Boy Meets Dog

Yesterday, Matt, Patrick, and I did something we haven't done in a long time: we went out for the evening and socialized with friends. We drove all the way across town to the part of Houston where we used to live to hang out with my good friend Cathy. She hadn't gotten a chance to meet Patrick yet, so this get-together was a big deal. We went out to eat at Freebird's, one of Matt's and my favorite restaurants. There isn't one near where we live now, so we have to drive all the way to Clear Lake when we want to eat there. It's just down the road from the hospital where Patrick spent the first month of his life, and Matt and I ate there regularly before and after visits to see Patrick. Eating there again last night brought back memories. It was interesting being there with Patrick for the first time. He was very well-behaved, even eating his solid food like a big boy, despite the many distractions. The cutest was when we remembered he needed his few sips of water after he ate. Matt went to get a cup for water, and as soon as he got to the table, Patrick reached out his hands for the cup. I have no idea how he knew the water was for him, as Matt wasn't even moving it in his direction. I guess Patrick's just smarter than I've been giving him credit for.

After eating, we headed to Target to wander around for a while. It was a completely random destination; we were just killing time before we got hungry enough for ice cream. Patrick started to get fussy while we were there, and I ended up carrying him around most of the time. I don't usually carry him that long at a time. I was surprised at how heavy he's gotten. He doesn't feel that heavy when I carry him from room to room in the house. Maybe all that food he ate while at Freebird's weighted him down.

We went for ice cream after leaving Target. By this time Patrick was comfortably asleep in his carseat, so we were free to eat our Shake's frozen custard in the car in peace. Shake's is another of our favorite places, introduced to us by Cathy, that we don't have in west Houston. It is seriously the best ice cream in the world.

Matt and I were having too much fun with Cathy when we finished the ice cream, so we headed back to her place to hang out for a while before going home. Patrick woke up enough to play and act cute for one of his new favorite people, Cathy. I thought ahead and had the camera with us. Here are a few of the best shots:
Yes, there's another picture with me. It was the end of a long night, and I didn't photograph well, but somehow it's still one of my better recent pictures.
Patrick loved sitting in Cathy's lap. She must have passed the test because he squirmed as much as he does for Mommy and Daddy, and he liked the taste of her fingers just as much.
This, however, was probably my favorite part of the night. I am completely in love with Cathy's dog Rusty. He is the sweetest, gentlest dog I know, and he apparently loves both Matt and me. I would steal that dog from Cathy if I didn't know how devastated she would be. Last night was more proof of how special Rusty is. While at first Rusty and Patrick didn't know what to think of each other, eventually curiosity won and they started checking each other out. We knew Patrick had passed the test when Rusty started licking his feet and hands. Patrick clearly loves Rusty too, as you can see by the look on his face in the picture. He was never the least bit scared of Rusty. I'm not sure if that just means Patrick is a born animal lover (not far-fetched, considering his parents) or if Rusty is simply that special a dog. Either way, Cathy had better keep a close eye on her dog, because I have even more incentive now to plan a dog-napping.

Sleeping in the Rain

Actually, I wasn't sleeping through the rain this morning. I woke up to a loud clap of thunder about 6:30 and lay in bed for quite some time listening to the thunder and downpour. Typically rain like that relaxes me enough that I can sleep through it at any time, but even as tired as I was this morning, it actually kept me awake. Fortunately Patrick and Matt never knew it had happened. I finally started to doze off again when it stopped about an hour later. That's when Patrick decided he was hungry and woke up--naturally. I was awake for a total of about two hours this morning. I was at least able to go back to sleep after feeding Patrick and still ended up getting enough sleep. The rain also signalled a front making its way through the area, and it was kind enough to blow away whatever pollen triggered my allergy attack last night. I was quite miserable for a few hours with all the sneezing, runny nose, and sinus headache. This was the first allergy attack--or any non-pregnancy-related illness--I've had in about a year and a half, other than the expected attacks in Dallas. I'm glad it didn't last any longer than it did, but I guess it's not a big deal considering how long it's been since the last one.

Patrick is taking more steps towards his independence, at least in the area of eating. I mentioned yesterday that he tried grabbing his spoon to feed himself. Since then he has tried to do the same thing with his bottle and sippy cup. He did a good job with his bottle, especially since it was one of the big ones that still seems much too large for him. He was holding it completely on his own for a few seconds. He hasn't managed to actually hold his sippy cup that he gets after each meal of solids yet, but he has started reaching for it like he wants to. He's still working on coordinating how to drink from it, so he's not quite ready to add the extra complication of holding it too quite yet.

And finally, here's one picture for today. This is what I found when I snuck in last night to give Patrick his medicine:
I never knew Gloworm could double as a pillow! It's especially funny because if he moves his head just a little, he will make Gloworm sing and his face light up. Right now, Gloworm is in desperate need of new batteries, so when he sings, he sounds drunk. And really, who doesn't want to wake up to a drunk, singing Gloworm in bed with them?

I Want to Do It!

Patrick tried peas today for lunch and surprisingly liked them. I guess he's just more willing to try new things at his age because he certainly did not inherit a taste for peas from either Matt or me. He is now eating a good amount of both a fruit and a vegetable at each feeding, and often is still hungry enough for some cereal. I don't know where all this is going because he isn't gaining nearly as much weight as I would expect. He must have ended up with Mommy's metabolism, where the calories are burned as he eats them. It's a little frustrating now trying to get him to gain weight, but he'll love this metabolism when he's older.

For the first time today, Patrick showed initiative in wanting to feed himself. Before, he has reached up to put his hand in his mouth while eating. Today it looked like he was going to do the same thing, but he grabbed the spoon en route to his mouth instead. He held it while I guided it into his mouth, then I let go and let him pull the spoon out himself. We repeated this several times. More and more each day, Patrick is eager to turn into a big boy, doing more and more for himself. He watches Matt and me carefully, scrutinizing everything we do. As he becomes more able, I know he will mimic everything too. It's cute to see him eager to grow up. I'd like to see him as a "big boy" too, but I like him just as he is now. He still needs Mommy or Daddy for just about everything, but he has enough personality to be fun to interact with. It's also great that he hasn't reached that rebellious stage yet. I think when I remember him as a baby, I'll remember him most as he is now.

