BabyVandy

Sandbox and Cookies

2011-06-26T12:40:00.001-07:00

My dad built a sandbox for TJ's 2nd birthday. This morning was beautiful (we've been battling rain and storms for what seems like weeks now) so my parents came over to assemble it for him.

TJ loved helping grandpa work the drill!

Helping Daddy fill it with sand

Getting the toys out with Grandma and Grandpa

Finished product!

Earlier this week TJ and I made cookies as a rainy day activity. He loves to push a chair over and help me in the kitchen. He was so good and dumping the cups of ingredients and stirring the bowl. He wasn't so good and waiting for them to cook...

After we were done and the cookies were cooling I ran to the bathroom and came back to find THIS!

Notice the cookies stuffed in his mouth and the chocolate all over him. I guess he takes after his mama! Funny boy.

Peeking out to say "hi!"

2011-04-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

Snow!

2010-12-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to teach TJ to play independently so I snuck up here to upload pictures from the weekend and update my blog! It's been much too long. Any other moms have problems with their toddlers attached to their leg at all times? So far so good, I can see TJ down playing with his Little People Castle. Let's see how long this lasts. ;-)

We got our first snow on Saturday. What a perfect day for it too. I was so glad for all the kids for the first snow to fall on a weekend. There was nothing worse than getting the perfect snowfall only to have to go to school. And it was perfect snowman/snowball snow!

TJ loved it! He was pretty unsure about all the bundling, and not really being able to move... He really hated the mittens so we gave up on those fairly early. Ha!

Here's Jim first putting him down in the snow

Things really got fun when Jim showed him how to throw a snowball!

Look Mama!

He had fun!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-09-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

Today TJ and I went to a pumpkin patch! The weather has been beautiful this week so I am trying to take advantage and be outside as much as possible before the dreaded winter comes. We met TJ's friend Emily and her mom Sarah there. Sarah is also a stay at home mom and Emily is also 15 months old so it's wonderful to have a friend to play with!

I decided to be daring today and shot everything in manual. I haven't figured out photoshop yet so these are all unedited (wow I feel so professional saying that, hehe) but I couldn't wait to post what fun we had today. Here's just a sneak preview!

TJ's favorite part of the pumpkin patch - the tricycles! Of course he can't reach the pedals but he LOVES being pushed around in anything with wheels.

This is Emily - isn't she a cutie?

TJ inside a house made of pumpkins. He tried to dismantle a wall...

Both kids loved the corn maze. Sarah was a bit worried they wouldn't stay on track and we'd be chasing them through the stalks but they totally got it. Of course, they ate some sticks and dirt and rocks as well...

Emily driving the tractor

Hugs! There was a playground made of hay bales. Great fun! Tunnels and climbing - a kids dream come true.

There is another, even bigger, pumpkin patch near us that we are going to go to with Jim in October and pick out pumpkins. I ran into another mom that had just been there and she said they have giraffes even!! Stay tuned.... ;-)

First hair cut!

2010-08-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

This week I took TJ to get his very first official hair cut. I have trimmed his bangs, myself, once before but I didn't count that. ;-) He was rocking a very nice, curly, mullet which I actually loved. But his aunt is getting married and he's going to be the ring bearer so I thought I should clean him up a bit.

Here's a good before shot of the mullet. And since I know you'll wonder, he's wearing an Amber Teething necklace in this picture. A few fellow mama friends have absolutely sworn by these and I was at my wits end and ready to try anything to get him to stop biting the furniture and me! He's not currently teething so he hasn't been wearing it lately so I can't quite testify to its miracles yet. :-)

The haircut itself was a bit traumatic. He was in a great mood, we had wandered around the mall while we waited and he was babbling and laughing, but as soon as I tried to put him in that chair - meltdown. And then when the stylist got out the cape HYSTERICS. I should have figured since the kid can't even stand to wear a bib.

But the gal cut as quick as she could while I tried to reason with a 14 month old who wanted nothing but for me to pick him and and haul him out of there! He clung to me sniffling with big fat crocodile tears the whole way to the car. But by the time we got home he was happy again. Here are his after shots. Cut huh?

He might be 4 by the time I try that again!

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

I realize I'm incredibly behind in updating my blog. Sadly, it's just so intimidating trying to play catch up I've refrained from posting at all. To get back in the driver's seat I thought I would post pictures from this past weekend. Hopefully, I will find some time to back track and cover our busy past two months including our vacation to Florida (and Disney World!) and TJ's 1st birthday party.

A quick TJ update. He's now a walker! He still likes to crawl since he can go so much faster but he's walking more and more each day. He's very cautious but I think he likes his new found independence. We've been going to the pool several afternoons a week and TJ just can't get enough. He LOVES the water and tries so hard to swim by himself. He still isn't talking besides the occasional Mama or Dada but his point and grunts are fairly effective. His favorite thing to do currently is take apart his duplo blocks. I spend a lot of time putting blocks together so he can take them apart.

This past weekend was spent down at the lake.

My Uncle Dave and Aunt Thuy came down from Minneapolis with their new little boy Vinh. Isn't he a doll??

TJ didn't take too much notice of him besides this one occasion where he enjoyed pushing him in the swing. I was surprised, he wasn't at all jealous of me holding Vinh.

We spent a good part of the weekend on the boat

With TJ manning the cooler

When he wasn't too busy going in and out of his hidey hole

He kept nice and cool in his pool (on the boat on the lake, funny huh?)

and Jim enjoyed it too!

TJ went swimming in the lake for the first time! And he loved it! The lifejacket, not so much...

The kid loves to splash

The weather was perfect, the fireworks grand and the boat parade um, well, was on Bourbon Street?

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

Happy Independence America!

Did you know?

2010-06-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

I'm 1 today!

This morning I had birfday pineapple pancakes

Mama FINALLY got a picture of me standing without holding onto something! Last night, I even took a good three steps and one big lunge to daddy.

Like my birfday duds?

Here's a couple shots from my 1 year birfday shoot
Being 1 is exciting!

Tonight Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle John are coming over for cake and presents. My Big Bad Birthday Beach Bash is on the 19th - I hope to see you there!!

kisses,
TJ

At this time, one year ago....

2010-06-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

I was in the hospital hunkered down for the night awaiting the arrival of the little man who would change my life forever. <3 <3 <3

Happy Eve of your First Birthday TJ!

Happy 11 Months TJ!

2010-05-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

I didn't miss TJ's monthly birthday shoot - see below - I'm having uploading issues.

Anyways, I'll have to make this quick since I can hear him stirring from his afternoon nap. Only 1 more month (well, 2 weeks now) until TJ is 1 year old. I can' believe how big he is getting! Everyday he does something new and unexpected.

11 Months

He's starting to look like a toddler!

A few amusing TJ anecdotes from the past couple of weeks

Helping dad take down a shelf for me by holding the "ladder."

Someone doesn't like wearing bibs anymore and just rips them off. Here is our solution - eating naked! Well, in his diaper... hehe He looks pretty upset about it, doesn't he?

One of his new favorite things to do: get a book off the shelf, crawl over and climb in his chair and "read" his book.

Finished Patio!

2010-05-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

Drumroll please!

Finally, I'm posting pictures of the finished patio. It's been done for a week now but my memory card reader is busted so I no longer have the convenience of uploading pictures on my laptop. I have to come up to the desktop which is in our loft and not at all child proofed. So I'm sure you can imagine how that works with my little charge. Unfortunately, it means I'm quite behind in uploading pictures and posting on my blog.

