11 Months!
5/4/10 - the last of the first
Well today is the last day of Drew's first year, tomorrow he will be one year old. Thank you all for reading about me and my buggy. I'm sure as he gets older his antics will be more entertaining to read about so if you would like to keep following us please check out the new blog...
http://drewbugone.blogspot.com/
It's there now but it won't be updated until tomorrow, so don't freak out if you don't see any writings just book mark it and get ready for toddler fun!
Yesterday Drew and I went to toddler time at the library. Toddler time, I can't believe it. We started going to the library when he was about 6 months old. He was just sitting up and now we're going and he's just walking. I see other little babies at story time and I think that used to be me and my buggy. It's funny those days feel like so long ago yet the year seemed to go by so fast, how does that happen?
Drew is so smart now, he said geese at story time (though the picture was of white ducks) and he said milkie and grabbed my shirt when the book showed a baby animal getting milk from it's mother. It was cute and I'm fine with people knowing I still breastfeed, I'm just not the type of person who does it in public.
Today we went to lapsit at the library and they asked if anyone has a birthday this week...Drew does. So everyone sang happy birthday to him and he got a sticker! A whole year old, wow. I just can't even believe it.
http://drewbugone.blogspot.com/
It's there now but it won't be updated until tomorrow, so don't freak out if you don't see any writings just book mark it and get ready for toddler fun!
Yesterday Drew and I went to toddler time at the library. Toddler time, I can't believe it. We started going to the library when he was about 6 months old. He was just sitting up and now we're going and he's just walking. I see other little babies at story time and I think that used to be me and my buggy. It's funny those days feel like so long ago yet the year seemed to go by so fast, how does that happen?
Drew is so smart now, he said geese at story time (though the picture was of white ducks) and he said milkie and grabbed my shirt when the book showed a baby animal getting milk from it's mother. It was cute and I'm fine with people knowing I still breastfeed, I'm just not the type of person who does it in public.
Today we went to lapsit at the library and they asked if anyone has a birthday this week...Drew does. So everyone sang happy birthday to him and he got a sticker! A whole year old, wow. I just can't even believe it.
Feeding the geese
5/2/10 - Start earning your keep!
well little guy you are almost a year old. Mommy can't keep doing all the work around here. I need you to help out.
Exploring Dandelions - forgot my good camera, taken with the iPhone
5/1/10
Awww this was my due date last year. Of course this was not the day my baby was born. He was stubborn right from day one, or day negative 4 ;)
Today we went to the zoo. Drew liked it. We went to the petting zoo and saw all kinds of farm animals. Drew was afraid of the goats but I wasn't surprised. He doesn't like new things and the goats wanted to eat his shoe laces. Poor little Drew, he just got those shoes he didn't want a big ole goat gobbling them up. Then we saw cows and they mooed at us. He really liked that. After that we saw chickens and 4 day old chicks. He even got to touch the chicks. He wanted to grab them so bad but we just had to touch with our fingers. We saw a horse but he didn't care about him at all and we saw tiny baby goats getting fed with a bottle, they were so cute. But Drew's favorite animal and new word is geese. But silly baby still calls one goose a geese, silly baby ;)
After the zoo we went to Jimmy John's and Drew tried to steal mommy's sub!!!
Today we went to the zoo. Drew liked it. We went to the petting zoo and saw all kinds of farm animals. Drew was afraid of the goats but I wasn't surprised. He doesn't like new things and the goats wanted to eat his shoe laces. Poor little Drew, he just got those shoes he didn't want a big ole goat gobbling them up. Then we saw cows and they mooed at us. He really liked that. After that we saw chickens and 4 day old chicks. He even got to touch the chicks. He wanted to grab them so bad but we just had to touch with our fingers. We saw a horse but he didn't care about him at all and we saw tiny baby goats getting fed with a bottle, they were so cute. But Drew's favorite animal and new word is geese. But silly baby still calls one goose a geese, silly baby ;)
After the zoo we went to Jimmy John's and Drew tried to steal mommy's sub!!!
4/29 - It all sounds so simple
It sounds so simple: Have a baby, take care of baby, entertain baby, repeat ad nauseam. When I was pregnant I started reading books about how to take care of baby. The books were pretty good, how to bathe, how to dress, how to feed, burp, change diapers. Pretty much everything you can think of these books told you. Some people probably find this information too basic and therefore these books boring but I needed this information. I am the youngest in my family, I had no younger siblings, no younger cousins, no nieces or nephews that were around, no friends with babies, no parents friends with babies. Pretty much if a person was younger than me I didn't know what to do with them. I worked in a preschool for a while and loved my 4 year olds but never ever worked or spent any time at all with anyone younger than 4 years old. Then I was given a baby. What the heck do I do with a baby? The books helped me and my instincts kicked in and everything in the take care department has been wonderful. Drew has been a happy healthy baby!
