bumper cars

it snowed today... is snowing today.

adam and i piled in the car to go to daycare and work this morning around 730. and at the end of our street, when i attempted to brake for the red light ahead, i slid down the hill that leads up to the stoplight and hit the truck in front of us. looking back, it was probably a good thing that truck was there or maybe i'd have slid right on out into the intersection? i even attempted to steer out of the situation but it didn't work.

eric joked to me later in the morning that i was probably going 30 mph, talking on my phone, listening to the radio and playing with the baby. but i wasn't! i was creeping at 5mph and it was all the fault of the snow/ice and the hill. to my credit, as we waited for the police to arrive, i watched three other cars slip and slide in that intersection, one getting stuck in the grass/ditch as she successfully steered out of her accident, as i was unable to do.

regardless, adam and i earned ourselves a snow day, since i'm not sure my car is safe to get us to and from daycare and work. not to mention, this Carolina Girl has NO biz-nass scooting around on these kinds of roads. well, at least the neighborhood roads that aren't/weren't treated, like our street.

eric came home from work briefly to check on us, which i assured him was unnecessary though he did it anyhow. when he was here, i said to adam, hey you were in your first bump up today, buddy! and eric then reminded me that i'd also had an accident in august, right before adam was born. at that moment, adam grinned.... so i'm convinced we have a future bumper car enthusiast on our hands.

i tried to take some photos of adam in the snow, though as you can see, he shares his mother's (lack of) affinity for winter time.

but thank you eddie and sinead for the super cute snow suit! we finally got to use it! his arms are that way because he was so bundled and i literally had to stuff him down into the bumbo seat.

and later, we both decided it was better to take in the whiteness from the warm comfort of our home.

have baby, will travel

my, my- what a big weekend!

last thursday, adam, otis and i hightailed it out of dc before millions-- and i do mean MILLIONS-- of folks descended on our city. don't get me wrong, we love our new prez, but turns out: outdoor inaugurations in january aren't really baby friendly. who knew?

anyhow, we took advantage of the long weekend (i had fri-tues off work) to go visit my parents in sc again. we drove our new car, which made for a really nice trip. after years of cramming into my tiny car, we definitely felt special in our new roomier ride. this time, i drove at night time, only stopping for gas since adam sleeps all night. no need to stop for meals... he dozed the entire way, both ways, while i drove from 7pm to about 2am.

while in sc, we got to have plenty of quality time with my mom and dad. and, we also got to go to columbia one day to visit with my brother and his girlfriend. and on monday morning, we drove to charlotte to meet up with erica at her adorable new apartment. it was the first time adam met her and he definitely took the opportunity to flirt it up while there, smiling, cooing and being calm and collected. (he even shocked me with his pleasantries, to be honest. he's pretty nice usually, but i had to laugh when, as we left, she asked if this was normal....)

this weekend out of town brought some fun new things in adam's life too-- he learned to sit up on his own. i seriously cannot believe it! he lasts anywhere from a minute or two up to five or ten, depending on how long he's been sitting and how recent his last meal/nap was. i just can't believe it! also, he's discovered that his voice has a range and has added squealing to his verbal repertoire. but, it is completely hilarious because his voice is so deep that sometimes his squeal is just a funny looking face, raised eyebrows and air, until he brings the note down and his voice catches up. too funny. lastly, he is getting more friendly with his feet, realizing they're more than just decoration at the end of his body. while lying on his back under his little fishy-gym this weekend, he decided to kick the fishes while keeping his arms at his sides. very cool!

SUCH a big weekend for us both. we made it back around 1:30am last night/this morning and woke up in plenty of time to catch the inauguration on tv. even if i HAD felt like bundling up an infant to wait for 12 hours in 30-degree weather (no), strollers weren't allowed. and while we love the baby bjorn, would YOU wear a 17lb meatball for 12 hours? well. me either. so, in all, we did well. we avoided traffic, he learned new things, and i got to spend the day today watching NBC for 16 hours (not kidding) while i cleaned, organized and played with adam and otis.

unbearably cute, for sure.

ok mommy, picture time is OVER.

Four Months Old

our little guy celebrates his four-month-birthday today, and no one is more surprised than me, mommy. where did the time go? four months seems like such a short time and a lifetime all at once. and the fact is, it IS someone's lifetime-- adam's! four little months on our earth and what a difference those little four have made in all our lives.

i feel like we've hit some milestones and moved from mysterious newborn with random schedule to a pretty content and predictable little baby boy. i know we have teething, diaper rashes, and crawling just around the corner, so we are doing our best to enjoy this peaceful time, where everything we say is funny, sleeping all night still means 12-hours at a time, and meals are simple and easy, with most still coming from his bottle.

adam, when you're eating you hold my fingers, then release. hold, then release over and over playing with our hands and i love it so much. you take your other hand and explore our faces, touching mouths, noses, cheeks and eyes, as if you're trying to figure out what everything is and why it is there. little do you know you have miniature parts of your own. however, you do love to stare at yourself in the mirror and often with a curious face. who is that cute baby, you must be thinking. you've gotten over your fear of being on your back, which is such a relief. you frequently lay on your back to play, sleep, and no longer cry at diaper changes or bath time. you spoil us with twelve hours of sleep each and every night-- in fact, this weekend, you slept in till TEN one morning! your daddy and i couldn't believe it! we were very worried that you weren't feeling well, but you were a-ok and just snoozing in late. hey, that's what saturdays are for, right? we're glad you've learned that early on.... :) you wake up happy every morning, ready to greet the day and play and smile at everything-- mommy and daddy, otis, the kitchen lights, your toys (you definitely got this from your dad, not me!!). you're content to sit and watch mommy as i make coffee, feed otis and let him outside, and make your bottle. you've recently discovered your feet and inspect them with great curiosity anytime they catch your eye. you just started eating rice cereal every day and you love it. you like to "help" with the spoon, grabbing onto our hand with your tiny hands and pulling to get the spoon into your mouth as fast as possible! in fact, if we're too slow to give you your next bite, you start to cry! you're obviously a food lover, like both your parents. last night, i gave you the spoon to hold on your own since you seemed so interested in it. your face lit with a triumphant smile and you immediately put it into your mouth on your own to inspect and suck on. actually, this is the reaction you have to most anything you can get your hands on these days. you attempt to taste the world-- toys, clothes, blankets, faces, hands, etc. we now have to take stock of all your toys for the first time and make sure they're adam-safe. we don't want any stray parts ending up in your belly! i am sad that, at this time when you are so very curious about everything and everyone around you, we are in the middle of winter and can't spend too much time outside. with highs in the 20's this week in dc, i am always careful to bundle you up and move you from inside, car, inside. i will be so glad when spring comes and we can play outside together. but at the same time, i am not wishing this time with you away. in fact, i only wish time would slow down! you have grown and changed so much. when i think of that teeny tiny baby in the hospital, the little one who wouldn't even fill out his newborn-sized clothes, and then i look at you-- our plump, happy, curious little baby-- i can't believe how you've grown and changed! the words "four months" sound like such a short time, i know that they are. but it seems like forever since you joined our lives. you amaze us daily and we love you with all our hearts.

4 months check up

I had been looking forward to today for some time. It was Adam's four month check up. His real four month birthday isn't until the 13th, but our appointment was today.

I had guessed he weighed around 16 or 17 lbs and I was right! He is 16.4 lbs, just slightly over double what he weighed at birth. His height (length?) is 26.5. which is 5 inches more than birth. That part amazed me the most! Can you imagine growing FIVE inches in just four months?? I'd be over six feet tall! His height is 90 percentile and weight is 77 percentile. So... as I suspected, he's our BIG boy! :)

At the appointment, I was talking about how he isn't rolling over yet and asking if I should be concerned. As the Dr. was telling me it wasn't really a concern at all, since he does other important things (cooing, babbling, reaching for toys, smiling, etc), he rolled right over on the examining table! She had placed him on his belly and was, again, elated with his head control and his "mini pushups" He was being such a show off, lifting his chest and smiling at her. And, as we talked, he decided to prove me wrong by rolling over in front of all of us. He smiled up from his back, as if to say-- Don't talk about me, mommy! I can do this!! We were all so excited to witness his first solo-roll that we all cheered, which made him cry-- we were so loud it frightened him! Regardless, that was pretty special. I was so proud and happy to get to see him do it!

(As far as back-to-front rolling, he hasn't done it-- not that I know of. But often in play he will roll up onto his side and I think- oh! this is it! And then... he just stops. Anyday now I'm sure he'll swing on over, but it doesn't appear that he's quite ready just yet.)

We talked about starting solids and how/when to do it and what he can eat. Eric and I really need to get a high chair for Adam b/c we have nowhere to feed him, other than our laps. And that is super super messy, based on the trial runs we've already executed.

He also received more immunizations at this visit, and tho he cried when she stuck him (duh) he was over it within literally fifteen seconds. But, like last time, he slept A LOT today after his appointment. I don't know if it is a result of the shots or just because the visit is so new and overwhelming... either way, he snoozed through lunch-- the three of us went out to lunch after the appointment-- and he continued to snooze for at least an hour after we got home, allowing Eric and me to get a few things done around our house.

