Phew

After such a rough Saturday night, I was really nervous about last night, especially after he woke up about 9. Fortunately, he went back to bed and slept all night. Phew. He had been perfect all day Sunday although he was great Saturday, too, so it's hard to tell what got him going.

We're expecting more snow later in the week. I'm psyched.

Boots

We've had a bit of snow over the past couple of weeks, but I've been hestitant to plop Andy in the sled and pull him along because I didn't have any shoes for him really. I thought his little leather mocassins would be too easily soaked and I was afraid to venture out without proper footwear, you know, since he can't walk. I went to Target today and found some cute rain boots. I bought a bigger size than he can probably wear in six months even, but they're big enough to pull on over a couple of pairs of socks and keep his legs dry at the same time. They just look adorable on him (partly because they come all the way to his knee) and they're even Swedish colors.

Charmed, I'm sure

So with all the drama last night, I forgot the real gem of yesterday that still cracks me up. I had made a bath and was letting him crawl around naked as I got things set up only to come into my bedroom and find that he had, er, crapped on the floor and then crawled over it. Blech. Fortunately, I had the bath ready to plop him into. Still, gross, gross, gross. We wiped down the floor pretty good (fortunately, it was on the hardwoods so it was easy to clean up).

After the late night, he had two really good naps today and is hopefully on the mend. No crying jags so that's a good sign and he seems to be eating and drinking normally. I'm ready for him to be able to tell me what hurts.

It's a gas, gas, gas

So last night Andy decided not to sleep really, at all. It was miserable. From about 11 to 3:30, he wailed off and on and was just inconsolable. I finally called the doctor at about 3:30 who said to take him to the emergency room. Although by the time I got off the phone, he had finally fallen asleep. The nurse said when he woke up (assuming he wouldn't stay asleep again) to take him in, but that's when he decided to stay asleep until 7:30. Looking back, I think he had gas pains that took a while (a long while) to work out. Poor baby. Poor parents.

Christmas shopping

We're off to do a bit of Christmas shopping, which may prove to be a terrible idea. We just have a few more to check off for Christmas with the Virginia folks. I'll have to do some shopping in Dallas once we get there for the things that are too big/bulky to carry. So much pressure! I'll be relieved when it's over.

A date, sort of

My office Christmas party was tonight. My neighbors, Ernie and Doris, who are perhaps the nicest people out there, graciously offered to babysit. It was nice to get out and weird all the same.

This is from my ill-fated "art project" idea. Turns out he's not ready for finger painting and neither am I. This was in the beginning before it ended up everywhere. He didn't seem to have my interest at all and didn't like his hands messy.

Here is the picture of the blueberry incident. I love how it looks like he has a cut above his eye when really it's just baby food.

Blueberries are messy

Ages ago I bought a Beachnut apples and blueberries stage 2 mixture. Wow, is it ever messy. Andy has decided he likes to streal the spoon from me while I try to feed him. That little sucker is surprisingly strong when he decides he wants something so I usually give in (if I can) or else the spoon and its contents often go flying. Turns out blueberries are not a good food to give to a kid at this age. By the end, it looked like he'd been in a fight - it was all over his hands, face, forehead.

Dang it - it's not letting my upload any of the pictures. Blogger has been acting quite odd the past couple of days. I apologize for the inconvenience. Feel free to send me snacks to help pass the time.

Rebel yell

So lately Andy has decided that he likes to yell. He doesn't have anything to say, yet, so every once in a while he just looks at me and screams. Not upset, just making a statement. It always makes me laugh so he gets my attention and keeps doing it. I'm sure it will be annoying shortly, but right now it's pretty darn cute.

The snowman

Andy has a new favorite book - the Snowman by Raymond Briggs. The story isn't that great (frankly, most of these have really short, lame stories), but the flaps and pictures are very interesting for him.

The marketing part of the book is what really gets me "Over 35 flaps inside." Can't they just say it has 37 flaps or whatever? Why try to make it sound more grand? Do people really decide not to buy if it's got 36 flaps, but if they see the over 35 then they won't? Of course, what's really at issue is the use of "over" rather than "more than." My mother always said, if you can count it, it's more than or fewer than, if you can't, it's over or less than. I got this lesson every time we went to the grocery store and they had the short line. Some of the newer grocery stores use proper grammer and I always consider it a moral victory for Mom.

