4.30.06 (Daddy)

As my final note in April 2006, I am finding myself doing better with our little fat bundle. I'm one of those people who tries to do everything as perfect as I can and I've never been presented with such an impossible mission (thanks Ethan Hunt). Even though I'm finding myself more relaxed with 'Lijah, I can't help but feel completely out-of-sorts sometimes. Just tonight 'Lijah was eating on the couch, perfect as can be, and then just decided to screech and scream. No idea why, no clear indication of what was wrong. I just sat there waiting for a minute to see if he just needed to screech before putting the bottle back in his mouth. The bottle didn't work. Mom came over, picked him up for 30 seconds, he quieted down, she sat him back down, he just glued himself to the TV. Why did that work, what was wrong? These are the questions I find myself asking every single day. I'm asking "why" less often but the problem solving male in me still wants to know the reason for everything. Because. . . if I know the reason my giant man brain will immediately know what to do the next time. Ha. Right now I'm starting to be thankful for being able to do what I am able to do. This man brain can only do so much, regardless of what I want it to do. I should form my own government.

4.30.06 My In-er-esting Day ('Lijah)

Yesterday my parents did somefing in-er-esting. They put me in my icky carseat(I don't like my carseat. I cry when I go in it, but I calm down when we start moving.) and took me to someplace where there was lots of people standing in line. We stood in line too and Mommy and Daddy gotted some papers. The lady at the window was telling them the word "congratulations". Then we went down the street to 'nother someplace. (I cried cause it was hot for me in the carseat and I wanted somefing to eats.) When we gots to the other someplace we had to waits for a while. Then my favorite babysitters Aunt 'Telvi and Uncle Will walked in with their kids. They look-ed really nice. (So did my Mommy cause she's beautiful to me, and my Daddy had on jeans.) We walked in to 'nother someplace and Mommy and Daddy gave a lady the papers. She told my Aunt 'Telvi and Uncle Will the word "witnesses". I don't know what that is. The lady had-ed us go into 'nother room with some chairs and other fings. We waited for couple minutes and she came in and had Mommy and Daddy stand up facing each other. They had to hold hands and tell each other some stuff and repeat some stuff too. Then they had to kiss and the lady said that they is married peoples! Aunt 'Telvi and Uncle Will took pictures and gave Mommy and Daddy hugs. I was smiling a whole bunch cause my parents are married peoples now! It was really cool for me.
Then I got the best part cause I got to go with Aunt 'Telvi and Uncle Will and spend evening with them. It was fun for me cause they went to a friends house and everyone helded me a lots and gave me my milky and played with me. Mommy and Daddy went to have dinner and grown up time and then came back to pick me up and take me home. I had late bedtime that night so I didn't get up until 7 this morning.
So that was my in-er-esting day yesterday. My parents is married peoples now and my Mommy is going to have brand new last name so that she has same one as me and Daddy.

4.27.06 3 Months Old (Mommy)

Yesterday was 'Lijah's 3 month birthday. Can you believe it?!! My chunky monkey little boy is 3 whole months! Where does the time go? And so I am faced with the same bittersweet truth all mothers have: my baby is growing up. He is getting so big, so strong already. Everyday he changes a little and before I know it he is completely different. I'm already thinking back a couple months and thinking "Gosh, I remember when he was so little!"
On a completely different topic, Andy has a nickname for the baby that, while amusing, could be potetially problematic. Everytime he calls him "Dookie", 'Lijah responds, more so than he responds when we use his name. I don't want my precious boy growing up thinking that this is his name. But everytime his dad calls him "Dookie", his little face just lights up.

4.26.06 TOY! (Daddy)

Just a quick note. I'm sitting here eating some lunch (PB&J and yogurt for those who wondered) and Elijah is going nuts!!! He's wiggling like crazy in his toy, slapping the rattles on the sides, moving more than I've ever seem him move before. He is turning the right-side rattle completely around with his hand over and over again. Many times it actually looks like he's anticipating the music quitting so he's wiggling harder before it does! We'll have to video tape this (I need a tape) and post a small clip for all to see. It is kinda incredible how much fun he seems to be having. "oooooooohh".

