It's a Zaney Day

6 months ago

2010-09-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Zane,

6 months ago you turned one. I promised you a letter. I wanted to tell you how I felt about having you in my life for an entire year. I wanted to tell you how much I loved you, how amazed I was at how fast you were growing up and what a wonderful, sweet baby you were.

But I had a little writers block (or a little denial? Ok, a lot of denial) and I never wrote that letter. I pushed this blog aside and stared getting busy with other things (work was getting busier, YOU were getting busier) but looking back I'm sad that now I don't have those little reminders of how you were growing and changing. Because oh, boy, were you ever growing and changing.

So, here we are. At a year and a half. You are no longer a baby. Even though you look at kids your age and call them "baby" you are definitely not baby material. You walk. You run. You know how to blow bubbles (and are eating less and less bubble solution in the process). You say please (when prompted) and thank you (without fail). You make us laugh (mostly through fart jokes. oh well, you are a boy). You love trains. Let me repeat that. You LOVE trains. You still love purple and I think your pediatrician was about to start calling Harvard when you pointed out a purple block during your well visit today. But then I admitted that you only know purple, so he started dialing Penn State instead ;)

You are no longer in the baby room at daycare and to be honest, I wasn't sure how you were going to handle the change to a bigger space, with more kids, and no crib to sleep in and with new teachers. But, aparantly you have not inherited your mom's fear of change. When I dropped you off today after your dr. visit you walked right over to the big circle rug and said "more deedee" which is "more dancing" and I can just picture how much you love circle time. Then you sat me down at the little table (no really, you pushed me to the seat and said "mommy" as if to say "mommy sit here"), then walked right over to the little kitchen and brought me a tea cup. For a second I had a vision of sitting at your kitchen table, with your wife in the other room rocking your newborn son and you sitting down across from me with a cup of tea and saying "thanks mom. life is good, isn't it".

The past 6 months have been a whirlwind of excitement and new things. Your dad and I have had a great summer watching you grow and learn and we look forward to every new day with you. It's a great life that we have going on here and we can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Love you forever,

Mom/Mommy/Mooom/Mama (which is what it sounds like when you REALLY want my attention)

I gave in....sort of

2010-04-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't take it anymore. The poor kid, I mean, check out that hair - it is touching his NOSE:

So, I sat him on Mahmood's lap, twisted the offending bangs into a tiny section (Crystal's expert advice) and went at it. Of course, she did advise me to do this while he was sleeping, which probably would have been much easier. Lord help the woman or man who actually has to cut the rest of his hair (in a very very long time if I have my way) But, I managed to get one snip in without maiming anyone. And the snip of hair is safely tucked away in Zane's "my first haircut and first tooth box". Which slightly grosses me out - and I know people who have saved umbilical cord stumps, so in the scheme of things a little hair never hurt anyone.

I think he's happy with the outcome, no?

And then he ate cake

2010-03-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

We had a little party for Zane this weekend. In case you haven't heard, he turned one earlier this month. Zane, I know, I still owe you a birthday letter. I'm in denial, ok, I'll get to it :)

But, despite the fact that I'm not dealing with the fact that you are now one, I didn't let that stop us from having a party and celebrating you in style! And party we did.

It was an elmo party and anyone who knows me well figured that I choose this theme all on my own. But, I had a little help from you, I mean, look how excited you get about elmo things:

(thanks for the awesome elmo phone April!)

Anyway, we're jumping ahead of things a little bit, so back to the details. Originally I was going to make Zane an elmo cake, but the egg-free cake I had to make him wasn't faring well in the elmo cake pan (although we enjoyed eating the trial runs), so I changed my vision to cupcakes. Thanks to Rose for making my vision come true, I think she did a fabulous job and I'm actually glad I had to switch to cupcakes.

The rice krispie treats were "Dorothy" shaped, for those of you familiar with all things elmo. And for the big kids, cannoli cake!

Thanks to etsy I got this adorable birthday banner (I don't want to take it down it is so cute!) and the stickers for the treat bags (which included bubbles, crayons and elmo coloring pages, and lots of yummy fish-shaped snacks).

My last piece of decor wasn't elmo related, but I just had to encorporate Zane's monthly-onesie shots into the action somehow. So, I created this banner to show of my friends' artwork from my baby shower one more time, but this time with photos of Zane wearing their creations.

The week leading up to the party we had the most beautiful weather we have seen since probably November. So what should happen the weekend of the party was a noreaster that should have had a name it was so crazy. (Noreaster Zane, perhaps?). We were a bit freaked out about what we were going to do with all the kids that were planning to show up (the good and bad of moving into a neighborhood with lots of fantastic kids). So, in a game-time decision we turned our unfinished basement into a pretty sweet play area and added a craft station too. It worked perfectly and I think (from the site of the aftermath) that the kids had a blast down there!
(Although, ironically enough, Zane still hasn't seen his new playroom, but I think he will spend many a rainy day down there in the near future!)

So, here's the birthday boy! Of course he was sporting the latest in elmo fashions :) I was actually afraid he wouldn't wear his party shirt. Everytime he sees it he gets so excited about the picture of elmo that he wants to carry the shirt around. I had to sort of hide the front and sneak it over his head. It worked.

Of course the back was cute too

Zane had a great time being passed around to all of his favorite people and when it was time for the real reason for the party (watch him eat cake of course) he did not disapoint! He devoured that elmo cupcake (after tetatively tasting the icing with a finger and waiting for me to feed him a bite first).

And I think the paparazzi had a little bit of fun watching him:

After a quick post-cupcake bath, there was time for a few gifts before Zane said goodnight. He really got into the presents this time.

So there we have it, our baby is one. Thanks to all our family and friends for helping us celebrate. We did it; we survived that crazy, sleep-deprived first year and we came out pretty good on the other side :)

Where in the world is Zane Adam?

2010-02-21T17:53:00.000-08:00

Not blogging clearly!

Probably because he is too busy being a world traveler. Or, US traveler, anyway. A few weeks ago, I took Zane on his first airplane trip (not alone, thank god, Rose was there for the ride). We flew down to Florida to meet up with our good friend Lynn and her son Matthew. We had a blast getting away from the snow for a few days and the highlight of the trip was definitely the boys (and Rose's) first trip to the Magic Kingdom! We had such a fun time and the boys were great together (except when Zane was stealing Matthew's lovie). Miss you guys!!

The fun hasn't stopped at home though. We've had some fun visits with all of Zane's grandparents and some great friends from Baltimore. And, with our resident expert Jeremy in tow we took Zane to his first (of probably many) trips to the nearby Strasburg Railroad!

Of course, in true kid fashion, I think Zane's favorite part might have been enjoying his first pretzel (served to him on the president's train car - first class baby!)

That's right. My kid eats pretzels. No more baby food for this kid. The trip to FL and watching Matthew enjoy delicious things like chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries pretty much convinced Zane to go cold turky on the pureed baby foods. So now we are navigating the slightly tricky world of food allergies and what to feed a hungry and growing toddler. OMG, TODDLER!! Right now his favorite foods are english muffin pizzas made with rice cheese, chicken nuggets, sweet potatoes, and cooked carrots. He would eat these things and only these things all day long if I let him. I keep trying new things (last night's apricot chicken and rice was a fail!) and I'm constantly on the lookout for dairy/egg/nut/and legume free food ideas.

