Photo editing....

I downloaded a 30 day trial of Adobe Lightroom the other day, and have been playing around with it (while feeding Oliver ::multitasking::). It's a pretty cool program that lets you edit photos, and now that we have a pretty good camera I'm having a lot of fun with it. I know I've only scratched the surface of what it can do, but here's a cute picture of our first baby :)


[She was looking out the window next door at her best friend, Belle, playing fetch.]

6 weeks...

It's baffling to me to think that if I hadn't had a C-section, I would be going back to work tomorrow. I still have two weeks at home with my little man, luckily! I know it's going to be hard to leave him, but I'm thrilled that he will have wonderful people looking after him for the days I have to go back to work. Ben will "babysit" (I seriously dislike when Dads say they are babysitting... um... it's your kid too!) him for four days, then Judith (Ben's Mom) is coming for 2 weeks. After that, my mom will be here for 3 weeks, and finally my dad for a few days to help me move up to CT.

Here's Oliver playing with his little gym (above) - Stella has figured out that the ladybug (center) plays music when it's pulled. Fantastic.

Oliver smiled for the first time on Friday morning (both Ben and I were there to witness it), and has been periodically grinning since then. It's my goal for this week to capture it on camera, I've come close!

Also, I went for my first run on Saturday - a whole 2 miles with Kristin and the BOB (love it!). I also started the "Insanity" DVDs that Chris burned for us... someone who hadn't worked out for 30 days should not be allowed to do the "fitness test." Results will be burned. At least there's plenty of room for improvement!

My dad and Candy are here visiting for a few days (after a slightly disastrous pair of Southwest flights here). So far the elliptical has been fixed and they've only been here for 14 hours!

Ollie with Grandpa...

...and with Grandma Candy :)

Things I've Learned in North Carolina...

By now, you probably know that within the next 2-3 months, we are moving back up to Connecticut. We've had a great three years in North Carolina, but are excited to be rejoining the North - for lots of reasons. First, for family and friends. Also, Ben is looking forward to going back into teaching tennis, where he is rewarded more for his hard work. I'm lucky enough to be married to him, as I will have the privilege of staying home with Oliver next year. (We're pretty excited about the gastronomy we will get to partake in as well!)

Anyway, I know this blog has been pretty much Oliver (and Stella) focused, but here are a few things that we've learned in North Carolina, that we will one day share with our Southern-born son. (These are in no particular order).

#1 - Southern hospitality is not a myth. All of our neighbors wave to each other when they drive on our street. It's wonderful. I love it.
#1 1/2 Paula Deen is not a myth either. I'm pretty sure there are a few versions of her running around dropping kids off at my school.

#2 - You can cut the lights on, and conjugated verbs can be used in pairs - eg: I might could do that. What would Microsoft Word grammar editor say to that one?

#3 - Southern accents may prove problematic for phonetic spelling (I can now successfully read "Ima gona git me sum more" - can you?), as well as understanding homophones - see photo: (actual assignment from about 2 weeks ago)
#4 - When women don't like someone, but they don't want to admit it, they say "bless her heart." As if that were some consolation, it's really just code.

#5 - You are classified by the college sports team you support, State and UNC divide houses, destroy relationships, and it's pretty serious stuff. Don't even mention Duke or Wake....

#6 - The skullet. I was aware of the mullet (business in front, party in the back), but not this.... It is a skullet. Yes, that's right. Google it if you don't believe me. How did I come to 'know' or hear of this oh so fashionable hair style? It was parent-teacher conferences. What? A father actually had this hair do? Nope. It was a younger brother of one of my students. Yes, that's right, he was 4 years old and sporting this do. Let that marinate.

#7 - "Baby" is a completely appropriate nickname to call a young girl or woman. As in, a Kindergartner approaches her teacher and the teacher says, "whatcha need baby?" Interesting.

#8 - Hush puppies are a lot sweeter than I thought they would be. They are also unusually addictive.

#9 - Barbeque is different in North Carolina, and doesn't actually have BBQ sauce on it, it's vinegar. The sauce is white. Not tasty.

#10 - There are more churches than grocery stores, gas stations and fast food restaurants (which is hard to do), and they have very amusing messages on the marquees out front. Examples: "Need a new life? G-d accepts trade-ins", "The golf course is open after church on Sunday, too", "call us to find G-d, text us if you want to meet him." Oh there are so many....

#11 - Working at a low-income school (mostly rural) has taught me that neglect is everywhere, regardless of your socioeconomic status. It can be sending a child to school hungry and in shorts in January, or it can be sending a nanny to pick them up from school because a parent is too busy with their hairdresser. Children have the same basic needs, no matter what their zip code.

#12 - Some of the photos in those emails you get entitled "The People of Walmart" are shot at our local Walmart. I've seen them first hand.

In closing, I'd like to reiterate that we have thoroughly enjoyed our time here. We know that had we not moved down here, we might not have Stella and Oliver in our lives. We've made wonderful friends, who we will stay in touch with for years, and will miss dearly.

The little things....

Realizing I am the only one in the house that doesn't snore (outnumbered 3:1 now), I'm taking a little time to reflect on the immensity (is that a word?) of the last, well, year of my life. Deep, I know. I think it's because this is honestly the first quiet 15 minutes I've had alone in a while...

