With LJ's ability to move forward...at a rapid pace, we have made the back porch his domain. It is baby proof...so far as we know. When he sees something (or someone) he wants, he can pull himself forward pretty quickly! It is very cute and I'm always glad when he gets the thing (or person) for which he worked so hard. He is sitting next to me, playing with his new favorite toy...a water bottle.
This weekend is "Finish Phase I of the Bathroom Remodel". Phase II will happen several years from now and will involve replacing and moving the bathtub and toilet. But, as I said, that is for several years from now. Phase I includes: finishing the jacking up of the house, taking out the rest of the floor, laying the sub floor, laying the new floor, replacing the lower paneling, painting the walls, replacing the mirror, and adding new lighting. RJ projects "we" can finish this by Monday evening (he is taking Monday off)...and screw the boards onto the back deck. RJ laid them out there, so the deck looks complete...and it looks GOOD! RJ knows how to put a little bit of design detail in so that it looks better than just a deck. That will be dependent on it not raining and the reason I'm updating you instead of walking is that...it looks like rain. So, we'll see. Now, "we" might be able to do this...I think there is some help that I can provide while LJ is napping or playing in the hall. But, his mobility may mean that I have to take several breaks.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Thursday, July 21, 2005
LJ's "Law & Order"
LJ's cousin DL (my sister M's oldest) had a peculiar fascination when he was a young toddler. Whenever the "Law & Order" theme would play, he'd drop whatever he was doing and stare intently at the television. It was like one of those spooky mind control things from "The Manchurian Candidate". But, it was also very funny to watch. LJ has been demonstrating a similar fascination for a couple of months now (I guess he's not technically a toddler, since he doesn't toddle...but he is army crawling forward now.) LJ's "Law & Order" is...the Countrywide Home Mortgage Commercial. It has a man with blondish hair and several blocks of different colors on the screen...and there is a little tune that plays in the background. I don't know if it is the tune, the colors, or the sound of the man's voice, but when this commercial comes on...LJ drops everything and stares at the TV. Everything includes playing, nursing, crying...everything. He does smile and laugh at some point, so I think he enjoys the commercial which makes me feel less spooked by it.
I don't want to jinx anything, so let's leave it at...sleeping has been super this week.
I don't want to jinx anything, so let's leave it at...sleeping has been super this week.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
More Magic?
I will keep you in suspense re: more magic...first, a "this old house" update. The leaky tub was indeed put back together in an "overnight fix" state and all of us were showered (ok, I elected to take my shower this morning...you ladies know that you can't really sleep well on wet hair and it was too late and I was too tired to consider the arduous task of blow drying) and in bed by 10:30. Not too late considering the amount of work that was done. Today, the "permanent fix" (are any home repairs really permanent)…the now-unleaky-tub pipe is joined with the now-unleaky-toilet pipe and the leaks are fixed. I think we are about to have a toilet again...we have been toilet-less for about 3 ½ hours. I'm ready to give it a try, so I hope I am correct in my estimation that it is almost useable again. Tomorrow, the house will be "leveled" - we are pier and beam and some of the beams were sagging, so RJ and Uncle B are jacking these beams up (RJ determined the appropriate heights a long time ago) and putting blocks under for support. Oh, and I'm hoping the holes (yes, there is more than one now) in the floor will have more substantial covers. Then, I think they are going to work on the back deck (if it doesn't rain). This is all necessary work and it is good that it is getting done!
LJ has been sitting himself up ALL day. He seems very content to be able to do this...it entertains him. He napped for 2 ½ hours this morning - with all the work going on...so this was great! He also napped for 1 ½ hours this afternoon...also great.
Here is what you have been waiting to read...you are thinking, "What is with the title of this post MJ?" So, I will reward you for sticking with it, reading all of this, acting interested in our home repairs, and not skipping right to the bottom.
...Last night, I fed LJ some avocado. He didn't seem to care for it too much - if his facial expressions are any indication. I think it might have been too thick for him. But, I managed to get 8-10 bites in him. Last night, he slept from 9:00 (he got to bed late) - 6:30...YIPEE!!!! Needless to say, I have already fed him avocado tonight. See, even if he doesn't really like it, he opens his mouth whenever a spoon comes near, so I have the advantage in this situation. I did mash it really well and I added a little water to thin it out a little. I have no idea if there is some nutritional property in avocado that would help sleep, but someone asked about it on the message board I read and I decided it could not hurt to try. I'll let you know if avocado does the trick tonight too!
LJ has been sitting himself up ALL day. He seems very content to be able to do this...it entertains him. He napped for 2 ½ hours this morning - with all the work going on...so this was great! He also napped for 1 ½ hours this afternoon...also great.
Here is what you have been waiting to read...you are thinking, "What is with the title of this post MJ?" So, I will reward you for sticking with it, reading all of this, acting interested in our home repairs, and not skipping right to the bottom.
...Last night, I fed LJ some avocado. He didn't seem to care for it too much - if his facial expressions are any indication. I think it might have been too thick for him. But, I managed to get 8-10 bites in him. Last night, he slept from 9:00 (he got to bed late) - 6:30...YIPEE!!!! Needless to say, I have already fed him avocado tonight. See, even if he doesn't really like it, he opens his mouth whenever a spoon comes near, so I have the advantage in this situation. I did mash it really well and I added a little water to thin it out a little. I have no idea if there is some nutritional property in avocado that would help sleep, but someone asked about it on the message board I read and I decided it could not hurt to try. I'll let you know if avocado does the trick tonight too!
Saturday, July 16, 2005
New Skill
In the last 2 days LJ has mastered the skill that I thought would be most difficult…getting into a seated position from his tummy. This is a skill that is listed as a milestone in the “What to Expect the First Year” book, but I was having trouble picturing how he would do this. He has figured it out…I guess he knew it was something on which he was supposed to be working…he is a smart boy after all!
Right now, LJ has seated himself and is playing with the air compressor hose. See, LJ’s Uncle B is in town helping RJ work on the house. Since it has been raining (thank The Lord), they aren’t working on the back deck, but are working on our leaky bathtub and toilet. This has caused them to remove an even bigger slab of the bathroom floor and thus requires a larger rug (to cover the plywood that will be the floor until the “replacing the bathroom floor project” gets to the head of the queue). So, at 5:30, LJ and I went to Target to buy a bigger rug and to stop at Sonic for drinks for the guys (you know how important those sonic drinks are). I came home to “Gone to Lowe’s” scratched onto a napkin on the dining room table. I should count myself lucky to have gotten a note at all. It is now 7:40, LJ needs to go to bed, dinner is ready to be eaten, and there is no drain in the bathtub (thus, no showers for adults) AND there is a huge hole in the bathroom floor (remember, we needed the bigger rug…). I’m sure the remaining work to remedy the hole and the lack of shower will be noisy…and remember…it is LJ’s bed time!
Crawling is still to come, BUT he did move each knee forward once…in succession yesterday. We have the video camera ready…with new tape even.
Right now, LJ has seated himself and is playing with the air compressor hose. See, LJ’s Uncle B is in town helping RJ work on the house. Since it has been raining (thank The Lord), they aren’t working on the back deck, but are working on our leaky bathtub and toilet. This has caused them to remove an even bigger slab of the bathroom floor and thus requires a larger rug (to cover the plywood that will be the floor until the “replacing the bathroom floor project” gets to the head of the queue). So, at 5:30, LJ and I went to Target to buy a bigger rug and to stop at Sonic for drinks for the guys (you know how important those sonic drinks are). I came home to “Gone to Lowe’s” scratched onto a napkin on the dining room table. I should count myself lucky to have gotten a note at all. It is now 7:40, LJ needs to go to bed, dinner is ready to be eaten, and there is no drain in the bathtub (thus, no showers for adults) AND there is a huge hole in the bathroom floor (remember, we needed the bigger rug…). I’m sure the remaining work to remedy the hole and the lack of shower will be noisy…and remember…it is LJ’s bed time!
