Call Me Mama

Baby M said "MAMA" for the first time earlier this week (Wednesday, 9/26/12 to be exact)!  I got just as excited as when he first said "dada," but luckily we were in the confines of our own home this time, so I was spared the embarassment of having strangers hear me shriek with joy.  He continued to say "mama" nonstop throughout the rest of the night.  It seems that he got it all out of his system on that one day (and in hindsight, I should've captured it on video), because I haven't heard him say it since.

Some photos from our mini-golf outing in Branchburg earlier this month:

 

Old Bridge Day

We ventured off to Old Bridge Day on Saturday morning.  Unfortunately, we couldn't find any parking, so M ended up taking baby M home while big sister K and I enjoyed the festivities.  We even made it into the local papers at the Home Depot Kids Workshop table:

Here is my little girl... first time getting face paint:

The highlight of the day for her was probably bouncing and going on the inflatable slides:

Making a card for the troops overseas:

Cookie Monster

Thanks to our generous family and friends, big sister K had accumulated a healthy collection of Sesame Street friends by the time she turned one.  Now at the mature age of three (almost four, as she'd often remind me), she's outgrown most of the stuffed animals.  Obviously we're not letting them go to waste, so they've been passed on to baby M (and naturally, when baby M shows an interest in them, all of a sudden big sister K decides she wants to play with them too).

I remember when big sister K was younger, she'd drag Cookie Monster everywhere she went.  She even preferred him over her talking Elmo (who I thought would be every kid's favorite).  We were playing in big sister K's room recently and presented baby M with the Cookie Monster doll.  It was really to keep him from getting his hands on something more dangerous (he seems partial to power outlets), but his eyes lit up at the sight of the furry blue monster like you wouldn't believe!  I guess like sister, like brother.  Since then, it's served as a good tool to distract him when he's getting fussy.  He also has a Cookie Monster bath book he enjoys reading (or more like eating).  We don't make it a habit of letting baby M sleep with stuffed animals, but here he is during nap time, cuddling with his new best friend.

Approaching Fall

With the temperature dropping down to the 40s and 50s overnight these past two days, this is a true sign that summer has come to an end (and I suppose the fact that Labor Day has come and gone, and my half-day Fridays are no more are also signs to prepare for the cooler weather).

We went to Sesame Place this past Sunday.  The forecast indicated mid-70s, but it was quite warm when we got there, so we ended up letting big sister K play in the water.  I was surprised at how crowded it was (given the periodic thunderstorms and tornado watch the day before, I guess there was a spillover from Saturday).  We left the park in the early evening, and as the sun was setting, baby M started to cry during the car ride home (as expected).  Armed with a container of Gerber puffs, I would feed him a puff each time he let out a cry.  I was sitting in the front passenger seat and he was strapped in his car seat behind me.  I had to stretch my arm to the back in order to put the puff in his mouth, and when doing so, would glance back at big sister K and ask if she was okay.  She barely answered me and looked tired, so after a while, I decided not to bother her as I continued to silence baby M's cries with puffs.  Then out of nowhere, big sister K burst into tears.  It came so unexpectedly that M and I were shocked.  We asked what happened and at first, big sister K said she wanted Pooh bear (her Winnie the Pooh lovey).  That's her staple answer whenever we ask why she's crying (though it's hardly ever the true reason), and when we told her she was already holding Pooh bear (which she was), she said she wanted her blanket.  While doubtful that she really wanted her blanket in the 80 degree weather, we told her she'd have to wait until we got home.  Still crying, big sister K then told us she was hungry (which I also doubted was the case, being that she ate four pieces of chicken nuggets once we left Sesame Place).  I managed to find a Fiber One bar in my bag and gave it to her.  She settled down after that, but I think the real reason why she got upset was because I was feeding baby M and "ignoring" her (I guess all those times I asked if she was okay didn't count for much).  Once she got the attention she craved, all was well with the world again.

Last night, M, big sister K, and I were sitting in the kitchen chatting (baby M was already sleeping).  We weren't talking about anything important.  Big sister K was just going through the names of all the friends in her class and telling us when their birthdays were, but as she was talking, I felt an overwhelming sense of contentment in my heart.  We could have been doing a million other things, but instead, we chose to spend it together.  It's really the little things in life that mean the most.  I just pray and hope we have many more of these moments to come.

M could not get his car to start as he was leaving work today.  After picking up the kids, I called to make sure he was okay.  He was on his way home and said he eventually got the car started after about the fifth try.  Big sister K wanted to talk to daddy, and this was the brief conversation that followed:

Big sister K: Hi daddy!
M: Hi K.
Big sister K: What happened daddy?  Are you okay?
M: I'm okay, but the car isn't.
Big sister K: That's okay daddy.  I'll help you fix it.  I will tape it up for you.
M: LOL!
(If only car trouble can be fixed with a piece of tape!)

Family picture with Murray at Sesame Place.  Baby M was too intrigued by the orange monster to pay attention to anything else, but at least he wasn't scared.

Happy 10 Months to my two-teeth baby boy!  Love this face!

On a more somber note, I will always remember what happened this day 11 years ago.  My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who lost loved ones.

Dairy Ban Lifted

I had cut out dairy from my diet since last December, as baby M was (and still is) solely on breast milk and I was afraid he may have had a dairy allergy (his poop started looking mucous-sy back in December, one of the signs of a dairy allergy).  We went through this with big sister K four years ago and I ended up putting her on formula because none of the doctors (including a pediatric gastroenterologist) could explain why there was blood in her stool (everyone just attributed it to a dairy allergy).

M convinced me to introduce dairy back into my diet on the premise that baby M may have outgrown the allergy (if he indeed did have one to begin with).  About two weeks ago, we ordered pizza for dinner and I finally gave in... and I am happy to report that baby M's poop looked just fine!  I've been eating more and more foods with dairy since then.  After almost nine months of sacrifice, I rewarded myself with a big cup of ice cream last night.