Spencer and Jim looked so cute dressed alike today that I just had to take some pictures before they went off to school/work. (Pics at the end of the August album.

Update on Spencer's sleeping, as it has now been two weeks since we have begun working with Spencer on the Ferber method. For the last four nights in a row, Spencer has gone to sleep with any crying or complaining. And he has stayed down all night, putting himself quietly back to sleep when he wakes up. Whoo hoo!

Yesterday I met Rebecca for lunch to catch up. Her two little boys are so sute, and will have a young brother or sister to play with in early 2005! And she also mentioned that their business NurturedFamily.com is continuing to grow and now has a gift registry. When we met up with Tracy and baby Aurelie last month, she just couldn't say enough good things about the Fuzzi Bunz she had bought from them!

Tonight we put shoes on Spencer for the first time. Kinda silly, since he can't even crawl yet. But Jim had read how it can be helpful for babies to get used to wearing shoes before they learn to walk. Spencer thought his little sandals were absolutely fascinating. Jim played around trying to hold him up and "help" him to take some steps, but Spencer was far more interested in checking out his feet up close. He tried to inspect the sandals while walking, while sitting, while eating... Check out some funny pics added to the August album.

OK, I guess it's a bit tedious to ramble on with daily updates on Spencer's sleep progress. To sum up, in the last four nights he has gone to sleep without any complaining twice, and one time only about 30 seconds of half-hearted cries. We are feeling quite good.

Since August is here, time for a new photo album! Yesterday afternoon Spencer played in his little pool from Grandma Eileen in our backyard. Rain was pending, but he was able to enjoy a nice half hour of goofing around before we came in for the evening.

Huge news: Spencer went to sleep without crying last night! We kept waiting for him to begin complaining, but it never happened! Now, we know this doesn't necessarily mean that he won't cry tonight, but we are so thrilled with this first! Last Friday evening, night one of Ferberizing, we had some doubts. But in one short week we have observed continual improvement and hit a huge milestone last night!

After work yesterday we met Carol and Brian at Cold Stone Creamery for the World's Largest Ice Cream Social to help benefit Make-A-Wish. Free ice cream cake for everyone!

Spencer's teeth have finally broken the gums! They aren't poking through yet, but you can catch a glimpse in picture 74 of the July album taken during Spencer's bath last night.

Spencer went to school today! (Whew.) However, we learned they are not allow to let the children cry unattended in their cribs, so Spencer's routine will be altered there. But they did agree to no longer feed him or rock him to encourage sleep.

Last night no visits to Spencer's room were required, as he fell asleep before we had planned to check in on him. He stayed down all night, and woke up happy this morning after 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Yesterday I found this article reviewing an upcoming book Why Love Matters which made me feel a bit physically ill to read how leaving your child to cry can affect the development of a child's brain and personality. I finally exhaled about 3/4 of the way through when it was explained that the infant's cortisol levels are pretty much set by six months of age. This concurs with Dr. Ferber in that children younger than this age are neurologically too immature to calm themselves. It is so hard to listen to him cry, but is 5-7 minutes of complaining harmful? Uninterrupted sleep is ultimately best for the child, and I trust that this small period of focused training will reward him (and us) in the end. We have seen great improvement night after night - by establishing rigid meal times, nap times, and appropriate evening routines to help Spencer's body get on a clock so that he is ready to go to sleep when bedtime finally arrives. Jim and I continue to refer back to Dr. Ferber's book for guidance (i.e. learning that Spencer's inconsolable middle of the night screaming on Monday was possibly a partial-wakening due to sleep terror, and we now understand how better to respond to this in the future.) But reading about these findings from the scientific study in Why Love Matters really causes me to take a step back.

With Spencer being out of sorts, it was not a huge surprise that sleep didn't go so well last night. Although we went down ok (only one visit at the adjusted time and he was asleep shortly afterwards) he woke up around 1:15 this morning and would absolutely not go back down. After tending to any potential discomfort (new diaper, orajel, and tylenol) he was still in utter distress an hour later. With no previous nighttime (or naptime) complaining reaching 20 minutes, we caved and picked him up for comfort. He must have been feeling so awful because it was still another thirty minutes before he went to sleep, despite all of our efforts to calm him down.

His rash is still around today, so we're still home again together now.

Spencer did great on Sunday with his sleep! He stopped complaining before we ever needed to check on him at naptime, and at bed time! Actually, he took his two afternoon naps in the car to and from his first Astros game! (New pics at the end of this album.) I could not believe how many babies were at the game - there was actually a line in the ladies' room to use the changing station! (And there was a baby on the field too!)

Unfortunately, all of the fun came to a halt this morning. Spencer seemed a little bit off his game as we were getting ready for the day. A quick temperature check revealed 100.2, which meant we couldn't bring him to school. When a rash appeared later in the day, we made a quick visit to the pediatrician who concluded this was likely some generic virus that needed to run it's course.

Saturday evening, a.k.a. night two of Ferberizing Spencer, went well. Last night required only one visit, and he was quiet about two minutes later. We have been extremely diligent in sticking to his appropriate pre-bedtime routines and stand strong for the post-bedtime interventions which are all part of the method. Overall, yesterday was a great day for Spencer. He napped on a good schedule, ate meals at his regular times (also critical parts of the success of the Ferber method,) and we were rewarded with a baby who was happy virtually the entire time he was awake. We even made time for a quick family trip to the pool in the afternoon, which we have all been enjoying very much.

He is currently down for his morning nap, and no visits were required! (Not that he didn't complain, but he had settled down and was quiet within a few short minutes.)

Night one of the Ferber method: we braced for the worst. Two interventions were required last night (one for each of us.) And boy did they suck. I mean really, really suck. But, several minutes before time was up for the third one, Spencer had fallen asleep. He woke up about an hour later, cried for 30 seconds, and went back to sleep until 7:00 this morning. Sounds like a good start so far, however Jim discovered in some research online that night two is commonly found to be the toughest.

This morning's nap followed the same pattern. Two visits to a possessed-sounding Spencer in his crib. But a few minutes after the second visit he went to sleep for a nice one hour nap. (A bit longer than his standard 30-40 minutes.) And now he is currently down for his afternoon nap - and no intervention was required! He quieted down one minute before we were planning to check in the first time! Progress? Perhaps. We'll see what this evening holds...

This morning when I dropped off Spencer I hung around for a little bit and took pictures of some of the babies (and toddlers) enjoying Water Play! It was super-cute.

This weekend we are preparing to begin teaching Spencer to go to sleep using Dr. Ferber's method. I know there are plenty of critics out there, but unless you have also read the doctor's book, and understand pros and cons of this and other methods, I really don't want to hear it. I'm tired of hearing stories of "friend's of friends that tried it and it didn't work," or "people created their own version and it didn't work." We spoke with Spencer's pediatrican at our visit last month and he said Spencer was mature enough, and that this is a good approach to take.  We'll see how things are going at this time next week...

Today I had jury duty. It was nice to go to the local courthouse and leave home at 8:15, rather than having to be out the door at 6:00am to serve downtown. It became apparent right away how 'small town' the whole set up was - they didn't use our juror numbers for panel selection, just went by what row we were sitting in! As the one bailiff said "I didn't go to attorney school or nothing." Gee. It totally blew my mind during voir dire (which the bailiff admitted he didn't know how to pronounce) the stupid things people would say with the obvious intent to try and get struck. I really don't understand why people try to get out of jury duty. We should be thankful for our country's legal system. And, these particular trials (we were told) were speeding tickets. Hardly the type of case that would take weeks out of someone's time. Somehow, I ended up on the panel. I won't go into any of the painfully boring details of the case, but it was ridiculously lame. Prosecution presented the police officer and the radar speed. Defense presented nothing besides a headache - introducing so many hypothetical cases which were not germane that even the judge had to interrupt and ask him what his point was. And when the defendant took the stand, all he could say was that he was not going that speed, but he had no idea what his speed was. Good grief. In the jury room, I quickly volunteered to be the foreman. It took us less than 10 minutes to reach a unanimous verdict of guilty and determine an appropriate fine. The much more interesting part of the day's experience was trying to find a place to pump at the courthouse. We had a well-timed 30 minute break (after our panel was selected, while they were going through voir dire for the second panel) but it took bailiffs and clerks 10 minutes of running all around to finally figure something out.

Spencer continues to grow and delight us every day. We introduced meat in to his diet last week (ewww) and added mango yesterday. We have expanded lunch at school to include vegetables and fruit and put them in these awesome bowls which Kim introduced us to.

The faces in Spencer's class are changing quickly. Last week, three month old infant Paul started (man, is he little! and he only comes three days a week) and it was also the first day for 10 month old Taygun (rhymes with tycoon.) He is a very handsome little guy! Fortunately, so far both boys seem to have easy going dispositions. Alexa 'graduates' to the toddler room at the end of this month, and Alane heads out in mid-August. At that time (assuming no more new faces) there will be a total of 7 infants - big girl Alessandria and six boys!
 
