Blecker Family

December 2011 Recap/Milestones

2011-12-23T16:35:00.009-05:00

December has been a milestone month for Micah. At just a little over 6 months, Micah has cut his bottom two-front teeth, started crawling, and daily is getting better at sitting up.

Abram too continues to develop....he loves to play on the iPad, counts to over 20, recognizes most of his letters and some numbers. Abram truly is a great big brother....he enjoys feeding Micah, helping with getting Micah in clothes, and even is starting to interact through play. The two boys are becoming best buds.

Ira and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary as we
ll as my 35th birthday. I feel so lucky to have such an amazing family and support system. Cannot imagine my life without "my boys".

Hanukkah was a fun time for the boys this year too. Abram helped to light the candles every night. The boys were very excited to open presents and celebrate with our friends.
Abram has been trying to learn the difference between Hanukkah and Christmas. It is tough to teach a 3 year old the difference. Abram spoke to Nana on the phone on New Years Day and she said, "Happy New Year Abram". His reply, "we don't celebrate that, we celebrate Hanukkah". We can't wait to hear what he might come up with next!

Micah's 6-month check up/stats

2011-11-30T16:34:00.002-05:00

Micah had his 6-month check up today...

Height - 27 inches (71%)
Weight - 17 lbs, 15 oz (59%)

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T10:41:00.006-04:00

Celebrated Halloween along with our friends the Penningtons. Abram had a blast trick-or-treating with his "girlfriend" Emme.

Micah 4-month check up/stats

2011-09-30T09:19:00.005-04:00

Today Micah is 4-months old. We went to the pediatrician for his check up and shots. Here are the latest Micah stats.....

Height - 25.5 inches (72%)
Weight - 15.6 lbs (61%)

Micah has started daycare and enjoys his teachers. Abram likes to check on Micah through-out the day and make sure he is doing ok in his room. Micah is now rolling in both directions...just not all the time. We have enjoyed hearing Micah "talk" to us with his baby talk. Micah is also laughing....it is fun to watch Abram try to make Micah laugh. Micah has also started to eat rice cereal from a spoon. He seems to like it even though most of the food gets on his face and not in his mouth.

Watch out Beckham...here comes Abram

2011-08-29T08:37:00.001-04:00

Abram has now officially started playing soccer in a co-ed 3 year old league at the JCC. Ira is involved with the drills, etc. Managed to get a few pics from the first practice.

Micah continues to grow and Mommy is enjoying her last few weeks of maternity leave. Micah is almost rolling...we just keep working on it with lots of tummy-time. Here is a pic at 13-weeks.

Who is G-d, Mommy?

2011-08-19T16:01:00.000-04:00

Tonight, like most nights, Ira and I put Abram to bed and we said the Sh'ma. After saying our nightly prayer, Abram turned to me and said, "who is g-d, mommy". I was caught off guard and looked directly at Ira, who proceeded to say "you can take this one". I answered Abram by saying "g-d is someone who protects and looks out for you". Abram seemed ok with that answer, but wanted know more....my response, "we will have to call Rabbi Joui to explain".

Micah 2-month check up/stats

2011-07-30T12:06:00.000-04:00

Micah has received his first round of shots and survived. Stats are as follows:

Weight - 12 lbs, 1 oz (49%)
Height - 23 inches (54%)

Am already pulling out clothes that Micah no longer can wear because he has grown so much. The entire family just loves to make the little guy smile!

Micah 8-week picture

2011-07-25T08:34:00.001-04:00

Micah has been smiling since about 6-weeks old and continues to be such a joy. He is sleeping close to 11 hours at night and is so much fun to play with during the day...Abram is ready to share all of his toys (we will see if that changes once Micah really wants to play with his big brother). Off to the doctor later this week for the 2-month check up.

Micah 6-week milestones/Abram movin' on up

2011-07-11T08:44:00.000-04:00

Micah continues to thrive and grow into being an amazing little boy. Right now Micah is taking a 9pm 5oz. bottle and has been sleeping until.....6am!!! Keeping our fingers crossed that this pattern continues. Over the weekend we saw our first "Micah smile"....need to get in on camera, but that might take awhile.

Mommy and Micah continue to go on daily walks, but the walks have been moved to the mall since the heat index each day has been in the upper 90s to 100s.

Abram is now spending more time in the 3-year old class at his day-care. He arrived at school today and told Ira that he did not want to play with the little kids and wanted to be with the big kids and Ms. Ruth.

Micah 1-month check up/stats

2011-06-30T15:51:00.000-04:00

Today Micah had to go to his 1-month check up appointment with Dr. Mekelburg. Here are the latest Micah stats:

Weight 9 lbs, 9 oz; 44% - gained 2 lbs, 11 oz
Heigh 21 3/4 inches; 57% - grew 1 1/4 inches

Micah for the first time today rolled over from his belly to back. He enjoys tummy-time and is getting very strong. Other items to note - Micah is eating 4oz every 3 hours during the day and has gone from a 9pm feed to 4am....hoping this pattern lasts or gets even better.

Abram is adjusting the role of big bro as well. He likes playing on Micah's play-mat and sometimes will help with a feed.

Micah 4-week picture

2011-06-30T08:29:00.001-04:00

Best we could get.....

Abram 3-year stats

2011-06-14T11:27:00.000-04:00

We are adjusting to life as a family of 4. Micah is a great eater and is starting to get into a routine. Abram is an amazing big brother and he was thrilled to celebrate his 3rd birthday with all of his school friends.

Abram's 3-year stats:

Height - 37 3/4 inches (59%); grew 2 inches
Weight - 29 lbs, 13 oz (31%); gained 13 oz

Abram just can't seem to get over the 30 lb mark. He is such a talker and loves to ask questions. Abram is into racing cars, anything having to do with the movies Toy Story and Cars. He enjoys watching Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, and most of the Disney Channel shows and loves to read books (even by himself). Abram took another session of swim lessons and loves being in the water. Music class is still a lot of fun and Abram will start back later this summer.

Micah's Bris

2011-06-06T15:16:00.000-04:00

The day has arrived and Micah will be given his Hebrew name and also have the "procedure" done by the mohel. This is what Mommy and Daddy explained during the ceremony...

Micah – is a name of Hebrew origin meaning humble; and who is like G-d in English. The name Micah was chosen to honor two very special Miltons who impacted the Isenburg and Tobman families.

