Tuesday, March 30, 2010

9 month appointment

Well, it's been quite a day! We hit the ground running as soon as W woke up from his morning nap - errands, play date, and the big event - his 9 month checkup!! William is doing splendidly! He now weighs 20 lbs 7 ozs, is 28.3 inches long, and has a 17.9 inch head circumference! I love our pediatrician - he is so helpful and great with William! He encouraged me to gradually reduce W's formula intake over the next 3 months and continue to introduce him to more and more solid foods. By the time he's a year old, he will only need 16ish ounces of formula a day! He has close to 30 ounces now! haha I can't imagine life without bottles, but it looks like the time is fast approaching :)

William babbled to his pediatrician the entire time - it was so cute. He has been saying "bah bo" over and over all week and it's starting to sound like he's in the mob "eyyy Bob-oh". There's a lot going on in that big old noggin of his - I can't wait to hear it all :)

I will miss this - he still fits perfectly in my lap...

Sunday, March 28, 2010

He stands!!!

The title of this post says it all! After weeks of attempts and falls (and one successful pull up that only M saw *tear*), I watched my tiny baby boy pull himself up to standing tonight!! I didn't get a pic because...well...I may or may not have been tearing up and loudly recalling the days when he could barely roll over.

M didn't get a pic either.
He was too busy laughing at me.

What can I say? W just plain amazes me.
Every
single
day.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Quiet man?

I think I may have an introvert on my hands (Daddy's clone in all ways!). When W and I are out and about in the world, W is quiet and stoic and wide eyed - taking it all in and processing it. You can see his little wheels turning. As soon as we're in the car heading home, he is out cold dreaming who knows what about everything he's seen.

At home, however, he is a different child all together - wild and loud and all over the place! This video was taken when my Mom was over - W thinks her shoes are HILARIOUS! I think his laugh is divine.



Thursday, March 25, 2010

Sweet little 9 month old

9 months ago this very evening, M and I (and a host of family and friends) welcomed one baby W into the world. 9 months ago this evening, my entire world changed. I suddenly went from a flighty and frivolous newlywed girl to a woman (okay, okay - still totally just a girl) completely filled with purpose and overflowing with love for a person who had just entered the room. Astounding.I will never forget the first time I saw that face.

My main objective since June 25th has been to make this tiny creature feel as happy and loved and joyful as is humanly possible. I like to think I have succeeded thus far :) W spent his 9 month birthday playing at home with Mommy and:
*trying apple/cinnamon puffs (big hit!)
*trying diced carrots and peas (not such a big hit - he looks at me like I'm insane if I try to feed him anything other than Gerber purees)
*traveling around the living room up on his tippy toes and hands with his butt up in the air like a monkey
*playing piano
*telling me stories about Daddy (da da da da dada dada ooooooh)
*playing outside enjoying the gorgeous weather

It's been a great day!

P.S. - You know you're a baby Mom when you max out the photo storage of your cell phone. That's right - 1500 pictures...90% of which are of W.
Happy 9 month birthday little man!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Lost...

...in the most fabulous book I have read in months (possibly years) - Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Yes, I realize I am a few years behind on my book list (and I'm also aware that the sequel to my current read was released in December! oh no!), but geez, cut a new Mom a little slack ;)

I used to read all day and all night - any chance I got. Anything I could get my hands on. Novels. Essays. Lit Crit. Newspapers. Memoirs. Vanity Fair political pieces all the way down to celeb bios. I would drift off almost every night with someone else's story in my head....ahhhh peace.

My how the tables have turned. I always imagined that staying home with a baby would be so calm and idyllic. Cuddling in the soft glow of the home fire. Baby boy entertaining himself while I whip up an amazing dinner for hubby. Quiet. Naps? ... So so wrong :) W can hardly sit still through a reading of Goodnight Moon! haha Why doesn't anyone ever warn you that babies require CONSTANT attention? haha I swear those darn 'What to Expect' books need to add a chapter or 2 about the day-to day! Did I mention I had zero baby experience prior to having W? Maybe I'm the only one being whacked with these blindsides :)

Needless to say, reading time around here is at a premium. Until I collapse into bed at night, I seldom have a thought that does not involve W or M or a to-do list a mile long. Even upon collapse, my head refuses to cycle down! This was all true until Sunday evening when along came 334 pages of delicious from my very own sweet Mom (and fellow armchair traveler).