This weekend we took Spencer to the neighborhood pool again. He just loves it! Pool pictures and a few from Tracy's baby shower have been put in a new July photo album.

TGIF. It's been a good week, highlighted with our monthly Mommy's Night Out. It is really helpful to get out and socialize and meet people going through the same thing with babies in the house. And to ask advice of those who have older little ones. I feel lucky to know have friends like Ronda who take the reins and organize events and go out of their way to make sure everyone feels included.
 
Spencer's sleeping habits have regressed terribly. With one exception in NY, he hasn't slept through the night since the end of June. It's been a rough week for Jim and me. And how terribly cruel that right as I come to terms with giving up a pump in the middle of the night in order to *finally* get some sleep, Spencer throws us this curve.

Last night Jim and I went to the show and had a blast!

What weekend! On Saturday we drove down from Chappaqua to Aunt Carol's house in Philly, where we met up with my cousins and their kids too. (Peggy was able to make the drive down from Quakertown to come meet Spencer!) It was fantastic to get all of the little cousins together. Per 5 year-old Ethan's request, we all played baseball in the backyard for a large chunk of the afternoon. And to cool down afterwards, the kids played around in a kiddie pool. Spencer toppled over into the cool water a couple of times which upset the grandmas, but, after being initially startled, he was really just fine. For me, one of the best parts of the day was after Spencer got his evening bath and changed into his PJ's. He was hanging out on the bed, joined by cousins Sophia and Ethan, and all three of them were just giggling and having a great time. More pics have been added to the (now enormous) July album.

Spencer and I traveled back to Houston yesterday, our first flight alone without Jim. Fortunately, Spencer was a pretty good traveler. In my definition, pretty good means he cried for 5-10 minutes on three or four occasions during the four hours we were on the plane. Of course, during those time he was crying it was tough knowing his mouth was very close to another passengers ear. The lady kept trying to encourage me to nurse him to help calm him down, but I had no plans to do that on this flight. It's one thing to sit next to the window and have your husband on the other side shielding most of the view, but no way was I going to nurse the little guy sitting less than six inches from a stranger on one side and an aisle on the other. Baby Einstein on the laptop DVD player also helped quiet the cries.

It was good to finally get home last night. I think Spencer was happy to see some familiar sights here too. He had tons of fun playing with the toys were borrowed in NY, but he is especially fond of his Jumperoo here! He didn't sleep great last night and hopefully will settle back in to his routine soon.

Today was a fabulous day for baby Spencer! This morning mom took him for a walk in the stroller around Chappaqua while running a couple of errands. We met up at the library for infant laptime. Inside, we made new friends with infants Charlie and William and Ross and Presley and Mikey (who were all very close in age to Spencer!) and the lone girl Layla who just turned one. We sang many of Spencer's favorite tunes and learn a few new ones as well, including one which I believe is now his new favorite. Something about froggies jumping, and we insert a different baby's name each time we repeat the verse and lift them up so they can take turns 'jumping' way up high. Spencer giggled like crazy and we requested an encore. In the afternoon we headed over to Amy's house to visit with her and Zachary, and her folks Gail and Rudy stopped by as well. Spencer was so well behaved, I don't think he cried at all the whole time we were there! We played inside where Zachary shared his toys, and his mommy! We also spent some time outside on their fabulous new swingset. Pics from the last couple of days have been added to the July album.

Spencer has not been sleeping well at all here. He slept like a champ our first night, but has been waking up during the night a bunch since that teaser. Although he usually quiets down and goes back to sleep relatively quickly most of the time, waking up to screaming and the shrieks through the diaper change are draining. Last night, he woke up at midnight, 1 and 2. After the third wake up, I just brought him to bed with me where he slept peacefully until 7:30. Waking up hourly is painful. When we get back to Houston, it will be time to teach him to go to sleep. He needs to learn to calm himself back down to go back to bed without our help.

This afternoon we walked across the street to visit Spencer's girlfriends. Emiliana was absolutely delighted and 'held' him most of the time. Upon passing him off to her, she was a bit surprised by his weight for such a little guy. "El es un poco pequeno Y un poco grande," she decided.

Yesterday Spencer enjoyed his very own water play in the backyard. Mom bought a small inflatable baby pool for him and we enjoyed some afternoon snacks outside while Spencer splashed around and had a great time. Here are some pics of our trip.

All is quiet here in NY at mom's house. The baby is sleeping (for now, at least) as I sit outside in the backyard to catch up. It's about half an hour or so beyond sunset. way out here in the burbs, there are no street lights, or ambient lights of any kind as we are so used to in Houston. The perfect time to catch the swarming fireflies all around me, as I'm sure Spencer will be eager to do next summer. It's dark enough to see them glow, and still light enough to just make out the silhouette when they are flying around. Growing up, this is about the time of night when the neighborhood game of ball would break up, as it became just a bit too dangerous when we could no longer quite make out the approaching ball. Of course, as kids, we were not astute enough to pick up on this until someone would actually get bonked.

Jim's back in Houston now after our whirlwind weekend here together. It always seems like there simply isn't enough time to get everything accomplished. For Spencer and I, our social calendar for the rest of the week is already filling up and I knjow we'll leave here thinking the same thoughts as last time, "if we only another day or two..."

Poor Spencer's day did not start off well. He's been having some 'trouble' in the diaper area, including some embarrassingly loud grunting and crying in a restaurant last night. To try and help things along, we indtroduced prunes this morning. Unfortunately, they did not seem to agree with him and mom got to witness the projectile vomit. After throwing two quilts, the boppy, all of my clothes and all of Spencer's clothes in the wash, we were finally able to start our day around noon. I just don't know where the time goes here.

OK, now it's actually dark, and the bugs are out en force attracted to the light of the laptop.

I recently discovered the sweet little card that was attached to the Father's Day present Spencer 'made' for Jim at school.

This is my hand.
My hand will do
A 1000 loving things for you
And you will remember
When I am tall...
That once my hand
Was just this small.

Speaking of returning from NY, we just learned today that a new infant will be joining Spencer's class the very day we come back. I'm sure Spencer is looking forward to finally having someone younger around to beat up on, er, to play with. Not bad being in school for nearly four and a half months as the youngest dude! Hannah officially moved up to the toddler room so there are seven babies until Paul arrives in July. When Spencer started back in March there were ten in the room (capacity) so it's been noticeably more under control with fewer kids. Plus, everyone keeps getting older (profound) without any new little ones until now. Although Spencer joins everyone down in the lunchroom, he doesn't eat at the table with them just yet. But he is big enough to hold his bottle by himself and he's been flipping around on the mat a bunch lately too. Knowing that the new infant will require a lot of laptime from the teachers, the fact that Spencer is now able to feed himself plus get around on his own makes me feel better about the whole situation. Selfishly, I enjoyed the fact that he was the baby, and so much younger than all the others too.

Today's daily frustration - pharmacy wouldn't refill a prescription that will run out on my last day of the upcoming trip to NY. I tried to fill it today so I could leave it in Houston and have it the evening I return, but apparently that is too far in advance for them and I need to go back the day before I leave town... like I won't have enough other things to worry about that day. Sheesh.

Today I found another cool website that searches for recipes from many different food sites. Truth be told, I "found" this on the list of Time's 50 Coolest Websites. Another one on the list I thought was pretty cool was eHow.com which even answers questions like 'how to put your infant to sleep.'
We added a ton of pictures to the June album, including some from our outing to the pool this afternoon.

At 5pm today Spencer and I finally left the house for the first time. It was only to take a walk around our subdivision, but it was good to get out and take advantage of the brief respite from the rain. I have to admit, though, it was a pretty good day staying inside. Spencer tried some hard boiled egg yolk for the first time and liked it. Per his pediatrician's feeding guidelines, this will be a new addition to his daily diet. I also found a great website today called BloggingBaby which has links to tons of interesting info out there for parents. We also caught up with Audra on IM and phone in the afternoon. I miss her not being in Houston. Today Jim spent a big chunk of the day repairing our ReplayTv which froze up and died last night. Those that have PVR's (Tivo, etc.) can understand the panic that set in when it went down. I am so impressed that my husband can hack this type of specialty equipment and rebuild the guts just as good as new. And tonight I made some mini mango cheesecakes. They are out of the oven and smell delicious!

Yesterday was one of those days that started poorly and finished great. I was feeling super-bummed in the morning. Now that I work from home, by the time Thursdays roll around I can get pretty burned out on isolation. Things took a turn for the better after lunch, as it was a great mail day. In addition to a couple of personal notes, there was a package on the front door from my friend Rachel. She had sent a cute little baby outfit with a short note to 'enjoy summer with Spencer.' We haven't even seen each other since before Spencer was born. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness and kindness. That set the tone for the second half of the day. When Spencer went in for his evening bath, I headed out to meet the girls for Mommies Night Out. I am grateful to have a social network of friends who are at the same place in their lives raising young children. It was great to see Rebecca who just returned back to Houston from South Dakota. (Not to be confused with Rebecca who also just moved back to Houston from San Diego.) Jim and I had just gotten married when they left, and now just a year and a half later, we are both mommies! Ronda was kind enough to bring Nicholas' old tub ring for Spencer to use now that he is sitting up so well. We used it during his bath this evening and he really seemed to enjoy it! Check out the pictures added to the end of the June photo album.

