MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hooray for bows!!!!

A couple cute pics

Somebody's all set to be wrapped up and put under the tree!


Daddy and Vince...so happy!

veggie tales

...no, not that Veggie Tales, just veggie tales: Vince started eating vegetables in the past week. We've had quite a bit of fun with it. First he had his 6 month well-baby checkup, which went well. He is in the 25th percentile for weight and 70th for height. Go figure. Anyway, Dr. M told us to go ahead and start the veggies and a sippy cup! That was really fun. He was so excited when he first tried water! It took a while for him to figure out the cup, and now he spits more water out than he actually takes in, but our boy loves to use the cup.
I decided to make my own baby food to save some cash (I can't believe the price difference!!!) so while I worked on stocking up the homemade food, I used jar food carrots to start. (You're not supposed to make your own carrots because of the nitrate content in them.) He loved them! Gobbled them right up. Then we tried green beans, which I made and Vince did NOT love. I'm hoping that's an acquired taste for him because we have a lot of them! He had a weird rash on the side of his face when we gave him the green beans, so I freaked out and called the Dr., who assured me that he was fine and just to wait and try to introduce the GBs again at a later date. So he got carrots that night again. Since then he has tried and loved both sweet potatoes and squash. Call me silly, but when he likes the food I make for him, I get so happy! Like, "Yeah, he likes my cooking!" I know, it's silly, huh? We have SO MUCH squash. I can't believe how many servings one butternut squash makes! Tomorrow I'm going to give him avacado and make some peas to freeze. I also have a mango for him, but I think it will have gone bad by the time I can introduce fruits to him...I didn't read the recipe for avacado and mango before buying them: it's not recommended to freeze the puree like it is with other veggies. I am also excited to try pears, peaches, mashed bananas, and apples! I'm a baby food nut!
Vince had his 6 month photos this week too. He is such a little champ. We have so much fun playing dress up with him! See photos on left.
We are excited to be able to celebrate Jesus's birthday with Vince this year. Merry Christmas!

Dual Ownership takes on a new meaning

So we now have two homes: one in Murphysboro and one in Danvers. We closed on the 7th and we love our new house. I will post photos soon; I know some of you are wanting to see it. I am so eager to get down there and have our whole family together again!

A couple new photos

Vince was spitting out his cereal.


My big boy in his big boy pajamas.


Vince fell asleep with his pacifier in his mouth and facing down. This mark stayed on his face all evening!!

Scaredy Cat

So our little man is showing his personality more and more each day. It turns out he is a big scaredy cat. He is typically a great car passenger. He loves rides. He either plays with his toys or talks to himself in the mirror, or falls asleep. Except lately in the evenings he starts to cry and cry until mommy searches frantically for some way to pacify our restless tike. I know there is something wrong when even his pacifier won't help. So I'll pull over, turn on the dome light and check to make sure the seat belt is not pinching him. The minute I flip on the light, the heavens open, the choir sings and my baby boy coos and giggles and bats his beautiful eyelashes. Hmm...could it be??? So I experimentally flip the light off and the crybaby returns in full force. And I freely, albeit a bit shamefully admit that I do turn the light back on and drive home wondering if there are any other vehicles behind me but grateful that at least for a time, my little man is comfy and secure. I know. I'm an enabler. I can't help it. Crying in his crib is one thing, but screaming in the back seat while I'm trying to drive is quite another.

Happy birthdays to Uncle Danny and Aunt Yolanda!!!!

Southbound

Now that I've told my boss and coworkers, I feel like I can make the official announcement...no, Vince isn't going to be a big brother (yet). Dan recently started a new job with the Army Corp of Engineers. He is a construction rep and he loves it!! He is doing a fantastic job so far and he always comes home in a great mood...the only thing is, he only comes home on the weekends for now because the job is in Southern Illinois. We are going to be relocating to the Carbondale area soon, specifically Murphysboro. Our house is on the market and we're looking forward to closing on a new one in December. We will be just a few blocks from our dear friends Art and Cathy and little Finn. I know our friends and families are happy for us because they know how long Dan has waited for an opportunity like this, but I know that with the joy, comes a little taste of sadness that we'll be moving so far away. As I told my mother, however, be happy he didn't get one of the other jobs he applied for in California or Florida or Colorado or even Germany. Compared to that, four and a half hours is nothin'!

A special day at church

Today we dedicated Vincent to the Lord. Our pastor read some Scriptures from 1 Samuel about how Hannah was barren and prayed for a baby boy. A priest in the temple heard her and told her to go home and that God would give her a baby. Sure enough, He did. When Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him back to the temple and fulfilled her promise to God: that she would dedicate Samuel to His service all the days of his life. We made similar commitments today after church. Vincent looked so handsome in his little suit.

This is all of us with Pastor Mike Baker.

YYYUUUUCKKK!!!

That's what my little man's face says when I see these photos. I didn't think he actually ingested any of the cereal until today when it came out the other end. Boy oh boy, did he ingest it. I can't imagine what it will look/smell like when he actually takes a full helping of it instead of just a few random drops that don't make it onto the bib. Anyway, hope you love the photos. Still working on the video.

He had no idea what he was in for!

Okay....let's give it another shot!

Huh? What the heck is going on here?

Wait a minute! That's mommy's milk with a hint of gross in it!

No, thank you. I'll take the unadulterated pure stuff please. You can have this back.

By the way, we gotta give a shout out to Cathy Kunz. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Vince says "j,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, h nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn "

He can't spell very well, but that was him typing with little to no guidance from mommy.

FOUR MONTHS! WHAT?!

How the time flies. Vincent had his four month check up today. He was cleared for take off on the baby cereal. I was pretty excited because I thought maybe that would help him sleep a little better at night. So he was starving when we got home and I decided just to go ahead and give it a shot while he's hungry. Well, he didn't really care for it. In fact he made the most adorably disgusted face I've ever seen on him. The cereal was so runny it just ran right out of his mouth. Then he had a really uncomfortable poo tonight, so I'm not sure it agreed with him too well. We'll try again soon though. I'll post the video soon....the video of him eating; not of his poo. :-)

His doctor said he's doing just fine; he's right on target for his developmental milestones, so that is reassuring. At least we're not screwing him up so bad that he's the slow kid. She also said that he should not get veggies or fruits until he's 6 months old. I'm kind of glad about that because I want to prepare myself a little more for that. I would like to try making as much of his food as possible. I know the jar food is much more convenient, but to make it myself would be much more economical. Anyway, we'll see how it goes and if worse comes to worst, we'll buy the baby food.

She also said it seems like he's too dependent on his pacifier and it's interupting his sleep. I think she's right. So we're going to work on taking it away. She said it's a hard problem to have (I assume that means we're in for a long haul) and that it will take lots of patience. Good. That's what I've been working on. What a fantastic opportunity.

I'm updating his growth progress below, so have a look at it if you want. I hope to get the cereal video posted soon; for now, I'm going to BED!!!!

Lonely mornings...

I was reminded this morning of a really funny story that Dan likes to tell about his old school mate, John Tyler, aka: Johnny Tavern. When they were in high school Johnny would ask his mom for some cash so they could "get something to eat." This boy didn't ask for the normal amount of cash. He would regularly ask for $50 at a time. Dan witnessed, on more than one occasion as I understand it, Mrs. Tyler putting her foot down. The exchange would go something like this:

JT: Mom, I need 50 bucks so we can get some food.
Mrs T: Johnny, I just gave you $50 two days ago. Where did that go?
JT: C'mon mom!
Mrs. T: Johnny, I am not giving you $50. You can forget it. (reaches into her purse, rifles around a bit.) I am not made of money you know.
JT: I know, Mom.
Mrs. T: You are not getting $50 from me today, Johnny. I'm putting my foot down. (Still digging around in purse, finally coming up with something). You're going to get $45 and you're going to like it, Mister.

Boy, she sure showed him. How, you ask, was I reminded of this comical recanting of Dan's past? Well it all started when I woke up alone in bed this morning. I looked around and thought, well, maybe he's in the restroom. . . nope. Not there.

Hmmm....Then I vaguely remembered a miniature someone crying from his crib in the wee hours. As I began to survey the situation, I realized Daddy must have gone up to comfort the little one, returning the coveted pacifier to the tiny mouth, and lost his way back to the parental suite on the main level of the estate.

