Happy New Year!

'Tis the Season...

To sit outside by the fire! Christopher is enjoying his Grandpa Bill's visit...Today he turned over for the second time from his tummy with a little help from Grandpa:)

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Remember this other baby...

He is a great big brother

Brrr...

Big Boy!

At 15 weeks Chris weighed in at 14 pounds 4 ounces today!

Proud Mamma!

I know this isn't the greatest quality pic, but I had to capture this big moment...Christopher turned himself over for the first time today after his morning tummy nap. I knew he was getting close, but was so surprised at how effortless it was for him to do so! Here's him looking at me like I'm crazy because I'm cheering with excitement and he doesn't know what the big deal is:)

Full of Smiles and One Unfortunate Owie

Here's Christopher enjoying lunch with my girlfriend Susie and Playtime with the Boppy Bugs...then, a close-up of Chris' head where his bad mommy accidentally bumped his head against the fridge tonight while he was having fun hanging out in the Baby Bjorn until:( Truth be told, I've bumped his head once before on the fridge, what is wrong with me!?!

An Interesting Day...

So my son's football team isn't doing so great this year, but my son's naps however were amazing today! By now most of you know how neurotic my husband and I are as new parents, but this really takes the cake. As I've discussed before, my son is not the best nap taker. Out of the blue today he took an hour & half nap and then two other 45 minute naps without a fight. Instead of being relieved at this, my husband and I of course instantly thought something was wrong. So after the first long nap the thermometer came out:) No temp of course, but after another long nap without a battle I decided to call Christopher's awesome pediatrician's nurse who never gives me a bad time about my often rookie questions...Her response, enjoy it while it lasts! Although she did say he could be getting a little bug that his body is naturally trying to take care of by getting extra rest, and I have had a little cold lately. The whole day he was full of smiles and so peaceful, maybe his colic is NOW officially gone and this is our new baby boy. Either way, I sure enjoyed getting Christmas things done today while he napped.

Getting Out Does a Body Good!

I swear my son and I don't wear matching outfits all the time:)  The rain has stopped for the time being and the sun came out, allowing us a beautiful lunch outdoors at a Bistro close to the studios and Bear's vet.  We first took Bear to the vet for a check-up and then the whole family took advantage of fresh air while we enjoyed a yummy meal away from home.

It's that time of year...

Christmas!  Ah, there is nothing better to wake up to then the smell of pine throughout your house...Unless of course you also have a cute baby boy to wake up to too, who happens to sleep through the night already at 3months old!  Yes, we have had some challenges with this little guy, but I must say we are very lucky because he started sleeping through the night pretty much at 2 months old.  At first we would put him down to bed between 5-6pm, just because he and us were all exhausted from the colic hours.  He then would sleep until 2-3am and go back to sleep again until 4am.  Even though the first stretch we were thankful for, it's rough starting your day off at 4am!  Anyway, now that we have moved past the colic, we now are trying to get Chris to stay up longer so he will get up later in the morning.  So far this month we have moved him to his own room as you already know with great success!  I have now started giving him baths in the evening and have managed the last two nights to put him down at 7pm, which has now pushed is morning rise to 4-5am and then officially up at 6-6:30am...much more civilized:)  Now, on to my next tasks at hand...A better nap schedule with hopefully better naps (at least longer than 10minutes please!), and then on to getting him to go down at night without swaddling.  The later is going to take some time I believe, he still claws at his face when his hands are free.  Already, I'm realizing that tummy time is better for his naps, he just took a 45minute one!   Next week I will start to tackle the swaddling.  Anyway, Chris loves hanging out in his new Bumbo seat even though he can't manage to stay completely upright quite yet, as you can see here at 6:30am this morning in front of our Christmas tree.

Winter is Officially Here...

If there is such a thing in LA.  Anyway, it is for sure cold, but this doesn't stop us from our evening walks we so enjoy!  Who doesn't love the smell of fireplace chimney smoke in the air?

More Firsts...

Today has been a precious, simple day so far.  My boy and I both made it through his first night sleeping in his own crib in his room.  He went to bed at 5:30pm and didn't rise for a feeding until 3:30am.  I was so happy to wake to smiles and giggles.  We managed to get several errands around town done today.  Chris took his first ride in a shopping cart via his car seat.  Christopher now has discovered his tongue, so we now live with the band mats from KISS:).  He also discovered today for the first time how to make noise when blowing bubbles and vibrating his lips...too cute!  And, for some reason, today Chris likes his pacifier...Even though the pediatrician said that she didn't think he was teething yet and I know it's early, I think otherwise based on all the drool and comfort he seems to be getting lately from chomping down on things.  Oh I pray when the real event arrives that it is easier than colic!

Happy 3 Months Christopher!

My cute boys

Poor Bear

Auntie Carol and Ella feeding Chris

Ella entertaining Chris

Silly Grandma Audrey

Ahhh, Another Great GG Eva creation!

Chris eating his greens during tummy time on his new Boppy play area from Angie Sobaje

Discovering Bees

Having a great time in his new Bumbo seat from Grandpa Bill

Big 3-month-old Baby Boy!

I know it has been awhile, I promise to get back in gear here!  Today Chris is officially 3 months old.  At his last pediatrician visit last week he weighed 13 pounds 3 ounces.  He is now really going to town with his hands, discovering new ways to use them everyday...He almost can even hold his own bottle.  He has a smile that brightens each day, already has a lot to say, and still has an appetite that matches the speed in which he is growing.  This Wednesday marks the end of Chris' reflux drugs!  His colic is pretty much gone, thank goodness!  His reflux still bothers him off and on, but nothing like it was.  Through our journey thus far, we are discovering a beautiful baby boy that has both my excessive need to be doing something every minute and Clint's flair for the dramatics:)...Needless to say, Christopher keeps us busy!  Tonight marks the first night that Chris will sleep in his own room, in his own crib, I hope!  Here are some recent pics...

Heaven on Earth

BATHS!  Last night I took a much needed bubble bath to relax and unwind.  It had been way too long, almost a year.  Prior to my pregnancy I took a bath at least 2-3 times a week.  For some crazy reason I decided not to take baths while pregnant, another irrational decision you make when you have been fertility challenged.  I believe now if I would have taken baths while preggo, Christopher probably wouldn't have colic:)  Ahhhh, so relaxing!

A BIG Day

Chris discovering Baby Turtle

Emily and her little girl Penny

Chris and Simon

To some I know this is going to seem trivial, but for us today's lunch date was BIG, for it had been a long while since Christopher and I ventured out into the real world for any sort of fun.  The day started out with Chris letting Mamma sleep-in until 6:30am, Chris grasping and playing with a toy for the first time, then us heading off to Little Toni's (a yummy local Italian deli) to get some sandwiches for our lunch date with our good friend Emily and her son Simon who is 1 week older than Chris. As we headed out for the day I was filled with mix feelings, thrill for this mini-adventure and a little anxiety of how it would all go.  Over the past month we have barely been able to make it around the block for a stroll without Chris breaking out in major protest.  Chris did good at Toni's, one of the guys behind the counter even commented on how good of a baby he was...He only protested a little towards the end of our purchase.  Then it was off to the Chamberlains, Chris fell asleep to G n R.  We arrived a little early so I drove around the neighborhood while Chris slept, soaking in the fresh air and fall leaves that surrounded us.  When Chris woke up we were inside the Chamberlain's home and he smiled at the sight of Simon, such a sweet moment:).  The rest of the day was simply perfect.  Emily and I got the chance to hang out and enjoy our yummy sandwiches and babies together.  We even managed a walk around the neighborhood together...Alright, Chris still protested a little at being in the stroller, but the moment I picked him up he was content the rest of the walk.   No major fits!  It was sooooo nice to get out...I know it did Chris and I both good!

2 Months

12 pounds 4 ounces

22 3/4 inches

Yes, two posts in one night...Need to Catch-up!

From Dark Days...

Rebecca and Chris                                  

Joshua and Chris

Jennifer, Kaethen, and Chris

and, Our great neighbor Phil and Chris

So, it has been awhile...Over the past two weeks Christopher hit his peek in colic/acid reflux (at least I hope this was the worst of it), and I hit my peek in exhaustion and frustration!  During this period of time Clint was working 12-14 hour days, so I was operating solo for the most part.  I managed along, but I couldn't of done it without our wonderful neighbors support and once again my girlfriend Jennifer.  Our neighbor Phil walked our dog Bear everyday during this time and often held Chris during his colic time, which like clockwork starts at 3pm everyday.  Phil's wife Bonnie brought me over dinner most of these nights.  One night they made the most scrumptious pork chops and mashed potatoes...a great comfort during this time!  Then, my girlfriend Jen, along with her one-year-old son Kaethen, came to the rescue for the weekend.  Without this support, I really would of been over the edge!  Even though we have no family close by, we are so blessed with the neighbors and friends that surround us.  The other day Clint's friends Joshua and Rebecca brought over a homemade pot of soup and an apple tart for lunch.  It is through this support that we are slowly but surely managing our way through the craziness.   Although Clint and I knew having a baby would forever change our lives, I can honestly say we were not quite prepared for colic coupled with acid reflux:)  We will not miss you when you are gone!

