Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It’s been over a month since I’ve updated this because I’ve been having problems with my computer. It’s been freezing up and rebooting on its own…and I can’t figure out why. Jeramy says we can look into buying a new computer but I am determined in getting this fixed! I just don’t understand how it can be perfectly working one day and not the next. So I am using Jeramy’s computer for now, so I can atleast update this…

Well, I will be dressing Connor up as a pumpkin early tonight (around 5 PM) when we go trick-or-treating. Grandpa and Grandma Moen will be coming with us, since they know all of the neighbors and it will be more enjoyable with them. It'll be fun eating all the candy he gets...yum yum!

Anyways, Connor has changed so much in just a month! He just started teething a few weeks ago. Drooling started months ago but now he’s just chomping on his hands and everything else he can get his little hands on. I know he’s also going through the “oral stage” now but I can tell he’s teething because he’s a lot more crankier than normal. He also got his first cold/cough this past week, so he’s been really fussy and insecure. I feel so bad for him because I don’t know how to make him feel better. I’ve given him a few doses of Tylenol but it doesn’t seem to help. He has been having the most difficult time trying to sleep in the past few weeks too, but he’s somewhat getting better so I am too. The last 2 weeks have been pretty stressful for me and I almost broke down a few times. I thought the most difficult weeks (the 1st 6 weeks) were over, but boy was a I wrong! I didn’t realize how hard it can really get, especially now that Jeramy is back at work. Things were much easier or atleast more bearable when Jeramy was home. I had the opportunity to unload a lot of my stress off by having Jeramy take care of him when I couldn’t handle it. I guess this is what being a stay at home Mommy is all about. My patience is being tested. That’s for sure!!!

Ok…enough of me venting already!

Connor’s losing his hair. He’s balder on the right side of his head and you can see where his bald spots are all over. I find little strands of his hair everywhere. I’m also losing a lot of hair…I guess due to the hormones or something. Connor likes to try standing up rather than sitting. He actually holds up on his own two feet quite well (with support of course). It scares me that he might just start walking first rather than crawling! When he’s sitting or standing, he tries to sit up on his own. It’s funny when he does it since he looks like he’s doing sit-ups or something. He’s getting really good with his hands. He can focus on things really well, which makes him better at playing with his toys. It’s amazing to see the development occur right before our very eyes. One moment, he can only bat at his toys as if it was done by accident and then the next moment, he can actually “play” with it. He grasps his toys and seems like he knows what to do with it now. Ofcourse, he ends up putting them in their mouth after drooling all over it. It’s supposedly their way of exploring the world. I wonder if we as adults can still explore the world that way? Haha He can stay on his tummy for a really long time now. I mean, he’s been doing it since he’s a month old but he can actually play being on his tummy. He hasn’t quite rolled over on his own yet. He does with a little help (like if he’s on an inclined area like the couch or bed, or with a good push!). I guess I can just count my blessings since I really don’t want him to be mobile just yet!

We haven’t weighed Connor in over 2 months, so I’m guessing he’s over 18 lbs. He’s getting REAL heavy. I thought I’d never say this but his legs are like tree stumps…they’re soooo chubby!!!! He’s already wearing 6-9 month clothing and the scaring thing is, he’s already almost outgrowing those too. But he’s the cutest thing ever!!! He just melts my heart when he smiles and laughs. His laughs are soooooooo adorable. He totally heaves into laughter when we tickle him. Sometimes when we play our own version of peek-a-boo, he just bursts into laughter and he gets rolling for what seems like hours. The other night, we were all laying in bed and I was blowing raspberry kisses on Connor’s tummy and he just squealed with laughter …giggling like a big boy! It amazes me what makes him laugh. He still coos and can talk for hours on end (wonder where he got that from?! Haha). I know when it’s either going to be a “good” day or “bad” by how he wakes up. Normally, he wakes up smiling and talking. But if he doesn’t, then I just know…it’s gonna be a looooooong day!

Oh yeah, we tried rice cereal for the 1st time on Oct 22nd. He seemed to really like it. He liked the idea of the spoon entering his mouth. I think he thinks it’s a “grown-up” thing to do or something because he watches intently when we sit and eat our meals. I haven’t tried it again because he got diarrhea and his cold/cough started so I wanted to make sure he felt better until we try again. Also, just in case of food allergies!

Connor and I had our 1st big road trip during the week of Oct. 5th-12th. Jeramy had to work so we went on our own. I was really afraid Connor was gonna be one big fuss-ball but he actually ended up sleeping most of the way. He did wake up when we were passing through Buellton on the way down south, so we stopped at Pea Anderson’s to walk around the gift shop. We stayed at my sister Christine’s in Thousand Oaks before we headed down to San Clemente to spend a few days with my parents. It was my Dad’s b-day on the 6th so we celebrated it with him, along with celebrating fun times with my Grandma who came to visit from Kansas. We then headed down to San Diego on the 9th for my Dad’s graduation. He got his Master’s degree from University of San Diego so it was a cause of another celebration! The whole family was there and Connor seemed to deal with everyone and everything really well. I think everyone was amazed at how much Connor can really talk, especially my Dad.

I was amazed at how much Connor could absorb. I mean, we were always on the go. We traveled to many places…the beach, lots of restaurants, University of San Diego, malls. Boy, I do miss them malls! I actually miss a lot of things from living down in Southern California…Coffee Bean, the “melting pot” society, and so much more! But one thing is for sure…I DO NOT MISS THE TRAFFIC. It makes me appreciate my life on the central coast even more. Another thing I did miss while on vacation was Jeramy. I missed him soooooo much! I think that was the longest we’ve ever been apart. I had Connor talk to him on the phone every day so that Connor couldn’t forget him. Heh heh Well, our little vacation was so much fun but it was also nice coming home!!!

Now it’s Halloween…I can’t believe it’s already November. We have a busy month ahead of us. I signed up to be the organizer for the Stay At Home Moms meetup group for the San Luis Obispo county and we will be having our 1st meeting on Nov. 9th. I am soooooooo excited!!! I can’t wait to meet other mommies. Most of my friends are single and not married, so it will be nice to meet people who are somewhat in the same boat as I am. Here, check out our website: http://sahm.meetup.com/316/. Let’s see…what else do we have planned? We will be having a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with friends on the 21st and then we will be having Thanksgiving with my family this year so we will be staying down in SC for a few days. We also have Dr’s appts and other “fun” stuff planned so it’s gonna be one busy month!

Well, I can’t believe I got to write as much as I have. Connor’s been asleep now for 2 hours…WOW!!! I am stoked! I am looking forward to the days that he actually sleeps through the night. When, oh when will that be?! Uh oh, speaking of…

Trying cereal for the 1st time...

Connor tried cereal for the 1st time today. He really liked it! He's been ready for solid foods for quite sometime now. I could just tell by the way he looks at the way we eat and how he looks at the food, with his mouth trying to open everytime we put anything in our mouths. But the only thing is that he's kinda sick, so he had diarrhea afterwards. So it might not be a good idea to try this while he's sick 'cause then I won't know if he's sick from the cereal or what?! Well, all that matters is that he liked it!

Wow, did he really sleep that much?

Connor actually slept from 11:30 pm - 4:00 am last night and then from 4-8 am this morning!!! I feel so tired b/c I slept so much! Connor has about 2 days a week when he sleeps well (approx 4-5 hours), but it's been about a week since he's slept through the night so I am in total awe. Jeramy came home at 7 this morning and he was out for the count until 2 pm. Connor and I just hung out at the house all day. We missed going to church this morning so we're gonna have to go on Wed night.

I truly think the fun is just beginning now. The first 6 weeks were a bit tough, only because of not really knowing what to do or expect. I was also stressed out, sleep-deprived and the hormonal changes didn't help much either. Now that Connor is smiling and interacting with us more and more, things are not as complicated.

I can kinda tell the difference between his cries, but there are still times when he just cries for no reason so we just let him cry it out a bit or just coddle him until he stops. He's been going through this phase where he prefers to be with me or females in general. He gives Daddy a hard time, which is hard for Jeramy to take since he takes it so personally. I just reassure him, and other Dads do as well, that all kids go through phases like this. Not that I'm an expert or that I know any better, but I have talked to other parents and they say that it's just the way it is. Jeramy's getting better at accepting it though. I just know that Connor will get attached to him someday as much as he's attached to me now, especially when he gets to be around 2-3 years old when it's playtime all the time!

I was craving chocolate today so I baked some chocolate chip cookies. YUMMY!!! Yesterday, Mom Holly and I made a bunch of apple pies. I'm just becoming a lil baker, aren't I? Actually, I'm really getting into the cooking/baking thing. Maybe it comes with being a stay-at-home Mom? Who knows! I bought some cookbooks a few weeks ago and I will be experimenting with some dishes these next few days. I'm thinking of making some chicken curry tomorrow. That should be fun!

