rain, rain go away

Two days in a row of rain. Two days of a blah feeling around here. 

I'm itching to go on a walk, but I attempted that yesterday during a break in the weather and ended up having to race home in a downpour with Connor. I was soaked while he just chilled in the stroller. Thank heavens for a large sun/rain shield. 

The only upside right now is the rain does give me a chance to wear these lovelies...

I hope it's sunnier wherever you are!

P.S. Happy Birthday, Dad (aka Grandpa!) 

the white balloon

We were out running errands around dinnertime last night so we decided to pick up some take-out. The very nice hostess at the restaurant took a liking to Connor (he was flirting with her) and asked if he wanted a balloon to play with. We didn't think he would have any interest or really understand what it was, but boy oh boy, were we dead wrong. From the second the helium tank started up Connor was completely captivated. He grabbed on to that balloon and didn't let it go until he went to sleep last night. We had to take it away from him during the car ride home and we had one teary baby in the backseat.

Looks like balloons and kitchen spoons are all you really need to make a baby happy :)

farewell to the swing

 

It had a good run but it couldn't last forever. After six months of swinging and lulling Connor to sleep, today we are saying goodbye to the swing. 

A few weeks ago the batteries started to die (again) and instead of replacing them, I simply moved the swing into Connor's room. It was clear the swing was struggling under his increasing size but at that moment I found myself unable to part with Connor's fleeting youth and hoped holding off for a few additional weeks might make the passing easier.

Something told me today was just its' time and into the box it went. Relegated to the back of the closet, beneath similar boxes of newborn clothes that have also recently met their demise. Perhaps they will all see better days again, but for now we say goodbye.

Thank you, swing, for allowing me to cook dinner, for entertaining Connor so I could check my email and for helping us through the first six months. I truly appreciate all you have done for us.

poe's

Creepy photo, huh? We went to brunch on Sunday at Poe's on Sullivan's Island, which is named after Edgar Allan Poe who was stationed on the island in the early 1800's. We've spent countless hours hanging out at Poe's after being at the beach, but yesterday was Connor's first visit.

Taking a baby out to a restaurant isn't really all that hard as long as you bring along some essentials. Luckily he fell asleep in the car on the drive over, so we simply left him his car seat while he snoozed for the entire seating/ordering process. Once he was up we entertained him with some toys and of course the endless supply of eye candy (paintings, creepy charcoal portraits on fireplaces, TV's, fans and other people) that grabbed his attention.

It's raining here today - actually, make that pouring - and Connor and I got caught in some serious rain while running errands earlier today. So, we've called it quits and are hanging at home for the rest of today. Happy Monday, everyone :)

hooray for the weekend

Well, cleaning didn't exactly happen yesterday. The kitchen is spotless now, but that's about it. Hopefully nap time for Connor will mean some vacuuming for Mommy (thankfully, he can sleep through the noise).

This is our last "free" weekend before the bachelor party x2/wedding x2/DC extravaganza begins. Our next totally open weekend will be in November (!) and then suddenly it will be time for Thanksgiving, my birthday and the holidays.

If the weather holds up I'm hoping to get to the beach again, but we shall see. Happy weekend!

quit hanging around

The onset of fall has me feeling like I need to quit the hanging around and get with it. Cooler temps and the start of school always makes me want to sweep procrastination out the door and get to the things I've put off all summer long. Our house is in need of a serious deep clean so looks like I will be starting with that today. Anyone care to come over and tackle the bathrooms?

big mac!

We have one big baby. An 18lb, 8oz baby to be exact. Now I know why my back hurts so much from carrying him around!

We had a doctors appt this morning and Big Mac (as he shall now be called) had his usual round of shots. He was a smiley, happy guy until the needles appeared and then we had a screeching baby on our hands. Not that I blame him, I hated shots at the doctor, too. For years and years I would dread the doctor and never want to get my shots.

Back home now and he's happy as can be in his Jumparoo. We have three whole months until the next round when he will be nine months old and likely hovering in the mid-20lbs range....!

connor needs a topper

I'm in the market for a fall/winter hat for Connor and have been searching through etsy and boutique baby stores for something unique. It has been suprisingly difficult to find something cute but not too cutsey, if you get my drift. Here are a few contenders, but I'm certainly open to more...I might even be willing to make one for him, too.

from etsy

from etsy

from etsy

from Giggle

from etsy

from etsy

from etsy via rummey bears

Guess I like stripes!

family weekend

We had a fantastic weekend in DC filled with lots of family and activity. And to top it off, Virginia Tech won!

We survived delayed flights, discovered spoons and spatulas are just as fun to play with, celebrated Aunt Ashley at a bridal shower, broke some chairs (ahem...kyle), sang happy birthday, played with cousins and wrapped it up with a few rounds of family photos.

We are home now and I'm sorting through a rather large laundry pile and trying to wrap my head around how on earth we are nearing the end of September?!

6 months

Six months gone in a flash. Six more until his first official birthday.

We are in DC again for the weekend and Connor is anxiously anticipating meeting eight of his cousins. Seven girls and one boy. I think the boys will be out numbered. Huh?

like father, like son?

See any similarities? This is a picture of us....circa 2007

big trouble in a little shirt

Don't be fooled by my size. I've got big attitude. I'm larger then life. Watch out cause here I come!

So cute and so true.

We went to our little bugs class today and I'm very happy to report Connor made it through without crying. We arrived early to give him time to wake up from his snooze in the car and get adjusted. I hoped a few extra minutes before class would help keep the tears away this time.

Julie, the teacher, had the gymnastics rings set up and Connor managed to stand up (with some help) and grabbed onto each ring. Pretty impressive. He also sits like a pro now and had his eye on the other babies who were crawling around thinking "hey, I want to try that." He doesn't mind being upside down so we did a few somersaults on the mat, played with bubbles and balls, went under the parachute and sang songs and moved around.

Big trouble is now taking a nap while I work on re-packing for another trip to DC...

fitting back into my jeans

{photo from NY Times}

It was a happy day here a few weeks ago when I realized I fit back into my jeans. I could zip them up, move around and even sit down comfortably in them. Hallelujah!! Lucky for me, it was also just as the weather {temporally} cooled off for a few days. Coincidence?

The weather is a chilly 85 degrees here today and I am rocking my jeans again. If you think I'm joking about 85 feeling chilly, I'm not. It's been so hot here this summer that 85 is actually cool, especially with the lessening humidity. Anyway, thanks to the magic of breast feeding and daily walks (plus occasional runs), I managed to lose the baby weight. Feeling toned and in shape, now that's another story....

Finding the time and energy to workout is a challenge. Now that the weather has cooled, I've been thinking about training for a half marathon. I suppose I need to bite the bullet, sign up and simply make time for long runs. Also, I can always run with Connor in the Bob if necessary. Now that my jeans fit again it's an incentive for me to keep things this way and get moving!

Plus, I'm going to need to keep up with these little legs soon...

yuck, mommy

Well, he ate them. But he wasn't happy. As you might be able to tell from the (somewhat blurry) photo he was fighting to get them down.

I boiled the sweet potatoes, mashed them up and let them cool completely. I took a taste before I fed him and they were pretty bland. Can't say I would enjoy them either. His initial reaction was something along the lines of what I might look like if I ate an entire bag of sour patch kids in one bite. Pursed lips, a frightened look and slow, reluctant bites. By the second bite, he knew what to expect, but wasn't thrilled. I snapped the photo is somewhere around bite 4 or 5, just before I decided to spice things up a bit and mixed the sweet potatoes with some rice cereal.

The second and third nights were more of the same, but I mixed the sweet potatoes with cereal from the start. He seems to be ok with it so we're sticking with what works for the next few days and then are planning to try carrots and avocado with some rice cereal on the side. On the plus side, he's been sleeping soundly again through the night and doesn't wake up to nurse. On the down side, I'm sure you can imagine what this does for diaper changes!

saturday at the beach

While Daddy was at home watching football, Connor and I spent our Saturday afternoon at Sullivan's. The surf was flat so I decided it was time to suit him up and take him on his first real dip in ocean before the water gets too cold this season. I'm not sure if it was the movement of the water, the salt or the fish jumping a few yards away from us that caught his eye, but he clung to me and wouldn't let go. I dipped him in up to his chest and slowly bounced up and down a few times to see if it would help him adjust to the temperature and the feel of the water. He didn't cry, but I sensed he wasn't very comfortable so we called it quits after a few minutes and went for a walk in the Bob instead.

He conked out quickly and I was able to take advantage of a sleeping baby and lay in the sun for a few minutes while he snoozed. Ahh, Bob, what would we do without you?

(there is a sleeping baby in there, promise)

sweet potato friday

Rice cereal has been conquered and we're moving onto veggies. Connor will be eating a delicious combo of sweet potato and carrots tonight for dinner. Mmmm! I can make extra if any of you would like some too. Just come over at around 7:30pm tonight :)

everything is new

We are home after almost a week away and Connor has a new interest in old toys, is more curious about things he never noticed before (like pictures hanging on the wall in his room) and...drum roll, please.....can finally sit up on his own! That's big news here!

He's still tips over occasionally, but he can sit for quite awhile on his own, playing with toys and looking around. He's seems like a whole new baby :)

After a trip to Boston earlier this summer, we put Connor on his playmat after almost a week away from it and suddenly he was able to reach out and grab for the toys. Something he wasn't able to do before we left. It's so exciting to come home and see how much he has changed in just a matter of days.

laughing man

Love this adorable video of Connor laughing while Aunt Cristina made funny noises at him. There really isn't anything better then a hearing a happy baby laughing :)

into the woods

Whew! What a fantastic- and long - weekend!

After our road trip to DC, we flew to Burlington, VT on Friday for Jay and Chelsea's wedding. It was at a camp on Lake Champlain and we all stayed in cabins for the weekend. The wedding was gorgeous and had so many amazing details. My friends from college are scattered around the country, so it's rare to have us all in one place. We were all back together again to celebrate this weekend and clearly it's as if no time had passed at all. Well, except for the baby fever that has suddenly hit the group....I predict lots of little Boulder ones running around in the near future :)

Connor was loving being out in the woods and smiling and giggling all weekend. He stayed with us on Friday night and then Grandma and Grandpa drove up from Boston on Saturday and stayed with him for the night.

We headed back to DC on Sunday and to the Virginia Tech vs. Boise State game on Monday. We had quite the tailgate - wings, fresh mahi mahi and crab cakes. The good news is C-man is now officially a Hokies fan, but unfortunately even his cuteness couldn't win the game for them.

We are still in DC and Connor is soaking up all the attention from G'Ma, G'Pops and Aunt Cristina. Red is in heaven and is gobbling up as many treats as possible, too. We're heading home tomorrow with fingers crossed for a relatively easy 8 hour drive.