Milton Eig was Grandpa Ray’s uncle. Milt was an exemplary father and family man and a very special uncle to Grandpa Ray. He was a pillar of his community and available to anyone in need of help. Uncle Milt could be relied on to do whatever was necessary and his accomplishments were always done with ease and humility. Unfortunately, Uncle Milt met with an untimely passing, and his memory was honored in 1976 when Melissa was born and named for her Great Uncle Milt.

Milt Tobman was a quiet unassuming man with a dry sense of humor. He was a wonderful husband to Tillie and a great father and father-in-law. He knew the value of education and after his service in WWII he put himself through college and engineering school. Being an engineer and a perfectionist, he was always tinkering around the house and could fix anything.

There were other Miltons that we knew and loved, all seemed to share the finest of human qualities and dignity.

It is our hope that Micah demonstrates the same strengths and attributes associated with our beloved Miltons. We wish that elements such as humility, wisdom, grace, confidence, generosity, along with knowledge and a sense of humor become woven into Micah’s personality fabric and endure throughout his lifetime.

Jarrett – chosen to carry on the tradition of “J” middle names. The meaning of Jarrett is brave spearman.

Itai – Hebrew name chosen to honor Melissa’s maiden name Isenburg. Itai means friendly. My father Ray will bring to a closing the name Isenburg, spelled I S E N B U R G. My sister, Stacy, was named for our grandfather, Saul, and my father, Raymond Louis, was named for my great grandfather, Louis Isenburg, The Isenburg family migrated from Germany to Newark, New Jersey, in the mid 1800s. My great grandfather was a patrolman for the city of Newark. My grandfather would have been 100 years old on June 3rd and my grandmother turned 90 years old yesterday. Our hope is that Micah will carry on the Isenburg spirit and honor the family although the name will ultimately come to a close.

We had an amazing group of friends and family celebrate with us today. Our baby nurse Penny gave Micah his first official bath and prepared Micah for the bris.

And now we are 4....

2011-05-30T18:07:00.000-04:00

Micah Jarrett Blecker has joined the family.

Born May 30, 2011; 10:28am
6 lbs. 14oz.
20.5 inches

Big brother Abram is doing well in his new role. He is very protective and has enjoyed feeding a holding his little brother. Abram wore is Big Bro t-shirt to school today and showed off a picture of Micah...according to Ira, Abram was so proud and excited.

We are looking forward to family getting into town to meet the addition and share in our joy.

Abram 3rd Birthday Party

2011-05-14T18:14:00.000-04:00

With all the excitement that we will be having over the next few weeks, we decided to host Abram's 3rd birthday party a bit early so that he could celebrate with friends before the arrival of Abram's little brother. Abram and Mommy have been enjoying a music class for the past few months, so we had Abram's music class teacher lead a class at the house. With the help of Abram's friends and his favorite Toy Story characters all the guests had a blast.

Success on the potty

2011-04-03T20:32:00.000-04:00

Abram had his first complete dry and, most importantly, clean underwear weekend. Ira and I just put him down to sleep on this beautiful Sunday evening and realized that Abram had no accidents and finally pooped on the potty since starting the potty-training process. Hopefully the trend will continue.

Milestones, updates, and more...

2011-03-30T13:41:00.001-04:00

Been awhile since we have updated the Blecker Family Blog. Lots happening in our lives. Abram continues to grow into an amazing big boy and is excited to announce that he will be a big brother soon. Yep, Melissa is almost 30-weeks pregnant. Another Baby Boy Blecker will be arriving in early summer. For now #2 is being referred to as "Junior". Melissa has been feeling great and it is amazing to see Abram talk to the Melissa's belly-button as if he is talking on a phone with his brother.

Since finding out the big news, Abram has hit some milestones in his life...
-Moved into a big boy bed at 30-months
-No more day-time diapers at 32-months (we continue to potty-train, thank goodness for daycare...hoping to be completely out of diapers by the time "Junior" arrives)
-Abram loves to play outside...he is into basketball, soccer, and baseball
-Started another session of swim lessons and Abram continues to enjoy The Music Class
-Abram is now on his second set of ear-tubes and had to have his adenoids removed (complete success)

25-month event

2010-07-14T08:21:00.000-04:00

Potty-training as been going at the Blecker house....nothing too exciting to report until today. Abram went poo-poo on the potty and it happened on his 25-month birthday. Ira and I cheered and Abram's face was just priceless when he looked at what he had done. Big-boy underpants here we come!

Abram 2-year stats

2010-06-17T13:01:00.001-04:00

Abram has now entered the terrible 2s...so far so good though. We had a wonderful 2nd birthday celebration at an indoor play activitiy center...PLAY! Everyone had a blast. Current Abram stats are as follows:

Weight - 29 lbs (63%)
Height - 35.75 inches (83%)
Long and lean!!

Each day brings new words to Abram's ever growing vocabulary. He enjoys saying "I want some" and "Mommy sit with me". Abram is a true boy with all of his cars, trains, and his new t-ball set. We are still amazed by how fast the past two years have gone.

1, 2, 3, etc.

2010-04-19T23:15:00.000-04:00

Abram's vocabulary and speech has improved so much over the past few weeks. Today while driving Abram to daycare, Ira heard Abram start counting all by himself without being asked....made it to 4! Harvard better be ready for Abram in 2026.

Potty-time

2010-04-11T23:12:00.000-04:00

Today, Abram decided he wanted to try out his potty. He kept saying "pp on potty"....so, I brought him to his potty, that he has just been staring at for weeks, and he then decided to sit and take care of business. Now we can only wait and see how long it takes him to want to do this again.

Abram 18-month stats

2009-12-17T12:09:00.000-05:00

This morning we had Abram's 18-month check-up. Hard to believe our little guy is 18-months old. Here are the latest stats:

Weight - 26 1/4 lbs 56%
Height - 33 inches 70% (Personally think he might be a bit taller since he was being a wiggle-worm on the table)

Abram is cutting two more molars. He now has a total of 10 teeth.

Seems like each day Abram is picking up new words to say. Heard "thank you" earlier this week. Abram is now obsessed with the Disney character Handy Manny. He pretty much always has a Handy Manny toy nearby and loves to watch the TV show when he comes home from daycare.

We have enjoyed sharing Hanukkah with Abram. He is more into it this year and we just hope that once the holiday is over he realizes that he will not be getting a new toy, book, etc. every night.

Abram's first haircut

2009-10-19T15:14:00.000-04:00

A few weeks back it was decided by Mommy and Daddy that it was time for Abram to get a haircut. We had waited so long for Abram to even get hair and now he had enough hair that Mommy could make a small ponytail in the back.

