CAPTIONS ONLY! So Many Pictures!!

Lathan today outside with Zebe--Andy babysat and had him bundled up for some AM gardening!

Such a cute face and what awesome knits!  Lovely blankie from Fran and a killer toque from Marcie Schwartz!

Bundled up again...can't believe how cold it was yesterday afternoon!  

One more pensive shot.  It's as if he's staring right through you!

Let the drool flow.  That's been his mantra for the last couple of weeks.  Zebe and Lamby take the brunt of it (although Mommy's shoulder needs a frequent wringing out as well)!  Chew, chew, chew!

Coco got lucky during our Mother's day supper and was able to hold Lathan for some family viewing!  Most of the day he was a Mommy only kid (apropos considering it's Mother's day!)

Not a great shot of me but Lathan has a hysterical mug in this one.  It looks like I was testing out a baby toupee on him with my locks!

All the dads at our baby class cookout on Saturday.  These are 5 our of 8 from our childbirth class that we took pre-baby!  This was the first time Andy and I had seen the other parents and their babies.  It was awesome to see the resemblances and of course it was great to share stories!  

Only one little girl in the whole class...man, she has her pick!

The mommies!

The babies (in birth order).  Lathan's first on the left!

Chillin' on the back porch with Mooshu & Lathan.

Going on our daily garden walk.

Lathan's favorite activity with Daddy!  Apparently Andy got some guffaw's out of him today with this trick!  Flying baby! Usually when I do that I whistle the StarTrek theme song.  Yep, someday he'll know his parents are Trekkies and be like "what dorks!".

AWWWWW!  Check out this adorable baby bird that Andy found in the yard.  He hadn't yet learned to fly but he could talk...check out the open beak on this little one.  Andy's the critter whisperer.

I can't resist photographing a cute Lathan moment, even if it means shooting in a mirror.  He just looks so cute dangling from his Baby Bjorn.  Especially in his prison break-out suit :)

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

Well, it's been an eventful two-ish weeks since the last post with lots of ups and a couple of downs. Lathan's growing by leaps and bounds and he just gets cuter and funnier every day.
We're all loving that it's spring so we've been out in the garden a bunch, out for walks and out to the Garden Supply Company for lots of supplies! Not only do they have great planties but they have a kitty (always a bonus) and a blue merle great dane (like Khan!).

It's beautiful out there and one of Lathan's new favorite places. Yesterday we went out with Coco and shopped for plants for her window boxes. It was a beautiful Saturday, lots of people out, and Lathan took a ride in our "Baby Bjorn". He loves Swedish design :)

Sadly, our big down was that a couple of weeks ago we lost our beloved kitty Skippy. He was getting up there (16 years old--if you figure in dog years that's 112!) but was still frisky. He frequently chased & swatted at his doggie counterpart MooShu and loved to lay in the sunshine. Anyway...we're terribly sad to see him go. He was the best cat Andy or I have every known. I'm not going to elaborate here since those that knew him have already heard the stories. Suffice it to say, he was dearly loved.


Well, to perk things back up a bit--we've been busy in the yard, Andy's been getting tomatoes ready to go in the ground (yep, we're a bit behind...a baby can slow things down a bit). Lots of other things are really popping out though. Andy loves what he calls his "old lady flowers"- or evening primrose and I'm loving our fancy Iris' They're purpliscious.

Work's been crazy with a couple of big events and budgeting (ugh!) so those are some other things that have been holding up the blogging. We're really starting to see the opening of the new building on the horizon so plans are heating up. It is less than a year away now! WOW. They're finally getting to placing the new "skin" on the building so it's looking more finished these days. Work on the "plaza", the link between the old & new buildings (or the east & west buildings as we're supposed to say!) has started as well. That's where the bulk of the opening events will take place. It really is going to be lovely when finished...especially all the new landscaping. Can't wait.

So, I'm really looking forward to my first Mother's day as a mom coming up next weekend. Sounds like we'll have a good group out to Coco & Poppy's house for some good eats! There are so many things to celebrate in May--Mother's Day, Dad's Birthday, Andy & my anniversary, Andy's mom's birthday (LouAnne), Fran's Birthday and...am I forgetting anything? Jeez. That's enough right there! I guess we won't have any graduations to deal with for a while (whew!)

It's a blast to see how Lathan's developing. He's getting really strong and can hold his head up really well these days. We do a lot of "pull up" and tummy time exercises that keep him on his toes. Speaking of toes, he really loves to stand and I'm sure he'll be running around the house in no time! He'll probably walk before he crawls, he just seems like that kind of kid. He's also really started chewing & drooling lately. It's pretty cute (and slimey). Here's one of the toys he most frequently slobbers on (Lamby). Thanks Suzie & Rene--he loves this guy.


We have a checkup with the pediatrician at the end of the month so I can't wait to hear what they say. It's always interesting to see what milestones they've met and which are coming up. I'm sure teething is fast approaching! He's sleeping great (and he's doing so right now). We usually get at least 8 hours out of him at a time at night...of course we (or should I say, I) only get about 5 of those at a time 'cause I gots ta gets my LOST and 24 in when I can! He's great though...8 hours, up for a short feeding and then 2-3 more hours. Then a couple hours up in the morning and another short nap. There's a lot to take in! It's so nice outside today we'll probably go out to the park for a walk.

Ok, I don't want to push my luck here so I'm signing out. Hopefully I can get out some more frequent updates this month!

Let's Ride

Well, it's 10:57PM and Lathan's just up from his 5 hour "nap".  Since he's not sleepy he's joining me while I type out a quick entry--say hi Lathan!  (He says--"en-geh" which we'll take as meaning "hi")

We went for  a walk today and it was pretty sunny (but cool) so here are some pics of my bad little dude pre-walk.

We also had some excellent "tummy time" and a drawer cleaning session (he's already grown out of so many cute outfits!)

He's really starting to dig his ABC flash cards (the Charley Harper illustrations are so cool) and getting into some of his books...my fav is "I love you Stinky Face".

Lastly, Mooshu wants some props for being the baby guardian...he's been such an awesome "old baby".  Here's a recent pic of him :)  He's really not as miserable as he looks!

BUSY BEE

It seems like an eternity since the last post!  I think I've had spring fever...just checking out all the fresh green leaves everywhere and then holding Lathan up in front of them to improve the view (doesn't a baby ALWAYS improve a view?)

He's been captain smiley lately and we've found several things that bring it on.  We have the "mommy says (insert coo or silly sound here), and Lathan says (hopefully he repeats the sound or makes some kind of general grunt or noise)"  then he smiles a little and I (mommy) go nuts.  I know, it sounds like a stretch for me to go nutty (ha) but it's true!  I love it when my baby smiles.  I'm probably the first mom to ever say that.

Anyhoo, it is so super sweet to see.  It's mostly just weird faces and raising eyebrows that bring on the smileys.  He's also been chatty, making cute sounds and responding a little when we talk to him or show him some of his favorite toys (mainly the keys...sometimes his new surfer-duck).  Tummy time, the kind when I rest him on my shins and lift him up in the air, elicits some cute grins too.  

We had a great time at Coco & Poppy's for their 40th anniversary last week!  The gang was all there, Nana, Fran & Steve, me, Andy & Uncle B.  We had a lovely dinner (and amazingly Lathan slept through it) and got to heckle some golfers (not to their faces of course).  C & P's new digs have a great echo-chamber hallway that is like white-noise sleepy-time for Lathan.  We eventually decided to wake him up so everyone could pinch & squeeze him but he even slept though all of that!  He saved up and was very conversational (screaming) while Uncle B & Mommy drove home.  He just wanted to see what UNC was gonna bring for the big final game on Monday!  Go HEEELS!  

Andy's been working outside lately sprucing up the yard (it looks so juicy in the spring).  He went postal on our Quince (it needed to be punished, it's been scratching up the cars for 2 years now, it's so big) but decided to spare it's life and let it remain in place (who wants to dig up all those roots anyway).  It did get a major haircut though.  It's like we shaved it's head after losing a bet.  Remind me not to make any bets.

We had a great visit with Aunt Jennifer (or Aunt Slow-J as the other niece & nephews call her now, I'm Aunt J-Dawg) and Uncle Mark.  Lathan decided that he likes them both (can't believe its their first meeting!) and that he wants to visit them in Marshall.  Our visit couldn't have been better...we had tacos, held the baby, shared "true facts about the world's greatest human--Chuck Norris", caught up on world events and traded gifties. We always have an awesome time with J&M, just wish it could be more frequent!

I've been working towards working more lately (yeah, sounds fun, right?) but it's been fun to go into work if even for a short amount of time.  When I stopped in the other day I walked through the kitchen and mentioned to Pattie that it was like visiting an old school...sometimes you just want to walk around to see if anything has changed.  Ever re-visit your old elementary school...know how everything seems miniature now when it seemed huge then?  It was a little like that at work but not too bad.  It's only been 3 months not 15 years.

It was weird to see my desk though.  It's just as I left it on January 17th.  I probably have about 140 voicemails (sorry if you're someone that left me one 3 months ago).  It's funny to think back on a time that wasn't that long ago but that is so different from you life in the present.  I knew it would be great but it was hard to imagine what he would be like then. People kept asking, "are you excited"?  What are you going to name him?  I always had answers for those questions but it really is the "unknown".  I'm glad we joined the club.  Who wouldn't be when you have a face like this to look into day-after-day. :)  Love him.

AS PROMISED...

That's his "Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?" face.

Daddy captured a shot of Mommy & baby snoozing.  

Thanks for leaving out the drool (coming from me, that is) :)

Andy & Lathan in front of the new shed.  Roof complete.  Door in progress.  

Chris J. is making some killer metal work to go on the door!

Baby bear post bathtime.  Pre-massage.

Me & Lathan testing out the new Baby Bjorn.  Hmm...now I can get some housework done.  Don't tell Daddy!

Discovery

For all you Spinal Tap fans.  This one goes to 11.

It's been quite a while since the last post and there's been lots of discovery going on.  He has officially learned to smile!  Today has been the "smiliest" day yet...so much fun.  Currently an exaggerated yawn and saying "OOooh" repeatedly is what will elicit the best grins.  He's napping right now.  All that smiling can wear a guy out!

The mobile and his new spacey "skip-hop" activity mat are giving him a lot to look at (they also buy Mommy some free time occasionally).  He also digs his keys that Jessica Gross gave us.  They're one of those basic toys that an adult would think "that's not that interesting", but of course he's fascinated by them.  Just shaking them in front of him does the trick.  Who knew?  

He really wants to figure out what his hands are for.  Most of the time they're in fists and he thinks they're for bonking himself in the face.  Funny, that's not really what they're for kid.  We're going to break out the wrist rattles again and see if he can start to figure it out.  He has grasped a few items but I don't think they're really purposeful grasps...with the exception of my hair.  He means to grab my hair and not let go, ever.  That's the monkey coming out in him. :)

Coco & Lathan practicing "standing".  He's got crazy-strong legs!!

Yesterday was the first time Lathan was left with babysitters sans Mommy & Daddy--fortunately it was Coco & Poppy (my mom & dad) so they were familiar faces!  Sounds like things went well--no trauma.  Seems like it was a good experience for everyone.  Coco & Poppy got to feed the baby a bottle (he scarfs that thing down in no time), burped him (no spitup!!), changed a couple of diapers, played with him, got him to nap, encountered a brief period of screaming.  That just about covers it.  Add to that a bath and carrying him for hours on end until your arm goes numb and that's about it for now!  We're so lucky to have them so close by (and willing)!  Lathan had a great day yesterday with them and with me.  He was super sweet in the morning, had a good time with the grandparents, then was super-nappy all afternoon.  He even snoozed while I watched 2 Jeopardys, a Daily Show and American Idol (Andy napped through some of that too :)

Mommy & Baby--Back in Black (what, did we just come from a Black Sabbath concert or something?)

There are too many pictures for one post so I'll put a few here and pop on a few without all the wordy-words next.

Tourney Time

Well, the tournament is well underway and I'm guessing just about everyone got their bracket destroyed in the Midwest region.  How 'bout those upsets!!  Too bad I didn't get to see any of them.  Lathan developed a new cry last night that we spent some quality time trying to figure out.  We worked it out though and then caught up on "The Office" instead of getting sucked into a 2+ hour game.  He actually slept for about 5 1/2 hours too...not bad.

We made our first trip into the museum on Thursday...that was a big day.  Lathan was great and is obviously a ladies man.  He enjoyed all the cooing and attention very much.  It was so fun to see him surrounded by ladies on O-level.  It must've sounded bizarre to someone tucked back in their office not knowing what was going on.  I thought Susan A. was going to take him home with her, and he might have let her! :)

That afternoon was spent resting, it was pretty exhausting--for both of us.

