Making the Switch

Today I decided to take the plunge and change out Preston's car seat to the new, "big boy" one. He was getting too long for his other one and our pediatrician had recommended that we change it sooner rather than later for safety reasons. So, while he was napping this morning, I put the new one in. Once he woke up we went down the hill to run errands. At first he didn't like the new seat but I just chalked it up to him being fussy today. As the day went on he seemed to like it more and I liked it less. It's big and bulky so I couldn't get to him to help him with his paci or bottle. Then when I went to the store he wasn't sturdy enough to sit in the cart and fell forward. I put him in the Baby Bjorn, which ended up being uncomfortable on my back by the time I was done. I met a friend for coffee and Preston was being such a wiggle worm because he was tired so we took turns passing him back and forth. Had he been in his other car seat we could've propped him up in a chair and he would've gone to sleep. By the end of the day I just decided to make my last stop to the grocery store a quick one, getting the bare essentials. I actually took the stroller in to use as my cart. By the time I got what I needed Preston had fallen asleep in his stroller. When I took him out and put him in his car seat he woke up and was cranky again. I know he's growing up and change is inevitable but I don't think I'm ready for it quite yet.....(SIGH!)

FOOD.....

Since Christmas I have been making Preston's baby food quite a bit. The other day I made green beans but I didn't fill the processor enough so I added carrots to blend it. When I went to feed it to him he made the funniest face like, "I know I'm supposed to eat this because you're feeding it to me but I really don't like it." I thought it was because I had mixed carrots and beans together. Today I made just fresh green beans with the right amount of water to make it the perfect consistency. Come dinner time I about pee'd my pants from laughing so hard when I gave him the green beans. He stuck his tongue out and tried to wipe the beans off his tongue. Then he scrunched up his face and gave me a dirty look as if to say, "Not again mom!". The ironic thing is that he LOVES fresh fruit. He could eat it all day, but apparently he's not a fan of fresh veggies. Hopefully that will change!

On another food note, we had Date Night tonight. We decided to try a new place that Rob's co-workers had highly recommended. When we walked in and Rob realized he was the only one with a NASCAR shirt and camo ball cap we knew the place was a little too "high class" for us. I also quickly noticed that Preston was the only baby in a VERY quiet restaurant, another sign that it wasn't our kind of place. We both liked the bread and salad but weren't too fond of the steaks. One thing we definitely did not like was the price! Our meal cost more than one WEEK's worth of groceries for the family. I like trying new places so it was a nice change of scenery but we know that the place was too rich for our blood, figuratively and literally speaking.

Another One??

Yes, I still have one more blog after endless blogging last night. I was going to do it last night but Rob was making fun of me for blogging so much (I told him it was because he took a nap so I had a lot to say and no one to say it to...ha!). Anyway, in case you're not aware of it, Preston is growing up fast and is quite the advanced baby! Yesterday I went through his drawers to pull out 6-9 month clothing so I could get it all washed for when he's ready. Well, I found a bunch of 6 month clothing that he may get to wear a few times before outgrowing. I also found some shorts outfits that will go unused unless we have another boy in the future that matches the time frame. I washed the clothes Preston could use now in hopes of getting him in the outfits a few times before getting too big.
When I was pregnant I was on the website WebMD all the time, comparing notes with other pregnant women. After Preston was born I've slowly stopped visiting the site as much. But, yesterday I got on it to see what was new with women that have babies around the same age as Preston. First, I was amazed at how much more most of the babies weigh than Preston. Second, I was floored that Preston seems more advanced than most of the babies born around his birthday. Women were writing that their babies couldn't sit up supported or roll onto their tummies/backs. Preston has been doing both for at least a month. The women also said their little ones don't attempt to crawl, which Preston has started taking an interest in for the past week (He scoots backwards but that's about all at the moment). A couple women said that their babies can't eat from a spoon, which Preston mastered at 4 1/2 months. Reading what they're going through with their lil ones makes me that much prouder of Preston and all that he has accomplished. What a gifted child we have!!

DISCLAIMER

Here are the snow pics that I promised. It's from the "big storm" that was predicted. Both pics were taken within seconds of each other but one deck gets more wind so that's why there's a difference.

DISCLAIMER: I had a lot to say yesterday so there are several blogs. Read them all at once or read them a little at a time but either way enjoy our Herrington Happenings.