Spencer's new "big boy" convertible car seat finally arrived last night as well. Murphy's law prevailed, as this morning it was raining the first time I couldn't quickly click him out with the infant seat, and this afternoon he spit up on the shoulder strap. Sigh.

Spencer isn't feeling so great these days. Last night he had a terrible time going to sleep. He is usually such a champ, but instead we had to console the little guy screaming on an off for about four hours before he finally gave in. Something was wrong, he was hurting and just couldn't get comfortable. Today was had to pick him up early when his temp climbed just over 100, but doc's office said to give tylenol and see what happens. So far, he's been in good spirits, and had no problem putting away dinner, and was especially fond of the peaches we introduced for dessert tonight.

It was good to visit with Katie here last night, but too bad Spencer was feeling so awful and wasn't much in the mood to play.

It's been raining all week and will probably spoil another Water Play for the infants tomorrow morning. Bummer.

Tonight Spencer had green beans for the first time. New food isn't that huge a deal to him; he didn't get the big belly he has by being picky! Nonetheless, after the vomiting early on, we are still sticking with Stage 1 commercially prepared food for now and only introducing a new food item every 3-4 days to check for reaction. His diet includes two grains - rice cereal (which he doesn't like much) and oatmeal, two fruits - applesauce and pears, two orange veggies - sweet potatoes and squash, and now two green veggies - peas and green beans. I feel bad sometimes that he's eating the same thing all of the time, but I guess when you eat three meals a day there aren't too many permutations!

Another first this weekend took place on Saturday night. It was the first time Spencer pooped in the tub during his bath. Yuck.

And although Spencer has been mentioned in the 'Classroom News' section of his school's weekly newsletter before, it was the first time Jim was mentioned! Not by name, but it specifically talked about how the annual Father's Day breakfast on Friday was so mellow, and they "particularly enjoyed our three fathers who were here for the first time with their infants."

And I have to share this "awwww" story my cousin Hedy sent to me about her seven year-old daughter, Sophia.

Sophia takes art lessons. For the past few weeks they have been studying Romare Bearden, an artist who made many collages that were pictures of memories that he had from when he was a child. So the girls (there are 4 total in her "class") had to make a collage of a childhood memory. Sophia chose your wedding, stating that this was a special memory because "we were adding another person to the family".

How sweet is that??? We don't visit often as they live in Maryland, but we are looking forward to being able to introduce Spencer to them during our next trip to NY in July. For those who live in the northeast, check out when you may be able to see her husband Michael in an upcoming public performance.

Pop's on a plane back to NY now after a great weekend together visiting in Houston for Father's Day. We ate well (no surprise) and Jim and I are just now getting around to dinner, staying full all day from a fabulous brunch this morning. Here are some pictures from the weekend, including various Father's Day gifts.

I am feeling much more at ease now with Father's Day details more or less sewn up. Pop is heading here today for our traditional get together on Father's Day weekend. I think this year, however, we may have to pass on our favorite outing to Fogo de Chao, as men running around with knives might be a bit much for Spencer. Right now, we plan to get our steak fix at Taste of Texas.

This morning Jim was invited to Spencer's school for their traditional Father's Day breakfast. Apparently not as many daddies were able to attend as mommies did on Mother's Day, but it was a social event nonetheless. Pictures of the event will be posted sometime this weekend.

Spencer had two firsts this evening. He got his first green veggie: peas. Definitely didn't like them as much as orange veggies or fruit (which involves him lunging towards the spoon and complaining that we can't shovel it in fast enough) but he didn't spit them out either. And, while sitting in the high chair after dinner was over, we heard his first clear consonant sound "BAH!"

While running errands at lunchtime today, I saw a woman pull up and princess park in the fire lane outside the entrance to the grocery store, run inside and kneel down to plunk some quarters into the candy machines! Good grief.

Today started off a bit sad - it was the first day I didn't have enough milk to send to school with Spencer and had to make up the difference with some formula. I should be doing a little happy dance that we hit the six-month mark which is the AAP's recommendation, but the little (big) guy just needs more than I can give. Today was also the first day we sent Spencer to school with some solid food too. He ate everything like a champ, but that's not really any big surprise.

Tonight Kim and Carol came over with their babies for dinner. I took some pictures this evening and added them to the newly created photo album for June. (After checking out the pictures of Spencer in his swing grabbing the little creatures over head, click back to the January album and compare how small he was, and how impossibly far away they seemed!)

Spencer & I had some adventures together today while Jim was busy climbing through the attic running cable. He must have thought today was just one of the best days yet in his life, because this was the first time we fed him three meals of solid food. Man, this little dude can eat! After breakfast (oatmeal + applesauce) and lunch (squash + applesauce) Spencer and I headed over to the local library to watch a puppet show and he thought it was great fun! The Three Little Pigs was 'narrated' from a recording with music and Spencer enjoyed the sounds and lights, and especially all of the other children in the room! After the hand puppet show was over, there was a short marionette skit. Towards the very end was a jack-in-the box surprise and poor Spencer did NOT appreciate the loud noise. He immediately let out a loud scream of his own and we had to jump up and leave the room. (Actually, we had to go outside in the 90 degree heat, because there is nowhere inside the library where it would be ok to have a young baby screaming!) Fortunately, he calmed down very quickly, and we returned within a couple of minutes as the show concluded.

After Tuesday's visit to Spencer's pediatrician, we have made a much greater effort this week to try and feed him solid foods on a more consistent basis. We have abandoned the idea of home-made food for the short term, fearing that something he ate may have been the cause of his rounds of vomiting. We plan to stick with commercially prepared baby food until we are through 'stage 1' and Spencer's body has begun to adjust. So far, he has been enjoying breakfasts & dinners with rice cereal, sweet potatoes and applesauce. We'll bump him up to three meals a day over the weekend, and (probably) begin to let them feed him one meal at school starting next week.

Yesterday (and every Thursday this summer) is 'water play' for the infants. Jim said it was quite cute indeed seeing all of the babies wearing their little swimsuits and ready to go. We'll take pictures next week.

Alexa's newest word is "illegal." I'm not sure why, or who taught her that.

I *finally* got around to trying to mail Kimi's wedding gift off yesterday, only to learn that it would cost $117 to ship, AND she would likely be subject to paying tariffs (i.e. bribes) once it arrives in Dubai. Hmmmm...

And since it's Friday and folks may be sloughing off at work, here is a link to a mindlessly entertaining game Deena had sent quite a while back.

The book Georgie recommended which I ordered while in NY arrived today: "Too Much of a Good Thing Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age" So far I've already completed the first section, and although the theories aren't earthshattering, the data is absolutely fascinating. It really forces you to stop and think - I will have to keep this book out and remember to re-read it every year as Spencer grows up.

In the meanwhile, there are still small issues to be dealt with while Spencer is an infant. Jim and I are not big fans of one of the women in the infant room in the mornings. She just doesn't seem to love being there as much as everyone else does. She acts a bit 'sloppy' too: occassionally forgetting to relay messages to the woman in charge in the afternoon, accidentally mixed up nipples and put a 'high flow' one on Spencer's bottle when they came back from the dishwasher, and this morning I observed her feeding one toddler's cereal to another. It's almost embarrassing, in a way. (But after reading Jenn's post today I realize there is something to be gained by being open about personal/private topics.) We did a lot of research when selecting Spencer's school, and you would think that for $10k/year the care-givers would be top notch. For Spencer's sake, we could not remain silent. We were assured that there would be some conversations to take place tomorrow. Tomorrow will also be Spencer's first day of water play at school - we've got the swim diapers ready to go!

Oops, I got mom in trouble. When we said goodbye to 3 year old Emiliana last week, I told her she could come play with Spencer another time. Well, yesterday she walked across the street to come and visit, and was crushed to find out that he was gone! Mom had to explain that he was not there, but would be back next month and she could play with him then.

Great Grandma Evelyn thought that young Spencer would enjoy this. I was quite surprised when I opened the box yesterday.

I also had occassion to talk with Amy back in NY yesterday. Unfortunately, it turns out that young Zachary came down with some form of coxsackievirus and she wanted to give us the heads up. Spencer already had a scheduled appointment this morning for his six-month well-baby visit, and the doctor said there was no need to pull him out of school at this time just because he was exposed. (Whew.) I guess Spencer must have had a wet diaper when he was weighed quickly the other week because today his naked weight was 19 pounds and 9 ounces (75th%) and he measured 27 1/2 inches in length (85th%.) We were also lucky enough to be there on a day when the office had some pneumococcal vaccine, so Spencer has received two rounds and is done. Can you believe that they have now revised their recommendation from four doses to two because this vaccine is in constant shortage?

