Can We Say Ladies Man?

It's a tough life my son leads...you know-having to spend his weekend hanging out with the gorgeous ladies pictured below...

My dear college girlfriends Ashley & Lindsay traveled hundreds of miles this weekend to meet my little man for the very first time.  Actually, I guess you might say that they already met Henry back in July when we gathered to celebrate bachelorettes and babies, remember?

However, I am willing to bet they'd agree that their in utero meeting with Henry this past summer wasn't nearly as exciting as this out-of-the-belly encounter.  While they squeezed in plenty of belly rubs back in July, yesterday they spent the day spoiling my little man with TONS of IN-REAL-LIFE snuggles.  And Hank kindly obliged.

TWO Brunette Babes + ONE Bald Buggy=True Love.

I felt so honored that these girls would take time out of their precious weekends to travel out of state to meet Hank.  They are both faithful PERKS followers and have loved my baby boy from the minute I called them over a year ago to tell them I was carrying him in my belly.  At the time they had no idea that he'd be a boy, or that he'd have cute chubby cheeks, or that he'd be devastatingly handsome.  Yet a year ago, they loved him still.

To me, this is the very definition of friendship.  That even from hundreds of miles away,  and even though we may go weeks (or even months) without talking on the phone...I'm certain that these girls, along with so many other of my dear friends have been our constant cheerleaders.  Cheerleaders for Daddy Perks and I as we've stumbled our way into parenthood.  Cheerleaders for Henry as he's reached milestones and mastered the art of cuteness.

And their constant support has made my entrance into motherhood a journey that I'm proud of.  I am honored to be among the first of my dear friends to pop a bun out of the oven.  In fact-I'd do just about anything to show my appreciation for their loving support.  And just as my sweet friend Rachel showed me after she'd had a baby-I too spent last night letting my breast-feeders hang out as I pumped milk in front of my friends so they could see the type of bovine behavior they can look forward to if they so choose to breastfeed.  Consider it my gift to you girls.  You're welcome.

**It is crucial that you know that Ashley and Lindsay weren't the only two bodacious brunettes that Henry spent the weekend flirting with.  Henry also shared his snuggles with my dear friend Abby who joined us after our photo shoot shown above.  Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me later to snap a shot of Abby and Henry together...BUT-I can share a shot of the first time they met when Abby came to visit us back in October!

I nearly shed a tear as I looked back at this picture just thinking about how much he's changed since October.

***Henry ALSO met his lovely (surrogate) Aunt Erica for the first time on Saturday!  Remember that wedding I stood in this past summer when I was 9 months pregnant?  Erica was the beautiful bride that loved me enough to have me stand in her wedding party, even in spite of the fact that my belly was a disastrous pink satin distraction as I wobbled down the aisle, swollen feat and all.

I also forgot my camera when she met Henry on Saturday, so you'll have to wait for the next time we see Erica for pictures ...just like I've kept you waiting on the pictures of myself as a nine-month-pregnant-bridesmaid.

Aren't I such a tease?!?

****Ash-If you're totally confused about the breast pump story...that happened after you went to bed on Saturday night :)  Lins and Abby might be scarred forever.  But like I said-at least now they know what their nipples will be up against someday.  I know they'll be thanking me in due time.

Fantastically Fab at Five.

He's just SO grown up these days.

Growing more and more goofy with each passing day.

(Remember who his parents are.)

And this whole "side-by-side size comparison with the monkey/sharing the spotlight" business...

Somebody may have realized this monkey doesn't stand a chance in the cuteness department...

In fact...he might have told this monkey to get lost...

He might have also reminded this monkey who has the cuter cheeks...

A cute little boy who is also in the beginning stages of teething...

Checking to make sure nobody caught him in the act (or noticed his shirt is a bit snug)...

He may be so bored with this monkey that he actually yawned mid-photo shoot...

A young aspiring comedian???

Sitting is sooooooooooo last month.  This 5 month-old has new tricks...

