Finger Foods

Nate got the go ahead from the doctor to start eating table foods and finger foods at his 9 month appointment. I've given him Joe's O's (Trader Joe's version of Cheerios) a few times and today he actually put one in his mouth and ate it! I'm looking forward to giving him peas tomorrow. He's tried some very overcooked spaghetti, too. I'm looking forward to giving him some ground meat (turkey or beef) and diced up veggies and fruit. I purchased some pouches of premade meals to get an idea of what they should look like, size-wise, and then I will start making him some meals myself or doing variations on whatever we're eating. Today I tried giving him a small spoonful of cottage cheese and he immediately started gagging then ended up throwing up the apples that he had eaten prior to it. I'm certain that it was the texture that threw him off because he never swallowed any of it. Maybe we'll try Ricotta instead!

He is continually becoming more independent. Yesterday we were playing on the couch and there was a bottle with a little milk left in it nearby. He rolled off of me, over onto his stomach, grabbed the bottle, rolled onto his back, and then drank it. I was pretty impressed! I'm also still really in awe of his development. He is always trying to find a new way to make Sophie the Giraffe squeak and it's so cute. Sometimes he'll bend her neck, sometimes he'll pound her on the ground.

Nate's 9 month appointment was pretty uneventful. Monday morning he woke up sounding very wheasy so I started breathing treatments right away that morning and night and Tuesday morning. We saw the doctor Tuesday afternoon and she said his lungs sounded clear but if I thought he needed the treatments, we could continue with them. He's had one a day since then except for today and he sounded wheasy again when I put him to bed tonight so I think we need to keep it up a bit longer. Nate is over the 95th percentile for height and around the 85th percentile for weight. He is developing as expected. He got the last of his Hepatitis vaccinations and once again, barely even flinched when it was injected.

I guess that's it for now! Happy Saturday

That's Encouraging

I have been worried that we are raising a codependent child by allowing Nate to sleep in our bed and that he will never sleep an entire night in his crib, let alone sleep through the night like he was when he was four months old. Last night I got a little bit of encouragement. Nate went to sleep at 5:45 pm and slept in his crib without waking up until 5:48 am. Well, now that I think about it, he may have woken up after about 40 minutes and Dan went up, popped a paci in his mouth, and he conked right back out. I don't expect that the same will happen again tonight or anytime soon but I am encouraged that he is capable of doing it!

He is getting closer to crawling and pulling himself up. The other day I put him in his crib sitting up while I did something upstairs and he scooted himself over to the railing and grabbed on. We immediately dropped the mattress to it's lowest setting. He is constantly trying to pull himself up using my shoulders when I'm holding him. He is very adept at rolling to get places and is getting really good at scooting on his butt. Over the weekend I put him down on the floor in a nice open space near the kitchen while I cooked him a bunch of baby food and before I knew it, he was hugging the leg of the island.

Speaking of baby food, I made him some new combinations. He tried beets and apples over the weekend and really likes it. I also made him leeks to mix with peas, broccoli to mix with pears or apples, and corn to mix with sweet potatoes and apples. He hasn't tried any of the other mixtures because I'm waiting to have my Mom feed them to him on Thursday. He still isn't a fan of asparagus or avocado. I'm going to try to mix the asparagus with something he likes to make it more enticing but I'm not exactly sure what it would go with. Liana said he was gagging when she gave it to him at daycare today. And over the weekend I tried mixing avocado with banana but he didn't eat much on Sunday. I think he was a little blocked up from having had a bunch of apples.

After the apples and beets were a big success, my Mom and I came up with a good salad idea: greens with apple slices, beets, goat cheese, nuts, and balsamic vinaigrette. It was really good! All of these new combinations of food got me thinking; I should start a personal chef business for babies. I bet rich people in Newport Beach or Laguna would pay big bucks to have baby food made for their children with fresh, organic ingredients and new combinations that they can't find in stores.

I know that there's more I want to write about but I haven't been good about making notes when something comes to mind so I'm going to sign off for now.

If This Isn't a Growth Spurt...

... then I don't know what to think! Over the last two weeks, Nate has increased the amount that he's eating and drinking at least twofold. Today he had almost a cup of food in one sitting. Last night, he had almost half a cup of oatmeal and a 6 oz bottle before bed. He woke up three hours later and we gave him a 2 oz bottle. He sucked it down in no time so we made another 2 oz bottle. Repeat two more times; he had 8 oz. He was up several times after that to eat but he was in our bed by then and I was nursing him so I don't know how much he ate. (We started with bottles because I wanted to know how much he was eating and ensure that he wasn't just sucking himself back to sleep. I didn't want to waste milk, which is part of the reason why we went with 2 oz intervals, but I also didn't think he was going to drink much.)

I called Hoag's Baby Line today and the nurse didn't really know what to say. She said this isn't a common time to have a growth spurt. What?!?! She suggested switching our bedtime routine around so that we do bath before cereal so we tried that tonight. He didn't eat quite as much cereal, maybe because he was more tired or maybe because he had eaten so much during the day today. I'm not really expecting much of a change because it only moved his cereal time back about 20 minutes. His 9 month appointment is in about 2.5 weeks so I'll probably just wait to ask about it unless it stays as bad as it was last night (up four times, I think). I'd like to try giving him a bottle each time he wakes up to really see how much he's drinking and also in hopes that he might decide he doesn't like the bottle so much and stops waking up. But it's so much easier to nurse, especially when he's already laying next to me. Last night, between making all of the bottles and trying to get him back to sleep, we were upstairs for at least an hour. After shushing him and rubbing his back in his crib for what felt like 30 min, he woke up again so we just took him downstairs. He actually ended up eating a little more, even after the 8 oz, so I think that's why he wouldn't stay asleep.

Anyway, enough about that. I don't remember if I mentioned that we were planning on lowering the list price of our house; we did that the other day. We are both getting pretty antsy and are tired of having to be so quiet all of the time. However there are some fun things about it. Sometimes we serve ourselves dinner and eat together in our bedroom. It kind of feels like we are in a hotel room or something. That probably sounds a little bit pathetic!

Speaking of a hotel room, my Aunt Karen and cousins are coming into town in March and they are staying in Long Beach. My Mom mentioned that they are going to stay in Long Beach the first night that Karen arrives, since it's a Saturday and Dan W won't have to work the next day. That got me to thinking so my Dan and I decided that this would be a good first night away with Nate. It's super close and only one night. We are going to try to get an adjoining room with my Mom so that we can hang out with them after Nate goes to sleep.

Well, wish us luck tonight! I'm starving and waiting for Dan to get back with Athens West.

It's Truly Amazing

I'm finding it quite amazing to watch this transformation from knowing and doing nothing. The little things amaze me, like how Nate now puts his arms through the straps when I unbuckle him from his car seat or stroller and lifts his arms so I can grab under his pits. It seems like such a short time ago that I was wondering when he was going to find the moving pieces on his Tri-Angle toy and now he's moving all of them. Several doctors visits ago we had to see a different doctor in the practice and she commented on how smart Nate is. She said that throughout the exam he was looking at her but would check back to make sure I was still there. I told her that Grandma says he's smart all the time and she said something like, "Well, she's a little partial. You know it's true if I'm saying it." I joke that he's got to be smart because he has my genes but I also really attribute it to daycare, observing the older kids. Nate has also realized how to get our attention - by yelling. We call it the Pterodactyl scream. He hasn't taken advantage of it yet but we'll see... He mainly uses it when he's stuck, if he's playing on the floor and tips over into an awkward position, or when he's in his high chair and is ready to get out.

He's doing all kinds of funny things with his mouth. He likes to suck his lip in and then blow it out over and over again. Or he will put his forearm up to his mouth over and over again while he's babbling to change the sound that comes out of his mouth. He also likes to dribble water (or drool) out of his mouth and nibble on my shoulder but I think that has to do with the FOUR teeth that are coming in on top. There are two that are already poking through, one is very close, and the other is just an outline in the gums. On the teeth front, we may be nearing the end of our breastfeeding days. He's drinking less as he begins to eat more so I don't really nurse him all that much (it feels like I pump more than I nurse, but that's actually not true). I'm going to feel things out this weekend and decide what to do. I still enjoy nursing but pumping has just become so cumbersome. But Nate has started running his fingers through my hair when he's nursing and it's so cute! It's really been a difficult decision that I've struggled with for several months now. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for the first year. My initial goal was six months but once I got there, I started thinking I might make it to the year mark. I'm really taking it a day at a time at this point.

Speaking of hair, he has a lot more of it and it's starting to get long. One day I will post some more pictures here. I feel like I will have more time to do those kinds of things because I was forced to get caught up at work at the end of the semester. Missing the first five weeks had me coming into the year very far behind and I was never able to catch up; I felt like I was just trying to keep my head above water for those first four months. On the appearance front, I have a note to mention that he's looking leaner however this morning I just noticed that his shirt barely buttoned around his belly. He has been eating a ton for the last several days and I think he was having a bit of a growth spurt... in both directions!

He is sounding a lot better, not wheezing or coughing as much, so I think we are going to slowly cut out the breathing treatments and see how he does. That will be such a huge relief for all of us!

I'm excited to be trying some new recipes for him. I have carrots steaming right now and I'm going to try adding a tiny bit of ginger to them. (He's had carrots before, just not with ginger.) I also found a recipe for peas, edamame, and apple that I'm going to throw in the steamer later after we go to Trader Joe's. (He's had peas and apples, but never together and never with edamame.) I bought him some new jars of food, also, and he really liked corn with butternut squash (he's had butternut squash before). We have three other options: potato and spinach, a summer vegetable medley, and apples with plums. I wanted to buy jars of the new foods to test them out before I made a big batch.

I'm also really excited to cook for Dan and me. With all of the sickness and busyness at work, I haven't done anything besides throw prepackaged food from Trader Joe's in the over since maybe early January. I have Monday off and I'm looking forward to prepping a bunch of stuff so that I can cook this week. When a) we move into a house where Nate's room doesn't open to the kitchen or b) Nate starts going to bed later after Daylight Savings, I hope to be able to cook even more. Right now, I'm limited to things that I can prep ahead and then throw in the oven after he's gone to bed or cook in the slow cooker. I've actually found some really good slow cooker recipes!

Alright, well the luxury of writing needs to end so that I can feed Nate and puree his carrots!

I Miss My Kiddo

This morning I was thinking back about four months ago before Nate ever got sick, when he was sleeping like a pro and going to bed at 7 pm. I used to get up at 5 am so that I'd be ready before he woke up and was able to spend some time with him before work. Now, we have breathing treatments in the morning that take 30 minutes so even if I am ready before he wakes up, like today, the time we spend together is diaper changing, feeding, dressing, and nebulizing. Also, I used to have several hours with him after work before he went to bed. Now, I'm lucky if I get more than 30 minutes with him before we have to start his breathing treatment at 4:30 pm. After that, it's cereal, bath, book, feeding, and bed around 6 pm. I really miss my kiddo and wish that working part time had come through for me! I'm still hopeful that it will work out in the Fall. It will be much easier from a scheduling standpoint on the school's end but we'll have to figure out if we can afford it on our end; I really want to cut down to 50% and be done at 11 am every day but I'm completely open to cutting down to 2/3 and being done at noon.

We are still waiting anxiously for an offer on our house. As sad as it makes me to leave the house that Dan and I came home to after getting married and the house that we brought Nate home from the hospital, we really need more space and a house with rooms that aren't so close to all of the kitchen and living room noise. The fact that Nate's room is completely open to the kitchen makes it impossible to get anything done after he goes to bed, which leaves a lot for Dan to do in the morning after we've left (and it leaves me waking up to a dirty kitchen every morning, which is a huge pet peeve). I am trying to enjoy our beach walks and my runs as much as possible before we move.

Speaking of running, I ran my first half marathon on Sunday. It had been a goal of mine after I ran my first 10K in February 2010 but I knew we were going to start trying to get pregnant a few months after that so I didn't want to start training for such a long distance. I decided to use my first half marathon as a get back into shape plan after having our first baby. Well, I overestimated how much time I'd have to train. Prior to two weeks ago, the longest run I was able to do was 5 miles. Two weeks ago my Mom and I did an 11 mile run/walk and I felt pretty good so I knew I'd be able to do the 13.1 on Super Bowl Sunday. It was a great experience and I plan to do it many times again! I was sore on Sunday but otherwise I've been feeling great afterward.

Alright, well I'm typing this at work so I've gotta keep it short. Hopefully I'll be able to check back in and give more of a Nate update later this week. He is growing so fast and learning so much!!!

Breathing Treatments

We took Nate back to the doctor yesterday. After seeing the doctor on Monday he seemed to get a little worse on Tuesday and stayed consistently bad for the rest of the week. I called the nurse line Friday morning and they said it had been a long time for him not to be improving so we brought him in. Dr. K said that the virus he had when he had croup might make his colds worse for up to a year, causing him to be wheezy. The inhaler seemed to be helping with that but she suggested that we try breathing treatments to see if we can get a faster improvement, although she said he could continue coughing for up to two weeks. The only reason to bring him back in will be if he starts having labored breathing. She also gave us a large prescription so that we can use the nebulizer for future colds if he starts wheezing and we won't have to bring him in to the office. She also insisted that we clean out his nose three times a day, even if we have to do it a lot each time to get anything out. I hate doing it at all because Nate hates it so much but I'm following doctor's orders.

We had a whole situation with the prescription yesterday and this morning (not worth sharing the details) so we weren't able to start the breathing treatments until late this morning. We are supposed to do three per day but we were only able to do two today because of it. I have a picture of the kiddo with the mask on that I hope to post soon. One day, in a dream world when we are all healthy and don't have a ton of extra things on our plate, I hope to upload pictures and post them here. I also hope to update the blog over the summer and make it more interesting to look at.

I'm sure I mentioned it several times but Nate's bottom teeth are really starting to show! I would say it was about two weeks ago that I knew he was definitely getting teeth because I could see the outline through the gums, then at least a week ago they broke through. Now we can see at least one tooth getting ready to break through on the top. I'm sure this is contributing to his misery.

Today was a much better day than any in the last week. Nate was talking and smiling a ton (although he's a pretty smiley baby in general) and I could tell that he's feeling a lot better. He's still really congested and wheezy. He's also still more sleepy than usual. But I was glad to see his spirits up and hope he continues to show great improvements each day. I'm hoping he doesn't have to have breathing treatments at daycare for too long.

Speaking of him talking, he's experimenting with far more syllable sounds. The other day he and I were hanging out and Dan walked in; he swears he heard him say "Mama" but I'm certain he was just babbling. Today he was experimenting with his "b" and "d" sounds.

I think that Nate is going to be on his hands and knees pretty soon and crawling not long after that. He is also trying to pull himself up to the seated position quite often. I remember looking forward to this age, where he can sit and play with a toy but isn't mobile yet, and I'm loving it. I'm not quite ready for him to start moving but I know it'll be here before we know it!

Sick Again

Just when we decided that Nate was going to sleep in his crib all night no matter what, he gets a really bad cold. Saturday night he sounded a bit weazy but had no other cold symptoms. Sunday morning he started getting a bit of a cold and I brought him in to the doctor on Monday. His chest and ears were clear despite the wheezing so the doctor said to put him back on the inhaler three times a day. She said that the worst night would be anywhere from the third to the fifth night. I asked her if it was normal for a baby to be sick three times in a little less than three months and she asked if he was in daycare. Ugh! She said that they expect daycare kiddos to be sick ten times per year. Ten times?!

I'm hanging my hat on a study that I read when I went back to work. It said that kids get sick the same amount in their first five years of life whether or not they went to daycare, suggesting that daycare kids get sick more often when they start daycare and other kids get sick more often when they start school. I'm looking at this as a positive: while other kids will be getting sick when they start school, Nate will be there learning every day, strong immunity and all! One of my girlfriends from college just went back to work on Tuesday and her kiddo already has a cold. I empathized with her on her facebook post and told her about this study. Somebody else quickly commented that her little girl didn't get her first cold until she was 2 years old and misses school all of the time; she never went to daycare. I'm taking this as encouragement.

Nate doesn't appear to be getting any better. Since the third and the fifth night have past, I'm considering bringing him back to the doctor tomorrow. Dan is going to stay home with Nate because I've already missed too much work. I will call in the morning and see what the nurses say (or have Dan call).

I have been planning on meeting up with a few of my good Tesoro friends tomorrow for a birthday happy hour. I'm really having a hard time with convincing myself to go, despite Dan's urging. He wants me to have fun but I feel so guilty for not being home when Nate is sick, especially because he hasn't been taking the bottle as well since he's been sick. I'm going to try to get a coworker to cover the beginning of my fifth period so that I can come home and nurse (and spend time with him, which will ease my mind) during lunch. I'm really hoping that he wakes up a new "man" in the morning but I'm not expecting that to happen!

Today I accepted a friend request on facebook and checked out that person's photos, like I always do when I accept a new friend. She had an album with about 20 pictures from when her daughter was born until when she looked like she was about 5-6 years old. I looked at the pictures, all on one page, and got choked up. I saw this little girl, whom I don't know, grow up on a single page on facebook and I thought about how quickly Nate is going to grow up right before my eyes. I want to cherish every moment as much as I can!

I found out on Tuesday that I'm not going to be able to reduce my schedule for second semester. It's a long story but basically there's a scheduling conflict. I was told that this might happen a couple weeks ago so I had the opportunity to get used to the idea and wasn't incredibly disappointed. It's probably good because we haven't gotten any offers on the house and I'm not certain how much of a pay cut we can afford while still living here. But it makes me even more determined to find a place that we can afford for me to work part time when we do sell this place. I'd love to go down to teaching three classes in the Fall but I'll be happy with teaching four (instead of the standard five).

Speaking of selling the house, there has been a young lady interested in the house since before Christmas. Her Mom lives on 20th St and is helping her with the purchase of a house. They both love our house and have seen everything else in their price range; they don't like anythinge else. We had two Open Houses two weekends ago and they came back both days. Our agent is in communication with them often and the Mom says that the daughter is very deliberate in every decision she makes, so she's not surprised that she's taking a while to make us an offer. Also, the step Dad (who has no money going into the deal) is telling her that we are overpriced. But she wants something in this downtown area so everything here is going to be overpriced! We are actually priced very well for this area. Other than that, our agent hasn't gotten a vibe from the Mom or the daughter that they think the pric is too high or that they are waiting for us to drop our price. I'm staying optimistic and hoping that we won't have to drop our price too much again before we can sell! As much as I can't imagine packing up and moving (for sentimental reasons and because I don't know where we'll find the time), I really want to be in a larger house!!!