11 month photo shoot

Here are shots from Adam's unprofessional 11 mo. photo session with Mama today.
Do you like the new hair-do? We washed his hair right before bed last night and couldn't find his brush! It straightened out after being under his "hoodie" today. Looked kinda cute and stylish though in these pics, no?!?

Happy 11 Months (wow, does time fly!!!)

Happy 11 months to my Honey Bunny Bear!

Note on pictures above:

As mentioned previously, Adam LOVES LOVES LOVES pulling on the blinds. I usually pull them up before he can get to them and he'll just happily gaze out the window (and "talk" to whoever he sees through the window). However, the other day, he was too quick for me and crawled/cruised to the window at lightning speed. I told him "NO" and what did he do? Give me the biggest, most mischievious smile ever (the photo doesn't do this grin justice). When I came over to "catch him" he let out a little mock scream. It's hard to be firm when your kid is this flippin' cute. :)

The other photo shows Adam multi-tasking. He is able to teethe (his favorite thing) on his horse toy (from Bubbe/Zayde -- he loves that animal truck!) while "walking". Cousin Paul is looking on in awe in the background. :)

"If you wake him, you keep him"

Notice the title of the blog. I saw that on a nursery plaque once and thought it was hilarious. That and "Party at 3 AM. Place: My crib. B.Y.O.B (bottle)." So cute.

Anyway, Adam has slept through the night since he's been 3 months old. However, he has only *consistently* slept through the night for the past two months. The reason being: I refused to succomb to the "Cry It Out/Ferber" method. Since Adam doesn't cry that often, whenever he would cry at night, I would rush right in, pick him up, and feed and/or rock him back to sleep. He would also fall asleep every night by eating/being rocked to sleep. Adam's Zayde (my father-in-law) was very wise when he "wished me luck" when I told him that I would never let Adam CIO. I knew Zayde was on to something when he told me that Steven had to CIO and look at him now -- he's the best sleeper ever. It's true. In almost five years of marriage, I think he's woken up *maybe* five times in the middle of the night! No Ambien needed, either! :)

Well, it got to the point where Adam didn't want to sleep anywhere except in my arms. Like my mom said "Who could blame him? Warm body vs. mattress? What do you think"? After two completely sleepless nights, we (I) tearfully decided that it was time for Adam to "CRY IT OUT". And cry that baby did!!! He shed more tears in those two weeks than he had in the first eight months of his life!

The beautiful news... after two weeks, he started to LOVE going to bed (so he could play and talk to Doggy and Ducky, of course). Those experts who recommend "loveys (security items)" are onto something, let me tell you! Advocates of a consistent nighttime routine (bottle, books, singing), kudos to you, too! Now Adam JUMPS from my arms into his crib every night. It's amazing. Lesson learned: ALWAYS listen to Bubbe/Zayde and Grandma... they KNOW what they're talking about!!! :)

On a sidenote... Adam has a beautiful, large crib. However, he ALWAYS chooses to sleep in the corners, against the bumbers. Usually biting Doggy and holding Ducky (or sleeping on top of Ducky -- see above photo). Question for moms reading this blog: What is your opinion on bumpers? Safe or not safe?

Daddy's Little Star

The onesie says it all... Adam is definitely his dad's star! Steven LOVES coming home and seeing Adam every evening. Especially now that Adam squels (I have to look up the spelling for that word!!!) and crawls to the safety gate when he hears Daddy's voice. Makes his day, every time.

Grandma's House

Going to Grandma's house is always a treat!

Adam and Grandma (my mom) have a *very* special bond. Steven, Adam and I lived with my mom for the first five months of Adam's life, while we waited for our new house to be ready. What a gift that was!

