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!