Land of Bing

My Son, the Model

2011-12-29T22:37:00.000-05:00

Delayed post alert!

Our friend, Jamie Grill, took pictures of Daniel when he was 9 months old... looking back it was the one month that he didn't really look like himself.. but who cares? He's damn cute.

Anyhow - we gave Jamie permission to use any images for anything... fast forward over a year and she sends us an email while we are in Mexico after Thanksgiving (sans Daniel) with this link:

http://www.realsimple.com/magazine-more/inside-website/daily-thought/daily-thought-11-29-11-00100000070395/index.html?xid=dailynews-11-29-2011

My little baby model! And, might I comment on the feet behind that cutie? Yes, those are mine. V. Exciting!

Chanukah Batman Guy

2011-12-22T22:20:00.002-05:00

Chanukah has been super fun so far. Daniel is way into lighting the candles and opening presents.

Tonight he got two books from us and a Batman figure from Nanny and Papa (so far they have sent him more gifts than we got him and he has loved them all). Mind you, Daniel has never seen Batman. But, he is super into Batman because of a Batman t-shirt with cape that he got for Halloween and his Batman toothbrush.

Anyhow, he opens the gift and says, "OOOOH, Batman Guy!". We said "this IS Batman" and he says "Yay! Batman Guy!"

Fast forward to bedtime. Daniel didn't want to go to sleep and for almost 30 minutes said "Mommy, Batman Guy. Mommy, Batman Guy!" I finally gave in and went in there, gave him the Batman Guy and said "Now Go To Sleep".

Not a peep.

2 hours later, Matt snapped this picture:

Nanny and Papa... great gift! Happy Chanukah!

A Conversation

2011-12-21T10:23:00.000-05:00

Scene: Putting on PJs

Me: Daniel, your tushy is a little red
Daniel: Rash, Mommy!
Me: I see. You do have a little rash.
Daniel: Mommy! Rash on my nuts!
Me: Excuse me?
Daniel: Rash on my NUTS, Mommy!
Me: Lovely. Should I put some tushy medicine on?
Daniel: Yes. Thanks!

Macho Macho Man

2011-11-09T20:46:00.002-05:00

Sometimes it's hard to hold a candle to Uncle "Chee Chee". Especially when it comes to getting Daniel excited about somewhat bad songs from the '70s. Case in point:

Conversations about Baby #2

2011-10-31T09:40:00.002-04:00

Daddy: "Daniel, do you think Mommy has a boy or girl baby in her belly?"
Daniel: "BOY!" (note to readers: we do not know the sex of the baby)
Daddy: "What do you want his name to be?"
Daniel: "MOMMY!"

Hmmm... don't think that's on the list right now.

ABCs for Baby Shrinkie

2011-10-12T20:33:00.000-04:00

My family hasn't really gotten the hang of video chatting. This sucks. But, we're making it work by just filming these little videos. This one happened today after Daniel said he wanted to talk to Baby Shrinkie (his cousin Frankie). Quite impressed with his ABCs these days.

Bathtub Riffing..and a Debate with Matt

2011-10-07T14:45:00.002-04:00

Matt and I often film Daniel in the bathtub. Daniel, like most kids I suppose, goes into his own little bath world and babbles nonstop. It's a good time. Some of our best film moments happen in the bath, but it has brought up a debate between Matt and I and I welcome your comments.

The debate is: how much is OK to show in the bathtub?

This all started because I was posting videos on this blog of Daniel in the bath and didn't pay attention to all of the "parts" that I was actually posting on the internet. I just thought that since I know almost everyone who sees this blog, who cares?

Well, I filmed Daniel in the bath the other night, posted it to my You Tube page (which is how I embed all of the videos on this blog) and sent the link to my parents, sister and in-laws. When Matt looked at the video, there were 700 views and in the last 2 minutes of the video, more of Daniel was showing than one would want 700 people to see. So, Matt tells me to make the video private. I'm annoyed simply because he's right. But, my question is: how much is TOO Much? I get it that full frontal 'aint cool. But what about his tushy? Is a little tushy OK? And, if not, maybe showing him in the bathtub at all is a no-no. Please discuss.

In the meantime (and until there is an answer), I went out with my future sister-in-law last night (yay!) and Matt showed me this amazing video when I returned home (for obvious reasons starting at about second 44, it's the best video ever). Check out this GEM!

2011-10-02T20:48:00.001-04:00

...And, We're Back!

Dear Daniel,

It's been three months since I last posted (strange since I thought it was more like 5 months) and I have wondered many times where I should even start at this point since so much has happened in three short months. I'm sorry for missing this time because you grow up every day and do something new every single day.

First, you're TWO! Well, you turned two on July 8, so you're really 2 years and almost 3 months old. Once again, friends would say how "much better it gets the older he gets" and, once again, every single one of them was right. You are my best friend and I love being with you! You had a rockin birthday party in our park and the Jersey City Fire Department showed up for a little fun!

Daniel, you are an absolute dream. You are truly a pleasure to be around (strange to say that about a 2 year old, right?). You're hilarious. You are so sweet. You're talking... A LOT. I call you Chatty Cathy. I was actually worried a few months ago that you might be "behind" in the vocab department - but there are days that you literally do not stop talking except when you're sleeping (and since you now talk in your sleep every once in a while, there are days that you literally don't stop talking). I can finally understand almost every single thing you say - which makes me proud and happy.

You are also going to be big brother! I know you don't really get it yet, but you like to point to my belly and say hi to the baby. And since meeting your new baby cousin, Frankie, I think you understand babies a little bit more and you LOVE them! Baby Frankie was 3 days old when you met her and you were smitten. I'd post the adorable pictures of you holding her, but I can't get my iphone pictures to transfer to my computer (one reason posting has been difficult in the last 3 months has been the meltdown of our iMac).

You go to "school" every day and your teachers tell me how you've matured over the last month. You are helpful and sweet and you use your words rather than whine. When I pick you up at the end of the day and you hug all of your friends and say "Thank You" to your teachers, I melt.

Your love of trucks has really hit an all time high. You LOVE trucks. Mimi told me this would happen with boys, but I was not prepared. Trucks rock your world (as do police cars, race cars and play dough).

A few weekends ago, you went on "rollercoaster" rides for the first time. Your first ride was a boat ride and I cried my eyes out. I have no idea what happened to me, but you were on this little boat all by yourself and you were so happy. I just couldn't stop from becoming a blubbering fool. Luckily the lady next to me said that she did the same thing!

You love TV and movies. I know most 2 year olds do, but since you didn't watch TV for a long time, it's amazing to watch you interact with shows and find your favorites. Right now you're still loving Sesame Street but you really love Thomas, The Wonder Pets, Little Einsteins (you call "rocketship") and Yo Gabba Gabba (you did seem to like "So You Think You Can Dance" and you managed about 20 minutes of X Factor the other night, too!). Movie-wise: Despicable Me (also one of my favorites), Charlotte's Web and Dumbo. OH, and a Muppets movie when we find them on TV. You like to lay on the couch with me and cuddle. You say "mommy laying" and pat the sofa next to you to tell me to lay down.

You are musical (I think I've said this on the blog before). You sing songs and make up your own songs. You're loving Adele's "21" as much as I am AND you showed some serious skills with a drumset recently.

You are currently totally in love with me! Yes, this sounds conceited coming from the author of this blog, but it rocks my world and I know that you'll favor me or Daddy at certain points, so I'm savoring every last minute of this. You have literally told Daddy to get off the couch so that I can lay down with you. It's awesome...except when I'm feeling tired and my belly is big and you want me to carry you up 3 flights of stairs. That, no so much.

You make random jokes and then say "Daniel funny!". Or if I do something you think is funny you say "Mommy funny!" You also say "cooz me" when you toot or burp or when you need to squeeze past someone. Very polite!

You are no longer a baby. I think that's the most profound change that I can try to explain. You are a little boy who likes to run and jump and play with cars and chase your friends. I don't need to watch you every second of the day and when you need me, I know you will tell me.

As we get ready for baby #2, I find myself clinging on to you. I can't stand to be away from you as the days are passing so quickly and I don't want to miss anything. I know that things will be different in a few short months and I'm scared that I won't know how to have Daniel time so I am doing everything possible to hold you and kiss you and cuddle with you and play with you without being preoccupied with anything else. I'm actually crying as I write this because I am overwhelmed by how much I love you. I am just so proud of you... who you are and how you are... and I hope that I never forget the feeling of singing to you before you go to sleep - of your hair on my face, you hands on my arms and your face in the crook of my neck.

I'll Spare You the Photo

2011-07-01T09:03:00.000-04:00

Last night Daniel pooped on the potty! I was with a client but Matt said that Daniel savored those M&Ms like he would never have another treat again!

Not bad for a week shy of his 2nd birthday!

Yummm... Pizza

2011-06-28T21:42:00.001-04:00

Clio Peterson used to say "pizza, pizza, pizza" in the cutest way ever (when she was probably a year old - the girl's vocab has always been off the charts!). I've been trying to get Daniel to say it just to see if it would be as cute. Little did I know that getting him to say the word was also getting him to love the food.

Finally!! And yes, it's pretty damn cute.

SKOLA: The First Week

2011-06-20T07:06:00.000-04:00

To any readers who are Swedish, you read correctly... Daniel is started "school" last week at the Scandinavian School in Jersey City. It's a nursery school that opened 2 blocks from our house late last year. The school immediately filled up and we've been on the waiting list for about 6 months.

The school is run by a local mom (and educator) who is Swedish and wanted to bring the philosophies of Scandinavian childcare over here. The children are basically outside all the time (rain, snow, or sun) and the love we feel in that school is off the charts!

The first week was a smash success. Not a single tear (other than my own ridiculous blubbering on day one) and I came home every day to a super happy, crazy good mood Daniel. We transitioned him to be there a little bit longer every day and every day he did better than we could have imagined. Also, how cute is he with that backpack?!

On top of all of the usual goodness that you could imagine comes from an environment like this (amazing socialization, exposure to a different language, diversity in ethnicity and culture amongst the children, happy outside time for a toddler to run around, etc) all of the food is homemade, almost all organic, comes from our local co-op and/or farmer's market and is vegetarian! What?! You heard me right. Daniel, my son who seemed to be turning into such a picky eater is now eating Quinoa and Beet & Carrot Casserole. Amazing!

This will be his first full day full week, so let's all keep our fingers crossed. I'm off to San Francisco for the entire week, so Matt gets to reap the joy of picking him up every day and seeing that smile when he walks in the door!

Here are some pics from the first day:

We're ready to go!

Stopping for a little puddle jumping

Daddy to the rescue when Daniel just didn't want to finish the 2 block walk

While I was crying, I tried to snap a picture of "circle time"

Just a note here that I left telling the Director that Daniel probably wouldn't eat. She sent me this picture 30 minutes later and told me that he hasn't stopped eating since! I'm such a sucker at home!

Cocktail of Choice

2011-06-08T14:36:00.002-04:00

Where's My Martini & Cigar?

2011-05-26T11:00:00.000-04:00

My mentor and former boss gave these tres chic PJs to Daniel when he was born. When I finally put him in them the other night before bed I nearly fell over because he looked like such a little man in them. I kept imagining that he had a British accent and needed a smoking jacket....

Susan, if you're reading this, thanks for making my son so debonair!

Three Word Sentence

2011-05-25T21:53:00.000-04:00

"Mommy! Ball. Out!"

Followed by Daniel leading me to the living room and pointing to his big ball which was stuck inside of a plastic bucket seat.

What a brilliant boy (have I mentioned the counting and the singing and the amazing rhythm?)

"I Love You" and a whole lot more!

2011-05-15T22:14:00.001-04:00

Today Daniel said "I love you" (after I've been asking him to say it for months, people)! It's really more like "wuv ew" but it melted my heart nonetheless. I've been trying desperately to carve out time to post to the blog for the past 2 months and I could not put this off for another day.

There are so many awesome and hilarious things that Daniel is doing these days but saying that he loves me really takes the cake. My friend, Sara, told me that this would be happening soon and I've been wondering how it would happen and when. See, I believe that the acknowledgement of LOVE is so completely complex that he really wouldn't get it. But not only did he say that he loves me, he hugged me so tightly around the neck and pushed his face so hard against mine, that I know that he feels exactly what I feel when I hold him and tell him that I love him. That "Of Mice and Men" feeling when I think I can't possibly squeeze him or kiss him hard enough.

Daniel is 22 months old. We will celebrate his 2nd birthday in the park with a big party (we're throwing a joint party with his friend, Connor) and I feel like these last couple of months are the last "official" months of him being my baby boy. I watch him walk down the street and it nearly brings tears to my eyes to see how big he is, how great and huge his personality is and, these days, how independent he tries to be.

Daniel is a complete joy to be with. He doesn't throw tantrums (yet), he doesn't get greedy with his toys (too often) and he likes to sweetly hold hands with his little friends (mostly the girls). He talks almost as much as I do (I barely know what he's saying most of the time) and he loves to sing (just like him mommy!).

Here are some of his new (or new to this blog) favorite things:

- Counting! I have to get this on video. He counts by saying un, ree, ree, four, and then something like seven and then more un, un. It's damn cute. His favorite thing to count is when Matt empties his pockets every night and Daniel gets to put all of the change in his piggy soccer bank. He cheers when he's done!

- Bubbles! Daniel says "bubboos". My mother recently taught him to blow his own bubbles and then my sister took that lesson to the pool - so drinking water is now tons of fun - and very messy!

Aunt Andi ("D" as Daniel calls her) teaching Daniel the art of Bubble Blowing in Miami

- Jumping... specifically in puddles and telling the cat to jump. He says "poop. jump." Poop (our cat) ignores him.

- Trucks. Wow - this kid loves trucks. I mean, WOW. He still calls them "uch". His all-time favorite is still the fire truck. He points to them and says "wee-ew, wee-ew, wee-ew"

- Trains. "Choo-Choo". He spots a train or train tracks so quickly it's like he smells them

- Singing the ABCs into a microphone. We have one of those cheap vibrating plastic microphones but really any mic will do (the below video does not do this justice and he's full blown into singing by himself now. It's amazing how great his rhythm is).

