Head of the Class

There haven't been "official" rankings, but I'm sure my little guy is at the top of his class (seen here). He's younger, sure. He's smaller. And, okay, he doesn't crawl, walk or eat actual food. But, he's very clearly advanced. According to reports, he's "happy" and "attentive" nearly every day. We've also just received his first evaluation from daycare and it was glowing.


He's added rolling over (from belly to back) and squawking to his bag of tricks, and will "stand" when you hold him and is just beginning to arch his back and reach when he's about to be picked up. We're delighted with the occasional giggle and is also progressing in his social skills. As I understand it, is starting to put the moves on the girls in his class.

In addition to his evaluation, his teachers commented on his friendly demeanor. Turns out that he and one girl in particular (sitting on the lap of the teacher in the red shirt in the class photo) have been caught holding hands in class. Interestingly enough, she was also supposed to be a lobster for Halloween. (Turns out the costume was too hot and she cried. She ended up staying in her Pumpkin garb.) Lobsters are monogamous, so this could be a potentially long-term relationship. While a lobster will mate for life with another lobster, I'm still unclear as to whether a lobster will mate with a pumpkin.

Sam's still battling his cold (we're nearing the 2-month mark), but takes his medicine like a champ. The docs tell me that's normal, especially since he goes to daycare. Their advice: "Get used to it. It's going to be a long winter."

During his latest trip to the doctor, Sam tipped the scales at 14 pounds, 10 ounces. He continues to grow, but didn't even come close to the Thanksgiving turkey, which weighed in at 21 pounds (without stuffing).

He seems to have all of the classic teething symptoms, but we can't see any pearly whites poking through his gums just yet. Maybe he'll be more determined once we tell him about all of the yummy food that gets put out during the holiday season.

Mmm...seafood.

Who knew you could get such good seafood here in Chicago? As you all know, I loove Halloween and, in the past, have always gotten a costume for Louie. Well, just IMAGINE my excitement at having a little baby to dress up this year! Unfortunately for the dog, it doesn't mean he's off the hook. Now, just IMAGINE my excitement at finding a lobster costume for BOTH OF THEM. Odd...neither of them were nearly as excited. Party poopers.

There was a Halloween parade at daycare, so Sam marched (er, rolled in a big stoller-thingee) through the halls with an elephant, a couple of pumpkins, the Easter Bunny, Eyore, a strawberry and a spider. He and Louie both donned their costumes again that night, but they were pretty short lived.

I've been traveling alot, so there's been a lot of "guy" time at the Mendez house. Everyone seemed to do quite well and Sam never once wore dripped cheese or wing sauce, so it was a pretty successful week. (Not sure how Adrian fared.)

Poor Sam headed back to the doctor and apparently has bronchitis. He's got some medicine now, so I think we're headed in the right direction. (And it's that yummy pink bubble gum stuff. I totally forgot how good that was!) The boogie monster continues to be his mortal enemy. The little man is packing on the pounds too, as he was 14 pounds, 10 oz. at his appointment.

Sam pretty much has his hands or fists in his mouth as long as he's awake and there's a lot of gnawing and drooling going on. We can't feel any teeth coming through, so we're not sure if that's the cause...or that he just likes to chew on stuff. Thinking of giving him Louie's extra kong.

Extended warranties and blow outs

I've never been a believer in purchasing extended warranties...$149 for an extra three years of coverage? No thanks. Well, that is until now. Now that I'm a parent, I've learned that you have to look at things from a different perspective. Instead of having the confidence in knowing that my things will be treated well and cared for (well, at least the big ticket items), Adrian and I now live in a world of uncertainty, never knowing what bizarre thing our son will decide to do to the fridge, car, TV...or washing machine. At three months old, he's not EXACTLY to blame...but his itty-bitty blue sock is. Turns out those things can get sucked through those itty-bitty holes and get lodged in the gears of the machine. Making it impossible to run and impossible to remove. Unless you're an overpriced repair service whose earliest appointment is in two-and-a-half weeks. So, for $199.48, I've learned an important lesson: go ahead and get the extra coverage.