So I used our high tech intercom system to send a message to the upper level. That is, I shouted up the stairs for Dan to bring Vince down to me so we could get ready to leave. When I asked what happened to him, this was his explanation.

"Well, he kept losing his pacifier and I went up there a few times and I got tired of walking up and down the stairs. So I said, 'That's it. This is the last time I'm coming up here, Mister. I'm not going up and down these stairs one more time. You better keep this pacifier. But in case you don't, I'm going to take this throw pillow, put it right here on the floor, curl up and have a nice little nap, because gosh darn it, I'm not going up and down those stairs one more time. You hear me?' And that's why I was sleeping upstairs this morning."

Wow, he sure put Vince in his place, didn't he? Man, I don't know what I would do if I had such a strict dad. I mean Dan really showed Vince who's boss. And Dan really stuck to his guns. He didn't go up those stairs one more time the whole night. I'm so proud of my rock of a husband. I'm so glad to discover he's definitely not a pushover or a softie. heehee. Just goes to show, a whining baby is enough to bring a 190 pound man to his knees.

Fantastic Photos

I love my mother. She was all excited last time she came over and told Dan he had to wear this hat and take a photo with Vincent. He is such a good sport.

"No photos, please. I'm way too cool and important to bother with the paparazzi."

Cousin Isabella and Vincent and Aunt Lacy and Bella.

Stuffly

The best word I can think of to describe Vince for the past week is: stuffly. That would be a cross between the sniffles and a stuffy nose. He's been a little cranky and is drooling a lot, but the doctor assures me that his symptoms are not contagious. I am delighted to hear this because Valerie will be having baby Hartman #3 on Tuesday and I don't want to be in quarantine when it comes time to visit the newest addition! I will post some photos for you soon, but for now, here's a recap of Vincent's most recent developments:

We made it to the Johnson reunion in Spencer. We all had a good time, especially Vincent who never lacked someone to hold him. He met his Grandpa Lutton for the first time and you better believe grampa squeezed him plenty! He had a rough time at night...that is, he didn't sleep more than 20 minutes at a time. Who can blame him, though, really? You're in a stinky hotel; you have to sleep in the pack-n-play; you're sharing a room with your stupid mommy and daddy and you can't get a wink of sleep because the stupid baseball game is on; and your puppy's not there to protect you! How in the world is a boy to sleep in those conditions?

Gramma Sandy came to stay with us a couple times this week, so that was fun...and we went to visit Abuelita (that's Dan's mom) on Saturday. Vince is definitely not lacking for attention with all these visits.

He's still being a champ with sleeping all night (except, of course, when we travel, and the odd hiccup every once in a while). He's really cute with his toys now; he loves pulling them to his mouth and cuddling them. He also gets very cuddly with his blankets. And, not surprisingly, knowing his father...he loves to look in the mirror! heehee. Jamie says he reaches for his bottle and tries to help hold it up and he giggled while watching the Cubs at her house last week...you see: we do have the best babysitter in the world to let Vince watch the Cubs during the day! But Dan says that she needs to cut out the country singing...just kiddin, Jamie! Sing away, if it helps.

I will be sure to post some more photos soon... I have some really cute ones I need to download.

Victorious Warrior

It occured to me that some of you might wonder how we decided on Vincent's name. We came up with "Vincent" a few years ago, actually. We were going through Italian names and we both really liked it. The fact that it means "victorious" solidified our decision.

We had a really hard time with the middle name, though. We came up with several, but for various reasons, we ruled them out. Some of the top choices were David (for my dad, but the initials VD are less than desirable), Primo or Primitivo (for Dan's grandfather, but we didn't feel really comfortable with that name), and Immanuel or Emmanuel (which means God with us; but that's a heavy name for a boy to live up to). Anyway, Dan has always liked reading about the angels in the Bible and Michael is the archangel who leads the army of heaven. His fight and victory against Satan are described in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. We thought it appropriate that our boy should be named after the warrior angel. Anyway, that's the story of his name, in case you were wondering.

We are heading to Spencer, IN this weekend for the Johnson family reunion. We are really looking forward to seeing the family...it's been years since we've seen some of them! Dan is hoping to do some golfing with my uncles/cousins, and I'm looking forward to spending time with all the fam. Vince is just looking forward to eating. ;) He's still sleeping through the night, by the way. And mommy couldn't be happier about it!!

Have a great weekend!

no more couch potato!

I'm not allowed to lie on the couch by myself anymore because I JUST ROLLED OVER for the first time!!! I was at Miss Jamie's house and I was playing on the floor and all of a sudden I just flipped myself over. Miss Jamie didn't know whether she should tell mommy or not, but mommy's glad she did. And she snapped a photo right after I did it:

Mommy and I got home tonight and she tried to get me to roll over right away, but I was being stubborn. She walked away and when she came back I was on my tummy again. I'm sneaky like that. But then a few minutes later I had mercy on her and showed her my new trick. I'm really fast about it too. If you blink you'll miss it. She posted a few new videos at the bottom of the blog. When you click on it, you might have to jump back up to the top of the page to see it play...not sure why...

Photo quality

I just want to say that, no, I do not cut off the right side of all the photos I take...Blogger cuts it off. Sorry you're missing the top of your head in the "jungle gymn" photo, Dan. Also, I have some video footage of Vince, but I can't get the right combinations of tags in youtube. Ggrrrrr.

Woohoo!!

I have slept through the night 3 nights in a row! And I'm not just talking 6.5 hours in a row: I mean 9 to 11 hours at a time. I am such a big boy.
That's all for now.

Good Morning Baby

I love the mornings. Regardless of how poopy my pants are, I love to wake up and smile and talk to mommy and daddy. See, that's my little trick. I can be awake as long as I want all night long and then I just flash my pearly...gums...and they can't resist squeezing me! They forget all about how tired they are and how much sleep they have not gotten and then their hearts turn to putty in my soft little hands.

I am really strong and I hold my head up really well. I am still a bit wobbly sometimes, but I really have good head/neck control for the most part. And I've been a really good traveler. Unless I'm hungry, I just sit in my seat and sleep or make faces in the mirror. I love to go for long rides! Mommy's milk is still making me grow really fast. I've never had anything but her milk and I like it like that...so does mommy. We are both really glad that it's been so easy for us because we know how hard it is for some women. Mommy loves not having to buy formula, because she says diapers are expensive enough as it is.

I really like being at Miss Jamie's house. She takes very good care of me. At first I cried a lot, but then I got used to being there and now I'm mostly really good. Natalie likes to play with me and I really like having her to play with...baby Justin is also a good playmate, but he can't rock me or bring me my pacifier like Natalie can. Sometimes mommy feels like a bad mommy for not calling to check on me more often, but if there's something wrong, she can't really do much about it and then she'd just feel sad the rest of the day!

Mommy says I get to see my cousin Aaron and Aunt Monica and Uncle Danny on Labor Day! I can't wait to see them. Hooray! Grammy Sandy might be there, too, which is good, because I need her to squeeze me some more. I just hope Aaron doesn't mind sharing the attention for a little while.

Mommy says you can leave your comments if you like; we'd love to hear from our readers and know how you're all doing!

Explosions: A posting from mommy

Reading this title, you may think I'm about to regale you with one of our many stories of exploding diapers. Though we have plenty of those to share, I was thinking more of my heart that is so full it's about to explode. When I was pregnant people would say to me, "Your life is going to change forever...your marriage is going to be completely different." A lot of times it was said with a negative connotation. I am thrilled to report that our marriage is completey different in the 9 short weeks since Vincent's birth. I love my husband 20 times more than I did before and I continue to love him more each day. I watch him holding our son and my heart melts and I think, "How is it possible to have so much love?" Sometimes I feel a bit guilty for being so perfectly happy with our family because I know so many people in the world and even in our own little town have so little love in their lives. I can't help but think about how much God has blessed me despite the fact that I am so unworthy of His love and grace. Knowing that He loves me enough to give me such a precious son and an amazing husband makes my heart want to explode even more! I was feeding Vince this afternoon and as I looked at him I wondered as the psalmist wondered, "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor," (Psalm 8:3-5).

