Pimp my ride - stroller edition

Spring fever has kicked in big time around our house with all of the beautiful spring weather we've been having lately (with the exception of this week of course). Kirk and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather this past weekend by loading Ian up and heading to my favorite walking trail for some quality time in the great outdoors. We used this opportunity to try out Ian's new shades as well as his new ride, a cool new jogging stroller that I got as one of my birthday gifts from Kirk. The new ride seemed to receive Ian's seal of approval as he spent half of the walk asleep and the other half just chillin. As for the shades, he didn't even really seem to notice them but he sure did entertain some of our fellow walkers who couldn't help but smile when they saw him coming.
Joe Cool himself

The sunglasses came about after Kirk and I received a note from Ian's teachers at daycare saying that each time they took him out for a walk they noticed he kept his eyes tightly closed the whole time until they got him back inside. Poor kiddo. I had no idea they even made sunglasses that little but sure enough Kirk and I managed to find some at babiesrus. Seeing him in them still cracks me up every time.

4 month stats

In celebration of his four month birthday Ian had a checkup with the pediatrician Tuesday and he is now up to....
17 lbs and 27 inches, this puts him in the 90th percentile for his age!! The appointment turned out to be good timing as I was getting a bit concerned about the little guy since he's been congested, snotty, and had a nasty cough for a couple of weeks now and every time he seemed to be getting better it seemed like he'd sound worse again. Turns out he's got a bit of an ear infection so we have been filling him full of antibiotics and cough syrup for the last couple of days. Luckily it seems to be helping though and he now finally seems to be on the mend. The Dr. also gave us clearance to start baby cereal anytime we're ready. I'm hoping that when we do give it a whirl maybe it'll help fill up his belly and he'll sleep a little longer at night, a girl can dream right???

Today was a pretty big day for us as apparently Ian rolled over for the first time. I say apparently because neither Kirk or myself witnessed it. I was upstairs taking a nap after work and Kirk had put him on the floor on his belly. The next time he glanced over at him he was on his back. Though we didn't actually see it we're still exciting. Hopefully we'll be able to actually witness it soon. He's also grabbing at things and holding them in both his hands now. He's changed so much already that it's hard to believe it's only been four months since he was born. I'm constantly amazed at how much he's changed, how much we've learned, and how far we've all come in these last four months.

Winter Wonderland

I knew the weather forecast called for possible snow this weekend but I must admit I had my doubts and didn't really give it a second thought until we woke up to this scene this morning:


A snow covered Bradford pear in bloom

Guess the groundhog was right. Luckily we are into the 4th week since his prediction so hopefully only two more weeks to go until spring!! Happy March 1st.

Dork Alert!!

After having been at work for several hours this morning I looked down and discovered this lovely site:

In my haste to get out the door I apparently put on two DIFFERENT shoes and didn't even notice until half the morning had gone by. I was standing up at the nurses station when I discovered it and just burst out laughing. I then proceeded to show all my coworkers so they 1)wouldn't think I was going crazy just randomly bursting out into laughter and 2)so it wouldn't be as much fun for them to give me hell about it. After giving all of my coworkers a good laugh one of them proceeded to ask me if I got dressed in the dark. Sad part is I didn't. Is this a result of sleep deprivation or am I just going senile (after all the big 3-0 is just around the corner)? You be the judge!!

February in Review

Is it almost March already??!! Things have been so busy around here I've barely had time to notice this blur of a month that has almost passed us by.

