I am delighted to be today's guest blogger on Frosting for the Cause! Frosting for the Cause is a project that will span 2011. Every day, a guest blogger posts a story about someone in their life impacted by cancer and a recipe, baking in that person's honor. All bloggers commit to making a donation to a cancer fighting organization and donate their baked goods to a cancer center or the like.
Please enjoy the stories on the site, and if you, too, have been impacted by cancer, join the project!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Ascent to New Heights
Well, I knew the day would come. I had hoped to avoid it, but I knew it was looming out there just waiting to rear its ugly head. On Saturday, we had just finished decorating cupcakes to take to a Race for Hope bake sale fund raiser in order to raise money and awareness for brain tumor research. I was sitting at my desk, checking email, when I saw Casey pick up his plastic mini chair and carry it over the desk. Not knowing what kind of trouble he was about to cause, I sat an watched, amused.
Now, for those of you who haven't been to our condo, what you need to know is that my desk is gated off from the little hands of Casey with a baby gate, so he can't get to the cords and other fascinating things in the desk itself. Up until now, his little hands have only been able to reach the outer edge of the top of the desk, so keeping things out of his reach has been quite easy.
Well, those times are over. As I sat amused, Casey proceeded to climb up onto his chair and stand on it and start reaching for anything and everything that was now within his reach. All of a sudden, it wasn't so funny anymore. We quickly moved anything lightweight out of his reach, which puzzled him for a minute. Not to be daunted by his new ability to reach the top of the desk, he climbed back down, picked up a plastic car, and climbed back up...deciding that the top of the desk made quite the perfect raceway for his little car.
Thankfully, we haven't seen much more of the climbing, but, I think that's only because it is the middle of the week, and he is not home long enough to get bored by items within his reach on the ground.
Casey has also added a new food item to his diet. Bacon. I call it the ultimate equalizer. I've known vegetarians who eat no meat, but somehow sneak in bacon, as well as a kosher jew who was known to pork out on a little pork fat now and then. It is not suprising to me, then, that Casey would also fall into its alluring grasp. We were eating brunch with some friends, and as usual, Casey wanted to "try" everything on my plate. Usually if it is a meat product, this entails touching it to the tip of his tongue, making a horrible face, and then dropping the food back on his plate. Did this happen with bacon you may ask? Oh no, in went the bacon which he chewed happily for some time.
I ask myself if this is something about which I should worry, and then I slapped my own head and said, duh, at least it's protein. And, since the little stinker is still only in the 5th percentile of weight, I guess he can afford an occasional piece or two of weekend bacon.
Casey has also taken to napping on the couch. I thought you would enjoy some time lapse images...
Now, for those of you who haven't been to our condo, what you need to know is that my desk is gated off from the little hands of Casey with a baby gate, so he can't get to the cords and other fascinating things in the desk itself. Up until now, his little hands have only been able to reach the outer edge of the top of the desk, so keeping things out of his reach has been quite easy.
Well, those times are over. As I sat amused, Casey proceeded to climb up onto his chair and stand on it and start reaching for anything and everything that was now within his reach. All of a sudden, it wasn't so funny anymore. We quickly moved anything lightweight out of his reach, which puzzled him for a minute. Not to be daunted by his new ability to reach the top of the desk, he climbed back down, picked up a plastic car, and climbed back up...deciding that the top of the desk made quite the perfect raceway for his little car.
Thankfully, we haven't seen much more of the climbing, but, I think that's only because it is the middle of the week, and he is not home long enough to get bored by items within his reach on the ground.
Casey has also added a new food item to his diet. Bacon. I call it the ultimate equalizer. I've known vegetarians who eat no meat, but somehow sneak in bacon, as well as a kosher jew who was known to pork out on a little pork fat now and then. It is not suprising to me, then, that Casey would also fall into its alluring grasp. We were eating brunch with some friends, and as usual, Casey wanted to "try" everything on my plate. Usually if it is a meat product, this entails touching it to the tip of his tongue, making a horrible face, and then dropping the food back on his plate. Did this happen with bacon you may ask? Oh no, in went the bacon which he chewed happily for some time.
I ask myself if this is something about which I should worry, and then I slapped my own head and said, duh, at least it's protein. And, since the little stinker is still only in the 5th percentile of weight, I guess he can afford an occasional piece or two of weekend bacon.
Casey has also taken to napping on the couch. I thought you would enjoy some time lapse images...
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Highs and Lows
Yesterday truly was a day of highs and lows with our little man. In general, the good news is that the teething and neverending diaper rash both seem to be ending and we have a boy who is sleeping normally again. While we get a random wakeup, most nights he sleeps through the night and is happy during the day and evening. And, with the healed up tushie, diaper changing has returned to a relative calm again. All of this leads to a much happier family.
I keep being amazed at how quickly he is learning new things. I went away for a work trip for four days, and by the time I came home he had progressed from "dipping" his spoon into food a little awkwardly to being able to feed himself a whole yogurt with most of it going into his mouth with the spoon upright. He has learned the sign for please, and now when he really wants something specific, he tells us "more please, more please". This is usually when offered the prized banana. Although yogurt often warrants the same plea.
Robert has also managed to teach him the itsy bitsy spider rather rapidly. We have a sing a long video that Casey actually enjoys watching and it has an itsy bitsy spider song. Last night while dancing, well, swaying, to the video, Casey made the hand movements of the spider crawling up! It was very sweet to see the little fingers moving in time to the music. Definitely a high!
So, we now have two whole videos that Casey will watch. Sing a Long songs and Bob the Builder. I never thought I'd be happy that Casey wanted to watch TV, but it is nice to put something on that makes Casey do a cute little dance!
We have also seen the return of lunch. This weekend, Casey ate a full lunch both days. Of course, this may be in part that he was offered up peanut butter and jelly, which he inhales at light speed. At least now we know he is getting more protein. And twice this week he has eaten more than bread and fruit at daycare for lunch.