As so kindly suggested by the grandmas several days ago, here is a picture of me playing with Patrick.

And one more picture of Matt playing with Patrick:

This was my favorite picture from last night. He looks so serious but intent on watching Daddy. It's even better in black and white too, because then we can't see the carrots around his mouth that wouldn't wipe completely off after dinner.

And as a special treat, here is another video. This is another one of Matt playing with Patrick. He laughs a silly laugh and Patrick laughs back. You can tell he has limited patience for it because he stops laughing after a few seconds. I missed Matt's antics at the end to get him to laugh again. Make sure you have the sound on because that laugh is just too contagious.

Bad Hair Day

First of all, check out the video in the post below. It finally works! Now that I know how to do it, I will likely be adding video more often. It will save me a lot of time describing what Patrick's sounds are like if I can just show them to you.

Patrick and I get a special treat this afternoon. Matt is taking an online class for work today and tomorrow. He called me at lunchtime to tell me that he had issues participating in the class while at work, and they thought he would have better luck at home. He is working from home this afternoon instead. It's great! He really is working, secluding himself in the study so he can concentrate better. I like knowing he's right there, though. It's also kind of neat getting a glimpse into what he does at work, some days anyway. He also gets the opportunity to see what my routine is like during the afternoon. He can overhear how Patrick and I interact when nobody else is around. I am making a point to not change anything from my typical afternoon. I still have my job to do, and Matt has his; we're just doing them in the same place today. Either way, I think it's pretty cool.

Yesterday was such a gorgeous afternoon, just warm enough to not feel cold and clear and sunny, that Patrick and I had to spend part of our afternoon outside. This was his first time hanging out in the backyard on the grass. It was still damp from last night's rain, so he was on a blanket. I guess that technically means he wasn't in the grass, but it's close enough. He loved it! He squinted in the sunlight but was otherwise perfectly content. He seemed to enjoy the light breeze. Of course, that didn't exactly help his already untameable hair.
Here he is lying down in the grass, smiling one of his huge open-mouth grins.
And here are two shots of him sitting up in the grass. He's such a big boy! He was definitely posing for the camera in both of these pictures. I love the hair!
Yes, this is my new favorite picture of him. That smile can't be beat.

We had fun after taking pictures just lying back and watching the clouds float by. I thought Patrick would get bored quickly or upset from looking up into the bright sky, but he was perfectly content. Could Matt and I have spawned a nature lover?

The Video Works!

It appears as though google makes it easy to put videos on other websites. Here's my favorite of the ones I've uploaded already. You can still link to the other video below. Enjoy!

Pictures and Video

Update: Here are links to where you should be able to view the videos. I'm still working on finding a way to put the videos themselves on the blog.
Patrick and Matt Playing (FYI--this one ended up sideways...sorry)
Patrick Talking
Yay! The videos are now working!

I'm keeping the words on this one to a minimum today because I have all sorts of exciting stuff to show you.

We had a fun playtime on the floor last night. Patrick decided to show off how mobile he's becoming by repeatedly rolling. He finally showed Daddy his new talent. He also spent some time on his belly, holding himself up with his arms. The neatest part was when he started pushing himself around with his legs. He acts like he's trying to crawl. He has yet to master holding himself up with his arms while his legs push him, but he'll get the idea soon. I guess it's already almost time to finish baby-proofing the house!

I got lots of pictures yesterday. Here are the few posed ones:
I can just picture what he's thinking..."Don't you have enough pictures already, Mom?" That's a teenage look if I've ever seen one.
He gave me one really good grin. He's getting better at smiling for the camera, when I persuade him just enough.

Here's one of the many playtime pictures I took. This was when he was most of the way rolled over onto his belly. He lay there like this for a long time just chattering at the TV and holding my fingers.

And this is when we propped him up on his belly. He found he could do a lot of normal activities from this position, including playing with Joanie and chewing on his fingers.

I also experimented with the video function on our digital camera. Matt manipulated them into something I could post on the Internet, but unfortunately I can't seem to get them to work on the blog. I'm still working on it, and should hopefully be able to update by the end of the day. Depending on how it works, I'll either provide links for you to go see the videos or just have them right here. We'll have to see what I can figure out.

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

Patrick still refuses to do it for our benefit, but he has become quite adept at rolling over. I wondered just how easy it was for him when I found him sleeping on his belly the last few mornings. He gave me the rare opportunity to watch him as he woke up from his nap yesterday afternoon, though. He repeatedly rolled from his belly to his back to his belly again, all without the benefit of the sides of the crib. I was excited he let me have a glimpse of his secret talent, and I doubt I'll have the opportunity to see it again for some time. I guess he'll only roll over when he wants to get comfortable enough to sleep. He'll do it for his own benefit, but not ours. It still makes me wonder what else he'll do in the privacy of his crib that he won't show Daddy or me.

We tried green beans for lunch today. They look disgusting, and their smell is less than appealing, but Patrick sure loved them. Again, it makes sense. That's one of the other rare veggies that Matt and I both like reasonably well. This makes me wonder about the hotly-debated question: nature or nurture? Was he born with a predilection for certain foods written into his genetic code, inherited from Matt and me? Or are we subconsciously passing on our food preferences to Patrick? Maybe he only likes the foods he got a taste of while he was in me. I have to wonder. It is an interesting question. If this falls under the "nurture" category, then maybe Matt and I can better control the next kid's preferences, possibly persaude him or her to be open to many more foods.

I had to get a picture during playtime yesterday. I looked down at him playing while I folded laundry and had to do a double-take. When did my son get so tall? I just don't understand how he can look this tall and skinny.
He kept making a funny face while he ate, and I tried to capture it. I missed it barely, but this face is pretty close. Also, if you compare this to his first high chair pictures from about two months ago, you can tell he is finally growing into the chair. He sits up in it much better, and with that big head, it doesn't look too monstrously big for him anymore.