Whenever Adam sees Grandma, his face lights up into a *huge* grin... it's a special smile that he only gives her. He then proceeds to either a) take off in lightning speed, crawling style, to get to her or b) reach out for her to hold him (if he's really tired). I have so many wonderful memories of my mom and Adam together. Here are just a few:

a) The "5 day old chair". This is the loud and colorful bouncer that Steven put Adam in -- in the hopes that he would stop crying -- when he was only five days old. It didn't work. Fortunately, from 3-6 months, Adam practically lived in that bouncer. We still joke though about Steven putting him in when he was five days old!

b) How my mom and Adam would "talk" when he was only a few days & weeks old. So cute. I remember her trying to encourage me to talk to him. Being a first-time mom, I asked him "How are you doing?" We got such a laugh from my cluelessness. She would also (and still does) set up his toys in the cutest fashion. For example, I would come in and find Doggy sitting in a mixing bowl or Ducky peering from a bookshelf for Adam to look at.

c) Adam has performed many of his "firsts" at Grandma's house: the first time he sat up, the first time he sat up from a crawling position, the first time he scooted, the first time he crawled, etc. I'll never forget when I walked into "his room" at Grandma's and he was standing up for the first time in his crib. So exciting!

d) How Adam would look up at both of us, from one to another, when we would take him for walks. We would jokingly refer to us as "The 2 Mommies"!

Seriously, though, I don't know how I would've gotten through the last few months of my pregnancy (I had a scare regarding his growth and was on bedrest) without her love, support, and delicious meals! I definitely would not have gotten through the first month or two of parenthood without her guidance (and babysitting in the AM so I could get some sleep after pulling all-nighters).

Fortunately, Grandma only lives about 25 minutes away so we still see her at least once a week. It is always such a treat for all of us!

The Cycle of Life

My father passed away in October 2006, 5 months before Adam was born. He was very sick with pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal lung disease, for the past few years. He stayed strong and fought the disease until he could no longer. We had a lot of wonderful talks in the hospital regarding his illness and my pregnancy... the sad irony that his life would soon be ending and his grandchild's life would soon be beginning. My dad believed in the "cycle of life" and was so happy that his legacy would live on in his soon-to-be-born grandchild. He predicted that his grandchild (his first!) would be a boy and that "he would be fine" when I told him that I was scared of problems.

It breaks my heart that my dad will never see Adam (his predictions were right -- they always were)... oh, would he have LOVED him!!! Adam is named after him (his Hebrew name and English middle name). My mom and I definitely see traces of my dad in Adam... in his smile, intelligence and in his little silly ways. Adam was born at the same hospital that my dad passed away in. I saw my father take his last breath there and my son take his first. Not a day goes by that I do not think of him and see parts of him living on in Adam.

2nd Cousins (or " 1st Cousins-Once-Removed?!?")

Well, we had a great day visiting with Cousins Paul & Jenn and their gorgeous daughter, Claire. She is a month younger than Adam and this is the 3rd time we've gotten the kids together. They seem to really enjoy each other... as evidenced in the photo of Claire putting her fingers in Adam's mouth (see photo 1). But then she head butted him a few hours later. Adam then seeked revenge (see photo 2). But by the end of the visit, all was well again (see photo 3). Glad to see they're already close. :)

The onesie says it all :)

Adam's Valentine's Day onesie says it all -- " I stole Mommy's Heart". He did!
I adore Adam... Steven and I both do. You hear about the love a mother has for her child but until you experience it... there are no words. It doesn't help that my son is the cutest thing that I have ever seen... ever. He is so funny, too... he never ceases to crack me up. He also has the brightest smile and sweetest disposition. Everyone who meets him is amazed by how laidback and happy he is. Well... the people at his baby gym class this week would probably disagree. He was overtired and teething and, well... not as happy. But we all have our moments. :) Adam brings both Steven and I true joy and happiness. He's the best. We're so lucky.

Baby House Arrest

So Lil Love and I have been in the house for 3 days straight... without leaving except a quick trip to the store 2 days ago. This hasn't happened since he's been 3 months old! It's just been sooo cold outside... he literally cries sometimes when the wind hits his face (even when wearing his snowsuit). We were going to have a play date here today but cancelled it due to the "inclement weather" (a favorite phrase of mine from my teaching/school counseling days). The pictures above show what Adam's been doing A LOT of these days: playing in his activity center and his play gym (with Daddy). We're looking forward to Cousin Claire's visit tomorrow!

Why buy toys?!?

