Friendship Award

Somehow i discovered Julia's blog, Our Simple Life, and we're now blogosphere friends i guess you'd call it. Her blog documents all the random crazy acts of her kids, the fun stuff of her life on acreage in california and other funny, interesting posts! check it out if you have a chance! She passed the friendship award onto me (thanks Julia!) and i'm finally getting around to passing it on myself!



It is the Friendship Award which means:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to bloggers who must choose more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

So I pass this award on to these friends that I know thru blogging:
1. Michelle at My life
2. Vicki at Sanfords on the Move
3. Mountain Woman at Red Pine Mountain
4. Shari at The Daily Hammond

Okay, so the first two i don't know JUST thru blogging but, most of the people i blog with i know thru other connections like my friend michelle and my sister vicki! but we're also blogging friends so i figured it works. And i definitely feel we're even closer because we're able to keep up with each other online in the midst of distance and busy lives. And the last two i did meet online and love following up with them when i get a chance! Thanks for the award Julia. I definitely enjoy our online chats!!

The Latest

sometimes i get into posting pictures and forget to write down what the kid is actually doing. there are so many little things (and big stuff too) that i need to jot down for even myself because i know it will go so fast i'll easily forget!

Ticklish. The dr said it takes a few months for this to 'kick in' on a baby and with the kid, its definitely kicked in. he is SO incredibly ticklish which we find great fun and so does he. when he gets a little fussy i sometimes tickle him to cheer him up. sometimes this works. and sometimes it does. and when it doesn't, he still laughs while also crying. and then gets a puzzled look like, why am i laughing? i'm sad! he must get this ticklish trait from husband. i'm ticklish but husband is incredibly ticklish all over!

Bouncing. He started this while sitting on our bed one day. I place him in the middle while i clean up, get dressed, brush teeth, etc. and he realized if he pushs with his legs/feet a little bit, it will bounce his butt. so he's a fulltime bouncer now. on our bed or in his crib, he immediately gets to bouncing! and he also does it while on the floor or his mat in the kitchen but tires of it faster in those spots without the springs underneath to make it more fun. he also has realized he can move forward a bit by doing this and reach something a little easier. Smart cookie!

Illnesses. Since starting daycare, he's often got some cold like symptoms, ie runny nose, cough. But recently its been a bit more serious like a high fever and a viral infection, which resulted in a rash. yikes. He was diagnosed with his first ear infection on monday, Feb 2:( He was very fussy over the weekend. we knew he had a viral infection but thought it had run its course. apparently not and it was back to the doctor. husband took the day off to be with him and take him to his appointment. He's on the mend now.

Reaching. Not only is he reaching for anything in site, he is so easily distracted by something he wants too. while nursing, if he spots to tv remote, my cell phone, house phone, the dog, he's popping his head up and going for it! Makes nursing a bit more challenging! He's also reaching for what he wants and falling over himself to get it. he's had a few face plants, yikes! i feel really badly but he was uninjured and its bound to happen as he begins to explore and try to be more mobile. Oh and he loves to reach for the dogs. nelly specifically because she always right there. sammy's tail was wagging near the kid just yesterday and he was reaching but the tail kept moving. he just couldn't get it!! I promptly told him no of course, to which he grinned and tried again. at what point do i start discipline? ha. i thought now but it does NOT seem to register. well see!

Sleep. we have good nights and bad nights. a good night he goes to bed and is asleep by 8pm. he sleeps soundly till 1am, where he wakes up, nurses, then back to bed till 7:15am. a bad night, he goes to bed easily at 8 (always) and is up again at 10, midnight, then usually again around 3:30. These days its hit and miss. a few good nights and we think we've turned the corner. then wham, bad nights resume. but hey, its better than all bad!

Eating. until recently he ate whatever i gave him. but a week or so ago, he refused a food for the first time. Peas. he'd had them before but somehow, someway, he decided, No, i don't want peas! mouth shut. head turned. he looked back at me. i put the spoon back on his lips, again. he grunts, puts his chin to his chest as if to say, I said NO mom. fine. so yet another banana. he loves bananas.

Teething. Still JUST teething. sigh. no teeth. not that i'm desperate for him to have chompers. but desperate for teething to be over. its been making his nights so restless. so for his sake (and yes, my own too!) we hope the first one or two come through very soon!!

Crawling. Nope. still just rolling around and bouncing. he will spend a brief amount of time on his belly and then plp - roll onto his back or side. He just seems content with these things so we aren't concerned. and still enjoying him being stationary! not chasing him all over the house. we realize its a whole new ballgame when he becomes mobile and thankfully we aren't there yet.

Communication. He's always done this wrist thing. I've thought about how to explain it but really can't. he flips his wrists up and down is the best i can explain. but now he does this and makes an "uh uh uh" sound. not crying just a slight whine noise maybe. its become his communication to say many things: pick me up, i'm done being in my high chair, i'm tired, i'm excited, and if he's staring and something and doing it, it means, hand me that! so we are usually able to figure it out haha... i do a few signs with him (all done, eat, kiss, milk) but they seem to go in one eye and out the other.

