It's a...

GIRL!!!

We found out this morning that we'll be having a baby girl. She weighs approximately 13 ounces. The doc says that the baby looks perfectly healthy and normal. So it's all good! We are very excited. She was so cute, yes even in the ultrasound! She yawned a couple of times and she was laid out lengthwise across my lower abdomen. She was holding her hands together and had her legs stretched out as if she was relaxing. As the doc says, "she's loungin". Oh, I can already see she's so much like her Daddy! LOL!It's funny because I was trying to force myself to not really care about the gender of the baby. I was even afraid of having a girl (maybe it's because I grew up with 3 sisters? LOL!). I was so set in having a boy because 1) it just seemed easier since I already "know" what to do. 2) it'll be cheaper since we kept most of Connor's stuff and there really isn't much for boys out there. 3) don't have to worry about having to wipe from front to back. LOL! Seriously though, I didn't really care whether or not it was a boy or girl. That is, until last night. I had a dream that we were at the doc's office getting the ultrasound done and the doc said it was a boy. I felt disappointed and woke up feeling sad for some reason. I guess that's when I realized, I really WANTED a girl. So I was really nervous and excited on the way to the doctor's (Dr. Cedar). I even text messaged all my closest friends and family. I told them to place their bets. $10 per bet...a good way for a stay at home mom to make some $$$. haha. Well, obviously I lost and NO I ain't paying shit. :) I mean...everyone bet on a girl. But then again, I think everyone had a pretty good sense about it because I told them everything...all my symptoms so far are opposite with what I had with Connor, I am not as bitchy & irritable as I was with Connor and everyone's saying how I'm "glowing". Not that I wasn't happy with my pregnancy during Connor but it has definitely been more relaxing now than it was w/ Connor. Maybe because we didn't know what to expect? Who knows?I didn't have any morning sickness with Connor but the sciatica from 3 months on was just horrible. So I prayed and prayed, asking for morning sickness any day over sciatica. But when the morning sickness came...oh my goodness, I wanted to die! haha! The sciatica hasn't been that bad this time around but when it hits, I am pretty much in a lot of pain. It sucks being in that much pain and trying to run around a little toddler! But Connor is so caring and affectionate, he takes care of his Momma!

It's positive!

So yes, it's confirmed. I am pregnant. For how long? Who knows?! It's killing me that I don't know when my baby's due. Why don't I know this? Well, it's a long story but here it is. (This may be too much info for some people, so just warning you now before you continue).

I didn't get my period back until April '05, when Connor was about 10 months old. I was lucky enough to get it that late, but since then, I had my period regularly which I never experienced before. I always had irregular periods pre-pregnancy so I never knew when to expect my period until "Surprise!" So anyways, it just so happened that the cycle started and the next cycle started within the same month...so yes, I got my period twice a month. Yes, you read that right. TWICE a month. It was insane. I would get my "1st" period at the regular time and that would last for like a week and it was heavy. Then 28 days later, I would have my period again. So this went on and on and on (what seemed like forever!) until October. Then in November, I had my last "regular" period and in December, I spotted for like 3 days.

So the confusion: do I state that my LMP (last menstrual period) was in November or December??? I had my first doctor's appointment on Feb. 21st, a month after I took some home pregnancy tests and got my original positives. It was driving me crazy that I had to wait that long to even get an appt but I guess it was their office policy to not see you until you were technically 8 weeks pregnant. Well, I got my nunu examined and the damn nurse practitioner couldn't tell how far along I was.

I had the ultrasound done on Feb. 28th and the tech tells me she can't tell me how far along I am. The doc has to be the one to do it..."office policy", she says. Office policies my ass!!!! I am sick and tired of waiting. I have been waiting a freaking month already and that's all you have to tell me? BITCH. Anyways, I know it's not her fault so let me just take a breather. Alright, I'm ok now.

Anyways, so yeah...I have to wait now until MARCH 22nd to find out anything!!! But let me tell you this, I was not expecting to see what I saw in the ultrasound. I was expecting to see a little peanut, something that didn't "look" like a baby. But guess what? It sure looks like a baby alright!!! It's so cute. The baby's heart beat was going 171 BPM. I don't know why but the whole thing was surreal. I guess I didn't really expect a "real" baby to be in my tummy already. Granted, with all the morning sickness/tiredness/insomnia/mood swings...I FEEL pregnant. I guess it just wasn't all that real to me until I saw the ultrasound. Crazy huh?!

Connor and Daddy were there to share the experience with me so that made it even more special. Connor was really tired and wanted to nap, so he was being really clingy to me. I went in the bathroom to change into my gown and he cried for me the whole time. Then I laid down on the gurney and he cried some more. Then he watched the TV screen and was in awe for like 3 seconds...then cried some more. LOL! He was out as soon as we got in the car.

