Rubber Ducky

This picture warms my heart.

KidCity = KidSleepy

We took Shane to KidCity on Saturday and we had such an incredible time. KidCity is a children's museum in Middletown. It's literally a place where kids can run around, play, yell, touch EVERYTHING in site and NOT get yelled at for doing it! While he was a little apprehensive at first, he quickly came around and really ended up having a great time.

It's really neat to see him develop and to try and figure out how something works and what he can do with it. Of course his favorite things were the elevators and the "geeeeeees" (trucks) but he was into exploring everything and checking it all out. He loved running up and down all the long hallways and loved climbing into all the window seats to look out the REALLY big windows. He was also into climbing up and down all the stairs/steps to get into/onto some of the "exhibits". It's still so weird for us to think that this time last year he was still an infant and was just learning how to crawl. Amazing. Totally Amazing.

Ummmm - where are we and what exactly do you want me to do here?Ok, well this is kinda cool! Check me out!
I get it! I play here! I can run around and touch things and they won't try to stop me!!!
Yeah!!!! Finally! Freedom!!
Washing dishesDriving with DaddySuch a big boy!Come on, Mommy! Let's go over hereYou eat the pear, Mommy. I'm going to have this onion.Making friends while out driving around! Looking a little tired towards the end of the morning!
Night-Night, Baby Boy . . .

Christmas in CT (Finally!)

I realize I've been promising to post Christmas pictures since December 26 and I'm just now finally getting around to it. Let me say that I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I would've hoped (especially since I got a brand spankin' new dSLR as an early birthday present) but being the mom of the ONLY kid in the family and being a novice at the Manual (I refuse to shoot in Automatic) dSLR world, I suppose I should be happy with the pictures I do have. I'm disappointed that I don't have any family pictures from Shane's 2nd Christmas, or even just a Shane and Mommy picture for that matter, but at least there are some pictures to mark another special holiday in the life of a very special little boy.

We enjoyed having both sides of the family over for dinner on Christmas Eve and we spent Chrismtas Day at Grandma Lin's house with everyone. Santa was especially good to all of us this year! Chris and I can't wait for Shane to understand Christmas and to see the excitement in his eyes and on his face as the day approaches and then is finally here. It really is the greatest of holidays, and I don't think anyone enjoys the holiday more than parents of young, innocent, believing children. Remember what it felt like to believe? I can't wait to go to that magical world again!

The O'Connor Family Christmas Tree - 2007
Two of my favorite ornaments - both happen to be baby related!
Shane with Santa - and without tears!!
Daddy helping Shane open his first Christmas present of the season at the Darrah's on December 23rd.
Shane doing a pretty good job opening the gift all by himself on Christmas Eve morning!

Chris opening a present on Christmas Eve morning - Chris LOVES opening presents. Probably even more than Shane does!

The three "wise men" keeping warm out by the fire - this became a recurring thing - everytime the three of them were together. Notice how not even one of them is wearing a coat!

Shane riding in his new car from Uncle Jay!Look at all those great presents from Santa!Even a tricycle! Complete with matching Elmo helmet, knee pads and elbow pads - seriously SO cute!Shane dazed and confused on Christmas morningMerry Christmas from our family to yours!

Special Time With Mommy

Our new bedtime routine (where I sit in Shane's room while he falls asleep), which has been working perfectly for the last week, didn't work last night.

He was fine for 10 minutes, but then he started getting fussy and that fussiness turned into all out screaming in no time at all. My first reaction was "Oh, Shit". I was thinking that now I was going to be spending the next 2 hours trying to come up with a creative scheme to get this kid to fall asleep. I tried taking him out of his crib and reading him a few more books, only to have him start crying when I put him back in the crib. I tried taking him out of the crib again and this time, just held him. No good. He wanted down. I put him back into the crib again and he started to cry again.

Finally, at the suggestion of my Mom (thanks, Mom!), I pulled him out and took him into our bedroom. I put in "Elmo Saves Christmas" (the only movie we have on VHS) and Shane and I layed on our bed for 30 minutes watching Elmo. I loved every minute of it. What started out as an "Oh Shit" moment turned into one of my most precious memories. We cuddled, we "talked" and we watched Elmo. And at 9:00, I picked him up, carried him into his room, gave him a kiss, said goodnight, laid him in his crib and sat down in the chair beside him. He was asleep 15 minutes later.

As I sat there watching him fall asleep I thought of the special Mommy and baby time that we just shared, and I thanked Shane for it as he laid there in his crib with drowsy, heavy eyes. He must've known that Mommy needed that special time. He must've known even before Mommy did.

Better Blogging in 2008

Ok, so I wasn't so great at keeping this blog updated in 2007. My goal for 2008 is to make a conscious effort at updating this blog on a regular basis. I really want to have this blog be a record of our life together as a family, and that isn't going to happen if I don't write it!

Shane is 20 months old now. Totally amazing to me that time can go by so quickly. He's so smart and so fun and so cute - I am completely in love with this age. Sure he's also crazy and into everything -but it's incredible to see him develop and figure things out while he's exploring. I can almost see his brain working and it completely sucks me in.

