Baby Adventures with Bob & Tiff

Adalia, January 2010

2010-02-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

Baby News (very belated!)

2009-04-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

Our daughter, Adalia Jane, was born on Sunday February 22nd, 2009 at 6:44pm. She came in at 6lbs, 9oz. My wife Tiffany went in that morning to be induced. Petocin was administered at about 9am, she got the epidural about noon, real pushing started at about 6pm, and 45 minutes later Adalia (rhymes with Azalea, say "uh-DAIL-ee-uh" or "un-DAY-lee-uh") arrived.

Meanwhile she's now 2 months old and doing great.

Christmas (belated)

2009-01-24T14:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, a belated XMas post. We had been prepping Declan by telling him about Santa (which he calls "Hehn", since he can't say "S").
"Who's Coming?" Santa (Hehn)
"What's he going to bring you?" Car (cah)
"What does he say?" Ho Ho Ho (just one "ho")

We took him to see Santa twice. First time he was fine, but the 2nd at the Burlington Mall, he screamed. Not fun at all.

On XMas morning, we were all set to see the joy on his face when he found all the presents. But he stepped into the room, found a scrap of paper and played with that. Cut! Take Two!

His parents were more excited about the prospect of his potential excitement. I think it took 5 tries before he spotted the presents. He kept wandering back into the kitchen or into his room. Next year!

Gifts included a bunch of toy trucks, Legos, some books and some clothes. He already has plenty of "stuff".

Declan's Signs

2008-12-29T16:45:00.000-08:00

Declan now knows 4 signs:

More
Milk
Moon
Down

And about 200 words. But it takes a LOT of expertise and context to know what he's saying. Only his mom and I can do it. He really only has about 8 or 9 consonants (e.g. pudding, puddle and pumpkin all sound the same-"puh", ditto for dad, dog and that-"dah").

He can't say "S", "G" or "F" either. So "Santa" comes out "hahn" and "Frog" comes out "aw" and "Giraffe" is "rah".

He figured out the Diaper

2008-12-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

Declan just figured out how to remove his diaper.

We're in BIG trouble.

And no, at 16 months, he's not even close to being potty trained.

Declan's Busy Sunday.

2008-11-12T08:21:00.000-08:00

He slept in until about 9am on Sunday 11/9/08 (usually he's up at 7am every day). Probably still tired from his late night on Friday (up crying 2am to 4am).

We had breakfast at home and then went off to the train.

We took the Red Line to Park, then switched trains and walked over to the Orange Line. Finally got off at Back Bay (my old stomping grounds, I lived in the South End from 2001 to 2003) and went up into the Copley Mall. Declan got to run around some there. He enjoyed the fountain and playing inside the Sony store (home theater demo was cool). We walked through a busy crowd (some kind of art school audition) and peered down the elevated walkway windows to the traffic below on Huntington Ave.

We crossed into the Prudential Mall and made out way over to Isis Maternity. Declan played with the toy balls on display while Tiff checked out the pictures in back. We took a picture of the picture of Declan on the wall in the men's room (our friend Christina McPherson is starting a photographer business, he is one of her "models"). Then we had lunch at the food court. Declan sampled rice, curried chicken and some veggie burger.

We walked out on to Boylston St and stopped in Starbucks. Mom & Dad got coffee, Declan got a cup of whipped cream. He fell asleep as we walked to the Common and the Carousel. Unfortunately, it was the last day it was there. Back to the Red Line at Park St, then home.

At home, he napped a little more, than came out to play on the ball fields across the street from our house with soccer balls and Frisbees. He finished up with some time at the playground, then dinner, a peek at the waxing moon, and off to bed.

All part of our diabolical plan to have our kid experience as much of the big, wide world as possible.

Rough Night

2008-11-11T11:40:00.000-08:00

Declan had a rough night last Friday (11/7/08) and was up from 2am to 4am. He was crying and wanted to get down and play. We coaxed him back to sleep a few times, but he kept wanting to get back up again. Some of it may have been due to his shots (pain kept him up?), or else due to "Wonder Week" where kids go through developmental spurts, where they are in bad moods until they figure it all out.

