happy mother's day... in sweden...

so, on the actual US mother's day. i was sick. to my stomach. ugh.

caleb and i had plans to hang out in boston together. we had a babysitter lined up. but then i was sick. so i cancelled. quite anti-climatic and not what i was expecting for my "first" mother's day.

so we rescheduled our date in the city. we rescheduled it this past sunday. i know, everyone leaves the city for memorial day. except us. we went into the city. and it happened to be mother's day in sweden. fitting, eh?

well, i didn't end up capturing any pictures IN boston. i wanted to get sandwiches at some small sandwich shop and walk boston taking pictures but i didn't know that's what i wanted to do (more on that in a minute). we ended up having lunch at stephanie's on newbury. have you heard of the place? it's yummy. i had french toast. caleb had a cobb salad. we sat outdoors. we people watched. we talked about architecture and church. we talked a little bit about being parents. then i realized i wished we hadn't eaten at stephanie's on newbury. not for any other reason than i wanted to walk boston w/caleb, my camera and some sandwiches and snap shots of life happening on a sunday afternoon. now i know. so next time we won't eat at a fancy newbury street restaurant. we'll find a hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop somewhere in back bay, north end or somewhere else. we'll bring our cameras. we'll eat our sandwiches on a bench in a park and snap pictures of life as we see it. that's our next date. hopefully before caleb leaves for india.

ok, well, i promise. that wasn't complaining about mother's day. caleb and i had a date. it was beautiful weather in a beautiful city. sam was with my friend sam having a grand old time in a grand old city. life is good.

after boston, we drove to ipswich. we used to live there. i LOVE ipswich. i miss it. i miss my crane's beach sticker. i miss russell orchards being 5 minutes from our place. i miss walking to the train to go to boston. i miss walking to the library, to the bank, to the market. i miss the neck (those of you who know ipswich, know the neck). i miss our walks along the ipswich river. i miss bradley palmer being close. heck, i sometimes even miss the long windy drive down 1A.

anyway, we went to strawberry hill in ipswich. with sam. we had fun. walking. taking pictures. carrying sam. showing sam strawberry hill:

hanging from trees

chewing grass

 

sitting on rocks.

note: sam representing caleb's alma mater thanks kim :)

 he loved it all.

 

we ended the day with ice-cream at downriver in essex.

as you can see, sam loved the spoons. and maybe there was a hint of ice-cream on the spoon.
overall, a fabulous day with my fabulous husband and happy-go-lucky little boy.

i'm a mom.
more on that later...
on that note, some more pictures.

timed shot w/our camera sitting on a rock

crawling around on strawberry hill

walking back sam gets a plane ride through the grass

a walk before dinner...

These smell so delicious

Yesterday was a productive day at work. I messed up on Monday and it was straightened out yesterday (I took Tuesday off from what I was working on and worked on something different). After work I asked Sam if he wanted to go outside and play. He was so easy today. He played by himself, took two 2 hour naps and was just a happy boy. When I said, "Go outside and play". He got so excited, he knew what it meant. He was laughing, talking and smiling while I was getting things ready to go outside, and by "getting things ready" I mean getting my camera, cell phone and car keys because it was GORGEOUS out!

Sam pauses to take in the moment, or check out a passing car...

We headed to the park with the swings. Sam LOVES the swings, so I sat him in the swing and he laughed the whole time. I called my friend to come join us and she came outside. We sat on the grass near the park and then decided to take a little walk... well, it turned into a longer walk than expected, not distance, but meandering.

Laughing with Sam

 I took pictures of Sam, she took pictures of Sam, and me (which is nice b/c I'm usually behind the lens).

Happy Sam

Figuring out his balance

I had a brilliant idea of taking pictures of Sam near a rock wall. I leaned him against it and started clicking. I heard this odd grinding noise and wondered what it was. I realized it was Sam's teeth and instead of scooping him up, I took "just one more picture". Then I scooped him up to bring him inside for dinner. I guess I finally got the memo: first grass, then lilacs, concrete and he finally got my attention with rocks!

Sam trying to eat grass, lilacs, concrete and a rock wall

You know it's bad when your kids starts gnawing on rocks b/c they're hungry and then you decide to take "just one more picture". I promise, I do feed Sam on a regular basis. We came inside, Sam had water, a rice-cake, lasagna, and pieces of my chocolate chip cookie. Gourmet, I know.

Next time maybe it should be a walk AFTER dinner, especially if my camera decides is forced to join us.

PS- Recently bought a 50mm lens for my Digital SLR. Such a FUN lens! Thanks Katie for the recommendation!

Said rock wall.

feeding sam

Have you ever researched baby equipment? Seriously, there is A TON of stuff out there!!

Anyway, you walk into any baby store and you are inundated with "the best" baby equipment. How do you know what to purchase? How do you know if the baby gear is going to work with your life style? How do you know if your baby is going to like it?

This post is dedicated to feeding Sam... you know, what we use to feed him... aside from the boob part. I won't talk about that. That falls under TMI. Or does it?

