One Year Ago

I was lying in a hospital bed, not sure what I was getting into. I had pre-eclampsia during my third trimester, which lead to one month of bedrest at home, and 3 weeks in the hospital. My hospital days consisted of: awakening to a phlebotomist poking my arm at 5 AM daily, measuring my pee and saving it in a jug, fetal stress tests, constant blood pressure checks, drooling while waiting for my meals to come, napping, computer time, lots of movies, magazines, and online Christmas shopping. Oh, and lots of visitors! I had a calendar in my room, and for every visitor, (and everyone who called) I asked them to pick my due date. My original due date was January 28, 2008, but once I was hospitalized, we knew Ryan would be early. Of all the guesses, I picked the winner --December 19. Basically, it was a waiting game. The constant monitoring of my kidney functioning made it so the doctors could wait as long as possible to allow Ryan to "cook". Every day he spent inside took 2 days off of the time he had to spend in the NICU. He ended up spending 2 weeks in the NICU, which was considered awesome by the doctors and nurses, Jeff and I were basketcases the entire time. But now, a year later, our little preemie (4lbs 15 oz at birth) is a whopping 20 lb crazy fast crawling, almost walking one year old! We are so blessed and love him to bits.

New Skills

So, some hardcore bloggers out there are doing one post a day for the month of November. My underachiever arse will be lucky to get 2 posts done the whole month!

Ryan is in a metamorphosis as the calendar trudges onward toward his first birthday and toddlerdom awaits! Here is a summary of new skills and ways to manipulate Mommy.

• Say momma momma momma momma over and over again, even when prompted to say dadda.
• Says Clau? (with a lilting questioning tone) which means Claudia (our cat). I use the same tone to call her. He's a freaking genius!
• Has 8 teeth in various stages of growth and sharp jaggedness. I just noticed teeth marks on the remote control! GA!
• Stood up like a phoenix amongst the rubble of toys and family members all by himself the other night! Stood for a whole 5 seconds before returning to the rubble.
• Eats Cheerios like they are going out of style.
• Mooches food like a starving pet. Especially when it is something that he CANNOT have yet. (chocolate, ice cream, salty chips)
• He claps his hands! So sweet. He does this after simple things, or when he enjoyed what just happened to him. When blow-drying my hair, I give him a little bit of air too, and he clapped to show his appreciation!

He will be 11 months old in just a few days. I'm not ready to have a one-year old yet. Can someone please stop time so I can enjoy his babyness just a little bit longer?

More for Monday

yes, I stole this from the Five for Friday idea...

• We went cold turkey on the baby swing at 1 AM Sunday morning. So far, so good. I returned it to our neighbors, so the temptation has left the building!
• My darling son took a bite out of a bar of soap over the weekend-ON PURPOSE. So I guess the old idea of washing his mouth out with soap as punishment is out the window...
• My husband asked me out on a date for tonight. I heart brinner. He's going to woo me over waffles. :)
• My kid is Charlie Brown for Halloween. What's yours?
• Here are pictures, for those of you who have been so patient...

Macy's Rant

Dear Macy's,
I am very disappointed in you. I'm not sure how to retaliate against a corporate giant such as yourself, so I will post a rant that all 5 of my readers will take to heart, and possibly boycott you for a day or two. Probably won't break your bank, but I'm pissed off --so there.
Here's the situation: Last week, I received an ad for your men's sale. I found The Perfect Blazer for my husband amongst its pages, but had to wait until today for the sale to begin. My whole day today revolved around getting to Macy's to buy The Perfect Blazer.
I know that my husband's small stature sometimes requires calling other stores, and extra looking to find the right size, but your employees are always more than happy to help me, especially when they learn that I have the "black card". (Higher in status than platnum, I didn't know you could top that!)
Anyway, I walked into my local large Macy's, with the boy happily in his stroller to find The Perfect Blazer. I had a nice young man help me trying to locate it in several stores. This kid called all the way to CALIFORNIA and never found a Macy's store that CARRIES THE EFFING BLAZER THAT IS SHOWN IN THE AD!!!!!! (Meantime, my son plops the stinkiest poop of his LIFE while I'm waiting at the counter. Nasty little baby!)
Why advertise something that you DON'T EVEN HAVE!! After coming home, I checked online at macys.com, and they don't even carry this brand. Somebody in marketing needs to lose their job over this!! I'm furious!
Even though I couldn't find The Perfect Blazer in the store, I looked around to see if I could find one that is similar. No such luck. So, I went to the ladies shoe department to lick my wounds. I'm in the market for some sexy black boots, my current pair are older than my entire relationship with my husband, and need to be replaced. I found The Perfect Boots quickly, and after deciding that with the sale, my coupon, and my credit card, they would be BARELY three digits in cost, I tried them on. The Perfect Boots also let me down, as they were scraping the bottoms of my knee caps with each step. I asked the sales girl if I had short lower legs, or is this how they were supposed to fit? She said they are very tall boots. Now I've never had a blister on my lower knee cap, but if I tried to wear these for more than a few minutes, that is where I would be. So I looked at all the other boots to find equal or similar perfection. The only pair that came close cost $548, and were not eligible for ANY discounts. Didn't even try those puppies on.
Now I'm home, didn't buy a darn thing at the big Macy's sale, and I want to beat them up.
The End.
To my readers: call your local Macy's for me and see if they carry Andrew Fezza sportcoats. Then call me if they do. I will give you a treat if we can find The Perfect Blazer.

