Well, I broke down and made a doctor's appointment. The sinus infection that I had apparently never really went away and that's why I've been feeling crummy again. I got a prescription for some more antibiotics and I also got a shot that should help dry up some of the fluid that's causing an earache. While I was at the doctor, I decided to ask him about the pain I've had in my tailbone since Bear was born. I asked my ob/gyn about it at my 6 week appointment, and he said that it was probably bruised and would just take a little while to heal. Well, Bear's seven months old and it's still bothering me, so I asked if I should be doing something different to help it heal. The doctor that I visited today x-rayed it, and do you believe that it might be fractured??!! He's going to send it off to a radiologist to check for sure, but he said that there's a little spot on the x-ray that he can't quite decide if it's cracked or not. I suppose there's not much that can be done if it is fractured, but it would be nice to be able to explain the pain. If it is indeed fractured, I don't think this would be the time to get pregnant again. But I'll talk to the doctor about that at my next appointment sometime after we get back from MI.
Speaking of MI, I am definitely getting excited about our trip this time around. I'm looking forward to spending time with my relatives and relaxing a little. I'm sure other people will want to hold Bear while we are there, so maybe I won't have to quite as much! I just hope he sleeps well there. I am a little worried about that, but he slept at my friend's house today while I was at the doctor. He did very well for being babysat for the first time! He took a nap and ate normally, so maybe I'm worrying about how he'll be in MI for nothing. He seems quite adaptable during the day--he falls asleep at many a MOMS club meeting/playdate. It's the nights I'm worried about. If he doesn't get his dinner and his bath by a certain time, he almost goes insane. Hopefully we won't be put in situations to where we can't do those things on time.
Well, I'm just going to relax for the rest of the day. I've got lots of packing and straightening up to do tomorrow before we leave on Thursday, so I'll need to be rested up for that. I think either the shot or the antibiotics are making me a little woozy, so I just can't bring myself to start packing today. I've got all day tomorrow and I should be feeling at least a little better by then, so I'll get it done then.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Just when I think everything is going right...
I feel sick again! What is up with my throat?? I took all the antibiotics I was prescribed and felt all the way better until last night when my throat started to hurt again. I guess I'm going to go back to the doctor and see if maybe the medicine wasn't strong enough or something. I hate this! I wouldn't even care so much if we didn't have a trip (re)planned for later this week. I don't care if I have to have my throat amputated. I AM GOING ON MY TRIP! Do you hear me universe? I refuse to disappoint myself and my relatives again. I don't think my sore throat would turn into whatever sickness I developed a week or so ago. Surely I've gained at least some antibodies since then?? Let's hope so, because like I said, I AM GOING ON MY TRIP!
Just to make this a happier post, check out Bear thinking he is a big boy:
Just to make this a happier post, check out Bear thinking he is a big boy:
Sunday, August 24, 2008
It's raining, it's pouring...
Today is the day that we are supposed to get the leftovers from tropical storm Fay, and boy are we getting them! It rained just about all night, it's raining right now and it's supposed to keep raining for much of the day. I suppose we're going to hang at home, then. It's just too much effort to keep Bear (and me!) dry while wrestling him in and out of the car seat.
We wanted to go out shopping or something yesterday before the rain hit, but the part for our broken washing machine came in the mail, so Max elected to work on that instead. And I am so proud of him, because he fixed it! We were marveling over the fact that he was successful last night and we both decided that he still was not to be described as "handy", but rather "resourceful". Do you believe that he did internet research on our model washer and found a video where we could hear the exact bad noise our washer was making? Then, he found a manual showing how to fix it. Even when he didn't quite fix it correctly and the smell of burning rubber permeated our house, he found a document written by a person that made that same mistake. Anyhow, now it's fixed and I'm pretty happy about that. It would have been really difficult to take a baby that wants to crawl on the floor all the time to a laundromat, because there's no way in heck I'm going to put him on the floor there!
Hopefully now we can focus on the air conditioning problem in Max's car. We'd like to take that car on our trip to MI (which we are leaving for on Thursday), but not if the blower still isn't working! Cool air comes out, but not with any force at all, so the windows have to be down. We had already packed up that car with Bear's car seat and didn't want to take it out and reposition it in my car just to have to put it back in Max's car again, so I've been driving it this week. Poor Bear...every time we get out, his hair and back are all sweaty. I hate for him to get too hot. I've been offering him lots of water after we've gone somewhere, but I just don't feel like that's good enough. Max's car is a little bigger than mine and would be nicer for our trip, but if it turns out that we can't get the blower fixed right away, we can always take my car.
Well, Bear just keeps getting better and better with his sleeping and Momma couldn't be happier! Last night he slept solidly from 10pm until about 6am, at which point I brought him back to our bed. Do you believe we slept until 8:45?? We haven't slept past 7:00 in such a long time! I feel very well rested today, but the day feels like it's going by quickly. I suppose I should have been doing things around the house while he's napping, but I felt like blogging instead. Oh well.