And this rotten grin on his face...well-he knows just how complicated our lives have gotten now that he's on all fours.

Rolls? What rolls Mom?

Excuse me, can you please get out of my way?

Dear Stinky Dinky Doo-

Oh. My. Goodness.  Henry-you've changed so much in the past month that I'm not even sure where to begin.  First things first...

You hit a major growth spurt around 4 1/2 months and as a result, started waking up once a night to eat.  You simply could NOT make it 8-9 hours without eating.  So for pretty much the first time in your life, Mama got a taste of what it's like to have a baby that actually acts like a baby-you know, the kind that wake up in the middle of the night. Weird huh?  I really didn't mind your middle-of-the-night feeding though.  We were both all business: You'd start to stir. I'd stumble into your nursery. I would nurse. You would eat. And then it was back to sleep for both of us.

But after just a few weeks...you seem to be back to your normal schedule of sleeping through the night.  Perhaps part of that might have to do with the fact that you're belly is more full these days since you've officially entered the exciting world of baby food.  Long gone are the days of boring rice cereal...these days you join Daddy Perks and I at the dinner table for the vegetable or fruit du jour. You are what some may refer to as a puree pro.  You've dabbled in the likes of all the common vegetables including carrots, green beans, squash, butternut corn & squash, and sweet potatoes.  Then, this past week, you ventured into the exciting world of fruits.  So far you've tried pears and bananas.  I wish you could have been old enough to appreciate the anticipation Daddy and I had the first time we put a spoonful of carrots up to your mouth.  We were certain you'd make faces, spit it out, look at us like we were torturing you...BUT NO.  You. loved. it.  In fact, you've loved every single food you've tried.  Next up you'll try apples, strawberries and peaches.  And the real test to see how not-picky you really are...we'll round out the fruit tour with prunes.  And if you gobble up the prunes like you have every other food...well then we'll know we've  truly lucked out.

So, for you number crunchers out there...fruits+vegetables+breast milk=a 5 month old baby boy wearing all 6-12 month clothes.  Long gone are your itty bitty baby clothes Hank.  You're huge, and so are your clothes.  I often find myself looking at your jeans thinking to myself-shouldn't a toddler be wearing these?  Surely my sweet baby boy isn't big enough to fit into these clothes.  But you are.

And you continue to break hearts everywhere you go.  You are quite the delightful distraction at the grocery store, mall, restaurants, and anywhere else we tote you around with us.  And my goodness do you ham it up for a crowd.  You smile and coo at whoever will pay attention to you.  You are quite the performer-just like Daddy.

As far as your most notable physical milestones go...the week before you turned 5 months old, you entered the early stages of crawling.  I was watching TV one night, and looked over to find you up on all fours, grinning from ear to ear.  It was as if your smile was saying "you have no idea what you're in for Mom."  Essentially you skipped right over the "army crawl" and decided you're all business when it comes to moving.  You've spent the last few weeks working hard to figure out exactly how this whole crawling business works.  You tend to get up on all fours, move your knees forward, but forget that your hands need to move forward also, and then you topple forward onto your head.  It's kind of pathetic, but wildly entertaining for Daddy and I.    You've done much better with crawling backwards. However, this proves to be an issue as we set toys out in front of you, and then as you move, they toys get further and further away.  We have been blown away by the fact that you're crawling this early, but I should have known that when you held your head up by yourself the day you were born that we were in for it.  You are so incredibly strong.

Speaking of strong-you've also realized that you have toes, and you want to grab them all. the. time.  When we are changing you, you grab onto your toes and don't let go.  Sometimes I literally have to pry them apart just to get your diaper and pants on.  I'm not complaining though, since I can't tell you how lucky I feel that you're progressing so well, and meeting all your milestones.

And even more importantly-you are healthy as a horse.  They say breastfed babies tend to have really strong immune systems, and you are NO exception.  You've made it almost 6 months without a single ailment.  Not so much as a runny nose.  No ear infections. No fevers. No viruses. No coughs.  Nothing.  I can't tell you how lucky I feel that we've made it this far into your life and the only visits we've had to the doctor have been for your well visits.  I praise God everyday for your health everyday and know it is not something to take for granted.

Hmmmmmm what else what else.  Oh! The other morning I walked into your room and you were sitting up in your crib.  It was crazy.  You looked so grown up, and gave me this look as if you were saying, "Yeah mom, I sit in my crib, no big deal."  It was just one of those many parenting moments where I wanted to pinch myself and freeze time.  Not because sitting up in one's crib by oneself is some monumental bragging right, but more because my little baby is not little anymore.  And pretty soon you won't be a baby anymore.  So for now-I'm soakin' up all the perks of your little-ness while I still can.  And loving you more and more with every sitting, crawling, baby food eating breath you take.

Love you Buggy,

Mama.

Snowed In & Stir Crazy.

Well, it's official.

We. Are. Snowed. In.

To set the scene...it's 10:38 pm and I'm still wearing the pajamas I put on last night.  And no-I have not brushed my teeth today.  I like to live on the lazy wild side.

I should mention that Daddy Perks and I are seasoned veterans when it comes to our marriage weathering the storm of a nasty blizzard.  In 2008,  we survived 22 inches of snow that kept us cooped up in our 700 square foot 1 bedroom apartment for almost 2 days straight.  We'd only been married for a few months at that point, and to be honest, I could do a whole post on just how fun that was.  Let's just say I ended up catching the cleaning bug and Daddy Perks grabbed my arm at one point and said "Enough! The baseboards are clean enough."

When we finally did dig ourselves out of the mound of snow our cars had been buried in for days-many expletives were exchanged and name calling.  But I'll spare you most of the details.  It can pretty much be summed up in saying that if our marriage made it through that storm, no blizzard can bring the Perks down.  And thank goodness now we live in a house with multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, and TONS more square feet of battleground.

I suppose to Henry, this day has been just like any other Friday, but for Daddy Perks and I...well-let's just say as of late you might as well rename the Perks' residence the cah-razy bin.  See for yourself...

Did I mention I also haven't brushed my hair today?  Wh0ops.

The picture with Daddy Perks represents most of what we've been doing today-staying wrapped up in tons of blankets and watching a whole lot of  TV, and just being extra goofy.  (You're shocked, right?)

You might say our snow day "rock bottom" came early this evening when I forced Daddy Perks to trudge through the snow to a grocery store in walking distance of our house JUST to get me cool ranch doritos.  I claimed I was desperate for a fix, but perhaps what I was really desperate for, was a break from his shenanigans.   When he hasn't been watching tv or sleeping today, he's been doing really bad impressions of Barbara Walters, reading the weather ticker of all the closings in extremely strange voices, mastering turning things on and off with only his toes, and blessing Hank and I with a myriad of his favorite Michael Jackson dance moves.  So yes-I made him go out in the blizzard because I was "dying for cool ranch doritos" aka-if Henry and I didn't get a break for our best bud, we might have ended up staging a coup against him right in our living room.  His trip wasn't all for not though, he did make a pit stop at Chipotle on his way to the grocery store to satisfy his own burrito bowl craving.

Are we the only ones that go to a "crazy place" when we know we can't leave our house?  We end up laughing about the dumbest things and being entertained by each other doing somersaults and headstands which result in unnecessary injuries and hurt feelings.

For those of you who are also snowed in, here's to hoping the blizzard is forcing allowing you to spend extra quality time with the ones you love.  A little snow-induced forced family fun is bound to add a perk or two to your weekend, right?

Holidaze...

Due to the extremely high levels of rage and cynicism in one of my recent posts, I felt it was appropriate for me to follow-up with something a bit more light-hearted and perky.

And what better way to do that, than to take a trip down memory lane to look back at some pictures from the holidays...(1. because I always miss the holidays come February, and 2. because I never posted these ahem-during the holidays.)

