Hey! New pictures are up! Go check em out!
If possible, I’m going to try to type quietly, because it seems like nothing wakes up lil Auggie faster than the clickety-clack my fingers on the keyboard. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I just woke up from napping with him.
I don’t know why that’s embarrassing, other than my latent puritan work ethic that makes me feel like every waking hour should be productive. Well, you know what? Having this baby is definitely helping me to get over that feeling.
I mean, when your days are filled with endless silly games and stories and voices and kisses that try to keep a baby entertained, you redefine your definition of “work” pretty quickly. I’ve never been so exhausted in my life before I spent an entire day taking care of a newborn by myself. And it’s not like it’s full of heavy lifting and sweating or anything like that, but somehow I’m so tired at the end of the day. It’s such a relief when Tim gets home to help out.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m also having the time of my life. Watching August grow, hearing him laugh at something I’ve done, helping him figure out the world — that’s better than any other employment I can think of.
Wow. I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve posted! Forgive me, please!
Can I offer a measly excuse that it has been unbelievably busy through the holiday and since? I know, I know, that’s no excuse! Please accept my humblest apologies. I will do my best to post more regularly.
The news: August is now 5 months old, 18 pounds and so long that it scares me to even think about it. We had to buy a bigger car seat for him because he outgrew his wee infant seat!
The holidays were great. We spent the long Christmas weekend down in Cape Girardeau and visited with family galore. August totally cleaned up, especially in the “toys that make noise” department.
The funniest thing now is how totally into the dogs he is. He just thinks that they are too funny. He’s always reaching for them, trying to grab their ears and touch their faces. Right now, he’s twirling around in his saucer-dealie, trying to reach Booker.
Tim and I took a big step last night. We put the dogs in their crates for the night, instead of letting them sleep with us, as they have done ever since we got Booker nearly five years ago. It’s just getting too crowded in our bed with all four dogs and August and us. But it was really weird, not having a little wiener dog snuggled up by my feet, and I didn’t sleep well at all.
What’s going to be totally bizarre is when August finally starts spending the night in his crib and Tim and I have the bed all to ourselves. Crazy! We could, like, snuggle and stuff. Maybe August won’t be sleeping with us much longer”¦
Another thing that August loves right now is his Jumpster, which is a little seat dealie that you suspend from a doorway and he can jump up and down and twirl around in. He thinks that is pretty neat.
We have lots of new pictures to put up from the holidays and whatnot, I just need to sit down and get them captioned and dated and stuff. I’ll work on that this weekend, so stop by on Monday for a look! I’m so scandalized that the last photos we have up are from the end of November! I mean, August is a totally different baby now! (Not really, just trying to drum up some web site traffic”¦)
We’re really starting to get excited about our annual trip to the Kentucky Derby in May. Tickets are purchased, room is paid for, haircut appointment is set”¦ I can’t wait for May! It will be interesting, though, dealing with Derby festivities and the boy. I don’t think I’ll be hitting the rock shows, at any rate. And bars are pretty much out too. So why am I going exactly? Oh yeah, to see all of my friends and to drink Heine Bros. Coffee! Woo hoo!
Check back soon for pictures and details on August’s new friends — Mr. Banana, Mr. Avocado and Ms. Sweet Potato!
Yeesh.
What a day.
You’d think, since I had a nice, refreshing nap this afternoon, that I wouldn’t be this tired right now.
Yet it cannot be denied. I am really tired.
Maybe it was the fact that August woke up at 5 this morning and then went back to sleep in five to ten minute spurts until 8 a.m. (Which means that I got up at 5, basically.) Maybe it was the whirlwind grocery shopping trip. Or the snappy cookie-baking session into the harried supper-cooking session. Or the La Leche League meeting where I had to juggle said cookies, said baby, diaper bag, purse and a big bowl of grapes going in.
Search me.
August is slowly, slowly getting over his cold. His nose is less stuffy every day, and he seems to be spitting up a little less (only a little, though). I weighed him today and he’s officially 16 pounds! Wow. He’s such a bruiser! You should check out the pictures! We added new ones! Finally!
We go to the doctor on Wednesday for more shots and a checkup, now that he’s 4 months old. We get to talk about starting solid foods!
These are exciting things for moms like me.
It happened again.
I fell. Again.
Can you believe it? I’m pretty incredulous myself. So, here’s the story. Last Friday, I was walking down the steps when my feet just flew out from under me and I was on my back, on the stairs. Ouch is right!
Mistake #1: Walking down our hardwood stairs in socks.
Mistake #2: Walking down our hardwood stairs in socks without using the handrail.
Mistake #3: Walking down our hardwood stairs in socks without using the handrail while not paying attention.
So I fell. Hard. I totally knocked the wind out of myself, but managed to pull it together enough to call Tim and ask if he could come home. At this point, I’m wondering if I’ll ever be able to lift August again, my back is hurting so badly. Luckily, August was ready for a nap, so we lay down on our bed and he napped while I tried to assess the damage.
I torqued the muscles in my back pretty good, but it didn’t feel like I’d done any skeletal damage, which was a relief. As Tim pointed out later, we were really lucky that I didn’t hit my head. As soon as he got home, he set me up with ibuprofen, the heating pad and the TV in the bedroom. Then he didn’t let me do anything for the next 6 hours, which was really nice. Yay, Tim!
By about 3, though, I was feeling a lot better and was more concerned about getting stiff by laying around than immobilizing myself. Anyway, long story somewhat shorter, it wasn’t long before I was carrying August around again, for better or for worse. And now I’m feeling almost completely better, except when I have to bend over to pick up something off of the floor.
I’m a much more cautious stair climber now, too.
That’s the story. Come back later this week when I reveal the awful truth: I’ve become a cloth diapering mommy!!!! Tim asked August the funniest question last night (after I started talking about making our own baby food): “Is Mommy listening to Grateful Dead music while Daddy’s at work?”
Woo-hoo! Thanksgiving vacation!
We’ve been having a good old time, wallowing in laziness. Actually, that’s just me, since Tim is home to help take care of August. Oh well, why bother with semantics? It’s been great!
One thing that has not been great has been Tim’s worsening cold symptoms. Both of his parents have recently gotten over very nasty colds, so I’m hoping that he was not exposed to their germs.
After spending Thanksgiving and the Day After down in Cape Girardeau (my home town), we came back home to do some serious relaxing and unwinding. Tim got to finish his book (The Amazing Adventures of Kavelier and Klay, which he says is “excellent”) and I even got to nap a couple of times!
Now we’re coasting until Christmas”¦ That is, we’re staying home lots and cooking our own meals lots and trying to figure out how we’re going to get all the Christmas presents we need with the money we have/don’t have”¦ Fun!
I still haven’t seen Harry Potter. To make up for this, I’ve begun rereading Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. My imagination is better than any old movie anyway, right? Right.
We measured August today (May-suring Day, for you fans of The Angry Beavers)! He’s almost 24 and a half inches long! Two feet! Amazing. He’s well over 15 pounds now, too. I can’t believe how quickly he’s growing.
And he’s doing new stuff everyday! He clasps his hands together and brings them to his mouth (which my child-development-specialist stepmother tells me is very advanced), he laughs (kinda), he grasps his toys and brings them to his mouth (are you sensing a theme here?) and he is kicking so much, it’s hard to change his diaper sometimes!
He was adequately spoiled over the holiday as well. Everyone fought over him, and Nick and Abby were so cute playing with him! My youngest niece Olivia was also fascinated with August. I think it’s so cute when older babies go around saying, ‘Baby! Baby!’ while pointing to a younger baby.
Now Tim goes back to work tomorrow. I’m sad. It’s been so nice having him around. I almost feel as though my IQ has risen back to normal!
So today I’m 27.
Sigh.
I won’t go into a tired “I’m old” lament here, because I really don’t think 27 is that old. The only thing I’m really sad about is that birthdays just aren’t that fun anymore.
Remember when you were a kid and your birthday was like the biggest deal of the year (tied with Christmas)? My family always made me feel so special on my birthday.
Of course, this isn’t to say that no one makes me feel special on my birthday. Tim was so sweet today. He sent me 27 e-cards!
But there just isn’t the build up anymore. Heck, I even forgot my birthday was coming up for most of this month. (Perhaps the baby had something to do with this.)
Anyway, all I wanted to do for my birthday was to see the Harry Potter movie and we didn’t even get to do that (for various sad financial reasons, I’m even sadder to say). Oh well. Maybe we can go on Thanksgiving.
Enough of that, though! Let’s hear it for August, who officially weighs 14 pounds, 13 ounces! He is so big now that I can hardly remember what he was like as a newborn! I can remember being in the hospital and worrying that he was so tiny and fragile. Last week I was looking back at all of the pictures we’ve taken of him and I was nearly in tears. He was so fragile and tiny!
I still feel some guilt about those first two weeks when he wasn’t eating well and I was too dumb to not know. I worry that I did long-term damage. What if his brain needed that nourishment those weeks to develop properly? What if I ruined him forever?
These are the crazy, irrational things you worry about once you become a parent. It all pretty much comes down to that one question: Did (insert incident) ruin him forever?
Development-wise, however, he seems right on track. He’s reaching for things now, which is fun. Diaper changes are getting more challenging, since he keeps reaching for my hands to put in his mouth. (Hope that diaper ointment isn’t poison!)
He’s babbling away, especially in the morning. He cracks me up, totally. The way he moves his mouth to make different sounds is hilarious.
I guess the most amazing thing is watching him become so aware of his surroundings. I mean, he pays attention to stuff now. Like when he’s eating, if he looks up at me and I’m smiling at him, he stops eating and smiles back! Ask me how much that melts me!
So that’s 27. I’m glad I have my boys to keep me happy. Otherwise, it could get pretty depressing around here.
Ahh, Friday. Ahh, nice weather. Ahh, Daddy’s home.
I talked Tim into coming home early this afternoon, what with the weather being so spectacular and all. We walked August and the dogs over to this park that’s really close to our house. I couldn’t help but smile, because I could totally picture August playing on the playground equipment and fishing in the “kids only” pond, playing in the sprinkle fountain and practicing his swing on the baseball diamonds. Sigh.
I’m really trying to enjoy every day, though. So many people have told me to not rush him — to enjoy his babyhood. Or babyness. Whatever. Just looking back at the photos of him so far, I can’t believe how quickly he’s changing. So I’m just taking each day as it comes. Enjoying the gift of my Auggie.
I was so tickled yesterday when Tim got home. August had just had such a great day. He woke up kind of early, but I just can’t mind when he looks at me and smiles. What a wonderful way to wake up. After watching me make oatmeal (again), we played on the floor for a good while. This consisted of me acting like a nut trying to make him laugh (still no success). All of a sudden, in the middle of a tummy raspberry, he grabbed my hair. Neat! Something new!
All day long, he was grabbing at stuff. He’d grab the dangling rings on his bouncy seat and just stare at them, brow furrowed, like he was really trying to work out what to do next. ‘Hm. I’ve got this ring in this hand and this ring in this hand. Now what?’
At my mom’s group that afternoon, several of us decided to start getting together on Monday afternoons to walk. Since the weather’s going to be cold (ostensibly), we’re going to meet at the Galleria, but in the spring, we can go to the park! And then the babies will be getting more mobile, so we’ll have a real playgroup! (This is exciting stuff for those of us looking for ways to entertain our babies all day, every day.)
I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving a lot. I love getting to show August off at family gatherings. My family (all sides) is very important to me. I want August to know how much he is loved by his family; just like I’ve always felt so loved by mine. I think about all of my relatives — Annabelle and Clata in Tennessee, my Grandma, dad and all the Farrows, my mom and her family — and I think about how much fun it was visiting everyone when I was a kid. How I was always made to feel so comfortable. I always felt like I belonged. Like I was part of something.
Only now do I realize that that is one of the best things about family. I mean, these people knew you when you tried to hide peas in your pants instead of eating them (true story), and they still love you. Of course, they bring up that peas in the pants story all the time, but you still love them too.
Yay, Thanksgiving! Yay, nostalgia!
Well, just a couple of small technical things from me. I’ve added some functionality on the blog page that lets you, our dear readers post comments about our blog entries. It’s provided through a service called BlogBack which I found on the main blogger page. Now you can let us (and everybody else who reads it) know what you think about our posts. I’m excited about it because it makes our conversations with you even more dynamic.
Also, I’ve suffered the same fate as Beth when trying to make Blog posts in the past. So if you’re a regular Blog user, and you’re getting ready to write a really long missive, I’d encourage you to write it first in Notepad or Word or something, then paste it into the Blogger post screen. That way, if Blogger decides to flake, you don’t lose a whole bunch of writing.
Well, that’s about it. I haven’t added any new pictures yet. I’ll try and get to the latest ones from Auggie’s baptism up in the next day or two. I’ll let you know.
So I had typed up this big, long post about how on the first day of August’s thirteenth week, we had a very unlucky fall. It talked all about my klutziness and related feelings of guilt. It even gave all the details about August’s baptism!
Then, when I hit “Post and Publish,” Blogger completely freaked out on me and — poof! — the big, long post was gone.
So fine. Fate is saying no to you knowing about our fall and his baptism.
If you really want to know, I suppose you can write to me and ask. (Or call! We love calls!)
Stupid Blogger.