I'm reading at night again and it is amusing me to no end (thank you Mommy!). There are many other things (laundry, dishes, dusting) I could/should be doing, but I'm not! *twinge of guilt* I am on my way back to my down comforter and Italy...contented sigh...

Take time for your own mental vacation today. If you want to, you are more than welcome to join me in Naples - the "word pizza" here is ridiculous.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

I'm dreaming of a white...Easter? Just like the ones I've never known.



Notice that the poster this festive foursome is drooling over advertises snowy Vermont. That is because "snowy Texas" made absolutely no sense in 1954 when this gem of a movie was released. Tonight marks not only the first day of Spring here in TX, but also marks the 4th (5th?) time we've seen it this year! Absurdity! I think it's wonderful fun :)

Friday, March 19, 2010

Grandpa!

My son and my Dad together = perfection in my book.
They each think the other hung the moon.
My Dad was the first person W ever kissed....be still my heart!

Decades ago, when my Dad and his manly friends all began their respective adventures in parenting, they had a collective vision of "Dads and sons"...in the woods and in boats...building fires and hunting and doing manly things...

So, naturally, they ALL had daughters - a giant flock of us! Life's funny, isn't it? Once recovered from the initial shock that they had daughters (and after leaving our Moms to handle the baby/toddler years), the Dads eventually said 'to hell with it' and threw us all in canoes and tents and pickups and dragged us all over Texas venturing out on river trips/primitive camping expeditions/ranching/fishing/gun shooting. We had quite a time. These weekends and school breaks out on the road with the Dads gave us the much needed ability to relate to our Dads and really get to know Texas. I'm still my happiest on the river.

So even though we girls were a relatively tough bunch, when it came down to it we still weren't sons ;) We could pack a dry bag, but you could bet there was nail polish in there. We could set up a camp, but we usually picked a few wildflowers to snazz it up. We have amassed gargantuan collections of sparkly river rocks. There was much eye rolling from the Dads over the years. Lately though, things have been evening out for our Dads. A brand new generation. Grandsons. Quite possibly even better than sons!

The first thing my Dad said to W (about an hour after he was born) was "We are going to go fishing." His eyes may as well have been made out of glitter. I will never forget it. They crack me up together - so moony are they. My Dad is even having a (much needed/long overdue) double knee replacement (prayers!!!) on April 26th and he has made his motivations for finally doing it no secret. He wants to be able to be as active for William's childhood as he was for mine. Unbelievable.

This time of year always reminds me of our childhood adventures with the Dads. I get ancy to hit the river as soon as the weather starts to warm up. Luckily, the first trip of the year is less than a month away - River Cleanup 2010! Cleanup is an entire day dedicated to removing any trash, scraps, old tires, etc that have made their way into the Brazos. This debris greatly affects the ecosystems of the area but - thanks in huge part to this annual event - the river is healthy and beautiful and is ready to host the next generation :)

More than a few of our adventures took place on the Brazos. It's a muddy green river. It's rocky in places. It's not in the Hill Country and it's not a tourist attraction like the Guadalupe. The Brazos is a slow old river that snakes it's way through the area just southwest of DFW. Because it's not a popular as other Texas rivers, it doesn't always get the conservation attention it deserves. Luckily, an awesome organization called "Friends of the Brazos" was founded a few years ago (by one of the aforementioned Dads, no less!) to keep the land and waters of the Brazos clean and cared for. They began the tradition of this annual Cleanup and the event has gotten bigger every year!

This year's Cleanup will be on April 10 at Tres Rios camp near Glen Rose at 9am. Free canoes are provided by a local outfitter to anyone who wants to help and the event is capped off by a free catered barbeque lunch in the afternoon. If you would like to tag along, please let me know - it's a total blast! I'll be there with my Dad :)

More info can be found at http://www.friendsofthebrazos.org/cleanup.html


Thursday, March 18, 2010

Champagne wishes and Benadryl dreams...

Occasionally, when my “holy crap I miss working“ (read - “holy crap I miss adult conversation and paychecks with my name on them”) rash flares up, I browse the lonely interweb in search of that one glorious, perfect PR job that could lure me away from my current glorious, perfect gig as a full-time stay-at-home Mom. Said tempting job would offer ridiculously flexible hours, on-site free child care, copious amounts of paid vacation time, a generous profit sharing package, full medical benefits for anyone I feel like signing up, and a salary as large as Shrek. Yes I just referenced a cartoon(ish) ogre - I’m mature like that. Ooh - I would also like a pony. A color changing one. And the freedom to wear whatever I feel like to our indoor/outdoor workspace.