Not to mention...we should celebrate and be thankful everyday, not just on Thanksgiving, right Tiff?)  And gosh darnit-I've got a lot to be thankful for lately-even in spite of silly men who forgot that I gave birth 5 months ago...

Thanksgiving '09

They seem to have "cute" figured out.

My little turkey.

Santa baby with his Aunt Corey.

Distracting Mama from cookie baking...

Christmas Eve!

PJ Perks!

Christmas morning.

Rockin' the sweater vest on Christmas Day.

Sleeping while we opened presents at Mimi's.

Christmas '09

Snuggled in his Reindeer PJ's after a LONG Christmas Day.

Mommy & Daddy Perks on N.Y.E.

Last family photo of 2009.

First family photo of 2010.

Taking notes on how to rock a black suit from Uncle Kev before his Cotillion.

Happy Thursday PERKS Followers!  The weekend is just around the corner...

Don't Blink...

Dear Time,

Please slow down.

Sincerely,

Mama Perks.

August

September

October

November

December

January

I think I just figured out why they tell first-time-parents not to blink during the first year of their child's life.

*Sidebar...How come nobody told me that Henry looked like Benjamin Button when he was born?

Warning...

...this post contains dangerously low levels of tolerance for the male gender.

It is important that before I go on with this story, that you recall Henry's birthday: August 31st, 2009.

Ok, now we can move on.  I assure you-every part of this story I'm about to tell you is true.

Begin story.

The following conversation occurred between myself and the father of a child who attends the school I work at a few weeks ago (aka in JANUARY)...

Him: "Hey! Good to see you!  Hey, did you have your baby yet?"

Me: "Are you joking?" (Insert red face, complete shock, and a swift kick-in-the-gut/shins type of feeling.)

Him: "Well-I can't tell.  You're sitting down."

Me: (In an effort to speak while maintaining an appropriate level of composure and professionalism while simultaneously having the desire to kill the person standing in front of me..)

"Yes, I did.  I had my baby 4 1/2 (FREAKING!) months ago.

(Important to note several other teachers happened to be in the room as this conversation took place.  It is perhaps pertinent to include that their faces turned red on my behalf while this conversation ensued.)

End Story.

Wow.  Even re-telling this story to the blog world gets my blood boiling.  (Sorry Men-I'm about to slam your gender.)

By NO means am I bragging that I have my pre-baby body back.  At all.  However...this same man certainly saw me hobbling around school back in MAY when I was already huge and 6 months along.  Did he really think that 7 months later I could still potentially be with child?  I mean honest to god-men. are. morons.  Did you have your baby yet? PSHAW.  He couldn't tell because I was sitting down. Was he under the impression that a woman's watermelon-like pregnant belly has the ability to re-tract into one's gut making it impossible to tell if they are pregnant or not?  Had he been in a car crash recently?  Or consumed some type of recreational narcotic that allowed his brain to operate without any type of sane reasoning?  Had he learned nothing from his own wife on the etiquette of what one should and SHOULD NOT say to a vulnerable pregnant woman?

I came home that night and could barely get that story out before I went on a tirade to Daddy Perks.  I just kept repeating what he had said..."Hey! Did you have your baby yet?"

Of course Daddy Perks found great humor in this.  Me-on the other hand, a few weeks later...still fuming.  In fact, I've been having to give myself internal pep talks ever since.  Saying things to myself like:

"Lindsey-you've lost every bit of your pregnancy weight in just 4 months (and even a few extra pounds), you should be proud."

"Remember, the doctor complemented you on your weight loss the other day when you were in to see him for your annual gyno appointment?"

"You're a good person, with a good soul.  Even if a person asked you if you were still pregnant 4 1/2 months AFTER YOU HAD YOUR BABY."

Moral of the story...

Don't think the rude and presumptuous comments stop just because you've already brought your child into the world.  Oh no ladies.  Be afraid.  Be very afraid.

A man near you could be lurking...just waiting to strike.

Brrrrrrrrrrr...

