A New Toy for Remy

So the other day Ben told me he wanted to get Remy an activity center because he thought he was old enough for it now.  I was kind of surprised, but went with it.  We went shopping at Babies R Us and came home with a bouncing activity center.

After putting it together, we were a little disappointed because the box said that it folded flat for storage.  What it didn't mention, is that it folds flat IF you take it apart.  Regardless though, the little man seems to enjoy it.

I took a few pictures of him playing around:

 

The little man is so happy

Yummy!

What's with the camera, Mom?

Ooh, what's behind me?

This is so cool!

4 months old

Remy is four months and growing up so fast, getting more handsome, if that is possible.  He has quite the personality, and can charm anyone, much like his daddy.  We went to the doctor last week, and he was so smiley and talkative during his visit, (up until he received his shots) our pediatrician asked if she could come home with us.  She gave us the go ahead to start solids, although I'm not entirely comfortable doing that just yet.  Remy is right on track with his growth, and he weighs in now at 12.5 pounds.  He wears size 2 diapers and recently graduated to his 3-6 month clothes.  That of course meant that Ben and I went on a shopping spree, and had a lot of fun picking out some new clothes for the little man. 

 One of Remy's new shirts: Dad thinks I'm Rad

Remy has an arsenal of new tricks up his sleeve now.  He loves to talk and to hear you talk to him.  He smiles much more and will often grace you with a laugh.  He LOVES all the attention we give him and just soaks it up, wanting more.  He has undergone a little bit a separation anxiety now that I have started working at the office part time, but he likes spending time with his dad.  He loves sounds we make like kissing noises, tongue-clucking, rolling the r's, and tongue-blowing.  He has recently discovered that blowing raspberries on his tummy is hilarious!!  He will sleep now most nights for six hours, which has been nice for Mom.

Grinnin in the Bumbo

Tummy time has become somewhat of an adventure.  It has become much more tolerable now that we have added some toys to the blanket, but once he's had enough, he'll roll over on his back to say he's had enough.  So now, we alternate between time on his tummy and his back as he practices reaching out and playing his toys.  He'll often look over to the side when he's on his back, but he hasn't quite gotten the hang of rolling from his back to his tummy.

Chilling on the couch with Dad

He has becomes increasingly aware of his surrounding, and the fact that his hands are more than things to suck on.  Breastfeeding has become a more tactile experience for him, in that he'll often reach for my face or grasp my clothes.  Sometimes, he'll just look at his hand as he moves it around.  And he'll often stop to smile and laugh at me.  He loves toys now, and will sit propped up, as he reaches out for them.  He does much better in the carseat if we put a toy in with him, and we've added toys to his swing tray which makes swinging much more fun.

Bundled Up with Dad to take out the trash

Remy's hair has also started to grow back in after I made him bald, although it is lighter than when he was first born.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that it has some red in it, but we can only hope.  Otherwise, Remy looks very much like Ben, which is nice because I think they are both quite handsome!

Christmas all December Long

I have been slacking getting up our holiday pictures this year. Christmas was very enjoyable this year, even though we didn't have the opportunity to go up to Idaho and spend it with family. Ben had to work on Christmas Day, so we spent our holidays hunkered down in Utah. It actually turned out nice because we didn't have to worry about traveling (I hate unpacking), and we had a little bit of extra money because we didn't have traveling expenses.

Our Christmas Tree

Our presents

Christmas Eve was nice for us, as we drove up to Sunset and ate lunch with one of Ben's friends from work and his family. It was my first experience eating chicken a la king, and I must say it was delicious. We brought baked bree cheese as an appetizer and ate to our heart's content. Remy did really well around new people, and eventually fell asleep. Ben and I decided to head home early so that we missed the holiday traffic. When we got home, we prepped for our Christmas turkey dinner by brining the turkey. Afterward, we decided to open up presents, as Ben had to work the next day until 3:00pm, and there was no way I could wait that long to open my gifts. I'll admit, I am very much like a child at Christmas because I love the anticipation of gift giving and surprises. This becomes very difficult though because Ben and I are not very good at keeping secrets and surprises from each other. During the month of December, we have received several gifts from each other, which were "Christmas" presents, but used immediately. For example, I received a new knife set as well as a food processor for Christmas, but they were never wrapped and put under the tree. Ben received the new Assassin's Creed Brotherhood game and the Baby Bjiorn baby carrier he was wanting, early in December which were never wrapped and put under the tree. It is rather surprising we even had gifts under the tree for each other this year.

Remy received a Christmas outfit from my parents, and some toys and books from Ben's parents. The toys and book are starting to come in handy now as Remy is getting older and paying more attention to the things around him.

Ben received a webcam for Christmas so that he can Skype with family. I figured it is a good way for extended family to communicate with us as well as see our handsome little boy. He also received the complete Seinfeld series, but we sent that back so that he could get a charcoal BBQ.  I am excited for it, but maybe more for the grilled food this summer. Ben also got two fleece pullovers, which have been really nice.

I received a new pair of tennis shoes, which were sorely needed (the last pair I had was purchased by my mom when I came home from my mission four years ago). Ben also bought me a new cookbook, which has become something of a tradition every year. This year, it was America's Test Kitchen Healthy Cookbook, and I am anxious to try some new recipes. I also received some new pants for working out at the gym. I also received some money from Ben's parents.

