Not Such a Baby Anymore

Connor had his 6 month doctor's appointment this week. Here are his stats:

He weighs 17 lbs. 9 oz., which is the 42nd percentile (he gained 1 lbs. 9 oz. since his 4 month appt. and 8 lbs. 13 oz. since birth)

He is 27", which is the 61st percentile (he grew 0.5" since his 4 month appt. and 6.5 inches since birth)

His percentages went down a bit since his last appointment but the nurse practitioner he sees was not at all concerned. In fact, she said he looks and sounds perfect! He got 4 shots this time around - the three vaccines he got last time plus a flu shot. They double teamed him - 2 nurses, 2 shots in each leg so it was pretty quick. His face turned so red, but he only cried for a few seconds. Thankfully, this round didn't seem to have nearly the effect as the last time - he was a little sleepier than normal during the day but they didn't cause him to have a fever. Actually, he was in such a good mood on Wednesday night that he had us both laughing - wide awak, chatty as ever, and ready to play at bedtime.

In other news, my baby isn't so much of a baby any more. He is sitting up pretty well unsupported. He's not crawling yet, but you can tell he's tryin to figure it out. When he's on his tummy, he kicks his legs and moves his arms in an army style - as soon as he can figure out how to get his legs up underneath him, he'll be on the move! We've also got at least one, maybe two, teeth which have broken through in the last week or so.

Not only is he handsome, he's also smart. He likes to read:

 

 

And is  making friends (you can't tell from this picture, but he was chatting up a storm with the hippo):

 



This afternoon I decided to put the high chair together and try it out. We kept telling him he was in his big boy chair:

 

 

Yesterday I made roasted sweet potatoes. They seem to be his favorite food so far.

This week Santa is coming to Bostleys. I am anxious to hear how he does meeting him. I imagine he'll probably just try to eat his beard. I hope they get a good picture. I am a bad mom but just have not had time to go get real pictures taken with the mall Santa (nor have I really wanted to pay $22.99 for said pictures). I would love to run over to Bostleys while Santa is there just to see him, but we are going to be so busy at work this week I don't think I'll even have time to run to the bathroom, so I guess I'll save those "get out of jail free" cards for when he's a little older and will actually be able to appreciate me being there!

Deck the Halls

Last weekend I fnally got around to getting the Christmas decorations out of the attic. We don't go overboard with the decorations since the dogs will eat anything that isn't displayed up high. For example, a few years ago I bought these really neat window candles that are battery powered. They turn on at a certain time every day and then automatically turn off 6 hours later. If you've ever seen our house, you know we have A LOT of windows. I was pretty proud of myself for figuring out that I had to line up all of the candles on the dining room table on the first day of the season and turn them all on at the same time at 4pm so when they were in the windows they would all turn on and off every night at the same time. Anyway, pretty much every day when I would get home from work I would find one of the candles formerly in the downstairs windows chewed up on the floor. We have about 1/3 of the amount that we started with and I didn't even bother to put those in the windows this year. I did put up my second and third most treasured Christmas decorations though:

Both were made by my Granny, who was a very talented ceramics artist. She used to put her initials and the year on the bottom of every piece she made.The mice were made the year I was born. I'm not sure what year she made the tree, but I do know that pretty much every family member has one. I did not get out my most treasured Christmas decoration this year, which is the ceramic Christmas village and model train set that my grandparents made and which was left to me when my grandfather passed away a couple years ago. It reminds me of some very special memories growing up. I have been hesitant to set it up, knowing how rough the dogs play and how curious they are around the tree. I know it won't get any less dangerous over the next few years when Connor and any future Baby Linns are poking around the tree, but thankfully when we are in our new house next year we will (1) live across the street from a Christmas tree farm and can have multiple trees and (2) there is a perfect room with french doors that we can close to keep the dogs/kids away from the tree so I'll finally be able to set it up.