So, we headed to a kid-friendly salon for Abram's first haircut this past weekend. Mommy had treats in tow and was ready for a great adventure. Little did Mommy and Daddy know that as soon as Abram would sit in the kid-size salon chair he would start crying and screaming like never before. Needless to say, the adventure is one I would like to forget. The cut did come out great and now Abram really has lost all his baby look.

Abram 15-month stats

2009-09-14T14:41:00.000-04:00

Abram started walking at about 13 months and has not stopped. He runs into our arms when he sees us walk into a room...have to say it really melts Mommy and Daddy's heart. Since turning one, Abram had been adding words to his vocab and has developed so many skills...he still loves to give high 5s and claps to music during our weekly music class.

At the 15-month check up Abram's stats were:
Weight - 24lbs, 3oz (46%)
Height - 32.5 inches (86%)

Abram has a total of 6 teeth and Mommy checks daily to see if any new teeth are cutting. It is amazing to see how Abram has truly become our "little man". Abram has his favorite toys and tends to hold tight to all the food choices that he has in his grocery cart and play kitchen. It is not unusual for either Mommy or Daddy to go into Abram's room in the morning to find Abram waiting in his crib with a plastic piece of bread, corn, or broccoli.

Next big adventure will be Abram's first haircut!!

Milestones

2009-06-15T14:53:00.001-04:00

Been awhile since the Blecker blog has been updated. Just wanted to post a few of Abram's milestones that have occured over the past weeks.

Abram started waving and giving high 5s consistantly beginning of April; Abram has been crusing furniture for about 6+ weeks now and will walk when either Mommy or Daddy is holding his hand; eats all food that we offer; gets around the house crawling; plus......
May 7, 2009 - bottom middle 2 teeth appeared (Happy Birthday Daddy)
May 31, 2009 - Abram utters the word Mama and makes Abram's mommmy so thrilled
June 10, 2009 - no more bottle for Abram - only sippy cups for our little man
June 13, 2009 - with Mom and Dad close behind, Abram crawled up the steps from the family room to the den area
June 14, 2009 - bye-bye comes out of Abram's mouth while waving bye-bye to Mommy as she is leaving the house to head to the grocery store (Happy Birthday Abram)

Abram 1-year stats

2009-06-14T16:18:00.000-04:00

At 1-year old Abram's stats are as follows:
Weight - 22lb 10oz (48%)
Height - 30 1/4 inches (65%)

Abram continues to attempt to walk and is chatting what seems like all day long. We head to FL for a week on Wednesday. Am hoping for the best for Abram in the car. He is now forward facing in his carseat and we will be letting him enjoy some DVDs for a change.

Pictures to be posted soon.

10-month update

2009-04-14T20:29:00.000-04:00

Abram is now 10-months old. The Blecker family has survived Tax Season 2009.

Abram continues to develop. For the past few weeks Abram has been pulling himself up and will cruise around the furniture. Abram has really taken to eating more table food. No "mama" yet, but Abram just loves to chat. He really likes to hear voices on the phone and tries to take part in the conversation.

Abram and Mommy are excited to have Daddy around more during dinner and bath time. We are looking forward to some upcoming trips to DC and Florida.

More March Update...

2009-03-31T20:13:00.000-04:00

Abram and Mommy had a great trip to FL. Abram survived his first plane trip. He slept most of the flight down to FL and decided to take in the entire flight back to ATL by staying awake.

FL was a nice break from ATL. Abram was able to spend time with all the grandparents. I think Abram really enjoyed being in shorts and not having to wear shoes and socks. While in Fort Pierce, Grandpa Ray treated us to Dales BBQ. Abram was not too interested in the food, but I have a feeling that the next trip to Dales Abram will be eating his share of food.

Abram is crawling everywhere and getting into just about everything. He continues to "talk" and it just puts a smile on my face when I hear him say "dada" when Ira walks into the room. Am just waiting for the day that I get to her "mama".

Ear tube surgery

2009-03-18T18:56:00.001-04:00

Well, the day finally arrived and Abram now has a set of ear tubes. The morning started early since we had to be at the out-patient surgery building at 6:30am. Abram was a champ and from start to finish did a great job throughout the procedure. Abram rested most of the morning, ate lunch, and then was ready to play the day away. Giving Abram a bath this evening was a bit of a challenge since he is not able to get his head completely wet for 2 days. Abram just loves the bath, so I think he was a bit disappointed when I cut bath-time short this evening.

Abram continues to pull himself up and is learning so much each day. Daddy and Mommy are now usually greeted each morning with Abram sitting up in his crib. Just waiting for the day to see him standing up....yes, the crib has been lowered.

9-month update

2009-03-16T16:40:00.000-04:00

Today Abram had his 9-month check up with the pediatrician. Here are the latest stats...

Weight 21 lbs, 5 oz; 63%

Height 28.5 inches; 59%

The doctor is thrilled with Abram's development. Today was the first day Abram pulled himself up into a standing position. Over the weekend he would pull up to his knees...guess today he thought he would try to go a bit further in the vertical position. Walking here we come! Abram has been enjoying 3 meals a day for the past month or so. We continue to introduce solid finger food, but Abram is only slowly getting the hang of chewing, swallowing, etc. We are hoping that once the tubes are put into his ears, the eating will improve.

Abram enjoys all of his toys, especially this big, wooden cube with different activities on each side. Mommy found it at a consignment sale and ever since it has been out in the play area, Abram goes straight to it. Mommy and Abram have been going to a weekly Gymboree class over the past month. Abram loves all the bright colors, the fun activities, and has made some new friends.

Next week Abram and Mommy are heading to FL for a few days. Am excited for Abram to enjoy good ole Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie....especially Dales BBQ. Think Mommy will like Dales BBQ more than Abram, but Grandpa Ray is ready to give Abram a french fry. Will be sure to take pictures.

Another milestone....

2009-02-27T14:05:00.002-05:00

Abram was rolling (attempting to continue to crawl) and all of the sudden he got up on a knee and then got himself into a seated position. So, Abram went from being on his tummy/back/side to seated all alone. What will this little guy do next?!!

Lots happening...

2009-02-23T17:03:00.000-05:00

Seems as though the 8-month mark for Abram has him doing so much. Today Abram went from sitting to a crawling position for the first time and then took what I am calling his first crawling "steps"....it is kind of this push-up, jump-off move, but it is getting Abram where he wants to be. All of this and he has an ear infection....such a trooper.

Yet another ear infection....

