A Long Week Home

WHEW! Coming home from vacation can be so rough you need another vacation! It took a few days to just get unpacked and get the laundry done. Add to it that we had no food in the house when we returned and other various things out of whack and we were just busy getting back to normal.

Sebastian is still a bit congested, but we think it has more to do with teething than it does being sick. He doesn't seem to be feeling bad at all, just having a stuffed nose is enough to disrupt his sleep though.

Todd's mother and her friend paid a visit this week. Her friend's son was returning from a trip and they needed some help getting to the airport to pick him up. Sebastian got to spend some time with his Grandma Felumlee, and she always enjoys seeing him.

We went to Babies R Us this week and got some great products I want to recommend. The first is a battery operated nasal aspirator. Now, before you judge me for how that sounds, consider this. The suction power of a typical rubber syringe is limited to the small volume of the buble itself. While probably good at the mucus in the outer nostril, we were having trouble getting everything out. Sebastian also cried every time we had to use it. The battery operated one provides constant, gentle suction and we are amazed what it removes. As an added bonus, Sebastian giggles when we use it. Go figure...

The other product is Hyland's Teething Tablets. The link is to their gel, but we chose the tablets. You place two of the tablets under the baby's tounge, and it sooths their mouth. The product is 100% natural and and homeopathic. The tablets dissolve pretty quickly and they really seem to help.

Final Visit from Shannon

Monday was our final visit from Shannon, our social worker from Franklin County. We had a great visit, she finalized her questions necessary for her report, and now we just wait for her to file the documentation that is due to the court on October 4. We should hear from our attorney on 10/24 that the adoption is finalized. Shannon has been an amazing part of this process, so very supportive and clearly dedicated to her job and helping the children she works with every day. We will miss her, and promised to stay in touch. In fact, I am sending her the link to this blog so she can keep up with our escapades.

Vacation comes to an end...

We had a great trip and we are sad to see it end. To be 100% honest there were some challenging moments but all in all it was a lot of fun. Sebastian's nose caused a few sleepless nights, but now we're home and he is feeling better. I think he is really teething now and that is just making it worse.

Friday night Todd and I ventured to Atlantic City for dinner at Fornaletta. No, we didn't see the winner of last season's Hell's Kitchen, but the food was A-MAZ-ING! We walked through the casino floor on the way out and I won nearly the entire cost of dinner back on penny slots in just 2 minutes!

Saturday Stephen, Julie andAmalia came down to spend the day. We were blessed with beautiful weather, and got a few hours of quality beach time in. WOO HOO! Unfortunately it was time to pack up and head back to reality. We left the beach around 10 AM on Sunday and stopped to see my "Grammie." OK I will always call her Grammie, but I guess to Sebastian she is "GG" (great-grammie) and my Mom is Grammie. All of this is getting confusing!

We had a nice quick lunch visit with Grammie, then off to the PHL airport. A quick walk through security, a nap for Sebastian at the gate and a full bottle on the plane proved to be the way to do it once again. He had no problems at all; Todd even changed him in the TINY bathroom on the plane with hardly any trouble.

Now it is back to the "grind" as it were... lots to unpack, a house to get back into order and some version of a schedule. Goodbye Summer 2009!

Bye Bye Summer 2009

Today was our last full day at the beach. Steve, Julie and Amalia came down to join us for some fun in the sand. We lucked out and had a beautiful day. We pack up and head home tomorrow. It was a great vacation!

Chilly at Old Barney

Well, day 4 at the beach is a little better than yesterday. It rained off and on yesterday, today is just cool and cloudy and VERY windy. We decided to bundle up Sebastian and head to the north end of the island where "Old Barney" the Barnegat lighthouse is located. We walked out to the end and looked around, but the wind was a bit too much for the baby so we came back home. At least he got to see it! Next year we will go up inside and show him the amazing view from the top.

Vacation, Day 2

Today, my mother and my sister-in-law came down and we went to the bay beach for a while. Amalia and Sebastian were so cute together. I can't wait until this time next year when they can play with each other more and Sebastian can enjoy the beach a little more. Now it is quiet time and we're all ready for BED.

BEACH BABY

Sebastian got to see the beach today, and even put his feet in the sand and water. We all had a great time! He seems to love watching the waves and didn't mind the feel of the sand and water on his feet at all.

OK, back to relaxing!

Sebastian Loves Corvettes!

My parents got this for him on their Corvette Caravan trip. How cute is this!

Labor Day Weekend!

OK first of all, how cute is this picture? We had a bunch done, but of course our favorite (and everyone else's) is the one with his tounge out. That's my boy!

This weekend started off with a 4 month checkup for the baby. He did great as always, and the report from the doctor was wonderful. He is 17 pounds 9.5 ounces, and 27.75 inches long. That's up over 2 pounds and 2.5 inches in 2 months. All that formula he is eating is doing its job, clearly. He tolerated his shots just fine and we got the "all clear" for solid food.

We made our own sweet potato puree on Friday night, and started feeding it to him on Saturday. He really took to it, and though it was a bit different than the oatmeal or rice he was used to, I think he enjoyed it. We made some peas today, we will introduce them tomorrow and see how it goes. The "funniest" thing (not so funny actually) is when he sneezes with a mouthful of food. It just goes everywhere, and there is nothing you can do. We also noticed that we go through a lot of bibs and burp clothes these days... not a surprise.

Just a few short days until we head to the beach. I cannot tell you how badly we need this vacation. I'll blog about the trip next week.