Lastly, from my parents we received a Christmas orange.  For all of you who are unaware of our Adamson family tradition, my parents always give us money each year for Christmas, but in different and interesting ways.  One year, it was in a bookmark, a stick in the mud, a coconut, a puzzle, etc.  This year we received a box of oranges, with a "special" orange inside.  My dad inserted a plastic orange and had drilled a hole in it and put the money inside.  I'm not quite sure how they're going to top it next year.  The money went towards a new dresser for our bedroom.

Overall, Christmas was a blast, and nice enough, we might just stay in Utah next year as well.

What to do with your leftover ham

Ok, so I'll admit, Ben and I are doing things a little bit backwards this year. We ate ham for Thanksgiving and we are finally going to cook our turkey for Christmas Eve dinner. In trying to use up the leftover ham, I stumbled upon a delicious recipe for ham soup. Seriously, it gets five stars from me, I forgot how good the soup was in between each bite. Here it is:

Ham and Potato Soup

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes

1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, carrots, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Tips:

• I recommend using the white pepper instead of the regular ground black pepper because it works so well with the other flavors in this soup. And although I typically use "Better Than Bouillon," I think the crushed bouillon granules work really well.
  
• Feel free to add other vegetables to the soup. I like adding carrots because they make the soup heartier and add color. You can even omit the meat, making this a creamy vegetable soup.
• Garnish with fresh herbs or grated cheese

Another Trip to Idaho

At the beginning of December, I went back to Idaho with Remy for my sister's baby shower. Inevitably, I forgot my camera, so I only have a few pictures others were willing to share with me.

It was my first time flying with a baby, and boy was it an adventure! Ben and I figured flying would be much easier than me driving by myself for six hours, especially with a baby, so when my mom offered to pay for half of the flight, we took her up on it. Our flight out of Salt Lake City was early in the morning, so after getting loaded up, we headed off to the airport and Remy fell back asleep. Inexperienced me though, didn't know that both the stroller and carseat have to go through the x-ray machine. So I had to wake Remy up and take him out of his carseat to get through the security checkpoint. Although it was inconvenient, I LOVED the family friendly line which was considerably shorter than the regular lines.


Remy fell back asleep before we boarded, and then woke up while we were descending. He was still so tired and fussy, he cried until we landed. So yes, I was one of those moms, on the airplane with a crying baby. Flying back was a little bit easier. I got to the security checkpoint and felt like a pro, breaking down the stroller, putting the carseat on the belt, and keeping up with the traffic. One man, however, must have thought that I wasn't going fast enough when about a foot and a half of space appeared on the belt between me and the person in front of me. Much to my surprise and chagrin, he cut in front of me! I guess he needed to get somewhere much faster than me. Remy did much better on the second flight. He cried during take-off, but fell back asleep until Ben picked us up in Salt Lake.

During the trip, I helped my mom get ready for the baby shower (no pictures, sorry). My sister had a tea party theme, so we had a buffet of treats and sweets, along with tea, hot chocolate, and mulled cider to drink. It was fun to see some of my friends from Idaho and catch up.

We also happened to go shopping at the mall while I was in Idaho. My mom bought me my birthday present...these fabulous snow boots:
I love the color, don't you? She also bought Ashley her birthday present, which was the same boots in red. :) While at the mall, we went to Williams and Sonoma, my mom's favorite store, and Caitlan my sister wanted to wear Remy in my Moby Wrap. Remy seemed to enjoy it as well, since we put him facing outward for the first time.



One of the most important things Remy and I did during our trip was to visit my grandfather, who is 94 years old. He lives my Aunt Sherron, since my grandmother passed away this summer. We made a special trip on Sunday to visit him, and Remy took to him immediately. It was amazing to see Remy smile at my grandpa, and sit on his lap like I used to do when I was little.

Four Generations
(Remy wearing his Christmas sweater outfit my mom bought for him).

Remy and I were ready to go home by the time the weekend was over. We missed Ben and wanted to get back to him and our daily routine. However, we enjoyed our visit with friends and family.

Three Months!

Remy hit his three month mark this week, and he is certainly growing up. He has gotten much better at holding his head up and can sit by himself on the couch (propped up of course). During his tummy time he can hold his head up for short bursts, and will switch his head from side to side. He also has started drooling and loves to put his hands in his mouth. Recently, his hands have "discovered" each other and he will hold them grasped together. He also has become much more aware of his surroundings, and will look intently at anyone or toys that are put in front of him. And now, he prefers to sit facing outward so he can see what is going on. Today, I put him in his Bumbo chair, and he does so well sitting by himself.

Remy in his Bumbo chair

Remy is much more social and will "talk" through his coos and cries. We have had a couple conversations with me asking questions and pausing long enough for him to answer back. Remy loves to smile now, and he is learning what to smile at. If I do something new, he won't know how to respond until I smile and laugh. Then he smiles and tries to laugh, but hasn't quite gotten the hang of laughing yet, so he'll give himself the hiccups instead.

He'll sleep some nights for six hours at a time, and those are my favorite.

We sure love the little guy and can't wait to see what new developments await next month. :)

Christmas Surprise

I come home from work last week to have Ben show me this: