Monster Proof

Dear Daddy

2012-02-14T10:24:00.002-05:00

Dear Daddy,

For Valentine's Day, I thought I'd help out a bit. So, I thought I'd start by cleaning out the dog crate.

Harper wasn't so sure she wanted me ruining the aroma she had worked so hard to cultivate.

But I know how much pet hair everywhere bothers you, so I went to work.

She was not happy.

Then I picked out a nice wine for dinner. Though you probably won't let me have any. Not fair.

I worked on your Valentine. And...accidentally ruined it in the process.

So I tried to tire out the puppy with some ball action. By the way? I said ball, bat, duck, puppy, and Bubba this morning. I know you've heard them all before, but just lettin ya know.

Then I tried to make dessert.

And tried to stop the puppy from barking outside.

Neither worked. Anyway. It's been a busy day, and it's still early. But I just wanted to say that I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. And you're my favorite now. But you know that with all the yelling, "Dada" while Mommy's holding me. She had her turn.

Love you lots,

Robby (& Katy)

Breaking my Week Plus of Silence

2012-02-09T16:33:00.000-05:00

I don't have a post in mind, but here goes what we have been up to. And a bunch of random pictures.

- Everyone got the flu. I was a mess and living in the bathroom. So much so that Chris had to take a day off of work to care for Robby. He had to stay home for himself the next day.

- We went up to the middle of nowhere to visit Chris's parents.

- My parents "stopped by" our house on the way back from Florida. It's more than a little out of their way. We're talking maybe 10 hours of driving extra.

- I've met up with a bunch of mommies for lunches and such.

- A couple friends had babies, one of which I got to see and hold. You forget how itty bitty they are!

- Robby quit sleeping through the night when he learned to stand up in his crib. We had a couple painful nights dealing with cry-it-out, but he figured it out and all is back to normal.

- Now (as in this very second) he is continuing to fight going down for naps. He has had 45 minutes today, and it is 4pm. NOT GOOD.

- He finally started REAL crawling.

- At the same time as he's gotten better with standing (no support), and is an expert cruiser.

- He is WORRYING me because he is not growing. At 6 months he was 27 1/4" and 18 lbs 8 oz. 7 months he was up to 20 lbs. Now? He lost a FULL pound, and is only 19 lbs 1 oz and STILL 27 1/4". Even though he is a piggie. He has dropped from 75th+ percentile in both to 10-25th. I will be discussing this with the doctor. That being said, Chris and I are not particularly big people (which, I'm sure is pretty darn obvious), so 10-25th percentile may be where he ends up.

Funniest new trick? Chris burping and Robby burping back. Gee, thanks, hun.

Do my feet smell? - Photo Challenge

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Harper thought that Robby needed a bit of help in the hygiene department, so, y'know. She brought out the tongue. And, yes, this picture is a little old. He's not so apt to lie still anymore. ;)

The Lion at 8 Months

2012-01-23T20:54:00.002-05:00

Hoo boy! The Lion is A.C.T.I.V.E. He always was, but this month? He has decided he doesn't even want to sit down. Ever. And we have quit using the changing table because he's flipped over and crawling away before you can blink. TROUBLE. But cute trouble. ;)

Mental Leaps

The babble now comes in sentence form. Not that it means anything. Rather that it has a cadence to it. He also is making his opinions even more well known. He does NOT want to sit in a highchair to eat. He wants to STAND in the bath tub. He wants to have whatever YOU'RE eating, not what's in front of him. Etc... He understands most of what you say to him, "Turn off the light", "Put your arm in your sleeve", "Sit down". Now, whether he wants to LISTEN is another story. The new words are only speculation. I believe I'm hearing his version of "Yay" and "All done", but still confirming that one.

Physical Strides

He is EASILY pulling up on his own. Turn away for 2 seconds, and he's standing by himself at the coffee table. The problem is, he also believes he can walk. Which he cannot. So, he will pull up, let go, and fall and start screaming. This is requiring sprint work on Chris and my part to prevent. He can stand momentarily on his own, but we're talking seconds, not minutes here. He also is now starting to be able to walk holding only one hand. He STILL does not do a full crawl, and we are starting to believe he never will. He army crawls incredibly quickly, but that's it. However, we discovered that if you strip him down to his birthday suit, he will raise himself up a bit. What a boy will do to avoid rug burn. ;) We may be practicing au natural in the future. His favorite things to practice right now are sitting down from standing and jumping. What is he still NOT doing? He still has trouble going from belly to sitting, but will crawl to a step, crawl 1/2 UP the step, and then scoot his legs under him until he is standing. He also has not mastered the pincher grip. It's getting close, but he's still mostly mashing food in his fist.

Food

He's eating pretty much everything that is not a high-allergen food. We even have managed to re-add sweet potatoes without issue and are trying rice tonight. The only food we are leaving on the allergy list for sure is squash. His favorites are some common ones like peaches, bread, and pasta, and some weird ones like spinach and any meat. He also is way too big a fan of anything that comes in a dropper. You know your child has been sick too much when he gets excited for a medicine dropper, and I had to hide the Tylenol in a new place already.

Sleep

I don't want to curse it, but sleep has GREATLY improved. We have had THREE nights this week that I didn't have to get up with him at all. I'm really hoping that this trend continues. He goes down somewhere between 7/7:30 and wakes up between 6:30/7. We are trying to wean him off of his 3rd nap, and so his schedule has ended up as inconsistent as always during the day. He usually will end up with somewhere around 3.5 hours of nap on days he's at home and 1.5 hours at daycare. If we're lucky. That is a major issue that we are starting to get fairly angry about, but that's a story for another day.

Cuteness

Of course, he's cute all the time. *cough* Ok, when he's not being a screaming stubborn mule that is obviously my child. ;) ANYWAY, he is laughing a LOT these days, and loves to be tickled, and really, played with fairly roughly. He's such a boy. He still LOVES swimming, and splashing, and will even kick now when watching the big kids. He has an irrational love for the vacuum cleaner and will squeal to get to stand with it. His favorite toys are anything that he shouldn't have. Dog toys, magazines, remotes, etc... He still loves to sing, and I even had to call my mother the other day when I had the Broadway station on and he was singing along at the top of his lungs. The boy likes his classics. He is just starting to dance.

Size

I don't know. As always. He's somewhere around 20 pounds, and I don't know his length. I will try and measure and edit this. He's still almost exclusively in 9 month clothing, but I think we might start moving into some 12 month stuff. We've actually been in the same size for almost 4 months! Wow! We did just purchase convertible car seats, and have installed the one that arrived in Chris's car. No more carrying him around in his little infant seat anymore. :'( Ok, I'm not really sad. The kid was getting WAY too heavy for that!

Notes from the photo shoot

He actually manage to turn the music on with the Lion! You have to squeeze the paw. He completely startled himself with it and he wasn't sure what to think. And, finally? The month by month comparison:

Snow Day!

2012-01-21T14:44:00.000-05:00

Yes, it flurried a few little flakes around Halloween, but today was the first day that the Lion could really play in the snow. So, we bundled him up like he was in A Christmas Story, and made sure that he couldn't move. And plopped him in the snow while we had fun with the dog. It's so not fair.

We spent some time staring out the window when he woke up, and for the first time the world was entirely white. I'm not sure exactly what he thought of it, but he talked to the snow for some time.

Later, we actually went out, and he seemed interested, but since he couldn't move, the excitement was more about what the dog was doing.

And, Harper has never loved anything more than the snow. She could play in it all day if we let her. Unfortunately, it was starting to get late enough that there were cars on our street, and we took her back inside the fence pretty quickly.

At least she got a little time to reminisce about her crazy puppy days when we had a couple of 2 ft snow storms in a row.

Funny enough, when I tried to have the Lion walk around, it was more like he was walking on the moon than in the snow. His snow suit was just too cumbersome. I can wait for the day when he can romp around with us!

Ah...Refreshed.

2012-01-19T09:35:00.001-05:00

These pictures don't have anything to do with the post, but they're recent and cute, so...there it is. Guess what the Lion did last night? SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 3 MONTHS!!! Woo hoo! I am a happy momma.

More accurately, he woke up at 11 and 4:30, but put himself back to sleep both times. I really wasn't sure 4:30 was going to happen, and he fussed for probably around 20 minutes, but never got hysterical, so I let him go. And...SUCCESS!!!

I am very proud of my little man, and very happy for me. ;) And, ok, comment on the pictures. See that funny face he's making in the picture below? It's hilarious! I call it his gorilla face because he keeps pulling his lower teeth in front of his upper ones. Too funny.

White - Photo Challenge

2012-01-16T09:28:00.003-05:00

This week's photo challenge from The Paper Mama is "white", and what is more appropriate than one of Robby's favorite activities?

Longwood Gardens

2012-01-14T13:50:00.000-05:00

Here we are, a couple weeks into January, and I'm doing posts from a month ago (well, December 23rd). The Christmas season just gets too busy with all the activity, and visitors, and I end up missing posts. And, I don't want to lose the pictures, so you're getting it now. I know, it's selfish of me.

I know Robby looks uncertain here, but he did such a fabulous job! We were at Longwood Gardens from about 1pm until 6pm or so and he just was an absolute joy while we were there. The ride home was something else, but I'll discuss that later.

Longwood Gardens is impressive generally, as is their solar field (which, the man in the picture above might have had something to do with), but it is truly beautiful at Christmas. They both decorate interior areas with Christmas trees and seasonally appropriate plants, but then the entire property is lit up with thousands of lights at night.

We lucked out with a beautiful day, that was only a bit chilly, and my parents were able to make it back from visiting my brother and his wife in NYC to go with us.

Some of the less traditional displays delighted me. Yes, this area was red and green, and filled with Christmas trees...but in a fountain? Who would have thought...

I wish I had a view of the this entire conservatory, but this fountain had 8 or so trees in it alone.

Longwood was built by Pierre DuPont, in the early 1900's because he wanted to preserve the trees that had been planted their. The gardens, and residence, were extravagant additions, though. We found ourselves speculating on how massive a fortune it must have taken to import all the various species of plants in one room that we were in alone.

This was the first time that Robby had truly seen trains, and now he is becoming more enthralled with them, even craning his neck up to watch the one circle over the dairy department at Wegman's.

Obviously, the boy wasn't going to let go. He was afraid someone might steal his vantage point!

Yes, this is a GINGERBREAD HOUSE. There were a few that represented each of the buildings on the property. I can't imagine the effort that it took to make them.

I also loved that there were seasonal touches to each of the rooms. This was the greenhouse dedicated to roses, but it contained hundreds of decorative stars (that I can't think of the name of for the life of me, even though we always had one hanging in front of our house...) hanging from the ceiling.

Probably my favorite "tree"

There was also an outdoor train display that we looked at before heading in to eat dinner and wait for it to get dark enough for the lights to turn on.

Robby amazingly never napped (again, eluding to the car meltdown in out future), but LOVED dinner in this cafeteria-style restaurant that we were in. He had just been introduced to turkey, and happily ate bits of it out of my sandwich. He was his usual charming self, squawking back and forth with a child at another table.

Once it became darker, the brilliant light displays stole the show. Unfortunately, Christmas lights are really darn difficult to take pictures of!

I tried, but you'll have to imagine for the most part...

As we made our way out, of course, that's when Robby chose to fall asleep. He slept for about 10 minutes, which is just long enough to make him think he is refreshed, without actually doing anything for him. We get to the car, and BAM he's awake. Not even 5 minutes into the drive home (which takes 45 minutes), he starts to lose it. We stop, let him eat, and hope that his mood will be improved. No such luck. TOTAL MELTDOWN. He SCREAMED the entire ride home. My mother insisted that I let her switch seats and try and calm him down, when I had given up and was just letting him go. Of course, she was no more successful than me. When my boy gets going? There is NOTHING you can do other than get to your destination. And hope that there is no permanent hearing loss. We made it in record time as Chris found the shrieks motivating, and, of course, the second we get home, he's a prince again. What can ya do?

Anyway, a great place to visit, and I'd highly recommend making it there if you can!

Sometimes we just seem to be going nowhere...

2012-01-12T20:59:00.000-05:00

This really isn't a downer post at all. It's making fun of Robby's newest form of transportation. And sharing some videos.

And for good measure. Here is how close to standing we are. Ignore that he falls at the end. He was fine.

Oh, one more. His favorite Christmas present.

Trying to Learn to Use my Camera

2012-01-12T09:05:00.004-05:00

One afternoon when we were playing in the nursery, I pulled out my camera and decided to try and figure out exactly what each setting did. Using my son as a model. (Yes, I hear you laughing) Here is how helpful he was.

Then I found a new model:

My 2011 Favorite - Photo Challenge

2012-01-12T08:59:00.001-05:00

I know I've been quiet, we're all sick again here. Robby's back on antibiotics for an ear infection, and we've all been running fevers and missing work and daycare. But two posts today to make up for it, ok?

This is my absolute favorite photo from last year. It was a hard decision, but, I'm sure. Maybe? I know that it's bizarre that it's a nursing photo, but I just love how sweet and peaceful he looks here. SO not the norm! ;)

A Boy's First Train Set

2012-01-06T15:27:00.001-05:00

Chris is passionate about the idea that every boy needs a train set. Unfortunately, in Chris's mind, this means a train set that is in NO way appropriate for a 7-month-old. Fortunately, his mother stepped in a bit. This Christmas, two train sets arrived at our house. Chris's old, grown-up, potentially dangerous train set was immediately set up on our dining room floor the second company left (and was put away for now after I expressed my horror that it was in reach of our very mobile child). However, an adorable and age-appropriate set was gifted to Robby on Christmas.

I can't wait for Robby to realize that it's meant for more than just practicing his dexterity at picking things up or chewing, but it's cute, and more importantly, safe and easy to put away.

It's meant to attach to a mat, but really, then he wouldn't get to maul them. And what fun is that? Anyway, thanks, Nancy! He's enjoying it!

My Child is a Live Wire - Photo Challenge

2012-01-05T09:27:00.000-05:00

Two posts in one day? Have I lost my mind? Well, I saw everyone else doing this challenge, and thought, "Hey, I've been meaning to get better at taking pictures." Unfortunately, my child is asleep, and I've misplaced the cat and dog, so you're getting a photo from a shoot you've already seen bits of. Here is my little man sparkling his little fingers off. He sure is a live wire!

The Challenge is "Sparkle"

Reflections on 31

2012-01-04T10:17:00.000-05:00

I am now 31 (as of yesterday). I'm owning it. Even if I wasn't, my mom was plastering it all over my facebook wall. (Definitely kidding, I'm just enjoying harassing her.) For some reason, it does seem substantially older than 30, but it still doesn't bother me.

I recently was at a baby shower and was talking to another guest who was about to turn 30. She asked if it had bothered me, and I honestly answered, "Not really." We came to the conclusion that both of us were fine with it because we were where we expected to be in life. My career may not be where I had thought, but I am married, have a wonderful son, and own my home. She was in a similar position.

This year it is my goal to be happy with where I am at. Being part time may have depressed me greatly when it happened, but I am so grateful that I get to spend this time with the Lion. That change in perspective has really made me resolve to be happy with whatever my current situation is, even if it wasn't part of my life plan. Here's to a fabulous 31!

2012 Resolutions

2012-01-01T09:23:00.000-05:00

Here's to accountability! The resolution list this year looks surprisingly familiar. But don't all of ours? Of course, there's things that I can't put on here that are still resolutions, but so be it. I'll still do 10.

1) At least 1/2 hour of exercise a day. (Following the footsteps of an IRL friend of mine that MADE it last year. Every. Single. Day.)
2) Eat a healthier, more balanced diet with the goal of cutting out white sugar and flour. (I am NOT trying to lose weight. I just eat a lot of crap.)
3) PR on a 5k. (This is easy. My PR is 31 minutes, and I've never trained seriously.)
4) Run Broad Street (10m) for REAL this year. (No dog park injuries, getting pregnant, none of that. You hear?)
5) Get the house on a schedule. (Cleaning, chores, the fun stuff)
6) Get Robby sleeping through the night.
7) Eat more vegetarian meals again. (I fully intend to drop the meat completely once Robby is weaned, but who knows when that will be.)
8) Dry (or style) my hair daily.
9) Purge items we don't use. (clothes, attic, etc... If it's decent, we want to have a yard sale, but it's probably not)
10) Keep in touch with people better.

Those all seem ambitious enough. And, of course, anyone who knows me knows what is left off the list, and that's HUGE. So...here's to a great New Year!!!

What's everyone else trying to accomplish this year?

Good Ole St. Nick

2011-12-30T09:34:00.000-05:00

I'm probably the only parent in the world that would be disappointed with this picture. Usually Robby has a HUGE grin, and of course he did immediately AFTER this picture was taken, but it's pleasant. So pleasant, in fact, that the elves were giddily telling me, "Ooh! We got a good smile!" and Santa said, "Are you sure you want him back? He's a good one." I think this might speak to how often babies are less than thrilled to be there...

Robby's First Christmas

2011-12-29T09:45:00.002-05:00

Robby had a good time with both sets of grandparents coming to our house, but honestly, it was a little beyond him. He LOVES playing with all his new toys, but only had a vague interest in pulling off wrapping paper. Seriously, what sort of baby doesn't enjoy mauling paper. Shame, lil man, shame. :)

"Why do I have to wait?!?!"

Obviously, the most important thing is how the gift tastes.

I had to get him a truck. I know it's going to be awhile before it really gets much use, but c'mon. He's a little boy. Had to do it. And it's my contribution to "Made in America". It's from a great company called Green Toys.

Harper's always helpful and excited. Although, this was ACTUALLY a present for her. Usually she's indiscriminate about her opening.

On the other hand, even though we all went a little "grown up" with our toys, he seems to understand them perfectly. He has been happily knocking over blocks and cups that we stack, and even trying to place them on top of each other himself. He has put balls on the space they are meant to go in and hammered them. And, most enjoyably to him, he has banged on his new piano and walked with his dino walker.

The face may not look excited here, but oh man. He's been wearing out my back.

Almost ideally, he went down for a nap in the middle of opening presents, so we got a chance to do an adult Christmas before he woke up for round two. You may notice three outfits in these pictures. He wore the green and red striped sleeper 1st, then the Santa suit, and then, because he can't walk in the Santa suit, a random onesie and pants. Chris objected greatly to him not being in a holiday outfit, but I would rather he not get frustrated. Lil man is loud. I'll elaborate more later, but there's your first glimpse!

The homemade train set Grandma P sewed for him!

The Lion at 7 Months

2011-12-27T10:43:00.001-05:00

Ok, this is a few days late, but with Christmas, you can forgive me, right? And, of course, we don't go to the doctor until the 29th, so I have no stats. Last time I knew, though, he hadn't gained any weight this month. Which strikes me as crazy knowing how much the piggie eats! (He was at the doctor for 2 ear infections a week and 1/2 ago.) **EDIT: According to the vet's scale he's gained 2 pounds and is at 20 1/2. Which I also find hard to believe!**

At 7 months, the mental strides are STAGGERING. I was floored at Christmas exactly how well he understood each and every toy, even though they were mostly for 1 year+. He was hammering balls, stacking blocks, and walking with a walker (with me hovering). It's all moving WAYYYY too fast.

Food

He's up to 3 teeth that have cut through and one that is VERY close. That will give him all 4 front teeth. And, man, does he like to use them. Ouch! He also loves to eat. His most recent love is cantaloupe, and devours it down to pulp in his solid-food-ring-thingy in about 10 seconds and screams for another. I don't even know if I need to list everything he eats anymore. It's a lot! Fruit: apple, pear, banana, raspberry, cantaloupe, Vegetable: avocado, carrot, parsnip, pumpkin, peas, green beans, (allergic to sweet potato and squash), Grain: oats, wheat, (problem with rice), Protein: turkey. I'm sure I'm forgetting things.

Activity

He is still only army crawling. It is FAST and very effective, and I think that's slowed real crawling. He can get up on hands and knees, but then drops down to move. He can pull up from sitting to standing, and can get DOWN from sitting to stomach, but he has not mastered stomach up to sitting, so that keeps us a little safe. He has mastered crawling up the one stair that gets him out of the family room into the kitchen. Which I'm not thrilled about. And it means that yesterday Chris and my dad were quickly installing the baby gate on the kitchen steps and putting latches on the cabinets.

Talking

Robby babbles continuously, using virtually every combination that you can think of. And...the volume is quite loud. He doesn't even stop talking or singing while he eats, which can cause quite a mess. Oh, spoiler, he got a toy piano for Christmas and sings along while playing it at full shriek. It's cute, but loud. Words are still hit or miss. We definitely hear hi, mama, dada, and puppy, but we're still not sure if they're "words" sometimes. He does wave with the "hi" now.

Social Interactions

Robby is VERY attached to me right now, and if he sees me, he will cry/scream/tell you in a loud voice until he is in my arms. However, he still loves to be around people, and really plays very well with other children. It's funny picking him up from daycare, though, because I'll walk in, and Hilton will come flying over (he's a much faster crawler at 10 months) and Robby will just SCREAM that someone else is taking over his mom.

Sleep

Oh, sleep. The past 3 days or so have been better, so I won't curse it too much. And he did have 2 ear infections and 2 teeth coming in, so the end of month 6 was down right AWFUL. He would wake up for HOURS at a time, multiple times a night. I was even waking up Chris and forcing him to take over. Seemingly, we have solved the "going back to sleep" issue, by no longer laying with him on the futon EVER. But let me tell you how much it depresses me to not get to snuggle with him at night anymore. I just sit in the rocker, and then lay him down, and he'll fall back asleep. He is still waking and nursing at least 3 times a night. Ridiculous, but I'll miss that one of these days, too.

Controlling the Chaos

Robby continues to be BUSY. I was actually reminded of my fears when my mom was holding him and he was watching me cook, and she said, "See, he's not ADD, he's paying close attention to what you're doing." Yes, I've been a little paranoid on that front. Anyway, as you can see in the picture, my mom was on baby watch for this round of pictures. And she was very necessary because he has learned how to rock the glider on his own, and he was having a blast catapulting himself forward. TERRIFYING. He's a riot with everything he's learning to do, but I suspect that it's only going to get scarier from this point out!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T13:25:00.003-05:00

Our Christmas Card

2011-12-21T16:42:00.000-05:00

Ok, everyone's doing it. We actually had a few different Christmas cards, but here is one of them. I don't really feel like this is all that representative, since the photos were taken on October 22. Isn't it crazy how much a baby can change in just two months?!?!?! As always, thank you Stephanie with Lighthouse Studios Photography (I'll see you Thursday at Marie's!)

Christmas Decorations

2011-12-20T12:02:00.001-05:00

Again, apologies for being so quiet, but things continue to be hectic. On to the post.

Honestly, Chris usually does most of the decorating around here. This is one area that I am not so Martha Stewart-like. But he does a fantastic job. There are small areas where I have hang-ups, so they end up being my job, though. Such as ornament placement. But we all have our quirks. Right?

I also help with the all-important task of baby-distraction.

Chris also did a great job in other rooms, and on the outside, but I don't have the pictures right now. This is still an improvement over complete silence, right?

And...I'll give you an out-take of a little Santa shoot we may or may not have done.

Robby helping to decorate:

Finally, I leave you with the most unintentionally brilliant part of our decor. The tree is covered in giant jingle bells, which Robby finds IMMENSELY entertaining.

What's that you say?

2011-12-13T09:48:00.001-05:00

The Lion is now roaring. Ok, that needs clarification. He's always been extremely loud and vocal with the babbling. We now have 3 words. I've suspected it for awhile, but they've been confirmed. They are "Mama", "Puppy", and "Hi".

Last night while Chris was giving Robby a bath, I walked into the room, and he immediately started crying. Robby, not Chris. I crouched down and was chatting, and Robby reached out his arms and yelled, clear as day, "Mama!" Poor Chris. I really wanted to be excited, but you feel a little guilty when it's at the dad's expense. The Lion really isn't using the "d" sound much yet, though...

We had thought we had heard "puppy" before, too, but it was confirmed this morning when I walked downstairs with the Lion, Harper was laying on her chair, and again, Robby reached for her and said, clear as day, "Puppy"! Lucky girl, he called HER while happy.

And I'm just going to assume after those other 2 that the "Hi" has been real. He's been saying it while doing his version of a wave, which is more like grabbing, but he's getting it. So...we have a talker.

(And thanks to Laetitia for the adorable photos from the cookie party this weekend!)

My Christmas Wishlist

2011-12-10T19:40:00.000-05:00

Well, my husband's asking for hints, so here goes. I know, I know, other people are curious, too. ;) Let it be known that I'm all for surprises so I like to either NOT give a list, or over-share vague-ly in the hopes of not knowing.

A new pair of Tom's. I have worn the heck out of my Olive, size 8 Tom's, and would love another pair in a different color (Since I obviously am still going to wear my Olive ones even if there's about to be a hole in the toe.) These grey ones look wonderful: http://www.toms.com/womens/classics/ash-canvas-classics-shoes

Tickets to the Nutcracker. http://www.kimmelcenter.org/events/?id=4158 It's been years, and I know Chris hasn't seen it. I know, I know, we had tickets a couple years ago that we wasted, because I got a strep throat (how dare I), but we could try again.

A new black purse. Mine met an untimely end. You know very well that I don't care about labels. It needs to be big enough that I can also stuff diapers and such in there. Professional looking enough for work. Needs to not LOOK excessively cheap. This one's alright, but not attached to it or anything: http://www.target.com/p/Merona-Large-Hobo-Black/-/A-13466077

New slippers. Mine are nasty. Again, size 8. Hard/Rubber bottom. NOT these, but they're funny.

Long sleeve, plain colored shirts for layering. Probably Medium (Small if the boob-area is forgiving enough). Longer length. Cotton-based. Stretchy. This one is also probably a questionable choice based on how low the V is. I like it a lot, but Robby might expose the girls. Like: http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/knitstees/longsleevetees/PRDOVR~61335/61335.jsp

One of those facial scrubber thing-ies. http://www.target.com/p/Olay-ProX-Advanced-Cleansing-System-1-0-Oz/-/A-13109555#?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C13109555&CPNG=health%20beauty&ci_sku=13109555&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=

Black dress pants. Size 4. Or khakis while you're at it. (Well, or I don't have navy or brown either, but I don't dress up all that often.) OK, if they're JCrew, I'd need a 6. http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/pants/chinoutilitypants/PRDOVR~28584/28584.jsp

New perfume. (You know I can't smell well, you choose.)

Date night.

Smallish nice earrings. Most of my earrings are dangly and that doesn't work with the kid.

Make-up. Particularly enjoying eyeshadow right now. This looks like fun, but I know, it's a lot. http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P298311&categoryId=S10501&shouldPaginate=true#

Things you'll never get me:
- Kindle fire or iPad
- A zoom lens for the camera
- Trip to get you out of the country. Not suggesting extravagant, but like Niagara Falls. Though warm would be nicer. More expensive, though. Oh, well, this is fantasy land, right? Caribbean.
- A fancy phone with a data package

Yes, I am a Good Mom

2011-12-09T10:12:00.001-05:00

Looking cute with "The Godfather"

Yesterday was rough. Seriously, rough. Robby wasn't behaving any worse than normal, really, other than he wouldn't take a nap, but it was still hitting me particularly hard. I think mostly just being unable to kick this cold/cough/sinus infection is wearing on me more than anything. I started having terrible thoughts like, "What if I was to hurt him." Which, of course, I wasn't going to do, but when your patience is thin you start thinking about the bad news stories you've heard.

I started texting Chris about how exhausted and overwhelmed I was. About how I hadn't had a "normal" day in weeks and couldn't take it anymore. How I needed a break. It's amazing how even though you've hit a stride, still waking up every 2-3 hours when you really just need a good night's sleep to reboot your system can ultimately get to you. I ultimately ended up yelling at Robby, "Just stop already!" as he screamed at me as we were on hour 2.5 of trying to get him down for a nap. I felt terrible, and he looked scared and just cried harder.

Chris came home and was great. He took Robby without being asked, and fed and bathed him, without being asked, and let me eat my dinner first. He asked if I wanted to go to the gym. Which, of course, I didn't because I can't breathe, but the thought was there. Once Robby was asleep, I was hiding down on the computer, and Chris called my mother. They chatted (mostly because they hadn't on her birthday), but he let her know I was having a rough time with things, and she insisted on talking to me.

My mom knew what to say. She told me I was a good mom, and when I said I had lost it with him and felt awful, she responded, "Well, you didn't hit him or shake him or anything right? Then you're fine." She told me that she used to have days with me where my dad would walk in the door and she'd hand me to him and leave. She told how once she got angry with him for stopping for gas on the way home, because she was in such need of relief. It's nice to be reminded that other people think that being a mom is tough some days. No matter how happy a little guy he is, or how he's the daycare's favorite, or how most of the time I recognize I'm lucky. He is also EXTREMELY opinionated, busy, and loud. And those days when he is on a tear, really are as hard as I think they are.

But I'm a good mom. He's thriving, and can't get enough of being around me. We play, and talk, and have a grand ole time most days. We go swimming once a week, which he LOVES, and I try and take him out in public fairly often (like to the grocery store), because he gets such a kick out of being around people. I really am patient. I just need to get back to a place where I'm not so overwhelmed, because I find myself wanting to pull away and not interact with him too frequently. I know it's ok to let him play with toys on his own, but I know he'd be happier if I was on the floor with him. I also know the dog's ok on her own, but she's much happier if I include her. I have to be on call 24/7 and can't just think of myself anymore, and that's hard. But, after my meltdown I'm trying to give myself a break, and just realize that we all have those days. I'm still a good mom.

