Mom, Mama, and Drew

Poor, Neglected Blog

2012-01-18T20:35:00.000-05:00

Oh, this poor blog has been quite neglected since Little Man has entered our lives! In some ways I feel bad, but I love the busyness brought on by being a Mama. I wouldn't trade it for the world! Here is the quick rundown of what has been happening arond here:

*Words.....boy, oh, boy does Little Man have quite the vocabulary. We are astonished at he amount of words n his vocabulary. Some of the list includes: kitty, cookie, up, push, thank you, tractor, eat, all done, choo choo, santa, truck, wow, light, uh oh, and many more. He also knows many, many names as well as what sounds a dinosaur, cat, dog, and pig make.

*Ever since "crib bootcamp" at the end of November, he has slept from 7 PM to at least 6 AM in his own bed, no problems.

*A couple of weeks ago Drew decided to take his first steps. He hasn't really done a whole lot of walking since because frankly crawling is much faster. We aren't worried, and we aren't in a rush either. It should be noted, however, that the dude can clmb a flight of stairs in no time!

*We are currently at the tail end of hand, foot, and mouth disease. Not fun, but Little Man has been such a trooper and some extra snuggles have been a great cure!

*We absolutely adore being Drew's Moms and he continues to amaze us each and every day. We can't believe how he seems to grow literally overnight and he learns something new every day.

*We can't wait for some warmer weather to come our way so that we can enjoy some new outdoor adventures as a family!

{this moment}

2012-01-06T06:54:00.000-05:00

{this moment} – A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama.
A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wordless Wednesday: Celebrating Christmas

2012-01-04T06:53:00.000-05:00

December Photos: Tis' the Season

2012-01-03T18:55:00.000-05:00

Inspired by An Offering Of Love's 2011 Color Photography Project

Basking In The Joy

2011-12-27T21:29:00.000-05:00

We are thoroughly enjoying celebrating the Holidays with our Little Man! Over the past few days I have found myself just basking inthe joy that he has brought to our lives. Seeing the excitement on his face as he sees the "ights" twinkling everywhere, singing along to Deck the Halls as he sings "LA, LA, LA LA" and listening to "Ho, ho, ho" everytime we see Santa has brought more joy to my heart than I ever knew possible.

Having a child really does make you slow down and take in the world through their eyes. I love seeing Drew's fi d excitement in the littlest things. He has truly made our hearts fuller, our days brighter and our lives richer. We can't wait to see what adventures are in store for 2012!

2011 Holiday Craft Exchange

2011-12-18T19:17:00.000-05:00

We arrived home yesterday to a wonderful box on our doorstep! We were so excited because we just knew it must be our craft exchange gift. We opened the box to find six wonderfully smelling, adorable cinnamon ornaments. The best part is that the ornaments mirror our blogs web address. We got 2 girls, 2 dogs, and 2 cats!

Thanks so much to Maria and her girls who are "Living Out Loud" We LOVE them!

November Photos: White

2011-11-29T10:41:00.000-05:00

Inspired by An Offering Of Love's 2011 Color Photography Project

What a Difference a Year Makes!

2011-11-28T10:22:00.000-05:00

On Sleep

2011-11-27T10:40:00.000-05:00

Sleep.....it's every new mom's dream! I have to say that at the beginning, we definitely lucked out with Little Man. I never felt the absolute utter exhaustion and sleep deprivation that most new moms feel. He slept in 3 hour stretches and by the time he was 7 weeks old, Drew would go down around 10:30 and sleep 5 or so hours then feed, and then sleep another 4 hours or so.

When we transitioned Drew to his crib at almost 4 months old it was a breeze! He would go down easily, wake a few times a night for a quick "paci plug" and sometimes a quick feed and then sleep until morning. Then came teeth......

Little Man cut his first teeth at the beginning of May and it was miserable (for all of us)! From that point on the time he spent in bed with us would become more and more frequent. We tried "crib boot camp" to get him to spend the night in his own bed. This would involve lots of rocking, putting him back into his crib, crying, rocking....repeat over and over again. It would semi work and then something would come up - more teeth, going away, etc and we would regress back to sleeping with Mom and Mama.

Now don't get me wrong, I love snuggling with the Little Guy! However, when he takes up more of the bed than the two adults combined, problems arise. He is a thrasher and mover when he sleeps and NO ONE was getting a restful nights sleep. But we would keep taking him into our bed because it was easier and better than being up for half of the night when you have to go to work the next day.

Fast forward to the beginning of November. Drew was now wanting to come to bed with us by 8:30 in the evening. It was a little different when it was midnight, but 8:30 is a bit early. We need some "adult" time in the evening after he goes down and before we go to bed! We decided that the long Thanksgiving Holiday was the time to take action!

We started with naps. At the babysitter, he goes down fully awake, no fussing and sleeps for 2 hours twice a day. We were lucky if we could get 2 hour long naps out of him. We asked Lisa what she does and decided to stick to the same routine! The first time he cried on and off for about 15 minutes and then took a 45 min nap. That same afternoon he cried for about 2 minutes and slept for an hour and a half. The next morning; no crying and 1 1/2 hour nap! Not too bad!

We went to his pediatricians appt on Tuesday and she told us we need to get him to stay in his own bed NOW before he catapults himself out of his own crib when he is a bit older. We discussed how he "had our number" (we KNEW that!) and that we really needed to just let him cry and figure out how to stay in his own bed. She also stated that he may cry for upwards of 2 hours.

We decided to give it a go. Put him down......2 minutes of fussing......off to sleep. Midnight wake up - gave him paci, blankey and told him it was night night time. He cried on and off for 45 minutes, but then stayed in his bed until 7:30 in the morning! Success! The next night he woke up a 2AM, cried on and off for 15 minutes and stayed in his bed until 7:45! Subsequent nights have seen Little Man staying in his bed ALL night without a peep! We did it and it wasn't nearly as bad as we thought!

I have to say that I think it worked so well because we were ALL ready for this to happen. We are so proud of Mister and we have been praising him tons for being such a big boy!

For those of you hoping for a full night of sleep....never fear....you will get there!

For those of you who have read all the way through this.....it was longer than I thought! Here is a recent pic for you!

{this moment}

2011-11-25T15:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Turkey Day!

2011-11-24T11:23:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-23T10:48:00.000-05:00

What's Happening?!?!

2011-11-19T14:26:00.000-05:00

Oh, this thing called blogging has certainly taken a backseat now that Little Man is around! It is amazing how time just goes by and another day passes with no update to the blog. So, here is what has been happening around here over the last few weeks!

**We had to put our sweet furbaby Sadie Jane down a few weeks ago. She was getting old (almost 13!) and her hips, eyesight, hearing etc were just going. It was terrible and heartwrenching, but we know it was best for her. We were able to bury her at my parents' farm with her brother Willy and my parents' dogs Zeke and Zeus.

At the end of the October, we celebrated MJ's birthday by going away for the weekend and attending a Murd.er Mys.tery at The Hi.ghlands I.nn. All I have to say is it was SO MUCH FUN!!!! 25ish les.bians all dressed up and playing the parts in our Rob.in Ho.od based Mur.der My.stery. We will definitely go back again as they do it every year! Here we are as Clor.inda, Quee.n of the Shepher.desses and Ro.bin Ho.od.

It was beautiful last weekend so we ventured up to LL B.ean with Little Man. It was lots of fun to wander the shops and we had to take his picture with the big boot!

Mr. Man thoroughly enjoyed his first birthday and he recevied many cars, trucks, tractors and other wheelie things. Needless to say, he is in his glory! Give that kid something with wheels and he can't contain his excitement!

He especially enjoyed the cards that people gave to him. We still have many of them as he enjoys "reading" them over and over again. A few have been torn into pieces, but he gravitates toward them!

Drew made his first art project this week. Our amazing babysitter made these with the kids. He oooohhhed and ahhhhed when he showed it to us. Needless to say, we were two proud Moms and it is hanging on our fridge!

It has been busy but wonderful. We are so looking forward to entering the holiday season again this year. Last year was wonderful finally celebrating as a little family but we were still in that newborn haze. This year we get to take everything in through our son's eyes and I am sure it will not dissapoint.

