The Graduate

While Uncle AG just started his PhD, Aunt LG teaches high school and Nana Jo is on pace to beat out Uncle BJ in their degree quest, I had my first graduation yesterday. I officially am a graduate of "Great Beginnings," a mommy and baby group for 0-3 month olds! And....I am 8 weeks old today! So exciting. Yesterday was a busy day: From graduation and class to some family time at home, followed by an awesome graduation party in Chestnut Hill. I was exhausted after all of that! Today should also be fun because both Mommy and Daddy are both home today...

Doing my best James Dean interpretation...

Our "informal" graduation photo

And the formal graduation photo (note who's sleeping!)

More family photo time - why look at the camera?

Nothing beats Mommy time!!

Daddy and Reza (Ada's Daddy) at the graduation party

Zzzzzzzzzzzz...

More photos in this month's smugmug album, as always. Hope everybody is well. Can't wait to hear from the California crew this weekend (they are all visiting, I hear). Have an easy fast on Monday! Hugs and kisses. XOXOXOXOXO.

(Un)Professional Family Portraits

Mommy and Daddy and I had fun last night, after Daddy got home from a long day in the ICU. We went for a walk around the pond, then took a bath, and then performed in a little home photo shoot. There is a sampling of pics below, but be sure to go to the second month smugmug album for all of the fun photos.





Hope to talk to you again tomorrow. Much love as always. Hugs and kisses. L'Shana Tova. XOXOXOXOXO

Tyler 2.0: A New Man

Daddy is really back to work these days, so it has been tough writing on the blog as I usually use Daddy's hands on the keyboard (mine are just too small to be efficient). I'll let the pictures tell most of the story over the last few days...but the time line goes something like this: I am nicer to my parents now, and even smile at them for all their troubles to date. Daddy's friend, Uncle Chris, came to visit -- he works for Budweiser and sells their beer (what is that, anyway?) down in Florida -- and even took the three of us to the Red Sox game (we sat in those super cool Right Field Roof Seats!!). Big Papi hit his 54th homer (a Red Sox record). Grandma Sue came to visit for a while too, and took care of me while Mommy went out for groceries. Here I am...
















By Wednesday night, all of these pictures and many more should be posted to my second month album on Smugmug. Hope all are well wherever you are!! Love you. Hugs and kisses. XOXOXOXOXO.

A Nice Walk

Daddy officially went back to work yesterday, so Mommy and I had our first night alone together just the two of us. It went pretty well for both of us. I think we've got this breastfeeding thing down, now.

After Daddy came home from work and woke up from his nap (and I woke up from mine), the three of us went out for a walk as a family around Jamaica Pond. I slept on Daddy's chest in the Bjorn -- giving Mommy a much needed break -- while we did the 1.49 mile lap as the sun set. Daddy played around with his new camera...






We picked up some chicken on the way home and Mommy and Daddy had dinner while I finished my nap in the crib. See you soon! Hugs and kisses. XOXOXOXOXO.

Try to do too much and...

The day started off reasonably enough. Mommy dressed me in Amherst gear and then the whole family started off pretty early in the day to Mommy's six-week postpartum doctor's appointment with her OB/GYN, Dr. Baker. I went to sleep in the car on the way to the office. Mommy later told me that all went well, although she liked the part of being pregnant that kept the doctor from doing pap smears, whatever those are. That's when Mommy and Daddy made their first mistake...

I was still asleep and it had been about 3 and a half hours since I last fed and Mommy and Daddy were planning a fairly length car/errand trip from the doctor's appointment. I wanted to stay sleeping. They decided to wake me up to feed, so I could go back to sleep for the car ride and errands, and not wake up hungry in the middle of the highway. Ever heard the phrase "never wake a sleeping baby?" Not without reason.

So we went over to Isis Maternity, where Mommy is a member (kind of like a touchy-feely store and club for crunchy-meet-trendy mothers), and we did a little breast feeding. Daddy weighed me before and after to see how much milk I get (about three ounces they tell me) and guess what...I am now over 11 pounds. Wahooo! Daddy bought a new toy for me and then it was off to Beth Israel Medical Center to return the "hospital grade" breast pump. But that's also where the "Mr. Nice Guy" routine would end.

The car ride over to BIDMC was mostly hell. I didn't quite get enough to eat and I had been woken up in the middle of a great dream (let's just say there was an endless supply of breast milk, a gorgeous labor and delivery nurse, and the Red Sox were on tap to win the pennant). So I let my parents hear it. They tried the pacifier, then signing (note to Daddy: don't try that again), then high speeds in a school zone. None of it really worked. I eventually dozed off on the highway.

