YAY- today i came home!
adam was SO happy to see me, which was refreshing b/c i was soooo worried he would forget about me completely! when he saw me, he completely grinned and got all excited, wriggling his legs and "jumping" while i held him, which is something he does when he is very excited. he squealed several times and touched my face a lot. it was soooo nice, i honestly almost cried.
so not what i expected... of either of us, i mean!
also, crazy what a difference 3 short days makes. adam is clapping his hands, eric reported to me before i even got home. well... when i got home, eric's parents and i tried to get him to clap and he was far more interested in hugging me, eating dinner and playing. but! tonight as i dressed him in his jammies after his bath, he clapped for me! i clapped back and he stopped to watch me. and then, when i stopped, he clapped too! we took turns clapping for each other.
now, friends, who DOESN'T need a personal applauding audience at the end of every day? yay for you- you ate, dressed, worked, played, and did your best today. YAY! awesome, i tell ya.
also, since i left, adam has also clearly moved from a-dah to plain ol' da-da, loud and clear. he isn't saying it in response to eric or while looking for him, or at least i don't think so... but it is sooo precious to hear his little voice saying da-da. i posted video of him saying it on our flickr page for your viewing pleasure. he's also saying nee-nee, ba-ba, dee-dee, gah gah, be-be.
i also posted some recent cutie patootie photos. if i could get paid to be his personal paparazzi, i'd do it and do it WELL.
April 29, 2009
April 26, 2009
April 24, 2009
what a busy weekend... and it just got started!
the next couple weeks have eric and me here and there and everywhere-- literally! between work and travels, we'll hit several major cities and 2 countries. AH! needless to say, i have lots of preparation to do this weekend.
but...
all these travels will have be missing my lil' bud! so, i made sure that today we spent lots of QT, letting chores and to-do lists fall by the wayside.
this morning, eric, adam, otis and i took a walk for coffee and breakfast and to stop by lowes and pick out new tile for our kitchen backsplash... had i mentioned we're remodeling our kitchen? (as if we don't have enough going on.... :])
then adam and i spent lots of time playing and took a second walk this afternoon to grab a few items we need for his overnights at his mamama and pop pops next week. the day was too nice to NOT be enjoyed outdoors.
when we got home, i steamed adam a sweet potato and some baby carrots. i also tried giving him a couple crackers. he is getting better and better at finger foods. he's almost mastered the yogurt puffs i give him.
he got the point of the food i put on his tray, picking it up and putting it in his mouth. but... whether or not it actually STAYED in his mouth is another story...
regardless, it made for some fun photos and video!
my favorites:
having a cracker. he loves these. YUM!
what a mess?!
happy, messy boy!
all this food is so squishy... goin' in for another bite.
the aftermath!April 17, 2009
Birth Story 1
i have been meaning to do this for awhile and now that adam is 7 months old, it has occurred to me that i might forget it if i don't write it soon! i got this idea from a book someone gave me about being a rookie mom. so here goes...
i started my maternity leave on my birthday, september 11. i was due with baby adam on september 12, a friday. on my birthday, i went to the coast guard station to see eric, he was working. i took us takeout from panera and we ate outdoors. i had blackbean soup-- don't ask me why i remember that, but i do remember it was far too warm to be eating blackbean soup. after meeting him, i went to target and walked around shopping for....something. mainly, i wanted the walking. contractions randomly came and went, but nothing too alarming.
friday afternoon, eric and i went to see my midwife. at the appointment, 2pm, she told me that i was three centimeters dilated and 90% effaced. she said she'd be surprised if i didn't have the baby by monday. when she said that, i was internally very angry... i knew that by saying this, she'd cursed me and i'd be pregnant until halloween. regardless, as we left, she told me that if i didn't have the baby over the weekend to call her monday for an induction.
as we left the doctor's office, standing waiting for the elevator, i rubbed my belly and told eric i was having a contraction. he said- wouldn't that be funny? (it was my due date) yeah, really funny- i said. my sense of pregnancy humor was waning...
for some reason, i was STARVING (maybe b/c i was 9 months pregnant?) and eric took me to a bbq place near our house. i ordered a huge burger and lots of fries. it was raining outside. i had another contraction as we sat. i barely fit in the booth. i had another. at this point, eric said-- you better eat all that food b/c if you ARE having the baby, you might not eat again for awhile. i had another contraction. at this point, i pulled a pen out of my purse and we started writing the times down on a napkin. they were coming every 20-30 mins.... ever since we'd left the doctor's office...