As for the lows, well, it all starts with poo on the floor. How, may you ask, did poo end up on the floor? Well, it goes back to the diaper rash. Post-bath is Casey's favorite time to run around naked. And, usually, that is a safe no pee/poo time. It's also a good time to air him out to help keep away that diaper rash. Well, last night he was happily playing with his ring stacker after his bath, when I looked up and saw that he had made a little mess on the floor. And, it really does only take a split second for them to recognize what they've done and want to play. That split second is faster than you can say no and run the three feet over to where they are to prevent squish squish squish. Needless to say, after mommy yelled No Casey, Dirty at the top of her lungs, MANY tears erupted. Definitely a low!
But, now for some pictures.
Here is Casey at his library. I believe he was plotting whether or not he should pull down all the books onto the floor at once, or just bring me one to read.
And, here's a little close up. This is what happens when I try to take a picture of what he is wearing. I really need to get a camera with faster shutter speed so he doesn't have time to recognize my evil picture taking plans.
I keep being amazed at how quickly he is learning new things. I went away for a work trip for four days, and by the time I came home he had progressed from "dipping" his spoon into food a little awkwardly to being able to feed himself a whole yogurt with most of it going into his mouth with the spoon upright. He has learned the sign for please, and now when he really wants something specific, he tells us "more please, more please". This is usually when offered the prized banana. Although yogurt often warrants the same plea.
Robert has also managed to teach him the itsy bitsy spider rather rapidly. We have a sing a long video that Casey actually enjoys watching and it has an itsy bitsy spider song. Last night while dancing, well, swaying, to the video, Casey made the hand movements of the spider crawling up! It was very sweet to see the little fingers moving in time to the music. Definitely a high!
So, we now have two whole videos that Casey will watch. Sing a Long songs and Bob the Builder. I never thought I'd be happy that Casey wanted to watch TV, but it is nice to put something on that makes Casey do a cute little dance!
We have also seen the return of lunch. This weekend, Casey ate a full lunch both days. Of course, this may be in part that he was offered up peanut butter and jelly, which he inhales at light speed. At least now we know he is getting more protein. And twice this week he has eaten more than bread and fruit at daycare for lunch.
As for the lows, well, it all starts with poo on the floor. How, may you ask, did poo end up on the floor? Well, it goes back to the diaper rash. Post-bath is Casey's favorite time to run around naked. And, usually, that is a safe no pee/poo time. It's also a good time to air him out to help keep away that diaper rash. Well, last night he was happily playing with his ring stacker after his bath, when I looked up and saw that he had made a little mess on the floor. And, it really does only take a split second for them to recognize what they've done and want to play. That split second is faster than you can say no and run the three feet over to where they are to prevent squish squish squish. Needless to say, after mommy yelled No Casey, Dirty at the top of her lungs, MANY tears erupted. Definitely a low!
But, now for some pictures.
Here is Casey at his library. I believe he was plotting whether or not he should pull down all the books onto the floor at once, or just bring me one to read.
And, here's a little close up. This is what happens when I try to take a picture of what he is wearing. I really need to get a camera with faster shutter speed so he doesn't have time to recognize my evil picture taking plans.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Toddler or Puppy - is there really a difference?
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between human babies and puppies? I'm beginning to think that the answer is NOT MUCH. See if any of these ring a bell...
1. They chew on everything
2. They have trouble walking in a straight line at first
3. They knock things over
4. They get into the trash can
5. They pee when/where they're not supposed to
6. They can only tell you what they want through crying
7. They accidentally injure those they love
I'm sure you were nodding along in agreement up until #7...let me explain. Last week, Aunt Jo called us to tell us that she had a black eye. And no, unlike Michelle on the Bachelor, how it came about was NOT a mystery. Turns out her 7 mo. old "puppy" Hershey the newfoundland had gotten himself all caught up in a ball of knitting yarn and was THRASHING all about. When Jo went to untangle him, chaos ensued, and he head butted her smack dab in the eye. Looked like someone had hit her square in the eye. Now, you're probably thinking "what does that have to do with toddlers?"
Well, Wednesday night, Casey, Robert and I were playing tickle time on the bed. Tickle time always brings peals of laughter and much flopping about by the Casey man. It is our evening ritual that happens shortly after the boys get home. Well, instead of flopping, HE decided to head butt me square in the nose. Much swelling ensued, along with a short debate about whether I should have it looked at. Casey, no worse for wear.
And, there you have it...toddlers and puppies are exactly the same.
On another note, we are up to 16 teeth, which REALLY explains Grumpy McGrumpypants. Last night we were playing in the tickle zone, the ultimate way to get Casey to open his mouth and show off the chompers, when lo and behold, we spotted the top two molars that erupted. All that are left are his very back molars, which are not supposed to come in until two years. We can only hope that Casey is going to get a reprieve from all the pain. He has been one clingy, grumpy, unhappy boy lately (for good reason).
1. They chew on everything
2. They have trouble walking in a straight line at first
3. They knock things over
4. They get into the trash can
5. They pee when/where they're not supposed to
6. They can only tell you what they want through crying
7. They accidentally injure those they love
I'm sure you were nodding along in agreement up until #7...let me explain. Last week, Aunt Jo called us to tell us that she had a black eye. And no, unlike Michelle on the Bachelor, how it came about was NOT a mystery. Turns out her 7 mo. old "puppy" Hershey the newfoundland had gotten himself all caught up in a ball of knitting yarn and was THRASHING all about. When Jo went to untangle him, chaos ensued, and he head butted her smack dab in the eye. Looked like someone had hit her square in the eye. Now, you're probably thinking "what does that have to do with toddlers?"