Losing My Mind

2011-12-08T14:59:00.001-05:00

I am not blogging, because I've reached a new level of insanity. Thursday we had a gas leak in our front yard, so I was kicked out of my house with a dog, cat, and baby. We've had 2 fridges die, and 2 new fridges delivered. We lost most of the food. Most of the baby food. The pumped milk is hopefully surviving in the daycare freezer, though it was half thawed. We have a baby who is boycotting sleeping. I've been sick for 2 weeks. Robby's been sick for 2 weeks. Chris is having the courtesy to pretend to get it. My boss quit. I suppose any or all of these could be lengthy blog posts, but I can't deal with it. Off to do laundry, since I actually have a second.

Just a Quickie

2011-12-01T10:02:00.001-05:00

HILARIOUS moment of sleep deprivation last night. It was about 2 am, and the baby was crying. I wake up, and think, "Oh, I better bring him back to his crib." This is odd, since he doesn't sleep in our bed. I spent 5 minutes picking up the CAT like the baby (under his arms), then dropping it, thinking, "Wait, that's the cat, he's got to be here somewhere" before finally realizing, "Oh, if I hear him over the monitor, he's in his room." Yay for 2 am.

Our Big, Crazy Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T21:26:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving is the primary holiday for my mother's family, but I didn't realize that the big, crazy tradition of all of us piling into my parents' house didn't start until I was 18. Apparently, I declared that I had no desire to travel to a secondary location after travelling home from college, so everyone met there. Who knew I had such power? I simply remembered a few prior Thanksgivings at my aunt and uncle's, but they certainly weren't every year. Or quite as insane. This year there were *only* 19 humans, 5 dogs, and 2 cats. 14 humans, and all of the animals stayed at the house.

Usually, I'm fairly involved in the cooking, but I really didn't do too much this year. I was a little preoccupied with the Lion. Fortunately, there were plenty of hands to help in the kitchen. Including my talented sister-in-law who managed to even look gorgeous while getting her hands dirty.

There also is a fair amount of parade, dog show, and football watching the day of. However, we begin arriving on Tuesday and don't all leave until Monday, so there are MANY opportunities to be responsible for cooking. Our tradition includes Greek food on Friday night, a movie, and usually running a race and ham and scalloped potatoes, though those were altered this year. People still ran on their own, and my mother, aunt, and I hit up a Zumba class, but no race. And the ham was substituted for lasagna on Wednesday, but did make its appearance on Sunday.

Fortunately, there are plenty of rooms to spread out, though Robby did get a little over-stimulated at times. He found it a little rough to sleep until it quieted down on Saturday, resulting in my never sleeping more than an hour at a time.

Thanksgiving dinner starts with everyone listing something they are Thankful for. We start with the youngest, and go to the oldest. Some are serious, some are funny. I was thankful that my parents were such good role models for me to now be a parent. Chris was thankful that Robby has more hair than he does, that I have supported him by listening to his heartbreak over Penn State, and our son. However, the highlight of the list was my grandfather starting with, "I have slept with this woman since the 50's..."

I am truly thankful for both my little family and my big one. It is my favorite time of year.

And Robby has no choice but to get used to it. Even if it requires changing into pajamas as the party continues late into the evening.

Happy 1st Thanksgiving, Lion!

The Lion at 6 Months

2011-11-28T19:40:00.001-05:00

1/2 a year old. Seriously. Maybe it's the sleep deprivation, but it does not seem like it has been that long. Although, in reality, it is 6 months and 1 week. But since last week we were travelling, I am just pretending that we're on a week delay. In a couple days you'll get a Thanksgiving post. We only even took these photos today, but they're still pretty accurate as to his size.

This month has brought on a world of advancements, and again, they were more mental and physical than size. Thank goodness. He is starting to slow down. He has moved exclusively into 9 month clothing, though he has a few 12 month items that we rotate in. Mostly because they are collegiate attire that we don't have in 9 month sizes. He has a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon, where we will find out the length, but we were there the day before his 6 month birthday for a terrible rash and he weighed 18 pounds, 6 ounces.

***UPDATE: He was 27 1/4" (80th percentile) and LOST weight and was 18 pounds, 2 ounces (60th percentile)***

Sitting? No sweat. He can lean forward or back and right himself at this point, though he still tips over frequently. He has to be watched but not supported. We have moved past rolling as the primary means of movement, and onto the army crawl, or if he can convince someone to help him, he'd prefer to walk holding hands. He is up on hands and knees, and we anticipate true crawling to occur in the next week or two. He can hold onto something and stand much more securely, and enjoys playing at the coffee table, or watching his bathtub filling while holding the edge. He is very good at manipulating his pacifier in and out of his mouth, or toys in the direction that he wants them to move. Today we had a new development in that he was in his crib where he was SUPPOSED to be falling asleep for a nap, and I was sitting on the floor putting his clothes away. He spun around, crawled up next to the side, and pulled down the bumper and gave me the BIGGEST grin. Very cute, but not what he was supposed to be doing. At least he's not pulling up yet.

Mentally, it is extremely fun that we can now hold some conversations with him. Simple, mostly one-word conversations, that he doesn't vocally answer, but understands. He understands "sit up", "give me your hands", "where is your puppy", "do you want paci", "go to sleep", "do you want to eat", and other simple phrases. We were truly floored, though, when on our way to Target a week ago Sunday, he was fussing, I turned around and said, "Buddy, can you put paci in?" and he DID. Really hadn't thought he was there. He continues to babble and sing, and has different sounds and tones for different things, but no actual words...until, perhaps, tonight. Chris and Robby were playing with Harper on the floor, and we both SWEAR we heard "puppy" come out of his mouth. I'm not counting it until we have confirmation, but we both independently thought we heard it.

The Lion continues to love to sing, but doesn't want to sit still long enough to read books. His favorite songs are those that I sing him daily, namely "Bushel and a Peck" from Guys and Dolls, which I sing during diaper changes, and "Everything's Alright" from Jesus Christ Superstar, which I sing before bed. Chris currently HATES Bushel and a Peck because it's always in his head. His favorite activity is swimming. He splashes and plays as long as I'll let him. He loves being out in public, too. The more people around, the happier he is. Robby's favorite toys are anything he can teeth on. He enjoys things that are loud and that he can bang...but mostly if he can also chew them. Can you tell that BOTH of the bottom 2 front teeth broke through last week? Little man is no longer all gums.

He continues to be almost exclusively breast fed. He might get one ounce of some fruit or vegetable at night, but that's it, and he usually won't finish it. We think he's not doing well with rice, so he is currently cut off from rice cereal and mum mum's until further notice. We bought oatmeal, though, and will be trying that for his cereal. We didn't start it tonight, though, because he was on his first night of pears, which he seemed to enjoy. So far, he is a fan of: squash, pumpkin, apple, pears, and parsnip. He dislikes: avocado and peas. He is debatably allergic to and/or has a bad reaction to: rice and sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes will be tried again in the future, though. They might have been the cause of the rash, but it also might have been viral, so we will try again later.

Last month, I had to swoop in and sit him back up. This month, I was taking the pictures. So when he removed his sticker-tie....It was Chris to the rescue.

Sleep...is a rare thing. Robby is currently eating about every hour and 1/2 to two hours during the day, and waking every 3 hours at night to eat (and it was hourly while we were travelling). I get that he's going through a growth spurt, but I have been reading many sleep books, and am starting to lose my mind a bit. He's doing alright with this, but I am exhausted. He goes to sleep by himself and is set down while awake, so he doesn't have negative associations, and he self-soothes, but he's just such a PIGGIE. I hope it slows down soon.

And, finally...5 and 6 months side by side. He looks like a bit of a lump in this photo. He is wearing different pants, but you can tell that the shirt fits a bit better. Again, not a huge change size-wise this month.

Lil man, I LOVE spending time with you. You are so vocal and opinionated, I relate quite well. No one can get you to do something you don't want to do, unless of course it's changing your diaper (which you HATE) just because that's not optional. You are an absolute flirt, and already show a preference toward blondes. You enjoy talking to men with deep voices the most, though. Or puppies. Puppies actually beat both blondes and deep voices. If Isaac Hayes was a "blonde" golden retriever or something? Your mind would be blown.

It is so nice that there are now games we can play that are interactive. You will peek from behind blankets, or smack your lips and expect that someone will smack them back at you, and you even have taken to throwing things for us and the dog. The days fly by. Except when you're screaming, but, y'know, you're a baby. Though, that excuse won't last forever, mister. ;) I continue to wish time would freeze.

College Friends

2011-11-21T08:09:00.001-05:00

Chris is vastly superior to me in a very important way...keeping in touch with people. I am admittedly quite poor at picking up a phone or writing an email. I guess I always assume people are too busy or don't care to hear from me, so I go with passive means like blog posts to feel like I still have contact. And just assume that any of you that care read. I know, this isn't a particularly effective route to maintaining friendships.

But back to Chris. This weekend was the Philly Marathon. Chris's best man, Matt, decided that he was going to run the 1/2 for the first time ever. He only recently got more serious about running, and took it as a challenge. He encouraged us to sign up with him back when I was still pregnant, but I didn't think I would be ready. It turns out that I probably could have jumped on board. Matt didn't exactly take his training as seriously as he would have liked, and a lot of walking ended up being involved. If I had signed up, I think I could have trained up to a level to join in. Ah, well. Too late now.

At the time, the only person who took him up on the offer was Chris and Matt's 3rd amigo from college, Annette. She flew into town from Columbus, though she lives in New Orleans. Long story. Regardless, she decided to hang out with us on Saturday.

They all enjoyed getting to spend the day together, and to be stuffed full of all the food I obviously felt the need to prepare. I felt such pressure with them running the next day that I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the perfect pre-race meal. And then just kind of winged it. I had cold cuts/sandwiches, pasta salad, and chips for lunch, and made meatballs, pasta, salad, and baked bread for dinner. They seemed to think I chose well.

Funny story. The first year we were dating, we met up with Annette and her husband, Dan at a tailgate at Penn State. Annette had wandered off somewhere, but Chris introduced me to Dan AS Annette. To this day, I enjoy making my husband feel awkward about this. ;)

Great to see everyone, and congrats to the runners!

Friday 5 (or 9): My Dream Christmas Wish-List for the Lion

2011-11-18T13:42:00.000-05:00

Honestly, the Lion is very well provided for, but here are some fun items that I'd place on his dream Christmas list:

CLOTHING

1) From Vicarious Clothing, paying homage to the Office:

2) Our moose obsession continues: Bullwinkle Hat from CutieHats

3) I just think all little boys should wear Oshkosh Overalls

TOYS

1) Organic Cotton Teethers Veggie Crate from Uncommon Goods

2) Xylophone from Hazelnut Kids

3) Wooden Toy Cars from Little Wooden Wonders

Miscellaneous

1) Music Classes

http://www.littlestmusicmakers.com/

http://www.kindermusik.com/

2) We have an activity center he stands in, but these are cool:

Bright Starts Tropical Fun Around We Go! Activity Station

3) ABC Alphabet Foam Floor Puzzle Mat from Amazon

***Disclaimer, I may find a million other things I'd prefer and/or not want to take up the space with any of it between now and Christmas. ;)

The Lion on the Move

2011-11-17T10:23:00.001-05:00

The Lion is not quite crawling yet, but his rolling continues to be fast, and he has a new trick up his sleeve. The purposeful army crawl. Yes, we are starting to baby-proof the house as best we can. All 4 stories of it. UGH. These stairs are going to kill us. Or him. Hopefully neither. Needless to say, I now have to be even more on my toes since he is getting into EVERYTHING. Evidence below.

Friday 5: Things I am Grateful For

2011-11-11T19:27:00.001-05:00

I know I have been trying to post what I'm thankful for daily, but I know I've missed enough days (and fully intend to not post on the weekend) that I will put up my 5 today. As Kat said, and I mentioned in one post, this is for Sara's Gratitude Project 2011.

In no particular order:
1. I am thankful that I still have a job. It may be a struggle, and it may sometimes be in question, but I am no doubt blessed that it still exists. And it's been great to be at home part-time with the Lion.
2. I am thankful that I am musical. And that the Lion appears to have inherited this. I remember having a "heated debate" with a fellow member of my choir in college. He was quite pompous about his musical taste. He would only listen to opera or classical music and thought anything else was drivel and a waste of time. My response was that, certainly, not all music was complex and challenging, but sometimes all you wanted was something that could immediately set a mood, whether it be cheerful, somber, or sexy. He even acknowledged that that argument was valid...as long as I realized that the music was crap. I am merely thankful that I can appreciate it all!
3. I am thankful, that even if it takes prompting, I have a husband that will tell me I look pretty when I haven't showered and am wearing sweats.
4. I am thankful for all the hardworking medical researchers that are out there making strides. Especially those of them that can actually get their research STARTED. (hmm hmm....exercise guy)
5. And, as fluffy as it gets. I'm thankful for a cold beer on a Friday night while watching football on the couch with my husband after the kiddo goes to bed. Off to do that. ;)

Flashback: Study Abroad in Ireland

2011-11-09T20:01:00.000-05:00

I was just asked about travelling in Ireland recently, and it made me realized that 10 YEARS AGO I studied abroad. Man that makes me feel old. My knowledge may not be current, but I scanned in some pictures from what was a wonderful semester. It was a very surreal time, though, as I was living in Ireland over September 11, 2001. Being an American abroad was part pride, but there was also an element of disguising the fact of who you were. It was not necessarily safe to be American, and as our foreign policy decisions were questioned, often you would meet with out right hostility. I have to admit that frequently I let my Irish accent take over and just let people assume that I was, in fact, Irish.

I stopped just short of scanning my entire scrapbook. Well, not really, but here are some of the more interesting pictures. These were from our trip to Belfast. My friend Dave and I got lose at one point in a less than ideal part of the Protestant neighborhood at night, and did have all sorts of horrible scenarios running through our heads being silly, Catholic college kids. Of course, none of them happened.

My dad came over, and we did a lot of touring around the southern and western portions of the country. This is on the Cliffs of Moher.

Some of our frequent hang-outs.

The Aran Islands. I'd say my #1 recommendation of places you must see.

The iconic image of an Irish cross.

And, of course, there's me. A naive, little 20-year-old. How cute. :)

I'd love to go back, and Notre Dame is actually playing a football game there next year, but I don't see us having the money or the vacation time. Which is very sad, but it is what it is. I can still reminisce.

Today I am grateful for all the opportunities that my parents gave me growing up. Thank you Mom and Dad!

People Say the Darndest Things

2011-11-09T08:53:00.001-05:00

Today I am grateful for random comments that make you reconsider what you're doing, who you are, or just what people are thinking. I had two of those yesterday.

Yesterday morning I was deeply saddened when I called our gym and asked, "I see you have a swim class for 6 months and older. My son is 5 1/2 months. Is there any way he can join?" They said no. I promptly decided we were going to go to the pool anyway and swim on our own. Well, promptly following his nap. And feeding. And, alright, it was about 2 hours later.

Predictably, Robby LOVED swimming in the indoor pool and did a great job with it. He watched all the older kids having classes, was happy floating on his stomach or back, splashed away, and loved "jumping" in (with my help). His version of jumping was standing on the side and having mom do the jumping portion. He also thought it was hilarious when I took him into the deeper area and treaded water while holding him so he bounced a bit. After half an hour, I decided he had had enough, though I would place money on that he probably would have stayed in forever if I let him. Takes after his mom just a little bit.