Hiatus

Yes, I've been gone for a while. I'm spending less time on the computer these days, therefore there will be fewer posts for a bit. Some things that have happened since I last posted.

1. Huge visit from my parents. We are separated by 2,500 miles, so visits are treasured. They were here for a wonderful week and got to know RJ, who can now respond to them when they talk to him on the phone, like he has a clue who they are.

2. The boy is even more mobile, hence less computer time for me. He loves to bang on the keyboard, which is making for some interesting spellings for spellcheck! He is fast approaching the walking stage, can pull up and push objects while walking behind them. He is also spectacular at the face plant and landing on the back of his head. This week, he is sporting a forehead bruise. Seriously though, he is getting good at SLOWLY lowering himself in a squat onto his padded tushie as a dismount from standing. He looks so serious when concentrating.

3. Fall has arrived in the Pacific NW. We've been to see the spawning salmon and to a pumpkin patch--both annual events for our clan. Our apple trees have a bumper crop this year, so I'm also busy in the kitchen figuring out what else I can do with apples. We planted an Italian Plum in the front yard and will be expecting a few plums next year.

4. We are officially a one-car family. Bruce, our 1998 Honda Accord, needed repairs beyond our current means. We had a good run with old Bruce, and will miss the convenience of a second vehicle. CJ is getting a little morning and evening walk in now, as he jaunts to the park and ride, 8 blocks away. I have looked into busing to my office, however it would take an extra HOUR over my current driving, because I do a reverse commute. That means no fast, express-like bus is heading north when all the "real traffic" is headed south. We're up for some new challenges here, but I am looking forward to purchasing only one car seat when Ryan graduates from his infant seat in about 4 more pounds.

That's all for now--I'm on the wrong computer to post photos, but I will when I get to the right one.

I'm not buying new toys anytime soon

My boy has reached the stage where all non-toys are more fun than real toys. I've posted photos of the most recent discoveries below.  Before anyone freaks about the plastic bags, please note--they are tied tightly inside one large bag, he can't fit it into his mouth, and I was there the whole time, so he did not suffocate. He is also obsessed with the computer and camera--see the last photo for evidence. 

Happy Hump day everyone!

Celeb-utards

Greetings virtual and real friends! We have just returned from an extended sunny weekend in Santa Monica. We were there under the pretense of attending a family wedding, however, I was really on the hunt for a real live celebrity! One would think that with the daytime Emmy awards on Sunday night that a celeb or two might just drift on over into Santa Monica for a bit, but NO!!

We came up a big fat goose egg on sightings.

My cousin-in-law's husband Josh claims to have seen a semi-famous man from the back, but could not produce the name of said famous one, and not even his wife could verify the sighting.

We even dined at the famous Ivy by the Shore, where everyone who is anyone goes to be seen. Apparently not for Sunday brunch though. The wedding family had a private room in the back, so scoping out who was coming in and out of the restaurant was not easy. I had to pick a certain seat, with a peripheral view of the bar/front of restaurant. The place was EMPTY when we arrived, and only half hopping when we left. NO CELEBS WERE PRESENT, or if they were, they were not famous enough to be recognized by me or my family.

In baby news...The Boy is standing! He even pushed a toy for a few steps in the living room today! He is also finally wearing 9 month sized clothing. No confirmation from the Dr. yet, but I think he might be catching up to "full term" babies in terms of size.

I've been trying to teach him how to fall. B/c we all know that babies love to stand up, but they don't know how to get down. I show him that his rump is a nicely padded landing pad, but NO, he prefers to dismount using the full twist with a face plant method. Thankfully we will not be posing for portraits anytime too soon.

Hey all you Lurkers!!

From Wikipedia: Lurker: In Internet culture, a lurker is a person who reads discussions on a message board, newsgroup, or chat room, but rarely participates.  

I'm in desperate need of a shout out. Who is reading this blog? My family only? A smattering of friends? Complete strangers? I have 3 consistent commenters, but I want to hear from ALL of you out there. 

In Defense of Food

At last, a non-baby post!! I've been writing this one in my head for about  a week, and need to get it out!!

I mentioned that I finished this book (IN Defense of Food, Michael Pollan) last week. I really liked it b/c it provided affirmation for many of my eating habits, and gave me some new fodder to think about. I'll leave out all the stuff about the government conspiring to change our eating habits...for that, you'll have to read the book yourself!  

Michael Pollan thinks that our Western Diet is to blame for the problems of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. I think he's pretty much right. So I summarized some key points for you, to help all my friends and family be healthier people.

1) Eat more plants, leafy ones. This is a basic premise of the book, and I do this a lot. It all started when I dated/married a vegetarian. (I've converted him to meat, most recently beef-read on)

2) When you eat meat, it should be GRASS fed. God made cows with 4 stomachs b/c they are supposed to eat grass, not CORN. Yes, I realize that corn is a grass, however, the beef you see at most markets is PROUDLY corn fattened b/c it is cheap and easy to mass produce. This meat is nutritionally inferior to grass fed. Same goes for chickens and eggs. It has to do with a ratio of fats, Omega 6 and Omega 3. Short story, grass fed animals are better for you to eat.

