Mayday to Mom!

Last week, I decided to wake up prior to Connor coming downstairs for 40 consecutive days, to try and get in a new habit.

Typical morning in our house is I wake up. I roll over. I try and go back to sleep. I take a moment to beg the sleep gods that my kids will sleep in. That begging, by the way, is almost never answered - or it's answered halfway - in which case one child (usually Helen) will sleep until 8:00 and the other one will be bounding down the stairs at exactly 6:45 - which is freakin' useless. And, he would come down earlier, except I have a nightlight in his room that clicks on at 6:45, and the firm rule in this house is that nobody comes to see me before that light turns on.

Really, it's better for everyone.

Anyway, at 6:45 and 30 seconds, Connor is in my room on a typical day. He'll usually jump in bed for a quick snuggle, but really, he wants to be awake. And he is oh so wide awake, happy as can be. If Helen comes down at 6:45, all she wants to do is lay around for a few minutes. In fact, on the rare day that she's first up, she'll lay in bed for more than 15 minutes without making a peep (though she might kick me in the head or gut if I'm not careful).

In any case, on a normal day, I then drag my tired body to the shower, and try and get out of the house as fast as possible, to aid in leaving work on time so I can get dinner on the table by 5:30. It's a fire drill every day. Except Wednesday, which is the day I can work as late as I need (don't tell my boss!).

The first day I powered through waking up at 6:20 so I could drag my tired body to the shower by 6:30 and be out hopefully by the time Connor came downstairs, Connor was thrilled. I was, too. I pointed out to him that I was trying to wake up earlier than him so we could have a few minutes to play a game in the morning. He thought it was a great idea - with one caveat.

"Mom, you did not wake up earlier than me. I've been awake and waiting for the light to come on."

Well...OK. I got out of bed before the light came on, son.

Then, I fell apart, and failed on waking up. So...I'm trying again.

Monday, I woke up at 6:20 and was ready for Connor when he came down. He again noted that I did not wake up first.

Tuesday, he grabbed the baby monitor in his room and spoke directly into it at 6:30 clearly enunciating "Mom - just so you know - I am awake. You are not awake before me." Which caused me to haul a** into the shower after making sure I did not just have a heart attack. Those monitors are sensitive enough to hear a baby a few feet away breathe. A 6 year old talking directly into once is nothing short of shocking.

Elaine

Ed pointed out to me that getting into an early morning wake-up contest with Connor is something neither of us wants to do.

The Good Sleeper Award

Yesterday, Helen looked me right in the eye, and very seriously said "I hope that you can sleep through the whole night tonight, and in the morning I can give you a good-sleeper award". To say I was taken aback, would be an understatement. While it is true that I am no longer the sleeper I once was, I wouldn't blame that condition solely on myself.

I responded by telling her that I, too, hoped I could get the good sleeper award (the provenance of which, I am unclear about). I then told her that in order for me to be eligible for the good sleeper award, I would need her help. You see, the previous night she had been up crying (for no apparent reason) at 2:00 in the morning. I lay down with her to help her go to sleep, only to be wrestled back down whenever I tried to make my escape from her rather crowded bed. The exercise exhausted me.

This morning, after both Helen and Connor had managed to sleep through the entire night without calling for me, I did, indeed, manage to get the coveted good sleeper award. I was more grateful for the sleep than the prize, but I appreciated them both.

Elaine

Ask me how great I feel!

OK - I'll give you a few clues.

This morning, I woke up before anyone shorter than me did. I took a shower - all by myself. When Connor finally woke up, he went into the kitchen and helped himself to a granola bar while I finished getting ready for the day.

Helen then woke up, and used the potty, meaning I had 1 fewer diapers to change today.

Connor and Helen played nicely while I prepared breakfast and Ed got the lunches together. They then sat down, ate, and seemed pretty happy.

About halfway through breakfast, Connor asked me a question about Obama, and only then did I realize - he had just read the caption on the front page of the Washington Post while I was reading the inside. That's right folks, at just over 3.5 years, Connor has begun to read.

I just had to record this great day. And wish everyone a Happy April Fool's Day!

Elaine

Happy Month 43, Connor!

