5.30.06 Weaning Feeding (Daddy)

Somethings come out-of-the-blue from Elijah. Yesterday he seemed to decide it was time for him to start trying to feed himself. Since yesterday afternoon he has been trying to hold the bottle to his mouth. This morning he did the same thing again. All I have to say is this makes feeding him a tad bit more difficult. All I hope is this means he'll be able to feed himself before long.

Mom and Dad decided that Elijah's middle of the night feedings are out of habit and not out of need. Yes he is hungry when he wakes up at 1:30am, 2:30am or 3:00am but not to the point where he can't sleep through the night. How did we come to this conclusion?
a. Saturday night we fed him before we went to bed around 12:30am. He got up at 2:30am. Normally, his last feeding is every night at 8:30pm.
b. Sunday night we kept him up from 5:30pm until we put him to bed around 9:15. He got up at 2:45am. Normally he has a 1hr evening nap from about 7:00 - 8:00.

So, last night (Monday night) he got up at 2:45 again, under completely normal circumstances. This time we fed him 3oz and then shut his door (and ours). He didn't like it but finally fell back to sleep after about 30 minutes of yelling. He wasn't crying, just yelling. He woke up again around 5:00am and yelled for another 15 minutes, but fell back to sleep until 6:30am. What are we doing? We're going to start weaning him off his nighttime feeding. We'll feed him the same 3oz for a couple nights and gradually cut it back until he doesn't think he requires it.
What is 'Lijah doing now? He's currently verbally abusing his toy dog while gnawing on the poor dog's foot. Poor dog.

5.29.06 Pain in my butt (Mommy)

I love my son, I really really do. BUT.... he has been a massive pain in the butt lately. He knows what he wants and he has decided that the best way to get it is to scream and screech at the Mom and Dad. This does not bode well with me. He doesn't cry, he screeches. And always, it seems, at the most inopportune moments. Case in point: Wal-Mart. We made a quick stop on Friday morning to pick up some goodies for a babyshower at my school. My son, my precious, wonderful, sweet child, screamed at me the whole darn time. Yes, how dare I, mean mother that I am, rip my child out of the cozy car with the pounding music only to be schleped through the store looking for things for another baby? He did not take it lying down! And there I was without a bottle or pacifier. Silly me, I thought that a quick run into the store would interest his usually curious eyes and he would be his normally angelic self. How wrong I was. I spent the 10 minute trip furtively trying to quiet him and get my shopping done while he shrieked at every turn of the cart. And nothing cold be done. And for further salt in the wound, this demon child I had never been aquainted with before, disappeared once we got into the car.
He likes to scream at us; it seems to be a new phase. Hopefully one that will pass quickly. Mostly he screams out of frustration at things he cannot do himself. When he is in his toy he will scream at something he cannot figure out. 2 minutes later he is fine, and all smiles. When he is on the couch with us, he will scream at some unknown entity and then a minute later he is giggling. We have learned to give him 5 minutes to ride out the storm. If he is still upset we will intervene then, but usually his little storm cloud passes in 1 minute or 2. I read in an astrology book that Aquarius babies are unpredictable. Gosh yes!
In other news, the boy is taking his solid foods a bit better. Well, when he wants to, that is! We think he is starting to understand that this stuff in his mouth is something to eat. He likes the bananas and applesauce. He definitely knows what he wants and what he doesn't want. And he is not afraid to let us know! God help us when he is a teenager!

5.29.06 Hippies (Daddy)

Mommy said something interesting to me yesterday. I laughed a little and she does have a point, although I wouldn't exactly call ourselves "hippies" but we're definitely "green". This is why she said "we are such a hippie family."
a. cloth diapers
b. breastmilk or organic formula (when necessary)
c. we blend our own baby food (all organic)
d. Dad needs a haircut

It will only get worse once we move back to Portland (ETA= 1yr).
Point of history: Gas is $3.05. The Jeep cost $70 to fill up.