Despite SockGate, our little guy continues to do well. He's found his thumbs and fists and they are permanently covered in drool. The way he sucks on them, I really think he thinks he might get some milk out of there yet. He's still a big smiler and chats with us (and his toys) a lot. The mobile on his crib and the bouncey seat continue to be big favorites and we've recently started putting him in the exersaucer (I'll post a pic next time, for those of you - like me - who are relatively new to the baby lingo).

He's not a big napper and usually takes about three cat naps throughout the day. He's settled into a bit of a routine and is mostly sleeping through the night. Adrian and I swtich off our "on duty" nights and he accuses me of putting him to bed too early when it's his shift. (It's all lies.)

Adrian has yet to cash in his "coupons" for diaper changing, but I think he may start using them any day now. We've also experienced our first real "blow out." I fail to understand the physics, but apparently when he's in a standing position in the exersaucer, it causes the, ahem, poop to travel extensively. All. Over. The. Place. I have to admit, I was intimidated. Until I realized there were scissors in the changing table supplies. Yes! Adrian was ready for a Silkwood type of hose-down, but we settled for cutting off the onesie (and throwing it away) and a regular ol' bath.

It's turned a bit chilly up here, so we're bundling him up a bit more and have mastered the getting on and off of the coat. He's outgrown a lot of his clothes, so another shipment is going to our friend, who's scheduled to arrive in early December.

We headed to the pumpkim patch earlier today, but it was a bit too chilly to stay very long. Halloween is right around the corner and, of course, he will be celebrating this oh-so-fun holiday. Stay tuned for pictures!

Take-Your-Kid-To-Work Day

As you all know, my career has elevated to the corner office here at KMPR headquarters. It's not for lack of hard work, despite my role as a new mom. Here at KMPR, we recognize the national Take-Your-Kid-To-Work Day, although we recognize it on random days and at random hours. I've included photos from our latest corporate event.

Peanut's doing well and seems to finally be shaking his cold. We've affectionately named the aspirator we use to clean his nose "The Boogie Monster" and he continues to truly hate it. Hopefully this will be the last cold for awhile. We're pricing bubbles for him to live in until cold and flu season ends next spring.

He's moving right along and seems to be doing the things that our books say he should be doing. He's grabbing his hands in front of him, smiling at his favorite toys (our family room light fixture continues to be an odd favorite) and drooling like Louie at dinnertime.

Adrian and I continue to do our duty as Georgia alumni, making sure Sam sees all of the games, even if we have to pay $25 for it on pay-per-view. As you all may know, we suffered our first loss of the season to those good-for-nothing Tennessee Volunteers. Also included here is a photo of Sam as the clocked ticked down to zero.

It's official...

Peanut is no longer the smallest creature in our house. During his latest well baby check-up on Friday, Sam tipped the scales at 12 pounds and 8 ounces, and now outweighs Phil the cat by a full 8 ounces. I guess it will be awhile before he surpasses Louie, who's at 80 pounds and counting...with each and every cookie he tricks me into giving him.

Sam's growing tall, too, and is now 23-3/4 inches long, putting him in the 75th percentile for both weight and height. He's only in the 25th percentile for head circumference (but the doc said that was fine), apparently inheriting the "pea head" that Adrian accuses me of having.

Our little guy's also got his first cold, but it's not been too bad. A stuffed up nose and a lot of protesting when we try to clean it for him. The pediatrician said to run a humidifier for him, which not only will help his cold, but should also serve as that white noise he loves so much.

It's not slowing down his playtime though. He's spending more and more time with his little play mat thingee (seen here) and chatting it up with his friends on his mobile. We're also giving him more and more "tummy time," encouraging him to learn to push up on his arms. He still pretty much hates it and doesn't hesitate to tell us so.

Crying in the parking lot...

