It's been a year and a half since my last real vacation. Craig and I went to Orlando in December 2007, a month after we found out I was pregnant. The trip had already been planned, and fortunately, the pregnancy didn't really impact it other than preventing me from being able to ride roller coasters. Although, for those who know me, that was a big deal because I am a coaster fanatic and had been waiting to ride Space Mountain since I was about 10. Still, it was worth it...no way did I want to jeopardize the baby's safety. We still managed to have a great time. We had great weather, my morning sickness subsided just as we went, and I was still in my bottomless pit stage so eating was great! And at the time we understood that that would probably be it for a while as far as vacations went. We wouldn't want to be traveling far with a baby, or leaving the baby for an extended period, so we knew it might be a while before we got to go anywhere significant again. And sure enough, a year and a half later, here we are.
While part of me is dying to just get out and go somewhere exotic and interesting, I'm still not sure I'm willing to leave Jacob for any extended period of time (though our Niagara Falls overnight gave me hope that I could do it sometime in the not-so-distant future) or to attempt to travel with him. At this point he's so young that it seems a little silly to take him anywhere too interesting, since he won't remember it. It's expensive to fly the two of us anywhere, let alone Jacob. Granted, we don't HAVE to buy him a plane seat yet, but I once read that if you have your kid on your lap and something goes wrong, they become, in essence, your air bag. Yikes. And just the thought of traveling with a car seat, stroller, and everything else babies involve just makes me nervous. Particularly if we're going somewhere where we can't exactly make ourselves at home and have a carton of milk in the fridge. Even if we're just talking about car travel, I know that we fill up the car for a weekend, so I can only imagine how we'd fit everything we'd need for a week.
My goal for this summer was to take Jacob to Ocean City, NJ, a place I went a number of years ago (how did seven years go by so quickly?) with my friends and LOVED. It's just a quaint town, family friendly, with a great boardwalk, nice beach, and enough tempting snack foods to keep me in a sugar coma for days. I figured Jacob would enjoy the beach and we'd have a great time just walking the boardwalk, lounging on the beach, and hopefully checking out Atlantic City and other places along the way. Seemed simple enough, but it's not a cheap place to stay (no chain hotels!), and eventually the thought of packing up for a week or so made me think that it wouldn't be a very relaxing vacation.
So...enter the "staycation". Everyone is taking them this year thanks to the economy, or so it seems. I've heard that term a LOT lately. We're staying close to home next week, with a couple mini-trips. Friday we're leaving for NT to spend a long weekend with my parents and my brother's family. It's their first trip back east since my niece Kate was born in December, I can't wait to meet her! My parents are giddy at the thought of having their two grandchildren in the same place at the same time, and it will be interesting to see if they interact. If nothing else we might get a couple good photo ops. It will be a lot of fun, and while I wish we could stay longer, I'd feel bad trapping Craig at my parents' though Wednesday, if nothing else. It's his vacation, too. There are plenty of other things we'd like to accomplish next week. Every day I watch my friends' Facebook status updates when they're home with their kids, and I get jealous. I think of all the things we could do if I wasn't working full time. And honestly, next week is my chance to try. I don't really want to cram everything into one week because it won't be that relaxing, but I'm going to try to keep busy so we don't spend hours every day trying to keep Jacob out of trouble in our house. On tap right now is a trip to Corning on Tuesday. Jacob and I are meeting up with my long time friend Heather at the Corning Museum of Glass. I've wanted to go there for ages but never had a chance. It seemed like a good opportunity to meet Heather halfway (she's in Binghamton), and I think Jacob will like all of the colors. And I'm sure he will point out every round object we see and identify it as a "ball". Wednesday we may take a trip to Bills' training camp. One day I want to take an hour or two and head to the beach here in Rochester. Since we didn't get to do it Sunday thanks to this lovely weather (I hope to post a picture of our alternative activity soon), I'd like to do it now. We have the sand toys, after all! Thursday will no doubt be a packing day, in preparation for our weekend trip to Pittsburgh with Craig's family. We plan to see a baseball game, go to the zoo, and check out a sports museum. We've also toyed with the idea of trying to hook up with a former Amerk who works for the Penguins to get a tour of the Igloo, their arena. We shall see. It should be a good time.
