Sam is quite the explorer of his New World. And he's a fast learner. He is quite speedy in rolling. He hasn't learned to crawl yet, and I don't know that he will. I think he will probably by-pass the crawling because he is so proficient in rolling. Why crawl on your hands and knees when you can roll across a room at the speed of light?! He is getting better at balancing when he sits up and when standing. We're getting there. Part of me wants to keep him as my little baby forever, but the other part of me realizes that he is growing and changing every day.
Sam is quite the busy body, always wiggling and moving around. Hubs likes to say, "Our snuggle bug has become a wiggle worm!" Sam is learning to use his hands and feet in different ways. He likes to do Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star with Nanny Manda, and it almost looked like he was waving at daddy (who was on the phone) today. He reaches up when he wants you to pick him up, and gives you hugs and kisses (very slobbery kisses, mind you!). Somehow he's figured out how to run his fingers over his lips to go, "blub, blub, blub, blub..." He likes to mimic facial expressions, especially sticking out his tongue, smiling, and blinking. This is our new game that I can do for hours, if he would let me! Sam is also quite vocal. He loves to talk and babble. I think we are getting very close to a first word. He says, "dadadada" quite a bit and sometimes teases me with a "mommma". One day when I asked him what my name is, he replied, "blah blah blah!" Fairly accurate! =)
A couple of days ago, Sam got into trouble for the first time. I was holding him, and he was mad about something, so he decided to bite me on my shoulder. He has two bottom teeth and one top tooth that are very sharp. I very sternly said, "Ouch! Sam that is bad! No! No!" He looked at me for a second, then his little chin started to quiver, and then he just started bawling. In the end, I think I felt worse for getting after him than he did for biting me!
Yesterday Hubs' aunt took us out to dinner at the Little America (a very nice restaurant) as a graduation gift for Hubs. Of course, Sam came along because he is the rock star. A little background information will help this story: First, it was a very, very nice restaurant. Second, this aunt is a very kind, generous, elderly, and well-to-do aunt. This is the same aunt who offered to let me borrow one of her real mink coats when Hubs and I got married. I couldn't do it. My luck, there would have been animal rights protesters that day and I would have returned it covered in red paint. Well, the minute the server placed my 'mixed greens' in front of me, Sam proceeded to throw up. Not just spit up, mind you. He was like this geyser. Luckily he was facing me and facing away from the aunt. So I very indiscreetly took a burp cloth out of the diaper bag and tried to casually mop off my child. Luckily earlier that day, I had put a ziploc bag (in case of emergencies!) in the diaper bag, so I put the ziploc bag on my lap and under the table and stuck the soggy burp cloth in the bag. The cloth was seriously drenched! Yuck! All was well. Hubs had seen the dilemma out of the corner of his eye and did his part of engaging the aunt in a lively conversation to distract her. Well, a few minutes later and a couple bites of salad later, Sam proceeded to throw up some more. I got out the wipies and cleaned him up again the best I could without drawing attention to us. Sam, bless his heart, wasn't upset by the puking. He just sat there in his car seat jabbering away. Then he started to fuss, and I knew it was time for him to eat. I debated whether or not to give him a bottle, but he was hungry after all. So he got a bottle/more ammunition. Just after he finished his bottle, he began throwing up again. Pretty much all through dinner and dessert the little guy was a fountain of puke. I just kept cleaning him up indiscreetly and shoving the used wipies into the ziploc bag on my lap and nodding along with the conversation. Finally, it was time to leave. The aunt was cooing over Sam, and I was just hoping she wouldn't get close enough to him to catch his delightful fragrance--parfum de upchuck. Hubs walked the aunt out to her car, and I took Sam into the very fancy bathroom and stripped him down. I put his soaked clothes into the ziploc bag, changed his diaper (which was also very stinky and messy), wiped him down from head to toe,and put him into a clean onesie. I also had to mop out his car seat and scrub it thoroughly. Needless to say, it was a nice dinner, but I was exhausted! And luckily I don't have a squeamish tummy because I was still able to finish my very expensive meal in between clean-ups. I am totally going to re-tell this story to Sam's prom date some day! =)
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Image
I've been thinking about image a lot lately. I think it is because over the past few months I've been gaining weight and getting chubbier than I did when I was pregnant. Irony: When I was pregnant I lost weight. Now that I'm not pregnant, I'm consistently gaining. It is true that I don't exercise as much as I should, but I do try. I've been trying to walk to places instead of drive all of the time, and I have got to be burning calories carting Sam all over the place and cleaning the house. It is also true that I don't eat as healthy as I should, but, again, I am trying. I'm certainly doing better than when I used to teach and I would snack on whatever I could get my hands on all day long. Something that I have discovered is that those cravings you have when you're pregnant don't necessarily disappear the minute you have the baby. Sam has left me with this insatiable sweet tooth that I never had before. I used to be a salt-girl--I couldn't resist chips. Now it's sugar (and chips (but not together)). And what do all the fitness books and videos say is the number one must-go if you want to lose weight? Sugar. I used to guffaw at such things. Sugar? I don't have a problem with sugar! Now I find myself at near melt-down if there is no dessert after dinner. And the fitness experts that try to convince me that biting into a crunchy apple is just as satisfying as say a slice of cheesecake are lying...perhaps a white chocolate and caramel covered apple!