Anyway, he slept past 9am both weekend mornings. He's usually up by 7:15am every day.

He has calmed down a little since then. We put another night light in his room and spent an extra 15 minutes or so calming him in his crib to make sure he's really ready to sleep. And try to tire him out during the day (actually we try for that EVERY day).

Declan's first 50 words

2008-11-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, we may be overly proud parents. And maybe the less-than-one-syllable sounds don't really count, but here are Declan's first 50 "words" (not including a couple of bad ones he learned). Also, we realize that he uses the same sounds for a few words. Oh well. He's only 15 months so we'll give him a break

September 2008

1. Dada "dadadadada"
2. Mama "momomomomomo"
3. Ball "bahhhh?" (like a question)
4. My ball "mubahhhh"
5. Turk "tuuuuur?"
6. Daisy "dee!!" or "dazeeee"
7. Car "cahhhh?" (like a true Bostonian)
8. Tree "teeee"
9. Bottle "baba"
10. Kittie "ti"
11. Dog "do"
12. Cup "cuh"
13. Go Go (his name for his push toy) “gogo”
14. All gone “aga”
15. Shoe “shush”
16. Pudding “puh”
17. Snack “nack”
18. Water “wawa”
19. This “dis”
20. Nap “nana”
21. Remote/TV “tee”
22. Glasses “ga”
23. More “mouw” (signs as well)
24. Cereal “shi”
25. That “da”
26. Puddle “puh”
27. Fish “shish”
28. Bye “ba ba ba ba” (while waving both hands) and "biya"
29. Hi “hah!” and "ha-dere"

October 2008
30. No “nunununununu!”
31. Moon “muh”(with the sign)
32. Pumpkin “puh”
33. Mouth “muh”
34. Stick “ti”
35. Rock “ru”
36. Helicopter “hehe” or “hhhhheeeeee”
37. Pig “pi”
38. Bird “ber”
39. Mouse “muh”
40. Star “da”
41. Pob “puh” (Tiff’s Dad)
42. Jax “ax” (Tiff’s Mom)
43. Matthias “tee”
44. Coat “coh”
45. Scare Crow “co”
46. Banana “na”
47. Apple “a”
48. Door “doh”
49. Squirrel “quir”
50. Pizza “piii”
Animal noises: aaaa (sheep), neigh, aaar aaar (dog), eee eee (pig), ka ka (duck), mmmmmm (cow)

Declan's Vocabulary

2008-10-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Up to about 35 words now. List includes ball, bye, cup, car, cat, dog, pumpkin.

Keep in mind these are all one syllable words and if you heard it out of context, you'd never guess it. So all words that begin with "C" or "D" sound the same.

He's also got 5 or 6 animal sounds down.

What does the horse say? Neigh.
What does the cow say? Mmmmmmm

His first scrape

2008-08-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Declan had his first big scrape yesterday.

His ball had rolled back between his legs, he put his head down to look back and then fell flat on his face.

Poor little guy scraped up his nose, face and forehead.

But he's doing fine despite his wounds. Not really that bad. Certainly hasn't deterred him from any future adventures.

Declan's Vocabulary

2008-08-20T12:37:00.001-07:00

So far he's got a few words down:

Ball: sounds like Bah, or "Mah Bah" for "My Ball
Bottle: bah bah. Sounds a lot like Ball.
Mommy: mama. Also general call for "Help me do this"
Turk: Our cat. sounds like "Tuh"
Cup: cuh

As you can see, he's not so good with ending consonants.

He KNOWS a lot more words, like Outside and Park.

Number Two!

2008-08-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention....Tiffany is PREGNANT again!

We're really excited.

#2 is due in February some time. More to follow of course.

Sticks, Holes & Puddles

2008-08-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

Declan is becoming quite the inquisitive child. His favorite activities now include holding sticks, examining holes and stomping in puddles. A bit more on each....