Last Monday was Sam's first day at day care and, you guessed it, I sat in the parking lot and cried. I didn't do too bad, though. Was only there a few minutes. heh heh. He's going three days a week, which is a BIG help with getting things done work-wise. His "teachers" seem nice and they're all very attentive. He's already scored himself a girlfriend. Turns out Maya, who's about 10 months or so, has taken a shine to him and helps rock him in the little bouncer chairs. She even cries when I come to pick him up.

Mimi and Grandpa Fred and Tia Ladonna were here over the weekend to visit with their favorite 2-month-old. We took it easy on Fred and didn't require him to move any furniture or install any ceiling fans, so he's likely to come back again. And, of course, Mimi was happy to take the 6 a.m. shift. (And we were happy to give it to her.) Ladonna managed to shake her reputation for making Sam poop and was able to pick him up and hold him without triggering any bodily functions.

He's starting to reach for toys more and more, so we're making sure to show him lots of different ones. We're still working on getting him to hold his little football, but that still may be a bit advanced.

We're enjoying nights of sleep, as Sam's still generally sleeping from 10ish to 6ish...woohoo! He's a big fan of white noise, so we've added a loud fan to his room and, if all else fails, the vacuum cleaner is a sure bet. At least if he's fussy, my family room is dog hair free!

He's headed to the pediatrician later this week for his two-month check-up, so check back this weekend for more Peanut news.

P.S. Louie was getting jealous, so we told him he had his own blog, too. Shhhhh.

Cheese!

Our little guy's been smiling and smiling a lot lately and has even started to "talk" with us a little bit. Sam's also started playing more with his toys and seems to be reaching for them a bit. Our books tell us that we'll begin to see more and more of that, as he figures out that his hands are actually his.

Believe it or not, he's already outgrown some of his clothes, but we're sending them off to another little peanut in Cincinnati that's scheduled to arrive just before Christmas...even though his mom and dad are Auburn fans. We're sending some red-and-black and hoping for early intervention.

We've been working hard to keep Sam on a schedule and have been justly rewarded, as he's been sleeping through the night most nights. We've also started a bit of a bed time routine, so he knows it's time for nighty-night.

I'm sure you've all been keeping up with UGA, who's 3-0 so far this season. Sam's receiving the proper education in Georgia cheers and football tradition. He's also been expanding his, ahem, vocabulary.

Isn't it GREAT?!

Isn't it "great" to have a great grandson? That's pretty much what Mary and Ann thought over Labor Day weekend when they got to meet the newest addition to the family. Ann couldn't get Sam out of his stroller fast enough and the little guy seemed to hang on every word that his Great Grandma Snooks said to him. (She was probably telling him about the latest gossip from the beauty shop.)

Sam and I took our first road trip and he proved to be quite a trooper, even when we had to pull over to the side of the road in what I later learned was a horrendous thunderstorm with a tornado watch. Eek. He slept for the whole four hours on the way there and most of the time on the way home. (Believe it or not, slept right through the loud thunder and hard rain.)

He's smiling a lot more these days and is enjoying the sights and sounds of the house and his toys. Adrian and I are now staunch advocates of both the swing and the bouncey seat....what engineering marvels!

Louie seems to understand that we've got things under control (yeah, right) and politely relocates to another room when the crying interrupts his endless nap. Phil, well, continues to nap.

Look-y, look-y, look-y....

That's what Sam's been doing this week....looking at everything. He's been watching his mobile and all of the little animals dangling from his play mat. He's also spending more and more time awake during the day....which is great sometimes (like when we can watch him look around) and not-so-great sometimes (like when he's crying and crying for no apparent reason).

We've also seen a few smiles this week, which pretty much makes us turn to complete mush. (And, before you ask, no we're pretty sure it's not gas. He IS Adrian's son and he never smiles when he passes gas. Sometimes he laughs right afterwards, but never smiles during the actual act.)