A fun thing I wanted to remember-- Adam has lately begun grabbing things and trying to eat them, no matter the size. Often he will take stuffed animal, bring it to his face and try to stuff it in his mouth. This week, I was holding him and Eric was talking to Adam very close to his face. Adam took his hands and grabbed Eric's head, pulled it in and tried to eat it! It was HILARIOUS. But even more funny was the face he made after tasting Eric. Ha! Apparently, he isn't a fan of Daddy-Face.

We've moved Adam's bedtime up to about 7:30 instead of 7. This was for a couple reasons. For one, during the week, we don't get home from school and work until 6 or 630pm, and he usually sleeps in the car on the way home. So, the earlier bedtime had us only waking him up to take a bath and go back to bed. Bummer! I want to play with this little guy. And two, he sleeps a solid 11-12 hours. So that means on Saturday morning, he's waking up at 6 or 7 am. Double Bummer! So, last night for example, I started bath at 7:30 and he was asleep at 8. And, at 815 this morning, I had to wake HIM up... not the other way around. Everything with having a baby is a trial and error test, you just never know what's going to be best until you give it a shot and see how it goes. So we'll just try this and see if it works any better for us...

Adam continues to be fairly content, really only crying these days for sleepy, hungry and change of scenery. I am able to get SO much more done with him around these days. We can hang together and chit chat while I also fold laundry or wash bottles. He's more and more happy learning about himself, what he can do, what he can get in his mouth and hands and how much he can wiggle, freeing up time that I/we used to spend being his Personal Entertainer.

a year ago

one year ago today, i took a pregnancy test on my lunch break, in a restaurant bathroom. i never thought it would be positive. rachel was with me, and she never thought it would be positive either.

but, it was.

i called work and said i was having a personal emergency and wouldn't be back for the day. we went to cvs and bought two more boxes of tests and some water to induce all the pee i'd need for added confirmation. we walked to my apartment and i took them all. all positive.

who knew one year later i'd be lucky enough to look at this cute little face? a little person who amazes me every single day. adam, you are the biggest and best surprise we have ever been blessed with. you have changed our lives so much! all for the better, of course. you are our world and we loved you from the very moment we knew you were on your way. thank you for coming into our lives and being such a sweet and easy baby. i'll remember your big, open-mouthed happy baby smile forever. you make us feel like two of the luckiest people alive every, single day. we love you!

happy new year!

man, what a crazy year 2008 turned out to be, right? who knew at new year's eve 2007 we'd buy a house, do more yard work and home repair/construction than i'd ever have imagined, have a baby, get a puppy, and buy a new car? NOT ME... as i tipped back champagne and wondered why i'd been feeling so odd lately.... ha.

anyhow...

new year's 2008 was LOW key. though it was nice to see everyone and celebrate with friends (eric had to work), i would have also been happy sitting on my couch in jams with adam as my only new year's hug and kiss. however, katie came over early and we played with adam and then we put him down and got dressed to attend a small party at rachel's house. around 10 we packed adam into his carseat and hit the road. he has apparently inherited his daddy's sleeping habits... he didn't wake once! when we arrived at the party, i put him into a bedroom where it was dark and quiet and he slept through the entire party, never once a peep or an open eye. unbelievable! we are so lucky to have such a great sleeper.

new year's day eric also worked, so some of the girls had new year's dinner together at katie's. adam joined us, albeit napping.

luckily, eric was off on the 2nd so he and i enjoyed a day full of playing with adam and accomplishing stuff around the house. and friday night, adam had a sleepover at mamama and pop pop's. eric and i had dinner and saw a movie and got to SLEEP IN on saturday! it was the first time we'd slept past 7am in.... i guess since the baby was born.

adam is so content these days, it's almost weird. he's so happy to play and is interested in everything. he chomps his hands all day long and slobbers everywhere. he grins at me when i pull his hands out, joking with him. in his bumbo, he sees his feet and grabs them obsessively, tho he hasn't figured out that they're still there when he's lying down too. he grabs toys with his hands and holds them, and when he gets a toy in both hands, he immediately attempts stuffing it in his mouth. lucky for us, most things would never fit in his little mouth! when we give him his binky or his bottle, he likes to "help," raising both hands and pulling it into his mouth fast! also, while he's eating, he touches our mouths, chins and nose with his hands, exploring our bigger versions of mouth and face. he loves looking in the mirror at his baby face.

wiltshire came over to play with adam!

good morning!

buddies!

yummy!

i want to help too!

big yawn!

could you hurry up with that bottle, mommy, and stop taking my picture!?