He loves grabbing sticks and picking them up to hold. Our street has a fair amount of trees, so any walk is interrupted by his reaching down for them. He has been told "Sticks don't come inside", but still tries. Meanwhile we have to make sure he doesn't poke himself or us in the eye. One fun activity involves putting the sticks into the aforeentioned holes.

The holes are mainly leftover from chain-link fence posts in our yard. They were sawed off at ground level and still go a few feet down (only about 2" in diameter, so he can't fall in). He likes poking the sticks in, along with his hands. One of them holds water, he splashes in that one.

Puddles are another fun activity. This summer has been rainy and so lots of puddles. Plus our basement sump pump spills water onto the driveway (as do many of our neighbors), so there is always water around.

Declan Turns One!

2008-07-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

Declan turned One last Friday. We didn't have a party for him, as his entire life is a party right now. We did go to two other parties over the weekend (Saturday for a girl down the street who turned 4 and Sunday for a friend of Tiff's whose son turned One on Monday). So he wasn't lacking.

He loves the warm weather and gets out to play multiple times a day. My routine during the week is to have Tiff come out to the bike path with him to meet me. We all walk home together, I change at home, and take Declan out to play, with hopes of tiring him out before bedtime.

More on walking

2008-07-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

Declan has actually taken a few steps on his own, but we aren't calling it walking just yet. He doesn't get a good start and he gets too excited before trying and ends up stumbling. But he's close.

Meanwhile this week he's off to Music Camp with Tiff (she's the director) 3 days a week. The other two days he's at our babysitter Anju's house. We were worried about him, but he has done fine. Either napped at the camp, or enjoyed playing with people. He often acts as if the entire world is here to see and serve him. Which it is to a great extent.

Declan close to walking

2008-06-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

Just a news alert, Declan is close to walking. Now he walks all around while holding our hands. He's finally figured out the mind-blowing concept that he can move HIMSELF. Pretty heady stuff. Balance still has a way to go, but time to baby-proof so we're ready when he's motoring all over the house.

The days of plopping him on the floor and not having him move will soon be over.

Busy Mem. Day Weekend

2008-06-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

Declan had a busy Memorial Day Weekend. Saturday just he and I (Tiff had to work) went to the Earth Fest on the Esplanade. A fun day with Dad. Tiff met us later and we walked around Back Bay. He had a minor melt-down, but quieted after Tiff used her secret trick (walk the stroller in tight circles).

Sunday we went to Drumlin Farm (run by Mass Aududon) in Lincoln. We met up with one of her friends from her Mom's group and her son and husband. Saw little piglets and lambs, and explored the farm. Declan was really amazed by the tractors. On the way home, we stopped for his first ice cream. He liked it, but was a little tentative at first. We think he'll like it more in the future once he gets used to the concept of cold food.

Monday we went to Humarock Beach in Marshfield. He got to play in the water a little bit. He's not too sure about really cold surf. Maybe later in the summer.

Declan and Swings

2008-05-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

Declan really likes going to the park and going on the swings. Arlington is lucky enough to have a great system of little neighborhood parks, most of which have kiddie swings perfect for him. Declan can be quite serious about his play, and gets this intense look while he focuses on swinging. He also loves to watch the other "big kids" (we're talking 18 month olds) walking around and going down the slides.

His favorite thing on the swings is for me to raise my hands in his face when he comes by and say something like "High Five!" or "Zoom Zoom!" every time I push him. Of course, he's not ready for high fives yet, but he apparently likes the concept.

The little guy is getting spoiled as we now often take him out 2 or 3 times a DAY to the parks. Tiff and I never had it this good.

Declan is growing!

2008-04-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

Well of course he is! He has turned from an infant that couldn't really interact with his world, to a littler person. He now recognizes people. He lights up when someone he knows comes in the room. "Here comes Daddy!".

His latest game is to get my nose. Tiff goes "Get Daddy's nose, Honk!" and squeezes my nose. Then Declan imitates her and grabs my nose with his goopy paws.

Meanwhile I'm going to try and be better about posting. There is certainly enough happening to post about daily.

