two hours away to let you ride on a tractor with some hay in it. But this year, we just didn't have it in us. I'm sorry. Instead, we decided to support the Glenn School again, and I think you still managed to have a good time. You liked running through the pumpkins while Daddy chased you, but what you liked most of all was climbing on a picnic table. You have become quite the climber, mister, and it absolutely terrifies me. I remember when I could just put you down on the ground without having to worry about you moving. In fact, the only thing I had to worry about was whether Lucy would lick your entire face off. Well, those days are long gone. You are a real live, running, jumping (more on this in a minute), climbing boy.
In addition to pumpkin-picking, we also hit the Oakhurst Festival (which was rather disappointing) and the Candler Park Festival (which was a blast). We went to the CP Festival with Henry's family, and again, we enjoyed just watching you boys be boys. We also enjoyed putting your faces in the hotdog hole (see the picture below).
In the past couple of weeks, Baby Molly and Baby Elizabeth were both born, and we couldn't be more excited about your newest friends. Baby Elizabeth is the daughter of Lauren and John, some of Mommy and Daddy's good friends. And Baby Molly is the newest addition to the Cul-de-Sac Crew, which means you're no longer the baby on the block! Just in the last couple of months, you've really started enjoying playing with the other kids in the cul-de-sac, Connor and Evie, both of whom are just slightly older than you.
Your personality is getting bigger every day. You have become rather demanding during car rides, constantly asking for "more" - more snacks, more drink, more dancing, more attention - you name it. Recently, we've been giving you books in the car, and that seems to satisfy you for now. You have learned to get down the stairs by yourself these days, sitting on your bottom, scooting down one by one and saying "bump" each time. You've also started trying to jump, but so far, all that entails is running, stopping, bending your knees and saying "jump" very enthusiastically. For now, you're saying it better than you're doing it. But I promise you'll get there, big boy.
You've also started stalling before bedtime, which is pretty hilarious. After we read a book, you ask for your music boxes (not one, but both of them, of course). Then we put your music boxes away. Then you want to read another book. Then you want kisses from Lucy. Then you want your music boxes again. Then you want to brush your teeth again (which you love). Then you want to look out the window and say "night night" to the doggies next door. And so on. What's funny is, you actually love going to sleep, and you never fuss when we put you down. Thank you for that, by the way. Sometimes I forget just how lucky we are.
You're talking up a storm these days, and to anyone who will listen -- me and daddy, of course, but also Lucy, Calvin, your toys, your books, your reflection, etc. You still say mama, daddy, dog, outside and guitar (which you've shortened to tar). And recently, you've added milk, more (which, if I remember correctly, I used to think was cute), bottle, bubbles, Teddy, choo-choo, no, stop, truck, bump, jump and most recently (and most importantly) - please! Of course, you, Daddy and I are probably the only people who can understand most of what you're saying, but that's really all that matters for now. Also, when asked, you can say your name -- even though it sounds like "Adaaaa". And you're starting to make some animal sounds like woof and mooooo. Recently, we discovered that the word "rabbit" is very funny to you. You laugh every time we say it, which, of course, makes us say it even more - because that laugh of yours is the best sound in the world. Except for the fake one that you've just started experimenting with. That one's kinda creepy.
In addition to being the funniest little boy, you are also the sweetest. You love to run over and give us hugs, and you love hugging (and occasionally climbing on) Lucy. Luckily, she seems to love it too. And then there are the kisses. Don't even get me started on the kisses. I know one day (sooner than I like to imagine) you'll be way too cool for hugs and kisses, but for now, we're just soaking it up.
We love you, crazy face,
Mama and Daddy ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=fall-days Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=4-years Four years ago today, your daddy and I were married. I remember our first date like it was yesterday. Your Aunt Joanna set us up, and to be honest, I was not thrilled about going to dinner with this lawyer. But after about 10 minutes, I was kicking myself for having been so closed-minded. I quickly learned that it’s not how many things you have in common with someone, but WHICH things you have in common. People in gray suits aren’t necessarily boring -- being with someone from whom you learn nothing is. Your daddy has taught me - and continues to teach me - so much. He encourages the right things. He slows me down. He makes me feel more secure in the love and strength of my family than I ever imagined I could feel. And most of all, he makes me laugh.
Now of course, it isn't always sunshine and daisies in our house. Daddy and I have our arguments just like everyone else does. We are two separate people looking through our own eyes, and naturally, we occasionally see things differently (your daddy's vision is pretty bad). But disagreeing with someone is okay - healthy, in fact - because that's how we learn from each other. The key is to do it respectfully, which is something I wish I had learned a lot sooner than I did (your Nanny and Pop will agree).
Adam, there are so many, many things that we want to teach you. We know that you will learn more by watching us than you will from listening to us, and I hope that when you look at us, you will see two people who love each other - and you - so much that it still surprises us every now and then. And I hope that we can teach you to be open-minded about love, to accept it graciously and to give it generously. Because at the end of the day, there is nothing that matters more.
Love,
Mama and Daddy
P.S. The second most important thing for you to learn is that your mommy is a total sap.]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=4-years Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=wordless-wednesday-well-almost-wordless http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=wordless-wednesday-well-almost-wordless Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title= http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title= Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=august-and-everything-after I write this as I'm about to leave you and your Daddy for the weekend. I'm heading to Roswell, New Mexico for your great aunt Margaret's memorial service. Since we've traveled with you for the last two weekends, we decided it would be best for you and Daddy to stay home this time. I could - and will - tell you so many stories about Aunt Margaret (and about Roswell), but I'll save those for another time. You and your daddy are going to have so much fun together this weekend, and as happy as I am that I'll get to see my family, I'm going to miss you both so much.
You've had a busy, busy month, little boy. After a couple of nasty viruses -- one (roseola) that gave you a lovely case of red spots all over, and another one that hit two days before your ringbearer debut (awesome) -- you seem to back to your happy, silly self. Knock on wood. A couple of weekends ago, we went to Charleston for our friends Josh and Meghan's wedding. Nanny traveled with us to help with you, and we spent most of the weekend walking around Charleston and playing in the park next to our hotel.
Then, last weekend, we went to Connecticut for Aunt Danielle and Uncle Andy's wedding. You weren't feeling well from the get go, and I almost made the decision to stay home with you, but after talking to the doctor, we decided to go ahead and make the trip. I really didn't want to miss such an important day. You were miserable for the first couple of days, but as Nanny says, you would've been miserable at home, too. The wedding was such a beautiful, happy event, and luckily, you started feeling a little better a couple of hours before it started. We didn't want to push it, though, so rather than trying to make you walk down the aisle, Grandmere carried you. She was more than happy to have the most handsome boy there escort her. Of course, the morning after the wedding, you woke up feeling 100% better. If I didn’t know better, I would've thought you had faked it all along. After saying goodbye to Daddy's family, we took Nanny and Pop to the airport and took you for your first trip into New York City. We met up with Daddy's best friends and their families for brunch, which was a lot of fun, despite the fact that it is impossible to get three boys (who are within a year of each other in age) to sit still and be calm during a meal. We said goodbye to Matt, Heather and Zach, and then we enjoyed an afternoon in Central Park with Marc, Brett and Kyle. We walked around, people-watched and rode the carousel (which you're not quite sure about yet). We stayed with Grandmere that night and had an awesome breakfast (Grandmere's pancakes!) with Grandma and Grandpa the next morning. And then we made your daddy the happiest man alive. We took him to Yankee Stadium. This was your first of many Yankee games with Daddy, and this was the first time any of us had been to the new stadium. I wish I could say that we had a great time at the game, but, well, we didn't. You were NOT into it at all, and each time we tried to sit down, you turned into a monster, and I half expected your head to pop right off of your little body and to bounce down onto the field, interrupting the game and angering Yankee fans everywhere (which, trust me, you do NOT want to do). We spent most of the game letting you and Kyle run around the concession area, and then we called it a day and left early for the airport. We knew you would be too young to enjoy the game, and really, this was more about the photo op than anything, so we're going to go ahead and calling it a success.
You were happy to be back at home and to return to your buddies at school on Monday. You recently made the move from the infant room to the toddler room at school, and you're absolutely loving it. The big kids wear you out, which is good, because otherwise, I'm not sure your teachers would be able to convince you to take a nap in a cot. Yes, a cot. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen. So far, the only negative thing we've noticed about the transition is a little separation anxiety in the mornings. Luckily, Daddy is usually on drop-off duty, and he's much tougher than Mommy.
You're learning so much from your new, older friends, and you are talking up a storm. While we were in Charleston, you started saying "outside" and "guitar." You're absolutely obsessed with Daddy's guitar. So much so that Nanny decided to buy you one of your own. (I'm pretty sure the fact that Nanny and Pop seem to buy you the loudest toys imaginable is some sort of payback for my behavior as a teenager.) One morning, while we were getting ready at the hotel in Charleston, Nanny showed you a doggy on the television. You proceeded to walk into the bathroom and say to Daddy, "I saw a dog." I'm not even kidding. Now, I know there's no way you understand pronouns and verb tenses, but I SWEAR I'm not making this up. Nanny and Daddy, feel free to back me up here. We all heard you, and we all looked back and forth from each other to you for no less than 45 seconds. And you just stood there like, "Hellllloooooo, am I talking to myself here??" Since then, you've also started trying to say your name, which is, without a doubt, the sweetest little sound I've ever heard. I think you must be copying our tone when you say it, because you use this sweet little high-pitched voice. You haven't quite mastered the "m" sound at the end, so you just kind of trail off at the end.
We signed you up for a music class at school, which starts today. I can't wait to hear/see how much you enjoy it. You've always liked dancing, but you've taken it to a whole new level lately. When you're standing up, you've started a little head shake-foot tap combo, and let me tell you -- you've got some rhythm, son. You've also taken to dancing in the car, which is basically a crazy head shake-jazz hand combo. We recently turned your car seat around so that you're facing forward. We thought this would make things easier, but in fact, it just seems to make it easier for you to express your many wants (and there are MANY). You want to share our snacks, share our drinks (you don't believe us when we tell you that you wouldn't like coffee), you want to hold hands, you want to play peek-a-boo, you want to give high-fives. And of course, you want to have a dance party. It's a little tricky trying to keep you happy and trying to make sure that I don't cause an accident or make the drivers around me think that I'm a crazy person who shakes my head and does jazz hands alone in my car.
As always, we are just so absolutely amazed by you. You have such a funny little sense of humor. You love to flirt with strangers, and you always lean in for kisses from Mommy. Some days you need us less and some days you seem to need us more, and we're trying to understand that and to be patient and to give you exactly you what you need, but not more. I know how important it is to encourage your independence, but it's hard for me to accept that my baby is growing up. You seem to learn and grow and change every day. I'm doing my best to keep up, but I'm going to need you to be patient with me, too.
I love you, my little funny face,
Mama]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=august-and-everything-after Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=a-haircut-gone-bad After your first haircut experience at Salon Red Kids back in February, Daddy and I decided we would just do it ourselves. This decision had less to do with the fit you threw when you saw a stranger coming at you with scissors (though that definitely made the decision easier), and more to do with the frustration we felt when we got home from your $15 haircut and still had to trim a few spots. Since then, we've had to cut your hair every month, and I've been more than happy to take the money we're saving and spend it on shoes. Shoes for you, not for me (except for that one time). People are amazed when we tell them how often we cut your hair, but we really have no choice. Your hair grows faster than a pregnant woman's and is almost as thick as a grown Italian man's (ahem, Daddy's). And for the most part, it's really no trouble at all. Because we have a system. And it works. We go outside on the front porch swing, and I trim the front, the sides and the back. And recently, Daddy has started going behind me with his electric clippers just to thin it out a bit. You're usually so happy to be outside, swinging with Mommy and Daddy, that you don't even mind the scissors or the clippers. This is our system. And it works. That is, until Daddy decided he'd thin out the top a bit more than usual. I won't go into the details of what happened after that, but let's just say that there were some tears involved (mine, not yours). Obviously, we still think you're the cutest boy in the world, but we're definitely hoping (and praying) that it will grow in before your big ringbearer debut in a few weeks.
This weekend, you and Daddy are having a guys night on Friday while Mommy has a girls night with her friends Devon and Meredith. I'm hoping I won't come home to find you with a crew cut. And on Saturday, you get to spend the night with Aunt Joanna and Uncle Jay while Mommy and Daddy go to the Paul McCartney concert at Piedmont Park. Part of me really wanted to take you with us because I know you'll probably never have an opportunity to see him play, and that makes me really sad. But I know that you wouldn't enjoy it, and you're going to have so much fun being spoiled by Aunt Joanna.
I'm a little behind on posting pictures, so before we get to the new ones of The Haircut, I'm posting some more from the last month. When you get to the ones at the end, remember that Daddy's to blame.
Love,
Mommy ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=a-haircut-gone-bad Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=firsts-firsts-and-more-firsts I've been awful about updating, which means this one's going to be a doozie. Consider yourself warned.
June and July were full of many firsts for us. You had your first birthday party on June 20th, and everyone -- especially you -- seemed to have a great time. We had the party at Adair Park, just down the street from our house, and we kept it pretty small and relaxed. Your friends Dean, Sadie, Henry, Annabelle and Oliver all came to help you celebrate. A bunch of Mommy and Daddy's friends came, too. Aunt Joanna came with Ted and Sophie, and Nanny and Pop came all the way from Texas. You loved your cupcake and have been enjoying all of the wonderful gifts from your friends. You've especially enjoyed cruising around the neighborhood in your new car from Ted and Soph!
We also celebrated Daddy's first Father's Day. (Last year, you came just two days too late.) We had brunch with Nanny and Pop at Parker's on Ponce and walked around Decatur Village for a little while. I felt very lucky to be able to celebrate with my two favorite fathers in the world -- your daddy and mine. The more time that goes by, the more I see similarities between the two, and I'm beginning to wonder if people really do choose spouses that remind them of their parents (if so, then good luck to you!). Your Grandpa Louis is no longer with us, but like your daddy and mine, he was also a wonderful husband and father, and now you get to carry on his name (and his beautiful blue eyes).
The following weekend we went to New York for your Aunt Danielle's wedding shower. She's getting married over Labor Day weekend, and you're going to be her ringbearer! Even though the actual travel was a nightmare (delayed flights, lost luggage, etc.), we had a great time catching up with friends and family, and you also got to spend some time with your new friend Morgan (her mommy, Suzanne, is one of Daddy's best friends). On Sunday morning, we celebrated your birthday (again!) with Grandmere, Aunt Nicole and Uncle Brett. Grandmere made her famous pancakes (which I'm still convinced are the cause of my pregnancy syrup craving), and we all enjoyed helping you open your presents and eat your birthday cake.
The day after we got home, you had your 12 month check-up with the doctor. You measured 31 inches tall (75%) and were 21 lbs, 7 oz (25%). Dr. Kincaid said that you're doing great and that you're right on track in every aspect. Unfortunately, she also said that you had ear infections in both of your ears. Poor boy. I felt so bad that you had just gone on two plane rides, but you were a tough boy and never acted like you were in any pain. She decided to try you on a new medicine (one that's stronger than Amoxicillin), and that brings us to another first -- projectile vomiting. We gave you the medicine at 7:00 that night, and at 11:00, we heard you getting sick in your crib. We rushed in to get you, cleaned you up and put you back down, only to have you get sick again. That's when I decided you probably shouldn't be on your tummy, so I decided to stay up and rock with you. It's been a long time since I've spent the night holding you, and I must say, it was kind of nice to see you how you once were and so rarely are these days: my baby, my sweet sleeping baby. The next day, we switched your medicine, and you were immediately back to your normal, active self.
A couple of weeks ago, we headed to Rosemary Beach with Dave, Sue and Dean. This was your first beach trip, and we all had such a wonderful, relaxing time. At first, you were a little confused by all of the sand, but after a few minutes, you were loving it. Daddy took you into the water, and you were having a great time until Mommy got the bright idea to sit you down right where the waves would come up and touch your toes. Well, Mommy underestimated the waves. Two big ones came in and splashed you in the face. And you were OVER IT. You only held a grudge for about 5 minutes or so, but that was about 5 minutes longer than you've ever held a grudge before. I felt so bad and was convinced that I had scarred you for life. The next day, we took you back to the beach, and while you ended up having a good time in the water with Daddy, you were definitely a little wary at first. We also spent some time at the pool, and we walked around town and had a lot of wonderful meals -- you even helped me with my grouper and risotto!
Recently, Daddy went away with some buddies for his friend Josh's bachelor party (we'll explain bachelor parties to you in another 20 years or so). As much as I was looking forward to some one-on-one time with you, I was pretty sure it was going to be an exhausting weekend. You were such a good boy, though, and you went very easy on me -- thank you! We went to the zoo with Mommy's friend Shay and her daughter Marie, and you loved looking at the panda bears and the kangaroos. We stopped by the zoo playground on our way out, and you played with some new friends. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to watch you playing well with other kids. That evening, we met Julie and Sadie for an early dinner before calling it a night. On Sunday, we met a bunch of Mommy's friends for brunch at Café di Sol. You should feel very special -- you were the only boy allowed. Naturally, you loved being the center of attention, and you thoroughly enjoyed your grits and your fruit. Everything was going smoothly until it became very clear that you needed a diaper change. Normally, this wouldn't have been a big deal. However, their ladies room is the size of a broom closet, which means there was no changing table. So, while Sarah tried to keep you entertained, I changed your diaper on the floor of the hallway in the back of the restaurant. Pretty gross, huh? Now that I think about it, I'm not exactly sure why I'm choosing to share this bit of info.
Let's see ... you've had a number of other exciting firsts over the last few weeks. We took you swimming in the neighborhood pool, and you absolutely loved it. (Technically, this was your second time in a pool, but the first time was when you were 2 months old, so this was your first time to actually enjoy it.) You had your first sleepover -- your cousins, Ted and Sophie, came over and spent the night to celebrate Ted's 7th birthday. You had a great time playing with Ted's action figures and reading with Soph. You love reading these days -- especially your books about farm animals and baby animals. You usually dig through your stack of books until you find one of your favorites, and then you hold it up with a cute little cock of your head, as if to ask, "please?" As soon as we take it, you climb into our lap and settle in for the story. You love to point at all of the pictures, even though I'm pretty sure you don't know what you're pointing at yet. You've started trying to mimic what we say, which is absolutely adorable -- not to mention hilarious. Our favorite at the moment is your version of "uh-oh" -- which is more like "uh-uh-uh-uh-ohhhhhhh." And last but not least (drumroll), you've officially started walking! You started taking a few steps on June 25, and you haven't stopped since. This week, one of your daily progress reports from school read, "Adam is no longer a crawling baby. He is a walking big boy!" I looked at those words for a long time, trying to make it sink in. You're growing and changing so fast.
Most recently, we celebrated my 30th birthday. I know that will seem ANCIENT to you, but you should remember that as old as I may seem, your daddy will always be 3 years older. Ha! In so many ways, I still feel like the young, crazy girl I once was. And truth be told, I occasionally even miss her a little. But then I look in the mirror and, despite the whole physical aspect of aging (blah), I am so thankful for having grown up and grown into this person. I am so thankful for you and your daddy. It's because of y'all that I'm even more excited about the next 30 years.
I love you, big boy,
Mommy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=firsts-firsts-and-more-firsts Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=and-just-like-that-a-year-goes-by To hold on to these moments as they pass."
- "A Long December", Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows (who I love to say you were named after because it drives your Daddy crazy)


Dear Adam,
A year ago today, you came into this world kicking and screaming, and it hasn't been the same place since. This time with you is absolutely flying by. You make life so much fun, and you constantly remind us to slow down and enjoy it all. In the rush of everything, our favorite thing to do is just to watch you -- to try to memorize you, exactly as you are today. If, a year and nine months ago, we could have picked exactly who you'd be, we would have picked exactly who you are.
Happy first birthday, sweet boy.
We love you so much,
Mama and Dada ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=and-just-like-that-a-year-goes-by Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=may-mothers-day-daddys-birthday-joannas-wedding Okay, so I'm back to being a slacker mom who only updates once a month or so. I'm not sure what got into me during the month of April, but I seem to be back to my old self now. Whew.
May was a busy, busy month for us. We celebrated Mother's Day, Daddy's 33rd birthday (yes, he's MUCH older than Mommy) and Aunt Joanna's marriage to your new Uncle Jay. First, Mother's Day. I know the cool thing to say here is that Mother's Day is just a silly "Hallmark Holiday" and that I don't need it to feel appreciated as a mom or to take the time to appreciate my own mom. But the truth is, I thought Mother's Day was pretty awesome. Our family seems to operate on cruise control most of the time, and it's nice to have days here and there that remind us to appreciate how lucky we are for the people in our lives. Not only am I incredibly lucky to be the mommy of the sweetest, funniest boy in the world, but I'm also lucky to have your Nanny as my mom. I had no idea how much she loved me until I had you. I am convinced that being a mom is the best, most important job that I will ever have -- and even though your Nanny has incredibly small feet for a grown woman, I have some enormously large shoes to fill.
