Us3

Us3

Friday, September 19, 2008

Anderson's Likes & Dislikes

I thought it would be good since Anderson is THREE MONTHS OLD (WOW!) that I should write all the things AJ likes and dislikes. By now, I've got a pretty good handle on these things :)

LIKES

The mornings- Anderson is ALWAYS a happy baby in the morning; smiling, talking, laughing
Being outside- He loves to look at flowers, the sun and have the wind blow at his face. It's one way that I calm him down when he's fussy
EATING- this is a big one. AJ is always eating! Hence, he's a BIG boy!
His jumper- he loves to jump around (especially in the morning) and talk in that thing
Being in a diaper only- he loves to be naked; it's so cute! He giggles and talks the whole time
Baby Bjorn- what a wonderful invention
Animals- Now that he's able to focus on things, he really likes watching dogs and cats


DISLIKES


Um..sleeping??- Ya, he's not a fan of sleeping (Poor Mommy)
Car Seat- he HATES the car seat. I don't know why, but he will cry for 45 minutes in there- like he's being tortured or something.


I really can't think of much else he really dislikes. He truly is a happy baby! I'm sooo lucky!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Our trip to California has been....

Exciting, fun, emotionally challenging, exhausting, eye-opening, full of family and friends, and SO many other things!

The trip started out on Friday, September 12. Anderson and I were all packed and ready to go- it only took me a week of mental preparation to pack for this trip- Jason drove us to the airport and helped walk us in. I had a 50lb suitcase, a diaper bag, and a baby. There was no way I was going to be able to do that alone. So, Jason got us there, and we had to say goodbye before security. It was REALLY hard to say goodbye for many reasons. I knew we'd miss him, being gone a week, and I was sad that he would miss a week of Anderson's life AND I was scared to death of doing this whole thing alone.

Once we said goodbye, I strapped AJ into the Baby Bjorn (once again a total lifesaver) and headed towards security. I was praying they would let me walk thru without having to take him off of me because who would I hand him to while I was removing the Bjorn??? Well, I lucked out and didn't have to take him off. The hardest part so far was getting my shoes back on while he was strapped to my chest; we made it.

Thanks to Benedryl, the plane ride was EASY! AJ slept almost the entire time; only waking up about 15 minutes prior to landing and I fed him and he flirted with the gal in the seat next to us. It was soooo much easier than I had expected.
We landed in LAX and my mom was there waiting to get us. She'd just seen Anderson the week before but of course was thrilled to see him again. He was awake at this time, but still feeling the affects of the drugs. After getting his car seat set up in her car and loading up all our crap, we were off to Huntington Beach.

My mom noticed just how much the baby has changed even in a week. He's playing with and eating his fingers all the time and responds to her a LOT! She loved talking to him and making him laugh and smile. My mom also was looking forward to taking him on walks with her dog, Lexi.

GRANDMA & ANDERSON

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Friday night Anderson and I headed down south a little to Lake Forest to Auntie Michele's house where much of AJ's family was waiting to meet him for the first time. By this time Anderson was pretty fussy as we had a 1 hour time change, plus it was a VERY long day. I wasn't so sure going that night was good idea, but I couldn't tell Jason's family that I wasn't coming. They'd waited all this time to see him. Thankfully, once we got there he had so much fun! Auntie's Michele & Mandy and Oma Donna wouldn't put him down and just showered him with love and kisses. I was actually able to eat a nice hot meal without having to tend to AJ and I learned a great song (or hum) that sends AJ right to sleep! (Thank you Michele)

AUNTIE MANDY

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After dinner, we went back to my moms and tried to get some sleep. That night was ROUGH on everyone. Anderson didn't sleep well- he was too tired I think from all that he'd been through and it made it hard on everyone.

Saturday, I took the baby and met up with my friend Shelly & her son Jacob. We walked around the outdoor mall and sat and had a snack. It was wonderful to see Shelly- but I felt so bad because I know how exhausted I looked and felt- it was like I had sandpaper in my eyes. ROUGH TIME!

So, I went home and AJ and I took a much needed nap- he got a good 2 hours in, I got one. I'll take what I can get! After our nap, my mom had a little neighborhood BBQ so that her neighbors (who've known me for 30+ years) could meet Anderson. It was a wonderful time just relaxing and eating burgers. All my moms neighbors loved AJ and just couldn't believe how much he looks like Jason (I heard that a few times since being in Cali)

Sunday Matt & Kristin came over to meet Anderson and have dinner. It was SOOO cute to see my brother with AJ. At one point he was playing with AJ on his lap when AJ let out a big toot! Matt just about THREW AJ off his lap and into my moms arms- terrified that he might get poop on his shorts! It was the funniest thing! They really love Anderson and can't wait for him to get older he can play. I'm sure Matt will teach Anderson to swim and surf as soon as he can.

AUNT KRISTIN & UNCLE MATT

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UNCLE MATT

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Monday my Aunt Joan came over to meet Anderson. Joan hadn't met him yet and had only seen a handful of pictures, so she was excited to meet the little guy. He was really good and happy and enjoyed Joan.

Later than night, AJ and I headed down to San Juan Capistrano to meet up with Grandpa Lew- Jason's dad, Paul and his wife Janis. We had a really nice time and Paul & Janis just loved seeing AJ. Michele & Mandy were also there so they got a little more time with him. People can't get over just how much AJ looks like his daddy. Once in a great while someone will say that they can see me in him; but I know they are just being friendly and trying to make me feel good- he looks nothing like me!

GRANDMA & GRANDPA LEWICKI
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AUNT MICHELE & GRANDPA LEW
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Tuesday my mom drove Anderson and I to Santa Barbara to meet up with my Dad & Cory. We all had a nice lunch together and it was then time to say goodbye to Grandma. It was really hard to say goodbye as we'd had a great time with her, but we'll see her soon!

Wednesday was our first full day with Dad & Cory. What a fun day for everyone! It was Anderson's first trip to the beach! My dad held AJ in the Bjorn while we took a long walk along Pismo beach. It was a few miles of walking, which I'm sure was painful for my dad, but of course he'd never admit it. We walked along the ocean and it was adorable to watch all the people walking by us looking at my Dad & AJ and just how much he beamed with pride. People would make cute comments and my Dad just loved it. AJ enjoyed it and also slept some of the time too. Then, we went to Avila Pier and had fish tacos at Pete's Fish Taco's - YUM!

POP & GRAMMY CORY
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MOMMY & POP
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CHECKING OUT THE WAVES
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Today we're just laying low, enjoying the nice weather. My Dad took AJ for another long walk this morning so I could shower and just rest as I'm not getting any sleep. Tonight we plan to go to a Farmers Market which I think will be a blast!

As I mentioned above, this trip has been full of emotion. It's been so great for Anderson to meet more of his family and my friends. I love seeing people talk to him and love him and finally get to meet him. At the same time, it's been really hard because Anderson is very out of his element. Everything is new to him and he's got a lot of people holding him and talking to him. I'm sure he's been overstimulated (hate the word, but it's true) many times and that makes him tired and cranky which makes me stressed out. I feel bad when that's the first impression people get of him, but then I remind myself that he's ONLY 3 months old!

For the most part, AJ has been just FANTASTIC on this trip. He's slept really well (at least the first few days), and is always smiling and laughing and enjoying his family. I think perhaps I did bite off a bit more than I should have with this trip- something I continue to do- but once we get home, the plan is to take it a lot easier for a while and just enjoy each other.

THIS ABOUT SAYS IT ALL...
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Monday, September 15, 2008

We're in Cali!

I haven't posted in what seems like forever as we're in California and BUSY BUSY BUSY! We've been seeing TONS of family and friends and it's been fun and totally exhausting. Tomorrow I leave my moms in Orange County and travel up north about 4 hours to my Dad & Corys.
I will post pictures and much more about what we're doing when I get there and have some free time.

Anderson is doing really well- all things considered. He's been fussy, but I have to expect that with all the new faces and "overstimulation!". But it's really been great having all of my family and Jason's family meet him.

Off to bed! We're beat!