4.25.06 Feeling Better (Daddy)

Been neglecting to blog for the last week or so. I definitely haven't been feeling like myself. Luckily I do not get sick very often - and I'm not really sick any longer, I just have one doozy of a cold and cough. I've also been really busy with work and the boy, so my getting a chance to sit down just hasn't been happening.
Elijah has been eating strangely. Just this morning when he woke at 7am he seemingly wanted to eat, so I began to feed him. He ate about 1.5 oz and then was fine. This was after not eating 2.5 hours. Maybe he's just slowing down on the growth or something, but it seems strange. Our baby sitter yesterday suggested that he's teething. We've heard this thought before but it could be true this time. 'Lijah's hands have been up in his face, and in his mouth a lot more than normal. That is the only bit of info we have to go on, so who knows. He will seemingly be just fine after eating 1.5oz, but then 10 minutes later he's chirping and cawing. Trying to feed him results in him sucking for 30 seconds and then he's all over the place. All over the place = head moving back and forth, hands going up and down, small chirps, and legs kicking randomly. He's either excited, or trying to see something he knows he likes to look at. What calms him down the most? The TV!!! Dang, I can hear my Mom now "we don't live life around the TV!" Well, 'Lijah seems to be at the moment. Doesn't matter what he's watching. He could be watching Punk'd or Bob Villa, no matter. What is most interesting to me is 'Lijah's knowing the TV is going to be on. Our 32" Sony will power on and will warm the tube up for about 15 seconds before the screen actually illuminates. The audio is on the whole time the tube is warming up. Our boy can be looking up, watching the ceiling fan or staring off at the light coming through the window and as soon as he hears the sound, his head and eyes shift straight to the TV (he actually did this). He's even been lying in his new aquarium toy on the floor with his head angled backward toward the TV. Yep, upside down TV must be equally as satisfying. If other kids do this at this age, you can kinda begin to understand why parents use the TV as a babysitting device. Good? NO, but as a new parent, 'Lijah's being satisfied with something like the TV feels too good to be true. Mom and Dad suddenly have time to get dinner, clean up or just relax. I have been guilty of this the last couple mornings. TV on, Dad eating breakfast while answering email (or blogging), little boy content. Punk'd anyone?

4.22.06 Whew! (Mommy)

I have been "on call" 24 hours a day with Andy sick. No going to the gym, no socializing after school for a few minutes. Just rush home and tend to my family. This is strangely fulfilling, so I find that I don't mind. I like taking care of my guys, I just wish I had more time to do it.
'Lijah seems to sense the exhaustion in the house. He is more emotional and is eating erratically. (A couple of ounces here, a couple of ounces there...) But generally, he is a happy kid. He can't be doing too badly since he gains weight like a pro.
In other news, (and this probably matters only to me...) I have cut back 'Lijah's formula to 2 bottles instead of 3 because I seem to be successful in increasing my milk supply. This is not without sacrifice since I am forever pumping. (6 to 8 times a day) I have even figured out how to pump and feed the baby at the same time so that I can do it when he gets up at night to eat. Might as well make use of the time if I'm awake, right? I really want to get him off as much formula as possible, even if it is organic. He really should be having nothing but breastmilk and I just can't look myself in the mirror if I'm not doing the best I can to give him that. Plus, I figure, the more milk I make, the more weight I lose. (And that will make 'Lijah's dad happy...)

4.20.06 Sick Dad(Mommy)

My Andrew is sick today. He's been fighting off a cold since yesterday and last night he was having dizzy spells when he would get up. Hopefully the baby will be having a "low maintenance" day. As I type he is playing in his toy, kicking around in his new sleep sack. He is getting more and more active by the minute!
I am going to have to rush home from work today to take care of my guys.

4.18.06 Growth (Daddy)

I hadn't had the thought that our boy would be growing out of things so quickly - and into things. I mean I knew he'd grow out of things but why even waste time clothing the boy? I mentioned a month 1/2 ago that I was thinking 'Lijah would be unable to sleep without his "snuggly" (kinda addicted to it). Well, he's out-of-luck now. He's grown out of the dang thing. He's too long to fit in it. So last night he was zipped up in a sack. Not a plastic sack(although that would be kinda cute & dangerous) but a "SleepSack". He seemed to do just fine in his new sack. He woke up at 2:40am and then again at 7am. I was a bit worried when he woke up so early, but maybe he's getting closer to giving up that middle-of-the-night feeding. Dang I hope so. My Mom keeps saying he will. . . . . . . . . .
Something that amazes me a bit is 'Lijah's weight. Becca weighed him on our adult scale last night (not really sure how accurate it really is, but it is all we have to go on) and the chunk weighs 16lbs!! On top of that I put him in some clothes this morning that say 16-20lbs (thanks Mom for the tool shirt and shorts). So, 'Lijah has apparently doubled his birth weight. He's still cute though (wink). If I remember right, the baby books say he should be about 12lbs right now. I know they get those numbers from averages but come-on!
In other news, the boy's new toy is definitely a hit. We've got a cute picture of him using it in April's Photo Pages.
Personally? I've been really busy lately. I'm surprised I even have time to blog, but it is therapeutic - and I spend enough time on the computer already that I don't have far to go to actually journal.
<begin rant> Random thought? I really really hate this store. I went in one day, not too long ago, and this grocery store had no ground beef!! What? Prices are as high as Whole Foods (love) except the quality is about even with crap. <end rant>

