Crawling and band things

OK, our little guy is starting to do the army crawl really well! WOW! Bill and I sat and watched him forever last night as he struggled to get his knees under him and get his body moving...wow. That is the only work that can describe watching him grow up. I can't believe he is the same little guy we brought home from the hospital only 6 months ago...it has gone by to fast! So, I guess my time is up for baby proofing...now that he is almost entirely mobile I better get on the items I had put off baby proofing!

In other news, we might be back in May...yay! It is not official yet, but I will keep my hopes up. The last trip home made me really miss our house, our friends, and our awesome neighbors. In neighbor news, I just have to say our friends, Alan and Amy, have the two most adorable children in the whole world. I miss hanging out and occasionally drinking wine with Alan and Amy...they are super fun and super nice I just want to say I miss them. The neighbors here are nice, but just don't compare to the great ones we have back home.

Anyways, little guy is getting another cold and has been quite cranky about it. He is sleeping right now, which is why I can finally get on here and update for everyone. Sadly, I am lazy and have not taken pics off my camera yet, so I don't have any new ones to update you with....sorry! I will get on it this weekend.

Band is going well, but honestly, right now band is a "hobby" for me. I certainly don't have the time to practice the way it's required to become a truly semi pro musician and play in symphonies or grand orchestras...I honestly barely practice enough to keep up with the local band I am in! However, band is a super fun and relaxing part of my week and I truly love it and all the wonderful memories picking up my instrument brings back to me. Speaking of memories, my long time friend, Michael, is in the Charlotte Orchestra! Check it out: http://www.charlottecivicorchestra.org/ I am super proud of him! He plays the clarinet. We went to high school together and have been good friends for almost 11 years...wow I feel old saying that! haha! Anyhow, everyone should make a trip to go see him play; the Charlotte Orchestra is AMAZING. Now that I know someone playing, Bill and I must get back to Charlotte to hear them!

Well, I guess that is all the update I have for now...I will work on getting pictures for everyone! Bye!

Little Swimmers

Well, the 4th was Little Dude's 6 month birthday...hasn't it gone by very fast? I can not believe how quickly the time has flown! He is getting bigger by the minute! On the 5th we started swimming lessons in a baby swim class at our gym. So far it has been quite a blast and Little Dude is enjoying it! Today, in fact, he went under water for the first time! Awesome! He loved it, even though I was really nervous about it. He came up smiling; so perhaps we have a fish on our hands! The other kids and moms are very fun too, though they are all at least 4 months older, but I am keeping notes on what the instructor does with them so I can remember and do them later this summer. Can I say that swim diapers are the most extraordinary invention ever? They dont come off and hold everything in...trust me...they work amazingly well! And we got some with Winnie the Pooh and Nemo on them...SO CUTE!!!!!! I will try to figure out how to get a picture of baby swim for you guys. I think I will have to get a one time camera for it because I am just to nervous about my camera getting wet! So, keep your eyes out for a pic...I will work on getting one soon!

MOMS club is great; we are loving the play dates! Little Dude is becoming quite social and quite fascinated with the other children! I'm glad he is already confident enough to roll away from me and play with other kids, though a little sad he is already showing independence. I did actually cave to some of the home made baby food recipes...avocado is now a favorite of our Little Dude's...though I love it so much too that I guess that is not a huge surprise. Since I don't have a food processor I have gotten away without to much scrutiny on buying baby food...but one of the mom's made a comment that kinda hit me.....there are not much variety out there in the land of baby food. It's the save 4 veggies, same 4 fruits and variations of those mixed with beef or chicken or turkey. So, on that thought, I have decided to make what I can and so far Little Dude has LOVED it...he has had avocado, cottage cheese, yogurt, cucumber and mashed potatoes. Amazing? And all things I can fix for him with minimal work or clean up.....as Borat would say...VERY NICE!

Also in other big news, we have a crib for Little Dude! Yes, I know, we had one back home but since it was a free used one, it was hard to get together and we did not want to take it apart for anything...so Little Dude has been sleeping in a pack n play since out growing his bassinet. The pack and play has been fine, except now he is getting up on his hands and knees every so often, so we were scared of him pulling up inside the pack n play and falling out. Yes, we know we can take the raised part out and use the big pack n play, but you forget how short I am! Ha ha! I tried a few times having him sleep in the big area and I ended up having to drop him the last few inches, which was a disaster if he was asleep and no so pleasant if he was awake....SOOOOOOOO Bill and I talked and decided it was worth the money to get a good crib, esp since the crib, the bassinet and pack n play (along with a lot of other great things, like an awesome breast pump and tons of clothes) were all given to us. Since we have not had to buy a single expensive item for him yet, we decided to get a good convertible one and let me just say it is AWESOME. It converts into the cutest toddler bed, then day bed, then full size bed. AMAZING. It is so beautiful too and will be a beautiful bed for him when he's older. Also, once we have a second child, one will have the crib, and the other the toddler bed; super exciting! I'm bringing up his crib bedding from home this weekend and really getting his nursery here set up right. I am super excited!

