4 Months Old

DJP is now 4 months old (yes, it's been more than a month since I last posted...sorry DJP has been getting most of my attention lately because he's a tad bit cuter than the computer!).

DJP went to see the pediatrician on Monday and he currently weighs 15lbs and is 25 3/4 inches long. He also got the second round of shots for Rotavirus (one more round at 6 months), which was not much fun for him. It was interesting to see his reactions-the first needle he didn't know how to react and the second we saw him turn as red as our furniture and forget to breathe. He did seem to be a bit more irritated after this round of shots, but was fine again once we were home.

Currently, DJP smiles all the time, giggles, rolls over from his belly to his back (close to rolling from back to belly), likes to "stand" with assistance of course, enjoys watching lights and ceiling fans as well as cars and trucks go by if he's near a window, grabs small toys and attempts to stick them in his mouth (if they don't fit, he throws them down), and eats a bit of cereal (oatmeal is his favorite with rice a close second and barley is just nasty) two times a day in addition to his yummy formula. [Does this sound like a singles ad for babies?] Every 5 to 7 days DJP will be trying a new food-this week we'll probably try peas or green beans. So far, he's not disliked any of the cereals and enjoys making messes!


DJP has also been teething for a month. It started slowly, mainly in the evening when the drool factory would start and he'd want to put fingers (didn't matter whose they were) in his mouth. Occasionally, he will have his fist in his mouth and start to scream-this is when the baby Orajel comes in handy. He makes the best faces when he tastes this stuff, but it works especially in conjunction with teething tablets.

Another first for DJP was a mini-vacation! We packed the car and went to Ocean City, MD with Grandma Cass over the July 4th holiday. We took DJP out to the beach late one afternoon and let him feel the sand and the water on his feet. He neither cried nor giggled, but seemed to take in the experience especially how his feet "disappeared" in the sand when the waves receded.


DJP also had his first sleep over this past weekend when his Eckerd "cousins" M & J came to visit. He was in awe of M's walking skills (took copious notes for future reference) and J's napping abilities (3 hours! Mommy wishes for that every day...just once!). At one point, Aunt Niki came over, expecting mass chaos and the house was quiet-all boys were napping and so was Aunt Melanie! All in all having three children under a year and a half in one house went smoothly-helps when they are outnumbered by adults! It was sad to see M, J and their parents go home, but hopefully we will see them soon!


DJP's next adventure is a longer car ride to South Carolina to visit his cousins and then on to Florida to see Grandma & Grandpa P and Nina & Papa.

School's Out for Summer

It's over. No more. Time to refresh and rejuvenate. More time to spend with the little one (who is 3 months old now)!

DJP has changed so much in the last couple of weeks. He now smiles and giggles all the time. He rubs his eyes when he's tired. He likes to "stand" more than sit (with assistance of course!) He is getting ready to start eating cereal because he's consistently taking 40 ozs. of formula at feeding time. The time he is spending on his activity mat is increasing and so is his tummy time, which he still is not fond of. I don't think he'll be fond of it until he can move himself around...I'm NOT ready for that! He is also starting to teethe. The drool factory started this past weekend and he decided that he likes his fingers as well as anything else that gets near his mouth. Jason and I broke out the teething rings that we had gotten as presents and they are within arm's reach and in the diaper bag along with a ton of bibs (Nina, there aren't enough now!) and burp cloths.

It will be nice to see all the changes that happen in the next couple of months.

Pomp & Circumstance

Today is graduation day at WLHS. Due to the fact that graduation is held at Merriweather Post Pavilion and is at noon, we only have a half day of school. Yipppeeee! I am extremely lucky that I do not have to attend the actual ceremony since my graduation duty was to cover another teacher's class during graduation rehearsal. I thank my lucky stars that I do not have to be outside in the heat and humidity collecting tickets. However, I do miss getting to see the happy graduates anticipate the ceremony and to wish them well. During senior exams, I did give each of my 8 seniors cards and wished them much success in the future.

Good Luck WLHS graduates in whatever the future holds for you!

Growing like a weed

Monster, aka DJP, went to his two month (can you believe it?!) check up on Monday. He was measured-23 inches long (has grown over 3 inches since birth) and weighed-11 pounds, 11 ounces (gained over 2 pounds in a month) and is right where he needs to be according to Dr. Otto, his pediatrician.

