Flip book

Remember a few months ago when Owen went to the ZOO for the very first time? Well, I thought the animal pictures that Daddy took were way better than any animal book I've ever seen --so I waited for a coupon for flip books on Shutterfly and I made him an animal book to commemorate his very first trip to the zoo!

This way we can learn the animals together with REAL PICTURES!

Its stormy outside today so the light in here is terrible but I wanted to show you a few pictures of how it turned out. I would have like the writing to be bigger but this was as big as it would let me make it. I think it turned out great! I hope Owen likes it.

Also, does anyone know what sound the flamingo makes?

How Big is Owen?

SO BIG!

Tip Cup

We're trying to teach O how to drink from a sippy cup. We figured since he doesn't take a bottle anyway - we might as well skip that step all together. This is a pretty difficult concept for a munchkin who only drinks from a boob. You don't have to hold on to the boob (although he often does for funsies) and you don't have to tip it upside down for milk to come out. Oh, and the spout is different and mine aren't made of plastic.

I tried a cup last month and failed miserably. He didn't even want to play with it. The pediatrician suggested giving him one of the cheap disposable sippy cups with three open holes in the spout. This worked surprisingly well as a trainer. It was very messy rewarding because water instantly rushed into his mouth. We even tried it with breast milk a few times. The problem with those cups is that they are flimsy, too much liquid comes out at once and they don't have handles so he can't get a good grip on it. So we reintroduced the spouted cup with handles and its going MUCH better. He likes to drink water now, so I fill it with filtered water and keep it in the fridge (he likes to bite on the cold silicone top with his little tooth). I give it to him basically to play with it, but he is getting water out of it. We're having some leaking problems with the Nuby cup, so we grabbed a few different kinds to try. Overall he's doing really well. Sometimes he even (sort of) tips it up. That's a more advanced cup skill - so we'll keep working on it.

I think it's adorable, and I marvel at how smart this boy is but it kind of makes me sad that my little baby is growing up. Next thing you know he'll be naked in a quad of some college campus chugging a beer. All because I started him on a sippy cup. Then again, there will probably be boobs in the picture as well ;)

Ugh, this week STINKS

The poos are slowing down (I think) and I've been able to persuade Owen to eat some banana (by mixing it with pears. Pureed pears. The only solid food my son will consistently eat. I might as well be dumping pixie sticks down his throat. Oy.) Anyway, it seems to be firming up a bit - firming as in now the watery explosions are accompanied by tiny flecks of green that I have to use my fingernail to gently scrape off his bum. Progress? I think so. And that ends the graphic description of the contents of my son's diaper. He'll thank me one day.

In other news, our house (and all of Pennsylvania) has stink bugs. And to my credit, I actually used a dichotomous key to identify them - its almost like majored in biology or something? Apparently, these lovely flying pests are getting in through our window A/C units. They are about the size of a dime (some a nickle!) and I noticed a few here and there last week in Owen's room. Yesterday we found about a dozen of them in the living room and this morning at 6am, just as I finished feeding Owen - one flew into my hair. I was groggy and tired and wasn't wearing any pants. I jumped up and danced around frantically wagging my head like an 80's rock legend while screaming EW! EW! I HATE BUGS! EW! All the while I was scared to death I'd actually touch it with my hand. Luckily it landed on the boppy pillow and I mushed it with a baby wipe. Thankfully the shades were pulled. I'd hate to provide the neighbors with that kind of show free-of-charge, although Owen was VERY amused.

Apparently they are harmless, but I've contacted the landlord to remove the A/C units ASAP. Beacuse, BUGS! EW! These little bastards are hearty and crunchy but thankfully I've yet to smell anything when I kill them. Perhaps the effervescent scent of baby poop that permeates my nostrils has protected me from it.

And there you have it - the upside to six days of infant diarrhea.

Baby Diarrhea - Day 5

I've cleaned up enough poop in the last five days to fill the diaper Genie TWICE. It suffices to say, I'd even opt for a bout of constipation at this point, if nothing else, to give O's little red butt some time to heal. Yesterday it was two clothing changes before 10am and today - three huge explosions before 8:30am. How is there THAT much pooh in this little tiny boy?? The worst part is, I think he has belly cramps because he cries terribly before pushing it out.

Yesterday was a mess, poor little bug broke my heart with his crying in the morning (robbing us both of his most vocal and smiley time of the day). He was hysterical when I put him in his exersaucer in order to get myself some breakfast. I finally got him down for a nap around 11am, but at 12:45 he was in there screaming again. Owen takes a minimum 2 hr nap - so I knew that wasn't enough sleep for him. I scooped him up and laid him our bed with me. I sang to my sobbing boy and lightly tickled his face and hands until he fell asleep snuggled up next to me. I figured I could use the extra rest too so there we stayed all afternoon. He slept and occasionally woke to nurse on and off until 4pm when he woke up with rosey cheeks and a smile. I got him to eat some bananas and pears hoping to give these poohys some solidity. Then we walked to the park down the street and I swang (swung? what?) on a swing with him in the Ergo. He LOVED it. He even giggled if you can believe it. We took a walk and then came home to play a little before it was time for bath and bed. Owen nursed right to sleep at 8pm.

I called the pediatrician yesterday and they said not to worry so long as the diarrhea isn't accompanied by fever or vomiting. He is still nursing, although a little less than usual. The nurse said dehydration in a baby this age is measured by one pee every 8 hrs. That seemed odd to me, but O is wetting way more than that so that's not an issue. She said if he still has the diarrhea on Thursday I will need to bring him in, otherwise try to nurse and give a little water to keep him hydrated. She also suggested giving him probiotics - which we already do.

Lets hope this little stomach bug works itself out sooner than later, in meantime - I have some pooh laundry to do. Oy.

Daddy daycare

I had some minor surgery early Friday morning. Some post partum loveliness that didn't clear up and has been plaguing me ever since. I wanted to wait until we were more established with nursing before I went under anesthesia. I was pretty nervous about the procedure but even more about being away from Owen. Jeremy was able to get the day off work to be with me, but the hospital told us we couldn't bring baby O into the pre or post op area. It was actually nice that Jeremy is in the surgery department because we got  in early with a surgeon who was highly recommended and got to hand pick which residents scrubbed my case. We ended up leaving Owen with one of our new friends that we met from Temple. They live down the street and have a 6yr old and a 22 month old. I trust them completely (the husband is a pediatrician) but this was the first time we have ever left Owen with non-family. In anticipation of my surgery, I had been trying Owen with a bottle/sippy cup but he won't take either from me. When we dropped our boy off at 5am - we gave her frozen milk, some pears, a sleepy baby and a hefty dose of "good luck!" This was the longest we've ever been apart and it just broke my heart to leave him. I opted for a lighter sedation so that I could get back to my little one as soon as possible. When we arrived to pick him up, we were given a sparkling report. He took a bottle, ate the pears and took two naps! What a champ our little one.

The rest of Friday didn't go as well as the beginning. I was in quite a bit of pain, so I spent the afternoon/evening resting. I had to dump my first pumping, so Owen took a bottle from Daddy. Owen has another tooth coming in on the bottom, the gum is swollen right next to the first tooth that is already there so he's been a little irritable. On top of the teething he also had his first bout with diarrhea.We're not sure what he got the poops from, perhaps the frozen milk that had been transported from Dayton, but Daddy changed his clothes 6 times on Friday. Sunday night our boy was still poohing his brains out. Luckily, he nursed like a champ this weekend so there were no issues with dehydration. We'll keep an eye on him and also hope that little tooth pops through soon.

The face of a teething baby

The shirt says it all!

They make the same faces

Other than a little soreness, I'm on the mend. I'm hoping this turns out to be a permanent fix and we can put all of this behind us. It was so nice to have Jeremy home the last three days and despite the surgery/teething/baby diarrhea we got to just hang out as a family. I forgot how great it is to have help with Owen. He did a great job taking care of both of us.

First Trip to the ZOO

Today was a special treat for us - Daddy unexpectedly had the day off  and it was UPMC day at the ZOO! We took advantage of a gorgeous afternoon, enjoyed a picnic lunch and took lots of pictures with our long distance lens. Downside: Owen missed a few naps and although he was an angel while we were at the zoo - he got overtired and wouldn't go to sleep until almost 10pm. Our fault - but worth it!

The physician tent had a nice picnic lunch and cute activities for kids - they had safari hats and let the kiddos take a picture "driving" a cardboard safari truck. Owen is a GREAT driver ;)

The zoo was also celebrating the baby elephants 1st birthday - there was a birthday party with cake and ice cream. You could also get your picture taken with the elephant (the REAL elephant!) but the line was WAAAY to long to wait in with a tired baby. Owen was much happier just watching the other kids from inside his stroller.

Baby Owen is sucking his bottom lip in, we have another tooth on the way

Owen tries watermelon for the first time - it was a HIT! Great for a teething boy!

I'm sure this was the first of MANY more trips to the zoo for little O. We all had a great day and can't wait to go back when it's a little less crowded.

Family Weekend

This past weekend we had BEAUTIFUL weather - the very first taste of fall. We get very little time together as a family, so when the rare opportunity presents itself we've decided that no matter how high the laundry is piled, groceries need purchased or bathroom needs scrubbed - we are going to do something fun together.

If Jeremy isn't on call on the weekends he only has to round in the morning. Which means he goes in between 5-6am and gets home anywhere between 10:30am-1pm, depending on how many patients are on his service. That leaves the rest of the afternoon for us to be together! I scoped out some happening things going on in Pittsburgh and picked a few that we might like.

On Saturday, after Owen's nap we walked to an arts festival at a local park. We were decked out head to toe in our buckeye gear and attracted quite the array of comments. The funny thing is, if we were still in Ohio - we would have been wearing the same thing as everyone else! Owen enjoyed the ride in his stroller and spent the afternoon just kicking his feets and smiling away at everyone.

We came home and fired up the grill for some hot dogs and turkey burgers. Owen napped and we watched our Buckeyes WIN!

On Sunday, we debated what to do. Our budget is really tight so I always try to find free events for families but one of the things I came across was the Pittsburgh Irish Festival. The admission was pricey, so we debated going for a long while until we came to the conclusion that it was a beautiful day to be outside and we really like Celtic music so we were going to go for it. When we drove up we were disappointed to find it was $6 to park! We paid, but were really bummed about the extra cost.

We loaded O into the stroller and even swallowed our pride and dressed him in Steelers gear just to blend in. Just as Jeremy was headed to buy our tickets a lady approached me and asked if we needed tickets. I gestured that my husband was on his way to buy some and she told me she had two extra that she really didn't want to go to waste - AND SHE GAVE US FREE TICKETS!

We were so thankful to enjoy an entire afternoon of concerts for free! The weather was beautiful and there were lots of fun exhibits. I had some corned beef and cabbage and Jeremy had some "Irish Nachos" - we even shared a yummy waffle cone piled high with Apple Spice custard. Owen loves music so he had a great time. We even let him pick out which stages we would visit, because he is really good at "reading."

Happy, Happy Family Weekend!

A room of your own

When we brought Owen home from the hospital, I was obsessed with watching him breath (still am). The cosleeper was the perfect arrangement and Jeremy got me a video monitor for when we weren't with him. We both stare intently at it periodically, just to make sure his little chest is rising and falling as it should.  Owen preferred to sleep with white noise so we had a waves CD on repeat playing in our room. I bought a set of touch lamps for the nursery but we liked them so much that we also bought a set for our room. In order for me to see Owen at night, we kept the touch lamp on dim. My husband and I went from the couple who needed complete darkness and silence to sleep (we had blackout shades and used to complain that our fan made a hum or we could hear the cat walking) to new parents WHO SLEEP WITH THE LIGHT ON AND A WHITE NOISE CD PLAYING.

Teething has made a mess out of Owen's sleep schedule both during the day and at night. Nights have gotten particularly bad. We'll have three days in a row where he sleeps from 8pm-8am and the next night - hourly wakings. He's also caught onto the fact that Mama is in the bed right next to him and if he makes even the slightest peep, I scoop him up and feed him - usually half asleep. Three nights ago I was feeding him, both of us were pretty much asleep and he bit me. Sleeping Mama has SLOW reflexes so unlatching him was a sloppy mess. He didn't even wake up. I put him back in the cosleeper and then couldn't get back to sleep myself because my nipple felt like it had just been run through a paper shredder.

Two nights ago, his waking pattern went something like this 11p, 12a, 1a, 2a, 245a and by the time the 245a cries started I realized - Owen wants to sleep with me now. Who wouldn't want to nuzzle up close to Mama and dine at the 24 hour milky buffet? And while this is lovely for some people, I cannot do it. I cannot fully relax and sleep when O is actually in the bed with me, not to mention balancing on my side to offer him food but not suffocate him ;)  Our bed is just too high off the ground and full of a VERY, VERY tired Daddy. Not the place for a rolly, wiggly baby.

So last night I knew I would have to transition him to the nursery. For the better part of the last six months the crib has served as a glorified play pen and laundry basket. Owen has been taking naps in there for a few weeks now, but has never slept in there overnight.  Until last night. All day I was dreading bedtime. I used to look forward to putting him down in the cosleeper and then climbing into bed next to him a few hours later. I looked forward to our night feedings, when it was just he and I - warm and cuddly. But last night was different. I nursed him to sleep in the glider and carefully laid him down in his crib. I sang him his prayers and just stared at my dreamy boy. He looked so small in that big huge crib I just wanted to climb in next to him and snuggle him up.

I put the touch lamp on dim in his nursery and turned on the air purifier to provide a soft hum of white noise for him. I lifted him out at 11:30pm for his dream feed and he didn't even open his eyes - just nursed happily in his sleep and snuggled back down on his mattress. I climbed into bed and stared at the empty cosleeper. Jeremy was on call so the room was extra empty. I kept the dim light on, because I didn't have the heart to turn it off. I was even tempted to turn on the white noise CD but the hum from the video monitor on my nightstand helped cut the silence. My heart was so sad that this era was over, I missed having him there beside me. I had every intention of transitioning him to his own room at four months, but I just never got around to it as time passed, I grew to love having him there more and more. I knew he was telling me that he was ready for his big boy room, but I WASN'T READY. I have slept with my son next to me for six and a half months. Every single night of his life I was within arms reach, and now, walls - WALLS AND DOORS between us! I sobbed myself to sleep last night and my baby slept peacefully until 5:30am. As soon as I heard a peep out of him, I rushed in and scooped him up. I changed his diaper and brought him into bed with me for his morning feeding. Back to sleep we went, snuggling soundly until 8am.

I know some of you may be reading this thinking that babies sleep in nurseries all the time or more so that babies BELONG in a nursery - but having Owen in our room always just felt right to us. I am thankful that I have the most supportive husband who never pushed and has done so many things to accommodate my crazy new Mama tendencies. This afternoon when he came home from work I told him Owen slept through the night in the nursery. I also confessed that I cried myself to sleep with the light on. This was his reply,

"Our boy seems to be amazing at raising himself. Nipple shield - done. Swaddling - done. Cosleeper - done. Is there anything we can actually take credit for? I think this one was harder on you than it was on him."

This one was definitely harder on me. I can't breath in his sweet baby smell in the middle of the night anymore and his little smile isn't the first thing I see when I open my eyes each morning.  But if there is one thing we've learned about our son it's that he determines when he will do things - no matter how ready (or not ready) we are. I know he won't always sleep through the night and he will still call out for me if he is hungry. We have more teething and growth spurts to look forward to and something tells me there might be nights that he revisits the cosleeper. But for now, I am trying to focus on the fact that this is providing more (quality) sleep for both of us and a more rested Mama is a better Mama for Owen. And now I can look forward to his first morning whimpers when I wrap him up in my arms and bring him to bed with me to finish out our slumber together. One day I will tell him the story about what a sap his Mama is and how having him sleep next to us changed us forever.

I'm off to join Jeremy in bed, he's sleeping soundly - with the light on.

Game Day

I found this little gem on our way home from Temple this week.

  There's hope for Pittsburgh after all ;)

Go Buckeyes!

Our Little Monkey

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Whoever said this, did not have children because the more things change - the more NOTHING is the same. Each month with Owen brings new patterns, new cries, new sounds, new sleep preferences, new EVERYTHING.  And just when I think I've got him figured out something *new* happens and sends it all out of whack.

We used to hold him like a baby. Now he wants to either sit up by himself or have us help him "stand."

I had him on a great schedule at 3 months made even better by his sleeping through the night. And then, a growth spurt. We've never seen that same schedule again.

He used to sleep quietly, swaddled with his head turned to his left side. Month five, no more swaddles and he now sleeps on his tummy.

Teething has thrown a wrench in just about everything involving eating and sleeping. We take it day-by-day and see if it's a good day or a teething day. On teething days he either doesn't care much for eating - or he wants to nurse all day for comfort. Afternoon naps are usually a mess and night wakings frequent.

He likes different toys now.

He startles easily. I can't eat sun chips anymore because he HATES the bag and he's scared of the food processor so I can only make his food at night after he goes to bed.

He's grown out of most of his six month clothing and fits snugly in his nine month jammies.

He's outgrowing his sink bathtub and none of his socks fit.

He holds on to me when I pick him up.

He looks towards the door when he wakes up from his naps.

He babbles, yells and screeches really loud when he starts to get tired. He also rubs his eyes.

He loves it when I whisper in his ear - specially when I say "the bumble bee goes bzzt bzzt bzzt"

He pumps his left leg really fast while he's eating. 

He lets me rock him to sleep sometimes.

Last week he loved pears. He hasn't opened his mouth to the spoon in two days.

He gets cuter by the minute.

I have always hated change and had a strong affinity for organization and routine - but with Owen nothing stays the same and we have no set schedule. I've learned to breath deeply and let our days evolve organically. I try not to be disappointed when I don't get anything done around the house and remember to enjoy our time together just he and I. Very soon he will discover his independence and not want to snuggle Mama all day long. I will spend my entire life trying to figure him out, what scares him, what comforts him, what makes him happy. And the one thing that stays the same is how very much I love and adore this boy.

The car seat laxative effect

Owen finally stopped screaming when I put him in the car seat. Now he plays happily and QUIETLY in the back seat with Sophie the giraffe while POOPING IN THE CAR SEAT. 

EVERY TIME. Like clockwork. We get him all dressed and looking presentable to go to the grocery/playgroup/friends house/restaurant/Target and by the time we've reached our destination there is a GIANT MESS waiting for us in the backseat (see post about 6 month doctor visit if you don't believe me.) The seat must position the blow-hole in such a way that we usually get a nice spray right up the back, through the onesie and onto whatever he WAS wearing that day. Then we're forced to awkwardly change him in the backseat, which proved much easier when he was just a tiny cub, and put on his "back-up" outfit. Back-up outfits are whatever I have lying around the house, and are usually clothes that are a little too small or just plain ugly. It's a BACK-UP outfit right? We wouldn't want a super cute ensemble rotting away in the diaper bag, now would we? Except for now, the "back-up" outfit 9 times out of 10 is the outfit he ends up wearing to where ever it is we're going. So now my kid is either wearing something that's too small, hideously ugly or in today's case - out of season. NOTE TO SELF: Pack nicer back-up outfits.

After numerous embarrassing accidents in public we finally caught on to his shenanigans and now before we want to leave the house - we do a trial run in the car seat.We strip him down to diaper or his diaper and a onesie, plop him down in the seat and tell him we're going somewhere - somewhere really NICE. Jeremy suggested wrapping his lower half in a plastic Walmart bag to avoid having to clean the car seat. I don't think plastic bags and babies go together all that well, so we just watch him real close and as soon as we're a "go" we scoop him up and rush him to the changing table before it has time to soak into the seat.

We don't even have to buckle him in anymore. We usually have pooh-city in less than a minute. And if you don't believe me, I caught the little devil on tape last week. Note the leg straightening, he's almost too busy with his "business" to smile at me. Also, some people need a magazine to pass the time - my kid needs a rubber zoo animal.

By the time this video was finished we had a FULL diaper. If this isn't the beginnings of a potty-training champion, I don't know what is.  My proudest moments are defined by my ability to limit public embarrassment with my child. This is a success.

...unless it's a double poop day.

L'Shana Tova!

We are thrilled to be celebrating Rosh Hashanah as a family. This past year has brought many blessings, but most of all, it brought baby Owen safely into our lives. We pray for another fruitful year filled with love and family.

Yesterday, Jeremy had the day off so we all got dressed up for temple together. We walked to services and Owen did a great job being quiet and charming the pants off the old ladies behind him until it neared his bedtime and he wanted to eat and go to sleep. Our little family of three slipped out early and walked home, enjoying the beautiful weather.

All dressed up for the very first time

 

After Owen was asleep Jeremy and I had homemade Matzo ball soup! Jeremy did a wonderful job making it - it was delicious. We said some prayers and enjoyed some fresh honey crisp apples from a local food stand dipped in honey as we prayed for a sweet new year!

Happy New Year!

Six month toes