Monday, March 31, 2008

"Sleep like a baby"

What a stupid expression.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Bullet Points

Somethings going on around here...
  • I hate ants... itty bitty creepy crawly demons from hell. Sorry if I seem a little bitter but I have literally been vacuuming the kitchen for weeks now. We spray outside the windows, we spray where it's safe indoors, we crush kill and destroy to no avail. I can't believe one hasn't made it back to base camp and told the others "We're getting slaughtered out there! Let's find a new house." I am keeping my fingers crossed.
  • I am currently helping Adam with exhibits for his trial tomorrow! It's so much fun... he gets to tell me what to do and how to do it which is pretty funny to us. We don't generally operate under that kind of a regime. I am helping him label, copy, collate, hole punch and bind everything for tomorrow. I want to go watch him but between Sir No Sleeps and probably not going to sleep until 2... I don't think I will make it ;~)
  • My friend Rose got engaged! Rose and I have been friends since our first year at UMBC and I can't tell you how great her and Nick are together. Peanut butter and jelly has nothing on these two... they just fit together! Congrats guys!
  • Brian and Jen had their baby boy Ethan... actually they had him March 14th... I am just a little behind in the announcing! Congrats guys!
  • I am contemplating reaching out to my aunt and 3 cousins. I haven't spoken to any of them since at least 2 years before my mom died (the aunt is her sister). They weren't contacted when my mom was dying per her request and I did not tell them when she passed although I suspect they know through other family. There was a big falling out between my mom and her sister and a lot of feelings were hurt. I am still not sure that I am ready to make the step but I have been thinking about it. The internet sleuth in me knows that one of my cousins had a baby girl probably about a year ago, 2 of my cousins moved to Maine at some point and where my aunt works. Yeah, me and Google are friends ;~)
Ok... I am off to finish my assignment! Night all!

Monday, March 24, 2008

My little maniac

So my sweet darling baby has turned into the non-sleeping baby from the underworld. I love him dearly but holy crap can he wail. I am this stage of is he minipulating me or does he genuinely need me... it's a crap shoot ;~) He has finally fallen asleep but I am not holding my breath ;~)

It may have something to do with the fact that we tried rice cereal for the first time last night but who knows... it could be because we were away for the weekend... or because he is going through a growth spurt... again, crap shoot. Anyway, the introduction of rice cereal was absolutely hysterical!

He couldn't get enough... kept grabbing at the spoon and shoving it in his mouth. I have video but it's currently 4 minutes long so I need to cut it down ;~) Maybe in the future.

Friday, March 21, 2008

See you soon

Adam recorded this video and emailed to his mom this morning... I thought everyone would enjoy!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Mom and Dad go out!

We did it... Adam and I went to dinner with his boss and wife and we left Chase with a babysitter! Granted the babysitter(s) were a husband and wife team with a 9 month old... friends of ours... oh and he's a pastor at our church... yeah, can't pick a more trustworthy couple ;~)

In all seriousness... it was really sad to leave him but Pat and Kristen are 2 of the nicest, warmest and most loving people I have ever had the pleasure to know. Leaving Chase with them was really not as hard as I thought... I was actually more worried for them then I was Chase. After all, they just had Ava 9 months ago... they know all this stuff ;~) Unfortunately Chase was crying when we left and it is hard if that is the last image you have... so I called when I got to the restaurant just to make sure he stopped crying... of course he did and he even cat napped on Kristen (Pat tried to send picture mail but Sprint sucks and it costs too much money for us to retrieve ;~) From then on I didn't worry one bit about them... I just sat back, enjoyed good food and reveled in hysterical conversation. Adam's boss Leo and his wife Jan are so much fun, my face actually hurt from laughing and smiling so much.


Getting ready to hand Chase off to Pat, Kristen and Ava


Can you see how tightly I am holding Chase's arm... poor little wrist ;~)


Dad's having fun with their babies!

