Where did the time go?

2 nights ago, my little boy said "Mama." I'm not sure if he knew what he said or even meant to look at me and say it, but I don't care. He said it! He can't take it back :) My dear husband told me later that the look on my face was priceless - utter joy and happiness - and of course that's what I felt. I also felt a tugging at my heart - this was one of many firsts that will happen in my little boy's life.

As I sat on the couch last night looking down at my little boy joyously playing with a toy, I started to think about how much he has changed since he was born. No more sleepless nights (thank you, Lord), no more 3 am feedings, no more teeny tiny clothes - there are a lot of no mores. I'm happy yet sad at the same time. His transformation is a wonderful experience, but I muse about how much has happened so quickly. It just seems like yesterday that I was sitting in the rocking chair at 2 am trying to get him back to sleep or walking endlessly through the house to calm him down from a crying spell. Now he's goes to sleep with ease and wakes happily the next morning. As he falls asleep clutching his blankie, I often stare at him just to see the little expressions change from moment to moment. He's so amazing and beautiful. I can't believe he's mine.

I bought this book at a book fair last week called "Let Me Hold You longer," by Karen Kingsbury. It chronicles the life of a mom whose little boy is growing up. I tried to read it and cried. I don't recommend this to any mom of a kid under 6 months, because it will all seem surreal. It's very emotional, but so lovingly told. She writes about how much her child has changed and the long list of "no mores" that come with a growing child. Here's an excerpt from the book. You'll see why it's a tough book for mommies to read, because it really hits home how quickly your life changes with your little one.

"Long ago you came to me, a miracle of firsts. First smiles and, teeth, and baby steps, a sunbeam on the burst. But one day you will move away and leave me in your past, and I will be left thinking of a lifetime of your lasts....The last time I held a bottle to your baby lips. The last time I picked you up and held you to my hip. The last night you woke up crying needing to be walked. When last your crawled up with your blanket waiting to be rocked."

It's a wonderful story, but a total tear jerker to a newly evolved sappy mommie. I cherish the time that I have with my little one - even the temper tantrums, spit up, and not so fresh diapers. I know that I have a finite amount of time that he will let me pick him up and cuddle, so I do it as often as he'll let me.

As a new chapter in his life unfolds - the mobility chapter - I remember when my brother looked at him when he was about 3 weeks old and said, "when is he going to do something other than just sit there in the bouncy seat, he's like a little blob," and I silently chuckle to myself... OK Uncle Chris, here comes your nephew - hope you can keep up!

Here's a picture of the little man - he loves the bathtub (and the pool). He's pulling himself up and standing. Walking is right around the corner I think. He just wants to get going - hopefully I can catch him! :)

Full Throttle

So the little man is growing like a weed, has figured out crawling and is working his way to "croozing"

and well his personality is starting, and he is a little bit of us both. Quiet and contemplative and goofy and headstrong. Which he get from whom will be up for others to decide..

Milestones

The wee man has decided that he would like to be an overachiever... instead of having one important milestone at a time, he has decided that 2 or more is a better way to go. Oh the fun filled time has just begun!

First - he has decided to crawl. At first it was just a roll around and pull kind of crawl, but now it has turned into the the "army crawl" - on stomach and pulling with arms and legs without getting off the ground. Sometimes he does the Worm - and that's entertaining. He has recently begun getting on all fours and rocking forward and backward - I often feel like he's getting ready to just take off!

Second - he's getting teeth! His first baby tooth (bottom right front) has broken the skin and the bottom left is not far behind. The little man is quite uncomfortable and doesn't know what is going on. He's a trooper, but his calm and easy demeanor has been a little off. He's whiny (as I would be too) and can't quite figure it out. I'm hoping that subsequent teeth will be a little easier on him. He eschews teeth rings, ice, frozen washcloths and frankly anything that is supposed to relieve teething pains. Thank God for Children's Motrin!