As we were getting out, I saw an earring on the ramp. (Oh, how awesome is it that this is a handicap accessible pool, so there is a full wheelchair ramp...which I could walk up while carrying a baby????) I called the lifeguard over and told him, but said I couldn't get it while holding the Lion. He looked pretty miserable, but started to get ready to jump in. I said, "If you don't want to get in, you can hold a baby, and I can grab it." His face lit up, and he took that offer. I got the earring, took Robby back, and the lifeguard said, "Man, he's a lot heavier than he looks! How much does he weigh?" After I told him 18 pounds, he said, "You don't look nearly big enough to have an 18 pound baby." I thanked him, but I think that this probably-just-graduated-high-school male is a little confused on how things work. As the baby gets BIGGER, the mom does tend to get SMALLER. God forbid I ever had to birth an 18 pound child!!!

After the pool, Robby and I went to the outlet mall to return some pants for Chris. Obviously, we had to go in all the baby stores while we were there. While in Carter's, an elderly woman walked up to me and asked, "Do you work here?" Ok, not an odd question, I've gotten it a million times at various places. But not when I was sopping wet, stinking of chlorine, wearing a sweatshirt and track pants, and pushing a stroller. That certainly just resulted in me looking at her with the most confused look ever. Ah, well. Guess I give off that Carter's vibe. (All apologies to a great store whose employees certainly do NOT look that grungy.)

Here is one last person who says funny things. Or, rather incomprehensible things. Ok, it's just a video of Robby waking up and babbling. Enjoy. (Yes, it starts out with the lights out.)

Playing with the Big Kids

2011-11-08T09:17:00.002-05:00

This weekend we finally had a gathering of friends over. It wasn't anything extravagant by any means, but we finally got over the intimidation-factor and, also, lowered our standards a smidge. Not much. We still were cleaning like mad men, but the stove wasn't cleaned. And I still cooked 3 dishes, but one tasted awful (Thanks for pretending it didn't everyone. I really need to find a new recipe for that dip.) and 3 is definitely on the skimping end for me. Regardless, it was nice to get back in the game.

Robby was into getting to play with the "big kids", though wasn't the most gracious host. As you can see above. Where he is trying to pull Hailey over. Fortunately Hailey's 10 months old and much more stable than my little man. Dean is 8 months. And...Robby's big enough to look like he fits in. Ridiculous. He actually outweighs Hailey.

Please try to ignore that every time Chris takes pictures you get excessive cleavage. It's either that or no pictures. Sigh. Someone tell me next time, please. Robby just likes to hang on shirts.

Hailey also made use of some of the hand-me-down toys that are still too advanced for the Lion. Well, Dean, too, and once again, Robby got upset because they were crawling all around, playing with the cool stuff, and he was stuck. I think it's going to motivate him pretty soon.

Until then, he'll just sucker nice people (who bring brownies, too!) into being his support system. Thanks everyone! Had a great time! So obviously today I'm grateful for wonderful friends.

Guest Post by Chris: Success with Honor

2011-11-07T19:08:00.003-05:00

This was not the planned post for today, but Chris felt compelled to address the horrible situation involving his alma mater, Penn State. So today I am grateful to be married to a passionate, moral man and grateful for those who fight to protect the innocent among us.

“Success withHonor.” “The Grand Experiment.” For as long as I can remember these twostatements have been synonymous with the Penn State family and with many thatfollow college athletics closely. To those that are not familiar with thesestatements, Joe Paterno created these beliefs when he started coaching 46 yearsago. His idea was that you could have a student athlete that succeeded both onand off the field, one of upstanding character, and one that met certain highacademic standards. JoePa showed thecollege football world that this was possible over those 46 years, and we thePenn State Community believed every bit of it. For the better part of my life I have believed in these statements, Ihave believed that JoePa was above all things, and that JoePa was God-like. Joehas been looked on by the sporting community as the one person that has donethings right. Heck, Penn State is one of TWO NCAA Division 1 programs (Stanfordbeing the other) that has never, and I mean NEVER been investigated by the NCAAfor major violations of the NCAA bylaws for college athletics. JoePa created that image by demandingexcellence from his players on and off the field and preaching it to all thatwear the Blue and White. I had tears inmy eyes when JoePa passed Paul “Bear” Bryant on the win record. Same when hehit win #400 last season. I have alwaysfelt that JoePa is Penn State. However,with one short sighted decision, all that Joe built was gone.

This pastweekend has been arguably the most trying time that the Penn State Communityhas ever had to deal with. I myself, a die-hard Penn Stater, am stillstruggling with the acceptance of the news that broke this past Friday eveningabout former coach Jerry Sandusky and then blew up on Saturday with thecover-up scandal. Today I find myselfstruggling to feel the way I used to about my Alma Matter. Today I find myselfsaddened by the actions of not only Jerry Sandusky, but also those in power atPenn State, those that failed to do the right thing. Today I question what elseJoePa and company lied about and hid over the years. Today I question myloyalty to the University that I grew up loving, attended, and graduated from.

My heart goesout to the victims of this monster that was allowed to walk around free andclear for 10+ years. Those victims willlive with memories that they will never be able to escape, no matter how hardthey try. The fact that most, if notall, of the victims were “at risk kids” being helped by what truly is afantastic organization, The Second Mile, makes it even harder to accept. These kids were sent by their parents to anorganization that they believed would help mold their children into fineupstanding citizens. They were to be taught life lessons about what is rightand what is wrong. And they were sent toone place that is SUPPOSED to be safe, a University setting. How are we, as parents, supposed to trustanyone if you can’t trust the staff at a major University? This may be the part that rubs people thewrong way, I know it does me.

I first foundout about the investigation of Jerry Sandusky earlier this year through PennState fan sites and forums. As quicklyas the word broke that he was being investigated by a grand jury on allegationsof sexual conduct with minors, the news was hushed. At that time, my initial reaction was to thinkthat, “well this will be ugly, but it will blow over quickly.” Never in a million years did I expect thatonce the grand jury convened that several high ranking Penn State officialswould be charged with perjury and failure to report a sex crime. Never did I expect that possibly the biggestcover-up in the history of college athletics would be unveiled, especially whenit involved Penn State.

Because ofthis, I am left with so many questions about a place that I love, a place thatI worship. Saturday night I wrote anemail to the Board of Trustees demanding the resignation of President GrahmSpanier, Athletic Director Tim Curley, Vice President of Finance CharlesShultz, and Joe Paterno. These were themen that failed to do what needed to be done. Yes, Joe did what he legally needed to do bythe letter of the law in reporting the allegations to his superior TimCurley. But he could have done more andhe should have done more. One thing tokeep in mind is that we do not know what the GA told Paterno. There are differing theories on thedescription Joe was given and this is crucial to how we judge JoePa. If the description was merely “I think I sawSandusky naked in the shower with a young boy” then it is hard to say JoePa didthe wrong thing by merely reporting the matter to his superior, TimCurley. Now if he was told the specificsoutlined in the grand jury report then Joe deserves to be judged harshly. I can only hope that in the upcoming monthsmore light will be shed onto what happened. Maybe Joe did pursue this and was shut out byhis superiors or told it was taken care of? Is it likely? Especially knowing that JoeParuns the University, I don’t know. Onething I do know is that Joe was not protecting a “buddy” because he andSandusky had not gotten along for years, and that is a known fact. I do not believe that Joe was part of the“cover-up” directly. I think Joe's failure was in not doing more than he did. Morally JoePa should have made sure thepolice showed up and investigated this incident immediately.

Ask any of myfriends or family and they will tell you that I am a loyalist to the extreme.Yes, I wanted JoePa to retire about 10 years ago already and yes I hoped thatthis season was truly it for Joe (which as a side note I really think it wasregardless of the current situation). Everything was set up for a great end of a career. His contract was up at the seasons end, heturns 85, he has the all-time win record for Division 1 football, PSU has agreat chance at the first ever Big Ten Championship game and a great New Year’sDay Bowl Game. JoePa has done itall. But now? Now, that incredible career is tarnished witha stench that will never go away only because JoePa appears to have chosen todo the bare minimum. Maybe I am wrongabout JoePa. Maybe people won’t judgehim as harshly after we learn more about what happened. Honestly, I hope that is the case. It would be really sad to see everything thatJoePa built at Penn State be labeled with an asterisks.

One majorissue I have with the Penn State administration is that Sandusky continued to maintainan office on campus after the 2002 incident despite all the smoke aroundhim. Not only that, but he continued tobring children on campus despite being told not to. Another thing to note is that Penn Stateofficials did alert the Second Mile about these allegations and they also choseto do nothing. They are just as guiltyas Penn State on this and no one seemsto be evening mentioning that.

This upcomingSaturday I will travel to Penn State for the last home game of the seasonversus Nebraska. This was a game that Iwas looking forward to prior to this past weekend. The mood of the game has already beendampened, but I will go to support the student athletes on the field,especially those playing their last game in the Blue and White. I won’t lie though; it will be very hard tomutter up the courage to sing the words of our Alma Matter though, especiallythe last two veruses:

“When we stood at childhood's gate,
Shapeless in the hands of fate,
Thou didst mold us, dear old State,
Dear old State, dear old State.

May no act of ours bring shame
To one heart that loves thy name,
May our lives but swell thy fame,
Dear old State, dear old State. “

Those wordsjust don’t feel the same today as they did last week. I know they say that time heals allwounds. For myself, and for other PennStaters, we will survive. We will unite as one as we always have and alwayswill. For the victims of Jerry Sandusky,I can only hope that somehow their wounds are healed sooner rather than later.I know it is a stretch, but I can hope and pray that once justice is servedthat those victims can gain some relief in knowing the punishment was dealt. I do hope that one day people will look atPenn State with respect like they did before. The Penn State I know is not what is being drug through the mud rightnow. The Penn State I know is a proud institution with a proud fan base thatdoes things the right way. I hope thatpeople will realize that when we say “We Are Penn State” that the “We” is notthe individuals that failed to stop a monster. The Penn State community is a very strong community and will remainstrong despite the dark days we have ahead.

Friday 5: Teething Symptoms

2011-11-04T20:21:00.001-04:00

Teething has been a long, hard battle at our house. And it still is going nowhere. Remember when we first showed those white bumps at 2 months? Well, those two white bumps are STILL white bumps. Just the symptoms have gotten worse. Hopefully we'll cut a tooth soon. However, I thought I'd share a bit of what I've learned with you.

1) White bumps on the gums

This is kind of a no brainer. If you can see the teeth, there are teeth. HOWEVER, I have learned that this does NOT mean that they are necessarily coming in any time soon. It has been 3 months.

2) Fussiness

No, he's not fussy ALL the time.

Now, I don't know how much to give credit to this. Has Robby been fussy? Sure, but babies are fussy. So, who knows. On to the more concrete things.

3) The Teething Rash

Isn't this lovely? Apparently, baby spit gets more acidic when it is time to cut a tooth. Therefore, at night, when they drool and lay in it, it gets all over their face and causes them to break out in a most unpleasant manner.

4) Excessive Drooling

The drool is MUCH more plentiful, so it soaks the sheets and makes it virtually impossible to avoid planting one's lovely, smooth, chubby cheek directly into the mess. Bibs become daily attire.

5) Green Diarrhea

Aren't you glad I don't have a picture? Because your child is swallowing so much drool, their digestion gets thrown off. Hence, the green diarrhea. You also may notice diaper rash, yet again, due to the acidic nature.

Bonus #6) Dropping the latch vs. Chewing on things

Harper is demonstrating the chewing. No, thank goodness she's not teething. ;)

It hurts to eat! The baby will start and stop because he won't want to put pressure on his gums. And then get upset because he's hungry. Vicious cycle here. At the same time, he always is shoving things in his mouth to chew on. Masochistic little man. It's like touching a bruise to see if it still hurts.

Others:
- Low grade fever
- Rubbing cheeks and ears

What am I grateful for? I am EXTREMELY grateful that we do not have to teeth as adults. That'd be PMS on steroids.

Grateful for Rain

2011-11-03T20:54:00.002-04:00

No, it's not raining right now. Nor do we need rain. But today has been a long day with no pictures, so I was thinking of short anecdotes. Of course, I appreciate that rain helps plants grow, and all that good stuff, but really? This is just about my complete enjoyment of it.

I remember once writing about my favorite place for school, and it was sitting on the bench in front of the large window at my grandparents' watching the rain fall on the lake and reading. Really? I can't imagine a better day than getting to curl up with a good book, under a blanket, while rain is falling outside. Sadly, that doesn't happen so often right now, since someone doesn't think I should sit still, but one day we'll get back there. Hopefully.

The semi-amusing anecdote is that not once, but TWICE I had the experience of walking across campus in the rain, just relishing the cool drops on my head, and having a guy run up behind me and offer to walk with me under his umbrella. The guy at OSU, I did take up on the offer, because I had learned my lesson at Notre Dame. I had declined, saying I was enjoying walking in the rain (which I was). The poor guy looked devastated, and I can only imagine how low he must have felt. I do acknowledge that it's a pretty weird thing to GENUINELY love walking in the rain. It must have come across as the ultimate shoot-down, though.

There ya go. Today I'm thankful for rain.

Irrational Fears

2011-11-02T16:43:00.001-04:00

We all have them. You can own up to it. Mine may be a little more bizarre than some other people's, but that's ok. Here goes a revealing look into my head. These are the things I am afraid of:

1) Spit

Having a baby has made me deal with this. Unfortunately. On the upside, his drool doesn't bother me nearly as much as other spit. Maybe because it's expected? Chris enjoys being cruel and threatening to give me wet willies or to lick me. WRONG.

2) Flying

This picture is actually new.

I used to be ok with this. I thought I was lucky. My mother is TERRIFIED of flying, to the point that she needs an "aid" to get on and off planes. But, that's an improvement from the days when she wouldn't fly. I'm going backwards. I used to think it was fun, and now, particularly if I start to fall asleep, I feel like I'm falling out of the sky.

3) Eels and Water Snakes

(I know I'm stretching on this one. Do you really think I'd dress him up as an EEL?!?!)

When I was 8 years old I was happily swimming behind the canoe in the lake at my grandparents' house when my uncle turned around and said a few fateful words, "Katy, you know there are eels in there..." I screamed and almost tipped the boat trying to get in. There is something UNNATURAL about snakes swimming. I'm sorry. It just shouldn't happen. I actually am NOT afraid of snakes on land. But this is part of why I am putting off registering for a triathlon. Open water swim? No thank you! However, I do find eel sushi delicious. Go figure.

4) Heights

This one isn't so bad, but it's bad enough that my friends think it's just HILARIOUS to sit next to me on a roller coaster. Also, I promise you I will never go bungee jumping or sky-diving. But, I can go up in a tall building just fine.

All of these paranoias make me grateful that God has given me the strength to overcome my fears. Head over to Miss M's Month of Gratitude.

