I'm babysitting an extra baby today. Baby Cora, who is 5 1/2 months old, is visiting for the day. She normally splits time between her grandparents, but one of them is sick in the hospital, so I'm trying to help out.
Right now, both little ones are napping. Nice.
We'll see how it goes. My mom said it's like being in the on deck circle and putting the extra weight on your bat. When the weight is gone, it will feel like you aren't even holding a bat. I am not sure it works the same for babies. Especially when the bat is Isaac and the weight is sweet Cora. :)
Anyhow, that's the news from here.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Thursday Night TV
Yay!!
The season premieres of The Office and My Name is Earl are on tonight. I'm so very very excited. And so very very thankful for the wonderful technology of tivo. :)
The season premieres of The Office and My Name is Earl are on tonight. I'm so very very excited. And so very very thankful for the wonderful technology of tivo. :)
Monday, September 24, 2007
8 Months.
Isaac is eight months old today. He's getting so big. He changes everyday. It's amazing. I could just sit and watch him play forever. I actually HAVE to sit and watch him play, or else he'll climb onto something, under something, put things in his mouth, shut fingers in doors and drawers... etcetera. He's a mess. Anyhow, here's his seven month slideshow. There's 88 pictures, so if you don't have time, you can go here to see them all at once.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
The Battle of the Crab Grass
Our whole yard has been taken over by crab grass. I tried to keep up with it in our first summer here. And last summer, I managed for awhile, but the war was won towards the end of summer. This year, with a monsterbaby, I was ill-equipped to go to battle, so the crab grass happily inhabited all of our natural areas, and quickly our yard looked like we had abandoned our home.
We tried Round-Up. The crab grass laughed at us, and continued growing with little setback.
We tried some promising poison stuff. It killed everything in the natural area. Or so it seemed. The crab grass came back to life like a soap opera villain.
So, today, we gathered up the troops and mounted an attack. The plan was to dig up all plants that are currently (legally) residing in the natural area. (Note: part b of this part of the plan was to replant said plants, but as we speak they are sitting in the back yard suffocating). We then would weed whack down the crab grass and rake that out. Then, Derek would till up the whole area, thus exposing the roots and we would rake out this infrastructure. We'd smooth it all out, put landscape fabric down, cover with a hefty dose of mulch and have a nice, crab grass free environment for planting in the Spring.
Everything went ok. We weed whacked and raked. Then, Derek tilled. The network of roots was only slightly disrupted. You see, crab grass roots apparently go down to the core of the earth. There was no amount of raking or pulling that was going to clean out this natural area. Because the amount of work needed to get out those roots was enormous, we switched gears and decided that we would just cover the area with fabric and mulch and hope for the best. Unfortunately, at this point, we were spent and we didn't have any pins to hold down the fabric, so we called it quits.
Right now, I imagine the crab grass generals are huddled in their bunkers planning a vicious counterstrike, but beware crab grass - we are coming back next weekend, in full force, and you don't have a prayer.
Until next summer.
We tried Round-Up. The crab grass laughed at us, and continued growing with little setback.
We tried some promising poison stuff. It killed everything in the natural area. Or so it seemed. The crab grass came back to life like a soap opera villain.
So, today, we gathered up the troops and mounted an attack. The plan was to dig up all plants that are currently (legally) residing in the natural area. (Note: part b of this part of the plan was to replant said plants, but as we speak they are sitting in the back yard suffocating). We then would weed whack down the crab grass and rake that out. Then, Derek would till up the whole area, thus exposing the roots and we would rake out this infrastructure. We'd smooth it all out, put landscape fabric down, cover with a hefty dose of mulch and have a nice, crab grass free environment for planting in the Spring.
Everything went ok. We weed whacked and raked. Then, Derek tilled. The network of roots was only slightly disrupted. You see, crab grass roots apparently go down to the core of the earth. There was no amount of raking or pulling that was going to clean out this natural area. Because the amount of work needed to get out those roots was enormous, we switched gears and decided that we would just cover the area with fabric and mulch and hope for the best. Unfortunately, at this point, we were spent and we didn't have any pins to hold down the fabric, so we called it quits.
Right now, I imagine the crab grass generals are huddled in their bunkers planning a vicious counterstrike, but beware crab grass - we are coming back next weekend, in full force, and you don't have a prayer.
Until next summer.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
New Pictures
Here's some pictures of the little man. He's doing great (except for the misery of teething - there are three top teeth poking through and I think the fourth is not far behind). We weighed him this morning and he came in at a whopping 20 pounds.
