he did it! he's crawling! and i watched him start! before long, he'll be all over the place and quickly. i'm just waiting for the day when little man crawls away, looks at us, grins and giggles as we chase him down. "chase the baby" will be our new favorite game! right now "peek-a-boo" is high on the favorites list.
i'm crying happy tears. he's so proud of himself. no more commando crawling (or minimal commando crawling)! i got it on video tape! max (the cat) had better watch out, because o thinks the cat is the coolest thing.
5.30.2006
5.25.2006
Learning Limits (I made him cry!)
Last night, I was sitting at the computer playing a great game (Lemmings Revolution) and had Owen in my lap. He decided that it would be fun to grab onto and yank my hair. I told him "No" with a pretty forceful tone in my voice. He scrunched up his little face and started to cry. (I'm such a mean mommy!) He got over it pretty quickly, though. He also hasn't yanked on my hair since.
Last Saturday, we learned a new trick. Owen can now sit up from being on his tummy. He did it once in the middle of the floor and again under the coffee table. I thought the latter was pretty funny.
No school tomorrow or Monday for the Memorial Day weekend. We'll have our niece for a part of the day (her day care center got closed down so we've been day care for the last two weeks. We love having her!) It's supposed to rain, otherwise I'd take the kids to the zoo. Maybe we can go to the history museum...dunno we'll have to wait and see. I'm gonna want to get out of the house, at least. As of today, we have 12.5 more days of school. Only one more full week, plus two partial weeks. Our last day is June 15. Yay!!!!!
I ordered a great DVD set today, though I won't get it until early August, since it's not going to be available until July 25. (Animaniacs!!!!!) Can't wait to get that and watch it! I used to come home from high school and watch that show every day.
Have a safe Memorial Day weekend, everyone!
Last Saturday, we learned a new trick. Owen can now sit up from being on his tummy. He did it once in the middle of the floor and again under the coffee table. I thought the latter was pretty funny.
No school tomorrow or Monday for the Memorial Day weekend. We'll have our niece for a part of the day (her day care center got closed down so we've been day care for the last two weeks. We love having her!) It's supposed to rain, otherwise I'd take the kids to the zoo. Maybe we can go to the history museum...dunno we'll have to wait and see. I'm gonna want to get out of the house, at least. As of today, we have 12.5 more days of school. Only one more full week, plus two partial weeks. Our last day is June 15. Yay!!!!!
I ordered a great DVD set today, though I won't get it until early August, since it's not going to be available until July 25. (Animaniacs!!!!!) Can't wait to get that and watch it! I used to come home from high school and watch that show every day.
Have a safe Memorial Day weekend, everyone!
5.20.2006
Commando!
i'm typing with one hand and holding a sleepy 7-month-old boy who doesn't want to go to sleep in the other.
little man is so close to crawling. his current preferred method of locomotion is commando crawling, on his belly pushing with his legs and pulling with his arms. it's pretty effective. he's also an expert roller. he is frequently up on all fours, rocking, practically sitting up, and can move one or two limbs (usually arms) off of the floor with ease. one other thing he is getting good at is 'walking' while holding to my hands.
we've outgrown the carrier (too long!) and have moved into a convertible car seat (that can go backward facing, forward facing, and will also serve as a booster when he gets older.
***And now a word from owen!***
hk.v iv,ufk uv g fd y
little man is so close to crawling. his current preferred method of locomotion is commando crawling, on his belly pushing with his legs and pulling with his arms. it's pretty effective. he's also an expert roller. he is frequently up on all fours, rocking, practically sitting up, and can move one or two limbs (usually arms) off of the floor with ease. one other thing he is getting good at is 'walking' while holding to my hands.
we've outgrown the carrier (too long!) and have moved into a convertible car seat (that can go backward facing, forward facing, and will also serve as a booster when he gets older.
***And now a word from owen!***
hk.v iv,ufk uv g fd y
5.02.2006
A Sign?