Against Medical Advice

I was awakened this morning by a phone call at 9:oo from Patrick's monitor people. We still have the monitor, even though we haven't used it in months, because the monitor people claimed they couldn't pick it up without a doctor's approval. They claim they haven't heard anything from a doctor yet. Matt had called them late last week asking about a bill and requested that they come pick it up anyway. So this morning when they called, they mentioned that we would have to sign a form saying we wanted them to take the monitor "against medical advice." That really bugs me. It sounds like I'm signing something saying I'm willingly putting my child's health at risk, when I'm not at all. Having the monitor gone is NOT against medical advice; I have two top children's pulmonologists who recommend it. They claim to have informed our pediatrician about their advice, and he claims to have passed on that information to the monitor people. And they still want me to say this is against medical advice? This is ridiculous. I will be so glad to have the monitor gone from our lives altogether. Should I sign that paper anyway just to have the monitor gone or make them actually do their research showing that it is not against medical advice?

It's almost 10:00 and Patrick is still asleep. He did not wake up at 7:00 for his usual feeding at dawn. We did not wake him up before we crashed last night for one last bottle (usually his vitamin bottle). He has been sleeping for well over twelve hours straight now, and without food. I think it's because he finally figured out how to roll over on his belly on purpose. This is the second day in a row he has slept late, and the second day in a row that I've found him on his belly. He must really like sleeping on his belly, because he sleeps a lot longer that way. Even though I know it's recommended that he sleeps on his back, I can't hover over his crib to replace him on his back every time he rolls onto his belly. I've heard that as long as you start them off on their backs, it's not a big deal if they end up on their bellies. That means I'm just not going to worry. At least he's sleeping well!

The big story from the weekend is that we finally found a nice, inexpensive bench for our front porch. Matt and I both really wanted a house with a porch so that we could get a bench or swing to sit out on the front porch. Now we have that! I also realized yesterday that the only pictures we have of our house are on our website, and they're of the house under construction. It looked nothing like it does now. So here's our house. Notice the beautiful bench in front of the front window.

It looks better with Matt on the bench in front of the house, doesn't it?
And how could I go without getting some pictures of Patrick too? He looked like such a big boy in his button-down plaid shirt. He looks like an even bigger boy sitting all by himself in Mommy's chair. The chair kind of dwarfs him, doesn't it?
Oops, how embarrassing...his diaper is showing!

Slow Sunday and Pictures

For the record, carrot spit-up is yucky. Carrots, however, apparently are not. Matt and I suspected he might like them since both of us do. Sure enough, he ate them like they were as yummy as his fruits.

Other than trying carrots for the first time yesterday, not much else is going on. He had a nasty gross diaper yesterday, gross because he'd squirmed until the diaper wasn't completely covering all the important parts anymore. That was tons of fun to clean up. We went through more wipes than Pampers produces in a day. Mommy still felt like she needed a shower afterwards, not to mention the squirmy boy who kept wanting to stick a foot or hand in poop-covered spots.

We missed church again this morning. I've been fighting another breast infection (yes, another) and went to bed last night feeling crummy. Even if it magically went away overnight, last night I didn't feel up to even thinking about getting up early and leaving the house. As a result, I slept until 1:30 this afternoon, getting up only once at 9:30 to feed Patrick. The sleep did wonders for me, and the infection is already mostly gone, and without antibiotics this time. That's as much a cause to worship God as making it to church!

I still managed to pull out the camera yesterday during Patrick and Daddy playtime. My boys are just so photogenic, especially together.
Patrick loves playing the "giddyup" game with Daddy. That can coax a smile out of him even if he was screaming before.
He pretends to be shy for the camera.
I absolutely love this picture of Daddy smiling down on the boy while he plays. I could get into all the religious symbolism, etc., but I'll spare you. (But now you're thinking about it yourself, aren't you? Mission accomplished, and without saying a word!)
I took pictures while Patrick was playing on the floor because of this profile. Something in it suddenly reminded me of my grandfather, my mother's father. I never did capture exactly what it was that caught my attention, but I want to post it anyway. Maybe my mom or grandma will see whatever it was I saw.

The Center of Attention

To clarify on the subject of Patrick's feedings, I did not intend to imply yesterday that Patrick will not be eating squash or sweet potatoes ever again. I am not exactly excited about encouraging squash vomit or sweet potato diarrhea, not only for Patrick's health but also because that's yucky to clean. I know these are not allergic reactions, but instead signs that his system cannot handle them well yet. In a few more weeks when he has had more time to get used to other veggies, his system may have matured to the point where squash and sweet potatoes go down easily. By then it is also quite likely his tastes will have matured so that he will eat them more readily too. I'm sorry I didn't get that point across well enough yesterday.

Yesterday evening Matt and I went out to eat and then on a shopping trip to Sam's, of course bringing Patrick with us. I was repeatedly reminded how much fun it is to take Patrick places. He's fun to show off. He's a very well-behaved baby, especially in public, and without doubt the cutest and most adorable baby ever (not that I'm biased), all of which attracts attention everywhere we go. We'll hear comments about "that cute baby" from complete strangers in the line at the grocery store, at any restaurant, at church, and even while we're taking a walk around the neighborhood. Yesterday we even had a neighbor stop his car in the middle of the road and get out to chat with us for a few minutes during our walk--I get the feeling it was just to see Patrick. I guess it's a good thing Patrick hasn't developed stranger anxiety yet; instead he'll smile and grin at anyone, making them feel special. Although I'm typically the kind of person who doesn't really want to attract much attention, it's fun when it's attention because of my sweet baby. Praise him all you want; it's like you're complimenting me!

Mozart and Daddy

I discovered late last night that maybe the sweet potatoes didn't settle as well as I thought. Unlike the squash that didn't stay down very long, the sweet potatoes stayed in his belly. Actually, they took the fast course through his system, and I discovered them in a very disgusting diaper last night. It was a similar reaction as to the prunes, just a little less dramatic. Therefore, we will save the rest of the sweet potatoes for a time when he needs his system cleaned out. So far with two vegetables, we have two strikes. I know in a few weeks I should try them again as his system may be more able to tolerate them then, but in the meantime I'm going to find some different veggies that maybe he'll take to better. Any ideas?