Somebody or somebodies said something about "they grow up so fast"....
Just Playing:
In Wild West Virginia, with Jake and the Grandma:
On the 6 hour car trip, even a foot is interesting:
Isaac is obsessed with Lucy's toy basket. He takes out all of her toys, and yesterday decided to get into it (although it was a bit of an accident - he was trying to get over it):
Just playing and being all innocent:
:)
He likes to press his face down on the kitchen floor. I don't know if he's looking for something, or if it just feels nice and cool on his cheek. It's a better alternative to when he licks the kitchen floor.
Somebody or somebodies said something about "they grow up so fast"....
Just Playing:
In Wild West Virginia, with Jake and the Grandma:
On the 6 hour car trip, even a foot is interesting:
Isaac is obsessed with Lucy's toy basket. He takes out all of her toys, and yesterday decided to get into it (although it was a bit of an accident - he was trying to get over it):
Just playing and being all innocent:
:)
He likes to press his face down on the kitchen floor. I don't know if he's looking for something, or if it just feels nice and cool on his cheek. It's a better alternative to when he licks the kitchen floor.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Meet in the Middle
On Friday, we left for Morgantown, West Virginia, which is approximately halfway between Batavia, NY and Lewisville, NC. My Mom and Jake drove down and we met at a lovely little hotel, well off the beaten path.
On the ride up, the boy didn't much go for car sleeping, so it got pretty stressful around 9:00. He usually falls asleep around 7:00, so I was a little worried about the quality of day we would have if he was up so late. When, we arrived, he was fired up. He wanted to play play play. Finally, after we turned all the lights off in the room, made a barricade so that he couldn't see anything out of his pack and play, and all layed very still and quiet, the boy nodded off around 11:00 pm.
And then he was up and at 'em at his usual time: 6:00 am. It's amazing. He seemed to be in a good mood, so we had the Continental Breakfast (which was one of Jake's favorite parts of the trip - along with mini soaps, the key cards and the Sheetz across the parking lot). He took a short nap after that and we were on our way to downtown Morgantown.
We strolled around for awhile and then headed to the riverfront park where the Mason-Dixon Festival was being held. It was a little bit of a letdown. We paraded around, taking in the local atmosphere, then making fun of it, then finding it a little bit sad, and finally settling on that it was entertaining. Isaac rode the Merry-Go-Round and seemed entirely indifferent. Jake went down a giant blowup slide and Jake and my Mom rode the Ferris Wheel with two whole other people. :)
After we'd had enough, we went back to the hotel. Isaac napped for a couple of hours (he hadn't slept all day) and we all relaxed after our exciting outing. When he woke up, we went for a swim and then loaded back into the toaster for a trip to the local mall. We all made a few purchases, Jake and Derek played the claw machine for awhile and won some (poorly constructe) Simpson's plush toys, and we went to an arcade. We left and settled on Pizza Hut for dinner, which was delicious and filling. Note: the Pizza Hut by the Morgantown Mall does NOT have a salad bar. Sad.
Back at the hotel, Derek stayed in the room while Isaac tried to fall asleep. Jake and my Mom and I went to the pool and jacuzzi. After waiting for our turn in the jacuzzi, my mom and I hopped in, only to quickly find ourselves surrounded by several children of inattentive parents. Annoyed, we cut the stay short.
We went back to the room where Isaac was still fighting sleep, but finally he did doze of while the rest of us watched tv and/or read books and finally went to bed ourselves. We woke up, lazily packed up and headed out to our respective hometowns. The drive back was smooth. The boy took a short nap at one point, which was nice, but he chose to stay awake for the most of it. He was pretty good, however, mostly due to an orange creme sucker I was letting him taste every now and then. He took a long nap upon our arrival home, and got up for dinner and a bath and went to bed at 7:00. His usual time. In his usual place. And everything is back to normal.
On the ride up, the boy didn't much go for car sleeping, so it got pretty stressful around 9:00. He usually falls asleep around 7:00, so I was a little worried about the quality of day we would have if he was up so late. When, we arrived, he was fired up. He wanted to play play play. Finally, after we turned all the lights off in the room, made a barricade so that he couldn't see anything out of his pack and play, and all layed very still and quiet, the boy nodded off around 11:00 pm.
