Today, Owen has decided that he would like to stand. Enter the "straight to walking" theory. For now, the only way he knows how to do that is for me to put him in a sitting position, lean over for him to grab onto my shoulders, and then pull himself up. He then proceeds to put his mouth around my shoulder and "ba ba ba" his way in excitement. I think soon he will try to pull himself up on inanimate objects like the couch, coffee table or breakfast stools. He is such a maniac.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sask-a-bush
We are in the fair province of Saskatchewan for a few days visiting Kris' parents, sisters and families. It's been nice and relaxing, with lots of sitting outside on patio chairs and on decks. The weather is nice, though there's been lots of rain so the provincial bird - the mosquito - has been quite successful.
A while back, a girlfriend introduced me to an app called hipstamatic, which takes pictures like this old analogue point and shoot. I thought the photos would be fitting.
Okay, so this last one isn't hipstamatic, but it's the only one with Owen. He seems to always be sleeping.
Addendum: I finally managed to snap one of awake Owen as he enjoyed a big piece of watermelon. The last time he had watermelon he actually spit it out. Strange, given how much he loves food. But I have the red-stained shirt to prove that he now enjoys watermelon. Somehow I'm not surprised that he came around.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
A while back, a girlfriend introduced me to an app called hipstamatic, which takes pictures like this old analogue point and shoot. I thought the photos would be fitting.
Okay, so this last one isn't hipstamatic, but it's the only one with Owen. He seems to always be sleeping.
Addendum: I finally managed to snap one of awake Owen as he enjoyed a big piece of watermelon. The last time he had watermelon he actually spit it out. Strange, given how much he loves food. But I have the red-stained shirt to prove that he now enjoys watermelon. Somehow I'm not surprised that he came around.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Movin' on up
Owen was sitting, doing his own thing, with a toy just out of reach... not new material I know, but there was a new turn of events. Instead of either crying for mom to bring the toy closer, or finding something else to amuse himself, he became fixated on getting the toy himself. So he rocked forward onto his legs. It looked so awkward. I thought his legs were going to bend in a really wrong way, but finally he did it. He tipped forward and did a really hard faceplant into the carpet. I tried not to make that "are you okay" face, and it worked. He got the toy... success!
Also, yesterday, Grandma Chris came over and they were playing on the floor. Grandma was on her side, and Owen, again sitting, would pull at her shirt, as if he was trying to lift himself up.
Today, he is totally trying to lift himself up. At one point, I held out my hands, he grabbed on and pulled himself up to stand. Kris said he thinks maybe Owen will skip crawling and go straight to walking. After today, I tend to agree.
Also, yesterday, Grandma Chris came over and they were playing on the floor. Grandma was on her side, and Owen, again sitting, would pull at her shirt, as if he was trying to lift himself up.
Today, he is totally trying to lift himself up. At one point, I held out my hands, he grabbed on and pulled himself up to stand. Kris said he thinks maybe Owen will skip crawling and go straight to walking. After today, I tend to agree.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
I've had a yucky day
The day started off with nothing to do but a couple of small errands that were only going to take an hour or so, and then back home to curl up with a long cooking pasta sauce boiling on the stove and not much else. An easy day. Well, we were still out at noon with no lunch for either of us and only half of our errands complete. So a rush home to stuff our faces with the intention of heading straight back out. That didn't happen...
Two things have been really stressing me out:
#1: My diminishing milk supply.
Okay, so this has been happening for a long time, and I spent a long time in denial of the fact. I know it's been a long time, because I mentioned it at Owen's 9 month check up and he's 5 days away from being 10 months today! I got a prescription for a drug that the doctor said "might" work that I had to take 4 times a day. I decided not to fill the prescription, opting for a natural/herbal solution first. There were teabags that I drank for 2 weeks straight with no change, and now some pills that don't seem to be working either. I have a lot of guilt believing that I'm not making enough milk for Owen. I really don't want to feed him formula at this late stage, only to switch over to milk when I go back to school. On top of this, Owen has been getting more and more frustrated at mealtimes. Feeding is taking longer as he does more and more finger foods. I start with the finger foods while I get the rest of his meal ready, and then go from chunkiest to smoothest. In Italy, he was eating about 3 jars of food at each meal, so that's sort of my gauge. And, inside my head, I keep hearing the doctor telling me to keep feeding him until he's full. But now, he barely gets through the 2nd course before getting really cranky, although he still opens his mouth when the spoon comes near. I hate that mealtimes have become so stressful for him, so I end it, but then worry that he hasn't eaten enough, which makes me feel more guilty about not having enough milk for him. I'd read about nursing strikes, and pumping to maintain milk supply, but pumping hasn't been that successful for me and I'm afraid that one more stressful thing is going to send me over the edge. So, at my whits end, I posted a discussion to my prenatal class group page. Within 2 hours, I had two other women from my class post saying they are having almost the same problems as me. I was SOOOOO!!!! relieved. One of them has been experimenting with small amounts of cow's milk at mealtimes with a lot of success. She said as long as he's getting iron rich foods from other foods, it's no big deal to start after 9 months. Slowly, she's weaning him so that when she returns to work, he will have switched over to cow's milk completely during the day. I should have done this a long time ago.
Whew! I will try not to be crazy anymore on that subject.
#2: Problems with cloth
I'm committed to using cloth diapers. Really committed.
But, since we've gotten back from Italy, I've had nothing but problems. Or, should I say, Owen has. His diapers stank like ammonia, especially at night. Strong, like smelling salts. Then, his penis got inflamed. Super scary! He's gonna need that some day. The doctor gave me an ointment, which I used and it cleared it up. When I stopped using the ointment, it came back. So I stripped the diapers and put him into disposables. After, I put him back in the cloth diapers, and the smell only came back at night. Then, his penis got inflamed again. I contacted the diaper company and they had me do a bunch of other things to the diapers to try to remove any bacteria that might be causing the problem, which I did, and again I put him back into the cloth. And the smell and inflamation has come back AGAIN!!!! I don't know what to do. I guess call the doctor again tomorrow. He's back in disposables until this is resolved. I now am toying with the idea of buying new cloth diapers, to the tune of $400. Kris is not going to be happy.
I'm committed to using cloth diapers. Really committed.
After lunch was over, I could tell that Owen needed a nap so I put him down instead of continuing the insanity. While he slept, I created the insanity you see above. After he woke up and had dinner, we went out to get a Father's Day gift, do the recycling, and get me some dinner - Kris is "working". It's their annual golf tournament, so naturally there's an evening piss-up component. Mission accomplished on all 3 fronts for us.
At bedtime, after he breastfed, I gave him a bit of water. He went down better than he has in a long while.
What will tomorrow bring?
I will try not to be crazy about these things...
Two things have been really stressing me out:
#1: My diminishing milk supply.
Okay, so this has been happening for a long time, and I spent a long time in denial of the fact. I know it's been a long time, because I mentioned it at Owen's 9 month check up and he's 5 days away from being 10 months today! I got a prescription for a drug that the doctor said "might" work that I had to take 4 times a day. I decided not to fill the prescription, opting for a natural/herbal solution first. There were teabags that I drank for 2 weeks straight with no change, and now some pills that don't seem to be working either. I have a lot of guilt believing that I'm not making enough milk for Owen. I really don't want to feed him formula at this late stage, only to switch over to milk when I go back to school. On top of this, Owen has been getting more and more frustrated at mealtimes. Feeding is taking longer as he does more and more finger foods. I start with the finger foods while I get the rest of his meal ready, and then go from chunkiest to smoothest. In Italy, he was eating about 3 jars of food at each meal, so that's sort of my gauge. And, inside my head, I keep hearing the doctor telling me to keep feeding him until he's full. But now, he barely gets through the 2nd course before getting really cranky, although he still opens his mouth when the spoon comes near. I hate that mealtimes have become so stressful for him, so I end it, but then worry that he hasn't eaten enough, which makes me feel more guilty about not having enough milk for him. I'd read about nursing strikes, and pumping to maintain milk supply, but pumping hasn't been that successful for me and I'm afraid that one more stressful thing is going to send me over the edge. So, at my whits end, I posted a discussion to my prenatal class group page. Within 2 hours, I had two other women from my class post saying they are having almost the same problems as me. I was SOOOOO!!!! relieved. One of them has been experimenting with small amounts of cow's milk at mealtimes with a lot of success. She said as long as he's getting iron rich foods from other foods, it's no big deal to start after 9 months. Slowly, she's weaning him so that when she returns to work, he will have switched over to cow's milk completely during the day. I should have done this a long time ago.
Whew! I will try not to be crazy anymore on that subject.
#2: Problems with cloth
I'm committed to using cloth diapers. Really committed.
But, since we've gotten back from Italy, I've had nothing but problems. Or, should I say, Owen has. His diapers stank like ammonia, especially at night. Strong, like smelling salts. Then, his penis got inflamed. Super scary! He's gonna need that some day. The doctor gave me an ointment, which I used and it cleared it up. When I stopped using the ointment, it came back. So I stripped the diapers and put him into disposables. After, I put him back in the cloth diapers, and the smell only came back at night. Then, his penis got inflamed again. I contacted the diaper company and they had me do a bunch of other things to the diapers to try to remove any bacteria that might be causing the problem, which I did, and again I put him back into the cloth. And the smell and inflamation has come back AGAIN!!!! I don't know what to do. I guess call the doctor again tomorrow. He's back in disposables until this is resolved. I now am toying with the idea of buying new cloth diapers, to the tune of $400. Kris is not going to be happy.
I'm committed to using cloth diapers. Really committed.
After lunch was over, I could tell that Owen needed a nap so I put him down instead of continuing the insanity. While he slept, I created the insanity you see above. After he woke up and had dinner, we went out to get a Father's Day gift, do the recycling, and get me some dinner - Kris is "working". It's their annual golf tournament, so naturally there's an evening piss-up component. Mission accomplished on all 3 fronts for us.
At bedtime, after he breastfed, I gave him a bit of water. He went down better than he has in a long while.
What will tomorrow bring?
I will try not to be crazy about these things...
Playing dress-up
Owen and I are enrolled in a class Monday afternoons at a place called "Brilliant Beginnings". It's an independent company, kinda like a Gymboree. We sing songs and play with toys and every week there is a different theme. This week's was the beach. Naturally, we sang about swimming and playing in the sand. And, of course, we dressed up in grass skirts and leis. How cute is that.
Last week, the theme was about Kings and Queens, Knights and dragons, so naturally we dressed up as faries.
Don't tell Kris, but Owen really enjoyed this costume.
Last week, the theme was about Kings and Queens, Knights and dragons, so naturally we dressed up as faries.
Don't tell Kris, but Owen really enjoyed this costume.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
New Tooth
I just finished feeding Owen and he was laying in my lap. I had a pretty good view of the top of his mouth and what did I see there, but a tooth. I've been so busy looking for teeth on the bottom, I never noticed (or even thought) to look up top. He's been so textbook I just assumed that his next ones would be on the bottom.
Friday, June 4, 2010
It's been a while...
It's funny how easily I have slipped back into the hum-drum of daily life. It seems like a million years since we got back from Europe and I am delinquent in posting to the blog, just as I was before our trip. There have been a bunch of things I've wanted to write about too, but I haven't comitted myself to sitting down regularly. I'll fix that now.
The other day I had my friends Lindsey and Kathryn over for a playdate with their kids. We went to a park near our place. It was Owen's first time at a park, although we spent a short time on a swingset in Munich in the beergarten at our apartment. He spent most of the time eating... big surprise. His appetite continues to be insatiable. There were two baby swings there, but the other babies, Ivy and Jasper were using them so Owen didn't get a chance before they had to go home for afternoon naps. Later that day Kris and I went back to the park with Owen to try out the swing. He loved it! Laughed and laughed as he swung back and forth. So cute.
Owen made his first contribution to science this Wednesday. A while back I signed us up at the Speech Development Research Lab at the U of C. I heard about it in the Baby Guide to Calgary. Lindsey is also signed up for it and has done a few things with her kids there. The study is about how babies learn speech, specifically how they begin to figure out the difference between sounds in the middle of words vs. sounds that mark the end of and begining of new words. I found it pretty interesting and the researcher was pretty excited to talk about her work. We sat in a soundproof room with Owen on my lap. I listened to music on headphones while Owen looked at a video screen and listened to pretend words. They videotaped him to see when he was looking at the screen, paying attention to the sounds, and when he was looking away, not interested. Of course, he performed well.
Today, I saw Owen clap his hands for the first time. Kris and I had just finished dinner and we were all sitting on the floor. His hands didn't make any noise, but he put his hands together again and again. He seems to move his left hand more into his right than move both hands together. It was so cute. It never ceases to amaze me how the littlest accomplishments make me such a proud parent.
The other day I had my friends Lindsey and Kathryn over for a playdate with their kids. We went to a park near our place. It was Owen's first time at a park, although we spent a short time on a swingset in Munich in the beergarten at our apartment. He spent most of the time eating... big surprise. His appetite continues to be insatiable. There were two baby swings there, but the other babies, Ivy and Jasper were using them so Owen didn't get a chance before they had to go home for afternoon naps. Later that day Kris and I went back to the park with Owen to try out the swing. He loved it! Laughed and laughed as he swung back and forth. So cute.
Owen made his first contribution to science this Wednesday. A while back I signed us up at the Speech Development Research Lab at the U of C. I heard about it in the Baby Guide to Calgary. Lindsey is also signed up for it and has done a few things with her kids there. The study is about how babies learn speech, specifically how they begin to figure out the difference between sounds in the middle of words vs. sounds that mark the end of and begining of new words. I found it pretty interesting and the researcher was pretty excited to talk about her work. We sat in a soundproof room with Owen on my lap. I listened to music on headphones while Owen looked at a video screen and listened to pretend words. They videotaped him to see when he was looking at the screen, paying attention to the sounds, and when he was looking away, not interested. Of course, he performed well.
Today, I saw Owen clap his hands for the first time. Kris and I had just finished dinner and we were all sitting on the floor. His hands didn't make any noise, but he put his hands together again and again. He seems to move his left hand more into his right than move both hands together. It was so cute. It never ceases to amaze me how the littlest accomplishments make me such a proud parent.
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