home alone September 30, 2007

Not only is that the title of my favourite movie in the world, but also it’s the story of my week.  I’ve had Hayden to myself for two nights this week and most of Saturday.  I called it babysitting, Kara corrected me that it’s actually called parenting :).

I was a little worried because he comes across as a bit of a mummy’s boy, and he cries and cries when I hold him, give him to Kara and silence!  Kara thinks it’s the boobs.  Like father like son then…  Anyway back on track, I found it so much easier to take care of him when I was on my own for a couple of reasons.  Firstly you are the only one.  So failure is not an option, you’ve got to do something otherwise he’s going to cry and cry and scare the cats.  Secondly, you’re not being watched, you can try lots of techniques to entertain him and keep him quiet, if it doesn’t work there is no one to laugh at you!!

So things actually went pretty well.  It’s hard to get him to sleep in the evenings as he fights it so hard, but as long as you’ve got a bottle of milk you can basically get through anything!   We danced around to various music, he particularly liked Kasabian and Kaiser Chiefs so he has good music taste which is very important for any son of mine!  We watched baseball, football and American football, Hayden liked them all of course, and asked me if we could watch more.

Going back to the sleep thing.  It is really a challenge to get to sleep.  I was sweating and my legs were killing by the time I got him to sleep on Friday night!!  Friday nights are very different these days!  Anyway better finish this blog now or will be as long as one of Kara’s… O:-)  Just kidding honey! 🙂

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I’m only sleeping September 29, 2007

I’ve become a super rockstar with my sleeping!  All week I have only gotten up twice per night to feed and am going around four hours from the start of one feeding until the next one.  I used to wake up almost twice that often, even as recently as last weekend.  Mommy and Daddy started swaddling me again when I’m sleeping (I think they were afraid I was getting too hot before, when it was really really hot here), and I think that makes me sleep better.  Also, I have started taking my afternoon nap in my own room this week.  I used to nap downstairs wherever Mommy could get me to sleep comfortably, since Mommy wasn’t supposed to go up and down the stairs very often while she recovered from her c-section.  But now it’s been 8 weeks since I was born and Mommy seems fully recovered, so she doesn’t mind going up and down the stairs during the day in order to get me used to sleeping my crib.  (I still sleep in the bassinet in the pack ‘n play in Mommy and Daddy’s room at nighttime.)  I’ve done pretty well sleeping in my crib.  I usually cry a couple of times at the start.  Mommy comes in and calms me down and then I sleep for a little while.  Yesterday I even slept for 2 whole hours in there!

All my changes sure are exciting!  I’m really strong in my neck now.  My head still flops about a little when I get tired from holding my head up, but I hold it really well when I’m being picked up – in fact Mommy was just commenting on this this morning!  I’ve been cooing, too.  Sometimes my coos sound like the starting of crying, but I’m just talking loudly.

I’ve had a couple of fun boys’ nights with Daddy this week.  The last week or so I have had fussy periods in the evening, and everyone was worried that I’d give my daddy a hard time during our boys’ nights but I was pretty good.  Mommy went to dinner on Wednesday with her friend Emily who is in town from San Francisco.  I stayed home with Daddy and we had a great time together.  I only cried a little — I was tired but didn’t want to go to sleep.  That’s what I like to do at bedtime at night.  Then last night Mommy’s friend Reena had a birthday party, so again it was just me and Daddy.  We watched some footage of the Glastonbury festival and danced around to that.  I ate some and smiled some and didn’t really cry that much except when Mommy called to say Hi and woke me up.  Even then I didn’t cry for that long.  Today Mommy is going to Bloomington where she went to college to continue Reena’s birthday celebrations, so I’ve got the whole day with Daddy!  I can’t wait!  It’s a beautiful day so he’ll probably take me on a walk and fun things like that.

Hayden is growing up September 26, 2007

Last night Hayden only woke up twice for feedings and went about four hours from the start of one feeding to the start of the next.  This was like a holiday for me, because the most he has done before was three hours from the start of one to the start of the other, and depending on the length of the feedings that leaves about one to one and a half hours of sleep at a time.  I hope this is the start of more restful nights for both of us!

As John mentioned, Nanny Mad left yesterday.  We were all very sad to see her go.  It was a really good visit.  There were a few incidents that were quite funny — the funniest one being when Hayden had a diaper blow-out that went up his back, out his diaper, and onto Nanny Mad’s white trousers!  It took a couple of moments for us to realize it had gone on her.  We all heard a big noise, then she was saying how warm his bottom was, then I saw the spillage.  No wonder her lap was so warm!  We laughed about that one for a long time.  It’s a good thing she has such a good sense of humor!

Rich and Anita were also in town last week for work, so we got to spend some time with them.  In fact, Anita took Thursday off to spend the day with us which was really nice.  It was so great to see them, and we’re really glad they got to meet Hayden.  Rich even got to feed Hayden!

Other notable events of late: Jude caught a baby mole and Lucy caught a squirrel.  Madeline and Deirdre were really sad about the squirrel, but John and I didn’t really feel sorry for it.  The squirrels around here completely taunt the pets.  Seriously, they ask for it.  Trust me, I’m a vegetarian.  I wouldn’t take the side of the hunter, except for the fact that I have spent many hours over the course of our beautiful and dry summer watching the squirrels interact with the dogs (including Macy) and cats.  The squirrels beg of them: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!

Nanny Mad Is Gone September 25, 2007

There are a few funnies we need to fill you in on, I know Kara will do a good job of that, but today my mum and Deirdre left to head back.  It’s going to be very weird with them gone, I kind of took it for granted having my mum around.  I was just so glad she got to meet Hayden and spend some time with him.  She loves him very much!!!

Everytime he cried my mum would attribute it to him having a little bit of wind.  Kara and I found this rather amusing after a few days.  We even have our own catchphrase based of the Ricky Gervais one in Extras, “he got’s a little bit of wind, a little bit of wind”.  Well we think it’s funny :).

He’s going to miss his Nanny Mad.

It’s Been A While September 23, 2007

It’s been busy with my mum and Aunt D in town so I haven’t had chance to write here recently.  Lots has been happening.  He is starting to kick his legs out, hopefully the start of his successful football  career.  Everton could currently do with his help to take penalties!!

He’s been a little fussy recently, in fact we left the troublesome duo with Hayden while me and Kara went out for Dinner and he screamed his little lungs out for 30 minutes!  Wouldn’t take a bottle, wouldn’t take his dummy, not interested in his swing or his mobiles.  In fact if he doesn’t want food and he’s fussy I have no idea what to do with him!  That’s my only trick!!  Eventually they managed to calm him somehow without having to call on supermum Kara to rescue.

I must admit I’m not too sure about babies.  I really like it when he’s sleeping and I get to watch football with him lying on me.  I like it when he’s smiling at me.  But the rest of the time when he’s crying and just not doing anything I think I fit into that normal guy bracket – I can’t wait for him to get older and start talking, and running around, and causing trouble!! 🙂  I bet I regret that comment in about 12 months!!

Nanny Mad and Great Auntie Deirdre September 13, 2007

My Nanny Mad and Great Auntie Deirdre are finally here!  I’ve been waiting my whole life to meet them.  They are so much fun and brought me lots of presents over from England.  Mommy and Daddy said Nanny Mad and Auntie Deirdre had to travel thousands of miles to see me.  That’s pretty nice of them!

I’ve told you before that Lucy and I like to be in cahoots together.  Well, on Nanny Mad’s first full day visiting me, Lucy and I decided to have a bit of fun with her.  I was upstairs with Mommy taking a nap, when Nanny Mad walked in and asked how she might be able to get her shoe back from Lucy.  Mommy asked if she was inside or outside, and she said she was outside.  Mommy said she was afraid Nanny Mad might need to start saying her goodbyes to her shoe, because when Lucy is outside and has something she shouldn’t trying to get it back off her becomes the funnest game in the world as far as Lucy is concerned.  We went outside anyway to see what we could do.  Mommy managed to finally get the shoe by tempting Lucy with her very favorite and most forbidden thing of all – a rawhide chew.  Lucy became distracted enough to leave the shoe to come beg for the rawhide (but as she only left the shoe and didn’t really exchange it fairly for the chew, she didn’t get the chew in the end).  As expected, the shoe was demolished.  There were only remnants of what had been, and between the bits of leather and strands of thread – as well as a bit of imagination – it was just possible to imagine what the shoe looked like in its glory days (i.e. that same day but 1/2 hour earlier).

So while Mommy was busy with Lucy Nanny Mad was holding me.  We were having a great old time snuggling – she sitting on the deck and me being held up by her shoulder.  Then I gave Lucy a quick wink to let her know the plan was in action, and I spit up all down the back of Nanny Mad.  She felt it sliding down her back about the same time Mommy was showing her what was left of her shoe.  Oh, it was hilarious!  Lucy and I are planning our next double-team attack.  Don’t tell! 🙂

Little tubber September 12, 2007

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything. Hayden is growing!! I mean he is seriously growing!! He is growing out of his clothes on a daily basis and I swear when I tried to weigh him the other day he came up as 12lbs!! I can’t believe that’s right thought – that would mean 1lb a week since he was born!!!! Little tubber 🙂 That’s what I call him but Kara gives me evil looks that only a proud mum could give.

He is learning to smile which is the coolest thing he’s done so far! And not just because he has to let one go!!!

He is also starting to get where he doesn’t want to sleep – he wants to see what cool things are going on in the world and if he sleeps he might miss something!!! Problem is he then gets over tired and there are tears before bedtime!!! Kara is very good at bouncing him to sleep. I think she must have spent some time on a trampoline when she was young!!!! I’m learning and I know my arm is getting stronger carrying him around!!

His Nanny Mad is here so expect lots of pictures and funny stories ahead!!!

Could it be…?? September 8, 2007

Hayden was one month old on Monday! We can’t believe it, the time has gone so quickly. He is still growing lots and changing all the time. Yesterday he was particularly fussy, and it might be because there could be a tooth coming in already! You read right – a tooth! It’s really early for that to be happening, but there is a white ‘something’ on his lower gum. It could also be some white pearl thing (I’m so technical!), the nurse said. If it goes away then that’s what it is, but if not then it is a tooth. He hasn’t been drooling, which is usually a sign of teething, so that and the combination of how young he is makes me doubt it really is a tooth, but it is very strange to see white on his gum where the first teeth appear!

We had a great Labor Day weekend. American football season is ramping up, and with it comes fantasy football time. John went to a fantasy football draft on Saturday hosted by one of our neighbors. Then Sunday we went to my brother’s to see his family. My nephew had a birthday recently so we went to celebrate him turning 4. And Monday we went to a different neighbor’s house for a bbq. They had invited us and another family, and between all of us we had 5 boys plus one more boy on the way – due in Dec. The hosts had a 5, 3, and 1 year old and the other guests had a 2 year old and the one that’s on the way. So with that group Hayden will have a good playgroup! The boys were lovely and really well-behaved, but of course being boys couldn’t help but get into some mischief. At the end of the evening the three oldest came up from the basement and had marker drawings all up and down their arms. It took a while before everyone realized that the oldest also had marker all over the back of his shirt! I had seen it before the others but figured they had already noticed it and it was ok, so found it quite funny when the others saw it and it became obvious that in fact it wasn’t ok. Boys! What have we gotten ourselves into?! 🙂

Well as I type this Hayden has been napping beside me, and I just had to wipe up some drool off his face. That is the first time I’ve had to do that. Maybe it is a tooth after all. I’ll try to get a picture and post it so you can be the judge.

Last week our friends from England Martin and Caroline were in town for Caroline’s work. We got to hang out with them the Sunday before last and Tuesday, which happened to be Martin’s birthday. It was so great to see them — they are two of the nicest people ever — and for Hayden to get to meet some more Brits. 🙂 Next week Nanny Mad comes! Hayden is so excited to meet his grandma. Also Rich and Anita happen to be over for a work trip, so we get to hang out with them, too! We are so excited to have so many visitors!