How did the week go so fast that we are back in Houston already? On Saturday mom and I took Spencer to storytime at the Chappaqua library. The librarian read books and sang some nursery rhymes. Spencer thought it was great for about 5 minutes, and then became a little impatient about sitting still. We'll try again on our next trip (attending an infant-only class) and see how that goes. At the nearby Strawberry Festival mom picked up some cool pottery for next to nothing: ceramic students had a big 'studio cleanup' and instead of throwing things away, they sold them at a booth to raise money for a local women's' shelter.

I bet Spencer can not wait to see his friends again! Friday evening before his bathtime we walked across the street to visit neighbors that used to live in mom's house and their three little girls. They could not get enough of him, especially 3 1/2 year Emiliana just wanted to practically eat him up. I tried not to laugh as she (at 30+ pounds) was asking if she could hold Spencer!

On our flight back home yesterday, Spencer was the best little traveler! He took two little naps early, and although required more entertainment at the end, he was still quiet, more or less, for the rest of the ride. A couple of strangers even made sure to compliment us on what a good traveler he was. Jim had originally been upgraded to first class, but it wasn't hard for him to convince the passenger seated next to me (middle seat, row 20, on a completely full plane) to trade places!

Unfortunately, the evening was capped off on a sour note as Spencer projectile-vomited again. This time we gave more serious consideration to what he ate when we got home, bananas, but he had successfully eaten bananas three times in NY. So, that didn't make much sense. Maybe baby bananas are 'different' than regular ones? We considered that perhaps the bottled water used to thin the mashed fruit caused the problem, as it was opened the night he got sick before we left (but then that doesn't explain Jim & I getting sick the following day if it was a food reaction.) It happens to have been our gallon of "Y2K water" that we had never opened. Can water go 'bad'? It that just silly? As I type now, I'm watching Spencer sleep sweetly in his swing, as we decided to keep him upright for the rest of the evening.

Speaking of food, on a good note, I had some great desserts over the weekend, including some white cherries, fresh cannolis from the best little Italian bakery in town. And, the most awesome creme brulee cheesecake cupcake mom picked up from Susan Lawrence. Yum!

Here are pictures from the whole trip.

What a wonderful day! Mom's friend Gail, and her daughter Amy, and Amy's 15 month old son Zachary came by this afternoon for a visit. Spencer was clearly delighted to have another little boy around to play with. (I think he misses his friends at school.) I was also delighted to have company my own age to socialize with as well! Not that I don't enjoy hanging out with grandma and my mom's friends, who are great, but it is nice to make friends so that future visits will be more enjoyable as well. Little Zachary is just too cute and smart - he said a bunch of words/animal sounds as well as sign language. As Spencer is now SIX MONTHS OLD TODAY, pretty soon we'll start teaching him to sign too - I'm excited!

Yesterday Jim had the chance to get up to Westchester and it was great for Spencer and I to sneak in a visit during the work week, as he has been driving to Jersey from the city every day - ugh. He joined us for lunch, with Irene here as well. In the evening, the two of us snuck out for an indulgent dinner alone (great grandma's treat!) while mom and Spencer played together. We returned as he was finishing up his bath, and seemed to be having another fabulous time in the tub. I know this is not unique to Spencer, but this baby sure does love taking a bath!

Great Grandma Evelyn came over for lunch today and was able to spend some time here in the afternoon as well. She gets such delight out of the little one, and enjoyed being able to lull him to sleep by gently pushing his stroller back and forth. Today Spencer has been taking all his naps in his stroller outside in the beautiful weather. This seems to be work much better for us, as he is able to (finally) get some sleep which wasn't happening the first couple of days in NY. Poor guy has barely had a chance to adjust, being shuffled from place to place. On a positive note, we have been able to successfully re-introduce a sweet potato into his diet during the course of the week. Irene helped feed him yesterday, and I fed him during our lunchtime today while great grandma watched with amusement. This boy sure does love his food! Mom bought baby bananas for the baby which we'll probably puree tomorrow for him. (I consider myself somewhat of a foodie but I have to admit that this was something new to me.)

Mom and Spencer are out for a walk now. Not sure exactly where, but they've been gone for about 45 minutes, which gave me time to take a shower in peace which was very nice.

Traveling with Spencer has been a bit tough. Jim and I being sick last Friday on the flight to Pittsburgh was miserable. Holding a cranky infant on your lap who didn't sleep and needed constant entertainment (when all we wanted to do was crawl in bed and rest) was incredibly draining. When we landed in Pittsbugh and met Jim's mom in the city for dinner, the waitresses at the nearly empty Italian restaurant all fought to take turns holding him, which allowed the three of us to have a wonderfully relaxing meal in peace. Back at the hotel, Grandma Sandy shared many, many adorable "big boy" outfits that should fit Spencer later this summer. Plus a little flight bomber jacket which we expect he'll be able to wear this winter. Too cute!

On Saturday we introduced Spencer to his Great Grandpa, Jim's mother's father. (His late wife Jane is for whom Spencer's middle name "Jacob" was chosen.) It was absolutely spectaular weather-wise and Spencer was more or less in a good mood most of the time which made the whole day that much more pleasant.

After saying goodbye on Sunday morning, we re-boarded another ERJ for Newark. The flight consisted of us, one businessman, one elderly couple and approximately 35-40 young Jewish teenagers getting ready to spend the next few weeks in Israel. It was entertaining to listen to them so full of energy at the start of what would be a very, very long day. Spencer was a champ on this flight: nursed a bit then fell asleep before takeoff, and stayed down the entire hour we were in the air. After a good ride home to Chappaqua, we were able to set up camp here at mom's house. Great-grandma Evelyn came over in the evening, along with my sister Deena who *finally* got to see her nephew for the first time. Spencer was a big fussy-pants most of the night and did not make a very good impression.

On Memorial Day we had every intention of taking Spencer out to the parade which went right by the end of the block, but we were not able to get mobilized in time. Probably for the best, as the fire engine noise may have frightened the young baby. Deena and I met up with pop at Starbucks later in the afternoon to catch up for a short visit.

Last night mom had "the girls" over. Spencer was on his best behavior and flirted like mad with everyone. He cooed and giggled, and sat happily in a bouncy on the floor next to the table while we enjoyed dinner. After we ate, Spencer bathed in front of an audience - quite a show, as Georgie even brought her wine & some cheese in to watch him kick and splash and have a grand old time!

Again I spoke (blogged) too soon. All seemed fine yesterday, but in the evening Spencer threw up again. (Wardrobe change for Spencer & me this time.) Only one instance of vomit, then off to sleep for the night. Jim and I had to call it a night early too. Apparently Spencer may have passed whatever nastiness he had along to us, and we are both sick as dogs. I skipped the 10pm pump so I could get in bed early for some extra sleep, but I paid dearly for that decision when my body woke me up at 12:45. Even after some relief, there was no real sleep for either of us last night. Between Jim's stomach and my throat, things haven't shaped up very well so far today.

Side note about Spencer's visit to the pediatrician yesterday: he weighed in at 19 pounds and 15 ounces! Ack! If hadn't thrown up so much the night before, I'm sure he would have topped 20 pounds - holy cats!

Spencer seems to be ok, but things took a turn for the worse on Wednesday evening: we got to experience (what was probably) his first stomach virus. Characterized by five rounds of projectile vomiting an insane amount of fluid (call to pediatrician in between rounds three and four,) it was a bit of a stressful ordeal for everyone and required several wardrobe changes by both Spencer and Jim. Fortunately, the baby was so tired by the end that he was able to successfully fall asleep from exhaustion. It took Jim and me took a bit longer to relax, however.

I spoke too soon... Spencer woke up again at 5:20 this morning. He's not feeling well and apparently has trouble sleeping when he's all congested. :(

Tired. I've been tired a lot lately. I expected that having a baby would leave me incapacitated and tired in a zombie-like sort of way, but the truth is that I now get enough sleep to function and just go around at about 80% on a good day. It is frustrating, to say the least. Last night Spencer woke up screaming at 4:20, and this morning he pulled something similar at 1:40. Now, having nursed him to fill his little tummy back up and calm him back down, I need to spend another 20 minutes pumping to see if there is anything left to send to school with him in the morning. The last few days he's taken all 24oz of his milk before 4:00pm, and they suggested perhaps I bring more to have on hand. Ack! Babies his age typically consume ~30 ounces a day, and he takes nearly that entire amount just at school! Oy. Solids are coming along, but it will take a while before they are eaten in volume enough to complement his liquid diet. (Last night's dinner of 1 ounce banana + 1 ounce squash doesn't make a huge dent in his calorie requirements for the day.)

For those that missed it, Letterman's Top Ten Things Never Said Before on "The Sopranos", delivered by the cast members themselves, was quite a hoot.

I am still in shock that Adriana got whacked last night. I was really pulling for her & Christopher to come through. I think she is (was) probably the sweetest person on the show, always looking for the best in people. (Even trying to protect the murderous drug dealer who ultimately caused her downfall, "He doesn't even use any more... just deals, and sends all the money to his cousin in Pakistan who runs a prep school for boys.") She had a tragic character flaw - her naivete. Sigh. I guess if I had been a little more up on entertainment news, I might have seen this coming: actress Drea de Matteo already has plans for the fall starring in the new Joey show.

Spencer, Bonnie and I went to the park today and spent the afternoon with some friends. Spencer liked the park, and his first ride in a swing. Here are a bunch of photos from the day taken by Ronda. Today was also another first for Spencer. He tried his very first fruit...BANANAS! Needless to say, he loved them.

Spencer now has two foods in his diet: sweet potatoes and squash. No new pictures were taken of eating squash, but they look pretty much the same - just a slightly paler orange mess on his face. He just becomes so excited when he sees the spoons coming towards him that he lunges forward to get it. Cute, but no wonder his high chair needs a five-point harness on it! We plan to introduce a green vegetable this weekend, and (after waiting the required 3-4 days to check for any reaction) include fruit as well in to the mix. So far, making his food has been super-easy, following the guidelines spelled out in Super Baby Food.

Peace & quiet. I probably shouldn't put that in print, for fear of jinxing the situation and waking young Spencer, but right now all is calm in the Leach household. We enjoyed a nice dinner with Kim & Chloe and Carol & Brian. I should have taken pictures of all of the babies playing together, but I didn't. Just a video clip of Brian testing out Spencer's Deluxe Jumperoo. He LOVED it. Overall, I think the evening worked out just great with everyone taking turn napping, playing the bouncy seat and being fed in the high chair. AND the three of us adults actually got to sit down and eat dinner at the same time! Speaking of eating, Spencer got the hang of it over the weekend! We introduced him to sweet potatoes and he thinks they are mighty fine. There are a couple pics of his messy face added to the May photo album.

Yesterday we had lunch with Audra during her brief stop through Houston on her way to the airport for vacation to Maldives. I was thinking about her this afternoon, knowing that she had been traveling for about 24 hours, and still had several more to go... when suddenly her name popped up on instant messenger! "Audra? Is that really you?" It was! She had managed to find internet access during her layover in the airport in Dubai! Too crazy! I can't wait to see the pictures she'll have to share from halfway around the world.

And Happy 1 Year Anniversary to Chris & Katie!!!

Spencer is such a big boy already! Every day at school they comment on how much he has grown and filled out. Yesterday I scheduled an appointment for his SIX MONTH CHECK UP! Ack! I can't believe it! Spencer's newest tricks these days are making funny fish faces and sucking sounds with his mouth. He hasn't rolled over again since last week, but he he enjoys rolling from side to side. And this morning, Jim found him in his crib lying across the width of the matress and having a grand old time kicking the bumper!

Still no luck eating solid food yet. We've gone through an entire box of rice cereal during the past month, and the only time any got into his belly was when we put it in his bottle. After trying to spoonfeed about an ounce or so, we cut our losses of wasting precious milk and put the rest in a bottle with a special nipple. Some folks suggested that rice cereal might not be the most appealing, so this week we tried sweet potato. That didn't go over too well either. We'll take another stab at it again tonight. Although, we're not terribly concerned because he certainly seems to be thriving on breast milk alone. It can be an infant's sole source of food for a year or more, but we hope he'll get the hang of solids long before then!

One thing I forgot to mention about the weekend was that we went to the new Chuy's for lunch on Mother's Day. It was just as fabulous as always!

On Saturday Rebecca and I finally had lunch together - a date we had been trying to set up since before I returned to work! I have a lot of respect for our friendship and value the opportunity to have intellectual discussion about the challenges of raising babies, understanding we have made different decisions on the subject.

Happy Mother's Day to me! It's been a great Mother's Day celebration all weekend! On Friday afternoon I was invited to a Mother's Day Tea at Spencer's school. We came at the end of the work day, enjoyed some mini quiche and cucumber sandwiches and socialized with other mommies and babies (and one daddy.) We also received gifts that the babies had 'made' for us - a dishcloth with their little footprints - too cute! On Saturday the azalea plant Spencer ordered arrived with about 50 buds just ready to bloom any minute. And yesterday, for the actual day, Spencer gave me an impressive gift of three Wusthof knives - a chef's knife, a paring knife and a Santuko knife (which I have been wanting, but not knowing it's name, just calling it the "Rachel Ray" knife!) When I told Deena I received gifts from Spencer she asked "was he drawn to get you shiny things?" "Why, yes!" It's a bit of a bummer that currently I don't have time to prepare a dinner that takes more than 10 minutes or has more than 4 ingredients, but I know that day will soon return. In the evening I opened up presents from mom, how nice of her to send me gifts for my first Mother's Day - I think part of the reason was a 'thank you for having a great baby because I enjoy being a grandma.' She helped with fashion in a fun new watch, pocketbook and sleeveless tops all in lime green. Here are pics from this weekend.

Jim's sister Ronnee was a caller on 104 KRBE this morning to talk about The Bachelor. Listen!

Bari has a blog! Also, she was the one who originally introduced me to the Set game (which I haven't played in a couple years) and I was so excited to see the link on her new blog for a daily online Set game! I am embarrassed to admit that yesterday it took over 10 minutes for me to find all six. Today I found five in about a minute, but my total time was seven and a half minutes before the sixth was discovered.

Last night, Spencer decided to rollover a few more times for both Bonnie and me, so we were able to record it once. It's the 3rd time we had him do it in a row, and he was letting us know, in no uncertain terms, that this was his last performance of the night... check it out.

Not that we had any doubt Spencer was growing and thriving, but learning just how well he is doing from the numbers yesterday make it much easier to continue to look at numbers like 2:00 on the clock in the middle of the night.

May is here, and today Spencer is exactly five months old. Omigosh! In honor of this occassion, I brought him by the pediatrician's office on his way to school to get some updated stats. (Drumroll.) Spencer now weighs 18 pounds and 6 ounces. He measures 27 3/4 inches in length! Big guy! Now that May is here, we have also started a May album with a couple of pictures.

I was also thinking about Wendy this weekend, remembering that her little Paige just turned one year old. We last saw each other when she and Paige came to visit Spencer and me in the hospital. No, that's not quite right, we saw each other the next weekend at the hockey shower at Dawn's house. Then Wendy moved to Dallas a few short weeks later. I dialed her old cell phone number, and was pleasantly surprised to hear her answer. It was really great to spend some time catching up on the past several months.

The hockey shower reminds me... Dawn is moving to Europe, and the dog won't be joining them. If anyone is interested in adopting their eight year old Great Dane, Goose, please let me know, He's a super-sweetheart and very well behaved.

Spencer rolled over today! And he seemed pretty happy about the whole event, too! I captured the tail end of his second roll over one video, and waited patiently for a third, but Spencer decided he was done. The milestone took place at Chuck & Angie's house. Spencer and I enjoyed the gorgeous weather during the one mile walk each way. Their 15 month old daughter, Ashleigh, must have said "baby" at least one hundred times - she thought Spencer was pretty cool.

I forgot to say Happy Queens Day on Friday to my coworkers & friends in Amsterdam. During a conference call last week, we could hear some of the festivities already underway in the background.

That evening we met up with Heath & Kim & Chloe for dinner and a visit. Spencer's bath drew quite a crowd, and he proved once again that he is not quite ready to eat cereal from a spoon.

Shortly before Spencer was born our dishwasher died and it was more cost-effective to buy a new one than to spend money on the expensive replacement parts. (Having a quiet dishwasher now is very nice, I have to admit.) Jim did all of the work himself. Right now, he's in the kitchen saving the day as a handyman again. Last week, our microwave developed an interesting new feature: it would turn ON when the door was opened! After doing some investigation and research, he picked up a new microwave and will be finishing the install momentarily.

A few follow ups -

Check out how this auction ended up! Over six MILLION people have viewed it to date, and the winning bid was three times the original price!

Stacie has shared her photos from Tracy's visit this past weekend. We still need Tracy to share hers, which include a great one of her holding both babies. And still can't wait to see the one from last year with Stacie & I both pregnant, hugging each other. Tracy did bring a hilarious book for us "The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Parenting" which I highly recommend as it provided tons of laughs. We also enjoyed reading aloud from 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, trying to see how many of the US locations we have been to, or at least heard of!

Today we learned that the eight week old girl who was supposed to start in Spencer's class on Monday won't be coming after all. Turns out her mom changed her mind and will be staying home. Totally understandable, but hey - better ratio for Spencer and the others until that spot is filled!

Spencer has two new tricks up his sleeve these days. His favorite activity is to be pulled up to a seated position from lying down. He grabs onto your fingers and uses his muscles to hold his head up as you raise his torso. Once he's upright, though, he's not quite sure what to do. His other favorite activity is reach and grabbing. You no longer have to put a toy in his hand; when something comes into his field of vision (dangled above his head, or placed on his chest) he moves boths hands in and grabs on. Pretty neat, eh? Still hasn't rolled over (dislikes extended tummy time, so there aren't a ton of opportunities) and isn't interested in eating cereal. We keep trying every few days. He just holds it there on his tongue for a few seconds, then pushes it out.

Thanks Ronda for the laughs from this ebay auction.

We had a fabulous visit with Tracy over the weekend. And our Saturday visit with Stacie, Katie and Jen was just wonderful as well. There are some new pictures added to the April album which include some photos from the past week or so. There are also a couple from last night's bath where Spencer is checking out the rubber duckie on his chest which are just too cute!

It was also great to say hi to Audra this weekend & we are looking forward to visiting with her in May when she stops through Houston.

I think I accidentally upset a friend and now I feel crummy.

This morning I learned that as of May 1, Spencer will no longer be the littlest dude in his class at school. A new girl will be starting, and she'll be eight weeks old! Arman is graduating up to the toddler class, as he has already started splitting his time to ease the transition. Here is a picture of all his little buds, so now there are faces with the names.



Tracy is coming back for a visit this weekend! We somehow forgot to take pictures the first time she came to visit when Spencer was only four weeks old. We'll make sure to take plenty on this trip. Stacie & little Katie will be coming by on Saturday too.

We're back! We returned last night from a fabulous trip to NY with young Spencer to introduce him to (among others) his Great Grandma Evelyn. From LaGuardia, we went directly to her place so she could finally hold her great grandson in her arms. The timing of our visit that day could not have been more perfect: a "happy hour" at her independent living facility was just breaking up, and everyone had to file by us in the main lobby as they made their way to dinner. Everyone flocked around to see the baby, and grandma was just as proud as could be! After eating dinner there with her (in order to allow her to show off the baby to as many folks as possible) we walked up to our guest suite so that grandma could enjoy watching Spencer get his evening bath. But the emotional excitement of the day caught up with her, and she headed off to bed. Friday morning we woke up and walked down to her place for breakfast - she was still on cloud nine to be able to spend so much time with Spencer. My aunt (grandma's other daughter) drove down from Vermont with my uncle for a visit. A four hour drive each way just to spend two hours visiting with the baby! On Saturday some of my cousins from Philadelphia drove up for a day trip - nearly a three hour car trip each way for them, with two-year old Ellie! By this point, we were staying at mom's house, and getting ready for Spencer's big party on Sunday. What an event! In honor of our little Texan making the journey, everything was decorated with a cowboy theme and we served Tex-Mex. About 25 people stopped by, and we could not have asked for better weather - it was a spectacular spring day in New York. On Monday we caught up with pop for dinner, and I don't think he stopped smiling the entire time we were with him. Then suddenly it was Tuesday and time to fly home. Here are the pictures from our trip to NY. We had so much to cram in during this visit that Jim and I had to split up for a day and a half in order to accomplish everything. He and Karl flew Karl's plane to Pittsburgh to visit his grandpa and take him up for a spin.

I don't know if they read the blog or not, but I have to say a super special THANK YOU to mom's friend Harriet and her daughter Penny for loaning so much of the baby gear that was required to make the trip possible. Without use of their infant car seat, swing, bouncy seats, exersaucer, pack 'n play, boppy, bath cushion, sheets, towels, etc., I don't know how we would have managed without their help. Penny's son Jake turned one the day Spencer was born, so we were fortunate to have so many toys available. Plus, a huge thanks to mom for making multiple trips to pick up all of their stuff, plus ensuring we had plenty of diapers, wipes, batteries, hand sanitizer, laundry soap, etc., and making an early morning trip to the police station to have the car seat properly installed.

Spencer was an excellent traveller on the ride up, and good on the ride back. Part of that was our fault for leaving too late in the day yesterday. We kept his schedule intact while in NY (adjusting one hour so that he was still operating on Central time) and so far seems to be doing well back at home. When picking him up from school, Ms. Karen did confirm that they can tell when babies have just come back from vacation. After spending six days with his mommy & daddy, not to mention grandparents and other relatives and friends that wanted to hold him all the time, Spencer didn't want to be put down much today! This morning, little Alane was just too excited that Spencer had returned, and she knocked down big ol' Alessandria to get to see him!

Today is Jim's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!!!

When I brought Spencer to school this morning, Alexa came running over pointing and shouting "Spen-sah!"

We started Spencer on cereal last night! (Pics in the April album) and we took some video too!

14-month old Alex in Spencer's class at school is such a talker! Yesterday when I came to pick him up she immediately screamed "HI! when I entered the room. And then as we were leaving she yelled "BYE" to me, then turned to yell as special "BYE" just to Spencer. Today, not only did she give the same greeting & farewell, but I was floored to hear her call Spencer by name too!

Ah, it would be nice to go back to March when Spencer only pooped every three or four days. Now he's back on track with at least one a day, including a new trend of first thing in the morning after waking up. He's all smiles and giggles when we go in to visit him in the crib, then squishes up his face and you know he's working on a project in the diaper. And whoever said that baby poop doesn't smell bad until they stop eating breast milk and move on to solid foods must have been trying to sell something. Spencer's diet has been unchanged but these diapers stink to high heaven. A sign that the good bacteria in his guts has developed and matured and that his body is preparing for solid foods. Good thing too, because we think he's in another growth spurt. His appetite has been insatiable lately. We've watched the baggies of milk stock-piled in the freezer dwindle down to nearly half of the supply that was built up about a month ago. At Spencer's 4-month visit last Monday we were given thumbs up by his pediatrician to start him on cereal so we need to get moving on that! We'll be sure to have the cameras ready for the big event of his first meal!

Our seder last night was fabulous. Al's parents are awesome. Together with Al's mom, Carol prepared a delicious meal and everyone had a great time. Spencer took a nap after Al's dad fed him a bottle, and then joined our seder (taking turns on mine & Jim's lap) when he woke up. It is so nice to be able to spend holidays together with friends and family. Here are a couple of pics from the evening at the end of the April album.

The numbers are in. Yesterday was Spencer's 4 month well-baby visit and we learned that he now weighs 16 1/2 pounds, and measures 25 3/4 inches in length. Both statistics put him in the 75th percentile. It's nice to have such a big, healthy baby. And it's a cool feeling to know that he got that way solely on the nutrition he derives from me. We got the green light to get started feeding him cereal, so that should be lots of fun!

Passover started last night. This evening we are invited to join Alan & Carol for a seder at their house while Alan's parents are in town for the holiday. Should be a great time, and hopefully young Spencer will cooperate!

Another nice day to round out the weekend. Spencer & I joined Katie, Chris & others for a potluck picnic down in Hermann park this afternoon. The weather was spectacular, and again Spencer was quite well-behaved. (Spitting up all over himself and Kevin wasn't the smoothest, but it wasn't a disaster.) Spencer really seemed to enjoy being outside: listening to the birds, starting at trees and people, and feeling the nice breeze blow across his body. He did NOT like the ultra-loud whistle on the train that runs around the park/zoo complex. The first time he heard it he was completely startled and instantly started to wail. Poor baby. During subsequent passes, we held him close and covered his ears, and he fared much better. Some pictures from this afternoon have been added to the April photo album. And you can see Spencer displaying his newest hobby - starting at his left hand.

Today Spencer is four months old! And tomorrow we go to his doctor to get the next round of vaccinations. As well as get him weighed and measured to find out just how big our little man actually is!

And - forgot to mention that young Spencer made the newsletter at school AGAIN! (Kind of incredible to be listed two times in a month when there are over 60 children!) He was the only member of the infant room who was 'dressed up' silly for April Fool's Day.

Saturday was such a fabulous day in the life of Spencer! I can't really recall him being fussy at all during the day and it was incredibly pleasant. After Spencer had gotten up from a nice long morning nap, Stacie called to say hi and catch up, and was able to interrupt her errands to come by with 9 week-old Katie for a couple of hours in the afternoon. The two babies sure seemed to enjoy checking each other out, and I couldn't believe how much she had grown since our last visit 5 weeks ago! Spencer was in rare form as he almost seemed to entertain himself, putting on a great show of giggles and talking to show off his big boy skills. We'll be sure to see each other again in three more weeks when Tracy is in town to visit.

In the evening we ate out at Cafe Red Onion with Lori & Jack, and Spencer was very well behaved there as well. The place was hopping, and the baby enjoyed staring around at everyone. We made it home in time for bath, and then off to bed. Overall - a great day!

