The Prissy Mommy Chronicles

Wordless Wednesday

Chase and Daddy at Swim Lessons

Chase @ 1 Year & 2 Weeks

Baby's First Walking Shoes

 

Stride Rite - Upper East Side, Manhattan

With the exciting milestone of Chase walking on MLK Jr. Day came a special and memorable rite of passage: shopping for his first walking shoes! Since Chase was born he hasn't worn shoes. Oh mind you, he's had shoes. At our baby shower he received at least six pairs of teeny sneakers and sandals. And they sat there, just as cute as they wanted to be, right in their little designer boxes until he outgrew them. And people still continued to give him shoes, despite my reminders that he didn't need them. I don't believe in shoes for babies. I feel that babies need to be unrestricted and free to roam about in their socks or bare feet. But aside from my own philosophical standpoint it simply isn't practical to buy shoes for a baby. They're inside all the time, crawling or being held... and besides, who wears outside/walking shoes in the house? On top of that, pediatric research has indicated that wearing shoes too early can affect a baby's developing mobility. Shoes become more of a hindrance than a help when it comes to practicing walking skills. Allowing the feet to feel the floor actually helps tots develop their balance, strength, and coordination. On occasion Chase would wear booties or soft-soled baby shoes for warmth, and this was with our pediatrician's consent. However he indicated that, once Chase takes his first steps, it's time for that first pair of real shoes. Unlike "baby shoes," which are more like slippers, they'll have a supportive sole (rubber) and more substantial upper.

So this past weekend, following Chase's momentous walk, we headed to the Stride Rite on the Upper East side. When we arrived at the bright, gaily decorated kids' shoe store Chase was right in his element! There were other tots milling around, and he met a new friend right away. Then he walked around and checked out the scene a bit while we waited to be helped.

 

Enjoying the fun, soft Stride Rite furniture - perfect height for some cruisin'!

We waited patiently for our turn, while Chase danced, crawled, and walked about the store. When Chase's name was called the sales associate walked over and introduced herself to us.  She was so tickled that she'd be helping us pick out Chase's very first walking shoes.  She first got acquainted with Chase (who was taken with her immediately) and then we talked with her about our needs.  I explained that Chase was a new walker, and would thus be transitioning from the Red Room to the Purple Room at day care, and that he'd need shoes for walking. 

She then proceeded to measure Chase's foot.  He measured a whopping 6.5 wide, but she informed us that we should buy a size 7 so he could have a bit of room to grow.  Sounds good to me!

 

After we had learned his shoe size she directed us to the selection of walking shoes. She told us that we could choose any pair from the top two rows. She did indicate that he needed high tops, and that shoes that laced up were better as they offered more ankle support. We chose some basic walking shoes.

 

After we picked out our shoes our sales associate went to retrieve the correct size. Chase stared after her suspiciously - I'm pretty sure he sensed something life changing was about to occur. 

Chase continued to giggle and be silly while we waited for her to come back with the shoes. He didn't know what was going on, but knew that this new place was fun!

 

Our sales lady returned with both a white and brown pair of walking shoes.   The white only came in size 6.5 but the brown came in 7. Although I had initially wanted to go with classic white I really liked how the brown looked on his feet. I think brown is the better choice, as he has more clothing to match them and also they won't get dirty as quickly. The brown walking shoes look more like big boy shoes than the white ones, actually (maybe that's why I resisted them initially).

Chase is curious about these weird new objects on his feet, but doesn't yet know what to make of them.

He attempts to stand in the shoes - something he has been doing easily since around 7 months old - and he is shocked by how heavy and cumbersome they feel. He can barely stand up straight!!

 

At this point he's trying to straighten up a bit and attempts to walk forward. However, he finds that he's having a difficult time lifting his feet. These things feel like lead weights! I know he is wondering why mommy and daddy have put these heavy torture devices on his feet!

At this point many parents in the store are standing around clapping and smiling. Folks have been listening to what's going on and realize that Chase just tried on his very first pair of shoes. He was so cute as he gingerly stood and felt his way around.

