Month Eight

Most of this month was spent playing in leaf piles and picking pumpkins. Edwin seems determined to
pull up to and eat everything. We start planning his Halloween costume already. Bryan and I toss ideas back and forth. I say a dragon or a Gabba friend (his new favorite show) Bryan think Toby from Labyrinth might be fun, but no one will know who that is without a Sarah and Jareth to accompany him. We won't be here for Trick-or-Treat night though. Bryan will be graduating from BCT October 28th. I'm just excited about the cooler weather. Edwin is so pale, the sun will fry his little head in minutes. His hair isn't much longer or darker, to no one's surprise. Aunt Michelle brings the kids and we all go to the pumpkin patch first on a rainy day, then again with everyone in tow. Her new favorite thing to make is waffles, so we spend one Sunday morning making homemade waffles and keeping Edwin out of the kitchen. That little boy will eat anything and everything. I wonder when he'll finally decide he's tired of this crawling nonsense and walk away. It should be soon.

This sweet face....I feel awful that Bryan is missing many of the 'firsts' but I suppose he'll have the fun of getting him after he's mastered basic coordination.


At the end of the month it gets harder and harder to pick Edwin up, he must be at least 23-24lbs.

Month Seven

Friday August 5th-

Bryan leaves after spending a last few days with us. We have our family photos taken this week, & then he leaves today. He will be leaving for basic on the 16th.

Sunday August 7th-
This week, Edwin has decided to start pulling himself up onto furniture. I guess no one gave him the memo that he is still just barely into 6 months old. He's 'practicing' all the time, & refuses to sit still for any length of time. It's always either him pulling up or crawling very quickly away.

Wednesday August 10th-
Crawling finally evolves from simply pulling himself along with his arms, to full hands & knees coordination. He picks up speed & can galumph from one end of a room to the other in around5-7 seconds. As a side effect, his knees become rougher, and he obtains new bumps & bruises from his rough play.

Tuesday August 16th-
We took him to the Care-A-Van for his first shots since the hospital. There was one other baby, a little girl about his age also getting her shots. It sounds conceited, but in compare to other babies, he really is very alert & intelligent. He seems perfectly fine with the whole business until, of course, he actually gets his shots. Two in his right leg, one in his left. He cries & cries, even though he has a grape lollipop to suck on. He then naps off the 'trauma'.

August 18th-
Although he has been trying a few nonsense syllables, he says "dada" for the first time today. He uses it with increasing enthusiasm, & eventuallybeings "mama" when he's upset. Lucky Bryan gets to be the 'fun' word. I wonder when he'll connect the person to the word

*Being six months almost seven means more solids!*

Favorite Food:

Sweet Potato
Potatoes with Gravy
Sweet Corn Casserole
Popsicles
Sweet Peas
Pears
Cereal with Pear Juice
Apple Raspberry Juice
Pudding
Tartar Sauce
Peanut Butter
Toast

Least Favorite:

Peaches
Green Beans
White Grape Juice
Garden Vegetables

Saturday August 27th-

Aunt Erin gets married, & Edwin is the ring bearer. He wears a bow-tie, shorts & a onesie.

He behaves very well, & is a perfect little gentleman (minus the spit).

Tuesday August 30th-

Edwin is seven months old. He weighs 22 lbs & is 20.2 in long. Bryan is at basic, & we receive his first letters.

Month Six

We spent most of the month at Grandma Pam's, so once more fewer exact dates.
July 14th-
We arrive up north, but with little gas we stay the night at Grandpa Barger's. Edwin enjoys a morning of acoustic guitar & playtime with Grandpa. He swings in a hammock for the first time & we makes plans to go swimming later that week.
July 17th-
We go swimming at the Portage Quarry. It looks scary at first, but actually turns out quite pleasant with lots of slides, & scuba diving.

Most of the rest of the month is spent indoors as the heat becomes steadily more oppressive. We spend the time playing with his new toys from Grandpa, planning out dinners, or taking naps. The teething also becomes worse, & actually interrupts his (& consequently, our) sleep. He stays awake until 12:00-1:00 & then wakes every hour or so. He finally is fully awake by 8:30 each morning. He also has a new trick. He likes to wave his arms like a frantic, fat little cheerleader whenever he is excited or upset.
Aunt Joy & Uncle Brian come to visit, & they bring him new diapers & toys, & a blanket. He & the cats have a tenuous relationship, & Zipper bites him on his arm, though he doesn't cry. There is a small tooth mark for a week after. His crawling abilities get much better, though sometimes it seems he's regressed completely when he refuses to go after toys placed just out of his reach.
We eventually have to go back home for our appointments, but luckily the weather takes a turn for the better toward the very end, cooling off very nicely for the drive home.
Saturday July 31st-
Edwin is 6 months old. He weighs 20.5 lbs, & is 19.7 in.

