Trial Work Day

I was gone for about 5 hours to get ready to go back for full shifts on Friday and Saturday this week. Joey did much better this time around than he did the last time I was gone this long. He didn't eat quite so much, although Dan said that he did want to comfort suck, and he actually slept. I managed to pump twice while I was gone and got almost as much as Joey ate (I was off by about an ounce) so I was right on in the spacing of my pumping sessions and for how long they were. Joey definitely wanted to snuggle and nurse when I got home and I didn't object! He even let me put him down in the swing for a little while--after a couple of hours of non-stop snuggling first. As soon as Joey heard my voice, he started crying while Dan was holding him and didn't stop until he was in my arms. He was perfectly happy being held by Daddy until he realized that Mommy was finally home. No rooting, no signs of hunger that normally precede the crying, just instant cries that stop once I have him. He started rooting while I had him, so we nursed and he smiled and stared at me and at Daddy like, "Ha! Now I have Mommy!" It's so nice to be loved ;)

Joey is sleeping now, on our bed. He and I went down in an attempt to nap around 8, but he only slept on and off until 9 which is when he stayed asleep. I was awake on and off when he was, but I didn't get to stay asleep at 9 because that was when Dan came home. It's now nearly 11 and Joey is still sleeping. I'm hoping he's not down for the night because, even though he slept 11-6 last night, him going to bed early means he gets up early. Despite me turning the big light on, going through mail (which I'll be talking about tomorrow hopefully), and talking with Dan, Joey is out like a light. This kid really is a champion sleeper!

Le Leche League

Today, Jackie and I planned on going to my local Le Leche League chapter's meeting on baby-wearing. I went over to my parents' early to hang out with Jackie and Jimmy before we headed over. Jimmy played for a bit before eventually going down for a much needed nap (he was pretty tired, poor guy) and then my parents got home from work. Before we knew it, I looked at the clock and the meeting had started a half-hour ago! Thankfully the meeting space is literally a few minutes away and Jackie and I headed out sans Jimmy (still sleeping, plus he's eating solids so my mom offered to watch him if he woke up).

The meeting was really interesting because there were a couple of baby-wearing pros there demonstrating and helping members with various kinds of carriers and answering questions. There are a couple babies in the group who are close in age to Joey, so I really want to make an effort to go more often so we can make friends with people his age (and with moms who have similar interests ;) ). This was a much bigger group than when I was there before. My last meeting was me and another mom (it was a day time meeting) and the meeting before that was while I was still pregnant and Jackie came with me then too (even that meeting only had a few other moms/babies there). Everyone there is really nice and it's great to get out of the house and meet other parents and have conversations that don't take place in a high pitched voice.

Mostly I just watched as the pros helped other moms with their carriers, but Jackie had some questions about one of hers and was able to get some hands-on practice (using a doll), so that was cool. All in all, it was a fun meeting and I really hope that I can get going to them more regularly even if only to socialize.

Joey's been smiling a TON lately and it really melts my heart to see that toothless grin. OMG it's the best thing in the world, makes all the poopy diapers and late night feedings totally worth it.

Joey's Baptism

Parents and God Parents

Today was Joey's baptism and we're so excited to finally welcome him into our church family! First we headed off to noon Mass, where Joey was actually awake for most of it, then back to our house for some last minute party-prep before heading to the church for the ceremony. We got to have our own, private baptism to celebrate with friends and family, as well as have one of our favorite priests celebrating the rite for us! He also concelebrated our wedding, so it was extra special to also have him celebrate our first baby's baptism.

Our wonderful family and friends

The ceremony was beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Joey slept the entire time, even when the cold water got poured on his head! He stirred a bit, but didn't actually wake up--which everyone found impressive. The family baptism gown did fit, although we couldn't button all the buttons on the back, but it didn't matter because nobody could see them anyway. The gown is gorgeous and I'm very glad that Joey fit into it.

Mid-Ceremony

We had a super-fun post-baptism party at my parents' house, a pool party. A post-baptism pool party is pretty hilarious when you consider the symbolism ;) I had to stop calling it a "baptism pool party" because people were thinking the two things were combined, which would have been pretty funny too. My dad made my favorite dish in the entire world: bulgogi. It was such a huge hit that there weren't any leftovers. That's saying something because he's pretty sure that was the biggest batch he'd ever made! It was really good too, it was a combination of pre-made bulgogi marinade and his recipe, maybe even his best batch yet. The pool water felt awesome and the company was the best anyone could ask for: the family and close friends who have been praying for us and supporting us throughout the pregnancy and even our marriage. I know we can count on their love and prayers for years (and babies) to come :)

Getting Baptized!