We wanted to go out shopping or something yesterday before the rain hit, but the part for our broken washing machine came in the mail, so Max elected to work on that instead. And I am so proud of him, because he fixed it! We were marveling over the fact that he was successful last night and we both decided that he still was not to be described as "handy", but rather "resourceful". Do you believe that he did internet research on our model washer and found a video where we could hear the exact bad noise our washer was making? Then, he found a manual showing how to fix it. Even when he didn't quite fix it correctly and the smell of burning rubber permeated our house, he found a document written by a person that made that same mistake. Anyhow, now it's fixed and I'm pretty happy about that. It would have been really difficult to take a baby that wants to crawl on the floor all the time to a laundromat, because there's no way in heck I'm going to put him on the floor there!
Hopefully now we can focus on the air conditioning problem in Max's car. We'd like to take that car on our trip to MI (which we are leaving for on Thursday), but not if the blower still isn't working! Cool air comes out, but not with any force at all, so the windows have to be down. We had already packed up that car with Bear's car seat and didn't want to take it out and reposition it in my car just to have to put it back in Max's car again, so I've been driving it this week. Poor Bear...every time we get out, his hair and back are all sweaty. I hate for him to get too hot. I've been offering him lots of water after we've gone somewhere, but I just don't feel like that's good enough. Max's car is a little bigger than mine and would be nicer for our trip, but if it turns out that we can't get the blower fixed right away, we can always take my car.
Well, Bear just keeps getting better and better with his sleeping and Momma couldn't be happier! Last night he slept solidly from 10pm until about 6am, at which point I brought him back to our bed. Do you believe we slept until 8:45?? We haven't slept past 7:00 in such a long time! I feel very well rested today, but the day feels like it's going by quickly. I suppose I should have been doing things around the house while he's napping, but I felt like blogging instead. Oh well.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
7 months old!
Bear is seven months old! Amazingly, he reached 2 new milestones on the exact day he turned 7 months old--he can sit up all by himself and he started reaching into his toy box/baskets to see what's in there! Max and I were joking last night that he just didn't want us to write in his baby book that he could sit up at 6 months. He was only able sit up for a few seconds if I sat with him and helped him out when he started to reach for something. And he's ALWAYS reaching for something! He's a very busy baby and he can't be entertained by one toy for too long. Fortunately, now that he can sit up for longer periods, he's a little better about having a better attention span. I think when he's on his tummy, he's too interested in moving around to stay focused on one thing for very long.
I'm still cautious of him toppling over (you can see me sitting behind him below), but he's learned to support himself with his hands and can get into a crawling position from there. I probably wouldn't be so nervous if we didn't have mostly hardwood and tile for him to play on, but he's learning to catch himself with his hands, so maybe soon I won't worry so much. I'm sure I'll just find a new worry, though!
He's so interested in what's going on around him and we don't want him to get bored, so we've bought him a couple new toys lately. He now has a little soccer goal (see above) that he LOVES and a new penguin that he can bat at (see below).
He loves to go for walks and just recently started drinking water from a sippy cup. He doesn't quite have the mechanics down to be able to drink from it on his own yet, but he's getting there. He doesn't understand that he has to lean his head back to get to the water! He tries, though, so I'm sure we'll be marveling at that new accomplishment any day now.
He's getting more hair all of the sudden, as well. Only his Momma is allowed to say it, so don't you even try, but he was looking like he had a comb-over for a little while and I wondered what shape his hair was going to take. His hair's not the best texture for this Mississippi humidity, but it's gotten thicker and not as wispy.
One unfortunate (for me, anyway) development of Bear's is that he now cries whenever I leave the room. On one hand, I guess it's cool that he notices, but on the other hand, it's pretty annoying to feel guilty for going to the bathroom. He's actually okay as long as he's not alone and it doesn't seem to matter who's in the room, but we're home by ourselves much of the time. It's odd though--if he and Max are in a room together and I'm not around, Max can leave without much fuss from Bear. If it's me in the room, however, boy does he get upset!
The sleeping that I mentioned the other day is still going well. We had one setback night, due to teething, we think. He woke up just about every hour the night before last and he just could not be consoled. Tylenol, teething tablets, formula and Momma rocking him were all tried and nothing worked, so we are going to blame the teeth. He has two teeth on the bottom right now and we think his top gum looks a little swollen, so hopefully he'll cut the tooth that's bothering him soon. Last night, we were pretty much back to normal, with just one wake-up. More sleep for Momma is never frowned upon!
I was mentioning to Max last night that I don't know how or why I can be so proud of our Bear for doing things that every baby does, but I sure am! I can't help it. I suppose every parent feels that way about his or her own child, but the pride is a little overwhelming. I wonder when/if it stops or slows down? I know eventually he won't be reaching new developments quite so quickly, but I can't imagine how proud I'll be when he learns to walk or read or ride a bike or kick a ball!
I'm still cautious of him toppling over (you can see me sitting behind him below), but he's learned to support himself with his hands and can get into a crawling position from there. I probably wouldn't be so nervous if we didn't have mostly hardwood and tile for him to play on, but he's learning to catch himself with his hands, so maybe soon I won't worry so much. I'm sure I'll just find a new worry, though!
