Connection Restored

Because we here at our house are all about saving a few bucks each month, and apparently because we’re also easily fed up with obnoxious phone companies, a few days ago we tacked a second cell phone onto our plan (so Blake could feel like a true New Yorker, gabbing on his cell phone to his lovely significant other as he commuted back and forth to work and so I could I could do the same as I hung out at the grocery store), said goodbye to our land line -- and with it our DSL internet -- and installed cable internet. So, now that my connection with the rest of world has been restored, I can fill you in on what's been happening the last little while in our little world:

- Blake and I spoke in church on Sunday. AND we were called to be the Nursery leaders. AND we did it all with a kicking, screaming baby. You may commence your pity on us. (Just kidding about the pity. We all survived, and now our Sundays will involve snack time, play time, and blowing bubbles, so no deprivation here.)

- I made (and won!) my first bid on eBay. And now my baby boy gets to parade around as Garrett the Carrot on Halloween:



- I (finally) started working on Garrett's baby book. And then I started getting dissatisfied with how it was going. And then I decided (for some strange reason) that it would be better if I created my own baby book/journal for him. We'll see how this little project goes.

- I made lasagna for the first time ever. Okay, I take that back. I've made lasagna before in a crock pot, but it never really turned out all that great. So this was my first attempt at lasagna in a traditional 9x13 pan. And reports given by those who ate it lead me to believe that it was a success. So, yay.

- Garrett and I trekked again to Manhattan yesterday to meet Blake after work. While in the city we ran a few errands and, on my aunt's recommendation, stopped by Greeley Square to check out the statue of Horace Greeley. I'm pretty sure that only those as addicted to Newsies as I was back in the day will truly appreciate the significance of personally witnessing said statue. (And yes, I resisted the temptation to climb up into his lap and take a nap.)



- After having several people recommend I read it, and after surviving the move that prevented me from getting it sooner, I was finally able to get my hands on a copy of The Happiest Baby on the Block to see what Dr. Harvey Karp had to say about soothing colicky babies. Though I'm still trying to perfect his technique, I'm already eager to shout this man's praises. Or maybe it's just working because Garrett's starting to come out this phase on his own. Either way, generally speaking, we have a happier baby at our house these days. Which makes ALL of us happier. In a nutshell, his "colic cure" technique revolves around the idea that babies from birth to 3-4 months are essentially experiencing a "4th trimester" and therefore need to live in a world as womb-like as possible in order to stay calm. In practice it involves what he calls "the 5 S's": tight swaddling, letting the baby lay on his side or stomach, loud shhhing, vigorous swinging, and sucking, all done quickly together in order to turn on the baby's calming reflex. So far, Garrett's quite the fan:



- And speaking of Garrett (again), we got our insurance cards in the mail and I was able to make him an appointment for a wellness check-up with his new doctor. The soonest I was able to get him in is October 15th (we're still waiting for the insurance to begin), so essentially his 2-month appointment that we missed because we were in transit and insurance-less will happen at 3 1/2 months. But, better late than never, right? Yeah, I thought so, too.

- Okay, last tidbit of business before I sign off. I just wanted to let you all see, because I'm getting quite the kick out of it, that Garrett has discovered his hands. And with that he has also discovered that they taste pretty darn good: