Inside Leo's Head

Sometimes, as the baby boy is flailing around, we wonder what he's thinking. I suspect that one day recently, it ran something like this:

"As I'm twisting around to show the smooth big person and the fuzzy big person that I'm upset, I've discovered these parts of me that are floppier than the rest. I think I'll call them arms. And, look -- if these arms get too floppy, then something else reaches the part that my bottle goes into. I think I'll call the bottle-holding part my mouth, and these other parts hands. And at the very end of my hands are some things that taste yummy, although not as yummy as my bottles. Let's call those fingers and thumbs."

(This time, apologies are owed to Douglas Adams, for those who don't recognize it.)

My apologies to Alan Jay and Frederick....

Lerner and Loewe, that is.

I've used a few lines of this on occasion, trying to convince Leo to go to sleep during the middle of the day, but I don't remember the original tune well enough to have done the whole thing yet.

"It's Nap Time for Little Boys"
(to be sung to the tune of "Thank Heaven for Little Girls", from Gigi)

It’s nap time for little boys
For little boys must take long naps to grow.

It’s nap time for little boys
Sleep two or three hours in a row

Your tummy time contributes to your crankies
Your play with rattles can make papa for his hankies

It’s nap time for little boys
It’s nap time, go to sleep
Your wet diaper will wake you soon
You’ll cry for us to hold you tight ‘til noon

It’s nap time... It’s nap time
It’s nap time for little boys.

adventures

Last night Leo slept from after his 10:45pm bottle until 5:30am. And didn't wake up for any diaper changes. That's almost sleeping through the night. Although the sad thing is, once I go back to work I'll probably be needing to get up that early in order for us both to get ready and get him and me to daycare and work on time.

Today we took a big trip with the little boy. First we went to the NCSU campus in Raleigh so Jeff could run an errand, then we to the game store and then lunch, then we went to the Homegoods to return something and did some more shopping. Then we feed Leo lunch. Then we went to the BJ's warehouse store where we've had a free month membership. Then we came home. All told we were out and about for roughly 5 hours and Leo did great!

But, then after his dinner bottle tonight he had one of his "nothing is wrong with me whatsoever but I think I'll pitch a fit anyway" fits. Sigh. I was getting too confident that everything will be smooth sailing now that he is getting older. Perhaps there were just too many new sights and sounds today and his little brain just overloaded. But still, it's hard to see him wailing (with big tears and everything) and not have any idea what the problem is. Luckily, Jeff was able to apply the Cuddle Cure (from Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block--highly recommended!) and in about 2 minutes Leo was asleep.

Keep your fingers crossed that after we feed him around 10:30p tonight that he will sleep until 5:30am (or later) again.

2 months old

Dear Leo,

Today you are two months old. It's hard to believe, as the time has gone so quickly! Just yesterday we packed away many of the outfits you don't fit into anymore, and there are more of those than I thought there would be--including some you didn't get to wear very much.

You are so much more alert this month--you like to be where papa and I are, and you smile and coo at us (when you aren't fussing about something that is). You've just begun to enjoy being in your crib and watching the colorful shapes and listening to the pretty music. (Ok, so it's tinny and a bit out of tune, but you'll learn that when you're older.) You've also found the "other" baby in the mirror, and are no longer frightened by him. He makes you smile, and a bit shy too.

When I hold you on my lap you like to stand on both feet and support all of your own weight, although sometimes you decide you'd rather not after all. You hold your own head up most of the time, although it's still not 100% stable just yet. Occasionally you enjoy tummy time, but most of the time you find it not too pleasant. Hopefully you'll like it more as you get older.

We think we've got your eating habits figured out, but you are still what Grandma Marge calls a happy chucker (not spitter-she corrected me). You still get full body hiccups every other day or so, and you still seem to have some reflux symptoms. but, you are gaining weight and growing just fine, so we aren't too worried. You are starting to sleep longer at night--often 5-6 hours, sometimes more, which we love. But, on the few occasions you've gone 7-8 hours between feedings you've promptly spit up most of you 1st morning bottle--much like a parched man crossing the desert would at the first oasis if he drank too fast.

So far you have met 1/2 of your grandparents (you have seven of them, so it will take a while for everyone to get here). You've met one aunt, but not the other, and even some of your papa's cousins. You've experienced three major holidays, with one more happening soon. By the time Easter arrives you'll be an old hand at celebrations.

I can't believe that in 3 1/2 weeks I go back to work (1/2 time for a month and then full time) and you will start day care. I worry that if we don't have you all figured out by then and have all of your eating and sleeping routinized by the time you start that it will be a bad thing. But everything I read and my common sense tells me that you will just be starting to be on a schedule when you are 3-4 months old, and that hoping for it to happen sooner might be too ambitious. I am sure we'll be just fine.

Merry holidays!

Well, Leo's first Christmas was a success, even though he wasn't feeling well the day before (fever from vaccination shots) and today he's been urping more than usual. His pile of presents was bigger than he is--the grandparents all outdid themselves!

Yesterday we went through all of his outfits and packed away the ones he can't fit into anymore--he's growing so fast. I know it's a cliche, but it's true--they're big before you know it.

Tomorrow's his 2-month birthday, so we'll post again then.

Hope you all had good holidays with your families and friends. We're still working on our holiday cards--so you'll get those eventually. :-)

Home at last

Today starts the week-and-a-half winter break at the Alamance-Burlington School System. A week and half of not-quite vacation (I've got about a 3-inch pile of grading to do), otherwise devoted to spending time with the 'Bug. (That would be Leo, for those who don't know that one nickname for him is "Doodlebug.")

Speaking of the Bug, his 2-month check-up was yesterday. He checked in at 22" long (25th percentile, we think), and 11 lbs. 6 oz. (50th percentile). First round of immunizations, with 3 shots. He's been whimper-fussy and clingy to one or the other of us since, though we think he's starting to feel better.

Photos on the way

Flickr account is up and running, just working on the organizing and tagging. Here is the address, and we'll keep a link off to the right here in the blog. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougans

He's the sweetest boy.

great grandparents

Ok--not great in the old sense, great as in cool! All of Leo's grandparents, and there are count them, seven of them, are cool. Grandma and Grandpop (Jeff's folks) were just here and had a grand time with him (no pun intended).

Maybe we spoke too soon

We started to get close to sleeping through the night over the weekend... Yay!

But, in his first feedings after the long stretches of sleep, Leo did more spitting up than normal -- including one on Saturday night (OK, 4 AM Sunday if you want to get technical) that had about a 12-inch range. Aside from the usual settling down after spitting up, it doesn't really seem to be bothering him, but it's got us watchfully concerned.

I've been at work, and so don't know whether Kirstin called the pediatrician or what she was told. (We were discussing the possibility of the phone call this morning.)

Grandma and Grandpop have contributed several pictures to the collection... now to just have several hours with a high-speed connection to get everything organizes, sorted, & tagged.

More adventures of the incredible self-burping baby

Well, we're excited here at chez us. Leo slept from the 10pm feeding until a 6am feeding and only woke up 2x for diaper changes in between-and went right to sleep afterward. Yay. Let's hope this turns into a habit, so we won't do the dance of joy just yet. We're also figuring out that he's probably ready to up his formula intake by another ounce per bottle, since he's still fussy after eating most times.

Other developments at this 6 week mark...he's really close to being able to hold his own head up, is spitting up less, is starting to smile, and is just all-around cute. He's charmed Grandma and Grandpop Dunn to no end and I'll have to check their bags to make sure they don't take him back to MI with them.

Tonight we're going to get the Christmas tree---yay!