Shane's having a "mommy phase" right now. All Mommy, all the time. Secretly, I love it. I love that he not only needs me, but wants me, as much as he does. It warms my heart. I know the day will come when he'll want little to do with me, so I'm cherishing these moments and these days while I have them. I cried leaving for work this morning because it was 9 hours that I was going to be away from him and away from him wanting me. It made me very sad.

Our little guy is having a rough time falling asleep at night. Two weeks ago it was taking us 3 hours to get him down and we would end up having to go for a ride or two to get him to either fall asleep in the car or to become drowsy enough to fall right to sleep once we put him in his crib. At the suggestion of our pediatrician, I've pulled the chair in his room over so that it is right smack next to the crib. I sit in there with him while he falls asleep at night. The first night didn't go very well, at all, but now he lays there quitely and drifts off to sleep in 30-45 minutes. And I'm lucky enough to get to sit there and watch it. I'll miss these days when he's older.

Christmas update, and pictures, to come tomorrow!

Happy Halloween

From the cutest Monkey ever!!

Trick-or-treating didn't go so well this year! No nap and a fussy costume make for an unhappy 18 month old!

He still got a lot of goodies from Grandma, Aunt Kate and the Zgradden's! This is one lucky little monkey!

The Great Pumpkin Festival

On Saturday we took Shane to Stratford's 1st Annual Great Pumpkin Festival! The festival was held at Boothe Park, a place near and dear to our hearts (it is where we had both our rehearsal dinner and our baby shower), and while most of the activites there were geared toward older kids, we still all had an absolute blast and we did enter Shane into the costume parade!

Have you ever seen such an adorable monkey!!?!?

October in CT

There's something so UN-New-England-like when you take your family pumpkin picking and every last one of you is wearing shorts. And you're sweating. And your feet are dirty because you're wearing flip flops. Because it's 90 degrees out. And you're in CT.

For the first time ever we were all more interested in the cold apple cider than we were in selecting just the right pumpkin for Shane's second Halloween. There's something wrong with that picture. October in New Englad is cool and crisp. The kind of air that feels good to breathe in - so you keep on breathing, bigger and deeper breaths. We haven't had that side of October yet - we're waiting. Not very patiently, but we are waiting.

On another note, today is our 3 year anniversary. 3 years. It's amazing how quickly time goes by. Some days I feel like I should still be planning the wedding, and then I turn around and see the 17 month old that we've created in the days since the "I Do's". A lot has happened in the last 3 years, and we have a lot left to have happen. There's a lot of life left to live. And we look forward to living it together. From this day forward. For better or worse. We're in this for the long haul. Here's to the next 3 anniversaries. And to the next 30 after that.

The Big E

After getting Kylee's good news we decided to go out and do a little celebrating. So, on Saturday, we decided to head off to the Big E. Or "The Big Eat" as some like to call it, because, literally, you could do nothing but EAT all day long and still not eat everything they have to offer. The Big E is THE largest fair in the northeast. It runs for almost 3 weeks each and every September and attracts over 200,000 people a week! It's insane! And we were one of the crazy families that attempted to go on a weekend. EVERYONE tells you to avoid the fair on Saturday or Sunday. They draw twice as many people as they do during the week, traffic and parking can be hell and inside the gates is nothing but a sea of people. We didn't listen to EVERYONE. We got lucky.


We didn't hit any traffic, we found a great parking spot and we got to see a lot of the fair in the 4 hours that Shane let us explore. It was a GREAT time.


We can't wait to go back and do it again next year. On a Saturday. So there.

Somebody up there LOVES us

I called the vet yesterday. Twice. Got GOOD news! Kylee's tumor is benign!! It was actually a hematoma (which, unfortunately, we're a little too familiar with in this family). The vet tech said it was likely caused by a previous injury and had just become aggravated. Surgery should've taken care of it and Ky should be good as new in a few more weeks once those stitches dissolve. Thank GOD! We owe the "Big Guy".

Off to the Big E tomorrow! We're probably crazy to even think about going on a Saturday, but we really can't afford to take another vacation day and we'd really like to go. Should be fun! Maybe they'll have a special treat for Ky!

On another note entirely, Shane has changed his sleep schedule again - this time for the better! He's going down a little later - around 8pm, but he's sleeping until 7:30 or so which is SO nice! And he's still even taking his usual 90 minute morning nap! Way to go little guy!

If it isn't the Boy, it's one of the Girls

If it's not Shane getting sick and going to the pedi, it's one of the dogs going to the vet.

Last week we (ok, Chris - I'm too emotional) took Kylee to the vet for a lump that we found under her jaw. We were pretty sure it'd turn out to be nothing . . . now we know to never assume anything. It was a tumor. And two days ago, poor Ky went back to the vet to have it removed. Now we're nervously waiting for the biopsy results. And we're REALLY hoping our initial thoughts of it being nothing, turn out to be a reality. The "Big C" is scarey. Even if in reference to the family pet. Our girls are more than just our dogs, they're our first babies. And the thought of one of them not being there, well, let's just say it's not something we like to dwell on.

