Thank God for Mimi

My mom (Mimi) has always been awesome. But with the birth of the Princess, she literally saved my life. Mimi planned two weeks of vacation for the time right after the sweet baby girl was born. The last few months, we've been jokingly asking The Princess to wait until her due date to be born, because that's the schedule that would work for everyone, particularly Mimi. The Princess was born about twelve hours after Mimi's last shift ended.

She cooks, she cleans, she usually only gives advice when asked (and doesn't say 'I told you so' when I should have asked), she entertains The Prince, she lets me sleep.

Thanks, Mom.

Seriously, two?

I've been debating about what my first post-pregnancy blog should be about. Labor and delivery, the second time around? The status of my sanity, as relates to the amount of sleep I get, and the number of children I have? How there's no possible way I could have made it through the last few weeks without help?

I'll just settle for some pictures of the joyous occasion.

First Haircut

He chose the yellow car, and we brought snacks for distraction.

Wait, you wanna do what?

First sprays of water...

First cuts...doing OK...

Success.

Handsome boy! OK, it might not look like much, but we really cut off a couple of inches. Just couldn't bear to get rid of all the curls!

Snooze

First time at Snooze.

As a diner, at least.

He had the berry bowl.

Can I please have a day off?

Not sure how it happens that suddenly it's been so long since my last post. I'm pretty sure there's a time warp in my living room.

I'm not sure I can do it today. You know, life & responsibilities. I'm not suicidal or anything, I'd just like to crawl back into bed today.

Last night, The Prince decided that midnight to 3:00 was a fantastic time to be up, and I had a hard time convincing him otherwise. He wanted to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed, but he couldn't settle down, and Mommy can't sleep when he is sharing. So, I spread a quilt out on the living room floor, like he and I were camping, so we'd both have enough room. (I was thinking about sleeping on the floor anyway - it's very nice on my back these days.) Eventually, we both went back to sleep.

So, I'm very short tempered today, as is The Prince. I'm hoping I don't make any stupid sleep-deprived mistakes at work, and that I don't make any stupid sleep-deprived snaps at my family.

It's been a terribly stressful few weeks. I'm no longer working from home, which seems to be good news and bad news, and my pregnancy hormones are going bonkers. I cry a lot, and the hormones and not sleeping make for a yucky vicious cycle.

Sigh. Unfortunately, I can't just take a day off of live and work and mothering and relationships. We'll see how today goes.

Don't Worry, it's Normal

Well, it's happening again.

No, I'm not carrying twins.

No, I'm not even gaining too much weight. My doctor said so.

This wee baby Princess is just carrying way far to my front. "Like a basketball," as my nurse practitioner said.

It happened with The Prince. And, to be fair, I did gain some extra weight with him, but, come on. I was teaching at the time, and I had a few kids make some tactless comments. And also some colleagues. And strangers.

Here's some advice: don't ever tell a pregnant lady that she looks "so big." You could probably really hurt her feelings, and the storm of hormones behind her smile could spell disaster for anyone standing too closely.

Truly, I am happy about my weight and my shape, because it means my baby is growing and healthy, and my body is doing what it needs to do to get the job done.

Just don't tell me I look fat.

More Prince

Well, with a month off from blogging, another Prince update is due. He is the smartest and cutest baby ever. He really is. Here are a few of his latest shenanigans.


Spaghetti. He didn't like it at first, but now pasta and tomato sauce is one of his favorite things.

He's mastering using silverware. Here, he shows off, using two spoons at once.














Easter, with all the boys in hawaiian shirts.














His second trip to the zoo, but the first one he really enjoyed. He especially liked running around and looking at the plants. He spent the most time looking at tiny climbing monkeys and an anteater. As soon as we saw the elephants, he lifted his arm and buzzed like an elephant, just like his daddy showed him.

The Prince, Just Shy of Fifteen Months

Our little man certainly is a babe of many talents. His most recent accomplishments include learning how to open doors (watch out for those lever handles), learning how to open toilets, and getting over RSV.

