Christopher's First Play Group

It is a beautiful fall day today in Kansas. Christopher and I put on our sporty clothes and spent some time this morning at Roe Park with the Mothers and More playgroup. Chris was by far the youngest little guy there--the playgroup was more for me to go and meet some other moms in the area. There were three really nice moms from the group and some other moms that I got to talk to as well. Their children were very interested in Christopher, especially this one little boy who just happened to share the same birthday as our guy. Chris slept all the way to the park and didn't wake up until he heard all the other kids having fun without him. He thought, "Man, I better get up and see what all the ruckus is about!" When he came out of his stroller, he was fascinated by all the goings on. We watched some of the bigger kids on the swings and also going down the slide. We met two adorable 14 month-old twin girls who kept pointing to Chris saying "Baby." Of course, our little charmer put on his best smile for them... and he blew some bubbles as well. I'm sure they were impressed! Anyway, it was nice to get over to the park where Mommy used to run in the Applebee's Run for the Riblets 5K. That's actually the race where I set a PR, although it's not as fast as Uncle Peter, so I hear! Looks like we have our work cut out for us if we are going to do the Shelter Island 10K next summer... One more note, Christopher is very excited that Grandpa Turick named one of his new puppies after him--"CJ's Nadia." He can't wait to meet her someday!

Lullabies

Okay, so I've been playing this wonderful CD I purchased at Babies R Us for Christopher that plays traditional lullabies to help him go to sleep. While it is a very nice CD that seems to help him relax, I have a beef with the most traditional of all the lullabies, "Rockabye Baby." What is up with the lyrics? Are they trying to give my son nightmares? "Rockabye baby in the treetop, when the wind blows the cradle will rock, when the bow breaks the cradle will fall and down will come baby, cradle and all." Hello? The imagery is quite disturbing--a sweet little baby swinging in a cradle from a tree and then the cradle falls and the baby comes crashing down? Who wrote that? Anyway, the song is lovely if you just hum it without the lyrics but I usually press the skip button on that song... Christopher is getting to be such a big boy. He slept 4 1/2 hours straight last night for the first half of the night. This seems to be a new pattern for him. He tends to only feed 2 or 3 times between the hours of 8PM and 6AM. I consider this progress! Of course, as I'm saying this it probably means his pattern will change soon. He is also starting to laugh out loud which is so cute to see. He used to just smile if you did something funny, but last night he was cracking up when I was making faces at him. It was so cute! And this morning he was initiating the tongue game--I was changing him and he was sticking his tongue out at me. I stuck mine out back at him and he laughed. This part of motherhood is so fun!

Chris and Olivia

Last night we went over to hang out with Matt, Jaime, and their new baby Olivia. Since both sets of new parents had rough previous nights, we thought we would all commiserate together over brats and football (and beer for the non-nursing fathers). Christopher was donning his Space Invaders onesie, compliments of Aunt Chrissie. He was a little fussy when he first saw his new friend but settled down after, you guessed it, some warm mommy milk. He took a brief nap and then was enthralled by Matt's salt water fish tank, which has two clown fish. He was really watching those two fish swim in and out of the coral and anemones! Looks like he definitely takes after his dad... Oh and for the record, two nights ago, Christopher slept for five straight hours! I'm not expecting this to happen consistently for a while but it is a milestone for our little night owl. Of course, he was then up just about every hour after that stretch but what are you going to do... Here are some fresh pictures of the little man. Someone has taught him how to stick his tongue out. I hope this doesn't cause us problems down the road!

Day at the gym

Sorry I haven't put pictures up recently. It's hard to do during the week when it's just me! Anyway, today was the first time I left Chris with someone who wasn't family. We went to the gym so I could get in my first lifting workout since pregnancy. Ha! Who am I kidding? I lift a 14+ pound weight all day, every day! Maybe that's why everything seemed so easy. On the way to the gym, Christopher fell asleep in the car and stayed that way until a little before I came back to get him. When I came back the girl was comforting him because he probably woke up and was like "Where am I? Why am I here?" Now I know what kindergarten parents feel like on the first day of school. I was very proud of my big boy though for doing such a great job on his first day at Healthridge!

Rolling over???

Okay so I need the wisdom of some experienced mothers/nannies... Today Christopher was on his tummy time mat. It looks like a cloth surfboard with lots of fun things to look at. There is also a little pillow that he can rest his arms on and push up. He was holding his head pretty high and looking at me and smiling. Then he started to lean a little to the right...a little more... and then, he rolled over with a look of absolute surprise. Of course, I made a big deal out of it, clapping my hands and saying "Yay" in my best mommy voice. So then I put him back up and he did it again--same thing. Now here's my question. Does this count as rolling over? He did have the advantage of the pillow which gave him some height so I'm thinking this is just a prelude to the real thing. I guess I'll have to take the pillow off and see if he can do it just on the floor. Regardless, it was exciting and fun for me to see!!! We had a lovely morning on the trail where we went for a 3 mile run with 3 walk breaks. I don't know if you're supposed to run with the regular stroller, but it's not like I'm running fast enough for the stroller to go out of control. It was totally fun and totally brutal! But I love every second of the pain in my legs. There's a running blog I'm reading written by a new mom and she describes her initial attempts at running as the "Ultra Shuffle" after the gait that ultramarathoners have after about 50 miles. That's about what I look like after 1 mile! I'll take it!

Mama's new kicks

Totally inspired (and sore!) from my run on Saturday, we went to Garry Gribbles yesterday to get some new running shoes. It was great to go to that store and feel like a normal runner again rather than one with a big bowling ball in her stomach. For the past 5 years I've been running with the same New Balance model and decided that my post-pregnancy self would like a change. I picked up some Mizuno something-or-others and they fit great! Today I broke them in with a 3 mile walk on the trail. There is nothing like putting on a brand new pair of quality running shoes for the first time. It's been great to get out and work out again and can't wait to continue on. My first lofty goal is the Pilgrim Pacer 5K in November. I don't expect to break any records but you never know. Only 4 more months before I can get a running stroller! Yay!

2 month pictures

We wanted to take some "official" pictures of Christopher for his month-by-month frame and I think this might be the one. After taking a fun bath this morning (he's getting better and better at this), we dressed Chris in his finest garb, courtesy of Aunt Chrissie. The shorts are still a little big but the shirt fit perfectly. Anyway, that's the only exciting thing we'll be posting today. We just want to give everyone else on the east coast (and beyond) some recent pictures... Oh, and another update--Mommy ran 3.15 miles yesterday straight with only pit stops for Kasey. Daddy ran 3.8 miles this morning. And Christopher is planning on running 12 miles tomorrow.

Booze Hound

You would not believe what happened when the humans in the family went out today. I'll give you the low down. Brian, Christopher and I went to Nebraska Furniture Mart to pick out a king size bed. Yes I finally caved and admitted Brian was right--we need a king size bed. Well, he needs a king size bed because between me, Kasey, and sometimes Chris, Brian never has any room. I don't know why he thinks Kasey will give him more room now with a king size bed, but anyway... So while we were out on this innocent sojourn, our dog was apparently having a wild party without us with the leftover beer we had from when Chrissie and Jason were here. Just look at her! She is so busted! We come in to find her passed out next to four beer bottles. When questioned, she claimed total innocence, but we know better. I guess she feels like this is the only way she can get our attention now that the baby is here. I think we need to have an intervention.

A hunting we will go

Take that Sarah Palin! You're not the only one in these parts who can catch a moose. My son, at the ripe old age of 2 months captured his first moose (let's call it Bullwinkle) while sporting his new camo-wear from Cabela's. Who knew that moose roamed the great plains, but indeed they do. Look at how proud Chris is of his catch. He didn't even need firearms for this one. He captured it with his bare hands. I don't see the GOP vice presidential candidate pulling that one off, do you? More reason not to vote for her... Anyway here are some more recent pics of our happy little hunter...

Update

Okay, we have two winners... but I don't know who they are. Reveal yourself! Chris weighs 14 lbs. 4 oz. and is 23.5 inches tall. Oh and his head circumference is 15 inches, give or take (the nurse was a little haphazard with this one!). Overall, he got a clean bill of health. Go big boy!

"You let me be!!!"

I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I am... You let me be!!! Those of you who were here to witness Julia reading this story to Christopher will certainly appreciate this last line. It's kind of hard to see in this picture but Chrissie got a Green Eggs and Ham onesie for Christopher. It's a size 3 months, and yes, he fits into it at 2 months. (Do they still have a "husky" section in children's stores???) Anyway Christopher donned this outfit yesterday and we read the story of the same name. Although it was not as entertaining as Julia's version, Chris enjoyed it nonetheless. Today we are off to see Dr. Brooks for the 2 month appointment. Wow, he's been alive for 2 whole months! We'll let you know the official weight check today and the winner of the poll can claim their victory.