Dear Connor,

A few days ago your turned 43 months. You have spent most of the past month growing, I think. Or at least that is the only explanation your dad and I can come up with for the fact that you now go to the dinner table and eat, and eat, and eat - and then wolf a bowl of baby oatmeal down before bed, along with your starburst or other treat that you have at the end of the day. And then you sleep late the next day (we actually had to wake you up to leave the house at 8:15 twice last week!). When you come downstairs in the morning, the first words out of your mouth are often "Daddy, I'm hungry". And I love rolling over and saying "Daddy will get right on that, Connor". As long as we're on the eating / sleeping front, I should mention that you added two foods to your diet this month - parmesan cheese (aka your "favorite cheese") and shredded mozarella cheese. I have no idea how this happened, but I'm going to try and work up to an actual cheese square in the next couple of months. Of course, if you start eating cheese for a snack, I will have to stop staying that neither you nor Helen eat any kid's foods - except pizza and french fries. You are still firmly opposed to macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, fish stick, chicken nuggets (the soy kind), grilled cheese, and pretty much anything else that kids normally eat.

You spent much of the month moving dirt from one pot to another in the greenhouse, and eventually planting and watering seeds. So far, only the broccoli has dared show its little green leaves, but I have hope that other plants will follow soon.

You performed your first solo puppet play, which was a mix of the Very Hungry Caterpillar and a story relating to a giant dog. It starred your (stuffed) puppy "Pugsley", who sleeps with you every night. The heroic protagonist of the play eats, and eats, and eats until he grows to be as tall as the highest point in the ceiling in our kitchen - which is (for those who don't know) a cathedral ceiling that is much higher than a normal ceiling. I await the puppy's next adventure. You started the show by setting up your props and then covering them with a white blanket - much like Mrs. Moss and Mrs. Trembour do when they perform a puppet play at school. You then sang a little tune to set the mood, asked me to find my seat, and then dramatically took the blanket off and began the show. It was incredible.

I think you have finally decided on Pugsley as your favorite stuffed animal, though you don't have so much loyalty to him that I worry about losing him and you being too upset. This is the stuffed animal your grandma Lynn gave you Christmas, 2007. You ask for it each night before bed, though yesterday morning, you offered that maybe Helen could sleep with Pugsley for just one night. As nice as the gesture is, I think we will wait a while for such a dramatic thing to happen. Many nights I check-in on you, I find you clutching Pugsley in some sort of vicelike grip, and I do not want to risk you waking up and wondering where Pugsley is, and then embarking on a midnight stroll to find him. And possibly remembering it is in your sister's crib and ultimately waking her up by snatching it out. That would be bad for the whole house.

You and Helen continue to play together. Most of your play involves the kitchen, dirt, or trains. Here, Helen is cooking you up for dinner. She chose not to eat you, though she did try and bite you this morning and you were cool as a cucumber. You ratted her out but did not fight back and words cannot express how grateful I am for that. She also tried to shove you out of the wagon a couple of days ago and other than telling her it was your wagon too, you were remarkably restrained. Your dad and I have begun to discuss what we will do when you finally pop her one and she deserves it. We are considering pretending it didn't happen, though we aren't yet decided.

You remain an excellent sous chef. You show particular skill with the use of sprinkles. We have about 10 containers of these things and according to you, it is essential that we use some from every one of them, every time we get them out. And after carefully putting some in each of many bowls, you go about mixing them all together, and then finally dumping them in large quantities on the cookies or cake we are decorating. Frankly, I prefer my cookies with a few less sprinkles, but I'm happy to have the help in the kitchen.

I believe I can accurately report that you scored a serious victory at school. When you started in the 3-day class, Mrs. Moss told me about snack. On Mondays you have whole wheat rolls with butter and apples (same as we had in parent-child class so many days), on Tuesday they serve real oatmeal with maple syrup and apples, and on Wednesday you have brown rice and apples. When Mrs. Moss told me this, I told her that you would not eat real oatmeal (you only like the baby stuff), and it was a battle I had long ago decided I wasn't waging. She looked very surprised, but said that at least you could have apples. I told her that possibly your love of syrup would drive you to eventually break down and eat oatmeal, but the possibility was remote, at best. At the last parent night, Mrs. Moss announced that on Tuesdays starting in April, the class would be switching to a muffin for snack on Tuesday. She did not say what precipitated this menu change, but I'm pretty sure your steadfast refusal to touch the oatmeal had something to do with it. To be fair, you told me that you tried one bite of oatmeal on one day, so it's not like you were unreasonable and never tried it - which is your usual reaction when you decide you do not like a food.

Connor 1, Mrs. Moss and her oatmeal 0.

