Sully's first Halloween! We enjoyed some pictures at the pumpkin patch by our house and got our little pumpkin his first little pumpkin. This time last year all our neighbors were finding out I was pregnant around our annual Halloween-driveway-bonfire-thingy we've done for years. I wasn't drinking thanks to this little guy making me look mighty suspicious!
10.30.2009
10.18.2009
If I had my child to raise all over again
A co-worker gave this to me. Thought I'd share and pass it along.
"If I had my child to raise all over again
I'd build self esteem first, and the house later.
I'd finger paint more and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off the watch and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less and know to care more.
I'd take hikes and fly more kites.
Id stop playing serious and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often.
I'd model less about the love of power -
And more about the power of love."
Diana Loomans
10.16.2009
Well 'whadda ya know
Quite a few months back, an old friend found me on facebook. She was one of the closest friends in High School and one of my bridesmaid when I got married. We lost touch over the years - life, distance, college - all being the usual culprits they can be in these kinds of situations.
This past Thursday Sully and I went to visit them. Ironically we live really close to each other again, right up the street practically from where I've been working the past 5 years. Our visit a couple months ago was quick and short - a spur of the moment in-the-area kind of deal. This time however we got to visit and catch up over our kiddos playing with each other on the floor.
I was reminded how nice it is to have friends that knew you way back when. And even though it had been years since we had seen each other, it almost was like we picked right back off where we started - talking, laughing, joking and making dinner plans with our significant others in the near future. Even though so much has changed n our lives, our experiences, part of me felt like that high school kid again, and it was nice.
Her daughter is a little over a year old. She is a beautiful, witty little girl that Sully really seems to take to. She runs circles around him, and he loves it. She was born with a rare genetic condition and we talked about all the struggles they've faced since her birth. This stubborn strong willed girl I knew as a kid is now a strong willed Mama, facing this adversity in their life head on and with such grace - I'm taken aback by it at times. My mom had made the comment how horrible the situation must be for them - my response - I couldn't imagine anybody better for this little girl to have as a mommy. She's a tough cookie, strong in her faith and her convictions.
I'm looking forward to future play dates and continuing to pick up where we left off. I thought back to high school and us driving around in my moms old beat up convertible, getting lost just for the hell of it to see if we could find our way back.
We found out then -which still holds true even now - no matter where you go, you can always find a road that will lead you back to home.
Ain't it funny how life works?
This past Thursday Sully and I went to visit them. Ironically we live really close to each other again, right up the street practically from where I've been working the past 5 years. Our visit a couple months ago was quick and short - a spur of the moment in-the-area kind of deal. This time however we got to visit and catch up over our kiddos playing with each other on the floor.
I was reminded how nice it is to have friends that knew you way back when. And even though it had been years since we had seen each other, it almost was like we picked right back off where we started - talking, laughing, joking and making dinner plans with our significant others in the near future. Even though so much has changed n our lives, our experiences, part of me felt like that high school kid again, and it was nice.
Her daughter is a little over a year old. She is a beautiful, witty little girl that Sully really seems to take to. She runs circles around him, and he loves it. She was born with a rare genetic condition and we talked about all the struggles they've faced since her birth. This stubborn strong willed girl I knew as a kid is now a strong willed Mama, facing this adversity in their life head on and with such grace - I'm taken aback by it at times. My mom had made the comment how horrible the situation must be for them - my response - I couldn't imagine anybody better for this little girl to have as a mommy. She's a tough cookie, strong in her faith and her convictions.
I'm looking forward to future play dates and continuing to pick up where we left off. I thought back to high school and us driving around in my moms old beat up convertible, getting lost just for the hell of it to see if we could find our way back.
We found out then -which still holds true even now - no matter where you go, you can always find a road that will lead you back to home.
Ain't it funny how life works?
10.06.2009
Firsts
So this month we've had a lot of firsts.
Sully can drink out of a sippy cup, has started stage 2 foods and has cut his first tooth, followed by a second tooth that cut two days later. He is officially sitting up on his own too - reaching and balancing without falling. He's now upgraded to a big boy car seat, and tomorrow we will be lowering his crib mattress because hes too tall, too strong and too smart. As it is when he doesn't want to sleep he rolls onto his tummy and scoots to his bumper and pulls it down to peer and scream at you through the slots. I've already found him once with his hand on the top rail - and all I can vision is him pulling himself up (which he can do) and somehow landing on the other side of the not very soft potentially brain damaging floor.He's working on getting up on all fours and doing the baby bounce - choosing to work on this instead of army scooting these days. He can however crawl backwards, go figure.
He's also started to throw tantrums. Yes, tantrums. When he gets angry he yells, usually followed by a toy flying across the kitchen, or a fist and grunt on his highchair. Too bad he's just too stinkin' cute when he attempts to be angry and all any of us can usually do is laugh. Not directly at him, but you know, behind his back where he can't see.
It will be his first Halloween. (He's going to be a monkey!) It will also be the first time seeing his Grandpa Johnny and Grandma Helen since he was a month old. They're going to be shocked! Meme bought him his first kid laptop, opting for a real laptop instead of a baby toy plushie. Don't ask - he's spoiled, we know this. He has a weird obsession with laptops - opting for them over any other toy in view. And to think I was going to just give him an old keyboard to bang on - what could I possibly be thinking to not consider a real computer for a baby? The horror.
He weighs approximately 19.3 lbs and is 28 inches long. He's wearing 6-9 month clothes now, with the exception of his pants. He still fits his 3 month pants, but they look like man capris on the poor guy, so we've settled on 6 month pants and just roll them down.
He reaches for people he wants, usually followed with a grunt or whine and cries at strangers now. We're aiming to hit up his first Kings game this November since October is proving to be quite the busy month for us - finally break in his baby jersey. We're excited since the last game we attended together was when I was 8 months pregnant or so.
We spent the day with Aunt Sami down at the Highland Games at Seaside in Ventura and did a little shopping. Next weekend we're going to Underwood Farms with Sully's Aunt Sami, Meme, Papa and Nana Cathy to pick up his first Halloween pumpkin. The following week we're in Vegas and then its Halloween! Hard to believe that this time last year we were sitting around the fire pit, breaking news to neighbors we were pregnant, talking about how fun the next Halloween would be - and its here! Dang.
I have new pictures, I'm just too lazy to upload them. Soon.
Sully can drink out of a sippy cup, has started stage 2 foods and has cut his first tooth, followed by a second tooth that cut two days later. He is officially sitting up on his own too - reaching and balancing without falling. He's now upgraded to a big boy car seat, and tomorrow we will be lowering his crib mattress because hes too tall, too strong and too smart. As it is when he doesn't want to sleep he rolls onto his tummy and scoots to his bumper and pulls it down to peer and scream at you through the slots. I've already found him once with his hand on the top rail - and all I can vision is him pulling himself up (which he can do) and somehow landing on the other side of the not very soft potentially brain damaging floor.He's working on getting up on all fours and doing the baby bounce - choosing to work on this instead of army scooting these days. He can however crawl backwards, go figure.
He's also started to throw tantrums. Yes, tantrums. When he gets angry he yells, usually followed by a toy flying across the kitchen, or a fist and grunt on his highchair. Too bad he's just too stinkin' cute when he attempts to be angry and all any of us can usually do is laugh. Not directly at him, but you know, behind his back where he can't see.
It will be his first Halloween. (He's going to be a monkey!) It will also be the first time seeing his Grandpa Johnny and Grandma Helen since he was a month old. They're going to be shocked! Meme bought him his first kid laptop, opting for a real laptop instead of a baby toy plushie. Don't ask - he's spoiled, we know this. He has a weird obsession with laptops - opting for them over any other toy in view. And to think I was going to just give him an old keyboard to bang on - what could I possibly be thinking to not consider a real computer for a baby? The horror.
He weighs approximately 19.3 lbs and is 28 inches long. He's wearing 6-9 month clothes now, with the exception of his pants. He still fits his 3 month pants, but they look like man capris on the poor guy, so we've settled on 6 month pants and just roll them down.
He reaches for people he wants, usually followed with a grunt or whine and cries at strangers now. We're aiming to hit up his first Kings game this November since October is proving to be quite the busy month for us - finally break in his baby jersey. We're excited since the last game we attended together was when I was 8 months pregnant or so.
We spent the day with Aunt Sami down at the Highland Games at Seaside in Ventura and did a little shopping. Next weekend we're going to Underwood Farms with Sully's Aunt Sami, Meme, Papa and Nana Cathy to pick up his first Halloween pumpkin. The following week we're in Vegas and then its Halloween! Hard to believe that this time last year we were sitting around the fire pit, breaking news to neighbors we were pregnant, talking about how fun the next Halloween would be - and its here! Dang.
I have new pictures, I'm just too lazy to upload them. Soon.
......
Sully getting ready to go into the Highland Games. My camera died right after the 2nd picture was taken.
Sully getting ready to go into the Highland Games. My camera died right after the 2nd picture was taken.
9.25.2009
"Everybody knows how to raise children - Except the people that have them" PJR
I never realized how anti-routine Shaun and I were until Sully came along. We've spent almost a decade doing whatever we wanted whenever we wanted, to no real schedules of our owns.
Its been a struggle, but we've been trying really hard to get Sully into a "real" routine now that he's starting to get a little bigger and sleeping more consistently through the night. Unfortunately for us, that means after 8:00 pm, no more going out and about - at least with a baby in tow. Its a huge change, but we're learning to adjust. We go out for a family walk when Shaun gets home for work and then have dinner, usually. Dinner time is now followed by a bath and then quiet play, a book and then bed ... where my child willingly and quietly falls into a night time slumber.
Yeh
friggen
right.
More like screams his head off at pitches I was pretty sure only a dog could hear.
Did I mention he's also learned to roll out of his positioner and will now crawl around his crib, while howling, until he's able to find a space between the bumper and the crib to peer out of - find you - and scream like he's on fire?
There are aspects of attached-parenting that I find Shaun and I tend to gravitate towards naturally. I also think though, there are benefits of a child learning to put them self to sleep. I've practiced CIO (The cry-it-out method aka Ferber Method) on children I've been a nanny to in the past, and I think it works. Don't get me wrong - I hate hearing babies scream, but I also know through experience that it eventually gets better, lessens a little more each night, with eventually the crying ceasing all together. So I guess you can say I've learned to tolerate it. Shaun is not a fan of the CIO method, and for the first time since Sully was born, we had our first head-butting of parental philosophy.
Shaun thinks its cruel and unusual punishment. I have to admit, I was a little surprised by how much of a softy my husband really can be when it comes to his kid. I always thought he would be the one to throw down the law. Slowly, I'm the one emerging as the ball buster of the two - laying down rules and routines. Maybe it's just my personality, maybe its just because through experience, I know how chaotic things can quickly turn without structure. I'm not 100% sure yet.
What I am sure of is that I want something that both of us can feel comfortable with. Shaun doesn't think he should cry himself to sleep and I don't think he should be allowed to determine his own bedtime. We both agree he needs to start learning the skills to comfort himself and ultimately be a better sleeper. I don't think it has to be all or nothing. I never thought something as little as a sleep routine would upset me so much, but it has. I've cried some tears over it - wondering if what I'm doing is right for my child and feeling like I'm forcing Shaun into doing something he doesn't want to, because as he says, I'm the experienced one. I feel so much pressure with that one statement. The experienced one - so if things go south, I need to be the one willing to take responsibility, not us.
I hate being on opposite sides of the fence.
We had another conversation last night about it, after Shaun went to get him out of bed once I had finally put him down - Sully obviously being upset by this act. I tried explaining to Shaun that its not that I don't want to hold him, or cuddle, or sing to him, but after so long of him pulling his pacifier out and laughing or wanting to talk, I need to eventually get the point across that this isn't playtime. Shaun said he just wanted somebody with him because he was lonely. I felt my heart crush into a million pieces. Have I made the wrong choice or am I just feeling guilty? I mean, it doesn't have to be all or nothing, right? Whether I agree or not, I respect my husbands opinion, and ultimately want to find something that we can both feel good about.
I stumbled across some sleeping practices referred to as No Tear methods. They're a self proclaimed middle ground between attachment parenting and CIO. I think starting tonight we'll give it a go. Its essentially what we've been trying to do, but instead of letting him cry it out, we respond immediately, quietly and pick him up until he calms, then place him back to bed. We keep repeating until he eventually falls asleep. It can be an arduous task, often taking numerous repeats throughout the night. I'm willing to try it if it points us in the right direction. I just want it to be something we can both live with and not feel like we're torturing our child in the process.
God this was so much easier when it was other people's kids.
9.20.2009
Tourist much?
Daddy dressed Sully for bed last night. While I take claim for placing the socks on him when I was showing my sister what his Halloween outfit for the Pumpkin Patch would look like, Shaun left them on. Everything above the ankles is his doing.
He's one pair of leather strap sandals and a fanny pack away from being german.
He's one pair of leather strap sandals and a fanny pack away from being german.
9.16.2009
Five Months
Here are some pictures from tummy time today
My beautiful baby boy ...
I love watching you discover new things every day, even something as simple as your toes
Or finding your favorite toy keys like you've never seen them before
Or that you have a tongue that you can be sassy with now
I love how tenacious you are about getting things right, like crawling
And that even when you fall down (figuratively and literally) you always do it with a smile on your face
I cherish your silly sense of humor and raspy giggles
And that you melt hearts everywhere we go.
Happy 5 months Sully - you silly little monster.
I love you.
I love you.
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