More on Food

2008-03-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

Declan is now eating rice cereal, oatmeal, carrots, squash, bananas and apples. I use "eat" loosely since most ends up ON him. Bids are a requirement. One thing we also found out is that the poop changes. With only breast milk, his poop literally doesn't stink. Totally different story with real food. Real Food = Real (stinky) Poop. And comes more often. Next we need a green veggie, he HATES peas. Not sure if he'll like spinach.

Declan is 7 months old today!

2008-02-25T18:31:00.001-08:00

Declan is 7 months old today! For the first year, we're entitled to celebrate months instead of years. He's eating solid food now, if you call mushy rice cereal "solid". He coos a lot and definitely recognizes his parents. He's been on 4 plane flights already. He weighs 15 lbs and is about 27 inches tall. And we love him!

Florida Trip

2008-02-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

Just got back from 4 days in Florida with Declan. We stayed in Hollywood (FL) Beach. Babies are actually pretty easy to travel with; they are cheap, don't complain about being dragged to museums and relatively portable. The downside is all the STUFF. Clothes, diapers, 2 strollers, a crib...you name it.

But Declan loved the warm weather and got to play in the sand and swim in the inn's pool.

Quick plug for the Inn: Hollywood By The Sea B & B. Great location, one of the few true inns in Florida and great hosts.

Decko traveled fine, except for the blowout poop 30 minutes before we landed back in Boston. Tiff and I were scrambling to get him cleaned up before we landed. Flight attendant was passing us stuff. Like a well-oiled surgical team.

Jogging Stroller Arrived!

2008-01-14T11:21:00.000-08:00

We ordered a jogging stroller and it just arrived. It's a "Schwinn Free Wheeler". Cost about $200. There are FAR more expensive strollers out there (Bugaboo and Quinny to name a few where you can drop close to $1000). But that's for another post....

Anyway, it snowed about 6" last night so we can't test it out just yet. Tiff and I are looking forward to getting it out on the bike path. We'll probably have to set it up with lights given the short days of winter. We'll post our experiences as they come.

Everything goes in the mouth

2008-01-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

Declan's latest (ok, for a few months now) deal is to put EVERYTHING in his mouth. His hands, toys, paper, cat's tail...you name it. Even our fingers go in there. He'll grab our fingers and stick them in, sorta gnaw on them for a while. It was a bit gross at first, but it soothes him and parents quickly learn to do anything that makes their baby feel better.

He has a tons of toys designed to be chewed, but will stick plush toys and the corner of books in his mouth.

His first instinct is always, "Cool! Let me eat it!". No matter what it is.

As he gets bigger and more curious, we're really going to have to watch this. Imagine the possibilities......

So Aware

2008-01-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

For the first 2-3 months, babies are pretty much blobs that eat, sleep and poop. But starting around 3-4 months, they start becoming aware of the world. Declan (now 5 months old) now wants to see and know about EVERYTHING going on around him.

He doesn't want to know what's going on, as much as he wants to know WHAT ELSE is going on. Doctor at his last check-up said he wasn't happy. Because he was tired of being a baby. He wants to do stuff so badly. Play, walk, eat real good, go outside.

Down in Florida, his head was spinning at all the stuff going on. Checking out people on the beach, sea birds flying, the waves, the sunset.

We see him eyeing everything, and probably thinking...."Man, I really want to do THAT!".

Today he really wanted some of Tiff's soup. He even made chewing motions as he watched her. BTW, he has no teeth yet and is still doing 100% breast milk. But maybe it's time to introduce more foods.

Baby Video monitor

2007-12-31T08:25:00.000-08:00

We picked up a baby video monitor to watch Declan as he sleeps in his nursery crib (we just moved him out of the co-sleeper in our room into his big crib in his own room). Tiff bought it to be able to watch him. It has a remote cam so you can see him, plays sound and visually shows any sound on an LED bar. You can even connect it to a TV and watch the "Decko Channel" (ultimate "picture-in-picture").

The other morning he woke up early, Tiff switched on the video mode. And there were two little eyes staring at us. "Hey! You guys up yet?". We could see he was awake but fine, so we got another 30 minutes of sleep.