Here is the finished product! Well, sans grill and furniture which we do now have. As you can see TJ likes it already!

Look at how open our yard is!

And, what I think, is the biggest difference. The removal of a huge, overgrown, planting bed and 2 huge evergreen trees on the north side of the yard.

Here's the before for comparison:

After:

I'm so happy it's done! I can't wait for a little nicer weather so Jim and I can sit out there with a drink and unwind. And it's done before TJ's big bombass birthday beach bash!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

Wishing all the mothers out there a very happy Mother's Day! Especially my mom, my mother in law, my grandmas (and grandmas in law, I just call you grandma too) and all of my special June 2009 mamas!

I had a wonderful Mother's Weekend. Saturday, Jim took over TJ duty so I could paint my kitchen with help from my mom. I had been putting off painting the kitchen for the past 3+ years with hopes that we could just gut it. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen anytime soon. I couldn't stand it any longer so a face lift was in order. I'm so incredibly happy with how it looks now! Jim just didn't understand why I have been so embarrassed by the state of the kitchen. I finally found a good analogy. I asked him how he would feel if he hadn't mowed the lawn for 3 years and all of his family and friends were coming to the house. That is how I've felt about this kitchen for the past several years. All of the damage has been patched and the dirty blue-so-pale-is-it-really-blue? walls are now a nice shade of sage green. One shade up on the color strip from our family room. I do still want to put a fresh coat of glossy white on the cabinets and get some new hardware but the difference is so dramatic I actually don't feel the need to do that right now. I ended the day with a nice hot bubble bath. :-)

This morning I got to sleep in and then we went to brunch with my parents and brother. TJ got me a Mama card and a pedometer for me to use on our walk/jogs. Jim got my a beautiful necklace with a black pearl floating in a circle. It's EXACTLY what I would have picked out so he did an excellent job. The pearl is both my and TJ's birthstone. We then spend the afternoon at the Brookfield Zoo.

A few pictures of our fun day

My little lovebug

Getting a big fat kiss from my little man

I have to say, it was nice having Jim behind the camera so I actually have some pictures with me in them!

A very nice zoo volunteer came over to take a group shot. I can't believe how great it turned out!

Patio - Days 3 and 4

2010-05-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

The third day of the patio project was not very exciting... basically the guys spent the entire day laying a layer gravel, spending an hour packing it down and repeating that about 5 times. The 4th day they began laying the pavers. They spent a long time measuring and leveling and getting those first few bricks laid. It looks amazing! I'm so excited about how nice our backyard will be. I can't wait to be able to spend evenings out there this summer with a margarita in my hand and the baby in bed. :-) They'll be back Monday to finish up. They only have all of the fussy cut pieces to put in which will be time consuming and then sod to lay.

Looking down on the pattern from inside the glass slider.

Patio - Day 2

2010-05-05T21:52:00.000-07:00

Today the workers ripped out the entire deck and what a process that was! TJ and I watched from the patio door and family room windows as they attacked it with a chain saw. It was fun watching the walls of the gazebo come out first and the roof falling down. They also did major removal since the dumpster was dropped off today. The rest of the plants from the large bed and all of the timber are gone. The landing and stoop of the patio was started this evening with incredible precise and patient measuring and leveling. It's already looking great! And I have peace of mind seeing how diligent these guys are.

Look how open our yard is now!

This planting bed is going to from about 4 feet deep to about 2 feet deep. Much more manageable for me to keep a few plants alive. The patio will extend to the right side of the windows in front of the planting bed.

Patio - Day 1

2010-05-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

Day 1 began around 1pm with the removal of two large evergreen trees. They also removed several bushes along our back fence and most of one of the large planting beds along the side fence. It's remarkable how much larger our yard is with just two trees gone - we gained back about 1/4 of yard space!

Before with trees:

After:

(excuse the poor photography - I was working with a setting sun and a certain 11 month old strapped to me)

The trees were in the right hand side of this photo and the large planting bed extended the entire length of that wooden fence and came out about 5-7 feet

Tomorrow - bye bye rickety, rotting, ginger bread house deck! I won't miss you!

New Patio

2010-05-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Our latest project - a new patio!

We try to do one big project on the house each year. Our little budding walker has dictated which project come next - the deck. Or rather, removal of the deck. I'm not sure when the deck was put on this house but it is in BAD shape. The boards are splintering and nails are popping up. Even Lucy hates walking across it and practically tiptoes to get to the yard. We also have a gazebo, that while it seems like a great idea, just takes up space and makes the yard seem smaller and crowded. We've gone back and forth all winter on what to do. We thought about just removing the top boards and replacing them, keeping the foot print of the current deck and underlying structure. We thought about removing it all and pouring a concrete patio. In the end we decided to remove everything and lay a paver brick patio.

The original owners of our house were a retired couple so they spent a lot of time gardening. When we first looked at the house the yard was amazing. Of course, we have not been able to keep up with the weeds and plants in the slightest so now it's an overgrown jungle. So while we're ripping up the deck we thought we might as well have the landscapers tear out the large planting bed and replace with sod as well as remove two trees. We want TJ to be able to enjoy the backyard and have room for him to run around and play. We also don't want to do any more yard work than mowing!

Work starts tomorrow so I'll be updating the progress each night. It will hopefully all be done in a week to 10 days. For now, here are the before pictures.

I'm convinced this was a DIY project - who in the world would use 1x2s for a deck surface??

A boy and his dog

2010-04-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

Or maybe it should be "A dog and her boy?"

TJ got into his diaper bag yesterday (I really should know better to always keep it zipped up) and found his emergency stash of cheerios. I'm sure Lucy did her share of prompting him, those two are thick as thieves lately. An entire baggie full of cheerios covered the floor and I found these two sitting together eating them up. Of course I had to grab the camera before cleaning them up but a little dust on your cheerios never hurt anyone. ;-)

Over the last 10 months Lucy has worked her way through the stages of denial, anger, avoidance and is finally on acceptance. She's learning to love her boy and most of that has come since she discovered the rain of food that occurs if she sits under the highchair. TJ is learning to be gentle with her and he loves to pet her ears. Once in awhile Lucy will get a pudgy little finger in her eye but she takes it all in stride. We have the kitchen and family rooms gated off and she actually spends most of her time inside Alcatraz with TJ and me but she knows she can go to her own island of the living room couch any time she would like.

eyes and EARS and mouth and nose...

2010-04-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post a quick note that TJ found my ear tonight! We've been working on body parts recently and just tonight I asked him "where is Mama's ear?" and he climbed over to me and grabbed it! I was a flabbergasted - isn't this a bit early? I guess it goes to show how much babies adsorb. I'm so excited though! I absolutely love this age, it's my favorite yet. He's so fun and is discovering the world around him.

Double Digits!

2010-04-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

Happy 10 Months TJ!

You might remember the debacle we had last month trying to get a picture of TJ... well something must have clicked because he was cooperative! He smiled AND held his sign. I was flabbergasted. It may have helped that he had just woken from his nap so he was a bit more on the mellow side...

To celebrate we took Lucy for a nice long walk and went to the park. TJ hadn't been in a swing since last November but he loved every minute! Laughing, smiling, and squealing, I wish I would have brought the video camera.

This is such a fun age. TJ's all over the house but a very careful child. He rarely falls, if ever. He holds onto things and has only lets go to reach for me. He's suddenly found his voice and babbles constantly (and loudly), shrieks and squeals. He's also learned to shake his head no - which comes in really handy since he does it when he's finished eating. He loves chicken and anything to do with cheese. Tonight we grilled chicken breasts and had macaroni and cheese so he was in heaven.