Anyway, I'm feeling fat. And I'm feeling self-conscious about all sorts of silly things like the fact that lately my slightly crooked teeth are looking more crooked. Hubs says that I should look into getting braces if it is bothering me. I explained to him that I've already had braces once, and I'm not doing THAT again! I'm thinking of looking into that invisalign. And then there are those darn stretch marks that are still bright red and make it look like a) a wild animal with long, sharp claws attacked me, b) I am turning into a giant albino watermelon, or c) I am wearing a nude colored blouse with red zebra stripes. I don't know, maybe I'm just going through a phase. I know that Hubs loves me no matter what I look like. And Sam definitely loves me no matter what. In fact, the goofier I look, the better! I've heard a lot about a talk at the last BYU Women's conference that has been echoing through my head lately. Granted this is all information three or four times removed, but the speaker talked about how a man will stand in front of a mirror with his gut sticking out and think, "Man, I look good!" And a woman will stand in front of a mirror and pick out every imperfection and totally berate herself. I realize that I need to be kinder to myself, cut myself some slack. I did have a baby, after all, and that is no easy task for the old bod. But I'm also me, so I've been putting together an information packet/binder on feeling better about my body and improving my body. You would probably think I'm crazy if you could see all of the binders I've put together (I'm just realizing that it's kind of my thing-I research things and make binders for my research)--pregnancy, parenting tips, hair styling, crafts, recipes, writing...my life is a binder! I re-read the last statement and it sounds like I'm really organized, but, sadly, that is not the case. I think I have a binder on how to be more organized! Anyway, back to the body thing. I want to be fit and healthy for Sam. I want to be able to do things with him. To be honest, I want to have another baby soon and would really like to be in good shape for another pregnancy. I want to look good for Hubs. And, most of all, I want to be fit for me! I deserve it!
So I'm starting a new plan for the summer to get in shape. I'll give more details as I go. Here's a website and article that I'm starting with: http://www.parenting.com/article/Mom/Health--Fitness/Love-Your-New-Mom-Body. It all begins with attitude. I need to have a better attitude towards myself and my body. I need to set realistic goals. It's a start at least!
Anyway, I'm feeling fat. And I'm feeling self-conscious about all sorts of silly things like the fact that lately my slightly crooked teeth are looking more crooked. Hubs says that I should look into getting braces if it is bothering me. I explained to him that I've already had braces once, and I'm not doing THAT again! I'm thinking of looking into that invisalign. And then there are those darn stretch marks that are still bright red and make it look like a) a wild animal with long, sharp claws attacked me, b) I am turning into a giant albino watermelon, or c) I am wearing a nude colored blouse with red zebra stripes. I don't know, maybe I'm just going through a phase. I know that Hubs loves me no matter what I look like. And Sam definitely loves me no matter what. In fact, the goofier I look, the better! I've heard a lot about a talk at the last BYU Women's conference that has been echoing through my head lately. Granted this is all information three or four times removed, but the speaker talked about how a man will stand in front of a mirror with his gut sticking out and think, "Man, I look good!" And a woman will stand in front of a mirror and pick out every imperfection and totally berate herself. I realize that I need to be kinder to myself, cut myself some slack. I did have a baby, after all, and that is no easy task for the old bod. But I'm also me, so I've been putting together an information packet/binder on feeling better about my body and improving my body. You would probably think I'm crazy if you could see all of the binders I've put together (I'm just realizing that it's kind of my thing-I research things and make binders for my research)--pregnancy, parenting tips, hair styling, crafts, recipes, writing...my life is a binder! I re-read the last statement and it sounds like I'm really organized, but, sadly, that is not the case. I think I have a binder on how to be more organized! Anyway, back to the body thing. I want to be fit and healthy for Sam. I want to be able to do things with him. To be honest, I want to have another baby soon and would really like to be in good shape for another pregnancy. I want to look good for Hubs. And, most of all, I want to be fit for me! I deserve it!
