March 31, 2009
March 28, 2009
6 months photos
we took adam to have six-months photos made this weekend. not only was he a total hambone for the camera, making it veeeeeeeeeeeery hard for mommy and daddy to pick our favorites for prints, he was so adorable we bought the cd so we could have all the photos electronically too. *sigh*
we posted 'em all on flickr, and you can view them by clicking the slide show to your right (if you're reading this via feed or subscription, you'll have to go to ciucababy's blog to click through.)
we posted 'em all on flickr, and you can view them by clicking the slide show to your right (if you're reading this via feed or subscription, you'll have to go to ciucababy's blog to click through.)
March 25, 2009
gobble, gobble, gobble. cluck, cluck, cluck.
gave adam turkey starting on sunday. LOVED it. we served it from a jar b/c i wasn't sure how he'd like it and i didn't want to go to the trouble of making it if he wasn't going to like it. but yeah, he loved it.
tonight i came home from work with a burst of energy (RARE, SUPER RARE!), so i harnessed it into making a ton of baby food. in the batch, i made chicken. then, seriously, i almost barfed. have you ever seen plain ol' pureed chicken breasts? oh god, the thought of it now makes me almost gag.
ha, but adam loved it when i fed it to him. protein, here we come!
also made more sweet potatoes, broccoli, green beans. and, while i had the processor out, i whipped out some hummus for eric and me. did i mention that burst of energy??
somewhere in there, i also fed the baby and the dog, cleaned up the kitchen and bathed and put the baby down. whew.
and here's are some cutie photos of our lil' round man snoozing in his carseat this afternoon. fell asleep in the car on the way home from daycare.
March 22, 2009
crazy weekend
adam and i had quite the weekend this weekend.
first of all, friday we had his six-month check up. he lost a little weight-- even since we were at the doc on monday for his sickness. he weighed 17.7 and the doctor explained that when babies are sick their bodies are more concerned with getting well than packing on the lbs. not to mention, adam sort of put himself on a crash diet... barely ate those days, poor lil' guy! at the appointment, the doctor was impressed with his hand-eye coordination and said he seemed very healthy and right on track. she also gave us the go-ahead to try adding meats to adam's meals. crazy!!!
after the appointment, eric went to work and adam and i went to lunch. then we shopped till we dropped all afternoon. he was SO talkative and yelling and babbling in the stores-- he definitely got a ton of attention from people wondering why a happy baby was yelling... :) after all our shopping, we had to rush home to meet eric's parents who were coming over to babysit while i met some girlfriends out to celebrate a birthday. we made it home just in time for me to prepare adam's dinner and lay out his jammies, change my clothes and rush out the door! whew! i felt like a total princess because eric's dad gave me a ride to/from the metro, so not only did i have a babysitter and a night out... i also didn't have to drive into the city or park! i tell you, the things i took for granted before are total luxuries now!
we had a wonderful birthday celebration for joanna at cafe asia and i was home by 10. adam was sleeping peacefully after a big dinner and bath with his mamama and pop pop.
saturday was full of activity too... saturday afternoon i attended a baby shower for our friend yoko who is due in june. i took adam to eric's parents house to spend an afternoon of fun. i know he was so happy to spend so much time with them. then, ali, rachel and i carpooled to the shower. after the shower, we ladies picked up adam and some organic pizza and headed back to my house. adam spent the evening surrounded by doting women-- quite the lucky dude. his dad, who was at work all weekend, would have been proud! rachel bathed him and gave him his bedtime bottle and put him down.
sunday- today- was another BUSY day, but sooooo wonderful. (if you're wondering where the baby meltdown occurs after all this activity, stay tuned...) this morning, we chilled at home. and later in the morning, adam and i went into the city for brunch with justin and rachel. it was such a warm day, we sat at an outdoor table at l'enfant and had yummy food. adam played, people watched and scarfed up some carrots and sweet potatoes. after brunch, we four walked all around dupont circle and went in several open houses. the weather was amazing and i actually have a red chest- not quite sunburn but definitely sun. have to keep sunscreen in the diaper bag from now on...