4.16.06 The Miracle that is Fisher Price(Mommy)

All hail our wonderful super-cool baby gym that we bought last night. Not only does it have cool stuff for 'Lijah to play with, but he likes it and it seems to be bringing him out of his shell physically with only a few uses. When in this baby gym (The Ocean Wonders Rock'n Aquarium Gym) 'Lijah becomes a virtuoso at kicking, squirming and batting at things with his hands. His movements can activate the gym which then lights up and makes music and noise. I have never seen him move so much or be so engaged on his own. And here's the best part... are you ready? There is an option to turn it on for 5 whole minutes of uninterrupted music and lights so that I don't have to keep helping him like I do with the toys on his swing. It is a miracle, a miracle I tell you! As I type, he has been occupied for about 30 minutes without sleeping like he does in his swing. This is so darn awesome. Andy will be able to put the baby down and get work done. And the baby, who hates hates hates to be bored in any way shape or form, gets to have something keep him in the stimulated state that he loves so much. Everyone wins. Again, this is a miracle!!!
Now of course the only drawback is that we get to listen to continual sea themed baby music every 3 seconds. But that's the price you pay.

4.16.06 (Daddy)

Mommy and 'Lijah had a cute Easter basket of candy for Dad this morning. Maybe it will finally be the cure to fattening me up! Ha!
Spoke with my Dad this morning - I'm feeling better now. Maybe it isn't till later in 'Lijah's life that I'll really come in to play. Not sure. My Dad said that he can remember whenever I didn't feel well as a child (newborn or toddler) that I wanted Mom. So he handed me off to Mom. What will my tasks be then? Assembling new toys, painting and agreeing with what Mom wants. Hey, I've got an Easter basket full of candy so I can be okay with that. . . at least until the candy runs out.
Becca and I spent some time last night after my 11:41pm blog, before falling asleep, just relaxing with one another. God that was nice. Reassurance AND downtime is a good thing.

4.15.06 PB&J for Dinner (Daddy)

I don't think any new parent, Mom or Dad, can be prepared for the first few times their newborn child doesn't want to be with them. I mean, why doesn't he want to be with me? Why does he have to scream for 45 minutes. Am I really that horrible a Dad, am I really that terrible? I hold him to my chest, ears hurting from the screaming. I move him around and try to talk to him over his yelling. I bap him on the back to try and get him to burp (working on the laundry list of possibilities). I even changed his diaper and put him in his snuggly after about 20 minutes, thinking he wanted to be reminded that it was near his bed time and he could calm down and remember something soothing. Nothing worked. I got very upset at myself - very upset. I gave up. . . kinda. I don't give up. I do things until I get them right. It appears that I can't do this right this time because I'm not the one that can do it. Mom has to do it and Dad can't. I feel really bad that Becca gets so upset at me. I should relax about the whole thing and let the boy be the baby he is. The problem is, I don't always know what that means. Shouldn't I be able to soothe him? I think so. Shouldn't I be able to remind him that everything is okay? I think so. I just keep going around and around with myself trying to figure out what I'm doing or not doing. Maybe it is just a Mom and baby thing, but I have been taking care of him too. Is nature just really that strong? No wonder I like organic food. I'm told to give 'Lijah some time - and I am going to try. I know myself though, and each time I have to give 'Lijah to Becca because I'm not enough for him I'm going to feel a little hurt. It just feels like an inevitability. I'll try to remember that nature has its needs as well. I'll try to remember that I give him things that Mom can't. I'll try to remember that he'll grow out of it.
I tried to call my Dad and my friend Dave while Becca was out cooling down. I wasn't able to reach any of them. Living here in Vegas so far away from friends and family is hard on me. Harder than I thought it would be. I believe I'd be better if people were closer. That is probably why being a Dad feels easier when we have company - if something happened then I can point my question to someone else. Doing that to Becca is hard on her and hard on me because I am never sure I'm really getting an answer. There be fog in my head - my Mom likes lighthouses. It is 11:41pm and that Mom, fog and lighthouse reference probably only makes sense to me, but I kinda wish my Mom and Dad were here to help me figure this out.