Now on to the entertaining part. What do you do to entertain a baby? This is what I didn't know at all. I took my ideas that I used with my 4 year olds and started dumbing them down. I did story time, music time, art time, food play time, sensory time, science and discovery. Drew has been exposed to a lot and has seemed to enjoy it. I've taught him words and shapes and colors and 8 times out of 10 he can hand me what I'm asking for. I taught him high five and daddy continued with down low, it's so cute. Drew knows animals and sounds and some simple songs. I have worked hard to make sure I have filled Drew's days with fun and education. Then I go out and meet other people and they ask Drew to do "So Big" What the heck is so big? Apparently it's when you say how big is baby and the baby lifts their arms and you say so big. Hmmm, never ever have I seen anyone do this. Then again it would be pretty silly to do it with a 4 year old. So no, sorry my kid doesn't do so big. Then they ask can he patty-cake. Hmmm, no he can't do that either. I kinda forgot about that one when doing my little songs with him and besides is it baker's man or baker's mad? I don't even know the words. Do I mark it with a B for baby or a D for Drew? But Drew can do spider and rain and sun for the itsy bitsy spider. He can do alligator and monkey and shark and swim for our other finger rhymes, He even says EIEIO. But no one asks that. He also does sign language for a few words but again people only ask silly baby things. They ask can he clap? No, no he can't clap his own hands but offer him your hands and he'll gladly move them together and apart and make them clap. Drew can color, climb stairs and come back down, throw a ball and kick it with mommy holding him up. He can say AHHHH (I taught him this because he puts things in his mouth that shouldn't be there). He can use a spoon and feed mommy with that spoon too. He drinks from a straw and can eat gogurt by himself! He helps dress and undress himself and "talks" and gestures when he wants things. He sorts toys and likes to play pick up all the toys. Drew can put things in and take things out of jars and can match socks. He initiates play, brushes teeth, and turns the pages of books. But do people ask about these things? No they make me feel bad that my child doesn't know so big. I'm pretty impressed with all he does even if he won't clap or raise his hands up!
Perhaps baby books shouldn't just tell you what your child should do but give you fun ideas to help your child get there. Poor Drew is trying to keep up with mommy's 4 year old lesson plans.
Now on to the entertaining part. What do you do to entertain a baby? This is what I didn't know at all. I took my ideas that I used with my 4 year olds and started dumbing them down. I did story time, music time, art time, food play time, sensory time, science and discovery. Drew has been exposed to a lot and has seemed to enjoy it. I've taught him words and shapes and colors and 8 times out of 10 he can hand me what I'm asking for. I taught him high five and daddy continued with down low, it's so cute. Drew knows animals and sounds and some simple songs. I have worked hard to make sure I have filled Drew's days with fun and education. Then I go out and meet other people and they ask Drew to do "So Big" What the heck is so big? Apparently it's when you say how big is baby and the baby lifts their arms and you say so big. Hmmm, never ever have I seen anyone do this. Then again it would be pretty silly to do it with a 4 year old. So no, sorry my kid doesn't do so big. Then they ask can he patty-cake. Hmmm, no he can't do that either. I kinda forgot about that one when doing my little songs with him and besides is it baker's man or baker's mad? I don't even know the words. Do I mark it with a B for baby or a D for Drew? But Drew can do spider and rain and sun for the itsy bitsy spider. He can do alligator and monkey and shark and swim for our other finger rhymes, He even says EIEIO. But no one asks that. He also does sign language for a few words but again people only ask silly baby things. They ask can he clap? No, no he can't clap his own hands but offer him your hands and he'll gladly move them together and apart and make them clap. Drew can color, climb stairs and come back down, throw a ball and kick it with mommy holding him up. He can say AHHHH (I taught him this because he puts things in his mouth that shouldn't be there). He can use a spoon and feed mommy with that spoon too. He drinks from a straw and can eat gogurt by himself! He helps dress and undress himself and "talks" and gestures when he wants things. He sorts toys and likes to play pick up all the toys. Drew can put things in and take things out of jars and can match socks. He initiates play, brushes teeth, and turns the pages of books. But do people ask about these things? No they make me feel bad that my child doesn't know so big. I'm pretty impressed with all he does even if he won't clap or raise his hands up!
Perhaps baby books shouldn't just tell you what your child should do but give you fun ideas to help your child get there. Poor Drew is trying to keep up with mommy's 4 year old lesson plans.
4/28 - The last week
I have one week left of writing about Drew's 1st year, one week. I can't believe that 51 weeks ago I was sitting her big and pregnant and now I'm sitting here stunningly beautiful with a little boy. Have I done enough? Did I make the first year count? I feel like I'm one step behind where I should be. I feel like Drew jumps to the next developmental stage just when I'm adjusting to the last one. Just when I figure out how to deal with a baby that can hold their head up, sit up, crawl, walk, etc Drew has already moved past that stage. I never get to sit down put my feet up and say ahhh I mastered being a mom at this stage. I wouldn't say I've failed but I've definitely been behind the 8 ball. I finally figured out how to entertain a crawler and now my crawler is my walker and I have to baby-proof more areas of the house and adjust to helping a walker around. People told me to enjoy the stage that my little one is in, not to wish him bigger and I really have enjoyed it, perhaps too much because I forgot to look into the future and anticipate what will happen next. That and I have no idea what is going to happen next. Just as I tossed my pregnancy book out the window since nothing fit I tossed my baby book out the window. My baby is not by the book, at all. He sat up on his own at 4 months but still doesn't sleep through the night. I wonder if those moms that you see and think to yourself wow there's a great mom, I wonder if they feel like they are great or if they feel like me?