Third, he's trying to pull himself up. If we (read Daddy or Mommy) are laying on the floor on our sides, he scoots right over to us and pulls him self up to a standing position. Yikes! My house is totally not ready for a crawling and cruising (that's the term for moving from object to object while holding on). He's also just started trying to stand up in the bath tub. This leads to a struggle to wash and contain said baby. Ever tried to hold on to a wet and squirmy 23 pound baby???

We won't even talk about how difficult changing diapers has become - he doesn't want to stay on his back - instead he likes to roll over while anyone is changing his diaper or getting him dressed. Oi vey!!

More pictures soon!

This is how I roll.... word!

I like to roll. I like to roll over to my left, to my right, on my back, on my tummy, and anyway I can to get me to a different place. I can start on one side of my play mat and roll several times to the other side! It's very cool. Mommy and Daddy find it a bit unsettling to find me no where near they put me 30 seconds before. It's fun and I like it! Now if I could just get the whole crawling thing going - I'd be unstoppable!

Here is a before and after picture of one of my rolling escapades!

Planes, Vans, and Luggage

So we've just returned from our vacation/goodbye/Christmas in October trip to Los Angeles, California. The wee man was a perfect angel on both the outbound and inbound flights. This was especially nice to discover since the flights were about 5 hours each way. Minimal amounts of crying - usually caused by hunger or wet diapers - were handled quite easily.

In our 5 day jaunt we: visited with family, went to an amusement park, went to a neighborhood park, went out to eat, had our photos taken professionally, played the Wii, and caused general mayhem and chaos to the Smith CA household. All in all there were 13 individuals in a 4 bedroom - 2 toilet (the third was out of order), 1 shower house. 7 children and 6 adults.

There were meltdowns, crying fits, and a few time outs, but all in all - everyone enjoyed themselves tremendously.

The wee man was able to meet all of his cousins on the Smith side at once. He did great and pulled his own weight in the cuteness factor. He did have heavy shoes to fill with his older cousins. He also was able to meet his grandfather Bob and his wife Pat.

His godmother (and aunt) was able to hold him for the first time since he was 3 days old. Boy did she get a shock! :)

Here are just some candid shots from our trip. Hope you enjoy.

Stay tuned for the next Smith family reunion - September/October 2009 - Wellington, NEW ZEALAND!











































































Top Left: Aunt Elizabeth and Cousin Michael, (Right) Grandma and Hannah
Row 2 Left: Cousins Riley and Ryan with Ciaran, (Right)Cousin Allison with Ciaran
Row 3 Left: Cousin Hannah, (Right) Daddy and Ciaran
Row 4 Middle: Ciaran and Cousin Gregor
Bottom Left: Cousin Gregor

Game Day

Uncle Chris came over to visit and we bonded today. He showed me the joys of the internet... specifically - www.espn.go.com. I was totally enthralled! I especially like the new commercials.

Baaston

I'm happy to report that the C's first plane ride was a complete success. On his way up with daddy he giggled and smiled with the other passengers. On the way home with mommy and daddy, he was asleep before we even left the tarmac!

So the Smith clan were in Boston (nee Baaston) - Mom was there for work and Dad and C came to hang out with Cousins Jay and Karen. We had a nice hotel near Fanueil Hall and were able to walk to most things around. C rode in his portable stroller and was quite content. The weather was typical New England - very breezy with sun. We had to put on the hat and coat for the wee man, but he was quite happy.

A visit to the New England Aquarium was great fun - he really liked the penguins and the turtles. I'm sure the next time we visit an aquarium will be even more fun!

We had a lovely visit with Cousins Karen and Jay on Sunday - we saw lots of chipmunks (we don't have those in MD) and lots of birds. Thanks to Karen and Jay for the wonderful hospitality.

Here are some pics of the wee man all about town :)

Leaving on a Jet Plane

So we are getting ready to take the little man on his first plane ride to Boston. Its like moving the entire Fifth Corps.

OH well it will be entertaining to say the least. Me and him flying by ourselves..

Here is a photo of him getting ready. I dont think he understands packing quite yet...

Pictures

Here are some new pictures of the wee man. He's 5.5 months old... already!

Real Food

Well the wee man is now moving on to "real" food. According to Dr. F. he is ready for new and exciting stuff. However his high hopes of gourmet meals have been dashed.
The first choice of real food was peas. Harmless right -- I would say who doesn't like peas.
I already know the answer to that question.. Aunt Teberly, Mr Kevlar and Morgan...
Well The little man has joined the list of pea haters. He makes the best face a cross between WTF and are you sure this is supposed to go into my mouth?????

Mixing it with rice cereal to mask the taste well as Aunt Teb will say still doesn't work. So we will move on to other things like carrots and sweet potatoes.....

And sneak in peas when isn't looking just like we did to Aunt Teberly....

WM has also taken to trying to grab and pull what ever dad and or mom is eating

He also tries to post to the blog when sitting on the lap of unsuspecting parents....

Later Taters

Startin' Early

The wee man experienced his first West Virginia University football game this weekend. The "Coal Bowl" took place this weekend with the Mountaineers versus the Thundering Turds ( I mean Herd) of Marshall University. Everything was fine until we scored and everyone screamed -- the loud noise really got to the little man. He freaked out and cried, but we took him upstairs away from the crowd and he was OK.

The AC was on the fritz and Uncle C's and Aunt C's house, so the "only a diaper" ensemble was appropriate! It was really hot!!

The Mounties played horrible first half, but the second half was full of touchdowns and extra points.

Here are some pics with with wee man and some WVU alum!














We'll see if he stays up to watch the 'Eers whomp the Terps :) Let's Go Mountaineers!

Why does my baby cry?

I've often pondered why my DS cries. When he was newly born, I swear he cried just to see me and my DH freak out. Oh my God, what's wrong.. Is he hurt? Did I do something wrong? I was convinced that somehow I was harming him, but I was wrong.

Nowadays it seems that I can instantly tell why he is crying. It's usually only a couple of things - and let's face it, I'd cry to if I could get away with it: Hunger, Tired, Overstimulated, and Constipated.

Let's start with hunger... a very basic need for us all. My little man has recently begun to grab the bottle and shove it anywhere near his mouth. I think it's cute. He's trying to be independent, but doesn't yet have the whole "hold the bottle with two hands by myself" thing down yet. Please note -- that if the wee one wakes from a nap or a restful night's sleep, that bottle better be ready and waiting! Otherwise - he will scream bloody murder. Most of the time I just giggle at him - course that makes him madder!

Ok - we all get cranky when we are tired. I don't care if you are 5 months or 50 years old, no one likes to be tired. However, with a little one, it's a little different. When babies get tired they will usually give you some warning signs like rubbing eyes, or ears, or yawning (duh), but sometimes we grown ups miss these signs and the sweet cherubic smile becomes a demonic howl. Usually, the best thing to do is hold them close to you and just move (i.e. rock, sway, any kind of walking around). This usually works, but not always.

On to overstimulated... Most people (read non parents) don't realize that babies can get overstimulated quite quickly in some situations. Usually, this happens when a baby is around new people, sounds, and environments. Case in point -- Dear Brother and Sister-in-Law agreed to babysit DS so that mommy and daddy could go on a date. I know, imagine it! When DS was dropped off to auntie and uncle he was mostly content, but still rather peeved that we had been in the car (and car seat) most of the day. So hubby and I leave bouncing baby boy in a house that he had never been to and with people he'd never seen before. Now I should have prefaced the story to say that my brother told me the night before that I was dropping C off at his friends house who was having a BBQ and that they would bring C over to their house later in the afternoon. I didn't think this was a good idea, but I had no choice as we already had purchased concert tickets and I had no other babysitter at the time. This may not end well I thought to myself.