You occasionally have nightmares, and while developmentally appropriate, I find it rather annoying. Last night, you were vexed by the little black armadillos that were shouting in your room and dear DOG, I was so glad when i finally convinced you to just dream about a train trip with me to Alaska. At first I suggested you dream about fishing in Alaska, but you said "Oh No, I'm going to dream about a train. That special train that is in Alaska that you can sleep on". Which reminds me, you are obsessed with the idea of going to Alaska. I told you we were going on a practice vacation to Minnesota this summer and if everyone slept every night, we would consider branching out more next year. I do look forward to seeing the world with you and your sister, Connor.

Love,
Mommy

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo...You can come too, too, too...

This weekend, Connor may (please, please, please!!!) have finally figured out the sleep thing. Friday night, he went to bed with < 5 minutes of mild protest at 8:00. He slept until 5:00, chowed, and went back to sleep in his crib until 7:00. ROCK ON! I fed him again, and then, thank the stars, Ed took morning duty. I was in serious need of some sleep at this point, so I was very thankful. Saturday night, I had bedtime duty ALONE for the first time and Connor went to sleep with NO tears! NONE, not one. I did ask him to give me a break, but I never thought he would be that generous. And...the important thing...he slept until 4:00, chowed down, and then woke again at 7:00 - and I'm not totally certain that he woke up on his own accord. At 7:00, the birds made quite a cacophony of chirping which may have been what prompted Connor out of slumber. Tonight, he went to sleep with about 1 minute of protest, and he's sleeping like a baby! He's so cute! (Can I write that enough times?!?)

Ed and Connor started the day testing out the very cool baby backpack carrier that some friends gave us. Please don't comment on the fact that it is January and Connor has no socks on. It's really warm here right now - and they were only out for a few minutes. Anyway, I don't think Connor is as impressed with the gizmo as we are - but I'm sure when Ed is hiking uphill and Connor is riding rather than walking he'll learn to be impressed. And yes, I do mean when ED is hiking uphill because I have no plans to carry any more than myself up the hill. I did carry him for NINE months independently!


Then on Sunday, we went to visit the National Zoo's baby panda. Though the baby panda started life a few weeks before Connor and at only 4 ounces - he now weighs 30 pounds. As I am still carrying Connor quite a bit, I'm pretty happy that he hasn't attained even half of the panda's weight yet - and even happier that he started out life at 6.5 pounds instead of 4 ounces.

The baby panda was quite impressive to most people - but as you can see, it's really hard to impress my little man. That, or the visit to the elephant house and a visit to the giraffe were so exciting Connor had to catch a few zzzz's on the run.




Another great thing happened this weekend. Connor didn't cry in the car. Of course, he burst into tears instantly when my friend Chris held him. And I'm serious about that. Two tears popped right out of his eye and started sliding down his cheek on contact with Chris's open arms. And he's been held by her before and definitely liked it! Hopefully he was just a little too tired to be held by anyone besides his mama and we aren't entering the fear of strangers stage sooner than expected. Connor also took a NAP in the car, which is simply amazing.

Connor...you da man!

Elaine

Sleeping part 336

For those of you worried about last night, after his 8:00 wake-up that was not so pleasant, he went back to sleep quickly after a quick snack at 11:00 and then didn't wake up until 4:00. At 5:00, Ed rescued the little man and brought him downstairs for breakfast (Ed ended up taking night duty). After eating a solid meal, I put Connor between Ed and I in bed and he was playing with the sheet for a while and then nodded off until 7:30 when he decided to eat again. This allowed him to regain rock star status because we are now very hopeful that Connor can repeat this feat of falling asleep because he's tired and done playing without crying at some point. Connor, some day when you read these posts, please know that never in our lives have your dad and I obsessed about one topic as much as we have your sleep. It's so HARD to hear you cry when you're put down. But, in the end, we are convinced that it's all for the better. So far tonight you cried when your dad put you to bed after an evening meal, but you've been sleeping for almost 2 hours uninterrupted now. We moved your bedtime back to 8:00. Most encouraging, you enjoyed your bath again.

And...the best part of today was that you forgot that you only belly laugh for your dad and you actually LAUGHED from your belly for ME! Yes, normally I get the huge open mouth grin and silent laughter, but today for one brief moment you made sound when you gave me your wide open toothless grin. And that, my friend, made me smile too. But then, realizing your mistake, you went back to your silent laughter until Daddy joined us.

Oh, and we started the day by having an architect tell us how we could remodel our home to hold all your stuff. It's not cheap, my friend.

Elaine

And then the rat dies!

Two days ago, Connor tasted rice cereal. He's been watching me eat for a few weeks now, and apparently he was learning how to do it. He's a total champ - and it wasn't even that messy, though there were certainly some messy moments. Today, I diluted the cereal less and he was even better. He eats two teaspoons of cereal mixed with four teaspoons of breastmilk. He seemed very pleased with himself after this morning's meal.

But, life is not all good in our household. Connor is sleeping less and less - which means Ed and I are sleeping less and less. Ed took night duty last night, and between 11:00 and 3:30, Ed got no sleep. Connor was able to sleep some because he seemed to fall asleep instantly when Ed would pick him up. Then, as soon as Ed would put him down, he was wide awake again. At 3:30, Ed decided Connor was legitimately hungry and I nursed him to sleep. Before collapsing into sleep himself, Ed looked up at me and said "I feel like I'm a rat in one of those experiments where every time it doses off, the researcher wakes it back up. And you know what happens at the end of the experiment? The rat dies!" Ed declared the he and Connor were no longer friends and then he passed out. I took over duty of waking up every half hour to calm Connor when finally, even mean old Ed relented and said if I wanted, I could just bring Connor into bed with us. So, here we are, Connor's back in bed with us and I'm hoping against all odds that he sleeps tonight at least a few contiguous hours so I can get some sleep myself.



But, lest you think that Ed and Connor really aren't friends, Ed purchased him a very cool exer-saucer that Connor enjoyed enough to give us a whole dinner without him needing us. Woohoo! We may not sleep, but at least we can eat. Though sleep researchers suggest it's an Old Wives' Tale, many people keep telling us that giving Connor cereal will get him to sleep. Hopefully that's true.

So there you have it. Another post about sleep. I never thought I could think about a topic so much. You should hear Ed and I trying to ponder this mystery throughout the day when our zombie like selves try and piece this mess together!

Elaine

I love a piano

Now this is a cool toy! Connor can already bang on the keys - always a good skill for a budding Mozart. He can't sit up and play it by himself, but he's excellent at playing it while supported. At this pace, he might not even need Aunt Linda to teach him how it's done - he's probably a natural.

Tonight we went to a local pool hall and enjoyed a rousing round of pass the baby. Many thanks to my co-workers who held him and entertained him while I cruised into the final four of the winners bracket in the pool tournament. Unfortunately, my streak was ended by the person who eventually won the bracket and I left the bar before dueling to the finish of the loser's bracket.

Last night Ed was a rockin' champ putting Connor back to sleep every hour after Connor woke up and indeed, it seems as if Dr. Gandhi was right that Connor wouldn't be starved by not eating every hour. However, when Ed brought Connor to me at 5:00 to eat (the time we had agreed upon at the start of the night), Connor gave me the biggest smile ever and started chowing while Ed passed out. Connor woke up for good around 7:00 when he once again was quite a good eater and he smiled at Ed and looked at him with wide open eyes letting Ed know that the day was starting! Tonight Ed is once again taking nighttime duty (yeehaw!).

Elaine

Christmas comes but once a year...

unless you have grandparents who live out of town! Tonight two big boxes arrived filled with presents, and because I have no self control when it comes to presents, we decided to open some. After all, what if there was a puppy inside?

Connor was pretty happy to see a brightly colored car. He probably knew it was his because nobody else in the household gets happy looking things in primary colors. It makes a popping sound when it rolls, sort of like the old popcorn vacuums that Ed and I had as kids. He seemed pretty intrigued by the gift. He also got a bear that sings, talks, and plays games. He wasn't quite sure what to do with it, but in time I'm sure he'll figure it out. And then...he got a bunch of books, two of which I read to him before bedtime tonight. Tomorrow we'll open more presents, but this should give Connor something new for tomorrow during the day. And this is a good thing, because Connor's attention span is sometimes about 4 minutes long. Now that he's staying awake for longer periods of time, it can be a real challenge to entertain him. Ed or I pick up his toys, play with them, and then quick...find something new. Maybe a couple of baby sit-ups. And then it's on to tummy time, where he can show off his brilliant head control. (By the way, his head has advanced to the 75th percentile, which is fairly impressive since he's still hanging onto the 5th percentile in weight.) After big head Connor bobs around a bit, it's time to flip him over and maybe do a little baby massage. But, don't get too used to that because pretty soon he'll need to be put in the bouncy chair. And that's all in the first fifteen minutes. OK - I'm exaggerating a bit, but really - it's challenging to entertain this guy with his brain moving so fast. It takes a lot to keep him impressed.