My husband used to get a sick tummy if he ate beef. He claimed it was something about not eating it for 15+ years. Two nights ago, we had stir fry with grass fed beef. He barely even burped afterwards!

3) When you grocery shop, don't buy anything that your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize. (any pre-WWII relative will do).  Processing food and adding weird things to make it less food-like started at the end of WWII. READ THE LABELS OF WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO BUY AND PUT INTO YOUR BODY!!

Ways to do this:

a) Shop around the perimeter of the grocery store. Most "raw materials" eggs, milk, cheese, bread, produce, and meat are at the edges. You don't "need" the stuff in the middle of the store. 

b) Don't eat stuff with unrecognizable ingredients. I have a guilty pleasure to confess: Pop Tarts. They contain: xanthan gum. Does anybody know what that is?  Also, avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup--a sweetener that is getting a bad rap lately for good reason.

c) Don't buy anything with more than 5 ingredients in it. The Pop Tarts have more than 30 ingredients!!

4) You may have to pay a little more and spend a little more time preparing your food to eat this way, but the savings in healthcare costs, and long-term health benefits should be worth it to you. Also, you will spend less time in front of the TV, which we all need.  Last night, I spent more than an hour cooking a yummy vegetable curry with dahl from scratch. It was delicious!

Here's to happy healthy eating! Now I need to return this overdue library book.

Sleep crawling

The reason that Ryan keeps waking up has to do with his new skill, crawling. He is crawling in his sleep! I think he gets into position and starts moving, then wakes up, freaks out, and goes into the corner in aforementioned sad baby gorilla pose, and cries until he is rescued! I figured it all out at about midnight last night. 

My solution? First choice would be some sort of anti-crawl restraining device, fashioned of duct tape, however, this would likely be frowned upon in most parenting circles. Instead, the boy has a free pass into Mom and Dad's bed until the phase has passed. Sleep is too important for ALL of us to try and tough it out.  So we took on kidney kicks, and wiggling baby instead. Much better. I was still having insomnia and weird middle of the night hunger issues, but I got more sleep than the night before, and that's what really matters. 

To go along with the crawling, Mr. Mohawk has also taken to sleeping on his tummy in the butt-up fashion of yesteryear. He prefers to start sleeping on his side, then roll up to bottoms up, with his face so smushed, you wonder how he is breathing. I keep checking, he can do it!  I think this is what is leading into the sleep crawling. 

Time Machine

Dear Ryan,

Please crawl your cute little butt into a time machine and go back about one week! Last week, you couldn't crawl or get into things. You went to bed without a fight. I WANT THAT BABY BACK!!

Last night, you would not go to bed willingly. Ever time I went into your room you were sitting in the corner of your bed, looking like the saddest baby gorilla at the zoo, crying your eyes out.
You woke up at 9:15, 10:15, 11:15, and 12:15. Then I put you in the swing, and you slept until 2:15. Then I brought you to bed with me, where you slept until 5:15. Then we kicked Daddy out for work and slept until 8.

I was just reading a lament from Sundry about pre-child life. I have to admit that I was having the same thoughts this morning.

Mommy's tired honey, can I have a break? I love you endlessly, however, I'm getting too tired to be nice anymore.

(As I write this, he has entered the 2nd hour of nap in the swing, but I've had to deal with my "working job" crisies and cleaning the kitchen--which does not constitute a break)

Thank you,
Love,
Your Momma

Mohawk Baby

We have a crawler!

Forward motion was accomplished last evening. He has to REALLY want something to do it, but he is officially mobile. In realted news, I finally off-loaded the baby head banging coffee table on Craigslist! Woo-hoo.
I hate how I can never post enough stuff. I have great posts in my head, but no time or energy to type them out. I just finished reading the Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, and even wrote a post of a bood report in my head to share with you all. Keep watching for that. I might do it someday.

Poor Baby

RJ is sick for the first time ever. It's so dis-empowering to have him feel bad and not be able to help. We went to the Dr. today, and it's a viral thing that COULD lead to an ear infection later on, but it's NOT AN EAR INFECTION. (bolded for my sister, queen of ear infections :)) 

Instead, we are using allergy medicine to keep fluid from building in his ear, and treating the fever aggressively. I had to buy a rectal thermometer today, but the new design is so much better than the one I remember my mother wielding, that RJ had no issues with it- and I didn't have issues using it. 

He is sleeping a lot more than usual, which is the best part, since I have a touch of a cold too, I'm getting to rest. The hard part will be later in the week, if he has not recovered, he cannot go to daycare. I've activated PLAN B, which involves a couple of hours of help from a friend while I run to work for the essential meetings, then work from home for the rest of the day.  We won't know until tomorrow if I have to use this plan, or have a normal week. We shall see...

Butt-Update

I know you are all anxiously awaiting the results of the butt Olympics, right? (RJ's diaper rash)
Well, it is 97% cured, thanks to the baby bidet technique.
We perfected it this morning, as the little man stood spread-eagle against the edge of the tub, holding on for dear life with a huge grin on his face as I sprayed his tushie clean. I've never seem such a happy little criminal, even on COPS. Thank goodness that during our bathroom remodel I requested a detachable spray head on the shower. I'm also glad that he never pooped while we were out and about during the past few days.
In short, wipes flare up even the slighest diaper rash, but a warm spray of water and a soft washcloth can go a long way toward a happier baby.

Shameless baby photos

So, I mentioned that we went to Indiana for my brother's wedding, right? Well I just downloaded the pictures, and there is NOT a.single.one of my brother and his wife. They all star, you-guessed-it- my baby! Some were not even taken by me or CJ, as evidenced by the ones of us dancing with RJ at the wedding! If you look closely in the background, you MIGHT catch a glimpse of the bride and/or groom. SHAMELESS.

Also pictured, my sister and niece and my parents with RJ. We had a lot of fun with them, and after these trips, it is really hard to live so far away from them. :(

My favorite subject-poop

Ok, so I suck at consistent blogging. Sue me. I've been on vacation. I'm all caught up on reading EVERYONE else's blogs and being annoyed when THEY don't update. I'm such a hypocrite. :)

We went to Indiana and my brother got married to a lovely lady. It was a good time. We spent a whole week catching up with friends and family. We've been back almost a week now and only have one more suitcase to unpack. CJ and I both detest unpacking and we have a standoff a la Ray Ramone after every trip.

RJ has made amazing progress since my last post. Tomorrow he will be 8 months old! He now has two lower teeth, and can get into a crawling position and bounce! He will be crawling any day now. I've caught him scooting backwards, but he doesn't realize that he can do that yet, it's all accidental. In other news, he has his first real diaper rash.

The "expert" advice on butt rash is to:
1) Air it out. We did this for over an hour yesterday with a nudist baby on a blanket in the backyard. I was prepared to wash all fabrics involved expecting a shower of urine. He was dry the entire nudy-hour! Good boy!
2) Don't use baby wipes. I am going to partially blame Huggies super chemically, overly perfumed butt wipes for the rash to begin with. This morning, I handed the young lad to his father in the shower for a "crack rinse"-post tiny poop. This was the hardest worked-for tiny- poop EVER. I would LOVE to send a video of my son's crapping face to America's Funniest Home Videos, as he tries REALLY HARD every time he makes, even if the result is less than a rabbit would produce.
The shower power spray was great, except the boy immediately pooped again after being creamed and re-diapered. So I had to make a baby bidet by holding his tushie under the faucet of the tub.
3)Hold off on the new foods. We also tried yogurt for the first time yesterday, so that could be a secondary factor in the butt rash. I have an issue for "The Man-like" big corporations, so I'm mad at Huggies. Jen- add them to the list!
I'm using Aveeno baby butt stuff, it seems like all brands are variations of 16% zinc oxide. Bloggers, what is your favorite butt covering for treating the rash?

Question for the Mommies

How do (did) you manage to take a shower when you are (were) home alone with your firstborn and newly mobile child? If I wait for him to go to sleep, I'll never be clean again! RJ has outgrown the seatbelt on the bouncy seat. I used to strap him in, give him a toy, and enjoy my shower. Now that he's able to get around, I'm worried about leaving him alone. Yesterday, I stuck him in the crib with some toys. I heard screaming while still in the shower, and rushed out to find him screaming with joy. (the shower muffles the difference between the good and bad screaming)

I think this problem is only going to get worse, the more mobile he gets.

Today, I have not bathed yet. I'll do a night shower when the changing of the guard takes place in about an hour. 

Babyproofing WAR

Yes, our little man is mobile. You have to watch very closely to see it, but there is movement. I consider it a rolling, wriggling type of movement. I purchased the appropriate items from the terrible store of Babies R Us last week. Today, I was installing soft corners on the kitchen table (these might save me more pain than the child at this point) and noticed this warning: "Discontinue use when child becomes old enough to defeat it." HA! I did not know that my son would be declaring WAR on the babyproofing paraphenila. How does one defeat a soft plastic table corner? What weapon is appropriate? My mind jumps to my chubby cheeked, toothless son, hanging by his mouth from the corner of the table in an effort to defeat the plastic so he can, when he is tall enough, bang his head into that corner.

Big boys need milk too!

RJ has been drinking breastmilk for his entire life. While in the NICU, they added formula to it for more calories per ounce, which we continued for a couple of weeks after bringing him home. But once he learned to nurse, that's been it.  I had a LARGE stockpile of frozen milk due to his slow start, at one time we borrowed a chest freezer to store it all. Gradually, we have been using that milk at daycare once a week and during his Daddy Fridays.  This last Thursday, I was shocked, saddened, and strangely proud as I pulled the last two bags of frozen milk from the freezer to take to daycare.  I'm still nursing him when we're together, and pumping once a day while at work. I restocked the freezer for next week's daycare, so it isn't the end of things, but the end is in sight and I haven't decided how I feel about it yet. 

