Quiet Weekend

When my friends started having babies I was surprised by how often they mentioned an illness running through their house, or cancelled plans to stay at home and be quiet with a sickly kiddo. Now that I have a kid, in daycare no less, I completely understand. Babies love on other babies and share their snot and bam! You're at home all weekend. When Brian and I got married, our understanding was that church is a non-negotiable: you have to be dead or puking in order to miss church. Caleb's getting over a cold + ear infection + antibiotics = poop = awful diaper rash = random crying & refusing to eat. Also maybe teething? We can't quite tell. Anyway, our visions of Lessons and Carols at our church on Sunday morning went straight out the window and we had a quiet weekend in. We did drag Caleb to Home Depot on Saturday afternoon, but that's it.

It ended up being a fantastic weekend. We had some new friends over for pizza on Friday night, then played with our baby, shopped for Christmas presents and rested up. Here are some snapshots from our quiet weekend at home.

 Teaching Caleb the ways of Saturday Fantasy Football prep. And yes, he's gnawing on a pizza crust there.

 Caleb's Christmas Eve jammies, purchased at Target. Also, turns out Target is SUPER quiet on a Sunday morning- who knew??

 

Brian's favorite time of the week: the countdown to RedZone coverage!

 Daddy, come play with me! Mama's no substitute.

 Daddy, more pizza peeezzzzz

Not Ashamed

Sunday afternoons have their own rhythm in our house. Hanging out in the nursery at church always tires Caleb – so much stimulation – and he often naps immediately after lunch. This usually means he’s up by 3pm, which means we’ve got him for 3 to 4 hours before bedtime. We love playing with Caleb, but on the weekends he’s still a 2 hour awake time baby. He stays awake longer at school, but without all the school stimulation he sleeps more on the weekends. So Sunday afternoons after naptime can become a long hard stretch where he’s tiring by dinnertime. I’m usually trying to make dinner, which leaves Brian to entertain our tired baby boy. Yesterday I pushed to get dinner into the oven for a long roast just as he was getting up from his nap. It’s my new goal- make something in the slow cooker or a long slow roast so I can focus on playing and helping with Caleb. We skyped with Nana and Papaw Whale for an hour, and it was still only 4:45 when we started to feel a little helpless. Caleb was starting to get fussy and we had given him a snack and his sippy cup, read books and pulled out new toys. It was too early to do dinner. I finally said to Brian, “honestly, this is when I would turn on the tv if he were older.” Brian agreed and I said “you don’t think he’d sit though the Charlie Brown Christmas Special…do you?” 

Now look. I read the NYTimes every day, especially the parenting section. I read the blogs. I’m aware that a lot of tv stimulation isn’t good for kids, especially babies. But here’s the thing: If Caleb’s awake, he won’t stop moving. Sometimes I just need him to rest his tiny little body. In my defense, this wasn’t a case of tv babysitter syndrome. I got Caleb’s pacifier and blankie and we all cuddled together on the couch watching a beloved children’s Christmas program. Caleb would bounce up and down to the music, occasionally laughing at something – I don’t know what considering he doesn’t understand more than the word “no” or his own name, but he found something amusing. It was such a nice family time and he sat quietly, resting for another round of play and dinnertime. Dinner was its own struggle- maybe he has a tooth coming in? Or his tummy hurt? All he wanted was his bottle and bed, to be honest. 

But now I’ve got this nice memory of the three of us hanging out together on a Sunday late afternoon, showing Caleb A Charlie Brown Christmas for the very first time, him clutching his blankie with his tiny hands sitting on his Daddy’s lap. And there’s no way I’m ashamed of that.

