Not a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving
Baby has been teething for about two weeks now. I am certain it's the big molars in the back that are coming in. He's had a difficult time with naps. Instead of easily falling asleep mid-day, I've had to work all afternoon to help comfort him and help him fall asleep.
At night it hasn't been easier either. Instead of going to sleep at 10 PM, sometimes he falls asleep as late as mid-night. I've been staying up with him because Jeff has to get up for work, but I've had very little sleep this week myself and I had expected Jeff to help put Baby to bed the night before Thanksgiving so that I could get up with enough time to begin to prepare our holiday meal.
But, of course, that didn't happen. I had to stay awake with Baby on Wednesday night, too, and believe me, I wasn't happy about that.
Therefore, on Thursday morning I was not interested in waking up early. Although Baby has been going to bed later than usual, he's still waking at his usual time. Sometimes he will go back to sleep because he's exhausted and that's what he did Thanksgiving morning. He woke up just a little before 7 AM, nursed and went back to sleep. Then he awoke after 9 AM and that's when Jeff got up with him while I continued to sleep.
A number of times while I tried to sleep, Jeff would come into the room to tell me to get up, either to keep an eye on Baby or to begin to prepare our meal. As we were not expecting guests, we didn't get a small turkey breast this year, so our food was not going to take many hours to cook.
I got up mid-day after nursing Baby who had been a little fussy and was again having a difficult time falling asleep for his nap. I took him with me to grab some hot chocolate at Starbucks and then when we returned I began to pour through my recipes to collect my ingredients. Jeff had began to say that he needed to mow the lawn, which meant that he wanted me to keep an eye on Baby, but I wanted to get started cooking because it was growing late.
"If we don't get this going soon, we're going to have to have hamburgers for Thanksgiving. Is that what you want?!" I asked Jeff.
But Jeff wanted to mow the lawn and he said that he had tried to get me to wake earlier.
"I need to sleep, too. I went without sleep all week long, and I asked you to help put Baby to bed so that I could wake earlier to get started on the cooking. And did you stay up with Baby last night? No, you didn't. I had to stay up again last night while you snored. It didn't matter to you that I had gone all week without sleep, did it?!"
"Nope." He said with his back to me.
I didn't reply. He must have expected me to say something because he then turned to look at me.
"Get out of my face. Get out of here!" I shouted.
"Fine. I'll go mow my lawn!" And that's what he went to do while I entertained Baby.
After he was done working on his splotchy lawn, Jeff came back inside and attempted to apologize. He said he wanted everyone to have a pleasant holiday evening. It took a while before I relented, of course. I had wanted to punch him in the face, but I wanted to cook a nice meal for my Baby. Jeff had already put his holiday ham in the oven and I agreed to continue where I had left off.
During this time, Brian still was awake. I had put a Thomas the Train show on the TV for him and he really seemed to like it.
For his part, Jeff had begun a load of laundry.
"Where should I empty this basket?" He asked.
"On the bed, for now, I guess."
Baby and I followed him into the guest bedroom. Baby was standing beside the night stand and I watched as Jeff emptied the laundry basket on to the bed and then swung it back down narrowly missing striking Baby on the head!
"You need to be careful when he's around you." I said to him.
All three of us then made our way out of the bedroom. Jeff, still holding the laundry basket in one hand, pulled the door to close it as he was talking to me. Baby was standing on the other side of him, behind him.
Immediately, it occurred to me that Jeff didn't bother to look to make certain that Baby's fingers were not in the door way. He was looking at me so I interrupted to say, "Don't shut the door without..."
Screaming.
Baby was crying. Jeff had crushed the door on his fingers!
I looked at his hand and could see a bit of an indentation. One little finger looked bruised and the other bleeding slightly.
I was angry. "Never shut a door without looking to make sure your baby's hands are out of the way!"
"I'm sick and tired of this!" Jeff shouted and he stormed into the bathroom where I heard him crying.
Once again, it was a while before the emotional storm settled. By this point Baby wasn't the only one who had cried and shed tears. And I hadn't even started cooking yet.
Once we had all composed ourselves, I suggested to Jeff that he take Baby out to the yard for some fresh air. He still hadn't fallen asleep for his nap, so Jeff dressed him warmly and took him outside where from the kitchen window I could see my baby walking outside for the first time so it occurred to me to grab and then hand Jeff the camera.
"Video record him walking," I suggested to him.
A few minutes later they came back indoors and Baby was crying.
"What's wrong?"