The job doesn’t exist. But a girl can dream…

But back here in reality, I had a doctor’s appointment today and (booooo) I have strep throat but (yaaaay!) I’ve lost 10 lbs in 6 weeks. Fab. U. Lous. A drop in the bucket of baby weight loss, but I’ll take what I can get ;)

P.S. - Benadryl yields the creepiest dreams. Last night I was an Amish mother of 2 who took my kids into the woods to play dress up in glittery pink and purple clothes. We kept these Abba-esque get-ups in a cedar chest buried in a pile of leaves. There was dancing. And tiaras. And judgmental elders who found us out. I think I may need a break...

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

William through the months...

A photographic journey through William's life so far - he is growing so quickly!

"little" ol' me at 38 weeks - measuring 43 weeks!! I was huge and my body will never ever be the same! haha

I was induced June 25. After 9 hours of labor and no progress past 4cm, I was wheeled back for a c-section that scared me to death but went splendidly! Here is our first family photo!

July '09 - milk drunk.

August '09 - Smiley guy.

September '09 - lil bruiser ;)

October '09 - Superbaby at Halloween!

November '09 - favorite spot in the Jumperoo :)

December '09 - Santa baby!

January '10 - Baby's first road trip to Arkansas!

February '10 - W coming into his own :)

March '10 - W is 8 months old! So handsome!


Recent milestones include:
  • 2 teeth!
  • eating tiny bits of table food, cereal puffs, and biter biscuits
  • crawling like champ
  • pulling up to knees on his activity table and our TV table
  • pulling up to standing 3 times now - getting closer :)



Tuesday, March 16, 2010

First things first :)

It's 10pm and both my boys are sick and asleep. The house is totally silent except for the tic...tic..tic...of William's swing in the nursery (head cold central) and my hubby's snoring from our bedroom (stomach flu headquarters). I am on the couch in the living room, wide-eyed, nervous, clutching an industrial size can of Lysol in one hand while I type with the other. The germs are absolutely everywhere. I can feel them. I would open the windows to let them all out if that very action wouldn't let a ton of spring pollen come flooding in. There's no escape. I'm bound to get sick. And when Mom gets sick, there's no boss to call in to. No time to lounge in bed for days. No relief in sight. And it's only Tuesday.

Much like life, this little blog will not be perfect. It will not be constantly (unnaturally) blissful. It’s here for my eyes and the eyes of those who want to take a peek into my day-to-day (brave souls). I will likely rant, rave, and tell you more than you want to know, but I will also share my joy, my glorious little moments with my sweet son and family that I may forget if I don’t document them, and I will count my blessings. Happy to have you with me.

Now to introduce the major Loggins players:

My wonderful husband Marty will be referred to as “M” or “hubby”. I met him almost 4 years ago at a house party at 3am and we (well, of course!) hit it off right away ;) I was wearing red high heels and red lipstick and I loved his red pomp and tattoos ;) I still do. We are extremely nontraditional , but have ended up trying to fit in - but not tooooo far in - to a very traditional town. We drink too much when we go out and we sometimes fight like the Irish (he) and the Greek/Irish (me) that we are. We like rock and dive bars and playing pool all night long. We don’t see eye to eye on every single thing, but we have a common picture of the future. Our future. He proposed to me in December ‘08. We got married 3 weeks later in Vegas the weekend before Christmas and never looked back. I love him.

Our amazing, perfect, Marty clone of a sweet baby boy (8 1/2 month old William) will be “W” from now on. He makes my day. Everyday. Heck, he makes my life! That tiny little man tests my patience and wears me out and lights my world up and makes me smile like a fool. This love is the stuff of dreams. He was a surprise and a half, but he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. (P.S. - that’s such a cliché because it can be so. damn. true. I hope you’re lucky enough for this to be a cliché in your life.) He was born right on time (hottest part of June), fully cooked, beautiful, and healthy (other than inheriting my non functioning thyroid - sorry buddy). When I’m with him and M is somewhere else, it feels like M is still in the room - they are clones. They have the same skin and eyes and face. I was just the oven. So glad to have cooked this tiny perfect man. We are going to have a blast.