TJ sleeps through the night consistently, going to bed about 7:30 and waking in the morning between 6:30 and 7. He's gotten sooo much better about napping and will go down for a good hour and a half to 2 hours in the morning and an hour to an hour and a half in the afternoon. He also puts himself to sleep! He's become a bit of a pacifier addict but I try to only let him have it in the car and in the crib. Unfortunately, if he sees one he'll do whatever it takes to get that thing in his mouth. I'm not too concerned right now, he needs the comfort - we'll cross that bridge later.

I love having such an affectionate child. He'll still cuddle, when he's not too busy chasing Lucy, gives me kisses and pets me. We've gotten him to raise his arms for "sooo big" a couple of times but a lot of the time he just laughs at us. Right now I'm working on eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. I can see the wheels turning in his little head so I bet he'll be pointing them out by next month's update.

On to the pictures!

I think we might have a musical prodigy on our hands!

Generations and Vacations

2010-04-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

Every year for the past 10 or so my parents and grandparents have taken a vacation together over spring break. My grandparents have timeshare points so they book a really nice condo and meet in Branson, MO since it's about equal distance for both of them. This year I decided to go with since I no longer have to worry about PTO. Jim must not have wanted to be the one left at home so he decided to come with as well. ;-) It was a bit of a crazy and unpredictable vacation but I'll just give you some highlights.

We did lots and lots of outlet shopping.

I get asked a lot, and yes TJ actually enjoys wearing hats! He pulled it down over his eyes and took a little nap. Shopping is exhausting you know.... see?

But TJ got new kicks!

We went to one show - Dolly Parton's Dixie Land Stampeed. Great show! The horses were extremely well cared for and the food was amazing. Jim and I were even selected to participate in the show and had to race another couple on a stick horse. Thankfully, pictures were not allowed inside. But we did get a family picture outside by the horses.

And spent quite a bit of time just relaxing...

The best part of the week was spending it with my grandparents - TJ's GREAT grandparents. He absolutely loved great grandpa. They were instant best friends.

He really liked grandpa's cane - we called it TJ's Shepard hook.

I love you great grandma!

p.s. 3 of these pictures were taken on a Canon power shot and the rest were taken on a DSLR - can you tell which ones? I see a huge difference. ;-)

Hippity Hoppity Happy Easter Day!

2010-04-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

TJ wishes everyone a Happy Easter!

His first time coloring eggs

He wasn't too impressed with the process but he did enjoy chewing on the new little person the Easter bunny brought him.

Enjoying the nice day and checking out his Easter baskets

Sadly, it seems I've only been posting for special occasions. I've been a lazy blogger... but we did just get back from a week long vacation. I'll post about that within the next few days and hopefully get back to regular updates! In just a little over 2 months my baby will turn 1. So hard to believe.

Happy Golden 9 Months TJ!

2010-03-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

We started the day with TJ's 9 month well baby visit at the pediatrician. He's 21 lbs. 5 oz. and 28 inches. He's lost a bit of weight over the past 2 months according to our weigh-ins but overall has gained 1 lb and 1 oz since his 6th month visit. The doc was very impressed with all of TJ's new skills and even said "I don't have a single concern." That's always nice to hear! We have the all clear to give him anything to eat with the exceptions of nuts and honey. He's still nursing 4-5 times a day but loves food and will eat anything I put in front of him. He's speed crawling, pulling up to stand on everything and walking along all of the furniture. He's also walking behind his rolling wagon. But no standing or walking solo yet! TJ has started waving, gives high fives, and kisses. He's super affectionate and loves to cuddle. He likes to squeal and babble but no actual words yet. He does let out some Mamamama to get my attention but I'm still not counting it as a first word.

Official 9 month picture

Nice huh? It's almost impossible to get pictures of him these days. They're all of his back side! Here's a couple more.

Rocking the mohawk!

Because you're mine.... I walk the line

2010-03-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

Finally! I caught this on video. TJ loves his radio flyer walker wagon (a Christmas gift from great grandma Vandy) but I've been having trouble getting him on video since he loves trying to get the camera from me more. Look at him go! He's still far from finding his balance to go solo yet but he certainly enjoys pulling up on everything and walking along with a little assistance from the couch, coffee table, entertainment center..... you get the idea. :-)

Since I'm posting videos here is another silly one. TJ finds the goofiest things hysterical.

Swimming!

2010-02-25T18:39:00.000-08:00

Jim went down to St. Louis this week for work and since I didn't have anything going on TJ and I decided to drive down for an overnight. The hotel has an indoor pool so we took advantage! He seemed fairly indifferent... but he didn't cling to me, panic, or cry at all so I say it was a success! But the end he was kicking up a storm and actually having fun. He even let me lay him on his back to float (with me holding him up) so he could kick and splash with his legs. TJ and I start mommy and me swim class on Monday so I'm excited for him to get used to the water and become a little fish. I think he'll have a leg up on the class after today!

Ready to get in!

Sitting on the steps to get used to the idea

So much to look at!

"See my hippo? I saved hims from drowning."

And a short video

Now we especially can't wait for summer!

Chicken Pot Pie

2010-02-16T18:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight was one of those "what on earth am I going to do with these chicken breasts" kind of a night. So I decided to whip up a chicken pot pie. Serious. I realize this isn't something most would "whip up" but all the ingredients are commonly stocked in my fridge/pantry and, more importantly, Jim came home a bit early (and didn't have to keep working for once) so I had a TJ watcher. I love to cook but it is difficult since the little man demands quite a bit of my undivided attention.

I rarely use actual measurements when I cook but here is the gist:

Chicken Pot Pie

Pie crust (if you want to be legit make your own! ;-) see below for those ingredients)
2 large chicken breasts, cubed
approx. 1 C. carrots (sliced, cubed, whatever you like)
approx. 1 C. peas
1 stick (or 1/2 C.) of margarine
1 medium onion chopped
1/3 C. flour
Salt, Pepper, Celery Salt to taste
1 3/4 - 2 C. Chicken broth (I actually use LB Jamison's chicken soup base dissolved in water)
1/2 - 2/3 C. Milk

Combine chicken, carrots and peas in a sauce pan and lightly salt. Cover with just enough water and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile make the pie crust. I use just your basic crust you would use for fruit pies. (Combine 2 C. flour, 1/2 t. salt and 2/3 C. Crisco with a pastry blender. Add 1/3 C. ICE cold water. Handle sparingly and roll out with a rolling pin.) I used about 2/3 of the crust to line the bottom and sides of my dish saving about 1/3 of the crust for the top.

In a large pan sautee onions in butter until just turning translucent. Add the flour, salt, pepper, and celery salt creating a roux. Slowly stir in the chicken broth and milk. Simmer while stirring until thick.

Add the chicken, carrot and pea mixture to your crust. Top with the hot roux. Cover with top pie crust and pinch the edge shut. Cut slits in the top to vent.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Yum...

My happy eater loved it! And I loved knowing each and every ingredient that he was chowing down.

You've got mail!

2010-02-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

TJ received his very first package today! He could hardly contain his excitement and I was happy to see the unwrapping skills he learned at Christmas stuck in his little head. :-)

Ohhh a package for me!

Hurry Mama, open it!

What's in here?

Ohhhhh

A present for me! But I have to wait until Valentine's Day to open it.