And then he was up and at 'em at his usual time: 6:00 am. It's amazing. He seemed to be in a good mood, so we had the Continental Breakfast (which was one of Jake's favorite parts of the trip - along with mini soaps, the key cards and the Sheetz across the parking lot). He took a short nap after that and we were on our way to downtown Morgantown.
We strolled around for awhile and then headed to the riverfront park where the Mason-Dixon Festival was being held. It was a little bit of a letdown. We paraded around, taking in the local atmosphere, then making fun of it, then finding it a little bit sad, and finally settling on that it was entertaining. Isaac rode the Merry-Go-Round and seemed entirely indifferent. Jake went down a giant blowup slide and Jake and my Mom rode the Ferris Wheel with two whole other people. :)
After we'd had enough, we went back to the hotel. Isaac napped for a couple of hours (he hadn't slept all day) and we all relaxed after our exciting outing. When he woke up, we went for a swim and then loaded back into the toaster for a trip to the local mall. We all made a few purchases, Jake and Derek played the claw machine for awhile and won some (poorly constructe) Simpson's plush toys, and we went to an arcade. We left and settled on Pizza Hut for dinner, which was delicious and filling. Note: the Pizza Hut by the Morgantown Mall does NOT have a salad bar. Sad.
Back at the hotel, Derek stayed in the room while Isaac tried to fall asleep. Jake and my Mom and I went to the pool and jacuzzi. After waiting for our turn in the jacuzzi, my mom and I hopped in, only to quickly find ourselves surrounded by several children of inattentive parents. Annoyed, we cut the stay short.
We went back to the room where Isaac was still fighting sleep, but finally he did doze of while the rest of us watched tv and/or read books and finally went to bed ourselves. We woke up, lazily packed up and headed out to our respective hometowns. The drive back was smooth. The boy took a short nap at one point, which was nice, but he chose to stay awake for the most of it. He was pretty good, however, mostly due to an orange creme sucker I was letting him taste every now and then. He took a long nap upon our arrival home, and got up for dinner and a bath and went to bed at 7:00. His usual time. In his usual place. And everything is back to normal.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Make that FOUR
So, upon further inspection into the mouth of one (not happy to cooperate) Isaac T. Lidbom, it has come to my attention that he has not just one top tooth coming in, but two.
Here's the weird part. It's not the top middles. It's the ones on both sides of the middle two teeth. So, unless those middle two quickly arrive on the scened, we're going to have a Mr. Vampire on our hands for a little while. :)
He's been very very crabby lately, and I think it's the teeth. I hope it's the teeth, that is. I just loaded him up with some Tylenol for his morning nap, so hopefully, he'll get a solid two hours and be in a good mood for today.
(Yesterday was not so great.)
Anyhow, for anyone keeping track or who had Isaac in their baby fantasy league, that's 4 teeth, not 3. :)
Here's the weird part. It's not the top middles. It's the ones on both sides of the middle two teeth. So, unless those middle two quickly arrive on the scened, we're going to have a Mr. Vampire on our hands for a little while. :)
He's been very very crabby lately, and I think it's the teeth. I hope it's the teeth, that is. I just loaded him up with some Tylenol for his morning nap, so hopefully, he'll get a solid two hours and be in a good mood for today.
(Yesterday was not so great.)
Anyhow, for anyone keeping track or who had Isaac in their baby fantasy league, that's 4 teeth, not 3. :)
Monday, September 10, 2007
Three Teeth
Isaac's third tooth has arrived on the scene.
He's been scraping his bottom two across his top gums for a couple of weeks now, so we knew it was coming. I felt around yesterday and felt the little hard ridge of sharp tooth poking through.
The little man is getting so big!!
He's been scraping his bottom two across his top gums for a couple of weeks now, so we knew it was coming. I felt around yesterday and felt the little hard ridge of sharp tooth poking through.
The little man is getting so big!!
0-1
For those of you that don't know, I grew up a Miami Dolphins fan.
There were three main reasons contributing to this:
1. Bobby Ehmann (who sat next to me in 5th grade) like the Dolphins. Wanting to fit in, I feigned interest - which soon became real interest - which soon became undying love.
2. My family members were ALL Bills fans (which makes sense living 30 minutes from Buffalo, NY). It's not why I chose to like Miami, but upon learning of the intense rivalry, I stuck to my guns.
3. Dan Marino was (at the time) the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. Of course, his lack of superbowl ring and the surpassing of many of his records by Peyton Manning leaves this up for some debate.
Anyhow, I was looking forward to this season. They finally have a quarterback whose name I have heard of. They have a new coach. And hopes are high.
