January Milestones

This was the weekend for milestones. Tommy had his 9 month appointment at the pediatrician’s office on Friday. Apparently he is slightly underweight and shorter than most 9 month olds. The short part didn’t surprise me…after all he does come from a short family, and I’m sure he’ll have growth spurts. BUT – the weight thing??? REALLY??? I mean…have you seen the pictures of our little meatball? This child can eat! I was angry about it at first (protective instinct kicking in)…but then tossed it up to doctors not knowing everything. I know Tommy eats (A LOT) so I’m not worried.
Here is a picture of him trying Spaghetti for the first time. I let him play with it a little bit…mostly just to see what he would do.

Here are some other pictures from last week and this past weekend. He loved hanging out and having fun with his Daddy on Saturday. He wore Daddy's hat, and played hide and seek with him.Tommy’s crawling skills have greatly improved, and he’s becoming more and more brave, and you wouldn’t believe how fast he can get from one end of the room to another. We think he could start to take his first walking steps within the next month. Which is completely blowing my mind. He’s really starting to lose his baby-ness.
Tommy did two things on Sunday. 1st – he fed himself for the first time. He was sitting in his highchair munching on the little star shaped peach puffs and making a wonderful mess. This is more funny than anything else, and Mav appreciates the ones that are thrown to the floor. Tommy gets so excited about food! He’s been able to pick them up for a while, but usually they end up getting stuck (and mushy – Gag) in the middle of his little fist. Yesterday however, as I watched he began “pinching” the stars between his thumb and first two fingers, and shoving them in his mouth. Believe it or not, this is a HUGE milestone in a baby’s development, and it was thrilling to watch. Of course I cheered for him…and encouraged him to keep trying…next we’ll see if he can pick up his cheerios. So exciting!
The second milestone Tommy hit was that he stood on his own. It was only for about 5 to 10 seconds at the most, but he did it. I couldn’t believe it…and to be honest…it was hilarious. He pushes himself up from the sitting position on something (couch, large toy, or one of us) and leans up on his tippy toes (he looks like a triangle). Next he plants his feet flat and extends his arms. Lastly, he slowly stands up until he is balancing, and holding on with just one hand. Within moments he lets go, and balances standing all on his own for a few seconds before falling onto his bum or grabbing back ahold of whatever object he was using for balance. It’s amazing to watch, and I find myself holding my breath with silent excitement as he does this ritual over and over again, teaching himself how to stand. Here he is standing up…about to let go. I didn’t snap the picture after this one fast enough to actually catch him in the act. We think he may finally be teething. Tommy was a little out of sorts yesterday, and today he’s been completely miserable. Unfortunately as a parent all you can really do is comfort them and wait, which is extremely hard to do when you can see pain and confusion in their eyes. I have heard of the whiskey thing, and orajel…the first is out of the question. The second we may try, but only as a last resort. I just keep handing over his teething toys, and giving him lots of hugs. I guess we’ll see what happens within the next few days.

Tommy and Mav are getting along great. Here are a couple pictures of them playing tug-of-war with an old sock. Whenever Tommy would let go of the sock, Mav would give it to him, he also drops his ball in Tommy’s lap whenever Mav wants to play catch. It’s so cute.

It's Brand New Day America, Anything Is Possible.

I love being a witness to history. I sat crying tears of joy while watching the inaugurations today. Tommy sat on my lap as we joined millions of others in celebration of change. If you missed President Obama’s speech… google it! It was powerful. Congratulations Mr. President, I’m proud to call you my leader.
Lets talk food…
Here is a picture of the cake I made for my girlfriend’s baby shower over the weekend. For an amateur, I think I did a pretty good job of carving and decorating it. I had an idea of what I wanted to do…and achieved that goal. Go me! For those who have not yet tried Minute Maid’s Pomegranate Lemonde…you should get on that. It is both delicious and refreshing. YUM!! I found a great slow cooker recipe. I have never been a fan of pork. In fact…the only reason I make pork at all is because I’m determined to have variety in my life. BUT…that has all changed!!! I had a pork tenderloin, and didn’t have a clue what to do with it… so here’s the recipe I came up with after searching for a few online. I thought it was FANTASTIC!!!! Tony and I have been eating the leftover pork in sandwiches and for lunch. So good.
Slow-Cooker Pork Tenderloin Recipe
1 pork tenderloin
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 cup red wine (I used a Chianti)
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano

Mix all ingredients and pour into slow-cooker (crock pot). Slow cook for 4 hours (until super tender and meat easily falls apart – like pulled pork). I turned the meat over after every hour, just to make sure it cooked all the way through & the flavors were dispersed evenly. You can use the “cooking liquid” as an au jus gravy over the meat. I served it with mashed potatoes and a side salad.