Well, Wednesday night, Casey, Robert and I were playing tickle time on the bed. Tickle time always brings peals of laughter and much flopping about by the Casey man. It is our evening ritual that happens shortly after the boys get home. Well, instead of flopping, HE decided to head butt me square in the nose. Much swelling ensued, along with a short debate about whether I should have it looked at. Casey, no worse for wear.
And, there you have it...toddlers and puppies are exactly the same.
On another note, we are up to 16 teeth, which REALLY explains Grumpy McGrumpypants. Last night we were playing in the tickle zone, the ultimate way to get Casey to open his mouth and show off the chompers, when lo and behold, we spotted the top two molars that erupted. All that are left are his very back molars, which are not supposed to come in until two years. We can only hope that Casey is going to get a reprieve from all the pain. He has been one clingy, grumpy, unhappy boy lately (for good reason).
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Fourteen, fourteen teeth...ha ha ha
Yes, that's right, somehow in the excitement of eating, crawling, and walking...I forgot to give the tooth update. Casey is up to 14 teeth, including 2 dreaded molars. After they are all fully in, he'll have everything but top molars and back bottom molars.
Right now, he is looking a little like the Count...since all you can see of his top cuspids are sharp vampire points.
And you may ask, for what does he use these teeth??? Well, last night, he finally conceded and tried something I made him homemade. AND, it was meat no less. Robert and I were having chicken cordon bleu. So, I cut a few pieces of mini nuggets and breaded them with bread crumbs and parmesan. And guess what, after a few reject bites, and being left alone with them and no fruit on his plate, he actually ate a few bites of homemade chicken nuggets!
Small victories!
Right now, he is looking a little like the Count...since all you can see of his top cuspids are sharp vampire points.
And you may ask, for what does he use these teeth??? Well, last night, he finally conceded and tried something I made him homemade. AND, it was meat no less. Robert and I were having chicken cordon bleu. So, I cut a few pieces of mini nuggets and breaded them with bread crumbs and parmesan. And guess what, after a few reject bites, and being left alone with them and no fruit on his plate, he actually ate a few bites of homemade chicken nuggets!
Small victories!
Snowmaggedon 2011
Last week's snow storm is the perfect example of first time parent syndrome attacks. Thursday afternoon Robert and Casey made it safely home around 3:30 pm, before the massive commute disaster occured. We were tucked in safely for the night, just waiting for the snow to begin, foolishly thinking that the snow would come and the roads would be clear in the morning to get Casey to daycare.
Silly us, things were going fine until 7:30 when we heard a HUGE explosion and saw red light reflecting in the snow falling outside. Then, the power went out. And stayed out.
First time mom here decided it was time to panic! I wasn't worried about how cold I would be during the night, but how Casey would manage. So, after much panic, and no news of when we would get power, we cozied Casey into footed fleece pajamas, covered him with a blanket, and put him to bed.
3am rolls around, and I wake up. Note: Casey did not wake me up, I woke up on my own, stressed out. I went in to check in on him, since well, the condo was getting chilly. He was still covered by the blanket and sleeping soundly. So, I tried to go back to sleep. And tossed, and turned, and tossed and turned. I finally got back to sleep around 5am. At 6am, when Casey woke up, we still had no power, BUT, daycare was open as the roads had cleared up. So, we decided to pack everyone up and go to Robert's office where we could all work, and Casey could go to daycare.
And, Casey, warm and snug as a bug in his footed jammers. His face and hands were nice and warm. He, however, was cranky that there was no light and couldn't have his morning books. So, he got a great night's sleep and I stayed up tossing and turning. Silly, silly me.
Our power came on in time for us to head home for the night and give us a chance to break out our inflatable sled for Casey. Here's a video of him "sledding" in the snow outside our house.
Silly us, things were going fine until 7:30 when we heard a HUGE explosion and saw red light reflecting in the snow falling outside. Then, the power went out. And stayed out.
First time mom here decided it was time to panic! I wasn't worried about how cold I would be during the night, but how Casey would manage. So, after much panic, and no news of when we would get power, we cozied Casey into footed fleece pajamas, covered him with a blanket, and put him to bed.
3am rolls around, and I wake up. Note: Casey did not wake me up, I woke up on my own, stressed out. I went in to check in on him, since well, the condo was getting chilly. He was still covered by the blanket and sleeping soundly. So, I tried to go back to sleep. And tossed, and turned, and tossed and turned. I finally got back to sleep around 5am. At 6am, when Casey woke up, we still had no power, BUT, daycare was open as the roads had cleared up. So, we decided to pack everyone up and go to Robert's office where we could all work, and Casey could go to daycare.
And, Casey, warm and snug as a bug in his footed jammers. His face and hands were nice and warm. He, however, was cranky that there was no light and couldn't have his morning books. So, he got a great night's sleep and I stayed up tossing and turning. Silly, silly me.
Our power came on in time for us to head home for the night and give us a chance to break out our inflatable sled for Casey. Here's a video of him "sledding" in the snow outside our house.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
ROAR
I am Casey, hear me roar! And jabber, and scream like a teradactyl. Casey has most definitely found his voice. He has moved from Hi, to Cat, to Uh-Oh. Lately, Uh-Oh is his favorite word. Sometimes, we get a word that really means something, and other times, we get rapid, cave-man pointing and screeching. Hard to imagine when you're looking at the cute pictures below.
We were able to find this cute bear suit at Old Navy before the holidays. I ask myself, how much longer can we dress him in a bear suit before it becomes undignified? Right now, still super cute...
As was the trend with infancy, Casey is still rejecting all homemade "mommy" food, in typical toddler fashion. He gives me little glimmers of hope when he eats a piece of cooked vegetables from whatever we've cooked, but he has yet to embrace an entire meal now that he has decided he does not like spaghetti anymore - our old faithful. We are still trending towards a little vegetarian, who continues to reject most meat. He did eat a small piece of panko breaded chicken with parmesan the other day, so that was a small highlight. Thankfully, he does love his fruit and yogurt, so he's getting plenty of good vitamins. Although, on New Year's Weekend, he did eat a homemade puff pastry with spinach and gruyere. So, there is hope!