The Real Halloween Costume

2011-11-01T16:34:00.001-04:00

The Lion actually DID come home in the skeleton outfit. Who knew? Still, we had something else planned for that night. Not surprisingly, the Lion was....the Nittany Lion. Although most people thought he was a bear, which was just fine by me.

These are less than great pictures of me, but I know I'm not who matters here. That is one cute little bear/lion. It's a 12-month-sized outfit, so there was some cuffing going on, but he still was very snuggly. That might have been something to do with trick-or-treating running from 6 to 8 pm. He was a sleepy man!

We had no intention of actually going trick-or-treating, but we did stop by across the street and next door to show off the cuteness. We also ran into another neighbor who has a little boy, Kaden, who is a couple weeks younger than Robby. He was dressed as a pea pod, which the Lion found utterly fascinating. He insisted on grabbing at the fuzzy green outfit the entire time Kaden's mom was trying to take pictures.

I also harassed my elderly neighbor, Ann. She's in her 80's, and I don't think she intended to hand out candy. She was sitting in her living room watching tv in her nightgown, but I kept ringing the doorbell until she gave up and opened the door. (Understand, this is usually how it goes, and she's always thrilled that it's us.) I knew she'd want to see lil man in his costume, and I was right. Though she immediately started bustling around trying to find stuff for trick-or-treaters, since she had forgotten what day it was. And tried to give me candy, which I refused. 1) Robby isn't eating it yet (though is thoroughly entertained by the crinkly wrappers) and 2) We have TONS left over.

Another neighbor gave me props for getting face-paint on him, but honestly? That was really easy. He laughed the whole time. Apparently it tickled. There you have it. Lion's first Halloween. Maybe next year he can get a sugar high. (Doubtful, but he can dream.)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T07:58:00.000-04:00

There will be another outfit later, but y'know, gotta get something up here for the day. Really, he almost never comes home from daycare in the same outfit that he leaves in, anyway, due to his amazing ability to get them dirty, so I know better that to count on that one!

(and yes, I recognize that the scary part is what I'm wearing)

And...off to daycare in his dino-bear-skeleton mix of warm weather gear.

Happy 1st Halloween!

Friday 5: Functional Changes to the Nursery

2011-10-28T10:22:00.002-04:00

I know you've all seen the nursery in the past, but here are some functional changes we've made since having the Lion. Some things just work better this way:

1) I suppose this isn't entirely a change, but I've never shown the inside of his closet. Obviously, there are hanging clothes, below is his bookself. The top shelf has shoes, hats, and curtains we haven't hung yet. Second shelf is books. Third shelf is actually wipe storage. Weird, I know. In front of that is the laundry basket, with the lingerie bag for socks, washcloths, and bibs on top. You don't want to be losing those! It's actually deep to the left, so there is a box of large-size clothing, a bag of his toys (need to find a better way to store those), and hooks with various bags.

2) His crib has been moved to an interior wall. It was too cold against the exterior wall of our house, as we have some of the poorest insulation known to man.

3) His humidifier. This one rocks. It does not have a filter that we need to change every other week, and you can set it to a humidity level, so that it doesn't run continuously.

4) His space heater. Also, like the humidifier, this is great because it has a programmable thermostat so that it doesn't run continuously. It is set to 73. It also has a remote that I joke we should leave in the crib so that Robby can adjust it as he needs to.

5) We keep a storage bin under the futon to put away things he outgrows until it fills, and then it gets labelled and moved up to the attic. This is a very sad bin. Currently it hold 6 MONTH clothing. I just want to get some wear out of things. Is that so wrong?

Sleep Issues

2011-10-27T09:44:00.001-04:00

Can I tell you how silly I feel writing this now that it seems to somewhat have resolved itself? Ah, well, I've got nothing else on my mind. And we're going to HOPE that this is resolved for good. Robby and sleep have a love/hate relationship. When Robby was VERY young, he slept like a champ. He even was sleeping through the night fairly frequently. I thought I had won the baby sleep lottery. And then...3 months came along.

At 3 months, the 4 month sleep regression hit. Robby was waking up between every 45 minutes and hour and 1/2 around the clock. I became a complete and total zombie. This lasted for a little over a month. Things started to get a bit better, slowing down to around 3 wake-ups a night. And then only 2! I thought sanity was returning.

Daycare comes too early

Last week, when Robby got sick, his sleep routine got shot to heck. He was waking up a lot at night, and he didn't want to sleep anywhere but on our chests during the day. He got somewhat used to this, and came to expect it. Also, it got very cold (40's at night) in the house, and more importantly his room, and it didn't allow for him to have sound sleep. He was always cold, since babies can't have blankets.

Now on to the happy ending. We seem to have won the war!!! Although, I'll have to see how naptime goes today. This was yesterday, after being trapped under him the whole time, I DID slip out from under him and do dishes while watching him across the room like a hawk:

How did we solve the nighttime problem?

(1) He was on medicine for a week and is now healthy.
(2) He sleeps both in a sleeper and a fleece sleep sack.
(3) We run a humidifier to help him breathe.
(4) A space heater with a programmable thermostat is in his room, set to a balmy 73.
(5) Pacifiers are still our friends. We are going to get a breathable bumper, though, because it is too difficult to find it in the middle of the night now that he likes to THROW it. Not even joking about this one. This is another little fact that Miss Laurie at daycare tried to reveal to me yesterday. Yeah. Already WELL aware of the pacifier-throwing tendencies.
(6) Hanging thermal/black-out curtains on the windows
(7) Still waking up once (yay!) a night to get changed and eat.

Our nighttime routine involves going on a dog walk (not right now because Harper's limping...story for another day), then taking a bath, getting lotioned, putting on the pjs, and nursing.

I was brushing my teeth, so I told Harper to "Go get her Robby". He started laughing and talking to her. I love having my furry baby-sitter sometimes.

And, with doing these things sanity has returned to our house, and there is a happy baby who wakes up on his own (on non-daycare days) and is cheerful, rather than the cranky non-morning person we're used to. I'd say I'm pretty pleased with the change. Last night he slept from 7:30 pm to 8:30 am. Kind of. That's including a nap of sorts. He woke up at 3, and then I thought he was up for the day at 6:15. He came down and hung out with Daddy for a bit before he went to work, but then he (and I) went back to bed around 6:45. Ahhhh....

"Girly Socks"

2011-10-26T10:41:00.000-04:00

So, there is a new item of clothing that didn't exist when we were children, and my mother cannot figure out what I'm talking about for the life of her, so here are some photos and a review. I've only ever heard them referred to as the brand name - BabyLegs However, they are essentially just leggings that happen to fit a baby, and apparently (as I learned from Kat's pinterest post) you can make them from children's knee-socks.

This is not sponsored in any way, but I did purchase a bunch of them when BabyLegs was running an insane 75% off sale. One of the ladies in our facebook group posted it, and if our response was at all indicative of the general population? BabyLegs may have regretted that sale. And I think, in fact, it was as overwhelming as I suspected because they sent out multiple emails apologizing for the slow delivery because of the flood of orders.

Why are these items so great? They allow you to change a diaper without taking off pants. Also, they keep socks on, which, if you're a parent, I know you have spent WAY too many hours of your life looking for where a sock went. Finally, they seem to be great things for crawling, because they don't ride up and get in the way. I don't know if I'll use them too much this way, though, because they strike me as not as warm as pants. They may eventually become a long-john type layer, though, when things get really frigid.

I was a little concerned about the sizing "One size fits most" because of the Lion's chunky monster-thighs. Obviously, they still work fine, and aren't cutting off his circulation or anything. He seems genuinely happy in them, even if his father insists on calling them "Girly Socks". Gah. They are OBVIOUSLY a boy pattern, Chris. Get over it.

And, finally? His new favorite game. Which is hard to take a picture of, because it scares the living daylights out of me. He wants to STAND to play with his activity mat. Lil man is not so solid standing on his own. He CAN hold himself up, but then he just decides to grab something else, or move, and that doesn't go so well. This makes picture-taking difficult. Ah well. Still looking cute in his girly socks, though.

Family Portraits

2011-10-24T12:16:00.000-04:00

I couldn't be more pleased with the decision to get family portraits done. They turned out so beautifully, and we had such a terrific experience. They were taken by a wonderful fellow-mom that I met through the WTE Philly boards. Stephanie has two munchkins of her own, and runs Lighthouse Studios Photography. Check her out!

Not only was she incredibly understanding when we got stuck in traffic, but she even put together some collages of photos to share with all of you! Enjoy!!!

The photos were all taken at Linvilla Orchards in Media, PA, which I suggest everyone check out! There were lots of things to see and do. Although, once we were done we just went to brunch with Shammah and Cathy, and enjoyed lil man being an ANGEL while we sat around for an hour and a half and chatted. I'm such a lucky momma!

(Family-types...if you want pictures, let me know. There are many more shots, including more traditional ones of the 3 of us.)

The Lion at 5 Months

2011-10-23T21:53:00.001-04:00

Wow! We'll have to be throwing his 1/2 birthday next month already! Maybe he'll be able to wear the "I'm 1 year old" clothes, then. Anyone else find it odd that they only sell those in 12 month sizes? I can't be the only one that's going to have trouble with that... The Lion is ROARING in at 17 pounds, 8 ounces, and 27 inches. That puts him around 80th percentile for length, and 70th percentile for weight. He DOES seem to be slowing down a bit, though. It still means that we've moved into 9 month clothing.

Taking pictures is getting more and more difficult, because lil man has more and more ideas of what HE wants to be doing and where HE wants to be going. I'm glad that I have a kid with a mind of his own, but sometimes? We just want a lemming. Y'know? ;) Here is the famous "face attack". Be careful, or you'll lose a lip to this one.

And he can sit up against things, and for brief periods of time if he's leaning forward, but the transition? Lil rough. Mom to the rescue. Feet are just too interesting.

And as soon as I fix him, he just wants to be on the move again. We are CLOSE to both crawling and walking. It's a debate which will happen first. This past month he started rolling to where he wanted to go, and now his PREFERENCE is to have you hold his hands and let him walk there. Otherwise, he'll roll or has recently started scooting. He can get up on his hands and knees, but there is no coordinated effort on moving them, yet. I'll give it a couple weeks tops.

Mentally, it's so fun because you can see the wheels turning. He catches sight of the goal (the stuffed horse), he decides on the methodology (roll to stomach, scoot), he picks it up, and rolls back over to play/shove it in his mouth. It's a multi-stage adventure, now.

He's still using pretty much the same vowels and consonants, but not in words yet. The funny thing vocally is now he not only loves to be sang to, but he'll sing along. And sometimes will sing on his own and try and get you to join in. I can't say much for his pitch yet, but it's pretty cute. His favorite song continues to be "Bushel and a Peck" from Guys and Dolls.

His favorite toys are STILL blue bear, and a teething ring, 3d triangle with spinny parts that they also have at daycare, his activity center, a taggie ball and a brand-new guitar rattle that he got from Shammah and Cathy on Saturday. Thanks guys!

We've now had rice cereal 3 times, squash 2 times, and apples 3 times. It seems to be going a bit better, but he's still MUCH more interested in just nursing, so it's not really a priority at this point. He's becoming a pro at taking his medicine (thank goodness!), but is also doing a bit better, so we'll probably be stopping that tomorrow and seeing how he does.

Bored with paying attention to the baby

If there was any doubt before, he is TEETHING. STILL nothing through the gums, but he's drooling more than ever, and pretty fussy. He can't suck long on anything without squealing, wants frozen teethers all the time, and is waking up a LOT. This could also be because the house is entirely too cold for him. We've been using sleepers inside of a sleep sack, but we just gave in and put a space heater in his room to try and up it a few degrees without completely killing our energy bill. No worries, it's one of the extremely safe cool-to-touch ones, and we're turning it off as much as humanly possible.

Overall, Chris and I agree that this is our favorite month so far. Sleep has been better (until he got sick and cold), he's so interactive, and better able to communicate what he wants. Every day is a new adventure with my lil bundle of energy!

Friday 5: Revealing Anecdotes of the Week

2011-10-21T08:46:00.000-04:00

I suppose that certain moments let your true colors shine through. Here are a few recent ones:

1) On Wednesday we had visitors in our office. My supervisor walked over to give me a heads up that they were coming in, and took one look at me and said, "Oh, you already know." Why you ask? I had actually blow dried my hair, was wearing make-up, and nice clothes. You'd think this wouldn't be so rare.

2) Also on Wednesday, my friend Laura and I were attempting to come home from our MOPS meeting, and my car wouldn't start. Not just not start, the key wouldn't turn. At all. My first reaction? "This is my car, right?"

3) When calling the car dealership to get the car looked at, I discovered that the service manager on the phone lived on my street, but we didn't know each other. I said, "We're the ones with the loud German Shepherd." "OHHHH, I know who you are!" *doh*

4) I have been to at least one grocery store every day this week. Either I'm a bored semi-stay-at-home-mom, or I just am that forgetful. I'm going with #2.

5) The animals both have decided that it is their job to check on the baby and to hang out in the nursery during middle-of-the-night wake-ups and feedings (that, because he is sick, have been running between 3-6 a night this week, again). I spend more time dog and cat wrangling, trying to get them out of the room when I'm done, than actually popping the pacifier in. GAH! Just hand me a lasso and call me Annie Oakley.

Doctors Make Our Lives Scary

2011-10-20T09:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday while I was at work, I had a thought..."Y'know...Robby's cold is getting kind of bad. I should call the doctor and see when I'm supposed to start worrying about it." Robby had been sick for a week or so, but being a daycare kid, life is a perpetual cold, so I hadn't stressed too much.

I called, the nurse answered, and SHE panicked. That was not good. Merely because I answered things like, "Oh, yes, I can hear him wheezing" and "Yesterday he started holding his breath during coughing fits, and that kind of scared me." She told me I couldn't wait until today (when I wasn't working), and needed to come in that afternoon. Fortunately, work is pretty flexible, and I left to get the munchkin from daycare.

He was thrilled to see me because all 3 of the little boys were flipping out wanting to be fed at the same time, and there's only one Miss Laurie. So I gave Robby his already-warmed bottle (a first for me!), she gave Isaiah his squash, and poor little Hilton just stood there in the jumperoo sticking his tongue out repeatedly and fussing. He was not cool with being the loser in the food war.

We finally go to the doctor, and they decided that he wasn't going to die. After freaking me out. Thanks. They did hear a "squeak" in his lungs (which I'm not sure exactly what that means), but they had me sit there with him on a nebulizer for about 10 minutes, and then listened to him again. Apparently, that improved things, and the doctor gave me a prescription for a bronco-dialator for the next week. In other news? The chunkers is 17 pounds 8 ounces. No idea how long. I should go find a measuring tape.

He continues to be fussy and coughing a lot, but the medicine does seem to improve things. Hopefully he can get completely healthy for at least a week or two after this. Would be lovely. These are the days I hate having to use a daycare.