He's so interested in what's going on around him and we don't want him to get bored, so we've bought him a couple new toys lately. He now has a little soccer goal (see above) that he LOVES and a new penguin that he can bat at (see below).
He loves to go for walks and just recently started drinking water from a sippy cup. He doesn't quite have the mechanics down to be able to drink from it on his own yet, but he's getting there. He doesn't understand that he has to lean his head back to get to the water! He tries, though, so I'm sure we'll be marveling at that new accomplishment any day now.
He's getting more hair all of the sudden, as well. Only his Momma is allowed to say it, so don't you even try, but he was looking like he had a comb-over for a little while and I wondered what shape his hair was going to take. His hair's not the best texture for this Mississippi humidity, but it's gotten thicker and not as wispy.
One unfortunate (for me, anyway) development of Bear's is that he now cries whenever I leave the room. On one hand, I guess it's cool that he notices, but on the other hand, it's pretty annoying to feel guilty for going to the bathroom. He's actually okay as long as he's not alone and it doesn't seem to matter who's in the room, but we're home by ourselves much of the time. It's odd though--if he and Max are in a room together and I'm not around, Max can leave without much fuss from Bear. If it's me in the room, however, boy does he get upset!
The sleeping that I mentioned the other day is still going well. We had one setback night, due to teething, we think. He woke up just about every hour the night before last and he just could not be consoled. Tylenol, teething tablets, formula and Momma rocking him were all tried and nothing worked, so we are going to blame the teeth. He has two teeth on the bottom right now and we think his top gum looks a little swollen, so hopefully he'll cut the tooth that's bothering him soon. Last night, we were pretty much back to normal, with just one wake-up. More sleep for Momma is never frowned upon!
I was mentioning to Max last night that I don't know how or why I can be so proud of our Bear for doing things that every baby does, but I sure am! I can't help it. I suppose every parent feels that way about his or her own child, but the pride is a little overwhelming. I wonder when/if it stops or slows down? I know eventually he won't be reaching new developments quite so quickly, but I can't imagine how proud I'll be when he learns to walk or read or ride a bike or kick a ball!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Back in the real world
I am easing back into the real world now. I have not felt like doing ANYTHING over the past few days. I've been doing lots of sitting on the couch and playing with Bear, but nothing too strenuous. I've mostly been focusing on getting better and I think I am, for the most part at least. Yay! I think we're going to retry the whole MI trip the weekend after next. Now that I'm better, I feel much more excited about it and can't wait for everyone to meet my boy. Especially since both my mom and my dad told me stories about my cousins' kids (that I've not met yet) and I just know it will be neat to have all those kids around at the same time.
Max and I, after a long discussion about it, did actually accomplish something over the past three days concerning Bear's sleeping patterns. The boy's never been a wonderful sleeper, but for the past couple of months, he was crying for me to bring him a bottle 3-4 times each night. Sometimes he was too tired to even drink any of it and would just pass out as soon as I put it in his mouth. I had tried not giving it to him, but he would get SPITTING MAD about that. At his last doctor's appointment, we shared his sleeping habits with the pediatrician and we were told that at this point, Bear should be able to make it through most of the night without eating. So we decided that we'd try it. It's been 3 nights and Bear hasn't had a bottle any earlier than 4:30 am during any of those nights. Here's kind of a sum up of how it went:
Night 1
-went to bed at 9ish
-woke up at 10 and was MAD about no bottle for about 45 minutes
-woke up at 11:30 and was still pretty mad (cried for about 20 minutes)
-woke up at 12:30 (cried for 15 minutes)
-woke up at 1:30 (cried for like 2 minutes)
-woke up at 2:30 (no crying, just wanted to be rocked)
-woke up for the day at 6:45!!
Night 2
-went to bed at 8 (lack of naps that day)
-woke up at 12:30 (cried for maybe 5 minutes)
-tried to wake up for the day at 5 (Momma can't handle that!)
-went to sleep in Momma's bed until 7
Night 3
-went to bed at 9
-woke up at 11:30 (was pretty mad and cried for about 30 minutes)
-woke up at 4:30 and had a bottle
-wanted to get up, but again ended up in Momma's bed
I've read that a baby's sleep habits can be changed in 3 nights, so we'll have to see how it goes tonight, but overall I've been really pleased with how he's done. Apparently, he doesn't need all those bottles I was shoving in his mouth! Also, he's just not waking up as frequently. Maybe he realizes that he's not getting a bottle so there's no point to waking?? Can he think that deeply yet? An added bonus is that his diapers aren't all that wet during the night anymore. I used to have to change him by about 2:00, or his diaper would leak. We are going to work on him getting to sleep on his own next, but probably not until we get back from MI. I've heard that kids can regress while traveling and I don't want to ruin all our hard work.
Well, I'd better stop writing and get to work. Bear and I are headed to a MOMS club lunch today and I have to make something to bring. It's over at a member's house and should be fun. I know Bear is really excited to see his friend Kaitlyn again. Look what happened the last time they saw each other:
How adorable is this?
Is it too early to worry about what it looks like he's aiming for in this one? Probably. Kaitlyn looks like she's letting him know that it's not appropriate. She is 4 months older, so she'll have to teach him a thing or two.
