59 posts tagged “baby”
...and how baby poo always seems to find a way out of what appear to be snug and secure diapers. Luckily it's easy to get out in the wash!
And, speaking of laundry, how one little being can create so much of it.
And how much noise can come out of such a tiny pair of lungs.
And the round-the-clock q 2 hr feedings.
And how they seem to pick the 2 seconds that you have the diaper off them to pee (you'd think we'd not had any experience with boys before!)
And how they always seem to want to be held and fed just when your dinner is ready.
But I'd also forgotten how incredibly tiny, adorable, and utterly innocent they are.
And how relaxing it is to doze with them curled up peacefully sleeping on your chest.
And how sweet their little noises are.
And how adorable their little fingers and toes are.
And how wonderful it is when they stare up at you like you're the only person in the world (even if they can't really see that well).
And how comforting it is to watch them as they sleep.
And how much one tiny little being can totally change your life. Again.
It's almost enough to make you want another! Almost.
Nearly 39 weeks and still no baby! This little guy is proving quite stubborn. I know I'm still over a week away from my due date, but I really thought that since things had begun progressing rather early, that he'd be here sooner rather than later. We officially have missed the opportunity for my OB to deliver him given that she leaves for Korea tomorrow. I'm very disappointed as I'd really hoped she'd deliver both boys. Now that's just not going to happen...unless #2 decides not to come until after June 2, which I'm really hoping doesn't happen!
Although on Tuesday and Wednesday I was having quite a few strong Braxton-Hicks contractions, things became pretty quiet on Thursday. I was hoping this would be the calm before the storm, but obviously not, even though I definitely got some of that whole "nesting" thing going on on Saturday. I started having contractions again as of yesterday, but they're few and far between. At least this reprieve and the little guy's reluctance to make his grand entrance has let us attend and celebrate a bunch of special events we've had recently.
Thursday was our 4th anniversary, and even though I'd declined my husband's offer to go out for a nice dinner since I didn't want to waste a night out when I probably wouldn't really enjoy it, he surprised me by bringing home a live Maine lobster for me! I'd never actually cooked one myself before, and I made him do the deed. It was absolutely delicious, and we had nice romantic candle light dinner on our deck. Am I married to a great guy, or what?
On Friday, since I hadn't been having trouble driving, Jake and I headed across the bay to Anya's birthday party. All Jake could talk about on the way over was Anya. And all he's been able to talk about since the party is "fun...Anya", so clearly he had fun at Anya's party, even though he didn't exactly play with Anya (or any other kids) while he was there. He's a bit shy. I can't imagine where he gets that from!
On Saturday we went to the wedding of one of my closest friends from college. Luckily, they got married up here in his parents' backyard, so we were able to attend. It was a really fun and beautiful wedding. They have a big old gorgeous oak in their backyard, and the ceremony was held under it. Jake came with us since my in-laws were out of town, and although he was a bit of a handful, he was a good boy. And king of the dance floor! The bride and groom actually used the caterer and photographer that we used for our wedding, and it was nice that both of them actually recognized and remembered us!
Yesterday was a low-key day since I started having some contractions again. We did end up buying a laptop to replace our desktop which has been giving us quite a bit of trouble lately. When it didn't come back on for 2 days after a (heat-related?) power outage last week, we decided we'd better get a new computer sooner rather than later. We were pretty sure that we'd lost a lot of our pictures and all of our friends and family's addresses since, although we do have an external hard drive, we apparently never back things up, so I figured I'd go into labor soon thereafter just because we'd have no way to send out birth announcements! Obviously the birth part didn't work out, but luckily the computer randomly turned on and has been working ever since (even after another power outage on Friday). Needless to say, we've backed all the important stuff up and got the new computer anyway.