So, that's about what's new with us. Oh, except for that whole BIRTHDAY thing coming up on Thursday. HOLD ME.

11 months!

2010-02-05T09:35:00.000-08:00

My dear sweet 11 month old Zane,

I'm having a hard time writing this post. It is inconceivable to me that you are so close to A YEAR. What a difference a year makes. This time last year your dad and I were putting together baby equipment and wondering when you might show up. We saw was too many bad movies since we had no idea how many we would get to see in the theatre once you showed up (the answer: ONE). We went on long walks and ate lots of cajun food since I was just about ready for you to hurry up and get here already! But, you weren't going to be a February baby after all, so we just waited.

These days, I almost forget what it was like to be so impatient. Nothing seems to go slowly anymore, not with you around. With you, my sweet baby boy, time moves at lightning speed, for here you are, 11 months old already.

The past month has been a hectic one. I was in DC for a few days, and leaving you was the hardest thing I ever had to do. But you did great at home with dad and grammy and the hugs I got when you woke up from your nap and saw me standing there, after three days, were the best hugs I've had in all my life. And your dad is an excellent hugger, so that's saying a lot!

You love playing with your toys, especially your ball pit and your ball popper (which, thanks to the fine folks at playskool has been replaced. The first one was, um, broken) and anything that shakes or bangs together is always a good time. You definitely don't know how to sleep in, but mom and dad can usually hold you off for a bit in the mornings with a little bit of elmo.

The day before your 11-month birthday was also picture day at school. I can't wait to see how they came out, your first school picture! Your teachers love you to death and we hear that you are quite the flirt, always batting those mile-long eyelashes of yours and blowing kisses to all of the teachers. We've also had a report that you like playing with the little girls in your class most of all. Uh oh, we might be in trouble!!!

The most exciting thing is that you are *this close* to walking. You are pulling yourself up on anything you can and doing that whole cruising thing where you motor from thing to thing (usually toy box to toy shelf to ottoman). In honor of this big occasion you and I went to the mall to get you your very first pair of big kid shoes. You didn't mind that shopping trip, since the shoe store means you get to get out of the stroller and cruise around and play with toys. Your kind of shopping!

I can't wait to see what you do next, I love you to pieces little boy.

Mommy

oh, and p.s. I haven't cut your hair yet :)

If I stop posting, he'll stay small, right?!

2010-01-27T08:48:00.001-08:00

no? Doesn't work that way, huh?

Lately I have been completely overwhelmed with just how BIG my kid is getting. I feel a bit like a broken record, I'm sure, but here we are thinking about first birthdays and wondering when he will walk and sometimes I just find myself staring at this kid and wondering who he is and how the heck he got here!

But don't worry about me. I'll get over it and in the meantime I can just enjoy how much FUN this kid is. Truly, we are having a blast. And look at this face, how could you not have fun with a kid this adorable??

What's new in Zane's world you ask? Well, he's working on his curve ball (he really loves playing "catch")

and practicing his "lawnmower" stance so that he can help dad out this spring.

January is almost over and we will be happy to leave it behind (illness, bad weather - we are done with you!) and have a lot of great things to look forward to in the coming months (a trip to Florida! A First Birthday Party! More playing outside!). Stay tuned, life is zaney around here!

Time to get your hairs did?

2010-01-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

At some point along the way someone told me that it was an old wives tale to get your kid's hair cut before his first birthday.

I think it might be time to tempt the fates, however. If we wait 2 more months this kid might have some serious trouble with that whole, you know, seeing thing.

Perhaps the old wives that started that tale didn't have children born with actual hair:

side note: OMG, look how little!

SUPER baby!

2010-01-07T08:15:00.001-08:00

I have to blog about this before I forget it, it was just too priceless.

Last night during my "favorite part of the day" (that time after work, after Z has eaten dinner, but before his bath - when we are all happy and giddy to see each other and a yes, a little bit tired) the three of us were playing on the living room floor. Zane was mostly using me as a climbing wall and was sort of balancing over my leg. For some reason I said "Suuuuuper babyyyyyy", I guess because it looked like he was flying. And what did that kid do at that perfect exact moment? Yep. Flug his arms out in front of his body like he really was flying.

We laughed so hard we were crying and because we were laughing, Z was giggling along too.

Love.

10 months

2010-01-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

Really? 10? Double digits? Are you serious?

My big guy. You turned 10 months old on a Monday. It was the first day back to work/school after a nice Christmas vacation. After we'd made you CIO (cry it out for those not in the know) during your overnight wake-ups for the past few days. You were tired and not really in the mood for a 7am photo session. But you are still adorable.

You are also in desperate need of a hair cut which I can't bring myself to get you yet - it is too cute, even if it is in your eyes. But the back. It is getting curls! Do you see that? Curls!

Your onesie (from your besties Hannah and Hunter) says it is for a 24 month old. Either you are really big or Gerber's sizing is wack. And in case you forget, or your preferences change (ha!), at 10 months old, that book in the bottom corner of that picture is your current favorite. Peakaboo kisses. If I dare to even try to read you a different one at bedtime before doing this one you will reach down off the chair to get this one. That elmo one in the basket is also a big favorite. It's a fun one for mom and dad too because it has a finger puppet elmo. Who could ask for more?

You finally learned how to clap (after months of us trying to get you to do it). And you couldn't have started at a more perfect moment (While enjoying a great New Year's Day tradition of watching PSU in their New Year's Day bowl game with a bunch of our favorite friends and eating pork and sauerkraut). I didn't make you try sauerkraut yet, heck, I only half force myself to eat it so I don't have bad luck all year.

I have to say, so far we are loving having a 10 month old. You are so much fun and learning new things every day (should we talk about this sleeping thing some more? You are rocking it, kid! Thanks to your aunt Crystal for holding my hand through the hardest day - it's been mostly smooth sailing ever since). You even graduated from the duckie to the big kid tub (well, the duckie popped a leak, but you don't seem to mind one bit).

I can't wait to see what the next month brings!

A new year - FINALLY a new blog post

2010-01-06T08:44:00.000-08:00

It appears *someone* took a vacation from not just work, but also anything related to computers and technology. I'm so behind on my photo uploading and blogging it was like my poor kid skipped Christmas or something.

I promise you, he did NOT!

Zane's first Christmas was definitely one to remember. Well, he won't remember, but the rest of us certainly will. And there are plenty of photos to remind of us his first pair of cute little plaid Christmas jammies (and slippers), how he tried to eat the cookie that he was supposed to be leaving for Santa (shoved that thing RIGHT in his mouth), and that his favorite present was the tickle me elmo (fitting since I received one myself, many Christmases ago from my sneaky college friends the year it first came out and people were going crazy for them. You know they were good friends, since they probably could have made some cash off of it, but instead they kept it and actually gave it to me. I wonder where that elmo is today?)

And here it is, 2010 already. A new year. It will be hard to top 2009, that's for sure. I mean, Zane arrived and we bought our first house. What's left in the big life decisions after those two? I'm not a big "resolution" person. I don't do a great job of keeping them anyway (a rare exception was the year I turned 30 I actually joined ww and lost the weight - which I have since gained back but also gained a number of wonderful friends from that adventure). But, this year, I'd like to take a bit more time to sit back and truly enjoy the gifts I've been given in my life. Enjoy the little moments with my husband and my fantastically adorable son. And always try to carry a cute purse :)

Christmas Traditions

2009-12-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday. I think because it is a season ripe with holiday traditions. People tend to do the same things over and over again, year after year because they are fun and comforting and familiar. To some this might seem boring, but I adore traditions and well, I never was really good with change.

My mother will tell you that I hold long and hard onto holiday traditions. Case in point - the advent calendar. We had a big advent calendar on our wall each Christmas season and each day had a pocket that held a little piece of paper. Every morning my brother and I would race to the calendar to see what piece of joy the paper held. Sometimes it said "A Christmas Treat!" which might be a little debbie christmas tree cupcake (yes, I still love them, bought them at target yesterday in fact) or "Go get our Christmas tree!" or, on December 24th each year it would say: "Read a Christmas story together". Needless to say, my poor Mother had to keep buying treats for this tradition long into our adult years. Last year she gave the advent calendar to me, and while Zane is still a little young to care about the fun goodies and events that might be tucked into the pockets, I am just overjoyed at thinking about the fun we will have together in Decembers to come.

If I were filling out those little pieces of paper already, last Sunday's would have said "Christmas Time in the City!". Enjoying Christmas in the city (with a trip to Center City Macy's and their annual Dicken's Village display) is a tradition that Mahmood and I started before Zane was born, and we got to share it with him for the first time this year. Sharing this with Zane and watching him take in all the lights and sounds was so much fun and isn't that what traditions are all about anyway?

9 months

2009-12-07T18:17:00.000-08:00

9 Months. That is how long we waited for you. We watched my belly grow. We picked out names (Hard to imagine you as a Nathaniel or a Micah now...you are definitely a Zane through and through). We put together toys and furniture. We kept watching my belly grow. It seemed like an eternity. And then you got here. And now? 9 months have flown by.

You completely light up our lives. You make us laugh with joy and amazement each and every day. You worry us too sometimes, but that's just what parents do. You entertain us with your new games. Right now you're all about peek-a-boo. You show everyone. The check out guy, the waitress, Santa. They all get to play peek-a-boo with you. And they do. You have two teeth. You move around a room with the precision of an assasin. You're eating new foods everyday and showing some definite likes (banana, mango, avocado, chicken) and dislikes (corn! How can you grow up in PA and not like corn?) and some things that you unfortunately are allergic to (lentils - who gives their baby lentils anyway, sorry about that one kiddo! and peas). You love your toys (especially your fisher price farm) and are starting to not like it when someone leaves the room even when you are happily playing all on your own (and for our own good probably, since now if we leave the room you can get into some serious trouble what with that whole moving around thing and all). You love eskimo kisses (or forehead rubbing - who knows what tribe expresess affection that way) and big giant hugs and we hope you never stop being the super-cuddler that you are now.

9 months is a long time to get ready for a baby. It seems like an eternity. But then you get here and time starts wizzing by in a flash. Suddenly you're becoming a big kid and before I know it you'll be running after me and another 9 months will fly by. Don't let it pass me by without stopping for a hug now and then? Ok pal?

Love you!
Your mom and dad

p.s. here's what you looked like on your 9-month birthday. Your cousin Aimee made you this super cool lion onesie all by herself. She's pretty crafty isn't she? if you look REALLY closely at the picture you can see those two shiny new toofers.

A quick post-November update

2009-12-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

Oh November, where did you go?

November was a big month for Zane. He graduated to a new big-boy car seat (which he seems to really like a lot), got two front teeth (guess Santa came a little early for Zane), started picking up finger foods and feeding himself, and started scotting around the floor mission command style. Yep, watch out folks, we are mobile.

And I wonder why I had no time for blog-writing?! I barely had any time for picture-taking. But, I managed a few. Here's a quick look at some fun November days.

Showing off his standing skills. Working on his "music". (this reminds me of a Friend's episode with Ross and his terrible keyboarding).

A little fun in the leaves while Dad rakes on a pretty fall day.

Some Thanksgiving day fun. I pretty much kiss Zane every time I pick him up. He's started "kissing" back. Or maybe he's a cannibal? By the way, that's Dallas in the picture in the background. We were trying to get a picture of Zane next to the picture of Dallas. It is pretty amazing how much he looks like D did as a baby.

Taking a picture of an 8 month old...

2009-11-05T07:24:00.000-08:00

....while sitting in a chair takes a great amount of patience and an empty flash card.

*Mr. Universe onesie made by the wonderful and talented Jay. I think Zane takes the Mr. Universe title very seriously, don't you?

A little bit of fall-time fun

2009-11-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

So, even though October ended on a sad note, despite our deepest wishes and prayers, we still managed to sprinkle in a few moments of joy. All in thanks to one fantastic little guy.

We missed the first trick-or-treat night in our new house (thanks to Mark and Candy for handing out our candy and letting all the neighbors know that the new kids on the block are not haters. Thanks to you, our pumpkin remained intact and there was no tp in our trees when we got home on Saturday). We were probably more sad for ourselves, since Zane wouldn't remember his first door-to-door trek around the new 'hood. Instead we visited our local mall a few days before Halloween so that Z could step out in his costume.

M's knickname is Mouse. Has been since college and I'm pretty sure I knew him as this, and not his real name for a couple of months until I finally learned his real name. So, it was only fitting that Z (who I used to refer to as mini-mouse before we knew what his name would be) dress like a mouse. I'm pretty sure this will be the last year that I'll actually get to select his costume for him. Next year I have a feeling he might have some strong opinions on the matter. So, for now, I present you with the world's most adorable mouse:

He also dressed up as Superman in honor of his Pop3.

And it wasn't all costume fun. We took Z to his first pumpkin patch (where he got to "pick" apples out of a giant bin which I made into his favorite snack, applesauce) and made his first art project at school (handprints on a pumpkin and footprints turned into ghosts).

Hard to believe that November is here already. I'll be back later with pictures of our *8* month old. GULP.

A letter to my son

2009-10-28T07:01:00.001-07:00

My dear sweet Zaney-boy,

If you notice Mommy hugging you a little closer this week or that your normal silly songs are replaced with Army Air Corps battle tunes you should know that it is with good reason.

You were a lucky little boy to have had the chance to meet your great grandfather. Your pop3 as your dad calls him. He loved you so very much and in the short time the two of you had together you got to share some fun family holidays together (your first Easter at your Pop Pop's house in Mountville and your dad's first Father's day) and you even shared a meal at one of PopPop's favorite restarants for his birthday (you sat in a restaurant high chair for the very first time, right there at the head of the table next to your Pop3).

