A Merry Little Christmas....(in pictures)

Tummy Time!

Just a few pictures of Franklin's tummy time with the boppy this morning....

Franklin is Two Months Old!

It's hard to believe that Franklin is two months old! Time really is flying, it seems like I blink and another day is winding down. We are still really enjoying getting to know our little man, and he becomes more interactive with each passing day-- for good or bad! Here are a few pictures -- look how much he's grown!

He is still a really good eater, and makes the cutest sounds while he takes his bottle. He started sleeping through the night this month, although he still isn't consistent and sometimes wakes up before I'd like for him to (as in 3:30-4:00AM). He's started staying awake longer in between feedings, which makes things interesting for me.... he definitely wants to be "entertained" while he's awake! He loves to stand up with Frank and I, and can do so with very little help! Those Vickers legs sure are strong for an 8 week old! He makes a funny little face, wiggles his arms back and forth - sticks that tongue out and goes to town. I definitely think he'll be scooting around before we know it. While he loves to work his legs, he's not a fan of the arm workout -- and makes a very frustrated whimpering cry when I force him to try tummy time. It's pretty pitiful! Eventually, he gets tired and collapses on his stomach or on my chest after these marathon "standing" sessions, which makes me think he'll be like Frank as a child (according to his mom)--100% full on go go go then collapsing into sleep. Life with Franklin as a toddler should provide lots of blog ammo, that's for sure.


Franklin has starting doling out sweet smiles more often and makes lots of cooing, gurgling and growling sounds. The kitten noises typically appear when he's tired and they are still super cute. We have yet to find a favorite "toy" for him, although I expect that in the next month he'll start appreciating the rattles and sweet stuffed animals that he's been given. He attended his first adult Christmas party over the weekend, and was the perfect baby... he was awake looking around for a little while, and then slept in his moby wrap for the rest of the time we were there. It was nice to interact with adults I must admit, even if I had a baby strapped to my chest. He made his first visit to school this past week and everyone loved his sweet chubby cheeks! He enjoyed hanging out with his friend Paisley, and loved his teacher Ms. Adrienne. Apparently at one point when Paisley was upset, Franklin decided to join her and began crying himself! I'd like to think he was expressing empathy for Paisley. I think he'll really enjoy going to school, and getting to know the other babies will certainly be good for him. I handled leaving him pretty well too, although picking him up was the best part of my day. He got lots of extra kisses that afternoon!

To re-post for future reference, Franklin's two month stats are:

Weight: 10 lbs 13 oz

Height: 21 3/4 inches

We love each minute with you sweet boy, and can't wait to see what special surprises you have in store for us next!

Daytime TV

So it's been awhile since I've been at home during the day... I've discovered that in the FOURTH HOUR (yes the FOURTH HOUR) of the Today Show, every Friday Hoda and Kathie Lee do an ambush makeover on people lined up at Rockefeller Plaza. Today, they completed a makeover on a middle-aged woman with no less than THREE hair colors. Seriously - she had completely white gray 3 inch roots, with a lighter red middle section of her hair and darker roots. It was quite possibly the most hideous thing I've ever seen. She confessed that she'd recently been laid off, and that she had not colored her hair in "awhile" because hair color was a luxury.

People, if you have tri-colored hair, hair color is NOT A LUXURY. Particularly when you can go the CVS that's on every corner in every major city in the US (including New York I'm sure) and pick up a box of hair color for less than $10. Sometimes in the Sunday paper they'll even run a coupon for $5 off the hair color that I normally use, Clairol Natural Instincts. I understand there's a recession going on, but unless you are a Victoria's Secret Supermodel in serious need of a sandwich, how about you skip lunch and treat yourself to a box of hair color, eh?? 20 minutes later and you can rid yourself of that mess on top of your head.

There's a part of me that even prefers using the drugstore hair color over having my hair colored at a salon. Inside the magic box is a color solution that is the same every single time -- meaning that you can anticipate that you will not have any surprises at the end of your coloring session. It can be extremely difficult for salons to provide the same results. Colorists personally mix their solutions each time you come in, and in my experience (and I've had LOTS of coloring experience) it's never really the same twice. Close, but not exactly the same. Not so with the box. The only tricks to at-home hair color are the color you pick and the amount of time you leave it on. Simple instructions if you've never attempted to color your hair:

1) Don't pick permanent hair color. Permanent color always turns out darker (or lighter if you are going blonde) than most people expect, and takes a long time to correct and/or grow out. I would guess than 99.9% of professional salon colorists don't use permanent hair color either. Semi-permanent color grows out more naturally and is less harsh on your hair. And if you goof - it's not nearly as traumatic as trying to "fix" permanent color.

