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2/20/2005 12:52:24 AM
It's the first blog entry! First of all, hats off to my dedicated and patient web designer for working so hard to get this up and going in time to satisfy my hormonal whims. I'm really happy that we'll be able to keep family and friends in the loop this time. So is Piglet!
Still waiting on what will be the biggest news of this month - the arrival of Piglet's cousin Sean! In the meantime, all is well. I'm officially off bedrest and allowed to resume a pretty normal lifestyle. I'm still taking it really easy though. I'm really scared of doing too much after the cerclage and particularly in the time range we're about to enter. I'm far more restrictive with myself than the docs are. I'm sure that's not surprising to anyone!
Also, I could get stuck back on bedrest at any point so I'm trying to stay "ready" for that. I really didn't mind the post-surgery bedrest at all (only 2 weeks) and this laptop really got me through. Got a lot of knitting on VG's baby blanket done too. In some ways, I was more productive on bedrest than I am on house arrest. Strange. |
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12/18/2009 4:00:16 PM
[James here] Well Facebook is officially killing this online scrapbook which is really not a good thing. Facebook will not document things nearly as clearly or completely - 'cause you'll have to wade through a whole bunch of one-liners and virtual farm updates; I mean am I really going to care who just brushed their pretend pony a year from now. Oh that's right, I don't care now!!!!
Getting our new TV upstairs and moving the old TV (as Victor calls it) into the basement has been a really good thing. Using the old superyard gating, I can limit Erick to an area of the basement where he can't hurt himself or disturb mommy's precious trains. And, he can watch one of our many Preschool Prep videos like "Meet the Colors, "Meet the Numbers", and "Meet the Letters". So far, he really likes those programs and pays attention to about 40% of it. He's doing a lot of good playing and being incredibly cute.
Victor and Erick enjoy one another and do some very cute floor playing. Victor seems to understand how precious and fragile Erick is and only every once in a while needs to be reminded to not lie on top of him.
Victor is getting into the Christmas spirit. He loves candy canes and can make one last all day. Usually, he sculpts it into a prison shiv. He also loves hot chocolate and keeps noticing Santa wherever he sees him. Victor also loves sleeping in Mommy and Daddy's bed, but inevitably ends up evicting Daddy. It's become a bad habit because while sweet, it is kinda silly for Daddy to have to move to Victor's bed each night to keep the peace and allow for maximum sleeping. Now that he's used to it, he really doesn't take no for an answer. Last night, he literally made a break for it and eluded my grasp. Too cute to really get mad about, but we'll have to figure something out going forward. |
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5/11/2010 11:37:12 AM
We still don't have a new camera yet, hence the lack of new material up in here. I have Mimi's camera as a loaner, just in case Erick starts walking for real, but I haven't really gotten a feel for using it yet and I also can't seem to upload from it on the laptop. So many challenges. We need to get a new camera soon though because school's almost out and then it will be time for lots of fun outings to keep Victor from tearing the house down! :) He only has 8 more days of school and I'm not sure which of us will cry more about him not being able to go anymore. Erick included (he REALLY likes having some time alone with the toys).
I had a really nice Mother's Day, especially considering that James left town again the day before. He's in Plano for Nationals. He'll be home in 3 more days. Just ask Victor. He could tell you! The boys and I got to go hang out with Mimi & PopPaw and Gaga & Brownie for the day and everyone had a lot of fun. (Thank you M&P!). And Victor is actually doing really, really well this week with Daddy being gone. He misses him a lot but the picture schedule seems to really, really help him. He can actually see when Daddy comes back and how many more bedtimes there are until then. Better yet, he gets to see things on his schedule that he has to look forward to in the meantime (wagon rides, swinging, park, Home Depot, bowling, etc.). We'll definitely need to keep doing this during June so that he doesn't feel completely directionless without school.
And Erick? He's wild. Still not officially walking but he'll stand unassisted for a while and he'll take a few tentative steps before he panics and sits down. He seems more interested in climbing than anything. I don't remember Victor ever being this much of a climber at this age so I really haven't been prepared for it. He's very resourceful about it too, using toys or drawers to try to gain access to all kinds of things he shouldn't. Always with a big smile on his face too, the stinker!
He's really perfected clapping and waving lately and likes to practice those skills a lot. And he's starting to talk a little bit. He says "OK" a lot, to signal that he's ready for something to start or end (such as "OK, get me out of this chair now" or "OK, let's eat!"....he gets this from me because I'm constantly saying OK to myself). Today when I gave him a bath, he very emphatically said "buh-buh!" and reached up toward the bubble bath. He was so excited when I understood and acquiesced and he laughed gleefully and said "mama!". It was our first real conversation!
Oh yeah, and I almost forgot about Victor's swim lessons! He started those last week at Nautilus. It's a special needs class and he gets lots of individual attention but also lots of time to just experiment without a lot of fuss (but always with a parent in the water with him). He LOVED it and he slept soooooo well that night. This week I'm going to take him solo since Daddy's gone (Erick will hang out here with a grandparent) and I think he'll really enjoy the time without his brother diverting attention from him. Next week though, we're all 4 going because we can apparently take Erick in with us too. Victor will love seeing his brother in a pool for the first time but I'll also be very careful to give Victor his big boy space since this is his thing. Maybe James and I can switch boys halfway through! |
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5/22/2010 8:02:58 PM
James here:
Victor has a favorite bedtime story entitled "Thesaurus Rex." Tonight he read the entire story by himself. It was awesome! 1) He wanted to do it 2) He kept his concentration on the task of reading the entire story 3) He can only read about half the words so the rest he knows by memory 4) Because he has everything memorized, the process of reading this story is allowing him to memorize what each word looks like.
Earlier tonight he took a guess at what Erick's shirt said: "Ice Cream". What it really said was "Austin Steam..." It was impressive that he saw the "eam" and thought of "cream". This reading process thing seems to be clicking with him at the moment because of his good memory. He'll probably be able to read sentences before he can comprehend their meaning, but one thing does generally lead to another. Way to go, Victor! |
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7/9/2010 9:01:23 PM
My apologies (yes, I know that the apologies are getting old) for the long hiatus once again. A lot of things have been keeping us busy but we've also been plagued by internet outages every night for several weeks. You know, right when I finally have some time to blog. It's been quite maddening. Things have been generally good around here though, medical issues notwithstanding.
So we have a new pediatrician. We loved Dr. L but when our insurance coverage changed at the first of the year, she became out-of-network. We tried to make it work for a while but as much as these boys seem to get sick, it became ridiculous. Sad as it was to part ways, we are liking the new doctor quite a lot. And trust me, we've gotten to know her and her entire staff!
She worked Erick in early for his 15 month appointment a few weeks ago (3 days before we we were leaving on mini-vacation) at which point we discovered that Erick had yet another scorching double ear infection. That made the sixth infection since his 12 month appointment so we finally opted for the antibiotic shots since he's had every possible oral antibiotic now. He had to do those shots for 3 days in a row (so yeah, we know the nurses well now!) but man, did they ever do the trick! You could tell he was feeling way better than he had been for a while and luckily it was just in time for our trip to Branson.
He's had fluid behind his ears for the entire past 3 months though (including just a few days ago at the ENT's office) so he's finally getting ear tubes next Friday. We're relieved. We're very much at the point of being concerned about hearing damage (and possible speech delays if we let this continue) as well as antibiotic immunity. The doc that will do it is the same guy that clipped his tongue tie. And he's an Illini!
Meanwhile Victor has gotten to know the medical staff there in relation to another lingering sinus infection (maybe he'll meet the ENT soon too). He's doing better with a stronger antibiotic. Apparently Amoxicillin doesn't even touch his sinus infections now. He also threw a brief bladder infection scare in for fun. After those tests came back negative, we've all determined that he must just be having one of those pesky growth spurts where the bladder has not expanded to keep up with the rest of his growing body. And he's definitely had a spurt. After hovering right around 36 pounds for more than a year, he's suddenly 40 pounds! Still long and lean but a bit more bulked up than before.
He's getting a whole lot of exercise these days. He's much more active and we really think the swimming is a big part of why. He's got a lot more interest in sports now and he seems to actually need physical activity more than before to help him sleep and focus, etc. It's a good change to see in him. We're considering switching to two nights of swimming per week but I'm a bit hesitant since he'll have so much going on once school starts. We'll have to therapy one early evening and he'll have a few weeks of twice a week soccer camp. But we can always scale swimming back. I think James is right that we should probably capitalize on how much he's getting out of it and how much he loves it. It's doing so much for his confidence in general.
Victor really would swim every single day if we'd let him. Luckily when we were in Branson, we could happily oblige! The resort pool was by far everybody's favorite part of the trip. It was a very nice, sprawling pool and it really wasn't even all that crowded. The boys both got to spend lots and lots of time splashing and playing there. We also worked in some other things: a scenic train ride, a Ride the Ducks ride, a paddlewheeler cruise, some general sightseeing and a cave tour (Victor's least favorite part - to the point that he screamed pathetically for most of the tour).
The boys were pretty pumped up about the train ride for the first hour and then it became tedious. It was totally worth enduring to see their excitement when we first got on though. They loved the dome car (let's hear it for neurotic Mommy who buys tickets months in advance so that we can get awesome seats!). We were happy to see them enjoy the train so much because we'll be back to ride it again in December when it magically becomes the Polar Express. And Mimi will be going along for the ride with us! (Mimi likes The Polar Express as much as we do.)
The boys were positively angelic during our travels, as they always are. They truly are like their parents - happy to be out on the open road. It's only when the traffic is icky that we all get cranky. And sleeping at the hotel went pretty darned well, really. So I think we can pronounce our first family vacation a smashing success. We can feel confident about doing it again soon! But not too soon.
There is a montage of pictures from our trip in the works but the aforementioned internet outages have set me back a bit in finishing that up. Hopefully I can get that on here soon. Connection looks great tonight but alas, I am feeling very ready to veg out on the couch with James to watch Tivo'd episodes of Damages while sipping a daquiri. Simple pleasures.
I hope that anyone out there who has managed to read this is having a wonderful summer. So basically, that's you, Ruth & Lori. :) I miss you both. |
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2/21/2005 1:56:06 PM
Sean is still in hiding. Come on Sean!
I'm definitely feeling the first flutters here lately. This is earlier than I felt anything with the twins but supposedly you feel it earlier in second pregnancies and after all, I've got lots of time to focus on every twinge. I'm really looking forward to the first big kick.
I can tell you that Victor is a night owl just like me. In our late afternooon ultrasounds he squirms everywhere but early in the morning he is rather lethargic. Great example I've set for him. Also, I usually listen to his heartbeat on the doppler near bedtime and he always kicks at it and tries to swim away. His heart always sound great though, for the few seconds I can catch it before he gets all evasive.
He seems to be moving up too, judging from where I'm finding his heartbeat now . I'm pleased about that. It makes me nervous when I can feel him so low. Plus, I'm ready to look pregnant and not just portly. Come on up, V!
In his message on the front page of this site, "The Piglet" says that this blog is for me to keep notes on how much trouble he is but I just want him to know he's no trouble at all for me. I'm happy to do anything and everything to keep him safe. I would have happily done it for his brothers too if I'd gotten the chance. I'll complain a little about the nosebleeds and heartburn along the way, but this is the best, most rewarding job I've ever had and he's worth every bit of it! |
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12/19/2009 9:33:50 PM
Yeah, yeah, I know. I've been bad about keeping up with this. It's not so much facebook as just the inability to spend more than 10 minutes sitting down. Take today, for example. The goal was to have a relaxing family day inside watching the snow, drinking hot chocolate and watching "Polar Express". We did those things. But not without many, many complications along the way. James is quite right to call Erick precocious, if he is using precocious as a euphemism for rambunctious. He is the most stubborn baby I've ever seen. He screams if he's not allowed to be "on the loose" but you put him down on the floor and he makes a beeline for every electrical cord or small choking hazard he can see. And he sees everything!
He's doing great though. He still loves his brother above all else and his brother seems to love all things Christmas so by association, I guess Erick really loves Christmas already. But he mostly likes trying to get into everything. Everything.
I have some new pics and I'll try to get them on here tomorrow. I'd do it tonight but I'm trying to be a dutiful wife by watching Star Trek with James. So maybe he should stop dissing me. I'm just sayin'. |
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5/28/2010 2:29:16 PM
If it seems like Erick's always sick it's because Erick is, in fact, always sick. It's kind of consumed a lot of time and effort lately. Today he is beginning his fourth antibiotic in less than two months. His ears did actually improve from two weeks ago but they're not as clear as they should be and he's still got a lot of fluid behind there. So this course of drugs is mostly preventative since he has a wicked cold right now. And who else has this yucky cold? Victor, of course. Oh, and James. And me. Nothing quite like the family-shared summer cold!
The timing has, on one hand, been good since Victor has been on his first week of summer vacation this week (he starts summer school July 6). It's downright rotten timing on the other hand though because we are supposed to be going to Peoria for a Humphrey reunion of sorts tomorrow morning. It's not happening, sadly. We're hopeful that maybe by Sunday we could drive up and see everyone. More than anything, we don't want to expose the boys' cousins or their beloved GiGi to our hideous germs.
But in spite of the illness around here, things have been generally good otherwise. Victor continues to LOVE his swim lessons (they are on what he today started calling "Swimsday night"). This past Wednesday, Erick got in the pool with the rest of us for the first time and he was giddy and kind of a natural. I think that will continue to be a fun family night this summer even if it does make for a long and exhausting bedtime process. We sure all sleep well on Swimsday nights though!
I've got some pictures to add of the boys and some of their recent outdoor fun but that will have to wait because Victor is begging to go outside right now while Erick is napping. I suppose I'll oblige, especially since he's sad about not going to therapy today or going to see his cousins tomorrow. I think he'll probably be doing quite a bit better by Sunday. I just hope that Erick will follow suit. Oh yeah, and contributing to Erick's constant whining is the fact that he just cut his eye teeth/canines. I think he's got 16 teeth in now! So. much. slobbering.
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7/11/2010 10:51:56 PM
As promised, here is the vacation montage:
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2/23/2005 11:16:58 AM
I think Piglet's dad needs and deserves some praise this week. He has really been taking up all the slack without complaint and anyone that knows him knows that he is one busy guy anyway! He has really had to step up here at home because I can't really do much of anything (although I'm trying to do some cooking again while I still can). He has done a great job of keeping everything on track around the house while still running out to get chocolate when I "need" it and being our sole breadwinner.
In addition to all of those things, James still manages to make Piglet and I feel very loved and provides us with comic relief on a daily basis. So James, thanks for a job well done. We notice. |
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12/22/2009 9:15:40 AM
Erick is a thumb sucker. He doesn't do it like non-stop or anything but he's known to do it. And while I know it's not something to encourage, it's awfully cute. I guess it's just nice to see him do something so babyish when he's showing so many signs of wanting to be a big boy ASAP. I don't think we have any pictures of the thumb sucking yet but we do have a slight backlog of pics in general. Specifically........
Here are a few pics from our Peoria trip:
Sadly, while there was a whole lot of cuteness to photograph, none of my pics turned out well due to lighting issues so I picked the only group shot where everyone is looking forward and there is no nose picking. Had to include one of Sean & Erick together because they are best friends now!
Here are a few from the Holiday Express event late last week. We stood in line for an hour in the freezing cold to get on the train, only to get herded through rather quickly. It was pretty cool though. The shots:
(The engine and the gondola car.)
(The inside of the box car. The pic doesn't do it justice. It was an amazing train town!)
(Santa with a very slippery snowsuited Erick. I'm seriously considering putting traction strips on that thing for holding him.)
(Victor & the Big Guy. This is probably the "best" Santa pic we've ever gotten.)
I would not have survived that outing without the help of Gaga. I barely survived it WITH Gaga. The boys were pretty whiny about being out in the cold and standing in a very long line. It's such a neat event though and we learned a lot about how to strategize for next year (show up late rather than early!). Seriously though, Gaga deserves a humanitarian award for helping herd the boys that night, especially Mr. Slippery Suit!
And lastly, I'll include some recent pics I snapped of the boys together in the living room. Victor loves to ride with or sit with Erick any time he can and so he absolutely cannot wait to ride on his sled (with "his Erick"!) but he was temporarily content in the laundry basket:
Today's Victor's last day of school until January 4. I think he'll have a lot of fun being home until about the middle of next week and then the novelty will wear off. Then again, new toys await! (And yes, I'm pretty excited about the new Thomas bridge myself.) |
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6/2/2010 8:20:13 PM
Yesterday Erick had his last Music Together class. Probably ever. :( We're taking the summer off from MT & trying out Kindermusik this summer because the drive to St. Louis is getting really old, especially with Victor home all day for a good part of the summer. Here is Erick leaving class in a blaze of glory:
He seriously wanted very little to do with me while we were there. He just paraded around literally throwing himself at every other female in the room (especially a very cute group of 3 sisters ranging in age from 3-7). I know he'll miss it but he'll probably love Kindermusik just as much and it's 5 minutes away.
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2/25/2005 12:10:02 PM
Being a woman and a mother, I am totally and completely fixated on dates. A year ago today we found out that Ro & JT were boys. I still remember what a total shock that was because we were so sure we had one of each in there. We were literally stunned and it actually took a few days to sink in. Once it sunk in, it was the coolest thing ever to think of two little guys terrorizing each other. I still like to think of them that way.
So this time around we thought surely we'd have a girl. Piglet started to feel like a boy to me around 12 weeks mostly because his dad was so sure he was a girl. A week later we caught the first glimpse of masculinity and at 15 weeks it was conclusive. I wasn't surprised this time and I don't think James was either.
Growing up I always thought that I'd have a girl right away because I love girly stuff. Now that I've become the boy machine, it really totally makes sense. I mean, let's be honest -- I've always had more guy friends than girl friends. I've spent so much of my adult life hanging out with the guys that it only makes sense that I should be a boy mommy. I just hope Piglet thinks I'm really cool! |
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12/24/2009 10:42:32 PM
Now I'm really overcompensating for being such a bad blogger lately. Posting on Christmas Eve! When I should be in bed already! The house is ready and Santa actually already stopped by here with the loot. Thank goodness we can lock the French doors to the living room because Victor seemed like he was really listening to that whole "presents will be under the tree in the morning" explanation.
Earlier tonight we went out to eat and then drove around in the neverending rain looking at lights for a bit. When we got home, the boys were once again fascinated with the Christmas tree train:
(Man, are we ever going to have some wrestlemanias in our future!)
Then, I decided that we should have a special Christmas Eve storytime. We read "The Spirit of Christmas". I fought tears at the touching parental message while the boys rolled around ignoring me. So a tradition has begun! Here are two boys who would love to get to just have a slumber party if we'd let them:
Maybe next year, boys. If you pay attention to storytime, that is.
Merry Christmas one and all!
(Missing our tiniest two boys tonight, as always.)
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6/2/2010 8:26:30 PM
So we did make it to Peoria! We just went for one night instead of two but we did make it. And I'm happy to report that staying in the hotel went WAY better this time than it had at Christmas. Granted, Erick did wake up at 3:00 but he at least went right back down after nursing. I think he was just so tired at bedtime that he didn't fill up enough then. Both boys had a lot of fun, even if Victor did continue to cough non-stop to the point of vomiting Sunday night (he's really gotten good at vomiting into the toilet though!). Turns out that he has another sinus infection so he's back on 20 days of Amoxicillin. Worked last time so hopefully it will work again.
So anyway, the trip was short but action-packed. Erick rested up a bit on the way there:
Then, when we hit town, we met the rest of the family at the park for a picnic and some playing:
Then we were off to the zoo. The only animal I managed to capture on camera was a llama who does not seem to wear red pajamas:
 (Victor didn't seem to believe that this was a llama.)
We were all happy to get into the air conditioning at the snack bar. Erick got to snuggle with his GiGi a bit while we chilled out:
 (Check out the chompers on this kid.)
For some reason, I didn't get pictures of our dinner festivities that night. May have had something to do with a very pathetic and feverish Victor trying to occupy my lap (though he managed to suck down quite a bit of pizza, a detail soon regretted). The next morning we headed out to the Wildlife Prairie State Park. It was raining quite steadily by the time we got out there and I managed to capture only one shot:
 We were sad to leave such a beautiful park without getting to explore.
So then we were back to GiGi's apartment for some cousin mayhem:
And then we sadly all went our separate ways again because it was time for everyone to head back. Naturally the sun came out then. So on a whim we headed back to the wildlife park to check things out a little on our way out of town. It was quiet and deserted and wonderful. The only bad thing was that the train and all of the concessions were closed because of the heavy rains earlier. We took a nice hike and saw foxes and a cougar and wolves and a some bobcats. And the highlight was seeing a very serene brown bear from a mere 5 feet away! But did I have the camera on the hike? Heck no.
We did get the camera out of the car to get a few shots of Victor back at the visitor's center though:
 (That's an otter he's kissing.)
And then we scored the obligatory cutout photos. Victor didn't want to stand on the platform to be the elk so it's not terribly realistic since Erick should really be the fawn:
But cute boys are cute boys whatever the animal cutout, right? We'll definitely go back to that park again on another visit to see G/GiGi. It is really cool and James enjoyed the blast from his childhood past. We had a great visit with family even if it was abbreviated. Great memories for all of us, especially the pack of little cousins. They're all pretty special people, I must say. I think Victor would be happy to do it every weekend and not just because he loves staying in the hotel! |
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2/28/2005 4:22:08 PM
What a boring OB appointment today! I guess that's probably what we want at this point. Just bummed I didn't get an ultrasound today. The nurse listened to the heartbeat with doppler and was all giddy saying "That's your baby!" I had to break it to her that I listen to the heartbeat every few days at home. It was still good to hear the report that Victor's heartrate is right in the middle of the normal range though.
The only other tidbit from today was that my blood pressure is right on the borderline at 138/80. Not much higher than the non-pregnant Dawn BP but not great either. All part of the rich Pressler medical heritage! Thanks Dad. ;) The docs will keep an eye on it in the coming month to see if I need to be medicated for it. Sure hope not.
Auntie Leener was here this weekend and it was so much fun to laze around all weekend. Just like college without all the beer (and we go to bed 3 hours earlier)! I miss her already and I just got home from taking her to the airport. Come back Eileeny.
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12/27/2009 1:49:19 PM
We've got quite a bit of snow! After a few days of torrential rains, it finally started to snow on Christmas morning and it has continued to do so off and on for the past few days. So naturally this meant that Erick needed to get bundled up to go play in the snow for the first time ever.
He was mildly amused by the preparations at first:
But he soon thought better of it:
Actually going outside didn't seem to help matters much either:
But Victor got to go sledding yet again:
We were probably outside for all of five minutes. It's been pretty to look at from inside our warm, cozy house though:
James & I are enjoying having no social commitments today, Erick is enjoying a normal nap schedule today and Victor is enjoying both his and his brother's toys. Christmas pictures are in process. It's an oppressive amount.
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6/4/2010 4:34:40 AM
James here:
Uh-oh! Erick has lots of teeth that he will use for biting but not for chewing! Erick bit Victor on the cheek and on the ear last night on two separate incidents. It's really quite sad because Erick did some real damage and could do worse. We have to do what we can to get him to stop. Poor big brother cried and cried, and I don't blame him.
In other Erick news from last night, we have an official first word candidate - "Uh, oh." Erick dropped his sippy cup on the floor (purposefully), and while looking at me said "Uh-owwh". When I repeated it, he practiced saying it about 40 times - really focusing on shaping his lips to imitate Daddy, Mommy, and eventually Victor. I claim this as a first word on the basis that he clearly knew when to use it and was clearly working on saying it exactly as he's heard it.
The other possible first word was "O.K." and I have heard him say it, but never to a person and without much meaning or context. Mommy has some unsubstantiated reports, but Mommy is not a "trained observer" (Bigfoot parlance). |
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12/27/2009 11:57:48 PM
Christmas montage is done:
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6/14/2010 9:04:43 PM
Bedtime has crept later and later here lately (it's basically 9:00 now) and that leaves the adults of the house pretty useless once we finally have our "free time". The boys have been having lots of fun though and -knock on wood- they are staying fairly healthy now. I guess I should reserve judgment on that until after Erick's ear recheck on Friday though. At any rate, the boys are enjoying their summer and so we are too.
I guess you can go ahead and say that Erick is walking. He'll walk pretty much across a room. He just only chooses to do it a few times per day. What he'll do 24/7 is climb onto things. He's a lot more interested in moving vertically than horizontally, it would seem. He's also saying a lot and although a large percentage of it is unintelligible, we really admire his gusto when he speaks. And bless his heart, he points nonstop. I don't think he has any idea how much we love the pointing after waiting so long to see Victor do it.
And about Victor......he's suddenly really interested in everything and is acting like such a typical little boy. He still loves swimming but is also showing some interest in sports for the first time. He's very intrigued by his buddies Jack & Bernie's t-ball games and he is finally hitting some tennis balls with Daddy. We missed his chance for rookie baseball this summer but he's definitely going to do rookie soccer in the fall and rookie basketball in the winter. I see his excitement about running and playing and I just want to hug his gym teacher! And his OT. And his PT. It's great to see though.
Victor's also continuing to build on his reading skills. I just can't help but get giddy thinking about how much he'll be able to improve all of these skills in Kindergarten soon. His speaking has been impressive lately too. We really feel like his focus on reading has helped with the precision of his speech production. And even more importantly, it's helped him understand how to speak in sentences and link thoughts together. We are really having some great conversations with him! He's so much fun to hang out with these days too. We are so lucky to have such a sweet, fun-loving little boy. We're really getting excited about taking our first family mini-vacation next weekend. He's going to have a blast.
I've got some major photo housekeeping to take care of here too. We've taken a lot of pics lately. The weekend before last we went to our first wedding and reception with both boys in tow (congrats Hannah & Joe!). It was a success but most of the credit for that goes to Mimi & PopPaw for having the magic touch with the boys during the ceremony. Here are some pics from that night:
 (Getting ready to leave the house with the stylin' duo.)
 (Peaceful together during the drive there.)
 (Riding in the beloved "Mimi's White Car - Top Down!" from the ceremony to the reception.)
 (Sneaking finger licks of champagne.)
 (Mimi & PopPaw. I love this shot but wish the light weren't funky!)
 (Taking in the festivities.)
 (Hula hooping on the dance floor!)
The next day was our 12th wedding anniversary. We postponed our big night out due to Erick's rashiness so we took a scenic drive over to Calhoun that day. We are the car trip-lovin' family, after all. We got ice cream as we started out. You'll see what I mean:
 (Victor working diligently to eat every bit of ice cream.)
 (Exhibit A. Stunning.)
 (Erick was unfazed by his ever-worsening rash.)
Oh yeah, and Erick climbed around on his box the next morning:
 (Eventually he let me open it.)
Then this past week, we did some stuff that is now all a blur. What I do remember is Thursday because man alive, was that ever a long day. We went to Victor's therapy in St. Louis and then I basically forced the boys to go have fun with me at the Butterfly House. Here's what transpired:
 (Yes, I did have a nightmare about Victor and his cockroach friends that night.)
 (Really. Could this be more disturbing?)
 (Not really into the photo op.)
 (Aha! Save!)
 (Victor literally sprinted out of the Butterfly House to go over to the neighboring playscape.)
 (The butterfly sculpture waterer interfered with our outdoor photo op.)
 (Erick nervously smiling on the Grafton Ferry coming home. Victor loves riding ferries.)
 (And then on dry land again, attempting to hat up!)
 (The ferry ride was nearly 20 minutes due to some major sandbar dodging action. I became nervous and this is what I was left to stare at!)
We have more wackiness in store for this week so there ought to be more pics forthcoming. Hopefully I won't take a whole week to update.
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3/2/2005 9:17:08 AM
Cousin Sean arrived yesterday. We're sending good wishes for a short hospital stay and a speedy recovery to Mom & Baby both. That and lots of love being sent northward to Wisconsin! |
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12/30/2009 11:17:12 PM
Happy 60th to PopPaw, first of all! I had the rare and special honor/treat of having dinner with PopPaw and Mimi sans boys tonight. I initially felt weird about them not sharing in PopPaw's birthday celebration but it was truly such a treat to get to hang out with my parents and have real conversations (and wine!). It is such a blessing to be able to share all of our special moments and celebrations now. Every time I start to feel homesick for Austin I remind myself of that. Here's to many more splendid birthday celebrations, Daddy/PopPaw. You are so very loved and I am giddy that I get to see you so much these days!
Speaking of loved ones, I'm feeling very pensive/nostalgic/wistful tonight but not in a negative or horrible way. Wine will do that to you anyway and the holidays will certainly do that. Throw into the mix that I saw an obit for one of Grandpa's (Great PopPaw's) fellow Lions/Legionnaires and I am just finding myself missing some very special people in my life that aren't here with us anymore. Obviously that includes my dear, sweet Grandpa. Just thinking of his legion comrades (I CANNOT see those guys doing their thing and not be moved to tears. Just impossible.) took me back to his funeral and I'm amazed at how much time has already passed. I miss him so much and I find myself wishing that we had moved back sooner so that I'd had more time with him, even if he was mentally deteriorating for so very many years. I just miss holding his hand. I can remember few feelings in my life more comforting than holding his hand. Last time I got to do that was December 25, 2007.
Now there are many achievements in my life of which I am proud (two of which are sleeping soundly upstairs) but one of my very proudest moments was at my grandpa's visitation when several of the legionnaires came through the line and one of them remarked at how I was "that little girl that helped Paul put out the flags every year". I've talked about that ritual here on the blog several times and I won't toot my own Taps horn too much more than necessary. Suffice it to say though that I felt such a swell of pride to overhear that those old timers remembered me from 30 years ago. I didn't realize at the time that I was doing something that meant so much to Grandpa. I just knew it was a special honor and that I liked getting to walk around in the sunshine with him. Yep, sometimes even holding his hand. I'm sad to see another of his Legion buddies go but it served to remind me that I'm truly humbled to have gotten to bear witness to the special bond that those men have shared through their many rich years.
Also, while I haven't really talked about them much lately, James Thomas and Ronan Woods have been very much on my mind throughout the season. I do realize that it may be hard for people to understand how I can miss them so much at the holidays when they never spent any holidays here with us. It's pretty hard to explain, I suppose. If you've given birth to a child that isn't with you anymore, you understand and if you understand, I'm very sorry. In simplest terms, I can only describe it as that there's just a piece of me that's gone with them. I love the holidays and this was by far the most beautiful and blessed season I can remember ever having but the more my heart fills with joy and light and love, the more aware I am of the hole left behind. I'm not sad but I'm not whole either. I learn to accept it a little more each year and I learn to stop blaming myself a little more each year and I learn to let go a little more each year (though it hurts so much to feel my memories of them getting vaguer) but I'm not the same person. And that's OK. But it's there and the holidays make it more apparent. To me, anyway.
But with all of that said, I feel so thankful to be close to my family again, to include some of my oldest and dearest friends in my extended "family", and especially to have a warm home full of laughter and mayhem where I wake up every day to three wonderful guys. For all that I miss, my blessings really are overabundant and I know it. Tonight above all else, I'm thankful for my daddy and thankful that my boys get to have PopPaw come over to laugh at their antics and take them on sled rides. Happy birthday to him and happy (almost) new year to everyone!
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6/16/2010 7:46:17 AM
[James here]
Examples of Victor answering questions:
Example #1
Daddy: Why do you want to get in there [referring to locked storage room door]?
Victor: Mommy's in there.
Example #2
Daddy: Where's Mommy [legitimately didn't now]?
Victor: In the living room.
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3/4/2005 8:04:43 AM
Isn't Cousin Sean just absolutely beautiful? James is marvelling at what a complex expression he has ("a knowing smile"). Who would expect anything less though? This pic was taken at 2 days old. Needless to say, he's melting hearts across the country already. Great job Deb & Pat!
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12/31/2009 11:59:27 PM
Happy New Year! We went up to Carrollton to hang with the Cunningham clan tonight and the boys ended up staying out super late. They weren't in bed until about 11:00. Wildness! They really had fun (as did we) but most especially because they got to see their girlfriends, Avery and Allison:
Wow! There are fireworks going off over at Lewis & Clark right this very moment (yeah, I'm apparently blogging at the strike of midnight). Must go watch.....Happy New Year! |
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6/26/2010 6:20:50 AM
[James here]
Victor has been steadily improving at swimming. We go once per week to a special needs swimming class with Ms. Betsy. Ms. Betsy is very good with Victor and has had him practice kicking and moving his arms with various floatation devices. The week before last Victor and I spent a marathon session going back an forth in the pool with me holding him. Each time we made a turn Victor pulled himself out of the pool. By the end of that session he could get out all by himself!
But something even more exciting happened this past Wednesday night. Ms. Betsy gave Victor a kickboard to use which he normally will hold onto, but requires someone else to stabilize and locomote. But after a couple of laps with only a couple fingers on the board I let go completely. Victor was able to balance it by himself and kick his way across the pool! Yay! His face was pretty serious with concentration, but after a while he started to really understand how excited we were and give a little proud smile. It was "very, very, very" cool as Victor would say. |
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3/4/2005 12:49:09 PM
Well, this news is far less exciting than Sean's arrival but I also finished Victor's baby blanket last night. Woo hoo! It only took about 9 weeks so I think I'll try to crank out another one (that and matching booties and hat). Hey, just because he's a boy doesn't mean he shouldn't be nicely color coordinated. :)
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1/5/2010 12:31:39 PM
Wow, we've been in this house for almost a year now. That hardly even seems possible. Pretty funny because the majority of the Christmas cards we've received (correction: are STILL receiving) went to Carrollton and then got forwarded on to Godfrey. I'm sure glad I spent the money on those address change cards that I sent out with the birth announcements! Apparently not everyone is as anal about their address lists as I am. OK, so that's not a surprise, I suppose. At any rate, it's fun to still be getting everybody's lovely cards into January!
We had a truly delightful holiday season but man, oh man, is it good to be getting back to the routine. Victor had an awesome day back to school yesterday. He was excited about going and all reports from Mrs. P indicated that he did really well. Best of all, he was happy to see us again when he got home yesterday afternoon and he had lots of fun playing with his brother and Daddy (and Mommy!) last night. Didn't sleep very well last night though. He still wants to come sleep in our room every single night at some point and last night we tried to lay down the law about staying in his own room until at least 5:00. He ended up sneaking in some time prior to that but I was too tired from his prior shenanigans to notice until it was too late. He was dragging a bit this morning but I managed to get him outside and onto the bus. That is getting less fun every day for both of us. James says we should wait inside but I am certain that the driver would pause only briefly before moving on and I don't want to sprint outside on ice.
And Erick? He's got a full schedule starting this week too. We had music class this morning over in St. Louis. Just as soon as Miss Katherine returns from her maternity leave and starts her classes back up in Alton, we will be there but until then, we're making the trek over to St. Louis. I really don't even mind the drive over there. I like to pretend that I live in the city sometimes (and then leave it behind). The tricky part of our Tuesday mornings is that I put Victor on the bus right at or around 8:20 and then Erick and I have to leave immediately after that for St. Louis. I'm still not really good at having both boys dressed for the cold and adequately fed by that time, especially given how erratic Erick is about his mornings lately (5:30 wake up today....an improvement over yesterday's 4:00).
So yeah, anyway, Erick LOVED music class. Like even more than he did when we went to the trial class a month or so ago. He was moving along to the beat and smiling the whole time. He definitely loves it as much as Victor did, if not even more. So at least it was gratifying to see him getting so much out of it. The boy is definitely a people person. He'll get to see even more tiny peers this week because we also start Play Pals on Thursday. It's basically a cheap, local version of a baby gym class (Little Gym is just plain too far and none of the classes fit our schedule well either). I hope he enjoys that and I feel pretty confident that he will.
Tomorrow night Erick gets to go to his first live stage show! It's his first Sesame Street Live (and Victor's third, or maybe even fourth). I think he'll like it but it will be pushing his limits timing-wise. He won't usually tolerate a lot of large scale activity after 7:00 but hopefully he'll make an exception for Cookie Monster. And while Victor isn't an avid Sesame Street watcher as he once was, I'm quite certain that he'll still be happy to see Elmo and Friends in full regalia. He's always especially fond of the inappropriately nimble Cookie Monster. Hopefully I'll manage to get pictures but it will be a challenge to be sure. It was a lot easier to tote Erick around Scottrade Center last year in utero. |
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7/28/2010 7:08:50 AM
[James here]
Obligatory defamation of Facebook and what it's done to MonkeyDeux! But on to more fun things. When I came home from my trip to Austin, the next morning Erick treated me to a display of his two words: "Kitty" and "Victor". Of course, his versions are "Key" and "Dicdor", but they happened to be very close to one another, and he pointed to each in succession as he identified them. He'll point to mommy or daddy and act like he wants to label us, but then gives you a look like, "Remind me again of your name?"
[Dawn Rebuttal]
There are four factors contributing to my failure to update here in a timely manner. Facebook is but one of them. They are specifically as follows:
1. I can't add and update pictures during the day because of network issues while James is logged in for work. I'm often too tired to bother at night.
2. Erick keeps me extremely busy now that he's into everything all the time. And when he's napping, Victor's running laps around the house and terrorizing the cat. A lot of parental intervention needed.
3. The boys have been sick constantly all summer. I'm tired of talking about it and sadly, it's about all I have to report most of the time. I do feel badly that a lot of Erick milestones are going unreported but by the time I can think of recording them, we're on to the next illness and I'm preoccupied.
4. Yes, facebook. I spend more time there communicating with friends than I do elsewhere because it's so easy to do it all in one place.
I'll do a lot better once Victor goes back to school for full days and I at least have some naptime during which to do adult things. And I really do strive to do that. Right now? Not happening. If you'll excuse me now, I have a feverish and crying Erick to hold. More soon. |
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3/7/2005 11:36:30 AM
Just got back from my first of what will probably be many panic attack appointments with OB's nurse practitioner. Can I just say that I love this woman? I don't have to tell her that the twins' birthdays are coming up and that I'm totally freaked about getting past 22 weeks. She just knows and she's ready to do whatever I need her to do to make me feel better. There is a very large gift basket in that woman's future!
Everything looks great. My blood pressure was quite normal today. Makes a lot of sense, eh? Last week I was relaxed and it was high. This week I'm totally freaking out and it's normal. Victor looked active and healthy and Cervix (an entity all her own) looks to be well-behaved from what we can tell right now. Got a few new Vicpics I'll have James put on tonight.
This is going to be a tough stretch for a while but luckily I see the NP again next week and then I have doc appointments the two weeks after that. If I have to go weekly till I get safely through to 24 or 26 weeks, so be it. I'm sure I'm not the only crazy woman out there. Besides, I can live with being crazy better than I can live with being ignorant. |
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1/13/2010 8:59:03 PM
Erick's 9 months old! He had his checkup today and was, as usual, charming and gregarious while we were there and then immediately surly once we got home (he gets this from me). In his defense, he did have to get a blood draw (his first actual from-a-vein draw) to check his iron levels. He had a great appointment though and Dr. L continues to be amazed every time at how healthy he has been so far. He was 21 pounds, 2 ounces which is a whole pound and a half heavier than Victor was at 9 months but he's also an inch shorter than Victor was at a mere 29 inches. Very interesting. His head is kinda smallish too, compared to Victor's. While we try not to read too much into the head circumference thing (there are a lot of indications that autistic kids tend to have bigger brains/heads), it's hard not to be a little relieved to see a difference in that growth rate. I think it goes without saying that we're hopeful that Erick will be neurotypical and won't face as many challenges as his brother has had to face already.
Erick continues to try to get into anything and everything to which he can gain access. He gets up and bounces on those knees of his but still always reverts back to his swim/scoot for his really purposeful movement. He's pulling up from his knees more and more every day though, including in his crib. So it's obviously on it's lowest height setting now. No cruising yet but I can see him thinking about it. He'll get brave and try it when nobody's looking. And he might get very inspired very soon because we have Play Pals tomorrow (snowed out last week) and he'll surely see some babies his size doing some very exciting things.
He had a blast at music again this week. We're not minding the drive over there much but I do think it will get old and sadly, that's our only option now. Miss Katherine is moving away and so there won't be a more local class again any time soon, unless I go get trained to teach Music Together (and I don't know how to play the guitar so I'm hosed on that one). So I guess we'll see how we feel about it in a few months. I really want Erick to have all of the benefits of such a wonderful program, just like his brother had. There is such a love of music instilled in Victor and it makes for such a fantastic learning gateway for him.
And Victor. Victor, Victor, Victor. He seemed to enjoy his snow days last week, probably just because snow days were such an exotic new thing, but he was ready to lose it by the end of the weekend. I don't think he could wait to get to school. He's still doing really well and making steady progress. I get really excited about the small things like him actually saying "Bye Miss Joan! Thank you!" to his bus driver as he gets off (that took a month of nagging from me but he does it sweetly and with a smile). We have another IEP meeting coming up in February to determine his kindergarten placement and I am somewhat traumatized by the thought of it. I just have such a sense of security with him at Early Childhood. It's a small building where EVERYBODY knows him and it's 5 minutes away if he has an emergency (peanut allergy or otherwise). Kindergarten is going to involve him being much further away.
He's going to love kindergarten though. He's definitely ready for more academic challenges because he knows the pre-K stuff inside and out. Granted, he has a LOT of work to do with his social skills and his pre-handwriting skills but that will all come with continued therapy. I really am confident of that. He's been working on phonics here at home during the last 3 weeks. He loves the computer games I got him and he masters them but he still has a hard time generalizing that info. It's starting to click slowly though. The important thing is that he really wants to read and thinks it's a fun big boy thing to do.
Oh yeah, and we DID manage to make it to Sesame Street Live last week. Barely. We drove home in The Big Storm. It was a great show though and both boys (strike that....all THREE boys) definitely had fun:
Fifth row for 10 bucks a pop, baby! It pays to get online at midnight on the day of presale. :) |
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3/7/2005 3:33:03 PM
I love Eileen Nordmeyer! Ah. Sweet, sweet Trinidads from Fannie May. The best surprise gift ever, I think. Mmmmmmmm. |
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1/22/2010 8:46:36 PM
In my "defense", my friends with blogs are even more delinquent than me (Note to Ruth & Lori: my refreshing finger is tired.) As usual, my excuse for taking so long to update is quite simple: Erick is everywhere. There is absolutely nothing that he won't pull up on and no barricade he won't try to just climb right over. It's rather alarming, especially considering that we STILL don't have gates up. We've procrastinated since we actually have beautiful woodwork/banisters now. We need to just buckle down and find a way to get it done because until then, there is no rest before 8:30 p.m. Literally.
The boys are good (naturally, just as I typed that, Erick screamed out in anguish!). They've had a good week overall and we're very much back in the swing of the normal routine and are very much benefiting from it. Erick either sleeps through the night like a sleep star or he wakes up between 3 and 4 to do some pulling up practice and then screams because he's afraid to try to get back down. He'll just start jumping up and down until I come feed him but luckily he crashes again afterwards. Victor still tries to invade our bed at least once per night. These circumstances are almost the norm now so it's a truly glorious event when they both will just sleep without intervention past about 5:00. I've actually reached the point where I've been going to bed prior to 11:00 sometimes. That's unheard of for me, truly.
The dynamic between the two brothers has gotten unpredictable and sometimes tense as of late. Victor gets so worked up about Erick now (again). He had somewhat mellowed out about his brother but lately he just gets really tweeked. It's a combination of factors, really. There's the part of him that is jealous and angry that Erick is getting so much attention right now with all of his physical milestones. And there's the part of him that is just overloaded from a sensory standpoint by how loud and in your face Erick can be about everything. And then obviously, there's the part of him that loves his little brother madly and wants to be around him as much as possible, including when it's not appropriate or desirable. And while Erick has previously been so enamored of his brother that he's been elated to have him glued to his side, that is beginning to change. Erick wants some space! He wants to try his new skills out without interference and even more than that, he wants an opportunity to play with some of these toys! So we're seeing Erick trying to get out of Victor's grasp more and we're also seeing glimpses of just how much he's going to hold his own when he's bigger. We've got some brawls in our future.
