There’s not enough Purell in the world to overcome this.
Dear Andrew November 19, 2009
My darling boy,
You are almost ten months old and you are so much fun right now. Our afternoon commute is a blast. You love to sing and watch me clap (at stoplights only), chew on toys then pull off your socks and chew on them, too. Today you added a new step: chewing on your actual foot.
I know why you’re so determined to gnaw on anything and everything, even your own appendages: two more shiny teeth are peeking through. That will put you in the double digits. Way to go!
You’re learning to chew actual food pretty well. You’ve had miniwaffles, which you liked. But you go absolutely CRAZY for grated cheese. I’ve never seen you inhale finger foods so rapidly. It was so adorable, and slightly frightening. I hope you are as passionate with vegetables. I’m sure you will be because they are your favorite purees. I tried giving you a steamed asparagus spear but you only used it as a weapon. After practicing with the finger foods you are always impatient excited to eat some purees. You’re such an adventurous eater and I hope that’s a trait you retain.
Now you’re sleeping, exhausted from a day of playing, learning, and loving. You apparently were fascinated with bubbles at daycare today, so we’ll have to try some out this weekend.
As for your Mommy, I’m pretty exhausted myself. Tomorrow we’re driving to Mayberry for a few days to visit family. I’m looking forward to showing off my gorgeous, gregarious boy. I’m not looking forward to packing all of your crap.
Love,
Mommy
Today I started poisoning my child. November 17, 2009
Well not really, but I did start adding formula to his bottles. The freezer stash is dwindling and his bottles were barely full enough. It would be negligent and foolhardy to ignore the truth just so I could wear my “exclusively breastfeeding ” badge a little longer. Plus once you start solids it’s not really EBF. Formula loses a little of its stigma once you start handing the kid pieces of fried chicken.
He did give it the side eye this morning but he drank it just fine. The bottle was only 3 oz and was half and half. He seemed a little gassier and he burped like a trucker so we’ll have to see how his little tummy handles what our pedi suggested (Similac Advance).
It wasn’t nearly as traumatic as I thought it would be. I was remembering the first time he had formula, back when they thought he had a milk allergy. We were all scarred by the experience of him completely rejecting the bottle and the nasty formula they suggested. He was screaming and writhing, I was sobbing on the couch…you can see why I was hesitant to relive that experience.
This morning was completely different. He accepted his bottle happily and aside from hitting it repeatedly (“I think this one’s broken, mom. It tastes different.”) he didn’t complain.
I’m going to call daycare in a minute to see how his morning bottle went. It was 4 oz breastmilk and 3 oz formula so the reaction should have been equally as favorable.
I fought the Germ and the Germ won November 13, 2009
Wheat germ can add many important nutrients to your baby’s diet, wholesomebabyfood.com told me.
The nutrients in wheat germ are nutrients baby needs to grow healthy and strong.
Wheat germ contains the nutrients that will also help with baby brain development.
The ways to add wheat germ to baby food recipes are endless.
Wheat germ-Tasty and Nutritious.
Special Thanks to Mr. Aggie for watching Pantalones de Stink while I edited the photos and wrote this post. He gets an extra gold star for de-Germing the kid in the bath while I worked.
Hola, interwebs. November 11, 2009
What’s shakin’?
It’s been almost a week since we talked last. Life has happened in the interim.
Andrew has started clapping and singing/grunting/gesticulating in the car during our commute. It’s hard to watch the road when there’s a be-boppin’ baby in the backseat whose dance moves become more frenzied when he hears his Mommy laugh.
In other developmental news, last night he waved and said “da da” when Mr. Aggie got home from work. He’s been saying it for a couple of weeks, but it’s exciting to see him attach meaning to the ‘word’.
Speaking of Mr. Aggie’s work, he switched jobs. As someone whose dad still works for the same company that hired him in 1978 (seriously) I was very nervous about the move. It was much needed for my husband’s sanity but it comes with sacrifices. The most challenging one will be adjusting to the new hours. You may remember me blogging recently about how the recession led to a decrease in his hours at work, which meant more time with us. That is no longer the case, as he will now be arriving home between 6:30-7:30 each night.
Andrew usually goes to bed around 7:00 (his choice) so this means I will often be the sole caretaker until bedtime. It means that Mr. Aggie will see very little of Andrew during the week. It means that I will be a harried mess by the time my husband gets home if I’m not careful.
What a difficult choice to make. In the end, we agreed that because Mr. Aggie was MISERABLE at his company, there was little to no opportunity for advancement, and everyone who worked there was spending lunch hours on careerbuilder/monster/etc looking for a new job, that we should make the move.