Unfortunately, he seemed very confused and disillusioned - this bright, happy store had seemed so fun and promising in the beginning! But the longer he stood the more comfortable he began to feel in his new shoes.

Finally, Chase standing tall and confident, taking ownership of his new walking shoes!!!

Time to pay for our shoes!

As another sales associate packed his shoes and rung us up, he explained that we should bring him back in two months for another fitting. He signed us up for the mailing list so we can receive coupons and other special offers.

"Daddy, do you think he has a snack back there for me?"

After shoe shopping we went to Pizzeria Uno's for a late lunch. For the first time we ordered Chase food from the menu. He got a kid's mac and cheese. He wore his new shoes the entire time and seemed content. By the end of the meal, however, he had begun to grow agitated with them, pulling at the laces and trying to put his foot in his mouth to taste the rubber sole. He glared at us accusingly as he tried to yank them off his feet.  I think we may have overdid it for Day 1.

Once we got home we encouraged him to practice walking. But the poor thing was so awkward and uncomfortable in his shoes. He could barely stand and definitely wasn't doing any walking. We then just took the shoes off him. He had never looked happier or more relieved! I knew we needed to let him practice wearing them in moderation. When we took the shoes off he danced and flitted around the house so joyously.

After I put him to bed I came back out to the living room to straighten up. After I had put all his toys away I saw Derek glance at the ottoman near his toy chest. He stared at the ottoman for a while, his head titled curiously. Had I missed one of Chase's toys? I followed his glance to see what had caught his attention. He finally crouched low and stuck his head under the ottoman. He pulled out a pair of little brown walking shoes, that had been knocked onto their side and wedged under the ottoman, seemingly discarded. It was as though they'd been dumped for trash.

I took the shoes from Derek and brushed them off. Then I packed them gently away in their box. We'll save his walking shoes to practice for another day. But just one tiny step at a time.

I Married A Harlequin Man

I married a Harlequin man.  Many people don't know this.

I married a Harlequin man and I love it.

As a young girl growing up my favorite genre of books was mystery. Very early on it was Encyclopedia Brown... when I got a little older I enjoyed the Nancy Drew series and The Three Investigators... as a teenager it was Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine... still later, and to this day, Mary Higgens Clark.  But romance novels came in at a very, very close second.  In particular, I was a voracious reader of historical romance novels but especially LOVED Harlequin romances.  My older sister and I discovered the Harlequin Presents series through my grandmother's extensive collection.  One summer we were bored and rummaging through her closet, and came across a bevy of hidden treasures: a box filled with books with the covers missing.  Well we both loved to read, and had finished our weekly library books, so our young curiosity was peaked.  Inside the box we discovered titles such as:

Ruthless Magnate, Convenient Wife
A Bride For His Majesty's Pleasure
Angry Desire
Marriage of Convenience
Arrogant Lover
Battle for Possession
Savage Surrender
Masquerade Marriage
Sweet Torment
Wife By Contract

We learned later that the covers had been torn off because my grandmother had found the books discarded outside a store, to be thrown away as garbage. Without bothering to read the back-cover summaries she eagerly retrieved them, knowing someone in the house would be happy for new books to read.

In any event, you can likely tell from the title what the plot is right away.  But in case you couldn't, here is a synopsis of "Ruthless Magnate, Convenient Wife":

Russian billionaire Sergei Antonovich was famous for being knee-deep in stunning supermodels and aspiring actresses. But not one was suitable bride material. Would he ever grant his aging babushka her dearest wish and present her with a grandchild?

So, why not handle this challenge as business? Without emotion, but with a contract of convenience that would grant Sergei the perfect deal: a wife he'd bed, wed, get pregnant… and then discard.

(Why does such an awful, sexist plot still make me giggle, even today as I type that? Shame on me!)

Of course, we don't have to read  "Ruthless Magnate, Convenient Wife" to know that this confirmed bachelor will, despite his strongest resolve, end up falling in love with this woman because of her sweet, pure, virtuous personality and change his womanizing ways.  He'll live happily ever after with his beautiful wife and darling baby.