2009-02-22T18:03:00.000-05:00

The weekend started with Abram having some sniffles...not a big deal and for sure common this time of year. Well, soon enough the sniffles turned into a runny nose, watery eyes, and a bad cough and now ear infection #6. Was able to go to a doctor today, thank goodness for Sunday walk-in clinics. Back on antibiotics and will be heading back for a follow-up appointment at the ENT. Am just ready for cold and flu season to end! Where is the 75+ degree weather already?!

On a positive note, Abram continues with his "da-das, ooos and ahhs, etc." Crawling is so close to happening I think it is frightening Abram, as well as Mommy and Daddy. Ira and I have started the baby proofing process as well....outlets are covered, corners are cushioned, and soon the gates will be up. Our little boy is growing so fast!

8 month update addition

2009-02-20T15:42:00.000-05:00

While the morning diaper ritual was underway a few minutes before 7, Abram decided that today was to be the day. After a little giggle, a little squirming on the changing table, there was a brief moment of silence and then......wait for it....

"da da"!!!!

We are going to start him working on 'ma ma' so Mel doesn't get too jealous as daddy's little pal rolls (why won't he just crawl already) around the house shouting out his first word. Hopefully video of this and other stuff to arrive here shortly.

8-month update

2009-02-16T10:21:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy month in the Blecker house. Abram continues to grow, develop, and play...all the things a now 8-month old baby is suppose to do.

Items to note...Abram started eating 3-meals a day a few weeks back and is down to only 4 bottles a day (very nice for Mommy and Daddy), will feed himself bananas and other soft foods, likes to roll-around, is getting up on hands and knees - not quite crawling though, will do a little wave - not always with his hand up, Ira is convinced that Abram says that word "hi" - I still think it is just babble (lots of talk/babble happening though), weight is just under 20 lbs., recovered from 5th ear infection, loves to go to the park and swing, enjoys reading time, is starting to pull himself up, just today Abram got on his hands and feet (picture a little man making a V or for those of you who know yoga - downward dog position).

Abram and Mommy went for a road trip to Oak Ridge, TN earlier in January to see Great-grandma Eileen, Grandma Kathy, and Uncle Jim. Mommy planned the drive around Abram's nap times and the trip went well. Abram even slept somewhat well through the night.

For Valentine's Day, we took Abram to the FL/GA basketball game in Athens. Abram was such a trooper...too bad the Gators lost.

We are looking forward to watching Abram over the next few weeks....just seems as though so much is happening with his development. He looks at Mommy and Daddy sometimes and it just seems like he is thinking about something and wondering what he should do next. Plus, Abram is going to have another cousin in a few weeks!

7-month update

2009-01-11T16:56:00.001-05:00

Well, the family has been busy the past month. We had Grandpa Ray and Grandma Kathy in town for a nice weekend visit. The grandparents were able to celebrate Abram's first Hanukkah and also see/hear Abram at the beginning of ear infection #3.

Then, it was off to Florida for our long awaited trip. Abram was such a trooper in the car the entire way to FL. We were able to make an extra stop in Orlando to see Aunt Kathy, Uncle Steven, and Cousin Robbie. We finally made it to Boca Raton with no issues. Abram loved the warm weather....strolls outside were a daily venture.

Abram is now sitting up on his own, just about crawling (Abram prefers to roll everywhere), eating oatmeal, stage #2 baby foods, and getting into just about anything that is in his reach. We have an appointment later this month with a pediatric ENT since Abram has now had four ear infections in about a 2-month period. More to come in the next posting.

6-month check up stats and information

2008-12-15T14:24:00.000-05:00

This morning was Abram's 6-month check-up with the pediatrician. Here are the latest stats:

Weight - 18lbs, 2oz (62%)

Height - 27.5 inches (83%)

Abram is a nice long, lean, and still very happy baby! We have started to use the convertible car seat and Abram is enjoying his new "ride". Now that Abram has mastered the Stage 1 baby food, we will soon be moving onto Stage 2. Will continue to use the sippy cup, but hopefully Abram will be able to enjoy the water in his mouth and not on him. Abram continues to roll around the floor, blow "raspberries", babble, and is so close to sitting up without the help of Mommy and Daddy.

The entire Blecker Family is looking forward to our upcoming vacation time in FL. First, Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Ray are heading to ATL for a visit, to celebrate Hanukkah and a couple birthdays (Melissa's 32nd and Grandma Kathy's 60th).

November has come and gone.....

2008-12-05T12:55:00.000-05:00

Abram is developing and growing so much! Cannot believe that he is almost 6-month old. The past weeks Abram as started to really discover new things. He loves playing with his hands and puts just about anything he can in his mouth. The newest thing recently is that Abram is waving....doubt he knows exactly what he is doing, but it is pretty darn cute. Abram continues to roll-over and when on his belly, he will push up on his knees....guess crawling will be the next big milestone. Abram's laugh is so contagious and we just love to have good playtime together. He has really taken to us reading to him. He likes to hold the book along with me and Ira. Meal time has now expanded from just a bottle to oatmeal, rice cereal, and other simple baby foods. Abram has also taken to the sippy cup and it seems as though he feels like he is really eating and drinking like Mommy and Daddy.

Popi and GK came for a visit this month as well. Abram was so overjoyed with all the new faces and people around to play with and entertain him.

We celebrated Thanksgiving in the North GA Mountains with family who live in Big Canoe. Abram was a champ and slept through the entire Thanksgiving meal giving Mommy and Daddy time to enjoy the great food and company.

This month Abram experienced not one, but two ear infections. So far, Abram is doing ok with the meds, but mommy and daddy are looking forward to flu and cold season ending.

We are already counting down the days until we see all the grandparents later this month and looking forward to Abram's first Hanukkah. First, we have to cheer on the GATORS to what will hopefully be a SEC victory!!

Laughing

2008-11-02T19:28:00.000-05:00

Here is a fun little video of Abram that we caught today.

Milestones

2008-10-29T20:41:00.001-04:00

Abram is now 19.5 weeks and is eating rice cereal and rolling over like a champ. Ira picked up Abram from day care yesterday and was told by one of the teachers that the little man successfully rolled over all by himself. Ira and I were of course so excited and tried to get Abram to show us his new move. No luck!! Then, it was back to day care today where Abram rolled over not once but three times. Again, Ira and I wanted to see this accomplishment for ourselves. Sure enough tonight was the night...Abram is officially rolling over and on his way to crawling. Crawling will be awhile, but he is ready to be a movin' machine!

4-month update

2008-10-24T09:08:00.000-04:00

Abram's latest stats - Height 26 inches; Weight 15lbs. 12oz.; the little guy is trying so hard to fully turn over (he gets on his side and just gets stuck there), he enjoys playing peek-a-boo, is laughing, smiling, and cooing like crazy (Ira thinks the kid is really saying "Dada").