His spoken vocabulary is still pretty small. He knows (or has said in the past) "teddy bear," "mama," "dada," "meemaw and mimi (grandma)," but he can recognize many words that we say to him. When I talk about the laundry, he goes over to the washer and dryer. He can help feed the dog when we ask him to get her food bowl. He does spend much of the day chattering and singing in baby jargon.

He has become quite good at signing. He can do the signs for dog, cat, milk, please, water, food, and is very good at pointing and grunting. He understands the signs for more, no touch, no bite.

He responds to warnings when he's doing things he shouldn't, like standing up on the chairs or getting into the dog kennel when the dog is eating. It usually goes something like this: "Prince, sit on your bottom. 1...2..." At this point he either sits down, or refuses to and is removed from the situation. Often he will watch Mom or Dad as they count, pushing as far as he can.

He is very good at climbing. He can climb onto chairs, stools, and beds, up stairs, and pretty much whatever you put in front of him.

His appetite seems to have increased. He eats several servings of fruits, veggies, and grains at each meal, with a couple snacks each day and lots of protein. His current favorites are blueberries, bananas, clementines, and graham crackers.

He gets very frustrated when things aren't going his way, like when he's trying to pull the toy doggy and it flips over, or when he can't quite pull the lid off of the blocks tub.

He had gone to just one nap each day, but this week he's been taking two naps. He is fairly consistently sleeping until 6 or 6:30 each morning. Praise the Lord for that!

He is very social. He loves going to his daycare and sitter's house, and playing with his friends at MOPS. Sometimes Mommy has a hard time keeping him busy when it's just the two of us.

He loves to clap, dance, and lift his arms up to say "yahoo!"

He loves water, whether at bathtime, in the dog bowl, or in someone's cup.

A Royal Celebration

Birthday breakfast

Lots of friends came to play

The Prince loved when Daddy blew the Birthday Horn.
Out-of-state family joined us by webchat.

Squishing the cake.



End of the day hijinks.

Happy 1st, Little Prince!

Oh, Motherhood...

Yesterday was One of Those Days. The Prince was fussy all day long. Here are possible reasons:

1. He had cabin fever.
2. His mouth hurt from new teeth.
3. His tummy hurt from something he ate.
4. He was mad because Mommy kept taking away the interesting things he found to play with (which, by the way, Mommy has no idea where most of them came from, because the house has been baby-proofed for months now).
5. He was exerting his individual identity and challenging the status quo in the household.


The day ended with what is a very funny incident, but which led Mommy to give up and wait for Daddy to come home.

The Prince's favorite cabinet

The Prince is allowed to play in the cabinets. There's nothing in there that can hurt him, or that he can hurt, and he finds it interesting. So, he got into his favorite cabinet, sat down, and found the only thing in there he could make a mess with: an almost-empty bag of cat food crunchies. Almost-empty, so no mess, right? Wrong. He shook and shook and shook the bag, and found enough crumbs to pour all over the floor (instant dog-mania for spilled food). The Prince even tried to nibble a few himself, while being scolded. Mommy brought the broom out to clean up, and The Prince took the broom from Mommy, and tried to do it himself.


This is the point Mommy gives up, and just tries to make sure The Prince doesn't consume any more kibble.


Not laughing yet, but maybe closed-mouth smiling a little bit. It won't hurt my feelings if you laugh.

Hmm, the mess seemed a lot bigger yesterday when it was happening.

Snapshot of the Prince

Here are a few tidbits of what The Prince is up to these days. He's 10 months and 25 days old.

Today, he learned how to shake his head. Like to say "no." I don't think he knows what it means, but it makes for some pretty entertaining moments. Me: Let's put your diaper on. The Prince: Shakes his head. Me: Let's get out of the bathtub. The Prince: Shakes his head.

He takes two naps a day. Typically, he's a speed napper, usually doing two 45 minute stretches at 8:30 and 1:30. This week, though, he's slept for a least an hour each time.