{this moment}

2011-11-18T17:32:00.000-05:00

{this moment}

2011-11-11T09:28:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T18:40:00.000-05:00

ONE

2011-11-05T13:01:00.000-04:00

One year ago today our lives changed forever! After four long years struggling with infertility our amazing son entered this world and today we celebrate him! We love you Drew Richard...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Little Man!

ONE YEAR

2011-11-05T09:25:00.001-04:00

Drew -

You are ONE year old! It is incredible to think that one year ago we held this tiny bundle in our arms and now you have grown into this incredible little human being. Your energy is endless and you bring smiles and laughs into our lives each and every day. We wouldn't know what to do without you in our lives.

You continue to be obsessed with all things that have wheels. Trucks, tractors, and cars are clearly your favorite toys. You love to crawl with them and zoom all around the house. You make the cutest "car noises" when you play with them. You also love to just sit and spin the wheels around. You are definitely all boy when it comes to playing with your cars and trucks.

You have started talking more and more. You certainly jibber jabber all the time, but you have some words that you say as well. You say kitty, Opa, Boo Boo (Nana and Opa's dog's name), tractor, WOW!, uh oh, wheeeee and chick. We are amazed at how your language develops and you learn new words all of the time.

You are such an outdoors boy. You love to play outside and you don't mind getting dirty. You love to play in the dirt and crawl all over the grass. You had lots of fun playing in a pile of leaves that your Nana made for you. You especially love playing outside at your Nana and Opa's farm and you have no fear of the animals in the barnyard. You also love to slide and you say wheeee when you go down the slide.

You are very independent and you like to do things on your own. You certainly let us know when you don't like something and sometimes your personality can be as firey as your hair! You definitely keep us on our toes!

You had your first real sickness this month and you had croup. Boy, oh boy, was that miserable. You were sick for 6 days and barely ate anything. Your cough was just terrible and we kept you really close by because it was quite scary. You bounced back just fine though and now we'd never know you were sick.

You continue to be a fantastic eater. Some days we have no idea where you put all of your food. We are amazed at the amount you can eat! We also transitioned you to cow's milk at the end of this month and you made that transistion just fine.

You celebrated your first Halloween this year and you dressed up like a lion. You were so cute! We took you to your Nana and Opa's and you said "trick or treat" to them. You loved dressing up and you thought you were a kitty! We got some great pictures of you in your costume.

We also enjoyed a nice outing at an apple orchard with Pride Parents of NH. It was great to go and have fun with a bunch of other kids who have two Moms just like you! We picked apples, went on a hayride, and played on the playground. You really loved the bounce house and Mom had to climb inside to get you!

We are amazed at the skills you learn each and every day. You grow so quickly and your skills develop at such an amazing pace! You are very coordinated and we can't believe your ability to stack blocks, push buttons on toys, and spin wheels on cars. We can't wait to see what you learn to do next.

You are very close to walking but you haven't taken your first steps yet. You spend some time standing on your own and you like to push things and walk behind them. We think you are perfectly happy to just crawl and you will walk when you decide you are good and ready.

You are wearing 12 month clothes now, but your pants are 9 months and you are still in size 3 diapers. You weigh 20 pounds and you are still very long and lean. Your looks change all of the time and you really are a toddler now. It is amazing how you seem to grow overnight sometimes.

Your curiosity continues to amaze us. You are all about figuring out how things work. You are very independent and you have a happiness that is contagious! You bring an amazing amount of joy into our lives and we look forward to what the next year will bring!

With all our Love,

Mom and Mama

October Photos: Orange

2011-10-31T19:02:00.000-04:00

Inspired by An Offering Of Love's 2011 Color Photography Project

{this moment}

2011-10-21T10:01:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T09:59:00.000-04:00

Some Things.....

2011-10-16T10:15:00.000-04:00

Oh, so very many things going on around here! I find it quite difficult to find blogging time in the midst of working and chasing a crazy 11 month old! So, here is an update in bullet form with some pics as well!

* A couple of weeks ago while out scrapbooking, my pump died! After a few moments of panic and a couple of phone calls, Me.dela replaced it for free and the hospital loaned me one for the three days I had to wait for a new one (because it died on a weekend of course!) PHEW!!!

*Little Man is not so little anymore and we often remark at how our baby has turned into a toddler!

*We are thoroughly enjoy many fall activities such as visiting farms, hayrides, and apple picking.

*We had unseasonably warm temps for Col.umbus Day weekend and it was awesome! in the 80's every day!

*We enjoyed an outing yesterday with other NH 2 Mom families. We went apple picking and enjoyed playing with lot of kids!

*Drew loves the Hall.oween decorations that we are putting up. He points and says OOOOHHHHH, OOOOHHHHH over and over again. It is quite cute!

*We are planning the First Birthday party which will be here in 3 short weeks. We are going with a Farm theme and we are having the party at my parents' farm. It should be lots of fun and we can't wait to celebrate our little guy!

Eleven Months

2011-10-05T19:39:00.004-04:00

Drew -
You are ELEVEN months old today. Just one month away from being a year old. It is so crazy how quickly this first year has flown by and I can't believe we are starting to plan your first birthday party.

You have settled very nicely back into the daycare routine now that Mom and Mama have returned to work. You LOVE playing with the kids there and you have decided that you would much rather play with the big boys and all of their toys instead of the baby toys. Most mornings we drop you off and put you on the floor and off you crawl into the living room to play. Of course, Sydney and Camden are usually crawling with you, and it is just too cute!

You continue to crawl like a pro and man, oh man, you are fast! You can get anywhere that you want to now! You pull up and cruise with ease and you have even stood on your own for a few seconds here and there. You have also mastered hanging on with one hand and looking all around. We are also amazed at your motor skills and how coordinated you are. You will be walking before we know it!
You are so curious and you don't miss a thing. You notice a new item in a room, something hanging on a wall, flags, lights, and so on. You also love to point and say "ooohhhh, ooohhhh, ooohhhh" over and over again. We often comment that you are too smart for your own good! You are so very aware of the world around you.

You love to play with lots of different toys, especially anything that has wheels. You love to push trucks across the floor and get just as much enjoyment out of flipping them over and spinning the wheels on them. We put away most of your "baby" toys because you prefer the big stuff.

You LOVE to be outside. You really enjoy going for walks in your wagon and looking all around. The wind blowing through the trees always fascinates you. You love crawling around on the ground and you certainly are not afraid to get dirty. You continue to love to go to Nana and Opa's farm where you can see all of the animals and ride on the tractor. Your Nana and Opa have taught you how to raise and lower th bucket and you love doing that. We love that you enjoy the outdoors so much!

This month you went Apple Picking and on a Hayride for the first time. You especially loved the hayride because there was a tractor pulling us. Eating apples was lots of fun too while we were picking them. You made such a mess, but had so much fun. The first time we went, Olivia came with us and you went another time with just Mom and Mama. You loved crawling around in the pumpkin patch too.

You picked your first pumpkin this month at Nana and Opa's. They grow pumpkins every year for the kids that visit. You, of course, got first pick. You loved banging on all of the pumpkins and picking out which one you wanted.

You love to be read to! You will deliberately pick certain books and you already have your favorites. Your absolute favorite is Curious Kitties. You also like Scary, Scary Crocodile, Color Train, The Barnyard Dance and your Peek-a-boo books. We hope that you will continue to love being read to for a long, long time.

You said your first words this month as well! Your very first word was "kitty". You also say "Opa" and "wheeee". We think you are very close to saying "Mom/Mama" and we are pretty sure we have heard it a few times, especially when you are tired.

You had your first illness that required a Doctor's visit this month. You had conjunctivitis and a cold. It is pretty amazing that this is the first time we had to take you to the Doctor's! As usual, you bounced back quite quickly and Mama got to spend 2 days at home with you which was great!

You are wearing mostly 12 month clothes now, but your pants are 9 months and you are still in size 3 diapers. You weigh 19 1/2 pounds and you are still very long and lean. Your looks change all of the time and you really are a toddler now. It is amazing how you seem to grow overnight sometimes.

We are looking forward to all of the fun Fall activities that we will get to enjoy with you this year. You bring smiles and laughter and joy into our lives every minute of every day. We are so lucky to be your Moms and we can't imagine our lives without you.

With All Our Love,

Mom and Mama

September Photos: Purple

2011-09-30T08:58:00.000-04:00

Inspired by An Offering Of Love's 2011 Color Photography Project

{this moment}

2011-09-23T08:26:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-21T08:29:00.000-04:00

Fun Weekend!

