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Sunday, May 25, 2008

Two front teeth

I finally have proof of B.'s teeth. You know me; I've been sitting with my camera at the ready, trying to snap the best pic where you can see the little bumps. His gums don't look so swollen today, so it's been a fun morning filled with laughs. Anyway, my model was very photogenic today!


Below, the little dude cooperates at last!



Here's a close up.



Yet another toothy smile.



We also tried a new sippy cup - BPA free - for the first time. It was filled with 4 oz. of diluted apple juice, for anyone who gives a hoot. Here he is figuring it out.



Here he is not going crazy over the cold juice. He made a face like Tom Hanks trying caviar in Big. B.'s such a picky guy; he's used to just drinking warm milk.



And here he is having fun pulling my hair. He's got quite a grip! Grabs a hold of my hair with both hands and it's a wrestling match. He always wins.


Saturday, May 24, 2008

These eyes

They're blue. They're green. They're stunning.

We discovered B. has eyes just like his cousin N. Here is the proof*.






* The photo selection doesn't do the comparison justice. I promise they're the same.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Never wake a sleeping baby

B.'s still asleep.

He went down for a nap 2 hours and 15 minutes ago. This after only being awake an hour. (He went to sleep around 9:30 or 10, woke up at 3:40 for a few minutes while Dad got him sleeping again, then woke up with me at 8:40. That's basically 11 hours.)

If it weren't for the motion sensor monitor, I would have checked on him a dozen times already.

Do I wake him up?

I promise

I promise to eat healthier today.

Yesterday's diet consisted of (and I'm embarrassed to admit it):

Oatmeal, toast and coffee
McDonald's chicken sandwich combo
Bag of peanut M&Ms
A ginger Altoid
McDonald's QPC combo
Suzy Q's
1 pint of water

In my defense of two trips to Mickey D's, I stood in line at the Subway across from work for 10 minutes and I was still third in line for a sandwich. And the woman behind the counter had made only two subs, chatting it up the whole time. I couldn't wait any longer (since I don't get a lunch break at work - by choice - and I already was on borrowed time).

Normally I make a nice lunch for work, but we're still getting back on track from our trip so I didn't have time Thursday.

Plus I haven't been to the grocery store, but I do promise, with the delivery yesterday afternoon of a box of organic veggies and fruit, to make delicious, nutritious meals for myself today.

OK. Maybe I'll have just one fun snack at work.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Prunes = Bad

We still haven't met a food B. hasn't liked, but we just ran across one that doesn't like him.

And it wasn't pretty. Luckily, poor little dude has recovered and is happy as can be today.

(Well, he's not going for a swim in Grandma's pool in Florida, but he'll adjust.)

Friday, May 16, 2008

First time

...at the beach. And, boy am I tuckered out! (Mommy and Daddy feel awful because my nose is red, not for lack of sun block.)

Thursday, May 15, 2008

It's hot here

Greetings from Arcadia, Fl.!

We are sitting in my mother-in-law's antique store on the main street in town, and we went swimming this morning.

There's other news...

Big B. has a tooth!

He's been cutting it since before we left and I still can't get a real close look at it, but it's quite sharp when he gnaws on our fingers.

There are oranges for days, fresh-squeezed juice, lots of antiquing and plenty of sunshine. Tomorrow we're going to the beach. Watch out ladies: B. looks great in his swim diaper. ;)

Hope to be back in touch soon!

(Sorry if this is disjointed. There is quite a bit of commotion, including our nephew arriving back home from Iraq.)

Monday, May 12, 2008

Vacay

Except for the occasional multimedia text message, Here Comes The Blog is going on vacation! I, for one, could use a break from technology.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day

To my mom and all my mommy friends, have a very happy Mother's Day! We deserve it!

P.S. Here are the circus roses from C.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

My boy

Poor little dude is in pain. He's got a fever, drooling a pint a minute and if he had a choice, he'd have gnawed all my fingers down to little stumps.

Stupid teeth! They should be here any day now...

Friday, May 09, 2008

6 months old

Dearest B.,

You are growing up to be such a fun little boy. Each day you bring a million smiles to my face, and I love spending time with you, even if you wake me up in the middle of the night. I can't get enough squeezes out of you in a day to last me while I'm at work. I always miss you.

You have been reaching so many milestones lately. You are sitting up, rolling all across the floor, I've seen you inch forward a little bit (perhaps getting ready to crawl?), you play with your feet ... a lot, suck on your big toes, you love to eat, but that was no surprise to us since you almost weigh 20 pounds! Your favorite foods are pears, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, oatmeal, and of course, milk. When you get that hungry face, you look at me like I'm a lamb chop. It makes us laugh!