It was fun to decorate the tree this year. Last year we didn't even get a tree because we left on December 23rd for Puerto Rico, where we started a week long cruise. It was a different, but nice, way to spend Christmas. I prefer to be at home for the holidays, especially now that we have a family, but I would definitely go away again between Christmas (after Christmas Day) and New Years. Anyway, several years ago Ryan and I started a tradition of buying a Christmas ornament from every trip we take. My grandfather used to do that and I thought it was such a neat idea. Sometimes we forget, and sometimes it is impossibly hard to find Christmas ornaments, but we've amassed quite a collection over the years. I found ones from Vail, Aspen, Beaver Creek, San Francisco, Scottsdale, St. Kitts, Barbados, St. Martin/St. Maarten, and Ireland. I'm sure in a few years we'll be buying ones from family trips to Disney World!

I guess I should clarify a little bit. Those were formerly my most treasured Christmas decorations. I think it is safe to say each one has dropped down a notch on the list, and I have a new favorite one:

Don't worry, we didn't let him chew on the wires and glass bulbs any longer than necessary to get a good picture!

It is hard to believe Christmas is less than 2 weeks away. I feel like I have so much to do at work and so much to do at home before then but I am very much looking forward to having a few days off over the holidays to relax (although our social & family calendar seems to be pretty packed between now and the end of the year)!

Oh Christmas Tree!

This afternoon we went to Bill's Pick-Your-Own-Christmas-Tree Party. This year it was at the farmhouse, since he's been living there for a while. It was nice to see everything he's done with the place since the last time we were there. He said he is nearly moved out of his other house (the one we are buying) and that we will be able to start moving stuff down there soon. After everyone had some food and drinks, Bill fired up the tractor for a hayride to the field where he was going to cut the trees. We didn't actually ride the tractor because I was afraid it would be a little too cold and windy for Connor, so Ryan drove his truck up to the field. However, I swear Connor is meant to be a country boy. As soon as we got out of the car and into the fresh air he was all smiles and he literally squealed with delight when I walked him over to the tractor.

Bill generously allows all party guests to choose a Christmas tree, and it didn't take us long to find our perfect tree:

After everyone had chosen a tree, he bales them up and loads them on the truck.

 By the time ours was done, Connor was tuckered out from all the attention at the party and all the fresh air.

Being down there, out in the country where it is so pretty and peaceful, made us that much more excited to move. I was hoping we'd be moved in in time to spend Connor's first Christmas in our new house, but I don't think that is going to happen. It's probably for the best though, with hunting season and how busy I am at work right now, there's no way we could be out of hour house in 3 weeks. But, hopefully the buyers of our house will sell their current house soon so as soon as the holidays are over we can concentrate on getting packed up and moved out!

Ryan needed to head up to Blockhouse as soon as we got home in order to make it in time for dinner, so he's going to put up the tree on Tuesday when he gets home and hopefully we'll get to decorate it on Wednesday. This will be the last year we'll only have to worry about the dogs eating the ornaments - next year Connor will be able to walk and we'll have to keep his little fingers AND Lucky & Murphy's noses out of the tree!

Gobble Gobble!

Last week was Thanksgiving. I was certainly missing my friends from home on Wednesday night, as some of my foggiest fondest memories of going out with them are from the night before Thanksgiving at 3rd & Spruce. However, even if we were all home, we're probably too old to even go there, as I remember being 21 or 22 and making fun of all the "old" people out on that night. Guess what? We are those old people now! Ryan and I did go to Donald & Julie's house on Wednesday night for some pre-Thanksgiving festivities. We had a great time and Connor was a such a good boy - entertaining everyone wth his smile and laugh!

We hosted everyone at our house for dinner on Thanksgiving. Luckily, Connor slept in and then  took a solid 2 hour nap in the morning so Ryan & I were able to eat breakfast, watch some of the Macy's parade, and get the house cleaned and ready.

You're supposed to wait until AFTER the turkey to take a nap, bud!

We were all done by the time my parents arrived around lunch time, so it was nice to sit and visit. Nana bought Connor the tray for his Bumbo chair, so we tried that out before eating some delicious squash.

Our dinner was delicious. I look forward to this meal 364 days a year. Ryan's mom made a turducken, which was specially ordered from the Italian Market in Philadelphia. Ryan deep-fried a turkey. He's done this for a few years now and I think they get better each year. Thankfully this year we got plenty of oil ahead of time so he wasn't running around trying to find a grocery store that was open at 4pm on Thanksgiving this year. Unfortunately, we had a little TOO much oil, resulting in an overflow when the turkey was dropped, causing my dad to have to try to find an open grocery store at 4pm to get kitty litter to soak up the oil. Not a big deal (and wouldn't be the last oil spill of the week!) and both the turkeys were amazing.

Connor slept through his first Thanksgiving dinner, which was good for me, since I had two free hands to shovel food in my mouth!

After dinner, Pop-pop continued giving Connor lessons about tools:

Until Nana stole him back:

And then the cousins talked turkey:

It wasn't a late night, since I had to work the next day and my parents headed for home pretty early. We did have a busy weekend though - on Friday we went out to dinner at the Old Corner with Adrianne and John to celebrate John's birthday. As usual, Connor was an angel.

On Saturday, we went over to Julie and Donald's house to watch the game. Ryan took the fryer and the oil over and he made a bourbon bbq sauce. Donald made a couple of sauces and they had all sorts of other good things to eat. Their whole extended family is Notre Dame fans, and we always have fun with them. I'm convinced now that they really don't care about us, they just want to see Connor. Anyway, aside from a giant fireball that almost blew up their garage when the frozen wings were dropped into the hot oil, it was a great night because the Irish beat USC, are 12-0, and are going to play for the National Championship in January! What an exciting season! I think Connor, dressed in his ND gear, is a good luck charm. Sorry I don't have any pictures - we were too concerned with eating, drinking, and cheering to remember to take some. Unfortunately, he does not have the same effect on the Eagles, but he sure looks cute trying!

We have so much to be thankful for this year - good friends, good family, and good health. We are so blessed!

Squash!

Hunting season = Connor and I get to spend a lot of quality time together on the weekends. Last Saturday was the first day of bear season. Ryan was gone bright and early so Connor and I had a mini photo shoot for his Christmas card picture. Now that I am a mom, I suppose I have to actually order and send Christmas cards. I won't spoil the surprise but I got a few cute picture possibilities. Now I just have to figure out how to actually upload one and order them! A little after lunch, Ryan texted me a picture of the bear his dad killed. In Pennsylvania, when you shoot a bear, you have to take it to a Game Commission weigh station, where they weigh it and take a tooth to determine its age. This one was a female and they estimated it to weigh about 370 lbs!

 

Sure would make a nice rug in Connor's room in our new house!

 

 

While the boys were hunting, I decided to try my hand at making a batch of baby food. I had read that you should start with veggies before the fruits, because babies may be resistant to eating veggies once they get a taste of the sweet fruits. I'm now fairly certain that my dad's first foods were apples, pears, and peaches, and that explains why he doesn't like vegetables! We bought a butternut squash at the grocery store, so I stuck Connor in the jumperoo and went to town.

 

 

Cut in half, remove seeds

 

Chop in to small pieces, add a Tbsp or two of water, cover, and steam

 

Puree with an immersion blender

 



Spoon into ice cube trays and freeze overnight

 

 

I was able to go from start to finish (including clean up) before Connor got bored in the jumperoo! It was really very easy, even for someone whose husband does 100% of the cooking in our house. Since Connor is really only eating solids to get used to the different textures and tastes right now, the individual ice cube size portions are perfect - we usually get two, sometimes three, "meals" out of one cube. I can see how it will be easy to build up a stockpile pretty quickly once we rule out any allergies and can start having a variety.

 

I had some extras that didn't fit in the trays, so I saved it and gave it to Connor later.

 

Still wearing more of it than eating it, but he definitely likes it better than the rice cereal. I think the next thing I am going to try is either sweet potatoes or green peas...oh the possibilities!



Why Didn't I Think of That?

How often do you see a new product and think "why didn't I think of that?" It's usually something so simple, but so ingenious, and it will make its inventor millions. Well, the other day, I did think of that invention. I had to change Connor's sheets 2 out of 3 nights because of a leaky diaper, and I honestly can't think of anything baby-related that I like doing LESS than changing crib sheets. It is literally such a pain in the ass to wrestle the mattress out of the crib, strip the sheets, then try and shove it back in - the crib skirt gets bunched up, the bumpers get pushed down, etc. I got some of these "sheet protectors" as part of the mattress pad set, where you tie them to the crib rungs and they go over top of the sheets, but the problem with those is that they are like 8 inches wide and Connor does circles all night so even if I did put them down I'm sure he'd never actually be on them when his diaper leaked. Sooo...the last time I was fighting with the mattress I was thinking that there had to be an easier way. And then it hit me - what if there was a system where the fitted sheet went around the bottom part of the mattress and the top part had a zipper around the whole thing so you could just unzipper it off to wash it and zipper on a new top??? I was so excited about my invention that I was already drafting my letter of resignation in my head (I'd still "volunteer" one or two days a week) and spending my millions (No more school loans. No more mortgage. Brand new 2013 Chevy Tahoe. Ski lessons for everyone!). Before I called the patent attorney, I decided to do a little research & development on the internet. And there it was. Someone thought of it before me:

http://www.cloudsandstars.com/QuickZipCribSheets.aspx

Well, crap. I guess I'll be driving my 2005 Chevy Trailblazer until Connor's ready to get his driver's license. Anyway, I checked out the website and the sheets look exactly like the answer to all my problems. So, if anyone is desperate for Christmas gift ideas, I'll take a set of these beauties and hopefully contribute to the inventor's childrens' ski lessons.

I don't have anything too exciting to report from this past weekend. It was just Connor and I, as Ryan was out of town fishing with his dad. I must say, I don't know how single parents do it. While I thoroughly enjoyed our bonding time, it was exhausting thinking of things to do to keep a 5 month old entertained. Made me thankful for the help that Ryan does provide with baby (and the making of meals)!

We enjoyed tummy time on the playmat:

And when that got too exhausting, we relaxed and watched some TV in bed:

And when we felt well rested we had a staring contest:

Luckily, after all that excitement, Connor was tired and went to bed pretty early so I could have a glass of wine and watch the Notre Dame vs. Boston College game in peace. They won, and are now 10-0. Ryan was texting me to start looking for BCS tickets. Even if they go undefeated, they're still probably going to get screwed out of playing for the national championship, unless Oregon or Kansas State loses. They're projecting us to go to the Rose Bowl. New Years in Pasadena sounds nice!

On Sunday I had to go to my office for a couple hours. I know I've mentioned it before, but I am going to be very, very busy at work from now until the end of the year. Like taking work home and working on weekends. This is all because the federal estate tax is set to return to $1million (thanks, Obama!) in 2013 so everyone with the problem of lots of money wants/needs to get their estate planning done by the end of the year to take advantage of the higher gift/estate tax exemption. Blah, blah, blah, long story short, everyone's Christmas presents will probably be purchased online or from Wegmans this year. And I'm so glad we're trying to get all our stuff packed up to move right now too. Guess it is a good think I've become fairly high functioning on not very much sleep! Anyway, since Ryan was still fishing, Connor came with me. He hung in there for about 3.5 hours - napping and then playing quietly on a blanket. When he started to get antsy, we packed up and headed home.

We had some cereal for dinner and waited for Dad to get home.

I guess he prefers Ryan's cooking.

You can't necessarily tell from the picture above, but he's starting to like the cereal a little bit better. He is wearing less and less of it and acutally sometimes opens his mouth and lunges toward the spoon. I borrowed a baby food book from a friend and this weekend I think we are going to try some butternut squash. Hopefully he will inherit Ryan & I's love of trying new foods!

Weekend in Wyo

Last weekend Ryan was invited to attend a continuing ed course hosted by the dentist for whom my mom works. We had planned to leave after work and drop the dogs off at the kennel on the way home, but there was a showing scheduled at our house for Thursday morning at 9am, so rather than having to leave work to let the dogs back in the house, I decided to take them down before work on Thursday. I had Ryan load them into the car while I got the baby ready and then we switched - he dropped Connor off at day care and I headed to Watsontown with the dogs. It is always stressful taking them anywhere, even when there are two of us, since they are so hyper and Murphy pretty much has an anxiety attack every time he gets in the car, but the ride seemed especially long by myself that morning. I'm sure I looked ridiculous in my high heels trying desperately to blindly grab for one leash with the tailgate open about 6 inches while simultaneously yelling at the other dog to stay in the car, but aside from arriving at work 15 minutes late, sweating profusely, and smelling like a wet dog, everything was just fine. It was actually nice to get that out of the way so we didn't have to rush around after work in order to make sure we dropped them off by 6pm.