I have a feeling we might end up just as exhausted after this staycation as we would have had we gone somewhere else, but the quality time with Jacob will be nice. As an added bonus it will involve minimal interruption to his schedule. It should just feel like one big, long weekend to him :) And in the end it's probably best. Sure I'd like to go somewhere interesting, but I'll put it off for a little longer and hopefully we can take a great vacation down the line that he will appreciate that much more. Hopefully I'll end up with a lot of pictures and a lot of good memories. I'll keep you posted!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Perfect Evening
Last night we had what I would term a near perfect evening with Jacob. We had to get home relatively early because we had someone coming to the house to give us a quote on lifting our sunken, cracked concrete. The guy came early and was on his way out when I got home at 5:45 (at least 15-30 min. earlier than usual). The quote was great and I think we'll have a fixed patio in the next week or so! It may not be perfect, but the extra $1500 bucks we'll save over replacing it is worth imperfections...we just want it to be safe for Jacob to run around on (and us adults to walk on). Anyway...right after he left we headed toward dinner. And for once, we all had the same thing...hot dogs on the grill, corn, and a broccoli-white cheddar pasta, with watermelon for dessert. Jacob could eat everything we did, and he ate really, really well. Food throwing was minimal and he ate most of his food without much prodding. Woo hoo! After we cleaned up from dinner, we went out on a walk. The weather was perfect for it. Warm but comfortable...no jacket needed. We just stuck a baseball cap on Jacob and headed out. We walked in a big circle in and around our neighborhood, almost stopping to grab an ice cream treat at a convenience store but withstanding the temptation and moving on. We saw a bunch of dogs, which as I mentioned is Jacob's newest obsession. We saw a couple close up, including one nice woman who stopped to let Jacob pet her dog. The rest were from a bit of a distance, but Jacob loved each one, craning his neck around the side of his stroller to catch every last glimpse once we had moved on. Jacob stayed awake the entire ride, and was so goofy at times. He wore his hat for most of the walk (a small miracle itself), but when he finally started tossing it, I held on to it and was playing with it...twirling it around, wearing it myself...and Jacob was hysterically laughing! It was so cute! Once we got home we ran into our neighbors, who had barely seen Jacob awake all summer. Seems every time we passed by them on a walk, he was asleep! He enjoyed the bells on their bikes...so much so that I could barely get him to let go of the handlebars!
Once inside we got him into his PJs and I was going to let him play a little while, but he was getting sleepy and didn't want to be put down. So I fed him and he went to bed. He did babble to himself for a while, which was hysterical. He was even laughing! Oh, to know what's going through a one year old's head!
So, yeah, when it came to Jacob last night, it was a great evening. I have no idea why it all went so smoothly, but I'd like to have more of those! The 9pm grocery store run I could do without, but that's life when you have a baby and want to spend their waking hours with them. It's going to be another busy week getting ready for another weekend away (and vacation!!), so hopefully I can get in enough quality time. Always a challenge!
Once inside we got him into his PJs and I was going to let him play a little while, but he was getting sleepy and didn't want to be put down. So I fed him and he went to bed. He did babble to himself for a while, which was hysterical. He was even laughing! Oh, to know what's going through a one year old's head!
So, yeah, when it came to Jacob last night, it was a great evening. I have no idea why it all went so smoothly, but I'd like to have more of those! The 9pm grocery store run I could do without, but that's life when you have a baby and want to spend their waking hours with them. It's going to be another busy week getting ready for another weekend away (and vacation!!), so hopefully I can get in enough quality time. Always a challenge!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Words...
Jacob is slowly but surely adding words to his vocabulary. First it was "Dada", then it was "Uh-oh", then "Ba", which means "ball". The other day in the produce section of the grocery store Jacob kept saying, "Ba...ba...ba", which I think was his take on all of the round fruits and vegetables we seemed to pass by. Of course, he seems to think all food has some ball-like qualities, apparently, because he throws food...a lot.
Then the other day he added, "Bye-bye" to the mix. We were leaving day care and waving good-bye to one of the caretakers, and all of a sudden he did it! It was so cute! I think he may call his milk cup a "ba-ba", even though he hasn't used a bottle regularly in ages. Last night I thought he finally said "Mama", but I think it was just "Ba...ba..." said rapidly as we were getting ready for his bath and he spotted his little bath toy, a soccer-themed basketball hoop-ish thing with three squirters in the shape of soccer balls. They have faces and squirt water out of their mouths. He's actually taken to chewing on them and then blowing really hard out of his mouth, which creates lots of funny fart noises in the process. I'd probably have laughed more the first time I saw it if it didn't strike me as so odd. He chews on things quite a bit, including his poor, mutilated sippy cups and his rubber placemat, which I swear he's going to tear apart someday. He's like a teething little puppy...to the point that sometimes he crawls around with a toy hanging out of his mouth. Of course, it's appropriate because he LOVES dogs. The first dog he had contact with was Craig's parents dog. At first she didn't seem to phase him, but each time we've been there Jacob has become more and more interested. Unfortunately, Carmel's a little shell-shocked from her run-ins with Jacob's older cousins over the past seven years so she will barely sit still long enough for Jacob to pet her. Once in a while we can corral her and let Jacob get in a pet or two, but inevitably she runs off in fear of a baby swipe! Jacob still likes to watch her from the couch and crawl after her wherever she goes. He did get a lot of doggie exposure last week at my company picnic. Lots of people brought their dogs, and they were all pretty small so I figured they were closer to his size. It's still a little nervewracking to let your baby near a dog with their sharp teeth and claws, but he was desperate to check them out so I figured we'd see how it went. And the dogs were great...too great! They let him pet them, but then licked him like crazy. Ewww. But isn't that one of the great things of childhood? Someone at the parade on Saturday brought their dog over to him, too. But anything...pictures, TV, out the front door...he just loves it when he sees a dog!