"While I was setting up the camera Baby stumbled, fell and smacked his head."
"Oh, man. He's having one shitty day, eh?"
Jeff placed Baby in his high chair to watch Thomas the Train again. Just minutes later, Jeff found him asleep in his chair. His head slumped before him. Poor baby.
Our Thanksgiving dinner would be Baby's first Thanksgiving where in he would be able to eat. He was only about 4-months-old last year, and it occurred to me that we should start a new tradition. Before saying Grace, I thought we should take turns saying one thing for which each of us was grateful.
Later in the evening, I was nearly done in the kitchen. I asked Jeff to stir the mashed potatoes while I nursed Baby. Once Baby was done we could begin to serve our meal, I told him.
Jeff appeared in the door way, licking the potato masher, "You know, I think we should start a new tradition this year. We should all say something we're thankful for before we eat."
We gathered in the kitchen, finally, to load our plates and sat at the table. Before Jeff said Grace, I expressed I was thankful for Baby and his well-being. Jeff said he was grateful for his new job, and Baby can't speak, but I guessed he was probably grateful to be walking on his own.
Of course, I wasted no time. Why bother talking when you can stuff your face, am I right? Jeff gave Baby a little food and he spit it out. We tried to get him to taste the different foods and he grimaced, and whined and spit it all out. We lay bits of food on his tray so that he could grab to eat on his own, but he grabbed it and let it drop to the floor. He became fussy until Jeff handed him a fork and then he happily played with the fork and the bits of food on his tray.
Not a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving, but one we're grateful for, nonetheless. Happy Thanksgiving, Baby!
Friday, November 27, 2015
Baby Walks for First Time
Last Saturday, on November 21st, I had made a late afternoon appointment at the salon with Ashley in Stockton. Baby stayed home with Jeff. My appointment would be a few hours, and once I was done there I wanted to come home straight away because it was growing dark and it's quite a drive from home.
Once in town, I pulled into our Starbucks drive-thru where I waited for my order momentarily. As I had had nothing to eat all day, I had planned to drive to Chipotle first to grab some food before going home. I reached for my phone to text Jeff that I was in town but would do what I just mentioned before heading home. However, Jeff had sent me a message saying that Baby was walking! I assumed he meant that he was taking an even longer number of steps before quitting and dropping to the ground as we had observed. Reading the message made me miss my little darling and I decided to stop to pick him up so that he could come with me.
I walked in through the door excited to see my little babe. Jeff informed me that he had been fussy since waking from his nap. I, of course, wanted to see Baby walking, so we set him down and walk he did. He was excited because he was scared, so as he walked he clutched his little hands to his chest, smiled and giddily cried in excitement as if what he were doing were a daring and dangerous feat.
Sure, he was a bit wobbly, but my little boy was finally walking on his own. And he's been walking ever since. It was 2-3 days where he still felt insecure and felt the need to clutch his hands or an object to his chest which seemed to help him feel a greater sense of balance. I saw him with or mini dust pan and broom or a kitchen tool or toy and Jeff said he also took a pair of screw drivers away from him on Saturday when he had first begun to walk.
It's been about five days now and Baby no longer feels the need to clutch his chest. He's a little wobbly, still, but growing more confident with each passing day. My little babe is growing too fast for me!
Once in town, I pulled into our Starbucks drive-thru where I waited for my order momentarily. As I had had nothing to eat all day, I had planned to drive to Chipotle first to grab some food before going home. I reached for my phone to text Jeff that I was in town but would do what I just mentioned before heading home. However, Jeff had sent me a message saying that Baby was walking! I assumed he meant that he was taking an even longer number of steps before quitting and dropping to the ground as we had observed. Reading the message made me miss my little darling and I decided to stop to pick him up so that he could come with me.
I walked in through the door excited to see my little babe. Jeff informed me that he had been fussy since waking from his nap. I, of course, wanted to see Baby walking, so we set him down and walk he did. He was excited because he was scared, so as he walked he clutched his little hands to his chest, smiled and giddily cried in excitement as if what he were doing were a daring and dangerous feat.
Sure, he was a bit wobbly, but my little boy was finally walking on his own. And he's been walking ever since. It was 2-3 days where he still felt insecure and felt the need to clutch his hands or an object to his chest which seemed to help him feel a greater sense of balance. I saw him with or mini dust pan and broom or a kitchen tool or toy and Jeff said he also took a pair of screw drivers away from him on Saturday when he had first begun to walk.