It is amazing how much it is feeling like home here now. I guess that happens after living somewhere for 6 months, but now that our time will be counting down from here til Aug and we have the possibility of going up to Virginia I am a little sad to think of leaving. Esp our church, it is wonderful and very active...compared to our little church back home, we selfishly wish we could take All Saint's back home, or to VA. Well, Little Dude is up from his nap and ready to eat...we are actually having chicken and apples (from a baby jar) so I better get going! Bye!

Baby Play Date

The first picture is from this morning, when I gave Little Dude his first taste of chicken. He insisted upon having the spoon, so I gave him an extra one to play with (the one you see in the pic) while I fed him. It was awesome-after I would put a spoonful in his mouth he insisted upon putting his spoon in his mouth....thus the mess started and just got better from there. It is a great picture though, don't you think? It really looks like he fed himself...hahaha!

Here are pics from Play Dates with the MOMS Club group! Our playgroup, Baby Bears, came to our house Tues. and it was tons of fun! I made Leigh Anne's pepperoni bread and everyone loved it-Thanks, Leigh Anne!! All the babies had tons of fun playing together with Little Dude's toys and all of us Moms loved sitting and chatting together!

I must say MOMS Club has been a great activity for me to keep busy with while at home with a baby! The club activities keep me motivated to get up and dressed and out of the house to go to new places, which is great, because being at home makes it easy to be lazy and not leave. The club is also making it easy to learn where stuff is located and gives me a whole group of resources to call on whenever I have questions. I have made some great friends in the club so far and as happy as I will be to go back home when Bill's job up here is over, I will also be sad to leave all the friends I have made here and the club.

Here also is a pic of Little Dude and his fellow friends at the MOMS Club Valentine's Party! from left to right: Little Dude, Devin and Taylor.

These three are part of the Baby Bears playgroup, along with about 4 other babies. The Valentine party was fun even though the babies just played on the floor. All the older children were cute to watch as they got all excited about their Valentines...so cute!! Tami, one of the moms, hosted the party and she did a great job of having all kinds of kid activities from the oriental trading company. The party was a hit with the kids...I'm taking notes for Little Guy's future birthday parties......

Ash Wednesday and Lent

This past Wed. was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season for Catholics. Many of us spend time up to Ash Wednesday debating over what type of thing/things we will give up for the 40 days of Lent. Instead of giving up something completely, we are going to make changes and make sure we are following all the rules of lent..such as no meat on Fridays, and we are even going to try to have dinner at the church on Fridays if Bill is home in time. We are going to only eat on big meal a day and snack on uncooked fruits or veggies the rest of the day. We are only going to drink water during the day, but at dinner we can have what we want (though no sugar or soda). We are going to go for a family walk when Bill gets home unless the weather is bad. We have turned off the TV and Internet time is limited to checking weather, news, and updating the family blog. We are also going to read a passage from the bible for each night of Lent, discuss them together. There is a list of great ones to read for Lent at www.AmericanCatholic.org under the Feb. 2007 Catholic Update.

Even at all we are going to do, I have to say that the following passage by Mark E Thibodeaux, S.J. is inspirational and everyone should do their best to observe this kind of "fast". What better way to glorify God and the sacrifice of his only Son by performing the acts of kindness he would want us to always give?

'Lent is a time of prayer, penance, and of course, fasting. But what type of fasting should I do? One of my favorite Lenten Scriptures passages is Isaiah 58: " This rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound, setting free the oppressed and homeless, sharing your bread with the hungry, clothing the naked and not turning your back on your own" As difficult as it is for me to give up candy bars and to pray for ever-longer periods of time, I find Isaiah's type of fasting an even greater challenge. To concretely reach out to those in need-to actually reach out to real homeless people, prisoners and even to those of "my own" whom I've imprisoned in my heart through rejection, negligence or being judgmental-this would make for a far more difficult Lent. Every Lent we are invited to meditate on Scripture. But this Lent, I also invite you to set about tasks which lead to greater reconciliation with God and others, and especially with those who are on the "outs" whether in society or people closer to home.'

February 2007

Catholic Update

St. Anthony Messenger press

Family

Well, this past Saturday was Fab's birthday and it was really great to see him and his awesome wife, Leigh Anne. Bill and I love the two of them dearly and are so glad they are in our lives. The pictures are all from the party at their home; can I say I want that train rocker? It is SO COOL!!!! Leigh Anne found them on sale somewhere...AWESOME buy!!! Little guy had so much fun playing on them with her! Happy birthday, Fab!!

Valentine Fun

Hi, all! It has been quite a busy February! On Tuesday I had band practice for a concert this Sunday and I have been practicing furiously since because there is one part with an A flat above the scale and I can't hit it yet....sigh. The struggles of a musician...lol! Anyways, then Wed. my CCD class had a party so Little Guy and I brought stuff for that and then had the kids all go over acts of kindness they are going to work on during lent. We had to cover a lot because we don't have class next week for Ash Wednesday...I think we did OK though. Little Dude was very well behaved as well! Bill went out with guys from work and got to do some "guy" stuff, which was very fun for him!