Anyway, pretty cool. And good for assuaging the fears of worrying parents who want to keep an eye on their kids without constantly sticking their heads in (which could wake up the kids). We can also see if he really woke up and needs to be comforted, or is just crying in his sleep (poor little guy).

Florida Trip

2007-12-31T08:23:00.001-08:00

We took a 5-day trip to Florida right before XMas and Declan LOVED it. It was warm of course, but lots of sights and sounds. He got to experience the beach, sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico and swim in the warm hotel pool (about 85-90 degrees). He didn't actually "swim", we just held him and let him splash around a little.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Bobpom1/TripToFloridaDecember2007

Night Time Crying

2007-11-29T14:08:00.000-08:00

Declan's latest game is to wake up in the middle of the night screaming. But he calms down the second we pick him up. It's a fun game and he's got us well trained.

Drool.

2007-11-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

Little babies drool. A lot. On their clothes. And on you. Especially when you're holding them up above you. We end up changing their clothes a lot. And wiping up ours.

This is way before even solid food. We're in for a lot of fun. And laundry.

Baby Baldness

2007-11-07T07:18:00.000-08:00

When Declan was born, he surprised us with a full head of DARK hair. Tiff and I were both tow-headed blondes as kids. Since then, he's gradually been losing his hair. He even left a pile in his crib that we first thought was cat hair. Until we realized it was all located at one end, right under where his head lies. Now the poor kid has some bald patches in the back where he head rubs against the mattress (sometimes he twitches and turns his head back and forth).

It also looks like he's got blond roots coming in. So he may end up blond after all.

Meanwhile his eyes look to be turning brown. They were blue at birth and change colors now (from blue to green to light brown) depending on the day and the light on them. It can take up to a year to stabilize. Mine are brown, as it most of my family. Tiff and her family are mostly blue.

Stuff to post later

2007-11-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

turning over
winter
sleep
sisters
new views on MY parents
travel

Declan LOVES TV

2007-11-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

Declan already has shown an interest in TV. What the heck! He's only 3 months old! But it just entranches him. When he's fussy, we point him at the TV and he quiets right down. If he's lying on the bed or in a crib and hears the TV, he works to turn toward it.

We let him watch the Red Sox and good stuff like Seinfeld. But we're wary of all the crap he could be exposed to. Yikes!

Baby Party 10/21

2007-10-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a pumpkin party, mainly with the women from Tiff's new mom's group (all new moms with babies born July/August) at Isis Maternity in Arlington (MA, not VA or TX). Anyway, we were remarking that we all could talk with authority about baby stuff, but 3 months ago, not only were we all clueless, but literally had no idea what we were getting into. Amazing how things change. And babies DO change your lives more than you can imagine. People warned us, but there is literally no way to fathom it without actually going through it. Mindblowing in a way I can't begin to describe, except to those that are already parents. And they already know.

Anyway, pics from the party to follow. And there were a few non-baby people there.

More Stuff

2007-10-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

In addition to a bouncy seat, 2 bassinets, a crib, a changing table, a high chair, a swivel seat, Declan now has a jumping seat. Imagine bungee cords supporting a seat. He can touch the floor, push up and spring into the air. So yes, our little apt is now crammed full of baby stuff. We aren't even talking clothes, blankets, toys and diapers. This is just hardware.

More Walking

2007-10-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Declan is "walking" if we hold him up and support his weight. He instinctively moves his legs forward to take steps. He's nowhere near ready to support his own weight, or even balance, but pretty cool to see. His legs are getting a lot stronger though (as Tiff remembers from pregnancy) and he constantly kicks and bends/straightens his legs when we hold him or he sits in his bouncy chair.

Today Tiff is taking him to two different mom's groups. She dressed him up in courduroy pants and a jacket. Most of the time we have him in PJ's or a one-sie. Who says you can't have fun dressing up a little boy. As fall arrives, he needs to wear more layers.

My parents are back in town to visit. So we'll have more pictures with them up soon.