The fact that Jacob is starting to grasp language a bit probably makes me even more frustrated when he doesn't understand things...namely the word "No". Once upon a time when he heard it, he'd stop, turn around, and at least temporarily stop what he was doing. And for a short while it seemed to stop him entirely. But now he just ignores it completely, or at most, smiles and laughs. Thanks, buddy. Ugh. It's like, I know he's starting to grasp things like that, so it's tough to tell if he's just ignoring us, or the specific concept we're working on just hasn't clicked with him yet, despite lots of repetition. And it really doesn't help that he's not a mimicker. I've mentioned this before. At one point it was just frustrating because we couldn't get him to mimic little things like sticking out his tongue, blowing raspberries, or opening his mouth at mealtime. Now it's hard because there are hardcore, life-long things we'd like to teach him and he's just not into it. From talking to feeding himself with utensils to elements of playtime (like stacking blocks or putting a puzzle together), we could demonstrate something a million times and he just doesn't pick it up. Ask me how many times I've said "Mama" to him, to no avail. I'll admit I get a little jealous when other babies his age seem to have that stuff down pat, or read in the frequent baby emails I get that he should be doing certain things by now. I know he'll get there eventually...because as they remind you in all of those emails, every baby is unique. Perhaps someday having an independent thinker of a child will be a good thing, but for now (and for years to come, I imagine) it will border on frustrating. Of course, as Craig says, he's happy Jacob appears to be strong-minded, because neither of us are particularly outspoken and he hopes that Jacob's current disposition is a sign that he will be independent and confident as he grows up. We shall see!
Now we're off to another busy weekend. It's our second of four weekends in a row visiting Buffalo for various activities. This week (as long as the weather holds up--ugh) is a visit to the Canal Fest Craft Show in the Tonawandas (an annual favorite, even if I never buy anything) and my family reunion (one of three) at Camp Pioneer on the shores of Lake Erie. Assuming the weather cooperates, Jacob will get his first experience playing in sand! Should be interesting! And it's always fun to show him off anyway! Have a great weekend!
Then the other day he added, "Bye-bye" to the mix. We were leaving day care and waving good-bye to one of the caretakers, and all of a sudden he did it! It was so cute! I think he may call his milk cup a "ba-ba", even though he hasn't used a bottle regularly in ages. Last night I thought he finally said "Mama", but I think it was just "Ba...ba..." said rapidly as we were getting ready for his bath and he spotted his little bath toy, a soccer-themed basketball hoop-ish thing with three squirters in the shape of soccer balls. They have faces and squirt water out of their mouths. He's actually taken to chewing on them and then blowing really hard out of his mouth, which creates lots of funny fart noises in the process. I'd probably have laughed more the first time I saw it if it didn't strike me as so odd. He chews on things quite a bit, including his poor, mutilated sippy cups and his rubber placemat, which I swear he's going to tear apart someday. He's like a teething little puppy...to the point that sometimes he crawls around with a toy hanging out of his mouth. Of course, it's appropriate because he LOVES dogs. The first dog he had contact with was Craig's parents dog. At first she didn't seem to phase him, but each time we've been there Jacob has become more and more interested. Unfortunately, Carmel's a little shell-shocked from her run-ins with Jacob's older cousins over the past seven years so she will barely sit still long enough for Jacob to pet her. Once in a while we can corral her and let Jacob get in a pet or two, but inevitably she runs off in fear of a baby swipe! Jacob still likes to watch her from the couch and crawl after her wherever she goes. He did get a lot of doggie exposure last week at my company picnic. Lots of people brought their dogs, and they were all pretty small so I figured they were closer to his size. It's still a little nervewracking to let your baby near a dog with their sharp teeth and claws, but he was desperate to check them out so I figured we'd see how it went. And the dogs were great...too great! They let him pet them, but then licked him like crazy. Ewww. But isn't that one of the great things of childhood? Someone at the parade on Saturday brought their dog over to him, too. But anything...pictures, TV, out the front door...he just loves it when he sees a dog!
The fact that Jacob is starting to grasp language a bit probably makes me even more frustrated when he doesn't understand things...namely the word "No". Once upon a time when he heard it, he'd stop, turn around, and at least temporarily stop what he was doing. And for a short while it seemed to stop him entirely. But now he just ignores it completely, or at most, smiles and laughs. Thanks, buddy. Ugh. It's like, I know he's starting to grasp things like that, so it's tough to tell if he's just ignoring us, or the specific concept we're working on just hasn't clicked with him yet, despite lots of repetition. And it really doesn't help that he's not a mimicker. I've mentioned this before. At one point it was just frustrating because we couldn't get him to mimic little things like sticking out his tongue, blowing raspberries, or opening his mouth at mealtime. Now it's hard because there are hardcore, life-long things we'd like to teach him and he's just not into it. From talking to feeding himself with utensils to elements of playtime (like stacking blocks or putting a puzzle together), we could demonstrate something a million times and he just doesn't pick it up. Ask me how many times I've said "Mama" to him, to no avail. I'll admit I get a little jealous when other babies his age seem to have that stuff down pat, or read in the frequent baby emails I get that he should be doing certain things by now. I know he'll get there eventually...because as they remind you in all of those emails, every baby is unique. Perhaps someday having an independent thinker of a child will be a good thing, but for now (and for years to come, I imagine) it will border on frustrating. Of course, as Craig says, he's happy Jacob appears to be strong-minded, because neither of us are particularly outspoken and he hopes that Jacob's current disposition is a sign that he will be independent and confident as he grows up. We shall see!