Max and I, after a long discussion about it, did actually accomplish something over the past three days concerning Bear's sleeping patterns. The boy's never been a wonderful sleeper, but for the past couple of months, he was crying for me to bring him a bottle 3-4 times each night. Sometimes he was too tired to even drink any of it and would just pass out as soon as I put it in his mouth. I had tried not giving it to him, but he would get SPITTING MAD about that. At his last doctor's appointment, we shared his sleeping habits with the pediatrician and we were told that at this point, Bear should be able to make it through most of the night without eating. So we decided that we'd try it. It's been 3 nights and Bear hasn't had a bottle any earlier than 4:30 am during any of those nights. Here's kind of a sum up of how it went:
Night 1
-went to bed at 9ish
-woke up at 10 and was MAD about no bottle for about 45 minutes
-woke up at 11:30 and was still pretty mad (cried for about 20 minutes)
-woke up at 12:30 (cried for 15 minutes)
-woke up at 1:30 (cried for like 2 minutes)
-woke up at 2:30 (no crying, just wanted to be rocked)
-woke up for the day at 6:45!!
Night 2
-went to bed at 8 (lack of naps that day)
-woke up at 12:30 (cried for maybe 5 minutes)
-tried to wake up for the day at 5 (Momma can't handle that!)
-went to sleep in Momma's bed until 7
Night 3
-went to bed at 9
-woke up at 11:30 (was pretty mad and cried for about 30 minutes)
-woke up at 4:30 and had a bottle
-wanted to get up, but again ended up in Momma's bed
I've read that a baby's sleep habits can be changed in 3 nights, so we'll have to see how it goes tonight, but overall I've been really pleased with how he's done. Apparently, he doesn't need all those bottles I was shoving in his mouth! Also, he's just not waking up as frequently. Maybe he realizes that he's not getting a bottle so there's no point to waking?? Can he think that deeply yet? An added bonus is that his diapers aren't all that wet during the night anymore. I used to have to change him by about 2:00, or his diaper would leak. We are going to work on him getting to sleep on his own next, but probably not until we get back from MI. I've heard that kids can regress while traveling and I don't want to ruin all our hard work.
Well, I'd better stop writing and get to work. Bear and I are headed to a MOMS club lunch today and I have to make something to bring. It's over at a member's house and should be fun. I know Bear is really excited to see his friend Kaitlyn again. Look what happened the last time they saw each other:
How adorable is this?
Is it too early to worry about what it looks like he's aiming for in this one? Probably. Kaitlyn looks like she's letting him know that it's not appropriate. She is 4 months older, so she'll have to teach him a thing or two.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Disappointed
Okay. I'm disappointed. I'm now too sick to even go to Michigan, and we had to cancel our trip altogether. I feel guilty because my mom and dad and brother are all there visiting as well, so they were waiting on us to get there. I know I can't help being sick, but I feel like I should be able to tough it out or something. But, I'm not going to. I'm not going to force myself to endure a LONG car ride and a crying baby who won't sleep because his schedule is off while I feel so bad. My sore throat was so bad on Thursday night that I couldn't even eat broth or drink water. I've never had a sore throat that bad and I got really worried at that point. My neighbor's children have hand, foot and mouth disease and I REALLY did not want that. I was scared that I had it, even though I read that it is extremely unlikely for adults to get it. I started getting really irrational and no one could convince me that I didn't have it. I got over it in a few hours and I even felt a bit better when I woke up on Friday morning. We were originally supposed to leave on Friday afternoon, but we decided the night before to push it until Sat. morning. Well, by Friday afternoon, I was miserable. I still had a sore throat and congestion, but I also had a fever and nausea. Max came home early from work so I could go to the doctor. It was determined that I have a sinus infection, which I didn't realize could make you so sick. I'm taking antibiotics, so hopefully I'll be better soon. I think we're going to try and go to MI at the end of this month instead. That should be a much more pleasant trip with nobody sick!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Gripey post
Yep, I have a full-on cold at this point. I was hoping I'd get better before we had to travel, but I don't think that's going to work out. As one of my friends said, "Traveling while sick is no muy bueno!". I couldn't agree more. Not to mention that my um, "monthly visitor" has come to town, so now we'll have to make more bathroom stops than usual. That won't bother me too much, but Max doesn't like to stop a lot. I wasn't looking very forward to the actual traveling part of this trip anyhow, but this just makes it all that much more unpleasant. Not to mention that my patience level is a little short, since I'm sick. I need to have lots of patience for the car ride, so I'm going to have to work really hard on that. This is the third day of my cold, so I'll probably get better while I'm in MI, but this means that I can't hold my cousin's new baby. I know, I know, I get to hold my own baby all the time, but he NEVER weighed anything close to 5 pounds. He weighed much, much more than that(9 lbs, 3 oz)even at his tiniest, so I just wanted to hold a truly tiny baby. Oh well. I was really looking forward to actually being in MI, but this cold has me feeling kind of lethargic. That may actually be a good thing, because I have the tendency to get really worked up over stuff and then it never turns out to be as awesome as I think it will be. I'm still really excited for Bear to meet all my relatives, but I'm seriously dreading dragging him all over the place to do that. I wanted to take him to Lake Michigan, too, but now I don't know if I'll feel up to hanging out outside much. On a positive note, I feel a little better today than I felt yesterday, so I'll probably keep feeling better and better as time goes on. Just please hope with me that I don't give this mess to Bear. A sick baby is bad enough...but when we're away from home and everyone is going to want to hold him, it's going to be much worse.