- Our cat, Poop. Daniel has suddenly become obsessed with our cat. It's incredibly sweet - especially since our cat was pretty much homicidal 3 years ago. Thankfully Poop is now old (almost 17) and I think he realizes that Daniel is here to stay, so he better just chill out and deal with a little toddler poking at him.

- Cheering, in general. Daniel loves to shout "Yay" to whatever it is he might be doing. Sometimes it's just "Yay, Mommy" or "Yay, Daddy". Sometimes he's so excited that he puts all the names together, "Yay, DaMommyPoop"

Looking way too much like his Daddy

There is so much more to describe so I promise to this blog (really to Daniel) that I will be posting a lot over the next month in order to catch up with my growing boy.

Reading in his room

Doing it up at on "Take Your Child to Work Day"

An Update

2011-03-03T21:37:00.000-05:00

Since January 1, I've been on 6 business trips. Apologies for the crazy lack of posts.

Luckily while my posts have been few and far between, my little man hasn't missed a beat and is simply sprouting. I have a blast with him, but I'm still freaked out by how quickly he is growing up and wish I could just slow down time. I know I should live every day in the moment and not worry about tomorrow or yesterday - but it's really hard when my little baby is suddenly talking to me in his own strange sentences.

The words are free flowing at this point (though I still usually don't know what he's saying) and the thing I love the most right now is that he is finally starting to sing along with me. He especially loves to sing the ABC song (again, he's not really saying the letters but he is singing the tune, pausing when we pause, etc). He gets into bed with us in the morning and likes to "hide" under the covers (we have to be under them, too) and he is just crazy happy all the time (well, except when he's not happy - that's a whole other story and an entirely separate blog post. Let's just say that it's no longer easy to take something away from him).

He knows so much now. He points to objects when I ask where they are. He literally plugs in, turns on and asks his Daddy to play the bass when he wants to hear it. He started to attempt to pull up his pants after I change a diaper. He saw me use the lint brush today, asked for it and started de-linting his jeans. He also recently started putting his finger up his nose. Hmmm... not so sure about the cuteness factor here.

He also loves to brush his teeth (sometimes pantless) and use utencils as you can see in these videos.

And Baby Makes Three... A Valentine's Day Announcement from my Sister.

2011-02-14T20:29:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting for 3 months to publish this post.

My sister is 12 weeks pregnant! Daniel is going to have a baby cousin and I am going to be AUNT!

This is the picture that Andi sent us from her most recent ultrasound. I told Daniel that this was his baby cousin and he took the phone (she texted the picture) said "Babyby" then hugged and kissed the phone. Literally, my sweet little boy hugged and kissed the picture of the baby!

Now, you may be saying "you couldn't know for all 3 months" but my sister and brother-in-law have gone through more than most people on their path to pregnancy and we've known about this little fertilized egg since day one of conception.

Two years ago Andi and Gabe decided to start trying to get pregnant. It didn't work. People (myself included) would tell Andi that it takes time. That while it seems like ladies get pregnant left and right, there is really only a small window of fertility every month. As the months went on, Andi got a little more nervous, a little more anxious and little sadder.

Then I got pregnant with Daniel. I tried not to feel guilty but I knew the day I told her I was pregnant that she cried and I was scared that she would be sad throughout my pregnancy. Of course, she wasn't because my sister is one of the most selfless people I've ever known. She embraced my pregnancy and, eventually, became the most supportive person and the most incredible Aunt Daniel could ever ask for.

When Andi finally learned that her eggs were "of not good quality" the entire family rallied around her and Gabe to support their efforts to get pregnant in less traditional ways. In the end, my sister and Gabe used an egg donor (an entirely new soul searching scenario for me as I am not the donor of her eggs). When they got the call that they were next on the waiting list for a live donor, we all cheered and breathed a sigh of relief. And then the day came. In mid December Andi was implanted with two fertilized eggs and we all held our breath until her first official pregnancy test two days before Christmas.

Now we get to welcome a new baby to our family. A baby whose parents have gone through so much to have him or her and who we all know will be two of the best parents on earth. All babies are blessings and this one is a big, huge, amazing blessing.

So, the best Valentine's Day gift is being able to officially congratulate Andi and Gabe on their healthy pregnancy. We love you so much and Daniel can't wait to teach his baby cousin all of his tricks.

Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy

2011-02-05T08:25:00.000-05:00

It has happened. Daniel is in a "Daddy" phase and that's pretty much the only word the kid says these days. I feel like chopped liver.

Daddy is usually followed by "Peeeze" because he wants something and mysteriously at 18 months has already decided that Daddy might give him something that Mama won't.

The only time this really makes me sad is sometimes in the morning when Daniel only wants Matt and he screams if I try to take him or when Matt gets into the shower. Man, it blows!

Daniel, please bring "mama" back into the picture.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Andi

2011-01-12T09:13:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to my sister. Daniel's wonderful and amazing, Aunt Andi.

We love you!

18 Months

2011-01-08T23:07:00.001-05:00

Dear Daniel,
Today is your 18 month birthday. 18 months! For some reason this, your 1 1/2 birthday, is monumental. It's the time that my friends said would be the most fun. The time before "they" say that you're going to turn into a little 2 year old toddler nightmare (not MY baby!). The time that you're still kind of a baby but I can feel that slipping away every single day as you become more and more of a toddler.

Keeping up with the blog has proven to be difficult recently and since this is my diary to you, it makes me sad that I haven't been able to log my thoughts and your stories more frequently. I can say that it's one of my New Year's resolutions but that would just be plain silly!

What I can do is tell you what you're up to right now. This divine, special, split-second-long chapter will change every day, so I'll try to include it all:

1. You are still one of the sweetest boys imaginable (this is not just an "I'm your mom, so I think so", this is a truth that people tell us all the time. You love to hug and kiss. You cuddle (for only a few minutes, but still!), you say "baby" in a much higher and sweeter voice than you say any other word. You don't hit. You love to share. (both of the previous sentences could easily end with "Yet").

2. You are still pensive, like you were as a baby. I love this about you because I can see your brain working and growing every time you look at a project and think about it before you dig into it. Every time you flip a toy over to see if you can take it apart and every time you squat in front of the cat and try to communicate with him before trying to touch him.
3. You lay in your crib and sing to yourself and then you clap at the end of your song.
4. Your babbling is nothing short of RIDICULOUSLY amazing and constantly keeps me laughing.
5. You still don't say a ton of words, but the ones you are into these days are:
Baby (you say it in 3 syllables, "ba-beee-beee")
Mama (and now you're finally talking to me and not just needing something)
Dada and Daddy
Kitty
Uh-Oh
Peeesh (please)
Doggy
Up (I haven't heard you say this, but you apparently do)
The following animal sounds: Mooo (cow), Uff Uff (dog), Snnnn (snake), Cack Cack (duck), Tsss Tsss while shaking your finger (this is what you say for Monkey because of the book "Caps for Sale" which is one of you favorites), Hi Kitty (for Kitty.. no joke).
Bus
Uckch (Truck. This is our favorite)
Yay! (after clapping)
6. You are a fabulous sleeper. You sleep from about 7:30 to 7 and you take one nap from 1-3 (or later) every day. We love you for this.
7. Your favorite books are "Everywhere Babies", "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel", "Caps for Sale", and "The Very Hungry Catepillar"
8. You run to me and throw your arms around me and hug me tight before kissing me. Oh my lord, there is nothing better.
9. You still like to play with my hair like you did when you were nursing.
10. You love to dance and have made some new dance moves over the last few months that are particularly groovy
11. Music calms you down and you love it when we sing big musical-type songs to you (you often applaud us when the song is over)
12. You have a lot of teeth now and they are sharp.
13. You love the snow which makes me hopeful that you will snowboard with me in a few years.
14. You are randomly enjoying spicy foods. On Christmas, you were loving super spicy Hot & Sour soup in Chinatown

15. You love to wash your hair (and your tummy, tushy, hands, etc). Here you are at the Liberty Science Center washing your hair at a bubble exhibit. Nice.

16. You are happy and loving and curious about life. You are an angel. You are my best buddy. You have changed me and made me better in ways that I'll never quite be able to explain.

Happy birthday, Daniel Bing.

The Blizzard

2010-12-26T21:40:00.002-05:00

The Governor has declared a State of Emergency for the entire state of New Jersey. We headed across the street to our park to see how Daniel would deal in the crazy wind, snow and general fun. If you remember last year's massive snowstorm, Daniel didn't know which side was up - so Matt and I were so excited to see how he would react today. He was slightly cautious but started screaming as soon as we said "let's head home". Guess he liked it! Unfortunately we ended the snow excursion on a bad note: we put Daniel on a slide (alone) that was covered in snow. He basically shot off like a cannon ball and skidded on the snow on his flat back. It was kind of hysterical, but not so much when he started screaming (luckily the snowsuit Mimi bought him cushioned anything that could have possibly hurt him - but the surprise launch was enough for him!

Check us out:

Daniel is amazed. And warm in his snowsuit big enough for 2 kids!

Also, thanks to Wade Holsapple for handing down his snow boots. Perfect fit!

Matt teaching Daniel to throw snowballs

And to eat snow (Daniel wasn't super into it)

Loving the snow - can't wait to see it when it hits 14+ inches tomorrow morning!

And, if the pictures weren't enough... here's a video. Daniel loved it.

Stroller Addict: Tales of Stroller Hell

2010-12-24T15:22:00.000-05:00

Let's put it this way: Matt and I bought a 2009 Jetta Sportwagen TDI (a diesel) last fall. I have put more time, energy, research, agony and arguing into our strollers than I did over the brand new car.

As you all know, I have one son. He is 17 months old.

Today I bought our 5th stroller. Yes, our 5th.

Here's how it happened (I'm writing this to come to terms with myself but to justify my reasoning as much as possible to my husband):

Stroller #1: 2009 Uppa Baby Vista. I love this stroller. Daniel was comfy. I had numerous random issues (turns out Matt was closing it incorrectly causing it jam) and the amazing customer service took care of us each time. 2 problems: it's heavy and the seat didn't go completely upright so Daniel would kind of be leaning back which became an issue when he was about a year old.

Stroller #2: Because our Uppa is heavy, we decided to buy a lightweight stroller to take in the car, on the subway, etc. It was between a Maclaren Triumph or the City Mini. We went with the City Mini and basically stopped using the Uppa simply because the City Mini was pretty much perfect and lightweight. When we were in Atlanta in September Hertz decided to "upgrade" my rental car and gave me a huge SUV. It was so big I could barely get into my parent's garage. I hated it. I ran over our City Mini accidentally (I literally bumped it while reversing but the SUV was so big that it literally popped the stroller in half). I hate that damned rental.

Stroller #3: In Atlanta with a snapped-in-two City Mini, I ran out and, being such an Uppa Baby fan, bought their lightweight umbrella stroller, the G-Lite. I loved it. So light, so easy to carry, folds up into nothing. I thought I was golden.

Stroller #4: I knew I would end up doing this, but I recently started running (my friend Lauren Stout signed me up for a 10K) and I wanted to run with Daniel. I bought a BOB Revolution and it honestly inspired me to run and I've loved it. Decided it's the best stroller ever made. Handles like a dream. Daniel is so happy in it. Makes me run. ALMOST perfect. Bad part: so heavy and very hard to get in and out of our brownstone as the doors are narrow (will be great when our renovation is done in a few months and I have a garage). I decide that I should have just bought the BOB to begin with. We use this every day.

Stroller #5: Over the last 2 months, we've realized that Daniel HATES the G-Lite. It's actually quite small and we can't adjust the straps so Daniel doesn't fit very well. Now that it's winter and he's in his coat, we can't even get the straps around him. UGGGGHHH!!! So what do I do? Refer to Stroller #2. I buy the Maclaren Triumph and it's perfect.

And that's where we are today. Matt totally annoyed with me. I'm totally annoyed with strollers. If I get pregnant again soon and need a double stroller I'm going to take a shotgun and shoot every (empty) stroller that I see.

Oops! Looks like I misplaced this data card!

2010-12-22T21:18:00.000-05:00

I knew I had some amazing pictures from October. Good thing I finally found them. Reminds me that our photo storage is totally out of whack right now and we must get this fixed.

We went to a really cute farm with our friends, the Kriegsmans, and that's really when Daniel started calling all animals "Kitty" (he's not really doing that anymore, by the way). I also love the love-fest going on with Daniel and Benjamin at the end of the day.

Also found - the Halloween pictures. Honestly, how on earth did I let this happen? In any case, here was Halloween in all of it's rockin' cuteness. On top of the Daniel pics, there are a few that showcase the fabulous park that we live on and it's kind of obvious why I love my neighborhood so much (future post).

Better late than never, right?

Baby

2010-12-15T11:16:00.000-05:00

Daniel loves babies and today he finally said it!

"Baby"

Damn cute. Sadly, I think he knows the word not from me saying it all the time, but from Elmo asking what a baby does every morning.

Teething for Real

2010-12-13T21:33:00.000-05:00

Remember when I used to post about the fact that Daniel's teeth were taking their time coming in? Well, my little boy is now getting his molars... all at once... and it sucks! He is crying. A lot. He wakes up crying. He wakes up in the middle of the night crying. He cries when he eats. He cries when he drinks.

Matt and I are heartbroken for him. He goes from being the sweetest and happiest little boy in the world to being so sad and hurting. He takes my hand and pushes it into his cheeks, bites his fingers and just whines.

Moms - how long is this going to take? I cautiously stick my fingers in his mouth, feel all those teeth and I know it must feel like hell for him. All at once? What are the odds?

Where We've Been and What's Been Up With Us

2010-12-04T16:05:00.000-05:00

It's obvious when things are so hectically out of control that I don't even remember the last time I posted anything substantial. I've actually felt the absence of posting to my blog but haven't been able to pull together the time to do anything about it. So, here I am - months and months later with much too much to say for one blog post. So, I'll begin to make up for my absence with a little catch up on what's been happening with us.

