Last night, while watching Andrew roll over, I had a moment of panic that he was growing up too fast. Soon he'll be crawling. Then he'll be talking. Then he'll be a teenager!!
*sigh*
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Falcon Football
On Sept 10, we went to the Air Force vs. TCU football game, Andrew's first Falcons game outside of the womb. The game was not even close - a worse loss than we were expecting. But a good time was still had by all: tailgating, seeing old football friends, sitting in player guest seats (super thanks to C1C Ross!), and going down on the field afterwards. We sure missed Uncle Tyler and Aunt(-to-be) Monique, though!!
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| Aunt Maggie gave us this tshirt in the 6 month size. It is already too small. Oops. |
Friday, September 9, 2011
Rollin'
I've been meaning to update on how we're doing with baby-parenting and development, and today, Andrew gave me a reason. That's right folks, after working on it for a long time, our boy rolled over from his back to his front this evening. It was before his bath, stripped down to his diaper. Free of clothes, he finally got his hip over the top and his shoulder to follow. As the icing on the cake, he got his arm pulled out from underneath him, too. Here he is post-roll, looking very proud of himself:
I tried to take a video, but as it was rather late, he seemed to only give half-hearted attempts at it after his first success. We're still a ways away from rolling front to back, but this was just awesome. And I'm so thankful that he did it for the first time when I was here - one of my greatest fears about working is missing his developmental milestones.
Also today, before we knew it was going to be such a momentous occasion, we tried out the high chair for the first time. He did pretty well with it, buckled in and propped up by a pillow, and seemed to enjoy the view. So exciting!! He looks like a big boy.
My mommy moment of the day was that after i came home from work I nursed him, and he dozed off. When I shifted a little he opened his eyes, smiled at me a sweet, sleepy smile, then closed his eyes and drifted back off. So lovely.
So what else can I tell you? Andrew is 19 weeks old, and according to The Wonder Weeks, we are smack in the middle of the 19-week developmental leap. Rolling is most certainly a part of it, but it seems like he's adding new tricks every day. A couple weeks ago he started blowing raspberries. He's grabbing things with both hands, and has much better aim when reaching for things. In the bath, he puts his arms and legs under the stream of water I pour from a cup, and then he twists around to watch me move the cup above his head to wet his hair. He's smiling almost constantly now, and talking a lot. He hasn't *really* laughed yet, but he reacts when tickled and the laugh is almost there. I think he's starting to respond to his name, though Travis thinks he's just responding to someone talking at all.
Of course, along with the leap comes some clingy-ness - he's had a couple of days of not wanting to be put down... ever. Last weekend in Wyoming, he decided he didn't like to be alone in the backseat because he couldn't see us, and so he started crying every time we rode in the car for more than 5 minutes (which, when you are visiting Wyoming national parks, is a lot). It's also been interrupting his sleep.
He had started at 12 weeks sleeping one long block of 5-6 hours followed by 3 hrs followed by 1-2 hours and up for the day. He did that for about 2.5 weeks before getting totally messed up again by what I presume to be the four month sleep regression, combined with my going back to work. Now, he is sort of back to that schedule, where he feeds at those two times, but he also wakes up 1-3 more times in there and needs to be resettled with a pacifier and soothing.
To handle this sleep schedule and me going back to work, Travis is "taking the first shift" by sleeping on the futon on the floor in Andrew's room with him in the crib until 1:30am or the wakeup thereafter, while I crash in the other room and get real sleep. Then, I go in to feed him and go back to sleep on the futon, either taking Andrew with me or putting him back in the crib, depending on his mood and willingness to sleep, while Travis gets the quiet room. So far it's working really nicely - I am getting the best sleep I have gotten since his birth. I'm hoping he'll come out of this sleep regression and get back to more consistent blocks, but we're up for teething next, and then the 26 week developmental leap, so... possibly I shouldn't hold my breath.
Speaking of my going back to work, it's going pretty well for me. I'm reminded how much I do like my job, and I like the people, so it's not difficult to be there. I miss Andrew, but I don't spend all day wishing I were home. I'm pumping like a fiend three times a day, and most days I pump a whole extra feeding's worth to stock in the freezer, so my supply seems really good.