I've been back to work for almost a whole month now and while it's hectic trying to balance being a full time nurse, mom, wife, chef, housekeeper, etc. I'm happy to report we're all surviving. Truth be told going back to work hasn't been nearly the disaster I'd convinced myself it would be. After shedding many tears and worrying myself silly during those last couple of weeks of maternity leave I have come to discover that contrary to my original beliefs my child will survive daycare, he has not forgotten who his mommy is, and I actually do like my job and my coworkers. I do miss Ian like crazy while I'm at work but typically I stay so busy that the day is over before I notice and it's time to go pick him up. So far everytime I go to pick him up he is happy, clean, and dry and a time or two someone has even been rocking him when I showed up so I feel like he is being well cared for which has definitely eased my transition back to work. The biggest obstacle I'm now trying to overcome is just finding enough time in my day to get everything done. THe day typically goes something like this:

5:00am get myself ready for work (unless Ian wakes up first then I just reverse the order)
5:30am wake Ian up (if he hasn't already woken up): get him fed, dressed, and change diaper and make sure everything is ready for daddy to take him to daycare.
6:00am Out the door to work
6:30am arrive at work
5:00Pm quitting time
5:30-5:45PM Pick up Ian from daycare (unless daddy has gotten him first). This is the best part of the days hands down as I am now usually greeted by a big grin nothing could make me feel more loved!!
6:00 - ?? (In no particular order: Feed Ian, make dinner, clean up kitchen, wash bottles, prep bottles for the next day, make my lunch for the next day.
Between 8 and 9Pm: bath Ian and get him ready for bed. This is Ian's favorite part of the day as he loves to splash around in the tub!! Can't wait to take him to the pool this summer!!
10:00pm or as soon as Ian goes to bed it's mommy's bedtime so she can have enough energy to get up and do it all again tommorrow.

With all of this going on a daily basis you can see how I'm having a hard time fitting the little extra things such as, oh, household chores and grocery shopping into my schedule. In all reality I shouldn't even be taking the time to sit here and write this and am really only doing so since Kirk is working late and I don't have to cook tonight. If any of you working mommy's who read this have any suggestions on how to balance it all I am all ears. Since I'm relatively new at all this I need all the tips I can get. I'm sure as time goes by it will get easier but for now life is hectic!!!

Nights are getting better though we are still not sleeping through the night!!! Ian actually did sleep through the night twice this month 9PM-5AM but I'm not counting it since I think the only reason why he did is because he was fighting off his first illness (thankfully he is feeling better now which means no more 8 hour sleeping sessions, oh well). Though he slept soundly those two nights I certainly didn't as I was waking up all night long thinking "he should be waking up anytime now..." I wonder, when he finally does start sleeping through the night how long it will take me to relearn to sleep through the night as well. This is something I certainly didn't even take into consideration until recently. On the nights I work he is now usually down around 9 or 10pm, depending on how quickly I can get everything done. After that he usually wakes up around 2 or 3 am for a feeding and diaper change and is usually back down and sound alseep in 30 minutes. After that he sometimes wakes up around 5 or 5:30am but many mornings I am waking him up around this time. When I'm off work he'll still do the 2 or 3am awakening but he'll wake up around 6- 6:30 am for another round of feeding, diaper change, and back to sleep and he'll sleep until 8 or 9 am until he is up and ready to start his day. So as you can see things are getting better, we are now getting a 5 hour or so stretch without awakening so we're getting there it's just going A LOT slower than I had originally thought. Meanwhile, all my sweet coworkers are telling me stories of their kids who never slept through the night...gee thanks guys!!
Ian's favorite way to sleep

Ian has gotten a lot more active this month. He is holding his head up well and doing great with tummy time, just this past weekend he has started trying to roll from his back to his front(he can make it to his side and swings one leg over but has not yet learned quite how to get the rest of the way there. He continues to practice everyday though so it may not be too much longer), he is also strenthening his tummy muscles and trying to sit up (when I put him in his bouncy seat now he leans forward so he now has to be strapped into everything at all times.) He's growing like a weed and it's so much fun watching him learning all of these new things. He will be mobile before you know it which is both a fun and scary thought for mommy!!