4/26 - My little fruit bat
Drew loves to eat what mommy is eating, and not the baby version either. Check out his handy work on that apple. Pretty good for 8 tiny teeth!
4/26 - sneak peak...Baby Smash!
Here's a sample of Drew's B-day pictures. I don't have all of them back yet. I just love this montage that the photographers put together. It is amazing, but then again when you're working with a kid as cute as Drew how could it not be amazing. This was the first time he ever tasted cake. I wasn't sure he would even smash it but boy he wasted no time at all the minute I put it down he was digging in. He is a master smasher!!
4/26 - No royalties here
The other night my mom mentioned what characters my niece and nephew like and then asked what Drew likes. Hmmm, I never thought about him liking anything in particular. We don't watch TV, Drew doesn't know any characters. I didn't think this was odd, after all the APA says no TV until 2. I don't follow the NO TV rule but we only watch about 30-60 minutes a day and then it's PBS kids or his Your baby can read DVD. We have watched Sesame Street a few times but he isn't really into watching it, like wise we have seen Curious George, Martha Speaks, Sid the Science kid, and Dinosaur Train. He will look up at the TV if there's music on but other than that doesn't pay much attention. With the exception of one show, Super Why. This show is made for pre-readers but Drew loves it. He will watch for about 15 minutes without crawling away. I'm not sure what it is that he likes but we don't see it everyday and he doesn't recognize the characters in the store on their merchandise. So I have (an almost) one year old and I've paid no royalties to Disney or anyone else. I have no character merchandise, not on clothes, shoes, toys, plates, cup, nothing has characters on it. Now that I think about it I guess this is kinda strange and explains why I have such a hard time finding plain things for Drew not all charactered up. I guess the majority of early toddlers know these figures. I wonder now how long I can keep my place royalty free :)
4/24
well Drew has decided that walking is not his thing. He tried it, and like sleeping through the night he decided he would not like to do it anymore. So I have yet to see Drew walk since those other videos a week ago. That's okay, he'll get there but today was his first year pictures and he wouldn't stand or walk, so I couldn't show off his cute outfit :( Silly Drew, it's picture day! I'll have the pictures to show off in about a week, I actually went to a private photographer. I know it's so silly but it is hard to get Drew in the right spot, make him smile, and take the picture. I just wanted someone to worry about the technical aspects and I would just have fun with my baby. I can't wait to get those pictures back!
4/20 - The museum of science and industy
This week is free admission week for the museum of science and industry. It is a great museum, I highly recommend it. I had a good time but I wish it hadn't been so crowed, that's what I get for going on free day. Drew had a good time in the kid section and if it wasn't so crowded I would have let him explore other areas too.
4/20 - A mind of his own
It's funny, we have a tendency to think of babies as little lumps but guess what...babies are little people! Drew uses his brain and figures things out and has wants and needs like a regular person. Since we've started the weaning process Drew spends much less time in my lap, I mean hours less time. While I think both of us are enjoying our new freedom from the other it's not just me that misses the occasional cuddle session. I started teaching Drew sign language a while back but I admit, I slacked off. What's cool is I think this taught Drew that he can communicate through actions. Recently he's been doing this cute made up rocking sign, what he wants is to sit with mommy in the rocking chair. Sometimes he wants to eat, sometimes he just needs to cuddle. It's amazing to think that in his little brain he knew he wanted to cuddle, he knew where he wanted to cuddle and he knew how to make a rocking motion so mommy would be able to figure out where he wanted to cuddle. He is so smart! I think I'm going to have to increase my sign language usage now that he's better able to express what he wants. I'm started to get tired of hearing UUHHH too. If he knew the signs for food maybe he would use them.
My adorable little Drew bug is also watching and imitating actions. But, he isn't getting them 100%. Remember how he started playing peek-a-boo with his ears. Well now he's kissing with his eyes. Oh so silly. Whenever I give my buggy a big ole smooch I come up to his cheek, close my eyes and go Mwah right on his cheek. Now Drew will crawl right up in my face and squint his eyes closed. He doesn't kiss though, just squint the eyes. If you are playing with my baby and he squints at you, just know that you are loved :) It's probably best this way, less germs be passed around!
My adorable little Drew bug is also watching and imitating actions. But, he isn't getting them 100%. Remember how he started playing peek-a-boo with his ears. Well now he's kissing with his eyes. Oh so silly. Whenever I give my buggy a big ole smooch I come up to his cheek, close my eyes and go Mwah right on his cheek. Now Drew will crawl right up in my face and squint his eyes closed. He doesn't kiss though, just squint the eyes. If you are playing with my baby and he squints at you, just know that you are loved :) It's probably best this way, less germs be passed around!
4/18 - One small step for mankind, one big step for DREW BUG!!!
4/16 - Sensory time with flour
After a hard day of concentrating on his toys Drew needed a new adventure. Mommy pulled out the flour. I thought he would sit and play with it like he did the birdseed and sand, but no. He swished his hands back and fourth sending flour everywhere then he used the pan as a car and drove it all over the house. Oh well, flour vacuums up easy. It was really cute when he got flour on the couch and then tried to wipe it off, which only led to more flour getting on the couch. The last picture is one from earlier today that I was playing with in photoshop.