Around We Go Activity Center. He has this activity center that he plays in (i'll try to post a pic at some point) that he loves. there is a seat he stands in that can go around the center base where the play pieces are. so he can walk himself around this circle. when we first got it, months ago, he could barely reach the play pieces in the middle. had no idea how to walk around it or even turn the seat. But now, he is a rockstar in this thing! he often does laps around it for fun. and stops and turns to the middle and plays with the piano. the fish. the boat and anchor set. chews on whatever he can. yesterday, i sat by the coffee table near it, and he was on the other side playing with the fish. he saw me sit down, immediately walked around to my side to see me. and grinned. Too Cute.

Vaccines - i've gotten a few emails from a few of you wanting to know what vaccines we have gotten thus far and what we will do in the future. i'll try to post that this weekend if possible.

Photography Class

Husband is taking his second photography class at West Chester U this spring and project one he decided to do the kid in black/white pictures with a black backdrop. We have horrible lighting in the house so i was light holder, baby mover, baby poser, and balancer ha. husband was photographer. I guess my job was easier but sure didn't seem so:) at 8 months old the kid is mighty fiesty! nevertheless, we got some great shots and i'm so anxious for him to do more. Three of the best are posted on this page in the sidebar and on the header. And my last favorite two are here -

The kids back....



and his cute little footsies...

thinking about it...

Not crawling yet but seriously considering it - see pic below!



a couple other new things - if you don't like to talk poop, stop reading - otherwise continue. real poop. not runny stuff. or pasty. but real solid poop!

"Hey, come up here!" i shout.

"whats wrong?" he yells, always wary that there is a problem...

"Nothings wrong. i just thought you'd want to see something!"

"What?" he says to me upstairs, as he is downstairs. I know he doesn't want to walk those 14 steps up!

"Just get off the damn computer and walk up here for crying out loud!"

I hear him set down the laptop (i knew it!) and come slowly up, putting each foot down as if it weighs 50 lbs...

"Look, we have real poop." and i show him the diaper.

"What!! oh my gosh... hahah... " husband laughs and views the evidence.

"Kid, you're growing up!" we tell him. then we decide - photo time! Hey, why not! its another first, we must document!


A tiny little poop we know, but its still the real deal! solid as a rock. lol. he'll kill us for this later i'm sure. but when he was born, we promised him and each other to capture every little moment! haha... only upholding our promises:)

8 months old!

the kid is 8 months old now!! we can't believe it... he's eating all sorts of stuff, lunging his body to get what he wants, and expressing his little personality, which emerges more and more each day!

Reporting back on last nights sleep - he successfully slept from 8pm - 4am ! not fun at 4am but i was thrilled he made it that long! SO much better than whats been going on. Sigh of Relief. At 4am, i went to his room, nursed him, and he was back to sleep in about 15 minutes. Me - back to bed till he woke up at 7:15am. Not bad. Not bad at all.

This morning husband asked me, so what do you think helped him? the swaddle, the fan, the humidifier, the quilt, feeding him at 8pm, or??? I said - i have NO idea but i'm doing it ALL again tonight!!

8 months old on Jan 21, 2009 so a quick photoshoot in monkey jam jams with his own little monkey:)

grocery cart

Another first. yep. first real grocery cart ride. germs and all! but it was whole foods!! so, maybe organic germs? haha... anyway, first grocery cart ride this past saturday night and even though the kid was so tired (past his 8pm bedtime) he was all smiles, and stares, and fascination at the store - from a whole new perspective! and you could tell he knew, he was more free, and on his own in the top of that cart.

here we go steelers

I personally, don't really care about who wins. the world series. the super bowl. the cup something? anyway, doesn't matter to me. but husband being from western PA is a huge steelers fan. So its only fitting that the kid gets dressed in his steeler gear on game days, even steeler socks! and its a must since its the playoffs and we got together with other steeler fanatics (me not included on that fanatic part)... abram did watch the game! not because he was watching the steelers per say, but because he actually was allowed to look at the huge flatscreen tv, a big no no at home...


Hey... Hey, Cameron. Who's winning?! i can't see the score...


the games too close!! we're freaking out... !


lets just chill here... even though i'm a little suspicious of my surroundings...


YYEaa... i think we're gonna win!


on a final note, i can no longer brag or even silently enjoy! the kid being a good sleeper anymore. those days are far gone, now that i'm back to work full time of course. i went back when he turned 5 months. he was still sleeping good! around 6 1/2 months those restless nights were becoming interrupted periodically. but nothing i couldn't handle. Then during our christmas travels, his nights were very restless. and since returning home, even more so. i get up for work early - early as in 4:30am. some mornings hes up at 330am and no point in going back to bed at 4:15! anyway, to sum it up, lets just say i'm struggling. and hoping for some serious much needed rest from this. tonight i've put some advice to use up in his bedroom (ie fan on high, swaddled (again!) in warm quilt, fresh diaper, jarred food again before bed plus nursed, teething tablets, etc etc....) my fingers are crossed!! i'll report back... !