Trying to cr... walk?

This video pretty accurately depicts Oliver's struggles with crawling. He is very frustrated to say the least. He knows exactly what he wants to do, but can't figure it out. He's trying to stand up (as you can see with his feet) as opposed to crawling. It's pretty cute, but he doesn't think so! It's a pretty good yoga position to say the least :)

Our latest 'trick'

I tried ALL day to get this video, and finally did. I had to delicately balance the camera on my knee and do 'my part' - otherwise O was too busy focusing on the camera. He's getting better at ignoring it, I just need to be hands-free for this one! Enjoy!



Thanks to Grandma and Gigi for also practicing this with O the past week!

(I also like how he's got a soccer ball in his lap, and Stella is exhausted in the background from our evening walk.)

7 months!

Today Oliver is 7 months old and I can hardly believe it!

Once again, it's rainy here in the northeast... and Ben is in Florida at a conference (Lucky duck!)

Today has been a great napping day. Both naps (yes, only two!) were without crying one bit. We managed to get out to Stroller Strides (in the mall, yippee! = Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte for me!), and get back without a cat nap. That meant he slept from 10:30 - 12:15, and has just gone down again at 4:00 for his reinstated 'Oprah nap.'

We also got to Skype with Grandpa (in Colorado) and Auntie Sar (at college!)

I love those beautiful blue eyes!

A little mischievous, yes?
(I WISH I knew what he was thinking most of the time, especially in times like this!)

Gigi's friends, Alex and Gloria, gave Oliver these awesome nesting/stacking alphabet blocks. Although they say 2+, we've been playing with them (under supervision, of course!), and he really likes to knock them down. Sometimes he even tries to clap when he does it!



(The music in the background is his Baby Einstein CD playing, I didn't add it!)

This is truly the best sound in the world....

Updates.... (again)

Updates. (I feel like I'm always updating and never actually blogging as things happen - oops!)

Before we begin, here is a mathematical equation to represent our current food standings.
banana > pears > avocado > sweet potato > carrots > squash > peas
(Peas are the bottom rung by a LONG SHOT)

Up next: apples, peaches, asparagus
(it smells and looks awful, so I won't blame the kid if he doesn't like them!)

Our 6 month check-up conversation went like such...
Doctor: "Can he sit up?"
Me: "Sure, for about 25-30 minutes at a time."
Doctor: "Great, how long can he sit without leaning on his hands?"
Me: "About 25-30 minutes at a time."
Doctor: "Oh really? Wow. Let me see something." (Doctor holds O under the armpits, and leans him forwards like he's falling. Oliver puts his hands out as if to catch his fall.)
Doctor: "Mrs. Porter, I'm afraid you're in trouble. He has what we call 'parachute reflexes' already. I wouldn't be surprised if he is walking by 10 1/2 months."

Awesome. Let the baby proofing begin! (Note: crawling or attempting to crawl is far from his favorite thing to do.... he gets so frustrated because he knows what he wants to do, but can't. Maybe he'll be like Auntie Sar, crawl for a day and then walk!)

Oliver and I did our first 10K last Saturday (9/10) in Danbury and I was really worried about the timing, him needing to eat, nap, etc. but it went really well! I was the first stroller to cross the finish line, we did it in 57:15 which boils down to a 9:12/mile pace. Not bad for our first race! (The course was a double loop, and about 1.5 of each 3.1 miles was a very steady incline, good thing we've been practicing hills!)

We bought this snuggly hat at Target yesterday (side note: they have REALLY cute North Face-type jackets and other adorable winter clothes for kids). I clearly panicked because of the suddenly cold weather (45 degrees walking the dog yesterday morning!) and bought him sweaters, fake ugg boots (they're cuter, with little doggies on them). This hat was nice and warm, so he fell asleep in the stroller this morning :) So angelic!

