Wow Mother Nature!

So we already had an earthquake this week and now we are gearing up for a major hurricane! The Northeast has not been hit by a major hurricane in quite awhile, so to see our state have warnings for extreme conditions is a little unnerving. I already went to the store this morning (before work, might I add) in order to get some water, bread, dog food (God forbid I didn't have the special wet food Rocky ate!) and some other food items. We have tons of diapers and wipes, and we don't have to worry about formula, so I think we are set.
School has already cancelled the professional development we had planned for tomorrow and Monday, and we are under liberal leave. Basically we can take a sick day if we want tomorrow, but the weather isn't supposed to be bad tomorrow so I am going in to get more things done in my classroom.

A wedding we were supposed to go to this weekend has already been changed to tomorrow night, but since some beach areas already have evacuations happening, I don't know if they will even be able to get that in. I feel so bad for them since I know how much work goes in to planning your special day.


I have already planned some emergency bags in case we have to evacuate (unlikely) but just in case. I also filled up my car with gas and made copies of all important documents. Since I have Patrick I feel like I have to be OVERLY prepared now. Before, I would have headed to the liquor store and called it a day. HA. (I do still have some beverages on hand!)

Say a prayer for all of those in the path of this big storm, including us!

A Hard Day

Today, I will be leaving my little munchkin at Ms. Margaret's and heading back into work. I know it is going to be much harder on me than him! I feel like a horrible Mother for leaving him with someone else during the day. I know that I am doing the right thing - providing for his future, but I still have that voice in the back of my head, filled with doubt.

How am I not going to spend all day looking at this cute face?
It breaks my heart. I have spend everyday with him all summer, so I am going to be going through withdrawal. I have already warned my fellow teachers that I am going to be a HOT MESS.

I know Ms. Margaret is more than capable I just worry. Is she going to check on him as much as I do? Will he take the bottle without a problem for her? Will he nap ok? Will he know I left him? Will she play with him as much as I do?

I just pray my work day goes by FAST. I know that I am going to be very anxious to pick up my little man. Tomorrow morning I plan on giving extra hugs and cuddles and kisses. I am going to try to be happy when I drop him off so he sees that everything is ok (Does he really know) but I know as soon as I leave the waterworks will start.

Say a little prayer for me today!

Holy Earthquake!

What a way to wrap up our summer vacation - with an Earthquake! We live on the East Coast, so needless to say these are very rare. In my 27 years we have never had one, and I have never experienced one.

Michael and I were sitting on the couch, and had just put Patrick down for his nap. All of a sudden I felt like I was going to pass out and the room was shaking, it was the weirdest feeling. Then I looked at Michael and told him to stop shaking the couch, he looked at me like I was crazy and told me he wasn't. We then looked around and realized that the entire HOUSE was shaking!

I ran and got the baby and ran outside (I have no idea what to do in an Earthquake!) while my husband went upstairs and got my Dad who was napping. Dad came down and thought we were messing around and shaking his bed while he was sleeping and then looked and realized no one was there - HA!

It lasted about 30 seconds, but that was 30 seconds too long for me! I am so glad we don't live on the West Coast! At least we have an interesting story to tell now!

Rolling Along

My little munchkin is a crazy rolling baby. He mastered how to roll from his back to his tummy and hasn't slowed down since. He is hilarious. Sometimes he just rolls all the way across the floor. The first time he rolls is hilarious because he gets so tickled with himself. He always smiles and laughs, I love it!

Of course, now that he can roll comes a whole new set of worries for me. The past two nights when I go in when he wakes up he is on his tummy looking around. I am terrified of SIDS (I may have mentioned this 192738237 times before) and I do NOT like the idea of him laying on his tummy. My pediatrician told me that once he can roll over the risk of SIDS decreases dramatically but I still don't like taking chances. Not to mention every time he rolls over, instead of sleeping he is awake and ready to go, making for some very sleepless nights! I am thinking about just taping him down.

I. Am. Kidding. (Kind of!)

I guess there is nothing I can do except continue to roll him back over and if he rolls over in the middle of the night, I will just have to deal with it. Pretty soon he will be sleeping on his tummy all the time (Just like his Momma!)


Happy Friday! (My last one off for quite a while!)

Is Anyone Listening?

Ever since Patrick was born, I feel like everyone is offering up what I SHOULD be doing, or simply telling me what I am going to do without asking.

I have been breastfeeding Patrick since he was born. (Pat on the back for me!) With that being said, he did not sleep through the night until a week ago (and of course, that only lasted for 4 or 5 nights - I knew it was too good to be true!) I don't think breastfeeding had anything to do with it, but maybe formula would have made him sleep longer. I don't know, but I didn't want to find out. It was my choice to breastfeed and I want to do it as long as possible. Every time I turn around, someone was telling me to just give formula before he went to bed, or rice cereal in his bottle. (I would rather not have my child choke, thank you).

