Embrace the Camera - Aunt Edition

Call me crazy, but I don't think the little guy gets any love or attention.

Nope. No one loves him at all. Can't you tell?

"Hmm, how can I use this to my advantage? Do you think they'll give me ice cream if I cooperate?"

Embrace the Camera

A little of both parents today...

Playing Peek-A-Boo with Mommy from behind a blanket. Lots of little little giggles and excited hand to face whacking. We are working on "gentle hands." It's slow going.

Literally hanging out with Daddy. He gets so excited when Daddy comes home. It's pretty darn cute.

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Embrace the Camera

My sweet little leg hugger:

"Pick me up, Mommy! MAAAAAH-MEEE! WHY ARE YOU HOLDING THE CAMERA AND NOT MEEEEEEE?!?!?!?!"

{Embrace} the Camera

The aftermath of a very loud head bonk:

Alternately comforting the little man and holding a wrapped frozen chicken breast to his forehead (what?! it's the first thing I grabbed!). My poor little snuggle bunny.

It's all good. My adaptation of Ernie's "Rubber Ducky" makes everything better.

Snuggle Bunny, you're the one.
You make snuggling so much fun!
Snuggle Bunny, I'm awfully fond of you!

{Embrace} the Camera

Keepin' it real. I'd like to pretend that I am the quintessential 50's housewife who wears a neatly ironed dress, crinoline, apron, and jewelry. I'd like to say that I always have my hair and makeup done while bringing my husband scrambled eggs in bed. I'd like to say that I vacuum & dust everyday with a smile on my face. HA. In reality... I usually spend the first half of my day in flannel pants, a tank top, and my fluffy pink robe.

That 6am hair frizz, bed head ponytail and pink robe are super sizzling hot! Sometimes, I make sure to get dressed first thing in the morning. It makes me feel more motivated and together. But then I put the robe on over my clothes for warmth. Yes. I do. Stylish is my middle name. Besides, it was a Christmas present from Stephen.

By the way... Just pretend that there isn't a Christmas tree still up in the background. I swear, it came down Feb. 1st. I don't mind if Christmas lasts through January because it makes my husband happy. But February is my limit. That may seem crazy, unless I point out that he'd really prefer that I keep the Christmas tree up year round. Then it seems perfectly reasonable.

Also, since we have steam radiators that require oil and oil is expensive, we keep the downstairs at 50 degrees. Burrrr! It's actually not so bad. You get used to it. But that's why Joseph is wearing such a stylish winter hat indoors. Whenever he and I venture into what we call "the Arctic" we put on 4 or 5 layers of clothing. Fear not, I don't freeze my child... We stay upstairs where it's about 78 degrees most of the day. Thank you space heater and window unit! That's why I've been doing so much work on the upstairs. It's much easier to stay motivated when you don't feel like huddling with your baby under an electric blanket.

Please tell me I'm not the only one rocking a pink robe at home most days!

{Embrace} the Camera

We got 7 inches of snow yesterday. It was really coming down.

So, we took Joseph outside to show him some snowflakes. "Look, see! They are melting in Mommy's hand!"

He was all... "What the heck is going on? This is wickidy wickidy wack!"

So I lifted him up in the air and he decided he liked it.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Ha! Ha! Sticking!

You know... Because the snow is sticking! Wow, that's really bad. I think I need a nap.

Embrace the Camera - Aunt Edition

Joseph has some pretty spectacularly fabulous aunts in his life. They are probably the coolest aunts in the whole wide world. I'm just tellin' it like it is. He can't tell you which aunt is his favorite, though, because then he'd get less presents for Christmas.

First there's Aunt Kate. She's all about playing peek-a-boo with this little guy.

Of course, Joseph is open to any opportunity to flirt with his aunts. Is that not the look of a smooth, debonnaire ladies man? He could give Harrison Ford lessons.

Then there's Aunt Amy. Though generally opposed to babies (they creep her out), she makes an exception for Joseph. In fact, Joseph is the ONLY baby in Amy's book. She can't be taken in by other sly little drooly smiles. She's absolutely loyal to this guy.

We're so proud of her for referring to Joseph as a "him" instead of an "it" and for learning to hold a baby like a normal person. Seriously, though, she dotes on the little guy. She gets really excited about Star Wars onsies & baby sock hands. She can't wait to watch "How to Train Your Dragon" with him when he's older and plans to teach him how to be a Viking.

Then there's Aunt Sarah. Joseph loves Aunt Sarah SOOOOOOO much. He informs me that he'd probably be okay if Aunt Sarah stole him away because he's never met anyone who could apply baby bedtime lotion like she does. He says he'd miss the benefits of boobs, but he considers the loss well worth it. ;) Besides, who else would dress him up as a Santa Clause Mermaid Superhero on Thanksgiving?

"Merman, Father! Merman!" (name that quote)

Joseph assures me that no one has more perfect fluffy hair than his Aunt Sarah and can't wait to go trick-or-treating with her next year.

