McBabble

A Scene from Our Script

2012-02-16T22:44:00.000-06:00

CHARACTERS

CHARLIE: A four-year-old going on fourteen. Too smart for his own good. Does not know what curiosity did to the cat.

MAMA: Thirtysomething sleep-deprived mother of two. She has been worn down enough that “Just go with it” is her new motto.

Act I, Scene 492

(CHARLIE goes to his room for afternoon nap. MAMA tucks him in, hits “Play” on his CD player, and leaves room. Five seconds later CHARLIE flies out of his room screeching and whining.)

CHARLIE: It’s not working!

MAMA: What isn’t working?

CHARLIE: My CD isn’t playing!

(MAMA goes back in room, inspects CD, tries playing it again with no luck.)

MAMA: It was working last night. Why isn’t it working now?

CHARLIE: There’s cookie crumbs in it.

MAMA: Why are there cookie crumbs in the CD player?

CHARLIE: Because I put a cookie in there to see if it would play.

MAMA: Did it play cookie music?

CHARLIE: No.

(CHARLIE turns radio on and returns to bed. MAMA tucks CHARLIE in again and is seen shaking her head while muttering unintelligible sounds as she closes the door.)

FADE OUT

Grateful Mess

2012-02-02T10:47:00.002-06:00

I look around the house and see so many messes. Messes that I’m grateful for.

Snips of paper and twine scattered under the table. So thankful for a crafty little boy who buzzes by the table to color or cut or glue for a few minutes before buzzing off to his next adventure.

Clothes piling up in the laundry basket. Thankful that we have more clothes than we need. And thankful for little boys who get dirty.

Plates with crusted remains of dinners past. Thankful to have more than we need. Thankful for clean water and soap that will be there when I find the time to tackle the dishes.

A bathroom that needs a good mopping, a tub with more toys than space to bathe.

Toys invade every room. Waking up to discover that you’ve slept with a stuffed gorilla, a picture book, and a few wooden trains hidden in the bed.

A neglected blog. A sign that we are busy. But not in meaningless busyness, but deep in the throes of everyday life with little ones. I’m thankful to have these demands on my time.

Our NICU Stay

2011-09-20T01:46:00.004-05:00

So, Baby Jack turned eight months old yesterday! And I’m still trying to finish his birth story. There’s so much to say about our NICU stay, and it’s impossible to fully describe its impact and all the things I learned. I’ve written this post half a dozen times. It’s still not hitting the mark for me, but it’s time to move on. In other words: That’ll do, pig. That’ll do. (Name that movie!)

Baby Jack went to the NICU soon after he was born so doctors could check out his little heart and look for any other congenital anomalies. I think the poor little guy was scanned, x-rayed, and examined from head to toe. Doctors did find a couple of other things, but nothing they seemed concerned about. Which leads me to the strangest part of this whole experience—I didn’t know if I should be worried about him or not.

Some of this haziness I can blame on hormones, but I just didn’t have any sense of perspective on the severity of his issues. We had been so concerned about him before he was born, and now here he was, doing great and not needing any interventions. Yet, he was in this place with other babies who needed constant intensive care. Plus, we were sent home with six pages of diagnoses and appointments with specialists, and I just didn’t know what to think. I just kept telling myself that they wouldn’t have sent him home if he wasn’t okay.

So in the following weeks and months, we had many visits with the pediatrician and other specialists, and with each one, my anxiety lessened. He even had surgery to repair a couple of things and has a few more specialist visits, but he’s just doing great. And along the way, I’ve learned to identify and confront my fears in order to stop worrying about him.

My appreciation for life in all of its variations was so enriched by our NICU experience. And we were only there for a week! You might read these and think “Gee, what a bunch of clichés.” And you’d be correct. But now I understand them so much more than just repeating them as platitudes. I could write pages about these, but how about some handy bullet points instead?

• Life comes in so many variations and shades. Life can be heartbreaking. And heartbreakingly beautiful. And people are amazing in their capacities to care.
• NICU nurses are superheroes. I cannot imagine what they see on a daily basis. The nurses we had were amazing. And they really do care and connect with babies when it might be so much easier to emotionally detach.
• There are no guarantees in life. Things can really suck, but to worry about the future is to waste the present. I have so much more motivation to do things because this moment is all I’ve got.
• It’s my job and honor to see these boys into the world and out of it if need be. If anything should happen to them, I’ll disintegrate into a pile of ashes and be swept away by the wind. But to fear illness and death or to be anxious about the future is a waste of time. (See also The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. It will straighten out your priorities in a hurry.)
• No regrets. Live with a Saturday mentality. On Saturdays, you indulge yourself--maybe you sleep a little later or do fun things that you’ve put off. Do more “Saturday things” every day.
• Be kind. We met so many people in the hospital and who knows what challenges they faced. Everyone has a secret struggle. Turn a trivial encounter (talk to a cashier, hold a door open, let that car merge, wave at a child) into something positive. Make “nice” your default setting.

Extra Precautions Taken

2011-07-27T23:38:00.002-05:00

So Dave made a quick trip back home to pack his bag and pick up my bag. And he also stopped by 7-Eleven to pick up snacks.

If there’s anyone who needs sleep, it’s someone who is about to be the caretaker of a newborn. Trying to sleep in a strange place is no fun, especially with the excitement and anxiousness of knowing you are giving birth the next day. And then there’s the fetal heart monitor that wouldn’t stay in place. Every time the monitor couldn’t find Baby Jack’s heartbeat, it would beep loudly. This happened all night long. At first, a nurse would arrive to adjust the belly-monitoring belt and reset it with each beeping session. Then later, the beeping would occur and no one would check on us. Having watched nurses hit the reset button, I just started resetting the monitor myself. Baby Jack had been doing fine and our vitals were taken regularly, and at 3:30 a.m., all I wanted was to sleep.

A little before 6:00 a.m., we were moved to labor and delivery for the show to begin. I was hooked up to the IV and was pleasantly surprised that the meds didn’t burn when going in. I had complained earlier to my doctor that the worst part of Charlie’s labor was the burn of penicillin going in. It was so cold going in each time, and my hand hurt for weeks afterward. This time, however, was great and I didn’t even notice it.

Let me say that a good labor and delivery nurse is worth his/her weight in gold. We had a great one. She treated us like real people and was a great advocate. Case in point, that afternoon as contractions started to intensify, I was managing okay, but she told me that if I was going to have an epidural, I should do it now. She said there were a couple of people who were at the same stage of labor as me. With one of the anesthesiologists occupied with a complicated Cesarean, it might be awhile before another one could get to me once I was ready. So I’d better not wait until I really needed it. That's valuable insider information. Also, our nurse had small hands. You ladies know what I’m talking about.

The only excitement with Jack’s labor and delivery was that my epidural was completely different from the one with Charlie. With Charlie, I didn’t feel a thing. It was awesome. With Jack, the epidural dulled the sharp pain, but not the dull ache of bones pulling apart. The idea that an epidural might not stop all of the pain was news to me. (Surprise!) I started feeling pain across my thighs and then my back with each contraction. And then things got ugly as the aching pain just kept coming with no end in sight. I’m talking groaning like a dying cow ugly.

I think it’s that “no end in sight” thing that makes labor so mentally challenging. If the doctor could tell you that you’re going to be in moderate pain for 5 hours and then severe pain for 1 hour and then you’ll be done, you could prepare and deal with the pain. But when the contractions come rolling in a little stronger each time with no end in sight, it makes you grateful to have drugs in your spine.

An anesthesiologist came in and turned the epidural up a notch, which seemed fine for a little while. When the dull pain came back, he returned with something in a syringe and put meds directly in the line. When nothing gave me relief, a different anesthesiologist came in to assess the pain level and see if they needed to redo the epidural. Redoing the epidural was not at all what I wanted. I knew how still you have to be and now with these contractions, it was not going to be pretty. But I also knew that it might mean eventual relief.

While considering redoing the epidural, however, my saintly nurse suggested checking me to see how far along we were. She, of the small hands, checked me and laughed saying, “He’s right there!” She asked me to do a practice push and quickly told me to stop saying that it was delivery time. With that statement, I suddenly had relief from the pain! Knowing that the end was near, I could handle it now. See what I mean about that “no end in sight” thing?

My doctor arrived along with a neonatologist and a team of assorted assistants and nurses. Jack had tolerated labor well with no dips in his heart rate. But the maternal fetal doctor thought that there was some enlargement of his heart with possible pulmonary stenosis, so extra precautions were taken.

I literally pushed three times, and there he was. Which leads me to believe that he had been ready for some time and his low position was the cause of the bone-cracking aches. Jack gave a sweet and hearty wail--such a beautiful sound.

The medical team checked him out, and then Dave and I got to hold him. He was such a sweetie and looked so much like Charlie. Everyone remarked that his color was great. Some babies with heart issues come out blue, but Jack was just as pink as could be. I later learned that his Apgars were 9 and 9 which is fantastic.

They put him in his infant Pope mobile and wheeled him to the NICU to check him out further. And as luck would have it, Granny, Granddaddy, and Charlie had arrived just in time to see him before he went to the NICU.

Stay tuned for the next episode: Our NICU Stay

The Beginning—It’s a Good Place to Start

2011-07-21T21:08:00.002-05:00

Jack was scheduled to be delivered on January 18th, a week before his due date. My doctor wanted me to go to the hospital the night before to get started. Inducing was new to us because labor with Charlie came on naturally. I wanted to avoid induction with Charlie and my doctor humored me, letting us go a week overdue to wait him out. With Charlie, my water broke at 2:30 a.m. and he was born a quick 20 hours later.

With our two-vessel umbilical cord and a possible heart issue, my doctor wanted Jack’s birth as controlled as possible. The goal was to deliver him during the day so that the full team of neonatologists, pediatric cardiologists, and assistants would be available. Our hospital (named #1 in the metro, BTW) always has these doctors available, but we were being polite and trying to have our baby when it was most convenient for them.

Side note: When you go to the hospital to be induced, you don’t get to come home until you’ve had a baby. That was news to me. I swear that my doctor told me that I’d come home and sleep after being monitored and getting the “ripening” drugs at the hospital. Then I was to report back to the hospital at 6:00 a.m. to start the hard drugs.

So picture me and Dave hanging out in the waiting room, wondering why it’s taking them so long to process our paperwork for this quick visit. (It’s because they were admitting you to the hospital, ya dummy.) After trying to explain to several staff members that my doctor said we could go home after I got the meds, a nurse finally came out to talk to us. She kindly smiled and shook her head and said that no one ever leaves (muhaha!) after starting the induction process. I cringe now thinking about what that nurse must’ve thought about us—and these people will be taking care of a new human being?!

Oh well, it made a funny side note in Jack’s birth story.

To be continued…

All New All Over Again

2011-07-20T18:04:00.004-05:00

When Jack smiled for the first time, my heart sang.

The discovery of his little anomalies stripped away any expectations that I had for him. Which has been a great blessing. I take such pleasure in seeing him grow and develop. He loves interacting with others--he’s quite a flirt. And he has such fun discovering his body. His tongue and his feet are two of his current faves.

Life with Jack and Charlie is such a lesson in taking one day at a time, learning that there are no guarantees, living in the now, and more clichés too numerous to list…lol. But it’s true.

Weee're Baaack

2011-07-20T17:37:00.000-05:00

Baby Jack is six months old! Time flies when you’re ~~having fun~~ doing a million things every day (and yes, having fun, too). Jack is a wonderfully happy baby and so easy. He makes me feel like I got this. I know I have a lot of catch-up writing to do, but in a nutshell (“Help! I’m in a nutshell” <--name that movie), he is doing great.

And omigosh have I learned/realized/figured out a lot about so much. Having these two kids has been so therapeutic. Maybe more on that later, too.

December Growth Scan

2010-12-14T12:42:00.002-06:00

We had our monthly growth scan last week. Baby’s weight looks good. He weighs around 4 pounds 12 ounces, which actually measures a week ahead of schedule. He’s also finally positioned head down, which I was glad to see. And he had his feet up by his face for much of the time. It was funny to watch him do gymnastics in there. We talked to the doctor about delivery, and she said there was no reason not to prepare for a regular birth. However, they recommended inducing at 39 weeks because of the two-vessel umbilical cord.

During this visit, we also met with the “Nurse Navigator” who is a support person for people having babies with issues. She said that after baby is born, he’d have another echocardiogram. And we’d also have a consultation with a pediatric orthopedist to look at his hand. She also helped us with important things like where to park and where to check-in for delivery…lol.

This week I had my first nonstress test, which involved me sitting in a recliner watching TV with a fetal heart monitor strapped to my belly. It was challenging, but I powered through. They record Baby’s heart activity for a minimum of 20 minutes and see how the heart reacts when he moves. The doctor said that the print-out of his heart activity looked great. I’ll have these tests once a week, not that I’ll look forward to them or anything… ;)

I also saw my regular doctor this week for the usual check-up. We talked a little about delivery and the process of inducing. She said that we’d have more of a game plan as the date approached. It’s a little strange to have the decision-making process split between two doctors. But my regular doctor defers a lot to the maternal-fetal doctor who has been doing my monthly ultrasounds. So long as everyone is on the same page, we’re good!

November Growth Scan

2010-11-08T19:44:00.002-06:00

(After my last belated post, you are now back to present day!)

We had our monthly growth ultrasound today. The doctor said that Baby looked great. His estimated weight is 3lbs. 4oz, which the doctor said is in the 60th percentile and right on track. She said that it appeared the single umbilical artery wasn't having a detrimental impact at all. She also said the heart was stable and doing fine. Also, amniotic fluid levels were fine. Yay!

In a way, I think we're lucky to get to see so many images of Baby. I can really tell how much he is filling out each time. At this appointment, we saw some great images of his face. And I'm pretty sure that he winked at us. He definitely opened and closed one eye. It's also neat to see the movements on screen match the movements that I feel. We brought Charlie with us this time. He liked seeing Baby "on TV" and "swim in the water."

After having the ultrasound, I saw my regular doctor for my monthly checkup. This is my last monthly appointment with her. I'll see her every two weeks after this and then weekly for the last month. I got to show her my rash. Yep, I have PUPPP (pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy). It's just as cool as it sounds. I have bumps on my stomach, upper thighs, and backs of my arms. And it makes me want to scratch my skin off. I've been using some anti-itch lotion given to Charlie by a dermatologist for his rash (that's a whole 'nother story), and it's been working pretty well. I asked my doctor if the rash would come and go, and she said “Well, it usually just gets worse until delivery.” Awesome. I let her know that it hasn't been as itchy for the past couple of days, but she wrote me a prescription in case it gets unbearable. I read that less than 1% of pregnant women get PUPPP and that it occurs more often in women carrying boys. I think I'm going to go buy a lottery ticket with all of the luck we've been having lately!

Also, she had received the test results from my glucose screening and my baseline protein screening. I had the privilege of collecting my urine for a 24 hour period for that last test. Again, it was just as awesome as it sounds. All of the test results came back negative, normal, and/or fine.

Visit with Pediatric Cardiologist

2010-11-08T17:55:00.005-06:00

(This entry is a month old. I wrote it last month and then didn't edit and publish it until today. Whoops.)

In the first week of October we met with a pediatric cardiologist who along with the sonographer, took another long look at Baby's heart. Baby, of course, was not in a great position to see his heart. He was laying diagonally with his feet down toward my left hip and his head up on my right side. And facing backwards. Occasionally, he'd even curl up into a ball, putting his feet up over his head. He was very active (perhaps I shouldn't have had that Dr. Pepper with lunch...) and would often move right as they were about to get the image they needed. It took some perserverence on everyone's part. It was a little worrisome to hear the cardiologist occasionally say “Whoa!” or “Oh, wow!” Luckily he was just saying this when they were able to finally get a clear image, and not because of any abnormalities or anything. Also, Dave fell asleep at one point. Just wanted to mention that.

After looking all around, the cardiologist said that he didn't see any severe structural issues. He said that he thought the pulmonary valve looked “a little generous” and that there were a couple of bright spots (echogenic spots) where the pulmonary valves are located. He said that he sometimes sees this on “normal” hearts, and it could also be an issue related to the single artery umbilical cord. He also noted that the wall between the right ventricle and left ventricle looked a little thicker than usual. Overall, he didn't see any severe life-threatening issues that would need immediate attention. Both he and the sonographer didn't really see the thickening of the musculature on the right side of Baby's heart that the regular maternal-fetal doctor had noted earlier. From what he saw, he could rule out 80-90% of severe conditions. But he did add that some things cannot be picked up on a prenatal ultrasound like small holes, etc. Once Baby is born, they'll be able to get a much clearer look.

He left to confer with the maternal-fetal doctor who came in later to talk to us. We were all glad that the cardiologist did not see anything that concerned him, and she reiterated that we are probably dealing with some mild stenosis. Also, she said that Baby weighs 1 pound 12 ounces, which is right on track. That's up from 1 pound 2 ounces last month. She said if his development stays on track like this, then we could anticipate carrying him full term. Her final piece of good news was that amniotic fluid levels also looked normal.

We'll continue to have monthly check-ups to track Baby's development. And I'll probably still get butterflies in my stomach every time the sonographer leaves the room to get the doctor. But hearing this good news is almost like finding out for the first time that you are expecting. Back in September, the feelings of fear and anxiety had really buried the excitement and anticipation that I should've been experiencing. So now everything's kind of new again. It's starting to feel okay to get excited. That little twinge of unease that I get when talking to Charlie about Baby is almost gone. The world has started spinning again—and it's really nice!

Follow-up ultrasound

2010-10-03T23:30:00.006-05:00

On September 20, we had our follow-up ultrasound and echocardiogram of Baby's heart. My biggest hope was that the doctor would be able to tell us something specific about Baby's heart. In some ways, I'd almost take a poor diagnosis over not knowing what was wrong. And of course, Baby was in a terrible position to see his heart. He was feet down and facing my spine. So for the whole procedure, I lay on my left side while the sonographer worked the transducer deep into my right hip. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, but I would've agreed to stand on my head if it would make getting the images easier!

It took about 30 or 40 minutes, then the sonographer said she'd go talk to the doctor and they'd be right back. At least this time, we couldn't wait to hear from the doctor! Dave and I made small talk and then waited in silence for them to come back. We knew that we could be facing some hard decisions or challenging situations depending on what happened next.

The doctor and sonographer finally came back. The doctor said that Baby's heart is created differently than other people's. The heart is on the right side of his body, but there is no hernia or anything pushing it to that side. It is oriented up and down (like normal), and all of the arteries and veins appear to be hooked up correctly and going to the right places. When she said that all four chambers are there and working correctly, I breathed a sigh of relief because that meant no hypoplastic left heart syndrome. She also said that there is no transposition of the great vessels which would've also involved major surgery.

The doctor continued and said that Baby's heart is working and the flow of blood looks good. However, the musculature on the outside of the heart is enlarged on the right side. She said that the most common cause of this is pulmonary stenosis. This is a narrowing of the pulmonary valve that connects one of the heart chambers to the pulmonary artery. She said that this will most likely not require immediate surgery.

I've never been happier to have a little heart problem!

She also said that Baby's face looked fine and that amniotic fluid levels looked fine. As an afterthought, I asked about Baby's hand because the genetic counselor had called it ectrodactyly, which is a deeper split into the hand than syndactyly. Sometimes fingers can also be missing when there is ectrodactyly. She said that it does appear to be more like ectrodactyly. But she confirmed that all limbs are working and moving when I asked about that. The doctor theorized that early on in the pregnancy, something happened with Baby's development that affected his right side, since the affected hand is on the right side, and the heart is located on the right side.

Also, Baby's development is right on track. He weighed 1 lb. 2 oz. which was up from the 9 oz. that he weighed three weeks previously. We'll continue to receive regular ultrasounds to make sure that his development is on track. Sometimes babies with a two-vessel umbilical cord don't receive the nutrients that they need and can be smaller in size.

So with all of this good news, you'd think that I wouldn't be worrying anymore, right? Now my fear is that something new will be discovered on one of our ultrasounds. “Oh by the way, your Baby is also missing this one little thing that is required for a good quality of life.” Maybe it's just the hormones or all of the anxiety working its way out of my system. Our next ultrasound is next week, and we'll get to meet with a pediatric cardiologist. He/She will be there to look at the images and hopefully give us an idea of what to expect at delivery.

January cannot get here fast enough.

Results and counseling

2010-09-30T17:17:00.006-05:00

So I kind of exaggerated when I said that we waited for two weeks for our results. A few days after the ultrasound and amniocentesis, we received preliminary results from a FISH test. The FISH test only looks at chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X, and Y since most abnormalities are related to these chromosomes. For example, an extra chromosome 21 indicates Down Syndrome. Feel free to ask me anything about chromosomes, prenatal testing, and heart defects because I earned my “Google M.D.” in the days following our amniocentesis!

I got a call from a nurse at the ultrasound office letting us know that our FISH results were normal. There are no numerical anomalies in these specific chromosomes. Which should be reassuring, right? Of course not for me because now I'm thinking "What about all of the other chromosomes?" So we could do nothing but wait for the complete results.

About a week and a half later, a nurse called to let us know that the complete results were in and that they verified the FISH test. But then when I asked if they looked at all of the chromosomes, she just repeated that there were no numerical anomalies with 13, 18, 21, X, and Y. But she also said that Baby was “chromosomally normal.” So that's good news, right? I was a little confused, but glad to know that we'd soon be meeting with a genetic counselor to go over the results.

If you want to know the millions of things that can go wrong with your baby, see a genetic counselor. It's so much fun! Actually, ours is very considerate, not at all alarmist, but for all of his tact, he couldn't make this any less scary. He confirmed that Baby's chromosomes are numerically normal. However, they are continuing with a microarray analysis that looks for additions, deletions, and translocations within individual genes.

The news that our amnio results were normal should've been a relief, but it just felt like one item to be crossed off the list. Normal chromosomes or not, Baby still had a heart issue that we didn't fully know about. The counselor tried to give us an idea of the challenges Baby could face depending on the severity of the defect. We talked about all kinds of heart issues, including the very severe Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome for which there is no cure except a heart transplant. These babies typically face three open heart surgeries before the age of three. Could we handle something like that? How would that change our family? How would Charlie be affected? So many questions and not enough information to answer them.

Even though I've just wanted to pull the covers over my head and hibernate until we know all of the facts, there are some good things about this experience that I've tried to keep in mind. One is that we have had a great experience with our doctors. The ultrasound office is just a counter away from my regular OB/GYN, and the genetic counselor actually works in both offices so there is good communication among them. My OB/GYN even called to check on me after the maternal-fetal doctor told her about our ultrasound. We have also been contacted by a “nurse navigator” who supports people who have babies with problems. She coordinates all of our appointments and is a resource when we have questions.

Also, I've read many stories where women and families didn't find out that their babies had serious conditions until after their births. I think about how lucky we are to know that there is a problem and to know that people are working hard to figure out what it is. So while there is so much unknown, we still have a lot to be thankful for.

Next--our follow up ultrasound and fetal echocardiogram. Answers at last!

Through the wringer

2010-09-29T22:25:00.000-05:00

On August 30 we had our regular level 2 ultrasound to check Baby's anatomy. Dave and Charlie went with me, and we had just decided that day to find out Baby's sex for Charlie's benefit. We didn't find out when we were pregnant with Charlie, so it was a nonissue for me and Dave.

The scan seemed to go well. Baby was active and let us know that he is clearly a boy. I was shocked because I just knew it was a girl. I had had a dream in which my mom had bought all of these baby girl clothes, took the tags off, and washed them all because she was so certain it was a girl. In real life, she had thought girl early on, but that had suddenly changed to boy. She was right.

The sonographer finished up and said that she needed to write up the report and would return. Well, she did return, but she was accompanied by the maternal-fetal doctor. I knew that the doctor only comes in when there's a problem, and my face went numb.

The doctor told us that Baby has a few anomalies that are of concern. First, the umbilical cord should have two arteries and a vein, and ours has only one artery and a vein. She called it a two vessel cord and I've also seen it called single umbilical artery (SUA). She also said there is excessive amniotic fluid. All the while, I'm thinking “Okay, this is great but hurry up and get to Baby...” She did get to Baby and said that his right hand shows syndactyly or joining of the fingers in two places. She said that it appears that Baby's pointer finger and middle finger are joined and then his ring finger and pinky are joined. I'm thinking “Gee, that's weird, but doesn't really seem like a big deal.” Then she said, “There is also an issue with Baby's heart” and all I remember hearing is roaring in my ears. One side of the heart is larger than the other. The doctor suspected blockage of some sort, but needed better images to know more.

The doctor said that all of these things may not be serious issues by themselves, but that these are often indicators of a chromosomal syndrome. At this point I was just in sponge mode, trying to absorb everything that she said. I glanced over at Dave who just looked like a statue, he was so stunned. She recommended amniocentesis to check Baby's chromosomes and offered to let us go home and think about it or go ahead and have it done right then. There was no disagreement between me and Dave—we wanted it done immediately.

As the sonographer, doctor, and interning doctor got ready for the procedure, I told Dave to take Charlie back to the lobby where he could play. Dave had no clue what amniocentesis entailed, but I knew about the long needle. I was also concerned that Charlie would see them inserting the needle into my stomach and then try to imitate it on the dogs or himself!

I've read lots of horror stories about amniocentesis, but mine was no problem. There was no pain or pressure, and the doctor was very reassuring saying that she had had two of them herself. She even made the shy interning doctor hold my hand throughout it...lol.

Then ensued two weeks of waiting for our results...

Have I got news for you

2010-09-27T01:24:00.003-05:00

We are expecting a baby! He is due January 24th. We are excited to be expanding our family! I've been really laid back about this second baby. Perhaps keeping up with an almost 3 year old contributes to that? Early pregnancy wasn't too bad. A little nausea, a lot of tiredness (see 3 year old above), and aches that appeared much earlier than with Charlie. However, this easy-going baby was about to present us with some challenges that we never anticipated.

Tips for Bad Parenting

2010-08-22T20:48:00.003-05:00

1. Leave powdered mineral makeup available for toddler play. It is especially lovely when sprinkled on carpet. Its permanence will be a great reminder of the creative art little ones can make. The two hours that you will spend trying to remove it will just be a reminder of your little one's artistic genius.

2. Leave in-progress knitted sweater within reach of toddler. He will enjoy removing the needles and pretending to knit. Nevermind that many, many stitches will be ripped out from the work in progress. Consider it a bonus to leave scissors nearby so that little fingers can cut the brand new and expensive circular needles apart, rendering them fit for the garbage.

3. Let toddler play in vehicle after arriving home. He will enjoy turning on lights, windshield wipers, radio, etc. Don't worry about double-checking that everything has been turned off. You will enjoy a special parenting moment the next day when, upon getting ready to leave, you discover that the car battery is dead.

This past week held a few new challenges...

The long awaited and much anticipated Charlie update

2010-08-11T17:48:00.003-05:00

A post so long that I included subheadings! There's no way I can keep up with everything he is learning and doing. And there are only so many ways that I can say “Charlie is the most wonderful, curious, infuriating, loving, funny creature that has ever walked the planet.” So if you are wondering what we do every day, I guess you could say that we are deep in the throes of living. And I'm soaking him up as much as I can.

Imagination
I'm so glad that Charlie has an expressive imagination. Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge, and I believe it. Charlie loves to pretend. He cooks various foods and offers them to you. He hands you kittens and baboons to hold. (“Mama, do you want a kitten?”) He sometimes sees a big white dog at Granny and Granddaddy's. And every once in a while, there is a man or monster down the hall that he has to run from. He even creates words when he doesn’t know the answer to a question. He pretends to be April (Gam Gam and Papa’s cat), complete with meowing and a sweet feline expression. He also points out photos of himself on the laptop screen when it is turned off.

Memory
His memory is impressive. Perhaps I admire it so much because my brain has turned to mush in the last three years! He remembers everything we do and the people we meet. He even seems to know his way around town. For example, he knows when we are passing Nana’s house (assisted living facility). He knows the names of restaurants by their signs and always recognizes the same billboard with a four-wheeler on it when we drive to Norman. He once saw a picture of a horse and asked if it was a unicorn. Where does that stuff come from?

Talky Talky
Speaking of words, Charlie uses lots of them. Some mornings he wakes up speaking in paragraphs. It's a little jarring to keep up with at that hour. It's been neat to hear his speech improve and to hear him use sounds that he previously couldn't say. He still reverses sounds in some words like biscuit-bisick, animals-aminals, basketball-basickball, medicine-medsenen, and cinnamon-cimanen. He also uses some adult words and phrases which cracks me up because they come out of nowhere. He enjoys using words like also, forever, and many. He has also learned a curse word, and he occasionally uses it correctly and in context. I just hope that he doesn't spring it on me in public.

Misc
• He is developing his sense of humor. He understands when things are funny or silly and will laugh if you ask him a silly question.
• Still likes to dance to music. He developed a funny one-legged hopping dance while at Granny and Granddads.
• Has shown much more control with using scissors and drawing lines. He has taken a little more interest in his Kumon activity books.
• Loves to listen to music and stories in the car. Current favorite is the “ba ba oleggy song” ("Sheep" by Zoe Lewis). "Banana Phone" and "This Old Man" are often requested. Another favorite is the story "Going on a Bear Hunt."
• He gets very frustrated when he can’t do things after trying really hard. He’s such an independent little person, and he doesn’t always like it when you help.
• He loves playing the piano and his hand-me-down electric keyboard and is very entertaining to listen to.

Summer Winding Down
We’ve had a lazy summer, which with several days in the hundreds, I hope is soon drawing to a close. We spend most of our time at the house playing in the playroom or outside in the backyard. We paint and draw and Playdoh and pretend and make roads for his vehicles. He still loves to help cook, wash dishes, and do laundry. (Please don't let that stop!) He and Daddy play with the water hose in the evenings, and someone always ends up naked. (I'll let you guess which one...) We also sometimes swim in our inflatable pool that we actually all fit into. We go to the playground at the lake when it isn’t so hot. He enjoys feeding the ducks. And the library is a regular hangout. Charlie especially loves playing an Elmo game on the computers there. Surprisingly, he’s not that interested in books. Being the progeny of two voracious readers, I guess genetics only gets you so far! After much cajoling, he'll finally select a book from the shelf and ask "CD inside?" Oh well, I'll just have to keep trying...

Is it spring yet?

2010-02-25T01:02:00.006-06:00

I keep thinking that I need to post a recap of Christmas... I'm aware that it's almost March. So briefly, our Christmas was wonderful. We received a Christmas Eve blizzard that left us home-bound for several days. I loved it. We opened presents Christmas morning, ate lots of goodies, and stayed in our pajamas past noon. Absolute heaven. We were finally able to get together with Dave's family on the 27th and then we left for Texas on the 28th. We had a great visit and returned after New Year's.

We've had so much snow this winter. Charlie has really loved playing in it, when we've let him! Sometimes it has just been too wet or too cold outside to properly enjoy it. I enjoy the winter weather, but it's challenging to keep Charlie entertained inside. I've relied on Playdoh, colors, paints, new books, lacing beads, his tent, and bean bags to keep things interesting. We also have a few things that we do religiously each week to get out of the house: visit the library, have lunch with Dave, visit the play area at the mall or the playground at the lake (weather permitting), etc.