One Socked Bandit

The thing I will probably remember most about Preston being a baby is him being the "One Socked Bandit". I was/am not a big fan of putting shoes on babies. However, I now understand the purpose. It's so the old ladies don't follow you around the store telling you your baby is going to get sick because he only has one sock on. Three ladies told me this within fifteen minutes at Walmart today. I honestly could not find his sock so that's what I told them. Then I got the typical "You're a new mom" look. Oh well! His missing sock usually turns up somewhere, whether it be in his carseat, under the crib, in his high chair, somewhere in the Yukon, under the recliner... Unfortunately, we have lost a few socks so if you ever come to our house and open up his top drawer you may find a pile of socks that don't have a mate. But, that's okay because it's creating more memories of our "One Socked Bandit"!

I lied!

OK, I told you in yesterday's blog that Preston's kisses are my new favorite things but after thinking about it I realized I lied to you and for that I'm sorry. I lied because I have several new favorites! Being with Preston all day is fun but sometimes I have to try new "tricks" with him just to break it up some. Lately Preston has been giggling and laughing so hard over silly things. If I make funny noises or stick my tongue out that can cause him to at least giggle. Every time Holly comes over to be pet Preston breaks out in belly laughs. I love it! His laugh is the best sound and it causes me to laugh every time. Another favorite is how he sleeps now. As soon as he gets comfortable he puts his little butt in the air and sleeps that way most, if not all, of the night (or his nap). I don't see how that is comfortable but it is so stinking cute! The last new favorite is how excited he gets about brushing his "teeth". His pediatrician said we need to start brushing his gums and using fluoride since our water doesn't have it. After he gets put in his PJs I take him into the bathroom. As soon as I sit him on the sink he gets a grin from ear to ear because he knows what's coming next. I put the little rubber toothbrush on my finger and he opens wide. He smiles the entire time the toothbrush is in his mouth. Then he smiles just as big when I pick up the fluoride dropper. Most of it drips back out of his mouth because of how big his smile is. He loves the entire process and probably has the cleanest baby mouth there is!! So, there you have it. I lied because I have too many new favorites and more will come soon I'm sure!

Fav foods

I have to take a break from blogging about Preston to share two new favorites with you.... Stacey's Pita chips and sweet potato fries. BOTH are yummy!! I am one that likes to try most new things so when we went to a restaurant in San Diego with Josh and Ashley I tried the sweet potato fries. I could've downed the entire platter of them because they were SOOOO delicious! I'm trying to eat healthier to lose the last of my baby weight so I'm trying to find healthy snacks. Usually I don't like chips but I made the mistake of picking up the pita chips when I was shopping, thinking I wouldn't care for them that much. WRONG! I could easily eat the entire bag even though they have salt on them. My favorites are the cinnamon sugar ones but I KNOW I can eat that entire bag in one sitting so I avoided buying that kind!! At least the pita chips are somewhat good for you. So, if you're looking for delicious new foods to try you may want to think about these suggestions. One word: YUM!!!!!

Japanese or Americanese?

Growing up, I was good friends with a Japanese girl. I loved having dinner at her house for 2 reasons. 1) Her mom was a great cook! and 2) Her family ate REALLY loud, which always made me giggle (A sign in Japan that the meal is good). I think of this often in regards to Preston, although I no longer giggle when I hear lip smackers. He is such a big boy he can put his paci in his mouth without any help. But, once he gets it in he sucks on it SOOOO loud as if he wants us to know he accomplished his goal. When he sucks on his fingers he does so loud enough for the neighbors to hear. He has a teether mesh thing that I put frozen fruit in for him to gnaw on at dinner(food + cold= satisfied baby). He makes so much noise chomping on it that I usually take it away from him before he's done. Lip smacking when eating is now a pet peeve. In my book it's as bad as when someone scrapes their teeth on their fork when they put food in their mouth. I can handle it once in a great while but at every meal it grates on my nerves. Preston's lip smacking is one of the few things I don't find endearing about him. Hopefully he'll grow out of it once he gets teeth and doesn't produce the river of saliva that he does now. Then again, maybe he was born in the wrong culture???? =)

Lil Man Kisses

Around Christmas Preston decided that giving wet, slobbery kisses was fun. Now it's become a daily affair. He loves kissing Rob on his cheek and for some reason he likes kissing my chin. Every time I pick him up after changing his diaper he wraps his arms around my neck and kisses my chin as if to say, "Thanks mom." If we ask him for a kiss he won't do it but if we make the kissing noises he gets a huge smile on his face and practically head butts us to give us the biggest, wettest kiss he can. By the time he's done kissing our faces we're covered in baby saliva but it's so worth it!
In return he likes being kissed. A few days ago I started a game with him where I kiss him all over his neck, telling him I'm going to get all his kisses. He giggles and keeps putting his head back, exposing his neck for me to kiss. We can play that game for "hours" without him getting bored. I tell ya- our lil man is growing up WAY TOO fast!!! But, the kisses are my new favorite thing....something I'll never get tired of.

Ooh Nelly!

Ask Rob. I don't watch football. It's one of those sports that doesn't interest me. However, I do like the games come playoff time each season. All week I was really looking forward to watching the Saints/Vikings game and I wasn't disappointed. If I hadn't been holding Preston I would've been yelling at the TV to the very last fieldgoal kick but I retrained and, instead, watched it from the egde of my chair. That was one good game!! The outcome wasn't what I had hoped for but I'm glad the Saints are going to the Superbowl for the first time. I wanted Favre to make it to the Superbowl to prove the naysayers wrong. But, playing devil's advocate, he continues to retire and then come back so maybe he'll have another Superbowl chance next season. He can't seem to make up his mind about retirement since football is his life. I am glad that New Orleans will be in the Superbowl because of all that city's been through since Katrina. While watching the game, I kept thinking about how the Superdome was filled with homeless people almost 5 years ago, barely holding up itself. Now it's the home of a team's victory, a city's victory. The win gave the city what it needs and deserves. Now to the Superbowl...... I could care less who wins that game after yesterday's nail biter!

A Lil Bit of Everything

For starters, I have new snow pics but the camera is in the Yukon and I don't feel like leaving the warmth of the fireplace to go get it. So, look for them in a later blog. You may be disappointed as we did not get the brunt of the storm like California did. I like to think the Reno valley broke it up but Rob always reminds me that it's the Sierras that break it up. Either way, we got about 3 inches of snow in two days. More is to come tomorrow night and last for a few days. We'll see.....

Thursday night Rob and I had a "Date Night" (with Preston in tow) for the first time in a month. It was going well....until the waiter came over to the table. He started listing off drinks then pointedly looked at my stomach and said, "Are you expecting another one?". WHAT??? I know I have a few more post-baby pounds to lose but who in their right mind asks a lady that? I didn't like him from that point on but Rob tipped him well because I'm sure he was nice minus the foot in his mouth. His question motivated me to start working out consistently again. Since the sun was out yesterday I put Preston in his snowsuit, bundled up myself, put him in the Baby Bjorn and headed out. To keep the sun out of our eyes I tried to cut through our neighbor's property....BIG mistake! There was a metal panel buried under snow that I didn't see. Needless to say I slipped on it...hard. My "pregnant belly" cushioned the fall for Preston so he thought it was a fun game. When Holly came running over he started laughing. Silly boy! I, on the other hand, have a nice raspberry on my hip as a battle wound to remind me why it would've been better for me to stay on the couch. HA!
This morning Rob left for work and Preston decided it was play time. Normally I wouldn't care but I had weird dreams all night and wanted a couple more minutes of shut eye. Plus, Preston was getting his 6 month pics taken and I wanted him to be at his best. I shouldn't have worried as he did great. The photographer said it was easy to do a shoot with him because he smiles so much. In fact, the whole shoot only took an hour and that's with a bottle feeding and a change of outfit. Since we got done early I was able to run some errands and meet a friend for lunch. By the time we got home, Preston was done. It's a good thing we didn't have anything planned for tonight, a first for us in a month. We've been on the go and had people over so much lately that it was nice to have a family night, just the three of us. We played and watched "The Proposal" (again!). Now I'm ready to call it a night. One of these nights I'll sleep good and wake up feeling rested. Until then....

Writing Woes

Writing is something I've always enjoyed. Most of the time I express myself in written form better than verbally. It's something that comes so natural to me, something I really enjoy. I know there's things I'm not good at, but being a writer is not one of them. So, that is why it is frustrating to hear "constructive criticism" when it comes to my stories. I'm in the process of getting some of my manuscripts put into print. But, to do so I am going through the Children's Writing Institute, where I send specific pieces then receive feedback from a published children's author. I was so excited when we got back in town and my latest piece was waiting for me. That was until I opened the package and saw a three page letter on how to make the story better. At first I was very frustrated so I just put everything back in the envelope and put it aside. But, today when I pulled it out and reread it I realized that the "constructive criticism" was just that. There were questions and suggestions to make the story better. Hopefully, after some editing, one of my pieces will be picked up by a children's magazine. After a few magazine publications my dream is to write a children's book, a true manuscript. One of these days there will be an announcement that Jennifer Herrington is not only a blogger but a published author!

