I shall call him Chip.

I was looking through old pictures of me as an infant, and Moses sure looks a lot like me. Here's a picture of my mom and me in January of '82 (4 months old), and here's one of Moses and me this month (he's 4.5 months old). There's definitely some resemblance, but of course Mos adds his own boyish spin to it.



It's funny because when Moses was born, he sure looked like his Daddy: a little Asian boy.




-Lindsey

An Easter Weekend Story

Saturday morning: We woke up to snow! What? In West Texas...in April? NO! Yes.



The snow made us lazy. We vegged all Saturday. However, someone almost figured out how to roll from back to stomach. Too bad he couldn't take his eyes off that mobile, or he'd be a champ.



Sunday morning: Easter! It's still cold! What to wear, what to wear? Mom knows. This outfit was a Christmas gift from GramGram and G-Dawg(my Mom and Kelly). Isn't he the bee's knees?




The Easter Bunny dropped off some goodies for Mos at his grandparents' house (Sally and my Dad). Thanks Gran and Granpop, er, Easter Bunny. He can't get enough of his books and Jumperoo!




Tuckered out. We sleep.

-Lindsey

4 Month Check-Up

We just returned from Moses' four-month check-up with a rave review. He's now in the 75th percentile in weight (15 pounds 10 ounces), height (25.75 inches), and head circumference (43 centimeters). We're relieved that he's proportionate, and our large heads have yet to doom him. Dr. Gray said he looks great. He's strong; He's on track developmentally; His first two teeth are almost here--All the things parents want to hear (well, we could argue the downside of teeth). And of course, we finished the visit with those pesky vaccinations, three shots and an oral dose. Poor kiddo turned bright red then screamed bloody murder. I didn't cry last time, but this time I teared up. Luckily, we have another two months to prepare for the next round.

On a lighter note, he got some summer shades:




-Lindsey

Like Night and Day

Drumroll please.......

Moses spent his first full night in his crib lastnight. Can I get a hallelujah? Sigh.

The night was relatively uneventful. He went down at 9:30 and woke at 10:30, 1:00 and 6:00 to eat, but he wasn't completely awake for those and went back to sleep immediately. There were only a few times during the night that he need a shush/pat. It was marvelous! I'm only hoping the nights to come will get better and better, and Dave and I can reclaim our space without the fear of finding wayward dirty diapers, spittle-soaked sheets, or worse, a larger ring of wetness.

In all his independent glory:



As I promised yesterday, here's more video of Moses' morning chat, with himself. This is 1 minute of video. Imagine this for 40 minutes at a time in the morning. It's downright hilarious. Those high-pitched pipes could give Maria Callas a run for her money. I'm sure deep down inside Dave's masculinity he's concerned that we'll have to enroll Mos in The Vienna Boys' Choir. I'm game as long as they throw in some of those sausages...

-Lindsey

Gift of Gab

Moses can talk. Well, babble. Toe-mate-toe, toe-mot-toe.

This morning I let Moses entertain himself for a bit since he was in a good mood. He just talked and talked and talked to himself--for almost 40 minutes! I didn't even say a word. Of course, when I tried to capture it on camera, he slowed a bit and started to focus on the camera instead of his growing vocabulary. He's quickly learned that the funny silver rectangle I bring around so often does something, but what?. Here's some of this morning's chatter. In the meantime, I'm working on a contraption that'll hide the camera and capture him at his best.



-Lindsey

Teething Troubles

Today we took Moses into the doctor because he had some symptoms indicating a possible ear infection. After getting checked out (and weighing in at 15 pounds 5 ounces!), Dr. Gray said he's getting in his bottom two teeth, and that is what is making him feel bad. Apparently, some babies have an easy time teething, others difficult. Poor Mos is on the latter end of that spectrum. Dr. Gray said he's a little early with the teeth, but it's completely fine. I just hope he cuts them soon because he's obviously miserable. Poor little boy. We'll post some pictures when those first teeth peek through!

-Lindsey

Our Day in a Nutshell

I'm part of an online message board for moms who were also expecting in December 2006. I've been a member since last June, and it's amazing how close all of us have become. It's great to have so many other moms who are going through the same thing. We can rant and rave about our experiences as mothers, wives, girlfriends, etc. Recently, one mother suggested that we post photo diaries of a day in our life as a mom. So here's our photo diary from Thursday, March 22nd.


8:00 a.m. Rise and shine. Neither one of us is a morning person.



Despite being on this schedule for a week now, someone is still a grump-a-saurus. Perhaps breakfast will cheer him up!



My turn to eat. Moses is jealous of my wheat toast and fake bacon. Yum!



8:30 a.m. Moses gets dressed for the day. Check out those sexy shorts!



Play time. Mos is really loving his activity mat.



9:30 a.m. Yawn, he's sleepy. Time for a nap!



Whoo hoo! I get ready for the day. And, I need a haircut (and to lose the baby weight), ick!



Checking out the Snowflake (messageboard) updates...



I like a little coffee with my cream.



Time for a little TV. Hooray, Neil Patrick Harris is guest hosting on Live! Swarley! I love NPH. So funny!



TV makes for better (read: more enjoyable) housework: make bed, fold laundry, dust.




11:00 a.m. Oh, he's up! After brunch, we head outside for a nail clipping and fresh air. It's drizzling but so nice. Our dog Bella gets her playtime.




We head inside to our Bumbo and blocks. Those yummy, yummy blocks.



12:30 p.m. Hooray, Daddy Dave is home from his teacher training classes. I leave to run some errands while the men chill.



I'm back. Moses is napping. Time to study for class tonight, but I really want to read the new book I picked up today at Barnes and Noble--The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian. Unfortunately, it'll have to wait until bedtime.



3:00 p.m. He's up. Time to play again. Mos loves the taste of elephant.




5:30 p.m. Quick snack and nap for Mos. I put a pizza in the oven and begin my online class.



While I'm "in class", Dave and Moses talk about their day and Mos takes a bath. And yes, Dave is wearing shorts.




7:30 p.m. I'm done with class. Time for a quick project! From this...



to this! A family picture!



8:30 p.m. Cluster feeding commences.



10:00 p.m. After some low-key play, he sleeps. I get to read my new book!


-Lindsey

EXTRA, EXTRA, read all about him...

Moses graciously modeled his new summer hat for us today. He's quite the looker, isn't he? Once these pics get out, I'm sure all the neighborhood paperboys will, er, hang up their hats.

-Lindsey

Mmmm, elephant...

What can I say, the kid's got an appetite! Who can blame him? Purple elephant is so rare in these parts.

Whew, I'm glad this week is over! It's been a doozy. First, Dave and I are back in school, and we can't say that we missed it. Second, I passed a kidney stone on Wednesday. I was home alone with a napping Mos, which was scary, and I only assumed that I was dying and wouldn't live to see another day, let alone that evening's episode of LOST. Thankfully, Dave and Sally (Gran) rushed here right away. Gran took care of Moses while Dave went to the hospital with me. I'm better now, but I'm really hoping that my right kidney purged itself of all calcifications in that one instance. I don't know that I could stand another attack!

On the growing baby boy front, Moses is doing fantastic. He's really using his hands and understanding how beneficial those strange appendages are. He's really been into playing with his activity mat, especially that purple elephant, which has crinkle-paper ears and vibrates when manipulated just right. Today, for the first time, he tuckered himself out and fell asleep right in the middle of playing. He'd wake, attempt to play, but then nod off before any success. It was hilarious.

Before


After

Moses' new schedule is progressing well. Today he's taken 3 naps, two of which met our one-and-a-half to two-hour goal. And yes, in the picture he's asleep on his stomach, but we monitor him carefully. This weekend we'll start his transition from bedtime in my arms to bedtime in the crib. Wish us luck!



-Lindsey

Spring Break Comes to an End

Dave and I had a wonderful week of vacation with sweet Mos. I was sick early in the week with a possible case of food poisoning, but Dave saved the day and turned the tragedy into some father-and-son time. I'm not sure what the two dished about while I was regretting my entree selection, but I'd like to think some real male-bonding took place: the difference between gas and charcoal grills, proper chicken wing eating etiquette, the best way to mow a lawn, and how to properly catch and release a spider before mom is aware of it's presence.
In the past three days, Dave and I have put Mos on a schedule which means he is currently napping in his crib (not our arms) three times a day. The first day was difficult, but it's gotten easier and easier. He never cried it out or anything like that. We just picked him up and put him down until he'd come to terms with sleep. Now,every four hours we know it's naptime because he'll start to nod off. It's so nice that we don't have to plead with him anymore, or bounce for minutes on end. Sure, there are some difficult times, but they're a cakewalk in comparison. Hopefully, he'll have naptime down pat before long, and we can work on bedtime in his crib!



This is a new favorite!

The Miracle of Life

Here's Moses' ultrasound picture from 20 weeks gestation followed by a photo at almost 16 weeks old. It's crazy how much his little body has changed in those 32 weeks. He's gone from skin-and-bones to junk-in-the-trunk in no time. Don't count on finding a thighmaster in his crib anytime soon, we love our little (breastfed) chunker as he is.

-Lindsey

He's a Suitor!

While vacuuming in preparation for his great-grandparents' arrival last weekend, Dave and I were delighted to find our little man found the vacuum's sounds very soothing. I had heard a vacuum could calm a baby but goodness, he was out in a minute flat. Sadly, I no longer have an excuse for not vacuuming!

P.S. Isn't he adorable in his new duds!

-Lindsey

Sitting Pretty

I've read all sorts of praise about Bumbo seats of late and thought I'd see how one works for sweet Mos. In our latest attempts, he's really taken to it. He loves looking around and gnawing on his hands while I clean around him or read a magazine (ahem, schoolbook). He's usually not one for being put down so I'm thrilled that he can tolerate this seat for any period of time. We'll gradually up his time in the seat and see if we can't instill a want for independence.

-Lindsey

This is How We Roll

In January, Dave and I discovered the joys of the Moby Wrap sling. It's basically two million feet of fabric that wrap around you to create the most comfortable sling ever. Once you get past the initial what-do-I-do-with-all-this-fabric intimidation factor, it's a life-saver. This sling is how I currently get anything done throughout the day. He loves to hang out, sleep, dance, etc. in it, and while this picture doesn't illustrate the best form, you can see how much little Mos enjoys it. We'd be lost without it!

-Lindsey

Two Oldies (in Moses terms) but Goodies

I was going through the pictures on our camera today and found some pictures that never made it onto our computer for some reason or another. The first one is from December 9th, 2006 when Dave gave Moses his first bottle of expressed breastmilk. The second is from December 12th when Moses went to his two-week check up. They are such sweet pictures I had to post them.

Meanwhile, we're staying busy here. Dave's halfway through his teacher certification course, and I'm in the middle of my first semester of graduate school. It's not an easy task to attend school during our first quarter of parenthood, but it's worth being home with our boy during this time of rapid growth. It's fantastic to experience his first smile, coo, and roll-over together, all the while continuing our education so we can provide a good future for him. Luckily, Spring Break is around the corner, and we're looking forward to a Moses-centered week!

-Lindsey