2011: The (half) Year of the “Read and Feed” January 26, 2012

Waaaay back in 2009, I stumbled across a blogger who published a list of books she read during the year.  I remember thinking it was a fun idea, so I kept a list in 2010, didn’t get around to publishing it in January, or February, or March, and then felt too embarrassed to post it past that point.

 

I kept a list in 2011, too.  Surprisingly, even with all the marathon nursing sessions of this summer, I only read five more books than in 2010.  (A male librarian commented on the size of my check-out stack this week, and then giggled like a 12-year-old boy when I explained “read and feed”.  They love me at the library, I tell ya…)

 

Since it’s still January, and since my friend Katie says that once you have a baby, two weeks late is the new on time (YAY!  My new mantra!), I am going to post my 2011 book list.

In case you were wondering… January 12, 2012

…after you drop a stack of Pampered Chef stoneware pans on your big toe, it:

 

1.  HURTS enough to say the really bad swear word.

2.  Is possible to keep from saying that word by collapsing into a heap on the kitchen floor while yelling and pounding the floor with your fists.

3.  Makes the whole house come running.

4.  Causes your toenail to turn black in less than one minute.

5.  Makes you shake and twitch uncontrollably as your body tries to process the excruciating pain.

6.  Suddenly makes sense how people could pull their own hair out in agony.

7.  Takes 4 Advil exactly 42 minutes to bring the pain down to a manageable level.  (From an 11 to a 6.5 on the pain scale.)

8.  Means your sister and her almost-fiance, who works in the ER, love you enough to interrupt their date in order to assess the injury.  (Thank you, Kristi and Jason!  So sorry you went back to cold pizza!)

9.  Makes absolutely no difference to a hungry baby who wants to nurse.

10.  Earns you the night “off” , which is code for a sink full of dirty dinner dishes that will wait until morning for you to tackle them.  *sigh*

 

Take my word for it:  Do NOT try this at home.

Sam is 7 months old! January 10, 2012

Since I thought it might be nice to write SOMETHING about him before his first birthday, today’s post is dedicated to my Sam.

 

 

Seven months.  Where does the time go?

 

 

*He has four teeth, with more ready to break through any day.

*He loves to bite whatever he can get into his mouth, other people’s fingers being his first choice.

*His favorite food is sweet potatoes.  (After fingers, of course.)  He likes to munch on rice rusks, and he HATES the Gerber 1st stage meats.  Watching him do the full-body dry heave of revulsion after a spoonful of “chicken” makes me giggle every time.  And since they say a baby needs to try something at least 10 times before he knows for sure he hates it, I have six more highly enjoyable mealtime shows to enjoy before the guilt can “officially” creep in.

*He doesn’t roll over.  He absolutely refuses to do it.

*He can, however, turn in a 360-degree circle on both is back and his stomach to get to what he wants.

*He sits up on his own, with the occasional wobble.

*He loves books.  His Hungry Caterpillar and Hawaiian fish books are his favorites.

*He still likes to be swaddled (best blankets EVER!) tightly when he goes to sleep.  He recognizes the blanket and tucks his arms into his body in anticipation.

*I have finally worked him up to one nap (most days).  Clearly, not much gets done during the day.

*He’d have no problem being held 24/7.  (See: above)

*He is a shameless flirt.  He bats his big blue eyes and charms everyone.

*He snorts when he laughs.  HILARIOUS.

*He’s tiny.  Barely in the fifth percentile, he still hasn’t doubled his birth weight.

*He holds onto my finger while he nurses.  He also does a dirty-old-man chuckle when I lay him across my lap and reach under my shirt.  (Kenny says, “That’s my boy!”)

*He is fascinated by the dogs, his feet, and sunlight.

*He loves his mama.  (She loves him right back!)

 

 

Out of all the babies in the world, I’m quite sure I got the very best one.