I'm thinking Owen is starting to communicate with us now. Last night as he was having his bedtime bottle, he let go of the bottle and waved his arm around. He's never done that before. We've been signing to him, and "all done" is signed by shaking both hands...he was pretty close to that. I took the bottle away from him and he didn't protest at all. We'll see when he does it again. I was told in the Signing with Baby class I took that they will often do approximations before they do the real thing, especially if the motor skill required are a little more than they have. I'd say this is a pretty good approximation.
We got his convertable car seat yesterday, too. The nice thing is that it will go all the way up through a booster (until he's 80 lbs.) since it has the shoulder belt positioning things on the sides. One less thing to buy. I think I'm going to a seminar at the children's hospital here in town on Thursday to get a second one. For $35, you go to the 90 minute session and they give you the next size car seat that you need. Not a bad deal! This way we'll have one in my car and one in Jeffy's truck and we won't need to switch them back and forth.
We got his convertable car seat yesterday, too. The nice thing is that it will go all the way up through a booster (until he's 80 lbs.) since it has the shoulder belt positioning things on the sides. One less thing to buy. I think I'm going to a seminar at the children's hospital here in town on Thursday to get a second one. For $35, you go to the 90 minute session and they give you the next size car seat that you need. Not a bad deal! This way we'll have one in my car and one in Jeffy's truck and we won't need to switch them back and forth.
5.01.2006
Changing Every Day!
Wow. I'm amazed at how quickly Owen is growing and changing these days. It seems that he has a new trick every day, sometimes two new tricks. Take yesterday for example. He not only got up on all fours and rocked for a few seconds, but he also earned himself a hose-down in the kitchen sink. Jeffy tried the bathtub first, but then I mentioned the sprayer in the sink, which worked beautifully!
Owen is getting so mobile and he's not even crawling yet! He can roll anywhere. He will also "flop" (go from tummy to back or vice versa but moving his legs to face a different direction. Basically doing rotations and revolutions), do the inchworm thing on his back, and do an army crawl on his tummy. Time to get anything we don't want him to get off of the floor!
Owen's other big news is that he now has two teeth. He cut his second tooth on April 22. He has chomped down after nursing a few times. That's fun...
Owen is getting so mobile and he's not even crawling yet! He can roll anywhere. He will also "flop" (go from tummy to back or vice versa but moving his legs to face a different direction. Basically doing rotations and revolutions), do the inchworm thing on his back, and do an army crawl on his tummy. Time to get anything we don't want him to get off of the floor!
Owen's other big news is that he now has two teeth. He cut his second tooth on April 22. He has chomped down after nursing a few times. That's fun...
4.17.2006
Growing so fast!
Two quick things:
1 - Owen nearly got up on all fours last night!
2 - Owen cut his first tooth last night! No wonder he's been so fussy lately!
1 - Owen nearly got up on all fours last night!
2 - Owen cut his first tooth last night! No wonder he's been so fussy lately!
4.16.2006
Easter
Owen's first Easter is going quite well. Right now he is asleep near his mat. He did very well at church this morning.
As you can see below, there are new pictures. The first is of the quilt my mom made for Owen. The top left hand is my mom's, the top right is Jeffy's mom's, we are the next row - me, Owen, Jeffy - then the two on the bottom are our dads' hands - mine on the left, Jeffy's on the right. Above Owen's hands is his full name, below is his birthday. I designed the quilt last year and my mom made it. We looked through books and books of quilts but couldn't find anything I really liked so we designed our own. I really like the way it turned out. Mom has been bugging me for about two months now to get a picture of it up. (Sorry it took so long, Mom!)
The second picture is of my new haircut. I had gotten sick and tired of my long hair and all I was doing was pulling it back into a ponytail to avoid Owen grabbing it and to keep it from getting supper staticky (which it had been doing lately). It was time to cut it. I told my stylist to give me something (1) short, (2) easy to take care of because I'm lazy and (3) that I can style but that I don't have to style. I think she did a great job. I was the talk of the school on Friday - people kept coming in to see my hair cut because other people had told them the needed to see it. I love it!
The last picture is of Owen today, just so you can see how much he's grown. We went in for our 6 month check-up on Friday. He is now in the 97th% for height (28.5"), and at about the 30th% for weight (16# 7 oz.) He's nearly doubled his birth weight, which is just where he should be at 6 months. He's just about 3 oz. shy according to the scale at the ped's office.