2011-09-17T20:17:00.000-04:00

We had a fantastic weekend! Olivia came to visit and it was great to hang out with her!

My Dad always grows pumpkins for the kids who come to visit and they were ready to pick. Olivia has been getting one from him forever and this was Drew's first year picking out of Opa's Pumpkin Patch!

Drew loves hanging with Olivia! I love the belly hanging out on this one!

We also went apple picking at a local farm. We had fun going on a hayride.

We picked some blackberries too and I set them in the opposite end of the wagon where Drew couldn't reach them. I looked back and saw this!

He had lots of fun picking his first apple with Mom!

Fall weekends are just my favorite. I love the cool crisp temps and the fall activities. It is amazing to experience all of this with the Little Man now!

Ten Months

2011-09-05T21:50:00.002-04:00

Drew -
You are TEN months old today. You have really seemed to become less and less of a baby this month and you are heading to really being our "big boy." We have often commented about the fact that you are getting too big for your britches. We didn't really believe people when they said how fast the first year goes, and now we do. We are only 2 months from your first birthday!

You have now (finally) decided that crawling is your favorite mode of transportation. You have always known how to do it and just kept doing your little Army crawl. All of a sudden one day you decided crawling was better! You love your new found freedom with this skill and you thoroughly enjoy chasing the dog and cats and generally going anywhere you want in the house.

You have also continued to be a pro at pulling up. In fact, you prefer to play standing up now. Nana and Opa bought you a really cool table with lights and sounds and you love to stand and play at it. You have also begun to cruise along the couch and you can transfer from one toy to another.

We enjoyed most of this month at home with you as well. What a treat to have the summers off especially now that we are Moms! We spent more time swimming, playing outside, and just enjoying being with you! At the end of the month we had to go back to work, but you enjoyed going back to daycare as you LOVE to play with the kids there!

One of your favorite "new" toys is the Cozy Coupe car. You love to sit in it and steer and press the buttons. We have to hold the door closed because you try to escape. I am sure you will love it even more next summer when you have more coordination to actually move around in it.

You took your first trip to the ocean this month. We thought we were going to just dip your toes in and that would be it. We were very wrong. You were absolutely ecstatic and you loved playing in the water and the sand. You had no fear and you would squeal when the waves were coming in. You loved splashing in the water and crawling on the sand. You even played with some big kids and they blew bubbles with you and you played in the "pool" they dug for you. We can't wait to take you to the ocean next summer after seeing how much you loved it.

You have learned to wave at people and it is the cutest thing! At first we thought you were just twirling your hands and then we realized that you were doing it at appropriate times for waving. You especially love to wave at the "handsome boy in the mirror" and your Opa when he is in the barnyard.

You are still an amazing eater and you have said good bye to baby food. You will eat anything that you can feed to yourself, you independent little soul! You continue to devour black olives! This month you have also had cottage cheese, yogurt, pork salsa pie, steak tips, sausage patties, grilled cheese, ice cream, potato salad, and a large variety of fruits and vegetables. We are in big trouble when you get bigger and really start eating! Sometimes we wonder where you put all of your food!

You sprouted teeth number 5 and 6 this month. You now have 4 on the top and 2 on the bottom. It seems like you are constantly teething and it is the one thing that you have a really terrible time with. It just makes you absolutely miserable.

You absolutely LOVE going to your Nana and Opa's farm. You are constantly watching all of the animals and you especially love the roosters. That is because your Nana crows everytime they do! You reach out and touch all of the sheep and donkeys and have no fear with the animals. We got to spend a week here this month because Nana and Opa went on vacation to celebrate their 40th Anniversary. You also love your Opa's tractor. You can hear it start up from anywhere. You kick your legs and flail your whole body in excitement waiting to go for a ride. You have also learned how to work the lever to pick the bucket up and down. That is especially helpful when you and Opa are moving dirt!

Hurricane Irene blew through NH this month and we survived three days with no power. You didn't mind though, because it meant that we got to go to Nana and Opa's every night for a bath and dinner!

You have learned a few new tricks this month. You figured out how to run the windshield wipers and wash the car windows. You also figured out how to climb up on the dishwasher door when it is opened. Another great trick you learned was how to dump the dog's water bowl over. You really enjoyed playing in all of the water that dumped out! Life as we know it just gets crazier and crazier as you move more and more!

You are wearing both 9 and 12 month clothes now except for your shorts which are still 3 - 6 month because you are so skinny and you are still in size 3 diapers. You didn't have a Doctor's appointment this month, but we figure you are 19 pounds. You have definitely grown a taller this month and your face has really changed into a lot more of a little boy face.

You are our smart, inquisitive boy who loves to figure things out on his own. You don't miss a thing and you are such a copy cat. You learn so quickly and we can't believe how many new skills you learn each and every day. You love to figure out how things work and you have a wonderful sense of adventure. We had an amazing first summer with you and we are so lucky to be your Moms!

With All Our Love,

Mom and Mama

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-04T18:51:00.000-04:00

Drew has had quite a busy Labor Day Weekend helping around the house:

First, he emptied the dishwasher:

Next, he scooped some ice cream:

After that, he emptied the dog's water bowl so she could have some fresh water:

Checked on dryer to see if he could put his wet pants in there:

Made sure the kitchen sink was clean:

Helped his Opa move some dirt with the tractor:

Took a ride in his new wagon:

Made sure his tray was nice and clean:

And celebrated his Auntie Becky's birthday with some ice cream cake:

Whirlwind

2011-09-03T10:02:00.000-04:00

Things have been quite the whirlwind around her over the past week. Let's recap:

*Hurricane Ir.ene made her way through NH last Sunday and brought plenty of wind and rain our way. She also knocked out power on Sunday morning and we didn't have power back until late Tuesday afternoon. What a pain! Luckily my parents have a generator and we could run there to shower each day and they fed us too!

*We went back to work and Drew went back to daycare this week. Getting up and going at 5:30 in the morning is not my idea of fun! Drew loved being back and playing with the kids, but his moms missed him terribly!

*Not only did we go back to work, but I am at a new school two days a week, and MJ switched to 2nd grade. We survived our first week and we both like our new positions.

*Drew has decided to take up crawling for real instead of scooching. That makes for lots of chasing through the house!

*Things have been crazy busy here, but life is good!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T09:05:00.000-04:00

August Photos: Green

2011-08-30T07:40:00.000-04:00

Inspired by An Offering Of Love's 2011 Color Photography Project

Some Things.....

2011-08-20T19:49:00.000-04:00

Some things to tell you about:

*Summer vacation is quickly going away. We have exactly one week left until we return to work. Boo hoo......We are going to miss the little man so much when we go back to work. We have been so very fortunate to have the whole summer off to spend with him.

*We are both starting off the school year with "new" jobs. MJ is changing grades from 4th to 2nd and I am changing schools that I work at. We are both very excited about the changes, and it should be a good school year.

*Little Man is getting way to big for his britches as seen in the picture below. He is pulling up like a crazy man now on everything he can. He does so with ease and he has also figured out how to let himself down as well.

*We went through a bit of "stay in your crib for the night bootcamp" around here and we are proud to say that it went better than expected. Drew now spends the majority of the night in his bed instead of ours. We needed to do it as he is such a fidgety sleeper that no one was getting a good night's sleep when we were all in bed together.

*We continue to be amazed at how much we love this tiny human and how enjoyable motherhood really is!

{this moment}

2011-08-19T07:42:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-17T15:44:00.000-04:00

First Ocean Trip

2011-08-13T13:49:00.001-04:00

We made our first trip to the ocean on Thursday and it was tons of fun. We decided to go to a place in Maine that has a wonderful paved walking path all along the shore. We figured that Little Man wouldn't really care too much for the sand and cold, salty water.

We had a beautiful walk and enjoyed taking some pics:

Then we arrived at a spot that had a staircase down to the beach. We decided to park the stroller and dip Drew's toes in. You can't go to the beach and not dip your piggy toes! We didn't even bother with a swim diaper or his swim suite because we didn't figure he'd get that wet.

Let's just say we were wrong....we should have put the swim suit on because he LOVED the water.

He played, and played and had absolutely no fear. When the waves would start coming closer, he would squeal and shriek. He crawled around and the water would lap around his arms and legs and he thoroughly enjoyed it!

