Pea in a Pod

Password Protection is coming

2008-06-23T07:11:00.004-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Yes I know I am a slacker.... you don't have to tell me twice. I actually have every blog post written back to January on my computer but I've been too lazy to upload it and match it with pictures. However it's a major goal of mine in the coming weeks!

In preparation for the big update I think it's time I put some security measures in place. Avi is getting older and I feel a little guilty putting his entire life out on the internet for all to see and read. He has a right to some safety and security so I figure it starts here.

Please email me at alreillygator AT yahoo DOT com if you would like to be included on the list of readers. I'll need your email address to be able to contact you once I secure the site. Also, please let me know your name, how I "know" you (in person or online), and your blog address if you have one.

Thanks everyone for understanding! I'll see you on the other side LOL

:-) AL

Being sick is no fun

2008-01-03T19:48:00.001-07:00

Well Avi woke up every 2 hours last night to nurse until 3am and then slept until 8am. He had a 104 fever when he woke up this morning so it was back to the doctors we go. He tried to take a nap this morning but the darn phone rang - which of course lead me to pull out every phone upstairs where I couldn't shut off the ringer. We saw our favorite doctor today and she was terrific.

She gave Avi a once over again and commented that he has zero symptoms to go with this fever - so she too thinks that it's viral.... And that in a day or two the fever will break and he'll break out in a rash. She did a throat culture (just to make sure it's not strep) and said she could do an x-ray to rule out pneumonia - but given the fact that he has no symptoms she doesn't recommend it (which we were totally ok with him NOT having x-rays). She also said she could give him a shot of antibiotics, but if it was her kid she wouldn't (which we agreed not to as well) as she isn't sure it would help at this point. We told her that when he woke up this morning he drank exactly 1 cup of water and seemed to start to feel better. She told us to just let this run it's course and if he still has a fever on Monday to please bring him in.

It was pretty cold today so I had him bundled pretty good on our way too and from the doctor... Here he is in the new coat I made for him and his fleece monkey hat:

"Sick? Who me? I'm not sick":

Avi was fussier today and after his morning fever he was cool all day (that is no fever). I couldn't bear to have him in the house much longer so we took a trip out to Wal-mart (again his fever was down to nothing so we needed some fresh air). He was pretty good for our little shopping trip and even, for the first time, discovered the toys on the shelves... Actually requesting one!!!

So I let him hold a truck set for his age as we walked around the store. He was so good with it and was totally take with the colors and the box. If it wasn't for the fact that a) the toy was plastic b) the toy was made in China and c) I don't want to start a bad habit - I would have bought it for him just for the cute factor.

As we were checking out he got fussy again and I could tell his fever was back up. So I let him actually sit in the buggy (as opposed to sitting in the seat of the buggy). Well he just thought this was great and as we were leaving he stood up to "ride" - check it out:

Here he is standing up riding the cart:

"Gosh this shopping stuff is really boring":

"OK OK I'll wave hi":

We got home and it was fuss, fuss, fuss with a ton of "mama, mama, mama." He ate a little (his appetite is still down) and then it was off to bath and bed. He did better peeing/pooping on the potty today and seems to be getting back to his old ways (actually he seems to be holding his pee a little better and having more dry diapers). I nursed him and put him to bed only to have him call for me over and over again. So I went back in and nursed him some more - and read him a book that he was requesting. He then sat up facing me and grabbed my head to pull it close to give me a kiss!! Oh it was so sweet. I asked him for a hug too and he stood up and hugged my head! Then he sat down, looked at me and gave me another kiss! Gotta love this kid!

The fever is still high

2008-01-02T23:42:00.000-07:00

Avi was up a lot last night and still has a high fever today (104+). I had to nurse him several times during the night to get him calmed down and back to sleep. By the 5th or 6th time I went in he was nursing in his sleep - more of a comfort nursin - which was ok by me. We went back to our doctor today where she checked him over and couldn't find any reason for his fever. The cultures they were growing on his blood/urine are all negative so far - so there is no explanation for his fever. It's assumed at this point that it's viral but that doesn't get us anywhere. It was too early for another shot of antibiotics (which was ok by us) so we were sent home with the instructions to give him more Motrin for the fever and if it's still over 102 tomorrow to bring him in.

Avi's appetite is different/less today. He'll eat but not a lot. And he is very thirsty. We actually discovered that when his fever is high if he just drinks water it helps bring it down a bit (and usually helps him to stop shivering). He hasn't gotten back to fully peeing on the potty but I know that might take some time. He is still telling us when he needs to go, but sometimes we just sit there (which is ok). He started requesting that Michael play "piggies" with his toes but pointing to his toes over and over again. Oh and yesterday in the hospital he started requesting the verse from the wheels on the bus song "the mommies on the bus say sit down please" by shaking his finger up and down.

So that's it from here. Today has just be a yo-yo day of his fever going up and down, up and down. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Avi's first trip to the ER

2008-01-01T23:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a crappy 2008 and we are just one day in....

I went in to Avi's room at midnight and he was on fire again (by feeling his head) but since he was sleeping I didn't wake him (I hate when I am feeling horrible and someone wakes me). So I went to sleep on "alert" -- around 3am he woke up crying so I got him and took his temp - 104 F... we changed him, nursed him and gave him more meds. He was signing for food so we took him to the kitchen and fed him whatever he wanted (which included his favorite food - banana). We then went back up, nursed again and he went to sleep -- until 5am (again, changed him, nursed him and put him back to bed where he slept until 10).

When he got up at 10am he had 103.2 again - so again more meds. He was pretty much back to his normal self around an hour or so after that (but not as great as he was yesterday).... well then around 1:45pm the bottom dropped out again. He was besides himself upset.... It wasn't time for more meds yet (Motrin) since it hadn't been six hours.... but he had 104.5 -- I called the Children's Hospital Nurses line again and after dealing with them I decided I was tired of just watching the temp go up and down (and by down I mean to 103) and it was all too high for me...

So we took Avi in to the Children's Hospital ER this afternoon. They were (for the most part) wonderful. But it was a VERY rough day!!! They had to draw blood from his right hand and that was traumatic. It was traumatic because we had to hold him down, because it hurt, and because the vein just flowed so slow that it took a while to get anything. And then they were afraid that he has a UTI (he had his first diaper rash a few weeks ago after I gave him oranges for the first time -- and it developed into a sore on his scrotum -- our Dr said it was just a little yeast and gave us some cream on Wednesday - but has yet healed) so they insisted on a catheter. We convinced them to let us try and get him to go pee in a cup and if we get urine that way they can test it first.

Well we didn't have his potty with us and we couldn't get him to pee for anything (and I mean ANYTHING). We must have looked so silly, sitting there reading to him while he sat diaperless with us hold up a cup so we can catch his pee. So after hours of trying they did a urine catheter.... the nurses were great and it only took a minute or two but WOW it was horrible.... And I mean horrible. I can't even imagine what it must have felt like to him and he just screamed in pain.

Then with all that Avi usually goes to bed around 7pm and we were there ALL DAMN NIGHT! It wasn't their fault (except when they misplaced the urine sample and didn't send it to the lab) but it just took way longer than I would have liked (and it didn't help that we waiting a few hours for Avi to pee in a cup). Avi was besides himself upset every time a nurse came into the room we were in - since there we usually coming to "hurt" him - so then just peeked in and he cried. Then he wouldn't let us put him down on the crib because, of course, every time he was on there he got "hurt", and he didn't even want to be in the room after a while, just wanted to be in the Ergo while we walked the halls.

Well we found out that from the blood test they know that Avi has "some" kind of infection in his body - his white blood cell count is very high. There is also some protein count that is also very high which signals infection. Then the urine we found out - it's neither here nor there.... it's not nothing.. but it's not an infection. They don't know -- they are going to culture it and see if anything grows to see more. Since they know he has some kind of an infection (which is why his fever is crazy high too) they had to give him not one but TWO shots in his leg of antibiotics (we made it 14 months with no drugs and now this).... and they did them at the same time - it was awful, just awful.

Then all thought the day he kept wanting to go potty but I didn't bring his little potty with us and they didn't have anything for him (because really who potty trains a 14 month old), so we tried on the big bathroom but no such luck (and after the catheter he wouldn't even go in his diaper). And he was hungry (which was a good sign) but I only had snack food with me... So my poor sick child had goldfish, freeze dried peas and a fruit bar to eat for dinner - plus lots of water.

Anyway - we are home and I put him to bed only to have him wake up 30 minutes later screaming... he hadn't pee'd since the catheter.... and I've had a LOT of UTIs and know what that pain is like - so we knew that he needed to pee and it must hurt like hell (if it's a UTI or just from when the catheter). Well he was besides himself screaming and carrying on and he wouldn't sit on the potty. So I ran a warm bath for him and he sat in there and cried and cried until he shot the biggest pee out, while screaming. After that it was if a weight was lifted from him and he enjoyed the bath for a while, before we put him back to bed.

We have to go back to the Dr (or the hospital if my office is still closed) to try and figure out what the infection is from. The fever (the Dr. said) shouldn't go away with his white blood cell count where it is - for at least 48 hours. And we're to just give him meds to make him comfortable. UGGGGGG -- my poor baby!!!

(OH and of course I had to get two pictures of Avi's first run to the ER. Here he is in the tiny hospital gown....)

New Years Eve 2007

2007-12-31T23:39:00.000-07:00

Today Avi woke up from his morning nap with a very high fever - 102.9. He was quite upset, fussy and just burning up. We gave him some Motrin and after an hour or so he was back to his old self - even better. He was happy as a peach, pushing our kitchen chairs all around the first floor as he used them as a walker. This was something he has hardly done before - so it was nice to see him exploring on two feet. It was as if he was discovering the house all over again - but this time up right. We have stopped guessing when he "may" walk and we just enjoy the tiny steps he takes in that direction.

Well after a nice afternoon Avi's fever was back up - this time to 103.2. It had been hardly 5 hours since he got Motrin so we put him in a bath and then gave him more. He nursed to sleep quite easily but it was a rough evening as it was clear he didn't feel good. He doesn't have any other symptoms that usually come with a high fever (no cough, cold, runny nose, etc) so we aren't sure what is wrong.

I called Avi's doctor around 7pm (to try and catch the Dr. on call without ruining their New Years Eve) and I got the nurse on call system for our local Children's Hospital (our Dr. office is so small they sometimes route their after hours call there). I went through everything with them and they told me "a fever is just a number" and that as long as meds bring it down and he is back to his old self then not to worry... HA - that logic doesn't sit well with me but ok for now since he's sleeping.

We had already lined up a neighborhood gal to baby-sit as we were planning to go one house down to a get-together for a while. We decided that we would still go as since we were next door we could be home in a flash. We ended up staying just under two hours and we are home in plenty of time to watch the ball drop.

We're looking forward to a fun, healthy and blessed 2008!

Married 8 years

2007-12-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

Today Michael and I celebrated our 8th wedding Anniversary. It's hard to believe (most days) that it's been 8 years! Sometimes it seems like we've been together forever, other days it seems like it was just yesterday. But at least all of the days we spend together are wonderful days - in good times and bad. For our anniversary we decided early on in our marriage that we wouldn't buy lavish gifts for each other because, after all, if we each want something we can just get it rather than do the "you buy me this and I buy you that" year after year. So each year we do a play on the traditional and modern wedding gifts. This year the traditional gifts are pottery and bronze, while the modern gifts are linen and lace.

I bought Michael a new spandex cold weather workout shirt as the gift for bronze/pottery, with the explanation of.... Someday his body will be revered and molded in clay or cast in bronze - so this shirt was to help him achieve that status. (Ok it's a stretch I admit - but it works!) He bought me new shoe laces and some gator "bling" to put on my running shoe laces (get it - he did laces for lace) and then he also bought me some candy laces too. Well Avi thought they were the coolest thing ever - and he played with them for 15 minutes before he even tasted them (and he's never had candy before so this was all new to him)...then he would suck his thumb while holding the candy laces - it was all too cute. Check out the cute pictures:

Sucking his thumb holding the candy laces...

"Hmmmm I wonder what they taste like":

"HAHAHA - I knew they were good":

Well after that fun it was off for our 7 mile run where Avi was fantastic in the jogging stroller (we went running late so it got dark early on our run - he slept most of the time). When we came home we all hit the showers and before I got in (we have two shower heads in our master bathroom shower so it's totally built for 2+) I snagged some pictures of Avi....

Here's to a great day and a fantastic 8 years... I can't wait to see what the next 92 have in store!

MA MA

2007-12-29T21:56:00.001-07:00

Yesterday and today have been so much better days then what we've had in a few weeks - it's like I have my pleasant son back. I think the diaper rash was really bothering Avi to the point that it made him a pill to live with and deal with. But now that it's really starting to clear up, he is a joy again. Smiling when he wakes up to smiling when he goes to bed, and everything in between.

We have been working on him to say "Eema" (Hebrew for Mother) since he has more than mastered "Aba" (Hebrew for father). He just can't do the "EE" part so we have been working on "MaMa" -- well yesterday and today he has been doing pretty good with "MaMa" and each time he says it I answer him with "yes Avi" (which is how Michael answers him when he calls for Michael). It still doesn't quite flow from his tongue like Aba does - but that's ok... it will in time. Yesterday it was Aba, Aba, Aba when he was waking from his nap, but when Michael came in to get him all he wanted was milk (and he told him so by signing "milk" and not letting Michael pick him up). So at least I am wanted (if only for my boobs).

Today we started singing "Old McDonald" and each time I got to an animal "....and on that farm he had a horse" Avi would do the sound... "neigh"... and I'd say "with a....." and he'd say "neigh" and so on.... He did this for cow, horse, duck, dog, cat, monkey, cat and gorilla (this one he pounded his chest). He will also sing the "EIEIO" part too! Michael has been singing a Hebrew song "Hiyda" with him and Avi will sing along. And I could swear yesterday that he sang the "L M N O P" part of the alphabet song with me.

Oh and I made him a doll when I was at the hotel earlier in the week (it's really ugly) just to see if he'd like the doll - well it's been a huge hit! We keep it with his kitchen set and he loves to drag the doll around. So it looks like I will be making him a nicer looking doll really soon!

All of Avi's signs and language skills to date

2007-12-27T21:55:00.000-07:00

Lets see - Avi can sign: more, eat, milk, all done, work, music, play, banana, book, bath, please, gorilla (he pounds his chest), bye/hi... and he understands the sign for fishy, water, and Aba. As for his spoken language, he can verbalize: Aba, Papa, More, Hi/Bye, Uh Oh, and we're working on Ema (says "ma). He loves to make animal sounds and he can currently do: dog, cat, cow, sheep, horse, duck, bird, monkey, lion, bumble bee, wolf, owl, Muttsy (his stuffed dog - he says it says "uh oh").

Today was a much better day. The diaper rash seems to be getting better and he was much happier all day. He did wake up last night be it was around 5am (which is better than 1am). He took one nap this morning and then had some quiet time in the afternoon in his crib (which is code for "he didn't want to nap but he just hung out in his crib"). He had a fun time playing in his play room and he LOVES to go down the Little Tykes slide we have in there - HEAD FIRST. He insisted that I read the Sandra Boynton book "Opposites" several dozen times today and he also discovered the stuffed animal Rubbermaid tub - which when I opened it he went nuts with all the fun toys in there. Oh and he also spent a portion of the day pulling all the spices off of our spice drawer (a favorite past time these days).

At night we joined our favorite neighbors and their twin 5-year olds for dinner at a local restaurant and Avi was a doll. He ate, and ate, and ate (not that it's a surprise) and he sat so nicely as the rest of us ate (he was munching on some bun that we gave him taking small bits off but loving the fact that he had food in each hand). He even got a little tired and would rest is head down to me and I'd scratch his ear - he kept doing it ... it was just so nice!

Oh and today while we were teaming up to change his diaper (the rash is getting better but he still doesn't want to be wiped during diaper changes as the skin is raw) I was singing to him to get him calm. He'd say "ma" and then sign music - as he was asking Eema to sing more music!! Yeah for small steps towards saying "Eema."

A really bad diaper rash

2007-12-26T21:55:00.000-07:00

We took Avi to the doctor today as the diaper rash he had got REALLY bad over the long weekend. It's a slight rash on his belly (where his diaper is) and on the upper part of the butt crack - but he has a sore on his testicles (too much information?) and his penis is all red. The poor guy! We now wonder if his night waking is because he pees at night and it burns the sore? He fusses when we change his diaper so maybe? He has been very very crabby the last few days, coupled with the waking up every night - so it was time for a doctor visit.

The NP was very nice and looked him over. She said it wasn't infected and it didn't look like any kind of staph infection (which is good) - she thinks it's just some yeast - which can happen from the area being moist. So she prescribed some anti-fungal cream and instructed us to mix it with a tube of polysporin, and a tube of zinc oxide diaper rash cream and apply to the area. If it doesn't clear up in a few days then we should come back in. We were so happy to hear that it wasn't anything major and we were even happy to get some lotion to put on it! Hopefully this will help and it must be very painful for him as he screams through diaper changes - not something he usually does.

On a side note - he weighted in at 20 lbs and 13 oz (fully clothed WITH a heavy sweater on and a cloth diaper)... but hey he is gaining weight!

A new jacket sewn by me

2007-12-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

They picked me up today and I must admit it was nice having the few days to myself. I sewed, sewed, sewed my little heart out and made Avi a bunch of stuff - namely a doll (to see if he'd like a doll), a diaper, wipes and pants for the doll, and a kick a*s lined fleece jacket (that rocks).

Well he does like the doll (and likes to kiss it - it's cute) and the jacket is so cute on him... look:

Avi looking cute in his sweatsuit

2007-12-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

Michael dressed Avi up in an adorable sweatsuit that someone gave us when Avi was born. Neither of us are a fan of brand names on clothing - but this outfit is just too cute:

Avi and Michael came by the hotel to swim and I joined them for a little bit. When Avi saw me walk by the window he waved at me. For the most part he is a dad's boy (except in the morning and before bed when it's time to nurse). It doesn't help that he doesn't really say Eema yet (Hebrew for mother) and that he LOVES to say "Aba" (all day long) so it's as if his entire world revolves around Michael. I was secretly hoping that he would miss me enough to jolt an Eema out of him but no such luck. It's Aba all the way!

A little mommy vacation

2007-12-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Michael and Avi dropped me off at a local hotel so I could get a little R&R. I have never been away from Avi for longer than a few hours - so being gone for two nights is going to be rough. But I am having a hard time with Avi waking in the middle of the night, not listening and throwing fits at everything. I am not at all for parents abusing their children (and I would NEVER abuse my child) nor do I condone that behavior beyond a spanking, but I do understand now how parents can get so frustrated with their children that they beat them. (Again there is NO EXCUSE for that behavior - but I can see how some parents loose their temper and get there.) The constant whinning, the crying, the fussiness - I want to help and make it all better but nothing I do puts him in a happy mood. So it's time for a mini-mommy vacation!

I am spending two nights at a local hotel, just me and my sewing machines. Michael will be home with Avi. Just as I have never been away from Avi for this long - Michael has never been alone with Avi for this long (I am when he travels but since I don't travel I am always home).

I cried when I said goodbye to them at the hotel today. I watched them get in the car and it was as if my entire life was in that car driving away - if anything happened to them I'd never forgive myself! But I am going to try and enjoy the two nights I have. Michael is going to bring Avi by tomorrow to use the pool and I might join them for a while - but I want to at least nurse him tomorrow (so he is nursed each day and doesn't decide to wean on me). We'll see how it goes.

First time with a babysitter - fully awake

2007-12-22T21:53:00.000-07:00

Well he is still getting up in the middle of the night and it's getting kind of old. I don't want him to get conditioned to it but I am not sure what else to do. We got up with him, nursed him and put him back down to sleep - and he slept to nearly 9 am - which on any other morning would have been fantastic, but today it was horrible as we had arranged for a sitter to come over and stay with him during his morning nap so we could go out running (we have to do 11 miles this week). We figured that we'd have the sitter over and she could just hang out while he slept - maybe having to deal with him awake for the last 30 minutes or so. But no.... Avi was wide awake when she got here at 9:30am and there wasn't a chance in hell of him going back to sleep. So we prepped the sitter and wished her luck and we went out the door (he has NEVER stayed with a baby sitter before being awake as we left - not including my mother).

I wasn't sure what we'd find when we returned - although we gave her tons of direction, defrosted milk, prepped lunch, and shared all the tricks we have up our sleeves. I was waiting, with each step I took as we ran, to get a phone call from her saying "hurry home quick." But no such call came. We did our entire run and when we got home he was happy as a peach - playing with Amanda like it was nothing! WOW - what an improvement from the child who wouldn't leave our side. I am not eager to leave him awake again but it's nice to know that he can function. She said they played and played... read book after book and ate lunch - then played and read some more. We don't let Avi watch TV - and the baby sitter listened to us and didn't turn the TV on. It was great!

Signs on Camera

2007-12-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

Avi woke up at 1am again this morning and then again at 6am - but this time he was screaming. I nursed him both times thinking maybe he was sick or not feeling well (as he really never wakes up at night) but he doesn't seem to have a fever or anything. He did take nice one nap today but SCREAMED for the beginning of his second one. He was such a pill this morning (due to being overtired) and I knew he needed to nap - so I let him scream for a while and he fell asleep. I felt terrible for letting him cry but I went in after the first and second 10 minutes to let him know I was here and that I loved him but that he needed to nap for his own good. Lucky for us he woke up from this nap and was such a joy! (See mother knows best!)

I participate in a lot of discussion forums online (some for diaper sewing, others for crunchy-all natural mamas, and other local boards) and I recently did a secret santa exchange. Well today my gift came in the mail and the nice mama secret santa made me a new baby carried called a Mei Tai. It's a lovely shade of blue and it's perfect for putting in my purse when I don't want to take my favorite carrier the Ergo (which is bulky). Here are some pictures of Avi and I with the new carrier:

Michael and I had another training run tonight (we run three days a week) and usually before we go we each eat a Power Bar or something with a little "umph." Well tonight Avi only wanted mine (which he couldn't have) so we gave him an organic kid's cereal bar and Michael snapped some cute pictures (and what do you think of the peace pants - I made them as nap pants, not really to be caught on camera but oh well - so be it...):

We took him out running and he fell asleep (it's nice and dark out and he is bundled really warm). When we came back in he looked so cute in his sweater than my mother's friend Carla handed down to him from her little boys that we had to get some more pictures. The first picture Avi is doing his "eat" sign:

And here he is signing "banana":

And here he is signing "music":

After what was a mainly rough day Avi was a blast for his nightly shower (some nights he gets a bath and other nights he comes with us in the shower). Hopefully he'll have a better full day tomorrow.

Play mate Lanie

2007-12-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

Avi, my child who sleeps 12 hours at night woke up at 3:30am this morning to nurse (yes he is still nursing) and was wide awake asking for music and to play. Since neither Michael or I are up at this hour we quickly rushed him back to bed and he went down without a fuss. Later in the morning our lovely cleaning lady paid us a visit and brought her daughter Lanie with her (who is in 8th grade). Lanie hung out in the play room for 90 minutes with Avi and when either me or Tia (the cleaning lady) went near him he waved us off and continued to play with Lanie! This was HUGE! He never wants anyone over us - so for him to play with Lanie for so long - it was wonderful!

Avi has a attitude

2007-12-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

Well it's official.... Avi has a attitude (and not a pleasant one at that). He just seems pissy lately. Maybe it's the diaper rash that's bothering him, or maybe its the fact that he can communicate a little but not a ton. Whatever it is it's getting frustrating. He is starting to throw fits more often and hit me when he is angry (which of course is unacceptable). I am not sure how to discipline a 13 month old as you can't spank him (he doesn't understand) and you can't really give him time out (it's not like he'll stay in one place), and you can't yell at him (what does that teach him?) but you also can't let him get away with it. So where does that leave us? I feel as if every decision I make about discipline at this age is setting us up for his entire life - so I don't want to make any mistakes. But it's just so hard!!!

On a brighter note, Avi is now putting sentences together with sign language. "More Eat" or "All done (with this, want) more eat" or "more music" etc. And he is combining signs and language with saying "ba" and then signing "work." I look forward to more communication in the future! Oh and he also says the full "Aba" now - and not just "ba."

Eating on the floor

2007-12-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we discovered that Avi LOVES Clementines - the small little oranges that are in season around this time of year. He had a few as the weekend progressed - he loved them that much. Well unfortunately they caused a horrible diaper rash for him (and he NEVER gets a diaper rash). I think it was just simply too many oranges as the acid in the citrus must have made his pee really acidy and it looks like it burned him. Poor guy! I hope it clears up soon!

Avi also loves the snack "Goldfish" - and I think we need to get him a 12 step program to cure this addiction. However we are happy to give them to him when he is hungry and we are trying to stall dinner for a little while longer. You'd never know he was my first child from these pictures but yes, we are letting him eat on the floor (and yes the first one he is making his "cheese" face):

What - you can't see him... Well just wait - he'll crawl closer:

And lately he loves to spin around - either while he is sitting down on his behind or when he is laying down on the floor - he just spins round and round....

Yes, he is very talented!

Hey Avi - get me a book....

2007-12-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

Ok Avi is a little over 13 months old and he can go get a specific book if you ask him for one. He actually recognizes them by the cover (and if it's on it's back he will flip it over to see the cover). For example...He knows the book "Machines at work" if I ask him to go get me "hey you guys, lets get to work" - the first line of the book. He can also get me "Tub time for Ernie," "At the Playground," and "Are you my Mother," among other ones. I think this makes him a genius -- you might disagree (and that is fine just don't burst my bubble!)

