Hello, my name is Zach...

and I'm a binky addict. Yes, he has 4 in this picture.

'Nuff said.

My Favorite Baby Things

I'm always giving advice (many times unsolicited) on my favorite baby products and baby vendors. So, I thought I'd post a list on the blog that I can update whenever I find something new and cool. So here goes:

Carriers:

Zach lived in his Hotsling when he was a newborn. It was the only way I ever had free hands, since he hated the swing and the bouncy seat. We got ours through Target -- less fabric choices, but it cost less than ordering it from the manufacturers' own website.

We've since moved on to the Ergo now that he is much bigger. We love this carrier and use it all the time. I can still carry Zach on my chest, and he loves to go to sleep when I carry him this way. It's design is similar to that of a camping backpack, with a padded waist belt, so the weight is on your hips rather than your back and shoulders. I have carried Zach around DC in this carrier for 4 hours. We also have the clip-on back pack, which allows us to leave the diaper bag at home for baseball games.

Breast Pumps:

I won't get into my story on breastfeeding, but the cheapest place I found to get pumps is Hackley Healthcare Equipment. Their prices aren't posted on the web -- they e-mail them to you. Don't worry, it's totally worth it -- their price when I looked was at least $50 less than the cheapest price I found elsewhere. And I've never gotten random mailing list email from them.

Swaddling Blankets

We didn't find this one until late, but we the Miracle Blanket was our savior until Zach ewas strong enough to break out of it. Jason called it the "baby straight jacket". And that is an accurate description. But Zach loved it, I think because it made him feel safe and warm.

Stroller

When Zach was a tiny munchkin (which was not for long) we used Graco's Snugrider frame to go with out Snugride carrier. We liked it because it had a large basket, folded flat, and was easy to pop in the trunk and pull it out and unfold. We bought it on the recommendation of a salesperson at BuyBuyBaby, who steered us away from a travel system. He made a really good point -- we would not know what type of stroller we really wanted until after the baby was born, so we should just buy the frame to use with the carrier and make a stroller decision later on. This was some of the best advice we were given.

My everyday stroller is a Bumbleride Indie. I cannot say enough good things about this all-terrain stroller. I bought it because it was the lightest and had the most compact fold of all the all-terrain/jogger strollers. After using the Snugrider for a while, I decided that I needed an all terrain because the sidewalks in our neighborhood are horrible, and I wanted a stroller that could be used on grass and sand at the beach. It has a great canopy that goes all the way to the bumper bar when the seat is upright. It reclines almost flat. You can actually see though the view window. The break works really well. And you can truly steer it with one hand.

Its late, and I'm tired. More on this tomorrow.

My New Toy

The camera that we've been using to take all of our Zach pictures is one that I bought Jason as a Christmas present, our first Christmas together when we were dating -- all the way back in December 2003. We decided it was a time for an upgrade. So, after a long time researching I finally decided on a Nikon D40 SLR camera. I picked it up this evening and charged it right up. I love it already, and I've only taken one picture! I figured my first picture had to be one of Zach, so I snuck into his pitch-black room and snapped this picture:

You can't even tell how dark it was. Zach looks so contorted, but this is how he sleeps every night -- on his tummy, butt in the air. His tendency to stick his butt out dates all the way back to his in utero days. He really gave my ribs a work-out back then!

I wish I would have had the new camera the other day. We took Zach to a Nats game. The team enters the field to the song "Thunderstruck." Zach was standing on his seat, facing backwards, holding on to the back of the chair. As soon as the song came on, he started bouncing and dancing. All I could think is that we have a future headbanger on our hands.

Grateful

It's been a whirlwind three days for me. I found out on Wednesday evening that a client needed me to be in Utah on Friday morning, and I already had a trip to Cleveland scheduled for Thursday. Jason was a trooper and took on full Zach duty for two days while I jetted around the country. My meeting on Friday ended early, and I was able to get to the Salt Lake Airport just in time to catch the last flight home (after running through the terminal in a jacket and boots with 3-inch heels, to the gate which of course was at the furthest point in the terminal from the check-in counter). If I had missed that flight, I would not have gotten home until 5 p.m. today. I arrived home at midnight (after counting down the minutes till touch down while on the plane and then waiting 40 minutes to get my bag) and was up again at 4:30 when Zach awoke and refused to go back to sleep after he realized I was home. He wouldn't even let me put him down so that I could retrieve his binky from where he had dropped it behind the crib. The feeling of your baby's arms clinging to your neck is a great feeling, even at 4:30 in the morning. And it made me think again about how lucky I am.

I've been thinking a lot about that lately. Zach and I went to the park this afternoon to play on the swings. A dad was pushing his 2 1/2 year old little girl on the swing next to us, and we got to talking. He told me that he and his wife had adopted precious Emma from the Philippines a year ago, after waiting for three years to get approval to bring a baby home. We had a much easier road when it came to Zach -- we said we would start trying after our Christmas trip to Jamaica, and I found out I was pregnant right before New Years.

