Time to play Single Dad again...

Kim's back on the road today, off on another trip to the lovely wintry city of Boston to deal with all of her new friends at Mass General.

I get the little guy all to myself!

This should be interesting for a couple of reasons. Lately, he's gotten a bit clingy, mostly to Kim. Understandable... As has been noted in previous posts, she's the one getting him ready in the morning, and picking him up from Daycare in the afternoon, which usually follows into his evening meal (thanks to the lovely DC Traffic). Most of the time I see him, it's driving the bus to daycare in the morning, literally the middle of the night, or in the tub and on the way to bed.

So now, he gets ME. Just me. Well, me and Bailey. Which brings us to point of interest number 2... As Magoo so eloquently puts it, "The Hound." Bailey's got some issues of her own to deal with lately. Not that she's acting out or anything, and rest assured, she and Harry seem to get along very well (note: he's started dropping real food from his highchair). It's with Kim and me that she's not doing so well with.

Now that the food has begun to drop, and it is apparent to her that food on the floor has become (like it ever wasn't?) hers and hers alone. However, with the speed and deadly accuracy that she's suddenly become aware of, you'd think there were 15 other dogs competing for that very Cheerio?!?!

Okay, so she's a dog, and she's getting food off the floor... Not so big a deal right? But now she's decided that WE are supposed to drop food for her from our plates too. And if we don't, well why wouldn't we? So she sits, incredibly anxious, to that point that she gets the shakes from the adrenaline of waiting to pounce on that 1 grain of rice that's sure to drop from the Chinese food.

So the viscous circle begins. Bailey drives us nuts, which drives Harry Bonkers, which makes Bailey skiddish and whiney, which makes us nuts... Ah the joy of it.

But I digress... Kim's back on the road, and Harry and I get some quality time.

He's had quite a month. Travelling all over the last few weekends, and a trooper throughout. Just about finished battling his first cold (how does such a little nose produce so much snot?), and gearing up for his first ShrimpFest (well, first outside the womb), and I can see him now being infatuated with all of the wrapping papaer - he LOVES crinkly crunchy paper-type stuff!

My apologies for going so long between posts, but as I'm sure any parent can attest to, the time & mental capacity has become re-assigned now that more energy, attention & concentration is required.

Official congratulations are in order to a few folks:

Stephanie Boyer and Joe McWilliams on the birth of their daughter Emma Grace on 10/30/2004...

Charlene and Amir Barnes on their recently announced pregnancy (2nd child) due right around Harry's birthday...

Cooper Lemieux Wagner for making his first (hopefully of many) successful trip East from Ohio for the 2004 Turkey Day weekend...

Gobble Gobble Giggle

After a long and festive weekend, I am a bit too tired to write very much, but I wanted to let you all know, Harry did, indeed, have his first turkey!

Journalistic integrity

Kevin had a little too much time on his hands, so I guess he started googling people. Check out the results for me in this article:
http://www.atlantasportsmag.com/story.cfm?story_id=1975
I swear I was completely honest when I was interviewed!
This is not the first time I have personally been mis-quoted by a reporter or taken out of context. I thought it would be a good idea to remember this the next time the media sensationalizes something.

Interesting article about Julie Aigner-Clark, the creator of Baby Einstein.
http://www.bluesuitmom.com/career/womenbiz/babyeinstein.html