4.15.06 Listening to the Screams (Mommy)

I'm downstairs. Andy and the boy are upstairs. The screams (yes, screams) are ear piercing, heart wrenching, and very very very very difficult to hear. Andy wants to comfort 'Lijah himself. 'Lijah does not want that. He has been over stimulated, he is hungry (but too upset to eat), and it is very very close to his bedtime. Andy and I haven't even made dinner. And the boy is screaming. SCREAMING!
Andy is very adamant that he do this on his own. I'm trying very hard to be patient. I don't know why he feels the need to force himself on the baby at this point. What good will him screaming for 45 minutes with his father do? I know what Andy is trying to do, but wouldn't it just be easier, and less stressful on us all to ease Elijah into this? Not just suddenly have Andy take over as the comforter?
Yes, right now 'Lijah prefers his mom for comfort. Why do we need to rip that away from him now?
Later that night...
Andy finally calls me in to help and it takes about 20 more minutes for me to get 'Lijah to calm down just so that he can eat. The kid is calmer with me and I can see the hurt in Andy's eyes. I try to explain to Andy that it is okay. I try to tell him that going through this battle is probably not the best thing for both him and the baby, so why push it. I get more questions, more frustration from Andy. Soon after, Andy wants the baby to start putting him to bed. Angry that someone has just "taken over" I go downstairs to take out food that is burning in the oven and then return back upstairs to 'Lijah in bed. Andy and I start talking downstairs, he makes a face when I try to compliment him on how much progress he has been making and I lose it. Arguing ensues. I try to be alone, but that is not going to happen. I take a drive to cool off, knowing that I am not handling this well. I come back home and try to explain Elijah's behavior yet again. Andy is hurting. He is taking it very personal. He's is hating himself. He is feeling really bad.
I don't know what to do. I feel just as bad. I'm trying to make both of them feel better but it seems like I have to sacrifice one for the other. How do you make that kind of decision? How do I keep both of them happy?
It's very hard for me to keep my cool when my son is concerned. All I want to do is take care of him, give him what he needs, and not worry about anything else. I hear him cry, I know I can fix it, and so I want to do just that. But what do you do when fixing the situation for the baby just makes the dad feel bad about his parenting abilities? And to make matters worse, when Andy gets frustrated, my patience wears very thin. It so easy for me to just throw my hands in the air and want to give up. I worry that my temper is going to drive Andy away. When it comes to my kid and when it comes to Andy, reason and logic (two things I'm not good at to begin with) are even harder to come by. I end up getting defensive and then losing my cool. I just hate being such a villian.
So we both feel badly for our own reasons.
Some positives are that we are arguing less and less as time goes by, and that we can always make up and still love each other in the end. We also can still make each other laugh.
So it's okay... life goes on.

4.14.06 Sigh (Mommy)

Poor sweet Andy. He's trying so hard with our boy and doing so well. 'Lijah, not feeling himself at all, just wanted his Mommy today. And that is okay. When he is home with Andy he does just fine. So I don't really worry, but as one of his more favorite pastimes, Andy tends to worry quite a bit. It might tseem to some like I have no frustrations of my own. I do, quite a few, but as soon as that kid smiles, I forget how much I want to run away, and I just cuddle right up to him. His cute factor may just be keeping him alive in this house.

4.14.06 (Daddy)

Some pediatrician somewhere is smoking something - and it isn't legal. 5 hours = sleeping through the night? Huh. . .