You spent your first Memorial Day at your pop3's most favorite place in the whole world - his cabin on the river. You didn't learn to fish yet, but when you get old enough to learn your PopPop will take you out and tell you all about his dad. I should warn you that fishermen have a habit of telling tall tales, but when your PopPop tells you that your great grandfather hung the moon, he is absolutely telling you the truth.

Your great grandfather, was a super hero. He loved big hugs, superman, family celebrations (especially the dessert portion), rivers, history, bad jokes, reading the comics, watching the news, and singing. I should warn you now about the Happy Birthday song. Newcomer's don't do it sweetly.

You won't get to share all of these things that I got to share with your great grandfather. But we will tell you all of the stories and you will know him. You won't remember him holding you on his lap and smiling with pride and how he searched his collection for the perfect coin to give to you commemorate the occasion, but I will and I will tell you. The last thing that he told me, the last time I saw him, was to "hug that baby and hubby" and to take good care of both of you. So that hug, that extra tight one I gave you the other morning. That one was from him.

Love,
Your mom

October, you seemed so promising...

2009-10-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

It started off that way anyway. We started our month off with a family trip to Cape May for the wedding of two wonderful friends from Baltimore, Chrysi and Benny. They had a beautiful beach-side wedding and a wonderful reception with great food (and our wedding photographers!) and we were all set to enjoy the rest of the weekend in Cape May with my parents (who had come with us to watch Zane during the wedding). We had just barely managed to squeak in some fun photos on the beach when we got the call that my grandfather was in the hospital and needed emergency heart surgery. The past two weeks have been filled with ups and downs of dealing with a sick family member and lots of trips to Lancaster to see him in the hospital. He pulled through surgery but since then has had to deal with Pneumonia, some memory loss, and now a feeding tube and things have been especially rough on my parents who are dealing with this so amazingly. We're taking things day by day and remembering that life is precious.

Then, Zane brought home a nice present from school - his first tummy bug which he lovingly shared with first his father and then his mother (but luckily not at the same time so there was always someone well enough to make gatorade and soup trips). We ended up missing out on Zane's first trip to Penn State (although, given that it snowed there for homecoming, it probably wasn't the worst thing in the world to miss it!) and we still haven't been able to do those fun fall things like take Zane to his first pumpkin patch and pose him in front of a huge pile of pumpkins. (although I hear there is a shortage of pumpkins this year due to a rainy growing season, so maybe we're not missing out on too much).

But, it's not all bad. We still have this amazing 7 month old and we've been able to spend a lot of quality time at home with him and he doesn't seem to mind if all we have the energy to do is lay on the floor with him and let him use us as his personal jungle gym. I've never known a baby who loves to play with his toys as much as Zane does. Shape sorters and musical things and things with buttons can keep this kid happy and entertained for hours. If there was an olympic sport for rolling, Zane would be the new champ he is all over the place and it is reminding us that soon, oh so very soon he will definitely be crawling.

So, I guess I shouldn't write October off yet. There are still two weekends to go and one of them is Halloween. We've heard that Halloween in our new 'hood is a blast and that all the neighbors really get into the spirit of things (if you don't believe me, come check out the Griswald-esqe Halloween display next door!).

grammy makes a guest appearance on the blog:

reaching & rolling:

Some mommy ramblings

2009-09-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

We've been having some stressful nights as of late. And by "nights" I mean 2,3,4 am. We've haven't had nights like this since Zane was a newborn, and I feel like it has been all my fault.

You see, for the past month or so, Zane's been getting up once to eat. And life was fine. But at his 6 mo, the pediatrician said that he didn't need to eat and suggested that we should start phasing that out. He told me that Z was really looking for comfort/time to hang with mommy and probably wasn't really hungry. He convinced me, so we tried. We've tried having M go in istead of me, going in and turning on music, CIO, etc. etc. But the awake time has been lasting at minimum of an hour each night, sometimes 2.5. And this mostly resulted in me wanting to cry along with the poor kid. Hmmmm...perhaps he really was hungry after all?

Last night I decided to revert to the old routine. As soon as I heard him awake and talking I went in (before awake turned to REALLY upset and angry), fed him for about 10-15 minutes until he was back to sleep and I was able to go right back to sleep as well.

I can't even tell you how much more relaxed I was this morning, even with that 20 minute break in my cozy sleep pattern. So, for now, I think I'm going to stop getting upset whenever I hear someone talking (bragging?) about a baby STTN and just accept that Z isn't ready to do it. I would rather 15 minutes of snuggles and eating than 2.5 hours of awake and crying. I've accepted it, I'm happy with it (ok, I will be happy with it), and I'm going to try my hardest not to do the baby comparison!

I think that is the worst part. Hearing so many other babies who STTN (and babies much younger than Z). And it's such a commom question - I feel like everyone is always asking me "how is he sleeping?". That it was making me feel like I was doing something wrong as a parent. So this is me, accepting.

Plus, soon enough he won't even want to walk next to me in the mall, let along snuggle at night, so I might as well just enjoy it instead of being mad that I'm awake at 3am. So, I'm going to let Z take the lead on this one. Next time you see me, feel free to continue to ask me "So how is Zane sleeping these days?" I promise I won't bite your head off for asking ;)

The elusive family photo

2009-09-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

We had our first big party at the new house this past weekend. It was a blast and although the weather and our football teams didn't cooperate, we still managed to have a great time with many family and friends. We learned a few things about party planning (a party doesn't need to start before 4, about 30 people fit comfortably in our downstairs, and you don't need 9 bags of rolls) and we also discovered that we haven't had a family photo taken since moments after becoming a family of three.

To get ready for the party we spent the last week putting some finishing touches on the house. We are unpacked for the most part, but the walls were still rather naked. We had a few empty frames and M thought it would be nice to actually hang up a family picture. Um, yes, it would be nice, wouldn't it....if we actually HAD one. The only picture we actually have of the three of us was taken moments after Z was born. I had it in my hands and actually contemplated putting in in the frame when my dear sweet husband looked at me thoughtfully and said something to the effect of "yeah, you don't look so hot in that photo". Ok, I'm sure he said it a little more tactfully than that (or not), but it was true. I had just given birth and while the moment was sweet and one that I'm certainly glad I have a photo of, it probably isn't meant to grace the walls of our living room for the next 18 years.

We've taken probably 8,000 photos or so over the course of Zane's life. We have Zane in his crib, Zane on his playmat, Zane in his swing, Zane in his highchair. You have seen all of these and even if you haven't you know how many photos a new mom takes. I am not unique in this. There are even quite a few of Zane with me and probably a few more of Zane with his dad. But, what we just don't have is photographic evidence of our happy 3-person family unit. Until now.

Oh well, at least we have one, right?!

Blended Family

2009-09-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

There are all types of blended families out there. Ours is a blended football family.
What can I say? True love conquers all.

Life as a 6 month old

2009-09-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

I've got to admit, life as a 6 month old is pretty sweet.

It is full of fun and games, like swimming (splashing) in your own pool:

Being pushed on the swings:

And sliding down the slide:

Pretty much the only downside of turning 6 months old is the shots:

And for all those stats lovers out there (besides me?): the big 6 month stats are 17 pounds, 8 ounces and 26.5 inches long. That's 50th percentile again folks. His head was creeping up there beyond the 50th percentile mark, but that's just to make room for all of those brains.