Your daddy outdid himself and made my first official Mother's Day one that I'll never forget. We took it easy that weekend, and I had the perfect combination of alone time and family time. My favorite part of the day was when I walked downstairs to find a homemade card that you and Daddy made for me. I love it so much that it's now framed and in my office at work. My second favorite part of the day included coffee, mimosas, an assortment of pancakes, mimosas and mimosas. You got to try Daddy's yummy pancakes, and you seemed very impressed, particularly with the banana pancakes. You couldn't get enough of them. This may or may not have something to do with the amount of pancakes and waffles I ate when I was pregnant. Oops.
The following weekend, we had a great time celebrating Daddy's birthday. The concept of "birthday week" is one that you will soon learn about, and I have a feeling you'll enjoy it just as much as I do (and don't let Daddy's eye-rolling fool you -- he loves it, too). Daddy and I went on a date and celebrated his birthday with some friends, but the highlight of his birthday week was a family trip to the aquarium. Daddy, who is obsessed with the aquarium and would go there every weekend if we let him, has been trying to convince me that you would enjoy it since you were about 2 months old, when the only things you enjoyed were eating, burping and sleeping. We went just after lunch, and at first, you were more interested in the other kids than the fish. But once we walked through the big tunnel surrounded by water, you started paying closer attention to all of the shapes and colors swimming around you. You liked getting up close to the glass and trying to touch the fish, and you also waved to a few of them. I have a feeling this was the first of many, many trips you will take to the aquarium.
Over Memorial Weekend, we went to Savannah for your Aunt Joanna's wedding. It was a very small, sweet ceremony in Monterey Square, followed by a wonderful dinner at the Mansion at Forsyth Park. You were an angel during the ceremony but were a little more demanding of us during dinner. It was past your bedtime, though, so it was to be expected. We (Nanny, Daddy and I) took turns trying to get you to fall asleep in our arms, but it wasn't until we put you in your stroller at the head of the table that you finally passed out. You stayed sound asleep for the next couple of hours, allowing us to spend some grown-up time with the family. We spent the next two days exploring Savannah with Nanny, Pop, Ted and Sophie. You stayed with Nanny one night while Daddy and I went on a ghost tour with Pop, Ted and Sophie. You'll soon learn that, in addition to the Yankees and all things the live in the ocean, your Daddy is also slightly obsessed with ghosts. This was our third time taking a ghost tour of Savannah, and he's already talking about going on one with you in a few years.
It's hard for me to believe that the next time I update this blog, you'll be a year old. You're turning into such a little boy. You love to open and close doors and play peek-a-boo with Daddy and me. You also like to put your toys in random drawers around the house, and I have to laugh each time I reach for a dish towel and get a foam letter instead. Daddy likes to call us when he's on his way home from work, and you've started holding your own phone up to your ear (well, more like the back of your head) and asking for Daddy. You now say "Dada", "Mama" and "dog." Your teeth are coming in like crazy these days. You still have 2 on the bottom, but you're up to almost 6 on the top. You're eating some things off of the school menu now, and you're almost entirely on table food. You also love to drink water out of a straw. Sometimes you're a little too eager, and you end up choking a little bit on the water, but you more or less have the hang of it. You can stand up without holding onto anything, and you love walking around with your push toys. I know it won't be long before you start taking your first steps on your own, and once that happens, life will never be the same. You have completely turned our worlds upside down, little boy, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
I love you,
Mamama ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=may-mothers-day-daddys-birthday-joannas-wedding Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=sunny-days-sweeping-the-clouds-away We've had a busy couple of weeks, mostly getting together with friends and enjoying the beautiful spring weather (and spring allergies ... ugh). We've gone out to eat a couple of times with your friend Henry (and his parents, Sara and Scott), went to the Inman Park Festival with Lauren and John (who will have a new playmate for you in October!), had Kristen and Lyle over to the house for a barbecue and hosted a baby shower for Baby Boy Wells (who has the same due date we had with you -- June 14)! Most recently, I picked you up from school and made you attend a work happy hour with me (don't worry -- there was another baby there, too). As always, you were such a good boy, letting us pass you around from person to person and never complaining at all.
Life is much more exciting (and stressful) now that you're a crazy crawling boy. You pull up on everything these days and are an official "cruiser." You like to keep me company in the kitchen when I'm making your dinner, usually hanging out by the AC vent or looking at the funny reflection of your face in the trashcan. You're mostly on table foods these days and only eat baby food when you're at school or when we're on the go. Your favorite foods are bananas and cheese, but you also love avocado, peas, pears, peaches, apples, kiwi, carrots and yogurt. You still don't seem to care for the texture of chicken, but you've gotten so that you'll tolerate it. You also had your first taste of ice cream at your school's ice cream social a couple of weeks ago. I know I'm going to be get in trouble with Nanny and Pop for not making your first ice cream experience a Blue Bell one, but I didn't want you to miss out on the sugar high that all of your friends were enjoying. Annnd, you loved it. I think you've inherited your daddy's sweet tooth. Just wait until you try the good stuff...
While we're on the subject of things you've inherited from Daddy... You have more hair than any kid I know. Seriously. I swear, you have more hair than the average 2 year old. No one can believe that we cut your hair every 2-3 weeks. The last time we cut it, we went out on the porch swing and let Daddy use his clippers so that we could thin it out some. I was nervous that the clippers might scare you, or that Daddy would take too much off and make you look funny, but you both ended up doing a great job.
We've tried putting on Baby Einstein DVDs for you a couple of times, but you've never really shown a whole lot of interest in them. This is fine with us because, to be honest, we find them pretty dull. We prefer "Franklin," a cartoon about a cute little turtle and all of his animal friends. It also has a pretty catchy theme song. Speaking of catchy theme songs, "Sesame Street" still has one of the best ones around. When you hear it, you rock back and forth and back and forth. Mommy and Daddy used to watch Sesame Street when we were little -- that's how long it's been around. And so far, it seems to be the only show that keeps your interest for more than a minute or two. They obviously know what they're doing.
You still get the biggest kick out of Lucy and Calvin, both of whom, thankfully, are still very good with you. Calvin shows affection by head-butting, and I remember how relieved we were the first time he head-butted you because it meant that he liked you. While you usually like to pet (and sometimes pull on) Lucy and Calvin, about a week ago, you started lowering your head and leaning toward Calvin. It took me a second to realize that you were trying to head-butt him back. It was the cutest thing.
You and I recently started doing a stroller class on Saturday mornings at Candler Park. Basically, you get to sit back in your stroller and enjoy the wind blowing through your hair while Mommy works her butt off (literally). The class is full of our friends -- Henry (and his mom Sara), Annabelle and Oliver (and their mom Lauren), Bobby (and his mom Rachel) and a new friend Sadie, who is the twins' cousin (and her mom Lynley). Now that the weather's so nice, I've really enjoyed getting up and out with you on Saturday mornings. I know that, over the years, you and your Daddy are going to have so much fun with your sports and your fishing and your boy stuff, but I hope that you and I will always have our special one-on-one time, too. I have so much fun with you.
This weekend is my first official Mother's Day, and I can't believe how excited I am about it. We kind of celebrated last year, since I was a mommy-in-the-making, but this is my first one to celebrate with you. We had plans to go to North Carolina to see your great uncle Boby and to spend some time with our friends Dave and Mandy (and your soon-to-be friends Jackson and Graham), but Graham came down with strep throat, so we're going to try to visit them this fall instead. Do you know what this means? This means that, for the first time in a LONG time, we have absolutely no plans for the weekend. And part of me is really excited about that. After all, what better way to celebrate my first Mother's Day than with the two boys who made me one?
I love you,
Mommy]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=sunny-days-sweeping-the-clouds-away Thu, 07 May 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=easter-recap We had a great time celebrating your first Easter in Texas! And just as I requested, you proved me wrong and were an absolute angel on both flights. You liked looking out of the airplane window and, of course, making friends with all of the people around you. We were a little worried about naptime on the plane -- we thought that since you're so used to sleeping in a crib, you might have a hard time sleeping on us. It took you a couple of minutes to get situated, but you eventually fell asleep on your tummy, sprawled out over both of our laps.
When we got to Houston, we went over to Chris and Summer's house (a couple of Mommy's college friends) so that we could meet their son, Cole, and so that they could meet you. Cole is 3 months older than you and was so good about sharing his "big boy" toys with you. He loved using you to help pull himself up, and then he would gently pat you on the head (Cole has a doggie, too, and is obviously familiar with petting).
On Saturday, Daddy and Pop took you to your first Easter Egg Hunt at Nanny and Pop's church. You were less interested in hunting them than you were in eating them (and unfortunately, they were the plastic kind). We filled them with some of your sweet potato puffs, and you really liked shaking them to hear your puffs rattle. Later that afternoon, after taking some obligatory photos of you in the bluebonnets, we went to a park where you got to meet a lot of Mommy's old friends, some of whom I've known since I wasn't much older than you. They all have (or are expecting) kids of their own now, so it was a lot of fun to get you all together.
On Sunday, you got an Easter basket full of wonderful gifts from Nanny and Pop, including The Velveteen Rabbit book and a giant Peter Rabbit book that my Nanny gave to me when I was a little girl. After you checked out your new loot, we went to church for Easter and then went back to Nanny and Pop's house to wait for all of your cousins and great aunts and uncles to get there. Everyone loved meeting you and all commented on how sweet and happy and cute you are. You participated (with the help of Daddy and Cousin Andrew) in your first confetti egg fight, something that your mommy and Aunt Joanna loved as kids, and a tradition that I plan to continue. After a delicious meal, some good catching up and a few tears, we left you with Nanny and Pop and made our way to San Antonio to enjoy a couple of days of relaxation. And while we obviously missed you and spent a lot of time talking about you and about how different our lives are as parents, we also spent a lot of time just being silly and having fun and not worrying about anything at all ... a feeling we haven't had in, oh, 19 months or so.
After two days of all of the Mexican food and margaritas we could handle, we decided to leave a couple of hours early so that we could try to catch you before you went to bed for the night. When we parked the car at Nanny and Pop's house, we raced inside to see who could get their hands on you first, and I don't think I've ever seen Daddy move so fast. I'm pretty sure he let me win. We opened the door, and there you were on the floor -- happily playing with Pop (and some new toys that Nanny and Pop decided you "needed"). When you heard us come in, you turned around and gave us a smile that made the decision to come home two hours early seem like the best decision we ever made.
We love you,
Mommy and Dadadada]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=easter-recap Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=a-day-at-the-park It's not like me to post twice in one month, much less in one week, but I wanted to get these pictures up. We spent a day at our neighborhood park last weekend, and we had the best time just relaxing and watching you explore. Every minute we spend with you is a good one, and there will never be enough of them.
Love,
Mama]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=a-day-at-the-park Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=touch-a-truck-day It's officially time to baby-proof. You are a crawling MACHINE. We're working on turning the sunroom into a playroom for you so that you can go wild in there without us having to worry about you, but until then, we (Daddy, Lucy and I) are content to follow you around the house, cheering you on and licking your face (Lucy, not us). As proud of you as we are, I think you might even be more proud of yourself ... as you should be. You especially love being chased around your room by Daddy, both of you belly-laughing the entire time.
You're still working on pulling up by yourself, and it looks like you have a way to go before you realize what you CAN pull up on (Mommy, Daddy, the ottoman) and what you CANNOT pull up on (Lucy, Calvin, the porch swing). You absolutely love playing with your shoes, and your favorite thing to do is to wave bye-bye (you like waving hi, too, but it's not quite as funny for some reason). You love being carried up or down the stairs, especially when you're following or being followed by the other parent. You've also started giving kisses, which is right up there with Mexican food as being my favorite thing EVER. When one of us asks you for a kiss, you lean forward, open your mouth and just wait for us to kiss you. And even though it's technically inappropriate to kiss your parents open-mouthed, we've decided to let it slide for now because it's the cutest thing we've ever seen. However, if you're still pulling that when you're 12, it's going to be significantly less cute.
You wouldn't know it if you had looked outside yesterday (it was snowing ... in April ... in Atlanta), but Spring is finally here! We've been taking full advantage of the warmer weather and have been spending as much time outside as possible. We met up with your friends Oliver and Annabelle at Touch-a-Truck Day at the Decatur High School and got some good photos of you with various city vehicles. You were surprisingly chill, considering the bigger boys and girls were laying on the horns and sounding the sirens of said city vehicles. In fact, the only thing that really made you mad was when we made you pose with the firemen. And while I'm sorry about that, I must admit that it was totally worth it for the picture. (This is probably not the last time you're going to hear Mommy say that.)
This coming weekend is your first Easter, and we're heading to Texas to spend it with Nanny and Pop and a bunch of your great-aunts and great-uncles and second and third cousins. You're also going to meet a lot of Mommy's friends and their babies. You haven't been to Texas since you were 2 months old, and I've been really looking forward to this trip. While we're there, Mommy and Daddy are going to take advantage of the free babysitting and are heading to San Antonio for a couple of days. Nanny and Pop are thrilled to get you to themselves, and I know you're going to have so much fun with them. We're going to miss you while we're gone, but it's important for Mommy and Daddy to make time for each other, and we couldn't be more excited about relaxing on the River Walk. The only thing we aren't looking forward to is the actual TRAVELING part. We've been lucky flying with you in the past, but we're both a little nervous this time. Not only are you mobile now (and therefore don't like being held all the time), but you also have a new tooth coming in, and let's just say that this makes you slightly less pleasant than normal. I'm really hoping you'll prove us wrong.
I love you,
Mommy ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=touch-a-truck-day Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=the-9-month-scare Well, kiddo, you gave us quite a scare at your 9 month doctor's appointment. After checking out all of your stats -- you weigh 19 lbs 3 oz (25 - 50%) and are 29" long (75%) -- Dr. Colton was checking out the rest of your body when he noticed a clicking sound in your left hip. He said it was probably nothing but that we would need to have it x-rayed within the next week or so to rule out hip dysplasia. I don't know who hears that kind of information and is actually able to wait a "week or so" before knowing the results, but we took you to the hospital the very next day to get your x-ray (if it hadn't already been 5:00, we would've gone that day). You were such a brave boy, and the technicians both commented about how good (and cute) you were. About an hour later, Dr. Colton called with good news -- your results came back perfectly normal. He said that the clicking probably just means that you'll be flexible and that the only thing we have to worry about is the fact that you'll probably be able to do some pretty cool party tricks as a result. Said tricks will likely give us high blood pressure at some point, but for now, we're completely and utterly relieved.
Speaking of cool party tricks, you've added a lot to your repertoire as of late. You are officially crawling! It's kind of a scooting/hopping sort of crawl, but it most definitely counts as a crawl. In fact, we kind of like that you've put your own little creative spin on the typical (more boring) crawling technique. You can also move from your tummy to a sitting position, and you can even pull yourself up to stand (though we still prefer to spot you for this trick). You don't dance on your own yet, but you love it when we sing and dance with you. You especially enjoy the "Get up and dance, Adam" song that we learned from your school. You give us a big gum smile every time we start to sing it to you. You also love to babble and bang things together (even though you flinch and blink your eyes with every bang). You're a big fan of the "Where's Adam/Mommy/Daddy" game (the beginner's version of peek-a-boo) and of mimicking us when we make a "cluck" sound with our tongues on the roofs of our mouths. I think you might even be louder than me, but Daddy still has us both beat.
You've tried a lot of new foods lately, as we're working on transitioning you to "real" food. You've tried cheese, bananas, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, peaches and grapes, all of which you seemed to enjoy (except, maybe, the cottage cheese). My goal is to start feeding you a little bit of everything we're eating ... within reason (no spicy Mexican food yet -- sorry). You're getting better and better with your sippy cup and have even started drinking water out of a regular cup (with some assistance), and you absolutely love it!
Adam, having you has finally given me an excuse to drive the car that I've wanted since I was 16 years old -- a station wagon. I know you're going to look back on this and think, "My mom wanted a station wagon when she was 16? OMG, she is sooooo laaaaaaame." But I assure you -- I was, in fact, a relatively cool kid. I just happened to like family-sized sedans. Big deal. ANYWAY -- yes, I am a mom now and I officially drive a mom car. A station wagon. But it's not just ANY station wagon. It's a Subaru Outback, which is technically a "sports wagon," and for some reason, that makes me feel cooler. Not many people will say that owning a station wagon makes them feel cool, but I can honestly say that I feel cooler now than I ever have in my life -- and that is entirely due to the fact that I have you and your daddy and have never been so satisfied with my life or so comfortable in my own skin.
I love you,
Mamamama]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=the-9-month-scare Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=yo-baby I'm not sure how it happened, but you're already eight months old! I know that doesn't sound like a very exciting milestone, but every month is an exciting one for us.
You have two teeth now, and we are all so impressed with them -- most of all you. You love the new sounds you can make with them, and you're beginning to understand their purpose. We tried giving you some puffs about a week ago, and you could not have been less interested in eating them. You enjoyed picking them up and dropping them on the floor for Lucy (she said thanks, by the way), but when I tried to put one in your mouth, you looked at me like I had deeply offended you. Just last night, though, you picked one up, put it in your mouth and ate it! And then you did it again! Of course, you accidentally chewed on your fingers a little bit in the process, but you didn't even seem to notice ... probably because you were distracted by Mommy and Daddy cheering like idiots.
You're growing and changing so fast these days. You've graduated to your big-boy carseat, and you seem much happier in it. Not only do you have more room to move around, but you can also see out of the window now, which you love. You've had not one, but two haircuts in the last month. The first time, we took you to a special salon just for kids where you got to sit in a fancy fire truck seat -- and you absolutely hated it. The second time, I took a pair of scissors and went to work while you were eating breakfast -- and you didn't even notice. Your new hair cut makes you look like such a big boy, though Daddy thinks it's a little too close to a bowl cut (a la Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber). You've gotten pretty good with a sippy cup, and your new favorite food is yogurt (the brand we use is called "Yo Baby," which I think is hilarious for some reason). You make an "mmm" sound with every single bite. Come to think of it, you make an "mmm" sound with pretty much everything we feed you. Needless to say, you're still an excellent eater. Luckily, you're still an excellent sleeper, too ... though we've noticed that you're so used to (and good at) napping in your crib, you sometimes have a hard time napping in other places. So last Saturday, Daddy decided you should try sleeping on his chest. Within just a few minutes, you were out like a light, and I'm pretty sure that cuddle time with you was the highlight of his weekend. I tried to re-create the moment with you, but Lucy kept distracting you. I plan to try again this weekend.
Some of your new favorite things are banging on the computer keyboard, watching us brush our teeth and Amoxicillin. Yep, you were on the yummy pink stuff for 10 days for double ear infections. Poor boy -- you were so pathetic and not at all your usual happy self. The Amoxicillin started working right away, though, and you were back to smiling the very next day. And now that you're all better, I think you might even miss it a little bit.
You've been working really hard on crawling lately, despite the fact that I've asked you to wait until we've done a little more baby-proofing. You do a mean swimming impression where you lie on your stomach and flail your arms and legs about, and you've been scooting for a while now -- mostly backwards, or turning circles in your crib. You've just recently started getting up on all fours, though, and we are equal parts excited and terrified.
You've had a lot of playdates lately.... We walked down to Adair Park for an afternoon with Sadie, we had the twins -- Annabelle and Oliver -- over to the house and we went over to Henry D's house for brunch and a walk in Grant Park, where you tried swinging for the first time. When we first put you in the bucket seat, you looked a little hesitant, but as soon as we started pushing, you were all smiles. You also met your new friend, Dean, who isn't quite big enough to play with but is awfully fun to look at. And most recently, you went to a party for Kristen and Lyle, a couple of Mommy and Daddy's friends. You were so well-behaved and happy, and you didn't even mind being passed around all day. You especially liked grabbing leaves off of the tree with Travis (the tall, goofy guy). You are such a happy, friendly, easy-going boy. Everyone who spends time with you comments on your pleasant nature -- it makes you so much fun to be around. Of course, Daddy and I would love being around you no matter what, but it's so nice to see other people enjoying you, too.
In a week and a half, Mommy is going to a magical place called Las Vegas. I'm going to miss you and Daddy so much, but it's important for me to spend some time with my girlfriends, and it's important for you and Daddy to spend some time together without me. Y'all are going to have so much fun! Your Grandmere is coming to visit you, too, and I know she's looking forward to getting her hands on you. She won't believe how much you've grown and changed since Christmas. Keep your fingers crossed for Mommy that weekend -- if I hit the jackpot, I'll buy you all the yogurt you can eat and a computer keyboard of your very own.
Love, Mamamamama]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=yo-baby Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=my-little-snaggletooth It's a brand new year, and I've decided to shake things up a bit (because I'm wild and crazy like that). Since my hope is for you to look back on this someday, I've decided to write some of these posts TO you rather than just ABOUT you. I'm hoping it will make me feel less like a crazy person than just writing to the people out there in blog land.
