Funny

This video shows their relationship. With a little bit of proving Mom wrong at the end. :)

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9 Months!

Dear Little P,

You've now been outside of my belly longer than you were in. Congrats! You've come a long way from that little tiny microscopic cell you started out as. What a month you've had! Aside from crawling around at the speed of light, you are finally S-L-O-W-L-Y taking on more solid foods. You've been pretty adverse to the whole thing and you're finally opening up to the whole idea. Just today you had some canned mandarin orange pieces, cottage cheese, AND some bits of chicken. Usually you spit everything right out but you finally gummed it all up and down the hatch it went! I was getting worried.
On another note, you also went on your first trip on the airplane to Aruba. Weee! You did great. There, you enjoyed the pools, the lazy river, the ocean and the sand. You were the picture of politeness during our dinners out (I know that won't last forever, so we enjoyed it while we could). You also got to bond with your Grandma and Grampa Carty there as they got to know you better. They love you very much, I wish you could understand how much fun they had with you in the lazy river. It was such a special time. I just loved seeing you so happy in the warm sun...I've never seen you smile and laugh so much. I guess you're like me in that you love the warmer weather. I love seeing you so bright-eyed and gleeful; each smile is a huge gift. I just want to put them all in my pocket...but I guess there would be too many and I wouldn't be able to move around, huh? You've also just started sprouting one of your upper teeth...the center left one. It hasn't been fun for you; but you've been a trooper. Today you had your 9 month doctor checkup and you measured a crazy-tall 29.25 inches and you weighed 20lbs 8oz. Dr. Larry suggested that you drop one of your bottles during the day (you get 5, so now you'll get 4 in 24 hours) and increase your solids. Thank God you're finally coming around to the whole solids thing. You're fine with ultra-pureed stuff, but you were dead against any REAL pieces of food. When you get hungry, I'm supposed to give you solids now and the bottles are to become more of a secondary meal/snack AFTER your solids. I think cooking for you is going to really inspire me in the kitchen and I'll do more cooking for your Dad and me. We'll see, I guess! Your Dad is the chef of the house, so I know it will be a treat for him if I make a meal or two. :)
I'm rambling now, so I'll close this soon and say WOW, I CAN'T believe you're already 9 months old. Whoosh! The hands of time really whirl around! I'm so lucky to be your Mom. It's such an honor to witness all of your special milestones and smiles...I can't stand the thought of missing any. I stare at you all day just in awe of you and how special you are. You are an angel who picked us to be your parents and we work hard to show how appreciative and lucky we are for this fact. One day, when I'm making you clean your room or punishing you for some infraction or other I hope you'll remember that I always feel lucky you are my daughter and that I always love you more to infinity.
Love you always and forever,
Mama

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Clothes!

Hi friends!
I was perusing the Anthropologie website today during my "lunch hour" and saw this lovely outfit. I thought of how I could pull this off with a kid; which most outfits I see would never work. Although, the necklace would get ripped apart pretty quickly, huh?
Since having Paige, I've needed:
1. Easy to clean garments
2. Garments that have no stretchy V neck (unless I'm wearing a cami).
3. Scoop necks are out too.
4. I need long shirts
5. Delicate fabrics are out
6. Accessories? What are those again?

*sigh* I have so many beloved articles of clothing sitting in my closet from my office days. Many things are wool, silk, and cashmere...obviously all fit for the dry cleaner. I guess it doesn't matter since most of the pants don't even fit my new figure. Blahhh.
It's well worth the price, but I miss my old clothes.
The casual things I DO have...well...many things have to stand the test of Paige. She likes to pull down my v-necks or scoop necks while I hold her. While Chris enjoys this, I am modest and do not. Just the act of holding her pulls the neck down, much less her grabby little hands going exploring. Plus, now that I have a little more cushioning, I find that my pants don't cover me as well anymore so I need longer shirts to cover my butt. And of course, when she spits up, sneezes all over me, or some other such thing I need to be able to wash and dry the item in a snap. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find things that fit the bill. I've been doing ok so far, thanks to places like T.J. Maxx or Shade Clothing. It's hard to find whole outfits that are stylish and fit all my criteria. I guess I'll be selling a lot of my old stuff at the yard sale this spring. Could this be a chance for a fresh start and a new look? Hmmm. I'd better start saving my money! Where do you like to shop for stylish and easy things?

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Aruba 2010!

Hi friends!!
I'm sorry we've been missing...we went on vacation with Chris' parents last week to Aruba! Paige (and the rest of us) loved it! She did great on the plane rides (only crying before her naps). She really enjoyed the sand and the sights and of course the lazy river pool. She could have floated all day long in there! She didn't get seasick on our snorkeling sail one afternoon, rather, she enjoyed seeing the seagulls and relaxing on the lounge pads. She behaved nicely at all the restaurants at dinner and was just a sweetie to all the strangers who talked to her. I was a proud Mama! I'm bummed to be back in the cold winter chill, but am so thankful and happy to have such wonderful memories of Paige's very first big trip away! I'll be back in this space regularly this week and I hope you all are well. I'll share some photos below to help keep you warm too!

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Don't you just hate it when...

the baby poo gets everywhere? Oh yes. It's the kind of story that's always funny later, but when it's happening you're all "holy SHIT! it's effing everywhere! Somebody help meeee!" Then you wish you could hit a button that takes you to a warm and sunny tropical place with a nice drink...SERENITY NOW!...and then zings you back once you feel relaxed.
Anyway, I've heard tons of poo stories in my day. One where my brother, when he was a wee baby, decided to take his poo-filled diaper off and explore it with his hands during a productive nap time. And then it got all in his hair, himself, all over the crib, the walls, etc. etc. My poor mother knew something was up due to the smell coming from the room and walked in to the massacre. Most people have tales like this. I'm dreading having one to tell of my own. There are other tales of potty training when the little one takes off the diaper to be free of its shackles and then promptly crouches down to make a neat pile on the welcome mat, rug, or other snazzy surface. I've managed to keep the poo problems to a minimum until this morning when Little P decided it was time to do a giant gift for me in her diaper. I stuck her on her changing pad and forgot to give her the little toy that usually distracts her. Once I got the diaper off, the mess was bigger than I'd planned (what's new?) and she promptly stuck her hand down there. Into the fray. AGH! NO!! I barked and grabbed her hand before it could touch her mouth or anything else. I got it just in time, but it was all IN her hand, you know? Hands have a lot of nooks. ick. So, while I was frantically wiping her hand and gagging, she decided to flail her little legs around and both socked feet bumped up in to the fray too. So, I had to rip the socks off her feet, STAT. Now, there was poo all over the changing pad because she was wiggling like a worm on a hook. Anyhoo, it all got cleaned up eventually...just lots of clothes, items, and myself were victim to the skirmish. Now, of course, I'm paranoid about the next poo. I'm such a lightweight about the whole issue. Many friends call me a wuss. But I say, hey, don't tell me you get poo all over your hands and all over the place and that YOU don't freak out just a little.

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The Sweater

Over the holiday, Chris' sisters handed over a few bags of clothes that their little ladies have outgrown. Needless to say, this is a huge help to us and it's so fun to see all the cute little things get worn again. As I was going through the bag the other day, I pulled out and unfolded this soft cozy little sweater and it brought back a rush of feelings. We bought this sweater for my sister in law's soon-to-be-born baby while we were on our trip to Florence, Italy in October 2007. We found it at a quaint baby clothing boutique in a tiny little village just outside Florence...after checking out some ancient amphitheater ruins and its grounds. We were excited to be on this trip; and it was a life-long dream of mine to see Florence and all its art. We were also excited because I had just begun my second pregnancy and my mind was filled with all the possibilities of the future. I was tempted to buy a little something for MY little baby, but decided against it. Superstitious, I suppose. We found the sweater, fell in love, and purchased it for our niece who was born just two short days later. The next morning I woke up to heavy cramps, bleeding, and my second miscarriage of what would be 4 before Little P came to us. It was the last day of our trip and half of it was spent racing around to different hospitals through Florence. The story of THAT is here. Anyway, the soft sweater was enjoyed and and carefully folded and stored. This sweater has seen a lot! It's funny how a piece of cloth can bring about so many memories and emotions. But, life is a collection of these...moments and the props that are part of them that stay in our minds to form such clear pictures. To thrust forth such clear feelings. It was such a sad time, but amongst the loss came the blessing of life in our new niece and I DID get to see all of the treasures of the Renaissance...and shared them with my second little babe and my loving husband. A dream come true! The sweater is now out to be enjoyed once again; it warms my heart that Paige is here with us to wear it and remind us of life's miracles.

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Winter

Hi friends!
Over the weekend we had several days of snowfall here in the woods of Massachusetts. Some days were frigidly cold, while others were "mild" with heavy snowfall. We found ourselves hanging out indoors most of the time and this lead to some serious cabin fever. Well, we solved the problem by taking Paige out in the falling snow to use her brand new shiny snow sleigh, courtesy of her Grandma and Rico. Her first time "playing" in the snow went better than I'd imagined! We bundled her up in her "new" snowsuit, handed down from her cousin, and out we went. One thing I learned: a sleigh isn't meant for deep fluffy snow. It's meant for packed down flat snow...the kind left behind after a plow has come through. We pulled her in the yard for a bit, but all that did was push the snow out of the way and cause the sleigh to tilt upward. Poor Little P looked shell shocked. We tried to pull her along the hiking path behind our house, but, again the snow was too deep and not yet packed down. She did seem to enjoy looking at the trees and the falling snow. We then took the sleigh to the road and pulled her along the packed snowy part on the edge. We live on a dead end street, so it was safe. Up and down we went and she had a ball. It was much easier there! So, lessons were learned on our part. And Paige had fun. That was the important part. Winters full of snow and cold get very depressing when you can't get outside much. As a child, I was outside in the snow practically every day. I wore a full snow suit and played with my sled on the hill in our yard. I also built snow forts and snowmen. But, with a baby, those things just aren't yet feasible to do with her. And let's face it: bundling up a baby and one's self to go outside is a giant pain in the ass. And, don't get me started on the snow quality when it melts a bit and freezes into a giant hard mass of icy grossness. That's the stuff that rips your flesh off if you dare run your hand along it (or your face if you are unlucky enough to fall off your sled). That crap is no fun to play in. (nor is the yellow snow) Anyway, winter can suck, but with a little extra effort it's not so bad. It will be worth it once Little P can enjoy the great outdoors with us. For now, we have just a few more months to get through before the fresh warmth of spring graces us and we can run and walk freely. I can't wait!

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Happy New Year!

Hello! Welcome, 2010!
2009 was such a great year for us (finally!) but we'll see what 2010 has in store. I know there are lots of great moments to cherish coming up!
I haven't bothered with any resolutions for this year. But, I WOULD like to clean out the bathroom closet and the laundry room. But those are chores, not resolutions. I suppose the resolutions to match would be "keep the bathroom closet and laundry room neat." I might as well try and catch the wind.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to all the things to happen this year...there are trips planned and visits to fun local places in store. Paige will be turning one and this will be a big adventurous time. But, since for now it's winter, there's not a whole ton of outdoor things we can do just yet. More on that in another post. Our attentions have turned to indoor activities.
We started some organizing already with a new bookcase from Ikea (the expedit) that now resides in our family room to house all of Paige's toys from Christmas. Everything has its place and when she starts walking she will be able to access her toys herself and eventually learn to put things away too. For now, we choose a few things (the age-appropriate toys, books, and some random household objects) to take out each morning for her to play with during the day and then we put it away at bedtime. I usually grab a total of 4 or 5 totally different things. It works out great and keeps her from being overwhelmed by too many choices through the day.
Alrighty, I'm off to nurse this nasty cold I have. I hope you are well and are enjoying your New Year so far!

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