This past weekend Kirk, Ian and I packed up and headed to Phenix City, Alabama/Columbus Georgia to both attend the wedding of an old college friend, Matt Walker and to visit with family. Luckily I have aunts there who were more than willing to keep Ian so I didn't have to be "that person" with the baby at the wedding.
Thursday night we heading to B-ham to spend the night with Aba so she could get some Q.T. in with her grandson. He was all smiles and really showed off for her splashing away in the bathtub and being cute in general.
Friday morning we got up and headed to the Summitt to do a little shopping, really so I could see this glider I've been drooling over at pottery barn kids, which I'm wishing we didn't do because now all I can think about is buying the darned thing. I also got Ian some cute onesies and things at babygap since they were having a sale. I got one of the onesies for $2.00!! After all that we headed out of town around 2pm, which was really 3pm in Columbus so we got there literally just in time for the rehearsal, which we had to make since Kirk was in the wedding. We had originally planned to check into the hotel first but since Kirk decided to listen to my directions we got lost, hehe that'll teach him and we had to just go straight to the rehearsal. This means that I got to nurse Ian and change his diaper in the car. Than goodness for my cute nursing cover!! After the rehearsal we headed to Matt's parents house for some laid back barbeque and beer (which I couldn't have because I'm nursing) I made up for the lack of beer though with extra banana pudding. We finally got to meet the bride and chat with the groom whom we'd not seen in 4.5 years since our own wedding day.
Saturday morning I got up, dropped Kirk off for prewedding beer and xbox 360 with the boys, and headed out to lunch with my aunts and cousin before heading off to the wedding. The wedding itself was gorgeous and so much fun. It took place in an old antebellum home, the wedding itself in a tent on the grounds and the reception in the house and tent. It was a pretty intimate affair which made it so much fun. The bride was gorgeous of course and Matt looked handsome as always (his screenname wasn't cleansupgood for nothing)! The reception was so much fun with dancing and lots of good food: pasta, fajitas, kababs, a chocolate fountain, not to mention the cake. There was so much food we actually got full!! It was great to be able to make it to the wedding and share in an old friends happy day and to be able to spend an evening amongst adults dressed up with my "Kate" in tow without a trace of drool or spit up in site.
Sunday morning we got up, checked out of the hotel, headed to lunch one last time with my family, and headed back home making a pit stop once more in B-ham so Aba could get one last baby fix. Through all of this excitement Ian was a great little traveler once again sleeping the whole time we were in the car. The little guy just has no power to resist the lull of the car ride.

The only good pictures I got from the wedding since the photographer aka "the drill sergent" according to the groomsmen was on the prowl. Just look at those beautiful, tasty works of art.
War Eagle!!

Birthday Bash

Kirk and I took Ian to his first birthday bash today to celebrate the 4th birthday of Harris Spinks. I can't believe this kiddo is four years old already, seems like only yesterday we were going to the hospital to see his cute newborn self. Where does the time go!!??? Ian did great at the party and spent the majority of the time just hanging out and taking it all in. I didn't get any pictures of the birthday party but I did get some pictures of Ian all dressed up for it which I will post below.

Ian will be 12 weeks old on Monday. He is very alert these days and very interested in everything around him. He is holding his head up well and looking all around at everything. He's smiling all the time, "talking" up a storm, and trying out all kinds of new noises. The best part of my day hands down is getting one of those big gummy smiles so I spend the majority of my time these days doing any and everything I can to encourage one. We are having so much fun watching him grow and develop.

Unfortunately he is still not sleeping through the night. We're keeping our fingers crossed that it'll be soon but honestly I'm starting to think I will never sleep through the night again. Everyone assures me that it will happen but as of right now I'm just not convinced. Things had gotten better for awhile once Kirk and I really developed a bedtime routine and stuck to it until a few nights ago. I'm convinced the kid knows something is up (i.e. Mama starts back to work on Monday) and is trying to throw us for a loop. Here is a quick glimpse into our night here last night:

7:45pm Kirk and I eat dinner
8:00pm Kirk and I give Ian his nightly bath and get him dressed and ready for bed
8:3opm nightly nursing session
9:00pm I put Ian down for the night
10:00pm I go to bed in preparation for a long night telling Kirk that I hope this is a better night than the night before.
11:30pm Ian wakes up for his first feeding. I tell Kirk this is shaping up exactly as the night before.
1:00am Ian wakes up again and Kirk hits the vibrate function on the pack and play and thankfully he is down for the count once again.
2:30am Ian is awake yet again and this time no amount of vibrating on the pack and play will do him. He gets up for another feeding. A short time later I discover that he has blown out a diaper and will have to have a wardrobe change. I lay him on my chest and maneuver the dirty onesie over his head without smearing him with poo (a skill I have become very good at lately with all the up the back blowouts we've been having. While he is still positioned on my chest and I am attempting to get re situated I hear him "talking" and the next thing I know he is holding his head up perfectly with those big blue eyes shining and giving me that all familiar gummy grin that melts my heart every time. At this point I'm thinking it looks like this kid is now no where near going back to sleep but I have to laugh because he is so darn cute.
3:00am After getting Ian cleaned up, dressed, and fed he is back "down for the count"
6:30am Back up for yet another feeding. I'm impressed this time at the luxury of a 3.5 hr stint and am grateful that this night did indeed go better than the night before when we had several two hour stints.
8:00am Ian is awake again and ready to start his day so we get up. What an eventful night. I can't help but think of one of my coworkers telling me that her son who is over a year old is still not sleeping through the night but I reassure myself that surely this will not happen with my child and I keep my fingers crossed that maybe tonight will be "that magic night" but I don't hold my breath.

Here are some of the latest and greatest pics of our little guy:
Dressed in his party attire a Kenneth Cole Reaction outfit from his great grandparents. Too cute!!

Can you tell I love my outfit from Aunt Sue??

Put up your dukes

down for the count

Two Months

Friday we took Ian in for his two month appointment with the pediatrician and .... my big boy is now up to 13 lbs 15 ounces and 24& 3/4 inches long a far cry from the 8lbs 2 ounces and 21 inches he was at birth!!!!! The appointment proved to be a very traumatic event for the poor little guy since he recieved three immunizations. It broke my heart to hear him screaming. Luckily for me Kirk volunteered to be in the room with him and to help hold him down. After getting the shots he was beet red and cried until he fell asleep. He was so worn out from the trauma of it all that he spent most of Friday afternoon and evening sleeping.

I can't believe how big he's gotten and how much he's changed in these last couple of months. He is now "talking" to us and smiling more and more everyday. It's been so cool so far to see him become more interactive and noticing new things around him. Now if I could only get him to sleep through the night or at least a 5-6 hour stretch a night.... I'm due to go back to work in three weeks so am crossing my fingers that maybe that magical event will occur soon. Luckily for us he is starting to go longer between feedings now so we are back to doing some 3 - 3.5 hour stretches at night which has been fabulous. Getting up in the middle of the night for feedings has probably been one of the hardest parts of having a newborn for me but I'm even starting to get used to the sleep deprivation now. Once I start back to work though it may be a whole new ballgame, I may have to learn how to start sleeping with my eyes open so they won't catch on to me....

Thanks to my mom and dad who volunteered to keep Ian yet again for us, Kirk and I were able to go out on our first "date" since he was born. The other couple of times we managed to get out of the house it was to do grocery shopping or Christmas shopping so it was quite a treat for us to go to lunch and a movie yesterday afternoon. The movie of choice was Marley and Me, which was fabulous. Word of warning if you go see this movie take a box of tissue with you and wear waterproof mascara, by the end I was crying like a baby and so was the lady next to me evidently because I could hear her sniffling!!! It was so bad I was embarrassed to go out of the theater at the end of the movie because I didn't want anyone to see my red eyes.

A couple of my favorite new pics of Mr. Ian:
Two Months Old

Chillin in the swing

UnaBaby