It's been about five days now and Baby no longer feels the need to clutch his chest. He's a little wobbly, still, but growing more confident with each passing day. My little babe is growing too fast for me!
Monday, November 16, 2015
Baby's First Kiss and Friday the 13th
Baby's First Kiss
Friday, November the 13th was not an unlucky day for Bobo Monkey. That evening the three of us went to get groceries. Jeff did not want to go-what man would, right?-but I wanted groceries and Bobo loves pushing shopping carts, so I wanted all three of us to go in order to have one adult grab groceries while the other helped Bobo push his beloved shopping cart.
At the check out, Little Man was his typical self, reaching to grab and pull items off shelves, so I led him to the other end of the register, beside the wall. There was a toddler near us with curly blond hair and blue eyes who had climbed and seated herself on a stack of water bottle cases. Her parents were also at their respective register. As they were leaving, the little girl's mother turned her attention to Bobo which prompted her daughter to ask if she could kiss Bobo. I was hoping that the mother would have discouraged the little girl from wanting to kiss Bobo as I'm wary of germs, but she didn't. Instead, the mother told her little girl, "Remember that you need to ask for permission before you kiss the baby."
And ask me she did. I wanted to say to "no," but I didn't want to come across as a dick, so I told her she could kiss Bobo. As she leaned in close to Bobo, there were two things that I worried about. First, I didn't want the little girl to kiss Bobo on the lips; I was worried about his well-being. Secondly, I was worried about her well-being. Jeff, who's as clueless as they come, thinks it's cool that he has taught his son to head-butt. He has smacked me hard on the face and head a number of times already, so I was afraid he'd smack the little girl, too. But she leaned in and gave Boogie a kiss on the cheek and Boogie didn't harm her, fortunately.
Having kissed Boogie, it occurred to the little girl to ask her mother if she could then hug him. Her mother gave her the same reply, "You need to ask if it's O.K. for you to hug the baby." And ask me she did and I gave her permission to hug the baby. She leaned in again and put her arms around him, and fortunately, he didn't head-butt the pretty little girl.
She and her parents then turned to leave the store and I realized that my little boy had just been kissed for the first time.
Friday, November the 13th was not an unlucky day for Bobo Monkey. That evening the three of us went to get groceries. Jeff did not want to go-what man would, right?-but I wanted groceries and Bobo loves pushing shopping carts, so I wanted all three of us to go in order to have one adult grab groceries while the other helped Bobo push his beloved shopping cart.
At the check out, Little Man was his typical self, reaching to grab and pull items off shelves, so I led him to the other end of the register, beside the wall. There was a toddler near us with curly blond hair and blue eyes who had climbed and seated herself on a stack of water bottle cases. Her parents were also at their respective register. As they were leaving, the little girl's mother turned her attention to Bobo which prompted her daughter to ask if she could kiss Bobo. I was hoping that the mother would have discouraged the little girl from wanting to kiss Bobo as I'm wary of germs, but she didn't. Instead, the mother told her little girl, "Remember that you need to ask for permission before you kiss the baby."
And ask me she did. I wanted to say to "no," but I didn't want to come across as a dick, so I told her she could kiss Bobo. As she leaned in close to Bobo, there were two things that I worried about. First, I didn't want the little girl to kiss Bobo on the lips; I was worried about his well-being. Secondly, I was worried about her well-being. Jeff, who's as clueless as they come, thinks it's cool that he has taught his son to head-butt. He has smacked me hard on the face and head a number of times already, so I was afraid he'd smack the little girl, too. But she leaned in and gave Boogie a kiss on the cheek and Boogie didn't harm her, fortunately.
Having kissed Boogie, it occurred to the little girl to ask her mother if she could then hug him. Her mother gave her the same reply, "You need to ask if it's O.K. for you to hug the baby." And ask me she did and I gave her permission to hug the baby. She leaned in again and put her arms around him, and fortunately, he didn't head-butt the pretty little girl.
She and her parents then turned to leave the store and I realized that my little boy had just been kissed for the first time.
Monday, November 2, 2015
Ghouls, Goblins & Ghosts, Oh My!
First Trick-or-treat
Halloween fell on a Saturday this year. We took Baby to the park, but the late afternoon sun was glaring, so we didn't stay long before we decided to go to Kmart to look at their TV stands again. (Yes, we're still working on that project).
Although we didn't leave with a TV stand, Jeff selected some candy for the trick-or-treaters. We then stopped to grab some Thai food to-go and went home. After dinner we prepared Bobo for the evening. We gave him a bath and dressed him in his costume. We led him outside where we attempted to take pictures of him in his first costume but the little rascal couldn't stay still. We then strapped him into his stroller and proceeded on foot toward our destination.
I chose to take him on the route we use for our strolls. Because he's so young, I wanted to get him out early as I expected that he would only be able to tolerate so much for the evening. That would also allow us to return home and begin to hand out candy.
I led Bobo, who was dressed as Max in the children's book Where the Wild Things Are, to his first house. Jeff video-taped Bobo's first trick-or-treat. Baby looked adorable in his costume, however, most residents didn't know who/what he was. I even had to tell Jeff that Bobo was dressed as Max. Some people assumed he was a lamb or lamb king, another asked if he was the creature from The Never Ending Story. Others mistook Bobo for a baby girl, too.
Bobo was very timid, perhaps he was intimidated by the festivities. We made the effort to have him either walk or stand at the door to ask for his treat and at a particular home, he took steps back away from the door and stumbled over a set of decorative pumpkins.
I know he enjoyed his night because he didn't fuss and he didn't cry. I knew he was hot in his costume and he looked tired, but he didn't cry.
Once on our street he stopped at his neighbor's homes and his final home was his very own where he rang his own doorbell and where his Daddy gave him his final treat of the night.
Because he worked hard to earn his candy, Jeff allowed him to have some candy which he happily ate. I expected Bobo to be tired, so I wasn't surprised that he fell asleep, but I was surprised that he remained asleep for the night. He fell asleep early; he was asleep before 9 PM.
Happy Halloween, Baby!
Halloween fell on a Saturday this year. We took Baby to the park, but the late afternoon sun was glaring, so we didn't stay long before we decided to go to Kmart to look at their TV stands again. (Yes, we're still working on that project).
Although we didn't leave with a TV stand, Jeff selected some candy for the trick-or-treaters. We then stopped to grab some Thai food to-go and went home. After dinner we prepared Bobo for the evening. We gave him a bath and dressed him in his costume. We led him outside where we attempted to take pictures of him in his first costume but the little rascal couldn't stay still. We then strapped him into his stroller and proceeded on foot toward our destination.
I chose to take him on the route we use for our strolls. Because he's so young, I wanted to get him out early as I expected that he would only be able to tolerate so much for the evening. That would also allow us to return home and begin to hand out candy.
I led Bobo, who was dressed as Max in the children's book Where the Wild Things Are, to his first house. Jeff video-taped Bobo's first trick-or-treat. Baby looked adorable in his costume, however, most residents didn't know who/what he was. I even had to tell Jeff that Bobo was dressed as Max. Some people assumed he was a lamb or lamb king, another asked if he was the creature from The Never Ending Story. Others mistook Bobo for a baby girl, too.
Bobo was very timid, perhaps he was intimidated by the festivities. We made the effort to have him either walk or stand at the door to ask for his treat and at a particular home, he took steps back away from the door and stumbled over a set of decorative pumpkins.
I know he enjoyed his night because he didn't fuss and he didn't cry. I knew he was hot in his costume and he looked tired, but he didn't cry.
Once on our street he stopped at his neighbor's homes and his final home was his very own where he rang his own doorbell and where his Daddy gave him his final treat of the night.
Because he worked hard to earn his candy, Jeff allowed him to have some candy which he happily ate. I expected Bobo to be tired, so I wasn't surprised that he fell asleep, but I was surprised that he remained asleep for the night. He fell asleep early; he was asleep before 9 PM.
Happy Halloween, Baby!
Monday, October 26, 2015
Weekend Fun with Daddy & The Picture People
Friday night instead of sleeping I washed all of Baby's laundry. It had piled up; we were squeezing him into garments he had outgrown and it wouldn't be long before he'd run out of clean clothes to wear, so I tape rolled, scrubbed and washed all his clothes. I worked all morning to get this chore done and as soon as I had washed all of Baby's clothes I went down for a nap while Jeff watched Baby. He told me afterwards that he had taken him to the park and that Baby had enjoyed himself and had even slid down the slide by himself.
I had scheduled an afternoon photo session for Baby ( Saturday, October 24th) at The Picture People. Mid-day, while Baby napped, I prepared to get us to leave for our appointment. I had been looking forward to getting a photo of Baby in his Halloween costume, but I was anxious about the competency of our photographer. TPP is like a box of chocolates, where in you'd find that half of the chocolate candies are stale. Well, to say that our session was a disappointment is an understatement. Our photographer was non-verbal, immobile and completely uninterested. We chose one picture out of the number that she had shot. I was so disappointed that I want to take Baby again, but I know that Jeff would object to the idea.
Sunday afternoon Jeff took Baby to church where they went for Sacrament meeting. Jeff informed me that the ward Halloween party is this week. I want to take Baby again this year.
I had scheduled an afternoon photo session for Baby ( Saturday, October 24th) at The Picture People. Mid-day, while Baby napped, I prepared to get us to leave for our appointment. I had been looking forward to getting a photo of Baby in his Halloween costume, but I was anxious about the competency of our photographer. TPP is like a box of chocolates, where in you'd find that half of the chocolate candies are stale. Well, to say that our session was a disappointment is an understatement. Our photographer was non-verbal, immobile and completely uninterested. We chose one picture out of the number that she had shot. I was so disappointed that I want to take Baby again, but I know that Jeff would object to the idea.
Sunday afternoon Jeff took Baby to church where they went for Sacrament meeting. Jeff informed me that the ward Halloween party is this week. I want to take Baby again this year.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Baby's First Steps
TV Stands and a Baby's First Steps
Jeff did not work on Friday. I met with my new visiting teacher on Friday and afterwards we made a trip to Elk Grove to buy Baby a bigger bathtub. On Saturday, October 17th, I went back to sleep for a bit after Baby woke up. About mid-day Jeff said he wanted to make a trip to Ghirardelli with Baby so I told him I would go too if he wasn't in a hurry to leave. We went to Ghirardelli where Baby had what I think was a large portion of Jeff's chocolate milkshake and, as we were in the car to leave, we started discussing our need for a new TV stand, so I wanted Jeff to see the selection at Big Lots. We allowed Baby to walk into the store. Both of us took one of his little hands, but upon entering the store he tried to shake free of Jeff's hand. I allowed him to lead me and he turned into the first aisle. Surprisingly, he also wanted me to release his hand, however. I resisted at first thinking he would realize that he did not want to let go of me, but he wanted free, so I obligingly released his hand and quickly grabbed onto the back of his shirt collar as I expected him to drop to the floor, but he didn't so he actually took a number of steps on his own before he stopped and motioned for my hand again.
I was so excited and surprised to witness this milestone that I gasped as if I had just witnessed an accident. I cried something such as, "Jeff, are you watching this?!"
Jeff said to me, "That doesn't count. You were helping him."
"No. I didn't help him. I pinched the back of his collar because I thought he might fall, but I wasn't supporting him at all."
That evening Baby took a couple more steps in the kitchen on his own, too, but only about 2-3 steps.
This evening he did the same in the kitchen by the drawers.
Jeff had said that Baby would not Trick-or-Treat this year, his first, if he wasn't walking on his own, but Baby is really close. If he's not walking unassisted he can walk with a parent's hand for support.
Jeff did not work on Friday. I met with my new visiting teacher on Friday and afterwards we made a trip to Elk Grove to buy Baby a bigger bathtub. On Saturday, October 17th, I went back to sleep for a bit after Baby woke up. About mid-day Jeff said he wanted to make a trip to Ghirardelli with Baby so I told him I would go too if he wasn't in a hurry to leave. We went to Ghirardelli where Baby had what I think was a large portion of Jeff's chocolate milkshake and, as we were in the car to leave, we started discussing our need for a new TV stand, so I wanted Jeff to see the selection at Big Lots. We allowed Baby to walk into the store. Both of us took one of his little hands, but upon entering the store he tried to shake free of Jeff's hand. I allowed him to lead me and he turned into the first aisle. Surprisingly, he also wanted me to release his hand, however. I resisted at first thinking he would realize that he did not want to let go of me, but he wanted free, so I obligingly released his hand and quickly grabbed onto the back of his shirt collar as I expected him to drop to the floor, but he didn't so he actually took a number of steps on his own before he stopped and motioned for my hand again.
I was so excited and surprised to witness this milestone that I gasped as if I had just witnessed an accident. I cried something such as, "Jeff, are you watching this?!"
Jeff said to me, "That doesn't count. You were helping him."
"No. I didn't help him. I pinched the back of his collar because I thought he might fall, but I wasn't supporting him at all."
That evening Baby took a couple more steps in the kitchen on his own, too, but only about 2-3 steps.
This evening he did the same in the kitchen by the drawers.
Jeff had said that Baby would not Trick-or-Treat this year, his first, if he wasn't walking on his own, but Baby is really close. If he's not walking unassisted he can walk with a parent's hand for support.
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