Part 1: Daniel Bing
One word: INCREDIBLE.
Daniel is now close to 17 months old and my little baby has transformed into a full-blown, cute-as-can-be toddler. He's close to 25 pounds and got his 4th (yes, 4th!) haircut this morning. He is definitely classified as a "lover" and not a "fighter". Daniel hugs and kisses almost anything and anyone. He is a still crazy over anything fluffy and soft. Today we were hanging out at the Union Square holiday market with Lauren and Richie and while we were looking at some hats, Daniel literally started cuddling with a furry tablecloth. Strange, but adorable.

Physically, Daniel acts more like a 2 year old than a 17 month old. He skips the baby play areas and heads straight for where the older kids are playing. He shows no fear... well, except for today when he wouldn't stand on a sewer grate (I don't blame him). He's still very much into music and loves it when Matt plays the bass guitar at night. He loves to dance and the moves he pulls out are quite impressive... especially while he's in his carseat... he has some serious arm moves.

He still isn't saying many words. Only a few... kitty, uh-oh, mama (this means that he wants something), dada and he did say up and apple last week... but nothing since. He understands everything so I think he's just being lazy. I love being able to say "go give the baby a kiss" and watch him walk over to a baby or a toy and kiss it but I really can't wait for him to start saying more.

The big news is that he just spent 3 weeks in Atlanta with my parents (Nana Max and Papa G). 10 days of the 3 weeks were spent alone with my parents while Matt and I were in Argentina. Daniel was spoiled beyond belief and he had an amazing time - we're so proud of him (and so beyond thankful to my parents!). My parents had him booked up with more activities in 10 days then he does in a month in Jersey. He picked up some very cute new things: holding his nose and saying "pee-yew" when we change a poop, sweeping, helping with the dishes, covering his ears when the coffee maker grinds the coffee beans and, our favorite, spitting after he brushes his teeth (this really is just a pretend spit so it's really cute). Daniel is also officially a dog lover. While he had to defend his food at all times, he loved spending 3 weeks with my parent's crazy dog, Jake, and we can't wait to get him a puppy. He was also allowed to have his binky and his blanket ANYTIME (something he doesn't do at home) so now we're dealing with a very attached little boy to his bink and blanket as you'll see from the piano video below.

Matt and I are, like all parents, ridiculously in love with this child. My friend, Heather, always says that her favorite age is 18 months so I've been anxiously waiting for this time and I couldn't agree with her more. When Daniel sees me come into a room and runs over to me and hugs me tight around the neck, it takes everything to not cry. He is enamored by Matt and seeing my boys run around the house can keep me happily occupied forever.

Here are few recent pics and clips:

I mean, it doesn't get cuter than this

Tickling fit

The Family Pic (note that Jake is probably looking for food and Stella is trying to get out of the picture)

Security threat at Newark

Cuddling on the way to the Atlanta airport. Already sad to say goodbye to Nana, Papa, Andi, Gabe, Stella and Jake!

This was so fun that I got in there with him

The Cantilo family got new kittens and Daniel LOVED them

Part 2: Marni & Matt

I'll make this close... 10 days without Daniel in Argentina. It was not easy (I know.. those of you with older kids are laughing at me now). I think 7 days would have been fine, but 10 was simply too long. However, the trip was amazing for us. There were many times (in between talking about what we thought Daniel was doing) that it felt like it did before we had Daniel. Just funny and fun and nothing to do but relax and be together.

We are incredibly lucky that we were able to go on this trip but I think we're happy to stay put for a little while.

The wonderful thing about the trip was also the timing... my best friend, Jody, gave birth to her 3rd little girl, Lila Claire, right before we came home... and 6 weeks early. Loving on that little girl was a perfect addition to our trip and Daniel may have his first crush.

A view to die for in Bariloche

Our little rental car in Bariloche. The scenic drives were absolutely unreal

Perito Mereno Glacier in El Calafate. We hiked on this glacier for 4 hours and it was amazing!

Eolo Hotel in Calafate - view from a hike we did. This place was heaven.

Another view of Perito Mereno

Matt, my glacier man

Me and baby Lila. She's a peanut and we love her!

Last Will & Testament

2010-11-04T20:12:00.000-04:00

Matt and I signed our wills today. Quite the intense morning.

The actual signing wasn't intense or stressful. In fact, it's always a pleasure to hang out with our lawyer. He's hysterical and happens to be the president of our synagogue so I actually feel a little more Jewish after spending time with him.

The rest of the day was fairly intense, though. We had to get these wills signed because we are going on a very long trip without Daniel. Signing them was a last minute "G-d forbid" action that we've been meaning to do for 15 months now and those papers have now made the whole "what would happen" so real.

I'm feeling excited, yet incredibly nervous/guilty about going on this trip. 10 days in Argentina without our little man. My friends all say that this is good for all of us. While I've been on business trips (max = 4 days), Matt and I have only been apart from Daniel at the same time for 2 days. I've been working so much and traveling so much that any free time I have I want to spend with him. So, you can understand the guilt. BUT, Matt and I need this trip and I know that Daniel will be in good hands (with my parents in Atlanta probably mixing Gin & Tonics by the time we return). So, we find ourselves signing wills.

Anyone who has gone through this understands what a mind trip it is. We're not going to die on this trip... but we could... but we won't... but we could. But really we'll just be eating delicious steak and hiking on glaciers and Daniel will be spoiled rotten by my parents.

Happy 70th Birthday, Daddy (Papa!)

2010-11-02T21:30:00.000-04:00

Today is my father's 70th birthday. OMG! 70th!!!

I've always been a daddy's girl and today is just another amazing reason to tell the world why I love him so much (and why Daniel loves his Papa so much):

1. My dad puts his girls (me, my sister and my mom) before anything in the world... especially himself.
2. My dad has treated Matt like his own son since the day I introduced them (my dad likes to tell the story of Matt skating up to a bar on his skateboard).
3. My dad gives the best infant massage. This started with Julia Guiness when she was one day old and still holds true today.
4. My dad tells ridiculously bad jokes. Mind you, he thinks they are hysterical (and, sometimes they are pretty funny) but most of the time my sister and I tell him they are lame and he laughs anyway and says, "I know".
5. My dad fixes everything. Nowadays it might take him a little longer to complete (cue my mom to complain that he's not finishing everything on time) but the man has put more energy into making his home up to date than anyone else who doesn't remodel homes for a living.
6. My dad works harder than most people I know, even though the outcome isn't as lucrative as he probably hopes. My dad is a contractor and, at 70, still does a lot of manual labor. He deserves to win the lottery but still takes pride in helping people out every single day. His can-do spirit is absolutely inspiring.
7. I learned the following important life lessons from my dad:
- How to drive offensively, not defensively (and how to stop short)
- Talk to strangers and be super nice to everyone - whether they are paying your paycheck or bagging your groceries
- Love your family and tell them that you love them every day (I learned this from my mom & Dad, but being a Daddy's Girl, I'll give credit to Dad today)
- Love food and don't feel guilty about it (I could also blame him for the 20 extra pounds I have right now, but I won't.. or did I just do that?)
- Never say "shut up" to your mother. Ever.
- Drink whiskey to get rid of a sore throat
8. My dad is an INCREDIBLE grandfather. His eyes light up when he sees Daniel and watching them together melts my heart.
9. My dad is an INCREDIBLE husband and he still opens the car door for my mom and buys her flowers.
10. My dad is the MOST INCREDIBLE father of all time and I love him with all of my heart and soul.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Amazing Acts of Stillness

2010-10-27T20:33:00.000-04:00

While my blogging may be way behind lately, Daniel is still 15 months old. He is incredibly active and rarely stops for more than a minute or two which is why the events of this evening are blogworthy.

Tonight, we tried to video chat with my parents. A comedy in itself and I never expect Daniel to last for more than 2 seconds. Every time we try to video chat with my parents, they can't get their computer to work or whatever "high speed" network they're on doesn't really let them video chat as they are always sitting on their couch and just stuck on the screen. They can see us perfectly fine so they continue to talk and blow kisses, but Daniel and I are just kind of sitting there looking at a blurry face stuck on the screen (I really can't do the humor justice).

Anyhow... tonight, Daniel sat on my lap in front of the computer for about 10 or 15 minutes while we tried to video chat (Tried is the key word here. It never really happened and seeing my parents faces blurry and stuck on a screen is weird enough for me - I have to believe that it totally freaks out Daniel). It was incredible. He didn't wiggle and he didn't try to attack the keyboard. He just sat on my lap playing with a couple of blocks and hung out. Super sweet.

When it was time to go to sleep, I asked Daniel to get me his favorite book (this was an experiment... I had no idea what he was going to do). So, he went into his house and starting leafing through "Caps for Sale" (his father's favorite). I scooped him and the book up and we sat on his chair and read the ENTIRE book! People... the entire book (and not a picture book). This was big. Again, no squirming, no pauses, just the entire snuggly time of reading the book together.

Two amazing acts of stillness!

Unsuccessfully Playing Catch-Up

2010-10-17T20:25:00.001-04:00

I asked my husband tonight if I was feeling sad because I’m so tired or because I am so overwhelmed with playing catch-up. He didn’t know I was sad. To be honest, I didn’t know either until 7:45pm when I started to think about all of the things I had to do, yet had no energy to do. Guess that answers the question!

Daniel is 15 months old. He’s walking, running, has a bunch of teeth (finally), is super tall (90^th percentile) so he looks like all of the 18 month old kids on the playground and he’s incredibly physically active. He’s hysterical. Makes us laugh all of the time and he is still calling most animals “kitty” (in fact, we went to a farm today and he ran up to a sheep yelling “kitty”). His hair grows so fast that he's on haircut #3. I have amazing photos and videos from all the way back to our Cape Cod vacation with the Bahats in August, Jewish holidays in Atlanta (including a baby gorilla from the Atlanta Zoo which is insanely cute), visits in Philly and with his great grandparents AND one amazing essay from his cousin Lizzie. Lots to post.

I’ve been traveling nearly every other week since the beginning of this year for work. I can’t really say that it’s “starting” to take its toll as it’s a struggle each and every time. But, something is different now and I feel like all of the time away from both Daniel and Matt has caught up with me. Not only am I missing my boys all the time, but my every day to-dos get swept under the rug.

Living in a semi-gutted house is also starting to take its toll and I often start screaming while cooking begging for my kitchen to be done already!

Because of the half-gutted house, we don’t have a lot of space and have to use a storage unit. I now have a massive pile in my room made up of things that need to go to storage. Please someone set fire to this pile so I don’t have to look at it anymore! (that’s a joke just in case someone from the fire department is reading this)

I haven’t spoken to my dear friend, Heather, since she moved back home to Minneapolis and I miss her dearly

I missed my friend, Jennifer Geiger’s birthday (and probably a slew of others)

Oh yeah, I have a full time job that is more demanding than any job I could ever imagine. Thankful as I am for the job… it’s still, once again, more demanding than I could have ever imagined.

I used to talk to my parents nearly every day. I think I last spoke to them last week.

This blog’s primary function is to chronicle Daniel’s life but as most of you know, I’ve barely been doing that over the last few months and putting all of the things that are overwhelming me down in writing is actually helping me realize that I’m actually not sad… I’m just fucking busy! Pity party is OVER!

An Ode to Poop (the cat)!

2010-10-04T22:18:00.000-04:00

Matt's (our) cat turned 16 years old today. I'd like to dedicate this blog post to him.

Poop is one of the strangest, scariest and most beautiful cats I've ever known. When I first started dating Matt I immediately tried to cuddle with Poop and get him to love me by loving him... mistake. I quickly learned that Poop is not a "cuddly" cat and if he wants any sort of attention, he wants it from Matt. Period. I was warned that he was "homicidal" and quite a few friends of Matt's asked me if I wanted to hire a hit man to "take him out". Yikes.

The bottom line is that Poop would much prefer to track down a small (or large) mammal, kill it and eat it in our living room than he would like to have a long pet on the couch.

I spent a year or so slowly trying to earn Poop's trust (I was, after all, taking away his roommate and best friend). I mean, this was a serious project. Eventually Poop would sleep next to me and let me pet him or brush him (for about a minute at a time) but he would never come to me when I wanted him to and deep down I knew that the attention he was giving me was simply a product of his boredom with my saying his name over and over again.

Meanwhile, 5 years later, I love Poop and I know he loves me even though he still follows Matt around and leaves me in a split second when Matt walks in the room.

We were a bit scared when we brought Daniel home because we didn't know how Poop would react (he left our friend's Pit Bull bleeding in a corner once) and there have been some moments when we've held our breath, but it's been pretty good.

Nowadays, Poop pretty much ignores Daniel (that's a good thing) and Poop happens to be one of Daniel's most favorite playthings (umm, not always good). In fact, Daniel now calls pretty much everything, "Kitty!" in a really high pitched, excited voice. A bird in a tree? "Kitty!". A cute dog? "Kitty!" Certain kids in the playground? "Kitty!" It's damn cute. Check out this video (also great footage of our little walking monster):

So, Happy Birthday to our friend, Poop. We love you and thank you for not killing any of us (yet).

New Skills: Walking When He Wants and Using a Fork

2010-09-21T21:58:00.001-04:00

Faithful readers, I am way behind in posts. My sincere apologies!

Now, you may think that walking is WAY more important than using a fork (agreed) but Daniel is still in walking denial so it's been hard to get a good video. As soon as he realizes he's walking he stops and either cries or sits down and lifts his hand for our hand. So, I'll work on the walking video... it's coming (slowly, but surely). The important thing is that he's officially walking (even agreed to by my husband) and he looks like a little duckling waddling around. Adorable.

Daniel is 14 months old and he is a budding toddler and I can't wait to do a proper update as soon as I have more than 45 minutes at night. However, this is one video that just had to be posted:

As cute as it looks, Daniel's fork maneuvering also means that he pretty much refuses being spoon-fed which, quite frankly, can be a cute pain in the ass. Alas, I'm proud of my little guy for picking up this new skill and think that whipping up a nice roux might be the next step!

A Worthy Message

2010-09-11T16:04:00.000-04:00

We're in Atlanta for about 10 days celebrating the Jewish holidays. Being home is always a treat for me and I cherish the extended visits where I get to pretend that I live here.

My family has always taken Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur seriously and I hope that Daniel can grow up to do the same. I use the time in synagogue to reflect on the past year and focus on what I'd like to accomplish during the next. I think about things I've done that could have been done better, ways I've acted that don't make me proud and things I've gotten upset about that I should have just let roll off my back. It's peaceful and easy for me to sit in a sanctuary and listen to familiar songs, prayers and voices and I really am so thankful that I am able to spend this time where I grew up.

Matt and I took Daniel to the "Family Service" this year so that we could experience synagogue together. I've always wondered what these services were like and we all absolutely loved it! Not only was it a bit chaotic, which is a good thing considering the fact that Daniel can't sit still for more than 10 seconds these days, but it broke the meaning of Rosh Hashanah down into the basics: be happy and healthy in the new year, love and respect each other and don't take life for granted.

What a beautiful message. Especially as I write this post on 9/11.

I decided to take a video while the Shofar was being sounded and while it's fun to watch Daniel in his grandfather's arms, I really like listening to what the Rabbi has to say.

I wish for a very sweet, very happy and very healthy New Year. I wish for my son to continue to be full of love, spirit and curiosity and I wish for myself to be more patient and understanding. I am blessed and I wish to never take that for granted.

An End to a Hair Era

2010-08-30T21:00:00.000-04:00

While Christine did a fabulous job with Daniel's first haircut, his hair grows about as fast as mine and it was time for a full-blown, sit-in-a-chair-with-a-cape-on, haircut.

Here's my british rockstar son before:

During his cut at Doodle Doo's in Manhattan:

And here's my not-totally-clean-cut-but-at-least-I-can-see-his-face son after:

I still get to rub my face in his hair and his curls still come out when it's wet or humid, so not everything has changed! That being said, I think I want to grow it back out now.

A Few Steps

2010-08-20T19:49:00.000-04:00

Daniel FINALLY took a few steps on his own today. Wish I had this one video, but I'll get it soon.

As we all know, Daniel has been walking while holding on to one single finger for at least a couple of months. When he first started doing this people told me that he would walk "any day now".... 2+ months later I'm still walking around with my pinky in his hand.

I'm sure that in a few months I'm going to wish that he was still trying to take my finger, but seeing his first little steps today made me scream out loud and watching him go from me to Matt tonight was simply perfect!

Like Mother, Like Son

2010-08-18T22:12:00.000-04:00

For those of you who know me well, this photo needs no explanation... and maybe we should just leave it at that.

Looks as though my son is continuing the tradition of sleeping with a blanket (or, in this case, many blankets, a lion and a duck).

No Daddy, Day 2

2010-08-08T11:14:00.000-04:00

Matt is in Montreal partying like a rockstar at Mike D's bachelor party and I'm at home being a full time single mom until I go to the shore later this afternoon.

I have to say that while we both miss Matt a ton, I have not only had so much fun over the last two days but I honestly think I've been more productive than I have since Daniel was born. No joke. I've gotten through so much on my to-do list that it's a little sick. Daniel, luckily, is the best kid in the world so he's actually been chilling out much of the time that I've been organizing, cleaning, etc. Mealtimes have also been pretty fun and quite successful!

We were even lucky enough to be doing an errand in Hoboken yesterday afternoon when my friends, the Giacopellis, invited us out for dinner with them and Daniel's friend, Ryan. What a dinner it was! It was a gorgeous night, we sat outside and, amazing, both kids ate dinner (not always guaranteed these days) AND they let us eat our dinners and drink our wine. I can't believe this happened! Mind you, this was the first time Daniel ate french fries and buttery delicious grilled cheese - but he devoured it all.

To say thanks, we gave the little guys ice cream for dessert - which neither of us has ever done. Quite the evening!

We're now off to the shore where we will be meeting up with Jody, Joy and all 5 of their kids for the week. Definitely will be posting about this - especially since they're driving up here in THIS.... should be interesting, indeed!

And he spoke (an actual word)

2010-07-31T21:30:00.001-04:00

Daniel talks all day long. In fact, I have a hilarious video of his "dinner conversations" but it's 7 minutes long and I just have to edit it before I post.

That being said, we have not yet been able to identify a legitimate word. He does say "mamamama" when he needs something or seems a little frustrated, but he never directs it at me. He also says "ba?" but we don't know what he's referring to (it's nothing that starts with a 'b'... maybe he's saying "that"?) Anyhow, all of that changed today! I can't believe that I was lucky enough to actually be filming when this happened:

For now, Matt scores a point for the first word being Daddy on 7/31/2010! Next, I'd like to hear, "I love you, Mama".

Muesli Boy

2010-07-21T22:13:00.000-04:00

Here's a great recipe that I was a little weary of but the proof is in the, err, muesli (and the photos)

1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup OJ
1 apple, peeled & grated

Mix oats with wheat germ and apricots. Add OJ and let sit for at least 5 minutes (I also added about 1/4 cup water). Stir in grated apple. You can use a hand held blender for a few seconds, but I didn't do that and Daniel still ate it up! Check it out and enjoy!

Daniel's First Haircut

2010-07-17T20:16:00.000-04:00

Daniel and I spent the weekend after his birthday with Christine, Barrett and Wade Holsapple at Christine's sister's a-mazing house in Hoboken. Before we left Christine did me the favor (with Matt's approval, of course) of trimming Daniel's hair since his hair went from looking super cute to 70s southern rocker on any given day because his bangs were so long.

Here's the before:

During:

And... (drumroll, please) after:

Thanks, Christine!

Happy 1st Birthday

2010-07-15T22:31:00.002-04:00

At midnight on July 8, 2009 my water broke in my bathroom as I was getting ready to go to bed. Did you know that only 15% of women experience their "water breaking" prior to active labor? Well, it happened to me and it freaked me out! I had no idea what was going on because there was no TV-like "gush" of water. I screamed for Matt and we spent the next hour trying to decide if it was, in fact, amniotic fluid that was slowly coming out of me (ummm... denial?). I called my friends, I called my midwife (she said "call back in 30 minutes and you'll know for sure) and I called my parents to tell them to get on a plane.

My midwife told us to take our time but to head to the hospital. I decided to bake some cookies for the nurses, I took a shower and packed half of my house before we finally left. For most of my pregnancy we worried that I would go into labor in the middle of rush hour traffic, but at 3am it was just me, Matt, the Holland Tunnel and, by this point, a ton of amniotic fluid gushing out onto my car seats. Lovely, I know.

We arrived to the now (sadly) defunct St. Vincent's Hospital in about 10 minutes and at around 4am a nurse confirmed that my water had broken and I would have this baby sometime in the next 24 hours. She was also a little rude and, at one point, she said "he's doing fine" and we still didn't know what we were having. Luckily I was so completely convinced that I was having a girl that I didn't pay her any attention.

Matt quickly fell asleep and I laid in bed waiting to feel something that resembled labor and wondering what my life would be like the next day. Would my labor be easy and safe? Would I instantly fall in love with my baby? Would Matt help me through labor? Will they really move me to a better and bigger room like they kept saying?

My midwife checked me around 8am and found that I was only 2cm dilated but fully effaced. I had yet to have a contraction so she put me on Pitocin and my hopes of a totally natural labor were over. Pitocin, however, turned out to be a good thing and within an hour or two I was in active labor with contractions coming every 3 minutes. Matt was a rock star birth partner and he did everything he needed to make me feel better. I will never forget how strong he was and how well he took care of me.

Long story short, I wimped out and got an epidural but I had to start pushing immediately after I got it and it never really kicked in... so I ended up feeling everything and loved it. While pushing, my midwife informed Matt that he had to be the one to take me through delivery because I literally stopped hearing her. I could only focus on Matt because I was scared to death and didn't know how I was going to handle the pain or pressure. I remember exactly what it was like when the baby crowned. Matt told me he could see the baby's head and that it had a lot of hair. My midwife asked me if I wanted to touch the head... I said "no". I remember thinking that touching the baby would make it all too real.

When I finally was able to push the baby out, Matt told me that it was a boy and I laughed (remember I was convinced I was having a girl) and then I cried.

My "active" labor was a total of 4 hours and Daniel's quick entrance into this world is truly indicative of his personality: impatient, determined, curious. He just couldn't wait... just like me.

I'm beginning to understand what parents all over the world mean when they say that their greatest creation is their child. I am amazed by Daniel and what I know he is capable of and I am honored to watch him grow.

So, what's my one-year old up to? Well, he...
- is tall and thin (not a Rosen trait): 22 pounds, 31.5"
- is almost walking but still won't let go of the one finger that he hold onto
- faces forward in his car seat and loves it
- is finally sprouting 2 teeth (his front ones!) so now he has 2, almost 3 teeth
- loves climbing into things/getting into things and he's starting to correctly sort shapes (brilliant!)
- has a toothbrush and likes to brush his teeth and mine
- knows his nose, my nose, his teeth, my teeth
- just started shaking his head "no" and laughing
- crouches on the floor, picks up the bedskirt and looks under the bed when I ask him to where the cat is
- drinks whole milk out of a sippy cup (bye, bye formula. hooray!)
- started making a roar sound when he laughs - which is hilarious
- tries to feed himself with a spoon - which is messy but super cute
- climbs up and down the stairs (though we don't encourage the down part)
- plays catch and throws balls
- still doesn't say any real words but talks all day long (just like me)

Daniel's birthday week was the best and he rocked it hard as you can see in the MANY pictures below. We had an early birthday party at the shore with our families and friends and Daniel let us know that he is a water baby through and through... he absolutely loves the ocean, beach and pool (even after I dunked him a few times). We visited Poppy (Daniel's great grand-father) in Philly on his actual birthday and then we spent the following weekend in Hoboken with the Holsapple clan. Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate because it was really amazing.

I hope to be a better mother every year, but think I'm doing a pretty good job so far. Daniel is the light in many people's lives what I crave most in this world. His laugh makes me laugh, his cry makes me sad, his kisses fill me with joy. He allows me to walk into my house and shed my day and love him all up. He is such a good baby... he's chill, he's happy, he rarely cries, he sleeps like a champ and he's so cute that I nibble on his ears. Now if only he would say, "Mommy"

My beach baby

Hmmm... starting him a little early, no?

After his first underwater experience

Enjoying his new favorite food

Loving the beach with Aunt Andi

Jam session with Uncle Gabe

Opening presents with Uncle Richie

Cupcake #1

Learning the art of pasta from Barrett and Wade

Feeding himself with his spoon(s)

And so proud of it!

Post birthday cupcake

Blowing out the candle

Visiting Poppy for Daniel's birthday

Learning to wrestle with Uncle Richie

Getting Ready for the Big ONE

2010-07-07T20:52:00.000-04:00

One year ago, at about this time (8pm-ish) I was so completely done with being pregnant that I yelled at my husband about anything I could think of, ordered the spiciest thai food on the menu and then braced myself and my poor husband for the sex I was going to force us to have in order to induce labor.

Sex was unnecessary.

About 3 hours from now, one year ago, my water broke.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T21:15:00.000-04:00

Today is our first Father's Day. The day that we celebrate Daddy and let him do anything he wants (which was: sleep til 1pm, watch soccer and eat ice cream).

We have a lot to celebrate in this household. Matt (Daddy, as Daniel knows him) is a stay-at-home-Dad and devotes his days to Daniel. They play, go on adventures, meet friends in the park, go to music class and generally hang around town learning about life together.

Matt makes Daniel so happy that when Matt leaves a room, Daniel cries.

I honestly couldn't ask for a better father for my baby boy than Matt and I know that Daniel knows how lucky he is to have such an amazing best friend as a Dad.

So here's to my husband, Daniel's Daddy, the person who all Dads should strive to emulate.

We love you so much and hope that you enjoyed your very first Father's Day!

The Backside of 35

2010-06-10T13:57:00.000-04:00

Today is my birthday. I'm 36 years old.

My best friend called me this morning and said "welcome to the bad side of 35" (which I found hilarious) and I've decided that I would rather like to consider it the "backside" of 35. I mean, I've never been one to be down on birthdays. My week-long "Marnipalooza" birthday celebrations have always made me happy and while I'm way more focused on Daniel's first birthday than my own, I would like to say that I am celebrating my life and all of the things that make it beautiful.

Thanks to my mom & dad (who celebrated their 42 wedding anniversary yesterday... WHOA!) for having me!

11 Months!

2010-06-09T21:19:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking that Daniel's 11 month birthday would be the least important (not that it's really possible to have a less important month) out of all during his first year since it's so close to the big ONE. But, now that I'm sitting down with this post, I realize that it's actually one of the most special. I suppose this is my baby's last birthday as a "baby". Doesn't he turn into a "toddler" next month?

Last night (his actual 11 month birthday), I came home late from a work dinner (after leaving at 7am, thereby barely seeing Daniel) and I snuck into his room (which I do every night). Rather than just caressing him, I lifted him out of his crib and held him for 10 or so minutes. I was amazed by how big he felt - how substantial he felt in my arms and I allowed myself to simply be in the moment - enjoying the weight of my sleeping baby boy in my arms.

Daniel is growing so fast that it's hard to sometimes see him for who is is on any given day, rather than remembering him as a little baby or thinking about what it will be like when he's running around. Last night, however, I enjoyed every second of my beautiful, babbling, crawling, cruising, smiley, serious, loving and sleeping baby boy.

Happy 11 month birthday, Daniel Bing!

