Summer Fun part 2

Today has been a fun day. Will and I started off our morning with some multigrain pancakes (blueberry for him and dried cranberry with pecan for me) and some fresh raspberries with sliced banana. We sat out on the front porch and watched the cars go by and then came in and read books and played with his toys. Will layed down for a nap at 9 a.m. as usual and I prepared for our lunch picnic.

My cousin Molly and her daughter Cora met us at Pearson Park at 11:30 a.m. Cora will be 3 months old tomorrow and I hadn't seen her since her baptism on July 5th. She has grown so much and is such a cute little girl. We had a picnic lunch on a blanket and the kids were so good. While Molly fed Cora, I took Will to the playground and then we all went for a walk.



















Will and Cora are excited to be here (LOL). Can't you just read that in their expressions?



Molly looks great for 3 months postpartum.



Will and got back home at 2 and I thought he'd take a nap while did some laundry. But he layed in his bed and babbled and whined for about 45 minutes until I got him up and decided to forfeit the nap. Instead, we built a fort in the living room with dining room chairs and blankets and Will had fun hiding and peaking under the blankets.









Dinner and bath followed our play and now Will is sound asleep after a long day with no afternoon nap. Hopefully he'll sleep a little later tomorrow morning. Cross your fingers.

Mr. Mischeif

Will is getting into everything!

His favorite ornery activities include: dumping the dog's food and water bowls on the floor, taking all my linen napkins and table runners out of the buffet drawers, pulling lamps and other objects off of side tables, pulling freshly ironed/folded laundry off of their carefully placed location, opening all the unlatched kitchen cabinets, opening toilet lids (while we're around) and pulling toilet paper off the roll, etc. etc.

This morning I found him sucking on a dog toy while pushing buttons on all of Craig's TV components (DVD player, receiver, DVR box).

Here's a few photos.

Getting into the Tupperware drawer in the kitchen. He got his hand stuck in there because he kept pushing it closed with his left hand and couldn't figure out how to pull the right one out at the same time.



Shortly after finding him messing with cords under the computer, he came at me with a big grin.



And here, he's so pleased with himself because he was making one of his favorite toys beep(daddy's big universal remote). He carried it all over the house with a big smile.



And he's not even two yet...

Who does he look like?

Okay, so I need some outside opinions. When Will was born, he looked 100% Riedeman (Tom Riedeman specifically). But the older he gets, the more he seems to resemble MY family. I guess it's not fair to ask this question without showing baby pictures of our siblings and parents, which I don't have scanned in. But I DO have photos of Craig and I as babies and I'd like to hear some votes of who Will looks like.









If you want to say he resembles both of us, that's okay, because that's what I think too. But at least say he got SOME genes from me, other than a large big toe! My nose perhaps?

Ode to Breastfeeding

Will is 14 months now and I think we're in the process of the big W: Weaning.

Since his first birthday, we've only nursed first thing in the morning when he wakes and that's it. It buys us some extra cuddle time and sleep! In the last couple weeks, though, he's had mornings where he really seems to want to nurse and others where he seems bored and fidgety. So yesterday and today, I've tried a different routine of quietly reading some books in the rocker when he wakes. He loves books and it still gives us that nice, quiet, cuddle time. Also this week, I've been waiting till 7 a.m. to go into his room, even if he wakes before, and he seems okay with that. So on weekends, Craig & I will take turns getting up at 7 with him.

So in this post, I thought I'd give props to the age-old, mommy/baby activity that was such a huge part of our lives for so long. I will miss it now that we're done and look forward to sharing the same bond with the next baby.

I loved breastfeeding for these reasons:

1) Quiet, cuddle-snuggle time with my baby. Time that I could sit down and rest without feeling guilty.
2) Convenience! Easier at night feedings - just bring him to bed with me at feedings. No getting up to make a bottle.
3) Convenience again! No bottles to pack when going out or traveling - his food is permanently attached and at the ready!
4) Helped me get back to prepregnancy shape. At my 6 week postpartum appointment, I was 6# below my prepregnancy weight. And now, about 8# below it. (And I'm not going to pretend that filling out my shirts a little nicer wasn't an added bonus... It was nice while it lasted.)
5) Saved me >$1000 in formula during the first year!
6) Protected me from breast, ovarian and endometrial cancers.
7) Helped develop my baby's immune system and protected him from SIDS, allergies, asthma, ear infections, respiratory infections, diabetes and obesity later in life, and certain childhood cancers.
8) Helped me feel connected to my baby when I had to return to work because I pumped 3 times during each work day.
9) Doing something special that only I could do for my baby. And the feeling of empowerment in knowing that my body is capable of completely sustaining a life.
10) Delayed return in fertility. I've been charting my (non-existent) "cycles" and am anticipating my first postpartum period this month. My last one? Two years ago. Nice!!!
11) Better smelling poopy diapers (before solid foods start, of course!).
12) With the help of specially designed breastfeeding "gear" like the clever-named "Hooter Hider" (nursing cover), we could nurse anywhere. For example, some interesting places I fed my baby: my work, Craig's work, in a parked car, at the mall, on an airplane, at the beach, in church, in a lounge chair around a hotel pool, at several restaurants including Nagoya (WHILE the chef was preparing our meal in front of us!), in the stands at high school football and basketball games, on a bench in the middle of the Apple Butter Festival, etc. etc. Hey, when they're first born, they eat like 8-12 times per day! You make do and go on with your life!

So, to sum up, breastfeeding was an awesome experience for us. There were definitely challenges, but I was determined to make it work. I think Will & I are both grateful we did.

Our Summer Vacation

Why can't every day be a vacation? You look so forward to them for so long and then they fly by so quickly. I suppose we wouldn't appreciate them if they were every day.

For one week, we enjoyed the beach town of Nags Head, NC. Will got to see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. (He saw the Pacific last August in San Diego!) We spent time at the beach, hung aroung by the pool, hiked the sand dunes, (girls) got pedicures, went shopping, played endless rounds of board games and pool, cooked at the house, went for early morning walks on the beach or runs down the running/bike path, and even had professional pictures taken of our group at the beach.

The travel days were a bit long and tiresome, but I think driving through the night was a smart choice for Will and for avoiding traffic chaos, especially in D.C. The day we arrived was especially long because we got in at 8 a.m. and couldn't check in till 4 p.m. So we drove around, spent time in some shops since it was 98 degrees that day, went to lunch and tried to get Will to fall asleep for a nap. He finally passed out on my shoulder in the parked car with car and air-conditioning running. Oy!

Everyone loved to help with Will and spend time with him, which was a blessing for us. My dad spent many early mornings with his "little buddy", feeding him breakfast, sitting on the porch swing with him, and even renting a bike with a baby seat and taking him for long bike rides. Will was never lacking attention - that's for sure. You'd think they never see him the way my family gets excited over him.

Okay, on to the pictures:

This is the morning of our arrival sitting on the porch swing. It was over 80 degrees by 8 a.m.! We were unable to get in the house but we still parked and checked out the grounds.


An early morning walk on the beach with Will. We left the bulky stroller at home and just used the baby carrier all week.


Will's trip to the beach was not exactly the highlight of his trip. I think it was bit of sensory overload and he wasn't sure what to make of it. He touched the sand with disgust at first and only mildly seemed interested in his beach toys. He did try to EAT the sand much to the chagrin of his mother. And the waves rushing up to his feet scared him a little. He finally enjoyed a little game called "don't let the water touch Will's toes" when I scooped him up and squealed right before the water got to us each time.












Hanging by the pool for an afternoon of relaxation.



















Heading out to dinner for one of the few meals we ate out.





Having a snack.


Oops! Aunt Casey stole a nibble of Will's cracker when he wasn't looking!

Hiking the sand dunes.


Games.




Before we went to get professional pictures taken, Will tried to comb his hair like daddy.



"Papa", as Will fondly calls him, took Will on long bike rides.




Wiffleball on the beach. One heck of a workout!


Playing catch in the ocean.


Another evening out to dinner just before we left for home.

"He's a maniac, MANIAC on the floor!"

"... and he's (walking) like he's never walked before."

Are you all hearing that cool tune in your heads right now? LOL

Since we've returned from vacation (which, by the way, I'm still working on uploading pictures to post) Will has totally taken off with his walking. He walks more than he crawls now and can walk quite a ways without falling. I'm so proud of him and I can't believe how he's improved so quickly this week! His confidence has really grown.

Over vacation, he didn't really make any progress. But on Saturday, when he was back in his familiar surroundings, he took off! Hooray Will!

On the contrary, Will's also been pretty clingy this week and Craig & I aren't sure why. He wants to take up permanent residence in our arms when he's not walking around. And when you set him down, he does this dramatic, fake cry that he can just turn on and off like a switch. Silly boy.