4/16/10 - Friday Photo Fun!
My last post didn't have any pictures so I thought I would make up for it with a little Friday photo shoot. Drew is such a good sport about getting his picture taken but it is still getting difficult to do it alone. By the time I place him then walk back to the camera he's moved. Time to get a tripod and a remote sensor...well I have those things, time to set them up and use them.
Enjoy my "blooming toddler" and my little whale watcher!
Enjoy my "blooming toddler" and my little whale watcher!
4/14/10 - A little about 'the girls'
Anyone who has been reading my pages from pregnancy to now has read a little about the girls. While people don't really like to talk about their boobs it is an incredibly important subject for breastfeeding moms. Hello! We are a liberal society can we all just ease up on the hush hush about breastfeeding. Geez, look at what they show on TV. I would much rather see a woman breastfeeding that see some of these music videos on MTV. Yes, I did turn on MTV because Drew likes dance music, but I then turned on the country station because the images were not what a little guy should be looking at, frankly I think they made him hungry.
As we are rounding out this first year I have been looking more into weaning. I seriously tear up when I read about weaning your child. I know I have to do it and part of me wants to do it. How could I not want to wean. I have had a booby-sucking monster on my hands for 11 months now. He's probably spent just as time attached to me as he has doing any other activity. No wait, he has spent way more time attached to me. Seriously there have been way to many nights to count where he nursed for 6-8 hours, almost continuously. It has been one heck of an adventure. It is a love/hate relationship if ever there was one but the funny thing is I am afraid to end it. I wish my boobs could talk, they would have quiet the story to tell, heck they could write their own best-selling novel.
They started this journey as cute little boobs that fit in every shirt I owned and looked fabulous in every plunging V-neck dress that I wore to hubby's work parties. As my belly grew so did the girls, for several months they were bigger than the baby bump. It was awesome. Then along came Drew....My poor boobs never stood a chance. For a long time I still had awesome boobs because they were always full. Drew ate every 90 minutes for 4 months, they had to always be full. It was a lot of work but great because think of all the calories I had to eat to keep that factory running. Now you know why I'm 10 pounds lighter than before I had him. In the beginning it wasn't easy. Besides dealing with boob emergencies I had to deal with latch issues. Drew needed to use a nipple shield for about 3 months. It was a pain in the butt but I don't think I could have survived without it. He couldn't get a good latch and when he did it would end as soon as he took a break. It made me feel bad, like I was a bad mother. I couldn't even feed my kid properly. What if I was alive back in cave man days, my baby would have starved.
Let me touch on those boob emergencies I'm talking about. Did you know that your boobs can hear? Yep, it's true. You could be in the grocery store minding your own business and some baby three isles over starts crying. Well guess what your boobs hear this and decide to try to feed that baby. This isn't usually a problem because they make those little pads for your boobs. My problem was I hated those little pads and you could see the outline of them through my shirts, so I didn't wear them. I just ended up wearing layers and hoping it would take a long time to soak through all those layers. This were usually good.
Eventually over time things worked out but now I am left with mom boobs. Yes, I said it, mom boobs. As least Vickies sells cute bras to keep things in place. They not only don't sit in the perfect position anymore one is bigger than the other because Drew preferred one side over the other but they also have battle scars. Okay, not really scars that will last but Drew definitely claimed his territory. He has bit, pinched, scratched, and squeezed his way through every feeding. You think I would stop this behavior (I did stop the biting...real fast!), but sometimes by the time you get a baby settled down, latched on and eating if they are pinching you it's okay, at least they are quiet and eating. So what I now I have small bruises all over me. I have a quiet baby. He wasn't pinching me to be mean, he rolled the fabric of my shirt in his fingers most times but when I was wearing something that he couldn't get his hands on he used my skin as an alternative. In the early months Drew would squeeze me like I was a cake decorating bag. I'm not sure if he did it to make the milk come out faster or if he just liked doing it. It was pretty amusing though. Around 8 months he stopped doing that and just started beating me while he was eating. Seriously he would be eating and punching me. It was very cute to watch a milk coma baby try to punch the boobs. Oh about the milk coma, do bottle fed babies get this? As soon as Drew would latch on and he would get those first mouthfulls of milk his eyes would roll back in his head and he would smile. Now he doesn't do that but he giggles. I love when he laughs and eats, so stinkin' cute!
Now Drew is 11 months and we've moved past any latch on problems and are into a new territory. Drew knows where the boobs are and how to get them out. This is one reason this relationship much end soon. Drew has no problem reaching in my shirt looking for a little snack. Again I have to dress in layers because I know little hands will go searching if I am holding him. We are also a new phase. There are all kinds of holds that they teach you at breastfeeding class but Drew has come up with some new ones. He uses me like a jungle gym and twists his body like a contortionist while still trying to stay attached to me. It is time to end this but it is so hard.