A Couple of Cute Videos

2010-06-06T10:54:00.000-04:00

Daniel is pretty hilarious these days. He's really into dancing and his dance moves change based on where he physically is when he's dancing. The below is what I like to call Daniel's "Mindless Jamming". This is when he's clearly focused on something else, but just cannot stop his little booty from moving. Also, he has started this jam-band type head swinging which I personally love because it reminds me of Phish shows:

Daniel is also finally enjoying laying down again. Since he started crawling it's been basically impossible to lie him down except when he's sleeping. Here's his fist attempt at hiding under the covers:

Daniel "walking"

2010-05-17T20:43:00.000-04:00

Danie's friend, Oliver, turned ONE and we celebrated in a Hoboken park this past Saturday. Since the lawn was large, it was easy to let Daniel crawl around and play on his own or with his friends (amazing relief since we are used to guarding him from our non-baby-proofed home). I looked around to see were my little guy was... and low and behold, I saw THIS:

Is this exciting or what? We promptly came home and Uncle Richie put together this amazing wagon from the Roonbergs. One problem: things with wheels move MUCH faster on hardwood floors than they do on grass. He may not be quite ready yet!

A Very Belated 10 Month Birthday Post!

2010-05-15T16:31:00.000-04:00

Daniel Bing turned 10 months about a week ago. We were in Atlanta visiting my home for a week and celebrated Mother's Day there, as well. Daniel rocked the ATL. He hung out with his grandparents (Nana & Papa G) every day while I worked and then partied over the weekend with his whole family.

The past month has gone by extremely fast and I can only blame my current travel schedule for that. In fact, I honestly feel like I missed the entire 9th month of my son's life because I was on the road every week during the month. I have 2 more weeks of travel and then I'm considering myself "grounded" until the end of the summer. I miss my guys!

Here they are in all of their glory!

While not to much "major" stuff has happened between months 9 & 10, I will say that Daniel is up to a few amazing new tricks:
- He loves his tooth and plays with it a lot (yes, 10 months and one tooth)
- Waving (goodbye, we think... sometimes he just waves)
- Mama and Dada are now regular "words" but he doesn't direct those words towards us
- The little dude is STRONG. Honestly, how can someone who weighs 21 pounds be so damn strong?
- Crusing (slowly but surely)
- Climbing up stairs (he's basically become a pro even in our own brownstone which has super steep and narrow stairs)
- He's getting really good at singing with me
- He is SUPER smiley and giggly. This is new for Daniel and may become it's own blog post
- He now owns 3 pairs of shoes
- His poops STINK (sorry, but I am trying to detail his life, you know!)
- He wants to eat and drink everything that we are eating and drinking. This is good until he projectile vomits in a restaurant (apparently my sister did this all the time, too)
- When I tap my hand against his mouth, he says "ahhhh" and it makes a funny sound (learned this from Christine & Barrett and I have always looked forward to it!)
- Flirts HARD CORE
- Dances kind of like I did when I would go to Phish shows in college (he shakes his head "no) and kind of grooves

My little man is getting so big and I used to be really scared of this. I used to think that the bigger he got, the less of my baby he would be. But it's the opposite - I fall more in love with him as the days go on because I get to know him so much better.

Daniel's 10 month birthday fell one day before Mother's Day (obviously my first) and I feel honored to be this little man's mommy. I hope that I keep improving with time and make him proud of me - just like I will always be of him!

I've taken so much video in the last month that I've tried to put together a little montage. I hope it works and hope you enjoy (sorry if it's too long and excuse all of the nudity!)

Once again, Happy Birthday my little boy!

A Late 9 Month Check-up

2010-04-23T21:11:00.000-04:00

For those who know me well, it's no surprise to hear that work has taken over my once semi-peaceful and happy life. I have barely been home in the last few weeks and the in order to prove my insane buzy-ness (aside from my faltering friendships and sleepless nights) I will admit that I FORGOT to schedule a 9 month check up for Daniel. I'm a new mom - check-ups have been what I look forward to in order to find out that my son is developing correctly and weighs what he's supposed to weigh. So, while I was in San Francisco last week, I quickly made the appointment for today.

Stats:
Weight: 20lbs, 12 oz; 55th percentile (so there to everyone on the street who says he's "so huge!)
Length: 30.5" (not really, we know the nurse messed up); 95th percentile (ha! I'm 5'4"; Matt is 5'8")
Head circumference: 45 3/4"; 70th percentile

He also spent a great deal of time crawling around the office while we waiting (and as much as I love our pediatrician, he made some lame remark about how if Daniel gets sick it wasn't him letting him crawl all over the floor. I mean, what else can I do with an antsy 9 month old while we wait for YOU for 15 minutes?!) and flirting with the nurses.... naked.

Oh, he also officially started "cruising". I'll get in on video asap.

I Think I Felt a Tooth!

2010-04-14T21:29:00.000-04:00

Let's record today as the day that I THINK I felt Daniel's very first tooth breaking through.

I kind of screamed in excitement which kind of scared Matt and even though I couldn't see anything (Daniel isn't too keen on opening up and saying "ahhhh"), I know I felt that tooth! Also, Daniel cried in pain (sad) when I touched it.

I can't believe this little guy is getting a tooth. Everyone tells me that his smile will change when he gets teeth. Thinking of that kind of makes me want to cry. I don't want his smile to change! Also, it's close to impossible to get a smile on camera, so I am now trying to cement his smile into my brain so I can remember it forever.

9 Months

2010-04-08T22:19:00.000-04:00

Dear Daniel,
You are 9 months old today. Isn't 9 months the age that I always thought about babies being full of personality and cuteness before I was your mom? Newborn, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months. Those are the biggies before you turn a year, right? (not sure what's up with the "big" months being all 3 months increments).

Well, Daddy and I have been saying on a daily basis that we are amazed by what you are up to lately. I know everyone thinks their kid is the greatest in all ways, but you are truly making us stop and wonder if actually are the greatest!

Here's what you've been up to over the last month:
Waving (this happened upon his return from a long weekend at the beach while we were shooting the HGTV show)
Clapping
Talking up a STORM
Singing
Dancing (rocking back and forth when music comes on)
Finding a funny noise and repeating it (specifically the sound of a Pterodactyl)
Trying to "cruise" once you've pulled yourself up to standing
Crawling super fast
Banging anything you can get your hands on together
Trying to figure out how things go inside other things (thanks to Sara for this gift)
Throwing your pacifiers (yes, plural) out of his crib and then crying to get us to come into your room
Sharing (probably the cutest of all of your new skills)

The days of your first year are literally starting to tick by and I can see you growing every single day. You make us laugh, you exhaust us, you amaze us. You are so ridiculously determined and you really never give up on anything once you start.

Happy 9 month birthday, my love. You make me laugh out loud and love more than I thought possible. I kind of want to sneak into your room and snuggle with you right now!

Luckily your Aunt Andi could be here to celebrate (and babysit) for your bi 9 monther!

We Survived

2010-04-07T20:50:00.000-04:00

Show is over. We barely survived. Part of me can't decide if it was worth it... but, we did end up with an amazingly beautiful new room, so I'm just being dramatic when I say that I can't decide.

Over the course of 3 days, I got about 6-8 hours of sleep IN TOTAL.

The unfortunate news is that I can't really blog about it until I get approval from the show or else they can sue me. So real details will have to wait until I have "clearance".

HOWEVER, the day after the shoot I spent the morning with my Hoboken girlfriends and Daniel's besties (the same babies that we met when we started the Mommy Support Group). Here are some fabulous pics:

Daniel's very first bagel & cream cheese. He went nuts over it.

Daniel & Ryan... apparently they are both Mets fans but I really don't even know where Daniel's hat came from (he's a Braves fan)

All the kiddies from left to right: Oliver, Ryan, Jacob, Noah, Daniel, Abby & Ryder (we were only missing Wyatt)

A perfect way to recuperate from the shoot. Love me some playdates!

Thanking the Rivos

2010-04-02T08:54:00.000-04:00

One devoted reader pointed out that I have YET to thank the couple responsible for all of our recent goodness in terms of real estate and tv stardom: Phil & Iris Rivo.

Phil and Iris Rivo not only help guide us in our marital and parenthood way, but Phil is pretty much responsible for our new house (being our real estate agent) and they were already down the path of the TV show (more to come on that later) and invited us along. What more can I say? Pretty amazing, right? Also, I'm hoping their kids (Sammy & Lilly) babysit for Daniel one day.

On top of all of that, my favorite piece of art that hangs over Daniel's crib is by Iris - who is an incredible artist.

SO - this is my official (and belated) THANKS for everything the Rivo family does for us!

Lava Tushy

2010-03-28T19:25:00.000-04:00

About a week ago, Daniel's diaper rash (which he had never really had before) turned into something of a lava field. Kind of like this:

Life went downhill fast. Daniel went completely crazy when we tried to change his diaper and we finally resorted to going to the pediatrician. Low and behold, his diaper rash had turned into an actual burn (we weren't far off when we described his tushy as a lava field) and he was prescribed a special $320 cream. We went through the cream in 2 days. Diaper rash came back with a vengeance so the doctor then prescribed an actual burn ointment.

For 2 days, my baby screamed in pain when we changed him and we had to keep him naked as often as possible. This meant putting waterproof pads on the floor and confining him to his room for the most of the day. It sucked. He did manage to poop right into Matt's pocket at one time, though. That was pretty funny.

2 days ago at 4am we ended up bathing him when he woke up screaming with a poopy diaper. Oy veh. Did I mention that this was the day after we moved??

Today he is much better and super happy (thanks to going back on cream #1 which my insurance wouldn't cover so soon after the original prescription was filled, meaning I paid $320 for diaper rash ointment!) and his cute little tushy is getting back to normal. I will definitely miss the naked time - but definitely not the screaming or cleaning up after him the way we might a puppy.

My Other Baby

2010-03-22T20:37:00.001-04:00

As most of my loyal fans know, we just bought a house that has to be renovated from top to bottom (while we're living in it). I've chosen not to blog about it because, let's face it, I'm in denial. We move into this house in 2 days (Wednesday, March 24, 2010) and feeling overwhelmed may be the understatement of the year.

The idea of buying a brownstone (this is a brickstone, if we're being specific) and renovating it to make it exactly what I want has been a dream of mine since moving to New York City in 1996. I never thought that I'd be able to do it because all of the houses I salivated over in the West Village were millions and millions of dollars. Hello, Jersey City! We found a steal - something we never thought we'd find.

And now comes the renovation. I expect that it will take a year (Lord, I hope it's not longer) and I have no idea how we're going to pay for everything, but the project will result in the home of my dreams and the place where my family will grow.

I've never been able to fully comprehend or daydream about teaching my kids to cook until I picked out my kitchen cabinets and countertops. I could never truly imagine being a mom of kids old enough to run around in a park until I sat on my new stoop and looked at the newly renovated park and playground that is directly across the street from my new home.

I joke that I hope my marriage survives this move and renovation. But the truth is that we will have a home that will be filled with joy and love and it will be worth every drop of blood, sweat and tears that will go into it.

You'll all be able to witness a little bit of the renovation because HGTV is invading our lives and home and doing our first room for a new show called "Battle on the Block". Don't worry, there will be more blogging about the show and I'll let you know when it's going to air.

For the complete BEFORE pictures, check out this photo album by clicking on the picture below. Wish us luck! When it's done, you're invited to dinner!

260 9th Street Before

Conversations with Mimi

2010-03-19T20:56:00.001-04:00

Daniel is ridiculously talkative these days. He's started to LOVE saying BA BA BA over and over again (which we love) and tonight we confirmed that he did actually say MA MA (though he wasn't saying it about me or to me) so we're still waiting patiently for the first real word.

My mother-in-law (Daniel's Mimi) has been staying at our apartment to help us pack up in preparation for our big move next Wednesday. I was able to record this fabulous conversation:

A Whole New Look

2010-03-10T20:34:00.003-05:00

Tah-Dah! Welcome to the new layout of the blog (thank you, Blogger!). I can change backgrounds and themes whenever I want, so hopefully you'll never get bored (well, how could you ever possibly be bored looking at pictures and reading stories about this kid!?)

Happy 8 Months!

2010-03-08T21:53:00.007-05:00

Another month already?? Noooooooo!

Ok, while I'm obviously thrilled to wish Daniel Bing a beautiful 8 month birthday, I just want him to stay a little baby, but I know that he is quickly becoming a little boy. I don't want to say that it makes me sad because I couldn't feel more proud of him or excited for his future, but I guess I just see the end of the baby road now that he is so mobile and growing so damn fast.

In the last few weeks Daniel not only started to crawl, but he fully pulls himself to standing and is now starting to try to creep around on his feet once he's up. He is so talkative and communicative and is forming very specific opinions which he is definitely not afraid to express! He's moved into a convertible carseat (bye-bye infant seat) and we already moved his crib lower because of the whole pulling himself up thing.

The funny, cute and not-so-cute things: falling asleep sitting up in his crib, waking up and playing by himself in his crib (rather than the usual immediate crying at 6:30am), first injury (ok - a small one, but still important... see his eye in a few pictures below), throwing fits (the not-so-cute kind), refusing to let me put on a diaper and PJs at night (REALLY not-so-cute).

Above everything else, there are two new things that I love more than anything (kind of selfish): 1. Daniel is resting his head on my shoulder and/or falling asleep on my shoulder which he hasn't done since he was a newborn; 2. He's becoming a little shy and buries his face in my chest when he feels that way. This second point happened this past weekend and it took me completely by surprise. For the first time I felt that he "needed" me in a cognitive way. This is more than needing a bottle or a boob when hungry. It's something so little that every kid does, but when it happened to me, I melted.

Here are some of the best shots from the last couple of weeks - and a video of Daniel enjoying one of those tunnels that his friend, Ari, loved when he was just slightly older than Daniel (if I'm doing my math correctly)!

Happy Birthday, my love. You're already keeping us on our toes!

Eating with Friends

2010-03-03T20:24:00.008-05:00

Daniel and Oliver met in my new mom's group after Ollie's mom, Bridget, was kind enough to sit next to me and tell me that I wasn't crazy... new mommiehood is f-ing hard! Turns out that the boys have developed at basically the same rate so it's really funny to watch them hang. They're already showing signs of true friendship: eating together, crying together, holding hands and babbling a lot.

Here's a clip from a spontaneous lunch this past weekend at a local sushi joint. Obviously the adults were having as much fun as the babies!

In other news, this past week has been very exciting... Daniel has now begun to pull himself up (oy veh), go back to sitting from laying down and/or crawling AND he's going through his very first snotty-nose cold. Luckily the snot has not bothered him in the least! Also, he's still DAMN cute!

Marauding Around

2010-02-26T23:08:00.006-05:00

Whoever says that walkers are "bad" for babies is completely out of their minds! Not only does Daniel love to be in there (see video) but he chills out there and allows us to make dinner and clean the kitchen. Endless thanks to the Holsapple family for letting us have it!

Matt likes to tell me all about Daniel's "marauding" during the day when Daniel uses his walker to kind of take over the kitchen. The best is when we're at our sink (corner sink... never do that if you're renovating a kitchen) and he corners us. Hilarious.

This was our very first game of "chase me". Precious.

Proof of the Crawl!

2010-02-25T23:51:00.004-05:00

And for his video debut in Crawling (not to be confused with "Curling" which Daniel has deemed boring)...

And Then He Crawled

2010-02-23T20:16:00.002-05:00

Note it today, people:

7 months, 3(ish) weeks...

Crawling.

So cute I can't even believe it.

So scary I can't even believe it.

Hardest diaper change of all time about an hour after said crawling began.

Daniel Rocks the Playground

2010-02-22T22:18:00.006-05:00

First, apologies for the lack of posts. Remind me to post about being a working mom.

On Sunday we were lucky enough for a little bit of mild weather and took the opportunity to head to Van Vorst Park for a little family fun. While I've taken Daniel to the swings before, the only time we've actually been in the playground section was when friends were visiting with their 3 year old kids and Daniel slept in the baby bjorn.

Well, not today. Playgrounds everywhere should be on the lookout for this kid!

Weaning

2010-02-12T23:06:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was the first day that I did not nurse Daniel or pump in his absence.

I've been weaning him for about a month, which had convinced me that it would be easy to close this chapter of our lives... but after speaking to my friend, Sara, tonight I have to admit that it's taking a bit more of an emotional toll than I expected or planned on.

If you recall from this previous post (oh my how little Daniel was then), breastfeeding did not come easily to me. In fact, I struggled through every day of it for 6 weeks and cried my way through countless days and nights. But, once it all clicked into place I was able to experience something that fills me with such joy and pride that it's actually difficult to express in words.

As the time came for me to return to work, I was offered a new position which would require me to travel and I knew I didn't want to travel with my pump. So, I began the task of weaning. I slowly withdrew one "meal" a day from my body, watching in amazement as my milk supply automatically adjusted to meet the needs of the demand (demand being meals). I wondered if it affected Daniel emotionally, but this kid will eat anything - be it breast, bottle or floor tile - so I wasn't so worried.

But by the time I was only nursing Daniel in the morning, I realized that it just wasn't enough. He seemed to be losing interest and not nursing for as long as usual and seemed to focus only on playing in our bed with us.

So, yesterday Daniel woke up earlier than usual and I jumped out of bed, went to the kitchen and prepared a bottle of formula.

Daniel downed it.

I, on the other hand, felt like something great was missing from my morning. The only cuddling time that I ever get these days now that my little baby boy is constantly moving and reaching and squirming is in the early morning when he snuggles up next to me, nurses, dozes off and nurses again. And I made the decision to end that.

And while it's sad for me and the actual physical feelings cannot be replicated, I am lucky that all of Daniel's delicious nursing habits have remained with bottles. He pushes his head against my chest, wraps one hand around my back and pinches my skin and uses his other hand to play with my hair, touch my neck and chest while he looks me in the eyes and smiles.

Bye, bye nursing. See you next baby!

7 Months Already!? A long post

2010-02-09T20:24:00.009-05:00

Another month - a whole new baby boy!

Daniel is simply amazing and is getting cooler, funnier, smarter and cuter by the day! Here are some new highlights:
1. In his never ending attempt to crawl, Daniel is mastering a very groovy move that starts as swimming and ends in a plank. It's like he remembers me doing Pilates when I was newly preggers! I must get this on video.
2. What a talker! Daniel's vocab is robust (and I'm not just talking about the VERY WET raspberries!). He really likes Bs, Zs, Ds and Ahhhs. (I just spent 2 hours trying to rotate this video, so I'm over it - enjoy it sideways!)

3. A foodie in the making. Daniel is pretty much eating (and enjoying) almost anything. He is still a sucker for avocado, but he is now eating whole milk plain yogurt (no sugary stuff for him), he tasted and LOVED some tomato soup the other day and loves a homemade broccoli puree. We're starting beans, tofu and salmon next! He also recently mastered his "pincher reflex" so he's picking up little "puffs" and getting them into his mouth (again, sorry about the sideways video).

4. He hangs out, plain and simple. We just spent a weekend in Stowe, Vermont for Daniel's Uncle Richie's birthday in a beautiful house with 13 people. Daniel was MVP. Never cried, always happy, ate snow, slept amazingly every night and didn't wake anyone up too early in the morning. Perfect kid. Here he is in the snow and with the other Birthday Boy, which may be one of my favorite pictures to date!

5. He talks himself to sleep (see previous post)
6. He loves to be naked!

7. (My personal fave) Daniel goes CRAZY when I come home from work. Today he screamed and giggled when he saw me and continued to laugh hysterically and love on me for a good hour. It was HEAVENLY!

I told my mother-in-law that I am literally counting my blessings right now. I have an unbelievable son, I absolutely love my job, we just bought a brownstone that we get to completely renovate and my husband is the best stay-at-home dad in the world. Life is sweet!

Business trip...the last night

2010-02-04T03:55:00.002-05:00

Hmmm... the last night of a business trip (and a Google business trip at that) has taken on a bit more meaning.

On one hand, I've returned to my hotel room with a husky voice, ringing ears and a burning curiosity about what else is happening at the karaoke bar that I just left all of my work friends at (yes, I killed it at "Magic Man", by the way). I've had an amazing few days of being re-energized, educated and reunited with so many people I love at work whom I haven't seen since I left for my maternity leave.

On the other hand, however, I am missing both of my boys so much at this point that I can barely hold it together until I get home. Hold on to my sanity and, in a way, my knowledge of mommiehood. Since I've been in California, I've called every night around 6pm EST when Matt would put me on speaker and I could speak to Daniel. Tonight, however, I missed the window and didn't call. I spoke to Matt at about 1pm EST when he was driving to the shore and Daniel was asleep in the car. From that point on I was kind of wrapped up in the work sessions and then the dinner, drinks and the enormous amount of fun that followed.

I feel ridiculously guilty about not calling, but I was in a meeting that I just really didn't want to miss. Does this make me a bad wife or mom? I doubt it. But, it makes me feel like I am literally bursting at the seams to see my men.

Less than 24 hours and I'll be home. I promise to try to never be gone for so long again.

Daniel Falling Asleep

2010-02-01T22:12:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling much better about being on my business trip (thank you to everyone who gave me amazing words of encouragement) and to make me feel closer to home, Matt took this video tonight. We are lucky to have a baby who puts himself to sleep -and very happy that we spent $300 on a video monitor to see him in action! The video is a little long - but totally worth it for the end!

My First Business Trip

2010-02-01T02:49:00.002-05:00

I think that "the first night away" is a big milestone as a new mom...especially a breastfeeding mom simply because I really was the only person who could feed my son for months on end, so the first time I spent more than a few hours away was hectic and stressful. Then a few weeks ago, I spent my first night away from Daniel (see earlier post). Matt and I dropped him off with family at 5pm and we returned at 9am. We were 20 short minutes away.

Well, those milestones were nothing compared to this! I just checked into a hotel 3,000 miles away from my baby. I'm in San Francisco and will be here for the next 4 days. I feel lonely and sad and, of course, guilty. I guess my feelings are quite complex because I feel guilty for leaving him AND for wanting to be here.

I just took on a new role at work which will require travel a few times a quarter. This is where the complexity comes in. I actually love traveling for business. Visiting other Google offices is so much fun and getting around the country is always exciting. So how do I separate wanting to go on business trips from wanting to leave Daniel? Should I not want to travel anymore? Will I get used to it (I sobbed when Matt and Daniel dropped me off at the airport -Daniel staring at me with a smile through the window didn't help!)?

I'm also a bit more emotional because I started weaning about a month ago and I'm down to only nursing Daniel in the morning and before bed. Being gone for 5 days is just a weaning slap in the face! I really hope to continue to nurse him in the morning and at night when I come home (yes, I'm pumping... funny story from the airplane) but what if he just isn't interested?

And, of course, I have to wonder if he'll even remember me by the end of the week?

I'm craving him and I've only been away for 8 hours. I never knew this feeling could exist.

Scenes from a Stay at Home Dad...

2010-01-29T21:46:00.002-05:00

Emailed to me yesterday while I was at work...

Laughter Finally Caught on Tape!

2010-01-24T15:34:00.001-05:00

Excuse the poor quality of the film...but enjoy that beautiful laughter!

Party Weekend

2010-01-19T21:22:00.004-05:00

Two very important people celebrated their birthdays this past weekend: Our dear friend, Asher, rang in his 30th year and Daniel's GREAT Grandfather, Poppy, celebrated his 87th (or 57th annual 30th birthday). We spent the weekend in Philly to ring in the birthdays and had a blast. Not only did we stay in Corey's ridiculous apartment (yes, he LIVES in the Ritz Carlton) with the most intense view in all of Philly,
but we experienced a couple "firsts" in terms of parenting:

1. We had to pick Daniel up from the "babysitter" (our friends) because he woke up and didn't know where he was/who he was with and was a mess because of it. The books said that he would start experiencing "stranger anxiety" but we really didn't think it would happen in the middle of our dinner.

2. I spent my very first night apart from Daniel. We dropped him off at Matt's Aunt & Uncle's house where my Mother-in-Law (Daniel's "Mimi") spent the night to help out (also the home of his Cousin Lizzy... his favorite person ever, second to his Poppy). While I felt like I was naked all night long - I had one hell of a night and look forward to doing it again! This is from the morning after his first slumber party (luckily he doesn't experience stranger anxiety with his family). Luckily there are no pictures of ME from the morning after!

3. We're loosening up about the food we put into Daniel's mouth as seen here with this pickle (he didn't even flinch.. just started to devour it):

Happy Birthday Poppy & Asher. Two amazing men who Daniel loves very much!

Separation Anxiety

2010-01-11T15:14:00.004-05:00

Today is the first time that I left the house at 8:30am and will not return until after 5. Matt is home with Daniel, beginning the process of learning his own ways of being a stay-at-home Dad, which he will be until work for the next election begins.

At 9am I went to a spin class for the first time since I got pregnant. I chose a bike at the back of the room and about 10 minutes in, I began to cry my eyes out. Luckily the music was so loud that no one heard me sob and the tears were easily masked by the sweat dripping down my face.

The day has gotten easier. I've been at my office all day meeting with people and slowly being filled with an anticipation of returning to my old self: the professional woman who is smart and successful and fun and who actually has friends who are older than 6 months old or who share my last name.

I think being a working mom is going to kick ass.

Photoshoot During a Playdate

2010-01-10T19:21:00.004-05:00

My dear friend Lauren Himelstein took these pictures during a playdate while her 3 year old son, Jett, made Daniel laugh. A great example of why people should own an amazing camera!

6 Months

2010-01-09T21:10:00.003-05:00

Stats:
Weight - 171bs, 11oz; 50%
Length - 26 1/4"; 50%
Head - 43 1/4cm; 50%

You know how it's often the case that the new year will come around and we'll say to ourselves "wow, where did the year go"?

Well, I can see exactly where the last 6 months have gone - I just can't get my head wrapped around the fact that it has, in fact, already gone! Daniel has gained 10lbs, 1oz. He's grown almost 7 inches and his head is 10 cm bigger than when he was born!

When Daniel was born my friends told me that they didn't remember their kids being that little. I thought it was horrible that one wouldn't remember something as special as that... but here I am only 6 months later and I can't remember how Daniel felt when he was less than 8 pounds. In fact, it seems absolutely impossible to me that Daniel was that little. I also remember my friends saying that it was OK that they didn't remember the feeling of such a tiny baby because the bigger the baby became, the more fun they were and the better it was to be a mom was.

I couldn't agree more.

These days, Daniel is just simply playful. He sits unassisted so he'll just hang out on the floor and chew on his toys or he'll flirt with us, laugh when we play peek-a-boo and try to touch himself in the mirror. He's pretty much obsessed with Poop (our cat, not the actual poop in his diaper) and he is actually beginning to get upset when a stranger takes him from us (uh-oh). While it's not super cute, he's also starting to throw little fits when we try to strap him in his carseat or lay him down to change him. The fits suck - but they show that he is a determined little guy and I appreciate and respect that quality.

This is a picture of Daniel riding on the wooden rocking horse that Matt used to play with as a child. Matt puts him on the horse every day and sings a song to him. Daniel gets so happy that it could melt your heart and I can only imagine how fast it will feel when he's sitting on it by himself and pretending that he's a cowboy.

Happy 1/2 Birthday, baby!

Avocado? Yes! Carrot? NO!

2010-01-06T16:30:00.007-05:00

Daniel is eating "solids" twice a day.

To celebrate his eating, we finally bought him a real high chair. He seems like such a big guy when he's in it. Last night was the first night we put him in it and he screamed - but today he really liked it as he was chilling in the kitchen while I was making him some pears.

I can't say if Daniel is a picky eater yet since we've only just begun - but the kid definitely doesn't like carrots. So far I've tried carrots with rice cereal, oatmeal, avocado (his favorite thing) and parsnips and he just can't be fooled. I'm supposed to wait a week before re-introducing a food that he doesn't like - so I can still have hope.

Aside from the rice cereal and oatmeal, I've been making all of Daniel's food. Obviously this is a simple task right now... I either mash something up or steam, puree and serve. I've even started freezing food in ice cube trays. I go back to work next week (more on that later) so Matt will be on food duty. Hopefully he won't be pureeing White Castle for the baby.

