Adventures with Antonio Part 2

I've had this blogs in draft form (updated last on 9/10/12) for quite some time. Below is an old video (captured 8-16-2012) of Antonio playing with Abuela. He absolutely loves playing log. Log is usually played by one of us laying on the floor and pretending to allow Antonio to push/herd us around the house. He gets a kick out of it. I'm not sure why but I'm learning that the most simple things entertain Antonio.

HE TOOK TWO STEPS

So this weekend the cub took two steps. Antonio prefers to walk around with the use of his little fisher price walker toy (I have no idea what that thing is called but it's pictured to the left). He usually uses it to get as close to his desired location as possible then crawls the remaining inches to the sofa or table or whatever object he wants to explore. Well, this weekend instead of closing the gap crawling he made two little steps. Since then he has taken little steps on two different occasions. I mean I'm not counting or anything....proud mommy here. Due to the fact that these moments have just spontaneously occurred I haven't been able to capture this on video. Stay tuned!...

Mommyhood

The cub is officially 11 months tomorrow. I have one month to plan this birthday gathering and get the invitations sent. I've been completely slacking. Every weekend I commit to going to the store to get the supplies to make his invitations. Although I'm not planning anything huge or extravagant, I do want really special and cute invitations to go out to everyone. I'm really big on stationery and scrapbooks. I've searched for some already made invitations but I haven't fallen in love with anything yet which is why I committed to making them myself. Problem...I've been way behind on my tasks. If I don't get this done ASAP I will have to use one of the less desirable already made invites. I've scheduled family and friends for next Sunday to come to my house and assemble invites. Maybe this will force me to get the ball rolling.

I can't believe my cub is one month from turning a year old. I still feel like it was only recently that I learned I was pregnant. Every one warns you that the time flies and of course it does. I say this all the time...but there is something different about time and your own child. I never feel like there are enough hours in the day or enough days in the week. Now apparently there aren't enough months in a year. I'm excited for this milestone. These past months have taught me so much and have challenged me in ways I never thought imaginable. I was honestly one of those people that questioned when hearing someone say that motherhood changed them for the better. I don't know why but small parts of me always felt like the raw material had to already be good in order for someone to be a good parent. These past months with my cub have really changed my perspective on a lot of things. Being a mommy shaped me and improved me in ways I never considered.

It's amazing how becoming a parent really exposes your deepest insecurities and force you to address them. It's also forced me to really examine myself and question the things that I have always merely accepted. I've always been an extremely reactionary person (I'm not sure if reactionary is a word but just follow me for a second). When I say reactionary I mean I tend to react and respond impulsively and instinctively with little logic or rationale. I'm the person that swats at objects in the air during a 3D movie. I know the items aren't actually there but I tend to just react. The same is true in conversation. I have no poker face. Something is said and I react and respond. Well for those that have children you know better than most that you just can't react to every little thing. I'm learning to absorb things, analyze, then react. I'm learning patience (a baby with colic will definitely do that for you). I promise patience is a big one for me.

I'm learning to let go and be OK with making mistakes. As the oldest child I have a control issue and believe me people with control issues do not handle making mistakes well. Mostly because we feel had we controlled the situation better the mistake would not have happened. Also, as a control freak we leave no room for error. Well, again as a parent you just can't live like that. I believe in precaution and operating in excellence but I've also found along this journey that some of the "mistakes" I made allowed me to see that my cub is resilient even for a 10 month old. I also saw that as I let go of the reins a little room was created for joys I would have never experienced had I stayed so controlled.

I think the biggest change for me has been learning to lean on and trust others. Again that oldest child thing as well as control freak always made me try to tackle things alone. Even with a great team backing me, I would take on more than I had to and often ignore my team all together. I've learned to say "I need". They say you should never say "can't" and I believe maybe they got it wrong. It's all in the spirit of the "can't". I think it's perfectly fine to realize your limitations and say "this may be beyond what I am capable of". Where I think it goes wrong is ending at that thought. The next thought should be "what are the resources in place to overcome this barrier/limitation/obstacle". For me I've been drawing more strength from God, my family, and friends. This is different for me because I am so accustomed to being the rock. I must say it's a relief.

If I've come this far in 11 months I'm excited to see what the next year holds as I prepare for life with a toddler. Yikes!

Night Terrors

If you've followed my adventures with my cub from the beginning, you may recall a little rant about colic. In the beginning my cub had a short bout of colic. It was quite a journey for us and not one my favorite times as a new parent. One thing I have loved about our cub is his ease with naps and bedtime. My cub is the ideal baby when it comes to sleep. He started sleeping through the night around four months and it has been pure bliss since that time. We have a routine: bath, book, bottle, bed. After we read to him and he has his last bottle we lay him down for the night and that's it. No rocking or crying. That is until this past Tuesday night. We were sleeping peacefully in our room when we heard a piercing cry come over the baby monitor. I went into the cub's room and found him partially sitting up crying hysterically. I tried patting his back to calm him then I tried singing his favorite song. I even picked him up and held him close to me and rocked him. All to no avail. He absolutely could not be comforted. The hysterics intensified so I took him into the room with the Husband so we could examine him and make sure he didn't somehow hurt himself in his crib. We couldn't find anything. All the while my cub cried and I'm talking the kind of crying that makes you want to call an ambulance and go straight to the hospital. I of course started to freak out imagining the worst and maybe even the impossible. I realized that my son's eyes were open but it didn't seem that he was aware of our presence or of where he was. He had this blank disconnected stare yet he had the most gut wrenching cry. I literally went to pieces inside. The Husband took the cub and tried to console him while I sat in the chair in my room wrestling with taking the cub to the emergency room. Each shrill ripped a new chunk from my heart. I don't cry often and I was near tears. I felt so lost, confused, and afraid, mostly afraid. This was NOTHING like colic. Seriously, I'll take night after night of colic over what was happening. There was something different about this incessant crying. I can't really explain it. I tried laying him in the bed with me and we even went to his room to get his favorite blanket. I turned on the "Colors of the Wind" song from Pocahontas. This was the song I tried singing to him early on in the episode and he didn't respond but playing it seemed to do something. He slowly returned to us and stopped crying. His stare was still distant. We put the song on repeat and I rocked him, making sure to keep him close to my heart. He finally looked up at me and then took his tiny finger and traced the contours of mouth. Finally, he was aware and with us. His breathing returned to normal and then suddenly he was my energetic bouncy little boy, smiling and trying to play with us. We were so relieved that we didn't even care that it was now well after 1 a.m. in the morning. Once we were sure he was OK and back to  normal we debated putting him back in his crib. By rule we do not co sleep so this would have been a first. The sweet giggles of our son convinced us that if we did not put him back in his crib this was going to turn into an all night event. It took a while for him to go back to sleep. We were up too of course discussing what happened. Before we fell asleep it was decided....we were taking off the next morning to go to the doctor. The end result is apparently the cub suffers from night terrors. Over the past couple of weeks there were other moments where he awakened from his sleep crying but never like this. The doctor was hesitant to consider night terrors due to the cub's age. Apparently night terrors are more likely to occur after age one. At 10 months it is more common for him to have separation anxiety. The separation anxiety was quickly ruled out due to the fact that the crying does not stop once he is no longer separated from us. Also, the duration of the event. The bad one lasted almost 30 minutes. Lastly, the blank stare or disconnect. I can't really properly phase it right now. All these are classic night terror characteristics. Like colic there is nothing you can do. Essentially we are not to wake him up. We have to comfort him, keep him safe, and wait it out. Oh and this can last up to age 8. The frequency of occurrence varies. He may have several a week or one a month. Last tidbit that I found most interesting...they're hereditary. So after speaking to my mom I learned I used to have night terrors too. They lasted until I went to preschool. Parents have to disclose these kinds of things.