5.26.06 Happy 4 Month B-Day (Daddy)

My schedule has slowed a little over the last few days, allowing me to blog more.
More on the food transition. Elijah got a couple different new foods yesterday. The books say not to give a transitioning baby any more than one new food a week, but we're anxious. The foods he received weren't much of anything anyway. Yesterday afternoon I mashed up a little bit of banana (approx. 1TBSP) and mixed it with about the same amount of sugar free, organic applesauce. With this mixture he seemed to think "oh, that's not bad." He would cry then close his mouth and swallow it and wouldn't start crying again until I put more in his mouth. This went on until he finished the applesauce/banana. His second new food yesterday was mashed peas. Mom wanted to give him a vegetable, so we did. He did okay with the peas until it got near his bedtime (8:45pm) and then he started crying and now swallowing. He nearly finished all the peas, which we mixed with a little rice cereal and formula (for liquid). He didn't pop or have any reactions to any of the food, so now we have a few real options. That's a good thing.
When we first gave 'Lijah the rice cereal, he slept through the night. That only lasted one night and he has been up at 1:30am and 5:30am every night since. When is he going to give up these nightime feedings? From checking around the web it looks like we have 2 more months of nighttime feedings before weaning can begin. We can do that. . .
Mom is changing a little based on what she is reading. The books say he should be able to turn himself over by now. He really isn't even close. He just gives up and gets pissed. He doesn't spend enough time on his belly. When we first put him on his belly he pitches up and holds his head up to look around. A few minutes later the head is pointing right at the floor and the hands/arms aren't working any longer. He is definitely our kid. Rebecca and I both have the personality trait that leaves us upset if we don't do something right the first time or immediately. We get frustrated with ourselves. This is becoming more apparent with our boy as well. He actually gets pissed when he can't get something in his mouth and then screams bloody murder. Sometimes it is kinda funny. He has a cell phone type toy in his Exersaucer that is too large for him to hold, but he can move it around. It is funny to see him with his face pointing down, mouth wrapped around the cellphone, yelling. I tell him, "'Lijah, you can't eat your cellphone, sorry Duke." Ahh, if that were the only thing he got upset about not being able to eat.
Back to 'Lijah being on his belly. Just this morning Mom said to him "'Lijah, you are going to have to be frustrated a little." I think him getting a little frustrated can be a good thing because it may force him to try something else. My other thought though, and has been mentioned by others, is this kid may be one of those that ends up walking before he is crawling. Everyone who has seen him in person knows that he loves to stand erect. This is precisely the reason we got him his Exersaucer, and he loves it. For the moment he certainly has enough toys. Why do they all require batteries though?

5.25.06 Chocolate Cake (Daddy)

Newsflash: Transitioning a 4 month old to real food isn't exactly the easiest thing I've ever had to do. It takes an inordinate amount of patience and a whole lot of crust. I mean bib crust - the stuff we feed him kinda crusts up on his bib after a little while. The most challenging thing seems to be actually getting the spoon in his mouth. He clearly already knows what the spoon and ramekin look like. This was proven to both Rebecca and me yesterday when 'Lijah was fussing about eating his rice cereal and calming down in his chair. I approached him without the ramekin to blab to him and tell him it was okay to eat this food. He didn't scream at all. He reacted normally. I went back to the coffee table and motioned back toward him, this time with the ramekin in hand. Immediately he started to fuss. Mom's jaw dropped and Dad laughed. That really didn't take him long.
What I have been trying is giving him a few spoonfulls of rice cereal, waiting for him to finish yelling about the foreign stuff in his mouth, and then spoon feeding him a little bit more before I give him his milky (bottle). Of course, with the bottle in his mouth he is 100% happy. I wonder if there have been studies on babies who were bottle fed and are transitioning to solids and breast fed babies transitioning to solids. I bet there is a study in there somewhere, and which child is easier to transition. Note to future parents - be prepared for some disgruntled behavior when you hop on the solid food train. Rebecca and I have been talking about whether or not he likes the taste of the rice cereal. We really can't be certain because he's could just be complaining about the unknown. Nevertheless, we have now added some of Grandma Car's homemade applesauce to the rice cereal. The jury is still out on whether or not he likes it any better with the applesauce, but I believe he does. There seems to be a little more lip smacking and I can actually hear the swallows. He's also more likely to yell a little then close mouth and swallow and then quiet down; as if he's realizing the taste is actually okay. This morning I got the ramekin out of the fridge that still had some cereal/applesauce in it and let it sit for about 30 minutes. The ramekin was still cool when I picked it up to feed him. He was complaining quite a bit while feeding. I finally decided to warm it up a little (15seconds) in the microwave (this may be a no-no, but not sure. The cereal was mixed with formula). After warming he again seemed to approve a little more. There was then another hurdle that crept up though, his eyes began to grow heavy and, as I type this, he is sleeping in his chair. "Has our little boy already found a way out of the situation?" Dad ponders. . .