His own illness seems to have gotten better. He still isn't very excited about eating baby food, but he's drinking formula and water and eating oatmeal, so I'm not too worried. I figure he's either teething and it hurts to eat, or he's going through some sort of regression before he hits a growth spurt. He was so excited about food before, though, it's hard to see him pinch his little lips together and refuse it. I hope he gets over it soon. I would feed him oatmeal for every meal, if I didn't think it would make him constipated!
His own illness seems to have gotten better. He still isn't very excited about eating baby food, but he's drinking formula and water and eating oatmeal, so I'm not too worried. I figure he's either teething and it hurts to eat, or he's going through some sort of regression before he hits a growth spurt. He was so excited about food before, though, it's hard to see him pinch his little lips together and refuse it. I hope he gets over it soon. I would feed him oatmeal for every meal, if I didn't think it would make him constipated!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Better Bear
Well, aside from eating, Bear is back to normal. He still won't touch any baby food, other than the 2-3 bites of oatmeal that I can get him to eat in the evenings. He is however, drinking formula (but no more than normal) and water and he'll eat crackers or cereal on occasion. Everything else about him seems completely normal--sleeping, playing, mood, etc. I'm going to try and feed him some baby food for lunch as soon as he wakes up from his nap, so we'll see how that goes.
Now that he is getting better, I'm the one that's not feeling so good. My throat started hurting yesterday and is still bugging me. I don't know if I have a cold or if my allergies are bothering me. I took allergy medication last night and it seemed to help a little, but not much. Hopefully whatever it is, I'll be done with it by Friday, so we can have as pleasant a trip as possible.
Bear's new stroller got here yesterday and he seems to like it. I haven't road tested it, but we took it for a few laps around the house and I'm satisfied. One of the complaints that people had with this stroller was that they keep kicking the wheels when they are using it. I didn't seem to have that problem--perhaps because I'm on the tall side and my arms are longer?? I don't know, but I think it's going to work for us.
It has been raining here like crazy, and I am sick of it! It rained pretty hard this morning when we went to the gym. It's really difficult to stay dry and get a baby out of the back seat of a smaller car. I managed, but I have enough stuff to carry without the big, huge umbrella I have to use to keep both of us dry!
That's about it for today. Bear and I are going to venture out to Target when he wakes up, provided it's not raining again. We're going to buy some stuff we need for our trip and probably some stuff we don't need, because that's what happens when I go to Target.
Now that he is getting better, I'm the one that's not feeling so good. My throat started hurting yesterday and is still bugging me. I don't know if I have a cold or if my allergies are bothering me. I took allergy medication last night and it seemed to help a little, but not much. Hopefully whatever it is, I'll be done with it by Friday, so we can have as pleasant a trip as possible.
Bear's new stroller got here yesterday and he seems to like it. I haven't road tested it, but we took it for a few laps around the house and I'm satisfied. One of the complaints that people had with this stroller was that they keep kicking the wheels when they are using it. I didn't seem to have that problem--perhaps because I'm on the tall side and my arms are longer?? I don't know, but I think it's going to work for us.
It has been raining here like crazy, and I am sick of it! It rained pretty hard this morning when we went to the gym. It's really difficult to stay dry and get a baby out of the back seat of a smaller car. I managed, but I have enough stuff to carry without the big, huge umbrella I have to use to keep both of us dry!
That's about it for today. Bear and I are going to venture out to Target when he wakes up, provided it's not raining again. We're going to buy some stuff we need for our trip and probably some stuff we don't need, because that's what happens when I go to Target.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
What's wrong with Bear?