Anyways, just wanted to share our ultrasound pic with y'all. How far along do YOU think I am? According to the calendar, if I'm counting Nov. 23rd as my LMP then I'm 14 weeks. If I count Dec. 20th as my LMP then I'm 10 weeks. Either way, I'm ready for this. I just wanna know when my freaking due date is. Maybe that would help me sleep better at night?? haha, yeah right...

Baby steps!

I can't believe Connor is now 11 months old!!! Wow, time flies when you're having fun! It's been since February since I've updated this thing so I have A LOT to write...YIKES!!!

First off, Connor has been standing on his own and finally taking baby steps! He's been working on this for the last month and is really close to walking!!! He takes 4 or 5 steps until he falls down or purposely sits down cautiously. It's so cute!!! It's been very exciting here at the homefront these past few weeks and we truly are so proud of our little boy. It seems like he's learning something new everyday and is continously surprising us with his new tricks. He's becoming such a big boy now and as exciting as all this has been, it's also quite saddening to see that he's growing up SOOOOOOOOO fast! He's no longer the helpless little baby we brought home from the hospital 11 months ago. He's becoming quite independent, though he's still pretty much "Mama's Boy" and clings to me like crazy. haha! He's a really social and outgoing little boy and thrives on attention, especially from "older girls". He has no fear of strangers, but has some serious separation anxiety issues still. We've tried leaving him in the nursery at our church numerous times and he's still putting up a fight each time he's left in there. It takes him about 15 mins to calm down...which is much better than the 30-45 mins it took in the beginning! I had to stay in there with him the first few tries. But as soon as I left later on, he would freak out! This is still a constant battle with him. However, on a more positive note, he doesn't mind being left with Grandpa and Grandma Moen, since he knows them very well. They watch him for us a couple nights a week so I can work out at the gym or Jeramy and I can have some alone time together. This has been a true blessing!!! We consider ourselves pretty lucky! :)

We've just begun our transition from having him sleep in our bed to having him sleep in his own room. He absolutely despises the crib so we are trying to find out what a good situation will be for all of us. He likes sleeping on his fold-out Spiderman sofa in his own room and we're thinking of just taking the crib out altogether and having him just sleep on his sofa on the floor (with the room fully secure and baby-proofed ofcourse!). But it's all a work in progress, so we will see! We're hoping that this transition will only take a month, so he can be sleeping in his own room, through the night, by his 1st birthday! (We're not going to hold our breaths! haha!). I'm also hoping that this transition will help with the weaning process, as I would like to stop breastfeeding completely by the time he is 13 months old. Here's to hoping!

Let's see, here's a list of what Connor's been doing these days:

- crawling like mad! and starting to walk!!! WOO HOO!

- Clapping on command or when he's thrilled at himself (sooooooooo freakin' cute when he does this and he does it ALL the time!)

- Words he uses everyday: Mama, Dada, ball, doggie, truck (he emphasizes the "ck" sound), fan ("fahh"), chimes ("chh"), kitty ("key"), book, baba (AKA milk), go, cool or wow or whoa (when he likes something), and is trying very hard to say his own name!

- points at everything!

- knows where the "nose" is (points at it and grabs it) and nipples are "baba" (haha!)...yes, I'm still breastfeeding (we'll be starting the weaning process very soon!)

- "sign language": bye-bye (waves), I want that or look at that (points), Pick me up (throws both arms up in the air), Feed me Mom! (tries to pull my shirt down or nuzzles his face into my neck), I love you (kisses or lays his head down on our chest), No or I don't want that (turns head away), Yay! (claps), etc.

- games he loves to play: "I'm gonna get you" (start chasing him when he's crawling, grab him, then pick him up...and start all over again), "Tickle tickle" (self-explanatory), "Catch" (bounces or throws the ball back and forth), "Soccer" (he pushes the ball around the house with his hands and literally goes all over the place "kicking" the ball with his hands and sometimes when we're walking him around, he kicks the ball with his feet), "Rock n Roll" (when we are lying down on the ground, he lies on top of us and we rock side to side together), "Airplane" (when we're lying down on the ground and have him up in the air when he's lying down on our lower legs)

- Books he loves reading (and he LOVES reading!): Goodnight Moon, Veggie Tales: God Made You Special, The Little Cricket, Caterpillar Spring/Butterfly Summer

- Songs he loves singing and dancing to: ABC's, Old McDonald, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Farmer in the Dell, You are my sunshine (I've sang this to him every day since he was in my womb!), If you're happy and you know it

- Movies he LOVES (thanks to the library!): Elmo's "Let's Make Music", Elmo's World shows...these are the only movies/shows he'll sit still for longer than 15 mins! We've tried Winnie the Pooh, Blue's Clues, Clifford, Disney movies, Baby Mozart, etc and he didn't like those!