He is now running everywhere he can, and stumbling only occassionally. It is sad when he gets tired and does a face plant, but our fearless boy just gets up and keeps going.
We were able to find this cute bear suit at Old Navy before the holidays. I ask myself, how much longer can we dress him in a bear suit before it becomes undignified? Right now, still super cute...
As was the trend with infancy, Casey is still rejecting all homemade "mommy" food, in typical toddler fashion. He gives me little glimmers of hope when he eats a piece of cooked vegetables from whatever we've cooked, but he has yet to embrace an entire meal now that he has decided he does not like spaghetti anymore - our old faithful. We are still trending towards a little vegetarian, who continues to reject most meat. He did eat a small piece of panko breaded chicken with parmesan the other day, so that was a small highlight. Thankfully, he does love his fruit and yogurt, so he's getting plenty of good vitamins. Although, on New Year's Weekend, he did eat a homemade puff pastry with spinach and gruyere. So, there is hope! He is now running everywhere he can, and stumbling only occassionally. It is sad when he gets tired and does a face plant, but our fearless boy just gets up and keeps going.
We had an interesting food adventure the other night. We wanted to take Casey to a restaurant where he could be entertained, so we could have a nice meal ourselves. So, we thought Benihana! Well, apparently, there is an age range that works for Benihana - and that range is any age BEFORE they are old enough to know what is going on, and AFTER they are able to be aware of fire. When the chef came to start, and he began banging the cooking tools on the cooktop, Casey looked a little skeptical. Then, when the chef lit up the table with fire, everything fell apart. We saw Casey afraid for only the second time in his life. Poor little guy, I haven't seen tears like that come out of our little man. Needless to say, we didn't have any more fire at dinner that night. And, after some time cozying up to his daddy, he did finally become entertained by the rest of the chopping and cooking.
Our little man has FINALLY hit 20lbs, so one of these days, he will get to be a front-facing boy!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Happy Birthday to Our Little Cruiser
I have been very excited about the toddler days, as it means that there will be fewer bottles of formula to prepare in the future. Sadly, I'm not so sure when that future will be, as Casey spit out his first taste of real milk. Guess he really is his mother's son. Hopefully he will begin to like it after a few more tastes.
He also received his first haircut shortly before his first birthday. I have to admit, I'm a little sad, as his hair is now very precise and not quite as rock star as it was before. I look forward to it growing in a little uneven.
Casey has rapidly advanced from cruising to testing out the waters on his own. He is very eager to walk on his own, but hasn't quite realized that it requires STANDING on his own first. However, he may find the concept a bit easier with his new birthday toy. The video below shows him walking in the hallway with his new learning walker.
He also received his first haircut shortly before his first birthday. I have to admit, I'm a little sad, as his hair is now very precise and not quite as rock star as it was before. I look forward to it growing in a little uneven.
Casey has rapidly advanced from cruising to testing out the waters on his own. He is very eager to walk on his own, but hasn't quite realized that it requires STANDING on his own first. However, he may find the concept a bit easier with his new birthday toy. The video below shows him walking in the hallway with his new learning walker.Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Casey Crawls
Well, we knew the day would come, and on July 29th, it happened. Casey crawled. There is some good news and bad news that comes along with this.
Good news - well, it's pretty damn cute. Also, he now crawls over to us when he wants something instead of screaming.
Bad news - well, we have a really small space and he has managed to find ALL the places that a little man should not go. Also, he has figured out how to crawl OUT of the strap that used to keep him strapped to the changing table. Diaper changing time has become quite an adventure.
So, the video below was taken on Sunday as we enticed him with the computer on the floor. Enjoy.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Four, Four Teeth, ha ha ha
Yes, yes you should read that with the Count Von Count voice. So, Casey now has all four of his front teeth. The second top one is coming in slowly, but has broken through. We are hoping this means we'll now have a break before more teeth come, since the poor little man has been on and off miserable the last few weeks as these teeth have been coming in.
We took Casey to his first live concert during 4th of July weekend...The Gipsy Kings at Wolf Trap. We weren't so sure how he'd handle the crowd and the noise, but he had a great time. We danced to the music, played in the grass, rolled around on the blanket and played with our friends Scott, Mike and Stephanie. He enjoyed the show until about 10pm when it was time to sleep, but it was too loud. He was asleep before we left the parking lot. Here are some pictures.
Here he is listening to the music sitting in Mike's lap. As you can see, he was checking out the crowd and all the people dancing around us. As is typical with Wolf Trap, there were people dancing in front of us that shouldn't have been dancing.
Unfortunately, he got a hold of Mike's Mets hat. We'll have to help him understand that not all teams are created equal. Baseball hats come in two colors only: maroon and gold AND Nationals navy. Mets hat aside, we got some great pictures making faces with Mike.
We took Casey to his first live concert during 4th of July weekend...The Gipsy Kings at Wolf Trap. We weren't so sure how he'd handle the crowd and the noise, but he had a great time. We danced to the music, played in the grass, rolled around on the blanket and played with our friends Scott, Mike and Stephanie. He enjoyed the show until about 10pm when it was time to sleep, but it was too loud. He was asleep before we left the parking lot. Here are some pictures.
Here he is listening to the music sitting in Mike's lap. As you can see, he was checking out the crowd and all the people dancing around us. As is typical with Wolf Trap, there were people dancing in front of us that shouldn't have been dancing. 
Unfortunately, he got a hold of Mike's Mets hat. We'll have to help him understand that not all teams are created equal. Baseball hats come in two colors only: maroon and gold AND Nationals navy. Mets hat aside, we got some great pictures making faces with Mike.
