• Home
  • About
  •  

    G must be really smart

    February 27th, 2009

    We had G’s 6-mo well check-up appointment.

    His weight is on track: in the 3rd percentile (boo!), but he’s staying on the 3% curve consistently.

    He’s shot up in height and is now in the 10th percentile (before he was in the 5th range).

    But above all, his head is jumping curves. He’s in 35th percentile for head. Ya — my little dude’s got one big noggin’. That certainly explains why we can’t find hats that fit. His pedi was very excited about this, although I don’t really get why having a big melon’s a good thing. Feel free to enlighten me. He’s obviously making room for some big knowledge in there.

    Overall, G got a clean bill of health. Dr. M’s very excited about him, and G in turn spent the whole appointment just grinning at him.

    Best part? When G hot his shot today — NO TEARS!!!! Remember the crying video? Yeah… none of that! Not even a whimper. I had a bottle in his mouth which he was happily eating when the shot went in.ย  Kid did’t even flinch. A big relief for me since this was my first time taking him in on my own. I can’t watch when he gets poked, so it was a good thing that he just kept sucking on his bottle.

    I’m so proud of my little man! We’ll be celebrating by cracking open a jar of sweet potatoes tomorrow. First “real” food, baby!


    6 months of boobie time

    February 27th, 2009

    This Sunday (if there were 29 days in February) will mark G’s 6mo birthday. As special as this is (and I’ll devote a whole post about it) there’s another event I want to acknowledge: 6 months of me breastfeeding our son!

    This may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but it’s HUUUGE for me. Coming from a family where neither my mother nor her mother were able to breastfeed successfully (and not for lack of trying, believe me), I was fully prepared that their condition would follow me as well. I had hoped to breastfeed, but knew that any day that I could do it was to be savored because the next day might not be. As a result, I’ve been extremely sensitive about baby feeding, G’s weight and his overall development.

    I discovered early on that talking to mothers and mothers-to-be about breastfeeding is like talking to someone about religion. Just like religion there is no “right” or “wrong” choice — just the choice that each family has made given their situation. I try not to judge as I vividly remember a conversation (pre-birth) with a friend who laid in on me about breastfeeding G without listening to my concerns.

    After G was born and I realized that I got lucky, I set my first milestone at 6 months. Getting G to be breastmilk fed for 6 months would make me thrilled. Getting to a year, ecstatic. And here were are: my first milestone.

    I really AM thrilled! And to be quite frank, relieved. It’s given me hope about reaching a full year.

    It hasn’t been easy. Keeping up supply has been hard work, and stressful, but it’s worth it to me because I really want to be “here” and this is something that was important (to me) to do.

    Hurray for boobies!

    I feel, by the way, as if I’m at a graduation ceremony listening to a speech about accomplishments and goals and the future. Except the graduates are my boobs.

    Ok, enough pep-talk. Now… onto a year.


    We lost our STTN badge

    February 25th, 2009

    I feel like we’ve been publicly stripped of our Sleep Through The Night badge.

    I was so proud of it too. As fussy as G was, the one thing we had to cling to and be happy about was our sleep. And now it’s gone ๐Ÿ™

    G is still waking up at night. Last night 5 times before midnight and once more at 1. It’s brutal!

    It’s like being accepted into the VIP lounge only to be rejected re-entry after going to the restroom. You can see your way back, but can’t quite get past the bouncer. Just while the party was getting good too!

    S and I are attacking the “sleep bouncer” by turning into sleep theorists (this should really be a profession, by the way). We spend our days hypothesizing over what the culprit that is stealing G’s (and by extension our) sleep and we test said hypothesis each evening. The Scientific Method is alive and kicking in our house, for sure.

    I no longer think it’s a growth spurt. Yes, feeding G puts him back asleep, but tanking him up before bed-time doesn’t do squat. He’s also no more eager to eat during the day.

    Tonight we’re trying him in his swing again to see if perhaps the motion will make a difference.

    Next on the “what about” list is unswaddling and turning down the heater in his room in case he might be getting too hot.