Crawling is still to come, BUT he did move each knee forward once…in succession yesterday. We have the video camera ready…with new tape even.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Please, Let this be a Phase...
Please, let this be a short-lived phase! In the past two days LJ has become VERY clingy. The first day, I thought, “he’s just tired from his weekend in a strange place.” But, the clinginess continued, with more vengeance, yesterday. I follow the same routines as normal, but LJ is not cooperating. It goes something like this:
LJ wakes up at some time with a 5 as the first number. This is too early, so RJ puts him in his bouncy seat next to our bed until sometime with a 6 as the first number. Sometimes LJ falls back to sleep; sometimes he just plays quietly. LJ nurses – and he has taken to raking my hair with his hand as nurses. It is ok, but sometimes he grabs just a few strands and that does not feel good. I finally stopped losing my hair due to hormones, now I lose it because LJ pulls it out. After nursing, LJ and I go for a walk. Yesterday, about 15 minutes into our walk, LJ arched backward and raised his arms (the signal for me to pick him up) and screamed. This is the first time LJ has not enjoyed our walk. He continued to do this for the next 30 minutes. I even tried to put the canopy up in an attempt to make him forget that I was there. Didn’t work.
When we get home, LJ usually plays nicely on the floor while I get some water and fix our breakfast. Yesterday, he screamed to be picked up. I distracted him with some toys – which seemed to work…until he saw me again. Then…Holy Crocodile Tears, Batman. LJ’s eyes welled up and he belted out a loud scream. He does this while eating, he does this while I’m holding him…sure, he calms down when I pick him up, but only for a minute or two. RJ takes him and LJ is fine…until he sees me…then again with the wailing. It got so bad yesterday…I gave him Tylenol…just in case there was pain somewhere. This did seem to work, so…teething??? The child is 8 months old and has zero teeth. RJ jokes that he’s seedless.
Oh, and his naps are back down to 45 minutes – 1 hour. And, last night was a hideous night. I’ll spare you the details, but there was little consecutive sleep. Never fear, there was no milk given, but there was little sleep. As I type this, LJ is sitting next to me – in his lady bug – giving me his angry snaps, but if I really concentrate on something…I can tune it out for a while.
Please tell me that this is just a phase…a short one. I figure it is either 1) teething or 2) separation anxiety or 3) a combination of the two. RIGHT????
LJ wakes up at some time with a 5 as the first number. This is too early, so RJ puts him in his bouncy seat next to our bed until sometime with a 6 as the first number. Sometimes LJ falls back to sleep; sometimes he just plays quietly. LJ nurses – and he has taken to raking my hair with his hand as nurses. It is ok, but sometimes he grabs just a few strands and that does not feel good. I finally stopped losing my hair due to hormones, now I lose it because LJ pulls it out. After nursing, LJ and I go for a walk. Yesterday, about 15 minutes into our walk, LJ arched backward and raised his arms (the signal for me to pick him up) and screamed. This is the first time LJ has not enjoyed our walk. He continued to do this for the next 30 minutes. I even tried to put the canopy up in an attempt to make him forget that I was there. Didn’t work.
When we get home, LJ usually plays nicely on the floor while I get some water and fix our breakfast. Yesterday, he screamed to be picked up. I distracted him with some toys – which seemed to work…until he saw me again. Then…Holy Crocodile Tears, Batman. LJ’s eyes welled up and he belted out a loud scream. He does this while eating, he does this while I’m holding him…sure, he calms down when I pick him up, but only for a minute or two. RJ takes him and LJ is fine…until he sees me…then again with the wailing. It got so bad yesterday…I gave him Tylenol…just in case there was pain somewhere. This did seem to work, so…teething??? The child is 8 months old and has zero teeth. RJ jokes that he’s seedless.
Oh, and his naps are back down to 45 minutes – 1 hour. And, last night was a hideous night. I’ll spare you the details, but there was little consecutive sleep. Never fear, there was no milk given, but there was little sleep. As I type this, LJ is sitting next to me – in his lady bug – giving me his angry snaps, but if I really concentrate on something…I can tune it out for a while.
Please tell me that this is just a phase…a short one. I figure it is either 1) teething or 2) separation anxiety or 3) a combination of the two. RIGHT????
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
LJ's First Boat Ride
LJ rode on a boat for the first time Monday! I know this is a "first" that every proud parent documents...or maybe not. We had to search for an infant life jacket before this great event could commence. It wasn't too hard to find and once we were home we zipped little LJ into it and got in the boat. I don't think he was too thrilled...the life jacket is confining and makes his head sit "just so"...and "just so" isn't a way that he likes to hold his head. But, he was a good sport and we got some cute pictures.
LJ's lake vacation was great...he enjoyed playing with his cousins and his aunts and uncles. It was great for us (parents) to have people who were excited to play with him and hold him. He is at the age where he seems pretty tough, so I was able to really relax and let them all play with him...out of my sight even! Aunt KJ and MawMaw"baby sat" for about an hour while I went on the boat with all the skiers and tubers. That was fun...I like to ride on the boat, but skiing doesn't really do anything for me. RJ "perfected" his slalom and had a good time testing new techniques. The other RJ (my brother) pulled all the skiers and tuber and had as good a time as PawPaw used to have...trying to get the skier or tuber to either demonstrate great skill or fall off due to his fancy driving. Of course, he gave them time to enjoy themselves before the antics began.
Ok, I REALLY think LJ is about to crawl...now he rocks on all fours. I guess my "10-Day Guarantee" was off, but I'm serious this time!
LJ's lake vacation was great...he enjoyed playing with his cousins and his aunts and uncles. It was great for us (parents) to have people who were excited to play with him and hold him. He is at the age where he seems pretty tough, so I was able to really relax and let them all play with him...out of my sight even! Aunt KJ and MawMaw"baby sat" for about an hour while I went on the boat with all the skiers and tubers. That was fun...I like to ride on the boat, but skiing doesn't really do anything for me. RJ "perfected" his slalom and had a good time testing new techniques. The other RJ (my brother) pulled all the skiers and tuber and had as good a time as PawPaw used to have...trying to get the skier or tuber to either demonstrate great skill or fall off due to his fancy driving. Of course, he gave them time to enjoy themselves before the antics began.
Ok, I REALLY think LJ is about to crawl...now he rocks on all fours. I guess my "10-Day Guarantee" was off, but I'm serious this time!
Friday, July 08, 2005
5:00 - 5:59 AM is Too Early
LJ has become an early riser and by early I mean 5:00 – 5:30 am. This is earlier than any of us would care to wake, but we don’t seem to have much choice. Thursday, LJ woke at 5:30 and we managed to keep him somewhat quiet until 6:20. At 6:20, I gave up and brought him to the living room for his morning milk. As normal, I turned on the TV...but we found that the London tube had had a not-so-normal and not-so-nice morning. I immediately tried to remember if any of these stations are stations I have heard M&B talk about, but none sounded familiar…they didn’t sound unfamiliar either. I figured that this had all happened about 4-5 hours earlier, so surely I would be able to check my e-mail and find a message from M or B telling us that they were all right. LJ finished his milk; I went in to tell RJ the news and then headed for the computer. Sure enough, there was a message from B telling us that she and M (and B’s mother and aunt) were all fine. So, that was a relief! We have explained to LJ that terrorists are evil.