Love me some bathtime!!

Preston did not like baths when he was a newborn. I think it's safe to even say he hated them. Well, that couldn't be further from the truth now. He absolutely LOVES water! As much as he loves petting Holly, he gets just as excited to wash his hands afterwards. When I run his bath water at night, he starts kicking his legs and "talking" a lot. He'd play in the tub for hours if I let him. Lately he's actually cried when I've taken him out of the tub and dried him off. Last night, while washing his hair, I discovered (much to Rob's dismay) that his hair is long enough for a mohawk now. Although it's hard to see the true mohawk, do not be discouraged. There will be many more bath mohawk pics to come!

Slowin' Down.....

We got back to the west side of the US last night. While I have had a lot of fun with family the past couple weeks, I am also looking forward to getting back to our routines. The holidays are always busy, but ours seemed exceptionally busy this year and drug out past the new year. I'm not complaining as I got my fill of a good social life, but slowin' down for awhile isn't so bad either.
We were supposed to come home to a lot of snow and we did....driving up Geiger. Then this morning we awoke to less than an inch outside. The wind was blowing really hard but Preston and I braved it to go get groceries. I had more errands to run but the weather was frightful, as was Preston's attitude. So we came home in time for it to start snowing. It's been snowing off and on all day while we've stayed toasty by the fire.
Since Preston hasn't slept much for the past couple weeks I've worked hard to get him back on schedule today. It's paying off, as is not getting any sleep, because he's been asleep for 2 hours already and going strong. He's a lot like his mommy- a social butterfly. But, like his mommy, it seems to wear on him after awhile. I'm sure if he could talk he would tell us that he had lots and lots of fun with both sets of grandparents and uncles (and Aunt Ashley) but that he's glad to be home to his toys, his bed and Holly.
Speaking of slowing down....despite my lack of sleep in the past couple weeks I refuse to take a nap today. But, I do need some down time so I'm going to go read "People" before the lil munchkin awakes! Aaahhhhh, I love being on "the go" but then again I also love slowin' down.....

Southern Style

We've been in the South for about 24 hours and have already crammed so much in. We left Reno yesterday
morning around 6am. We flew to Los Angeles, phoenix and then to Alabama. Of course Preston was amazing the entire time, despite waking up at 4am! It took a little over 3 hours to get to MS after that but it was an interesting ride. I found a town called Chunky, which I think is hilarious since MS is the most obese state in the US. Then we ate at Krystals, where I consumed 3 hamburgers (I'm well on my way to residing in Chunky). Once we got to mom and dad Herringtons Preston had had his fill. But, he hung in there when he saw Santa had come to Mimi and Grandpa's house also. We got spoiled all over again by the Herringtons! After eating a piece of the most delicious pistachio pie I called it a night. Good thing I went to bed early cause Preston didn't have the beat night. Finally I had him sleep with us for 3 hours just so I could get a little sleep. I woke up bright and early so we could get ready to go to deer camp. On the way out of town we stopped at The Bay and I go to eat the best peach cobbler ever. (Have I mentioned Chunky, MS?) Now I'm 'hunting'. I'm sitting in a golf cart, with my feet up, playing on my phone. No surprise I haver seen anything! But, I'm gonna call it a day cause I'm tired. Think I'll go take a nap with Preston instead.... G'nightt y'all- at least for a few hours!