Then, there's Theresa, affectionately known as Aunt Freesa. No one can make Joseph laugh as hard as Aunt Freesa can. It's the combination of her many crazy faces, happy demeanor, perfect piggy snorts, and willingness to say words like "poop!" and "mashed potatoes" repeatedly in order to harvest those little giggles. He loves Aunt Freesa snuggles and always asks why she isn't over for dinner more often! ;) He even likes spending time with Mommy & Aunt Freesa on Girl's Night, despite the potential threat to his masculinity.

By the way, Theresa... We don't have any recent pictures of you with Joseph... THE HORROR!! We shall have to remedy that this weekend! Christmas parade here we come!! Holla!

No little man could ask for better aunts. He's lucky to have such beautiful women in his life. To put it in the words of Joseph... "I love you guys almost as much as Mommy's boobs! Almost."

Embrace the Camera

It's been a while since my last Embrace the Camera post and it's good to be back.




Today, I'm focusing on our bedtime routine and offering up a sneak peak of my mostly finished nursery.

Now that Joseph has a fairly regular sleep pattern and finally has his own room and not a construction zone, we've managed to set up a normal bedtime routine.

It goes something like this:

-messy dinner of "solid" food

-bathtime between 6 & 6:30pm

-towel dry & diaper

-customary lightning fast sneaky fan grab




-baby lotion & "massage"
-belly raspberries & maniacal laughter

... I think he's more amused by Mommy's maniacal laughter than by the actual raspberries...

-put on footie pjs or baby sleeper bag
-sit up on changing table and communicate with alter ego Jofus

-Make contact with alter ego Jofus & exchange the secrets of the baby world

-tickle baby's ribs
-roll around on nursery floor chewing on toy noses and clanging dresser pulls

-use couch to practice standing without parental assistance
-reach  longingly for stars above crib as the world's meanest mommy taunts him with close proximity
-read stories, specifically Barnyard Dance & The Going to Bed Book
-lie down with mommy to nurse
-fall asleep and get moved to crib sometime between 7:30 & 8:30pm

Of course, when you introduce the camera to the bedtime routine, there is a great deal of attempted camera acquisition. Just look at the way he's eyeing my camera...

...or, as the case may be, successful camera acquisition...

Which, naturally, leads to disembodied camera wielding arms as I try to hold the camera as far out of someone's reach as possible.

And that's how we roll in our house.

Finally, the nursery has been mostly finished for a while now. It just needs some minor finishing touches. Oh, and there's the small matter of installing moulding around the addition doorway and replacing the overhead light fixture. Then it will be done and I'll share all... probably around the time Joseph turns one. Because I'm lame like that.

P.S. Joseph is 7 months old today. He's all grown up! Tomorrow, we're starting algebra.

{Embrace} the Camera

Happy Embrace the Camera Thursday!! (To learn more, click on the button below.)






We had a fantabulous weekend hosting our annual family apple picking and pie baking marathon extravaganza. We only made 20 pies this year. No where near the 30 we made last year, but still plenty to go around! The weather couldn't have been more perfect and the we thoroughly enjoyed having our family stay with us! (Also - sorry I've been MIA this week. I was curiously unmotivated to do anything after everyone went home after the weekend...)

It was Joseph's first time in an orchard and he was digging the abundance of fruit. Check out his death grip on that apple!

He got his first taste of apples fresh off of the tree. Yes, he's spoiled for life. There was a great deal of intense fascination and fierce fruit sucking.

The whole front of his shirt was drenched in apple juice drool. It left quite a stain.

Here are my two boys with their matching Capitals hats. Daddy is getting really excited about the start of hockey season. We have to start the indoctrination young. Can't have Uncle Rob bringing Joseph over to the Flyers' side. Or would that be the Dark side. ;)

"MOM!!! No hugs right now! I want my apple back!! Where'd it go?? Grandmom! Save me!"

And now for some shots of Joseph's current favorite activities...

Sucking on his bottom lip while ignoring his Mommy's query about his love for apples.

Nose grabbing and face wacking.

Blowing spitty raspberries and face wacking.

Oh, and face wacking! The kid loves grabbing faces...

{Embrace} the Camera

Happy Embrace the Camera Thursday everyone!! ( Click on the button above to learn more. ) Is it raining like crazy where you live too?

We've been getting our back carries on at Ye Olde Sandwich Shoppe. So far, we've tried the ruck tied in front carry and we'll probably try out the double hammock carry today. I'm really enjoying them, but I still need a lot of practice. Over a bed or other soft surface.

I want to thank all of you for you kind advice on various carriers (and breastfeeding; there has been considerably less chompage!). In the end, my thrifty self won out and I decided to make my own carrier. I bought 7 yards of woven cotton fabric on clearance and sewed my own wrap.

If you are at all interested in sewing your own, I posted a tutorial HERE.

It's super easy. I have absolutely no sewing skills and I still managed it.

I'm loving how it turned out and Joseph loves that we can do dishes without getting him wet.

{Embrace} the Camera

Happy Thursday everyone! Go out and embrace the camera! (click on the button to learn more)




Just a little baby gym play time and distorted fish mirror fun.

I'll bet you didn't think I had a short, single picture post in me... ;)