Helping me bake

2010-02-10T10:20:00.000-08:00

TJ helped me bake some cookies the other day. He absolutely loved this bar-b-que sauce brush and looking through the containers. Kept him busy for a solid 15 minutes!

And just because he's so funny, here's TJ crawling towards me. He usually has his mouth open and panting while he crawls.

Love my boy!

8 Months Old!

2010-02-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

Happy 8 Months TJ!

TJ's 8 month accomplishments:

-Lot's of babbling, but still no actual words

-He's eating 2 real food meals a day, breakfast and dinner. Almost everything he eats is softened chunks of veggies and fruits. He will usually have a fruit and grain for breakfast and then a veggie and grain for dinner. He can pick up his own food and gets about 90% of it in his mouth! Loves his sippy cup and drinking water. Foods TJ has had include:

Apples
Pears
Bananas
Avodaco
Oatmeal
Carrots
Sweet Potato
Green Beans
Gerber Puffs
Cheerios
Wheat Pasta
Crackers

-Crawling all over the house

-Pulling up to stand

-Cruising around the couch and coffee table on two feet

-Sleeping 11 hours straight most of the time

-Gives high fives and kisses (we're now working on waving bye bye and blowing kisses)

-Enjoys story time at the library every week and is starting to be a little less shy

-Loves chasing Lucy's tail and climbing in her bed

-Knows his nap time routine and will put himself to sleep

-Still loves to snuggle and be rocked

Shuffle Shuffle

2010-02-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

I've decided TJ is Superbaby! The last week or so he has been pulling himself up on everything. He hadn't quite figured out the feet aspect, instead he gets a good grip and literally pulls himself to his feet by his arms. Anything that he can reach from his knees he will use to pull up. He's quite accomplished at this feat!

Just now TJ started walking along the couch! He was actually standing at the leather cube we use as a ottoman/coffee table and reached over for the couch. He got himself over to the couch and then down about 3-4 feet to where I was sitting. Go TJ!

New Discovery

2010-01-30T18:55:00.000-08:00

Who needs this:

When you have this?

Yep, I spent the morning chasing TJ to Lucy's bowls and carrying back to the family room only to chase him yet again. It's a good thing Lucy doesn't usually leave food in her bowl!

My Little Helper

2010-01-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

Somebody loves doing laundry! It's funny because laundry would be my chore of choice as well. As soon as that laundry basket comes up TJ is crawling over trying to climb in. He's good at matching socks too!

And when the folding is done.... straight for the TV remote!

Usually when TJ wakes up he will just sit in his crib and holler until someone comes and gets him. But if you aren't quick enough this is what you'll find.

And you can't leave him alone for long! I left him sitting on the floor in his room with a pile of toys just to run to the bathroom and wet a washcloth. Here he comes looking for me!

Crawling 101: by professor Lucy, aka the dog

2010-01-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

Step 1; select toy

Step 2; insert toy into mouth and flap arms excitedly

Step 3; take off!

It's possible carrying cargo while crawling will premature exhaustion, rest stops may be required

This is a good opportunity to watch some TV

Repeat

Aren't I cute?

7 months!

2010-01-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit late but it's nap time so I'm going to try and catch up. It's harder to get online now that I have a mobile boy. Plus, he's taking after his dad diving for any kind of electronic. He's obsessed with tv remotes, cell phones, the laptop...

Six months was such a big milestone - half a year old. Seven months is kind of sad for me. We're on the down swing towards a year old and it's just going by so fast. Now that TJ is crawling he doesn't seem like my little baby anymore. Luckily, he's still a cuddle bug and I'm still nursing so we have lots of close time together.

I have put away all of the 6 month clothing. He's in 9 months right now and some 12 month sleepers. He's been sleeping better again, rarely waking up at night and when he does goes right back to sleep with his nuk. I know it's a crutch I'll regret later, but I'll think about that tomorrow. Tomorrow's another day. ;-)

He's been eating one meal a day of real food - at dinner time. So far he's had bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, and prunes (we had a little constipation this weekend from the sweet potatoes). His favorite by far is the avocados! He gets water in a sippy cup while he eats which he LOVES. He's become quite the little pro at holding and drinking from the sippy himself. Such a big boy!

He's not a huge talker but does babble his fair share. He's been working on bababa mostly. TJ definitely knows his name and will turn when you call him. He loves playing with his toys and is especially intrigued by small things and wheels. His fine motor skills amaze me - he can pick up his puffs with his finger and thumb, switch things from hand to hand, pick up just a few strands of my hair at a time and other small things. TJ laughs a lot at the silly noises and faces I make for him and also tries to mimic me. He's just such a happy baby!

I'm still working on trying to get him to clap but he doesn't quite get it. He does appreciate my playing patty cake though. Oh! We did teach him to high five so that's pretty funny. He still gives me kisses, but they hurt a bit since he digs his bottom two teeth into me.

On to the pictures!

These are getting kinda tricky to take since TJ is getting so mobile. He doesn't like to sit still for very long!

Uh oh, here he goes!

Yes, he pulled up himself! Don't think I'm a bad mother, Jim was right there to grab him. ;-)

And we have TAKE OFF!!

2010-01-10T19:56:00.001-08:00

Houston we have a problem.

Jim and I haven't baby proofed a thing yet.

And why is this a problem you ask? Because TJ is crawling!! Actual, legitimate crawling. He had rocking on his knees for over a month and been doing an inch worm scoot for a couple of weeks now. Just today he moved several feet on just knees and hands. Of course he was panting worse than the dog so hopefully he'll sleep well from exhaustion tonight. Ha!

I know I still have Christmas to blog about but I couldn't resist hopping on here and posting the video I took tonight.

Life as we knew it has just changed again. ;-)

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

I've been absent from the blog for so long but with all of the Christmas and New Years craziness I'm sure it's understandable.

Just a quick note to say Happy New Year! TJ got his first tooth just in time for Christmas. He's also so darn close to crawling. We're in serious trouble since we haven't baby proofed a thing. Heck, I haven't even taken down the Christmas decorations yet! I hear a restless baby waking up from his nap so I'll sign off and leave you with these.

P.S. I received a fabulous new camera for Christmas! Even though I'm still working on learning to use it can't you already see a huge difference in my pictures? I'm such a lucky girl!! :-)

6 Months Old!

2009-12-09T23:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Half Birthday TJ!

I can hardly believe 6 months has gone by - where has the time gone??? Last year at this time we were enjoying our last vacation as a two-some in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. I even bought a little bucket hat for our baby (at that time we didn't know if we had a boy or a girl) that says St. Thomas and looked what we named our boy!

TJ went to the doctor this morning for his 6 month well baby check up. He's far ahead of all the typical 6 month milestones. He's grabbing and holding toys with both hands, passing things from one hand to the other, and has even started using his thumb and pointer finger in a pincer grab. Hello cheerios! Well maybe sometime soon...

He's climbing all over me and trying so hard to stand and walk on his own. He's interested in absolutely everything around him so we really have to watch what is within a few feet of him or it'll soon be in his hands and mouth! Today at the doctor he even started tearing up the paper on the bench. He's oddly fascinated with the TV remotes and will dive for them when given the chance. We really need to start the baby proofing. His favorite things to play with are those that make noise. He loves his piano and his basketball hoop most of all. Jim set up a train to run around the Christmas tree and TJ is fascinated! He loves watching the train go round and round.

TJ's still in his 6-9 month clothes but I'm sure we'll start washing the 12 month clothes soon. He's quite the babbler and has even started squealing. I wouldn't call anything an official word yet but he does say "Mamamama" when he's upset and wants me. I love it!