Well, I better get some sleep since I'll be working again tomorrow. Tonight Ed is taking on night time duty since Dr. Gandhi assured us that Connor does not actually need to nurse every hour throughout the night. We're hoping to limit him to twice a night, and eventually push that to once. Connor needs to get a good night's sleep tonight because tomorrow afternoon Ed is bringing him to my office to go to the annual Children's Holiday Party along with my center's party at a local pool hall. Hopefully Ed will teach him how to play pool earlier in the day.

Elaine

Happy Four Month Birthday!

Dear Connor,

Today, you are four months old. And it's amazing all of the things you've learned to do in the last month. I'm trying to record them all, but a Mom can only type so fast! You have learned to put not just one, but both of your fists in your mouth. You have been eyeing your toes lately, and I expect they'll be in your mouth very soon. Lately, you've been the drool king - and last night, a mom of a two month old saw your drool and was amazed!

You are still gaining fan club members right and left. You are, after all, the most adorable baby ever. Definitely what you lack in sleep and car rides, you make up for in cute. You now listen very intently to some of your favorite books, and you can play - I mean actually PLAY with a few toys! Your beloved cube has been in your mouth, been dropped on the floor, shaken, and even bonked you on the head. Not sure how smart that last one is, but you don't seem to mind. It does make the cube jingle which is sort of exciting. You can now hang out in your swing for almost half of dinner - so I'm trying really hard to remember to eat the messy stuff FIRST, so you have less of it end up in your lap when I drop stuff on you. And man Connor, you own that piano bouncy seat. Aunt Linda doesn't need to worry about the musical genius in you! As long as the seat is on motion, you know just what to do to get the tunes going. Daddy and I had this brilliant idea that we could put it on a different setting tonight and you might enjoy that, but you actually CRIED instantly when you shook and nothing happened. I promise we won't try that again for a while!


And...most amazing of all, you celebrated turning four months old by rolling onto your tummy last night. You were swaddled with one arm out, and when you woke up to let me know you wanted to be moved from the co-sleeper into bed next to me, you were on your tummy! You chose not to repeat this feat in the daylight, but perhaps you'll hone think skill under the cover of night.


You have yet to be enamored with the car. Really Connor - BABIES LIKE THE CAR! And you're not so into sleeping by yourself, though you have started to sleep for a few hours each night on your own because frankly, even you can't stay up until 11:00 each night when your daddy and I go to bed. I gotta warn you, Daddy's reading a book on sleep and he says we're getting tough in the new year - so you got one more month of having the softest parents in the world.

You are an absolute champ at standing supported - everyone who sees this remarks on what strong legs you have, and you seem to love sitting up rather than lying on the floor, though you still have to be supported. I think this might be because you have a better view of the television. You open and shut your mouth in tandem with mine when you watch me eat, and a couple of times you have purposefully pulled your daddy's glasses off! Now that, my friend, is not a good idea because your daddy can't see very well at all. Of course, if you're doing it so you can pull a fast one, maybe it's a pretty good idea. Today, you discovered my hair for only the second time and wow is your grip a good one.

Last night, you were cooing at your daddy and I swear you said "hi" to him. It was absolutely the cutest thing ever. OK, almost everything you do is the cutest thing ever, so I guess this is more accurately among the cuter things you've done. You can still belch like a man and on occasion still wake yourself up when you pass gas. What a little man you are.

You are the love of my life and of daddy's, and we can't wait to see what you suprise us with next month!

Love,
Mom

Order Restored

Well, it's back to days with Mom for Connor. He survived Thursday, Friday, and then Monday and Tuesday with Dad. All appeared to go well. In fact, the photo above is me trying to capture the smug look on Ed's face as he announced he got Connor to sleep.

Big things have been happening here. Last night, Connor spent the whole night in his own bed - which means although I got up a few times with him, he wasn't nested in my armpit the whole night so that my sleep was much sounder. What is it about my armpit? I have no idea, but even though he has no ability to move during the day, he can inch his way about a foot away from me to my armpit so that he can snuggle up there and sleep when he's next to me in bed. I'm happy to report that he does not have this same affinity for Ed's armpit - and frankly I agree with him. Anyway, he didn't seem to mind sleeping in his own bed, but I sort of missed the little guy. I know - complain about him being in the bed, be sad about him being out of the bed. Can't win sometimes.