You love story time. Your favorite book is Tails. We read about stumpy tails, bumpy tails, stringy tails and clingy tails. You also love the Animal Sounds book. I'm sure you laugh as much as Mommy and Daddy sounding like a couple of silly geese as you do the pictures. You also love Dr. Seuss' Alphabet Book. That was my book when I was a baby. Daddy reads his page-a-day golf calendar to you, too (though I think he's about 2 months behind on that one ... oops!).

You put everything in your mouth. Your hands, burp cloths (which is great for us - you wipe your own face), teething rings, your toes, our fingers, anything you find on the floor, and to our horror, you wrapped your mouth around the swing seat at the local park. We have never vacuumed so much in our lives since you've been around.

You love textures. You run your hand on our corduroy couch, on the pillows, you grab the carpet, you play with all your exersaucer toys with such vigor. You like to pull my hair and grab for my bling, you also like smacking your hands on your high chair tray as if to say, "What's the hold up? I'm starving over here!"

You and Daddy are buddies. It is the coolest thing to see your face light up when he walks in the door. You smile and smile, then we look at each other, faces beaming. You give me the same look when I get you out of your crib in the morning. I usually wake up to your babbling, probably talking to the monkeys on your crib bumper, because we all know they have the most profound things to say. I turn the corner in your room, and you see me, as if to say, "How long have you been standing there?" Then most of the time you let out a giggle.

You are the best model. I've always got the camera in your face; thanks for letting me do that. And you smile-smile-SMILE for me. You are a little telephone shy, though. When you are yakking up a storm, I'll put a phone in front of you, and whether it's the shy or the wonder factor, you stay tight-lipped. But you love listening to your grandparents, your great grandmother and your uncle on the phone. I'll probably go through cordless phones like crazy since you slobber all over the ear piece!

You are a delightful baby. You nap well. You sleep fantastically (yep, through the night). You play by yourself well. You travel well. So when you do have an issue, it's easy for us to know. When you get a little cranky or fussy, we definitely know something isn't right. I know we're coming up on teething, and you haven't been a happy camper lately. But in the past couple of weeks, you've only gotten up once in the middle of the night. Thank you for that.

You talk! You've been babbling Mamamamama for a while now, but I love hearing you say "Mama" when I hold you or pick you up. I now know the special feeling Daddy will have when you finally say "Dada," and nothing can prepare him for the warmness he'll feel. You talk to the cats. You get so excited when you see Booty or Gabby, and they've been terrific in letting you pet them. Take it easy on the old girls, though.

You are a healthy baby. Touching wood, you haven't been sick once (well, except for that time Mommy ate Chinese food!). Your clogged ducts cleared up, your eczema is looking great (probably the spring weather helping), your thumb owie where Mommy clipped your nail a little too short healed and you definitely have smooth skin. I think the cloth diapers help, but you've got the softest bottom around. Don't get embarrassed, but it sure is the cutest tushie. Way cuter than any others I've seen.

Your eyes. Where did they come from? Whatever the answer, we'll take 'em. We were confident you'd have brown eyes like the both of us, but somehow these blue-green eyes came out of nowhere. It's a welcome surprise. You wear them well. I hope they stay that way.

I could go on and on, talking a bit about the unpleasant things - the poop, your unhappy crying, your really unhappy crying, the exhaustion and fear of being a parent, the heartache we get when you don't feel well - but I'd rather just tell you how much I love you, how proud I am to have you as my son and how much I'm looking forward to the next 6 months and beyond.

I can't wait to see what's in store for us.

Love and kisses,
Mommy

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Mooning

Just now seen:

Baby B. rolled over onto his tummy in his crib. He's so mobile, even when he sleeps, that sometimes I find him on his stomach, head turned to the side, arms splayed out and butt right up in the air. I have to resist the urge to pinch and pat it! I love checking on him when I get home from work, and nights like these when he's in the cutest sleeping position just make me smile. I always stroke his hand or his cheek so in some way, he knows I'm home from work. Tonight, he rewarded me with the slightest sigh. "Thanks, Mom."

Earlier seen:

A CBS 4 News anchor checking his reflection in the back window of a minivan across from the Denver City and County Building. The camera was set up on the lawn at Civic Center park and I got the feeling he was minutes away from an on-air appearance. Can't let those fly-aways show on camera!

Wordless Wednesday













Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Tagging

I was tagged today by my friend Kelly.

What I was doing 10 years ago: I was in my senior year at Metro State, and I know I had a heavy load of math classes that thoroughly kicked my butt. I was working at the same place I am now, but the jobs were quite different. We also were about four blocks west of our current address. I was living in a little condo with my roommate Michelle. Probably partying like a rock star every chance I got!