You are changing so fast these days, and we're having a hard time keeping up with you. Now that you're sitting pretty well on your own, you no longer like to lie around anymore. You want to sit up and to be entertained and stimulated. Daddy put up your jumpster a couple of weeks ago, and that, in addition to your exersaucer, keeps you very happy. It keeps us very happy, too, because watching you bounce around in that thing is the funniest thing we've EVER seen. Lucy loves it too, because it puts you right at her eye level, and she can give you kisses all over your face ... which you absolutely love. Nothing makes you squeal with delight as much as your doggie does. And she is SUCH a good doggie -- she is sweet and gentle with you, and I think she loves you as much as you love her. The cat, on the other hand, tries to ignore the fact that you exist....
You've started to really enjoy your toys -- playing with them as well as putting them in your mouth. And you're getting so big and tall! It's almost time for us to move you into the bigger carseat -- if I carry you around much longer in the infant one, I'm going to break an arm. You still don't like it when we put you in your carseat, but once we get you all strapped in, you're fine. You're content playing with Chicky Chicky and Moo Cow, the cute little barn babies that hang down from the carseat handle. You pull on them and shake them when we're in the car, and you love to talk to yourself in the mirror. Whenever we talk back to you, you seem surprised, like you forgot we were there with you. And then you smile that smile of yours and we melt into the leather of our carseats. And when we go to take you out of your carseat, you put your arms up in the air and reach for us, like you're waiting for us to rescue you. Daddy says that's one of his top 5 favorite things about you ... but he's said that about hundreds of other things you do, too.
After months of us blaming your occasional (rare, even) bad moods on teething, you finally made honest parents out of us. Your first tooth broke through about a week and a half ago. We knew it was coming and then one day, I actually felt it. The next day, I could see a tiny little white dot in the middle of your bottom gum. And the next day, it was halfway out, which is where it has remained. I thought I would be sad when you started to get teeth, that I would miss your sweet, silly-looking gummy smile. But now I realize that having a tooth (especially just half of a tooth) is equally silly-looking, and just as sweet. If anything, it might make you even cuter.
We continue to introduce more fruits and vegetables to you, and so far, you haven't complained about any of them. I don't think many babies are picky eaters this young, but I do know some that just don't seem to be all that interested in eating. You, my son, are not one of those babies. You seem to enjoy eating as much as your daddy and I do, and that makes us very happy. Pretty soon it will be time to start some finger foods and some meat. We've tried giving you a sippy cup of water, but so far, you haven't been very interested in it.
You've been babbling and trying different sounds for a while now, but all of a sudden, you're talking up a storm. In fact, you're rarely quiet these days (you get that from me). Your newest sounds are dadada, bababa, mamama and blablabla, and your favorite thing to do is to string them all together. We never get tired of listening to you talk.
You've always been a good sleeper, which is definitely one of your best qualities (you get that from me, too). You used to sleep on your back, and you loved kicking your feet up and playing with them (and eating them) before you fell asleep or after you woke up ... and sometimes you even did it in the middle of the night while your eyes were still closed. These days, though, you turn onto your stomach within about 2 minutes of being put down. This surprised us at first, considering how much you hated tummy time. At first, Daddy was worried about you sleeping on your tummy because it's better for new babies to sleep on their backs. But I told him that you aren't a new baby anymore and that you've proven to us that you can handle sleeping on your tummy. Since you started flipping over, you've also started moving around a lot more in your crib. You pull your knees up under your body and stick your little bottom in the air, and sometimes when we go in to get you in the morning, you've scooted yourself all the way to the end of the crib and your face is up against the rails. Occasionally you even get your legs stuck in-between the rails. You usually try to work it out by yourself, but you never hesitate to let us know when you need our help. Yesterday, Miss Nicolette said that you started trying to scoot around at school. It's makes me so proud and happy to see you reach these milestones, but it also makes me a little sad because time is going so fast and we love you so much just the way you are. (It also makes me a little terrified because we have A LOT of baby-proofing to do!)
We've recently had a few playdates with some of your friends, and it's so cute to watch you watch them. We had your friend Sadie over one afternoon, and after y'all played for a little while, we had fun putting you in cheezy prom poses and taking your pictures. You also went over to Claire's apartment and got to meet her niece Marin. Marin is a few months older than you, and you really liked watching her reach for toys. You even seemed amused when she grabbed the toys that you were playing with (and sucking on). Sharing is very important, and it made me happy to see how calm you were about it (you get that from your daddy). We also went to brunch last weekend with Henry, a new friend of yours from school. Henry is a couple of months younger than you, so he didn't do much more than smile and look cute, but he seemed to enjoy watching you. One day, I walked in to pick you up from school, and there you were, surrounded by Henry, Bobby and Avery. They were all lying around you, and you were propped up in the middle of the circle, feeding yourself a bottle. They were all just watching you, fascinated ... which is how we feel about you every single day.
Love,
Mama ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=my-little-snaggletooth Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=holiday-recap-and-the-end-of-2008 I hope you all enjoyed the holidays as much as we did. Adam, of course, was pretty clueless about it all, but having him with us this year seemed to make everything -- and everyone -- a little happier. We had a white Christmas in New York and enjoyed a lot of quality time with Adam's Aunt Nicole, Uncle Brett, Aunt Danielle and (soon-to-be) Uncle Andy, mostly enjoying Grandmere's wine and playing Guitar Hero, Wii and various board games. Adam's great-uncle Mike and great-grandparents came over, too, and we also got to visit Marc, Brett and Kyle (one of Adam's BFF's) in Port Washington. Unfortunately though, we didn't get to spend a lot of time with Grandmere, as she was battling a nasty stomach bug and stayed holed up in her room for most of our visit. Eric's sisters stepped up and made a couple of delicious dinners, and luckily, Grandmere started feeling better and finally got to enjoy her grandson for our last day there.
When we got back to Atlanta, we met up with my family to celebrate Christmas late and Sophie's 5th birthday early. Adam is starting to enjoy watching his big cousins run around and act crazy, and now that he's able to sit up and interact a little, they're really beginning to enjoy spending time with him, too. It's so sweet to watch them with him. I feel very lucky that we live so close and that they'll be able to grow up together.
As expected, Adam got WAY too many Christmas gifts. So far, his favorites seem to be his stacker from Nanny and Pop and "Patrick the Pup" from Joe (a friend of Grandmere's). In fact, his ever-increasing stash of toys has prompted us to think about re-organizing some things in our house. We're going to look into making our formal living room more of a family room so that we can turn our current family room/sun room into a playroom for Adam. A guy in our neighborhood specializes in interior home renovations -- I think we're going to have him over to take a look.
Adam is doing great. He's officially sitting up and rolling, and he has gotten VERY grabby. I have to be careful when I wear earrings around him. He still loves to eat (shocker), and has added winter squash, green beans and a carrot & tomato combo to the list of foods he's tried (and devoured). We're going to introduce fruits next, along with water in a sippy cup. He more or less holds his bottle on his own now, unless he's feeling lazy.
As 2008 comes to an end, I'm finding myself feeling a little reflective (a little more so than usual even). This was a year of many firsts, and I know it will be impossible to look back and remember them all. I do remember the first time I felt the little flutters in my belly, and I remember them growing into strong kicks as a tiny baby grew into a strong boy. And I remember realizing that it was time -- that we were finally going to meet the boy we'd been trying to imagine for so long. I remember squeezing Eric's hand in the OR and seeing him hold our baby for the first time. I remember him taking care of me (of us) as I recovered, and how lucky I felt (feel) to be the girl that got him. I remember how overwhelmed I felt in those first months of being a new parent -- how scary it was to be the one responsible for keeping this sweet little baby healthy and happy. And then I remember realizing that I was doing it, and that I was doing it well. I remember Adam's first smile, lying on his playmat after a very long morning, and how the rest of that day seemed to fly.
It's been an amazing year, and I'll be sad to see it go. But I am happy and hopeful and can't wait to see what 2009 brings.
XOXO ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=holiday-recap-and-the-end-of-2008 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=tis-the-season All stress aside, I am seriously infected with the holiday spirit. The house is decorated, complete with the most perfect tree I think we've ever picked out, and I made a holiday mix of Christmas songs that actually aren't lame (unless you think The Jackson Five are lame, in which case you and I can no longer be friends). So the whole house smells and sounds like Christmas. Adam is kind of interested in the lights on the tree, but really no more so than anything else in the house -- and certainly not as much as Lucy. It's official -- he has a full-blown obsession with the dog. And the feeling is quite mutual. We also did the obligatory picture with Santa last week. We were determined not to wait in line at a shopping mall all day, and luckily, a neighbor of ours told us that Santa would be making an appearance at the Winter Wonderland in Grant Park. Imagine our delight when we got there to find that we were second in line. We got some great pictures of our little guy with the old bearded guy, and then we went on our merry way. The whole thing took less than 5 minutes. It was truly a Christmas miracle.
Since I last wrote, Adam has tried carrots, sweet potatoes and peas (in that order). At first he didn't seem crazy about the carrots, but I'm thinking he was just thrown off by the newness of them because he's on his second round of carrots now, and Ms. Nicolette (at daycare) says he really seems to like them. He absolutely LOVES sweet potatoes, and he takes down the peas pretty quickly as well. We also got some oatmeal, which we'll introduce after he finishes his rice cereal. He has 3 official meals a day now, in addition to nursing and formula bottles -- I still can't believe he's old enough for all of this. We took the infant sling out of his bathtub earlier this week, and now he just sits supported at an incline. Bath time is much more fun for him now, as he's figured out that hitting the water makes a big splash. He's also getting really good at sitting. He can sit unassisted for a decent length of time until, ultimately, he crashes. Don’t worry -- we only let him "crash" when we're on the bed -- and he actually likes it. He's also become quite the little talker. In addition to his "ah-goos" and "k's," he's recently added "mmm" and "b" sounds to his repertoire. In the mornings, after we change him and feed him, we bring him into our room and he basically entertains himself while we finish getting ready. He sounds like a little bird, just chirping and cooing away. I just love his sweet little baby sounds.
We've taken advantage of both of our daycare's "Parents Night Out" evenings, and Adam has handled them really well. We generally try not to mess with his night-time schedule too much, so most of the time, we either have friends over to our place or we get a babysitter so that he can sleep uninterrupted. But we decided that, at some point, we needed to see how he handled sleeping away from home. We're lucky that he's such a good sleeper, and we assumed that he would fall asleep without any trouble but that he might be a little grouchy about being moved around. Well, the first night, we got to the center at 10:30 to find him out and about in the "bye-bye buggy" with 3 of his little friends. He looked a little sleepy, but happy. He ended up crashing in the car on the way home, and he more or less stayed asleep when I moved him into his crib. Our second night out, he was sound asleep when we picked him up, and he had no trouble whatsoever being moved to the car or to his crib. I'm sure we'll still try to avoid it, but it's nice to know that it's not the end of the world if he needs to go to sleep somewhere else.
About 2 weeks ago, we had our first fever incident. We were over at our friends' (Dave and Sue's) house when we noticed that he felt really hot. Sue had just gotten a first aid kit at her baby shower that morning and offered to let us use the thermometer. We thanked her but declined her offer. I mean, I'm sure our sons will be as close as 2 boys can be, but I don't think they'd want us using the same butt thermometer on them. Eric ran down the street to CVS to get a thermometer and some Infant Tylenol. It turns out, Adam had a fever of 102. Surprisingly, I didn't panic. I knew it was just a matter of time before he ended up with a fever. It was so sad, though, to see him looking so pathetic. We called his doctor's office and spoke with a nurse, who told us it was likely either caused by his congestion, teething or a combination of the two. She told us to give him the Tylenol and not to worry unless his fever went up or lasted for more than 48 hours. The Tylenol did the trick -- his fever started going down immediately, and by the next day, it was gone and he was back to his usual happy self. He did develop a cough though, so we decided to take him in last week just to get him checked out. The doctor said it was just a cold and nothing to worry about. In fact, he was impressed that this was Adam's fist fever, considering the fact that he's been in daycare for 3 months now.
As I mentioned above, Adam had his 6-month appointment yesterday. (Can someone please tell me how this little boy of mine already half a year old??) He weighs 16 pounds, 14 ounces (25-50%) and is 27 1/4 inches long (75-90%). At first I was a little concerned that he's gone down in his percentile for weight, but Dr. Colton assured us that that's not uncommon for babies who grow so much in length. Apparently breast-fed babies are at their chubbiest at 4 months old, and they tend to slim down some from there. He said that Adam has great strength, sits really well and is a very healthy boy overall. He also said that he's "the life of the party" and "clearly has no trouble with his social skills." Such a proud-mommy moment. At the end of his appointment, he took his 4 shots like a big boy. He obviously cried while he was being stuck, but as soon as the nurse said we could pick him up, he stopped. And I made it through with no tears of my own, thankyouverymuch.
So yeah ... I'm a slacker mom and haven't taken Adam's 6-month picture with the blocks yet. Surprisingly, 3 people have already asked me about said picture. I'm only 2 days late, people! I promise to post them as soon as possible. In the meantime, the pictures below will have to suffice. We're spending Christmas with the Berardi family in New York next week, and we're really looking forward to seeing everyone. In addition to this being his first Christmas, this will also be Adam's first time meeting his great-aunts, great-uncles and cousins. We come back next Saturday and will get to spend a couple of days with my family before my parents head back to Texas. I hope you all enjoy the holidays! I'll try to update around the new year.
XOXO ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=tis-the-season Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=thankful-for-family-publix-and-poop We had a great Thanksgiving this year. My parents came in, and it was really nice not to travel ... or cook. In fact, no one cooked. We got all of our food from Publix, and let me tell you -- Publix makes a mean Thanksgiving meal. I could live off of their corn pudding. I was shocked that my mom agreed to a pre-made dinner, but I think we were all in the mood for something low-stress. She also let us wear jeans on Thanksgiving (the rule is usually anything BUT jeans) AND we used festive paper plates instead of china. So instead of washing everything by hand, we were able to watch UT kick A&M's butt while we enjoyed a few beers. We all had a great time, but I'm guessing that this is probably the only year we'll get away with this -- unless, of course, I can plan for the next baby to be born in November (and no, I am not talking about NEXT November).
In addition to our relaxed Thanksgiving dinner, we also hit the neighborhood park with my sister and her kids and had a great time running around (especially Lucy, who gets seriously spoiled when her Pop is in town). And of course, my mom, my sister and I had to do a little shopping. Someone must've slipped my mom some Valium though, because in addition to the chill Thanksgiving meal, she also let us off the hook of enduring Black Friday and said we could wait to go shopping on Saturday or Sunday instead. Yes, I know we missed most of the good deals, but I'm willing to spend a little extra money to avoid being knocked around by a bunch of high-strung, over-caffeinated, uber-pushy ladies. And for what? To get the free gift if I'm one of the first 50 people in line? The one year I actually let my mom and sister convince me to go to the mall with them at 5 in the morning, do you know what I got as a free gift? A set of three ugly silver picture frames. I ended up using them for a couple of years because, damnit, I WON them, but I finally took them down and sold them at our garage sale back in May -- for a measly 50 cents. (In case you can't tell, my sister -- not me -- got the shopping gene in the family.) Shockingly, the only person who took advantage of the deals on Black Friday was Eric. He went to Wolf Camera (right down the street from us) at 7:30 and was back home at 8:00. This was his first Black Friday experience, and because he was in and out in half an hour, I'm pretty sure he thinks the horror stories I've told him are entirely made up. Anyway, not only did Eric endure Black Friday for the first time, but he also gave me an early Christmas present for the first time (he's usually adamant about waiting until Christmas -- which, as we all know, is no fun at all). I love our little Canon SD800, but I've been wanting a digital SLR for a really long time, and now that we have a cute new subject to photograph, Eric decided to buy me the Nikon D40! It's pretty basic as far as digital SLRs go, but it's the perfect camera to (hopefully) help get me back into photography. I haven't had much time to play with it yet, but as soon as I do, I'll post some pictures.
All in all, I would say that this year's Thanksgiving was definitely one of the best. In fact, the only stressful thing about it was the fact that Adam didn't poop for 3 days. Sorry -- I know that might be more information than some of you were hoping for. If you don't want to read about the resolution of Adam's poop issue, you should probably skip the rest of the paragraph. Some babies just don't poop very often, but Adam is typically a once-or-twice-a-day kind of kid. I know a change in diet can often cause this kind of reaction, so I chalked it up to the introduction of formula and rice cereal and assumed that he would be back to normal after a day or two. Well, Saturday morning made 3 full days of no action, and he was getting a little fussy about it, so we called our pediatrician's nurses line. They recommended giving him an infant glycerin suppository. Sounds fun, doesn't it? Unfortunately, I missed out on the excitement because I had to get a haircut. So I left my boy in the very capable hands of his daddy and his grandparents. When nothing had happened three hours later, we called back. They said we could give him a little more of the suppository or we could give him some prune juice. We ended up doing a little of each, and within about an hour, we had success! We were all quite relieved -- especially Adam (literally).
These days, Adam is a big fan of shaking his head back and forth. At first we thought this was a little odd, but it's actually not uncommon at all. Apparently some babies like the way it makes their heads feel (kinda dizzy), and some think it's funny to watch the room shake. His daycare teachers love to play games with him by asking him questions like, "Do you love Ms. Kim as much as you love Ms. Nicolette?" and then watching him shake his head. One day when I went to pick him up, they asked him if he wanted to go home. When he shook his head no, I wished them luck and turned around to leave the room. That's the last time they asked that question. :) Adam still loves watching Lucy (and Calvin now, too), but he absolutely hates it when Lucy barks. She really is the sweetest dog in the world, but you'd never know it by her bark. It. Is. Loud. And it scares Adam so much that he immediately starts crying and doesn't stop until he's picked up. And it's the saddest cry ever. He's also starting to dislike it when Mommy or Daddy leaves the room. They say separation anxiety usually starts around this time, and I'm telling you right now that I am NOT going to handle this well.
He still loves his rice cereal, though he definitely prefers it with breast milk rather than formula, which is going to be a bit of an issue pretty soon here. I'm just not producing as much as I used to, and I think it's about time to start the weaning process. I never thought I'd say this, but I really do think it's going to be hard for me. I can't really explain it, but I love that time alone with my boy. I'd say I'll probably stop altogether by the end of the year or so. My goal was to make it 6 months, and even though I've had to supplement some lately, I'm pretty happy with how far we made it. I think we're also going to try introducing some carrots this weekend. If you've seen my son eat, you know that he'll probably finish them off and want seconds. I have no idea where he gets that.... Speaking of healthy appetites, I'm beginning to realize that I need to stop eating like a pregnant woman. I still have about 10 pounds of baby weight that I want to lose, and while I'm glad I've been focused on my son rather than losing weight, the fact remains that I DO have some weight to lose. I figure once I stop breastfeeding altogether, my body will be mine again. And then my body and I are going to have to have a little chat. But until then, please pass the guacamole.
Adam is still sleeping like a champ (averaging 12 hours a night), despite the fact that he's been struggling with some pretty nasty congestion. Now that the heat is on, we've broken out the humidifier and also got a little Vicks vapor fan that we use every other night. They seem to be helping some, but unfortunately, what helps the most is using the bulb syringe, which, as I've mentioned numerous times already, he absolutely HATES. We love watching Adam sleep on the video baby monitor. I remember thinking that we didn't need the video one, but boy, am I glad we got it. It keeps us from going into his room to check on him every single time we hear him make a noise. Instead, we just push the button, see that he's fine and go about our business. In fact, he's usually more than fine. He's usually playing with his feet. Seriously, you should see our boy's moves. Once he figured out he could reach his feet (months ago), they've been practically attached to his hands. He grabs them while he's sleeping and holds onto them for about 10 seconds before letting them slowly lower to the mattress again. And then as soon as they touch the mattress, they fly back up again. He seems to do this every couple of hours throughout the night. And for the last couple of mornings, he's actually been waking up around 5 am to play with his feet for about half an hour or so before falling back asleep. It's absolutely hilarious.
He's been working hard on sitting by himself and can usually balance for a few seconds before leaning to one side or, more often, slumping forward. He seems to think he's a big boy now and generally prefers sitting/standing (with some help, obviously) to lying down. His latest trick -- as of about two days ago -- is rolling over. We expected him to roll sooner than this, but at our last doctor's appointment, Dr. Colton assured us that it's perfectly normal for it to take 6+ months, particularly with larger babies. I talked to my friend Lauren (who has the twins that are a week older than Adam), and she said that Annabelle (who's petite) had been rolling for a couple of months and that Oliver (who is NOT petite) still hadn't rolled either. How funny is that? Adam is also pretty chill, and his daycare teachers always say that he's perfectly content doing what he's doing and just doesn't care about what toy so-and-so has next to him. But on Tuesday night, I managed to get him excited enough to reach for a toy. And when he couldn't reach, he rolled. He seemed quite pleased with himself.