RJ doesn't have any teeth yet, we don't know when they will show up! But he has started some bad nursing habits such as pulling, biting, and snacking. So it's nice to know I have formula to fill in when I've had enough abuse. We use formula in the evenings to make him eat enough that we can all get some sleep. For the most part, this works well.  I am proud of myself for giving him the best stuff possible for as long as I can. I don't know when our last nursing session will be, but I know I will miss it.

I'm feeling a little conflicted about my baby growing up. He's been sitting up for a while now, and today I showed him how to pull himself up in the crib. His legs aren't strong enough for him to do it alone, but he got into a weird yoga-type frog-leg pose by pulling up right after I helped him out. This little guy is smart! We're lowering his mattress tonight!

Blogging Doldrums

I haven't had anything too exciting to mention to the world lately. I'm lurking on other's blogs and enjoying their tall tales. 

Perhaps after our impending Midwest Invasion for my brother's wedding there will be something to report. 

My faithful readers will keep wondering,...will she ever post again? 

Stay tuned..

Camping with a baby

A challenge for anyone, right? We were invited to join a group of friends for camping on the 4th. This trip was a bit of a gauntlet thrown at our feet, as the friend extending the invitation has a 3 year old AND a 5 month old.  We could not be outdone! Plus, we had just purchased a MASSIVE 10' square tent for our new family to try out. 

We jumped at the opportunity to get away from our house for the night, as my neighbor is some sort of pyro who insists on making it sound like we are being bombed out on the 4th. I have resolved to either a) go away every 4th or b) request to be heavily sedated by prescription drugs and vodka. So we went on the trip. 

RJ is allegedly teething, although we have yet to see any evidence. He may also be in a growth spurt, (also up to be proven). He commenced to keep us and everyone camping on Whidbey Island up all freaking night! He screamed his head off every 2 hours from dusk to dawn. The only way to appease him was to stick my boob in his mouth! We struggled through and survived the night, but we will be traveling with a lot more back up formula from now on. 

In other news, he can sit up!! See photo proof. Also, new images on Flickr. The above photo is the only one of our child on the trip. Too bad I didn't whip out the camera at 2 AM!

Random Question

My sleep deprived mind has come up with this:  Why is exercising called working out? There is nothing that I know of called working in.  Discuss.

This picture is included b/c it is funny and I need some humor and to remember that my child is a lovely being on the inside. He's just a hellbeast right now.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Little RJ is changing SO fast! Today was his 6-month checkup at the Dr. He is finally on the charts for weight and height! He weighed just under 15 pounds and is 25 inches long. Dad took him to this appt, as I had to work. He also got 4 shots and barely cried!

The little guy has started sitting up for several minutes at a time before falling a different direction each time. He just did a face plant! He has discovered his feet and occasionally gets one to his mouth. 

We're expecting the real teething to begin ANY time now. He's making extra drool and biting everything in sight. Also stronger is his pincer grasp, which seems to be advanced for his age. I didn't  know I had so much neck meat to bruise!

We also took a family trip to AZ last week. RJ got to see where CJ and I were married. We stayed at the resort for a night and the baby slept for 7 hours straight! It was heaven. 

New pictures to come soon.

RJ's Favorite Book

Almost 6 months old is a little young for a favorite book, but he seriously LOVES this one! We got it a the library, and it's not out for purchase until July. I don't think the library will let us renew it until then. 

Mr. Bumbo Craps A Lot

So, people say that boys are generally harder to potty train than girls, but I think I'm on to a solution here...

We've been using the Bumbo seat to feed RJ his "taste test" of foods. (We're on bananas today) Eight out of ten times I place him in the seat, he IMMEDIATELY poops his pants! Does he think that Bumbo is a potty chair? I don't know. At first I thought it was food related, you know, a balancing of ins and outs, but no! Yesterday I placed him in the chair in the office so he could sit up and play with some toys. He turned all red in the face and started the grunt-fest that is crapping his pants.

So, when the time comes, I'm getting out the utility knife and cutting a poop hole in the Bumbo!

BTW-check out the hand-like monkey foot in the left photo, SO CUTE!

The photo on the right is post-poop, just look at the innocence!

Squeal Little Piggy!

RJ has gone through many changes in the last week! He's now 5 months and 1 week old. He's eaten rice cereal, carrots, peas, and avocado. He can grasp a binkie and attempt to place it in his own mouth. (usually wrong end first--but we're working on it). 

He also has a cute/not so cute habit of squealing/screaming now. He has discovered his voice! His first public embarrassment of his mother occurred at 11:30 this morning, when he screamed announcing our entry into the public library. Needless to say, the little one does not understand shhh, or quiet. 

We attended story time for infants in a not-so-quiet room at the library. RJ participated by reaching out for the puppet that was singing a welcome song to him and by watching the other babies play. I can't believe that very soon he will be mobile like the rest of them--watch out world!

That's all for now, someone is screaming for my attention......

WTB ad

PEMCO insurance has these Northwest Profile commercials which are HILARIOUS. Anyway, they have a WTB guy one that I have to share.

Has to Bike Vs. Wants to Bike

In honor of National Bike To Work Month, and Jen's Granny Post, I have a rant to share.

There are two types of biker's out in the world today, the Has to Bikes (HTB) and the Wants to Bikes (WTB). Separated by socioeconomic status and possibly number of DUI convictions, these are two very different species. Let's start with the more palatable (sometimes) WTB.