2) Know the hair color lingo -- "warm" = red tones. Cool = neutralizes red tones. Ash = No red at all. In the past year, I've used two different colors (both natural instincts):

Nutmeg - after several coloring sessions, this ended up a tad darker than I wanted. I also started to think that the red tones were a little much -- I LOATHE red in my hair. It can be very hard to find a rich brown without red tones. So - I picked a lighter brown with ASH in the title:

Clove it is. This color has worked out pretty great in my opinion, and is a warm brown (not black!) with no red. One of the best parts about Natural Instincts is that it comes with a large tube of conditioner -- likely the best conditioner I've ever tried. It never fails to make my hair feel soft and silky, no matter how many times I've used the dry shampoo in between washings or the endless teasing I subject my hair to (that's another post). So there it is people. Take a look in the mirror today, and if tri-colored hair is what you see-- get thee to a drugstore ASAP.

Franklin Meets Santa

Franklin met Santa this week! Santa made a special appearance at my office Christmas Party on Wednesday, and then hopped on his Harley and headed over to a cocktail party afterwards. Here's the progression in pictures....

Franklin's been a good boy, so I'm sure Santa has lots of special gifts for him! With the help of an additional ounce at dinner time and the Miracle Blanket, Franklin has slept from 10:00 PM until 7-7:30 AM the last two nights. That is a HUGE step forward, and both Frank and I are feeling better as a result. He visited the pediatrician yesterday for his two month checkup as well, and handled the vaccines like a champ. Just a few tears and that was it. He was rather sleepy all afternoon and slept all night, but other than that we don't appear to have suffered any side effects from the vaccine. He now weighs 10 lbs 13 oz, and is 21 3/4 inches long. He's in the 40th percentile for weight, but only 10% for height! Lets hope he catches up in height soon... he may just be a late grower (like his Dad ;-)). It's hard to believe that Christmas is next week! I have feeling this will be the best Christmas ever. Happy Holidays!

CENSORED

At the request of my husband, previous post removed. Cathartic posts on my blog are apparently unacceptable.

War Tide

In a "mixed marriage," sometimes we do things that we don't really want to do-- for love.

I like to think we both look a bit happier after Franklin completed his wardrobe change.

Weight Loss Diary - Week 2

Still holding myself accountable... I didn't work out quite as much as I wanted last week, but thing are improving... despite eating (mostly) what I wanted over Thanksgiving, I still managed to lose 2 pounds. So the stats are:

Weight Lost: 51 pounds

Amount to pre-pregnancy: 10 pounds

Weight to lose: 18 pounds

The Windsor Pilates Abs DVD I ordered has arrived, and Jillian is on her way. This week I start my cardio intensive, so I'm hoping to see results soon. Hopefully by Christmas I'll be able to fit into some of my clothes!

Christmas came to our house today....

I love to decorate our house for Christmas... I look forward to it once it turns cold outside, and typically spend a few days getting everything "just right." This year, Franklin decorated with me--or, at least he slept in front of the fire and I decorated....

Bebe did too.

And while I did a little more decorating, Lola decided to check out the scenery in the front yard. Bebe joined her.

Franklin woke up to find that Mommy still had the camera in his face.....

And Bebe tired of the scenery and decided to take another nap.

Then, the SEC Championship Game started, and I tried not to gag as Frank put the first University of Alabama onesie on my sweet baby boy. As I typed that I threw up a little in my mouth. Anyway, it's looking like Christmas at our house now! Happy holidays!

Snow in Dixie

For my northern friends, it snows down here in Dixie sometimes too!! This morning we woke up to a nice dusting of snow, although by the time I actually made it out of the bed and outside to take pictures a lot had melted. Here's a glimpse though - this is the earliest I remember it snowing here in awhile!

Oh Christmas Tree

Frank took a rare day off work on Thursday to help me around the house and for us to get our first Christmas tree with Franklin. Luckily, Frank is also a fan of the live Christmas tree, and I think we picked a good one!!

And yes, in case you were wondering, Franklin was appropriately dressed for the occasion.