He's gone back to waking up two times a night. For a blissful few weeks, it was just once, but just in time for our trip, he started on the two times again. I go back and forth between enjoying the time and wishing we could move on.

He seems thisclose to walking. He's been cruising for awhile, and in OK he pushed a doll's buggy around and around at Granny A and Papa Bear's house.

If he's really enjoying himself, like playing with dishes or toys, he can play independently for quite awhile. He just drags whatever's currently interesting him around. Sometimes he sits and turns little circles on his bottom, moving his toy around and around.

Hungry, hungry, hungry! He eats three meals, two snacks, and nurses around six times each day. He loves finger food, and prefers to feed himself. His favorites are sweet potatoes (baked fries or mashed), yogurt, cheese, and most fruits. If I'm feeding him his veggies first, he often won't eat until I give him some finger food or alternate bites of veggies and fruits. Sometimes I give him his own spoon to hold and practice with.

He enjoys sucking his big toe.

He can click with his tongue.

He has a great smile and laugh, but he also smiles with his eyes. They kind of crinkle up and he does just a small smile with his mouth.

Since it's hard to get him to sit still for any length of time, we read to him in the bathtub. Right now, we read Goodnight Moon every night, and he gets very excited when it's time. Sometimes he yells and looks over to where the book is if he thinks its time to start reading.

He is fast. Always moving, always wanting to get into things and discover. It's so cool to watch him learning.

My goodness, I could go on and on. I won't tonight. More for later!

The Prince SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!

My name is Mommy, and my ten-month-old son just SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT! Ohmygoodness, I wasn't sure if this would ever happen. He's actually been getting a little better every night this week, sleeping until 4:00, then 5:00, and this morning...6:00!

Now, the last time he slept until 5:00 he started waking up again the following nights, so we'll see if this sticks. But now I know that he can do it! Woo hoo!

For a kid that doesn't usually sleep well, he sure hates waking up.

Here is grouchy wake-up face:

May I Present...the Baby Mandrake

Discoveries

Sometimes, when I undo The Prince's onesie to change him, I find leftover snacks.


Today there was a cheerio and a small piece of apple, tucked right into the top of his diaper.



Saving it for later?


Here's the cheerio print:

Eating my Words...and We're All Getting More Sleep. Sort Of.

Gosh, it's hard to know what's the right thing to do in this parenting adventure. Like, what's not going to scar (totally wrote "scare" first; guess that's a concern, too) this precious child for the rest of his life? What will serve him best as he grows up?





Remember my first post? I'm not sure how to link it right now, like some of my other favorite bloggers, but I'll work on that. Anywho, it was all about how The Prince isn't sleeping through the night, and how I just can't let him "cry it out"...





I changed my mind. I think the first time we tried this, neither Daddy or Mommy could go past twenty minutes or so, and The Prince was so upset that it took a long time to get him relaxed enough to go back to sleep. The thought with "crying it out" is that you let the child figure out how to get himself back to sleep, instead of rocking/feeding/whatever, so he won't be dependent on you to sleep. With this early attempt, it just didn't seem like he was getting any closer to sleeping.





Fast forward to a week when I'm at my wit's end. We'd gone back to every two hours, and I know that he doesn't need to eat that much. The final straw was that it was affecting The Prince. He was tired all day, very different from his normal, cheery self. So, at the 9:30 waking, I took a big breath, and let him cry. It lasted for...three minutes. Yep, that's all it took. I couldn't believe it. The night was still pretty long, with more wakings, but they almost all went for only five minutes or so. I did feed him again at midnight, when the cry was longer and especially urgent.





So, we're making progress. Baby boy is still waking a couple times each night, and usually needs fed two times. This is a big improvement from five or six times. Throw in a few obstacles - three more teeth coming in, an very exciting visit from out-of-town relatives, the dog jingling her collar - and we move backward. The encouraging thing is that The Prince sleeps consistently well for the first half of the night. And that he still smiles at me in the morning.

He Understands "Milk!"

The sign language thing? Seems to be working. At least, Mommy and Daddy are getting used to doing the appropriate signs at the appropriate times. (I suppose inappropriate signs are for another blog?)

