A week of firsts

We had two firsts this week that I would have been happy to avoid altogether. Oh well, they won't be lasts, either.

First, Kiddo got sick.

I felt so bad for him. He felt lousy, lousy, lousy. This was evidenced by the fact that he simply lay on my chest without moving for hours at a time.

Second, Inexperienced Dad and I both got sick, along with a house guest of ours. Somehow we missed the memo that only one of should be allowed to get sick at a time. The only way we are surviving at all is because of a dear friend who came over and cleaned up throw-up for us and another who took kiddo all day today so we could sleep. They were two angels of mercy, who made this so much more do-able.

Tender mercies indeed.

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Waxing Nostalgic (already)

By now you know that kiddo is going to be a big brother. I keep looking in stores for a cute t-shirt or onesie that says "big brother" but I haven't found it yet. Probably because Kiddo is still wearing 12-mo or smaller clothes. Oh well. Maybe when Baby2 comes along and Kiddo is 15 months old we'll be able to find something in his size.

They say that kids grow up fast. You see the commercials about how life comes at you fast. The parents put the baby in the car seat and then when they get in the front seat of the car, the baby in the car seat is now a teenager. I always thought the ads were kind of cute, but mostly hyperbole that I didn't believe or couldn't relate to.

Now I'm looking at Kiddo at 9 months and I'm thinking: "holy cow."

Most of you are parents, so you've long understood the realizations that I'm having as Kiddo hits 3/4 of a year old. Our little boy with the toothless smile is no more. Now he's got two bottom teeth and four ones coming in on the top. (As an aside, I have to say I feel bad for the poor kid. The first tooth ruptured on July 4th. Now, barely two months later, he's about to rupture the sixth tooth. I thought they were supposed to come at a rate of one a month?) Kiddo is crawling vigorously across the floor and pulls himself up on anything he can grab. He stands on two wobbly legs, and turns like he wants to walk away, and I'm afraid that all too soon he will.

My kid is only 9 months old, and I'm waxing nostalgic.

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What secret?

Last night I inadvertently shared a secret with my whole ward (i.e. church congregation). Me and my stinking big mouth.

We had a ward fireside and the speaker asked for a volunteer to help read a scripture. C and I were sitting on the second row, and she raised her hand. The speaker had her come up and stand next to him so she could be heard by the whole congregation. It became apparent that he intended for C to stay up there reading scriptures and writing on the chalk board, so a member of the ward leadership brought up a chair for C to sit on between readings.

The speaker quipped, "Why does she get a chair to sit on and I don't."

Without thinking, I blurted out, "Because she is expecting."

I think only about 3 people in the room knew the information before my little outburst.

What a way to make a public announcement. :) I guess since all my neighbors know now, we might as well tell all of you too!!

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Off to the Big Apple

Yesterday I sent C and Kiddo off to the Big Apple. It was an interesting experience. They have gone places before (most notably twice to see C's parents in California), but this time was different for me.

Maybe Kiddo and I are more alike than I realized: I think I had a bit of separation anxiety.

C needed to go to New York for job training. She got a new job where she will be rating English oral proficiency for ESL learners. It's a great opportunity for her: it is in her field (recently she got her MA in second language acquisition), it pays well, and she will be able to work from home. The work is computer-based, so she can do it whenever she has time; she's not tied to a clock. It really is a great opportunity for her.

So yesterday they left. They flew to Minneapolis where they met C's mom (who had flown in from California), then together the three of them continued on to New York. On the second flight, C took this picture. Grandma is the woman in the picture.

The flight wasn't very full, so Kiddo got to sit in his own seat. Doesn't he look so big? Can you believe he is only just over seven months old?

Man time is flying by.

So I'm a lone man in the wilderness. I'm driving down to St. George this weekend for a relative's baby blessing. I really would love to have gone with them, but somebody has to stay home and earn the Big Bucks.

Plus, in two weeks we get to leave for a two week trip to Palmyra, Toronto, Niagra Falls, Kirkland, and Nauvoo. I've only been at my job for less than a year, so I can't really take the whole month of July off.

On an interesting side note, it is funny how when you read the blogs of people online you start to think of them as your friends, yet these bloggers practically don't even know you exist. I realized this when I told C that she should look up Kage from Tales from the Crib and Glass Posse. Then I realized that might be really weird. What would you do? Leave a comment on her blog... "Hey we're going to be in NYC and wanted to know if you wanted visitors"? That's kind of creepy.

So I guess C and Kiddo and Grandma will have to brave the NY scene on their own. I hear they are having a great time. Time for me to get back to the business of the Big Bucks.

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A new era begins

A new era begins in Kiddo's life today. Okay, that's maybe a bit melodramatic, but I've been saving up <grin>.

Today we discovered that Kiddo's first tooth has broken through the gums.

C noticed it after the barbecue we had at my mom's house. We were standing around getting ready to leave when Kiddo grabbed C's finger and shoved it in his mouth, then bit it.

I tried to take some pictures, but Kiddo wasn't about to have any of that.

After the magic of the moment had passed, I found myself wondering just how much this tooth was going to cost somebody over the coming years.

The tooth will require semi-annual checkups over the course of his life. Then there is the toothpaste and toothbrushes needed to keep it healthy. Occasionally there may be a cavity to fill and braces required to keep it looking pretty. Sometime in about five years he'll probably lose it and the Tooth Fairy will have to fork overt the then-going-rate.

Then I realized that these are just the baby teeth. This particular tooth won't be all that expensive after all.

Well, I guess we'll hold out on judgment until we get the bill from the Tooth Fairy.

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Would you like some advice with that salad?

So today I was out for lunch with a friend and I forgot to bring any toys for Kiddo to play with. I'll chalk that up to being new at the "busy boy" stage.

Anyways. I gave Kiddo a napkin to tear and chew (which if you asked him, he would prefer to the toy any day). I am chatting away and the man from the next table came over to me and told me that Kiddo was going to choke on the napkin if he tried to swallow. I thanked him for his attention.

Now I wasn't really offended. I will admit that I had been chatting more than I had been paying attention to the chewing of the napkin. And I did pull quite a wad out of his mouth. I rummaged around in the diaper bag and found Kiddo's sunglasses. He promptly took them of his head and played happily.

And then our concerned neighbor came over again to let me know that Kiddo was poking his eye with the sunglasses. I smiled and said, "I guess he'd better learn not to do that pretty quick." In my defense, they were child sunglasses and not particularly pointy. Kiddo is also getting coordinated enough that I'm not too worried about him accidentally gouging out his eyes.

Again I was not too offended. But later in the meal I did check to see if our neighbor was still there before I gave Kiddo the straw to play with. Maybe I should be more concerned about these things. Or maybe my neighbor should be less concerned. Who knows?

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Job Satisfaction

I love being a mom! I really do. I always thought I would love being a mom, but I am still somewhat surprised that the whole thing hasn't overwhelmed me. Of course, I'm only six months and 1 kiddo into the process, so maybe I'm just naive... On the other hand, I am hopefully learning things at a pace that will keep up with the challenges in parenting.

Some of the things that have allowed me to not get overwhelmed:

1. A wonderful, supportive husband. There is not enough space on this blog for me to explain how wonderful he is in supporting me at this mother thing. Suffice it to say he is the best dad/husband we could ask for.
2. I have ample opportunities to get out and do other things. I get to do tutoring a few days a week, I get out on my own every couple of days, etc.
3. I have many other things to focus on. Things which make mothering not as intense, but that don't distract me for long periods of time: I volunteer with a youth exchange program, with our church, etc.
4. I have absolutely the cutest little boy there is!
   

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Home Sweet Home

We just returned from a week long trip visiting the relatives. It was an 11-hour drive each way so I was a bit nervous to see how Kiddo would do.

He did great.

On the way there we drove much of the night and then slept in the car for a few hours before completing the last bit across the border. While Kiddo didn't love sleeping in his car seat, he did sleep quite well in our arms! =)

He took the change in schedule, unfamiliar surroundings, and many new faces right in stride. He charmed everyone, including his own parents.

He even made the mostly day trip home in good spirits; especially if someone was sitting next to him in the back seat.

I am glad to be back and on a bit more normal schedule, but we had a wonderful time and truly enjoyed all the relatives!

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He IS a cute little boy

Check out this video of our adorable little boy...

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Catching up

I know, I know! I am not behind, I am just getting started. But still... it is easy to feel a bit behind when you can't figure out what to eat or wear because grocery shopping and laundry haven't been done in at least forty-eleven weeks.

So, to catch up, I ...

• Went shopping for two hours in three stores (sans dh and kiddo) to buy ingredients for 7 recipes, each of which is at least doubled for the freezer

• Cooked one of the recipes furiously

• Wore the same clothes I wore yesterday so I that I would at least be covered while Kiddo and I
  

• Went to the Zoo for the whole afternoon and
  

• Left a whole pile of dirty dishes and piles of laundry

If you ask me, the Zoo was the best part.

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Reflections of a Happy Mother's Day

As you know, today was Mother's Day. I wanted to write a great post in advance that would be posted on Mother's Day morning. But, as has been characteristic for me lately, I didn't get it done. Happy Mother's Day anyway, sweetheart! (However, bloggerland, rest assured that this is not my first such profession today...)

I know I've been conspicuously absent recently. I guess it is even more conspicuous since I figured out how to make the posts automatically shade based on the post author. There have been a lot of pink posts in a row now. I'll try to get some more blue posts in once in a while. :)

Since it is Mother's Day evening now, I thought I'd share with you a couple of reflections from a happy Mother's Day.


First, this morning I got up early to get things ready for Mother's Day. Well, I didn't really pick the time, but Kiddo did. He was ready to get up before seven o'clock, but his momma wasn't quite ready, and asked for fifteen more minutes. So Kiddo and I went into the living room, and shut the bedroom door.

We started by wrapping a couple of presents, and signing the cards. Then, when that was done, we sat and played for a few minutes. I sat with him on my lap for a while, and I watched him observe the world around him. I am amazed at how observant he seems to be. He is funny in that when somebody is holding him, he can sometimes practically ignore the person who holds him up, while he looks at everything and everybody else. It is funny; if C is holding him, he will all-but ignore her and watch me. She passes him to me, and the same thing, but in reverse.

As I watched him ignore me this morning, it occurred to me that this is a metaphor for the future. Today he stands on my lap (with help), or sits on my knee, and because of me, he is able to have a better view of his surroundings. There will come a time when the possibilities of the world are open to him. He will stand on the shoulders of his parents as we stand on the shoulders of our own parents, and on down the generations, each generation benefiting from the sacrifices, hard work, and accomplishments of the one previous.

He may not be aware of the benefit of the vantage point he gains because of his parents influence, but as I watched him this morning, my appreciation grew for my own mother and father, upon whose shoulders I stand today, who gave me so many opportunities and advantages in the world.

In particular, this Mother's Day, we honor our mothers, whose love, dedication, and sacrifices have greatly enhanced our lives, but also allow us to provide an even firmer foundation for our children. Thank you, on behalf of ourselves and our posterity. Your sacrifices are not in vain, nor are they unappreciated, even if they seem unnoticed.

Another reflection I had today occurred as I wrestled with our five-month-old during Church. Some days he is calm and well-behaved. Today he was restless. He didn't want to be held, and he didn't want to be laid down. He was tired, but didn't want me to put him to sleep. I gained a greater appreciation for what C goes through all day long. It's not that I've not thought about it before, but after even a single hour of wrestling with him, I was ready for a break. I'm amazed that C is cheerful and does it for 9 hours in a row while I'm at work. She really is a wonderful woman. I can't believe I'm so lucky to have her as the mom of our family. C, you are an angel, and I love you desperately. You are the love of my life.

Happy Mother's Day. To C, to my mom, my mother-in-law, and to all women everywhere. You deserve to be celebrated everyday, but I'm glad we set aside a day especially to do it as well.

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The Million Dollar Smile

Kiddo smiles a lot. At everyone he meets. It appears that he likes to smile. I would go so far as to say that he loves to smile. But in all reality, it is my opinion that what he loves is the reaction he gets from people when he smiles. He seems to have learned that smiling at people universally results in a return smile.

What is especially cute now is that he seems to be differentiating between people he knows (large unreserved smiles, often squeals of delight) and people he is meeting (slightly hesitant, waiting for a response). It is so fun to watch him interact.

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It is beginning....

Today I left Kiddo on the floor while I worked on a project a few footsteps away. I looked up after just moments and he had moved about 3 ft. to go after a container of wipes.

I'm not sure what the allure of wipes is, but I believe it is the belief that wipes belong to the set of objects called Not Toys. Did Kiddo roll from back to front the first time for a toy? No, it was for a plastic bag. Does a lost toy prompt to wiggle across the bed? No, it is an open book.

Given that our bottom shelves are currently filled with Not Toys, I'm giving them about 2 weeks.

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Graduation

Sorry we've been a bit quiet over here. Things sure aren't quiet in real life!

Today I graduated with my Master of Arts degree!!!!!!!! I am so excited for this milestone. It has been a long road (sometimes quite bumpy), but one I would not trade for anything.

I am so happy and proud of the things that have happened these last few months. I think this picture about sums it up for me...

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Matters of the Head and Heart

Some things I know with my head but don't always know with my heart (or show by my actions)...

1) Things always look better in the morning (though lately a few hours of sleep will do the trick).

2) I always feel better once I have gotten out of bed.

3) I am always happier when I do the chore instead of avoiding it by taking a "much needed" break.

4) As a parent, I can only influence by my actions and decisions, not guarantee.

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The Physical and Spiritual

I've been reading the most recent issue of Segullah, which is dedicated to the topic of our mortal tabernacles. The essays are thoughtful and inspiring. And so I have been thinking about bodies.

One of the things I think is most amazing about my physical body is what it has taught me about my spirit. I am able to understand the spiritual concepts that run parallel to hunger, feasting, being filled, etc. because of my bodily experiences.

When I was pregnant I remember being at times consumed with concern for the physical well-being of the child I was carrying. As I contemplated all the possibilities for physical impairment, it came to me that none of them matter, so long as the spirit remains healthy. That provided great comfort and strengthened my faith in an eternal purpose for life.

Now that Kiddo is here and healthy, I find myself very watchful of his physical well-being: I guard his naps, I watch for any signs of illness, I closely track his bodily functions. The question then arises: Am I (will I be) as careful with his spiritual health?

Will I guard his opportunities for feeling the spirit? Will I be aware of the symptoms of spiritual illness? Will I keep track of his spiritual growth?

I hope so.

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The Power of Example

Last night as we watched the news, a local news story showed store surveillance camera footage of a purse snatching caught on tape. Typically, such an occurrence wouldn't make the 10 o'clock news, but this one did because as the thief stole the purse, she was reprimanding a young child saying, "Get back here Chrissy! No. That is not yours."

Do as I say, not as I do, eh?

The video is astonishing, really. Here you have a young child, and presumably, her mother. While the mother is stealing somebody's purse, she is telling her child not to take what isn't hers.

Example is a powerful teacher. Much more powerful than words alone. This is just one case in point.

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Do you ever stop wondering...

Do you ever stop wondering if your baby is breathing? Am I more paranoid than most parents, since Kiddo is now more than four months old and I still wonder if he is breathing in his crib?

Am I weird?

My guess is that this is still pretty normal for a first-time-dad of a 4-month-old. Then again, maybe it isn't and I'm an irrational freak. I can live with that.

In any case, my feelings of discomfort have heightened since Kiddo has started sleeping longer at night (some nights).

Last week there was a night when Kiddo ate and went to bed at about 7:30 PM. We didn't hear from him until around 3:30 AM. That was an eight hour stretch. I had to get up sometime after 1:00 to go into his room to make sure he was okay. Sure enough, he was just sleeping. I went back to bed convinced that he was seconds away from waking up, but he slept like two more hours.

When Kiddo was first born, I wasn't sure I could handle the stress of him waking up every couple of hours. Now I wonder if I can handle him sleeping through it!

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How Hypnobabies Worked for Me

The first post in this series

The second post in this series

I started into labor on a Thursday evening. DH and I taught a class that night together, which turned out to be really handy. First, it kept my mind occupied for a couple of hours. Second, there was a clock in the back of the classroom and that made it really easy to keep track of my contractions. By the time we left for the 40 minute drive home, they were about 5-6 minutes apart. I was kind of bummed because it was a week before my due date and I had just turned in my thesis the Monday of that week. That meant I had not yet done the other things I had wanted to do to prepare for Kiddo's birth: a haircut, an eyebrow wax, and a pedicure. So on the way home from our class we stopped for a late night haircut at a friend's house.

The contractions continued through the night and I felt in control of my body for all of that time. I use the relaxation techniques to stay on top of the contractions all through the next morning. Finally around noon, I decided to go to the hospital instead of to my pedicure appointment. I couldn't resist stopping off to have my eyebrows waxed on the way though.

I guess all that is a pretty good indication as to how well I was doing through early labor. Once at the hospital, they checked me in and decided this was it. After a bit I went ahead and used the CD track intended for labor (as opposed to preparation for labor). It was about an hour long and it really helped me to focus and shut off for a while. I got to use a spa tub and that helped as well.

Unfortunately, it was about this time that the nurse started showing concern that the baby wasn't responding like (s)he should. When she started talking about internal monitoring, I started to feel a bit of panic. I started to realize that we could end up having a C-section and I knew I would be much happier having already had the epidural in for that to happen. In addition, I was getting to a point where I felt I was barely handling the contractions and the thought of having my membranes ruptured artificially and the monitors inserted was more than I could handle. So I had the epidural put in.

Long story short, I did end up having a C-section, for which I am very grateful as it most likely saved our little boy's life.

Coming soon..."Final Reflections on a Hypnobabies birth".

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Preparing for a Hypnobabies Birth or How I took a 35 minute nap each day and counted it for practice in labor

The first post in this series

No joke -- just as finished my last post, the CD player (set to random) flipped over to a Hypnobabies CD left in there from before Kiddo's birth. In an instant, I was transported back to the weeks before Kiddo was born...

I decided rather late in my pregnancy to go the hypnobabies route, so my CDs came with the instruction to do two exercises a day. Each one lasted about 30 minutes which meant an hour of my day needed to go to the course. This was somewhat trying for me as I was working gangbusters on my thesis at the time and trying to complete it before Kiddo's birth. On the other hand, it was nice to have a planned time to relax.

So I dutifully began practice in relaxation and self-hypnosis. I did really well for the first few weeks. I was amazed at how good I got at relaxing and turning my body off. When the task turned from just relaxing to learning how to get up and walk around while in a self-hypnotized state,I kind of fell off of my practice schedule. I never really got well practiced in the later techniques, but I did get pretty good at relaxing and doing it very quickly.

I thought I had pretty good memories of the course, but when the CD came up after my last post, and I heard the voice of the guide and the start up music, I had a rush of odd emotions, not all of which were positive.

Up next..."How Hypnobabies Worked for Me"

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