Anyone else totally over this winter weather?  Doesn't seem to be bringing this little guy down.  But then again...if I looked this cute in my winter hat...I probably wouldn't be is such a hurry to get to spring either.

100 PERKy Posts!

This is my 100th post on Life Is Full Of Perks.

Can you believe it?

I've been thinking for weeks about some fancy post I could do to commemorate my 100th entry-but all I could think to do was brag about how advanced Henry is...



I mean seriously...do you know any other 4 1/2 month old's rockin' a stache like this one?!?

I didn't think so.

If you know Daddy Perks personally, then you can certainly attest to just how unlikely it is that a mustache like this will ever actually appear on Henry's face.

On a more heartfelt and non creepy-baby-facial-hair note...

Thank you so much PERKS Followers.  I have so sincerely loved sharing the last 10 months of my life with you.  In addition to creating a virtual baby book for Buggy...I hope that reading LIFOP has brought a PERK (or many) to your days.  I assure you, there will be many, many more to come.

xoxo,

Mama Perks

4 Months Old.

For some reason it feels like when you've reached the 4 month milestone of your firstborn's life, you're finally, officially a parent.  Let me explain.  The first few months are just a whirlwind.

A whirlwind of emotions.

A whirlwind of diapers.

A whirlwind of family members coming over to your house constantly.

A whirlwind of figuring things out for the first time.

A whirlwind of bodily function discussions.

A whirlwind of hearing other people's opinions, suggestions, and experiences about raising a child.

And then somewhere along the way, the chaos and commotion settles.

And your newborn baby boy who once liked like this...



Turns into a strapping young lad that now looks like this...

A lot can change in four months, huh?

Remember when he used to be SO much smaller than that monkey?

He's the happiest kid I know.

And the sweetest.

I guess one could say he's "filled out in the face."  And take a look at those thunder thighs.  Delicious.

I guess it's like any major life milestone.  After a while...you find your new normal.  And four months in...you realize, nobody could even come close to knowing your baby as well as you do.  By this point you know what his noises mean.  Every laugh, cry and grunt means something-and when you hear them, you know what to do.  You know how he likes to be held, what will calm him down, and how to make him fall asleep.  And while you're still appreciative of all the help and advice you've gotten over the past months to help you settle into parenthood (and god knows we are beyond blessed with the support we have for Henry) you realize you've done it.  Somehow you've managed to get this little guy's life off to a rousing start.  And while Daddy Perks already desperately miss how little Buggy used to be, we are dripping in awe as we watch our son grow into a little man right before our very eyes.

SO-on with the 4-month update...

Quick Stats:

Height: 26 inches...90th Percentile.

Weight...16 lbs 4 oz...80th Percentile.

Head...45th Percentile.  (Yay! Your head is finally catching up with the rest of you!)

Nicknames: Buggy, Bungy, Bugaboo, Baby Buggy Boy, Hank, Hanky-Danky-Doo, Stinky-Dinky-Doo, PJ Pants, Green Jean (God only knows how he acquired those last 2 nicknames...I credit them fully to Daddy Perks.)

Dear Hanky-Danky-Doo,

Can you believe it you've been alive for 4 whole months?  It's quite an accomplishment.  Here's what you've been up to lately...

You are still such a good sleeper.  You L-O-V-E your crib.  When we put you to bed, you immediately go on your stomach and stick your little booty up in the air.  You sleep between 9 and 10 hours at a time now.  You usually go to sleep around 10 pm and wake up between 7 and 8 am.  Sometimes you wake up to eat in the morning, and then go right back to sleep for another couple of hours.

When you were about 3 1/2 months old, you started waking up about every 3 hours in the middle of the night and I knew you were ready for cereal.  The first night we gave you cereal you loved it.  In fact, you ate with a spoon like you'd been doing it for years.  That night you went to sleep and slept for nine hours straight.  Your little belly just needed a little extra something in it to help you get through the night.  Now you eat cereal once a day right before bedtime.  It's hilarious when we feed you because you get so mad if we don't have the spoon right there in front of your mouth as soon as you open it.  You get very impatient and don't like to wait in between bites, which results in you inhaling your food-a trait you most certainly inherited from Daddy.  When we first started feeding you cereal you would sit in your bumbo chair, but now you're a big boy and you sit in your high chair.