One final note regarding Dad's manipulation of 'Lijah - I'm already calling this rice cereal/applesauce mixture "chocolate cake". My goal is to get him off chocolate cake early in life. He really is fat enough already. . . (wink)

5.23.06 Rice Cereal (Daddy)

Dad has officially fed his son real food. . . if you want to call it that. I now have video of some of Dad's first attempts. It went pretty well, all things considered. I believe he ate about 3TBSP this morning. He balked about it, and he ended up being moved back and forth between a chair (where he was alone) and the couch (where I fed him the cereal and his milky). I'm encouraged that he's getting so much after only 1 day. Maybe tomorrow we'll try some granola. . . (wink).

5.23.06 (Daddy)

The boy is changing again. He's changing a lot. My hope is that Mommy will write a little about what the boy is now doing. Even Mom sees the little boy growing into his little boy personality.
Last night was a great night - 'Lijah slept throught the night (or until 5am at least). We can only attribute it to the REAL food the little boy ate yesterday. Mommy went to Whole Foods Sunday and picked up some baby rice cereal. It took 'Lijah a little while yesterday to begin to swallow it, but he ended up eating about 3TBSP total last evening. Rice cereal wasn't the first thing he ate. Sunday we actually gave him about 1TBSP of Grandma Car's homemade applesauce. The lips smacked, the tongue moved it around, he pushed a little out, but did swallow some! In 3 days the kid will be 4 months old and it is time to start eating healthy ;-) There was a new little behavior that slipped out last night when trying to spoon feed Elijah. The face moved away from the spoon, the face grimmaced a little and the mouth stayed closed. Getting the spoon in betweeen the lips and into the mouth yielded numerous screams. I guess it only takes a couple tries for a 3month old child to learn what a spoon is and that they don't always like what it delivers. We don't like the immediate diaper delivery change. ick. Regardless, I'm very happy he slept through the night.
Elijah is also speaking a lot more. He has always been pretty verbal (we assume it is because we talk to him so much), but he's cooing, boo boo-ing, generally saying a whole lot more than he did a month ago. Just ask our friends Marylin and Cheri - this kid tells crazy crazy long stories.
Some little notes:
a. his hands still get into his mouth before the item he's holding does.
b. we don't think he can get his left hand (index and middle fingers) any deeper into his mouth without gagging himself.
c. he loves repetition. ie: take his hands and make him clap his hands - laughs ensue. Do "head, shoulders, knees and toes" and giant smiles emerge.
d. standing up is his favorite thing
e. his eyes are still blue. . . yay.
f. his cloth diapers now only reach the most outside snap. Before we were in on the third one to keep them on. Upgrade time?

5.20.06 On My Way Down(Mommy)

Was able to get my size 8 jeans on again today! Granted they are still tight, but they were on! Who says stress is a bad thing if it makes you lose those extra pounds? Bring it on, workplace drama! I am happy to lose the poundage.
I am on my way. 12 more pounds or so and I will be able to fit into my "skinny jeans". And when that happens there will be a big celebration. I just hope I'll be able to keep Andy off me..... don't want any more surprises!

5.19.06 (Mommy)