We finally decided to lower the crib to the middle level. Casey was able to pull something off the edge of the crib and down, so we concluded his reach has expanded enough to merit the effort required to move the mattress. He is not yet trying to stand up on his own, but if we stand him next to the coffee table, he is enticed enough by the remote controls found there to hold on and try and reach for the elusive items. I think he is learning he has the body control necessary to hold on without mom or dad holding him.
Food has been an interesting adventure. Casey is still happy to eat finely milled baby purees AND table food. However, if you try and give him anything in between, forget it. At first, I thought he just didn't like homemade food, but when we moved to thicker items in the pre-packaged foods, he rejected those just the same. Needless to say, that made me feel MUCH better. We finally got him to eat a homemade meal the other day, after thinning it out with much liquid: Chicken and potatoes AND Brocolli! Apparently, unsweetened apple juice is the magic thinner. He loved them both. But the chicken had herbs and other spices, so it was exciting to see him venture into something with spices for the first time.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Take me out to the ballgame
After our first trip to Colorado, we came home to DC to see our first baseball game. We hopped on the metro packed up in the stroller with the baby bjorn stashed in the basket (thank you Powells). When we arrived, we thankfully found out that we could stash the stroller at guest services. So, we tucked Casey into the baby bjorn and went to our seats. Casey did great.
First he spent some time with Daddy...and then when it was time for us to have a Ben's Chili Dog, he went to uncle Scott for a bit. We were really lucky, because we were under the cover when the massive rain storm blew by, so we stayed nice and dry.
After a couple of hours of enjoying the view, Casey started to get a bit tired, and came back to Mommy for a bit of nap time. Surprisingly, he napped quite nicely for an hour. We had a great successful day at the ballpark!
After a couple of hours of enjoying the view, Casey started to get a bit tired, and came back to Mommy for a bit of nap time. Surprisingly, he napped quite nicely for an hour. We had a great successful day at the ballpark!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
I Can Count to Three, Three Teeth
We woke up Sunday morning to find Casey's top front has started to break through! This time around has been a little bit better than the last, as the crankiness didn't kick in until the tooth started to come through instead of the 2 weeks before!
Who would have ever guessed that our son would be so busy talking that he couldn't focus on dinner? We tried to take some videos of Casey eating, but the video camera was a little distracting for him, and he jabbered through most of the entree. We do have this fantastic video of him rejecting spinach, though! Enjoy!
Who would have ever guessed that our son would be so busy talking that he couldn't focus on dinner? We tried to take some videos of Casey eating, but the video camera was a little distracting for him, and he jabbered through most of the entree. We do have this fantastic video of him rejecting spinach, though! Enjoy!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
I have two teeth!
Not that we have managed to get a picture of the pearly whites, but at the end of May, Casey's two front teeth emerged! This has really improved his disposition and has minimized his suffering from the teething. We've also seen a decrease in drool, which is never a bad thing.
Much to my dismay, and Robert's enjoyment, we have learned that Casey LOVES puppets. His current favorite is Gladys the Gorilla. She came from Grandma Denise, along with an amusing book about a zoo gorilla on the hunt for banana bread. You can see see her in the picture below.
...but now that he has a hang of it, we have yet to find much that he doesn't like. I'm beginning to think there is truth to the saying that what you eat during pregnancy is what your baby will like. Casey LOVES green beans and carrots, and did from the first bite, both of which I ate a great deal of towards the end of the pregnancy. This may explain why he didn't jump all over fruit, since I didn't have any during my last trimester. He now eats solid food three times a day, and sometimes even four!
We have now started finger food in the form of cheerios and puffs. About every fifth puff actually goes into his mouth before disinegrating. He has no trouble picking them up, he seems to just prefer playing with them right now. So we shall see.
Much to my dismay, and Robert's enjoyment, we have learned that Casey LOVES puppets. His current favorite is Gladys the Gorilla. She came from Grandma Denise, along with an amusing book about a zoo gorilla on the hunt for banana bread. You can see see her in the picture below.
Speaking of bananas, they sadly seem to be Casey's favorite fruit so far. Our first efforts with pears and apples proved to be a little tart for our little man. It's not that he dislikes them greatly, he just prefers them mixed into his oatmeal. They seem to make both items more palatable for him. As far as the cereals go, oatmeal seems to be his favorite, with mixed grains a close second. Rice cereal, sadly, is not to be touched (not that I would enjoy it either).
Solid food was a slow start, beginning with sweet potatoes which he didn't seem to like at all...
We have now started finger food in the form of cheerios and puffs. About every fifth puff actually goes into his mouth before disinegrating. He has no trouble picking them up, he seems to just prefer playing with them right now. So we shall see.
Other milestones recently are sitting up for long periods of time and pooping ridiculously smelly poop. He continues to enjoy daycare, even though it is the worst petri dish on the planet. I am pretty sure that he has brought home every random illness from daycare, except for the standard strep throat that went around. You name it, he's had it...congestion, cold, fever, and our favorite, hand, foot and mouth. Poor little guy was miserable for a week. But he is finally well now, and playing and eating as normal.
The best part of being back into a normal routine is that he is now back to sleeping normal hours. Last night we had a blissful night that began at 9:30pm and ended at 8am, with only a single 30 minute feeding interruption at 5am. We would have been happy with the 5am wakeup, and the sleep until 8 was a very, very happy bonus.
The best part of being back into a normal routine is that he is now back to sleeping normal hours. Last night we had a blissful night that began at 9:30pm and ended at 8am, with only a single 30 minute feeding interruption at 5am. We would have been happy with the 5am wakeup, and the sleep until 8 was a very, very happy bonus.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Snowmageddon
Casey got to experience his first snowfall on his face this weekend when we were trapped inside for the whole weekend due to snowmageddon 2010. Once the snow finally started to slow down midday on Saturday, we decided it was time to bundle up and check out the damage from eye level. So, we packed him into the baby bjorn (thanks Allison), wrapped a warm jacket around him, and found him a knit hat. He was very confused about the cold flakes falling all around, but on an up note, didn't scream and spit up after being put into the baby bjorn!