We have attempted rice cereal twice now and more ends up on Abram's bib than in his mouth. Guess it will just take time for Abram to figure out that he needs to swallow and not push the food out!

First day of daycare....

2008-10-06T20:54:00.000-04:00

Well, the day finally arrived when Mommy had to go back to work and Abram headed off to daycare. Today Abram did his first full-day away from both Mommy and Daddy. From what the infant class teachers said, Abram did great and was a joy to have. We can only hope that this behavior will continue. Of course with daycare in the mix and new baby schedule is taking shape and really messing with Mommy and Daddy's minds.

Motor Boat

2008-10-04T22:03:00.000-04:00

Here is a clip of Abram's newest talent and favorite activity. He does this frequently until the drool has fallen off of his chin and his shirt is so wet that we must change him several times a day.

Sleep

2008-09-26T08:35:00.001-04:00

So at just about 15-weeks old Abram had what I am calling his first "sleeping through the night" night. Yes, it only took about a week to get him conditioned, but Abram went down last night around 8:30pm and did not wake up until 6am this morning. Of course Mom was up every few hours just ready to hear some cry or movement. Hopefully the night we had last night will continue and just get better.

3 month pictures

2008-09-18T22:05:00.000-04:00

Abram turned 3 months this past week and the event was celebrated with Abram's first set of professional pictures. Here are a few of the gems that came out of the sitting. Hope you enjoy.

Time flies...12 weeks come and gone.

2008-09-13T20:10:00.000-04:00

It seems like just yesterday that we posted an update but it has been nearly a month. A lot has been going on the past few weeks. We have had lots of visitors, Abram has been growing like a weed and eating like a champ.

First Aunt Lauren (prego with another cousin for Abram...YEAH!) and Uncle Jeremy came to visit. It was Aunt Lauren's birthday and we all got to celebrate together. There was cake to celebrate the occasion. Abram got to play (sort of) in the park. It was more like everyone passing him around the picnic table in the shade. Here are a few pictures.

Next came a visit from Grandma Kathy, Grandpa Ray, Aunt Stacy, Uncle Jon, and Cousins Emily and Miriam. Everyone came together to celebrate Kathy and Ray's 40th wedding anniversary. Once again, cake was involved.

Abram got more attention this weekend than he might ordinarily get in a week. His cousins love him and only want to play with him non stop. We also took a family outing to the Coca-Cola factory and played tourist for a while.

The weekend after that, we got a visit from Grandma Roni and Aunt Lynn. We took a stroll through the Atlanta Botanical Gardens (pretty nice if you haven't been there) and just hung around for the weekend. Abram loved all of the attention he once again received. Mommy and Daddy loved having some help around the house to rock Abram to sleep and feed him all of his bottles.

Through all of this, Abram has started to giggle and hold his head up much better on his own. He is not quite sitting up just yet but is on his way. He is the only baby that we know of who absolutely loves his bath time with daddy and being put on his changing table. As soon as his back hits the table it is laughing and giggle for the next 10 minutes. The pictures above are just a few of the new ones. You can click the link on the top right of the blog to see all of the pictures that we have taken.

Oh, and we almost forgot one of the most important things thus far. Abram was exposed to the greatest football team in the land. College football started and Abram got to watch the mighty Florida Gators beat up on a few lesser opponents to open the college football season. Next post, victory pictures from our trip to Knoxville. GO GATORS!!!

Shot appointment

2008-08-20T20:08:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, we had Abram's 2-month check-up with the doctor. Abram has grown another 2 inches and gained 3lbs, putting him at 11lbs 13oz and 22.75 inches. All measurements are average for his age.

This appointment also included the first round of vaccine shots. Abram was a champ and pretty much slept after leaving the doctor's office. Mom on the other hand cried more than Abram!

We are looking forward to seeing how Abram develops over the coming weeks. His neck is getting stronger everyday and he is enjoying some toys and books.

8 week update

2008-08-13T11:13:00.000-04:00

These past 4 weeks have gone so quickly since we have written a post. Abram started to eat like a sumo wrestler and gained 2 more pounds in the 2 weeks following his 4 week check up. He was wanting to eat every hour which got a little crazy so we put the cabash on that little habit and the little guy is back to a normal eating schedule finally.

Abram has also started to smile quite often. He is a very happy baby (which could only be because of his stellar parents!). We have been able to capture a few of these precious moments on camera and posted below. Abram is holding his parent's fingers tightly and watches pretty much our every move.

We also took a road trip to Florida for a long weekend. It was time for Abram to meet the rest of his great grandparents that live down there who he had not met yet. They all held him all weekend and showed him even more love than his parents already do.

More 1-month updates

2008-07-18T11:39:00.000-04:00

Abram's original due date came and went. We spent our first July 4th as a family at a BBQ with some friends and then watching the fireworks in NYC on television. We certainly had a better view than all of the people there and Abram slept through most of it anyway.

Abram had his one-month check-up earlier this week and he is now up to 8lbs 13oz and is 20 3/4 inches long. According to the doctor, all good numbers for being one-month old even if he didn't think it was cool to hold the sign.

Last night Abram spent the entire night in his own room. His sleeping pattern still varies a bit each night and we just love it when he sleeps a 4-hour stretch. The glider has become Mommy's new best friend for feedings at 1:30am and 5am.

Don't forget the new link on the right to the photo album with lots more pictures of the little guy.

My thumb!

2008-07-13T16:34:00.000-04:00

Today Abram found his thumb. We are heading to the doctor for his 1 month (can you believe it) check up tomorrow. More details and pictures to follow soon.

2 weeks

2008-06-30T21:56:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the land of sleepless nights and poopie diapers. Abram is now 2 weeks old and has taken up his position as king of the household already. As we expected, there is not much routine just yet and everything revolves around when Abram wants to eat, sleep or soil a diaper. Thus far both of us had a catastrophic event while diaper changing. Twice in one day Melissa got the sprinkler treatment from the little guy. Soon she will remember to duck and cover while changing diapers. Ira's experience was much less glamorous, and we'll just leave it at that.

His battle wound from last weekend has healed and we are now just waiting for his little umbilical cord to fall off to give him a proper bath. He got his fingernails clipped so now everyone can see his cute little hands too (obviously this picture is from a few days ago).

All in all the first two weeks have been absolutely exhausting, amazing, frustrating, spectacular and magical all at the same time. Melissa is feeling very good, all things considered, and is healing up nicely too. We are absolutely loving being parents and living with our new little family. If these first 2 weeks are any indication, being parents is going to be so much more fantastic than we ever had imagined.