Not that there was much doubt, but there was no denying how much I have turned into a mom this morning, as I found myself singing along to the "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" on the nursery rhymes CD in our SUV on the way to drop Spencer at school. A few new pictures are have been added to the end of the March album, and we have a started a new one for April.

For April Fool's Day today we sent Spencer to school with his clothes all mis-matched & inside out. None of the other babies were dressed silly, but the teachers there in the morning definitely appreciated his effort! (The teachers in the afternoon didn't quite get it, and turned his clothes rightside out!)

Yesterday Carol & Brian came over for dinner and we spent the last part of the afternoon beforehand enjoying the glorious weather with our little boys on a blanket on the front lawn. Our neighbor came by to say hi, and said that she and her husband had just had the 'baby talk' the night before. She updated us that they were taking the day off from work today to bring their dog to a behavioral specialist to work on his incessant barking. I was glad to know there were aware how disruptive it has become, but saddened to find out that one of our other neighbors was particularly rude to them about it. Dinner last night were new chicken and potato recipes from oprah.com which mom had forwarded.

Spencer update - our poor little baby got the sniffles for the first time this weekend. I had expected him to catch something the first week he was in school, but he stayed strong and lasted four complete weeks before things caught up with him. Luckily, there was no fever, but Spencer had a big time runny nose and was a little off his game. He didn't nap so well during the daytime, and his body was so tired by Sunday evening that he literally fell asleep during his bath! We kept him upright in his swing overnight to help with drainage, which helped him to sleep for nice long stretches overnight and get the rest he needed. By Monday morning he was doing well enough to go back to school. (I, on the other hand, seemed a bit under the weather. Forgot about the fact that kids will pass along crud to their parents.)

Friday night I felt very hip as Girl's Night met out for dinner at a restaurant that hadn't even been open for a month. The menu at Chatter's in the heights had many interesting choices and perhaps I'll get a chance to return, but I know it's not likely. And last night was Mommy's Night up on this side of town. We ate at Baker Street Pub, which had decent food, but it was too smoky and I don't plan to return there to eat. I accidentally went to BJ's first, and that place seems very cool. Perhaps a lunch destination in the near future for Jim & I. (No links for any of these restaurants - I guess they are all a bit too new to appear on citysearch just yet.)

Saturday morning was the polymer clay class I had been looking forward to all month. There was only one other person in the class besides me, so we were able to move a decent clip and learn a lot. I'm pretty pleased with the end result of the pen I created. Still don't think it's a hobby I want to get into, but it was fun to play around.

I was surprised yesterday when I picked up Spencer at school and they told me he pooped (#8 for the month of March.) Two times in three days - wow! When I picked him up on Wednesday, he was wearing a different outfit than he had been when I dropped him off, and asked if he was changed because he had spit up. They told me no, that they changed him because the footed outfit was too small and he couldn't stretch his little legs all of the way out. Oops. Spencer is certainly getting bigger! He seems longer and heavier each day. I bet he won't even fit into the adorable sleeper Tracy gave him by the time she comes back to visit in four weeks.

Just when I was getting to feeling a bit down, that I don't get to go anywhere by myself anymore, my calendar seems to be full of little opportunities to get our for a couple of hours. In the next week there is a planned dinner for Girls' Night and one for Mommy's Night. Plus, this Saturday morning I am looking forward to the polymer clay class which I signed up for earlier in the month. I don't really have a desire to pick this up as (yet another) crafty hobby, but I've seen some DIY shows and it looks cool. I just want the opportunity to play around with it for a little while, so that's what I'm going to do.

Spencer pooped last night, at home - unfortunately. Somehow we didn't hear it happen and was caught completely off guard when I opened his diaper before his bath. Question: if his diet is unchanged (still 100% breast milk) then why are his poops beginning to smell so awful? I thought that changes in smell only come with changes in food? Maybe they get stinky stored up inside for days at a time.

Even though Spencer isn't even sitting up yet, I just can't believe how many milestones appear to be right around the corner. I'm very curious/anxious about his visit to the pediatrician next month to find out how big he is. I swear he just keeps looking longer and feeling heavier every day. Even the teachers say he looks different after not seeing him for a couple of days on the weekend. His favorite toy to check out these days is an inflatable beach ball that hangs down from the ceiling on an elastic cord, about two feet off the floor. Spencer loves the movement of the stripes as it spins and floats around over his head. I got a kick out of reading the most recent "classroom news" even though there was no mention of Spencer this week! (Last names omitted.) "We work a lot with critical thinking skills. This week, Ty, Frankie, Tim and Ryan were trying to catch a bee. Suddenly, Ty stopped and said 'I don't think catching a bee is a good idea.' On second thought, they all agreed, and off they went to find something a little safer to do."

This is the time of year when it's so awesome to live here in Texas: temps in the 70's every single day and tons of sunshine. We took advantage of the nice weather on Saturday meeting Carol, Alan & Brian for lunch at Willie's and ate outside. Funny how you start to tune into what restaurants are more baby-friendly than others. Back at their house afterwards, Spencer put on a good show of giggles and is starting to mimic Jim sticking out his tongue. Too cute. Hopefully the snow in NY will be gone by the time we head up there next month. I'd be ok with waiting another year before introducing snow to Spencer.

Spencer still hasn't pooped since the blowout on Thursday evening. I gave them the heads up at school this morning.

Poop #6 for the month of March took place last night, fortunately about 20 minutes before Spencer was due for his bath anyhow. I was in the back of the house in Spencer's room while he and Jim were playing in the living room when I heard the huge noise. Poor little guy - it must really rock his little body to explode like that every couple of day. After using about 25 wipes Spencer went right into his bath, which he absolutely loves, and all seemed to be right in his world again.

Monday I bought this week's issue of Time with the cover story "The Case for Staying Home - Why more young moms are opting out of the rat race." I picked up the magazine around noon, but didn't read it until much later at night, almost afraid that doing so would swing the doors of doubt and sadness wide open again. These past two to three weeks have been tough enough already, I certainly didn't need the media to tell me I was making the wrong decision. But, I was relieved that the article was 'mostly' a commentary about the numbers - how the trend for moms to continue working has actually been declining over the past couple years, a reversal after it had been steadily increasing over the past several decades. They point out more and more women with advanced degrees, professional titles, and high profile jobs are going through the same struggles. And at this point in time, many of these Gen Xers are making different decisions than their boomer parents. I was dismayed to see a commentary viewpoint from Amelia Warren Tyagi (co-author with her mom of "The Two-Income Trap") because the two of them seem to be showing up everywhere these days and blaming a whole host of socio-economic factors for making these kinds of decisions so tough. They argue that the rising cost of homes, especially those in good school districts, and the cost of private pre-schools require two incomes. These are no longer viewed as luxury items for your child, but rather basics. Despite these arguments, the Time article continues, more and more women are choosing to take 'time out' from their careers to stay home. They struggle with putting a $100,000 law education "to waste" and hope desperately that the economy turns around to find space for them to return in 2 or 3 or 5 years from now. Their is a spot of hope, however, as big businesses such as Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu are recognizing this significant brain drain among high-performing women. The company is taking steps to develop a program for new young moms to take a few years off, and ease back into the workplace. Right now, corporate America has few flexible work options - not many "on-ramps" and "slow lanes" for these women when they return. Included in the reasons for my choice to continue working are indeed some financial ones, such as using the additional income to provide for Spencer's college tuition. But the flexibility of my job which allows me to work effectively from home, and an organziation which values a healthy work-life balance are the most important factor in making that decision possible. Being able to pump during the day from the privacy of my own home allows Spencer to go off to school and continue to receive breast milk. Being able to unload the dishwasher and prep dinner during lunchtime is important because it allows me to focus my precious time after work with Spencer during the limited number of hours he is awake. Being able to temporarily turn down travel so that I can be at home during the next few months of adjusting to a new routine. All of these thing contribute to my overall happiness with my new role as a mom, and, as I have heard many times already: a happy mom is a good mom.

Jim and I met up for lunch today at Pappasito's - wonderful as always. While there, we ran into Jim's Aunt Darla and I promptly whipped out my snapbook of Spencer pictures which I carry in my purse at all times. After eating, I invted her to join me to stop by Spencer's school so she could peek in on the little man. When we got there, Spencer was awake and resting quietly in his crib while cramming his whole fist into his mouth (his new favorite activity.) When it became clear he wasn't settling down to sleep, I held him so we could visit a bit closer. And boy oh boy did he give up some big smiles for Darla - sticking his little tongue out and everything! Sometimes he's just too darn cute!

Saturday was a big day as I made my first trip back to the ice rink to watch Jim skate in a tournament, catch up with my hockey buds who I've missed for the past few months, and of course - to show off Spencer! Our time there was brief, but it was great to see everyone again. Spencer looked the part, all dressed up in his little hockey sweatshirt from Karen W. We took a couple pictures before leaving the house because he just looked so darn cute. They have been added to the new March photo album.