- Favorite toys: any type of ball, Brainy Baby spin/rolling toy, Learning Puppy, dump trucks, Ball Popper, walker, blocks

- Favorite foods: sweet potatoes, cheese, crackers, sweet corn, yogurt, Cheerios, bananas, pasta

- Things he enjoys doing the most: playing with animals (dogs and cats), being outdoors (he LOVES nature, trees, flowers, birds, grass, dirt, etc.), bath times, playing with the dishwasher, fridge and vaccum, reading, singing & dancing, watching Elmo's "Let's Make Music", being in the backpack carrier, pushing his ball around, cuddling with Mommy and Daddy, shopping

- Things he dislikes: having his face wiped, Hokey Pokey Elmo (he is deathly afraid of it! so funny!), stuffed toys that "talk" (except for his Learning Puppy), being put in his car seat (unless he's super tired or doesn't have the energy to fight), going to sleep, hearing "no", teething (we absolutely hate it when he's teething! talk about CRANKY PANTS and NO SLEEP!)

There's so much more to write but I'm afraid it's time for me to go nite nite. Connor wakes up around 7 am these days and our days are full of activities with the Mommy's group! Hopefully, I will write more tomorrow but we'll see!

Roseola Infantum

We had to go to ER today. We were getting ready for b-day BBQ and Jeramy was changing Connor when he noticed that there was a rash all over the trunk and back of his body. I checked him throroughly and found more on his head, neck and starting to get on his face. SOOOOOO...we cancelled our BBQ and headed over to Twin Cities hospital only to find out that there were way to many people already waiting to be seen. So we drove down to San Luis and went to Sierra Vista hospital. We were the 2nd ones there...BUT since they had this Triage system, we ended up waiting 2 1/2 hrs before Connor was finally seen. The wait in the lobby was quite interesting...since most of those who were there were ummm...Jeramy's "inmate-friends" from work. heh heh

Anyways, I guess Connor has a classic case of what's called Roseola Infantum. It's a common baby virus that occurs mostly during the spring and autumn months. It starts with 3-4 days of really high fever and when the fever goes away, a rash all over the body develops. He has been nursing quite a bit more frequently and will hardly touch his solid foods. He also seems really tired in that he wants to sleep every hour, but is quite active while he's awake. He's just a bit more grumpy than usual. The rash started on the trunk and back of his body but has spread to his legs, arms, face and head. I guess it's not common for it to spread to the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet. The rash is basically the end of the virus and the fever was supposed to be the worst end of it. So PHEW, thank goodness it's almost over. For his sake and ours!

Happy birthday to me...

Happy Birthday to me!!! I am now 28 years old! We didn't do too much today. We just relaxed at the house. It was really nice that Jeramy let Connor and I sleep in this morning until noon. It was nice waking up to some Oreo cake and gifts!!! Jeramy's awesome...he even sang Happy Birthday while Connor sat on my lap. It's really funny what I wished for...heh heh

We went out to Oasis, a Moroccan restaurant in SLO, which has become a favorite of ours. Jeramy's family came to celebrate my bday with me. Gosh, the food is sooooo good!!! I wish we were rich so we could eat there all the time. LOL Connor was still feeling pretty run-down but he seemed to handle it just fine. He's really attached to me right now, so he fusses when I'm not carrying him or near him. But hey, that's normal...I mean, he's with me all the time. How could he not feel anxious when he's separated from me? I wish I could say this is a new phase he's going through but he's always been like this. Ooohhh...I can't wait until the actual separation anxiety phase happens! haha

Well, Jeramy got me my glasses and contacts for my bday along with some DVD's. Jeramy's family got me my food processor which has been on my wish list for months now. I am so excited...can't wait to try it out! :)

Poor sicky Connor...

We had Connor checked out by the nurse today since he's had a fever of over 103 for the last 2 days now. It started on Tuesday night. The fever subsides with some Tylenol but for some reason, the fever keeps coming back and is getting higher. He's beenr really cranky the past few weeks and has had a slight fever now and then, which I just associated with teething. But I never expected a fever this high!

Well, the nurse says that his ears and lungs are clear. So it looks like it's just the common flu. We're supposed to expect a fever for another 24 hours for a total of 72 hours. If the fever persists, then we need to call the doc's office again. Well, I hope it goes away! Our poor baby!!!

1st tooth for the boy!

OMG! Connor's 1st tooth is finally peeping through his gumline. IT's on the lower left and he's totally gnawing on everything. I can tell he's in a lot of pain...poor boy! But how cute...he's finally got his 1st tooth!!! yAY!

I'm being strong...

My son is crying his eyes out right now. He's woken up atleast 3 times in the last 3 hours and I don't know what else to do. I've nursed him each time and he seems to go back to sleep but then he wakes up again 30 mins later. This goes on every single night. I know it's my own damn fault for nursing him back to sleep each time, but I am sick and tired of it. I've had enough!

So I'm letting him cry it out. I know it's against my beliefs of Attachment Parenting but I'm just really tired. I've been so sleep-deprived these past 7 months, especially these past few weeks. I get about 1-2 hrs straight and then he wakes up again. I'm too tired to deal with it in the middle of the night so to make things easier on myself, I just nurse him back to sleep. All the while, my husband is lying there...not even aware that we've been in and out of sleep numerous times. I've tried reading books and talking to other moms to comfort me, because God knows I need all the support I can get right now. But it's different when you're actually experiencing it. All the books and all the things my friends say can't comfort me. I am just at a loss right now...how the hell can I get my baby to sleep and to stay asleep???

So yeah, he sleeps with us in the bed, so that doesn't make things easier. But I can't see myself putting him in a crib. Connor's always hated the crib, the cradle, the bassinet, the swing...he'd rather be right next to me or in my arms. I mean, I would prefer that too if I was a baby. Now that he's 7 months...is it a bit late to change things up?

I guess I should've listened to my husband from the very beginning. He wanted to do things differently. He thinks my way is "overbearing" and I think his is "neglectful"...so whose right? We rarely fight but when we do, it's always about this shit. When we talked about parenting before having the baby, we agreed on a lot of the main topics. But noone or nothing prepared us for this. Who knew we were gonna have a "high need" baby? Damn, he's still crying and it's been an hour already. I am gonna keep sitting here until he stops 'cause I'm afraid I'm gonna flip out right now. I laid down with him for half an hour and he just kept on crying. I know he wants the boob, but he ain't gonna get it. I am pooped.

I don't have the energy nor the patience to sit there and listen to him cry. My ears are ringing and my eyes are sore. I know it'd make life a lot easier right now if I just went in and breastfed, but NO. I am going to be strong. If my husband saw me right now, I think he'd give me a big hug and smile to himself thinking, "Aww, she's getting to be a big girl now." And if he did, I'd probably smack him right now. LOL

Oh well, I guess I should go in and check on him. Maybe my ever loving presence will quiet him?? haha, I can only wish...

7 months and counting...

Wow, two more days and Connor will be 7 months old. I can't believe it!!! He's growing up so fast!

He's definitely wanting to act like a grownup. He's always wanting to get up and walk around (with our help ofcourse). He's always pulling up or climbing on us. It's kinda funny because he's so ambitious. Once he gets up on both his feet while holding on to our hands, he lets go of one hand and just stands there with the biggest smile ever. He's definitely working on his balance and is getting better at it each day. He even manages to take a few steps this way and then falls on his butt. He used to get so scared when he landed on his butt but I think he's getting used to it now.

He doesn't like it on his tummy as much, but he's starting to get the hang of it. He lifts up his chest and holds his butt up, then tries to get on his knees. When he does accomplish the all-fours stance, he starts rocking back and forth. But then he gets really frustrated and starts whining like a little baby...LOL

He has also learned to scoot with his butt. When he's reaching for something while sitting down, he lunges forward with all his wee might and then he just kinda inches forward...closer and closer until he reaches his goal. It's really neat to watch. We can see his brain working and he's very intent. He focuses on everything so well, then kinda snaps out of his focus once he sees us watching him.

Oh yeah, when he climbs on me...it is so darling! He turns to me and gives me a hug. He loves to cuddle and just loves being close to us, especially to me. He is definitely VERY attached to me. I guess this is expected since I'm with him 24/7!

He's still very interested in nature. He loves plants, trees, animals, being outside...I took him to the zoo the other day and he was so mesmerized with the tigers. And lucky us, the damn tigers sprayed VERY closely to us. That was our cue to leave...heh heh

Then I took him for a 3 mile walk in his jogger stroller around the lake. He loved it so much, he was asleep for most of it!!! It was such a lovely day. I'm glad the nice days are back, but I miss the rain. We need it!!

Well, Jeramy's at work and it's 2 AM. I wish I could sleep but I've tried and I just can't. I'm so used to hanging out with him until the wee hours of the night, so now my whole clock is set to his schedule. But then again, I've always been an insomniac. I just feel the tiredness more now than I did when I was younger. I can still function though and that's all that matters.

Connor has been in bed since 10:30 and he's only woken up once, so that's pretty good. I love watching him when he sleeps. He's sooooooooo adorable, especially when he smiles in his sleep. I think my mom said that babies smile in their sleep when they're full, or something like that. Whatever the reason is, I think it's so damn cute when it happens!!

Oh yeah, we have our webcam set up now so people can watch us over the internet. When I say people, I mean people who KNOW us. We gave both my mom and my sister (the mom of my nephew DJ) webcams for Xmas, since we all live so far from each other. Now we just talk to each other online and view each other's webcams. It's pretty neat. My parents LOVE it and Connor really enjoys interacting with the monitor. :) I think it's so hilarious when my parents act all silly on the webcam. My mom starts singing nursery rhymes to Connor and since the broadcast is a bit slow, Connor is just trying to figure out what the heck is going on. But I can tell that he's into it, 'cause he'll sit in front of the camera and try to be cute for them. Not that he needs to try! heh heh

Well, our 1st wedding anniversary is coming up and I need to start shopping online for Jeramy's gifts. I don't know what to get him!!! I mean I do...but I don't know which styles and such. Ok, I'm gonna go shop now. CIAO!

Update on the fam this January...

Well, let's see...it's been awhile since I've written in this thing!!!

Here is a list of NEW things Connor has done in January:

- started "rocking" while sitting down
- went to his 1st storytime at the Library...and he LOVED it!
- had his 1st cracker (well, it's called a Wagon Wheel)
- he's scooting backwards (or in circles) when he's on his tummy
- has tried the following foods: squash, carrots, peaches, Stage 2 pasta dinner, pears, and vegetable turkey dinner
- has finally rolled over from tummy to back w/o any help...took him awhile to do this 'cause of his weight
- is standing pretty well while holding on to our hands and can take baby steps around the house...he LOVES doing this
- has pulled himself on to the ottoman (using a blanket that's on it), to stand up and he holds himself up and can stand for about 5-7 mins on his own then he falls on his big bubbly butt
- is starting to pull himself up (using us or his walker)while he's sitting down...he has managed to pull himself up on me w/o any help ONCE (happened yesterday) and OMG, I almost peed my pants
- slept for 5 hrs straight (the night he had his shots)
- can put himself to sleep w/o us coaxing him back to sleep...well this has happened only a few times, but we're very excited about it

NEW THINGS that happened in December:
- discovered his private parts and likes squeezing them! LOL
- liked to play "bababa" by putting his hand to mouth (kinda like what you would do when you pretend you're an Indian)
- learned how to tug at my shirt to get my attention (SOOO ADORABLE WHEN HE DOES THIS!)
- tried using the sippy cup for the 1st time (still doesn't know how to "sip" from it, but he knows how to hold the cup and can drink from it)
- tried apple juice and berry juice for the 1st time
- learned how to play PEEK-A-BOO!

I think that's about it...He is still babbling, smiling and laughing like always. His personality is definitely shining through now. He definitely has a mix of mine and Jeramy's temperament. But I can tell that Connor has a short temper, like mine. (UH OH) But hopefully, he'll grow out of it. Oh yeah, he has learned how to throw his arms up to let us know he wants to be carried. This a good way for him to communicate but can also be quite annoying when he wants to be carried all the time. Another neat thing he's been doing is looking back at us to check for approval. He gives us the look as if to say, "Just checking if you're still there" or "Hey, is it alright for me to do this?" or just simply saying, "Yo, look at me!"

Connor is so wonderful. We are incredibly thrilled about all the things he has accomplished these past few months. It's scary and exciting all at the same time. We keep hoping that he'll discover new things every day, but at the same time we are just nervous about the fact that he'll becoming mobile very soon. We kinda like the way it is now...where we can have him sit in one place and still be there when we turn around. Pretty soon, we'll be chasing him all over the place. Honestly though, I can't wait! Connor is so much fun now, how much more then?!

Well, Jeramy and I are doing well. His new schedule is really nice 'cause he has weekends off now...atleast until April. We are trying to make plans to travel to a few places while we have the opportunity to do so. We'll be heading down to San Clemente at the end of February to get new portraits done with my family. That should be fun!

February is a pretty busy month for us! We have our 1st wedding anniversary, my birthday and Valentine's! Poor Jeramy, he has to remember 3 events this month...haha. We haven't made any plans yet for our anniversary other than eating that frozen cake that's been sitting in our freezer for the last 11 months. Can we say YUCK?! LOL

Umm, what else is new? I'm still organizing the Mommy's group here in SLO county. I'm trying to make it so that we have something to do each week and it's been going OK so far. A lot of people flake out and totally understandable (since life is unpredictable when you've got kids), but it kinda bums me out when I drive 30 mins to be there only to find out half of the people showed up. Hopefully, we'll have better turn out rates for future meetups. Oh yeah, I'm also starting to sell some stuff on Ebay and Amazon to make some extra spending cash. I've already sold a bunch of stuff this past week so I'm really excited!!! I'm offering my services to anyone who wants to sell their stuff!!! I'm charging 30% of whatever the sales price is, so if you got stuff laying around your house that you no longer use or want...LET ME KNOW!!! If you're not too far away, I'll come pick it up. You can track everything online, so you can find out if your stuff is selling and if it does, how much $$$ you're making. Sorry about "soliciting" through this, but I'm trying to make some extra money here!

Anyways, enough about that. Back to our family...we are doing awesome. Life with Connor has been challenging in many ways but the rewards definitely far supercede everything else. We kinda know what we're doing now so things are much easier than they were in the beginning. Now, it's more an issue of parenting that it is anything else. Jeramy and I have a lot of issues to deal with in the future as far as how to raise Connor (and possibly other children) but like everything else in life, we'll deal with it.

Ok, I better get some sleep. I'm starting to get a headache...

6 month appt...