Peek-a-boo

2007-12-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

Earlier this morning everyone let me sleep in and they all entertained themselves and Avi... First a little peek-a-boo... Where's Avi??:

Here he is....

"CHEESE!"

"Yeah... I'm cute":

"Hey baby!!!"

Michael and I went running later this morning for a long run and we left Avi with mom and Gerry. It went quite well and he didn't really mind that we were gone (which is terrific as it was pretty cold and too cold for him to be out for that long). Mom even taught him the bird sound to add to his collection. Now he does the sound for: bird, dog, cat, cow, sheep, and horse. Later in the afternoon Mom and Gerry took him for a quick walk in the rain... check out the cute pictures (and yes his stroller has a condom on it so he won't get wet):

Grandma and Papa are in town

2007-12-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

Today was a lazy day as we just hung around with mom and Gerry. Avi has really changed from a few months ago where he wouldn't go to anyone. Now he is so comfortable with my mom and Gerry that I can leave the room, get some sleep and totally vanish for a while and he could care less. While I am not thrilled that he could care less, I am thrilled that he is that comfortable with them. Now all I need to do is convince them to move here! Here is Avi with Papa Gerry:

"TOUCHDOWN"

And a little fun on the ROCKER CHOPPER that Uncle Phil made for Avi:

Play date with Julia

2007-12-13T23:48:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we had a lovely play date with Julia and her mom. Julie is a little girl from our music class, and she is older than Avi by just a two weeks. Julie is so very sweet and it was a lovely play date. The two didn't really "play" together but they didn't bother each other either. Julie is walking and I was hoping that she might rub off on Avi a bit (not that I am in a rush for him to walk - just for him to have the desire to do something other than crawl) but not so much. They played for a long time and then shared a snack of everything from veggie dogs to peas and carrots, from cheese to goldfish. And of course managed to swap sippy cups more than once. It was really fun and I can't wait to do it again (and it really helps that I like her mom a lot!)

Michael came home late tonight, after Avi had gone to sleep and he brought my mom and Gerry with him (as they flew in for the weekend). Avi woke up after they had all arrived and when Michael went to get him he cried "ba" as Michael picked him up (it was so sweet!)

Says "Papa"

2007-12-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

All day today it was "ba" "ba" - from morning to night. In the morning Avi nursed with me in bed and then he sat up, pointed to the bathroom doors and yelled "ba, ba, ba" - as if he just knew Michael was in there hiding (which he wasn't). Again I had to tell him that Aba was a work and he signed the work sign. From then on every sound from his mouth (that wasn't a "ffff" - which is his sound for dog) was "ba, ba, ba."

I did, however, teach him a new word. Today he said "Papa" for his Papa Gerry (Grandma Jody's husband). I repeated it a few times and then out of the blue he started saying it. So we called Gerry and Avi said it on their answering machine and then again when Gerry got on the phone! It was so nice to hear him say another word and I know it made Gerry really happy.

Avi also added two more signs to his list. Today he signed "bath" and "banana". He also tried to sign water while he was in the bath. For the most part Avi was pretty easy going today, which was good, and we just got lazy and hung around the house all day. Usually when he gives me a hard time in the afternoon we go out somewhere - but today was easy so we just stayed at home.

It's hard when Michael Travels

2007-12-11T21:47:00.000-07:00

Michael left town early this morning and Avi has wanted him all day. Between shouting "ba" and making the "work" sign with his hands - he has had Aba on the brain all day. When he gets really sad we go downstairs to Michael's office and as we are going down the stairs Avi gets sooooo excited as he expects to see Michael there - and then when we get downstairs and he isn't there... well it's soooo sad. I hate it when he travels and now seeing how Avi misses him so I really hate it. I know we have it easier than most as Michael works out of our house when he isn't traveling, but it's still so hard on Avi.

Since tonight was the last night of Chanukah, and Michael is out of town, we joined our neighbor Debra for candle lighting. Her husband is also traveling and her teenage sons were gone so it was nice to celebrate with someone else all the way around. We lit candles, sung songs, and had some sweet treats. She even gave Avi a few presents of some amazing Jewish Chanukah books! Really - she buys him the best book!!! It was all so sweet!

BA BA

2007-12-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

Avi has a new trick... he now stands at basement door (which is where Michael's office is) and he bangs on the door for Michael while shouting "ba" "ba" - which is how he says Aba (which means father in Hebrew). It's half cute, half pathetic as he calls for him. I did teach him the sign for "work" so now when I ask him "where's Aba" he signs "work." It's going to be a very sad day tomorrow when Michael leaves town for work and he isn't going to be downstairs when Avi calls.

Since Michael leaves town tomorrow, tonight was our last night of Chanukah together... And for the past 6 nights we haven't snapped one picture of Avi with the candles. Of course tonight we lit candles after our training run so we were both sweaty and gross. Avi has really enjoyed the candles, the lights and the gifts (although he can't seem to grasp the concept of unwrapping gifts - so we give them to him unwrapped). Tonight, for some reason, he was more taken with the left over Halloween pumpkin we have --so while pumpkins have nothing to do with Chanukah - this year they do!

Holiday Photos

2007-12-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

Today we ventured outside to our large yard to try and grab some good pictures of Avi to use on our holiday card this year. The only issue is that today was beautiful out - warm weather and sunny - not too much like a Winter Holiday Card Photo. Here are some of the great shots I got:

Here he is thinking "Oh my gosh you've taken 500 pictures already":

"Really... I am getting a headache":

"Has anyone seen my cell phone?"

"Fugettaboutit":

"And let me tell you ehhhhh where to stick that camera":

"Hey now, I'm just kidding!":

Anyway - here was the best one we got of the three of us (thank gosh for cameras with timers):

But this is what the holiday card will look like after all:

In other Avi news... We are starting to have issues with Avi not napping. He, for the most part, will nap at least one nap during the week (or will stay happy in his crib for quiet time) but on the weekend when Michael is not working it's not always the case. Avi decided today that he didn't want to nap (even though he was tired as all holy hell) so we got out for a while. We enjoyed a nice lunch outside, since it was beautiful out, and then we ran some errands. Avi, of course, managed to fall asleep in the car while we were on our way to errand #1. So I quietly exited the car when we got there, and then walked across the parking lot and across the street to store #2 while Michael quietly stayed in the car driving around so he could sleep - ahh the things we do to keep our kids quiet/calm. This afternoon we took Avi to our county swimming center to use the pool (it's really nice) and he seemed to enjoy it (which is a marked improvement from our classes). So hopefully this trend will continue.

And just in case the above pictures weren't enough... Later on for dinner Avi decided to try his hand a dressing like a red-neck...

No shirt and bib only -- yup ladies - he's hot!

Training Runs

2007-12-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

Michael and I are still in the throws of training for the Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon (it's coming up in January). So because of this we have to run three days a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays we run 3 miles each day and on the weekend we do a long run). Well today we had one of our long runs and Avi was a total gem for the run. He was awake, he slept, but he didn't cry or fuss - which makes it so much easier for us! Too bad they don't award training metals for the baby who was the best during their parents training - he is working on earning it hands down.

Getting on each other's nerves

2007-12-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

Goodness, There are some days I need to repeat "I love my son, I love my son" - and while that never changes there are days when he can just get on my nerves. Like today. He has just been very high maintenance and needy all day long. Nothing seemed to make him happy today which makes it rough for me. He only wanted to be in my arms and while that is ok, I don't want to get in the habit of carrying him around everywhere (like one day of it will spoil him forever). But I just try and remember that this too shall pass and go on about my day. I am guessing there are days (like today) where I just get on his nerves too... and while it doesn't make me happy to think that, at least I know it's even!

Chanukah

2007-12-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

Avi has slept late for the past three days (until 9:30) and today he slept until 8:30am - crazy! I'm not sure what has caused this but I am not complaining! Anyway - it's Chanukah here (and in the rest of the world) and we have worked hard this year to have a nicely decorated house and make the holiday fun for Avi. We have lit candles each night and even though Avi likes the lights he really likes all the singing we've been doing. We have gone through all the Chanukah songs we know night after night. The first night we gave him a Fisher Price Little People's Zoo (I bought it at a consignment sale this summer) and it makes fun animal noises. He seemed to really like it and has been playing with it ever since. Last night we gave him the Fisher Price Little People School bus - and BOY did he like that (it also makes noise). He drove it around our entry way for nearly 15 minutes - he would have gone longer if we hadn't made him go to bed. He played with it all day today too!

Tonight we had our neighbors in to celebrate Chanukah with us - they have 5 year old twins and wow were these kids excited about Chanukah. Amy, the mom, even read to Avi - which he loved of course. We had a really nice night with them and Avi had fun too!

Avishai: Month 13

2007-12-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Avishai,

The only good word that describes this past month is EXPLOSION. And by explosion I mean you have had a communication explosion. When you turned one in November you were still a baby, but over this past month you have seen to it that you will make it know what you want. You have dazzled us with your signs - eat, more, all done, milk, potty, music - you are making sure we know exactly what you want! You have even started stringing together signs into sentences so we really know what you want... More music, more eat, etc. It's crazy!

Since you were born we have done two things - sing to you and read to you. You just love music, so much so that you will point to the alarm clocks we have in our room and your room just so we'll put more music on. Then when you started signing music you were really able to tell us that you want MORE MORE MORE. And reading.... Your new thing is that you love to sit and listen to us read you books - so much so that you actually request to be read to. Your father and I figure we spend on average 1 to 2 hours per day reading to you - the books of your choice (you pick them out for us). I am sure we'd spend more time per day reading to you if we were better parents because golly knows you'd sit and listen.

We are also loving your new potty sign. To be just 13 months old and telling us when you need to go to the bathroom is awesome - I want to shout it from the rooftops. Some days you tell us that you just went - but we are ok with that too! We'd like to hope that you learn to use the potty (sans diapers) sooner - but only time will tell.

Your father and I love to spend time with you before you go to bed at night. Your father will give you a bath, comb your hair, brush your teeth, and put your diaper on - to then play with you on our bed... From kissing and giggling to somersaults and flips - you love your time together. You'll actually throw yourself back on our bed as you love the cushiness of our blankets and pillows. Then when you're both done he'll give me a shout where we'll all go into your room for milk. I start nursing you and we all say the Sh'ma prayer together. Then your father leaves and it's our time together. You'll nurse for a while and I'll sing... Then you sit up and we laugh and sign. Some nights you don't want to nurse quite long so I pretend that your favorite stuffed dog Muttsy wants milk... And you grab him out of my hands as if to say "hey buddie, that's my milk" and you go right on nursing!

People ask me how long I plan to nurse you for and I usually reply "hopefully through college as I can't wait to dorm at Harvard." But really - I have no idea. I know I have no interest in nursing a 5 year old, but I like the fact that you are still nursing. It's so much better for you then cow's milk (which is actually not so good for you) and I hope that my good mama's milk will keep you good and healthy throughout the winter. You nurse in the morning when you wake up, and you nurse at night before you go to sleep... And most days you'll nurse at least once more during the day. I almost never tell you no to nursing when you ask (that is unless I am driving or we are in the middle of a store making it hard for me to flash a little boob) but most days you are just too busy to nurse more. So hopefully we'll continue on nursing throughout the winter - and then from there we'll see where we're at.

I have always thought you were a fun kid - but this past month, with your new communication skills, you are really a BLAST (like the tie in there with the EXPLOSION in the first sentence - yeah your mama is that clever!)

I love you!

Love,
Eema

To Charlotte and Back Again

2007-12-02T23:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend we drove up to Charlotte to visit with Nana, and Michael's parents. We headed out Friday night at Avi's bedtime hoping that he'd sleep the entire way. Well he would have if we hadn't hit traffic trying to get out of Atlanta. He tends to sleep in the car at night for around 4 hours - the exact driving time to Charlotte - with no traffic. So he of course was up and upset for the last bit of the ride. Lucky for us we got to the hotel and he was great - went right to sleep. Saturday he was a doll, even napped in the morning at the hotel. We went to lunch with Nana and Michael's parents where Avi dazzled them with all of his signs and his ability to eat everything and anything in site (not to mention his fantastic trip to the bathroom when he told us he needed to go potty - and he did!) He even did pretty good at dinner that night.

This morning we gave Avi a snack at the hotel and he was just so funny as he ate:

We also discovered that he is a great button pusher (perfect for jobs in the future):

After his snack we took Avi on a 7 mile run where he napped in the jogging stroller (which was a godsend). We then had brunch at Nana's place where Avi was the hit of the complex (all the older folks just loved him). We went back to Nana's place with all the toys we brought for him so he could play (and so she could see him play).