Never got a chance to blog about my trip or my first Mother's Day. Surprisingly the plane rides were both fine and dandy. 'Lijah slept through the first one, waking only to protest the descent. He was quickly calmed with a snuggle and a pacifier. The ride back to Vegas was great too. We had a row to ourselves and he didn't make a peep. And oh how I swelled with pride when passengers commented on how good my kid was.
It was WONDERFUL to be in Portland. Everything was beautiful, green and lush. It was like being back home in Jersey. Andy's parents and sister spent the day with us on Sunday so we got to have family time. We stayed with our friends Marylin and Cheri and they just about ate Elijah alive. It does a mother's heart good to see people coo so much over her baby.
I didn't want to come home. I wanted to stay in the land of culture and trees and good food. And with me being stressed out at work, (If family wants to know the latest you will have to ask me) all I want to do is move this summer, get the heck out of this crazy town, and go to where there will be family and friends around. My chapter in Vegas seems to be closing. (Somewhere in the distance I can hear Andy's dad cheering and getting his moving gear together.)
I can't let it all get me down. I have to go forward, do my last year here teaching 1st grade and kick absolute butt in that classroom. It will be a pain trying to move next summer when I have to teach until August, but that's just the way things go.
We have some really really really really cute pictures of the little boy. We will be posting them soon. Promise!
I would blog more but I have a raging headache. I need to go back to my boy and cuddle with all of his cuteness.

5.15.06 (Daddy)

My goodness am I exhausted. I even had Mother's Day off but I'm still completely beat. The last few nights I've been lucky enough to sleep in the same bedroom as 'Lijah. Ya, he snores and makes noises. Precisely why he sleeps in his crib down the hall when we are home in Vegas. The lack of sleep and full work schedule has affected my mood a little - and not for the better. I've been a bit grumpy and have been feeling a little out-of-sorts for the last few days. I got to spend time with Becca but didn't really get to spend any one-on-one time with her. Even when we got back to where we were staying, and went to bed, we dealt with 'Lijah needing to go to sleep (or waking up randomly for some strange reason) or we just fell asleep from exhaustion. I had hoped I'd get to spend some alone time with Becca for even a few hours while here in Portland, but it didn't happen. Damn I hate stress.
I put Becca and the boy on a plane tonight and they are currently on their way back to our lovely Nevada wasteland desert home. I think all three of us enjoyed the trip to Portland. I know I did, and Rebecca said she really liked being here. The only person we're not sure about is 'Lijah. We can guess that he did because he talked and talked and talked with Marylin and Cheri and was endlessly entertained by the grass, trees, wind and his aunties. The city is absolutely gorgeous this time of year.
We and the grandparents and my sister spent all of Sunday together. We went to the Portland Rose Garden (Washington Park) and lounged amongst the Rhododendrons and rose bushes. There were only a few roses blooming, as most aren't out until June, but the garden was beautiful nonetheless. Relaxing on the grass with 'Lijah and the grandparents was great. Too bad it couldn't last longer. We also walked around NW 23rd a little and had Pizza and wandered in and out of a few shops. We then headed down to the Harborside restaurant for a 100% fresh seafood dinner (Becca had the filet of course).
Great day, and I think Rebecca had a great first Mother's Day. Of course, she'll have to have the final say on that one. I head back to Vegas tomorrow morning.
Can't wait to see you sweetie. You too 'Lijah.

5.13.06 Not enough sleep (Daddy)

My two babies are now in Portland with me. Yay. If people could only hear the boy now. SNORT SNORT SNORT SNORT. I mean he couldn't take a breath this morning without making horrible piggy noises. I'm surprised Marylin and Cheri (who we're staying with) didn't get up and inspect the house. Maybe it has something to do with the higher humidity levels here, but I think he was just excited about the new smells, new things to look at, maybe seeing his Dad again after a couple days - never know.
What really sucked was the late night. Becca was supposed to get in at 10:40pm and she didn't get in until 12:30am. Her plane was delayed in Vegas due to mechanical problems - which they were fixing. Great, first flight out with a 3 month old boy and he and Mom are getting on a plane with problems. Safety first! We got to Marylin's around 1:00am and had to change the boy, feed him and get him to sleep. The snorting was already in full swing, so it was kinda hard to fall asleep for a bit. He did finally get to sleep, as did Becca and I, but he was up again at 5:58am! What a bloomin' clock!! Is it too much to ask him to sleep till 7am? I'm up and off to my first appointments for the day. Becca and the boy are sleeping again. Lucky b. . . . . . .
I'm so glad they are both here.

5.11.06 Fun with the boy (Mommy)

A couple things as I wind down for the evening. 'Lijah has been put down in his crib, with some protesting that is unusual. I hope this is not a new phase. He is usually a good sleeper, going down without a peep, but there was a fit for about 5 minutes tonight.
Andy is in Portland, and I fly up with the baby in tow tomorrow night. This will be interesting to say the least as I have never taken a trip with a baby before. I can only imagine the looks I will get from the other passenges a I walk on that plane with my precious cargo. My hope is that everyone will want to steer clear so that I have room for myself!
'Lijah is taking to sleeping a whole lot during the day which makes me nervous. I'm so ready for him to give up that 2am feeding. Andy asked me the other night if we could start weaning him off it. I hesitate because it seems a little soon. Maybe when he starts solids. No worry though, after a weekend full of grandparents and other family and friends, he will be used to being up during the day and conked out at night again.
My personal theory is that this is part of a growth spurt. I pray it isn't teeth! I'm just not ready for that yet.
My son is now obsessed with his fingers and putting them in his mouth. Andy, in is typical Freudian mindset, asked about oral fixation and I joked "Wait til he's in the anal fixation!" The look of horror was priceless as he sputtered questions about what that would entail. Hee hee. I know I shouldn't do that to him, but he's just so gosh darn easy!
That aside, I'm proud of the little boy with his fingers in his mouth. It's coordination he never had until now. He also enjoys looking at his feet when they are shown to him. Along with that he likes "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes", warm soaks in the tub with proper supervision, and long walks on the beach.
Last thing of the night. Elijah ofen sneezes in packs of 2 or 3. When finished sneezing he lets out a sigh-like sound signaling the end of the sneezes. This is cute in and of itself, however, I have noticed something. I DO IT TOO!!! After I'm done sneezing I make a noise just like my kid! Genetics are fun!

5.9.06 Challenging (Daddy)

This morning has been a challenge. It started with 'Lijah waking up promptly at 6am (did he hear the alarm?). He wanted to eat for a few minutes but then quit. So, I placed him back in his crib thinking he'd go back to sleep. Nope, he balked for about 10 minutes instead (not a cry, a screeching "I don't want to be here" noise). After about 10 minutes, he went to sleep - for about 20 minutes - then he started crying. So, I got up and Mom came back upstairs and picked up the kid as I emerged from the bathroom. I took the boy downstairs and tried to feed him. He ate for about a minute and then wouldn't have any of it. So I placed him in his swing. He was again fine for a bit, so I moved him into his marine gym. He was fine for a bit longer. This kid just wanted to be up. He didn't want to be in his crib, didn't want to eat - he wanted to be UP and doing something. Of course around 7:30 he wanted to eat - finally. Geez. But he only ate a few more ounces and was done just before Mom left (about 7:50). He was placed in his swing so Dad and Mom could say goodbye and the screeching started again. So I got the kid up and held him and talked to him for a while, which works wonderfully - for a while. I wanted to do some reading so I sat the kid back in his swing and he didn't really balk this time - he fell asleep for about an hour.
When he woke up at about 9:30 I immediately picked him up and took him upstairs for his and my shower. This was NOT welcome. Usually he enjoys his bath with me. Not this morning - he screamed at me the whole time. He then screamed at me while I was drying him off (which is actually normal). Screaming continued with diaper application. Screaming continued with clothes. Screaming continued even while Dad tried to hold him and talk to him. Tried the floor, no go. Tried feeding him, no go. Tried standing him up, kinda worked. What worked? I put him in his swing and left him alone. In case we haven't blogged about this before, THIS KID LIKES TO BE ALONE!! It isn't all the time, but when he is upset about something he is often fine when we leave him by himself. Who does he get that from?
What is causing me the most grief now? His eating. I think he may actually be in a little bit of pain from teething. He eats for a few seconds and then can't have his bottle in his mouth, wanting it again a few seconds later. Poor little guy. I've been trying to keep him a little bit distracted this morning by helping him use his hands to hold his bottle. He has been able to move it, but he holds his hands so close to his chest that he doesn't get any milk. He also doesn't yet understand how to apply equal pressure to each side of the bottle to keep the nipple in his mouth. The result? A frustrated kid as the nipple is pushed into the side of his cheek. So Dad helps. I have actually been amazed at how well he did do! Now if he could only assemble furniture. ;-) Maybe I'll get breakfast soon (10:50am)

5.8.06 (Daddy)

I'm going to be 28 this year. 26 doesn't sound so bad. . .
Elijah is continuing to balk at nearly everything he is doing. Balking doesn't usually start for about 5 minutes into each activity, but then it goes on for about 15 minutes. We really can't move this kid from place to place every 15 minutes, so he gets to deal. It isn't just me that is frustrated with this either. Rebecca and I both agreed this evening that the boy is quickly figuring out what he likes and what he doesn't. What does he like? He likes to stand up. He likes to be talked to endlessly. He likes wine (yep). He likes the Exersaucer. He just really likes to be doing something. He likes to be UP. I took him to Becca's classroom today and let him watch the kids mull around the room. He was in heaven. He smiled at everyone, he wiggled and stood on my lap for 20 minutes, excited the entire time. He likes to be social. So, what about this Exersaucer thing? We took the boy to Babies 'R Us this weekend (we go regularly because he likes the toys and is entertained for quite a while). The last toy we bought him was a little FisherPrice gym thing that he lays in, and when he moves, it makes noise. This Exersaucer is something that he can stand up in, play in, and interact with. He immediately found the keypad in the Exersaucer and was in awe of the noise. He kept pressing the buttons and grabbing on to one of the bars, getting rewarded with music each time he pressed or grabbed something. Rebecca and I just kneeled there with jaws flapping. It was quite interesting. He stayed in it for about 10 minutes and he had no complaint. Actually it is quite clear when 'Lijah likes something. We usually hear an "oooooooh" or an "ahhhhhgoo", sometimes even an "mmmmmmm". There are a few other sounds that are emerging, but they haven't been repeated enough yet for us to know how to spell them. I do know that Becca swore she heard a "T" sound from him on Saturday. The mouth is opening too when he like something. We haven't yet bought him the Exersaucer, but it is currently #1 on the list. We did buy him a dog/DVD toy that will make his watching TV a little more productive (no more Dr. Phil for the kid). What is this dog/DVD thing? Read more about it. Yep, the educator in Mom has opened the pocketbook. Crap. . .

5.6.06 Another Year Older (Mommy)

Birthday. Ugh. How did this happen? How did I get to be..... drum roll..... 26? When did I become an adult? I look at my son and I want to go back to that. Back to crying and getting held, crapping myself, and worrying only about when my next meal is.
So I am faced now, with my birthday, another reminder of my own mortality. Yay.
Upside: Andy made my usual coffee drink with some half and half this morning. A surprising treat for me. I also got his prize French Toast. Later on I recieved a gift certificate to get some new shoes and a box of melted godiva truffles from the boy and the dad. (Andy made the sales person write a note that they had been out of my favorite milk chocolate truffles.)
'Lijah is fatter. Growing AGAIN! My baby is growing up. Probably will be starting on solid foods by the end of the month. This is so very sad for me. Cause if he is getting older, then so am I.
Well, I will stop all the griping for the moment. Time to get ready for the day. We will shop for my new shoes and chocolate that isn't melty. Then off to Natelvi and Will's to just plain old hang out.
I need to relax.

5.5.06 (Daddy)

Today is the first day in quite a while that I have been tasked with taking care of the boy for the whole day. I've been so incredibly busy that he's been at the baby sitter's all week. Even last week I wasn't with him every day for the whole day, and that means he's done a lot that I haven't been able to report on.
Right now he's mad at his toy because the batteries are going low. Of course he doesn't know that the batteries are low, he's just upset that he is having to work so hard for it to make noise. He's making new verbal sounds. There are raspberries now, along with what is happening right this very instant. "ahhhhhhh, vaaaa, ahhhgoo, bbbblllleeeee, oooo oooo, gugugu". I think he's saying "fix it Dad or I'll be angry oooo", but I can't be sure.
His arms and legs are moving like crazy. The closest thing I can compare his movement to is a crazy person tied to a gurney, writhing and kicking to try and get free. He can't go anywhere, but he sure can wiggle a lot. In Elijah's case, however, he also has cute fishies dangling above his head. Not so with a crazy person. 'Lijah is also being hard to leave alone. He's wanting more attention than ever now and sometimes isn't happy unless we're holding him upright so he can work on standing. He's making headway on "I don't like this any more cause I'm bored" and it has been giving the baby sitter, Mom AND Dad a new challenge. Even now I have to stop blogging because a. I have things to do. b. The boy is calling.