4 month Checkup

Alex just went in for his Four month checkup last week. He's growing up so fast! He's in the 90 percentile for height and weight! Fatty, Fatty Boom Boom. His doctor said we could start him out on pureed fruit since he has a good swallow reflex and head control. What a relief! Dinner time was starting to be a little awkward with an angry baby constantly drooling and grabbing at our food.

Height: 26.2 inches
Weight: 15 lbs 12 oz
Head: 17 inches

He's getting too long for his infant carrier. We decided to try him out in the big boy stroller.

Photo Failure

The Eastern Shore has some amazing hiking trails, parks and waterfronts in the area. We decided to check out the Pickering Creek Audubon Center close to Easton one warm Saturday. We didn't quite make it all the way of the creek, but the place was pretty beautiful. When we got home I proudly pulled out my pics from the day.

Look at that picture I shot of the windmill. Bet you couldn't get that shot? Determined to dunce me my husband states "Did you shoot this on Automatic?" Uh NOOO!

The truth is I shoot all my pictures on automatic. I bought my husband the Nikon D90 for his birthday last year. It was one of those gifts that you really want for yourself, but you buy in the hopes that the other person a. will not really want it, b. see though your lame attempts at buying yourself a gift, or c. wait patiently for their hand-me-downs. But my husband did want the camera! He caught me ordering it from Newegg and proceeded to tell me about add ons that would make the camera even hotter. We decided to "share it" equally and learn the ins and outs of photography. He proceeded to learning about ISO's, shutter speed, F stops, Focus, and all types of other things that make my head go blurry. In the end he learned how to shoot actual pictures, and I learned how to click all the buttons to A.

Now that Alex is here my automatic days may be numbered. How am i supposed to catch him in action on automatic?

And for the record. I meant to make my trees blurry. Ehem.

mommy dreams

It seems like the amount of "bad" children multiply when you appear at the OBGYN...they wait to taunt you about what your future entails. At seven months pregnant I made up my mind that I was not having any bad children after seeing a ridiculous spoiled child at the doctors office. The boy had to be at least six, but refused to walk on his own. He demanded that his dad pick him up and could not comprehend that he was destroying his back. Once the father became too tired from holding him, he attempted to stand him back up on the ground. His toes touched the ground, and the boy instantly started wailing. Every parent in the room shook their head in disbelief, and I was stunned. I muttered to my husband "Bad parenting I assume...We're not having any bad kids."

That's when my mommy dream became real. I think every new parent has elaborate ideas of what they will develop into. While some people have dreams of being that soft cuddly best friend. I imagined that I would be a strict disciplinarian. The type of Mom that has toys organized in certain boxes, that could only be taken out at playtime. There would be a tight schedule with outings, activities, bed time, play time because boundaries must be set. No tantrums or crying children allowed in the Patrick household.

And then Alex came. He started out sweet like a little teddy bear. At the hospital he was stuck by various needles and never shed a single tear. "Maybe he doesn't know how to cry" I stated. We were blessed to have such a calm easy going baby that took long naps and only asked to be fed. He eventually learned how to cry, and it came as a relief to know that he was in fact normal. What baby doesn't cry? The crying slowly increased to a tolerable level until about three months. Now Alexander Gabriel-Akanni Zaid Patrick is destroying my mommy dream. He is cutting my inner control freak, and refusing to take naps during the day. If he could talk Im sure he would say "let me play or else I will cry." All he wants to do is play, play, play. The truth is I'm afraid of his tears, and he knows it; He's milking me for all that Im worth. He usually plays until he reaches a play induced coma, and then passes out. Each day I see my dreams slipping away. Help!

I will not go to sleep!

Fluffiest Pancakes Ever

One of my favorite things to do is to make Sunday breakfast! Its a great time to regroup from the hectic week and sit down for some great family time. Lately we have been slacking with a Bob Evans located close by, but its never too late to get back to the norm. Plus these pancakes give Bob Evans some competition. Make sure you sift the flour. It makes all the difference.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoon white sugar

1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
3 tablespoons room temperature butter diced

Directions


Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Sifting is the most important step! Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg, vanilla and butter. Mix all of the ingredients until smooth and uniform.

Heat a pan of griddle on the stove over medium heat. Pour the batter into the pan, using about 1/3 cup for each pancake. Lightly brown both sides until bater is fully cooked.

*For thinner pancakes add 1/4 cup more of milk

Movie Time

In the past year I have been known to sleep through a movie or two...or maybe three. I'm the first one to say "Lets watch a movie!." Usually the only aspects of the movie that I am able to catch is the intro and the rolling credits at the end (if I'm lucky). Im sure Netflix is loving our wasted membership. I finally finished my first movie in a long time! This one was definitely worth staying up for.

Jerusalema

Jerusalema is the story of Lucky Kunene, a boy who grew up in the slums and eventually rose to be a powerful crime boss. He took over apartment buildings in Johannesburg, South Africa one building at a time. Throughout the film they reference this amazing architectural building that reminds me of the Seattle needle; and is found in the center of Hillbrow, a melting pot neighborhood of immigrants. Lucky Kunene is the King of Hillbrow, or the "representative of the Hillbrow People’s Housing Trust." Lucky is a complex character that has major guts and charisma. I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone who has it listed under their queue, but I love Lucky's almost self hatred; he is both the protagonist and the antagonist in the movie. He goes up against other criminals in the film and refuses to make partnerships with their dealings. Its as though he does not realize that his actions are immoral as well?

A Drooly Holiday

The drool has taken over our lives! Its everywhere from our shoulders to our toes. Hopefully these teeth will come in soon. When will you be make your appearance P and O?

Alex slobbing up his Aunties

We're Legal Baby

A co-worker of mine asked me today if I knew it was legal to breastfeed at work. Yes I did know! But always good to pass on the info. Heres a snipet of the good stuff:

Employers are required to provide “reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for 1 year after the child’s birth each time such employee has need to express the milk.” Employers are also required to provide “a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.”

The FLSA requirement of break time for nursing mothers to express breast milk does not preempt State laws that provide greater protections to employees (for example, providing compensated break time, providing break time for exempt employees, or providing break time beyond 1 year after the child’s birth).

Taken from: http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14389