after brunching and strolling, adam and i went to the base to see eric and do some grocery shopping. and after THAT we went to the exchange to scope out baby shirts (nothing impressive...). during all this activity, adam only had about 30 mins of napping in the car. aside from that, he got about an hour before we went to brunch this morning. our champion sleeper usually has 3-4 hours of naps per day.... still he was a pleasure to be with, all smiles and again YELLING and babbling in the grocery store....
when we came home, i gave adam turkey with his veggies and fruit at dinner. he loved it like everything else... no problems. and after that, he melted. i paid for all the weekend activity with an inconsolable baby who was SO tired that he was falling asleep while i undressed him for his bath. i put him down an hour earlier than usual and he was out before the bottle was finished. poor little dude! i was exhausted too, so i can't imagine how he must have felt!
but, we had an amazing weekend-- the only thing that would have made it better was having eric home with us! but it was lovely seeing so many friends and mamama and pop pop. adam had so much fun and i loved getting out and enjoying FINALLY welcoming springtime!
adam ciuca, 6mos 1wk old
March 16, 2009
sick sick sick
baby adam, you're sick. and i mean s-i-c-k. this weekend you vomited across the room and barely ate. your fever went up to 101.6 yesterday and i called the doc. today they saw you and you have a terrible virus and ear infection, which came as a result of the virus. :(:(:(:( your fever has been up to 102.6 today and i know you feel MISERABLE but the dr. assured me anything 104 or below is common for what you have.
i hate this. i wish i could do something more to help you feel better! your loud coughs, red teary eyes and cries break my HEART.
we have antibiotics for your ear, and that should be cleared up this week. and your doctor told me your virus should also be on the way out this week too. i hate that you're feeling this way...
i hate this. i wish i could do something more to help you feel better! your loud coughs, red teary eyes and cries break my HEART.
we have antibiotics for your ear, and that should be cleared up this week. and your doctor told me your virus should also be on the way out this week too. i hate that you're feeling this way...
March 13, 2009
where did the time go!? six months!?
i simply cannot believe that SIX MONTHS has passed. my sweet baby boy, you have grown and changed and taught your parents so very much! when i think to the night you were born, which seems all at once far away and so recently, i have to laugh about some of the things that were said... including your exhausted and confused daddy asking the nurse-- can you please show me how to waddle this baby!?... and your tired and clueless mommy saying to another nurse-- oh, we're supposed to do that??-- when she asked me why we hadn't fed or changed you.
Ha! boy were we in for it!
but, i do think that we're doing pretty well. you are healthy and happy and seem to be developing well. not only are you strong and learning new things about your physical body each and every day, but you're also emotionally well-developed, constantly smiling, laughing, babbling and making new friends. this week, you moved up to a new daycare classroom and your teachers wrote a note to your daddy and me, saying that were we very good parents to you. maybe they say that to everyone, but i have to be honest and say it was nice to hear! we love you so so so very much and it is a gross understatement to say that you're the best part of both of our days.
at six months you're...
-sick. :( sorry buddy, but you have another cold. this one isn't as bad as the last one-- or maybe i'm just better prepared and less nervous this time around?-- but this is your 3rd cold. the first one was not so bad, the second was terrible, and this one is not too bad. your doctor told us that babies will have 7 to 10 colds in the first year. at 6 mos, you've either got a very sick summer coming up or you're not going to meet the 7-10 range! i'm hoping for the latter.... this cold has been accompanied by some (sorry, tmi to anyone reading, but i need to remember this stuff!) diarrhea! we can't figure out if that's associated with the cold or your teething... i called the dr. today and she told me not to worry unless you have a fever or unless it becomes more frequent. you have completely doused two pairs of pants, treating both your daddy and me to some interesting smells, sights and lots of spray n wash, ugh! but its ok... we just want you to feel better! but, like usual, you're in good spirits, happy to be alive. you're pretty much yourself, happy to play and go on errands, take naps and sleep all night-- tho i have heard you coughing at night... :(
-mobile! you're not crawling yet, thank goodness b/c daddy, otis and i are NOT prepared at all, i don't think... but, somehow, someway, you get around. i guess it's called creeping, but you have pretzel wrapped yourself through the crib rails, moving from one end of the crib to the other. thank goodness for the rails or you might have ended up in the living room? haha. when playing, you'll lift arms and push, then lay your chest down and lift your butt up on your knees and push, but you haven't coordinated them together. i know the days are numbered until you do and we have GOT to babyproof soon. (we took the crib bumpers out of your crib b/c we came in one night to check on you to find you smushed completely up against the bumper with your face! but now that they're gone, you tangle your arms and legs through. so... i think there are mesh bumpers in our near future.)