So I'm starting a new plan for the summer to get in shape. I'll give more details as I go. Here's a website and article that I'm starting with: http://www.parenting.com/article/Mom/Health--Fitness/Love-Your-New-Mom-Body. It all begins with attitude. I need to have a better attitude towards myself and my body. I need to set realistic goals. It's a start at least!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Growing Up
My little guy is growing up. And we're quickly learning that every milestone comes with some good and some bad. (By the way, I've decided to just use the baby's name, Sam. It makes it so much easier! Anyway...) For example, earlier this week I was rubbing Sam's gums and I ran across his first tooth. It hasn't quite broken all the way through the surface, but I can feel the little jagged edge of it poking through his little baby gums. This is a very exciting. For a mom who is passionate about food, this will be a fun adventure of introducing new foods to him and helping him to experience new flavors. I tried to give Sam one of those baby biscuits a couple of weeks ago and discovered that he can still bite off pieces of things even without teeth. So all solid foods are eaten in one of those mesh things. Sam does seem to share my love for food though. He is a voracious eater and has generally liked anything I put before him. Now for the downside, new tooth equals crankiness. Now, I've heard horror stories, and I have to admit, Sam isn't really that bad. He gets a little fussy now and then but not the hours of screaming that people speak of. But I can tell that it bothers him, and he will have sudden bouts of crying. How traumatizing that must be for a baby--such betrayal. The happy place where food goes in, that tastes everything, is suddenly an owie place! Last night he was really having a hard time, so I ended up sleeping on the nursery floor with him. We cuddled up and that seemed to comfort him. Though, I woke up at one point and Sam had the entire pillow and all of the blankets! Takes after his dad! Well, one tooth down (close, anyways) and--how many teeth do babies get?--more? to go!
Another milestone is that Sam has discovered rolling. I was starting to wonder if he would ever be a roller. He doesn't like being on his belly that much and is usually content just to be on his back. He has demonstrated that he can roll over (Nanny Manda calls him a one-trick pony: He does it once to show that he can then that's it!), but has been more of a scootcher, pushing himself around on his back with his legs (thus the rug burn/bald spot on the back of his head). However, just the other day, I came in to get him out of bed in the morning and he was on his belly. I thought this was cute but didn't think much of it. Then later that day, he rolled across his nursery. Suddenly, he's a traveler. I realize that I probably can't take naps with him on my bed anymore (yesterday morning I woke up to Sam wrestling with the pillow that I put on the edge of the bed to keep him safe. It looked like Sam was winning). This also means that Sam tends to wake himself up at night when he rolls himself into a corner of the crib and gets stuck. Too soon, he'll be able to pull himself up to standing! Yikes!
Well, since I've decided to reveal the baby's name, I might as well explain a little about his name. First of all, it's a family name which makes it special. He also has two middle names--the names of both of his grandpa's. But I also liked the name because it means 'God heard' and Sam is definitely an answer to our prayers like Samuel was an answer to Hannah's prayers in the Bible. There is a painting by Elspeth Young that I want to own someday called For This Child I Prayed. There are so many women in the Bible like Hannah and Abraham's Sarah that I can relate to and who inspire me.
Another milestone is that Sam has discovered rolling. I was starting to wonder if he would ever be a roller. He doesn't like being on his belly that much and is usually content just to be on his back. He has demonstrated that he can roll over (Nanny Manda calls him a one-trick pony: He does it once to show that he can then that's it!), but has been more of a scootcher, pushing himself around on his back with his legs (thus the rug burn/bald spot on the back of his head). However, just the other day, I came in to get him out of bed in the morning and he was on his belly. I thought this was cute but didn't think much of it. Then later that day, he rolled across his nursery. Suddenly, he's a traveler. I realize that I probably can't take naps with him on my bed anymore (yesterday morning I woke up to Sam wrestling with the pillow that I put on the edge of the bed to keep him safe. It looked like Sam was winning). This also means that Sam tends to wake himself up at night when he rolls himself into a corner of the crib and gets stuck. Too soon, he'll be able to pull himself up to standing! Yikes!
Well, since I've decided to reveal the baby's name, I might as well explain a little about his name. First of all, it's a family name which makes it special. He also has two middle names--the names of both of his grandpa's. But I also liked the name because it means 'God heard' and Sam is definitely an answer to our prayers like Samuel was an answer to Hannah's prayers in the Bible. There is a painting by Elspeth Young that I want to own someday called For This Child I Prayed. There are so many women in the Bible like Hannah and Abraham's Sarah that I can relate to and who inspire me.