Tonight he'll have pears and avocado - one at a time. So far his little belly has met rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, papaya, banana, avocado, apple, pear, carrot and parsnip. I didn't use a system and I'm obviously behind in the veggie department - so I'm going to give him peas tomorrow. Wish us luck!

1999-2009: A Decade

2010-01-01T17:33:00.006-05:00

A blog post about the past decade seems pretty ridiculous. We could all write books about our lives over the course of 10 years. But my past 10 years saw me through the ages of 25-35 and those that lead up to having a child. I believe that the past decade will be one of the most transformative of my life.

I grew up. I moved around. I must have gone on a thousand dates and fell "in love" over and over and over again. I spent a large part of the last 10 years thinking about what my life would be like when I finally found my life partner. And while it would be easy to say that everything that really mattered happened in the last few years after I did find him, it wouldn't be the truth because without all of that moving, dating, wandering and daydreaming, I wouldn't be here today - married to the man of my dreams and raising the most perfect little boy in the world.

Looking back at the 25 year old Marni, I am very proud of what I've seen and done - with a few exceptions, of course - and hope that my baby boy is able to experience what I have and a million times more with his eyes wide open and scared of nothing. I have great fears about our world in the next 10 years and I'm definitely guilty of trying to push those thoughts out of my brain in order to focus on the positive because I look at Daniel and can't imagine anything but a blessed and beautiful life - one like I have had. I can only wish for him what I had - the best parents I could ask for, a sibling who I adore, admire and who always has my back, incredible and devoted friends who have, and will, last a lifetime and a specific curiosity about life which will enable him to move through the world free of restraints with the knowledge that he can and will accomplish anything he wants. That's how I was raised and that's how I hope to raise my son.

I was going to post few snapshots... kind of like "my life in pictures", but as I browsed through some of the 13,000 pictures (literally) in my iPhoto file, I quickly realized that the last decade is so much more than some pictures of me in different places. I saw my friends going through marriage, pregnancy and parenthood. I saw my family and our incredibly strong bond year after year. I also saw from a bird's eye view the struggles that we all went through over the last decade. I saw pictures that were taken during really hard times for me and for those that I care about and I am reminded of how strong we all are and what we can get through with the help of family and friends. I started the decade quite naive (and I still am in so many ways) and while I'm a very different person now than I was 10 years ago and I often wish that I could get that 25 year old girl back. But, again, if she were still here, I wouldn't be.

So here's the abridged snapshot in words, rather than pictures...

1999-2009:
Moved to San Francisco
Met amazing friends and snowboarded my ass off
1 apartment, 3 different roommates, 1 job
9/11
Moved back to New York
Started my career in advertising sales
1 apartment, 6 different roommates (wowzers), 4 jobs
Completed an Olympic-size triathlon
Dated most of New York
Went further into debt
Got out of debt
Fell in love with a friend
Got engaged
Moved to Jersey
Got married
Got pregnant
Had a baby
Became a mother (and still become more of one every single day)
Started a blog

We'll see what comes next.

Happy New Year!

5 months and a Vacation of First Things

2009-12-29T09:38:00.021-05:00

Truth be told, Daniel is now just about 6 months, rather than 5, but we left on our 2 week vacation on Daniel's 5 month birthday and when we returned home over a week ago, he seemed like a totally different baby. Highlights of his "firsts" are below, but let me briefly comment on our adventure.

We flew from NJ to San Diego, hopped in a horrible rental car (we have no idea why Ford Fusions are on the top of people's lists. It was awful!) and drove into the desert to visit Matt's dearest friends.. the Burke Family. Visiting the Burkes was part of the very first vacation Matt & I took together and what we say pretty much sealed the deal for our future. Daniel was amazing on the 6 hour flight... everyone commented on how great and cute he was (naturally). We spent a couple of nights at the Burkes and then we all headed north to meet my dearest friends, the Bahats, in a beautiful house that we rented in Morro Bay on the central coast of California. The plan was to hang with friends, cook amazing food, celebrate Chanukah, watch Matt & Mike surf and play with all 4 kids on the beach. Check for the first 3 things but dealing with nonstop rain for 3 days kind of stopped us from doing anything more than hanging in the house (which was beautiful, so we didn't really complain). Turns out that the weather pretty much sucked for our entire 2 week vacation in both California and Mexico - but it really didn't ruin a thing! Also, Roy made some damn good food.

I call this 2009 Vacation, Part 1:

First time in the cockpit of a plane (and riding in first class) for his 5 month birthday. Lucky boy, right?!):

First time celebrating Chanukah:

First time EATING solid food! Rice cereal... he loved it!:

Also just some general cuteness...

Daniel with the "big kids":

On our way to Santa Monica, stopped to watch the sunset:

Finally, Daniel with Lola.. the Burke's dog. She's massive, but a sweetheart:

At this point, the only downer (other than the weather) was the fact that the time change really messed up the little man. He was up about every hour or two the entire time we were in California. I was completely exhausted and was seriously reminded of what it was like when Daniel was a newborn (without the complete hysteria of hormones and general new mommiehoodness) so we slept with him most of the trip and though it was tough at times, at least I got this shot:

Matt and I couldn't wait to get to Mexico. Blue waters, sunny skies, our entire family to babysit and hang out with.... it couldn't have been more exciting. Well, being with our family was absolutely amazing... but there were no blue waters where we stayed, the sky was sunny for 2 days out of 8 (one of those being the day we left) and the hotel we were staying in pretty much sucked unless you were between the ages 2-9. However, we really had a blast and were so relaxed and happy to be with our families that the things that went wrong really didn't matter to us at all. It was also quite hilarious to see our families basically fight over time with Daniel (the obvious winner being our cousin Lizzie who is 11 and Daniel's 2nd favorite person next to his great-grandfather, Poppy).

2009 Vacation, Part 2

First time swimming. We put him in both the pool (we dunked him a couple of times.. he cried but I think secretly loved it) and the ocean:

Really sitting on his own:

First time using passport, which I tried to take a picture of, but couldn't because I would have been arrested... so here's his passport picture (also our holiday card):

General cuteness...

Daniel and Lizzie (can I hire her to be my nanny at age 11?):

The joys of family around to babysit:

Like I said in the beginning, Daniel is like a new baby. He talks so much now, he sits up, he's eating like a champ (separate post to come) and while he was up all night, every night on our vacation, he's now sleeping through the night from 7-7 without being fed and without us going into his room at all. AMEN! I'm told that he is (finally) starting to resemble me a little bit and his personality is getting bigger (and more demanding) by the day.

Happy belated 5 month birthday, my love. You are a rock star.

Home Sweet Home

2009-12-22T21:59:00.003-05:00

Returned from our 2 week vacation (one week in California, one week in Mexico) to our beautiful home, our sweet cat and a batch of amazing holiday cards. Get ready for a very big post in the next few days recapping our adventure!

First Snow

2009-12-07T21:46:00.005-05:00

First of the season and first for Daniel

I Don't Want to Jinx Anything, But....

2009-12-06T17:10:00.003-05:00

I think the nap strike might be over. If only I could get a picture from the video monitor of him peacefully sleeping (for the 3rd time today) as proof. Hmmm... good business idea.

Fabulous... just in time for a 2 week vacation across 3 time zones where all kinds of sleep will be messed up. Can't wait to go through it all over again when we return from vaca!

Turkey Day 2009

2009-12-03T20:07:00.005-05:00

We headed south and visited my family and friends in Atlanta for Thanksgiving this year. It almost goes without saying that spending a week with my family is nothing short of heavenly - although I do feel like I sometimes have to fight for a little bit of time with Daniel.

Daniel had a blast in Atlanta. He sat up by himself during his first visit with his new cousin, Bella Aria (my brother-in-law's sister's new baby girl). We Were hanging out on the floor and I realized that for about 5 seconds he really didn't need me to help him sit. Since then it's become second nature for him to sit up unassisted. In fact, he's now trying to sit up from reclined positions... specifically when I'm nursing him. This is both adorable and annoying.

He also used one of those old school bouncy things that hang from a doorway. It was hilarious. For those of you who don't know him, Daniel is a 4.5 month old ball of energy. His legs never stop moving (future soccer player) so we thought this would be a great new activity. Check him out:

His other new trick is his love of his own feet. This was a few weeks in the making, but the kid is obsessed with his feet now. He puts them in his mouth and moves them from side to side (hopefully leading to a roll over any time now).

For his last trick, Daniel graced us with a family picture in which he is actually looking at the camera. This only took about 50 takes - but well worth it!

It was and is literally impossible for me to officially give thanks for everything wonderful in my life - there is just too much to be thankful for and, in a way, a little too overwhelming to list. I am in love with my life and my boys give me that joy every single day. I am so very thankful and appreciate any and all reasons to publicly say it!

Thanks to the Bahats (and sitting up)

2009-12-01T11:16:00.004-05:00

Ok, fans. I know I have a lot of posting to do and I'll get right on it when Daniel decides to start napping again. But during his napping strike, he started sitting up without too much help. So we pulled out one of his early gifts from the Bahats. Here's the thank you note:

Passport Photo, Take 2

2009-11-18T20:34:00.003-05:00

So the Hudson County Passport Services office took a picture of Daniel (see previous post) which was rejected by the government (lovely news seeing as though we're leaving for Mexico in a few weeks) so we went to our local photo place for new photos.

OMG. Can these be any f-ing cuter??? I think he looks like a British punk rocker but Matt thinks he looks more like an Irish Mobster, so I used the sepia tone finish on the photo below to really bring out the mobster in him.

This kid is going places, I tell you!

A Couple of Cute Videos

2009-11-16T22:41:00.004-05:00

Even though Daniel isn't napping, he's still one happy baby. These videos from today are just too good! I love that he is finally letting us capture his smiles on camera. Now if he would just laugh while the camera is on or rolling!!

Napping Strike

2009-11-16T09:36:00.002-05:00

Dear Daniel,

You've decided to go on an in-home napping strike. This means that you no longer nap for more than 30 minutes in your crib and getting you to sleep requires way too much crying on your part. The only way you sleep for more than 30 minutes is in the stroller (lucky for you we're having some amazingly warm weather for mid-November).

As your loving mother, I BEG you to stop striking and start sleeping. Sleeping makes you a much happier baby and makes us much happier parents.

Love,
Mommy

4 Months Old, Laughing and Rolling Over!

2009-11-10T19:07:00.004-05:00

My, oh, my! 4 months, already!?

We celebrated Daniel's 4 months birthday while in Hanover, Mass visiting some of Matt's oldest and dearest friends. Think of a quaint and lovely 4 bedroom home in which all rooms are normally occupied by family members.. and then imagine 12 people (6 adults, 6 kids/babies) there for a weekend. Yes, that's how we celebrated (and it was incredible! Thank you again to the Dannison family)!

Ross Dannison was born about 3 weeks after Daniel and we've been counting down the days until the 2 meet. It was probably the cutest meeting ever. There was a lot of babbling and rolling on top of each other all weekend long. They were a little like old men in the night when they would wake each other up and then complain about it.

While we were there, Daniel started laughing. Real, legit laughing (unlike the previous post when he laughed once and my mother had to convince me that it was, in fact, a laugh). It's the most beautiful sound in the whole world!

He also rolled over from his belly to his back during his normal, everyday protest to tummy time. The great thing is that I was taking pictures for his 4 month birthday pics while this turning over was happening (I obviously stopped taking pictures once I realized he was going to roll over):

He had his 4 month check up today and he is rockin'. He weighs about 14 1/2 pounds and is 25 1/2" tall. He is definitely the cutest baby the pediatrician has ever seen and he had a blast with the protective paper on the exam table (long video but damn cute).

All I can say is how amazing it is to fall deeper and deeper in love every day. I didn't know I could possibly love this much!

Happy (belated) birthday, my baby!

I Got My Husband Back

2009-11-05T20:11:00.004-05:00

The past 14 hours have been heavenly. While it's unfortunate that Jon Corzine lost the gubernatorial election that Matt has been working on for the last 2-3 months, the fact that I am no longer a temporary single mom is the best thing in the world. You see, Matt has been working from 9-10am until about 10pm every single day (including weekends) for the last month. Not fun for either of us. In fact, my appreciation for real single mothers has skyrocketed.

So, our first official day as a reunited family unit was wonderful. We spent the morning at the VW dealership (finding out that we were seriously taken advantage of by the VW dealership in Alpharetta, GA) and then played all day. Matt bathed with Daniel tonight and put him to bed after I nursed him. We just ordered Chinese food and we're going to watch Dexter. I may just stay up past 10pm.

I love that my best friend is back and so does Daniel!

Bizarre Dreams, Part 2

2009-11-04T20:04:00.003-05:00

From last night...

I decide to go into Manhattan to do stuff for myself (I don't remember exactly what I was doing). I'm walking around the streets and suddenly realize that I left Daniel at home alone while he was sleeping (suddenly it turned into nighttime). I make a crazy mad dash for the subway and I'm freaking out (this may be the most intense anxiety dream I've ever had).

Weird stuff was happening on the subway. Trains were splitting in half and going opposite directions and it was really stressful so somehow I ended back on the street and negotiated with a cabbie to get me to Jersey City.

I run home in a panic and as I enter Daniel's room, I see a bunch of people just staring at him. He's kind of sitting up and smiling in his crib.

The crowd consists of my family and all the members of Bon Jovi.

Thoughts?

A Year Ago Today

2009-11-02T19:55:00.002-05:00

November 2nd is not only my dad's birthday (Happy Birthday, Daddy) but it was on November 2nd, 2008 that I found out that I was pregnant. Thinking about how my life has changed in one very short year is mind–blowing!

I knew I was pregnant before I even took the test... but I woke up super early and sat in the bathroom trying to do anything but stare at that stick (I wanted it to be a surprise... like I would just turn around and POOF it would say "pregnant" rather than staring at the stick for however many minutes it took). I climbed back into bed and woke Matt up by smiling as big as I could and telling him the news. I think he knew already, as well... but that didn't take away the excitement.

