Big Boys Don't Cry...Much

Tucker is a whopping 17 pounds 15 ounces! He is 27 1/2 inches long! I don't know where he came from since Brian and I are short peeps. My grandfather was a big guy, though, and Tucker has really taken after him in looks and build. So I guess I do know where he comes from...

When my mom came into the delivery room after Tucker was born, apparently she thought, "Oh my G-d, my father has been reincarnated." I'll have to scan a picture of my grandfather from when he was little and compare it to a picture of Tucker. It's pretty uncanny. At least I think so.

Tucker's six-month appointment included some shots as well as an oral vaccination. The doctor gave him the oral one first, and he HATED the taste of it. So he cried and cried during that. Then came the shots. He cried for a couple of seconds after they each went in and then I picked him up...and he stopped crying. He was his usual smiley self after that!

He got a little cranky after his second nap of the day, but after he ate, he was up for playing as usual. I love that boy.

Half a Year

Yesterday, Tucker turned six months old. I know it sounds cliche, but I really can't believe how fast time has flown. I also can't really remember what life was like without him. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I have known that boy all my life.

He's starting to do the rocking-back-and-forth-on-all-fours thing, which will lead, I'm assuming, to his crawling sometime soon. Brian and I think he looks like he's humping the floor, which provides endless hours of amusement. And he looks so happy doing it, which makes it all the more hilarious.

He's also saying "Mmmmm" when I feed him solid food. I say it, and then he says it back. It's really cute. I'm guessing he doesn't really get the connection and is just copying me, but still.

He also grabs my face and puts his mouth over my nose, mouth and forehead. I think he's kissing me. At least, that's what I choose to believe.

Oh, AND he's sitting up straight! It's so funny to see him do that. I don't know why. It's just amazing to think that six months ago, he was this tiny, scrawny little thing. Tomorrow is his six-month doctor's appointment and I am so curious to see how much he weighs, the little piglet.

Amazing What a Little Time Will Do

My sister went back to work today after being on maternity leave for 3+ months. She says she's doing well and that everyone is being really nice. I'm sure it can't be easy, though.

I remember my first day back to work. Hell, it wasn't that long ago, but it feels like forever. I cried pretty much all day. I've got no shame. I cried as soon as I walked in and saw my boss. G-d bless her, she just walked up and gave me a hug. It was definitely appreciated. Every time someone asked me how I was doing, I would cry. Ugh. What a day.

I cried a lot that first week, and felt really sad for the next couple of weeks, too. But after that, I started to feel much better. It helps that I really love all the people in my department. They made it much easier to come to work every day.

And now? I'm SO excited to get home to see my baby. His smile when he sees me walk through the door is the best gift I've ever gotten (although, Brian, if you're reading this, I'd love a nice pair of diamond earrings).

So what I'm trying to say is, I never thought it would be true, but it actually DOES get easier. This working mom thing.

Fabulous Weekend

Yes, I realize it's Wednesday, but I'm just now getting the time to post about the fabulous weekend I had in New York City with my sisters-in-law.

We stayed with my SIL M's parents' friends in an amazing loft in Chelsea. It was beautiful, really eclectic and large. We had our own room away from our hosts' bedroom, which was good because we poured ourselves into bed around 3 a.m. Sunday morning. I haven't done that in, well, years.

SIL T and I each brought up a bottle of champagne. We cracked both of those open on the train ride up, which was at 7:04 Saturday morning. I couldn't believe I was actually doing that! What, was I back in college? (Although in college I would have been cracking open a beer instead of a bottle of champagne.) By the time we got up to NYC two and half hours later, we were tipsy, tipsy, tipsy.

We made our way to our Chelsea accomodations and proceeded to open another bottle of wine with our lovely hostess. She had a fantastic New York accent and liked to talk politics. Turns out she's stumping for Obama. Did you know he's a smoker?? I had no idea.

Our hostess was going to the gym, so she left us to our own devices. We got ourselves together and went shopping. We shopped all. day. long. It was fabulous. We also had a really overpriced lunch in Soho, but that's okay. We had a good time. M and I got fabulous dresses to wear for our big Saturday night out - Nobu at 6:15.

The three of us got back to the loft and started to get ready. We had some wine and cheese with our hosts and then had to drag M out of the apartment. She was running a bit late. So we didn't get to take pictures of ourselves all dolled up. Which is really a shame, because we looked hot.

We made it to Nobu and had the most fabulous meal. It was seriously the best meal I've ever had. We got pretty drunk at dinner, and noticed a group at the table next to ours. M asked T to go ask the group where we should head after dinner. Next thing I know, the three of us are crammed at their table, each taking a shot of saki. The group was two local couples and they were sweet as can be.

M went to the ladies room with the two wives and suddenly T and I were being propositioned by the husbands. I felt bad for the wives, truthfully. Especially since one offered me a bit of her chocolate cake. But oh well. We took the group up on their recommendation to go to Tenjune in the Meatpacking District.

We.Had.A.Blast. We got more wine and met different people. We all ended up talking to this guy from London who was in town on business. He was my age, so it wasn't creepy. The two of us talked about music mostly and he told me abou this girlfriend. I showed him pictures of Tucker. He was really lovely. One highlight of the night is when M gave me some Tic Tacs. She put some in her mouth, and then immediately spit them out and threw them over the bar's railing onto some people below. It was pretty funny.

After we accidentally got into a Lincoln Towncar instead of a regular cab to get home, we got into bed. I think I managed to wash my face. I was sure I was going to throw up the next morning...But I didn't! We all woke up with headaches, but generally felt pretty okay. We had bagels with our hosts and then went out to shop some more. We were all pretty tired at that point, so we stopped for lunch and sat at the bar (and drank water) for a couple of hours. By then, it was time to get ready to get back to the train.

All told, it was really a fabulous weekend. I'm so glad I went with the girls. It was funny, people kept acting so surprised when we said that we were sisters-in-law and that we all got along. I guess that's a rarity these days. Anyway, I can't wait to do it again next year.

But boy, did I miss my husband and little babe.

Sharp Little Suckers, Aren't They?

Last night Tucker was biting down on my finger as usual, but this time I felt something sharp when he did so...

A tooth! A tooth is popping through! I couldn't believe it...we took him to the doctor a couple of weeks ago for his first cold and I asked her if she felt anything tooth-wise since I could tell he'd been teething for awhile. She said she didn't feel anything and didn't think that he'd get any teeth for a little while.

I guess those things just pop up overnight! My little babe is growing up...

Feeding Time!

Tucker is eating real food! And by real food I mean the mushed up variety that comes in cute little plastic containers. Yes, I want to get around to making my own baby food for him, but I just haven't yet. But I will. Because it's so practical and fun to put them into the little ice cube trays for easy dispensing!

Anyway, we started with rice cereal quite a few weeks ago and he did pretty well with it. He didn't know what to make of it at first and got this really sour look on his face which was so funny. But he figured out what to do...

As an aside, I tasted the rice cereal and BLECH. Cardboard city.

So once Tucker mastered the rice cereal, we decided it was time to move onto veggies. First up...sweet potatoes. He loved them! And especially loved taking pictures of him with the orange goatee he inevitably ended up with at the end of a feeding session.

Now we're onto carrots and he likes those, too. I figure they taste pretty similar to sweet potatoes, right? And the orange goatee remains...I'm downloading pictures when I get home so I can post them.