MollyMadonna.com

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so that happened.

Henry went to the doctor for his four month check-up and vaccines today. Turns out he’s not the only one who gets cranky when the needles appear. I just hate it. Taking him to the doctor for vaccines, that is. Oh, I just feel like the most terrible mother ever the whole way there, and I tell him I’m sorry for what we’re about to do…then he’s all happy until the fateful moment, and BAM! Three needles all at once and the horrible cry that starts out with complete silence for the longest time before erupting into tears and a trademark wail.

I know you know exactly which cry I’m talking about.

Then all day he’s sulky and subdued, except when he’s crying–which is most of the time unless he’s being held. So there’s that. It’s a good day not to feel like a bad parent for letting your child sleep in your lap at nap time instead of the crib. No really. You had to do it. He needed you. But seriously, he did.

Naturally, pass the baby (and walk him and love on him a whole heaping lot) was the name of the game in our household tonight. Can’t say I minded it one bit. H is especially lovey on a day like today. And two minutes after a dose of Tylenol for the fever, ten kisses on the forehead, tears of resistance (his, not mine) and a prayer, the babe was down for the count. Not a peep coming from the nursery all night.

So that happened.

And tomorrow is another day.

i’ll put money on a smiling boy first thing in the morning. he’s pretty much the best like that.

mm

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m.i.a.

My absence here surely hasn’t been intentional…I have so much to say and so much stacked up for future posts! Our internet has been out of commission the past few days and finally graced us with its presence late tonight. Of course, I’m just a bit tired and ready for bed at this point, and so…this is just to say “HELLO!” and “I’m still here!” and “Please check back ohsosoon!”

love from little old me,

mm

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a little bit sassy, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll.

Our little man is always up for an adventure, and his mama is, too–so a few weeks back we grabbed our packs and headed out for a day of travel, hard work and exploration into unknown territory. In other words…

A friend mentioned an open casting call for baby models in Grand Rapids and sent me the link, which was all I needed to entertain the possibility of taking Henry and seeing where the wind would blow us. Jason and I talked it over (this wasn’t exactly something we’d planned to do with our kids, let alone our three month old), and at the end of the day we decided that Henry and I could go. We also agreed that if anything about the experience felt strange, I’d turn the car right around and head back home sans modeling career for the little dude. Of course, a casting call is just a shot at a once-off job in most cases, and this was no different. Still, we joked about Henry’s future as a well-photographed babe, and figured that because he’s been in front of a camera since the second he was born (and really, before then), he’d be none too worse for the wear. Then off we went!

The Sassy Baby call was fun and lighthearted–just a bunch of young moms like yours truly and their cute kiddos, waiting semi-patiently for their turn to play with a few toys in front of the lens. Henry was 24th on the list, and after a good nap in the car, he was perfectly happy to stare at the photographer for a few short minutes, to collect his free toy, and to be bundled right back up again for the car ride home. We had a scintillating conversation on the way back (read: Henry made a noise, I mimicked it, and then we repeated that pattern for the next 40 minutes), and we both agreed that Mommy/Henry dates to Grand Rapids are quite a lot of fun. The weekend came and went, and on Monday, the phone rang…would Henry be available for a photo shoot on Wednesday in GR? Um, yes.

So Wednesday we were off to GR again, mommy and her little bug, just slightly nervous about feeding times and napping times and a smiley three month old and such. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t proud of the little rockstar. Thing is, he napped all the way there and woke up, bright-eyed, as soon as we arrived. And darn if he wasn’t the happiest, smiliest, easiest little baby the whole time as I signed waivers and changed him into his onesie “wardrobe.” When it was time for Henry to get in front of the camera, he was an absolute hoot to watch–smiling widely and hamming it up as if he knew what was going on all along. Surely, everyone working the shoot helped to eek every possible glint and giggle out of the babe for an hour. The end result? Hundreds of wonderfully bright and happy photos of my favorite bug and plenty of viable shots to use. Oh, and Henry’s chance to check “be photographed by Mitch Ranger by age one” off his bucket list. Why not? 😉

I couldn’t help but delight in H’s kissable face on screen as we went, and all in all, the experience was 100% enjoyable for both of us (as far as I can tell). To round out the afternoon, Henry went home with a few fun toys, new onesies and a hard hour’s work on the clock. Kudos to our little saver for contributing to his own college fund before even knowing what that means.

The day was truly one of my favorites with Henry to date. The chance to watch him interact with others, to see him light up over and over again at every new toy and face, and most especially, to be out with my boy doing something a little off the beaten path, crafted a handful of memories I won’t soon forget. I asked the Sassy Baby team if we might be able to snag a few of the pics, and they were kind enough to send some through the other day. There were so many more that I absolutely loved, but it’s reasonable to expect that I can’t just have them all at my fingertips. Hopefully, we’ll see a few crop up on the website or in other places in the days ahead (wouldn’t that be fun?)! In the meantime, here’s a smattering of happy moments from our Sassy afternoon together. Loved the day. Love the photos. Love my bug.

we're here!

the sassy baby photo shoot.

ok, mom. i'm ready!

when do we start?

such a grin!*

happy boy!*

look, mom! a mirror! with a baby in it!*

we could do this all day! in fact, we pretty much do :)*

whew, that was a hard day's work!

so...how do you think it went?

i’d hire you any day, my darlin’. it’s such a joy to be your mommy!

mm

*photo credit: mitch ranger

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caterpillar toes.

Henry and I are getting the hang of venturing out and about to explore the world together, and I love it. This morning, we played with friends, then spent the afternoon visiting with another friend out at her campsite at the state park. Then we met up with Dad for dinner at home and a trip downtown for the Street Performers Series–one of our favorite things about Summer. Gosh it was just the perfect day to be outside–and the perfect evening, too! A slight breeze, sun and shade, cooler temps. Love.

I grabbed a few shots of Henry on his beach towel, just hanging out in his sun hat with a handful of favorite toys. Here are two gems from this afternoon:

hangin' with sophie at the beach.

'lil beach bum.

And later on…

There’s always a great variety of talent and entertainment among the Thursday night street performers, and tonight was no exception. We usually just stroll and observe at a distance, but on this fine evening, we decided a little participation would be more fun. So, I wandered up to the henna table and in less than a minute walked away with a sweet little reminder of India:

quick henna tattoo...and it was free!

Then Henry, although fast asleep, participated in a little art project by lending his left foot…and the end result was this adorable little caterpillar for the bug himself. Marking Henry’s tiny toes at three months and being oh-so-adorably cute, this one’s a framer for the nursery, for sure (I think I sense a series coming on):

a bug for our bug 😉

We wrapped up the night among a crowd of 100 or so, enjoying the quick hand and tricks of a local magician–I’d forgotten how fun that can be! Henry David was a tired little man at the end of a full day, but he’s sleeping soundly now after a story and a bedtime snack. Then there was time to clean, squeak in a bit of work, catch up a tad on emails and pour over photos for a bit. Now, as I head to bed myself, I’ll likely sneak one more peek and a kiss on the forehead for my favorite little boy–two more things to love about an already lovely day.

looking forward to tomorrow and whatever new delights it will hold!

mm (henry’s mom:)

Ooh, and for a spectacular treat, take three minutes to enjoy Move. Learn. and Eat., a trio of very short videos that will inspire your creative side, the wanderlust that’s lurking, and quite likely, your taste buds:

http://bit.ly/qoeaM5

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oh, poop!

If you’re not into “gross,” this may not be the post for you. Read at your own risk 😉

We (I) had an interesting morning at home today. In short, Henry started things off with the biggest display of diaper fireworks he’s ever managed (cloth diaper, onesie, swaddler and mom’s pj’s all at once); when I cleaned him up, I found evidence as far north as his shoulder blades. Whoa. I managed to stay on the phone with Grandma K throughout the entire process, so it wasn’t devastating or anything, but record-breaking in Henry’s book, for sure. Once I had him all clean and down for a nap, I gathered up cloth diapers for the wash (read: bag full of diapers=hands full coming down the stairs) and only narrowly missed stepping in a large pile of you-know-what left thoughtfully by the d.o.g. If I hadn’t smelled it first, the next few minutes would have been just that much more thrilling.

Thank you, Kruger. You should really consider moving out for a few days, or at least, never doing that again.

Cleaning things up was just a bit of inconvenience on the day, and admittedly, left me slightly disgruntled with the dog (who I had let out to go the bathroom not an hour before). But hey, I’m home, and things happen, right? I’m still trying to forget the close call on the kitchen floor (I don’t even like picking it up in the grass outside), so all I can hear in my head while I’m getting rid of the evidence is “Ew, ew, gross. Ew, gross. Ohhhhh, gross! Ew!”

On the flip side, I’m kind of tickled at how little the diaper event made an impact. I’m am decidedly un-phased by gross baby things, with the exception of wearing Henry’s meal down my back when I’m dressed to leave the house. I’ll keep working on that one. The rest of the day was relatively poop free, and I’m not complaining.

I know how much photos add to the blog and all, and I considered a few–if only for a second, and only to make myself laugh as I scrubbed away any probable germ-y trace. It’s possible I captured one image with my phone and text it to Jason, just so he didn’t feel left out while at work, but I will spare any and everyone else from all but this post. I have subsequently deleted all evidence, anyway. I mean, I do like to maintain a little bit of decorum and class and such;)

thoroughly disinfected and considering a small stock of rubber gloves for the little blue house,

mm