5 things on my to-do list today…

  • Clean the humidifiers at home.
  • Pack my lunch for work.
  • Take care of my ill hubby and Big B.
  • Pay a parking ticket.
  • Get a chair massage.

5 snacks I enjoy…

  • Zingers.
  • Pumpkin seeds.
  • Nuts and berries (trail mix).
  • Ice cream.
  • Cheese and crackers.
5 things I would do if I were a billionaire

  • Pay off my mortgage and my families' mortgages.
  • Save lots and lots of money for B.
  • Do something fun and extravagant like renting an island in Fiji (I have a resort picked out!) to take my family for a long vacation.
  • Since I hate parting with money, I'd probably save, save, save!
  • I also always joke that I'm going to buy the parking lot next to my work so I could give my favorite colleagues free parking, sort of thumbing my nose at having to pay 100 bucks a month to park at work.

5 bad habits…


  • Too much time on the computer.
  • I eat lots of sweets and quite a bit of them.
  • I got out of my yoga routine, which I love.
  • Staying in my PJs when I stay home. I love PJ days at home though.
  • Driving too fast.

5 places I’ve lived…

  • Pueblo, Colo.
  • Denver, Colo.
  • Westminster, Colo.
  • Arvada, Colo.
  • Lakewood, Colo. (Yes, I get around, not!)


5 jobs I’ve had…

  • Restaurant manager
  • Dance teacher
  • Fireworks store cashier
  • Mortgage broker's gopher
  • Sportswriter
TAG! Now YOU are it…
  • Stephanie
  • Amy

Saturday, April 26, 2008

P-town

B.'s getting his first real trip to Pueblo tomorrow.

We did stop and feed him in the parking lot at Carl's Jr. on the way to New Mexico, but this is a real get-to-know-you kind of trip.

It's also the first time I've really visited in about 2 years. Seems like forever ago that I lived there. One thing I miss tremendously is the loft. Here's a list I thought I'd never make.

Things I miss about P-town:
  • Our 1 bedroom, 1 bath loft. Hardwood floors. Granite countertops. Mexican tile in the kitchen. Absolutely no storage space, insulation, efficiency or privacy, but oh, so cozy.
  • My yoga school. My yoga teacher. My yoga peeps. Doing newsletters and desktop-publishing-type things in trade for lessons. I used to be so flexible. I can't even do the splits any more.
  • The newspaper and its free parking lot.
  • The bowling alleys.
  • Poker Sundays. A group of us would rotate houses each Sunday and get together for a night of dealer-calls-it games. Nickel, dime and quarter antes. Three-raise maximum. Pizza and beer. Good times.
  • The riverwalk. The historic district where we lived. All the cute shops and restaurants nearby.
  • The library.
  • The heat!
  • Cheap beer at Smitty's Green Light. Red's Alibi (where I met C.). Prime Time. Great sushi and tempura at Suehiro. Pizza at Rosario's and Do Drop Inn. Italian sausage sandwiches at Pass Key. Schooners at Gus' and Eilers. Roasted green chile in the fall. A big, messy slopper (Mexican hamburger).
  • The Colorado State Fair and the free parking passes and press credentials everyone at the newspaper received.
  • The proximity to Taos, N.M. and my family there. It was a 2-hour, 45-minute drive. Heck, it was 4 hours to Albuquerque.
  • My phone number. 544-7888. Easy.
  • Last but not least, my friends and former colleagues.
That's all I can think of on my list for now, but I'm sure I could at least double it if I wanted.

Fingers crossed

After staying late at work for the second extra-innings Rockies game in eight days, I'm beat.

I just got home and promptly set the coffee maker to greet me with a hot cuppa in the morning. I just hope I can enjoy it after 8 a.m.

P.S. I did get spoiled with a nap today (err, Friday). I had showered and was about 90 percent ready for work when the boys left to pick up Nanny Hans from the hospital, where he had scheduled wrist surgery. I ran up to the bathroom to fetch something and decided to lie on the bed for 15 minutes. When that 15 minutes passed, I awoke in a daze, wondering where the baby was, why wasn't the monitor on, why was I in my clothes. I drifted off, and the sound of the door closing stirred me again. It was 82 minutes after I first closed my eyes. Thinking back, it was the first time I'd had some alone time in the house -- without anyone else here -- since Mr. Cheeks was born. Wow.

Edit: After a 5 a.m. feed, B. and I got up at 9:30, he ate and I'm now headed downstairs to pour that first cuppa joe. It's almost 10 a.m.! A triumph!