Happy Laughing Baby

I ask you, how do you clear your mind when they give yoga poses names like Happy Laughing Baby? I was minding my own business today at Pure Prana, http://www.pureprana.com, hands holding my feet, trying to focus, when the Yogi translates the Sanskrit name for the pose to be "Happy Laughing Baby." The pose is known in some circles as Dead Bug, but I digress. Next thing you know, I can't wait to get out of there and pick Harry up.
First thing I saw when I woke up this morning was a happy, laughing baby. Harry was chatting away in his crib for at least half an hour this morning before I made my way in to say hello. I think he is getting used to this AM routine and knew I was coming. He was quietly laying on his back with the biggest smile on his face you have ever seen. At 6:20 AM! This brightens my whole day. His father, I think, is frightened by it---assuming he notices.
This is not to say Kevin neglects him. Kevin just does not wake up until 9:30 (so he says...I would push it back to at least 11). Sure, he is walking around, driving even, just not awake. I, on the other hand, am in about the same shape at 9PM. Once I am up in the morning though, I am up. Somehow we have managed to be compatible.
It has become pretty obvious at this point that Harry is also a morning person. He wakes up happy as can be, and can entertain himself for quite some time. 7PM is a different story. If he is not within 3 feet of his crib at this time...yikes!
So, after a bit of discussion, and some help from the Toddler Whisperer, Kevin and I are reconsidering our wake up patterns. See, in Secrets of The Baby Whisperer, Tracy Hogg explains how to read babies cues. It is not too hard to do. I think I am pretty good at it---except at night. If Harry wakes up while Kevin is at hockey, I can put myself into a near panic, while Kevin is as calm as can be in teh middle of the night. Kevin feeding Harry breakfast however...that can be interesting. But I seriously think the combination of Harry being awake at night and me being awake at night, and then the two of us trying to deal with each other---well, it is a rather difficult situation. This is, of course, when I even realize that he is screaming. I finally realized I just lose the ability to read Harry's cues- his thoughts and emotions, at night, just as Kevin has trouble at 7 AM (though, I have to say Harry himself is a little bit easier to deal with then...athough, I guess if you do not have the energy to deal with the little ball of energy...that could be a problem too).
Anyway, I think we are compatible because of our different abilities. It may be too eralyto put this in writing, butI think I may not have to get up for Harry's 3 AM feeding anymore! I suppose I will never again be sleeping in on weekends...but, for a morning person, this seems worth it to me!

Cheerio!

Let me start off with a big shout out to Casey's Dad. Casey's Dad always provides us with such thoughtful comments at the bottom of our blogs. Or rather, my blogs. Never Kevin's blogs. Anyway, thanks Casey's dad!

In other news, our little one has started finger foods! He is fascinated by them, but he can not put them in his mouth himself yet, but he likes it when we do. I am still a little worried about Cheerios, but Gerber makes little puffy things that dissolve more easily. Harry's Aunt Toni suggested he may be less likely to choke on those. Even though he makes faces, he likes them a lot. He seems to be getting used to the new texture on his tongue. He makes monkey faces while he eats them.

Harry also was able to get up on his hands and knees and rock back and forth. He has not been crawling wind up toy style yet, but if you hold a slice of pizza in front of him, he can move pretty quickly! I think he has been taking pointers from Bailey!

Harry also made it to his first big birthday party- his cousin Dominic's 4th! It was a very loud soccer party, and he had a blast! His last big party, his Wiccaning, was rather traumatic for him. I think he is finally getting used to social events. He was okay with getting passed around he had a blast running around the field with his dad (who, by the way, needed to buy himself a new shirt after having so much fun he sweated through the first!).

I think with all of Harry's new skills, he will be in good spirits come holiday time!

Okay, Okay, Okay. Before you read any further, I know I promised to not say another word about breastfeeding...but it keeps coming up!
My college roommate, Leanne, sent me this link today:

Dennis Prager: Breast-feeding as religion
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/dp20031111.shtml
Thought you might enjoy reading this article. Dennis Prager is a conservative Jewish
speaker and radio show host that I listen to on occassion. I can't say I agree with everything
he says but he does make me think.

It is a short article, and sort of explains why the issue gets under my skin. So, read it or don't read it. I am just glad my own comments are encouraging people to think (not that any of you don't...I just mean that it is something I never thought much about, until I had to). So, thanks to those of you who are paying attention! :-)

For those interested, Jenn and Kris Wagner have posted some of their own pictures of Harry during some of their many encounters... enjoy.

JennAndKrisWagner.com

The wheels on the bus...on the way to Gymboree

Harry went to his first Gymboree class on Saturday! http://www.gymboree.com
I have not been that interested in the Mommy and Me classes. And I figured since Harry was at daycare, he was singing songs and meeting kids and Gymboree would not be necessary. But, we had a free coupon, so we went. It was SO much fun! For all of us, I think!