Wednesday was actually his half-birthday. I took the day off, not because of that but because I had an appointment with an orthopedic doctor. I've been having lots of pain in my left foot for a little over a month now. I went in to my regular doctor a couple of weeks ago and he sent me into the orthopedic guy. Turns out I have a stress fracture in my left middle metatarpel. I was walking around on it for four weeks without knowing what was going on. All I knew is that it started to hurt something fierce on March 9. March 8 was a waiver day. That means that the teachers had to be at school but the kids had the day off. I took advantage of the fact that there were no kids there and burned off a little bit of energy running down the halls and sliding in my socks. That's what broke my foot. I'm a little embarrassed to say the least. The good news is that it's healing nicely and should be all healed in another couple of weeks. I'm not to go walking for exercise for another 4 weeks. I'll test that out on May 11 when we go to the symphony (4th and 5th grade classes go and we walk the mile each way. Downhill going, uphill coming back, and a picnic at school when we return. It's one of my favorite days of the school year.
Ok, more about Owen. He's been on solids for just over two weeks now. He loves them! Friday night we introduced a new food - carrotts. He's pretty excited about them. I think he's just excited about any food. We've eliminated two formula servings during the day now, which means we are sitting at 2 feedings a day where he gets formula. That is going to decrease even more as we work toward three meals a day with solids, plus nursing.
We are headed over to Jeffy's brother and sister-in-law's for dinner in just over an hour. Have a wonderful Easter!
As you can see below, there are new pictures. The first is of the quilt my mom made for Owen. The top left hand is my mom's, the top right is Jeffy's mom's, we are the next row - me, Owen, Jeffy - then the two on the bottom are our dads' hands - mine on the left, Jeffy's on the right. Above Owen's hands is his full name, below is his birthday. I designed the quilt last year and my mom made it. We looked through books and books of quilts but couldn't find anything I really liked so we designed our own. I really like the way it turned out. Mom has been bugging me for about two months now to get a picture of it up. (Sorry it took so long, Mom!)
The second picture is of my new haircut. I had gotten sick and tired of my long hair and all I was doing was pulling it back into a ponytail to avoid Owen grabbing it and to keep it from getting supper staticky (which it had been doing lately). It was time to cut it. I told my stylist to give me something (1) short, (2) easy to take care of because I'm lazy and (3) that I can style but that I don't have to style. I think she did a great job. I was the talk of the school on Friday - people kept coming in to see my hair cut because other people had told them the needed to see it. I love it!
The last picture is of Owen today, just so you can see how much he's grown. We went in for our 6 month check-up on Friday. He is now in the 97th% for height (28.5"), and at about the 30th% for weight (16# 7 oz.) He's nearly doubled his birth weight, which is just where he should be at 6 months. He's just about 3 oz. shy according to the scale at the ped's office.
Wednesday was actually his half-birthday. I took the day off, not because of that but because I had an appointment with an orthopedic doctor. I've been having lots of pain in my left foot for a little over a month now. I went in to my regular doctor a couple of weeks ago and he sent me into the orthopedic guy. Turns out I have a stress fracture in my left middle metatarpel. I was walking around on it for four weeks without knowing what was going on. All I knew is that it started to hurt something fierce on March 9. March 8 was a waiver day. That means that the teachers had to be at school but the kids had the day off. I took advantage of the fact that there were no kids there and burned off a little bit of energy running down the halls and sliding in my socks. That's what broke my foot. I'm a little embarrassed to say the least. The good news is that it's healing nicely and should be all healed in another couple of weeks. I'm not to go walking for exercise for another 4 weeks. I'll test that out on May 11 when we go to the symphony (4th and 5th grade classes go and we walk the mile each way. Downhill going, uphill coming back, and a picnic at school when we return. It's one of my favorite days of the school year.
Ok, more about Owen. He's been on solids for just over two weeks now. He loves them! Friday night we introduced a new food - carrotts. He's pretty excited about them. I think he's just excited about any food. We've eliminated two formula servings during the day now, which means we are sitting at 2 feedings a day where he gets formula. That is going to decrease even more as we work toward three meals a day with solids, plus nursing.