Friday, April 25, 2008

My new thing

B. now finds great joy in sticking out his tongue at us!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

What's up, Doc?

Somebody loves carrots. I mean, really, really loves the carrots!



Surprisingly, we weren't too messy.


Then again, little guy does love the taste of his own tootsies.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Firsts

A few of B.'s firsts this week:

First ...
  • visit to the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
  • ride in a golf cart with Dad.
  • bites of rice cereal. Not sure if he likes it.
  • time sitting all on his own. Still a bit Weeble-Wobbly, but independent nonetheless.
  • time in the book store -- Barnes & Noble -- to pick out some reading materials.
  • time meeting Z., a boy across town who is just a month younger.
  • mouthful of his own toes. He figured out how to gnaw on his feet.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Reinforcement

I am convinced we are doing the right thing.

After making the decision to cloth diaper our little guy, I sometimes wonder if disposables wouldn't be easier. I'm sure they would be, and they are when we're on vacation, but I feel better about our cloth.

Sometimes it's a challenge to stick with it, especially when you look at the basket of diapers and there are only a few clean ones, meanwhile a mound of dirties are staring you down from the laundry room.

But yesterday, I saw a report that showed just how much an average baby (and that's being conservative -- this report averaged only four diapers a day ... FOUR DIAPERS?!) uses in resources. The disposable-diapered baby uses crude oil, trees and landfill space. Don't ask for specifics because as a new mom, my brain sometimes turns to mush.

Some people say using cloth uses other resources like energy and water for washing, but with our high-efficiency and Energy Star rated appliances, I don't worry about that. And water is renewable.

So I feel better about our decision. Remind me of that when I'm complaining about yet another load of diapers to wash.

P.S. The fact that Big B. is rockin' the cloth diapers and looks so darling in them helps!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

First time

Check out my new skill. I just started last night, and I'm getting better all the time.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Happenings

Here's what I've been up to since Mommy got our new camera.


I played, got hugs from Mom, found out how small my hands really are,

fell asleep on Daddy's shoulder (he's still talking about this!),

played with my feet, inspected my toe jam, reached for Mommy after a nap,

had giggles with Nanny Hans (AKA Uncle D.) and Daddy,

found out how small my feet really are, got a new pair of shoes and sunglasses,

jumped, selected what I wanted for dinner, goofed off in the tub,

told the paparazzi (Mom) I was spent, and finally, I slept really hard.

Friday, April 04, 2008

Just seen: A formation of F-16s flying over Coors Field. Baseball has arrived in the Mile High City.

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Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Free tickets

So people always ask if I can get free tickets to sporting events because of my job, and the answer is yes.

But these are the kinds of free tickets I actually get.

The NBA Development League's Colorado 14ers.

The National Lacrosse League's Colorado Mammoth.

The Arena Football League's Colorado Crush.

No Rockies. No Nuggets. Definitely not Broncos or Avalanche.

So there I'll be next week, sitting at the Broomfield Event Center taking in an NBA D-League game against the Austin Toros with my family. For free. Eat your hearts out.

Wordless Wednesday


I know this is supposed to be wordless, but that just looks fun, Mom!

Monday, March 31, 2008

Thievery

Someone stole my 7-Up from the refrigerator at work. It happened in the span of 3 hours. Grow up, people!?!!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Glorious sleep

I had 90 minutes of uninterrupted, glorious sleep from 7 to 8:30 this morning. For good measure, B. didn't wake up until 10, so I feel like a new woman.

(P.S. I was up until 3 and then again from 6 to 7 feeding the little guy!)

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Doppleganger

Doesn't this kid look like B.? I was poking around for stuff to knit (not that I'll find the time) when I came across it.

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Happy Easter

Or like my family says, "Happy keester!"

Saturday, March 22, 2008

We're off to see the wizard!

Today I've been watching The Wizard of Oz with my new family.

C. hasn't seen it in about 30 years and it was B.'s first experience -- watching his mom sing all the songs and dance around with the characters on the screen.

I just hope it becomes a favorite of his someday.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Yes, ladies...

...this kind of thing does happen.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Proof

I'm in trouble

B. started doing this new thing yesterday. He just babbles "Mamamamamamama!" A couple of times, he's shortened it to "Mama," and while I'd love for that to count as really calling me Mama, it's just babble right now.

But he's starting to figure out when he does that, I sure come a-runnin'!

"Mamamamamamamamama!"

Just melts my heart!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Burp!

I found Charlie and Grandpa Joe! This was at the second-story level of the mural at Snooze.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

3D glasses not required

B. has learned to roll over, and he's using his new skill to avoid tummy time. Here's the big man showing off his talents.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Hard-hat area

Just seen on a sign advertising Concrete Express at a job site across the street from Coors Field:

"Pouring it on since 1986."

