Mommy’s Budding Helper

Today I am reminded, again, how big my big boy really is. Stefano was asleep, so I planned to leave Dante to his toys and run and start a load of laundry but my mama’s boy wanted to come with! So he came downstairs with me and slowly but surely helped me load the washing machine. It made me smile! I would try and speed things up by balling up two shirts and handing them to him to throw in together and he would separate them and then throw them in one at a time… then gingerly pick up the corners that were still dangling out of the open washing machine door. We had a full basket of baby clothes and blankets.. so it’s a good thing Stefano was napping away while we finished our chore. 

He’s still learning to help mama with little things like this… for example, he’s not very consistent at getting me a diaper, when asked, if Stefano needs a change – but there have been a few times when I have said aloud that “little brother needs a new diaper” and Dante has brought me one of his cloth diapers (which don’t fit but still it’s sweet that he’s trying to help). He also likes to throw trash away for me… or at least pick up the trash, bring it to the trash can, and then stand there staring at the garbage… like he suddenly can’t stand to part with the piece of paper or even the peepee diaper he may be tossing out for me. Haha. Still, he’s willing!

 

Gimme Some Sugar

Dante desperately needed a haircut – and has for some time. Our local Snip-Its  went out of business recently and the closest one is about a forty minute drive… so I’ve been putting it off, waiting for a better excuse to make the drive (since I could just take him to another kid-friendly hair salon). Finally my husband, who was probably tired of his son looking so disheveled all the time,  told me to go.

Anyways… the last four hair cuts have been tearful events that would horrify any other children who were about to get their hair cut for the first time. And the last couple visits we’ve made I had been offered a lollipop to distract my disgruntled toddler.. but I chose to power through rather than get him hooked on a sugary treat. This time I asked for one. Even though hair was sticking to his sticky lips, he hardly made a peep while Ashley finished clipping him a fly new look.

So note to self: sugar on a stick is a great way to get a kid to calm down and sit quietly… maybe I’ll stock up for the plane ride we’re planning on taking to Florida this coming fall…

Since the D-man looked so durn good we decided to hit a few stores in the plaza and flaunt his style… and then as an extra treat we all (my mom, sister, and me and and my boys) went to Pinkberry for some amazing frozen yogurt….. We had to make that trip really worth it!

Sleep

Fano (I often call Stefano that even though I’m in love with his full name… since that was how Dante first pronounced it when I was pregnant.. it kind of stuck) seems to be pretty good at going to sleep on his own if he’s tired… and other times if I just help him pop his thumb in his mouth he’s out within minutes. And he’s still doing 5-6 hours stretches!

Well that’s all. Just dropped in to jot down something I’m thankful for!

A Closet Full of Clothes… and Not a Thing to Wear

So I’ve found it tough finding nursing tops that are A) affordable and B) comfortable and with a good fit. I’ve done Google searches and asked other moms to try and find some tips but have had trouble finding much more than links to Motherhood Maternity and the same old suggestions of a nursing tank under a T-shirt or tunics with a nursing tank, etc., which are fine but I was skeptical mostly because I HATE wearing a bra and then a nursing tank over it… I find it uncomfortable and bulky with the clips. Maybe a lot of nursing moms just don’t wear bras when they have nursing tanks on (?) but that’s not for me.

So while I was recently at my favorite store, Target, I noticed these babies and thought they might work nicely as a pull down nursing top to wear under a sweater or cardigan or even under button down or tunic numbers. So against my better judgement (I am the worst shopper on the planet and all too often my great ideas for outfits fail miserably) I bought a black micro-rib tank top and lo and behold it DOES work great. I prefer a pull down top to nurse rather than lifting my shirt up and either exposing my tummy or having to wear an extra layer. This tank top is stretchy and so far I haven’t had trouble with it getting over-stretched. And bonus (!) I don’t have to deal with clips as I would if it were a “real” nursing tank top. So I thought I’d share since I myself was tired of the same old unspecific, unoriginal answers to my question of which nursing tops are best.

2 Month Stats

First of all can I just say that we pronounce Stefano with the emphases on the “a” .. Stef – AH – no. At first I thought a couple of people just weren’t familiar with the name…. but now I realize it’s more than just a couple  of people… or maybe a lot of people just choose to pronounce the name  “Stef-en-o” the emphases in the first syllable of the name… but not us. If you’re still confused, just ask yourself how Don Corleone would pronounce it.. *wink*

Anyways, our little StefAno is 2 months old! He’s a strong little guy… he has to be what with his brother always being on top of him. He doesn’t seem THAT big, but he is wearing a lot of 3-6 month clothes more comfortably than the 0-3 or 3 month stuff… thank goodness for all the hand-me-downs I’ve received.

With the onset of happy, sunny, warm weather we’ve already been to the playground a handful of times and he has slept comfortably for hours in our Beco carrier while his big brother plays. He’s definitely awake more during the day, though. When he’s awake he likes to be held, so it’s nice to have carriers on hand – but he’s starting to do better for short stretches of time if I leave him to his baby gym.. or better yet his big brother. No. I don’t leave him alone in Dante’s care. That would be madness. But supervised brother to brother play is so special now that Stefano smiles his pleasure in response to Dante’s antics. And the more Stefano smiles, the happier Dante is. Isn’t it sweet how kids love interacting with other kids even at a super young age. Even my girlfriend’s baby daughter, who is 6 months old, was belly laughing as Dante entertained her recently. Cuteness.

But back to Stefano. He’s not laughing yet, but it could be any day… sometimes he looks like he’s laughing… but nothing is coming out – hah! And he’s getting to be pretty vocal, too. I just love experiencing this all again! It makes me so happy! I can’t wait to catch him examining his hands for the first time. For now he is entertained enough gazing into the eyes of the lion toy I have clipped to his car seat. That’s cute, too.

And we’re still doing well with breastfeeding. I don’t know where my pump is and I don’t plan to look for it. I’m very comfortable exclusively breastfeeding for now. In fact, while doing some grocery shopping today Stefano got a bit grouchy and since I didn’t have Dante to corral  I just threw a blanket over my shoulder and nursed him while I perused the aisles. Although I don’t see that being a normal issue… he had just had his shots and has been pretty irritable this afternoon – poor baby.

Well I can’t think of any other fun things so here are the growth stats:

Weight: 12lbs

Length: 24in

Growing like a weed!

A Year Changes So Much….

Feeling a little weepy … my baby isn’t a baby any more…. Here is Dante a year ago, followed by a recent photo for a comparison. No more round baby face or chubby baby arms. No more bum scooting…. No more using the excuse “he’s just a baby” for baby-ish behavior *wink*.

I love love love my Dante. But he’s growing to fast…

Triumph over Tantrums

Well not completely. Not even close. But I did have a great (albeit short) mother-son date with Dante recently! The two of us went on a quick shopping trip sans Chris and Stefano for a little alone time. A shopping trip to Target for a change… not. I feel like we’re there twice a week!

Anyways. I had fun with him. Lately I feel like all I say to him is “no” and “be gentle” so much that there are days when I feel like we don’t even like each other – ya, me and my first-born – and it kills me. The tantrums. The whining. Sheesh. But being out and just letting him take his time and walk around the store and be out of our usual setting was a good enough time for the two of us! He was happy to window shop. It made me smile watching him carry around a Lightning McQueen pillow that was half his size. But he couldn’t just drop him in the middle of the isle when it got too cumbersome… he would try walking away, but turn back with a concerned look on his face. Hehe! What? That doesn’t sound funny to you?

Well, he was so well-behaved that I decided to reward him with stickers. I let him pick them out and, of course, he asked to open them. I said no since we needed to pay for them first and I didn’t want stickers sticking to the cart or the floor (and I want to teach my kid that he needs to wait for things some of the time!) and what-a-ya-know? He didn’t so much as furrow his brow. He talked my ear off about being “patient” while we walked to check-out and waited in line. I was so proud of him. And I’ll tell you what else – it sure felt good to get something back like that. Every time he throws a tantrum or melts down into a puddle of tears due to lack of patience I tell him over and over that he “just has to be patient sometimes”… and he showed me that he HAS been listening. I think I actually, physically looked up toward heaven and said, “thank you”.

*Happy Sigh*

 

Boys Will Be Boys

 

Fun at the Museum

This is long overdue… I’ve been a tad unmotivated to blog lately.

We visited the Boston Children’s Museum for the first time! My mother tells me that she used to take us kids when we were younger but I have absolutely no recollection of the place – I’m sure it’s changed since I was a kid, but I still don’t remember going to anything like it.

It. Was. Awesome. I’m officially asking for a membership for Dante’s second birthday (which is only about two and a half months away!). I think we only visited 4 out of the many, many other rooms for little ones to explore.

We went with our  friends Rachel and her two little ones Eva and Ethan, and also Kathleen and her son Emmett. They all played so great. Eva and Emmett were all about seeking out new and fun things to play with and on… but my little Dante went straight for….. wait for it…. the train table. Ha. It took a while to pry himself away from the familiar and enjoy some other attractions.

Regardless, we had a blast. We played with water tables, and train tables, and play kitchens, and in an Arthur (the aadvark) world… so fun. I can’t wait to go back.

I love having a child who is old enough to enjoy things like this. The baby stage is great in it’s own way, but I love seeing Dante’s face light up when he sees something new and exciting. But I know I’ll  think that about every age and stage. In the blink of an eye Stefano will be following Dante and his friends around, playing and climbing… so don’t get me wrong, I’m soaking up his super-yummy babyness. I love his little cheeks!