It's not all strife though. There are still many sweet moments shared between our little guys. And Victor really does seem to think that all of the new stuff Erick does is cool. I have some new photos that would be groovy to insert right at this point but I'm going to have to postpone any further Photoshopping for tonight. I have to get up at 5:00 to go to an autism workshop in Springfield and since I am usually awakened at least 2-3 times between midnight and 5:00, this is quite daunting. I'll try to get those pics on yet this weekend though. And James has tennis practice tomorrow morning (he's the new men's tennis coach at Lewis & Clark, y'all!) so Mimi & PopPaw are taking the helm for a few hours tomorrow morning. Godspeed M&P! DVDs are your friends (If not salvation).
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8/3/2010 7:08:45 AM
Victor is five. Can you believe that? And while I've never really written letters to my children on this blog (mainly because I didn't want to rip off my dear friend Ruth), I think it is probably the best way to mark such an important occasion as this. And so, I offer this missive to my sweet, sweet Victor on his 5th birthday.........
My Dearest Victor Doodle,
You're five now. That's kind of a big deal and you seem to understand that. You understand so much about the world now, in spite of not necessarily having all of the interests and language skills of a typical 5-year-old. I'll admit that I've wished so many times for you to just wake up and be "typical" (that's the magic word for "not autistic") but I wish for it a lot less these days. I've seen those typical kids and you're really just way cooler. I'm not just saying that. You're completely amazing. I think that because I've had to work so hard at getting at your thoughts and feelings, I really know you more than I know anyone (and obviously more than anyone else knows you). And to know you is to love you so it stands to reason that I love you more than anything in the whole wide world. Don't tell your brother.
You're going to kindergarten in just a few short weeks and you are so ready. Your daddy & I are incredibly proud of how hard you've worked in pre-K and in private therapy to get to this point. We used to wonder if we'd need to hold you back a year before you went to kindergarten, just because you're so young for your grade. You barely even make the cutoff, after all. Now that the time has come, no one had any question that you were ready. You are such an old pro at being a good student. You've known all of the stuff that kids are supposed to know when they go into kindergarten for like the past 2 years or so. It was all of the social and language stuff you had to work on. And boy have you worked on it! You, my little stinker, are ready to go to big school and I know you'll love it.
You are doing so many cool things that we love getting to see you do. You are doing a lot of reading and it, of course, makes me so happy to see how much you love your books. You take such good care of them and I so appreciate how you try to show your brother how we should treat books, even if you get a bit too worked up about it at times. Books are something to be passionate about and I respect and love that about you. Naturally, you also seem to love numbers. You are Daddy's boy too, after all. You are happiest when you are following him around being his minion and pretending to do all of the things he does.
You are so much like Daddy, actually. You are really so many of the best things in Daddy, the things that I love most about him. Much like Daddy, you don't really pull any punches and don't have hidden agendas. And you are funny and sweet and love to do imitations like Daddy. You have Daddy's temper too. You don't have a short fuse (unlike your brother!) but when you get mad, you really blow up. But then you move on because you don't really like to be mad. Like Mommy, you wear your heart on your sleeve and you get really nervous when people hover over you.
It's funny how many of your autistic traits are not very weird to your daddy & I. There is just absolutely no mistaking that you're ours. You love order. As any civilized human should. You've gotten a lot more accepting of change though and you have been so resilient through a lot of big moments during the past year or so. Especially the arrival of your brother. You are such a good big brother. Sure, we still have to ask you on a daily basis not to choke him and you lose your mind if he messes up one of your toys. (Also, you've been known to take toys away from him just to hear him scream. Man alive, can that boy scream, eh?). But that's part of being a brother. The torture, I mean.
You love your brother so much though and I'm pretty sure he knows it too because your name is his first and favorite word. You love to help take care of him and you are always so concerned about how he is and what he needs. You've been amazingly patient about Erick's impact on both our schedule and Mommy's energy bandwidth. What's more important than sharing toys is sharing Mommy and you have been so generous and kind with your brother in that regard. That is saying a lot because you are known at times to be kind of a Mommy's boy yourself, especially during the middle of the night when you want to snuggle.
You are such a snuggler. You are such an affectionate boy in general. Not everyone would realize it because you still struggle so much at times to greet and say goodbye to people without prompting. But when you're at ease with people, you are extremely generous and affectionate. No one knows that more than your brother. You always have a smile for him and cannot let him go to bed without a big kiss and hug goodnight.
I'd love to talk about how incredibly smart you are and the things you do and say on a daily basis that amaze us but I'm pretty sure I'd start to sound like an obnoxious mom (you know the type...."blah blah blah, my kid is amazing and brilliant, blah blah blah" when we all know that you're the most amazing and brilliant, V). I will say that your powers of memory stun me at times. Granted, being male, those powers are ever selective. You can forget ever hearing that which you don't want to remember, especially when it pertains to eating.
Oh Victor, I could go on and on about your endearing qualities. Just know that I have never felt a deeper pride or joy in my life than I have in being your mommy. You are what I was waiting for and you are worth every bit of that wait. And while it's hard not to shed a few tears about how quickly my baby is growing up, I am mostly so excited to see you starting kindergarten and making new friends who will see the wonderful things in you that I already have the great fortune to know. Thank you for finding your way to me. Happy 5th. Now let's go to the water park!
Hugs and kisses,
Mommy
p.s Thank you for still liking Llama Llama, Red Pajama. |
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3/8/2005 11:31:02 AM
I have to brag about my other baby. She has a reputation for being less than warm and welcoming but it turns out that she is just too sophisticated for her own good. Prudence LOVES classical music. I've been trying to get in the habit of playing a lot of classical for Victor (even though I know he can't hear much yet). Usually when I turn on music in our bedroom, Pru sprints from the room but I've noticed that no matter how loud I have classical cranked up, she just stays. Ends up she is very refined and not just haughty like others believe. Here is a picture of Pru in the endearing way only we get to see her.
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1/27/2010 9:03:03 PM
It's not a good week. Sometimes I have to talk about the bad stuff too, right? Nope, not a good week at all. Victor is having one of those autism jags where he just backslides for days and days and it feels pretty hopeless at times. We've been here before though and I know that something will happen (a really good night's sleep? a great therapy session? a meaningful interaction that makes him feel like himself again?) to snap him back into "our normal" again. Until then though, it sucks the life out of me and keeping the brave face on all day in front of the boys is wearing me out more than a little.
This all seemed to start a few days ago when we were looking at pictures from last year and Victor saw a very favorite toy in one of the pictures. This is a toy that we eventually phased out and then took away because Victor would so intensely stim with it. Some therapists think that you need to allow a little bit of stimming to satisfy the craving and thus calm the kid but the stimming he did with that toy was counterproductive to everything about our daily lives. It had to go into a box for a year. When he saw it in the picture, he begged for it. We thought maybe he could handle playing with it and would use it in a more meaningful way now, especially since it reinforces his recent phonics learning.
I don't think he'll get that toy back again. It seemed like he tuned everything else out more than ever before. It may seem more extreme at this point just because he's made so much progress in a year and I know that he's capable of much more focused and "normal" behavior now. And really, I don't know if the toy sent him over the edge or if he was already heading that way and the hysterical need for the toy should have been my big "whoa! grab onto something because we're about to slip into the abyss!" warning. At any rate, it's been a tough few days overall. He's not listening, seems lost in even the most basic routines at times, not talking as much and doing more echolalia and mimicry than ever.
So we'll ride it out. He's sleeping pretty well, at least. If I can manage to get us all up early enough, I think I'll start trying to do his therapeutic listening in the mornings again before school (we're doing that only as needed now but I think it's "needed"). That's a whole other can of worms though, of course. The mornings are rather hectic these days because James has to start work a lot earlier in order to accommodate his tennis coaching schedule. I'm barely managing to get Victor ready for school since Erick's first feeding of the day is always right in the same timeframe. Every morning is different, obviously, so it's always an adventure. |
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8/8/2010 12:18:31 AM
Victor's birthday party was a smashing success (as far as the kids were concerned anyway........we weren't entirely impressed with the level of service from the bowling alley but the kids were blissfully unaware). There are many, many, many pictures for me to sort through but I'll try to get some of them on very soon. Victor loves all of his presents though and he's even sharing some of them with his brother, probably because he can't even keep track of all of them at this point. He's five and he's been celebrated. Now on to getting ready for kindergarten to start in just 11 days! |
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3/9/2005 9:26:22 AM
Online Illini unite! It's time to start cranking up some virtual Oskeewowwow in preparation for Friday morning. Hail to the orange.........and yadda yadda yadda. I even dreamed about them last night.
Specifically, I dreamed that Eileen and I were going to the game against Michigan/Northwestern (in the dream, it was Michigan and Chris Webber was there wearing his weird mask) and that I was mad because Tom Brunet and Tom Zimmerman were smoking cigars! Yeah, I don't know. |
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1/31/2010 9:13:57 PM
OK, things are slowly but steadily improving. The frigid weather and yet another round of colds is not doing poor Victor any favors though. He's still just not himself but at least he's more responsive than he was. I hope that he holds it together this week (and that I hold it together as well!) because Daddy is out of the picture until Saturday. He's off to Austin so it's me and the boys. If it gives you any idea how well it's going, they are just now sounding like they're possibly asleep but I'm still terrified to try to take a shower. Fun.
We did have a nice day though. We went to breakfast with Mimi & PopPaw and then we took Mimi with us up to see Gaga for the afternoon. The boys both fell asleep on the drive home (hence the less than smooth bedtime). It was good for all of us to get some quality family time in today. Once we were home, I wanted to collapse though. I broke out Victor's old Legos (Quattros rule!) to see what Erick would think of them and they were a hit. The boys played together very nicely for a little while. James, here's what you missed:
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8/8/2010 2:17:01 PM
As it turns out, I have a few other pictures to attend to before the big birthday photo update. I had forgotten how many pictures we've taken lately.
A week ago, we took a little cruise down I-255 with the Dohrn clan for some bouncy housing. Here's the proof:
 (Bernie in the air!)
 (Jack & Bern getting down on Erick's level.)
 (Not too traumatized by his first bouncy housing.)
 (The old pro post-slide.)
 (Tired, bored boys waiting for food.)
And these are a bit random but just a few days ago, I found Erick just hanging out enjoying the sunroom all alone:
He had company before long though:
Next up, birthday pics. Sadly, there are no pics from the water park. I didn't feel brave enough to attempt keeping the camera dry all day. I sure wish we had a picture of Victor coming off the slide in Treehouse Harbor though. Biggest smile ever. Hopefully this montage will make up for the lack of water park pictures:
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3/11/2005 3:42:56 PM
Haven't had much to say but thought I'd better blog so that Genevieve won't worry that something's wrong. ;) (Sure Gen, lurk away but never sign the guestbook!). Everything's fine. Big nosebleed day. I blame the cedar pollen, more than anything. Trying to take it easy today so I can be well-rested for John & Jeanie's arrival tomorrow.
The Illini game was BORING today. Sure would have been more fun if we had at least been blowing out Michigan instead of Northwestern. I believe those guys are going the distance. If nothing else, they have to just because 2005 needs to be a much better year. Nothing will make up for losing Ro & JT last year but it's time for happy things to happen for the Humphreys. It's going to take a lot of good to make up for Bush being re-elected too but I shall digress............ (It's a baby blog, Dawn, a baby blog). I feel good things coming, particularly in the little kicks (Seinfeld fans?).
Finished Victor's baby booties today. Shouldn't say they're FINISHED, I guess. They still need to have their seams sewn up - a chore that requires assistance from my trusty teacher. They look pretty good. Now I'm working on gauge swatches to figure out what pattern to use for the next blankie. This is really, really addicting and I think it just might help my blood pressure a little. That and relaxing with Miss Pru. [Note to Paul: We'll fly in European cat psychoanalysts before we'll kick our furbaby to the curb. We've just been through too much together in the past 11 years.]
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8/10/2010 3:50:57 PM As usual, it's feast or famine with our family and photography. So I guess that makes this the occasional feast:
 (The rare moments when Erick will wear a hat must be captured!)
 (Playing the sad clown on the day after the party.)
 (I was a little freaked out to walk in and see this.)
 (Another episode of "The Many Faces of Victor: Hat Edition".) |
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3/14/2005 2:12:42 PM
Had a fun weekend with John & Jeanie and am now "recovering" with a day of rest. Added new pics of my girth today. Here are also some pics from Saturday night with the Lum gang.
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8/24/2010 2:13:59 PM
Have I ever got pictures to share! Can't get to them right now though, sadly. Maybe one of these nights I'll have enough energy to get them edited and posted once James logs off for the day.
The big moment that we unfortunately don't have pictures of though (OK, we have like 2!) is Victor's first day of kindergarten last week. Dawn the Rule Follower did as we were asked and dropped Victor off at the designated curb dropoff point so we don't have all of those quaint pictures of Victor walking into his classroom and sitting down at his desk, etc. Most of the rest of the school parked and walked in and took their pictures but not Dawn the Rule Follower. :( On the bright side, there really weren't tears shed with our arrangement whereas there probably would have been with the full-on family march down the hall. And he's in good hands at dropoff - his favorite teacher's aide, Mrs. Holder, comes out to the car and takes his hand to walk him right in there. He can barely be bothered to cast a "Bye Mommy!" over his shoulder. I'll take that over leg clinging any day though.
He's doing just great. To give you some idea, he actually gets out of bed voluntarily in the mornings because he's anxious to get ready and go. He really likes the new school and he's happy as a clam with his teacher and aides (and luckily a few familiar friends from Early Childhood). His classroom has a teacher and 3 aides for 6 kids so we feel quite comfortable about his safety during the day. I still feel like I'm going to throw up every time the phone rings during the day, especially around lunch time (PB&Js offered in the cafeteria EVERY SINGLE DAY....ugh) but he's adjusted and happy and all reports from the staff are nothing but stellar. The boy is a kindergartener. Too cool. |
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3/15/2005 9:01:05 AM
Outstanding appointment today. My weight gain is 9 pounds so far (hey, that's awesome for me!) and blood pressure was a very workable 120/74. Most importantly, Victor is as cute and active as ever. That boy's got some long legs. He really is going to be long, tall Texan, Dad! He was moving a lot and kept putting his hands in front of his face and kicking right at the ultrasound. The nurse tried to capture a pic of it but it's not the greatest quality. We'll see tonight if it's worth posting.
Aside from the pummeling I'm getting from allergies right now, feeling great. Might even finally brave Babies'RUs today. Or maybe I'll take a long nap now!
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8/31/2010 8:26:41 PM
Hey, I added some pictures! They're even good. :) Things have just been so busy with the beginning of school. Victor's still loving it but he's very tired when he's home. He gets off the bus and he wants to go down in the basement to "hang out with Daddy" and watch a DVD. Definitely has to unwind a bit before he's ready to play with Erick. And while Erick is sad to see his brother leave the house without him, he's really enjoying his freedom. He just started Little Gym last week and he is loving it.
Before I forget that I got these ready, here are a few catch-up pictures from a few weeks ago. We went to the MO Botanical Garden with Jack & Bernie (and Heather & Chris) for an extra special Heather-orchestrated dinosaur event. The big boys all got to ride Metrolink to the gardens (Erick and Daddy met us there) and they seemed to buy that it was a Dinosaur Train. Then at the gardens, we went to the Jurassic Dark exhibit in the Climatron. I don't have pics of that part because Victor literally fell on his face right before we went in and so I was consoling him the whole way through. Here are the few pics I have though:
 (Big boys at the entrance to the waaaaaaaaaay cool Children's Garden)
 (Erick attempting to climb the cargo net like a big boy.)
 (Erick, clutching the parrot that he screamed about having to leave behind, and quite concerned about why Jack has transformed into a dinosaur.)
 ("That.")
Good times.
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3/18/2005 7:05:16 PM
I think I just felt a real kick. I mean like JUST now. Saw him again today (another NP appointment - I will spare further details) and he seems to have grown a lot in 3 days. Got to see a lot of his face today and he reminded me a lot of Ronan. He never stops moving either!
Other than that, not much major news in the Humphrey household. Started a new blanket that is cloverleaf eyelet patterned. James is getting busier and busier with tennis again, both playing and crusading-wise. I really miss playing sometimes but I know it will all come back to me when I get to play again in about November (at least it will be cool then!). Cannot wait to get Vic his first racquet. That will be so cool. |
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9/1/2010 1:43:49 PM
More pictures. I didn't want to put the whole shebang in one post because I was afraid the page wouldn't load for GiGi. So here are more pictures. I told you there was a backlog!
First, there are these pictures from the last day the J'ville pool was open. Victor was soooooooo happy and surprised when his best buds Bernie & Jack showed up. For a while, we were just about the only people there though:
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3/21/2005 2:14:54 PM
OK. Breathing this week's first sigh of relief. Excellent perinatologist visit this morning. We had a slight scare this past weekend which was magnified by the significance of this week in our minds. Victor could not look better though! His weight is estimated at about about 13 ounces today and he is measuring about 5 days ahead. Dr. Berry was very pleased with how he looked.
Cervix looks darn near perfect as well which was a tremendous relief right now. V's amniotic fluid looked really good as well. So, though we know there will still be many stresses we also know that things look about as good as they possibly could from a medical perspective. There's no such thing as "out of the woods" but this is all most encouraging.
Now back to pressing matters this afternoon like knitting tiny Illini booties (baby blue with peach ribbons)! Thanks for all of the good vibes from those of you who are out there urging us on this week. |
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9/1/2010 1:45:21 PM
But there are even more! These are from just a few days ago when we went to Grafton with -you guessed it- Jack & Bernie and Heather & Chris to pick apples at Eckerts and then on to hang out and eat at the Loading Dock. Everybody was partying like it was Friday night (which it was):
Ahhhhh. Finally caught up. More soon, I'm sure. |
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3/25/2005 9:14:02 AM
Ronan Woods Humphrey was born a year ago today at 2:17 p.m. He weighed 1 pound, 2 ounces and was 11 inches long. He was an amazing little guy with a lot of spirit and we were honored to share his entire short life holding him. Miss him today and every day. |
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3/26/2005 10:48:59 AM
James Thomas Humphrey was born a year ago today at 5:38 p.m. He weighed 1 pound, 4 ounces and was 12 inches long. The more pragmatic and calm twin, he had the cutest little mouth I've ever seen and in spite of being a preemie, somehow managed to look muscular.
Always our first and second born, the twins are never far from our thoughts and forever in our hearts. They've given us so much strength and we will be better parents to Little Vic for the lessons his big brothers have taught us. Their presence will always be felt in this family and we wouldn't want it any other way. Thanks boys. Mommy & Daddy love you, always.
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3/26/2005 8:54:10 PM
Oh. My. God.
I think I need to check my blood pressure after that Illini victory. I so badly wanted to see Auntie Leener in the stands going crazy but they seemed to only care about showing Bill Murray. What a happy moment in a bittersweet day.
Oskee-wow-wow!
Here's a few of Vic's favorite Illini, Uncle Pat and Cousin Sean...........
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3/28/2005 10:07:20 AM
Great OB visit. We had the big anatomy ultrasound today and everything looks right on. Vic was a bit resistant to being pressed on but was just cooperative enough to get all his measurements. Turns out I have an anterior placenta so he must really be a kicker for me to have felt him so early (weeks and weeks ago).
Blood pressure and weight gain are just right. Cervical length is still splendid. I feel good. This is a good start to the week. OB is seeing us again in 2 weeks since this is still our tough time range. Plus, had to get us back on our OB/peri appointment schedule since they threw us off by actually taking vacations over spring break! |
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3/31/2005 1:27:02 PM
Serving semi-public notice to the smokers out there (specifically Vic's Grandpa, Great Uncle Dick and Great Aunt Branwyn):
Over the course of the last 34 years, you have heard plenty about my feelings on this topic but they are about to have more impact on you. I don't want to hear how hard it is to quit. I just lived through a really hard year sans addictions and I'm not keen on hearing a bunch of lazy whining. I just want it to stop RIGHT NOW. If after all this time, you can't consider doing it for me, than for the love of God, do it for Little Vic. He wants you here and healthy and not reaking of that terrible stench.
Mark my words, loved ones, you will NEVER smoke in his presence. Not in utero or otherwise. Vic will not breathe your second hand smoke because I am his mother and it is my call. Is this punitive? Yes, partly. But it is also my exercise of my discretion as Vic's mother. If you have a lit cigarette, my son will not be in your presence. No exceptions.
I have gained a small measure of power here and I will wield it! Play time is over. Shape up, people. Love you. DEPH. |
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4/4/2005 11:33:13 AM
Today the blog becomes the FAQ section of the page! There are two questions that I keep getting here lately so I shall address them:
1. No, I am most certainly not planning to fly home for a shower. The only thing that will get me on a plane is a family emergency. A shower ain't even close to emergency!
Yes, I realize the repercussions - so much so that I recently dreamed that we had absolutely nothing when Victor arrived and had to go buy diapers on the way home from the hospital. It was mildly alarming but in the dream, he was happy and healthy (and probably poopy) so I didn't wake up screaming.
I wish I could get home, mostly because I would so love to see family and friends right now. But alas, that is the main purpose of this very page - to keep everyone in the loop across the many miles. That and apparently allowing me to babble endlessly as some weird form of self-therapy.
2. Will we do this again? Geez. We don't know. Certainly not ruling it out but we're kinda waiting to see how labor and delivery go this time around. We'd certainly love to have another but there are a whole lot of factors at play there. If we do IVF again, it should probably be in November since that seems to be "our month".
I can tell you that if we ever get pregnant all on our own "accidentally", there will be unrestrained jubilation no matter what the timing. Not holding out hope for that though. Dare to dream though I guess, eh? But if the question is whether we'd go through IVF again......yes, in a heartbeat, funds permitting. IVF is a walk in the park compared to what we've been through.
OK, so stop asking! :)
Oh yeah, and GO ILLINI. |
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4/4/2005 4:17:56 PM
Guess I'm just bloggerific today. Auntie Leener says I sound a little cranky so I thought I'd try to post something more positive. She's right. I've been a bit of a downer lately but it comes with the territory at the present. I'll snap out of it soon. Hormones, people, hormones!
I would like to go on record right now, 4 hours before the NCAA finals, as saying that I believe with every thread of my being that the Illini are going to get the job done tonight. It's time for James Augustine (aka Keeper of Eileen's Heart) to step up and show us why he's all that. I believe that it shall be.
Hail to the orange! Hail to the blue! I'm thinking that since it's such a late game Victor might even do his own little Chief Illiniwek dance in there (he starts up around 10:00).
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4/4/2005 10:15:14 PM
I jinxed Augustine. He would have made a better water boy tonight. |
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4/5/2005 11:12:42 AM
OK. I was completely wrong about the Illini. They could have won. They should have won. I'm not even disappointed in them. I'm disappointed FOR them. They never stopped trying and I am proud of their effort. I'm done shedding tears over it now, I swear.
Today is 22 weeks. Big week. Within a few days, I will be the most pregnant I have ever been. My awareness of how fragile this all is so keen but it's a blessing in and of itself to know to cherish every single little kick. Victor knows how loved he is. Trust me on that.
Onward and outward! And for the last time for a while (I don't DO football season), Oskee-wow-wow! |
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4/7/2005 4:06:05 PM
Just found out that I am officially preregistered at the hospital and I am all signed up for childbirth and breastfeeding classes. Almost wish I could have waited just one more day for that but it's all good. I was initially really squeamish about doing classes knowing how uncomfortable some moments might be and how many emotional triggers will linger. Kinda forced to deal with it early on though because we need to make sure everything is done before the cerclage comes out because all bets are off after that. I'm admittedly still pretty timid about it.
We owe it to Veeger to try to do everything right though and it's not about what makes it easier on us. It's about what will make it all safer for him. And yeah obviously, we've done a whole lot to be proactive on his behalf, more than is required of most. We gotta jump out there and participate in some normalcy though. Yeah, talk to me in a month. ;) James, on the other hand, will be cool as a cucumber. Thank goodness.
Not issuing specific "shout outs" here to protect the privacy of others but I've had a few friends with some really bad news this week. They know who they are and they know they're on my mind. You know how much we cherish this little kicking maniac but we are more aware than ever of how lucky he makes us. Holding you close to our hearts. |
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4/9/2005 3:12:19 PM
James got to feel his first kick early yesterday morning! Most cool. I thought the kicks were probably getting strong enough that he could feel them but he's pretty erratic during the day. He's a night owl.
Today is less joyous. Taxes are being done in the Humphrey home. Ouch. I was hoping to get a pic of Daddy this weekend but right now he is deranged and surrounded by a flurry of paperwork. He's actually remaining fairly chipper though.
OB appointment Monday. Counting the hours. |
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4/10/2005 2:01:03 PM
Yay! How fun. Victor just got his first cute little outfit (thanks Sharon!) that isn't a hand-me-down from his brothers or made by his compulsive knitter of a mother. :) This is all really happening.
I've been trying not to buy him much stuff, not because I'm superstitious (I'm surprisingly not in the slightest) but because I know once I start, I'll be hard pressed to stop. I know my own tendencies.
I've got to be compulsive about something so I am an absolute knitting machine. I'm working on his second hat and his second blanket and he has 10 pairs of booties on display in his room. What do you expect from a shoe gal? |
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4/11/2005 12:16:56 PM
Good OB report today. Slightly disappointing because I didn't get to see Victor. His heartrate was excellent though and I'm measuring right on. Actually gained 3 pounds in 2 weeks so I guess we can assume he's packed a little on too. Too much ice cream?
Speaking of ice cream, I take the glucose tolerance test next month when I go back to OB. We see Berry the Peri in 2 weeks for another growth scan and official cervix check (confirmed closed with cerclage intact today but no length measurement). Cruising along and officially marking normal pregnancy milestones now. OB says we can do cartwheels at 24, 28 and 34 weeks. |
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4/14/2005 5:08:33 PM
My name is Dawn. I am addicted to Nutella. (Haha, Leener thought I was going to say "My name is Dawn and I am funky and when it comes to funk I am a junkie"!). Love, love, love Nutella. It's like eating cake icing but tricking myself into believing it has some redeeming nutritional value.
Seriously though, can't stop eating. Feel great but can't stop eating and can't stop sweating. Basically, in spite of being full of estrogen, I am somehow turning into my father. How can that be?
The nesting has officially begun or rather, the nesting planning. I can't do much physically but I've started stressing myself out with all of the lists of things that must be done to prepare for Victor's arrival. I guess it's a little early to start washing clothes, eh? ;) |
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4/19/2005 12:07:14 PM
My 24 week cartwheel today is a mental one, especially after the celebratory lunch I just ate. Already looking forward to marking Week 28. Certainly feels within reach now!
No other major news in particular, aside from an attempted crib purchase and a nearly completed Blankie #2. Tried to go ahead and buy the crib so we'd have it waiting at BRU for us but ended up on the warehouse waiting list. Only a few weeks' wait though. Today I'm beginning the tedious process of sewing the border on Victor's blanket. Love knitting. Hate sewing.
The mommy report? Nose still bleeding daily but that's no biggie. Experiencing a strange but intermittent resurgence of morning sickness that seems to be cured by just sleeping until 10:30 or so. Cute belly is quickly becoming scary belly.
Yay 24 weeks!!!!!! Good job Veeg. Good job Cervix.
[Amended at 3:12 to reflect that the blanket border operation is now officially a catastrophe. I will not make the mistake of bragging about knitting progress again. Serenity now!] |
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4/24/2005 6:02:05 PM
It's almost time for the March of Dimes Walk America event here in Austin. I obviously will not be participating but I intend to walk in Ronan & James's honor (as well in memory of many other special babies including -but not limited to- Thomas, Ryan & Reagan, Jack & Kyle, Evan & Brian, Caleb, Rory, Devin & Elizabeth and Lauren) in future years. I really encourage all of my loved ones to participate in this event in your areas or to give generously to the March of Dimes. Prematurity and infant loss is not the freak occurence we all want to believe it is. Great strides have been made but there is a long, long way to go.
I recently read an article in Parenting about infant loss that made an important point. That was that everyone talks about the babies that survive prematurity and go on to live healthy lives as the miracles. Those that don't get that chance are just as much tiny miracles and more people need to see it that way. Their time here is short but their impact is so great and the strength of will and character that they manage to show is truly extraordinary. Please support MOD any way you can and please support those around you that suffer such unthinkable losses by acknowledging their children. Thanks. :)
http://www.walkamerica.org
http://www.marchofdimes.com
(If you want to support a specific team and don't know of one, here is an Austin branch of Thomas's Team, a team near and dear to my heart:
www.walkamerica.org/cngraham) |
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4/25/2005 11:42:20 AM
Good appointment with Berry the Peri. Victor is 1 pound, 14 ounces today and is thus measuring 4 days ahead of his gestational age. Go Veeg! Cervix is closed. We were assured that an elephant could bungee jump on my cervix and these stitches would hold but I consider that a little overzealous. Fluid looked good, all of his little parts looked good, everything looked good. Trying to breathe a sigh of relief and just relax a little.
Also got some great leads on pediatricians from Berry's nurse so we can try to meet with them in a month or so. Need to have everything figured out by 36 weeks just in case he decides to come out when the stitches come out. Probably won't happen but need to plan for it.
Got some new face shots. They're not super clear but he is starting to look a little more human and less alien-like. Can't fit much of him in a frame anymore. We'll try to get a face shot on the site tonight.
Yay for a good report. Now I can just chill and get ready for a visit this weekend from my mommy. Double yay! |
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4/29/2005 9:54:31 AM
My mommy's here! My mommy's here! We have a very low impact day "planned" and by that, I mean that we are going to do whatever sounds good. We are about to head off for a Pressler reunion lunch which will be a good kickstart to the weekend. Uncle Dan & Aunt Jean are here visiting Cousin Pretty Girl Susan this weekend too so it's a special bonus event. Looking forward to it!
Victor got his first pair of shoes which were sent along for the trip from Gaga. They are so cute I could just cry! Literally. It's good that he's got a pair of shoes now instead of just booties. ;) I think I have officially stopped caring about shoes for myself now that I've seen these cute little V shoes. At least temporarily.
Happy Friday to all! |
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5/3/2005 10:50:29 AM
26 weeks, baby! The time really is starting to go by more quickly now that we've gotten past the first milestones. I think that it also helps that we're so busy with preparing now. Just like that, V's room is starting to look like HIS room! Well....just like that plus some help from a special benefactor/consultant visiting from IL this past weekend. ;) Oh yeah, and several hours of work from my trusty slave. It is frustrating to have so much I want to do and not have the physical ability to follow through but I'm lucky to have loved ones humoring me.
I'm feeling more tired and sore here lately and I really need to make an extra conscious effort to park it and keep the feet up (and drink my water) to stave off any preterm labor. I am in the high risk zone of PTL just by virtue of my experience. Feeling good in general though. Just struggling to keep my excitement/urge to run out and shop in check. Wish me luck! |
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5/7/2005 3:11:19 PM
Happy Mother's Day (early)! I think I'll have a good one. Yes, it's obviously bittersweet but I also feel very, very lucky for so many things as a mother. I got to meet two amazing little guys last year that changed my life forever and are a part of my every single moment. Plus, there is much to look forward to as a mother and I'm enjoying every bit of this pregnancy. Vic & I are doing so well. The docs seem to think that if we've gotten this far without any bedrest or drugs, this is going to be pretty smooth sailing. We're having fun hanging out together all day every day. Found out from an ultrasound yesterday that he apparently turned almost head down in the past few weeks. I knew he was up to something!
Thank you to Ro, JT & Veeg's daddy for helping them send me the awesome flowers I got today. He's one in a million. I can pick 'em. :) Thank you also to my family and friends for remembering me this weekend. And thank you to Aunt Deb, Uncle Pat & Cousin Sean for the great gift package today. Fun new Vic stuff to play with!
Laying low this weekend trying to get us some extra rest. I am so obsessed with Victor's room now but I'm trying to stay off my feet and also trying to not spend much money yet so I am knitting away. Currently working on throw pillow covers. Hey, at least it's not more booties!
Happy Mother's Day again to all of the wonderful moms out there, but especially to my mother and my Gaga who have taught me so many things I'm only beginning to discover I know. |
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5/9/2005 2:59:45 PM
OK, that's it. I'm declaring myself in the third trimester. Some books say 27, some say 28 and I have one that says 26w5d so I'm going with that because I could really use the ticker tape parade right now. So there. Third tri.
My OB appointment today was not as delightful as they usually are. Blood pressure was rather high. They made me lie down for a while and then took it again and it was better but still a little higher than last time. It's been high a few random times before, of course. OB was mildly alarmed though and now I have to monitor it at home and call in my readings. If it keeps trending toward upper borderline this week, I'll get sent to bed and diagnosed with pregnancy-induced hypertension. I remember a time when this was my greatest pregnancy fear.
I personally do not think that it was coincidence that I had such a high reading right after chugging the glucose test drink on very little sleep. The nurses thought I was grasping at straws with that. They just kept saying "Are you sure you're relaxed? Was traffic bad? Are you and hubbie in a spat?" Um, no. Couldn't be better except that you're freaking me out!!!!!!! I felt much better after coming home and eating. Even had a very normal reading after a mere 45 minutes at home.
I'm taking this all very seriously and yet I'm also determined to nip it in the bud pronto. Needless to say though, my modified house arrest shackles just got a little tighter. Luckily, Babies'RUs is 5 minutes away. Now if they'd just call and tell me Vic's crib is in! |
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5/11/2005 10:15:36 AM
Yay!!!!! I'm anemic and I could not possibly be happier about it. NP had left me a foreboding message yesterday afternoon to call in about my lab results so I was expecting the worst. Was pleasantly surprised to hear that I passed the glucose test with flying colors and my liver enzymes looked good too. So, gestational diabetes and pre-E are ruled out at this point. Still keeping a close eye on the BP though and it's looking good here at home. Even looked good after I drove home from errands yesterday in rush hour on Mopac. Now that is a good sign!
So the big inconvience for now is that I have to take iron supplements. A pill. Ha! No big whoop. Seems like everyone I know that's been pregnant lately has had to supplement iron. So that makes me almost normal-like. :)
Victor is busy, busy, busy today. Something has thrown him off his lethargic morning routine because he has been thrashing in there for a good 3 hours now. Fine by me. I'm digging it!
[p.s. A huge thank you to my "virtual midwife" Deb C. for all of the calming peptalks lately.] |
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5/12/2005 4:57:43 PM
My Gaga has created a monster. She also made me into a very polite child who was an outstanding reader (and frankly, still is) with impeccable color coordination. But as early as 1972, she made me into a shoe monster. :) That tradition continues. Granted, my dearly departed Grandma Pressler certainly contributed to what has been an endearing but costly lifelong affliction.
I have become more than a little obsessed with these Robeez shoes that Gaga sent me. I salivate over their website the way I used to salivate over the newest season's Birkenstocks. OK, so I still have a weakness for Birks too, especially any pink ones. Now I have stumbled upon a new and dangerous discovery though - I can buy the Robeez for way cheap on E-bay. I feel like an addict and I think I am blogging this only so that I have some accountability for my actions. [James is probably either freezing the credit card or staging an intervention as he reads this.] Must resist temptation to buy a bunch of tiny shoes. What if Vic is huge and his feet grow at some Wadlow rate?
In more normal news, we auditioned a pediatric group today at their "meet the docs" thingy and we were impressed. Most importantly, I think we felt pretty comfortable and not at all overwhelmed by all of this baby stuff. Let's just say we've grown accustomed to doctors. I think I'm calmest in a doctor's office though I guess my recent BP readings might indicate otherwise. I think we might be pretty good at this whole parenting thing though. In fact, I am rather sure of it. I'm not saying we won't drive him nuts though. |
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5/17/2005 4:53:26 PM
Yeehaw for 28 weeks! Can't muster much more than that. Nothing wrong. Just tired and sore and achy today. Got my summer highlights today so I should be feeling fresh and revitalized. Maybe tomorrow. Need sleep.
Feels good to make it to 28 though. There was a time when 28 was a lofty goal. Now it's a notch in this growing belt. We did it. And I do mean we. This is a Team Humphrey production from start to finish (although you won't hear me saying "we" about labor ever).
We'll try to get a belly pic on yet this week. Suffice it to say there are no concerns about his growth based on my girth! Also have a very cute pic of Pru to put up. We'll probably get flamed for it but it's just too adorable not to share.
The couch calls. So does KFC. |
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5/21/2005 8:43:54 PM
The heat, my God, the heat! I am alarmed. Today was our hottest day of 2005 so far and the AC did not keep up to my liking. I don't take the heat well under normal circumstances. Now it's enough to make me pretty much psychotic. I actually went out to run errands just so that I could enjoy the AC in my car.
Aside from that, good weekend so far. Haven't done anything productive like the cleaning I intended to do today but I just couldn't quite manage that kind of exertion right now. Counting the hours until we see Berry the Peri Monday morning. That and hoping BRU finally calls this week to say the crib is in! |
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5/23/2005 11:20:13 AM
Excellent peri appointment. The bad news is that there are no pictures from today. The good news is that there are no pics because he's head down facing the back and squirming all over (but staying in general position).
Victor is measuring about a week and a half ahead at 3 pounds and 8 ounces which makes us just positively giddy. Really reassuring that he's ahead just in case he does come closer to 36 weeks. Cervix looked good from what we could tell but his head is blocking a very good view there too. Saw a few sprouts of hair on that little (or should I say big!) head of his too.
I only go to the peri for one more growth scan and then cerclage removal. On the other hand, there will many more OB appointments. ;) This kid is going the distance! (Thanks Katheryn, the theme song stuck.) |
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5/27/2005 11:39:40 AM
Finally made some crib progress yesterday. I was actually smart about it and went waddling into BRU while I was hungry and cranky. The furniture guy got to see the side of my personality to which usually only James is exposed. And what do you know? Once I told him that I wanted a guaranteed arrival on that crib or I was going to go elsewhere (which was a lie because I want THAT crib and no other), suddenly I was able to make a deposit guaranteeing the crib's arrival in 7-14 days. Still later than I'd prefer but better than sitting around waiting on them to call and let me know what's up. Let's just say I'm not horribly impressed with their system.
Crib could come in next week and next weekend is actually our anniversary weekend (anniversary celebrated, since it actually falls on Monday) so we will be on our annual getaway and unable to giddily assemble the crib if we get that lucky. The "getaway" this year is a mere 10 miles down Mopac to downtown but it's still a means of celebration, at any rate. 7 years of wedded bliss. Feels like more (and I actually mean that in a good way).
So Vic's room is finally going to take shape soon and maybe I can calm down about it. Now it's time for the carseat! It just blows my mind that he could be debuting in a little over 6 weeks. We've still got classes to attend and stuff to buy and cleaning to do. And to think not long ago it felt like we'd never get to the 3rd tri............... |
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5/31/2005 11:41:03 AM
30 weeks! Gotta love the front number changer, ya know. Feeling pretty pumped about it. I keep cracking up at what a great preggo picture I could take right now at the big 3-0 mark. My nose has bled all over the front of my t-shirt and now I also just smeared warm Nutella all over the front of myself. I'm basically disgusting.
I'm currently going through this phase where I feel great one day and then crappy the next. Definitely getting harder to sleep and I'm also having some stupid 3rd tri morning sickness but it's dealable. Ironically, nosebleeds have gotten worse over the past weekend. Conventional wisdom says they're worse with dry air. This is not dry air. This is very humid air! Whatever. I'm so used to walking around with a kleenex jammed in my nose it's no biggie anymore.
Still making slow but steady progress in the Victor preparations. I'm usually pretty content that we've got a handle on it but I certainly have my moments of panic. Suddenly, it seems alarming to me that we haven't even started childbirth classes yet. We'll finish like a week before the cerclage comes out. It's really just about perfect. So yes, I should calm down. How many times have I had to say that now? |
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6/1/2005 9:29:20 AM
Yay! Fun OB appointment. And here I thought it would be the boring "pee & weigh" appointment I've come to expect. Ended up getting another sneak peek of Victor and he looked just fabulous (sorry Lia, they really do coddle me at Dr. C's). He turned to the front again so got a shot of his face today. Much to James's frustration, I could not determine what his face really looked like. I thought maybe he had James's chin. Maybe. I just know he was extremely cute and was moving his mouth around a lot.
I'm on every 2 weeks with OB for good now which is a very good thing. So between dr. visits and all of the classes in June, there will be a lot going on. Showers are coming up too. This is so much fun getting to be somewhat normal.
Need to crank up some music for the Veeg soon. I know James wants him to hear all classical but he seems to also like Curtis Mayfield and Otis Redding a lot. And strangely, Yaz. And Missy Elliot. He's very multi-dimensional. Yeah, that's it. |
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6/5/2005 3:10:32 PM
Well, we got away. It's certainly good to get back 10 miles north though. Just happened to be the Republic of Texas Bikers' Rally downtown this weekend. Let's just say the Hilton was not exactly quiet and tranquil overall. But hey, it was free!
We did enjoy the spa treatments and a wonderful dinner. Also got to lounge in fluffy down comfort to watch the French Open men's final. Yay Rafa! It was another relaxing and fun anniversary celebration even if we didn't stray far this time.
We ended up getting the crib Friday and James assembled it fairly immediately (thank goodness he really is quite handy, and certainly not lazy!). So Vic's room is sorta, kinda put together now. It's a rather cozy room. Hope he likes it as much as we do. |
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6/6/2005 8:04:16 AM
Thanks Genevieve, Mark, Pamela, and Irene for the car seat. This friendly bear helped us figure out how to use it. James playing with a stuffed animal provided much more entertainment than ever expected.
I took some pictures of Vic's room this weekend complete with an already tired daddy napping but James did not deem them worthy of publication (good thing I'm beyond being squeamish about my photogenicness, eh?). Will get pics of his room up soon. I personally thought the ones I took before were cute.
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6/9/2005 10:55:10 AM
First of all, welcome to Jack "Behemoth" Barnett who was born on Tuesday and weighed in at 9 pounds and 2 ounces. Victor is in for a tough Barnett vs. Humphrey wrestle-off when the time comes. Congrats Mike, Lisa & Lauren!
Also want to say how much we appreciate the gifts that have been pouring in this week. I'm getting to know the UPS guy pretty well. I'd continue to thank people individually on here but I fear that I'd miss someone now that there's more going on and I don't want to be a clod. We are genuinely touched by the generosity of our friends and family though. Plus, it's fun to play with new stuff!
First childbirth class tonight. Should be interesting since our friends Lia & Rich are in the class with us for the next 4 weeks. As if I am not already bound to crack up too much with James and his humorous commentaries. We'll probably all have to be separated. Next week we have a full 9 hour baby courseload: baby care basics, childbirth and CPR. We're going to be feeling pretty smart which is scary because yes, we know we already think we're pretty smart. ;) I'm sure Victor won't be like that at all. |
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6/10/2005 10:36:53 AM
Childbirth class? Hmmmm. Felt a little like having to repeat a class we flunked on a dumb techinicality. The information given was good but all felt like things we know painfully well. Then again, I am admittedly hypersensitive about that type of stuff. But we survived it and we survived the intros complete with "is this your first?" details. I'm confident that we'll get more out of the class in the coming weeks as we get into territory that is more new and useful (how things are supposed to go!).