August? What was that?

2009-09-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

Are we shocked at my lack of blog posting for the month of August? Probably not! Zane turned 5 months in August and spent the rest of the month growing like a weed and learning new things left and right. When I took his 5 month pictures on August 4th we still had to prop him up to sit and he was still just having his first tastes of rice cereal.

the 5 month onesie shot (monkey onesie made by my godmother, Michelle)

By the end of the month he was scarfing down bananas, sweet potatoes, apples and peas and loving them all:

And laying down? Being propped up with pillows and boppies and other nonsense? Nonsense! We have a sitter on our hands. And it doesn't look like he will stay sitting for very long. He's already trying to crawl over our legs and lunge himself forward. Thumbs up for sitting!

Of course the biggest thing that happened in August (and the reason for my lack of blogging) was that we bought our first house. We closed on July 31 and spent a few weeks painting, adding a pergo floor to my office and putting up crown molding in our bedroom. I promise, I will have pics of all that as soon as we finish unpacking. But for now, say goodbye to your first house Zane:

And say hello to the house where you will take your first steps, learn to ride your first bike, wait for the bus for kindergarten, build a tree fort and snowmen, and who knows, maybe even learn to drive a car:

A tail of two kitties

2009-08-22T06:35:00.000-07:00

When M and I first moved in together, back in 2005, we decided that it was time for a new roommate. One of the furry variety. My mom knew someone who had some cats (understatement) who needed a good home, so we went to see if we might want to take one home. And we did. Two.

Kramer and Wendy were two fluffy, crazy, lovable, smush-faced persians. Wendy was a bit skittish at first, and spent a lot of time in hiding. Kramer immediately followed us around like a puppy. We didn't know much about persians when we took them home. Only that they had a lot of fur. A LOT. OF FUR. and loved people. In no time flat, Wendy made her way out of hiding and we discovered a lot more about our new furry kids. Including the fact that dear sweet Kramer had a host of health problems. It started with seizures, which we opted not to treat with medication as that could alter his sweet and loving personality and also shorten his life span. So instead, whenever he would have a seizure (usually in the middle of the night, while sleeping by our feet) I would hold him as gently and firmly as I could to keep him from hurting himself. M once said that he knew after watching me with Kramer that I would be a good mom. God forbid I ever have to hold anyone else while having a seizure ever again.

We had a few good years with Kramer and eventually things took a turn for the worst. He was on heart medications (which, since this post is quickly becoming a downer you might remember that in a flight-induced fog after a trip to Seattle I took myself instead of giving to the cat. That made for an interesting call to poison control!) and our fabulous vet went above and beyond doing all the research she could on his condition. In the end, he suffered a blockage in his heart that cut off all blood flow to his lower half and we knew it was time to end his suffering. It was the saddest night of our lives together, yet pulling us through was the fact that a little life, more precious than we could ever imagine was busy growing from kumquat to plum-sized.

We thought Wendy would be sad without Kramer. And while she definitely looked for him, she seemed to like the position of only child. While she had it anyway. When Zane arrived, we wondered how she would react. But, like a protective big sister she would sit outside his door when he cried or rub her head on his feet when I fed him.

On our moving day, a day we were looking forward to for months, Wendy died quickly and what we hope was painlessly in the basement of our new house. After watching Kramer suffer, we were thankful for the small favor that we don't think Wendy was in pain. We think it was just her time. And it was probably God's way of reminding us that life is fragile and to be thankful for every moment that you have with the people (and yes, even animals) that you love.

We'll miss those two crazy fur balls.

July. A recap.

2009-07-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

Didn't I finish out June saying that I would be a better blogger in July? I guess not! Let's see, what has been going on this month?

Z started out this month with a 4 month appointment. He was 15 pounds and 25 inches. Straight down the middle: he is in the 50th percentile for height, weight, and head. (((our little average baby)))). he had to get some shots. But he was a trooper.

Z went on his first roadtrip! We drove 4 and a half hours to Corning, NY to visit our friends Stacy and Dan and their adorable and fun 1 year old twins, Ryan and Maggie. Zane was in awe of all their cool toys and he came home with a bunch of them that they had outgrown.

Ryan and Maggie eating breakfast. Pretty much the only way to guarantee a shot of the two of them since they are so busy crawling all over the place. And I hear Maggie took her first unassisted steps a few days later. I'm not surprised, she was so close!

Thanks Ryan and Maggie, I love my new exersaucer!

Z did amazing in the car - for about 3 hours. That seems to be his limit at the moment. But all in all, a sucessful first trip (it totally helps when visiting people with kids for a first trip - as it is our truck was loaded down and we didn't even have the pack and play, stroller, or swing in the car). This also made room in our car for all the wine we brought back. I mean, we did go up for the finger lakes wine festival afterall ;)

As for Zane, he's pretty much just loving life. Spending time with grammy and Alice while Mommy works, and growing bigger and learning more tricks every day. On Friday, July 24th Z rolled from back to front for the first time! And I totally missed it of course. I was working on the computer and he was playing away happily on his back on the blanket next to me. I look down and thought "oh, how happy he sounds" then did a double take and thought "WAIT. Did I put him on his belly?" Nope! He got there all on his own! He's been trying again since then and pretty soon he will be rolling all over the place.

He had his first big dip in the pool. I wish I had taken my camera. I was holding him in the big pool. We started out just sitting on the first step and before I knew it I was walking around in the water and Z was laying back in my arms, hands behind his head, like he was doing a backfloat. His dad the fish was so proud!

Another big first was he had his first taste of rice cereal last night. He didn't eat a whole lot, but he was certainly very interested in it and was having fun playing with the new textures and licking his fingers. Can't wait to try a new food next week. Next up are bananas, avocados and sweet potatoes. These should all be much yummier than brown rice!

So, that, my friends, is July in a nutshell. I can't believe the end of the month is almost here. We are planning to close on our house on Friday, which probably means blogging in August won't be any better. Please forgive me Zane. I promise, we'll find other ways to remind you how much fun you had during your first summer.

Zane. Meet Wendy.

2009-07-10T06:55:00.001-07:00

Last night, after 4 months of Wendy trying to rub herself up to Zane to get him to pet her, he FINALLY noticed her. He was playing with Dad and all of a sudden Wendy ran past and he was fixated. She came up to check him out and at first there was a bit of a stare-off:

Zane reached out to touch the furry thing:

And she LOVED it!

BFFs for sure. At least until he learns to grab handfuls of fur.

Happy Birthday America (and Zane too)...

2009-07-06T17:35:00.000-07:00

Zane turned the big 4-months on July 4th. His homemade onesie photo parade is interrupted with this store-purchased shirt to celebrate the big day.

Zane truly is Mr. Independent. At 4 months he is starting to really discover toys. He loves to shove them in his mouth best of all. He's pretty much sleeping through the night on his own and has finally embraced tummy time as something that is fun (he finally realized that it's a great way to check out the world) and is no longer satisfied with just chewing on his hands - feet are yummy too.