TJ's latest accomplishment is playing peek-a-boo. In just the last few days he's learned to not only pull the cloth off his face, but then cover himself up again to play again. He'll also raise his arms when I say "up" to pick him up.

Yesterday we started solid foods and TJ had his first taste of oatmeal. He loved it! He was a little weary of that first bite but soon caught on. More on that and pictures (of course) later! For now here are TJ's 6 month stats:

20 pounds 4 ounces - 90th percentile
27 inches long - 75th percentile
Head measures 44 centimeters - 60th percentile

Our monthly picture

Trying to grab everything!

Working hard and trying to pull up and stand

He looks like such a little man!

So the yellow was a bad choice for pictures in his yellow chair. I'll remember that for next month. But it happened to be our first snow and TJ wanted to wear his snowboarder shirt. :-)

Peek-a-boo!

2009-12-05T13:33:00.000-08:00

Isn't it amazing to see babies learn? I've been playing peek-a-book with TJ periodically for a few months. He thinks it's hysterical when I shout out PEEK-A-BOO! at him. Then again, he might just be laughing at me since I sound insane. Anyways, it's been a mostly one sided game besides his giggles. Until yesterday. I put the cloth over his head and he pulled it off himself and looked at me expectantly. He's learned cause and effect! What a smart boy.

So of course I broke out the video camera. What else would a proud mother do?

Little Fish

2009-12-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

TJ loves his bath time. He absolutely loves kicking and splashing in the water. Now that he can sit up so well he has found some freedom in the tub. He doesn't even mind water in his eyes from the washcloth or from his splashes. It also works like a charm to relax him before bedtime. I'm tempted to bathe him more often than two times a week because he enjoys it so much. I know opinions vary widely on this but I don't think daily is necessary since babies don't really get dirty and I don't want to dry out his skin. Maybe I'll up it to three times a week. :-)

I can't wait to take him swimming in a real pool - maybe we'll have a swimmer on our hands!

Check out my little fish (and his many rolls)!

Pictures!

2009-11-17T20:03:00.001-08:00

It's been too long since I've posted last and I have quite a few new cute pictures to share! I'm going to make this quick so I can get to bed.

We had some amazingly nice weather so TJ took his first swing at the park. We're not sure what he thought. Hehe...

I also can't resist posting these few. TJ is bursting with personality and it's starting to show on the pictures I take.

I'm going to catch this thing if it's the last thing I do!

Such a little flirt!

5 Months Old!

2009-11-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

What's this thing say?

Oh! I'm 5 months old today!!

18.5 pounds!

TJ is sitting up fully on his own. He loves his basketball and can pick it up with both his hands. He's close to being able to even dunk it in his hoop. He's just starting to scootch on his tummy and I have a feeling crawling is right around the corner. TJ has learned to take his socks off and enjoys tormenting me. He likes being a big boy and riding in the shopping cart. He also loves kissing mommy and is the happiest boy I know!

First trip to the zoo!

2009-11-08T06:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had beautiful weather - 60 degrees and SUNNY on November 7th - I could hardly believe it. We decided to get out of the house and take advantage by taking TJ to the Brookfield Zoo for the very first time. He didn't think much of the animals but he loved riding around in the fresh air and people watching.

I love this zoo and I'm very impressed with the renovations they are doing to the buildings and animals' homes. The dolphins are on vacation in Minneapolis while their tanks are all redone and we really missed seeing them. Brookfield is also in the process of building a huge new home for the bears - they really need one!

The one sad note of the day was one of the porpoises recently died during a surgery to try and remove a bunch of coins and rings from it's stomach. Visitors had been throwing things things into the tank like it was a wishing well and he had been eating them. Why can't people think before the act? :(

Here are some pictures from our day. I'll upload the rest into shutterfly shortly.

Checking out the buffalo

Getting a ride through Tropic World

In a the pouch of a giant kangaroo!

All tuckered out and ready to head home for my nap!

Taggie Blanket

2009-11-06T14:26:00.000-08:00

This week my mom and I felt a little crafty and made TJ a taggie blanket. It's basically a little portable activity center for him. One side of this mini-blanket is made of red satin. If you can remember back that far, satin was probably one of the softest things you felt as a kid. I know the satin edging was worn off almost all of my childhood blankets. The other side of TJ's taggie blanket is a zebra print fur (faux of course). Black and white patterns are the first thing babies can see and typically babies are quite intrigued by the contrast. All around the edge of the taggie blanket are loops made of every kind of textured ribbon I could find. There is satin, grosgrain, rick rack, velvet, woven rope in all colors and patterns.

TJ loves it! He's already sat quietly and worked his way around the edge feeling all of the different textures in the loops. He's rubbed both the satin and fur sides against his cheek and even fell asleep clutching his taggie blanket. TJ's already an excellent car rider but I think this little blanket will keep him extra busy.

Thanks for your help mom! Maybe we should go in business, haha!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

Sitting High

2009-10-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

TJ is getting so big - the time is flying! He just got his highchair and he absolutely LOVES it! He likes to be up high so he can see what's going on. This will be a life saver. Now I can get some more elaborate cooking done and we can eat as a family at the table. TJ likes to be able to do things on his own but he wants to make sure I'm in site at all times - he really likes watching what I do. He won't be starting solid foods for another couple of months but for now he likes practicing with his spoon in his new chair.

Dear Grandma & Grandpa

2009-10-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks for letting me come and visit. I had a great time! I miss you already.
Love,
TJ

Big helper!

2009-10-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

I always wanted to be a stay at home mom, the thought of having to return to work made me sick. We're so lucky that we're in the position that I can stay at home with TJ. I love my new job more than anything and wouldn't trade my time with him for the world. However, the one thing I don't think I was too realistic about was how hard it is to get anything done around the house! I had these grand visions of having the perfectly happy and cared for child, the immaculatly spotless house, and a gourmet dinner on the table. HA! It's all I can do to get the house mostly clean once a week and some kind of dinner (far from gourmet I assure you) made each night.

TJ's been trying to help me out but when you're too short to push the vacuum, too drooly to dust without making a bigger mess, and someone is always telling you 'HOT! Don't touch!' when you get near the oven there isn't much a guy can do. He is becoming an expert at laundry though. ;-) Now if only he could fold...

Busy Sunday!

2009-10-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

We went over to my parent's house last night for dinner. Despite having a little cold TJ was busy as a bee! He loved playing cards and showing off his new skills. Too bad his Bear's jersey didn't bring the team any luck.

He's also mastering sitting. We're hoping to have some crawling action by Christmas - though ought to make for a very entertaining holiday!

TJ's ESPN Deupt!

2009-10-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Our little guy is famous! TJ the Lion was on TV during the Penn State vs. Illinois game on October 3, 2009. We finally got a recording of the game and edited down this little clip to share.

4 Month Stats

2009-10-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

17 lbs. 12 oz. - 92nd percentile
26.5 inches

Doctor says TJ looks great! He's way ahead of all on his milestones.
- Sitting unassisted for several minutes (just needs help getting into a sitting position)
- Rolls tummy to back. He almost has back to tummy but he just isn't very interested.
- Reaches and grabs for toys. He's particularly interested in the TV remote.
- Puts anything he can get his hands on in his mouth
- Loves to "stand" in our laps
- Starting to respond to his name
- Kisses
- "Talks" and Sings, laughs a lot
- Grabs his feet
- Has now discovered Lucy and pets her
- Still sleeping through the night (8:30 - 6 or 7) and is now getting better about napping during the day.