Also – I made baby food! I took 3 half ripened medium sized bananas, ½ cup of blueberries, and 1 cup of applesauce (organic) and mixed them together in our blender. Not only does Tommy LOVE it… but it was great mixed with our cereals (oatmeal) yesterday, and as a light (but filling) snack for me today. There’s enough for us both to snack on the fruit mix all week – its healthy – and it saved me money since I didn’t have to purchase extra fruit mixes of baby food.

It snowed here yesterday. I loved watching the snow fall, but hated the fact that Tony had to drive home in it last night. Here’s a couple pictures. Tommy is definitely not a fan of the snow.

25 Random Things

My cousin Beth started this…so I thought I would post mine. I’m hoping my readers will post their own…I’m always interested in learning new things about people.

Here they are in no particular order, 25 random things about me.

1. I prefer the colors blue and green because they remind me of the ocean.
2. Styx is my favorite band – their music is the soundtrack of my life, and I think it’s awesome that people text or email me when they’ve heard a Styx song on the radio (because it made them think of me).
3. I would like to be an author – not famous – but to make enough money to live off my writing.
4. I would remarry my husband in a heartbeat and have had dreams of renewing our vows many times over the last (almost) five years.
5. I think wearing shoes and socks are overrated, and wish I could go around barefooted everywhere. Preferably in my pajamas, like Hugh Hefner.
6. I love to bake and cook. I’m good at it, but hate doing it when someone ungraciously expects it of me.
7. I secretly wish I played guitar in a rock band...or at least knew how to play. I am thrilled Tommy seems to love music as much as I do.
8. I like to listen to others tell me stories of their lives. I wish I could bottle them up, to be poured out like a fine wine when I am in need of entertainment, inspiration, or guidance.
9. I am terribly afraid of big dogs, the dentist, and people wearing masks.
10. Tommy has made my life complete. I know I was meant to be his mother, and am thrilled each and every day that I get to spend with him.
11. I think we (Tony and I) could be good friends with Sebastian Bach (ex Frontman of Skid Row) – he seems down to earth, intelligent, and funny – who doesn’t like a friend with those qualities?
12. My struggle with infertility issues changed who I am, and I am glad my openness about it helps others to know they aren’t alone. Tommy has made it all worth it, and then some. I truly believe in miracles.
13. I think tattoos are sexy, artistic, and a personal choice – one which I embrace whole heartedly.
14. Someday I’d like to own a home on a lake in Colorado, and spend my days surrounded by nature.
15. I really enjoy going to my church and feel at peace whenever I am there.
16. I have panic attacks when I drive in the rain.
17. I can’t wait to go on vacations with Tony and Tommy. We love to travel, and can’t wait to show Tommy the world.
18. I’d like to go back to the body I had in my early twenties, but not go back in time – it was fun and all, but the past should definitely stay where it is.
19. I truly love my family and friends with every beat of my heart – I see something wonderful in each one of you.
20. I am against the mistreatment of animals, especially for entertainment purposes.
21. I wish for a better life for Tommy than I had – and I have had a pretty awesome life.
22. I love the rare times when Maverick curls up on my lap so I can scratch his ears & belly.
23. I love fried food. Especially fries, mozzarella sticks, and calamari.
24. I believe magic is real, and can be found everywhere.
25. My idea of romance is sitting in front of a warm fireplace, wrapped up in a blanket, sipping a glass of wine, while listening to music and the crackling of burning logs.

Okay…those are mine… now its your turn!

Annnnnd We're Back!