Check out my cheeks!

C'mon, you know you want to pinch my cheeks. Go ahead. No one's stopping you...

And growing...

Just a quick update today... We went for a five, count 'em, five mile walk on the trail this morning because the weather was so unbelievably gorgeous today! Cool mornings and then it gets up to 75 in the afternoon. After a satisfying nap, Chris and I packed up and headed to our breastfeeding group at the hospital. Our "little" boy is now 14 pounds! We did a before/after eating weight check and Christopher ate 4 ounces which apparently seemed like a lot to the lactation consultant because she said, "Well no wonder these legs are so solid." We also met two other moms with my same doctor so the three of us chatted for a while... Christopher is now fitting into his 3 month-old outfits which is good because he was just busting out of the newborn ones. He is also becoming so alert and will focus on things for a much longer time each day. Today he was looking at the other babies in our group, especially this one older boy who was standing up with his mom's help. Chris must have been thinking, "Hey, I want to do that too Mom!" Anyway, tonight Chris gets to hang out with Daddy for a boy's night in while Mama goes out to an open house for a local mom's group... More pictures are coming soon!

Out all day

Well, yesterday was quite the day for Mr. Christopher. We were out for a long time and he got to experience the best that Legends has to offer! (For my east coasters, Legends is a big outdoor outlet mall here with shops, restaurants, sports teams, etc.). First we went to have lunch at Granite City (doesn't it seem like we always go here?). Chris slept through the whole lunch until it was time for his lunch as we left the restaurant. I mastered feeding him in the car (thank goodness for tinted windows) while everyone else went to the bookstore. Then, of course, we made a stop at Cabela's for Grandpa Turick. That place is like heaven for him so we all kind of tagged along for a while. They have a really cool fresh water aquarium with HUGE catfish in it. So Brian took Chris to check out the fish. We let Chris know that this would be the first of many trips to see aquariums! He was somewhat interested in the fish, but was definitely ready to move on. Nancy bought him a great camouflaged onesie (wait til you see that picture!) and some small stuffed birds that make the actual bird calls. We were in Cabela's for quite a while and eventually Chris decided it was a good time to take a nap...Our company is leaving today and it has been so nice to see everyone! We are especially grateful that Christopher got to meet his great grandma...

Great Grandma's Visit

Isn't this the greatest picture!!! Great Grandma (GiGi), Grandpa Turick and Nancy came to visit for the weekend and they have been having so much fun getting to know Christopher. Chris and I made a surprise visit to the airport yesterday to pick them up (they were expecting Brian) and Christopher was just staring at his great grandmother when he saw her for the first time. It is so cool for us to see him with her, his only living great grandparent. In a previous post, I mentioned that children seem to have this connection with each other. I think that is also the case with older people and babies... We all just hung out at the house yesterday, with Nancy and Nanny sharing stories of raising their children and everyone taking turns passing Chris around. Then they all made dinner for us (courtesy of groceries from our new Price Chopper!!! Yay it finally opened!!!). Today we are planning on going up to Legends to have lunch and we might drop Grandpa Turick off at Cabela's for the rest of the afternoon as that store is like heaven for him. Anyway, more updates later!
P.S.--Yes, we did survive the tornado warnings the other day. Nothing in our neighborhood but some serious storms did pass through!

Toto?

Okay so you know how I was complaining about all the rain we'll be getting from Ike this weekend? I was just rudely awoken by the tornado sirens going off (only the 2nd time since we've lived here). Come to find out, there are 2 tornado warnings for Johnson County. Don't worry people, we'll be fine. All the houses here have basements! Another first for Christopher.

40 Days and 40 Nights

Will it ever stop raining here? There's a huge cloud mass sitting over us right now and to top it off, we're going to get the remnants of hurricane Ike this weekend. I thought only those crazy east coasters had to deal with hurricanes! Anyway, not to be forced inside by this weather, Christopher and I took a trip over to Lee's Summit, MO to visit a little store called Happybottumus (great name isn't it?). It's a great baby store although once again my husband would classify it as "hippie retail." They sell cloth diapers (no we're not there yet!), organic clothing and those aluminum water bottles. But the reason we went was to get a different kind of wrap called a Mei Tai. The sling was bothering my back if I wore it too much and mei tais are more like front carriers. (Check them out at www.babyhawk.com) I tried it when we got home and it is mucho comfortable and Chris looks so cute in it! You'll have to wait for pics because as talented as Kasey is, she hasn't learned how to use the camera yet... Anyway, Christopher is 8 weeks old today! Flying in for the occasion tomorrow are Grandpa Turick, Nancy and great-grandma Nanny. We can't wait to see them!