You can go to alyoung.com to learn more about the painting. It's interesting all the symbolism that he put into the painting. I especially like this part: "Hannah also wears white, symbolic of her faith and purity. The brightly colored wrap she wears warmly enfolds herself, and visually touches the child as well, symbolizing the influence of a righteous mother in the life of her child." I hope that I am a righteous mother!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Memorial Day weekend
Here's some pictures from our camping trip over Memorial Day weekend. We were in the middle of nowhere--believe me, we had to drive over an hour to get a cell signal. There was a whole lot of sage brush, rocks, dirt, horny toads, and some slithery things that I would rather not think about. That was about it. But we had so much fun!
Flying kites!
The pinwheel kite was giving us problems, but after some crafty engineering, we got it to work!
Can you see the garbage bag handle and the rock tail? Surprisingly, it worked!
It is always good to be with family! Here are some family pics of us just hanging out.
Digging (and in the baby's case, eating) for trilobites. Papa J should have been an archaeologist!
Flying kites!
The pinwheel kite was giving us problems, but after some crafty engineering, we got it to work!
Can you see the garbage bag handle and the rock tail? Surprisingly, it worked!
It is always good to be with family! Here are some family pics of us just hanging out.
Digging (and in the baby's case, eating) for trilobites. Papa J should have been an archaeologist!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Random Thoughts and Catching-up
I just got back from an end-of-the-year teacher luncheon at my old school. It was so good to see my old friends again. It's strange to think how that was my life not so long ago. It seems like ages ago though. Sometimes I wonder if this is how soldiers who are home feel. They're happy to be home but then your fellow soldiers are still out there on the front lines and part of you feels like you should be there too, helping somehow.
Some things never change though which is comforting in a way. There's still the same challenges and still many of the same jokes. There will always be that student that everyone talks about: "One more day with that kid, and I would have strangled him..." But also the made-it-all-worth-it kids. I've been going through my stuff, trying to get organized, and I came across some of my old notes from students (I save everything, to the chagrin of my husband). It was good to read through some of the notes and remember the good times. It helped me to realize that I did make a difference for some kids. Sometimes I wonder if in eight years of teaching, if I really did make much a difference. The notes helped me to see that I did make a difference in my own way. It's like the starfish story where the grandpa and his grandson are walking along the beach and the little boy keeps throwing starfish back into the ocean. When the grandpa tells the little boy, "Look at all of the starfish on this beach. You're not going to make much a difference," the little boy responds by holding up one starfish and throwing it into the ocean and saying, "Yeah, but I made a difference for that one."
Anyway, life is good. It certainly isn't boring. The main reason I've been organizing lately is because my office flooded. Apparently a new rain gutter we had installed last year empties right into our window well. With the really wet weather we've been having, the window well has been filling up and emptying into my office. Thus, we had to empty out my office and will probably need to get new carpet and re-paint it. I wanted to re-paint my office anyway, but it was not good in that it looks like my office exploded across the basement and a little upstairs. What was once tucked away in my office, is now on Hub's radar. "Man! You have a lot of stuff!" is what I've been hearing, and then, "You need to clean out your stuff..." And I have to admit it, he's right. I have so much stuff. Don't be surprised if you see me on the next episode of that show about hoarders! So little by little, I've been cleaning, organizing, DI-ing, and throwing things out. Fun!
As for our big news, Hubs just graduated with his MBA last month. I am so proud of him. It has been a crazy two years with school, work, church stuff, every-day life stuff, and then our wonderful new addition. Hubs had finals shortly after Baby arrived. Now that was fun! The result was the lowest grade he had ever gotten. But as a good friend said, "C's get degrees!" But Hubs worked hard and now is a mighty graduate! I tease him that I'm going to get my doctorate so that on the Christmas cards I can write Dr. and Mr. J. That would be awesome. Plus, there is this doctorate program in Creative Writing that I would absolutely love! Sometimes I also want to go back to school and get a Master's in social work and do some counseling. For now, we're just glad to have our daddy back. Though it's crazy that once you take something off of your plate, how quickly that spot fills up again! But like I said, I'm so proud of Hubs. He is a good example for our little boy!
Notice the maniacal look of Hubs. This is how you look after finally getting your MBA!
Baby S, Hubs, and Papa J.