after lunch, we went home and the contractions continued. i called my mom-- i don't want to alarm you- i said- but i have been having contractions ever 20-30 mins for a few hours. i don't think this is it tho. my mom said- no, i think this is it. i said- really? i dunno. tho it was my due date, i couldn't believe this was IT. i still didn't believe it was time, THE time, even when they told me to PUSH. but i am getting ahead of myself.
it didn't take me long, tho, to find out it was the real deal. in a very short amount of time, the contractions got so strong and painful that i was moaning in pain. i called my mom again only to find out that she and my dad were already on their way to our house. in between contractions, which by 8pm were coming about every 15-10 mins, i asked eric to vacuum (my parents were coming after all!), install the carseat, put our bag in the car. he also had school assignments for the next week, and now knowing that the baby was indeed coming, he needed to wrap up his school work. he worked on homework in between comforting me...
at some point, we walked to the grocery store to get ice cream bars. i ate one as we walked home. they were those strawberry shortcake bars. mmmmm. i stopped and had many contractions along the way and back. on the way back, our neighbors were on the porch and joked about us trying to walk the baby out. ha, little did they know how right they were... the next day, we'd be holding him in our arms...
around 9pm, i called the midwife on call at the hospital. she told me not to come to the hospital until my contractions were 3-5 mins apart. i immediately hated her and all but hung up on her.
no sleep. intense pain. i had a paper on my nightstand so i could write down the contraction times. eric slept beside me. i wished i could sleep, but no such luck. around midnight, i called the midwife again. my contractions were now about 7-5 mins apart. i'd been in labor now for 10 hours. the midwife said to me-- you haven't had a contraction while we've been on the phone just now. do you feel that you could kill someone? i thought-- what kind of question is this?! i would NEVER under any circumstances feel as tho i could kill someone! pain is so relative, how could she ask me this?! (oh man, i had no idea what kind of pain was to come...) i said aloud- no, i don't suppose so... she said- i don't want you to come yet b/c you're not ready and i don't want to have to send you back home. wait until they're 3-5 mins apart for an hour and then you can come in to the hospital. again, i all but hung up on her. i wanted to cry but didn't. eric turned off the car he'd already started. we went back to bed, him sleeping, me laboring and marking time.
already, the pain was incredibly intense. each time i moaned, eric would rub my belly or back or whatever he could reach with his sleepy hand across our bed. it's true what they say, i cannot pinpoint or completely describe the pain i felt. all i can clearly recall is that it DID hurt like hell. and, it was like a clamp... the pain built, built, built and when WHAM- YOWZA- contraction. then in a matter of 30 secs, it was gone again. over. immediately hard to imagine that just a few moments ago i'd been in that much pain... and before i knew it, building, building, building and WHAM. it was crazy. and lasted sooooooo long. by the time it was over, i labored for 31 hours.... and 26 of them without so much as a motrin.
but, more about the rest of it later.
(looking back, i am so glad eric slept that first night. b/c in the few days to come, when the baby cried at night and needed a diaper or swaddle, when i wanted a special meal, etc, eric was the one up all night, sleeping in a plastic chair, and taking care of two of us-- adam AND me. but we'll get to that next time...)
i started my maternity leave on my birthday, september 11. i was due with baby adam on september 12, a friday. on my birthday, i went to the coast guard station to see eric, he was working. i took us takeout from panera and we ate outdoors. i had blackbean soup-- don't ask me why i remember that, but i do remember it was far too warm to be eating blackbean soup. after meeting him, i went to target and walked around shopping for....something. mainly, i wanted the walking. contractions randomly came and went, but nothing too alarming.
friday afternoon, eric and i went to see my midwife. at the appointment, 2pm, she told me that i was three centimeters dilated and 90% effaced. she said she'd be surprised if i didn't have the baby by monday. when she said that, i was internally very angry... i knew that by saying this, she'd cursed me and i'd be pregnant until halloween. regardless, as we left, she told me that if i didn't have the baby over the weekend to call her monday for an induction.
as we left the doctor's office, standing waiting for the elevator, i rubbed my belly and told eric i was having a contraction. he said- wouldn't that be funny? (it was my due date) yeah, really funny- i said. my sense of pregnancy humor was waning...