This person is frequently seen the the Pacific Northwest. He typically has a membership to REI, as he is COMPLETELY outfitted in head to toe Bike Gear. As unsavory as those bike shorts can be, the WTB is proud to wear them with his bright yellow commuter jacket, brightly colored biking jersey, special padded gloves, and helmet. My husband was one of these goons on Monday, as he is a stay at home dad on Fridays and did not get to particpate in Bike to Work Day on Friday.

The other species, the HTB has an often varied with optional pieces wardrobe. This one is often seen shirtless, with it tucked into a back pocket for safe keeping. This species does not wear a helmet, opting instead for the windblown long haired look or a baseball cap.

I recently discovered a new stereotype to throw into this mix: I believe it's a HTB, but more b/c of car ownership issues than legal status to drive one. I often observe men who seem to be of Hispanic descent (I'm guessing based on appearance, I didn't stop to take a poll) who ride bikes. The stereotype is that NONE of them have adjusted the seat so that they have proper riding form. They all ride with the seat in the lowest position, resulting in a slumped appearance and knees that come up to the chin. My husband thinks it's some sort of fashion statement, I just don't get it. He also feels that it is not appropriate blog material, but I need to get it out there. Hello all 7 people who read this blog, have you seen this person in your neck of the woods?

New Photos

I fought with Flickr and won! Check it out.

Mother's Day Bliss

After experiencing my FIRST Mother's Day, I have to say, yes sir, may I have another? I didn't do any dishes or laundry, and we got to eat out!
We spent a family vacation weekend at the Oregon Coast. It was RJ's first trip in a car across state lines and his first hotel stay. He did alright. I barely slept, but it was still fun. The weather bordered on terrible, but the sun came out and it warmed into the high 50's on Sunday just before we left.
For my first official Mother's Day gift, I received a beautiful jade and pearl necklace which I opened while sipping a latte and eating a cinnamon roll. PERFECT.

Back To Work

I've been back to work now for about a month, which should be enough time to know if it is working out, right? I think it is working out, but since my baby can't talk yet, I really don't have the greatest view of his perspective on the situation.

Luckily, I work for a small company and am able to work part-time for now. I work 2 days a week, and pump milk for the wee man twice a day on those days. RJ goes to daycare for one day (socialization time!) and spends Fridays man-to-man with CJ for some serious male bonding time.

Fridays alone with the baby have made CJ appreciate how much work it takes being a Mommy. He's very excited to see me at the end of the day, which makes me feel great. 

On the downside, I am much less passionate about my work than I was before baby. This can be a good thing too, but I do find myself thinking about things that should be moving along during the week in my absence, but often find them right where I left off the next week. For the most part, I am not a project manager, which works in my favor, (I'm more of a technical specialist) but there is one project specifically that I can't wait to finish. It was supposed to be all wrapped up while I away on baby leave, but that didn't happen.  Once it is done, I will have less anxiety on the M-Wed I get to spend with my little one.

The first few weeks of leaving RJ were difficult for me, but he seems to be happy when I pick him up at the end of the day, and this week I was actually looking FORWARD to having some time away. (I'm working W-Thurs this week) 

Cutest Kid Ever!

My kid is so cute!! And Mr. Serious too, but so freaking cute!

RJ's Four Month Milestones

Mr. Big Boy is 4 months old!! In the last week, he has grabbed at a toy and rolled over from belly to back. At his checkup today, he got 3 shots, weighed 12 lbs 5 oz, and was 22 inches tall. He is finally on the charts for weight, but fell off for length. I told the Dr. to look at what he's coming from, CJ and I are not exactly giants! 

Now we begin the battle of transitioning the boy to sleeping in his crib. I just ended a half hour of screaming by moving the swing into his room and putting him in it for a nap. I thought shots were supposed to make them tired? He is currently swinging away and gnawing on his best friend Soft Bunny with eyes wide open. Occasional coos tell me it ain't going to happen..gotta run, he just crapped himself with one of the loud kind. Sure to be a fun clean up!

Bad Blogger

I know, I've been terrible. Here is what has happened in the last couple of weeks. 

1) RJ had his first trip to the Midwest. He is an EXCELLENT traveler. He only cried on the runway after we landed in Columbus Ohio, after a 2 hour delay. I blamed United Airlines for his crying. 

2) RJ got to meet his grandfather, aunts, uncle and cousin while in Columbus. He was very popular.  He attended his first funeral, and slept through the entire thing, since it was during his normal sleep time on the west coast.

3) RJ grabbed a toy for the first time yesterday. (see photo)

4) I chopped my hair! This appointment had been moved 3 times, so I was super anxious to get it done!  See other photos

In Sickness and In Health

Too bad we're stuck with husbands and kids no matter what! (just kidding) Little RJ has his first cold, thanks to me. I've been sick for a week and the terrible illness struck him down at the stroke of midnight last night. I got a total of 2 hours of sleep this morning after giving him Tylenol. Here are some of the strange activities that I participated in during the wee hours:

1. Steam up the bathroom, and soak your socks while holding a screaming, sniffling kid near the steam in the shower stall.