With the knowledge that our London family was ok and that things did not seem to be escalating, LJ and I went for our morning walk. LJ tried to fall asleep, but I would not let him. I can’t have him thinking that he can wake up at 5:30 only to take a nap at 7:30! In fact, LJ did not nap until 9:30 and he slept until 11:30…he has been taking a good 2-3 hour nap in the AM this week. LJ’s Aunt M came to town and we met up for lunch with RJ and then it was home for LJ’s afternoon nap…which lasted 1 ½ hours.
Today, LJ woke at 5:45 and RJ took him to the living room – I fell back asleep until 7:20. Dear reader, I have not slept until 7:20 in a LONG time! We all 3 went for our morning walk as RJ took the day off to get some work done around the house. This is a double-edged sword…it is nice to have RJ home and to have him working on the back porch project BUT this includes loud noises that kept LJ from napping as he would normally nap!
We decided to try peas again. Last time we did peas (about 5 weeks ago) they did not agree with LJ, but this time around, he seems to be tolerating them well. Other than this, we have not introduced a new food in a while…except that I made some custard the other night and he had a few bites of that. He doesn’t appear to like any one food over another…he opens his mouth like a little bird for anything that comes near. But, I think he appears most eager for bananas.
This weekend, we are back to MawMaw’s house and are looking forward to a weekend at the lake. And, I haven’t gone stir-crazy yet!
With the knowledge that our London family was ok and that things did not seem to be escalating, LJ and I went for our morning walk. LJ tried to fall asleep, but I would not let him. I can’t have him thinking that he can wake up at 5:30 only to take a nap at 7:30! In fact, LJ did not nap until 9:30 and he slept until 11:30…he has been taking a good 2-3 hour nap in the AM this week. LJ’s Aunt M came to town and we met up for lunch with RJ and then it was home for LJ’s afternoon nap…which lasted 1 ½ hours.
Today, LJ woke at 5:45 and RJ took him to the living room – I fell back asleep until 7:20. Dear reader, I have not slept until 7:20 in a LONG time! We all 3 went for our morning walk as RJ took the day off to get some work done around the house. This is a double-edged sword…it is nice to have RJ home and to have him working on the back porch project BUT this includes loud noises that kept LJ from napping as he would normally nap!
We decided to try peas again. Last time we did peas (about 5 weeks ago) they did not agree with LJ, but this time around, he seems to be tolerating them well. Other than this, we have not introduced a new food in a while…except that I made some custard the other night and he had a few bites of that. He doesn’t appear to like any one food over another…he opens his mouth like a little bird for anything that comes near. But, I think he appears most eager for bananas.
This weekend, we are back to MawMaw’s house and are looking forward to a weekend at the lake. And, I haven’t gone stir-crazy yet!
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
School's Out For Summer...
No, I'm not just humming Alice Cooper tunes this morning...although the song is running through my head. This is the first day of my extended summer vacation. I filed for my leave, turned in my grades, and tried to make my office look not-so-horrific before leaving yesterday. Now I am off until August 12th. YIPPEE! RJ thinks I'm going to go stir crazy...he may be right, but I'm willing to find out.
This morning, LJ woke up at 6:30, had his morning milk and then we went for a walk. Now, he's playing on the floor and waving to me as I pay a few bills, check e-mail (of which I had nothing good), and update his readers. He is about to have breakfast and I am about to have a cup of coffee.
Our weekend went as planned. The baby shower for LJ's Aunt S was very nice. It was fun to see almost everyone...by that I mean, almost all my family came, not that it was not nice to see all the family who did come! Sunday and our backyard party at the boss's went well too. KK arrived late Monday morning while LJ was napping. He took a 2 hour nap that morning/early afternoon, so we were hungry when we finally went to eat lunch at that place that has the incredible tuna salad that I craved while pregnant. After that we went to a local museum and then came home. KK brought tons of little American flags and put them up the sides of our front walk, so we looked very festive!
LJ has been sleeping MUCH better...he'll usually go at least 8 hours at night...and sometimes the whole night without RJ's assistance. He naps rather well during the day AND about 75% of the time we can just put him in his crib and he falls asleep by himself! So, all the Js are sleeping much better.
This morning, LJ woke up at 6:30, had his morning milk and then we went for a walk. Now, he's playing on the floor and waving to me as I pay a few bills, check e-mail (of which I had nothing good), and update his readers. He is about to have breakfast and I am about to have a cup of coffee.
Our weekend went as planned. The baby shower for LJ's Aunt S was very nice. It was fun to see almost everyone...by that I mean, almost all my family came, not that it was not nice to see all the family who did come! Sunday and our backyard party at the boss's went well too. KK arrived late Monday morning while LJ was napping. He took a 2 hour nap that morning/early afternoon, so we were hungry when we finally went to eat lunch at that place that has the incredible tuna salad that I craved while pregnant. After that we went to a local museum and then came home. KK brought tons of little American flags and put them up the sides of our front walk, so we looked very festive!
LJ has been sleeping MUCH better...he'll usually go at least 8 hours at night...and sometimes the whole night without RJ's assistance. He naps rather well during the day AND about 75% of the time we can just put him in his crib and he falls asleep by himself! So, all the Js are sleeping much better.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Magic Pajamas? - This is for Chrissy!
Would you believe that those pajamas are not magic after all? We were so sure that they were, but on Wednesday night, LJ was up a couple of times, so Thursday night (last night) we put him in different pjs. It is kind of a relief…I didn’t want to buy into the superstition, but it was so tempting. This is probably a sin. Oh, and last night was pretty good. He slept until 4:30 and then needed a little help to get back to sleep…after which he slept until 7:15. Prior to his earlier success we would have considered last night a huge improvement, so we have to remember our roots!
Poor LJ though…he demonstrated that he didn’t NEED to eat in the middle of the night, so we have not fed him in the middle of the night. When he has woken up, RJ has helped him go back to sleep and that is that. So, we are on the road to LJ’s sleeping well on his own. We are without swaddle and without night time feedings, so it is only a matter of time and we will be without night time waking. Although, I’ve had many parents tell me that children wake up in the night for YEARS, but certainly this isn’t every night…or, certainly I won’t have to know about it every night?
Oh, and I must add that RJ has been quite successful at just putting LJ in his crib and then LJ falls asleep on his own. When I have done this, LJ has played nicely in his crib…for an hour, but no nap OR he has wailed and I have gone in to help him. I guess there are some things at which daddy is just better!
This weekend we have BIG plans. Saturday we are going to MawMaw’s house for the day to have Aunt S’s family “baby shower”. Her little girl is due in August! Sunday, we have a little back yard bar-b-q to attend. And, Monday LJ’s Godmother, KK is coming to visit for the day. We are going to try to get to the fireworks Monday night, but we’ll have to see how little LJ is doing that late in the day.
Happy Independence Day to all you Patriots!
Poor LJ though…he demonstrated that he didn’t NEED to eat in the middle of the night, so we have not fed him in the middle of the night. When he has woken up, RJ has helped him go back to sleep and that is that. So, we are on the road to LJ’s sleeping well on his own. We are without swaddle and without night time feedings, so it is only a matter of time and we will be without night time waking. Although, I’ve had many parents tell me that children wake up in the night for YEARS, but certainly this isn’t every night…or, certainly I won’t have to know about it every night?
Oh, and I must add that RJ has been quite successful at just putting LJ in his crib and then LJ falls asleep on his own. When I have done this, LJ has played nicely in his crib…for an hour, but no nap OR he has wailed and I have gone in to help him. I guess there are some things at which daddy is just better!
This weekend we have BIG plans. Saturday we are going to MawMaw’s house for the day to have Aunt S’s family “baby shower”. Her little girl is due in August! Sunday, we have a little back yard bar-b-q to attend. And, Monday LJ’s Godmother, KK is coming to visit for the day. We are going to try to get to the fireworks Monday night, but we’ll have to see how little LJ is doing that late in the day.
