We, I mean, SHE did it.

This is how we expected to find Maren and Piglet when we got home...

Tonight we went to my best friend's daughter's Montessori school auction. It was a sweet, nice event and we were home by 9:00. We left Piglet with our trusty babysitter Maren, the ONLY person outside of my parents who has ever babysat for us. It was her second time and she did a fabulous job the first time, so I had MUCH less anxiety about leaving Piglet at home tonight. I'm pretty sure that was a run-on sentence. Anyway. Piglet is a very light sleeper unless he's being held and also nurses to sleep (yes, I KNOW this is a terrible habit) so we figured he would drift off and she would just hold him until we got home. I mean, that's the ONLY way to deal with Piglet at bedtime when mom's not around, right? I said, RIGHT?

Um, ahem. 

WRONG!!!

We came home to find an empty handed Maren and a SLEEPING IN HIS CRIB Piglet. 

IN HIS C R I B, PEOPLE. 

The place were I only put him when I have to run and pee or something. This is big stuff!

So, I just want to send a big holla out to Maren for her excellent baby whispering and sleep training skills. Thank you and GOOD NIGHT!

PS - I am still completely shocked that he is in his crib and snoozing away.

Night #2 Update: The remainder of last night went as well as could be expected with Piglet waking three times and taking about between 5-20 minutes to go back down each time. Tonight he went down in eight minutes and there's been no stirring at all so far. By George, I think we've got it.  

Piglet's family Look-alike Meter

Wayyyyy back in August '08 I ran our pictures through this clever site to end the "who does Piglet look like more" debate. Back then the results came back 50/50. Today I ran it with recent pictures and I WIN! He looks 6% more like moi (taking graceful bow)! Haha! All you peeps who say he looks just like his dad - you are sorely mistaken. So there.

If you want to give this a whirl, just go here. It's genius, but be warned, this can be totally addictive! Last time I spent hours running all our family pictures through it.

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Piglet gets dressed up.

We recently traveled to Boulder, Colorado for Piglet's aunt's wedding (my SIL) and Piglet got a chance to get dressed up for the occasion. Arguably, Piglet is always a little dressed up, but this was his first time in dress pants that need to be dry cleaned. :)

Here he is in his rehearsal dinner outfit.  

His wedding outfit.  The bowtie was a big hit with the ladies.

Ready or not?

Lately I feel like Piglet needs me more than usual.  Needs me closer.  Needs to cuddle more.  Needs to make sure I'm right there behind him while he plays.  He's always been a Velcro-baby, stuck to me right out of the shute, so I'm used to it, but my sixth sense tells me his Velcro is super sticky these days.  Suffice to say the weaning is not going very well.  He just isn't interested in becoming more independent yet even though he's very strong-willed and opinionated, right now he just seems to need and want his momma 24/7.   

This makes me feel so conflicted about our upcoming IVF cycle for another baby because I sense that Piglet is telling me that he's not ready for a sibling, not just yet...that he still needs some more undivided attention and time as an only child.  For his sake, I wish that I could wave a magic wand and wait until next year when he's two and can be reasoned with a *tiny* bit more. But, alas, my cyst-free ovaries won't stay that way forever or maybe not even for 5-6 months and another surgery to remove cysts would most likely result in me losing at least one of my ovaries.  And also, to be perfectly honest and completely selfish, I love the prospect of being pregnant again.  I've never felt so vibrant and happy in all my life.  It was amazing. The end result is pretty fantastic too.  

So we are still moving ahead this spring in hopes of having another miracle baby and giving Piglet a sibling.  Ready or not!!!  For Piglet I believe it's the latter.  Poor thing.  But he'll thank me later when he has someone to push around, right? 

Vacation's all I ever wanted...vacation had to get away.

We recently escaped to Palm Desert for about a week. We were supposed to stay for five days but the weather was so gorgeous, I wistfully said "I wish we could stay another day..." and dh granted my wish!  What a great hubby he is!  So what is it about the desert that makes it so inviting?  I'll tell you what - barely two hours non-stop from PDX, great restaurants, sun, sun and more sun. We NW dwellers start to crave sunshine in a primal way about this time of year so dh  and I try to make it down there once or twice a year. Though we did go to the Oregon Coast with my family last summer, this was our first, "get on an airplane and stay in a hotel with Piglet" vacation.  Actually, we stayed in a villa on the hotel property.  It was awesome to have a full kitchen and separate dining and living spaces with a one year-old!  They even provided us with a pack n' play and highchair.  That was sweet, yo.  

We took sunny walks all around the property, lounged by the kiddie pool and I even got several hours all by myself at the pool.  We ate at great restaurants and soaked in the sun.  One day I got to go to the king of all outlet malls.  For those who don't know me, that's equivalent to the Mother Ship calling me home. Seriously.  It was a great little get away and I can't wait to go back!  If our next IVF is successful (please, please let it work) it might even be our babymoon destination.  

Here are some pictures from our sunny stay in the desert.  I took all of them.  Enjoy. 

PS - Don't be too jealous, this trip was followed by a visit to my in-laws.  Enough said.  If I were smarter, I would've planned the trips in reverse order!!!

Piglet's Lucky 13 Month Update

This is late, but here it is, month #13. :)

The past month, unlike all other months, seemed to travel at a normal speed, not lightning fast like the past twelve.  Maybe it's because Piglet's big milestone birthday already happened or that my surgery is behind us.  Or maybe this is what happens every January after the holidays are over and done with for another year.  I can't explain it any better, but it sure seems like the month of January was a long one.  

In any case, Piglet turned one month older and he is picking things up so fast now.  I never cease to be amazed when I teach him something one day and the next he's doing it like he's been doing it for years.  Or YEAR rather.  He is only one year old afterall.  :)  The other day he asked me to turn on the light on the hood of our range.  I took the opportunity to point to the burners and say "Hot!  No no no, okay?"  The next day my dad was holding Piglet, he again asked to turn on the light in the hood.  After letting out a satisfied squeal of delight, he then looked my dad squarely in the eye, pointed to the burners and wagged his finger the same way I did the day before, saying "no no no."  We all cracked up.  So he's learning AND remembering after only singular experiences.  If he inherited my excellent elephant-like memory (dh says it's like being married to Columbo) then we're all in trouble.  

Stats: All the same except possibly adding about half a pound. 

Piglet LOVES

• Learning new signs
• doing party tricks on demand
• squealing "DaDaaaaaaa!!!!" when dh comes home
• watching us play Rock Band
• cars
• dogs
• Miss Sarah
• TV.  Yes, we are guilty.  
• Tillamook Medium Cheddar 
• Gerber Yogurt Melts, preferably strawberry
• books, books and more books (this proves he is our child)
• making you laugh
• not wearing pants, or a diaper for that matter
• hanging out in the pack n' play for short periods, we call it jail :)
• being carried on your back in the Ergo or backpack
• sitting on your shoulders
• sitting in Piglet-sized chairs
• crusty french bread
• orange juice

Piglet is OVER

• restaurant highchairs
• sleeping in the car (bummer)
• afternoon naps
• too many people in one place
• rear-facing car seats, front facing rocks
• toast
• most of his hand-held baby toys
• sleeping with any lights on 
• having his diaper changed
• being spoon fed

I'm stewing.

(Here is a picture of Piglet looking pensive because I could not find one of myself, and I've decided posts without pictures are boooooring, yo.)

Surgery is over. I'm on the mend.  Piglet is night-weaned (only through the grace of God and because of dh's unending patience).  I am Googling blogs about IVF for second babies. I'm obsessing about the coming four or five months. I cannot stop thinking about and planning the next series of events in our lives.  My brain just prattles on and on even when I beg it to

S T O P.  

It's like my brain is one of those tickers on the trading floor at the NYSE.  

Here are the top things I'm stewing about / must do before we start the IVF process again:

I.  Gradually wean Piglet entirely.  This is the foremost and most challenging task.  So challenging in fact that I can't quite get my head around it.  Piglet is proving to be extremely difficult t0 wean and I am S T R E S S E D.

 

II. Go on a trip for four or five days all by myself so that we can fully accomplish #1.  I don't believe it will happen otherwise.  Still deciding where to go but will probably be to Hotlanta to visit Rebecca and Rach.

III. Take Piglet and Der Hund (and my darling husband of course) to the coast for a long weekend.  This kid needs to experience the Oregon Coast with his dog before he potentially becomes a big brother.  

IV. Decide about preschool for Piglet.  Should we do something this coming fall?  Should we wait it out until he's the more traditional age of three?  Montessori? Waldorf?  Co-op? 

V. Start acupuncture again.  (I am in LOVE with my acupuncturist. She got me through my first two rounds of IVF.  She's my lucky charm).  Start taking the extra special, holy-crap those are expensive, prescription prenatals again.  Lose five pounds.  I could stand to lose ten, but what's the point when I will gain them back from fertility meds?  I lumped these all together because in my brain's filing system, these go together under "health and wellness."  See?  Even my brain is organized.  Just another reminder that I'm crazy.  Holla!

Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled counting sheep program.

The giggles.

Piglet had a nasty case of the giggles the other day. I thought you all might enjoy it, but don't get too close. He's contagious. :)

Be mine.

In honor of the upcoming PINK and RED holiday, I thought I'd post a picture of my sweethearts. No other reason really, other than they're MINE. So there.

A real boy haircut.

As some of you might remember, Piglet got his first haircut at the end of November. At the time I told the stylist "Cut it but don't make him look 18!"  She did a great job and Piglet's hair was tamed...but not for long.  I swear cutting it made it only grow in faster and thicker!  I would've gotten it cut again in December but the blasted snow kept much of anything from happening then. We tried to get it cut again in January, went back to the same darling salon but Piglet was having NONE OF IT.  Just goes to show you, you can't take a kid with no nap at the end of a long day out and ask him to sit in the yellow car while someone flashes sharp things around his head.  I kind of don't blame him.  Anyway, haircut part II did happen but I'd say was minimally successful!  So, after just two weeks, and dh saying he looked like a "wild animal" we were off for haircut number three.  This time we went for convenience and had dh's stylist cut Piglet's hair right after he got his own haircut. We also skipped the car and just let him sit on mom's lap. I wouldn't say he was THRILLED, but he sat still and was amused by the barber shop dog Oscar.  Dh's stylist took the words "boy cut" to heart and we came out with a very shorn little boy!  He even used the CLIPPERS.  It's cute, but oh my goodness it is SHORT.  I can't wait for it to grow back a little.  I miss that one curl on the left side of his head.  

Here are some pictures of Piglet with his real boy haircut. I swear I cried.  I might cry every time he gets his hair cut.  Well, maybe not when he really is 18 and doesn't just look like it!

PS - In the second picture I look like I'm making some gang sign but really I was trying to hold Piglet's hand so he wouldn't bat at this scissors.  

This is funny.

On our way to the hospital at the crack of dawn, there was a TON of dense fog.  I thought you all might find the conversation dh and I had amusing.

dh: Wow, I can't believe how thick the fog is.  I can barely see anything!

me: I know, it's crazy.  Hm, this must be what it's like to live in your brain every day.

dh: Bahahahahahaaa.  That reminds me - don't die.

me: Don't die?

dh: Yes, because if you die it'll be like having my seeing eye dog die.  

me: Bahhahahahahahaaaaaaa! (If I would've been allowed to have something to drink, it would've come out my nose I laughed so hard!)

At least we know how to have a good laugh at our own expense even when we're stressed and worried.  It's the little things that get you through the tough times.  Happy Superbowl Sunday everyone!