It has been BANANAS around the Lurie household now for a few weeks so if you are wondering why I've basically fallen off the face of the earth, here's why...
1- Terri left her job in Maryland and within 2 weeks of her quitting she moved in with us. Not that she had a lot of stuff with her but the move was my catalyst to do some major house purging that I had meant to do before Julian was born but never really got around to doing it. Thank God for Freecycle because I was able to clean out a lot....of course it wasn't just unloading junk but I ended up taking a trip to the dump to get rid of paint as well as fixing the insulation in my storage area. Woo to projects that grow...
2- She moved in and we get all settled and of course I come down with a nasty head cold that Thad and Julian are both now trying to get over. Really, is there anything more sad than seeing a sick baby?! Anyways, we've gone through enough Kleenex in the past week to pad a moon bounce and I don't see an end in sight yet.
3- And of course, once I am finally feeling a little better, today the main pressure valve for our water intake pipe decided to burst and spray water all over our laundry room which then flooded and seeped water throughout the surrounding areas, including Terri's room, the hallway, and the basement living area. Fantastic!! I am dreading going into the laundry room....
So that's what's going on over here. Oh, and Thad and I just signed up for a Team in Training event TOGETHER, so please, can we pile more onto our plates?! :)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Julian's Voyage of Self Discovery
No, this isn't about spiritual enlightenment....it's about Julian's inevitable discovery of...."down there." A couple nights ago during his bath we realized that while we bathed him, he would get this silly grin on his face with a far away look and while we giggled, we didn't think much of it. Until now he really hasn't made any attempt to grab down there when we changed his diapers, nor do his constant falls on the floor seem to hurt him in any way. Well last night I took off his diaper and his hands went STRAIGHT there! While he sat in the bath tub no longer do Mr. Rubber Ducky and the bubble thing keep his attention....all he wants to do is grab. Himself. A lot.
I guess we have this to look forward to? Wee, boys. :)
I guess we have this to look forward to? Wee, boys. :)
Saturday, March 7, 2009
First trip to the cabin
Jack and my mom have a cabin in Elkins, WV where they go at least every other weekend. It is about 33 acres of gorgeous rolling hillls and forest and it is really a nice place to escape, even if it's only for a few days. Last time we went there was last March for a mini-getaway before Julian's birth and I have been looking forward to taking Julian there ever since he was born. The dogs LOVE going there as they can bound and run off-leash to their hearts content and Scout can do some major deer and wild turkey watching. He still hasn't seen the bears yet and I wonder what he'll do when he does...
My cousins came up from Norfolk to go skiing at Snowshoe and my brother came out, as well, to hang out for the weekend so it ended up being a nice family weekend away. Julian did GREAT. The drive out was smooth (he slept almost the entire time) and he loved the fresh mountain air. The first night was a bit rough (unusual environment, I suppose) and he ended up waking us up a lot but otherwise he liked it. He also LOVED all the attention from his aunts and uncles! My mom went straight to the cabin after 10 days in Hawaii so she really enjoyed spending some quality time with Julian, too.
Here are the pictures from the weekend. Let me know if you ever want to go out there with us! It really is beautiful. And despite popular belief of 'rustic West Virginia cabins,' the cabin does not have an outhouse. :)
My cousins came up from Norfolk to go skiing at Snowshoe and my brother came out, as well, to hang out for the weekend so it ended up being a nice family weekend away. Julian did GREAT. The drive out was smooth (he slept almost the entire time) and he loved the fresh mountain air. The first night was a bit rough (unusual environment, I suppose) and he ended up waking us up a lot but otherwise he liked it. He also LOVED all the attention from his aunts and uncles! My mom went straight to the cabin after 10 days in Hawaii so she really enjoyed spending some quality time with Julian, too.
Here are the pictures from the weekend. Let me know if you ever want to go out there with us! It really is beautiful. And despite popular belief of 'rustic West Virginia cabins,' the cabin does not have an outhouse. :)
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| Cabin Weekend |
9 month check up
Gee it's been forever since I've been able to write! I can't believe how fast our little guy is growing and I am just in awe each day of how amazing he is. Yesterday while I was driving back from getting some Starbucks, I glanced in my rear-view mirror to see how he was doing and he was trying to catch the sunlight in his hand. Could he be any cuter?!