Of course it was the books he loved the most. He sat and let us all read to him -- over and over again. Then we sang some Chanukah songs and exchanged some presents. On our way out of town we were winding our way through Charlotte to the highway when Avi started making his "pushing" sounds, complete with red face and the potty sign. So we quickly pulled over and pulled out his potty (which we had with us because we were gone for a long trip):

Michael wasn't too amused as we needed to get to our next stop, and it was cold and windy out - but when you gotta go, you gotta go (which you did have to go!)

The ride home was rough as Avi didn't want to sleep in the car - not to mention it was a long ride. We stopped a little ways outside of Charlotte to visit with some old friends who had just moved to the area, and then we stopped again for dinner. Avi just LOVED the high chair at the restaurant and discovered (not sure how he knows this) that when you have a camera out you say "cheese" (not that he SAYS cheese but check out his cheese face):

And here he is signing more (I did my best to catch it):

And since we have been giving him only straw sippy cups with water at meal times he has mastered the straw:

The rest of the ride home was ok - Michael and I rode in silence the entire way so Avi could sleep.... ahh the things we do for our kids!

Finger painting with Pudding

2007-11-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

Today my friend Ellen came over with her two kids - Sam who is two months younger than Avi and Maddie who is 6 months younger than Avi. I had this bright idea that we should finger paint with the kids using pudding!!! So we put major bibs on them (t-shirts actually), strapped them into their high chairs and let them finger paint away.... of course after we got them all set up with both realized that what we were really doing was teaching out kids to play with their food.... oh well it was fun anyway! Here are some cute pictures:

Maddie seemed to really like it:

But it was Sam who did exactly what I would have done:

There's nothing like getting your hands dirty:

Hurray - that was so much fun!

No more reading on the potty

2007-11-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

Well today we had to cut out all books in the potty. We discovered that Avi wants to go potty all day long just so we'll read to him. So no more reading on the potty. It was really rough today as that is all he wants to do - but he is still making the potty sign, and he is still going on the potty - so we are still in business. I am also working on teaching him more signs (thank you, please, banana, read, books, eema, aba, work) so we can get him communicating even more.

It's Potty all the time

2007-11-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

Well we have created a monster as Avi wants to go potty all the time. That's right - he has given us the potty sign a million and one times today, and since we want to make sure he has the sign down pat we take him each and every time. I think he is having fun with us doing what he wants on his command. But it's ok - whatever it takes to get him to tell us that he needs to go. Sometimes today he went in the potty, other times he just wanted to sit and have us read to him on the potty. But as long as he is telling us he needs to go is ok by me! And of course we have no idea if he a) needs to go, b) has already gone or c) just feel like he needs to go - but regardless off to the potty we go!

It was a rough go tonight in the bath as Avi was being a bit difficult, and later as he and Michael were having play time before bed he bit Michael on the arm. I don't think he was trying to hurt Michael, he was just grabbing on... not acceptable but at least it wasn't with any malice. Tonight at bedtime he signed "more music." Gotta love this communication thing!

Potty Sign is our favorite

2007-11-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

Well we have a signing breakthrough everyone.... Avi will now totally sign potty!!! It is so exciting. When Avi needs to go to the bathroom he will give a lovely pushing sound - his face tenses up and you can tell that he needs to go. So rather than just let him go in his diaper we always grab him and take him right upstairs to the bathroom so he can sit on the potty - where he usually goes. When we do this we ask him if he needs to go potty, give him the sign, and then tell him "lets go potty." Well today when he started to push I asked him if he needed to go potty and he looked at me and signed POTTY!!! We ran upstairs and he went! YIPEE!!! We love it!

Yummy Meat Sauce

2007-11-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

Today was a lazy Sunday just hanging around the house. Avi woke up on the early side and since we went to bed last night on the early side I got up with him. He decided that he was done nursing and wanted to play - his new sign! So down to the playroom we went. After spending some time playing with his trucks he crawled over to his monkey blanket and snuggled his face in it - then promptly sat up and signed that he wanted to eat! So it was off to have breakfast. The rest of our day was a nice one complete with grocery shopping in the afternoon. Here we are outside of Wal-mart... He would smile if I jumped up and down so check out my hair in the first picture:

For dinner Michael and I had ziti and meatsauce and I decided to cut some up for Avi to eat for dinner with us - since now he'd much rather have what we are eating then something special. Well he LOVED it! And we got pictures to prove it!. In the first one I think he is saying that dinner is a touchdown:

Then tonight when I put him to bed he nursed for a few minutes and then stopped, pulled off and signed "more." I asked him if he wanted more milk and he signed more again. So I then realized that he wanted me to sign. I started singing and he went right back to nursing. Each time I stopped (if the song was over) he pulled off from nursing to sign "more." It was just so sweet! Then he was done nursing and he sat up, grabbed Muttsy and just listened to me sing - again signing more when I stopped! At least someone in this house enjoys my singing!

The Potty Sign

2007-11-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

It's been fairly cold here in Georgia and with Michael and I training for the Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon, it can make for a cold ride in the stroller for Avi. Today we had to run 6 miles and figured it would take us a little over an hour. Not wanting to put Avi through that we decided to get a babysitter to watch him while we ran. Well Avi has never stayed with anyone while he was awake so this was a first - kind of. We had our teenage neighbor and her friend come over while he was awake so he could see them. Then we took him upstairs and put him down for a nap - and we quickly ran out the door to start our run.

Well we knew that he wasn't sleeping when we left and worried that he wouldn't stay asleep for very long. Well it turns out that about 20 minutes before we came home he woke up. They managed to change his diaper (a cloth one at that) and put him in his highchair to eat. We got home and he didn't look any worse for the wear (one babysitter did but all in all she did good too!) I am not eager to leave him again wide awake - but if we need to have a sitter come over during a nap and perchance he wakes up... so be it!

Later on this afternoon Avi and I were reading books, books, and more books (his favorite past time) and he started to do the "poop push" where he lets you know he needs to go. I asked him if he needed to go "potty" and he looked at me and gave me the potty sign!!!! YEAHHHHHHH I ran over, picked him up and we went to the potty where he pooped something nasty -- and BOY was I thankful for his new sign!!! Lets hope that continues! It really was a welcomed site to see his potty sign. He has never given it to us before so it really was amazing!

And then at bedtime tonight I sang to him as he nursed (something I do almost every night) and when I was done he gave me the "more" sign so I sang more. When I stopped again he signed more again! It was so sweet! He just loves music!

A fun thanksgiving meal with friends

2007-11-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving with our friends Ellen and Andy and their two babies Sam and Maddie. It was a lovely dinner that Ellen made and Avi truly enjoyed the day -- from her good cooking, to hanging out with Sam and Maddie, to playing with Oscar their sweet dog! I didn't take any pictures (why I do not know) - but it was a fun way to celebrate Thanksgiving!

Oh and Avi has been standing a bunch lately -- more of a "letting go" standing (as in he stands up with support and then lets go). But it's a start!

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Today was Avi's first REAL thanksgiving since last year he was too young to really enjoy all that the holiday has to offer. We started our morning at the neighborhood Turkey Bowl - where some of the men in the neighborhood relive their youth by playing flag football!

Avi enjoyed watching the game (while eating of course) but even more so he enjoyed watching Michael run up and down the field. When there was 1/2 time or a time out and Michael would come over you'd have thought a rock star entered the stands because Avi just went crazy for him!

You'd of thought that we were watching a very intense game the way Avi was watching Michael play:

Since my mom had to cancel her tip our dinner was a quiet one with just the three of us celebrating the holiday. Avi got to enjoy all of the Thanksgiving Fixins provided by none other than the great Boston Market restaurant. I can't really say what he liked better since it ate it all (from the turkey to the mash potatoes to the cranberry souse that I made). I can say that I am so thankful for my family... I am truly blessed and say my prayer of thanks on a nightly basis!

Professional Pictures for the 1 year old

2007-11-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today we finally got around to taking Avi for his "professional" 1st birthday pictures. They really aren't all that professional other than the fact that I paid for them... I could have done the same or better if I had my own studio - but I don't so I am happy to settle for these. I made the appointment last night and the only one I could get was at 9am - the start of his nap time. So I knew it wouldn't be the best!

Well it didn't go so bad! He took the first 40 or so pictures with his thumb in his mouth... but then I suggested letting him stand up and suddenly a smile came out! Here are the pictures we bought:

Animal Sounds

2007-11-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

Avi loves books and he loves it when we read to him. We have several books that have animals in it that he loves to read on a daily basis. From these books he now knows what owls says (Hoo Hoo), a sheep says (Baaa), a dog says (FFFFF - because he can't say the Woo part), cat says (Mwwww), a cow says (Moooo), a horse says (Neigh), and "other dogs" (gruff voice BWWWW). Sometimes the cow and cat sound alike, and other times he confuses the sheep with the cat or cow - but all in all he loves to make the sounds of the animals.

I have been doing a bunch of sewing for Avi lately. My newest creations is more t-shirts:

And Avi has discovered the fridge - he likes to try and climb in it when it's open:

Avi loves books...

2007-11-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

Avi loves it when we read to him!!! Loves it, loves it, loves it! To the point that it's driving me nuts. He isn't allowed to watch TV at all (and really he has no idea what TV even is) so we spend our days playing and reading. We also don't do licensed characters in our house, but his Aunt Suzette bought him some Sesame Street books a while back and we felt bad not letting him have them... they are now his favorite books. He has a stack of books in our family room, another stack in his room, and a few in the play room. He will look through the stacks to find the ones he likes the best. Currently they are (in no particular order):

Tub time for Little Ernie
At the Play Ground
Good night Little Grover
Babies (from Elmo's World)
Food (from Elmo's World)
Puppies (from Elmo's World)
Balls (from Elmo's World)
I Love Your Through and Through
Moo, Ba, LaLaLa
Snuggly Puppy
Are you my mother?

Both Michael and I can recite these word for word, backwards and forwards. It's driving us both a little batty but Avi loves them and we love that he likes reading - so we keep reading them! And he has other books (loads of them) but he loves these the best. Sometimes he'll want to look through the two Cheerios books that we have, or he'll want us to read the book Owen - but he always comes back to the list above!

In other news I've been sewing again. This time I decided to try my hand at making him t-shirts. Here is my first attempt (it's a mock two-layer long sleeve shirt):

It's grey with the mock-long-sleeve in army camo! It fits really nice and I am proud of myself!

Potty Pictures

2007-11-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Just had to get these cute potty pictures (don't mind the wet shirt he had just dumped his water down the front of his shirt):

There's nothing quite like sitting on the potty reading a magazine!

More and Eat

2007-11-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

Once again before bed Avi gave me the "more" and "eat" sign. So off we went downstairs for a snack before bed.

First Hair Cut... and more signs

2007-11-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

Today Michael had homework to do and Avi didn't want to nap... so Avi joined me at a local warehouse fabric sale. Jokingly I told Avi that shopping for fabric was his punishment for not napping! He was pretty good all things considered but he did pull my hair a little more than I liked when we were shopping (I was wearing him in the Ergo carrier so he had easy access to my hair). This hair pulling has really been driving me nuts. Part of it is he likes to hold my hair while he is sucking his thumb. I try not to let him do that as I'd rather him hold on to a blanket, but sometimes I give in as it's not hurting me. However part of his hair pulling is when he is bored and/or angry and he is trying to get my attention. He gets it alright but it's never in a good way! It hurts so much when it grabs fist fulls that I am trying to get him to stop - all the way around!

Anyway, when we got out to the car after the sale he was hungry so, of course, it was time for a snack. Our newest snack is freeze dried apples and he just loves them! He downed an entire package of the apples and then had an organic kid's breakfast bar to finish it off. Boy can he eat! We went from the sale to pick up Michael so Avi could have his first hair cut. Instead of taking him to a cutesy place that just does kid's hair - we took him to Pete, my stylist! I figured Pete could do a much better job and he'd be a lot easier to work with since knows me. So Avi got his first hair cut... here are some before pictures taken outside the salon. This first one I call "I don't want to get my hair cut!":

These next to I call "oh, you want to cut my hair... Well you'll have to fight me first!":

And here is a picture of the actual hair cutting event:

Avi was very good for the haircut as he sat on Michael's lap! I was shocked how good he was but I am not sure why as he is a really good and well behaved kid. And here are the after pictures... I call the first one "hey, where'd my hair go??":

At first I didn't like the cut (although it has nothing to do with Pete's haircut - it's just different) but it's starting to grow on me. In other news, tonight as I was putting Avi to bed he sat up after nursing and gave me the "eat" sign! I was so excited I took him back downstairs for a snack of Organic Os cereal. We came upstairs to go to bed and the little bugger signed "more" and then "eat" -- so back downstairs we went to eat some more. I wanted to reward the sign and let him know that I understood. We then went back upstairs and he did it again - but third time is not a charm in my house so he went to bed!

And PS - we never did get his schedule switched around. Because he was waking in the middle of the night when we tried it we decided just to leave well enough alone.