-quickly changing your eating habits! it's happened so fast that you've got me all confused. just a couple short months ago, you were eating 6 bottles a day! now, you're down to 3! 4 on a long day... you eat all fruits and vegetables, baby rice and baby oatmeal. you eat three "meals" of solids per day and, at daycare, they give you an afternoon snack of fruit and a little rice. i know that the solids are pushing out your bottles, and as long as you eat 24-32oz a day you're ok (according to the pediatrician). all i have to do is look at your super round tummy or rolly polly legs to know you're not starving! plus i know you'd let me know...! but, i guess i just can't believe that my little baby boy is moving further away from his bottles and on to more and more real meals! seems like yesterday that you'd wake us up at 4am SCREAMING for a bottle, and now you wake up with a smile, wait for 30 minutes patiently while i made coffee, feed the dog and make your fruit and cereal breakfast. and then you eat so well, barely letting a drop out onto your face anymore. sometimes, buddy, this is happening all too fast for me!
-more focused on details. this might sound like an odd thing to mention here, but it's been very noticeable to me. instead of just squeezing a toy and chewing on it, you hold it in one hand and use the other hand to inspect the toy's tags, eyes and tail, slowing feeling and pinching each small piece. instead of just looking into your baby mirror, you grab the string on the side and pull the whole mirror over on yourself. you carefully explore my face instead of just feeling around, first feeling mouth, then intentionally moving to nose, waiting until you've inspected all there is to inspect before moving onto eyes. in this, i can tell you're learning and taking more notice of the world around you.
-teething. i can see the whites of your two front bottom teeth, you're still a drool factory and chew happily on frozen teething toys. twice your daddy and i have given you tylenol b/c you seem to be in a lot of pain and very unhappy-- not like yourself at all. we don't like to give you any medicine, so we must have thought you REALLY needed it! and, as i already said, you have the bathroom issue so... i'm hoping they decide to debut soon.
-sad to be alone sometimes. sometimes you play just as content as can be in a room by yourself-- in your exersaucer or crib-- but sometimes you cry if we walk out of the room and stop when we come back and you can see us again. recently, i came into your room when you were crying before a nap. when you saw me, you stopped. and then i bent down to pick something up off the floor and you started to cry again! i stood up and said-- here i am! and you stopped. hmmmm. and, sometimes when i leave the room after laying you down for a nap or bedtime, you'll roll up on your side and turn your head around to watch me leave the room. it's not that i think this is necessarily a good or bad thing, just again i think you're noticing more about the world around you and developing your own personality and feelings-- and learning how to express them!
-responsive to your name. if we say "adam" you turn and look. we could be talking talking talking and if we say your name you look at us. this makes me very happy.
we don't have your check up till next friday, so... we won't know how much you weigh, etc, until then. i stood on the scale with you recently and was SHOCKED to see the number increase by 20lbs, but i am going to believe our scale is wrong until i have solid proof next week.
i took these very adorable photos of you today.
eating a "biter biscuit" i called it your birthday cookie! you barely ate any of it, mostly just knawed and sucked on it a bit. but i am glad you liked it, all the same.
still obsessed with your feet...
6 mos old today!
you can see your nose running in this photo... :( poor little guy!