I don't know the answer to that question, but I feel like something could be wrong. Last night, we went out to eat and he was seriously irritable the entire time. He didn't want to sit in the highchair, didn't want to play, and didn't want to be held. He's normally really cool in restaurants--we feed him and then he entertains himself with toys or pieces of cereal while we eat. I chalked it up to him just being tired or something, so when we got home, I gave him a bath and got him ready for bed. We were sitting on the couch watching the Olympics (not because I'm all that interested, but DANG, there's nothing on tv on Saturday nights) when he just started throwing up. It was pretty bad and it was ALL OVER ME! Seriously. Even my underwear got hit with it (I was wearing shorts). I changed clothes and changed Bear's pajamas and he finally fell asleep. He woke up about every 45 minutes, though, so after we went to bed I got up with him 3 or 4 times and then gave up and brought him to our bed. He woke up crying (which usually means he's not ready to get up) at about 7, but I couldn't get him back to sleep, so I got up with him. He's been majorly grouchy since then. We've done all the normal stuff--played, jumped, sat in the Exersaucer, ate breakfast--but he wasn't very happy during any of these activities. He didn't eat much at all and he's been making this grunting noise that he started making when he's mad every few minutes. I really hope he's not sick, but I feel like he might be leading up to that, unfortunately. Maybe he just feels like being a grouch, but with the barfing last night, I'm not conviced of that. He doesn't have a fever and he looks fine, but I don't know. I'm just really glad Max hadn't steam cleaned the couch yet. Now the couch is all crunchy (yuck!), so we're going to have to clean it today.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Vacation prep
We are getting ready to head to Michigan, where just about everyone in my family (other than my mom and dad and brother) lives. This is a HUGE trip for us. Bear's only been on one trip in his life that was longer than a half hour or so, and that was when I took him to Nashville (about 6 hours) when he was 3 months old. He slept most of the way, but he's LOTS more active now, so I'm more than a little nervous about how this trip's going to go. It's 12 hours, according to Google Maps and I'm sure it will be even longer than that when we include all the stops we're going to have to make for feedings and diaper changes and for just pure crabbiness. I wish I knew how to entertain a 6.5 month old in the car, but I don't think it can really be done. We're completely prepared to not make it in one day, and we'll probably end up spending the night in some hotel between here and there. We are going so that I can attend a welcome shower for my cousin's new baby, but I have another cousin who had a baby a year and a half ago that I still haven't met! Also, it's been about 2 years since we've been up there and most of my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins haven't met Bear yet. We'll have tons of people to visit--my dad has 3 sisters and 1 brother, while my mom has 2 brothers. And just about all of them have kids--some grown and moved out of the house and some not. Hopefully we can run into most of them at one of two events we plan on attending: 1)the welcome shower for Audrianna or 2)a birthday party for one of my uncles.
It's going to be a little strange, because my mom and dad are both going to be up there at the same time. My dad is bringing his wife, but my mom's husband is staying home. They get along well and everything, it's just kind of awkward to have them in the same place at the same time. It's only happened a few times and it's usually for big events like when I graduated with my master's degree or when Max and I got married. Those times went just fine, so I don't know why I'm worrying about this vacation. I suppose I'm not really worrying, I'm just hoping that it doesn't make things awkward when we are trying to decide which side of the family to hang out with for the day. The families are friends, so there are some things that we might try and do together, but I don't know. I think my best bet is to let someone else do the planning, but that's very hard for me! I'm kind of a schedule freak.
On another note, Bear's new lightweight stroller should be here on Monday. I am excited about this! I've been lugging around the heavy one for 6 months now, and I'd rather not! The new one only weighs 11 pounds and can be carried on my shoulder if need be. The one we ended up getting is a 2005 model of the one we wanted. It was significantly cheaper and the only difference is the sunshade is a different shape on the current model. I guess the company that is selling them just happened to find leftover 2005 ones. The only unfortunate thing is that we had to get it in dark blue. I don't really care right now, but we've tried to get gender neutral colors on things that we will likely use with our mythical second child. Oh well, if the second baby is a girl, I'm sure she won't be the only girl to be pushed around in a blue stroller. And no one will wonder if she's a boy with the way I'm planning to dress her!
We don't have much planned for this weekend. I know Max wants to try and steam clean one of our couches, but I don't know if he'll get to it this weekend or not. I have to make sure we have enough weather appropriate clothes for Bear to take to MI. It's quite a bit cooler there and I don't want him freezing. He mostly wears shorts and t-shirts here, but we'll need to pack warmer clothes for there. He has a couple pairs of jeans and a few pairs of long pants, so I think he'll be fine. I did have to go buy him some socks the other day. He didn't have any that weren't for tiny babies! He just hasn't needed them this summer.
I'm sure most of my posts this week are going to be about getting ready for our trip, if I even have time to post. I probably won't be posting from MI, because my grandmother, who we are staying with, lives in a rural area and has a dial up internet connection. I don't know if I can stand that wait, so unless I find another relative who has a better connection and doesn't mind me using their computer I may be going on a blog vacation as well!
Have a good weekend, everyone!
It's going to be a little strange, because my mom and dad are both going to be up there at the same time. My dad is bringing his wife, but my mom's husband is staying home. They get along well and everything, it's just kind of awkward to have them in the same place at the same time. It's only happened a few times and it's usually for big events like when I graduated with my master's degree or when Max and I got married. Those times went just fine, so I don't know why I'm worrying about this vacation. I suppose I'm not really worrying, I'm just hoping that it doesn't make things awkward when we are trying to decide which side of the family to hang out with for the day. The families are friends, so there are some things that we might try and do together, but I don't know. I think my best bet is to let someone else do the planning, but that's very hard for me! I'm kind of a schedule freak.
On another note, Bear's new lightweight stroller should be here on Monday. I am excited about this! I've been lugging around the heavy one for 6 months now, and I'd rather not! The new one only weighs 11 pounds and can be carried on my shoulder if need be. The one we ended up getting is a 2005 model of the one we wanted. It was significantly cheaper and the only difference is the sunshade is a different shape on the current model. I guess the company that is selling them just happened to find leftover 2005 ones. The only unfortunate thing is that we had to get it in dark blue. I don't really care right now, but we've tried to get gender neutral colors on things that we will likely use with our mythical second child. Oh well, if the second baby is a girl, I'm sure she won't be the only girl to be pushed around in a blue stroller. And no one will wonder if she's a boy with the way I'm planning to dress her!
