heavy drinker

not sure who's more into Seltzer these days... Mommy or Baby. i go through about a bottle a day, and then Christian pretends to finish it off. he's very good at it, for someone who doesn't "take a bottle" very often. at first it was just the colorful label that caught his eye. then i began letting him touch it--mmm, cold, wet, bright-- what could be more fun? then he started lunging for it, and putting his mouth on it, taking little tastes of the rim. pretty soon he would start trying to grab it out of my hand while i was drinking... now i just give him his "own" as often as i can. i suppose there could be worse addictions... :)

MY baby!

We had a very busy weekend-- and our little cherub held up great! Today I took him to a baby shower where there were lots of young girls who wanted to hold him. He enjoyed the attention from these cute little complete strangers, which was great to see, but i couldn't help but want him back. They took him from the moment we arrived, and while he was just across the room from me, my arms felt strangely empty the whole time. I guess he's still a novelty to me or something... but i actually got a little jealous for him. MY baby!
But it did make me realize how ingrained it is in us as females, to want to mother from such a young age. These girls descended on him like he was a new doll, and swung him around on their hips like little mamas. So natural. And I tried to put myself in their shoes, and realized how desperately I would have wanted to snag a baby to hold at that age. To pretend he was mine. To feel his little body fit snugly against my hip, as if he was a long-lost appendage. There is something truly comforting, even therepeutic about holding a baby. And it made me realize again how beautifully God has created our feminine hearts...
A room full of women of all ages, celebrating new life, and going ga-ga over every little outfit that was opened... like it was the first and cutest outfit they'd ever seen!
Anyway, my heart is filled with joy tonight, as I hold my little snuggle bug close to me and bask in his smiles and coos... all mine!

it's bubby tubby time!

(To the tune of "Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay")
It's Bubby Tubby Time
It's Bubby Tubby Time
It's Chubby Bubby Time
It's Chubby Bubby Time


"Just Relaxin in my hottub..."

"Um, Are you sure this is safe?"

"Can't a guy get a little privacy around here?"

"Does this washcloth make me look fat?"

My new friend

Today we went to my new friend Molly's house. She had a Bumbo seat, and I was really good at sitting in it. Molly is half my age but we weigh about the same. Mommy says she could probably beat me up so I should be careful not to offend her. We had a great time in the beautiful weather-- going for a walk and sitting outside. This is the life!

Daddy's Birthday-- by: Christian

Yesterday was Daddy's birthday. We woke him up with breakfast in bed and a little note from me. I wanted him to know how great of a Dad he already is! He seemed to like that. Then we went to church and I wore my blue and white striped Oxford button down shirt and navy pants to look like Daddy. Mommy said we looked like twins. Unfortunately I had a little accident and had to change clothes half-way through church, so we didn't get a picture of us matching. . . much to Mommy's disappointment. I still looked cute.Then we came home and I took a nice nap while Daddy worked in the yard. He was so excited to get a cord of firewood for his birthday. Then Gia came over to see me and she helped him stack the wood on our porch. I watched their every move. Then I gave Daddy another present-- a Jazz music book that he'd been wanting, so he and I can "kick out the jams" together. He loved it. I loved watching him open it.Later, Mommy and Daddy took me to Gramsy and Poppy's house so they could go on a Birthdate. At first I was happy to be there, but then I realized Mommy and Daddy were gone, and I missed them very much... I cried all night, and Gramsy and Poppy were total champs for trying to help me calm down and have fun. They rocked me, walked me, bounced me, and pulled out all the stops-- to no avail. Finally I fell asleep, and when I woke up Mommy and Daddy were pulling in the driveway. . . phew!When we got home I stayed up extra late so as not to miss any of the rest of the birthday celebration! And I was so excited, I had to get up in the middle of the night to wish him happy birthday one last time... only Mommy said that the birthday was over and I needed to go back to sleep.