***I blogged this from my phone and am too tired/lazy to proofread it today so forgive the errors-many I'm sure!!!***

Sunny San Diego

On Thursday morning Preston and I headed for the airport to catch a flight to sunny San Diego. I was grateful for all the help people offered getting to the airport and going through security. It made traveling with an infant so much easier. Preston napped and I people watched at the airport. Then Preston napped and I read on the flight. He is such a great traveler! When we got to San Diego we met my parents at the airport (They had taken a different flight from Sacramento). After getting my luggage, we stepped outside to super warm weather and started our fabulous vacation. From Thursday afternoon to Monday morning we donned tank tops, shorts and flip flops. I couldn't complain about the weather or anything else for that matter. Our hotel room was across the street from the beach, with an ocean view room. I thoroughly enjoyed the view, whether it was watching the sunrise or sunset or watching the activity on the water. I loved watching the ships and sailboats but Preston was obsessed with the seagulls (yuck!). Every morning we went downstairs and had breakfast overlooking the marina. Preston would sit there and watch the seagulls and ceiling fans while we ate! After breakfast we filled our days with family fun and power naps. We went for family walks on the beach a few times. Twice my parents watched Preston in the morning so I could go for a morning run. We ate LOTS of great food thanks to restaurant recommendations from Josh and Ashley. I got to top off the vacation by going to one of my favorite places....Ghiradelli's.
Preston had a lot of fun because he was the center of attention and got to try new things. He went in a swimming pool and went to the beach. He got to see my Alma mater and meet one of my closest childhood friends and her daughter. He got to share a bed with mommy because the hotel crib made me nervous (That part wasn't fun for me because he kicked me off the bed every few hours so I didn't sleep much). He even started to army crawl and make new sounds. He was an absolute delight the entire trip!
Other than missing Rob, the only thing I was bummed about was not being able to see one of my brother's shows. He played a lot while we were there but it didn't work out with Preston's bedtime to see his shows. We did get to enjoy hearing him play during the church service so that was a consolation.
All in all it was the perfect vacation. Everyone went with the flow, laughed a lot and enjoyed being with each other. The weather was perfect in every way possible. I was able to enjoy the hot tub that overlooked the marina a few times in the evening. It was nice to be stress free for a few days and enjoy being pampered in sunny San Diego!!

Dilemma

Ah, the dilemmas of growth spurts have already started. Because he is growing like a weed, our pediatrician told me that Preston needs the next size up for carseats. I told him that ours was the 30 lb, 30 inches tall carseat and that Preston is only 15 lbs, 12 oz. He said that because he's 28 inches long he'll give Preston 5 more lbs before upgrading to the next seat. He said that I had to adjust the height straps on our current one to the tallest setting though. I did that tonight as Rob and I were reminiscing about how he used to be so small he could barely fit in the carseat. He needed extra cushions around his head to fit properly. The other dilemma is about diapers. He poops through his stage 2 diapers so we bumped up to stage 3 "big boy" diapers and he poops through those as well. I've tried different brands and that doesn't work either. GGGRRRR! So, I'm back to square one, changing diapers more often and using lots and lots of Spray-N-Wash. Ah, the dilemmas of being a growing boy!

Sleeping Beauty

Yesterday Rob got home, ate dinner and was in bed by 6pm. I was worn out from not getting much sleep the night before and Preston was cranky because he decided not to nap yesterday (Probably because he had his 6 mo check up and found out he's such a big boy.....25% for weight and 90% for height). The combination wasn't a good one so I was doing what I could to survive until bedtime. The trick ended up being a mother/son bath. It was our first and he had a BLAST! He was splashing,squealing and throwing his toys around. He started crying when he turned into a prune and I decided we had had enough. He would've spent the whole night in the tub! Wearing himself out in the tub turned him into Sleeping Beauty. He went to bed around 8:15 after crying it out (I am trying not to hold him as much because this is the age where I'm told they can start getting spoiled with being held too much). Once he fell asleep he slept until 7:15 this morning without really waking. He cried once at 3am but before I could get to him he was already back to sleep. When I went to check on him this morning he had his little butt in the air and was sound asleep. I watched him for a few minutes and was amused, watching him roll around (always ending with his butt back in the air), rubbing his eyes and giving deep sighs. Finally Sleeping Beauty awoke and decided he was the "Milk" Monster, wanting to devour the huge bottle that awaited him. Like our pediatrician said, "He's growing like a weed!" Guess the sleep and food thing is working for our lil man!!

The past 6 months

Today Preston celebrated his half birthday by being dedicated to the church in a beautiful ceremony. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the first 6 months of his life. On the way home from church I was thinking about the past 6 months and how ours lives have been changed and so very blessed. We went from Preston being extremely sick and hospitalized to his virus being a part of daily life now with no recurrances (PTL!). We had to hold his little head up for quite a few weeks after he was born because he was so fragile. Now he loves to sit and stand as much as possible, even bouncing quite a bit. For the first four months we worried about his weight. Now he's growing like a weed! At one point he didn't know his voice existed. Now he uses it often, knowing he can communicate this needs and wants. He's learned his voice will get results- laughter, smiles, being picked up, comforted.... We've endured his first double ear infection and sets of vaccinations and bloodwork. We're dealing with teething and him starting to roll over all the time. He's becoming a little man, our amazing "Mr. Personality". Rob and I joke that pretty soon he'll be asking to take the car on a date, but one day that joke will become a reality. It seems time is going by too fast with our lil guy! If only we could stop it and enjoy every second that much longer........