The next Picasso

Just in case I ever loose this, I wanted to make sure I had a picture of it somewhere. I mean, who knows, my son may one day become one of the most talented artists of his generation (something I doubt, but hey "yanvano"). Here is Connor's very first art project from daycare. At just 5 months old, I think he shows some real talent. I mean look at those crooked little fingers - I am sure that has to be some new art movement that no one has discovered yet.

A boy and his bouncer, a love story

I would like to personally thank Maria and Rosanna for introducing Connor to his new love - his bouncer. This was actually a baby shower gift that he has finally gotten big enough to use and he loves it!! I just had to share this video and Connor's "Riverdance" moves.

Baby's 1st Christmas

Mark and I made the decision before Connor was even born that we wouldn't travel up north this Christmas. We thought it would be too cold for his Florida blood to handle (although it's going to be 32 here tonight) and it would be too hard to travel with a baby (although Connor has been on a plane already and it was a breeze). Anyway, with that said, we stayed in Florida for Christmas, which in all honesty is just weird. Palm trees with Christmas lights, shopping for a tree in shorts, and having a BBQ just doesn't scream Christmas to me, but this year it did. We actually decorated our house and got a tree (a first since moving to Florida) and did our best to make it as "christmasy" as possible.

My parents and brother arrived on the 23rd to celebrate the holiday with us and stayed through New Year's. We did all our family traditions with Connor and added Mark's family tradition of 1 present on Christmas Eve (those were Connor's new Christmas pj's). We had a wonderful time and I am so thankful that my parents/brother made his 1st Christmas so special and were able to be here with us.

As for Connor, he didn't pay much attention to the presents, but he LOVED wrapping paper and cardboard boxes. He got more gifts than any 5 month old should get (thanks to his grandparents and the many family and friends who sent us stuff) and he did enjoy trying to eat every one of them (despite the fact that none of it was edible). Mark and I got a video camera from my parents and as soon as I figure out how to download the videos from it, I will post some. My mom also got a really nice digital camera from my dad and took a mere 572 pictures during their visit. Clearly, this little blog cannot possibly handle all that, so here are a few of my favorites.

Our 1st tree (as you can see Santa went NUTS):

Christmas morning, barely awake

Yummy wrapping paper

His Christmas day outfit (sooooo cute!)

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and we wish you all the best in the New Year!

5 months!

Since the holidays were so hectic, I am seriously behind on posts, so bear with me while I post a bunch now.

Connor turned 5 months old on December 28th and I left it up to my parents to take his 5 month picture since they were visiting. Unfortunately, my mother let my dad brush Connor's hair that day (this will explain the toupee look below).

Happy 5 months little buddy!

4 months old!

Connor turned 4 months old the weekend after Thanksgiving. He is now 14lbs 1 oz and standing tall at 26 inches. He still is in the 90th% for height and the 30th% for weight. He is doing great and growing just fine. He got another set of shots, which of course he was not a big fan of, but he did just fine.

That week my brother was visiting for Thanksgiving. We celebrated Connor's big 4-month mark by taking Connor on his first trip to the park. He LOVED every minute of it!! Thanks for spending time with us Uncle Moose - we can't wait to see you at Christmas!

A close up of my 4-month old baby...


First swing ride!

Take Flight

Connor had his first plane ride this month. We headed up to New Jersey over Veteran's Day, so he could finally meet everyone who didn't have a chance to come down to us when he was born. I was really excited because it's getting a little harder for my Nonni and Papi to fly and they desperately wanted to meet their great-grandson, so we headed off. I was a little apprehensive at first, but I realized that people with babies do have a life (that does occasionally consist of traveling). It also helped that Joanna has been my go-to person on all things baby (since she did have one first) and she has been on a plane with Will a few times. Her advice was perfect - "you only have to fly for the first time with him once". She was right, after the first leg of the trip, I felt soooo much better. Of course it helped that Connor was a perfect angel and that I had a mom, dad and 2 kids sitting with us who were so nice. People in general were AMAZINGLY helpful to me both in the airport and on the plane. I had random strangers offering to help with carry-on and pull my luggage from the turn style. It's amazing how a cute baby in a Bjorn will get people to do things for you. Anyway, like I said, Connor was just perfect on the flight - he ate during takeoff and slept all the way through the landing. The way back was almost as good, although he was a little hesitant to eat at first, but once he did he fell asleep and woke up right before we landed. I couldn't have asked for an easier "first time".

