He has teeth. Two top, two bottom. And he has discovered how to use them. Woe is me.
I am no longer nursing a baby, who pats my collarbone while he gently suckles and gazes at me lovingly. No, those days are over.
Now, I am nursing a pirana, who swings his leg up to kick me in the chest while he bites me and darts his gaze all over the room, and even this only happens when he decides he has the free time to eat, and can be pulled away from entertaining himself with an empty water bottle long enough for some breakfast.
It's much less fun this way.
I hated nursing the first few months. It was excruciating and draining. He wouldn't latch. Then he wouldn't latch well. Then he would latch but he only wanted the right one. It was so stressful, and felt so unnatural for us. We did not take to it quickly, and we did not find our rhythm until he was several months old.
But when we did...oh, it was lovely. It was snuggly, and warm, and sweet. He was happy, he would fall asleep in my arms and I felt so tender, so capable. I enjoyed it so much. And we figured out how to nurse lying down, and in the car, and sitting on the floor of a strange place without our special nursing pillow, and it was great. I was Queen of the World! I was doing it! I was going to be a good Mom after all!!
Now it's hard again. He's squirmy, he's bored, and he bites. I feel anxious about it again. I do not feel satisfied and calm. I feel like I am wrestling a python and asking it to sink its teeth in. I feel crazy.
Sigh...
Is it too late to sell him to gypsies?
a teeny blurb about me
- another clueless mom
- I am a 32 year old first time mom who is continually shocked at how much those baby books and doulas and midwives don't tell you about having and raising kids...let me tell you, it's a lot!
5.25.2011
5.23.2011
Changes
My son is changing. And not just in the 'getting bigger every day' way, although God knows he is doing that, too, whether I am prepared for it or not. (Now where did I put those bigger diapers...?)
No, he is changing in other, more profoundly entertaining ways.
He has decided to like spicy food. He will eat a tamale, salsa on his mooshed baby beef, and even taste curry. Bland food can suck it! Bring on the heat!!
He has figured out how to manipulate me. And boy, oh boy, is he good at it. He has figured out how to lean his head and wrinkle his face just so, and hold his chubby little arms up, wait for 3...2...1...and Mommy will stop what she's doing and pick him up.
He has discovered his hands. He will look at them, front and back, chew on them, squeeze his face/ears/tummy rolls with them. He knows that they will pick things up and put them in his mouth, they will swipe things onto the floor with a satisfying racket, and they will make a delightful smacking sound when they are slapped on Mommy's chest.
He has developed very distinct likes and dislikes. Likes include snuggling, cold yogurt, and bath time. Dislikes include loud noises, peas at any temperature, and taking his medicine when he has a fever. And having a fever. He has also learned how to express his likes and dislikes. He smiles and coos when he is liking something, and he frowns and screeches when he doesn't. This in an of itself isn't so new, but the way he seems to be aware of what those reactions mean has become more intense.
He has become stubborn. He will struggle mightily to avoid a diaper change, and he won't give up even when distracted momentarily by a shiny object. He won't stop trying to stand up and walk no matter how many thousands of time he falls down. He will keep reaching for the thing that Mommy has in her hand that she doesn't want him to have even when Mommy gets up and walks away.
He is doing all of these little personality things, and impressing me to no end. Watching him become a little person is so much fun! What's going to happen next...?
No, he is changing in other, more profoundly entertaining ways.
He has decided to like spicy food. He will eat a tamale, salsa on his mooshed baby beef, and even taste curry. Bland food can suck it! Bring on the heat!!
He has figured out how to manipulate me. And boy, oh boy, is he good at it. He has figured out how to lean his head and wrinkle his face just so, and hold his chubby little arms up, wait for 3...2...1...and Mommy will stop what she's doing and pick him up.
He has discovered his hands. He will look at them, front and back, chew on them, squeeze his face/ears/tummy rolls with them. He knows that they will pick things up and put them in his mouth, they will swipe things onto the floor with a satisfying racket, and they will make a delightful smacking sound when they are slapped on Mommy's chest.
He has developed very distinct likes and dislikes. Likes include snuggling, cold yogurt, and bath time. Dislikes include loud noises, peas at any temperature, and taking his medicine when he has a fever. And having a fever. He has also learned how to express his likes and dislikes. He smiles and coos when he is liking something, and he frowns and screeches when he doesn't. This in an of itself isn't so new, but the way he seems to be aware of what those reactions mean has become more intense.
He has become stubborn. He will struggle mightily to avoid a diaper change, and he won't give up even when distracted momentarily by a shiny object. He won't stop trying to stand up and walk no matter how many thousands of time he falls down. He will keep reaching for the thing that Mommy has in her hand that she doesn't want him to have even when Mommy gets up and walks away.
He is doing all of these little personality things, and impressing me to no end. Watching him become a little person is so much fun! What's going to happen next...?
5.13.2011
Photo Friday
Inspired by a blog I follow and LOVE {www.WhenYouHaveAKid.com} I have decided to do my own version of his Wordless Wednesday (which, in case you're slow on the uptake, is a photo post he does of his baby girl on, you guessed it, Wednesdays!) and do Photo Friday, since it's Friday today, and I want to post some pics from this morning in South Carolina. So....yeah.......here it is!!
Daddy swinging a very excited, very naked Monkey over the ocean water!
He crawls a few feet toward the water, and then turns and looks to make sure I am coming, too!
I love him in hats. I just love how cute his little face is with a hat plopped on his head!
This is the closest thing I got to an "artsy" shot of them. Ha, I obviously need to learn about art :)
5.06.2011
Suicidal
No, not me. I am not suicidal. I am a happy camper! My child, however, seems to be trying to kill himself every 12 minutes.
I did not realize that when babies learn to get themselves around, by scooting or crawling or rolling or whatever, that they instantly become suicidal maniacs. He has tried to fling himself off the bed, out of the car, over the couch, down the stairs, and into the bathtub. He has smacked his head on the air conditioner, the floor, the TV stand, a dresser, my shins, the dishwasher, the DVD shelf, and the car door. He has tried to grab knives from my hands, has tried to kick a pot of boiling water when I picked him up, and has tried to eat the power cord to my lap top...while it was plugged in.
Now I know he's going to get bumps and bruises, and I know he's going to fall down a lot. He's not very coordinated, and he can't help but trip over his fat ankles. I can handle that stuff, I can pick him up and dust him off, and I can let him cry for a second and calm himself down, and that stuff is all fine. It's the activities that would lead to, I don't know, massive brain injuries or broken bones, or worse, that freak me the f*#@ out. I mean, how many times can you bang your head on hard objects in one day before you start to do lasting damage? Is there a limit? 5 times? 20 times? Whatever the limit is, he is pushing it.
I try not to be one of those overprotective helicopter moms, who freak out every time they bump themselves on something. I try to let him shake it off when it seems minor. He has to learn to self-soothe a little, and he has gotten really good at it when the bump is pretty slight. But man, oh man...sometimes he whacks himself so hard on things I am surprised he remains conscious.
Is this normal? And do I need to start wrapping his skull in bubble wrap?
I did not realize that when babies learn to get themselves around, by scooting or crawling or rolling or whatever, that they instantly become suicidal maniacs. He has tried to fling himself off the bed, out of the car, over the couch, down the stairs, and into the bathtub. He has smacked his head on the air conditioner, the floor, the TV stand, a dresser, my shins, the dishwasher, the DVD shelf, and the car door. He has tried to grab knives from my hands, has tried to kick a pot of boiling water when I picked him up, and has tried to eat the power cord to my lap top...while it was plugged in.
Now I know he's going to get bumps and bruises, and I know he's going to fall down a lot. He's not very coordinated, and he can't help but trip over his fat ankles. I can handle that stuff, I can pick him up and dust him off, and I can let him cry for a second and calm himself down, and that stuff is all fine. It's the activities that would lead to, I don't know, massive brain injuries or broken bones, or worse, that freak me the f*#@ out. I mean, how many times can you bang your head on hard objects in one day before you start to do lasting damage? Is there a limit? 5 times? 20 times? Whatever the limit is, he is pushing it.
I try not to be one of those overprotective helicopter moms, who freak out every time they bump themselves on something. I try to let him shake it off when it seems minor. He has to learn to self-soothe a little, and he has gotten really good at it when the bump is pretty slight. But man, oh man...sometimes he whacks himself so hard on things I am surprised he remains conscious.
Is this normal? And do I need to start wrapping his skull in bubble wrap?
5.04.2011
5.02.2011
My Husband
Ok, so I don't have to clean up my husband's poop, which begs the question, "Why blog about him here, then?" I'll tell you. Yes, my husband cleans up the baby's poop sometimes, but more than that, he loves his family. And that's what this blog is really about, in the end. A little family, and the love we have for each other.
I used to watch romantic movies, movies with great love interests and touching love scenes, and I would think to myself, "I wish I had that...why don't I have that?" Which is probably not uncommon. But I would think it even when I was in relationships, and even when I was married to my ex-husband. I never had that kind of love that I saw exhibited in movies. (Well, no one does, really. Unless the movie is a true story, and even then, Hollywood dresses it up a little bit.)
Then I met Aron.
And last night when I watched 'Eat, Pray, Love' instead of getting to the end scene and thinking all the sad and longing thoughts I used to think about how much I wanted that kind of love, I thought, "I am so lucky to have that." And I meant it!
Not only was our meeting and falling in love incredibly romantic and special, and not only did he propose to me on a tropical island, but our relationship is full of love, warmth, and fun. We had our rough patch in the beginning, and it was tough. I was worried. But lucky for us, that was remedied quite easily once we figured out the source, and we have been healing and growing together ever since. And that's what it's about, I think. The ability to struggle, love each other through it, and come out the other side together, as a unit, as a stronger whole than when you started. If you think about it, that's usually the theme of those star-studded romantic movies...they just have a better wardrobe and more carefully placed lighting than we do.
So I got my leading man. A husband who loves me utterly, looks out for me, works hard for me, opens up to me, and is there for me and the Monkey Face. No matter what.
I certainly can't say that about everyone in my life. But it's awesome to be able to say that about my spouse.
I used to watch romantic movies, movies with great love interests and touching love scenes, and I would think to myself, "I wish I had that...why don't I have that?" Which is probably not uncommon. But I would think it even when I was in relationships, and even when I was married to my ex-husband. I never had that kind of love that I saw exhibited in movies. (Well, no one does, really. Unless the movie is a true story, and even then, Hollywood dresses it up a little bit.)
Then I met Aron.
And last night when I watched 'Eat, Pray, Love' instead of getting to the end scene and thinking all the sad and longing thoughts I used to think about how much I wanted that kind of love, I thought, "I am so lucky to have that." And I meant it!
Not only was our meeting and falling in love incredibly romantic and special, and not only did he propose to me on a tropical island, but our relationship is full of love, warmth, and fun. We had our rough patch in the beginning, and it was tough. I was worried. But lucky for us, that was remedied quite easily once we figured out the source, and we have been healing and growing together ever since. And that's what it's about, I think. The ability to struggle, love each other through it, and come out the other side together, as a unit, as a stronger whole than when you started. If you think about it, that's usually the theme of those star-studded romantic movies...they just have a better wardrobe and more carefully placed lighting than we do.
So I got my leading man. A husband who loves me utterly, looks out for me, works hard for me, opens up to me, and is there for me and the Monkey Face. No matter what.
I certainly can't say that about everyone in my life. But it's awesome to be able to say that about my spouse.
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