So, I decided to see if The Prince really got it. Or if he could show me that he got it. When I suspected that it was time to nurse, I did the sign for milk. Guess what? Well, the title gives it away, but he gets it! He got all excited, smiling and shaking his arms. And so, we nursed. This is one of our main points of interaction now. I certainly try not to overuse it, so he doesn't start to think that it means something else, but if he's fussy and I'm not sure if he's hungry, I just ask him. If he's not hungry, he kind of looks away, or looks at me like "Um, no. Silly lady." (He's almost rolling his eyes.) !!!!

Daddy saw The Prince do the sign for dog when said pug ran into the room. The Prince looked at his hand and did the sign (which is sort of like snapping), and even said something that sounded like "Doggeeee!") He hasn't done it for Mommy yet, but I know he's that smart.

And, of course, The Prince is already saying "Mommy." No, really. Sometimes it does seem to be babble on his syllable of choice, but he often does it while looking at me, or when he's crying or hungry. And, then, of course, I ask him if he wants some milk.

Express Yourself!

We're teaching The Prince sign language. The idea is that babies are capable of expressing themselves before they're ready to speak, so you give them tools to do so. Some say it slows down the appearance of first words, some say it speeds it up. I think anything I can do to help my little one express himself is great.

You start with a few fun words and a few daily, necessary words. We've chosen milk, more, food, bed(sleepy), doggie, kitty, and ducky. The signs are easy to learn and to remember; the tricky part is remembering to do them every time you say the word. You say and sign the word when you're doing or holding that thing.

The cool part is that The Prince has started paying attention to the signs. For a while, it seemed as though it was just for myself, but one day at bathtime I noticed him noticing my hand sign "ducky." Yay!

The whole thing got me thinking: if he's ready to express himself before he talks, and he's noticing when I do the signs, how much is he really taking in? I think sometimes we tend to go about our daily lives, not paying attention to what the baby is paying attention to. It's enough to make me consider everything that I surround myself with, and therefore surround The Prince with: the TV, the music, my words and tone when I deal with other people and the pets.

This verse has been heavily on my mind lately, and is a perfect check for me to go through when considering the things I allow myself and The Prince to take in:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Phil 4:8

Sleep

I'll admit it. The Prince is not sleeping through the night. I have a few friends who proudly proclaim, "my infant is sleeping all night long." What do I say to them? "That's great! Congratulations!" What do I think? "I am so jealous. And tired."



So, we are trying something different. I'll never be able to do 'extinction,' or letting The Prince cry for hours so he 'learns' how to get himself to sleep. I know that's the problem, that he doesn't know how to get himself to sleep and he needs my help, but I just can't handle the crying. It makes us both sick. I know it works for some families, but not mine.



We've chosen 'The No-Cry Sleep Method.' Sounds great, right? The only problem? It may take weeks (and lots of work) to see results. Weeks. You do what you need to get the babe to sleep, then gradually modify that. (That 'extinction' method looks pretty good here, since proponents claim it may take only a few nights. Still not worth it.)



I'll start off by saying The Prince sleeps in his own crib, but I'm not opposed to (safe) co-sleeping, and I think it's very special. We have chosen an early bedtime, regular naps, and routines.



Last night was the first Serious Night. Here's the sleep log:

Begin bedtime routine: 5:30 (dinner, bath, massage, songs, nursing, rocking)

Asleep: 6:30 in crib.

Awake: 10:55, nursed, back asleep by 11:05.

Awake: 2:35, nursed, diaper change, back asleep by 2:45.

Awake: 4:53, rocked back to sleep.

Awake: 5:23, nursed, back asleep by 5:33.

Awake: 5:40, brought into my bed.

Awake for the day: 6:30.



That's five night wakings, with a total of about 11 hours of sleep.



We'll re-evaluate in ten days.



Yes, I'm jealous of my friends who get a full night's sleep. But I'll cherish the extra time with The Prince while I have it.