I'm not sure what he is going to think in a month or so when we finally get to go outside for real! He may not know what to do in the sunshine. And, this is one downside of working from home. While the rest of DC/NOVA will be enjoying a snow day, I will still be working.
So far, this is ranking the 3rd most snow in HISTORY for DC, and it doesn't appear that it is over yet. We are looking at possibly 5-7 more inches in Tuesday. At this rate, I will never drive my car again. We spend a good part of our day looking out the window and watching the foolish people who are trying to drive on our unplowed street, and keep getting stuck. It does make me wonder why we dug out our cars, since we can't drive on the roads. I think collectively, Robert and I have shoveled for about 4 hours already. We have a clean parking space, and can get into the driver side of each of our cars. They may be frozen solid to the snow on the passenger side, so, it will be interesting when we next need to drive, since it may take a month for all this snow to melt.
But, we survived. We were lucky we never lost power, and were smart enough to go to the grocery store before the storm. So, for the most part, we just relaxed and enjoyed some quality baby time.
I'm not sure what he is going to think in a month or so when we finally get to go outside for real! He may not know what to do in the sunshine. And, this is one downside of working from home. While the rest of DC/NOVA will be enjoying a snow day, I will still be working.
So far, this is ranking the 3rd most snow in HISTORY for DC, and it doesn't appear that it is over yet. We are looking at possibly 5-7 more inches in Tuesday. At this rate, I will never drive my car again. We spend a good part of our day looking out the window and watching the foolish people who are trying to drive on our unplowed street, and keep getting stuck. It does make me wonder why we dug out our cars, since we can't drive on the roads. I think collectively, Robert and I have shoveled for about 4 hours already. We have a clean parking space, and can get into the driver side of each of our cars. They may be frozen solid to the snow on the passenger side, so, it will be interesting when we next need to drive, since it may take a month for all this snow to melt.
But, we survived. We were lucky we never lost power, and were smart enough to go to the grocery store before the storm. So, for the most part, we just relaxed and enjoyed some quality baby time.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Week One
As promised, I am getting back to writing more often! I have almost completed my first week back at work. On day one, I was very optimistic, thinking that this whole schedule was going to work just great; Casey woke up once during the night (which Robert managed), and then again at 6am. I fed him, dressed him, and sent him off to daycare with daddy. I was then able to get in about 45 minutes of a workout tape in before my workday started. It was just what I hoped would happen! It hasn't happened again since. Most days this week, Casey has woken up at 4 and stayed up! Of course, by the time Robert is off to daycare, I am ready to crash again, and have skipped my workout and slept until it was time to work again.
Here is Casey with his most favorite stuffed frog.
Today was promising, as Casey was back to his Friday schedule, except it snowed overnight, so instead of working out, I shoveled some snow. Kind of a workout, but not really. I'm not really sure when we moved to the midwest, but this snow is getting kind of old. We are anticipating an additional 1-2 FEET this weekend. Who would have expected this???
Casey had his first playdate outside of daycare with his new friend Maddie. The babies played on the activity mat, even holding hands a bit, while the adults enjoyed some brunch and mimosas! It was very sweet to watch them interact, that is, when Casey bothered to notice another baby was there. Just like a man, he was more interested in his play gym toys than the lovely lady next to him. We'll have to work on this with him.
Here is Casey with his most favorite stuffed frog.
Today was promising, as Casey was back to his Friday schedule, except it snowed overnight, so instead of working out, I shoveled some snow. Kind of a workout, but not really. I'm not really sure when we moved to the midwest, but this snow is getting kind of old. We are anticipating an additional 1-2 FEET this weekend. Who would have expected this???
Casey had his first playdate outside of daycare with his new friend Maddie. The babies played on the activity mat, even holding hands a bit, while the adults enjoyed some brunch and mimosas! It was very sweet to watch them interact, that is, when Casey bothered to notice another baby was there. Just like a man, he was more interested in his play gym toys than the lovely lady next to him. We'll have to work on this with him.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
A recap
OK, so I've been a slacker. I'm sure I won't be able to capture the true essence of the last three months in retrospect, but I will give a good effort. I'll even start with the most recent news, so that those of you who don't care about old news don't have to scroll!
I think my biggest observation about new parenting is that the learning curve just sucks. Because no matter how much your friends try and tell you, they just can't remember everything you may need to know. Invariably, you learn the tricks people have forgotten far too late to put them to good use as much as possible. For example: I never realized the sheer genius of the FLOOR. It took me until about week 7 or 8 to realize that when you have a fussy baby who is kicking in your arms, it just means that he wants to exercise. And, at this age, if you put him on the floor, he isn't going anywhere...you just have to make sure you are supervising. Had I only known - oh the hours of frustration for both of us that could have been solved by some good floor time! And, now, it's almost too late! Casey has started to roll over from his tummy to his back, so I'm sure my days of him staying in one place on the floor are soon over. But, it's very exciting to watch him roll away!
He is also smiling all the time. It is nice to have a happy baby most of the time, to make up for the meltdowns that invariably happen towards the end of the day when he is trying to sleep.
He is also finally settling into some good patterns. He has grown out of his midnight feeding, and most nights sleeps from around 10:30 to 4am - which gives us a decent stretch of sleep. More so for me, since Robert generally takes that middle of the night feeding, and I get up with him at 6am or so and stay awake to feed him and play with him.
The other life changing moment for us was when he started playing with the toys attached to his bouncy chair. All of a sudden, the chair was no longer just a safe restrained location, but also a developmental tool. Gone were the times of me using the chair to just take a quick shower, now we are in the land of play, where he enjoys his time much more. He is also enjoying bath time much more now that we have moved from sponge baths to immersion baths. The first real bath took some adjusting, but ever since, he has shown that he does enjoy the warm water.
