Yeah... all we have for Penguin gear are socks, so we put him in Steelers clothes for extra luck. We figured since they won the Super Bowl it'd help rub off on the Pens.
(the bottoms have "Steelers written across the bum, but he didn't seem amused with me so I didn't subject him to a butt shot!)
Gah, what indignity have I been subjected to now?
Seriously, woman, does this never end?
Observe, the beauty of the Bob Revolution:
Perfect for jogging, trail-walks, or just going to the store (if it has wide aisles!). A mall stroller, it is not, but we didn't want a mall stroller. I can't wait till this baby shows up on our steps! Only 7-10 days to go. Haha.
The last couple of days has been really great! Joseph and I have managed to do lots of stuff - tons of laundry, cleaning the kitchen and living room, organizing the 2nd bathroom, getting our oil changed, and even a get-together with my local mom's group!
On the (more fun) baby-front, Joseph is enjoying the pull-up game now. He can hold his head steady when we pull him up from a lying down position by his hands, and when we lower him back down! When he's awake he's like a little meerkat on my shoulder. I swear, he looks just like that! Haha. He loves hanging out with daddy at night and in the mornings before work. I'm basically just food if T.J. is around! Just the way I like it.
Joseph talks up a storm, too. He's such a chatter box. Probably more evidence of his extraordinary intelligence. ;)
This is the second time this week he's fallen asleep for the night by 6:30pm. It's a real bummer for T.J., since he regularly gets home between 8 and 9pm. I'm hoping that it's short-lived and he'll shift his sleep back a bit. We'll see. He will fall asleep for the night any time between 6:30 and 10:30 it seems. He will consistently sleep through until morning now, only waking to eat. Periodically I'll change his diaper, but not usually. I have some really thick "nighttime" diapers that I use (Bububebe, Cricketts, and Happy Hempy's) are my favorite. I don't think I ever got that bone-numbing tiredness that some mom's experience (which I attribute 100% to Joseph co-sleeping), but I feel pretty awesome lately. It takes no effort at all to roll over and feed him at night.
Co-sleeping + breastfeeding = most sleep possible for Mama.
Now that Joseph has better head control, he can face out in the Moby! He really likes it since he gets an unobstructed view. I like it, too. We both seem to stay a bit more cool, and he fusses much less.
I am concerned that he's dangling from his crotch though versus the "sitting" position - it looks the same as with the bjorn. I'd tuck his legs in the lotus position, but he really likes them to be out. Any Moby mom's know if it's the same and/or safe for him? We usually don't stay in it this way more than 30 minutes anyway, since he tends to get tired out.
This morning, I gave Joseph a bath.
All bundled in the towel, he peed right through it, and all over me.
Then he had explosive poo which got all over him, his clothes, and all over me.
Next he nursed good and long, then puked down his (2nd) outfit, the rocker, and all over me.
The trifecta of yuck - all over me.
Joseph has a wicked case of cradle cap in the middle of his noggin. We've been waiting it out for a long time, and I thought I got it all during nursing sessions, but I discovered this patch right on top of his head, where I never see it unless he's alseep in his sling. But EW. This isn't the dry skin of the past - it's gunked up oily flaky skin.
Being the primate that I am, I love to pick at it! Haha.
Should I be bathing him more than once a week to try to help with this? I hate giving him baths. Maybe I'll try to convince T.J. that that should be their "bonding" thing.
Joseph is really getting strong - he can push up for a really extended amount of time when on his belly. He used to just face-plant!
Oh, and he slept 6.5 hours last night - and only woke up because I did and moved him! Amazingly he didn't have a wet diaper. Maybe T.J. was right about potty-training him at 3 months! HAHA!
Joseph did really well. He did not appreciate getting injected, but he was calmed by nursing afterwards in the office. Unfortunately he cried the whole 40 min drive to T.J.'s work. *sigh* That may or may not have been shot related though - he's a real loose cannon about the car!
He's generally been a real gem the last week or so - I think that cutting out dairy has really helped already. Sucks for me, but I think it's good for my waistline, too. I think I'll be dairy free at least until he's 6 months old. Yikes!
Actually, closer to 4 and a half I think! That's how long Joseph slept last night (before bed). Wow. And he was reasonable and stayed in bed this morning until 7:30am!
I think it's really amusing that I now think 7:30 is reasonable. We were such bums in the morning before Joseph! Of course, we haven't stayed up until 2am in a while either. Haha!
T.J. is off today and Monday, so it should be a nice weekend. He'll be golfing today and Sunday, so hopefully it'll help take his mind off the awful project at work. I have a "field trip" tomorrow morning for my photography class, and besides that just cooking and cleaning. Joseph says he plans to eat, sleep, and play.
Wow - Joseph and I had a big day today. He went to see my friend (and Doula) Laura today while I went to visit a very dear friend who had her baby at 22 weeks. Her son, Ethan, sadly passed away at birth. Any thoughts and prayers for her and her family are much appreciated.
It was very good to see her, and good for Joseph to see Laura, I think. We stayed at Laura's until 3 after I got back, and then stopped at the grocer before heading home. Poor Joseph was exhausted! I guess I was, too, because I fell asleep shortly after him (around 5) and just woke up at 7:30! He is still out like a light.
Don't tell T.J., but I'm pretty sure that I get way more sleep than him.
I went to the Dekalb Farmer's Market today and got a tom of delicious organic produce, organic grass-fed beef, and free range chicken. Yum. It should make us feel significantly better than the slew of fast-food restaurant burgers we've been eating.
While there, I ran into several people who commented that they wore their kids (one guy in full Native American dress - very cool) and I even ran into a fellow babywearer! It was the highlight of the trip.
With summer arriving, it's a great time to support your local farmer's market*. You can find one near you at Local Harvest
And don't forget the "dirty dozen" foods you should buy organic. Here is the updated list from the EWG:
http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php
| RANK | FRUIT OR VEGGIE | SCORE |
| 1 (worst) | Peach | 100 (highest pesticide load) |
| 2 | Apple | 93 |
| 3 | Sweet Bell Pepper | 83 |
| 4 | Celery | 82 |
| 5 | Nectarine | 81 |
| 6 | Strawberries | 80 |
| 7 | Cherries | 73 |
| 8 | Kale | 69 |
| 9 | Lettuce | 67 |
| 10 | Grapes - Imported | 66 |
| 11 | Carrot | 63 |
| 12 | Pear | 63 |
| 13 | Collard Greens | 60 |
| 14 | Spinach | 58 |
| 15 | Potato | 56 |
| 16 | Green Beans | 53 |
| 17 | Summer Squash | 53 |
| 18 | Pepper | 51 |
| 19 | Cucumber | 50 |
| 20 | Raspberries | 46 |
| 21 | Grapes - Domestic | 44 |
| 22 | Plum | 44 |
| 23 | Orange | 44 |
| 24 | Cauliflower | 39 |
| 25 | Tangerine | 37 |
| 26 | Mushrooms | 36 |
| 27 | Banana | 34 |
| 28 | Winter Squash | 34 |
| 29 | Cantaloupe | 33 |
| 30 | Cranberries | 33 |
| 31 | Honeydew Melon | 30 |
| 32 | Grapefruit | 29 |
| 33 | Sweet Potato | 29 |
| 34 | Tomato | 29 |
| 35 | Broccoli | 28 |
| 36 | Watermelon | 26 |
| 37 | Papaya | 20 |
| 38 | Eggplant | 20 |
| 39 | Cabbage | 17 |
| 40 | Kiwi | 13 |
| 41 | Sweet Peas - Frozen | 10 |
| 42 | Asparagus | 10 |
| 43 | Mango | 9 |
| 44 | Pineapple | 7 |
| 45 | Sweet Corn - Frozen | 2 |
| 46 | Avocado | 1 |
| 47 (best) | Onion | 1 (lowest pesticide load) |
I know, it's a week late. Go with me here. Anyway, we didn't do anything special. T.J. made me breakfast, but I have a wonderful husband, so I get that a lot anyway! Mostly we just lazed around and did some more work on getting unpacked. Yes, I realize we are over a month into unpacking. You try to do it with a (very demanding) 11 lb baby attached to your hip! He is pretty cute when he's demanding!
Here are a couple of pictures from Mother's Day:
Mom gets a break, and Dad gets a rest! Joseph loves to nap with Daddy.
Staring intently at his playmat toys.
I take them all with a grain of salt. People generally mean well, and I appreciate that they are trying to be nice. Here are a few:
"Wow, he's HUGE!" (he's in the 31% for weight)
"Wow, he doesn't look very big for his age" (he's in the 70% for height)
"When did he get a bottle last, he looks hungry" (answer: he nursed 20 min ago)
"How much did he weigh at birth?" (Which invariably is met by "What a big baby" - isn't 8lb2oz about average for a newborn?)
"Is he a good baby?" (are there "bad" babies?)
"How much does he sleep?" (see above for being "good")
"I can't even remember mine being so small" (People love to tell me lots of stuff about their own children now)
Other interesting observations:
- men our parents ages are the most enthralled
- women our grandparents' ages are the most judgmental - this can be good or bad, depending on if they are judging you or the women who do the opposite of what you are doing! Haha
Yes, you read that right.
"They" say that sleeping through the night is a 5 hour stretch. Well, on Thursday night he slept 6 hours straight without waking to eat or get a diaper changed! Now, *I* wouldn't consider sleeping from 9pm to 3am "through the night", but I was happy that Joseph got a good stretch. Boy was he hungry when he woke up!
Last night we were back to our normal 2-3 hour wakings, which is fine. He's still a very easy baby at night, just waking to eat. I was telling T.J. the other day that I don't feel like we have the normal exhaustion people have with new babies. I think it's because Joseph sleeps with us and we breastfeed. It's so easy just to roll over and feed him!
When February hit this year and I realized that Joseph's birth was imminent, I decided that I'd better find something to do with myself at least once a week that did not involve him to give my mind and my arms a break. Since someone had to take care of him, that meant no T.J. either. Left to my own devices and with some help from local friends, I found a fantastic photography course.
T.J. and I had purchased a digital SLR camera around Christmas time, but I'd never really taken it off of auto. If anyone knows photography, they know that it's complicated! It was really overwhelming to read about, so a class made perfect sense. I've had 3 sessions now, and I'm well on my way to understanding the basics of photography. So far we've learned about aperture, shutter speed, ISO, metering, and composition. I have to admit, I didn't think learning to use the camera would require quite so much thought! It's sort of a bummer that there are so many elements to taking a great picture, but I guess that's what makes it interesting as well, right?
So, if you notice a change in the quality of photographs on here, it might just be that I set the camera to manual and tried my best. :)
We made it! Yey!
We left Atlanta last night at 9pm (T.J. was delayed at work) and got to Nashville around midnight central time. We left there around 10am this morning and arrived in St. Louis at 4pm. Joseph did really really well, though I think he'd had enough by the end, he had a bit of a meltdown, which requires swaddling and nursing for extended periods of time. These meltdowns are definitely tied to him being over tired, but I'm not sure why he won't just fall asleep rather than freaking out! Poor little guy. He did sleep some today, but really not enough. He and T.J. are napping now.
Hopefully I'll have really wonderful pictures of the wedding to share when we get back to Atlanta!
We saw the new pedi today - Dr. Kute. I got a great vibe from her. Joseph's stats:Oh.my.goodness. For $20, I got 66 diapers and 72 wipes. Do you know how long 66 diapers will last? If I'm lucky, the 5 days that we'll be using them. $20 every 5 days??? I know they start going through less as they get older, but the packages come with fewer diapers, too.
Just another reason to cloth diaper - the savings are there!
Can you believe it? He is getting so big. T.J. tried to measure him today and got 24 inches! We'll see what they say at the pediatrician on Tuesday. I can't find our scale here, so I can't tell you a weight estimate, but I'm guessing about 10.5 lbs
Last night I saw this chart with all the "milestone" things, and frankly, Joseph is amazing. (Like you didn't already know, right?)
 Child's Age | Mastered Skills (most kids can do) | Emerging Skills (half of kids can do) | Advanced Skills (a few kids can do) |
| 1 month | • Lifts head when lying on tummy • Responds to sound • Stares at faces | • Follows objects briefly with eyes • Vocalizes: oohs and aahs • Can see black-and-white patterns | • Smiles, laughs • Holds head at 45-degree angle |
| 2 months | • Vocalizes: gurgles and coos • Follows objects across field of vision • Notices his hands • Holds head up for short periods | • Smiles, laughs • Holds head at 45-degree angle • Makes smoother movements | • Holds head steady • Can bear weight on legs • Lifts head and shoulders when lying on tummy (mini-pushup) |
| 3 months | • Recognizes your face and scent • Holds head steady • Visually tracks moving objects | • Squeals, gurgles, coos • Blows bubbles • Recognizes your voice • Does mini-pushup | • Rolls over, from tummy to back • Turns toward loud sounds • Can bring hands together, bats at toys |
| 4 months | • Smiles, laughs • Can bear weight on legs • Coos when you talk to him | • Can grasp a toy • Rolls over, from tummy to back | • Imitates sounds: "baba," "dada" • Cuts first tooth • May be ready for solid foods |
| 5 months | • Distinguishes between bold colors • Plays with his hands and feet | • Recognizes own name • Turns toward new sounds • Rolls over in both directions | • Sits momentarily without support • Mouths objects • Separation anxiety may begin |
| 6 months | • Turns toward sounds and voices • Imitates sounds • Rolls over in both directions | • Is ready for solid foods • Sits without support • Mouths objects • Passes objects from hand to hand | • Lunges forward or starts crawling • Jabbers or combines syllables • Drags objects toward himself |
He FELL ASLEEP ON HIS OWN! On his playmat!! Woo Hoo!!! Oh, he's getting so big and independent. One minute he was batting at toys, and the next he was pooped out. He still is almost 2 hours later. I honestly cannot believe it. This was definitely a week of big changes for him.
We made it back to Atlanta safe and sound. More on The Ride From Hell later.
My side of the family will claim his ears.
I'm the carrot top in the front, but as you can see, we've all been afflicted...er, blessed with the ears.
P.S. I think Joseph makes that same expression that I have in the pictures sometimes!
Joseph and I successfully made it yesterday! Daddy dropped us off at the airport, and we had no mishaps there (Joseph is the only one in the world interested by the security check-point). I even found the TSA to be ::gasp:: FRIENDLY! Sort of.
Joseph was awesome on the plane. He nursed at takeoff and landing, and was awake the whole time in between, but in a great mood. He just looked around and laughed. Very cute. The nice Delta lady gave us a whole row to ourselves, which was great for nursing and just being able to spread out.
The car ride with Teresa was a bit more harrowing. He slept until we got to Gary (the armpit of America), then got hungry, so we stopped. After that he was just really ornery, and by the time we got to South Bend, he had worked himself into a tizzy, so we stopped again (we were en-route to Elkhart). Turns out he had a dirty diaper, but it took forever to calm him down. :( It was as worked up as I've ever seen him. Poor baby. I had to swaddle him to calm him down! Then he cried some more and finally fell asleep about 10 miles from Elkhart. ::sigh:: Luckily he slept most of the evening once he had Teresa and her parents to love all over him! They had fun playing baby games first though!
Joseph & Paul
God Quad
Joseph and Mama
DomerBaby in front of the Dome!
The crazy fundies were out at the entrance to ND with their horrid partial-birth abortion photos. They really irk me. And of course there was the "abortion plane" circling the campus, as well (it had a different slogan today that we couldn't read). Before I came, I was so embarrassed that ND was associated with this, but after being on campus, I have to say that it felt much more like the University is being attacked by these crazies rather than *a part* of the madness. I'm sure the Right to Life group on campus is doing their part, but believe me, I think most students are VERY excited to have Mr. Obama on campus. I am totally jealous, by the way!Tomorrow we are flying to Chicago, where Tante Teresa will be picking us up. Then we're off to Elkhart/Notre Dame for a couple of days, before heading back to Chicago to pop in and see Taylor and then fly back out.
I hope to report back on Friday with pictures of our little DomerBaby at the Golden Dome! The forcast looks totally crappy, but hopefully will improve.
All the new things Joseph is learning and seeing has taken a toll on his psyche. He gets extremely irritable every few days. It mostly manifests itself in the evenings, and nothing cures it except a walk outside. The wind in his hair really gets him! Even when he's upset in the car if we roll down the windows it calms him some.
Luckily, both mama and baby enjoy the quiet walks, with Joseph all wrapped up in his Moby or slung in his ring sling. Hopefully as it gets hotter and he gets heavier we'll still be able to use this technique!
So far T.J. and I both really enjoy baby wearing. Besides it making Joseph happy (and frankly, nothing else matter when he won't stop crying!) it's pretty comfortable and easy to get around when he's just strapped to your body!
We've been all over the place in our baby-wearing devices. We have gone sight-seeing and to restaurants with the moby (also good for nursing), to IKEA, a bar (hehe - it was non-smoking) and various other errand running in the ring sling, and to Piedmont park in the Ergo.
A couple of weeks ago we purchased an infant car seat and snap'n'go for Joseph and my upcoming trip to Chicago/South Bend to see Teresa and Taylor. I figured that to get through the airport with Joseph, a car seat, and luggage I needed a stroller. Since we don't have one yet, this contraption seemed the best route. Anyway, since we had the "bucket seat" lying around, I carried it down to the garden (info re: garden in future posts) with Joseph in the ring sling so that he could sit comfortably while I worked. On the way back I carried him in it. Holy hell. They are so heavy - with or without a baby. I do not get how we see people walking around with these things constantly - with babies in them, no less.
I swear to you on all that is holy, baby wearing is so much easier if you don't have a medical reason not to do it. Really and truly. Plus, Joseph attracts all the ladies to him - he's usually the only baby NOT in a bucket with a shade covering him all up! I suppose some would consider that a downfall, but it's nice to have people stop and comment on how adorable he is!
I consider it a service to my fellow citizens to spread the cuteness of Joseph over the greater Atlanta area!
Ring Sling:
On smugmug
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