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Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Four months, 16 days
Today was Sam's four-month check-up. He was such a trooper - as usual. He did not cry for the first shot - I think he only realized during the second one what was going on. But he only cried for a minute and then zonked out by the time we got to the car. Staying healthy is hard work for a baby.
We got the green light from the pediatrician to start him on solid foods. I am excited about the idea, but also a bit nervous. I know he can't live on formula forever and my wallet will thank me for feeding him something else as well... But it's such a big step for the little guy - it's the end of an era! But it will be so much fun to see him experience new tastes and textures. As with everything baby-related, there are numerous schools of thought on what and how to feed the baby. If I listen to my Mom, I would be giving him chicken paprika mushed up in a blender. If I listen to the books and the pediatrician, I should be feeding him bland rice cereal for weeks on end. I am hoping to find a nice little road somewhere in the middle - we'll start with apples and go from there.
The weather has finally turned springy over the weekend, so Sam had his first picnic experience at Fort Williams Park. This also meant that I got to practice outdoor feeding and outdoor poopy diaper changing. There's a first for everything. I think Sam had a good time - he loved the bagpipes (Drew was playing with his band). The wind, not so much.
Now that's the way to relax!
We got the green light from the pediatrician to start him on solid foods. I am excited about the idea, but also a bit nervous. I know he can't live on formula forever and my wallet will thank me for feeding him something else as well... But it's such a big step for the little guy - it's the end of an era! But it will be so much fun to see him experience new tastes and textures. As with everything baby-related, there are numerous schools of thought on what and how to feed the baby. If I listen to my Mom, I would be giving him chicken paprika mushed up in a blender. If I listen to the books and the pediatrician, I should be feeding him bland rice cereal for weeks on end. I am hoping to find a nice little road somewhere in the middle - we'll start with apples and go from there.
The weather has finally turned springy over the weekend, so Sam had his first picnic experience at Fort Williams Park. This also meant that I got to practice outdoor feeding and outdoor poopy diaper changing. There's a first for everything. I think Sam had a good time - he loved the bagpipes (Drew was playing with his band). The wind, not so much.
We also had a visit from Uncle Torpe and Aunt Jenny. It is always awesome to hang with my brother and I'd like to think that Sammy likes him just a tiny bit more than other people, because I like my brother more than pretty much most people. Makes sense? Right.
(And just now, Blogger pooped out and won't let me post more pics... Argh.)
Ah, here we are... So look at them, aren't they cute together?
But of course, my other favorite view at the the end of a long day is this:
Now that's the way to relax!
Monday, May 10, 2010
For the record
I was reading the past few entries of this blog and realized that as an online diary, it's not a very good record of the times. This is probably for several reasons, the most immediate one being that I can't get my brain together for long enough periods of time to write coherently about everyday happenings. So I guess I sort of glaze over stuff and just give a general big picture of what's happening. I will probably regret this later.
I am already forgetting how little Sammy was when he was born, or how he cried, or how his little cat tongue curled in his mouth when he was screaming. OK, that one I haven't forgotten, but with all the cuteness coming, I am sure I will eventually.
Drew and I often wonder what we used to do before we had a baby. Watch a lot of bad TV, eat out, go shopping, hang out at home, go to the beach, take long drives. That's pretty much it. And strangely, that's still what we do, but now we have this little creature along for the ride. I mean, here we are, it's Monday evening. Drew is watching MTV (his favorite guilty pleasure), and I am sitting at the computer. The only difference is that Sammy is snoring in the background and his favorite new rattle is sitting next to my laptop.
I often catch myself at work with a strange sense of deja vu... It's not even that... I am not sure what to call it. But I'll be sitting in a meeting or walking around the office and suddenly think: "Wow, I've been here before, when I didn't have a baby. I sat in the same meetings with the same people, talking about pretty much the same topics. And now here I am again, like nothing has change. Except everything has." I don't know if this makes any sense.
So, for the everyday stuff: yesterday was mother's day. My first. It was OK. I sort of screwed myself, because we celebrated early, on Saturday, so on Sunday I felt a bit jibbed. New rule: mother's day has to be celebrated the day of, not before or after. Have to remember next year. Oh, we did get to nap together in bed in the morning, and that was heavenly.
Sam wrote me a card:
I am already forgetting how little Sammy was when he was born, or how he cried, or how his little cat tongue curled in his mouth when he was screaming. OK, that one I haven't forgotten, but with all the cuteness coming, I am sure I will eventually.