Patrick's also turning into quite the music aficionado. When he was really little, we used to play him the soothing classical music that came with his playard, his first bed at home, while he was falling asleep. We never really thought much about that after we moved him to his crib, though. He typically fell asleep fine on his own...that is, until one night when the teething was overwhelming. He cried and cried, and in desperation I recalled an anecdote from my mother about how my older brother used to be calmed by classical music when he was a baby. I tried a CD my dad had given me years before of the Florida Suite (sorry I can't remember the composer), and Patrick fell right to sleep. Since then, it has become an almost nightly routine to play this CD for him as he falls asleep. I've even played it some when he's been fussy around naptime. He's come to understand that Florida Suite means sleeptime.

We've also tried music some when he's cried in the car on trips and we can't console him as easily. We will put on a CD of random famous classical pieces, turn up the volume a bit, and wait. Sure enough, it doesn't take him long to get distracted by the music.

It was something entirely different the other afternoon, though. Matt got home from work and took Patrick into the study with him while he played on the computer, and I headed to the other corner of the house for something. When I came back toward the front of the house, I heard a beautiful classical piece playing in the study. I peeked in on my boys to see Patrick sitting on his daddy's lap, enraptured by something on the computer screen. He was "watching" the music, really just bars that bounced up and down with each note, one of the program's visualizations of the music. It is similar in idea to the star on his gym that I mentioned yesterday, where different corners of the star light up along with the music. It was great seeing him that taken by music. By the way, it was the Children's March (again I don't know the composer) that Matt was playing for him--appropriate, I thought.

I love that this is one more thing Matt is sharing with Patrick. Music was always a big part of my life and my siblings', because it was important to my parents. Still, music is even more important to Matt; his life in high school and most of college revolved around playing trumpet in band. As much as I enjoy music, it means much more to Matt. I love watching him pass something so personal down to our son, raising him to have the same connection to music that he does. Some fathers share a love of fishing or sports, but for our family, that bonding develops over music.

Mommy Time

It appears that sweet potatoes get a thumbs-up from the boy. He ate them much more readily than the squash the other day, although not nearly as fast as the fruits, especially applesauce. That makes one vegetable he's ok with right now. That just about ties with Mommy's taste for vegetables. Not really, but he is almost there. So far he hasn't had any gross reactions to the sweet potatoes either. He spit up a little of them a few minutes ago, but I think that was more because he was sitting on my lap and felt obligated to do so. (FYI--They smell even ickier the second time.) Almost every time I've held him in the past few days, I've been baptized with spit-up. I should be used to the inevitable smelly wet spots on my clothes by now, but I still feel the need to change almost every time. I'm fighting that urge for the smaller spit-up spots just so I'm not doing laundry every day.

Patrick has started acting like he enjoys just hanging out with me. He still very clearly loves to play with his toys, the ones he knows what to do with anyway, but more and more he will only play with them for a limited amount of time. And it's not that he wants new and different toys to play with. He has clearly just had enough play time for the moment--maybe he's overstimulated--and he'd rather just have attention from Mommy or Daddy. He loves it when Daddy holds him because he is either always entertained or has a great place to take a nap. He's never liked it when I held him as much until the last day or so, though. I'm just not as entertaining, I guess. But yesterday and this morning, Patrick was perfectly content just to sit on my lap. I could talk to him or not; it didn't matter to him. He just wanted to be held. He sat quietly examining his own hands or grabbing at mine, maybe glancing at the TV from time to time, just enjoying my presence. It was certainly a sweet moment for me that inevitably ended all too soon.

Here are a few pictures of Patrick enjoying playing with his gym. Now that he can sort of reach those creatures that dangle above his head and knows what to do with them, he's really started loving his gym time. He also likes that he can make the star sing by hitting his toys (it's motion-sensored--definitely a great feature). Somehow he never gets tired of those same three songs playing over and over and over...

Bare Butt

Oops, I meant "bear" butt. And Patrick is all too eager to show it off. I think we have an exhibitionist on our hands!

He gave me the best grin, but just long enough for me to get this shot. By the way, although this onesie fits pretty well, not everything that buttons up the front fits as well. As mentioned in yesterday's post and my mom's comment to it, Patrick's clothes don't fit over his head well. Button or snap tops seem like a great solution, but only if they don't look silly with the top button or snap undone. He has several outfits already that would strangle him around the neck if I snapped that top snap. His neck fits with his head better than his body. If he doesn't stretch that neck out, it can look like he doesn't have one at all and that his top is buttoned around his chin (the bottom chin anyway).
He also tried chewing his fingers as usual, but got distracted while looking out the window. I thought that distraction was too cute not to capture on film. In a lot of the pictures I took yesterday, you can tell just how disproportionate his head is to the rest of his body. I think part of it was the angle and the way the onesie fit, but it still makes for funny pictures.

"The family that laughs together stays together." Have I heard that or something similar somewhere? If not, I take credit for the quote. Either way, I think it's true. Laugher was a staple of my family growing up. We weren't perfect by any means, but I remember a lot more laughing than yelling. Even now as we're all growing up and moving farther apart, all we have to do is get together or call on the phone, and the laugher starts back up. Holidays when larger groups of us gather are hilarious. I feel bad for the newer members of the family who may not have been around for the more riotous moments, as they seem to get brought up at any occasion. How is it that our family can have so many inside jokes? Mention my brother and his guitar or my uncle and roosters, and anyone in our family will dissolve into giggles (and NO, I will not explain!).

This legacy of laughter is just one of many family traditions I hope to continue in my own family. I was reminded last night of just how important that laughter can be. Matt and I were eating dinner while Patrick played in his rocker chair. He started to get bored of the toys and fussy. Matt and I couldn't give him the attention he craved because we were eating. As soon as Matt finished his dinner, though, he picked Patrick up and set him on his lap. Normally if Patrick is fussy from being tired or any other reason, he is not happy on a lap. Last night, however, that was clearly what he wanted. He smiled at Daddy, then me, then Daddy again, then me again. Almost anything Daddy said, especially in his imitation of Elmo's voice, was hilarious. It was so heartwarming to sit laughing with my husband and son at absolutely nothing. What a great family bonding experience. I hope these are the moments Patrick remembers as he grows older.