The relaxation exercises we did were humorous under the circumstances. There were a lot of people in that room! I told James it was kinda like "Here's a refrigerator box. Get in it together and attempt to relax." More than a little challenging. I think we'll need to practice at home. And that's only partially an excuse to get massaged more. |
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6/12/2005 10:14:32 AM
We've been showered and it was way cool! Yesterday we had an awesome couples baby shower thrown by Chris, Cathy, Connor, and Olivia White. It was great to see so many of our friends and their tiny new family members all in one place. Thank you to everyone who attended for helping us welcome little Victor and for all of the great presents. It meant a lot to us to get to share our excitement with you. Victor sure has some cool playmates waiting to welcome him!
Here are some pictures from the event. As usual, we were totally lax about getting enough pics but there are some cute ones. James just ignored all the adults in his photography. ;) Just click on each to enlarge and see captions:
Also, please note the recent improvements to Piglet's Page. James was hard at work this morning while I slept in. The pictures are now in order from most recent to least and there are update dates on the front page so you can more easily tell if there is something new you haven't seen yet. Nice job, James. |
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6/15/2005 10:29:29 AM
Boring but good OB appointment today. It all depends on the nurse I get (Lia, it was the dreaded Wendy.) Everything checked out great though. Dr. Cowan said I get a gold star for my normal BP and complete lack of swelling. I'm truly amazed that I'm not swelling with this heat and humidity. Today we're supposed to get to 100 and the AC is already showing signs of angst. I've got the fans fired up!
We had baby care class last night. It was fair to good. I guess we're not as clueless as we thought because nothing was very enlightening. A good milestone to cross though. |
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6/16/2005 11:47:28 AM
I'm officially experiencing the pregnant woman divided against herself phenomenon. I am so anxious to just have Victor already because I can't wait to meet him but I'm feeling all teary about the thought of not being pregnant anymore. It's not without aches and pains (especially now) but I really, really love being pregnant. It's hard to know if we'll end up doing this again or not so I'm really trying to savor all of it. But soon there will be really, really cool new moments to savor and try not to miss as they fly by. Really cool moments.
I went into this thinking that it was all going to be so hard given our history. There have certainly been some really trying moments and a few scares but looking back at the journey so far, it's mostly been a whole lot of fun. It would be almost impossible not to have fun with James as the co-pilot. And now it's the final stretch! |
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6/16/2005 10:09:48 PM
This is too funny not to share. After making everyone read details about my cervix, the least I can do is mock myself. When I got dressed today, it seemed like these pants were tighter in the butt than usual but I just went with it. Just realized a while ago when we got home from childbirth class that my pants have been on backwards all day! The really perplexing thing is that I went to the bathroom at least 10 times today and never noticed. Now that is what you call pregnant brain.
[Please note: these are the stretchy pants and not maternity panel pants so it's not QUITE as stupid as it might sound.] |
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6/20/2005 11:08:23 AM
We had a good peri appointment today. He's not as big as we thought he might be but he's right at an estimated 5 pounds which is still barely over a week ahead. Don't get to see much of him in detail anymore on ultrasound but was able to see him breathing and to see eyes and an ear fairly closely. He's looking great, as always. Head down like a good boy.
Stitches come out on July 13 and it concerned me that Victor is so low (and his head is so big) that he would want to come out immediately but we were assured that that is not necessarily the case. We can pretty much count on dilation absolutely immediately though and I'm supposed to law low for a few days after the cerclage removal. Not a problem since I've blocked my calendar from that day forward! |
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6/26/2005 11:35:07 AM
Third tri morning sickness does exist, apparently. Got sick yesterday morning but chalked it up to heartburn + heat. Today was worse. Got a whiff of something in the trash and it was bye-bye lunch. James will be happy to know I was standing at the garbage disposal this time.
In far more pleasant news, had a great shower yesterday. Thanks Lia and Shelly! :) I'll post more when the pics are ready to go on. Vic got lots of cute stuff and I got to hang out with the girls for the last time for a little while. Lots of fun across the board. Thanks girls. More details to come............. |
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6/28/2005 11:13:28 AM
Well, confetti didn't fall out of the ceiling this morning like I'd always expected but there was a kicking show that I would liken to fireworks. 34 weeks! Hot damn and hallelujah.
After being pretty quiet yesterday (then again, I was running a lot of last week errands), Victor really put on a show at about 6:00 this morning. Constant kicking for about half an hour. Pretty cool. I just hope he wasn't trying to change position much. The land relief map that is my tummy still looks to me like he's head down with his butt stuck out to one side.
No puking today so maybe that was a short-lived thing. I'm still a little gunshy though. I guess those that know the daily chronicles of my eating (Lia) would argue that I'm still living on the gastronomical edge and not very gunshy! Speaking of which, I've got some shower cake to whittle away at right now.......... |
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6/30/2005 9:59:40 PM
I promise I'll post shower pics as soon as I get them but I think Lia is Photoshopping them to make my ankles look even more swollen or something (or maybe to give herself a golden tan and slim ankles). I decided tonight that I have rhino legs. Didn't help that the AC kicked into energy saving mode today. I don't care about saving energy at the moment. I want it to be 72 degrees NOW!
We had our last childbirth class tonight and got the hospital tour. At this point, that is really all we wanted to know. Where do we park? Check. So now it's just a matter of getting the last details ready and for some reason, I'm unable and unwilling to function. I've meant to pack my hospital bag for days on end and I just can't quite get past the nursing gown and toothpaste. Maybe some small part of my subconscious is in denial about this really happening. 95% of me is screaming "OK, let's do this thing!" Maybe tomorrow I'll have more energy for performing simple tasks.
We've decided that Victor is most definitely a very good child. He rarely headbutts my cervix anymore, he gives me lots of kicks to reassure me, he turned head down nice and early (and has hopefully stayed that way), he isn't trying to come out too soon and he has bulked up quite to our liking. He is clearly never going to give us a moment's trouble. |
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7/4/2005 3:17:49 PM
Here are pictures of last weekend's shower. Thanks once again to Lia and Shelly for being such lovely hostesses and to all the ladies who helped make it such a special day for me by sharing in the fun!
Just click on any pic to enlarge and see caption............
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7/8/2005 11:10:01 AM
Well, we had the big 36w ultrasound today. Went ahead and did it a few days early since next week is such a big week. Victor looks just perfect. He's estimated at 6 pounds, 5 ounces and is in great position. Moving a whole lot side to side but staying head down and is quite low.
We feel even more clueless than ever as to what we should expect timing-wise. On one hand, he's really low and he's at a good weight already so it's really OK if he comes next week once the stitches come out. On the other hand, my cervix is somehow staying remarkably long (maybe rebelling and trying to prove its competence after all) so I may not go quite as quickly as thought. Next week will hold the answers. Luckily I get checked by OB the day after stitches come out so we should see how rapidly things are changing.
All is quite well though. He is most definitely still a boy. He was breathing well and looked active as ever. Now it's all just fattening up as much as we can. We got some really great face shots we'll get on tonight......... (right, James?) |
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7/13/2005 11:01:18 AM
Gee, that wasn't so bad. The cerclage removal was rather uncomfortable but for a very short amount of time. Very crampy now but doing alright. I'm dilated to 1.5 and 50% effaced so it's not like things are totally imminent. Anybody's guess.
So, since labor watch is quite official now I guess I'll try to blog daily so that if people want to check, they can see that I'm still at home. I've been resistant to doing that because I don't really flatter myself into believing that people are interested in my daily musings but seems like a reasonable solution. I'll keep them short! ;)
So yeah, there you go. We're very, very close and he is rather a "chunky monkey" as Dr. Berry so eloquently put it. I think early next week could be good but he seems to think we'll go the usual 2-3 weeks. He could be huge by then! |
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7/14/2005 9:53:46 AM
Hey, it's just 5 more days till official full term. Pretty cool. My lofty goals were 37 weeks and 7 pounds and I think we've got the poundage thing in the bag (most likely). Additional days past 7/19 and additional ounces are bonus!
I'm off to Dr. Cowan later this afternoon for another check. I won't be surprised either way, be it progress or complete lack thereof. I'll post an update. |
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7/14/2005 2:54:52 PM
Oh, such angst. 3 centimeters today. As usual, could mean everything or nothing. Apparently all of the talk about 36 weeks being just fine because he's so big was lip service to make me feel better. Now Dr. Cowan has quickly changed his tune and asked me to dial back all activity (does he realize just how little I actually do already?!?!?!) so that we can be sure I get through this weekend and into next week. He really still wants me to go another 2 weeks. The advanced chunkiness isn't swaying his opinion. So yeah, no pressure at all. Geez. |
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7/15/2005 10:13:19 AM
I'm feeling pretty philosophical this morning about my cervix. I think it really is "incompetent" and it's a darn good thing that cerclage was in there. I'm at 3 with no painful contractions to get me there so it seems like maybe that writing's on the wall. Also, the fact that I've delivered previously probably has some bearing on it. I think I do need to take another few moments to thank that cerclage (and Dr. Berry for doing such a great job of putting it in).
I'm still hanging in here. I'm rather antsy. I don't trust myself to know the real contractions because I sure didn't feel any of the early stage ones last time. I'm just counting on something to let me know it's time to call. Thank you to Deb C. (virtual midwife extraordinaire) for reassuring me that Victor will let me know, as big as he is. ;)
Can't knit anymore because of carpal tunnel. Can't nest anymore because I'm supposed to be resting (and everything's ready anyway). It's me, the TV, the laptop and the cat. Not such a bad existence for now, actually. |
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7/16/2005 11:24:10 AM
Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs. Nothing concrete enough to say "yeah, this is happening" though. There seem to be a lot of bets for days in the upcoming week. Maybe. Maybe not. ;) |
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7/17/2005 11:03:08 AM
Still pregnant. I think if I were out walking around I'd probably be having a lot more contractions than I am. As it is, I am experiencing the "general malaise phase" of prelabor and a few other signs that I will spare our friendly readers. Sore, tired, cranky, achy, queasy, feel like the cat has stomped all over me in my sleep (which is actually a possibility). Still nothing that merits a call to the OB though.
We've got 2 days till full term now. Forget about that due date. It ain't happening. ;) Let's get to Tuesday and then start shooting for as close to 38 weeks as we can get.
Bags are packed and we are holding ourselves to higher standards of hygiene than normal so that we'll be presentable on short notice. We're ready. Victor is not. Not quite yet. |
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7/18/2005 10:11:03 AM
This is getting a little surreal. When I got up and looked in the mirror, my face didn't look like my face. My eyes are all puffy and my cheeks and undereyes look discolored. Isn't it a little late in the game for melasma? My head is killing me too. I think it's all the mold in the air after 4 days in a row of rain/steam bath. I know whine, whine, whine..........
Still lots of signs but not the "call the OB because you're going into real labor" signs. Just the "yeah, it will probably happen soon" signs. Soon still seems to mean hours or weeks. Wouldn't the happy medium there be days? |
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7/18/2005 8:31:36 PM
My face is back to normal. Maybe it was all in my head. I just had to share that we just got DishTV last week and I am loving having HBO Comedy. I just discovered that they are showing the old Pee Wee Herman Show special tonight (with Phil Hartman as Captain Carl). Brings back wonderful memories of watching that with my sibling, I mean Dad, in my youth! :) |
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7/19/2005 12:01:25 AM
Full term, baby. |
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7/19/2005 9:10:16 AM
Here is a quote from my weekly e-mail update from OB's office:
"Week Thirty Seven
At week 37 your baby is officially full-term. That means your little chick is ready to hatch! So be on the lookout for signs of labor, keep your bag packed and the infant seat in the car because you'll be bringing your little baby home before you know it!
Week Overview
Your baby's lungs are mature - he's good to go at this point. Your baby is doing the same thing you are - waiting! While he's waiting he continues to grow and gain weight. He should be snuggled down into your pelvis ready for the go ahead. "
So Dr. Cowan better try not to act like it's dreadfully early come Thursday's appointment. We'll shoot for 38 weeks but any time is go time. Veeg? |
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7/20/2005 11:02:45 AM
Stop panicking, Dena and Jen. I'm up! Yesterday I had to just get up early because I couldn't bear to sleep anymore. Today I couldn't sleep enough but as a result, I am so sore. Still nothing going. Had some contractions last night that fizzled (still Braxton Hicks, I suppose). They are starting to hurt more which is cool! Yes, I'm strange.
I'm getting this feeling I'm going to be making blog entries like this for many days to come. At least tomorrow there will be some news to report, even if it's just "no change". I do feel like there might be a little too much happening physiologically for NO change though. |
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7/21/2005 6:41:44 AM
Off to Dr. Cowan's in a bit here. We're hoping for progress but not holding our breath. Allegedly, most cerclagers hold on for another week or two after the stitches come out so progress seems likely on one hand. On the other hand, this is me we're talking about. Likely doesn't always mean much.
More details soon........ |
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7/21/2005 9:32:10 AM
Still 3 centimeters. Grrrrrr. Grrrrr. Grrrrr. But all is not lost. I have OB's blessing to try to get things moving now. A nice long walk would sound wonderful if it weren't so blasted humid out there.
If I make it to my appointment next Wednesday, he'll strip my membranes and hope for progress. He'll also set up a planned induction at 39 weeks if we so choose (which I think we lean toward). He too has concerns about how big Victor might get if we go much further. So one way or another, Victor will be here in less than 2 weeks! Obviously, I'd like for it to happen naturally. Bring on the Mexican food! |
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7/22/2005 9:18:34 AM
Well, we went to Labor & Delivery last night but it was not the fun event that we've been building up to. That Chuy's dinner ended up being a horrible idea. If only we'd driven away when we saw the crowd. As we were finally being seated for our dinner, I slipped on an UNMARKED wet floor and fell flat on my butt. So yeah, after talking to the nurse on call we headed for the hospital.
The good news is that my membranes definitely did not rupture (water breaking to any males who may be reading) and an hour of monitoring showed Victor to be rather unbothered by the whole event. He's continued to move a lot and his heartrate was totally appropriate throughout uterine activity last night. I'm going in to OB's today to hopefully get a sono and to make sure I didn't crack my tailbone.
We are so thankful that all seems well and a little surprised that this didn't send me screaming into labor but we are obviously still pretty freaked about the scare. Not fun at all. We're ready for L&D to become the happy place it's supposed to be! Next time.
So I guess we're hoping for several days here for me to heal since it hurts to even lie on my back at all. Maybe that kind of expectation will make me go into labor. I don't care anymore. I just want him safe and how and when that occurs is totally irrelevant.
NEVER going to Chuy's again. Ever. |
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7/22/2005 10:41:28 PM
Ahhhh. Walking helps. It feels so good to get a little exercise after months of atrophy. I believe it's even helping the tailbone pain a little. I can do this.
I was so giddy tonight to learn that my daddy reads my blog. Not surprised that he cares that much, of course. Just surprised because he is a little technologically challenged, shall we say. Anyway, just wanted to say hi to Daddy! Love you. :)
p.s. to Dad ---- stop smoking! I heard that lighter flipping on the phone earlier. Stop. Now. |
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7/23/2005 10:20:46 AM
Well, Victor is definitely a Leo and not a Cancer. Seems appropriate since he has no choice but to be a cat person and he should already be totally full of himself given how much love and attention is lavished upon him.
Speaking of cats, curses upon Tanya for sending the Blabla cat doll (and many thanks too). Now I'm obsessed with all of that stuff. Between Blabla and Robeez, I can easily become an online shopaholic on V's behalf. And I feared there wouldn't be cute stuff for boys! Not so.
In other news, I am considering approaching the Boppy people with a new marketing approach. It seems that their pillow is not only great for breastfeeding, tummy time and learning to sit up. It's also wonderful for bum tailbones. I don't think that picture would be as cute on the packaging though. |
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7/24/2005 11:53:22 AM
Still here. Still sore.
Interestingly, if you Google "bruised tailbone" and "broken tailbone", most of what you'll find is horrifying tales of women injuring their tailbones in labor and delivery. That and chronicles of NBA injured player lists. So if I go into labor with an injured tailbone, will it heal itself? Sort of a reverse trauma? That would be cool but I'm not counting on it.
Nesting hit again today. Much cleaning happening which may just have to replace the daily walk. The puffy feet indicate that might be a good idea. |
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7/25/2005 9:20:17 AM
Happy 35th Anniversary to my parents. Just think....at your big 50th bash, you'll have a surly teenaged grandson to contend with. Won't that be bliss? I kid. We'll make him act human.
Weird pregnancy dreams abound. Last week I had a dream in which the ENTIRE family was in the L&D room with us and everyone was going in and out of the room constantly to get food from some other room while I was there attempting to focus on breathing. Worst part - the smokers (you know who you are) were smoking in the room. I was screaming profanities while laboring which was cracking James up and Gaga was trying to soothe me and was telling me that I was entitled to swear all I wanted to.
Last night's dream was even stranger. In this one, I went into labor at home during the day but James was already down at Seton waiting for me at the entrance with a wheelchair. For some unknown reason, I was driven to the hospital by Bootsy Collins and Q-tip in a baby blue cadillac. They were very kind and got me there quite safely. This dream will probably only be amusing to Eileen. ;) James took it to mean that I wish I'd married Q-tip which is not true at all. |
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7/26/2005 10:37:38 AM
I'm here. Not feeling the greatest at the moment. General malaise again. Time for some fresh fruit and raspberry leaf tea! |
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7/26/2005 4:34:52 PM
This would be a great 38 week preggo picture but I know I would have regrets if I let James capture it forever........
I'm about to hop on the treadmill for a while. Still really trying to get some more strength back, if possible. I am actually wearing my running tights! ;) I know it sounds crazy but it's better than having my swollen legs rubbing each other raw.
It is really quite a humorous sight but I think James will be the only person I'll share it with. I don't think I've stumbled onto a great new ad campaign for Nike here! I think I've stumbled onto a look that probably shouldn't see the light of day. |
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7/27/2005 10:15:49 AM
False labor pains again last night but that's fine. Hopefully today will show some progress and if not, at least we're stripping membranes. Many people have been eager to tell me that this procedure can hurt a little. Bah! No really. In the words of the ever deep poet-philosopher, "haven't got time for the pain". If it gets things going, sign me up!
We're taking bags to the doc just in case we go to to the hospital and Mom is on standby pending a progress report but I'm sure I'll likely be reporting back in here late this afternoon or early this evening.
Tomorrow could be a good day for a birth but it's also a bittersweet one. It is the anniversary of Ro & JT's due date. I haven't blogged about them much lately but any of you that know me at all know that I would still give everything in the world to have them here right now. But I know they're rooting their bro on! He seems to be trying to kick his way out of there. |
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7/27/2005 3:59:46 PM
Home again. Still 3cm but now 70% effaced and V has dropped just a little but not quite to a true 0 station. Stripped the membranes. No biggie there. Hope it works SOON! Dr. C says we have about a 50/50 shot of labor in the next 24 hours. Bring it.
Sounds like we won't be going past next Wednesday, August 3. Waiting on a time but that sounds to be induction date. I could live with that, especially since it would mean a guaranteed Cowan delivery. I've grown most attached to him.
Blood pressure was really rather bad upon arrival so I guess I'll be scaling back my activity again. I'm tired of resting! |
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7/28/2005 10:09:39 AM
And so it continues. Some really good signs but still nothing to hang my labor hat on. Given the BP situation, I'm resisting the temptation to run windsprints and jump on trampolines.
False labor pains always come when trying to sleep. It's a rule. |
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7/29/2005 9:15:26 AM
Hey, guess what? I'm still pregnant.
More noteworthy pains and pressure and indicators but we are now officially acknowledging that this might happen every night and day until Wednesday. The kid is still trying to kick his way to freedom. He doesn't understand that it's not going to be quite that simple! |
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7/30/2005 10:53:21 AM
My mommy's here so any time is fine, Victor. ;) Actually, it would be a good thing to get through this weekend. Yes, I'm still obsessed with getting to deliver with Dr. Cowan!
Having fun playing with all the baby stuff with Mom and getting more and more excited about putting it all to good use next week sometime. |
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7/31/2005 10:47:18 AM
Last day of July. Who woulda thunk it?
We're continuing to be spoiled with lots of tasty treats. Maybe that's why Victor is staying put. Guaranteed good food. |
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7/31/2005 6:01:22 PM
Holy crap. Dad is flying here on Tuesday. Flying. Here. Alone. This kid has no idea how special he actually is! |
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8/1/2005 9:21:26 AM
It's all a matter of perspective. Days ago, we were so frustrated that Victor wasn't here yet and now that we've accepted that he's probably going to be forcibly evicted on Wednesday, we're saying "Oh wow, we only have 2 more days!".
I honestly believe Wednesday will be it at this point. I have less and less contractions. I think the membrane stripping started a lot up but just not quite enough to amount to anything and now it's back to a stalemate. But I'm happy. We're back to weekdays and thus Dr. Cowan. :) |
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8/1/2005 4:19:46 PM
I just wanted to take a moment to thank Pfizer for making Zantac 75. Thank you Pfizer. You saved me today. |
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8/2/2005 9:12:29 AM
I guess it goes without saying at this point that there will be no news until tomorrow. 24 hours from now I'll have been reunited with my old friend Pitocin and will be riding out contractions. Sounds fun right now.
Not much on today's agenda. Getting as much rest as possible. Oh, and painting my toenails. Very important. ;) Dad gets here tonight but I'll probably be in bed already.
Wow. This is the last day! |
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8/2/2005 9:24:01 PM
Last blog as a preggo? Most likely. Might be too much other stuff on the plate tomorrow morning and I am NOT a morning person (as is well chronicled here).
If this is it, thanks for the support everyone. It has been an honor and privilege to carry this little guy around but it's time for him to come on out. We'll update as soon as we can. |
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8/3/2005 6:56:34 PM
James Here: The following is a log of events during labor and delivery this morning at Seton Medical Center, Austin, TX.
7:00 check in
7:10 get in room; meet nurse Rachel; Rachel predicts 3pm arrival based on 4-5 cm dialation and 80% effacement.
7:40 pitocin drip started.
8:00 Dr. Cowan breaks the bag.
8:10 picture of still happy Dawn taken.
8:20 first contractions (4 mins apart); they hurt more than expected; straight line mouth.
8:45 contractions 2-3 mins apart. Peaking at strength 30 ("quite painful")
8:50 contraction peaks at strength 40; nausea encountered.
9:05 5-6cm, 90% effaced, -1 station
9:10 decided to get epidural
9:35 contraction peaks at 45; very angry face picture taken of Dawn.
9:50 epidural set up
10:10 feelin' fine
10:30 begin resty time
10:50 9cm, 100%, 0 station; Dawn bets 8lb4oz; James bets 8lb8oz.
11:00 contractions where have to fight urge to push.
11:21 He's born! 8lbs1oz. 4 contractions of pushing (15 minutes). |
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8/5/2005 6:43:15 PM
We're home. I've thought I was pretty exhausted a few times in the past. I was apparently wrong. Looking forward to establishing a feeding schedule once "true breastfeeding" begins soon. For now, sleep is just really not happening. He'll get there. Please say he'll get there.
It's good to be home. The hospital got surreal after a while. Was there for a little more than 2 days but felt like many, many more. Some nurses are awesome and some are just incredibly irritating.
James's version of the birth story is fairly accurate. Yes, I did end up with the epidural. Went 2 hours without it before I informed James in no uncertain terms that it was time to stop hurting. I dilated 3 centimeters in a little more than an hour so there was a reason for those horrific contractions. The epi made that all better and also helped make the pushing phase quick and easy (seriously, 20 minutes and there he was!). Episiotomy? Not so fun.
Will update more soon when I'm not exhausted and distracted by Dad's shenanigans. Needless to say, everything Vic does is heartbreakingly, earthshatteringly wonderful. I'll be sure to annoy you all with it soon!
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8/8/2005 4:51:42 PM
What a difference the last few days have made. Victor is starting to be able to calm himself a lot better now that he's getting used to home. He's also sleeping for some decent stretches now that the breastmilk bar is officially open. (And mommy is feeling much better after acquainting herself with the pump for the first time!).
Pru is still pretty scared of Vic but she's starting to make more and more bold entrances into the same room he's in. She is still horrified by the slightest little sweet peep though. I can see how he'd be so intimidating. Whatever. She'll come around.
First pedi appointment tomorrow. Most exciting. |
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8/9/2005 11:34:53 AM
Spoke too soon. "El diablo pequeno del noche" is back in full force. Still having problems with Victor wanting to do all of his feeding at night but not cooperating to make that happen. Lots of angry thrashing is not conducive to peaceful breastfeeding. Finally got enough milk in him to knock him out again.
OK, so we had a great night Sunday and were due for a crappy night last night. It'll be OK. SO glad we're going to see Dr. Mirrop today so that we can see if there's some other issue here and so we can make sure he's getting enough milk. That will do us a world of good right now.
He's still stunningly cute. And during the day, he's sweet as can be! ;) |
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8/9/2005 4:10:29 PM
So exhausted. Pediatrician visit was a grueling ordeal. Love our doc but Victor was starving so I had to nurse there and he hated the blood draw. We feel like we just ran a marathon. Needless to say, he's taking a much deserved nap.
Victor is definitely a little jaundiced. "Upper end of normal" as Dr. Mirrop puts it. Basically, his metabolism is about 2 days behind right now. His weight loss is still OK but we really have to enforce the feeding at least every 3 hours rule now so he can poop his way to fighting weight again and lose the yellow look. I was just relieved that we weren't pushed to supplement with formula. He goes back for a re-check (and another needle stick, wah!) on Friday to make sure things are moving in the right direction.
Trying to sneak in a quick nap before the next feeding. I'm catching on to the importance of that. Vacuum, schmacuum! |
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8/9/2005 6:29:30 PM
James here: I am the one vacuumming. Also, the boy's new name is "El Diablo Pequeno del Siempre." |
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8/10/2005 1:09:26 PM
The little guy is one week old!
We had a great night. Seriously. He fed VERY well for nighttime and slept two 3 hour stretches in our room quietly enough that we were able to sleep too. Huzzah! Still having to wake him up for these every 3 hour feedings but he almost always has something waiting in his diaper and the change wakes him up so it doesn't seem too cruel now.
Quite relieved that we don't have anything going on today. We all needed a day at home to rest and recuperate and get back on track. Based on the diapers and his renewed enthusiasm for feeding effectively, I really believe the jaundice will have improved by Friday.
Geez. Can't believe it's 1:00 already though. Time to sneak in a quick shower!
[Note: It's 2:30 and I still haven't taken that shower! ;)] |
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8/11/2005 2:33:24 AM
We've become big fans of the Miracle Blanket (thanks to Tony & Denise and Granger & Tara). The only time the Miracle Blanket doesn't work miracles? When the only one you have is soaked in pee.
So here I am checking the tracking on my latest Miracle Blanket order. ;) Come on UPS, come on! I was so looking forward to sleeping for a few hours too. Wah. |
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8/12/2005 9:42:54 AM
Veeg gained 4 ounces since Tuesday and his bilirubin levels are going down so it sounds like the jaundice thing is getting nipped in the bud. He was an exemplary little patient since he got fed right before the appointment. He did scream his head off during the heel stick but can't say I blame him.
He's sleeping so I believe I will too. Ah, sweet, sweet, precious sleep. |
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8/12/2005 4:42:31 PM
Somewhere my Grandma Pressler is smiling down upon me. I decided to forego that afternoon nap I wanted so that I could finally catch up on the backlog of thank you notes. Feels good to be a little more back on top of things. Sleep. Who needs it?
In other news, we are having diaper struggles. The Size 1s are a little "gappy" for young Victor since he's still a little down from birth weight. Sent James out for some smaller ones and they are quite the opposite extreme. Looked like he was wearing a white Speedo. Also, looked like it was cutting into his poor little legs. So I guess we'll suffer the constant leaking for a while yet. Should have bought stock in Dreft. |
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8/13/2005 10:31:23 PM
Kind of a harrowing day here in the Humphrey household. Vic was pretty much either screaming or breastfeeding all day long with the exception of about 5 or 6 hours of sleep. Hoping he'll sleep it all off tonight. Never showered and just now managed to put on different pajamas.
Tomorrow, one way or another, Vic and I will both be bathed. I won't immediately pee all over myself as he is wont to do though. Such a boy.
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8/14/2005 4:42:15 PM
We've done it. 4:30 and Vic and I are both clean. I don't know that I'm ever going to get to blow my hair dry again though. I intend to every time but it just never happens. Maybe I should just cut my hair off really short. (Just trying to scare James.)
Much, much better day today. We're definitely alternating between grueling days and blissful days. With this current pattern though, Wednesday will be a hard day and it's already going to be hard enough. James goes back to work that day and Vic & I make our first journey as a duo to the dr. for his 2 week checkup. Luckily, we'll be consoling ourselves with a scrumptious gourmet dinner that night though. Thanks Paul & Kim! :) |
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8/15/2005 1:57:37 PM
I'm sad. James only has one more day of leave. I know I can do it all on my own but I'm just really going to miss having someone to share all of the little facial expressions and grunts and squeaks with.
Continuing to work out some nuances in the routine. Basically, the best way for me to get rest is to sleep while he sleeps between the hours of midnight and 11:00ish. Some would say that's not too different from when he was still in utero. ;) I also finally broke down and breastfed while watching TV in our bedroom. I was determined not to do that but I had to get out of his room for a change. He didn't seem to care. I just want to be really conscious of being totally available to him and not just zoning out during his feedings. But I do have that backlog of DVR'd shows to catch up on! |
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8/17/2005 3:50:29 PM
Sir Stinksalot is 2 weeks today! (He doesn't really stink but the name is catchy.). He had a great visit with Dr. Mirrop. He's grown an inch since birth and his weight is only 2 ounces shy of birth weight which is great considering the jaundice ordeal. He gained 7 ounces in the past 5 days so he's really back on track.
We do have some pictures to put up but time is scarcer than ever. James is back at work and swamped with tennis stuff this week (the battle for courts continues!). And I'm pretty short on time too. Victor's weight gain = Dawn unavailable for anything else but feeding. The boy is eating A LOT. Yay!
We promise to get more pictures on as soon as time allows. There will certainly be more pictures after this weekend. Victor is getting a visit from his Gaga, his Great Aunt Branwyn and his ever doting yet-to-be-named grandmother. He's ready to turn on the charm. |
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8/17/2005 4:34:47 PM
Forgot to mention the most fabulous news of the day. Victor's circumcision has healed and his cord fell off (with a little help from Dr. Mirrop) so diaper changes and baths just got a whole lot easier around here! No more of Victor rolling over onto the Vaselined gauze pad and getting it stuck on his head. That's why his mohawk held so well in some of the pictures, ya know. Most importantly, 2 less steps in the middle of the night when we're lucky to even put the diaper on frontwards. |
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8/18/2005 12:00:49 PM
Victor is sleeping off all of his overnight rage now. His parents are not so lucky. Wow. The crying last night didn't even sound human. We tried every trick in the book but in the end, all he wanted to do was eat, eat, eat for about 3 or 4 hours straight. A little early for a growth spurt, I think.
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8/19/2005 10:24:23 AM
Sweet little Vic allowed me 6 whole beautiful hours of sleep last night (not all at once, mind you). Maybe even a little more when it was all said and done. We did achieve the 5 hour stretch from 3:30 to 8:30. Trust me though. No one was more ready for that 8:30 feeding than me. Ouch.
I'm currently strategizing his next few feedings to aid in the ease of our airport pickup this afternoon. Need to try to get him fed and full before the trip and make sure he's satisfied enough to last until we're home again. Feeding him on the side of 183 with a full car is not appealing somehow.
Oh yeah, Victor had his first real (tub) bath last night. For a few moments, he seemed like he was going to like it but then he freaked a little. I think it was less traumatizing than a sponge bath though because he was at least warm. I think he'll enjoy bathtime once he's more used to it. Hope so. |
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8/21/2005 10:36:35 PM
We had a great visit this weekend. Victor is already getting used to ladies swooning over him after all of the attention he's gotten over the past few days. He & Gaga hit it off just like I knew they would too!
We've had a few pretty good nights in a row and hopefully tonight will be the same. Pretty fussy this afternoon though. I think he was playing catch up after getting a little off his usual feeding "schedule" yesterday (meaning going more than 3 hours between feedings numerous times). That and my guess is that he really is eating more for his 2-3 week growth spurt. This afternoon he was only taking half hour breaks between feedings. Needless to say, Mommy's tired. The moniker of "The Piglet" seemed more appropriate than ever today.
Wow, tomorrow begins our first week with no appointments to run to or guests arriving or anything. That's both relaxing to think about and maddening to think about. Might have to invent a reason for a cartrip.
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8/22/2005 12:17:42 PM
Pictures are now titled and commentable again. James put in a lot of work on Saturday making that modification (much more complicated than you might think). There are more pics coming soon too. We've got some more and Aunt Brownie's got some great ones on her camera too.
Speaking of pictures, we don't obviously have the time (or the funds) to send out a bunch of physical pictures to all of you at the moment. You can clearly copy and save any of the images from here and upload or print them yourselves if you so wish (Wal-Mart, Walgreen's, Ofoto/Kodak EasyShare, etc.). I have some of them uploaded to Kodak Easyshare and am more than happy to send an "invitation" to anyone who wants to order prints from my album there. Just shoot me an e-mail if you want to do it that way. I don't have them all on there though.
Must shower while Veeg allows it......... |
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8/23/2005 12:34:11 PM
My poor kitty. I still keep thinking she's Victor in my sleep. I'll totally freak out when she starts moving around or trying to jump off the bed because I think it's him. As if she wasn't already feeling slighted enough already, now I mistake her for him. Sorry Pru.
James had an interesting dream about Victor last night. He was talking (but at this age/size). Not only that but James was saying something to him in Spanish in the dream and Victor corrected him! ;) He's surely smart but maybe not quite THAT smart.
Fearing a case of thrush here. Hopefully not but I'm having a lot of pain that is indicative of it and Victor has a diaper rash. James keeps saying that I should have a subscription to "Fretful Mother" magazine. Maybe so but I can take quite a bit of pain and I'm increasingly unhappy so I think I'll look into it. And I'm out of Vicodin!
[Update at 5:55: My pain has improved greatly as has Veeg's rash. Maybe I am crazy after all. Holding off on medical assistance for now.] |
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8/24/2005 11:14:15 PM
Today was a feeding frenzy. Don't even really know what else to say about it. I don't remember anything else except for him eating or crying because he wanted to eat. His rash is much better and I am in considerably less pain though. Hoping maybe all of this cluster feeding hits him hard and he sleeps a good block now. Please! |
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8/25/2005 10:53:42 AM
I think Dad's got it right (MY dad, that is). Our day-to-day life right now is much like "Groundhog Day" (the Bill Murray movie, not February 2 itself). It's pretty much the same thing over and over and we know how it will play out so we try to just slightly improve on it each day. Sure does seem impossible to ever remember what day it currently is though. Not setting alarms anymore for feedings since I have the most reliable alarm ever. He goes off in as little as 30 minutes or as many as 4 hours. And he's very, very cute. But loud. |
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8/26/2005 1:45:11 PM
Vic almost tolerated his bath just now. Oh sure, he still pooped in his little tub. He was a little more cooperative in general though. He did seem to actually enjoy his post-bath massage though. He's catching on slowly but surely that skincare can be enjoyable. ;)
Now here's hoping his zen-like baby state carries over into this next feeding and subsequent nap. Who knows? Maybe he just wanted a bath these past few days! Oh yeah, that's right. He's a boy. |
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8/27/2005 9:28:12 PM
Yesterday turned out pretty good. Not only did Victor do pretty well with his bath but he also did fabulously on a little outing. We went to the post office and Babies R'Us and he either slept or gazed around contently for the whole adventure. We have my postpartum OB appointment this next week but we might have to come up with some other excuse to jump in the car again before that.
Today was not so textbook. Back to frantic feeding. Today was basically one hour eating, one hour "resting" (20 minutes of sleeping followed by 40 minutes of grunting building up to wailing). He is now sleeping in his swing. I love that swing. So, in reality, I should be sleeping right now while I can. He's going to get hungry soon though. I can feel it.
The only other news is that Victor has taken to making this strange little sound when he gets done eating. It's basically like the gopher in "Caddyshack". Pretty cute. |
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8/30/2005 11:32:38 AM
Finally breaking down and going to the pediatrician today. Still on the fence about the thrush possibility. Victor is still rashy and he is far fussier than he was a week or so ago. If nothing else, I really need to regroup with his doc about breastfeeding strategy so I'm glad we're going in. And that's even if they all look at me like I'm nutso mommy! Fine.
We are going to have to get a pallet of D batteries at Costco with the amount of time Victor wants to spend in his swing. During the day, he is having none of his crib. He wants to be held or he wants to be in his swing. And since I haven't mastered using my toes to grip things yet, there's a lot of swing time around here. |
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8/30/2005 4:32:53 PM
Victor's diagnosis at Dr. Mirrop's? One crazy mommy. Actually, his diagnosis is "really bad diaper rash" accompanied by "fussiness during growth spurt". Still glad we went in. Dr. Mirrop supports the tough love breastfeeding approach (cutting him off at 40 minutes per feeding). He's a kind and intelligent person so he wouldn't tell me to do something that was mean, right?
Buddy boy packed on the weight which was definitely good for morale in these parts. 21 ounces in 13 days. Speaking of cute little chubby babies, we got to see John & Ruth while we were at the weighing station. (Hi Ruth - if you happen to lurk soon!). John is even more precious in person. :)
And now, while Victor contines to snooze from the soothing effects of his exam room feeding (he loves to eat in those rooms!), I am going to attempt to reclaim his room and myself from the projectile pooping that occurred earlier as we were trying to leave the house. This is exactly why I am so gunshy about giving him diaperless time to help with the rash. There was considerable damage. I'm almost afraid to walk back in his room. Why don't these things happen when James is changing diapers? |
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8/31/2005 11:22:12 AM
Our piglet is 4 weeks old today! He's in pretty good spirits so far. I think his rash bothers me far more than it bothers him. Hard to believe this much time has passed already in some ways. In other ways, not so much. He has changed so much already. |
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9/3/2005 10:16:26 PM
Kind of a hectic few days but mostly in a good way. Finally starting to feel like I'm reclaiming some sense of normalcy and getting a few things done around here. Slowly getting the hang of this stay-at-home mom thing.
James was supposed to give his first bottle tonight but he is unconscious. So much for that plan. We'll definitely be trying it in the next day or so though. Want to break those two into it while there's no pressure (meaning I'm right here in case Vic will have nothing to do with it!). Meanwhile, got to work at finding a pumping schedule that works for us. We'll get it figured out. The good thing is that there is no urgency about it so we've got lots of opportunity for trial and error.
Victor still loves the swing and hates his crib during the day. He is sleeping solid blocks in the Pack & Play at night as long as he's swaddled. I'm sure he'd sleep those same stretches in his crib (in his room) but then I would miss knowing he was feet away and hearing his little squeaks. Who's the big baby here? |
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9/4/2005 11:16:19 AM
[James here]: Yes, asleep at 10:16, but awake to take screaming boy from desperately tired mommy at 2:00 a.m. Figured out how to use bottle warmer and successfully (no spilling/puking) fed Victor 4 oz. at 4:30 a.m. Got him to sleep at 5:30; mom came in at 8:00. "Your welcome!" (in style of Nick Burns - Your Company's Computer Guy) |
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9/4/2005 12:52:02 PM
Wow. I stand corrected, Bottle Elf. And here I was worried about how well Vic would take his first bottle. No problemo. He wasn't "confused" during his first two Mommy feedings today so I'd say it was a stunning success. Thanks for letting me sleep a little, sweet boys.
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9/6/2005 4:33:53 PM
Lessons learned this week:
1. There aren't enough burp cloths in the world.
2. Baby clothes sizes are meaningless. Victor has already outgrown some 3-6 mo. clothes and others hang on him. Everyone told me this but I didn't know how true it would be!
3. A long night's sleep is always offset by a day of frantic, angry cluster feeding. There is no happy medium yet.
4. You can literally stare at a peaceful sleeping baby for hours and usually when you should try to be peacefully sleeping yourself. I need a giant swaddle to go to sleep myself! |
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9/7/2005 10:11:48 AM
I thought James was going to put some new pictures on but he hasn't yet (hint, hint!). I was hoping to get a pic of Victor this weekend at his daddy's tennis match but it's still so hot that I don't think we'll be spectating. Maybe next week.
Well, I'd say Victor is doing just fine with the new feeding plan (40 minute limit) since he almost gained a whole pound in the last week. He made it over 10! He was a very good boy at the doctor's too, especially considering that he had to get another vaccination. The nurse was surprised at how it really didn't bother me to see him get his shot. I didn't enlighten her as to how much worse I've seen and been through. He's a tough little guy and he shook it off pretty quickly. Makes his mommy proud, as always. |
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9/9/2005 11:27:21 AM
I left the boys alone for the first time last night and they survived without me just fine. I was probably more traumatized about leaving than either of them were about being left. It was nice to get out and have a real dinner and some adult conversation (thanks Lia & Shelly!). I get another furlough to get my hair done this next week!
I was all worried that Victor would spit up a lot more from his bottlefeedings and the reverse is proving to be true. He keeps his bottlefeedings down really well but he's spitting up a lot after his breastfeedings. Is that a testament to Dr. Brown's bottles or James's feeding technique? |
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9/11/2005 12:49:57 PM
Feels like we chalk everything unmanageable up to a growth spurt but I think that's what we've got going on. Victor wants to eat non-stop again and never seems satisfied with anything. It's raining here and I'm really, really hoping it will cool things off and then stop for long enough to go for a little walk with the stroller. I think it would do us all some good to get outside but it's still too hot to even consider it most of the time.
Well, Wednesday will be 6 weeks and so many people have said that things get better at 6 weeks. No offense to those that have shared that experience but I'm starting to think that you all lied! |
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9/12/2005 10:59:11 AM
Ugh. We're sick. Victor has had a stuffy nose for weeks that Dr. M said was normal early on but it's now a lot more rattle-y and he's coughing occasionally (of course he's also spitting up like a madman these days too so go figure). Meanwhile, I have a really raw throat and my eyes are burning and I have a rash on my face. I'm thinking (dare I say, hoping) this is from the surge in mold this past weekend and not an actual cold or anything. Victor does not like nose drops one bit and I suppose I wouldn't either if they were involuntarily administered.
Hoping Victor's buddy Alex makes his debut this week. I'm about to have more time on my hands than Lia again! :) |
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9/13/2005 12:52:40 PM
My poor sweet little sniffler is sleeping again. The swing is magical again. The other thing that is pure magic lately is the Winnie the Pooh mobile. We need to get an organ grinder monkey to perch on his crib and just wind it up over and over again. He simply will not cry if it's on. He loves to watch Pooh & his crew dance around above him. Too cute.
Nasal drops are helping a bit. He's getting a little more permissive about them too. And now, while he sleeps, must eat and pump like the wind! |
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9/14/2005 3:25:38 PM
Grandpa hasn't smoked for over a week! Right, Grandpa? Great job. As a gesture of reciprocity, Victor is abstaining from tobacco products as well. Keep up the good work, Daddy.
Today marked my longest absence from home yet. Salon day. Once again, I was far more traumatized than any other involved party but I lived. Victor was so happy to eat and I was so happy to feed him that the little piglet ate so fast he ended up puking a lot of it. His breathing sounds considerably better today though and it is good to see his appetite rebounding again.
Oh yeah, and today is 6 weeks! |
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9/16/2005 2:46:02 PM
Jeepers! This week flew by. I feel like I've been out of touch with most everybody this week and we haven't even been THAT busy. The only major change was a lot more pumping. I'm trying to build up a surplus and I'm also starting to enjoy my pumping time because it's the only occasion I ever get to read a little. So I guess that's where this week went, for the most part. Built up a pretty good stash of milk though.