My fervent hope is that the change will make him a happier person. That’s a reasonable expectation to have as a human being, I think. To be able to make changes in your life that lead to greater satisfaction, even if they come with unwanted consequences (within reason, of course.) I want him to enjoy the time he spends with us without working about his company folding. I want him to come to bed at a reasonable hour instead of staying up until 1 a.m. scouring the interwebs for jobs. I want him enjoy his day instead of watching the clock and plotting his escape.
Only time will tell if we made the right choice. All we can say at this point is that we carefully considered the pros and cons and made the best decision for our family that we could with the information we had.
This is getting old. November 5, 2009
I’m visiting anotheelementary school today and I just found a suitable place to pump after rejecting:
1. The bathroom in the clinic (nurse’s office) that is used by sick kids to barf and gosh knows what else.
2. A bathroom with no power outlet.
3. A bathroom shared by an entire hallway of teachers, most of whom will only have a few seconds to take care of business while teaching.
What is it with people and expecting us to pump in bathrooms? That’s so incredibly disgusting. I get that milking is a bodily function, but don’t they realize my baby is going to drink this milk and I’d prefer not to express it in a place where people relieve themselves of last night’s greasy Mexican food?
Happy Halloween. And Stuff. November 3, 2009
The plan was to take Andrew around to the neighbors we know and the ones we’ve always intended to meet. His schedule was completely wrong and a recipe for disaster. We pressed on, suited up our little lobster, and hit the road.
First attempt.
Fail.
Second attempt.
Fail.
At this point he began to get worried that no one would witness his adorableness.
We pressed on.
We met one really nice couple, but that was it. Due to an oversight on our part, we also didn’t have any trick or treaters. We made sure to turn on the porch light. We didn’t make sure to turn off the motion activation. Still, Halloween was a roaring success because…
We found the perfect solution to handling Daylight Savings Time with an infant. We sent him to his grandparents for the night. ‘Twas magnificent.
I’m near death, but it was worth it. October 30, 2009
I have the flu. I think. Whatever mysterious ailment befell by child and husband has overtaken me. Anyway, I saved up all my energy today so that I could venture out for this purpose.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to curl up and die.
The pedi was right. And oh so wrong. October 28, 2009
Andrew did get better after Monday’s visit. Yesterday he had no fever. He still woke up every two hours at night to eat, but I thought we were on the road to recovery.
My mom offered to watch him so I could go to work. He wasn’t eating much but she didn’t think he had a fever for most of the day. By the time I got home he had a temp of 104.
Whiskey.
Tango.
Foxtrot.
Why does my baby keep getting better then sicker every other day? Our regular pedi (who has been out of town) called to discuss the situation for about fifteen minutes. He’s befuddled, too.
We broke his fever pretty easily and now he’s happier and more playful than he’s been all day. He even “danced” for the first time. I’m staying home and mom’s staying, too, to keep an eye on him. If he has a fever at all we’re heading back to the doctor’s office.
Oh, and Mr. Aggie is near death but hasn’t succumbed. I threw a lean cuisine at him a few minutes ago.
I am more exhausted than when Andrew was a newborn. At least then when he slept like crap I could spend they day in a pajama-clad stupor. Going to work SUCKED SUCKED SUUUUUUUUUUCKED.
The End.
Oh, wait. Not the end. All the skin-to-skin contact (designed to bring down his fever) plus the hands-free nursing bra I finally acquired seem to have markedly improved my supply. Yippee!
My life sucks! But good news! October 27, 2009
First, the suckage. Andrew is still really, really sick. We don’t know exactly what it is. (I’d like my $60 back, Mr. Pediatrician. Please and thank you.) At this point we’re HOPING it’s the flu. Not really what I expected to be saying. He’s sleeping in 1.5-2 hour spurts around the clock. The pedi believes it will improve over the next day or so. He may also have only said that because he sees the crazy in my eyes.
Mr. Aggie and I are both home with him today. The plan was for us to trade off sick baby duty since I was up every two hours with Andrew the night before and also went to work yesterday. The plan was NOT for Mr. Aggie to wake up with chills and a slight fever in the middle of the night. I’m considering locking him in the guest room and installing a doggy door through which I can disperse equal parts fluids and lysol.
The little guy is napping now so I should be too, since that’s the only break I’ll be getting. But first! I had to share this awesome news! My only Conservative friends Two wonderful people have made themselves a baby! I’m so excited for them and baby “Nigel.” Despite their misguided political leanings, I have every confidence that Nigel is one lucky guy/gal to be created and raised by such loving and dedicated parents. I’m also glad that my oversharing hasn’t dissuaded them from the endeavor altogether.
And with that, I bid you goodnight. May your day be fantastico, and may my husband not be snoring lest I finally succumb to my overwhelming yet unwarranted urge to bash his head in with the baby monitor.
Have a nice day!
