Eye Color

Is it just me or are LJ's eyes going from blue to gray?

Sometimes they look blue esp outside like in this picture but sometimes they look grey. Caucasian babies (per the books) are generally born with blue eyes that can change to brown, grey, or stay blue (but that's the least likely) by the time they are 6 months. African-American babies are generally born with shades of brown and by 6 months the color is usually dark brown. I'm told African-American babies have a super low chance of having blue eyes. Dad's eyes and many of his family members are blue. Mine are dark-brown (was told in Elementary school that only the visually impaired have black eyes...not sure if that's true) and my dad and a few others in the extended family have hazel-green eyes.

We'll see what happens with LJ!

Two Month Check-up

LJ had his two month check up yesterday. We couldn't get the vaccinations as he is technically a few days shy of two months old. I am very pleased with his check up results. He weighs 11 pounds and 2 ounces. He was 7 pounds 11 ounces at birth. His heart beat, oxygen rate, and body temp were all great. It was weird to see his percentile. According to some standard he is 24% for his length (21.6 inches) but his weight is 63 and his head size (at 16 inches) is 82 %. He was bound to have great head size with our heads. :) I didn't think he was short. They say these are just percentiles and should not be used to compare your child. etc etc Well then why do they do it? His eyes and all other body parts and limbs passed inspection.

I wanted to give a big thanks to Ivy who went with me to the appointment! It was really helpful to have someone there to help out when I had to fill out paper work or stand in line at the pharmacy.

thanks Ivy!!!

Getting Back in Shape! Part 1

These three pictures are quite telling. The first was my last fitness competition before I became pregnant. Quite literally right before as this day started my 40 weeks (ok I kept the TMI to myself but some of you should be able to read between the lines). The second picture was a week after I delivered. I know, my hair is a hot mess. I don't think I combed my hair for the first two weeks or so after delivery. I did wash it! But no time to dry, comb, twist etc. The top picture was just taken, almost eight weeks after birth.


I gained 50 pounds and as of earlier this week I had lost 26 pounds.

It's not my goal to go back to pre-baby weight. But to regain my muscular strength (and in so a more toned look) and posture.

I'll give updates every 3 months.

Is that YOUR Baby?

I knew having a baby of mixed race might bring some challenges. I also knew at some point there might be someone who would think he was not my baby. Didn't realize it would happen so soon!

Today someone said, "If I saw you in the street I would assume you were the baby sitter!" Ok, now that could be a comment on how exceptionally good I look for 30 plus (:)). But then she followed that statement with, "you know because he's so light." Someone else that I know said, "People are going to think you are the nanny! He doesn't look black."

Call me colorblind, but I really don't see how awfully noticeable it is. :) I guess it's because I love the little tyke more than anything (ok cept maybe God and my husband, and I say husband because we learned in marriage class that we should put our relationship before the kids and that would make them happier etc) and from the moment he came out I focused on everything else besides his light skin and blue eyes (which I adore!).

I know I will have to deal with a lot more in the future. Especially if we end up moving to where we might be moving. Still I would offer these thoughts to anyone who plans on having a relationship with a mother whose bi-racial/multi-racial child may appear to take on more characteristics of the other race....DON"T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT!

I would advise you not to make comments like, "He doesn't look like you." "You look like her nanny." "No one will know he is your son." "You look like you stole that child." Etc

Besides...wait till this child starts to dance, we'll then who has the last laugh! :) ((lol, just kidding his dad dances well too))

Rock him to Sleep

So I've been excited about the Moby wrap since I saw a woman wearing her infant when I was 7 months pregnant. Unfortunately, LJ was not as excited about it when he was first born. But now, at almost 8 weeks he seems to like it. Today I wore him for more than an hour while I ate lunch and I rocked him to sleep during chores.

In addition to the Moby wrap we have an Infantino front carrier, a Baby Bjorn, and just received an Ergo Baby Front-Side-Backpack!

Updates on the rest shortly...

Our first family trip

We just returned from our first family trip; we went to Williamsburg. I think I breast feed in every nook and cranny (and out in the open when I needed to) in the Williamsburng/Jamestown/Yorktown area. I of course remember that the most because that took up most of my time during the outings. But I did get to see family and it was nice to spend the majority of the day with my hubbie (he was on paternity leave for 10 days and really only took these 5).

LJ did well in his new climate. I was afraid of heat issues, bugs, random germs (not because of the area but because he was away from "home base" for an entire week). But LJ came out ok.

We even took him to the movies. Ok, I felt very ghetto doing that. It was my idea but as soon as I got there I felt like I was saying (please visualize me with one hand on my hip and my neck and eyes roiling) "I-own-care it's my baby, I can take him to the movies if-I want to. What ch-you lookin at?" But I was reassured by family and friends that I wasn't ghetto since he never cried in the actually movies. I'm uber sensitive to LJ so I had him in the bathroom before he started crying (he was pretty much latched on the whole movie but at one point he had an extremely messy diaper). We spent 85% of the movie in the hallway. The part that allows you to hear it all and see at least half of the screen. I did this while rocking him and occasionally reattaching him and looking around (again) to make sure people really couldn't see me.

Tub Bath!

Last night I took a bath in the tub! It was the first time since my pregnancy was confirmed a little over nine months ago! I was scared to take one before because I like my water HOT and you're not supposed to sit in HOT water when pregnant. Why would any one soak in luke warm water? Then after my son was born I was not able to put him down long enough to prepare the water or sit in and enjoy it. But we have turned a page! Last week he slept for multiple 3 hours in a row between feedings at night and this week I'm soaking in a bath of HOT water with him watching me from his vibration chair.

This moment reminds me of the first time I washed and twisted my hair after he was born. My hair takes hours to do so I usually just wash it and let it air dry. But luckily my friend Ivy stopped by for a couple of hours so I could wash, condition, comb, separate (feed LJ), and twist my hair.

I can't wait for the next adventure! Maybe a pedicure????