Other than that, I've been avoiding going out much because I'm so huge that I get stares and weird looks when I do go out. I'm definitely not used to this, and I find it incredibly rude. In fact, the other day while I was at the store a woman walked by the aisle I was in and said something like "that lady's going to have a baby in the store", and I had to bite my tongue not to say something rude back to her. I mean, really, did she think I wouldn't hear her? Or that it wasn't an incredibly rude thing to say? I know I look ridiculously hugely pregnant. I can't help that I'm a small person who has slightly above average-sized babies (I never would've guessed the average birth weight was only 7lb 5oz, but apparently it is!) which thus makes me look unnaturally large at this point. I mean, would she have commented on my size if I was obese? I would hope not, though maybe she actually would've. But I don't think this is really all that different than making inappropriate comments about someone who's overweight. I'm huge, I know it, and I don't need obnoxious people to remind me of it. It also didn't help that we had triple-digit or near triple-digit temps for most of last week which made being 9 months pregnant and huge that much more enjoyable. At least it was a dry heat!
On a happier note, we did find out that, thanks to Jake (and only because of him), we are actually going to get a bit out of this whole "economic stimulus" thing after all. It's pretty much a joke, but at least now that we're getting something, I can't be self-righteously indignant about being considered among the "wealthiest tax payers" (the concept of which was actually funnier than the amount of money we're getting back!). And speaking of taxes, having been home for about a week now and watching daytime TV (which sucks, by the way), I've been seeing a lot of tax lawyer ads. What I'd like to know is how on earth can people end up being $50K behind on taxes through no fault of their own??? It boggles my mind. The year we bought our house we ended up owing quite a bit (not in the tens of thousands, though), but we had prepared for the huge tax bill we knew we'd end up with. What is wrong with people? I wish I could pay only a fraction of what I owe like all of these "innocent" people. I guess I really shouldn't watch daytime TV...for many reasons.
My hopes that the baby would come far enough before our anniversary to be able to legitimately celebrate his birthday the weekend before our anniversary weekend have not panned out. With our luck, he'll come tomorrow, on our anniversary. But we could just celebrate it (his birthday, that is) the weekend before, anyways, I guess...
Actually, now that I've finally given up on working, I'm almost hoping he'll wait until 5/19 so that we can keep his birthday away from our anniversary, we can still make it to some festivities we have planned this weekend, and he'll be born before my OB leaves for Korea on 5/20. Of course, off work or not, there's still the major discomfort factor that makes me want to have him NOW, no matter what.
Thursday at work I started really feeling some Braxton-Hicks, and being in the car seems to make them worse. Over the weekend, I found that it didn't really matter if I was driving or just a passenger -- it seems to be something about the movement that sets them off. On Monday I worked from home, but I decided that since I was having rather strong, painful contractions whenever I was in the car, perhaps the 40 mile drive each way to and from work was not the best idea, and I officially began my LOA yesterday.
Given that I'd been feeling so many strong contractions over the past few days, I was surprised and disappointed to learn at my appointment yesterday afternoon that I hadn't really progressed much -- I'd only dilated another 1 cm or so. My OB does seem to think he'll come before she leaves on the 20th, but I'm not holding my breath.
In the meantime, I couldn't have planned a better time to be "on vacation". The weather here has been beautiful, and I've been getting a lot of knitting done. I should probably be out walking around since that should make things progress faster, but I'm enjoying relaxing a bit too much, I guess.
It's no secret that we're having trouble coming up with a name for our impending arrival. It would've been so much easier if he was going to be a girl as we already had a perfectly good (no, actually excellent) girl's name picked out. It would've been Jake's name if he'd been a girl and we still loved it by the time we knew #2 was on the way, so it had also stood the test of time (well, at least 2 years). It sounds good with our last name (not an easy feat and part of the reason we're having so much trouble coming up with another boy's name). And part of it would have honored 4 (yes, count them, 4!) family members. It is the name dreams are made of. I suppose I can divulge it now, knowing that we will never be using it. OK, I suppose that #2 could surprise us all and be a girl after all, but A) both the U/S tech and radiologist were pretty definitive in their determinations that he's a boy and B) the name would be the least of our surprises if #2 came out a girl instead of a boy. So, here it is...
