Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Guess he knows what no means...
Sunday, November 27, 2011
First family Thanksgiving
Friday, November 25, 2011
Day with dad
So far, so good.
Happy (day after) Thanksgiving!
I was hoping to get the perfect picture to accompany Callan's first Thanksgiving post but I was too busy enjoying the day to get it. Hope everyone had a great turkey day and hope you got to spend it with people you love (or at least thinking about them).
Callan, Huge and I have a lot to be thankful for this year, and this time of year always makes me a little more sentimental than normal. Thanksgiving kicks off the start of the crazy holiday season and it's easy to get caught up in the huddle and bustle. But try to remember the spirit of the holidays and remember all you have to be thankful for and remember to give those you love a little extra squeeze (after yesterday's food-stravaganza there's a little bit more of me to squeeze! Now excuse me while I try to keep my eyes open at work today. Looks like that fancy venti holiday coffee is calling my name...what's a few more calories?)
Callan, Huge and I have a lot to be thankful for this year, and this time of year always makes me a little more sentimental than normal. Thanksgiving kicks off the start of the crazy holiday season and it's easy to get caught up in the huddle and bustle. But try to remember the spirit of the holidays and remember all you have to be thankful for and remember to give those you love a little extra squeeze (after yesterday's food-stravaganza there's a little bit more of me to squeeze! Now excuse me while I try to keep my eyes open at work today. Looks like that fancy venti holiday coffee is calling my name...what's a few more calories?)
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Dear Callan -SEVEN!
Dear Bubs-
Today is your seven month birthday. Holy moly, 7 months? You're a bonna fide child now. How the heck did that happen? I guess I should get a refund on that time freezing machine I bought on QVC. This month has been ridiculous, but in the best way possible.
You got to go back to Boston to visit Nana and Papa as well as some of mama's friends this past month. While we were there you got to have a play date with Mabel. She's a few months older than you, but you are about the same size! It was so fun to see you guys play together and it made me wish we lived closer.
You've got such a personality and I love watching it develop. You are such a happy kid and I'm taking all the credit for it! People might try to tell you it's inherent, but I think it's due to your amazing parents! You still love bath time and love splashing around in your yellow ducky tub. At some point we'll need to transition you to the big tub and you'll probably lose your mind with the space you'll have to splash around. You don't mind water in your face (which makes washing your hair a breeze) and I can't wait to take you swimming, although it could be dangerous since you have no fear. One of the (many) cute things I love about you is your crazy hair. Dad calls it your radish top as it sticks straight out from the top of your head. I'm a little sad because it's starting to fall down and that is just one more thing from your "babyhood" that is almost gone.
We've slowly been introducing solids to you via baby led weaning. Although your main source of nutrition is still milk, it's been fun watching you discover food. You only have two teeth (the bottom ones) but you've done lots of vegetables and some meat and so far you seem to be enjoying all of it (except for curry, you've tried it a couple of times and have not been a fan). We incorporated some baby oatmeal into your diet in an attempt to get you some additional vitamins and iron (after we were reprimanded by the doctor) and since we also started some finger foods with you, we figure you'll also get some in the dry cereal. We haven't tried Cheerios yet, but right now rice Chex are a favorite of yours -I think you enjoy the crunch. Most days we do one meal (usually dinner although it's probably not even a full meal with you) and if we go out on the weekends we'll do those meals as well. You are so well behaved in restaurants and people are so impressed with you as you'll sit there and "eat" while everyone else does too. To be honest, I'm loving this baby led weaning thing because it allows you to feed yourself and frees up my hands so I can eat too (yes, your mama's a piggy)!
We are also giving you a little bit of water or milk during dinner and it's so cute to watch you drink (or attempt to drink) from a cup. I wanted to try and avoid the sippy cup since that's just another thing to wean you from, so we've been doing either a straw or a real cup and a shot glass is the perfect size for you to hold.
Speaking of shaking, you continue to be a squirmy worm and have taken it to a whole new level this month. Changing your diaper or your clothes has turned into something akin to wrestling a small animal, a ferrel animal at that. You flip over, try to sit, stand or really do anything other than lie peacefully on your back. You LOVE standing and will do it whenever you get the opportunity -even in your crib when you should be lying down and sleeping. Speaking of which, your sleep this past month has not been great and I really wish you would improve. I think you're paying me back for being so smug about your sleeping habits before, and if that's the case, lesson learned -you can go back to the old ways now. Your newest "trick" has been waking up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder. You settle down immediately if someone goes in to hold you, but getting you back down to sleep in the crib is where the problem lies. Sigh, I would love that baby that slept 10+ hours in a row... if you see him, can you send him back my way? Tell him I miss him.