Oh dear... these themes were so often antiquated, sexist, and depicted stereotypical male and female gender roles.  And yet, I loved them.  My sister and I both did.  We darn near craved them.  We rapidly read through all of my grandmother's collection (unbeknownst to my mom, who likely thought I was just reading one of my Nancy Drew novels).  When those ran out, I checked out more from the library.  My hunger for Harlequin Presents was insatiable.  And I continued to feed that hunger throughout junior high school.  Of course, that wasn't all I was reading at the time.  This was balanced out by the more substantive,"respectable" literature that my dad passed my way, i.e., Richard Wright's "Black Boy," Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart, Alex Haley's "Autobiography of Malcolm X," and other African-American titles.  And, sure, those books were good.  But... they didn't touch my collection of romance novels - never sordid or tasteless, mind you, but just racy enough to satiate the curiosity of a young tween.  When I was a skinny, awkward, shy girl with big glasses, these novels swept me away into a rich fantasy life where I was the heroine being wined, dined, and romanced.

Why did I love the Harlequin man so?  A Harlequin man was usually tawny and brooding, with smoldering, chiseled good looks.  He was always tall, with broad shoulders that tapered down to a narrow waist. He exuded a raw, animal magnetism that the finest custom-made shirt and silk tie couldn't mask (though it may have lent a veneer of civility). He was virile and strong, aggressive in the boardroom and the bedroom, and always with a quiet confidence.  He was dangerously ruthless, within both his business and personal relationships.  A Harlequin man  admittedly was a bit chauvinistic, and generally had the reputation for being a womanizer and confirmed bachelor who preferred to date women who were equally worldly and experienced.  But the woman he eventually falls in love with and marries is never that way.  And when he kisses his lady, his lips are hard and unyielding but his touch soft and tender.

But Harlequin men weren't merely chauvinistic brutes.  A Harlequin man also embodied some very good qualities.  He usually had a sensitive  side, that only those closest to him would get to see.  Usually, he'd been hurt by a woman early on, which hardened his heart and impacted the way he viewed and dealt with the "softer sex" going forward.  They were successful men - good providers who didn't shirk responsibilities at home or at work.  In fact, they were wildly successful, financially responsible, and very wealthy - money is no object for the Harlequin man.  They weren't afraid to take control across various situations, even when others shied away from the role.  They were charming and quick-witted, though sometimes with a sardonic edge. Within relationships, they are fun, gregarious, and kind-hearted.  They are direct and honest about their dealings, to a fault even.  And they are gentle but passionate lovers who care more about their partner's pleasure than their own.

But I won't even try to defend the empire that was Harlequin Enterprises in the 1980s.  While the stories were innocent enough, admittedly, the plots were sexist in theme and maybe even set women back a decade (or two).  But on many levels I enjoyed them.  Don't judge me.

Oh goodness!  Looking back now I can only chuckle because we were barely allowed to watch PG 13 movies as tweens, yet my parents had no  idea the fanciful stories I was reading.  While I was certainly a bright and precocious 11-year-old, like any little girl, I was also quite impressionable.  I realized, years later, just how reading such adult-themed romance novels led me to internalize all sorts of messages (that were sometimes opposite my parents teachings).  These are some of the things I still believe about relationships, and I'm almost certain they were influenced by Harlequin novels:

- a man should be in control - at home, in the bedroom, at work
- a man should be strong
- a woman should aim to marry well
- many men don't want to be married, most women do
- women should be virtuous and sweet

And while I've since reconciled my love of trashy romance novels and realize that these notions are in fact old-fashioned... a part of me still enjoys the idea of them.  Maybe that's why, as a young adult, I gravitated toward my own Harlequin man.  I like to think that my husband embodies the more noble qualities of the Harlequin man.  Because there really are some.  He's a modern-day Harlequin man, if you will. Sometimes when I look at him, I remember my former young self with my nose (and big glasses) buried in a book.  And I feel giddy... because I'm living my own romance novel.  He's the former confirmed bachelor, the strong, sensuous hero who wined me and dined me and swept me off my feet.  Maybe on some level I always knew I'd end up with a Harlequin man.  Or I hoped I would anyway.

Thank you, to Charlotte Lamb, Penny Jordan, Flora Kidd, and others who brought me so much early reading pleasure.

Parents, knock on your child's bedroom door and inquire about what he or she is reading from time to time.  Especially if the cover is ripped off the book.

Somebody's Walking!

 
image source: Picture Book
 

For the last few months Chase has been the master "cruiser" - meaning, he pulls himself up to standing using the couch, coffee table, or other low furniture. Then, using sideways shuffling steps, he rapidly moves along the edge of that piece of furniture with one hand.  Sometimes he can find a piece of furniture that he can move without pulling it down on top of himself, such as his ottoman or a stepstool, and he uses it as a walker that he pushes all the way across a room.  We have lots of little height-appropriate "props" throughout the house, so he really can cruise to most places he needs to go.  But every now and then he would reach the end of the furniture and have to make a decision about crawling... or taking that first step.  During these times he would look up at us and grin nervously... I'd hold my breath, wondering, "Is this it... is he gonna do it?" Then he'd crouch down and crawl to that next destination.  He's had excellent balance for a while, and likes to stand and dance on his own, free of furniture for support. But the idea of walking seemed to freak him out a little bit. 

Although we've been eager for Chase to walk for a while, and saw him getting closer to reaching this milestone everyday, Derek and I have made sure to encourage - but never push.  His 1st birthday came and went and, even with friends/family recounting tales of their little ones walking at 10 months... in that week leading up to their 1st birthday... or on their actual birthday... we knew he'd develop at his own pace. I felt that if we made a big deal about getting him to walk that he would somehow sense our expectations, and feel that he had disappointed us by not meeting mommy and daddy's hopes.  I didn't want that to negatively impact his self-esteem.  So rather, we've always celebrated the strides that he did make, making a huge deal out of any new development, which I think has made his self-confidence soar. :-)

Well on Monday (maybe in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday) Chase gave mommy and daddy a special surprise! He decided to take those first steps.... and then stepped some more, and then some more!  He giggled with delight as he tottled across the room into my arms, over and over. I screamed with delight (disregarding all who've said not to get "too excited" lest I scare him - like mommy, Chase appreciates a big reaction!!!) I told Derek that he had walked and when he got out the shower Chase walked to him too. He was quietly self-assured as he took those quick little shuffling steps across the floor.  There was an air of confidence and fearlessness about him.  I was so glad we had let him walk in his own time, rather than pressuring him into something he wasn't ready for.

Since becoming a mom I'm learning to just enjoy each little moment as it happens, rather than rushing ahead for the next one.  I've even begun to wonder what the big rush is anyway?  These are moments we can't get back.  Parenting sometimes seems like a race to the finish line - an unspoken competition, even. Is he weaned yet, did he say his first word, is he crawling yet, potty trained, does he still use a bottle?  The baby who achieves independence first - wins the race.  Mind you, I’ve also been guilty of wishing that certain stages (namely the waking up every 2 hours during the night to nurse) were over and done with, but I'm also continually reminding myself that once that time is gone... I'll never have it back.  Chase is growing so fast - and it makes me sad to think that he'll be a big boy soon.  No more mommy's baby.  Well, I mean, he'll always be "mommy's baby" to me - but you know.  I can't believe a year has gone by already.  It's awesome that Chase is walking now and we'll celebrate that along with his other milestones.  But I'll also continue to cherish each moment as it happens - no rushing along the next one.  Really, where's the joy in that?

Wordless Wednesday

  

Ready, Aim, Bowl!
Chase @ 1 Year, 1 Week, & 6 Days

Best Blog Award

I was excited to learn that I received the Best Blog Award from Linda aka New York City Single Mom.  She's an awesome lady - we've had the pleasure of chopping it up a few times at NYC blogger events. 

Well gosh, I must say, I'm so flipping flattered to receive this award!  The internet is such a vast place, so having my lil' old blog chosen (from amongst the masses) for the Best Blog Award is humbling.  Thank you, Linda! ((hugs))

Now having graciously accepted this award, the onus is on Yours Truly to pass the award on to five other deserving blogs! :-)  Here are the rules:

Post your award acceptance on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link. Pass the award onto five other blogs that you have newly discovered.  Contact the blogger to let them know they have been chosen for the award.