His eyes are still a deep blue...which I think are so pretty. I mean, handsome. Whatever. Adrian's hoping they change to brown since he and I both have brown eyes. (You think this is a bad time to mention that the mailman has blue eyes?)

Took it like a man

Today was Sam's one-month check-up and the doc says he's doing great. New stats include a weight of 9lbs. 6 oz. (up almost three pounds from his birth weight), a height of 22" (a one-inch gain) and head circumference of 15" (up from 13"). By the way, when do they stop measuring that? Guess I should find out what mine is.

The little man also got one vaccination...and took it like a man. He cried more when I had to take his onesie off. Which, in hindsight, doesn't make him seem so tough.

The doctor was happy with how everything is going and warned me that the next 6-8 weeks will be trying, as that's a typically fussy time for babies. Coincidentally, I read in one of my books today a suggestion that we may have to keep in mind. Earplugs. heh heh. Seems like a joke....but I promise it was in there!

He goes back in another month for his next check-up and will get four shots at that appointment. Better pack the Tylenol.

Can you be half-asleep AND multi-task?

This week we celebrated Adrian's birthday with a picnic in the park (where he now works) and, unfortunately, Subway. I had grand plans to pack a nice lunch, maybe make something sort of special. No. Not happening. Not anymore. I'm learning (very slowly, I might add) that the time it used to take to do five things is now only enough for two. Guess I'll have to refine the art of multi-tasking.


Sam is continuing to do well and seems to be growing right before our eyes. (I just read that babies do most of their actual growing while they're asleep. How do they KNOW that stuff?) Adrian and I are working out our schedules - first night shift vs. second night shift - and Sam is occasionally surprising us by only getting up once during the night. So, in essence, our planning goes out the window and we both stumble down the hall half-asleep.


We are sharing "feeding" duties and keeping a journal of what he eats and at what time..hoping that will give us some sort of insight into establishing a schedule. Looks like 5 oz. for Sam and a full 12 oz. for Adrian.

A Peanut that eats like a pig....

Peanut's completed a full three weeks and, I would imagine, is packing on the pounds already. We don't go for a doctor check-up until next week, but he's eating like a champ. All of the baby books say to expect a newborn to eat 2-3 oz. of formula at a time. Not our guy. He's routinely chugging down 4 oz. and has even put away 6 oz. in one sitting. He'll grow into those feet yet!

We finally got a break from the heat up here, so we ventured out for our first "walk." It was uneventful...he slept the whole time and Adrian and I marveled at the size of the stroller. Man, those things are huge!

Adrian and I stood up yesterday as godparents for our friends Sherri and Derek and their two girls, Lauren and Maddie. Sam was the perfect gentleman during the ceremony and slept the whole time. We headed back for some post-baptism BBQ and the kids hung out together. Imagine the trouble they'll get into when they're actually able to get out of these seats!

A little wet behind the ears...

...and baby doesn't like it.

It was Sam's second week home and time for a bath. He did not enjoy it and I think I legitimately hurt his feelings...over and over again. Since Sam's arrival, Louie has taken on the role of protective older brother and continuously paced behind me and whined, clearly alerting me to some sort of problem. He's become a master of the obvious, sort of like Lassie's slow cousin.


Luckily, Grandma Linda (who recently decided not to join the YaYa sisterhood) was in town for a visit and managed to calm Sam as well as the dog. During her time here, she also confused the garage door with the closet door only once (a new record!) and learned how to use her digital camera and printer. It doesn't appear that she'll be nearly as far behind with developing and/or printing photos of Sam as she was with her own children. (Not that I'm at all bitter about those photos from my 10th birthday that were developed along with my college graduation pics.)

It was a pretty big week for Sam, as he had lots of visitors, including two very pretty Kunesh girls. As it often goes when a group of kids gets together, things got a bit out of hand. The Kunesh girls teamed up on him, and I heard something about making a SAMwich and some sort of mention of a threesome. We'll have to watch them a bit more closely next time they come over.