Good times :)

lotsa links

I happened upon a garage sale full of baby stuff today, and lo and behold they were selling a whole chain of teether links for only a dollar! we only have a few that were handed down to us from cousins-- and they are the perfect addition to any carseat, diaper bag, or play area of any kind. i've been trying to figure out ways to distribute them and creatively make the ones we have longer and more reachable for things like the bouncy seat and johnny jumper. i was just saying the other day how i wish we had about a hundred more of them.... and well, now we do!
They're currently in the dishwasher, but as soon as they're sterile, we'll be linking everything together! I love when little things like this happen~ :)

A roaring good time

So his favorite animal sound is already the "Roarrrrrr" of the lion. Several times today he was instantly led to near belly laughter as a result of my roaring in his face. And i could swear he tried to roar back a few times. Only his roar is a little higher pitched and sounds a lot like a "coo". . . but definitely an attempt. He's getting more and more confident in his exer-saucer and johnny jumper, but still prefers someone to be nearby. He's starting to babble more, and squirm a little more forcefully on the changing table. We've also taken to playing the "up and down" game a lot-- where we pull him up from horizontal to vertical by his hands (he's so strong!). I'm placing bets that his first word will be "up". He's caught on to the fact that it's a game, in that he knows when i lay him back down and say "dowwwwn" , he smiles... and if i don't raise him back up again right away he starts trying to stand up on his own. I think he's the cutest baby in the world.

p.s. if willa is reading this, you're the cutest baby in the world too.

can't stand it!

he's soooo cute, i can't stand it! we danced in front of the mirror today, and he kept smiling and snuggling into my shoulder. We looked at a book of animals, and every time i made an animal noise that he liked, he'd look at me, open his mouth, and lean in for a "kiss". It was sooo adorable-- get ready for more of these "ga-ga over the little things" types of posts. i have a feeling it's only going to get cuter from here! :) his little personality is emerging by the hour!

His father's son

already an avid reader-- we know he didn't get that from me!

My First Pet

i have a little doggy
on a little string
i like to gnaw upon his head
it's a tasty little thing

um, he's a boy.

i've been waiting for this moment, not sure why... but it finally happened.
we went to Marshalls today to return a baby gift that didn't fit, and while standing in line, this lady came up with a pink snowsuit, and asked my opinion on whether i thought it would fit a 3 month old. while discussing the varying sizes of babies, she asked of Christian, who was strapped to my front, "Is she a girl?" ... i smiled and said 'no' as politely as i could, so she wouldn't feel badly. i don't think she did, seeing as she kept right on talking.
i thought if that moment ever happened i'd somehow be offended-- but i actually thought it was cute. i guess that means he's pretty? or maybe i shouldn't dress him in pink anymore... ;)

Bubby's Night Out

He's finally reached that fun age where you can take him out on the town! He loves to look at everything and everyone that passes by his little line of vision-- and everyone seems to go ga-ga over a baby in a frontpack! We walked down the streets of West Chester, and people would smile and exclaim at his cuteness to each other as we passed by, his eyes wide with wonder. We stopped for ice cream and coffee, and kept him going so he'd be sure to sleep well tonight! (we'll see...a few minutes after i took the picture below he woke up as if he's ready to start a new day... good grief... we're in trouble!)


"I don't need coffee to be wide awake!"

"No, Dad! I'm watching my weight!"

"Hey....Weren't we just in there??"

"Whew, that was exhausting! Nothing a quick power nap can't cure."

moment in time

Bubby and I stopped at the Wawa today to get gas on our way to the park (it was the most beautiful day, after the rain). He was tired, and kind of zoning out on the way there, not quite asleep, but almost. I got out to pump the gas, hoping he wouldn't get upset that the car had stopped moving. As I put the pump handle into the side of my car, I glanced through the back window to check on his status. It was one of those precious heart-melting moments in time when he noticed the face peering in at him, recognized it as "Mama", and his face lit up with a sleepy grin! I tried to freeze-frame it in my mind forever. And of course repeated the game as many times as I could before the car was filled up. Each time with the same delighted result. Even thinking about it now makes my heart ache with love...

Rainy Day Thankfulness

It's hard to be inside all day- and he's not even mobile yet! We decided to take a trip to the grocery store for something to do (and for something to tire this kid out!). I put him in the front pack, knowing that he'd only last so long in the carseat. He was an angel, taking everything in, wide-eyed. I knew he was getting sleepy when he'd start to squirm a little bit (usually when i'd stand still too long), and then he'd make a little agitated noise or two.
Toward the end of our time, we came across a little girl (maybe 8 or 9 months old) in a shopping cart, screeching at the top of her lungs-- she appeared to be neither angry nor joyful-- just vocal! I didn't know a baby could be that loud! She sounded like a pterodactyl. No matter where we went in the store, we could still hear her loud and clear. That poor mom-- she probably needed to get out of the house even more than I did! It went on and on, and I could tell that people were getting annoyed around us. I whispered in Christian's ear, "Thank you, Sweetheart, for not being like that. . . . . . . yet."