We don't have much planned for this weekend. I know Max wants to try and steam clean one of our couches, but I don't know if he'll get to it this weekend or not. I have to make sure we have enough weather appropriate clothes for Bear to take to MI. It's quite a bit cooler there and I don't want him freezing. He mostly wears shorts and t-shirts here, but we'll need to pack warmer clothes for there. He has a couple pairs of jeans and a few pairs of long pants, so I think he'll be fine. I did have to go buy him some socks the other day. He didn't have any that weren't for tiny babies! He just hasn't needed them this summer.
I'm sure most of my posts this week are going to be about getting ready for our trip, if I even have time to post. I probably won't be posting from MI, because my grandmother, who we are staying with, lives in a rural area and has a dial up internet connection. I don't know if I can stand that wait, so unless I find another relative who has a better connection and doesn't mind me using their computer I may be going on a blog vacation as well!
Have a good weekend, everyone!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Friends and childproofing
Bear and I are headed out to have lunch with some friends from the MOMS club today and I, for one, am happy about this. I have made two really good friends from the club and we have gone out a few times now without the rest of the moms in the club. It's been a LONG time since I've made new friends that I think will turn into lasting friendships and I'm feeling really good about it. I think the problem has been that I haven't run into many people that I have much in common with. I have a graduate degree and have been working in low-level retail management, which is not a very likely combination. Most of the people I worked with were either undergraduate students (and I feel WAY past that stage in my life) or high school graduates without much ambition (a group which I have never been a part of). I always made friends and had favorite people to work with, but I never felt that my life was very much like anyone else's. Apparently, I need to feel that connection to make good friends. I've had friendships everywhere that I've worked and lived, but not any in the last few years that stood the test of time. Hopefully this will change soon. I have really good friends from college and even a couple from high school, but we are spread out all across the country and don't get the chance to see each other very often. Sure, we talk on the phone, but it's just not the same as having friends where you live. Anyhow, hopefully these new friendships will last. They certainly mean a lot to me now.
Bear has really been exploring the floor in our house lately. He can move all around, but is not quite crawling yet. That doesn't stop him from getting anyplace, though! He scoots himself all over the place, usually moving backwards. Today he discovered the springy doorstop and learned that if you pull on it, it makes a funny noise. I foresee me removing all the little rubber caps on those doorstops so that they don't end up in the boy's mouth. I need to do some other childproofing now that he's getting a little more mobile, as well. I'm not sure what else I need to do, but I definitely want to be prepared. I know I'll need to remove the rocks from our gas fireplace, since they are a choking hazard and I'll probably wire the fireplace screen shut so as to avoid any mishaps with the ceramic logs inside. I've already removed anything breakable from all the rooms, unless it's on a high shelf. I've capped all the electrical outlets that a kid could reach and I'm planning on getting cabinet locks pretty soon. Can anyone suggest other stuff I'm forgetting? I'm sure those of you with experience have good advice to offer, so please do!
Bear has really been exploring the floor in our house lately. He can move all around, but is not quite crawling yet. That doesn't stop him from getting anyplace, though! He scoots himself all over the place, usually moving backwards. Today he discovered the springy doorstop and learned that if you pull on it, it makes a funny noise. I foresee me removing all the little rubber caps on those doorstops so that they don't end up in the boy's mouth. I need to do some other childproofing now that he's getting a little more mobile, as well. I'm not sure what else I need to do, but I definitely want to be prepared. I know I'll need to remove the rocks from our gas fireplace, since they are a choking hazard and I'll probably wire the fireplace screen shut so as to avoid any mishaps with the ceramic logs inside. I've already removed anything breakable from all the rooms, unless it's on a high shelf. I've capped all the electrical outlets that a kid could reach and I'm planning on getting cabinet locks pretty soon. Can anyone suggest other stuff I'm forgetting? I'm sure those of you with experience have good advice to offer, so please do!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Shopping and teeth!
Well, I got to go shopping by myself on Saturday and IT WAS AWESOME! I didn't buy too much--just a pair of jeans and a swim top--but I had a great time being alone and taking all the time I wanted in stores. Seriously, I was in Kohl's for almost 2 hours, which is a very long time for me. I'd told myself I wasn't going to look at baby stuff, but when I passed by I couldn't resist the 90% off rack. I got Bear a little romper for $1.30! I would have never had time to paw through all that stuff if he'd been with me.
I came home refreshed and relaxed, only to find that a friend had emailed to ask if I wanted to go to a movie on Sunday. I didn't want to push it with Max, but I really wanted to go. He acted like it was no problem, and again, I had fun! I giggled with my friends while we watched "Mamma Mia". It was a silly movie, but we knew all the music, so we enjoyed it (and some popcorn!). Max went out with his friend later that night.