Happy Independence Day to all you Patriots!
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Very Superstitious
Very superstitious, writing's on the wall,
Very superstitious, ladders bout' to fall,
Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin' glass
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past.
When you believe in things that you don't understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain't the way
Very superstitious, wash your face and hands,
Rid me of the problem, do all that you can,
Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin' strong,
You don't wanna save me, sad is my song.
Ok, so I’m not just humming Stevie Wonder tunes today…the Js are indeed, very superstitious. In the spirit of sports stars everywhere, LJ has worn the same pajamas two nights in a row. See, on Sunday night, LJ was super-tired. He doesn’t nap too well in the car because he is sitting too upright, so he was exhausted come bed time. We did our normal bed time routine and he conked out quickly…not to be heard from again until 6:30 Monday morning. WOW! This hasn’t happened in, well, I don’t remember when. So, Monday night we put him in the same pajamas, he conked out quickly and we did not hear from him until 6:00 this morning.
Guess what LJ will be wearing to bed tonight?
Very superstitious, ladders bout' to fall,
Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin' glass
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past.
When you believe in things that you don't understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain't the way
Very superstitious, wash your face and hands,
Rid me of the problem, do all that you can,
Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin' strong,
You don't wanna save me, sad is my song.
Ok, so I’m not just humming Stevie Wonder tunes today…the Js are indeed, very superstitious. In the spirit of sports stars everywhere, LJ has worn the same pajamas two nights in a row. See, on Sunday night, LJ was super-tired. He doesn’t nap too well in the car because he is sitting too upright, so he was exhausted come bed time. We did our normal bed time routine and he conked out quickly…not to be heard from again until 6:30 Monday morning. WOW! This hasn’t happened in, well, I don’t remember when. So, Monday night we put him in the same pajamas, he conked out quickly and we did not hear from him until 6:00 this morning.
Guess what LJ will be wearing to bed tonight?
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Plans Change
Well, we had big plans to go visit my sister – ML and her family. They have moved in the last year and we have not been to their new house in their new town. I must confess, there had been some talk of the annual poker game being this weekend (or some weekend in September or October, but in Florida) closer to home. So, we had arranged for me and LJ to go visit the Ls and for RJ to go play in the poker game. When the poker game plans did not materialize, we decided to make it a family trip! All was well, we had gathered the ENTIRE house to take on the road…once you have a baby, you are super-afraid to be without the one familiar thing that might make the baby stop fussing in the middle of the night at someone else’s house! The plan was…eat lunch with some friends on a city “on the way” to the L’s and then drive over to the L’s after that. Then we got the call...
Poor little CL was exhibiting symptoms of an illness and upon her visit to the doctor and our call to LJ’s doctor we all discovered that this illness is contagious. This was sad and I’m sure little CL felt horrible as I think she and her brother were looking as forward to our visit as we were! Now, dear reader, we had our entire house packed into our car, so there was no way we weren’t going to do SOMETHING this weekend. We went ahead and drove the 3 hours to eat lunch with some friends…most of whom had not met LJ. That was a very nice time and LJ enjoyed meeting every new person! On the way, LJ ate at a roadside park for the first time…bananas and oatmeal. We told him to get used to it…RJ and I both ate many meals at roadside parks while on family vacations.
After lunch, we had to decide just what we were going to do…so we called my brother…his family lives pretty close (within 2 hours) of where we were, so we invited ourselves to spend the weekend with them. They were very gracious in accepting our last minute arrival and had delicious hamburgers on the grill when we arrived.
On Saturday, we were able to watch a whole movie (except that I asked to pause it while I went to the bathroom) while LJ took a 3 HOUR NAP. Yes reader, you read that correctly. This nap lasted from 11:00 – 2:00, so it was a good time of the day for a 3 hour nap. After this nap, we ate Italian food…VERY good RJ and I thought and then went to a furniture store. Upon our return, LJ played around on the floor and…is getting so close to crawling that we got out the video camera in anticipation. He really is starting to get up on his knees and I predict he will crawl (forward) within 10 days. You read it here first!
We really enjoyed our impromptu visit with the Js, but were sad to miss our planned visit with the Ls.
Poor little CL was exhibiting symptoms of an illness and upon her visit to the doctor and our call to LJ’s doctor we all discovered that this illness is contagious. This was sad and I’m sure little CL felt horrible as I think she and her brother were looking as forward to our visit as we were! Now, dear reader, we had our entire house packed into our car, so there was no way we weren’t going to do SOMETHING this weekend. We went ahead and drove the 3 hours to eat lunch with some friends…most of whom had not met LJ. That was a very nice time and LJ enjoyed meeting every new person! On the way, LJ ate at a roadside park for the first time…bananas and oatmeal. We told him to get used to it…RJ and I both ate many meals at roadside parks while on family vacations.
After lunch, we had to decide just what we were going to do…so we called my brother…his family lives pretty close (within 2 hours) of where we were, so we invited ourselves to spend the weekend with them. They were very gracious in accepting our last minute arrival and had delicious hamburgers on the grill when we arrived.
On Saturday, we were able to watch a whole movie (except that I asked to pause it while I went to the bathroom) while LJ took a 3 HOUR NAP. Yes reader, you read that correctly. This nap lasted from 11:00 – 2:00, so it was a good time of the day for a 3 hour nap. After this nap, we ate Italian food…VERY good RJ and I thought and then went to a furniture store. Upon our return, LJ played around on the floor and…is getting so close to crawling that we got out the video camera in anticipation. He really is starting to get up on his knees and I predict he will crawl (forward) within 10 days. You read it here first!
We really enjoyed our impromptu visit with the Js, but were sad to miss our planned visit with the Ls.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Happy Father's Day
Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there! I think I can safely say that RJ has had a nice day. It started with him sleeping as late as he wanted...that ended up being 9:03. Then, LJ demanded that he open his presents right now. So, RJ complied and then promptly began his day of leisure. LJ decided to get his dad a flight simulator program for the computer, so RJ has been "taking lessons" today. He did break for a breakfast of eggs w/pepperoni, sausage and waffles.
In food news, LJ had prunes then mangos. I decided that we needed to help little LJ's bowels by giving him prunes. There is something about seeing a little boy's face turn red as he grunts that makes a mother decide to try prunes. They did the trick...boy, did they do the trick! He started mangos yesterday, so one more day of those and then it is on to green beans. The mangos come in a jar labeled "recetas latinas". I guess Gerber thinks that mangos and zucchini (the other recetas latinas food) are foods to be enjoyed by Latino and Latina bambinos. That's weird because I apparently like recetas latinas myself, but I just thought they were mangos and zucchini!
In sleeping news, LJ had an entire day of naps and night of sleep...NO SWADDLE! This is a big step in LJ's young life. He is taking a nap sans swaddle as I type this. You do not know how happy I'll be to have him sleeping without the swaddle. It was GREAT when it served a purpose, but now it has become another thing from which to wean him. The weaning is going smashingly and I am thrilled.
And, finally...LJ seems to be starting to wave to people and this is super-cute!
On the horizon for this week...a bath in the big tub!
In food news, LJ had prunes then mangos. I decided that we needed to help little LJ's bowels by giving him prunes. There is something about seeing a little boy's face turn red as he grunts that makes a mother decide to try prunes. They did the trick...boy, did they do the trick! He started mangos yesterday, so one more day of those and then it is on to green beans. The mangos come in a jar labeled "recetas latinas". I guess Gerber thinks that mangos and zucchini (the other recetas latinas food) are foods to be enjoyed by Latino and Latina bambinos. That's weird because I apparently like recetas latinas myself, but I just thought they were mangos and zucchini!