Connor had his 6 month appointment today. I'm surprised he only weighs 19 lbs 4 oz. I guess his weight is finally slowing down. He's measuring at 29 inches, so he's getting pretty tall too. The doctor says he's extremely healthy and that we are doing a good job taking care of him. :)

Poor baby had his shots today though. Like always, it didn't phase him at all until the last shot (only had 2 done today). He cried for a mere 2 seconds and was over it. A few hours after he got the shots, a fever started so I just gave him some Tylenol and he's a bit better. I can tell he's gonna be groggy all night though 'cause he's not himself.

Day after Christmas...

Phew! I am tired (and sicky too!)...but I will write as much as I can while I'm still awake. Connor's sleeping soundly so this is a perfect opportunity for me to write!!!

Well, we had an absolutely wonderful Christmas this year. It feels like we had Christmas all week (we kinda did). On Thurs night, we had dinner at Jeramy's parents' house. Connor opened his Christmas presents for the 1st time. Seemed like he knew exactly what to do, but like most babies, he was more interested in the paper, ribbons and boxes than the gifts themselves. But he had a lot of fun playing with everything. Then on Xmas eve, we had dinner at our house. I prepared and cooked an Italian dinner for all of us AND for all of Jeramy's coworkers the day before, so I was a bit tired preparing everything for Xmas eve. Jeramy had to work Fri, Sat, and Sun so I thought it'd be nice to cook for Jeramy's work for Christmas. Anyways, Connor and I went to church with Jeramy's parents on Xmas eve. It was a really nice service and Connor behaved fairly well, considering how tired he was feeling. Then on Xmas day, we had dinner at Aunt Carol's house with the whole family. Jeramy could only attend for an hour or so, since he had to leave to go to work. My poor baby! And to top it all off, he has been feeling really sick in the past week so I feel so badly for him...

Connor had a blast playing with all the other kids on Christmas. He was so tired that he fell asleep right after dinner. But when he woke up, he was ready to go! He was all smiles and giggles, and was quite the entertainer. It's so fascinating to see how much his personality has grown over the last few months. He's such a happy baby in general and doesn't mind showing it at all. We count our blessings every day for such a lovely perfect boy.

Jeramy and I are feeling quite tired and ill these past few days. It's been a long week for us, especially for Connor. Connor was never on much of a schedule, but we had somewhat of a daily routine these past couple months...but we were all off this past week so I feel bad because he just gets tired so easily. He's so overtired that he wants to go to sleep and actually falls asleep fairly easily but doesn't stay asleep for very long. But then again, he's getting over a cold as well so he's just recuperating.

We received so many lovely presents this year. We made out like bandits! Connor has soooooooooooooooooo many toys and clothes, we have no idea where to put them all. They're still scattered all over the house, since I don't know exactly where to start. I opened a few toys earlier this morning to put batteries in them, but now I don't know just where to store them. Connor is so overwhelmed with all this stuff! And frankly, so am I!!!

Well, I better go to bed since we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I haven't cleaned the house AT ALL since the 23rd and it's a mess!!! My parents, brother, Aunt and Uncle are coming over to stay with us this week since we didn't get to spend Xmas together this year. It'll be nice to see them!! Connor hasn't even met my Aunt and Uncle yet, so this is gonna be exciting for everyone. Jeramy's finally off tomorrow so we finally get to spend some time together! Woo hoo...we'll probably end up staying in bed for most of the day tomorrow to recuperate. haha but Oh well! Catch y'all later...

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!!

What's new with Con-man?

We just came back from having dinner with some friends and I have to say, Connor was awesome tonight! He actually played with the other kids and didn't fuss at all until it was time to leave. He is also sitting for longer periods of time, so I think he is having a better time now because he can view the world a little differently. He still can't quite get himself to sit by himself yet, but he's getting there. He's always trying, that's for sure. He's also trying to get up by getting a hold of things and pulling himself up. It's kinda nerve-racking but exciting at the same time.

He still likes to babble ALOT. He has been saying BABA continously for weeks now and starting to move on to MAMA, which is awesome because it just melts my heart. He seems to say only when he feels he needs to (like to get my attention)...and I must say, it works like a charm! He also has this thing about putting his hand to mouth to make the "baba" sound, kinda like the way you do it when we pretend to be Indians. It's really neat to see how he excels at such a silly act. At first, he seemed to be hitting his own face more than anything but now, he is actually hitting the target!

He has been eating solids regularly now for about a month. He's tried rice cereal, oatmeal w/ bananas and peas. He really likes eating! He didn't like to eat peas at first and you can tell he has a harder time trying to eat it (it's obvious from his gagging and trying to spit it back out) but he's not completely rejecting it, which is good. He takes it in, makes the cutest "yuck" face, and then tries so hard to swallow it. It's all a work in progress, I figure. But he's doing awesome overall, so far. I've also been letting him try different kinds of flavors: such as pumpkin ice cream, pears, bananas, mashed potatoes, etc. He really likes to take part in eating while we're eating, and I just don't have the heart to not let him join in on the fun. I like that he's open to new experiences and as long as he's enjoying it, then I'll continue doing it! There's no harm in letting him try things...