My New Love for TJ Maxx

2011-10-19T11:09:00.000-04:00

By no means is this a sponsored post. I would LOVE it if it was. But, no. This is just a mom who recently discovered that she should've pulled her head out of the sand eons ago. Not that I had never shopped at TJ Maxx before. I just had never shopped for the LION. And, let me tell you... It may be my first and possibly only stop from now on.

You see all that? It cost $54. TOTAL. No, you didn't read that wrong. That is 2 sweaters, 2 button-down shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, 2 jersey pants, 6 socks, and a pair of shoes. For FIFTY-FOUR dollars! And they are NICE clothes. The sets are Nautica and usually retail at $54 a piece, on clearance at TJ Maxx for $20. Why? I don't have the slightest clue. They're adorable, well-made clothes from everything I can determine. Maybe because they're not blue. But that makes me love them all the more.

Speaking of blue. I'm really darn sick of blue. I understand I have a boy. I think I'm pretty clear on that. But maybe, just maybe, he wants to wear a different color once in awhile. Or at least I want him to wear a different color. It's bad enough that boys' clothing sections are about 1/8 the size of girls', but they also only have blue. Maybe some brown. Maybe some grey. But there's not even red or black most of the time! There is a weird trend of lime green being mixed in, and thank goodness for a touch of orange (my favorite color), but the options are very limited. And I'm not talking about just one store. It's a conspiracy amongst every children's clothing retailer, that we can only ever dress our little men in shades of blue. SICK of it. So I was thrilled at the red and yellow.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share in case anyone else had missed the memo. BE A MAXX-ONISTA, or however they spell their slogan. I know I am.

Two Weekends for the Price of One

2011-10-17T08:16:00.002-04:00

Since I failed to post last weekend's activities, too, here is a quick rundown of not one, but TWO weekends.

Two weekends ago we were incredibly busy. We drove to State College to meet up with my parents, expose Robby to Penn State's campus for the first time where he could see it (I was pregnant last time I visited), and drop off Chris and my dad to watch the game.

After my mom and I left State College, Chris and my dad watched a game:

And my mom, the Lion, and I went to a sports bar in Rochester, NY where my cousin was holding his rehearsal dinner:

Robby was obviously the life of the party.

The next day, all of us were there for the wedding:

Everyone pictured was a relative. Like the big group walking to the church? Lots o' cousins.

Oh, we also inherited the family chair for the time being:

...And this weekend? Not much happening. We watched football, did chores, walked in Valley Forge. Typical weekend stuff.

So, there's your picture-heavy, word-light recap. The end. :)

Taking on Solid Food

2011-10-11T13:58:00.003-04:00

Robby is only 4.5 months old, so this a post that is occurring a lot sooner than I thought it would. We were planning on following the longer recommendation of 6 months, and still might for the most part, but here is where we stand.

As you all know, Robby is a HUGE tub o' somethin. So the first requirement of doubling your birth weight was EASILY met. What are the general recommendations before you even consider solids?

1) Double your birth-weight

2) Sit up well on your own (it can be supported, but they need good head control)

3) Lose the tongue reflex

4) Show an interest in food

Robby met (or exceeded) all the above requirements, and would practically leap out of your arms any time you were eating something in an effort to get to it. He also was wanting to eat so much and so frequently that I was losing my mind a bit. So as of the 4 month appointment, I discussed solids with the pediatrician. His feelings were that I could go ahead, and he encouraged starting at least rice cereal before hitting 6 months. He also gave me a schedule of starting with one serving of cereal a day for a week, then two the next week, then veggies, the fruit....fairly typical. But he ultimately said it was up to me.

Later that week (almost 2 weeks after he turned 4 months), we tried giving him some rice cereal. Nothin doin. Robby wanted nothing to do with it. Thought it was a little strange, but ok, he's not ready, we'll hold off. Waited a week.

Earlier this week, he was driving me up the wall. He was wanting to eat hourly, and I couldn't keep up. I just had nothing left. So, since I've been making baby food like it's going out of style (post for another day), I decided to pull out a cube of butternut squash. Better known (at least in this house) as baby crack. Robby DEVOURED it. See above picture. He was grabbing that spoon and pulling it towards him, unable to get it in fast enough. Guess he takes after his grandpa with his love of squash. Anyway, we have proven that it is merely that rice cereal tastes like garbage, not that he doesn't want solids. And yes, Chris tried it, and I might have not gotten out the words, "That's mixed with breast milk" quick enough. There's some controversy about rice cereal anyway, so we're holding off for now. Breast fed babies should be getting enough iron, anyway, which is the biggest reason they encourage feeding it.

That is actually IT on the solid food front. Those 2 times. Other than the above picture. We were at Panera and my mom only had eaten 1/2 her apple. Robby was quite happy to lick the remainder. Repeatedly. And thoroughly. It was pretty funny. Apparently apples are on the "favorite" list, as well.

So, there ya go. He's not REALLY eating solids yet, but he's had a couple of forays. We're going to play it by ear for the time being.

Lactation Cookies

2011-10-10T08:00:00.001-04:00

Lactation cookies are a complete misnomer. Don't get me wrong, I believe they do what they're supposed to, but it isn't like they make husbands produce milk. If they did, we'd have a leaky Chris over here. So let's call them what they really are, "OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES". This is not my recipe, but it is absolutely everywhere on the internet, and I got it from a friend, so I have no idea who to give credit to. So...here ya go.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350°.

- Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 5 minutes.

- Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar.

- Add eggs.

- Add the flaxseed and vanilla, beat.

- Mix together flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt.

- Add dry ingredients.

- Stir in oats and chips.

- Bake for 12 minutes.

Review:

These are FIBER HEAVY COOKIES. All 3 of us in the house were feeling the effects. Take that as you may. Other than that they were delicious, but I'm really not sure how much they did for production. I did say to Chris a few times that I'm not really sure there's a difference between these and eating a granola bar and drinking a beer, but hey, it's an excuse for cookies. Enjoy!

Our "free" headboard

2011-10-06T10:05:00.000-04:00

This past week, while we were taking our nightly dog and stroller walk, we came across a headboard and bed frame on the side of the road labelled "free". Not one to ever pass up a deal, I sent Chris back with a car to pick it up while I gave lil man his bath. Chris says I owe him.

It turns out that a neighbor had put the bed frame in front of this house because it had a fire hydrant to lean it on, and the owner of the house came running out to yell at Chris when he stopped to pick it up. He thought that Chris was LEAVING the bed frame in his yard. Much confusion ensued...but we got our frame.

It's nothing fancy, fairly unattractive even, and has a crack and some missing screws, but nothing us DIY gurus (ha) can't handle. Chris re-did some of the pieces by taking them apart, wood-gluing, and tacking them back in, and we ended up with a solid frame. Then it was my turn.

It was covered in light wood laminate. Ew. Alright, not TERRIBLE, but our house is all dark wood, and...ya'll...LAMINATE. So I decided to get some paint. After a lovely trip to Sherwin Williams where I had a long chat with their VERY pregnant associate, Amanda, who was due any day, I came home to paint. Amanda looked startled and relieved when I said I had a four month old. She sputtered..."A four month old, you look great!" Ok, major ego boost, and I was glad that she seemed so relieved that it was possible.

Back to the headboard. Nothing fancy here. I primed, painted (two coats), and then we assembled it. We need to add some slats because it isn't supporting the bed particularly well, but it really almost makes it look like we have a decorated bedroom! See? Isn't it lovely? Yes, you are seeing 98% of the room. It is TINY. There are two dressers crammed in there that you can't see, but I haven't painted them yet, so they're hiding. ;) It's nice to be able to get some projects done now, even if they mostly are accomplished after the Lion goes to sleep at night. At the expense of my sleep. Oh well.

(I somehow lost my in-progress photos. Pretty frustrated about that.)

My Trip to the Chiropractor

2011-10-03T16:33:00.001-04:00

On Friday I finally gave in and went to the chiropractor. As I mentioned in my post-baby body post, my hip has been extremely painful, and I decided it was time. I was finally willing to pay the money, spend the time, and acknowledge the injury in the hopes of getting some relief.

My hips have been through the ringer. My freshman year of college, way back in 1999, was the first time they experienced trauma. My friend Laura and I were at a party, where a drunken guy walked up behind us and picked us each up in one of his arms. This isn't as impressive as it sounds, as at the time I was all of 110, and was MUCH larger than Laura. Anyway, he drunkenly stumbled around, and eventually landed...hard...and I was on the bottom of the heap. All 3 of us had landed on my left hip. I obviously didn't want to acknowledge that I had been injured by a drunk guy at a party, so I just limped around for a couple weeks and didn't seek treatment.

The summer of 2001, I was working for Enterprise Rental Cars, and managed to total one of their vehicles, as I drove 2 other employees back to our office. I was in a left turn lane and had a green light, but not the green arrow. My view was obstructed by a car in the turning lane in the other direction, so as I edged out, trying to see, a van slammed into the side of our little Saturn, lifting it up on end, turning it 180 degrees, and, miraculously, not flipping it. While my lower back was so injured that I spent much of that summer laying flat on my back whenever I wasn't working, I felt so guilty that, again, I never sought medical attention.

So, 12 years after the initial injury, and adding the birth of my son into the mix, the pain is finally bad enough that I needed to get it looked at. I could handle never riding roller coasters, and frequently using heating pads, but now? Whenever I turn out my right leg, pain shoots down through the entire leg. And trying to sit Indian style is just laughable. I can't. Consequently, running also hasn't been on the top of my list.

When I met the doctor, he ran through a battery of tests, checking to see if things were parallel, my range of motion, and my strength in different areas. It almost seemed like magic. As soon as he would press a pressure point, and try and get me to activate muscles surrounding my right hip, it would just collapse, and had absolutely no strength what-so-ever. He certainly was convinced that something was amiss, but will not treat it until he sees an x-ray of my hip and lower back. I will be getting that done this week, then returning again on Friday of this week. Hopefully then we can get the ball rolling.

Oddly enough, he also jumped on the fact that I have been excessively dizzy since delivery. As in, I have blacked out multiple times. But proceeded to ask questions like,

"Are you tired?"

"Why, yes, I have a 4 month old."

"Do you have trouble sleeping?"

"Why, yes, I have a 4 month old."

His line of questioning wasn't working so well. Anyway, he seems to feel that I might need some sort of supplement. Eh, wouldn't be shocked. Kiddos will take a lot out of you. Anyway, one problem at a time. Here's to hoping I'll soon be healed!

Friday 5: Body Changes After Baby

2011-09-29T21:46:00.000-04:00

Here is a very scary comparison picture to put up. I know I stopped doing body-after-baby posts when it started to feel like bragging, but this is more than just weight, it's the details that sometimes fail to get mentioned. And, I apologize that the angles are just different enough to make it somewhat trippy. These pictures were taken on September 15, 2010 (5 weeks pregnant, but still the same body), and September 29, 2011 (now, 4 months post-baby).

In the interest of full disclosure, I will be giving numbers, so if you don't want to know, I suggest stopping.

1) Weight
I am really darn lucky. I know this. I had no trouble losing the weight. I have been a lazy bum that eats a lot of crap, though, so my weight actually did go back up after it had dropped BELOW pre-pregnancy weight. On the left, I weighed 135 lbs. On the right I weigh 136.5. They are the same clothes, but because I took a lot of monthly update pictures in them, they are pretty stretched out now. Also, I'm not running right now, so there is a distinct difference in muscle tone.

2) Joint size
I know this sounds strange, but with all the swelling, joints expand. My feet went from a 7.5 to between an 8/8.5 and I've had to purchase a lot of new shoes. Now, that's not really a bad thing, other than it's not in the budget. Also, you may recall that I tried to jam my wedding rings on my fingers 6 weeks post-partum, and had to have them cut off in the emergency room. My fingers grew MUCH larger. My rings were previously 3.75, and now are 5.25. I understand that that still means that I have abnormally skinny fingers, but they are gigantic to me. Again, this is mostly the joints, and not the part in between.

3) The Girls
Yes, I'm still nursing. Therefore, this is likely to change again, but not always. I went from a 36C pre-pregnancy, up to a 38F during, and down now to a 36DD. Again, a slightly non-traditional route. I was terrified that everyone kept telling me that they were going to get bigger once the milk came in. Thank goodness that was not the case, and they, in fact, went down in size. I have spoken to many women where this was a permanent change, but I really wouldn't mind going back down. Who knows. I have been blessed that nursing has not been problematic at all.

4) My Hips
OHHHHH my hips. Now, I know some of you are looking at the picture trying to figure out what I'm talking about. No, I'm not talking about size, or appearing any different. They are PAINFUL. This is part of my excuse for not running right now. I always had bad hips. A drunk guy fell on me when I was 18, and I was in a car accident at 20, so they've always hurt. Even before I gave birth Chris tried to get me to go see his chiropractor. I never did. After giving birth? Multiple times a day I will turn, and a stabbing pain will shoot through my hip. I feel it in my knees and ankles, as well, as the whole alignment is off. I can barely walk sometimes, and going down the stairs in the middle of the night to get the baby is my own version of hell. I have finally given in and scheduled a chiropractor appointment for this afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm really hoping that I can get some relief!

SCARY PICTURE #2. PERHAPS MORE SCARY THAN #1!!!

This, folks, is my stomach. Which, ok, really isn't too scary, again, lucky.

5) My Stomach

Yes, I know people are looking at that hating me. There are no stretch marks. None. How? God was kind. I have a lot of spider veins on my legs, but that's it. The linea negra has not totally disappeared, and I'm not sure when it will. Obviously, I had been wearing a different bra and pants, and those are the marks. Try and ignore those.

The excess skin. It bothers me, but I continue to hope it will shrink over time. Everyone tells me it will. You can still see that bulge, and it is easy to grab handfuls. Sorry for the graphic imagery. All I can tell you is that as of 4 months? Still there.

You may notice that my stomach is broken out, which may seem odd. It is. Certain babies (hmm hmm LION, talking to you!) dribble a lot of milk while they're eating. I try and clean it off, but it never seems to be good enough. So I have teenage skin...on my stomach. Joy.

Bonus #6 - A quick run-down of other changes, or lack there-of

- Hair: Lost a bunch, but it seems to have stopped, and hasn't really been an issue, other than disgusting the husband who cleans the drains. It's as curly as ever.

- Skin: It was much better while I was pregnant. Back to breaking out.

- Internally: Digestion is back to being problematic. Lactose intolerance has returned.

- Smell: I'm back to being unable to smell anything.

Are there other changes people have dealt with? Or are there things you thought you would face and didn't?

My Attempted Baby Photo Shoot

2011-09-29T08:46:00.002-04:00

I am not a photographer. I do not pretend to be a photographer. I have a pretty good camera, that I have no idea how to use. I'd love to take the time to learn, but it hasn't really happened. However, I am also cheap. Therefore, we have no portraits of the Lion. Hopefully, we'll get some once he can sit up, since I think that would be fun. At this rate, he'll also be crawling. Which...may prove problematic. Anyway, here are some of my favorites. My biggest problem? I don't have a backdrop, or any solid-color walls. So, I tried to make do with some blankets that just never seemed big enough. Feel free to tell me how I should just give up and pay someone.