Today was a difficult parenting day - and if I seem to be complaining here all the time I really don't mean to. I'm still learning to take it easy. It wasn't difficult for Becca (of course). I, however, had a bit of a hard time yet again. We don't think 'Lijah is feeling well. He's usually a warm kid but today he was unusually hot. We had thunderstorms here today so the humidity was higher than normal, so that could have contributed, but as cranky as he's been, we don't think he's feeling like himself. This morning he had a sneezing fit (about 25) and had a small cough. During the rest of the day he was very noisy and complained A LOT when wanting to eat. What caused me the most problems was my holding him and trying to soothe him and getting absolutely no where. If I handed him to Mom, he quieted down immediately and would then look toward me and smile. This happened a couple times and is leaving me feeling a little . . . inadequate? Becca says it is that 'Lijah sees me as fun and sees her as comforting. Well that is all well and good, but what happens when Becca is working and I've got the kid all day? I'm told he'll figure it out. Huh. . .
What else happened? Twice during screaming fits he wouldn't calm down. Both times we were on the couch, 'Lijah facing up. He was hungry but wouldn't eat. The ceiling fan was off. Becca turned it on and he was a happy camper. Again, this happened a couple times during the day. The boy wouldn't eat calmly because the ceiling fan wasn't on!!! Huh. . .

4.13.06 Snuggly Baby (Mommy)

According to pediatricians, sleeping through the night is 5 or more hours in one stretch. Currently 'Lijah sleeps from 9 pm to at least 3:30 am but usually 4. So that is 6 -7 hours of sleep. Also he has slept through the night 3 times, not 2. I have noticed a difference in his sleep since I have been swaddling him different. 'Lijah sleeps in a swaddler (We call it his snuggly.) and for the past week he has been sleeping with one arm free. Once this change occurred he has been protesing bed a little when I put him down and he has been waking up a little earlier. I'm trying to wean him of the snuggly because Andy worries that he will become addicted to it and won't be able to sleep without it. As you can see Andy thinks a lot. A whole lot. This is okay, but I'm on my toes most of the time trying to give him answers to things that I haven't really thought about because of that darn maternal instinct that just tells me to do things. It's like voices in my head, but less audible.
Yes, as Andy mentioned, we recieved some darling 3-6 month clothes for the child. Grandparents rock. I, before recieving said clothes however, got to do something that I have been wanting to do for ages. I got to shop for my kid. This is not the same as shopping when pregnant when you have no idea what your child looks like or their personality. No, this was real clothes shopping with the boy in tow. Let me put this in perspective. I have literally spent years as a childless woman furtively walking through the baby sections of stores, dreaming of the day that I could buy something. I would glance sideways at other women with their kids, hoping and wishing for this little joy. And I got to do it the other day! How delightful. 'Lijah and I cruised the aisles, he looking at the pretty lights, me looking at the pretty clothes. Shopping for him was so much better than I imagined. I know now why my friend Kim is addicted.
So it was a fun shopping trip, complete with me picking things off the racks and holding them up to 'Lijah's little body. We made out with a couple of really cute things.
It's a bit depressing that he fits into his bigger clothes already. He's growing up so fast.

4.12.06 (Daddy)

Dad is tired. I don't quite know if I'll ever get used to this interrupted sleeping pattern we've found ourselves in. It doesn't help either when my Mom asks "Is Elijah sleeping through the night yet?" Sorry Mom, it had to be said. No, Elijah is not sleeping through the night yet as I did when I was a young sapling. He does pretty good though. The biggest problem is the morning when he decides he wants to be up and doesn't want to be sleeping. Mom and Dad have no choice to be up regardless of the sleep hour total. Most new parents would be pulling their hair out right now (I assume). When does Elijah get up normally? 3:30am or 4:30am and then again at 7:00am. He has slept through two full nights that I can remember, which gave us hope that the interruptions would stop. Alas, nada. Nothing consistent yet. Consistency? Baby? Oxymoron?
So, what do we have to look forward to? I can only recall the nights when I would wake up from a bad dream and yell "Mom!" down the hallway. I usually had to yell a couple times and it wasn't always Mom that came in, but anyone would do. I know Elijah will be doing something like that - and I'll probably smile when he does it. Hopefully he'll call and won't just come barrelling into our bedroom, that is my only wish. Well, that and a container of Tang. I haven't had Tang in ages.
We have received a couple new, really cute, 3-6 month outfits for our 2+ month old son. He fits in them beautifully. By the time he gets to 6 months, he'll be wearing 30-30 Levis. They may be hemmed at the bottom so he doesn't trip, but his belly will be the correct size if the expansion continues at the current rate. One of the new outfits says "My Dino Has Big Feet." Another says "Road." Quite descriptive I think. A real thinker. He'll look cute in all of them. . . which brings me to the retarded outfit. Becca had the little boy in a white onesie, a froggie hat and froggie shoes. (disclaimer: all items are really cute individually) This mixture of clothing on a human any older than 2 would make you think the poor boy had a learning disability. To quote Becca "It is a good thing he's a baby then, huh!" Ummm. Yep. By the way, the image I speak of is in April's Photopages. Title: What am I Wearing?
Now it is 11pm. I'm hittin' the hay.