There were 4 other kids in the class. One was there with his mom only, but he was almost 1, and had an older brother who had been through Gymboree. The other three had both parents, and Kate also brought her grandparents and their video camera (Kevin said I could not bring a camera,and grandparents did not count).

The set up is great! Teh room is brightly colored and fille dwith mats and balls and slides. They have short activities, and then free play. They alternate for the full 45 minutes of class. I admit, Harry did not like many of the tummy time activities. He was having so much fun just walking around the room (holding our hands, of course). He also happened to be the only one talking in class. I hope this is not a sign of things to come. Right now it is cute.

He did like bouncing up and down on the log. The bubbles truly impressed him. The slide was kind of fun. The parachute...laying on his back was not his cup of tea. SO, he rolled over while we were walking around in circles with the kids on top like. He definitely was not a wall flower.

Harry does not seem to be the least bit shy. Separation anxiety should be setting in soon, but my freind Sandra's mom, who we had lunch with after the class, said that not all kids get it. She siad this while Harry was giggling and bouncing up and down on this stangers lap. Sandra did not have problems with strangers either. (Sandra is a recruiter now, so her personality was obviously set very early). I remember being pretty shy as a kid, and I would bet money that Kevin was. I am pleasantly surprised that Harry just seems so confidant already. Even without breast feeding! (Sorry, had to through that in there. LAST TIME! I promise!).

The songs at class were annoying, but they grew on you. Sadly, they have continued to grow ...like mold. I cannot stop singing them. Especially the one about "pound and pound and pound that axel." I may remember this because one of the kids in the class was named Axel. Something to keep in mind when you are naming your kids, though I guess you cannot cover all bases. Personally, I would not have seen that one coming! I definitely felt uncomfortable singing it though!

SO, I think we will sign up. It IS pricey, but I really think it is worth it. At this point, he is in daycare with only two other kids. They are never even all there at the same time. Susanna and Sid are old hat. Time to branch out.
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Sunday Harry got to go swimming. He stayed in the pool for an hour and we only got out because he was rubbbing his eyes. Even with an actual nap beforehand (a rarity), he was still exahsuted from his swim. So much so that he fell asleep while eating lunch. I'll be sure to post those photos ASAP!

Ode to Jenny McCarthy

Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth is the best pregnancy book ever and the only one worth reading.

From Publishers Weekly- McCarthy, 1994 Playmate of the Year, actress (Scream 3; Baywatch; etc.) and former host of MTV's Singled Out, gave birth to her first child in 2002. Her pregnancy wasn't pretty—and she wants to tell readers all about it. At the outset, she tells them, "If you bought this book, you are already aware of my frankness when it comes to certain things—anatomy and bodily functions among them. If someone gave this book to you as a gift and you've never heard of me, apologies to you!" She goes on to recount the nitty-gritty of pregnancy in all its gory detail, covering morning sickness, hormonal rage, cravings, hemorrhoids, "engorged" breasts, gas, hot flashes, fainting spells, weight gain, acne, water retention and, finally, labor. McCarthy is undeniably crass but funny, and her candor and self-deprecation are refreshing. Each brief, chatty chapter focuses on a different—and awful—facet of pregnancy, with McCarthy relating personal anecdotes and usually winding down by reassuring women they're not alone. McCarthy's tales are, for the most part, a hoot, though they may offend more uptight readers. For example, in the beginning of McCarthy's pregnancy, she was constipated, so she visited a specialist. In the waiting room, the assistant called her name, and "everyone... looked up in surprise, and I knew what they were thinking: 'Jenny McCarthy has butt hole problems?' I was so embarrassed, until I realized that they had no right to be smirking: Those assholes were also there because of their own assholes. I felt better already."Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

I guess I have always found Jenny mildly amusing, though raunchy (image: Jenny sitting on teh toilet with her underpants down for a Candies shoes ad) at the very least because she seems free to be herself. I think I appreciate her more after reading this book. For all of her crudeness, she seems to be a better person than many celebrities (better morals somehow). But, back to the book..she discusses such things as fat arms, not wanting hemorrhoids, gaining 60 pounds, 36D boobs in the second month not being a Godsend (many books think you should do back flips) and she spends a whole lot of time watching TV. I could really identify with this book. I did not identify at all with The Girlfriends Guide (also written by a Playmate, coincidentally) and found the author to be vain and whiny and silly and annoying. Ironically, this book was referred to me with rave reviews by people who I do not find to be vain, silly or annoying.

Moving on, What to Expect When You're Expecting was written by two prison warden types who expect you to gain 15 pounds and eat a balanced diet. I'll stop there.

Fed up with most of the books for women, I started reading Kevin's Books (I skipped his first one entitle My Boys Can Swim, which was about 17 pages long), if for no other reason then they had cartoons. The Expectant Father was pretty realistic actually, and also gives a week by week account of what to expect, but the second book about after the baby is born (The New Father) is mostly about the importance of nursing. And it is written by a guy! Many peopel have asked me where my hostility stems from when it comes to nursing. To be honest, these books could be where I got my complex from (with the exception of Secrets of the Baby Whisperer which is also worth reading). Jenny doesn't nurse either. And she was super obsessed about having a healthy baby. So there is another person out there who did not find these two things mutually exclusive.

Seriously, I am done ranting about breastfeeding. The book is good for other reasons. Lots of them. It's just a great book. And a quick read. Buy it. No, actually, don't buy it. If I know you and you are pregnant, I will be buying it for you. SO, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!!!! But, if you are not pregant and o not plan to be in the future, but have been or know peopel who are, pick up a copy. It is super funny. I flew back from Boston first class the other night (I have plenty of miles, that's why) and was literally laughing hysterically amdist the uptight crowd.

***I am aware this blog sounds awfully rambling. Free wine in first class. Just by the book!

As usual, Harry is as cute as can be. He now giggles when you tickle him under his armpits. He giggles so much that I literally fell on the floor laughing the first time I heard it. I think he does it on purpose. He has that goofy, hoarse little giggle. I can not emphasize enough how funny it is.
He is also able to hold his cookies, his sippy cup, and most of his toys with two hands. Apparently this is a big baby milestone, but I do not remember why. He is now able to pass things from one hand to the other.
He has been sitting up for a while now, which I read last night in one magazine should not happen until 8 months. I think that was the only place I saw that though. Maybe it is by 8 months…In any case, while he is sitting up, he can lift his head now to actually drink from his sippy cup. He can hold his bottle up now and then too, but gradually he lowers it until he cannot drink anything out of it. Must be heavy.
He still only crawls on his belly, but yesterday he lifted his butt up and propelled himself forward to reach some toys. He is super focused on walking. It is all he wants to do. He likes to hold onto our hands with both of his (he prefers two hands) and will walk all over the house, up and down the driveway...He squeals and starts to pull himself up when he is not walking.
As Kevin already noted, Harry had lots of other firsts this weekend too. He was introduced to rocks (for his later rock climbing adventures). He was not impressed with the rocks, but we will keep working on this. He took his first metro ride. He was also unimpressed by this. He likes to play things cool. For example, when he falls alseep in his car seat, he likes to pretend he was not sleeping ("What? I'm awake!"). Hopefully this is not practice fro falling asleep in class or in meetings.
First marathon was also this weekend. He got a few high fives for the monkey suit. Perhaps 20 years from now he can run teh marathon himself dressed as a monkey. He will blend in well with Kermit, Captain America, all of the Superman... He can be a local celebrity like the running Kermit, who runs every year in a full Kermit suit, including felt head. I don't know how the guy breathes!
Finally, this was also Harry's first Halloween. He did not make it for the official trick or treating, but made out quite nicely with his dentist friendly treats: Eeyore & banana (Wagners), $5 cash (Wileys) and some previous treats of Halloween socks (Kim & John) and a pumpkin bib (Grandmom)---and also three cards from the Wileys, K&J and Aunt Anna & Uncle Bryan. He love shis treats and says thank you to everyone!