Baby Hawk

A little bit of Nate's product makes for a spectacular hair-do

Six teeth and waiting for more!

Here's what I love about having a baby--he is an endless source of laughter for Nate and me. My current favorite is his excitement for bath time every night as he crawls completely naked as fast as he can to the bathroom, but without having his knees touch the floor.  I'd post a video, but it's a little too personal...

Happy New Year!!

No Internet

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth.  Actually, I think I have.  Our undisclosed Internet source put a password on their account a couple of weeks ago, and we no longer have the Internets here at our apartment.  I feel like I'm dying.  It's been good on some level because it's forced Weston and me to get out of the house on my winter break and go to the public library.  They have a nice toddler area in the children's section, so he can get into all sorts of messes while I catch up on the world, pay bills, send email, etc.

We're moving soon to a house (!) so we'll be getting Internets for sure then.  It's going to be a rough couple of weeks without it, but I'll make it through...

Quick update: Christmas was a blast.  Weston loved all the new toys and books, which couldn't have come a better time since he was bored with everything that he currently has.  I can't upload any pictures quite yet, but I'll get there.  Weston must have been good this year, because he got lots of love from Santa.  Grandma and Grandpa came in from Iowa and spent Christmas with us this year.  Nate and I slept in Weston's room on the futon, and that worked out okay until the last night when he finally realized that we were in there with him.  I think I slept about 2 hours that night...

Date Nights, continued

"Your life will completely change after having a baby."  I would say on some level, that's totally true.  It also doesn't change in a lot of ways.  For one, Nate and I still love going out to see a movie--we just have to be creative about how to make it happen.  My mom was in town last week (or was it two weeks ago?), so we hit her up BIG time babysit.  I think we went on three dates in the week that she was here.  We had to pick an early movie time or else I would have fallen asleep.  I also put Weston to bed a bit earlier those nights that we went out so that I didn't have to pump.

**As an aside, I love the fact that I'm still able to breastfeed Weston while I work full-time.  But, there is nothing more relieving than hanging up the breast pump bag Friday when I get home from work.  Needless to say, I loathe pumping on the weekends or anytime when I'm not at work, so I avoid it at all costs.**

I would love to be able to find a way to do date night every Saturday night with just Nate, but the reality is that a babysitter costs about $8-10 an hour (!) and having just recently moved to the area, I haven't made an effort to find a babysitter.  So, we've made Thursday afternoons Family Nights.  When I get home from work, the three of us go out somewhere--a coffee shop, for a walk, to a park, out to dinner--and just spend time as a family.  It's a good compromise for right now.

Seven Months!

"Seven months, really?  How did that happen?  We kept him alive for seven months?  Really?"

This was Nate in reference to our joint disbelief at the fact that our little man has somehow made it through this long.

He's about 18.5 pounds and pushing 29 inches (or perhaps taller--it's ridiculously difficult to measure an infant).  Six teeth, tons of hair, pulling himself up on everything, beginning to cruise on furniture, eating plants and power cords, getting about 90% of Cheerios in his mouth, a growing fascination with lights and their switches, and so much more.

Grandma came to visit!

Look at those teeth (and chubby cheeks)

About to eat my shoelaces

Classic--morning coffee while trying to control the baby

Surrounded by all his toys 

My little conductor

Thanksgiving

Oops.  Thanksgiving's been over for two weeks.  It was a great holiday because we went back to Wisco to spend it with my mom, aunt, uncle, cousins, and their kids.  The traveling actually wasn't so bad--I get ridiculously worked up before going on car trips with Weston.  I just feel terribly guilty about having him confined to the car seat, and the drive from Cinci to my mom's is about 7 hours.  But, we left at 5pm on Tuesday and he conked out soon after we left for about an hour.  We then stopped to get Nate some coffee, and we played at the Starbucks and changed into pajamas.  He nursed, and then promptly fell back asleep for the rest of the night until we rolled into Grandma's at midnight.  He woke up, nursed again, and went back to bed.

Checking out Great Uncle Peter (and his beard)

The center of attention

Baby did have some real turkey and baked sweet potatoes for dinner and loved it!

He spent the rest of Thanksgiving teething.  He now has 6 teeth total--four on the top and two on the bottom.  I think the other two bottom teeth are coming in...  And then I hope we get a break.