4.12.06 Table for 2 and a Half...?(Mommy)

April 12, 2006.
Wednesday. (Also known to some as "hump" day.)
Early evening.
Joe's Crab Shack.
The Harrison Family goes out to dinner. They haven't ventured into an eating establishment together as a family without a "chaperone" until this very night. It's a casual place, and the newest family member sits happily in his little carrier, contentedly looking about(There are so very many many fans!!!!). The "Parents" stand about reading whimsical T-shirts on passing employees and wonder how they should ask for a table. Is it table for two, or is it table for three? "Table for 2 and a half", the "Dad" quips. They are seated after a brief wait, and the hostess, upon seeing the baby carrier, asks "Oh, do you need a chidren's menu?"
Uuuhhhhh. Riiighhhhttt.
And there it is. We are a family. A child menu ordering family.
Holy crap.
Dinner was great. We needed a night out on the town. The boy was surprisingly low maintenence. Sweet. Crab cakes, shrimp, couple of boozy drinks and chocolate cake to top it off. Elijah stuck to the latest vintage of bottled lactation. He enjoyed it. He usually does.
Returned to the familial abode a few minutes after the boy's bedtime. 'Lijah went right down after a 15 second warbling protest, and the weary "adults" collapsed on the couch for some sweet precious grown up time.
We need a "Do not disturb" sign for the door.
Signing off...

4.11.06 (Daddy)

Sometimes I just don't know - What is the right thing to do for the kid? I ask questions all the time because there is no way I could do the amount of reading that Rebecca does. I mean she reads an entire page in 10 seconds!! I'm concerned that we're spoiling the boy but I really don't know. So I ask. I have a thought that we're coddling him when he wakes up at 4:30am, won't eat, doesn't have gas, doesn't need a diaper change, just wants to be up, awake and playing with us. I can't fault 'Lijah, we're fun (wink) but I wonder where he learned the behavior. I over analyze, I admit. I'm detail oriented and that is how I solve problems - by noticing everything. Basically I want to do things right so he has the best start possible and can be independent and self-soothing. Watching 'Lijah is very interesting. At one second he'll be smiling and the next he'll be screaming at you - there may even be a smile in the midst of his crying!
Rebecca got it right I believe. She said "Elijah can't yet understand that something isn't acceptable." THAT I believe and understand because he has never been exposed to consequence or had enough experience to know one way or another. Sometimes we adults don't understand consequences to doing something new, a baby has no possibile way. 'Lijah is learning behaviors but isn't capable of assembling reason yet. Can anyone else tell that I'm constantly looking for answers and I need to relax? I know, and this is a perfect example of me, an adult, learning.
It is funny to me to hear 'Lijah NOT cry, but be upset about something. He sounds like a bird. Warbling, yelling, voice levels going up and down, clearly trying to get attention. We're listening to that a whole lot and we're using that as a clear indication that he really is okay. Maybe he's just bored. I mean cripes, this kid gets upset with us now when we turn off the TV or when he can't see the pots!! It is really clear to us that he is loving to learn. We sit him up on the couch, get in front of him and just talk at him. He smiles, he says "ah-goo", he sticks his tongue out and almost chuckles once in a while. I've told many people that as long as 'Lijah's stomache is full he's happy. Well, he's also incredibly happy if he is stimulated. You can stimulate him in the middle of his eating and food becomes secondary.
Are we spoiling or coddling him? No, probably not yet - but I've never willingly paid this much attention to anything - ever.

4.10.06 The Hand that Plays With Toys (Mommy)

The hand saga continues this morning with the kid waving his hands at the toys on his swing. 'Lijah's swing (so very miraculous in and of it's self) has some toys that go across the kid's lap. Someone has to push the little animals to get a song to play or to a noise to sound. WELL... we have been taking 'Lijah's hands and pushing the toys with them, hoping he will take the hint and develop the coordination to play with the toys on his own. This very morning, probably due to an act of God, the child pushed one of the toys by himself!!!! Probably a coincidence, but after he did it his face just lit up. Moments later he was screaming in frustration after he realized he couldn't repeat this amazing feat. So now he sits next to me on the couch, staring intently down at his little hands and at his diaper cover. Apparently they are fascinating.
This kid is smart.
I told you! I expect great things to follow.