2. Open the Vicks vapor rub, but since you're not sure if the baby can handle it or not, gently waft the fragrance in his general direction. Set the open container on the back of the toilet while you sit on the lid holding your baby and wondering why the lids of toilets are so uncomfortable for prolonged sitting.


3. Repeatedly plunge the EBE (enormous booger extractor) into your child's nose, attempting to pull out the unseen, but definitely heard offensive snot.


4. When you can't get anything OUT of his nose, try spraying some saline INTO his nose, with the hopes of washing it all downstream. (didn't work)


5. Go to the car at 3 AM for the Baby Bjorn, which you strap to your chest to keep the child in an upright position so he doesn't drown in his own snot.


6. Try to sleep propped up with all of the pillows in the house in the guest room, keeping the baby upright in th Bjorn and periodically checking for breathing.

To top of the extravaganza of snot, we are taking RJ on his first plane ride this weekend. There was a death in CJ's family, so we're heading to Columbus. Hopefully we can get the snot festival under control before then.

New Photos Added

Check out my Flickr page to see them.

It's been awhile...

Yes, I know I have been lax in my posting, however, the two people who actually READ this blog were visiting me last week, so I don't feel too bad.
We had Baby Convention 2008 at my house! Cameron, Isabella, and RJ got to do some serious baby bonding, while their parents tried to have normal people conversations. We actually got much more sleep than I was anticipating, and the visit was relatively temper tantrum free!
The most adult conversation I had during this 4 day love fest was in the rear-view mirror with Jennifer on our way to the airport. Our babies and her husband had succumbed to the white noise of the car on the freeway, and we had a whole 20 minute talk!! CRAZY.
This was our first visit with all of the little ones, and it wasn't bad. One thing that helped is that our kids are all small enough that they don't need real entertainment or activities planned around them. The biggest problem we had was navigating through stores/restaurants with three babies in strollers and various types of baby carriers. You get some mean looks when you walk into a restaurant with 5 adults and 3 babies. At least none of our kids threw Cheerios on the floor! There was a little screaming, and some boobs flopped out in public, but nothing to warrant dirty looks. We're only human after all.
I think I would go so far as to say that Baby Convention should be an annual event. Especially if RJ is going to vie for Isabella's attentions. He's just now figuring out that he has hands people, he's really not into the ladies yet!

Milestones

Today is a big day for RJ. He is 3 months old! He also passed another milestone last night. He slept from 11:30 to 7 AM!! The batteries ran down on the swing at 6:15 (I was half listening from 5AM on) but he managed to stay asleep. I believe that if he hadn't pooped his pants at 7, he would have continued to sleep even longer. We had 7 1/2 hours of sleeping bliss.
RJ has a newfound skill, partial control of the "crazy" arms. He rubbed his eyes yesterday to tell me he was sleepy and has started making the ASL sign for ice cream. Everyone in our family LOVES ice cream, but this is not what he means. He is attempting to suck his thumb. However, he has not yet discovered that his thumb is opposable. He can't extend it to latch on. So, he just licks and gums his fist for now. I don't know if he is producing more saliva in preparation for teething, or if this licking/gumming action is just bringing it out of his mouth more, but the boy is getting a little drooly.

Inchworm

Inchworm is the name I have for the moves my baby does when he is laying on my chest. Even when swaddled, he manages to use his head with limited assistance from the legs to "inch" his way up my neck to my gobbler. Those of you that know me well know that I do not tolerate ANY one or thing touching my gobbler. I have a sensitive gag reflex and it is activated often by the inchworm. Why do babies do this? I place him in a nice protective cove created by my cleavage, but he feels the need to migrate north every time!

On a related note, this morning was the first time I have been truly upset with the actions of my child. He has become more difficult at night again. I moved him to several different locations with different positions and sounds in an attempt to get him to sleep. We settled on the swing, lights on, fish rotating, and hairdryer blasting at midnight. (it sounds like a game of Clue).  I managed to turn off the hairdryer and lights before retiring myself. This bliss lasted until 4:30 AM. At which time, he woke up hungry and angry. After feeding and changing and rocking him back to sleep, I placed RJ in the crib. This lasted precisely ONE HOUR.  I then kicked CJ out of bed and asked him to help calm the baby down. This worked for ONE MORE HOUR. Then CJ was leaving for work, so I asked if he would bring the boy into bed with me. I gave him more milk and we went back to sleep for ONE MORE HOUR. This process repeated itself until 10:30 AM when I gave in and said, let's get up then. 

What happened to our lovely 6 hours of sleep, followed by a 4 hour nap? I miss that baby. :( I hope he comes back before our company arrives this weekend. 

Now the little bugger is having a loud grunty nap in his co-sleeper. 20 minutes and counting......  

Bush Baby

Here's what happened to me today.

1) Bought a NEW laptop, yeah!! We're switching to MAC.

2) Saw the Bush Baby guy from American Idol Season 6 at the mall. I saw him first, then heard his voice, then overheard him talking about the AI experience, so I KNOW it was him!! And now I know where he works too...not in show business, he was at the mall for WORK.