I haven't quite forgotten the first month (as people say you do), but the really hard time of those first few weeks is starting to seem like such a short time in comparison to the fun we've had with him this last month or so. I find it highly unfortunate that around the time you really get the hang of taking care of your infant, it is time to go back to work. That said, I still think that the first month or so was the hardest thing I've ever done. It didn't help that I had a c-section and TWO instances of pregnancy rash after delivery. Yes, you heard right, pregnancy rash. ALL OVER - head to toe. And, it wasn't just a few hives here and there...the hives merged and joined together to become their own large islands of rash.
We started Casey in daycare for 1/2 days this week. By Friday, he was back to his normal napping routine, and seems to enjoy himself there. We shall see how next week goes, when we move to full time. I am very sad to not have him to myself all day long anymore. It's definitely been hard dropping him off and going to kill time before I go back to pick him up, since I wish I could just play with him all day. But, I know the importance of transition time, and know that I just can't drop him off the first day I go back to work for a full day. Next week, I will kill time by cleaning the house, doing projects and getting a haircut. It will be the first time in 3 months that I have had entire days to myself without the baby. I'm not sure what I will do.
Well, I am off to feed the little man and tuck him in for the night. Hopefully, we will get a good night sleep! The next post will include pictures, I promise.
I think my biggest observation about new parenting is that the learning curve just sucks. Because no matter how much your friends try and tell you, they just can't remember everything you may need to know. Invariably, you learn the tricks people have forgotten far too late to put them to good use as much as possible. For example: I never realized the sheer genius of the FLOOR. It took me until about week 7 or 8 to realize that when you have a fussy baby who is kicking in your arms, it just means that he wants to exercise. And, at this age, if you put him on the floor, he isn't going anywhere...you just have to make sure you are supervising. Had I only known - oh the hours of frustration for both of us that could have been solved by some good floor time! And, now, it's almost too late! Casey has started to roll over from his tummy to his back, so I'm sure my days of him staying in one place on the floor are soon over. But, it's very exciting to watch him roll away!
He is also smiling all the time. It is nice to have a happy baby most of the time, to make up for the meltdowns that invariably happen towards the end of the day when he is trying to sleep.
He is also finally settling into some good patterns. He has grown out of his midnight feeding, and most nights sleeps from around 10:30 to 4am - which gives us a decent stretch of sleep. More so for me, since Robert generally takes that middle of the night feeding, and I get up with him at 6am or so and stay awake to feed him and play with him.
The other life changing moment for us was when he started playing with the toys attached to his bouncy chair. All of a sudden, the chair was no longer just a safe restrained location, but also a developmental tool. Gone were the times of me using the chair to just take a quick shower, now we are in the land of play, where he enjoys his time much more. He is also enjoying bath time much more now that we have moved from sponge baths to immersion baths. The first real bath took some adjusting, but ever since, he has shown that he does enjoy the warm water.
I haven't quite forgotten the first month (as people say you do), but the really hard time of those first few weeks is starting to seem like such a short time in comparison to the fun we've had with him this last month or so. I find it highly unfortunate that around the time you really get the hang of taking care of your infant, it is time to go back to work. That said, I still think that the first month or so was the hardest thing I've ever done. It didn't help that I had a c-section and TWO instances of pregnancy rash after delivery. Yes, you heard right, pregnancy rash. ALL OVER - head to toe. And, it wasn't just a few hives here and there...the hives merged and joined together to become their own large islands of rash.
We started Casey in daycare for 1/2 days this week. By Friday, he was back to his normal napping routine, and seems to enjoy himself there. We shall see how next week goes, when we move to full time. I am very sad to not have him to myself all day long anymore. It's definitely been hard dropping him off and going to kill time before I go back to pick him up, since I wish I could just play with him all day. But, I know the importance of transition time, and know that I just can't drop him off the first day I go back to work for a full day. Next week, I will kill time by cleaning the house, doing projects and getting a haircut. It will be the first time in 3 months that I have had entire days to myself without the baby. I'm not sure what I will do.
Well, I am off to feed the little man and tuck him in for the night. Hopefully, we will get a good night sleep! The next post will include pictures, I promise.
Monday, November 2, 2009
and now we wait
Well, the waiting stage has officially begun. I have hit the date at which I need to start burning through vacation time at the office, so I'm officially off work. I have only taken 5.5 vacation days so far this year, so you can imagine it's been a while since I really had some time for relaxing. I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with myself.
Today, at least, I have the distraction of house cleaners being here. Yes, many of you with kids are probably laughing, since most of you got a huge burst of energy and cleaned your OWN houses. Thankfully for my husband and the pending bundle of joy and messiness, I know my limits. I imagine that even with the tremendous burst of energy I have today, I wouldn't come anywhere close to the ability level of the Molly Maids, so, here they are. Apparently it does really take over 1/2 hour to do a REALLY thorough job in the glorified powder room we call a bathroom. Who knew?
I will probably use my new found energy to bake some cookies to take to the hospital for after the baby is born. Although, fruit is still higher up on the craving list than baked goods. I had hoped that the craving would pass after a few weeks without any, but alas, as I was adding a few grapes to my chicken salad, I realized that no, in fact, it is STILL all I want. I had to stop myself before consuming the whole bag and completely spiking my blood sugar. I think we will be pre-washing the rest of the grapes to go to the hospital with us.
Speaking of which, knock on wood, we will be inducing on Thursday if we haven't had the baby by then. I think my doctors have decided to take pity on me, as we've had a few false alarms over the past two weeks. Apparently I'm one of the lucky women who feel all of the warm up contractions - isn't that special? But, that is all contingent on space availability at the hospital. Of course, everyone tells me that once you have an inducement date on the calendar, you almost always have the baby before that date. But, I am definitely starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and am totally ok if I have to hold out until Thursday. Wish us luck.