As for Baby S. He is growing and learning by leaps and bounds. At his 6 month dr.'s appointment last week he was in the 10th percentile for weight, 40th percentile for height, and 94th percentile for head circumference. Who is this skinny, tall baby? If it weren't for the big noggin' and Fred-Flinstone feet, I would wonder if he had been switched at birth. Well, and he is an exact replica of Hubs! Baby is totally into solids now. Among his favorites are green peas (surprising to me for some reason), carrots, and sweet potatoes. He still has a milk allergy, so he's still drinking soy formula. Whenever I try to give him milk based formula, he breaks out in a rash and pukes it all out. Just today I put a little bit of vanilla ice cream on his binky and he instantly broke out in a rash. But, the doctor says he'll probably grow out of it eventually. I'm starting to get used to the smell of soy anyway. He really packs it in with the solid food though. The first couple of times, I would just give him the small jars, but he would polish those off and still want more, so now we're eating entire big jars of baby food plus 4-5 ounces of bottle afterward. He's a skinny baby but he does have a little belly pooch going on!
I am amazed at how smart he is. Before the appointment, he would go to bed around eight and then wake up around 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. to eat. The doctor told us that he should be fine to go all the way to six and to push him towards that time. Well, he must have heard the doctor because he slept until six that next morning and has pretty much been sleeping in until six or later since. It has been so nice to get a full night's sleep again. Though before when he would wake up at five and eat, he would go back to bed until eight. Now he's up for good when he wakes up. Oh well, I'll take it! And he's an awesome napper. He usually takes pretty long morning and afternoon naps, 1-3 hours, and he goes down for a nap really well. I just put him in his crib after he's been awake for a couple of hours, and he goes to sleep. How did I get such a good baby? I'm wondering if this is a bad omen for the toddler years though...can such goodness last? He is so inquisitive and loves to explore everything around him. The other day, I had him on the floor while I was working on the computer. I had dumped out all of these toys for him to play with. Pretty soon I could here all of these noises. I looked over and he had rolled closer to his crib and was trying to lift the box to his Baby Einstein activity center. He had more fun with that box. Later on, I think we'll make it into a rocket ship or a race car or a ship or something. And I don't care what people think, I'm just giving him cardboard boxes for Christmas this year. He'll love it!
Baby S in his Baby Einstein activity center, which, for the record, requires an Einstein-IQ to assemble. The instructions are all of these stick-figure drawings. What?! I kept wishing that they would just use their words!
A few weeks ago, we went to a old-school rock crawl competition in Delta. This is our friend Clay competing.
This is what Baby S did while Uncle Clay competed:
(No offense, Clay, but maybe you could turn up the excitement a notch...) =)
Baby S being Baby S! He is such a character. By the way, the adorable Winnie the Pooh outfit was purchased for him by his grandma and mom while mom was still in high school. To say I've been wishing for this little guy for awhile is an understatement! =)
Last weekend we took Baby on his first camping trip. It was kind of impromptu--we weren't planning on staying the night, but we ended up crashing in Aunt Holly's motor home along with everyone else in the family! It was crowded but a fun adventure. Baby loved being outside. His cousins even caught horny toads for Baby S to pet. He liked that, though I think he wanted to eat them! It was a fun little mini-vacation! I'll see if I can get some pictures posted from that soon (once I get them downloaded off of the camera).
Anyway, that's about it for now. Every day is an adventure, that's for sure!
Some things never change though which is comforting in a way. There's still the same challenges and still many of the same jokes. There will always be that student that everyone talks about: "One more day with that kid, and I would have strangled him..." But also the made-it-all-worth-it kids. I've been going through my stuff, trying to get organized, and I came across some of my old notes from students (I save everything, to the chagrin of my husband). It was good to read through some of the notes and remember the good times. It helped me to realize that I did make a difference for some kids. Sometimes I wonder if in eight years of teaching, if I really did make much a difference. The notes helped me to see that I did make a difference in my own way. It's like the starfish story where the grandpa and his grandson are walking along the beach and the little boy keeps throwing starfish back into the ocean. When the grandpa tells the little boy, "Look at all of the starfish on this beach. You're not going to make much a difference," the little boy responds by holding up one starfish and throwing it into the ocean and saying, "Yeah, but I made a difference for that one."
Anyway, life is good. It certainly isn't boring. The main reason I've been organizing lately is because my office flooded. Apparently a new rain gutter we had installed last year empties right into our window well. With the really wet weather we've been having, the window well has been filling up and emptying into my office. Thus, we had to empty out my office and will probably need to get new carpet and re-paint it. I wanted to re-paint my office anyway, but it was not good in that it looks like my office exploded across the basement and a little upstairs. What was once tucked away in my office, is now on Hub's radar. "Man! You have a lot of stuff!" is what I've been hearing, and then, "You need to clean out your stuff..." And I have to admit it, he's right. I have so much stuff. Don't be surprised if you see me on the next episode of that show about hoarders! So little by little, I've been cleaning, organizing, DI-ing, and throwing things out. Fun!