He ended up "playing" with three other kids and they dug him a small hole to sit in, blew bubbles with him, and gave him a truck to play with.

We ended up spending a half hour on the beach with him. It was so much fun!

{this moment}

2011-08-12T13:19:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-10T10:07:00.000-04:00

Nine Months

2011-08-05T18:10:00.052-04:00

Drew -

You are NINE months old today! You have grown so much in these past 9 months that it is unbelievable! We were just scrapbooking pictures of your birth and we could hardly remember how small you really were. We love our "big boy" and you are the light of our lives!

At the beginning of this month, we took you on your first camping trip. Boy, oh, boy that was interesting! You were fantastic all day long and you loved swimming in the pond, wandering Provincetown, and just hanging out. When night came, it was another story! You didn't want to go to sleep, cried a lot, and were just miserable. We ended up leaving at 8 o'clock at night in the middle of a thunderstorm because we just needed to get home! Hopefully next year, camping will be a better adventure for all of us.

You can now crawl when you decide you want to, but you much prefer to continue using your little scoot across the floor. You use your right arm to pull your body along the floor as your toes help to propel you forward. You can get anywhere you want to using this method, so you don't really care if you crawl or not even though we have seen you do it!

This month you learned how to click your tongue against the roof of your mouth. You really enjoy hearing the sound it makes when you do it. You love to "dance" and you love music. You also figured out how to go from being on your belly up to sitting position when you are playing.

Perhaps the biggest motor skill you have learned this month is pulling up! You spent a night at your Nana and Opa's and your Nana showed you how to do it. Within two days you were a MASTER! Your crib has now been lowered and we have to watch you even more closely when you are playing. You love all of the new things you can reach and you spend a lot of time playing on your knees because you enjoy the extra height it gives you.

We have absolutely LOVED not working and spending every day with you. We have made quite a few trips to the lake and you love the water. You have also enjoyed the swing that your Opa hung in our backyard for you. Twice you have fallen asleep while swinging!

Olivia came and visited us for a week this month and you really liked having her around. You would follow her all around the floor and you loved playing with her. You both loved floating around the lake and you really loved her M & M pajamas! She didn't like the fact that you drool a lot, but it was nice to have her visit.

You have continued to be a superstar eater this month and you regularly eat three meals a day. You have really mastered your pincer grasp and you love to feed yourself puffs, cheerios, carrots, and anything else we can put on your tray. You have also developed a love for black olives which definitely comes from your Mom! You will eat and eat them!

We had your first injuries this month! We knew it would only be a matter of time now that you are so much more mobile. One gave you a nice bruise on the forehead when you lost a battle with the footstool in your bedroom, another bump on the head when you slammed into the window frame next to your changing table, and a fat lip from banging your mouth on a table.

You wore mostly 6 - 9 month clothes this month with a few 12 month things and you still wear Size 3 diapers. At your nine month pediatricians appointment, you weighed 18 pounds 4 ounces and were 29 inches long. You are in the 75th percentile for height and the 15th percentile for weight.

You keep us so very busy, Little Man! You are always on the go and always getting into something. You are so curious and we love seeing the world through your eyes. You give us the opportunity to stop and really appreciate what life is all about. You are amazing and we love you so very much!

With all our love,
Mom and Mama

Proper Post

2011-08-04T19:21:00.001-04:00

So, I decided that it was probably time for a "real" post since it has been forever since we did one! How about a bunch of bullets to update you as to what has been going on around here lately with a few pics in between?!

*We attempted camping on The Cape when we got back from MN. BIG MISTAKE!!! Tent camping with an 8 month old just isn't the smartest idea we've ever had. It was hotter than hot, and there is just too much stimulation in a campground! The days were lots of fun, but the nights were a nightmare! We ended up bailing early in the middle of a thunderstorm. We've never been so happy to be home! Better luck next year hopefully!

*We've been thoroughly enjoying having all of our days to spend with Little Man. We've enjoyed swimming in the lake, and just enjoying the lazy days of summer. It is going to be hard to go back to work in a few weeks.

*We had lots of fun with our buddy Olivia who came to visit for a week. We did some cookie baking and decorating, spent lots of time in the lake, got fingernails painted, and had movie time each night after Drew went to bed.

*Little Man has decided that pulling up is lots of fun and has quickly become a pro! The crib was lowered and now we have to pay even closer attention to him when he is playing as he tries to pull up on EVERYTHING, including the non stable toys. It is so great to see him master new skills though!

*We've finally had our first real injuries this week. One gave him a nice bruise on the forehead when he lost a battle with the foot stool, another bump on the head when he slammed into a window sill, and a fat lip from banging his mouth on a table. Add to that his fifth tooth breaking through, and a 24 hour bug/fever thing and we've had quite the week!

Life continues to be so very much fun and we are having the best summer with Drew!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-03T17:28:00.000-04:00

July Photos: Red

2011-07-31T10:45:00.000-04:00

Inspired by An Offering Of Love's 2011 Color Photography Project

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-27T11:27:00.000-04:00

{this moment}

2011-07-15T10:12:00.000-04:00

{this moment} – A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama.
A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T09:26:00.000-04:00

Back from MN

2011-07-10T21:29:00.000-04:00

We had a great trip to Minnesota last week to visit MJ's family. Drew had lots of fun!

His Aunt Annette gave him his first trim:

He went on a swing for the first time:

Celebrated his first Fourth of July:

and was doted on by his Grandma:

Eight Months

2011-07-05T11:55:00.001-04:00

Drew-

You are eight months old today; 2/3 of a year. While it seems like you were just born yesterday, it also seems like you have been with us and we have been a family forever.
You continue to make us laugh and smile so very much and we love you to pieces.

This month has been another month of firsts. It is so fun to watch you grow and change and learn new skills. This month it seems like you were learning something new almost every day. It has been amazing to see all of the skills you are developing and to watch your personality continue to take shape.

You sprouted two more teeth this month so now you have your top two teeth as well. Now you can really bite! We didn't even realize that the first top tooth had come in until Mama was playing with you and flipped you upside down. As you laughed while being upside down, there was a tooth already peeking through your gums! These two teeth did not make you as miserable as your bottom ones did.

You have really mastered being able to scoot anywhere that you want to. You use your right arm to pull your body along the floor as your toes help to propel you forward. You spend a lot of time up "on all fours" but you just haven't quite figured out how to put one knee in front of the other in order to crawl. You are so very close though! When you do finally start crawling, we are in trouble!

You had your first fever this month. We are so lucky that this was the first time that you have been sick. You were just miserable for a couple of days, but it was nothing that some extra love and snuggling couldn't take care of.

You still love to squeal and shriek, and now you have added growling to your noises. It is quite amusing to listen to you growl. You also love to blow raspberries on our legs and arms. You are constantly smiling and your toothy grin just makes our day.,

One of the best parts of this month was the end of the school year. That means that Mom and Mama are on vacation and we get to spend every day with you. We are so looking forward to the summer and all of the fun adventures that we will have.

This month we traveled to Minnesota to visit Mom's family. Once again, you were an excellent traveler. You had so much fun exploring Grandma Jo's house and you loved going for walks each day. While you were in MN you went to the park and tried out a swing for the first time. You LOVED it! You also had your first hair trim from your Aunt Annette. We just trimmed above your ears, but it makes you look so much more like a little boy. You really loved visiting with everyone and it was so nice to spend time with Mom's family.

You celebrated your first Fourth of July this month, but you were sleeping long before fireworks! You have finally decided that you REALLY want to eat food and you are more regularly eating 3 "meals" a day.

You are wearing both 9 and 12 month clothes now and you are still in size 3 diapers. You didn't have a Doctor's appointment this month, but Grandma weighed you and you are 18 pounds. We feel like you have really grown a lot this month! It is almost like you skipped a clothing size!

You continue to make our days brighter and we savor every moment with you. There is nothing like seeing you smile at us and that grin of yours will put a smile on anyone's face! You are truly amazing and we can't believe that we are lucky enough to be your Moms.

With All Our Love,
Mom and Mama

Family

2011-07-03T22:52:00.001-04:00

We are having a wonderful time visiting MJ's family in MN! We have been here since Thursday and Drew is loving all of the attention from his Grandma and Aunt and Uncle. His Auntie Annette gave him his first hair trim (above the ears) today. We also took him to the park and he went on the swing for the first time. He LOVED it!

Drew was a trooper traveling once again. He did a wonderful job flying and he is just a pro traveler. We are so very lucky and he is so good all the time!

Little Man is thisclose to crawling and we will surely be in trouble when he finally fiigures it out. He can scoot himself anywhere he wants now and that is bad enough! His fourth tooth has finally made it through as well.

I would post some pics but I can't figure out how to do it on the iPad - anyone who can help with that?

Oh, and this is our 500th post! What a wild ride we've had through these past 500 posts.

Happy 4th of July to our American readers!

{this moment}

2011-07-01T11:22:00.000-04:00

{this moment} – A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama.

A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

June Photos: Black

2011-06-30T11:20:00.000-04:00

Inspired by An Offering Of Love's 2011 Color Photography Project

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-29T11:30:00.000-04:00

Family Size

2011-06-28T11:28:00.000-04:00

Today's Non-Challenge: What size family do you come from, what size family do you want, and why?
I (Carrie) have one younger brother, so we are a small family. My parents would have loved to have more kids, but it took them years to have the two of us! MJ has two older brothers. As for us, we are hoping to have one more. We will NOT try forever and ever to have this second one like we did to get Drew. We have already said that we will do 6 IUI's and that is it. If it doesn't work at that point, we will be happy with our little guy. Oh, how we hope to give him a sibling though! We both think that it is good for kids to have siblings. We hope to start TTC #2 in the winter. A lot of the decision about family size comes down to what we can afford. Kids are EXPENSIVE and two is plenty!

Parenting Advice

2011-06-26T14:07:00.006-04:00

Today's Non-Challenge: What is/are the best piece(s) of parenting advice you've gotten or can give others?

Here is my tip for you all.....STOP reading, STOP googl.ing, STOP listening to what everyone else has to say.....your "mommy instinct" is very strong and you just have to do what you know is best for you and your child. You can't worry about what others will think or how they may react. Your gut reaction is the best judge in a situation. Do what your mommy brain tells you to do and it will all work out just fine.

When I Grow Up....

2011-06-25T21:07:00.000-04:00

Ok, back on the Non-Challenge Bandwagon!

What did you want to be when you grew up? Why and/or how did that change over time?

Honestly, I have ALWAYS wanted to be a teacher. As far back as I can remember, that is what I wanted to be when I grew up. I spent hours on end when I was little playing school and I was always the teacher! Being a teacher is still what I want to be "when I grow up!" I really do love what I do and I love seeing the kids each and every day - they certainly do bring a smile to your face.

Kindest Thing

2011-06-20T15:22:00.000-04:00

Today's Non-Challenge Question: What is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you? Did you repay the kindness?

At first I had a hard time with this one, but when I really think about it, the kindest thing anyone has ever done for us is to be a sperm donor. I am thankful each and every day for the man who was selfless enough to become a donor and enable us to have our family. In terms of repaying the kindness, there is no way we could ever repay him for what he has given us!

PDA

2011-06-19T15:00:00.000-04:00

Today's non-challenge: How do you and your partner feel about PDA?

Our feeling - save it for elsewhere!! However, it is very nice to visit Provinc.etown and at least be able to walk down the street hand in hand - that is something I wish we had the opportunity for more often. Luckily we make it to P-town a couple of times a year and enjoy the opportunity to "be ourselves"!

Parenthood and Astrology

2011-06-18T20:59:00.000-04:00

I'll take on two non-challenge questions in this post!

The first: What is your favorite thing about parenthood? Your least favorite?

My favorite thing about parenthood is watching the world through my son's eyes. Everything is so new and fresh and exciting for him and I love looking at life that way. I love watching him gain new skills almost daily, I love looking at a mini version of myself, I just love it all! I also love being able to share my life with such an amazing tiny human being - I can't believe how fierce the love that I have for him is.

My least favorite thing about parenthood is never being able to sleep in. Oh, how I miss sleeping in.....

The next non - challenge question: How do you feel about astrology? What your sign, baby, and do you think it matches your personality.

I could care less about astrology to be honest......I am a Virgo, Drew and MJ are both Scorpio's. I'll admit, I had to look up what Drew was in order to write this post - that's how uninterested I really am!

{this moment}

2011-06-17T20:08:00.000-04:00

{this moment} – A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama.

A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-15T18:30:00.000-04:00

Best and Worst Jobs

2011-06-13T13:20:00.002-04:00

Today's Non-Challenge: Tell us about the best job you ever had and the worst.

I would have to say that the best job is the one I have now. I teach Science and Technology to about 500 kids a week in grades K - 5. When I finished my Master's program almost 10 years ago, I said my dream job would be to teach kids how to use computers. For the past 4 years, I have been doing just that! I am also excited for next school year as I will be changing one of the schools that I work at to a different one. It will be great to work with new kids and different staff members.

The worst job I ever had was working in the dishroom in college. Smelly, dirty, disgusting.....enough said!

Non Challenge Interruption

2011-06-12T20:20:00.000-04:00

Well, I missed yesterday, and today so we'll just go with a regular post about our weekend. The first big news is that we have TWO more TEETH breaking their way through on the top. One has broken the skin and the other is working its way out. Little Man has been a bit miserable today, but nothing a little extra loving can't cure.

We also turned our living room into more of a play area for Drew. He has figured out how to scoot around everywhere, so it was time to give him a safer place to play. He can get clear across the room in no time flat. He is such a mover! He loves just hanging on the floor and playing which is great because it allows us some time to get things done.

We have 9 more days of school and then it's time for vacation!!! We can't wait to spend everyday with Drew. Summer is just going to be amazing.

I'll leave you with a couple of pics from the weekend and return to the non challenge tomorrow!

Recipes

2011-06-10T21:00:00.001-04:00

Today's Non-Challenge - Recipes

One of my faves:

Pork Salsa Pie

1 LB of ground chicken, turkey or pork (we prefer pork)
Salsa
Shredded Cheese
Crescent rolls

Brown your meat on the stovetop. While you are doing this, line a round pie plate with the crescent rolls and pop them in the oven to start browning. Use whatever the temp says on the crescent roll can. I usually leave it in the oven for 7 -8 minutes.

Once the meat is browned, drain it and return it to the pan. Add salsa - usually a jar (go by what looks good!) and some shredded cheese (a small handful). Stir together.

Transfer meat mixture into the crescent roll pan. Top with shredded cheese. Throw it back into the oven for 10 minutes or so (until the crescent rolls have cooked the rest of the way.)

We serve ours with rice and a veggie and it is so yummy! It is best heated up on a stoneware pan in the oven or else it can be a bit soggy.

Lessons from Mom

2011-06-09T20:50:00.000-04:00

Today's Non-Challenge: What is the most important lesson you learned from your own mother?
I have learned many, many lessons from my mother , but the most important would be how to give unconditional love. She has taught me this in the way she treats people and in the way that she loves her family. Seeing this love that she has for us has taught me how important it is and I have benefitted first hand from it. Along with this has come a wonderful lesson in how to be an amazing parent. I only hope that I can be half the Mama to Drew as she has been to me!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-08T20:49:00.000-04:00

Teaching

2011-06-08T20:48:00.000-04:00

Today's Non Challenge: If you had to teach something, what would you teach? (If you DO teach, when did you discover your love for it?)

We BOTH are teachers. MJ teaches 4th grade currently. She has also taught 3rd grade, High School Special Ed and Elementary Special Ed. I currently teach Technology and Science to about 500 Elementary kids a week in grades K - 5. I have also taught both 4th and 5th grade.

We often joke that Drew is doomed with both of his moms being teachers! He won't get away with anything and we will be "teaching" him all of the time!

I have ALWAYS wanted to be a teacher. When I was little I would play school and always imagined myself as a teacher when I grew up. I have to say that I really do love my job and the kids really do make it all worth it.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

2011-06-07T10:48:00.000-04:00

Today's Non Challenge question: What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? If you have children, what are their favorites?

I LOVE to go out for breakfast and order an omelette and hasbrowns and toast. At home though, we eat a lot of eggs for breakfast (fresh from my parent's farm) and english muffins. Lunch varies - lots of times we just have leftovers or sandwiches. If I had to choose a favorite, it would be a chicken salad sandwich or pasta salad with tuna. For dinner I would have to say either a pasta dish, or something on the grill.