When we found out I was pregnant, I started researching all types of baby products. One of the things I WANTED to have, HAD to HAVE was a Scandinavian style high chair. If you've read previous posts, heck if you've read the title you catch a glimpse into my life. I LOVE Sweden and I appreciate the Swedish style.

Growing up visiting Sweden I recall a few things about babies in Sweden.
1) They have hot strollers. Seriously, have you seen the Emmaljunga? Talk about stroller lust. Well, emma was a tad above our price range and I didn't find any good craigslist finds, so I chose another stroller. More on that later.

{via}

2) They have modern, awesome high chairs. Practical. Clean lines. Pretty. Ikea sells a neat one, but my high chair lust was the Tripp Trapp by Stokke.
a) It's expensive (this usually happens with things I want)
b) It's wooden (read: easy to clean)
c) It can hold a 300 lb baby (you never know, we may reproduce fat children, kidding)
I tried to sell Caleb on it because it can hold a 300 lb baby. I meant to say 300 lb person. I'll never live that down. Basically it converts into a REGULAR chair for REGULAR adults.

{via}

Anyway. I didn't want an ugly big plastic high chair. We don't have space for a high chair. I looked into the highchairs that attach to chairs. I didn't want that either. I didn't like it, plus I didn't want to use one of our chairs for Sam. I wanted him to have his own. I know, you can call me a baby gear snob. It's probably true. I like the Tripp Trapp because it pulls up to our table. So, Caleb agreed we could get it. Then these lovely people (Sam's grandparents) bought it for Sam for Christmas.

They are amazing. I know. Sam knows. So, we got the chair delivered, put it together and Sam loves it.

So do we. It fits our lifestyle. It fits Sam. It's pretty. It works. To each his own.

note: We have had a Chicco high chair on the Cape when I work there and my mom watches Sam. I liked it, but she didn't. She bought a Tripp Trapp for Sam to use when he visits. She's Swedish. She likes Swedish things. Maybe she rubbed off on me.

A few complimentary pics of Baby Sam in his high chair. (sorry, I didn't take time to edit the red eye!)

Pros

• Brings your child to the table with you
• Grows with your child
• Easy to clean
• Modern looking
• Ergonomic for baby
• Doesn't take up a lot of space
• Doesn't sit on a chair so said chair can be used for an adult
• Easy to put together 
• It lasts longer than a standard highchair (ie no booster seat needed)

Cons

• No tray - Sam likes to brush food off the table
• Straps look tricky to use
• Expensive compared to a standard highchair

mother's day reflections

i know i'm a little late on this, but humor me...
my first mother's day i spent in bed... sick. talk about a downer...
caleb & sam wished me happy mother's day, caleb made me breakfast, but i didn't really want any.
i insisted upon going to church b/c i wanted to. we had plans to enjoy a lunch date in the lovely city of boston and walk around. that didn't happen. instead we came home from church and i laid on our couch watching CSI & Little Fockers (funny movie if you haven't seen it), then, i went to bed early. NOT what i was expecting for mother's day, but caleb & i decided to have a "redo". hopefully next sunday :)
this time last year i was somewhat a mother. baby "alpine" or sam as he's now known was baking in the oven.
1) i've found energy i never knew i had to keep up w/my energetic little guy
2) loved in a capacity i didn't know i could, seriously, my heart practically hurts b/c i'm bursting with love for baby sam.
3) appreciate my own mother so much more, how did she raise 4 kids and stay sane?! she was amazing and still inspires me to this day.
4) sleeping-in has a whole new meaning: if sam sleeps past 6am OR if he wakes up, eats and then goes back to bed till 8am or 9am
5) down-time is not the weekend, but when sam's sleeping or quiet

this past saturday morning, sam woke up and i fed him. caleb and i were wide awake and sam drifted back to sleep. caleb & i proceeded to watch "saturday morning cartoons" in the form of CSI. how is it that SAM was sleeping and we couldn't sleep?!

happy mother's day.

Can I have a cookie?

So before "alpine" was born I had all kinds of "ideas" on the way he should be raised...
Key word: HAD
One of those ideas was no sugar until he turns one.
Well today on my lunch break I was feeding Sam egg yolk & asparagus (I promise he likes it) and I reached for an M&M cookie. Well, as I reached for it - so did Sam!
As if to say, "mooooommmmm! Why do you get the yummy cookie and I get veggies & eggs?" then he proceeded to stare longingly at my cookie. (note: he does eat well, he pretty much gobbles up everything I give him)
So I caved and gave him the cookie and wished him "happy eight months" and told him not to expect this as regular treatment.




Baby sam, I'm glad you are alive. You brighten my life. Your eyes are full of wonder. Today as you crawled on the porch outside just staring at the rain, I caught a glimpse of the world through your eight month old lens. Thank you for your giggles, your smiles, your conversations, your sense of adventure and for teaching me to approach life from a different point of view.

Sam eating the cookie on camera...
Ps- I took a huge bite BEFORE I gave it to him and much to Sam's dismay I took the cookie away from him after the video.

an adventure for sam

One of sam's favorite places is the playground.
He loves:
1) the swings
2) the slide
3) the wood chips on the ground
4) the steering wheel - as pictured below :)




Sam is such an adventurer. The moment we step out of our door he perks up as if to say: "We are going somewhere. Our adventure begins. Hooray for new explorations outside our house."

Maybe it's in his blood... His mom & dad's "first date" was snowboarding. After that our "dates" consisted of hiking, rock climbing, biking, picture dates (grabbing our cameras & going to a park to take pictures), rollerblading, walks, and eating dessert at the cheesecake factory... Maybe someday I'll type our "love story". For now we'll talk about my other love - Sam.



Ready for yet another adventure... Fishing with grandpa!

weekend celebration

squeezin mamma

mmm... beets are yummy & messy!

eating my toes... tasty

playing in a box w/grandma

peek-a-boo!

 I have not uploaded photos from this weekend, above are a few randoms from the past month...

We drove to Connecticut to celebrate Caleb's grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary. What an incredible story. They married when Henry was 21 and Lucille was 18. Our son Samuel's middle name is Henry after his grandfather and great-grandfather. It was an intimate family celebration at Caleb's uncle's house, and the house deserves a blog post in itself. It was built in 1750 and holds so much history. We got a tour of the "compound". The home was once where Yale students had class when the British invaded New Haven Harbor. If only the walls could talk.
Back to the celebration - Caleb's aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, siblings, nieces and nephew were there for the celebration. We had dinner & dessert together and just had fun hanging out. Caleb's family hasn't seen much of Sam so he was passed from aunt, to uncle, to cousin, and back. Sam was a happy and smiley baby the whole day, until the end when he passed out in Caleb's arms.
It was great to be able to celebrate 60 years as a married couple. That's a feat seldom found these days.
Maybe I can get a few pictures up later.

Sunday we visited Calvary Christian Church, Caleb's former employer. Sam was in such a good mood and enjoyed meeting Caleb's former coworkers and parishioners. Hopefully we can visit again.

Today Sam and I went for a walk with some of my friends, Heather & Robin and with Sam's friends, Owen & Judah. Sam loves his stroller and talked away as we walked around the neighborhood. At the end of the walk I let Sam play on the playground. His favorite part was the swing and sitting in the wood-chips!! He's so fast, as soon as I put him down, he puts his fist to the ground, picks up wood-chips, sticks, leaves, dirt and puts it in his mouth... it was hard to capture on camera b/c I was worried he would choke since most of those items were of choking sizes. Oh well.

Tomorrow we head out on an adventure - Western Mass to stay with my sister-in-law for the night, Malvern, PA to visit with a college friend who had a baby girl one month after Sam was born, Washington DC to visit Shannon and Behr another college friend and her baby boy, Hershey, PA to visit Sadie - we miss her, she just moved from the North Shore, Wyomissing, PA to visit family friends, and then to the Cape to work and finally back home to Hamilton. It's going to be an eventful, whirlwind trip, but I'm looking forward to vacation after a busy work season.

This evening Caleb was working, so I made some baby food for Sam, yeah, exciting I know...
I found a recipe in a magazine, tried it one time and Sam LOVES it. It's called fruit soup.

FRUIT SOUP
approximately 1 ice-cube tray
1 ripe banana
strawberries (maybe 1-2 cupes)
pineapple (1/8-1/4 of cut up pineapple)
1/2 cup water

Put all ingredients into a pot and cook on medium high for 5-6 minutes or until all fruit is soft.
Strain fruit over a bowl, keeping the juice. Pour the fruit into a blender or food processor and add some of the juice. Add as much or little juice as you want. Pour the fruit puree into an ice-cube tray and freeze. Serve 1 or 2 cubes after a meal.
*If you have left over "juice" you can mix it with rice cereal for a delish treat. Sam loved it. Sorry I don't have any pictures of the process...

and a few obligatory pics :)

hanging out on Grandpa's reindeer skin

ooooohh... the mirror is fun!

hi Sam!

kissing the mirror.

I just LOVE this little boy!!

sam and the glass

so i told caleb i was against the sippy cup. no real reason, i just thought it was silly to use a sippy cup and i didn't want a bunch of plastic cups taking over our cabinets. i told him we would start sam with a regular cup.  and so i gave him a coke glass, which he found amusing... and dropped on the floor. i let him explore further... which you'll see in the pictures. ridiculous i know.

these make me smile.

thanks caleb for documenting :)

love you. and sam.

giving him water in his "coke" glass

a little love for baby sam

love how his mouth looks like the Joker!

mom, oops. i dropped it. can we get it? pretty please?

sam goes after the glass...

getting closer

he got it.

dad, dad, i got the glass!

but woops, it's stuck...

who? me?

ok, i've lost interest in the glass... let's move on to the highchair!

hi dad! do you have to document EVERYTHING?

ok. well, i guess i'll look happy.

mmm... tasty high chair.