Sour Patch Baby

I often laugh at those silly sour patch kids candy commercials. I mean some of them are downright hilarious to me. My favorite one being the one where the sour patch kid cuts the little girl's hair in her sleep. I'm actually smiling thinking about it. For those that don't know the concept behind the sour patch kids candy, it's a sweet gummy candy coated with sour dust. So the whole saying is first they're sour then they're sweet. Well I happen to be raising a sour patch kid. My little cub can be a little cold sometimes. For instance he now gets a kick out of pushing my face away when I ask for a kissee (spelled how I say it). It brings him so much joy to give me the "stiff arm" as my loving Husband calls it. Sometimes he takes pity on me, the cub, and will give me a kissee after the rejection. This was the first incident in which I noticed the whole sour then sweet affect. I've now seen it in action in many different ways. Like how he will throw a temper tantrum then cuddle up in my arms ever so sweetly and make little cooing sounds. He'll also destroy something then look up at me with his big adorable eyes and the most innocent face.  Well over the weekend I captured some of his behavior on film...

First he's sour...

So my cub, for reasons unknown to us, enjoys destroying his baby wipes. Oh and generally everything goes in his mouth so he enjoys sucking on them as well. We fight all the time about the wipes but I wanted to snap him in action before I told him, "No Antonio. Don't put the wipe in your mouth".

Then he's sweet...

I tried to catch this last weekend but I'm glad I did this weekend because the cub was actually successful. So he has this new thing of trying to take his dirty diaper to the diaper pail after we change him. This time he managed to get it in the pail all by himself. So sweet!

  Oh well back to sour...

All good things must come to an end. He was so proud of himself for getting the diaper into the diaper pail I guess he wanted to shoot for other items. He first tried to put his Elmo DVD case in there but Husband told him it wouldn't fit. Thus he tried another circular item, the Wii driving wheel. Good thinking son but only diapers in the diaper pail. Now I fear I will have to dig into that thing to get the remote. Who knows what he will try to put in there.

Adventures with Antonio

I know I say this like every stage but honestly the 10 month old stage is the absolute best! I have so enjoyed my cub lately. Having a newborn and an infant is a lot of work and if I'm honest in those early days the return on investment is not always great. But now....it's absolutely amazing. Every day is a new adventure. Every day my house is cleaned to be destroyed again and I love it. The weekend before last we took Antonio to the splash park in Roswell. I've been wanting to take him for some time but I was not confident he would enjoy it. The cub hates water in his face and literally acts like he is drowning every time I wash his hair. But he absolutely loved it!!! It was such a joy to watch him play with the water. He was a little unsure of it at first and was hesitant to put his hands in the water but after a few minutes he warmed up to it and even got to the point where the water could splash in his face without him freaking out. It's so strange how much joy it brought me to watch him have fun. I always wondered how other parents sat on the sidelines while their children ran from swing to swing then to the monkey bars. Now I understand.

While the Husband was away on his guy weekend and GT vs. Va Tech trip, the cub and I had a ball playing throughout the house. He is such a fun baby. He loves rolling through the house with his little walker toy. He goes about putting various items on top of the toy then he walks through the house with his treasures. The pictures below captures some of this adventure. The other day the Husband was looking for Pancho's ball and he absolutely couldn't find it. Later on he was playing with the Cub's toy when he found he found the dog's ball in one of the compartments on the toy. Now anytime we can't find something we check all the areas our cub ventures.

I've shared that our cub is quite vocal. When he's not exploring the house, we sing together and he LOVES to sing. No surprise there. He is my son after all. Well his little singing adventure got us kicked out of the main sanctuary the other day. They were taping and of course during the more quiet moments Antonio took pride in filling the silence with his gift of song. We were politely asked to go the special area for nursing mothers and babies. I'm still sorting through my feelings about this. Needless to say my house is filled with joy. Antonio graces us every morning with his  gibberish and his beautiful attempt at singing. He already has a love for music. He loves commercials with music in them. He will stop in his tracks and stare at the TV. Sometimes he even attempts to sing along. The dramatic thespian in me couldn't be more proud.

Single Parenting

The Husband is in D.C. enjoying a guy weekend with one of his close friends. I'm glad he is having a good time but honestly this single parenting experiment has been quite an adventure. It's a little tough not having the Husband around to provide me with little breaks from the cub or to allow me to sleep a few extra minutes in the morning. It's also been a little lonely putting the cub to bed at night. We have a routine: bath, book/story time, bottle, then bed. Originally the Husband and I would bathe our son together then I would sing or read Antonio to sleep while he drank his last bottle. Well, some weeks ago Antonio demanded that the Husband stay for the last part. Since then after Antonio's bath the Husband and I complete the routine together.

This has been a most interesting weekend to have the Husband away. On Thursday evening we noticed a weird rash on Antonio's leg. We went to see his doctor on Friday and they couldn't confirm what was wrong. We haven't introduced anything new to Antonio in a while so I was really at a lost. Saturday after the cub's first nap we noticed new rashes on his legs  and hands. After speaking with my doctor's office I took him to the hospital. Let me tell you handling a 10 month old that loves to crawl/walk around at any given moment is no fun at a hospital. Not to mention trying to handle him while filling out all the proper paperwork.  The entire time we were there I kept wishing I had someone to help out with the cub while I handled everything.

The end result is apparently he has hives. We can't pinpoint the cause. So of course this means I came home and washed everything and wiped down every surface in Antonio's room and play area. Needless to say after I put the cub to bed last night I was dog tired. Like clockwork the sweet giggles of my cub came through the baby monitor promptly at 7:00 AM. Every cell in my body wanted to continue to lay in bed but I lacked a wonderful husband to turn to and say "your turn to get the baby". I'm sure I sound spoiled and I am willing to admit this. I've always believed that it's the small things that count and this weekend has strengthened that belief. Very small things like handing me the Vaseline while I change Antonio's diaper make a world of a difference. Not to mention I seem to always forget to grab his diapers for his diaper caddy. I ran up and down my stairs so much this weekend my legs are actually tired. Of course these trips included my cub on my hip because I had no one to supervise him while I ran back and forth retrieving things I forgot to grab. Spoiled I tell you. Single parents across the world deserve a holiday. Heck several holidays. It's only been two days and not even a full two days and I am exhausted.

Oh and the hives seem to already be improving and Antonio is doing great.

More Humble Pie

For those just tuning in I did a post shortly after the birth of my cub about eating humble pie. Quick synopsis...1) I hate having to admit when I'm wrong 2) I was arrogant to think I didn't need a class or book to help me with breastfeeding 3) Breastfeeding ended up being a challenge for me and I had to eat my words hence the whole humble pie thing. The link to that post which I find hilarious now is pasted below.

http://cassandracorner.blogspot.com/2011/11/breastfeeding-and-humble-pie.html

Well, I'm eating some more of that good humble pie. Before becoming a parent there were many things I observed of other parents and in my little to no knowledge arrogant mind concluded I would never do. I made judgements and accusations that let's just say I shouldn't have. Now that I know what I know and the shoe is on the other foot I'm once gain having to take large chunks of humble pie and I'm eradicating from my mouth the sentences "I will never be one of those parents..." and "I bet you my child would never..". Too often I've said these words and basically I've become "that parent". For example, I used to watch parents in restaurants as their child made a mess while eating. I watched  parents hand the child item after item to try to distract or entertain the child. All the while, I would say to those around, "I will never be one of those parents". Well, I am that parent. When we go out I always take Antonio's high chair cover, table mat, plenty of toys, and a variety of food. I have learned that what my cub gobbled down on Monday he may only nibble at on Tuesday. I've also learned that the toy he loves on Wednesday can become the toy that bores him on Thursday. That being said I also pack various toys or items that will entertain him. I am "that parent" offering her child several things to see which one will catch his fancy. I am "that parent" with a bunch of stuff for one child. I am "that parent" whose child has ripped napkin paper into shreds, threw Gerber cheese puffs on the floor, and knocked his cheerios of his place mat onto the floor. Motherhood has been quite a humbling experience for me. I've never considered myself to be arrogant but a know-it-all was a different matter. I'm honestly working on this though because like I've said....I hate eating humble pie. Check out the video. Just another example of me being one of those parents.

Family Gatherings and Car Shopping in One Weekend....Whew!!

We had a wonderful weekend. I'm finally getting that feeling of loving being a mom. I've loved my cub since the day I learned I was pregnant but honestly I haven't felt like a mom until recently. I don't know why that is. Maybe partly because I didn't feel like I was doing anything special. But now...it's such an adventure and every day with my cub brings something new. I often find myself sitting and smiling as I watch him cruise around the house or play with/investigate a new toy. I think we have a future engineer on our hands. I can't explain the way Antonio interacts with objects. It's something you have to witness. He seriously takes everything, and I mean everything, twist in his chubby little hands and does a full investigation of it before he actually plays with it. It's almost as if he wants to know how each nook and cranny works before putting it into action. Even more hilarious is the way he furrows his eyebrows as he investigates. I love it. He definitely got this trait from the daddy because the mommy is impulsive and was the kid that would start playing with something and not even know all of its functions and capabilities. I'm still like that. I swear the other day I just learned a new feature on my phone and I've had it for almost a year now. The Husband scolds me about this all the time. Especially with new CDs. I will go straight to the songs I know, play the heck out of only them, and it could be months later before I discover the other songs on the album. This usually happens when I hear someone play a song and I like it and ask "ooh when did Beyonce release that song" and they reply "on her first album". Then I go, "oh, I have that CD". Yeah, horrible I know. Sadly I'm not exaggerating. As usual I've digressed. back to my weekend.

On Saturday we had a family luncheon at a buffet place. I love the opportunity to take the cub to these huge family events because I have a huge family. I also have a young family. On my paternal side my Great Grandmother is still alive. On both sides of my family I have tons of great aunts and uncles. Antonio is fortunate to not only get to meet his grandparents but also his great grandparents as well as his great great grandmother and a ton of great great aunts and uncles. How many children are blessed with that much history? It was great watching Antonio interact with everyone. He even gave out several kisses. I was shocked and a little jealous. His kissees (that's how I pronounce it when I'm talking to Antonio)  should be only for the mommy. I'm glad to see the little charmer in him though. He knows his kisses make people smile. It brought him so much joy to have every one smile at him and squeeze him after he would kiss them. I don't want my son to sound like a Casanova or anything. He gave my sisters and my niece kisses. I usually have to beg for them so I thought this was a big deal.

After the family luncheon we headed out to some car dealerships. Unfortunately, the Husband and I are car shopping. This is a grueling process. I absolutely hate car shopping because I hate car salesmen. Why do people try to sell you the exact opposite of what you ask for. I don't mind up selling when you're talking about fries or soda. Yeah whatever ask me if I want to super size. But don't try to super size my vehicle then try to guilt me into buying the car. We took my mother and brother with us so someone could entertain the cub while we shopped for cars. I was amazed at how the cub hung in there. He was a real trooper.

Sunday was a much needed relaxation day around the house but it still held some adventures. First, Antonio stood on his own for like 3 seconds. I know I know big deal right. Well in new mommy world...YES! I was very proud. Second, Antonio tried to brush the Husband's teeth. This little act came with a bonus feature...he tried to brush the Husband's teeth with a baby hair brush. It was too cute. I also got to see his interpretation of how we groom him. He would literally take his little chubby hand and pull at the Husband's mouth until it parted then he would swiftly try to put the hair brush in the mouth. It was too funny. Lastly, the whole kid feeding the dog during dinner thing has already started. I thought I would have like 3-5 years before having to deal with this. My cub actually took some of his cookie and tried to feed it to my dog Pancho. I tried to get a picture of this to share but the camera was dead. No matter how much we said no and don't feed Pancho, Antonio was adamant about sharing his food with Pancho. They are already a dynamic duo. I'm both excited and scared about the adventures that partnership will bring. Well enough blabbering for now. Here are some great pics from our weekend.



The Husband pulled him through the house in this box. I don't know why we bother to buy toys. The cub had an absolute ball in that box. As always ignore the mess that is my house.



Some Blanket time outside. As you can see we are a soccer house. Actually, we are an all sports house with soccer and footbll taking the lead.

The Cub's new favorite toy. He likes anything that allows him to walk.

Just a few of the gang...



