9-Month Update!

St.Patrick's Day coincides with Izaak's 9 month birthday, how convenient!
And he is a little bit Irish too, btw :)

Izaak’s 9-month appt was last week and I’m happy to report that it went very well. While still on the large side for his age, he's finally out of the 90% range. He weighed in at 22lbs, 10oz, and he was nearly 28in tall. The doctor answered our laundry list of questions and it turns out that we were already doing most everything right (surprisingly!). We did find out that he had recently outgrown his infant carrier carseat that we were still trying to cram him in (you mean his legs aren’t supposed to hang over the edge like that??) so we switched the big kid seat from Joe’s car (we had used it maybe two times in Joe’s car??) into my car as soon as we got home from the appointment. The problem with it is that it’s gigantic and I can’t reach to pop the binky back in his crying little mouth while I’m driving or hold his hand to soothe him when it’s just Izaak and I in the car anymore. Maybe those things aren’t 100% safe while driving anyhow but it’s better than having a wailing baby the entire way home from the grocery store. I’ve seriously had to pull over and get out of the car and into the backseat to get the binky back in, then he spits it out as soon as I get back on the road. Not. Cool. This isn’t always the case, he’s usually a pretty happy-go-lucky little dude, but it seems to happen when he’s really tired and/or hungry - when a little hand-holding would usually calm him down until he could fall asleep or would suffice until we got home for a bottle.

New carseat.

Yay. More stuff to put on Craigslist: Stroller/carseat combo, matching Pack ‘N Play, Rainforest bouncer seat, baby Bjorn carrier. It’s crazy how much money we spend on all this stuff, especially considering how short of a time frame it’s actually able to be used!! Izaak has slowed his growing pace at least a little so maybe we’ll be able to use the clothes he’s in now for a little while longer. 

We’ve also come to the conclusion that Izaak may be trying to get his top front teeth in, he’s been a drooling maniac and kinda moody, along with fierce chomping on anything he can get his little paws on. I can’t feel any hard spots on his gums yet but I don’t leave my fingers in his mouth for very long either, those bottom two teeth are sharp!! He’s trying to stand on his own now too which is hilarious. He gets his feet on the ground and straightens his legs while pushing up with his hands--also on the ground--leaving a cute little tush in the air. Shortly thereafter he folds or tips over, of course, but it’s funny that it looks like he’s trying to do a yoga pose or something… downward facing dog perhaps?? His crawling has improved in tandem with his “walking” efforts. There’s more equal leg movement and he even does the traditional up-on-all-fours style here and there! I think that we’re still a ways away from actual, honest-to-goodness steps though. The doctor assured us that his progress is normal and that some kids never crawl and go straight to walking. Izaak is right on target with his developmental milestones and we were informed that we shouldn’t be concerned that he doesn’t want to hold his own bottle (why would he when someone else does it for him?!), uses his sippy cup primarily as a percussion instrument, and it’s ok that he doesn’t wave goodbye yet.

We've really got to get our butts in gear and baby-proof the house better. We’ve put in the plastic outlet covers and tried to move as many cords up and away that we are able. We don’t have the sort of kid that you can tell not to do something and they listen. “No-no Izaak, don’t pull on that cord”… “No-NO! Do not touch that cord!!”.. “IZAAK! No cords!!”... I already feel like a broken record. He knows he’s not supposed to play with cords, pull the cat’s tail, or take DVDs/Blurays off their shelves. I know that he knows this because as he goes to do all of these super-fun activities, he turns his head and smiles at me in a way that says, “Haha, Mommy, I’m doing a NO-NO!!”. Is it possible to FEEL your hair turning gray??!

"Check me out! Standing on my own!!"

Taking the (Mostly) Good with the Bad!

Let's start with some pictures:

Sweet sleeper!

I LOVE this picture! Izaak and his Daddy on Valentine's Day :)

Cuties!

"Yummy puffs, Mom!"

Playing

Wreaking havoc.

"Catch me if you can!"

Two wild and crazy dudes!

Monsters, Inc

Izaak adores this Super Grover remote! It makes all kinds of noises and is a great distraction when we switch out one of our remotes or cell phones for this one since his slobber may not be good for such things...

Playing in his walker from the Ellers

Having a super fun time!

Is there ANYTHING sweeter than this?! I don't think so!

Izaak - up thru 8 months <-- check out the latest shutterfly.com photobook I made for the kiddo!

Ok, now let's get the "bad" out of the way: Izaak had some fevers last week (except when in the doctor's office, of course) and still isn't feeling tip-top. After some trips to pick up our little snotty boy early from daycare and a couple trips to the pediatrician... we still don't know what is wrong. Unexplained virus of some sort. He is on the mend but poor guy is congested and has been entertaining us with his "whiskey voice". I hope he isn't developing allergies. I'm looking into getting a better vacuum cleaner, a Dyson perhaps (bye-bye tax refund!), our current vacuum barely pushes the dirt and cat hair around anymore. It's seriously pathetic!

Otherwise, things are good! Daycare has been going well, Izaak seems to really enjoy playing with the other kids and having a huge room in which to roll around and terrorize!! My only complaint (and it's a minor one) about daycare is that he often comes home filthy. He's learning to self-feed, somewhat, and it appears that he feels his clothes are famished and deserve a good portion of his food. Since his mother suffers from paranoia and isn't sure what he "is allowed" to eat, it's good that he gets some variety at daycare! Izee still isn't into doing a traditional crawl much but he's sitting up on his own and getting more adept at playing with toys independently. He's sleeping better at night, for the most part, and is still the sweetest thing on the planet.

Last weekend, we drove up to Myrtle Beach for a visit with Izaak's Nana, Papa, Big Papa Leo, Aunt Michelle, Uncle Tim, and cousins Dylan and Aydan (Joe's family) to celebrate Leo's birthday before he heads back up to Erie, PA. He had been staying with Joe's parents (his son and daughter-in-law) for the winter and is set to return home in the next week or so. I wish we had been able to visit more often while he was down!

Since Izaak is nearing 9 months (already!!), I was recently asked which seemed longer: the pregnancy or the time since the baby's arrival. I immediately answered "pregnancy". Man, that was not a walk in the park. Granted, we don't get any sort of regular sleep now and going anywhere with the kiddo is kind of a big production but I wouldn't trade him for the world. As far as adding to our brood... I don't think it's a necessity - at this point in time at least.

I keep meaning to write a post about baby accessories: what we've discovered that we love and what we could've passed on. Maybe next time!

Cooties and More!

"What have we here?"



The shape sorter from cousin Aydan!

 

He zips along like a madman these days
but still has time to snuggle with Daddy sometimes :)

We are just shy of 8 months and Izaak is doing better with crawling, his style is still very "military" but he can get from point A to point B like nobody's business! And it's so enjoyable to watch him play, he's very inquisitive and sometimes will just sit quietly and carefully inspect whatever it is that he's holding. Mostly though, it's a chaotic race to see how much stuff he can knock over, drool on, and make noise with. Either method is fun to witness. He's sitting up on his own much better and has somehow learned to clap his hands - which we find to be incredibly adorable, of course. Taking pictures of him is getting more difficult since he's so often on-the-go and his playing style predominately seems to be "rough and tumble". He's become a pretty adventurous eater though his appetite seems to be waning. Maybe he'll slow down with growing a bit? He already fits in a lot of his 12-month sized clothing!
We've come down with the first round of daycare cooties. Izaak seems to be on the mend though still contending with a runny nose and a little cough. (His parents are having a rough time with their colds as well!) Izaak has already came home from daycare with some bruises (from falling over) and germs but he seems to be enjoying it. I like that it's learning oriented, he gets to play with other kids his age, they give us written daily reports about his mood and what he ate when, all about dirty diapers, etc., the facility is new and it's much closer to home, plus they don't have a TV in the classroom. I'm not anti-TV, just don't think he needs to be watching it all the time. Daycare even sent him home with a fingerpainting that he did yesterday (we have it on the fridge now, of course!) Having him at the babysitters when he was a tiny little guy was great because he got individualized attention and didn't have all the germs to battle but he seems to be thriving well at his new school.

Almost Crawling and Preschool!

Hey!

Who's up on all fours?!

I just can't get over how fast time goes once a little one has entered your life! Since the last post, Izaak has sprouted another tooth and he has begun to get up on all fours, ready to crawl!! Perhaps a more thorough baby-proofing of our home should commence...

Also, as indicated by the post's title, Izaak has started preschool! Some may think that 7-months is a little early for such a thing, but not for our kid!! Actually, the preschool is also a daycare but it does aim towards being a learning environment. The babysitters who had been so kindly looking after our wee one since I had gone back to work had other obligations coming up and the commute to pick Izee up after work was getting to be a bit much so we decided to research some other daycare options closer to home and/or work. We had spent a good deal of time checking out facilities and digging through Craigslist postings when we stumbled upon "It's A'KIDemic" on our way home from the babysitters. It's a new facility, we really like the staff, and it just felt right. They had an opening and we jumped! Izaak started today and it sounds like he had a really great time, rolling on the floor with other kids, and he got to eat new foods too. I didn't even know he could eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch or oranges or yogurt, but according to his teacher, he ate everything like he's been doing so all his life!!

Daycare was fun but exhausting!

Another wonderful item to report is that our good friends, the McClams, have recently brought a new baby boy into the world: welcome little Beckett! We can't wait to meet you in person!!!

Chillin' in the jogging stroller.

Valentines Card from Shutterfly!

Candy Hearts Valentine's Card

Click here to see graduation announcements by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Please, pretend I sent one of these to each of you!!! ;)

First Tooth!