We had a great long weekend. Friday we went to Lancaster for First Friday to check out our son, the baby model. He participated in a mini photo shoot with our fabulous wedding photographers Joel and Rita Wiebner (if you know anything about me you know how much I talk about how much I love these guys!). We're saving our pennies for a big family photo shoot for the three of us, but in the meantime I jumped at the chance to participate in this new mini photo shoot that they started doing. Each month they have a theme and then the photos are hung in their gallery for all of the adoring public to see during First Friday. The theme this month was a local food eating contest. Since Z is too little to actually eat anything they posed him in and around a bunch of fruit. Fitting since when you are pregnant they tell you how big your baby is growing in fruit terms. Early on just a little blueberry all the way up that watermelon. Here are M and Z checking out Z's best shot:

We had a great 4th of July - we celebrated with the Donahue clan and Z got to take a test run in their exersaucer (isn't it great to have friends with older kids?). He loved it and I think it's time to get him one of his very own (especially since he seems to be getting bored with his play gym as of late - laying down is SO 3 months old, ma!)

Most of all, the long weekend was spent enjoying time with our growing son. It amazes us how fast he is growing and changing and we are trying to cherish each moment as best as we can.

June comes to a close...

2009-06-26T07:47:00.001-07:00

Seriously. Where has June gone? My son's entire 3rd month just flew by in a flash. And what do we have to show for it? hmmmm....let's see...

The penguins won the first Stanley Cup of Z's life. We were in New Hope for the final game and Dallas had a whole set up with a penguins and red wings jersey and a blow up stanley cup. Dallas has been setting up still lifes of hats or helmets or jerseys for championship games since he was a little kid - good thing he has an exhaustive collection. Of course, since I spent a few years of my life in Pittsburgh it's only fair that Z have a little bit of love for the 'burgh in him. Yes Z, I agree, the best thing about Pittsburgh is the stuff to eat, although I was thinking more about those salads with the fries on top:

Z loves sitting up. Forget that laying down stuff, that is for BABIES. Of course, as soon as you pull him up with your fingers he shoves a finger or a knuckle in his mouth and CLAMPS DOWN. Ouch.

He still loves sucking on his fingers. Of course, one finger is not good enough for this kid. You will often find him with three fingers FROM EACH HAND shoved in his mouth at one time. I guess he comes by it honestly. His uncle Josh used to shove a blanket so far into his mouth we thought for sure he would suffocate himself. Aparantly he just had a really big mouth :)

The best thing that Z has learned during his third month of life requires no photo at all...he now sleeps through the night!!! Ok, I might be jinxing myself here because it has only been a handful of times, but it only takes 3 times to make a habit, right?! And, well, that night does end at 5am (we need to work on that one kid), but for now, I'll take it!

See you in July! I can't wait to see what excitment Zane's 4th month brings.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T06:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, it has been entirely too long since I have visited blogland and my poor son someday is going to wonder what the heck happened to the month of June 2009. I'll tell you what happened my dear son, your mommy went back to work! But, I'm taking a few minutes of the peace and quiet of this Sunday morning while my favorite two men in the whole world are taking naps (Wendy too) and all I hear is the rattle of the dryer and the click click of Zane's swing to say Happy Father's Day!

Zane - you are one lucky guy, I have to say. You have a mom who was smart enough to pick the most amazing man on the planet to be your dad. :) His face lights up when he walks into the house after work because he gets to see you! He loves to sing you silly songs and dance around your room with you to hippy music to get you to fall asleep. He lifts you high over his head so that you will giggle. He watches baseball with you (even if he might be setting you up for great days of sadness by teaching you to be a Mets fan - hey, maybe it will build character) loves to take you for walks to show you all about whats out there in the world.

As you get bigger your dad is going to teach you all sorts of cool things. He'll teach you how to play kickball (a skill probably used more by adults these days than children, but maybe all these kids of kickball adults will revitalize the game for the schoolyard set), baseball, football, and golf (basically any sport you want to learn to play with a ball - dad's your guy). He taught mommy how to play most of these sports and we still love each other very much, so that should give you some idea of his patience as a coach! He'll help you with your math homework (and first he might start by teaching you how to count), take you to Philly for your first cheesesteak (or roast pork with broccoli rabe if he has his way), to Camden for your first concert (this will probably happen before you are old enough to chew the cheeseteak), and to New York for your first baseball game. Zane, have I mentioned that you are one lucky boy?!

But more than all those fun things your dad is going to do (and probably more important, although you won't realize it until you are old), your dad loves you more than anything in the whole world. And if you grow up to be anything at all like your dad you will be a good, strong, honest, smart, and dependable person. And fun as hell.

(and a quick shout out to my own dad. Happy Father's Day to the guy that taught me that if you don't fall down every now and then, you aren't trying hard enough. I love you Dad. Thanks for showing me what it means to be a great dad so that I knew what to look for. You make a pretty wonderful pop pop too!)

3 months!

2009-06-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

Wasn't I just talking about how time flies? Well, it really does. My father-in-law said it goes by so fast because the first few weeks are so hard. And man, he was right! The first few weeks flew by in a sleep-deprived haze. But, now, here we are suddenly with this 3 month old who lights up our world with his smiles and laughs at his favorite toys. He's grabbing at anything you put in front of him and shoving it in his mouth, but his favorite thing to chew on contines to be his hands (one finger clearly isn't good enough for this guy).
Mahmood and I couldn't be more in love with our son if we tried. Happy 3 months baby Zane!

Oh, this month's onesie courtesy of his Auntie Rose. Future kappa alpha theta heartbreaker? You betcha!

hi ho, hi ho...

2009-06-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

...it's off to work I go.

This week marked the end of my maternity leave and I returned to work. Where the heck did those 12 weeks go? I can't really believe it. Luckily I have the most amazing job ever and my return to work has been painfree so far. I went into the office with Zane on Monday and my mom came to pick him up for a few hours. The rest of the week has looked something like this:

In other big news, this week was also my 35th birthday. I did a lot of great things to celebrate. We started with a big party on Saturday. Z of course, was the life of the party in his party-perfect digs:

I thought turning 35 would be harder than it has been. I guess with everything else going on in our world (Zane, work, the house) I haven't had time to worry about it. Heck, if I knew how sweet life could be at 35, I would have signed up sooner!

12!

2009-05-28T07:20:00.001-07:00

Everything is better by the dozen right? Eggs. Bagels. Donuts. And weeks that Zane has been here!

It's amazing watching him grow. He is full of smiles and laughs (especially in the morning, which is a bit unnerving to his so-not-a-morning-person mom) and loves nothing more than shoving his hands in his mouth.

He's getting really good with his neck control, so we broke out the bumbo seat this morning so he can see what this sitting business is all about. He certainly has the recline part down. I forsee some lounging in front of baby einstein dvds in the near future!

I'm off to join my son in morning nap time. It's back to work on Monday so I have to take advantage of this while I can!

Take me to the river...