So in true overstimulated baby land fashion - the little man wailed for about 3 hours. By the time we returned to pick C up, both Aunt and Uncle were completely zonked on the couch. I looked around and finally found little C slouched in his carrier car seat sans clothes (only wearing a diaper) with a large blanket draped over the car seat. Aunt and Uncle just kept muttering.... "he wouldn't stop crying, he wouldn't stop crying." I think they have recovered and may entertain the idea of babysitting again, but hopefully it will only take place in one location and will be in surroundings that he knows.

This leads me to the last topic: constipation. This is often a source of parental woe with a newborn. Your life revolves around poo: when, where, how much, consistency (yes, I just wrote that). So when your little darling has a problem with the poo - it becomes your life's work to get him or her to go "numero dos." While trying to figure out what was agitating my dear son's system, we were faced with some pretty heinous evenings that included the "rocket" (aka glycerin suppository) to facilitate a happy ending. Yes, I know it's gross, but sometimes you gotta do what it necessary to provide relief! Failure to provide relief leads to to a VERY unhappy baby.

So all in all, we can usually figure out why the wee man is crying and resolve the matter quickly. I often laugh to myself and look back on the months that have passed since he was born. We were so inept initially - I know it's a test and I think we've passed so far. We've got a long way to go, but it sure is going fast!

5 Month Update

Today, the little man is 4.99 months old. He will officially turn 5 months old tomorrow at 9:54 pm. (Just to be precise).

We went to the Dr. for some more shots on Friday. I decided to space out the shots instead of doing them once every couple of months. This allows the little one to not be so overwhelmed with all of the shots that he has to have these days, but it also gives me some piece of mind - I get to see the Nurse Practicioner or the Dr. too! Being my usual over obsessed self, I'm worried about weight, height, health, poop, and his sensitive skin.

So the poop front I think has resolved itself. He's been on a new formula - Good Start Soy - for about 2 weeks and doing great. Did I mention that I'm feeding him the premixed liquid stuff and it's still cheaper than the hypo-allergenic powder that I was buying previously? I'm loving that! He's eating (and sometimes drinking) his prunes everyday and still enjoying them, so I can't complain.

We both came to an agreement that he just has sensitive skin with some eczema mixed in for good measure. Although the allergist is convinced that he's allergic to cats, my Dr. is not so sure. The kitties are still in kitty prison in the basement, but they may not have to stay there forever.

Everything else is good with him. He's 28 inches long and 19.6 pounds. Yes, you read that right - just shy of 20 pounds and he's just 5 months. At first I was worried that he was a little pudgy, but that's just it - he's not. He's already in 6-9 month clothing, but he's so tall that the 3-6 month clothes are too short. He's a big little guy :)

He currently enjoys rolling over, drooling, and putting everything in his mouth. Lately, he's been making these high pitched screams for what it seems like hours on end - usually resulting in him throwing up... oh the joys :)

We are going to Oma and Opa's house on Friday with Grandma Mary Beth. It should be a fun and hopefully relaxing weekend! Stay tuned for more!

MMMMM... Food

So the little man had his first taste of real food. His first meal consisted of mashed bananas. We then moved on to rice cereal, which proved disastrous, as it caused a massive stoppage of the lower GI. Ewwwwww.

We are off the rice for now - instead we are eating (and drinking) prunes. Your Spanish words for the day : cireula pasa (prunes)

He's got the "moving food from front to back" down and doesn't really spit it out - unless of course he doesn't want any more. We go to the Dr. on Friday for shots and a check up. I'm betting on the 20 pound mark for him - jeez!

Here are some amusing pictures of the "eating" process. Note the many different bibs used in the pictures! :)





















Here are some interaction shot with friends:

Ciaran Meet Tiernan (Age 1), Tiernan Meet Ciaran










Ciaran and Emily (5 months)

My Trip to the Beach

It's been a couple of days and I have recovered from my trip to the beach. It was relaxing and just what the whole family needed! We all piled in a car and headed across the Bay Bridge into Eastern Maryland. I had my first look at the Atlantic Ocean. And in 2 months, I get to see the Pacific Ocean, too!