Well, I should probably close out here ... now that I've written a novel. Adam has "Parents Night Out" at daycare tonight, so Eric and I are going on a date! The plan is to go to Atlantic Station for a little dinner and some clothes shopping at H&M. From there, we'll either see a movie or hit Publix. At this point, I'm leaning towards Publix. Is that sad? ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=thankful-for-family-publix-and-poop Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=adam-is-5-months-old We're still really liking daycare, and I still walk down to see him during lunch once or twice a week. They had a Fall Festival for Halloween and a Mulit-Cultural Feast (Thanksgiving potluck lunch) this week. They're also having a book fair, which I volunteered to work at one morning. I know I'm going to get a lot of crap about this, but I also volunteered to be the Parent Partnership Group representative for Infant Room B -- it's basically the equivalent of being a homeroom mom or something. How dorky am I? We did have some excitement at daycare this week. On Wednesday morning, while I was volunteering at the book fair, I looked up to see Ms. Nicolette walking by, pushing Adam in his crib. "Well that's odd," I thought, and before I even had a chance to ask where they were going, I noticed everyone else from the infant room following behind them. It turns out that the infant room was having a little ant problem and so they were moving to a big open room on the other end of the center. Everything ended up working out fine, and the infant room has since been sprayed and cleaned thoroughly, but I felt so bad for the ladies in charge of the infants that day. Usually, the kids are split up into 2 rooms (A & B), but that day, they were all thrown in together -- 12 babies in one room! Plus, it wasn't entirely baby-proofed, so the kids who have started crawling and walking were trying to get into all sorts of trouble. It was so loud and chaotic in there, but somehow, Adam still got in a couple of great naps. Ms. Monica said he was the only one who seemed unphased by it all. Needless to say, I was very proud (and also more sure than ever that he gets his chill disposition from his daddy).
We've been absolutely loving our weekends with our boy. We really love to walk down to Decatur village with him for coffee or brunch. He's so in awe of the world around him these days, and it's so much fun to see it on his little face. We've really come to appreciate the slow pace of the weekends (as opposed to the rushing around of our weekday mornings and evenings), and I'm trying to be better about not jam-packing them with plans and activities. I learned my lesson a couple of weekends ago when Eric went to NY for Aunt Danielle's engagement party and the boy and I held down the fort. In my defense, we already had the weekend planned when we found out Eric wouldn't be in town. Let's just say, I think I went to bed around 8 pm that Sunday. That Saturday night, my friend Kristen came over (with wine and champagne and a feast of yummy cheeses, meats, olives, etc.) to stay the night because I'm a big ol' baby and don't like staying alone when Eric is gone. When we went to bed, she made a comment about some annoying mosquito bites on one of her leg, but I didn't think anything of it. The next day, she called to tell me that those mosquito bites were, in fact, chicken pox. I felt so bad for her -- she sounded like she was about to cry when she told me -- and I was in shock, so I think it took me quite a while to even respond to her. I called Adam's pediatrician and talked to a nurse who told me that I shouldn't worry because a) Kristen's exposure to him was very limited, b) since he's still breast-feeding, he should have my immunity, c) the incubation period for chicken pox is 2 weeks so we wouldn't even know anything until then and d) even if he DID get it, it would probably just look like a cold and he wouldn't even get the little sores. Apparently, it's very uncommon for kids to actually get the red dots that once plagued me and everyone I know when we were young. Well, everyone I know except for poor Kristen, who didn't get them until she was 30. I mean, how ridiculous is that?!? This weekend will make 2 weeks, and so far, Adam seems absolutely fine. Fingers crossed.
Our boy is still sleeping like a champ, averaging about 12 hours straight at night. We were afraid Daylight Savings Time was going to mess that up, but he handled it really well. It only took a few days to get him back on track. We're also trying to push his bedtime back a little bit. He was going down at 6:30, but I would love for him to stay up until 7:30. Right now, we're able to get him to stay up until about 7. It's all about baby steps. Currently, some of Adam's favorite things are: kisses from Mommy, kisses from Daddy, kisses from Lucy (he's starting to be very intrigued by the hairy yellow thing walking around), dancing with mommy while daddy makes up silly songs, practicing standing, playing patty cake, the letter k, being outside and playing in his exersaucer. Some of his least favorite things are: taking his nightly vitamin, having mommy dig in his nose with the bulb syringe and being "ignored" (being put down). We broke out the humidifier for his room last night because the dry air from having the heater on seems to have given him a little cough. He seemed much better this morning, though his nose was still a sea of green. And I think I'll leave you with that lovely image. :)
We don't have a whole lot planned for this weekend, and we couldn't be happier about it. My parents come in next Wednesday, and we're really looking forward to some family time. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=adam-is-5-months-old Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=gobama http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=gobama Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=this-update-brought-to-you-by-the-letter-k We had a great time in NY for Eric's college reunion. We didn't actually do any of the reunion-y stuff because, to be honest, it all sounded a little lame (this coming from the lady who crashed at 9:30 pm on her one night away from her baby ... ha). Instead, we walked around campus and town, took a hike through the nature preserve and enjoyed some beer back at the hotel. It was great to see our friends and for Adam to meet his new buddy James. He traveled pretty well again. On the way there, he was an absolute angel. On the way back, he got a little fussy toward the end of the flight, but that's probably because it was his bedtime.
I'm amazed by how many Halloween/fall activities we've already had -- and there's even more to come this weekend. Last Friday, Eric's firm had its annual trick-or-treating event. We've taken Ted and Sophie the last few years, but this year our little monkey got to join them. (Yes, we went with the monkey costume -- the slice of pizza and Baby Elvis were both too big. Next year, though, he's going to be the cutest Elvis impersonator you've ever seen.) On Saturday, we took Adam to a pumpkin patch for some photos and then walked around Decatur for the better part of the afternoon, stopping to enjoy a couple of beers and watch a little football at Taco Mac. That night, Ms. Tanya came over to watch him while we went out to dinner and a movie with our friends Dave and Sue. We were supposed to meet up with some friends at the Scarecrow Exhibit in the Botanical Gardens on Sunday, but the parking situation ended up being a whole lot of rigmarole, so instead, we just met for lunch at Parrish. We took advantage of the beautiful fall weather and sat outside, watching Adam watch Noa (who is almost a year old already!) for the better part of lunch. I think someone has a baby crush.... From there, we headed home, got the boy a much-needed nap and then headed to our neighborhood's Halloween parade. Have I mentioned how much I love our neighborhood? It's such a great mix of people -- and there are so many babies, kids and dogs. Even though Adam couldn't really appreciate the parade yet, he enjoyed being outside and watching all of the other kids. Lucy, of course, had a wonderful time -- and so did we, thanks to a couple of Guinness cleverly disguised as coffee in travel mugs. It wasn't until we got to the park where the parade ended that I noticed about 80% of the parents had travel mugs or plastic cups. Have I mentioned how much I love our neighborhood? :)
Adam's latest amusement is the letter "k." That's right -- the letter "k." I mean, Eric spent an hour putting together his "Exersaucer" over the weekend, and while Adam was definitely intrigued by this new apparatus, he's still far more amused by mommy and daddy making "k" sounds at him. I'm going to long for these days when he's 16 years old and swearing that his entire happiness depends on getting a new car. Any chance I'll be able to put an end to the "poor me's" by "k"-ing at him then? Doubtful.
On an unrelated note, I voted this morning! Yay! People have been showing up in record numbers, so you might want to take advantage of advanced voting week rather than waiting until Election Day. Unless you're a McCain supporter. Then I recommend waiting until about 7 pm next Tuesday -- I'm sure the lines will have died down by then. I kid, I kid. (Kind of.) :)]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=this-update-brought-to-you-by-the-letter-k Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=adam-is-4-months-old Eric and I had a wonderful third anniversary! We had Ms. Tanya (my sister's nanny for the past 4 years) babysit while we went wine-tasting (at Tastings, a new-ish spot in Decatur), had a delicious dinner (at Watershed) and finished up with dessert (at The Chocolate Bar, another new-ish spot in Decatur). That weekend, my mom came into town on Friday night, and Eric and I hit the road for Callaway Gardens on Saturday morning, leaving the boy in my mom's capable hands. We had really been looking forward to this little getaway, but when we kissed Adam goodbye, I lost it. I cried for the first 10 minutes of the drive, but then I came out of my funk and got excited again. My mom was great about calling us and letting us know how things were going so that we didn't have to feel like psycho parents calling and checking in every hour. We checked into The Lodge, Callaway's newest accomodations, and were thrilled with our room and our view. We had some lunch and then rented bikes for the afternoon. We found a bike trail that circled a couple of lakes and also went through some forrest areas -- it was beautiful. Afterwards, we drove into Pine Mountain (the cutest South Georgia town you've ever seen) and walked around a bit. We spotted a sign for Blue Bell ice cream and, obviously, had to stop and have some. I tried the Birthday Cake flavor for the first time and OH. MY. GOD. was it good. It might actually be my new favorite. After walking the two blocks that make up the town of Pine Mountain, we hit the package store for a giant bottle of vino and then headed back to our room. After enjoying a few glasses of wine on our balcony, we decided to head downstairs to the Ironwood Lounge for dinner. Here is where I wish I could tell you that we took full advantage of our night away, stayed at the bar until it closed at 2 am and then went back to our room and polished off the rest of our giant bottle of wine. However, that would be a big, fat lie. The truth is, we went back to our room with every intention of polishing off our giant bottle of wine, but instead, we passed out with our clothes on. Before 9:30. We ordered room service in the morning and then played some tennis before heading back home. I'm so glad we took advantage of having my mom in town and got away for some "us" time -- but needless to say, we were thrilled to get back home to our boy.
My mom stayed in town for the rest of the week and was joined by the rest of our family the following weekend for Adam's baptism. My dad, Eric's mom, Eric's sisters (and their husband and fiance), Eric's grandparents and Eric's great aunt all came into town. And of course, my sister and her kiddos were here, too. We all got together for an early dinner on Saturday, and then Adam's Grandmere stayed with him while the kids (can I still call myself a kid?) enjoyed some brew at the Brickstore Pub. The Brickstore is one of our favorite places in the world (imagine HUNDREDS of beers from all over the world!) and we had really been missing it, so it was nice to be back there. We had a great time with Eric's sisters and their men, who we don't get to hang out with often enough, and we got back home at a respectable hour. The next morning, Adam's baptism happened to fall in the middle of what should've been his naptime. Needless to say, he was less than pleasant. I'm sure having cold water poured on his head didn't help. He was adorable though, and once we sat back down and gave him a bottle, he passed right out. We had our families and a couple of friends come back to the house for lunch (which my mom helped me prepare) and then had dinner at our new favorite pizza spot in Oakhurst with Eric's family. All in all, a very busy, very fun weekend. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us -- it made the day that much more special.
This weekend is another big one for us -- we're heading to Binghamton, NY for Eric's 10-year college reunion. Our friend Dan (who lives here now) is going, and we're meeting up with our friends Chris, Cristine and their 2-month-old son, James. We're a little stressed about the traveling part (and the FREEZING weather), but we're really looking forward to seeing our friends. Plus, I've never been to upstate NY and am excited to see where Eric spent 4 years drinking his life away.
And now for your Adam update.... For about a week and a half, he was sleeping through the entire night. Most doctors technically consider "through the night" to be 6 hours or so. However, when your baby goes to sleep at 7 pm and wakes up 6 hours later at 1 am, I want to know one person who would call that "through the night." Don't get me wrong, the nights of Adam waking up only once were just fine with me, but then he went and showed us what he's capable of -- we're talking about 12 hours straight. And It. Was. Awesome. However, we think he's been going through a growth spurt this week, and the nights of uninterrupted sleep have ceased (hopefully only temporarily). He's been waking up once a night again, but then goes right back down after eating. The ladies at day care also told me I need to up the ounces in his bottles from 5 to 6 because he was finishing the whole thing and was still hungry. That's when I realized that he must be going through a growth spurt. We've also discovered that he's ticklish, and his little laugh is the cutest thing you've ever heard in your life. He loves it! Other likes include: ANYTHING outside (especially going for walks and swinging on the porch swing), playing with his feet and putting them in his mouth, playing airplane, kisses, waking up in the morning, the "new shorts" song, playing "Patty Cake" and zurberts on his tummy. Dislikes include: tummy time (though it's not nearly as bad as it used to be), not getting attention (where does he get that?), blowing out his diapers (this is a dislike of ours, too) and having his nose syringed. His list of likes is much longer than his list of dislikes, and that makes me happy. He really is such a sweet, mellow, giggly baby. My boys make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. We'll see if I still feel that way after 2 plane rides and a weekend of 30-degree weather....]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=adam-is-4-months-old Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=3-years-ago-today http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=3-years-ago-today Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=the-slacker-mom-finally-updates #1 -- I AM OFFICIALLY A WORKING MOM. In fact, I just finished my first full week back at work. The first couple of days I took Adam to daycare, I was crying harder than any baby in Infant Room B. But it's gotten a lot better. I know he's well taken care of, and he's close to my office, so I can walk down to see him during lunch. The only problem with that is that it's been keeping me from getting lunch with my work friends who I've been away from for the last 3 months. I think I've decided to implement an every-other-day plan -- at least until I get a better handle on this daycare thing. Being back at work has really been kind of nice -- it feels good to dust off the ol' brain and focus on something other than feed/wake/sleep schedules (which is surprisingly harder than it sounds). Adam is doing great at daycare -- the ladies there go on and on about what a good eater and a good sleeper he is. We're already such proud parents! The only downside is that he's already caught a little cold. We knew it was going to happen, but we were a little surprised it happened so soon. He's being a trooper, though, and is only slightly fussier than normal ... usually when I'm digging in his nose with the bulb syringe.
#2 -- ADAM IS GETTING BAPTIZED. Our families are thrilled (and possibly a little surprised) that we don't intend to raise a little heathen. Adam will be baptized on October 12, and all of our family will be here for it. Last week we got lunch with the head of the church's children's ministry to discuss the details of the day, and aside from one rather embarrassing moment, we really enjoyed ourselves. No, we didn't drop any f-bombs or take the Lord's name in vain. We did, however, look like 2 deer caught in headlights when she asked us (in a very roundabout, confusing way, thankyouverymuch) how the churches we were raised in viewed baptism compared to our current church, as well as our thoughts on those differences. Eric and I looked at each other for a second, and then I took a bite of my pizza to signal that he would be answering for us. Eric's a very quick thinker, so imagine my surprise when I hear him ask (after a few more seconds of awkward silence), "Um, what question am I answering?" And as if the situation wasn't bad enough, I laughed. Yep. I thought she was going to boot us from the church right then and there, but we apparently recovered fairly well because she went on to say that she and her husband are new in town and looking for friends and that she can't wait for him to meet us. I'm sure she'll change her mind sooner than later.
#3 -- ERIC AND I ARE GOING ON VACATION. Okay, it's only for one night, but it still counts. Shut up -- yes it does. My mom is coming into town the weekend before Adam's baptism, and Eric and I are using a gift certificate I won for a night at the new lodge at Callaway Gardens. The gift certificate is actually for two nights, but we decided we're not quite there yet. Baby steps. Anyway, it's nothing fancy, but it's a nice, free, nearby getaway, and we couldn't be more excited about it. We're going to play a little golf (read: Eric will play golf and Meagan will drive the cart), enjoy a massage and sleep in past 8 a.m. Exciting stuff.
#4 -- BABIES, BABIES, BABIES! All of our friends are having babies! Well, two of them anyway. Jill and Scott welcomed Xavier Christian, Adam's new long-distance BFF, and Jon and Jules had Sadie Rose, Adam's future prom date. Eric and Jon have already decided to be the chaperones and to ride around in the limo with their heads out of the roof -- and I've already started saving for the therapy Adam will need as a result. We obviously love (and miss) hanging out with ALL of our friends, but it's definitely nice to have some that are in the same boat we're in. I've been connecting with some of my mommy friends more often, and it's been really helpful. Shay, mom of Marie, has been showing me the ropes at children's consignment sales (and making us heavenly cherry chocolate scones). Heather, mom of Griffin, has held my hand through the whole daycare thing (Griffin is in Adam's class). And Lauren, mom of twins Oliver and Annabelle, is an excellent walking partner. We had dinner with their crew last weekend and actually survived -- and enjoyed -- a dinner with 3 3-month-olds. Pretty impressive, if you ask me.
#5 -- ADAM IS THE BEST BABY IN THE WORLD. Seriously. I'm not biased at all. He smiles and smiles and smiles, and the other day, we got our first real, honest-to-goodness laugh. Before then, his version of a laugh was a huge smile and a little "heh." But not this one. No sir. This one was a serious giggle. We were singing a made-up song to him about new shorts (which is what Eric calls clean diapers), and he just laughed out of nowhere. Twice. Of course, we spent the next 10 minutes trying to get him to do it again, but no such luck. He's also been "talking" a lot more. In addition to "ah goo" (his favorite sound), he has added the k sound and a raspberry sound to his repertoire. And every now and then he'll throw around a whole bunch of sounds together. Regardless of what he's saying, or thinks he's saying, it's really damn cute. And the sleeping! Oh my goodness, the sleeping! At night, he sleeps for anywhere from 7 - 10 hours straight. Then he wakes up to eat and goes right back down until it's time to get going for the day. He also has more of a scheduled bedtime these days, and even though it's sometimes a little inconvenient that it's so early (7-ish), we're certainly not going to complain because it's obviously working. Plus, this way Eric and I have a few hours to spend with each other every night, which has been great. He still doesn't love taking naps (Adam -- not Eric, who LOVES taking naps), but he's getting better at that, too. He's officially out of the bouncer in the bathroom and takes naps in his crib like a big boy now -- and with no swaddle! We're making progress!
#6 -- ADAM HAD HIS FIRST VISIT TO THE ATLANTA ZOO! It was actually Eric's first time, too, and I don't think I had been since Rachel and Tiff came to visit back in 1998 (the first time I lived in Atlanta). We were experiencing beautiful fall weather last weekend, and we decided to get out and enjoy it. Adam was less impressed with his surroundings than we were, but he still had a good time being out and about with Mom and Dad. We might go back with some friends for Boo at the Zoo -- something the zoo puts on for kids around Halloween time. And speaking of Halloween, we're trying to decide what Adam should be this year. I think he should be something silly, since this might be the only time we can dress him up without any argument from him. So far, Baby Elvis (because that's just cute) and a slice of pizza (to celebrate his Italian heritage) are in the lead. I did buy a little monkey suit as a back-up though. Stay tuned for the final decision.... ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=the-slacker-mom-finally-updates Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=crying-it-out-me-more-so-than-him Our first night back at home, Adam reminded us that we can’t get too used to anything – he slept for only 5 hours. When I told my mom this, she suggested that maybe he just does better in Texas and we should consider coming back. Nice try, Mom. The next night, he was back to 7 hours. The next night, only 3 (!). Then 7 again. Oh well – we’re getting there. Slowly but surely.
On Tuesday, I took Adam to my office to introduce him to my work friends. It was really nice to see everyone and to participate in adult conversation. I feel like I do pretty well during the week – I don’t feel like I’m going crazy at home with a baby or anything – but still, Tuesday reminded me that I ultimately need more stimulation than a newborn can provide and that going back to work is the right decision for me. We ended up being away from the house for about 3 hours, and Adam did great. I, on the other hand, did not – once again, I forgot to go by his daycare to pick up the paperwork we need to fill out. This “new mommy brain” seems to be plaguing me just as badly as “preganancy braaaaain” did.
Wednesday was kind of a long day – Eric had a client event that night and didn’t get home until 9:30. To break the day up a little, he came home for a couple of hours in the afternoon. That was definitely a nice surprise, but still, by the time I got the boy to bed, I was in desperate need of a glass of wine. Last night, Eric repaid the favor and sent me out with my friend Jay. I had a couple of beers (and a slice of carrot cake) and made it back in time to catch the last part of Obama’s speech (the rest is Tivo’d, and I intend to watch it today). It was definitely nice to get out for a bit. I think it might be about time for another babysitter night.
So that brings us today. Today has been … tough. We decided that since we have a long weekend and Eric will be home for an extra day, this is the weekend to start letting the boy cry it out so that he can learn to put himself to sleep rather than depending on us to rock him, put him in his bouncy seat in the downstairs bathroom, etc. So far, well, it’s not going very smoothly. I’ve called my mom (crying) once and Eric (almost crying) once. I’ve tried putting him in his crib for three naps now – two times I’ve ended up going to get him, rocking him and then putting him in his bouncy seat in the downstairs bathroom. And the last time I ended up rocking him to sleep and then taking a little nap with him. Oops. I guess I’m just not very tough. I’m going to keep trying though. I know it’s important for him to learn how to go to sleep on his own. I guess at some point, he would end up figuring it out, but I think the earlier we can teach him, the better. We have some friends whose babies were falling asleep on their own by 4 weeks! I’ll update next week with the outcome. Cross your fingers for us. Something tells me Adam will come out of all of this just fine. I wish I was as certain about myself.