First tooth (it's there, I promise!!)

After months of drooling on and gumming everything he could get his little paws on, Izaak has finally gotten his first tooth! Earlier in the day, he had been patiently sitting in my lap and gnawing on the knotted string on my hoodie. I was happy that he had stopped squirming and pulling my hair for a couple minutes and there was no plastic part on it so I let him slobber away. A couple hours later, Joe was holding him and noticed that a tooth had broken through!

Joe and I were so excited and wanted to document this milestone with a picture. Izaak wasn’t sure why we were all pumped up and smiling like buffoons at him but he played along. “Izee! Let’s see your new tooth!! Open your mouth! But move your tongue… no, the tongue is in the way… there we go! Good jo- … eh, the tongue is in the way again”. I think we did end up getting a picture but some imagination may be necessary to really see the tooth ;)

Happy New Year!

What a cute bunch of Niedweckis and Ellers!

Happy New Year! I hope this posting finds everyone healthy and happy. Things are wonderful on this end and here’s what we’ve been up to lately:

We were able to meet up with and exchange Christmas gifts with Joe’s sister’s family this past weekend at Joe’s parents’ house in Myrtle Beach. New Year’s Eve was spent with Joe’s parents and their neighbors, Joe’s sister’s family, and Joe’s grandpa; a great time was had by all! Izaak was so excited that he stayed up for the celebration as well (we aren’t a quiet group, oops!) and though he seemed happy enough, I’m sure he was more than a little confused at the midnight hoopla. He’s not too keen on fireworks yet, something that we’ll have to work on given his father’s side job with Zambelli.

New Glo-Baby and awesome Izaak-couch
from Nana and Papa!!

What a year 2011 was! Perhaps it sounds cheesy, but bringing a new life into the world has made the past year my personal best. Well, not really the bringing part, but I couldn’t be happier with our little bundle of joy and I’m very excited at all the prospects the New Year has to offer! It’s nice to have an excuse to wipe the proverbial slate clean and have a fresh start. As expected, I was barraged at work this morning with questions about what my New Year’s Resolutions are. My answer is simply that I don’t have any. Of course I’d like to shed a few pounds (umm, around 40lbs would be fantastic!) and make healthier choices but I’m not going to limit myself to “not eating sugar” or “no beer except weekends” at this point. I do plan to use my jogging stroller but I refuse to set unrealistic goals such as “running 3 miles every other day”. Though I will attempt to be a better version of me, my main focus this year is going to be family.

Super fun learning train from Aunt Michele and Uncle Bob!

Before the baby came along, Joe and I were already a family of sorts (regardless of our non-marital status) but the dynamic has changed somewhat with the addition of Izaak. I can’t properly put it into words, but the kiddo has brought out the best in both of us. We don’t have as much time for each other as we used to but we also don’t seem to require that time as much as before. I don’t think either of us feels neglected or anything--the love connection is still as abundant as ever--our priorities have just shifted a bit.

 As parents, I think we are gaining more confidence in our perceived skills but I’m sure it still looks awkward to anyone else. Some days I feel like I’m doing ok, other days I feel terribly clumsy. I sometimes wonder if being a parent at a younger age, when you think you know it all, is easier than a little later in life, when you’re paranoid about all that you don’t know! Luckily, we typically maintain a good sense of humor and don’t freak out too badly when we run into issues like a diaper that has overflowed and run up the baby’s back and trying to figure out how to wiggle him out of his onesie without getting poo on his head. Despite our inept parenting abilities, I can confidently say that Izaak is thriving but I’m convinced that there’s a reason why nobody remembers being an infant!

Izaak's new gocrib! This thing is SWEET!!

Yummy dish from Aunt Jordana and cuzzies!

New jammies from Grandma and Grandpa!

Some things that perhaps should be on my New Year’s resolution list besides fitness goals and organization improvement are “keeping in touch with friends and family” and “keeping up with the housework”. It’s far too easy to fall out of touch with great people and I’m sad to report that currently, the inside of our home looks like a bomb filled with junk-shrapnel went off. We’re contending with “stuff overload” presently and suffering from not being home long enough to get the place in order. I could try to blame it on the baby’s plentiful accessories but that isn’t really fair (though we do need to figure out some toy storage options pretty soon), the real issue is the fact that Joe and I should be on the TV show “Hoarders”. Is it really so difficult to get rid of things that we don’t use anymore or put junk mail in the garbage? Apparently. And I need to be timelier with trips to the Post Office. I still have 4 sets of Christmas gifts that need to be sent out… pathetic! I was so excited about sending out Christmas cards this year that I totally slacked on getting the bigger stuff packed up and out to their respective destinations. In my defense, some of the items are breakable and I haven’t had the time to properly get them wrapped so that they (hopefully) arrive in one piece.

All in all, life is far from perfect yet perfectly fantastic and I’m currently quite content with my place in the universe!