Well, let's see...what else is new? I think we basically have some kind of routine down now. He goes to sleep at about 10:30-11 PM (sometimes even midnite), still isn't sleeping through the night (is waking up 4-5 times throughout the night; sometimes to feed & sometimes just to fuss), wakes up either at 8, 9, 10 or 11 am (depending on what time he slept the night before), change his diaper, play with him for about 10-15 mins, put him in the crib so he can have some alone time to play and watch his mobile, go eat some breakfast, take a bath (if it's bath day; he takes one every other day), takes a nap, play time for 2-3 hrs, I nurse him, he takes a nap, wakes up...blah blah blah. Then when it's bedtime, we or I (if Jeramy's at work) change his diaper, read him a story from the Picture Bible, say a prayer, breastfeed and then night-night time! He's not really on a schedule or anything but it's nice that he's a lot more predictable these days. He hates having to go to sleep, 'cause he'd rather be awake to enjoy the day. Sometimes, he won't go down for a nap at all but we're getting better at reading his cues on when he's ready to eat, sleep, needs a diapey change or is bored. It only took 6 months! haha

Connor's just fantastic and Jeramy and I are enjoying these days so much. He totally laughs and giggles all the time, which makes our lives that much brighter. He knows how to hang on now (sometimes for dear life, it seems), hug and even give sloppy kisses. He's still drooling all over the place and putting everything in his mouth, especially paper. He LOVES paper (as do most kids, I think) so when the Sunday paper comes...I let him go at it. I'm sure some parent or doctor would advise me against it (e.g., "he might get ink poisoning" or "he might choke on it"...trust me, I've heard it all) but I'm sitting right there watching him the whole time and he has his limits. If he starts shredding the paper into pieces, then to the trash it goes. So don't worry, he's in good hands!

Well, here's some interesting tid bits you might not know:

-He actually stays put while I cut his fingernails and toenails...as long as I'm singing! He just LOVES singing and music period. Sometimes, he even tries to sing along!

-He loves getting his hair brushed. And I don't know why, but he loves getting the act of getting undressed, especially when you take his arms out. He just thinks it's the funniest thing ever.

-He found his private parts 2 weeks ago...it's funny! He loves grabbing his balls and starts squeezing them, especially when he's getting his diaper changed and during bath time. He just squeezes and squeezes...I guess boys do start early! haha Like Jeramy says, he's got another 70 years of that ahead of him! :)

-He doesn't like watching TV very much. I try to get him to sit and watch Blue's Clues or other kiddie movies and he loses interest about 5 mins into it. I guess this is a good thing, but sometimes, I wish he would watch TV so I could get things done!!!

-He still LOVES to be out and about. He likes to travel and see the world. I guess, what baby doesn't?

-He loves his Jonny Jumper, exersaucer, and high chair. These are the only places he can stay in for longer than 15-20 mins...and for us, they're life savers!

-He loves people and animals. He loves nature in general, especially plants, trees and flowers. He will stare at the leaves for long periods at a time, as if he's mesmerized. It's kinda weird seeing him in a trancelike state like that, but I think he's just trying to soak data in.

There's so much more that I want to write but our little boy has woken up and I must now tend to his needs!!! TATA!

Day trip to Lockwood!

We brought Connor to one of Jeramy's friends house for dinner today. We're trying to expose Connor to other kids as much as we can so that he doesn't have severe separation anxiety later on. I mean, we know he's gonna go through that anyway but he needs to know how to deal with other kids!

Jeramy's friend Richie has two kids: Zachey (3 yrs old) and Ian (10 months). Ian actually weighs less than Connor does, only 17 lbs! It's just so weird seeing a little boy crawling around and he's so much smaller than Connor. Zachey just admires "Jeramy Moen" to pieces. He even sings about him when he plays, his Daddy told us. Zachey also LOVES Connor. He's always trying to kiss Connor and Connor just hates it. Connor is learning how to play with kids though, which is awesome since I don't want him to end up like other kids that weren't exposed to other kids at a young age and freaked out when they finally were. I can tell he's still trying to figure things out, because he tends to cry out when they get too close.

Connor is beginning to sit down for longer periods now. He is learning how to balance on his little tush better and can control his "tumbling over" a little better. I did have a wee bit of an accident the other day when I sat him down on the kitchen floor for what I thought were just mere seconds while I tried to reach for the phone, which rang at the time. Next thing I know, he fell backwards and hit his poor little head. OMG, talk about pure guilt on Mommy! He cried his little eyes out for a few minutes, but he was just fine.

I'm also feeding him rice cereal twice a day now. It's such an awesome "event". He gets all messy and tries to use his cute tiny hands as spoons. He's always shoveling the food into his mouth with his grimey little fingers. When I finally get past the baricades, he either blows out the cereal or it comes dripping off his mouth. I don't know why I even use a bib! He just think

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! We are down in San Clemente spending Thanksgiving with my folks. We're trying out the whole "taking turns" with the holidays this year. So Thanksgiving with my folks and Christmas with Jeramy's this year. Vice versa next year...