This past monday he had his 9 month check up! Here are his stats:
Julian loves to move!! He has been army crawling now for a while and while it doesn't seem like the most efficient way to get around, he certainly can motor. He is interested in just about everything that isn't safe for him (stairs and cords) and has a bizarre love of the vacuum. He loves to push things around and make them roll (his favorite thing to roll around is his high chair) and he loves knocking down block towers. He is pulling up to standing now and we think he isn't too far from walking. He doesn't understand why he isn't moving forward when he's standing, though...I've been trying to explain to him that he has to MOVE to go forward but he'll get there. We realize that the days of sitting down and playing quietly with our son are long behind us and I think I should have invested in some bubble wrap and put it all over the house. I can't wait until he's walking and we can go for walks in this warm weather!
Eating solids keeps mealtime very interesting for sure. His favorites are: sweet potatoes, rice krispies, sweet potatoes, corn puffs, sweet potatoes, sippy cup of water, and sweet potatoes. I had grave concern that he would be turning orange with how much sweet potatoes he eats but as of yet he's still pretty normal colored. Some days he eats a ton, others he could care less about the solids and would rather smash hisc cereal with his spoon. He definitely would prefer to feed himself than let me or Thad feed him and he gets a proud smile on his face when he feeds himself his breakfast yogurt. This past week was the first time we tried some cottage cheese (hated it, made him barf), cubed chicken (loved it), and those bizarre chicken sausages from Gerber Graduates (hated it so much he spit it out on me). While we're out to dinner we always try to give him some of our food and he LOVES salmon and barbecue sauce (not together). Thad gave him a taste of his BBQ sauce and Julian loved it so much he was squealing with delight! Mmm...BBQ.
I had no idea, though, that stubborness would start so soon! He's become much more, um, vocal when we do something he doesn't want to do. He has decided that he's too cool for diaper changes and I really just need to let him play with the computer cord because that's what he wants to do. He is great about recognizing signs (mainly "more" and "milk" and "all done") but he would rather fight me than try and communicate right now. Ahh, preparations for those terrible 2's! Thank God I worked in preschool for a while because I know what to expect (hopefully)......
Thanks for reading! We're certainly loving life right now with Julian and we are just so excited for the many more firsts that are coming up this summer with him. Hope you all are doing well and if you're ever around and want some Julian loving, definitely give me a buzz!
Here is a family picture from last weekend's trip to the cabin.
This past monday he had his 9 month check up! Here are his stats:
- Height- 29 2/1 inches. He is in the 75% percentile for height and has grown 8 inches total since his birth.
- Weight- 22 lbs 9 oz. He has slowed down quite a bit with his weight gain as he is in the 80% percentile for weight now and has gained just under 14 lbs or so since his birth. Despite leaning out a bit and growing upwards, he still has those adorable chunky thighs.
- Head Circumference- 17 3/4 inches. He is in the 50% percentile for his noggin.
Julian loves to move!! He has been army crawling now for a while and while it doesn't seem like the most efficient way to get around, he certainly can motor. He is interested in just about everything that isn't safe for him (stairs and cords) and has a bizarre love of the vacuum. He loves to push things around and make them roll (his favorite thing to roll around is his high chair) and he loves knocking down block towers. He is pulling up to standing now and we think he isn't too far from walking. He doesn't understand why he isn't moving forward when he's standing, though...I've been trying to explain to him that he has to MOVE to go forward but he'll get there. We realize that the days of sitting down and playing quietly with our son are long behind us and I think I should have invested in some bubble wrap and put it all over the house. I can't wait until he's walking and we can go for walks in this warm weather!
Eating solids keeps mealtime very interesting for sure. His favorites are: sweet potatoes, rice krispies, sweet potatoes, corn puffs, sweet potatoes, sippy cup of water, and sweet potatoes. I had grave concern that he would be turning orange with how much sweet potatoes he eats but as of yet he's still pretty normal colored. Some days he eats a ton, others he could care less about the solids and would rather smash hisc cereal with his spoon. He definitely would prefer to feed himself than let me or Thad feed him and he gets a proud smile on his face when he feeds himself his breakfast yogurt. This past week was the first time we tried some cottage cheese (hated it, made him barf), cubed chicken (loved it), and those bizarre chicken sausages from Gerber Graduates (hated it so much he spit it out on me). While we're out to dinner we always try to give him some of our food and he LOVES salmon and barbecue sauce (not together). Thad gave him a taste of his BBQ sauce and Julian loved it so much he was squealing with delight! Mmm...BBQ.
I had no idea, though, that stubborness would start so soon! He's become much more, um, vocal when we do something he doesn't want to do. He has decided that he's too cool for diaper changes and I really just need to let him play with the computer cord because that's what he wants to do. He is great about recognizing signs (mainly "more" and "milk" and "all done") but he would rather fight me than try and communicate right now. Ahh, preparations for those terrible 2's! Thank God I worked in preschool for a while because I know what to expect (hopefully)......
Thanks for reading! We're certainly loving life right now with Julian and we are just so excited for the many more firsts that are coming up this summer with him. Hope you all are doing well and if you're ever around and want some Julian loving, definitely give me a buzz!
Here is a family picture from last weekend's trip to the cabin.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Reality Check
I had a plan. I thought now that Julian is older and his days are relatively consistent, I could train. The year we got pregnant, I had done a season with with Team in Training that spring with the triathlon program and then I was the Hike Leader for the summer Hike for Discovery (now Team in Training Hike) program. I really enjoyed being so involved with the Society and it really bummed me out that I took the year off last year (despite the break being caused by having a child). I love the camaraderie and the passion that surrounds the Society, its mission, and its volunteers, so I thought this year would be the year of my return. Besides, it's not like blood cancers took a year off, too....
So back in November I applied to be a team captain for the upcoming season for the Philadelphia Triathlon (race is end of June). I was selected and I was super duper excited to be getting back "on the saddle," so to speak. We had some recruitment meetings this past month and this coming saturday is kick off for the new season. I can handle it, right?
Wrong. Oh so wrong. I am a firm believer in following your gut and when I received an email from my campaign manager this week asking for my bio for the welcome packet and informing us of a friendly table decoration competition for saturday's kick-off, I had a minor panic attack and the rest of the day I was unusually anxious. "Why," I wondered, "do I feel this way?" So I thought about it all day and I realized that I just wasn't/am not ready for the commitment that Team in Training requires. Some days I can barely get in a shower- what more if I am supposed to help fellow participants as well as get in a 1-2 hour training daily? What about my weekends? What about my 2+ practices with my group per week?
Unfortunately, time won't multiply for me and I realized that whatever I do is at the expense of something else. The pressure of training and fundraising is too much right now and I feel incredibly guilty backing out of this upcoming season. I had a talk with my campaign manager and while she is totally understanding of my situation, I hate backing out on a commitment that I already made. If I signed the paper and said I'd do it, I want to be able to do it. Even though I think I have incredibly valid reasons for not participating this season, I still can't help feeling like a failure. A failure to the Society and to the cause. A failure to my fellow participants that YES it's possible to train and fundraise despite life's crazy schedule. A failure to Julian that mommy made a commitment that she just cannot uphold right now. A failure to the people that would benefit from the funds raised.
Yesterday we received news on Thad's friend, Hanna, lost her battle on tuesday. Hanna had been battling Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia since this past fall when she had a recurrence of her disease. She was fortunate enough to have a second bone marrow transplant (the first had put her into remission) and she and her husband were going into and through her treatment with high hopes for recovery. While I never met Hanna face to face, I had emailed with her and I looked forward to her email updates. Hanna was 32. She will be sorely missed.
Despite the things I'll be missing, I know what I'm trading it for right now. I know that triathlon will always be there and Team in Training will be there as long as blood cancers need to be cured. I'll rejoin when I can. Until then, I'll focus on the little dude asleep upstairs.
So back in November I applied to be a team captain for the upcoming season for the Philadelphia Triathlon (race is end of June). I was selected and I was super duper excited to be getting back "on the saddle," so to speak. We had some recruitment meetings this past month and this coming saturday is kick off for the new season. I can handle it, right?
Wrong. Oh so wrong. I am a firm believer in following your gut and when I received an email from my campaign manager this week asking for my bio for the welcome packet and informing us of a friendly table decoration competition for saturday's kick-off, I had a minor panic attack and the rest of the day I was unusually anxious. "Why," I wondered, "do I feel this way?" So I thought about it all day and I realized that I just wasn't/am not ready for the commitment that Team in Training requires. Some days I can barely get in a shower- what more if I am supposed to help fellow participants as well as get in a 1-2 hour training daily? What about my weekends? What about my 2+ practices with my group per week?
Unfortunately, time won't multiply for me and I realized that whatever I do is at the expense of something else. The pressure of training and fundraising is too much right now and I feel incredibly guilty backing out of this upcoming season. I had a talk with my campaign manager and while she is totally understanding of my situation, I hate backing out on a commitment that I already made. If I signed the paper and said I'd do it, I want to be able to do it. Even though I think I have incredibly valid reasons for not participating this season, I still can't help feeling like a failure. A failure to the Society and to the cause. A failure to my fellow participants that YES it's possible to train and fundraise despite life's crazy schedule. A failure to Julian that mommy made a commitment that she just cannot uphold right now. A failure to the people that would benefit from the funds raised.
Yesterday we received news on Thad's friend, Hanna, lost her battle on tuesday. Hanna had been battling Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia since this past fall when she had a recurrence of her disease. She was fortunate enough to have a second bone marrow transplant (the first had put her into remission) and she and her husband were going into and through her treatment with high hopes for recovery. While I never met Hanna face to face, I had emailed with her and I looked forward to her email updates. Hanna was 32. She will be sorely missed.
Despite the things I'll be missing, I know what I'm trading it for right now. I know that triathlon will always be there and Team in Training will be there as long as blood cancers need to be cured. I'll rejoin when I can. Until then, I'll focus on the little dude asleep upstairs.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
A sign of things to come?
Today in the car Julian was becoming cranky and I didn't want him to fall asleep (to ensure a good nap at home) so I gave him the XM remote to play with. I didn't think his playing around would impact my listening choice (seeing as he's looking in the opposite direction and all) but it did and I went from listening to Ray Charles to Rob & Big Punisher. Anyone remember that song from 1998, "Still not a player?" After Julian's nonstop flirting on tuesday at our play date with Eve, Sophia, and Cate, I am concerned that I am going to have a real ladies' man on my hands!
"I'm not a player I just crush a lot....." Oh boy.
Eve, Julian, and Sophia watching the snow...and no, we didn't put his hand there.
"I'm not a player I just crush a lot....." Oh boy.
Eve, Julian, and Sophia watching the snow...and no, we didn't put his hand there.Saturday, January 24, 2009
YES WE CAN!
This house has been buzzing with excitement ever since that fateful election night back in November. Oh the hope....here's a pic of me and Julian after we went to the polls, if you haven't seen it already:
Despite this being a blog and the perfect venue for speaking my mind on the current political and economic situation in our nation, I think it's pretty obvious how I feel by the picture above and leave it at that.
We watched the Inauguration coverage from sun up to sun down (and then some) and I am still in awe of everything. I cried during his speech and while I am still wary of politicians in general, I know in my heart of hearts that Obama stands for something completely different. And with that, I will leave you with a little obamacon.me that my friend, Amanda, made on Inauguration day.
Yes we can, folks, yes we can.
Despite this being a blog and the perfect venue for speaking my mind on the current political and economic situation in our nation, I think it's pretty obvious how I feel by the picture above and leave it at that.We watched the Inauguration coverage from sun up to sun down (and then some) and I am still in awe of everything. I cried during his speech and while I am still wary of politicians in general, I know in my heart of hearts that Obama stands for something completely different. And with that, I will leave you with a little obamacon.me that my friend, Amanda, made on Inauguration day.
Yes we can, folks, yes we can.
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