Chase was of course in one piece, happy and healthy when we got back and according to Pat and Kristen, very easy and happy the whole time. Whew and YAY! I think we might do this again one day ;~)

Oh and get this... my little Mr. Spit Up King... Sir Pukes A Lot... Admiral Rug Cleaner... didn't spit up once while he was there... not a SINGLE time. That is until we got there... a whopping 4 times from the time we got back until we left... little booger.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Hope you had a...

Happy St. Patrick's Day


He's not really Irish but I kissed him anyway!


Possibly the cutest 4 leaf clover ever!

Thanks to Aunt Danielle and a Teeny Tiny Anna for the St. Patty's Day outfit! Needless to say, this would have never fit Anna so they gifted it to us! It goes in the quilt for sure!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Gigantic Baby!

Chase and Anna's first picture together! Aren't they adorable!

I know Chase was gaining weight and getting bigger but holy cow! Look at him compared to Anna... she is so adorably tiny!

AST + CHG = BFF

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

She is here at last!!!

Anna Stuart Townley has arrived! She was born tonight at 10:52 pm. She weighed in at 7 lbs and 14 ozs and measured 19 and 3/4 inches long. Mom and Dad are doing well and I heard a healthy set of lungs in the background!

Praise God for another happy healthy loved baby!

Pictures to come (as if I needed to say that!)

Ohhh, I am going to have such a hard time sleeping!!!

4 month appointment

Chase had his 4 month appointment yesterday! This meant measurements, weighing and gasp... shots! He was fine with the first 2 but none to pleased with the last one. Which in actuality is 4... yep, four shots on little mans very sweet and unblemished thighs ;~( Very very sad stuff!

I am happy to report that Chase is a healthy 17 lbs and 15 ozs which is in the 95th percentile for weight. He is 27 inches long which is off the charts for a 4 month old... Dr. Kim said he is about the length of a 6-9 month'er... which I could have told you because the clothes we put him in are all 6-9 months or 6-12months. He's got the genes for height, that's for sure!

Dr. Kim was tickled with Chase's 'tripoding'... so of course I took a picture to show off to everyone!

The shirt says "Growth Opportunity" and it has a chart with a growth line on it... very cute stuff and very apropo for him.

We have been going through some sleeping troubles lately... the 45 minute monster has been rearing its ugly head for the past few (tiring) weeks. This is where he gets up 45 minutes into any nap he is taking. Like clockwork this happens. I thought at first that must just be the amount of sleep he needs... nope, not at all. He was SO crabby in between his naps that it was evident he needed more sleep. So after lots of failed attempts and creative measures, I managed to get him back to sleep... sometimes... with fingers crossed. I soon discovered that morning naps are where the real sleep is necessary... that nap tends to set the tone for the rest of the day. I also had to throw out precious accomplishments that we had already achieved, such as falling asleep on his own in the crib and not picking him up to sooth him. I learned that sometimes a minor setback is worth the gain of a major victory (actually, credit where credit is due, Adam taught me that!). Come to find out... the 45 minute monster (as well as the monster that has woken up at 3am to nurse a couple times) is likely due to teething! Gack... my little boy is growing up! Don't run out and get the toothbrush just yet... it's only started and Dr. Kim says it could be months before we actually see it surface... but she can definitely see the bud! She suggested using baby tylenol as needed (and as directed of course) to help sooth him. That definitely seems to work because the sleeping has worked itself out a bit... I can generally get him back down without picking him up and he is back to falling asleep on his own!

Dr. Kim also says it's time to start solids... again, put away the prime rib... we are starting off with some yummy rice cereal! No doubt it will be interesting the first time around so I foresee a video ;~)

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Second Chances

As it turns out Christine had another shower this weekend (another surprise shower!) to which I was invited since the last one didn't work out so well ;~)

I can't tell you how excited that made me. I was supposed to scrapbook with friends all day Saturday but given the opportunity to celebrate Christine's baby, I couldn't pass it up. I ended scrapping in the morning and heading to the shower mid-day. If you haven't figured it out, Chase stayed home with daddy!

It was so much fun. It was low key, there were less people and I didn't spoil the surprise! It was so fantastic to be able to celebrate at least one of Christine's showers correctly!

Here is my beautiful mama to be!


And a random Chase picture because he is so cute!

Friday, March 07, 2008

Bottle Feeding

Adam and I have been working on getting Chase to take a bottle easier... when he is with daddy or if we ever go out on a date, he needs to be able to bottle feed without making the person want to tear their hair out. So we decided to try tonight while we were having game night with Laura, Rob and Danielle. Yeah, not so much. He was Senior Angrypants. No way no how, not having the bottle.

After everyone left (they claimed tiredness but a cranky baby probably helped ;~) we decided to scratch the milk we had warmed and start over with a fresher batch. What ended up happening is Adam and I standing in the middle of our living room bouncing back and forth in sync. Adam had Chase in one arm and the ipod touch in the other... why you ask. He was singing Phish songs (lyrics are on the ipod) to our child. Don't judge me, Chase likes it and it works! I was holding the bottle with one hand and holding his arms down with the other. We stood there bouncing back and forth to Adam's renditions of Phish for about 15 minutes while Chase sucked down 4 ozs. of milk. Comic parent hilarity.

Tomorrow is another mommy day out so all Adam has to do is grow 2 more arms and all is well ;~)

Thursday, March 06, 2008

How quickly time passes

It's been a year since Grammy (Adam's grandmother) passed away and 4 years since Ryan (Adam's brother) passed away. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday and other days it feels like it has been decades.

Losing Grammy was hard but we also knew that she lived a good long life. She died seeing her children happy and healthy and she got to enjoy many many years with her grandchildren. One regret is that she passed just before we were able to tell her that we were expecting Chase. It would have been wonderful to see the look on her face when we told her she would be a great grandma again... even nicer would have been seeing her and Chase together. Sadly we all know that you don't always get what you want. All that to say that Grammy indeed lived a good long life.

I struggle more with Ryan's death. He hadn't lived a long full life yet... he was really just starting out. I think about the idea of having brothers and sisters and how you are supposed to grow up with them. You go through life events around the same time. You have kids somewhere around the same time and they grow up together. You grow old with this person that you have known literally forever. To have that taken away is really jarring. Personally I was looking forward to having an older brother. That is something I have always wanted growing up but obviously never had. I was very excited to marry into a family where I got an older brother and a younger brother. I remember the day Adam called me. He was in Indiana and I was in Baltimore living with my parents. It was just after 7 am. No good phone calls come at that time. Adam managed to choke out "It's Ryan. He's dead." I sat bolt right up in bed. I was pretty calm... still processing everything I guess. I got off the phone with Adam so he could get ready to leave Indiana (by the time they called Adam to tell him, Adam's uncles had a plane ticket ready for him). I went downstairs so I could get ready to go to Hagerstown. My dad came down and was incredulous why I was up that early. That's when I lost it. I started crying then and didn't stop until I got to Sandy's front door. I remember just before I went in, my mom asked me "Are you ready for this?"...I answered honestly and said no. Then I hung up and walked in. It was a horrific week filled with utter sadness and hurt to reminiscing and slight laughter. Ryan's death truly left a hole in everyones heart. I miss him a lot because he should be here with us. He should be doing all the things that Adam and I are doing... getting married, having babies, growing up and growing old.

I have learned over the past few years that there is a silver lining (for lack of a better term) in everything. Ryan's death made me a support for Adam's family during that time. It also made them ready to be a support to me when my mom died. All 3 deaths have unified our family and given us a unique (albeit crappy) bond. It showed my mom how committed to sobriety Adam was (and is), he made it from Indiana to Maryland and then through the whole ordeal without picking up a drink. I believe it prompted Adam's dad to get the help he needs (for which we are thrilled and could not be happier). It has given Adam and I a chance to weather storms together and come out on the other side.

To Grammy and Ryan... we all miss you very much.

Grammy: February 6, 1922 - March 6, 2007


Ryan: October 2, 1976 - March 6, 2004

Monday, March 03, 2008

Blessings

Our upstairs neighbor has a 3 year old who has outgrown much of the modern conveniences that baby's 'require'. Since they don't plan on having anymore she has been more than happy to give us stuff! Last night she gave us a Bumbo and a Jumperoo!

I think it is pretty apparent how much Chase likes them!




And this picture just cracks me up! He loves sucking on his hands, fingers or thumb... which ever is readily available ;~)

Saturday, March 01, 2008

One of those days...

Today was supposed to be a great day. Chase and I would spend the day together while daddy went to an all day meeting. We could get back on our schedule since we got out of whack Friday. Then at 4 Chase and I would go to Christine's baby shower. It would have been a good day if that had happened at all... in the least little bit... even just a smidgen of it would have been nice.

But nope... my day did not go as such. At 9:30, I attempted to put Chase down for a nap that he does regularly... it started with talking to himself and then went into a full out cry. I picked him up and attempted to console him... which worked so I jumped in the shower. When I got out he was in a full on cry. You win again Mr. Chase. I pull him out and we start the 2 hour cycle over again. We play, we eat, we play some more, we take a bath and then we settle in for another nap at 12:30. Nope, nada, not having it. He is all out screaming in a matter of 15 minutes. I pick him up and try to console him and put him back down. I know he is tired, he is fighting it so hard. Nope, full out cry again... turning beet red. I had to leave him in the crib for a while for my own sanity (ironic because it did nothing to keep me sane but you parents out there know what I am talking about). I eventually pulled him out again and he just would not settle down. Finally at 2 I was feeding him and he fell asleep... usually a faux paux for the day hours but he was finally sleeping so I took advantage of it... for his health and my sanity. He slept for all of 50 minutes. Fantastic (drenched with sarcasm). I get him ready to go to Christine's shower. Now at this point I have the option to leave him with daddy who is on his way home or take him with. I thought taking him would be better since Adam is very sick and plus I wanted to show off Chase. I chose wrong, very wrong.

I get to the shower and almost immediately I am informed that I ruined the surprise for Christine. Let me stop and say here that no where on my invite does it say that this is a surprise... so honestly, it's a good thing I didn't outright say something about the shower to her face. You may be asking yourselves how I ruined it... I left a message saying I was coming to the shower and that I couldn't wait and Christine just happened to be there when the message was played (sorry Christine!). I know, I know, there is no way I could have known... that didn't stop the death stares from the party thrower. Which made me feel about 2 inches tall. In case it isn't clear, I love Christine with all my heart and the thought of ruining the surprise for her makes me sick to my stomach.

About a half hour into the shower Chase starts to get fussy. I feed him some and that helps... then I leave him with a friend so I can get some food and when I get back he is crying. Awesome... I take him back and he keeps crying... I walk him around and he keeps crying... I am pulling out all my tricks and nothing is working. And nothing continued to work for the next hour. He is so overtired and over stimulated that he is just angry and upset which results in many fierce tears. Finally when I figured this out (I am new at this so it took a few to sink in) I took him upstairs... and for a while he did fine up there. That ended and he went back to being Mr. crankypants so I knew what I had to do... the one thing that I really did NOT want to do... leave Christine's shower early. She was only partially through opening the presents and she hadn't even gotten to mine yet. If you thought the feeling of ruining her shower made me sick to my stomach, you should have seen when I had to leave early. I made it to my car and then broke down sobbing. I called Adam (my source of comfort) and cried to him the whole 30 minute ride home. It seemed to take forever to get home... ironically Chase slept the whole way home. I love irony.

Adam met me at the Jeep the moment I pulled up and took Chase. He has been singing to him and entertaining him ever since. I came to the computer so I could get today off my chest (hence my therapy theme for this blog). I honestly cannot fathom how I could do this without Adam. As sick as he is, he is heating up milk for a bottle and entertaining him at the same time... I am literally listening to Adam imitate one of Chase's many musical players. If anything good can come from today, it's the reminder that I am so incredibly lucky to have Adam.