We asked local friends who they used for a pediatrician and they told us all about Dr. Otto. He is less than 5 minutes away and has been in practice since the early '80s. Jason went to interview Dr. Otto (since I could not take any days off at the time) and really liked the philosophy of the practice. It is also beneficial that there are adult doctors in the practice as well. I will be switching doctors so that I do not have to travel to Crofton (about 45 minutes from home) and wait for 2 hours to see my current doctor. That's a lot of wasted time, especially having an infant!

Dr. Otto spends time asking questions-even asked us how much sleep we were getting (good way to find out how the kiddo is sleeping too!) and how we are enjoying Monster. He went over developmental milestones for the next two months and started talking about solid foods since we won't see him again until the end of July. It was nice to have some guidelines as to when to start Monster on solids-he's currently taking 5 ounces of formula at feeding time!

Then the painful part came. Monster got his two month vaccinations-2 needles and a yummy (he enjoyed it!) oral vaccine. The first shot went okay-he wasn't quite sure how to react to it. The second one was administered and he turned beet red and held his breathe for what seemed like forever! Monster finally calmed down and was just a bit fussier than usual that evening. He hasn't seemed to have any reactions to the vaccinations as of yet other than being super hungry and tired more often. WHEW!

Hi Ho Hi Ho...

...it's back to work I've been this week.

It was not as difficult to leave the little Monster as I thought it would be (even though I reallllllllllllllly did not want to return to work and begged Jason to let me stay home-his reply was much nicer than this, however he said, "NO!")

My first day back was Monday which started our state testing. About half of my students are taking the four tests (Algebra, Biology, English and Government)so teaching is definitely a challenge with some students present on one day but not another. So we've been reviewing.

Everything was going along nicely until my fifth period class (the hellions). I told one student three times to put away his water bottle within the first 5 minutes of class. Then the principal escorts one of my students to class (the student likes to be late ALL the time) and promptly tells the student with the water bottle to hand it over. Said student says, "NO!" and walks away from the principal saying that he's just going to the office. This student is now suspended. I probably won't see him for the rest of the school year. The rest of the day went well. It was nice to go home and see Monster.

Day 2 was pretty much the same...things were going well until 5th period. I had warned the students that if they misbehaved that there would be consequences of detention and/or an office referral. Well, the aforementioned student who likes to saunter to class late did so again and refused to sit in his seat. I gave him a choice-sit in the seat or go to the office. Guess which he chose? Yup-going to the office. So on my second day back I wrote a referral. UGH!

Day 3 has been going well so far. I had an interview for a media position at another high school in the county. It went well even though the manner in which the interview was conducted was a bit strange-they gave me a list of questions to answer before they interviewed me and then asked me about my written responses. There were other questions asked as well, but I've never participated in an interview like that before (and I've been involved with some real winners!). I've also yet to have 5th period...so we shall see!

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival 2010

This past weekend was the annual Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It is held at the Howard County Fairgrounds and is a mix of animals, fiber and fun. This was the third year that I went and I found it to be a bit different than in the past.

First, it was HOT! So hot that most people tried to walk to each booth in the shade or stay in the exhibition halls where the sun was not beating down on you. The past couple of years, the weather has been nice, but chilly or raining. I wonder what next year will be like?

Second, the festival organizers moved some booths around to another area (which at first made me think that several vendors were not in attendance) and made the festival seem a bit bigger even though from past experience there were fewer vendors.

Third, it was HOT! It was at least 90 degrees.

Fourth, the products available for sale at various vendors were not new or overly exciting. I did visit some of my favorites (Brooks Farm and Creatively Dyed) and found a new favorite (Miss Babs) whose semi-solid colorways are amazing! Some of my former favorites (no names mentioned...) had the same products for three years running. It was just a bit disappointing.

And finally, here is what I purchased:

Long Awaited Gift

Back in January, during the first round of snowstorms here in MD, my family had a baby shower for me. Amazingly, most of the guests came during the 4-6 inches of snow braving the elements as well as the people who do not know how to drive in snow. (Yes, I apparently know some CrAzY people...and you know who you are!!!)

One of the gifts that I received was one that I would not see until Jason and I had decided on a name for our little Monster because the gift would be personalized just for the little guy. Once Jason and I decided on a name, Niki, great friend and maker of said gift, got to work. Here are the results of her hard work:
















The note cards are absolutely fabulous! Some of the ribbons used were from the gifts that I received at the shower (Niki and I both like to recycle!). As Niki pointed out to Jason and myself, half of the cards are blue and half are brown as well as half of each color being horizontal in nature and the other half being vertical (and I still need to learn how to change the layout of the pictures once I upload them...). Each card is a work of art and I would love to just frame them however, they were made to be used and I will do so. Thank you, Niki, for such a thoughtful gift!