I finally got a picture of Bear's teeth! I've been trying and trying and all I ever captured was his tongue. He has two teeth on the bottom now! It's a little blurry, but it's the best I could do with Mr. Squirmy. Here they are:
And finally, I picked up this little outfit the other day at WalMart and wanted to share. How could I resist?
I came home refreshed and relaxed, only to find that a friend had emailed to ask if I wanted to go to a movie on Sunday. I didn't want to push it with Max, but I really wanted to go. He acted like it was no problem, and again, I had fun! I giggled with my friends while we watched "Mamma Mia". It was a silly movie, but we knew all the music, so we enjoyed it (and some popcorn!). Max went out with his friend later that night.
I finally got a picture of Bear's teeth! I've been trying and trying and all I ever captured was his tongue. He has two teeth on the bottom now! It's a little blurry, but it's the best I could do with Mr. Squirmy. Here they are:
And finally, I picked up this little outfit the other day at WalMart and wanted to share. How could I resist?
Saturday, August 2, 2008
All by myself!
This post's title has two meanings: 1)I'm going shopping BY MYSELF! today. 2)Bear is getting more and more independent.
First of all, did I mention that I was going shopping BY MYSELF today??? I am really excited and cannot wait until Bear takes a nap, so I can leave! I thought about it and with the exception of one doctor's appointment and one time to the gym, I have not left the house by myself since Bear was born. THAT WAS SIX MONTHS AGO, PEOPLE! And I used to be a person that claimed to need more alone time than most. I don't know why I haven't made plans to do this earlier, but I will definitely make plans to do it more often from now on. The euphoria I am experiencing just from making plans is awesome! Hopefully it will remain as I actually take on the world without the baby for a few hours. Being in the dressing room at Kohl's without worrying about how much formula we have left or how loud Bear is crying will be like heaven! He will probably be asleep for much of the time that I am gone, but I'm hoping, wishing and praying that he doesn't act like a crazy baby for Max. I need for him to be an angel baby, so I can feel comfortable when I want to go out alone again tomorrow. Just kidding, I'll probably wait at least a few more days...
Secondly, check out Bear! The look on his face in these pictures is one of triumph, let me tell you. He is so proud of himself and when I lay these objects on the tray of his highchair, he snatches them up like he's been doing things himself for years!
Here he is using his little mesh feeder thingie with a new favorite-watermelon-in it. Please excuse the crazy hair--we'd been swimming earlier in the day.
My hair might look funny, but this watermelon is no joke. It is GOOD!
Later that same day, he decided to try using his sippie cup for the first time and did a pretty good job of it!
This water's better than all the salt water I drank at the pool earlier!
A day later, he kept grabbing at the spoon while I was feeding him oatmeal, so I got out the toddler spoon and handed it to him. I had to help a little with getting cereal on the spoon, but once it was there, he knew where to put it!
Look at my spoon, Momma! I can do it myself!
Mmmm! This oatmeal tastes like victory!
Check out my look of satisfaction. I'm going to be doing algebra and reading novels before you know it!
Okay, I really need to quit with the silly captions. Anyhow, I have to go shower and get ready for my day BY MYSELF!! Hope everyone else has a great weekend!
First of all, did I mention that I was going shopping BY MYSELF today??? I am really excited and cannot wait until Bear takes a nap, so I can leave! I thought about it and with the exception of one doctor's appointment and one time to the gym, I have not left the house by myself since Bear was born. THAT WAS SIX MONTHS AGO, PEOPLE! And I used to be a person that claimed to need more alone time than most. I don't know why I haven't made plans to do this earlier, but I will definitely make plans to do it more often from now on. The euphoria I am experiencing just from making plans is awesome! Hopefully it will remain as I actually take on the world without the baby for a few hours. Being in the dressing room at Kohl's without worrying about how much formula we have left or how loud Bear is crying will be like heaven! He will probably be asleep for much of the time that I am gone, but I'm hoping, wishing and praying that he doesn't act like a crazy baby for Max. I need for him to be an angel baby, so I can feel comfortable when I want to go out alone again tomorrow. Just kidding, I'll probably wait at least a few more days...
Secondly, check out Bear! The look on his face in these pictures is one of triumph, let me tell you. He is so proud of himself and when I lay these objects on the tray of his highchair, he snatches them up like he's been doing things himself for years!
Here he is using his little mesh feeder thingie with a new favorite-watermelon-in it. Please excuse the crazy hair--we'd been swimming earlier in the day.
My hair might look funny, but this watermelon is no joke. It is GOOD!
Later that same day, he decided to try using his sippie cup for the first time and did a pretty good job of it!
This water's better than all the salt water I drank at the pool earlier!
A day later, he kept grabbing at the spoon while I was feeding him oatmeal, so I got out the toddler spoon and handed it to him. I had to help a little with getting cereal on the spoon, but once it was there, he knew where to put it!
Look at my spoon, Momma! I can do it myself!
Mmmm! This oatmeal tastes like victory!
Check out my look of satisfaction. I'm going to be doing algebra and reading novels before you know it!
Okay, I really need to quit with the silly captions. Anyhow, I have to go shower and get ready for my day BY MYSELF!! Hope everyone else has a great weekend!
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