I truly feel sorry for moms that don't breastfeed. I have loved the closeness of it, the cuddle time, the connection that Drew and I have because of it. I have kept my baby healthy for his first year of life, he hasn't needed antibiotics and he only had a mild fever once, just once in a whole year. I've also saved our family more than $2000 this year by not using formula. We have never bought formula, we only own 3 bottles and never replaced the newborn nipples, we never had to wash and sterilize bottles and my baby never got attached to a pacifier, I was his source of comfort and food whenever he wanted me. I always made time for him whether it was in my car, in a dressing room, or in a secluded corner at the zoo. While this was tough on me I would do it again in a heartbeat with another child. But before that happens my boobs just need a vacation!
As we are rounding out this first year I have been looking more into weaning. I seriously tear up when I read about weaning your child. I know I have to do it and part of me wants to do it. How could I not want to wean. I have had a booby-sucking monster on my hands for 11 months now. He's probably spent just as time attached to me as he has doing any other activity. No wait, he has spent way more time attached to me. Seriously there have been way to many nights to count where he nursed for 6-8 hours, almost continuously. It has been one heck of an adventure. It is a love/hate relationship if ever there was one but the funny thing is I am afraid to end it. I wish my boobs could talk, they would have quiet the story to tell, heck they could write their own best-selling novel.
They started this journey as cute little boobs that fit in every shirt I owned and looked fabulous in every plunging V-neck dress that I wore to hubby's work parties. As my belly grew so did the girls, for several months they were bigger than the baby bump. It was awesome. Then along came Drew....My poor boobs never stood a chance. For a long time I still had awesome boobs because they were always full. Drew ate every 90 minutes for 4 months, they had to always be full. It was a lot of work but great because think of all the calories I had to eat to keep that factory running. Now you know why I'm 10 pounds lighter than before I had him. In the beginning it wasn't easy. Besides dealing with boob emergencies I had to deal with latch issues. Drew needed to use a nipple shield for about 3 months. It was a pain in the butt but I don't think I could have survived without it. He couldn't get a good latch and when he did it would end as soon as he took a break. It made me feel bad, like I was a bad mother. I couldn't even feed my kid properly. What if I was alive back in cave man days, my baby would have starved.
Let me touch on those boob emergencies I'm talking about. Did you know that your boobs can hear? Yep, it's true. You could be in the grocery store minding your own business and some baby three isles over starts crying. Well guess what your boobs hear this and decide to try to feed that baby. This isn't usually a problem because they make those little pads for your boobs. My problem was I hated those little pads and you could see the outline of them through my shirts, so I didn't wear them. I just ended up wearing layers and hoping it would take a long time to soak through all those layers. This were usually good.
Eventually over time things worked out but now I am left with mom boobs. Yes, I said it, mom boobs. As least Vickies sells cute bras to keep things in place. They not only don't sit in the perfect position anymore one is bigger than the other because Drew preferred one side over the other but they also have battle scars. Okay, not really scars that will last but Drew definitely claimed his territory. He has bit, pinched, scratched, and squeezed his way through every feeding. You think I would stop this behavior (I did stop the biting...real fast!), but sometimes by the time you get a baby settled down, latched on and eating if they are pinching you it's okay, at least they are quiet and eating. So what I now I have small bruises all over me. I have a quiet baby. He wasn't pinching me to be mean, he rolled the fabric of my shirt in his fingers most times but when I was wearing something that he couldn't get his hands on he used my skin as an alternative. In the early months Drew would squeeze me like I was a cake decorating bag. I'm not sure if he did it to make the milk come out faster or if he just liked doing it. It was pretty amusing though. Around 8 months he stopped doing that and just started beating me while he was eating. Seriously he would be eating and punching me. It was very cute to watch a milk coma baby try to punch the boobs. Oh about the milk coma, do bottle fed babies get this? As soon as Drew would latch on and he would get those first mouthfulls of milk his eyes would roll back in his head and he would smile. Now he doesn't do that but he giggles. I love when he laughs and eats, so stinkin' cute!
Now Drew is 11 months and we've moved past any latch on problems and are into a new territory. Drew knows where the boobs are and how to get them out. This is one reason this relationship much end soon. Drew has no problem reaching in my shirt looking for a little snack. Again I have to dress in layers because I know little hands will go searching if I am holding him. We are also a new phase. There are all kinds of holds that they teach you at breastfeeding class but Drew has come up with some new ones. He uses me like a jungle gym and twists his body like a contortionist while still trying to stay attached to me. It is time to end this but it is so hard.
I truly feel sorry for moms that don't breastfeed. I have loved the closeness of it, the cuddle time, the connection that Drew and I have because of it. I have kept my baby healthy for his first year of life, he hasn't needed antibiotics and he only had a mild fever once, just once in a whole year. I've also saved our family more than $2000 this year by not using formula. We have never bought formula, we only own 3 bottles and never replaced the newborn nipples, we never had to wash and sterilize bottles and my baby never got attached to a pacifier, I was his source of comfort and food whenever he wanted me. I always made time for him whether it was in my car, in a dressing room, or in a secluded corner at the zoo. While this was tough on me I would do it again in a heartbeat with another child. But before that happens my boobs just need a vacation!
4/13/10 - Smooth sailing
I am so glad the 10-11 month evils are done. I don't know what was going on but Drew's entire 10th month he was just a bear. He is back to his happy self. He is really a good boy. He wasn't a good baby, he didn't do anything that I expected a baby to do, you know, like sleep. But as we move into the toddler phase I can see he really is a sweet little boy. He's so goofy too. He even has comic timing. He waits to smile or react, it's like a comedian pausing before the punch line. He has been covering up his ears a lot lately. I really thought he had an ear infection that the Dr's were missing. I finally realized that my boy plays peek-a-boo by covering his ears. So silly. As I type right now he's offering his reflection some bagel and dancing to Eric Clapton. I love being home with Drew. If he was at day care I would miss out on this stuff. He also just needs things sometimes. Like today after nap he was well rested and well fed but crying and whining. I don't know what daycare would have done, just let him be miserable? I gave him a frozen bagel and the world was right again. I guess he just wanted something cold. I'm so worried that I'm not doing something I should be doing. I want Drew to be smart so I read to him and tell him the names of things. I try to show him how to do things, like play with the shape sorter and some things he gets but some he just doesn't get yet. He looks at me puzzled when I use the shape sorter then takes the top off and tosses all the shapes in. Like he's wondering why I'm doing it the hard way. He understands words but isn't one for following directions yet. When I tell him No or come here he looks at me, smiles, laughs and crawls away as fast as he can. It's funny but I have to bite my tongue not to laugh at him. I don't want him to think that is how you respond when someone says no. I am trying to get him to talk more. I thought at one babies could say more words so I've been working really hard on his vocabulary. He can say a lot of words but isn't consistent on it and they aren't very clear. I understand him but strangers would think he's just babbling. He says cat, dog, mama, and dada. He's pretty clear on those. But he also says cracker, tongue, kitty (and he knows a kitty and a cat are the same thing. Also, if he hears a cat meow in the other room he stops looks and says cat). We're working on goose, duck, and bird. He says something when he sees those animals but it isn't always the same. I was worried until I looked up what a one year old should be able to say and it was like 1-5 words. Phew, Drew is a smarty pants :) Not to sound like the bragging mom let me just tell you my smarty also likes to eat mulch and drag his forehead down the glass sliding door. Yep, this is the next Rhodes Scholar we're looking at. Harvard will be so proud to have him amongst their student body. Right now my future Ivy League student is throwing fisher price little people at the cats. Why this is so entertaining I don't know but the cats seems to like it too.
Drew was watching out the front door today when the recycling truck came. He thought it was great, he was happy and yelling Ga while he watched. Then the man picked up our bin, dumped our recyclables into the truck and drove off. Drew burst into tears. I guess he didn't want anyone to take our stuff. I told him it was okay but he needed a cuddle after that. He's so sensitive.
Sleep is getting better, finally. Drew only woke up once to eat last night. I know books and doctors say that a 12 month old doesn't need to eat at night but I think he does. He doesn't eat much food and he's a growing boy. 12 hours is a long time to go without eating. Sometimes I can hear his little tummy growl at 3am when I go in there. You're telling me to let the poor baby cry and try to fall back to sleep with an empty tummy. It's just easier to feed him and make him happy, then he sleeps until just after 7am.
Sensory Time...Drew played with birdseed tonight, there's a video up but you might want to mute it...the wind is super loud! Also when he is looking away it's because the geese are honking and he's watching them. He loved it. Mommy decided to pull this out after he crawled over to my veggies and started pulling dirt out of one pot and putting it into another. It would have been fine but he was pulling my carrot seeds/seedlings up too. I guess he wants to be a little gardener like mommy. At least now when my plants don't grow I'll have an excuse :)
***Tonight we mourn the loss of a great friend, the jump-a-drew, Drew's jumper. My little Drew bug is finally too tall to safely jump in it. He can stand flat-footed and it becomes a safety hazard when they can stand like that. Sigh, how I have loved that jumper. I think even more than Drew. It's been the best exercise/baby prison devise created. What will I do? Where will I put him when I need to shower, need a break, need to make dinner, need to pee! Please shrink another inch Drew, please! I'm not ready to not have any baby prison! Good bye dear friend, you will be missed *tear*
4/11/10 - Look what Drew can do now
Drew can crawl up the stairs, don't worry I don't let him do it alone. I'm teaching him how to come down backwards but that's hard to learn. He also started a fun new game. It's called lets throw things down the stairs and try to hit the cats. It's really funny, when he actually hits the cats he laughs out loud. What a boy.
I also have a video of Drew playing drums on the rubbermaid bin, very cute and then he plays peek-a-boo at the end. I had a video of him playing peek-a-boo with the fire last night but it didn't come out :( He was in his pack and play and would bend down then pop up and look at the fire and laugh. He did this for a long time. I guess he likes the patio and fire pit as much as we do!
I also have a video of Drew playing drums on the rubbermaid bin, very cute and then he plays peek-a-boo at the end. I had a video of him playing peek-a-boo with the fire last night but it didn't come out :( He was in his pack and play and would bend down then pop up and look at the fire and laugh. He did this for a long time. I guess he likes the patio and fire pit as much as we do!