Bris weekend

2008-06-24T11:27:00.000-04:00

Here are links to pictures from the bris weekend. More to come.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=x22z485.7rkqbc4h&x=0&y=myxexs&localeid=en_US

Birth Day

2008-06-16T15:38:00.000-04:00

As was predicted in a recent post, Squirt put his foot down a little too hard on Saturday morning and broke Mel's water. At 2:20 am the water broke and by 3:30 am we were on our way to the hospital. Things moved very quickly as the nurses got everything ready for Squirt's big debut. The epidural was done and the next thing we knew the bed was moving towards the operating room. The nurses didn't give us much time to prepare so I was just trying to keep up while not losing all of our stuff and keeping the camera handy. The swift moving doctors had all the prep done very quickly and at 6:17 am on Saturday, June 14, 2008 we heard the first sounds out of Abram Justin. He weighed 6 lbs, 12 oz and was 19 inches long.

As a completely biased father, he is quite possibly the cutest (there's that word again) thing ever! When babies don't have to take that stroll down the birth canal they are born looking much less like aliens.

Abram has adjusted very well to life on the outside. Melissa is getting back on her feet and hardly missed a beat. Abram and Melissa will be heading home tonight. His weight has leveled off and mom's surgery wounds are healing nicely. More updates to follow very soon.

Peekaboo

2008-06-10T19:23:00.000-04:00

At the 36 week visit to the doctor we got to take a sneak peek at the little guy. He is all measured out and looking good. The doctor thinks he weighs just over 6 pounds and is doing great. Squirt has been a joy to be around during this pregnancy, but has decided to enter the world in the less than conventional way. We guess that he just wants to make a statement by putting his feet down and telling everyone from the very start that he is the boss. Yes, Squirt is breech and unless we have a gymnast in our midst, he will be delivered on June 30 or possibly earlier if he decides so. So far he is calling all the shots so we never know what will be next.

Now that 36 weeks has come and gone, the final preparations are underway. The furniture has all been delivered, sheets are washed, and the clothes are clean and in the closet. Some clothes have actually made it to the hospital bag as we are getting ready for the final frontier.

Baby readiness...

2008-06-02T12:05:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was fun-filled with family visiting and friend's hosting a baby shower. Squirt's baby furniture finally arrived and once the ceiling gets re-painted, Ira and I will be able to start organizing the room. We have received some lovely gifts from friends and family that I cannot wait for Squirt to start putting to use.

I cannot believe I am entering the final month of pregnancy. Ira and I have our 36-week doctor's appointment tomorrow. Weekly appointments will continue until birth.

Week 34 - ATL Heat

2008-05-28T08:37:00.000-04:00

Week 34 has arrived and so has the Atlanta heat. As if it is not hard enough to get around with an extra 25+ lbs, now I have to deal with ATL heat and humidity. Thank goodness for air conditioning.

The nesting phase of pregnancy has set in. Ira and I did our "to-do" list around the house over the Memorial Day weekend. So happened that the master bath shower started to leak as well and that is being replaced as I type this posting.

"Squirt" continues to be active. Ira and I cannot believe some of the movements we both are able to feel. We find ourselves saying, "wonder what the little guy looks like, will he look more like Mel or Ira?". Only time will tell.

32 weeks - Final 2 Months

2008-05-09T16:04:00.000-04:00

Can't believe that the final couple months of pregnancy are here. Had my 32-week doctor's appointment earlier this week. Mom and Squirt are doing fine. Was able to review some questions with the doctor that Ira and I put together after taking a tour of the hospital and attending some child prep classes. Next week Ira and I will be going to a full-day Child Birthing Prep class. Sounds exciting I know!!

Furniture for the nursery should be arriving in the next couple weeks. Not like I cannot look down at my belly and know this baby is for real, but seeing all the furniture and nursery items in the baby's room will really make it feel amazingly real!

We also made another adult purchase today. A camcorder was added to the photo/video collection for Ira to play with. Not only will there be stunning pictures of the family there will be long and boring home videos to torture you all with. More on this after the baby is born, but we will be posting videos here as well as pictures. Stay tuned for Atlanta's funniest home videos.

That darn stroller

2008-04-22T12:21:00.000-04:00

After a bit of a taxing hiatus (all pun intended) it is time to catch up on the happenings of the past few weeks around the house.

Let's start with revisiting the stroller adventure. You will recall the little adventure that we call "Babies R Us" a few months ago. Well, now a few dear friends have purchased the first big gift...the stroller. After all that embarrassment in the store not knowing how to make the thing collapse, we were back to the same feeling but this time it was in the comfort of our own home. Thankfully the stroller came about 90% assembled in the box. All we had to do was attach the wheels and canopy and we would be on our way. A long story short I was practically hitting the poor stroller trying to figure out how to attach the canopy that goes on top to shield the elements and finally got the wheels attached. It works in the living room but has yet to be tested in the great outdoors. More stroller follies to come I am sure.

Our son is positive that he is Jewish as well. Just around the time we were reading the 4 questions at our Seder on Saturday night, Little Squirt decided to make his presence known. He was jumping around and kicking momma enough that all of us on the outside could see Mel's stomach jumping up and down. A few people at the table could see it too. I guess he knew that he was the youngest one at the table. Hopefully he will be that excited to go to Sunday school in the future but we're not betting on that just yet.

We have taken an infant CPR class and met with the pediatrician we will likely use. I can't think of anything funny to say about that. I suppose there shouldn't be.

Squirt's room will get a fresh coat of paint this weekend and the furniture should be arriving soon. Things are gearing up for "Operation Baby Arrival" around the house. The countdown is just about to start now that we are just about into the single digits with weeks remaining. We are very excited and can't wait for everyone to start visiting over the next few months. Hopefully we will figure out Squirt's real name in time! See you soon!

Girl's Weekend...

2008-04-06T19:11:00.000-04:00

My "Girl's Weekend" with three of my closest friends has now come to an end. Jennifer, Laura, Mary, and I had a great time here in ATL. Even with the rainy weather, we still managed to do some shopping, stop by the Dogwood Festival, and see the fish at the GA Aquarium. Still hard to believe that the next time I see those girls I will be a mom. It is all just very exciting.

Week 27 has arrived and I just keep expanding in the belly. Squirt is moving around and letting us know about his presence. I am very happy, as is Ira, that Tax Season 2008 is coming to an end. Just about a week to go until I can nicely present the "honey-do" list to Ira.

Ira here....one more busy week and then my humor (like it or not) will return. Blog you soon.

Lots of movement...

2008-04-01T16:07:00.000-04:00

Have to say over the past week or so Squirt has been very actively moving around. Ira and I find ourselves just staring at my belly to see where he will kick, jab, or squirm to next.

I feel as though each morning I wake up and my belly has grown even more from the day before. Am still able to attend my prego water aerobics class and have been walking as much as possible to stay active.

Am looking forward to my final "Girl's Only" weekend as a not yet mom. Jennifer, Laura, and Mary arrive into ATL on Thursday for a fun-filled weekend of shopping, site-seeing, and more shopping.

Deep thoughts...

2008-03-12T21:52:00.000-04:00

I have never considered myself to be overly macho. Nobody reading this would ever disagree with this observation, I have no doubt. I have had some occasions of late that have made me very concerned. Maybe I am getting ready to be a dad and parts of it are just downright scary which I am OK with.

I have made an observation of myself lately that I would like to discuss for a moment. Lately, I have noticed that I have become more comfortable with the term "cute". This is not a word that I would use very often in my pre-prefatherhood life. In recent weeks, I have found it more and more acceptable for my lips to utter this word to describe a myriad of items, situations, etc.

Just the other night Melissa came home with a gift from a family friend that was a UF tracksuit for a 6-9 month old baby. It is fantastic...blue and orange with "GATORS" written across the back of the jacket. Every avid sports fan's dream for their unborn child. For those of you that know me well this is something that would make me very excited, especially since we are expecting a little boy to enter our lives in a few short months. My first reaction however was to call the matching pants and jacket, "cute". Over the first 6 months of this pregnancy I have become more sensitive, there is no denying that. But instead, my initial reaction was..."oh, Squirt will look so cute when we are watching football games in the fall...".

I guess this is just one of those growing pains on the road towards parenthood, but should "cute" and "football" be used in the same sentence?

Registries....

2008-02-29T17:06:00.000-05:00

Welcome to week 22! This has been an exciting week or two. We started with the trip to the furniture store. Who would have thought that there were so many kinds of cribs? After our trip to Babies-R-Us and Ira was denied every attempt to get something sports related anywhere close to the registry the furniture was not going to be much of a battle. Simple, classic, but Ira was not going to leave that store without the glider and matching ottoman!!!! You melt into this chair and no amount of screaming baby will get you out of it. I presume that the screaming baby will be in the chair with us most of the time that we are in the chair, but who knows.

Next it was time for the registering. Under the presumption that the baby registry is no where near as fun as the wedding registry, Ira went to work and and I was off to the store with some experienced help. I must thank my dear friend Rachelle for putting up with me during this ordeal. She and I spent a few hours at Babies-r-us and Target registering for all the baby essentials. Have to say the advice from my friends and family who are already moms and the research I did before heading to the stores really helped.

Squirt is starting to get more active, so the flutters are more frequent. We are still waiting for that first big kick. Squirt is trying as hard as a little guy in his position can to talk to us though. Mommy asks for a little activity down south and all of a sudden the little guy is moving around. We'll have to wait and see if he takes to commands this well when he is on the outside too.

I started taking a pregnancy water aerobics class. Such a great workout and I get to hang out the other moms-to-be! (I have so many comments that I could put here but all have been censored. Squirt's momma has reinforced the old adage, "if you have nothing nice to say then don't type anything at all".

Daddies-R-Us?

2008-02-19T12:28:00.000-05:00

Like any expectant parents, this past Sunday we headed off to the local Babies-R-Us to check things out. During the almost 2 hours spent in the store I was able to make several observations which I will share with you below:

1. It is amazing how you can shop for nothing and still feel like you just spent way too much money.

2. No matter how many advanced degrees you might have (Mel and I have a combined 3 higher education degrees and 1 CPA certification) it will never prepare you for the test of collapsing a stroller in the middle of a store with other dads-to-be watching out of the corner of their eye to see if they are the only one who can't do it.

3. Don't let anyone tell you differently, they make diaper bags that won't make you look like a moron carrying it around the mall. But does it really matter...everyone sees you with the child in tow, so isn't the diaper bag expected?

4. Don't be afraid to ask the other people around you in the store for their opinion. Many of them already have children and are full of insights beyond what you would ever think about.

5. Said another way, learn from all of the extra money they have spent that hopefully you won't.

6. If one of these individuals has several tatoos and when asked about the difference between different strollers replies, "this one rocks!", you should turn and run from this individual immediately!

7. I have a feeling that we all look scared for a reason!

What am I?

2008-02-15T21:12:00.001-05:00

Today was sonogram day. After a night of tossing and turning in anticipation for the big day, mommy and daddy headed off to the doctor's office bright and early. Almost immediately once the sonogram was started we got this picture of the baby's head. It is amazing how much the baby has grown since the first sonogram we had and Squirt was only the size of my fingernail.

(This is a profile of Squirt's noggin)

As you can see from the next picture below that Squirt has certainly grown since the last time we got a little sneak preview. Squirt is now approximately 8 to 10 inches long and weights about 1 pound. Everything is coming along smoothly and all is accounted for as evidenced below from head to toe.

(Those are feet on the left and for some reason in this shot Squirt thought that a finger in the eye was a good idea.)

At this point the anticipation was killing us so I am sure that by now you are wondering what I am. When Squirt was done swimming around for a minute the tech was able to get a good shot from below and...

(The doctor assured us that was not an arm in this shot...or as Grandpa Ray put it so eloquently...there is a stem on the apple.)

That's right, Squirt is definitely a boy as we got to see several shots of the family jewels. The doctor said that the baby is normal, healthy, and doing just great. As the machine was about to get shut down, Squirt gave a little thumb's up to let us know that all is going well down below.

(yes, that is the arm again)

Movin' around

2008-02-14T19:32:00.000-05:00

Am now at week 20 and for the past week or so, I have been feeling Squirt making the flutter movements everyone and the books said I would feel. Tomorrow we find out if Squirt is a boy or a girl. Then, the baby planning can really begin!

Chillin'

2008-01-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

We are hoping the cold will eventually move out of Atlanta. Squirt has been blessed this week with not only 1 snow storm but 2. The city shut down for the most part unnecessarily (which is to be expected). We were hoping to give Squirt the experience of hearing Barry Manilow live but that will have to wait as even Barry was afraid to venture out in the snow on Saturday night. We think it only right to culture our child so that they can know what really happened at the Copacabana!