Madeleine Jane
OK, so it might not be that amazing to many; in fact, I'm sure a lot of people actually hate it and think it's a bit old-fashioned. And that's exactly why we kept Jake's name a secret until he was born and why we'll keep #2's name, if we're able to decide on one before he makes his appearance, under wraps as well. But to us, it was perfect. Since Jane is the feminine form of John, it would've honored my dad (Anthony John), my maternal grandma (Janet, which is a diminutive of Jane), Eric's maternal grandma (Mary Jane) and Eric's maternal grandpa (Jack, which is a nickname for John). We actually could've even stretched it to include my paternal grandma (Mary) since it's a form of Magdalene (as in Mary Magdalene) -- OK, I admit that's a stretch, but still. Equal opportunity honoring of both sides of the family -- perfect!
Of course, #2 is a boy, not a girl, so we must come up with another boy's name. By this time in the pregnancy with Jake, not only had we chosen his name, but he had already earned 2 nicknames: "Voldemort" (dubbed by Heather because he was "He Who Must Not Be Named") and "Jose" (dubbed by my in-laws' friend because of my cravings for chile rellenos). I'm beginning to fear that #2 will be known as "Baby Boy O----", or "Baby to be Named Later", or just "#2" for the beginning of his life! It's not that we haven't come up with plenty of nice names, but that's it, they're generally just "nice". We haven't fallen in love with anything yet. And a lot of the names we are drawn to just don't work with our last name. In fact, I'd say there is one name I've fallen in love with, but it's just not an option with our last name. If I'd known we'd have so much trouble, I would've made Eric take my name when we got married! Of course, we could always just take George Foreman's lead and name him Jacob II...
I'm feeling really guilty that I've been so busy/distracted during this second pregnancy and definitely haven't been as excited about it. All of which has added up to not recording the highlights and milestones the way I did when I was pregnant with Jake (or pretty much at all, for that matter). So to assuage my guilt, I'm going to document a few highlights and milestones so far:
1. As of yesterday, I'm officially halfway there! Well, I'm actually hoping I'm more than halfway there since I'm really hoping he'll come early. As early as possible and still be safe. I'm just remembering how uncomfortable I was with Jake by the end. My due date is 5/28/08 which means 5/14/08 is full term. Of course, with our anniversary being 5/15 and one of my closest friends from college's wedding on 5/17, my official stance is as soon after 5/17/08 as possible!
2. My due date also happens to be my late grandma's birthday. For this reason, my mom's hoping he's born on his due date. But I'm really hoping earlier!
3. I'm huge! Even though my weight has matched exactly with my weight during my pregnancy with Jake, I feel so much huger than I was at the same time point with Jake, and I have pictures to prove it:
Funny -- you can actually see the evolution of our fireplace in the background! Anyway, I can't remember exactly when I had to start wearing maternity clothes with Jake because it's one of the few details I didn't record, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't anywhere near as early as this time around -- I had to pull them out a few weeks ago! And my belly button didn't pop out until after my 24th week with Jake, and this time it popped out at about 14 weeks!!! Yuck! Guess everything's already all stretched out. How sad.
4. Eric felt the boy move for the first time Monday night. I've been feeling him since about week 15 (I felt Jake for the first time at 16 weeks).
5. Arguing over Choosing a name for #2 may well make up for the lack of excitement of not having a shower, getting to choose a nursery theme, or getting to pick out new clothes, nursery items, etc (definitely don't need any more of those!). When deciding on Jake's name, I don't think we even tossed around any other ideas -- we both loved Jacob, and Thomas is Eric's middle name, so it was an easy process. It may have made it a little easier this time around if we'd come up with some other possibilities with Jake, but it's like we're starting from scratch. And we haven't been able to agree on anything!
6. With Jake, I was really hoping for a boy because a) I definitely always wanted a boy and b) knowing we were planning on having 2 kids, I really had a strong preference that the oldest be a boy. So, as horrible as this is to say, I think I would've been truly disappointed if he'd been a girl. But this time around, although I was hoping for a brother for Jake, I truly wouldn't have been disappointed either way. It's just icing on the cake that Jake will have a brother.
7. I haven't started having any cravings yet. With Jake I was eating chile rellenos like there was no tomorrow, and that had definitely started by this point in the pregnancy. I was really kind of looking forward to having an excuse to eat tons of something I wouldn't normally eat tons of, but without the cravings, I really don't feel like I can legitimately do that!
Shortly after my last post back in June, my parents came to spend a week with us. The timing worked out perfectly since I was able to take the week they were here off between the end of my old job and starting my new one. Jake had a great time having them around to play with and spoil him rotten, and they loved having a rambunctious little boy to chase after.
The first full day they were here, Eric took the day off and we went up to Stinson Beach. It was the first time I'd ever been there, and it was great! Nana bought Jake a pinwheel and pail and shovel set for the beach, and he had a great time digging in the sand and watching the pinwheel spin. It was one of the rare occassions on which he's actually pretty much entertained himself, so the adults were able to relax, too. Jake even loved the water even though it was absolutely freezing.
We also tried story time at the local library for the first time. Nana and I took Jake, and he absolutely loved it. We've gone every week that we could since then, and he's now quite the little bookworm. I'm so glad he enjoys it so much and that it's seemed to finally turn him onto reading because I was getting a little worried that he really wasn't showing any interest in books! I'm an avid reader (though I'll admit that I don't have too much time to read anymore), and I'd be really sad if it wasn't something that Jake enjoyed, too.
Nana and "Papa" (as Jake says, since he can't say "grandpa" yet) were also here for Salute to the Arts. They were here for it and went with us last year, and luckily they enjoyed it and agreed to join us again this year. We had a pretty big crowd this year, and we were able to see a lot of our friends whom we don't get together with that often, and Anya and her Mom and Grandma came out for it, too! It was fairly hot this year, but luckily we had a shady spot under a tree that we'd set up a "homebase" at, so it was nice to have the kids out in the park in the fresh air.
Nana and Papa are coming back out for Christmas, so Jake will no doubt be spoiled rotten again!
This weekend, Jake experienced a lot of long-awaited "firsts". But we'll start with his visit to Dr. Z. for his 15 month well check...and, well, he's doing well! Still on the small side (30.75 inches and 22lb 6oz), but as Dr. Z said, he seems to have found his new "normal". She was very happy with his developmental progress, and I guess that's more important anyways :)
Speaking of development, it seems like he's surprising us with new words every day! I can't even keep track of how many words he says anymore, but his favorite is still "dawwwg". He's even started saying "Papa" when he sees pictures of his Grandpas, and I swear he even called Grandma Kris "Ma'ama" (like ma'am with an a at the end). We're also finally making some headway on getting him off the bottle -- he hasn't had one in over 4 days now, and more importantly, he's actually drinking out of cups! A little late, but at least we're making progress.
On Saturday we had his first swimming lesson. OK, "lesson" might be a bit much since all they did was have the parents get in the pool with the babies and let them play and get used to the water. Jake is already very comfortable in the water thanks to pool parties at "Uncle" John's and trips to the lagoon down the street from us. I'm assuming they'll start doing some age-appropriate activities with the kids next week (ages are 6mo-3yr, though most looked to be about Jake's age except for one adorable 6.5 month-old), but unfortunately we're going to have to miss that lesson to go to a wedding. Hopefully we'll be able to catch up the next week ;) All told, we're missing 2 of the 4 classes due to previous commitments, but I didn't want to give up the spot since it took so long to get into a session at all! So I plan on signing up online immediately for the next session -- I'm a little scared that they go thru October and it's an outdoor pool, but fall is supposed to be the warmest weather around here, right? RIGHT?
On Sunday we finally took Jake out in Grandma and Grandpa's boat! We never did get him out there last year, mostly because we were worried about having him out on the water all day. But this year friends of ours have rented a "shack" on an island in the delta where we go boating, and we were able to stop and have some land time for Jake there. Jake especially loved being able to play with our friends' "dawwwg", Duke, while we were at "the shack". Turns out that we really didn't have to worry, though, as Jake did wonderfully on the boat and really enjoyed watching Grandma and Grandpa ski and Mommy wakeboard. Unfortunately, Daddy didn't get to ski since we didn't want him to aggravate his ankle injury from Father's Day weekend. Jake also helped out by being "flag boy" (with a little help from the adult spotters on the boat) while we were skiing/wakeboarding. And he even got to help Grandpa Coll drive a little! By then end of the day, he was so tired from a day on the water that he fell asleep in Grandma's arms as we were speeding back to the marina! We thought for sure this meant a trip back home listening to our music instead of "Baby Einstein", but he surprised us by staying awake the entire.ride.home. Guess he was just too worked up from his exciting weekend!