for some reason, i was STARVING (maybe b/c i was 9 months pregnant?) and eric took me to a bbq place near our house. i ordered a huge burger and lots of fries. it was raining outside. i had another contraction as we sat. i barely fit in the booth. i had another. at this point, eric said-- you better eat all that food b/c if you ARE having the baby, you might not eat again for awhile. i had another contraction. at this point, i pulled a pen out of my purse and we started writing the times down on a napkin. they were coming every 20-30 mins.... ever since we'd left the doctor's office...
after lunch, we went home and the contractions continued. i called my mom-- i don't want to alarm you- i said- but i have been having contractions ever 20-30 mins for a few hours. i don't think this is it tho. my mom said- no, i think this is it. i said- really? i dunno. tho it was my due date, i couldn't believe this was IT. i still didn't believe it was time, THE time, even when they told me to PUSH. but i am getting ahead of myself.
it didn't take me long, tho, to find out it was the real deal. in a very short amount of time, the contractions got so strong and painful that i was moaning in pain. i called my mom again only to find out that she and my dad were already on their way to our house. in between contractions, which by 8pm were coming about every 15-10 mins, i asked eric to vacuum (my parents were coming after all!), install the carseat, put our bag in the car. he also had school assignments for the next week, and now knowing that the baby was indeed coming, he needed to wrap up his school work. he worked on homework in between comforting me...
at some point, we walked to the grocery store to get ice cream bars. i ate one as we walked home. they were those strawberry shortcake bars. mmmmm. i stopped and had many contractions along the way and back. on the way back, our neighbors were on the porch and joked about us trying to walk the baby out. ha, little did they know how right they were... the next day, we'd be holding him in our arms...
around 9pm, i called the midwife on call at the hospital. she told me not to come to the hospital until my contractions were 3-5 mins apart. i immediately hated her and all but hung up on her.
no sleep. intense pain. i had a paper on my nightstand so i could write down the contraction times. eric slept beside me. i wished i could sleep, but no such luck. around midnight, i called the midwife again. my contractions were now about 7-5 mins apart. i'd been in labor now for 10 hours. the midwife said to me-- you haven't had a contraction while we've been on the phone just now. do you feel that you could kill someone? i thought-- what kind of question is this?! i would NEVER under any circumstances feel as tho i could kill someone! pain is so relative, how could she ask me this?! (oh man, i had no idea what kind of pain was to come...) i said aloud- no, i don't suppose so... she said- i don't want you to come yet b/c you're not ready and i don't want to have to send you back home. wait until they're 3-5 mins apart for an hour and then you can come in to the hospital. again, i all but hung up on her. i wanted to cry but didn't. eric turned off the car he'd already started. we went back to bed, him sleeping, me laboring and marking time.
already, the pain was incredibly intense. each time i moaned, eric would rub my belly or back or whatever he could reach with his sleepy hand across our bed. it's true what they say, i cannot pinpoint or completely describe the pain i felt. all i can clearly recall is that it DID hurt like hell. and, it was like a clamp... the pain built, built, built and when WHAM- YOWZA- contraction. then in a matter of 30 secs, it was gone again. over. immediately hard to imagine that just a few moments ago i'd been in that much pain... and before i knew it, building, building, building and WHAM. it was crazy. and lasted sooooooo long. by the time it was over, i labored for 31 hours.... and 26 of them without so much as a motrin.
but, more about the rest of it later.
(looking back, i am so glad eric slept that first night. b/c in the few days to come, when the baby cried at night and needed a diaper or swaddle, when i wanted a special meal, etc, eric was the one up all night, sleeping in a plastic chair, and taking care of two of us-- adam AND me. but we'll get to that next time...)
a-dah
today adam said a-dah, a-dah. early iterations of da-da? i'm sure eric's hoping so! :)
he is also getting better and better at eating finger foods. he especially loves the gerber yogurt melts and can pick them up. but he only gets about 1 out of every 3 in his mouth... the others fall out of his fist. fist makes it to mouth, yogurt puff goes to lap. ha.
today i also gave him a grape cut into 1/4's. again, he would eat them and pick them up, but he had a harder time keeping them in his mouth. unlike the yogurt melts, they don't melt... at least we're learning.