Victor officially looks more like James than me right now, in my opinion. For the first month or so, I would be the first to tell you he looked more like me (& my ilk) but I think that has changed. I think it's mostly his eyes that really look like a young Bruiser Humphrey to me. And since he is showing us those pretty eyes more and more, that should expain it! |
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9/18/2005 4:26:50 PM
Boy do the weekends rush by in a blur. And yes, I know I'm home ALL the time anyway but it's nice to have whatever small amounts of time we can get with James. Tennis season has started again so that leaves even less time. Once it cools off (it's still near 100 every day for the foreseeable future), there will be a Humphrey cheering section though. I swear it.
This next week we get to finally meet Alex. Here's hoping that Lia has a sub-4 hour labor like mine. I joked with Dr. Cowan that I would tell people that was his trademark if, and only if, Lia had a short labor too.
Victor and I also get to go to our first La Leche meeting this week too if the group leader ever calls me back. So expect many militant feminist rantings soon. [Insert "what do you mean, SOON?" jokes here.].
More and more smiles from our little boy these days. Some seem accidental but many seem driven by genuine contentment and perhaps, dare I say, affection for us. So sweet. And yes, he is more beatiful and chubby with each passing day. |
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9/19/2005 10:50:19 AM
At 3:00, I curiously awakened to the smell of someone making homeade pudding. Then reality set in. James was up to give the middle of the night feeding and we discovered that the bottle warmer just keeps right on warming once it beeps to tell you it's done. Milk boiled all over the counter. Naturally, I was nearly brought to tears by the sight of 5 ounces of liquid gold gone to waste.
So James administers a newly warmed 5 ounce bottle. Should knock that boy out, right? Not so. Grunting, kicking and flailing insued. Even in the swaddle, he was doing these amazing leg lifts in the Pack & Play. He should really have some impressive abs if he keeps that up. Anyway, all soothing techniques were met with scorn for the next hour until 5:00 when I finally came to the stark realization that he was hungry again. Fed him and he passed out cold.
So today, the Humphreys are back to being rather sleep deprived. Daddy, most of all, I'd say. Victor is rather content and well-adjusted though. Thank goodness. |
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9/20/2005 4:32:06 PM
La Leche just isn't happening for us tonight, I don't think. We are still recuperating from last night's marathon fuss session. James speculates about constipation as a root cause and I think he may be right. There was evidence to indicate that theory as a good one. 7 hours though?
[Deleted portion of blog early on 9/21 because declaration of plans now mocks me and my lack of sleep/ability to function.]
Trying to decide whether to attend another coming event - the big IVF reunion! I don't really see how much fun that will be for an 8-week old. He's not really into the moonwalk or facepainting yet. Would really love to get a pic of Victor with Dr. Vaughn for his baby book though. Sadly, that makes me realize that we forgot to get a picture of Victor with Dr. Cowan. Should have done that at my postpartum. Dummy.
I think I'll stop talking to myself and shower now while Vic continues to catch up on his beauty sleep.
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9/20/2005 10:45:31 PM
I'm 34 years old. I have a J.D. I'm married to an engineer. Somehow trying to understand the workings of the Baby Bjorn still escapes me. |
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9/21/2005 6:42:19 AM
Shift change. James is now on duty and I am going to attempt to finally sleep. Hoping this is not the new Vic regime - one parent sleeps per night. Hard-pressed to remember being this tired in many years. |
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9/21/2005 8:27:11 PM
Yay! Alex debuted at 6:45 p.m. and was 8 pounds, 11 ounces and 20 inches long. Well done Lia, well done. |
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9/22/2005 2:52:43 PM
First off, James was right. James is wise, blah, blah, yada, yada. Constipation it is. Oh wise James.
So this is hopefully shaping up to be a day of resolution for much Humphrey angst. Victor went to see Dr. Mirrop and his night troubles are probably not actually colic but more likely constipation. I felt like kind of a moron as I sat there saying "well, he feels better as soon as he poops....." without realizing that it really is just THAT SIMPLE. I guess I thought constipation meant no poop at all. Whatever. Probably more detail than most people want. At any rate, Victor responded to his first suppository appropriately and will hopefully continue to do so for the next few days until he gets back on track, so to speak.
Also, some quick Googling on my part revealed that the problem with the bottle warmer is specific to our Dr. Brown's bottles (due to that nifty vent system it has) and so we just have to warm the bottles sans nipple assembly. Easy enough. No more crying over spilled breastmilk. Knock on wood.
Speaking of knock on wood, "So You Think You Can Dance" was a very pivotal episode last night. Kamilah is so gone and Nick is slowly edging out Blake. Oh wait, did I just type that out loud?
Oh yeah, and Victor is 11 and a half pounds now. No wonder he is busting out of his onesies.
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9/23/2005 12:39:02 AM
Alex is very, very cute. |
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9/25/2005 11:51:50 AM
Victor is feeling much better about life now, I think. Granted, he did eat 3 times during the night but at least he was up because he was hungry and not because he was uncomfortable/inconsolable. He's just still off schedule. Trying to get him back on track today by stimulating him more during the day so he'll eat rather than letting him sleep it off (even though I desperately want to sleep it off myself). I miss that 6 hour stretch of sleep and I want it back! |
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9/25/2005 1:49:46 PM
It's 103 out there. We didn't get any rain from Rita either so the pollen is still quite bad. Looking at the forecast though, sounds like triple digits finally end in a few days and then we actually might get lows in the 60s by late this next week. Maybe, just maybe, we can finally get Veeg out for a walk if we do it fairly early in the morning. Come on cold fronts. Please don't toy with us! |
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9/26/2005 12:34:32 PM
I hesitate to do any soliciting on this site but I assure you that I only do so as an alternative to an annoying group e-mail. I am walking in Austin's Komen Race for the Cure on November 6. If anyone does feel compelled to donate to the cause, my personal fundraising page is at this address:
www.komenaustin.org/site/TR?px=1014544&pg=personal&fr_id=1020
I have made an unofficial tradition of registering for the race annually in memory and honor of my Grandma Pressler. The past two years, I had to opt out of actually racing that day due to IVF restrictions but this year I am looking forward to actually getting out there and hoofing it!
Also, this will hopefully give me a reason to get motivated about doing some walking in preparation for November. I sure hope Victor enjoys the Bjorn for at least an hour because he's still more than a little wee for the baby jogger. |
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9/26/2005 11:45:27 PM
New obsession. Zutano velures. Oh my. Just thought I'd share in order to torment Lia, Dena, LD & Jen. Check 'em out.
www.bambinomountain.com/clothing.html
Why am I up? Why, because I'm afraid to walk into my own bedroom for fear of making eye contact with Victor. I might try crawling to bed now........ |
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9/28/2005 8:32:07 AM
Lia and Rich had little Alex one week ago today and they are as proud as can be. And who can blame them? Just look at little Alex! I had the privilege of visiting the new little heartbreaker when he was just a day old.
Just click on pics to enlarge and remember that James put those captions on:
In other news, Victor is 8 weeks old today! |
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9/29/2005 1:58:19 AM
Trying not to resent James for sleeping through these middle of the night changes/feedings. Trying really hard. So rather than acting out in anger, I am trying to come up with a "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" parody to keep myself awake.
The suppository Victor got around 11:00 finally worked just now. Really, really well. |
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9/29/2005 6:12:23 AM
I've officially lost my sense of humor.
Victor hasn't slept since he woke up at 10:30 so obviously neither have I. Feedings at 11:00, 2:00, 4:00 & 6:00. Guess we'll spend most of the day sleeping. |
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9/29/2005 3:47:03 PM
Life is better. No, I did not get to sleep more. I haven't even gotten to shower yet. It is 75 degrees out there right now though and that is enough to make me positively giddy!
Sleep and showering can wait. A stroll outside with a gentle breeze is not to be missed. But will Victor agree? ;) |
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9/30/2005 12:21:06 PM
Playing lots of the "Who does Victor look like today?" game here lately. It seems that he looks the most like Granddad (my daddy, that is - just annointed him "Granddad" as I typed this) here lately. Something about his facial expressions just channels a young Don Pressler. James has always felt that James Thomas looked much like Dad too and now I think I see what he means. Victor very much has James's chin though (as did Ronan, without any doubt). All of this adds up to impossible cuteness.
Victor really seemed to enjoy getting out for a walk yesterday afternoon. I think we'll try to venture out after this next feeding. We'll be back up in the 90s within a few days so we've got to get out there while it's still "cool"! |
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10/1/2005 9:31:10 PM
Victor went to his first tennis match today and got to see his buddy John (future doubles partner?). His dumb mommy took the camera and then totally spaced out and forgot to take pictures. Whoops. He's definitely starting to like being out in the world more though |
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10/2/2005 5:09:10 PM
Big scary, first step. We booked our X-mas travel. Feeling both extremely daunted by the thought of keeping track of all of his stuff and getting it to STL and extremely excited at the thought of him getting to meet the rest of the family! One of the highlights will definitely be Victor and Cousin Sean hanging out at G's house in Peoria. I'm getting giddy thinking about it. Plus, he'll get to wear really cute sweaters and boots! |
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10/3/2005 4:01:51 AM
Victor's 2 months old!
That and he's eating more than ever thought humanly possible. Please, please let me him sleep a while now. Swing, work your magic! |
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10/4/2005 10:48:03 AM
A couple of major milestones today. First, Victor slept in his room last night and it did, in fact, seem to go better. I think that James is right (there are those dreaded 3 words again) that Victor is far too aware of us now and it keeps him from just settling in and sleeping when we're feet away. I did not sleep very well while straining to hear the baby monitor though. I guess I'll get more comfortable.
We also just moments ago had our first major poop blowout. We have had several events on the changing table but this was the first incident that made me consider cutting the onesie off of him (thinking of Uncle Pat & Cousin Sean). That's what I get for telling Lia that I never have to change his clothes because of diaper leaks and then telling my mother that I never have to change the crib sheets because of diaper leaks either. Now I have a poopy onesie and crib sheet in the washer. I was asking for it by gloating! |
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10/5/2005 10:07:36 AM
Victor grew more than usual. He's now 75+ percentile instead of 50-75%. Almost 13 pounds and 24 inches long. Everything checked out great for 2 months and while he did not enjoy the 4 shots (turned a shade of red I'd never seen before), he calmed back down pretty quickly and is now back to life as usual.
With a peptalk from Dr. Mirrop, I am really going to try to rectify our sleep schedule a little. Need to keep him up and eating more during the day so he'll sleep the long stretch during normal sleeping hours instead of in the mornings until noon. We are not college students so this pattern is really not appropriate. I say this all with fierce determination but I really just want us to both take a nice long nap right now. Keeping my eyes on the prize.......precious sleep. |
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10/6/2005 6:20:18 PM
Yeah, I think that we'll be doing that 5K with the stroller. My back hurts after walking a mile with Victor in the Baby Bjorn. It's awesome for leisurely wandering about though and it certainly relaxes him. What a gorgeous day for a walk outside too. We're both sneezing now but we both had lots of fun out there.
Now the little guy is lounging in his Pack & Play actually PLAYING with a toy! It seems that Tucker the Turtle is the toy that finally enticed him, probably because Tucker has a mirror on his tummy and Victor is pretty fascinated with the beautiful face he sees in it. I could look at that face for hours too which is why it's taking me a while to get around to taking a shower. |
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10/7/2005 1:50:41 PM
It's finally raining and I take full credit for it. I got Victor in one of his few comfy, warmer 3-6 outfits, managed to get some socks on him and was about to load up the stroller when it started.
On the bright side, my pre-IVF running shoes fit comfortably again. I was starting to think that they would just be mementos but my foot swelling finally abated. Small victories. Pun intended. |
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10/8/2005 10:44:11 PM
We had a very full day. I'm certainly tired. James is extremely tired and passed out on the couch with the cat. But will Victor decide to sleep a nice stretch? Fingers are crossed.
We had a nice walk today though it had already gotten a bit warm again out there. Then we had a fun visit from my cousins (3rd cousins? I never paid enough attention to that part of Property Law or Wills & Trusts in law school) Susan and Sarah. Then, following a bath for Victor, the Humphreys took our first trip to the grocery store as a threesome. He really took all of the activity in stride and hopefully it will make him feel that he deserves a long snooze now. |
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10/9/2005 2:02:38 PM
We're slowly getting there on the sleeping nights thing. He's at least starting his longest stretch at midnight again. It's something.
This week we really are going to La Leche. I swear it. The nice thing is that it's only a few blocks away so we can just throw ourselves together and go. Also going to try to go ahead and take in some of our surplus frozen milk to the Mother's Milk Bank this week. It's hard to part with it but we'll never use all of it before 6 months is up (the limit on freezing breastmilk in the deep freeze) and it's for a very wonderful cause so we are glad to share. |
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10/11/2005 9:55:23 AM
I'm in a fairly foul mood and desperately trying not to be a bummer with Victor. Ragweed is working us over right now. Everyone in the house is stuffed up and I'm sure our daily walks outside haven't helped one bit. It's nice and cool and cloudy out there right now but I don't even want to go breathe that air.
Also feeling bitter because I don't even feel like I can take Claritin because the milk bank requires that I wait 12 hours after taking it to pump for donation. It's on my list of safe medications so I don't know why it's such a big dramatic thing. But I just always have to play by the rules! No fun.
Still striving for that elusive long stretch of sleep but instead getting a few 3 hour stretches of sleep out of Victor each night. Can't complain much though. Lately he only cries when he's hungry or needs to burp. |
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10/12/2005 2:19:14 PM
We made it to La Leche! We got to see our buddies Ruth and John which is always a treat. I really wish we'd gone a month ago. It did me a lot of good to hear from other mommies and see that yes, I am doing just fine with this whole thing. And yes, it really is normal for him to be waking up to eat twice in the night. I repeat - it is normal!
It's hot again so our plans for a walk are nipped in the bud unless it cools off early in the evening. Should probably wait a few days anyway though. Poor Victor is rubbing his little eyes. Ragweed be gone.
Hi Gaga! |
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10/12/2005 7:28:43 PM
I've finally got a handle on the photoshopping thing so I do solemnly swear that "we" will remove the redeyes before we post pics on here so that they are photo worthy. (Speaking of photos......greatgrandmothers, you've got another batch in the mail to ya!). Hoping to get some really cute ones on tonight yet.
Also want to send a big ol' shout out to Daddy for more than one month smoke-free. Your grandson is very, very happy with you. He has smiled more tonight since confirming that you're still off the cigs. Really.
Hi Gaga! :) |
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10/14/2005 12:22:08 AM
A big happy 1st birthday to Bernie & Jack! (And hi to their mommy when she sees this weeks from now.) Can't wait until Victor gets to meet you guys.
It's shift change and off to bed for me. I'm pretty excited about sleeping......... |
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10/14/2005 2:13:21 PM
I got to sleep for more than 5 hours at once. I think. It's hard to quantify sleep very well, what with the occasional jolts awake by grunting on the monitor. I know better than to think this is how things are going to be now but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.
Victor gets to be more social this weekend. Tomorrow he gets to hang out with Lars and Aisha (and Baby Hagen, in utero) at their baby shower in the afternoon and then he gets to have dinner with Jamie & Yvette tomorrow night. Hopefully he'll continue his trend of being alert and adorable as long as he's well-fed. |
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10/14/2005 2:35:20 PM
Yeah, I'm excessively bloggy today but I just made a horrific discovery. The Busch Braggin' Rights game (Illini vs. Mizzou b'ball for non-Midwesterners) is being played on December 21 which is the first night we get in to the area. That means Victor and Sean will not get to watch it together ! Seriously, it almost made me cry. I was really looking forward to posing them together in their Illiniwear for a cousin shot. Wah.
Guess Victor will be wearing his bball onesie (thanks Zac & Amy!) in Jerseyville while he roots on Dee Brown. |
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10/17/2005 6:42:59 AM
Longest stretch of sleep EVER! Victor went down at 9:00 and slept (as far as I know....he was content anyway) until 5:30. He was insanely hungry at that point though. Usually he's all smiles and coos as soon as he gets on the changing table because he knows that he's going to get fed. This morning he screamed until the moment he was eating. I don't blame him one bit. That was a long time to go without milk.
I think Victor may graduate from the swaddle soon. It still seems like it helps him sleep longer at night because it keeps him from startling himself. He keeps busting out of it a la Incredible Hulk Baby once he really gets awake and impatient though. He's getting to be such a big boy. |
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10/19/2005 4:13:18 PM
I think it's time to change "A Message from the Piglet" because he doesn't cry a lot anymore. He's very mature and well-adjusted now, as a matter of fact. OK, slight exaggeration. He's been a very busy boy this week and it's only Wednesday. We are both a bit worn out!
We ran more errands than Victor might have preferred on Monday but he was so well-rested and agreeable that I just had to try to capitalize on the opportunity. Yesterday we had lunch and went shopping with Lia and Alex. It was pretty cool strolling around together. We rock. (Right, Lia? ;) )
Today Victor went to his first Travis County Women Lawyers meeting. We went for a quick cameo appearance but ended up staying for the CLE program and Victor was very dignified and professional for the duration. Then he even put up with me getting my blood drawn so that my milk donation will get approved. Excellent teamwork!
Tomorrow we're going to NI so that some of the people who have been no doubt subjected to endless details about how cute Victor is can witness Mr. Smiley for themselves. Should be fun. |
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10/21/2005 11:21:53 AM
Our goal today is to never get in the car. If we leave the house at all, it's in the stroller for a leisurely walk. That would entail both of us changing out of our pajamas though. We may get around to that. It is a beautiful day out there.
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10/23/2005 5:02:09 PM
Victor's not the happiest pumpkin in the patch this weekend. He's had a really fussy few days which we are naturally chalking up to the 3 month growth spurt. Really does seem to make sense though. That or some really early teething pain. He cooperated today just long enough to go get some Halloween pumpkin pics. Now a much-needed nap is taking place. The house is silent. Ah. |
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10/24/2005 10:17:38 AM
It's actually cool! Now this is a great day for a walk outside. I thought we'd be doing that right now but somebody decided he wanted to go right to his nap after eating. Loving this cooler weather. Victor is much like Pru in that he has gotten instantly snugglier. He's being very clingy and sweet. And he's finally getting to wear pajamas and sleepers to bed now instead of onesies. So very, very cute!
I'm scared to say it "out loud" but Victor has slept through the night (meaning that he has slept for more than 6 hours at a stretch) for about a week now. Pretty much goes down between 8 and 10 and wakes up between 4 and 6 here lately. It's about time to establish a bedtime routine. Oh boy. |
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10/26/2005 7:52:39 PM
Still loving this weather. Ends up that it does not lend itself to getting rid of the swaddle though. Oh well, there are worse habits than swaddles. The main concern is that he's about to outgrow it so I was hoping to kinda wean off of it before then. It shall all work out.
Speaking of crutches though, I keep really trying to start using the swing less. Of course I've sort of traded that evil for the Kick & Play (the newest magic formula). Sometimes though, I just gotta find a way to clean a little or, heaven forbid, take a shower. And so, I'm going to go back to assuming that he'll wean himself off the crutches as he starts doing more and getting interested in more anyway. |
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10/27/2005 6:09:52 PM
First walk around Town Lake today! We had fun strolling with Lia & Alex but now I am quite tired. That was considerably more than our usual walks and Victor decided to wake up at 4:30 this morning. I could sleep in this chair right now if it weren't for the noise coming from Mr. Kick & Play a few feet away. |
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10/28/2005 12:30:52 PM
Not much to report today except to say "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GAGA!". Wish we were there to coo and smile at you. |
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10/30/2005 10:31:00 PM
Victor is in Size 3 diapers now. Trying to finish out most of the Size 2s we have left but it's starting to be not worth the risk of catastrophic damage, particularly at night. He is growing at a frightening rate, alright. Hope he fits his costume tomorrow! |
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10/31/2005 9:12:23 AM
We achieved the elusive 9-6 sleep stretch! That and he's still napping post-6:00 feeding. This rest thing is cool. Mommy likey. |
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11/1/2005 8:50:15 AM
10-6:30 sleep stretch and that was only because somebody woke him up! :( He must be worn out from trick or treating. We ended up staying here in the hood and just going to a few neighbors' houses to show him off. That was pretty much his time limit in the costume anyway. He made a very cute pepper as evidenced by the many pics. No smiles while in costume though.
Happy to see that James has changed the dev tracker (age in the far left column) to reflect months rather than weeks now. However, I wonder about the proper mode of calculation. I don't consider him 3 months until Thursday (the 3rd) because I thought month ages were calculated by day of the month rather than clusters of 4 weeks. That may complicate the web master's life too much for now though. Hmmmmm. Input about proper calculation is welcome. |
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11/2/2005 10:11:06 AM
Well, Pru still slightly outweighs Victor. She went to the vet yesterday and weighed in at 15 1/2 pounds. Haven't weighed Victor for about a month but based on his usual pattern, he's probably between 14 1/2 and 15 right now. It's going to be a milestone when Pru becomes the smallest member of the household again.
In other news, bought the Jumperoo for Victor yesterday but the sound and lights part is dysfunctional so I called Fisher Price and they are sending me a replacement part. Yay for not having to haul that monstrosity back to Target! And for those of you that know how much I hate the phone, yay for me calling customer service! Seriously considering taking the defunct part in the backyard and smashing it in a la "Office Space". Probably not a good example to set though. |
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11/3/2005 12:02:47 PM
Victor was so excited about turning 3 months old today that he woke up at 4:00 for a celebratory bottle with Daddy! He's such a good boy though that even when he wakes that early, he goes right back down again for a few hours (meaning a few more hours of sleep for his parents!). That's what 7 ounces of warmed liquid gold will do.
Looking back at my log (not as neurotic as it sounds - I just write down feeding times and what side we start on), it appears that "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" is very right about one important thing. The earlier he gets to bed, the later he seems to sleep. When he gets in bed around 9:00, he can go till 6:00ish. Post-10:00 usually means there will be a 4:00 feeding. Sounds simple, right? Seems like it should be to me too but managing to get him fed and ready for bed at 9:00 is not always the easiest undertaking. But we have a goal at least! |
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11/5/2005 9:44:23 PM
Victor slept until almost 8:00 this morning. Best. Baby. Ever. Amazingly though, in spite of that full night's sleep, I feel like I'm getting sick. Swollen throat and pressure on the ears. I just hope I don't have a cold that I have given or will give to Victor. Also kicking myself for forgetting to ask Dr. Cowan or Dr. Mirrop for a recommendation as to a good family doc for when and if I need to go this winter. Dumb mommy.
We went to root James on to a tennis victory today. Quiet rooting but rooting nonetheless. It was rather warm and sunny - too much so, frankly - and I spent most of the time chasing down what little shade I could find. I'm really happy that Victor is in such a nice adaptable phase though. He was quiet and content for 2+ hours. I was too. |
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11/7/2005 6:00:47 PM
Thank you to Lia for reminding me about voting tomorrow. I'm blogging about it so that when I look at this again tomorrow, I'll remember to actually get out there and do it. Hope my fellow Texans will join me in going out and voting, preferably AGAINST the gay marriage ban.
A couple of completely insubstantial firsts to report today. First, I had my first beer in over a year last night and it was so delicious. It was every bit worth the breastfeeding strategizing that was necessary to drink it
The second, and even more trivial event was Victor pooping in his swing for the first time. It was rather dramatic. 3 clothes changes today. I will be so happy when he gets out of this in between diaper sizes stage. Not a swaddler but not yet a cruiser! (Lame Pamper's joke.) |
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11/8/2005 10:23:34 PM
Well, Prop 2 passed statewide with the exception of our fair Travis County (40-60 here). Yet another reason to be embarrassed about being a Texan. Victor got to participate vicariously in the voting process though. Ironically, we go right back to the same church our polling place is at for La Leche tomorrow.
Got Victor in bed a bit on the late side tonight because he napped so long this afternoon/evening. Hoping that doesn't spell out a 4:00 wake-up. James is actually out late tonight (I was invited - he's not a jerk!) so this is kind of a strange feeling. It is very, very quiet here. |
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11/9/2005 12:17:26 PM
We missed La Leche this morning so it stands to reason that we'll have some issue in the next few days that we could have used some feedback on. I really hope the topic wasn't travelling this month but I bet it was. That's something I wanted some pointers on. Asi asi.
More importantly, I've finally got our carseat saga settled (which is why we got totally behind schedule this morning). Enboldened by my recent Fisher Price triumph, I contacted Graco to let them know that I would kinda like for them to replace our carseat infant carrier because the adjustable handle is stuck in an inconvenient and unsafe position. They initially proposed that they send me a return label and then issue me a replacement once they get mine. See the problem? Yeah, no carseat while we wait for the transaction to occur. So now, they are going to send us a refund once they get the seat and I can go buy a replacement in the meantime. Success!
Hoping nothing else turns out to be defective or broken for a while here. It's hard enough just staying on top of the battery supply for all of Victor's stuff!
[Oh yeah, let me add that we did, in fact, have the 4:00 wake-up today. Tonight, it's bed at 9:00 for that boy!] |
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11/10/2005 6:24:11 PM
We had a brush with fame today but then it was all jerked away! :( We went to Town Lake to walk with Lia & Alex today. While we were there, a news crew filmed the little guys in their strollers for part of a spot about the heat today (yeah, some joke of a cold front we got there!). We were told that it would probably be on the 6:00 news. Well, apparently they were just too cute to be shown on the news. They did manage to include a stupid dog with sunglasses on though. They're still stars to me! |
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11/11/2005 8:51:54 AM
Hey, they made it on TV after all! Vic & Alex were on KXAN Firstcast News this morning. The best part is that we weren't up out of bed to see it because Veeg was still snoozing away. We did DVR it though and have watched it about 30 times. OK, 50 times.
Now you can watch it too by clicking below:
Victor on TV |
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11/14/2005 5:33:09 PM
It's a big day in the Humphrey household! First, it was determined that Victor does now outweigh Pru. Granted, the method of measurement was weighing myself with and without holding him. I got him right at 15 1/2 pounds.
We also had our first meal out in a restaurant today. We chose to introduce Victor to dining out with a trip to Artz Ribhouse. He was there many, many times in utero and seemed pretty at ease there today as well. James & I were overly jubilant about eating a lunch out in public together again. We might just have to do that again now that we know it's totally doable.
James is "off work" this week on vacation so there will be more family fun later in the week, hopefully with good pictures as proof. |
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11/16/2005 7:09:05 PM
Victor has totally worn me out. He cried more today than he has in a long time and all we were doing was hanging out at Lia's with the A-Man. Crikey. We did get some somewhat meaningful interaction out of the boys though. That and some cool photos!
Tomorrow is Daddy & Victor bonding day while I go pay someone to reclaim my hair or at least make a good faith attempt to reclaim my hair. Ah, to sit in a chair and read InStyle! Bliss. |
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11/17/2005 11:55:20 PM
Oh, Señor Allsup just made my whole day or possibly even month! Hola Señor Allsup. ¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias ! Semana próximo obviamente.
Did a little experiment tonight at bedtime. Since I am firmly convinced that we need to try to break Victor of the Amazing Miracle Blanket before long (since he gets loose in the mornings now), I tried just taking it away cold turkey and putting him to bed in a sleep sack. Wow. You would have thought I had tarred and feathered him. He screamed endlessly until I removed it. Swaddled him up and he immediately smiled and even giggled with relief. Then right to sleep.
Sigh. There are worse habits than swaddling. It's not like he smokes or gambles. And for the record, I doubt that it helped the situation that his daddy was laughing hysterically at the sight of him in the sleep sack. |
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11/19/2005 8:32:28 PM
For anyone who wanted to see it, here is a clip of Victor's TV debut. Don't blink or you might miss Victor & Alex. Lia & I almost got more screen time.
Victor on TV
[Addendum as of 11:04p.........Victor is sleeping peacefully in his sleep sack. I will not dare to tempt fate by packing away the miracle blankets but I am pretty ecstatic that the cold turkey plan seemed to work. Swaddle who?] |
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11/20/2005 9:06:24 PM
Victor has really "bloomed" this week. Very nice timing since his daddy was home to see it. We're getting a lot more giggles and grabbing. He's also starting to push up a lot more during tummy time. It's very exciting and scary at the same time. We are already plotting a rearrangement project in the living room to prepare for rolling and crawling. Those little wheels are turning.
We went to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on Friday and enjoyed quite a nice stroll on the trails but I somehow managed to forget the camera. We're probably going to try to get back out there yet before X-mas so maybe we'll get a cool pic yet.
Today we went to the Dr. Seuss exhibit at the art museum. It was really cool. Got a few pics of Vic there but he was snoozing away in the stroller so the scale is not the greatest. It was a really neat exhibit though and James & I really got a kick out of it. Our favorite piece was "Cat From the Wrong Side of the Tracks".
Wow! Could it be? It sounds as though Victor is already quiet. Operation Swaddle Diss might be a smashing success. He even napped in his crib for over an hour today. I think he's getting ready to impress the whole family over X-mas with what a good sleeper he is. |
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11/21/2005 10:33:40 PM
So here it is. The emotional seesaw of the holiday season. I am so happy and excited to be celebrating more of Victor's firsts, especially with the extended family. It's always still there though - the constant gnawing feeling that someone is missing. Ro & JT are very much on my mind and for the first time it is really hitting me that I wish they were here to see their brother growing and doing so much right now. I know most people probably don't understand that. I don't think you could understand it unless you had met Ro & JT.
It's getting better though when I think back on how things were a year ago. There is so much to be thankful and joyful for and life feels very, very blessed. If only people knew how an innocent question like "Is this your first?" still feels like a dagger through the heart. He's not the first but he is the boy that came along and changed our lives into something very wonderful. Best gift ever.
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11/22/2005 1:01:39 AM
Here's the thing. I'm the one with the sleeping problem. Victor goes down like a dream and sleeps 6-10 hours quite peacefully. I, on the other hand, stay up putzing around until the wee hours because I'm so happy to have quiet (and free will). And I've been saying every day for over a month that "this is the last night I'm doing this!". Well, I'm tired. Maybe this really is the last night I'm doing this.
[It goes without saying that James is having no problems sleeping.] |
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11/23/2005 2:36:24 PM
Victor has had two days in a row of getting up post-7:00 a.m. Such a welcome change. As a result, he is eating every 3 hours, if not more often, during the day but I suppose it's a very reasonable trade-off. He is also escalating the grabbing and babbling at an alarming rate. He's the coolest.
One major development lately is that Victor is now tracking me with his eyes from well across the room. There's no hiding! And now, when he wakes up in his bouncy seat or swing, he can tell I'm in the room even when I'm not in his line of vision. He'll contort himself to look around and find me.
Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. Hope everyone has safe travels and a relaxing holiday. We'll be going out to eat, most likely at Hoover's. Mmmm, mmmm. And now, as though on cue, Victor has awakened for an afternoon feast. |
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11/26/2005 8:11:03 PM
Busy few days around here! It feels like most of the past 72 hours was spent changing diapers and soaking clothes in Oxy Clean. I know there are people who will say that explosive poop has nothing to do with teething but I don't think it's coincidence.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at Hoover's (although they didn't present me with my very own personal casserole dish like Gaga would). Victor did just great and seemed to take a lot of interest in our food. Still not time for solids though. Not budging on that. 6 months will be here soon enough.
Didn't do a whole heck of a lot yesterday but we did manage to visit the Zilker Botanical Garden today. Our schedule was set back by yet another poop-splosion but it was so well worth the effort. It was a gorgeous day and there were tons of people out taking pictures in the gardens. We took a lot ourselves, as evidenced by the swelling page index on the pics page. Check them out!
[Speaking of the pics page, there have been some improvements made this week. Now if you hold your cursor over the page number link on the index at the left of the pics page, it should show you the date and title of the first pic on that page as a point of reference. Should make navigating the increasingly voluminous pics a little easier. ] |
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11/29/2005 1:54:34 PM
I really tried to get a good X-mas picture a little while ago but it was fairly hopeless. Definitely a 2-person job. We need a photographer and a clown and they cannot be one and the same apparently. I'm not good at dancing around like an idiot while holding the camera steady. Need to get it done though. I got the tree up early just for this purpose!
We've got a pretty full agenda this week. I hope that Victor remains as flexible as he usually is about being out and about. We are definitely having some bouts of fussiness with screeching and frantic hand chewing. And yet that tooth still lurks beneath the gum. Can't wait to see a toothy grin, maybe even in time for X-mas. |
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12/2/2005 11:22:30 AM
It's been a busy week and we're having a rest and recuperation day. Victor is doing a whole lot of napping this week which I believe is his only defense right now with the teething and possible growth spurt he's got going on. He's just started doing so many new things that I think his little head needs the recharging effects of sleep. I know the feeling.
Tomorrow night will be a rare Mommy outing and Victor will get to do his bedtime routine with Daddy for a change. I'm sure they'll both enjoy it and even though it will pain me to miss tucking that sweet little boy in, it will be fun to hang out with some adults & Lia for a few hours. Also, we're going back to the Wildflower Center tomorrow (albeit briefly).
Naptime just ended. I hear the cries of the hungry! |
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12/3/2005 4:29:00 PM
Victor's four months old! It really does feel like a major landmark since he's suddenly doing so many new things. He celebrated today by going to his first ever book signing. He got a couple of signed David Kirk books ("Miss Spider" series) and seemed to enjoy another Wildflower Center outing.
James & I switched wake-up and bedtime shifts today since he had a late night working last night and I'll be gone tonight. And wouldn't you know it? Victor chose to wake up to eat at 5:30 today instead of his usual 7:15. It seems that he has mastered the art of turning his Ocean Wonders Aquarium on and off himself (albeit sometimes rather inadvertantly). Yep, he had that thing going for about 45 minutes straight while I just hoped and prayed he'd go back to sleep. No going. I got in there and he was turned totally sideways in his crib and was quite ready for breakfast.
He's supposed to be napping right now but is doing his howler monkey routine. He's happy though. His voice is fascinating and he has discovered that he can almost get his toes up to his mouth. Quite a day of celebration! |
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12/6/2005 3:57:45 PM
Whew. Big day. Victor & I went to our first Preschool Mothers Club meeting and he had lots of fun looking around at the other babies and listening to the sing-along. Then he passed out from the excitement.
A quick feeding after that and we were off to see Dr. Mirrop for his 4 month shots and check-up. I thought he was a real champ. He fell asleep the moment he got back in his carseat and is still there snoozing away. He was measured at 16 pounds, 1 ounce and 26 inches long which is still 75th percentile (and his head is still 75-95th, total Pressler head there!). I will go on the record as saying I think the nurse who measured him is a bit of a sluggard and didn't get his legs stretched out or wait for him to hold still on the scale. I think he's a tad bit bigger than that. ;) Whatever.
Oh yeah, and Victor got his photo taken with Santa yesterday afternoon too. James still needs to add it to the pics page. He's got quite the attitude in it. In this latest batch of pictures, he displays more and more resemblance to his namesake. Maybe it's just his aura of cool that does it but I think there's an unmistakable Woodsian quality. |
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12/7/2005 8:47:01 AM
James Here: I just wanted to make note of the fact that starting last week Victor began using his little shovel hands to hold the bottle while he's eating. I'm still holding and controlling it, of course, but he has begun grasping the sides. Pretty neat! |
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12/8/2005 2:23:07 PM
We're having our 2-3 days of brutal winter here at the moment. We've been iced in and forbidden to be out on the roads (by James) until it melts off tomorrow. It's been kinda nice to just stay in for a few days though. Victor got to see his first fire in the fireplace today.
Had one of the rare 3:30 wake-ups this morning. Teething? Vaccination hangover? Growing pains? Who knows.......... He's a little bit out of sorts but doesn't seem sick so we'll shrug it off and just be thankful that he usually sleeps so well.
Still seeing/hearing major advancements in Victor's vocalization and grabbing. Also, a lot of scooting going on, so much so that we had to put the crib bumpers in and lower the mattress. We're finding him in some pretty interesting positions! And he's really, really thinking about officially rolling. We've had some of what we consider rolling but it's been hit and miss. He's on the cusp of more movement than we're ready for. But hey, bring it on. |
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12/9/2005 11:44:00 PM
So we tried a little experiment tonight and it blew up in our faces. We decided to see if maybe we could stay out with Victor past his bedtime and just get him to sleep in his carseat at 9:00. He pretty much reminded us who's the boss and then some. Just now got him settled and into bed and I feel like I just ran a marathon.
My new weird compulsion is making baby food. It's only weird because he's still at least a month and probably 2 months away from eating any solid foods. I really like to be prepared though. Once again, there are certainly more strangely obsessive things I could be doing. It's sort of like I was with the booties, except that it's a little more practical.
He's got about 45 servings of butternut squash, 30 servings of sweet potato and 18 servings of avocado waiting for him in the freezer. It was even more gratifying when I looked at baby food at HEB today. We can put him through college with the money we'll save! For now, he gets the cheapest and most nutritious food on the planet though. |
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12/12/2005 12:07:31 PM
Still no tooth. I know this can take months but I was hoping maybe it wouldn't. No need to rush it though. Victor does not seem horribly bothered by the teething so far. It's more instinctual, I think. He is constantly chewing and sucking on his hands and even pushing against specific spots on his gums. It's still just more of an awareness than a real expression of pain though. At least I hope that's the case!
Breastfeeding. Always some challenge going on. He's doing just great with it now. Weight gain is still right on and that's even with dropping down to 5 feedings a day now. Our pediatrician is advising holding off on solids until as close to 6 months as we want or can get it for a multitude of reasons but especially because introducing solids would detract from the amount of breastmilk he takes in. At his age, breastmilk still satisfies his nutritional needs far better than any solids would. Fine by me. It's the most portable food ever!
Our challenges these days are arising from the fact that Victor is interested in every single sound he hears and any bit of movement he detects. He has to practically be fed in an isolation chamber now. If James is in the room, Victor is going to roll over to look at him and laugh. Very cute and very frustrating when I'm trying to get him fed so we can leave to go somewhere. This will be very interesting in the airport and on the plane next week! It may be one of the rare occasions that we wish he used a pacifier. Speaking of which, I'm trying to work on practicing my polite responses when well-meaning people tell me that he just needs a pacifier when he cries. |
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12/13/2005 5:03:07 PM
Victor went to his first music class yesterday and was so enthralled that we decided to go ahead and sign up for the whole winter session. I'm really excited about it, especially since he'll get to be in a class of infants only. He really loved watching the toddlers doing their thing but he'll get more out of an infant class (and I'll have less of a headache afterwards). He also went to his very first weekly play group today and it was a smashing success. Seeing all the bigger babies sitting up and crawling really captured his interest. He'll probably do more practicing behind our backs while we sleep.
In shopping news (don't worry James, didn't buy anything today), I was very frustrated to find that Old Navy doesn't make one-pieces above the 6-12 month size. Victor's wearing 6-12s right now and we both think that the Old Navy French terry one pieces are just nifty. So soft and comfy and easy for diaper changes. I looked to see if I could get him a few more of them in the next size but nope. I guess he's supposed to start wearing real outfits after this. Sniff, sniff. I like my Mr. Munkles in cuddly cotton jumpsuits! Yeah, yeah, get over it. |
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12/16/2005 10:33:39 AM
We've got to get some audio of this howler monkey screeching going on. Family will get to hear it next week though (if you wait long enough for him to get in the mood). Wow. Time is running out and I'm not very organized. Got sidetracked by some home projects this week. Still have several errands to run and lots of laundry to do!
We're going to meet Cousin Sean a week from today!
James Here: Squirrels finally tore through some siding around our chimney and began scampering around in our ceiling crawlspace. I responded by pruning all of the trees that were giving them access to the second story and braving the two floor climb to "repair" the hole. The trees put up a good fight, especially while I was dismembering their limbs on the ground. The squirrels were heckling me the entire time - it was rough. When I wasn't concentrating on not maiming or paralyzing myself, I worked on my George Costanza pronounciation of the word "squirrel". It was good fun. |
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12/19/2005 3:24:26 PM
It's nearly time for my blog hiatus. I'm probably going to go through major withdrawal. We fly out on the 21st and return on the 28th. I'm sure I'll probably break down and get on at some point but I'm going to try to just take a break from it. I'm looking forward to also taking a much-needed break from pumping! I've already donated more milk than I ever imagined I would so I'm sitting out a week.
Naturally, I will be sure to blog about any major firsts though. ;) If that tooth pops up, everyone will know. If he starts running windsprints around the block in Jerseyville or if he cooks his first souffle, that will be mentioned too. Probably none of these things will happen in the next week though.
Oh yeah, just noticed that James interjected in the below entry about the squirrel showdown. I'm glad to report that I have not heard their scampering. I don't even see them out in the trees. Success, James! I think we sucked all the joy out of their little lives. It's a little sad but they were creeping me out, man. And for the record, this incident still paled in comparison to the possum showdown of 2000. |
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12/20/2005 2:09:05 PM
Well, time has run out on me. Had intended to get pics from Trail of Lights and the Christmas photo outtakes up before leaving town but I don't think it's going to happen. Victor is very sleepy today which is working out well so that I can get last minute stuff done. Plus, tomorrow is going to be such a shock to his system that it will be good for him to have some extra sleep.
Getting pretty excited but also feeling strange about leaving home for the first time in so long. I've tried to spend some extra time with Pru but she is far more interested in sleeping today too. I'm going to miss her while we're gone.
Happy holidays to everyone out there in Piglet's Page Land. Safe travels and best wishes for a fabulous 2006! |
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12/24/2005 3:53:24 PM
Merry Christmas Mommy!
Plubming Work done by Cazzola Plumbing on 12/21 and 12/22
Kitchen
1. Replace kitchen sink and faucet.
Downstairs Lavatory
1. Replace faucet.
2. Replace faulty shutoff valve.
3. Overhaul toilet including replacement of illegal sensor.
Upstairs Lavatory
1. Replace faucet.
2. Overhaul toilet (get it to flush properly)
Master lavatory
1. Replace faucet.
2. Improve hot water flow.
3. Improve drainage.
4. Overhaul toilet.
Pictures
Plan
Arrange for work to be done by Cazzola Plumbing on Dec 21 and 22. Purchase sink and faucets from Lowes (tell Dawn that these are purchases for CATA). Enlist Charlie Price's help to store sink and faucets and let plumbers in and out of the house. Get boxes down from the garage attic to use to store under sink items (Tell Dawn that boxes are for consolidation project). Pretend to forget Dawn's present and put Pru and her litter box and food and water in the office right before leaving Dec 21. Enlist Steven Harrison's help to clean out the items from under the sink in preparation for the plumbers on Dec 21. Call Charlie on Dec 22 to confirm work is done. Tell Steven that he can let the cat out and move her food and water back downstairs on Dec 22. Get Steven to take digital pics of the work done and have him e-mail it to me. Make this post for a Merry Christmas.
Credits
Thank you so much to Steven Lidell from Cazzola Plumbing, Charlie Price (wonderful neighbor), and Steven Harrison (good friend) for their part in making this Christmas present and surprise possible. |
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12/25/2005 8:54:37 AM
Victor got a white Christmas! Just as hoped, there is a light dusting of snow this morning but it is melting off pretty quickly. Gonna have to get out there and show the kid some of this white stuff in a little while. Obviously, I'm far more excited about it than he is.
Having lots of fun in Illinois but now I'm anxious to get back to Texas so I can check out all the new plumbing! Thanks James.
Merry Christmas! |
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12/28/2005 7:52:25 PM
We're home and we're exhausted. We've been running around like crazy trying to get unpacked and cleaned up from the plumbing extravaganza. I'm finally getting my turn at being sick today. James just got to feeling much better and Victor is still stuffy and runny mostly at night. That and there are some gastrointestinal issues above and beyond the usual poop blowouts. I'll spare a lot of details but it ain't pretty. Naturally we had a major diaper blowout on the Houston to Austin leg of our flight home. Changing a diaper while holding Victor across our laps is not as hard as we thought it might be.
The trip home was wonderful but entirely too short. Victor met more people over the last week than he probably had in his whole life up till now, which is probably why he is now sick. Oh well. Gotta get that first cold out of the way. He really enjoyed his grandparents and great-grandparents. A particular highlight was Victor meeting Great-Grandpa Pressler for the first time. It was one of the most touching moments I've ever witnessed just to see the special connection between them. Breaks my heart that we didn't have batteries in the camera that night.
There are so many people that we didn't get to see during our trip home and I swear it wasn't for lacking of wanting to. We seriously only left the house to go see Grandpa in the nursing home once we were back from Peoria. There was a turnstile on the front door at 200 Barr. We'll venture to the Midwest yet again and hopefully catch up with everyone else. We need a whole lot of rest before the next trip though! Cannot wait to sleep in my own bed with my cat.
Oh yeah, and by the way, the faucets, etc., RULE! |
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12/29/2005 10:23:43 AM
There's a gazillion new pictures. I am just about to put the captions on them if Victor cooperates. Somebody got a little spoiled during his Christmas trip and now doesn't want to give Mommy a moment's peace (or a morning nap). Sounds like the Baby Monet DVD might be working its magic in there though. Ahhhh.
To the pictures................. |
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12/30/2005 9:00:36 AM
Happy Birthday to Victor's Grandpa! We can tell he misses you because we can't seem to do enough to keep him entertained. I guess that means that you're going to have to come visit very soon, eh? Hope that you're having a great birthday. No chips. Please. |
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12/30/2005 8:39:33 PM
I think, really think, that Victor is down for the night. Sheesh. He napped for like an hour today. Total. I'd go to bed early too. In fact, maybe I should!
Victor continues to be just a tad high maintenance since we got back. He's definitely not feeling so great but he doesn't seem to be getting worse. Hard to tell if it's the cold or teething or just withdrawal from all of the holiday excitement. He acted inconsolable at 8:00 but after nursing while I sang U2's "MLK" to him about 20 times in a row (he really seems to like that song and the words are easy), he was powerless and surrendered to sleep.
Hoping to buy his big boy carseat over the weekend. We're probably just going with the Britax Marathon. If any readers out there want to try to talk me out of it, feel free to shoot me an e-mail. I just have a feeling I'll regret it if we go for a cheaper seat. I guess I'll go read a bunch of reviews on Amazon yet again. ;)
Happy New Year! Almost.
[Spoke too soon. At 8:44, Victor is screaming and stomping up a storm. When will I ever learn?]
[And now at 10:29, it's all good. I'm going to bed "early" and I could not be more joyous!] |
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1/1/2006 3:46:18 PM
We have a New Year's tradition here in this house wherein we do some kind of major home organization overhaul. Fun stuff like closets, the garage, attic, etc. This year, as part of our ongoing and gradual babyproofing efforts, we replaced our chintzy, dormesque lighting in the living room with sturdier, safer floor lamps.
We also bought bookshelves for the office so that we can replace our "accident waiting to happen" bookcases in there. So we're in sort of a consumerism gone wild mode but it's good to get a lot of this stuff done while we're in the mood for it. Victor is intrigued by the activity and definitely is readjusting to home. Oh, and the air conditioning is running today! Yeah. |
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1/2/2006 11:36:59 PM
The Piglet will be 5 months old in less than an hour. I hopefully won't be awake then (yeah, who am I kidding there?). He is doing so much these days. It really feels like he changed a lot just over the week of Christmas. Maybe it was the blur of events or maybe he really did amp up his interactivity with so many people around to charm. He just seems like such a big boy.
I'm getting sicker tonight. It's probably my annual cedar fever. It's not fun and I keep whining to myself about having to tough it out without allergy medication (even if it's approved for breastfeeding, I'm paranoid about messing up the milk supply). Then again, I made it through the previous 2 cedar seasons without drugs because I was pregnant both times. It can be done.
Hoping to feel much better tomorrow so that we can go to playgroup and run an errand or two. We finished redoing the office today but now I kinda think our desk might need to be restained to better match the new bookcases. It never ends. And no, this really has nothing to do with babyproofing! |
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1/5/2006 1:19:26 PM
We're headed out to the pediatrician's in a bit. Come to think of it, not sure why I'm blogging now instead of afterwards. Just had some time now. Anyway, the coughing is getting worse and he's pretty squirrelly about his feedings so I want to get him checked out. If nothing else, I want to make sure he isn't contagious before I take him to playgroup and music class next week. That and I'm worried about his little ears.
In spite of all 3 of us feeling pretty yucky, things are good in these parts. Finally wrapping up the home projects (the interior ones at least) for a while. We are sorta kinda ready for a mobile piglet.
Victor got to meet a new friend Tuesday night. Our friends Jamie, Yvette & Katie just moved "back" to the Austin area again. Victor & Katie were fast friends in spite of the fact that she is quite mature for him (22 months). Unfortunately, we left our camera at their house so no pics to post yet. Also, we missed a great photo op last night. Victor petted his kitty for the first time! We'll get a pic of it later, I suppose.
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1/5/2006 4:52:12 PM
Double ear infection. I knew something wasn't right. Didn't get a weight on him while he was at Dr. Mirrop's though I sorta wish we had because I don't think he is eating nearly as much as normal. And now we know why, I guess. Poor little guy. |
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1/7/2006 10:24:08 PM
I think Victor is quite a bit better tonight than he was last night, in spite of some crankiness earlier. Antibiotics have started to kick in (with accompanying poopslosions!) and he had numerous Baby Vicks rubdowns today. Oh, and I think the humidifier is making a world of difference. It's tempting to go sleep in his room since the rest of the house is so dry in comparison. But I shall give him his peace and rest.
Just the fact that I haven't heard him cough and whimper since he went down is most encouraging. So hopefully he'll be rested and ready to go back to playgroup this week and then start music classes on Wedmesday. We are actually doing 2 different music classes now but one doesn't start until February so luckily we're easing into it.
I was thinking of starting cereal at some point in the next few weeks but I really want to wait for him to be healthier first. Right now he needs all the breastmilk he can get and his appetite is not the greatest. Plus, after seeing how good he is at shooting Amoxicillin out of his mouth, I'm less than eager to try cereal. Granted, the taste will probably be much better. The morning dose is a piece of cake because we just mix it in his morning "Daddy bottle". Bedtime dose is not so easy. I got a pretty good system down tonight though. I've had ample practice with Miss Pru. At least I don't have to squeeze Victor's head between my knees and pry his jaws open!
One more thing. I hate those blasted Hawkeyes. |
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1/9/2006 11:07:00 PM
Lots of people have been e-mailing me asking me what these music classes are. We're doing Sign & Sing starting next month (which is fairly self-explanatory) and the one we start this week is Music Together. Here's the website for our school.
www.heartsongmusictogether.com.
We'll let you know how it goes Wednesday. We're doing an infant only class and it is going to be very small. We'll see if that's a good thing. He really enjoyed the mixed age class we attended but it's our only shot at the infant class (it's birth to 8 months) so I wanted him to get the special attention.
Still up in the air about playgroup tomorrow. His chest is still rattling but at least the congestion is loosening. I'd really like to get him back out so he remembers that he's not the only boy in the world! |
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1/11/2006 4:43:35 PM
Music class was way cool! It's a small class of only 4 babies (including Victor) and their caregivers so it could be a pretty tightknit little group. We even have a stay-at-home dad in our class. Supposedly there are lots of even younger babies in the mixed age classes. I'm glad we get to do it this way for the first term though!
We are having nap issues. Both playgroup yesterday and music class today were definite power struggles due to Victor's fatigue. We are going to have to tweak the morning routine a little because here lately he wants to sleep right when we need to head out for our activities. I nearly kept him home from playgroup yesterday but then decided that I needed to instill in him the understanding that we have to learn to be resilient. He, in turn, attempted to instill in me the concept that when he's tired and hasn't gotten his nap, he's going to flail and scream so much that I'll cry for a nap myself. Touche.
Really hoping this Amoxicillin is working to rid him of the ear infection. He seems much, much better both in appetite and comfort level. If he requires more antibiotics after Monday (when he finishes his 10 days), we are going to blow through more diapers than ever imagined. Pun intended.
Tomorrow is male bonding day while I go get my hair reclaimed once again. I think they're both looking forward to it. |
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1/13/2006 11:46:45 AM
Friday the 13th is a momentous day in the Humphrey household! Victor is most definitely cutting his first tooth. It's not actually in or anything but it has started to push through and I can feel the sharp edge and see the white.
He also just had his very first solid. We just tried some cereal and it was a bit trying but a success overall. He was not at all happy in his high chair or his booster seat but he did allow me to feed him about 10 tiny spoonfuls in his bouncy seat. He really got the hang of the spoon thing and even anticipated the next bite. It was almost "A Clockwork Orange"-esque. Gonna have to just start making him spend some time in the high chair and booster chair to get him used to sitting upright (neither of them recline). Might try feeding him in the Bumbo next time too.
He is tuckered out from all of this effort so far today and is actually snoozing away in the bouncy. Perhaps this afternoon we'll take his maiden voyage in his new Britax Boulevard. I wish I had one. It looks really comfy. Oh, and his toy piano should be arriving today (he saw Jack Barnett's piano and just HAD to get one too!).
Happy weekend to all! |
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1/14/2006 5:41:13 PM
Today Victor ate his cereal while sitting in the Bumbo seat. I consider that an advancement from the bouncy seat arrangement yesterday. Maybe with a few more tries in the Bumbo, he'll be ready to sit in the high chair. I'm too old to crawl around on the floor to feed him in the Bumbo for much longer.
Everybody is kinda crabby and out of sorts here. Sorry James but I think that is a fair assessment and I'm wiling to concede that I'm the crabbiest of the 4 of us today (Pru is actually the least bothered). Oh, but in good news, the new carseat is a hit with all of us. |
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1/17/2006 12:30:00 PM
Today we're anxiously awaiting news of our friend Rilea's arrival from her mommy, Dena. Major kudos to my cerclage sister for going the distance and hats off to Ryan and Reagan for watching over their little sister with such love and care. Now when is she going to give us that update?!?!?!?!??!?!!!!!??
Chaotic few days around here with the ear infection and teething moodiness combined with my cleaning frenzy. John & Jeanie are visiting this weekend so I had to get this place presentable. It only took 3 days to clean! I remember when naps could be counted on. No more. |
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1/18/2006 2:56:53 PM
I figured out how to make cereal something to get a little more excited about. Banana! So that's the new concoction. Tablespoon of rice cereal, 3 slices of banana mashed and 1.5 ounces of breastmilk. Of course the other secret was that he was quite hungry.
Now it's just a matter of tweaking our schedule a little so that he can be in a better mood for our activities. A month ago, early in the day was his best time. These days, he likes to nap every 2 hours until after his 2:00ish feeding and then go full throttle until the evening nap.
I'm starting to wonder if his playgroup buddies and classmates at Music Together and Sign & Sing will ever actually see him at his smiley, giggly best. Right now he's the one that shrieks and chomps. Speaking of which, the tooth is about halfway in.
Hoping for a good report from Dr. Mirrop tomorrow at our ear re-check appointment. I'll be reporting on that for sure. Oh, and I FINALLY got my milk donation taken in which should amuse any of you that have heard my daily sagas about that. Still seems to me like it should be a little easier than this for the donors (and their babies!). |
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1/19/2006 12:39:44 PM
I just went to update Victor's weight and somebody already beat me to it! He doesn't weigh as much as I expected but he had a week there where he did not eat very much. He's still hanging right in the 50-75th percentile though.
Most importantly, ears are clear! Dr. Mirrop thinks his congestion is a thing of the past too. The coughing we've heard as of late seems to be more of an extra saliva thing. Speaking of which, Dr. Mirrop told me that Victor has 2 teeth trying to come in on the bottom! Yeah, I KNOW. They keep biting me.
He's in good spirits though and his mommy is extremely relieved that he has a clean bill of health again. Better get to whipping up his daily concoction. |
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1/20/2006 1:02:50 PM
What a little piglet! Victor sucked down every bit of his cereal and nanas today and he had even just had a full nursing session 30 minutes prior. I think he likes it. I'm being very vigilent about introducing the solids slowly but I will admit that I'm really excited about trying some new things with him. I think he's going to be all over that butternut squash when we try it next week.
Heading to the airport in a bit to get John and Jeanie. This is going to be a pretty action-packed weekend for us by today's standards. A highlight will be our big dinner with the whole gang tomorrow night. Our server at Z'Tejas is going to cringe when we all come in. It's going to be 13 adults and 5 wee ones. We'll see how that all works out! It will be cool to all be in one place for the first time in a long time though. J&J must be pretty loved. |
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1/21/2006 10:26:49 PM
Well, I've got pink eye but luckily I got into urgent care today and got antibiotic ointment for it. I really, really, really hope that Victor doesn't have it. He doesn't appear to (or if he does, it's not nearly as bad as mine) but he's also just finished a course of antibiotics. It's a good thing I'm already in the habit of washing my hands 20 times a day.
Victor attended his first big group outing tonight. We've gone out to dinner as a family before but this was his first big group event out in public. He started off really rocky but got much, much happier as the night progressed (after zonking out on my shoulder for a bit). We got some pictures of the tiny members of the gang that we'll share soon. I think he's warming up to Mia.
Victor got to bed late tonight because once we got home from dinner he was kind of hyper so I let him hang out with us in the office and listen to some tunes. Tiny Elvis had quite the little dance party on the futon. The kid definitely has rhythm and he really enjoys swiveling his hips. It wore him out but good too. |
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1/23/2006 10:45:34 PM
James says:
The boy said "bah" (letter b) today at the urging of his mommy. He couldn't repeat the trick right away, but he was very happy and excited that his mouth obeyed him once. |
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1/24/2006 12:03:43 AM
Special excited Piglet shout-out to some new friends:
Rilea Caroline did arrive last Tuesday although she certainly kept us waiting for the news of her arrival. And now tomorrow Providence Marie will be picked up by her proud parents to jet out of Russia and home to Colorado. Two fabulous Tuesdays in a row! Congrats to all of the giddy parents and props to Ryan & Reagan and Thomas for seeing their siblings home safely.
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1/24/2006 10:44:44 AM
I had forgotten just how miserable pink eye is (had it in law school once) which makes me even more determined to not let Victor get it from me. I think I'll call the doc today and tell him this ointment is very much not working. I'd really like to feel better soon because my mommy is coming to visit this weekend and I want to enjoy it! Victor is definitely excited about her impending arrival in town. Lots of screeching and "buh"ing and "puh"ing and kicking going on. |
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1/26/2006 10:27:37 AM
Sorry the blog has turned into the chronicles of Dawn's oozing eyes as of late. I got worked in with the opthamologoist this morning and she seems to think that the Neosporin ointment I was using probably made it much, much worse. So now I've got erythromicin ointment. She thinks it's healing and she said that it doesn't look Victor has it at all.
Yes, he went along. And screamed. And screamed. And screamed. The clinic called me this morning to tell me to come right away so Victor's nap got interrupted about 10 minutes in. He was coping pretty well until we had to sit in an exam room for 45 minutes waiting. Now he's passed out in the carseat and I don't have the heart to get him out yet. Poor sweet boy. |
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1/26/2006 8:05:34 PM
There. The house is "just clean enough" for a visit from my mother. Don't misunderstand. My mother would never be critical of my housekeeping . I just want to be able to relax and enjoy our visit without feeling antsy about how funky this joint is. And now I can.
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1/27/2006 10:17:14 AM
Dada wins. Consider this my concession speech. We're not talking first official word or anything because he was not naming anything but James did get to hear his name before I've gotten to hear mine. Very clear and excited "dadada" this morning. I'm sure James is still strutting around gloating about it!
He really changed course on me. He was starting "puh" and "buh" so I had my hopes up that "mama" would be coming soon since, as Auntie Leener pointed out, he was manipulating lips and not tongue at that point. Then yesterday, there was such a flurry of raspberries being blown and he was alternating them between lip raspberries and tongue raspberries. I knew I was probably about to lose the contest as soon as I saw that tongue moving around.
You win this round, Dada. Enjoy. |
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1/28/2006 11:57:08 AM
James here:
ROLL OVER! We have our first unaided ROLL OVER! With Grandmother watching, Victor was on his stomach and he used his little right arm in a quick shoving motion to flip himself over onto his back. Yay, er, I mean gulp. |
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1/29/2006 12:29:28 PM
It was a whirlwind weekend but what a good one. Victor showed his grandmother lots of smiles and jumping and kicking and even - gasp! - rolling over. And Victor's parents had a major milestone -- we went out to dinner without our monkey. We really lived it up because it might be a while before we get to do it again! Victor was in good hands and seemed to take it all quite well (although he was hungry and tired enough that he was really happy to see me return).
I was anxious to try avocado or squash with Victor next but since his bananas seem to have given him some moderate plumbing issues as of late, I switched out the banana for pear. So pear is the new "trial food" for this next 4 days. He seems to like it and it seems to keep his colon happier. I guess we will be using the bananas sparingly for a while. Too bad because he really loves them. Luckily he also really loves sweet tater.
Feeding the solids has gotten a little more challenging these past few days because Victor is now quite obsessed with watching Pru since she's usually in the vicinity. Pretty hard to get him to focus on his food for very long. I sure hope they become friends soon. |
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1/29/2006 11:57:04 PM
I don't like "Goodnight Moon". I just plain don't like it. I've read it to Victor many, many times and I continue to be bothered by the fact that the meter is totally screwy, the rhyming is iffy and there's not really a plot. I do realize that when Victor starts to talk and really follow along with his books, the simplicity of "Goodnight Moon" might be a beautiful thing. But for the record, I'm not alone. I googled "Goodnight Moon sucks" and there are a lot of other people out there who don't consider it fabulous. Perhaps knowing that will help me sleep now. I was starting to think I was a bad mommy because I just don't get that book! |
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2/1/2006 9:42:12 AM
Nothing particularly fun to report here. Victor and I both seem to have colds again so I'm trying to get us a little more downtime this week. On the bright side, I think my pink eye is finally better. Victor has his 6 month appointment next week so I'll have Dr. Mirrop really look at his eyes to make sure they look OK too.
I did just sign Victor up for swimming lessons starting in March. I sure hope he enjoys that. I think that he probably will. It will be a good outlet for his relentless kicking. |
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2/2/2006 5:39:18 PM
Well, luckily Victor does like prunes. I'll spare further details for those of you that haven't had to hear the play-by-play via e-mail this week. He still hasn't tried a food he didn't like though he definitely has preferences. Banana is still the all-time fave.
We had a fun day. We had a mini-playdate with Victor's buddy John. They didn't interact a whole heck of a lot but at least Ruth and I got to hang out for a bit and we had a great walk. It was a beautiful day for it and now I'm inspired to get out there and do it more often, especially considering that a month from now swimming lessons start (and that means that we both have to don swimwear). John and Victor are going to be in the same swim class too! Should be fun.
Took a quick trip to Whole Foods earlier too and Victor did quite well with the grocery cart adventure this time. He doesn't mind when it's short and sweet and Whole Foods has to be short and sweet or there will be no money left to clothe us. Had to get some more yogurt-making supples. My first batch turned out really, really good. Trying to get healthier around here. Trying. Really trying. |
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2/3/2006 10:28:23 AM
Victor is half a year old today! We are celebrating by staying in and snuggling because neither of us feels too great and it's gray outside. I could not be more excited about the prospect of not going anywhere all day. Of course now the sun just came out but I am resisting! |
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2/5/2006 5:06:45 PM
Victor and Alex were reunited briefly today over lunch. It's still so much fun to see them together even if they seem to have no real awareness of each other. It will be cool for them later when they see that they have been buddies since birth, whether they wanted to be or not. But hey, two guys so wonderful and brilliant and adorable just have to be friends. There are pics, of course. They'll be on later today or tomorrow.
Yesterday marked a crappy milestone for me. I would not even mention it except that I really am using the blog now to diary and chronicle stuff for my own purposes. I hurt (accidentally, mind you!) Victor for the first time. I pinched his little tummy in his stroller harness clasp and he reacted like I had never seen before. I know what it looks like to see him in real pain now and I hated it more than anything. He made these horrible closed-mouth groaning sounds with huge tears rolling out of his eyes. I've heard him make that same groaning sound today a few times so I think he really impressed himself with it and is trying to keep it in his repertoire. I don't think he is old enough to master manipulation yet and make sounds just because he knows they'll make me cry and do anything he wants to make it all better. We both lived through it though and that's the important thing.
I'm fighting the urge to go outside and let Victor try out his swing that James hung in the tree earlier. It's beautiful out but James is gone for Superbowling festivities and I wouldn't want to do that first without him. Sounds like a pretty week so I'm sure we'll work it in. Victor and I might go for a stroll yet today though.
[Amended at 7:17, post-walk and dinner, to add that Victor likes avocado.] |
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2/6/2006 3:03:29 PM
Victor got almost all the way through his first Sign & Sing class without a meltdown. As usual, he just really wanted a nap right as we were getting to class. It's hard having a different schedule every day of the week. Naturally he passed out in the car immediately after class.
I just pulled off the rarest of feats though. I managed to get him out of the carseat and into his crib without completely enraging him. He's napping in his crib. That's a major success in and of itself. Must shower! |
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2/8/2006 2:08:52 PM
We've got a little nursing strike going on today. I really think the teething is taking its toll on Victor's mental well-being. I suppose he'll be hungry enough here in a bit that he'll play ball. He ate his solids today quite happily though. Butternut squash gets two chubby and enthusiastic thumbs up!
As cranky as he's been today, I shudder to think of how sullen he might get tomorrow after his 6 month shots and check-up. We're going to try to get outside for another walk yet this week since it's still so nice out. The nights are about to get cold again though. We've got daffodils and irises blooming and there's a hard freeze coming. Argh. |
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2/9/2006 12:42:27 PM
Victor had a great 6 month check-up. He's at 18 pounds and 3 ounces now which is still hanging right in the 50-75th percentile. He continues to be a long little boy, now at 27 3/4 inches which is 75-90th percentile. His melon head is in the higher percentile too. So he's growing quite consistently but starting to thin out a little. Maybe he's going to be tall and thin like his namesake.
The best news is that his ears are still looking clear so apparently his brief nursing strikes are due to teething or general 6 month attitude (got better things to do like play and kick!). Dr. Mirrop was sick today so we saw Dr. Boes and Victor was very sweet and good for her. Oh, and she didn't seem surprised at all that he's not sitting up yet since he has always been nothing but a back sleeper.
Unfortunately, it sounds like Victor does not agree that this is a good time for a nap. He's so tired and achey though. Poor little sore monkey. |
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2/12/2006 4:41:00 PM
Victor likes mango and I like James. We are still on a roll with the solids. We're up to 2 meals a day and he has yet to taste a veggie or fruit he doesn't like. Granted, prunes don't make him giddy but he does suck them right down. Definitely enjoying the oatmeal cereal far better than the rice cereal too.
I got an early birthday present from James. We're going to see Elvis Costello with the Austin Symphony Orchestra in April. It's kind of an unofficial tradition for us to always go see him when he's in town. It's pretty cool that he's at Bass Concert Hall this time instead of the usual Backyard. No sweltering and no cigarette smoke! Really looking forward to that night out. We've got a few months to find a babysitter, I suppose. Unfortunately, Victor's grandmother isn't available on Tuesdays. That and she's a wee bit busy for the foreseeable future. |
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2/14/2006 10:51:52 AM
Happy Valentine's Day to one and all! We're going to go for a nice stroll outside in a bit to celebrate. Victor's in a pretty sweet mood so far, especially considering what a flurry of development has taken place this week.
His first tooth looks to be all the way in now and the second is more visible every day. Also looks like his feet grew tremendously in the last week! I'm serious. Maybe he can finally start wearing all of his Robeez. And then last night he finally rolled from his back to his tummy and then right back again. Something has definitely clicked with the whole rolling thing and now he suddenly realizes that being on his tummy can be fun. Life is about to change!
Looking forward to a fun but busy weekend. Victor gets to hang out with two different pretty girls on Saturday. He gets to go to Katie's 2nd birthday party and then he will meet Providence for the very first time. Might get to hang out with Kepler for a little bit on Sunday too. So much excitement! We're having a lowkey family fun day on Friday (meaning James is taking vac that day as a late birthday celebration) too but I don't think outdoor activities will be in the cards. Unfortunately, the weather sounds quite icky for all three days. All the more reason to get out there and enjoy the sun today with our buddies John & Ruth! |
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2/16/2006 9:02:26 AM
Victor here:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MOMMY! This is Mommy's first birthday with a baby boy to take care of, so I'm going to do my best to say "mama" today. |
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2/16/2006 4:46:35 PM
Thanks for the message Victor and thank you to James for assisting with the typing. ;) Victor did utter a slight "mama" earlier and I got really excited but it was followed by "dada" and 'baba" and then it was over and any attempts to prompt an encore were thwarted.
Well, gee. We have near record heat on my birthday and apparently Victor did not get the memo about how I really, really wanted a nap and a long, hot shower as my gifts. Of course now he is napping away, 6 hours later! Still the best birthday ever though because I get to spend it with the cutest person imaginable.
Victor developments? He hates peas. A lot. We won't be trying those again for a few weeks. In better news, he did some crawling-type motions last night during his tummy time. He can and will move several inches toward a toy. He'll practically move heaven and earth to get to the pillow on the bed he likes though. Of all the many, many things I knitted I never would have guessed that that pillow cover would be the thing he loved.
I'm trying to embrace this 35 thing. As Jen says, it's the new 25. If only. |
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2/19/2006 4:37:50 PM
I am embarrassed to admit that today's Illini game was the first that Victor ever actually watched. It's not my fault though. We don't get any of the games televised on ESPN in our satellite package. Great Illinois victory today though and Victor seemed happy in his orange and blue regalia (as evidenced by new pics). Geez, how did Indiana manage to beat these guys a month ago?
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2/20/2006 7:26:09 AM
We had a lot of fun at Katie's 2nd birthday party this past Saturday. Victor was the youngest there and enjoyed watching the antics of the older kids and riding around in a plastic box. Here are some pictures of the festivities:
Pictures
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2/20/2006 7:37:40 AM
Saturday night we had the privilege of getting to meet Providence for the first time as Katheryn and Brian were down in Austin visiting family. Our batteries went dead after just one picture which was a bummer because I had hoped to get a pic of Victor with the girl of the hour too, but we were able to get this pic of Providence and her daddy. Come back soon, guys!
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2/21/2006 3:02:44 PM
Victor does not enjoy green beans. Hates them even worse than peas. So any delusions about how he was just going to eat anything we gave him are over. I'll try all of these things again in a month though. There are plenty of other things to work into the rotation.
In spite of his finicky behavior, he is apparently growing just fine because he is pretty much out of his 6-12 month clothes. Most of those pants are way too short now. So we are officially in 12-18 territory across the board now. That's fine and all but once you get past 12 month clothes, it all starts to look more toddlerish and not so babyish. Very cute but very bittersweet. Sniff, sniff.
In case you hadn't noticed from the pics, Victor smiles a lot now. He laughs a lot too. That never gets old. It's still like the first time I heard it every time. Awww. |
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2/23/2006 11:59:29 AM
Victor had fun at music class yesterday. I mean like for the entire time. No 12:30 meltdown whatsoever. We were very excited to find out that our class gets to all stay together for the spring term too. It's such a great group and we would have really missed everybody if we'd had to split off.
I'm very pleased to have found out that my "Mother's Story" is going to be published in La Leche's "New Beginnings" magazine. I'm not sure when yet but I'm hoping it's soon. Also, Victor's and his brothers' birth stories are included in an article in the March issue of "Parent: Wise Austin" about breastmilk donation (I was interviewed as a milk donor). I am so happy that this is all occurring as we go into March so that it can be a part of our remembrance of Ro & JT's birthdays. Definitely one of those "sometimes things happen right when you need them to" situations.
And yes, I know that Michigan beat Illinois on Tuesday. I just haven't been willing to face up to it. I guess maybe it was because Victor didn't put on his outfit and watch. Sorry guys. |
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2/23/2006 10:45:21 PM
There was a struggle tonight. It all started when Victor started screaming during his nap this afternoon and I went in his room to find him rolled onto his tummy and pulling himself up to quasi-standing against the bumper and rails. I promptly removed the bumpers and dropped the mattress all the way down (I thought of you, Tara!). I didn't figure it would be too much of a shock to his system at bedtime but I was proven wrong. He cried for an hour off and on before he finally settled.
Here's hoping tomorrow night goes a little better. More importantly, here's hoping he sleeps a good stretch tonight. He already is showing a tendency to kick his legs between the rails, even in his sleepsack. He's sleeping peacefully for the moment though. |
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2/25/2006 12:33:05 PM
James is going to be so disappointed when he wakes up from his nap (he's quite sick at the moment). Victor will eat peas after all. It does require a slight amount of trickery - specifically, sneaking pea bites in between bites of something good - but he will eat peas. In other news, he's mastered the "throw anything on the floor and Mommy will pick it up" game. Also, he can sit up. He CAN sit up. He just plain doesn't want to. He does it accidentally sometimes.
We'll be staying in and resting up today but it works out well because Illinois will be playing Iowa in just a few hours. This time we will be ready in full regalia. Oskeewow-wow!
I should also mention that pretty much everybody probably got an e-mail from me about our WalkAmerica team - The Brothers Humphrey. Our team fundraising page is at
www.walkamerica.org/thebrothershumphrey
This is the annual March of Dimes event and we will be participating in memory of Ronan and James. Any form of support our friends and family can offer - be it sponsorship at any possible level, participation in the walk itself, spreading the word about MOD's events or just remembering our sweet boys in your own way - will be so appreciated! Truly. |
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2/28/2006 11:59:55 AM
Everybody's sick here. Just a cold but it's not leaving anyone in the best of moods, to say the least. I'm keeping Victor out of Sign & Sing today due to his excessive snottiness. I don't want him to be that baby that the mothers all look at aghast as they reach for their sanitizer. Besides, I'm just shot. Victor's pretty much refusing to nap for long but is thankfully still sleeping well through the night. I'll say this for the 8,473rd time: I need to just go to bed earlier.
Today is Victor's namesake's birthday since this is not a leap year. I've been thinking about him and wondering if he's getting a good chuckle out of Little Vic's crib shenanigans. Every time I picture Uncle Vic, I see him laughing. He had a strange knack for laughing really quietly but in a big, big way. I miss that. Maybe our little guy will do that too.
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3/1/2006 9:19:13 AM
Happy Birthday Cousin Sean!!!!!! Hard to believe it was a year ago that we were impatiently waiting for the phone to ring with news of your arrival. Hope you're having a really fun day. Wish we could be there to share in your one birthday spank.
Up in the air right now on whether we'll go to music class today or not. I feel pretty awful but I'm not sneezing or anything. It pretty much all depends on Victor's snot level. I'd hate to miss class though because it really is the highlight of our week. |
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3/3/2006 1:02:52 PM
Victor was so excited about being 7 months old today that he just had to wake the whole house up at 4:00. Then it was brief snoozes interspersed with bouts of stomping and squawking with a brief break for the morning bottle. That was right up until the moment we left for swim class. I got 4 hours of sleep at the most. Not too perky.
Swim class was a success overall. He really seemed comfortable in general and had a blast for about 25 minutes. Then he was inconsolable until pretty much the moment we got back in the car. Figured he was going to nap hard and immediately. Nope. Still no nap at 1:00. It's like he snuck out to Starbuck's around 3:00 a.m. and he's still jazzed up.
In the past few days we've discovered that he will stand with a table or ottoman as support. I'm starting to think that the many hours in the Jumperoo are contributing to his favoritism of standing over sitting. He has always been all about leg strength though. Oh, and the top front teeth are starting to poke through. Just barely. Suffice it to say that he tried to chew EVERYTHING in the pool today. |
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3/6/2006 4:14:15 PM
James has scolded me about my lack of a blog entry. I'm not entirely sure why he's so bothered by it since he has to listen to me blabber on and on about all of this stuff in person. Let's see. What's new?
Victor likes papaya quite a lot. So these days his favorite foods are the exotic fruits - mango, banana & papaya. I like to think of it as an indication of his worldliness. In reality, they are just very mild, sweet fruits that have nice smooth textures and feel good on his teeth when he eats them cold.
Sign & Sing is going much better these days. Today, for instance, Victor sat up on his own for most of class. There were a few topples but he's getting there. It helps when there's something new and fun to look at and grab (and then try to shove into his mouth).
The big development is that the morning nap is dwindling. That's a tough adjustment for Mommy. I'm used to having that time to get some things done. However, he will still nap in his stroller if I take him on a walk. This is especially true when we go to the park that Ruth & John recently introduced us to (thanks Connells!). That gravel path puts him right out. Today I had him reclined all the way in the stroller and he slept with his feet splayed out on top of the cup holder for a good 45 minutes while I walked. Works for me. I get exercise and he gets some much-needed rest. The nap this afternoon is another story. He is fighting it tooth and nail. Still in a good mood for now but the meltdown is imminent. |
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3/8/2006 3:49:31 PM
Thank you so much to many friends who have helped me to already surpass my MOD fundraising goal of $1,000. And there's still 2 whole months until the walk! I am truly overwhelmed at the generosity and it could not have come at a better time. Such a nice birthday tribute for Ro & JT this month.
And Victor and I are actively training for the walk. He continues to happily nap as long as I stroll him so it's been a real win-win. I'm feeling so much better now that I'm getting some exercise again.
I'm hearing "mama" fairly consistently now but it's always part of a crying jag and I don't think he's necessarily addressing me by name. It still breaks my heart every time I hear it though. Even when the volume is high, I just love that sweet little voice of his. I think he's quite aware of that too.
He's currently napping on his tummy which is also new. He is rolling and locomoting all around that crib these days. He doesn't really totally crawl yet but it's closer to a true crawl than an army crawl. It's a crawl/scoot/roll hybrid. I've had to install a mesh bumper to keep his errant limbs out of harm's way.
And once again, I've spoken way too soon. The nap is perhaps not to be. Awww. And there's the "mama" cry. I might cry myself. |
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3/11/2006 10:46:06 AM
Oh Illini. I didn't even get to see the boys get sent packing because once again, not in our satellite package. Well, I didn't have time to watch this year anyway and Victor has almost outgrown his Illini onesie. No sports excitement in our lives until the French Open, I suppose.
Victor is still in the midst of a rare long morning nap. He was very restless during the night last night so he's playing some catch-up. It's nice and overcast out so we might work in a walk yet today. Yes, I said NICE and overcast. Given our walk yesterday in the scorching sun and 92 degree heat, I consider cloud cover a very, very nice thing. This coming week looks wonderful though and we'll be on spring break from all of our classes so we can get outside and enjoy it every day if we want!
[Note of interest: As soon as I posted this, the sun came out and Victor woke up. It's uncanny.] |
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3/13/2006 11:35:32 AM
OK. Maybe I was too fatalistic about the Illini. I'll try to watch and not lose my mind but I don't have a very good feeling about their performance in the DC bracket. Fatigue is making me a bit of a fair weather fan.
It's spring break and I've got lots of big plans to get some errands taken care of this week while we're "off school". Yesterday we had an action-packed day of going to the Umlauf Sculpture Gardens and the Zilker Garden. It was far hotter than we expected but Victor really toughed it out. This week looks to be much nicer so hopefully we can enjoy some walks outside in between fun things like an oil change and consigning baby clothes. I've got a writing project to get underway as well. What break? |
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3/14/2006 12:36:09 PM
The milk donor article that I never shut up about ran this month and is now online. If anyone is interested, you can see it at
ParentWise Online Edition
Once you download the pdf, the article runs on pages 8 through 11. I'm so pleased with the sensitivity the reporter showed in relating our story and the timing is really nice. |
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3/14/2006 4:10:06 PM
We just negotiated the gauntlet that is the pediatrician's office during spring break. That place was nuts! Anyway, Victor has a cold. It's just been hanging around so long that I was worried about his ears. Ears and chest are all clear though. That is good news and I guess this means we continue to chalk his nursing strikes up to those top two chompers that are almost all the way in now.
Tomorrow Victor is participating in his first psychological study. No, really. It's a study on infant music perception at UT and I think it will be very interesting to see the results of the study in a few months. |
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3/16/2006 2:39:32 PM
I am restraining myself from singing the Hallelujah Chorus. Naps are back on track today. Thank goodness. Victor was fit to be tied last night because he was so overtired. And here's the kicker -- both naps today have been in his crib! As a result though, we have not yet been to the park for a walk. We may still get there. That remains to be seen.
In other news, Victor did great with the music perception study at UT yesterday. It was quite interesting and I hope that we get called back for more studies.
The only other major excitement is that he has started eating yogurt. Yeah, I know. I was up in the air about that one but the pedi said it was good for him to go ahead and start it and that it doesn't pose the same dairy reactions as whole milk itself. He likes it. He's had it mixed with banana and he's had it mixed with avocado. I found it quite tasty myself.
Ahhhhhh. The house is quiet. I'm so happy he's sleeping.
[James here:] And, I'm so happy Mommy is happy! |
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3/17/2006 7:52:28 AM
[James here:]
Baby boy has become an expert roller. Last night I was given the "task" of playing with him upstairs while Mommy vacuumed downstairs (he doesn't like the Dyson for some reason.) I just put him on the bed and watched him roll over and over and over and over - catching him from time to time when he reached the edge.
He'll even roll over when he hits an obstacle - twisting in place. He now officially has a means of locomotion. |
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3/20/2006 4:30:28 PM
It's so beautiful outside. We had 2 days of pretty much non-stop rain and now the sun is out so everything is unbelievably green. Time to go do the wildflower thing. Maybe Victor and I will do our own tour and then do another one with James later.
So yeah, Illinois. Huh. I was extremely angry at CBS because they were playing the A&M game (no offense to our Aggie friends) and only cutting it to the Illinois game during time-outs, even in the very last minutes of the game. So basically we only got to see the excrutiating parts. Argh.
Victor is really getting more comfortable with all of his classes these days. Wednesday is our final Music Together class of this session. Luckily we only take one week off before we start again. Trying to stay busy this week but it's a bit of a struggle for me mentally. I'm really doing OK with the twins' birthdays coming up overall. I just have that quicksandy feeling at the moment. Luckily I've got a little sidekick to get me in gear. He is more and more fun with each day and he has started giving me kisses. My little sweetie monkey. |
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3/22/2006 3:31:32 PM
Victor has started biting during breastfeeding this week. Not cool at all. I've addressed it though and I think he's started to get the message. I'm hoping we don't have more than a week of this. Thing is, I believe he's only doing it because nursing feels so weird to him right now because the top two teeth are in now. Can't really fault him that but can't really allow bloodletting either!
I've done some minor babyproofing this week since Victor has demonstrated his desire to roll from one end of the room to the other. His crawling attempts still look an awful lot like carpet swimming but he's making some slight forward progress. And today at music class he sat up unassisted for most of the time and only toppled once and he even recovered quickly from that one topple. He did the swoop onto the tummy trick where he acts like "Yeah, this is what I was trying to do....I wasn't falling...I was just trying to imitate a seal!" The kid is really getting it though. We've got a lot of work ahead of us around here battening down the hatches!
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3/25/2006 12:29:12 AM
Today we celebrate the birth of Ronan Woods Humphrey, our firstborn son, whose presence is felt as much today as it was 2 years ago at 2:17 p.m. when he joined this family. Thanks for our Victor, sweet Ro. Many kisses. |
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3/26/2006 12:13:09 AM
And today is James Thomas day. We welcomed him to the world 2 years ago at 5:38 p.m. and have held him close to our hearts ever since. Happy birthday, Little James. |
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3/27/2006 9:02:12 PM
So I had Victor on the dining room floor tonight while I was talking to Gaga on the phone so she could hear him in action. The Jumperoo is practically obsolete these days and his favorite place to be is the floor. He happily rolled and chattered away while I talked to Gaga. Then when I went to put the phone back in the kitchen, I put him at the far end of the area rug so that he'd have lots of rolling space while I was up. In the 10 seconds I was gone (and not looking), I suddenly heard him plinking away at the piano. He had rolled the entire length of the rug with what I believe to be an intent to play his piano. Goodness gracious! He looked very pleased with himself too.
In other news, we're in another weird clothes phase right now. He's definitely getting longer and leaner. I pretty much have to put him in 12-18 month pants now in order to have enough length in the torso and legs. However, that size is a bit roomy in the waist for him. So right now he has his choice between wearing droopy waist hip hop pants and wearing pants that won't even pull all the way up to his waist. We're going with the hip hop look for now. He's also already wearing Size 4 diapers for the same reason. He's not even in the weight range for that size yet (I think he's just under 20 pounds) but the Size 3s are like hip huggers. I call him The Torso. |
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3/28/2006 3:00:02 PM
Our two most important household appliances are the Cuisinart and the Dyson and Victor is now terrified of both of them. I keep telling him that the food processor is necessary to make his food and the vacuum is necessary to get the floor clean enough for him to roll and scooch on. No going. He screams bloody murder the moment either one is turned on within 15 feet of him. This is why it's a very good thing we have 2 floors (though I won't be singing the praises of 2 stories in July and August). It practically feels like I have to impound him like I do Pru now though. The funniest part is that she is now defiantly brave about facing the vacuum, probably just to spite that tiny human that grabs her fur all the time.
We're taking a run at this 3 meals a day thing and it's fairly grueling. I will confess that there is a part of me that does think sometimes about how much easier it would be if Victor was taking bottles instead of breastfeeding. But hey, easy is boring! I'm so glad to still be breastfeeding him and I would not trade that bond for anything. It does cross my mind though on some of these days where it feels like all I'm every doing is feeding. In reality, I have to cherish every bit of this because soon he'll be far more indepedent than I like. |
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4/1/2006 11:51:35 PM
Everything's fine. Just been a busy few days around the house here. Today we went to Miss Mia's 1st birthday party. Her skills are absolutely dazzling and frightening. It was a fun time but Victor missed his nap and then wasn't willing to make it up once we were home. As a result, everything else was awry for the rest of the evening.
He wouldn't nurse before bed at all and that always spells trouble. Tried letting him cry it out but he realized that he was, in fact, hungry. So Victor wasn't in bed until after 10:00. That sort of makes the impact of daylight savings practically irrelevant, at least in the short term.
On the bright side, with all of the tired and frustrated crying that went on this afternoon and evening there were lots of utterances of "mamamama". Someday I'll get to hear it in a happy and excited setting, perhaps. He has definitely been pretty focused on vocal skills as of late.
Oh, and another great day at swimming class yesterday too. He has put his exemplary raspberry-blowing prowess to good use by very, very briefly dipping his face in the water to "blow bubbles". Mind you, this is after watching me make a complete buffoon out of myself trying to get him to mimic my own bubble blowing. He finally did a little bit of paddling too. In fact, he did so much slapping of the water that we got far wetter than usual. Our shrimp is going to be ready for kipper level before we know it! |
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4/3/2006 3:22:09 PM
After a gastrointestinally harrowing day yesterday, Victor is back to pretty much full speed just in time to turn 8 months today. His appetite is not quite back to normal but thankfully the hazardous diapering conditions seem to have abated. He's even napping at somewhat normal time today in spite of still being a bit out of sorts with daylight savings. As soon as we got home from Sign & Sing, he went straight into his crib and he barely resisted being abandoned there. He's napping away so I'm greatly looking forward to playing in a little bit knowing that he'll be far jollier. Pru better brace herself for frantic petting! |
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4/4/2006 8:37:57 AM
[James here]
This morning after I fed him his bottle, he was about to begin his morning boppy-nastics when he looked at me and said "Da" right as I bent down to pick him up. Now, this comes three days after Dawn swears that after I left the room, he looked at the doorway intently and said "Da." Coincidence, or something more? |
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4/4/2006 3:10:53 PM
Spoke too soon. Tummy troubles continue. I think he's getting over whatever gastro bug he's got going but we're not out of the poop woods yet. Let's just say I've done a lot of OxyClean soaking today. Still not eating like normal either and now the pedi's nurse is saying to restrict him to bananas, applesauce, sweet potato and rice cereal. He's going to think he's being rewarded! |
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4/6/2006 9:10:27 AM
[James Here]
Over the past two days we've been able to very quickly teach Victor (by physical demonstration) how to put balls into his toy aquarium and remove them with his tiny hands. He is very right-handed at this point. He likes to grab things, shake them up and down about 5-7 times, and then let them go - sometimes for good distance.
Last night while we were practicing "put-in and pick-out" he looked at me and began stringing together a bunch of D's and vowels which of course began sounding like Daddy and Dada and Dad. With me imitating and coaxing him, it lasted for about a minute. On a couple more occassions since then, he has seemed to greet me or suddenly look at me and say "Didi". I can't be more happy, but still not ready to call it a first word.
[Dawn Here]
I still think the first official word is going to be "kitty". |
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4/9/2006 11:31:33 PM
It was a very busy weekend of reunions. On Friday, Victor got to see his buddy John at swim class for the first time in a few weeks. Both of them seemed too interested in watching the girls in class to really pay each other much attention though. Then on Saturday, we got to hang out with Lia & Alex for several hours. Victor was a little too interested in Alex. He kept grabbing at him and trying to wake him up so he could pat him on the head (Victor is currently obsessed with touching everyone's hair). Then we saw our tennis buddies at James's match on Saturday night and today he got to see Katie again (she is such a sweetie and the least terrible two I know!). So many friends and so little time. Fun was certainly had!
Victor is feeling quite a bit better by this point although he does have a wee bit of a runny nose. I really think it's allergies. No, really. We were outside a lot more than usual and the oak is through the roof. My eyes are really red again and since I still can't use any prescription allergy drops due to breastfeeding, I'm giving the homeopathic drops a shot again. They come in a glass bottle with a little shaker top though so it's much like trying to put soy sauce in my eye. Quite maddening. Well, this is really devolving into mundane details, eh? Maybe tomorrow I'll have something more compelling to offer my whopping audience of 3 (James, G & Brownie).
Oh, and Victor is sleeping on his stomach more and more and I'm really getting OK with it. That's a breakthrough for me! :) |
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4/10/2006 4:51:06 PM
We have achieved independent play. For the first time ever, today I have been able to put Victor down on the living room rug while I work in the kitchen. Even when the Peek-a-Blocks got out of reach and the cat scurried away, Victor was able to entertain himself by scooting and rolling all over the place to touch, and preferably chew, every surface he could reach! This is way too cool even though he looks like a used dustmop. :) He finally plays "Mommy and Victor can roll the ball to each other!" too. |
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4/12/2006 2:07:03 PM
Last night we left Victor with Cousin Susan while we went to see Elvis Costello with the Austin Symphony. It was spectacular! By far our favorite show yet, I do believe, although I will say that it is also fun to see him in the open air with a beer in hand too. Victor did just great and while we missed him terribly, we were able to enjoy ourselves knowing that he was very safe and loved at home with his pretty girl cousin. He went to bed for her like a good boy and slept right through the night like usual. So the night was quite a success!
Music class today was far less overwhelming than last week. We are in a mixed age group now instead of infants only and last week left us feeling a bit like deer in headlights. I got Victor there nice and early today though so that we could say hi to our teacher Carey and get settled before things started getting wild. It definitely helped. I really like the songs in the collection for this session and Victor seems to respond to them well too. It's almost like those Music Together people know what they're doing. ;) |
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4/15/2006 4:05:09 PM
Victor is very sneezy and sniffle-y and I am feeling quite dejected. There has been an absolute barrage of dada/daddy/dad/didi in the past few days. James may or may not be trying to protect my feelings by insisting that Victor is still just babbling meaninglessly. To me it seems like he joyously greets his daddy when he's around and pines for him when he's not around. That makes me happy and all but I'm starting to feel like I'm not worthy of a name. I guess when he can't ever get rid of me, there's not much point in ever having to say my name. I'm grasping here.
Crawling is just around the corner. He's so close to really doing it. His new Incrediblock and the Play Wall he borrowed from his buddy John are definitely helping that effort along. That and a fuzzy toy named "Keeeeeee!". He's pretty excited about the newness of everything right now and is thankfully oblivious to his constantly running nose. And yay for no tennis this weekend! We get more time with dada/daddy/dad/didi.
Oh, and I weighed Victor today and got him at right at 20 pounds. So my guess is that he's really just under 20. He's definitely slowed down weight-wise. Length-wise, it's outta control! |
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4/16/2006 9:10:06 AM
[James Here]
Victor is inexplicably struggling against diaper changes with the power and fury of a tiny chimp. My wrestling training is of no use on an opponent this small and determined. He is committed to flipping over onto his stomach. His reasons are his own. |
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4/16/2006 8:36:17 PM
Despite Victor's faucet of a nose and my impending sinus issues of my own (I have the "night before it hits" sore throat), it was the best Easter ever. Ever. Granted, it was not terribly Eastery. It was certainly the first time I ever spent an April Sunday sitting in the 95 degree heat watching my son splash around in his baby pool. The experience can't be beat though!
Victor definitely likes the baby pool. He can't show off his swimming very well in such a confined space but he can manuever around really well and watch the neighborhood. Unfortunately, our time hanging out in the shade of the front yard is limited due to the lack of fencing there. Soon Victor will be forced to run around the funkier backyard for his own safety.
In other news, I made Mexicanized Cuban pork and fried bananas for our Easter dinner. Oh yeah, and Victor did a little bit of crawling. Just a skosh. He is finally getting up on his knees and bouncing and so I think it's all going to finally click very soon. And whoops, we didn't manage to get those baby gates this weekend like we said we would! James? |
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4/18/2006 11:51:09 AM
I'm taking my first ever mommy sick day so that hopefully I can get over this cold quickly. Thanks dada! So yeah, nothing much to report........... |
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4/19/2006 3:37:00 PM
Well, Victor is feeling much better anyway. He's a bit snotty yet but is fairly undaunted at this point. I pulled out all the stops last night - Benadryl, Vapobath, nose drops & Vaporub. Now if someone could just do the same for me! Based on Victor's progress though, I'm hopeful that I'll be feeling friskier by Friday. Just in time to go swim.
The 5th and 6th teeth are starting to poke through, one on top and one on bottom. He is really going to look different once they're in. And speaking of appearances, Victor has really taken to rubbing his food all over his face here lately, probably because his nose has been so itchy. Today's spinach catastrophe was photo-worthy but I couldn't muster the energy to get the camera. Mama's old and sickly. |
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4/19/2006 10:01:57 PM
First off, there are several new video clips that James just added tonight. Good stuff.
Just experienced a strange and sad "comedy" of errors with a poor sleepy boy. He was in bed and sleeping by 8:30 but then by 9:30 was crying in full-on distress. I went in and he had kicked and rolled and squirmed himself into a rather uncomfy position and had a leg stuck (even with a sleepsack and the mesh bumper). I picked him up to readjust him and thought something smelled amiss. Now remember, my nose is not at peak performance.
I put him on the changing table and naturally all hell broke loose. He currently hates being changed. But I'm still figuring he's got a poopy diaper that must be contributing to the distress. Nope, all of that for an asparagus pee diaper (James fell for it earlier tonight too). So I changed a barely wet diaper and enraged him far beyond the level of angst he had when I went in. Oh, and as insult to injury, I took his temperature while I had the diaper off anyway. 97.5.
I tried to nurse him as consolation for so badly botching his whole zen sleep thing but he wanted nothing to do with it and his gestures of frustration seemed to say "put me in the crib and leave, please, you silly woman!" So I did. He is now sleeping quite peacefully again. He really does like that asparagus though. |
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4/23/2006 10:34:40 AM
There are yet more new video clips added. Many thanks to Lia for sharing them (and new pics!), especially since I stupidly forgot my camera that day.
Not much to report. Victor & I are both doing a little worse again with this cold. I'm almost to the point of hauling him in to Dr. Mirrop. Thankfully, he is still sleeping through the night (though with many more brief emotional outburts than usual). When it goes on this long, I get concerned about his ears though.
He's pretty chipper, aside from being annoyed that he hasn't quite figured out crawling yet. He's getting really good at going from sitting to prone position though. It's no longer just a controlled fall. It's now a slow gymnastic maneuver. |
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4/25/2006 1:13:10 PM
I'm vacuuming about every other day now and while the Dyson is everything I hoped for in a vacuum, it does not seem to magically prevent more stuff from accumulating on the floors. We sure track in a lot of stuff. That and I'm managing to suck up the equivalent of a mid-sized juvenile cat every time. And yes, Victor is still terrified of the vacuum.
I haven't dusted in weeks though. I may have to start crawling and rolling around on the floor so that I can enjoy the cleanliness down on Victor's level and spare myself from having to see the layer of humidified dust funk all over everything at adult level. |
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4/27/2006 12:14:08 AM
I'm tired. This was the second day in a row of only one official nap. In spite of being napless though, Victor did great at Music Together today. He spent a whole lot of time today rocking on his knees which I attribute in large part to his playdate with John yesterday (speaking of which - happy birthday to John as of right...........NOW!). Victor has definitely been watching his crawling friends closely this week. This weekend the gates need to be deployed. I mean it this time!
What else? Oh yeah, Victor also had his first meat. I made him poached chicken breast and pureed the heck out of it and while he doesn't dig it all on its own, he'll eat it mixed with squash or sweet potato. He's still not super interested in finger foods and he has no use for the sippy at all. He would much rather just drink from a cup and more often that not, he prefers to blow bubbles in his cup of water while accidentally "drinking" some. The sippy's not urgent though because I don't intend to switch him to whole milk the moment he turns 1 or anything. He's got lots of time to decide to do it on his own.
We're off to see Dr. Mirrop tomorrow - or, I guess that would be today - to see what's up with this neverending cold and make sure the ears look clear. He's a little weird about breastfeeding yet again but then he's also extremely distracted by his developing skills and by his erupting teeth. He seems to feel pretty good and he eats as many solids as I put in front of him, for the most part, so I think he's probably pretty healthy. We'll be right back at the doctor's office in a week and a half for the 9 month appointment because we can't go ahead and do it this week due to the spacing of the vaccinations. As a result, I won't be surprised if they don't bother to weigh him this week. I'm thinking 20 pounds, 3 ounces though. |
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4/27/2006 4:23:12 PM
Ears are clear. The doc says that it's a great sign that Victor hasn't gotten another ear infection since January in spite of fighting off this neverending series of colds. Found out what is most likely causing the nursing strikes too. He's got 4 more teeth coming in and not just 2 like I thought. He's not super cranky about the teeth though so I shant complain.
Victor was 20 pounds and 5 ounces with clothes on. Since he'll be back so soon, there was no official naked weigh-in. So he probably really is 20ish now. He has most definitely thinned out a lot. |
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4/27/2006 8:03:23 PM [James Here]
I had just walked in from the garage and was standing in the doorway looking at my little monkey on the floor. He was in a crawl position bouncing on all fours. I stood still and paid special attention because he was doing this for longer than normal. I thought, "Hey, maybe he'll take a tentative crawl step." Instead, he kept pushing with his arms, twisted his legs under him and sat up! I witnessed his first unaided sit up. Yay, Boyo! |
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5/1/2006 2:02:01 PM
Teething + Snottiness + Newfound Mobility = Very Short Naps. I cannot wait for music class and swim class just because they wear Victor out so much that he can't fight the long nap. And yes, I am almost beside myself right now because I'm exhausted (and still a little sick) and I missed my own window of opportunity for sleep. I should have just sprinted for bed instead of getting on the computer when I put Veeg down.
But wait, I hear silence again. Can it be?
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5/1/2006 3:52:02 PM
Ahhhhhh. It was. It was. I got in an hour nap with Pru because Victor settled back down again and napped for an additional 90 minutes. He's awake and babbling in there. These are my very, very favorite moments with him. He's so sweet and happy and chirpy when he wakes up from a nice, long nap. Yay, it's playtime! |
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5/2/2006 3:22:44 PM
I was just getting all of my WalkAmerica sponsorship stuff together in preparation for next week (a good quiet, naptime activity for me) and I was just so overwhelmed again at being reminded of the outpouring of support from so many of you out there. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for the generosity and the moral support. Now we just need to do some practice walks before next weekend. It figures that it has been nice and overcast and now that Victor is probably about to wake up, the sun is blaring and I can just feel the steam rising. Yuck.
Victor had a rough night. Our sleeping star (has only nursed during the night twice since 3 months) woke up and cried 3 or 4 times during the night. He settled back down without help but it disrupted everyone in the house. I was on edge anyway because he had a nosebleed right before bathtime last night so I naturally had to check on him numerous times during the night. The humidier in his room seemed to help although I am puzzled by how his nose could get so dried out in this muggy weather. His room feels like a terrarium. |
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5/3/2006 9:40:58 PM
You know it's been a crazy day when I don't manage to blog about Victor being 9 months today until this late. The only naps today were 2 half hour naps in the car. Victor would have gone to bed at 7:00 if I hadn't forced the bath issue. But he's clean and peaceful for the first time today!
So yeah, reflections on 9 months, eh? It has struck me today how Victor has now been out among us for as long as he was hanging out inside me. While it's stunning that he's this old already, it feels like he's been here a lot longer than it felt like I was pregnant. I guess, in essence, it's just kinda hard to even remember what life was like before he was here consuming every moment with his neediness and his cuteness and his stunning Victorness. He's just so much cooler than I ever even dared to imagine he would be, even on a day when he never gave me a moment's peace. |
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5/7/2006 2:22:59 PM
We played tennis today. It was the first time I had set foot on a court in a year and a half plus one day. I am just thankful that Victor is not yet able to perceive just how pathetic I was out there. He was such a good boy though and enjoyed frolicking in his PacknPlay in the open air. It is delightfully cloudy today.
We also installed the top of stair baby gate. I hate it. I want to tear it off its hinges even without a 20+ pound squirmy on my hip. Now we must figure out how to gate off the bottom of the stairs. Poor Pru. Meowing to be let in or out will be a new and degrading experience for her. |
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5/7/2006 6:16:24 PM
[James Here]
We have a sitting up baby now. He's been good at staying seated for some time, but now he can go from a prone position to sitting on his own. The key has been to get to his knees first. From there he can kick a leg out and sit. He is also very close to crawling from his knees. He's taken a few crawl steps but nothing sustained yet.
In other news, one of the boys' trees was nearly knocked over by the storm this past Thursday. I had to give it "special shoes" like its brother today so that it grows up straight and tall. As a result of using the sledgehammer, I can barely type. What will I ever do! |
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5/8/2006 11:25:59 AM
I'm not just crazy. Victor is officially a tall and skinny boy. At his 9 month appointment today, he was 30 1/2 inches long which puts him up into the 95th percentile for the first time. He's even thinner than thought though. He's only 19 pounds, 12 ounces (naked) and that drops him down into the 25-50th percentile for the first time. I think he actually lost a bit of weight while he was sick. Dr. Mirrop is unconcerned though and pronounced him healthy and cute.
James has some theory about the amount of energy required to grow so much sapping resources that would otherwise go to storing fat. I won't try to explain it. It's all science-y and whatnot. Sheesh, I just wonder how I'm going to keep Victor's pants on if he continues on this growth pattern. A little young for suspenders.
He's rather unhappy about his shot and blood draw but I'm hoping a good brunch of his favorites followed by a nice long nap will help us both rebound.
[Edited to add that the nap helped.] |
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5/10/2006 8:58:37 AM
[James Here]
I saw Baby Boy take his first crawling steps yesterday. He seems almost as excited as I am. While I watched he made his way across the living room (two steps and then to the stomach, two steps and then to the stomach) over to his favorite "no-no's" - the name mat and the knitting basket. He began tearing up his name mat and then sat up and starting grabbing yarn and knitting needles out of the basket. Later, I noticed that the Mommy-elf had removed the mat and knitting supplies. Let the true baby-proofing and confinement begin!
[Mommy comment/clarification: Those were not the FIRST crawling steps but the first sustained crawling steps.] |
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5/13/2006 2:15:43 PM
Our MOD walk was quite a success! Almost $1300 raised between the 3 of us (um, meaning me!). I won't toot my own horn too much. All thanks goes to the many of you out there in Pigletland who generously donated. It was a really nice event and something I look forward to our family doing together each year to honor the memories of Ronan & James. I'm so glad that today was a part of Mother's Day weekend. And I returned home to flowers from all 3 of The Brothers Humphrey. Very sweet.
Victor hung tough through the whole morning without losing it but was so hungry by the time we got home. While I wholeheartedly support breastfeeding anywhere and everywhere in public, it's just not something that works particularly well for us given his propensity for obsessing about any sounds or movements around him when he's trying to get in his "milk zone". So now I pay the price for staying out so long. The boy won't seem to nap. And he REALLY needs to nap so that we can go to Dada's tennis match in a bit.
Sounds like Victor is most likely sitting up and beating his head against the crib rails so maybe it's time to throw in the towel and just get ready to head out for tennis. This ought to be interesting.
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5/15/2006 2:55:47 PM
Mother's Day was good. We had a nice brunch with Yvette, Jamie & Katie. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures even though I had the camera along. Doh! I did the same thing at the tennis match on Saturday. Had the camera right there and could have captured Victor with his buddies John & Kepler. Maybe I need to just strap the camera to myself at all times.
It's a gorgeous day today and I've been dying to get out for a walk but I dinked around too much this morning and missed that window of opportunity and now Victor is napping. I'm hoping to still make it out yet today because this is a day not to be missed since we won't get many more like this until fall. But hey, a nap is a glorious thing so I won't knock it.
I'm hating pumping more than ever. Historically, I haven't minded pumping in the mornings much because I always read while I pump and it's nice to have that time to myself while James & Victor do their bottle and play routine thing. I'm just not very prolific anymore and it makes the whole experience unreasonably prolonged and anxiety-ridden. As a result, I've had to break into the remaining frozen stash to make Victor's cereal in the mornings several times lately. Today he seemed to find that unacceptable. Maybe it was just his mood but I thought he seemed like he did not like the smell of the thawed breastmilk. So for the first time ever, I am considering using formula to make his morning cereal when I don't have enough fresh milk. I'm still hoping it won't come to that though. And I mean absolutely no offense whatsoever to formula feeders and/or supplementers. It was just a personal goal of mine to never have to give Victor any formula whatsoever. I might have to start hitting the Mother's Milk tea hard! We'll see. |
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5/17/2006 10:25:15 AM
First things first. James was right. He convinced me that we should "fence off" the dining room doorway and make it into a little Victor zoo exhibit since it is the safest room downstairs. So far so good. It is very nice to have a nice big play/crawl space to put Victor in while I work in the kitchen. So thanks, Dada.
Pumping is going a little better since I've gone back to twice a day. There's really no reason I can't pump while I watch American Idol on DVR after Victor goes to bed. I hope the trend continues. I do not want to take that blasted pump on our trip to Seattle though. I could use a vacation from it!
Interesting nugget of wisdom I keep forgetting to mention......Peek-a-Blocks really don't do well in the dishwasher. I tried a few as an experiment and when they came out fine I got cocky and put all 40 or so in. I am still waiting for the last 2 to dry out about 2 weeks later. Lesson learned. |
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5/17/2006 3:06:30 PM
It always makes me feel like a needy lunatic when I blog twice in a day (Lia, I know you know what I mean) but there is just too much cuteness to talk about for it to wait until tomorrow.
When it was time to leave for music class this morning, I was getting myself ready while Victor was playing on the living room floor. I walked into the room and he crawled quickly over to me, sat up and held his arms up for me to pick him up. That's the first time he's ever made such a concerted effort to get to me. And when he held his arms up, he was smiling and saying "mmmmaaaa". Hey, it's something!
So we went to music class and he made a similar beeline for Carey (our awesome teacher) and her guitar. Basically, for the whole hour he wanted very little to do with me because he was so focused on crawling up to and onto pretty much everyone else in the room. While it was fun to see him being so independent, I really did miss having him sit on me during the songs. He had the most fun I've ever seen him have at class though. The highlight was when one of the preschoolers put a huge sombrero on him during our Mexican folk song. He was plum pleased with himself at getting attention from the cool girls in class. Unfortunately, his fixation on other people's shoes and hair continues and he showed a few of his friends why his cat fears him. He's not quite getting the gentle petting thing yet (as poor little Saira found out).
So this time I mean it. I am taking the camera EVERYWHERE from now on! And don't worry James......I won't run out and buy a sombrero. Yet. |
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5/21/2006 10:53:56 PM
Whew! What a busy, busy, extremely fun weekend. Yesterday was the big NI picnic which is an event very near and dear to my heart because I met a few of our closest friends at my very first picnic 9 years ago. It will be even more fun next year though, when Victor can enjoy some of the festivities rather than just being paraded about. He seemed to enjoy all of the activity though and, aside from refusing to take a bottle, he was quite agreeable.
Today was also a lot of fun but I am ever so tired now. We went to Brushy Creek Lake Park for a nice long stroll and then drove around for a bit while Victor catnapped in the carseat. Then we had some fun in the tiny pool. Oh how that has changed in the past month or so. Today was the first time that he really crawled in the pool and he used his new skills to pick lots of grass and throw it into the water.
We've got a very busy week ahead of us with a lot more on our plate than usual. Tomorrow morning, we'll be off to UT for another infant perception study. I'm just excited about getting another cool UT t-shirt for Victor. Oh yeah, and helping science and all that. |
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5/24/2006 11:41:28 PM
It's been a rougher than usual few days. Our star sleeper has been rather restless at night. And yes, that does beg the question - why am I still up and not trying to grab some sleep? Luckily tomorrow we don't have anywhere that we are scheduled to be so we can hopefully both get some good napping in. And hopefully a walk if we can hit it before the heat gets too bad!
Victor is crawling like a pro at this point and is doing a lot of standing on his knees (and scarily, usually without much support). He also has started making a lot more demonstrative movements with his arms and is getting a wee bit of separation anxiety. He still doesn't have much in the way of stranger anxiety though because he happily flirts with anyone and everyone around him, especially at music class (but then again he knows everyone there pretty well by now!). |
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5/26/2006 8:46:31 PM
Victor is now a two-time shrimp certificate holder. We had our last swim class at the Y for a while today. Now that it's officially outdoor pool season, I'll have to try to get him out regularly to practice his skills. The beauty of paying for a class is that we're on the hook for it each week but frankly, it was getting boring at this point anyway. I was going to lose it if I had to sing "Old MacDonald Had a Pool" one more time.
Speaking of losing it, the nightly crying it out is really taking a toll on my nerves. Typically we have faced this about one night a week but this past week it has been every night, I do believe. There are so many factors that I don't even know what to pin it on. He's definitely teething. He's also really working on pulling up a lot. Throw in his sporadic napping and it's no wonder he has a hard time calming down. Some days he only naps once now (like today, for instance).
We don't have all that much on the agenda this weekend which is truly a wonderful thing. The French Open starts Sunday though. That will make for some nice air-conditioned fun. I'm curious to see who Victor's favorite player is going to be. I definitely see him as a Nadal fan. |
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5/28/2006 10:04:17 AM
We had an action-packed day yesterday. Once Victor woke up from his nap, we rushed to get to the new Blanton Museum while he was still feeling agreeable. Let's just say we all survived. The stroller is only a magical place if it's moving constantly (and preferably on gravel) and if it's not constantly moving, it's just a reminder that he'd rather be crawling. The museum was really nice though and we enjoyed our first of many trips there.
After the museum, Victor fell asleep in the car so James and I got some treats and drove around looking for the Mayfield Park & Preserve since we hadn't ever been there. Victor woke back up just in time to get out and explore the park a little bit. He got to see lots of peacocks! It was certainly more peacocks than I'd ever seen in one place. Another place we'll definitely be going back to, although it will be a lot more fun when Victor can toddle around. Here are some pictures of the peacocks and Victor's reactions (click on a pic to enlarge it):
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5/29/2006 7:45:14 AM
[James Here]
Victor has been a very temperamental eater for the last few days. Recently, while combating Mommy during a feeding, he showed us his mad face. It was the first I've ever seen from him. He stuck his little jaw out and bared his handful of teeth in an attempt to be menacing. He did it several times as he grabbed the spoon angrily from Mommy. I was laughing hysterically at the time, and Dawn was angry with both of us. Later, Mommy had to admit that it was extremely cute and funny.
[And Now Dawn Here]
In addition to Victor's first scary face, we also marked his first haircut a few days ago. Luckily I only had to do a quick trim above the ears because even that was quite a struggle. I ended up having to just trick him into playing his drum and then sneaking up behind him. Trimming the nails, on the other hand, just gets more and more challenging all the time.
Another first? Pru's first confrontation with the baby gate. She did not even attempt to jump over it as we thought she might. Her strategy was to just repeatedly headbutt it until I intervened.
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5/30/2006 8:32:09 AM
[James Here]
Pru is becoming more and more tolerant of the little boy. The other day, she was lying on the floor and I put Victor next to her (away from her back talons). He crawled over and grabbed her, to which she replied with a complaint cry but stayed put. He then basically tackled her and buried his face in her fur. It looked like he was trying to eat her, but it was more like what we do to him when we pretend to eat his tummy. Amazingly, through his repeated play bites, she stayed put. After about 20 seconds of this, I had to remove the boy for his and Pru's safety. I think it demonstrated that she now trusts that he is not out to hurt her, but only to annoy her. |
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5/31/2006 10:37:36 AM
Victor is a bottomless pit today. He had 2 ounces of thawed breastmilk when he first woke up and then decided that he did not like thawed breastmilk so we gave him an 8-ouncer of fresh milk and assumed he'd only drink part of it and I'd use the rest for his cereal. Nope, he sucked it all down.
Then, an hour later he had his breakfast which was 2 1/2 ounces of breastmilk and 3 ounces of mashed banana mixed with his cereal. Again, no hesitation. He acted tired so I tried to put him down but he was giving all signals that he'd like yet more milk. He breastfed for 20 minutes (unheard of these days) before he finally succombed to sleepiness.
Whew. We might actually miss music class today for the very first time ever if he decides to keep sleeping. His napping has been so erratic lately that I am not about to cut a good nap short, especially since we can do a make-up class. Knowing him, he'll wake up at 11:45 as the class is starting. |
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6/2/2006 4:10:28 PM
We've had a nice day even though Victor won't nap right now. He's been in his crib for close to an hour mumbling and babbling and shaking the bars. We went for a walk in the park around noon and he unexpectedly fell asleep for the duration of the hour walk so I guess he figured that's it for napping for the afternoon. OK then.
And now, some whining has begun. Might have to pull out the big guns and take him to Whole Foods. I don't really know why but Whole Foods always puts him a really good mood. There is something intoxicating about the smells of garlic and chocolate drifting on a wave of crazy cold AC. Yeah OK, sign me up.
The boy is really enjoying his Gerber puffs lately although an errant puff got too far back on his tongue and he gagged enough to throw up most of his breakfast. He didn't care though. He reached for another puff! He likes the crunching sound he can make with his little chiclet teeth. I usually do find several puffs stuck to his butt when he gets out of the chair though. Sticky little buggers.
Guess it's time for that fruit run. |
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6/3/2006 1:58:37 PM
[James Here]
Our little Destructicon pulled up to stand on his own for the first time last night. He was in a tiny chimp rage because he was so tired. He grabbed on to the ottoman and before we knew it, he was on his own two feet. We quickly swooped in to support him and looked at each other just to make sure that we had witnessed the same thing. Let the standing and falling and crying begin!
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6/4/2006 6:51:49 PM
It's a glorious 2 long naps day! Not only have I been able to get a lot done around the house while Victor slept today but I also have been able to do a lot more while he's been awake than I usually can because he ate well all 3 times and he has been happy and content to play by himself quite a bit because he is just so rested. Ahhhhh. I hope these naps beget a good night's sleep which will beget more good napping tomorrow.
Had a couple of duh-duh breakthrough moments today. First of all, rather than trying to get Victor to use his sippy cup in his booster chair, I decided to give him his cup while he was playing. It's only water (Victor doesn't drink juice per Mommy's orders so that he'll have healthy teeth) so he could make as much of a "mess" as he wanted. He actually used the sippy and made no mess whatsoever. It wasn't textbook sippy use but it was the most he's done it on his own. Since he is male, I just had to trick him into thinking it was his own brilliant idea to drink water out of that thing sitting next to him.
The other big duh moment was that I can use yogurt for Victor's cereal (without heating it) since I can't pump enough anymore and he is repulsed by breastmilk that has been frozen (and frankly, I am too because it smells "not right"). So today he had blueberry/honeydew and banana cubes mixed with his cereal and yogurt. He seemed quite pleased with it and I will concur that it was quite tasty. And in other food news, he's doing a little better with some finger food experimentation. He's not ready to self-feed quite yet but he's starting to learn how. And he's likes tofu too! |
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6/6/2006 3:30:36 PM
Victor had his first bite of cookie, entirely by mistake. After music class, I was eating a cookie and talking to Lori & Eli when I looked down to see that Victor was gnawing away on my sugar cookie that I was holding in my hand. He seemed to like it. Yikes. I'm not letting him having any sweets at all until he turns 1 and then only in extreme moderation. I'm going to hope he forgets about that whole cookie thing. On the bright side, he might be more ready for finger foods than I thought.
We are celebrating 8 years of wedded bliss today. There are no big plans besides dinner out (hopefully - Victor's lack of napping is threatening to throw everything off) but it is still probably our best anniversary ever. Our joint gift is a 21 pound writhing bag of mobility and chatter.
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6/7/2006 4:03:59 PM
Victor is suddenly very outgoing. Too outgoing, in fact. He's got this whole friendly aggression thing going at music class these days and I keep hoping it's just because he can get to all of his little friends that he's wanted to be able to get close to for months and months. I want to let him explore for at least part of his class time but I don't want him to maul his buddies either. I adore our classmates and don't want to be the Hellion Humphreys. :( Victor certainly has crawled (quite literally) right out of his shell this month! |
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6/7/2006 6:59:41 PM
[James Here]
The pace has really picked up. Let's see, four days ago, he pulled up to a stand on his own for the first time. Today he is pulling up to a stand on his very tall pack-n-play walls at will and can control his fall - landing on his butt every time. This is frightening.
[And now Dawn]
He's also doing some very basic cruising and some one-hand standing as of today. And coolest of all, he is sitting on his StrideNRide car with complete confidence. Just in time for Auntie Leener to see him this weekend on the present she got him for Christmas! |
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6/8/2006 7:00:33 PM
Victor took his afternoon nap at 5:30 today because he finally crashed after being wound for sound all afternoon. Left to his own devices, he is standing more often than not at this point. He's doing more and more letting go with his hands and he looks quite pleased with his little daredevil self. He is also learning to sit down gradually instead of just plopping on his butt each time. He's currently standing in the PackNPlay watching Signing Time with Alex & Leah and liking it a lot better than the French Open (but not as much as Seinfeld or Classical Baby).
And perhaps because I've asked him to work on his verbal skills a little for Auntie Leener's arrival, he's talking a lot today. He keeps saying something that sounds like "cold" or "gold" and he'll say it in relation to bottles or cans. While I'm extremely dazzled, I will be most offended if he really starts saying and meaning "cold" before he says and means "mama". Come on! |
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6/11/2006 11:55:09 AM
What a lovely visit with Auntie Leener and Uncle Geoff. Victor definitely loved all of the attention they gave him (and his cool water drums!) and James & I really enjoyed having so much adult conversation. We were all bummed to see them head out this morning but they've got more vacation fun to get into. Thanks for coming, Nordmeyers! :) Here are some pics from their visit (thank you for forwarding these, Eileen):
(Click on any pic to enlarge it.)
Now we're on to getting ready for the trip to Seattle this week for Cousin Ann's wedding. I'm already lamenting that we aren't going out a day earlier so that we can see more sights but our main objective is to spend lots of time with the family anyway. It's going to be a lot of fun and as long as we can keep Victor fed and napped, I think he's going to be a happy and excited little boy.
And before I forget, look at what Victor received in the mail this weekend. This was so cute I wanted to cry........
(Click on the pic to enlarge it.) |
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6/14/2006 1:25:57 PM
Well I guess we're ready for our trip. I suppose we can always buy a toy or two along the way if we have to. It's the flight that concerns me. Victor doesn't like to be held for more than 5 minutes at a time so I can't wait to see what he thinks of being held for 4 hours.
We may or may not be entering a blog hiatus but there definitely won't be more pictures until next week (so yeah, what's the point, huh?). I cannot wait to experience temperatures 40 degrees cooler than what we've got here. Victor is going to think we took a vacation to another planet! |
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6/17/2006 9:26:06 AM
[James Here]
We made it to Seattle and have spent a day and a half visiting with family and checking out the city. We had a great time meeting Steve Sonnen (Ann's soon-to-be husband) and his family on Thursday night at a BBQ at their house in a northern neighborhood (65th and 32nd). Mmmm King Salmon, chicken, and steak. And, Victor got to hang out with G, Ron, and Kathy. Here's a link to Steve and Ann's Wedding Web page:
http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/view/co_main.aspx?coupleid=3269404022675084
Yesterday, we went down to Pike Place Market (about 1.5 miles from our hotel - the Mediterranean) and ate at the Athenian Grill. I had a plate of oysters and a five egg omelet with shrimp, mommy had a five egg omelet with crab meat, and Victor took a nap. It turns out that certain scenes from Sleepless in Seattle were shot there. We then went to the Aquarium where Victor seemed to comprehend that there were large mammals and fishies swimming around. Our favorite part was the undersea, geodesic, see-through dome. When we got back to the hotel, we were so tired we took a nap together (which is unusual and very sweet). Then, we went to the rehearsal dinner at a fantastic Chinese restaurant and hung out with more relatives including Ben and Pat (Kathy's parents), Alison and Tandyn (Kathy's daughter and son-in-law), Jenni (Kathy's daughter), and Kristie (Ann's mom).
Today we are getting ready for a big brunch at Chinook's, followed by the wedding at 4:30. What a great time! |
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6/19/2006 11:39:14 AM
We're home. Seattle was equal parts fun and grueling. The weather was spectacular with only short bursts of rain and lots of sun and cool breezes. Seeing family was a lot of fun for all three of us and we got to meet lots of fun people too, all of whom Victor warmed right up to. We found ourselves wishing we had a few more days there.
The trip out was fairly tranquil, all things considered and Victor was pretty resilient about being up 3 hours later than usual. After another day of that though, he kinda lost it. A few hours before the wedding, we ended up getting all dressed up and driving around to get him to take at least one hour nap before the big event. He made it through the ceremony with flying colors but didn't make it very far into the reception until it became a tag team wrestling match. He strolled around the parking lot at the wedding site a lot on Saturday. I think the noise was too much for him at that point. It was a great party though!
By Sunday, Victor was pretty much delirious from sleep deprivation and the trip back proved to be even more challenging than we thought. We got to the airport in Seattle in great time but after waiting in line to check in at American Airlines (couldn't do electronic check-in because we needed to get our little "PLUSINF" on my boarding pass), we discovered that our flight was really on Alaska Air so we ended up barely getting to our flight on time. He was great on that flight - flirted with rowmates and then fell asleep on me. Then it got harrowing. We landed in San Jose, where we were to have a 3+ hour layover. Well, we needed it.
We sat at the gate we came in on at SJC for 30 minutes waiting for them to bring our gate checked stroller. They couldn't get the front cargo door of the plane open and had to get a mechanic. Victor still hung in there but was becoming increasingly annoyed. Then, we realized that we had to go to the other terminal for our American flight home (the good old nerd bird) so we waited around for the shuttle and loaded and unloaded Victor yet again. By this point, he was horrified by each transfer into and back out of the stroller. Ended up getting to our gate with just enough time to shove food into all 3 of our faces and call my daddy to wish him a happy Father's Day. Then the fun really began.
The last leg of the trip was about 3 1/2 hours and I would guess that Victor screamed and cried for close to 2 hours of it. It was the most exhausting experience we've had since the newborn days. There were moments of peace when he was distracted or placated by breastfeeding or chewing on an AA snack box. Eventually I just bounced him relentlessly until he passed out on me. I'm not sure that last hour of the flight was enough to negate how much everyone around us hated us though.
Oh and then we claimed our bags to discover that my indestructible Samsosite hard sided suitcase was caved in on one corner from what appeared to be the work of either a sledgehammer or a gorilla fist. Nice touch. Then James left us at the passenger pickup while he went to pick up our car from long term parking. He forgot the keys. Yes, by this point we were laughing through the tears. Victor smiled in recognition as soon as he hit his own carseat in his own car (that Britax really is worth every penny), exclaimed with delight when he saw his kitty at home and then went right back down to bed at about 1:00 this morning and slept until 9:30.
Quite an adventure. We got a lot of photos and we'll narrow it down and put the best ones on hopefully tonight. Seattle is pretty darned cool. We'd love to go back for another visit but we're not ready to get back on a plane or live on PST again for a little bit here.
This week is all about chilling out and getting back on schedule. We've got errands to run too but they'll seem like no big deal after yesterday! |
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6/20/2006 9:51:56 AM
Still no Seattle pics on yet but it looks like James did put the proofs from Victor's portrait sittings on. All of those pics are actually from about a month ago and were part of a clandestine Father's Day mission. It was very hard to hold myself back from buying every single pose.
The first "normal" night back went OK. Victor went to bed at 8:20 and woke up screaming an hour later but settled fairly quickly and slept until 5:00. After breastfeeding, he slept again until about 9:15. I guess we'll consider this progress. It may be a few more days before we have our 8:30-7:30 sleeping boy back. At least I hope we will.
I forgot to mention that during the trip Victor learned a new cry. It's a horrible, pathetic, gasping cry with "mama" and "dada" sprinkled in for good measure. It's excrutiating. He also seems to have gotten his first cold in a while. I don't think there is enough Purell in the world to prevent a cold on a trip. He's in good spirits and glad to be home though. |
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6/21/2006 9:54:09 PM
Still struggling with napping. There was no official nap today and as a result Vic went to bed at about 7:45. Unheard of. In better news though, I am back on my good old Couch to 5K training program. The goal is to become a bonafide runner again by the time Victor becomes a bonafide walker. That gives us both about 6 weeks. I'll probably beat him. It's on.
And now here are some additional pictures (there are already Seattle pics of Vic on the pics page) from our Seattle trip and Ann & Steve's wedding this past weekend. The skyline pics are from the roof of our hotel. And no, it's not a camera trick. Ann & Steve both really are that tall. Congrats again to a wonderful couple!
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6/25/2006 3:38:27 PM
Long time, no blog. It's been a busy several days but it's been mostly filled with fun. Thursday we went to swim at Milburn Pool in Cedar Park with John & Ruth. It was extremely chaotic but fun too. We have vowed that we will always go during the Parent & Tot morning swim in the future though. The water was cool and refreshing but we could have done without the hundreds of grade school aged children jumping into the pool over our heads and splashing us. And don't get me started on the teenagers.
Yesterday tennis got rained out and Victor & I headed down to the mall to hang out with Lia & Alex for a few hours in the air conditioning. Apparently everyone else had the same idea because it was pretty nuts there too. The boys got to catch up with each other a bit and practiced touching each other's hair both gently and completely non-gently while Lia & I attempted to shop and chat.
And then today Eli's birthday party was a blast! We got to eat Hebrew Nationals, hamburgers, and birthday cake and hang out with music class friends. Eli had his own cake and while it took him a while to figure out that it was ok to demolish it, he eventually had it all over his face (See pics below featuring Eli and his mommy Lori and Linnea and her parents, Tammy & Eric.) After cake, we all went to play in the water playscape. Weeeee!
(Click on any pic to enlarge it.)
Best part? Victor is taking a nice, long nap now which means that I really need to grab a shower while I can! |
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6/28/2006 2:42:47 PM
Victor likes to chew things. He chews Mommy, Dada, Keee, his own thumb, every toy in the house, every strap attached to any of his gear. You know what he won't chew though? His food. Finger and table food is still just not happening. He is still trying to just gulp his food down without chewing it and his gagging is bad enough that he WILL throw up. This is why he only gets finger foods at the beginning of meals now. Less there to throw up. I'm trying to stick with it and give him something to attempt to chew and eat once a day but it is really trying at times. I'm sure Dr. Mirrop would tell me that it's not even a real milestone and to just let him do it at his own pace. But will I be spoonfeeding him when he goes to kindergarten? ;)
The fabulous news is that napping is back on track and after a few days of a brutal nursing strike, eating and "drinking" seems to be back on track too. This all makes for a much happier and more well-adjusted Dawn. Victor is actually less finicky now than he was before about his vegetables too. These days there really aren't vegetables that he'll refuse. Due to the chewing issues, still not much progress with meats though. He's getting a lot of tofu and beans so that I can at least get some protein into him in the meantime. I really need to make a meatloaf and pate it in the Cuisinart like Yvette suggested.
Today was the first day of summer session for Music Together. It's always an adjustment going back to our class with new people in it but there are luckily several familiar faces too. Two of our little baby gang members have recently turned one (Eli & Linnea) and they are all really starting to show cool little personailities. It was good to be back and certainly great to get a new song collection. I think everyone in this house was going to go nuts if we listened to the spring session's CD one more time.
We're going to take another crack at swimming tomorrow with Ruth & John before they abandon us for their vacation. John is taking some steps these days and I can't wait to see it (although I know he might get stage fright). I don't necessarily want Victor to get any ideas quite yet though. The wheels are turning in there but I think we're still at least a month from walking, if not more. |
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7/3/2006 2:59:24 PM
We have an 11-month old boy. He is such a boy now too. I'm actually a lot cooler with that than I thought I was going to be. Don't get me wrong - I still cling to those fleeting babyish moments, especially the random times he'll fall asleep in my arms. He is just turning into such an interesting little guy though. Watching his personality unfold before us is highly entertaining.
Busy weekend and it ain't over yet. Victor got to hang out with his buddy Katie Saturday morning for brunch and some swinging and then he hung with Dada while I went and got a massage. That was sublime. It really did me some good to be trapped in a quiet room for 90 minutes. Yesterday I also started yoga classes too and I honestly think that did me more good physically than the massage. It's going to take some finagling to make the scheduling work, but we can do it. James & I are working around his tennis and my running & yoga. I just hope we can still make plenty of time to hang out together without becoming complete night owls.
We went to the Austin Children's Museum today for the Baby Bloomers program (kids 0-3 only). It was a lot of fun but I'm sure it will be a lot more fun in 6 months. The highlight was definitely the "Austin Kiddie Limits" stage and activities. That and the wind tunnel. We're hoping to get to the zoo yet today. It sounds like Victor is fighting his nap up there so we might give up and just throw him in the car and go soon. And then tomorrow hopefully the rain will hold off enough for us to hit Parent & Tot swim so that Dada can actually get to experience real "swimming" with his boy. V's got a new pool float and he's ready to splash and frolic.
I'm officially in full-on party planning mode for the big first birthday party too. Right now I'm having too much fun for the bittersweet part of it to really hit me. I really cannot believe that I'm about to throw my son's first birthday party though. Wow. |
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7/4/2006 5:37:58 PM
Happy 4th of July! We had a very fun day. We went to Parent & Tot swim this morning and Victor tried out his cool new pool float and showed off for Dada a little. It was so nice and tranquil since very few people were out at the pool this morning due to the off and on rain (and the holiday).
Victor took a really good nap after swimming and we were actually able to head back out again (a rare feat here lately). Since we didn't make it there yesterday as planned, this afternoon we headed out to what James has deemed "The World's Most Dangerous Zoo" which is more commonly known as The Austin Zoo. It's a rescue zoo and you get pretty darned close to the animals. It's always amusing to me when I'm more relaxed about something than James is since it's a phenomenon that doesn't happen much. James was a tad bit freaked out by being a few feet from an intently staring lion. We got to hear some really authentic roaring too. Pretty cool zoo. Lots of monkeys just made it that much better. I liked the very sweet antelope. Victor watched the chickens more than any of the exotic animals. He had fun though.
And thus the long weekend draws to an end. Having so much Dada time made for a fun way to mark 11 months and Victor's first 4th of July. It's raining now so we're probably in for the night and we'll see if we can see any of the downtown fireworks from our driveway later. The wine is chilling in the fridge!
[Amended later: Forgot to mention that Victor and I played in the baby pool in the front yard yesterday and he made some really good finger walking progress in the water. Also, we visited V's buddy John's kitty Franklin yesterday (we're on catsitting detail while they're on vacation) and Victor laughed more gleefully than we've heard him laugh before because Franklin let him "hug" him. :) Thanks for the patience, Franklin.] |
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7/7/2006 5:13:22 PM
Gosh, it's the weekend again already. More Dada! We've had a nice week and Dada has been very sweet about working with me so that I can go to yoga a few times a week. Just in the nick of time because Victor is getting more and more physically taxing. I only wish we could harness his squirming energy to air condition the house this month.
Victor clapped last night but he hasn't been willing to repeat it and to be honest, I didn't make a huge deal out of it at that moment because it was bedtime and I didn't want to get him all whipped up into a frenzy by doing cartwheels and maternalistic whooping. It was extremely cute though (and masterful, of course). He's also getting better at using his stride & ride car walker though he still prefers to "drive" it. He's really getting the dismount down.
Nothing else very new except that he had cantaloupe for the first time today. There was no particular reason I was waiting. I just never saw cantaloupe that looked that great at the store previously. Well, he likes it. He gave me a look as if to say "Um Mommy, where have you been hiding this stuff and, more importantly, WHY?!?!?!". |
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7/11/2006 3:57:40 PM
Things have been sort of hectic here lately, hence the absence. As we've tried to get a handle on getting me some "Dawn time" for yoga and whatnot, I've let Victor's feeding and napping schedule get a little loose-y goose-y and now I'm paying the price, to the tune of two middle of the night feedings in a row. Not entirely sure what's going on. As usual, there are so many factors to point to that it's hard to tell.
On one hand, Victor is most definitely teething again. I can just barely see two on the bottom just poking in. He still won't let me look at the top. And that strange giddiness about getting his teeth brushed is over just as quickly as it started too!
There's more going on though. The boy has been taking 2 long naps a day which might sound delightful in theory. However, he is taking those naps much later than usual and has skipped breakfast several times. I think this might have something to do with why he is completely unenthused about breastfeeding come bedtime (and then desperate to breastfeed at 3 a.m.). He's really made some strides with coordination and balance (not walking though - I wouldn't just slip that in!) so I guess he may just be needing some extra sleep from all of that hard work. I just want my gloriously wonderful sleeper back!
And yep, he's napping right now. This is far too late in the day for him to nap but trust me, the alternative right now would be far worse after the meltdown he had in the grocery store a little while ago. So tomorrow, Dawn the Schedule Nazi will be back in full force! |
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7/14/2006 12:50:28 PM
Ruth and I just pulled off the ever so elusive coordinated arrival at Mom & Tot swim. That water felt wonderful today. John & Victor didn't last too long since they were both just on the cusp of pre-nap breakdowns but it was a nice little dip on a very hot day. Victor still likes his floaty but it had lost a little air and the sagging was letting water get close to his face. Once he got really tired from swimming, he was accidentally sticking his face in and gulping quite a bit. No wonder he's so worn out.
And to make this an even more outstanding Friday, I just managed to transfer a sleepy boy from his carseat to his crib. There is nothing better than the post-swim calm. And on a Friday to boot!
The only bad thing about our day so far is that, in spite of dragging the camera to the pool, I still didn't manage to get any photos. In my defense, it's a pretty difficult thing to attempt without an extra adult. And I doubt that anyone (aside from Ruth & I) would be all that charmed by pictures of very tired little boys getting their diapers changed.
Happy weekend! |
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7/16/2006 8:10:12 AM
[James Here]
Victor is the world's meanest little boy, but I love him to death. He has always hated anyone doing anything with his arms or hands. If you try to "instruct" him on how to do something, he pulls violently away. He has also started to show some territoriality. This morning, I had to laugh so hard when he disdainfully "removed" my hand from the area after I had tried to bang on HIS drum . And, earlier he was doing the same with Mommy's hand when she was brazen enough to leave it on HIS leg while he was sitting with her. Right now, having the meanest boy in the world is fun. I wonder if he'll start saying "No" before he says "Yes." Somehow, I see that in his future :) |
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7/17/2006 9:39:22 PM
Victor is actually the world's sweetest little boy. He is really into crawling at me and lunging to give me a hug and kiss now. It's pretty much the coolest thing I've ever experienced. Never mind that he slobbers all over my face. He's also using "huggy time" to practice more and more hands-free standing. James finally took the seat completely out of his Intellitainer so that he can just use it as a little DJ booth (James: His stage name is "Sir Stinks-A-Lot") and not only does he just love it, but it also is greatly improving his balance and "pre-stepping".
It is brutally hot. I keep laughing as I reminisce about how I was feeling this week last year. I was so ready to meet Victor. Now he's about to turn 1 and I just don't even see how it's possible.
But back to that heat. Yuck. I had to put a sweaty little boy to bed tonight with his ceiling fan on. And now I'm about to head out for my run and it is still 95 degrees out there, even this late. |
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7/19/2006 3:42:05 PM
Victor is still a pretty good eater but he continues to hate, hate, hate broccoli and meat for the time being. He'll suck down zucchini, asparagus and spinach without batting an eye though so there's hope for him as a non-finicky eater. His most recent favorite is blueberries. He's making slow progress with the sippy cup but again, hard to make a sippy full of water all that enticing. Hopefully by the time he can have cow's milk in it, he'll be more used to it. For now, it's mostly a toy.
We've fallen behind on pictures. I was going to take some today at music class but no one else from our little baby gang was there this week. Victor hung really close to me at class this week which is unusual these days too. I think it was just because his girlfriend Linnea wasn't there. He really likes to go stand at the wall of windows with her and giggle at her. So today he was just stuck learning!
We do have some recent video of Victor to put up but it's going to entail some editing to make it succinct and compelling. That's my nice way of saying that I have to just record a whole lot of crap to get something good. |
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7/20/2006 3:21:12 PM
Happy 1st birthday to Quinn Koster! Hope Victor's West Coast homey is having a fun day today. :)
Victor is having issues of the poopal variety. I'll spare details. He's kinda fussy but doesn't have a fever so I'm going to assume that this is related to "Mommy's undercover turkey casserole" or it's a little tummy bug. Just hope it passes quickly.
I think Victor might be saying "no". A lot. It's actually more like "nein" and since he doesn't speak German yet, I'm trying to convince myself that maybe it's just a cute baby word of his. Sometimes it even sounds like "ninny". Ninny's cool. This whole "no" thing has been a fear of mine for a while though because I find myself saying it to him so much. I hate to be saying it all the time but I'm just trying to communicate with him urgently in some situations. Much as I would prefer to redirect him gently, I don't think he can understand phrases like "Please don't pull everything off the grocery shelves" or "Let's not chew on the fan cord" or "Mommy would prefer that you not pull her hair out". I do at least say no in a nice way so perhaps we'll start hearing "No, monkey pie" or "Nein, sugar bear" instead of just the standard bratty "NO!". Dare to dream.
And a shout out to the Griff. Hang in there buddy (unless your mommy really is ready for you to come early). Victor wants to share his birthday with you!
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7/23/2006 8:17:23 AM
[James Here]
It has now been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt - Tony Iglesias is a barbecuing savant. He prepared some moist, flavorful brisket that I wish I could get at a restaurant. Well (or not so?) done sir!
[Now Dawn]
And while we were enjoying an awesome cookout, Victor explored Tony & Denise's yard and enjoyed Mia's empty baby pool as kind of a miniature bounce house. He was very exhausted and very, very dirty when we got home.
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7/24/2006 12:13:37 PM
Victor participated in his 12 month study at the Children's Reseach Lab at UT today. He's actually going back for another 12 month study in a few weeks. He really enjoys going and hey, he got a new t-shirt! My speculation about whether Victor really still needs a morning nap or not ended promptly when we got in the car at UT and he was asleep before I had even backed out of our parking space. He wasn't a bit fussy during the study but as soon as he got a chance, he was out! I guess he still really does turn into a pumpkin at 10:30 if he hasn't napped yet.
Busy, busy week trying to get ready for the big day and the big party. It's all very exciting though. Hope we get time for a swim this week because the pools aren't open much longer and it is quite hot. How is it almost August? |
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7/25/2006 3:00:03 PM
Griffin Summers has arrived! 8 pounds and 3 ounces. 20 1/2 inches. Almost exactly like little Vic nearly a year ago. I'm anxiously awaiting pictures from the proud mama. :) Also today - Happy Anniversary to my parents! 36 years and still kicking.
Things are still a bit of a whirlwind in these parts. Somehow the birthday preparations have ended up involving me staining and finishing a table. James wanted to just give it to Victor unfinished since it's for boyish block-beating type of activities but I just couldn't bear the thought of his table being so plain. Sometimes it's like I create work for myself. How did I ever end up that way, Mother?!?! Turns out though that using tung oil is not all that fun in this heat. Neither is running but I'm sticking with it in the hopes of making my goal of running the Cedar Perk 5-miler again this October with my dear sweet cuz, Susan. So, onward on both light-headed counts!
Oh yeah, and there are 5 new video clips if you haven't noticed. A few of them are several months old. Since putting the video clips on is such an undertaking, we let them pile up for a while. |
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7/26/2006 11:30:57 PM
Apparently Victor is ready to redecorate his room a little. I went into his room to check on him a few minutes ago and he had one of his Pooh wall murals in his crib with him. I had been considering phasing out the Pooh stuff for some brighter colors and more boyish decor so I guess now he is forcing the issue. When I put him down for the night, I heard him rustling around for a while on the monitor but I sure didn't imagine that he was peeling wallpaper off the walls! Makes me glad I was smart and didn't hang anything on the wall above his crib that he could pull onto himself.
And speaking of little troublemakers, here are some pictures from music class today. Linnea is walking now so I'm supposing Victor & Eli will feel the peer pressure to follow suit. Until then though, they continue to be completely fixated on Carey and her guitar:
(Click on any pic to enlarge it.)
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7/30/2006 5:12:04 PM
Unassisted steps have occurred. Does it qualify as walking? Nope. Pretty cool though. It started off with some water walking in the inflatable pool this morning. Victor took 2 or 3 steps from the side of the pool to me and then back again. Then he got so excited that he did it about 10 more times. I tried to keep him doing it until James got home from the store but he got tired and started crawl/splashing to me instead of stepping so I brought him in for lunch. After lunch and a nap, he did it for his daddy too though. On dry land even! He's still very much hurling himself at us and just managing to get a few steps in on the way but he is really getting more comfortable. He's even doing some hands-free squatting too. It is just so much fun to see the look of excitement on his face! |
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8/3/2006 3:57:47 PM
Victor is one! He's had a great day and is taking a much-needed nap, despite the sugar high he had going from his first cake experience. As expected, he didn't want much to do with eating the cake. He mostly wanted to use it as a drum and squeeze icing between his fingers. We were very pleased that he showed slight interest in his new bongos and Legos and Brio blocks and his Daddy-fashioned Mixmaster Vic play table. He was slightly frightened by his new speedboat pool floaty though.
We're all enjoying some quiet and relaxation before the next phase of the festivities. Wow, and we still have a party to get through! |
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8/6/2006 1:19:50 PM
The birthday party was a smashing success. The heat wasn't even that brutal since we had shade and then water sprinklers to keep us all cool. Victor really seemed to have a blast. Highlights were his first ride in his new wagon (thanks Granddad, DG & Gaga) with his buddy Alex and crawling through the water playscape with the whole baby/toddler gang!
Victor passed out pretty much immediately on the ride home from the party but after a 2 hour nap at home, he was right back up to open presents and to play with his grandparents and Gaga a little more. He sure did love having company. I think he'll get sick of me pretty quickly this week. We'll have to work in some fun outings, including some pool frolicking!
We've got about a gazillion pictures to put on from yesterday. We'll work on that yet today, hopefully. |
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8/9/2006 2:07:40 PM
The de-Poohification of Victor's room is going well. His bedroom is really coming together and reflecting his personality more now. Lots of bright colors and alphabet and animal stuff. Feels a lot more cheerful in there and thus appropriate for Mr. Smiley.
I think all traces of Pooh have been removed and packed up now with the exception of James and Ronan's Pooh letters (they're these cute little carved letters spelling out their names) and I'm having a very, very hard time convincing myself to take them down. It's Victor's room though and his brothers will still be a part of it even without their letters on display. It's just the last tangible memento I have to pack away and I'm finding it hard to let go and I'm dreading digging out their memory boxes.
It's kind of a big moment for both of us as Victor's room becomes more of a big boy room and I let go of all of the baby decor from the past 3 years. We're both growing up! Victor even gets his first salon haircut this week. More on that in a few days......... |
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8/9/2006 11:51:24 PM
Hey, happy birthday to Shelby Frances Pressler! Got that in just under the wire. Hope you've had a fun one, Shel.
Well, I did manage to pack away the Pooh letters and it wasn't so traumatic. It did unleash a barrage of memories though. That had me really feeling reflective and then it all just really hit me during my run tonight (it was still 93 out there at 9:30, by the way - yuck!). It was in a good way though.
While I was packing the letters into James & Ro's boxes, I came across my 2003-4 calendar in there with all of my appointments, etc. Dang, have I spent a lot of time in doctors' offices in the past 3 years. I could not believe that my laparoscopic surgery was only 3 years ago next week. That feels like forever ago to me because SO much has happened to us since then.
When I went in for that surgery, I really believed that they were going to fix me and I was going to be pregnant just like that. In reality, they scoped in and there was so much scar tissue that they just got out of there and closed me up. That's the day that we found out that we'd have to do IVF for me to get pregnant. It was completely devastating even though, in hindsight, I should have known what was coming. Still, I thought it was the worst thing imaginable. That's almost laughable now given how much worse things got.
Thinking back to that whole experience though, I feel so lucky because my former OB didn't even want to do the surgery and just wanted me to just try injections for several months before getting more aggressive. I was the one that was insistent on doing the surgery because I guess, in my heart of hearts, I knew something just wasn't right. I wish I'd known that in time to do something for the twins but that's neither here nor there. I do think a lot about how different things would be if I had just plodded along without being my obsessive, overzealous self.
I guess part of my point, if there really is one, is that I'm exceedingly thankful that I came to this point in my life in a time and at a place where I had so many resources and I was able to feel so much hope. I just think back to when I first met my now beloved Dr. Cowan the summer after we lost the twins. I went in there and basically said "Dr. Vaughn is doing my IVF and at 13 weeks Dr. Berry is putting in a cerclage...I'm hoping you can do all the rest." That would have been unheard of not all that long ago. And I get accused of being obsessive and overly anxious but I honestly believe that if I hadn't spent a gazillion hours on the internet researching IVF protocols and cerclage success rates, I probably wouldn't have the most amazing and gorgeous little boy I've ever seen sleeping upstairs right now, 3 years after an infertility verdict and almost 2 1/2 years after having to say goodbye to his brothers.
So, with my apologies for how long-winded and perhaps a bit self-serving this got, I just wanted to get this down while I was thinking it. It's just kind of amazing how much has happened and how much of it has been driven by sheer force of Humphrey will. My oh my, how the reward exceeds all expectations though. And if Victor turns out to be a little too obsessive about game plans and details and odds, so be it. He'll come by it very honestly and he wouldn't exist were it not for those very traits in both of his parents. Won't our family vacations be fun? |
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8/11/2006 2:45:53 PM
Happy 94th birthday to Victor's Great Grandpa Pressler! Sadly, Grandpa probably has no idea that it's his birthday today. We all do though and it's a good day to celebrate what a blessing he has been in our lives. I had a wonderful childhood and that man is an absolutely huge part of why! He's still the funniest person I've ever known too. Love that goofy guy.
Today also marked Victor's first real haircut. It went very well. He was such a good boy and sat there quietly mumbling and chewing on a comb. He looks cute as can be too! I almost wish we'd taken him sooner although I think it was a good toddler rite of passage. Afterwards, the three of us went to the park to swing a little bit and kick off a relaxing weekend. Hopefully some of the pics will be good.
And now, I just checked on a napping Victor and discovered that he managed to get his shorts off. I've been putting a belt on him when he wears his 18 month shorts since they are still so loose in the waist but I took his belt off before I put him down, figuring a belt wouldn't be very comfy for him to sleep on his tummy. So far the diaper is staying on. It's hard not to run in there and check but I think I'd rather let him nap and risk a mess than disrupt his beauty sleep! |
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8/15/2006 4:45:40 PM
We went for Victor's 1 year well check today. He didn't get a lollipop. He IS a lollipop. He's only 22 pounds but 31 1/4 inches long so he's still hanging in the same 25-50th percentile for weight but 75-90th for height and head circumference. Dr. Mirrop warned us that we really don't want to get in a big hurry about him walking since "he'll be really accident-prone being so tall with such a big head". You can imagine how soothing that was to hear for the mommy who stresses about every object with which Victor comes into contact.
He had to get 2 shots today and he was extremely distressed about it. We knew it was a bad sign when he completely lost it over just getting measured and weighed. The nurse said that kids usually start to remember what's going to happen by the 15 month appointment but that's he's ahead of the curve on that one. Indeed. He writhed and screamed and thrashed and cried huge, pathetic tears and made horrible guttural noises. Minutes later, it was back to the usual casual screeching followed by passing out in the carseat nearly immediately. Will we be ready to do this again in 3 months?!?!? |
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8/16/2006 2:55:07 PM
It's been a little harrowing around here. Victor pretty much lost it last night. He seemed really, really sore from his shots and he had several very messy poop incidents. Then as I was trying to get him ready for bed, I noticed - as he was screaming at the top of his lungs - that he has 4 new teeth on the bottom that weren't there a few days ago. There might be more on top but I was not willing to attempt to investigate at that particular moment. So Victor ended up passing out at 7:30 last night without even nursing.
I got myself ready for bed much earlier than usual last night because I was just sure that Victor would never sleep all the way through the night. Actually, we both ended up sleeping much longer than usual. In spite of nearly 13 hours of sleep, he's been pretty cranky and lethargic today but I really don't blame him. That was a lot of annoying stuff in one day.
For some idiotic reason, I decided to go ahead with our plans to get his 1 year portraits done today. Great fun. He was tired and wanted to nap by the time we got there for our appointment and then we ended up waiting because they were about 20 minutes behind. I was not a nice person to try to sell thing to by that point. We got some good shots but it was by the skin of our newly cut teeth. We're both exhausted and despondent but he's currently fighting the nap. That pretty much precludes my nap for now. |
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8/17/2006 3:43:28 PM
We've stayed in today and had a very, very lowkey day. The poop situation has improved for the most part. I guess it's no wonder that he's picked up some kind of little tummy bug because he is chewing on everything in sight pretty much everywhere we go. Come to find out, he seems to have 6 or so new teeth rather than just the bottom 4 I found a few days ago. They're not all the way in but they've popped through the gum. So buddy boy is fixing to have a mouth full of teeth! I don't think I see canines yet, which is most confusing because I don't think he should be getting 2nd molars yet. I'm too scared to poke around anymore today to figure it out.
In other news, while I swear that Victor is not allowed to listen to rap music, his favorite thing to say lately is "deuce deuce". I really don't know what he means by it exactly but it typically seems to be an expression of being completely amused with himself. Go figure. |
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8/18/2006 9:16:26 PM
We've decided that maybe we won't take so many pictures for a few weeks. ;) The data entry has gotten downright oppressive, even for nerds like us. Besides, photos have probably reached and exceeded a saturation point. This latest batch is pure gold though so please do admire the handiwork of our dear friend Rich and the result of our bilking Picture People out of reprint charges.
Victor was about the unhappiest I've ever seen him tonight. He only napped once today and his teeth are clearly really bothering him. I didn't realize until almost bedtime that he was running a fever as well. He went right to sleep but he sure wasn't himself. I wanted to cry right along with him. I just really hope the Tylenol is doing its job right now.
Gotta run. Literally. I'm back up to a respectable 3 miles again. I wonder how much harder that will be with a jogging stroller. And I'm off......... |
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8/19/2006 11:06:37 PM
James installed a new battery in my car today and turned Victor's carseat around to forward facing. It was just in time for Victor's first trip to the ER tonight. We joked with him that he staged it all to get to go for a ride. Even given the circumstances, he did seem to enjoy the leg room and the view.
He's been pretty miserable for the last 4 or 5 days and we have been chalking it up to his 1 year shots and teething. He's still been sleeping through the night just fine and, while he has had a fever, it has been low grade. Tonight was different though. He felt hotter than ever and when we took his temp around 6:00 tonight, it was 103.7. He also was more lethargic than we've ever seen him and was whimpering non-stop. So after conferring with the pediatrician's office about how much fever is too much fever, we hauled him in to the ER.
Not a fun experience. We didn't have to wait at all to go back into a room at least. Obviously, they had to do blood work though. He was screaming as soon as we tried to lie him down and then matters just got worse and worse as the nurses stuck him - and I am not exaggerating - probably 10 times to puncture the vein. The good news is that his blood count was not indicative of a bacterial infection so that rules out many very bad things. So the diagnosis is "unknown viral infection". This seems odd given that any symptoms he's had of an infection have greatly improved in the past few days.
We're just hoping that we have our happy boy back very soon! Oh, and I'm trying to just relax about the fact that we didn't brush his teeth before he went to bed. And he's been wearing the same pajamas for the past 27 hours.
[Back again now at 11:41 following another frenzied breastfeeding/Tylenoling. I think he might get some sleep now so I believe I will too.] |
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8/20/2006 2:05:22 PM
Things are looking a lot brighter for the Humphreys today, aside from the sleep deprivation across the board. Victor slept through the night just fine and took a good morning nap. Most importantly, his fever seems to have broken. He ate well at breakfast and lunch. Not quite up to his usual appetite but not at all worrisome either.
He's been breastfeeding a lot again these past few days. If we were headed toward weaning before, we just did a big U-turn. I haven't been feeling extremely compelled to force the weaning issue so this does not bother me. I'll get more bodily freedom back eventually and I've gotten so used to being available and abstaining from alcohol that it doesn't really feel restrictive anymore. Yes, I'll have still days when I backtrack about that attitude. For now though, it's just fine by me to keep on keeping on.
We had big plans to go to the museum for a new exhibit today but that shall wait. We all need to grab some extra sleep anywhere we can and I probably better keep Victor out of circulation for another day, for his own good. Never mind the multitude of germs he was exposed to during 3 hours in the ER last night!
Our little patient is napping away now after a much-needed bath. He always really likes bathtime for its splashing opportunities but today he seemed genuinely happy about getting the getting clean part of the operation. . I'd imagine it felt good to get the Tylenol/Motrin/Pedialyte/boy sweat glaze scrubbed off of him. He's even wearing a real outfit today. Things are looking up, indeed. |
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8/20/2006 5:44:53 PM
Never mind. Victor's temp has spiked back up again (though thankfully not as high as yesterday so far) and he's super clingy again. We're going to the doc first thing tomorrow. This is exactly like yesterday - acted normal all day until 5:00ish when he suddenly got hot as a furnace and inconsolable. Hoping tomorrow brings more insight. |
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8/21/2006 3:44:43 PM
Duh, duh and duh some more. It's his throat that's infected. Two big clues that apparently didn't hit me in the face hard enough: (1) I've gotten a very sore throat myself within the past 24 hours and (2) Victor is unenthusiastic about eating. The good news is that it's not strep. The bad news is that since it seems to be viral, there's nothing to be done except to let him fight the infection. His white blood cells were just on the borderline of being possibly bacterial but Dr. Mirrop, being ever the conservative one about prescribing antibiotics (which we love him for), wants to wait it out. So it's more of the same!
I'm glad I took him in though. I don't think I was going to figure out what was wrong on my own since I lack tongue depressers and Dr. M's soothing demeanor. Most of all, it's good to rule out something more serious. I guess this means that within the next day or so, I'll start crying inconsolably and I'll spike a fever too, eh? Hopefully James will be spared. |
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8/23/2006 1:09:19 AM
I know. I shouldn't still be up. The problem is that Victor napped so much this morning that I got to sleep so much more than usual that I'm up too late now. Doesn't help that James snores. A lot. In fact, it is so bad that when I was showering earlier after my run I could hear him from the bathroom. Granted, it is totally ridiculous that our master bathroom gets called a master bathroom (in much the same way that it's ridiculous to call our garage a 2-car garage unless we're talking about shriner cars here) since I shower 10 feet from our bed. Whatever.
The good news, and the point of this babbling, is that Victor is doing much better. He napped for more than 3 hours this morning and then I kept him up this afternoon even though he wanted to nap at 4:00. That got him to sleep at a much more normal time tonight so that hopefully we'll be able to participate in life again in the next few days, perhaps. He ate like a champ today. He ate like a champ that requires cold, runny food but like a champ nonetheless. Most signficantly, he hasn't been running a fever or acting psychotic.
I'm feeling considerably better too and am now firmly convinced that my sore throat is related to allergies rather than Victor's virus. I very scientifically determined this when I realized during my run tonight that I could not breathe through my nose. I guess that's really nothing to get excited about, especially since my mouth breathing left me in fear of inhaling a bug.
Victor is going to start chattering in 6 hours and 20 minutes so I better face this sleep attempt head-on. James even sounds quiet up there. Tiptoe, tiptoe....... |
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8/26/2006 6:03:13 PM
We had a fun family outing today at the Bieris' with Linnea and Eli and their parents Eric, Tammy, Dan and Lori. After playing with Linnea's toys and instruments, we all sat down to lunch and then took a trip to the NW District Park Pool. It was time to go after a good amount of splashing and water walking was followed by a lifeguard's ear- splitting whistle blow that caused Victor to cry for ten minutes straight. James says that this is reminiscent of someone; he just can't put his finger on who. ;)
Good times. And some good pictures! As always, click on any pic to view it enlarged.
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8/27/2006 3:48:19 PM
I've been keeping a really cool secret. Auntie Leener is becoming Mamacita Leener. Yay! She's doing great and is due in March. Victor can't wait to have a new friend to meet.
We're having a lowkey day after yesterday's scorching and exhausting fun. We went to lunch at Artz Ribhouse, a family favorite. It's the first restaurant we ever took Victor to and he always does well there. I honestly think that was the first time we had gone out to a restaurant as a family since Eileen & Geoff's visit in June.
And in a shocker, Victor even ate a few very small morsels of baby back rib and some bread. He was a little gunshy but more intrigued than he has ever seemed to be by table food. We've got to take him out more often. He even got a few bites of chocolate mousse pie and, in fact, he would have probably eaten most of the piece if it had been allowed. I guess he has a sweet tooth after all. There was never much doubt that he'd be both a chocoholic and a riboholic. It's genetically unavoidable.
[James here]
After giving the little pieces of rib to Victor, I was joking that the protein would turn some little key in his head. Later that night, it seemed my joke was not so far from the truth. He took three or four steps about three or four times and was babbling more like he was trying to talk. We need to feed this boy more meat! Then, I can start teaching him calculus. |
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8/30/2006 9:12:48 PM
A hearty Humphrey shout out to Victor's new Omaha buddy, Avery Marie Shaw. Can't wait to meet you, Avery. Maybe a Christmas rendezvous in Illinois? :) Many congrats to Jennifer & Brock and to the whole Cunningham clan. I just can't believe how quickly that time just went by! Jenny, you might disagree.
All is well in our parts. Operation Humphrey Family Dinner is going well. Turns out that getting a healthy dinner on the table for all 3 of us by 6:00ish is not the easiest thing. It will get better. We've just gotten way too used to not eating until Victor goes to bed. It has been so nice to have that time together as a family though and it really is getting Victor far more interested in table food. I'm almost inspired to make him a chocolate mousse pie!
I am one tired mommy tonight and I still need to go do my run. We had a very fun playdate with Eli today. It was really cool to see the boys playing with toys together and just hanging out but I felt the pain of staying out through naptime. As a result, I had to wake him up for dinner and he was none too pleased about that. I guess 1:30 or 2:00 really is his official cut-off and I probably need to just get onboard with that. Oh, how I miss the two nap days of yore. |
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9/1/2006 8:04:31 PM
And just like that, we've got a Danger Monkey. I knew I should be concerned an hour or so ago in the car when Victor was waving and grinning at the biker sitting next to us at the stoplight. And when I say biker, I don't mean some Lance Armstrong devotee. I mean a chopper ridin', leather chaps wearin' scooter tramp. Very nice guy though. It did make me smile to think of how Vic's namesake would love that he chose to share his first enthusiastic waving with a biker. It seemed to plant a seed in his mind though.
We got back home and I decided to take him for a short spin in his Radio Flyer. He loves that thing. So we started conservative since we didn't have James as back-up. First we were just on the driveway, then we stayed within a 3 house radius and then we got brave and started to go the whole block. That's when Victor decided to become a daredevil and I started to wish we had gotten the wagon with seatbelts. He kept standing up and laughing hysterically and then eventually he dove out the front of the wagon and balanced himself on the handle (since I had quickly dropped the handle to try to grab him), laughing giddily all the while.
And to top it all off, I went to the dermatologist today to have an arm thingy removed (nothing bad - just some subcutaneous bug bite scar) because Victor likes to pick at it constantly. Now I get to deal with 2 weeks of trying to get Victor to leave my big gross stitches alone (I can't wear bandaids for long because I have weird reactions to them now). Given the new propensity for danger, I somehow doubt that Victor is going to be very gentle during this healing process. Another scar of motherhood. Literally. If I can just keep him unscathed, I'm doing great. |
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9/3/2006 2:56:54 PM
[James Here]
It's a day of milestones. I was trying to watch Agassi play Becker and eat pizza and Victor was cruising around (walking with the assistance of furniture) and trying to grab my food. At the same time, Victor was showing off his ability to initiate and stop and reinitiate unassisted steps. This has only come about in the past two days. All of a sudden it hit me that he is really quite capable now with his climbing and walking and grabbing and breaking. He is also now eating more adult type food and interacting with us more. He has also started shaking his head side-to-side in the past few days ("Just say no to hunger.") So, I stopped what I was doing and explained to him that I was no longer going to call him a baby and that he is now officially a "toddler" - specifically "Walker, Texas Toddler."
An hour later, Agassi lost to Becker after trying his best to deal with a bad back and he gave one of the most meaningful and moving speeches I've ever heard in his farewell to tennis fans. In the interview room afterwards, Andre was asked what he was going to do in this stage of his life. The expectation is that he'll do even more for his local community and lead tennis to greater things. Andre, not understanding the implication, eloquently spoke of looking forward to being somewhere and not having to think of being somewhere else. Hah, good luck with that, overachiever!
As one phase of life ends another begins with brand new opportunities. |
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9/6/2006 12:29:02 PM
I've been quite a yoga slacker during this past week or so. Scheduling constraints, the US Open and an angry arm wound have made yoga much less of a priority though. I am anxious to get back to it this weekend. This is really is a segueway to something Victor-related, I swear.......
We found a great use for my yoga strap yesterday! We were able to use it to sorta kinda strap Victor in place in his wagon. He was like a pig in mud because he loves to chew on all straps (bags, strollers, carseats). He was in fact so enthralled with the strap that he hardly noticed the lovely scenery during our after-dinner family walk last night. He did say hi to a kitty though. I have since slightly refined the yoga strap system and am anxious to see what James thinks of it. ;)
And speaking further of yoga, next week we not only start back up with music class again (it's been a LONG break and we're ready to get back!) but we also start yoga with childcare at the music school. Any bets on how many anxiety attacks I'll have leading up to that? This will be Victor's first experience with being away from Mommy in a place that is not home. Historically, he's pretty resilient and independent but we seem to be experiencing our first real tantrums lately and also a bit of separation anxiety. I'm hoping that the similarity to music class will help put him at ease. If we can get past this transition period, this should be really good for him to have some unstructured play time with other kids each week. I hope it goes well. It might be hard to get all relaxed and zen-like when I'm sure that I can hear a Victor cry in the distance. |
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9/7/2006 8:45:26 PM
There's very much a yin and yang element to this new, more emotional and turbulent side of Victor. Today was a whole lot of yang. While he's prone to more tantrums and clinginess, he's also much more affectionate and engaged when he wants to be. He's just turning into the coolest guy like ever. I'm sure no one else feels that way about their kid.
I'm just riding a high from this day, I suppose. We got to enjoy a beautiful day (only 85 when we were out there!) with a walk at Town Lake with Ruth & John. OK, the boys weren't quite as thrilled as Ruth & I but I think they reaped some benefits of the sun and fresh air. We got to see an overly aggressive swan assault a toddler's foot and John had his granola bar stolen by a bird.
After lunch and a nap, Victor and I played in the baby - pardon me - toddler pool for a long time, enjoying a nice breeze in the shade. Then he ate dinner without any protests or complaints, played happily and then headed off for bedtime. This is when the really unthinkable happened.
Victor had a bath and splashed and played away until it was time to brush his teeth. I was actually allowed to hold him on my lap and brush his teeth without even restraining his arms. Yeah. For real. Then it got even more strange and dream-like. I said "Hey Victor, how about a bedtime story?" and he cruised over to the bookshelves and picked up "Kitten's First Full Moon" and flung it at me. Whoa. He then proceeded to sit on my lap in the rocker and hold my hand while I read the story to him in its entirety.
This may sound like no big twig but it is the first time Victor has EVER allowed me to read an entire book to him while he sat on my lap quietly paying attention. Usually I have to get pretty creative about reading to him but tonight something clicked and he just curled right up with me. Please, oh please, let my boy be a bibliophile! I dare not hope for a repeat performance tomorrow night but at least now I know that magical things can happen.
[Edited on 9/9 to add the following pics of Victor and John at Townlake]
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9/10/2006 1:13:04 PM
[James here]
Victor walked about 10 feet today. The circumstances needed to be just right. In this case, I was in another room saying "Hi Victor" and waving at him. He looked at me and "walked" across his room to the child gate. It was slow, but determined and qualifies as a new World Record! |
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9/12/2006 8:37:47 PM
Victor napped for a total of 45 minutes today and is now kicking and groaning in his crib. Man, I really thought we had this nap thing figured out a few weeks ago. Now? Not so much. He's been in remarkably good spirits but has been a bit crazed (and thus completely exhausting). I really hope he gets a good night's sleep because tomorrow we return to Music Together. I want us both to be fresh and frisky to be reuinited with our friends!
Speaking of music friends, we had a playdate with Eli today. I'm really pleased with how well they are able to play together. There are squabbles over toys and all but they are pretty darned harmonious and seem to have awareness that they are actually friends. Pretty cool. And while at Eli's house, I learned that the yellow Baby Einstein soft block makes a duck quack when you squeeze it. Why is this noteworthy? It is noteworthy because we have that same block set and in 13 months that we've had it, I had no idea that the yellow block made noise.
First thing this morning we strolled over to the library for storytime. I would not pronounce that a success. We are still on an endless quest for a compatible storytime. Last week we went to a 0-18 month storytime that was seriously way too infantile. I know that sounds ludicrous but I kid you not. Well, today we tried the toddler storytime (18-36 months) right here a block away. While it was much more what I envisioned storytime being, Victor was not quite ready for sitting quiet and still. We were given "the look" by the storytime bouncer and went on our way a mere third of the way into the first book (and it was even "Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs!", darn it). We still have a 12-18 month storytime we can try but it is a good 8 mile drive away. An exhaustive search requires it though. Turns out that getting out and having fun is a lot of work!
On the bright side, Victor is sleeping like a cat right now. That's good. |
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9/14/2006 2:03:46 PM
Whew! We survived the first yoga with childcare experience. This was the first time Victor has ever been left with a caregiver outside our house (and actually only the 2nd time he's been under the care of a non-parent or grandparent). He did great. He didn't seem to notice I was even leaving. That concerned me because I didn't want to sneak away and then have him be startled by me being gone. He was too fixated on the toys to let me say goodbye though. The babysitters said that he fussed a few times but was easily distracted again by the toys. When I went back to pick him up, he was happily playing. As soon as he saw me though, there was crying with arms in the air. Nice to be needed, actually.
It was the least relaxing yoga class I have ever had but I would imagine I'll get into it more next week now that I know that Victor is fine without me for an hour and a half. I really, really had a hard time trying to focus on anything other than how much I missed him.
We also started back up with music class yesterday. The first class back each session is always a bit trying and I'm sure we'll be back in the swing of it soon. He was desperately wanting to nap right when we went to class and he has been barely napping at all for about 3 days. He went down peacefully after lunch today though so I'm hoping that getting into a routine with our classes will force the one afternoon nap to finally come to fruition for more than a few days at a time. We'll get there. |
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9/17/2006 5:30:06 PM
And he's off! Victor's favored mode of locomotion is now officially walking. He's still pretty clumsy at times but he's getting some pretty alarming speed and his persistence is awe-inspiring. And just like everyone said, there was pretty much an overnight transition from dabbling in walking to flaunting it. I won't be horribly surprised if we have a walking hiatus or two though. Now, on to language skills!
Victor and I are both sick at the moment though. He's a few days ahead of me. He's not letting it get him down too much. The problem is the copious amounts of snot that pour out of him at all times. Puts a damper on playtime, for sure. And yes, I'm fairly certain that this cold has everything to do with the sippy swap at yoga the other day. Grrrrrr. |
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9/20/2006 10:41:07 AM
Legos - friend or foe? I was excited beyond excited about giving Victor the big bucket of Quatros for his first birthday. Back then, he didn't show a lot of interest. Well, these days the legos are the magical fix-it around here. The only building going on is by James though. Victor's favorite thing to do with the legos is to dump them all out of the bucket and then spread them as evenly as he can to cover every bit of space in the entire room. So yeah, legos are really cool until the end of the day when my back hurts and I'm picking them all up while Victor tries to pull them right back out of the bucket. Why didn't I get the smaller Quatro set?
We are supposed to be at music class right now. I was almost sure that Victor would be well enough today but during breakfast, his nose started running wildly again. We can make up the class and everything but I already have us grossly overscheduled for next week! Sure hope he's over this cold by then. And of course, I'm both eager to try to make yoga tomorrow and reticent about it since that's how he probably got sick before. It's supposed to be a fun playtime, not virus day camp. |
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9/22/2006 11:17:52 PM
We discovered this week that Victor loves Elmo. I've been DVR'ing Sesame Street so I have something to entertain him with while I fix lunch, etc. He doesn't really care much about any of the scenes involving people but as soon as the "Elmo's World" song comes on, his head whips around and he's all smiles. So of course I had to fall for the hype and order the TMX Elmo earlier this week. I managed to get one off Amazon right before they sold out. The plan is to wait for Christmas to give it to him. I can't wait though. His reaction to Elmo is so cute.
Speaking of Sesame Street, I was so surprised to see so many original cast members still on in the 31st season. Maria looks amazing! Seeing her made me swear to myself that I'll start getting more sleep and drinking more water. Of course this is the same week that I also discovered my first real wrinkles. Ick.
Victor is still sick but I really think he's bound to turn a corner this weekend. I sure hope so because the diarrhea has not been fun to deal with the past few days. And I really hope that we can make his buddy Alex's first birthday party tomorrow!
La-la, la-la
La-la, la-la
Victor's World
La-la, la-la
La-la, la-la
Victor's World!
Victor loves his Kitty
His hairbrush too
It's Victor's World! |
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9/23/2006 2:10:14 PM
[James here]
OK. I'm calling it as of 7:00 p.m. Central Time on September 22. It's official. Victor can walk/is walking. Yes, this is subjective; the criteria were and are a bit vague. I was rejecting the final classification on the basis that he is not yet able to stand up without pulling up on something, but the boy is just running around too much to not call him a walker. Probably the most important walking criteria he meets is the ability to do a little jig and regain his balance. This allows him to walk any inside distance. Yes, he still falls and about half the time he prefers to crawl or crab-crawl, but he can walk!
As the single entrant in the pool with a guess of Sep 8 for an official walking date, Jamie wins the prize (to be determined). Jamie had estimated on July 22 that Victor would be walking in 6 weeks. Not bad, Jamie.
[And now Dawn here]
Victor has been walking since mid-September. Walking. Not competitive walking. Not adept walking. Not long range walking. Taking steps. You know.......um, walking!
[And now James here]
My post. Last word. |
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9/24/2006 7:51:11 AM
Alex's birthday party was a real hoot! Alex was running around like a little linebacker (and felt like one too when picked up).
Here are some pics from the big event:
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9/24/2006 8:30:21 PM
[James here]
Victor has two cute tricks that he does right now. First, he has started to shake his head from side to side. He doesn't know what it means ("No"); he does it just to amuse himself or to imitate us. When he first starting shaking his head, we were perplexed: "Where did he learn that?" "Maybe it's inborn." Dawn turned to me and said with a furrowed brow, "I don't shake my head when I'm saying 'no.'" As she finished that sentence, Dawn realized that she was shaking her head even as she was saying she doesn't do that. Classic!
Victor will also fake cough on command. It's really the first thing he will do pretty much every time you do it. It may not be the best thing to imitate, but I'm hoping it will be a gateway to other more important apings. |
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9/25/2006 8:50:10 PM
Dare I say it? I think Victor is well. And after 4 days of spooning endless amounts of applesauce and banana into him, he even had a finger food breakthrough tonight. I am slightly embarrassed to admit that Victor really does not self-feed at all. Until now! He still got some baby food too but I think he may have actually fed himself more table food tonight than I did. As you may have guessed, there was thunderous applause from Mommy & Daddy!
In other news, I am apparently destined to never sleep 8 hours at a stretch again. Saturday night I got to bed really early because I was feeling so achy and rundown. Ended up sick all night with either food poisoning or Victor's tummy bug. Then last night, I got to bed at a respectable hour to try to catch up from the night before. At midnight, Victor's alarm starting going off.
I should explain that we don't use an alarm in Victor's room. We only have the clock radio/CD player/sound machine there to play his CDs on. He turned it on himself. I don't even know how to turn it on but his random and frantic button pushing managed to set an alarm to go off at midnight and play the static between radio stations, complete with occasional guitar riffs. He contined to sleep peacefully but the sound coming from his little stereo is quite loud coming through the monitor in our room because the stereo and the monitor sit on the same shelf.
Well, trying to turn that thing off in the dark was a real joy. I tried to just turn the volume all the way down but it wouldn't stay that way because apparently it was programmed to play at a certain inappropriate level of volume and attempts at manual changes were futile. This happened once before and I just gave up and unplugged it. Finally at 12:27, after whispering profanities at the thing through 3 snooze cycles, I hit the right button and it turned off. Today I got out the manual and figured it out! I may know more about the clock radio than Victor does now but he still has me completely beat with regard to his electronic keyboard. I have no idea how he sets off half of the things he does with that thing. |
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9/29/2006 9:06:20 PM
Wow, what an action-packed week. We went to music class twice this week since we had to make up from last week. Both times, Victor demonstrated his walking by refusing to ever sit down for more than 10 seconds and by tackling everyone in the room. We also went to a free preview class at Gymboree and Victor basically hated that. Something about that environment was just not pleasing. So I decided to try taking him to this Radijazz place (it's an "indoor playnasium"!) to let him try out some physical stuff on his own.
Well, we did that today with Ruth & John and Victor LOVED it! That was the most I'd really seen him respond to that kind of stuff. He had so much fun stumbling and rolling and diving into everything in a totally safe and padded space. I forgot my camera but I think Ruth got some good shots that I'll share soon.
Victor has been beyond fickle about eating for most of this week so on the way home from Radijazz, I actually broke down and got some chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A as a last ditch effort. Success! He gobbled up a decent amount of that and then chased it with some applesauce. Yep, Miss Organic fed Victor fast food. It was the best I'd seen him eat for days and days though. His pants are falling off as it is.
The Radijazz joy and the Chick-Fil-A buzz did not come without a price though. Soon after dinner, Victor was strutting around and plowed into the corner of a wall with his face. James had the misfortune of actually seeing it happen from across the room. I fear that he got a little too cocky after he was able to just bounce right off all of that foam today and he forgot that walls are hard. James also speculated that he was reaching out for the wall and missed.
At any rate, there was much bleeding and crying. And Victor cried too! ;) He looks a little like a boxer at the moment with his lopsided nose and lip. All of the swelling is on one side. The bleeding stopped pretty quickly and after some Tylenol, he was happy to sit with me and watch his show (Classical Baby). He was subdued but not at all fussy during his bath and bed routine and went right down. I think he's tired from playing so hard and then crying so hard.
Oh yeah, and he's doing just great with the childcare at yoga. Doesn't cry when I drop him off and isn't crying when I pick him up. I think he actually has some fun there. He sure does nap well afterwards! I might have to see if the college students that provide the childcare are available to babysit at night because he really seems to like them. |
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10/2/2006 12:01:59 PM
I remember when having a day at home with no plans was a really relaxing thing. Oh, how that has changed! I am trapped in the house with a wild animal who runs and climbs and growls non-stop. And just when I started to accept and embrace this whole 11:00 to 2:00 nap thing (even though I was resistant to such a late lunch), now Victor will fall asleep nursing at 11:00 but then wake up the moment his butt touches the crib and will refuse to nap until he has had lunch. I don't see how I will ever get the house clean again.
Victor's booboo has been healing quite nicely and he hasn't seemed bothered by it in the slightest. He got yet another cold over the weekend though and his constant nose rubbing has made the cut between his nose and lip start bleeding again. Earlier he looked like Hannibal Lecter. So it's back to the Benadryl routine. That used to guarantee a nap but apparently not now that I'm dealing with an enraged hyena boy! On the bright side, walking sure does make him happy. |
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10/4/2006 11:56:24 AM
Too sick for music today. Bummer, bummer, bummer. I think Victor would have really liked to go today but he is just so snotty that I really can't have him playing with his friends. So I guess we'll be doing yet another make-up class in the next few weeks. We're only 2 for 4 on music classes so far this session. :( At least there are tons of classes to choose from for make-ups. There are 400 kids taking classes at his music school!
I'm currently going through the agonizing process of letting Victor cry it out in the hopes that he'll nap. I really hate to hear him so sad when I know that he's sick and probably wants to be held but he needs sleep more than anything right now so I'm trying to stay strong. It sounds like maybe he's starting to wear down. If it would act like fall outside, I'd throw him in the stroller and let him nap while I got a nice, long walk in but it isn't acting like fall. It's acting like July. |
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10/4/2006 5:35:34 PM
Two things I underestimated today (three, if you include my underestimation of Victor's propensity to take off his pants and wave them around over his head as he is doing right this moment). Anyway, two things. The brutality of the sun and the soothing power of gravel.
Victor is really, really fighting the naps these past few days and I'm not sure whether it's due to his newfound love for sprinting back and forth through the upstairs hallway or if it's because he doesn't breathe through his nose all that comfortably while lying down. So this afternoon I told him that if he didn't fall asleep in 15 minutes we were going to the park for a run. Needless to say, we went to the park for a run.
I've been running 3 miles 3 times a week consistently in preparation for the Cedar Perk 5-Miler (which is a mere 11 days away) but I grossly understimated how much harder it would be to run while pushing Victor in the jogger stroller in the sun. I wanted to lie down and cry at 2 miles, at which point the run turned into a walk. Have fun pushing the stroller in the race, Dada. I'll relieve you at mile 3 if you can't take anymore. ;) My endorphins will make me invincible by then.
The pleasant surprise, however, was that the gravel trail still holds its magical powers over Victor. He was out within the first 4 minutes out there. I have no doubt that he would have kept sleeping if I hadn't wimped out at 3 1/2 miles. I thought I could sit down with him in the shade and he'd keep sleeping. Nope. As soon as we stopped bouncing on the gravel, Victor woke up. Sorry gravel. Maybe next time I'll estimate you. ("The Office", anyone?). |
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10/6/2006 8:55:39 AM
[James here]
Books! Books! Books! Victor is constantly taking books off of shelves. He seems especially fond of my recent edition of the Fellowship of the Ring and my old spiral bound notebooks (he thinks he'd like to chew on the metal spiral). This is but one of several indications that his mind is becoming more active. He's pulling open drawers and cabinets and opening and closing doors. He tries to mimic us more and even figured out that he has to turn on his electronic drum for it to count when he pounds on it.
Victor is practicing his walking diligently. As I write this he is walking to and fro in the upstairs hallway. And, yay, he can now bend his knees (lift with your legs not your back!), pick something up, and then straighten and resume walking. |
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10/6/2006 9:22:24 AM
Snot! Snot! Snot! Victor has had a horrible cold for the past 5 days and it was determined yesterday that he also has a double ear infection. The antibiotics seem to be helping considerably already though. He certainly looks better today than he did yesterday. He's only partially covered in snot now and his eyes are at least no longer as swollen and crusty. Sounds like it's moved into his chest a bit more now though. Unfortunately, and yet quite expectedly, James & I have both gotten sick as well.
Bless his heart though, Victor is still sleeping through the night like a champ even with the worst cold he's had yet, a double ear infection and upper molars pushing through. |
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10/8/2006 3:42:39 PM
Well, thank goodness we didn't have much going on this weekend. I've felt really awful these past few days and a trip to urgent care today revealed strep throat. It's pretty ouchy. Of course now I'm wondering if Victor has/had it and gave it to me. The pediatrician said his throat looked OK on Thursday though. At any rate, he'd get Amoxicillin for it anyway and that's what he's already taking for the ear infections.
It's been trying to say the least, especially since Victor has had a few major nursing strikes. He's eating better again but he's pretty much on baby food again since it slides right down. Everything is trial and error right now. James seems to have perhaps been spared the strep but it won't surprise me if he gets hit hard again in a day or so. Hmmm, and one week until the family 5-miler. We might be crawling across the finish line. |
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10/9/2006 7:33:02 AM
[James here]
Victor drank out of a bottle in his own hands for the first time last night. While this might not normally be cause for celebration, it is in this household. He wouldn't nurse and we were desperate to get some fluids in him, so I was called into service. I sat with him (like I used to do many months ago), but he steadfastly refused to drink from the bottle. As a last resort, I set it down in his lap. He picked it up and after a while put it up to his mouth and began chewing it. Of course, as usual, he didn't have it tilted, so he wasn't getting anything out of it. Since I had nothing to lose, I started tilting it up for him. He got mad and arched his back but kept the bottle in his mouth. He stayed in that position and actually began drinking from the bottle! A light bulb went on in his head because after that he understood the trick and was happy to drink a little bit at a time and rest in between. We surmise that his throat was really sore and so it was important to him to only drink a little at a time. But, hallelujah! The boy understands how to use a bottle now! |
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10/9/2006 3:51:09 PM
Golly. It's been two steps forward and two (if not three) steps back around here. On the bright side, I think that my strep throat is starting to respond to the Amoxicillin. Of course it's easy to say that during the day. Nighttime is always the worst with sore throats.
Victor has really been seesawing with his willingness to nurse and eat. He's gone 24 hours without nursing 3 times now. He's had just enough wet diapers not to completely terrify us but it has been trying nevertheless. Not only have we been concerned about how well he could get over all of this without sufficient fluids, but it has also added a particularly ouchy element for Mommy.
All of this prompted yet another trip to the pediatrician this morning. Good thing we went in because while the left ear is clear and happy, the right ear is rebelling against the Amoxicillin with angry pus. Yuck. So now Victor's on Suprax. He certainly liked the taste of it OK. Now let's just hope it obliterates the nasty little bugs in his system. Oh yeah, and he also has very unhappy tonsils (to match Mommy's!) but the doc didn't even do a throat culture since the treatment for strep would just be the Suprax.
He did nurse once earlier and then ate a nice big lunch. I don't know whether to attribute that to the Maalox & Benadryl throat coat cocktail or to sheerly desperate hunger. Either way, it brightened his mood and he went down for a nap rather happily. I think that maybe he's starting to believe me when I tell him that things are going to get better soon.
So I'm hopeful that things are turning around. Now we just need to keep James unscathed. In the meantime, Victor & I are both getting some pretty severe cabin fever. He looked so pleased about getting into the car earlier that we accused him once again of faking it all to go for a ride in the car. I guess he can't fake an ear and throat infection though. That or he's far more talented than even we ever imagined. And that seems impossible. |
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10/12/2006 9:46:05 PM
Well, we made a triumphant return to music class yesterday and Victor was pretty darned pleased about it. I think he has really missed socializing and getting some outside stimulation. Unfortunately, we didn't make yoga today. I just didn't feel up to it due to lack of sleep. I felt remorseful about it later when I remembered that Victor didn't get to go last week either. I think that he really enjoys playing with the other kids and certainly enjoys playing with other toys!
We're on the mend though. We even resumed the family wagon ride tonight after dinner. It was a delighfully cool night for it too. Victor, as usual, enjoyed looking around and greeting the neighborhood cats. After his bath tonight, I put him in a footed sleeper for the first time since probably February (it's going to be a "cold" night). It was so strange to see him walking around in jammies that we associate with him as a little baby. He seemed like he liked his little snuggle suit though.
I actually had to force him into participating in a little fashion show for me this afternoon so that we could try to determine what pants fit. It's almost time for pants again! Outfitting him is as challenging as ever. Shirts are easy - he wears 18-24 months and some 2Ts. Pants are an eternal struggle, both in getting them to fit and getting Victor to keep them on. Too bad I can't sew. I guess I could knit him a bunch of belts, huh? ;) |
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10/14/2006 10:45:03 PM
Happy Birthday Bernie & Jack! Can't wait to see you guys in J'ville and can't believe that you are 2 already. How can that be?!?!?!
Must scurry off to bed so that we'll be rested for the race tomorrow. Victor woke up at 6:30 instead of 7:30 today (much to our chagrin!) but naturally, he'll want to sleep late tomorrow and we'll have to wake him up to leave the house.
We went to a Fall Fest today and Victor got to hang out with his girlfriend Linnea but unfortunately, the pumpkin patch was a total non-event. I've seen better pumpkin patches at the grocery store. We'll just have to go back to last year's patch. That might wait a few days though because we've got lots of rain in the forecast. No complaints there! |
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10/15/2006 4:58:36 PM
We survived the 5-miler! I'm actually fairly pleased because I finished with a better pace than I've had in all of my training this go-around. A paltry 12:49! It's still an accomplishment. Never mind that James hasn't been training but he still blew me out of the water while pushing the jogger stroller. And never mind that the race took me about 12 minutes longer than it did when I ran it 2 years ago. I ran 5 miles and I'm still in a decent mood tonight! :)
Victor did fine with the race. Didn't sleep as we expected but that was actually a good thing because he took a 3-hour nap after breakfast which meant that we got to take naps as well. I was glad that I had purchased a mesh cover for the stroller because it protected Victor from the light rain we ran in for the whole race. The rain got much harder later today but it was just tame enough for the race. He wasn't overly thrilled with the whole experience but he wasn't fussy either. Good thing because we've got 3 more races this season.
[James here]
Dawn can, however, take solace in the fact that I am a cripple tonight. Both knees are extremely sore to the point that I can barely walk down the stairs. I've had this before (Iliotibial Band Syndrome), but not nearly this bad. Yay, old age! |
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10/17/2006 4:18:03 PM
Victor did the most wonderful thing this morning. He slept until 8:45! He did wake up at 6:30 but we didn't hear the aquarium (his usual announcement of "I'm standing up in my crib now, people!") so we left him be. Went back to sleep and gave me a little catch up snoozing of my own. I was worried because we had 3 mornings in a row of 6:30 wake ups. And after some erratic napping as of late, he's taking a solid nap at the moment too.
We've determined that one source of his restlessness is likely the cuspids that are popping through the gum this week. He's got 16 chompers now and he's putting them to diabolical use at times. He's become a bit of a biter. Only does it to me too but it's on a nearly daily basis and it hurts quite a lot. I have many bruises on my arms! I'm glad he's not biting his friends but he could at least bite his dad once or twice for good measure. It's quite random too. Sometimes it's when he's frustrated or hungry or tired but it's often just out of nowhere so I think it's got a whole lot to do with teething. I'm ready for this phase to end fairly quickly. |
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10/19/2006 8:06:58 AM
[James here]
Our little Doodle is now a pretty steady walker and can stand up from a squat without grabbing something. Also, today I noticed his first collateral damage to the house. I have been steeling myself to the reality that Victor is going to break things. Well, as his first act as a boy he has put a good sized divet in the wall outside the office. No one knows how he did it, but it is suspiciously the size of one of the wooden blocks he carries around. Forensics is still working on the case.
[Dawn here]
I believe that testing will show some slight Benjamin Moore residue on the wooden giraffe puzzle piece that Victor considers his favorite talisman (or maybe second to his hairbrush). |
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10/21/2006 11:30:54 AM
It finally feels like fall! We had another race this morning (the Hairy Man 5K) and it was a lot of fun. What's even more fun though is coming home and showering and then enjoying a quiet, napping house. True bliss.
Victor went to the doctor yesterday to get his ears re-checked. He's healthy as can be and cleared for air travel just in the nick of time for our Illinois visit next weekend. I'm already dreading how quickly our trip will feel like it goes by but we'll just have to enjoy every moment. This is my very favorite time to go back for a visit and I am greatly looking forward to it. I can't wait to see Victor playing in leaves. That is, until he starts trying to eat them.
We're on a quest this weekend to get the yearly pumpkin patch pictures. Sounds like we'll have a couple of gorgeous days for it so now we just have to make it fit in between tennis and yoga and naps and meals! |
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10/22/2006 11:37:22 AM
Victor (whose newest nickname is the well-earned moniker Der Mess Macher) was not a very good photography subject during yesterday's pumpkin patch shoot but we were fairly underwhelmed by the locale anyway. Hoping to get out yet today for another shot at it, especially since it's sunny and yet cool and breezy. He's catching up on some sleep right now though. Pretty restless night for V. The aquarium came on probably 8 times, enough to prompt James to announce early this morning that "that thing is getting removed!". Poor little guy is snotty yet again today though so I think he had an uncomfy night. Napping away now though.
So last night I was looking at last year's pumpkin patch pics to try to determine if it's really worth going down to South Austin today to go to the same church again (and I determined that yes, it most definitely is). I look at old pictures of the Veeg all the time but it still really took me by surprise just how drastically he has changed. Take a gander at this side-by-side comparison of last year and yesterday:
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10/22/2006 8:52:09 PM
Pumpkin patch pic success! Actually, looking at yesterday's pics, perhaps I was too harsh about the locale. I guess I just wanted to stick with tradition and go back to our very first pumpkin patch. Good thing because Victor loved it. He loved it, however, for the straw on the ground. Got some good shots though and enjoyed a beautiful day out there while managing to wear out a little boy who didn't really want to sleep soundly last night.
In more exciting news (now that the official e-mail has gone out and it's public knowledge)....................
Auntie Leener is having a girl! Victor's first out-of-state girlfriend. Yay, yay and yay some more. Hey, between Eileen, Heather and I, someone eventually had to have a girl! Congrats Nordmeyers and also, happy 2nd anniversary tomorrow. Enjoy the peace and tranquility while you can. |
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10/24/2006 7:11:10 PM
Victor just can't catch a break this cold season. I ended up hauling him into the pediatrician yet again today because his eyes have been swollen and oozing. As expected, he's got yet another cold with accompanying pinkeye and also has fluid in his right ear again. Luckily the doc was really cool about it and gave us a prescription for Augmentin in case the ear ends up infected again. The good thing is that he's in a really great mood in spite of it all.
This ought to be the most fun flight ever. Eye ointment, nose drops and ear drops, oh my! I think I'll make a sign that says "Please just sit as far away from us as you can!" Thank goodness we're flying Southwest instead of the grossly family un-friendly American Airlines (whom we have sworn we will now thumb our noses at). |
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10/29/2006 8:46:19 PM
Well, I am definitely a very devoted blogger because my latest malady is a rash on my hands (and feet and trunk) that makes typing a bit painful. There is just too much excitement not to blog though. That and it has been 5 days since the last blog and the Earth might spin off its axis if I do not promptly update.
The weekend in Illinois was far, far too short but lots of fun. Victor and I took turns being whiny and sickly but we all managed to enjoy every single waking moment of our time there. As usual though, we failed to see everyone we wanted to see and were practically running out the door at the last minute for the airport.
Victor loved going up to see his Gaga at her house and then also tromping around at the "house in the hollow". He had never seen so much wide open space to run around in. Even got some nice sunshine and fall color action. He also made a visit to Great Grandpa Pressler and turned on the charm there too. We took more pictures than anyone would ever possibly want to see. Hopefully those will be narrowed down and posted tomorrow.
I guess tomorrow is yet another convalescence day in the hopes that we can be healthy and happy for Halloween and music and yoga. |
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10/29/2006 9:14:33 PM
Oh yeah, duh. Forgot a few far from minor details and I felt that they merit their own entry. First of all, it was really way cool to be in the St. Louis area for the big win but we were completely annoyed to find that they did not sell tiny Cards t-shirts at the airport. More importantly, Victor ate some pancakes and bacon today for the very first time. Most appropriate that he did that with his Grandpa! |
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10/30/2006 4:48:22 PM
I've got a recurrence of strep, hence the rash. Unfortunately, I didn't find this out until an hour ago and now it's too late to get Victor in to get him checked out. He's going back to the pediatrician tomorrow to see if he's got it (and if he does, Halloween is pretty much ruined because he'll be contagious for the first 24 hours!). This really, really stinks.
On the bright side, I got a shot of penicillin so hopefully I'll wipe it out quickly. The doctor was so apologetic about how big the needle was and I had to laugh because it was pretty small and harmless looking to me. She's obviously never had progesterone in oil through a 22 gauge!
This poor kid has been sick for most of the last month and a half. They don't even have to ask our last name when we check-in at the pediatrician's office now. They greet him by his first name now. So my apologies to everyone that got licked by Victor over the weekend. Brace yourselves. |
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10/31/2006 5:25:15 PM
Looks like Victor does not have strep. That's good news. So, he got the all clear to trick or treat and to go to music and yoga this week. We actually went to NI today to go see Daddy and then to hang out with other NI kiddos. Victor & John almost bonded over an attempt to break into the women's restroom but then they resorted to their usual standoffish ways.
I think Victor is going to go trick or treat at a few neighbors' houses tonight but that's about it. Luckily it's already begun to cool off some. The 80s were a bit stifling today for monkey suit sporting. |
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11/1/2006 7:57:27 PM
Victor got to enjoy one last hurrah in the monkey costume today at music class. He's gotten to where he really likes putting his suit on so maybe it will have to be his Christmas snowsuit too! He did do a little bit of trick or treating last night at several neighbors' houses. He enjoyed the attention and walking in other yards but was not amused by the polite chatting that followed. He wanted to keep moving.
Here are some pictures of Vic and his music class friends in costume today, including Vic fixating on Linnea's bead necklace. As always, click on any pic to enlarge it for better viewing.
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11/3/2006 8:32:45 PM
Our monkey is 15 months old. He certainly acted like he had attained a new level of maturity today. He's really into walking very, very quickly while carrying increasingly large objects. Pretty cocky about it too.
I had to laugh earlier because once we got home from grocery shopping, I had one of my e-mail updates from www.babycenter.com. Today's update read:
"Doing errands around town is harder than ever with a pint-sized explorer in tow. Being strapped down in a car seat or stroller is the last place your toddler wants to be: Expect an earful — usually accompanied by an arched back and flailing arms and legs — when it's time to buckle up."
And how! |
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11/5/2006 9:35:47 PM
Victor has decided that he's ready to eat like a big person which has been pretty cool. A bit messy at times, but cool. Last night he ate bronzed catfish, mashed potatoes and black beans! We barely even had to give him any runny food reinforcements. It really does seem like he just had to finally decide that he wants to eat what we eat.
Then today we went to brunch with Victor's buddy Katie and her parents and he ate quite a bit of omelet and pancake off our plates. He really does well at restaurants. I don't know why we don't go out to eat more often because it's really quite enjoyable, especially since someone else has to clean up the table when we're done!
Tonight he went for three splendid meals in a row and ate quite a bit of homemade beef vegetable soup (since unlike his whiny daddy, he will eat peas!) and fed himself grilled cheese. He sure does make a mess but it's worth it to be able to all eat our meals together like an actual human family! |
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11/6/2006 12:36:52 PM
Well, Victor found a way to avoid getting his 15 month vaccines today. The right ear (the one that has had fluid for weeks on end) is officially infected again. So we're headed back in two weeks to hopefully get those shots once the ear is clear again. Dr. Mirrop even used the dreaded t-word (as in tubes) for the first time but he's hopeful that it won't come to that since Victor seemingly got over the last infection. Air travel strikes again!
So now we've graduated to Augmentin. According to V's bud A-Ed (Alex, that is, by the way of his mom), there may be some rather undesirable and explosive side effects. I'm bracing myself for that. Luckily he's at least really good about taking medicines.
And just to further worry Victor's fretful mother, he's only at 22 pounds and 8 ounces today. I expected the weight to drop off considerably now that he's sprinting everywhere but that is a pretty big drop. Dr. Mirrop isn't worried yet and thinks that once he just gets well again, he'll pack some more weight on. So this makes him just below 25th percentile for weight, not even in the 25-50th anymore. He's still hovering in the 75-90th for melon head circumference and height though. He's 32 1/2 inches now! |
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11/9/2006 4:10:01 PM
Antibiotics seem to be working. Victor has been sleeping a lot better now that he's not coughing as much. He's been in much better spirits as a result. So it came as a surprise today when I went to pick him up after yoga and he was crying in the babysitter's arms. Apparently they almost came to get me because he was crying on and off for the whole hour and a half and was actually yelling "mamama". I don't know whether to attribute that to separation anxiety or teething because they also said that he was chomping on everything in sight.
He was all smiles as soon as we got in the car to come home though and he's napped like a champ this afternoon. I guess I'll just have to see how he does next week. I'm hoping it was an isolated event but I'm trying to prepare for the possibility that we're going to have problems with me leaving him. I might have to buy him a portable DVD player so he can be soothed by Elmo no matter where he goes! Just kidding. Mostly.
Crying and napping aside, it's a happy week for the Humphreys. Alison & Tandyn welcomed Lillian, Ann had a successful surgery (sending you all much love!) and.....well, without delving into political territory that could alienate Republican PP readers, we're pretty happy about the Dem coup. It was a great civics lesson for Victor. He even assisted by helping me push the "Cast Ballot" button. |
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11/12/2006 12:38:44 AM
Dairy, dairy, quite contrary? Victor's still having congestion problems and is still on medication for the ear infection. Meanwhile, my compulsive Googling has turned up a lot of info about links between dairy sensitivities and ear infections. I wish I'd thought to address this with Dr. Mirrop during one of our past 7 weekly visits! I'm not sure that the ear infections are actually caused by dairy but I sure don't think the morning yogurt fest is helping. Victor puts away a good 6-8 ounces of yogurt every single morning and he seems to nearly always be rattling and coughing for a bit afterwards. It's another duh duh moment. So we might be trying soy yogurt for a few days as an experiment. Of course I also have concerns about feeding him that much soy on a daily basis given the phytoestrogen levels but it's worth a try to see if it improves the congestion situation.
Yeah, yeah....why am I up? I'm back to my nasty old habit of going on my run too late at night and then getting all keyed up again. That and I'm waiting for my cranberry mud mask to dry thoroughly. It's a good excuse to enjoy the silence and dark in the living room. Never mind that I can hear both James and Victor snoring (but luckily Victor's is temporary!).
It was a fantabulous night for a run though. I never wanted to stop. We are experiencing fall again for at least 2 or 3 days. We felt badly that we haven't gotten many weeknight wagon rides in since daylight savings so we packed Victor into the wagon this afternoon after lunch and headed over to the grade school across the street. He had so much fun but you sure wouldn't know it from the pictures we got. He befriended a really cute dog (looked like some beagle mix) and they chased each other around for a while. It was pretty amusing because we thought he might be afraid of dogs since he so rarely sees them. Nope. He continued to work through his fear of slides a bit and especially liked tromping around and getting very dirty. Good times! |
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11/13/2006 4:45:18 PM
Here's a new physical milestone for you - furniture moving. I've been vacuuming away in the living room and looked into the dining room to check on Victor only to see him carrying his wooden toy piano. It's not a light piece of "furniture"! Now he seems to have gotten it all the way across the room. It probably involved a great deal of scooting but naturally the mental image I have is of him triumphantly lifting it over his head and strutting across the room with his tummy jutting out, like he does with his ball. I guess I should be happy he's entertaining himself so well.
Vacuuming is taking forever because it is more furry than ever around here. I just remind myself that it is so worth it to have our first baby as part of our family. I've been really sentimental about Miss Pru lately because she needs to get her teeth cleaned very badly and I'm nervous about the anesthesia. I nearly lost her about 10 years ago to a really bad kidney infection and I still really struggle with her medical stuff (and her mortality). I've already had 10 years of practice at being a fretful and adoring mother thanks to Prudence (or Jurisprudence as she is known to my law school buddies). |
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11/20/2006 7:21:17 PM
Victor was not really any more impressed with Santa this year than he was last year. We went to get photos with the jolly old guy today and it took a while. We had to go "walk it off" because Victor was so disgusted initially. We got a cute shot but the expression on Victor's face is definitely one of impatience. Not coincidentally, he looks very, very much like his daddy in it.
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11/21/2006 11:23:07 AM
Victor's ears are clear and healthy again! As a result, he was able to get his 15 month shots today which was a relief because I really wanted him to have his first flu shot soon. Hopefully we won't be back at the pediatrician's until next month when he gets the second flu shot. He just crashed hard after some Tylenol and milk so I think I'll do the same. |
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11/21/2006 4:02:19 PM
That whole nap thing? It didn't go so well. Victor slept for maybe close to an hour and then proceeded to sleep for a few minutes and then whimper and whine for a few minutes. Then the cycle repeated over and over and over. He hasn't really been any happier being up and playing either so I finally took his temp and he's got a 103 fever. The poor little monkey is a little more peaceful after this last dose of Motrin but he doesn't seem to want me out of his sight. I'm trying to get him to deal more with the whole separation thing but I can't really force that issue with him when he's clearly so uncomfortable. I sure needed that nap today though! |
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11/23/2006 9:53:17 PM
Happy Thanksgiving! We had a great holiday when it was all said and done. We started the day off with the 5 mile Turkey Trot and really the best thing I can say about it was that we really enjoyed it being over. The course is hilly, the sun was brutal and it really wasn't much fun for a slow runner like me because once we got past mile 3 and the majority of the back of the heat started walking, it was really rather difficult to run around them. There were 9,000 people there so go figure.
After the race we assumed that Victor would gobble up lunch and take a good nap before heading out for dinner. Not so! He wouldn't eat at lunch, wouldn't breastfeed for long and napped for all of 45 minutes. He had a low grade fever as well so it's probably either teething or more vaccine side effects. The problems with nursing point pretty directly to teething though. So we headed to dinner at Jamie, Yvette & Katie's with low expectations about his mood.
Well, as usual, Katie works some kind of magic over Victor and always puts him in a sunshiney mood. Then he proceeded to eat like a total champ at dinner. He scarfed down turkey with cranberry sauce, a yeast roll, mashed potatoes and stuffing. The real kicker was the pumpkin cheesecake though. He probably would have eaten much, much more of it if I'd shared it. He had lots of fun playing with Katie too. It was truly a lovely Thanksgiving dinner for all three of us. He's just now finally sleeping it all off and I think James and I are both ready to do some of that too. We are going to be ambling around pitifully tomorrow.
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11/25/2006 12:39:43 AM
Do you know what my hugest pet peeve of all pet peeves is? Finding dog poop in our yard. We don't have a dog. So why do we have dog poop? It has always greatly annoyed me but now that I have a toddler that walks around that yard and wants to see and touch everything in it, I become fairly violently angry about it. The crazy thing is that we have the biggest yard on our block so the offending dog has to really be given explicit permission by his or her owner to violate the involved area of our yard. The first time I have to scrub dog doo off one of Victor's Stride Rites, the claws are finally coming out.
And as long as I'm being ranty, I also got to deal with one of my other all-time major pet peeves yesterday at the Turkey Trot. These people that finish the race and then just start strolling back in the opposite direction on the race course? Were they raised by wolves? It drives me completely batty and it always has. Just because I'm slow doesn't mean I'm not still RACING seeing as how I am participating in a RACE. Oh, don't get me started!
Contrary to the above though, I'm getting into the holiday spirit and trying to clue Victor in on doing the same. So far that has consisted of playing Christmas music and saying "hohoho" alot. He's dealing with a pet peeve of his own though -- cutting teeth. I've been assuming that the top eye teeth came in shortly after the bottoms since seeing the buds more than a month ago. I finally got a really good peek tonight during the nightly brushing torture though and they are just now angrily poking completely through some sore looking gums. That hopefully explains the unpredictable swings in appetite and mood. Seether the Teether went to bed quite early tonight (oh geez, it's already last night at this point, isn't it?) and seems to be doing OK though.
We'll see how we all feel about the Chuy's Christmas Parade tomorrow/today. Yes, you heard me right. Chuy's. The boycott has been lifted since it's a charity event. Plus, I really do love their salsa. And the boy will really have to be introduced to queso sometime fairly soon. |
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11/25/2006 1:55:41 PM
The parade was fun! Next year we'll know to go early though because we got to the start point 10 minutes before 11:00 and we already had missed the Santas on motorcycles. Granted, the sound of all of that would have probably scared the bejeezus out of Victor. That was what I most wanted to see though. And either the giant inflatable Elmo was a no-show this year or we missed him too. It was a really nice parade though and definitely worth the effort. And thus a tradition is begun.
I got lots of pics of V enjoying his prime vantage point (Daddy's shoulders) and they will soon be in the usual pics section. Also, here are some pics of the parade itself, including a few shots of The Biscuit Brothers as they went by on their float. And yes, I was more excited than Victor. I just love Dusty and Buford!
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11/27/2006 10:11:22 PM
How do you know someone is a true friend for life? Answer: When she shakes down the deadbeat mall elves for failing to give you your picture disk, all while wrangling her own angry monkey into sitting on Santa's lap. Lia, you're the best. In fact, you totally rock!
Speaking of most excellent friends who we owe one (or two or three or so by now).....a big huge thank you also to Uncle Rich Yavo for taking the annual Humphrey Christmas pics yesterday at Zilker. Much as it is hard to restrain myself, I believe that we'll abstain from posting them on here until Christmas cards have gone out. No point in ruining all element of surprise! |
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11/29/2006 1:40:35 PM
I keep swearing that I'm done with Christmas gifts for Victor but I just had to get one more. Hey, it was only $10. This book was just too irresistable to pass up......"Why Mommy is a Democrat". If anyone wants one, it's at www.littledemocrats.net. I swear that's really it, especially since he's got super deluxe mega trike on its way here courtesy of his grandparents. And I just had to order the bell and basket to complete the whole stylin' package! He's also getting a helmet with baby dinosaurs on it. I cannot wait to try to get him to wear that thing.
It's time to get some lunch and sleep into this kid but he's having so much fun right now, it's hard to make him stop. He's saying lots of "E-I-E-I-E-I" lately which I attribute entirely to his Biscuit Brothers viewing. The "O" never quite seems to come though. He will however make a cool tiny wolf howl if I try to get him to say "O" on its own. I think those ears are doing a lot better!
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11/29/2006 6:08:45 PM
So I lied. I will share one of the pics from the Christmas photo shoot after all. Here is Victor doing his best imitation of Zoolander. To illustrate, I have included a pic of Stiller himself doing "Blue Steel". I did verify that this is, in fact, "Blue Steel" rather than "Le Tigre" or "Magnum". He's working on those others in his free time though. For better viewing, just point and click but I must warn you that the Zoolander jpeg doesn't get much bigger. Enjoy!
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12/3/2006 6:10:13 PM
Victor is 16 months! He celebrated by sleeping until almost 9:00 which pretty much made it into a huge celebration for everyone. Then he gobbled up some French toast and sausage. It's funny because Pru has always seemed to know when it's Sunday (Fancy Feast day) and now Victor acts like he knows that it's yummy breakfast day too.
He had a great day though. Seemed as though he benefited from some extra rest. James & Chuck (our neighbor) installed a bunch of insulation yesterday while I baked cookies and the house has certainly felt cozier as a result. I actually pulled the cover off the fireplace so that we could maybe have a fire tonight. We'll have to clear away all of the toys that decorate our hearth though.
So the big Victor brag for this week is that he'll say "hi" back to us fairly consistently. And then today, he completely boggled my mind by imitating what I was doing in another room without even seeing me. He was still in his crib but about to get up from his nap when I heard the evil woodpecker pecking at the front of our house again. So I ran into our bedroom and beat on the wall to get him to stop (hey, it works!). When I walked back into Victor's room, he was beating on the wall over his crib in the same way. That's really not something he does routinely so it definitely seemed like he recognized the sound and imitated it without seeing me. Yep, he's brilliant. Not that my perception is at all skewed by my love for him. Nope, not one bit. |
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12/4/2006 4:07:13 PM
Wow, I forgot to mention the doors, didn't I? I'm not sure how it's possible to to forget the doors. Victor's newest obsession is - you guessed it - doors and drawers. Opening and shutting and opening and shutting is the name of the game. He usually (but not always) has very little interest in what's actually inside closets and cabinets but the doors are too cool to be ignored. His very, very favorite thing to do though is to shut himself up in his room. He giggles like he's really pulled one over one me until he realizes that I am able to reach that doorknob and turn it. The other diabolical little antic is to sneak up on me while I'm in my closet and shut me in there. That one's really nifty.
Victor's actually been having a little fever on and off for the past few days. He seems reasonably chipper otherwise. Of course, as I say that I hear him whining up in his crib and he's only been down for a nap for about 30 minutes. Yes, it's one of THOSE days. And oh my, it sounds like it's escalating. Sadly, it's the discomfort cry and not the too-tired-to function cry. Might be time for Tylenol and a smile. I was so wishing that it might be time for a hot shower and a cup of tea but alas..........not. |
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12/5/2006 8:52:11 PM
We managed to get into the holiday spirit reasonably early this year and even have our tree up. Our tree seems to shrink every year and we're now down to a 3 footer. We went fake this year which we really kinda hated to do but it was necessary to avoid Victor eating pieces of tree and the poor tree drying up while we were traveling. So we have a little tabletop tree in the room formerly known as the dining room (and now known as the playroom with the really nice furniture). Here are some pics. I'm including the china cabinet because it is decked out, including our most cherished ornaments: ornaments for Victor's first and second Christmases, Pru's cat ornament, and most especially, Ronan & James Thomas's engraved snowflakes.
This is my first time adding the pictures to the blog myself and for the record, I find it to be a giant pain. I'll get better at it though. I guess it's still easier than nagging James all the time.
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12/5/2006 9:12:44 PM
Hindsight is 20/20, right? Victor gave me several indications that he was getting sick and yet the fact that the fever was gone today allowed me to delude myself into thinking he was on the mend. Tonight he would barely eat and was clearly uncomfortable so tomorrow he's going in no matter how "better" he seems in the morning.
As part of the maternal delusion today, we went to Radijazz with Ruth & John. Victor really wasn't himself but he did still enjoy burning off some steam in the foam jungle that is Radijazz. We even had a major breakthrough today when Victor and John had meaningful interaction. Seriously, we've been striving for this for close to a year now. They sat in the same foam canoe together, looking at each and smiled. Then they briefly touched each other's hands in a non-menacing way. I nearly wept tears of joy. Did I have the camera on the ready?
Nope. That shot was taken immediately after the magical moment we have dreamt of for so long.
And the two dudes going solo, for good measure. Victor liked hanging around Ruth today (much better than hanging around boring old Mommy), so much so that he played his "guess who is behind your back??!!" game with her. |
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12/6/2006 8:57:04 PM
We did manage to go to music class today. Thank goodness because it was the absolute high point of the day. That's usually true even on an otherwise wonderful day but today even more so.
The good news is that Victor's ears are surprisingly clear. He does have a throat infection though. The rapid strep test was negative but since I had strep not long ago and he has the recent history of recurrent ear infections, he's on Zithromax "just in case". So I don't know what to think. It's quite possibly just viral but it certainly is brutal. He has been unwilling to eat anything today except for his yogurt at breakfast and some pancakes (with a lot of syrup) at dinner. It's just heartbreaking to see him so miserable.
I'm feeling pretty icky myself at this point. Part of it is surely the exhaustion from wrestling with Victor in the doctor's waiting room for so long today. Yeah, and then there was the actual exam room. While we were in there waiting for the lab work to come back, Victor tore the giant roll of paper off the exam table. I don't just mean the paper itself. I mean the entire metal apparatus holding it to the table. Then he started swinging it around. I am not kidding. I was just about to put him in a wrestle hold when the doctor came back.
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12/8/2006 11:57:24 AM
There has been significant improvement. Victor was exponentially better yesterday than the day before so either the Zithromax was just the ticket or he had some bug that got much better overnight. James & I determined that the constant screaming and crying before was due to extreme hunger. Yesterday he ate ravenously because his throat was just too sore to get much down the day before.
He's been a little cranky today but is now napping away. He's woken up around 6:30 these past two mornings. I don't like that one bit. I like the 7:30 or 8:00 wake-up that is typical of my monkey. Yesterday we chalked it up to hunger and he seemed pretty violently hungry today too. I hope that as he starts getting some normal meals again, this will all even back out. I'm just happy to be seeing a lot more smiles and hearing a lot more giggles and growls out of him again.
Aside from the crankiness that has come with being sick, Victor has gotten rather strong-willed lately. He's definitely at the point where he screams and flails when you take anything away from him, be it a toy or a tiny scrap of paper. The other night I had the Fisher Price Giggle Vacuum sitting out so that I could wrap it up for Christmas. I didn't think he'd notice it from across the room but he made a beeline for it and James said that when he led Victor away from it, he doubled back and sprinted toward it, while pushing James out of the way. Times like these we call him "The Bull". At least we know he'll like the vacuum because he sure wanted to get to it. I knew it would be a hit because he loves Elmo and Cookie Monster (they and Oscar the Grouch are on the vacuum) and he loves vacuums. |
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12/9/2006 11:25:08 PM
We survived the Trail of Lights 5K. It was Victor's first night race and he was really quite unimpressed. Ironically, he was glassy eyed the whole way through the actual Trail of Lights but got giddy immediately afterwards. Maybe it's a commentary on the commercialization of Christmas? I kid. I think he was just happy to be in the dark again.
We were feeling all bold and adventurous after the race and went for dinner at Kerbey Lane. That did not go so well. We waited a while for a table and then the service was also slow. Victor barely managed to eat any pancake before the fatigue became too much to bear and the meltdown was imminent. Poor guy got to bed more than 2 hours late. He's not as resilient about that as he used to be. Live and learn.
We only took a few pics tonight before the race but they're on the pics page. Oh, and they're really cute. Naturally. |
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12/13/2006 9:22:11 PM
Just a quick plug for our WalkAmerica 2007 fundraising page. It is up and running. I won't bombard everyone with e-mails for a few more months (the walk isn't until May) but our page is up and we are gearing up for the annual event. This year we're going to have cool family team t-shirts, darn it. And even cooler - this year Victor gets to walk across the finish line himself! Who knows how long it might take to get him to walk in a specific direction but eventually he'll cross that line.
There's a link to our MOD fundraising on the homepage here at Piglet's Page but the address is
www.walkamerica.org/thebrothershumphrey |
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12/14/2006 7:54:31 AM
[James here]
We have been waiting for Victor to start labelling things - an important developmental milestone. We have seen what looks like labelling with "dada/djidji" but he seems to use that word anytime he gets excited. We finally have a confirmed label or at least an association. Mommy has been working with Victor on his S's independently, and I noticed yesterday that when I got out the snake that we always make hiss at Victor, he began essing. I thought maybe it was a fluke, but this morning when I got the snake out (silently of course), he did the same thing. Yay! I guess his first word is "S" for snake. [Dawn interjecting: that would be his first independent "word" but not his actual first word.] Even as I finish this he has picked up the snake and begun hissing at it. Good boy!
Quick note from Dawn:
The Christmas pictures have been added. Thanks again, Uncle Rich! |
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12/17/2006 11:55:29 AM
So we ran a little experiment yesterday. I went to yoga right before naptime and then James tried to give Victor a bottle to get him down for his nap. Well, the good news is that Victor will in fact go down for a nap without me here to nurse him. The bad news is that he still won't consider taking a bottle. Not only did he nap without putting up a fight though. He napped for over 3 hours. And then of course needed milk immediately upon waking up. We'll keep at it. Maybe one of these times, he'll decide that Mommy isn't the only source for milk.
In other sleep-related news, Victor has been waking up around 5:00 and "talking" in his crib these past few mornings. He's really, really trying to talk here lately and I think he probably just automatically starts up even when he's barely awake. We've left him alone and stuck with the usual 7:30 routine for getting him up and he's been fine with that - no crying or anything. He's definitely been yawning a lot more during the day from that sporadic morning sleeping though. Maybe when he finally sorts out how to start saying some of the things he's wanted to tell us, he'll sleep straight through again. |
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12/17/2006 9:16:43 PM
We've been having unseasonably warm temps (even for Texas) so there was absolutely no excuse not to take Victor to the park today. We headed out to Brushy Creek for a nice long walk/wagon ride, some scampering around in the fields and a bit of swinging (and a few botched slide attempts). Good times. Victor seemed awfully pleased to be out in the fresh air with lots of space to roam. I keep hoping he'll get some snow to frolic in come next weekend but it's not looking promising.
Here are pics from today at Brushy Creek. Click on any pic to enlarge it in a new window.
[Edited later to add: That umbrella on the wagon? It didn't survive. It got broken by a silly boy. And I'll give you a hint - it wasn't Victor.]
Here is also a picture of some cows along the Brushy Creek trail (including a few longhorns). James made enough photographic effort that I felt I should include it. It's a cool, scenic trail!
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12/20/2006 12:18:49 PM
Ah, nothing says Christmastime like the steady hum of the air conditioning and the irises in full bloom. It is so hard to believe that winter starts tomorrow. Actually, and quite ironically, we're supposed to start cooling off today |
,+and+Cathy+(peeking+in))