2009-05-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

Zane spent his first Memorial Day in true Newcomer fashion...enjoying a picnic at my grandfather's fishing cabin along the Susquehanna river. I feel truly blessed to be able to snag a few pics of Zane with his pop3 who was so happy to hold his great grandson.

For the big occasion he was sporting his fishing-sponsored onesie made especially for him by his pop pop. Who knew my dad was so good with the iron ons?

There was no actual fishing. In fact, the boat remained docked all day. But there is plenty of time for that at future picnics. For this year, Zane was happy to be passed around from lap to lap and play with his favorite toy...his thumbs.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

2009-05-14T05:47:00.000-07:00

Life's been a little hectic around here...but for good reason. We are currently under contract to buy our first home!! We have been talking "what ifs" and "somedays" about home buying for some time now and now with the added factors of Zane's arrival (and a 8k tax credit) thrown into the mix it was time to get serious. And we got so serious about it that we ended up putting a bid on the second house (out of 5) that we saw in person. We had been watching the market for awhile and we knew what was out there, we knew what we wanted to spend and we also had an idea of what our dream house would be if all of the stars aligned. And they did. On my very first Mother's Day!

M is over at the house right now with the home inspector and if all goes well we are set to close on July 31st. We feel like such grown ups! As for Z, well, he told me that he's looking forward to having his own yard to play in and he hopes that one day that yard will be home to a bitchin' swing set. After I lectured him on the use of the word bitchin' I promised him that yes, some day he would have his own bitchin' swing set. That's all part of the dream.

But in the meantime, since he is still only a baby, he'll have to make due with his new adorable nursery. I can't wait to see his name up on the wall because then I know it will be home.

Well, that's just super.

2009-05-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Our super baby is TWO months old today! And because that is so super, he is sporting his superman onesie, made with love by Megan. It is really supa cool because it also has a detachable cape, perfect for every superhero. However, Zane still wasn't so sure:

Even after a dinner break, he still wasn't into smiling for the camera. I guess his super-power is a total look of indifference. Either that or that pacifier (which he refused to let go of) can vaporize enemies in 30 seconds flat.

Even a visit with his good pal Minnie wasn't changing his mood. Guess she's no Lois Lane.

But even a sour baby is still an adorable baby, don't you think?

Doing it on our own...

2009-05-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

....sort of.

So, M was in Baltimore for work for the past two days and Z and I successfully navigated being on our own. Of course, we had a little help (We ran off to New Hope to hang with Tom, Crystal, and Dallas for a night) but overall we learned that being a twosome, while full of snuggles and QT, is very tiring!

My own little kewpie doll

2009-04-27T12:00:00.003-07:00

I was taking some pics of Zane today for my mom (Happy Birthday Grammy - we miss you!!) and I couldn't help remembering those old little plastic kewpie dolls (mom, I'm sure has one somewhere). I think the resemblance is spot on, especially with the 'hawk.

Don't you think?

You're so vain

2009-04-26T10:19:00.001-07:00

What can make my son smile a smile this big? His mother making funny faces? His father singing silly made up songs (like the "I farted, I farted, just like Daddy I farted..." song)?

No, what he really is smiling and laughing at is...
Himself of course!

This is the best $20 ever spent. A mirror that we put above his changing table. It makes every diaper change an occasion to sing and dance (if by dance I mean wiggle your legs, than yes, dance).

The good baby experts tell us that he doesn't know it is himself he is seeing in the mirror. But if I looked that adorable, I'd smile and sing to myself too :)

Not just Easter fun

2009-04-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Since I have some fun non-Easter pics I thought I'd do two posts today. Last week was a busy week and Zane has been growing and changing so much. He was 9 pounds, 11 ounces last Thursday and quickly growing out of his clothes (good thing he has a neverending stash of various sizes in his overflowing closet!). His cheeks are filling out and he is really getting aware of his surroundings. He loves looking at faces and watching things that move and make noise (like his mobile). And best of all, he's starting to really SMILE! That smile must be payment for all of those sleepless nights because it truly lights up my world!

The SMILE :)

Of course, he's not always smiling...(and when he makes this face he REALLY looks like his dad!)

This was also a big week in the Shehata household as it marked the beginning of baseball season. Z was sure to not miss the Mets home opener, even if he did sleep through most of it.

Easter Fun

2009-04-15T10:22:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter. On Saturday Zane met his pop3 (his great grandfather) for the first time. On Sunday he met his new BFF, my cousin Alyssa's son Peyton. Peyton was just in love with Zane from the moment he saw him and he spent hours on Sunday and Monday just watching Zane and giving us a play by play of what he was doing (he moved his leg! he opened his eyes! he wiggled his fingers!) and trying to get Z to smile. The love was mutual however, because Zane just LOVED watching Peyton and made lots of fun happy sounds that might someday be giggles.

Here are some pictures of our Easter fun.

Peyton, happy as a clam to be holding Zane. Zane, however, is not convinced.

My grandma with her two great grandsons:

A baby mouse in a bunny hat:

He's a whole month old

2009-04-06T06:35:00.001-07:00

Saturday marked exactly one month since Zane was born. We celebrated the day by lounging around the house in true "we have a newborn" fashion. We did manage to do some housework (well, M mangaged to do some housework anyway). And of course, what would a big birthday milestone be without a photo session?

One of the best parts of my baby shower were all of these amazing onesies that the guests decorated. My mom sent a plain white onesie to every guest and they brought them back to the shower decorated with every design and theme under the sun. They were so amazing that we even hung up a clothesline in Zane's room so we could display some of the bigger ones. We decided to use the onesies to commemorate these monthly photos. The winner of the first month's photo was Sara's "I drink until I pass out" because it is funny and oh so true. He really does drink like a frat boy in a chug-off. He chugs as fast as he can, burps (and often pukes) and then immediately passes out. Ah, the good 'ole days :)

Happy ONE MONTH birthday little boy! Has a mohawk ever looked so completely adorable?

and if one gimmick hairdo was not enough, Z is also manly enough to rock a mullet:

Monkeying Around

2009-04-03T06:13:00.001-07:00

Zane is now 4 weeks old and weighs 8 pounds 14 ounces, so he is definitely busy growing. He had his first bottle from Dad on Monday night and although he ended up wearing a lot of it, he took to it easily and I'm sure with a little more practice he'll have no problems with it. Like his parents and grandparents he continues to have some tummy issues, so I am trying a dairy and citrus free diet to see if that helps. Generally he is a very alert and happy guy but you can tell when his tummy is bothering him and it is hard to see him uncomfortable.

He is happiest when he is on the move and out of the house (or is that mom who is happiest when we are on the move and out of the house?). On Wednesday grammy came to visit and we went to see great grandma. Thursday we spent the day with Alice, Hannah, and Hunter. Hunter (who will be 3 on August 9th and told us all about the party he will have complete with "goodie bags") was very concerned about baby Zane queping (puking for those that don't speak little boy) and was certain that the best way to stop a crying baby was to give him to his dad. 6 year old Hannah waited patiently through an entire lunch at the Cheesecake Factory for Zane to wake up and when he finally did right at the end she entertained him in the car back to her house. He loves to look at toys and faces while you talk to him. He spent most of the rest of that visit sleeping on Alice (like the song, he loves a bosom for a pillow).