Sleep habits-step forward and back

We have a problem. My boy does not want to sleep in his crib. Nevermind that it was the most expensive baby thing we purchased! Last night, we had a minor breakthough. Although RJ did NOT sleep through the night, as he has been doing in his swing, he DID manage to sock out 3 whole hours in the crib. He slept all day yesterday, so he was wide awake at 10 when Mom and Dad decided they had enough and stuck him in the swing. He awoke at 2, and I fed him. He fell asleep during his late night snack, so I took the risk of placing him in the crib. I swaddled for maximum warmth, and it paid off!! At 5 he was hungry again, but barely ate before nodding off. I moved him into our bed b/c I was too tired to sit up.

Now he is back in the crib on a nap marathon that started in the car, continued in the stroller at the mall, back in the car, and into the crib. He has been in the crib for 30 minutes so far-so good. This pic was just taken!

We're having house guests in just over 2 weeks, so I need him to pick a spot and stick to it! There will be 2 other babies here and they won't be wanting to play musical babies at all hours. One of our visitors will be on eastern time, which should prove interesting too.

My boy, the model

We've been to hell and back today. I had an appointment for photos at JC Penney. There were 800 other screaming children and 600 strollers parked all over the place. I had a mini panic attack upon my arrival. They were running about 1/2 hour behind on the appointments, so I had to nurse my baby in public to keep him from adding to the chaos. Once we were in the photo room, things went ok for about 5 minutes. Then RJ decided that he was NOT having fun and started to cry. I spent the rest of the shoot trying to get him to stop. Luckily, this resulted in fewer pictures for us to choose from, as the last half sucked.
After the photographer was finished, RJ was down to a diaper for the ultimate in fat cute baby pictures. I needed to change this diaper. I was informed by the JC Penney employee that "they need the room" and would have to change him in the chaotic waiting area. I was not pleased. I had a mostly naked screaming child tucked under one arm while pushing the stroller full of his clothes and my coat back into the mayhem.
We then began what should have been a 20 minute wait to view the photos. This turned into a 35 minute wait. I succeeded in partially dressing my darling, but decided to forego the pants and let him sit with a blanket over his lower body. I also had to endure another bout of public nursing to calm the livid one. Didn't care so much the second time, just wanted to calm my boy. All this for few cute photos. We'll do it all again when he's 6 months old.

Mr. Poopy Pants

Today RJ graduated to a 3 month sized onesie. Such a Big Day for my preemie boy! He made it about 2 hours in the outfit du jour before taking a ginormous dump. This dump was so big that it came out the top of the back of his diaper--not foreign ground for us, we've been there many a time. But today's plopper shot ALL THE WAY up his back. And the removal process (screaming child and mother) resulted in poop in his hair - a definite first for us.

So, my love got a special middle of the day emergency bath. He loved it, of course. And I was being paranoid about him soaking in a tub of water infused with essence of feces. I rubbed him extra dry with the towel afterwards, so hopefully this removed any residual poo flakes.

As for the new onesie, it's still soaking in bleach solution. Pray for it.

Tomorrow we go for his first real photo shoot. Hopefully we won't have a poo fest then.

He Looks Just Like Us!

Here is your chance to weigh in on the debate of the hour. Who does RJ look most like? I think he's a clone of his mother, except the sex part... My photo is the baby in the obviously old swing from the 1970's. CJ is the black and white, as he is so old they did not have color images yet. :) Give me your opinion, then I can choose to ignore it if I disagree.

Tummy Troubles

So our family has been infected with our first stomach bug. For me, it's been since Friday, just a stomachache, off and on, nothing life threatening or severe enough for medical intervention.

For CJ, it started last night. You know that men are more sensitive to pain and discomfort than women, but I thought we might end up in the ER last evening. He was doubled over in pain on the floor, then in the bathroom all evening. He spent the night in the guest room, and is home from work today.

We aren't sure if RJ is affected or not. How does one know exactly what is upsetting an infant at any particular time? I know there is a "pain cry", but we get that one a lot. What hurts? I had a mini-panic attack when my sister informed me that my child could have an ear infection with NO APPARENT SYMPTOMS! Great. Since he is not aware of having ears, he can't know if they hurt.

Here's how we are managing. If the boy is inconsolable (even refusing to nurse), we place him in the swing (BABY CRACK). If he continues to cry to the point of changing color, we being with the drugs. We start with gas drops. Not sure if they help or not, but he LOVES the way they taste, which usually stops the crying. If he starts up again with the sounds of pain, out comes the baby Tylenol. (we've only done this twice, I'm not drugging my baby, so don't get all judgmental on me!) Again, he LOVES the sugary grape-ness of baby Tylenol. This one-two punch has worked for us so far.

Evil Technology

So, I'm following the directions step by step to add a slideshow from Flickr to this page. It is not working. I have a call in to by BFF's geek husband, maybe he can lead me through it. Until then, no baby pics here, but I did manage to add a decent one of myself to my profile. Enjoy!

Welcome to the inner workings of my mind

Since having a baby 2 + months ago, I have been closely following several blogs. I send photos of my little pride and joy every few days to a list of people, with witty commentary and updates. My BFF insisted that I start a blog to keep track of it all. So here I am, completely tech incompentent, laying it all out there for the world to read.