Travis is doing really well with the daddy-care. He spends a lot of time playing, and Andrew eats and sleeps well most days. It remains to be seen how long we'll continue with this arrangement, but for now it's so great that the boys get to hang together.
I really like Andrew's one day a week at in-home day care, and it's not as scary as I feared. The care provider wears him a lot in her Baby Bjorn, and she shares a lot of the same ideas about parenting as I do - she lays off the pacifier except for naps, is experienced with handling breastmilk, etc. The kids at the day care really love him and he revels in the attention.
Breastfeeding continues to go well, even with the four-month distractability. He's more efficient about it, and has way better head and body control, so we've given up the Boppy for nursing. I love the bonding aspects of it and the way we reconnect after I get home from work. I can definitely see continuing to nurse for quite a long time. Like I said, I'm pumping and that's working out. Andrew takes the bottle from daddy very well.
Next up in terms of feeding for us is Baby Led Weaning - this is where you skip pureed food altogether, and let baby have solid foods when he is able to and has the interest to feed it to himself. I've offered him a slice of lemon and a stem of broccoli in the last two weeks, and they both ended up simply pushed around the table. So... not ready for food yet. But soon.
At any rate, he's doing just fine on mama's milk. He's entirely skipped the 6 month clothing size and jumped straight from 3 months to nine months. And his arms are even a little long for some of the 9 month stuff. His daddy says, "Welcome to my world!"
They are right when they say it goes fast. He seems so grown up already.
I tried to take a video, but as it was rather late, he seemed to only give half-hearted attempts at it after his first success. We're still a ways away from rolling front to back, but this was just awesome. And I'm so thankful that he did it for the first time when I was here - one of my greatest fears about working is missing his developmental milestones.
Also today, before we knew it was going to be such a momentous occasion, we tried out the high chair for the first time. He did pretty well with it, buckled in and propped up by a pillow, and seemed to enjoy the view. So exciting!! He looks like a big boy.
My mommy moment of the day was that after i came home from work I nursed him, and he dozed off. When I shifted a little he opened his eyes, smiled at me a sweet, sleepy smile, then closed his eyes and drifted back off. So lovely.
So what else can I tell you? Andrew is 19 weeks old, and according to The Wonder Weeks, we are smack in the middle of the 19-week developmental leap. Rolling is most certainly a part of it, but it seems like he's adding new tricks every day. A couple weeks ago he started blowing raspberries. He's grabbing things with both hands, and has much better aim when reaching for things. In the bath, he puts his arms and legs under the stream of water I pour from a cup, and then he twists around to watch me move the cup above his head to wet his hair. He's smiling almost constantly now, and talking a lot. He hasn't *really* laughed yet, but he reacts when tickled and the laugh is almost there. I think he's starting to respond to his name, though Travis thinks he's just responding to someone talking at all.
Of course, along with the leap comes some clingy-ness - he's had a couple of days of not wanting to be put down... ever. Last weekend in Wyoming, he decided he didn't like to be alone in the backseat because he couldn't see us, and so he started crying every time we rode in the car for more than 5 minutes (which, when you are visiting Wyoming national parks, is a lot). It's also been interrupting his sleep.
He had started at 12 weeks sleeping one long block of 5-6 hours followed by 3 hrs followed by 1-2 hours and up for the day. He did that for about 2.5 weeks before getting totally messed up again by what I presume to be the four month sleep regression, combined with my going back to work. Now, he is sort of back to that schedule, where he feeds at those two times, but he also wakes up 1-3 more times in there and needs to be resettled with a pacifier and soothing.
To handle this sleep schedule and me going back to work, Travis is "taking the first shift" by sleeping on the futon on the floor in Andrew's room with him in the crib until 1:30am or the wakeup thereafter, while I crash in the other room and get real sleep. Then, I go in to feed him and go back to sleep on the futon, either taking Andrew with me or putting him back in the crib, depending on his mood and willingness to sleep, while Travis gets the quiet room. So far it's working really nicely - I am getting the best sleep I have gotten since his birth. I'm hoping he'll come out of this sleep regression and get back to more consistent blocks, but we're up for teething next, and then the 26 week developmental leap, so... possibly I shouldn't hold my breath.
Speaking of my going back to work, it's going pretty well for me. I'm reminded how much I do like my job, and I like the people, so it's not difficult to be there. I miss Andrew, but I don't spend all day wishing I were home. I'm pumping like a fiend three times a day, and most days I pump a whole extra feeding's worth to stock in the freezer, so my supply seems really good.
Travis is doing really well with the daddy-care. He spends a lot of time playing, and Andrew eats and sleeps well most days. It remains to be seen how long we'll continue with this arrangement, but for now it's so great that the boys get to hang together.
I really like Andrew's one day a week at in-home day care, and it's not as scary as I feared. The care provider wears him a lot in her Baby Bjorn, and she shares a lot of the same ideas about parenting as I do - she lays off the pacifier except for naps, is experienced with handling breastmilk, etc. The kids at the day care really love him and he revels in the attention.
Breastfeeding continues to go well, even with the four-month distractability. He's more efficient about it, and has way better head and body control, so we've given up the Boppy for nursing. I love the bonding aspects of it and the way we reconnect after I get home from work. I can definitely see continuing to nurse for quite a long time. Like I said, I'm pumping and that's working out. Andrew takes the bottle from daddy very well.
Next up in terms of feeding for us is Baby Led Weaning - this is where you skip pureed food altogether, and let baby have solid foods when he is able to and has the interest to feed it to himself. I've offered him a slice of lemon and a stem of broccoli in the last two weeks, and they both ended up simply pushed around the table. So... not ready for food yet. But soon.
At any rate, he's doing just fine on mama's milk. He's entirely skipped the 6 month clothing size and jumped straight from 3 months to nine months. And his arms are even a little long for some of the 9 month stuff. His daddy says, "Welcome to my world!"
They are right when they say it goes fast. He seems so grown up already.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Jackson Hole
Prepare yourself, for there are many pictures. And much cuteness.
From our unexpected trip to Ohio, we left immediately for an expected trip to Jackson, Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park for the wedding of a colleague of mine.
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| Cuddling in the morning |
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| Nursing at Jenny Lake, beneath the Tetons - appropriately. |
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| The Snake River from Signal Mountain - imagine Lewis and Clark floating by in their canoes |
At the picnic, it got chilly, so Andrew put on his 3-month size sleeper. Made for an upper limit of 12.5 pounds. The sleeves came halfway down his arms. Oops. But everyone was enchanted with his cuteness. You can see why:
The next day we headed down to Schwabacher's Landing for the wedding ceremony. Andrew looked dapper in his wedding outfit and hat.
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| Jonathan and Amber tied the knot! |
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| Leaving the Tetons behind - at Jackson Lake |
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| Andrew was asleep in the car for this picture. |
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| The crowd waits for Old Faithful |
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| Old Faithful being faithful |
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| Interior of the Old Faithful Inn |
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| Diaper change in the caldera |
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| Daisy |
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| Lion group of geysers |
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| Old Faithful behind |
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| Pink Cone Geyser, with rainbow |
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| Bison |
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| Elk |
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| Sunset |
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| First time to Montana! |
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| Souvenir |
When we got to Mammoth Hot Springs, Andrew was sleeping in the car. Travis volunteered to stay with him since he'd seen it before, so I got to run up and all over the beautiful, eerie hot spring terraces by myself.
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| Mound Terrace at Mammoth Hot Springs |
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| The top terrace at Mammoth Hot Springs looks like the surface of the moon. |
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| Me with Minerva Terrace |
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| Upper Falls at Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone |
Saturday, September 3, 2011
There Within His Arms to Rest
Last Saturday, Travis's Grandma (Andrew's Great-Grandma) Sarah passed away. It wasn't sudden - it had been expected for quite some time. She lived a long, wonderful life of 90 years, and she missed Grandpa terribly for the last 16 and was anxious to be with him again. Thankfully, we were able to travel to Ohio to attend the funeral and help support the arrangements. It was a celebration of her life and her story.
The funeral brought people together. We were able to meet Ben and Marlene, cousins from Utah. Andrew was able to meet Bill and Dorothy, "Grandpa" Jim and Norma Jean. We enjoyed the time with family and family friends and just relaxing in Orrville.
The funeral itself was beautiful. There was a wall of pictures assembled from Mom's, Aunt Karen's, and our photo archives which included her husband, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Included was one spectacular picture from Sarah and Merlin's wedding day in 1940, along with their siblings. Dad could tell us stories about all of the people, and it was a fascinating slice of family history.
Grandma wore a dress that she herself had picked out, and looked lovely. Pastor Tom had collected memories from us the day before, and he included those in the message at the funeral parlor service. I led the gathering in singing "Amazing Grace," and a friend from Grandma's Sunday School class sang "How Great Thou Art."
We then proceeded to the cemetery where Pastor Tom read from the 23rd Psalm. I sang "I Am Jesus' Little Lamb." This is a song I sing to Andrew as a lullaby, and the third verse is about going home to Jesus' arms. It happened that I was carrying Andrew in the sling at the time, so he was up front with me. As soon as I started singing the song, he perked up, smiled brightly, and just beamed up at me. Several people remarked afterward that it was an image that they'd remember for the rest of their life. It was really special.
Travis, Andrew, and I went up to Cleveland and took some time to walk around campus at Case Western Reserve University, where Travis went to college. I had never been there -- it wasn't as bad as Travis makes it out to be. ;) We happened upon a statue commemorating Doc Oc, Travis's chemistry prof who famously exclaimed, "Plug, chug, bang!" when solving equations. We also stopped in to the Rockefeller physics building to sit in the lecture hall where Daddy took physics and read about the Michaelson-Morley experiment.
The circumstances of our trip weren't the happiest, but it's certainly always a pleasure to be "home" in Ohio.
The funeral brought people together. We were able to meet Ben and Marlene, cousins from Utah. Andrew was able to meet Bill and Dorothy, "Grandpa" Jim and Norma Jean. We enjoyed the time with family and family friends and just relaxing in Orrville.
Amy talks shop with Ben
Sun tea at Pine Lane
My kingdom for a garden like this!
Andrew meets "Grandpa" Jim and Norma Jean
The funeral itself was beautiful. There was a wall of pictures assembled from Mom's, Aunt Karen's, and our photo archives which included her husband, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Included was one spectacular picture from Sarah and Merlin's wedding day in 1940, along with their siblings. Dad could tell us stories about all of the people, and it was a fascinating slice of family history.
Grandma wore a dress that she herself had picked out, and looked lovely. Pastor Tom had collected memories from us the day before, and he included those in the message at the funeral parlor service. I led the gathering in singing "Amazing Grace," and a friend from Grandma's Sunday School class sang "How Great Thou Art."
We then proceeded to the cemetery where Pastor Tom read from the 23rd Psalm. I sang "I Am Jesus' Little Lamb." This is a song I sing to Andrew as a lullaby, and the third verse is about going home to Jesus' arms. It happened that I was carrying Andrew in the sling at the time, so he was up front with me. As soon as I started singing the song, he perked up, smiled brightly, and just beamed up at me. Several people remarked afterward that it was an image that they'd remember for the rest of their life. It was really special.
Travis, Andrew, and I went up to Cleveland and took some time to walk around campus at Case Western Reserve University, where Travis went to college. I had never been there -- it wasn't as bad as Travis makes it out to be. ;) We happened upon a statue commemorating Doc Oc, Travis's chemistry prof who famously exclaimed, "Plug, chug, bang!" when solving equations. We also stopped in to the Rockefeller physics building to sit in the lecture hall where Daddy took physics and read about the Michaelson-Morley experiment.
"Plug, chug, bang!"
Learning physics
No aether?! Crazy! Welcome to modern physics.
We were able to catch the Indians game while we were in town. Andrew got a certificate because it was his first game and he was inducted into the "Tribe." The evening game went to extra innings, and I reluctantly made us leave after the 11th. It was probably a good choice because the game didn't end until the bottom of the 16th!!! We were almost all the way home and listening to it on the radio before it ended.
Sup?
Chilling in my Buckeyes cap.
Yes, this is how empty the game was.
"Don't bother me - I'm watching the game."
Tho-me!
The circumstances of our trip weren't the happiest, but it's certainly always a pleasure to be "home" in Ohio.
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