4.9.06 Look Mom, I have hands!(Mommy)

Someone has started to notice his hands! I keep peeking at Elijah when he is not looking and I see him staring intently at one hand or another. He even lifts them in front of his face to get a better look. The other day Barbara (Known to 'Lijah as "Granny Barb") asked me if the boy was starting to open his hands yet. At that point he had just been starting to open them if Andy or I prompted him. But now, only a couple of days later, he has been seen with those little hands un-fisted all on his own. And now he seems to be very interested in those said hands.
'Lijah's preference for all things visual is coming to a head as well. Last night he screamed when we moved him out of sight of the pot rack. Turned him towards the pots, silence. Turned him away, screams. This distrubed Andy somewhat, wondering if we should let him see the pots and if we did were we just giving in to a tantrum. Andy is very worried about us being wrapped around 'Lijah's finger. But I figure, if he were that advanced, he'd be doing some pretty incredible stuff. Something tells me that at 2 and a half months our son is not, I repeat, not manipulating, taking advantage of, or conning his parents. And yes, I respond to his crying. I go to him, I pick him up, I see what is wrong, I try to comfort him. Not only do I admit it, I am proud of it. How many articles and books do I have to read that say that responding to my baby's cries helps him build trust, not teach him to manipulate his caregivers? Why am I "coddling" my son when I try to take care of his needs? I don't know who gave Andy the idea that responding to Eliajh's cries 90% of the time will teach the boy to take advantage of us etc, but if I find them, I will do something bad to them. For goodness sake, he is a BABY, I think it's appropriate to treat him as such for now.
Links to just a few articles on this:
Spoiling a Baby
Should I Worry About Spoiling My Baby?
Comforting Baby Doesn't Mean Spoiling Baby
Are You Spoiling Your Baby?

4.8.06 Spring Break! (Mommy)

A whole week off. What to do.... Go on crazy "Girls Gone Wild" trip? Nope. Take fun trip with friends? Nope. Go to Disney World? Nope again. Hang out with Andy and kid and soak in as much of baby as possible? Yup. Oh yeah, do I have the life! (And I'm not even being facetious.)
So I've got the week off. I will be around to spoil my kid, disrupt the routine and relax. Possibly go to the gym. And hopefully spoil Andy as well.
'Lijah is busy getting rounder. He's grown out of so many clothes already. Part of this is that our cloth diapers are bulkier. But I'd rather dress him in bigger clothes than spend money on disposables. At least clothes I can resell on Ebay, but dirty diapers I cannot.
In other developments, 'Lijah is showing preferences for activities. The three of us were on the couch hanging out, TV on mute. Andy reclined back to feed Elijah and he started fussing. (Elijah, not Andy.) I took him and he calmed down. Andy, however, pointed put that Elijah was staring at the TV, so he did a little experiment. He turned the TV off and Elijah instantly started crying again. The TV went on and he stopped. Pretty freaky, huh? The kid is watching the TV! I'm sure he doesn't know what the heck he is looking at except that the colors and shapes change quickly and frequently. But frankly, it makes me a bit nervous. I don't want him addicted to TV. But I suppose I have plenty of time to worry about that.
Also, I found a way to hide 'Lijah's back of the head bald spot... a HAT!! We took him out today with a little baby cap on his head. He looked so darn cute. Pictures will be posted soon. It must be a universal truth: babies are cuter in hats.