This morning, I had to complete the simple task of changing Lil Love's crib sheet. Actually, this is a much more difficult task than you would imagine and takes a few (frustrating) minutes. Adam was "reading" one of his new books "He Bear, She Bear" (featuring the Berenstain Bears -- I love them!) when I got started. Two minutes later, I hear him head over to the diaper genie. 10 seconds later he has pulled up onto the diaper genie and is grabbing his wet diaper (the one that I didn't have time to put in yet -- oops). So, I manage to pull him down from the genie and give him his talking telephone to play with. He does, happily, for about... um, 30 seconds. Next thing I know he is pulling all of his clean, folded laundry out of the laundry basket! And chewing on his overall buttons! AAGH! I quickly sweep up the laundry and place it safely in his closet, door closed. He seems to be happy again, finding his new Cookie Monster rattle to teethe on. I go back to changing the crib sheet (I'm almost done!) when 20 seconds later I hear... the blinds flapping and Adam laughing! He managed to crawl up under the blinds and hide in them! All I could do by this point is laugh along with him. Did I mention that he has FIVE toy chests filled with wonderful toys to play with?!? However, his favorite "toys" seems to be blinds, newspapers, and folded laundry!

On a side note.... went out to get a manicure (finally) tonight. When I got home, Adam crawled right to me and pulled up on my legs... and was beaming the whole time. When I gave him back to Daddy so I could put the groceries away (snow/ice is expected in the AM... had to run to the grocery store with everyone else!), he started pouting and said "mamammamamamama" until I picked him up again. He just warms my heart. He certainly loves his Dada, too... he now squels (sp?) and crawls over to the safety gate when he comes home from work. It's precious. We are so blessed.

BABY, it's COLD outside!

It was about 20 degrees out today. We spent the morning in but Adam was getting restless after his three hour (!) nap. So, I spent a good 20 minutes getting him into his snowsuit that he hates. He seriously looks like a little baby cub in it! He can't move too well in it, hence the dislike of it. After another 10 minutes we were off, planning our big trip to Target. After 5 minutes of buckling him into his carseat (he weighs a good five pounds more in it... not as easy to buckle!) we head off. Exactly 2 minutes later it starts snowing, HARD. Figures. So we turned back around and headed home. Guess that is what snowsuits are for, huh? :)

Quack, Quack

Two of Adam's absolute favorite things are Doggy and Ducky. Doggy was a baby present given by....??? I know it was one of Steven's parents friends but I can't remember who. I'll have to look at my gift log one of these days so I can send them ANOTHER thank-you note since Doggy is a life-saver! I seriously don't think Adam would go to bed without him. He LOVES Doggy.

Adam also adores Ducky, his other sleeping pal. Ducky quacks, which Adam loves. Doggy is #1 but Ducky is a close 2nd. So much so that if you ask Adam what does Ducky says he actually QUACKS. It is the CUTEST thing. Almost as cute as him waving on demand.

As you can see, Adam shows his love for his animals by gently biting them. :)

Fun with Sippy Cups

Welcome to our blog! It's actually 10.5 months late but better late than never, right?!?

It seems like everyday is an adventure with our little guy so we decided to start a blog to remember it all.

Where to begin?!? Guess we'll start with Adam's brand new favorite thing... sippy cups! See the list on the right of the blog for the rest of his faves. :)

Adam loves drinking from his sippy cup. Actually, he loves TEETHING on his sippy cup! The whole world is a teether to him right now. He has four front teeth and four bottom teeth. The other night I had to take out some chicken from his mouth (he loves to cram 10 pieces in and then forgets to chew it sometimes) and I think I felt some additional teeth...I'm not sure though. Not sure how many are back there (if any) but he seems to have a mouthful (no pun intended)!

Curious Adam

Adam is always on the move! It is rare not to catch him cruising (with one hand, usually), crawling (faster than a speeding bullet!) and pulling up (on everything -- windowsills being his current favorite). Recently we've been calling him Curious Adam (after the monkey, Curious George) since he's getting into EVERYTHING... and he's not even walking yet! Good thing that our safety gates are FINALLY up!