Daddy's Little Snuggler

He didn't want to go to sleep, so Daddy got him out from behind bars to do some pre-bedtime bonding. After some tummy time, a book, some snuggling, and a jam session {where Daddy jammed, and Christian sang and danced along (hopefully video to come)} he FINALLY decided he was tired. Straight to bed [after a snack] he went, Unswaddled! No fuss. And there he hopefully will remain.......... THANKS, DAD!

My Big 4 month old!

4 months ago he was just arriving on the scene-- and now we can't imagine life without him. He studies everything and everyone intently, as if he is on assignment... taking mental notes for a research project on humans. Sometimes he looks at us like, "you people are crazy." His little personality is shining through more and more. Tonight he was so exhausted, with only a couple of short naps under his belt. But the child would not settle down. He's not really hyper, but he gets this burst of energy when it's time to get ready for bed. He was squealing and cooing and giggling at me in his crib. Then he'd contort his legs, grab his toes and shove them in his mouth and suck them wildly. Then suddenly send them crashing back down on the mattress, startling himself, arms flung out to the side, looking at me, stunned, like it was my fault. I would say something profound, like, "Oh My!" Then he'd get this gleam in his eye and squeal with delight at the attention he was getting. He's simply irresistable. I wish I could capture him on film 24/7. I know in a few years I will wish I could just watch these moments over and over. But as soon as we turn the video camera on, he suddenly reverts back to his mental note taking, and stares wide-eyed and silently at the "big black eye" of the camera. We'll have to set up hidden cameras one of these nights...

Mmm... Carrots!

Last night Gramsy and Poppy came over for an impromptu dinner of stromboli and carrots. Christian, now being interested in everything the big guys are doing, was very curious when we started opening the bright orange crinkly bag of teething veggies. I picked out the fattest one I could find and held it up in front of him. He promptly swiped it and took a taste. Mmm... cold, gnawable, and delicious! He was so tired from his difficult afternoon (of not being able to sleep unswaddled) that the pictures didn't turn out as cute as he actually was in the moment... but you get the idea. :)

Swaddling side note: Last night I swaddled him, nursed him, put him in his crib exhausted. He awoke an hour later as if he'd just had a nice nap and was ready to get up and play. After several attempts to persuade him to go back to sleep, I finally took the swaddle off, figuring we'd have to wait another hour or 2 for him to get tired again (it was only 9:15pm). He stretched, rolled onto his side, and immediately fell asleep. Go figure! At that point, I thought all of our problems were solved, that he'd resolved to try this freedom sleeping thing once and for all-- until about 11pm. Nursed, fell back to sleep, swaddleless. and then again at midnight. Finally I reswaddled him-- but he was up again around 1 or so... same routine. But then not again till 5. Oh brother! And just when you think you've failed as a parent... and you're going to have to pay for it the next day with miserable fussiness, he wakes up happily cooing around 7:15am. Now, it's 9am and I just lay him down unswaddled and he rolled to his side and went right out! Gotta love the mystery :)

Get a grip!

So we've been working on falling asleep unswaddled (at least during the day)-- and sometimes he goes down like an angel, sucking away on his binky, and caressing his cloudy blanket while burying his face in it (i know, i know, not supposed to let him sleep with a potential tool of suffocation... but he adores it). Other times, he puts up a fight, screaming like i'm torturing him, and looking up at me with the saddest eyes in the world. Most of the time though, he flaps his arms and kicks his legs to get all the energy out, talks to the animals on his bumper, coos at the window, fusses a little and eventually drifts off, face usually covered with Cloudy (i know, bad). When he gets quiet I go to check and make sure he's breathing... Just now when I went to check his peaceful quiet little self, thinking he was sound asleep-- this is what I found:



He'd discovered some very interesting appendages, which up until this point have been random things that pop into view once in a while. Apparently now they are a self-calming technique. . . except that every time he starts to fall asleep, the losing of his grasp on them startles him awake again... At this point he's been in bed for about 45 minutes, and is getting past the point of exhaustion. Between sobs I go in to check on him, and he's still holding his toes. Poor little guy. Back to the swaddle for you...