As for our big news, Hubs just graduated with his MBA last month. I am so proud of him. It has been a crazy two years with school, work, church stuff, every-day life stuff, and then our wonderful new addition. Hubs had finals shortly after Baby arrived. Now that was fun! The result was the lowest grade he had ever gotten. But as a good friend said, "C's get degrees!" But Hubs worked hard and now is a mighty graduate! I tease him that I'm going to get my doctorate so that on the Christmas cards I can write Dr. and Mr. J. That would be awesome. Plus, there is this doctorate program in Creative Writing that I would absolutely love! Sometimes I also want to go back to school and get a Master's in social work and do some counseling. For now, we're just glad to have our daddy back. Though it's crazy that once you take something off of your plate, how quickly that spot fills up again! But like I said, I'm so proud of Hubs. He is a good example for our little boy!
Notice the maniacal look of Hubs. This is how you look after finally getting your MBA!
Baby S, Hubs, and Papa J.
As for Baby S. He is growing and learning by leaps and bounds. At his 6 month dr.'s appointment last week he was in the 10th percentile for weight, 40th percentile for height, and 94th percentile for head circumference. Who is this skinny, tall baby? If it weren't for the big noggin' and Fred-Flinstone feet, I would wonder if he had been switched at birth. Well, and he is an exact replica of Hubs! Baby is totally into solids now. Among his favorites are green peas (surprising to me for some reason), carrots, and sweet potatoes. He still has a milk allergy, so he's still drinking soy formula. Whenever I try to give him milk based formula, he breaks out in a rash and pukes it all out. Just today I put a little bit of vanilla ice cream on his binky and he instantly broke out in a rash. But, the doctor says he'll probably grow out of it eventually. I'm starting to get used to the smell of soy anyway. He really packs it in with the solid food though. The first couple of times, I would just give him the small jars, but he would polish those off and still want more, so now we're eating entire big jars of baby food plus 4-5 ounces of bottle afterward. He's a skinny baby but he does have a little belly pooch going on!
I am amazed at how smart he is. Before the appointment, he would go to bed around eight and then wake up around 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. to eat. The doctor told us that he should be fine to go all the way to six and to push him towards that time. Well, he must have heard the doctor because he slept until six that next morning and has pretty much been sleeping in until six or later since. It has been so nice to get a full night's sleep again. Though before when he would wake up at five and eat, he would go back to bed until eight. Now he's up for good when he wakes up. Oh well, I'll take it! And he's an awesome napper. He usually takes pretty long morning and afternoon naps, 1-3 hours, and he goes down for a nap really well. I just put him in his crib after he's been awake for a couple of hours, and he goes to sleep. How did I get such a good baby? I'm wondering if this is a bad omen for the toddler years though...can such goodness last? He is so inquisitive and loves to explore everything around him. The other day, I had him on the floor while I was working on the computer. I had dumped out all of these toys for him to play with. Pretty soon I could here all of these noises. I looked over and he had rolled closer to his crib and was trying to lift the box to his Baby Einstein activity center. He had more fun with that box. Later on, I think we'll make it into a rocket ship or a race car or a ship or something. And I don't care what people think, I'm just giving him cardboard boxes for Christmas this year. He'll love it!
Baby S in his Baby Einstein activity center, which, for the record, requires an Einstein-IQ to assemble. The instructions are all of these stick-figure drawings. What?! I kept wishing that they would just use their words!
A few weeks ago, we went to a old-school rock crawl competition in Delta. This is our friend Clay competing.
This is what Baby S did while Uncle Clay competed:
(No offense, Clay, but maybe you could turn up the excitement a notch...) =)
Baby S being Baby S! He is such a character. By the way, the adorable Winnie the Pooh outfit was purchased for him by his grandma and mom while mom was still in high school. To say I've been wishing for this little guy for awhile is an understatement! =)Last weekend we took Baby on his first camping trip. It was kind of impromptu--we weren't planning on staying the night, but we ended up crashing in Aunt Holly's motor home along with everyone else in the family! It was crowded but a fun adventure. Baby loved being outside. His cousins even caught horny toads for Baby S to pet. He liked that, though I think he wanted to eat them! It was a fun little mini-vacation! I'll see if I can get some pictures posted from that soon (once I get them downloaded off of the camera).