Our Family :)

Swim Time

The cousins hung out for a little bit again today. We headed over to my parents' after Dan got back from karate. By the time we got there, Sarah, Jackie, and Jimmy had already been in the pool for a couple of hours! They hung out with us for a little bit before it was time for Jimmy's nap and Sarah and Jackie headed to the mall to pick up last minute accessories for the baptism tomorrow. Joey was not terribly interested in the pool, he was not a fan of the cold water (it wasn't really "cold", it was just colder than the bath water he's used to). He wanted to nurse and after he did, he fell asleep and didn't wake up until we got out of the pool. That's right, he fell asleep while we were holding him in the pool. Such a silly boy.

We also picked up his baptism gown from my grandmother. It's over 100 years old and Joey will be the 5th generation to use it! It was hand made in the early 1900's for my great-grandmother and was sent over from Ireland (it was sewn by her aunt I think). Mom and I were looking at it before we left and found small holes and places where it's coming apart. We're not sure, but it's entirely possible that Joey may be the last baby baptized in it, it's not like the seamstress intended it to be used 4 generations later. It's still really pretty and I'm proud that we can use the gown I was baptized in, in addition to my mom, her mom, and her mom. What a legacy, it's so cool.

It used to have a woolen cape but my grandmother says that moths probably ate it up years and years ago. It does also have a tiny little cap, but that hasn't been used for decades because the babies after my first uncle all had heads that were too big.

Closer look at the lace detail on the bottom.

We're actually looking at the back of the gown, it has tiny buttons to close it up. I'm almost scared to attempt to put Joey in it, I'm afraid he'll squirm and rip something! When my mom brought the gown out, I promised Joey that it was the girliest thing we'd ever put him in and we'd never do it again ;)

Meeting of The Cousins

Joey and Jimmy finally met each other today! Sarah, Jackie, the boys, and I all went to Denny's for breakfast (and ended up eating lunch food) to introduce the cousins and celebrate their trip to MD. Jackie and Jimmy are here for Joey's baptism and for a summer visit while Andy's on deployment. Joey is pretty much oblivious to stuff at this point and Jimmy was curious about this other baby but would lose interest quickly.


More health insurance paperwork came in the mail today! We had health insurance through my job at school. With the school closing, insurance lasted through the end of June. COBRA ended up being more expensive than our mortgage payment so that was out of the question. Knowing this, I began a search for coverage that we could afford temporarily. Mostly so Joey can continue his regular checkups, also in case of emergency for me and Dan, but mostly for Joey. Joey was thankfully approved for Medicaid through the state. We don't have to worry about paying for Joey's regular checkups and we don't have to postpone them until the insurance cards come. I started the application process with the state back at the beginning of June (or even the end of May, I can't remember, it was a while) and they're just now getting everything to us, which is just in time considering Joey's two-month checkup is next week. I had been worried that we might not get the insurance cards in time but then paperwork came in the mail with Joey's Medicaid number and that's all we need until the cards come. We can even still keep our pediatrician through this state insurance, which is awesome because we like him and I did not really want to switch.

Road Trippin' It

Megan's in town! Well, that actually depends on your definition of "in town". For us it meant on this coast ;) We drove 3-ish hours up to south-western PA to pick Megan up. We drove around the area a bit before heading back due to crummy weather (stuff we had planned to do was outside). We did drive over to Jumonville which is a Christian summer camp that Megan and her family have been a part of for years. Because Megan's got the hookups (and we had a baby with us) we were allowed to drive up the big hill to see the cross instead of hiking up like everyone else. The cross was impressive as was the view:


Joey, as usual, nursed and slept through all the activity...

Needless to say, I really, really love my ring sling :)

We dropped Megan off at her aunt's house in Frederick so we did get a few extra hours with her. One of these days we will muster up the money to fly out and visit her in Seattle.

Smiles!

We finally managed to keep Joey smiling long enough to grab a couple of pictures. I love his silly, toothless grin :)

I love this picture. Joey can sort of mimic tongue movements and will follow along if you can hold his attention.