Our last music class

2007-11-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

Today we had our next to the last music class. Both Avi and I have enjoyed these classes and it's been fun to meet new people and learn new songs (although Michael might disagree about the songs as I walk around the house all day singing them). Avi usually stays near me or on my lap for the classes but little by little he has ventured off my lap to say hello to the other kids and mothers. He is very taken with all of the singing - but he is slightly quiet when in a social situation.

We also exchanged phone numbers with another little girl in the class two weeks his senior. Hopefully we will get to do a play date soon!

Doctor Appointment - 1 year

2007-11-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today Avi had his 1 year old well-visit at the doctor. He weighed in at 18.5lbs (2%) and measured 28 1/4" tall (7%). His head measured 17 3/4" around (14%). So all that tells us is that he is still small (oh and the weigh-in was taken with a cloth diaper on) but he is growing - or at least not loosing weight. At least he is getting taller too! The doctor seemed please with him, his growth and his health.

According to their questions (they ask a slew of them at the start of the visit) he still isn't walking - but the doctor said not to worry, as some children just walk late. He also isn't talking a ton, but does know a few words. The doctor said there too she wouldn't worry as he understands and can follow commands - so some kids talk late too. I plan to keep a watchful eye on both (not that you'd expect anything different) but for now we are happy going with the flow.

For the first time we decided to decline vaccines. Up until this point we had given him everything we were supposed to according to doctor's suggestions. But I have read more, I am more educated and to be honest there are ones now that I don't think he really needs (at all or just yet). We declined the MMR vaccine. There is no need for him to get that one now, especially since there is a thought with some parents that it's linked to autism. While I don't think a vaccine will bring on autism in all children, I do think it plays a part in some children (maybe they react to the drugs in there or are allergic to what it's made with).

So we are going to wait until he is older, until we know his body and his allergies a little better, and he'll get it before he goes to school. But he will NOT be getting this one before he is two! We also declined the Hep A vaccine. The main reason here is because it's not a deadly disease and really - does he need it? We declined the chicken pox vaccine because it's stupid! We all got chicken pox as a kid - we itched for a week and then it was gone! There is no need to shoot his body up with a vaccine so new that they now have to go back and get boosters for it when he could just get chicken pox and be done with it! So he will not be getting this one and we will work (when he is older) to see if we can have it get it naturally.

And we also declined the flu vaccine. This one has mercury in it - something that is very bad for our bodies. Most people we know who get the flu vaccine get sick right after from the vaccine - so again why would we do this to him when we know the flu that comes around most likely won't be the strain the vaccine is designed to protect against. Neither Michael nor I get flu shots and Avi won't either.

Lucky for us, we choose our doctor carefully and she was wonderful in my desire to delay the vaccines. We did go ahead and finish out the Prevnar one and we'll finish the DTP at 15 months - but then we're done for a while. I think if we ever have a second baby we'll delay most vaccines until the child is older and we'll make different choices as to how the child get the vaccine - but with Avi we started with some so we'll at least finish those out.

The only other thing I have for today is the sweetest picture ever:

I snapped this picture of him when he was sleeping (actually he opened his eyes the minute I clicked the camera button) but I love that he has Muttsy (the stuffed dog) in his hand and his "monkey" blanket near by. Just so sweet!

Night waking

2007-11-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

Last night Avi woke up at 11:30pm. It is very unlike him to wake up in the middle of the night. Usually he is a bed by 6:30 or 7pm, rise by 7 or 8am kind of kid. But he cried around 11:30 so I went in and got him. It wasn't a blood curdling cry or even a really pissed off cry, but more of a "I'm so tired please get me" cry. When I went in and picked him up he immediately pointed to the rocking chair - which is where I nurse him when we are in his room. So we sat down and as soon as I did he started trying to lift up my shirt - his sign for nursing. So I let him nurse and boy did he nurse. He spent the longest time nursing on both sides - part comfort sucking part feeding. However I am ok with that. If that is what he needed then so be it! After he was done nursing I put him back in his crib. He grabbed Muttsy, his stuffed dog, and his little Monkey blanket, rolled over and went to sleep. I tucked the big monkey blanket around him and went back to bed.

Avi woke up again at 6am this morning - ouch. Thank gosh Michael was wonderful and got him, changed his diaper and then brought him in to me to nurse. Avi only nursed a short while because he only wanted to get into the bathroom to be with Michael (who was taking a shower). So I put him in his "garden" in the bathroom (the exersauce is what we call Avi's "garden" since it has a garden theme) and I went back to bed! Michael was a doll and let me sleep in as he took Avi down for breakfast, played with him and then put him down for his first nap at 8am (that's right 8AM). While they were playing Avi started doing a monkey walk - that is he started walking using his hands and feet. That's one step closer to walking!

Avi took a long nap - 3 hours!! Our afternoon was pretty good although he didn't want to nap again. I decided to blow bubbles with him - but after 10 or 15 minutes I started getting light headed from blowing all the bubbles. When I tried to put them away he threw a fit! Oh how do I stop those "I want what I want" fits!?! When I couldn't get him to nap we went out for an hour or so - and then this afternoon (more like evening) the three of us went for a training run. It was a whole 47 degrees outside so Avi was very (very very very) bundled in his jogging stroller. Since it's now dark an hour earlier it was prime time for him to sleep in his stroller as we ran! Lucky kid!

Switching it up

2007-11-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

Last night we decided to try and switch Avi's schedule. Up until now it has been bath, boob, bed. We figured it might be better to switch him to boob, bath, bed - for the day that we (as in Avi and I) decided to stop breastfeeding. It just seemed like it would be an easier transition than having to rely on getting milk right before bed. Well it didn't work so well. Avi screamed and screamed after Michael read him a book and put him to bed (with his big Monkey blanket - a first). Michael went in a few minutes later, read him another book and put him back to bed. And he still screamed. So I went in and nursed him and put him to bed. He went to sleep easily then!

Well he woke up at 2am and all he wanted to do was nurse. So Michael brought him in our bed and I nursed him. Avi was so tired he could hardly hold his head up. I took him back to his own crib and he went to sleep easily. However he was up again at 5am. Really darn the person who decided that we as American's should change our clocks twice a year - it really screws up the babies!

Anyway - we had swim class this morning and it went well. The pool was warmer so that helped. We started off doing some safety stuff - as in putting the kids in a life vest and floating them around. Avi didn't like it one bit (and I don't blame him, I don't like it either). After a few minutes we took it off and I just floated Avi around in the front tow and side tow positions. He seemed quite happy. By the end of class he got a bit cold but he did great! He even sat on the ramp and played before we went in to take a shower.

After coming home, eating lunch and taking a nap we had a testing afternoon filled with another Avi fit. He was so tired (since his nap was on the short side) he threw a fit because he didn't know what he wanted. All he kept doing was crying and signing "all done" in a very strong way. He didn't want to be held yet he didn't want to be put down. It was "all done" "all done" "all done." Over and over again!. We finally went down and visited with Michael in his office because I was out of options of making Avi happy. He was much better around Michael.

Once he was calm we went back upstairs and he had me reading books. It was so cute as he would hand me a book to read, I'd read it and he'd listen. Then when I was done he'd either hand me the same book to read again, and again and again - or if I was lucky I'd get handed a new book to read! He seemed to really enjoy it. Another cute thing today was that everytime we passed the balloons from his birthday celebration he'd blow them (since that is what my mother taught him to do). It was just so cute!

It was a lovely weekend

2007-11-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

Today we spent a lovely day hanging out with my family before they all left for the airport. In the morning Michael, Avi and I AND Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Phil went out for our training run (we are all training for the Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon coming up in January). The three of us (Michael, Avi and I) did 4 miles and Rebecca and Phil did a little less. It was really a beautiful morning for a run and a nice chance to enjoy the outdoors.

This afternoon Michael, Avi and I took a walk with my mother and my grandmother. We headed down to the neighborhood park, mainly just to get outdoors. My mother carried Avi in the Ergo and my grandmother got to look on.

And at the park Avi showed off by doing pull-ups with Aba:

It's so nice that Avi has become comfortable with my family. It's a shame they all don't live closer. After a nice dinner (that included Aunt Suzette) we all said goodbye to everyone - even Avi waved as their car left our driveway for the airport. It really was a lovely 1st birthday weekend!

Avishai: Month 13

2007-11-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Avishai,

Today you are no longer a baby (however you'll always be MY baby) because today you turn one year old. Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that your father and I were trying so very hard to get pregnant with you. It was a long road (not as long as for some, but not as quick as for others) but I can still remember taking pregnancy test after test making sure that the positive was really a positive.

Then very early on in the pregnancy I started to bleed and I thought I had lost you! All that trying, some good helping drugs, for what - to loose you before I could even really carry you. But you were stronger than that. You stayed put and the pregnancy continued on.

Day after day, week after week I worried that any day it would end, and I'd wake up no longer pregnant. So every night before I went to sleep I thanked G-d for giving me the chance to be pregnant and begged G-d to let you be born alive, healthy and breathing. You need to know that I was never one to pray before we started trying to have kids, but I needed to believe that something so magical was helped along by a higher power, and since none of this was in my control anymore I had to put my faith some where.

Week after week the pregnancy continued and it didn't take too long before I could feel you - kicking and moving... KICKING and KICKING! Boy were you active. I loved to watch my belly go up and down, left and right as you moved all over the place. I knew that after you were born you'd most likely never sit still - so I should enjoy the fact that you were contained at least for now (as big as I was getting).

And then we got to find out that you were going to be a boy!!

I have to admit that I was a little unsure of this at first... I mean I am a girl, what would I know about how to take care of a boy, a raise a boy. But little did I know that you'd grow on me to where I can't imagine my first child being anyone other than you!

Well I grew bigger and bigger and bigger...

And today, one year ago, you decided to make your entrance into this world - kicking and screaming, with a full head of dark hair. 8lbs 3 oz and you were 100% ours.

Looking back now I can say how wonderfully exciting it was those first few minutes/hours/days. We didn't want any family around until your Bris - we just wanted to get to know you and get to know how to be a parent (because all we knew before you were Orange and Blue). Your father had a wonderful way of swaddling you and rocking you on your side to sleep while singly sweetly in your ear.

I'd nurse you each time you showed you were hungry (which was very often) and I had no idea how much I would enjoy that time with you. We learned what each of your cries meant and how to calm you down.

You can't imagine how two adults would freak out to hear a little baby be as congested as you were - we'd keep you close by at night so we could listen ... Just in case. Your father and I were (and still are) a great team - never arguing over who was going to do what or who was going to change a diaper. It was as if it was a privilege to do things as you were our special child.

Your Bris was very special for your father and I, and a decision we didn't take lightly. We were happy to perform this mitzvah for you and you didn't seem too phased at all. Lots of family and friends joined us for the occasion and there was tons of food (of course).

And good heavens, as the months passed we became even more in love with you.... With your tiny features...

And your killer smile..

Your winning personality...

To your willingness to go with the flow (even when we tried to take you hiking before you were even two months old)....

We wanted to share all of the things we loved with you including taking you to a Gator basketball game, and taking you skiing (ok so you didn't exactly get to ski yourself - but you were there!) I am even willing to share my favorite stuffed animal with you ...but don't get any ideas.. He's still mine :-)

A friend once told me that to have a baby doesn't always translate into love at first sight. That it sometimes takes a while. Well she was 1/2 right for me. I did love you, even before you were born, even before you were conceived - but WOW how my love grew for you each day. How little did I know that you holding your head up for the first time, or smiling, or even wearing cloth diapers would be cause for me to celebrate.

Or that I'd freak out if the vegetables I was serving you weren't 100% organic, because after all I only want the best foods for your little body.

I always knew that I wanted you to suck your thumb but I had no idea of the sheer joy I'd experience when you did... Or even when you started loving your little stuffed Muttsy. WOW what a thrill. Friends of mine who don't have kids just wouldn't understand how amazing it is to see your child getting joy out of things that are so near and dear to your heart.

Your father and I have tried to give you the respect we'd want for ourselves. We are very protective of your bedtime, your nap time, and your personal space. We don't just pick you up without asking - we always let you know what we are going to do (even when you were first born). We don't drag you out late at night or early in the morning - it's not fair to you and it's not fair to us. Some people laugh at how we are but it's the only way I want to parent. You are a person and deserve the respect.

I would have never imagined before I had you, that I'd be washing your diapers, making all of your food (that is until you started stealing ours), and putting you on a potty at 8 months old...

But times change and as a mother I know I am doing right by you. I also would have never guessed that I'd be breast feeing you past a year. But I am not ready to stop and you are not ready to wean (if you were you'd wean). So onward we go!

Avishai, you are one of the two most special things in my life (your father of course is the other). I could try all day but there aren't words that I could write to make it sound like what I feel. Just know that I love you with my heart and soul. When you hurt, I hurt. When you are happy, I am happy.