Like an Orange on a Toothpick

Matt and I have found ourselves with an interesting problem. I think I mentioned a week or so ago that Patrick just started wearing his 3-6 month clothes. Most of them still hang off his body, making his little arms and legs look scrawny. Some of the pants and shorts are still too big around the waist and fall right off. His weight only barely fits the specifications for this size. More of the clothes fit lengthwise, however. I'll hold up a pair of pants, like the pair he wore on Easter, and think how long they look compared to his previous clothes. I'll expect to roll up the bottoms once they're on, then be surprised when they actually fit perfectly lengthwise. It doesn't make sense to me how he can currently be tall and skinny--sort of. I'm so used to having to find short enough pants for myself that it's crazy to think I don't have to do that for Patrick right now.

What's most unusual, though, is that some of these new clothes are already getting difficult to put on Patrick. Even if they hang off his body, they only barely fit over his head. According to the growth charts, he has a low weight for a 4-month-old (his adjusted age), an average height for a 4-month-old, and an average head for a 6-month-old. His body is just growing into these new clothes while his head is already outgrowing them. Do I buy clothes to fit his head or his body? I guess it's not so bad for shirts to be too big, but the pants really can't be if I want them to stay on him. Too bad all his clothes come as outfits, so I can't piece together a larger size shirt to fit his head and smaller pants to fit his waist.

Patrick tried his first vegetable at lunch today--squash. Neither Matt nor I can stand squash, so I felt a little rotten feeding them to Patrick. Why should I make him eat something I refuse to? And what if he ends up liking them? Will I then be forced to cook them for him when I can't even stand the smell? Fortunately that is not looking like a problem right now. Patrick ate squash ok, but it was clear he did not like it. He would reluctantly open his mouth every time I brought the spoon near, just far enough for me to fit the tip of the spoon in. Then he would get this strange look on his face; it looked like a cross between a grimace and a glare. He ate the whole jar this way, then proceeded to repeatedly spit up squash. I find it unusual that all the cereal he had afterwards stayed down, and he only spits up squash. Until a few minutes ago when he went down for a nap, he was still spitting up. It clearly does not agree with him, so I think I'll postpone any more squash for another few weeks. Something tells me he won't argue.

I continued to have a headache all day yesterday, with a tiny one left over today as well, so when Matt got home yesterday, he took the majority of Patrick's care from me so I could rest. I felt good enough to get some pictures of my guys playing on the floor, though.
While at Wal-Mart as part of our date over the weekend, Matt and I picked up these balls with fun textures and colors for Patrick to play with. He's not super interested in them yet, but he'll hold on to them if Daddy puts them in his hands. It's funny when he palms them like a basketball. How did he come by that talent naturally?
They also spent some time just laughing together. It's great how they can keep each other so entertained.
Then Matt sat up with his feet on either side of Patrick. He of course used his new skill of reaching and grabbing on Matt's feet. It was so funny to watch him cling to Matt's toes the way he will our fingers. At least he didn't try to bring the toes to his mouth!

Catch-Up Monday

I feel like I was just doing this blogging thing. Since blogging last night, I feel like all I've done is sleep and feed the boy a few times. I woke up with the same headache I went to sleep with last night, so I'm spending today being as lazy as humanly possible without neglecting Patrick. That means today's post will be incredibly short and quite lacking in deep thoughts yet again.

Patrick seems thrilled to be back home. I can tell he loves our trips and seeing new yet familar people, but he seems to appreciate the routine and familiarity of home too. He slept considerably better in his crib last night than he slept any night while we were gone. I wasn't awakened for a morning feeding until 9:30. Considering Saturday night it took everything Matt and I could dream up to get him back to sleep twice, it was quite a relief. He seems to have regained an appreciation for his crib, high chair, and infant chair with its toys. There's nothing like a few days away to make everything seem new to Patrick.

I only have one cute story for today. It was fun watching Patrick sleep in his carseat on the way home yesterday. He had been hugging Joanie before, so when he dozed off, his head fell onto Joanie's. He slept for a long time using Joanie as a pillow. It's so cute how he loves that giraffe! Sometimes he'll push her out of the carseat--only somewhat accidentally I'm guessing--but he immediately hugs and kisses Joanie when I hand her back to him. Silly boy!

Easter

Sorry...another late post tonight. I forgot last night just how exhausted I would be after that long drive home. It's kind of disappointing because I had this whole great post idea in mind. I was going to do something about the idea of new life with the start of spring and the fact that Easter happens to be the traditional marker of the start of spring. I was planning to bring in the idea of the significance of Easter is that Jesus brings new life, and that Easter has much less to do with death than life. It really was going to be brilliant. Then I spent five hours in a car with a massive headache and came home feeling the need to unpack and comfort the screaming baby before blogging. Now I've lost the motivation to write about any deep thoughts. Sorry you all missed out on the brilliance.

FYI--Prunes work exactly the way you think they would in babies. I think we'll all be glad to know that Patrick is no longer stopped up. We will also not be feeding him prunes again unless he gets stopped up again. That was the grossest diaper I've changed in a long time, and of course he squirmed around in it in his carseat for hours first, which only spread the mess more. Fun stuff. He went through two and a half outfits today because of the prunes--one from spit-up and another pair of shorts from prunes coming out the other end. Ewww. On the bright side, he seems more comfortable now.

Patrick was absolutely charming at church this morning. He was happy in his carrier for a while at first, then smiled at the nice man sitting behind us while Daddy held him, and then he fell asleep in Daddy's arms through the rest of the service. He was awake as soon as it ended and ready to be social again. He even got to meet a baby who was born on his six-month birthday (wearing just the cutest little bunny outfit by the way). I'm proud to take him out and show him off when he's that charming.

As promised, here are a few pictures of Patrick's first Easter.
Patrick loved his Easter basket. He held the basket's handle the whole time and was so happy. The bunny bigger than he is came from Gigi and Papa, the chick came from Nana and Grandpa, and the basket with eggs and chocolate were from Mommy and Daddy. (He promptly handed the Cadbury eggs over to Daddy, you'll be glad to know.) We also particularly love his little man Easter outfit with the tie.
I believe this is one of our better family portraits. Patrick and I were having a blast laughing at Grandpa. Patrick really thinks he's something special, giving him his full attention any time he talks and saving a special smile for when Grandpa gives him attention. He even fell asleep on Grandpa for a few minutes before we had to leave to come home. After a fussy few days when he all but refused to sleep, that is quite flattering.
He started getting fussy about the time he was going to pose for pictures with Nana and Grandpa, but this one didn't turn out too badly. He really was quite snuggly with both of them all weekend, and I'm disappointed with myself for not snapping pictures of that instead of this one that's only ok.

Chatterbox

Sorry for the late post tonight. It's been a busy day here with my parents. After getting up at the crack of noon for the day, Patrick's third feeding of the day actually, we headed out for an afternoon of shopping. That means of course that Patrick missed his afternoon nap. He was too stubborn--or tired--to fall asleep after we got home, so he cried instead. He was still crying when Matt and I left for dinner for our date night. My parents were very patient and got him quieted down after a short drive. The nap didn't last long, however, and he was still fussy when we got back home. He's also been a bit stopped up--nope, not his nose--and we suspect the discomfort is contributing to the fussiness. Matt and I came to the rescue with a new solid food, prunes. They worked promptly, and the full belly and emptied bowels comforted him enough that he was able to fall asleep shortly after.

The exciting news of the weekend is that Patrick has started to find his real voice. He's been chattering with random noises along the lines of "Ah-boo" for a couple of months now, but Wednesday he suddenly changed the tone of those noises. It sounds like he is trying desperately to talk, using more of a little boy voice than ever. Some of the noises he makes sound like he is attempting to imitate what we are saying. I'm reluctant to miss even one of those noises in case it is the one that sounds like his first intelligible word, even though I know that is still a long ways off. Thursday morning I woke up to the sound of something unusual. At first I wondered how the TV got turned on after Matt had left; then I thought maybe somebody was outside our house talking loudly; and finally I realized it was coming from Patrick's room and none of the words were recognizable. He had woken up happy and was chatting with the bears on his crib bumper. I just stood outside his door for a few minutes listening. I didn't want to interrupt his conversation with the bears. Today while Nana and I were shopping with him, he kept jumping into our conversations with his cute sounds. He must not like being left out of any conversations now that he's figuring out this talking thing!

It's late, so I think I'll keep this one short tonight. I'll post again tomorrow, most likely with pictures from Easter, if I get them downloaded early enough. I should have some cute ones.

Good Friday Indeed

Not only is today a good Friday because it is the Friday before Easter, or because most of us get the day off, but also because today is the anniversary of my wonderful husband's birth. Yup, today Matt turns 25 years old. That makes today the last of the major landmark birthdays (16--driver's license, 18--right to vote and buy cigarettes, 21--right to buy alcohol, etc) for another quarter of a century. This is the year he gets a serious reduction in car insurance and is legally able to rent a car for insurance purposes. It might not be the same as receiving his AARP card in the mail when he turns 50, but we'll take the lower insurance rates for now. :)

Matt sure has changed over the years, hasn't he? The first picture is one of his earliest baby pictures, courtesy of his parents, and the second is one of our engagement pictures, courtesy of my brother Steve. Although the engagement picture was taken awhile back, he still looks pretty much the same. His smile is just as sweet now as it was when he was a baby.

In the past year, Matt has been a blessing to so many people, and I feel compelled to remind him how special he is.

Matt, you are a blessing to everyone in your family. You are a great husband, father, son, son-in-law, grandson, brother, and brother-in-law. You make your family a priority, always sacrificing your own desires to take care of your loved ones first.

You are a blessing at work. From what I hear, not only do you do your job exceptionally well, but you are always willing to give a hand anywhere you see you can help. Your generous attitude and flawless work ethic make you invaluable to your company and your co-workers.

You are a blessing to our son. The way his face lights up when you walk into the room shows just how much he loves you. You are so patient with him, holding him close to you and comforting him until he falls asleep on your chest, tolerating his screaming and squirming much longer than I would be able to. You are a great father, and I am proud that Patrick will grow up with such a strong example to look up to.

Most of all, you are a wonderful husband. I never expected to find someone so perfect for me. You bless me daily just by being there for me. I never tire of your presence and miss you more than you realize when you're at work during the day. It means so much to me how willing you are to take care of me, even doing things I could do for myself, and even after coming home tired after working a long day. I don't deserve someone as wonderful as you in my life, but now I don't know what I would do without you around. I am excited that I get to help you celebrate your 25th birthday, and I'm sad that I missed the first twenty-three. I hope I get many more than twenty-five birthdays to spend with you.

Happy 25th birthday, my love.

By the way, when I got the baby pictures from Matt's parents, I realized something interesting. If I didn't know better, I would think the pictures were of my son, not my husband. Look at this side-by-side comparison.

I won't make you play the guessing game, even though it seems pretty obvious. Matt's the cutie on the top, and Patrick on the bottom. See any family resemblance there? It's clear to me now where Patrick got his good looks!

Six-Month Check-Up

I caught a few good pictures of Patrick playing with the toys on his chair yesterday. You can see from the expression on his face how intent he is. He actually postponed his afternoon nap by over an hour because he was so involved in playing that he forgot he was tired. Even when he started getting fussy from the exhaustion, he would cry for a second then play for a few more before remembering to cry again.


We went to Patrick's six-month check-up today. He now weighs 12 lbs 12 oz, exactly four times his birth weight, and is 22 3/8 inches long. He has reached the 3rd percentile for height and the 25th percentile for head circumference, but his weight is still just under the chart. That means he is somewhat tall for his weight, and his head is big compared to the rest of him. No wonder he can't balance sitting up very well yet! As far as his development is concerned, he is right on track for a six-month-old. That's great considering for some things, he should still be acting like a four-month-old. He also had more shots today. So far he hasn't had any reactions, but he is drowsy now. We'll have to see how he is tomorrow.

Who would have thought one year ago that today we would have a wonderful six-month old baby? This is another of those days that I can remember vividly what happened one year ago. There are about four of those from last year, and this was probably the most scary. It started while I was in the middle of teaching fifth period. I started feeling something unusual, kind of like I had just started my period. Just to make sure nothing was wrong, I decided to risk a trip to the bathroom between classes. My sixth period was, shall we say, high-strung, so I knew it was a risk leaving any of them in my classroom without adult supervision. I'm glad I took the risk, though. I realized part of the way to the teacher bathroom, which was much too far away from my classroom by the way, that I really was having a problem. At the moment, though, I was far too concerned with the embarrassment of having blood staining my khaki pants in front of all those teenagers.

As I got close to the bathroom, I saw another English teacher, one I was pretty good friends with who had several young children of her own and just happened to have a conference period next. I hadn't told anybody at school yet about the baby, so I had to quickly explain the problem to Mrs. S, who was immediately reassuring and helpful. She guarded the bathroom where I hid until the passing period ended, signed me out of school for the day, reassured me that the bleeding did not necessarily mean I'd miscarried, walked with me back to my room, and even retrieved my purse and keys from my room so I wouldn't have to face my students. She took over my sixth period and found another teacher to cover my seventh. I hope she knows how grateful I still am for her help that day!

I called Matt at work on my way home to let him know of the unexpected problem. At this point, I was starting to get worried, but I was still too stunned to pass on much of that worry or to truly realize what could be happening. When I got home, I immediately changed first, even before calling the doctor. I remember standing in my closet and staring blankly at my clothes to find something clean to wear when it all hit me. I clutched my abdomen and lost it, sinking to the floor of my closet and weeping. At that point, I really thought I had lost the baby. It didn't help matters that when I checked my answering machine, I had a message from my doctor explaining that there was a problem with one of the tests they had done when I was there two weeks earlier. I was sure that whatever was wrong had doomed my baby from the start. It took a lot of courage to call and possibly find out my suspicions were true.

Instead, the nurse told me I had a urinary tract infection that would require mild antibiotics. The relief from knowing it wasn't anything serious made it easier to tell about the bleeding and get an emergency appointment in the afternoon. I was feeling a little better by the time I got to my appointment. I'd come to the realization that I'd either lost the baby or not, and there was nothing I could do at the time to change that. Still, I remember sitting in the waiting room watching all the other pregnant women and the children and babies, and hoping I would still have that future too. That's unusual because up until that afternoon, I was uncertain about the life growing in me. It was unexpected and unplanned. I was willing to do what I needed to to take care of it, but at the time I viewed it as merely a responsibility and not as much my child. I thought in some ways it would be better if I'd miscarried so that I wouldn't have to deal with the burden of baby then.

I hadn't been back in the examining room long when the doctor came in with the sonogram machine to do an internal exam to make sure that everything was ok. The urine test already verified I was still pregnant, but they still needed to know what was causing the bleeding. Unfortunately the sonogram was inconclusive about the bleeding. The doctor wasn't terribly concerned, though. (By the way, several months later we discovered I had a sub-corionic hematoma. I'm still not entirely sure what that is, but apparently it was somewhat serious. It could easily have caused a miscarriage.)

Although this wasn't my first sonogram, it was the first time I actually saw Patrick on the screen. I remember seeing one tiny dot that the doctor said was my baby. And when I looked really, really carefully, I could see a rhythmic movement in the middle of the dot. That was his tiny heart beating. The sight of that movement caught me off guard. Not only was I relieved that I was still pregnant, but for the first time I realized there was really life inside me, life that was a part of me. It was breathtaking. I was stunned as a new feeling washed over me, and I had to fight the tears from falling. That was the day I realized I really wanted to have that baby, to meet him or her. That was the day I fell in love with my son.

The Real Thing

Here's Patrick in another cute outfit, posing for more future blackmail pictures.
He was actually sitting up almost completely on his own, with just my one hand on his back to balance him. Isn't his facial expression priceless?
Here he is hugging Joanie, as usual. I'm surprised he let me take Joanie away long enough to take a few pictures without her.
He's turning into a real hat baby. This outfit came with a different cap than the one in the other pictures, one that I think Patrick likes even more. Again, I love his facial expression. He was really hamming it up for me.

One of Patrick's new things from the last few days is a fascination with reaching for things. He's been reaching some for ages, but not nearly as deliberately as the past day or so. It started with him holding a fist in front of his face, scrutinizing it like I imagine he might if he was high, before attempting to stuff it into his mouth. Maybe he was looking at a mommy hair he was grasping. I actually think he's learning about depth perception. It has served him well because he quickly moved on to playing with the toy bar on his rocker chair. He reaches carefully toward the sheep, grabs the rotating ball in the middle, and spins it. He sometimes grabs the side of the sheep or the handle on the cow that makes it play music. It is obvious he knows exactly what he is doing and isn't hitting the toys accidentally like before.

The cutest reach was after a meal yesterday afternoon. He was in a great mood. He pulled away from me, rolled onto his back, and held up his fist again, like he does when he scrutinizes it. Yesterday though, he looked at me instead of his fist. He waited until I put my hand up next to his, like I was going to high-five him, then he spread out his fingers and reached for my hand. He just held my hand for some time, feeling my fingers and thumb. He didn't try once to bring it to his mouth, which is his usual reason for grabbing a hand or finger. I think he just wanted to feel me close.

When I told Matt about this wonderful experience, he pointed out how it clearly epitomizes one of the fundamental likeable qualities about babies: they are genuine. When babies feel emotions, they don't hesitate to show them; and when they show emotions, they stem from deep-rooted feelings. Babies have not learned what so many adults do instinctively, the art of pretending. It's hard for me to gauge people sometimes because I have dealt with so many fake people (remember I taught high school) that it can be difficult for me to tell the difference between someone being fake and someone being genuine. I never have to worry about Patrick. If he's crying, he's upset; and if he's upset, he will be sure to tell me by crying. In the same way, when he shows me any affection, it is genuine affection. He smiles because he's truly joyful, not just to humor me or Matt. And when he reaches up to hold my hand, it is because he loves me, or at least the feel of my hand. I hope there are enough real people around him growing up, especially me and Matt, for him to never learn to be anything but genuine as he is now.

Cute Butt

Patrick must have had some pretty severe teething pain last night. He actually refused to eat, pulling back and screaming while breastfeeding. The big eater that he is, that was highly unusual. He hadn't shown too many teething symptoms most of the day, but Matt and I were hoping that was the problem and treated it as such. The other likely possibilities include acid reflux problems again or tummy problems. He has been spitting up more than usual, something I plan to bring up to his doctor when we go on Thursday, but it is most likely related to the acid reflux and fairly minor. If he was arching his back and refusing to eat earlier because of acid reflux, that is a much more serious problem. That would indicate the medicine has stopped controlling it at all at times during the day. Because Patrick stopped fussing a little while after we gave him teething remedies, however, I'm still inclined to believe that was the problem.

We took a few more pictures of Patrick in a new outfit yesterday. I think all the sports outfits we have in this size are cute, if indicative of wishful thinking. Patrick has no greater likelihood of being a baseball star than his daddy or I did. The genetics just simply aren't there for him to grow into a superstar athlete. Maybe he can grow into a baseball fan, though--still not too likely, but a greater possibility, I suppose.

He found something on the wall above him incredibly captivating. I'm hoping it was Daddy's degrees. I think that's a much more reasonable aspiration for him than the Major League.
And now for what makes this outfit so super cute:

Yup, take a look at that cute butt. Patrick was all too eager to show it off for the camera. For some reason we have numerous outfits with cute butts in this size. I hope his butt continues to be so photogenic for a while. :)

Every night, my last ritual before crawling into bed is giving Patrick his reflux medicine. This used to be a ritual I dreaded. It was stressful keeping track of exactly when he needed his medicine, scheduling it around his meals (it needs to be given no less than half an hour before eating), precisely measuring it, and making sure he drank every drop without spitting up any. For a time, I would have to set an alarm during the night to get up and give it to him. If I didn't predict when he was going to want to eat next, I found myself trying desperately to comfort a screaming, hungry baby during that half an hour after the medicine and before the meal. I was desperate for when he would outgrow the reflux, and with it his medicine.

Now, though, I look forward to that time each night when I creep into his room after he has fallen asleep to give him his medicine. The schedule of meals and medicine has grown much more flexible (or I have anyway), so what used to cause stress is now merely a routine. Now I love that moment before giving him the medicine when I can just watch him sleep. I love watching him barely wake up when I touch him, as he flings an arm blindly in my direction when I ease his pacifier into his mouth--and then he gives up, accepting the pacifier and the medicine willingly. I love the way the pacifier falls from his mouth after he's swallowed all the medicine and he starts to fall back asleep. There is something so peaceful about him when he sleeps. During the day, I exclaim over all his new accomplishments and how big he's growing and how he's maturing in his interactions with us. Yet in that moment of sleep, when I find him so alone and tiny in that big crib, he is suddenly my baby again. His features may have changed some, but he might as well be exactly as he was when he was first placed in my arms. I can see how truly tiny and vulnerable he is once again. There is just something about the peace of sleep and the way a baby will submit itself to the sleep with reckless abandon that reminds us all of its innocence and youth. At that moment each night, I treasure the quiet time with my helpless baby and pray that I can always protect him from anything that can steal that look of innocence from his sweet face.

I know that years from now, long after the reflux medicine routine has become obsolete, I will still sneak into Patrick's room late at night, just to watch him sleep. No matter how grown up he has become, in that moment he will revert back to being my sweet, sleeping baby.

Our Day at the Park

Yesterday afternoon was absolutely beautiful, warm without being hot, sunny, and not humid. I couldn't resist the draw to be outside, so Matt and I decided to head to the park. Unfortunately we weren't the only ones with such a great idea. The park was overflowing with people. It's a large enough park that there was still plenty of room for us, though. We were hoping to find a walking trail to push his stroller on and wander through some trees. Both Matt and I could swear this park had a walking trail; it had everything else, including an equestrian trail. We were wrong. Instead of turning the stroller into an all-terrain vehicle, subjecting an already spit-uppy Patrick to all sorts of bumps, and meandering aimlessly across fields and maneuvering around the myriad of family reunions and birthday parties, we headed home. Our entire park experience lasted about twenty minutes, and we never left the car. That didn't keep me from taking pictures, though.

We came prepared to be in the sun, including having Patrick wear our new favorite hat. It didn't exactly stay where it belonged after the ride in the car.
He's going to hate me for this picture when he's older, isn't he?

Matt and I compromised when we got home by going for a walk around the neighborhood instead. It's a new neighborhood, so we didn't have the lush trees covering us that the park had. Other than that, the walk was much more pleasant than it would have been at the park. It was certainly peaceful, with no groups of kids screaming. We could actually hear birds and bugs, and no road noise. A few of our neighbors were also outside enjoying the evening, so we got to socialize for a few minutes as well. I think the walk around the neighborhood worked a lot better than the whole park idea.

He IS Our Son After All!

I've been wondering for months whose sick idea it was to give us a child whose genetic makeup was so far changed from Matt's and mine, at least when it comes to sleep patterns. How could we have created a child who was consistently up at dawn, regardless of when he went to bed? We're the kind of people who could sleep past 10 every morning if given the chance.

Then in the last two days, Patrick has been proving that maybe these first few months were a fluke. Friday I woke him up at 9:45 when I woke up and realized he hadn't eaten yet. Saturday he didn't wake us up until 10:30. When we realized this might be turning into a pattern, we went with our instincts (and against our own desires) and put him to bed earlier last night. Naturally he was up at dawn again today. I'll reluctantly accept this routine, even if it means that I too have to be up at dawn, because I know getting in the habit of going to bed and getting up early will be good for him in the long run. Too bad I don't have that habit anymore!

For some reason yesterday, I decided to put on make-up. It was a completely random decision, especially considering the last time I had gotten dressed up was for church two weeks ago. It's weird that I would choose to dress up for a lazy Saturday at home. It was fun looking pretty, even if only Matt and Patrick got to see it. But Matt took a few pictures documenting the occasion, so now everyone gets to see.


By the way, Patrick's not looking at the camera in either picture because he was distracted by the TV. I have no idea what was on that could possibly be that interesting.