And now for a few random updates:
1. What we were planning on doing on Father's Day:
This would've been Jake's first time out in the boat and our first time in almost 2 years as we didn't get out last year with Jake being so young. It would've been perfect since our friends rented a cabin on the water where we go boating, and they were hosting a Father's Day BBQ there. So we would've had a home base where we could've dropped Jake off if he didn't like being on the boat and to get him out of the sun. Unfortunately, Eric sprained his ankle on Saturday working on the house -- damn house! So we had a BBQ at the in-laws' instead. Eric's ankle is much better now, though he's going to have to be careful with it for a while. That means no waterskiing for him this summer, probably :(
2. Jake constantly amazes me with what he's learned without us even realizing he's learned it. For instance, he's obsessed with belly buttons. His own and mine, especially, which is very unfortunate because there's almost nothing that bothers me more than having a tiny little finger poked into my navel. At least I took out my navel ring because I don't even want to think about how much "fun" he'd have with that if it were still in (ouch!). Well, I guess we must've been saying "belly button" a lot to him because of his obsession because the other day, without even thinking, I asked him "where's Jake's belly button?" and he showed it to me! I couldn't believe it! So I asked "where's Jake's nose?" and he pointed to it! Well, his aim isn't very good so it ended up being more like his cheek right next to his nose, but he clearly meant his nose. Those seem to be the only two body parts he knows because if you ask him where anything else is, he points in his mouth (not at, in).
3. Jake also exasperates me with his fits, which are unfortunately becoming more and more frequent. There are days when he just cries (or is incredibly cranky) from the time I pick him up from daycare until he goes to bed. I won't elaborate on this since mojitomama already did an excellent job of describing the frustration of having a child exhibit "terrible two" symptoms well before that age. But OMG, where did my little boy whose face lit up when he saw Mommy at the end of the day go?!!
4. Luckily, Jake also cracks me up with some of his new habits. Like running into his bedroom and closing the door on us. He just laughs and laughs when we knock on the door asking "Where's Jake? Can Jake come out and play?". And sometimes he'll "lock" us all in his room and guard the door. He also has a new obsession with giving raspberries which results in some hysterics from Jake, his parents and his grandparents alike. He'll find a nice fatty spot on your body (arms and thighs seem to be his preferred locations) and just go to town. By the time he's done, you're out of breath from laughing so hard and covered in Jacob drool. And you have one happy boy on your hands!
5. We finally successfully got Jake into swim classes at the city pool right down the street from us. Unfortunately, he ended up in the later session that starts at the end of July and 3 out of the 4 meetings conflict with pre-existing plans. We're going to have to miss out on two of those activities because, after all, what's the point of taking classes if you're going to miss 75% of them? But one thing, the Sonoma Salute to the Arts, we just can't miss -- it's a tradition. Besides, Nana and Grandpa Tony will be here from NY, so exceptions must be made. But I am really disappointed in the way this has all worked out, especially considering the circumstances and the crap I went through with the city Parks & Rec Program which I will spare you all from.
6. I haven't had much time for knitting lately. I know I shouldn't complain, but it was hard when Eric wasn't able to help out at all with Jake because of his ankle, even if it was only for a few days. I don't know how single parents do it! Anyway, before that, I ended up knitting something I said I'd never bother with...socks. These were just little baby socks for Jake to be used with all his new pjs that don't have feet (seems like, other than blanket sleepers which are of course too heavy for the summer, toddler pjs don't have feet). But I may have caught the bug. They were actually fun! Though I definitely don't know that I'd have the patience to do adult socks on smaller needles (I did Jake's on US #3s, but I think most real sock yarns call for US0-2 needles). But it was fun!
I've actually miraculously managed to finish quite a few projects recently, though some of these are things that were completed a while ago that I just haven't posted yet.
