Catching up

I started this late, Thomas was seven months old already. But I figured it was my way to talk about stuff with me and share baby stuff, since TC was doing her thing with emails for the family. I am wanting to base this on feedback; i. e. what videos and pictures would be interesting, since I enjoy mostly everything Thomas does...kids at this age are kinda a spectator sport you know.

The picture today is of a messy feeding time, I think he had dropped his spoon. That's okay, we have a whole set handy for events like this....For some this may be an image that confirms why they don't want children, i.e. the crying and mess. However these are fun times if you show a little humility and patience, which is a reason God gives us children you know...Crisis like the above are short-lived and usually you both end up laughing pretty quickly...Remember you are both learning boundaries in everything you do(yes, even as adults)

I remember telling my boss one day that, and she reminded me to enjoy it when I could because they grow up so fast...I get that alot actually, but it doesn't feel like it yet. I still feel like we are catching up on our sleep, despite the fact he is currently sleeping throughout the night now( albeit the thrashing followed occasional yelp for no reason we hear on the monitor in the middle of the night that has us scrambling, only to find him peacefully curled back up again in his crib.)

It is difficult in these times: having both of us work and leaving him with family, however they really enjoy him and it keeps us from leaving him with strangers at a day care. We both have learned how to make the best of our time with him an have been enjoying many milestones lately. Those are for other posts though.

That is the gist of it anyways, isn't it. Make the best of it , don't sweat the small stuff, cause that's all it really is...you'll even be laughing(or bragging) about all the stuff that is aggravating you right now. There have been some diaper changes alone that are comedy fodder for yours truly....

Have a great day.

Evey day is a gift.

He crawls!

This post is more for family/friends-but there are few notes about precautions if anyone is on this blog for general info.

Thomas is crawling, a little here and a little there. It all started with a scooting motion but every now and then he stays up on the knees long enough to qualify as a crawl. His motivation appears to be anything he can get his hands on since apparently his tactile needs (anything with a unique appearance or texture) and all around curiosity/exploration grows .
Checklist for self(and all parents I guess) when baby learns to crawl:(should have done this before the crawling started. I put the things that lock the cabinets on a month ago and still haven't gotten used to them. )

1) Move anything he can reach from the floor...and, as with everything else, put in his mouth.

2) Anything on shelve big enough to hurt if it falls on his head, move to a lower shelf or somewhere else.

3) Mount all those teetering flimsy bookcases to the wall so he can't pull them over on his head.

4) If he's climbing and crawling mounting may not be enough, no tablecloth or hanging laundry is safe for the next few months.

5) When all else fails, get down on his level and look at all the things he can get into...
This video is his latest escapade....

What is it

Is it therapy? Is it recreation? is it educational?

That remains to be seen, what I essentially wanted to do was have a place to share my thoughts on being a first time father at the ripe old age of 41, and to have a place friends and relatives could get updates as well on my son, Thomas.

It was a big decision to decide to have a family after 40 years of easy living, however the payoffs have been immense and my life so enriched by this tiny little clone my wife and I have been blessed with. I never thought of baby watching/child "rearing" as a spectator sport but they do some pretty entertaining stuff as they learn about the world and we get to learn about ourselves, our character, in the process.

Hopefully there will be some commiserating with some posts, as kids do frustrating things long before they can even crawl or walk...maybe some learning/sharing, hey I am all new at this and just digging the whole thing because having a sense of humor is the best way through the worst of days(as well as a really patient wife)...I am new at blogging, too, so any suggestions/ideas are always welcome.

The first 90

The first 90 days are not fun. They can be hell. I have been given this speech over and over by several friends and essentially it all boils down to "everyone involved has to get used to each other"...and nothing the parents do will seem like it is right. It helps to have a sense of humor and perspective.





The poor kid is not in a comfy, warm well cushioned personal room anymore where all its physical ands nutritional needs are met, so there is some shock there. There is also the schedule "everyone" has to get on..i.e. sleep/eat/what to do when awake and don't forget diaper changes. Just remember, the baby is getting used to this new world and being warm/cold, hungry, having wet drawers, startled by noises, bright light, etc..sleep is a great activity to recover but the little ones are going to be obliged to act/react on everything for a bit until they get used to it, which is where the 90 days comes in. Theoretically...



Look at it this way- It will feel as if nothing you do is right...sometimes babies just cry; it is a natural stress reliever and often is a pathway to sleep. Thomas would never sleep for very long the first few months; he cried and fussed when we laid him down. We were not letting him sleep on his stomach, per all the advice(i.e. books, experts, etc..) and forget about him being more comfy in his basinet. He would lay down, but was not happy about it.



About 1 month into this, a brother in law put him on his belly and Thomas slept four hours straight. We felt relief as a new hurdle was crossed. It is important even at this age to have a schedule, structure, as the babies focus the next few months will be all about its immediate needs-dry diaper, food, sleep...and having some kind of pattern helps.



My wife started a log with times noting diaper(wet/dry/poop) and bottle amounts(2oz/4 ounce etc..). I can't begin to tell you how useful that is when it is 3 a.m. and you can't remember when and how much the last feeding was, or when their last diaper was. Yeah. you change it as needed, but in general the log helps you identify patterns the baby may already be setting.

My wife and I had to get used to a new schedule just as Thomas did. Communicate, or should i say commiserate often, since both are unifying actions. Three useful things to have are:


1) Patience- nothing this kid does at this point is personal, he/she is trying to meet very basic needs..try to understand this and look for cues(eye rubbing, irritability, refusal to lay on belly)


Read up on what to expect, there are plenty of books out there. One we really enjoyed and benefitted from was "What to expect when she's expecting" (Heidi Murkoff/Workman Publishing) and "What to expect the first year". Both have useful information and timelines broken down by month so you get a good idea of what is going to happen/is likely to happen.

2)Humility_this is where you learn patience-babies can wear you down soooo fast; sooner or later you are going to get sprayed by some fluid or excrement, so be prepared and have tool 3 ready below.

3) A sense of humor-this is a lifesaver, have this and humility is easier and patience is a breeze. Think of all the new stories you'll have and you can get away with a lot of bathroom humor right now, more so than the wife might normally tolerate.

This doesn't mean you should let your kid take the blame for your flatulence!