Then, they lost their first game in overtime yesterday. Will it be another season that leaves me waiting until next year? Probably.
There were three main reasons contributing to this:
1. Bobby Ehmann (who sat next to me in 5th grade) like the Dolphins. Wanting to fit in, I feigned interest - which soon became real interest - which soon became undying love.
2. My family members were ALL Bills fans (which makes sense living 30 minutes from Buffalo, NY). It's not why I chose to like Miami, but upon learning of the intense rivalry, I stuck to my guns.
3. Dan Marino was (at the time) the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. Of course, his lack of superbowl ring and the surpassing of many of his records by Peyton Manning leaves this up for some debate.
Anyhow, I was looking forward to this season. They finally have a quarterback whose name I have heard of. They have a new coach. And hopes are high.
Then, they lost their first game in overtime yesterday. Will it be another season that leaves me waiting until next year? Probably.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
boring days...
there's not been very much exciting stuff happening in our world.
isaac's gotten into a decent routine, so it's getting easier and easier with each passing day. he climbed up the stairs all by himself last week. needless to say, we now have the gate closed during all waking hours.
i went to some consignment sales yesterday and scored some cheap secondhand clothes for the growing little man. we put some 6-9 month footed pj's on him last night and they were stretched as tight as they could go. on to the next size up, i suppose.
we're heading halfway up the eastern u.s. next weekend to meet my mom and jake. they need to get their isaac fix. we don't have a meeting place yet, but it will be somewhere in the middle of west virginia, if you know any good places...
well, i have to get ready for church. or should i say, get ready to sit in the lobby with a screaming baby after i get called out of church because he was having a meltdown. seems pointless, but i've got to at least give it a try....
isaac's gotten into a decent routine, so it's getting easier and easier with each passing day. he climbed up the stairs all by himself last week. needless to say, we now have the gate closed during all waking hours.
i went to some consignment sales yesterday and scored some cheap secondhand clothes for the growing little man. we put some 6-9 month footed pj's on him last night and they were stretched as tight as they could go. on to the next size up, i suppose.
we're heading halfway up the eastern u.s. next weekend to meet my mom and jake. they need to get their isaac fix. we don't have a meeting place yet, but it will be somewhere in the middle of west virginia, if you know any good places...
well, i have to get ready for church. or should i say, get ready to sit in the lobby with a screaming baby after i get called out of church because he was having a meltdown. seems pointless, but i've got to at least give it a try....
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Ma. Ma.
Derek and I have been working hard to get Isaac to say "Mama". We chant it over and over at him and he just continues to grunt and babble on with mostly "eeehh"s and "oooh"s and the occasional D or B sound mixed in.
Today, in the middle of one training session, the boy stopped and very clearly said, "Ma. (pause) Ma."
We were stunned. Wondering if it was a fluke, we pressed further.
We managed to get him to say it a few more times before the day was out, so we were very excited. Surely it means he knows that I'm his loving and caring mother and that I've sacrificed so much to take care of him and this is his way of showing his appreciation. Right?
Today, in the middle of one training session, the boy stopped and very clearly said, "Ma. (pause) Ma."
We were stunned. Wondering if it was a fluke, we pressed further.
We managed to get him to say it a few more times before the day was out, so we were very excited. Surely it means he knows that I'm his loving and caring mother and that I've sacrificed so much to take care of him and this is his way of showing his appreciation. Right?
Coughing Genes
I'm still fighting off what I like to refer to as my "whooping cough". It's very frustrating, but whenever I get a cold or a sore throat, it turns into a lengthy bout with an annoying cough that consumes my life. A few years back, I had it for FOUR months. I finally had this narcotic for the evening and this little gel spheres to "swallow" in the day and I kicked it. I didn't really swallow said spheres, as they were designed to lodge in my throat and attack the cough at the scene. It's my Achilles Heel, I suppose. With every tickle in my throat, I run for a back of cough drops, Cloriseptic and the Robitussen.
Anyhow, the long preface is just to say that I think I gave the whooping cough to the boy. I don't think he'll get the part where it lingers and never goes away, but right now he's waking up a lot and coughing out phlegm all day long. He doesn't even cover his mouth. I feel bad for the little man.
Anyhow, the long preface is just to say that I think I gave the whooping cough to the boy. I don't think he'll get the part where it lingers and never goes away, but right now he's waking up a lot and coughing out phlegm all day long. He doesn't even cover his mouth. I feel bad for the little man.
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