Today is off to a good start...Lathan is wrapped up in his new snuggly "bee" wrap that Aunt Jeanne sent us yesterday.  It is adorable (I'll get pictures soon).  It's black & yellow striped and comes with a black hat with antennae.  AWWWW.

He's been snoozing for a while now--since before Daddy left for work.  I've actually gotten a ton of things done---I know, I know...you're not supposed to work while the baby's sleeping but it's hard to get back to sleep first thing in the morning when the day is as lovely as this.  I'll sleep later (ha!)

Yesterday morning I got some great pics of Lathan in our office chair.  He decided that today was the day he would give Mommy a genuine laugh & smile--actually multiples!!  It was so fun and I almost missed it while I was trying to keep him upright and take pictures simultaneously!  I did catch it though--total magic.  Isn't he adorable in his Dr. Seuss/Cat in the Hat looking "baby legs"?  Love it.

Cuddlebug

Well, we've had  a great week.  We eliminated dairy and high acid foods from my diet and it's really paid off in Lathan's demeanor.  He's been Mr. Sweet Baby this week with very few crying "episodes" and lots of alert sweet coo-time.  It's been a challenge figuring out what to eat (I'm a cheese & milk fiend!) but Andy has been a champ!  Just this morning I was treated to a lovely salmon & sweet potato hash with poached eggs.  YUMM!  Where am I, Commander's Palace or something.  It's nice to be the queen-mother sometimes.  

Yesterday Nonni (Alyce) came out to Apex and we went out for a bit while Daddy (Andy) watched Lathan--and yes...Lathan was wearing his green yesterday.  He looked like a little leprechan with his red hair and green outfit!  Aww.  

We had a lovely lunch at Coquette and a big fat Soy Mocha Latte afterwards-my new outing treat.  We also bought two gigantor boxes of diapers at BJ's Wholesale.  He's already moved up a size (this is going to be a big boy!) so we had to ditch half a box of the old size...actually we plan to give it to a neighbor who just have a baby too. Nonni gave Lathan lots of stimulation with his favorite "birdy" sounds and lots of conversation.  You can tell he's going to be seriously attached to Nonni already! :)  Just wait until she's got him for the day and they make their way to LaFarm!  He'll be spoiled on french pastries before you know it! 

On Sunday Anna & Papa came up from Gastonia (Andy's folks) to see how the baby has grown (and man has he!!).  We had a great visit with lots of smiling, alert eyes and face making.  Last time there were here Lathan barely opened his sweet eyes!  This time they got much more of a show!  LouAnne (Anna) brought all kinds of info about Andy's lineage including a photograph of the original Lathan Hicks.  So cool to see who you're named for.  

Last weekend I attended a baby shower for Heather Newberry who is due in May--she looks great and I had a great time at the shower.  I met several of her friends who were either pregnant or who had babies of their own.  There was lots of conversation about the first few months that put my mind at ease.  While at the shower one of the mommies spilled the beans about UNC's tournament loss.  That was a bummer but at least we didn't waste our time watching a game with a sad ending.  We'll just keep our fingers crossed for the big dance.

Speaking of the dance...I hope everyone is geared up for the tournament!  Have you all done your brackets?  I went pretty conservative this year with only a few upsets.  I usually go with a slightly more risky set of picks but it rarely pays off.  I would be happy if Syracuse won the whole thing after that insane 6 overtime win against UCONN.  Wow.

There's something that we've been considering for Lathan...we thought we should get everyone's opinion.  Check out this important video and let us know what you think.  

Lastly, you may notice the facebook thingy on the side of the blog.  I just broke down after much hounding by some of my friends and signed up.  It has been fun though.  It's like a big high school reunion without having to lose 20 pounds and then listen to Paula Abdul all night--wait a minute.  After just having a baby and watching American Idol last night I think I have to scratch that last comment.  :)

Finally, check out this gorgeous sweater that Aunt Fran knitted (she is a master knitter!!--this is the second amazing piece we've received from her talented hands!).  He's grown out of it already! (Sorry Fran) but he did look adorable in it.  I love the shot at the top...that was during our "shoot" when the backdrop slid.  Happy accidents make for the cutest pictures!

