Trying to figure this whole parenting thing out.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Week 8 Day 5: Holy snowly

Gavin didn't wake up a single time last night. Usually he feeds twice during the night, but last night Dude just sacked out. I, of course, wouldn't have even noticed since I sleep through the majority of his night feedings, but Stacy certainly did. I got up around 5 (having trouble sleeping due to my cold, etc. Though I am happy to report that I am almost over the cold) and Stacy came stumbling out of the bedroom a little before 6 clutching her chest and reporting that Bear was a hard core snoozer. Who knows, maybe he's phasing out night feedings on his own. But it's too soon to tell.

Schedules are hard with babies. You think you've got something down and before you know it everything has changed again. Like his nap times have been roughly from 8-10 and from 2-4, up or down an hour depending on when he wakes up. But today he was exhausted by noon. I don't know why since he'd slept from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. So even though it wasn't "time" to take a nap, I put him down anyway. He's the boss. All I can do is watch for his cues and signals and follow along.

It's snowed like crazy all day and is supposed to snow tomorrow, too. Hopefully we can get Gavin bundled and outside over the weekend to experience snow. I wish we had a sled to pull him around the yard on but we don't. We do have a wagon which I stole from the people who used to rent my mom's house (they left it behind along with tons of other shit, most of which they never picked up. Plus they trashed my mom's house, so I don't feel at all bad about this). But a wagon won't be any good in the snow.

Gavin's eating solid food like a champ. Even spinach. I love the way he opens his little mouth like a bird. He and I are both getting better about getting more food in his mouth and less on his face, tray, bib, and hands. He also has a burning desire to drink out of glasses or bottles now. Basically whatever I am drinking out of. Ever since Stacy gave him some of her water out of a glass he does his baby bird routine if you drink anything around him. He had some experience with cups in the past since when he started day care and staying home with me two days a week he wouldn't take a bottle. So we tried cup feeding him (very messy. The majority of the milk ran down his chin and his chest. And then when he did get some in his mouth he would often gag a little bit or gulp because it was too much. Eventually we got a rhythm down, but then he started to take a bottle. Thankfully.

Solid food is really transforming Gavin's, um, waste output. When he was strictly a breast milk guy he'd only poo every few days (he once went 9 days, which was insane, but at no point did he act distressed, uncomfortable, or ill. We'd decided to take him to the doctor when he finally decided to get it over with. Or I guess I should say "all over with" since it was copious and messy). But now he's going two, three times a day and it's less and less like baby poo. That kind of freaks me out. But that's how you know you love somebody, right? When you can look at them and say, "You smell terrible and I want to help" and no matter how much they kick and scream (not always, but sometimes), you change their soiled clothes and dispose of their waste. I'd do the same thing for Henri. In fact, I do.

We went nowhere today and the day was kind of long, but I didn't feel like getting us all out in this weather and I also wanted to continue to keep this cold at bay. I did, however, go out and shovel the walk and driveway while Gavin was napping. It makes me nervous to leave him in the house alone, but he's in his crib and it's not like I'm far away. Maybe I'm a negligent mother. I don't know. But I wouldn't be able to hear him if I was in the basement doing laundry, either (and I did manage to get a load of that done today, praise be).

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