Drew and I often wonder what we used to do before we had a baby. Watch a lot of bad TV, eat out, go shopping, hang out at home, go to the beach, take long drives. That's pretty much it. And strangely, that's still what we do, but now we have this little creature along for the ride. I mean, here we are, it's Monday evening. Drew is watching MTV (his favorite guilty pleasure), and I am sitting at the computer. The only difference is that Sammy is snoring in the background and his favorite new rattle is sitting next to my laptop.
I often catch myself at work with a strange sense of deja vu... It's not even that... I am not sure what to call it. But I'll be sitting in a meeting or walking around the office and suddenly think: "Wow, I've been here before, when I didn't have a baby. I sat in the same meetings with the same people, talking about pretty much the same topics. And now here I am again, like nothing has change. Except everything has." I don't know if this makes any sense.
So, for the everyday stuff: yesterday was mother's day. My first. It was OK. I sort of screwed myself, because we celebrated early, on Saturday, so on Sunday I felt a bit jibbed. New rule: mother's day has to be celebrated the day of, not before or after. Have to remember next year. Oh, we did get to nap together in bed in the morning, and that was heavenly.
Sam wrote me a card:
My parents posed him when he spent the afternoon with them on Saturday. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this. He is brilliant, what can I say?
He is getting so big! He is starting to grab and pull his bottle to his mouth and also push it away when he is done. This is helpful - takes some of the guessing out of every feeding. He is also doing much better on his belly and might turn over soon. He likes to do baby crunches - when he is on the changing table, he will pull up his legs and his head and torso, like a mini sit-up. It's so funny. It also makes him spit up, which we definitely don't need more of.
We've been taking him to a little play group on Saturdays. I think he is a bit too small for it, especially because all of the other babies are older, but it's fun to see him check out the other kids and grab at the toys. He is starting to have some favorite toys, although it's hard to tell at this point. He has a little green doll/rattle thing that he likes to hold and he also likes his colorful links above his bed. But he is just as happy to play with his binky or his bib. No need for expensive toys! That's one thing the play group made me think of: how do you resist the temptation to buy $16 rattle because you believe that it will make your child smarter? I am not sure I will be good at this resistance... I haven't placed my Amazon order yet, but I am afraid I will.
Babies are expensive.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Getting the hang of it
I've been back to work for about a month now and I think things are going well. I am pretty much caught up with work stuff - at least I managed to remember what it is that I do here. Mostly. Sammy seems to be doing great in daycare. The constant noise and action around him are both entertaining and tiring for the poor little guy, so in the afternoons he is both exhausted and happy when I pick him up. I guess that's a good combination.
I was sick about two weeks ago - with a fever and a cough. It turns out that I had bronchitis, so I tried as much as I could to stay away from Sam. I was SO afraid that he would get it. What I didn't count on was that he noticed that I wasn't holding him or snuggling with him as much as usual. So the first day I was better and he wasn't in daycare, he would not let me put him down even for a minute. He basically napped on me the entire day. Poor baby. I felt so bad for him. And for me a too, just a little.
Drew was away last weekend, so Sam and I were alone overnight for the first time. It went well - he was so tired that he slept through his bath and zonked out before he finished his bottle. We spent Saturday with Grandma and Grandpa:
I was sick about two weeks ago - with a fever and a cough. It turns out that I had bronchitis, so I tried as much as I could to stay away from Sam. I was SO afraid that he would get it. What I didn't count on was that he noticed that I wasn't holding him or snuggling with him as much as usual. So the first day I was better and he wasn't in daycare, he would not let me put him down even for a minute. He basically napped on me the entire day. Poor baby. I felt so bad for him. And for me a too, just a little.
Drew was away last weekend, so Sam and I were alone overnight for the first time. It went well - he was so tired that he slept through his bath and zonked out before he finished his bottle. We spent Saturday with Grandma and Grandpa:
There's something about seeing my parents with my baby... So strange. I don't remember how they were with my brother when he was born, and I obviously don't remember them from the time I was a baby, so it's sort of funny to see them all googly-eyed over a baby. And Sam milks it for all its worth!
This weekend it seemed like someone flipped a switch in him because he was "talking" non-stop. His funny little sounds just crack me up. He seems to be "talking" in full sentences now and I just have to wonder whether he is talking in English in Hungarian.