Time sure is flying, I can't believe how big my little boy is getting. I love being able to stay home with him and see how he changes from day to day!

Showing off that charming personality!

We've found a new use for our bum!

2009-10-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

It's no longer used just for pooping and old man farts... TJ can now sit!

This was taken about a week ago. He's already gotten so much better! But I couldn't resist posting this one since he's so smiley and giggly too. I'll work on getting more video. To celebrate TJ's new accomplishment dad bought him his very first basketball hoop! Hopefully I'll get some video of that as soon as he figures it out.

4 Months Old!

2009-10-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

New Discoveries

2009-10-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

It seems like TJ discovers something new every day. This past week we had 2 big discoveries. TJ found his feet and he's starting to mimic. It started on the changing table, TJ brought his legs up and just grabbed his foot one day. Now he does that every time he gets changed and dives for them when he's sitting on my lap. He hasn't quite gotten them in his mouth yet - I think he has too many rolls in the way for that. ;-)

Another funny picture from this morning. TJ was playing in his gym while I was making some toast for breakfast and fell asleep. Suddenly I heard his piano and looked over. He had fallen asleep with his elbow on his piano. Too funny! Unfortunately, he only lasted 15 minutes until his piano playing woke him up.

TJ also "kisses" me! Check out the video on our shutterfly site!

The mom hair cut

2009-10-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

I hated to do it, but I had no choice. Last week I cut off all my hair. I have been losing just fist fulls of hair, shedding uncontrollably everywhere. During pregnancy, your body (with the help of prenatal vitamins) holds onto hair. After you give birth you start losing that 9 months worth of hair rather rapidly. So annoying! I'm still losing hair in rather scary quantities, but since it's about 8 inches shorter, it's slightly less bothersome. It'll grow back! :-)

Here's my new mom-do! But not a soccer mom do at least, lol.

TJ's Television Debut!

2009-10-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day! We went down to the lake for the weekend so we could go to the Penn State vs. Illinois game in Champaign. We planned ahead to tailgate and had a nice big group. Unfortunately, most of them were Illinois fans but my family was all decked out in our Penn State gear. TJ even dressed up in a lion costume complete with a navy and white striped scarf that grandma knitted for him!

The weather was pretty crappy - very chilly and overcast all day. TJ was a trooper though, he was happy the entire day. It's a good thing we had the lion costume, he kept super warm. He didn't pay any attention to the actual football game but was super intrigued at all the people around us. The few Penn State fans that were sitting by us were very impressed by his costume. Some people may think we're crazy for taking our 3 month old to activities such as this but the more places we take him the easier it becomes and the better he is in these situations. He spent about 4 hours in my lap and didn't complain at all.

Towards the end of the game most of the Illinois fans were leaving (they were losing pretty bad) so we went down towards the field and over to the PSU section to try and get a picture with the lion. We got a lot more than that! The PSU fans couldn't get enough of TJ the lion - I had person after person ask if they could take a picture of him. One gal even told her husband that she wanted a baby just so she could have a mini lion like TJ - her husband was not amused, haha. The lion was also impressed, coming right over to take pictures with TJ.

Low and behold, we suddenly had camera crews on us filming TJ the lion. When the camera appeared lots of people were jumping around trying to get in front of us. The camera guy actually asked people to move and said he wanted to get a shot of the baby! A short while after the game grandma and grandpa Cedar called and said we were on TV! They had us on for a good 10-15 seconds. TJ is famous!

TJ with Mom & Uncle John

TJ & Uncle John

TJ and the Lion

I can do anything you can do better!

2009-09-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

Anything you can do I can do too!

TJ is trying so hard to be a big boy. He wants nothing more than to get up and walk around. He's getting really good at "standing" on my lap and puts all his weight on his legs and can even push up from a squat. Perhaps he heard us making fun of his chubby legs and is trying to work them out... ;-)

He has also been practicing at sitting - something he gets very excited about. He can sit unaided for about 20 seconds before tipping to the side. Here he is showing off his accomplisment. Pretty good for three months, eh?

He amazes me daily.

What a difference a year can make

2009-09-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here we were 1 year ago:

And one year later the result is:

Amazing.

Remembering who we are

2009-09-28T19:12:00.001-07:00

Saturday, Jim and I got back to our roots and hit up the Dave Matthews Band concert. We've gone to at least one a year since we've been together - since 2002. I bought these tickets way back in March, knowing we'd have a 3 month old but I just couldn't fathom breaking our tradition. Am I'm glad we went! It was wonderful to have not only a night out, but a remembrance of who we are and where we came from. How our mutual love for Dave is one of the driving things that brought us together. While it was no where near the best Dave concert we've been to, it was wonderful to be together listening to the music.

The array of people we saw was fascinating. Everything from a chick in her early 20s sporting a sequined mini-dress, to a gaggle of teenagers all wearing uggs and clutching their dooney & burke bags, to the middle age couples in flannel shirts and high waist mom jeans. I couldn't tell where we fit in, but it was the first time I felt old at a Dave concert. Though, perhaps it was the lack of sleep after having been up at 3 and 6 the night before that made me feel old and tired. Regardless, we had a fun night out without our new little accessory, and I remembered all over again why I fell in love with my husband.

Thanks for that Dave, and we'll see you next year!

TJ's new best friend

2009-09-25T10:35:00.004-07:00

Meet Sophie

Sophie hails from France. She's made of a very soft and flexible natural rubber. Perfect for teething which I suppose is her purpose. TJ's friend Sam highly recommended Sophie to us and TJ is in LOVE. She's particularly easy for him to grasp and hold on to. Her ears and legs often find their way into TJ's little mouth. I never thought I'd spend 20 bucks on a teether but she's worth every penny. ;-)

3 months

2009-09-25T10:35:00.003-07:00

update to come

2 months

2009-09-25T10:35:00.001-07:00

update to come

1 month

2009-09-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

TJ's first month was a whirlwind.
Quick updates:
Thomas was born at 9 lb.s 5 oz. and left the hospital at 8 lbs. 12 oz. He regained all of that weight by his first pediatrician visit 4 days later. :) The doctor was so impressed and said TJ was "thriving." The first weekend home also happened to be the weekend my brother John graduated from DePaul with his MBA. Consequently, my grandparents from Iowa were in town for John's graduation and also to meet TJ. Jim's parents were also staying with us so we had a house full! It was wonderful to have so many people enjoying our little guy's first week.

On his one week birthday TJ rolled over! He was on his tummy and somehow managed to just flip himself over. He did this two more times but that was it - so just a fluke. After the first night (Jim and I were up all night) we slowly got settled into a night routine. The first month or so TJ was waking up every 2-3 hours during the night to eat. Luckily, he did go back to sleep fairly quickly so it wasn't too bad.

Breastfeeding. Wow, what a wonderful yet challenging thing! TJ was (is) very eager to eat. All the time. We got off to a pretty good start in the hospital, unfortunately being so large, TJ had a much bigger appetite than I could provide for before my milk came in so he was supplemented for 2 days in the hospital with formula. Luckily, by the time we got home my milk came in and I could fill his belly. The first week was very painful for me. It was challenging to juggle things while trying to get him to latch on and TJ didn't quite "get" how to open his mouth wide enough. That resulted in a visit to the lactation consultant and some very sensitive and bloody nipples. The lactation consultants are incredibly helpful and I recommend anyone just starting to breastfeed see one, no matter how well you think you are doing. Breastfeeding consumed about 75% of my time that first month. TJ would spend about 30-45 minutes feeding, snooze for a bit then wake up and repeat. We had a pretty large hiccup when I landed back in the hospital and I'm sure a lot of women would have just stopped. I'm determined to breastfeed for at least a year if not longer so with the nurses help I pumped every 3 hours throughout my stay. We didn't have any milk stored previously so TJ did have about a day of formula until I was able to send milk home with Jim. It was a nice chance for my nipples to heal though!