Without further ado here are 5 awesome blogs I've selected:

♥ Krystal of Krystal Grant's Guide To Life
♥ Sheliza of Mom Files
♥ Iman of Doing So Well
♥ Shameeka of The Broke Socialite
♥ Stacie of Fa'Shun Groupie

Congrats to you girls - I just love reading your blogs!!!  Folks, if you're into good reading you'll definitely want to check these ladies out! 

"The Martha Stewart Show" - Blogger Edition!

I was one of the lucky bloggers who received tickets to attend Martha Stewart's long-awaited blogger show!  This morning I was seated in a studio audience surrounded by bloggers from all across the country!  It's always been a dream of mine to visit "The Martha Stewart" show (and not an unrealistic one, since it's taped right here in New York City), as she so beautifully exemplifies skills that are near and dear to me: crafting, culinary arts, entertaining, cake decorating, home making, and the list goes on. Martha is my muse, if you will, and admittedly I am so not anywhere near her level of home making finesse.  She makes it look so easy, doesn't she?  Needless to say, I was just completely tickled to be a part of the studio audience. 

You see, I sincerely appreciate Martha's pleasant, always lady-like yet no-nonsense, demeanor and dry wit.  She's a business woman, foremost, who defies the stereotypes of the soft, slightly scattered, passive homemaker.  When Martha announced that she was doing a show dedicated to bloggers I knew this was the opportunity I'd been waiting for! (By the way, Martha is an avid blogger as well!) I applied for tickets (we had to answer several detailed questions, including what our blog was about, the premise of the blog, our unique skills as a crafter, etc) and was excited to learn that I'd been picked to attend the show!

Upon arriving (at 8:30 am) the bloggers congregated in two waiting room areas, where we had the opportunity to mingle and schmooze.  It was wonderful to meet new bloggers and also reconnect with many of my old blogger pals! 

Me with @JusticeFergie of MamaLaw.com  She took the train up from DC to be there - very cool!

 

Me with Linda @NYCSingleMom

We were finally allowed into the studio and I gasped in astonishment and delight!  Martha's studio looked more like the photo shoot for a Better Homes and Gardens magazine spread than a talk show studio.  Oh good heavens - it was a homemakers dream!  There was a gorgeous kitchen, green room, crafting studio... beautiful!  But then, I wouldn't have expected anything less from Martha.  You know what I mean?

 

Once we were seated tech crew helped audience members set up their wi-fi, as audience members were encouraged to blog and tweet throughout the show!  Internet was lightening fast in the studio, so I was quickly able to get set up on TweetChat, which I used during the taping (hashtag #blogshow). If you follow me on Twitter than you were likely keeping up as I live tweeted throughout the show.

Just before the show went live (at 10:00 am) one of the producers came up to where I was seated and informed me that they'd been watching me and really "liked my energy."  So she wanted to know if it was alright if the camera panned to me and zoomed in when the show opened.  Oh wow, how neat is that!?  Didn't even know I was exuding "good energy." :-)  I told her that of course it was okay!

Check me out at .02 seconds into the video.  It was very funny when folks were tweeting me from home that they'd just seen me on TV.  Hehe - my 15 minutes of fame (okay, fine, my 4 seconds of fame).

 

Martha is just as lovely and poised in person as she is on the show. She was also quite warm and personable, which was a pleasant surprise for me.  It really was a pleasure to see her "in vivo" after watching her all these years.  I'd always felt it wasn't the best idea to meet those "legends" we idolize in our mind - it's often a disappointment when people don't measure up to the fantasies you've enjoyed all the years.  I remember idolizing Big Bird for years and years on Sesame Street growing up - he was so big and tall and bright!  When I had the chance to meet Big Bird years later...  *sigh* ummm, not so much.  However, Martha met (and exceeded) every single expectation that I had.  So it was a really wonderful experience, made only that much greater by being surrounded by like-minded social media enthusiasts.

