Happy Tadpole

Our wee babe sleeps much better if he's swaddled. Only problem is that it's too hot here to do a full swaddle. So, we just swaddle his arms. The thing is... when his legs stick out the bottom he looks like a little tadpole! He's the cutest (and happiest) little tadpole, don't you think?

And yes, that is his custom satin sheet.
;)

Injuries

I spend much of my time in the kitchen. Today, among other things, I made a wacky lemon cake with frosting and baba ganoush. I also steamed a bunch of pumpkin for freezing and cleaned a bunch of vegetables for later this week.

Since I started spending so much time in the kitchen (about a year and a half ago) my number of burns and cuts has escalated. I mean, the math makes sense... more time in the kitchen cooking and cutting= more burns and more cuts.

Today I did both.
ouch.

Satin

I sewed my son a satin sheet for his bassinet. Call me crazy. Go ahead. I deserve it.

Thing is... his hair is so long, that he would wake up each morning with knots and mini-dreads in the back of his head from moving around in his sleep. I had to keep cutting his hair off cause I couldn't get the tangles out. So, I took a cue from old ladies who sleep on satin pillow cases to preserve their I-get-my-hair-styled-once-a-week-at-the-salon-and-need-it-to-look-good-until-next-week hairdos.

It worked. No more mini-dreads. Maybe he won't end up bald after all... just a little spoiled.

:)

Our Christmas Snoozer...

Success

Not only did we finally have a successful bath (no bodily fluids added to the water)... we even had a big grin! He decided that bathtime in a warm place is way more fun than bathtime in a cold place!! (Although he did say he misses the times when Grammi washed him up!)
:)

Golden Girls

When I was a freshman in college, I had cable tv for the first time. You might think I got addicted to something like "The Real World" or VH1 music videos. But no... it was the Golden Girls. The show that I hated in childhood and breathed a disgruntled sigh if Mom chose to watch it in the evenings now had double episodes twice a day. I was one happy girl with all those episodes to watch. (I mean, I had a lot to catch up on!) Rose, Blanche, Sophia and Dorothy became some of my closest friends...

he he

All that to say... just now, as I was changing my boy's diaper, the theme song popped into my head. You know how it goes... "Thank you for being a friend... travelin' down the road and back again. You heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant..." As I sang it to him, a huge grin popped across his sweet little face.

I love my son. And not only cause he smiles at the Golden Girls theme song...
:)

Second Bath

Today we tried again. Luckily I had my assistant, Mike, ready to help in case things went wrong. He peed in the water, then we switched the water, then he pooped in it. So we switched the water again (during which time he pooped in the towel Mike was holding him in). Luckily the third tub full of water remained free of bodily substances while I washed him.

A clean, nice smelling little baby is worth all the trouble... but are there are tips to try to prevent all the dirtying of the water?

:)

First Bath

Yesterday was our boy's first bath (in a baby bathtub). He hated sponge baths in Ohio, but didn't mind this at all. I suppose he didn't mind it cause the air in the house is 90 degrees instead of 65! All was going well until he spit up in the water. Then he pooped in the water! At that point we had a quick evacuation of little baby from the polluted water.

Today we went back to a sponge bath.
:)

Learning...

So, traveling with a baby is a whole new game...

Stairs and escalators don't work very well with a stroller... where ARE those those elevators? (usually not in the direction you're headed)

Extra luggage, carry-ons, stroller, car seat and baby too? (Yep! And no extra hands!)

Which bathrooms on the airplane have changing tables? (Not all of them, that's for sure)

Will baby's ears pop during takeoff and landing? (Not this time!)

Do you have to tip the guy who comes to the boarding gate to take you in the elevator to the tarmac? (We didn't... is that a problem?)

Are the people behind us going through security frustrated cause we're taking so long? (If they are... too bad)

Will people stare at me when I feed the baby at the airport? (Most definitely)

Can I eat my tray of food and hold baby at the same time? (Not yet... maybe I'll learn the art in the future)

Is there enough room to nurse baby in my seat with a very large man on my right and a lady behind me who won't let me lean my seat back? (Yes, but it's terribly uncomfortable and awkward)

Will an untimely dirty diaper make me miss the end of a really good in-flight movie? (Yes, and that probably won't be the only time...)

Luckily, my tiny baby is quite a traveling trooper... he hardly made a peep!! And we learned A LOT about traveling with a baby in the process. But we are glad that part is over...

Onto new challenges of mosquitoes and (gasp) cloth diapers!!

For the First Time

For the first time ever... today I got a professional massage! It was my 26th birthday present from my husband, and it was amazing. He's so thoughtful! 50 minutes of total relaxation. I was spoiled! A good friend of mine has been getting massages occasionally for years... now I see why!

It was the perfect end to the mini-vacation that we took as a family. We will go back home in a few days, and before we leave it was good to take a little break. We went for a few swims and learned that our boy is not a fan of the pool yet... but he sure was cute in his little swimmers diapers that came up to his chest! And we ate waffles at the continental breakfast and read free US Today newspapers (great hotel perk). It was fun!

Things are busy as we prepare to go. We're sad to leave our families and to take the baby far from all of their loving and adoring arms... but we are excited to return to the place we call home and settle in.

And the truth is... we'll back again before we know it to see Mike's sister tie the knot next summer! Whooo-hoooo!