I pray each night for G-d to keep you safe, happy and healthy. That nothing horribly bad should happen to you (I can handle little bumps and bruised along the way but nothing catastrophic). I want you to grow up a strong man, a good man, a smart man - like your father. I pray for G-d to give me the strength I need to be the best mother I can be... To have patience and understanding and to give you what you need to grow up to be the person I know you can be. I want you to love education, and people. I want you to have compassion, a good sense of humor, and a passion for life. I want you to respect the earth that you were given and work to leave it in better shape then when you found it. I hope you will love the outdoors as much as we do but that you will respect it as it's bigger than all of us. May you be smart with your words and with your actions and understand that what we do in life all has consequences. I want you to use your life to change the world (and even if that change is on a small scale - that's ok!) May you stay away from drugs and alcohol, and never get in with a bad crowd.

Avishai, we love you very much and can't wait to see what the next 99+ years of your life will bring! Your first has brought us so much joy already!

I love you!

Love Eema

Avishia's 1st Birtday

2007-11-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today is Avi's first birthday! We decided to have a little party to celebrate the great event and invite a few friends over. We know that Avi won't remember the day and that the party is really for us - but nevertheless we figured it would be fun!! Well it was. First the attendees:

Grandma Jody and Papa Gerry
Great Grandma Ruth
Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Phil
Melissa with Little Michael (23 months old)
Anna and Josh with Little Bess (20 months old)
Ellen and Andy with Little Sam (10 months old) & Maddie (6 months old)
Scott and Carla
Aunt Suzette
Kim and Robbie with Little Josiah (3 months old)
Dave and Sue
And of course us!

Then the menu:

Veggies and Dip
Baked Brie
Chips and Chex Mix
Cheese and Crackers
Baked Ziti
Bread and Tomato Spread
Organic Mac and Cheese (for the kids)
A GIANT Cookie Cake (instead of birthday cake)
And 5 all natural, VERY low sugar individual banana cakes with cream cheese and maple syrup frosting (for the kids)

Here is the cookie cake:

And here are the special clothing I made for his birthday...a bib, a pair of shoes, and a birthday diaper:

Anyway - it was a really nice and laid back get-together with everyone just hanging around and talking. The kids played in the playroom and Avi had a good time with them. We asked that people not bring gifts - because after all we spoil him plenty (and really he doesn't need anything - we just wanted to celebrate) but no one listened. Avi got lots of books, some money towards college, clothing (from his Grandma Jody and Papa Gerry), a kitchen set (from his Grandma Karen and Grandpop Lennie) a beautiful hand carved Hebrew name plaque (from his Uncle Phil), and a tree was planted in Israel in his name (among other things)!

Even Michael commented that it was a shame that Avi won't remember the party -- it was really a lovely day! Here are some more pictures from the event... Playing with the other kids (I didn't ask permission to post their pictures here so I am just including those of Avi):

Eating Cake (the one that I made that is very low in sugar):

Hanging out with Great Grandma Ruth:

Happy 1st Birthday Avishai! We love you!

Real Crawling!!

2007-11-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Up until this point Avi has crawled only in a military fashion - that is to say that he has crawled on his stomach using his elbows and toes (think Army crawling through the trenches). We think this is because we have wood floors in our house and if he tried to crawl up on his knees it would hurt. So he uses his toes to push him and his arms to pull him and he gets wherever he wants to go fast (really fast). Well today for the first time he crawled on hands and knees. We're not sure if this is a precursor for walking, or if his elbows (which are pretty calloused at this point) hurt. But regardless he did a crawl that looked normal - not for long but he did do it!

Avi is also very into feeding himself. He likes to eat anything and everything and does really well to self feed. Well I am running out of stuff to feed him and I feel as if I give him the same few things every day. So today we tried grilled cheese and of course he LOVED it. He ate it slowly as it was a different consistency then he is used to - but he ate it all!

Avi's 1st Halloween

2007-10-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

All this week Michael is working out of the Atlanta office (as opposed to the home office or being on the road). So he has gotten up with Avi, fed him breakfast and then brought him to me when it's time for him to leave. Well this morning Michael decided that Avi was tired and put him down for a nap right away. He set the alarm for me but for some reason it didn't go off and I slept right through our 9:30am swimming class (actually I got up exactly at 9:30). Oh well! I hated to miss swimming but I guess both Avi and I needed sleep (as he continued to sleep for another hour).

This afternoon we got dressed to celebrate Avi's first Halloween. I feel very guilty as me, the crafty one, bought his Halloween costume... And my excuse is that it was only $3 - so how could I not buy it?

Avi dressed up as a Dalmatian puppy and both Michael and I wore fire fighter hats.

We walked down to our neighborhood pool as they were having a little celebration. Avi had a good time looking at all the kids dressed up and everyone got a kick out of us in our costumes. As we walked home we stopped at a few neighbor's houses to say hi and so they could see him all dressed up. Don't worry - he didn't get to taste any candy... Just the boxes when I wasn't fast enough:

Dave and Sue (our next door neighbors) gave Avi a special Halloween treat of little baby teething biscuits - it was really so nice!! Anyway - here are a few more pictures of our first Halloween!

I love this next one as you can almost hear his belly laugh:

And this is Avi doing his "all done" sign:

Avi's first Tantrum

2007-10-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

Today Avi had his first eye doctor appointment. InfantSee is a free program that gives all babies under the age of one a free eye exam. And since I love all things that are free - we decided to get his eyes checked out. My joke of course was that he MUST be blind as he can't read the eye chart (LOL) but really it went well. The doctors was a woman, blond and pretty - so Avi (the ladies man) had a good time flirting. She checked to make sure his eye were tracking properly, looked in them with a light, and then made sure he could see the special paddles she had. She wanted to know if he has any problem with his vision.... And except for the fact that he can't see through all of his hair.. Nope, don't think he has any vision issues. All in all it went well and we're told his eyes are just fine.

This afternoon I was able to catch Avi doing something he loves... Pulling books and magazines off one of my shelves. Here are some pictures to prove it:

Also today Avi has his first throw down, crying tantrum (and he is not even one yet). As I was feeding him lunch it was very apparent that he was tired. However after eating 1/2 cup chicken, 1/2 cup rice and an entire kiwi (not to mention the orgnaic cheerios he had to start with) he was still hungry, however he couldn't hold his head up anymore he was so tired. So I cut him off and told him we were "all done." Well that did it - he started crying, throwing stuff off his plate, pointing to everything and anything, etc. I tried to get him cleaned up to hold him and he started hitting me... and THAT I will not stand for. So I cleaned him up and put him on the floor to throw his tantrum. He went face down and continued to cry and carry on.

I sat on the floor a ways from him and asked him if he was "all done" - giving him the all done sign. He continued with his tantrum so I told him I'd be "right here" when he was done. I turned my back to him but continued to sit on the floor. He quickly stopped so I turned back around asking again if he was "all done" - and he once again started crying and carrying on. I again told him I loved him and that I'd be right here when he was all done and I turned my back once more. He continued a minute or so more and then sat up and put his thumb in his mouth. I turned back to him asking if he was "all done" and he just glared at me.... so since he wasn't crying or carrying on anymore I went over and gestured to pick him up.... which he let me... tantrum over...

I know we are just getting started but I am not sure I can take much more of that!

Training for a 1/2 Marathon... Avi and all!

2007-10-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

This morning we went on another one of our training runs (for the 1/2 marathon we are doing in January) and it was chilly so we bundled Avi up:

Doesn't he just look cute (and cold)...

We took Avi swimming this afternoon in another effort to get him back to having fun in the water. It went better than yesterday but he still got cold fast (and the water is pretty warm). We only stayed for 30 minutes again and we worked on front tows, side tows, and going under the water. I really wonder if it's just too cold for him being that he is so little and all??

The Bouncy Seat is so small

2007-10-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

Today we took down Avi's favorite bouncy seat (the seat that he used when he was a very young infant) and WOW it was way small for him. He still enjoyed sitting in it and watching the fishy go around - but it's amazing how big he's gotten.

This afternoon we headed over to a local swimming center. I had heard that they have several pools and one is kept at 86 or 87 degrees and is used for instructional classes and family open swim. We want to get Avi back to having fun in the water and figured it we could take him to a warm pool to swim he might like it better. Well no such luck. He is still ok in the water but he got cold really fast. We only swam for 30 or so minutes - and it went ok... But I think we are going to have to keep doing this for him to be ok with being a little bit chilly.

Trader Joe's Balloon

2007-10-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning we had swim class again and just like Monday it went awful - but this time I didn't have him in the nursery before (I so learned my lesson on that one). He just didn't want to leave me for a second - so not like him in the water (at least not up to this point). I really think he is taking cues from the little girl that spends her class time crying... And while I don't wish any child would fall ill- a little cold for our next session would be great so I can see if it's her or does Avi really not like the water now.

Today, after a fun music class (where Avi had a blast crawling from mom to mom and watching them sing) we headed to our favorite grocery store.... Trader Joes. While we were walking around Avi spotted the banana's and HAD to have one. Lucky for me they are priced by the banana (instead of by the pound) so I was able to feed him one and pay them as I checked out. Avi ate the entire banana as we shopped (biting off a piece right from the fruit) and I was amazed. Upon checkout they gave him a balloon and he just had a load of fun with it as we sat outside and I fed him some organic string cheese as part of his lunch. He just loved watching the balloon fly up and down as he waved his arms. Here are some cute pictures:

And what do you think... He needs a hair cut... Right?

Surprise - it's Grandma Jody

2007-10-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

Last night I got a surprise visit from mom. She was flying through Atlanta on her way back to FL when her flight got cancelled. So she rescheduled her flight to leave tonight and she spent last night and all today with us. It was so nice to have her here today. She got a chance to play with Avi and we three went down to IKEA to meet some friends (since we had it already planned). She carried Avi in IKEA and got to have some bonding time. Then I got to go to the YMCA to do my training run and she watched Avi while I ran. He did pretty good with her and she even fed him some yummy food (an entire banana and an entire kiwi - plus some organic cheerios).

We then went to dinner before taking her back to the train. Oh how I wish she'd move closer!!!

YMCA nursery - a bad move

2007-10-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Since putting Avi in the nursery at the YMCA didn't work in the afternoons because he is so tired I decided to try this morning before we went to swim class. I figured we could try for 10 minutes and just get him used to it. Well it was a BAD move. He screamed and cried and they couldn't get him to calm down. After a few minutes I told them to just forget it -- it's so not worth it if Avi is going to be stressed about it. We can try again when he is older, or maybe they will let me sit with him to get him used to the room... But it's so not worth him being that upset.

I am also sick of people telling me what is "good" for my child - as if putting him through this torture of being without me at the nursery is good for him. It's not! He screamed and screamed and screamed. I know if we did this day after day after day he'd just get used to it - but really why? He will learn, in due time, to be without me (and Michael) for a while - but why do I need to force the issue on him. I know that someday he won't want me around, anywhere - so for now I am going to enjoy the fact that he wants to be close to us, and when I need "me" time I can either hire a babysitter after Avi goes to bed or just wait until Michael comes home - but for not this nursery thing isn't worth it.

Well the nursery idea was also a bad idea because it totally ruined swimming for him. He was in a horrible mood and he wouldn't let go of me (the pool was also quite cold - and a LOT colder than it was last week). There is another little girl in the class, Grace, who hates the water (and I mean HATES the water). She screams and cries every time her mother tries to get her to go in. She'll sit on the ramp and play just fine but when she has to swim - oh she hates it. Well I wonder if Avi is taking from her cues because he cried the entire class today. Partly I think he was tired, partly it was because he didn't want to let me go, but I wonder if he saw her crying so he thought he should be upset too? Regardless of the reason I hope to goes better on Wednesday!

Michael is gone yet again

2007-10-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Michael left again for yet another week away. It's getting hard on both me and Avi to have Michael away for a week at a time. I know Avi misses having Michael spend time with him in the morning and the afternoon, and I miss that time too as I get extra sleep in the morning and some alone time in the afternoon (or on the days we run I get my running partner). I have figured out that the first few days are ok but by Wednesday both Avi and I are more than ready for Michael to come home! Hopefully this travel won't keep up as it's hard to explain to Avi that Aba will be home soon, just not now!

Our visit to a local Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today we spent a fun day at a local pumpkin patch. It was a very warm day - and not exactly the right temperature for him to wear the nice wool hat I knitted for him - but what can you do? We walked around the patch checking out all the pumpkins, took pictures, had lunch, checked out some of the animals they had on the farm and took a cook hay ride (which Avi loved). Here are some pictures from our day:

Pumpkin Hat

2007-10-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

I wanted to knit Avi a pumpkin at for our trip to the pumpkin patch tomorrow but I stopped short putting a stem on it - mainly because I wanted him to wear the hat more than once. Here he is in his PJs and new hat (quite the model huh??)

I don't think he likes it nearly as much as I do - but that's ok.... Well and it's going to be over 76 degrees tomorrow so there won't be much need for a cute hat!