We loaded up the car and headed home to Wyo, stopping at the Old Forge Brewing Company for some dinner on the way. Connor was an angel, and our waitress commented that he was "the best baby she's ever seen." I don't think I heard a peep out of him the whole way home!

On Friday morning after Ryan left for the course my mom & I ventured out to do some shopping with Connor. It was nice to not be at work on a Friday! Connor slept most of the time we were out, so when we got home, he was wide awake and ready to be entertained.

My mom lets me sit on the coffee table in my bumbo chair while they're eating. I come to Nana's and all there is to look at is feet and table legs.

Connor, meet Blarney.

On Friday night the dentist hosting the CE course and his wife had everyone attending over to their house for a cocktail/dinner party. Lisa's sister, Colleen, and her husband Christian, who is a dentist, went as well, so it was fun. Ryan was getting some kitchen design ideas!

I had big plans for Saturday while Ryan was at the course, but Connor was a little cranky and he ended up falling asleep while my mom was rocking him in my dad's recliner. I said I didn't want to risk waking him up by moving him to his car seat but secretly I just wanted to take a nap on the couch! It was a very nice, lazy day. My parents left for church a little before 4, so I gave Connor a bath (I do not recommend trying to give a baby a bath, by yourself, in a real tub. You will end up wet.) and fed him and started to get ready for our dinner. That night all the course attendees and their spouses were having dinner in the wine cellar at Stokesay Castle. It was coat & tie for the men, so as soon as Ryan got home from the course he got changed and took the baby downstairs to wait for my parents. I was hoping to get a picture or two of Ryan & I dressed up, but just as I was finishing getting ready, I heard a commotion downstairs. Went down to find Ryan covered in puke (Connor's, not his), and my dad holding the baby, arms outstretched, over the sink. I don't know who looked more terrified, Connor or my dad! I so wish I had a picture of the funniness of this scene, but I didn't feel it would be appropriate to whip out my camera at the time. It looked a little something like this though:

 

 

So, my mom got to work blotting out Ryan's coat and my dad got him a spare shirt and tie (he refused to wear the ND tie my dad offered him) and we arrived on time smelling only faintly of sour milk. Dinner was delicious and we had some good laughs at Christian's expense.

 

 

Ryan had the course from 8-12 on Sunday morning so Connor and I went to breakfast with my parents and then headed over to Sarah & Brian's to visit them and meet their newest addition, Anna, who was born about 3 weeks before Connor. They have three beautiful little girls and we are working on an arranged marriage. I'm so mad I didn't get any pictures, sorry!

 

We headed home Sunday afternoon, making stops at Cabelas and the kennel to pick up the dogs on the way home. It was such a nice weekend - Ryan seemed to enjoy the group of dentists at the course and I was glad to be able to see my family and friends and have additional baby holders! We're already making plans to go to the next one in Bedford Springs in April



..
The rest of the week was not very exciting. Ryan had the opportunity to get a taste of what it must be like to have twins on Wednesday. Courtney asked him if he would be able to watch Evie for an hour or so. That hour turned into several hours, but it seems like everyone survived. I was enjoying the pictures I was receiving at work!

The sleeping still isn't great. In fact, it's regressed recently, and Connor is waking up 2-3 times a night. I don't know if he is growing or teething or what but I think we're going to have to have a refresher course on "sleep training" very soon. I have been trying to give him cereal in the evenings but he is still wearing more than he eats. Hopefully when we start to introduce other more exciting solids he will enjoy them more.

I think his cold is back, which may be another reason that he isn't sleeping so well. Poor baby was really stuffed up yesterday and last night and was really cranky this morning. He just seemed not to be able to get comfortable while I was getting ready for work. Until, of course, 2 minutes before I was about to go downstairs when he finally fell back to sleep.

 

This kid has an awful lot of camo already...