Ha! boy were we in for it!
but, i do think that we're doing pretty well. you are healthy and happy and seem to be developing well. not only are you strong and learning new things about your physical body each and every day, but you're also emotionally well-developed, constantly smiling, laughing, babbling and making new friends. this week, you moved up to a new daycare classroom and your teachers wrote a note to your daddy and me, saying that were we very good parents to you. maybe they say that to everyone, but i have to be honest and say it was nice to hear! we love you so so so very much and it is a gross understatement to say that you're the best part of both of our days.
at six months you're...
-sick. :( sorry buddy, but you have another cold. this one isn't as bad as the last one-- or maybe i'm just better prepared and less nervous this time around?-- but this is your 3rd cold. the first one was not so bad, the second was terrible, and this one is not too bad. your doctor told us that babies will have 7 to 10 colds in the first year. at 6 mos, you've either got a very sick summer coming up or you're not going to meet the 7-10 range! i'm hoping for the latter.... this cold has been accompanied by some (sorry, tmi to anyone reading, but i need to remember this stuff!) diarrhea! we can't figure out if that's associated with the cold or your teething... i called the dr. today and she told me not to worry unless you have a fever or unless it becomes more frequent. you have completely doused two pairs of pants, treating both your daddy and me to some interesting smells, sights and lots of spray n wash, ugh! but its ok... we just want you to feel better! but, like usual, you're in good spirits, happy to be alive. you're pretty much yourself, happy to play and go on errands, take naps and sleep all night-- tho i have heard you coughing at night... :(
-mobile! you're not crawling yet, thank goodness b/c daddy, otis and i are NOT prepared at all, i don't think... but, somehow, someway, you get around. i guess it's called creeping, but you have pretzel wrapped yourself through the crib rails, moving from one end of the crib to the other. thank goodness for the rails or you might have ended up in the living room? haha. when playing, you'll lift arms and push, then lay your chest down and lift your butt up on your knees and push, but you haven't coordinated them together. i know the days are numbered until you do and we have GOT to babyproof soon. (we took the crib bumpers out of your crib b/c we came in one night to check on you to find you smushed completely up against the bumper with your face! but now that they're gone, you tangle your arms and legs through. so... i think there are mesh bumpers in our near future.)
-quickly changing your eating habits! it's happened so fast that you've got me all confused. just a couple short months ago, you were eating 6 bottles a day! now, you're down to 3! 4 on a long day... you eat all fruits and vegetables, baby rice and baby oatmeal. you eat three "meals" of solids per day and, at daycare, they give you an afternoon snack of fruit and a little rice. i know that the solids are pushing out your bottles, and as long as you eat 24-32oz a day you're ok (according to the pediatrician). all i have to do is look at your super round tummy or rolly polly legs to know you're not starving! plus i know you'd let me know...! but, i guess i just can't believe that my little baby boy is moving further away from his bottles and on to more and more real meals! seems like yesterday that you'd wake us up at 4am SCREAMING for a bottle, and now you wake up with a smile, wait for 30 minutes patiently while i made coffee, feed the dog and make your fruit and cereal breakfast. and then you eat so well, barely letting a drop out onto your face anymore. sometimes, buddy, this is happening all too fast for me!
-more focused on details. this might sound like an odd thing to mention here, but it's been very noticeable to me. instead of just squeezing a toy and chewing on it, you hold it in one hand and use the other hand to inspect the toy's tags, eyes and tail, slowing feeling and pinching each small piece. instead of just looking into your baby mirror, you grab the string on the side and pull the whole mirror over on yourself. you carefully explore my face instead of just feeling around, first feeling mouth, then intentionally moving to nose, waiting until you've inspected all there is to inspect before moving onto eyes. in this, i can tell you're learning and taking more notice of the world around you.
-teething. i can see the whites of your two front bottom teeth, you're still a drool factory and chew happily on frozen teething toys. twice your daddy and i have given you tylenol b/c you seem to be in a lot of pain and very unhappy-- not like yourself at all. we don't like to give you any medicine, so we must have thought you REALLY needed it! and, as i already said, you have the bathroom issue so... i'm hoping they decide to debut soon.