We are headed over to Jeffy's brother and sister-in-law's for dinner in just over an hour. Have a wonderful Easter!
3.30.2006
cereal and lessons for mom
Over the teeth and past the gums, look out stomach, here it comes! Owen had his first experience with rice cereal last night. Boy, did he like it! He started opening his mouth starting with bite two or three, plus he 'helped' me bring the spoon into his mouth. He also fussed when I took the spoon away to get more cereal on it. He was definately ready to start solids!
One of the things I learned last night is that I should nurse him completely (meaning on both sides) and *then* give him the cereal. I tried giving him the cereal between sides last night and he wanted very little to do with the second side. The good news is that he slept through the night last night, something he hadn't done all week - he had woken up hungry in the middle of the night the previous couple of nights. The other thing I learned is to make sure that the spoon is on top of his tongue instead of just inside of his gums. Anything on his tongue made it down his throat. Anything just inside of his gums and under his tongue came right back out.
One of the things I learned last night is that I should nurse him completely (meaning on both sides) and *then* give him the cereal. I tried giving him the cereal between sides last night and he wanted very little to do with the second side. The good news is that he slept through the night last night, something he hadn't done all week - he had woken up hungry in the middle of the night the previous couple of nights. The other thing I learned is to make sure that the spoon is on top of his tongue instead of just inside of his gums. Anything on his tongue made it down his throat. Anything just inside of his gums and under his tongue came right back out.
3.27.2006
funny boy!
owen made me laugh so hard yesterday. first, he dirtied his bath water (both ways he can do that!) then last night he managed to roll clear off of his play mat. i'm talking a couple of full revolutions, here, not just rolling one way. when i saw what he did, i said, "look what you did!" he looked up at me and flashed me this great big grin as if to say, "aren't you proud of me, mom!" we need to keep an eye on him and get stuff off of the floor now! watch out for little man!
we've decided that for several reasons we are going to make our own baby food. any suggestions on books to get or other things we may need or need to know. (kristen?) we'll be getting a food processer sometime early next month and we'll likely start owen on rice cereal some time during spring break (next week for me). owen turns 6 months old in two weeks so we're getting close! we have our next check-up on the 14th and we'll ask the pediatrician what order to introduce foods in. i figure at that point that we'll have been doing the rice cereal for about a week.
we've decided that for several reasons we are going to make our own baby food. any suggestions on books to get or other things we may need or need to know. (kristen?) we'll be getting a food processer sometime early next month and we'll likely start owen on rice cereal some time during spring break (next week for me). owen turns 6 months old in two weeks so we're getting close! we have our next check-up on the 14th and we'll ask the pediatrician what order to introduce foods in. i figure at that point that we'll have been doing the rice cereal for about a week.
3.16.2006
bilateral otitis media
or in laymen's terms, a double ear infection. we noticed last week that owen had lots of goop in his right ear. i cleaned it out thursday morning and saw that it was slightly runny and darker than i would have expected for just ear wax. when i came home on thursday, the area around that ear was crusty. same thing friday morning. i asked jeffy to call the pediatrician but he didn't see any more stuff during hte day so he didn't. auntie doc (my sister) came in friday night, took one look at his ear and said, "call the doctor." we went in saturday morning and found out that he has a likely ruptured eardrum (nothing to worry about) in his right ear - hence all of the goop oozing out - and a pretty red and swollen left eardrum. poor little guy. the most interesting part is that he gave us no indication that he wasn't feeling well. he was his normal happy self. he's taking the medicine pretty well (amoxicillan and ear drops)
several times this last week i have come in to get him in the morning and he is on his tummy - which is NOT how we put him down. he has officially mastered rolling over from back to tummy, and also from tummy to back. he doesn't even seem to think about it anymore. he is also pulling up from laying down to sitting by holding on to my hands. he doesn't give this a second thought either. he just does it.
it is so much fun watching this little boy grow and change. what a miracle and a blessing!
several times this last week i have come in to get him in the morning and he is on his tummy - which is NOT how we put him down. he has officially mastered rolling over from back to tummy, and also from tummy to back. he doesn't even seem to think about it anymore. he is also pulling up from laying down to sitting by holding on to my hands. he doesn't give this a second thought either. he just does it.
it is so much fun watching this little boy grow and change. what a miracle and a blessing!
3.03.2006
Ugh
We have only managed one full night's sleep since the week began - that was on Monday. Last night, Jeffy was up with Owen once. We seem to be going back to the 11:00, 2:00, 5:30 thing from earlier in Owen's life. I was pretty snotty to Jeffy last night as I was up with Owen at 11:30, rocking him to sleep, giving him medicine, etc. I was exhausted and frustrated with the prospect of another night of little sleep. I laid a pretty big guilt trip on Jeffy because that was all I could do in my mood. I apologized this morning a couple of times. I also thanked him for getting up with Owen in the middle of the night.
On a better note, Owen is at least smiling a little bit and even laughing at/with/for us. I've missed that part of my little boy this last week. He is usually so fun and smiley. I'll be glad when we have that and can sleep through the night again.
It's Friday!!! Yay!!! Signing class with baby tomorrow morning. Should be fun!
On a better note, Owen is at least smiling a little bit and even laughing at/with/for us. I've missed that part of my little boy this last week. He is usually so fun and smiley. I'll be glad when we have that and can sleep through the night again.
It's Friday!!! Yay!!! Signing class with baby tomorrow morning. Should be fun!
2.28.2006
We found the problem!
And it isn't a cold. Owen is teething. Joy. Sunday night, like I mentioned in my post yesterday, he was up every two hours. Yesterday afternoon, I went out and got several products that help ease the discomfort that he's feeling. I also tried to give him a teething ring that was in the freezer. He didn't take it, I think it was too cold for him. It's now in the fridge instead. The good news is that last night he slept through. Jeffy was up with him until 10:30 or 11:00 (I went to bed at about 7:30), then put him down. He fussed for a couple of minutes, but put himself to sleep for the rest of the night in about his normal time frame. I think Sunday night tired him out pretty good. I know it did me! lol
It breaks my heart to have him so uncomfortable. I wish I could just take the pain away from him. He probably doesn't know what's happening. To him, his mouth is just all of a sudden really sore. I hope these teeth cut through pretty soon. I've heard that the first time is the worst, so things will hopefully get better in the future. I hope he sleeps through the night again!
It breaks my heart to have him so uncomfortable. I wish I could just take the pain away from him. He probably doesn't know what's happening. To him, his mouth is just all of a sudden really sore. I hope these teeth cut through pretty soon. I've heard that the first time is the worst, so things will hopefully get better in the future. I hope he sleeps through the night again!
2.27.2006
A Long Night
My poor Little Man. He is either teething or has a cold. We (all three of us) were up about every two hours last night. Owen has never done that, not even as a newborn. At least we normally get lots of sleep so this isn't horrible on us. He'd rock to sleep on my shoulder, but as soon as I would put him in his crib, he'd wake up and start crying again. We ended up switching who got up with him. At around 4:00, I asked Jeffy to rock him so I could get some sleep. Jeffy put him down in his bouncy chair where he fell asleep and stayed asleep till about 6:30. He nursed and slept most of the day yesterday. I'm at work today (it was easier than making sub plans!) I'm a tired mama. At least it's a relatively easy day today. Only 6 classes.
2.15.2006
Four months old!
has it really been that long already!? he is now reaching for us at times, when i go down to kiss him before leaving for work, he arches up and gives me a great angle. this kid is growing so quick!
we went to the pediatrician on monday. owen is now in the 45th% for weight (up from 20th%), the 70th% for head circumference, and still at the 95th% for lenght. he weighed 14 lbs, 8 oz on monday and is now 26.5 inches long. long and lean! he really looks like he is just going to get up and crawl away.
we are so lucky he is such a good baby. last night he and i went to be silent observers at a school consolodation committee (my school is on the short list of 6 that will be narrowed to four next week) and he did great. he got chatty toward the end, but that was after 2 1/2 hours. he did great! we spent the last 30 minutes out in the hallway outside of the meeting room. people kept telling me what a good baby he is. :-)
we went to the pediatrician on monday. owen is now in the 45th% for weight (up from 20th%), the 70th% for head circumference, and still at the 95th% for lenght. he weighed 14 lbs, 8 oz on monday and is now 26.5 inches long. long and lean! he really looks like he is just going to get up and crawl away.
we are so lucky he is such a good baby. last night he and i went to be silent observers at a school consolodation committee (my school is on the short list of 6 that will be narrowed to four next week) and he did great. he got chatty toward the end, but that was after 2 1/2 hours. he did great! we spent the last 30 minutes out in the hallway outside of the meeting room. people kept telling me what a good baby he is. :-)
2.09.2006
Rolly Poley Owen!
Since I talked with my sister last night, I can now tell you all what Owen's latest trick is. He went over from his back to his tummy! This morning when I went in to get him, his head was still pointing the same direction I had set him in, but he was on his side. The bumper kept him from rolling completely over, I suspect. He's a very active child when he's asleep. Much like his daddy was (according to my mother-in-law at least). We can no longer leave him on elevated surfaces.
What a fun kid he's turning into! I'm really loving this motherhood thing! :-)
What a fun kid he's turning into! I'm really loving this motherhood thing! :-)
2.08.2006
AAARGGG!
A continuation on my last post. The same thing has happened twice (!!!) this week. Granted the first time was at the school I'm at on Mondays only and there was no sign on the door, the door was just closed. At least it was two women who had been in my position before. And then, just five minutes ago, the night custodian walked right in. The sign was on the door and he ignored it. Luckily for both of us, I wasnt' pumping yet because I kinda thought he would do that. (Locking the door isn't even an option with him. He has keys!) I'm afraid I was kinda short with him ("The sign is there for a reason. I put it out when I'm getting ready to pump.") We'll see if it happens again with him. He's put me into panic attacks before on program nights by not setting up the chairs like he was supposed to. (Didn't I blog about that last year? I think I did.)
Anyway, enough ranting. Yesterday when I got home, Jeffy told me that Owen managed to get his sock half-way off during the day yesterday. When he (Jeffy) went to try to figure out how he did that, he realized that Owen had done something else! You'll have to wait until my sister calls me though to find out what it is. (Is that a big enough hint, kiddo!?) ;-)
I can't believe he will be four months old on Sunday! Wow! He has grown so much so fast.
Anyone know what color the Pittsburgh Steeler's 12th man flag is? Not that we're upset or anything here. No, not us!
Anyway, enough ranting. Yesterday when I got home, Jeffy told me that Owen managed to get his sock half-way off during the day yesterday. When he (Jeffy) went to try to figure out how he did that, he realized that Owen had done something else! You'll have to wait until my sister calls me though to find out what it is. (Is that a big enough hint, kiddo!?) ;-)
I can't believe he will be four months old on Sunday! Wow! He has grown so much so fast.
Anyone know what color the Pittsburgh Steeler's 12th man flag is? Not that we're upset or anything here. No, not us!
2.01.2006
Frustrations
Do Not Disturb
Thank You!
This is what is printed (in red) on a sign that I hang from my door at school when I am pumping. Twice, so far, I have had people just ignore the sign and walk right on in. One was an adult who walked in and said, "I hope that doesn't apply to me. I just need to get my water cup." (It does, and she is in my room in the afternoons for the afterschool program.) Then this morning, I had a 5th grader open my door and start in. I stopped her at the door, but it was a bit awkward nonetheless. I don't lock my door because I often forget to unlock it and then leave and close my door with the keys inside. Why don't people read and comprehend? It's not that difficult a concept!
Thank You!
This is what is printed (in red) on a sign that I hang from my door at school when I am pumping. Twice, so far, I have had people just ignore the sign and walk right on in. One was an adult who walked in and said, "I hope that doesn't apply to me. I just need to get my water cup." (It does, and she is in my room in the afternoons for the afterschool program.) Then this morning, I had a 5th grader open my door and start in. I stopped her at the door, but it was a bit awkward nonetheless. I don't lock my door because I often forget to unlock it and then leave and close my door with the keys inside. Why don't people read and comprehend? It's not that difficult a concept!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