Other than that, everything is going great. We’re excited about the long weekend – we have plans to get together with some friends a couple of days, and we might even take Adam down to the neighborhood pool. I’ve really started to enjoy my days with him – he’s getting to be so much fun. He smiles so much and loves to say, “Ah-goo.” He says it so often that we’ve decided he has an imaginary friend named “Ah-goo.” He still loves the ceiling fan, but he’s starting to enjoy some of his real toys too. We’ve been better about tummy time 3 times a day, and he doesn’t seem to hate it as much as he used to. And he loves going for long walks. We try to get out for about an hour every day – it eventually puts him to sleep, which is a bonus. I have less than 3 weeks left before I go back to work, and I intend to soak up every second with this sweet little nugget of ours – even the crying fits that ultimately land us in the bathroom. ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=crying-it-out-me-more-so-than-him Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=two-months The rest of the appointment went really well. Adam is measuring in the 75 percentile for weight, length and head size. He weighs 12 lbs, 12 oz and is 23 ½ inches long. He smiles all the time now, and sometimes I swear he’s on the verge of laughing. He especially likes mornings, raspberry sounds, ceiling fans and two of his rattles. He does not like napping, burping, tummy time or car rides. We’re working on all of these things though. Dr. Kincaid said we need to work on getting rid of the swaddle – so we’ve been trying to nap swaddle-free. So far it’s going okay, except that it takes longer to get him to fall asleep and he ends up scratching his face. Luckily, I hung onto the little mittens from the hospital, so we’ve started using those. We’re still swaddling him at night for now. I can’t just quit cold turkey.
Last Wednesday, Eric and I went to the Jack Johnson concert with our friends Andrea and Chris. This was our first time leaving Adam with anyone other than my mom or my sister. We got the next best thing though – Tanya, my sister’s nanny of 4 years, whom we both adore. Even though I knew I had nothing to worry about, I was definitely a little stressed out during our drive to the concert. But once we got there, met up with Dre and Chris, found a good spot on the lawn and got a couple of beers, I was fine. Of course, I thought about him throughout the evening, but not so much so that I didn’t enjoy myself. In fact, Eric and I were amazed about how much fun we had. I think we’re both looking forward to our next night out.
Yesterday Adam and I (and our friend Jay who spent the summer in Texas and just got back into town) met Eric for lunch. Beforehand, we stopped by his office so that Eric could show him off to his colleagues. Adam was clearly underwhelmed by the what he saw – he slept through the whole office visit (I don’t blame him). When we got to the restaurant, we were turned away because they’d recently gone to 21+, and babies aren’t allowed – even on the patio, despite my pleas (I really wanted tacos!!!). So that was annoying. Luckily there are plenty of restaurants in the area, so we just walked around the block to another one. While we were eating, Ace from The Real World Paris came in, sat at the bar and ate lunch by himself. I joked that it would be pretty funny if I asked him to hold Adam for a picture. Jay thought I should, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m sure Adam will forgive me one day. So, the whole reason we decided to meet Eric for lunch yesterday was because I was going to be in the area, picking up some paperwork that we need to fill out from Adam’s daycare. Well, there must be some truth to what they say about “new mommy brain” being even worse than “pregnancy brain.” I completely forgot to go by daycare. Doh. Luckily, I’m planning to go by my office next week to show Adam off, so hopefully I’ll remember then.
Tomorrow we’re flying to Texas for Adam’s “Sip and See.” For those of you who aren’t from Texas/the South, a Sip and See is when a bunch of women get together, sip tea (or wine) and meet someone’s new baby. My mom has been looking forward to this since before Adam was even born. It will be mostly her friends, but a few of our friends are driving in to meet him and see us. We’re really looking forward to it! What we are NOT looking forward to, however, is getting there. This will be our first plane trip with the boy. In fact, this will be my first plane trip since my unpleasant experience of trying to fit my pregnant self into that tiny airplane restroom. Ugh. It’s a good thing I’ll fit this time because I have a feeling I might lock myself in there if it looks like we’re in danger of becoming “those people with the baby.” I’ll be honest – I’m a little bit terrified. Who knows – maybe he’ll sleep through the whole flight and prove me wrong. I kinda doubt it though. I know we’ll get through it, I just hope we get through it without pissing too many people off. Hey -- at least he's cute, right?
So all in all, everything is going really well. A few people have asked how I’m feeling after the c-section and all. I’ve completely recovered and feel great 99% of the time. Every now and then I’ll feel some pain in the muscles near my incision, but overall, I feel so much better. I still have a little pooch that I want to work off, but I’m not too worried about it. Right now, I’m focusing on Adam. The pooch can wait. What else? Adam slept for 6 hours straight last night, which was very exciting! But then he turned into a demon baby and was a horrible napper today. Oh well. It’s hard to believe I only have three more weeks with him until I have to go back to work. I joke that it will be nice to get back to my “easy job” – because let’s face it – being home with a baby is a lot harder than any other job I can think of. But I’m beginning to get a little sad about it. I know it’s the right thing for us, and I’m glad that he’s going to daycare, and I’m THRILLED that daycare is only a block and a half from my office … but I’m really going to miss the little guy. He’s getting to be so much fun, and I’m so lucky that I’ve had this time with him. And now I’m on the verge of getting weepy, so I’m going to wrap this up. Have a great weekend! ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=two-months Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=sleeping-smiling-outings-an-update Well, I’ve obviously not gotten any better about posting more often. Here are the highlights from the last two weeks:
#1 – We ventured out into public with the boy for the first time! Two weeks ago, we decided to walk to Thinking Man Tavern, a restaurant/bar just a couple of blocks from our house. We sat out on the patio, enjoyed a nice cold beer with our meal, and Adam slept through the entire thing. What more could we have asked for? He did so well that we took him to Maddy’s, a local bbq and blues joint, the following night. Again, he was a champ and slept until it was time to leave.
#2 – Adam had his first photo shoot! Well, his first professional one anyway. He was in a great mood and especially enjoyed the naked pictures and peeing on Eric. The photographer was appropriately impressed with how cute he is. :)
#3 – Adam began his career as a kickball mascot! After the photo shoot, we went straight to Eric’s kickball game. Yes, Eric plays kickball. We joined a league with some friends last summer and had the best time. This year, I obviously needed to sit out, but Eric is representing Team Berardi. We surprised our friends by showing up and surprised them even more when they saw that Adam, the team mascot, was sporting a team onesie (pictured below – the name of the team is Bing Bong Your Mom … don’t ask).
#4 – Adam seems to be figuring out the difference between his days and nights. He’s really started sleeping pretty well at night (most of the time). On a good night, he’ll go down for about 5 hours, wake up to eat and then go back down for another 3. The first time he made it 5 hours, I thought I was imagining things. I looked at the clock, did the math, re-did the math, re-did the math again and finally ended up counting on my fingers. I know 5 hours doesn’t sound like much to all of you, but remember that he used to wake up every 2 hours. This little bit of extra sleep has made such a difference in my life. I feel so much less foggy during the day. Now, napping is a whole other story. This boy HATES to nap. I think he’s afraid he’s going to miss something good (like Project Runway). Each time he wakes from a nap (assuming I’ve actually gotten him down for a nap), he frowns and looks at me in disbelief, like he can’t believe I actually tricked him into sleeping.
#5 – Smiles, smiles, smiles! Adam had his first on-purpose smile about a week and a half ago – and he’s been smiling ever since. Up until then, his smiles were either a result of drifting to sleep or gas. Don’t get me wrong – they were still cute – but they were nothing compared to the real thing. Since then, we’ve resorted to making the most ridiculous faces and voices, all just to see that adorable little toothless grin. I’ve been trying to capture it on film, but the shots I’ve gotten don’t begin to do it justice.
#6 – Eric and I went on our first official date since the little guy’s arrival. Last Thursday was my birthday, and my sister offered to babysit so that E and I could go out. We had such a great time. I had my first dirty martini in 10 months, which immediately went to my head. We (Eric) decided a bottle of wine with dinner might not be the best idea. :) It was just so nice to have some alone time and to be a couple instead of parents for a couple of hours.
#7 – Our friends Dave and Sue announced that they’re expecting a little one in January! Adam can’t wait for his new little buddy (or girlfriend) to get here!
#8 – We went over to our friends Jon and Julie’s for dinner last Friday. Everything started off great, and we were able to enjoy a wonderful meal and a couple of hours of adult conversation … and then Adam absolutely lost it. In his defense, it was getting a little late. Eric and I were under the mistaken assumption that he would wind down and go to sleep regardless of our location. Well, we were wrong. We ended up leaving before dessert, hoping we hadn’t scared Jon and Jules too much (they’re expecting a little girl at the end of the month).
#9 – Our friends Mike and Laura, and their adorable one-year-old, Mason, visited from North Carolina. Last Saturday, we all went to our friends Jonathan and Angela’s house, grilled out and spent the afternoon/evening relaxing and catching up. And Eric officially mastered the art of the Baby Bjorn. Having learned our lesson the night before, we cut the evening a little short and made it home in time for Adam to go to bed like a civilized little baby.
#10 – On Sunday, we had brunch at Dave and Sue’s house and then took Adam to the grocery store for the first time. I was planning to take him last week, but I chickened out and decided I would wait for Eric to go with us the first time. Well, it’s a good thing I did. Adam is apparently not a fan of Publix. Maybe he prefers Whole Foods? We’ll try that next time – and I think we’ll take Eric again, just to be safe.
And now it’s Friday! I love Fridays – and the rest of the weekends – even more than before. It’s so nice to have Eric around for a couple of days – not only to help with night duty (and day duty) – but because we really do miss him during the day. And I know it’s hard on him to be away from the boy all day long. This weekend is especially exciting. Adam’s Aunt Nicole and recently-engaged Aunt Danielle (Eric’s sisters) are coming to visit. This will be their first time to meet their nephew, and we’ve all been really looking forward to it. I’m not sure what our plan for the weekend is, but I’m sure it will involve a little drinking and a lot of outdoor fun. Hope you all enjoy the same! ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=sleeping-smiling-outings-an-update Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=one-month Dr. Kincaid also said that, for our own sanity, we need to work on getting Adam on more of a schedule. He’s actually been doing pretty well at night – he sleeps anywhere from 3 – 4 ½ hours straight – but during the day, it’s another story. He’s decided he’d rather eat all day than nap, which, you can imagine, makes for a pretty sleepy, grumpy baby. We’ve been trying to do meal time, wake time then nap time, but I think he was staying awake for too long and becoming overstimulated. And once he gets to that point, there’s no hope. Dr. Kincaid suggested putting him in a dark room with white noise for his naps. She also said that as long as he’s sleeping in his crib/bassinet at night, we don’t have to worry about focusing on that during the day. Then, while out for a walk, a neighbor friend (who has an 11-month-old) told us that the bathroom fan was often the only white noise that worked for their son. Well, Adam is napping right now. Guess where. Yep – in the bathroom. He’s in his vibrating seat in our powder bathroom with the fan going. How hilarious is that? If I wasn’t sure it would wake him up, I would take a picture of this. It’s absolutely ridiculous – but it DOES seem to be working. Hallelujah.
Aside from our walks in the neighborhood, we still haven’t taken Adam out in public. Dr. Kincaid suggested waiting until he gets his shots (at his 2 month appointment) just to be safe. She did say that I could start running some errands with him and that we can start taking him to restaurants with outdoor seating, as long as we don’t let people touch him. At first I thought, “Would strangers actually try to touch my baby?” and then I remembered that strangers had no problem touching my belly. And Adam is significantly cuter than my belly. We’re excited to give it a shot though – we’re planning to walk to a nearby restaurant this weekend for a little patio dining. Wish us luck. You’re probably wondering if I’ve gone completely stir crazy yet. My answer is … not completely. We’ve been lucky enough to have some amazing friends stop by to keep us company – and bring us wine, pizza, brunch, coffee, homemade dinners, etc. We really are so lucky – and so appreciative.
Last weekend, my sister came over to watch Adam so that Eric and I could have some alone time. I was surprisingly relaxed about leaving him (probably because it was my sister), and Eric and I had a great afternoon. First we went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch, and I enjoyed my first margarita in more than 9 months! It was even better than I had remembered. Then, with a slight buzz (yes, from one margarita – how sad is that?), we went grocery shopping. And we actually had a lot of fun. This is my life now. My, how things have changed….
This weekend, the boy has his first professional photo session. When I found out I was pregnant, I signed up for this email list for expecting parents/new parents in Atlanta. Well, upon signing up, I was apparently entered in a contest and ended up winning a free photo session with what seems to be a really great photographer. Pretty cool, huh? Hopefully Adam will be in a good mood and will feel like showing off his adorable little smile, complete with one gigantic dimple. I know I’m biased, but my goodness, I think that boy is adorable. In fact, I think I’m going to go sneak a peak at him in the bathroom right now.
Hope you’re all doing well! xoxo ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=one-month Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=three-weeks-and-counting Yesterday was our first day alone, and I gotta tell ya – I had been terrified of that day for a while. After nearly a week in the hospital, we were lucky enough to have my mom's help for another week. Then Eric worked from home last week, which was an enormous help as well. So yesterday was a true test of survival (me? dramatic? noooo.) I wasn’t really scared about being the only diaper-changer or calmer-downer – it was more about being the only decision-maker. Even though Eric is as clueless as I am, it’s nice to have another person’s opinion on why the baby is crying, why the baby won’t sleep, etc. Of course, Lucy and Calvin were with us, but they don't offer much more than moral support. I must say that after a few tears (mine, not Adam's - when Eric left for work), we were absolutely fine. Of course, we also didn’t attempt much more than eating, changing, napping and checking the mail, but you have to start somewhere, right? It’s all about baby steps.
So, a lot of people have asked about the whole labor and delivery process. To really go into it would take an entire post (and then some), so I'll just give a brief recap. On Monday (June 16), I woke up when my water broke at 4:30 a.m. Eric and I checked into the hospital at noon and got settled in our L&D room. For about 12 hours, we walked the halls and did stretches and exercises that our doula recommended. I was in some pain, but it was manageable (more or less) until they started a Pitocin drip to move things along faster. We had wanted to avoid the use of Pitocin, but when your water breaks, they really want you to deliver within 24 hours to avoid the risk of infection, and it wasn’t looking like I was going to make it. They ended up taking me off of the Pitocin pretty quickly because things sped up and got really intense really fast. At this point, I told Eric I wanted an epidural. I had to wait to get a bag of iv fluid in me, and then I got some sweet, sweet relief. The epidural surprisingly didn't slow things down at all, and within a couple of hours, I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. I ended up pushing for two hours, and then there was a shift change. When the new doctor came in to check me, he was pretty blunt with us. He said that I could push and push until the next day, but that I still wasn't going to have a baby at the end of it. Due to Adam’s size and position (he was turned just slightly and was apparently too big to correct himself), I needed to have a c-section. So 45 minutes later, I was in the OR. The c-section was such a bizarre experience. I couldn't believe how much I was able to feel. It went pretty quickly, and at the end of it all, we had our beautiful 8 pound, 13 ouncer. The recovery was pretty rough, and I was in a lot of pain while we were at the hospital. The nurses were amazing though, and by the time I was released, I was feeling much better. And these days, I'm feeling great. My incision is healed, and the scar is tiny. I haven't had to take any pain meds for about a week now. Every now and then, my abdomen feels a little sore, but as soon as I slow it down a bit, I’m fine. So that's the story.
I think that pretty much sums things up for now. I'm hoping to post a little more often so I won't have to do these general updates every few weeks. Adam’s starting to stir a bit, so naptime is clearly over for now. I’ll attach some pictures from our first couple of weeks. I hope you’re all doing well! ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=three-weeks-and-counting Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=hes-here xoxo,
Meagan, Eric and Adam]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=hes-here Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=the-day-before-d-day Last Friday was my last day at work, and I’ve actually done a pretty good job of keeping busy this week. On Monday, we had a doctor’s appointment (more on that later), and since then, I’ve gotten a lot of errands taken care of, spent some quality girl time with Joanna and Sophie and have been trying to watch some movies so that I can keep the ol’ Netflix queue moving. I have something like 315 movies on there right now, which is just ridiculous. On Tuesday, Eric worked at home for the day, so I had him to help entertain me. That night, we headed out to the burbs to have dinner at Scalini's, an Italian restaurant whose eggplant parm supposedly induces labor. Here's a blurb from their website: "To date, more than 300 of the pregnant women customers who ordered the eggplant have given birth within 48 hours, and the restaurant dubs them the 'eggplant babies.'" I saw three other pregnant women while we were there. Hopefully the eggplant worked better for them than it did for me.
So, I’ve had two doctor’s appointments since I last wrote – and both have gone very well. At last Thursday’s appointment, Dr. Anand examined me and said that I was dilated "one plus." I assumed the doctors add that "plus" for the women who measured at 1 cm the week before so that we feel like we're making SOME progress and don't get all hormonal and crazy on them. However, she assured me that I'm nearing 2 cm, and that that is actually really good progress. Apparently it isn't uncommon for first-timers to not dilate at all until they're actually in labor, so she said I should count myself lucky. I wasn’t effaced at all yet, and while the boy’s head was getting lower, it still wasn’t “engaged” yet.
We had a little excitement over the weekend, which ended up being a little less exciting than we originally thought. When I woke up on Saturday morning, some things were happening that made us think there was a chance labor was looming near. No, my water didn’t break, but there was some other stuff going on (trust me – you don’t want those details). Eric and I both kicked it into high gear and got a lot of last-minute stuff done. I was having a lot more contractions than usual, but none of them were painful or regular at all, so we knew I wasn’t in labor yet. We were supposed to go to our friends Alex and Stephanie’s wedding that night, but we opted to play it safe and stay home instead. I’ll admit that I like my share of attention, but having my water break while doing the robot on the dance floor crosses the line for even me. We called our parents and told them that nothing was really happening YET, but that there was a chance things might start soon and that they should consider themselves warned.
Cut to Sunday morning. Still no change. Sunday night, while we were sleeping, I had three contractions in a row that were 10 minutes apart, so I thought they might at least be developing a pattern. I made myself go back to sleep and decided that if/when they started getting painful, I would wake Eric up. Well, that never happened.
Cut to Monday morning. Still no change. We had another appointment that morning, this time with Dr. Glander, my usual OB/GYN She checked me and said that I was still just short of 2 cm dilated, which almost discouraged me, but then she said that I was 75% effaced and that the boy’s head was in the -2 position (which is still a little high, but it’s definitely lower). Like Dr. Anand, she assured me that things were progressing as they should. Apparently, until a woman is effaced, contractions can only do so much to make the cervix dilate. So now that I’m effacing, hopefully my contractions will begin to have more of an effect. She said that the order in which things are progressing for me is ideal and that it will hopefully help me have a smoother labor and delivery. So at least there’s a bright side to all of this – hopefully.
We had another false alarm last night. I had just fallen asleep when, around 11:00 or so, I had some lower back pain that woke me up. The back pain turned into a contraction, and I had a few more over the course of an hour or so. They were significantly stronger than they’ve been before. I managed to fall back asleep, but then I had another strong one at 12:40, and I woke up Eric. We waited and waited for another one, but a few minutes after 1:00, I still hadn’t had one. So we went back to sleep. This pattern continued throughout the night – I would fall asleep only to be woken up within 30 minutes or so, I’d have a couple of contractions, they’d stop and then I’d go back to sleep. I didn’t wake Eric up again because I was clearly experiencing false labor. By the way, I’ve officially added “false labor” to my list of least favorite things – right along with drivers who don’t wave when you let them cut in traffic, eggplant parm that does NOT induce labor and the band Creed.
I must say that for being as pregnant as I am, I really have to count myself lucky. Sure, a good night's sleep is a thing of the past, but that was going to happen soon anyway. Overall, I've still been feeling really good and have been able to do pretty much everything I want -- I'm still hanging out with friends, still doing yoga, that sort of thing. Of my high school friends who were all expecting babies around the same time as me, I’m the only one who’s still pregnant. Based on due dates, I should’ve been second, but they all had their beautiful, healthy babies (3 girls and 1 boy) a little early. I couldn’t be happier for them, but I AM trying to use peer pressure to coax our boy on out. My mom thinks he takes after "teenager me" and is already refusing to do anything other than what he feels like. Greeeaaaat.