Now we're off to another busy weekend. It's our second of four weekends in a row visiting Buffalo for various activities. This week (as long as the weather holds up--ugh) is a visit to the Canal Fest Craft Show in the Tonawandas (an annual favorite, even if I never buy anything) and my family reunion (one of three) at Camp Pioneer on the shores of Lake Erie. Assuming the weather cooperates, Jacob will get his first experience playing in sand! Should be interesting! And it's always fun to show him off anyway! Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Musings on our Jacob-free Time...
I was sort of in a rush when I posted the report from the weekend so I didn't really delve into details from our overnight stays--Jacob's with my parents and ours in Niagara Falls. We all seemed to have a pretty good time. Jacob and my parents kept busy with playtime and outside time and visiting with family, and when we called the house shortly before going to pick Jacob up, my dad said, "Stay another day!" So I guess that was a good sign on all counts, that they were still having fun and Jacob was content enough to keep from wearing out his welcome. If we could have stayed another day, I would have seriously considered it. We really had a good time.
I'll be honest, it was nice to almost go back in time and experience life as just the two of us. And maybe that's just because it hasn't been that way much at all since Jacob was born, so the contrast was quite apparent. We obviously love him like crazy and can't imagine our lives without him, but our life before him was pretty nice, too. Would I say better? No, just different. It was great. We had a wonderful five years of marriage (and two before that), and Jacob was just icing on the cake. Of course it would be nice to go back to that time and experience it again. While our lives will never be the same and Jacob will always be smack dab in the middle of everything, it was exciting and fun to not have to worry about the laundry list of things that normally run through my mind at any given moment. There have certainly been trade-offs to parenthood. Sleep deprivation, frustration, constant preoccupation, extra household chores....sometimes I wonder how I kept myself occupied before. I definitely wonder what used to take me so long to get ready in the morning. Ultimately all the trade-offs are worth it, but I'll admit that the trying times are hard and sometimes make me wonder if it was a selfish decision to have kids...because maybe I'm not as good of a mom as I would like to be, and maybe my shortcomings aren't fair to project on the innocent little boy smiling up at me. I know that's something every parent goes through, so I try not to let it bug me, but it happens.
So, you can imagine, then, how nice it was to be free of that for a time. Short evenings away are one thing. You're hardly away long enough to get that stuff out of your mind. But being away for a 24 hour period almost forces you to move forward and get it out of your head. It's the same concept when Craig is on the road. I miss him a lot the first day, and then I just have to deal and get on with life. I still miss him, but it doesn't take over my thoughts until he's on his way home. As for Jacob this time around...it's not that I didn't think of him...I definitely did. As I mentioned in my last post, we looked at souvenirs for him. We talked about him a lot. But surprisingly, I wasn't dying to check in. The beauty of cell phones, I guess...knowing that they'd call if they needed us. We did check in that evening, though, because both of our phones died and we wanted to make sure we hadn't missed anything. I thought about him here and there, but I actually felt guilty for not feeling guiltier! While we were sitting at the slot machines on Saturday evening I realized I hadn't thought about him for a while, and then I felt bad that I wasn't just sitting there thinking about him every second. A while back I mentioned something here about traveling never being the same again. I always loved that feeling once you were on the plane safely flying off to some exciting destination, that freedom and anticipation of a great trip and new experiences. I was afraid that I'd never have that feeling again because it would either be beaten down a bit by the guilt and sadness of leaving Jacob behind, or I'd be too stressed out from traveling with a toddler to enjoy much of anything. When we're headed off on a long trip I may still feel guilty, but after this overnight it gave me hope that I might someday be able travel without it being so bittersweet. We may not be able to test out that theory for a long time, though.
Regardless, I'll admit it was nice eating my DQ Blizzard with two hands, and not maneuvering a stroller up and down Clifton Hill. I think the hill we walked down to the falls would have been brutal to walk up with a stroller! Not having to haul a full diaper bag or worry about Jacob throwing food during dinner was a nice break. Still, I know that after a while I'd really start to miss it. Life without him would be so empty and definitely missing an element of joy from seeing his smiling face and hearing his little sounds. Nothing's better than waking up to his smiling face! And finishing off the evening with a pump (had to do it again tonight because he fell asleep early) just wasn't the same. He's an awesome little boy and I can't imagine my life without him. Lending him out for a day or two is one thing...maybe even a little longer if we really need a break or someone's dying to spend time with him. We can definitely find ways to keep ourselves occupied and make the most of the break. And I don't think that's a bad thing. Heck, I'm surprised I made it a year before spending the night away from him...I think it was long overdue! I was just surprised by how it all felt...the good and the bad. I'm glad we did it and look forward to doing it again sometime soon, but for now I'm happy to have my little boy back in my arms!