Music Class Rocks

2007-10-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

Today we had a fun music class. Avi loves music class so much! It's just 1/2 an hour and there are ten other kids. We sing songs, bounce our kids on our knees, walk to a beat, etc. Avi was a bit quiet today as he spent most of the class on my lap sucking his thumb, but I did get a few smiles and claps out of him. But of course, like every week - when class is over he goes crawling right out the door to check out what's going on in the hallway! Go figure - that's when he picks to be the social butterfly.

Second swim lesson

2007-10-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

We had our second swim lessons at the YMCA today and Avi did great. He didn't cry or fuss once. We did the front tow, the side tow and even put him underwater (first from a sitting position on the wall and then from the teacher to me). The class is so cute as we sing songs and do stuff to music. I am so glad he likes the water and I do hope it continues.

Second time at the YMCA nursery - a bust

2007-10-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I took Avi to the YMCA to test out the nursery again so I could get my training run in. Well today it didn't go so good. Avi cried and cried - not a screaming cry but a pissed off cry. He lasted only 15 minutes and I decided just to stop my run and take him home. It's so not worth having an upset child. I can get a baby sitter to watch him at night while he is sleeping

First swim class and first black eye

2007-10-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Today we had our first swim lessons at the YMCA and Avi did great. He just loves the water and it was so warm. The teachers seem very nice and there are a few other kids in the class. However the class is during his morning nap - so it's at a hard time for him.

I think the part he liked best was flirting with all the women in the locker room - young, old, it didn't matter! My child is such a ladies man. He didn't want to nap in the afternoon creating quite a rough end to our day - but what can you do? Michael is off yet again for another week away - which makes life even rougher!

Oh - and I got pictures of Avi's black eye... notice the shirt - it says "I do all my own stunts!" HA! This first picture I like to think he's reading the box and wondering "hmmm if this mac and cheese says it's Organic, does that mean it's healthy?"

"Hmmmm, maybe I can just get it open to taste the healthiness of it..."

"EEMAAAAA"

And of course his cute little black eye:

Whattcha pointing at?

2007-10-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today Grandpop Lennie and Grandma Karen left - but not before us snapping some picture:

And we finally managed to get pictures of Avi's pointing... What on earth could he be pointing at here?

Then later tonight Avi took a face plant into the handle of one of our kitchen drawers and gave himself a nice eye shinner. The poor kid! It didn't seem to phase him all that much but he has a cute little black eye now.

Happy Birthday Aba

2007-10-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

WOW was Avi happy to have Michael home yesterday! It's as if his entire world is back! Since we missed Michael's birthday (with him traveling) we are having a nice weekend celebration with Michael's parents coming in to town and a small outdoor get-together.

So today we went hiking at Kennesaw Mountain for Michael's 30th birthday. We had a few friends and their kids join us, as well as Michael's parents. We had a lovely bagel breakfast at the park before we went and hung out on the grass. It was so nice as the weather was lovely and our friends are just terrific. Avi loved watching everyone and being outside of course. He also loved the hiking - we have such a nature loving child!

Here is the whole group - kids and all:

And here is Avi with Michael, and Michael's parents (Grandma Karen and Grandpop Lennie):

Runny Nose

2007-10-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

Avi wasn't feeling well today! He has a bit of a runny noise so we didn't go to music class. It was a hard decision not to go to class - because a) I paid for it and b) we both like music - but I didn't want to run the risk of getting him sicker or getting any of the other kids sick -so we stayed home. By the afternoon he seemed a little better but was still sleepy.

First time at the YMCA nursery

2007-10-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

Avi was pretty good this morning but didn't want to be put down in the afternoon (as in he wouldn't let me put him down). So we headed out to the YMCA to try the childcare there so I could run. Avi has never been with anyone else other than me and Michael when he is awake so I wasn't sure how it would go. Well it went well - really well!!! He stayed for 50 minutes there while I ran on the treadmills right outside the door (he couldn't see me but the ladies who work there could see me and come get me if needed). I was shocked. When I went up to the window/door with him the lady put her arms out and he went right to her - SHOCK! So lets hope he does this again soon!

Crying over suitcases

2007-10-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

Michael left this morning and Avi cried at the site of the suitcase - it was sooo sad! How do you explain to a baby that his father - the one person who he idolized - will be home soon? Its so rough! However on a good note Avi had a really good day - I was worried when he cried this morning but the day turned out alright.

Michael leaves again tomorrow

2007-10-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

Some days I just need some time to myself. I love my son but when Michael travels all week I find that I need a few hours on the weekend to run errands go grocery shopping and have some quiet moments all to myself. So yesterday Avi spent most of the day with Michael so I could run errands and just have some quiet time. Gosh I love my husband!

Today we spent the day as the three of us before Michael has to leave again tomorrow. He is traveling a lot lately and it's hard on all of us. But this new job has a lot of training and therefore they have him gone for a week at a time (4 or 5 weeks straight). Both Avi and I (Michael too) will be happy when it's over).

Avi's got new shoes

2007-10-04T20:22:00.000-07:00

Another music class -- gosh it's so much fun! I have also been making Avi some soft soled shoes lately. I tell you having a baby is a great creative jump start!!! I wanted some fun shoes for Avi but didn't want to pay the price of Robees (the hip soft soled shoes that are $30 a pair). So instead Avi and I went to the thrift store and bought a leather jacket for $5. Then I used that as the sole and started sewing away - here is the result:

Not bad huh??

Play Date with Sam and Maddie

2007-10-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

Today I snapped these two cute pictures of Avi:

And look at his teeth:

Anyway, today we went to my friend Ellen's house to play with Sam and Maddie (Sam is two months younder than Avi, and Maddie is 6 months younger). Sam is a lot more mobile than Avi but they seemed to have a good time. Here they are playing with a fun bead toy:

Avi was quite taken with the different toys they had (because after all they are different from the ones in our house). They even keep some of their toys in an old infant bath tub and to Avi this must have seemed like heaven:

He also really seemed taken with Maddie...

Especially her hat...

But when Sam and Maddie went down for a nap Avi thought it was prime time for some bathing with the toys (and don't mind the wet shirt... He had a little too much fun with his cup of water at lunch):

Avishai: Month 11

2007-10-03T19:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Avishai,

Well you are 11 months old today - inching ever so close to the big one year mark. This month you have gone from a baby to a child as you are now pulling up and standing. No matter if its the couch, the coffee table or our legs - you crawl over and pull yourself up and then are very proud of your accomplishment. You have started crusing around stuff (the couch and the coffee table for one) but you still seem more at home crawling then trying to walk.

You also started pointing at things this month. Neither your father nor I are sure where you learned this as we don't really go around pointing at stuff - but you seem very determined with your pointing. You LOVE to point at your father and when you do he says "no you'd da man" and you find this very funny. Some days it a game as you point and we'll name it, then you point at something new only to have us name that item too. It's as if you are trying to see how much we know - not the other way around.

You are also eating up a storm - really! I don't know how you are so small with the amount you eat. You just love food, any and all food! We can't seem to get it in you fast enough. And you love to nurse. You have cut back from the long 45 minute nursing sessions every hour and 50 minutes when you were first born to a quick 5 or 10 minutes 4 or 5 times a day - but it seems to be the only way to start and end your day! And I wouldn't have it any other way. I would have never thought that I would love nursing you like I do but as we approach your year birthday I am thinking about nursing you past a year (something I never thought I'd consider). But having a child changes you I guess.

You love music -singing, the radio, the CD player - it doesn't matter. And you really like your music class although you are a bit shy and don't venture off my lap too much. You also love the water and would stay in the bath tub for hours on end if we let you!

I am constantly amazed by you each day and I can't imagine my life without you in it! My favorite time of day is right before bed where it's just you and I. Those moments are so special to me and I always want to hold them in my memory and in my heart. I am blessed to be your mother and I know it!

I love you!

Love,
Eema

Showering fully dressed

2007-10-02T22:33:00.000-07:00

Usually when I am getting ready to shower I turn it on for a few minutes to warm the water up. Well today Avi climbed in clothing and all! He was just so pleased with himself and he was having the best time - how could a mother be mad at that? These pictures say it all:

He climbs!

2007-09-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

Michael left tonight but before he did I got some shots of him and Avi out front waiting for the car to take Michael to the airport:

Avi also figured out today that he could CLIMB INTO THE BATHTUB!!! I kid you not - this child is amazing at his skill and talent! Check it out:

And of course when Eema is giving a bath (since Michael usually does that) a camera isn't too far:

And PS- here is a cute shot of Avi testing out some pull-ups I made:

Michael is great!

2007-09-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

Part of us going to Florida was so Michael and I could get a little work done. It's been very hard to accomplish much with Avi around - nap time and bed time is all that I get as I won't work during the day when he is awake. Not that I have THAT much to do - but there is my teaching, the magazine, and the general checking email stuff (not to mention my slight discussion forum addiction). So Michael took Avi for a while today so I could get work done (general grading stuff for my classes I teach). I am thankful to have a husband who is such a great father as this parenthood stuff would be hard without him!

The right decision

2007-09-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well we got home last night and Avi went to bed at 6:30pm and slept to 5:30 this morning - this is the longest and best that he has slept since we left home. Then to top that off he napped for three hours this morning. Which all meant that we made the right decision to leave my mother's early and come home. Avi loves his crib so much that he does "crib angels" (think snow angels) when he has been gone from his crib. I hate that we had to leave but I am happy to know we made the right decision.

So much for R&R

2007-09-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

So much for our rest and relaxation. Avi hasn't slept well at all since we arrived. We have found that he doesn't do well sleeping in the same room as us. Part of it is because I think we are both noisy - from snoring to tossing/turning - he hears up and wakes up. The other part is that once he is up he can see us and wants us. He also doesn't nap well outside his crib. So in the morning we have been getting up with him and then putting him back down while we go out to the couch to try and get a little more sleep - we end up scrunched on the couch (as my mom's house isn't that big) and we are exhausted.

Well last night was the last straw. Avi was up last night at 12:30, 1:30, and then from 4 am on. I was so frustrated at our lack of sleep (and overall feeling like shit with no sleep) that we changed our flight and left early this morning. This decision killed my mother but we really had no choice. There was no point trying to continue on this lack of vacation - it wasn't fair to us, to him or to them as we were taking over their small house.

The hardest part (other than disappointing my mother and Gerry) was the realization that times have changed and he is not the easy traveler anymore... This means that our yearly ski vacation will have to wait this year as I am NOT paying all this money to fly west only to have a baby not sleep at night and me be a zombie on the slopes! This too shall pass - right?

Ice Cream in Florida

2007-09-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

Today we flew to Florida to spend a week with my mother and Gerry (and my grandmother too). We decided we needed a little R&R and hanging out with some extra loving hands is the way to do it! This way we could go out for an evening or two and we have mom and Gerry to baby sit for us. Well we arrived and my mother was still at work - so Michael, Avi, Gerry and I took a walk to a local ice cream stand and mom and GG (my grandmother) met us there later. Avi was very taken with the ice cream and my mother insisted that it was cruel for us to eat ice cream and not give him any (oh she is such a grandmother!!!) so of course how could I say no to that:

He loved it - of course (not that I expected anything different).

And of course he liked sitting with Papa Gerry too:

In the evening after Avi had went to sleep, Michael, my mother and I went out to the grocery store to get stuff for meals for the week (so we didn't have to eat out every meal) and left Gerry with Avi. Well half way through our shopping trip Gerry called that Avi had woken up. We rushed to finish and ran home to find Gerry holding a screaming Avi - and I am not sure who looked worse... Gerry or Avi?? But we got them both calmed down and Avi back to sleep! I think Gerry might recover - just not sure when :-)

Another day at the park

2007-09-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was pretty uneventful as it was Yom Kippur and Michael and his parents spent the morning/afternoon in shul. Since Karen and Lennie decided to leave tomorrow we got to take them to a local park so they could see Avi hang out on the swings. He missed nap so we could hang out at the park but all things considered he did pretty well - here are some cute pictures from our day:

Yom Kippur

2007-09-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

Michael's parents Karen and Lennie came in today to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur with us. We had a nice dinner (that I made) and even had some neighbors in to celebrate with us. One of my favorite parts of the holiday this year is that I don't have to fast because I am still a nursing mom. Talk about "thank G-d for small miracles!" I figure that last year I didn't fast because I was pregnant, this year nursing, hopefully next year pregnant and the year after that nursing - wow I could go on like that for a while!!! (Too bad Michael says only one more kid!)

Anyway - we had a lovely dinner and when Michael and his parents left for shul, Avi, Steve and Debra (our neighbors) and I cleaned up before I took Avi up for a bath (and our neighbors went home). He doesn't get the holiday of course, but it was nice to have a family dinner.

