Nine Months

Dear Joey,

About three weeks ago, you turned nine months old. (I know, I know! I'm behind again.) That means you will be turning one in less than three months, and I have to start planning your birthday party now. Yes, mom is a planner, and the thing I love planning most is parties. OK, but I'm getting ahead of myself here... back to month nine!

You had a well check with Dr. M, and you were 19lbs, 7ozs and 28 inches long. You have grown almost 10 inches since you were born - that is just amazing to me - and you seem to grow bigger every single day. Sometimes, you wake up in the morning, and I do not see the same baby I put to bed the night before. As of today, you have 6 teeth (when you turned 9 months though, you had 5 and the 6th was working its way out). You are doing surprisingly well with teething, and it doesn't really seem to be upsetting your nighttime sleep too much.


It seems like the older you get, the faster time moves. Every day, you are less like a baby, and more like a little boy. The way you interact with the people around you is changing - you participate (or want to participate) in every activity more, you flirt or play peek-a-boo with anyone that will look your way at the grocery store, and you want to do just about everything all by yourself! You explore everything you can get your hands on, which means we have started to child-proof the house. For the most part, we have left the cabinets unlocked (except for the one where the trash is, and the one where mom's breakables are). You are still trying to climb everything, and you make daddy walk you around the house any chance you get.


Some very exciting things happened during your 9th month. You finally got to meet your Uncle Ray (daddy's brother) and you absolutely adore him - and although he might not admit it, I think the feeling is mutual! It was very special for you to meet Uncle Ray because he is in the Army, and we don't get to see him nearly often enough. In just a few days, he will be heading to Germany for three years! He is very excited to go, and we can't wait to hear his stories - you will come to find out that Uncle Ray is a great story teller (although I hope he doesn't tell you some of his stories until you are much, much older!).


You also had your first Christmas. You got lots of fun things to play with - walk-behind/ride-on toys, a train, a car and truck, a teddy bear, some new clothes... I know I'm missing something here! Basically, you were absolutely spoiled. But the part you enjoyed the most? Tearing and eating wrapping paper and climbing on and into boxes. Yep, we can definitely say with confidence that you are totally normal! You were so tired out from all the festivities, you slept until almost 9:00 the day after - the latest you have ever slept. Uncle Ben, Auntie Alli and little Ricky came down to visit for Christmas, too. You were quite interested in your little cousin, and we spent a lot of time telling you, "Gentle! Be gentle with Ricky!" It was so much fun to see the two of you together, and I know as you both grow older, it will be even more fun.






You are starting to communicate with us more, and although your main method of telling us you need something is to yell or cry, you have started to wave, you say "ba ba" when I ask if you want a bottle, and sometimes you say Dada (although we're not sure if you know what you're saying, or if it's just another sound to you). You have started to try to blow raspberries on us, just like we do to your belly or cheeks - sometimes you get it, and sometimes you succeed in covering us in drool - either way, it is pretty funny. You also make this "rrrrrrrr" sound - I don't really know how to describe it. Basically like you are rolling an 'R', but you have different pitches that you make when you are either upset or happy.


You are trying more and more new foods, and lately all you want is whatever we are eating. Some of the things you like are actually kind of surprising to me - asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower. Thinking about feeding you has made me start to think harder about what I feed daddy and I, too. If I don't want it to go in your body, maybe it shouldn't go in mine either. (Although completely saying goodbye to chocolate and other occasional indulgences may prove to be pretty difficult!) You love watermelon, cheese, Cheerios, pasta... anything you can feed yourself, really!

(Not really your 1st St. Patty's Day - Grandma just got that on sale)

It is getting more and more difficult to bring you to work with me during the week - you are very active, and it is just not safe for you to crawl around the shop. You get very frustrated with this, and some days I seem to spend more time distracting you than working. I struggle on a daily basis with what to do about it. Daddy and I have talked about putting you in daycare a couple days a week so that I can get my work done, and you can have some time to interact with other kids (something you don't get nearly enough of, and I know you would definitely enjoy). But it is hard to think of someone else taking care of you, or me missing anything new that you do - like saying "Mama" or taking your first steps. We have also talked about me working more from home, and although grandpa would miss seeing you at work every day, this is probably going to be our best option for now. You take better naps when you are at home and in your own bed, which means you are happier, and you sleep better at night (which means daddy and I are happier, too!). Whatever decision we make, rest assured that we will have thought long and hard about it, and we will always have your best interest in mind to make sure you are safe, happy and receiving the best care possible.


I know I've said it before, but you really are an amazing little person. We love you so much, and I am so happy that I get to be your mom.

Love,
Mom

Eight Months

Dear Joey,

About two weeks ago, you turned eight months old. I know, I'm behind again! But you have been keeping me so busy, it's hard to find time to write - and, to be honest, lately when I do have time to write, I usually just want to relax and do nothing - seriously, chasing you around the house is hard work!

At the beginning of the month, you moved from novice crawler to certified pro in the matter of a weekend. And, since then, your goal in life is to crawl to anything and everything you can pull yourself up to standing on. Inevitably, this has led to a number of tumbles, and thankfully your falls scare you more than anything else. But, you are a boy through and through, and these falls have not kept you from exploring (and even trying to climb - much to my dismay!)



You have been spending each Friday with daddy, and I think it has been great for both of you (and me - since you have become mobile, it's a little more difficult to keep you occupied at the shop!) When I get home from work, daddy tells me all about your day together. It usually involves lots of laps around our island - this is one of your favorite things to do, walk while daddy holds your hands - perhaps a walk around the neighborhood (this one you take in your stroller), cartoons, games of airplane, and hopefully a couple of naps - which daddy has become quite good at getting you to take! You are excited to see me when I get home at the end of the day, but daddy is definitely still your favorite person!


In the middle of the month, daddy and I took a Thursday trip to the Bay Area to watch the 49ers beat the Bears, and you stayed with grandma and grandpa. When we got back, my friends from college were in town, and I spent the weekend with them in Cayucos. Daddy took you back to grandma and grandpa's house on Saturday so he could go visit his friends in the Valley, and they brought you over to Cayucos to meet all your "aunties." When they left with you, I was so sad! I couldn't believe how much I missed you! I felt like I was missing out on all sorts of things you were doing. But I knew you were in good hands, and you were having a ball hanging out with grandma and grandpa and Ruby dog.

You spent your first Thanksgiving at uncle Ben and auntie Alli's house, and you were quite interested in your cousin Ricky, and their dog, Izzie. Unfortunately, Izzie was quite interested in your puppy sucker. She swiped him off of a side table and chewed up the pacifier. Thank goodness she left puppy alone, but mommy didn't bring a back-up pacifier to replace the one that was now in Izzie's belly. I didn't realize just how much of a comfort it was to you until we got back to the hotel that night. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep! We went back to Ben and Alli's house on Friday morning, and you fell asleep in the car. We stopped at Rite-Aid, and I bought the last pack of Soothie pacifiers they had. You napped for about three hours (no surprise considering how little sleep you got on Thursday night), and I sewed a new pacifier onto your puppy while you slept. When you finally woke up, I brought it to you, and your face lit up. You were so happy to have puppy back, and intact!



Some of your favorite things these days are your sippy cup, Cheerios (some days, you won't eat any breakfast unless you get some Cheerios with it), banging on things with your hands or toys, looking at the baby in the mirror (every time daddy walks you by the mirror in the kitchen, you crack up when you see the "other baby"), making raspberries or "rrrrrrrr" sounds, hugs and kisses, and peek-a-boo. You still don't mind riding in the car, but sometimes you want nothing to do with being strapped in your carseat. You are also becoming quite a picky eater. One day you love something, and the next you want nothing to do with it - quite frustrating when I have to make you three different things for breakfast sometimes!



I realized last night, that you will be turning one in a little over three months. I can't believe it. I told daddy that I can't believe we are approaching the one year mark, and I still don't feel like I have a grasp on this whole mom thing! Unless I wake up before you do (and you are still quite an early bird, so this could mean 5am some days), it still takes me an hour and a half to get both of us ready and out the door in the morning. Some days, I feel like I have met your every need, and others, I feel like I fell far short - these are the days that are hardest for me, because I feel like you deserve the best from me every day. Just as you are growing and learning new things each day, I want you to remember that I am, too. Never forget that even if I make some mistakes along the way, I will always do my best to make them right. And never forget that I love you.

Love,
Mom

Yes, yes, I know

OK, I know I should be posting Joey's 8 month update, but... check out this contest! I mean, who wouldn't want to win this mixer??

Seven Months

Note to readers (all 2 of you!) I really did write this ten days ago, but haven't had time to go back and add pictures until today! So, without further ado, Joey's 7 month update:

Dear Joey,

About a week and a half ago, you turned seven months old. I know, I know, I've been slacking again! You had quite a month, and some exciting things happened within the last week that should probably be included in next month's update, but I just can't help myself!

At the beginning of the month, you had your first nights without mom and dad. We went out of town to spend some much needed time together for our second wedding anniversary, and grandma and grandpa came to our house to stay with you. The day that we left, I called grandma to check in, and she said, "Why are you calling? Everything is fine." You were having so much fun taking walks and hanging out with Ruby dog that I don't even think you realized we were gone. You slept well at night, and took your naps, too! When we came to pick you up at grandma and grandpa's house, you gave us the lip and started to cry! I'm not sure why, but you warmed back up to us quickly, thank goodness!



You also had one of your very first long days alone with daddy. He stayed home with you so mom could go out wine tasting with family and friends. We all met at grandma and grandpa's house that evening, and you met a bunch of new people. Everyone loved you so much! Your uncle Tommy even brought you a 49ers hat and track suit for next football season. I can't wait until it fits you!


We were positive you would start crawling before you turned seven months, but you continued to drag yourself around and do "the worm." And then you surprised us all - you pulled yourself up to standing in your co-sleeper. From that moment, there was no stopping you. You weren't even really crawling yet, and you decided you'd like to skip the whole thing and start walking! Now, when I go into your room to get you out of your crib, you are standing there waiting for me. But, last weekend you decided you just might wait on that whole walking thing a little bit longer, and you started to crawl. So, now you crawl around, and pull yourself to standing on just about anything you can get your hands on. Needless to say, you are definitely keeping me on my toes.


On October 25th, we had plans to take you to the pumpkin patch with Grandma and Grandpa, and they called to tell us Uncle Ben and Auntie Alli were going to have their baby! They headed north to be with them, but we still took you to the pumpkin patch (and took lots of pictures for them). Uncle Ben and Auntie Alli welcomed little Ricky into the world that same day, and we went to visit them on Halloween. I can just imagine the trouble you will get into fun you will have together! We also brought your Halloween costume with us, and even though it fit you OK at the beginning of the week, it just barely fit you on Halloween! Daddy thought I was torturing you, so we took it off after we snapped a few pictures. In some of them, you looked like the saddest little puppy I've ever seen! You cracked a big smile when daddy took the costume off though, so I guess he was right.


Two other big developments this month were your top teeth! I can't believe you already have four teeth. Four! And man, can you BITE!

You also decided this past month that you were done nursing. It wasn't my intention to completely wean you when daddy and I went out of town, but when we came back, you were even less interested in nursing than you had been. (You were already showing preference for a bottle before we left.) The transition to bottle feeding went better than I could have expected. I was a little afraid that I wouldn't know when or how much to feed you, but you are not shy about letting me know when you are hungry, and you are very good at stopping when you are full (you usually take the bottle, and throw it over the side of the chair!). You are becoming very independent, and sometimes you will not eat unless you get to hold the bottle yourself.

You are also trying more solid foods, and so far, we haven't found any meat that you really like to eat. I made you chicken with veggies, and you did not like it at all! But you did like Sunny Anderson's Cream of Asparagus Soup. Go figure. Perhaps I've underestimated your palate??

You are becoming a little boy before my eyes, and I want you to know that it's OK to slow down a little bit. Really, slow down!

Love,
Mom

Cheers to Two Years!

Mike and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary a couple weeks ago. Alone. No diapers. No feeding schedules. No naps (although I could have used a couple). Sleeping in. Three hours from home.

The Saturday we headed out of town, my parents came over and took over care of The Captain. After putting him down for a nap (I managed not to cry!), we headed up scenic Highway 1 and decided we would play it by ear. A whole weekend! Play it by ear! We stopped in Moss Landing and had lunch at Phil's Fish Market. We shared a big bowl of their famous cioppino, a cup of clam chowder, and fish and chips, and washed it all down with cold Blue Moons. We left Moss Landing and drove up to Santa Clara (my hometown) to check in to our hotel. We grabbed a beer at the bar, and decided to go to the movies. The movies! We went to the movies! I know, I know, romantic, but really, it's one of those things we love to do together that we haven't done since Joey was born. After the movie (we saw Surrogates, in case you were wondering) I took Mike on a tour of my old stomping grounds. I've been to his hometown a ton, but he had never really gotten the whole tour of mine. We grabbed Mexican food for dinner, and some cheap champagne before heading back to the hotel.

On Sunday we hopped in the car and headed to Santa Cruz. We walked around the old downtown area, browsed at an antique sale, had Indian food for lunch, and went hunting for CDs at Streetlight Records. Mike picked out a Janis Joplin CD for me, and I managed to find a "for promotion only" Dave Matthews set recorded on New Year's Eve 1995. Then we headed to The Boardwalk for a few games of air hockey (Mike kicked my butt!), a few laps on the bumper cars, and some saltwater taffy from Marini's - I even tried their chocolate covered bacon (it was OK - I think it would have been better if it was dipped in dark chocolate instead of milk, and if it was dipped to order).

To wrap up the weekend, we had a late dinner at Scott's Seafood in downtown San Jose. The food was great, but the company was better.

Here's to us, baby, and many, many more to come!

