The Chubbiest 7 Months Ever!

Can it really be that our baby is 7 months old?!  Where has the time gone?  It feels like just yesterday were the days of walking around needing toothpicks to hold our eyelids up, trying to adjust to a new little man in our lives.  Everyone always says that as each month passes it is their favorite stage...I must say that we completely agree with this!  I absolutely love the stage that Edison is in now.  He has started to consistently sleep through the night and it's no coincidence that it happened as we began feeding him solid food.  He is so interactive now and loves to smile, play, and scoot around (which is only done in a backwards motion; soon enough he’ll figure out how to go forward!)


Some of my other Edison favorites are going in to get him from his crib after he wakes up in the morning or after naps.  It doesn’t matter how short or long the nap is his reaction is the same every time- pure and utter joy to see your face!  He lights up like he hasn’t seen you in weeks and it makes me smile and melt all at the same time.  It’s by far one of my favorite parts of the day.  He has also started to wave.  Last weekend when we were up at my parents we started doing our jazz hands sign after he finished eating to indicate that he was “all done!” and all the sudden he started waving back!  Of course, I was oblivious and Scott had to state aloud that this phenomenon was going on - does this sound awfully similar to me missing the first roll over? - and we got so excited that he kept on doing it!  Nothing beats seeing your baby do something for the very first time.  Even if it has to be stated aloud!!  I can’t wait to see what the next month  has in store.  Here’s to hoping that Scott doesn’t always have to be the commentator on Edison’s moves and I’ll pick up the next big first on my own!  

Good Grief, Has it Been 5 Months!?

It seems like the months are just flying by now.  Only yesterday it felt like we were waiting for our little peanut to be born.  Now, he's getting so big, faster than we would have liked.  He is over 17 lbs, can roll over both ways, babbles constantly, loves to dance with Papa, and grabs anything that gets within his reach.

In other Edison news the chubby boy recently started wearing his CranioCap.  I'm not posting any pictures of that yet, but rest assured he is still the cutest baby on the planet.  He just looks like he's getting ready to play some hockey.  We can always use extra stickers to decorate so any ideas would be greatly appreciated.  We did have one of the neighbor girls ask us if Edison was "going on a bike ride".  Alas, he is not.  He's just special.

Edison just finished his week hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa P.  He had such a blast getting to spend time with grandparents from Houston.  EBP can't wait to go down to visit them again in July and see Guido's hometown!

This month will also mark his first "sleepover", as he will be traveling up to Grandma and Dzia Dzia's house prior to Memorial Day.  Or at least that's the current plan.  We'll see how Waterworks (aka Caroline) feels about it as we get closer.  Cut the cord already!

Hope this finds everyone doing as well as we are.  Enjoying life and loving those around us.

Something New to Munch On

Our little piggy has been chewing the junk out of everything lately.  Combine that with his new found motor skills and this cute boy has managed to put a lot of new toys in his mouth.  One of his particular favorites is Sophie, his teether toy (I like to call it his chew toy) that he got from the Schreurs.  As Grandma so aptly put it, Edison loves to chew the face off his squeaky giraffe.  This, of course, drives Guido absolutely bonkers because anything that squeaks is usually found at the bottom of her toy basket.  We're waiting for the eventual game of tug of war that will ensue when Guido decides she's had enough of Edison teasing her with his toy.

May the best baby win...

Reading at a 4-Month Old Level

Which essentially equates to trying to eat the books.  Now that Edison has become so grabby everything that comes within a foot of his hands is fair game to be chewed on.  iPods, cats, books...you name it.  A couple nights back we were trying to read "Owl Howl" to the little chub.  He decided that he wanted to read it all by himself instead.  However, when he realized how much work it was for his puny little hands to hold the book AND turn the pages he came to the conclusion that trying to munch on the corners would be much more enjoyable.

You would assume from looking at the picture that he was enjoying the drawings or trying to live up to his name and read.  No, he's salivating at how tasty the shiny cover looks.

I'm almost positive his first sentence is going to be "Mmmmmmm nummy".

Happy Easter from your Favorite 4-Month Old

Ok, so maybe we never posted his 3-month photos.  And yeah, you haven't seen any photos on here for like a month.  To make up for it Edison broke out his cutest Easter smile, just for you.

After a long weekend watching golf with his Papa, Edison decided to don his green polo in honor of the Master's.  He kind of fell asleep during the back nine on Sunday, but who can blame him?  Golf is pretty boring.  Except when it's Sunday at the Master's!  Honestly, this kid is his mom's son.  After second lunch he gave us the green light to take some pictures while he chilled out in his rocker.  Even Zucca came to visit, although not by choice and not without some "petting" by Edison.  By petting I mean grabbing as much fur as possible and trying to put it in his mouth.  Mmm...kitty.

The big chub now weighs in at 15 lbs, 8oz (fatty!) and 24 3/4" (a basketball star if I ever saw one).  His head is still pretty crooked but at least it's growing; up from 25th percentile into the 50th.  Yay dinosaur brains!

Ok ok, I know you're sick of me rambling...get on with the pictures.  We would have had one more picture to show you but Edison ruined it by rolling over from his tummy to his back.  It was so out of the blue that it took his mom a second to realize what he had done.  Apparently the "Hey, he just rolled over" that came out of my mouth finally pieced it together for her.  That's just like Edison to be waaaay ahead of the curve.  I'm expecting him to crawl at 6 months, speak full sentences at 9 months, and help me save for retirement at 18 months.

Heeeeeeere's the cutie!

Oh it's going to be a good life!

Exactly one year ago today Scott and I received the exciting news that we were going to be parents.  Our road to becoming parents was not exactly easy and a little less traditional than most.  We had been trying to conceive on our own for a year before we went to get a little assistance.  After every test you can think of nothing was very conclusive and we had what were called "soft results." It basically meant that it was a partially me and partially Scott as the problem but nothing definitive.  After 2 failed IUIs and 5 months worth of treatment at our regular doc we knew it was time to get help from the big guns.  We took our medications to the next level which did not go exactly as planned.  At first it worked too well which meant no baby followed by a month of residual effects and still a no go for baby.  Finally, last March everything was in line and it was time to try another IUI.  I guess you could say the 3rd time's the charm!  On April 5th I had to go to the doc for a pregnancy test and they would tell me whether I was expecting or not.  Scott and I could have done one at home on our own but after months of disappointment we didn't want another negative test only for me to still have to have my blood drawn.  So we waited for the blood draw instead.  When I walked out of the office that morning and got into my car the song "Good Life" by OneRepublic was on the radio and I took it as a sign.  A good sign.  That this time it worked.  I just had a feeling that this would be it.  A couple of hours later I was able to check my voicemail once my first graders went to lunch.  My heart was beating out of my chest when I saw the missed call and message.  As I listened it was the nurse congratulating me to let me know we were going to be parents.  I ran to find my co-teacher Nicole (she was just one member of my super supportive 1st grade team!) to have her listen to the message and share in the good news!  Of course I called Scott immediately after that to tell him that our little baby was on the way.  Even though I am not the most religious person on the block I can't help but think that all of the times it didn't work just meant the timing wasn't right yet.  Edison was the baby meant for us and we just had to be patient.  Our lives have been forever changed since that phone call one year ago today and ever since his arrival in December this truly has been the "Good Life." 

Land Shark!

Err...plumber?  No, that's not Sharkbait (ooh ha ha).  That's Edison, after his first bath in the tub without his baby net.  He liked sitting in the tub so much better than laying that we let him kick and splash for an extra 10 minutes.  This little boy is 11 weeks old today!  He's getting bigger (and cuter) with each passing day.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Edison is celebrating his first Valentine's Day by being the cutest boy ever!  Mom and I never thought we would love another human being as much as we love him.  He makes us realize how lucky we are to have not only each other but our little guy as well.  Definitely looking forward to spending many more Valentine's Days with our special boy.

Lots of love to everyone! 

Two Months Already?

This cute little boy is now 2 months old!  Can you believe it?  Mom and I are still wrapping our heads around that fact.  The doctor said he is a healthy, happy little munchkin.  At 23-1/2 inches long and 11lbs 3 oz, he should be happy.  The little piggy has gained over 4 pounds since he was born and grown 3 inches.  Unfortunately his tiny head is not keeping up.  While his length is in the 75th percentile and his weight is in the 50th percentile, his teeny noggin is only in the 25th percentile.  Dinosaur brains indeed.  I'm okay with it, since now he won't be able to outsmart us until we're old and senile.  And by then we won't have enough sense to care.

In honor of his two month b-day we took him to get some shots!  The crabby man was none too happy...until his Papa picked him up and gave him a big hug.  That made all his boo-boos feel better.  Until he remembered he was starving.  Then it was crabby time again!

Here are some pics of our adorable baby in his birthday suit, which looks strangely like his normal clothes with a conveniently placed sticker attached.  Mom says he would have had some fancy outfit on if she wasn't so confident he would pee all over it.  Apparently he inherited Uncle Peter's bladder.

Edison's Super Sunday

Yesterday Edison experienced his first Super Bowl and Super Bowl party.  In order to get him ready for the game we got him dressed in the latest Vikings gear.  We didn't tell him the bad news that the Vikings didn't make it to the super bowl until we got to the party.  You can see that EBP could not believe his beloved team of about 8 weeks did not make it to the big dance.  As a result he just couldn't watch so he decided to sleep during the first half instead.

It wouldn't be an Olichwier super bowl party without a little gambling.  Edison informed Dzia Dzia that he wanted in on the action.  So EBP and his cousin Eli split a square and definitely had some beginners luck!  Let's just say he earned some nice padding for his brand new piggy bank (and his luck rubbed off on mom and dad too!).  It was a fun night had by all and who knows maybe next year Edison will have a team to cheer for....and if not we know his Dzia will help him have something to cheer about!

Our Little Peanut

Over the course of the last couple weeks we've noticed that EBP really loves his car seat.  Not so much the getting in, but more the snuggling in and getting out.  He passes out in that thing faster than Guido eats the cat food.  We've also found that once Edison comes out of his cocoon he likes to remain in the fetal position until fully awake.  Mom and I have taken advantage of this fact often as an excuse (as if we needed one) to snuggle up with our favorite little boy.  He's just so dang cute...and yes, I'm completely biased.  The little noises he makes while he's cuddled up remind me of how lucky we are.

And then he wakes up.

8 Weeks...and counting

Since Edison is officially 8 weeks old I wanted to take a little time to write down some of our adventures as new parents.  When everyone tells you to get plenty of sleep before the baby comes they're not joking!  Scott and I had no idea just how little sleep we would get especially those first couple of weeks.  There was a running joke in the house though that we didn't know who was more tired, us or our dog Guido.  She has surpassed any expectations (or worry) we had about introducing Guido to Edison.  We really have a third parent in the house as she would get up - and still does- when we feed, change, or soothe our boy.  Now the cats on the other hand could care less that there is a new baby in the house.  They are busy enjoying all of the new cuddly baby things.  More often than not a kitty will be curled up on the boppy, in the glider, or on baby blankets just as long as the baby is not around!

I have also become a master of many new tasks that only parents can appreciate.  Using one hand to text, prep a bottle, rinse dishes, pour a bowl of cereal and eat, no problem!  Once all of that was mastered I finally got the courage to shower before Scott got home from work.  It is however a juggling act to get it in when Edison has a full belly, clean diaper, and right after I've pumped.  Then once I start the shower I'm on the clock before Edison starts to fuss.  Needless to say my head is staring out the shower door the entire time. At least my baby boy has a nice clean momma to hang out with for the day, even if it is only a half hour before his dad comes home!

My favorite part of all though is watching Scott interact with Edison.  Nothing melts my heart more than watching Scott sing, snuggle, dance, etc. with EBP.  Edison has no idea how lucky he is to have Scott as his dad.  The adventures are just beginning and each day we learn something new about our little family of three.  Edison's new found smiles make all the sleepless nights more than worth it!  We can't wait to see what other adventures are in store for the Polifka household!

Are you ready for some football?

The little man was pretty excited for Championship Sunday last weekend.  He got his football nuk, watched the pre-game with Dad on the couch, and even dropped a few of his own touchdowns in his diapers before kick-off.  But alas, it wasn't meant to be.  Even with all the excitement of the Pats/Ravens last second FG drama this little boy was sacked by sleep early in the second half.  He woke up partway through the Niners/Giants game but decided that getting food and ruining his diaper, changing pad, and some of the floor was more important.

We're working on improving on last weekend's performance by Super Bowl weekend.  I'm not sure if he understands that Sundays are for watching football.  Not taking naps and wetting yourself.  He's got a lot of growing up to do, but I'm confident his QBR (Quantifiable Baby Rating) will be much higher next time.

Tummy Time!

Since it's kind of hard to take pictures of our little boy while he's doing tummy time on my stomach, we decided to let him play on the floor for a while.  Although he wasn't very happy about being so far away from his mom and dad, he definitely gave us some photogenic moments.  He knows where that camera is at all times.  Just making sure I get his good side.

Edison is 1 Month Old!

The cutest little boy just turned one month this past Sunday.  We snapped a couple pictures of him while he was sleeping, since that is the only time he wasn't crabby.  I suggested we just take a picture of him while he was crying since that would be a more accurate representation of his first month of existence.  Caroline, however, didn't feel that was "creative" so much as "dumb". 

EBP has started to grow out of his newborn clothes.  Not that he's getting chunky, it's more of a vertical growth.  He's just like his father...tall and skinny.  And pimply.

Here's a couple shots of the tiny man in all his month-day glory.

D'oh!

This is what I get for trying to placate the little boy by pretending my nose was a nipple. Cue the wacka wacka horns and clown music.

Welcome Edison Barry!

He came into the world on December 8, 2011 (5 days early!) at 7lbs 1oz and 21.5 inches long.  I'll be posting new pictures here on a weekly basis so you can enjoy the little man as much as Mom and I do.

Hope your holidays were great and your recovery short.