Crib Angels

2007-09-16T22:19:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh it's good to be back home. Michael and I joked around that Avi makes "snow angels" in crib after being gone for a night or more. We'll put him down in his crib to sleep and he crawls around as if to say "ahhh it's good to be home." Our trip was a good one and Avi got a chance to eat anything and everything (within reason of course - but he did get to sample some good food). Because of these new found tastes, Avi had his first diaper rash yesterday which carried into today. It's not too bad but I can tell it's there. We have no idea what caused it either since we pretty much let him sample everything - from the Hummas to the cheese and everything in between.

Easy Travel Days are Over

2007-09-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

Avi woke up yet again at 6:30am to poop on potty. If that's the worst thing that happens to us by teaching Avi to use the potty at such a young age - so be it! (Although I do like my sleep!) We scheduled our flight today so Avi could take a first nap ... And he did! So we were then off to the airport to fly home. Avi again didn't sleep on the plane but I need to remember that those easy travel days are probably over.

Meeting a new cousin

2007-09-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

Avi doesn't do very well when we travel (now that he is older) because he doesn't do well sleeping anywhere but his crib. He also doesn't do well when we all have to share a room. He is a good sleep but a light sleeper and I think our tossing and turning tends to wake him up. Well this morning around 6:30am he woke up. We took him to the bathroom and he pooped on potty. Its so hard not to be excited about that - even with the lack of sleep (as I am not a morning person). Before everyone left to go to shul I snapped this awesome picture of Avi and Michael:

We decided to put him down for a nap again and he slept right through what would have been services (but we stayed back at the house). Later on in the afternoon Avi got the chance to meet Max, a somewhat new cousin, who lives in the area.

Max is younger than Avi by a few months but they seemed to get along just fine. Avi also did ok with his older cousins. Eli didn't like it when Avi played with his toys and would constantly come over and grab toys right from Avi's hands. Avi got a little upset but he was easily satisfied when we gave him something different. Here he is having fun with a puzzle that used to be Micahel's:

After all that excitement Avi wouldn't nap so I took him out walking for a while. He hung out in the Ergo and eventually fell asleep.

Some cute pictures

2007-09-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

This morning everyone was going to services for Rosh HaShannah. I didn't want to take Avi if he hadn't napped, but yet if he took a nap then I couldn't take him to services (due to the fact that the kid's service would be over). So we decided to let him sleep and true to form he slept through services, and got up only when everyone got back. We hung out for a while inside playing with some fun musical instruments:

And then we sat outside and enjoyed the weather - Here is Avi doing is "touchdown" sign:

Silly pictures on the plane to MD

2007-09-12T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today we flew to Maryland to visit with Michael's brother and his family. Avi was pretty ok on the plane as we had a middle seat to sit him in. Gone are the days where he sleeps through a flight but all in all he wasn't that bad. We did discover that great way to keep him entertained is to take pictures of him with the digital camera and then show him the pictures. So he had fun making silly faces and then looking at them:

We arrived in MD safe and sound and got to visit for a while before a lovely holiday dinner was served. Avi took it all in as he watched his cousins run circles around him. He isn't around kids all that often but he didn't seem to get annoyed when they came close - which is good.

Walking... or should I say pushing

2007-09-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

Avi has a new found love for standing and going places. He still really isn't walking (or ready to walk for that matter) but I wanted to try and get him a little more practice. I am not a fan of the baby walkers because they don't help walking, in fact they hinder hip movement which doesn't do a baby any good.

We have an excersaucer that we use when we need to keep him in one place and entertained (like when I am taking a shower) and we have a baby walker downstairs that we could use in the same way but never seem to use it at all (since I know they are not that great for babies).

Well today I discovered that I could take the seat off and make it into an actual walker - one that he can stand behind and push. He seemed to like walking behind it, but due to our wood floors the walker had a habit of getting away from him. But all is good as he seemed to get a kick out of the ability to go places on his own (or at least with me behind him ready to catch a fall) so all is good in the world.

(And yes I knit him those pants!) In other new of tricks, today while getting the bath ready for Avi he actually climbed into the tub. And if I wasn't there to grab him he would have gone head first! I knew when he was in my womb that I would be forever chasing after him - I just wish I had a little more warning sometimes.

Standing on everything

2007-09-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

Avi has decided that he wants to try and stand... The problem is that he is now standing on everything. He tried to walk but his legs still aren't strong enough and his balance still isn't good enough. Hopefully we still have some time.

Goofy is good

2007-09-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made Avi some more comfy fleece pants:

He just has the cutest little body, not too fat, not too skinny! It's just right! Anyway, Michael is out of town today and I decided that since Avi knows how to do the "touchdown" sign that he should also learn the "Gator Chomp." Well when I do the music for the chomp he takes his hands and makes a gator chomp, over and over again!! Yeah for new tricks!

We also got a little gooffy during a diaper change today:

And yes that's a onesie on his head!! Sometimes I crack myself up!

Avishai: Month 10

2007-09-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Avishai,

You are ten months old today!! That's right TEN!!! I can't believe it - where has the time gone (I think I write this every month). This past month we have been able to witness you moving from a baby to the beginnings of a little boy. You are very adventurous and you love to climb all over the place. When we went to your 9 month check up at the doctor she asked me if you were pulling yourself to a stand and "crusing" yet. I told her no and she said I shouldn't worry that it will happen when it happens.

I think you must have heard her because right after that visit you started pulling yourself up on us, the couch, the big stuffed bear in the playroom, the window, your crib, etc.

Most of the time (unless it's us) you pull yourself to your knees - which is ok by me! You are just starting to do the cruising part, but really I can wait for that.

This month you also started sitting up on your own... Now don't get me wrong, this is something that you did before, but now you are doing with with speed and grace.

You crawl, crawl, crawl SIT UP - and then you giggle at yourself. You are still doing the military crawl but you are fast as lightening. You love to get things in your hand and crawl around with them. It's a real talent as far as I am concerned!

You are now also eating a lot more different foods - and this is not because you wouldn't eat them before, but it's because we wouldn't let you. Now that I have lightened up about it you are getting to try new things - from mexican food to BBQ beef - you love it all! It's as if you are an eating machine.

You've been great as we take walks with you in your new stroller but you really do still love to be in the Ergo next to me (which I love too!) I try to put you in the Ergo when we go out shopping because I don't want you to grow out of it and out of being close to me. Which brings me to your father... Oh how you love your father. This month was the first time you really noticed when he was gone away on business. How it hurt my heart to see you missing him. Like a little puppy you were waiting for him to return. I know he misses you too so it makes it hard all the way around. One day you'll understand that even though he travels he isn't too far away - but for now you have to settle for a bedtime phone call and hearing his voice.

I am starting to get weary of your first birthday - it's right around the corner... Have I mentioned I am not ready for you to grow up??

I love you!

Love,
Eema

Hiking Amicalola Falls

2007-09-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

This morning Avi woke up a wee but early for my taste - around 6am. We had decided to go hiking today so of course he woke up early and messed up his nap schedule (which we had timed so perfectly to run with the drive to the mountain). But he did get up and nursed only to go right back to bed.

Today we went to Amicalola Falls (Located in Amicalola State Park, these falls plunge 729 feet in seven cascades. Designated as on of the seven wonders of Georgia, Amicalola is the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi River.) Here Avi is in the car as we are getting all ready to hike (notice how much gear we bring... We are such gear junkies):

We took the long way as we hiked the mountain. Our goal was to see a waterfall and Avi was a trooper all the way.

We stayed watching the waterfall for a bit and while it was cool - I longed to show Avi the beautiful waterfalls of Northern Arizona. (As compared to those, this one was nothing more than a stream of pee!)

He was a little fussy going home but he did manage to squeak out some playtime when we arrived. And of course a messy meal of prunes:

My favorite time these days in bedtime - and not for what you are thinking. He has been just a joy at bedtime - giving kisses, doing the touchdown sign, the more sign, the all done sign, etc. We just have so much fun in the minutes after I nurse him and before he goes to bed. And he pretty much plays himself to sleep these days. He'll point to his crib to tell me that he's ready for bed, I kiss him and put him down. Then after I leave I can hear him playing in his crib until he falls asleep - what's not to love about a night like that?

At the park

2007-09-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

Today Avi woke up around 6:30am, which lets be honest is way too early for me! Michael was a trooper and played with him in the morning and put him down for his first nap. We spent the rest of the day between a local park and our neighborhood pool.

First a stop on the swings for some toe-tasting action:

Then a run through the water "tunnel":

Then Avi decided to drop in:

And he's outta here:

Some quiet time with the chimes:

And down the slide he goes:

And here are my two favorite pictures from the pool this afternoon:

Aba is my rock star

2007-08-31T17:24:00.000-07:00

Avi pretty much never wakes up in the middle of the night. He is a great sleeper and will sleep from 6:30 or 7pm to 7ish am the next morning. Well once again he woke up in the middle of the night last night, this time at 4:30am. I went in and nursed him and he nursed for what seemed like forever. While I don't want to get in a habit of waking up to nurse in the middle of the night, sometimes I know he'll just need a little more (milk or cuddling). He was good and went right back to sleep at 5:30 (like I said he nursed forever) and then got up around 7am.

Our day was pretty normal except Avi spent a good part of his day playing in the play room... But this time instead of playing nicely he played while at the gate screaming for Michael (who he could hear on the phone downstairs). I tell you Michael is like a rock start to Avi - and Avi is his groupie.

Stuck between....

2007-08-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

Avi woke up at 6:30am this morning screaming at the top of his lungs in a wail. I ran in to find that he had his leg stuck between the bars of his crib. I felt so bad for him as it must have woken him up to something painful. So I brought him in bed with us as he cried and cried and he latched right on and nursed himself calm again. Thank gosh for boobies!

Touchdown

2007-08-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

Avi's new thing is to play pee-ka-boo. He is doing it more and more each day. He will use a cloth diaper (clean of course) or a burp cloth or blanket and lift it up over his face and head and then pull it down again... Or he lifts it up to our head! He just loves the game! Also today our cleaning lady Tia taught him "touchdown." It was too funny as she was playing with him for a few minutes and she kept saying "touchdown" "touchdown" and raising her hands as a ref would. After a few times he raised his hands too! Who knew that the person to teach him his first trick would be Tia the cleaning lady??

Up the slide

2007-08-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

Here is proof that Avi can work his way up the slide (cute little cloth diaper bum and all):

Donating Breast MIlk

2007-08-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

Today Avi and I attended a local cloth diaper meeting where the theme was show and tell - so I of course had to bring some of my more favorite diapers along. They were a big hit of course. However due to the time of the meeting and the drive to and from - Avi didn't get to nap again today -- UGGGGG I hate it when he doesn't nap.

On the plus side, I got to meet Kim in person today. You see I have pumped at least once a day since Avi was a few weeks old (even more than once a day in the beginning months). I more often than not, freeze my breast milk to be used at a later date. We've used some but not a ton. So I was donating it to my friend Ellen who has two infants, but I overran her freezer and gave her more than she could handle for the babies.

I therefore needed to look elsewhere to make a milk donation. Well I found a lady named Kim. Kim is a new mom to a wonderful son she adopted at birth. It's her goal that he get at least 3 months of strictly breast milk. She tried making some herself but has had no luck. Instead she was buying it (at $4 an ounce) from a milk bank in NC. Rather than have to take out a loan against her house to keep that up, she decided to look for donors. Lucky for me she came along at the right time. So I am now the proud donor of breastmilk to a third baby (besides my own). It's so wonderful to be able to provide babies with this gift! I look forward to continuing to donate to Kim and Josiah for as long as I can!

Just so you don't lack for Avi pictures - here are some cute one of him today in the play room... I love these first two as you can see his reflection in the window:

Then I love these next two as it's just so "little boy" to me to see him looking out a window like that :

And of course a few shots of him with his tiny play kitchen (a favorite toy these days):

Our day in Charlotte

2007-08-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

Last night was an ok night in the hotel - actually anytime Avi sleeps is an Ok night. Today we were still in Charlotte and spent the day visiting with family. Since I slacked on taking pictures earlier this month I took a few this morning:

We went to brunch at Michael's Nana's place and got to visit with her for a while. She is preparing for surgery and couldn't get to close to Avi but we still wanted to make sure she saw him.... So we kept him on the other side of the table and had a lovely lunch. After brunch we sat in the hall and let Avi crawl around on the floor for Nana to see just how much he's growing. Grandma Karen also brought some fun gifts for Avi:

We later went back to Grandma Karen's and Grandpop Lennie's house so Avi could nap some more.... And that didn't happen. He did like being in the Pack N Play at their house at all. It was a strange house for him, a strange room and a strange bed. I think he is ok in a hotel because the room can be made dark (so he doesn't know where he is) but with their house the rooms are so bright. So Avi screamed and screamed and in the end we knew a nap wasn't going to happen. We wanted to wait until bedtime to drive home again but it was a disaster. Avi cried nearly the entire way and I had to jump in back just to let him look at me and hold my hand, hair, and anything that would make him happy. I had breast milk pumped in a bottle for him but that only made him happy so long.