I wanted to wait to start rice cereal all together until he was around 5 months because we tried once and he just doesn't seem interested yet. I figured I would wait until he was ready. According to some people he needs to learn so apparently I should just keep shoving it down his throat. I have also been told he NEEDS the nutrition from it. Actually, until he is 6 months, solely breastmilk is all he needs. Ahhh. He did some out of me right? Last I checked anyway. Shouldn't I be able to make decisions?

I am so upset because I have to leave him and go back to school next Wednesday. I want to spend as much time as possible with him this next week because of this. I am going to a Phillies game tonight, so I am leaving him home, and then I have to next Tuesday morning for a training, I leave him Wednesday for school and next Saturday we have a wedding. Instead of being asked if I want to go out to dinner this Saturday (and leave Patrick) I was told I was going. Now, don't get me wrong, I love to go out to eat, and I have and will continue to do so (every couple needs a date night without kids!), but I don't want to THIS time because I will be leaving him sooner than I like. Once I voiced this opinion, I was told that Michael's mom had already been asked to watch him and she would be upset. Ahhh. Just once I would love to be asked, or not get weird looks when I tell them I want to stay home with my son.

Anyone?? Or am I just going crazy these days??

The Day that Changed Everything!

One year ago today, as I was getting ready for the preseason of hockey, I decided to take a pregnancy test 'just in case' before I left for practice. Not 10 seconds after I wet that stick, the second pink line appeared and changed our lives! I ran out of the bathroom and sat on the bed next to Michael and informed him that we were going to have a baby.

We were so excited, but I still wanted to be sure so I went out after practice and bought a pregnancy test from every brand that carried them (I wanted to be sure!).
That day started out 9 month journey and now we have an amazing little boy who we love more than anything! Isn't it amazing how your life can change in a year?

A Special Day

Yesterday was a very special day for our family. Not only was Patrick baptized, but so was Michael! Growing up, Michael's church didn't baptize babies, they instead waited until you were older. Michael ended up never being baptized there, and we have talked about it a few times in the past. We thought it would be special if both father and son were baptized together!

I had been looking for a christening outfit for Patrick for a few weeks but never found one that I REALLY liked. Surprisingly, my Mom still had my brother's and even though I was afraid my growing boy wouldn't fit, he did! I think that made the day even more special!His cute outfit! It fit perfect two weeks ago, and then yesterday it was a bit snug! We actually had to take it off right after, and take this picture later in the night! Poor thing!Mom couldn't find the original shoes, but I found these last weekend. Perfect for an Irish boy!
I was baptized in this church 26 years ago, and this Pastor married Michael and I four years ago there too!So precious!We tried to get some family pictures after the service, if you see Patrick's face, he was NOT having it! Instead, we had to do it at home later, after he was changed and HAPPY!

Nap Time!

Ok, I need suggestions. Patrick normally naps in his swing while we are home. I love it because even if he wakes up a bit before we lay him down, the rocking puts him OUT. I mean, wouldn't YOU want to sleep in this cushy swing?
Proof this swing is AWESOME. I recommend it to EVERYONE. Period. Trust me, when you are about to pull your hair out or questions your sanity, plop your little peanut in it. The swing was clearly invented by Jesus himself. If I could, I would take a nap in it. Of course, the swings they make for adults aren't really for napping....

Anyway, he will be starting daycare in two weeks and he will be napping in a crib. Good luck Ms. Margaret. (She doesn't have a Jesus swing). I have been trying to get him to nap in his crib but unless he is knocked OUT it doesn't work. He is happy for awhile, and I try to let him go, but then after 20 minutes he starts crying.

Should I let it go for awhile (plug my ears so I don't feel like I am the WORST mother on the face of the Earth) or just stay with the swing so I can sleep and say a prayer for Ms. Margaret? HELP!

House Update

It has been awhile since I posted anything about how our house building is going. We have had our house rented out for a month now and have just been waiting on the bank to get back with us. We received a good faith estimate last week, basically the bank saying that we could get a loan through them. We turned in official paperwork last week, and heard today that we are pre-approved!

So things are moving forward. Our builder let us know that as long as we got the pre-approval and they saw things were moving forward, they would go ahead and clear our lot for us next week sometime. This should save us a week or so once we can actually start building so that is good!

I can't believe we are finally moving forward! I cannot wait until the process fully begins and we can see our house coming together. How exciting! We have begun picking out flooring and would like something like this downstairs:
Love, love, love it! I think we are going to be able to not only have it in the entry way, but all through the family room which I am so excited about! We will have tile in the kitchen and bathrooms, and then carpet in all of the bedrooms. I can't wait to see it all together. It's also nice to have a brother who owns his own flooring business and can do it for you :)

We also picked out appliances:They are the Whirlpool Gold series, again, I am LOVING the double oven! Now I can make casseroles and cookies at the same time. LOVE IT.

I can't wait to pick out cabinets and colors for the walls too. We are still quite a while from breaking ground, but at least we are finally moving forward!

BUBBLES!

No, not the sticky, messy kind. These:


Have you seen these? They are AMAZING! You can personalize them with your child's name (Or yours, for that matter!) and then can go on just about anything. They are completely dishwasher safe and really won't come off!

When we met with our Daycare provider last week she said we needed to put his name on the bottles (Why I didn't think of that I have no idea!) and I remember my Mom telling me about this company. They have tons of cute designs and colors and even an allergy warning sticker which is great!

I can't wait to get mine in the mail and label EVERYTHING! Now, go bubble!

4 Month Stats

We had our four month well visit today! My little munchkin is 14 1/2 pounds, and 25 inches long. He is in the 50th percentile for height, weight and head circumference. I am so proud!

He also got his shots today, and let's just say he was less than thrilled! Poor baby. By the time we left the office he was fine, but I swear I am traumatized! I think he has to get some at his next appointment too. I will be thankful when I don't have to worry about them anymore, but I think that is quite a bit away.

We also got the go ahead to start cereal if we want to. I was all for it two weeks ago because he was NOT sleeping and wanted to eat ALL the time. However, the last three nights he has slept through the night! He is still eating every two hours during the day and loves to watch us eat, so I think he is ready, but I am still not sure. We will see how his sleeping goes the next few days and then I will decide I guess. Regardless, I will start him before I go back to school in two weeks because I want to make sure I am there for this milestone!

Plus I am itching to use this:
I ground up his rice today for rice cereal. That way I have the powder ready, I will just have to cook it up! I can't wait to try all different recipes. I plan on cooking a lot on weekends and then freezing everything. That way I can just pull out what I need and thaw it out for the day. We will see how it goes!

Any suggestions or recipes I should know about in regards to starting solids?

The Zoo!

We took Patrick on his first trip to the zoo yesterday! It was a VERY small zoo close to our house so it didn't have too many big animals, but we still had fun. I actually had not been there since I was little so it was exciting to visit again!
Patrick with the Flamingos! He likes them :)
Happy to be spending time with Daddy!


And Mommy!Patrick with the Jaguar (Harder to see since he was all black, but I swear he is there) Patrick was fading at this point so he didn't get to see how the Jaguar stared down Michael after he tried to get his attention by whistling. If there wasn't a fence, Michael would have been lunch!
Because we worked up such an appetite walking around the zoo, we had to have lunch afterwards!

We had a great time and I can't wait to go back when he is older so we can enjoy the playground too!

4 Months!

This post is a day late, but better late than never right! My little munchkin was four months old yesterday! My, how times flies! This past month was filled with firsts. First time rolling over, first time to the fair, first time going to a different state and first time going to the outlets to shop with me and Nana!
First time at the fair! I thought it was only appropriate that he get his picture taken here! HA (Sorry, I don't know how to turn it!)
We celebrated our first Fourth of July as a family! How patriotic...just like Daddy!We still love the pool! We tried to get him once a day, right before bedtime. It tires him out before his bath!I really wish I knew how to turn these pictures! Happy Four Months Munchkin!

Dear Patrick,

You are four months old already and I am so sad! Don't get me wrong, I love watching you grow and do new things everyday, but every once in awhile I will find a newborn outfit that I forgot to pack around and my heart gets heavy. I am going to miss these days when you are so tiny and you think your Daddy and I are the greatest things in the world! (It better stay that way - even when you are a teenager!)

This month you mastered how to roll from your tummy to your back! You now do it all the time and think it's hilarious. You are very good at pushing up on your arms and don't mind being in that position for awhile. I think it's only a matter of time before you figure out how to crawl. You move those legs around pretty good!

You also started grabbing your toys this month. You love this one stuffed bee that hangs on your playmat because the wings crinkle and make noise every time you grab them. Most toys you grab and put promptly in your mouth. This has caused me to wash and wipe EVERYTHING you touch! When you don't have a toy in your mouth, then your hands are there. You suck on you thumb a little but I think it's just luck of the draw as to which finger actually gets in your mouth first!

You are still breastfeeding (Yay for Mommy!) but I don't think you are getting as much as you want because you seem hungry all the time, poor guy. We are waiting to start you on rice cereal until the Doc gives us the go ahead (Hopefully at your appointment on Monday.) I am also hoping this helps you sleep a little longer. I don't mind getting up now, but I will when I have to go back to work in three weeks! Last night, we gave you a bottle of expressed milk (3 oz) and then I fed you and you slept until 5 this morning! I think you were actually full for once!

You are in size 3 to 6 month clothing and some 6 month, depending on the brand, and size 2 diapers! We think you weigh around 14 pounds, but we will get official measurements next week when you go for your four month well visit.

You still love your bath and jumping in your jumper, although it doesn't entertain you as long now. We have a very good nighttime routine. (Thank goodness I started that when you were a week old!) We always get your bath, I sing to you while I put on lotion and your PJ's (You love twinkle, twinkle little star) and then we have good night kisses. After that we read a story, say your prayers and then I feed you. You are normally OUT within 10 minutes. Such a good baby!

Patrick, we are just amazed by you! You are the most content baby and you light up my heart every time you smile (which is often). I have no idea how I am going to leave you to go back to work this month. I am going to miss being with you all day :( You seem to be growing up so fast! I can't wait to see what you start to do this month. We love you very much!

Love,
Mommy