#3 : What we didn't know before baby

A little rant for Saturday  . . . damn those baby hormones!

When do I get my baby manual?  Do I have to mail in a rebate coupon?  Or is it sent automatically when they issue the social security card?  Will it come in the mail like the big ol' Sears Christmas catalogs?  Or can I be more eco-friendly and get it in my email account instead?  I can't wait to receive it so that I have the instructions for our little Squeaker.  Make sure it is the latest edition too . . . I've heard that the experts have changed their minds on certain care procedures in the recent years.

Oooohhh...I do wish there was a manual!  I just want some book to tell me exactly what to do with Tam exactly when and why.  Should he eat, change diaper, then play? Or should he change diaper, play, then eat?  When should he want to sleep 6-8 hours at night?  How long should tummy time be?  How much sleep is too much sleep?  How likely is he to get peanut allergies if I have a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich now and then?  How much should he eat at each meal?  How often should he eat?  What is a perfect schedule for him?  And then I get frustrated when I don't know the answer or I can't figure out why he is crying this time.  

And no matter where I look . . . no one can tell me all the answers for our little guy...just give us generalities for "average" babies.  I want definites! And then there are the controversies.  Do we vaccinate or not?  My science mind says Hell yes!  but do we take the chance with the side-effects?  One glass of wine is ok or absolute no alcohol?  Stimulate the mind but don't over stimulate too early.  Sheesh.  And I fear it will just get worse!  I'm not one who is good when presented with too many choices; I would much rather have definite do's and don'ts.

ahhh...I guess we all turned out ok and our parents didn't have nearly as much info at their fingertips as we do today (thanks internet).  People have been raising babies for eons, I guess we'll be okay in the end.  Good thing Brian's here to be the voice of reason and to keep me sane when I have these mini-mind farts.

Happy New Year!

This is first New Year  celebration that we spent with just each other and not out with friends.  It was nice to have a quiet evening with Squeaker and a stack of buffalo wild wings.   Yummy Asian Zing!  It has been awhile since I could tolerate the spicey sauces. (Hated the heat while pregnant).  We still got out the ol' party apparel and noise makers to celebrate properly.  We even had a little party hat for Tam. . . he thought it was a hoot and laughed whenever we put it on him.  

We had a good time watching the ball drop on tv as is the tradition and laughed that we were warm  in the house and not freezing at Time's Square.  I even let myself have several glasses of wine to toast the past year.  Don't worry...I had milk pre-prepared for Tam . . . he's not allowed to have spiked drinks until he is at least 5years!  It had been so long since I had much to drink that after only two glasses I was feeling warm and fuzzy.  

It is still hard to believe another year is done and we are heading into another.  It really does seem like yesterday it January 2008 and we were only thinking about having a baby!  I can't wait to see what new adventures we'll have this year.  We hope to get back East in March.  We are planning on traveling to Canada in the summer time to visit Brian's family cabin.  I hope to get my research project funded and work on plant DNA this summer.  If we can, Brian is thinking about building a deck on the back of the house.  We want to travel to either the Bristol or Michigan renaissance festival and dress up little Tam.  Next fall will have Tam's first birthday and he may be scooting around the house getting into trouble.  What a year to look forward to!

Just a few notes

I didn't think I would be THAT mom that watches her kid sleeping for minutes on end...

But I am.  I didn't think I would check on him repeatedly just to hear him breathing ... but I am.  I didn't think I could kiss someone on their head so often during one day...but I can.  I didn't think someone's smile could brighten my day that much...but his gummy smile can.  Who would have thought I would be here with such a little guy dependent on me...but here I am and I couldn't be happier.

Baby Faces

Our little guy is nearing the 6 week old mark and becoming way more interesting. He has mitosis going on in his little body at maximum warp speed and is getting bigger exponentially. We are now taking bets on his length and weight for the January 9th doctor visit. He is definitely bigger than a bowling ball now.

Along with getting bigger (and heavier) the little one is staying awake and asleep for longer periods. We actually got 5.5 hours of sleep for the past three nights! Wahoo! I'll take that sleep even if it isn't the great 8 hours at a time yet. Putting him in the crib in his own room was a really smart move for all our sakes and sanity. And my "mom-sense" is still in high gear. I usually wake up a few moments before he does for that 4-5am feeding. This means I can usually get to him before he starts screaming for the meal wagon. But, if I'm to slow, the cry he emits makes you think he is just dying of starvation. Then, if he is feeding and you take the milk source away, he cries with the dog-whistle high pitched sound to let you know that he isn't done yet. And I had thought at one time that all baby cries were the same...

The greatest news is he is currently trying out new facial expressions. We still aren't sure if the face connects to any emotion yet but it is a hoot to watch him! His most common one from birth is still the tremendous frown he gets before he lets loose a wail. Oh he looks like a grumpy old man! But now he's added a surprised face with a huge happy mouth and big eyes . . . And the "wonder at the world" face with high eyebrows and often the tongue sticking out . . . And finally a big gummy smile! And if we are lucky, he's even added happy hooting noises when he is content. According to Brian, he is just as much fun to watch now as a video game (even when he is just sleeping). I'll try to capture some of them on camera to share 'cause I know you all want to see more photos of the cutest baby in Michigan.

Hope that everyone has a great New Year's Eve!

#2 What we didn't know before baby

We are definitely learning that with a young baby all you tend to think about is the baby's sleeping,  eating, and pooping habits.  What did we discuss before?  

I learned last week that what the mom eats a ton of . . . the baby is also eating via the momma milk.  Yeah, as a scientist I knew this, but a particular episode brought the idea home.  I did a little last minute Christmas shopping on Monday last week.  While in line, I had the impulse to buy a big bag of cherry twizzlers.  Oh I know they are pure sugar and plastic, but taste so good when you have a craving for them.  Well, once home, I did share the twizzlers with Brian, but pretty much finished the entire bag of them in the next 24hours.  And they were very good.   Now a breast-fed baby's poo is yellowish because of the milk he's getting.  As parents, we aren't to freak out until it is red or black (for blood).  After my plastic-sugar goodness eating binge, lo - and -behold, Tam's poo was an amazing shade of grass green.  What?!  Yep...too much sugar in the milk from mom.  Don't worry, it went back to normal after 2 diapers.  I can't say I won't eat twizzlers again but I will try to control myself and not gobble them all at once!  Sheesh.