Why I Love Mike

Since having a baby, Mike has developed his own lexicon. Some of these terms include baby speaker (aka: baby monitor), puppy sucker (aka: WubbaNub) and puke rag (I can't remember if that's the exact term he used, but aka: burp cloth).

Last night, we were discussing his upcoming day alone with Joey. He has graciously offered to watch Joey for half a day while I go wine tasting (actually, that may deserve a "Why I Love Mike" post all its own). Anyway, I was telling him that the easiest way to get through the day would be to plan on getting absolutely nothing done. He said, "It'll be no problem, I'll just put him in his wheelchair thing, and he can watch me wash the car and stuff."

This one took me a second. I scanned around the room looking for anything that resembled a "wheelchair thing." The ExerSaucer? No. The Bumbo? No.

Ahhh, I've got it! The stroller! He'll put him in his stroller so he can sit outside and watch him wash the car. Needless to say, I got quite a laugh from this one!

Oh the Things You Need!

Photo by Katie DiSimone

My brother and sister-in-law are due any day now, and she put the feelers out for suggestions on things she'd need in the first three months after the baby arrives. Well, I figured why not share it with everyone! Here are the top 10 things I needed/wish I had when we first brought little Joey home:

1. A schedule for visitors.
When we arrived home from the hospital, my in-laws were in my driveway and ready to help in any way they could - bless their hearts. But, what I really needed when I got home was some peace and quiet to get my bearings. And when you are still trying to learn how to breast feed and your nursery is too small for a comfy chair... let's just say I wasn't jumping at the chance to whip my girls out in front of my husband's grandfather!

2. The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD.
We were about 4 months too late on this one. Mike and I watched it, last month and kept looking at each other going, "WTF! Why didn't we have this 4 months ago?? WHY??"

3. A vibrating bouncy seat and/or swing (that plugs in).
This is one of those items I put on my registry thinking, "Hmm, this is cute. Probably don't need it, but whatever." Um, I needed it. Joey slept in his bouncy seat (while I slept next to him on the couch) for, ohhh, the first 2 months of his life or so. Saved. My. Life. Oh, and I constantly worried that if I left it vibrating all night, it would scramble his brain or something. Believe me, keep the vibrations going, he's just fine. We didn't have a swing, but I think it would have been even more helpful than the bouncy seat in Joey's case. (Some babies like them, and some don't - looking back, I wish I would have gotten one, just in case) And, don't forget, if your swing is not the plug-in variety, LOTS OF BATTERIES! I swear, buy out Costco.

4. Bottles and formula (and know how to mix it).
Even if you are breast feeding. I know, I know, colostrum, yadda, yadda, yadda. My milk took forever to come in, and Joey was screaming non-stop. I finally gave in and made him a 2 oz bottle (struggling to read the instructions at 3am). He sucked it down in nothing flat, and fell fast asleep.

5. A sling or carrier that will hold a newborn (and know how to use it).
When I brought Joey home, all I had was the Bjorn, and he was too small for it. I think it would have saved a bit more of my sanity if I had been able to strap him to me and go about my day. He probably would be used to it, too. Now, it's a struggle to keep him in a carrier, unless we are out and about and he has tons of stuff to look at. I also managed to forget that I could just put him in his car seat and snap him in the stroller if I needed to get out of the house. Seriously. It didn't even cross my mind for probably the first month.

6. Lots of burp cloths.
Self explanatory.

7. My Brest Friend Nursing pillow.
This was another one that I thought I'd never need. Until I tried using my Boppy for the first week, and then took a visit to see a lactation consultant to make sure things were going OK. That was my first encounter with My Brest Friend. We actually stopped at two stores on our way home from the appointment with the consultant so I could buy one. When you have a floppy newborn (and big boobs), I found the Boppy difficult to use (actually, a flat pillow worked better). Now that Joey is bigger, I can set him on my lap with nothing, or just a flat pillow, but I still use My Brest Friend when I am at home.

8. Nursing tank tops.
I lived in these for weeks after we brought Joey home. I had purchased a couple nursing bras before he was born, but none of them fit right, and these were so comfy and convenient.

9. A Good Breast Pump (and know how it works).
When your little one is nursing like a champ at the hospital, gets home and decides to forget how those darn boobs work, the first thing you'll probably worry about is your milk supply - or your milk coming in at all - I know I did! I wish I would have bit the bullet and purchased a good electric pump, especially since I was going to be returning to work.

10. Food.
I stocked my freezer with pasta sauce a couple weeks before the baby arrived, and we had awesome family, friends and neighbors drop off food for us. One of my favorite things: Meghan brought us some chicken pasta salad that we could eat cold and on the run. Seriously, best thing I ever ate. I crave it to this day.

OK, those are my top 10... anyone else? Anything to add or echo? What did you need or wish you had when you first brought your little one home?