There is so much more I could write about you, but I don't have the time or energy -instead I'm going to save it all for you. Each month seems to go by faster and faster and I'm just not prepared for how much you've changed. This week is Thanksgiving, and in addition to the pies and stuffing, I'm taking time to be thankful and to count my blessings because I truly am lucky to have such wonderful family and friends (who are my family) as well as you, bubba, and daddy. This week kicks off the holiday season and although we won't be travelling this year to see family, we'll spend time together as a new family creating new traditions and memories and relishing your first Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. This really is a magical time of year and I can't wait to share it with you.
You are the best.
Love,
Mama
Today is your seven month birthday. Holy moly, 7 months? You're a bonna fide child now. How the heck did that happen? I guess I should get a refund on that time freezing machine I bought on QVC. This month has been ridiculous, but in the best way possible.
You got to go back to Boston to visit Nana and Papa as well as some of mama's friends this past month. While we were there you got to have a play date with Mabel. She's a few months older than you, but you are about the same size! It was so fun to see you guys play together and it made me wish we lived closer.
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| Teasing Mabel |
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| Showing Mable the intricacies of the box |
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| You loved the faces Nate was making |
We've slowly been introducing solids to you via baby led weaning. Although your main source of nutrition is still milk, it's been fun watching you discover food. You only have two teeth (the bottom ones) but you've done lots of vegetables and some meat and so far you seem to be enjoying all of it (except for curry, you've tried it a couple of times and have not been a fan). We incorporated some baby oatmeal into your diet in an attempt to get you some additional vitamins and iron (after we were reprimanded by the doctor) and since we also started some finger foods with you, we figure you'll also get some in the dry cereal. We haven't tried Cheerios yet, but right now rice Chex are a favorite of yours -I think you enjoy the crunch. Most days we do one meal (usually dinner although it's probably not even a full meal with you) and if we go out on the weekends we'll do those meals as well. You are so well behaved in restaurants and people are so impressed with you as you'll sit there and "eat" while everyone else does too. To be honest, I'm loving this baby led weaning thing because it allows you to feed yourself and frees up my hands so I can eat too (yes, your mama's a piggy)!
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| I think you have a little something on your face |
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| Something to quench your thirst |
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| A quiet moment of play -where you're not moving! |
Physically you've done a lot this past month and you're developing at lightening speed. It's funny because you were a little "late" to the rolling, and I was convinced you could do it, but you just didn't want to. Well to prove me wrong, you seemed to go at lightening speed once you decided to become mobile and you went from rolling, to crawling to standing and now you're attempting to master walking, but hopefully that is still MONTHS away -seriously, months because mama can't handle you not being a baby. I joke with people that I trip you when you try to walk, but don't worry, I'm not really doing that (or at least not admitting it to the internet!). I also joke that you're not even that good at crawling -you have the funniest crawl that I call a peg-legged crawl since you like to use one knee (your right) and one foot (your left) to propel yourself forward. If you wear baggy pants it's hard to tell that you're using a foot instead of a knee and it just looks like you shake your butt a lot when you move.
Speaking of shaking, you continue to be a squirmy worm and have taken it to a whole new level this month. Changing your diaper or your clothes has turned into something akin to wrestling a small animal, a ferrel animal at that. You flip over, try to sit, stand or really do anything other than lie peacefully on your back. You LOVE standing and will do it whenever you get the opportunity -even in your crib when you should be lying down and sleeping. Speaking of which, your sleep this past month has not been great and I really wish you would improve. I think you're paying me back for being so smug about your sleeping habits before, and if that's the case, lesson learned -you can go back to the old ways now. Your newest "trick" has been waking up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder. You settle down immediately if someone goes in to hold you, but getting you back down to sleep in the crib is where the problem lies. Sigh, I would love that baby that slept 10+ hours in a row... if you see him, can you send him back my way? Tell him I miss him.
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| Good morning sleepy head. You might not have slept through the night, but you still are cute |
You are the best.
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| Happy 7 months! |
Love,
Mama
Monday, November 21, 2011
On our own
Although I'm not known for my cooking skills, I didn't have any complaints about dinner tonight!
We started eating dinner together with Callan and although real meals aren't replacing milk, he's been getting kind of demanding about food when you eat in front of him. I think he gets that from me -I mean, who likes to watch other people eat?!? I told Adelia about this new "quirk" and she sent this picture today of the boys watching her eat applesauce. Hysterical! Luke looks desperate and Callan just looks sad. Poor kid, he does love applesauce.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Don't mind me
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Top of the morning
That last post has been up for way too long! Time for a cute picture.
This is what greets us in the morning... It's a good thing we skipped the middle setting and lowered the crib all the way down. This kid is out of control.
This is what greets us in the morning... It's a good thing we skipped the middle setting and lowered the crib all the way down. This kid is out of control.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Sobering Realization
I hesitated to write this post because I'm embarrassed by what happened to prompt this topic, but then if I didn't write, this would be disingenuous and not a true reflection of what's going on. I guess that's why they say that history is written by the victors -they can determine what to document and what to exclude. Anyway, that is a very long winded introduction to what has been on my mind today, which is a bit more serious than most posts I type out here.
Without going into too many (embarrassing) details, I went to a daytime wine event that turned into a drink-fest and I over indulged (to say the least). Before anyone calls DSS on me, Callan was well cared for under the watchful eye of a babysitter and I was not doing this over indulging while caring for him. But, I was over zealous to say the least and definitely not in any condition to care for my child (if I had to) and the sobering realization I had today was that how massively irresponsible that was of me. It's embarrassing enough to be a 30-something-year-old out drunk, but now that I'm a mom, more importantly Callan's mom, that is just unacceptable. I realize this and the more I think about it, the more embarrassed I get about it. What if something had happened to the babysitter and I had to go home or what if something happened to Huge and I had to be in charge after the event... there was no way that would have been possible.
There was an article I read recently on jezebel.com and the author was commenting that a baby is supposed to cramp your style, but "Facebook photos of friends and acquaintances began to confirm what we'd suspected was happening to everyone but us: People with babies were getting on with their lives immediately". She talks about her isolation and confinement but, "if we were looking for other friends with babies to commiserate with our newfound hermitage, they were too busy on vacations overseas, out seeing new movies or taking their baby to Bonnaroo to be around for a quick chat."
I know we lucked out and Callan is a very easy baby and because of that we've been able to take him out and about with us, altering his schedule a little bit in order to accomplish whatever we have on tap for that day. I've prided myself on the fact that we take Callan out with us and our lives haven't changed too drastically since his arrival. Granted we don't go out as much as we used to, but at the age of 6 months, Callan has been to many, many restaurants, on multiple plane rides and to concerts in the park, but now I'm thinking maybe I'm doing this wrong... maybe I'm still clinging on to my former life a little bit -one that was childless and carefree and just cramming Callan into it? I don't know. I know I'm over thinking this and I should just chalk up yesterday to a lesson learned, no harm no foul... but for some reason I'm taking this one a bit rougher and it's making me think a bit harder. Maybe it's the realization that there is no "off duty" time when you become a parent... I've always said that I can handle the baby and toddler stage, but what freaks me out is thinking of being the parent to a teenager, but I certainly will be. I guess at that point I'll have many years of parenting experience under my belt and will be better equipped to handle it, but sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm an adult and now I'm responsible for another little human. I sometimes joke with Huge when our house is a disaster with laundry everywhere and dust you can see with the naked eye, that we need to start living like adults, but I wonder when do you feel like an adult? I can live with the fact that my life has changed and honestly, I wouldn't want to go back to my "old" life anyway -not when I have this:
Without going into too many (embarrassing) details, I went to a daytime wine event that turned into a drink-fest and I over indulged (to say the least). Before anyone calls DSS on me, Callan was well cared for under the watchful eye of a babysitter and I was not doing this over indulging while caring for him. But, I was over zealous to say the least and definitely not in any condition to care for my child (if I had to) and the sobering realization I had today was that how massively irresponsible that was of me. It's embarrassing enough to be a 30-something-year-old out drunk, but now that I'm a mom, more importantly Callan's mom, that is just unacceptable. I realize this and the more I think about it, the more embarrassed I get about it. What if something had happened to the babysitter and I had to go home or what if something happened to Huge and I had to be in charge after the event... there was no way that would have been possible.
There was an article I read recently on jezebel.com and the author was commenting that a baby is supposed to cramp your style, but "Facebook photos of friends and acquaintances began to confirm what we'd suspected was happening to everyone but us: People with babies were getting on with their lives immediately". She talks about her isolation and confinement but, "if we were looking for other friends with babies to commiserate with our newfound hermitage, they were too busy on vacations overseas, out seeing new movies or taking their baby to Bonnaroo to be around for a quick chat."
I know we lucked out and Callan is a very easy baby and because of that we've been able to take him out and about with us, altering his schedule a little bit in order to accomplish whatever we have on tap for that day. I've prided myself on the fact that we take Callan out with us and our lives haven't changed too drastically since his arrival. Granted we don't go out as much as we used to, but at the age of 6 months, Callan has been to many, many restaurants, on multiple plane rides and to concerts in the park, but now I'm thinking maybe I'm doing this wrong... maybe I'm still clinging on to my former life a little bit -one that was childless and carefree and just cramming Callan into it? I don't know. I know I'm over thinking this and I should just chalk up yesterday to a lesson learned, no harm no foul... but for some reason I'm taking this one a bit rougher and it's making me think a bit harder. Maybe it's the realization that there is no "off duty" time when you become a parent... I've always said that I can handle the baby and toddler stage, but what freaks me out is thinking of being the parent to a teenager, but I certainly will be. I guess at that point I'll have many years of parenting experience under my belt and will be better equipped to handle it, but sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm an adult and now I'm responsible for another little human. I sometimes joke with Huge when our house is a disaster with laundry everywhere and dust you can see with the naked eye, that we need to start living like adults, but I wonder when do you feel like an adult? I can live with the fact that my life has changed and honestly, I wouldn't want to go back to my "old" life anyway -not when I have this:
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
What a weekend
This past weekend we took another family trip out east to see my family. It was a busy, busy weekend but it was great to see some family and friends, especially since we won't be making it back for the holidays. The weekend started off a little rough when I realized that I forgot two important things -my medication and my pump parts! Gah. It was frustrating and I may have taken it out on Huge, but isn't that what he's there for?
We arrived in Boston on Saturday and spent the afternoon hanging out at nana and papa's.
My brother and sister-in-law come over and then the 6 1/2 of us went out to dinner. Callan was great and enjoyed dinner out. Sunday was a busy day that started with brunch with my friends Julie and Lauren. We hadn't seen each other in awhile so it was great to catch up.
That afternoon we went to the mall so I could pick up the forgotten things and to meet up with my friend Teresa. Huge went to photograph an event that night (the reason that prompted this trip) and Callan and I hung out at nana and papa's. Monday was busy. Callan had a play date with Mabel (and her parents Lisa and Nate). It was so fun to see them and to watch Callan and Mabel interact. Last time they met, Callan was only about 6 weeks old and they were both very stationary. This time we couldn't get those two to sit still. Also, Callan is almost 3 months younger than Mabel but is the same size as her!
After the play date we went into town and met the girls (Warner, Barrett/Carr and Jenn) for lunch. That night Huge and I went out to dinner sans Callan with our friends Grover and Juli to Harvest in Cambridge. That meal deserves it's own post, but needless to say, it was an amazing dinner and we were given the royal treatment (one of the hidden perks of Huge's job).
Somehow through all the coming and going, Callan decided to learn another new skill. He's been doing his peg-legged crawling (using one knee and one foot) since the beginning of the month, but he's decided that's not good enough. While at my parents, Callan decided that he needs to pull himself up on things and he wants to walk! The funniest thing was this box at my parents house that was a big hit with Callan. He could climb on it, bang on it and use it to push around the living room like a walker. I am NOT ready for this! Would it be ok if I just keep him strapped down or tie his legs together?
The poor kid did not sleep well the entire time we were in Boston. He's usually a champion sleeper, but we were unable to get a good night's sleep with him (and even his naps were a bit rough). I don't know if it's teething (he's getting a second), or new skills (crawling/pulling up/walking) or what, but he did not sleep well and that meant neither did mama!
Today he was back with Luke and Adelia and one happy camper to get back to his own routine.
However, he hasn't quite recovered from the weekend and the time changes. He went to bed without dinner tonight although we'll have to see how long he stays asleep. Wowsers, what a weekend. I'm exhausted just typing it all out!
We arrived in Boston on Saturday and spent the afternoon hanging out at nana and papa's.
My brother and sister-in-law come over and then the 6 1/2 of us went out to dinner. Callan was great and enjoyed dinner out. Sunday was a busy day that started with brunch with my friends Julie and Lauren. We hadn't seen each other in awhile so it was great to catch up.