Playing Hookie with the Cub

I played hookie from work yesterday and it was the absolute best. The cub and I spent the entire day in Roswell hanging out with my dad and doing some light shopping. I rarely get the chance to go to Roswell. I know this sounds silly since I stay in the metro area but truthfully when you don't have a reason to go to another side of Metro-Atlanta you don't go. I can't honestly say when I was last in Roswell. I think it was when my nephew was dedicated at my old church. That was almost two years ago. Wow shame on me. They have changed a lot in the area. I was taken by surprise when I reached a roundabout at Grimes Bridge. When did that get there?! They demolished Oxbo Apartments. You can't even tell a building was there; it's just open space now. Oh and there is this fancy entrance or wall thing at the end of Oxbo Rd. I hear there is a water park or splash area at the Roswell Park by the Chattahoochee River. The cub and I didn't get the chance to go check it out but we definitely plan on doing so. They also do a movie on the lawn event like at Piedmont Park. Can we say Date Night! Oh but I have gotten off track. After I grabbed a bagel and latte from Einstein, I never get to go because there is not one by my house or job, the cub and I headed to my dad's job at the Teaching Museum North. Those of us that grew up in Roswell know this museum well due to the many field trips you take there in elementary school. That place is to us as Fernbank is to Dekalb County Schools. My dad is the Facilities Manager and Groundskeeper there and has been for like years. I should know how many years but I don't. At least 15 years though. Antonio had a blast. He thoroughly enjoyed destroying his grandpa's office as well as crawling around the museum. They have a Dr. Seuss room that he absolutely adored. Check out some of the pictures.

 

We also went to my step-grandmother's house. I shamefully admit that the last time I saw her was two years ago. It's not because I don't love her. Truthfully, I am rather self-centered. Many people in my life have shared that I don't make time for others. Those that have seen me and hung out with me in the past years have done so because they made the effort or initiated the connection. I'm slowly getting better but I recognized yesterday I need to speed up my progress. I could lie and say I don't have time to visit all the people I love but that will be exactly that a lie. You make time for what you want to make time for. Antonio enjoyed his time at his third grandma's house. How many children are blessed to say that. He even had some of her famous homemade biscuits and LOVED it. I won't let another two years go by before those two angels play together again.

Dad and I, forgetting that August 1 was scheduled as the day to show your support for Chick-fil-A, decided to go there for lunch. The crowd was absolutely crazy. I will not weigh in on this topic. Just know that going there for lunch was not our brightest idea. After lunch Antonio and I hit the stores. Roswell is one of the best areas to shop for college gear. As a Georgia Southern Eagle I have the most difficult time finding GSU gear outside of Da Boro. Roswell is the only area that seems to get this. Needless to say I walked out with me some much needed Eagle gear and something for Antonio as well. He has GT gear. They are easier to find. Not as easy as that mutt but still better than my eagle. (Sorry GA fans I married a GT engineer. Part of my wifely duties are to stomp on UGA at every opportunity. Although, as born and raised peaches we do root for UGA when they are playing other teams. It's all abut our wonderful state in my house).

Being out and about all day ruined Antonio's schedule. He was a happy baby though the entire time which I didn't expect. Normally, when he gets off schedule he turns into a monster. Much like those Snickers commercials that end with you're not yourself when you're hungry. I was proud. When we got him home he zonked out. Now it's time for me to work and I'm tired! I need a vacation day from my hookie day.

Development Comes With A Price

It's amazing how fast Antonio is developing and moving along. Last week he had his 9 month check up. Everything was great. His doctor was quite impressed with his development. Antonio, being my son, is extremely vocal and made sure to demonstrate this to the good doctor. In addition to mimicking sound, he also mimics gestures. We've been working on bye-bye with him and he does it for the most part. When I leave for work in the mornings, I always wave bye-bye and half the time he waves back. I learned at the doctor visit that he understands this gesture to mean that the person he waves at is leaving. I will explain how I know this. Antonio is a very determined baby and easily let's you know when he does not want to do something. His doctor started the usual check up routine that includes moving Antonio into positions that he hates. During the physical exam, Antonio actually grabbed the doctor's hand twice and pulled it away from his body. When the doctor continued to probe, Antonio slapped his hand. I was shocked. After the exam his doctor sat with us so we could discuss everything and I could ask my questions. About a minute into the conversation, Antonio started waving bye to the doctor. It was the first time I had seen him do the gesture without someone prompting him. I took this to mean it was time, in Antonio's mind, for the good doctor to leave.

 It's not uncommon for Antonio to demonstrate his boredom or lack of desire with something. He will attempt to slide out your arms if he is tired of you holding him. If something is offered to him that he doesn't want he pushes it away, turns his head to the side, or throws his head back while making an unusual grunt. I'm glad he is expressing himself, however, I'm learning that with babies all these great developments come with a price. Example-when I take things away from Antonio he gladly expresses his discontent by throwing himself back. Not good. I've never been fond of temper tantrums and based on current activity my cub will throw lots of them. Antonio is very mobile, crawling and cruising with the best of them. My father gave him this toy that he can push around while standing/walking and Antonio LOVES it. Since Antonio prefers to walk, but can't because he hasn't mastered that balance thing, anything that assists him in walking/standing is his best friend. At first I was thrilled by all the mobility. I mean what mom wouldn't be. Here is the price-Antonio NEVER stays still. I'm constantly running behind him as he cruises from one place to the next, of course getting into things he shouldn't. Bath time is difficult because as you know soap and water make things slippery. Antonio wants to pull to standing while in the tub and explore but the rim of the tub is of course slippery. Bath time last night was an adventure as we tried to keep him seated while he fought us and tried to stand. We then tried one of us helping him stand while the other bathe him but of course our independent cub would have none of that.  He wants to stand on his own. The result is him trying to throw himself back to let us know he doesn't approve of our assistance. I of course am frightened by him doing that because we are in the tub where he could seriously hurt himself. I'm learning to be careful of what I wish for. I think I am ready for him to talk but who knows what the flip side of that joy will be.

 The video below will be boring to most but to a me the mom I love it. Excuse my house I have a 9 month old. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Also, this was taken a couple of weeks back when Antonio was transitioning from the military crawl to what is normally expected of a crawl. Now he moves like lightening and tries to push up onto his legs to standing. They move too fast.

Church with An 8 Month Old

Oversleeping on Sunday mornings is absolutely not allowed. Here is why...