Anyways, being a mom is so much fun!!! I just love it. I'm not saying I have great days all the time, but I am loving every minute of it. Connor is absolutely adorable!! His personality has definitely come out. He just loves to smile and talk. He certainly "flirts" with the ladies and acts like a total goof ball around his toys he knows as his friends. Just recently, he started burying his face in my chest while I'm carrying him when someone makes him smile/laugh. He acts all shy and stuff, but I know better. It's just the cutest thing ever! He has the cutest laugh ever too. It's just so cool to listen to all the sounds he makes now. I've recorded and videotaped him multiple times, just so he can watch himself do these things someday. How awesome would it be for him to someday see the same things we see today. I think he would appreciate it...

Well, I should get going. I have so much to do while Connor's taking his nap!!!

Happy Birthday Jeramy!

Today is Jeramy's 28th birthday! We slept a lot today since we were so exhausted from this weekend. We went out to dinner with his parents and Grandma, but that was about as exciting as our day became. Jeramy got a BBQ, a power saw and a Barnes & Noble gift card from them and I got him some necessities (boxers, white T-shirts, work socks), a nice shirt, a framed pic of him and Connor and 2 videos he wanted ("Cowboy Bebop: the movie" and "Akira"). He just loved all his gifts!

Well, this weekend was a blast!!! My whole family came out for Connor's dedication, as well as some of Jeramy's close friends at the surprise party I threw for him after Connor's dedication. I don't think my family has been together since last Christmas! So it was really nice to have everyone together again.

We had Connor's dedication done at our church, Calvary Chapel at 10:30 am. Service lasted an hour and a half, which the dedication was made sometime before the reading of the Bible. My whole family, Jeramy's parents, Grandma, Aunt Carol, John, my friend Corinne (Godmother) and her whole family, Jeramy's friend Sean (Godfather) and Annabelle, my friend Larissa and her daughter Jody were all there to share Connor's special day. Connor looked sooooooo cute in his outfit! It was chilly that day, which is strange weather for up here. It's normally in the mid 80's to low 100's.

Anyways, Jeramy was really surprised to see his friends at his parents house after the dedication. He had no clue at all!!! It was really nice to see everyone, especially his cousin Greg and his family, since we rarely get to see them. I just feel bad that I didn't get a chance to spend time with everyone. I was so busy trying to get stuff organized and trying to spend time with my family since I rarely see them at all as well. Connor seemed to enjoy spending time with everyone, but I could tell he was getting pretty tired from being passed around. So many people wanted to handle him, especially my mom, but I didn't mind 'cause I wanted to mingle and relax anyway. All in all, the party was a true success and I am so happy everyone was there to join us! I was so sad to see my family leave but I shall be seeing them again in a few weeks for my Dad's graduation. He's getting his Master's!

Connor was really tired at the end of the day, and so were we!!! My sister Jessica and nephew DJ stayed an extra night with us, which was nice so that Connor and his cousin can spend some time together. It was soooooooo cute! Connor was lying down playing on his gym mat and DJ kept giving him kisses. I have it all on tape!!! Oh yeah, that reminds me...how upset I was to forget to use the video camera during Connor's dedication!!! Argh!


Oh yeah, we had some major plumbing problems at the house on Saturday night...not too thrilled about that at all, since my sisters were staying with me!!! The toilets were empty and the showers were filled with YUCKY water!!! EWWWW!!! Dad Moen had to come help try to fix it, but alas, to no avail! He had to go over to the house on Sunday during the party to accomodate the plumber...but it's all fixed now so YAY!

Well, I have so much to do...clean the house, do laundry, wash dishes, and sort through all the clothes Connor got this weekend. Jeramy's friends Sean & Annabelle gave us a bag of clothing and my sister Jess gave me FOUR bags!!! I separated them by age this morning but now I gotta decide which ones to keep and which ones to donate, since we don't have space to keep all of them!!! This should be fun though...maybe Connor can help pick them out?!??! We'll see!!!

3 months old!

I keep meaning to update this thing, but oh well! It's been 10 days since I've written anything so let me update ya:

Connor is now 3 months old! He is probably over 16-17 lbs, since his 3-6 month clothing is already starting to feel pretty tight. As Jeramy says, "He's not missing any meals at the house!" We take a look at him and think, "Look at 'em rolls!" It's amazing how much he's changed in a matter of 3 months. He doesn't even look like the baby I popped out 3 months ago! It's funny when we met this 1 year old at church the other night...he only weighed 16 lbs! Then today, we met one of Jeramy's friend's baby boy and he's already weighing 21 lbs at 5 months...CRAZY! We're gonna have to buy Connor a new car seat pretty soon since the thing can only carry up to 20 lbs. Connor's so darn heavy to carry around already. Jeramy and I are getting muscular arms though, so it's well worth it. heh heh