Ahhhhhh! I know I know, I’ve been terrible about blogging lately. Sorry ‘bout that!
Like most people, I’ve started the year off with some plans, ideas, and wishes I’d like to see happen in my life throughout this year. I have three big resolutions. The first is to get myself in shape. There are a few areas I’d particularly like to tone up, and a few more pounds I’d be very happy to lose. My plan is to work out at least three times a week…hopefully more. But I don’t want to overwhelm myself. I know me…if I think it’s too much of a hassle…chances are, I just won’t do it. And I need to for both now, and my future health. I know that if I start being proactive about all aspects of my health now, I can avoid some of the typical problems I’ve seen some of the older generations dealing with. So that’s resolution no. 1.
Another resolution is to take time to do things for myself. Whether it’s to go get a pedicure (or a haircut), buy myself something new (clothing, etc.) or just to go out on my own to visit with and reconnect with my friends. It’s very easy as parents, especially new parents, to forget who you are both as an individual and as a couple. Sometimes I do feel like I’m Tommy’s Mom, and Tony’s Wife…but the ME gets a bit fuzzy. So, I’d like to try and reconnect with myself too.
My last resolution is actually one that is going to be quite hard for me. Patience and Forgiveness. You see, when it comes to children, I have all the patience in the world, adults are another story - especially ones who are much older than I, but still (and possibly will forever be) far less mature. It irks me, and many I time I either do not want to be in the presence of these individuals, or I am quickly annoyed and therefore not patient with them. So I plan to do better with this, for my sake, and for my relationship with them. This comes to the second half of resolution #3 - forgiveness. I need to learn how to be more patient yes…but also I need to be better at forgiveness. This applies to myself, as well as the forgiveness of others. It is hard for me still to forgive certain people who truly hurt me while we were going through the infertility process. I am done with holding grudges. I’m not good at it, and it doesn’t make me feel good to hold one against someone….so I have no choice but to forgive. I can’t promise I will forget, in fact, I don’t think I ever will, but I can forgive and in doing so let go of the ugliness I feel inside toward these people.
I think three resolutions is a good way to start off the new year, don’t you? We’ve been keeping pretty busy. For starters, Tommy has begun to crawl!! Can you believe it! I hardly can. It took about a day of him rocking back and forth on his hands and knees to taking that “step” of moving both his arms and legs in synch. Once he got that down…he was off! The first official crawling step happened on the 9th, and he hasn’t stopped moving since. I will turn away for a moment, and all of a sudden he’s across the room. It’s amazing and wonderful, and terrifying. Hahaha. I’m in constant fear now that he’ll get into some sort of mischief, that he’ll collapse and hit his chin or nose on tile floor of our kitchen, or that he’ll smack his little head into the coffee table. I know all kids do this, but when its your own, and its your first…I suppose its natural to be a little over-protective and worrisome. Tommy will be 9 mos old next week. Which is such a shock to me. He’s exploring more and more of his world, and he’s really getting into eating regular food! He loves cherrios, and I’ll give him bits of the food I eat in small little pieces. He’s done really well, my little eating machine. We've been watching language videos together, and I'm hoping he's absorbing some of the Spanish and Italian so that its easier for him to learn other languages. I know I am! Soon I’ll be planning his first birthday party…the time has gone by way too fast for my liking. My baby will not be a “baby” for too much longer.
We’ve got some exciting things coming up. Two of my closest friends are having their first children soon, the first of which we’re having a shower for this weekend. It’s not a surprise…but I don’t want to give away all the details, in case she reads this…so that will have to wait until next week. We’re also going to meet up with one of Tony’s cousins this weekend. We don’t know many of Tony’s family, since most are in Spain – so it will be great to get to know them. Amazingly enough, they had their first child, a little boy, in June…so Tommy and his second cousin will be very close in age. I think that is just wonderful! Lastly…my sister is coming up for a visit in February, and I can hardly wait. I just love spending time with her. She warms up a part of my heart that is quietly chilled when she is not around. I can’t wait to see her.
I hope the beginning of everyone’s year is going well. I’ll get a video up of Tommy crawling as soon as I can. (Those on facebook – there’s a couple up already)