I awoke screaming again, this time in a retirement community known as Fuller Village, where my great-grandparents live. Again I fed in a new spot. Can't they just keep me in one place for a while? It was nice to see my great-grandparents, though. How many kids get the chance to hang out with their great-grandparents?




After lunch, I screamed some more. It took a good 30 minutes of hugging Mommy to finally fall asleep...and I think it put her to bed, as well...




When I awoke, I was on the middle of a Persian rug on the floor. Very strange bed. I screamed some more, fed some more, and then Mommy and Daddy said it was time to go. We took back roads back home...most of them were paved, but I'd like to meet the guy who paved them! A bit bumpy to say the least. I finally fell asleep in the car so when we arrived home a few minutes later my parents came up with the novel idea of taking me for a walk to enjoy the beautiful day and take advantage of my sleep time. Fine decision. But they had two choices -- go for a walk with the stroller that accommodates the car seat (which I was sleeping in...CHOOSE THIS ONE), or unbuckle me and take me out of the car seat and put me in the big three-wheeler and buckle me back up. Guess which one they chose? Remember "never wake a sleeping baby?" I woke up somewhere in the transfer process and screamed some more. Mommy was convinced it had nothing to do with hunger (she was right) and wouldn't give me the boob. Daddy didn't want to give me the Soothie but Mommy did and she won out and so I got it. We started the walk and I fell asleep shortly thereafter.

Evidently, Daddy wanted to stop for a Slurpee (TM, 7-11) and Mommy thought it would be OK. So, they took me into the store while I was sleeping and stopped moving the freckin' stroller. Haven't they learned anything yet? To their shock and horror, I awoke and threw the biggest tantrum ever! We had to leave the store rapidly. They tried to walk me, give me the Soothie, bounce me, but I forced them to take me out of the stroller and hug me. Now I wanted to eat again.

Mommy fed me on the curb on the side of a road in Jamaica Plain. Daddy watched in horror...





Mommy tried to add some humor to the whole situation with a little scene called "fun with sunglasses" but I wasn't having it. We walked home and Mommy fed me some more in our rocking chair. But I still wouldn't sleep. It took two parents (and five switch-offs), a Soothie, approximately one mile of walking within the 1000 square foot apartment, and exactly 1237 bounces on my parents' shoulders before I turned in for the afternoon (mind you, I did not say evening!). Getting me down for the night later on didn't go much smoother. But I was tired, so I eventually slept for a total of 12 and a half hours (in three increments) over night.

And today is a new day.

Hugs and kisses everybody. Can't wait 'till the leaves start changing. Go Jeffs! XOXOXOXOXO.

Mommy and me

Daddy worked this weekend (so I can have new clothes for the winter), so it was just Mommy and me for a few days. We ran a few errands, went for lots of walks (around Jamaica Pond each day), and just lounged around the house. We both enjoyed the down time and I even let Mommy sleep a little bit, although in general, the evil plan to frustrate my parents to no end is still working! I even made sure to let the entire block know when it was bath time this morning. Here I am at six weeks old...





I hope I fit in the chair soon! Miss everybody. Hugs and kisses. XOXOXOXO.

The Devil Child

I have spent the past three days torturing my poor parents. They say I am acting like this because I am going through a "growth spurt." I say I am acting like this as revenge for being couped up inside Mommy's tummy for nine plus months and then not getting enough milk for the first three days of my life because the milk was "coming in." In any case, I have been eating, fussing, crying, screaming, growing and eating some more for three days non-stop now. Fun!

I have found a little bit of time to wake Daddy up (huh!), take a bath, and relax with Mommy, when not crying, fussing, screaming, etc., as you can see below. Should be back to my normal (but bigger) self in a few days, my parents tell me. We'll see.

Waking poor Daddy up from his nap...

Bath time with Mommy...she finally let me get into the real bath tub...and not just hang out above the warm stuff on the "newborn fabric support"

Those lights are so cool!

And so is Mommy...

She thinks I am going to fall asleep like this...Ha!

Talk to you again in a bit. Go Jeremy for landing a cool job out in Silicon Valley! Now it is your turn BT (unless professional surfing is in your future...). Meanwhile, Mommy and I finally have plane tickets to go back to Minnesota...can't wait to meet Grandpa David! Hugs and kisses everybody. XOXOXOXO.