It was not only my dad's birthday, but it was also Marathon Sunday. My most favorite day in Manhattan. Matt and I drove into the city and had breakfast at Pastis (one of my favorites). I drank decaf coffee for the first time and said that I better get used to it. We ate in a state of shock and joy, careful not to get too excited as we knew the heartbreak of losing a pregnancy already.

Watching the marathon was magical. I always get choked up by people's spirit in Manhattan on Marathon Sunday. Everyone is happy and rooting for each other. But Matt and I had a secret and we were able to celebrate our friends (Joy and Lauren) running 26.2 miles on the outside, but we were really celebrating the life we were creating among the all the cheering crowds.

I was told that no one could ever prepare me for the journey of pregnancy and motherhood and all of those people were right. I could never know how beautiful I would feel throughout my pregnancy, how Matt would adore me pregnant more than he ever had before or how spiritual I would feel while a baby grew inside of me. But no one could ever and will ever be able to fully explain the true wonder of becoming a mother. I feel a sense of wholeness and completeness that I didn't even know I was missing and the joy and love that I feel when I look at Daniel is something that was totally incomprehensible 4 months ago.

So, I'm celebrating November 2nd today and every year for the rest of my life!

Oh - and the picture is one we took as a birthday present for my dad. We gave it to him on Thanksgiving as a "belated" present (these are 2 of the 12 tests I probably took, just to "make sure" that I was really pregnant!)

May the Force Be With You!

2009-10-26T22:38:00.004-04:00

At today's playgroup, all the babies wore their Halloween costumes. Photo pandemonium ensued:

Honestly, these are the cutest babies and the cutest fucking costumes ever. Loyal readers get ready for an entire Halloween post next week!

Daniel & Government (& Politics)

2009-10-22T22:45:00.004-04:00

It was a big week for Daniel in all things Government. He made a trip to the Hudson County building that houses Passport services (or something like that) and attended his first political rally!

Let's just say that it took my mother about 29 years to leave the country. Daniel is 3.5 months old and got his passport (we're going to Mexico in December with the fam. That should be one hell of a blog post). Here he is with his application. Note: On the application, it asks for applicant's occupation. We were instructed to write down "baby" for his occupation. I find that hilarious.
Interesting fact: Daniel was not allowed to be crying during the picture. They had to put a white sheet over me so that they could put him in my lap to stop him from crying. So his passport picture has 2 odd looking white things on either side of him.

A few days later Matt got tickets to see Barack Obama at a rally to re-elect Governor John Corzine. We were hoping that Daniel would be the token baby that Obama holds and ends up in the news about being the cutest baby and the future of America. Instead, Daniel simply fell asleep. But it was one hell of a rally. I can't believe how inspiring Barack Obama is. I wanted to walk out of that auditorium and start volunteering. But then I got in the car and remembered that I'm an exhausted new mom. Volunteering ain't gonna happen. And while I'd love to comment on the specifics of the inspiration, I am too tired (let's just say that I ended up having a bit of a shopping spree at Target, rather than simply buying diapers and, because of said spree, Daniel had a massive meltdown). So here are a few pics of the rally. Go Corzine!

And Then He Laughed

2009-10-16T18:30:00.003-04:00

So people told me that Daniel would smile for the first time after a really bad day or night. That didn't happen and his smile happened after a wonderful weekend at the beach while garbage men were picking up the garbage. Turns out he had been smiling a bunch, but I didn't know it was a real smile until one of the garbage men told me so.

But he laughed today for the first time. And, after the night we had last night (read previous post), that laugh pretty much brought me to tears.

Thankfully my mom is here and agreed that it was, in fact, a true laugh (I didn't need to rely on a sanitation worker this time).

What Happened to my Sleeping Beauty?

2009-10-16T09:49:00.003-04:00

Daniel has been a rockstar sleeper for a while now (he started sleeping 6-7 hour stretches around 9 weeks old) and, as stated in an earlier post, he's been pretty much sleeping through the night since we were in Hotlanta.

Other than some swaddling issues, things have been pretty good...until...

He had a pretty complainy day yesterday (i prefer my made up word, "complainy" to "bad") and then last night he was up at 2:30am and then again at 5:30am and was screaming on both occasions to the point that the only thing I could do was nurse him. This is not normal for him and, needless to say, sucked for me & Matt. We could blame it on a "growth spurt" but I don't think that's it.

Daniel - I pray that it was a one night gig and that today will bring peace and, tonight, a long sleep! We're exhausted!

It Takes a Village

2009-10-12T20:32:00.005-04:00

In the early days of Mommyhood, when I was a total wreck and often found crying on my baby (the term "baby blues" is way too sweet to describe what really happens post partum), I was often told/reminded that it takes a village to raise a child. I don't think there is more truthful cliche.

Enter the mommy group... wherever it may be and whoever may be a part of it, it is a golden and precious universe filled with security and comfort. My mommy group literally saved my sanity in those early weeks and now that I have this mommy thing somewhat down, I'd like to pay my respects to the Hoboken Hospital Breastfeeding Support Group. This group meets weekly and is led by a lactation consultant angel named Robin who literally saved my breastfeeding relationship with Daniel.

See, breastfeeding is one of the hardest and most emotional things in the world and NO ONE tells you this when you have a baby. Don't get me wrong, as soon as it's not hard anymore it's the easiest and most wonderful thing on earth (which is why so many of us struggle through the beginning in order to make it to the good part), but it's so damn hard at first that most of us freak out and need help of some sort. Most women seem to figure out how to breastfeed in a couple of weeks. It took me and Daniel SIX full weeks. The longest six weeks of my life (let's not forget I was figuring out how to be a mom, as well)! But now it's delightful and beautiful and I will always be thankful for Robin's help (especially the weekend phone calls). Here she is with her star student:

Aside from breastfeeding, this group allowed me to cry, question, vent and listen and I will be forever grateful. From this group I have met great girls and the most adorable babies and have learned secrets about sleeping, bathing, feeding and anything else (weight, sex, going back to work... everything).

From the outset, mommy groups seem almost laughable.. I mean, look at this room full of strollers and mommies:

And lunch with my new friends after the group!! I can't believe the owners of the restaurant didn't kick us out for our gross display of strollers and rearranged restaurant furniture!

But the truth is that I have found extreme comfort in being around other women in the same place as I am in and they have helped me figure out how to make my baby boy as happy and healthy as possible. For this, I am in debt to the village.

Happy 3 month birthday

2009-10-09T09:23:00.004-04:00

We've officially graduated from telling people how old Daniel is in weeks (as in "He'll be 10 weeks old tomorrow"), to simply saying "He's 3 months old"! I don't know whether to cry over it or be thrilled!

My little man is now 3 months old. He's smiling all the time and actually made a semi-laugh sound the other day. He knows when I enter or leave a room and watches what I do when I'm running around the house. He still hates tummy time, but he doesn't start crying immediately anymore (in fact, he does make it about 5 minutes on his tummy time surfboard before crying... which is amazing). He's starting to try to lift his head up while reclined (apparently a good sign, according to the books) and he's pretty much sleeping through the night. Oh, and he's sucking on his hands and every once in a while sticks his thumb in his mouth. Too cute!

While I know that I'm extra lucky to have such a long maternity leave, I'm shocked that most people are already back to work at this point. I'm just starting to know what I'm doing and having a blast doing it!

Hittin' the ATL

2009-10-03T21:01:00.005-04:00

Daniel took his first airplane ride and headed south to Atlanta for a week of perfect weather (the biblical floods ended) and so much love from family and friends that he started sleeping through the night! This is not a joke. With a little help from a "dream feed" he pretty much slept from 8pm to 7am. Bliss!

This was obviously the first time that Matt & I traveled with child and we were both nervous. Did we pack too much crap? Are we going to annoy the people behind us? Are those people looking at us on the plane praying that we don't have a screamer?
*Sidebar: Matt and I have always been very proud of our black diamond status at airports... we can get through security in a blink of an eye and never need to check baggage. Those days are so obviously over that it's a little sad.

I'm happy to report that Mr. Bing was a perfect traveler. He barely made a peep and we think the kid could travel around the world at this point. Here he is on the way down south:

Atlanta was quite the time. Daniel was in love overload:

Also, he may become a concert pianist:

And last, but not least, he bonded with Jake:

For the first time since I left Atlanta in 1996, I can honestly say that I'm sorry I don't live there now. The community that Daniel would be a part of and the love of family and friends he has down there is overwhelming and while we have a lovely life full of friends and family in New Jersey, I can't help but think that life would be so very sweet down there! Thankfully it's only a 1.5 hour flight (on a good day) so we will continue to rack up the frequent flier miles and spend countless long weekends down there.

Bizarre Dreams

2009-09-26T09:41:00.003-04:00

Since Daniel's arrival into the world, I've had some super jacked up dreams. Perhaps this will become a regular post? If you can interpret dreams, feel free to comment since they seem to be related and I'm sure they mean something. The most outstanding so far:

Last night: Daniel was a girl (but named Daniel) and while we were at a bar with him/her he/she started to run. Literally running. I looked around to tell Matt that our baby took his/her first steps but that those steps were actually in a sprint. Daniel looked really cute running around the bar and I kept saying how amazing it was that most kids may not walk until the age of 1 or later - but that Daniel is nearly 3 months old and already sprinting!

Last week or so: We were out somewhere and a newborn started walking. In the dream I remember thinking, "Is Daniel behind because he's not walking?" and when I woke up all I could think about was how bizarre a newborn looks walking around a room.

Many weeks ago: I used to live on a great block in the West Village and next door was a restaurant that my roommate, Sara, and I used to frequent. We became friends with the owner who had a son about 5 years ago. In this dream I was on the steps of a pool with Daniel. The pool actually turned into the ocean after the steps ended. Suddenly the owner of the restaurant (who, by the way, I haven't seen in years) came swimming up to us to say hi. Following closely behind was a snorkel. I asked who was swimming with him and all of the sudden his infant son came swimming up to us - goggle and snorkel. I was amazed that his son could swim by himself as an infant but he didn't seem to think it was such a big deal.

I really don't think that Daniel is developmentally behind in any way - so what's up with these dreams??

Milestones

2009-09-24T18:24:00.006-04:00

Being a stay-at-home mom (not permanent... only for 6 short months) is something that I am quickly learning is quite indescribable. I never really thought about being a SAHM (this is the acronym that I've learned through the mommy circles) because it's not something that I can do for financial reasons and never really thought I'd ever want to do for emotional reasons.

I think I'll have an entire post (or many) on this subject - especially as we get closer to January when I have to return to work - but for tonight, I am cherishing the fact that staying at home with Daniel allows me to see all of his milestones. While these milestones aren't things as seemingly exciting as talking or walking, they are the very beginning stages of my son's development and it is absolutely fascinating to watch. Every day he does something new - a build upon something he did the day before - and I watch him in awe as I witness personal evolution in the making.

Lately he's not only smiling, but he's understanding that there is a sound that he can make when he smiles to express himself better (the beginning stage of a laugh). I tried to capture it in these pictures

He's starting to pay attention to his feet and he's recently started to feel around for his, um, male parts while I change his diaper (the beginning stage of ... oy veh). In terms of motor skills, he's grabbing things all over the place and I'm now watching him learn how to let go of those things.

Today he did something wonderful... he took a block from me and held it above his chest. I know that some of you are now yawning (big deal, right??) but I gotta say that it was so exciting that I grabbed my iPhone and started to record (note to self for a later post: what would I do without my iPhone?). Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

For My Husband on his Birthday

2009-09-22T21:20:00.008-04:00

I realize that I am the luckiest girl in the world. I have a husband who is brilliant, hilarious, passionate, loving and enormously generous. As a father, he has absolutely blown me away by how much he loves being a dad and how good he is at being one. He kept our family together during the early weeks of Daniel's life when I was too much of a mess to do so. He stayed up with me night after night helping me breastfeed, telling me that I was beautiful (believe me, I was not!) and instilling me with the confidence I needed more than anything else in the world.

His entire body lights up every single day when he opens his eyes and sees Daniel. He is constantly wanting to take Daniel from me (as he says, "Gimme it") so that I can have a break and so that he simply has Daniel. And, in the 11 weeks of Daniel's life, he has never put anything before his son or me - making us feel like we are the only other people in Matt's world.

I have no doubt that we are raising another "little Matt" and I couldn't be happier that my son gets to grow up to be like his father. Below are just a few of my favorite shots and videos of Matt and Daniel. Some are obvious "Like Father, Like Son" moments and some are moments that show the exact reason that I am the luckiest girl in the world: I have a husband who is the most beautiful and remarkable man in the world.

So... Happy Birthday, my love. You have made my world a magical, astonishing place and every time I see you I thank every inch of sky and space for bringing us together. I speak for Daniel when I tell you that we are both so proud of who you are and we thank you for everything you do for us. We wish you all of your birthday wishes!

And, just to take a walk down that lane called Memory... here's a shot from when Matt & I were just friends (Halloween 2003, to be exact). I look at this picture and cannot even believe that we ended up married and having babies!!!

The New Way to Bathe

2009-09-16T19:36:00.003-04:00

We live in a pretty amazing apartment. It's the bottom duplex of a very large brownstone with gorgeous original details, high ceilings, a formal dining room and tons of space. Oh - also we have a rockin' backyard (one can achieve this kind of rental living once they leave Manhattan!). Having said that, our bathrooms... not so much! They've been just fine for Matt & me, but we really have no place to bathe Daniel. We've been using a portable tub on our kitchen counter and it's becoming an issue because he's getting big (hello! he gained 3 pounds in a month! And he is exclusively breastfed... my Dad has asked if my body is actually producing formula) and the infant bathtubs either leak or they're not big enough.

So, I decided to be a little more European and test out the bath pod. This is something that's becoming popular around town for a few reasons: 1. We are living in the tri-state area and people like to just try new things; 2. Major space saver; 3. Something about the bathing environment being closer to the womb... but whatevs, I mostly care about #2.

Here's a little video of the first time Daniel got into the pod. Keep in mind that this kid loves the bath. Let's see how long we use this for before putting in the already growing pile of "Things we bought because the packaging said BABY and now we don't use it!"

He looks damn cute in it, though!