The show was tons of fun, with a bevy of awesome guests including the "Whatever" girls Alexis Stewart and  Jennifer Koppelman-Hutt, chef Pim Techamuanvivit, journalist Brian Williams, and actor Jeff Blumenkrantz.  After the show ended Martha graciously stayed around to answer audience questions.  One of the questions was where did she get her very sexy stilettos she was effortlessly cooking and crafting in throughout the show?!!  The answer: Yves Saint Laurent.  

Yes, priceless. :-)

After the show I met Derek at his job in mid-town to get the car and also run a few errands.  We enjoyed an impromptu, romantic lunch date at a quaint little Italian restaurant and I also got to meet a few of his co-workers who I didn't know.  I learned that some of them enjoy reading my blog, which was a wonderful surprise to me!

You can click here to view the entire show.  And here is the list of all the bloggers in attendance.  Also, be sure to check out my Blogger Events photo album for more pictures from the day!  

Leaving Baby for the First Time

Last New Year's Eve 2009 Derek and I were at home, staring blankly at Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark on TV, waiting for the ball to drop.  We weren't really watching though.  We each sat in silent reflection of the events that lay ahead - the major life change we were on the verge of undergoing.  My OB had scheduled us to come in to the hospital on January 1 at 8 pm, where I would be induced and we would await the arrival of our baby.  So, you see, neither of us were really relaxed, despite the festivities before us on the screen.  Visitors came and left, and we laughed and smiled but really each lost in our quiet musings. 

I recall feeling a mixture of fear, excitement, anxiety, trepidation, anticipation.  My anxieties stemmed not from the thought of baby's arrival (that part had me giddy with excitement) but rather from fears I entertained about the actual birth/labor process. God, I dreaded that unknown!  Meanwhile, Derek admitted later, in those weeks leading up to Chase's arrival, he could barely eat, sleep, or function calmly during the day, anticipating that I might go into labor at any moment.  He described how he would lay tensely awake at night, jumping at my every movement, expecting me to tell him that my water had broken, requiring him to run and get my bag and the car. (I marveled at this later - so absorbed in my own fears I hadn't fully appreciated just how utterly terrifying it must also be for your partner).

Our New Year 2010 was quite different!  Our North Carolina friends, Will and Kendra, who you've no doubt heard me speak of countless times, held their second annual New Year's Eve soiree.  We were of course otherwise "occupied" last year but vowed we would try our best not to miss it again.  Like last year, it was a black tie affair (YAY!!! Love that!) but this year the theme was masquerade! Omg, fun!!! So I was quite excited when we received our invitation in the mail. 

However, my excitement was quickly squelched when I learned that children weren't allowed at the party.  I was so hurt when Derek told me that Chase couldn't come with us.  "Why not?" I asked him.  "Chase likes music - he loves to dance.  I can even find a little mask for him," I pouted. I strongly considered not going, and wavered back and forth in the weeks leading up to the party. I grew teary thinking about leaving him for the first time. Finally Derek had to make a decision about whether or not to buy the plane tickets. I reluctantly told him yes... but in the back of my mind entertained fantasies of bailing out the night before, depending on how Chase seemed upon our departure.

We made arrangements for my mom to come up and stay at the house.  She was of course thrilled to spend that time bonding with her second grand baby. We had her come a few days early, so Chase could get re-acclimated with her.  I showed her me and Chase's routine (which was actually just a modified version of the routine that she taught me when she spent time out here the first couple weeks of Chase's life). My mother is one of those women who are just natural-born moms - growing up, she was that neighborhood/school parent who was "everyone's mom." So she just smiled and listened to my anxious, new mommy ramblings quietly, while her dancing eyes said, "Come on now, you know I got this."  

As per our trusty BabyCenter.com, we didn't make a big deal about leaving.  Chase looked at us curiously as he saw Mommy and Daddy bundling up, with coats and bags, and beamed happily as we kissed him a quick goodbye - no extended farewells. He paid no mind to my red, watery eyes, as his attention had already been captured by the waffles Grandmommy was preparing for him.  He was sitting in his high chair, happily bobbing his head to the Fresh Beat Band on TV, and snatching at the waffle she placed before him as we left.  Nonetheless in the cab I was crying quite hard as we drove to the airport.  Oh, it was hard leaving my baby behind - I didn't feel ready. 