We have another appointment on Tuesday, so unless I have a baby by then (fingers crossed!), I'll update afterwards. ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=the-day-before-d-day Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=1-cm-and-counting I had another doctor's appointment today, and this one was MUCH better than the last one. First, all of my glucose levels came back perfectly normal, so Dr. Anand told me I could go back to eating what I want. I'm going to continue eating everything in moderation, but I'm definitely adding the fruit and syrup back into my diet. To celebrate my victory over evil complex sugars, we stopped by Chick-Fil-A for chicken biscuits on our way into work. My weight and blood pressure both look good, and the boy is still head down and continuing to grow. And he doesn't appear to be very shy -- he seems to like sticking his little booty out as far as it will go (which is far enough out there for people -- including strangers -- to notice). After laughing at the boy's butt for a bit, Dr. Anand examined me -- and it turns out that I'm 1 centimeter dilated. This doesn't mean much of anything, except that things are BEGINNING to happen. It could still be quite a while though...
We had a great Memorial Weekend -- we got to spend a lot of time with friends, a lot of time relaxing and managed to still get a lot of stuff done, too. We met with the doula on Saturday morning, and we both really liked her, so it looks like we're going to use her. So NOW you can laugh at me. She's a lot cheaper than other doulas because she's not quite certified yet. And you're probably thinking, "Do you really want to scrimp and save when it comes to the birth of your child?" It's not like that though -- she's completed the required courses but just hasn't been present for enough births to be "official" yet. So we're getting a great discount! Also, she's about our age and has a lot of energy and is really excited and eager (without being annoying). The last thing we wanted was an older grumpy lady who just bosses Eric (and me) around the L&D room. We think she's going to be able to provide us with some good suggestions for comfort positions, breathing techniques, massage, etc, and hopefully it will help me deliver naturally. I guess only time will tell...
This weekend is the summer associate retreat, and considering this event -- and the summer program in general -- is a big part of my job, it feels really strange to not be going. I have absolutely no doubt that everything will go smoothly, but it still feels a little weird. The only real plans I have for the weekend are yoga and going to see Sex and the City with some girlfriends, which I must say feels kinda nice. I'm sure we'll continue with the baby preparations, too. We have a few more things to hang in the nursery, and then it should be officially complete. I'll post more pictures as soon as we're done. I have another appointment next Thursday, so I'll plan to update after that. Hopefuly there will be more progress to report! ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=1-cm-and-counting Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=my-2-theet Our appointment with Dr. Glander on Wednesday ended up being a little hectic. When she took my measurements, she said they seemed a little bit "off" and that she wanted to move up my ultrasound to check the size of the boy and the amount of my amniotic fluid. While I was lying on the table with my shirt up, my stomach turned rock hard and raised a good inch or so ... I was having a contraction. I've had Braxton-Hicks contractions for a while now, but they've never been so strong. While we were waiting for the ultrasound technician to squeeze us in, I had 2 more contractions. Then, when we finally got in to see the technician, I had another contraction. She wanted to finish my scan but said that we needed to mention the contractions to Dr. Glander. She performed a "mini-physical" on the boy and said that he looks great and that he got a perfect score. She also said that she "didn't remember the last time [she] had seen a head of hair like that" -- and she went on and on (and on) about it. We thought it was hilarious, and Eric thanked her for the heads-up. I was bald for more than a year when I was born, so the boy is clearly getting the Italian genes from his papa (I'm already imagining afros, dreadlocks and mohawks in the near future). After she was done, we met with Dr. Glander again. She said that the boy is already measuring about 6 lbs, 9 oz! I'm really hoping he'll decide to come a little early, as the thought of trying to deliver a 9 lb. baby au natural is enough to make me break a sweat. She said the most notable measurement is his femur and that she thinks he's going to be long/tall. The amount of fluid looks good, though it's on the normal - high side. She said that that, in addition to the different glucose readings I was getting a while back, was enough to make her think that I'm "borderline gestational diabetic." She doesn't think I'm officially diabetic, so she's not making me go to the classes or test myself or take insulin or anything, but I do have to watch my intake of sweets (including fruit AND maple syrup -- boooooooo). As for the contractions, she said that I should continue to monitor them closely and that if I have more than 5 in an hour (I had 5 in about an hour and a half), I should give them a call.
After our appointment, I ended up working from home for the rest of the day. I was having some serious pressure in my pelvic area, my back was hurting and my feet and ankles had gotten pretty swollen. That's right -- after all this time, the swelling has finally hit. I experienced it for the first time on Saturday at our yard sale. Our friend Andrea stopped by to visit for a little while, and we decided that instead of cankles -- no definition between the calf and ankle, I have theet -- no bone definition between my thighs, knees, calves, ankles or feet. It went away after a couple of hours, but since then, it's been happening every other day or so. Luckily, it's not painful at all -- just incredibly unattractive. Due to my recent discomfort, my lack of sleep and some work stress, my boss-lady (and friend) suggested that I go ahead and pick a day to be my last one at work. I was planning to stay until the arrival of el boy, but Eric and I talked about it and decided that she's right. So my last day is going to be two weeks from today -- on June 6. I'm surprised at the amount of relief I felt in making that decision, which definitely means it was the right one. Also, I had a dream this week that my water broke while I was at a work event, and ever since then, I've been absolutely terrified of that becoming a reality.
Last weekend was nice and productive. The yard sale was a success (except for the whole swelling thing), and we took everything that we didn't sell to Goodwill. It felt so good to get rid of so much stuff! Our CPR class went well, though our instructor was a VERY intense older, heavyset gentleman. He got so worked up when talking about child safety that I honestly worried that one of us might end up having to perform CPR on him. He was very knowledgeable though, and overall, the class was great. The tour of the maternity ward at Northside went well, too. It was pretty short and sweet, but it helped me figure out what I do/don't need to bring to the hospital with us. Then that night, we had dinner with Lauren and Nathan, the couple that lives near us and is expecting twins in June. We had a really great time with them -- it was amazing how much we had in common. Nathan is from a small town in Texas, too, so he didn't even bat an eye when I said "bless his heart" nine times over the course of our dinner (nine might be a slight exaggeration).
Work has been pretty rough for both of us lately, so we couldn't be happier about the long weekend ahead! Our neighborhood pool is opening for the summer, and we're going to be there with bells (and enormous maternity tankinis) on. I'm looking forward to making myself do absolutely nothing for at least a couple of hours. This weekend is also Decatur's annual Art Festival, and we're planning to check it out with some friends. We're also grabbing dinner with a friend of ours who's a labor and delivery nurse at Northside to get some scoop from her. She's kindly insisted that I call her when I'm in labor so that she can hook us up with the best rooms and nurses. How cool is that?!? We're also planning to meet with a doula that a girl in my yoga class recommended. I know, I know -- it's a little hippy dippy, but I'm not ashamed. I figure the more support we (me AND Eric, bless his heart) can get in that delivery room, the better. Besides, we're just meeting her for now -- we haven't actually decided if we want to use her or not yet.
Well, I guess that's about it for now. I'll leave you with a couple of ultrasound pictures and another ever-expanding picture of myself. I'll check in after our next appointment next Thursday. XOXO]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=my-2-theet Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=mothers-day-and-erics-birthday Eric's birthday was yesterday, so we had more celebrating to do. First, we met each other for lunch -- I absolutely love breaking up the workday by seeing him, but even though we only work 3 blocks away from each other, we don't really have the chance to meet up very often. When he got home from work, I greeted him with a cold beer, and he opened his presents from his mom, my parents and me. Then we went to Maddy's (a bbq and blues joint) for the best pulled pork sandwich in town. They apparently just got Magic Hat on draught (one of Eric's favorite beers, based out of Vermont), so that made the birthday boy very happy. When we got back home, we had banana pudding for dessert (Eric's favorite) and watched Ghost Hunters (Eric's favorite). Well, Eric watched Ghost Hunters. I started to, but I quickly passed out on Lucy's bed. Yes, on the floor. And yes, it's a little pathetic, but I'll take whatever sleep I can get.
This Saturday, a bunch of people in our neighborhood (including us) are having a yard sale. Aside from determining which items we want to get rid of, we really haven't done anything in the way of preparation. Oops. We'll see how it goes. I really just want to start clearing out the room above our garage so that Eric can make that into a "Man Room." On Sunday, I have yoga, and then we have back-to-back classes at Northside (our hospital). The first one is the Infant and Child CPR class and the second one is actually just more of a tour of the maternity ward. I have a list (shocking, I know) of things I want to check on -- is there a CD player in our room? is there an ethernet connection in our room? what will the sleeping situation be like for Eric? -- that sort of stuff. Then, Sunday night, we're meeting the couple from our Childbirth Prep class for dinner down the street at Thinking Man Tavern. I'm hoping we'll all hit it off and that she and I will be able to do baby things together while we're both on leave. We have other friends who are pregnant, too, but none of them are due at the same time as me -- and none of them live around the corner from us.
Work (and everything else, really) is kinda kicking my butt these days. I'm not sleeping well and so I feel really exhausted most of the time. My feet and ankles still aren't swollen, but they definitely hurt at the end of the day -- I think I officially retired my high heels on Monday. And I'm just starting to feel kind of generally uncomfortable. I was warned that this would happen though, so I've been expecting it. And I try to keep it in perspective by reminding myself how wonderful the first 8 months of my pregnancy were. I can't believe that the boy is due in only 30 days! Hopefully I'll manage to get some sleep between now and then -- because I know it's going to be hard to come by afterwards.]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=mothers-day-and-erics-birthday Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=the-hunger-finally-subsides I've really been enjoying my prenatal yoga class, and I must say, I've found it to be the most challenging of all of the prenatal fitness classes I've taken. That may be due, in part, to the fact that it's a longer class or that I'm just bigger now than I was in the other classes, but so far, I've gone to two different classes with two different instructors, and they've both been really intense -- in a good way. It does occasionally cross over into Crazy Hippy Land (picture chanting, singing and partner poses -- seriously), but I really like the stretching and breathing techniques, and they've been great about explaining the benefits and the reason for doing each pose.
I had another appointment with Dr. Glander on Wednesday, and everything is still looking good. The boy is still head down, and she showed me where his little butt is and how he's positioned himself. Now when he sticks his butt out, I like to gently grab it and shake it a little -- I figure it's never too soon to encourage a little rhythm, right? Dr. Glander went ahead and had me schedule one more ultrasound for 3 weeks from now because she still thinks there a remote possibility that our little guy might not be so little. She looked at his measurements over the last 8 months and guesstimated that he will likely be around 8 lbs -- and possibly some change. I told her that I felt okay about 8 lbs (and possibly even some change), and she agreed that she thought I should be able to handle that. Then she asked me my shoe size, which thoroughly confused me. I mean, are we talking about my baby or my shoes here? I told her I wear a 7 1/2, and she explained that shoe size somehow correlates to pelvis size. Weird, I know. Anyway, she said if I was a size 5, we'd probably be looking at a c-section, but because I'm a 7 1/2, I have a much better chance of delivering naturally. I asked if a bigger baby might mean an early baby (and I crossed my fingers as I awaited her answer), and she said that in a perfect world, yes, my body would realize that the baby is done cooking and is plenty big and that it would start contractions. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. She also said that she hesitates to induce labor based solely on the possibility of a big baby because even if they induce me, my cervix just might not be ready, and that would greatly increase the need for a c-section. So anyway, it looks like everything should be fine, but we'll have the ultrasound in 3 weeks to make sure everything is still looking that way -- and we're pretty psyched that we'll get to see our little guy one more time!
I'm still feeling really good and am trucking along. So far, still no swelling or stretch marks, but I am definitely feeling BIG these days. I think I'm finally hitting the slightly-smaller-appetite stage because my stomach has less room now. Don't get me wrong -- I could still probably out eat each and every one of you, but I'm not nearly as ravenous as I was a month ago. I've been hearing about this stage for a while now, and I was beginning to worry that I might not ever reach it.
We have a wedding to go to this weekend (here in Atlanta, thank goodness), and we're really looking forward to it! Devon and Jonathan are the first -- and only -- couple that I've ever "set up" -- and they really are perfect together. This one successful match has often tempted me to try again with other friends, but I think Eric has convinced me to stick with my winning record of one for one. I'm hoping that I can wear my little strapless maternity dress this one last time. I'm pretty sure that if I'm able to make it to Alex and Stephanie's wedding on June 7, there's a good chance I'll just get a tablecloth and a stapler and, in the words of Tim Gunn, try to "make it work."
My firm's summer program starts on Monday, which means I'm going to be crazy busy from now until the time I go out on leave. In a way, this is good, because I know time will fly. But in a way, I really wish things could just start winding down right about now. My energy level is about the size of my bladder these days. ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=the-hunger-finally-subsides Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=eric-builds-the-boy-a-new-closet We were able to get a lot done over the weekend -- the most exciting of which was re-doing the boy's closet. Since when is re-doing a closet that exciting, you ask? Well, ever since these extra hormones starting raging through my system, that's when. We were both expecting it to be a real pain in the hoo-hah, and Eric was (understandably) dreading it a bit. But it actually only took about 30 minutes to design it at the Container Store (I love that place, by the way) and about an hour or so to put it all together. And the result? Sweet, sweet organization. I'll attach before and after pictures (which do not begin to do it justice). I even have empty space in there now ... which terrifies Eric because he thinks I'm going to go shopping immediately to fill it (which I will neither confirm nor deny).
Despite some ligament pain in my lower abdomen, my insomnia seems to be gone for the time being, and I've been sleeping pretty well this week. This is quite a contrast from last week, when I woke up at 3:34 one morning and had the following conversation with Eric (who, unfortunately, is a VERY light sleeper and can apparently "sense" when I'm awake):
Him: You okay?
Me: Yeah. But who is Bobby Abreu?
Him: Are you kidding me?
Me: No. Do you know who he is? His name keeps popping up in my dreams.
Him: Um, he's the starting right fielder for the Yankees.
Me: Are you kidding me?
Him: (laughing) Nope.
Me: *expletive*
I mean, a dream about the Yankees? That's just annoying ... except I'm pretty sure Eric loves me more than ever now. ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=eric-builds-the-boy-a-new-closet Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=8-is-great So, I'm officially 8 months along. Holy cow. I remember thinking this time was going to drag, but it really has flown by! As I embark upon my ninth month of pregnancy, I seem to also be embarking upon a new adventure commonly known as "third trimester insomnia." And yes, it's as awesome as it sounds.
Aside from the insomnia issue, I still feel great. I'm obviously getting bigger and, therefore, slowing down a little, but overall, I'm feeling really good. I haven't experienced any swelling in my legs/ankles/feet yet, and so far, I don't have any stretch marks (I AM KNOCKING ON WOOD SO HARD RIGHT NOW). I did just decide to stop wearing my wedding ring because it was starting to get a little tight on my finger. My engagement ring still fits fine though. So now I look like the girl whose boyfriend knocked her up and then decided he should make an honest woman out of her. And that's kinda fun. :)
Now that the weather is nice (and by nice, I mean GORGEOUS), Eric and I have been taking Lucy for a lot of walks around the neighborhood. After a long day of sitting at work, it feels so good to get out and about. I finished my preggo pilates class and have started a preggo water aerobics class and a preggo yoga class. Lauren (the girl from our childbirth class who lives near us and is having twins) is going to take the yoga class with me. I've heard that yoga is a really good idea for women who want to try to go natural. I guess we'll see. The water aerobics class is great -- it's so nice and easy on my joints -- though I must admit, it's also pretty funny. During the first class, I couldn't stop picturing us as the hippos doing ballet in Fantasia. We are so NOT graceful.
We had a doctor's appointment this morning, and everything is still looking great. The boy is active and his heartbeat is good, and my measurements, blood pressure and weight are all right where they should be. Dr. Glander said she wanted to stamp me with a "perfect pregnancy" stamp. I know it's silly, but it's nice to hear. She also said that the boy is already head down! Don't worry -- this does not mean that I'm having a baby (yet). As babies get bigger, it's obviously harder for them to change positions. So the hope is that they'll get into position early (around 32 weeks or so) and then stay that way until it's time to come out (rather than turning and becoming breech, which would mean a cesarean would be necessary). I also told Dr. Glander that I want to try to deliver naturally. She joked around with me a little but ultimately seemed supportive. She said that contractions are oftentimes easier for women who have a history of bad menstrual cramps. So Mom -- I can't believe I'm saying this, but those bad genes of yours might actually pay off in the end. If so, and I make it through this whole thing without drugs, I promise that I'll forgive you for the last 15 years of monthly pain. (Also, thanks for guilt-trip gene.)
Speaking of Mom, my parents are coming to visit this weekend, and I'm so excited to see them! I know we'll get A LOT of last-minute preparations taken care of. My dad is very handy and always eager to help, and my mom does NOT mess around when it comes to to-do lists. We've got some fun stuff going on too though. Ted and Sophie both have soccer games on Saturday, and we're also planning to hit up the Inman Park Festival. I have a feeling it's going to be really weird when they leave on Monday. I mean, the next time I see them, I'm going to be having a baby. Sheesh!]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=8-is-great Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=this-kid-is-already-turning-my-hair-gray Woman (who I BARELY know): Whoa! You're about to pop, aren't you?!?
Me: Noooo. Actually, I have almost 2 months to go.
Woman: What?!? Are you having twins?!?
Me: Noooo. Just one.
Woman: Are you sure?!?
Me: Ummm, pretty sure, yep.
Woman: Well, that's one BIG one then! Whew! (laughing as she walks away)
And then I quit. Okay, not really. But that would be an excellent story, wouldn't it?
To make matters worse, later that evening, I found 2 gray hairs. I handed Eric the tweezers, bowed my head and told him not to stop until he removed them -- and however many of their evil little friends were lurking nearby -- from my head. Thankfully, he only found the two. It's not that I mind getting older -- or even mind, in theory at least, my hair graying. It's the need for actual "upkeep" that kills me. I've never put anything in my hair other than cheap, temporary, 8-shampoos-and-it's-gone hair dye (in the most hideous colors you can imagine) -- once in junior high, once in high school and once in college. The thought of having to actually "have my hair done" by a professional every 3 months (or however often one goes) terrifies me. I'm the laziest person I know when it comes to that sort of thing. And the timing really could not be worse. I mean, my life is about to get significantly more hectic. And so for now, I've decided that I'll just live in denial. So if you notice any gray, wiry hairs sticking straight up from my part-line, please don't tell me.
And if you think I look HUGE and that the doctors are all idiots and that I'm actually carrying twins (or maybe even triplets!), please don't tell me that either.
Thanks. ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=this-kid-is-already-turning-my-hair-gray Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=natural-childbirth-and-cupcakes On Saturday, Eric and I had our all-day Childbirth Prep class at Northside (the hospital where we're delivering). There were a few clips from actual childbirths that, as you can imagine, we could've done without. Overall, though, it was a really great class. We talked about the signs and stages of labor, all of the different possible medical interventions and a lot of different pain management techniques. I was worried that the class might scare me into changing my mind about wanting to try to deliver naturally, but it actually had the opposite effect. I left with more confidence and an even stronger desire to give it a shot (no pun intended). A lot of our friends and family tell me I'm crazy, and I've decided that I'm okay with that. I know it's going to hurt. And I know that I have no idea just how much it's going to hurt. It's not that I'm AGAINST having an epidural at all (if I decide I want one, believe me -- I'll have one), but I can't imagine not at least TRYING to do it naturally. I have many reasons for wanting this (as, I'm sure, every woman has for whatever birth plan she decides to go with), but I won't bore you with the list. Throughout the decision process, Eric has been extremely supportive. The nurse who taught our class told us that husbands have a really hard time seeing their wives in that much pain, but I think Eric's even more nervous about the fact that I won't be allowed to eat anything once I'm admitted to the hospital. All that matters, though, is that at the end of the day, we're going to have a little wrinkled, oddly-shaped boy to call our own. And cupcakes! And margaritas!
We met another young couple in our class who live about a mile away from us, and they seemed really cool. She's due a little after me, but they're having twins, so we'll likely end up delivering around the same time. We exchanged email addresses and talked about meeting at the neighborhood park while we're on maternity leave. The highlight of our day, though, was our lunch break (surprise, surprise). Our friends Eden and Itai (who had a sweet baby girl in November) told us about a New York deli near the hospital. Having lived in NYC for a few years, they swore that the deli was legit, and we were eager to try it out. Eric has been complaining about the lack of a decent deli in Atlanta for as long as I've known him, and now he's finally found a place to take care of his (and my) egg sandwich cravings. The carrot cake wasn't bad either.
On Sunday, I used the prenatal massage that Eric had given me for Valentine's Day, and it was AWESOME. I'm hoping to squeeze in one more before this whole pregnancy thing is over. We also got a lot done over the weekend, and I was able to cross a lot of items off of our list(s). Yay! We had our entire alarm system redone and bought a new printer/ scanner/faxer/copier for our office so that we can both do some work from home and so that Eric will have fewer late nights at the office. This way, he can come home at a decent time and get some good diaper-changing and baby-burping sessions in before finishing up with work. I mean, isn't that every man's dream?
