Life Plus Two

Saturday, December 8, 2012

8 Months!

8 months and

8 months interrupted.

So my kid turned eight months old over Thanksgiving. That was as long as I was pregnant with him. Just a few things about how month eight went.

The kid still has no teeth and his only attempts to crawl, he'd just push himself backwards. Mostly when we'd try to get him to crawl he'd reach with one hand, then the other and then roll over and lift his hips in the air which means "pick me up". Or there were my favorites, when he would just look at the object and then look at me like "Obviously I can't reach that so why aren't you giving it to me?".

He still loves to eat. With no teeth and his love of inhaling his food, finger foods have been a problem. He tries to swallow immediately and ends up choking and gagging. We finally got him doing the puffs okay but the first few days we had to hold them in his mouth until they started dissolving and then he'd realize there was more to it and try to chew.

He still wakes up once each night to eat, anytime between 11:30 and 4:00... It's really random and I can't train him to stop. He's been known to scream bloody murder for up to an hour if I try to just get him to go back to sleep without eating. If he wakes up other times, he just puts himself back to sleep. He is much better at staying asleep though and not waking up at every little noise. My favorite though is when we put him down. He likes to touch our mouths while we rock him and then when we put him down he just rolls over, sticks his little bum in the air and goes to sleep.

He started giving kisses. It's my favorite thing. Ever. He'll get really excited to see me and grab my face for a kiss or other times he'll just give lots of kisses and laugh or I love the times he'll just randomly turn to make sure I'm still there and then plant a kiss on me and go back to his business.

His new favorite thing is sticking out his tongue. It's visible about 70% of the time.

Bath time is still the best time around here. He'd stay in there all day if we let him. He started tentatively sticking his face in the running water and then he'd decide he'd like it and try again more bravely. Or sometimes he'll just slam his face down into the water and it doesn't phase him at all. He's a fish. Plus he just screams and laughs and babbles the entire time from the beginning of bath time until we put him down to bed.

We finally graduated from size 2 diapers since about 2 or 3 months. Mostly because his legs are getting so chunky.

He still is up to eat by 6 in the morning, takes a short nap around 7:30, depending on the day he either eats his fruit and cereal around 6:45 or after his next nursing (at 10) around 10:30. Then he takes a 1 1/2 - 2 hour nap and nurses again about 2 with a little bit more baby food, then nap again until like 5:30 then nurses again at six and dinner of like 2 jars of baby food. He's out for the night by 7:45. I can't get the kid off the schedule. No matter how much he eats, he's still ready to nurse again four hours after the last time.

31 Weeks

32 Weeks

33 Weeks

34 Weeks

Kid will take his binky any way.

Checking out dad's beard

Grandpa-Great

The tongue

Met his uncle A.J. this month

His rockstar look

He and Jersi played with the crumpled piece of paper in her hand for about a half hour

He's fascinated with the washer and always helps with the laundry

Experienced his first presidential election

The Halloween candy kept him entertained for weeks.

Scarecrow for Halloween

Amazed I got passed turning the doorknob without him waking up. Oh, and apparently he wears this jacket a lot.

Giving himself kisses.

He loves playing in the mirror. He thinks he's hilarious. This was in the condo at Sun Valley.

And... nap time

I look so awesome in this, but the kid has been chewing on my chin for months now.

Playing with Anna

I mustache you a question.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Tales of First Grade Part IV

So election day is a lot of fun in a class of first graders who already excel at repeating things they hear their parents say.

To start the day, in their morning journals I had them write who they wanted to win the election and why. A few students didn't know who I was talking about when I said Barack Obama and Mitt Romney but when I put their pictures up, one little girl said "Oh I know them. They're on tv ALL the time".

Their journal entries were a great read, and included gems like this:

"I wont (want) Barack obama to be the presadent bekas he is niss. I theenk Barack obama shood be the presdent bekas he makes good rools. i really like him. He is niss.'

"I like Barack Obama because he is cole (cool) and I want him to be the presudedit."

"I lic Mitt Romney to win. Becus he owes (always) wins. He wind (As in the past tense of win) lashyer. (last year)"

"I vot fr (I vote for) Obama becs (because) he is more irit (interested (I had to ask him what that one said)) in the ome. (army)"

"I am voting for Romney bcus he will save are land. and he is cooll. and I wont him to be Presidint."

"I like Obama's name. (a solid reason to vote for someone) Obama is cul. I wont Obama to say that thir is a noo ilin (I want Obama to say that there is a new island.)" --Me too kid, me too.

"I like Romney becus he is mejicl." (That word is magical. Magical Romney.)

"Romney should get watevs (whatevs?) he wants. He shood say you doeen (doing) you job and you homok. (Homework)"

"I theenk that miit Romney shood be presudint cus he is ruspektfolle (respectful. I loved that one.) and he is cool. and that is wiye (why) I theenk that."

"i like obama becus he is ckool and niss. I lik you the moos. (most.)" Thanks kid.

"Mitt Romney. he chood (should) be it. cuz he he. looks osum. (awesome) I lick (like) his tiy (tie). i lick his sgers. (shoulders?) I lick his her. (hair) I lick his eves (eyes) I lick his shrt (shirt) I wonder what he licks. Lick inside windos (windows) a corse (of course) I do not lick it at all. I lick him. he look nis. (nice)" ---No idea what this chick was talking about.

And get ready for some first grade confused racism--- "I like Mitt Romney cus Barack Obama is a mecksin. (Yep, a Mexican...) And Obama shat (Shut. Made me laugh so hard!) down a desert. And I want Romney and Barack to be friends." (Um... Okay?)

So anyway then we read a book called Duck For President about how a duck wanted to take over Farmer Brown's job so they held and election and he worked his way up to president. We talked about what made duck a good candidate and why Farmer Brown was one as well. We also talked about why we thought they were not good candidates. Then we talked about campaign signs and where they'd seen them around town and what they're for. They chose whether they wanted to campaign for Duck or for Farmer Brown and they made campaign posters and hung them around the school. Then at recess, several of them went "on the campaign trail" and went around telling kids and teachers whom they should vote for. I put them in groups and they "debated" about who would be the better president.

We also talked about why we register to vote and so they all filled out voter registration cards and at the end of the day we held the actual election. They showed me their voter registration cards and put up folders so it would be a secret ballot. Then they received an "I voted" sticker. Farmer Brown won by just a few votes and the kids were either delighted or infuriated.

Some voter registration cards

The next day emotions were even higher. For their morning journals I had them write how they felt about the results of the presidential election. A few of them had changed their minds after overhearing parents talking...

"I am mad about Obama. My brother is mad. My mom is mad. My dad is mad. He is a bad man." This was the same student who wrote the first journal at the beginning of this blog about Obama being nice, etc.

"I am happy because he is cul (cool) and i lik him. He nis."

"mi (my) dad is hape (happy) mi mom is mad."

"Its ok. He is a good pressdent."

"Obama is STUPID. He tax (takes) our jobs and brak his promiss."

"i don't like that Bock Boma won. He aredee (already) had a trn. (turn)" ---Some solid first grade reasoning.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Fall Things-Halloween

So because we are super cool and because we have a son who goes to bed at 7:30, we had no plans for Halloween. So the day before, Dan decided to invite our whole 2 friends (give or take a few) over some riotous partying. Also at school for Halloween we all dressed up as hillbillies. The superintendent came and judged all our costumes. (Although I will whine here and point out that all the best costume winners he picked were in first lunch, and by the time the rest of us got there he was done judging.) Oh and don't worry, our principal also hired a professional photographer to come take our pictures. Our individual pictures, mind you. Still no word on when those will be coming back to us...

I made Atticus' costume. He was the cutest scarecrow you ever did see. I just sewed on patches with raffeta on some overalls then I fashioned the hat out of some burlap and attached it to a headband. Oh and I tied some more raffeta around his ankles.

We had lots of trick-or-treaters which was fun. This is our fourth Halloween and it's the first time we've had trick-or-treaters.

My team at Garland redneck-onizing!

My boyfriend, Shaylyn.

My cute little scarecrow

This boy adores his daddy.

Dan was a slacker this year and didn't get a costume. Yes, he did just pull all this stuff out of his closet. Pretty good I think.

Girlfriend was also a slacker and pulled all of her stuff out of her closet. She's a hipster. Obviously.

These two are from District 12.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

7 Months!

So the kid is 7 months old now and he's suddenly huge. He's gained at least a pound since 6 months which is really saying something as it took him more than 2 months to gain the last pound. Oh and in case you were wondering, a heavy baby is the difference between 14 and 15 pounds. It's no wonder he's starting to get chunky finally. He eats like a kid just home from fat camp. Like seriously, a few times he's eaten so much he's thrown up. He eats at least 3 tablespoons (dry) of cereal in the morning, about half a jar of baby food around lunch time, and then 1-2 jars at before bed. Plus he still drinks about 30 ounces of milk each day. Even if he just finished eating, if he sees food or a bottle, he'll cry to get it. And his eating of solids has not changed his nursing schedule at all. He still nurses every four hours like clock work, no wonder when and how much he last ate solids. But I love that he's getting chubby. He's got the best chunky monkey legs. Although he still hasn't graduated from size 2 diapers which he's been in since 2 or 3 months.

He's starting to sleep better. He's always dead asleep by 8. I can tell how tired he is because if he's not quite ready to go to sleep he'll let me hold him and sing to him a little bit. If he's ready to sleep then he tries to wiggle out of my arms because he just wants to lay down to sleep. Then he sleeps until about midnight and we feed him a bottle and then he sleeps until I go get him up at 6 so we can get ready to go for the day. I'm nervous to try and let him skip his midnight feeding because I don't think he'll make it to six (I don't think 11 hours between feeding is possible.) So he'll wake up at like four in the morning or something and then he won't be ready to eat again at 6 and I have to feed him at six so things work out with the babysitter and with the fact that I can't get him to stay awake past 8.

He also gets louder when it's closer to sleeping time. It's so much fun. The time between bath and bed time is the most fun because it's like he gets slap happy. He squeals and jabbers and bounces and giggles. Sometime right up until I lay him in his crib and then he shuts right up and goes to sleep.

Some other things...
Despite the fact he's been drooly and showing other signs of teething for months. He still has no teeth. He loves gnawing on my chin though.
He's too lazy to crawl. We'll put something down for him to crawl to and he'll roll from side to side then just roll onto his back and lift his hips in the air, which means "pick me up".
He's started reaching to be held. He'll reach for me and has started reaching more for Dan.
He's also started noticing when I leave the room. He's noticed Dan leaving for a couple months. But that's more because he finds it interesting that Dan has disappeared and then he'll suddenly reappear. But with me he's started crying/getting upset when I walk away. I love it but it's also a pain sometimes.
He loves typing. Dan gave him an old keyboard to pound away on so that he'll stop trying to pound on Dan's computer when they're sitting at his desk. He loves it and gets so excited when he sees it. Although sometimes it's not enough and he still tries to reach Dan's keyboard as well.
He can sometimes be a drama queen. Sometimes if he's not eating the instant he decides he's hungry, he throws his whole body backward and wails like life is over.
Okay, pictures.

27 Weeks