In sleeping news, LJ had an entire day of naps and night of sleep...NO SWADDLE! This is a big step in LJ's young life. He is taking a nap sans swaddle as I type this. You do not know how happy I'll be to have him sleeping without the swaddle. It was GREAT when it served a purpose, but now it has become another thing from which to wean him. The weaning is going smashingly and I am thrilled.
And, finally...LJ seems to be starting to wave to people and this is super-cute!
On the horizon for this week...a bath in the big tub!
Sunday, June 12, 2005
I Think He Was Starving
Well, after much consternation, RJ and I decided that LJ’s sleeping issues might indeed be related to his food consumption during the day. I consulted the message board that I read and my friend, Chrissy and these sources indicated that their children were eating more solids during the day at LJ’s age than LJ was eating. It seems that many parents feed their 7-month old 3 meals of solids a day. We were doing 1 and sometimes we’d skip that. So, we have been making a conscious effort to get 3 meals a day into this little guy. He takes these meals eagerly and seems to be a bottomless pit. One day, I decided I’d see just when he’d decided he’s had enough. I couldn’t do it! He kept going and I chickened out before he gave up. He’s probably eating about 2 ounces of fruit or veggie and ¼ cup of cereal at each meal. Add to that a few handfuls of Cheerios and he’s full as a tick at the end. He’s also nursing 5 times a day, but…
He’s back to his normal sleeping habits! Up once a night (around 2:30) for a 10 minute nursing session and then back down until 7:00 or so. AND…he is taking a 1 ½ - 2 hour morning nap and a 1 ½ - 2 hour afternoon nap. Finally, the napping schedule about which I’ve been dreaming! Oh, a glorious 1 – 2 hours during the day to do whatever I want to do.
I guess LJ decided he doesn't have to stay awake in hopes of getting the food he's been wanting and now he feels that it is ok to catch some zzz's.
I’m going to list LJ’s foods so I have this record. At 7 months, LJ is eating:
Rice cereal
Oatmeal
Barley
Sweet Potato
Squash
Carrots
Bananas
Pears
Peaches
Applesauce
The next vegetable I plan to introduce – green beans
The next fruit I plan to introduce – mango
For me, I am about ½ way through summer school! This is great, but the summer students are a lot of fun, so I don’t mind it at all. I am going to start a new schedule this coming school year. Instead of being on a 12 month contract, I’m going to be on a 10 ½ month contract. This allows me to work full-time for 10 ½ months (but I don’t have to physically be in the office anymore than I am right now) instead of part-time for 12 months. The pay is about the same, but the perks are better for me right now. I get 6 weeks off during the summer! And, since I’m not 12 months, I don’t accrue vacation leave, but that means I can’t use it either. Instead, whenever the students aren’t on campus (Christmas break, Spring break, etc.) I don’t have to be there either. Since I won’t be able to use the vacation I’ve already accrued, I’m going to use that this summer. I have over 7 weeks worth, so I’ll pretty much be off the entire month of July and ½ of August. YIPPEE! This will allow RJ to work a normal schedule.
RJ is working on the house this summer. Right now, he is putting a deck on the back of the house. This will be great because the afternoon sun beats in the back windows. This deck (with cover) should keep the back porch much cooler this summer!
He’s back to his normal sleeping habits! Up once a night (around 2:30) for a 10 minute nursing session and then back down until 7:00 or so. AND…he is taking a 1 ½ - 2 hour morning nap and a 1 ½ - 2 hour afternoon nap. Finally, the napping schedule about which I’ve been dreaming! Oh, a glorious 1 – 2 hours during the day to do whatever I want to do.
I guess LJ decided he doesn't have to stay awake in hopes of getting the food he's been wanting and now he feels that it is ok to catch some zzz's.
I’m going to list LJ’s foods so I have this record. At 7 months, LJ is eating:
Rice cereal
Oatmeal
Barley
Sweet Potato
Squash
Carrots
Bananas
Pears
Peaches
Applesauce
The next vegetable I plan to introduce – green beans
The next fruit I plan to introduce – mango
For me, I am about ½ way through summer school! This is great, but the summer students are a lot of fun, so I don’t mind it at all. I am going to start a new schedule this coming school year. Instead of being on a 12 month contract, I’m going to be on a 10 ½ month contract. This allows me to work full-time for 10 ½ months (but I don’t have to physically be in the office anymore than I am right now) instead of part-time for 12 months. The pay is about the same, but the perks are better for me right now. I get 6 weeks off during the summer! And, since I’m not 12 months, I don’t accrue vacation leave, but that means I can’t use it either. Instead, whenever the students aren’t on campus (Christmas break, Spring break, etc.) I don’t have to be there either. Since I won’t be able to use the vacation I’ve already accrued, I’m going to use that this summer. I have over 7 weeks worth, so I’ll pretty much be off the entire month of July and ½ of August. YIPPEE! This will allow RJ to work a normal schedule.
RJ is working on the house this summer. Right now, he is putting a deck on the back of the house. This will be great because the afternoon sun beats in the back windows. This deck (with cover) should keep the back porch much cooler this summer!
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Scootching
Little LJ is figuring out how to get around in his little world. He is becoming a mighty proficient scootcher, but he either scootches in a circle or he scootches backward. This scotching backward frustrates him as what he wants to get is usually in front of him. Today, while RJ was talking to M – LJ’s cousin who lives in London – LJ scootched himself off of the carpet and onto the hardwood floor. This allowed him to chart previously unscootched territory and landed him under the television. If you know of our television and the piece of furniture on which is sits, you might have a chuckle imagining LJ scootched backward under there. I believe that this backward scotching is a genetic trait handed down from RJ, who likes to back into parking spaces!
LJ still LOVES his jumpy seat and is perfecting his landing. He jumps, jumps, jumps and then – bam – straight legs and sticks the landing. And, all of this occurs with a grin from ear to ear.
LJ does not love his new car seat. He has outgrown the weight and height restrictions of his infant seat, so he had to get a new car seat. This seat sits him up rather straight and he doesn’t seem to fancy it as much as he did his old one. He had gotten to where, in the old one, he’d just close his eyes and fall asleep (when tired). In the new car seat, he howls and cries and refuses to accept the change (when tired). Another minus - the old infant seat was so easy to pop out of the car and onto the grocery cart or onto the high chair at a restaurant. This new one is permanent in the car, so LJ comes out and has to sit up on his own in the grocery store, etc. He doesn’t quite have sitting-up perfected, so this is a pain. For now, we are caring the old infant seat with us, putting LJ in that when we get to our destination, and proceeding as we did of old. This just adds another step to an already tedious process, but…you do what you have to do.
In food news, bananas have passed muster and there appear to be no allergic reactions, so we have moved on to pears. LJ seems to LOVE pears and overall, he is a much more enthusiastic solid-food eater. We had been letting him gnaw on Zweiback Toast or a Bitter Biscuit, but we had to put the brakes on that. He doesn’t really gnaw…he sucks and twice he has gotten a big hunk stuck to the roof of his mouth. The causes him to start gagging and, frankly, this is too close to choking for us (parents). So, a beloved food has been retired for the time being. I have been breaking Cheerios in half and letting him “eat” those. Those he gnaws on with an up and down jaw action…go figure!
Question:
I am retiring the question portion of this blog.
#1 – participation is down.
#2 – I can’t think of anymore questions.
#3 – I didn’t particularly feel good about the “things I might not tell LJ” question.
I guess I started it down the “MJ as a juvenile delinquent” path by sharing my story concerning petty theft, so I had it coming! To quote my mother, “I read some rather disturbing things on the blog.” To which I replied, “Yes, I don’t remember some of those.” To which she retorted, “Well, I hope they didn’t happen.” Then I had to remind her that I am 33 years old and have turned out “fine”, so these things are really nothing about which to worry.
But, I find it odd that no one thinks I might be too humble to share all of the nice, caring, and loving qualities I possess ;-)
LJ still LOVES his jumpy seat and is perfecting his landing. He jumps, jumps, jumps and then – bam – straight legs and sticks the landing. And, all of this occurs with a grin from ear to ear.
LJ does not love his new car seat. He has outgrown the weight and height restrictions of his infant seat, so he had to get a new car seat. This seat sits him up rather straight and he doesn’t seem to fancy it as much as he did his old one. He had gotten to where, in the old one, he’d just close his eyes and fall asleep (when tired). In the new car seat, he howls and cries and refuses to accept the change (when tired). Another minus - the old infant seat was so easy to pop out of the car and onto the grocery cart or onto the high chair at a restaurant. This new one is permanent in the car, so LJ comes out and has to sit up on his own in the grocery store, etc. He doesn’t quite have sitting-up perfected, so this is a pain. For now, we are caring the old infant seat with us, putting LJ in that when we get to our destination, and proceeding as we did of old. This just adds another step to an already tedious process, but…you do what you have to do.
In food news, bananas have passed muster and there appear to be no allergic reactions, so we have moved on to pears. LJ seems to LOVE pears and overall, he is a much more enthusiastic solid-food eater. We had been letting him gnaw on Zweiback Toast or a Bitter Biscuit, but we had to put the brakes on that. He doesn’t really gnaw…he sucks and twice he has gotten a big hunk stuck to the roof of his mouth. The causes him to start gagging and, frankly, this is too close to choking for us (parents). So, a beloved food has been retired for the time being. I have been breaking Cheerios in half and letting him “eat” those. Those he gnaws on with an up and down jaw action…go figure!
Question:
I am retiring the question portion of this blog.
#1 – participation is down.
#2 – I can’t think of anymore questions.
#3 – I didn’t particularly feel good about the “things I might not tell LJ” question.
I guess I started it down the “MJ as a juvenile delinquent” path by sharing my story concerning petty theft, so I had it coming! To quote my mother, “I read some rather disturbing things on the blog.” To which I replied, “Yes, I don’t remember some of those.” To which she retorted, “Well, I hope they didn’t happen.” Then I had to remind her that I am 33 years old and have turned out “fine”, so these things are really nothing about which to worry.
But, I find it odd that no one thinks I might be too humble to share all of the nice, caring, and loving qualities I possess ;-)
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Hi - From LJ
I am so glad that mom and dad’s conference is over! I sure missed them this past week. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED spending time with SJ…and I’m very sad that she will be gone this summer…and gone from here from now on. She will be on the west coast for the summer, but then she’ll be in her new town with her new job in September. I sure have had fun with her! But, I sure did miss mom and dad this week. On Tuesday, they left the house right after I woke up and didn’t get back until I was in bed. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. But, I think they came in a looked at me sleeping…a baby can sense these things. I overheard mom telling dad that she just couldn’t imagine not seeing me almost all day everyday and not being able to play with me all the time. I guess that means there is little chance that I’ll ever get sent to day care! I don’t think mom and dad could bear to spend the time away from me. But, this weekend, things seem to be back to normal…and I like that. A baby needs to know what to expect!
But, the unexpected has happened. Mom bought baby food! She said that she was feeling as though she wasn’t having time to make any new foods and she was feeling badly that I haven’t been introduced to anything new in so long. So, she bought me some fruit. I tried bananas this morning and I must say, this is the food I have loved the best so far! She also bought me some hard, little biscuits…they are FUN! AND, they get all over me and I love them! Mom was muttering under her breath while cleaning me up after I ate one, but I’m sure she wasn’t saying anything about those biscuits…how could you not love those?
Speaking of things to love…here is a list of things that make me VERY happy. When I’m happy I smile, laugh, and kick my legs straight, so it is easy to tell! Oh, and these are in no particular order!
I love:
My jumpy seat – hangs from the doorway
My green frog
Mom’s spatula
Mom’s wooden spoon
When someone new walks into the room
The Veggie Tales Theme Song
My baths
My bouncy seat (this is for when I’m in a contemplative mood)
The Waltons
Sucking on Mom’s hair
Getting the mail (I pull the handle all by myself)
Being outside
SJ’s glasses
Eating books
This is all I can think of right now, but I’ll keep thinking about it!
Question:
When you were in grade school – what did you do after school?
But, the unexpected has happened. Mom bought baby food! She said that she was feeling as though she wasn’t having time to make any new foods and she was feeling badly that I haven’t been introduced to anything new in so long. So, she bought me some fruit. I tried bananas this morning and I must say, this is the food I have loved the best so far! She also bought me some hard, little biscuits…they are FUN! AND, they get all over me and I love them! Mom was muttering under her breath while cleaning me up after I ate one, but I’m sure she wasn’t saying anything about those biscuits…how could you not love those?
Speaking of things to love…here is a list of things that make me VERY happy. When I’m happy I smile, laugh, and kick my legs straight, so it is easy to tell! Oh, and these are in no particular order!
I love:
My jumpy seat – hangs from the doorway
My green frog
Mom’s spatula
Mom’s wooden spoon
When someone new walks into the room
The Veggie Tales Theme Song
My baths
My bouncy seat (this is for when I’m in a contemplative mood)
The Waltons
Sucking on Mom’s hair
Getting the mail (I pull the handle all by myself)
Being outside
SJ’s glasses
Eating books
This is all I can think of right now, but I’ll keep thinking about it!
Question:
When you were in grade school – what did you do after school?
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Not Exactly What I Had in Mind!
Little LJ slept much better last night...only woke up once (at 2:30) and then slept again until 6:30. This is preferable to his "up 2x a night" routine of late. Of course, we decided to give him some Tylenol as he went to sleep last night..."he might be teething". I don't know if we'll give him Tylenol again tonight or not...I bet we don't. He is taking a nap now...and it is turning out to be a 2 hour nap! Yippee! Except, he started this nap at 4:45. This cannot be good...to take such a long nap so late in the day. But, what can I do? He didn't nap too well earlier in the afternoon and he was clearly tired when RJ put him down.
I made acorn squash today...some for LJ and some for RJ. I haven't cooked it before today and I have not eaten it before today. Mom used to make it all the time, but I refused to eat it. I remember that she put butter and brown sugar in the little hole at the end of the cooking, so I did that for RJ. It was pretty tasty, so I'm sure it was the texture that kept me from trying it as a child. You know that I'm a texture person. I did not put the butter and brown sugar in LJ's batch. I am going to feed some to him today...as soon as he awakens.
LJ is sitting up all right...when I sit him up...especially if he is strapped into something, like a booster seat or a high chair. I don't see him sitting himself up anytime soon, but the skill he does have is probably good enough for me to switch to the larger car seat we have purchased. The car seat doesn't require him to be able to sit up, but I fear I will miss being able to easily remove him, car seat and all, from the car and put him in the shopping cart or on the table at a restaurant.
We are crazy busy at work this week as our department is hosting a conference (re: the program RJ directs). We're thankful that SJ will be able to watch LJ next week...I fear that we will really miss her availability once she is no longer in town! I KNOW WE WILL! She has been too great for words and it has been so nice to be able to leave LJ with her and have no worries at all. We will miss her for many reasons, but I know LJ will miss her fo 'shizzle.
Question:
What is something about LJ's mommy (a quirk or story, if you like) that you doubt I would ever share with him. (Keep it clean! This blog is rated G...but, hey, for the most part my life has been rated G!)
I made acorn squash today...some for LJ and some for RJ. I haven't cooked it before today and I have not eaten it before today. Mom used to make it all the time, but I refused to eat it. I remember that she put butter and brown sugar in the little hole at the end of the cooking, so I did that for RJ. It was pretty tasty, so I'm sure it was the texture that kept me from trying it as a child. You know that I'm a texture person. I did not put the butter and brown sugar in LJ's batch. I am going to feed some to him today...as soon as he awakens.
LJ is sitting up all right...when I sit him up...especially if he is strapped into something, like a booster seat or a high chair. I don't see him sitting himself up anytime soon, but the skill he does have is probably good enough for me to switch to the larger car seat we have purchased. The car seat doesn't require him to be able to sit up, but I fear I will miss being able to easily remove him, car seat and all, from the car and put him in the shopping cart or on the table at a restaurant.
We are crazy busy at work this week as our department is hosting a conference (re: the program RJ directs). We're thankful that SJ will be able to watch LJ next week...I fear that we will really miss her availability once she is no longer in town! I KNOW WE WILL! She has been too great for words and it has been so nice to be able to leave LJ with her and have no worries at all. We will miss her for many reasons, but I know LJ will miss her fo 'shizzle.
Question:
What is something about LJ's mommy (a quirk or story, if you like) that you doubt I would ever share with him. (Keep it clean! This blog is rated G...but, hey, for the most part my life has been rated G!)
Monday, May 16, 2005
Another "Growth Spurt"?
Starting Saturday, May 7th, LJ has been in a sleep regression. He has not napped well AND he has been up 2x (instead of 1x) each night. That wouldn’t be so bad except that he has not gone back to sleep with his usual ease. The result: cranky parents. I guess he is going through a “growth spurt”, but this is hard to believe as he actually lost ¼ inch between months 4 and 6. Yep, he actually shrank since his last doctor visit. I suspect this is due to rather inaccurate measuring (especially since the nurse at the 4 month visit didn’t seem too capable…she didn’t know how to use the percentile charts).
6 Month Stats:
Weight – 17 pounds 15.5 ounces (50th percentile)
Height – 26 ¾ inches (75th percentile)
We have introduced peas and then stopped them as LJ had a horrible red rash in the diaper area in conjunction with a diaper that was obviously caused peas. If you can’t understand how this was obvious, trust me, you can tell exactly what a baby of this age has eaten recently. I’m going to get an acorn squash and make that, but I haven’t done that yet, so LJ has been “eating” rice cereal, oatmeal, and the occasional sweet potato.
This past weekend, we had the Js (MJ’s Js) in town for SJ’s (LJ’s cousin and favorite Friday companion) and RJ’s graduations. Ok, they came for SJ’s graduation, but RJ graduated too. SJ walked on Friday night and they didn’t get home until after 11:00. We were in bed, but not for long considering LJ’s growth spurt. RJ’s graduation was Saturday morning and the Js babysat while Mom and I went to his ceremony. We were home by a little after noon and LJ was down for a nap (that ended up lasting 1 and ½ hours). We had hamburgers and hot dogs and then all took part in various afternoon activities.
Sunday, all the company left and we went to visit LJ’s grandma, grandpa, and Uncle B. LJ took about a 2 hour nap on the way there and was pretty pleasant while we visited. He took another nap on the way home, but there was some screaming involved. He can be really pitiful!
Last night, we started to get him ready for bed at 7:30 and had him asleep by 8:00. He slept until 3:30 (imagine angels singing) and went right back down after nursing. He started the day at 7:30 and has had 2 naps of about 1 and ½ hours each. So, maybe his need for food is over and he needs to rest?! Or, maybe he is transitioning to a new schedule that involves longer naps? Who knows?!
Question:
What is a favorite cartoon…one that you woke up to watch on Saturday morning?
6 Month Stats:
Weight – 17 pounds 15.5 ounces (50th percentile)
Height – 26 ¾ inches (75th percentile)
We have introduced peas and then stopped them as LJ had a horrible red rash in the diaper area in conjunction with a diaper that was obviously caused peas. If you can’t understand how this was obvious, trust me, you can tell exactly what a baby of this age has eaten recently. I’m going to get an acorn squash and make that, but I haven’t done that yet, so LJ has been “eating” rice cereal, oatmeal, and the occasional sweet potato.
This past weekend, we had the Js (MJ’s Js) in town for SJ’s (LJ’s cousin and favorite Friday companion) and RJ’s graduations. Ok, they came for SJ’s graduation, but RJ graduated too. SJ walked on Friday night and they didn’t get home until after 11:00. We were in bed, but not for long considering LJ’s growth spurt. RJ’s graduation was Saturday morning and the Js babysat while Mom and I went to his ceremony. We were home by a little after noon and LJ was down for a nap (that ended up lasting 1 and ½ hours). We had hamburgers and hot dogs and then all took part in various afternoon activities.
Sunday, all the company left and we went to visit LJ’s grandma, grandpa, and Uncle B. LJ took about a 2 hour nap on the way there and was pretty pleasant while we visited. He took another nap on the way home, but there was some screaming involved. He can be really pitiful!
Last night, we started to get him ready for bed at 7:30 and had him asleep by 8:00. He slept until 3:30 (imagine angels singing) and went right back down after nursing. He started the day at 7:30 and has had 2 naps of about 1 and ½ hours each. So, maybe his need for food is over and he needs to rest?! Or, maybe he is transitioning to a new schedule that involves longer naps? Who knows?!
Question:
What is a favorite cartoon…one that you woke up to watch on Saturday morning?
Monday, May 09, 2005
Mother's Day
What a wonderful first Mother's Day I had! LJ (and RJ) certainly knows what I enjoy.
For us, Mother's Day started the week before with family effort to make gifts for LJ's grandmothers. RJ has taken almost all the pictures since LJ was born, LJ has been the subject of most of said pictures, and I have edited most of these photos. We made a collage of pictures, framed the collage and sent them in the mail to be received by our mothers sometime before Mother's Day. We enjoyed doing it! It gives me practice using the software I will use when I get around to being serious about this digital scrapbook I'm thinking about making.
My Mother's Day was grand. LJ woke to eat at 6:20 am, I fed him and then I went back to bed while RJ was up for the day. I slept until 8:30...WOW! RJ had made me coffee...his 2nd pot to make...ever! He quickly made his third pot...ever as I tasted it and could tell (by the strength) that it was not decaf, so he threw it out and made a pot of decaf. Then, RJ took LJ to Lowe's with him and I got to read the paper and drink my coffee. When they returned, LJ was asleep and slept for another hour. RJ had come home with breakfast tacos, so we ate those while LJ napped. LJ awoke and it was time for me to open LJ's gifts to me. One was a nice journal in which to write and the other was... (And this is where LJ knows his mama) a DVR receiver for the dish! Of course, LJ is like his father and bought a refurbished one. This is amazing! Now, if I am watching a show and LJ wakes from his nap...I can push "pause". If I am feeding LJ and he gets so fussy I can't hear the TV...I can push "pause". You get the idea. This is MUCH fun! It has many more features, but I love it! Later, I did the normal things mommies (especially those who work) do on the weekend...go to the grocery store and do the laundry. We went to Mass that evening and I got to stand with all the other mothers during the prayer for mothers. This was my first time and it was very special!
We hope all the mom's out there had a great day and we hope you remembered to be sweet to your mom as well!
Question:
What is a memory that you have of my (MJ) dad?