All the bears we had sitting around. Confession: I owned them all pre-baby, except for the blue one (Mr. Bear)

His best friend. Mr. Bear. Thanks to my brother's in-laws.

My happy boy.

He likes sucking on his lips right now. Which is a little odd...but cute.

Admittedly? This is a nursing shot. I never thought I'd ever want a photo with him nursing, but since you can see absolutely nothing? I'm kind of in love with this.

I swear I chose the lighting that looked best for the individual photo when I was editing. But...this one looks really weird after the dark ones, I know.

And...at the very end I let Harper back in so she could participate.

There were some pretty bad outtakes, since Robby wasn't so into this whole idea. I'll just give you 2. Didn't edit them at all.

Just THOROUGHLY licked. You can see the dripping slobber.

Daddy's tie on the baby? Cute in theory, not in practice.

Growing into gifts

2011-09-26T07:54:00.000-04:00

I find myself frequently thinking of my son as one of those gel capsules that you put into water and it just explodes into some sponge shape. Ya'll have to have played with those at some point in your childhood. He just has grown so QUICKLY. This has led me to really appreciate larger-sized gifts that I received at my baby showers. Some of the ones that seemed huge at the time are starting to fit. Take for example this adorable dinosaur hat from Raquel and Jeff:

Oh, wait, hiding from the picture.

Nope, don't want to be sitting.

Yay! Mom's finally letting me stand up! (Hence, the complete obscuring of the hat. Ah well.)

Also, he's finally starting to use the most adorable gift I received, and had raved about previously from Matt & Michelle (Who are providing their own lil playmate for the buddy soon! So excited!). This bag of farm animals is so very cute, but also a great toy for both now, and when he starts imagining. Right now the horse is his favorite because it has a tail that's easy to hold on to.

And, is also, delicious.

So, my decision has been made. I'm going to be trying to get gifts that seem huge and/or advanced from now on. Because they all grow into them (entirely too soon!).

Thanks everyone!!!

The Lion at 4 Months

2011-09-23T09:57:00.001-04:00

Happy 4 months little man!

I believe this month we made more mental and physical strides than growing ones. Thank goodness. The Lion was getting HUGE. We did move up so that now we're wearing SOME 9 month clothes, but at least we didn't FULLY grow out of a size of clothing again. As always, our appointment isn't until Tuesday, so I don't know official stats, but if my quilting mat and bathroom scale have anything to say about it, he's 27" and 15.5 lbs. Which would put him at 100th percentile of height and 60th in weight. Sheesh. Still don't know how I ended up with a giant.

This month's physical achievements include mastering the tummy to back roll and, consequently, the speed rolling across the room. He actually only goes to the right, though. He still can't go the other direction. So we have a little bit of safety in that. He's become much more coordinated and loves pulling out his pacifier and putting it back in (sometimes). He's finally interested in toys. And grabbing animal fur. Poor fur-babies. He will now step while being held in a standing position, and can momentarily hold himself in a sitting position. Though, in a "Mommy of the Year" moment yesterday, I learned he canNOT hold it long enough for a picture. He conked his head on the floor pretty nicely when I tried. :(

Mental gains include now saying many consonants (m, n, d, g, b) and a few different vowel sounds. He likes to scream. Which is EVER so lovely. Of course, still lots of raspberries and bubbles and laughter. He still likes books, but rarely will sit still for more than one. Same with singing. He loves having a stuffed animal with him, though doesn't care too much which it is. He will now turn to look at you, and will sometimes look at what you tell him to (e.g. Dada, Momma, Puppy, Kitty...that's about it). It sure seems like he's saying Momma when he's annoyed, but still doubt that. Think it's coincidence.

Daycare's going better. He eats three 4oz bottles a day most days, and sleeps only a total of about 2-3 hrs. He typically makes up for that the next day at home with me. He definitely is learning a lot from being around older kids. His class is still only "officially" him and Isaiah (who is 6 months, and chubby and adorable), but Miss Laurie also watches a few of the "Perky Penguins" (1 year olds) at the beginning and end of the day. So, I've even met Patrick (13 m) and Lia (16 m). And, can I just say that I'm jealous, seeing as Lia is one of my absolute favorite names and Chris won't go for it? And she has the cutest little pom-pom pigtails.

Robby no longer is passive in these photo sessions. He may give off that slug-like appearance in the photos I chose to post above...but there was a lot of movin and shakin going on... And eventually a no-holds-barred cage match with the poor defenseless lion.

Comparison collages. This first one doesn't have this month's picture in it because Picnik would only do 4 without a premium membership...and...I'm too cheap for that. But I was so super excited to find that I actually DID have a newborn picture with the lion doll. OK, it was 1 week. But close enough. Better than I had before.

And...here's proof that, if anything, he looked bigger last month. Just with less hair.

Yet Another Busy Weekend

2011-09-20T09:51:00.000-04:00

The fact that it's 8:30, Robby still hasn't woken up, and I'm able to write this should speak volumes. Little man is EXHAUSTED. And, for once, I'm not that bad. For approximately a month, he has been a TERRIBLE sleeper. I'm talking an absolute minimum of 3 times a night being up...with the average being close to hourly, and bad nights being every half hour. Chris finally took pity on me and has actually gotten up a few times this past week. But, no matter what anyone says, I do not have an easy baby right now. Anyway, onto what exhausted him in the first place. The weekend.

It all started when Chris and I went to the Penn State/Temple game on Saturday. It was great getting out, walking around, talking, tailgating, like back pre-baby. Robby was home with grandma. So we got to meet up with some people that Chris works with, and then sit in phenomenal seats...and watch a really painful football game. It turned out alright, but OOOH. That was touch and go ya'll.

It got really exciting towards the end of the game...and not in such a great way. There were a group of people sitting in the box behind us that, shall we say, didn't have good manners. Everytime something good or bad happened, things would come flying out of the box and rain down on everyone below. I should say, the people in the box were Penn State fans, as were all the people getting littered on. As the game wore on, tensions mounted, and words started being exchanged. And there were plenty of young children who should not have been hearing what was being said. The people in the box were intoxicated, and there was one man in particular who just had this entitled smirk that was doing his best to add to the situation. Security, of course, spoke to the people in the seats (who were doing nothing) and not to the people in the box. As Chris said, he wishes he knew what company owned the box so that they could be informed what sort of behavior had been coming from it. Oh well.

Saturday night, some relatives of Chris's came over for dinner. I suppose they are his cousin's wife and daughter, but I'd say the relationship is more like sister-in-law and niece, but you get the point. We frequently meet up with them at Penn State games, but they live in Virginia, so they hadn't gotten to see the house or the kid before.

The next day we got to see Karleigh play softball. Her team is currently Virginia champions, so they travel to play a lot. They demolished their opponents, and while Karleigh wasn't thrilled with her batting, she did make it on base and did well playing 3rd. I'm so glad we got to see her play for the first time! She's truly passionate about it and is hoping to be able to go to college on a scholarship. Crossing our fingers, but looks pretty good!

As much fun as all of it was...I am thrilled to say that there isn't much planned for next weekend. There may be by the time it rolls around, though. So, better take a cue from Robby and catch up on my sleep.

The Lion is on the Prowl

2011-09-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, saying we had news probably made people jump to all sorts of conclusions. I promise you, whatever you thought? Probably wasn't that.

Take a look at this picture. Something is wrong with it:

There USED to be a baby on the blanket. Where did the baby go?

Aha! There you are! As of yesterday, we now have a speed roller. At 3.5 months. I was always terrified that my kid would be doing this early, but I never thought it would be THIS early. I did it at 4.5. Ugh. Time to start babyproofing.

Here he is rolling in the video. He is GREATLY objecting at this point since he had been doing it for awhile and was tired. I swear he's usually quite a bit quicker. Sigh.

Our First Sick Day

2011-09-12T18:18:00.001-04:00

This weekend wasn't so fun. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't terrible, but I won't be bragging about it in years to come. Why? Both Robby and I got a pretty nasty cold. Not the flu, not the plague, just a nasty cold where you blow your nose 5 million times and want to take naps. But you're not allowed to take naps with a baby. That's when they burn the house down and children's services comes and finds you. So I suffered.

And you know what's worse? If you're nursing you can't take any of the good drugs. And by "good drugs" I mean things like NyQuil or Sudafed. You know, crack. ;) Taking some Ibuprofen and Benedryl when I have a couple hours before he'll want to eat again just doesn't cut it. Almost makes you want to stop breastfeeding. But, the poor kid is only 3 months old, so there's really NOTHING he can take. He can take infant Tylenol if he has a fever, but he didn't, so he was limited to saline spray (which we actually didn't use), and a nose sucker. The kid actually really enjoys the nose sucker. We have an electronic one and it kind of buzzes, so he cracks up when you use it.

Furthermore, Chris went to State College for the Alabama game. No, I am not criticizing that. I encouraged him to go. His birthday is today (Happy birthday, hun!) and he deserved it. But I do feel a tiny bit of smug satisfaction that he now has the cold. Even if he was helpful and actually woke up once with the kiddo on each Friday and Saturday. That is big ya'll. 1) Chris doesn't hear him. So, yeah, I had to kick him, but still. 2) Those would be the first 2 times he's ever gotten out of bed to take care of him. So, you know he was taking pity on me. Well, and that Robby no longer is getting fed every time he wakes up. Since 99% of the times he wakes up it is because he crawled to the end, bashed his head on the bars, and lost his pacifier. So you just need to move him and plug it back in, again.

OK, I know he doesn't look sick. Swear he was. He did great being back at daycare today, and we have big news tomorrow.

On the Road Again - Travelling with Infants

2011-09-07T14:25:00.001-04:00

Robby isn't so sure about this travelling thing, but I've got to say? He's pretty good at it. Sorry bud. You haven't made us miserable enough to stop going places. We started out with a 2 hour trip to Chris's parents when Robby was a month old. The way there went PERFECTLY...because we left before his normal wake-up time. The way home, Chris decided that we should test out driving at one of his crankiest times of day... That did not go so well. It resulted in about an hour of the two hour drive being accompanied by screams that I could do nothing to calm down.

Since then, we've stuck with leaving somewhere between 3-5 am. That way, we at least get a couple good hours of driving in before he wakes up and would like to be entertained. We have done two trips that are 8-9 hour drives: New Hampshire and Columbus. New Hampshire couldn't have gone better in both directions. We leave him in his pajamas, hit the road early, and just GO. Columbus was rough on the way back, but we were only there for 3 days, so he didn't get to rest up before getting stuck back in his car seat. This has led to a terrible fear of the "baby trap" as Chris calls it, and he's been having meltdowns all week when we strap him in.

Tips and tricks we've learned along the way:
- Car sleep does not count as sleep. The baby will still want to nap or go to bed when you arrive at your destination.
- Bring lots of books. I suppose this depends on your child, but Robby LOVES to read, and I always bring his favorites (Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss's ABCs, and Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs) and read them 50 zillion times. I think I need a wider selection in the car.
- Make sure to have a blanket. My husband loves car air conditioning. We freeze if not prepared.
- Do not forget the favorite stuffed animal. (Mr. Bear is winning at our house.)
- Similarly, do not forget the pacifier.
- Try never to stop for your needs. The baby will need to stop enough as is. However, plan ahead if you will be on, say, the Bronx highway, or the dead zone of West Virginia.
- If he's melting down, there's not much that's going to save you. You're either going to pull over or listen to screaming. There is that breaking point around 8 hours that they just can't get past.
- Have more outfits than you imagine it would be possible to go through. See below: Robby had pooped through 3 outfits, so he is wearing his present from his grandparents (they had just returned from Ireland). It's unwashed, but he survived.

And, if you're lucky, all will go well and you'll start planning your next trip.

Don't worry, Robby, it's not for another month.

Congrats...now improved with mustaches!

2011-09-06T13:17:00.003-04:00

This weekend we returned to Columbus to celebrate my bridesmaid Hannah marrying her LONG time boyfriend Jeremy. I went to high school with the two of them. And they were dating then. And we're ancient. This is a couple that knows each other well. And is all the better for it.

Jeremy just about made me cry because he had told the Rabbi that, "No one has ever made me happier than Hannah, and no one could ever make me happier than Hannah." I sat there cursing my eye make-up. The two of them really are suited for each other, and I love them dearly. Congrats, ya'll!

Now the important part. They had a photo booth! And accessories! My parents stopped by the reception briefly (...and the bride and groom were so excited about this that they walked out to the parking lot to say hi! I was amazed!) to let me introduce Robby to people. Children were welcome, but we assumed that there was no way that he'd last through a ceremony and reception without much screaming. And, our friends that have a daughter a week younger made it about an hour into the reception, so we think we made the right call. But our photo booth photo:

I'm a little in love with this. Too cute. And now since I'm out of time, a few other photos:

Typical. Me dancing with little girls.

Yes, they put on rain ponchos. And yes, we were worried that the cake was going to tip over before they cut it.

Hannah made it up in the chair.

And...eventually so did Jeremy. (featuring some guy's head)

Lots of love!

Can't believe I videotaped myself...

2011-09-01T19:07:00.000-04:00

I love listening to how people talk, and I suppose that was my motivation to actually record myself doing the accent post that's going around. I'll try and give a disclaimer that I had been at the pool and was totally grungy, and the angle's really funky...but whatever. It's me. Take it or leave it.

The point is to see how people say different words in different regions. I am a messed up amalgamation of language. I have lived in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, New Hampshire, Ireland, and Illinois. And my parents are from New York. So...just try and figure out where I get my messed up speech pattern.

The instructions are to say these words:
Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

And answer these questions:
What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you use to change the TV channel?

***Confession***
My fond memories of TP-ing are really one incident where my girlfriends and I were going to get a frenemy's house, and half of us (myself included) chickened out and sat on a bike path in the middle of the night talking. Well, and the many times I got stuck cleaning up our yard after my brother's friends got our house, and it "might have been mine". BULL.

My Strong Man

2011-09-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

Robby's starting to beef up with more than just fat! Yay! And even better, his legs are starting to stretch out so that they will fit into the holes in the bumbo. Such a relief! He's able to sit and enjoy it now, and he's really getting pretty good at it!

That one was even a few days ago, and he's improved since then. And the stronger his neck gets? The more he's enjoying sitting there. Shocking, I know. Funny moment? Our friends were watching Robby when we went out to dinner, and the husband was so worried about putting him in the jogging stroller they had for their toddlers that he bungee corded the carseat into it. Confession? We have the exact same stroller, and he rides in it nightly. He's head is definitely stable enough, though we're just walking, not going for runs.

Also proof of the "Robby is getting strong" statement? Tummy time is improving!

I had to share all three of those because I'm obsessed with my son and couldn't decide. Keepin' it real folks. And, I know I'm biased, but totally the cutest baby ever. And the most talented. Obviously. Enjoy!