Anyway, that's about it for now. Every day is an adventure, that's for sure!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
My First Official Mother's Day
Sunday was what I consider my first official Mother's Day. It was the first mother's day in a long time that I didn't break down sobbing at some point. It was the first mother's day that I didn't have that overwhelming ache in my heart as I watched other mothers in action or listened to the children at church sing 'Mother I Love You' and wondered if it would ever be my turn. Mother's Day can be so hard if you are struggling with infertility. I said a special prayer Sunday for all of my sisters in the world who are struggling with infertility or the loss of a child. I hope they felt a little divine comfort and strength. It is still hard for me to believe that I really do have a baby--that the little guy sitting on my lap during church was mine, all mine! Then he started fussing a little, and I had to take him out, and I thought to myself, "What a privilege! A baby, even a fussing one, is such a blessing!" I hope to never take my blessings for granted.
Last year, we announced to our family that I was a pregnant. It was such a whirlwind of emotions! It is crazy to me that it was a year ago already. It is even more amazing to me that my baby is five months old already. Where does the time go? But believe me, I am cherishing every moment!
So, in honor of Mother's day, here is a list of the things I love about motherhood so far:
1. I love that Baby has a smile just for me. He has so many smiles--his mischievous smirk, his silly smile, his "He-ey" smile that he uses to flirt with girls, his making friends smile, his playing smile, and then he's got this special smile that he gives me sometimes that says, "Hey mom! I'm glad to see you!" It melts my heart every time!
2. I love that I can comfort my baby when he's upset. It's really true that sometimes moms just know how to comfort their child. I love that I can take him in my arms and snuggle him and make his world better.
3. I love how he makes me laugh. Sometimes the most random things will make him crack up--me trying to fix something on his swinging chair or the story SkippyJon Jones. Baby laughs are so contagious. Pretty soon everyone is laughing along with the baby...and I mean the hard laughing, with tears running down your face, holding your sides. My baby is a comedian. He knows just how to make us laugh, whether it's making funny sounds when he's supposed to be sleeping or the silly faces he likes to make. And I love how he can bring the goofy side out of anyone. A few minutes with Baby, and even the most serious person, finds himself dancing a jig and making a funny face.
4. I love when Baby falls asleep while I'm trying to burp him at night. He'll have his head on my shoulder, his face nestled against my neck with an arm wrapped around my neck on the other side. Sometimes after his 5:00 am feeding, I just put him in bed with me. I love how he will lie next to me and just stare at me or talk to me or curl his little, chubby fingers in my hair. Sometimes he'll bop me in the face with a stuffed animal--his way of saying, "Mom! Wake up! I'm too cute for sleeping! You're going to miss this!" And I am going to miss it one day.
5. I love listening to him in the morning on the baby monitor. Sometimes he will wake up in the morning and be perfectly content to lay in his crib and have conversations with Yeeha (his stuffed horse) or the cute, smiley baby in the little mirror in his crib or sometimes I think he's jabbering away with angels. I love hearing what he has to say. He loves to talk, that's for sure. And I especially love when I go in the room to get him in the morning, and he will give me this giant smile that just lights up the room and will start to squirm around for me to pick him up.
6. I love discovering this new world with him. Everything is new and fascinating to him. It is so amazing to me to see how he interacts with the world around him. I love seeing the world through his eyes. Fingers are fun to chew on; grass tickles your skin; Gus' lips are slobbery when you pull on them; water is fun to splash in; cereal feels weird when you goo it between your fingers; the world is truly a wonderful place.
7. I love that even though I'm learning as I go as a mommy and even though I make mistakes, Baby still loves me. I know that I don't always get it right, but I'm trying!
8. I love praying together as a family. We've added a bedtime prayer to our bedtime ritual, and it has made all the difference. I love how Baby is usually quiet during the prayer, but if the prayer gets too long, he'll let you know!
Anyway, these are just a few of the things that I love. I am so blessed!
Last year, we announced to our family that I was a pregnant. It was such a whirlwind of emotions! It is crazy to me that it was a year ago already. It is even more amazing to me that my baby is five months old already. Where does the time go? But believe me, I am cherishing every moment!
So, in honor of Mother's day, here is a list of the things I love about motherhood so far:
1. I love that Baby has a smile just for me. He has so many smiles--his mischievous smirk, his silly smile, his "He-ey" smile that he uses to flirt with girls, his making friends smile, his playing smile, and then he's got this special smile that he gives me sometimes that says, "Hey mom! I'm glad to see you!" It melts my heart every time!
2. I love that I can comfort my baby when he's upset. It's really true that sometimes moms just know how to comfort their child. I love that I can take him in my arms and snuggle him and make his world better.