TJ's first trip out of the house was at 5 days old when we went to Mandy's birthday party.

He was a good little trooper and slept the whole way in the car. After that, we've found him to be a good rider, almost always sleeping in the car. We had another trip down to the lake house over my 28th birthday through the 4th of July.

TJ also had his first boat ride!

Back to the hospital...

2009-09-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

We like to call this little episode "When TJ broke mommy"

9 days post partum - June 18th - I felt a little off. I called my mom to come over that afternoon to watch TJ so I could take a nap. I woke up a couple hours later, around 3pm, and just started gushing blood when I got out of bed. I made it to the bathroom and screamed for my mom or Jim (who luckily was working from home). We called the emergency line at my OB's office and spoke with a nurse. She said to sit on a bad and see if it soaked through within 30 minutes, she would call me back. It soaked through almost immediately. I was feeling light headed, dizzy and hot and my mom and Jim tried to get me to eat something. After about an hour there was no stopping in sight so we decided I needed to go to the hospital. When I stood up huge blood clots just fell out of me. This happened twice more. On the third attempt of me getting up to get downstairs in the car I passed out completely, taking my mom down with me on the bathroom floor. I was out about a minute and woke up to Jim on the phone with 911.

The ambulance showed up shortly there after and loaded me. The entire way to the hospital I still have these huge blood clots (about the size of a dinner plate) coming out. In the emergency room they check me out and call the doctor on call at my office which happened to be the doctor that delivered me. The started an ultrasound to see if they could see where the bleeding was coming from about the time my doctor came. She dove into action demanding blood be sent down and calling for the OR to be prepped. I was taken into surgery for an emergency D&C. Unfortunately, I had eaten shortly before so had to be intubated. Luckily, I came through with all the parts I went in with - my biggest fear was losing them.

I was in the hospital until Sunday afternoon. I had 2 IVs, one in each arm pumping me with antibiotics and fluids. I had 3 units of blood during and just after my surgery. The hospital was wonderful and watched me like a hawk. I had a little setback on Saturday with an allergic reaction when they tried to give me plasma. Funny, considering how much of that I donated in college for beer money. :-)

The worst part of the ordeal was being away from my new baby and leaving poor Jim in such a state with a newborn at home by himself and almost losing his wife. Everyone I talked to commented on what a close call it was. That if I was home by myself I probably wouldn't have been able to get to a phone and would have bled out and died. We thank God that both Jim and my mom were home with me!

Jim's mom came back to town to help out at home and Jim did bring TJ to visit me each day. Luckily, I was able to pump at the hospital and send milk home for him so he was only on formula for about a day. Even one day on that stuff made him stink though! Yuck! lol

Everything is perfectly fine with me now. The doctors aren't sure if this was a fluke since most post postpartum hemorrhaging happens within 48 hours of giving birth. I could also have Von Willebrand's disease, a blood clotting disorder that only appears during pregnancy. They're running tests now to find out if I have that but I haven't heard back with the results yet. I'll worry and cross that bridge when we're ready for our next child.

Catching up!

2009-09-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

I wanted to continue this blog to keep track of the baby's growth and milestones. Unfortunately, life gets away from you. Especially with a little one! I have 3 months of catching up to do here!

Introducing....

Thomas James VanDeCasteele
June 9, 2009
9 lbs 5 oz
20 3/4 inches

TJ's entrance into the world was rather unremarkable. I woke up the morning on the 8th with contractions about 10-15 minutes apart. I spent the morning and afternoon timing and convincing myself this wasn't really it. At this point I was 5 days past my due date and hadn't had a contraction or braxton hicks at all. I really thought I was going to have to be induced. In fact, my doctor had scheduled an induction to take place on the 12th. At my 39th and 40th week appointments there was little change. I was still dilated to about 2 and 100% effaced. It was a total stand still.

But going back to June 8th... Jim worked from home that day to keep an eye on me in case things suddenly progressed. I spent the day walking around the house and timing. Jim and I had a fun afternoon (since he actually had a rather slow day work wise) playing monopoly and stratego. By late afternoon the contractions were about 5 minutes apart but not too painful. I gave it a couple more hours and they were still 3-5 minutes apart. I debated back and forth about when to go to the hospital. At this point, the contractions were coming quick but still not as painful as I thought they should be and I didn't feel the baby dropping too low.

We went to the hospital around 7pm. Before admitting me, they checked and I was still only 2-3 centimeters dilated. Hearing that gave me a bit of an anxiety attack and I started to panic that I wasn't progressing like I should be. Jim and I walked around the labor and delivery floor for an hour and still no change. The nurse seemed very tempted to send me home but at this point the contractions were getting close to unbearable. I think it was the anxiety and panic of not being dilated any further after 15 hours of contractions that made me lose focus on laboring. Luckily, she did admit me. Around 10pm I received an epidural and finally relaxed. My parents came to the hospital to wait for the little guys arrival and we all hunkered down for the night.

I couldn't sleep at all that night, I was way too excited for the little guy to come. Around 2am I was checked and up to 5 centimeters dilated - finally progress! My poor husband and parents really suffered that night with only 1 chair and a love seat to camp out on. Plus, I was extremely hot and kept asking the temperature to be set lower and lower - everyone was freezing! Around 5am my epidural started wearing off and I could feel the contractions and lots of pressure. I called the nurse in and she checked me - 9 centimeters! She started prepping for the delivery. Around 6am I started pushing. It was helpful to be able to feel the contractions and I think the pain made me push harder to get him out and everything over with. My nurse said I was an excellent pusher and the baby would be here within the hour! (Most first timers take 2-3 hours of pushing)

Sure enough Thomas came into the world at 6:57am on June 9th. The doctor commented right away on what a big baby he was! Jim cut the cord and the nurses checked him out. He was perfect in every way except a bit pale - not the typical red, shriveled, screaming baby. He didn't look like a newborn at all. TJ did decide to try and wedge his arm and hand out with his shoulders and ended up tearing me pretty good. While the nurses were cleaning him up the doctor went to stitch me up with no epidural. That was more painful then the actual birth! In the end everyone was health and ecstatic.

Still Pregnant!

2009-05-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

And huge! I'll be 39 weeks in just two days so about a week away from my due date. This little guy must not be so little. He's riding WAY out in front, it's ridiculous really. Barely any of my maternity clothes fit anymore so that is making life interesting. I've been having weekly appointments for the past several weeks, starting at 36 weeks. Everything is still looking great with both me and the baby which is why I haven't posted anything lately, nothing to report! I don't think I could have had a better pregnancy really. Boring is good!

At my 36 week appointment I was dilated to 1 cm and 75% effaced already - doctor was surprised! That also happened to be the week we were moving the office so all the packing (I did way too much) I'm sure progressed things. At 37 weeks I had was almost 2 cm and at 38 weeks I was a full 2 and 85% effaced. So we're making slow but steady progress. The doctor estimates the baby is over 7 pounds right now. He's still very active and strong. He gets in some pretty painful kicks maneuvers. He's still head down and still favors hanging out on my right side which makes me pretty lopsided. It's amusing at least.

38 weeks

30 week update

2009-04-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

Last Friday (March 27) was my 30 week appointment. I am now going to the doctor every two weeks. My sugar levels tested normal from my glucose blood draw (tests for gestational diabetes). My blood pressure was 102/60, the baby's heart beat was 142, and I've gained 8 pounds overall. In other words everything looks absolutely perfect! I don't have any swelling or stretch marks (yet!) so keep your fingers crossed. In other amazing news the baby is measuring at 32 weeks - 2 weeks ahead of where I am! Either he had a major growth spurt, he'll come a little early, or he'll be a BIG baby. I'm voting for the latter. The doctor said to expect him to be over 8 pounds since Jim and I were both good size babies.

Baby Vandy has also been hanging out head down and he'll most likely stay that way. He's definitely nice and comfy in there. He's incredibly active and becoming interactive. We can play with him now - he'll push or kick on the same spots we press from the outside back and forth for quiet a while. He will also move his foot and push back on different spots that I press on my belly. It's very entertaining! I think I was annoying him one evening by doing this for hours. But he got me back later that night when I was trying to go to sleep and he had all 4 limbs flailing for quite awhile. He is definitely getting stronger. His movements are almost impossible to ignore (hence I couldn't fall alseep until he stopped) and you can see my whole belly shake when he gets going. The doctor wants me to start doing kick counts to make sure he's still moving as he gets less and less room. I just laughed, I'd be better off counting the time he isn't moving.

Here are some 30 week belly pics

Today I'm 31 weeks - only 9 weeks to go!

26 Weeks!

2009-02-26T08:01:00.000-08:00

And officially less than 100 days to go! Wow, that seems like a big hurdle.

According to babycenter.com the baby is about 14 inches from head to heel and weight just under 2 pounds. I can feel every little move he makes now and I'm starting to distinguish between the moves - especially when he does a full body roll!

The last week or two I was having some fairly intense round ligament pains but those have subsided now. It's starting to get a bit more difficult to move around, mostly getting up from sitting on the floor or when I've been laying on the couch too long. Also, bending over takes some preparation! Luckily, I haven't been gaining weight anywhere but my belly so I've ended up with a cute round little ball. If I can keep this up, losing the weight shouldn't be too bad! Right now I'm just desperately awaiting spring and nice weather so Lucy and I can get out and take some walks. Spending all this time indoors vegging is making me a bit stir crazy.

Jim and I painted the nursery last weekend, a nice soft yellow. He also hung the roman shades and the curtain rods. We already have the glider and ottoman and the crib has been ordered. Hopefully that comes within the next week. This weekend my mom and I are painting round 1 of the strips. It's all starting to come together and I can't wait to see the final product - should be very cute!

Here's some pictures taken this morning of my little soccer ball!

2009-01-15T09:10:00.000-08:00

Baby Vandy's first pictures

19 weeks
(click on the picture to view it larger)

20 weeks today!

2009-01-15T08:31:00.000-08:00

I'm exactly half way through this pregnancy today! CRAZY!

A week ago today I had my 19 week appointment and my first Ultrasound. Jim came along for the ultrasound and they checked and measured everything. We could see all four chambers of the heart and watch it pump, the tech checked the baby's lungs, diaphragm, kidneys, stomach etc. She also measured the head and femur bone. The baby is measuring right on schedule and weighs about 2/3 of a pound right now! The last thing she checked for was the sex and...

It's a BOY!

We got to bring home some fantastic profile pictures. You can see his nose, both lips, and his chin so clearly. Technology is amazing. We are both ecstatic it's a boy, though we would have been either way. We honestly had no preference. I'm just excited to be able to buy boy things and I think Jim is already planning on installing a basketball hoop next summer. :-)

I've been feeling the baby move more and more each day. Actually he was going nuts this morning on the car ride to work and is still moving around as I type this. It's such a cool, yet indescribable feeling.

I have been feeling fantastic. Never had a bit of morning sickness at all. I also haven't been sick sick (knock on wood) so haven't had to take any kind of medications. I still haven't gained any weight but the doctor said it's fine since I wasn't underweight (HA!) to begin with. Gaining on 10-15 pounds total would be just fine. I am starting to show and I think the weight is just shifting from other places. :-) I still get full really fast and can only eat small portions, which is probably why I haven't gained. Surprisingly I haven't had any huge cravings. I contribute that to my "normal" crazy unusual appetite and food combinations. I've only had Jim make a craving run once! I think that's pretty good. :-)

16 week update

2008-12-18T12:38:00.000-08:00

We told our families and most of our friends around 8 weeks. It's hard to keep such wonderful news a secret for long! I think the grandparents-to-be are very excited for their first grandchild. This one is sure to be spoiled. :-)

My first doctor visit was at 11 weeks (11/14). Jim came with me and they took both of our histories and about 5 vials of blood from me. Looks like all that plasma donating back in college paid off - blood just flows from me! We got to hear the heartbeat which was amazing. I could have listened A LOT longer but you know how doctors like to rush you in and out. And I'm sure hearing heartbeats isn't very magical for them anymore either.

15 week appointment
I'm now officially in the 2nd trimester, about 3 1/2 months along. I'm not showing at all, in fact all of my clothes still fit (well the ones that fit before I got pregnant that is - lol) I hadn't weighed myself since my appointment at 11 weeks but I was still feeling like I haven't changed or gained any weight. I was right! I've actually lost about 5 pounds! I haven't been sick at all, but I have been eating a lot less than normal. I guess you could say I'm eating correct portion sizes. ;-) I just get full so quickly, Jim often has to finish my meals for me. That along with cutting out soda and alcohol does wonders. People have been telling me that for years, if only I would have listened sooner. I had enough extra padding before getting pregnant so the baby is perfectly healthy, but it is a bit of relief I'm not blowing up.

I got to hear the heart beat again which was at 165 beats per minute. I'm past the big hurdle of 12 weeks when most things that could go wrong do. Huge relief! The doctor filled me in on 2nd trimester screening for chromosomal defects (like Downs Syndrome) since I have 4 weeks to take the test or not. I think we're going to pass on it since there is no way to have a clear cut yes or no something is wrong. The best they can do is a percentage chance the baby has something wrong. Precents are so variable, we have a clean family history and we're both still young I don't think it's worth the stress and worry.

My next appointment is in 4 weeks when I'll be 19 weeks along - or halfway through! I'll have my first ultrasound and we will most likely be able to tell the sex of the baby, providing he/she cooperates. :-) Time is flying by but I think that is moslty because of the holidays. I'm sure once Jan/Feb/March hit time will go back to creeping along.

Pregnant!

2008-09-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Is that really a pink line???
I definitely looks like a pink line. A strong, vibrant pink line. Wow. Shock.

I guess we should all start calling him SUPER Jim! lol
I never thought I would get pregnant the first month trying, I don't think Jim did either. I guess it goes to show that not stressing or even really thinking about it does wonders. I should also be glad we've taken so many precautions up until now since we apparently make things happen easily. ;-) There couldn't be a better time, I am so excited. 'Rebecca's Summer of Fun' has come to a close, we have a nice house, an awesome family and we are just so ready.

It's hard to contain the excitement but Jim and I both agree to wait a bit before telling anyone. It is really really early - I'm only 4 weeks. According to all of the due date calculators I should be due right around June 5th, 2009. I can't wait to come up with some clever ways of telling the family. This will be the first grandchild for both sets of parents, and the first great grandchild on Jim's side!

I think I need to go take about 8 more tests, I'm still in disbelief! lol