The Great Nap Adventure

I still don't know that I feel like a grown-up, but I have decided there are signs that adult-hood is sneaking up on you. Even Ted and Jaden notice them sometimes. Things like, you'd like to take a nap. You have to save that $20 for gas. You can eat ice cream for breakfast...but do not. Special "adult points" if you eat raisin bran for the fiber instead of ice cream.

Since becoming a parent I notice that I can't watch anything where their are kids getting hurt or in danger without tearing up. I was pretty bad before, but nothing compared to now. I'm not going to be a helicopter-parent or a "smother", but my kid is definitely not going to be doing anything blatantly dangerous like riding their bike without a properly fitting helmet or roller blading without knee pads or skate-boarding without wrist braces. There's only so much pain you can keep from your kid and so much you can keep from them without hindering their growth. I'm going to do all the non-growth hindering pain keeping away I can.

I find it surprising how proud of myself I am that I've gotten Desmond on a nap schedule. Thank you Melissa Hammond for unknowingly helping me out there. Liberty never seems cranky, but she naps well. I started putting Desmond in his play-pen crib when he was cranky and low and behold he would sleep! I paid attention to when these naps were taking place and wouldn't you know they were about the same time everyday! It was so easy and it took me so long to figure out. He doesn't always sleep for long, but he naps at 11 AM and about 3PM. He eats at about 9 AM, 12 AM, 4 PM, 7:30 PM and goes to bed by 9 PM. Of course there are days that we go out and so things don't follow that schedule, but that's the natural schedule he's set for us. I can definitely handle getting up about 9 AM and the new naps are letting me get some house cleaning done and lunch eaten.

Today, Desmond woke up and visited with family that was waiting to head out on a trail-ride and was cheery and friendly even though he hadn't eaten yet. He ate, did his tummy-time, sat in his rocker for me while I cleaned the kitchen, then took a nap while I showered, swept, and folded clothes. When he woke up I fed him and then he went back to sleep and napped for another 30 minutes in my lap. When he woke up I carried him around a bit then let him play in my lap and then in his rocker until was tired again, and then put him down to nap. He's currently sleeping right now. When he wakes up it will be time to feed him again and then I entertain him until Daddy gets home and then I am supposed to get a break while he gets Daddy time but it doesn't always work out that way. Then Daddy puts him in jammies and I feed him at 7:30 or 8 PM and then he goes to bed. We can stay up a bit and go to bed later. He sleeps all night unless his nose gets plugged up and I have to use the sucker thing on it.

Yesterday, we were at Grandma Dee's because she is teaching me to sew. He took his afternoon nap there. I wasn't sure how he'd do napping at someone else's house, but he slept about 30 minutes. Not as much as I hoped, but the minimum for his having a pleasant evening.

He's awake playing with his stuffed donkey now, but still quiet. I can see him twisting its ears from the living room. He has taken to the donkey and his beanie baby dog. We take the dog in the car and that helps keep him happy in his car seat. If he has that and his pacifier he stays cheerful in the car about 90% of the time.

Fall Is Coming

My birthday dinner was nice! On the 19th we had my grandparents, Norman's grandparents and parents, Nanci, Melissa M, and Melissa H and Troy and their kids over for dinner. We had veggie-stuffed lasagna and salad and fresh fruit for dinner and an ice cream cake from Baskin Robins for desert. SO good. Desmond got held by grandparents most the time and posed for pictures. All the kids were good. Liberty didn't make a peep all evening, just smiled for pictures. Desmond cried a couple times, like when everyone clapped for Setton after he sang the ABC song, but was pleasant overall.

I think his favorite part of the evening was my cake; he stared at the candles and was intrigued when I blew them out. I can't wait till his birthday next year. It will be so cute.

Milestones:
9-13-10
Monty was holding Desmond and got fussy and when I walked up he reached towards me and leaned my way. I held him a minute, then Trudy came up and he did the same thing towards her, so I handed him to her and he was delighted. I'm so excited for when he reaches to be picked up. It'll start soon!

9-14-10
Desmond passed a toy from hand to hand multiple times. We were at Melissa Hammond's house. That was the one thing he was supposed to be doing at 4 months but hadn't done yet.

9-15-10
Desmond let me rock him to sleep in my arms while sitting in the big chair. He has only fallen asleep while I'm holding him walking around twice and they was the first time he let me rock him to sleep ever.

9-17-10
Nanci came and rode Marigold and when she was done, I took pictures of Desmond sitting in front of her in the saddle. He smiled! I'm taking that as promising evidence he will like riding horses! We got adorable photos and he had his first official time on a horse!

You Know You're A Parent When:

You've prayed for a poopy diaper

You don't know how to eat at a leisurely pace anymore

You've ever been so exhausted you forget where you put the baby

You dream about changing diapers, nursing, or other baby-related chores

Instead of watching CSI reruns you're now two seasons into Rug Rats.

Life Goes So Fast As A Mom!

I can't believe I'm going to be 26 on Tuesday! I still feel the same as when I was 21. My uncle and aunt and cousin should be here to celebrate. We're celebrating late; Sunday the 19th instead of Tuesday.

Let's see, what has happened since I blogged last?

MOPs Meeting:

Desmond and I went with Melissa H. to the first MOPs meeting of the year in Pendleton. It was really fun to meet other mom's. We talked about babies and kids and husbands. The other mom's were nice and friendly and welcoming. It seems like a great group. Desmond slept through part of it, then woke up hungry and I fed him, then he sat and looked at everyone. I got to hold a tiny baby girl that was only 10 lbs and the same age as Desmond. It was like holding a pretend baby. She was a cute little thing. She was only 6 lb. something at birth. I'm so used to having my tall kid she seemed really small!



New Obsession:

My 2nd cousin, Missy, brought over a stuffed donkey for Desmond. It was very soft fur. I gave it to him and he clutched it and sucked on it. I made it kiss his nose and he smiled and put it in his mouth. He posed for a picture with it before Missy went home. He was a very good gift-getter. Since he liked the donkey so much, I gave him a Beanie Baby dog that someone gave us at the shower. He loves it. It's his new car companion. He can hold the puppy easily and likes to suck on the limbs and head. It's SO cute to see him holding tight this little stuffed beanie dog. I think it's good for him to practice holding things, so I'm encouraging it.



Fiesta Dinner:

Melissa H. hosted a Fiesta at the church and Desmond and I took my Grandma and drove out. He was asleep when we got there, but woke up during a rousing rendition of "If You're Happy And You Know It". Grandma Dee held him so I could eat, then my Grandma held him until I was ready for him. He was very good and smiled at the Grandmas and didn't cry for pictures. Liberty was there and he got to see her before we left. She was a very tired baby as they had been there a while preparing before the dinner began.






Pacifiers Rule!:

I bought 6 month + pacifiers when I grocery shopped last and he holds them in his mouth much better. This has made it much easier to calm him. He doesn't spit them out NEAR as much as the old ones he had. I can put him to bed with them and when he wakes up in the night I just find his paci and put it back in his mouth and give him a kiss and he goes back to sleep. He'll play happier in his seats and on his froggy mat with the paci because doesn't get frustrated at not getting his toys in his mouth sufficiently. So, go pacifiers, I love you.



You Know You're A Parent When:

You ask yourself questions like, "I wonder how safe it is to suck on a Beanie Baby..."

It's an accomplishment to get a shower AND dressed in the same day.

"Going out" means grocery shopping.

You've worked on fencing with a baby in one arm.

You've hidden from a baby who just partially woke up in hopes said baby will go back to sleep if they don't see you.

4-Month Dr. Visit!

Desmond is 16 weeks old today! He got his two shots and an oral vaccination and got weighed, measured, and poked and prodded. He was SO good. We arrived about 10 minutes early and there was no one else in the waiting room. Grandma Dee came with us since Norman had to work and my grandma is out of town.

First, he got weighed sans clothes. He weighs 14.8 lbs. Next, we measured him. He didn't want to be stretched out. He was about 27 inches. It was hard to get a good measure. His head is 16.4 I think, the Dr. said it was the same as last time and that all his measurements looked good.



Next, the Dr. listened to his heart, shined a light in his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth, moved all his limbs, and looked over every inch of him. He said most babies weren't as well behaved as Desmond. He laid there very content during the whole process. He wanted to suck on the Dr.'s gloves and stethoscope.




He cried when the nurse gave him his shots, but was easily settled down by a walk around the room and even sat in my lap to look at a magazine while we waited for them to update his shot chart for me to take home.

Before the Dr.'s office things were already going well because Desmond slept for 12 hours in a row! I put him to bed about 9:30 PM and I woke him up this morning at about 9:15 AM! I was able to sleep well also. He made noises and I woke up and took a shower and even blow-dried my hair, then made and ate breakfast and got dressed and had his clothes laid out for him, all while he slept! It was SO nice. He awoke all cheerful and smiles, too. I hope he does that as routine now, that would be wonderful.

Busy Month!

Wow, it has been a busy month! Desmond will be 4 months old next Wednesday!

Landmarks this month:
He is grabbing his toys with his hands and putting them in his mouth. I help by hanging them over him in his chair, etc. so when he drops them he can grab them again.

The big one is- HE ROLLED OVER! I am SO proud of him. He can roll back to belly now. It wears him out so much he is also NAPPING! WOOO!





He sits up-right in his bouncer saucer and bounces himself and grab the toys on the edge. It entertains him way longer now that he can play more in it.

He is staying awake in the car, which is not so cool as he gets bored and fusses. Then downright screams. If you sit in the back with him, he's fine. So he has requested a DVD player and Baby Einstein for Christmas, lol.

He is also recognizing people and can see them from across the room. He love sit when Daddy comes home from work and always greats Grandmas with smiles. He likes to sit in someone else's lap and smile at me.

Yesterday he was sitting in my lap facing the room and I said something and he turned his head to look up and back at me. He had never done that before!

He has really learned a lot this month. He is getting frustrated that his hands don't do quite what he wants them too, but it's too bad about that right now. Hopefully he stays as patient as he's been.

You Know You're A Parent When:

There's a nursing pad on the end table being used as a coaster.

"Going out to eat" means going through the drive-thru at TacoBell and then eating in the car in the parking lot as fast as you can.

You eye every yard-sale for baby stuff instead of horse stuff.

Every time you go to the store you come home with a baby toy instead of a dog toy.

Exciting Milestones

We went to Grandma Trudy's house in the mountains on Sabbath. Desmond had a blast watching the kids play and he got to sit in Grandpa Andy's lap for a while. I got to visit with my new mom-friend, Melissa H. We ate Dutch oven food and talked all afternoon.



Desmond's big milestone update is that he is ALMOST rolling over. He can roll onto his side and it won't be long before he goes all the way over. I'm so proud of him. He still hates tummy-time, but he's tolerating laying on his back for a while and since we've been working with him on rolling his hips to the side he's been exploring it on his own. He wiggles all over in his crib at night.



He is mostly sleeping through the night now. We had a couple nights where he ate at about 4 AM but he usually sleeps for about 9 hours now. It's SO nice. I'm still tired just form the constant vigil of watching a baby, but at least I get better sleep. I wake up a couple times and check on him during the night, but I don't have to feed him.

I've walked 25 miles now, no change in my weight, but the Dr. assured me that my heart will thank me, so I'm not quiting.

Yesterday, we went over to Norman's cousin's house and had a late lunch and watched a movie with some of their friends and Norman's brothers. Desmond was really good. I fed him and he took a short nap and then sat in my lap and watched the movie with us. He is getting quit the attention span for sitting with me.

Melissa H. brought me a tummy mat that her baby has out-grown and he seems to be enjoying it already. I also brought out the jumper-saucer and he can't quite touch the floor in it, but is fascinated none the less. So that gives me two more options to entertain him with during the day. My house looks like a baby-playground.



My mommy-milestone is that we learned how to use the nose sucker thing. He's been crying before falling asleep the last couple nights and ends up with a stuffy nose. He's not a fan of having his nose sucked out, but it helps him breathe a bit, so I ignore his screaming.



Something that has changed since becoming a parent, besides having to take luggage on a grocery trip and learning to make a sandwich with one hand, is that there is an amount of baby-throw-up that does NOT warrant a shower.

The Dreaded Tummy-Time

Des and I spent Saturday at my Grandma's. We watched church on the TV, then baked a pie and visited. In the evening, we went home and Desmond hung out with Uncle Ted and visited his great-grandparents Gordan and Deloris while I gave an adorable 6 year old a pony ride on my new mare.




During the visit at grandma's house I mentioned that Desmond doesn't try to roll-over and she asked if I left him lying much. Not really. He lays on the bed to stare at the fan sometimes. But he hates tummy time. She showed me some upper body exercises to do with him. We laid him on his tummy. He pulled his legs under him, stuck his butt in the air, and screamed for CPS.

Yesterday I was reading my Parents magazine and they said it's becoming a common problem to have a shortage of tummy-time since we have so many neat bouncy-chairs and rockers. So, Desmond is going to have tummy-time everyday.

We're on day 2 of Torture-The-Baby, as Desmond refers to it. Hopefully the screaming will give way to determination to move soon. He'll be three weeks on Wednesday. I hope I haven't stifled him too much with all the holding and chair-siting.



We've been doing little sit-ups and trying to play with his hands more. I have been trying to praise him even accidentally hitting toys in his chair and encourage any use of hands. He loves to grab and suck on his blankets, so I give him a blanket when he sits in a chair. He rubs them on his face and smiles.



It appears he is now officially sleeping through that night, as he's gone 9 hours the last several nights. It's so nice! The last two days we haven't gotten up till 7 AM!