In developmental news, Charlie has started voicing his opinion about the shows we watch on TV. He'll often ask to watch a particular show: “Watch Max Ruby?” And thank goodness for OnDemand, which gives us access to all of his favorite shows whenever we want to watch them. He has also started answering characters when they ask questions. Sometimes he just answers “yes” or “no” questions, but other times they are more detailed. For example, last night he told Diego to use the “hang-glider” to rescue an animal. True, they had repeated “hang-glider” several times, but it's neat to see him thinking about what's going on. Also, he's starting to learn colors. He's really good about identifying orange, black, and red. And he's started recognizing a few shapes, especially circles and triangles. He has also started saying "I like ___." Such as "I like bananas." It always tickles me when he does that.

One funny thing that happened a few weeks ago is that Charlie answered the phone. All by himself. While I was in the shower. For about a month now, I've been able to leave Charlie unsupervised while I take a quick shower. We haven't had any problems (knock on wood), but I try to be as quick as possible. I typically park him in our bed, turn the TV on, and figure he's good for 10 minutes. This day, I was showering when I heard Charlie opening the outer bathroom door. I figured he'd gotten bored with TV and had come to check on me. Knowing that he also likes to get into my makeup, I quickly finished up and heard him open the door again. Then I noticed that he had the phone up to his ear. And that he was talking to someone. We sometimes pretend to talk to people on the phone, so I didn't think much about it. But then he held the phone out to me and said “Granddad.” I looked at the phone and saw that the “talk” button was on. I held it up to my ear, and sure enough, it was Granddad. He had called to tell us about the snow they received, and the phone just happened to be on my nightstand next to where Charlie had been laying. He had never tried to answer the phone before, but I guess he heard it ringing and decided to see what would happen if he pushed buttons. He surprised all of us with that one, and we've had lots of laughs over it.

Accidental Santa Picture (a post that I wrote before Christmas that is just now getting posted!)

2010-01-22T01:58:00.005-06:00

A few nights ago, we were out running errands. I couldn't find what I needed at the usual places so we had to resort to...GOING TO THE MALL. I was dreading it, but it turns out that most people were doing something much more fun on a Friday night during the holiday season. Who knew? So, it was busy, but not crowded.

Dave dropped me off and stayed in the car with Charlie. I ran in, got what I needed, and then headed back to the car in time to see them getting out of the car and heading inside. Charlie was getting antsy in the car, and we needed to eat anyway, so we decided to get a bite to eat at the mall and walk around some.

On the way to the food court, I checked to see how many people were in line to see Santa. I was surprised to see...one family. So, we took advantage of that and made a bee-line to the North Pole. It was a special bonus that Charlie was wearing a decent-looking sweater and his hair was halfway laid down.

As we waited for the family in front of us to finish up, Dave and I tried to act happy and excited to see Santa since we didn't know how Charlie would react. Upon seeing the jolly old man, Charlie turned to stone. He literally wouldn't move. He was very intrigued, and never cried, but he also wouldn't move a muscle. So, I plopped him on Santa's lap and posed him as if he was a doll.

Charlie finally warmed up a little for the photographer who was pulling out all of the stops in order to get a grin. He finally rewarded her with one, and she snapped the picture with her lightning-fast reflexes. Surprisingly, it turned out pretty cute!

It was a great evening that really helped us get into the Christmas spirit. On the way home, we drove around looking at lights. We even saw several deer foraging around in the developing neighborhood to the north of us. Charlie kept calling them “reindeer.” I wasn't about to correct him.

Thanksgiving Recap

2009-12-07T21:47:00.006-06:00

We had a great trip back home for Thanksgiving. Once, we finally got there... When it's just Charlie and me, I have our bags packed and ready, so all we have to do is get up and get in the car. I don't know why adding one adult human and two dogs makes the process so much harder, but it does. We did good to leave the house by noon as we started our Thanksgiving holiday. In the past, I would've been stressed out and frustrated about the whole thing, but life's more about the journey than the end result, right? (I'll keep repeating that through clenched teeth...) Anyway, we made it with no problems, except for some whining, and some from Charlie, too.

Once at Granny and Granddad's, Charlie got lots of outside playtime. There were a couple of pretty cold days, but the end of the week was warmer. He enjoyed pretending to drive the “big tractor” (forklift) while Granny sang impromptu songs about it. He also liked having Granny push him on his “bike” (tricycle with a big plastic handle for adults to push it). And of course, Charlie could often be found playing in the rocks, dirt, and leaves.

Charlie also got to ride on a 4-wheeler for the first time. Granddaddy rode him around (very carefully!) several times, and Charlie wasn't scared of the noise or vibration. Charlie even got to "give it gas" a few times. He's a little heavy-handed with the throttle. Don't know where he'd get that.

On Thanksgiving Day and the following Saturday, we had lunch with family (Mom's side and then Dad's side). I'm always so impressed with my cousins' children. Maybe it's because I don't remember being that caring and well-behaved! At each family gathering, the younger kids seemed to really enjoy playing with Charlie and including him in their games. I hope Charlie grows up like them. I love seeing him play and visit with all of his relatives.

More Developments:

His speech is becoming clearer and easier to understand. End consonants like the -ch in “touch” and “lunch” are new. Also, he has started saying the -k in words like “monkey” and "uncle" which used to sound like “mummee” and "unnull."

Loves to climb, loves to stand on the couch and fall over, landing on the pillows. Loves to wallow on the dogs.

Enjoys helping wash dishes, put clothes in the dryer, and sweep the floor.

He's so fun to talk to and play with. It's like he's becoming a little human being or something!

He has also learned to roll his eyes. Not in a sarcastic way (yet!), but in a “Hey, look at what I can do!” kind of way.

He also likes to shake his head “yes” in an exaggerated way when he wants you to agree to something. For example he'll say “animal cookie?” and then *head shake*head shake*head shake* with eyebrows raised.

He can be a little bossy and will request that you “move” which really means get up and come with me. Or, he'll take your hand and say “to walk” which also means come follow me.

He also barks out a staccato “Ma! Ma!” sometimes upon waking. I think it's hilarious.

Happy Belated Birthday Boy!

2009-12-02T16:06:00.004-06:00

Charlie celebrated the big 02 on November 12. That morning, he had his 2 year check-up. He now weighs 34 ½ lbs and is 35 ½ inches tall. Charlie's square! He's in the 95th percentile for weight and the 75th - 90th percentile for height. I don't remember his head circumference, but it was also in the 95th percentile. He's graduated to wearing some 2T and 3T sizes. He has also outgrown the shoes we purchased back in the spring, and he now sports size 8 shoes.

We celebrated that night with a trip to Chick-Fil-A and then the local mega-furniture store. Yep, we party like rockstars around here. We did stop by Braums for ice cream cones on the way home. He's still kind of clueless about the whole birthday thing, so I didn't feel too bad. Plus, his big party was on the following Saturday.

On Saturday, we had the family over for lunch and cupcakes. It was such a wonderful day. (And I was so glad to have the house all back together after the conclusion of Never-ending Painting Project 2009!) He loved playing with all of his new toys and seeing everyone who came over. After everyone had eaten, we sang “Happy Birthday,” and Charlie ate his birthday cupcake. He had no trouble blowing out his candles, and did so before we even got started singing good. After that, the kids (Charlie and his cousin Katelin) enjoyed many rides in the new Radio Flyer from Granny and Granddaddy. The kids started getting tired soon after, and people began taking their leave.

Dave's brother Seth and his wife Kara hung around while Charlie and Katelin napped. The guys retired to the back patio where they started a fire and did manly things. You know, scratching and spitting. That sort of thing. Meanwhile, Mom and Kara and I stayed warm inside and had a nice visit. Talking with other adults is fun! I had forgotten that.

Once the kids woke up, we headed outside and cooked hot dogs over the fire. It was a perfect evening--just cool enough for a jacket, but not too cold that it was unbearable. I heated up chili and brought out cheese to make chili dogs. After that, we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. Seth and family left after a little while, and the rest of us stayed outside enjoying the fall night. Granny and Charlie made numerous wagon trips around the backyard and played chase in the dark, while the rest of us visited around the fire. Does it get any better than that?

Charlie Talks. A lot.

2009-10-27T23:04:00.006-05:00

There for a while, Charlie just repeated words that you said. Now, he points out things all by himself. When he does repeat things, he repeats entire phrases, not just the last word used. He also loves the newly found power of the word “no.” He uses quite a few two-word phrases and simple sentences, such as:
Mama painting
Dexter rolling
DeeDee come
Mama get you
Mama typing
Daddy home
Up please
Cookie please
Old turtle
Old Dodge (you had to be there...)
Wheee Doggie

More Developments:

He likes to let everyone know when it's dark outside, when we are home, etc. When it's dark outside, he likes to point out the moon and stars, even when none are visible...
Charlie often remembers parts of books that we've read. For example, he'll bring me Llama, Llama Red Pajama, and say "Run! Run! Run!" because there's a part of the story where Mama Llama runs to see why Baby Llama is crying.
He sings parts of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” which is the cutest thing ever. He especially likes the line “up above the world so high” which sounds a little like “up a bub bub bub bub hiiiigh”
He gets you to play chase by saying “get you” while running and looking back to see if you are chasing him. He says "ashes” when he wants you to play Ring Around the Rosy.
He always looks for deer when we leave the neighborhood. (There's a large wooded area by the neighborhood where we always see deer.) Without fail, Charlie points out the window and says “deer” and “looking?”
He also recognizes that some things are letters and calls them letters.
Charlie breaks out in a dance almost every day. It's hilarious. Reminds me of some kind of Appalachian mountain hillbilly stomping dance.
He also loves football. (Whose child is this?) When the players run, Charlie runs with his arms flailing, back and forth from the living room to the kitchen. He'll also do “down, set, hut” and fall when “tackled.”
He likes counting. His favorite number is nine. A typical countdown is “nine, two, nine”
He can jump with both feet leaving the ground. (And not just while in his crib...haha)

This is the longest I've gone before having to buy Charlie bigger clothes. I cleaned out closets last month and put away anything that was too small. He's still able to wear a few cold weather shirts from the spring, which is nice. I hit a few sales last month and got him all stocked up for the cold weather. Now, it just has to get cold!

Leave an Open Door: A Cautionary Tale

2009-09-02T23:40:00.007-05:00

Tuesday morning was off to a great start. Charlie and I were both up, dressed, and ready to greet the public at an unusually early hour, for us anyway. The main stop on our itinerary was the grocery store. Shopping with an almost 2 year old can be rough. And grocery shopping is the worst. I've found that going immediately after breakfast when Charlie is fresh and spirits aren't quite so high, is the perfect time to make the trek.

So things were off to a great start, and we were all ready to go. I stepped outside with the dogs for an extended bathroom break since we would be gone for a few hours. The dogs finally obliged, and we turned to go back inside. I was lost in pre-grocery shopping thought: “Should we get the deli turkey or the packaged cheaper stuff? I wonder how we are doing on ketchup... Probably also need to pick up TP while we're at it...” And then I stopped in my tracks when I tried to turn the doorknob, and it wouldn't turn. With me and the dogs outside. And Charlie inside peering out at me.

My first thought was that Charlie had just pushed the door really hard and the doorknob was being difficult. This is often the case with this door. If you slam it or close it too hard, something inside doesn't line up quite right and it can be hard to turn the knob and open it. So, I'll just try it again. No luck. That's when I realized that I was locked out. By an almost 2 year old. Who was grinning at me from inside and probably thinking “This is a fun game, Mama!”

So now I think that if Charlie turned the lock on the knob, he can turn it back, right? I immediately became a mime, playing the most expressive game of charades to save my life. But how exactly do you imitate a doorknob and then the turning of the lock on the knob to a toddler? I did the best I could but knew I was getting nowhere, and Charlie was starting to get frustrated. The last thing I wanted was a freaked out little boy with unsupervised access to the whole house.

Trying to think of an alternate way to get in, I cursed our dedication to home security. No unlocked windows or doors. Even the one garage door that is currently “being worked on” was locked down tight. Getting into the garage was probably a futile thought anyway. Even if I had been able to get in, finding the key to the back door that Dave hid in there would've been impossible.

So I was at a loss all around. I finally bit the bullet and headed over to the neighbors. Let me say at this point that we have lovely neighbors. Carol is a retired nurse with a short cap of perpetually blond hair and the sunny disposition to match. Her husband Archie is an ex-Army handy-man type who has some sort of complicated engineering project management job that I'll never really understand. He is three years away from retiring and they'll be moving to Kerrville, Texas, to be near their son. I'm going to miss them when they are gone.

Anyway, back to me. I walked around the house and was never more grateful to see Carol's minivan in their driveway. I knocked quietly as not to disturb their passel of dogs. We share a love for unruly dogs, and I dread the sound of the doorbell at my house. After another louder knock, I just ring the doorbell and an explosion of barking ensues. Much like it would at our house, only it's divided by four at Carol's. Yep, four dogs. And all are rescues and someone else's castaways. Have I said that I really like our neighbors?

I hear scurrying inside and Carol soon appears. I apologize for bothering her so early (it's probably 9:30 by now), and she replies brightly “Oh no, I've been up since 5:30!” Of course she has. I explain the morning's events and you can see her personality immediately switch over to Nurse/Grandmother/Solver of the World's Problems. When I explain that I really just need use the phone to call Dave to come home and let me in, I think she was truly disappointed that we weren't going to have to physically break in. She has a grandson close to Charlie's age living in Boston, and I think she felt nice to be needed. I called Dave who happened to be even farther away downtown running errands with his uncle. But he assured me that they were finished and he would be there ASAP.

By this time, I had not checked on Charlie for 10-15 minutes and had visions only moms can imagine running through my head. I was fearful of what I was going to see when I looked through the back door. But all the worrying was for naught. Charlie was sitting right by the door, not even missing me, playing contentedly with his toys. We played a few games through the door while the dogs, also oblivious, enjoyed their extended time in the morning sunshine.

Soon after, I heard the garage door open and saw Charlie run to the door to greet Daddy. We had a big laugh and were all relieved that nothing bad happened. I was so thankful that Charlie is such a good boy and wasn't running through the house with knives and lighted matches as I had envisioned. And almost as importantly, that I had my act together enough that morning to put on clothes before taking the dogs outside.

Summer Recap

2009-08-17T23:54:00.011-05:00

I wish someone would read my mind and then create thoughtful and witty blog entries for me. That would be awesome. Until I find that person, you'll have to make-do with this warm and cozy bulleted list of Things Charlie Did This Summer:

Started pushing toys with wheels across the floor. He will also sometimes pull his pull-along toys behind him when he walks.
Repeated everything we said to him. Every. Thing.
Became more aware of his physical presence. He enjoys climbing on you, pushing on you, collapsing on you, etc.
Became more expressive of his frustrations. There was screeching involved.
Learned that hitting and throwing things is a no-no.
Did a few craft projects like coloring and finger painting.
Went to the zoo for the first time, where he
Got to practice his newly learned animal names and sounds, like elephant and monkey.
Developed a nice overhead throw.
Learned to blow bubbles in the water. With his mouth.
Spent lots of time with his grandparents and family.
Got in the dog bed and said “nigh nigh”
Spent lots of time playing outside in the yard, swinging, swimming, chasing the dogs, and generally milling around.
Said a few multiple-word phrases like “Mama and Daddy”
Picked up keys and said “bye bye” and “car”
Developed many new facial expressions
Understood most everything we told him. He even follows two-part instructions.
Enjoyed cutting up and being a ham.
Interacted more with the TV and music. He claps when he hears applause on TV. He bounces up and down and sometimes sings when hearing music (“mumic”)
Has extended periods of time where he Will.Not.Stop.Talking.
Enjoyed hiding under his crib many times when Mama tried to put him down for a nap.