That's one way to put it!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Better news

*Whew!* The alternator in my car is tip-top. No major repairs were called for, just a tune up. So my ride is golden.

Now, as promised, I'll tell the camera story.

When C. and I went skiing in Copper Mountain, I stashed some dried fruit and nuts inside my Camelbak and a banana into my pocket for the lift ride. Since I had my camera, I figured it'd be great to snap some quick looks of our second snow outing together in two years.

After mayhem before our first run -- my binding promptly snapped off when I went to latch in, so not only were my bindings a loss, I had to rent skis for the first time in 11 years -- we were enjoying the mountain despite the 17-degree temperature and blowing snow. Really, it was a good time ... C. on his snowboard, me on my rental sticks.

So I decided to take some photos on the lift, and discovered two things that should never mingle. Delicate camera parts and a smashed banana. I had falled hard on the previous run, catching a ski edge on a patch of ice and (somehow) doing a belly flop onto the snow. I had the wind knocked out of me, but then I found the strength to giggle uncontrollably. Little did I know, my camera was on its last leg.

So I took these photos ... in chronological order of the final pictures my trusty Nikon point-and-shoot ever will take.

Chris on the lift.

You can see the frozen banana sludge.

It really was that snowy and cold.

Thank goodness for my neck gaiter. Brr!

Squint. You'll see trees. I promise.

The haze in the center of the lens is not snow, it's banana!

Not only is the camera happy to be alive at this point, but this was the last picture it captured, and boy am I happy it was this grown up little man, fresh off his first day of charming the day care ladies! All that flirting is tiresome. I'm surprised at how clean the lens looks here.


So now after all that camera drama, I have drug out my manual 35mm Pentax. I have to adjust f-stop, shutter speed and manually focus on the subject, which not-surprisingly has been Big B. It's actually fun, but not so great for those "Get the camera!" moments. I guess I just have to get faster. I'll keep you all posted once I get my roll back from Snapfish. So far, the picture dial reads 7, so once I hit 24 and manually rewind the film (yes, I have to do that, too), I'll pop it in the mail.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Good news, bad news

I found the camera*.

My alternator in the Nissan might have crapped out tonight.

*Story TK.

I can't make this up

Just seen:

In the lotion and soap basket in the bathroom at work, there's a bottle of lotion called Pecan Passion.

It's slogan?

A love so irresistible, it will drive you nuts.

The stuff made me smell like Dillards.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

4 months old

Four short months ago, I didn't know I could be so in love.

Saturday, March 08, 2008

As expected

For all my pontificating about our household sleep patterns in this post, I've been subjected to late-night torture since last Sunday night.

It began in Copper Mountain, where B.'s second night there was one to forget. We couldn't tear outta town fast enough because we knew once in the car, he'd pass out. (And he did.) But just last night, he got up at least four times, prompting me to wake C. for back up. We're definitely not of the bleary-eyed persuasion we once were during the first couple of weeks, but nobody's sleeping like a baby in this house. Not even the baby.

I hope all is well and his little gurgly tummy and tiny toots are to blame (lest you worry, I'm not going to be talking about baby poop and spit up all the time). Another reason could be that it was the "milestone ghost." Rumor has it when babies get near a milestone, their tiny brains work so hard round the clock trying to master their new skill, they can't turn it off. And B. now has some mad rolling skills to show for it.

As I write while my two favorite guys are napping, please help me in wishing Mr. Sandman wears out his welcome here very soon!

A glimpse

Picture this: Me in my bathrobe. C. holding the wee one and rocking back and forth. We're hanging out on a Saturday morning. Chillaxing, if you will. Just then, a familiar song fills the room.

Aww, yeah.

We cranked up the volume and started dancing around like fools. I was singing and tapping a wire whisk on the side of a bowl, C. was bobbing up and down and swaying and B. just looked at the two of us like we were the dorkiest parents on earth.

When the Beastie Boys' She's Crafty comes on, you just have to drop everything and dance.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Throwback Thursday



Sassy. Need I say more?



On second thought, I love how light my hair was (and thin!) and the upholstery on the outdoor bench. So '70s.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Baby's first

...day at day care. Nalik cared for B. while we spent the afternoon skiing and snowboarding at Copper Mountain. I think I had the worst time with it, crying while I walked out the door. I called halfway through the day and asked how he was, where the report was that he was fantastic, he had a rest, had been playing and was not upset at all. He also ate like a champ. Thanks, Nalik!

Monday, March 03, 2008

Hi from Copper

B. sure has a beautiful "back yard."