    One thing that is also a possibility, but I cringe to think about is Reflux. He’s already on Prevacid, and we had his dosage upped 2 months ago. Yet he’s spitting up and crying pretty hard afterwards.

    I keep wanting to believe that this is just temporary and he’ll go back to his awesome sleep pattern. I in turn will get my non-puffy eyes back… as well as that lovely STTN badge. I wear it on my Mommy sash, you know!

    G’s next check-up with the pediatrician is on Friday. You bet sleep will be a topic of discussion. I just hope Dr. M doesn’t laugh at me for wanting too much.


    Movie Monday

    February 22nd, 2009

    “Poink” is a funny word…. or at least G thinks so

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye7b3qQxUiw]

    Oh, and “poink!” is the sound that socks make when they come off of little babies’ feet on the way to bath time.


    Parenting is hazardous work

    February 22nd, 2009

    We now have scientific proof that parenting is hazardous to one’s health… or at the very least one’s hearing.

    After several evenings of G serenades, during which S has had to break out the ear plugs, we started to wonder just how loud G was crying.
    Being who we are, it should come as no surprise that we got a decible reader. Nothing fancy, mind you, but enough to get the just of where G ranked on the audible scale.

    Turns out we won’t really know for sure because the application maxes out at 105dB and G was easily hiting and exceeding that. Don’t believe me? Hear for yourself ๐Ÿ™‚

    Yes, my friends, this is the second installment of “Am I ready for
    a(nother) baby?” imagine this for 45 minutes straight at about 2 in the morning. If this doesn’t make you want to cry on your own, you might just be ready to take the parenting journey (again).

    Meanwhile I wonder if OSHA will be stopping by to issue G a citation?

    PS. In case you’re curious, this is what Tummy Time sounds like to this day. Alas!


    Will we ever sleep again?

    February 20th, 2009

    What I’m about to say might anger some parents.

    For the last few months G has been sleeping through the night. I don’t mean a 5 or 6 hour stretch, I mean the whole night. Our bed-time routine started at 7pm and went something like this: diaper, swaddle, boob, boob, and he’s out. We were in and out in about 30 minutes. And he would sleep until I woke him up the next morning at about 6:30. On week-ends we’d let him sleep in until he woke up on his own, which was sometimes 7:30-8.

    The kid could sleep.

    Until about a week ago.

    Now, going down is a big ordeal. Diaper, swaddle, boob, boob is still in effect. And although he’ll fall asleep nursing, the moment I would move him to his crib and his butt would touch the mattress he wakes up immediately crying… crying hard. It then takes us about 30 to calm him down and get him to really fall asleep.

    And then he wakes up. At 11. Repeat put down process.

    And then again at 2am.

    What gives?

    I’m becoming a little resentful of his day care teacher. Apparently he’s sleeping like a champ there, and I don’t think it’s fair. I want good baby sleep too ๐Ÿ™ I see no reason for him to reverse cycle. He eats well and has food available to him during the day. Again… what gives?

    It might be a growth spurt. At a week shy of 6 months he’s due for one right now. I HOPE it’s a growth spurt because I know those come and go. I can’t be teething due to lack of drool and he’s not trying to chew through things.

    However, we’re strict on the “you sleep in your room” line. G wakes up, but he’s to go back down in his own bed. Luckily that is still working, although I’ll be first to admit that on a few 2am calls, I’ve had to force myself not to give in and bring him to bed with me.

    I just want my sleep-loving kid back.

    Signed, “One tired mommy”


    Move over Gene Simmons

    February 19th, 2009

    I think G is working on his audition for KISS. He’s not so much focusing on lyrics memorization and musicality (although he’s working on those) as much as he’s trying to get the tongue action down.

    It’s pretty hilarious to watch, actually. He’ll go on for minutes just waving it around and chatting it up. I swear he’s singing. It’s cute. And really funny. When he gets going S and I will start laughing, and since he knows we’re responding to him he’ll give us a big smile… around the tongue still sticking out.

    Seriously, a little black and white face paint and we’re ready to take this show on the road.

    Eat your heart out Gene!


    Happy Birthday to ME

    February 18th, 2009

    I’m another year older today.