On Labor Day, I had an emotional breakdown with Connor. He cried for nearly 4 hours straight and I just didn't know what to do. I ended up crying with him the last hour. I think he was weirded out by the whole thing because his crying ceased a little. He was probably wondering what the heck was going on with me. Honestly, I didn't know what was going on with me either. I was just sleep-deprived that day and his crying didn't help much with that. I ended up crying because I yelled at him and I felt so guilty for doing it...I felt like the worst mother ever. It definitely scared him when I yelled and that made me feel sooooooooooooooo bad! I did all that I could to calm him for hours on end, so...

I called the grandparents and asked if Connor and I could go swimming in their pool. I just needed a break! I dressed Connor up in the cutest outfit ever! I took him "swimming" for the first time. He didn't take to it very well since the water was so darn cold, even though it was like a 100 degrees that day. I tried to keep him out of the water as much as I could, thinking he would get used to it, but I have to admit the water was too cold even for me...so I had Grandma Holly take him out. I felt like he's had enough for the day. I stayed in the water and splashed around for a few hours, while she watched him for me. It felt good to be able to relax. I asked my friend Corinne to come over...I needed a friend at the time. I was so glad to have her there.

We had dinner at Aunt Carol's that night and Connor did exceptionally well. He has been interacting with other people, so it's a lot more fun for other people too. It's funny though 'cause Connor has been going through this phase wherein he's been really clingy to me. He prefers to be with me rather than Daddy. I can totally understand why, since I'm practically with him 24/7 but Jeramy says he's beginning to have a complex. I reassured him that babies go through phases, just ask other parents...and sure enough, other parents agree.

Let's see...what's new with Connor? He's been trying to pull himself to sit up now for weeks. He takes our fingers and pulls himself up but he also tries to pull his head and shoulders up when he's lying down or sitting down while supported. He still can't hold his own head up on a regular basis but he does hold his head up extremely well when he's on his tummy, when we're carrying him, etc. He is drooling all over the place and still blowing lots of bubbles. He is now having extensive conversations with us and definitely recognizes us as his parents. He is really happy and talkative when he wakes up (even though it's at 5:30 in the morning!) and he seems to talk more when he 1st wakes up and when he's about to go nite nite. He loves baths and gives me the "flirtiest" smiles when I pour water on him. He now talks and smiles at me, while I'm breastfeeding...which makes it harder for me to feed since he starts doing this 5 mins into feeding and then starts drooling his milk all over me while he does it. He likes to play with his toys now and actually talks with them as well (Mr. Whoozit, Spidey thing, Froggy, etc.). He loves looking at his mobile now (longer than 20 mins!) and loves to listen to music. He turns his head whenever there's music or when he hears our voices from afar. He doesn't get as startled as much as before. He can almost say hello, hi and Mama (or so it seems). But he definitely is imitating us more and more each day. He likes looking at himself in the mirror and smiles at himself. He is already beginning to manipulate us by his loud yells, fake cries and puupy dog faces. It's really funny when he does it, 'cause it works!!! He's wanting to roll over on his tummy when he's on his back. I can't think of much else...but he is definitely "growing up" more and more each day. He does so much these days that it's hard to keep track!!

Anyways, things are awesome at home. Jeramy just started working graveyards (7 pm-7am) so it's kinda nice to have him home during the day, even if he's sleeping until 1 or 2 in the afternoon on the days he works. He actually just started this past weekend so he was pretty out of it the 1st few days. Like the other day, I was warming Connor's bottle in a glass full of water and I had him go get it so he could feed Connor. Apparently, he saw some bubbles on the bottom of the bottle and he thought he would try to get them out so he took the bottom of the bottle off...and the milk went bye bye!!! I just laughed because I knew how tired he was, but I would have been pissed otherwise. I try to pump milk atleast 2-3 times a week so Connor can eat from the bottle a few times a week. He still hates it, but we're trying...

Connor is now sleeping much better than before. He can sleep 4-5 hrs at a time now 3-4 days a week so it's been really nice! I don't have to take naps as much during the day anymore, but he definitely still has his "bad" days. We're definitely getting used to things now so life has been good!

We're having Connor's dedication this coming Sunday so I've been busy preparing for that. I am so excited because we have so many people coming from out of town...my family, Jeramy's family and friends, etc. It should be a really fun weekend!!! Well, I'm gonna go upload the new pics so you guys can take a look at them. Hope everyone's doing well!!!