fighting sleep

One hour of fussing prior to his afternoon nap, but zero fussing at bedtime tonight. Why?

superbaby!

backpack carrier

Today was Chris's first time in the backpack carrier. We went for a walk up Waterton Canyon. He was fine on the way up, but cried and fussed on the way down.

bluebeard

mealtime

Starting this week, Chris is now up to three solid meals per day. I was starting to get overwhelmed with the amount of baby food I would need to make, so I went to the store and got some baby food. It was one thing when he was only eating 1-2 ice cubes of food once a day. Now he eats four or five cubes three times a day! So far he has tried the beef dinner and apples with cherries. I also still have my homemade cubes.

snowy work day

I had quite the ordeal getting to work yesterday. Tuesday around dinner time it started snowing hard. Doug and I were cooking Veracruz style tilapia (which ended up being really good) and the weather went from rain to sleet to heavy snow in a short period of time. I had to work Wednesday 7am to 7pm, and I was worried about not being able to get in because of the snow. Too much snow is not an acceptable excuse for missing a shift. I had to get there. So, I called Angie and asked her if I could stay with her Tuesday night. Then I packed my work bag and left.

It was scary. That was the scariest driving I have ever done. And I drove in the blizzard of 2006. The snow was falling crazy fast. The worst part was 470 near where we live in the foothills. There is a big hill around the Santa Fe and Broadway exits. People were slipping and sliding. There were cars stuck on the hill in the middle of the highway, and a snake of cars (including me) inched around them. I am so glad I didn't run off the road and get stranded. I was going 15 mph for most of the drive to Denver. It took me 2 1/2 hours to get there.

9 months

Chris is 9 months old today. He had his 9 month well child visit, and is still in the race to be the smallest baby ever. He weighs 15 lb 9 oz (3%), is 27 in (25%), and head circumference is 18 1/2 in (90%). Dr. Bublitz is not concerned about his weight- she thinks he is just small. However, she was concerned that he's not sitting yet, so she put in a referral for physical therapy for him. I called and made an appointment for next week. Otherwise, he is doing great! No shots this time, just a blood draw from the finger.

snow day

I'm disappointed I had to miss the free introductory Baby Signs class today because of snow. It has been snowing nonstop since this morning. We are supposed to get six to ten inches, maybe more because we're in the foothills. Doug was home today too since it's an off Friday.

happy st paddy's day!

getting better

Chris had a couple of rough nights with his cold, but now he's pretty much back to normal. Poor buddy. He had no idea what hit him.

cat

a night of poor sleep

Chris had a terrible night's sleep last night. It was a combination of his getting stuck on his tummy, teething, and still being stuffed up from his cold. It was really bad. I was up from 1 to 3am with him yelling in his crib and needing to be turned back over every few minutes. Let's hope tonight is better.

grandma visits

oot

first attempt at cheerios

cold

Well, it was bound to happen sometime. Chris has gotten his first cold. Over the last couple of days, he got a stuffy nose. He has been sneezing and coughing a little. Doug and I had it last week, so we gave it to him. Thankfully, he doesn't seem too uncomfortable. This will be the first of many, especially once he goes to day care.

first tooth

Doug decided to check Chris's mouth today, and he found his first tooth! It's in the bottom center, and you can just see a little white peak poking out.

Successful GOES-P Launch

Thursday night was an important one in my career. ULA successfully launched the latest installment in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) constellation “letter P” aboard a Delta IV rocket. Every launch is unique and special but this one represented a significant culmination of work over the past few months. During our last Delta IV launch in early December there was a leak in a critical system. In only 3 months we diagnosed the problem, re-designed the system, retrofitted the new system in the field and completed the necessary qualification testing. This process would normally take over a year but my team completed it in ¼ of the time. Once again we’ve shown how a little sacrifice and a lot of determination can accomplish anything. Thanks Eiko for putting up with my late nights and long trips.

On to the next challenge…


Delta IV Rocket Surrounded By The Mobile Service Tower (MST) during final launch preps




Liftoff as viewed from the Pres Box




Launch from one of the cameras mounted at the pad



Link for launch video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDIO-53ZYkY

watching tv

getting stuck

ok. . . this is what Chris was doing all day today. Getting stuck on his belly. He would roll from his back to his belly in his crib and get stuck on his belly, not able to roll back over again. He must have done it ten times. This was all during times that he was supposed to be going to sleep. He was obviously tired, and I would lay him down in the crib. Then a few minutes later, I would hear angry sounds on the monitor, and he would be on his belly. I would turn him over, and then he would do it again. This made for poor napping today. It was getting frustrating for me, and I can only imagine it's more frustrating for him. I can't believe that babies (including me) used to sleep on their bellies. Chris hates being on his belly!

swing

Yesterday, Chris had his first ride in a park swing. After picking him up from the sitter's, we went for a walk around the lake and stopped at the playground. I put him into the baby swing. It was way too big for him! The seat went all of the way up to his armpits, and I could have fit three or four of him in the seat front to back. So, I held on to him under his arms and didn't let go of him at all. I pushed him back and forth a little bit, and he seemed to enjoy it. He made some of the a.! a.! a.! exclamations he makes when he's excited.

a day at the spa

Today I was pampered like a princess. I enjoyed using the gift certificate for a day at the spa that Doug got me for my birthday. Chris stayed with our new sitter while I had a massage, facial, and a paraffin wax foot treatment. It was very relaxing! Like a little vacation. During the facial, the lady used a pineapple scrub on my face, and let it set with steam blowing across my face for a few minutes. It felt like I was someplace tropical! Often as a mom, it's hard to find time for yourself. Showers are rushed, and personal care routines streamlined. I have always been a low maintenance kind of girl, but now my product usage is really minimal. It was nice to have this time to myself and to feel girly.

you know you're a housewife. . .

. . . when you get really excited about saving $14 on groceries by shopping sale items and using one coupon.

lefty?

I still think Chris is a lefty. He is more coordinated with his left hand.