Also, we still haven't found too many things that Charlie doesn't like to eat. He doesn't like the texture of some things. However, he does love ice, olives, and pickles. Get the kid a bag of Sonic ice and a relish tray, and he's good to go!

Playing pretend

2009-07-08T17:10:00.006-05:00

Charlie's latest development is playing pretend. Every once in a while, he would pretend to hold something or pick something up between his thumb and forefinger and pretend to hand it to you. However, last night, he showed us a new trick--he pretended to feed one of his little teddy bears. He held the loaded fork to the bear's mouth and then made smacking noises as the bear "ate." Then, he put the bear's face on the top of his sippy cup to give it a drink, also while making smacking noises. Dave and I were astounded! And his little smacking noises were hilarious.

Charlie's language skills continue to impress us (we're pretty easy to impress...). The pediatrician said that Charlie's language skills would explode, and he was right. The first thing I hear in the morning is Charlie naming things: window, Dexter, DeeDee, bear, rabbit, blanket, Mama, Daddy, dog, etc. And it just continues as I get him up and change his diaper: bathroom, light, diaper, eat, breakfast, kitchen, belly, etc. It's so funny to listen to him, but sometimes it's a hard transition for me to go from morning fog to clear thinking that quickly!

He's also been more responsive to TV (and, yes, we watch TV). He recognizes characters like Elmo (melmo), Cookie Monster (coocoo), Oswald, Wubbzy (wow-wow), and also says Gabba when Yo Gabba Gabba is on. We really don't watch that much TV, but we when we do, it's the same 2 or 3 shows all the time, so he gets good reinforcement...haha. He's also more responsive to things he sees on TV and names them like ball, fish, balloon, bubbles, tree, etc... And he likes watching kids and dancing along with Yo Gabba Gabba. It's too cute.

If all of that cuteness isn't enough, Charlie also likes to sing. He and Daddy sometimes listen to music on an mp3 player. Sometimes during the day, Charlie will find the earbud earphones, put them up to his ear and start "singing" along with the nonexistent music. I've also gotten him to sing with me, usually in the car on the way to go swimming. There's a "Happy Birthday" song from PBS Sprout that we sing and another song about taxis that he likes. And of course after every song, he gives a round of applause.

Waking up from a nap

2009-06-30T15:32:00.005-05:00

This video was too large to upload to Flickr, so I'm posting it here. There are two other clips that I took after this that are up on Flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/mcbabble).

Summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime!

2009-06-18T22:31:00.006-05:00

Charlie and I had a great trip to Texas to visit Granny and Granddad. Charlie was a good passenger this time. We timed it right on the way down and back so that he slept most of the way. While there, we enjoyed long summer days full of digging in the dirt, swimming, and playtime. Charlie's mom enjoyed sleeping late while Granny got Charlie up, fed him breakfast, and entertained him. So luxurious! haha

In other news, Charlie loves the water! I rejoined the YMCA just so we can go swimming together. There's a branch a few miles from the house so we're able to go several times a week. In the pool, he loves splashing, blowing bubbles in the water, and kicking his legs. We use an inflatable ring with a mesh seat in the middle, and it's like his own floating island. The other kids at the pool love swimming up to him and playing with him. On days when we don't go to the Y, Charlie swims in his inflatable pool in the backyard. Well, "swimming" is used loosely...Charlie really just likes splashing in and out of it and tromping through it.

Here's the part where I list Charlie's new developments, but where to begin?! One funny thing he does is walk around with his chin down and belly sticking out to get attention. Cracks me up. In terms of language, I'd list his new words, but pretty much, if you say it, he'll repeat it. The one word that he doesn't say is his own name. He's like Voldemort--the "boy who must not be named"!

Charlie at the World Series

2009-06-08T22:27:00.005-05:00

Dave, Charlie, and I attended the first game in the Women's College World Series held here in OKC. We also took Charlie last year. Here are pictures for comparison:

This year

Last year

It was much easier to watch the game last year because Charlie wasn't mobile. This year, he just wanted to climb up and down the stairs and play games with the people around us. He made several friends including a girl about his age sitting a few rows in front of us. Charlie liked to laugh really loudly to get her attention. Then they would mimic each other and wave. It was funny.

It was touch-and-go there for a while, and I wasn't sure we'd make it much past the first inning, but we lasted until the fifth. It was a good night--we all got a workout!

From May...

2009-05-25T20:56:00.010-05:00

Here are a few developments from last month that never got published...

Charlie has started pushing toys across the floor. He enjoys pushing and pulling his cart.

He has also started putting his arms out to each side and running around like Super Charlie

His tantrums and whining have increased. He is also not shy about expressing his frustration.

He has taken a renewed interest in writing and coloring. He is much more careful and detailed than the regular scribbling he was doing earlier.

We've been working on his animal sounds, and he knows: cow (mbooo), cat (maaauuu rhymes with "wow"), dog (barf), sheep (bahaha)

Other new words include: burrito (deedo), cheeto, remember, cracker, paper (bay-bah), cookie (cookoo), dear

It's Finally Friday

2009-05-22T18:40:00.002-05:00

Charlie and I had a great Friday. I felt the urge to get out, but we had missed Dave’s lunch time, so I decided to take Charlie to the mall where we could eat and play. Charlie shared a chicken salad sandwich with me and then we were off to play. The mall has a great play area for toddlers and young kids. It’s semi-enclosed by long padded booth-type seats and the floor is 4-5 inches of springy rubber. There are several fiberglass animals, including a fish, frog, butterfly, bunny, etc, that are low to the ground so that kids can climb on and jump off. There’s also a boat in the middle that kids can climb in and out of.

Charlie had a great time running (actually running with the help of the springy floor!) and watching the other kiddos. Now I’m going to say something here that may be hard to believe: Charlie is a ham. He’s not just a ham—he’s a ham with a side of cheeseballs. He loves to get people’s attention and even play games with them. He enticed a grandfatherly-type man into playing a game of point to the sky and slap the seat. He kept waving at one little girl’s mom and finally walked over to charm a hug from her. If his usual methods of garnering attention don’t work, he pulls out the big guns, including fake sneezing, doing his “Wheels on the Bus” arm-flailing dance, and showing his belly.

He was also surprisingly good with other kids. There was no hitting, pulling, or gross invasions of privacy. He interacted in toddler-speak with several kids around his age. After over an hour of playing, I noticed he was slowing down, and he eventually came over to me and raised his arms as a sign to pick him up. So, we loaded up and came back home where Charlie enjoyed a good nap and Mama enjoyed a Dr. Pepper float. A good afternoon was had by everyone!

Also, a few new developments this week... Granny taught Charlie how to squat and stand up when you say "up" and "down." He also now says "window" which sounds like ñoy-ño (“ñ” sounds like the first “n” in “onion”). I also have some cute videos of him blowing bubbles, which I'll try to upload to Flickr soon.

Check-up on Charlie

2009-05-12T20:16:00.006-05:00

Charlie had his 18 month check-up today. He weighs 30 lbs. 6 oz., and is 32 ½” tall. That’s the 90-95th percentile for weight and the 50th percentile for height. I didn’t catch his head size this time. He got a couple of shots and a blood test to make sure he’s getting enough iron. He seems to be right on track. Here are some new developments since his last check-up:

• says about 20 words (New words include: cheese, juice, shoes, fish, trash, please, banana, cat, car, and byeee)
• uses fork and spoon fairly well
• kicks and throws a ball
• identifies some items/animals in books
• knows some animal noises (meow and moo)
• can identify several body parts (He’s especially proud of his belly and likes to pull his shirt up to get the big laughs.)
• climbs on everything
• is becoming a little pickier about food
• has shown a little separation anxiety around new people
• mimics blinking, coughing, and sneezing, which he finds hilarious
• likes to dance and sing
• follows directions like “find your sippy cup” “throw it in the trash” “take this to daddy”
• scribbles with crayons, pens, and pencils (Sometimes on the kitchen tile.)
• likes to help sweep and vacuum
• brings me empty dog food bowls to refill, which he then puts back on the floor (without spilling!) where they belong
• loves to show out and capture other people’s attention when we are out in public
• loves to laugh and make others laugh
• likes to kiss and hug (His little pucker is so cute.)
• says “poo poo” when he’s, well, you know…

A Series of Unfortunate Poo Events:
Speaking of poo, I’ve had a few surprises when I go to get him up from a nap. I’ll spare you the details, but we now have a rule that Charlie isn’t allowed to sleep without wearing pants or shorts. I’ve found him without a diaper before, naked and jumping up and down in his crib, but the poo incidents involved digging for gold, if you know what I mean…

Inside Time
We’ve had lots of inside play time these last few weeks with the cool and rainy weather. We have a bean bag tossing game that I dig out for something different to play with. He doesn’t really understand that the objective is to toss the bean bags. He just likes to pick them all up and place them directly in the hole. If anything, he’s efficient! We also get out our tent and tunnels from Granny and Granddaddy and set them up in the living room. I also stack pillows so he can climb. He also enjoys climbing all over his rocking chair from Gam Gam and Mr. Gam Gam (Dave’s dad).

Teething
Charlie has done so well with teething. With the first 12, he chewed a lot on his hands, but never had fever or other ill effects. Until last week. He has four canines coming in and was very easily frustrated, whiny, and cranky. I would’ve thought that these would be the easiest teeth since they are pointy, but they gave him lots of trouble. I checked them today, and two have broken through, and the other two are almost there. So maybe we are almost out of the woods.

Around the House

2009-05-12T20:15:00.002-05:00

Since my last blog post, we've been doing a few things around the house. We had an electrician come out to replace an outlet that exploded, and a breaker that was “about to go out.”

We had a plumber come out to fix a “monster clog” in our main line that was causing some backups. We can now, after 4 years, wash a load of clothes without periodically stopping the washer to let it drain more slowly. It's heaven.

While we're on the subject of repair people, we also had our TV cleaned. I had been complaining for many months that the picture looked cloudy. It was becoming really annoying to watch because some shows were really dark, and it was hard to distinguish the actors from the sets. So, a repairman came out, gave it a good internal cleaning (and who doesn't need one of those?), and it looks brand new again. We're back in love.

Another project that I'm working on is transitioning the front bedroom into a guest bedroom/play room. We had been using it as an office/workout room/craft room/library/junk room. We've moved all the office things (computers, cameras, printer, office supplies, etc.) into a new computer armoire in the dining room. This also moves the computer out in the open, which I like. The armoire also has a built-in charging station for all of our phones, cameras, and mp3 players. However, I don’t think I’m taking as many pictures because the cameras are all put up and out of sight. Anyway, I have a plan and a vision, so it's another work in progress, but what isn't?

15 Month Recap

2009-03-30T21:32:00.002-05:00

Charlie had his 15 month check-up on February 13. He weighed 28.4 pounds and was 31 ½ inches tall. I don’t remember his head circumference, but it was in the 95th percentile. Large heads, we've got ‘em.

His development seems to be right on track. He enjoys using a fork and spoon, with help of course. He uses about 5-10 words, and he sometimes repeats what we say. He's also recently started noticing things on television. He'll say "ball," "dog," "bird," or "baby" when seeing one on TV.

In other developments, he enjoys walking backwards. It's funny, because he's so careful when he does it. And he looks at you like "Can you believe I'm doing this?!" He also enjoys mimicing our movements. He's been known to shake his head, blink repeatedly, cross his arms, and sigh loudly after one of us does the same. He also does most of the movements to "Wheels on the Bus" and "Patty-cake."

He reacts often to sounds. He points out every plane that he hears. And that's a lot since we are a few miles from a small airport. He says "bird" when he hears one. He likes to stand at the window and watch cars go down the street, occasionally saying "car." He also says "Daddy" when he hears the garage door go up. His babbling has become more conversation-like. Listening to him babble in the morning is hilarious--he carries on a two-sided conversation all by himself.

Scrapmaniac

2009-03-30T20:51:00.005-05:00

On February 20, 2009, I committed an act that would have unforeseeable consequences for the future. I had no idea how my actions would affect life as we know it. It was a simple act; my intentions were innocent. I'm sharing this because it might just happen to you. You see, I attended a scrapbooking retreat.

I had never even heard of scrapbooking retreats before this. I had started a scrapbook after Dave and I were married, but it became overwhelming and was soon put on the back burner. I enjoy making things and now with Charlie, I feel like I have an excuse to get back into it. So, that was my thinking when I went to the Scrappin' Pad near Tahlequah, Oklahoma, with coworkers. It seemed innocent enough—all meals provided, no housework, no diaper changes, camaraderie of other women. And it was truly wonderful. However, little did I know that I would be devoting all of my extra time (and money!) to scrap-related crafts from that day forward.

So, for anyone wondering why the blog hasn't been updated in a month and a half, just picture me at that table you see in the previous post happily cutting and gluing. I'm really not a traditional scrapbooker, but I like making papercrafts and mini albums. Here's what I've been up to so far:

That would be three “smash books,” three mini albums, two clipboards, decorative initials (the “M”), an altered journal, faux butterfly specimens (framed), and a photo carousel. And those are just the finished things suitable for photographing. In fact, I have a date this Saturday to meet coworkers at a scrapbook shop to “scrap.” I don't see this addiction ending anytime soon...

Big Tease

2009-03-22T23:39:00.006-05:00

Oh wow! A new blog post! Yep, we are all still alive and kicking. I've been working on a new update, and it'll be a loooong one! But, I'm sorry to say that you'll have to wait a little longer for it. You see, I have a new addiction that has been taking up my blogging time... While it is slightly related to Charlie, it's really more for my own enjoyment. I'll give you a hint. It has to do with this:

Tornado Tuesday

2009-02-10T20:09:00.003-06:00

As a kid, I was always afraid of storms. I can still remember being afraid of any dark cloud in the sky and once going to sleep to avoid seeing a severe storm that was coming through. As I got older and learned more about the weather, my fear subsided. However, it was moving to Oklahoma that really cured me of it. Living in central Oklahoma is a form of facing-your-fears tough love when you are scared of bad weather.

I’ve come to accept many things while living here. I’ve accepted that it’s going to storm. Tornadoes will come near my house, if not directly over it. I will hear the tornado sirens several times during the year. Being afraid of the weather doesn’t change those facts. You build up resistance with each storm that you survive unscathed. It also helps to have the country’s best meteorologists who can pinpoint the exact minute a storm will cross a specific street intersection.

I used to think “This is going to be exciting!” upon hearing that a severe storm was coming our way. After all, storm-watching is a popular pastime here. It’s how we met our neighbors. It’s part of the culture, whether you’re outside experiencing it firsthand, or glued to the TV watching the weathermen hyperventilate in their excitement. There is even a Gary England (Oklahoma’s most renowned meteorologist) drinking game that is only truly appreciated by those who have lived here during tornado season.

However, now it’s not so funny. After having Charlie, I’ve noticed that my fear of storms is returning. When I hear a tornado siren now, my first thought is “Oh my God, we’re all going to die!” (slight exaggeration) I didn’t even realize what I was in store for today.

I had checked the weather earlier today when it started getting dark outside. I don’t watch local news, so the weather is always a surprise to me. Anyway, I saw that we had a 60% chance of severe storms. It started thundering around 1:30 or so, but business really picked up when I heard the sirens go off around 2:00.

I quickly turned off the Gilmore Girls rerun that I had on the television and turned to a local channel where the meteorologists were so excited they were about to wet themselves. I knew then that it was going to be bad. They tracked the predicted path of the rotation, and I got a sharp pang in my stomach when I saw it was going directly over our neighborhood.

I kept watching the TV coverage as the storm grew closer and damaged familiar locations—taking the roof off of the nearby Target, damaging the windows of my Hobby Lobby, and damaging the back of the Chuck E. Cheese a few miles away. Hearing the hail starting to fall outside, I knew it would soon be over our neighborhood.

I dug out my cell phone, grabbed a house phone, and turned up all of the TVs in the house. I got my shoes on and put pants and shoes on Charlie. I planned for all of us to go into the guest bedroom, where I could easily slide the mattress over us and create a little fort. I heard a huge down-blast of wind outside, rattling the windows and making the spinning roof airvents hum. I waited for the notorious freight train sound. But nothing happened. The next thing I heard on TV was that the rotation crossed the turnpike which is 1 mile north of us. It had missed us.

People in Edmond were not as lucky. The tornado touched down for about 10 minutes there, damaging many homes. I watched it on TV, as it whipped power lines and uprooted trees, swirling them in the air. It was almost 3:00 by this time, and Edmond schools kept everyone on lockdown, not letting the busses run.

We were out of the clear of that storm, but two others came, taking the same path near us. I heard the sirens two more times as new tornado warnings were issued. Although we missed the major damage, each storm brought us hail. The third wave was the worst. There are some pictures of it on Flickr.

Seeing a tornado is a little like seeing a ghost. I would love to be able to say that I’ve seen one, but I really don’t want to go through the actual experience of seeing it. And especially now that I have Charlie to think about, I’d just as soon not experience any bad storms (or ghosts for that matter!).

Grandparents' Weekend

2009-02-08T22:23:00.003-06:00

Charlie had a good time playing with Granny and Granddaddy this weekend. He and the dogs were exhausted every day from playing so hard. Their visit worked out really well because Dave’s classmates got together for dinner and games Saturday night, and Mom and Dad were forced to babysit Charlie. You can imagine that I had to twist their arms pretty hard…

Dave’s class is really unique because, even though it’s small (17 people?), they are really close-knit. They get together probably three or four times a year. This time we went to Flatire Burgers in Edmond, which seems like a nice place to hang out, especially if you like sitting outside. Then we went over to one of the classmates’ houses to play games. “Playing games” turned out to be playing Guitar Hero until 3:00 a.m. We had two people on guitars and one on drums. I don’t think it’s too much to say that I can play some mean drums. After all, it’s not bragging if you can back it up.

The weather was nice and warm this weekend, so Charlie had lots of outside playing time. He loves walking all around the yard. He reminds me of the Family Circus cartoons where the dotted line showed everywhere that Jeffrey had been. Mom said he was good Saturday night and went to bed with no problems. I think Mom and Dad enjoyed seeing what a silly monkey Charlie is. He loves to make faces and grin like a cheeseball. One of his new tricks is to grit his teeth and act like he has the shivers or chills. I have no idea where that came from.

Mom and Dad left around noon today, and we all had a nap this afternoon. I also got to watch a sappy Hallmark movie and do some knitting while Charlie napped, so it was an excellent weekend all around.

Baby It's Cold Outside

2009-02-02T14:25:00.001-06:00

Snow days are a little piece of heaven. There’s just a freer, happier atmosphere on snow days. To quote the movie: “Anything can happen on a snow day…” Last week we had several inches of sleet and metro schools were out Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Unfortunately, one of the cons about working online is that it’s business as usual for me. But even so, I took the opportunity to cook. There’s nothing better than having a big pot of something simmering on the stove when it’s icy and the wind is howling outside. Monday was beef tips and rice. Tuesday was chicken and dumplings made after boiling an honest-to-goodness whole chicken. I actually wasn’t sure if I could find a whole chicken at the grocery store! I made blueberry cobbler for dessert. I was also planning on making the infamous taco soup at some point, but it was sunny on Wednesday, and the thrill was gone.

Dave is also fortunate that he can work from home when needed. He went into the office Monday morning, but he and his coworkers abandoned ship by noon. He didn’t go back into the office until Thursday. It was nice to have him home, even though he worked during the day.

Charlie enjoyed looking out the window and seeing everything covered in white, but he was pretty ticked off when he couldn’t go play in it. Yes, I could’ve bundled him up and taken him outside, but that would’ve meant that I’d have to be out there too, and no thank you. Everything was melting by Friday, and Saturday was so nice that we were able to open the windows. Crazy!

Charlie continues to babble and make lots of noises. He’s becoming more vocal when expressing his emotions. When he’s happy, he squeals and giggles a lot, and when he’s tired or frustrated, he’s whiny and has little mini-tantrums. Sometimes he repeats what we say, but in his own language. This week we’ve been hearing lots of “loy loy loy” sounds. He can identify and point to his ears and his nose. And he knows where his piggies are. Here are some “words” that he uses:

Mama
Dada
DeeDee
Dexter
“ba” can mean book/box/ball/bath/bottle/bear
good boy
thank you
yeah/yep
wow
whoa
uh-huh

He likes to throw things. He’s learning to turn knobs. He likes to flush the toilet and watch the water swirl. He still enjoys putting toys in a basket and taking them out again. He likes to crawl into the dogs’ crate in our bedroom and hide. He likes to crawl under his crib and hide behind the dust ruffle. He does silly things like putting objects on his head. He likes to put a blanket on his head and walk around. Today he was crawling with his head hanging down and his forehead on the floor. Little goof-head. He’s walking really well and can bend or squat without falling.

Overheard...

2009-01-28T23:12:00.003-06:00

Dave and Charlie play in the livingroom while I work in the evenings. The office is nearby, so I can hear most everything that goes on. I'd like to share a few tidbits overheard tonight.

"Hey, where are you going with that pineapple?"

"Ohhh! DeeDee, come onnn!" (followed by a noxious green cloud floating out of the living room)

"No, Charlie! Don’t feed that to DeeDee. That’s not good for Ms. DeeDee to have." (I don't want to know...)

(in a falsetto voice) "Hello, Charlie! Look at me, I’m just a little pumpkin!"

"Charlie, I’m a giraffe!"

Holiday Recap

2009-01-13T00:15:00.003-06:00

We had a wonderful time in Texas for Christmas. On Christmas Eve we always get together with Mom’s side of the family. It also happens to be Mom’s birthday. Although the day was a little busy, we had a good time that evening watching the kids play games and eating lots of good food. I was really surprised at how well the younger kids enjoyed playing with Charlie.

On Christmas Day, we opened presents with my parents and brother. Charlie was not really into opening presents. He did enjoy playing with the boxes, though. Later that day, Mama’ came over as well as Dad’s sister and her family, including brand new Baby Ethan just in from Florida.

While in Texas, we also got to see my BFF and the even newer Baby Sarah and Big Sister Ella. It’s always so nice to go home and be around people who know you. I mean really know you. You know, people who experienced first hand your bad 6th grade hair and who have all of the good, bad, and otherwise embarrassing details on you…

We got to spend lots of time playing, eating, and relaxing. It’s always like a mini vacation for me because Mom loves get Charlie up, feed him, dress him, change diapers (ha!), play with him, take him outside, etc., so I have nothing to do except lay around eating chocolates and reading books. I embellish slightly. But it really is heaven.

We had our own Christmas back at our house on New Year’s Day. Santa brought Charlie a CD of children’s music and a bean bag tossing game. We had spent New Year’s Eve eating Chinese food and watching Charlie walk back and forth between his toys.

We had Christmas with Dave’s family the weekend after New Years. That’s one good thing about not having everyone in the same town—you get to have lots of different Christmases! Again, it’s just another excuse to open presents and over eat. Charlie loved getting into everyone’s presents.

Charlie just seems to blossom more and more each day. Looking back, it seems like we left before Christmas with a baby and came back from Texas with a toddler. As his personality develops, the temper is starting to come out. Now that he’s mobile, he gets frustrated when he isn’t allowed to get down and walk around. He also gets frustrated when he doesn’t get his way and will sometimes do the “back arching of parental dismay” accompanied by a temple-piercing whine. Fun times.

He still babbles up a storm and uses a few words. Some of which I have no idea what they mean. For example, there’s “b-wha” (boy?) and “dig dug” (DeeDee?) and “yep-bum” (yep?). He loves playing and making up games. He also loves playing with Dave’s guitars. Dave and Charlie have “music time” in which Dave plays and Charlie bounces up and down like a rhesus monkey. His newest development is practicing his dental fricatives or the “th” sound for you non-linguist types. He walks around saying “thoy oy oy oy” and makes other sounds like a miniature Alpine yodeler. It cracks me up.

Get Schmapped

2009-01-05T00:01:00.004-06:00

I do have a lot to share about our wonderful holidays, but I haven't made time to sit down and write. Until then, enjoy this little widget thingie. One of my Flickr photos was selected to appear in the Schmap guide to San Antonio. Schmap is a site that provides free tourist guides and maps to cities all around the world. I thought that was kinda cool. I'm glad I uploaded all of those old South Texas pictures afterall! To see my picture, click "Photos" down at the bottom where it says "Map/Photos." That should start the slideshow. Mine is a closeup of a goat!

'Tis the season to be busy

2008-12-07T21:45:00.007-06:00

We’ve been busy doing end of the year things like frantically using up our flexible spending account money, so we don’t lose it. In the past two weeks, both Dave and I have been to the dentist (I got to go twice!) and the eye doctor. So we’ve been shuffling Charlie back and forth as needed. Luckily, Dave’s office environment is very relaxed, so Charlie can hang out with Dad when I can’t watch him.

Yesterday, we had a marathon of errand running to do, so we made it a family outing. We left around 10:30 a.m. and returned home around 6:30 p.m. Charlie did great. There were a couple of times when he was whiny and didn’t want to go back in his car seat, but he shopped like a champ. One of our errands was a warehouse sale at Scholastic Books where almost everything was 50% off. OHMIGOSH… Let me just say that I demonstrated great restraint and came away with only a partially-filled box of books. I want Charlie to always have books around, but I don’t want to recreate a library in our house, even though part of me thinks that would be way cool!

After returning home and watching part of the Big 12 Championship game, I put up all of the Christmas decorations. The tree is in the dining room this year, in front of a window that faces the street. Don’t worry, no presents can be seen from outside. I decided not to put it in the living room since I do leave Charlie unattended in there briefly and occasionally (it’s child-proofed and inescapable), and I didn’t want to worry about him getting into the tree when I didn’t have my eyes on him. Surprisingly, he really hasn’t bothered the tree when he’s been in the dining room. I had assumed that he’d be like a moth to a flame with all of the lights and sparkly ornaments, but so far, he hasn’t paid it much attention.

Charlie continues to show us new tricks. Every day he takes a few steps on his own. He’s such a teaser because he’ll stand there and raise his arms, and as you wait on the edge of your seat to see him take off for the first time, he suddenly drops to the floor and crawls over to you. Charlie’s also big into taking things out of a container and putting them back in. He does this especially with his snap beads and his plastic fruit. He had a great time with the Scholastic book box last night. It had a hinged lid, and he spent an hour opening the lid, putting an item in, closing the lid, opening the lid again, taking an object out, closing the lid….rinse and repeat. Then he figured out how to climb on top of it.

He also has little language spurts where he’ll have extended "conversations" with me. Sometimes he babbles all day long, and other days he’s quieter. He did the funniest thing the other day. I was lying on the couch with a sequined pillow under my head. He pretended to eat the sequins from the pillow. Then I started doing it too and pretended to feed them to him. He played along for a little bit and then chuckled and crawled off, probably mumbling under his breath "That crazy woman..."

One Year Check-up

2008-11-13T17:31:00.005-06:00

Charlie spent his birthday alternately playing and napping. He’s been a little tired and congested this week. I think we’ve been infecting each other. He had runny nose last week, then I was congested all weekend, and now he has it again. And, it’s hard to help someone who can’t blow his nose! I’ve tried to teach him by example, but it’s not working. So I just use saline nose spray and suction it all out with the bulb aspirator. It’s quite a production. Also, I miss being able to call in sick. Where’s Super Nanny when you need her? I’m so thankful that I was my sickest this weekend when Mom was here to help. Having to take care of someone else makes me a lot more motivated to stay healthy—I’m definitely drinking my orange juice and taking my vitamins!

We “celebrated” again last night by going to Tokyo House, no sushi for Charlie, though. He did have some of my miso soup, rice, and teriyaki chicken. When we got back home, we were going to give him a piece of cake, but he was sleepy and getting cranky. So we took some pictures to commemorate the occasion, and then Dave gave him a bath. They then both went to bed, leaving me in peace and quiet to work.

Today, Charlie had his one year check-up. The doctor looked him over and pronounced him healthy as a horse. Charlie now weighs 26 lbs. 12oz. and is 30 in. tall. He's in the 90-95th percentile for weight and head size. He's in the 50-75th percentile for height. His hemoglobin was tested to make sure that he’s not anemic. The doctor said that many kids don’t like red meat, which is where we get a lot of our iron. Also, most kids are moving from formula, which is iron-fortified, to table food, so there’s a risk of kids not receiving enough iron. Any-who, Charlie’s levels are good, but the doctor suggested giving him vitamins and looking for iron-fortified foods. We’re also ready to move him from formula to whole milk. The doctor said that some kids don’t like whole milk and have to be phased into it. I haven’t yet met the food or drink that Charlie doesn’t like, so I’m betting that’s not a problem.

Charlie’s doctor also asked if he’s using the words "ma-ma" and "da-da." I explained that Charlie makes lots of sounds, but he doesn’t really use them in context as words. The doctor just suggested continuing to talk to him and encouraging him to talk back, and we went on to the next thing. Later, after doing the examination, Charlie starts babbling up a storm, saying “mamama” and “dadada” and doing his motorboat sound. The doctor just laughed and said “See! Your mama was telling stories! You do know some words.” So I guess I’ll have to pay closer attention to his sounds and figure out what he’s talking about all of the time!

On the development front: Charlie isn’t quite walking yet. He did take one step on his own this weekend. He still cruises around and stands for longer and longer periods of time. He waves bye-bye, sometimes even to the dogs when they go outside. He still babbles and chuckles often. We even had a back-and-forth conversation last week. I’m really not sure what was said, but it was entertaining. Charlie is also growing a little more clingy and will reach for you to hold him when he’s tired. He now pushes toys across the floor and has enjoyed walking behind the activity walker that Granny and Granddaddy got him. He likes opening and closing drawers and cabinet doors. He’ll hold the phone up to his head, kind of behind his ear, but at least he understands. He’s started throwing objects and can clear a table pretty quickly. And finally, he likes to climb over toys, boxes, and pillows and also use them as leverage to climb up onto the couch.

The Big 01

2008-11-12T00:37:00.006-06:00

Charlie turns one year old today! I've been thinking for a while about what kind of post I'd write to commemorate the occasion. I thought about a long narrative detailing his arrival into the world; I thought about a picture slideshow set to music; I even thought of writing everything I've learned over the past year, the ups and the downs. But my decision was made late one night last week when a friend (thanks Anita!) showed me a site she'd found called Wordle that creates word clouds with text that you enter. What a great way to communicate a concept when sentences and paragraphs just won't do the trick. So this is my little graphic poem for Charlie on the occasion of his birthday. I hope that when he looks back and sees it, he understands just how much richer he's made our world by being in it. Happy Birthday, Boy!

On Children
Kahlil Gibran
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Charlie Gets Cultured and Stuff

2008-11-10T21:51:00.000-06:00

We went to see the Huun Huur Tu throat singers tonight at the library. They are from Tuva, a small country located between Siberia and Mongolia. The group does what is called overtone singing. They begin with this guttural groan and then you suddenly start hearing this high pitched whistling along with the lower notes. One singer can be singing 2 or 3 notes simultaneously. There are different styles of singing. The first clip is of the more guttural style. The second clip is of the more lyrical, whistling style. The songs start to sound like wind—completely nonhuman.

It was a neat experience, not only seeing the performance, but also seeing the library filled to capacity with a wide variety of people interested in experiencing this foreign culture.

Party Time!

2008-11-09T19:35:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Charlie’s birthday this Saturday. We had a fun time with Dave’s family and my parents who were in from Texas. The timing was perfect—Charlie was waking up from his nap just as people were arriving. After eating lunch, we all had cake. Well, it was technically an ice cream cake, and Charlie got to “manually” eat his piece. I think he enjoyed feeling it with his fingers more than he liked cramming it in his mouth. After that, Charlie opened presents with the help of his cousin Katelin who is 3. He received some really neat toys and books that will keep him busy! He wasn’t too sure about some of the toys immediately after opening them, but he’s been exploring them more and more since then. All in all, he had a wonderful party that I’m sure he’ll remember more in pictures!

One year ago today...

2008-11-05T15:48:00.000-06:00

Charlie was due! Actually at that point, he was just “Baby” because we didn’t know if it was a Charlie or a [insert girl name here]. All last summer, I remember looking forward to the first cold snap because I knew that it would have to get cold before the baby would come. That’s some of my “crazy logic.” When that first blustery fall day finally arrived, I remember thinking “Alright, let’s get this show on the road!” Then of course it promptly got hot again.

It's another stormy fall day as I sit here planning Charlie's first birthday party this weekend. We are celebrating early, since the official day is next Wednesday. It’ll be a low-key affair with family. It's astounding to think about how much he's grown and developed this year. Every day he has a new trick to show us. And part of me is just so grateful that we've both made it this far in one piece!

Yes, We Can

2008-11-05T02:05:00.000-06:00

A post in which I blah blah blah about politics. And then never speak of it again.

Before I begin, I must say that until this point, I’ve done a heckuva job keeping Charlie’s blog exactly that—focused on Charlie. There have been lots of times where I've wanted to comment about current events or write about things that I find interesting or infuriating. But for someone who doesn’t believe in proselytizing, it’s always good to practice what you preach. (I can’t even begin to identify the number of ironies in what I just typed…) Actually, there are probably lots of times when I should’ve gone ahead and written what I wanted in order to preserve some mental health… It’s hard to be egotistical and not talk about what I believe or what I think all the time! Seriously though, another reason I don't write about these issues is that I feel very, very alone in my views on a lot of things…religion, spirituality, values and morals, and yes the topic du jour: politics.

Like those other topics, politics cuts to the core of who we are. We all have unique life experiences, and we interpret those experiences differently. Some people arrive at similar viewpoints; others do not. The downside to writing and talking about politics is that, not only do you risk hurting those you love, you risk being challenged. And for someone like me, who tackles difficult decisions by contemplating, questioning, researching, studying, and contemplating some more, being questioned seems preposterous. How dare you question me after all of the work I’ve done to assure myself that I’m right! The irony is that those with opposing viewpoints feel exactly the same way. How dare I question what they know as truth?! And because each side has a personal stake in what he/she believes, there’s no room for compromise.

So in this, my one post of freedom, I want to say that I have been so excited to see tonight’s results. I first heard Obama speak in an NPR interview from 2004 I think. (See, I really am a liberal, listening to NPR and stuff! All I need now is a Volvo, an iMac, and a grande nonfat skim milk mochacino latte hold the whipped cream please.) I was on my way to the grocery store when the interview came on, and I remember sitting in the Albertson’s parking lot until the interview was over because I was interested in what he had to say. To hear a politician speak with self-deprecating humor and intelligence was music to my ears. A short time later, I remember discussing him with a coworker when the topic of the next election came up. My coworker favored McCain and wanted to see him run. I remember feeling optimistic about that, thinking that if Obama and McCain ran, the outcome would be okay either way. Seems silly now.

Fast forward to tonight. I anticipated Obama winning, based on the polls, but I never really pictured what it would be like to see it actually happen. It was the most exciting thing I’ve seen in a long time. Watching his acceptance speech, I felt a sense of relief, I guess to see concrete proof that I’m not alone. There seemed to be so much joy in the crowds, and not the kind of joy that comes from delighting in the failings of others. Here are other sights I’ve been energized by tonight:
Hope glistening in people’s eyes
Tears of joy streaming down a grown man’s face
Excited and involved young people
A multi-colored, multi-generational ocean of people standing together
An attitude of love toward others

I’ve enjoyed watching history happen tonight. I wish Charlie would’ve been awake to share it with me. I know Obama’s win is bittersweet, though. I won’t silence my inner realist. So many people are looking to him for solutions for so many problems, and he is just a man. Putting anyone on a pedestal like that can lead to disillusionment and disappointment. I also know that no matter what happened tonight, politics is politics. And it’s a worldly game that I should try to rise above. But it was really nice to feel like I played a role in something much bigger than myself, if just for a moment.

Playtime at the Library

2008-10-23T00:02:00.000-05:00

Charlie and I went to our first “Playtime for Babies and Tots” at the library. The OKC Metro Library System is awesome. There are numerous branches throughout the city, and together they provide a ton of classes for kids and adults. Our playtime is for 8 month olds through 2 ½ year olds, and it consists of about 30 minutes of playing and 15 minutes of puppets, songs, and stories.

I have to pause here and say that the children’s librarian who leads playtime looks exactly like what you would picture. She’s probably in her late 50s, bean pole thin and tall, wears “librarian” clothes that do her no favors, and has long grey braids that loop down in front of her shoulders and end tied together at her back. I immediately thought she was awesome.

Charlie loved playtime. He’s a little social butterfly—definitely his father’s child. I think he checked to make sure I was there maybe once the entire time. For the rest of the time, he was off on his own exploring and playing. He had no qualms about approaching other babies and parents. He even grabbed onto a couple of people to pull himself up to standing. I joked with one mom that I should’ve just dropped him off and gone to run errands—he wouldn’t have even noticed! Seeing him so independent and confident makes me happy. I don’t want to think about the separation anxiety phase that's probably around the bend.

Charlie enjoyed playing with all new toys. There were several large bins of them scattered around the room. We don’t have a house full of toys—I’m of the opinion that less is more. But these were all great multipurpose toys that encourage creative play. Also, there were no name brands, TV show references, or character images in sight. He really liked the musical instruments, shaking his maracas and banging his xylophone.

Toward the end of playtime, the librarian gathered everyone around, and we sang simple songs that included lots of movements. The puppets came out for a little bit, and we found that the librarian was an accomplished ventriloquist! She read a couple of stories, and then we were finished. It was a great experience, and I can’t wait—oops, I mean Charlie can’t wait to go back next week.

Before we left the library, we checked out a few more board books and children’s music CDs. I love anything released by Putumayo. They have wonderful children’s and adult music CDs. We are currently listening to Celtic Dreamland, African Playground, and Sing Along with Putumayo. They are spirited and upbeat, but not annoying—I probably enjoy them more than Charlie! I also checked out You Are My Little Bird by Elizabeth Mitchell. Her voice is very folksy, which satisfies my inner hippie, but she also sings with her daughter, nieces, and nephews. I love listening to the little kids singing. Too cute!

2008-10-07T22:13:00.000-05:00

We had a nice visit this weekend with family in Texas. Dave and the dogs were able to join us for the trip. It was so nice to have him along so that one of us could sit in the back with Charlie. We got to spend time with Mamá, and we spent Saturday over at Papa’s visiting with family in from South Texas. It was nice to be able to see everyone. Charlie had a great time getting passed around and playing with his cousins.

I’m still waiting for Charlie to start walking and talking any minute now. He cruises all around the living room and can stand unsupported for several seconds. He still babbles up a storm, especially when he just wakes up and when he gets sleepy. His new sounds include “guh” and “thuh.” Tonight I saw him push his toy phone across the room while crawling. I guess it’s time to get out those Tonka trucks!

In food news, Charlie is eating mostly table food. He’s a good eater, which is shocking I know… It’s so nice that he can eat whatever we are eating—unless we are having something really nutritional like nachos, and then I’ll fix him something healthier. He still takes a few bottles a day, mainly because they are convenient for us. He doesn’t seem to be particularly attached to them, so I don’t think we’ll have a problem weaning him, whenever we get to that point.

Rub-a-dub-dub

2008-09-08T23:08:00.000-05:00

We had a pretty low-key weekend since I’ve been fighting a cold all week. Friday, Charlie and I ate lunch with Dave and his coworkers. We went to Cheesecake Factory, and they were so nice to bring Charlie his own plate of bread and bananas. Dave worked on Saturday, and then I guilted him into buying groceries since I was sick. It’s always interesting when Dave buys groceries, but I didn’t complain a bit about all of the “extra” things he bought that we “needed.”

Sunday, Charlie’s Aunt Kara, Uncle Seth, and Cousin Katelin came over to enjoy Dave’s grilled wings. We had a really nice visit. As the evening wore on, Charlie and Katelin had a bath so she could be put right into bed when they got home. I think Charlie enjoyed sharing his bath and having someone to splash with!

Holiday! Celebrate!

2008-09-02T01:37:00.000-05:00

It would be interesting to know which readers now have Madonna's "Holiday" stuck in their heads...lol. Charlie and I kicked off the holiday weekend by having lunch with Dave on Friday. I think he enjoys going to the office where there’s all new stuff to get into. Saturday, he went with Dave and Uncle Brad to a gun show…yes, another one. After the gun show, I joined them along with some friends for lunch.

When we got home, Dave and Charlie zonked out, and I was able to continue my chick-movie marathon. I had already watched most of Emma and the beginning of Little Women (the good one with Katherine Hepburn) that morning. There’s just nothing better than being home alone and eating breakfast in bed while watching a good movie and knitting (apparently I turn into an old spinster cat lady when left alone…). With the boys napping I watched Becoming Jane, about the early life of Jane Austen, and enjoyed more wild, hedonistic knitting.

Sunday we went to Norman where Dave’s parents live. We dropped Charlie off at their house and went to see a movie—Tropic Thunder. I should say that the last movie I’ve seen was Michael Clayton when I was 8 months pregnant. So, while I wasn’t especially excited about Tropic Thunder, just getting to go was thrilling enough for me. And it turns out that Tropic Thunder was actually very funny.

[An aside in which I get all politically-correct… I had read about disability advocate groups protesting the movie’s portrayal of people with mental handicaps. Having seen the movie, the questionable scenes are really about making fun of stereotypical egotistical actors who use those types of roles for personal acclaim and are not meant to mock people with actual mental disabilities.]

After the movie we spent the afternoon with Dave’s parents. Charlie did great. He only took a short nap, so I expected him to be extra fussy, but he really didn’t get that way until we left later that evening. His first Labor Day consisted of playing, catching up on lost sleep, and watching coverage of hurricane Gustav.

Nine Month Check-up

2008-08-25T23:26:00.000-05:00

In addition to all of the standing and cruising, Charlie has become quite a babbler. He babbles before he goes to bed, he babbles when he wakes up, he babbles when he eats, he babbles in the bathtub. We’re hearing lots of ma ma ma mas and ba ba ba bas. He also likes to bounce and clap his hands, especially when he hears music. I noticed this one day when the All My Children theme song came on…either that or he just really likes All My Children.

He’s still a good eater. We haven’t found anything (yet) that he refuses to eat. In addition to all of the fruits and veggies he’s been eating, he now also enjoys bits of turkey, cottage cheese, string cheese, chickpeas, and Cheerios. I let him feed himself as much as possible, which he prefers to me spoon feeding him. He’s also been using a sippy cup for awhile. He does okay with it, only choking himself occasionally…

Charlie had his 9 month check-up on Friday. He weighs 24.1 pounds and is 28 ½ inches long. This puts him in the 75-90th percentile for weight and the 50-75th percentile for height, for what it’s worth. Everything went fine at the check-up. He seems to be progressing right on track. Charlie also received more shots. He wails and his whole body turns red when he gets them—it starts with his face and then the color travels all the way down his stomach. He recovers pretty quickly though. The nurse commented that he seems to have a good temperament. I always joke that he has his moments, but he really does seem to be a pleasant baby, getting cranky only when he’s sleepy or hungry. Just like his mama.

Standing, sitting, cruising

2008-08-12T22:29:00.000-05:00

Charlie is all over the place. I’m just waiting for him to take off walking one day. He has started “cruising,” taking small steps while holding on to the couch. It’s really amazing to watch him become more mobile each day. Last week he couldn’t figure out how to sit after standing, but this week, he’s got it down pat. It seems like just the other day when he could barely hold his head up while on all fours.

In other news, Dave has realized that he and Charlie can run errands together. They went to a gun show (of all places) a few weekends ago. Then they went out again later that same day to the fish market. Dave reported that they got quite a bit of attention from the ladies, which I think he enjoyed! I think the outings really helped build Dave’s confidence, letting him know that Charlie will be fine if they go out together.

Get up, Stand up!

2008-08-05T15:14:00.001-05:00

Monday morning after hearing Charlie stirring, I went to get him and found this:

(Actually the photo is a recreation of what I saw that morning...I really don't keep my camera around my neck 24/7!) I knew it was bound to happen! He's been pulling up for awhile. The funny thing is, he stands up, but he doesn’t know how to get back down…lol. I'll put him down for a nap and then hear him wail like he's hurt himself. When I get to his room, I'll find him standing in his bed, gripping the sides of the crib and hanging on for dear life.

So I spent part of Monday afternoon lowering the mattress in his crib, lowering the bed part of the pack-n-play in the living room, and also finally installing the foam bumpers on the fireplace hearth. I’ve also put a few electrical outlet covers on here and there. The living room is pretty safe, so we usually blockade him in there. I just have to watch that he doesn't crawl behind the couch and get the lamp cords. Now if he could just figure out how to go from crawling to sitting, he'd have it made!

**********
P.S. Don't forget about the book giveaway! I'll leave these up for a week or so and then put the next batch up. If you still see the book on Flickr, I still have it.

Book Giveaway!

2008-08-04T20:44:00.000-05:00

Here at Casa de McDonald, we are decluttering! Actually, I should speak for myself because Dave would never admit that he has too many of anything—he’s the worst kind of pack rat. I, on the other hand, find “destashing” or decluttering invigorating and freeing. I’m starting with books and will gladly give you the chance to grab any of these before they are sold/donated/recycled (I’m not exactly sure what will happen to them).

The first group is crafting books. I’ve put a picture of each on Flickr along with link to a description on Amazon for each of them. Most of these have never left the bookshelves, so they are in good condition. Send me an e-mail (jrmcdonald77 at hotmail dot com) if you’d like any of them, know someone who would like any of them, or just need something to prop up your wobbly table. If you are a reader that I don’t personally know and you’d like any of these, I’ll gladly mail it if you cover postage.

Friday in the Big Town

2008-08-01T17:17:00.000-05:00

Charlie and I ventured out this morning to visit everyone at my work. I try to go by at least once a month to remind people that I’m still alive, plus I get to showoff Charlie. It’s always exciting to visit the office because the company has grown and continues to grow so much. It’s great to catch-up with all of the old faces (maybe I should rephrase that as “familiar faces”…lol), but it’s also nice to see all of the new faces each time I go in. It’s also refreshing to get out and talk about English stuff or books or technology—anything other than feedings and naps and bowel movements.

I do miss working from the office sometimes. I’d love to be able to play a more active role in the growth and leadership of the company. Sometimes I get anxious, thinking that opportunities are passing me by, but then I have to sit back and put things into perspective. I have to remind myself that my job as an essay grader, while not glamorous, is perfectly suited to my needs at this moment, and I’m lucky to have it. It was a transition that unfolded with perfect timing. I just sometimes have to remind myself that work will always be there, and with the company’s success, I’m positive that there will be a host of opportunities for professional growth when the time comes for me to hop back on the career ladder.

Okay, enough introspection for awhile! After going by the office, Charlie and I went to eat Mexican food with Dave and people from his office. While Mexican was not what I had in mind—I’m sorry but I get a little selfish when it’s my one day out and I don’t get to eat what I want! Anyway, it was perfect for Charlie. I fed him some sweet potatoes and green beans, and then we kept him occupied with bits of flour tortilla and rice. Plus, he was passed around the table, so he had plenty of entertainment. He had a very eventful morning and was zonked out in the car on the way home.

Food, Folks, and Fun!

2008-07-29T23:21:00.000-05:00

Charlie and I had another fun trip to Texas. He does pretty well in the car. It’s about a five hour drive that we squeeze into seven. The trip works best if we stop twice—about every two hours. He can be a little fussy when we get back on the road after stopping, but the hum of the highway settles him down. However, on the way back, he did wail for almost an hour after our second stop because we were stuck in a construction zone going a blinding 5 mph. Once we were back up to speed, he was fine.

On our visit this time, we got to see Aunt Pat, Uncle Bart, and Amy and the kiddos. We also saw Mamá and Papa, Charlie's great-grandparents. We also saw Aunt Mary and Uncle Gil. Charlie also stopped by Mom’s office where all of the ladies oooohed and aaawed over him.

We made our requisite visit to Casa Olé where I indulged in chips and green sauce. Charlie enjoyed some flour tortillas and rice while we were there. The other required stop is the DQ where I get a dipped cone. This time I went with a thin mint blizzard, though. I was not disappointed. Mom fed Charlie a little bit of hers. I guess it’s good to start him on DQ early.

In other food news, I have been craving TCBY for months. There are a couple in Tulsa, but that’s it for the entire state. I had looked online and saw that there was one in Greenville, but I couldn’t tell where it was located from the address. Anyway, fast forward to Charlie and I on our way home. I turned off the main highway in Greenville to find a place for us to eat, and what do I see…the TCBY! I just happened upon the main drag where we used to come to get Taco Bell and Schlotsky’s when I went to school in Commerce. Needless to say, before we got back on the road, I had a vanilla waffle cone with sprinkles. It was awesome.

I’m not sure why this entry is all about food. Anyway, other highlights of the trip just include lots of time spent playing, swimming, and crawling around on the floor. And that goes for Charlie, too.

Almost Eight Months Old!

2008-07-07T20:53:00.001-05:00

Charlie is almost eight months old! He’s not quite crawling, but he scoots and rolls all around the floor. He also does a lot of rocking, going from a sitting position to all fours. He enjoys playing in the floor and will play for long periods of time by himself. I don’t know if that’s good for him, but it’s certainly good for me! It’s nice to be able to park him in the floor and get a few things done around the house.

We had to take the bumpers off of his crib because he was starting to untie them. I’d check on him while he was sleeping and find him rolled over to the side, sleeping with his head tucked under the bumper. Guess he wanted it darker in his room!

Charlie has expanded his culinary expertise and now enjoys sweet potatoes, butternut squash, avocados, bananas, pears, apples, sweet peas, green beans, and carrots. I boil or steam his food, purée it, and then spoon it into ice cube trays. When the trays are frozen, I put the cubes in a storage container. Then when he's ready to eat, I can just grab a cube of this and a cube of that, zap it, and he has an instant meal. On another digestive note, Charlie is getting two more teeth—one on either side of the top two incisors. You can see his teeth sometimes when he smiles. They are too cute!

Charlie enjoyed a great first 4th of July with Uncle Rick visiting. He watched his first fireworks out at our friends Les and Benita’s farm, The Peelerosa. I really thought that he wouldn’t like the loud noises, but he never complained and was a trooper throughout a long evening.

Also, on non-Charlie note, I have some exciting news about Cimarron Creek Jewelry, my jewelry business. I've been selling to friends and family and also have a shop on Etsy. I’m excited to announce that my jewelry is now being carried in a local upscale yarn store, The Gourmet Yarn Company! The store owner had been looking to expand and include creations from local crafters and artisans. This is a welcome opportunity, and I’m excited to be a part of the local crafting community!

Charlie Goes to the World Series

2008-06-03T15:54:00.000-05:00

…the Women’s College World Series, that is!

Dave and I became addicted to watching the college softball championship last year. We tuned in every night for a week, getting to know the players by name and rooting for the underdogs. College softball is everything major league baseball should be. Players aren’t jaded or egotistical; instead, they support their teammates and openly show their passion for the sport.

We also found the series interesting because it’s played here in OKC. We had talked about watching a game from the stadium last year, but pregnancy and ninety degree temperatures don’t mix well. This year however, we made a point to see a game in person.

We packed up Charlie and went to the first game of the final three game series Monday night. It was crazy windy, but not too hot. Charlie did great. There was so much for him to watch and listen to that he was busy the whole time. He quickly made friends around us, from the teenagers in front of us to the family behind us. I had worried about him getting overheated, but he was just fine in his seersucker short-alls (I'd like to find a pair of those in my size…).

We had great seats, next to the aisle and main walkway. Plus, we bought an extra seat for all of Charlie’s gear, so we could spread out a little. The game wasn’t a great one—Arizona State ran all over Texas A&M, but I did get to see the ESPN announcers Beth Mowins, Jessica Mendoza (former and current Olympic softball player), and the profile and belly of John Kruk (retired MLB player). Plus, I got to eat a corn dog and some nachos, so it was a perfect evening in my book!

Charlie Bit Me!

2008-05-29T13:28:00.001-05:00

First, if you haven't seen the YouTube video that is the source of this entry's title, stop everything you are doing and go here.

When we arrived home after the doctor appointment and after eating, Dave was playing with Charlie in the floor. I was in the kitchen when I heard an “Ow!” emanate from the living room. Charlie had bitten down on Dave’s finger, and the noise was Dave expressing his discovery of…Charlie’s first tooth!

We’ve been expecting it any minute, since Charlie was biting and gnawing on anything he could get his hands on. I had expected Charlie to be fussy or run a fever when the tooth broke through, but he wasn’t with this one. The one right next to it is about to make its entrance too.

Six (and a half) Month Check-up

2008-05-29T13:27:00.000-05:00

Charlie had a great six month check-up last week. He weighs in at 20.5 lbs and is 25 ½ inches long. This is the same length as his last check-up, so I attribute it to having a different nurse measure him because surely he’s grown a little in two months? Anyway, we had a good visit, but I was worried the whole time that Charlie would lose it and become inconsolable. He’s done that a couple times when he’s sleepy, and the only solution I’ve found was to get him in the car so he can go to sleep or get him home and swaddled.

I tried to time the doctor visit perfectly—we had a late afternoon appointment, and Charlie had a bottle right before we were called back, which usually gives us at least 30 minutes of guaranteed alert time. Well, we were seeing a PA, and not his normal doctor who gets us right in and right out, so the whole visit ended up taking about an hour. And even though I worried about him throwing a fit, he did great throughout the wait and the shots.

As soon as we were back in the car, Charlie was O-U-T. I took the opportunity to pick up Dave from work, and we went out to eat. Dinner was wonderful. It’s been a long time since I really appreciated getting to go out to eat!

New Developments

2008-05-29T13:26:00.002-05:00

Charlie finally rolled over last week. He’s been rolling from side to side, but I finally saw him roll all the way from back to stomach and back again. He doesn’t do it very often though. There has to be something really good that he wants in order for him to reach and turn.

He likes lying on his side. I’ve found him in his crib sleeping on his side a few times.

He’s also sitting up much better. He’ll sit unassisted for longer periods of time now. He also lunges forward from a sitting position and reaches for toys or just puts his hands on the floor. So, I’m waiting any minute for him to lunge and then take off crawling.

Dining at Chez McBabble

2008-05-29T13:26:00.001-05:00

Another development that I haven’t written about yet is that Charlie is eating solid foods! He started eating rice cereal after his four month check-up. He’s really ambivalent about it—he could take it or leave it. But it did give both of us practice on feeding.

Last month, he started eating puréed sweet potatoes, which he really likes. We’ve also tried bananas, avocado, and pears. He’s so funny to watch when he eats. You’d think I’ve served him up lemon rind or something by the way his nose wrinkles and his eyes squint. He’s warming up to the avocado, but we’re going to have to keep working on the others.

Etsy Window Shopping

2008-05-14T22:58:00.001-05:00

My latest Etsy obsession is visor beanie hats. There are several Etsians selling them. This example is from The Portland Beanie Company. I'm actively scouring the Innernets to find a pattern to knit them. They work for both girls and boys, and they make any kid look like a 1920s street urchin. Too cute! I should really investigate moving to a colder climate that is more conducive to my hat obsession.

Charlie goes to the lake

2008-05-05T22:49:00.000-05:00

In my ideal world, that rosy place in my head, I’ve planned to take Charlie on a walk each morning. It would be so easy and convenient—-we live next to a lake with extensive walking trails. In fact, the sidewalk outside our neighborhood connects to the trails. But the truth is that we haven’t made a morning walk yet. I’m blaming it on the weather. We really have had a few chilly/windy mornings, but it’s getting nicer and warmer every day, so I won’t be able to use that excuse much longer.

We seized the opportunity this weekend, though. The house was clean; Dave was grocery shopping; so Charlie and I made a break for it. It was wonderful! The sky was clear with just a slight chill in the air. We walked for almost two hours (there was a lot of stopping, and I was truly strolling). I think Charlie enjoyed it. He usually falls asleep in the stroller, but he stayed awake the whole time we were walking. He did get a little fussy on the way back to the car, but he was justified since it was almost bottle time.

Etsy Window Shopping

2008-04-29T12:01:00.001-05:00

I love looking on Etsy for handmade toys. Many Etsians (?) sell knitted, felted, or sewn stuffed toys, which are unlike anything you see in retail stores. Lately though, I've been looking for handmade blocks and other wooden toys. This shop owner was recently featured in the US News and World Report article "Avoid Recalls: Make Your Own Toys." (Note: I am not a reader/subscriber to this magazine; I just happened to run across the article while searching for DIY toys...just wanted to reassure everyone that I'm a nerd, but not THAT much of a nerd...). Anyway, this seller makes several types of wooden puzzles that are developmentally appropriate and safe for children. Amazing craftmanship and cuteness to boot!

Four (and a half) Month Check Up

2008-03-31T21:41:00.000-05:00

Get out your scorecards everyone! Charlie now weighs 17 lbs. 7 oz. and is 25 ½ inches long. That makes his length between the 50th and 75th percentiles and his weight between the 75th and 90th percentiles. Again, I forgot his head measurement, or “hat size” as the nurse calls it. We had a good check up, with Charlie receiving more vaccinations.

I talked to the doctor about feeding. I figured that the doctor would want us to wait until six months to introduce solid foods (from things I’d read), but he said we could start now if we wanted. Charlie has good head control and has been interested in our food, so he might be ready. I’ll pick up some good ol’ rice cereal on my next grocery store trip.

Charlie continues to reach, grab, and hold on to objects. He also continues to take several afternoon naps and sleeps 8-10 hours at night. His new favorite thing is to ride around in his stroller, which we discovered over Easter, helps put him to sleep. He has also discovered his feet and plays with them constantly. And he loves to kick those little legs, especially when he wakes up not-so-happy.

Easter in Texas

2008-03-24T22:52:00.000-05:00

We had a great time spending Easter in Texas with family. It was nice to see both sides of the family and catch up with friends too.

At four months, Charlie's a little too young for an Easter basket, but Granny and Granddaddy did get him some cute spring clothes, including jeans and overalls, of course! Charlie also got to watch his future friend Ella dye some lovely eggs. Maybe next year, he'll be toddling around, looking for the Easter bunny!

Recent developments: Charlie's hair is growing! Maybe he won't be a baldie forever... Also, he's doing a lot of kicking and pushing with his legs. He hasn't rolled over yet, but he's almost done it a couple of times. He also likes to shriek, squeek, chirp, "talk," and chuckle. He's getting much better grabbing objects with his hands and sometimes entertains himself with his toys independently. Also, he gave himself a hickey on his arm. I think he just wanted to impress the ladies...

Back from the depths

2008-03-10T13:23:00.001-05:00

We spent last week battling the plague. I was sick last weekend and chalked it up to food poisoning because I started getting sick right after eating McDonald’s. But then when Dave and Charlie got sick on Monday, I realized that I may have had a stomach virus. Whatever the origins, it was officially Not Fun. Luckily, it didn’t affect Dave and Charlie as violently as it did me, but we were all out of commission last week.

Dave’s mom came up on Saturday to watch Charlie while we cleaned and disinfected the house from top to bottom. Laundry washed, floors vacuumed, bathrooms scrubbed, even dogs bathed. If we only had some kind of Lysol-bomb that we could set off. Anyway, I was never so glad to clean the house.

Etsy Window Shopping

2008-02-28T00:33:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite places to web window shop is
Etsy. Etsy is the largest marketplace of handmade goods on the Internet. I even have my own little shop over there. But I digress... I love looking at baby clothes on Etsy. This is one of my favorite things I've seen this week:
It's from Kate Emerson Designs. She has some really beautiful things and the neatest fabrics. Just passing it along!

We have a birthmark!

2008-02-28T00:09:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that Charlie's eyebrows were starting to darken. They had been practically nonexistent blond before. Then, I noticed a strange mark on his lower belly. I thought what has he gotten on him? Then I realized what it was--his birthmark! I had been told that his melanin production wouldn't kick in until he was 4 or 5 months old (thanks Gay!). And I guess that's what made his birthmark darken.

Diapers, diapers, everywhere

2008-02-13T11:13:00.000-06:00

We've reached another milestone! Not so much for Charlie, but more for his parents. Charlie is now three months old, and we bought diapers for the first time this week. And no, he hasn't been running around pants-less all this time... We had been given so many diapers from friends and family that they lasted all this time. It also doesn't hurt that my parents buy us a jumbo package to use every time we visit them in Texas.

While I was pregnant, I had told my mom that I wanted to use cloth diapers after Charlie was a few months old. But after he was born, I realized how often I'd be soaking and washing them, and I began to rethink it... So, I looked around and found a happy medium with gDiapers.

gDiapers are made up of a cloth pant with a plastic liner that holds a flushable insert. When you change the diaper, you just change the flushable insert. If you don't feel comfortable flushing it (old plumbing or slow toilets), you can feel good about throwing it away because the inserts completely break down and return to the earth in less than two months. The company also recommends composting the wet ones if you'd like to add nitrogen back to your soil. So while I don't think my suburban neighbors would like me creating a compost pile in my backyard, I still think that's a neat idea.

So far, our gDiapers experience has been very positive. I think we may still use disposables at night and when we go out, just for convenience. I'll let you know how it goes!

And we were slinging!

2008-02-12T22:06:00.000-06:00

If you are one of the many people required to carry an infant around, I recommend using a sling. It allows you the use of both hands, which feels like a small miracle. I purchased mine from Slinglings, which is the brainchild of a work-at-home mom. She makes all of the slings from her home in Seattle, Washington, where she offers a ton of fabric choices. She also makes it simple to find your size since you can see what other people with your same height and weight have ordered. Plus she has a very fair return policy if your sling doesn’t fit correctly.

Anyway, I had tried Charlie in my sling soon after he was born. At that time, he wasn’t long enough and didn’t weigh enough to fill out the sling, so he hung down at my waist. I really wondered if the contraption was going to work after all. Well, I tried him in it last week, and he fits! The sling is awesome. Charlie likes to be up and carried, so I’m now able to satisfy him and do a few things around the house at the same time. I’ve even vacuumed with him in the sling, and he drifted off to sleep.

The sling also makes it easier to take him out in public. I used the sling just last week when Charlie and I got our monthly Hobby Lobby fix. Before, I had to lug him around in his car seat, which while good for strengthening the back and shoulder muscles, is not so much fun to do. The sling made shopping a breeze, and it was funny to see people’s reactions.

Sleep, precious sleep

2008-02-11T12:23:00.000-06:00

So, I may actually be able to do this motherhood thing after all. You see, Charlie has finally realized that he is a baby and should therefore sleep. Since last week, he has slept 7-8 hours each night. He wakes up to eat around 7:30 a.m. and then sleeps for another 2-3 hours. And it is heaven. He’s also been taking a nap in the early afternoon. Hopefully, it’s not some practical joke he’s playing on us!

Web window shopping

2008-02-06T19:39:00.000-06:00

I do a lot of web window shopping. Because, well, looking is free. So I thought I'd use my powers for good and share with you the neat things I find.

Today's discovery is Appalachian Baby. While they don't have a large selection of items, the things they do sell are instant heirlooms. According to their site, most items are knitted as they are ordered. They also sell yarn (some from local sources and local mills) and kits to knit your own sweaters, booties, and hats. I just love the idea of these West Virginia artisans using high quality materials, creating classic baby knits, and preserving their way of life. And that lamb-eared cardigan is so darn cute.

To sleep or not to sleep*

2008-02-06T19:09:00.000-06:00

So Charlie has slept all day today. Yesterday he had a grand total of two 30 minute naps. Tomorrow, who knows? This is how it seems to go with Young Charles. Everyone keeps saying that he’ll get into a routine, but I haven’t seen it yet. The weird thing is that he’s doing great at night. He sleeps a 4-5 hour stretch, gets fed and changed, and then sleeps another 2-3 hour stretch. His nighttime pattern is consistent, but his daytime schedule is anyone’s guess.

I used to think it was strange how much moms discussed their kids' sleeping patterns. Now I understand why. When Charlie is awake, he has my full attention. I'm feeding, changing, entertaining, consoling, rocking, or just enjoying him when he's alert. Meanwhile, my mental “to do” list continues to grow. When he goes to sleep, I feel like I’m in a race see how much I can get done. I sprint around the house (some poetic license used) doing things I need to do and mentally checking off the list. When he begins crying as he wakes up, the sound is my buzzer telling me that time is up ladies and gentlemen, please put down your pencils.

I guess the reason I really want him to get into a daytime pattern is so I'll know what to expect when I wake up every morning, or at least have an idea of how things will go. For example, had I known that he was going to sleep all day today, I wouldn’t have worried so much yesterday about trying to get all of my hours in since I’ve had plenty of time to work today. I guess I’m just not much on surprises…

*Alternate Shakespearey titles for this post:
"To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub."
"Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!"
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep."

Two Month Well-Baby Visit

2008-01-21T17:00:00.000-06:00

Charlie had his two-month well-baby visit this afternoon. If you are keeping score at home, he now weighs 14 lbs. 6 oz. and is 23 ¾ inches long. This puts him between the 50th and 75th percentile for length and between the 75th and 90th percentile for his weight, for what it’s worth. I’d tell you his head circumference, but I don’t remember what it was. The doctor thoroughly checked him out, and Charlie even smiled when he was listening to his heart and chest. He also stood Charlie up to see how well he is putting weight on his legs. He reviewed his growth since last month and pronounced Charlie perfect! I really like our doctor, and not just because he tells me my son is perfect… He’s really funny, sometimes in a 7th grade boy kind of way, especially when we discuss pooping patterns. And he uses a lot of food-related imagery, including comparing things to mustard, peanut butter, and once telling me to wrap Charlie up like a burrito. I should’ve asked “Bean burrito or burrito supreme?” But he can just as easily turn back into the knowledgeable doctor, like today when we talked about autism and vaccinations. Plus I’ve been very impressed with the group of doctors in general. We’ve never waited more than 10 minutes in the waiting area; they are open on Saturdays; and they reserve early morning and late afternoon hours for walk-ins and same-day appointments.

Besides getting an all-over check-up, Charlie started his first round of many vaccinations. When the nurse gave him the first shot, Charlie gave one of those cries where he emptied his lungs of every last ounce of oxygen, took a huge breath, and then let it wail. His chest and head turned beet red. He has such a temper sometimes! He cried for a few minutes after that but went to sleep as soon as he was back in his carrier. He was sleeping so well that we hit the mini-Walgreens located on the first floor (which is sheer genius) to pick up Tylenol infant drops and saline drops (in case he gets anymore nasal congestion). We’ve been home for a few hours now, and I haven’t noticed any fever or more than normal fussiness. I hope it continues that way!

Happy Holidays!

2008-01-02T16:39:00.000-06:00

We've had a great couple of weeks. (With the exception of one very hectic day before the holidays that included having to replace two tires on my car and a quick trip to the vet for DeeDee to get stitches...) Of course, we did have to make an unexpected trip to the pediatrician when Charlie had a rash on his chest and shoulders. It didn't look too bad, but I wanted to have it checked out before we went out of town. The doctor diagnosed it as "your typical nonspecific rash.” It could be from sensitive skin, or it could be seborrhea, which is what causes cradle cap. After a few baths with Cetaphil, the bumps were gone. I also learned at the doctor visit that Charlie is up to 11 lbs. And after spending the holidays utilizing the “feed him if he’s crying” technique, it's possible that he's over 12 lbs. now. We’ll see when we go for our 2 month visit in a few weeks!

We made the trip to Texas safely in the truck with both dogs and Charlie. He traveled great—sleeping the whole way. We stopped about halfway for bathroom breaks and snacks all around. It was so nice to be home and get to show him off to friends and family. After spending a week with Mom, I feel so much more confident in handling Charlie and figuring out how to make him happy. I no longer have that stabbing fear everytime he cries.

I’ve noticed a few new developments these past few weeks. For instance, Charlie now has tears. He doesn’t have them all the time, but his eyes are a little wet after crying. He tracks objects and is fascinated with the jungle animal mobile that Granny and Grandaddy got him for Christmas. He’s also smiling a few times each day, usually when we’re playing during his alert times. We snapped some great pics of his Granny enticing smiles out of him. And he’s started oooing and awwing a few times each day. He’s been putting weight on his legs and will stand for a second (with support). He does this especially when he’s mad and crying. He continues to hold his head up and turn it from side to side. He's also pushing the length limits of his 0-3 onesies. I just keep telling myself that they must've shrunk!

We had a quiet New Year’s Eve at home. Charlie watched the ball drop in Times Square. However, when the clock struck midnight here, he was bawling. I hope that’s not a sign for the year to come!

One Month Well Baby Visit

2007-12-12T18:29:00.000-06:00

Charlie and I ventured out into the frozen tundra to see the pediatrician for a one month check up. Charlie now weighs 10 lbs. 2 oz., and he’s 21 ¼ inches long. (The hospital said he was 21” at birth, but the doctor’s office has always measured him an inch shorter than that…go figure.) The nurse gave me all of the percentiles for his measurements, but really what is the point of all that? I know the doctor wants to track the pattern of his growth, but it seems like a source of unnecessary worry to me. So what if your child is shorter than most, or his head is enormous? There’s nothing you as a parent can do about it, so does it really help to know that information? It just seems like parents are bombarded with facts, statistics, tips, milestones, and all kinds of other information, and not all of it meaningful or helpful. Anyway, the doctor declared him perfect, which of course I already knew.

I think it’s the developments that can’t be measured that I’m most interested in. For example, I have noticed in the last week that Charlie is starting to focus more closely and really track objects with his eyes. When he looks at me now, I get the feeling that he’s really seeing me, not just staring blankly. Also, he’s holding up his head for several seconds at a time. He continues to turn his head easily from side to side. His noises also sound more human now. He is starting to coo a little more, and he grunts a lot. He has even developed different cries to use against us. (Or maybe we are just better at differentiating them now…) He has a really whiney cry that he uses when you interrupt his feeding to burp him. He also has a fake-sounding cry that he uses when he’s sleepy. We’ll figure him out yet!

Three Weeks Old!

2007-12-04T14:58:00.001-06:00

Yesterday Charlie turned three weeks old! It feels like I’ve been caught in a time warp! I don’t even know what day of the week it is sometimes! Charlie is doing good, though. He sleeps for 2-3 hours at a time. He isn’t too fussy—he cries when he’s hungry and also right before he goes to sleep. I think we’ve worked out our feeding issues. After losing almost a pound during his first week, he bounced back and weighed 9 lbs. in week two. This week we’ve started supplementing with formula. We still primarily breastfeed, but knowing that we can use formula has given us (me) a sense of freedom that I really can leave the house if I need/want to. Using formula also means that Dave can do some of those 2 o’clock feedings, and I can sleep! Charlie doesn't seem to mind the change.

Last weekend was the first one that seemed “back to normal.” On Friday, we actually ventured out of the house! We went out to eat and also ran a couple of errands (Hobby Lobby and Books a Million—very important!) At the restaurant, we were ready to bolt at any moment if Charlie became fussy, but he slept the entire time. He was also an angel baby* at Books a Million. His car seat fit perfectly in their mini shopping carts, so we just pushed him around the store. It was funny.

Saturday, we had arranged for Dave’s brother and his wife (Seth and Kara) to babysit Charlie while we went to my office Christmas Party. We had a slight change of plans as we never left their house after we got there to drop Charlie off. The Big 12 Championship game was on, and Dave and Seth were suckered into watching. Later we watched part of the game from their neighbor’s house, and Charlie slept through all of the yelling and cheering. I think he was on his best behavior to make Dave look silly for always talking about the crying he does at home. No one will believe him now.

*Charlie's pediatrician called him an "angel baby" during a visit when he cried at the top of his lungs the entire time. I try to work it in as much as I can...

It's a boy!

2007-11-15T21:27:00.000-06:00

Charles August (aka Charlie) arrived at 10:18 p.m., November 12. He weighed in at 8 pounds 12 ounces and was 21 inches long. We had a wonderful birthing experience at the hospital and are glad to be home! Click the link on the left to visit our Flickr site and see more of him!

Due Date

2007-11-06T14:47:00.000-06:00

So who forgot to notify the baby that yesterday was its due date? Actually, it’s good that we haven’t had the baby yet because we’ve had a few last minute things to do around the house. For example, our TV went out last week. And then we decided to replace our double oven. Great timing! The replacement lamp for the TV arrived yesterday, and Dave installed it with no problems. The new oven arrived today, with a couple of glitches. The guy at Home Depot said that the delivery company would remove the old oven and install the new one. Sounds great! Well, it turns out that they would actually just haul off the old one if you had already removed it. And, they would install the new one if it didn’t have to be hard-wired in. So, we were screwed on both accounts. Dave’s dad is coming up this evening to help him take out the old and install the new. It should be a case of just connecting a few wires, right? We'll see…

Meanwhile, I’m just hanging out. It’s odd to know that a surprise is coming, but you don't know when. It adds urgency to everything you do. For example, the house has to be clean at all times. Dishes have to be washed and put up immediately after use. The bathroom has to be wiped down daily. Those clothes have to be washed as soon as there’s enough for a load because you just don’t know when we’ll have to go to the hospital! I have restrained myself with the vacuuming and mopping, just doing it once a week. This must be what it’s like to have your house up for sale and ready to show at any moment. The need for perpetual cleanliness is certainly not my style…

Also, we can no longer call anyone because they automatically assume it’s time! I can no longer log into Instant Messenger, which I use for work, because I’m bombarded with chats asking if I’m at the hospital. And if Dave is late to work or running an errand, his coworkers assume that we are having the baby if his truck is missing from the parking lot. It’s really quite funny. We could really take advantage of this opportunity to mess with people, but unfortunately, I just don’t have the energy.

Monkey hat!

2007-08-15T18:36:00.000-05:00

Tassel Hat

2007-08-15T18:20:00.000-05:00

Pretend this candlestick and decorative ball represent my child... I think these hats are so cute! Of course, I won't be the one wearing it. I had seen these hats before so I scoured the Internet to find a pattern to make one myself. And it actually came out like it was supposed to! I’m most impressed with my seaming job--you can't even see the seam in the stockinette stitch part of the hat!

Patchwork Blanket

2007-08-15T18:16:00.001-05:00

Another item I knitted was this patchwork blanket. Whew! I'm glad this thing is finally finished. Well, technically, I still have many ends to weave in (which you can see peeking out), but let's not think about that. I might have been able to knit more things if I hadn’t always been working on this. I did master seaming much better with this project. The yarn is merino with a little bit (very little!) of cashmere. It feels good to the touch and just happens to coordinate with the crib bedding.

The Sweater

2007-08-15T18:06:00.000-05:00

Before getting pregnant, I thought I’d have all of these cute little outfits knitted and ready to go when the baby came. Well…that’s not how things have turned out... After getting pregnant, all of the things that I thought mattered (creating the neatest nursery, buying lots of baby stuff, having everything just perfect, etc…) didn’t matter anymore. But I have made a few things.

The first item I made was a sweater. I think it's fitted for 18-24 months, so we'll have awhile before Baby can wear this. I had originally started making this as a Christmas present for my niece. Well, turns out I couldn’t knit as fast as she grew. So, then I planned to give it to a friend’s daughter who would be turning 1 year old in the next spring. Well, I didn't make that deadline either. So, I just kept working on it. Like Mom said, it’s not bad for a first attempt. It was certainly a lesson in how to follow a pattern. And I had to “frog” (“rip-it rip-it”) sections on more than one occasion. The seaming is sketchy, but hopefully not immediately noticeable.

Yet another prewritten post...

2007-05-22T12:47:00.000-05:00

Please don’t anyone buy me a copy of What to Expect When You Are Expecting. Women get so crazy gobbling up any pregnancy information crap—don’t do this, you’ve got to do this, mothers who do this are terrible, etc. I think it all just creates anxiety and unease. Because you know if you ate a piece of broccoli in your third week, your baby is 60% more likely to have a sixth finger on his left hand.

This is one reason I really like my doctor. She affirms my decision not to do too much research. She said that this pregnancy is going to progress like nature intends. All of the reading, researching, and worrying is not going to change a thing except make you a nervous wreck. I do, however, subscribe to the weekly newsletters from Baby Center. It tells me factually how the baby is developing each week. I've learned a new respect for "just the facts, ma'am."

A post I wrote before creating the blog...

2007-05-11T14:43:00.000-05:00

So, the two most popular questions that people ask me are “How are you feeling?!” and “Are you excited?!” I think that people are culturally conditioned to think that they must ask pregnant women these questions. Which on one hand, I’m glad that people care. I try to always act nice and appreciative of their concern. On the other hand, I don’t know if I can stand another six months of the same questions… It’s especially difficult because I really haven’t had any physical symptoms that I can conversationally complain about… And about being excited, well, it’s just that it doesn’t feel like anything has really changed yet. So, I don’t want to lie and say “No, I’m not really excited” so I just say “Yes, but it doesn’t feel real yet” or something like that. Hopefully as it becomes more real to me, I won't feel like I'm constantly faking politeness or bubbly excitement.

Another pre-blog post...

2007-05-11T14:42:00.000-05:00

There is very little that connects me to the sorority of women past. Not finding out the baby’s sex is one miniscule little way that I can experience something that billions of other women have experienced. Plus, this way of connecting to other women is a lot easier than doing something really hard like going through a drug-free birth with no doctor and no sterile hospital.

Another reason I don’t want to find out is that I just want to focus on the joy of having a new little creature around. Period. I don’t want to get caught up in creating a premade identity for this little person that I don’t even know yet. Plus, pink was never a nursery option, so it’s not like I'm missing out on that.

The only thing I fear is that not knowing the baby’s sex will prevent me from bonding with him/her as early as I could've had I known what I was having... something to think about.