Aunt Jaime carried me around for a while in the carrier - so it was a great break for mommy and daddy! :)

Here are some pics of me at the beach!

More of that cool video stuff

check out the wee man...

No mom - I don't want to do that again!

Yesterday was another fun-filled day with my darling newborn. We went to to see an allergist. The wee man had a red and dry rash on the backs of his legs, elbows and tummy. Our pediatrician saw him last week for his 4 month appointment and was a little concerned.

So off we went to the allergy doc - she was very nice - even though she was going to make my dear one cry. She took a thorough health history - I say that grinning since he's only 3.95 months old - and included us in the history.

He was examined by 3 doctors (I knew he was special and deserved it :) and all 3 concluded that he most probably had an allergy to milk. Next steps - test for allergy. Normally that wouldn't be too difficult, however, da wee man is a wee one. The scratch test (and yes, they really do scratch him to inject the allergen) was performed to include dairy, egg yolks, and egg whites. They marked on him with a SHARPIE! My little one was tough, but he still cried. I thought that was the worst part... I was wrong.

The test came back negative, but I was informed that "false negatives" often occur in babies. So why the H*ll did you just do that AND make him cry if you thought it would be negative. SO then they had to draw blood for another test. Blood - from my baby - you must be joking. And you want me to hold him down whilst you are doing it... you are insane.

But I did - and he survived. He only whimpered a little. Kudos to the wonderful nurse who did it. She was a pro and used a different technique than I had seen before. She was very gentle. We go back in month to see the results.

In the meantime, I can't eat any dairy for 2 weeks and then no eggs for 2 weeks. This ought to be fun - I live for cheese! If it will make my little one better, its a small sacrifice to make. I brought him home to our amazing nanny who scooped him up and gave him the TLC he needed. Stay tuned.

Here are a couple of more recent pics. Did I mention I melt when he smiles. Oh --- and I think he laughed :)

PS - Our nanny loves to dress him up!

New toy

I'll figure this thing out one way or the other...

Guess what I found...

My foot... I can't find it all the time but I found it... Now if I could just figure out how to get it into my mouth.. hmmm that gives me an idea for later...

Wee man can now use his jumper roo? photos to follow..

Someone else to drool on

So it's been one week since I returned to work full time. Each day gets easier and easier, but my heart still aches when I leave my little man behind. Our nanny is wonderful and loves our little one as he was one of her own. Thank goodness I found someone like her.

I have a wonderful calm feeling when she arrives in the morning and my little man gives her a giant toothless grin. As I kiss him goodbye and walk out the door, I often think to myself that he doesn't even know that I'm gone. He truly is unaware. I'm sure that its harder on me that it is on him. For 3 months I was the only woman in his life (aside from grandmas and visitors) and now he has another woman in his life.

I'm sure every mommy feels this way - but it still hurts a bit.

I can say, though, that the best thing in the world is seeing that toothless grin when I walk in
the door after work.


Here are some more pictures for your amusement...

Avast Ye Scurvy Dawgs...

Boating

One new experience down a million more to go...

Luckily for us, the wee man is calm.

Some friends have a boat and well this past weekend the whole Team took a trip. Well it is summer in the Southeast of the country and it is just damn hot... I think it was like 99 - 100. The wee man did complain about the heat. But then again I think everyone did.

We just kept everyone hydrated and cool.

Wake and turbulence... no problem...

In fact one time the Mrs. was hanging on and the wee man was just giggling up a storm. I guess that lack of fear is a good thing..

I doubt I will say that when he builds a home made catapult or trebuchet...

And just to make sure that the grandmas wouldn't worry he was well covered and protected from the sun..