As far as the Little Man, some of the foods he currently loves are: avocado, banana, sweet potatoes and crackers.

What I really wish, though, is that I had someone to cook for me everyday!

Something New

2011-06-06T10:44:00.000-04:00

Todays Non Challenge: When was the last time you tried something new? What was it and what was the result?

This one was hard to think of.....

One thing I can think of is trying Gree.k yogurt. All I can say is YUMMY! Now we eat it every day. Lame answer, I know, but it's all I've got!

Another new thing we tried is planting cantaloupe in our garden this year. We'll have to see how that turns out. I can only hope we have lots of little melons to munch on later this summer.

Can you count parenting? That would definitely be something new, and we absolutely love it. Best decision we ever made!

SEVEN MONTHS

2011-06-05T15:48:00.001-04:00

Drew -
You are seven months old today. More than half way to one year. How did we get here already?! You change and grow every day and it is amazing to watch! We enjoyed celebrating our first Mother's Day with you this month.

The biggest milestone we reached this month was TEETH! Your first two teeth came in on the bottom and boy were you miserable! It took 3 - 4 days for your first tooth to break and then the second one came in right behind it. Our usually happy baby was just so unhappy. We gave you plenty of love and even let you sleep with us for a couple of nights and we all made it through just fine!

We have been able to spend a lot more time outside this month because the weather has been so much nicer. We set up the gazebo outside and you love to play in there in your exersaucer. Mom and Mama can actually get some yard work done while you play in there. You love the grass and have already tasted it and some leaves! You just love being out in the fresh air. We can't wait to take you swimming when the lake warms up a bit more.

You got to spend 4 days with your Nana and Opa while they were on vacation this month. You had so much fun at their house. Your Nana spent lots of time teaching you how to make funny noises and you went on your first tractor ride with your Opa. You were in your glory! You also had 2 sleepovers with your Nana and Opa while Mom and Mama went scrapbooking on Friday nights. You had lots of fun spending the night and we had lots of fun getting some scrapbook pages done for you!

You have really built up a lot of strength this month and you LOVE to stand up. You will even "twinkle toe" across the floor with someone holding you. You still haven't mastered sitting yet on your own, but you seem to prefer to play on your tummy anyways. When we put you on the floor, you move all over the place to get what you want. You scoot, roll, and turn and you have also started bringing your knees right up under yourself. We don't think it will be long before you crawl.

You have really enjoyed playing with toys that make sounds this month. You love to push the buttons and listen to the songs that are played. You also really love your Sophie the Giraffe teether that your Nana bought you. It is one of your favorite things to chew on.

You have noticed the dog and cats this month and you like to pat them and pull on them. We are teaching you to be a little easier so that you don't rip out hunks of fur! You like the dogs at your Nana's house too. You also enjoy the donkeys and lambs at your Nana and Opa's farm. You love to pull on their fur and you try to put it in your mouth. You have no fear around any of the animals.

You wore 3 - 6 month clothes for some of this month and all of a sudden you have jumped into 6 - 9 month clothes. You wear Size 3 diapers. You didn't have a doctor's appointment this month to get your official stats, but we figure you are about 16.5 pounds now.

We are so proud to be your Moms and we look forward to seeing you grow and change each and every day. You bring many smiles to our faces and make us laugh a lot. You truly are the brightest part of each and every day. We love you so very much.

With all our love,
Mom and Mama

Birthdays

2011-06-05T09:41:00.002-04:00

Today's Non-Challenge Post: What do you prefer to do on your birthday? If you have children, what do you prefer to do for their birthday?
We keep birthdays low key around here. We usually make a nice dinner and open presents from each other. Often we will go out to eat with family as well. MJ and I do have lots of fun getting gift for each other!

Now that we have a child we want to enjoy at home birthday parties with him! We want to have good "old fashioned" parties with friends and games in the back yard! Some of my favorite birthday memories as a child involved parties like that. We will make our own invitations and decorations and just have lots of fun!

Parenthood

2011-06-04T09:35:00.001-04:00

Today's non - challenge topic: What has most surprised you about parenthood?
I think the biggest surprise is really how much I truly LOVE being a Mama! I knew I wanted a child, and I knew that I would love being a parent, but I never actually realized how passsionate I would be about this Little Guy....it really is amazing! I can't imagine my life any other way.

Other surprises:
     *How little you actually get done with a tiny human around - we now have ONE goal a day and if we complete it we are happy. So much for making daily lists - that is IMPOSSIBLE.
      *How much laundry there really is and how messy the house is ALL of the time.
      *The fact that we REALLY lucked out and are so fortunate to have such a GOOD baby.
      *How accepting people really are of our little family. We have been quite surprised at the number of positive interactions we have had.

Non Challenge - Guilty Pleasure

2011-06-03T09:35:00.000-04:00

So, I'm going to attempt the June Non Challenge in an attempt to blog some more! Since it is a NON challenge, I'm not even going to worry about the fact that I've already missed 2 days!
Today's post - What are your guilty pleasures?

That's easy - Ice Cream and Reality TV! I'm usually eating a bowl of ice cream while watching TV! My faves are Survivor and Amazing Race, and I mostly watch them on DVR now since the Little man has arrived!

In other news, I took my last personal day today, so I'm enjoying a day at home with Drew - can't think of a better way to spend my day!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-01T18:57:00.000-04:00

May Photos: Yellow

2011-05-31T12:43:00.000-04:00

Inspired by An Offering Of Love's 2011 Color Photography Project

Loving Life!!!

2011-05-30T12:40:00.000-04:00

Well, the title pretty much sums up how things are going here! We are absolutely loving life with the Little Man. Speaking of the Little Man - somehow he just isn't so little anymore! We aren't sure when he grows, but he's been doing an awful lot of it! All of a sudden we have this big boy on our hands! He literally changes daily and we are just amazed.

Here's a bit of what has been going on around here:

*After weeks of rain and temps 20 degress below normal, we have had a BEAUTIFUL weekend. It has been in the 80's and 90's all weekend and looks like the upcoming week will bring the same.

*We bought a little pool for the backyard so that we can play in it with the Little Man on these hot days. We also bought a swing for him and we can't wait to get it up so he can enjoy that as well.

*My dad came over yesterday with some loads of dirt and helped us to get our garden all set up. The plants went in yesterday and the seeds will go in today. Can't wait to have those fresh veggies, and this year Drew can enjoy them too!

*We had our first backyard campfire last night and enjoyed roasting hot dogs and making smores. It was so nice to just relax - there's nothing like sitting around a campfire.

*Drew has both bottom teeth now and with that our good sleeper has returned!

*Only 3 1/2 weeks until summer vacation - we can't wait to be able to spend every day with Mr. Man!

*Drew decided yesterday that he likes pickles - MJ let him suck on one for a few minutes and he LOVED it! She ended up cutting the skin off and giving him chunks of it. He ate the whole thing.

Life in these parts can't get much better!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-18T19:01:00.000-04:00

Houston....We Have TEETH

2011-05-16T20:34:00.000-04:00

Oh, what a weekend we had around here! Our usually happy baby was so very miserable. The culprit - teeth! Little Man has cut one tooth and the other is not very far behind. I think we've finally turned the corner and he seems much better tonight.
In other news......

Only 5 1/2 more weeks of school until Summer Vacation! We can't wait to spend each and every day with Drew. He brings us so much joy and we so love being his Moms. We can't think of anything better than 10 weeks of uninterrupted time with him! Our summer plans consist of visiting MJ's family, camping, playing in the lake, and hanging outside - sounds like heaven to me!

Last weekend, MJ and I went to a scrapbooking evening in honor of National Scrapbooking Day. Drew spent the night at his Nana and Opa's and we had a blast getting some pages done for our albums. So much fun was had by all that we are repeating again this Friday night!

On Saturday we were at a yard sale and we ran into one of my students. She was so excited to see Drew and she told us how cute he was. I said thank you to her and she said, "Well, he has a very nice Mom." How sweet was that!?!?! A little while later she came to find us again to give Drew a little kangaroo stuffed animal that she had bought. What a nice kid! Times like these remind me why I love being a teacher!

And lastly, a recent pic of the Little Man...

SIX MONTHS

2011-05-05T21:05:00.001-04:00

Drew -

You are six months old today! It is also your Mom and Mama's Anniversary. What a day for celebrating! It seems like just yesterday that you were born, yet it has been half of a year already. It has been a truly amazing journey so far, and we can't wait to see what adventures are in store for us during the next half of your first year!