Retail Therapy

What to do on a rainy day in Kansas...When I looked out the front door, it didn't appear to be raining so I got us both ready to go in the car over to the trail for a walk. Come to find out, when I opened the garage door that it in fact was raining very hard. (Perhaps I should make a trip to the eye doctor?) Anyway, we were all dressed up with no place to go so we went for a little drive. Mommy stopped at Starbucks (the pumpkin spice latte is back!) and again, Chris was not happy there. Maybe he prefers independent coffee shops! Once we got on the highway, he actually fell asleep so I just kept on driving until we got to Babies R Us. Now usually, Chris does not like going there but today he was a happy shopper. Thanks to Brian's team at work, we got some warmer clothes for fall, a new bouncy seat for downstairs, and a great new toy to occupy him in his car seat (it really worked!). Here is a picture of one of his new outfits. I'm sure Brian will accuse me of turning our son into a hippie but too bad. :) He'll have to buy Chris something with a corporate logo on ot to balance him out!

Born to Run

On this beautiful September morning, Christopher, Kasey and I set out to do something that makes all 3 of us feel good, regardless of the lack of sleep--we went to the trail for a run. Well, a walk/run but a run nonetheless. Chris had it easy. Although he donned his sweat pants and sport socks (and did a a little pre-run stretch) he ended up taking a 40 minute nap while being pushed along in his stroller. Now I don't want anyone to get concerned (Mom). We are not training for a marathon (yet!). We just ran 2 minutes then walked 3 minutes on and off for 3 miles. A total of 14 minutes running. It felt good...no great to be out there as this weather is the best for running--56 degrees, breezy, and not a cloud in the sky. It was all I could do to not run the whole distance! Running to me feels great whether I've had two hours of sleep or ten. It doesn't matter. There's a 5K in November that I am shooting for and then... did somebody say Shelter Island 10K??? Look out Uncle Peter! You know, women get an oxygen boost postpartum when they train. It's similar to doping, only legal...

Chris and Tristan

Well, Brian went out of town yesterday to the lovely state of Michigan for business so Chris, Kasey and I were on our own. That is until Dan, Mary and Tristan came to visit. It was so great to see them! We haven't gotten together since the day after Chris was born. It was so cute because Tristan kept giving Christopher kisses and Christopher was so interested in looking at Tristan's face. He did the same thing with Julia and Ally when they came to visit. I think kids all have this secret connection that adults aren't allowed to join in on! Anyway, we had a major storm this morning that passed through and the three of us all cuddled in bed until it was over. There is nothing like that, let me tell you. We got going later on and Chris made his first trip to the post office, Whole Foods and Starbucks. He got really upset that I didn't get him a latte so we stayed in the parking lot so Chris could enjoy his own brand of coffee. Then we hit the road to come home. Speaking of the road Christopher continues to detest his car seat. It is a rare trip in the car that doesn't involve at least one crying fit (including today). I've tried music, the pacifier, talking, shhhhing, etc. but he is still not happy. I'm having trouble finding people who also have kids with this issue so I'm open to your suggestions since I'm not planning on staying locked in the house til he grows out of this. I'm thinking of starting a mom's group--Mothers of Babies Who Hate Car Seats! Let me know if you want to join. Membership is free.

We've Hired a Nanny

After countless hours of searching for someone who can watch Christopher while Mommy goes out to get some "Mommy-alone time" we have reached our final decision on a nanny. As you can see, this nanny has some special talents that most moms only wish they had. For starters, she has four hands instead of just two. She has a superb sense of smell and can anticipate dirty diapers before they even occur. This woman also has supersonic hearing so she can hear Christopher's cries from miles away. Therefore, when she is out chasing rabbits (it's what's for dinner) she can return instantly to tend to his every need. Her schedule is free enough that she can be a live-in and her rates are really low--she only asks for one feeding of the same type of food every day. She also saves us water by not using indoor plumbing and fertilizes the lawn instead. Oh, and the picture of her above proves how cute she is. Everyone should be so lucky to have such a wonderful caretaker for their children!