Tomorrow we're hoping to leave work a little early to hit the road for the 7-hour drive to Orlando (which will probably be more like 8+ hours with stops). We're so excited about our friends Andrea and Chris getting married -- and almost as excited about enjoying a little pool time on Saturday. It's supposed to be 85 degrees and sunny. Let's hope the cute little dress I bought (okay, so it's not exactly "little") still fits after all of those cupcakes….]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=natural-childbirth-and-cupcakes Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=warning-extreme-sappiness-ahead We had a wonderful time in New York over the weekend. On Friday night we stayed with our friends Marc and Brett and finally got to meet the adorable 2 1/2-month-old Kyle, who was in a surprisingly good mood after having received his shots that day. On Saturday, the boy's Grandmere (Eric's mom) hosted a baby shower for us, and we were able to see a lot of our friends and family members. I only wish we had had more time to spend with everyone. The boy got so many wonderful gifts -- I can't believe how lucky we are to have friends and family like ours. While the traveling situation could've been much worse, I'm definitely glad that that was my last flight for a while. We only have one more trip coming up for our friends' wedding in Orlando, but we're driving for that one. I know it's going to be a long trip, but at least we'll be able to stop and stretch, eat what/when we want and use normal-sized restrooms.
We had our final ultrasound on Tuesday, and everything looks wonderful. The boy scored 8 points out of 8 (2 points each for general movement, reflexes, growth/size and amount of amniotic fluid). He's currently weighing in at 3 lbs. 12 oz., which is about a week ahead of where he should be, but not so big that we should be alarmed. Whew! The nurse commented on how active he is. He was doing what Eric calls his "rock 'em, sock 'em" moves (which is basically just punching me and kicking me all over), and whaddayaknow -- we could see in the ultrasound that he actually had his arms raised up by his head like he was training to be the next Evander Holyfield.
When Dr. Stone came in, he said that the boy looks "wonderful" and "perfectly healthy." I can't begin to explain how much relief those words brought me. It's not like I've been worried at all, but everything in this whole process feels like such an unknown. I mean, the last time we had an ultrasound and actually got to see the boy was 3 months ago. Anything can happen in 3 months -- and there's nothing, aside from being as healthy as possible, that I can do. It's just a lot of hoping and assuming that everything will be fine. So when you finally get assurance that everything is, in fact, fine, it feels like a really, really big thing. Every time we have an ultrasound and get the "all good" report, I end up a little hormotional (I'm still using your word, Rach). I just feel so incredibly lucky.
And speaking of incredibly lucky, have I mentioned lately that I have the best husband in the world? I'm sure those of you who know Eric well will agree with me -- unless, of course, you have husbands of your own, in which case you probably think that YOU have the best husband in the world. And while I would agree that all of our friends are/have wonderful husbands, I personally think that Eric takes the cake. He's been taking care of me in a way that is not at all annoying or suffocating. He constantly encourages me and makes me laugh and tells me that I'm beautiful (despite these extra 20 - 25 lbs. I'm lugging around these days) and that I'm doing an amazing job, and that one day the boy will realize what an amazing mama he has. And he says that if the boy takes after me, and it takes him a little longer to realize what an amazing mama he has, that he'll be there to tell him and to show him and to make him see it.
One lovely side effect of this weight gain is that about once a week or so, I wake up screaming in the middle of the night with horrible leg cramps. At first, this really scared Eric, but I think he's gotten used to it. Yesterday, around 5 a.m. or so, I woke up with a string of expletives pouring from my mouth. In about half a second, Eric had kicked off the covers and was down by my feet, massaging my calves as carefully as he could. He managed to work the cramp out, only to have a second one kick in about a minute later. And again, he was down there massaging and assuring me that it would be over soon. And he calmed me -- because that's what he does. I remember thinking that, while a couple of leg cramps can't really compare to labor and delivery, I am so lucky to have this person next to me to calm me and coach me through it all -- through the leg cramps, through the labor and the delivery of our son, through life -- all of it. I just can't believe how lucky I am.
And on that sappy note, I'm going to sign off. I'll update sometime next week and will try not to be such a girl next time. :) ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=warning-extreme-sappiness-ahead Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=success Adding to my general discomfort yesterday, I also started experiencing some pain in the lower left-hand side of my abdomen. I'm not sure if it's just more of the ligament stretching or if the boy has decided that that's his new hang out. I initially thought it was just ligament pain, but at one point I dug my fingers in where it was hurting, and the boy immediately reacted by kicking on the other side of my stomach. I felt a brief bit of relief, but when I moved my fingers away, the pain came back. I dug my fingers in again, and again, the boy reacted. So maybe his head is pressing on something down there? I really don't know. All I know is it hurts. Eric had a little chat with the boy this morning, but so far, it doesn’t seem to have done any good. He's obviously already ignoring his parents' instructions. I don't know where he gets that.
Speaking of the boy, he should be somewhere around 15 inches long and 3 lbs by now. When I hold my hands up 15 inches apart, it makes me feel much better about the size of my belly. I mean, 15 inches is not exactly small. I'm guessing he's probably kind of folded up and beginning to get a little uncomfortable in there. But despite the fact that this is only going to get harder on both of us, he needs to hold on for at least another 8 weeks. Then I'll technically be full-term, and at that point, he should feel free to come on out whenever he likes. And by "whenever he likes," I mean AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Eric's mom is hosting a baby shower for us in New York this weekend, and we're really excited to see all of our friends and family up there. I'm also excited that this will be my last time to fly while pregnant. Expecting mothers were obviously not taken into account when airplane restrooms were designed. First of all -- let's be honest -- I barely fit in there. Secondly, if the plane so much as hits a pocket of air (which, inevitably, it does each time I'm in the restroom), I go flying into the door. I mean, I was accident prone before (Eric says "clumsy" -- I say "accident prone"), but this whole change in my center of gravity makes flying downright dangerous. Forget about terrorism and plane crashes. I'm lucky if I survive a trip to the ladies room.
We have another ultrasound with Dr. Stone next Tuesday, and we can't wait to see our little guy again! Dr. Stone is planning to take all of his measurements and estimate what size he thinks he'll be once I'm full-term. I'm praying for 9 lbs or less. I think my OB will want to induce if he's much bigger than that, and I'd really like to avoid induction, if possible. I'll update after our appointment and will post pictures from the NY shower and the ultrasound. Have a great rest-of-the-week and weekend! ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=success Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=the-third-trimester I had my glucose screening this morning, and I FAILED it! Boooooooooo. My doctor assured me that it's not uncommon to fail the initial screening and that only 1/3 of women who fail it actually end up having gestational diabetes. Not knowing whether she was telling the truth or just trying to make me feel better, I got on the internet as soon as I got into work. Thankfully, she was telling the truth. I have to go back in next Tuesday for the actual glucose test, which includes drinking more of the disgusting sugary sweet orange stuff and then having blood taken three times over the course of three hours. Sounds fun, doesn't it? I mean, who doesn't enjoy spending 3+ hours at the doctor's office? Aside from the stupid glucose screening, though, everything is still looking great. When the nurse went to check the boy's heartbeat, he started wiggling around and kept trying to hide from her. I think he knew that we got stuck with the ONLY nurse that I don't like, and he was giving her a hard time on my behalf. Okay, probably not. But maybe.
On a brighter note, we've made serious progress on the nursery! Eric finished working on the crib, and it looks great! We still have some stuff to put away, some pictures and curtains to hang and that sort of thing, but it's definitely starting to come together. I'll attach some photos.
We've been doing some other work around the house, too, though none of it is quite as exciting as the boy's room. I think knowing that this baby is coming soon-ish and that realistically, we will not be focused on the house again for a while, has kicked us into gear a bit. We got a new dining room set, had the backsplash re-done in the kitchen, gave the living room a spring/summer make-over (yes, I'm a dork) and have been organizing our closets, garage and storage room above the garage. Our neighborhood is having a yard sale this spring, and I'm hoping we'll be able to get rid of a lot of the junk we've accumulated over the years. I mean, do I really need incense that I bought my freshman year in college? For that matter, do I really need incense at all? Yes, Mom, I really did just say that. And you have it in writing. You win.
We had a great time spending Easter with my sister's family last weekend. In the past, we've worried a little about Sophie (4) keeping up with Ted (5 1/2) during the Easter egg hunt, but she had no trouble at all this year. It probably helped that Ted avoided every single pink and purple egg like they were hand grenades. I mean, what boy in his right mind would touch plastic eggs in GIRL colors? Gross! After they had found all of the eggs and were sufficiently strung out on sugar, we went to church, where Sophie got bored and decided to entertain herself by whispering to her little cousin in my belly. This is all I could make out: "Hi. This is Sophie. I can't wait to meet you and play with you. I love you." She's such a little sweetie. We're so lucky that the boy will be close to his older cousins.
Well, I think that covers everything for now. I'll write again after my glucose test next Tuesday. Please keep your fingers crossed for me! I will be very, very sad if they tell me my love affair with maple syrup is over….]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=the-third-trimester Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=el-tornado So yeah, he's apparently able to hear now -- though obviously, sounds are a bit muffled to him. When my alarm clock goes off in the mornings, he immediately starts kicking. So much for my old snooze routine. He might actually hate the mornings as much as his daddy does. At least Eric doesn't kick me though -- not usually anyway.
For me, one of the hardest things about being pregnant has been not being able to go to concerts. I could probably go to a venue if it was large and open enough, but most of the bands I like play at small, loud, smoky bars. We're going to see Chris Rock at the Fox this weekend -- it's not exactly a concert, but it should be a lot of fun. I wonder what the boy will think about that. Let's hope he can't make out all of the expletives.
The nursery is really starting to come along. Eric has been working dutifully on the crib, and I've been working on organizing and cleaning and that sort of thing. I also painted a few pictures for the boy's room. Scary thought, huh? I actually think they turned out pretty cute. Once we have the crib finished and set up, I'll take some pictures and post them. I just love being in his room -- it already has such a sweet presence about it. That might have something to do with the fact that it's the one room in our house that doesn't smell like dog or cat.
We had a meeting with the boy's pediatrician yesterday. And yes, I know exactly how crazy that sounds. No, we don't have a baby yet. Yes, we did have an appointment with a pediatrician. Stay with me here. Apparently, their practice likes to meet with new patient's families and just explain how everything works and to see if there are any questions. We already knew we wanted to go with this particular practice (we're lucky to have my sister nearby who is full of good recommendations), but we still learned a lot and appreciated seeing the place and meeting some of the people there. So now I can check that off of List #4 entitled "Things to do Before Baby." You think I'm kidding. Sadly, I am not.
On our way home from the pediatrician's office, we passed by a Sam's Club and decided to stop in and open a membership. We figured that, with the amount of diapers, wipes, etc. we'll be going through (not to mention the amount of Vitamin Water and cereal we already go through), we will more than pay for the small annual membership fee. I think we could've spent hours in there, but after about 20 minutes, the hunger pains hit and we got out of there stat. Disaster was narrowly avoided.
Next Thursday I have my glucose screening to test for gestational diabetes. Basically, I have to drink some super sweet juice and then have blood work done to see how efficiently my body processes sugar. So unless I'm in a sugar coma, I'll plan to update afterwards. I hope you all have a great weekend! Happy Easter!]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=el-tornado Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=baby-shower-numero-uno Because my parents were sending us back with some large items (including an adorable toychest that they made for the boy), we decided to rent a minivan (yes, a minivan) and drive back home from Texas to Atlanta. Jealous? Don't be. In all honesty, we had a good time. We stopped for a night in New Orleans, had a couple of guilt-inducing meals there and were able to do some exploring before loading up and heading out again. And surprisingly, we only had to make one emergency stop for me. It started out as an emergency restroom break, but when I spotted the Blue Bell sign from across the parking lot, it quickly became an ice cream emergency as well. Eric thinks I sniffed it out from the highway and faked having to use the restroom altogether. Honestly, the worst part of the whole trip was the radio station situation in eastern Mississippi and Alabama. We didn't have any CDs with us either, so we had to suffer through some pretty bad music. I was able to take a couple of short naps to escape it. Poor Eric was not as lucky.
Once we got back home and unloaded the car, Eric went to pick Lucy up from Barkinghound Village while I organized and put things away in the boy's room. And OH MY GOD did I have a good time. If only I could turn nesting into a job … I would be the happiest, richest, most motivated lady EVER. I honesty spent close to two hours in there, just looking at his stuff and deciding where I wanted it to go. Is that sad? Maybe a little. But I really don't care.
I'm still feeling great 99% of the time. Last night was a little rough though. My stomach just felt so HEAVY. It was a long day, and I'm sure being on my feet a lot and wearing high heels didn't help the situation. Needless to say, I'm in flats today. I've decided to drop in on a yoga/toning class tonight and am really looking forward to some exercise and stretching. I think that will help. The oatmeal raison cookie I just ate helped a little, too.
I'm sure I'll update within the next week or two -- as soon as there's something to report … or even if there's not. :)]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=baby-shower-numero-uno Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=while-the-cat-is-away-the-mouse-will-snoogle While in DC, I got to see my Sarita Conchita and spend some time with her, her adorable boyfriend and her lovely and entertaining friends over a couple of meals -- one of which was delicious brick-oven pizza. Yum. It was at this meal that Sarah's friend Vic (who is approximately 6'3" and 250 lbs) offered to share his pizza with me once he noticed I had finished my own. Now that's just embarrassing. I got to stay at the fancy schmancy Willard hotel, where I took full advantage of the bath tub, the hot tea, the king-sized bed and the four (yes, four!) body-length pillows. I was even able to fashion something that resembled a Snoogle (sort of).
In addition to the serious nesting I have going on (I'll save those details for another day), I've also become a bit of a crazy list-maker. Now, I've always enjoyed a good list, and I'm sure keeping lists is a particularly good idea now (what with the preg-a-nan-cy brain and all), but it's getting a little ridiculous. I currently have somewhere between 10 and 15 working lists, ranging from "things to do before baby comes" to "people to call when baby comes" to "things to pack for the hospital." Like I said, I'm crazy. Anyway, they're definitely working and keeping me on top of things that I know I would otherwise forget. This week, I signed us up for our childbirth preparation class at the hospital, got the boy signed up with his pediatrician and filled out and sent in our hospital pre-admission forms. It's all beginning to feel very real -- and very big.
I attended my first pregnancy pilates class last night, and I really liked it. Some parts were a little tougher than my last class -- it doesn't help that I have to make a few modifications to deal with my diastasis (ab separation) problem. I also kind of miss the girls from my last class -- they were a lot of fun. This was my first night with the new girls, though, so I'm sure I'll like them more as I get to know them better. After my class, I went over to my sister's house to sift through piles and piles of baby clothes. Every year, she's a volunteer for this HUUUUGE sale of baby/kids stuff at Ted and Sophie's (my nephew and niece's) school, and volunteers get to go through the goodies a day before everyone else. Anyway, she got the boy A TON of clothes -- we're talking something like 30 or 40 outfits. They're all SO cute, and some of them have never even been worn. I don't know if she was just being nice or if she wants to make sure her nephew doesn't grow up wearing tie-dye and concert t-shirts, but either way, we'll take it! Thanks Joanna!
My doctor's appointment was this morning, and things are still looking good. My blood pressure is still low, my weight is still good and the boy is still a little jumping bean (so much so that he's woken me up the last two nights). His heartbeat was in the 130's when he was resting, the 140's when he kicked me and the 150's when he launched an all-out assault on my insides. It was pretty funny. The nurse said it was good that his heart rate was able to increase and decrease so rapidly. I mentioned that I had some pain in my lower abdomen yesterday, which prompted a series of what seemed like 900 questions from my doctor. She wanted to make sure that I'm not at risk for pre-term labor, and my answers apparently satisfied her. It was a scary couple of minutes though. She also said that, since the boy is measuring a little big (have I mentioned that yet? If not, it's because I'm totally scared of what that means for "the big day" and have been living in denial...), her preference would be to induce labor once I hit my due date. Depending on how much bigger he gets, she may even want to do it sooner (once he's full-term, of course). I definitely appreciate this manner of thinking. However, as I was driving into work, it made me a little sad to think that I might not experience the whole oh-my-God-I-think-I'm-having-a-baby thing. But I think I'll get over that. There's always next time.
Okay, did I seriously just say "next time"??
I am SO excited about this weekend. Three of my best friends from high school are throwing me a baby shower in good ol' Brenham, Texas. I can't wait to see everyone! And of course, I'm looking forward to having some Mexican food and barbecue (though it won't be quite the same without the margarita and Shiner Bock accompaniments). In my group of high school girlfriends, I am one of five who is having a baby in June. Yes, you read that correctly. One of five. At our next reunion, there will be 3 little girls and 2 little boys all born within weeks of each other. How crazy is that? Anyway, I hope to have lots of stories and pictures to share when I get back. Have a great weekend! ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=while-the-cat-is-away-the-mouse-will-snoogle Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=baby-instructions I head to DC tomorrow for my conference, and I'm tempted to set up a hidden camera to catch Eric using my Snoogle while I'm gone. I'm convinced he waits for me to get up on the weekends and then pulls it to his side of the bed and snoogles away while I'm downstairs making oatmeal. If only I could prove it...
I have a doctors appointment next Thursday, so I probably won't write until then. I will, however, leave you with these hilarious baby instructions. I think I'll print them out and hang them around our house -- ya know, just in case we get momentarily confused and try to feed the boy a chicken leg.]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=baby-instructions Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=preg-a-nan-cy-braaaaaiiiiin About a week and a half ago, I felt the boy kick from the outside for the first time. I've been able to feel him on the inside for a while now, but as I was sitting on the couch watching a TIVO'd episode of Project Runway with my hands on my stomach, I felt him kick. I'm assuming this means he loves Tim Gunn as much as his mommy does (I mean, who doesn't love that voice?!?). I wanted to surprise Eric so I didn't tell him. After dinner that night, we were back on the couch, and I felt him kicking again. I grabbed Eric's hand and put it on my tummy, and the boy kicked right away for him. I will never forget the look on Eric's face. It was seriously the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life. And since then, this boy has started a serious exercise routine. I'm not sure what he's doing in there, but it's some crazy stuff. Eric thinks he's playing soccer (with what, I don't know). I think it feels more like jazzercize.
We had a wonderful, low-key Valentine's Day. We went to dinner at our favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant near our old townhouse, and the enchiladas were even better than I remembered. Maybe the difference is, without their insanely strong margaritas, I was actually able to remember how good they were afterwards. Anyway, I think the boy is officially a fan of Mexican food (thank God). He went crazy after dinner, which led to my new nickname for him -- my little jumping bean. Eric gave me a gift card for a prenatal massage and scalp massage from Natural Body, which is my favorite spa and is conveniently (dangerously?) located just down the street from us. This thoughtful gift led me to two conclusions: 1) he DOES listen to me sometimes! and 2) he's tired of being my in-house masseuse. I can take a hint.
The boy's Nanny and Pop (my parents) were here for the weekend and as usual, they kicked us into gear. I can't believe how much we got done and how much fun we had doing it. We shopped and decorated and shopped and decorated, and his nursery is starting to look so cute! Once we get a little further along, I'll take some pictures and post them here.
This weekend we're heading up to New York to meet the adorable Baby Kyle (and to see his just-slightly-less-adorable parents, Marc and Brett). Marc grew up with Eric and is one of his closest friends (you may remember him as the Best Man at our wedding). We're so excited to be having a little boy so close in age to theirs. It will definitely make for fun (and loud and crazy) Grossman-Newman-Berardi vacations in the future (hopefully including lots of port wine).
I'm still feeling really great and am mostly just craving fruit and peanut butter. Last night was my last prenatal yoga/toning/cardio class. Next week I'm supposed to start my pregnancy pilates class, but I just found out I'm being sent to DC to attend a pro bono conference for work, so I won't start the class until the following week. I'll report back whenever there's something to report back on (not that any of these posts have been all that news-worthy -- sorry about that). I hope you all have a great weekend! ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=preg-a-nan-cy-braaaaaiiiiin Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=babymooning
We spent the vast majority of our time in PR just relaxing on the beach and at the pool. We did spend a day hiking in El Yunque Rainforest and then hit up another beach near there. There were about 40 different food stands along the beach, and upon a recommendation, we decided to stop for lunch at #2. I think we were equal parts nervous and excited. We each ordered a daily special -- mine was a pineapple cut in half and stuffed with shrimp, rice, curry, pineapple and other fruits, and Eric ordered the bacon-wrapped mahi-mahi. I can honestly say that that may have been the best meal of my life. Seriously -- it was that good. Eric was also quite happy with his choice, though he didn't talk about it in bed that night or every single hour for the rest of our trip.