 

When I mentioned to his teacher when I picked him up that I didn't think he was feeling well, she seemed surprised and said he was his usual happy self today. I brought him home and he played hard in his jumparoo. Connor and Murphy must have had exhausting days:

 

 

I gave him a bath, slathered him in Vicks, and we had round #2 with the bulb syringe so hopefully he sleeps well tonight. It is now 10:30, which is a good two hours past my bedtime, so hopefully I will sleep well tonight too!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but I was excited to dress Connor up for his first one. I had purchased his costume when we were in Vermont a few weeks ago. Because Halloween fell on a Wednesday this year, Ryan had the day off so Connor did not go to daycare. I think they have a little parade for the kids where they walk around the block, but because it was cold and rainy and Connor's still not 100% over his cold/cough, we didn't see the need to take him in for it, especially since he is far too young to appreciate it or remember it.

So Connor and Ryan spent the day together until I got home from work. I changed him into his costume and we headed over to Courtney's house, where she hosted a bunch of her friends with kids for some snacks and drinks prior to going out trick-or-treating. Of course we didn't go out trick-or-treating because Connor doesn't possess the fine motor skills necessary to grab the kind of candy I like for the same reasons he didn't participate in the parade, but he looked adorable in his costume and, as an added bonus, we didn't have to be at our house to answer the door! Normally we sit out on our porch and hand out candy, so the dogs don't go nuts every time the doorbell rings, but we don't last very long. We get annoyed once the vanloads of kids from other neighborhoods pull up, or when the moms leave their infants in their strollers on the sidewalk and ask for candy "for the baby." Usually at that point (or whenever we determine that our supply is getting low enough that it is acceptable to keep the rest for our snacks for the next week, whichever comes first), we turn out the light and call it a night, but this year it was nice to not have to do it at all. Next year we will be in the Hughesville house and we definitely won't see many trick-or-treaters out there! Here are a few pictures of my favorite little giraffe:

I'm sorry I didn't get any pictures of all the kids together - it was a little hectic as everyone was heading out the door. Hope you all had a nice Halloween and got more treats than tricks!

Hurricane Sandy and Cereal

All last weekend we had been hearing scary reports about Hurricane Sandy moving up the coast and turning inland. It was supposed to be directly over Central Pennsylvania, and we had gotten notices from the electric company that if the power went out, we could expect it to be out for up to FOURTEEN DAYS!!! I guess because we live in a pretty rural area we would not be a top priority for repair crews, and they were expecting widespread outages and a lot of wind damage. Everyone was pretty freaked out - schools were cancelled before any rain ever fell and the grocery stores and gas stations were mobbed. I went to Wegman's over lunch on Monday and ran into my sister-in-law. We had a good laugh about all the people crowded into the frozen food aisle - they must have missed the lesson in disaster preparedness. My office technically closed at 3pm on Monday and closed on Tuesday, so after work on Monday I went home and took a hot shower and enjoyed the electricity while we still had it.

Connor turned five months old on Monday. He must have had a rough day at Bostley's, this is how I found him when I got home from work:

After we were finished our dinner, we decided to celebrate Connor's "birthday" by giving him some cereal. We had gotten the green light from the doctor last month to start trying solids when we were ready. I figured five months would be a good time to start, so I mixed it up and here are the results (we tried to get a video but Ryan forgot to press record!):

It wasn't as messy as I thought it would be, but I think we made the mistake of giving it to him right when he woke up, and was probably really hungry so I think he was a bit frustrated with the whole process. I know that right now we're really only introducing him to these foods to get him used to different tastes and textures, as well as eating from a spoon, but I don't blame him for being less than thrilled by the cereal - it didn't look very appetizing. We tried again on Tuesday, but this time he wasn't quite so hungry. The results weren't much different - except there was probably more cereal on the face and fewer tears:

We'll keep at it and hopefully start mixing some more exciting foods in as he gets used to it. I think we are going to try to make as much of our own baby food as possible. I guess I better load up on laundry detergent and stain removers!

Hurricane Sandy was a bit anticlimactic for us. We got a lot of rain and moderate wind, but thankfully we never lost power. Ryan saw patients on Tuesday and I ended up going in to work around 930am to get some things done. We were very lucky that the storm did not live up to the expectations in our area!