Choking is bad

I cut up some apples last night for Andy to feed himself during dinner and apparely cut up apples need to be really cut up in order to make it down without getting stuck. He doesn't chew at all (of course, although I didn't put that together) so Bjorn was watching as he proceeded to start to cough because he couldn't get a piece up or down. It wasn't stopping Andy from trying to keep putting more in his mouth. Bjorn smacked in on the back and he was fine moments later, but it was pretty scary for us.

Snow daze

It snowed yesterday. A lot. Well, a lot for us, in that it was about 3 inches or so and snowed most of the day. Andy didn't seem that interested generally, but I haven't gotten the sled down to pull him around in it yet. Part of my problem is he doesn't have a good winter coat nor any boot type things that are warmer than his little slippers. I need to get out to get that stuff, but I just haven't had time.

Sharing is caring

His new trick it to try to put something in my mouth. Usually it's his fingers checking out my lips or teeth, but the last day or so he's decided he can put bath toys there. He did share Cherrios with his dad this morning. Better yet, he would suck on them, pull them out and then share. Tasty.

What am I, a fire hydrant?

So we're getting ready to the bath and Andy is standing up in the bathroom naked as I get things ready. Then I look down to notice he's holding onto my jeans and peeing on my leg. Charming.

Now everyone's happy

See, we're not ALWAYS abusing him by trying to take a picture of his teeth. Here he's very happy. Later on, Bjorn took him to a football game where Andy actually cheered along with the crowd. Good thing, too, he's definitely going to have to be a sports fan to survive in this house.

Here's one

He's not particularly happy about it, but I did get a shot complete with teeth. While I'm excited to the milestone, I'm surprised how sad I am that his smile will be forever altered.

Waaah

I've been trying to get pictures of his new smile, complete with four teeth on top, but someone is failing to cooperate.

Another daycare

I scoped out another possible daycare today. The lady was nice although the woman that scheduled my tour clearly didn't write it down. That has happened at two of the three I've looked at. It was nice although I wasn't crazy that starting at 2 years, there is 10-1 ratio of students to teachers. That seems pretty high for younger kids. There are positives in that starting age 2, they start working on potty training, which would be cool. I liked that they turn the lights down for naps and it has a huge playground, two actually, one for infants and one for kids 2 and older. Actually, three playgrounds, one for the babies, one for 2 year olds and one for 3-5 year olds. They don't have any openings until next December so I might put my name on the list so I have options next year. So far, everything has really be just fine, but I haven't found anything I'm just in love with. Yet. Hopefully.

Look, Ma, I can feed myself

He's experimenting with feeding himself, to somewhat mixed results (although the one result that is certain is the mess that comes with it). Here he's using the cool spoon-type thing my mom got him.

Top 5 Tips

Someone asked me my top five tips for new mothers. I'm no expert except in my own personal experience (and then sometimes not since my memory is ALREADY a little fuzzy), but here goes.

5. Find other new mothers. If you've been working up until Junior was born, chances are you don't have a lot of friends who are stay at home moms. Find a group. It will help with your mental health. A lot of hospitals and pediatrician's offices have groups for new moms or breastfeeding support. Join Gymboree or find a walking group. Whatever. Taking care of a baby is overwhelming - period so finding others in your same shoes helps you realize you're not a failure and your kid is progressing nicely.
4. Get out of the house every day. The first couple of weeks, baby naps well and so can you. But at about a month, they don't usually take a long nap so do what you can to get out of the house. You'll feel better talking to adults and baby will sleep better getting some outside exposure. If it's cold or hot, you can always hit the mall for a stroll. Some big department stores even have mother's rooms where you can meet other new moms.
3. If your mother wants to visit, let her. Even if you have the best relationship with your mother, you're probably worried about letting her come visit for two weeks. Let her. You'll be exhausted and scared about what the heck to do and it's nice to get a refreshed person you trust in the house. It will also bring you closer to your mother and give you a new appreciation of her.
2. Tag team sleeping. I now understand why sleep deprivation is a form of torture. Try to alternate sleeping with your husband so you can each try to get 5-6 hours solid sleep. If you're breast feeding, pump a bottle to let daddy get a shot at feeding. This will also stave off babies who refuse to take a bottle.
1. Borrow, borrow, borrow. If people offer stuff to borrow, say yes. Alot of the infant stuff -- baby carriers, car seat bases, infant clothes -- are only good for a few months so borrow what you can. Save your money for stuff you do need long-term like a high chair or a convertible car seat.