Home for the 4th of July

We surprised the family by visiting for the 4th of July last weekend. It was quite a hoot to hear mom's reaction over the phone as she learned that we were only 10minutes away and not 6hours. I was really glad to have the chance to see family members and let Tam say hello to everyone. Oh, and of course, there was all the food! My family is very good at visiting each other, usually over a meal/snack/ice cream, etc. Happy birthday to the USA :-)


The aunts were excited to say hi to Tam and brought out his first ride-on toys, a bug character and a mini-bike. He looked so cute clutching the handles! His feet barely touch the floor on either side and he isn't sure what to do to make it go, but he was happy to sit on the seat and try to bounce. I was there to lend a hand for balance, or else our little weeble-wobble would fall right over. Tam is also firmly into his drooling phase and slobbered over everything and everyone. I just can't wait until he learns how to give kisses too through this drool-mess.

While visiting, I ate at my favorite joint currently...Dairy Queen. MMMM...Chocolate ice cream cone with crunchies! Or maybe a blizzard is my favorite. It is all goodness and a cheap way to achieve happiness. I have come to the conclusion that there are NO Dairy Queens here near me. And believe me, as a pregnant woman last summer I really looked.

Oh, and lastly, I have to mention our fun filled Friday night . . . at Walmart. What else is there to do but go to the walmart store to see friends/family and been seen. You know you come from a small town when this chain store sounds like a great field trip idea. We did pretty good at not leaving the store with many toys for Tam but we did pick up a diaper pail for stinky cloth diapers.

Cruising in the Crib

Up until a few weeks ago Tam slept, well, like a baby...a "dead to the world" baby. He barely moved in the night and I was confident that he wasn't tangling himself in the blankets or getting caught in the slats of his crib. He always slept on his back, as now is thought to be the safest position for little ones.

He's become more mobile in his semi-sleep mode. Maybe a pre-cursor to crawling?

And he is NOT this wiggly outside of the crib on the floor or in the baby cage (playpen). Now when I put him down to sleep at night, I'm not sure what way he'll be facing in a few hours. All bets are off for how he'll be positioned by morning! I may put him to sleep on his back, but within moments, he rolls over onto his side. Or he stays on his back but launches his feet straight up into the air. I've seen him in the morning like this, or even with a foot (or two) sticking straight out the sides of the crib. Or even all the way flipped over on his belly and giggling at his accomplishment.

So now I'm a little more paranoid about him. He sleeps mostly in a sleep sack for warmth, but still basically demands a knitted blanket as well. He usually snuggles up with a little soft blankey-rabbit and then pulls the knitted blanket over his head. Yep, he likes the blanket over his head! Silly baby. It doesn't seem to be for warmth, but for pulling over his head and sticking his fingers through the holes.

I know that I am not a restless sleeper, so I don't think this is an inheritable trait...just him "stretching" his legs in his sleep :)

Ikea magic

On the way back to home from the family, we side-tracked a bit to the nearest IKEA store. If any of you haven't been to an IKEA, it is quite the experience! Huge store of modern-ish type furniture, storage, lighting, textiles, and toys. You buy it in boxes and put it together at home. This is also where we bought all of our cabinets from last year for our kitchen.

We love the store and the style of furniture...slightly modern, sleek, more metal than wood, and funky fabrics. However, this trip was to look at stuff for kiddo and his room. They make fun wooden baby toys and an affordable wooden train set I wanted to check out. Plus, I wanted some inspiration for curtains for the kitchen. Brian was hoping to find a solution for our CD and DVD storage. Yes, we lack mp3s and instead have all the "retro" CDs still cluttering up our living room.

Okay, how freaking cute is this wooden rocking moose! We almost walked out of the store with this..but it is a little too old for Tam yet.

Speaking of Tam, he did very well on this excursion. We hit the store at the end of a nap, so we fed and changed him and he was happy. He rode in his little stroller as we walked around the store (there are no straight aisles...think rat in maze). Tam's head kept swinging back and forth as he tried to look at everything all at once. He then would hear other babies babbling and try to look for them too. We did run into one other little boy about Tam's age who "spoke" the same language...bababababa, mamamamama, etc. They had a good time staring and talking at each other for awhile.

We got some great ideas, and when budget allows, we may be back again in the fall. We just have to remember that whatever we buy, has to fit in the car!

First time away from baby

Last week or so was our first official night out while leaving the baby with a sitter. Yes, it has taken us 7+ months to get to this point, but I felt that Tam was finally okay to leave with someone else while Brian and I have some adult fun. It was a celebration of our anniversary (hard to believe it has been 5 years since the wedding). The sitter is someone I totally trust, since she is a fellow biology faculty member and has seen Tam since birth. I knew that she would take good care of him, and that if something (God Forbid) went wrong, she would keep a cool head.

Oh, and Brian had NO IDEA what were were going out for...it was all a surprise from me.

We left Jen with the little dude around 6:30ish. He was fed, diapered, loved and happily cooing in her arms when we headed out the door. Our first stop was a free dance lesson from the local studio. We got to learn a bit of the waltz, swing, and rock steps. Our instructor was a young guy who complimented us on our sense of rhythm and knowing left from right. I knew that all those years of marching band would pay off sometime. What fun! Brian and I couldn't stop grinning at each other (when we weren't looking down at our feet). Perhaps we could find it in the budget to take some lessons regularly...

We left the dance studio around 7:30ish. I knew that if Jen was going to have a problem with Tam it would be now while putting him to bed for the night. Tam usually doesn't give us any trouble at bedtime and I was hoping he would be just as good for Jen. I only checked my phone 3x during the next hour to make sure she didn't call. I felt very proud of myself for not becoming too paranoid or too guilty about leaving him for the night. The phone was blessedly silent for the entire evening.

Our next stop was dinner at a down town joint. It was a classy bar with MANY adult beverage choices (beer, wine, and mixed drinks) plus really excellent food. They have a great selection of "small plates" which are like dinners, but portioned like appetizers. We ordered several of these to share and try. I really enjoyed it all, but then again, I really love good food. Brian liked that he wasn't cooking it and, surprisingly, quite enjoyed the goat cheese on crackers. It was so nice to have a quiet dinner together without having to worry about baby, food preparation, or clean-up. And the conversation was outstanding! It had been awhile since Brian and I could just relax, joke, and just talk together for a good amount of time. We knew that having a kiddo would change our free time, I hadn't realized before this how much it had changed. Aww, but that's okay 'cause Tam makes us happy too.

When we finished the meal, we did a quick walk around town before heading back home. Jen said the little dude was excellent. He took his bottle, played with the red block, and then started rubbing his eyes. Oh...the eye rub is our EXCELLENT clue that he is tired and ready for bed. She whipped him up to bed, sang a lullaby, turned on the music mobile, and he conked right out. No fuss. Wow. Such a good little baby :-)

Overall, it was a great time and Jen said that she would sit again whenever we need her. Maybe we'll do this again next month and try a different little restaurant and maybe...kickboxing!