Little snippets from his first year...

Here are highlights from his first year of life:

He was born via c-section. A day after I was scheduled for one. You see, I was having contractions the morning I was scheduled for my c-seciton. So I decided to TRY to have him naturally. Fine and dandy. They got me into a room. They let me go on my own for a while. They ended up giving me pitocin. I ended up having that darn c-section 24 hours after I'd originally been scheduled for one because my cervix wouldn't dilate past 5cm. Thankfully, my OBs practice is the on-call service for the hospital I was at. So I knew the doctor that ended up delivering my little guy.

My son didn't take to breastfeeding naturally. He was one of those who'd CLAMP on real tight. WAY too tight. And he'd suck WAY too hard. There were times when he'd get on and then end up coughing. Why? Because he'd suck to hard and it didn't take much to get my milk to come down. What resulted was a couple of sore and dry and thoroughly messed up nipples. There were a few days that I ended up shirtless for a couple hours because anything on my nipples were causing them to ache. It was a BAD scene. Really bad.

He developed this habit (early on) of turning his head away from me as he was nursing. Whoa! Can you say "OW!" That twisting caused my already tender nipples to hurt. I had to quickly get him to stop this bad habit. How? I would immediately detach him. Tell him not to twist his head. Make him wait a few seconds. Then I'd reattach him. Thankfully he figured out that twisting away from my breasts was NOT the thing to do.

He knew his sister's voice from the beginning. She'd enter the room and chat with me and he'd be turning his head trying to find her. He'd kick his little legs like "I hear her! I hear her! Where is she?"

We noticed he was a flirt when he was about 4 weeks old. Yup! FOUR weeks old. He broke out into a HUGE grin when a girl at the grocery store stopped to talk to him. At 2 years old, he continues to flirt with women. He might be in a not-so-happy mood, but once he sees a lady he's all smiles. "HI!"

By his 8th week of life, I was already contemplating when I'd start him on the bottle. It was just TOO difficult for me to have a 2 1/2 year old and a baby along with the breastfeeding. I knew at that time that I'd get him started on formula when he turned 3 months old. He was transitioned for formula full time by the time he was 4 months old.

His first belly laugh was on April 3, 2003. I was changing his diaper. I softly raked his naked little tummy with my fingers. He smiled. Then he broke out in a huge laugh.

By week 17, he wanted to practice getting into the standing position. We'd have him sitting on our laps. He'd lean forward. Then he'd get into the standing position while we held under his arms. Once we figured he liked the standing position, we put him into an Exersaucer (which he thoroughly enjoyed). He liked the freedom of movement. He'd turn around and check out all the activities.

We transitioned him into a convertible carseat (Britax Roundabout) at 18 weeks. The baby carrier/carseat was WAY too snug. He was already 17.5 pounds & 27.5 inches long, so he needed more room. Of course, I had to go to my handy-dandy install guy that I first met in 2000 (when he helped me install my daughter's carseat).

At 22 weeks, my little guy learned to sit with some support. I put him on the floor with the Boppy pillow around his back. I put some toys around him. He's happy as a clam. He also figured out how to get from his tummy to his back.

By 30 weeks, he could rotate 360 degrees on his tummy. He'd blow raspberries all the time. He could transition himself from the sitting position onto his tummy. Additionally, when we placed him on his hands & knees, he was able to push himself back into the sitting position. He could also almost push himself into the standing position when he used me as a prop. Yes! Standing!

His first tooth broke through his gums at 32 weeks.

At 38 weeks, he was walking across our family room without any assistance. At his 9 month appointment, his pediatrician (who has 5 kids of her own) was shaking her head. She said "I see kids every day but it's really something to see a 9 month old really walking."

We noted his fascination with balls (baseball/basketball/football/etc) at about 9 months. I remember one time when he was sitting across the family room from me. I rolled the ball over to him and it landed next to his foot. He picked it up and put it in his mouth. I asked him to "Throw it to Mommy" and...he did!

We decided to go the sign language route with the little guy, just as we did with his sister. It takes a bit of time for the kiddos to "get" it but once it happens then everyone has an easier time. He didn't start signing back to us until he was about 10 months old.

He received his first haircut in December 2003. We were visiting my family for the holidays. My younger sister was the designated stylist. She was the one who gave the Princess her first haircut so we continued the tradition. My little guy looked so mature once those extra bits of hair were trimmed away.

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My little guy continues to be a very physical child. He loves to run. He loves to jump. He loves to run and jump over things at the same time. He does this sideways trot that's amazingly cute. He tries to keep up with his sister. He chews the inside of his left cheek. He gives nice kissy-lip kisses (no more slobbery ones). He loves to go out on errand with his Daddy. If he sees Daddy is getting ready to go out, then the little guy is on my hubby's leg like glue.

He doesn't like the taste of juice. He loves his water though. He only drinks milk if it's a little warm. He enjoys having cereal for breakfast. He finishes off his cereal breakfast with a couple servings of wheat germ. Usually after he's had about two bowls of cereal, I put wheat germ on the remaining milk. Then he'll practice spooning the wheat germ into his mouth. I usually have to give him at least 4 servings of wheat germ. Go figure!

He enjoys the concept of dogs but is skittish around dogs. He has a small stuffed dog that he'll cuddle with. He then shows me how he pets it gently. He now understands that concept. Gentle. When his sister is upset and lying on the couch, he'll come up to her and stroke her back or her hair. It's too cute.

He can hit a ball while holding a bat. He tosses the ball up with one hand and swings the bat with the other. He uses his golf clubs like hockey sticks. He has us use the other golf club to hit the golfballs to him. And he hits it as it comes to him. All we have to do now is get him on hockey skates! Ha! He can throw to us from at least 5 feet away.

He plays with his hair when he's tired. If we're holding him when he's tired, he twists OUR hair. He sleeps with 4 little stuffed animals in his crib along with two blankets. He uses the blankets as pillows. He bundles them up into a pile and stuffs them under his belly. Then he forms his body over them like a turtle.

He wears 2T in most clothes. We actually like the way 3T long sleeve shirts look on him. He's using size 5 diapers. He wears a size 7 in shoes. He loves wearing knit hats. When we go out, he'll point up to the hat/mitten basket and say "hat". He even puts it on himself.

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I just adore my little guy. He's a bit of work. Especially when he's in a grumpy mood. But it's been well worth it. I'm sure he'll be the one who is going to give me heart attacks when he gets older. He's the daredevil of the family. I'm sure he'll be the one that wants to go water-skiing. Go rock climbing. Go scuba diving. He'll be the high risk danger kid. But for now? He's my litte/big boy.

He's not a baby

I've known this for a long time but my son is not a baby.

Now for a reality check? He's now TWO years old!

I cannot believe my son is two. He's always been a big boy, but now his numerical age fits his size. It's amazing how time has quickly passed.

It's already late (8:54pm --- that's late for me!) so I'll try to type in some more about how his birth has affected me sometime tomorrow.

My little Bear...I love him so dearly!

Making Mommy Laugh

Chase each other like silly. Giggly hysterically as you run. AND trying to get some breathing in at the same time.

The two kiddos were chasing each other back and forth from the hallway to the couch. They were also leaping over the Little Tykes golf clubs as they ran. Neither one tripped. Neither one fell.

The little guy was laughing so hard that his face got all RED. His head got so hot and sweaty!

The Princess was being very gentle and loving all the while. She pretended to reach out and tickle him as he ran, which made him even more giggly.

They'd take breaks every now and then. The Princess would lie down on her stomach on the carpet. The Bear would sit on her back. He'd look at the hubs and myself like he was the great hunter who'd bagged his prize. He'd have a HUGE grin on his face.

Those two can be at each other's throats at times...but tonight it was a joy to watch them.

It started out as a good idea...

Hubs came home last night. Here's our conversation in hushed tones.

Hubs: "X is going to be out of the office tomorrow."

Me: "Okay." [Waiting for some sort of punchline]

Hubs: "Since the boss is out of town, then you want to drop your son off?"

Me: "What?" [Now I'm thoroughly confused]

Hubs: "You know. Drop your son off with me at the office. So you can spend some time at the preschool?"

Me: "Really? Tomorrow?"

Hubs: "Yup. If you want to."

So he and I had a plan. I'd drop off the boy at his office at 8:45am. I'd be at the preschool from 9am to 10am. A short hour. But enough time to see the kids interact. Spend quality time with my daughter. That's the plan, right?

It starts off well. My kids don't even realize I'm driving a different way. My daughter realizes something is up as I'm driving into the driveway to my hubby's office.

Princess: "Mom? What're we doing at Daddy's office?"

Me: "I'm dropping the Bear off."

Prin: "What? Why? He's going to have special time with Daddy?"

Me: "Yeah. So I can spend some time with you at preschool."

Prin: "Oh yes! Yes! Yes!" [practically jumping in her now booster seat]

The Bear is excited to see Daddy. The Princess and I drive up the street to her preschool. We get settled in. We play. I also play with some of the other kids. It was all fine and good. An hour later.

Me: "Prin, I'm going to have to leave after Miss B finishes this story."

Prin: "NO!" [She curls up into my lap & buries her head into my armpit]

Me: "But Prin. You guys are going to have snacktime after the story. Then you'll be going to outside play."

Prin: "I want to stay with you."

There's more back and forth conversation about me leaving.

What ends up happening? I end up taking her home. After only an hour and 15 minutes at preschool. Oy!

It started out as a good idea.....

Where?

Let me tell you that my hubby has the WORST set of observational skills possible. A man who has a bachelors degree in Finance. A man who has an MBA. A man who used to be a navigator in the military. He does not pay attention to what's around him. I know that's one thing that they try to get military personnel to do.

"Be aware of your surroundings!"

Last night I was reading an article in the newspaper about Mexican restaurants. Specifically, how Wendy's will be closing a bunch of Baja Fresh locations in the mid-West.

Me: "It says Chipotle Restaurant continues to be #1 in sales for fast food Mexican."

Hubby: "Go figure."

Me: "It says that Wendy's is going to close about 20 Baja Fresh locations that are doing poorly."

Hubby: "Did they say where?"

Me: "It says there's one here!"

Hubby: "Really? Well, it wasn't listed in the phone book. Maybe that's why that location did so poorly. No one could find it."

Me: "Hmm...at least we've got a Chipotle near us. We should go there soon."

Hubby: "There's a Chipotle near us? Where?"

Me: "At X Road & Y Street" --> Please note that this is the main cross-street nearest my hubby's office.

Hubby: "Really? Where?" [He's got a lost look on his face]

Me: "Right next to the Trader Joe's."

Hubby: "There's a Trader Joe's on that corner?" [Looking even more confused]

Me: "Yes honey. There's a Chipotle and Trader Joe's right next door to each other. Right next to the KB Home office. On the southeast corner!"

Hubby: "Wow! I never saw it..."

Oh my golly! I was so ready to tap his forehead with the palm of my hand. He can be such a dunce! He drives to southwest corner of that intersection when he gets Dunkin Donuts! It's like how he never noticed the Outback Steakhouse on the northeast corner of that intersection.

Sometimes I want to yell at him. LOOK AROUND MAN! Check out your SURROUNDINGS! Geez...

Very different from the same loins

I can't help but marvel at how different my two children are from one another.

Of course, it may just be that I have a daughter and a son. It could be as simple as that. But it's so interesting at how each is so different and come from my husband and myself.

Pregnancy

Even while I was pregnant, I knew they'd be different. With my daughter, I felt hungry all the time. With my son, I had to force myself to eat. With my daughter, I gained 55 pounds. With my son, I only gained 30 pounds (well within the "recommended" amount). With my daughter, I was tired most of the time. With my son, I had more energy. With my daughter, I carried the weight throughout my entire lower part of my body. With my son, I carried in front only (you couldn't tell I was pregnant if you saw me from behind). My daughter would roll slowly, while my son would jab and push me suddenly. My daughter had hiccups in-utero, whereas my son never had one attack (he still tries to fight his hiccups to this day).

And they enter...

My daughter entered the world at 5 pounds 9 ounces. Just ONE ounce above the "low birthweight" limit. She nursed like a champ. She nursed casually. I had no difficulties with establishing her on a good breastfeeding schedule. I was able to nurse her for 9 months -- until my body gave out on me. She started sleeping through the night at 3 1/2 months of age, which is pretty amazing for a fully breastfed baby.

My son entered the world at 7 pounds 11 ounces. A big bruiser compared to his sister. It took us some time to estabish a nursing relationship. He sucked hard. Way TOO hard. I ended up with cracked nipples. I was only able to nurse him for 3 months. I couldn't handle him and my daughter along breastfeeding. It was too difficult. Then, my son didn't sleep through the night until he was almost 7 months old.

Height/weight

The one amazing similarity between the both of them is that they gained almost 4 pounds in their first month of life. Yes! You read that correctly. My daughter went from 5 lb 9 oz to 9 lb 2 oz. My son went from 7 lb 11 oz to 11 lb 7 oz. My pediatrician used to joke with me that I made "superman breastmilk." So even though my daughter started out small, she caught up to her peers in no time flat.

My daughter came into the world long and lanky. She's continued on that same vein. She's always been at 75% or higher in height, but in the 25% for weight. When she turned 4, she'd just gotten over the 30 pound mark. At 4 years old, she can finally sit in a booster seat! When I describe my daughter, I say she's "built like a reed." She's got long lanky limbs. She's got long fingers (hopefully we'll get her into some piano lessons one day). She's even got long slender feet & toes! Because she's thin and tall, I have the HARDEST time finding bottoms that fit her. I've had to basically dress her in leggings in the colder months because that's all that would fit her. Not ANY leggings either. Most leggings makers have a wider waist than my girl has on her. So for the last FOUR years, I've had to purchase Gymboree leggings for her. Thankfully, a handful of manufacturers have started to make slender size clothing (Lands End, Old Navy, GAP) so I can finally put her in jeans and pants.

My son has a bulky build to him. He's not short by any means. He's on the tall side, but he's hefty. He weighted 27 pounds at his 18 months appointment! My daughter wasn't 27 pounds until she was 30 months (2 1/2 years old)! I'm sure he'll be somewhere within the 30 pound mark at his 24 month appointment (next week). He reminds me of a football player. Wide shoulders. Thick thighs. Those thighs aren't fatty either. They're pure muscle. What's funny is that even his feet are bulky in shape. I have to buy WIDE shoes for his pudgy feet. I like these Nike's best for his pudgies because they come in wide width and because they're really flexible. I hate it when manufacturers make kids' shoes and the shoes are as stiff as a board.

Physicality

My daughter learned to walk two days before she turned one. I was at the kitchen table gathering stuff after dinner and my hubs was at the sink washing stuff. Suddenly, the Princess was going round and round the kitchen island. The hubs and I looked at each other in shock & in joy. We thought she was doing her normal practice routine of holding the lower cabinets and moving about the kitchen. But there she was walking freely in circles. She had her arms out like an airplane. She walked in a rocking motion side-to-side. But she was walking!

We could tell from the beginning that she was a "careful" baby. When learning new things, she'd do things cautiously. Slowly. If she didn't like something then she wouldn't do it again. You know how when you're a first-time parent and you're worried about SIDS? We didn't have ANYTHING to worry about. When she was about 6 months old, she rolled over for the first time. She didn't like that sensation one IOTA! So if we put her on her back she'd stay that way. Seriously! Even though it worried us a little at first, we realized that she would never be in danger of suffocating if she was on her tummy.

My son has been able to jump, run, hop, & trot for a long time. He's been walking (yes...walking without holding onto anything) since he was about 9 months old. One week he learned to crawl. Then he pulled himself up the next week. Then he was walking. It was SO quick. I couldn't believe it. The activity center/walker (picture below) we bought for him at 5 months didn't really get any use. You know what he used it for? To climb on. We tried to use it as a barrier in front of our fireplace. He'd just step onto the bottom rails and balance himself around the thing. Of course, I was nervous about him learning to walk so early. At 8 1/2 months, babies really don't understand the rules. I wanted to hover yet let him learn. When he chipped a piece off his front left tooth (at 10 months), I knew we'd be in for a bumping ride (read as "visits to the ER") with him.

What's nice about having him so physical? Is that he's challenging his sister. She's wrestling with him. Which makes her more confident in her strength. And helping him figure out his strength. Of course, there's the business of breaking the two apart when it becomes TOO physical. But hey! That goes with having two kids, right?

Personality

My daughter is on the shy side. She's kind of like me. Put into a new situation, she's quiet and observant. She checks out the scene. Then she interacts with people once she feels more comfortable. I don't try to make light of her shyness. I let her be herself. What I do is encourage her to interact. If she doesn't feel like it then I know she's not yet comfortable. I give her the time and the space to get acclimated. My daughter is also on the sensitive side. If she gets scolded, she pouts. If she gets hurt, she cries like nobodies tomorrow. Once you spray some Bactine and put a band-aid she's all fine.

Now, my son is Mister Personality. He's comfortable wherever he happens to be. He flirts like a maniac. We can be in a restaurant and he'll make google eyes at the waitress. We'll be at the grocery store and he'll make google eyes at the gals at the check-out. When he sees a lady? He's all about smiling. "HIiiii..." while he waves his chubby hand. When he says HI? It's kind of that lilting flirty way too! Where'd he learn that? Not from me! Not from my hubby! Now when my son gets scolded, he gets a semi-tantrum. He'll actually throw himself on the ground in protest. He'll just lie there on the ground spread eagle on his tummy. He won't cry. But he'll just lay there in protest. When he gets bumped? He generally bounces back up after a couple seconds (unless it's a real big bang on the head).

Milestones

Talking: My daughter and I could have conversations when she was 18 months old. My son? He's just beginning to string words together at almost 2 years of age.

Jumping: My daughter didn't learn how to jump until she was about 16 months old. My son learned by 11 months.

Throwing: My daughter learned to throw early on. But throwing AT someone? Not until she was 2 1/2 maybe. Now the little guy has been throwing AT us since he was 1 1/2. And let me say that he throws HARD.

Catching: My daughter learned at about 2 1/2. My son already can catch.

Bed: My daughter transitioned to a toddler bed at 21 months. She understood that she had to stay in the bed when she woke up. She'd just call us when she woke up. My son is STILL in a crib. We're going to keep him in that thing as long as possible. We'll be moving to our two-story house in March [crossing my fingers here], so we want him to still be in the crib at that time. This way he won't be wandering the halls. We need to get our gates and "security" system in place before he gets into a bed.

Potty-Training: My daughter was urinating in the toilet at 2 1/2 years old. She was having bowel movements in there by 3 1/2 years old. She just WOULD NOT have those in the toilet for the longest time. What's funny is that her best friend (who was a boy) also would have his bowel movements exclusively in a diaper. They'd both ask for them. Crazy, eh? My son is just getting oriented to the toilet. We sit him on his foam seat before bathtime.

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Now how different are YOUR kids? Does it amaze how at how unique each one is?

I tell you. It can be hard for me to keep shifting gears between each one. But they both are such a joy. Seeing each one develop into their individual selves is humbling. I have to take a step back. I have to NOT hover over them. I need to let them grow. I need to let them learn. My children aren't babies anymore!

House update

Our framing walk-through is scheduled for next Monday!

[Applause, applause, applause]

I can't believe it myself. The builder supervisor told my husband that they typically finish a house two months after the framing walk-through. That means we'll be closing on our new house by mid-March!

I am totally excited at the prospect of that time frame. That just means we'll be in the house by our 9th wedding anniversary. That would be LOVELY. Just lovely!

What we have to figure out is the timing on how to move into the house. We've got stuff in storage where we used to live (2 hours away). Then we've got the stuff that we're living with in the townhouse. Hmmm...

New Year

I've gone and done it. I colored my hair! Yes! It's now back to ONE color. It's not a soft black. No more streaks. No more highlights. No more tell-tale roots.

Shocked the heck out of my hubby when I walked out of the master bedroom an hour after I closed the door. He thought I was putting in more highlights. Like I'd have the magical ability to do that. By myself? In less than an hour? Yeah, right! His response was "It's all one color!"

Now that my hair is officially back to it's natural color...I'll be headed to the salon tomorrow. To a salon. Not a Cost Cutters. Not a SuperCuts. No Fantastic Sam's. Go ahead. I'm sure the thoughts of SNOB have raced through a couple of your minds. I don't have ANYTHING against those places. But I only get my hair cut every 3 to 4 months. So...I splurge and go to a salon.

If I lived in the community where I grew up in, I'd go to a local place that only charges $15. Why not do that here? Because where I grew up, there are hairdressers who understand my type of hair. The people out here who charge $15 just chop my hair straight and think that's it. I need for it to have texture for it to look nice AND grow out nicely. My sister? She only pays $15 for a cut. She only pays $40 for highlights. Yes! And it looks AWESOME. But alas...I live where I live and have to pay $$$ for a fantastic haircut.

But by lunchtime tomorrow I'll have my new look ALL done. Well, the new look from the shoulders up, that is. I'm still working on my new look from the shoulders down. Remember...I have all year to accomplish THAT one.