The cub has a very good schedule/routine. He usually wakes up around 7 a.m. We play for a little upstairs just to get the juices going then we head downstairs and have breakfast. We play for a bit and sometimes watch one of the Baby Einstein or Elmo DVDs. Since it is really hot out we also use this time while it is a little cooler to catch some outside time.  Around 9:30 a.m. we have a bottle/snack then he is put down for his early nap. He wakes around 11:00/11:30, has lunch around 12 noon, play for a while, and around 2:30/3:00 he has another snack then he naps. The second nap varies in length but he is always awake before 5:30. Depending on the weather (how hot it is), we go for a stroll or have blanket time outside in the grass. He has dinner around 6:00/6:30. After dinner he plays for a while then he takes a bath and is put to bed for the night before 8:00 p.m. He usually takes another small bottle right before bed but lately his bottle feedings have depended on his mood. He doesn't always take one and sometimes only drink 4-6 ounces. Well, I shared all that to say that he has a definite schedule and rarely likes deviating from it. I never set an alarm on the weekends because I know I will be up by 7 a.m. awakened by the sweet sounds of Antonio babbling. This Sunday, however, the cub decided to sleep until 8 a.m. We have to be out the house by 8:10 a.m. if we expect to make it to the church nursery in time to secure a spot. Staff is limited so they only take so many little ones. Needless to say because of Antonio oversleeping (of course no blame is on the parents) we did not make it in time for the nursery. This means Antonio had to go with us to the sanctuary. This has happened many times before but it becomes more disruptive as he gets older and his ability to sit still and quiet lessen.

First adventure...the lady with the interesting hair.
Once we selected a seat and were settling in, Antonio began to survey the land. His sights fell upon the lady sitting in the row before us. We go to a fairly big church so the sanctuary is designed with stadium seating. This means the lady's head in front of us was prime picking for Antonio's chubby little hands. Before I even realized where his attention was he had leaned forward and was centimeters from a hand full of hair. Of course The Husband and I were quick to pull his hand away and let him know that he can't grab her hair. After providing him with a distraction I took a quick glance at her hair to see what would have made him want to grab it. It was very intriguing and I could understand what would compel him to want to investigate it. I can't quite describe the texture and wanted to touch it myself.

Second adventure...the dumping of items.
So if you have been following my blog you know that the cub thoroughly enjoys music. When the choir is singing he sits perfectly still and enjoys every second of the melody. The moment they finish I believe he is inspired and thus begins his own tune. He can get quite loud so I quickly gave him a toy to silence him and occupy him so I could listen to the sermon. This does not work as well as it used to because Antonio prefers to play with items that are not appropriate nor are they toys. His first item of choice was the church bulletin. The next item was the cell phone which he attempted to throw on the floor. Then he moved to items in his diaper bag of which he would pull out an item, inspect it for 30 seconds, then throw it to the floor. The Husband did a good job at playing catch and keeping the items from rolling under the row in front of us. Eventually, his eyes landed on the cell phone of the gentleman sitting next to me. He swiftly reached for the phone and attempted to take it from the guy's lap. I of course had to apologize. I immediately thought to myself that the cub was anxious from sitting and decided to let him stand and bounce on my lap. Why did I think this? This incited the next adventure.....

Third adventure.....I got to get to that row behind me.
We were actually seated halfway up the aisle. Each aisle breaks halfway up to a walk way that leads out of the sanctuary. The walkway is wide and adorned with sitting chairs for the ushers. As the last row before this walkway, we had a mini wall behind our seats. The mini wall has plexiglass at the top. Antonio loved this. He could see the ushers through the plexiglass and it was just high enough that while standing on my lap he could reach up and hold on to the top of the wall. With pulling up being one of his new joys, he spent a good bit of his time pulling up on the wall and trying to reach the ushers seated behind us.

I'm amazed that I heard the sermon. I told the Husband that I now intend to volunteer one Sunday a month in the nursery to help with the staffing issues. I think every parent that uses the church nursery should do the same. I never fully appreciated their services until this past Sunday.

Uncles and Babies Not A Good Mix

So this won't be long. The video itself speaks volumes. Those that have brothers and children already know that uncles are truly interesting influences on babies. In my case my son is named after one of his uncles and the two of them share an odd bond. I love that they have this bond and I already forsee that my son will most likely run to him during those chaotic teenage years. The sister in me is grateful for this but the mom in me is a little scared. Here is why....

A Little Yearbook Fun

If you haven't done so in a while I strongly suggest going back to your high school yearbook and reading the words written by your fellow classmates. I just finished going through my freshmen year of high school yearbook and boy is it telling. Of course it is now 15 years old. I cannot believe it's been that long. The great thing I found in reading my yearbook is I am sooo not the person I used to be and then again I am. I'll elaborate.

If you are near my age you may laugh at "K.I.T.". I have like 40 phone numbers from various high school friends because at the end of their note they wrote K.I.T. (keep in touch) and their home phone. Of course this predates everyone having cell phones. This unfortunately has nothing to do with my revelation. I just found it humorous.

If you are familiar with yearbook etiquette it is very customary for people to end their note to you with a simple "never change" or "stay that way". Based on what I read today I have always been a speak my mind kind of gal. Most my classmates admired this trait while some saw it as rude or mean. Of course I know why the varying sentiments. It all depends on whether you were on the receiving end when I would speak my mind. So this is how I have stayed the same and changed at the same time. I still speak my mind. I've always felt that honesty is the best policy. I've also always admired when people shot it to me straight, no chaser. Because I do fundamentally believe in treating others the way I would want to be treated, I am definitely a person that shoots it to you straight. I have learned that often my advise is not wanted and can be insensitive. So, I have learned when to say things and even better how to be a straight shooter with little injury. I didn't have this tact in high school. Oddly, a lot of people felt comfortable telling me I was insensitive so either I wasn't that scary or people are really tough on paper. I'll choose to believe that I wasn't that scary. I did find comfort in reading that a lot of my classmates found me to be funny and smart. Those are two great characteristics.

It's always good to get a glimpse of how yourself through someone else eyes. I wish there was some way for people to write yearbook messages to me now. It would be pretty cool to get to read the messages 15 years from now and get another glimpse at the person I was or am.

LIfe with an 8 Month Old

I am completely amazed that Antonio is now eight months old. What's a mom to do. This first year is speeding away and soon I will wake up to a 1 year old. When I was pregnant I felt like the days just dragged and dragged. I was so eager for the arrival of my cub. Now the days fly by so fast that I think some of the memories would be a blur if I didn't have the pictures to look at and refresh the images.

The cub is doing so well. He is crawling and cruising. It's funny because we weren't sure he would crawl since he started cruising first. Now he gets around pretty well with his unique version of a crawl. He tries to go from sitting to standing without the aid of furniture or a sturdy object. He usually gets into a downward dog position and stops because he doesn't know where to go from there. It's only a matter of time but believe me we are in no rush to have him walking around. Originally I had my What to Expect the First Year, my parent magazine, baby talk magazine, and any other developmental reading on my night stand and was nose deep every week trying to mark the milestones and make sure he was on target. Now, I almost want to say I could care less. I still want to know what to look for next but I don't obsess over what he is or isn't doing. I'm slowly learning to listen to him and take cues from him. As a new mommy this is a MAJOR accomplishment. You spend so much time trying to do it right and you just want the best for your baby that you really can stress too much. Every day my cub reminds me that he may be little but he's strong.

