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Showing posts from January, 2009

Too Stinkin' Cute....

Another recent scrapbook page... Credits: Background: Jessica Bolton, Peddlars Pants; Family Stamp: JCrowley; Clipping Mask Frame: Jessica Sprague

37 Weeks...

Here's a scrapbook page I did recently: Credits: Background: Annie Manning of Paint the Moon Designs; Clipping Mask: Lauren Reid, Hot Momma 2B Kit; Brown Paper: Vera Lim Journaling reads (You can also click on it to see it larger): "For 37 weeks I carried you inside of me.  I spent countless hours preparing for your arrival, decorating the nursery, researching carseats, reading books, trying to learn as much as I could about parenting.  Your father and I took classes at the hospital so that we'd know what to expect when it was time to finally meet you in the delivery room.  We talked about who you would look like and wondered who you would be.  We thought we were ready.  And then, all of a sudden, you were here.  In our world, in our home, and in our hearts.  We found out that we really didn't know anything.  We didn't know about the indescribable love one feels for their child; constant, all-consuming, unconditional love.  Maybe we don't know everything about

Bedtime....

Friday night we started the dreaded task of getting LP to sleep through the night in his crib in his own room instead of sleeping in the bassinet next to our bed.  My hubby has been saying we should do this for a few weeks now but I just wasn't quite ready- he seems so little still... But after the pediatrician insisted that he was ready, even if I wasn't, we decided to give it a try. Seriously?? You want me to pose with the big blue bear?? Here are the doctor's rules: 1. Put him to bed around 9 after doing his usual bedtime routine. 2. Put him to bed in his crib without a mobile, pacifier, etc. 3. If he cries let him cry it out for 15 minutes.  Then pick him up and soothe him, put him back down, repeat as necessary. 4. If he's hungry in the middle of the night don't feed him unless he cries for half an hour. Little Paul, practicing his Larry Holmes boxing moves... So here's how it went: Friday night I convinced Paul that LP wasn't ready for the crib yet and

Inauguration...

Little Paul had a pediatrician appointment this morning.  He's up to 10 lbs, 4 oz which puts him in the 16th percentile (he was in the 5th at birth so yay for us!)...  We're supposed to start teaching him to sleep through the night (which I'm totally ready for) in his own bedroom (which I'm totally NOT ready for...).  He also had 2 different shots and has been pretty fussy all afternoon so we won't be attempting the "sleep all night" trick (i.e. let him cry it out for 15 minutes) until Friday night... We made it home just in time to see Obama take his oath and hear his speech which was great.  My youngest brother is in DC for the events and I'm sure it must be a phenomenal experience.  The excitement of the crowd must be just amazing in person!  I try not to put my politics into my blog but I have to say that I'm pretty thrilled by the fact that LP came into the world at such an exciting time.   Through one of the many blogs I read I came acros

Things I've Learned....

Little Paul is almost 9 weeks old.  And at risk of sounding cliche, those 9 weeks have been both the hardest and the most wonderful weeks of my life...  Things are settling down now.  We've developed a bit of a schedule.  The spitting up has slowed down (knock on wood) and Little Paul is interacting with us more and more every day.  He hasn't given us a full-blown grin yet but I've caught a bit of a smile from time to time and can't wait until it's directed at me and not at whatever thoughts might be going on in his little head (I have a feeling his thoughts are centered around the following:  boob!  bottle!  boob!) There are some things I've learned that I'd like to share.  Those of you who are already parents will probably nod your heads and think something like, "oh yes, I remember that....".. And those of you who are soon-to-be parents or who want to be parents will probably think "I'll file that thought away for a later date when I

Babysitting v. Parenting...

The other night during one of our "all you can eat buffet" nursing sessions Little Paul and I were watching the Fine Living Channel, pretending that we were vacationing in Maui and not sitting on a couch in frigid Massachusetts.  During a commercial break they showed a segment (sponsored by somebody or other, I think it was a laundry detergent) about how to make life easier for your husband if you go on a girls' weekend and leave him with the kids.  The tips were things like the following: Cook meals ahead of time and leave them in the fridge with explicit directions.  Show him how to turn on and use the oven. Lay out outfits for each child.  Label them for the various days/activities. Write up a list with all important phone numbers on it such as doctors, grandparents, friends, etc. Write down the daily schedule so that your husband knows when the kids should have a bath, brush their teeth, etc. Make sure to thank him profusely for babysitting when you get home from your

Grumpy Baby....

Looks like someone doesn't like sitting on a couch covered with dog hair!

What a difference a month makes....

I know Little Paul is getting bigger every day.  The way this kid eats he certainly should be!  But since I'm with him all the time it's sometimes hard to see the difference.  So here's a side by side of photos from December 5 when he was 3 weeks old and yesterday at 7 weeks old... He was such a scrawny guy!  He's getting chubbier every day and his dimples are starting to show.  He's lost some of his hair up front but it's growing back... December: January: December: January:

January Photo Shoot...

For the past few days Little Paul has decided not to nap during the day.  He might take a 10 minute catnap in the afternoon but he's mostly awake, and wants to be held and played with all day.  I'm more than happy to do so but let's face it, there's only so much a 7 week old can do and he gets frustrated after about 10 minutes of any particular activity.  So we rotate between playing on his play  mat, swinging in his swing, walking around the house, sitting in the bouncy seat, playing on his tummy.. repeat this cycle all day long and throw in a few feedings and a ton of diaper changes and that's our day... (And then, of course, he decides to nap as soon as Daddy gets home!) Yesterday I decided to break things up a bit and do another "photo shoot".  It was sleeting outside so I knew that the light wouldn't be great but thought we'd try anyway.  Here are a few of my favorite shots.  They look a little 1970's since they have an orangey tinge t

Portrait of Love...

Another scrapbook page! Credits: Based on tutorial by Taylormade Designs; Background: Sande Krieger of Two Peas, MaryMaryQuiteContrary; Wordart: Feistuff, CrazyBeauty; Crossed Staples: Vicki Stegall; Single Staples: Lauren Reid, Hullabaloo; BreadTag: Fernlili; Clear Tape: Christine Renee, Hide and Seek; Aged Tape: ATeets

I Treasure You....

I've finally started scrapping some of the baby photos.. Here's one I did based on a tutorial by Taylormade Designs... Credits: Based on tutorial by Taylormade Designs.  Background: Vinnie Pearce; Stitching: Weeds and Wildflowers, Creating Beauty Kit; Wordart: Dirty Feet Designs; White Paint: Michelle Coleman at Scrap Artist, Gypsy Rose Kit; Paint Splatters: Brush by Circle of Fire

2008- A Year in Photos...

2008 was a great year... Thought I'd relive it by looking back at some of my photos.... January: I turned 30.  My wonderful husband gave me a Nikon D40 Digital SLR camera as a wonderful surprise... I'd mentioned (once, briefly, and months earlier) wanting to get a fancy digital SLR when we eventually had children and he remembered! While playing around with my new toy I snapped two of my favorite dog photos ever: February: In February we took a trip to Las Vegas to visit Paul's brothers and our niece.   We spent most of the time either eating or playing.... March In March I was pregnant (but didn't know it yet!) and we started remodeling our kitchen.  The before picture is below. April April was a big month.  I started a new job in the history department at Harvard after more than 7 years in my previous position.  That same week I found out I was pregnant and we thought we were due in early January.  We also finished up work on our kitchen