3. I love how he makes me laugh. Sometimes the most random things will make him crack up--me trying to fix something on his swinging chair or the story SkippyJon Jones. Baby laughs are so contagious. Pretty soon everyone is laughing along with the baby...and I mean the hard laughing, with tears running down your face, holding your sides. My baby is a comedian. He knows just how to make us laugh, whether it's making funny sounds when he's supposed to be sleeping or the silly faces he likes to make. And I love how he can bring the goofy side out of anyone. A few minutes with Baby, and even the most serious person, finds himself dancing a jig and making a funny face.
4. I love when Baby falls asleep while I'm trying to burp him at night. He'll have his head on my shoulder, his face nestled against my neck with an arm wrapped around my neck on the other side. Sometimes after his 5:00 am feeding, I just put him in bed with me. I love how he will lie next to me and just stare at me or talk to me or curl his little, chubby fingers in my hair. Sometimes he'll bop me in the face with a stuffed animal--his way of saying, "Mom! Wake up! I'm too cute for sleeping! You're going to miss this!" And I am going to miss it one day.
5. I love listening to him in the morning on the baby monitor. Sometimes he will wake up in the morning and be perfectly content to lay in his crib and have conversations with Yeeha (his stuffed horse) or the cute, smiley baby in the little mirror in his crib or sometimes I think he's jabbering away with angels. I love hearing what he has to say. He loves to talk, that's for sure. And I especially love when I go in the room to get him in the morning, and he will give me this giant smile that just lights up the room and will start to squirm around for me to pick him up.
6. I love discovering this new world with him. Everything is new and fascinating to him. It is so amazing to me to see how he interacts with the world around him. I love seeing the world through his eyes. Fingers are fun to chew on; grass tickles your skin; Gus' lips are slobbery when you pull on them; water is fun to splash in; cereal feels weird when you goo it between your fingers; the world is truly a wonderful place.
7. I love that even though I'm learning as I go as a mommy and even though I make mistakes, Baby still loves me. I know that I don't always get it right, but I'm trying!
8. I love praying together as a family. We've added a bedtime prayer to our bedtime ritual, and it has made all the difference. I love how Baby is usually quiet during the prayer, but if the prayer gets too long, he'll let you know!
Anyway, these are just a few of the things that I love. I am so blessed!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
My Smart Baby
So I really want my baby to enjoy reading. We enjoy reading together. Baby S has many favorite books, and it makes my heart happy to see him actually enjoying being read to even though he is so young. I got the program, Your Baby Can Read, and am excited to try it. If nothing else, I think it will help build his vocabulary and expose him to the concept of reading. The other day, I was trying to get the nursery cleaned, so I put Baby S in the chair in the nursery where I could keep my eye on him. Then I gave him one of those touch cloth books. He was so adorable, so, of course, I ended up taking pictures instead of really cleaning. It amazed me because Baby S seems to already have a basic understanding of how books work. He was turning the pages on his own and really seemed to enjoy looking at the different pages. He even held the book up to show me what he was reading! I promise, none of these pictures are posed--it was just one of those moments that probably won't happen again, but was cute nonetheless! He'll be reading Harry Potter in no time! Just kidding! =)
P.S. Here's an article from Whattoexpect.com that I really liked!
P.S. Here's an article from Whattoexpect.com that I really liked!
How to Read to Baby: Three Ways to Raise an Avid Reader
It's never too early to be a bookworm. Learn how to encourage your baby to love storytime.
Even though your baby is probably more interested in chewing on his books than the words and pictures on their pages, he's learning the valuable lesson that books are fun — not to mention a great way to spend time with Mommy and Daddy. Here's how you can encourage reading, even at this early stage: - Look for…Sturdy board books that he can gnaw on, pile up, crawl over, and otherwise manhandle. Extra points for audience participation: flaps to lift or textured patches to touch and feel. Your baby also might like splashing with a vinyl book in the bathtub. Illustrations or photos should be simple (no complicated, overwhelming backgrounds), bright, and familiar: household items, animals, things that go, and especially other babies and children (try photo albums too!). As for the words, they should be simple, too, and few in number, so you can keep the pages turning quickly. You needn't read them all, or stick to what's really on the page — make changes to suit your baby's interests and mood. In particular, rhymes are music to a baby's ears — many little ones love the rhythm and predictability.
- Try to…engage him with lots of commentary and an appealing tone. Add silly voices and animal sounds. Read often, slipping in stories whenever he's alert but calm. Try after lunch, before naps, during or after a bath, and at bedtime. Some babies even like to listen to a story during meals.
- Show him…that reading is fun by doing it yourself. Let him see you enjoying a book or magazine; you can even read aloud from whatever it is you're perusing. The words aren't as important as your enthusiasm for them. Any exposure to reading helps him learn how books work and builds vocabulary.
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