Tell me all about it

This started out as a Very Bad Week, although it seems to be ending better than it started. In the meantime, here is Aerin, finally feeling better after her bout of RSV.

5 Months

Weight: 16 pounds, 8 ounces

Length: 27 inches

Head Circumference: 40.5 cm

With this last month, I think we've graduated from bulleted lists to describe current circumstances. She's made the transition from baby loaf to an actual interactive little person, thereby confirming my hypothesis that babies get pretty awesome at around 5 months.

She still hates tummy time with the fire of a thousand suns. She starts out okay, with her head up, looking around. But five minutes later, she plants her face directly on the floor, refuses to lift it or turn it to either side, and screams into the mat. If we don't pick her up immediately, girl will continue to scream for the next 20 minutes, even if you're holding her and profusely apologizing. Clearly, she got the Nestor gene when it comes to holding a grudge.

Her eyes have really started to change over to a darker grayish-brown. I've said all along I thought they'd end up brown, and so far, it looks like I might be right. Her hair has finally started growing in. It's still a dark brown, with just a few lighter highlights. For the moment, it's staying short and just filling in, but maybe it will start getting longer here soon.

She's starting to really play with different sounds. For a while it was loudly talking to ceiling fans and toys, but now we've graduated to the patented pterodactyl shriek. Todd finally got the mobile Amy handed down to us working, so we set that up on her crib and she loves to chatter at it. When she's excited, she sticks her arms straight out and waves them in circles and shrieks with happiness. Whenever Todd or I enter her field of view, she starts kicking her legs and waving her arms, all with a giant gummy grin and happy chirps. At 3 in the morning, we've both been known to grumble at her to stop being so gawdayum cute.

Speaking of, this last month saw the return of occasional night waking. Around the start of November, she hit a growth spurt and suddenly we were trying to remember how we ever survived on only five hours of sleep. In response, I tried her a few times on a bit of cereal, just to see if maybe she was ready for solids. Turns out, no. She's a milk girl for the foreseeable future. Also, rice cereal mixed with breastmilk, air-cooled, then sprayed directly into your open mouth is pretty nasty. Just sayin'.

This month I also marked my first-ever experience with pumping on-the-go. I had to travel to Cherokee, Alabama for a job, which is only a four-hour round trip plus three hours of field time, but still well past when I'd need to pump. Which is how I found myself sitting in a Dollar General parking lot hooking up bottles and tubes under a nursing cover, while curious passersby double-taked on their way to and from their cars. I parked in the back, where I thought traffic would be light, but it turns out that's a very desirable location for your average Dollar General patron. Anyway, it wasn't the most comfortable experience in the world, but it was easy enough. The main issue was keeping the milk cool and cleaning the pump parts afterwards, both of which require a bit of extra planning, but are perfectly doable. It's nice to know that I can still travel to jobsites if I need to. Although, next time I'm stopping in a church parking lot.

On the daycare front, things are going pretty well. We’ve got a good schedule down, I'm having no problems keeping up with the demand for milk, and I'm still able to go over every day to nurse her at lunch. As of last Wednesday, Aerin's main caretaker, Ms. Altman, left to stay home with her own grandchildren. She was there back when Micah was an infant, and I specifically asked that Aerin be placed in the room knowing Ms. Altman would be one of her caretakers. It's sad, and more than a little jarring, but I think her replacement will be fine.

Of course, we won't know until Aerin goes back to daycare, which she won't for a while because last Wednesday, just as were arriving in Atlanta, Aerin came down with a rip-roaring case of RSV. She started out coughing a bit, then she started getting congested, then she stopped eating, and then suddenly she was having trouble breathing. I took her to the doctor yesterday morning where she got a breathing treatment and a diagnosis of RSV, a double ear infection, and an eye infection. They sent me home with a nebulizer to do breathing treatments at home, an antibiotic for her ears, and drops for her eyes. Apparently RSV symptoms can last for up to three weeks, but she should be able to return to daycare once she no longer needs the breathing treatments. After only a few hours, we could already see a huge improvement in her comfort level, but we're still having a lot of trouble getting her to swallow her meds. She's a bit like a cat, in that as soon as you squirt the stuff into the back of the mouth, they start hacking and spitting, and next thing you know, you've got medicine and spit all over your face and your arms are clawed to bits. Actually, it's easier to give medicine to cats, because I don't feel bad about sitting on them and prying their jaws open with my fingers.