My mom, Connor and I spent all day shopping yesterday while Jeramy, Ian (my bro) and my Dad went to a few electronics stores and went to an arcade. Connor is such a trooper! He just loves being out and about. I admire him so much for being able to take everything in so well. We got here Tuesday night and he slept for most of the ride down here. It did take us a total of EIGHT hours to get to San Clemente from Atascadero. We left at 1 PM (totally intended to leave at 11 AM! haha!) and we got here at 9! We did stop at the Topanga Mall in Canoga Park for 2 hours since traffic was HORRIBLE!!! I drove the whole way 'cause Jeramy had worked till 3 AM so I thought I'd be a nice wifey and let him rest up...

Connor woke up about 20 mins during the ride down from Atascadero and he actually slept the rest. He was awake for the whole shopping experience and let me tell you...he takes after his Mama. He just LOVES shopping!!! I trained him early, didn't I?! haha

Well we haven't eaten yet, so I'll be back to tell y'all about our scrumptious meal!!! :)

5 months old!

Happy 5 months old Connor!!!

So what's new with the little boy?

- 18 lbs and 27 inches

- can almost sit on his own, he tries to pull himself up (looks like he's doing sit ups) but he needs help to get to the sitting position...but once he's there, he can actually sit for a few mins without tumbling over!

- He has really strong legs. He is always trying to stand up, rather than sit. He loves it though, so he can see the world better (I guess). He even tries to take little steps. I just keep hoping he won't be mobile anytime soon. I like him the way he is now...heh heh

- He got his 1st haircut on the 17th. His hair was growing all funky. One side of his head had longer hair than the other hair so we needed to fix it. Now he looks OH SO MUCH CUTER than before! Who knew he could be CUTER?!

- He's not only blowing bubbles but he's learned to spit. Now...I always wondered if men went to a special school for that, but now I know that it's an innate thing. LOL!

- He's gotten his 1st cold & cough. He dealt with it fairly well but I feel so badly for the little guy. He just acted as he would if he wasn't sick, but with his runny nose and coughing spells, he was feeling pretty run-down. But he's OK now. He was a super trooper.

Well, I think that'a all for now. I'm tired of typing and I gotta go tend to Precious' needs. CIAO!

Charming little sucker...

Connor is just awesome. He lights up my life. He may cry a lot more than usual these days. Maybe it's due to teething or whatever, but one little smile or laugh I get out of him and my heart just melts. He really wants to act like a grownup, already grabbing for food and wanting to get up and walk. He can't actually sit on his own just yet, but with a little help from us, he can sit by himself for a few minutes. The Dr says his weight makes it extra tough on him to sit up on his own. He is in the 97th percentile as far as his growth is concerned. Most babies at this age are between 12-15 lbs and Connor's already weighing in at 18 lbs!!! The Dr also says we can choose to wait on feeding him solid foods until after he's 6 months old since he's so "healthy". :) I kinda wanted to wait on feeding him solid foods anyways, so we'll see. With the way Connor has been wanting to eat, I might just have to start sooner.

Connor's a real talkative boy. My dad thinks he's gonna be a comedian when he grows up because of his bubbly personality. It's so fascinating to see that he's already expressed such facial emotions since he was 2 months old. He's literally such a happy ho-lucky boy. I mean, don't get me wrong...he gets REAL cranky and irritable real quick. He definitely has good days and bad, but he just has so much personality. Not only does it amaze Jeramy and me, but it amazes everyone else. I wonder what kind of person he's gonna grow into? Not to be conceited or anything, but with a mixture of mine and Jeramy's personality...he's gonna be one hell of a CHARMER! :)

Lefse!

Lefse weeekend! If you're wondering what "Lefse" is...ask Jeramy. haha Actually, Lefse weekend is a Norwegian tradition of making potato tortilla-like bread. The whole Moen family gets together (sort of an annual family reunion) and make Lefse together.

There were a lot of kiddies and to think...not even everyone was here! The weekend was fun but honestly, I'm too sick to really enjoy it as much as I wanted to. It was fun but it was all a bit too overwhelming for us. Spending time with 20+ people in a small space for 2-3 days was too much for us, especially Connor. Even though Connor handled everything really well since he's such a social person. But overall, it was great!

New computer...wahoo!

Jeramy bought me a new Sony VAIO computer for Xmas and it arrived today. WOO HOO! I'm so excited!!! I will have tons of fun setting it up and getting all the programs started. I'm such a geekoid...heh heh

Sicky baby...

Yup, he got a slight fever all right. 101 degrees to be exact. But I wasn't too surprised since it's just part of the process when getting shots. Jeramy and I had prior engagements and we hate always having to cancel, so we dropped him off at Aunt Carol's for a few hours. I know, that sounds like such a shitty thing to do but he was in good hands. Aunt Carol was more than happy to have him and we were only gone for a couple hours.

But...yes, I felt guilty for leaving him. Trust me...