The Return

For weeks I was in denial that I was going back to work. After all -- my little boy is so much fun now - why on earth would I go back to work? I mean let's face it, he still throws up, poops, and pees one me, but now he also smiles, giggles, coos, and is starting to sit up.

This past week has been like a ticking time bomb. So on Monday when our dear nanny came for her "trial period", I was still in denial. The trial was a joke, because she knew what she was doing already. It was really just a reassurance to me that she could do the job. Of course, she was wonderful and my dear boy loved her. Every time I would pass the refrigerator with the calendar, my heart would get heavy. Could I do it? Would I be a basket case? Would I survive?

The answer to all of the questions is yes. I won't say that it was easy. In fact it was the hardest thing I've had to do. I cried a lot leading up to today. So this morning my little boy awoke at 4 am for his feeding and again at 5:30. Instead of being bleary eyed, I was wide awake and took notice of everything about my sweet one. His new hair, chubby legs and wrists, bright blue eyes and a big smile when I lifted him out of the crib.

I hopped in the shower at 6 and was shockingly ready at 6:30. I took my sweet boy from his daddy's arms and didn't let go of him until the nanny arrived at 7. I put on my brave face and drove to work. And then I cried.. out loud and profusely for about a half an hour.

At 10:30, my nanny's dear daughter called to report that everything was OK and my little one was napping. I was relieved and happy.

I've still had a couple of moments where the tears have welled up, but I'm OK. I just can't wait to get home. The minutes are ticking by slowly.

I'm very lucky to have a wonderful husband and wonderful friends and wonderful family members who are so supportive. Kind words and reassurance are what new mommies need to hear. I'm just glad that I have that.

More pics tonight I hope, but not until I've spent the remainder of my little one's waking hours today.

21st Century

With the wee man having more of a personality, I have dug out that high tech device...
the video camera... and be patient I Just uploaded the video to U-toob...

Da Wee Man

Da wee man is not so wee anymore. He went for some more shots today and he weighed in at 14 pounds! He's almost doubled his birth weight in 3 months. He's doing pretty good today, but I have a feeling that the magic drops are going to make an appearance later today (aka Tylenol).

We had a very nice Father's Day. Ciaran bought daddy a Wii :) We all played Super Mario Brothers together and remembered the good ol' days.

So for Father's Day, we surprised daddy with a photo. Here are some of the shots from his first shoot. He worked it!

Thank Goodness

So the wee man had his second visit with the cardiologist. And good news, the PDA (not that kind) that he had has cleared up..

But his ASD is still there

but the doctor is not worried about it. He acts and looks healthy and the situation has not gotten any worse so instead of visits every month its now six months away -- which is a good sign.
Nature will probably take care of it and we will think back on it and laugh.

2.5 months later it still seems sort of unreal.

Although the smile tends to light up your world and totally knows how to make sure people see it...

The clothes (and shoes) for Summer

My little boy is 2 months old and I still can't figure out where the time went. Then again - living in 3 hour increments can make time seem irrelevant. He's sleeping much better now and he actually slept the whole night last night! It was glorious!!

We spend our days walking, talking (well I talk to him and he gurgles or throws up), visiting with friends, running errands, and napping. He naps, I try and do the 10,000 things that are on my to do list. I feel triumphant if I get one or two things done.

So I went for some retail therapy with a dear friend of mine who has a 19 month old. And for the first time in a long time, I didn't by anything for myself. I personally don't count lunch as a purchase for me. Instead, the majority of my purchases were for the little one. I was very proud of myself for buying up (IE buying what was on sale in larger sizes for next season) and finding some great bargains. It's very important to have variety, since one outfit can sometimes only last 15 minutes. Accidents happen, you know...

Here are some new photos of the boy. He had his 2 month check up today - weighing in at a whopping 12.2 pounds and 24.75 inches long!!

Check out the outfits people!

Check out my shoes!

I love to smile!