A little over a year ago, Ben and I decided that we wanted to start a family. I guess I've taken for granted how lucky we are to have Oliver in our life today. He is healthy, he is happy (most of the time!), and he is loved. There are so many deserving people in the world, some we know, others we will never know, who are not blessed in the same way as we are. And I can come to only one conclusion: what makes us worthy of this gift? Those of you who know me will know that I am not an overly religious person, which is a very strange thing for North Carolina, but having a child, looking at your baby's feet make you really think about the fact that there is something bigger than us. We are not better than any one else, but we have him, and others would give anything to experience the same.

Ben and I both cried hysterically when we heard Oliver cry for the first time almost five weeks ago, and we find ourselves looking at him at the oddest times... thinking to ourselves "wow, we made him" or contemplating the fact that somehow each and every part of him is perfect, and just where it needs to be.


When I was pregnant, I read somewhere that you will never know how much your parents love you until you have a child of your own. It couldn't be more true.

The cries at 2:00 am are worth getting up for and the diapers don't seem that bad...

Where does the time go....

Oliver is 5 weeks on Wednesday... as in two days from now. People always told me that it would go by quickly, I just didn't imagine it would fly by like this. Pretty soon I'll be registering him for Kindergarten, then teaching him how to drive....

We went into school today [Mommy had to write report cards - yippee!] and Oliver slept like a champ, until he decided to pass gas in front of our principal (oops!).

We have two adorable "Cuter than the dog" shirts, one seen below (the other is 6 months), and we're pretty glad that Stella can't read. Although she has been sleeping upstairs since he wore it the other day.... hmm....

Although the photo below is not the most flattering picture of my child (I'll admit it), I thought it was pretty cool that I caught him mid-head-up. Ollie is concentrating VERY hard in this one! He's been getting pretty good at holding his head, especially when I'm burping him - until he seems to head butt me!


Finally, I go in for my check-up on Friday (April Fool's Day, yes, I know...) and I'm hoping to get the all-clear to return to exercising. It's been a long few weeks, and I can't wait to go for a jog (not run, don't worry!) with little man in the stroller. Fingers crossed!

Oliver's First Trip to Florida

The bags are packed, we're ready to go....

Last week, Meredith, Oliver and I drove down to Palm Beach, Florida to stay with my Grandma for a few days. We broke the 600 mile drive up into six or seven different segments, stopped to change nappies (translation = diapers), feed the munchkin and ourselves! It took us about 14 hours each way, but it was well worth it. (See picture below)

Here's a great picture of my grandmother, Oliver's great grandmother, holding him. She loved meeting him, kept commenting on how cute he was, how all he ever did was eat (it seemed like it most days!) and enjoyed showing him off to as many friends as possible (Corrine, Alex and Gloria, and her neighbor Anne).

It wouldn't be a trip to Florida without visiting the beach... Oliver stayed asleep the whole time, must have been the calming ocean waves! (Like his mom, I suppose!) The weather was beautiful, between 75 and 80 every day, with some cloud cover, a nice breeze, couldn't have asked for anything better, except for maybe a few more days there!

We all slept very well... sea air, ocean waves, whatever it was! Mommy enjoyed an afternoon nap snuggling with Ollie each day :) The couch was super comfortable and we slept on it pretty much every night together even with the Graco in the middle of the room.

"Aunt" Meredith was a great sport for sharing the driving, and Grams is already planning on setting her up with a "nice Jewish boy" (aka a grandson of one of her friends).

Tomorrow (3/23) is Oliver's one month check-up... how could it be ONE MONTH already?

Almost 2 weeks.... already?

Oliver is officially almost 2 weeks old - I can't believe it! It seems like he's been here longer than that :) We've been up to a lot, but not much at the same time... and I haven't had a whole lot of 'free' time to update the blog. Between nursing, cleaning, spending time with our family members who have been visiting - there are only so many hours in the day.


Oliver's AuntS Rock! And he's got a lot of them! Seven to be exact - Alex, Amie, Sarah, Ali, Merin, Mikaela, and McKenna. Sarah bought him the shirt above, and Ollie's Colorado aunts bought him the same one but bigger so he can wear it in a few months too! :)


With Grandma's help, we gave Oliver his first bath and he didn't hate it. After his hair wash, it curled a bit - yay for Daddy's genes there hopefully!


What a cutie pie!

Oliver and Stella have become fast friends. She has really calmed down since he's been home. She was VERY curious at first, jumped up on me (ouch!) and really enjoys licking the back of his head. She got excited the first few days when he cried, but now she just rolls her eyes. She also follows us upstairs in the middle of the night when I change him and nurse him in the playroom. She just curls up on the couch, or by the rocking chair, and then follows us downstairs again. If they aren't friends already, they will be when he starts dropping food for her!

I've been feeling pretty good since coming home, with the C-section and all... we've walked a few times in the front (about 2 miles) using our awesome Moby wrap (picture above), but we're super excited for our stroller to come tomorrow!

The Graco Pack-N-Play arrived today (along with a bunch of other fun presents), so that when we go to FLORIDA next week to see Oliver's great grandmother he'll have somewhere to sleep. Meredith is coming down on Sunday and we're driving down Monday, spending Tuesday and Wednesday, then coming back Thursday.

I'll hopefully update with pictures from Florida next week!