i think tomorrow we'll try some bread pieces. i am TERRIFIED of him choking, but know that he needs to learn somehow, someday. i have a good feeling that his kindergarten teacher won't want to spoon feed him..... i am not so concerned about him getting the food as i am him learning that his hands are meant to feed himself!
he is also getting better and better at eating finger foods. he especially loves the gerber yogurt melts and can pick them up. but he only gets about 1 out of every 3 in his mouth... the others fall out of his fist. fist makes it to mouth, yogurt puff goes to lap. ha.
today i also gave him a grape cut into 1/4's. again, he would eat them and pick them up, but he had a harder time keeping them in his mouth. unlike the yogurt melts, they don't melt... at least we're learning.
i think tomorrow we'll try some bread pieces. i am TERRIFIED of him choking, but know that he needs to learn somehow, someday. i have a good feeling that his kindergarten teacher won't want to spoon feed him..... i am not so concerned about him getting the food as i am him learning that his hands are meant to feed himself!
April 13, 2009
easter weekend
as always, all our photos (and video!) are on our flickr page, but here are a few of my faves from the weekend.
proud grandmas! my mom with adam, and her friend anna with her granddaughter, savannah. anna used to babysit ME when i was a little girl! my, my how time flies!?
uncle lucas bought adam a BIG fire truck for easter! can you say HAPPY BOY?!
playing on the deck with tamborine and truck.
grandpa feeding adam his oatmeal and 'nanas for breakfast.
chillin' on the couch with a bottle before our big trip south while mommy packed our bags.
proud grandmas! my mom with adam, and her friend anna with her granddaughter, savannah. anna used to babysit ME when i was a little girl! my, my how time flies!?
uncle lucas bought adam a BIG fire truck for easter! can you say HAPPY BOY?! 
playing on the deck with tamborine and truck.
grandpa feeding adam his oatmeal and 'nanas for breakfast.
chillin' on the couch with a bottle before our big trip south while mommy packed our bags.1 2 3 4 5 6 SEVEN
lucky seven, huh? well, welcome to the seventh month of your little life, baby adam!
this month brought soooo much change. your world is definitely opening up in ways that are hard for me to explain here but easy for anyone who is around you to witness.
you are....
-far more aware of your surroundings. if someone comes in the door, you turn to see who. if the dog barks, you look over at him to see what's bothering him. and then, you might even look at me with a questioning face, as if to say-- what's his problem!? you reach for any and everything new. you seem to want all the things you shouldn't have and will quickly drop a toy to eagerly reach and grab other, more interesting, more forbidden things-- like cell phones, tv remotes, mommy and daddy's coffee, my earrings, etc. while you love to play with your toys, you're really more into things that are NOT toys... things that are still new and mysterious and aren't yet coated in your slobber. recently, i was reading you a bedtime story and you reached up and grabbed my earring and pulled with all your might. it hurt! i am shocked you didn't rip it out of my ear... the temptation of watching it sway back and forth as i rocked must have been too much for you to handle-- you just had to have it! and had it you did... ouch! you love lights and anything that lights up or makes sounds. you like when we sing or read to you and smile when we clap and play patta-cake.
-sitting just as pretty, er handsome, as you please! you will sit for an hour or more just playing with your toys. you don't topple over, you bend and reach for toys. you get excited when we play with your ball, throwing it in the air especially. while i usually provide several toys to play with, you definitely favor some toys over others. you especially love your clear inflatable ball and a set of teething keys.
-are still just wiggling away on your belly but haven't begun crawling. while i can't wait to see you go, i am feeling very lucky that you are happy where you are. your curiosity is so fierce that i know we have a busy time in the near future when you decide to make your move.
-eating meats. you have turkey, chicken and beef now. you like them all with no problems whatsoever. i have also offered you puffs and crackers and a half a banana. you can easily eat the crackers and the banana (when it doesn't get all slobbery slippery and leave your hands!), but you're still mastering the puffs. you get that they're food, you just usually drop them out of your hand before they reach your mouth. but we'll keep trying... you're definitely interested in them and learning!
-laughing, laughing, laughing. FINALLY! you giggled and chuckled before, but this past weekend i think you laughed more than you ever did in your whole entire life. your laugh is so sweet and funny.