-sad to be alone sometimes. sometimes you play just as content as can be in a room by yourself-- in your exersaucer or crib-- but sometimes you cry if we walk out of the room and stop when we come back and you can see us again. recently, i came into your room when you were crying before a nap. when you saw me, you stopped. and then i bent down to pick something up off the floor and you started to cry again! i stood up and said-- here i am! and you stopped. hmmmm. and, sometimes when i leave the room after laying you down for a nap or bedtime, you'll roll up on your side and turn your head around to watch me leave the room. it's not that i think this is necessarily a good or bad thing, just again i think you're noticing more about the world around you and developing your own personality and feelings-- and learning how to express them!
-responsive to your name. if we say "adam" you turn and look. we could be talking talking talking and if we say your name you look at us. this makes me very happy.
we don't have your check up till next friday, so... we won't know how much you weigh, etc, until then. i stood on the scale with you recently and was SHOCKED to see the number increase by 20lbs, but i am going to believe our scale is wrong until i have solid proof next week.
i took these very adorable photos of you today.
eating a "biter biscuit" i called it your birthday cookie! you barely ate any of it, mostly just knawed and sucked on it a bit. but i am glad you liked it, all the same.
still obsessed with your feet...
6 mos old today!
you can see your nose running in this photo... :( poor little guy!
March 10, 2009
weekend fun
eric was off work this weekend and we had a lovely time with our friends, tim and sarah, who live in baltimore.
we all hiked along the C&O canal, on the MD side, and over the Great Falls. it was beautiful. tho i'm sure most of what adam saw was other people's legs and butts-- from his view at stroller height-- he was happy all day long and seemed to enjoy himself. it was SO nice to finally get OUTSIDE. poor little guy has been cooped in almost since birth, since he was born right before winter began. i wore shorts (prepregnancy shorts, i might happily add!) and, tho i thought they would, my ghostly white legs didn't scare any other hikers...
after the hike, tim and sarah came over for the night. we grilled burgers, made s'mores and had an awesome night!
sunday, eric and i did a ton of yard work... taking advantage of the warm weekend to get some stuff done outside. adam played in his seat on the deck while we were outside.
tim and eric grilling burgers
two men, one surprised baby! hahahha
tim and adam
adam at great falls overlook
adam and me, great fallsMarch 4, 2009
transition
this friday, adam will "transition" to his new classroom- the 6 to 12 month babies. up until now, he's been with 6week to 6mos babies. now we're moving into a whole new world... a place where babies don't just lie on the floor and look at things, listen to stories and "practice" sitting and rolling, but they crawl, walk, pinch, feed themselves and, dare i say, talk?
when i picked up adam today from his school, another mom was picking up her daughter, abbi, who is also transitioning to the new classroom on friday. abbi was born september 8; adam was born september 13. this mom and i pouted together. we love our teachers and they love our babies! just when you feel like you've gotten to know someone... :( the teachers are sad too, but i know they're ready. new babies have been accepted into the school and their class is FULL. when i looked at the sign in sheet today, i noticed that abbi and adam are the oldest babies in the class... the 2 experienced veterans, what with all their rolling, fruit & vegetable eating and babbling, now moving to a new place where they'll be rookies... only able to watch from the play mat sidelines while others crawl, feed themselves and communicate with actual english words.
honestly, i'm wondering what will happen with mr. adam about a month after seeing all this new baby action? i'm wondering if it will motivate him to get moving (i hope not! we have our whole lives for moving and mama's not ready to babyproof our house!). just tonight, when we came home from school and work, adam and i played together on the floor after dinner. he lifts his chest. and then, he lays his chest down, scooches his knees under himself and pushes. he's got the concept of what his arms and legs need to do to move, but hasn't coordinated them all at once. yet. *sigh*
leaving the school, i carried him out snuggled in his carseat b/c it is just so cold and windy there on the waterfront. we have a snuggler on our carseat, keeping him so warm and cozy. but man! this kid is KILLING my arms and back. even his teacher asked me how much he weighs. well, folks, this weekend i weighed myself. then i stood on the scale holding adam and gasped at the 20lb increase! seriously!? 20lbs? it can't be. but can it? when he was sick about a month ago, i took him to the pediatrician and he weighed 17.5... i just read online that anywhere from 17-21 is normal for boys at 6 mos. ai-yai-yai. max weight for our carseat is 22lbs. my sister-in-law has a britax "big boy" seat for us to use... which she offered to loan us in may when we visit them. oh baby adam, 2 more months, babycakes?!?
