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Sunday, January 31, 2010

A day of activity

Cayden got to go outside while Daddy split firewood and Mama stacked it:

Then we went shopping again, this time armed with a cozy cart insert, to keep shopping cart germs off baby's hands and mouth.

Revised nighttime routine

Thursday Daddy took care of the nighttime routine, while Mama went to a PR society dinner. And Daddy discovered that bedtime at 7:30 p.m. (versus the 8 p.m. target we settled on weeks ago) is even better for Cayden. He doesn't fuss or bruitz, and we feel like we're 20 minutes ahead of his too-tired crankiness. So we've been doing bedtime at 7:30 for a few days now, and Chicken Wing sleeps peacefully, straight through until somewhere between 5:30 and 7:30 each morning.

It's soooooo nice to have a baby that sleeps well through the night.

And one other lesson related to sleep. Clouds and Stars Quickzip sheets are AWESOME, and I can't believe I waited six months to try them out. Kristen gave me an assortment of non-registry gifts for my shower, and this was one of her "been there, done that" personal favorites. But since the crib was already set up with the sheet that came with the bedding set, the Quickzips stayed in Cayden's closet until this past weekend. We had been using sheet protectors to avoid crib sheet changes, but Cayden finally yammed up his crib sheet late last week. So I decided to pull the Quickzip set out of storage and give it a whirl.

What a FANTASTIC invention!! There's a bottom sheet that goes around the bottom of the mattress. It stays put through sheet changes. Then there's the top sheet (where the baby lays) that zips into the base sheet, around the edges of the crib. So now that this set up is on the mattress, I may never have to struggle with bumper removal and mattress finegaling again! All I have to do to change sheets is zip one off and zip another one back on! The best part? I found a second top sheet for $15 online, which is at least $5 cheaper than many of the traditional, pain-in-the-ass-to-change crib sheets found at BRU!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

THON

For the first time in nine years, I won't be there. But that's OK, as long as we give money (cause that's the ultimate goal), and as long as YOU give money. www.thon.org.

Look, even Khloe Kardashian is getting in on the gig!:

Friday, January 29, 2010

Six-month Check-up

This morning we visited Dr. Baker for Cayden's six-month check-up. Chicken Wing was playful and happy through most of the visit, until the wait for the nurses to return with the shots got a little long.

The stats:
Weight: 21 pounds, 5 ounces (95th percentile)
Length: 28 inches (90th percentile)
Head Circ.: 17.5 inches (70th percentile)

At four months his head was measured at 18 inches, but the doc thinks it was probably just a generous measurement. It's doubtful his head shrank.

We asked a couple of questions about eye boogers and food.

Turns out Cayden's life-long crusty eye condition is normal, and sometimes it takes 9 to 12 months for a baby's tear ducts to regulate themselves to not produce nasty yellow and green eye snot. If his eyes are still full of boogers at a year, then we can explore a minor surgery to open up the tear ducts. They like to wait that long, because the baby has to be VERY still for the procedure, and they like to avoid general anesthesia.

As for food, Doc Baker says we're doing the right thing in continually trying to find a balance between satisfying the kid's seemingly insatiable appetite and not overfeeding him. Doc predicts Cayden's appetite will begin to self-regulate over the next six months, so that he's not gorging himself at the boob to the point of spitting up, and fussing everytime we reach the bottom of the food dish.

Oh, and when to introduce meat is up to us: if we want to puree cooked lamb or turkey now, we can; if we want to wait until he can handle texture in foods (avoiding the puree step), that's fine too. Early introduction of meats doesn't pose an allergy risk, but he doesn't need the meat from a nutritional standpoint. I may just wait until his pincer grasp develops --keeping Cayden on grains, fruits and veggies at mealtime -- and introduce meats when he can handle the bigger chunks. Saves some work.

We also got a prescription for flouride and a recommendation to take kiddo to the dentist somewhere between one and two years old. Hmmm, decidedly different advice from what my dentist told me -- that he should get his first check up as soon as the first tooth pops up.