For us, Mother's Day started the week before with family effort to make gifts for LJ's grandmothers. RJ has taken almost all the pictures since LJ was born, LJ has been the subject of most of said pictures, and I have edited most of these photos. We made a collage of pictures, framed the collage and sent them in the mail to be received by our mothers sometime before Mother's Day. We enjoyed doing it! It gives me practice using the software I will use when I get around to being serious about this digital scrapbook I'm thinking about making.
My Mother's Day was grand. LJ woke to eat at 6:20 am, I fed him and then I went back to bed while RJ was up for the day. I slept until 8:30...WOW! RJ had made me coffee...his 2nd pot to make...ever! He quickly made his third pot...ever as I tasted it and could tell (by the strength) that it was not decaf, so he threw it out and made a pot of decaf. Then, RJ took LJ to Lowe's with him and I got to read the paper and drink my coffee. When they returned, LJ was asleep and slept for another hour. RJ had come home with breakfast tacos, so we ate those while LJ napped. LJ awoke and it was time for me to open LJ's gifts to me. One was a nice journal in which to write and the other was... (And this is where LJ knows his mama) a DVR receiver for the dish! Of course, LJ is like his father and bought a refurbished one. This is amazing! Now, if I am watching a show and LJ wakes from his nap...I can push "pause". If I am feeding LJ and he gets so fussy I can't hear the TV...I can push "pause". You get the idea. This is MUCH fun! It has many more features, but I love it! Later, I did the normal things mommies (especially those who work) do on the weekend...go to the grocery store and do the laundry. We went to Mass that evening and I got to stand with all the other mothers during the prayer for mothers. This was my first time and it was very special!
We hope all the mom's out there had a great day and we hope you remembered to be sweet to your mom as well!
Question:
What is a memory that you have of my (MJ) dad?
Friday, May 06, 2005
Oatmeal and More...
Thursday we passed the 4 days necessary to test the sweet potato...to make sure there is no allergic reaction before we introduce the next food. Now we are on to oatmeal. I've thinned it down quite a bit and LJ actually opened his mouth for it yesterday. This is an improvement. It is amazing what affect this little bit of food is having on his diapers! I think his little digestive system is shooting this stuff straight through with very little, if any, processing!
LJ is becoming more and more animated and fun everyday. He is a really happy baby and smiles a ton. When he is really excited, he opens his mouth wide, pants, and kicks his legs. This happens when he sees a new person, when he is playing with a cookie package, when he is jumping in the jumpy seat that hangs from the door, and too many other times to list.
He has not been napping in a nice way...meaning, once I put him down his eyes pop open pretty quickly. So, there isn't a whole lot of napping. When will he take longer naps?! Last night was a good night of sleep, so that coupled with it being Friday, add to that...school is out...and the Js pretty darn happy.
The weather has been nice, so we have been going for a walk every afternoon. Now I'm starting to think about sunscreen. This summer he is going to take a water babies class at the city pool and we are looking forward to that.
Question:
What was a favorite (no batteries required) toy from you childhood?
LJ is becoming more and more animated and fun everyday. He is a really happy baby and smiles a ton. When he is really excited, he opens his mouth wide, pants, and kicks his legs. This happens when he sees a new person, when he is playing with a cookie package, when he is jumping in the jumpy seat that hangs from the door, and too many other times to list.
He has not been napping in a nice way...meaning, once I put him down his eyes pop open pretty quickly. So, there isn't a whole lot of napping. When will he take longer naps?! Last night was a good night of sleep, so that coupled with it being Friday, add to that...school is out...and the Js pretty darn happy.
The weather has been nice, so we have been going for a walk every afternoon. Now I'm starting to think about sunscreen. This summer he is going to take a water babies class at the city pool and we are looking forward to that.
Question:
What was a favorite (no batteries required) toy from you childhood?
Monday, May 02, 2005
Sweet Potato
As promised, LJ tasted his first solid food on Sunday (as he is officially 24 weeks old). On Saturday, after a trip to look at travel trailers, I went to the store and bought sweet potatoes (among other things) and felt very industrious to be making LJ's baby food. Of course, I bought wipes at the store, and let's face it, I could make those too. But, a mother has to know where to draw the line and my line is between making baby food and making wipes.
Sunday came and I peeled and cut the sweet potatoes and then steamed them in a pot on the stove for 20 minutes. Once they cooled, I used our hand-held blender to puree the potato...I had to add some liquid along the way. I opted for water, but in retrospect I should have used the water in which I steamed the potato. Then, I put the sweet potato into these little plastic cubes with lids that I ordered expressly for the purpose of storing baby food. Each cube holds one ounce (and I learned the hard way not to overfill (there is a line)...food expands when you freeze it (I realize this is conventional wisdom...a fact actually) and the little top pops up as the food needs room to grow). Oh, and these cubes can go in the dishwasher. Nice!
Then, the moment arrived. LJ had taken a 90-minute nap, had his appetite whetted by a nursing session and was ready (whether he knew it or not) for his first taste of solid food. We put the bib on, sat him in his bouncy seat, had the still camera ready, and turned the video camera on. I put some sweet potato on his spoon and LJ immediately reached out to grad it. This is not surprising as he puts everything in his mouth. He'd put me in his mouth if he could! Together, we guided the sweet potato laden spoon into his mouth and he sat there with an odd expression. He didn't really swallow, but he didn't spit it out. We went for another bite...this bite he keep in between his lips until some made its way in and some made its way out. Every now and then, LJ would get some sweet potato onto his tongue, actually taste it, and his whole body would shiver. Think of how it is when you eat sweet tarts, or worse, atomic warheads...that face and that physical reaction. All told, we probably put a tablespoon of sweet potato onto the spoon and maybe a teaspoon made it into his tummy. He didn't seem to hate the experience, but he didn't go crazy with the eating either. We're going to try it again today!
Today is the last day of school for me...yippee!!! Now a break until summer school.
Question:
Where, in the US (we'll limit it for now), should LJ be sure to request we go for a family trip sometime in our lives?
Sunday came and I peeled and cut the sweet potatoes and then steamed them in a pot on the stove for 20 minutes. Once they cooled, I used our hand-held blender to puree the potato...I had to add some liquid along the way. I opted for water, but in retrospect I should have used the water in which I steamed the potato. Then, I put the sweet potato into these little plastic cubes with lids that I ordered expressly for the purpose of storing baby food. Each cube holds one ounce (and I learned the hard way not to overfill (there is a line)...food expands when you freeze it (I realize this is conventional wisdom...a fact actually) and the little top pops up as the food needs room to grow). Oh, and these cubes can go in the dishwasher. Nice!
Then, the moment arrived. LJ had taken a 90-minute nap, had his appetite whetted by a nursing session and was ready (whether he knew it or not) for his first taste of solid food. We put the bib on, sat him in his bouncy seat, had the still camera ready, and turned the video camera on. I put some sweet potato on his spoon and LJ immediately reached out to grad it. This is not surprising as he puts everything in his mouth. He'd put me in his mouth if he could! Together, we guided the sweet potato laden spoon into his mouth and he sat there with an odd expression. He didn't really swallow, but he didn't spit it out. We went for another bite...this bite he keep in between his lips until some made its way in and some made its way out. Every now and then, LJ would get some sweet potato onto his tongue, actually taste it, and his whole body would shiver. Think of how it is when you eat sweet tarts, or worse, atomic warheads...that face and that physical reaction. All told, we probably put a tablespoon of sweet potato onto the spoon and maybe a teaspoon made it into his tummy. He didn't seem to hate the experience, but he didn't go crazy with the eating either. We're going to try it again today!
Today is the last day of school for me...yippee!!! Now a break until summer school.
Question:
Where, in the US (we'll limit it for now), should LJ be sure to request we go for a family trip sometime in our lives?
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