in other news... adam is taking a big interest in the dog, finally. as i am holding him, he watches otis run around and smiles at him in the morning. and a few evenings ago, he reached out to pet otis for the first time! (granted, adam reaches out to touch or grab any and everything within site, but it was cool to see him bond with otis!)
adam had a great visit from his mamama and pop pop this past sunday! they brought him lots of love, hugs and kisses.... and a very cute new outfit and eric and me some tasty lentil soup! :)
i finally got around to the squash last weekend. like all foods, adam scarfed it up. he loves it. tonight we tried peaches from a jar and he loved those too. so, looks like i'll be processing some peaches this weekend... if i can find them. they're not really in season...
and, this photo of adam napping with his blanky (thank you, aunt monica!) and binky was just too precious not to share :)
when i picked up adam today from his school, another mom was picking up her daughter, abbi, who is also transitioning to the new classroom on friday. abbi was born september 8; adam was born september 13. this mom and i pouted together. we love our teachers and they love our babies! just when you feel like you've gotten to know someone... :( the teachers are sad too, but i know they're ready. new babies have been accepted into the school and their class is FULL. when i looked at the sign in sheet today, i noticed that abbi and adam are the oldest babies in the class... the 2 experienced veterans, what with all their rolling, fruit & vegetable eating and babbling, now moving to a new place where they'll be rookies... only able to watch from the play mat sidelines while others crawl, feed themselves and communicate with actual english words.
honestly, i'm wondering what will happen with mr. adam about a month after seeing all this new baby action? i'm wondering if it will motivate him to get moving (i hope not! we have our whole lives for moving and mama's not ready to babyproof our house!). just tonight, when we came home from school and work, adam and i played together on the floor after dinner. he lifts his chest. and then, he lays his chest down, scooches his knees under himself and pushes. he's got the concept of what his arms and legs need to do to move, but hasn't coordinated them all at once. yet. *sigh*
leaving the school, i carried him out snuggled in his carseat b/c it is just so cold and windy there on the waterfront. we have a snuggler on our carseat, keeping him so warm and cozy. but man! this kid is KILLING my arms and back. even his teacher asked me how much he weighs. well, folks, this weekend i weighed myself. then i stood on the scale holding adam and gasped at the 20lb increase! seriously!? 20lbs? it can't be. but can it? when he was sick about a month ago, i took him to the pediatrician and he weighed 17.5... i just read online that anywhere from 17-21 is normal for boys at 6 mos. ai-yai-yai. max weight for our carseat is 22lbs. my sister-in-law has a britax "big boy" seat for us to use... which she offered to loan us in may when we visit them. oh baby adam, 2 more months, babycakes?!?
in other news... adam is taking a big interest in the dog, finally. as i am holding him, he watches otis run around and smiles at him in the morning. and a few evenings ago, he reached out to pet otis for the first time! (granted, adam reaches out to touch or grab any and everything within site, but it was cool to see him bond with otis!)
adam had a great visit from his mamama and pop pop this past sunday! they brought him lots of love, hugs and kisses.... and a very cute new outfit and eric and me some tasty lentil soup! :)
i finally got around to the squash last weekend. like all foods, adam scarfed it up. he loves it. tonight we tried peaches from a jar and he loved those too. so, looks like i'll be processing some peaches this weekend... if i can find them. they're not really in season...
and, this photo of adam napping with his blanky (thank you, aunt monica!) and binky was just too precious not to share :)
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