Baby on a Mission

 Yup. Found him in his crib last night standing up, holding on to the rails and crying. Next task: learn how to get down.

Just Give Me a Second

I can't say that I've really felt like a mom the past six months--I mean the frantic, 20 things going on at once, trying to get dinner on the table, baby's crying, kind of mom that I have a great stereotype of in my head.

I haven't felt this way, that is, until this past Wednesday...
------------------

It's 5 o'clock, right around that time when I feed Weston his dinner.  There was a staff meeting after work today, so I didn't get home until after 4, which means that I am just now getting to washing the dozens of parts from the Medela Freestyle Breastpump and the two bottles that Weston used during the day.  As I wash, I'm thinking about what to make for dinner, or at least what I can scavenge from the cabinets before I actually get to making dinner.

Bingo. Macaroni and cheese with broccoli and a can of tuna.  Easy, quick, and--

My cell phone rings.  It's Mom.  With a soapy rubber glove, I answer.

"Sure, let's Skype.  Just give me a second to finish up.  About 5 minutes, okay?"

This gives me enough time to finish my daily dish washing routine, get the water boiling and chop up some broccoli.  Weston's getting antsy for dinner.  Do I feed him first?  My stomach reminds me that I need to eat something soon.  Oh yeah--Skype--get the computer started.

I quickly chop up broccoli, and add it to the noodles in the pot, all while briefly entertaining thoughts about what would happen if I chopped my finger off because Nate's at work with the car, so I don't have a way to get to the hospital, let alone where the closest hospital is--

Weston lets out a squawk from the other room, yet again reminding me that I need to get his dinner warmed up.

I run in to check on him and the computer's up, so I open up Skype and get Grandma on the line.

"I got these super cute pajamas, and when you come next week for Thanksgiving, I'll have a high chair...Oh and check out this super cute toy I got him--"

The sizzle from the kitchen is the sound of the pot boiling over.  Shit.  I run in while yelling back, "Thanks, Mom, it's super cute!"  I turn the heat down, stir the noodles, and look around for my phone because now that's ringing.  It's Nate.

"Do you have Greg's phone number?" he asks.

"Maybe--just give me a second."

"Rob?  Rob?"  I can hear my mom calling from the other room.  I quickly truck back to the living room trying to think if I have Greg's phone number, as I notice that Weston has crawled up onto the laptop in an effort to touch Grandma's face and eat the shiny Intel and Windows 7 stickers on the corner, and at the same time managed to turn the video off on the Skype call.  I peel him off, and "reset" him--meaning that I move him about 10 feet away from the computer so that he has to work a bit to get back to it.

"Do you want his number now?" I ask as I hit the button to turn the video back on Skype.

"What??"  Mom asks.

"No, hang on--Mom, hold on, I'm on the phone with Nate.  Just give me a sec--"  I quickly look through my contacts on my phone (Greg's last name...Greg's last name...wait--the list is alphabetized by first name, so it doesn't matter).  "Nope, I don't have it.  Sorry.  Gotta go, okay?  Loveyoubye."

Weston is attacking the Intel and Window 7 stickers again, I peel him off, reset, and run back into the kitchen to drain the noodles, which are either overcooked or not done, but I really don't care at this point--do we even have any butter??--and I grab his food out of the fridge and toss it in the zapper for a few seconds while I shout down the hall-- "MOM!  I can't hear you--just give me second."  I run back, with a bib, the food, no spoon, drop the food on the table, pop Weston into his high chair, adjust the computer so Grandma can still see her little man, he lets out a wail, "Where the heck is my food, Ma??" and I tell him I'm sorry and that I forgot your spoon, so just-give-me-a-second-please!  I grab the spoon, look longingly at the steaming pile of noodles and broccoli in the colander, and head back, and shovel a couple of bites of food into my son's open mouth.  He calms down, Grandma and I end the Skype call, and Weston finishes eating his squash, chicken, prunes and apples.  Phew.

Afterward, I head back into the kitchen to finish up my dinner, and discover that my steaming pile of noodles has turned into a giant sticky mess that refuses to detach from the colander.  I don't care.  This is dinner, and I don't have another second to make anything else...

Cuteness

When dads dress their sons

A Very Merry Half Birthday!

Six months down...Sometimes I remember what life was like before baby got here, but it's kind of fuzzy.

We went for his 6-month check-up yesterday morning and met his new pediatrician, Dr. Jadeed.  It's hard picking a pediatrician--we just went with whoever was available and we got lucky.  Sometimes, I think it's all about the nurse since he or she is the one who administers the shots.  If they're organized, experienced, and quick, then I think that's the best a parent can hope for.

Anyway, here are the stats:
Length: 28 inches (95th percentile)
Weight: 18 lbs. 3oz. (50-75th percentile)
Head circumference: 44 cm (75th percentile)

He's eating like a champ once a day, usually when I get home from work.  I've tried to follow this progression of foods recommended by La Leche League: sweet potatoes, avocados, apples, pork, pears, and bananas.  He's enjoyed most of them, although the apples were a bit too tart for him, so I've been mixing them in with the sweet potatoes.  I love making baby food for him, and I find it to be fairly easy.  There are lots of websites out there that give hints and suggestions for making and storing baby food--I like Wholesome Baby Food.  I try to make one or two good batches of food on the weekends, which makes it easy to have a nice variety of food during the week.

He's had a bit of a plumbing problem since the introduction of solid foods, but I've been pushing water and prune juice to help avoid that.  Unfortunately, I've also had to use glycerin suppositories, but they work like a charm.

Grandma Becca and Grandpa Brady stopped by for a visit last weekend and their way back from Florida, and Weston was super happy to see them!

Milo!

Checking out Grandpa's beard

One of several dozen possible Christmas card photos

Precious

Autumn Fun

Wow, October has been an exciting month for my little man--first tooth, almost crawling, solid foods... The other day, he experienced his first ridiculous Halloween costume.  I came home to him half-dressed in what was going to be his Halloween costume (a hand-me-down bonus):

Bat Boy

Unfortunately, like so many other clothing items that Weston has, it's too small.  He's almost outgrown his 9 months pajamas, and I'm going to have to do another round of putting clothes away and pulling bigger ones out.  It amazes me how fast babies grow.

Here he is earlier in the day, rocking a few downward dogs and babbling about ma-ma and ba-ba:


Today we went to Devou Park in Covington and snapped a bunch of pictures of our baby boy.

First swing ride at the park

Ready for a nap after the fresh air

Like father, like son

Overlooking Cincinnati

Adios, Breast Milk Poo

Hello, sweet potatoes, bananas, and avocados!  We started Weston on solids a few days ago and, wow...it really was nice changing simple diapers for the past 5 and 1/2 months.  Now they're a lot more--shall we say--complicated?  And stinkier?

He absolutely loved the sweet potatoes I gave him (and that I made!).  It wasn't that difficult to feed him from a spoon, either.  He opened up, made a few "What the *@$# is this?" faces, and then swallowed like a champ.  Then he promptly opened up for more.

Steaming Honeycrisp apples

Puree on!

Ready to go in the freezer

Loving the sweet potatoes, but a bit confused about the food source 

Such a big boy!

Why do they always grab at the spoon?

I was really, really hoping that feeding him solid foods would help him sleep through the night, but, nope.  No such luck.  He's still waking up at least once to be fed.  He sometimes wakes up twice, but I've been letting him cry himself back to sleep.  Two weekends ago he slept from 7pm to 5am, woke up, fed, and then went back to bed until 7:30am.  That's the longest stretch we've ever had.

Dear Tooth Fairy...

Somebody cut his first tooth today!!  I noticed the bud on Tuesday after what was a unusually difficult day--weird naps, diaper rash, crabbiness.  And 48 hours later--viola!--we have our first tooth.  It's the lower left one.  I hope the rest of his teeth are as easy as this first one was.

Can you see it?

Can you see it now?

Rocking the sippy cup

HappyBabyJumpingTimes

Our little spaz loves his bouncy seat, a gift from his "aunties" back in Milwaukee.  We're training Weston to capitalize on his nearly off-the-charts height percentile by working on his vertical jump, complete with a little Adidas warm up outfit from Grandma.  Doesn't he look like Ari and Uzi from The Royal Tenenbaums?

My Dirty Belly Button

My body has changed in ways that I couldn't really have predicted a year ago.  Yes, one of them has to do with my belly button.  However, none of the changes are so horrid that I can't come to grips with my body post-baby.  Here they are, in no particular order:

1. I never did get the full-on outie belly button, but it was definitely stretched out.  It's got a bigger diameter and I think it's slightly deeper.  That's why I mentioned my dirty belly button.  I never really had issues with things in my belly button before because it wasn't big enough to collect anything.  Now, it seems as though I have to pay special attention to cleaning this "new" body part.
2. Hair, hair everywhere...  I think my hair loss has finally calmed down--just in enough time for Weston to rip the remaining locks out of my head with his hands.  Some report that their hair gets thicker, curlier, straighter, or thinner.  I think mine is pretty much the same--there's just less of it right now.
3. Baby's got back...and hips!  I am within 5 pounds of my pre-preggo weight (can I get an AMEN for breastfeeding?).  However, I don't think that my weight is distributed in the same way that it was before baby.  Most of my pants fit, but they just fit differently.  A round of applause for my son's 95th percentile head circumference that shifted ligaments in my pelvis and altered my anatomy.
4. I'm not one to wear make up, but I think I need to invest in something that will lighten up the ever-darkening circles under my sleep-deprived eyes.
5. The muffin top that feels like a bowl of Jello...  This is the one that bothers me the most.  It's shrunk a little bit, but it's still there, like an artifact left over from a previous civilization.
6. Boobs...I am simply amazed at what the female body is capable of.  I've been the sole provider of food for my little man for over five months now and he's just about doubled his weight.  That's a lot of breast milk that's been produced, but at a price to the "factories."  It's okay--I wouldn't change the bond that he and I have for anything.  In fact, the only time that I think everything's okay with the world is when I'm nursing.

Weston the Geek

Weston,

I promise we're laughing with you and not at you.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Geeked out with Dad in the workshop

Sporting Dad's safety glasses (from the 1940s?) 

I'm the one who looks like a weirdo here

Listening to Dad explain how the particle collector works (post diaper change)

This is the funniest picture we have of him yet.  Not quite sure why he wouldn't relax in the swing...

Already?

As is becoming our little custom, I came home from work this afternoon to a smiling baby boy sitting with Dad on the porch.  I kissed both of them hello, and as soon as Nate ended his phone call, he told me to "Come see this."

He put Weston on the bed, and he helped him get his legs tucked under his body.  Of course, Weston wasn't interested in showing off his new trick, so Nate had to fill me in on the details...He pushed himself up onto all fours and rocked back and forth a bit before he toppled over.

Already?  He's not even five months old (although he will be in a couple of days).

I did get to see this amazing feat this evening before bath time.  I was quite impressed.  Nate was able to capture it this afternoon:

My Cutie Patootie

The littlest bookworm

Dad, where's Mom??  Isn't she home yet???

Loving the outdoors

Mmmm...bugs...

Bath Time

The past couple of nights our little man has resorted to grunting while taking a bath. This video barely captures how ridiculous he sounds.
 


 I love this kid.

A Schedule? Yeah, Right.

I love reading stuff like this: "By four months, your baby is probably sleeping eight hours at night" or "Try to put your baby down around the same time every night" or "Keep nap times consistent."

I would love to experience all of that.  It'd be great if Weston would decide to wake up at 3am every night, nurse, and go back to sleep until 7am, play, take a 2-hour nap at 9am, get up at 11:30, eat, play and then nap again around 1pm for a couple of hours and then wake up in time for me to nurse him at 3:30 when I get home from work, take a quick cat nap before bath, eating and bedtime at 7pm.

But that never, ever happens.  Ever.

I can't figure out what bedtime works best for him--early (like around 6:30), or later, around 8pm.  A lot of it depends on what time he wakes up from his afternoon nap.  And he's never really consistent on how long he sleeps at night, either.  Last night he was up at 10pm, 1:30am and 5am.  The night before that he was up once at 1:30am.  I don't get it.  Today, he refused to nap until 10am, and then slept until 1pm.  He took a 30 minute nap at 5pm and was in bed by 7pm.

We try--really we do--to have a schedule.  Sometimes he just doesn't want to cooperate.

Ready for a walk in the Moby Wrap

Post-walk sleepy times

Wow.  None of the fabric in this picture matches.  But, baby doesn't care!

Yum, yum ,yum ,yum, yum