I'll be honest, it was nice to almost go back in time and experience life as just the two of us. And maybe that's just because it hasn't been that way much at all since Jacob was born, so the contrast was quite apparent. We obviously love him like crazy and can't imagine our lives without him, but our life before him was pretty nice, too. Would I say better? No, just different. It was great. We had a wonderful five years of marriage (and two before that), and Jacob was just icing on the cake. Of course it would be nice to go back to that time and experience it again. While our lives will never be the same and Jacob will always be smack dab in the middle of everything, it was exciting and fun to not have to worry about the laundry list of things that normally run through my mind at any given moment. There have certainly been trade-offs to parenthood. Sleep deprivation, frustration, constant preoccupation, extra household chores....sometimes I wonder how I kept myself occupied before. I definitely wonder what used to take me so long to get ready in the morning. Ultimately all the trade-offs are worth it, but I'll admit that the trying times are hard and sometimes make me wonder if it was a selfish decision to have kids...because maybe I'm not as good of a mom as I would like to be, and maybe my shortcomings aren't fair to project on the innocent little boy smiling up at me. I know that's something every parent goes through, so I try not to let it bug me, but it happens.
So, you can imagine, then, how nice it was to be free of that for a time. Short evenings away are one thing. You're hardly away long enough to get that stuff out of your mind. But being away for a 24 hour period almost forces you to move forward and get it out of your head. It's the same concept when Craig is on the road. I miss him a lot the first day, and then I just have to deal and get on with life. I still miss him, but it doesn't take over my thoughts until he's on his way home. As for Jacob this time around...it's not that I didn't think of him...I definitely did. As I mentioned in my last post, we looked at souvenirs for him. We talked about him a lot. But surprisingly, I wasn't dying to check in. The beauty of cell phones, I guess...knowing that they'd call if they needed us. We did check in that evening, though, because both of our phones died and we wanted to make sure we hadn't missed anything. I thought about him here and there, but I actually felt guilty for not feeling guiltier! While we were sitting at the slot machines on Saturday evening I realized I hadn't thought about him for a while, and then I felt bad that I wasn't just sitting there thinking about him every second. A while back I mentioned something here about traveling never being the same again. I always loved that feeling once you were on the plane safely flying off to some exciting destination, that freedom and anticipation of a great trip and new experiences. I was afraid that I'd never have that feeling again because it would either be beaten down a bit by the guilt and sadness of leaving Jacob behind, or I'd be too stressed out from traveling with a toddler to enjoy much of anything. When we're headed off on a long trip I may still feel guilty, but after this overnight it gave me hope that I might someday be able travel without it being so bittersweet. We may not be able to test out that theory for a long time, though.
Regardless, I'll admit it was nice eating my DQ Blizzard with two hands, and not maneuvering a stroller up and down Clifton Hill. I think the hill we walked down to the falls would have been brutal to walk up with a stroller! Not having to haul a full diaper bag or worry about Jacob throwing food during dinner was a nice break. Still, I know that after a while I'd really start to miss it. Life without him would be so empty and definitely missing an element of joy from seeing his smiling face and hearing his little sounds. Nothing's better than waking up to his smiling face! And finishing off the evening with a pump (had to do it again tonight because he fell asleep early) just wasn't the same. He's an awesome little boy and I can't imagine my life without him. Lending him out for a day or two is one thing...maybe even a little longer if we really need a break or someone's dying to spend time with him. We can definitely find ways to keep ourselves occupied and make the most of the break. And I don't think that's a bad thing. Heck, I'm surprised I made it a year before spending the night away from him...I think it was long overdue! I was just surprised by how it all felt...the good and the bad. I'm glad we did it and look forward to doing it again sometime soon, but for now I'm happy to have my little boy back in my arms!
Monday, July 20, 2009
13 Months
Jacob turns 13 months old today. I celebrated the occasion by looking back in the blog again, at this time last year. July seemed to be full of issues with Jacob's gassiness and associated fussiness. I had given up my morning cereal in the event he had a cow's milk protein sensitivity and agonized over the decision to try gripe water to calm his tummy. We did that for quite a while, but at some point it seemed like he didn't need it anymore, and before I knew it, months had passed by and the remaining gripe water had to get tossed because it was too old. It served its purpose and at the time I threw it out, it became a symbol of Jacob's progress past that frustrating period in his young life. A year ago this weekend he took his first trip to Buffalo. Ironic, then, that this weekend this year marked his first night solo without either of us around. He did great! My parents were so excited to have him, and he was a good boy...though a very curious and active one! He kept them on their toes! We had a very nice time in Niagara Falls, though I must say that it was odd not having a stroller or diaper bag or Jacob to tote around. I definitely missed Jacob but it was nice to be able to do adult things like go into the casino without worrying about when he'd melt down or when it was time to eat (and if he'd eat). But most of the trip was still geared around him...looking at all of the stuffed moose (though we used to do that anyway) and all of the little baby t-shirts and onesies. We didn't end up getting him anything, but he was on our minds a lot. We checked in twice, but I think that was fair.
Once we picked him back up on Saturday, we spent the rest of the weekend with Craig's family. Craig helped his brother's family get settled into their new house, and we celebrated our nephew's 2nd birthday. We had a lot of fun, and Jacob was busy exploring the new surroundings! He spent a lot of time at this window...
You can see a little bit in this picture that Jacob has a bit of a boo-boo under his right eye. He took a header into our suitcase on Saturday and got a cut and scrape under his eye. I'm not sure what happened, but he must have hit a zipper just wrong. He cried a little but seemed ok pretty quickly. I tried to ice it down but eventually he stopped allowing that and went on his merry way. It's healing quickly.