Oh, and Dr. Baker had to pick a cat hair of Cayden's twink again at this visit. **blush**

Then came the shots. Yes, plural. Our schedule had him ready for Pentacel this time, but it turns out that since today is more than four weeks from his last dose of Prevnar, he could have that, too. He didn't have a reaction to either shot before, so I figured, heck, why not do both, to avoid a separate nurse visit for the second shot in February. So he ended up getting both shots, at the same time, from two different nurses, one in each thigh. And he DID. NOT. LIKE. THAT. And he let us know. Even after he nursed (with tears in his eyes), he started crying again as soon as I pulled him off the boob.

I don't know if his first really unhappy reaction to shots is because he's older and more aware, because he got two shots rather than one or some other reason. But I think I'm going back to avoiding multiple shots in one visit in the future. Not only was he upset, but then I got home I realized he got 455 mcg of aluminum at one time by combining the shots. But oh well; what's done is done, and millions of other babies survive multiple doses of aluminum (admittedly still a very small amount) at once.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Baaablaabaaablah

Cayden introduced a new consonant sound to his vocabulary yesterday. B-sounds.

So now he's mastered M's and B's.

He's six months old, today.

Monday, January 25, 2010

BabyLegs

So I've been getting increasingly frustrated with baby pants. More specifically, the waistbands of baby pants.

Perhaps you'll remember back in October, when we realized Cayden just isn't cut out for anything but elastic waistbands. Well now he's pushing his elastic waistbands to the limit. Not so much his waist, but rather the somewhat bulky cloth diapers. It's a real pain in the ass to get the pants overtop his diapered butt.

So I bit the bullet and bought three pairs of BabyLegs last week (on sale). When he's in these little leg warmers, diaper changes are a breeze, involving no pants-wrestling. The tube socks stay on his legs, and we just mess with the onsie and the diaper.

OK, so maybe the stripes-on-stripes is a little overwhelming, but how cute are these to keep those chunky thighs warm?

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Shopping with Shorty

Much of today was spent running around, and while I was sure I'd have to eliminate one or more errands, to get Shorty home when he got fussy, I was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong.

He sat through my 1/2 hour meeting with Susan from U-Gro perfectly well, occasionally cooing or raspberrying to himself in his carseat. (By the way, we're officially enrolled!)

He snoozed for 30 or 40 minutes while I ran to pick up Spike's food at the vet's office, then drove to Costco and gassed up. He woke up when I put him in the cart at Costco, so I thought that was a perfect opportunity to change his dipe. And sure enough, two of the five women we saw in the ladies room commented on his cloth diapers and said they were familiar with them. It's kind of like a little-known sisterhood, and all the CD moms are excited to find another member of the club. :)

Got through Costco in a half-hour, and Cayden started giggling in his car seat toward the end.

Then on to Walmart, for some cheap produce and groceries (dill carrots and cauliflower are setting up in the freezer for Chicken Wing). I thought he'd sleep through Walmart (it was, afterall, about time for his long afternoon nap), so I moved to the back seat of the car to nurse him before going in. But as he filled up, he became more awake and distracted. And he was already out of his car seat, so I figured, "eh, what the heck, we'll go without the carseat for this trip." I had the sling on me, but then I remembered seeing a baby smaller than Cayden riding in the shopping cart at Costco.

So in the cart he went (after I disinfected every surface I could imagine he'd touch, using five alcohol wipes), and he LOVED it! He giggled, cooed and raspberried the whole way through the store. And boy did this kid attract attention! Four or five people stopped us to ask his name or how old he was, or to comment on what a happy baby he was. I didn't have the camera on me, so the best I could do was take a snapshot with my phone. But I don't do text messages (personal pet peeve), so I think the photo is stuck on my phone, forever. EDIT: Brian and Jeff figured out how to get the picture to my e-mail, so here you go:
When we got home (trunk filled to the brink), I told Dad we should go on a shopping excursion this weekend just for the heck of it, so he could see how happy this kid is in the front of the shopping cart.