    It also happens that I’m another decade older too. Who knows… perhaps another decade wiser.

    When I turned 20 I was excited and nervous. There was so much I knew was going to happen in my 20s. I would graduate college, get my first job… start a family. These weren’t goals, per se — I almost viewed them as naturally occurring events and their prospect was really exciting. Exciting and scary.

    Now that I’m… umn…. not 20 anymore, I don’t know what the “naturally occurring events” are for this decade. I feel very fortunate that the milestones I felt would happen for me in the last 10 years in fact have, yet I am drawing a blank on what milestones I have to look forward to in the next 10 years.

    So your gift to me today is to tell me about the fabulous things that happen in one’s 30s. GO!

    The other thing that bums me out about today is that it’s Wednesday. I think it should be illegal to have a milestone birthday in the middle of the week. I want a big hoopla with a lazy in-bed morning with S and G, a kick-ass waffle breakfast, a fun-filled day outdoors with my family, wrapped up with an awesome event with friends.

    Instead, I’m getting a cold ceran-wrapped bagel in the Mom’s room, followed by a whole bunch of meetings, fighting fires at work, and sushi take-out for dinner. Boo! (except for the sushi — I’m looking forward to that one)

    On the bonus side, though, I AM getting to eat (more of) my favorite cake in the whole world: a tiramisu cake made by Margaret’s French Bakery. It’s so moist, and just the perfect taste of sweet yet not overpowering, soaked in rum. Trust me — it’s worth the (costly) $30. Ok, I’m starting to drool.

    I will say, however, that lack-of-30-direction aside, I feel very content right now. I have everything I could possibly want for myself, and need for nothing. It is a really great feeling. I feel “complete” in so many ways.
    Hmn…. maybe that’s why I don’t know what to ask for of the next 10 years.

    Ok, maybe I can ask for a little bit more sleep ;p


    Of hearts and poops (or lack thereof)

    February 15th, 2009

    G is loved by the ladies. He got two Valentines in the mail: one from his lady friend (Special K) and one from Grammie. Smooches to you ladies!

    Unfortunately,ย  although loved by the ladies, he didn’t get much love from the Poop Faerie yesterday. On Valentine’s day she went on strikeย  and after two days of rice cereal for breakfast she was replaced by the Constipation Faerie.

    Yeah, you read that right. I said Constipation Faerie: not a visitor you want often.

    Yesterday was day 3 of G withholding “the big one”. He’d gone that long before, so I wasn’t too concerned, but come afternoon you could tell he was uncomfortable. It only got worse as the night progressed, with G having a hard time going to sleep for the night and waking up every two hours. Finally at 4am, he passed what he needed to, but overall he spent the day today as one tired baby. We, in turn, spent today as two tired parents.

    He had 3 poops to make up for the 3 days of absence, but he looked mad all day. I swear whenever he looked at me today his face said “You did this to me!”.

    We needed to get his passport photos taken today too, and he was not amused. Further proof that it’s impossible to take a good passport photo, no matter who you are.

    So that’s the end of rice cereal for us. Well, I might bust it out when the Diarrhea Faerie comes for a visit (which hopefully will be a looooong ways away). I’m thinking of going with Whole Grain cereal for awhile. If that fails, I’ll wait until G’s a little older and offer him avocado instead.

    Meanwhile, I guess I need to stock up on some prune juice…. and possibly some glycerin tablets ๐Ÿ˜ฎ

    Here’s to hoping that G will go back to his usual, cheerful self tomorrow.


    Along came the farts

    February 14th, 2009

    Ok, it’s not like farts are a first for G, but before they were cute and didn’t smell. Today we’re getting a treat. A treat of something well… not so nice smelling. And he’s got some “silent killers” brewing.

    While holding G this smell hit me so I looked up at S asking “Did you fart?”
    He just responded: “You wanted to start solids: solid food means solid waste!”

    And while this is true I thought we’d have a little bit more time. More time before The Big Stinkies came.

    I’m not sure I’m looking forward to that #2 diaper G’s getting ready to deliver. Maybe this would be a good time to leave S with G and run some errands.

    Some long extended errands.