Oh, and she's also teething. At her five-month checkup on the 17th, the doc confirmed that the white spot we've been seeing on her bottom right gum is in fact a tooth. The amount of drool has been ungodly and she chews on everything in sight, but it doesn't look too swollen or red and she's not complaining too much yet. So there's that.

I think that kind of covers where she's at lately. There's always something new going on, and I'm trying to document most of it somehow. I'd like to work on putting more up here, since I've found I really enjoy going back and reading my archives about Micah. Of course, that requires time, and if there's one thing we seem to be missing these days...

Rewind: Halloween

For Halloween, we were lions.

Aerin wore Micah's costume from his first Halloween, although she dealt with it much better than he did. Micah wore Daniel's old costume. I wore a hat Todd got for Micah this past spring in Breckenridge. It fits me because I have a teeny tiny head.

The End

Time flies when you're going nuts

October was a hell of a month. Not bad, per se, but it was definitely a change of pace.

After a month and a half, I'll say that going part time has made the weekdays much harder, but the weekends easier. This whole new dynamic is completely different from anything we've done before. During the week, the mornings are crazier, the work days are longer, and the evenings are given entirely to feeding children, bathing children, and washing a seemingly-endless array of bottles and pump parts. But the whole point of the exercise was to free up our weekends and it’s working. Of the last six weekends, we've had family staying with us for three. We've also had friends over for dinners, and spent a lot more of our Saturdays outside playing with Micah. It's nice to be able to spend time with people we love, instead of worrying about chores.

To add to the insanity, on October 28th, Todd left his job in private industry to return to the Corps of Engineers. He'd been unhappy there for a while, mostly because he was directly responsible for keeping his people employed in an economic climate that was steadily going to shit. That's a whole different level of stress, and one that just isn't a factor at the Corps. The move means a not-insignificant pay cut, but in return he gets job security, peace of mind, and a LOT less stress. It's hard to put a price tag on that.

So. We're ticking along and slowly settling in from all the recent changes. October was a blur, but November's been better so far, and we're in a good place.

Rewind: Favorites from Tate Farms

I know this is old news, but Tate Farms is awesome. They're only open during the month of October, although you can hold birthday parties there for a couple hundred dollars - you know, if you happen to have that lying around. They have all kinds of things for the kids to do: hayrides, slides, a petting zoo, a jumping pillow, swings, a corn train, face painting, tractors to climb. You really can spend the whole day there.

This year was our first time to visit during the day. I posted pictures of our trips on Facebook forever ago, but never got around to sticking them up here. So, here are some of my favorites. The rest are on Flickr.

He just wanted to ride the tractor behind me, but I wouldn't let him until we got some pictures. Hence the sad face.



I had a lot of fun practicing shooting in manual. I'm slowly getting better at figuring out weird lighting conditions!



(Except for when I'm rushing and forget to adjust the ISO and end up with a really grainy picture.)



Micah liked the jumping pillow a lot better when we were there at night and it had fewer people on. They didn't seem to bother his cousin, though.



Fake tractor or real, it didn't matter to Micah. They were all fun to climb.



The kids all decided to fill up their shirts to make corn bellies.



This was taken just after we got there, when Micah was still trying to figure out where he wanted to go next. There's so much to do, he couldn't decide.



Micah kept calling the irrigation equipment robots. "Mommy! Look, another robot!"

And then October happened

I went back to work on October 3rd. Could you tell?

In order to properly celebrate turning 30, I started my baby in daycare and returned to my job. They were obviously relieved to see me, if relief can be measured by the sheer amount of crap they immediately piled on my plate (four BMP plans, three SPCC plans, two WM plans, an MS4 permit, a meeting with ADEM in Gadsden, and a partridge in a pear tree). I had enough hoarded projects to keep me busy for the next three months, but they all ended up being due last week and this coming week. Because of course they were.

I'm still adjusting to the schedule of pumping, going over to feed Aerin, and still working a full 8-hour day. I'd forgotten how much time pumping at work actually takes. Once you wash your hands, sit down, unpack and hook up everything, pump, pack up the milk, and wash everything, you're in for a good 30 minutes. Throw in a trip to the daycare, and you're already down two hours that have to be made up later. It's hard to keep up and it's hard to take a break from working just as you're hitting your stride.

To complicate things even more, after a year and a half of muttering about it, I've finally gone part-time. I'm only supposed to be in the office three days each week: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I say supposed to because my second week back, I worked every day just to get finished. That also happened to be the same week Todd went and LEFT TOWN for a business trip. Because of course it was scheduled for my second week back, WHY NOT? Thank god Linda was able to stay with us, because otherwise, I'd have given up that first night.

So far, when I actually stick to it, the part-time deal is working mostly as intended. It will work better once I'm no longer pumping or going to the daycare to nurse, but hey. It's a system that's still evolving. I've been able to do the grocery shopping and laundry and some cleaning during the week, so our last few weekends have been less shit-tastic on the domestic front. We've been able to spend time with kids, instead of dragging them through various stores and chores, so that's a good thing.

And look! Today they're both asleep at the same time! If I skip my shower, I might be able to finish this post, check my email, write some thank you notes, AND maybe upload some pictures. Dude, it's like a little vacation. A vacation where you've forgotten your shampoo and your razor.

Pictures-I've-been-hoarding time!

3 Months

Weight: Five fat rolls on each thigh. FIVE.
 

Length: TBA
 

New Likes:

• Mortimer the Moose
• swings
• mirrors
• playing peek-a-boo (no object permanence! Mommy just appears out of nowhere! yay!)
• the toys and music on the bouncy seat
• being carried in the Moby wrap

 

New Dislikes:

• bottles (OH THE BETRAYAL WHYYYYYY)
• people who try to give her bottles
• milk from bottles
• anything food-like that is not boob
• tummy time (OH THE BETRAYAL WHYYYYYY)

 

Still Loves:

• MILKS!!!11!!1!!! (but not from bottles, YOU JERKS)
• riding in the car
• baths
• her brother

 

New Skills:

• sleeping through the night, 9:30 PM to 6:30 AM, GLORY GLORY HALLELUJIA!
• sucking on her hands
• intentionally grabbing things
• laughing, except it's more of a drawn-out coo
• head control when held upright

  

Comparison

Here is a rather unflattering photo of Aerin at nearly 13 weeks:

And here is a rather unflattering photo of Micah at 20 weeks, wearing the EXACT SAME OUTFIT.

Milkhogs McGee at the top there clearly has the edge in jowls, but Micah definitely has her beat for eyelashes.

Rocking Chair

Three Years

On Monday, this kid had a birthday.

Saturday evening, we had a small party with his Aunt Liz, Uncle Josh, Daniel, Alex, Aunt Jessica, Grandmama, and Grandpa.

On Monday morning, we made cupcakes and courted salmonella. Later, Todd and I brought the cupcakes and some watermelon (Micah's favorite fruit) for the afternoon daycare snack. I forgot my camera, so the evidence is in Todd's iPhone, but the kids all had fun.

Micah is so much fun these days. He has such an amazing imagination; he's always coming up with new games or funny stories. He talks NONSTOP about EVERYTHING. He can identify and name nearly every piece of construction equipment one might encounter. He loves trucks, trains, and his baby doll. His most important comfort object is Lubby, his half-bear half-blanket, but he also sleeps every night in a twin-sized bed with a stuffed dog named Granite, my old gloworm, a cat beanie baby, Mr. Rabbit, Baby, Tooli the nightlight, and his blue blanket with the ducks. He loves being outside, especially if it involves digging in dirt. He's scared of live bugs. He likes to put his face in the water in the bathtub, but only recently got over a fear of the swimming pool. He can walk a mile and a half before he gets tired. He loves to sing, and can actually carry a tune. He still sings the fourth verse of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" as "Micah diamond in the sky." He can be maddeningly cautious or alarmingly reckless, depending on the activity. He's scared of storms, but loves stomping in puddles. He can navigate the iPad to find his favorite games and is a huge fan of watching truck videos on YouTube. He can finally get on and off the potty all by himself, although he still requires a little help getting down at night. He calls the Huntsville Saturn V "my rocket." He likes to hear the names of the roads we're driving on, and he remembers several of them. He still likes to direct where we're going, and has recently developed the habit of back-seat driving. His launch countdowns for his space shuttle go from 1 up to 13.

I could go on and on, but Aerin's waking up, so I'll just sum it up: this kid is awesome.

And now he's three.

Misery loves company, so CHOMP

A few weeks ago, E and I took the kids to KidVenture, a local indoor playground. We picked a day we knew traffic would be low, packed snacks and lunches, and made a morning of it. The kids had an absolute blast the entire three hours we were there.

Sadly, while they were having fun they also managed to pick up the cold virus from hell. Two days later, they were all oozing, sneezing balls of misery. Then they gave it to E and Todd.

The following Monday, Micah started biting kids at his daycare. It was an awful week, culminating in him actually drawing blood on Thursday when he bit his best friend on the back. Friday, we left for Atlanta where we stayed until Monday morning, and so I was spared a phone call telling me my child had finally snapped and shivved a classmate with a toy truck axle.

This week, I had a Plan to cure Micah's behavior. It involved a chart depicting each metric, spaces for stickers when he did what he was supposed to, and a reward if he went all week in each category. I got his daycare teachers in on it, and we posted the chart on the wall in his classroom under his hook. To my surprise, it actually WORKED. He went the whole week with only one small scratching incident and one kicking episode. For a 3-year-old, that's pretty much above average.

But I still couldn't figure out what had sparked the whole biting spree to begin with. It wasn't until this Thursday evening it finally hit me: what in the past has made Micah turn into a raging asshole with no other discernible stimuli? EARS.

I called the doctor yesterday morning and scheduled an appointment. "Symptoms? Uh, he's being a jerk? Fever, no. Pulling at his ears, no. Told us his ear hurt, NO. He is being a turd. And he's not eating well. Yes, I realize he's three."

Sure enough, both of my symptomless child's ears are infected. He joins the ranks of his cousin, aunt, and father, all of whom also currently have ear infections. Today, after one dose of antibiotics and with a bit of ibuprofen in his system, he's clearly feeling much better. I'm just wishing I'd figured things out sooner. You know, BEFORE he tried to bite everyone in his class. Not to mention the whole suffering-in-silence-for-days thing.

Anyway, he's on the mend now. I suppose I can cancel that rabies shot I had scheduled for him and return the muzzle. Turns out we won't be needing them after all.

Two Months

Weight: 12 pounds, 9 ounces (+6 pounds from June 23)

 

Length: 24.5 inches (+5 inches from June 21)

 

Likes:

• milk
• milk
• MOAR MILK OMNOMNOM
• baby gym
• bouncy seat
• Lady Gaga's Telephone
• ceiling fans

 

Dislikes:

• swings
• sleeping through the night
• letting Mom take a shower
• William Faulkner novels

 

New Skills:

• cooing
• spastically batting at colorful things
• intent cross-eyed staring
• sleeping for 4 to 6 hours at a time
• SMILING!

Pictures, because words take time

My cousin Laura knitted Aerin an adorable hat. Aerin wears it pretty often after baths, but I can't put it on her to go outside unless I want her brains to boil. I'm hoping it will still fit her when the weather finally cools off. You know, in November. Of 2012.

Joe and Re-Naye, the realtors who sold our old house, gave Aerin a very fancy outfit. We're talking smocking, bloomers, a bonnet, the whole nine yards. Now if I only had an excuse to dress her up in it.

Well, an excuse other than "I have a camera, I'm bored, and Aerin can't run away yet."

Also, I was finally able to snag a picture of a real smile. Aerin's been grinning pretty reliably for about two weeks now, but she doesn't seem to find the camera very amusing. You think she'd be used to it by now.