You're still on 100% breast milk and going strong.  You love nursing and so does Mommy.  Something tells me she's going to be very sad someday when you stop breastfeeding.  Not just because she'll miss the bonding time with you, but also because she'll have to stop having the appetite and eating habits similar to that of a pre-pubescent 12 year-old boy.  (Can I get an amen for the breastfeeder's diet Abby?!? I mean seriously-who doesn't love the idea of burning an extra 700-800 calories a day that doesn't involve lifting a finger while simultaneously feeding your baby for free?)

And that all breast milk diet seems to be doing a body good.  You. are. HUGE.  You're fitting into some of your 6-9 month clothes these days.  In fact, the mounting pile of clothes that no longer fit you is breaking Mommy's heart.  But don't let those thunder thighs and double chin deceive you-you're still pretty long 'n lean.

You are still a rolling machine these days.  But your latest trick is sitting up.  You sat up all by yourself for the first time on Christmas Day.  We actually got it on video.  You're getting better and better at it, but after a while your balance gets the best of you.  I think you're realizing that sitting up opens up a whole new world of opportunity when it comes to playing with all your toys.

Speaking of sitting up...you happened to be doing so when your pediatrician came in the examining room for your 4-month check-up the other day, and he said: "Well, my goodness Henry!  Aren't you advanced doing one of your 6-month milestones at your 4-month appointment.  You are such a show-off."  He said that you are extremely strong for your age and that I need to watch out because you'll probably be crawling before we know it.

Mimi got you an exersaucer for Christmas and you're obesessed.  In fact-when we put you in it for the first time, you gave us a look like we'd just laid $1 million dollars in front of you.  You didn't know what to do first-you swat and bang at all the different toys on it and you could bounce in that thing all day long and be happy.

You also found your voice sometime in the last month.  To put it simply-you yell all. the. time.  You think it's hilarious, and often times your yell turns into a giggle because you know you're being silly.  You are also starting to babble a lot, and seem to have all kinds of important things to say.  You love attention.  In fact-whenever you're in a room and it's a rare occasion where everyone's NOT looking at you, you tend to do this fake cough thing so that you can get everyone's attention.  Then when we are all looking at you again, you immediately get this "gotcha suckers" look on your face.  We fall for it every time.

You don't know a stranger.  You'll let anybody hold you, and you're so easy going.  You're also very well-behaved.  We can take you anywhere and you just go with the flow.  In fact-the other night, I took you to see Daddy do stand-up comedy in Columbus.  You were such a good listener and even polite to laugh at the other comedians jokes that weren't nearly as funny as Daddy's.  I was happy that you finally got to see your Daddy doing one of his favorite things-making people laugh.  He makes you laugh all the time.  He knows all your ticklish spots including your belly, neck and armpits.  I let him tickle you just long enough so that I can hear your belly laugh, but then I always come save you.

Daddy and I were looking back at pictures of you tonight, and were literally in awe of how much you've changed and grown in such a short amount of time.  You are just plain fabulous and we adore you.

Love,

Mama

Hello 2010.

This was Henry's reaction the other day when I told him that it's 2010 and the holidays are officially over.

My sentiment exactly.

Happy New Year PERKS followers!  Are you feeling rejuvenated and ready for a great year?  Well here at the Perks household we have been recovering from a wonderful holiday season.  Santa was very good to all three of us this year and we spent New Year's Eve ringing in 2010 with some dear friends and family toasting to the good life.

Speaking of the good life...I recently read something and decided I couldn't say it better myself when it comes to my hopes and wishes for Henry as we start a new year and decade...

I'd really like for you to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.


I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room,but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

***Stay tuned...LIFOP is back in full swing and I've got tons of PERKS to catch you up on this week!***