The best part of life with an eight month old is the love. My cub definitely knows how to pack on the love. When I leave for work in the mornings he cries and reaches for me. I must admit that as much as it pulls at my heartstrings to see him sad it also fills me with a little joy to know that he has a strong attachment to me. This may be a little sick but hey I'm honest about my feelings. I think I shared before that he gives the best kisses. I get so giddy every time he kisses me that he now smiles and chuckles at my response. I'm beginning to think that he gives me kisses to see my response. I can't express it enough; life with an eight month old, well my eight month old, is just amazing.

Obviously Not Balancing Well

Since I don't even remember the last time I blogged, I am sure it is painstakingly obvious that I have not gotten control of this balance thing. So much to share with my distant friends and family so this post may be lengthy. I will start with the reason you all read my posts....Antonio. What can I say. My little cub is growing up so fast and every day I am amazed how much he has grown since that 7lb baby I was blessed to give birth to. We had our fifth tooth, yes fifth all before 7 months, to crown recently. It's so weird to see my little precious baby smile and have those pearly white things landscape his gums. About two weeks ago he added momma to the list of noises he likes to make. I use the word noise because he uses the word so indiscriminately it feels more like him just babbling than actually speaking a word. This doesn't stop my heart from melting every time I hear him say it. He also gives me kisses more often, which no disrespect to my wonderful husband, are the absolute best. They are full of drool and always leave me cheeks wet but they are the BEST.

The little cub refuses to crawl. We are not worried because he never took to the whole tummy time. He does pull up to standing and now the only things he wish to play with are those on the coffee table. We are currently searching for a safer alternative to our current coffee table. He is also beginning to prefer standing, with assistance of course, to sitting. Needless to say, I'm not sure the cub will crawl. Who said you must crawl before you walk? Whoever you are, Antonio is challenging you.

Since my last blog much has happened. First, I was given a promotion at my job. Although I was thoroughly excited, I have to admit it has not helped much in that balancing department. Second, we celebrated Mother's Day. It was great to spend the day with my family and celebrate all the mothers. I would really like to start a tradition for this day. I am big on traditions. I think they shape you in so many ways and always give you something to look forward to. I remember as a child eagerly awaiting the Christmas Holidays because I couldn't wait for all the traditions: opening one gift on Christmas Eve, going to my Great Grandmother's house, waking after midnight to open our presents, and the list goes on and on. The Husband and I have already put some small traditions in place for our family. Each year we do Christmas Breakfast at our house and the Husband cooks the traditional waffles. We go to see the festival of lights at Lake Lanier and we always buy an ornament from the gift shop to commemorate the year. All this before the birth of our cub so believe me when I say we are boiling over with excitement to add him to the festivities and expand our current traditions.

The Husband I also celebrated our fourth year of marriage and tenth year of dating this month. I can not believe the numbers. The years have moved so fast but I could never put into words the joy and memories I have from this past decade. Sometimes it feels like it was only yesterday when I first told him and I loved him, of course I said it first the aggressive always know what she wants type of person I am. Then again sometimes I feel like I've known him forever. We married in a civil ceremony and always planned to do a traditional formal ceremony at our fifth year. Wedding planning ahead (I do not say this with excitement). I am not your usual bride. I hated wedding planning. That's partially why we ended up doing the civil ceremony. Wish me luck readers.

For the sake of length as well as I feel I am beginning to ramble I will leave you with this random video  of Antonio....and well me. Please ignore me doing the raspberry sound...I was trying to encourage the cub.

Is he ready....is it safe

So my cub is quite the little independent baby. More and more he fights with me to allow him to do things that honestly the scared mommy in me feels like he is too little to try to do. He amazes me daily with the things he can do and at times I feel he is moving too fast. I'm supposed to have my baby for a little while and every day he lets me know he is not trying to stay my little baby forever. My little six month old is not content with sitting up without supprt. Instead he thinks it's time to start pulling up. He literally sits in front of the coffee table or his play pen, grab the legs, and attempts to pull himself up to standing. Mind you he doesn't crawl or pulls up from laying to sitting. The thing that tickles me the most is his disdain for being cradled or held. He literally tries to slide down out of my arms anytime I sit and hold him. I guess he feels he has better things to do. The other day while bathing him he took his cloth bath toy and started washing his own feet. When I ask "what are you doing" he simply laughs at me. He no longer lounges back in his baby bath tub. He prefers to sit up so the other day I decided to try and bathe him like a big boy and just let him sit up in the bath tub. I was a nervous wreck the first several minutes and every time he moved I threw my arms in front and behind him to make sure he didn't slip. Each time he looked at me with these eyes that clearly read " really mom I can do this". I loosened up and let him enjoy his bath and that is EXACTLY what he did. He splashed about and played with his bath toys all the while babbling away. He was sad to leave the water. I think it tuckered him out because he was completely ready for bed afterwards. I was so excited for him and couldn't help but marvel at my little big boy. This mommy is going to have to learn how to keep her cub safe while still allowing him to explore and enjoy the wonders around him.

My Little Songbird

It's officially here; Antonio has discovered his voice. More and more he babbles. My father is convinced that he will be a very talkative baby like I was. I have heard all too often that as a child I talked A LOT. My mother jokes that I started talking at eight months and never stopped. I must admit I do like to talk. When I was in elementary school we had a system to correct bad behaviour in which each time your behaviour needed correcting you had to "turn your card". Each student was provided a set of cards in an envelope. The cards were taped to a wall or the back of the classroom door. The card set included Excellent, Satisfactory, Needs Improvement, and Unsatisfactory. Everyone started out on Excellent. If your behaviour needed correcting you were asked to "turn your card", demoting you to the next level. Once you reached unsatisfactory, you were sent to the Principal's office and your parents were called. Let's just say I made it to Principal Paris' office every week. Well there are only four cards and five school days in a week. Every day I had to turn my card because I was caught talking when I shouldn't have been. I actually still have progress reports from elementary school and I swear I made all E's, back in my elementary days we earned E's for excellent instead of A's, but under behavior it says either needs improvement or unsatisfactory. Under the teacher's comments it reads "Cassandra is very smart and participates well in class; however, she talks during learning time and disrupts the other students". Of course I disrupt the other students; I can't talk to myself. I never got that under control and quite frankly I have no idea how I am going to handle my child if he has the same problem. Honestly, I think he might. Antonio will lay in his crib talking to the animals on his sheet or mobile for as long as we let him. We often lay in bed listening to him through the baby monitor. We find it to be absolutely adorable. Well, as of recent Antonio enjoys making this extremely high pitch noise. It almost sounds like screaming. He literally will spend the entire morning making this noise and laughing at himself. This past Sunday, Easter Sunday, he was very conversational. As we dressed for church, the husband and I joked about what we would do if Antonio decided to share his new talent during service, particularly during prayer when it is dead silent. Perhaps we jinxed ourselves. It all started after the choir finished their selection. I don't know if I have shared this but the cub is extremely musically inclined. He absolutely loves his Baby Beethoven and Baby Mozart DVDs and the only way I can calm him when he is in a fit is by singing or playing Aladdin's A Whole New World or Pocahantas' Colors of the Wind. It's something about music that soothes him. He becomes completely absorbed in the melodies. Well, back to the choir. Antonio was entranced the entire time the choir sang. As soon as the song would end, as if to encourage them to continue on, he would squeal out his highest note and as loud as he could. Then he would smile and laugh to show his delight in what he'd just done. You would think it was a coincidence but he did it after each song and only after the songs. He settled for his babble during other parts of the service. I could be one of those parents that read into every little action but mark my words my cub will be a singing cub.