4.7.06 (Daddy)

It has been a couple days since either of us updated. I am back in Vegas after a nice trip to Portland. I had forgotten how gorgeous P-town is in the Spring. Trees blossoming, the grass is green again, bunnies are hopping all over each other. I got home on Tuesday after a snafu at the airport that put me on a non-stop from Portland rather than my flight to Oakland. Who wants to go to Oakland anyway! Anyhoo, this little boy of ours didn't look at me until Wednesday evening!! I tried and tried to get in front of his little "marble" eyes and he'd continually look around me. He was like those desk accessories that have the balls knocking the balls on the other side. In this case though the balls were his eyes and my head was the. . . well, you get the idea.
I had thought I'd more or less have Wednesday (5/5) off, but that didn't happen. I ended up with 4 appts (not complaining) except that I had no clothes washed. I didn't finish my day until 11pm! Crikey. Thursday wasn't a fun day because the little boy's routine had changed. He was no longer going to his wonderful Spanish baby sitter, he was staying home with Dad. We'd also had an 8 month old boy stay with us Wednesday night too, and Elijah loved looking at him. Thursday was just a cranky day. Today was much better. I played with him, helped him spit up a little and tried to take some photos (which I'll post soon). If it weren't for the fact that Mommy is sick with a cold, it would be a perfect day! Does anyone care that it was 78deg. here today? I have finally had a chance to wash some clothes, so I don't have to wear my yellow smiley face Joe Boxers any longer (ha ha). Next step? Clean up the house so Monday the realtor can see what a nice place we have here. All research.

4.2.06 (Daddy)

Houston, we have formula!!
I found some of our MIA organic formula here in Portland. I went to New Seasons (one of my favorite grocery stores - many think "yuppy" when they see people exit, but it is just a local grocery store with lots of local food. Okay, no soapbox here.) and they had about 16 cans of what we can't get in Vegas any longer. I bought 5 cans. Spent over $70 but 'Lijah does really well on it. I think we're already at the point where nothing is too good for our little boy. According to Rebecca I have caviar tastes on an oatmeal budget (or something like that). I don't see anything wrong with starting a young boy on natural foods. His body isn't used to all the crap that is in our foods. The cleaner the better. Since he broke out on the Nestle Good Start I feel like our giving him the organic formula is even more warranted.
Do I miss the little guy? I think so. I've been so exhausted on this trip I've just been working and not thinking too much about what is going on at home. I think I'm more exhausted than ever before, or more than I can remember anyway.
Becca, baby, I miss you.

4.2.06 Bald Spot and Biggest Poop EVER!(Mommy)

So much for a full head of hair. Although, this isn't the typical male pattern balding. 'Lijah has a spot on the back of his little noggin where his hair is a whole lot shorter and looks like it is balding. This is from laying on his back and such. Oh yes, I know it's normal, but it's a bit of a bummer, you know? His hair was oh so lovely when he emerged from the womb. Dark and thick like his Daddy's. Now he's losing it, and more so in the back. I suppose it was inevitable, but still sad for me.
The child also had the hugest deposit in his diaper the other day. Had to be like 2 inches deep. Yes, I said "deep". I am amazed at what comes out of his little body. He had to have lost half a pound by letting that one go.... My favorite part of this is that everytime he fills his diaper he smiles and laughs. Even more so when he turns himself into a little boy fountain when I change him. Giggles abound. He thinks he is sooo funny!
I am really liking his new babysitter Korina. As I mentioned the other day, Korina is the mom of one of my former students. I have watched two of her kids grow older at my school and they are such interesting and smart girls. Seeing how great her own kids are, and how supportive of a parent she was, gave me the idea to ask her to watch Elijah on the days that Andy is out of town. We are still using Caryn for when Andy has to go to an appointment, but it is nice to have smeone cheaper and closer to my school for those days when he needs care all day. Her apartent is literally 3 blocks from my school so if there was a need, I could go over there in minutes to get him. Her youngest child is 4 or 5 and he wanted so bad to play with the baby. He started bringing out cars and dinosaurs and told me that he can't wait for Elijah to grow up so that they can play. And even though Korina is still learning English and I am still learning Spanish, it was interesting to see the instant understanding we had when we were talking about "mom" stuff. Is this a bond between women that crosses all borders? It seems to be so.
It looks like Korina takes care of him like he's her own. When I dropped him off, she immediately picked him up and held him against her cheek saying "My baby...". And when she dropped him off she had such a look of worry when he started crying for a minute. Heck, they were asking me if they should give their dog away so they could take care of Elijah! They are a great family. It's such a relief to have someone to take care of our boy when Andy is away.
As I type, the little boy lays on the floor looking around. Everything is so fascinating to him. He's moving his head all over the place, kicking his feet and swinging his arms. He has managed to move his body 90 degrees to the right from all of his movement. I have a feeling he will be mobile before I know it! Scary.
And evertime I look down at him and smile, his face lights up.
Unconditional love... ain't it grand?
I am the luckiest mom ever!