This might be one of my favorite pictures of O to date. First of all, he's smiling. His smile makes everything okay. Second, this was my sweatshirt as a kid. (There are pants that go with it). It's a size 2T. Yep, that's right. It barely fits over melon head! Plus, you can see his two little teethies!!!! (I've been trying to capture them for more than a month now!) I also love that this was right after our Stroller Strides class ended (at Kensico Dam, behind him in the picture), and he loves playing on the mat when we're done. There are also about 3 other babies his age (a boy 1 day older, a girl 1 day younger and another adorable girl 3 weeks younger - I think he's got a crush on her!). It's really cute to see them interact, grab each other's shoes, and make noises at each other.

P.S. A HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE congrats to my cousin, Danielle, and her husband, Dan. They're expecting in February and we couldn't be happier for them. If you're interested in following their story, check out their blog (selbysonline.blogspot.com). Love you guys! xoxo

'Dating' after Marriage

I think I should begin this blog entry by saying that the title, albeit slightly misleading, is the only title I could think of as appropriate for this 'revelation'. Ben and I are perfectly happy, and this does not allude to any problems, just trust me and please read on.

I've found that there are two types of so-called 'dating' after one gets married. The first is dating for couple friends, and the second I've recently encountered is dating for mom/baby friends.

Ben and I experienced the first (couple dating) together, mainly when we were living in North Carolina. We had single friends, who would invite their significant others out with us, and that was totally normal and not discussion-worthy to us. Then, we were asked out on a date. We took Stella to PetSmart dog training classes (pre-pregnancy), with the SOLE intention of training her (the results are often debatable), but found ourselves surrounded by couples with dogs. Small chat was made during class, and sometimes even on our way in or out of the store. It mainly had to do with the dogs, their behavior, and how well we (as owners) were doing our homework with practicing the training. On the last night of class, after puppy graduation (and Frosty Paws), a lovely young couple chatted with us. Background: they're both Romanian and Ben and I are pretty sure he's the real-life Jason Bourne in the military, speaks about 14 languages, and gets sketchy phone calls that he 'has to take care of'. They approached us after class, made some small talk, and then said "we should grab dinner sometime, can we exchange phone numbers?" We did, we hung out with them a few times, invited them to our Super Bowl party, and then our 'couple friendship' faded into the distance.... like a relationship that had just taken it's course.

The second type of 'dating' I have experienced since moving back up North, over the past two months or so. It happens while I'm walking the dog and Oliver sometimes, but mainly during my trips to Stroller Strides. If you get a group of moms together, mostly stay-at-home moms, they're bound to chat, and 'find' each other. I met a few very nice moms while we were in Ridgefield, who sent and/or accepted Facebook friendship requests (does that make our 'friendship' official?). I met a very nice mom last week, who has a son one day older than Oliver, and it was obvious from early on that we had a lot in common - other than our same-aged babies and desire to 'get out and do something' every day. We were walking back to our cars after class when I said "well if you're here on Friday, we will see you then." I was caught a bit off guard when she responded "yeah, and if you guys don't have anything to do after, maybe we can grab a coffee or something..." A date? I was asked out on a Mommy date! I was very happy to have 'made a friend', and to have a good excuse to go sit and have a cup of coffee, but I really wanted someone (like Ben) to laugh with about the whole situation. We had coffee today, and Oliver's playdate slept the whole time. It was nice to have some adult conversation, and discuss the issues that are oh so pressing in our lives these days (Did he like Peas? How often does he wake up? What is his bedtime routine?), as well as the 'getting to know you' questions we most likely asked our husbands when getting to know them. Now, that we've exchanged numbers - she said she would text me so I have her number, although I'm still waiting. Wait, what? This is like dating all over again. I'm wondering how she thinks our date went. Will she ask me to go to lunch next, or will she spend next class trying to find a new Mommy friend? Hahahaha. I can't help but laugh at the whole thing.

The bottom line is that I thought I was done with dating when I got married. It's just different type of 'dating' now. That is all. Best wishes to all who 'Mommy date.'