I finally sent out gift packages to two babies born recently to friends:
Hats
Pattern: Take off on Rolled Brim Baby Hat with a Topknot
Needles: US #8 circular
Mittens
Pattern: Same method as the ones made for Jake
Needles: US #2 DPNs, #4, #6 DPNs
Yarn for hats and mittens: Cascade 220 100% wool
Adam Steven's: MC Christmas Green #8894/ CC Navy #8393
Riley Robert's: MC Navy #8393/ CC Christmas Red #8895
Blanket Buddy
Needles: US #6
Yarn: TLC Baby, Powder Blue #068432
Duck
Pattern: Duck Toy
Hook: G
Yarn: Lily Sugar'n Cream (100% cotton), Yellow #00010
My First Dishcloth
Pattern: King Charles Brocade Dishcloth
Needles: US #7
Yarn: Lily Sugar'n Cream (100% cotton), Yellow #00010 (leftover from duck toy)
This was my first dishcloth. It was so quick and easy, I'm looking forward to making more. This one will probably be part of a bridal shower gift. I like the King Charles Brocade pattern so much that I'm thinking of making Jake a sweater in it!
Jake's Birthday Sweater
Pattern: Baby Pullover #214 from Knitting Pure and Simple
Needles: US #6 and #9 16" circulars
Yarn: Karabella Marble (45% alpaca, 55% wool), Blue #35364
This is the one I started back in February, and I finished it in late March so I was actually in time to give it to him for his birthday. This was such a fun pattern to knit, I fully intend to make another sweater from this pattern.
Unfortunately, the baby version of the pattern only goes up to size 2, which is the size I made this one. There's also directions for ribbed cuffs and bottom instead of the rolled that I made.
Jake's Birthday Kitty Toy
Pattern: Knitted Kitty
Needles: US #5
Yarn: Schachenmayr Extra (100% New Wool), Brown Tweed #3685
I made this from the yarn leftover from Jake's sweater ensemble. I'm not entirely happy with the way it came out -- the body wouldn't really get compact enough to stand up well, and I couldn't really get the head and tail sewn on to my satisfaction, but I still think it's cute.
Pattern: Vestee
Needles: US #6 16" circulars
Yarn: Lily Sugar'n Cream, Landscape #02244
This is the first project I've tried from Knitty. I thought it would be a cute little top for Jake for this summer if I could finish it quickly enough. It turned out to be a very quick knit, but unfortunately I somehow managed to make it the wrong size. I substituted yarn (as I almost always do) and must've miscalculated the gauge and stitches needed. When I tried to get it on over Jake's head, there was no way that neck hole was big enough! I'm guessing it's actually more like a 6 month size instead of the 12 month size I was going for (at least in terms of the neck hole). So I'm starting over with Lily Sugar'n Cream Hot Blue #01742 because, although I really like the colors in Landscape, I decided I don't like the multi color effect in this piece. I guess I'll have to find a small baby (or at least a baby with a small head!) to give this one to!
As previously reported, my brilliant boy took his first real independent steps on his birthday. Since then, he's been a man on the (upright) go! Gone (for the most part) are the days of being able to tell wherever he was in the house by the loud slap of his hands on the hardwood floors. In fact, I've even briefly "lost track" of him in the house! I'll find him quietly standing in some corner or somewhat hidden area that he's silently walked himself to.
Other signs that my baby is growing up is the fact that he weaned himself about 2 weeks before his birthday. I had planned to start the weaning process on his birthday because I had arbitrarily chosen the one year mark as the "weaning time". Imagine my surprise when one day he just looked at the proffered breast like "Mom, what am I supposed to do with that?". I dutifully kept trying thinking that maybe he just didn't happen to be hungry, and a few times he would take a half-hearted attempt at nursing only to stop before actually getting anything. When he finally took a half-hearted nibble, I decided it was time to stop trying, for both our sakes! In some ways his "cold turkey" approach made it a lot easier to stop nursing, but at the same time, I feel a little rejected! And like I got no closure. But I guess it served its purpose while it lasted, so I should just be happy the transition was so easy for my little man.