4/10/10 - spent the day outside
4/9/10 - It's patio day!
We are finally getting a brick patio!!!!
4/8/10 - Bad mother moment caught on tape
Okay so earlier today I posted a very long blog about packing up Drew's clothes. It took a bit of time to post that and find old pictures. I decided to give the cats some treats and then wondered where Drew went....oops...Drew likes Greenies too.
4/8/10 - cleaning house
Well it's been 11 months and I've decided that Drew isn't getting any smaller and his clothes aren't getting any bigger. I guess it's time to face the fact that my buggy will never wear some of his clothes ever again. It's time to clean up his room and pack away his clothes. Sigh, so sad. My mom used to quote something from carter's, if they could just stay little until their carter's wore out. I thought it was cute but guess I didn't really get it until now. Drew had grown up so fast and when I was folding up his clothes, folding up my memories, I realized that I did want him to stay little until these cute little carter's outfits wore out. I'm sure they would last a few years, that would be good for me. It was particularly sad packing up his clothes so I thought I would share some of my sadness with you guys...
Drew came home from the hospital in this outfit. It feels like so long ago when I think about that day but when I hold that little outfit it seems like I just brought my little boy home. Then I look up and see my little baby walking with his lion. Sigh. Here's Drew modeling his outfit. I guess as much as it felt like his head came out full size it really was smaller, the hat doesn't quite fit.
Drew came home from the hospital in this outfit. It feels like so long ago when I think about that day but when I hold that little outfit it seems like I just brought my little boy home. Then I look up and see my little baby walking with his lion. Sigh. Here's Drew modeling his outfit. I guess as much as it felt like his head came out full size it really was smaller, the hat doesn't quite fit.
Then there's this outfit. I loved this outfit. It has a bib that matches it that says mommy's little guy. I held it up to my little guy...I don't think it will still fit.
How could I not post this outfit, it went to the hospital with us just in case he didn't fit the zebra one or something. It's white with green stars and has a t-shirt and blanket that matches too. There's my baby showing it off to everyone, he wore this outfit a lot. If there's such a thing for a lot when it's newborn size.
Do I have to put this one away. This is the one that started it all...this is the outfit that started me calling him buggy. Pretty funny because there aren't any bugs on it. Haha. It's because he would curl up on the floor and wiggle his arms and legs and he looked like a rolly polly bug to me. I love these jammies. Drew wore them all the time. They are newborn size too. I didn't buy a lot of newborn size clothes and I didn't get many for shower gifts, people told me they grow so fast it was silly but then I got my little guy home and he was slow to gain weight and I had no clothes that fit him. So Gary and I went to Target. This old man fell in love with Drew and called his wife over to oooh and aaaah over our cute little bug. I then decided that I would buy anything cheap in newborn size, I didn't care what it looked like. These jammies were on the clearance rack and I just loved them. I loved the colors and the dino on them. There was a tear in my eye as I put them away today.
Next I folded up this outfit. I bought when I found out I was pregnant the first time. It was on sale at Carson's and I just had to have it. When I miscarried I must have folded this outfit a million times, just over and over wondering if my baby will ever wear this. It was so special to see my little Drew bug wearing these. I loved that it had 'feet' on the feet. It was so cute. I waited so long to see my baby in these and he wore them for such a short period of time.
Then I folded up these gator outfits. For some reason I love gators on baby clothes. I have an 18 month shirt with gators on it that I'm waiting to break out. The blue tank top Drew wore the first time he lifted his head up. The other one isn't attached to any specific memory but I liked it and learned that I liked Drew in bright green.
Then there's this outfit, Drew wore this the very first time he went to the zoo. I love the zoo, I can't wait to take Drew back this summer so he can actually look around and see the people and the animals.
Next I put away this little outfit. I put it on Drew when I wanted him to be dressy, it had a collar :)
He wore this the first time mommy and him went to an outdoor concert. It was boogie-woogie bugle boy type music and Drew fell asleep. Silly baby. They had the best food at this park and these awesome frozen fruit bars for $1. I think I'll have to go back this summer.
He wore this the first time mommy and him went to an outdoor concert. It was boogie-woogie bugle boy type music and Drew fell asleep. Silly baby. They had the best food at this park and these awesome frozen fruit bars for $1. I think I'll have to go back this summer.
Progress was slow today, I spent way to much time thinking about my baby and not enough time actually cleaning. I came across this little sweater. Drew wore this for Mother's Day. My mom and I went to the Morton Arboretum for a special brunch. We were 30 minutes late but we made it with a 5 day old!
Then I packed away this little outfit. Drew wore it to daddy's company picnic. He was so cute!
Then I packed away his first swim suit.
I packed away this outfit. This is what Drew wore to his first pumpkin farm. I guess there are so many memories because ever time he wore something it was his first time doing something. Even if it was sitting on the couch, it was his first time. I am noticing that I am not attached to his bigger outfits as much and I think it's because I spent so long looking for and picking out baby clothes but as Drew grew I had to keep up with dressing him so purchases were just whatever I liked that I could afford, there really wasn't the time to wash and fold and savor every outfit.
In the box went this sweater. Drew wore this the first time he played in the fall leaves.
Next I packed away this shirt, I thought it was funny and Drew wore it when he met my best friend Mary on his first trip to Washington DC
Finally, the last one that I'll post is the St. Bernard sweater. St. Bernards hold a special place for my family and Alex and Zoh had this same sweater when they were little.
So that's it, I could have accomplished more if I just tossed stuff in the box and didn't blog about it but I know some of you would like to reminisce about the past too.
4/7/10 - Time to get creative
Drew is almost a year old, and as much as I would like to ignore this fact I have to face it head on and get him sleeping in his own bed. He spends all night laying next to me and nursing on and off. It's done, it's over. Mommy's diner is now closing, it is not 24 hours anymore. The last few nights have been tough. So tough in fact that I ended up laying in his crib until he fell asleep Monday night. Last night was slightly better and he did sleep 4 hours in his crib. I know he can do it, he just doesn't want to. My goal is by his birthday he will be spending 90% of the nights in his crib. I understand and am okay with him joining me in my bed again when he hits a bad spot. We all have days we just don't want to be alone.
I am also giving up and keeping up with my scrapbook. It's making me frustrated and making my house a mess. I just can't pull everything out, Drew gets into it and I have no place to keep it all. So I'm going to put it away and work on it every couple of months. I'll still be able to keep up pretty good. I am not the type of person that can just put projects away though. I love scrapbook and photography because I love making things. I am a creative person and playing with Drew all day doesn't scratch my creative itch. I've decided I'm going to make Drew a stuffed bunny for his 1st Birthday (or close to it if I can't finish on time). I think it will be really special to have something mommy made and I'll get to do something creative! I found this yo-yo bunny that I fell in love with, Drew would adore it, he loves tags and the yo-yos are strung on heavy string so they move around like tags. I wanted to just buy it but it was almost $60! I know, it's hand crafted, blah blah blah. So I figured for less than $60 I can make my own. I went out and bought this cool plastic ring to help make the yo-yos. I know my grandmas and great grandmas who used to sew are probably tssking me right now for spending money on this plastic ring, after all they made these things with no help. But sorry Grandmas this thing is the coolest piece of plastic in the sewing store. I whipped off a yo-yo in about 3 minutes! I was so excited. I don't have to trace fabric in circles or try to keep my stitches the same length or same distance, this plastic guide does everything. I love it! I can see my house filling with yo-yos as we speak (as I type). I can't wait to get enough yo-yos for the bunny...you need about 100. Wish me luck! And if the bunny turns out so awesome that you want one too, I'll sell you one for $60...after all it's handcrafted and made with love. Haha! :)
I am also giving up and keeping up with my scrapbook. It's making me frustrated and making my house a mess. I just can't pull everything out, Drew gets into it and I have no place to keep it all. So I'm going to put it away and work on it every couple of months. I'll still be able to keep up pretty good. I am not the type of person that can just put projects away though. I love scrapbook and photography because I love making things. I am a creative person and playing with Drew all day doesn't scratch my creative itch. I've decided I'm going to make Drew a stuffed bunny for his 1st Birthday (or close to it if I can't finish on time). I think it will be really special to have something mommy made and I'll get to do something creative! I found this yo-yo bunny that I fell in love with, Drew would adore it, he loves tags and the yo-yos are strung on heavy string so they move around like tags. I wanted to just buy it but it was almost $60! I know, it's hand crafted, blah blah blah. So I figured for less than $60 I can make my own. I went out and bought this cool plastic ring to help make the yo-yos. I know my grandmas and great grandmas who used to sew are probably tssking me right now for spending money on this plastic ring, after all they made these things with no help. But sorry Grandmas this thing is the coolest piece of plastic in the sewing store. I whipped off a yo-yo in about 3 minutes! I was so excited. I don't have to trace fabric in circles or try to keep my stitches the same length or same distance, this plastic guide does everything. I love it! I can see my house filling with yo-yos as we speak (as I type). I can't wait to get enough yo-yos for the bunny...you need about 100. Wish me luck! And if the bunny turns out so awesome that you want one too, I'll sell you one for $60...after all it's handcrafted and made with love. Haha! :)
4/5/10 - Daddy plays with baby and camera
4/5/10 - Happy 11 months baby!
This is it, the last page to Drew's website. It doesn't seem like that long ago I was writing the last page on my storkwatch site (http://storkwatch.weebly.com/). I named Drew's page before he was born thinking my baby would be little, boy was I wrong. My little guy Drew turned into my big guy Drew! He's almost 23 pounds, which I guess is pretty normal but he's been 22 pounds since Christmas. He would have gained weight but he decided a few months ago to stop eating. I've been stressed about it but he still gets plenty of breastmilk so even if he only eats 3 kernels of corn and 10 goldfish crackers all day at least I know he's still getting all his nutrients. While I type this my little buggy is sleeping in my lap, just like he was for my first update on here. I guess not much has changed :) He still cries a lot, still wants milkie all the time, still sleeps with mommy. Yep, he's still my little Drew bug.
To celebrate turning 11 months old I took Drew to the park. He loves being outside. Here's some pictures of our day.
To celebrate turning 11 months old I took Drew to the park. He loves being outside. Here's some pictures of our day.