-in love with mommy and daddy. you don't like to be alone for too long and cry when we leave you for a nap in your crib. you turn to watch us go and wail as we cross the threshold of your room. this started last month, but has definitely increased this month. i know this is just a phase and it isn't too bad. frankly, i selfishly love that you love hanging with us so much that you don't want us to leave! :) sometimes i cry when i have to leave you too, so i know how you feel..!
this past weekend was your first easter. we drove together to sc to spend it with grandma, grandpa and uncle lucas-- your daddy had to work. while we missed daddy, we had such a fun time with grandma and grandpa and luke. uncle lucas bought you a really big, really fun fire truck and grandma and grandpa ate you up! they were really amazed at how much you'd changed, how aware you are, how you are interactive and playful more than ever. you were a treat for all of us and a joy to spend the weekend with.
photos to follow....
this month brought soooo much change. your world is definitely opening up in ways that are hard for me to explain here but easy for anyone who is around you to witness.
you are....
-far more aware of your surroundings. if someone comes in the door, you turn to see who. if the dog barks, you look over at him to see what's bothering him. and then, you might even look at me with a questioning face, as if to say-- what's his problem!? you reach for any and everything new. you seem to want all the things you shouldn't have and will quickly drop a toy to eagerly reach and grab other, more interesting, more forbidden things-- like cell phones, tv remotes, mommy and daddy's coffee, my earrings, etc. while you love to play with your toys, you're really more into things that are NOT toys... things that are still new and mysterious and aren't yet coated in your slobber. recently, i was reading you a bedtime story and you reached up and grabbed my earring and pulled with all your might. it hurt! i am shocked you didn't rip it out of my ear... the temptation of watching it sway back and forth as i rocked must have been too much for you to handle-- you just had to have it! and had it you did... ouch! you love lights and anything that lights up or makes sounds. you like when we sing or read to you and smile when we clap and play patta-cake.
-sitting just as pretty, er handsome, as you please! you will sit for an hour or more just playing with your toys. you don't topple over, you bend and reach for toys. you get excited when we play with your ball, throwing it in the air especially. while i usually provide several toys to play with, you definitely favor some toys over others. you especially love your clear inflatable ball and a set of teething keys.
-are still just wiggling away on your belly but haven't begun crawling. while i can't wait to see you go, i am feeling very lucky that you are happy where you are. your curiosity is so fierce that i know we have a busy time in the near future when you decide to make your move.
-eating meats. you have turkey, chicken and beef now. you like them all with no problems whatsoever. i have also offered you puffs and crackers and a half a banana. you can easily eat the crackers and the banana (when it doesn't get all slobbery slippery and leave your hands!), but you're still mastering the puffs. you get that they're food, you just usually drop them out of your hand before they reach your mouth. but we'll keep trying... you're definitely interested in them and learning!
-laughing, laughing, laughing. FINALLY! you giggled and chuckled before, but this past weekend i think you laughed more than you ever did in your whole entire life. your laugh is so sweet and funny.
-in love with mommy and daddy. you don't like to be alone for too long and cry when we leave you for a nap in your crib. you turn to watch us go and wail as we cross the threshold of your room. this started last month, but has definitely increased this month. i know this is just a phase and it isn't too bad. frankly, i selfishly love that you love hanging with us so much that you don't want us to leave! :) sometimes i cry when i have to leave you too, so i know how you feel..!
this past weekend was your first easter. we drove together to sc to spend it with grandma, grandpa and uncle lucas-- your daddy had to work. while we missed daddy, we had such a fun time with grandma and grandpa and luke. uncle lucas bought you a really big, really fun fire truck and grandma and grandpa ate you up! they were really amazed at how much you'd changed, how aware you are, how you are interactive and playful more than ever. you were a treat for all of us and a joy to spend the weekend with.
photos to follow....
April 2, 2009
Buh Gah
adam is saying B like it's his job now. buh, buh, buh, buh, buh over and over. if i say it to him, he looks at me and repeats. he also says gah, gah, gah but not as often as his favorite letter B.
makes sense, sort of, since i'm sure he hears B quite a lot...
baby
bottle
binky
blanky
bath
boy
bounce
banana
bubbles
book
fun hearing him say consonant syllables and more than just super expressive sighs and raspberries with his mouth. :)
makes sense, sort of, since i'm sure he hears B quite a lot...
baby
bottle
binky
blanky
bath
boy
bounce
banana
bubbles
book
fun hearing him say consonant syllables and more than just super expressive sighs and raspberries with his mouth. :)
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