Anyone else catch Ben Affleck hosting SNL? I thought he was hilarious (at least the 30 minutes before I fell asleep were) and especially liked his skit about the "Bennifer" t-shirts. I laughed out loud when I saw some of the other ones he held up, especially "Benyonce" and "Boprah!"

Given the inherent edge of being a Friday, today was a pretty darn good day. Jim took Spencer to school in the morning, and I strapped on my phone headset for back to back to back conference calls, and didn't take it off until after noon. The first one went something like "while Bonnie was on leave we decided that she should take over this project so I'll be transitioning it to her." Then the next call went something like, "now that Bonnie has returned from maternity leave, I'll be transitioning project management of this effort back to her." It's nice to be missed, I guess.

But the really good stuff today happened in the afternoon. Talking to Deena (my sister) earlier this week gave me the motivation to try my hand at bread-making for the first time so we could have some nice challah this Friday evening to celebrate shabbat. I found a "classic challah" recipe in The Gourmet Jewish Cook which I received from Irene (I think as a housewarming present) that I decided to use. Working from home, I was able to take out 10 minutes during lunchtime to activate the yeast and mix the dough together to set aside to rise. The whole process was easier than I had expected, and the end result was yummy, although now I know what to tweak for next time. When we lit candles, I think even Spencer sensed something special as he sat quietly on Jim's lap. One special part of the Friday night shabbat prayers includes a blessing for the children. This is something I'd like to continue, to let Spencer know how much we cherish him.

Speaking of love, Deena sure does love her little nephew as evidenced by THE MOST AWESOME QUILT EVER that she hand-made for little Spencer. I was just stunned when I opened the package today to see such a gorgeous quilt, and to know that she made it herself - incredible. I took pictures of the whole quilt, and each square in detail. But the photos just can't do it justice, it's a work of art.

Each Friday Spencer's school prints a one page newsletter and this week the 'classroom news' section led off with a couple sentences about our little man! "Baby Spencer Leach is 3 months old, that delightful age when they figure out that they can make their hands move themselves. He also delights in watching all the movement from the other babies in his community." How cool is that to be in the newsletter. (Don't worry - we picked up extra copies to send to the grandmas!)

Spencer pooped yesterday after we got home from school. He has now gone four times in the month of March.

I'm looking forward to tonight's episode of "The Apprentice" because the preview clip they showed last week of the celebration toast following Omarosa's departure looks hilarious. In talking with mom on the phone last night, I told her I liked this new show because 1) it's generally funny and entertaining, but more importantly 2) it helps me to explain my job as a project manager to other people. Each week a different person on the team is given the role of project manager, and we get a chance to see many different styles of how individuals deal with the responsibilities of managing the team to complete the task at hand given a fixed amount of time, resources and money. "The Donald" makes it very clear in the boardroom at the end of each show that regardless of what happened during the course of the project, the project manager must always shoulder the ultimate responsibility for success or failure as a whole: how decisions are made (or in some cases inability to make decisions is highlighted,) how sub-tasks are assigned (by skill, ability, preference, etc.) and how to get the cooperation out of each team member required to succeed. It's nice to be validated within such a short period of time, and receive some of the luxurious awards doled out.

It was great to catch up with Peggy on the phone this morning! I was amused to learn that last week's blog entry about Spencer's poop made news in another household ~1200 miles away and brought back fond memories for them! Hopefully we will be able to introduce them to Spencer during our trip to NY next month. It will be quite an ordeal to travel there with an infant on a plane. Good thing we've still got some time to work out the many logistical details that lie ahead.

After work, Carol and Brian came over and we took a nice long walk with the boys to a lake with ducks in the adjacent subdivision. Carol and I were much more impressed with the scenery & wildlife than our sons, so we promptly turned around and headed back once we hit that destination. We both are excited that our boys are so close in age and will be able to spend time together as playmates. With a two month head start, right now Brian is far more interested in Spencer than vice versa. We are looking forward to the day when they will begin to interact.

(For those keeping track, Spencer last pooped on Monday.)

It felt like we got to catch up with old pals with the return of The Sopranos last night. A quick check on the website confirmed that Janice's wedding ring comment did indeed reference that she and Bobby and gotten married during the show's hiatus.

As far as socializing with real people, we've been trying to get out more with Spencer, while at the same time preserving his new routine. Friday evening we went out to Fuddruckers w/ Heath & Kim & Chloe, then raced home to get Spencer his bath at 7:30. He was out nicely by 9:00, but the damn neighbor's dog woke him up at 10:00 and we had to start the bedtime routine over again. On Saturday we had a table at the ADPi convention, but I was only able to attend for a couple of hours in between nursing sessions. Spencer and I ventured to the mall in the afternoon to pick up the JC Penney photos. The (bad) girl offered us a discount on future sittings if we scheduled an appointment right then. I just told her I'd check my calendar and get back to her. Not anytime soon, that's for sure.

Yesterday morning we joined Katie (on her birthday!) and many others for breakfast at Beck's Prime in Memorial Park. It was an absolutely spectacular day as we sat outside right next to the golf course. Spencer fussed terribly when we first arrived, but quieted down and drifted off for a nap in his stroller (a gift from some of the girls there - Katie, Bonnie & Kimberley) parked next to the white noise of a fountain. We enjoyed being able to show off the little man, and as everyone commented, he really looks so much more like a little boy than a baby. Overall, it was a great morning.

Spencer pooped on Friday, and as anticipated, it was a bit of an event. When I picked him up from school on Friday afternoon and noticed that he was wearing different clothes than he had been dropped off in, I knew right away that the deed had been done. Poor Ms. Karen had been holding him and feeding him at the time of the blowout which earned Spencer a quick hosedown in the sink. "we've learned that wipes just don't cut it for this kind of mess," she commented as she handed me his outfit in a double plastic bag. I apologized (what else could I do?) and assured them I would bring more replacement clothes on Monday. More than the diaper escapades, they were very worried I would be upset that Spencer had scratched himself on his cheek. Mostly they were worried I would think they hadn't been looking out for him and that the scratch had come from another infant. A quick look at his nails told me I was overdue for clipping them, which isn't as awful a task as I had always thought it might be.

On this past week's episode of Queer Eye, I thought it was cool that Thom selected our sofa for the straight guy's apartment makeover.

Spencer is three months old today! And he's growing! (Not a big surprise.) We stopped in at his pediatrician's office this afternoon to weigh him and learned that he is now up to 14 pounds and 14 ounces. That puts him around the 67th percentile. He hasn't pooped since Monday night, so it's possible he'll lose an ounce or so when he finally does...

So far, I think I've been holding up ok. Knowing Spencer is having fun at school definitely helps to ease my mind. And each day when I pick him up they hand over a detailed slip with info about his day: when he napped, when they changed a diaper, how much he ate, etc. This morning Spencer decided to get up around 5:30 so we put him back down for a short nap when he was done eating so we could get another hour of sleep as well. This meant that by the time we drove to school, he was well-fed, well-rested and very playful! I was a little bummed that his altered sleep schedule cut our playtime short at home, but he'll have fun there too. He was smiling and giggling like such a goon when I left him to head for the office.

It definitely feels more natural for me to work from the office instead of at home right now. Yesterday I worked from home for the day while Spencer was at school and it was a bit lonely. It was strange because Spencer has been my constant companion at home since his arrival, and it was odd to not have him there with me. I had been hoping that Spencer's milk intake during the day would match what I would be able to pump during that same time, and have been eagerly looking forward to eliminating the middle of the night pump. But after seeing that he ate 20 ounces yesterday (and my production was not even close to that during our 8 hours apart) it looks like I will have to continue waking myself up to meet his needs. Perhaps things will even out once he starts sleeping more through the new sights and sounds at school. Right now I just keep trying my best to keep up with the little man.

I think I would have to call Monday a pretty darn good day, if you can say that about a Monday. I know all of the trips Spencer and I made to his school last week (all four of them!) were invaluable in helping me to get adjusted to the idea of leaving him there for the day. Spencer really needed no adjustment, I called over twice during the day and each time was told how much fun he was having. After being in tears so much last week, yesterday I was able to not cry. I worked from the office in the morning and pumped once there, and worked from home in the afternoon and pumped a second time from here. After finishing my final scheduled call around 4:15, I left the house to pick up Spencer. He was awake and fairly content, and it felt so good to hold the little guy after a whole day apart! He showed his delight with the situation back at the house by pooping (hadn't gone since Saturday night) and it was a big one! I wonder if we will settle into a new routine of only pooping 2-3 times a week...

At night I was able to head out for March's mommy's night out dinner as we said goodbye to Lisa before she moved to Ohio. It felt good to have support from other mommies, and I was proud to pass around the brag book of Spencer photos I put together at shutterfly.com. I felt even better to receive a text message from Jim during the evening to learn that Spencer had been good and settled down nicely after his bath. Although being too tired can sometimes backfire with babies, he went to sleep and stayed down for the night. Hopefully he won't get up too early in the morning tomorrow.