Currently he is in his typical morning spot - asleep in his sling while I eat breakfast and check into the world via internet. Today we are going to lunch with Megan, Maddon, and Maille. Z loves his lunch dates!

It is so hard to believe that he will be one month old tomorrow! It feels like he was just born yesterday in some respects and then in other ways it feels like he has been here for years. I'll be back this weekend with some official one month pics.

Finally, we can go outside...

2009-03-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

We took advantage of the first real spring-like day of spring to spend some time outside. I think both of us were going a little stir-crazy after yesterday's rainy day.

A walk, however did the trick, he was cozy in no time.

although he did seem a bit concerned about his travel partner...

Happy Anniversary to us!

2009-03-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

Today is our 2nd wedding anniversary! No big night out or elaborate plans this year.

We are celebrating our anniversary tonight with a free appetizer and yummy beer at "old trusty" (our favorite local restauruant, aka, the drafting room) and we will probably spend the entire time talking about how the best anniversary gift ever is waiting for us at home:

2 weeks old aready!

2009-03-19T11:26:00.001-07:00

It is so hard to believe that Z is 2 weeks old already! He's doing great and has gained his birthweight back and then some (he was 7 pounds, 11 ounces as on Monday). M is back to work and Z and I have spent the week with lots of visitors and he has gone on many walks and even made his first trip to the mall with Mom and Auntie Rose (he slept through the whole thing giving mom plenty of time to peruse the Clinique counter and the wall of Vera to find the perfect diaper bag wallet).

Some of Z's funny faces. We could stare at these faces 24 hours a day!

He had his first "real" bath last night. He wasn't a fan. Maybe he'll like it better when he doesn't have to get naked in the kitchen.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T09:03:00.003-07:00

We're all a little bit Irish today. In Zane's case, it is a VERY little bit, but hey, that's enough to show some Irish spirit!

Thanks to Grammy's friend pat from Ohio for the beautiful Irish bib:

And Grammy for this cool onsie (that he managed to wear for about 15 minutes before needing a change of clothes - the boy is a fashion hound for sure!):

And finally, thanks to Auntie Rose for the adorable Pooh Bear bib. Clearly Z is a bit embarrased to be sporting cartoon charaters. He's too cool for that.

Zane's first week. A post in pictures

2009-03-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

What a busy first week it has been.

Zane has made himself at home in his current sleeping spot - the "newborn napper" insert in his pack and play in mom and dad's room.

He's also enjoyed time with dad and his kitty, Wendy. She's not so sure what to think of him yet, but I bet they will be taking lots of naps together very soon.

He's spent some time chilling in his super cozy swing.

He even went on his first walk around the neighborhood.

I'd say it's been a good week!

Welcome to the world baby Zane!!

2009-03-09T11:33:00.001-07:00

Zane Adam is here!! He was born at 11:34 am on Wednesday, March 4th. He was 7 pounds, 5 ounces at birth and was 20 inches long. He arrived much faster than anyone (especially his mother and her doctors) imagined since he needed a little bit of an incentive.

I was overdue by a week and my docs were ready to bring this kid into the world. So, on Tuesday night I went into the hospital to be induced. We got there at 8:30, got checked in and into my bed and hooked up to the monitors. Baby was looking good and I was having some regular contractions (about 10 -12 minutes apart) but not really feeling them (at least I didn't think so, I was pretty nervous at this point and chalking most stuff up to a nervous stomach). They gave me the cervadil as I was still not dilated at all and the doc also gave me an ambien so that I could get some rest. She didn't really expect the drugs to do much else than help me to dilate and didn't expect any action of any sort. M was even planning to go home and get some sleep, pack his bag, etc. etc while I happily dozed away.

Yeah right. Contractions started getting more intense and more painful as the night went on. Luckily I don't remember too much except for the fact that every few minutes I was dealing with the most intense pain and then I would pretty much pass out in between each one, only to be rudely awakened by another one. M's trip home was shortened to a shower and bag-pack and although he of course wanted to help me, I think I needed to "do it on my own" and even shushed him at one point! (I had to verify this with him later - "um, did I really shush you?") Seriously, trying to help a woman in labor breathe is a pretty pointless effort I think.

Somewhere around 5-6 am the nurse came in and was pretty surprised by the intensity of my contractions. She checked me and lo and behold...6 cm dilated. I very distinctly remember my first words at hearing that were "DOES THIS MEAN I CAN HAVE DRUGS?!?!?". Oh, yes, wonderfully it did mean that I could have drugs. At some point my doctor came back and checked me and she was totally shocked at my progress. In fact, I think she pretty much said that she had little faith in the cervadil (then why use it? I have no idea) and had pretty much never seen it work that way before.

So in the next 3 hours my wonderful friend the epidural kicked in, they gave me a little bit of pitocin to help the baby along (as he was still pretty high up), they broke my water completey (it was leaking, but not broken), and by around 9 am I was ready to push!!

The pushing part took about 2.5 hours. I remember this time as a calm, tiring, exciting, exhausting, happy, and surreal time. I could feel the contractions and knew when to push, but besides being tired I was in no pain and was pretty relaxed. So was M and in fact the nurse pointed out that we were going to be great parents since we were so calm about everything. Seriously, drugs are good. At some point the doctor came back in and said "this baby will be here before noon". I was shocked to hear her say that, but it must have been all the incentive I needed. First his head was out and surprising, M even looked! At 11:34 he was lying on my chest (sort of, his umbilical cord was so short he could barely reach, so he was mostly lying on my belly). M cut the cord and our gorgeous sweet baby boy was here!! We had a weight guessing game and the nursing student who was in observing (who my mom pointed out looked exactly like my friend Jenn) was spot on at 7lbs5oz. The doctor guessed the largest and she was off by a full pound!

This is a test of your new bloggers skilz...

2009-02-16T12:19:00.001-08:00

Testing...Testing...

Yes! I figured out how to add pictures. I mean, what's a blog about an adorable baby without pics of the adorable baby anyway? These ultrasound photos were taken about 19 weeks ago, so our dear sweet boy has been busy changing and growing. I can't wait to take a million more picture of him once he arrives!

Nesting, 2009-style

2009-02-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

So here I am, on the verge of 39 weeks pregnant (tomorrow). The clothes are washed, the carseat is installed, the hospital bag is finally packed. I even cleaned and organized my desk at work for the first time since probably, oh, 2004 (from the dates on some of the folders I finally filed away). I think I finally know what they are talking about when "they" talk about nesting.

So, what is left to get ready for the birth of my son? Well, start his blog of course!

I'm not going to let anyone know about it yet. Mostly because his name (which to this point is known only to me, his dad, and really good guessers) is still a surprise and I wanted to use his name in the blog title because I thought it was cute. But, I thought I'd get it started that way I'd be ready to go when he gets here and I'd know how this whole blogging thing works. All the cool-moms I know are doing it, why shouldn't I?

If you find this blog between now and his arrival.....shhhhhhhh...the name is still supposed to be a secret.

I can't wait to meet you little one. I am now officially as ready as I'm going to get.