Phooey..

We went to the doctor's yesterday. Not for a well visit, but because the J Man has been out of sorts for the past five days or so (read as screaming like a girl in a horror movie ... over and over and over). They suspected an ear infection and, frankly, so did I and so in we went.

The verdict?

It's his belly.

Shoot.

Joey's motto.

On a positive note, his ears, nose, and throat are perfect :o). However, she found large amounts of gas in his little tummy and some other symptoms are indicating that his body is experiencing a "clinical intolerance" as she put it. Apparently the dairy I reintroduced last week is not sitting well with my bug and it's got to go.

The nurse practitioner was a doll and referred to Joey as "bug" and "the prince and the pea." What?!? How did she know this is what I call my little boy? Joe and I smirked.

While my diet is shrinking again... dinner last night? thai noodles and peanut butter.... J's is rapidly expanding. So far squash, carrots, green beans, prunes, peas, and pears has passed those little lips. Yummmm.

A letter to my son

My Joey Snuggle Bug,

You should know that even before your father proposed to me, we talked of you. You were wanted and planned, desired and highly anticipated. And by some magical act of the universe here you are. You. You are the baby we always wanted. Our hearts dance with joy and revel in your arrival.

You are five months old and sweeter than brown sugar. Your smile is fast, deep, and unencumbered. I hope that never changes. You love yourself and reserve some of your best grins for that baby in the mirror. I hope that never changes too. You adore your pacifier, your exersaucer, and "standing up". Your chewy fish spends a lot of time in your mouth and you like it that way. When you sleep you like to have your face covered and your mommy snuggling you ... and I like it that way.

Thank you for being such a perfect baby. I'm sure the shoes that mommy puts on your feet annoy you, but you tolerate it. You love tubby time and splash enough water out of the tub to remind your parents of simple joy. You sleep all night in your crib like a big boy and burst with smiles every morning when we rescue you. You are stong and quick as a whip. You are brave and hungry and in love with the world.



Thank you for being my baby.

Yummy ... Maybe ...

Joey started real food today ... well, if you consider baby food vegetables real food he did. Two weeks ago he had rice cereal for the first time and one week ago he had oatmeal. All have been met with smiles and coos.
After we lined his options up on his high chair for him J-Bug decided we would start with squash.

After some initial reservation

he decided squash is indeed yummy.

Next on the menu? Carrots.

On a side note, Mommy's still on the dairy-free gig (Hi Joey's allergies! Thanks!) and her breakfast consisted of thai noodles and peanut butter :o).

Baby's First Christmas

Granted, we are a few days late but I sure don't want to miss a recount of the little guy's first Christmas. In accordance with Joe's family's traditions, we missed absolutely no time starting our Christmas season and the tree went up the weekend after Thanksgiving. Joey had his own tree in his room and he loved it!

The weekend after Joe's birthday we took a trip up to Binghamton and had a Christmas themed breakfast at none other than IHOP (yummy!), took Joey to see Santa (fun!), and picked up a Buffalo Bills ornament for J's tree. In a sweet turn of events it started to snow and so Joey met Santa and saw snow for the first time on December 5, 2009.

We kept with the usual family traditions this year and it was nice, busy and nice. Having children during the holiday amplifies the wonder of it all. Papa, Lola, and Auntie K (aka my dad, Jenn, and Kaelani) visited Christmas Eve morning to bring presents and smiles. We did our usual Christmas Eve shindig with family, food, and presents. Joey loved the wrapping paper and enjoyed trying to open his own presents! We ended the night with midnight mass. Our baby's snoring filled the silent moments during the mass and the people behind us were enchanted with our sweet baby sleeping covered by his Christmas blanket in his carrier throughout it all.

Joey, as you would expect, made out like a bandit on Christmas.

We had a nice breakfast with Aunt Jean and Grammie on Christmas morning and J got to have his first meal!! Rice ceral mixed with milk :o). To our delight he took right to it and Joe and I felt that was had chosen the exact right time to start.

Christmas night we went to Aunt Tina's for dinner and more presents. It was a great night and Lina looked adorable in her little dress and Santa hat. We eventually left when Joey passed out on Joe's shoulder, totally exhausted on Christmas night as a child should be.

Time is escaping us...

Well the little man turned five months old yesterday. Five Months. One more month and it will be half a year since we first saw the little face we anticipated for nine seemingly endless months. I remember being told while pregnant that although the nine months feel long as you are going through them, the delivery of your precious bundle quickly replaces your accurate memories with a glorified version complete with the illusion that the time sped by. It's true. It must be nature's way of ensuring the human race goes on. Every once in a while I have to remind myself that pregnancy was not kind to me --- I remember you nine-month-long-24-hour-a-day morning sickness!

The pregnancy time warp, however, has nothing on the time warp that occurs in houses where well-loved newborns reside. I grasp at seconds and moments, try to burn the brief periods of 'not being able to --insert task here--' into my memory, knowing well that a milestone is creeping up that will turn that period into part of who Joey was and not who Joey is. I just want to soak him up. And so here I am to record my memories, for my little boy is growing fast.

For a little visual of what five months can do ...

The Original J

The current J

Oh my little baby ....