Turns out the party was perfectly fun!!!! We danced and laughed and drank and fellow-shipped all night.  Great music, great people, great times! Will and Kendra's North Carolina friends are sooo friendly and warm - they were trying to convince us to leave New York and move on down south with them! LOL!!! (Please, they just don't know, I'm so down for that!) Anyway, it was a really special time - I was glad that we went.  Admittedly, I did spend about 65% of the trip missing Chase and thinking about him, but it was nonetheless really great to be away and especially in the company of such good people.  Oh, and sleeping in was heavenly.  I've been up every morning (weekends included) at 6:00 am since Chase was born - so this was one of the first times in a year that I've slept in.  Priceless.

My mom sent us lots of camera phone pictures and videos of her and Chase having fun.  He was laughing all hard and chattering up a storm in the videos.  Those videos warmed my heart and, truthfully, were the only thing that allowed me to relax and enjoy the weekend.

When we arrived home from our trip I bounced excitedly into Chase's room to greet him.  He looked at me a bit strangely for a split-second - turns out he had gotten sooo attached to my mom in the days they were together.  Once he recovered from his initial suprise to see us, he squealed with delight and started to flip and twirl around in his crib. 

He was sad when my mom left - he kept leaning over to hug her and squeeze her hand while we waited downstairs with her for her car. She was sad as well, as she'd fallen in love with Chase all over again.  I told her she can come up any time - I think I'm over my fear of leaving Chase without me.  But, even more importantly, the weekend reminded me of how very necessary it is to preserve our own special "couple's time."

You can see more pictures from our trip in our Family Vacations album in a day or two (I just need a few days to catch up).

Wordless Wednesday

Chase selecting his seat at the MomsLikeMe.com Christmas play
Chase @ 11 Months & 3 Weeks Old

A Beautiful Holiday Season

Belated Seasons Greetings Folks!

I know, I know.  The holidays are so over already (lol).  My apologies for my absence.  I've been so busy these days getting the house unpacked and co-organizing my best friend's baby shower and, when I'm not busy, I'm tired and trying to sneak in a nap here and there.  Every day I've been meaning to blog and post pictures and every day I tell myself, "Well tomorrow I'll just do 2 posts... 3 posts... 4 posts."  Tonight I said, enough is enough!  I've missed you all terribly and plus I've got so much fun and exciting stuff to share! :-)

So the holidays came and went.  I hope everyone enjoyed theirs.  We sure did - we had a low-key, relaxing Christmas this year, just as we'd hoped for.  With the recent move and also managing our very first year of life with baby, Derek and I made the responsible (albeit bittersweet) decision not to exchange gifts this year.  It was one of the best decisions we could have made.  I have to tell you, it was so stress-free not having to frantically shop and battle the crowds.  I'm not the spring chicken that I once was, and I don't have the same stamina.  Not to mention, battling holiday crowds with a young child isn't so ideal.

Christmas was wonderful though.  We had a white Christmas here in NY and Chase was able to see (and taste) his first snow!  :-) Omg, and this boy had so many gifts - not from Derek and I (as we refused to buy gifts for a child under one, on principle alone) but from family and friends.  He didn't understand what was going on, but he surely did know that he was Blessed.  Just grinning and chatting and things as he tore into those packages (and snacked on the paper)!

I for one am sooo looking forward to the day when he does get excited, count down the days, make his list, and bake cookies for Santa (YES, we are doing Santa). 

Aah goodness, so much preparation and anticipation and then... it's all over, lickety-split. *sigh* I'm a little sad about that.  As I'd indicated in a previous post, I'm one of those folks who like to prolong the holidays - keep decorations up for as long as possible (until it's borderline inappropriate), continue enjoying my Christmas music playlist, drive around and look at the remaining holiday lights.  Unfortunately, most of society doesn't agree with my sentiments.  It's like, come December 26th, there's nary a decoration to be seen, can't find any Christmas music on the radio, and folks are planning for their New Year celebration.  *smh* So cold. LOL

In any event, our first holiday season as a "family" was truly magical - I hope yours was special too!