Sunday Jacob went to his first parade, the Pulaski Day Parade in Cheektowaga. He didn't seem too phased by it, but did like seeing people's dogs. We did some shopping in the tents and got Jacob his first Polish attire, a little Polska shirt. It might not fit him for another year, but it was cute and he'll fit right in with the rest of the family! Here he is at the parade in his cool new hat, dressed for the lovely July weather we're having...ugh.
Once we picked him back up on Saturday, we spent the rest of the weekend with Craig's family. Craig helped his brother's family get settled into their new house, and we celebrated our nephew's 2nd birthday. We had a lot of fun, and Jacob was busy exploring the new surroundings! He spent a lot of time at this window...
You can see a little bit in this picture that Jacob has a bit of a boo-boo under his right eye. He took a header into our suitcase on Saturday and got a cut and scrape under his eye. I'm not sure what happened, but he must have hit a zipper just wrong. He cried a little but seemed ok pretty quickly. I tried to ice it down but eventually he stopped allowing that and went on his merry way. It's healing quickly.
Sunday Jacob went to his first parade, the Pulaski Day Parade in Cheektowaga. He didn't seem too phased by it, but did like seeing people's dogs. We did some shopping in the tents and got Jacob his first Polish attire, a little Polska shirt. It might not fit him for another year, but it was cute and he'll fit right in with the rest of the family! Here he is at the parade in his cool new hat, dressed for the lovely July weather we're having...ugh.
Finally, here's some video of Jacob walking, with a little help...he's looking pretty good! He won't need that soon enough!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Photo Thursday and Another Milestone!
Just wanted to share some photos from last weekend's trip to the Corn Hill Arts Festival here in Rochester. One of these days I will take a picture of the one purchase we made, but I forgot this time around. Anyway, here's Jacob chillin' in his stroller...
He put his foot like that all by himself, I swear. And a couple more cute smiles I couldn't resist sharing...
And as for the milestone...last night Jacob got his first haircut! It had been a long time in coming, and it felt so good to get it over with. See, Jacob was born with this perfect head of hair. Not too much, not too little, just a nice covering with a cute little swirl on the top. Soft and perfect. Shortly after birth, he started losing it off the top. He kept the back and sides, and for a short period of time, he looked like an old man with male pattern baldness. It finally started growing back in and was this lovely little fuzz for a while. I loved rubbing it. Eventually that grew in, but by then the sides and back (which were growing all along) were getting long. The hair was falling over his ears, hitting his collar, and generally becoming a nuisance after messy meals and long sleeps. But it still seemed a little funny to take him for a haircut, because he didn't have a lot of hair in general! Anyway, it had really begun to bother me a lot...when there was food in it, when it wouldn't lay down even with water, when it looked funny in pictures...so we finally got around to getting it done. Yesterday was my work picnic so Jacob and I had a nice afternoon together and got home about 45 minutes earlier than usual. We made good use of the time with a bunch of running around. Our first stop was for haircuts--for Jacob and Craig. We went to this place nearby that advertised itself as kid-friendly. It's not one of those places where they get to sit in a rocketship or anything, but it's sports-themed so that was cool. They had TVs so I figured if nothing else there would be more distractions than your average place...and distractions are a good thing with a squirmy baby! Jacob woke up a little cranky after his nap on the way home from the picnic, and didn't seem much better after he ate, but we figured this was our best shot at getting it done so we decided to take the chance. As you can see from the pictures below, Jacob didn't exactly enjoy himself. He calmed down after I put down the camera and picked him up while she finished the back. And really, after that he was a lot of fun the rest of the evening.
Among our post-haircut stops was a quest to get him a new sun hat. All of a sudden his plaid hat seemed really small on him, so we tried the Children's Place in Henrietta (we had to go down there for something else anyway) and managed to find him a new baseball hat and a bucket hat for a grand total of less than $6. Woohoo! I love clearance!
This weekend we are going to be taking another big step as Craig and I spend our first night together away from Jacob. While I'm sure it'll be good for us, it's still a little scary. I trust my parents, but I also know that Jacob can be unpredictable and quite resourceful, so it concerns me that he'll do something crazy, something that will surprise them (in a bad way) with his ability to get himself in a precarious position. It's been a while since they've had to compensate for a baby's ability to disregard safety. It only takes one slightly careless moment...I'm used to it and I myself have dodged a couple bullets in the past couple months. I'd never forgive myself if something went wrong. And not just that, but I don't want him to freak out if Mommy and Daddy aren't around to feed him or put him to bed. Or, maybe I'm just as nervous that it won't even phase him! It's only for about 24 hours and we'll be just a phone call and a quick drive away, but it's still a little nerve-wracking. I know I'll miss him like crazy. I'll probably also enjoy a little freedom, but still...he'll always be in the back of my mind, at the very least. That's how it's been with every date night we've had...a constant eye on the cell phone and a nervous grimmace on our faces when we walk back in the door. I used to enjoy overnights with my grandparents when I was a kid (as far as I can recall) but I'm not sure when missing my parents stopped and enjoying it started. I guess all we can do is try! Wish us luck!
He put his foot like that all by himself, I swear. And a couple more cute smiles I couldn't resist sharing...
And as for the milestone...last night Jacob got his first haircut! It had been a long time in coming, and it felt so good to get it over with. See, Jacob was born with this perfect head of hair. Not too much, not too little, just a nice covering with a cute little swirl on the top. Soft and perfect. Shortly after birth, he started losing it off the top. He kept the back and sides, and for a short period of time, he looked like an old man with male pattern baldness. It finally started growing back in and was this lovely little fuzz for a while. I loved rubbing it. Eventually that grew in, but by then the sides and back (which were growing all along) were getting long. The hair was falling over his ears, hitting his collar, and generally becoming a nuisance after messy meals and long sleeps. But it still seemed a little funny to take him for a haircut, because he didn't have a lot of hair in general! Anyway, it had really begun to bother me a lot...when there was food in it, when it wouldn't lay down even with water, when it looked funny in pictures...so we finally got around to getting it done. Yesterday was my work picnic so Jacob and I had a nice afternoon together and got home about 45 minutes earlier than usual. We made good use of the time with a bunch of running around. Our first stop was for haircuts--for Jacob and Craig. We went to this place nearby that advertised itself as kid-friendly. It's not one of those places where they get to sit in a rocketship or anything, but it's sports-themed so that was cool. They had TVs so I figured if nothing else there would be more distractions than your average place...and distractions are a good thing with a squirmy baby! Jacob woke up a little cranky after his nap on the way home from the picnic, and didn't seem much better after he ate, but we figured this was our best shot at getting it done so we decided to take the chance. As you can see from the pictures below, Jacob didn't exactly enjoy himself. He calmed down after I put down the camera and picked him up while she finished the back. And really, after that he was a lot of fun the rest of the evening.
Among our post-haircut stops was a quest to get him a new sun hat. All of a sudden his plaid hat seemed really small on him, so we tried the Children's Place in Henrietta (we had to go down there for something else anyway) and managed to find him a new baseball hat and a bucket hat for a grand total of less than $6. Woohoo! I love clearance!This weekend we are going to be taking another big step as Craig and I spend our first night together away from Jacob. While I'm sure it'll be good for us, it's still a little scary. I trust my parents, but I also know that Jacob can be unpredictable and quite resourceful, so it concerns me that he'll do something crazy, something that will surprise them (in a bad way) with his ability to get himself in a precarious position. It's been a while since they've had to compensate for a baby's ability to disregard safety. It only takes one slightly careless moment...I'm used to it and I myself have dodged a couple bullets in the past couple months. I'd never forgive myself if something went wrong. And not just that, but I don't want him to freak out if Mommy and Daddy aren't around to feed him or put him to bed. Or, maybe I'm just as nervous that it won't even phase him! It's only for about 24 hours and we'll be just a phone call and a quick drive away, but it's still a little nerve-wracking. I know I'll miss him like crazy. I'll probably also enjoy a little freedom, but still...he'll always be in the back of my mind, at the very least. That's how it's been with every date night we've had...a constant eye on the cell phone and a nervous grimmace on our faces when we walk back in the door. I used to enjoy overnights with my grandparents when I was a kid (as far as I can recall) but I'm not sure when missing my parents stopped and enjoying it started. I guess all we can do is try! Wish us luck!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Still adjusting...
Yesterday was the first day since June 19, 2008 that I walked into work without my pump. It was an odd but freeing feeling. My shoulders felt light and unencumbered. While I don't miss pumping once or twice a day, it's strange to look at the clock and not have to calculate when I need to get up and head to the handicapped bathroom (yep, that's where I did it...beats the chilly computer room where another girl did it) with my pump, my cooler of milk, and my little doorknob sign so no one stood around waiting for the bathroom while I pumped. It was a strange existence living like that for almost a year, but in the end it was worth it.
Then last night I didn't have to wash my pump parts. That was fantastic. In addition, Jacob's down to only two bottles a day at day care. Not that he drinks out of them...they're really just an easy way to measure and send milk. So, that part of my evening was much easier. However, with all of the little containers that I cook and send his food in, my dishwashing is brutal. Still working on that dishwasher, too. Ugh. But I definitely do not miss the pump parts. Every day. I can't put my pump away for good, though. Craig and I are planning a night away this weekend and I will need to pump once then. I'm still not sure what to do with the milk. Seems a waste to toss what may be the last of my milk that I see for a long time, but carting it around with us the rest of the weekend could get complicated. Maybe I'll just use it in a sippy cup on Saturday and get it out of the way.
The thing that struck me funny last night was that I'm not sure how I'm going to officially end all of this. It's at a nice, low-maintenance point right now so there isn't much reason to stop. The only motivating factors right now are: 1) Potentially less prep time before Jacob goes to bed, though the feeding might get replaced by story time or cuddle time, if he'll sit still long enough; 2) Not wanting to take my pump with me if I'll be away from Jacob overnight; 3) Getting him out of the pre-bedtime feeding habit (and the breastfeeding habit in general) before he can tell me he wants it or just can't live without it. Yikes. I'd also like to get back on regular birth control at some point, just because it's more reliable.
But actually taking that last step to do a final feeding is a big one. I'm just not sure how to do it. I definitely think it will be sad. I keep hoping I'll know when the moment's right, but I don't want to keep thinking that way just waiting for it to happen...because it might never seem right. Or maybe I won't even realize the last feeding is the last one as it's happening, and I'll be sad that I never got to officially say goodbye to the whole experience. Is that weird? I thought about that sort of thing when I sat in the chair in Jacob's room during those many middle of the night feedings...that at some point I would do the last night feeding and I probably wouldn't know it was the last one. It's been ages since I've had to do that, and sure enough, I don't know when the last one was. Not that it's that important, but that alone was a big step. It's such a huge bonding thing and it's been part of our relationship since about a half hour after he was born, so officially moving past that phase (and never going back) just seems like a BIG thing to really, truly be done with it. And I definitely think I'll have a hard time giving it up. Maybe he will too. I guess I'll have to get creative and find ways to ease out of it...for both of our sakes.
In other news, not much new to report. Jacob is active as ever, and is even starting to climb a bit. A couple times he's been caught leaning over a piece of furniture with his feet off the ground, so I'm already fearing what our little daredevil will get into. No walking yet, though he's getting good at pushing things and walking behind them. He definitely seems to be getting more of a personality, with some interesting new noises and faces lately. Nothing specific, but just stuff I never saw him do before. The babbling is really getting cute at times....still no "Mama", though. He's still not a fan of eating unless it's mac and cheese, chicken, veggie dogs, or fruit. We're tempted to try moving him out of his high chair and into his booster to see if he's just got a negative association with the high chair at home. Seems like we're grasping at straws, but if anything will get him to eat better, that would be awesome. He's taken to throwing food a lot, but I'm not sure if that's a commentary on the food itself, or his desire to eat, or if he just likes throwing balls so much that he wants to throw all the time. It's a little frustrating, though. Still, when he's happy he's amazing to be around. He laughs a lot and gives those killer smiles all the time. Irresistable. I'll hopefully post some new pictures soon...
Then last night I didn't have to wash my pump parts. That was fantastic. In addition, Jacob's down to only two bottles a day at day care. Not that he drinks out of them...they're really just an easy way to measure and send milk. So, that part of my evening was much easier. However, with all of the little containers that I cook and send his food in, my dishwashing is brutal. Still working on that dishwasher, too. Ugh. But I definitely do not miss the pump parts. Every day. I can't put my pump away for good, though. Craig and I are planning a night away this weekend and I will need to pump once then. I'm still not sure what to do with the milk. Seems a waste to toss what may be the last of my milk that I see for a long time, but carting it around with us the rest of the weekend could get complicated. Maybe I'll just use it in a sippy cup on Saturday and get it out of the way.
The thing that struck me funny last night was that I'm not sure how I'm going to officially end all of this. It's at a nice, low-maintenance point right now so there isn't much reason to stop. The only motivating factors right now are: 1) Potentially less prep time before Jacob goes to bed, though the feeding might get replaced by story time or cuddle time, if he'll sit still long enough; 2) Not wanting to take my pump with me if I'll be away from Jacob overnight; 3) Getting him out of the pre-bedtime feeding habit (and the breastfeeding habit in general) before he can tell me he wants it or just can't live without it. Yikes. I'd also like to get back on regular birth control at some point, just because it's more reliable.
But actually taking that last step to do a final feeding is a big one. I'm just not sure how to do it. I definitely think it will be sad. I keep hoping I'll know when the moment's right, but I don't want to keep thinking that way just waiting for it to happen...because it might never seem right. Or maybe I won't even realize the last feeding is the last one as it's happening, and I'll be sad that I never got to officially say goodbye to the whole experience. Is that weird? I thought about that sort of thing when I sat in the chair in Jacob's room during those many middle of the night feedings...that at some point I would do the last night feeding and I probably wouldn't know it was the last one. It's been ages since I've had to do that, and sure enough, I don't know when the last one was. Not that it's that important, but that alone was a big step. It's such a huge bonding thing and it's been part of our relationship since about a half hour after he was born, so officially moving past that phase (and never going back) just seems like a BIG thing to really, truly be done with it. And I definitely think I'll have a hard time giving it up. Maybe he will too. I guess I'll have to get creative and find ways to ease out of it...for both of our sakes.
In other news, not much new to report. Jacob is active as ever, and is even starting to climb a bit. A couple times he's been caught leaning over a piece of furniture with his feet off the ground, so I'm already fearing what our little daredevil will get into. No walking yet, though he's getting good at pushing things and walking behind them. He definitely seems to be getting more of a personality, with some interesting new noises and faces lately. Nothing specific, but just stuff I never saw him do before. The babbling is really getting cute at times....still no "Mama", though. He's still not a fan of eating unless it's mac and cheese, chicken, veggie dogs, or fruit. We're tempted to try moving him out of his high chair and into his booster to see if he's just got a negative association with the high chair at home. Seems like we're grasping at straws, but if anything will get him to eat better, that would be awesome. He's taken to throwing food a lot, but I'm not sure if that's a commentary on the food itself, or his desire to eat, or if he just likes throwing balls so much that he wants to throw all the time. It's a little frustrating, though. Still, when he's happy he's amazing to be around. He laughs a lot and gives those killer smiles all the time. Irresistable. I'll hopefully post some new pictures soon...
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