Connor's enjoying pulling up with assistance to a sitting position, and then sometimes springing up to a supported standing position. It's unbelievably cute - and I know all parents say that about their kid, but it's TOTALLY TRUE with mine!

We went to Mommy and Me yoga today and about halfway through the class he sucked on my finger and totally passed out on his mat. I felt really bad disturbing his sleep when class ended. He seemed to get over it.

Connor is also trying to figure out what I'm doing when I put that colorful stuff in my mouth. Two nights ago he watched me eat a meal very intent on figuring out what was going on. I told him that eating worked better when one had teeth, but his eyes seemed to indicate he was ready to go for it. Of course, it'll be at least another month before he sees solid food and up to three more months. Hopefully his studies will pay off for him when the time comes.

We're getting on a plane bound for Miami tomorrow. Ed is attending a work conference and I couldn't resist the opportunity to take Connor to the beach.

Elaine

Like mother, like son...thank you NFL

Ahhh...there's nothing like a Sunday full of football games to get one's nap schedule back on track. Ed may find a jog on the trail near our house the best way to spend the afternoon, but I prefer a nice nap while "watching" football. Connor, apparently agrees with me as he lies precariously perched on his boppy watching football with his eyes shut. This is actually a skill that's been passed down for at least another generation in my family as I often remember my dad paying attention to football this way. We haven't taught Connor how to use the remote yet, but I think he is developing my love for the Chiefs. Connor may look like his daddy, but he's rooting for his mama's teams if he's a smart man. (Sorry about rooting for so many bad teams, Connor. But it builds character!)

Last night, Connor continued celebrating his birthday by awakening around 3:00 to a very impressive fart (that's my boy!), and then deciding to eat and talk to me for about a half hour after he finished eating, at which point I told him to just go to sleep, which woke up Ed. Ed then walked around with Connor from 4:00 - 4:45 am, with Connor staring up at him with those bright, very awake eyes he has. At 4:45, Connor finally went back to sleep, only to wake up instantly upon hitting the sheets next to me. He looked at me and smiled, which caused me to laugh and Ed to remark that Connor was not making any friends being awake at this time of day. Connor then ate again and FINALLY went back to sleep. He then dozed until mid-morning and is in the midst of his second long nap for the day as I write. Thank you NFL.



And...after his morning nap, a big "I told you so" from me. See, Connor, you are a much more pleasant guy when you SLEEP! And frankly, your dad and I are much more pleasant people too.

Hope your football teams did better than mine did today.

Elaine

Happy Three Month Birthday!

Dear Connor,

Today, you are three months old. That means you have been living outside of my body for 92 days - and I assure you I can hardly recall what it was like before you came. That's the beauty of learning how to get along with a minimum amount of sleep and having my heart find out how much it's possible to love someone. My brain functions at a minimum necessary level from the sleep deprivation and my emotional state is one that focuses on what a great person you are. The other day, I even heard myself telling a friend how childbirth was easy - at which point Ed looked at me like I had gone completely insane. I guess that's something else a mom's body does as soon as possible - forget the pain it takes to bring babies into the world. By the way - it's painful, though in my case is didn't last too long. And hey, I was at home surrounded by love.

You celebrated this 3 month milestone by abstaining from naps today, despite near heroic efforts on the part of your dad and me. Finally, I slept with you, but even then you only made it about an hour. At present, I'm attempting to nurse you to sleep which usually doesn't take that long, but who knows when you will finally drop tonight. I guess this is what everyone was talking about when they said that much of parenting was two steps forward, one step back. Hopefully tomorrow you will remember how you are a much happier baby when you sleep!

You've learned to make a new sound - it's a high pitched squeal (not associated with pleasure) that your dad told me about but I didn't actually believe until tonight. Wow - that'll get attention every time. Your dad also claims you winked at him today, but I'm not sure I believe this either. You have also started pooping on a daily basis - which is OK, but frankly your dad and I were getting used to and enjoying your 6 day cycle that you have been on since week 4 when Mims and Pappy came to visit and I couldn't believe that you didn't poop for a whole week. Both pediatricians in the practice we go to assured me this was normal, as does the Baby Handbook that Heather sent me. But still, once a week? But I guess all good things come to an end because you've pooped daily for 4 days now. Still better than the babies who poop after or during every feeding, but the 6 day pattern was great once I stopped worrying about it.

Today's photo shows those hands of yours. When you couldn't get your own fingers into your mouth earlier today, you pulled my thumb in. You seemed to enjoy sucking on it for a while. And hey, I thought it might inspire you to sleep so I didn't mind it. No such luck, but it was worth a try.

We tried the stroller out again today, but you still prefer to be carried. And, this doesn't seem too irrational to me since you're stuck looking at the sides of the stroller laying on your back until you're big enough to sit upright in it. Maybe next month...

You're drifting off to sleep now, so hopefully you'll sleep once I drop you in bed.

Love,
Mom

Back to work for me...days with Dad

Well, tomorrow I will spend my first full day back at the office, which means Connor and I will be separated for the whole day and Ed will be taking charge for the whole day. Hopefully everyone will be OK at the end of the day. From the looks of the photo above, Connor and Ed should have no trouble.

Today we spent most of the afternoon trying to figure out how to take a nap without me being next to Connor - a regular feature of our afternoons these days. Not that I mind the sleep, but he'll need to be a bit more independent once Olimpia is with him, starting the middle of January.

First illness?

Im not sure about this, but Connor may be trying to shake his first cold. Last night, he went to sleep around 10:00 and except for a few small stirs and needing some hugs at 4AM,I didn't hear from him until 7AM this morning. He's been asleep for much of the day, in my arms as I type this. It's out of character for Connor to take such long naps, and outside of eating and sleeping, he's been pretty grumpy. He does not appear to have a fever - so hopefully this is something small that will pass quickly. I;ve felt under the weather as well, so it wouldn't surprise me if that's how he felt. Bummer!

The photo is from a few days ago. Check out that head control!
Elaine

Goodbye Mims!

Mims left to go back home today. We had a great visit with her. I can happily report that the house is back in order, and I enjoyed a long, guilt free shower each morning she was here. Ed and I even went out on a date without Connor (oh my) while my mom took charge last night. They both were able to eat dinner (something Ed and I could barely accomplish the first few weeks Connor was home) and Connor enjoyed a few naps. Ed and I thoroughly enjoyed dinner and I only called my mom once to make sure everything was going OK - just in case you wondered if I was a worry-wart parent.

During her visit, my mom probably did enough squats (aka "Divine Drops" in the Itsy Bitsy Yoga book) to get her out of needing to do exercise for a few weeks, since that seems to be the thing that calms Connor these days (when he's neither hungry nor has a stinky diaper). She must have some sort of magic touch because the first night she was here, Connor went to bed at 11:30 and didn't wake again until 7:30. It's hard to keep up with her, I guess.

Connor is developing more personality each day. He's dishing out smiles pretty regularly and almost has control of that giant head of his. He can hang out independently now for a bit, and takes a morning nap in his own bed - a real accomplishment in this house.

Above is one of his two Halloween costumes. You can view the other one on Halloween. Connor and I plan to march in the neighborhood parade on Monday, or at least go out and watch the other kids in the neighborhood. Tomorrow, we're going to our second Mom and Baby Yoga class. My tight back is already looking forward to it.

Elaine

A visit with Mims!

My mom showed up yesterday to put the house back in order. Unfortunately, the weather changed so Connor was not as chipper as he had been the previous days. Luckily, my mom doesn't seem to mind. In fact, she's flying solo with Connor tomorrow night when Ed and I go on a DATE for Ed's birthday (which isn't until next month, but it'll be fun to celebrate early). We're working on calling her Mims so we'll have Mims and Pappy on my side and Grandma and Grandpa on Ed's side.

Connor is getting so big, that he even sleeps in his own bed for naps - on occasion. He used to just sleep in my arms, so this is a big step. This morning's nap was interrupted twice by packages being delivered, but right now all seems to be going well. It must be my mom's magic presence.

Many thanks to Kellee and Jim for the very cool gifts from China! You'll see photos this summer of my little peanut in his linen outfit that looks totally fabulous. I've also been enjoying the jasmine tea - which was needed yesterday since there was a bit more crying than normal.

The big news around here is that we may have found a nanny for Connor. She has raised eight children, worked in daycares, and worked as a private nanny. Frankly, her experience with children far outshines mine. When she met Connor she went to him so lovingly and gently that I know they'll have a good time. She'll start work sometime in January, after she returns from a trip to Peru.

Elaine