Month Five

June 2011-
We spent most of the month visiting Bryan's mother up north, so there are no concise dates for very much. Edwin swam in a pool for the first time, to mixed results. He loved the pool, but hated sitting in his inflatable airplane Pam so graciously bought. He still proves to be a water baby as anytime he's in a pool he kicks as though he's a natural swimmer. He also had his first bonfire, and was mystified into a pleasant slumber that first night. Every time thereafter, however, he made a point to stay awake with the 'big people' as long as his little eyes could stand. The summer heat is absolutely abominable for the next week, but eases off when we finally head back south. We enjoy a long walk through the park, some trips out and around randomly, but the fuel prices keep us close to home. He adores swinging in the park, and he wakes daddy up to play as often as possible. They are so adorable together it's practically nauseating. For his first Father's day Bryan gets a drool covered , smushed flower and a loud wakeup from his adoring moist son :)
Tuesday, June 21st-
Edwin begins 'creeping' across the floor. He's learned if he wiggles enough and pulls with his arms he can propel himself toward whatever object he is after at the time. He starts off very tentatively, but soon rockets at items with great gusto and we expect he may crawl full time in the next 2-3 weeks. He manages everything through sheer power it's astounding. He has all new clothing because of his size. He only fits in 6months and up. He has wonderfully chubby legs, but he's also very long so he's not a total square blob. He's so active and strong I marvel at what his future may be.
Tuesday, June 30th-
Edwin is 5 months, 19.5lbs, 28in! Bryan is 21 years, 170-80lbs and 72in! :P

Month Four

Monday, May 2nd -

Edwin has his follow-up hearing appointment with the ENT. I'm nervous about what the results of the re-check in their office will show. The doctor comes back to tell us. He is very cordial and professional, though his first words are " You two don't see much sunlight, do you?"Making a few good natured jokes about the paleness of Edwin and I. He then gives us the news of Edwin's tests:

His ears are fine!

He has no sign of any structural anomalies or even the slightest indication of fluid or waxy build-up. We're due for another check in July.

Sunday, May 8th-
Our First Mother's day. Edwin gives me the best gift: A restful night's sleep!

May 16th-18th
Bryan came on the 15th to a happy, squealing baby excited to see Daddy. The first day went well with the two of them playing all the time, & he ate applesauce, but by nightfall he was very upset. He barely slept, & he cried on & off non-stop for the next 3 days. We're thinking applesauce can wait a few more weeks.

Friday, May 20th-
Visit to OU today. We left very early & arrived home very late. We got to see practically all of our pals, though it was all very crowded for the stroller. Edwin was on his best behavior.

Week of May 29th-

Edwin rolls from his back to his front & back again. He now sleeps on his belly for part of the night. He is teething crazily, spitting & puking on everything we put him in. He slimes people's shirts like it's his job, & giggles much more easily. We're going to take him swimming as soon as the weather gets warmer. Since he loves his bath so much, we hope he'll like swimming just as much.

Monday, May 30th-

Edwin is 4 months old, weighs 17 lbs & is 26.5 in long. (aka the size of a 6 month old!)

Month Three

Monday April 4th- Edwin is sleeping for 3-4 hours solid
each night. Edwin's baby shoe came in the mail today. We
got the official results from his 2nd hearing test back:

Tympanometry Summary:
Right Ear: Flat, no peak
Left Ear: Flat, no peak

DPOAE Evaluation:
Right Ear: The presence of significant otoacoustic emissions
(greater than or equal to 8 dB DP-NF) at some
frequencies, while absent at other frequencies when middle
ear status is normal suggests abnormal outer hair cell
function for only portions of the cochlea. This may be
consistent with at a least mild hearing loss at those
frequencies where emissions are absent.

Left Ear: The absence of significant otoacoustic emissions
(no emissions equal to or greater than 8 dB DP-NF) when
middle ear status is normal suggest abnormal outer hair cell function in the cochlea.

This may be consistent with at least mild hearing loss.

Summary: Today's test results are consistent with slight/mild,
conductive, hearing loss for the right ear and a moderate,
mixed hearing loss for the left ear.

Saturday, April 9th-
Edwin pulls himself forward and falls over. I guess he doesn't understand he's only 2 months old! He's drooling a lot lately, we think it's because he's teething, or pre-teething. He really soaks through clothing. He's talking and smiling with everyone now, especially men and small children. A little old man tickled his feet in the store one day, and lots of older people tell me about their grandchildren. He is King of the Grocery Store.

Monday, April 11th-
Edwin sucks his thumb with more coordination. He still gets his whole fist in his mouth, but when he does get only his thumb, he curls his little index finger around his nose. He is beginning to try to suck his thumb when he's sleeping. He virtually sleeps the whole night, though he does get very wiggly around 1am and doesn't settle down until 3 or 4am. He barely sleeps during the day. Talking to him and enforcing the 'M' sound seems to work, because he says 'momomom' but no 'ma' or 'da' yet.

Saturday, April 16th-
Edwin laughed for the first time today. Usually it was only in his sleep, but he gave a great giggle when Dad (grandpa Mike) was making facing and talking to him.

Tuesday April 26th-

My 20th birthday!
Edwin starts to try to consciously reach for objects. We hold his rattle or his stuffed duck just slightly within reach. He studies them for a while and then attempts to grab, but he always gets caught in trying to open his hand or caught on his other hand. He can do this for maybe a minute or two at a time. He's getting much better at laughing, and now laughs for Mom, G.Grandma, J.M. , and most anyone who will try. I don't know if he's actually ticklish yet, but when we 'tickle' him, he giggles.

Saturday, April 30th-

Edwin is 3months old! He weighs 15.5lbs & is around 24-25in long!

Month Two

Friday March 11th-

Edwin spent most of the day smiling at daddy. He is very much awake during the day, napping only for an hour or so a few times a day. We are visiting Grandma Pam, so his schedule is a bit off from being in a new place. He is awake several hours of the night and is fussy. He also is ravenously hungry, so Grandma feeds him his bottle with a small scoop of infant cereal mixed in. It helps calm his tummy and puts him to sleep. We stay a week before I have to go back home for my 6 week check-up.

Tuesday March 15th-

Edwin has a rash on his face & neck. It might be from the dog landing on his face when we were visiting Grandma Pam, or simply from not being used to her house. It clears up more after a bath. He's very awake now, especially at night because of the time change. He's all smiles as well. He's 12 lbs at 6 weeks old!

Monday March 21st-
Edwin went for his first long walk in the stroller. He slept mostly,despite the bumps. We walked nearly an hour, until the sky started to darken & rain drops fell. We got home just as the storm broke.Edwin is talking so much. He gargles & coos, it feels like he could start talking at any moment, but he has a long time before he will form actual words of any sort.

Week of March 26& 27th to 30th-

We took Edwin for his hearing examination follow-up. They told us that he had mild hearing loss in his right ear, and moderate to severe loss in his left. It is most likely fluid or waxy build-up, but with the left being so much worse than the right I'm a bit concerned as to if there is an underlying physical cause such as problems with ear structure, etc. They also said he had no membrane movement of the left, even at louder sounds. His hearing is muffled on both and can only hear high pitched sounds from his left at very high volumes. It's scary to think your child isn't 'perfect' or even normal in their health, even if only for a short duration.

We visited Great great Grandma for a few hours to take a 'five generations' photo. Edwin slept well in the car, but was a bit cranky when we finally arrived. He cried and nursed several times, but Grandma was thrilled all the same to see us. I can't wait until he gets bigger and we visit with daddy also.

He has begun to sleep more through the night, in 3-4 hour stretches. I'm tempted to wake him up to eat, but for now he seems content so letting him sleep is a much better idea for the both of us :)

Thursday March 31st-

Edwin is 2 months old, nearly 14 lbs!

Month One

-February Week One
Edwin has slightly elevated levels of Jaundice, so we have to take him to get tested. This goes on for 3 days. He's not very fussy, he barely whines when they stab his heels. It's the squeezing of his feet to get the blood out that irritates him. He hates having his feet taken from him, perfectly stubborn like daddy. :P He screams & screams until mommy rubs his forehead to calm him down. He's really straining getting used to eating & using his digestive/endocrine system. Hopefully everything evens out soon, I hate seeing his face get so red.
-Sunday, Feb 11, 2011
Edwin rolled over from his front to his back, twice. He also got his very first bath today! He really liked it until it came time to wash his hair. Babies don't seem to like people messing with their heads very much. He's looking more & more like Bryan each day. He seems to have his own schedule all set. Sleep from 9pm-11pm\11-1am\1am-3am & awake every 20min from 3am-6am. It's a bit hectic, but he's really gaining weight.
-Thursday February 24th
Edwin begins to cry tears this week. As if him crying wasn't enough, now we get to see tears roll down those fat little cheeks as he strains. Trying out all sorts of new bottles & formulas to see what works best to have him in less pain. It's heartbreaking :( He's sleeping much more soundly, and is wearing size one diapers; his little newborn size can't keep up with how much he eats.
-Tuesday March 1st
Edwin screams with a high voice & puckers out his bottom lip to cry. He makes more cooing sounds, and follows faces. His gas gets better after we switch from super sensitive formula, to sensitive. He still gets confused about when it's time to eat & when it's time to wet his diaper. All stomach pains have him pushing until his face gets red. He spits up much more this week (had a nice spill all over his Uncle :D ). He's a super noisy sleeper now. He constantly grunts or makes horse noises. He snores all night.
-Wednesday March 2nd
Edwin is one month old!

Baby

January 30th, 2011

8:30 AM- I open my eyes, suddenly awake, & stand up. I feel a slight pressure & see the water hit the floor. It's baby time. I soak through 2 towels waiting to get my bag & the car ready. The excitement is lurking like a wave under the surface, ready to break on the shore. The towels are really getting squishy. There's no way the human body can hold this much liquid.

9:00 AM- At the hospital, the contractions come very slowly. I can barely feel any movement at all. I'm at 4 cm, so the doctor approves my stay. It's all about to begin. Mom & Bryan stay with me while Dad heads home to prepare the family. They put the heart monitor on my abdomen, and the wooshing of the baby's little heart fills the room. We will spend the next several hours listening to the little guy.

12:00 PM- What feels like 30 min is actually 3 hours later. I lay in bed & feel as the contractions get slowly more intense. They are still very weak compared to the ones from the week prior however. Bryan & mom spend the time calling all the relatives to let them know the big day is here. I'm very excited & eager for things to speed up.

Sara, Wes, Rusty & Erin visit throughout the whole process; Erin brings me cookies & milk;Bryan runs to get snacks & unwind.

3:00/30 PM- The contractions get a little more intense. I get stuck at 6 cm, the doctor wants to give me Pictocin to push past. I opt for an IV of Nubain to take off the slight edge I'm feeling, & feel instantly groggy & spacey. This stuff kicks morphine's ass. They never give me the Pictocin because I begin to progress again.

6:00 PM- Finally decide on an epidural, just as a precaution. I'm not really in pain, but really am aching and want things to go smoothly. Each contraction causes Edwin's heart rate to slow, so they give me an oxygen mask. The doctor comes in to check me, and gives the verdict "We can begin in 20 or 3o min." I ask the nurse to get Bryan & Mom from the hallway.

6:20/30 PM- I'm in the midst of pushing, Bryan by my head holding my hand, Mom at my right leg. I'm not feeling anything other than the pressure below, and with each push Edwin gets a little closer. However, his head refuses to cooperate, so they grab the 'baby vacuum' to help him out. (laugh)

6:48 PM- Edwin David . Born 7 lbs 10.3 ounces, 21 inches long. Bright blue eyes & curly light brown hair, and a curious gaze at everything & everyone in the room. Bryan & I couldn't be happier.

When you think about it...

It's been a really really long time since I've had any sort of motivation to write. Guess that happens when your brain starts getting sucked out by your uterus (ha). I've got about 5 weeks to go, though it feels like this is going to be ongoing for the rest of my life. In a way, it is. I mean, minus the obvious of there being an infant in the picture, I don't think once your brain & body have gone through pregnancy you're ever truly back to homeostasis afterward (baby to full term or not).

When you consider not just the mental & physical drain on the mother-to-be but also how it affects those around her, I doubt even the world snaps back into any kind of order. You hear lots of people say:

"My life wasn't complete until I had my kids.."

They're wrong. Well, they're right AND wrong. Sure, they have a sense of fulfillment after taking care of kids, a sense of 'productivity' by readying them for the world and the society they will shape. However, they're wrong if they think they were not 'whole people' before. That's like saying anyone who does not have children is a shell of a human being. Many many people never have children and they are perfectly rounded and content with who they are.

The point is that while they were whole people before, they are more conscious people now. They are more in tune with the needs of others, or at least aware of them regardless of if they take action. Being aware of the others around you is so physically and emotionally important, that once we lose that feeling of other people, we lose part of our humanity. Considering that new parent/s will have the presence of another human being(baby) around practically 24/7 they have a stronger feeling of 'oneness' with themselves for taking care of another human.

That mental connection with another person on top of learning to tend to their own physical needs will stick with them no matter what. As much as moms are self-sacrificing, they really do not give so much as they receive. For each hour of sleep lost, a mom gains resilience. For each tipped over plate of spaghetti a mom gains patience. For every scraped knee, a mom gains compassion. For every temper tantrum a mom gains restraint. For each kiss goodnight a mom gains love.

In their lives with their children moms do nothing but receive and receive, much more so than they give. They are physically & mentally different people, and will be more themselves now than they have ever been.