Tomorrow we are heading up to NH to visit my cousins and their kids (one cousin has kids, other in town from OH). Declan and his 2nd cousins!

Check Tiff's Youtube account for more videos (www.youtube.com/TiffPom).

Declan 75 days old!

2007-10-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

That's 10.7 weeks for the non-parents. He's literally changing every day. While he's definitely still a baby, he's put on 4 pounds (for someone 150lbs, that's like gaining 25 pounds) and is a LOT stronger.

Tiff and I are amazed at the leg and core strength he has. He sometimes lies in his crib with his legs straight up in the air. It helps to have an oversized head as babies do, to act as a counterweight.

Declan Smiling

2007-10-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

Just in the past week, Declan has become more engaged with the world around him. And more importantly, the people. He now smiles AT you, and almost laughs. He really likes sitting up next to me on the couch, so he can look around the room. Both the Pats and Sox games were on over the weekend. I let him watch a little, but we're trying to not have him watch too much TV as a baby.

Last night I was holding him up so he could push with his legs (almost standing), and I swear he tried to take steps. A long way to go before he can support his way, but he's moving in that direction. But some parents I know have said, be careful what you wish for. Once they start walking, they run with weeks and you have to chase them. So maybe we're better off with a kid who isn't so developmentally advanced. Just smart and good looking. And musical.

Wedding Picture

2007-09-06T11:35:00.001-07:00

Ok, this isn't technically "baby-related" but it did start here.
We were married August 6th, 2005 in Boulder Colorado.

(trying to put text on top of posts but not working)

Trying more pictures

2007-09-06T11:31:00.001-07:00

Taken by Christina McPherson http://www.christinamcpherson.com/

Trying pictures

2007-09-06T11:26:00.001-07:00

My beautiful wife Tiffany (guys, find a smart, attractive woman to marry you, it will be one of the best decisions you ever make!). Even better if she has your children. Anyway, this is Declan at about 3 days old in the hospital. He was in the NICU for 6 days after some meconium aspiration problems at birth. 110% fine now, but a little scary initially for brand new parents. Meanwhile we're still waiting to see if Deckie gets his mom's blue eyes or not. They are blue now, but show signs of brown. Babies eyes may not settle on a color for up to 1 year. I did not know any of this until becoming a dad.

1 Month Pictures

2007-09-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

When Declan was one month old (8/25/07). we had a friend come by to take some pictures. She's been a dedicated amateur photographer for years, but recently entered a program at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts in Boston (www.cdiabu.com, associated with Boston University). She spent about 3 hours with him (and us) on a Saturday morning. Some AMAZING shots. Shows you want good equipment, good set-up and, most importantly, a good eye can produce.

Anyway, her website is http://www.christinamcpherson.com/ . There might be a few shots of Declan up there at some point. I'm still trying to figure out how to post pics into here. First try gave some weird error code (bX-oaxi0t).

Declan at 6 weeks

2007-09-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

Our little guy is now 6 weeks old. He has been smiling for about a week now, but we haven't been able to capture it on film. Quite evasive. Latest "progress" has been all the little noises; cooing, gurgling and grunting. Tiff caught some on video. Check out all the videos at www.youtube.com/TiffPom.

Last night I had Frisbee at 8pm. When I got home about 10:30pm, I took over from Tiff and she went to bed. I changed and fed him, heating up the bottle. Took more effort than you'd think. About halfway through the bottle, Declan stopped and smiled, as if to say "Look at all this work you did just for me!" About midnight he started getting sleepy, so I took him into the bedroom (he now sleeps in bassinet right next to our bed) and held him. His favorite sleeping position is face down against our chests, he snuggles right in. After about 20 minutes in bed with him, he had drifted off. Being careful not to fall asleep with him on me, I then put him to bed about 12:30am.

Welcom-Recap

2007-08-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, a little recap. I set this up a few days before our son was born but then didn't get to it for awhile so Blogger flagged it as spam and it took a while to get re-activated.

Anyway, Declan arrived on 7/25/07 at 8:06am at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston.

Welcome

2007-07-22T19:10:00.001-07:00

Welcome!