Only one minor kink in our afternoon of errands: in the check out at Walmart, Cayden let go of his hand-holds on the shopping cart and tipped over to the side. I caught him before he really hit the side of the cart, but the tip-over scared him a little and big elephant tears rolled down his cheeks. But a quick hug, some kisses and whispers in his ear, and he was just fine.

So what lesson did we learn today? Suddenly, this kid is an attention magnet at stores!

Cayden is five months, three weeks and three days old. And tossing his head, side to side like Stevie Wonder, for a week now.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Daycare

Whew. I think we found one, and the search proved much less stressful than I anticipated.

I really dreaded the daycare search, because of a few key fears: (1) I assumed all the "best" places must be booked, even six-and-a-half months in advance, (2) I was terrified to explore the cost, (3) I doubted any "good" daycares would handle cloth diapers, and (4) I was just completely unfamiliar with how daycares "work."

Well, after calling seven centers and two in-home providers, touring three centers and driving by another two centers, we're confident U-Gro is the right place for Shorty.

So how did we come to that decision?

Originally I thought I wanted in-home daycare for Shorty, primarily because it's cheaper. But then we realized he'll only need daycare two days a week once I return to work full-time (all the Grammas want to keep their babysitting days), so the cost wasn't as big a deal. And since he'll be in home settings three days anyway, I figure maybe a center -- with a group of kids his age and some semi-structured learning opportunities -- would be a good balance for the other two days.

So we toured three centers, all of which told me over the phone they would be happy to accommodate cloth diapers. The first one was just fine, and I'm sure we would have been perfectly happy with it, had we not then gone to U-Grow. (Which, incidentally, was exactly what Brian tried to get me to do Friday -- take "OK, this could work" as the best place for Cayden, and cancel the other two tours we had scheduled.) The woman who gave us the tour was a PSU grad (twice over) who had breastfed both her kids (3 years old and 15 months, I think), and she seemed very put-together. She obviously enjoyed her work, and she seemed knowledgeable about kids and daycare (then again, anyone who has more experience than me seems knowledgeable, at this point). So I liked her and her center. The only thing that bugged me about daycare #1 was that the room for the 12 - 18 monthers seemed small to me. And the carpets were a little dirty. Oh, and there was a TV going in the back room, although she assured me they only use it on Fridays, for limited amounts of time with some of the older kids.

On to U-Gro. First of all, the facility -- on my way to work and only five minutes from home -- is AMAZING. It's only four years old, its got lots of windows for light, it's very spacious and it just seemed spic-and-span clean. And it has a state-of-the-art HUGE indoor play yard (only one like it in the area), so the kids have a great place to burn off steam on days when the weather is crappy. Susan, the director, and her entire staff were dressed kind of like nurses (those colorful nurse shirts), and she just oozed professionalism and compassion. Kind of like another Grandma. We toured at lunchtime, so we got to see the Bears (1 year olds) eating lunch. That was fun, to imagine Shorty sitting at the group table, mashing peas and throwing ham cubes with the rest of the kiddos practicing their pincer grips. The Ducks (2 year olds) were also eating lunch, and we laughed out loud when Jill, the assistant director, explained that the catch-all Bibs that the Bears wear for lunch are no longer tolerated by Ducks, so Ducks simply eat lunch half naked. We looked in on a couple of shirtless buggers smiling and laughing at their lunch table. This center is very breastmilk friendly (really, friendly to any special diet requests), and they are flexible enough to let kids be kids. For example, the day's structure has one nap in it for the Bears, after lunch, but if a kid is tired some other time, he can certainly lay down off to the side for an additional snooze. And Susan is very practical when it comes to assessing illness in children (doesn't automatically kick a kid out for two days because of a booger in his nose), and she looks at biting and discipline as opportunities for teaching, learning and growing. And she has a frame of The First Kiss on her wall (we have it in our living room). After our tour and sit-down with Susan, I just felt like this was the place. But I had one more tour to take.

So Brian stayed home with Cayden while I went to daycare #3. Kind of the other end of the spectrum, for me. I wasn't a fan of the location (chain link fences around the playground), the rooms all seemed really dark, the director never asked me to sit down and, on more than one occasion, she referred me to the "parent handbook" for information to answer a question I had. As in, "well, that's in the parent handbook, but I guess I'll tell you." On top of those negatives, the infants and four year olds were being cared for by two different college kids, and the three year olds were being watched by a really overweight, "rough" looking older woman. And daycare #3 had these really strict requirements: Cayden couldn't be enrolled in the young toddler room unless he was completely off bottles, walking on his own and down to one nap a day, max. There was a 13-month old in the infant room when we toured, and this little bugger was crusing around holding on to things as he walked. But because he wasn't walking unassisted, he had to stay in the room with the babies. Just seemed sad to me. When I asked about bringing breastmilk, I was told that the staff cannot handle bodily fluids, so all bottles must be dropped off each day prepared. But in the same conversation, the director told me they'd keep a baggie of milk or two in the freezer for me, for growth spurts or spills. But wait a minute -- wouldn't that involve handling (pouring) of bodily fluids from the bag into the bottle? Oh well, I wasn't feeling this place, anyway. And then as I was getting ready to leave a scary looking older man came to the center, trying to pick up his grandson. The director didn't recognize him, and the kid's normal teacher was out that day, so there was something of an issue for Grandpa. So the fact that Grandpa looked scary compounded by the director's unfamiliarity with the guy who picks this kid up every Friday pretty much sealed the deal for me. No thank you, daycare #3.

So now we just have to get our enrollment application and $100 to Susan, and Cayden has a spot held for him, for later this summer. Of course no place is perfect, so there are a couple of downsides to U-Gro: First of all, the cost. It's $110 for two days, but I think it's worth the extra $15 a day, as compared to daycare #1. (Interestingly enough, the only daycare that totally skeeved me out was the most expensive one -- $117 or $123 for two days a week, depending on whether or not Chicken Wing was "qualified" for the young toddler room at enrollment). And U-Gro doesn't include any holiday weeks, so we have to pay the $110 52 weeks a year. Second quirky thing? They serve 2 percent milk to all the kiddos, rather than the whole milk I thought pediatricians recommend for 12 to 24 months. But I'll ask the pediatrician at Cayden's appointment later this month; if it's a big deal to Dr. Baker, I'll just provide Cayden's whole milk for the center.

So like I said, Whew. Glad that's over, and really glad we found a perfect fit for us. Come summertime, I'll start taking Cayden to U-Gro every now and then to hang out with his soon-to-be classmates and get used to the place.

Brian may have to drop him off the first couple of mornings, though. If I see what I saw at daycare #1 -- a little boy bawling his eyes out with the "second day blues" -- I will not make it to work, at least not with any eye makeup left on my eyes.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

New noises and more food

Yesterday Cayden started making a noise like he's clearing his throat or choking. Wow, does that new noise sure entertain him!

Oh, and we had what we think was our first temper-tantrum late last week. After his wheat cereal supper -- while still in his high chair -- Chicken Wing suddenly started screaming bloody murder -- a scream we've never heard before, and he had real tears, red face and all. Brian thought he hurt himself and came running from the kitchen, then we both just kind of stared at him wide-eyed for a few seconds, trying to figure out who the hell had taken over the body of our agreeable little boy. I don't know if he just wasn't satisfied with his two tablespoons of cereal or what, but something seriously pissed the kid off.

Speaking of small amounts of food, we did up Shorty's lunch portions a couple of days ago, after Mary the LC assured me he's ready for more if he's letting us know he's ready for more. I was nervous about filling him up with too much food so he wouldn't be as hungry for the milk that supposed to sustaining him almost entirely for another month or so. But Mary put my concerns to rest; he's still nursing and drinking as much as he was before, so the "meals" are just extra calories, not replacement nutrition.

This kid has yet to ever turn away from a spoon or boob.

The past couple of days he's had an ounce of yams or sweet potatoes AND a third of a banana for lunch. Then two tablespoons of cereal at dinner.

Cayden is five months, two weeks and one day old.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Sir Yams-a-lot

I'm not sure what is going on, but Cayden sure is spitting up a lot lately. But apparently only when he's with me, unless the babysitting Grammas are sneakily washing his yammed up clothes and then redressing him before I see him. So I wonder if he's snuggling in for cuddles, but overeating in his snug contentment.

But he is a "happy spitter" -- i.e., not in pain or fussing when he yams -- so there's nothing to worry about other than more frequent loads of laundry. Today he got himself (changed outfits by 10 a.m.), all over my sweatshirt, spots of his playmat and the seat and plastic toys of his jumperoo.

OK, that last one was partly my fault. But lesson learned: don't put a baby who just gorged himself at the boob into a jumperoo.

And since we haven't had any photos in a while, here are a couple, showing off the new kitchen countertops, sink and faucet. Because Daddy spent way, way too much on the faucet, but justified it by saying what a nice bath it would provide for Cayden. I told him Shorty's $18.99 plastic tub works just fine, but then figured -- eh, what the heck; I'll bathe him in the new sink with the really expensive faucet.


And our other home improvement project is almost done. I can't wait to get all my photos up, if Costco could get the order right.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

sitting and sleeping and sickness, oh my!

Last night Cayden propped himself up into a tripod for the first time on his own, or at least the first time I've seen it. He was sitting, playing with the top of his activity table, and I was sitting in front of him, ready to catch him when he toppled to one side. But instead of toppling, he put his left arm down on the outside of his left leg, and propped himself up on it.

And in the past week, he has shown a clear preference for side- and tummy-sleeping. Every night I put him in his crib on his back, and immediately after I get him tucked in his sleep sack, he rolls over to his right side. And at some point in the night -- sometimes early, sometimes after we've gone to bed -- he rolls onto his tummy. Because most mornings when I come in to get him, he's in a cobra pose, trying to look out of his crib.

And while Brian and I have both been sick -- now for over a week -- Cayden seems to be avoiding our colds, somehow. Probably a lot to do with breastmilk, since the antibodies I'm making to fight my own cold are transferred into his milk, thereby helping him fight the germs he's exposed to. Kind of like Mama medicine.

Oh, and one more "s" topic: snuggle snacks. That's what I've decided to call nursing. Eventually Shorty is going to start learning word associations, so that's what he'll learn as the term for nursing. And I'm going to start using the ASL sign for milk while saying "snuggle snack," so he'll have a sign to communicate, before he can talk. I've read a little bit about signing, and it seems to help with language development for lots of babies.

Cayden is five months, one week and two days old.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Yay for veggies!

While rice cereal and oatmeal turned Cayden's poops into messes the consistency of peanut butter (YUCK), it seems adding a little veggie (sweet potato) to his diet firmed things up into nice, ploppable poops!

That's right, no scraping needed, these poops just fall right off the dipeys, into the toilet.

Since Christmas, Cayden has had sweet potatoes a handful of times, and we tried a bit of avocado on New Year's day. Not a big fan of the avocado, so we'll try again later.

Then today, Shorty reached for my banana, so I gave him a little taste, in a mesh teether. He seemed to like it. And I know we're breaking all the rules (introducing more than one food every few days), but when he reached for the spoon I was using to clean the last of his pear puree from the bowl, I just had to give him a taste. He's a big fan of pears.

This afternoon I began making baby food purees, which we'll probably use for the next three months, until he's better able to "gum" or mash soft foods up in his mouth himself. Peas and pears are already setting up in the freezer, and sweet potatoes and butternut squash are in the fridge, awaiting room in the baby food ice cube trays. Tomorrow I hope to finish up the weekend's baby cooking with zucchini and apple purees.

And thanks to Lauren and Jeff, we now have a stand-alone freezer for all the breast milk baggies and baby food cubes that are starting to take over both our kitchen and garage freezers.

Cayden is five months and five days old.