This month your personality has really begun to shine. You are an absolute goof ball and we often call you "Goofy Gooferson." You make us laugh so much. You have great facial expressions, and make the best shrieks and squeals. Your smile will light up a whole room. You are just the happiest baby and we often remark that you have such an easy going personality. We are so very thankful for that.

We celebrated your first Easter this month and it was so much fun. We let you dye an Easter egg and you thoroughly enjoyed it. You had so much fun rolling the egg through the dye on your tray and you were covered in pink dye after. Luckily the dye all soaked off your hands when you took your bath! You went to church on Easter Sunday and you were so good! We also went to dinner with Nana and Opa and Uncle Alan and Aunt Becky. You sat in your chair right at the table with us and you loved trying your Uncle Al's Creme Brulee! The Easter Bunny visited you and brought your basket filled with some books, bubbles and outdoor toys. We'll keep your basket and put it out next year for the Easter Bunny to fill again.

You have decided that some days you like to eat solid foods and some days not. We haven't been pushing it, but when you seem hungry we offer and often you will eat a bit. You love to have your own spoon while you are being fed. We can't use your orange C.at in the Ha.t bib because all you do is stare at it and try to eat it. You will not concentrate on eating while you have that bib on!

Mom and Mama had a week off this month for school vacation. It was so wonderful to be able to spend 9 days in a row with you. It gave us a taste of how wonderful life will be this summer. We are thankful that we don't have to work and we can have all of July and August with you!

There are many moments this month that put smiles on our faces, but there are two that really stick out. The first one happened one Saturday when we got home from scrapbooking and your Nana had been babysitting you. Mom started making funny noises and tickling you. You laughed and laughed and laughed. It was a huge laugh right from your belly. Everytime her hands would even get close to you, your hands would go up and you would start laughing. Nana and Mom and Mama laughed really hard too - hearing you laugh is one of the best sounds in the world.

The second favorite moment was when we went to a local ice cream place. You were sitting on Mom's lap and she let you try a little bit of her ice cream. You decided that you LOVED it! You went crazy and started grabbing her cone and stuffing the ice cream into your face. At one point you started crying and we thought you had a "brain freeze" but it was because you wanted more! You also kept stealing Mama's spoon and eating that. You and Mom were covered with ice cream! We were laughing so hard we were crying! We were so glad we had the camera to capture this moment.

You are still and excellent sleeper, but you move all around. We put you to bed facing one way and you wake up in the opposite direction! You roll yourself over and end up on your stomach. You like to rub the silk on your lovey and you are so peaceful when you are sleeping. You have also become a superstar napper at Lisa's which is wonderful!

You wore 3 - 6 month clothes for the entire month and you still wear Size 2 diapers. At your six month pediatricians appointment, you weighed 16 pounds and were 28 inches long. You are in the 90th percentile for height and the 25th percentile for weight.

Drew, you give us a reason to celebrate each and every day. Our lives are richer because you are a part of it. We have so many moments and memories over these past six months to cherish and we are so blessed that you have been a part of it all. Life is so very good!

With all our love,
Mom and Mama

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-04T20:15:00.000-04:00

April Photos: Pink

2011-04-30T17:16:00.000-04:00

Inspired by An Offering Of Love's 2011 Color Photography Project

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-27T19:54:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T20:22:00.000-04:00

We had an amazing weekend celebrating Drew's First Easter. I think because we were still in the "new baby stupor" during Thanksgiving and Christmas, this is the first holiday that we can truly sit back, relax, and enjoy with our little family. It is truly amazing how much joy Drew has brought into our lives.

Last night I posted the following as my facebook status: "Had tons of fun coloring eggs with the Little Man today. I dreamed for so long that I would be able to do things like this with MY child - and now my dreams have come true!!
I really feel like all of my dreams really have come true. There is not another thing in this whole world that would make my life any better than it is right now.

We went to church this morning with my parents and then went out for a wonderful lunch with my parents and brother and his girlfriend. Drew was an absolute trooper and was so good all day long. It was finally beautiful here - 70 degrees and when we got home we hung birdfeeders, raked a bit of the lawn, and went for a nice walk.

Here are some of our favorite pics from the weekend:

We had a blast coloring eggs with the Little Man yesterday, but we'll save that for a post all of its own. Happy Easter everyone!

Acceptance

2011-04-23T12:23:00.000-04:00

I have had this post idea swirling in my head for a long time and since the Little Man is napping, I'll take a moment and write about it....

I am quite amazed at how accepted our little family has been. I know it won't always be easy, but I'd love to share some experiences we've had where people haven't really even "batted an eyelash" and have accepted our two mom and a little man family.

*We first have to start with our own families - it is so nice that both my and MJ's families accept both us and Drew. He is a lucky little guy to have so much love from both sides of his family.

*Our work family.... we work in a school that is incredibly accepting. We really have an amazing staff and it is great to know we have support from everyone there. From our principal absolutely giddy with happiness when we told her we were expecting, to the HUGE baby shower that they threw for us, we couldn't be more thankful for a wonderful work family. People have told me that they are sad that I am back to work because now I don't bring Drew in to visit anymore!

*Did he get that from your side? One of my favorite stories comes from work as well - one of the second grade teachers asked MJ if Drew's red hair was from her side of the family and then realized what a funny question that was. However, to us, it shows that people see both of us equally as his Moms.

*We were at a restaurant a few weeks ago and the lady in the next table was oohing and aahing over Drew. When MJ took him to change him, she asked me if MJ was my mother and I replied, "NO." She then said, "your mother in law?" I clarified and said, "No, she's my partner.'' The woman took a quick moment to digest what I said and told me that he was clearly a well loved boy and continued asking about him. When she got up to leave, she made a point to come over and say hi to Drew - she wasn't phased at all.

*When Drew was first born, we went to a jewelry store to get new charms for our Pan.d0ra bracelets. One of the jewelers came out, and asked if he was ours. We said yes, and the jeweler told us that he was one lucky little boy.

I could go on an on about our wonderful experiences, but Little Man is waking up! It is just so nice to have your family validated by others and to realize that no matter how you go about making your family - you just need love and each other.

I'll leave you with a pic of the Little Man!

{this moment}

2011-04-22T12:20:00.000-04:00

{this moment} – A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama.
A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

It's Been So Long!

2011-04-21T12:11:00.013-04:00

I has been so long since we've done a proper update - so here it is! I don't know how people with babies update everyday - I just can't do it. By the time we get home, feed Drew dinner, have dinner ourselves, bathe Drew, nurse and put him to bed, and have an hour of time to ourselves we are ready for bed! Plus, blogger is blocked at work, so it's not like I can sneak a post in from work every now and then!

Drew continues to fill our lives with joy! We are on school vacation this week and it has been so wonderful to be able to spend every day with him! We have snuggled in bed each morning and just let the days go by enjoying him!

We are so looking forward to celebrating Easter with the Little Man this year. I have been pregnant for the past two Easters and now we finally have our child to celebrate with! We are going out for dinner with my family - a tradition we have had for many years now.

Once we go back to work on Monday - we only have 43 school days left until summer vacation. We absolutely can not wait to spend the lazy days of summer with Drew. We'll spend lots of time outside, at the lake, visiting family in MN and hopefully sneak in a camping trip.

We can't believe we are coming up on the 6 month mark - half a year old already. We're not quite sure how time has gone by so quickly, but in many ways, we can't remember life before Drew. He really is quite the character and we have so much fun with him.

The weather here has been crappy.... Gray and cool and showers off and on. We actually still have some small bits of snow left in the yard... I am so ready for it to be nice - I would love to see some 60 degree days sometime soon.

That's all from here.....

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-20T12:10:00.002-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T20:03:00.000-04:00

FIVE MONTHS

2011-04-05T19:02:00.000-04:00

Drew -

You are now five months old. It seems like we waited so long to meet you and now the time is just flying by. We are so in love with you and you have truly filled our lives with happiness.

You have learned to make so many new noises this month. You love to shriek and squeal, and you can be quite loud when you do it! You have also figured out how to suck air into your throat to make fun noises. You have mastered blowing raspberries as well.

This month you have enjoyed playing in your jump-a-roo and you also like to play in your new exersaucer. You can work all of the toys in your exersaucer including pushing the buttons to play music. You also like to play with many of your other toys especially if you can get them into your mouth! You have much better coordination now and you can get those toys right to your mouth with no problem!

You have mastered rolling over and you can roll both ways very easily. It only took you about 3 days to really figure out how to do it! We can't leave you anywhere now, because you just roll and roll! When you are on your stomach, you are starting to scooch across the floor and you are beginning to bring your knees up under yourself. We're sure it won't be long until you are crawling!

You went swimming for the first time this month and you LOVED it! Mom even dunked you twice and you were such a champ about it. We figured you would like swimming because you like your bath so much! Speaking of your bath, you have figured out how to make a "waterslide" in your tub by pushing off on your feet and sliding. You definitely keep us on our toes!

You have continued to be an excellent sleeper and you are now asleep by 7:15 most nights and we wake you up at 6:00 in the morning. We are so thankful that you enjoy your bed and you enjoy sleeping! For the past couple of weeks, you have woken up around 4:45 squealing and talking away in your crib. When we go in, you are kicking your legs, smiling away and so happy to see us. We usually bring you into bed with us and you fall right back to sleep. We love that snuggle time with you, Little Man!

You still really enjoy going to the babysitter and have lots of fun playing with all of the other kids there. You always smile when we drop you off and you are waiting for us with a smile when we pick you up. It is so nice to know that you are so well taken care of while we are at work!

The biggest milestone this month, is that you have started solid food. You were just hungry all of the time, and you were waking at night for feedings. We tried some food to see if you would take it, and you opened your mouth wide and gobbled it right up. You have had rice cereal, oatmeal, squash, sweet potato, pears, bananas, and apples. We feed you in the morning and also in the evening. You absolutely LOVE eating "real" food and you are much happier with more substance in your belly!

You wore 3-6 month clothes for the entire month. You still wear Size 2 diapers.

You didn't have a doctor's appointment this month to get your official stats, but we figure you are about 14.5 pounds now.

You are the best thing that has ever happened to us, and we love watching you grow and change each and every day. You have filled our lives with so much happiness and joy. We are blessed to have you in our lives, Drew.

With all our love,
Mom and Mama

{this moment}

2011-04-01T10:05:00.000-04:00

{this moment} – A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama.

A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

March Photos: Brown

2011-03-31T19:01:00.001-04:00

Inspired by An Offering Of Love's 2011 Color Photography Project

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-30T16:44:00.001-04:00

Hungry, Hungry Drew

2011-03-29T21:40:00.000-04:00

So, Mr. Man has decided all of a sudden that he is starving so we have started some solids with him! It has made such a difference and he seems to be more satisfied. He has had squash, applesauce, and rice cereal. He has absolutely loved all of it! I can't believe how big he is getting and how fast he is growing up!

In other news:

*Drew still loves going to the babysitter which makes Mom and Mama happy that he is so content there!

*We had a great weekend - Stamping on Friday night while Opa babysat, visiting with Nana and Opa as well as Uncle Al and Aunt Becky, going out to breakfast, and running errands.

*This next weekend, we are going away with Laura, Sue, and Olivia - we are looking forward to it and it should be lots of fun!

*Only 2 1/2 more weeks until April vacation and we can have lots of time with our Little Man!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-23T11:38:00.000-04:00

Rolling Over

2011-03-22T19:15:00.000-04:00

Our Little Man is becoming such a Big Boy! He is rolling over like a champ. This weekend, he started trying and made it over a couple of times. Today, he is rolling with ease. It amazes us how he gains skills so quickly.

Here he is on Sunday trying and trying - he did eventually make it over, but with a lot of work:

and here is the proof of his success from earlier this evening:

Silly Sunday

2011-03-20T13:45:00.000-04:00

We're enjoying a wonderful Sunday at home after a busy day yesterday! Here are some pics of this morning

and a video of the Little Man hamming it up!

Random Update

2011-03-19T09:26:00.004-04:00

Here is the update I promised - but it is going to be random. I have so many thoughts in my head of things to blog about, so I think that I'll just "get it all out" in bullet form!

*First and foremost - we are still completely over the moon in love with our little guy and some days we can't believe we are so lucky to have him in our lives.

*The transition to daycare has been completely smooth and seamless. Drew is happy as can be when we pick him up each day and we couldn't be happier about the care that he is getting!

*Going back to work sucks! I really wish we were independently wealthy so that I could stay home - but we're not! I can't wait to get out of work each day to go and pick up the Little Man!

*Speaking of back to work - it's like I never left! The same kids are still naughty, I've fallen right back into the routine, and I just keep counting the days until vacation. I have had a very warm welcome back - especially from the kids so that has been nice.

*Drew continues to sleep like a champ - most nights from 8:15 - 6:00. We have to wake him up in the mornings!

*I wish our house would magically clean itself, the laundry would get done, and someone would make dinner for us. I didn't realize how nice it was to be home and be able to do some of those things during the day. Now it just all waits for us in the evenings.

*I have been able to pump enough milk to keep up with what Drew eats while at the sitter during the day. I am so happy about that! I pump 3X a day at work and another 2X at home. I am also nursing him 3 - 4 times a day.

*The weather is finally nicer here and we have been going for walks when we get home. Drew loves taking in all of the sights and seeing the trees, sky, etc. We still have about a foot and a half of snow in our yard, but it is melting slowly.

*I'll leave you with a family pic that my cousin took of the three of us when we were in Florida last month.

{this moment}

2011-03-18T13:14:00.000-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T17:52:00.000-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone! I promise I'll work on a "real" post for the weekend! Until then, enjoy our cutie!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-09T19:35:00.000-05:00

FOUR MONTHS

2011-03-05T22:02:00.001-05:00

Drew -

You are four months old today. You have grown and changed so much in the last month. We are astonished by the new skills you learn each and every day. You just keep getting bigger and bigger as well as stronger and stronger. We can't believe how quickly this first four months has gone!

You continue to talk all of the time. We have the absolute best conversations with you! You have figured out that you can squeal and also grunt. You love those noises and enjoy sharing them with everyone around you.

This month you have really started playing with toys. You love rattles and bright colored toys. You will reach for them deliberately and hang on to them for long periods of time. There are a few toys that you can "work" yourself now. You still love music as well.

Everything heads directly to your mouth now. From your entire fist, to a few fingers, to whatever toy you are currently playing with - all of it goes right to your mouth. You have gained a lot of coordination and can get things to your mouth with ease. You also drool constantly and we had to buy stock in bibs as you easily go through a half dozen each day.

You are now strong enough to sit in your Bum.bo seat and you really like it. You can satisfy your curiosity when you are in it because you are sitting up straight and you can see everything going on around you. You also like that we can put toys on a tray and you can reach them all by yourself.

This month you took your second plane ride and went to Florida with us and your Nana. We had such a great time. You really enjoyed being outside - this was your first experience with being out for long periods of time because it is so cold in NH. You met your aunts, uncles and cousins on Mama's side. Once again you were a great traveler and you didn't mind being passed around from person to person at all. In fact, you were a little charmer!

You love anything with stripes on it. You will stare at your arms when your clothes have stripes on them. You have also noticed the border in your bedroom and you love to look at it as well.

We have continued your bedtime routine and you thrive on it. By 8 each night you are READY to go to bed. We moved you into your crib this month and you made the transition like a super star. You really like being in your bed and having lots of space - you were just getting too big for your bassinet! You are asleep by 8:30 and sleep until at least 4 AM, but most nights you go straight through until 6AM. We have to get up a few times a plug your paci back in, but we are so proud of what a good sleeper you are!

Mama had to go back to work this month, and you have made a seamless transition to day care. You spend your days with Mama's cousin Lisa and you already love to go there! Mama misses you tons during the day, but it is so nice to know that you are so well taken care of. It is also great for you to have interaction with the other kids who are there.

You wore 0-3 month clothes for most of the month and we moved you to 3 -6 month clothes the last week of the month. You still wear Size 2 diapers. At your four month pediatricians appointment, you weighed 13 pounds 8 ounces and were 27 inches long. You are in the 99th percentile for height and the 25th percentile for weight.

You are utterly amazing, our Little Man. We are so very blessed to have you in our lives!

With all our love,

Mom and Mama

{this moment}

2011-03-04T21:47:00.000-05:00