I'm a big worrier, especially about things I can't control, so I kept waiting for something to happen during the pregnancy. And nothing really did. I had no morning sickness, didn't gain too much weight, and passed all of my tests with flying colors. The closest I came to having a problem was right at the end when my blood pressure shot up 40 points in a week (which I think was entirely work-related). It went back down again a week before Zach was born, and both Zach and I had no ill effects from it. While Zach was born by c-section, he was in perfect health, and I was up and around again within a week.

I'm not ashamed to say that, since the beginning, I have checked multiple times each night to make sure Zach is still breathing (again, waiting for something to happen). I remember driving my mother to the airport following her week-long post-birth visit and being paranoid the whole way back from BWI because there was no one in the back seat to make sure that Zach didn't slump and suffocate himself. I realized early on that he is such a precious gift, and I would do anything in the world to protect him. So many things could have gone wrong at any point in time, and we have been blessed that nothing has. We're still waiting on the results of the hip x-rays, so maybe that will be the time that our "something happens." Or maybe (and hopefully) not.

As I sit at night rocking Zach to sleep (yes, I still rock him to sleep, even though all the sleep experts say not to do that), I whisper things in his ear that will forever remain between me and him. It is my favorite time of day, and I treasure those moments. I know I'm really lucky, and for that I'll forever be grateful.

All kinds of pictures

To surprise Jason for Father's Day, I took Zach to have his 9 month pictures taken at Babies 'R Us. Normally, I despise cheesy photos like there -- but there's something different when it is your own kid. And I promise to do the fancy, photojournalistic photos when he turns 1. (For a look at his fancy newborn photos, check out http://www.thehipstudio.com. He's the 5th baby on the first page, and the 1st baby on the last page, of her "fresh" gallery).

Zach was a champion picture taker. The took 2 shots of him in each pose, and then we were out the door. The other babies were crying and falling over. Ha ha (in my best Nelson voice).






Yesterday, we had to head to the hospital to have x-rays taken of Zach's hips. His pediatrician wants to make sure that he doesn't have hip dysplasia, which I had as a baby (I spent my first months in a body cast). Apparently, since he's so big, she can't do a proper exam. And two risk factors are being a first-born and having a family history. He was a champion picture-taker there, too. He didn't move at all, in fact, when he was on the table. Considering how diaper changes are now my aerobic activity because he moves around so much, I was in utter shock. We're waiting to hear the report, with fingers crossed and breathe held.

New baby teeth are sharp!

No pictures, since Zach doesn't like to show off his 4 teeth. He does like to use them though. He grabbed my finger, stuck it in his mouth, and chomped down. Yowza! That hurt. Little stinker. ;)

Mom's 10th College Reunion

Zach and I made a last minute trip to Boston this weekend for my 10th Brandeis reunion. We originally weren't going to go because Jason couldn't come, and it is no fun travelling by yourself with a baby. I changed my mind at the last minute, cashed in some miles, reserved a hotel room and a car, and off we went. Zach was his usual unbelievably good flyer (no crying at all), and he greeted everyone who came on the plane with a smile. We did have some delays due to weather at DCA, and then delays due to bad planning by Avis in Boston (we waited nearly an hour to get our car even though we arrived an hour after the time for which I had reserved a car. They made up for it in the end by only charging me $30 for the car). But it was all worth it in the end. I saw folks I hadn't seen for years, including my good friend Gina. Gina was smart enough to bring her camera with her. I, with my recurring "Mommy Brain", left mine in the car. It was nearly 100 degrees there and by the time I remembered the camera, I had walked halfway across campus, uphill. I wasn't going back to get it.


We stayed at the Westin -- if you're travelling with a baby, I highly recommend the chain. Great beds, great cribs, great service. After the 100 degree weather, Zach and I had a great time playing in the pool. Then he decided to hang out on my bed and then in his crib.
We flew in style on the way home -- first class! I was sure that this was going to be the time Zach would freak out on the plane but, yet again, he was happy baby. He entertained himself by pulling down the window shade. I would pull it up, and he would pull it back down again. We must have done that for at least half an hour. He was also amused by the US Airways magazine and the safety information card, as well as climbing up on me and grabbing on to the top of the seat to smile at the gentleman behind us.

Exercising His Vocal Cords

So I've finally gotten around to uploading a bunch of video. Here's Zach showing off his vocal skills.

Happy Baby

Zach was going a little crazy in the Jumperoo the other morning. We're still not sure what got into him.

Zach loves the camera

He will venture across the room to grab it. See below:

Eating and Waving

Please don't mind my commentary in the background... Zach likes to eat yogurt and wave now.

Early crawling

Here's an old video from when Zach was first learning to crawl. We used to motivate him to move by tempting him with the tube of Butt Paste. Go figure.