Giving So Much Thanks

I could write a really long post about our trip back to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful to spend a few relaxed days with my family. It was emotional to sit in our home church again. I was so glad to see a couple really good friends. Caleb adored hanging out with our family. He ate everything he could get his chubby little hands on, and I mean that - he really prefers to eat with his hands! Turkey, green beans, blueberries, mashed potatoes, cranberry relish. These were all big hits. He took his first steps on Thanksgiving day, and I was so glad we were all there to witness it. My stylist and good friend, who's been cutting my hair since I was 17 and did my hair on my wedding day, gave Caleb his first, much needed, haircut. We had fast, uneventful drives to and from Wisconsin. There was so much to be grateful for.

On the ride, Caleb was a total champ, sleeping most of the trip.

I'm coming for you!

Double fisting french fries. He loves them. We're great parents, obviously.

*Brian and I got new phones on Black Friday, so I'm somehow missing most of my Thanksgiving photos!

Everyone in their right place

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to see Caleb in the midst of play at school over the past couple days. Our usual routine is that I drop him off and Brian picks him up. On Wednesday, we have church dinners, so I pick him up from school and Brian meets us at church. Yesterday when I got to school there were 4 or 5 other kids still there and all of them were standing up talking and playing around a large toy car. Caleb saw me, and grinned, but was having so much fun he didn’t even crawl over for a pick-up! All the babies were making their baby noises and crawling around the car and their climbing toys. There was children’s worship music on in the background. Everyone had just had a snack and was fed and happy.

This morning when I dropped Caleb off, the two other babies who also do long days like Caleb were already there. Caleb starting playing with the other little boy right away, talking and imitating each other’s noises and chasing each other around the room. One would chase the other, the one being chased stopping to look back at the other boy, pausing then grinning and continuing to crawl away. I recognized it immediately as the chasing game he plays with Brian and I at home. It was so cute and fun! 

We’ve had a bit of a rough month with Caleb, the first ear infection not being completely healed therefore bringing on a second. When he’s sick I hate leaving him to go to work, jugging our schedules and sending him back to school before I’d like to. But when he’s not sick it’s obvious that school is a fun place for him to be all day. He eats everything they put in front of him, takes 2 really good naps and smiles at everyone who crosses his path. His teachers celebrate all his milestones with us, yesterday it was eating all his pizza sticks and continued progress in standing on his own. I’m grateful for the care he receives from professionals who have a true love for the babies. Caleb’s such an easygoing baby, I think he’d thrive in most environments, but I’m grateful for this one with his friends and caregivers in such a loving atmosphere. In truth, I’m not sure I’d make such a great stay at home mom. With Brian and I at work and Caleb at school I know that everyone is in their right place.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It’s our first Christmas as parents. And we’re being responsible shoppers. I mean, yes, I did already buy my kid the first dump truck ride-on/push toy I saw a Christmas ad for and threw in Llama Llama Holiday Drama because who can resist that little llama?? And there’s the Christmas jammie and ornament tradition we plan on starting. Did I mention that I bought him a winter coat this week too? It’s getting cold here in Tennessee and we’re headed to Wisconsin in two weeks and I started to freak out a little bit, so off to Old Navy we went! It’s a fleece lined puffy coat that he’ll probably sweat in, but he won’t be cold no sir! Since we were out I made a stop at Target for more diapers and socks. And I haven’t mentioned this, but we’re dealing with another bout of ear infection so it was a trip to the doctor and more antibiotics this week, with Brian and I each taking off a day to be with him at home. 

Sigh.  

The holidays are also when nonprofits ask the community to help out the less fortunate, especially when it comes to children. Those families who can’t “throw in” a book to their Amazon cart, pick up diapers willy nilly, make a less minute doctor’s visit, buy a warm coat without a second thought for buying groceries (hello formula) or paying the rent or the heating bill. Those who can’t take off from work to be with a sick kid. Those didn’t put in an offer on a house again yesterday. Those who aren’t sure where they’re going to be living at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Gratefulness for the ability to provide for Caleb has been emotionally overwhelming this week.

This always happens at the holiday season, but it really hits home as a parent. I felt it last year too, nine months pregnant, with a job that was going to let me take off twelve weeks paid, boxes of clothes for the little one to come, friends and family ready to pitch in, plans to deliver at a hospital that resembled a country club. I was grabbing those little sheets at Starbucks with families in need like a crazy person, first the older child because they often get overlooked, then at the last minute a toddler like I imagined my baby might be in a couple Christmases. My husband didn't say a word as I shopped for gifts for them, mostly because truly his heart is as soft as mine in this area.

If I seem to resemble the Grinch in trying to calm the storm of PRESENTS. PRESENTS FOR THE BABY’S FIRST CHRISTMAS, know that part of that comes from this place. When I think of my baby who likes a cardboard box as much as a toy showered with Christmas presents*, I also think of the baby who needs a warm coat or warm pajamas. Who’s only Christmas present will come from a place like Family Sharing (MKE) or Last Minute Toy Store (Nashville).  

As our family heads in Advent I hope that we continue to think of others as much as we think of ourselves. 

*With his first birthday three weeks later, no less.

Regaining My Mama Confidence

On my 12 weeks of maternity leave, plus 5 weeks before I started work here in Nashville, I learned how to be an "on my own" mama. I had my finger on the pulse of Caleb's ever evolving routine. But since I went back to work full time, Brian and I have created our own two parent routine. It depends on both of us pulling our weight with the house and Caleb's needs.This is the first time that Brian has traveled for work overnight since his trip to Nashville to interview and I was more than a little nervous to solo parent all weekend. I'm great at getting us out the door, making dinner and the bedtime routine. But Brian is Caleb's playmate. He can take him when I need to finish a meal or getting ready.

It turns out, this weekend was just what I needed to regain my mama confidence. Caleb and I have had a great weekend.

On Friday he happily ate dinner in the kitchen with Mama, while I made mashed carrots for him and dinner for myself. 

On Saturday we had a lazy morning, with Caleb up by 6am and ready to go back to sleep by 8am! It's not unusual for Caleb to catch up on his sleep on Saturdays, so he took a two and a half hour nap and I still had to go in and wake him up! We needed to head out for our big plans - our first trip to the Nashville Zoo! I was told that the Zoo had a great playground for little kids, so I figured this was the perfect trip to get us out of the house. 

Outside the playground. Can you see that he's sitting on an alligator head??

Outside the Kangaroo exhibit, a special place where the Kangaroos are allowed to roam without fences, so they jump right across your path!

The special tot area, all padded. Caleb loved crawling around and watching the other kids.

All worn out from our time at the Zoo. Ready for a car nap!

We had such a great time at the Zoo. Caleb wasn't very excited about the animals but he loved to look at all the people, especially the bigger kids. We sat and had lunch- butternut squash and crackers for the baby, apple slices and peanut noodles for me. As we sat happily eating, I was so glad I took the risk of a big trip out solo. Caleb took another massive nap, starting in the car and finishing up at home.

We had dinner and a little playtime before bath and books. This morning we made it to church, where Caleb had a great time in the nursery, as usual. Now we're ready for Daddy to come home tonight! 

Can't Hold Me Down

Caleb is such a little ball of energy. I could expound on how I knew this when I was still pregnant with him - he never stopped moving! I could give examples like last night, when Brian and I got deep in conversation for 60 seconds and Caleb made it up three stairs before I raced over to spot him. I could say that checking on him on the video monitor while he's sleeping cracks me up every time, because I never see him still. Even sitting in his high chair, he's wiggling or waving his arms or kicking his legs. I'm so grateful to have a healthy, happy baby who constantly wants to explore, but it's making one part of my life very difficult.

Diaper changes. It's not the wiggling...it's the crying. The wailing as if I am ruining his life. I realized this morning, it's not because he's hungry from just waking up. It's not because he's tired at the end of the day. The act of changing him doesn't seem to bother him. It's because he despises with the fire of a thousand suns being held down. A pacifier helps a little bit, but once he pulls it out to play with it, he remembers that he's not allowed to roll over and starts wailing again.

I knew that most kids go through a stage where they fight diaper changes, but I didn't expect it this early. Just like I didn't expect having to work on "no hit" by 9 months.

Brian's gone a business trip all weekend and frankly, I'm terrified to do all the diaper changes by myself. Caleb's working on his roundhouse skills and he's eventually going to kick me in the face, I just know it.

 

RAWR! 

Lion face in a rare moment of sitting

Caleb, Nine Months

I didn’t mean to take such a long absence. My computer has been on the fritz, needing two different repairs in the last month. There was another trip to North Carolina, a business trip to Ohio and a general increase in activity. We’ve started attending a church regularly, including Wednesday night dinner, and it’s starting to feel like home. I recognize more faces each Sunday morning and had lunch with one of our new pastors last week. I still miss our friends in Wisconsin, but it gets a little easier every week.

Caleb, of course, is growing like a weed. At 9 months, he can pull up and walk around holding onto the furniture. He crawls like a big boy and the best time he does that is daycare pick up. He now crawls over to whoever picks him up, excited to see Mom or Dad. He cut his front two teeth at the same time, bringing the total to six. He went up another diaper size! He can eat baby crackers on his own, shoving them open-palmed into his mouth. He’s not much of a cuddler, except when he wakes up crying, which is happening nightly sometime between 9 and 10pm. We really have no clue what’s going on – if he’s waking up from his first REM cycle, if his teeth are bothering him, if he’s having nightmares or night terrors. We try to avoid using Tylenol or resorting to another bottle, but sometime there’s no other way to calm him. He continues to be a happy, smiling boy, the life of the party, a total entertainer. My parents have been here this weekend, and Caleb coos and smiles through every meal, responding to their silly faces.

Everyday is a new adventure as we watch our baby turn into a curious little toddler. 

One Routine Turns Into Another

As we gently closed the door with the blue “C” hanging on it, I turned to Brian and said “I’m so glad this is our routine now. Out of all our routines, this is my favorite.” I was speaking about bedtime, of course. We started a bedtime routine probably around 10 weeks, if my foggy memory serves correct, and that routine involves both of us. It was a blessing that Caleb’s nursery in our previous apartment held a large comfy chair that we couldn’t move to a different space, so we had to make it work in the nursery along with the glider. We began to put him to bed together. One gets Caleb into jammies, the other picks out a book. We switch off who gets to read and do prayers. When Caleb needs his nails trimmed, Brian reads him a Winnie the Pooh book to distract him. Bath time is every other night, although with outside play starting up at school, it might need to be every day! We brush his mop of hair to fight the bedhead and he cuddles while he gets his story. 

We are blessed that our little boy has never fought bedtime. He gets his book, prayers, kisses and goes to bed with his pacifier and soft blankie. We always put him down on his back and now he rolls over onto his belly, tucks his knees under his tiny butt and goes quietly to sleep. 

And sometimes we end up like this.

His “home from school” routine has been the same for the past couple months. He gets his bottle right away and food afterward with Brian while I make our dinner. Now he’s at the point where he’s not starving when he gets, so I’m trying to institute more of a “family dinner.” Caleb sits between us in his high chair, so we’ll feed him while we eat our dinners. You can’t start them too early on family dinner, right? And so a new routine begins. 

I’m feeling especially thankful today for all our blessings. Caleb has been under the weather recently and last week his teachers felt that he was out of sorts enough to see a pediatrician. I’m thankful to have enough of a relationship with his school that I trust his teachers’ opinions. As it turned out, our pediatrician has evening hours, so we were able to get in a see a very sweet doctor. She confirmed that all in all, he’s fine and cleared him to attend to school. We also found out he’s gained a solid pound and a half in the past month, so I guess I’ll say I’m thankful for his continued growth! He’s 22lbs, 4 ounces now, if you’re keeping track. Only 12 pounds away from needing a new car seat!

Artwork comes home from school!