Yes, our son does get tired sometimes... and he actually took a short nap in his crib one afternoon. Glad we got the crib since we've used it all of 2 times. Don't worry though, it converts into a toddler and then an older child's bed so we'll get our money's worth... One more picture--we went to visit Matt and Jaime in the hospital yesterday and Chris wanted to dress up to meet his new friend Olivia. Influenced by his cool Aunt Dabney's sense of style, he decided "happy, snappy, preppy" was the way to go. Thank you to Aunt Jamie (from NJ) for the cute outfit and Grammy for the pacifier!

A New Friend!

We are happy to announce that Matt and Jaime had their baby yesterday. Olivia Marie was born on September 4th at 8PM. Christopher is so excited to meet his new friend. Everyone is doing well and Brian and I are hoping to go see them later. It will be great when Chris and Olivia get to hang out together!!! Especially during the Michigan-Ohio State game, which we are just going to concede right now and save us all the grief later...

Zero point zero

Yes, that's about how much sleep we've gotten in the past two nights. I would just like to take this opportunity to let any potential parents out there know that the first six weeks (at least) are hard... very hard! Yes they are rewarding and wonderful too but no one is completely honest with you about how difficult this actually is. Maybe people have told us and we just didn't pay any attention before. And we have a healthy, happy baby! Perhaps it is like how people forget about the toughest parts of labor--if you focused on that rather than the outcome, no one would have children. It must be the same for the first 6 weeks-3 months. But let me also state for the record that I completely understand why women give up nursing. I love nursing Christopher and I feel like we are giving him the best start, but it certainly can be overwhelming to know that you are solely responsible for his nourishment. Plus, breastfed babies tend to wake up more frequently because the milk doesn't stay in their stomachs as long, hence the night wakings. I know this sleeplessness will pass but when you're in the middle of it, it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Zzzzzzzz, etc......

The Nature Boy

Because the last couple of nights have been looonnnnggg for us all, I decided today would be a great day for our Baby Boy (and Mommy too!). Christopher was up bright and early with Daddy's alarm clock, letting us know that he was a hungry boy (what else is new). After we both had breakfast, we set out for a walk on the nature trail that is close to our house. I haven't been on the trail since before Christopher was born and it was so nice to walk in a location other than our neighborhood. It was still relatively cool so he was happy in his car seat. It wasn't even a quarter of a mile before the birds and the humming of the cicadas and crickets lulled our little man to sleep. It was the best kind of white noise! I took full advantage and got a nice 1.5+ mile walk in. I've discovered that Christopher really does like to be outside, especially when there is a nice breeze. If he's fussy in the house, I'll take him outside to a shady spot and he'll just soak everything in. We'll often go in the front yard in the evening now because it is shady and cool and Chris will just admire the landscaping and trees in our yard. (Maybe he'll be able to name all of our plants someday--unlike his parents!)... We also got out to our breastfeeding group this afternoon at the hospital where Christopher weighed in at 12 lbs. 4 oz. (Just want to keep everyone updated in case you're still deciding how to vote in the poll... oh and his appointment is the 18th--those extra 2 days matter at the rate this boy gains!). Of course he was flirting with the lactation consultant when he smiled at her. She even remarked how charming he was. Just like his dad... I guess all his practice this weekend with the girls paid off!

Fuggedaboudit!!!

Yo! So my cool Aunt Dabney got me this onesie for Mommy's baby shower back before I decided to make my grand entrance into the world. She must have known that once I put this on, I would develop the Brooklyn attitude to go with it. For example, when I wanna eat, I say to Mommy, "Woman, feed me now! I'm hungry! No, not after you eat. Now!" I tell it like it is, yo... Anyway, I'm kind of bored now because all the cool people have gone home and I'm stuck here with Mom and Dad. I'm not quite sure what to do with myself so I decided to really mix it up. I actually ate before I pooped today instead of the other way around. I also took a champion-like nap today with Daddy while Mommy took Kasey out for a walk-run. Word is, she ran a whopping 7 minutes total while walking 23 minutes. Better than nothing I guess--she's getting there... I had such a blast with the Duren-Lubanski ladies and also with Aunt Chrissie and Uncle Jason. I wish they didn't have to leave! Mommy wishes that too because when you weigh 13 1/2 pounds like me, it's nice when she can pass me off to other people. Oh well, only 2 weeks before my other Grandpa gets here with Nancy and my great grandma, Nanny. I hope they've been lifting weights!