Heartbreaker

It was a miracle that I got him to sit up long enough for this shot...he kept sliding down to one side...

pretty hilarious to watch.  Check out those tootsies!  

Check out our onlooker from inside the house.  Cute.  He's concerned.

Well, let's call it what it is...COLIC.  That's right.  I said it.  It's such a random term anyway.  I would say today we officially experienced it though.  I just finished putting him down after a marathon 3+ hours of "fussing".  We tried a bunch of our tricks, one of which worked for a while...a bath with mommy.  He's a slippery little bugger!  We had fun in the bath but revisited some wailing afterwards.  Finally some killer zen-buddhist temple music, a tight swaddle and a mountain of patience from Mommy and Daddy did it.  We could tell his tummy was pretty poofed out (I think that's a medical term...tummy poof) so I'm guessing it's some major gas of some sort.  It's probably some funky blue cheese I ate last night, who knows.  It totally does break your heart to see him so upset.  The only consolation for him late tonight was a double wet diaper change followed by a poop and a ponk.  Whew...big day.  Earlier today (it was kind of a fussy day over all) we hit the jackpot with a dishwasher run and the bouncy seat...here's proof.  It really does work!  I actually ran a load again later this afternoon to work it's magic again (sorry environment--I'll make it up to you next time).  It worked though :)

Anyhoo, today was a real mixed bag.  He had so many super cute sweet calm moments and some real brain-splitting crying.  Andy did mention that he thought that he may have possibly seen & heard a smile/laugh combo but that it's hard to say because of hiccups I think.  We've definitely seen some sweet smiles and happy faces though.  His favorite time is post-diaper change when we're hanging out at the changing table making faces, blowing raspberries and staring at his current favorite painting by Stanton Macdonald-Wright.  He loves that thing...and to think I thought of taking it down before he arrived, crazy!  It's such a perfect poster (formerly in the restaurant at the museum, ages ago) because it, abstractly, depicts a mother and child.  Awww.

Well, we've had some fun this week...a trip to the grandparents in Pittsboro and a super sunny walk on his warmest day yet (82 degrees!!  Yikes).  We also got out to the Apex Community Park (aka Lake Pine Park--Cary claims it as their park too...don't you have enough yet Cary?)  The first trip out was great.  Very mellow, no crying, enjoyable.  Today was more of a challenge--but we were glad to work some bugs out of our system!  We had our first park diaper change (those benches could use a couple more slats...and maybe a cushion...am I pushing it?), as well as our first outdoor nursing session.  We found a bench on a closed trail (did that stop us, uh...no) and went to it.  I

 can't wait to go to a LaLeche meeting this week to find out how the H-E-double hockey sticks ladies nurse without any kind of pillows!!  I'm so used to my home setup that it's hard to make it work out in the world.  We tried to hoist him up on our diaper bag, which helped, but it's no Boppy, I can assure you of that.  Anyhoo...we made it work well enough to get out of the park.  Lathan was carried by both Andy and myself for the last leg of our tour though...screw that carseat business.  

Last week (at least I think that's when it was...the days are REALLY starting to melt together) I had a great lunch with Kira at Porters in Raleigh.  She pulled some strings with her crew at Urban Food Group and got us their private room all to ourselves!  We rapped about babies and American Idol.  Ahhh, American Idol, one of my many luxuries.  Hopefully I'll get to watch it tonight to see the first round of the real thing.  Go Anoop!!  Represent Noop-dog!  If you don't get any of that YOU NEED TO WATCH IDOL.  Stop resisting it.  Resistance is futile.  Ryan Seacrest is your fearless leader into the world of mediocre singers and wacked out performances!  DO IT.  DO IT NOW.  (Kira, was that a good enough push for a few new members of our club?  I'll let you know the outcome)

Ok, I hear some stirring behind me in the crib.  I'm gonna slap a few photos on here and call it a long, tiring but happy day. :)

Payoff.

Oh, one last thing...guess what this Sunday is?  It's SELECTION SUNDAY y'all!!  Get ready to fill out your brackets for a chance to win ONE MILLION DOLLARS.  Just kidding, it will probably be more like $120.  Still, you could buy a serious chunk of Citibank with that nowadays! :)