We also spent about a day and half exploring the beautiful, historic town of Old San Juan. This has always been our favorite thing to do together -- to explore a new city by just wandering around, eating, drinking, shopping and taking pictures. The only issue we had was a very close call when we couldn't find a public restroom to save our lives. I really need to remind myself that I can't hold it like I used to -- and I know it's only going to get worse as this boy gets bigger. After walking a few blocks, we finally spotted a Wendy's. Now this was not just any Wendy's -- this was quite possibly the largest Wendy's in the world and it was FULL of kids who were out on a field trip. We passed no less than 50 kids swinging yo-yos around (Eric got hit with one in the stomach -- he's going to have to work on those reflexes), and we finally made our way to the back of the building only to find that the restrooms cost 75 cents. Did we have 75 cents? You guessed it. No. And the food line went out the door, so waiting to get change was not an option. Eric noticed I was getting a little panicky (perhaps it was the tears in my eyes or the death grip I had on his arm), and we got out of there fast. We made it another block or so before finding a nice woman working at the capital who let me sneak in and use the restroom there. If I hadn't been in such a hurry, I would have kissed her.
My doctors appointment yesterday went pretty well. The boy is still doing great, which is obviously the most important thing. I, on the other hand, seem to have developed a little issue called Diastasis Recti, the seperation of the abdominal muscles. It's nothing to worry about, medically, but if it doesn't eventually correct itself, it could lead to a weird lump in my tummy and back trouble later on. Since there's absolutely nothing I can do about it while I'm pregnant, I'm trying (pretty unsuccessfully so far) not to let myself worry about it for now.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it or not, but the increase in hormones has made me a bit emotional. Okay, stop laughing. They've made me a bit more emotional than usual. Right now you're probably thinking that Eric is, indeed, an actual saint. Well, yes, he is -- but luckily, it's not really directed toward him, and it's not usually for any good reason. Allow me to share two examples with you. First -- I am driving in my car on the way home from work when I see a dog walking alone on the sidewalk. Now normally, I would stop, check to see if the dog had a collar and then call its owner -- and initially, I reacted no differently and started looking for a spot to pull over. But then I had a second thought -- I have actually been snapped at by a stray dog before, and I now have to think not only of myself, but of this little joey in my pouch. Obviously, the last thing I need is rabies or some other weird disease. I actually imagined myself calling Eric and having to tell him that I got attacked by a stray dog and was on my way to the emergency room. He would not be happy. And so I did what I thought was most responsible -- I kept driving. And I immediately broke down in tears. In fact, I cried all the way home. I felt so bad. I'm getting a little teary just writing about it, and so I'll go on to my next example…. Again, I was in my car, driving home from work (perhaps this pattern suggests that I should quit my job?). I usually check the local radio stations and then end up listening to a CD. For some reason, though, I stopped on Star 94 (Atlanta's cheezy pop station) when I heard the theme song for The Hills. Don't lie -- you know the one -- "feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in…" Now, let me just say that I don't even watch The Hills (not that I've never watched it or that I have anything against it), and I really do not care for that song. But for some reason, I stopped to listen to it, and it actually brought tears to my eyes. I wish I could tell you that I had had a bad day -- that I got fired or that I found out that Wilco broke up or something else equally traumatic -- but I have nothing. I was in a good mood, the sun was shining, and there I was -- crying and singing along with Natasha Whatever-Her-Last-Name-Is. What can I say? It was definitely a low point.

Well that's my news for now. I'm attaching a few pictures from Puerto Rico. I hope you're all doing well!]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=babymooning Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=halfway Eric's mom (a.k.a. "Grandmere") came to visit us last weekend, and she brought the snow with her from New York! Eric usually makes fun of me for what I consider "snow," but this time there was no debate. The snow stuck all weekend, and we had a great time playing in it -- especially Lucy. While she was here, Eric's mom taught me how to make some REAL Italian food -- I think she wants to make sure her grandson doesn't grow up thinking Ragu is the real deal. I learned Eric's Great-Grandmother Rosa's recipes for marinara sauce, meatballs and manicotti. Eric's mom just goes by memory, but I (actually, Eric acted as scribe) had to take detailed notes. What can I say -- I'm a beginner.
We've started considering our daycare/nanny options, which has been more stressful than I imagined. I plan to take off for 3 months after the little guy arrives, and I'm hoping I'll be able to work out a part-time schedule after that. Not long ago, Eric's firm partnered with another local law firm to create a daycare center for their employees. We checked it out and were really impressed with what we saw. The best thing about it is that it's located only 2 blocks from my office and 4 blocks from Eric's, and parents are encouraged to stop by whenever they like. So we could meet and go have lunch with the little guy. And if I needed to get to him quickly, I could be there in less than 5 minutes. The other option we're considering is sharing a nanny with my sister's family and another family we know. They already use her, and we really like her, but right now, the daycare option is in the lead. I feel lucky to have these two options -- many of our friends are on waitlists that are estimated to be 12 - 18 months long!
So, I thought I'd have a little more time before having to deal with it, but the belly-touching from strangers has already begun. I don't mind at all when it's our friends and family, but when someone we've never even spoken to walks up and grabs my belly, I must say -- it freaks me out a bit. I'm not sure if it's something I'll get used to or not. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's something I WANT to get used to.
The only thing worse than the belly-touching is the unsolicited advice. Now don't get me wrong -- we're lucky to have family and friends who have traveled these roads before us, and they've been great about offering advice when it's asked of them. But please tell me why a complete stranger feels comfortable telling me that I shouldn't be drinking coffee as I'm filling up my ONE CUP for the day? And why do I feel the need to justify myself? I hear myself saying, "Actually, my doctor said that one or two cups a day is absolutely fine -- especially after the first trimester" when what I want to say is, "I'm sorry -- do I know you?" I can't explain how insulting it is that someone (anyone) would think I would do something to harm my baby. I won't even get into the questions I receive concerning breast-feeding -- or the judgments about my going back to work and putting our son in (gasp!) daycare. I just have to remind myself that their intentions are good ones and that they don't realize how they come across or that there may be more than one way to raise a child. Sheesh. Sorry for the venting.
Overall, I'm still feeling really great. I occasionally have minor back pain and ligament-stretching pain, but nothing too bad. My yoga class is awesome, and my instructor showed me some exercises and stretches to do when my back is hurting. I went ahead and signed up for the pilates class, too, which will start at the end of Feb. My tummy is definitely growing, but so far, everything else seems to be remaining in tact (knock on wood). My recent cravings have been sushi (the pregnant lady's version, of course), peanut butter and fruit. The kind of fruit is completely irrelevant -- bananas, cherries, melon, peaches, pears, pineapple, grapes, whatever. I prefer fresh fruit, but I've started stocking a cabinet at work with canned fruit for emergencies. Canned pears have come to my rescue on more than one occasion. And the peanut butter. Don't get me started on the peanut butter....
We leave for Puerto Rico this Friday morning, and we are SO excited to get away and relax for a little while! I even managed (with a lot of hard work) to find a couple of cute maternity bathing suits. We'll be gone over the anniversary of the day we got engaged (Feb. 4), so I'm planning to have a glass of wine to celebrate. We have another doctors appointment next Thursday, so I'll try to update soon after that.
Oh -- and feel free to leave a comment! A friend of mine said that she wanted to, but she felt dumb. Um, how do you think I feel? I have a baby blog for crying out loud. :)]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=halfway Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=snoogled My fitness class last Wednesday went really well. It was split into 20-minute segments of cardio, toning and yoga. I swear, the first 40 minutes were barely different from the Body Works class I took pre-pregnancy (though we did stop for water more often and had a bathroom break in the middle) -- I was sore for a couple of days, and it felt really good. There are 10 girls in the class, and the breakdown is as follows: 2 who don't know what they're having, 7 who are having girls -- and me. I couldn't believe it. Most of our friends who have had babies within the last few months have had girls, too. I guess our little man will have his choice of lady friends (once he's 18 and allowed to date). All of the girls in the class are at varying points in their pregnancies -- one girl in the class was due YESTERDAY. I told myself that if I had to stop to catch my breath before her, then I truly have issues (I didn't, thank goodness). Overall, I really liked the class and am really glad that I'm doing it. It's only 6 weeks long, but I think I'm going to sign up for the Pilates class once this one is over.
Everything is still going really well, and I know that I've been VERY lucky and am in no position to complain, so I hope this won't sound whiny…. At the end of last week, I started experiencing some pain in my lower abdomen. I talked with a friend of mine at work and looked up my symptoms on line, and it looks like I'm beginning to experience round ligament pain (which basically just means my ligaments are stretching). Obviously, my body had to make some changes in order to fit all of this new stuff, and the result is sharp twinges of pain when I sit down or stand up. It's not excruciating, but after an entire afternoon of it, it gets old. I experienced it over the weekend, too, but each time, I just relaxed for a few minutes and it went away.
Sleeping is also a little less enjoyable than it used to be (for those of you who don't know, sleeping is my #1 favorite pastime). I still don't have any trouble falling asleep, but I wake up sore every single morning. We went shopping on Saturday and bought the Snoogle, a c-shaped pregnancy pillow that's supposed to support your body in the places it needs supporting. And let me tell you, it's an absolute dream (no pun intended). The only bad thing is, I'm so comfortable when I'm "snoogled" that it makes it hard to get up in the mornings. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that the Snoogle has changed my life.
Eric and I have been talking a while about taking a "Babymoon" -- a couples' last vacation before having to deal with a) taking baby along or b) leaving baby with his grandparents'. Basically, it's just another excuse to take a vacation, and we were ALL OVER IT. Eric decided he wanted to surprise me and research and book our vacation (yes, this is a theme -- many of you will remember the surprise honeymoon which he accidentally gave away just 17 days before the big day). We travel SO WELL together and are always on the same page as far as what we're looking for in a vacation, so I never mind letting him run with it -- and as much as I hate secrets and surprises, I actually think it's pretty cute of him. Anyway, we knew we wanted to go somewhere in the Caribbean since it would be close, warm and relaxing (we decided against Mexico because I don't think I would survive a week in Mexico without a margarita -- or 20). Well, last week I got sick and came home early from work one day (nothing pregnancy-related), got in bed and slept, slept, slept (and this was before I got my Snoogle, so I was achy every time I woke up -- yuck). When Eric got home from work that night, I was apparently pathetic enough that he decided he should tell me where we're going on vacation so that I could have something specific to look forward to. I wholeheartedly agreed. And so he told me … we're going to Puerto Rico! I'm SO excited! The town, the hotel and the beach all look absolutely amazing -- and the best part is that we're going the first week of February, which is right about the time I am officially over winter and ready for warm weather. The one sad thing is that it looks like the New York Giants might actually have a chance of making the Super Bowl this year, and Eric will have to watch the game without his football-loving friends (this is the second time we've accidentally planned a vacation and missed our friends' Super Bowl Party -- the first time was 3 years ago when we got engaged in St. Thomas). Anyway, I'm sure after a day at the beach, he'll get over it, but I still feel a little sorry for him.
Well, I think that covers everything for now. I'm attaching the pictures from yesterday's ultrasound. This first page is mostly profile shots (he's yawning in the last one), and the second page is just various shots (including his "boyness," his soccer-player leg and some frontal views). We don't have a lot happening for the rest of the week so I'll plan to update sometime next week and/or if something news-worthy occurs. I hope you're all doing well! ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=snoogled Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=bumps-in-the-night This past weekend, we went to our friends' cabin in North Carolina with a small group of friends (including an adorable 6-month-old boy and 3 crazy doggies). It was so nice to be in the mountains and just relax with good friends (and great food). We went for a hike on Saturday, which was awesome, but I got winded every 15 minutes or so and kept having to stop to catch my breath. I'm hoping it was a combination of the pregnancy and the thinner mountain air and not just my body telling me that it's completely out of shape. Our trip to NC was fun for another reason, too -- I felt the baby move for the first time! Friday night, when Eric and I were lying in bed, I felt a tiny little flutter in my tummy. I wondered if it could be him, but I wasn't sure (it usually happens sometime between 16 - 20 weeks). Then I felt it again … and again … and again. It lasted for 10 minutes or so. I felt him when I got in bed on Saturday night, too. I guess he's going to be a nightowl like his daddy. It was so exciting to actually feel him! Eric is anxious to feel him, too, which I think should happen within another month or so.
Some of you have asked about cravings.... This is my philosophy: I eat as healthy as possible when I'm not craving anything (which is probably 90% of the time), but when I AM craving something naughty, I allow myself to indulge and don't beat myself up about it. There was a period a while back when I was craving syrup. Yes, syrup -- as in maple. I never got to the point of eating it straight (thank goodness), but I did have pancakes and/or waffles at least once a day for a week or two. This all started when Eric's mom made her delicious, fluffy pancakes for us over Thanksgiving … so I blame her. I've never had much of a sweet tooth, but I just could not get the thought of syrup out of my head. Eric worked late one night, and I woke up when he got home around 2:30 am. He actually had to talk me out of going downstairs to make myself waffles. The only other weird craving I've had since then is food with apple filling -- apple cobbler, apple turnovers, apple pastries, etc. -- but it's not nearly as severe as the syrup. Otherwise, I definitely get in the mood for something and can't get it out of my head until I have it, but I think the syrup and the apple filling have been the only repetitive cravings. I can't seem to get enough water, fruit or milk, which are all obviously good things to be craving. And I've discovered that an avocado roll and a shrimp tempura roll do the trick when I'm having a strong urge for sushi.
Tomorrow I start a fitness class through Oh Baby! Fitness -- it's a toning, cardio and yoga combo class. Yes, the name of the company is ridiculous, but I've heard great things about them, and I'm excited to start a fitness regimin other than just walking. I'm also really amused by the thought of a bunch of pregos doing the Downward Dog pose -- I just hope this dog is able to make it back up.
As promised, I'm attaching some "baby bump" photos. I'm warning you -- my senses are extremely heightened in my pregnant state, and if you laugh at these, I will be able to sense it and will never speak to you again.
We have another ultrasound next Monday, so I'll plan to update after that. I hope you're all doing well! ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=bumps-in-the-night Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=holiday-update We got a lot of wonderful baby gifts from our families for Christmas. Now we just need to get the boy's room cleaned out so that we can start putting his stuff in there. While in Texas, I met up with some college girlfriends in Austin for a couple of days. We decided to hit the outlet malls in San Marcos, and I decided that shopping for baby clothes is just as fun as shopping for regular clothes (given my growing size, it was actually even more fun). I know it's early, and I know he'll get gifts, and I know he doesn't need that much anyway -- but I just couldn't help myself. On top of outlet mall prices, we had after-Christmas-sale prices -- so I ended up with $30 outfits for $5. How could I pass that up? I couldn't. (As you can see in the picture below.)
At my nurse's suggestion, I got a flu shot just before leaving for Texas. I had to wait until I was out of the first trimester, but they wanted me to have one as early on in my second trimester as possible -- especially since it's flu season now and since we were traveling for the holidays. While talking with the nurse, the subject of alcohol came up. A few friends have tried assuring me that non-alcoholic beer is fine to have, but since it's not completely alochol-free, I still wanted to check. My nurse agreed and said that as long as I don't go on any benders, having non-alcoholic beer is absolutely fine. And so I tried my first non-alcoholic beverages over the holidays. I had St. Pauli's Girl in Houston and O'doulls in Austin. Both were fine -- not great -- but fine. At the very least, it was something other than water and juice, so it felt like a treat to me.
In addition to non-alcoholic beer, my nurse said that I could have an occasional glass of wine if I wanted to. I asked her if I should wait for the third trimester, and she said it made no difference as long as, again, I kept it in moderation. That night, Eric and I went to a wonderful steak dinner with some friends and I thought I might have a glass, but I chickened out at the last minute. I did have a sip of his red wine, though, and I think it was the best part of my entire meal (actually, it was tied with the garlic mashed potatoes). Then last night, while celebrating our niece Sophie's 4th birthday, we asked a friend who is a neonatologist what she thought about occaionally drinking alcohol while pregnant. She concurred that, in moderation, it was fine and said that beginning in her second trimester (she has three kids), she had about a glass of wine every other week. It made me feel much better to hear this from a friend who specializes in the care of high-risk newborns. Tonight, Eric is taking me to a surprise dinner and then we're celebrating New Year's Eve with some friends -- so I think I'm going to allow myself to indulge in a glass of wine!
In my last post, I mentioned the Ultra Screen test. We got our results back, and the numbers are right where they should be. The odds of our baby having Down Syndrome are 1 in 4950, and the odds of him having Trisomy 13 or 18 (another chromosomal defect) are 1 in 10,000+. Not too shabby.
Many of you have asked how I've been feeling, and I'm happy to report that I feel absolutely wonderful. Honestly, I feel better than I did before I was pregnant. I had some nausea and exhaustion in the first trimester, but I literally woke up one morning (around 12 weeks), and I suddenly felt great. Every now and then, I still get tired and need a nap, but otherwise, I feel healthier (and happier) than ever. I have also officially "popped" and am definitely showing. I can still wear my regular jeans and a lot of regular tops, but I've gone ahead and started mixing in some maternity clothes, too. The first time I put on my black maternity pants, I warned Eric that there is a very real possibility I may never go back. I feel like I'm wearing pajama pants to work. It's awesome!
I know some of you are eager to see the belly bump -- I promise to include some pictures in my next post. We have our next appointment on Friday, so I'll try to update soon after that.]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=holiday-update Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=pink-or-blue First, the nurse came in and took all of the baby's measurements. She said that everything looked great and that she had a guess as to the sex of the baby -- a boy. Eric asked her how confident she was and whether she would put money down on it. She said she was about 95% sure but that the doctor would need to confirm.
Enter the doctor. First of all, he said that I had a "beautiful exam" and that he expected our results to come back "perfect." Obviously, we were thrilled. We were able to see the baby's developing brain, the spine and his two little hands with 10 little fingers (amazing considering last time all we could see was a little blob with a heartbeat). The doctor agreed that the baby looked like a boy, but he kept saying that we shouldn't rely on this because it's very early and they make mistakes sometimes. Then, right before he finished the ultrasound, he got a better angle from underneath the baby, and … well … you can figure out what he saw. He said, "Oh, what the hell -- this is definitely a boy. If this is a girl, we have some serious issues to discuss." We'll be 150% sure at our next ultrasound appointment on January 14, but we're pretty comfortable with saying he's a boy!
Many of you know that I've had a very strong "boy" feeling from day 1. Eric, along with most of our friends and family, did too. It's so amazing to be able to call him "him" rather than "it" now -- it makes everything seem much more real and exciting! Just knowing has made me feel so much closer to him -- and to Eric, too. We're so giddy when we talk about him now. And it's been fun to think about names and nursery ideas (no, we haven't made any decisions yet, but we'll keep you posted).
The little man's grandparents and aunts and uncles are all excited, too. We couldn't wait to tell our families, so we called them on our way back from the doctor. My mom called me back an hour later to talk some more -- and she was already shopping for him. Keep in mind -- this was in the middle of the work-day. Someone's going to be spoiled rotten….
So that's our big news for now! Hope you all had a great weekend!]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=pink-or-blue Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=the-cat-rather-dog-is-out-of-the-bag
We decided to start this pregnancy/baby blog to keep our long-distance family and friends up-to-date on all of the gory details. I'm going to do my best to keep the posts about important or interesting information, but I make no promises. Have you ever heard me tell a story? I tend to ramble a bit. My college friends actually gave me a phrase to say at the end of each story I told so that they would know when I was done. How they decided that phrase should be "God speed, John Glenn," I have no idea.

I digress.

So anyway … after trying to keep it quiet for so long, it actually feels kind of strange to finally be sharing our news now. I absolutely hate keeping secrets (especially exciting ones) -- but still, after waiting and waiting and waaaaiiiiiiiiiiting to tell everyone, now I can't seem to get it in my head that people actually know. Each time we're congratulated, I'm a little surprised/freaked out. Don't get me wrong -- it's SO exciting to share the news with all of our friends and family -- but it's also been a little overwhelming.

I wish we could've taken the time to tell each and every person individually, but that obviously wasn't possible. Instead, we decided to break the news in our holiday card. Not only was it efficient, but it kept us from having to actually say the words, "I'm pregnant." You'd be surprised how awkward that feels -- especially for Eric. We also sent an email to some friends with the below picture of Lucy (or, if you were really lucky, you may have gotten to see her in person).

I'm not sure if you can tell by the miserable look on her face, but she's not a huge fan of this photo -- or of the shirt in general. She thinks it makes her look like a Vienna sausage (so I ordered the shirt a little too small -- my bad).

She's also not entirely thrilled with the idea of sharing her house (not to mention her parents) with a baby. I mean, it's bad enough that we've added a cat (Mr. Calvin J. Beauregard) to torture her, but now this? We're hoping that as long as the baby doesn't take her food, her sunny spot in the dining room or her place in our bed, she'll be fine. Now Calvin, on the other hand, will likely prove a bit trickier. There's a good chance he will completely take over the baby's bed (like he's done with my pillow), but there's no use in worrying about that now.

I'll update soon with more actual pregnancy info, but I wanted to go ahead and get this blog rolling for now. ]]> http://www.babyblogs.com/viewblog.php?name=buninmyoven&title=the-cat-rather-dog-is-out-of-the-bag Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0200