Cornhole Boards

2011-08-31T08:00:00.003-04:00

In what has become a yearly post, here are our new cornhole boards! Chris complained that last years were too heavy to easily transport, so one day he up and made them into a work bench, and told me I had to do a new set. GRRR. These are not quickly made items. Then, he did not make them, but convinced a friend that he wanted to do the construction. The man got off easy. (He would like it noted that he did the design, a lot of painting, as well as sanding and puttying. I did all the detail work.) But here they are after I finished painting them. Chris is still going to polyurethane them later so they don't wear off.

I'm really starting to feel like I should be making these to sell. I'm getting pretty darn good at it! These admittedly are SUBSTANTIALLY lighter, and have a board that slides into the top, rather than legs that screw on and off, so it's just more convenient for transport and have a quicker set up.

TAILGATING HERE WE COME!!!

Letting Loose

2011-08-30T14:00:00.001-04:00

Robby's first day of daycare was Monday, and it went pretty much as expected. He refused to take bottles, had trouble napping, and might have tired out some kind-hearted teachers. It will improve, I have no doubt. But on to the true nature of this post. In an effort to help them out, we have stopped swaddling.

Swaddling had become a bit silly. Robby would immediately pull his arms out, and occasionally a leg, then flip himself over. The only thing the swaddler continued to be was a glorified blanket.

While the air conditioning or open windows on cooler nights can make things a BIT chilly, he certainly can do without the extra layer, since like his father, he is a sweaty little man. And really? I fear that he'll pull the swaddle up over his face. So...goodbye. He was even starting to outgrow this extra-large size, so it was time.

After about a week of this rolling-over-while-sleeping stuff, last night was our trial run. I'm not going to lie. I'm kinda tired today. It did involve a lot of re-inserting of pacifiers, and standing over the crib to see if he was just fussing in his attempt to roll, or fussing because he was waking up. We survived, though, and I will continue to try this from today on.

The schedule last night? Robby napped all evening after daycare because he was STARVING and as soon as he had gorged himself, he passed out (waking to feed a couple times). By STARVING, you have to interpret that in fat-boy terms. He DID take 3 2-oz bottles at daycare, but blew through another 2 that they had to dispose of because he wouldn't take them. Fortunately, we suspected that that would be the case, which is why we made the bottles so small to begin with. See? We were thinking. So, really? Not SO bad.

He finally woke up from his "naps" at 8:10 pm, at which point he got a bath and put on his pj's. I also started pretending that he was going to go to sleep. He nursed, and we hung out in his darkened room. Forever. Alright, only until about 9:10 when I managed to get him down.

During the night, he 1/2 awoke at 12, we popped the pacifier in a million times until 1 while he rolled, and I half dozed on his futon. He nursed and had a diaper change at 1. Fell asleep. At 3:30, we did the same routine. An hour of pacifier popping, followed by nursing and diaper change, down at 4:30. He woke up for the day at 6:50, though he went into the eat/play/nap routine pretty quick. Really, not all that terrible, but more awake time for ME than I would have liked. ;)

"Surviving" Irene

2011-08-30T10:45:00.000-04:00

I am not making light of the fact that some of you really did suffer the wrath of Irene. However, we did not. While the media had portrayed it to be the end of the world for us, especially after experiencing the earthquake just a couple days before (which, by the way? I also didn't feel), our experience was quite mundane. Here is the view out our front door at the end of the rain.

It was a little messy, but nothing that a broom couldn't handle. Our neighbors' basement did flood, so we went down. Chris carried up a couple rugs with the husband, while I talked babies with the wife. Still, they'll be fine after everything gets a chance to dry out. Their dog was a bit traumatized, though! She sleeps in the basement, and when the water started to seep into her crate at about 4 am, she might have lost it a bit.

Chris took some pictures of the nearby creek that were a bit more impressive.

And, finally, a video of the rushing stream if you're into that sort of thing. Unfortunately, you can also hear how many times Chris had to reprimand Harper for harassing the other gawkers.

There are some unique people out there

2011-08-25T07:27:00.000-04:00

Miss M's comment about liking my sister-in-law's dress reminded me of another occurrence during the baptism. That we encountered Robby's biggest fan, yet again. Let's just say that my brother's reaction to her was, "You better watch your baby," and...I can't say that I entirely disagree with that assessment.

So according to the unique woman, Sara's dress is "inspirational".... I mean I like it and all, but...interesting choice of words. That alone doesn't make her as nutty as we suspect, though.

We live in a small town that used to be the site of a mental hospital that just closed its doors one day and put the patients out on the street. Literally. It was quite the scandal. Now, it's been many years, and I'm not saying that that's definitely the case here, but you be your own judge.

This woman goes to our church. We see her fairly regularly, but didn't actually know her, or ever speak to her. The first meeting, Chris was out walking Harper, and she came rushing up to him saying, "How do I get out of here? I've got to get out of here!" He tried answering, "Well, downtown's that way", but that didn't seem to satisfy her.

#2. We were out to breakfast, and she was at the table next to us. She was either done eating, or not eating anything, and sat there staring our entire meal. As soon as Chris got up to pay, she came over to me, and started with, "He's so cute!" Ok, normal. And then proceeded to inspect his hands and have a lengthy conversation about whether I thought only old people got veins on their hands, and why didn't babies have veins on their hands. Mmm....k.

#3. During the baptism (after exuberantly congratulating me), the congregation was going up for communion, but my sister-in-law is not Catholic, so she remained in her seat. The woman came over to her, and told her about her dress. Sara smiled, and thanked her. The woman then said, "Oh Oh Oh! Do that again!" Sara, thinking she had lipstick on her teeth or something, smiled, and the woman gasped, "Are those your real teeth?!?!"

#4. She was at Walgreens yesterday, going car-to-car talking to people when I pulled in...and I admittedly hustled inside, hoping the entire time she wouldn't see me. I feel a little bad about this.

So...that's the story of our local "unique" woman. I suppose she's harmless, it just always ends up being a somewhat awkward conversation.

The Lion at 3 Months

2011-08-23T12:34:00.001-04:00

Growing up so fast! The Lion is now 3 months old! And as you can see, the growing has not slowed down one bit. He continues to be a chunky monkey, and has made great strides for a baby. As for my best guess...he's weighing in around 15 pounds, now, and wears 6 month clothing, though some of that has been retired.

This month the Lion is becoming a person. He talks back, laughs, reacts to what's going on around him, and OH does he have opinions. One day, Chris and Robby were watching some football clips on daddy's laptop (yes, it was as ridiculous as it sounds), and they changed the background music to something hard rock. You would've thought Robby was being tortured! The SHRIEK that came out of him! I guess we do not have a rocker on our hands.

The Lion will happily hold toys now, and bring them up to put in his mouth. His favorites are a blue bear and his Tigger. When on the activity mat, he has to be near the penguin or the frog, so that he can grab them. So far the fur-babies are still safe, and have not had their hair grabbed.

We still aren't rolling over much. He's done it both back to front and front to back, but it's not consistent. Tummy time is getting a little less painful, though. He still cries, but not as much.

Other favorite activities are reading (Green Eggs and Ham is his favorite, and he will talk back animatedly), going for walks in his stroller, STANDING (all day every day), baths, and watching the puppy and kitty. Oh, and TELEVISION. BOO! I always said I wouldn't let my kid watch television. And you know what? He will crank his head around like a contortionist to try and see whatever is on. Bah.

Sleeping and eating are ROUGH right now. I believe he's in the middle of his 3 month growth spurt, so we never go longer than 2 1/2 hours between feedings. Even at night. I am tired. Please end soon. But otherwise? I love my chunker, and am not looking forward to daycare next week!

Baptism

2011-08-22T08:16:00.001-04:00

I still have not pulled off the New Hampshire recap, but that is going to have to wait. Robby was baptized this weekend! And in a thoroughly non-lion-like way...he was an angel. He played before mass, then slept through the service, including getting water poured on his head. Then, he woke up at the end to take some pictures. I couldn't have asked for a better behaved child. Of course, he does this in public, and then screams for us privately. ;)

Cutest picture ever with his godmother Aunt Sara

Playing before mass

Sleeping through the dunking

Proud mama

And...all the family pictures. For once. We actually took some!!!

Wordless Wednesday: New Hampshire Edition

2011-08-16T21:57:00.001-04:00

Ok, so the 2nd one was up yesterday, and the 3rd and 4th are similar subjects...but I edited everything for once!

New Hampshire Preview

2011-08-15T14:16:00.000-04:00

I've been off of blogging, because we took our yearly trip up to my grandparent's house in New Hampshire. I don't have time for a full post, but here is a glimpse. More tomorrow.

Trade-Offs of Being at Home

2011-08-09T22:21:00.003-04:00

As the time draws near that I will head back into an office, and no longer be working from home, I'm going to try and be negative to prove to myself that being home is just terrible. Have no fear, I also intend to fail miserably.

1) I never look particularly attractive. But...that means I'm comfy! And having to keep my hair up so that it isn't pulled is EASY. Such a time saver.

2) Not only must I juggle work with baby, but the dog does her best to drive me up the wall. But...I suppose I love my fur-baby.

3) I might not see people or anything beyond my house all day. But look at the view from my desk chair!

4) It makes getting out of the house that much more special. Wait. That wasn't negative. Doh. I'm having trouble with this, people!

Friday 5: Most Ridiculous Searches that Landed People Here this Month

2011-08-05T15:13:00.001-04:00

I've had some keyword doozies this month. I can't believe some of the search terms that have led people to this site! Now, I mean no offense if that's any of you currently reading, but I just had to share.

1) "Longest version of happy birthday"

I have no idea what I wrote that satisfied that...or why you'd want to know? Is there someone you really want to make squirm while you drag out the singing?

2) "I am a monster and need to change"

Honestly, I find this kind of scary. And I also think that the search is somewhat vague. You'd think someone would search about addiction, or personality disorders, or...I don't know. I'm speculating. But just a cure for monster-hood? Mystifying.

3) "Joke of Mother Nature (5 pics)"

I know that I wrote about a joke of mother nature. But in complete opposition to the last search, I find this perplexingly specific. Not 4 pictures? Not 6 pictures? Only 5.

4) "People who dont look pregnant when they are"

Well, thanks! That picture was from 26 weeks, I believe.

5) "Man cave Penn state"

And this one just makes me sad. Because it's all too true. Both that I gave in and let my husband have a Penn State man cave...and that the flood destroyed it. Mother Nature had a GREAT sense of humor on that one. ;)

The Trials of Being a New Dad

2011-08-03T13:03:00.000-04:00

It's rough being a new dad. Your wife's a little nutty, and yet she's your best resource for what works to calm the kid down. And you better believe you'll need to know it, because you're most likely to get handed said kid when he's fussy, or everyone's exhausted or, well, just sweltering hot.

Sometimes Mom has just HAD it by the end of the day, and Dad ends up grilling dinner, while playing with the dog and carrying baby. Just so Mom can get a shower, and decompress from fussy baby, exhaustion, and stuff she doesn't talk about on the blog.

As a new Dad you have to try and make sure the older "kids" don't feel neglected.

You may not wake up at night, but you work long hours to support everyone, and then come home to a wife that actually wants "adult conversation". And food. And every bit of energy you have left.

And will still set you up while you're napping to make you look neglectful... ;)

Love you, Chris!

I Wish the Lion was a Little Less "Advanced"

2011-08-01T15:42:00.000-04:00

Oh, don't be fooled into thinking he's advanced in any sort of way that indicates intelligence. Not that he's slow, either. He's a perfectly happy, normal little boy. Well, "little" is not the correct word. You already knew he was a giant chubster.

I forgot to tell you how he weighed in at the doctor! At 2 months he was 90th percentile for weight (13 lbs 7 oz), 85th percentile for height (24"), and had an entirely normal head in the 55th percentile (which he obviously inherited from his father because I have a giant bobble head). We also had to retire some 6 MONTH clothes this weekend. VERY VERY wrong.

At least now, even if his swim shirt doesn't fit him anymore, he proved he can nap without a swaddler at the pool party this weekend. Woo hoo! A new world is opening up to us. I am actually obscenely excited about this.

A less exciting "advanced" characteristic. My 10 week old is teething. NOT. OBSCENELY. EXCITED. He is a fussy little curmudgeon, who wants to be on the boob every 1/2 hour. Not to eat. Oh no. To gnaw. Not so pleasant. My mother finally believes me on the teething front after seeing his two front bottom teeth. Unfortunately, squirmy babies that are screaming their heads off don't do so well when you try and photograph in their mouth. So, here is a terrible picture in which I try to prove I'm not lying to you. You can kind of see those two white spots in his lower gum. Oh....joy.

I will now get back to the regularly scheduled programming of cuddling a little boy who has no idea why his world has been turned upside down. I'll see you when the screaming stops. (oh, wait, that was me)

Friday 5: Current Favorite Running Songs

2011-07-29T20:47:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile, so here are some more that I dance to...while running.

1) Stuck Like Glue - Sugarland Watch the video! It's not only hilarious, but it stars Captain Awesome from Chuck!

2) Party Rock - LMFAO I know it's overplayed right now, but I still can't get enough.

3) Hey Baby (Drop it to the floor) - Pitbull/T-Pain You know I needed something Pitbull.

4) Flashlight - Parliament

5) I Write Sins Not Tragedies - Panic at the Disco

And a bonus!

Discotech - Young Love

Who do I look like?

2011-07-27T09:17:00.000-04:00

On the forum I participate in, we were all making collages of our little ones to try and figure out which parent they look like. So I thought I'd share my results with all of you. The forum ladies were just as sure as all of us that he's Chris's kid. What do you think?

My 7 Links

2011-07-24T22:01:00.000-04:00

After a picture of Robby's gigantic frog-belly (you should check out the post over the weekend about his 2-month-birthday), are links to some select posts, since I've been tagged in the "7 Links" posts.

Kat at Living like the Kings tagged me in the 7 Links. So here goes,

1. My Most Beautiful Post: I want to say the post memorializing my friend that died, but I don't feel comfortable linking that. Search if you want.

2. My Most Popular Post: Both of these, that are related, have received similar numbers of hits: Friday Five: Pregnancy Surprises and Friday Five: Biggest Postpartum Surprises

3. My Most Controversial Post: The Noah's Ark of Suburbia This is the only post I have ever received a nasty comment on. And I'm not exactly sure why... Someone poo-pooed medicating my dog and cat... For reference, the dog has EPI and would die otherwise, and the cat gets in a lot of fights and has arthritis. But...ok...

4. My Most Helpful Post: The "Correct" Relationship Style Ok, not HELPFUL per se, but it did point out to Chris that his passive-aggressive (though, ok, funny) methods of getting me to clean the bathroom weren't helpful.

5. A Post Whose Success Surprised Me: Grilled Pizzas This is an old post that continues to rack up the hits. The link landed on a diet site, and the rest is history.

6. A Post I Didn’t Think Got the Attention it Deserved: Bread Dreams This is a very early post before I had any readers. Literally. But it is REALLY awesome bread, and you should make it.

7. The Post I am Most Proud of: Happy Birthday Robby - The Long Version More because of the content, then being able to write it, I am proud of giving birth to my little man!

Here are the other 4 Blogs that were tagged on Kat's 7 Links:

And here are 5 that I'm tagging: