the view from erica

i can't resist

2012-02-01T13:51:00.001-05:00

I can't keep my hands off this sweet little guy. He is just too funny. He's like Moose- he makes us laugh every day. Matt is always asking for texts through the day so I end up with a ton of photos on my phone, and these were some favorites. Sorry if you've already seen them on one form of social media or another!

getting serious with his farm.

there is a certain baby who likes to flip over and crawl away when getting his diaper changed.

(faces blurred to protect the innocent)

i am beginning to suspect that Bo thinks he's a puppy.

or a bear.

this is a date gone bad . . . she fell asleep on him.

in everything. on everything. under everything. if it's a preposition, he's all over it.

i love this hat. matt does not.

Getting extremely comfortable at Stop & Shop. What can I say? He loves to lounge.

this would be much cuter if the fire extinguisher wasn't present. I'll have to talk to the library about that.

one of our 'night, night, daddy' photos when Matt is on call.

creepy crawly

2012-02-01T13:24:00.000-05:00

Monday afternoon I was working in the kitchen and I turned around to find Bo in the dog bowl. As this is gross, I moved him away from it and went back to chopping or stirring or whatever it was. (Sidenote- I was making this Vegetarian Quinoa Chili because we were having friends over for dinner who are of the meatless persuasion, and it was tasty! Matt even said he didn't miss the meat. I do love quinoa these days . . . anyway . . .) Half a minute later I turned around to find him with the bowl in his hand again . . . at this point I was feeling super sleuthy and knew something was out of the ordinary. I placed the little guy in the middle of the kitchen and kept an eye on him while I pretended to work away. Sure enough, he was on the move.

So, our little buddy has joined the crawling club. I would say 'finally,' because most babies his age have been crawling for a while now, but I have not been too eager for him to be fully mobile! I'm taking note of what needs to be baby proofed. Outlet covers, here we come!

40 weeks

2012-01-27T14:46:00.001-05:00

This Wednesday we were at the library with my nanny kiddos and I thought this rug was a pretty cool backdrop!

Bo is loving the books these days. He especially loves chewing on them, which could be explained by the wittle bitty incisors peeking through on top... but he also gets into pointing at the pictures. Sometimes I'm like, who is this kid and where did he learn to do that? He's really changing so much.

Snow Baby

2012-01-21T22:01:00.000-05:00

Well, we had our first winter snow today. I'm not going to say I was happy to wake up to a white world, but I am so very thankful that it has held off until the end of January! I'm also glad it happened on a Saturday- I hate driving in the snow and worrying about Matt driving in it, so we stayed put all day. We had the required snow day lunch of grilled cheese and soup, Matt kept the fire roaring all day, and we've watched several episodes of Downton Abbey. (Which, I love . . . perfect for a snow day, too!) We had to wait all day for the snow to quit falling to take Bo outside to experience his first snow.

At first, he was a little unsure. He just sat and took it all in for a bit. He also looked so tubby in his bear suit, which is getting a little small on him, not to mention he had an entire outfit on underneath.

Then we started having a lot of fun throwing that tubby old bear cub up in the air.

As always, Bo is best entertained by his Moosey.

Happy snowy day, Bo!

9 months

2012-01-21T17:06:00.002-05:00

Little Bo turned 9 months on Friday. He was happy about it!

Bo's made a lot of changes over the past month. He has his two itty bitty bottom teeth now, and while we have to pry his mouth open to see them, we can certainly feel them should they ever clamp down on a finger! Bo is not crawling . . . still . . . but he gets around! He scoots backwards and occasionally that gets him stuck under furniture, and he loves pulling himself up to stand and 'creep' around the coffee table. He is quite zippy when he holds onto our fingers and we often take him on 'walks' across the length of the house to tire him out, but he is pretty cautious about walking with the help of his car-walker. I think he gets that we can pick him up, and the car can't. This child has been good at taking things out and throwing them for a while now, but lately he's been putting things in places. He loaded all the little animals into the silo of his farm this morning. He's great at peekaboo and will pull the blanket up over his face and down again. It's just crazy to see him getting these things! Just yesterday he started sitting up in his crib - not standing - just sitting. It's cute to peek in on him playing away. . . the day he realizes he can stand in there too is going to be the beginning of a wild time.

Our skinny little man has disappeared and he's quite the fatty now! He won't get weighed for another month, but trust me, he looks different! Quite the belly. Two chins. We're getting into finger food and these pictures are after we split a lunch of sweet potato fries.

He does this little head tilt thing now which is pretty cute, if you ask me.

39 weeks

2012-01-21T14:20:00.002-05:00

my sweet and happy little guy!

getting big

2012-01-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

One of my Christmas presents was a new lens for my trusty old Canon. It is a 50mm f/1.8 and I thought it would help with all the pictures I take indoors. Of Bo. Yes, I needed something so I could take MORE pictures of our child.

Last week . . . standing by the chair feeling like a big boy and LOOKING like a big boy!

fall flashback

2012-01-15T15:29:00.002-05:00

This Fall, Matt and I discovered several miles of walking paths that we hadn't realized existed. One Sunday afternoon we headed out for a walk and I stuck the camera in the stroller as an afterthought. It turned out to be a great photo session!

It didn't hurt that Bo had just received a pea coat and the hat/mitten set in the mail from Coco.

I think we took those in early November and I actually had them made into a Thanksgiving card to send to our families, since we couldn't celebrate with them. Unfortunately the cards were late being delivered so I held the pics on reserve for our Christmas card if we didn't manage to get a family picture in time. We did end up with a family picture so I framed the one of Bo standing by Matt's feet for the grandparents and had a couple of them enlarged for our gallery wall.

So, lesson learned: when in doubt, bring the camera.

38 weeks

2012-01-13T15:23:00.003-05:00

He may or may not have been in his pj's at lunch time . . . just keeping things cozy!

37 weeks

2012-01-13T15:22:00.003-05:00

36 weeks

2012-01-13T15:21:00.001-05:00

We are resorting to props to keep this child lying down on the ground for a minute. He does love his dog, though!!

week 35

2012-01-13T15:18:00.003-05:00

So these next few weeks' worth of pics are a *representation of Bo at those weeks. Perhaps we didn't quite get them done on the exact day over vacation. Perhaps they didn't happen at all. Perhaps one should think twice before committing to a 52-week project. Perhaps I am revealing too much.

cuckoo bananas

2012-01-12T14:29:00.002-05:00

also, this happened.

and this guy, too.

thundering cowboys

2012-01-12T14:27:00.000-05:00

We were able to spend a whole week in Oklahoma this year! It was super relaxing and fun to be with the whole family again after over a year. We got off the plane, handed Bo to my mom, and took off for Matt's first NBA game, Thunder vs Mavericks. OKC are some serious fans and the game was great, ending in a last-second three-pointer for the win. And the crowd goes wild.

The next morning was family Christmas . . . and Bo played his roll as the star quite well.

Bo had tons of fun with his Uncle Rhino, Aunt Leesycat, Abu, and Coco. He's so funny, making up all those nicknames.

And Tucker . . . who seemed to be getting a little jealous of his small houseguest, but took advantage of all the toys lying about.

One of the highlights for me was getting to meet this little girl:

Miss Emily Enright!

We gave her this hood like all the Kenyan kids wear and she didn't want to take it off.

Emily's Mama and I went to college together but it had been a year and half since I'd seen Johanna . . . and much longer since I'd seen her husband Danny. Danny was doing a training program in OKC and Jo and baby Emily came down to be with him over Christmas. We got to leave the babes at home for New Years Eve and go out, which is rare for both of us, and we saw them again when they came over to watch the Fiesta Bowl.

Of course Bo was his wild self.

This is Bo getting pulled away and restrained.

And yes, Bo is in his new OSU fleece.

We also stopped by my mom's school on their work day so all of the teachers could meet him . . .

Had dinner at a place where they blow glass . . . random but interesting!

Good times. It went too fast! But now we're home again. Our friend Lori and her little girl picked us up from the airport . . . what a nice welcome back to Long Island.

traveling with a bo bear

2012-01-10T21:58:00.001-05:00

plane watching

We hadn't flown with Bo since my trip to Idaho/Oklahoma this summer, when he was just 3 months old. Now that he is a solid 8 months, I was much more relaxed about his ability to travel. My only worry about the plane was that he would be too wiggly to sit in our laps for hours, and that he would want to get down and play. He did really well on all of our flights, but he was wiggly! Our travel days to Nashville and then on to Oklahoma were all very full flights so he had to sit on our laps and even though it was time for him to sleep, he would just be raring to PLAY.

Sheikh aBoBear

Our trip from OK to Long Island was mid-week and a very light travel day so we he had his own seat on both of those flights. That makes all the difference for him- he's much more comfortable sleeping in his carseat than in our laps.

waiting for flights with Uncle Ry and Dad

At one point I took Bo to the empty row behind Matt so Matt could grab a little snooze . . . and Bo was loving all his space to stomp around and hit stuff.

After a bit it was time for me to catch some zzz's so I passed the baby godzilla up to his dad and settled in for a nap. After a few blissful minutes of solitude, Matt's insistent whispering jerked me from my reverie. Apparently our child had pooped again, for the second time on this 2 hour flight! Impossible?! This time, Matt was starting to flip out because Bo's diaper had come unfastened in all of his wiggling and this was a situation Dad was not prepared to deal with. To his credit, Matt followed me up to the tiny plane restroom and hovered outside the door to assist as needed. Look away if you're easily grossed out - Bo's diaper had indeed come undone and the offending nugget was slipping out the bottom of his pants! Ugh. Thankfully I'd packed an extra set of clothes for Buddy, but I had not grabbed an extra pair of socks. When he emerged from the bathroom he was wearing a one piece sweater outfit . . . with little bare feet sticking out the bottom. Oh well, that's what you get, Mr. Poopy Pants.

My other concerns about our Christmas travel were Bo's extreme stranger anxiety and that he had finally started teething just days before we left. The stranger danger was a moot point after a few hours around family - thankfully! He did so well!!!! The teeth . . . well, turns out it hurts when you're getting a new tooth. Bo's naps were off, but his night sleep wasn't affected until the day after Christmas. That was the day I went to bed at midnight and Bo woke me up at 2:00, right as Matt was getting home from hanging out with his pals . . . and we were up for good! This was the first time we had ever been up with him at night, unable to get him to sleep. It made us appreciate how good we normally have it!! But it was a long night, and it led to some tired days after that. And we only got one tooth for the trouble. Ugh. How many more times are we going to have to do this?!

By the time we go to Oklahoma, Bo had settled into Central time and his parents had settled into vacation time. I got to sleep in for the first time since he was born! Bo slipped into this wonderful habit of falling back asleep after his morning feeding (around 6 or 7) and I got the hang of falling back asleep too. I think one day I woke up as Bo was going down for his first nap after a morning of playing with Daddy. So that was awesome. Made up for those teething experiences, for sure. I need to plan a two week vacation every time a new tooth comes in. I wish . . .

bo's old kentucky home

2012-01-08T15:21:00.001-05:00

Matt kept telling Bo that he was going 'home to Kentucky' despite never having been there before. I guess it's in his blood - he took to it quite well! After a couple weeks of serious stranger anxiety - crying at anyone and everyone - I was worried about how Bo would react to a new situation with lots of new faces. He did SO well! This trip came at a perfect time for him to learn that people don't have to be scary.

We couldn't travel until Christmas Eve so our first day in Murray was Christmas! Of course it was so fun seeing my nephews enjoying their gifts . . . and Bo enjoying the wrapping paper.

tackle buddy

On Christmas evening Matt's dad brought out the accordion and played us some Christmas carols and polka numbers for the grandsons to dance around to . . . which was especially enjoyed by Connor and his glow stick.

The Annual Turkey Bowl had a good turnout this year.

future generation:

I was glad Bo finally had a chance to play with his cousins. Evan is only six months older than him, which is a big deal at this age but someday they'll catch up to be buddies. Connor was so sweet towards 'Baby Bo.'

Of course there was lots of loving from Gigi . . .

and Pop. Although Bo looks a little wary (tired) in this photo, he was actually quite a fan of his grandpa.

We even squeezed in a short visit with Aunt Bo (Brenda) on the way to the airport. This was their first meeting. Matt's Aunt encouraged us to name the baby Brenda . . . but she agrees now that Bo is a better choice. :)

holidays

2012-01-06T23:09:00.001-05:00

We have just returned from almost two weeks of vacation, Matt's first break since last February. We visited Matt's family in KY and my family in OK, and it was great! It's a little hard to be back with real life looming up before us on Monday . . . but how glad am I that it still hasn't snowed?! :)

Of course I took a few pictures . . . but in the meantime, here's a little smattering of Bo's adventures. More to come soon!

rides on six airplanes

cousins in football jerseys

accordion Christmas carols

annual Turkey Bowl

beefing up the baby

Thunder vs. Mavericks

two family Christmases

cheering OSU to victory

new and old friends

santa bubbles

8 months

2011-12-22T20:06:00.000-05:00

Our little 8 month pal:

Well, what to say about eight months besides the same thing every other mom says - I can believe he's eight months old already! Which is kind of weird to think about . . . closer to one year than baby-baby. Bo's been on the same schedule since about five months, and I love the consistency of that. Lately he's had some MAJOR stranger danger, which is not so convenient since we are going to see family for the next two weeks. Instead of the smiles and waves he used to offer to people, his new reaction is to immediately burst into tears. Not awesome when you're at the grocery, or church, or anywhere. But as the nurse reassured me at our 8 month visit - it's normal, right on track, etc. Just not fun. Bo's first tooth started peeking in the day he turned 8 months!! (again, how convenient - teething while we travel...) He acted weird for a couple days, not napping well, but since it has started popping up a little bit, he's been good on the sleep again. Sidenote- when something goes awry I go into problem solving mode and try to figure out what is causing the issue. After fiddling with the temp of the room, what was in bed with him, and then blaming myself for enabling him and going in and rescuing him . . . the problem resolved itself. I guess I just need to relax.

Unfortunately, my lightweight baby really showed his true colors at his checkup when he fell under the 3rd percentile in weight. I mean I guess I saw this coming since he's been at the 10th percentile for several months. So now we're adding formula to everything and adding more fats to his diet. Buddy loves him some cheese!

In other milestone news, it's clear that Bo is becoming more aware of his surroundings and interacting with us so much more. It is super fun to make sounds for him to imitate and he loves clapping to congratulate himself on a trick. He still shows no interest in crawling! But loves standing and is starting to maneuver around a bit that way, holding on to furniture or our hands. The throwing stage is here in earnest and and I am constantly hunting for toys that he's chucked across the room.

Besides the meltdowns around anyone besides Matt and me, Bo just gets more fun. We love him.

family christmas

2011-12-19T19:50:00.000-05:00

We're headed out of here for Christmas and I'm the Scrooge who wants to take the tree down before we go . . . so we had a little family Christmas this weekend. Our present time focused a lot on one little guy in particular . . .

Not that guy!!

This guy:

We opened our Christmas pajamas and some other gifts that had been mailed here, and Bo got his little Scout the Dog from Matt and me.

It's programmable and it sings cute songs about "Me and my friend BO . . . we like to do everything together!" etc.

New Elfin PJ's:

That afternoon we went to the mall so that Bo could tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas.

So sweet, right? Even when it's sandwiched between these two gems?

Yikes. Poor Santa.

After filling his head with whimsy, we went to a living nativity and bundled up against the cold to walk through a little Bethlehem and read the verses of the Christmas story. On the way home we looked at Christmas lights, and all my Christmas dreams came true.

34 weeks

2011-12-16T09:56:00.001-05:00

Not time to chat... the UPS man just brought round 2 of our Christmas cards. Somehow round 1 was not sendable but I must give credit to Winkflash for their customer service and quick turnaround on the new cards. Hopefully these cards will be out by Christmas! :)

babies take new york

2011-12-14T13:56:00.001-05:00

I love visiting New York City at Christmas, but I wasn't sure it was going to happen this year since we now have a baby. Truthfully, I was scared for a long time to take Bo into the city, but now that he's older and more laid back and doesn't need to eat as often and is less prone to dramatic diaper changes, it seemed like a good time to go. That and we hit the last warm weekend before the endless winter sets in. Our friends Kim and Lucas and their baby Malin (see the post below) came in with us, because everybody knows two babies are more fun!

It was soon after this picture that Matt noted that his grandfather would've never been seen wearing a baby while the wives walked ahead with their shopping bags. I appreciate you, dear. :)

And Bo likes the ride:

Pictures by the Rockefeller Tree:

We didn't do much, but it was nice to be in the city and get a little shopping done. The babies were great. Malin did have an unfortunate incident that will probably go down in the books as the most amazing poop of all time. Matt and I watched puzzled customers in the Korean restaurant dialogue about the strange shrieking sounds coming from the bathroom while Kim and Lucas, ahem, cleaned up.

SoHo

Train ride home.

I'm so glad we made it in for what is probably our last Christmas in New York!

holiday romance

2011-12-14T13:42:00.001-05:00

Last weekend our friends Kim and Lucas came by so that I could take their family picture, and we could not resist a little photo session with the happy couple:

Malin and Bo

Christmas 2011

One baby is great. We can sit around and watch him all day. But two babies? Two babies are hilarious.

if you're happy and you know it

2011-12-08T20:33:00.001-05:00

I wasn't sure what could top the waving event of last Wednesday . . . until Bo learned how to clap this weekend. It happened to be the same day as the UK-UNC game so I think this little fan wanted to celebrate the victory along with his dad. Matt worked with him and Bo got it!

And now he does it alllll the time. I love it.

Now we're running out of tricks to teach him. Matt was trying to get him to 'clap his feet' while putting him in his PJ's tonight. Maybe potty training . . .

paper chain

2011-12-08T20:29:00.001-05:00

I put a paper chain on the tree this year. After a moment of skepticism about the logic of committing to making such a thing . . . Matt graciously lent a hand in the stapling and assembling.

I like it.

33 weeks

2011-12-08T20:19:00.001-05:00

Our 33 week picture didn't go so well . . .

Because Bo LOVES his blankies and couldn't leave this one alone!

Those Aidan + Anais blankets were a GREAT buy. After he (finally) outgrew the swaddling phase, which they were great for, he still loves sleeping with them. Now he literally flails around with glee when it's naptime and I hand him a blankey. He could easily become one of those Linus kids who drags the dirty blanket around but hopefully we can keep this contained to just naptimes. Our little routine is to approach the crib, yell out "Blankey!" and hand him the blanket, and yell out "Paci!" and hand him a pacifier. When I put him in the crib he either rolls over in exhaustion or kicks around for a bit with joy that he is reunited with blankey and paci . . . and generally falls asleep without issue. It's a great moment for all of us.

32 weeks

2011-12-01T10:44:00.001-05:00

Bo's acting squirrely on his new blanket from Miss Joanna. All those little animals you see are hand embroidered on there! I'll get a pic of the other side soon but I was so impressed with her special gift!

We put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. Bo is enjoying it.

Breaking News:

Bo waved bye-bye for the first time yesterday!! And Matt grabbed it on his phone. We were SOOO proud and kind of amazed, that came out of nowhere.

I'm sure you were so entranced with Bo you didn't notice my weird outfit . . . I know, it's weird, no comments necessary.

holiday kick-off

2011-11-28T20:25:00.001-05:00

For Thanksgiving we had our friends Megan and Esteban come up to visit us from Baltimore. I am so glad they made the long bus ride up here! Megan finally met Matt and it was great to spend more time with Esteban. I wanted to provide his first American Thanksgiving dinner but alas, he's been to one before. But we still pulled out all the stops.

Bo's first Thanksgiving:

After our big old meal, we went on the requisite post-binging walk around the pond.

On Friday my longtime friends (like since I was four) the McMahans came out to see us, I mean BO! We had fun catching up over lunch and picking out a Christmas tree. Despite Bo's hysterical tired screaming when we picked them up from the train station, he was a whole different child after his nap and was able to share some love.

We enjoyed our fair share of leftovers, pie for breakfast, and the wonderful gift of a days without work! It was SO nice to chill out at home and put up our Christmas decorations.

31 weeks

2011-11-28T20:02:00.001-05:00

little thanksgiving ragamuffin.

7 months, baby!

2011-11-28T19:43:00.001-05:00

(november 20, 2011)

Oh, boy, buddy!!

Bo is just more fun than ever. He sleeps like a champ, no teeth peeking through to spoil our fun, just a little buddy to spend my every waking moment with. We are CLOSE, Bo and I . . . too bad for the nursery volunteers! Fortunately Bo goes to bed early (like 6:15 early) which makes it easy for Matt and me to sneak out every so often. Bo LOVES his daddy and lights up when he spots him. He's not crawling but he loves to stand and is beginning to support himself with only one hand on the toy or chair. We had to move his crib down and it makes me sad to think of my little baby getting big!

We love that little guy!

30 weeks

2011-11-19T07:14:00.001-05:00

All bundled up for a walk with his girlfriend. Has he mentioned her before? Their dates are usually supervised, but we left them alone once. It didn't go so well.

And here they are as little wee things... I think Malin was just a few weeks old here!

what to make in the fall

2011-11-10T11:53:00.000-05:00

I went through a recent dry spell in the crafty department. I've since been revived and my dining room/sewing table is a mess of threads and fleece remnants. (Baby mittens - should be easy, but elastic is so hard!) Tomorrow is Veterans Day and I'll be home with a bunch of little boys so I'm looking for more "projects" to keep us occupied. I was home with them several days in September for holidays, and I had more ideas back then:

Rice Krispy treats made to look like apples (with Tootsie Roll stems). The idea was to do pumpkins but it was a little early in the season so I went for apples.

We also made this apple banner that weekend which looked pretty cute. I cut small apples in half and let them paint and stamp. They drew in stems and seeds later. Even the three year old could participate.

We made these shirts using clorox in a spray bottle. I'm anti-scary so even though they were Halloween-ish, the shapes were of a friendly sort.

The black looked pretty good for Halloween because it turns orange when bleached.

I found little orange hoodies at Target, perfect for making into a jack-o-lantern.

I made these cupcakes for small group last night because I realized I hadn't made anything fall-ish. Apple crisp should be coming up soon. I've totally lost any desire to bake but I'm trying to resurrect in honor of my favorite fall flavors.

Matt works a lot . . . I've had several Saturdays alone in the past month. (Although no boo-hoos for me, being home alone is infinitely better than being at the hospital for 24 hours, or 25 if you happen to be on call during the daylight savings switch . . . wop-wop.) One of those Saturdays I made this random-looking wreath. That's not what it was supposed to look like, but burlap is messy and I was ready to be done. I still like it.

Another one of those home-alone Saturdays a bunch of girls from my small group came over and I forced them to make flowers with me. In the middle of it, one of my friends confessed that she hated crafts and her mom and husband gave her pep-talks before she came!!! I find that both tragic and hilarious. This is my childish-looking wool flower I pinned to my new coat.

So I don't think I can convince the boys to make flowers tomorrow. If it's not raining, we will be tracking down lovely leaves. If it is raining... well, it might be a movie day!

29 weeks

2011-11-10T10:56:00.001-05:00

Nothing like daylight savings time to help me realize how MUCH of a schedule we were actually on! That one hour made a big difference. Bo's been but at 5:00/5:30 since Sunday, which means the mornings are all screwed up because he wants to take a nap at like 7:30am ?!?! which can not happen. But we have persisted with a normal bedtime and this morning he slept until after 6:00, which made me so happy. Hopefully he'll stretch it a little past that. I think the 'spring forward' is more my style.

Love you, Bo.

28 weeks

2011-11-06T18:58:00.003-05:00

No interest in crawling, but that's ok with mommy!

It sure is nice to set him down and know he'll still be there.

yo, ho, yo, ho

2011-11-02T06:56:00.001-04:00

A pirate's life for me.

My mom sent us a little pirate onesie for Halloween, which was a convenient daytime costume for Bo.

And where does a six month old show off a costume on Halloween Day? Well, he fit right in at the doctor's office where he was seen by Dorothy and given shots by the Cowardly Lion. They seemed unconcerned that my little swashbuckler hadn't gained an ounce in the last month, despite growing half an inch. He now holds the enviable stats of 90th in height and 10th in weight. Enviable if you're a girl striving for anorexic supermodel, not for a boy striving to play sports in high school. Anyway, I guess we've got some time for him to hit the gym before tryouts.

Captain Skinnypants also made an appearance at the annual Montessori Halloween parade, where my littlest nanny kid made the slow march around the parking lot as Captain America.

Of course Moosey was in the Halloween spirit and wanted to wear his costume all day. I couldn't pry that thing off of him.

It was a happy accident that the pirate look coordinated with the shark costume I got for our small group's theme for Trunk or Treat at our church - Under the Sea.

Bo was a very toasty lobster.

The babies looked awesome. Here Bo is eyeing his little girlfriend, Malin, dressed to the nines in her mermaid outfit.

And Jeremy can walk and was cracking me up as an octopus, toddling around unassisted on two of his eight legs.

babies.

babies and dogs.

I love creatures in costume.

Bo was a champ and was so entranced by the activity that he forgot to fuss about missing his bed time. A successful first Halloween!

the best of friends

2011-10-29T15:57:00.001-04:00

Matt's mom always sings a little song from Fox and the Hound that I think is appropriate for this situation.

When you're the best of friends

Having so much fun together

You're not even aware,

you're such a funny pair

You're the best of friends!

Seriously, these two are so funny. Bo just lights up when Moose walks in. I find myself calling Moose off of the couch to come sit in front of Bo so I can get something done. This works well during dinner preparation because Moose prefers to be in the kitchen at that time anyway, and as long as Bo can get a good view of his furry pal, we're all happy. The other day Moose ran in from the rain all wild and crazy and Bo started just started laughing at him . . . oh, it was so cute.

I know this is a bit gross, to let your child chew on your dog's ears, but I was amused at Bo going for the ears and Moose snoring through the whole thing.

And this was sweet - Moose got a new toy from my parents and kept bringing it over to Bo. In fact, I found that toy on Bo's play mat twice today! Moose keeps bringing it to him. I could cry . . .

day in and day out

2011-10-28T15:25:00.000-04:00

A tip:

If you have a new sitter, I highly recommend the bathtub as a safe place to practice the new skill. I found this out kind of on accident when I stuck Bo in the (dry) bathtub one morning while I was fixing my hair. He loved it and it kept him well enough supported that he couldn't tip over, but he could still sit independently.

I dragged that thing all over the house for a couple weeks.

That was about the time he established his favorite toys as the kitchen spatula and the Baby Einstein music box that plays classical tunes and flashes.

A little video in the bathtub of Mommy poking him with the spatula:

We don't use the bathtub anymore because he sits pretty well now. And he doesn't cry as much when he falls over. All of Matt's "toughening up" techniques must be working.

Be prepared for some cuteness this winter:

My friend sent us a big box of boy clothes and it had like 4 pairs of shoes, including these:

First time in the cart. This was a tiny cart at Jo Ann fabrics. I have since bought a cart/high chair cover because he wants to CHEW on the handle . . . no thank you.

Cold days. Pink nose.

Showin' off.

Sunset.

Sweet snoozin.

And this is a little Halloween preview . . . I can hardly wait. Even though our church thing goes right through cranky time and past bedtime. Even though he gets shots that morning which will have questionable affects on the rest of the day. I can't wait to hold my crying baby in this little hilarious lobster suit.

27 weeks

2011-10-27T10:44:00.002-04:00

(Tracye, it's your blanket! It keeps Bo warm every night!)

spoiled baby

2011-10-27T10:38:00.001-04:00

A few bonus pictures of the Grandersons . . .

My mom insisted that Bo needed more toys, and we went on a toy hunt. Unfortunately the aisles at Babies R' Us/Toys R' Us were the worst . . . everything was plastic and obnoxious and looked like it was going to break in a minute and really not anything I wanted in my house. So now my new stop for baby toys will be stores like TJ Maxx and Tuesday Morning. We found some nice things there (it was a bit of a treasure hunt), including a wood Noah's Ark that I thought was awesome, although a choking hazard. We'll wait a few more months before he can play with that. So we came home with stacking rings, stacking cups, a shape sorter, and a bathtub toy, and of course miscellaneous other items. Although I was opposed to bringing more 'junk' into our house, Bo has enjoyed his new things.

Coco and Grandad playing with the new toys. This is before Matt and I went to a movie and they let Bo stay up an hour after his bedtime. The spoiling starts already. . .

Waiting for a table . . . and getting walked around by Grandad so that the patrons don't have to hear his cries. This was also the first time Bo actually ate with us - he downed an entire banana and then sat and played so well while we finished our meal.

Showing Coco how well he can eat. Bo used to put his hand in his mouth after every bite and it was just a really messy experience (flicking food all over us). I read somewhere not to let your kid do this . . . so while I was dubious about trying to correct a baby, Matt and I worked on taking his hand out of his mouth and telling him no. After a couple days he quit. I'm not sure if this is because he learned not to or he just doesn't anymore . . . it's kind of amazing what babies can learn. Bo also got a bite of doughnut while my parents were here . . . corrupting my child with sugar!

dedication Sunday

2011-10-27T10:22:00.000-04:00

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord . . .

This Sunday Bo was dedicated at our church, as a sign that we will raise him as best we can to love the Lord, and a charge to the congregation to walk with us in this. It was sweet to stand up with this church that we've grown to love over the past two years. They are a family to us.

(eating shoes in front of everybody)

(the pastor hand-off)

(enlisting help to keep the papers out of Bo's hands)

(Matt's co-residents and their families)

(the Andersons)

(part of our 'small' group)

(Pastor John)

I know you're wishing for a better view of Bo's little outfit . . . so here it is. And a picture of the bow tie I made him. He looked pretty good. :)

pumpkin picking

2011-10-26T20:37:00.002-04:00

My parents came for a short visit last weekend and we took the much-anticipated trip the pumpkin patch after Bo's afternoon snooze. It was perfectly crisp and cool, and we drove east until we found a patch that also sold apple cider doughnuts. We had our priorities straight.

Priority 1: Pictures of Bo.

Priority 2: Doughnuts in my mouth.

Handsome handsome men.

It was super sunny so Bo was a bit squinty, but he was a good sport. And pretty entertained by the little baby pumpkins.

And the doughnuts were yum.

6 months

2011-10-21T09:44:00.001-04:00

Wow, half a year old already. That went by pretty quickly. Bo is such a great little buddy these days. He loves sitting up and playing with toys, especially ones that flash and make noise. Bo is so funny when he eats, always flapping his arms around and dancing in his seat between bites. The sleep thing is going pretty well, sleeping about 11-12 hours at night and a couple naps during the day. My favorite new development is Bo's little 'words.' He likes to babble on and on - a lot of ma-ma-ma and ba-ba-ba. It's cute and he seems like a real big boy. He's definitely a fan of Mama and will let you know it if you try to watch him in the church nursery. Love you, Bo Bear!

26 weeks

2011-10-20T21:15:00.001-04:00

i love these guys . . .

2011-10-15T20:47:00.001-04:00

Bo loves watching Moose. And Moose is so patient with him! My sweet boys.

25 weeks

2011-10-15T20:33:00.000-04:00

diapers

2011-10-15T20:26:00.001-04:00

Oh, diapers.

I do not use cloth diapers - primarily because I do not love our washing machine situation. Picture the scariest basement on earth - that is where our washing machine sits. My laundry routine consists of getting it in the machine and getting out of there. Our machines are both Craigslist finds meant to get us through 2 years of renting, not sterilizing a bagillion baby diapers. So, if someday we have beautiful HE machines and a nice little laundry room to keep them in, I might be tempted to do cloth.

If I did do the cloth diaper scene, I would try gDiapers, which I have seen in action on a couple friends' babies. They have little inserts so you don't have to wash the whole diaper EVERY time. Also Kelly says they do a great job of keeping the mess contained. Point for gDiapers! I also think the BumGenius all-in-ones look like they deserve a try, because they don't have a liner to mess with, you just take the whole thing off and throw it in the wash. This is a great post about one family's cloth diaper system.

But we don't cloth diaper right now. I used to buy a jumbo box of size 1 Huggies at Target every other week, for $20/box. They lasted us about 2 weeks, and there was always this 'panic' time where I would be terrified of running out of diapers and make the drive to Target to replenish again. Then I discovered Amazon subscribe and save. I got a much larger box of size 1-2, which is a transitional size that worked great for us for a while, and for $20 that box lasted us the entire month! Awesome. Now Bo's in size 2, and we pay a little around $23 for less diapers, but he uses much less now and that lasts us a month. The subscribe-and-save feature is wonderful - it's 30% off the list price, free shipping, automatic delivery, and I can opt out at any time. I have already changed the subscription once as we upped the diaper size. I get an email once a month saying they'll be shipping soon, and they arrive on my doorstep a few days later. The price fluctuates every month a couple dollars either direction, but so far it has still been less expensive than buying at the store. We bought a giant box of Huggies wipes at Costco the first week of Bo's life and those are still going strong! So one box of wipes every six months is pretty nice. We use Huggies diapers just because we like them better than Pampers. Personal preference.

I also have a diaper pail that someone gave us. I think the thing does a pretty good job of keeping the smell contained, and I can use regular garbage bags in it.

And that's how we change diapers.

Baby Savers

2011-10-13T15:28:00.002-04:00

It turns out that these little people need kind of a lot of stuff. We're not swimming in dough here but we've managed not to go bankrupt while still providing for the little guy. I'm still learning as I go, but I've adapted a few thrifty ways.

Amazon Mom
This membership is free to join and is basically "Amazon Prime" for a few months. However, you have to order a certain amount from the 'baby' section to continue enjoying the benefit of free shipping. I didn't quite keep up with that, but it was fun while it lasted. I do enjoy the "Subscribe and Save" feature for diapers.

Zulily
This site sends me an email every day of the deals they have for that day for baby, kids, and mom stuff. I haven't bought much, but when I do, it's been 50% off the retail price. This is great for buying baby gifts. If you do decide to join, the link above is a referral so I could possibly get some $$ if you buy something . . . share the love!

ThredUP (also a referral link)
I've joined but haven't used this site yet, although it looks fun. People fill boxes of their (hopefully) gently used baby clothes and toys that you can get for $5 + shipping. It's also a good way to pass on your baby stuff you are done with and make way for new stuff.

Baby Cheapskate
I'm sure there are tons of websites like this one out there . . . this site outlines baby deals as they come out, whether it be the latest price of diapers in stores or online, or clothing discounts and sales.

Friends and Family
My sister-in-law is our most valuable resource, since she has given Bo 50% of his wardrobe. Bo's two boy cousins are so sweet to pass on their stuff! :) Since he grows out of his clothes so quickly, this has been really wonderful. Bo's grandmas love buying him clothes, too. We have been given several items from friends who's kids have outgrown them and are borrowing some items. This works for us right now because we don't really have the space to store baby stuff and we know we'll be moving soon, so it's less to take with us.

Thrift stores/garage sales/Craigslist
To be honest, I haven't really used these avenues a ton, but I've seen stuff out there! A month ago I saw a nice looking exersaucer (nicer than the one we had) for $15 at a thrift store. Matt wouldn't let me get it because he hates giant plastic stuff (and we already had a free one), but it was in great condition. I found it at Babies R Us for $90. So obviously, that would've been a great deal! Our Craigslist is wild . . . for example, I just found a 3-foot tall blow-up m'n'm . . . for the low price of $30 . . . why in the world would anyone want that? And a crib for $300. And a breast pump for $50. I just can't imagine buying a breast pump from someone on Craigslist . . . however there are some good deals out there. And it's always hilarious to look.

What are your saving secrets?

baby books

2011-10-12T19:22:00.001-04:00

My friend Jenna wrote the bush woman's guide to baby gear . . . just kidding! She lives in Kenya but in the civilized village of Kijabe. I love seeing these throwback pictures of the tiny babes . . .

This is kind of embarrassing. I know I look a *little* obsessive by actually listing all the books I read. Yes, there are a few. But . . . I like to read. And I was excited about this new little person joining our family. And then I was a little anxious about taking care of this tiny human. So I read a few books about it, ok?

{source}

My health insurance company actually sent me this book, which was nice of them, because it was a good one! It's similar to What to Expect When You're Expecting and it has a new exercise for every week. Umm, it would've been nice if I'd actually done those exercises . . .

{source}

I read a couple books on pregnancy nutrition, and I remember that this one was short and sweet. It also had some pretty yummy recipes. I had a lot of time on my hands, I guess . . . :) But really, it's important to eat well.

{source}

I read this one before Bo was born, and it sounded great and easy. I learned the foundation of the eat, wake, sleep routine from it and that definitely shaped our routine. But once we started to hit some bumpy patches, I needed more concrete answers.

{source}

My sister-in-law gave me her well-loved copy of this book. It is not an easy read and is pretty technical about how babies sleep. This book is a great reference and answers a lot of "whys" about sleep habits and abilities. I refer to this quite often these days.

{source}

I read this one before the baby was born, and she lines up with the Babywise routine, using the acronym EASY: Eat, Activity, Sleep, You (as in mom-time). She's conversational and quirky. I liked the charts that interpreted baby cries and actions - like if the baby is crying and turning in to you, it means he's tired, not necessarily hungry (which makes sense, since he just ate).

{source}

I picked up this one after we hit the four-month weird behavior phase. I like the sample schedules and how it was broken into sections on 'problems.' I only read the sleep sections of this one but I might refer to it again when other things pop up. I like a good hands-on answer to an issue.

{source}

I learned from a friend at church that "Ferberize" was a technique named after this guy, Dr. Richard Ferber. I read part of this book and basically you teach your child to sleep without any props so that he can put himself to sleep on his own. I am all about this, but I think for Bo he only got to that 'self-soothing' point when he was about 4.5 months old. So I read it at just the right time. Ferber employs a cry-it-out method with parents going after a few minutes to calm the child down - first 3 minutes, then 5, then 10 and so on until the child learns to fall asleep himself. Despite the very discouraging video on BabyCenter, I've heard from others that this technique really does work and it is SO FREEING to the parent! My friend Kate wrote a passionate review of the book here after a rough few months with her babe.

{source}

Somebody passed this on to me and I like having a book of answers on hand . . . although I don't read it much anymore because BabyCenter still sends me weekly emails on what my kid is up to.

{source}

So this one is less informative and more a memoir on one woman's experience of having a baby . . . Less of the cuddles and roses and more of the reality of what adding a small helpless person to your life really means.

{source}

This was another memoir of one woman's experience, focusing on nursing, that left me convinced I would have trouble breastfeeding (I did not) but with the confidence to ask for help. Breastfeeding can be extremely difficult, and this woman tells her story with some laughs.

That covers most of them. :) A few of these my sister-in-law passed on to me, and the rest I got from the library or friends. And what did I learn from all these experts? That basically the "right" way is whatever works for you. I've taken bits and pieces of their advice, seen what works for Bo, and adapted those as our method. For the record, sleep time right now = wrapped in an muslin blanket, pacifier, a story or a song, lights out, fan on, see you later! Sometimes he needs another hug from me, but if the timing is right, it's off to sleepy land. If your nighttime ritual is standing on your head, reciting the ABC's backwards, shush-patting your child four times, and singing the Canadian anthem - and your baby sleeps - then congrats, I think you've done it right.

baby gear part 2

2011-10-11T11:01:00.002-04:00

My pal Erin posted her own list of top 10 baby items for the first weeks. I particularly enjoy "perspective" - that is so true! I found that if I could surrender myself to the baby's schedule, I was a much happier Mama . . . everyone says you need to be flexible with a baby, and it's so true! Check out her post!

So, Bo's not quite to 6 months yet so I have just a short list of what we used for the next stage. I'd say these are great for the 2-5 month range.

Activity Mat

{source}

I did not have this on my registry, but I am so thankful my mom brought one out for us. Bo uses his EVERY day. I think he was about 2 months when we got it, and even then it interested him. Ours is different than the one above, but I like the one shown because it folds up easily and can be put away. Ours is just out in the middle of the floor . . . and has been for four months . . . which is ok! Remember, surrender to the baby! :) But the Infantino one would be easy to throw in the car for trips or long visits.

The Bumbo

{source}

Yes, these are great. We are actually borrowing one that had a tray, which is perfect. Once Bo started getting more interested in things around him, it seemed like he would leap over the side of the Bumbo to reach a toy - the tray keeps him better contained. We also use this as our feeding chair for now. (But we are looking for a high chair - any suggestions?)

Car Seat Toy

{source}

This was the best $9.99 I've ever spent. Bo went through a loud and disturbing "I hate the car seat" phase, and this little toy got us through. It attaches to the handles of the car seat and the singing, blinking froggy distracted Bo from his perceived agony while I strapped him down. Now Bo can look around and see out the window a bit, but when he was littler, I think he just felt lonely and suppressed in the back seat. His froggy buddy helped him out. We love you, froggy toy!

Exersaucer

{source}

Now, this thing is large, in charge, and impossible to put away. It does not really add much to the atmosphere of the living room. BUT . . . if it keeps the baby happy, it's WORTH IT! Someone gave us their old exersaucer - I think Bo is at least the third kid to use it. Now I keep it at work and he's always happy playing with the toys and strengthening his legs. At home we use a bouncer that hangs from the doorway. Bo is still getting used to it but I think he'll enjoy it - and it's less obtrusive.

Jesus Storybook Bible

{source}

I had heard of this Bible before I had Bo and was thrilled to get it in the mail as a gift from our special friends we made in Kenya. I started reading to him before nap time and got tired pretty quickly of the same little books and Toddler Bible that has one sentence per page. This is a Bible I think we'll read over and over again as our kids grow. Sally Lloyd-Jones tells stories from the Bible with fresh perspective and incorporates Jesus into each one. I find myself looking forward seeing how she will weave in the need for a Messiah and show how this or that person was a shadow of the One to come. It's wonderful! And it is our greatest hope for Bo that he will grow to love the Lord. I hope by reading to him now, we establish a pattern that we can continue as he grows in understanding.

Now Bo is moving into the "independent sitter" stage and will soon be moving around the house and eating solid foods. I would love to see what you think is most helpful for these next few months. Help, help!

Baby Week: BABY-baby gear

2011-10-10T14:07:00.000-04:00

It's baby week . . .
In all truthfulness, every week is baby week around here now! But this week is a LITTLE less Bo-focused and little more generic. For all those prego friends out there, here's what your life will soon look like! For all those varsity moms out there, I'd love to know what you couldn't live without!

This is the "Baby-baby" edition . . . things we used immediately. It seemed like all of our efforts for a few months were focused on getting the baby to sleep and then praying he stayed asleep, so most of these things help with the all-important SLEEP!

Swaddle Wraps

{source}

I only had the Summer Infant/Kiddopotamus brand swaddlers, but we used them for EVERY nap and at night. We stuffed Bo in the pouch, closed the velcro - instant swaddle. He really fell asleep so much easier when he was wrapped up in one of those things. In fact, we used them until he was 4 months old . . . and then he suddenly didn't really need his "Baby Snuggie" any longer.

Aidan + Anais Muslin Blankets

{source}

These things are great . . . they are HUGE, which is great for getting a good swaddle. I was a little late in the game getting these; maybe we wouldn't have been so dependent on the baby snuggie. These are really multipurpose, though - great for covering up the car seat, as a nursing cover, lying on the floor, keeping sun off the stroller, etc. I still always have one of these with us wherever we go - I think Bo enjoys snuggling up with them to sleep.

Soothie Pacifiers

Available here.

Oh, little Bo! There are varying opinions on pacifiers but we decided to go for it after I asked the nurse in the hospital how it was possible that this baby could nurse for 45 minutes. She said, "No, dear, he was done after 20 minutes, he just likes sucking." I said, "Give me a pacifier." And this is what they gave me. We're only 5 months in to this so I don't know if I'm setting Bo up to going to kindergarten with a pacifier in his mouth . . . but I try to use it only when he's tired. And it certainly helped him relax when he was a tiny little guy. Something about releasing that 'sucking energy.' He prefers a different kind now but for a while we had 10 Soothies spread all over the house.

MAM Anti-Colic Bottles

{source}

I started Bo with an occasional bottle of breastmilk pretty early. I tried 3 other brands but they all seemed to come out too fast and he choked and sputtered. My sister-in-law recommended these and they have been great. They aren't expensive, but they just worked for us. Bo does so well with formula or nursing, which makes it nice when we want to go out.

Sleep Positioner

For sale here.
(Baby Bo modeling the sleep positioner, an unwrapped swaddle blanket, and a discarded soothie pacifier.

So this is one of those 'first time parent' things . . . a friend of ours passed on their sleep positioner and I was sure we wouldn't need it. When we got home from he hospital and put Bo in the middle of his big crib swaddled to his neck, we immediately fished out the sleep positioner to secure him somehow before he fell asleep. We were afraid he would roll over and not be able to breathe, but this thing helped us sleep better knowing he would stay on his back all night. I also took it with us when we traveled so he felt snug in the hotel crib or pack-n-play.

Bouncer

Available Here

Bo was in this thing for 90% of his waking hours until he was 2 months old. We went for the bouncer instead of the swing because it was smaller and more portable (and less expensive). This one is battery operated and bounces on its own. (We haven't had to change the batteries yet!) We carried it all over the house and outside so he could sit near us and he napped pretty well in it, too.

iPhone

{source}

This was probably my #1 baby item, believe it or not. I used it as my flashlight, clock, record keeper, entertainment, and portal to the outside world. Would you believe I kept track of every single feeding for three months? In the middle of the night it was impossible to remember if I'd been feeding him for four minutes or twenty . . . and I could never remember the last time I'd fed him, so I just wrote them all down on my phone. It's amazing what you can do with one hand on this thing - so much easier to read, email, text, etc. I don't have a Kindle but I imagine it would be similarly nursing-friendly.

So that's my non-comprehensive list of essential-to-us infant gear. What did you use?

what's up in Bo's world

2011-10-06T15:33:00.000-04:00

Some pictures from the past couple weeks:

Bo got a new bathtub. Despite his apparent happiness in this pic, he's not loving the bath these days. I'm not sure why. I think it's because he's usually pretty tired by bathtime and not up for a dip in the tub.

Another bath pic, in which Bo looks like Gollum . . .

Titled: My Precious

You saw that one already if you follow @bo_yezerski on twitter. He's a skinny guy, but the angle makes him look even skinnier.

This happened:

I thought it was funny.

Matt's been on call/working a lot so he asks me to text him pictures of our day. This was a mommy-attempt to feed him cereal . . . notice it's up on the eyebrow.

During that same feeding session we had a little incident with Moose spotting a cat outside. Just pretend like this is one video, because the instant I stopped recording the first video, I started the second:

And there it is:

I think Bo looks like he's off to sleepaway camp in this picture . . . we were going to Bible Study and I was hoping he'd nap in the nursery. He gave it his best shot, but I wouldn't sleep well in there either.

Oh yes, THIS happened 2 days ago:

Oh, my. What's next?

And finally, Bo's church look.

And that's what Bo is up to.

24 weeks

2011-10-05T14:56:00.000-04:00

And suddenly we have THIS going on . . .

23 weeks

2011-09-28T15:43:00.004-04:00

sparkly eyes.

Our buddy really is a joy. As he gets older, he just gets more fun! And I think he's read the baby textbooks because he hits the stages right when they say he will. I had to laugh when I got this email yesterday, detailing Bo's new "Stranger Danger" phase as if it was written just about him.

Your baby may start showing signs of one of her first major emotional milestones —stranger anxiety. She may become clingy and anxious around new (and even familiar) people and may cry if a stranger suddenly approaches her.

Keep this in mind when you're around people she doesn't know, and try not to be embarrassed when she cries in someone else's arms — just take her back and calm her down by holding her yourself. Tell your friends and family to approach your little one with slow, gentle movements.

A case of stranger anxiety doesn't mean you have to avoid new faces. Your baby will benefit from being around people other than you and your partner. Just remember that she needs your patience and understanding to get through this very important stage of development.

Bo started shrieking around strangers this past weekend . . . the nursery pretty much didn't happen on Sunday. But we'll soldier on. Just approach with caution, everyone!

little boy, big appetite

2011-09-27T14:40:00.000-04:00

This just in:

Bo is now in the 25th percentile for weight (at 14-9) and 90th for height (27"). Can we say skinny?

Bo at the doctor's office in his monkey toga.

I mean, this kid eats . . . he's even been known to nibble a toe or two . . .

So, a little food-related story. Last week I was trying a new trick, propping the Bo up in his Boppy pillow to give him some support while he was sitting. As you can see, he's doing a great job and looks like a big boy.

I turned around to grab a toy for him and when I turned back around, he was making a break for my lunch!!

(Yes, I eat my lunch on the floor.)

We'd taken a week-long break from the cereal because we realized how convenient it is NOT to feed it to him, but we tried again that night since he seemed so into the big-people food.

It was a smashing success:

We still don't give it to him every day, he's only 5 months old, but it's safe to say he likes it!!

gigi and pop!

2011-09-27T14:08:00.001-04:00

We just live really far from our family.

I just heard everyone overseas sigh and say, "Try a 13 hour time difference and get back to me." I know, I know, it could be WAY worse. I've always lived far from family, I never had the privilege of grandparents in the same town (or time zone), but we just got used to it and spent holidays with good friends and saw our family when we saw them. I actually lived with one set of grandparents for 2 months every summer, so that's kind of special. Anyway, now that we have a kid of our own, we're really feeling the difference. I know our parents miss seeing Bo and we so desperately want to share the little moments with them. Thankfully we do all live in the same country, so we talk and text and email and visit when we can! We were so happy to have Matt's parents out last week for a few days.

As far as visits go, we didn't really see anything or go anywhere . . . most of the time was spent staring at Bo. :) They watched him while I was at work so that was great for me, although weird to come home and not know what he did for the past two hours. And then we took that to a whole new level and both Matt and I got on planes and left Gigi and Pop on their own with their littlest grandson. Ideally, Matt and I would've traveled to the same destination for our first night away from the baby . . . but he had a conference in Chicago and I had a free ticket to Charlotte. Gigi and Pop were gracious enough to encourage me to use the miles before the expired and stay home with Bo.

So with this little picture pulled up frequently on my phone to remind me what I was missing . . .

I left for a whirlwind trip. I was only in Charlotte for 24 hours, so I didn't get to make the full run of visits that I would've liked to, but it was really REALLY great to sit and chat with friends. I also had some spontaneous crying moments, but it was just out of love.

God is faithful in providing friends everywhere we go, but it's always so sweet to see my old pals again. And their babies. :) There was always a baby close by when my arms felt empty. I saw sweet and portable Haddon again and met Adler for the first time.

He's so handsome.

His parents fixed me biscuits and gravy.

Kerry drove out from Knoxville, which was awesome.

The three of us can always pick up where we left off.

Which was here:

Ha ha.

So it was short, but so sweet. And then I got back on my JetBlue direct flight to JFK and my non-direct train ride back to Stony Brook while Gigi and Pop texted me the following pics . . . that train could not go fast enough.

Our little guy grew up while we were gone!!

I'm really glad Matt's parents were so willing to watch Baby Bo while we were gone. I think they even enjoyed it. :) I could relax, knowing he was in such great hands. I wish we could've spent more time together - I think they only saw Matt for one afternoon, since his work schedule is a little unforgiving. We look forward to being less than a plane-ride away!!

baby in boston

2011-09-24T10:47:00.001-04:00

In order to get to Massachusetts, we decided to ditch the through-the-city-holiday-weekend madness and take the ferry from Port Jefferson to Bridgeport, Connecticut. I believe I just added a new state to my list. And Bo took his first boat ride (since being in utero . . . we took several ferries out in Seattle last year. Does that count?). An-knee-way . . .

Goodbye, Long Island . . .

Sailing on the Sound. I wish that was us.

Unfortunately I did not get any pictures of Jenna's parents' lovely home on the river in Essex, MA. However, I did get a picture of this large historic rock in Gloucester. Too bad I don't remember why it's important.

We enjoyed some lovely seafood . . .

Bo felt a little left out . . .

Lobster roll.

Jenna's parents graciously gave us their tickets to a Red Sox - Rangers game. Red Sox fans are serious - which made it so fun. Bo borrowed this onesie from Kyalo and he got a certificate that said it was his first Red Sox game. There were a lot of babies there, actually.

It was pretty sunny for a bit (look at his little hot face!) so I walked Bo around in the stroller for a few innings and Matt let him sleep in the Bjorn for a bit. Bo really did so well for the entire game, which made it so enjoyable for us. It was a great game, too, complete with a grand slam AND a fan on the field.

Matt had never been to Boston before so we visited Cambridge and made a quick trip down the Freedom Trail. If you've never been to this historic city, the Freedom Trail is a literal red stripe - sometimes painted, sometimes bricked- that leads you through downtown Boston, past several historic sites. Of note are the site of the Boston Massacre, the old North Church, and Paul Revere's house.

Paul Revere

PR's house

We were a little pressed for time so we kind of did the "Freedom Trail Dash." I got an app on the sites so I read aloud to Matt as we walked to the next place, gave it the thumbs up, and pushed the stroller on to a new landmark. Fortunately the trail passes within a block of Mike's bakery, famous for it's cannoli. We split one as we hiked back to the car . . . so rich and delicious . . . not the best on-the-go food, but man, that was good.

Before we got in the car I made sure we stopped at the ducks in the Boston Common. I really wanted a picture of Bo on the ducklings, fashioned after the story by Robert McCloskey, Make Way for Ducklings. Some friends of ours gave us the book before Bo was born, and I thought it would be special.

And then it was time to go.

We took a different ferry home, from New London, CT to Orient Point, which is the farthest point east on the North Fork of Long Island. The ferry was notably more enjoyable. We got there an hour before our reservation and were able to squeeze in the last available spot to get home a bit earlier. Literally squeeze - our car is perpendicular to everyone else's and seemed in peril of falling into the ocean.

Bo is our sweet little traveling buddy. He did SO well on this trip, which was on the heels of a rather frustrating week of no power post-hurricane. We really loved our Boston experience and hope to go back soon!

friend visiting

2011-09-24T09:33:00.001-04:00

For Labor Day weekend we finally did a real East Coast trip and headed up to Boston. More pictures are coming of all of the wonderful Bostonian sites, but first, the real reason for our visit. Our friend Jenna Mulandi was in the U.S. for a few weeks this summer with her son, Kyalo. Her husband, Dexter, had to hold down the fort and keep the dental clinic running in Kijabe. We missed seeing him, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to see their awesome baby.

Kyalo and Bo

Friends Forever

Before I throw a bunch of baby pictures at you, we saw some notable adults, as well.

Here we are with Jenna by the ocean in Gloucester. It was September 2nd and the trees were already turning.

It was great to meet up with my friend Jess again. We went to Taylor together and her parents are best friends with Jenna's parents. Small world.

I'm so glad it worked out to see JiHee and Katie, who were seniors the year we were at RVA. I spent many hours hanging out at their dorm back then. We had lunch and talked about JiHee's experience at Wellesley and Katie's at Harvard. Smart girls.

It was so fun to have the babies together. For one, it is so nice to stay with someone who has a baby, because there is the mutual understanding of how the days revolve around feeding and sleeping. They also had all the baby gear we could need for a weekend. And, the boys were so darn cute together. Bo looked absolutely translucent next to Kyalo. I wished I had brought our seat because 2 babies in Bumbos is pretty adorable . . . but they did ok sharing. They already acted like boys, tussling and chewing on each others' toes and fingers.

Babies are fun.

22 weeks

2011-09-22T13:48:00.003-04:00

5 months

2011-09-22T13:47:00.001-04:00

Wow, this month went by quickly. Bo's fourth month was characterized by both extreme challenges and, on the heels of those, extreme victories. We went through a rough patch of waking up multiple times a night and some unexplainable screaming sessions. After those valleys, the miracle of being able to put him down awake, walk away, and have him nap for 1-2 hours was quite the mountaintop.

Of course not every nap is quite that easy, but I'm coming off a 2-hour no-cry nap time high, so everything seems quite rosy. :) I'm not sure how that started happening, by the way. Matt had proclaimed that we were going to start letting him cry it out, and we did let him fuss a bit falling asleep for a few days, but really I think he was developmentally ready to soothe himself once given the opportunity. He was also developmentally ready to sleep through the night again, although that's a little inconsistent (right now he has a cold, so I'm cutting him some slack). :) Matt and I both went out of town (to different places) last weekend and Gigi and Pop watched Bo without (they say) any major issues, so that's wonderful.

Bo loves playing with his feet, is getting used to his new bouncer, and is an "assisted sitter." We've given him cereal a few times because we're first-time parents and we think that's exciting, and he gobbles it up. He is a real grabber and will try to snatch anything, particularly big people food, and can suck a smoothie out of a straw (don't ask me how I know that). It is funny to watch this tiny guy drink out of a straw, though. I mean, on rare occasions, it's not like I feed him through a straw. Anyway . . .

Bo's a fan of walks in the stroller and is (finally) easing up in the car seat. In the afternoon he has to spend a good 45 minutes in his seat as we get the boys I nanny from their schools, and thankfully we haven't had any screaming fits in weeks. :)

We love our little buddy and his quirky ways. We wouldn't change a thing about him.

21 weeks

2011-09-22T13:25:00.000-04:00

So these were taken around 21 weeks . . . I meant to take his picture last Wednesday but Matt's parents came for a visit and I just forgot! So here he is in a little outfit from my grandparents on a colder day . . . cheesing for the camera.

baby of 2011

2011-09-13T20:12:00.002-04:00

My brother brought his iPad . . . which I am still perplexed and enamored by, having spent very little time actually holding one. I don't think I'm exactly the target audience, since I would probably use it for looking at blogs. :) But I think Bo wishes he was the target audience . . . he really loved that thing.

Baby and iPad. What a world he is growing up in. Can you imagine him going to school in his flying car? Projecting his homework in a hologram in the middle of the room?

And on that note, a compilation of Bo's funny faces:

photo shoot

2011-09-12T21:53:00.000-04:00

Uncle Ryan was dying to take pictures of Bo . . . and Bo decided he was entering a new phase of sucking on his bottom lip. Seriously. Every picture he looks like a pursed-lip fat kid. What a weird little week-long phase. I could't get grins out of him the entire time . . . of course. Isn't that how it goes? But we still like the pics. Our sweet friend Jenna sent us these overalls when she found out we were pregnant, and Matt has always wanted to put him in the overalls, without a shirt, so I complied.

Brothers. With jowls.

(behind the scenes)

Oh, Bobie. You funny little man.

uncles and aunts and bo bears, oh my!

2011-09-12T21:16:00.001-04:00

In late August we had the privilege of three visitors - Matt's brother John Eric and his wife, Courtney, and my brother Ryan. John Eric and Courtney came up for the weekend and we showed them highlights of our little town . . . rock skipping at the beach, our favorite breakfast place, afternoon kayaking, and a healthy dose of a not-quite-himself Bo. Bo may have been prone to spontaneous melt downs the entire weekend, but we still enjoyed their visit! There was a lot of dental talk, a lot of business talk, and a lot of baby talk. I was thrilled to have a resident baby expert in the house. And Bo got a large stack of his cousins' clothes . . . so nice to have baby boys in the family!

Skyping with the cousins, who stayed home with Gigi and Pop.

Unfortunately, I was preoccupied with keeping Bo from screaming and did not get a picture of all of us. And just to be fair, I did not get any pictures of my brother, either! He is a great photographer and spent a lot of time behind the camera while he got to know his nephew.

Putting the Bob to work.

So, visitors, it's always nice to have you. Karibu tena, come again!

20 weeks

2011-09-09T13:01:00.000-04:00

Bo was really hamming it up for this week's photos, a trick which I think he learned from his buddy Kyalo, a new friend from Kenya who we visited up in Boston over Labor Day. Kyalo is so smiley for pictures. Bo wore his Kenya shirt for Kyalo, too.

Mid-chuckle. Blurry legs because he's always on the go!

This is the face he gives Matt when Daddy gets home from work and then Daddy can't possibly believe that the little guy could have possibly been fussing all afternoon. Or, as has been the case this week, the face Bo gives Mommy when she gets home from work that totally contradicts Daddy's story of a screeching, no-napping baby. Bo knows how to work the system.

Really though, I have to announce that the last two times I've put Bo down for a sleep in his crib, I laid him down awake and he went to sleep on his own. Without so much as a whimper. Once last night before bed and then today for a nap. This is something I did not think was possible. It's too early to tell, but maybe we're on to something here . . .

19 weeks

2011-09-09T12:52:00.001-04:00

We've had a little trouble staying on track with the power out last week and Labor Day travels and going back to work (part time) this week, but this picture was taken around 19 weeks. :) But I will say I took him to the doctor for his 4 month checkup/shots at 19 weeks, and he weighed in at 14 lbs even and is now 26.5" long (50th and 90th percentiles), for those who are keeping track (the grandmas). He is in 6+ month clothes for the most part, but he's skinny enough that he can wear smaller shorts. Basically all of his footed pj's are too tight lengthwise but baggy in the belly. We love him.

the perfect storm of hype

2011-09-08T21:09:00.002-04:00

Maybe you forgot about Irene already.
Irene? Who's Irene?

I know, that is SUCH a weird video.

You know, the storm of "hype"? The one that blasted up the East coast and plunged us into the 19th century?

In the days preceding the storm, our news ran warnings 24/7, complete with scary Jaws-like soundtrack to accompany the equally menacing "HURRICANE IRENE" title that filled the screen after every commercial break. Really, I think Long Island News 12 is to blame for my apprehension. We didn't go crazy with preparations; I bought bottled water and batteries (from a very depleted stock at our grocery store) and some non-perishables. We anticipated our power would go out, and just in case a tree fell on the house, we slept in the living room.

And we had an emergency pack, just in case.

We were with the baby when the power went off around 4:30 Sunday morning. Sunday, the height of the storm, passed uneventfully as we played Scrabble and ate the ice cream from our freezer. Thankfully no large trees fell around our house, just branches, and our basement hardly leaked. We did lose our storm door.

That evening we drove around our area. So MANY trees and branches down, often delicately balanced on power lines. The roads were often blocked by fallen trees. We spotted this house a couple miles from where we live . . .

We made the rounds on a few of our friends and were invited for dinner by Evie and Jon, who live one town over and managed to keep their power and cable. Before we knew it, three other families from our small group ended up there as well. Evie fed us all! A hurricane party.

The 'powerless' ate there Monday night as well and took showers. . . it was so sweet of them to have so many of us poor souls over to give us a hot meal.

Our house runs on well water, so when our power went out, the water did as well. We managed for a day on what was stored in the pipes. After that went, we hung on for a couple more days using water we'd stored in pots, pitchers, and the bathtub. The weather was gorgeous, so we sat outside all day.

Bo by headlamp.

By Tuesday, I emptied the fridge and freezer, we were out of water, and I was out of patience with the dark evenings. We stayed at the house of the people I nanny for, since they were out of town. They had power and had shared their house key with friends for showering. We waited for them to come shower in the morning, but their power had come on in the night. I hoped that ours had come on, too . . . but it hadn't. Wednesday we stayed with our friends Jeff and Amy. Their neighbor across the street had lost a tree that completely blocked the road.

Thursday evening as we settled in for another night at their place, we got word that our power was back on.

LOVED seeing those lights. Did NOT love the aftermath of a water system that has sat dormant for five days . . . but by midnight Matt had flushed all of the pipes and we had water again, even if it wasn't flowing exactly clear. After five days, we were back up and running in our own home.

Now honestly, I was not a fan of the situation. It was very hard to be constantly on the move, especially with a baby and a dog. BUT . . . In looking for the positives, there were many. We saw the Body of Christ in action, people extending their homes, sharing food, inviting others in without a second thought. It was sweet to gather together and talk and laugh and share stories. I'm so thankful for the friends we've made on Long Island. Matt was able to be home a lot that week because the power was out at offices he was to visit, and his attending was gracious. We read, talked, Matt studied, and we enjoyed being outside and away from the technology that so often occupies us. School was postponed two days and all of the kids on our street were out on their bikes. We talked with our neighbors every day, as opposed to the weeks we can go without seeing them. We reflected on our friends who serve in parts of the world with spotty electricity, or none at all, and those who have never had the luxury of running water or light at the other end of the switch. Our home was standing in tact, our possessions and family safe.

That was (the abbreviated version of) our experience with the storm.

calm before the storm

2011-08-27T15:12:00.001-04:00

We're getting prepared for Hurricane Irene's visit to Long Island over the next 24 hours. I expect we'll be fine, but without power for a bit. Hopefully not the 10 days it took to recover from the storm in 1985. Most of the homes around us are older and the power lines are swinging in the breeze - and tangled in tree limbs - so yeah, I think we'll lose some power. Sigh.

So since tomorrow is one long Scrabble game, I'll update today! My brother was visiting us for a few days and takes great pics. It's nice to have some of Bo and me - and Matt and Bo - since usually it's just Bo by his lonesome. Matt worked late one night and had the next day off so we headed East for a drive. The boys wanted to try for some fresh raspberries, and even though a recent storm had stripped the fields, we tried anyway. It was worth the couple handfuls we drummed up just being outside in the perfect weather. Ryan lives in Houston and was really loving the 75 degree days!

Matt has recently discovered the Bjorn, and I'm not complaining. I always feel like the baby heavy on my shoulders when I wear that thing. Bo looks very cute strapped to his daddy. :)

Good helping, Bo!

There was an earthquake here that day . . . ripples from the quake in Virginia. We were on the road and didn't feel it, but our neighbor said her whole house shook. We're really stacking up the natural phenomenons.

Four Months

2011-08-27T08:51:00.003-04:00

Exactly a week ago, Bo turned 4 months old! He's rolled both directions, loves to smile at people more than the camera, and is generally a happy baby but will let you know when he needs something. :) His laugh is kind of a throaty chuckle and he makes us work to get it out of him! He won't be weighed until next week but I'm thinking he's got to have put some pounds on since last month. We know he's longer! On his four month birthday he decided he didn't love his regular pacifiers anymore. In a desperate one-handed search for a replacement, I found these mustache pacifiers that we'd received as a gift when he was born. As a newborn, he spit them out, but when I discovered they now soothed his screams, they became something of a hilarious life-saver. After a day of quickly switching pacifiers before putting him in his crib (because of the mustache choking hazard), I bought some unadorned pacifiers of the same brand. But these are still our favorite.

18 weeks

2011-08-25T15:14:00.000-04:00

I kind of like how Moose snuck in there. My brother is visiting so he gets the credit for this photo.

a tragic tale

2011-08-18T15:50:00.000-04:00

My mom sent us an inflatable baby pool for Bo to use on these hot summer days. We've had some rain recently so I had to wait until the end of last week before the pool party could happen. One of my friends brought her little boy over and the guys enjoyed the water - Jeremy more than Bo since he can sit up and stack cups and play and all that. But it was still pretty cute! After going through all the work of putting up the pool, I decided to leave it out to use the next day. I left the water in it because I didn't want it to blow away at night.

After Bo went down for his nap on Saturday morning, I went outside to change the water in the pool and let it warm up so we could use it that afternoon. As I approached the pool, I noticed a large piece of bark floating in the water along with leaves and flower bits. I knelt to fish it out of the pool and realized, to my absolute horror, that it was not a piece of bark. It was an animal. A squirrel had drowned in our baby pool.

I immediately felt SICK and oddly close to hysterics and ran over to Matt, who was mowing nearby. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry as I screeched the news. Matt fished it out with a couple pieces of firewood and determined it wasn't a squirrel, it was a chipmunk. Now THAT made me really sad, because we have a little chipmunk that lives in a hole near where I park the car and he always dashes about so cutely on the brick wall. Poor buddy. I really wish you hadn't defiled our brand new baby pool.

My first instinct was to just throw the whole pool out but Matt assured me it could be saved . . . so I spent the morning disinfecting it with all of the cleaning products I could find. BLEH.

We didn't tell Bo about the tragic end to the chipmunk; we didn't want him to feel badly about it.

Check out that six-pack.

You can't really tell, but he's yelling "It's COLD!" in this picture.

We got him out when his feet turned purple. :)

17 weeks

2011-08-18T12:57:00.000-04:00

I admit, I forgot to take a picture yesterday, when he was actually 17 weeks. But I'm kind of glad I forgot, because today we took these . . .

I almost didn't put the second one in because he looks a little skin'n'bones . . . but it was the only one where his hand wasn't in his mouth. I promise you, he eats. He's just long. And thin. And you can see his little bug-bitten elbow in the first pic . . . we're just keeping it real around here.

And no, the beach didn't go so well. Yes, I should learn my lesson already and quit attempting it. At least we had a pop-up shelter this time around, unlike the umbrella fiasco of June, but homeboy doesn't love the wind in his hair.

That is my beloved beach towel that I think I got in second grade. It has my name on it in Sharpie because I'm pretty sure I took it to camp . . . or at least a pool party. Land's End, people. It's quality.

out of my league

2011-08-17T09:11:00.000-04:00

So we had this chair.

Our first house in Long Island (two houses in two years of marriage, hooray) was pretty large and Matt brought all the furniture he could to fill it up. But in our current house, we didn't have the space for it. It rocks and swivels and I contemplated recovering it for use in the baby's room, but since I'm such a novice, I didn't want to drop $70 on fabric and then hate the way it looks.

I tried to Craigslist it. (Do you like my staging? The pillow and the brick wall? I mean, it kind of worked, we got two phone calls.)

But despite interest, no one actually came and got it. So after staring at it for a few weeks, I began moving it around the house and tossing fabric on it from a large bolt I picked up at a garage sale. You know I like throwing fabric on things.

And then one Saturday, when Matt was gone most of the day, I just went for it. I decided to cover the chair. I read this very basic post about a hundred times, and then just dove it, without really thinking it through.

Bo was a good little buddy.

I just started draping and cutting and pinning and darning my heart out.

Taking it to the machine was scary, as I really did not know what I was doing. But at that point I was eager to have the thing done, so I just started sewing away. The lady who's (basic) tutorial I followed actually sells an ebook on how to make slipcovers, and I think if I'd bought it I might have avoided some questionable spots.

So if there's ever a next time, I'll definitely spend the $10 on the ebook. Corners are not easy. BUT for this project, I really didn't want to spend anything, and I didn't want to over think it and scare myself out of doing it.

And, after two Saturdays of labor . . . voila!

Of course I have a chair model.

And his jacket has his name on it.

Anyway . . . its by no means perfect, it could use a pillow to hide some of the rough spots, and I didn't feel like hemming the bottom so that's a bit raggedy. And perhaps my little side table with the typewriter leaves something to be desired?

But, for a $3 project, I'm feeling pretty good about it. I got some experience in slipcovering and we might actually sit there. Looks like a good coffee spot.

kitchen transformations

2011-08-16T12:55:00.000-04:00

Our rental house is old. To make it sound more charming, I like to tell the story of how it was a Sears kit house that the original owner bought and had built on his property. He made some additions, and while I would've picked a second bathroom over a huge kitchen, nobody asked me. So that's a nice little story, and it's plopped in the middle of five acres, which is kind of what made us fall for the place, despite some of its flaws. Anyway, one of the home's charms is a farmhouse sink. These are all over Pinterest and people seem to have a real thing for skirted sinks. I might have thought I had a thing for them too, until I lived with one, and now I'm content to have cabinets under the sink. But it kind of fits the vibe of the kitchen (old-timey).

When we first moved in, there were red curtains under the sink:

But I was having a hard time working the red in with the yellow walls and blue backsplash (sigh), so I took on my first-ever sewing project to create this:

Lemon-yellow curtains. With one upside-down panel and perhaps hemmed a few inches too short. Ta-da! Despite my original feelings of pride over my first sewing experience, I ditched the green rugs and found a big yellow and brown one, and the decided I didn't love the lemons anymore. Actually I had picked up some fabric for a different project and wondered if that might be a nice change under the sink. I hung it up for an afternoon to see if I liked it.

I had no idea that someone ELSE had an opinion about it! I heard a bit of a scuffle and a growl in the kitchen, and came in to see Moose hilariously interacting with the big piece of fabric. I didn't think dogs cared about that kind of thing, but apparently Moose is a breed apart.

Oh, Moosey. What would we do without you?

So, I liked the change so I made some new curtains for under the sink.

Hooray.

They also go with THESE new guys, another summer project:

Ice cream parlor stools!

I don't think that's the actual name of these guys, but that's what they remind me of. My mom bought them for me at a garage sale when she was visiting. The owner said her parents had purchased them in the fifties as part of a table set. They looked pretty lame when we got them:

Except you have to picture the seat as cracked in half. And everything all cobwebby.

Matt dismantled them for me and I sprayed them down with the red we had leftover from last year's porch furniture. Matt also had to use a jigsaw and cut a new seat for me. Thanks, dear!

I purchased the thickest foam I could find from JoAnn's and cut it to size before covering with the same fabric I used for the curtains.

It looks cute on the stools but I think it's too matchy-matchy. Oh, well.

They were originally supposed to go on the side, where the lip is bigger, but I think they're too big.

I do like a summer project. :)

sunday morning likes

2011-08-14T09:42:00.000-04:00

I like that our church has a summer schedule of one morning service and one evening service. We've been going to church at 6 PM all summer. I love our long Sunday mornings, the relaxed atmosphere of the sanctuary in the early evening, the sermon series on Judges that our associate pastor is leading us through, and the occasional late trip for ice cream before the rush of the week takes over. Right now this means that we're snug inside listening to the rain watering the garden so I don't have to. Bo's taking nap number one . . . and since I haven't heard anything from him, I assume we've beat the 45 minute mark on this one. Like!

I saw The Help last night with a couple friends. LIKE the movie, and the fact I was out on my own, knowing that Matt and Bo were having sweet time together at home, just made me happier with the situation. My first girls' night did include poop on my shirt . . . but that was because of a dinner incident that included no changing tables at the restaurant and a little wardrobe change for Bo in the car. (Mental note to fill up the wipe container . . . I tackled that whole mess with just 2 wipes. TMI? Sorry.) But that was all ok because we had our first successful dinner out with friends. Normally Bo is in meltdown mode around dinnertime but he was great last night! I'm glad we risked it and left the house. It's nice to be with friends.

We've had perfect weather the last three days. This is what NY SHOULD be like! I've been outside as much as possible . . . reading and snacking on a bowl of cherries, and less glamorous activities such as weeding the patio. I hate those pesky plants that start peeking up through the pavers . . . but I love being outside and not sweating!

My weeding buddy

Bo's become fascinated with his feet. It's really cute. He's started rolling in the other direction now . . . which means I've got to be more vigilant on the changing table. It also means Bo is getting into some funny little predicaments.

Not sure how this happened . . .

Lately Moose has been showing more interest in the baby. I've found him lying next to (or on) Bo's blanket a few times this week.

Or just on the baby.

I like that they're buddies, and that Bo seems entertained by Moose's presence, and not scared of his loud barks.

Just being thankful on this Sunday. I spend a lot of my time scurrying around trying to fix this or clean that. Today I just want to enjoy our downtime and not think about the patio cushions I left in the rain. They'll dry out in a couple days. It's all good.

snacks and more

2011-08-12T16:42:00.001-04:00

When looking through my phone, I found a few photos of food that apparently I found noteworthy enough to take pictures of. So, here they are.

Please don't think me strange, but I think I had this for lunch for a week straight:

PB&J yogurt

Umm, that's weird, isn't it? I don't think Matt even knows that, he's going to be grossed out. :) I used to make a tasty protein-filled snack of greek yogurt, peanut butter, and honey. Yum! And sometimes I'd do yogurt and blackberries or strawberries, with a spoonful of jam to sweeten it. Out of this was born the greek yogurt + peanut butter + jam. Somehow the consistency gets all light and whipped like one of those Yoplait whips. Don't knock it till you've tried it, is what I'm saying.

My other food venture of late has been in the organic/homegrown department. We joined a CSA again this year and split a box of fresh organic veggies with a friend every week. I like the program because we support a local farm and it pushes us to eat more vegetables, and try new ones (kholrabi? purslane?). And organic is a nice plus! We have a small vegetable garden as well. Granted, the random pumpkin/squash that sprung up in the middle of the yard looks healthier than anything we actually planted and water, but it is so fun to go out in the morning and see what is ripe for the picking. Our tomatoes are looking great- I love looking out and seeing spots of red signaling I need to come pick them! Our cucumber was doing well but now is not . . . the zucchini gave up the ghost after one squash . . . but we've enjoyed several types of pepper and my rows of onions have yielded some small little guys.

Of course tomatoes + onions + jalepeno + my new birthday Ninja ( + cilantro and lemon from the store) = homemade salsa.

I'll tell you what, I got such a good feeling from picking the veggies in the morning and turning them into salsa for lunch! We're practically self-sufficient. (If we can figure out how to live on one bowl of salsa a week.)

Random - our tree . . .

And while we're being random, here's the breakfast in bed Matt made me for my birthday:

For not liking eggs, he sure makes a mean omelette. Also, it was breakfast in bed with the WHOLE family. Moosey too. Watching me eat and licking his chomps.

While we're on the birthday topic . . . a little story . . . A month ago we took a picture of Bo riding Moosey. Last week Matt's brother Adam had his cousin edit out the arm holding him in place to create this wonderful photo:

How can you not look at that and laugh? It's so funny to me!

You know what else is funny? Matt had the image immortalized in a chunk of glass. Crystal, he says.

A 3D image of my boys. Captured forever.

Funny, I know.

AND, Matt really hit a home run here with my other gift.

Actually, we got to go out to dinner last weekend, which was a surprise, and he organized a Bo sitter and everything, which was ALL I wanted for my birthday and was a perfect treat. Thank you, honey.

But ALSO . . .

He got me an old typewriter.

Which I have always (unexplainably) wanted.

True!!

I don't know why I've always wanted one, but seriously, since like high school. So. I was PRETTY excited about it. And it works!! What a great birthday.

16 weeks (and a milestone)

2011-08-11T13:32:00.001-04:00

We've been doing this for sixteen weeks and he's still afraid of the big camera. No smiles.

Monkey overalls (from Matt's Aunt Diane) and monkey blanket. Is that too much?

What about the matching hat? Is that too much?

I think not. :)

Yesterday was pretty exciting in Bo's world. Besides wishing Mommy a happy birthday multiple times through mental telepathy, he pushed himself physically to reach a new goal.

Mom and Dad are a bit excited, huh? He'd rolled from back to tummy once a couple weeks ago, but I think it was an accident (and it made him really mad). This was three in a row, so it seems more legit. Great job, Bo bear!

Baby Bo

2011-08-06T20:34:00.000-04:00

I feel like once I've finally figured things out around here in baby world, everything suddenly changes. Bo had been slowly stretching his night sleep and slept ten hours straight for six nights in a row. That was a great time in my life, and I went to bed at night crowing with joy about the uninterrupted sleep I was about to get. Until, on the seventh day, Bo woke up at 11:30. AND 3:45. And proceeded to wake up twice a night for the next week. I was in shock. My mind could not compute what was happening to me in the middle of the night as I stumbled over baby toys in an effort to find the baby and make the crying stop. At 4:30 in the morning, this is a very traumatic moment.

What? Me, trouble?

While I fed him, I searched the internet for ways to end this vicious cycle. I finally read that waking up at random times (which he was doing) probably indicated a growth spurt, and in the morning I'd repeat my mantra, "it's a growth spurt, it's a growth spurt, it's a growth spurt." But at night, I became convinced that he was getting into a habitual routine and seeking my company in the middle of the night and IT WOULD NEVER STOP. And then, unable to fall asleep, tossed and turned until it was time to get up. At 6 am. Because this was VBS week and I had to remind 14 kindergartners to sit still 18million times a day. I got really really tired after a few days of that routine. Somehow my body forgot that I'd been getting up in the night for three months. It just seemed so much worse after a week of sleeping till morning.

a boy's just gotta eat.

So, after positive self-talk and really trying to relax about the whole getting up in the night thing, it did get a little easier again. Last night Matt and I went out to dinner and our friends watched Bo. They put him down at 8:30 . . . and he slept ten hours again! I'm trying not to get my hopes up for tonight. Maybe I can get my friend Meghan to come back and work her magic . . .

So that covers my worry about Bo's night sleep, and then there's worrying about Bo's day sleep. I started reading "The Baby Whisperer Solves Everything," even though at the time I didn't really have any problems to solve . . . until her charts and formulas indicated that Bo should be sleeping and hour and half for each nap. Bo only slept about 45 minutes for most naps . . . and an hour and half sounded magical. I set out to achieve these long naps. At first it was just frustrating, but one day I finally succeeded in getting Bo to go back to sleep after the 45 minute intruder woke him up. Seriously, I feel so powerful when I get him to sleep for another hour, or he falls asleep by himself in his crib without a fuss. Maybe it was the Baby Whisperer's tips and my perseverance, or maybe he just got big enough to accomplish these goals, but we're having much better nap times now. Translation - Mommy has more time to think of crazy projects.

This week while I taught Kindergarten at VBS, Bo was in the nursery. He was the only baby, the rest of the kids were 2-4 years old, so he got a lot of attention. My friend told me she heard her 2-year-old calling her baby doll "Baby Bo" and putting him to bed with a blankey. I tried to be an easy mom when I dropped him off. . . I explained his routine but ended with, "But I just want this to be a good experience for you, so do what you need to do." However, turns out I didn't really mean that . . . I really meant, "Please refer to the typed list of instructions I left in his diaper bag." Yikes, yes, it's true, I typed out some helpful tips. I like to think I'm fairly flexible with him . . . but in reality, he sticks to his routine and I've found that following that actually brings us more freedom and I can better understand what he needs. After a couple days in the nursery we all got the hang of it and it turned out to be a positive experience for everybody.

I think he's pretty sweet. I love his new tricks, how he's found his feet and rolled over (once). I love reading books with him before he falls asleep. Yesterday Matt and I crept into his room and watched him talking to the lion in his crib when he woke up. They're pals. I think I'm settling into this mom thing.