Today, at least, I have the distraction of house cleaners being here. Yes, many of you with kids are probably laughing, since most of you got a huge burst of energy and cleaned your OWN houses. Thankfully for my husband and the pending bundle of joy and messiness, I know my limits. I imagine that even with the tremendous burst of energy I have today, I wouldn't come anywhere close to the ability level of the Molly Maids, so, here they are. Apparently it does really take over 1/2 hour to do a REALLY thorough job in the glorified powder room we call a bathroom. Who knew?
I will probably use my new found energy to bake some cookies to take to the hospital for after the baby is born. Although, fruit is still higher up on the craving list than baked goods. I had hoped that the craving would pass after a few weeks without any, but alas, as I was adding a few grapes to my chicken salad, I realized that no, in fact, it is STILL all I want. I had to stop myself before consuming the whole bag and completely spiking my blood sugar. I think we will be pre-washing the rest of the grapes to go to the hospital with us.
Speaking of which, knock on wood, we will be inducing on Thursday if we haven't had the baby by then. I think my doctors have decided to take pity on me, as we've had a few false alarms over the past two weeks. Apparently I'm one of the lucky women who feel all of the warm up contractions - isn't that special? But, that is all contingent on space availability at the hospital. Of course, everyone tells me that once you have an inducement date on the calendar, you almost always have the baby before that date. But, I am definitely starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and am totally ok if I have to hold out until Thursday. Wish us luck.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
3 more weeks!
Things I have learned this week:
1. When the baby starts to drop, and moves off your stomach, all of a sudden, the diabetic diet just isn't quite enough food. And you're hungry...all...the...time. Is this what it is like to be a hungry pregnant woman?
2. One day, you feel like you have the work transition under control, and the next, you realize it's just not possible to get it all done.
3. Not everyone enjoys the internal furnace. Even when you want it to happen so you can survive 46 degree weather without buying a maternity coat.
Today's visit to the OB may be the last time we get an estimate weight before delivery. They only estimate weight every 3 weeks, so, in theory, the next wouldn't be until 39 1/2 weeks, and we can always hope our little guy will have already arrived. As of today, they estimate the baby's weight to be 6lbs even (and they generally say that the ultrasounds are +-1 pound accurate). So, still around the 30th percentile in weight, so that is a good sign!
1. When the baby starts to drop, and moves off your stomach, all of a sudden, the diabetic diet just isn't quite enough food. And you're hungry...all...the...time. Is this what it is like to be a hungry pregnant woman?
2. One day, you feel like you have the work transition under control, and the next, you realize it's just not possible to get it all done.
3. Not everyone enjoys the internal furnace. Even when you want it to happen so you can survive 46 degree weather without buying a maternity coat.
Today's visit to the OB may be the last time we get an estimate weight before delivery. They only estimate weight every 3 weeks, so, in theory, the next wouldn't be until 39 1/2 weeks, and we can always hope our little guy will have already arrived. As of today, they estimate the baby's weight to be 6lbs even (and they generally say that the ultrasounds are +-1 pound accurate). So, still around the 30th percentile in weight, so that is a good sign!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
5 weeks to go!
One of our most recent doctor appointments included a growth check session, which means they use measurements during the ultrasound to estimate the weight of the baby. Somehow, in the miracle of miracles, it is possible that we might have a Presto-sized baby in there, and not a Deal-sized baby. I’m sure that the weight estimates are not the most accurate, but as of this week, the baby is weighing in at a nice 4lbs 7oz, which puts us in the 27th percentile! Yes, you heard it, the 27th percentile. Not that this is a guarantee of a smaller baby, but it is great news for this lady, who is hoping growth continues at this pace. They only check for growth every three weeks, so it will be around the 15th of October when we get another weight estimate.
Thus far, all appears well with baby Deal. Amniotic fluid has been normal levels since about week two of treating the gestational diabetes and the weekly ultrasounds have all been normal to-date. Last week started weekly visits with BOTH doctors. Since I am on the diabetes medicine, my normal OB/GYN wants to begin fetal monitoring this week.
We finished our childbirth classes on Thursday. It is a nice relief to be done with the evening classes, as we now have some time to catch up with friends before the baby joins us. Some of the classes were better than others, but we definitely made a good list of questions to ask our doctor about our labor and delivery.
This picture was taken around 33 weeks. I’m very happy to say that these are the SAME jeans I bought when I bought my very first maternity clothes! It’s gotten colder here, so I’m happy I did actually cave and bought some maternity sweatshirts – I definitely need them!
We are debating whether or not we will be taking the laptop to the hospital to be able to post a blog entry after the delivery. Our hospital only has wi-fi in the cafeteria, not in the rooms. So, we may not be able to post something on the blog until after we get home. But, definitely check facebook, since Robert will at least have his iPod, which will allow us to post an announcement online.
Thus far, all appears well with baby Deal. Amniotic fluid has been normal levels since about week two of treating the gestational diabetes and the weekly ultrasounds have all been normal to-date. Last week started weekly visits with BOTH doctors. Since I am on the diabetes medicine, my normal OB/GYN wants to begin fetal monitoring this week.
We finished our childbirth classes on Thursday. It is a nice relief to be done with the evening classes, as we now have some time to catch up with friends before the baby joins us. Some of the classes were better than others, but we definitely made a good list of questions to ask our doctor about our labor and delivery.
This picture was taken around 33 weeks. I’m very happy to say that these are the SAME jeans I bought when I bought my very first maternity clothes! It’s gotten colder here, so I’m happy I did actually cave and bought some maternity sweatshirts – I definitely need them!
We are debating whether or not we will be taking the laptop to the hospital to be able to post a blog entry after the delivery. Our hospital only has wi-fi in the cafeteria, not in the rooms. So, we may not be able to post something on the blog until after we get home. But, definitely check facebook, since Robert will at least have his iPod, which will allow us to post an announcement online.
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