We are still waiting for Squirt to make contact. We are talking every day with the little guy/gal but no response. We are starting to think that the microphone (belly button) is out of order. Some sort of response would be greatly appreciated. A kick, a little nudge, something besides sending Mommy to the bathroom 14 times every night. Something along these lines would be great so that maybe Melissa would stop both sides of the conversation. Yes, this is for real. All of the books tell you to talk to the baby, which we do on a regular basis. Some conversations more in depth and serious than others, but Melissa has decided that since Squirt can't answer she will answer for Squirt. The voice is rather high pitched and kinda cute. This is why it is very important for Squirt to answer in his/her own way so that Daddy can be sure that Mommy hasn't completely lost her mind.

The next 4 weeks can't go fast enough so that we can stop typing "him/her" or other variations and finally figure out what Squirt really is. Everyone in the world is convinced that Squirt is developing as a boy. We, in our own and very unprofessional opinion, are convinced that Squirt is a girl. Either way is no matter as long as there are 10 fingers, 10 toes and Melissa will be allowed to buy ultra-cute clothing for our little baby.

For now we are all great and our little bun in the oven is baking just right.

16-week doctor visit

2008-01-18T11:20:00.000-05:00

Just got back from the 16-week doctor visit. All is still going well with the pregnancy. Have gained about 5 pounds and the baby's heartbeat is perfect. Other than being ready to fall asleep by 9:30pm each night, I am feeling great.

Ira and I have been able to tell the baby news to all of our friends and family. It is nice to be able to share such great news and not keep it a secret. My belly is "poppin' out" and I am enjoying wearing maternity clothes. Why as we got older we ever stopped wearing elastic pants is beyond me....they are so comfortable.

We have already started the daycare center search. Been an interesting process and I am enjoying hearing local moms advice on what they recommend.

The secret is finally out.

2007-12-31T09:39:00.001-05:00

After weeks of talking with everyone on the phone and seeing people around town, we can stop hiding. The shackles of secrecy have been lifted. We have proclaimed to the world...WE ARE GOING TO BE PARENTS!!!! Some of you find this to be exciting, some are afraid, some are still trying to comprehend what we have just told you. Yes, Roni, Steve, Chuck, Karen you are going to be grandparents!

We have just returned from our trip to Florida to tell all of Ira's parents and many friends that a new Blecker family member is in the works for July. Everyone is very excited. Mel has a completely new wardrobe to grow into over the next few months and thus far Ira has gained more weight than Mel has. From all of the stories (both good and bad) this is nothing out of the ordinary and we are on the right track.

Melissa has been feeling good and the baby has started to pooch out just a little and it is becoming harder and harder to not notice that Mel is pregnant.

We are very happy to have you all on board now and supporting us in your own ways. For those of you with the "just wait....(fill in the blank with any gross, nasty, or just plain unpleasant experience)" please refrain as we are having a blast on the road to parenthood.

12-week Doctor Visit

2007-12-17T14:58:00.000-05:00

After celebrating our first wedding anniversary yesterday, today I went to my 12-week doctor visit. All is going great! Was able to hear Squirt's heartbeat...music to a future mom's ears. I had my list of questions to review with the doctor and some of my nerves of being a first time pregnant woman are starting to go away.

My clothes are getting tight around the belly and chest. Bought my first maternity sweater and shirt. It is getting hard to button pants. Will need to find some elastic band clothes to wear until I can fit into true maternity clothes. I did try on a few pairs of maternity pants over the weekend...what a good laugh I got in the dressing room. Think it will be a few more weeks until I can fit into those pants.

We are anxiously awaiting our trip to FL to tell the entire family the exciting news.

Grandparents Again

2007-11-25T13:18:00.000-05:00

We have been anticipating the arrival of Mel's parents to join us for Thanksgiving weekend. Ever since we found out that Squirt was on the way it has been very difficult to be on the phone with friends and family and not tell them the wonderful news that we had to share. Finally the time has come to tell someone and let them share in person with us the joy that we have had for several weeks now all to ourselves.

Kathy and Ray drove in on Thursday afternoon for what they were expecting to be a routine Thanksgiving weekend. Ira had bet that it would take no more than 15 minutes for the news to come out but Melissa found enough restraint to wait an entire 30 minutes. Just as we sat down to lunch, Melissa started to ask strange questions of her parents and then dropped the big news to them that Squirt would be joining us next summer. After an expected pause to digest the pastrami and the news, the tears were flowing between mother and daughter.

For the rest of the weekend, Ray probably didn't know we noticed him whistling around the house with every step he took.

We finally have been able to talk about our excitement with the experienced grandparents. Just a few more weeks until Ira's parents find out that they are going to be grandparents whether they are ready or not. Since all qualify for their AARP discounts we are going to make them official members of the club. More to come soon!

Ultrasound appointment

2007-11-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

Today we got to see "Squirt" for the first time. Seeing the baby and being able to hear the heartbeat was amazing. We will not get another ultrasound until week 20. Only at week 8 now. Nausea and I have been ok. Thanks to the "Prego drops", which are just like hard candy, the symptoms of morning sickness have not been too bad. An afternoon nap is always nice since I cannot seem to sleep for more than 2 hours before having to use the bathroom every night. Ira and I are caught up in the book "What to expect when you are expecting". I seem to be following everything the book says would be happening. Next Dr.'s appointment is set for December. We are anxious to get the big news out to the family. Will see everyone over the next month in person and will tell each then.

Confirmation Appointment

2007-10-30T14:27:00.001-04:00

So today, Tuesday, October 30th, we went to the doctor to officially confirm the pregnancy. We got the "thumbs up" sign from the doctor that we are indeed pregnant with a due date of July 4th. Now I get to look forward to nausea, weight gain, big boobs, etc. Next appointment will include the ultrasound. Am looking forward to that.

Sure but not sure

2007-10-28T16:53:00.000-04:00

Out shopping, feeling a little out-of-the ordinary, Mel purchased a home pregnancy test. On a beautiful and brisk Sunday morning the test was taken and the results were in. These were unofficial as they had not been audited by any independent accounting firm as of yet, but there appeared to be two lines. Reading these tests is similar to typing out those jumbled up words when you are trying to buy tickets for a concert on the internet. Since the test was not completely clear, the next step was what any couple who is actively wanting to grow their family would do...took two more tests. The results for these were in (and yes still unaudited)...

Yup, you guessed it, a baby is on the way!

We are so very excited to announce to the whole world that there is a Little Blecker on the way. From this point on, that Little Blecker will be known as "Squirt" until we reveal the official name in approximately 40 weeks. Stay tuned for all of the morning sickness, mood swings and obvious excitement as we start counting down to the arrival of our little bundle of joy!