Today, Little Guy and I went to a Valentine's Day party with all the MOMS Club girls and kids...MUCH fun!! I made mac and cheese and everyone loved it....it was only noodles and melted Velveeta and mozzarella.....but I didn't let them know how easy it was to make....it was kinda fun having everyone gush to me about how great it was...haha! The party was so fun; we made valentine boxes and passed out valentines...the older children were having so much fun! I loved watching them all play and interact! Like a dope, I forgot to charge the batteries for my camera, sooooo I have no pictures :( I am sad. However; one of the other moms got a picture of Little Guy and his two other baby friends, Taylor and Devin....she said she would email it to me...if she remembers, as soon as I get it I will post it. At any rate, on the 27th we are having playgroup at my house, so I will get some pics of Little Guy and his friends then!

Also, this week, Little Guy and I went to the Science Museum here...it was VERY interesting. It also had great interactive stuff for older kids; I think I like it better(for kids) than the one back home. There were all kinds of cool games for children to play and there was even a cool mirror room that Little Guy loved (it had mirrors of all different shapes and sizes, showing how they distorted your image, etc). Friday we are going to the library for reading time and a puppet show, going shopping for a birthday present, then packing to head home for the awesome B-Day party! Happy Birthday Fab!!! See all our home town friends this weekend!!

Super Bowl

Well, the super bowl was pretty fun! My little sister, Lisa, came up and spent the night so she could watch the game with us! Her visit was really fun! Bill and I got all excited we were going to

have a visitor here at our new place, so we went crazy making treats and finger foods! Yummy! We also found a GREAT recipe for cheese dip on Food Network! I love Food Network; all the cooks are like my extended family now..hahah! Anyways, we made bunches of finger foods and drank some beer and had a great time. Lisa and I cheered for "DA BEARS" simply because it reminded me of the Saturday Night Live skit with Chris Farley that Julie Z has...if you have not seen it, tell Julie you have to because it is AWESOME! Sadly, "DA BEARS" lost, but honestly I did not care, nor did I pay any real close attention to the game...Lisa and I were having much more fun talking and playing with little guy! heehee!

In other news, our little guy is now eating green peas. Yes, green peas, I know, he is such a big boy! They are the baby food jar green peas, but he LOVES them!!! I can not feed him the peas fast enough LOL!!! Since I love peas too, it makes since...must be my kid! haha! Anyways, he is enjoying having some taste to his baby food and in a few days we are going to try carrots. I think we will go through the veggies, then meats, the fruits. I am not sure if that is a good order, it was just one I came up with, so anyone with suggestions feel free to leave them. Also, right now, our little guy has a cold. It has not been to bad, except last night he really started coughing a lot in his sleep...so needless to say I did not get much sleep because I was up worrying about him! Gosh, who knew how much you could be concerned over a cold? Parenthood changes everything so wonderfully! Anywho, I am not sure if I should take him to a doctor (he has no temp) or if I should just get a grip and realize that at some point he was going to catch a cold, so getting one in the winter is normal. I guess I am lucky he has not gotten one before now! I am surprised he hasn't had an ear infection yet....all the kids at the daycare had them ALL the time...but our little guy has been all good with his ears...I'm going to say it is the breastfeeding, but honestly I do not know if that helps or makes a difference, but it makes me feel good. So, anyone with advice/stories on how to handle the "first cold" please feel free to share!

Today, 2-6-07, little dude and I went to the Oak Ridge Children's Museum with the MOMS Club girls and we had a blast! There are play areas that mimic a kid sized house, rain forest, desert, and the secret city of Oak Ridge! We weren't supposed to take pics, but I snuck a few in. We hung out, watched the older children play, played with the kids close to our age and best of all I got to talk to other moms for 3 hours...very fun and informative! I got great advice on dealing with two kids and spacing them and such. I really like all the women/girls in MOMS and I have a lot of fun with them, but I must say they are a little hippie for me....like all of them (that I have hung out with so far, 11 women total, there are more members, but not in my little guys playgroup age) use cloth diapers (except me, I am polluting the earth with BJ brand size 2) and they all make their own baby food from organic sources or buy organic baby food(except me, I am polluting the earth with tiny, baby sized glass jars and polluting my child with ungodly toxins from the mutated peas placed in the tiny, baby sized glass jars). Other than those two issues, I really like all the girls. You would've enjoyed being there when they heard my thoughts on organic baby cereal(seriously, the stuff is able to last for 5 years..how? preservatives, my friends, preservatives. And when something is packed that full of preservatives, does it matter anymore if it is organic or not?).....their looks were great. Thank goodness they all seem to like me anyway, so I guess they aren't to hippie.....


Also in more news I had my first secret shopper job today! Cool, eh? I just take little guy with me and evaluate stores! Then I just wait for money to come in.. as Borat would say"Very Nice".
Well, little guy is up from his nap, so we are going to get ready for the gym! Bye!