Five months and we have teeth

I know the real reason you all visit my blog is to hear about Baby Antonio. A few of you actually sent text messages or Facebook messages expressing your disappointment in my lack of posts. Well if you read my blog just published moments ago, you'll learn I'm working through balancing wife, mother, and employee. Our little cub is progressing very well and he is the most amazing baby. Categorically here is what we have going on with the cub:

Teeth:

So March 12th the first tooth crowned. He had been teething for some time and we were patiently waiting for his little tooth to make an appearance. Well we woke that Monday morning to find the tippy top of a tooth in his bottom gum. It had finally broken the skin. I was shocked to learn that the little tooth was quite razory (is that a word). I don't know why but we were so excited and proud about this tooth. I told everyone at work. Well Tuesday came and much to my surprise there was a second tooth. This tooth managed to catch up to the first tooth in one night. I could not believe my eyes. We've tried desperately for weeks to capture these precious gems but my little cub is not having it so I'll share the cruddy ones with you all. At four months our little cub had two teeth.

Taken right after his teeth appeared

Eating:

The doctor cleared the cub for solid food at his four month appointment. We were excited because I've been eager to use my Beaba (baby food cooker). Of course we started with the rice cereal then oatmeal. So far he has been introduced to bananas, carrots, sweet peas, green beans, apples, pears, and sweet potatos. His favorite is definitely the sweet potato. My mother bakes the sweet potato then mashes it up. We don't use the Beaba to prepare the sweet potato because it doesn't taste as good. He does not care for carrots. We just introduced pears yesterday so I don't know how he feels about them. The next item on the list will be avacados. I definitely support making your own baby food. It's so cost friendly and it really doesn't take the time people think it takes. You literally peel the fruit, cut it up, then put it in the food cooker to steam for like 15 minutes. The timer goes off then you blend it. Twenty minutes tops and we've prepared a week's amount of pureed fruit for the cub. The Beaba is amazing because everything is done in one place. We don't have to steam it in a pot then transfer it to a blender.

Physical Growth:

So he finally allows us to do tummy time. My cub hated tummy time. We've been gradually increasing the amount of time he spends on his tummy and he has shown great improvement. No crawling. He currently prefers to roll everywhere he needs to go. Those little grabby hands are quite busy and I officially can not wear a knecklace or my glasses. He particularly likes pulling my hair. He does this differently from most babies. He actually puts his hands in deep to the scalp then he pulls from the root. He's a little strong for a baby. He sits independently for a few minutes before toppling over. We are still growing in this department.

Babbling and humming:
I'm a talker and let's just say my son will be too. He is the most babbling baby ever. In the morning he waits in his crib for us to get him all the while babbling. We have caught him several times talking to the animals printed on his sheets. He actually plucks at them and we believe he gets frustrated with them. I've replaced the animal sheets with blank ones and noticed that with these there is less babbling in his crib. My son also hum while he eats. It's quite adorable.
Loving:

Ok so my cub gives the most amazing sloppy wide mouth kisses ever. The first time he gave me one I almost melted on spot. So many emotions flew through me because here was my cub expressing love back to me. I thought I was a goner the first time he smiled at me but these kisses are to die for. He only gives them to me. No kisses for the daddy yet. I keep reassuring my husband it's due to the fact that I kiss all over all the time. For now the husband is content with the bright smiles and giggles.

Lastly he sleeps throught the night. He is actually the best baby when it comes to sleep. He gets fussy between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. becasue he is sleepy. Once the fussiness begins we lay him down for the night. He usually takes his blanket, roll over, and begin sucking on it or wrapping himself in it. We pray, say goodnight,  then leave the room. The next time we  hear from the cub is between  6:30 a.m. and  7 a.m. babbling away in his crib. We had a few hiccups where he woke in the middle of the night/wee hours of the morning because he'd rolled onto his tummy. Now that he is better with tummy time and with rolling back over we no longer have this hiccup. I have found sleep once again.

Well, there is more but this is lengthy enough. I  promise to get this balance thing together so my posts are more frequent and less lengthy.

Enjoying the sunshine

More Responsibilities=Less Balance

I always laughed at celebrities when their response to how does it feel to be a new mom was I'm learning to find a balance. Well I'm no celebrity but boy does this balance thing get tricky. I've recently acquired more responsibilities at work, which is naturally demanding on my time. I find myself rushing home barely making it in time to play and spend time with my precious cub. I feel myself missing him and I squeeze him with hugs every time I walk through the door. If you've been following my blog you know I've been fortunate to have help from one of  my mothers. Well I say that to say I don't know how mother's without the additional help do it. Let's just say that dinner is made, the house is clean, and laundry is maintained because my mother has picked up my slack. Without her my house would look like a garbage dump, laundry would never be done, and my husband and I would live off take out. Earlier this year I resolved to working out and getting fit. This lasted two months. I have not worked out since the last week in February. Needless to say the two inches I lost in my waist are back with a vengeance. I wore a dress the other day and I swear I thought I was pregnant again and at least six months pregnant at that. Do I have to say UNACCEPTABLE? I won't even go into detail on how I've taken advantage of my poor sweet husband. I thank God for the patience he instilled in that man. I don't know if I've mentioned how patient my husband is. You know how you meet people that are the most compassionate or the most giving? Well, my husband is the most patient person you will ever meet and I know God designed him with me in mind because it takes a lot to deal with me. If you have anything less than the patience of Christ you will find yourself upset with me often. I've gotten off track though so back to this balance thing. How to do it all? I'm open for any recommendations from those of you that have managed to conquer this. Some thoughts I have that will help:
1) Create a schedule and stick to it. I'm thinking I need to actually devote certain days and times of the month to various tasks i.e. laundry every Saturday morning. I've tried this once before but somehow I was always thrown off by this event or that but I realize that maybe I need to treat these commitments as just that COMMITMENTS. So, I cannot cancel these events.
2) Learn more crock pot and quick meal recipes. I first need to get a cook book. Every time I go to the cookbook aisle I'm overwhelmed by the selections then I start questioning whether the recipes are any good. I hate recipes that call for items you never have in your house like dill or mustard seeds. I have mustard but never mustard seeds. Oh and flat leaf parsley, they only sell those things by like the barrel and I always end up wasting them because recipes only want like two pinches from the barrel.
3) Start saying No at work or at least tell them my limitations. Too often when I asked if I can have something done by the end of the day I reply sure. From now on, if it will prevent me from getting home at a decent time, I'm going to say no. If my child were in daycare I wouldn't have this flexibility and I would have to commit to a reasonable schedule. Most importantly I want and need this time with him. He's only five months old.