As for our visit, it was basically 5 days of my family just smothering him with love. He got to meet Nonni and Papi who just adore him. He met Sarah, Brandyn, and Kaylee (who equally adore him - so much so that Brandyn thought it was an absolute injustice that he had to go to school while Connor was in town), and he saw The Brennan's again and of course spent tons of time with Nonni, G-Pop and Uncle Moose. Then over the weekend (thanks to Sarah generously opening up her house to all the crazies that are my family), he got to meet the rest of the extended family This included cousin Zoe who showed me her iPhone full of pictures of Connor, as she admitted that she is obsessed with how cute he is. It was a great trip and I am soooo glad we went. Here's a few pictures with the family. Thanks everyone for making our trip so wonderful and taking the time out of your busy schedules to see us. We miss you guys already!

Proud Nonni and Papi

Brandyn and Kaylee

Spending one-on-one time with Tatie

All bundled up and ready for NJ weather

Connor so excited to see G-Pop

Uncle Moose and Connor (sporting his moose outfit)

Monthly rewind

I admit I have been lacking in my posts recently and I apologize. Between having visitors in October and going back to work, I was a little distracted. Basically, I missed two major milestones in the last month. First off, I neglected to post Connor's 3 month old picture, so I wanted to make sure I get that out of the way.

Here he is on his 3rd month b-day (October 28, 2009):

Second, I wanted to share my back to work blues. I went back to work the last week of October. I had been dreading this day since the day I found out I was pregnant and sure enough it came too fast. I don't think anyone who hasn't been through it can truly understand how hard that first day is. Leaving Connor with someone else even for a few minutes is hard, let alone a full 8 hours (or more). I had been looking at daycare since I was 6 months pregnant and I finally chose one. La Petite Academy is about 2 minutes from our house and it was the only place that gave me a nice warm feeling when I went to visit. I figured my gut feeling was the only thing I had to go by since I have no prior experience in this area. I basically stopped sleeping the Saturday before his first day. I kept making lists in my mind of everything I needed to get ready. I would stress over how the day would go, would he cooperate with a schedule (something he isn't a big fan of sticking to), would he miss me, and more importantly would he remember me when I picked him up.

The drop off that first morning went somewhat smoothly. I was only 30 minutes late to work, which I thought was quite an accomplishment. However, the drop off was the only thing that went smooth. I got to work around 9:30, chatted with the girls for a few minutes and then went to lock myself in an office to pump (so far 0 minutes of actually work had been done). It wasn't until I broke out the contraption that I realized I forgot the all important containers that screw into the bottom of the pump to catch the milk. How could I have been completely prepared for 2 days with all Connor's stuff and completely forget what I needed. I immediately informed my boss that I had to leave (yes, still exactly 0 minutes of actual work). I ran to Target because we all know they carry EVERYTHING. However, on my way to Target another bump in the road...the first call from daycare. When I saw that number on my phone, I almost had a heart attack. My little angel had only been there 90 minutes and already a phone call?! The director was on the other end asking me if my son had ever taken a bottle before. I informed her that he has taken a bottle almost every night since he was 4 weeks old. She said that he simply refused to eat. The teacher had been trying for 20 minutes and he wouldn't take a drop of it. They told me not to worry just yet, they would keep trying and call me back in about 15 minutes. Needless to say 30 minutes later, another call. This one to tell me he finally started to eat. I could breathe a sigh of relief and continue shopping (still no working happening). I finally got back to work around 10:45am (completely engorged already) and ran to start to pump. 30 minutes later (still 0 minutes of actual work), I finally sat at my desk. Then, the tears started. I guess I had been so busy for the morning that it hadn't sunk in. I missed Connor so much. I wondered what he was doing, if he was ok, if someone was playing with him or picking him up when he was crying. I just cant describe how it felt, but it was a very yucky feeling. I just wanted to leave. I actually worked for a total of 2 hours that day and let me tell you it was the LONGEST 2 hours ever. When I picked him up he was just fine and clearly not as traumatized as I was.

I am happy to report that things have gotten easier. I don't cry when I drop him off anymore, so we are making progress. He seems to like Ms. Marie (his teacher) and smiles at her in the mornings, which makes me feel better. We also have already braved one cold and a slew of nebulizer treatments since it only took Connor 3 days at daycare to catch a bug. I still have yet to work a full day though (and we are on week 4 of being back to work now). I just cant seem to get through that 4 o'clock hour yet. It's like the cravings that people get for chocolate/sugar in the late afternoon, except I crave to see my baby again. Luckily, I have an AMAZING boss who not only has never once asked why I am late some days and leave early on others, but who now lets me work from home on Fridays. It is amazing what that extra day with Connor does. It makes me so happy to be able to have one extra full day with him besides Saturday and Sunday. I am sure each month will get easier until I hit the lottery and can finally stay home with him all the time!

Connor on his first day of school (October 26, 2009):