One a positive note, we went to the GI specialist the other day and after examining Christopher he didn't feel there was any serious health concern or damage from the reflux.  So we are slowly taking Chris off his meds and praying for brighter days for our boy soon! 

I need Tummy Time!

Christopher loves his new tummy time naps.  Finally a position during the day that eases his discomfort and allows him to sleep more than 10 minutes.  Now, if only I could have tummy time...I'm starting to feel a wee bit like a zombie from the lack of sleep:)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Mini Monster

Went to the doc today to get a follow-up exam...Looks like the final verdict is still acid reflux probably along with colic.  I guess this kid was destined to get some tummy troubles since both Clint and I had problems when we were babies as well:(  Good news is that it seems either the new soy formula or prevacid is starting to take effect and we are almost to the peek time of such tummy problems.  Oh, how I long for the day my little guy doesn't have so much pain in his belly to deal with.  In the mean time, the doc also said Chris should have lots of time on his tummy to help ease the discomfort, even supervised naps.  So instead of "Hammer Time" in our house, it's "Tummy Time"!  I think this Halloween onesie is very appropriate for my poor little screamer; a gift from our good friend Carol's sister.  

Happy Birthday to Me!

So, I started my birthday off at DMV this morning in Glendale (the one place you don't want to be on any day!).  Signs of a new mother...waiting until today, the day my license expires, to renew it, and not putting on any makeup for my new license photo.  Although I had to wait in line over an hour, it sure beat yesterday's events...my little boy screaming in pain all day from acid reflux (finally broke down and decided to give him the meds) and my other little on, Bear, throwing up because he is so upset that Christopher is crying so much.  I'm not meaning to complain, I will take these days any day over crazy days in production dealing with adult babies whining:)  When I got back from DMV my baby boy gave me the greatest b-day gift, his smiles during his late morning bath:)  The doc said it would probably be three days before we see the meds start to take effect, but Chris seems better today...we are hopeful!

A Night Out Alone

Clint and I bought tickets to the U2 concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl a long time ago as a gift to each other for our birthdays.  I don't particularly love large crowds, but they are the one group that I will endure the masses for.  We knew we would have our son by this time, but figured we would be ready to have someone watch him since he would almost be 2 months old.  As I've probably mentioned before, we are so blessed by our neighborhood and neighbors, really they are worth the big mortgage we pay every month!  Our neighbor Cindy up the street offered to come to our house to watch the little man for us.  She has a nephew who just turned one that she has been watching since birth so she assured me all would be fine and to just go have a good time!  Well, surprisingly getting to the concert wasn't so bad (over 96 thousand attendance predicted).  We did have to park over 20 miles away, but good exercise.  Our seats were awesome, 10 rows away from the ground level(should be for the price we paid!).  U2 was their typical amazing selves, the best band ever in my opinion!  I, however have to admit that the whole time I thought about my son:)  We left the concert a 1/2 hour early to avoid the exit crowds and it's a good thing because it took us forever to find our car.  Luckily we got out of there in time to bet the major rush.  All-in-all it was a fun evening and Christopher did well with Cindy.  My son even slept-in until 4:30am this morning to give mamma a break from her late night...such a sweet boy!

1st Road Trip

Christopher ready for the trip

Bear in his travel spot 

The delicious chocolate/cappuccino shower cake

The amazing shower backdrop, my mother-in-law's backyard

The picture perfect table settings

Carol and baby Rocco

Cousin Sharon and Clint

Melissa and Me and our precious Baby Boys

Grandma Parsons

Grandma Horasanian

Grandpa Horasanian

GG #1, Great Grandma Curry

Grandpa Paul and Chris, early morn

Grandma Audrey and Chris singing, or rather screaming!

GG #2, Great Grandma Kasparian

GG Kasparian's adorable homemade bonnet

Ahhh...all the boys are in bed and I'm writing two postings in one day while eating shortbread cookies from an amazing bakery in Fresno that my mother-in-law got me, it has been a good day!  Last weekend we headed-out on our first road trip with the boy to Fresno for a shower Clint's mom was throwing us and a chance to meet the rest of Clint's family and friends.  Christopher handled himself really well on the ride thanks to some Billy Corgan (Papa would think:)) and the paci.  The shower was a page out of a Martha Stewart magazine.  Christopher made the rounds with the ladies, he truly was cuddled and loved all day!  This weekend was especially special because Christopher got to meet both his Great Grandmas, yes he has two GGs!  Here are some pics from last weekend...