That afternoon we went to the mall so I could pick up the forgotten things and to meet up with my friend Teresa. Huge went to photograph an event that night (the reason that prompted this trip) and Callan and I hung out at nana and papa's. Monday was busy. Callan had a play date with Mabel (and her parents Lisa and Nate). It was so fun to see them and to watch Callan and Mabel interact. Last time they met, Callan was only about 6 weeks old and they were both very stationary. This time we couldn't get those two to sit still. Also, Callan is almost 3 months younger than Mabel but is the same size as her!
After the play date we went into town and met the girls (Warner, Barrett/Carr and Jenn) for lunch. That night Huge and I went out to dinner sans Callan with our friends Grover and Juli to Harvest in Cambridge. That meal deserves it's own post, but needless to say, it was an amazing dinner and we were given the royal treatment (one of the hidden perks of Huge's job).
Somehow through all the coming and going, Callan decided to learn another new skill. He's been doing his peg-legged crawling (using one knee and one foot) since the beginning of the month, but he's decided that's not good enough. While at my parents, Callan decided that he needs to pull himself up on things and he wants to walk! The funniest thing was this box at my parents house that was a big hit with Callan. He could climb on it, bang on it and use it to push around the living room like a walker. I am NOT ready for this! Would it be ok if I just keep him strapped down or tie his legs together?
The poor kid did not sleep well the entire time we were in Boston. He's usually a champion sleeper, but we were unable to get a good night's sleep with him (and even his naps were a bit rough). I don't know if it's teething (he's getting a second), or new skills (crawling/pulling up/walking) or what, but he did not sleep well and that meant neither did mama!
Today he was back with Luke and Adelia and one happy camper to get back to his own routine.
However, he hasn't quite recovered from the weekend and the time changes. He went to bed without dinner tonight although we'll have to see how long he stays asleep. Wowsers, what a weekend. I'm exhausted just typing it all out!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
6 month appointment
On Monday (October 31st) Callan went in for his 6 month well baby visit. Officially 6 months, 9 days old Callan aced the visit with flying colors. After months of being off of it, he finally made it onto the height and weight chart! At 21 pounds, 29 inches and a head circumference of 17.5 inches, he is in the 90th percentile for weight, >95th percentile for length and 60th percentile for head. He is growing bigger and stronger each day. He had another round of vaccines and his first flu shot. In previous appointments it seemed like he was bothered by the shots and needed more cuddles and nursing time, but this time he handled it like a champ and so far has not been affected.
I will say that we did have a bit of an interesting doctor's appointment. Our pediatrician that we had been seeing is gone so we were with a new doctor and I don't think our philosophies really meshed. Granted, I realize he's a board certified doctor and went to medical school, etc, so he is probably much smarter than I am, but for certain things I'm not sure I can take his word as gospel. Huge and I discussed it and we agree that we don't think this doctor is for us, but we will continue to go to the practice as we love everything else about it. Although I won't go into specifics, there was a bit of fear mongering that occurred and this particular doctor definitely saw things more in black and white/right and wrong and for certain things he wanted to let us know we were wrong. I know that we're not perfect parents and this is more than just that knee-jerk reaction you get when you're being attacked... he pretty much wanted to let us know that we were inadvertently poisoning our child by letting him chew on things not meant for babies, that we were weak because we were letting him call the shots by allowing him to eat in the middle of the night (this might be true) and that we are depriving him of nutrition/vitamins by skipping iron fortified cereals and doing baby led weaning (an approach to solids that many doctors do not seem to agree with). I will say he convinced us to get more iron into Callan's diet as he is anemic (makes sense since mom is too -although after doing some research after we left, Callan's numbers are almost normal), but his bedside manner could use some work! We had heard from others that you either love or hate this doctor and although I won't say we hate him, we just don't love him like we did our last. We have another appointment in a month with the same doctor so Callan can get the second round of the flu shot and the other vaccines (they split the 6 month vaccines since there are so many), but his next well baby visit at 9 months will be with another doctor. (Although now that I've had some time to think about it, this doctor wasn't so bad... maybe we'll go back. I just remember being pretty upset at the appointment... now, not so much. Maybe I just have a bad memory?)
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| Callan seems skeptical of mama's memory too... |
Clearly Callan is a healthy, happy little boy and no doctor is going to tell me otherwise!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Play ball
This kid will laugh at anything. His newest fascination -balls being thrown in the air. He thinks they are hysterical.
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