Okay, enough of the sermon. Here's a photo of our little man in a shirt he got from Uncle Matt.

Two Month Check Up

I am a big healthy boy! I went to Dr. Marshall today and I really like her. She knows lots of stuff and she helps mommy and daddy make good decisions about my healthcare. I weigh 12 pounds and 5.5 ounces (70th percentile) and I am 22.5 inches long (45th percentile).

I got 3 shots and an oral vaccine today. I cried during the shots, but as soon as daddy picked me up I was fine. Mommy left the room because it made her too sad to see me in pain. Daddy said the nurse was too rough. He didn't like that she put the needle really far into my thigh, but mommy says she's pretty sure the nurse is not a sadist who gets her jollies from making babies cry.

Dr. Marshall says I'm developing well. I smile more and more each day; I focus on mommy and daddy's faces and on other objects; I reach for things; I talk (but nobody seems to know what I'm saying); I lift my head up pretty well (though sometimes I still slam it down on mommy or daddy's shoulder and that kinda hurts, but I am pretty tough); and best of all I usually sleep for about 6-7 hours during the night! Mommy really likes that.

That's about all the news we have for now. I'm going to go eat my dinner number 2.

Bruised baby ribs

Mommy was gone for a long time yesterday. Daddy stayed home with me and I made sure he paid lots of attention to me by crying a lot. I don't know where mommy went, but she was gone when I woke up and she didn't come home until my 5th meal of the day. When she came home she picked me up and squeezed me all night long. I liked it at first but after a while I just wanted her to let me go. I tried to tell her that, but while I was talking, she just kept making these silly faces and cooing noises at me. Don't tell her I said so, but I don't think she's the brightest crayola in the box.

I'm really growing. Tomorrow I have my 2 month well baby checkup. Mommy and Daddy can't wait to see how much I weigh. They call me a tank, but I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. They also say I'm handsome, so being a tank must not be too bad.

Last weekend Mommy and Daddy rented a mini-van and we drove down to Southern Illinois to visit Uncle Arty and Aunt Cathy and Finlay. I was in the car for a really long time throughout the weekend and I was a champ...so was Finn. We got sad a few times, but mostly we were little angels. Mommy says there must be a sleeper gene that only surfaces at childbirth, because she never thought she would want to own a mini-van, but now she can't wait to get one. Daddy wants one too. I think it's a great idea because that means I will have more places to keep my toys.

Mommy's trying to get used to pumping during work. She says it was hard enough trying to remember how to do her job, but now she has to take more breaks than she used to, so she has to try to work those breaks in. Everything else just takes practice, so this is probably just another thing she needs to get used to and then it will become second nature, just like diaper changing, breastfeeding, bathing...well, the bathing routine is still a bit sketchy, but getting better each time.

A posting from Mommy

There's not much new at the Ripley house. We are having a great summer. Vince is sleeping longer and longer each night. Last night he went 6 hours without eating...not all of that time was devoted to sleeping, but we are on our way to a full night's sleep!

He went to visit the Curtis family for a couple hours last week so that they could get to know him a little bit and so that I could get used to leaving him with someone else. We are going to try to do that once a week until I go back to work full time. It was easy to leave him with Jamie because I'm so comfortable with her ability to take care of Vince. I'm so thankful we found someone we are able to trust so much!

We've been trying to get out of the house a bit more in the last week or so. In addition to Vince's trip to the Curtis home, we visited the Hartmans; we went to Grandma Ripley's house; the Zerwekh family came to visit; we went to church and then out for lunch and shopping on Sunday. Vince is a great traveler and I love the convenience of breast feeding: I never have to worry about having enough formula with us!

Hope you enjoy the latest photos.

First time at church

I went to church for the first time today. Mommy was working in the nursery and I was the cutest baby in there. I slept most of the time, but I woke up right at the end ready to eat. I was a champ and mommy feels good about leaving me in the nursery next week...as long as I stay away from any sick babies!

Big Boy!

Mommy and I had a big day yesterday. We visited Gramma Sandy at work and she showed me off to everyone in the entire building. I think she kinda likes me. One lady asked my mommy if I'm a good baby. Mommy doesn't really know how to respond to that question. What are the other choices? Has anyone ever answered, "No, my baby is a bad baby; I wish I had gotten a different one"? My mommy is always going to say "Yes, he's a good baby" because she loves me and I am really good at being a baby. Even when I cry and fuss for a long time; she still thinks I'm good at being a baby. She would like to meet the parent who has said, "No, my baby's not a good baby." I bet there isn't one.

Mommy finally bought a scale for the bathroom and weighed me. I weigh 10.4 pounds! I have been eating like a big boy. I usually eat about 3 to 4 ounces every 3 to 4 hours. It varies sometimes, but that is how much I usually eat. Mommy is still trying to figure out a way to pump the milk that I eat at each meal and plus have a little more for storing. She's been taking an herbal supplement to help her milk production and it makes her smell like maple syrup; but I don't care because she gives me my milk and that smells really yummy still.

Aunt Valerie and Gabe and Madi came over the other day and we all played together. The kids were really gentle with me and I liked them. I can't wait to meet my Uncle Sam. Mommy says maybe on Tuesday if Uncle Sam can squeeze me into his schedule.

Surf's Up!

What's new in the world of Vincent? Well, I am certainly the cutest baby alive, but you wouldn't know it because most of the time my face is beat red and my eyebrows are scrunched up and I am wailing at the top of my lungs. But there are a few precious moments when mommy or daddy is feeding me and my sweet little eyes close, and I look like the perfect baby they had been waiting nine months for. So while I'm up screaming at 2:34 in the morning, mommy and daddy picture the sweet faces I make and that helps them get through the night.

I haven't really hit any milestones to speak of, but I do have a really goopy eye problem. The doctor says the tear duct gets backed up or something and that makes my eye get all goopy. But mommy massages it several times a day with a warm wet washcloth and I really like that. I took a bath today; I don't really like being placed in the baby bathtub, but I do like to lie on the counter while mommy sponge bathes me. I stay really quiet and very still and she scrubs all the spit-up out of all my little baby rolls. It really works quite well. Mommy can't stop sniffing my head afterwards, though. It gets really annoying: she just sniffs my head all day long. I think we're going to have to get some help for her. Someone should find her a group for clean-baby-hair-sniffers-anonymous.

Mommy had another amateur photo session with me today. I'm wearing a really cool outfit that my Great-Aunt Jenny and cousins Katie and Jacob got for me. Mommy wanted to cry when she put it on me because when I was born it was WAY too big for me and now it fits me perfectly. The shorts look a little baggy, but I think they're supposed to because that's the way surfer dudes wear their shorts.

My first two weeks of life

Welcome to my blog!! Check it out periodically to find out what I'm up to. Mommy and Daddy (and by that I really mean just Mommy) will try very hard to keep this updated each week or every couple of weeks with new photos and developments.

Here's a recap of my first day of life:

It all started on June 15, 2007. Mommy was induced at 7:45 am and had a very good labor that lasted only 8 1/2 hours. I was born at 4:18pm and weighed exactly 7 pounds. The nurse measured me at 18 1/2 inches long, but everyone thinks I was a bit longer than that because my legs were pretty scrunched up when she measured me. I peed on Dr. Dameron and then I peed two more times before they could get the diaper on me. (That is my favorite thing to do and I try to pee on someone at least once a day...even if that someone is just myself. Mommy is trying to teach me not to do it though, because Miss Jamie doesn't want to be peed on when it's time for mommy and daddy to go back to work.)

When I left the hospital I weighed 6 pounds and 10 ounces. At my 2 week well-baby visit I weighed 8 pounds and 3 1/2 ounces!! I was also 21 inches long. Mommy's milk is really yummy. I like to eat it and she likes making it for me. We are both grateful that God is giving her good healthy milk for me to drink. Mommy doesn't mind that she is the only one who can feed me in the middle of the night, because we like to hang out together as much as possible.

My puppy is very protective of me. He doesn't like it when strangers hold me. He likes to cuddle with me, but mommy and daddy try to make him stay out of my face because his paws are really big.

I've had lots of visitors and our friends and families have been very generous and given us some really sweet gifts. I'm blessed to have so many people in my life who love me and want to spend time with me!