So, we are all getting into a good routine around here. I still feel unsettled and hormonal from time to time, but I suppose that is normal. I am also shedding like a dog and my nails are breaking, so the good pregnancy hormones must have left the building. It's only the cranky ones that crave chocolate that are sticking around. Figures.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Week One
Whew. So we survived the first full week of daycare/work. The first day sucked - but honestly not as much as I thought it would. It felt absolutely horrible to leave Sam to fend for himself in a strange place. I managed not to cry in front of him - I didn't want him to see that I was upset. So I cried in the car and then again managed to pull myself together for work.
And by the time this week rolled around, we were doing really well. I still cried a bit on Monday when I dropped him off, but by Tuesday and Wednesday we were old pros at the morning routine and drop-off.
Sam seems to be doing well with all of this. He is happy every afternoon when I pick him up. He takes good naps, his appetite is great, and he got to go on a buggy ride yesterday with the other kids. (He slept through all of it, but still!) When he is awake, he loves to sit in a swing and check out the action around him. He loves to do that at home too - sit on my lap and just look around.
On the negative side: I am pretty sure he picked up a cold from daycare. We are at home today and the poor little guy is pretty snotty. I have my handy snot sucker at the ready and I am also using our penguin-shaped humidifier for the first time. Not much else I can do for him - except for the snuggling, of course!
I am doing OK with work. In a way it's nice to be back in some grown-up company. But I do find that nothing excites me about work like it used to. On Tuesday my colleagues took me out to lunch and to fill me in on all the happenings and while office stuff used to get my blood boiling, now I was just like "eh... who cares?" It's a weird feeling. I am somewhat jealous that almost the entire office is going to a conference in Chicago. I could have gone, but decided that I wasn't ready to be away from the McMuffin. In the end I know that no matter how much fun they will be having, I will have more fun at home with Sam. If I had gone, I would be just thinking about him all the time anyway, wishing I were home. Oy.
My new favorite pic of him:
He is getting so big! I have to buy some clothes for him this weekend, because he is wearing 9-month-old sizes! He is crazy long!
I think daycare is also making him more vocal - he doesn't cry more, but he is definitely talking more and doing it louder! The other night he was talking so much while I was changing him, that I almost fell over laughing. He is just adorable.
On a not so cheery note, I am still not healed from labor. This is discouraging in more than one way. I had to have two, extremely painful procedures to remove some scar tissue and I will hopefully get the all clear from my doctor tomorrow. Fingers crossed! And at this point, legs are crossed as well. Ugh.
And by the time this week rolled around, we were doing really well. I still cried a bit on Monday when I dropped him off, but by Tuesday and Wednesday we were old pros at the morning routine and drop-off.
Sam seems to be doing well with all of this. He is happy every afternoon when I pick him up. He takes good naps, his appetite is great, and he got to go on a buggy ride yesterday with the other kids. (He slept through all of it, but still!) When he is awake, he loves to sit in a swing and check out the action around him. He loves to do that at home too - sit on my lap and just look around.
On the negative side: I am pretty sure he picked up a cold from daycare. We are at home today and the poor little guy is pretty snotty. I have my handy snot sucker at the ready and I am also using our penguin-shaped humidifier for the first time. Not much else I can do for him - except for the snuggling, of course!
I am doing OK with work. In a way it's nice to be back in some grown-up company. But I do find that nothing excites me about work like it used to. On Tuesday my colleagues took me out to lunch and to fill me in on all the happenings and while office stuff used to get my blood boiling, now I was just like "eh... who cares?" It's a weird feeling. I am somewhat jealous that almost the entire office is going to a conference in Chicago. I could have gone, but decided that I wasn't ready to be away from the McMuffin. In the end I know that no matter how much fun they will be having, I will have more fun at home with Sam. If I had gone, I would be just thinking about him all the time anyway, wishing I were home. Oy.
My new favorite pic of him:
He is getting so big! I have to buy some clothes for him this weekend, because he is wearing 9-month-old sizes! He is crazy long!
I think daycare is also making him more vocal - he doesn't cry more, but he is definitely talking more and doing it louder! The other night he was talking so much while I was changing him, that I almost fell over laughing. He is just adorable.
On a not so cheery note, I am still not healed from labor. This is discouraging in more than one way. I had to have two, extremely painful procedures to remove some scar tissue and I will hopefully get the all clear from my doctor tomorrow. Fingers crossed! And at this point, legs are crossed as well. Ugh.
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