It's amazing really how an animal can become such a huge part of your family. We vacation with these guys because we don't have the heart to put them in a kennel for a week. We actually go out of our way looking for dog friendly accomodations, sacrificing certain amenities, and paying additional charges just so our girls can accompany us on our family vacation. And why shouldn't it be that way? They're just as much a part of the family as any of us. They're what made Chris and I a family before we were even married. We owe a lot to these girls. We hope to have them around for a long, long time.

Uhhhhhhhhh

Ok, so maybe I'm not so hot at updating this blog on a regular basis. It's a work in progress for me, I"m trying - I really am!

Shane has had a busy month this month! Last week he was officially diagonosed with his 3rd ear infection. Luckily, I think we caught this one early enough before it started causing him too much discomfort. Poor little boy. These things will be much easier when he's able to actually TELL us that something hurts - until then - all we have is parental instinct, which has actually been working pretty well for us.

Over the weekend Shane and I went on a playdate! We got together with the rest of the UConn girls and their kids - such a blast. It's so nice, 10+ years later, to still be able to get together and pick up exactly where we left off. For a group of 7 girls, I think that says a lot about our friendship. Shane had a ball, Mommy had a ball and we're both looking forward to doing it again in a few months!

Labor Day weekend is coming up. No real plans to speak of - just a lot of family time. Our own little family will do some shopping on Saturday morning and maybe even go to Stew Leonard's - Shane gets such a kick out of that place! Later that day we'll visit with Grandma, Aunt Kate, Aunt Sue, Aunt Joni and Aunt Kathy and then on Sunday we're going to take a trip to Long Island to see GramZ and Grandpa! Very busy weekend ahead for a very busy boy!

Shane turns 16 months old on Monday - how the heck did that happen?!?

Sleep? Huh?

So, for whatever reason, our adorable bouncing baby (ok, toddler) boy has decided he doesn't want to sleep. When Shane doesn't sleep, no one sleeps (ok, except for the dogs).

It started last week. Chris was working his 3rd 12 hour shift of the week and Shane got up at 10:15, screaming. Crying. Miserable, miserable, someone is attacking me, crying. I cried along with him. I guess that's what happens when you become a parent. When your child is crying, and you don't know how to make it better, you just join the cry-fest yourself. I did finally get him back down that night, at 1:11am.

Now napping has never been one of Shane's strengths, but the last two weeks, he's decided that a one, or one and a half hour, nap should suffice. And I suppose it would if he would go to sleep at 7:30 and then sleep his usual 11 hours without waking. But that's not the case. 7:30, still awake. 8:00, still awake. 8:30, still awake. 9:00, finally sleeping. For now.

Last night he decided he wanted company again in the middle of the night. He "called" for us at 2:00am. Luckily, a bottle did the trick and we had him back down at 2:30.

Having a 15 month old wake in the middle of the night is, in a way, worse than having a newborn. We got through that phase just fine. The wakings were expected. And for the most part, we were prepared. Then he started sleeping through the night. And we got used to it. And we liked it. And now waking up is rough. Very rough. But we do it, because we're his parents. And that's what parents do.

Independence Day

Not a bad deal. Coming back from 6 days off from work to only have to work two days and then get to enjoy a day off in the middle of the week to celebrate the 4th of July. Work may actually be tolerable for us "wanna be stay at home mom's" if all weeks could be like this! Wishful thinking, I know.

Chris is off the rest of the week after working today (though he did work Saturday and Sunday to make up for it) - it'll be nice having him home for the next few days. It'll be nice to imagine Daddy and Shane home having fun all day, and it'll be nice to walk into a house full of warm hugs at the end of the day.

No big plans for the holiday, or for the upcoming weekend. Just taking it easy after our very busy and very full vacation.

Shane had a rough night sleeping last night, we're hoping it's not the start of something nasty (like an ear infection). He hasn't had a night like this in a while now. We're probably due for something, though I hope for his sake that Daddy and I are way off on this one.

Our little guy turns 14 months old today. 14 months. Hard to believe. That's like a pregnancay and a half! And my pregnancy sure seemed a lot longer than this!

Back to the Real World

Back from vacation and back to the real world!

Wildwood was fantastic. The house we rented was perfect, perfect location, perfect size. Couldn't have asked for more.

Shane saw the ocean for the very first time, and while he tolerated it, I think he would have enjoyed it much more if he hadn't been so tired.

We went mini-golfing, we visited a water park, spent countless hours on the boardwalk and even visited the Cape May County Zoo on our last day at the Jersey Shore!

We also celebrated Chris's 38th birthday while we were down there. We spent that day relaxing at the house, grabbed a slice of pizza on the boardwalk, Chris and Jay later went to the water park and we finished the night off with take-out, cake and some more mini-golf (Chris even won without cheating). All in all, I think he enjoyed his favorite of all holidays!

It was a nice, relaxing vacation. I for one enjoyed spending some quality time with my little boy - I haven't had this much time with him since I was on maternity leave. We are looking forward to our next family vacation destination - Ocean City, MD. Summer of 2009.