Sleeping through the night...ALMOST

Ok so as a new mommy I've become accustomed to the usual question, "is he sleeping through the night?" I don't know why but this is the update question on everybody mind. This question carries the same suspense and interest as wondering what Beyonce will wear to the Grammy's. Well as of earlier this week my usual reply to this question changed. The cub surprised Mama Bear by sleeping through the night Sunday. Of course I was elated but I was hesitant to celebrate. At two months my cub surprised me and slept a whopping 7 hours straight without waking up. He did this four consecutive days in a row. I was certain that he was well on his way to sleeping through the night. Well, I was wrong. That lasted for only those four consecutive days then we went back to the normal routine. Two months later and he would wake anywhere between 5-7.5 hours after falling asleep at night. I was too excited after Sunday then Monday happened; he woke after 6 hours. My excitement rapidly deflated. I reduced Sunday's achievement to a fluke. Well, Tuesday came and he slept through the night again. The husband immediately became jealous because apparently the cub sleeps through the night when it's mommy's night to take care of him. The husband and I alternate late night baby duties. I guess we will see if his theory is correct tonight; it's mommy night again. Someone advised that once he does it three nights in a row we're good. My reply to that...Yeah Right! The last time he teased me he did it four nights in a row then reverted. All the same I'm keeping the fingers crossed. Maybe the three night thing will hold true. If not I'll be satisfied with replying to the suspense question with "almost".

First Time At Church

We haven't been to church since our cub was born. I've caught some sermons via Internet but we have not physically stepped foot into a church for a little over 3 months now. Our cub is so unpredictable and particular that we didn't want to go only to leave seconds after arriving. My church does have a nursery but I have yet to leave my little one with strangers so I have been very apprehensive. Well, we went to the 11:30 a.m. service at Corpus Christi this past Sunday. This is the husband's childhood church. He went to daycare and everything at that church. He learned how to drive in the church parking lot. I'm sure it's weird but cool to now enter that church with his baby son.

 The cub did better than expected. He had no choice he was sleep for most of the service. Being the new mom that I am we packed EVERYTHING in preparation for this outing. I brought his usual diaper items and added two blankets, a thin and thick one, and his travel bed. We sat in the overflow/cry room created specifically so parents could still be a part of service. We chose an area that would allow us to put down his travel bed and allow him to nap. My arm strength is improving but I'm still not there yet where I can hold him for an hour or two straight. Talk about muscle endurance. When he woke from his nap he stayed calm for approximately 5 minutes then his light fussing began. He allowed us to make it through Communion. We left right afterwards missing only the very end of service. Next week we'll try our usual church. It would be so much easier to take him to the nursery but like I said...I'm apprehensive. Plus I don't know what to do about his things. Do I have to mark each item with his name? It will only be for an hour and thirty minutes but I am totally freaking about it. The aisles at my church won't allow for his travel bed. We'll see how this goes on Sunday.

I've stated before that step by step things are becoming easier. The cub still wakes once in the middle the night for a feeding. We are developing some form of a schedule. The part that is still a little rough sometimes is bedtime. My cub does not self soothe and we usually rock him to sleep at night. When he has trouble drifting off to sleep he becomes quite irritable. Well the other night he became irate and the husband and I had no patience left so we turned on his mobile and laid him down in the crib. We walked out his room to our room and turned on the monitor. My cub loves music so we knew he would be calm and quiet and while the music on the mobile played. We both lay dreading the moment the music would stop and be followed by the cries of our cub. Well, I finally heard his cry but it was five hours later and time for his feeding. He actually drifted off to sleep on his own without us rocking him. I was elated. I tried it again the next night but...FAIL. I don't know what I did wrong. Well last night was Super Bowl Sunday so I took on full baby duty allowing the husband to enjoy the game. The cub and I read a book and played until I started to see the visual signs that he was tired. I  took him to his crib, turned on the mobile, prayed with him, then left the room. He maid a few little fussy noises, no crying, then silence. He self soothed and fell asleep on his own. Dare I try for two nights in a row....

Poopy Monster

So my cub is officially the poopy monster. Since his birth there were a few things that I feared happening. The first is him rolling off the sofa or bed or something. This somehow always happens where a parent turns away for a quick second only to spin around in lightening speed in response to the high shrills of their precious one as he hits the floor. Sad to say this has already happened and when it did I almost jumped out my skin. My little cub cried harder than I have ever heard him and I swear he gave me a "you let this happen to me and I am so disappointed" look. It tore my heart to pieces. He was fine. I learned that day that my cub could roll over. The other fear was tripping down the stairs while holding him. THANKFULLY this has not happened but every once in a while I get nervous as we climb the stairs. Now, this may seem strange but the last one is him pooping while in the tub. I know, I know of all things to fret over. One day I had an epiphany that he cannot control his bowels, hence the need for a diaper. I don't know if this is normal and he will undoubtedly hate me for this once he is older, but my cub tinkles every night in his bath water. He makes the cutest face too when he does it and you can tell he is totally relaxed. Well, my fear happened the other night while bathing the cub. We were completely done and about to take him out of the bath when out of nowhere I heard a toot sound. I was closing the cap on his shampoo so my back was to him. While still facing the other way I said "son you better not poop in your bath water". Right as I said this my husband laughs and says "oh no". I turn around to find my son pooping. So let me try to paint this picture. My son has the bath lounge thing pictured below.

As you can  imagine he relaxes and lay back while we bathe him. As babies do, he usually kicks his legs around. So, when the pooping commenced my cub was lounging back kicking his legs about essentially spreading the poop. Needless to say we had to call in reinforcements. The Abuela came to help clean the disaster while we transitioned him to the bathroom sink for a second cleaning. The next day following the bath incident my cub had another poop incident. Apparently, the volume was more than the diaper could contain and I'm sure I don't have to finish the statement. You get the picture. This morning I did my usual routine of saying good morning to my cub and kissing all over him. I love going to his crib first thing in the morning because he gives me the best smile and it sets the perfect tone for my day. Well he gave me my smile then it was quickly replaced with the furrowed eyebrows and squinted eyes. Then came the grunt. I immediately knew it was happening, the poop. I tried to love on him but he could not be disturbed; he was focused on his task at hand. It kind of made me chuckle on the inside as I thought to myself I truly have a poopy monster.




Pepita except his is red, black and yellow

 Quick Antonio Updates:
He is getting so much better at sitting up with support and prefers this at all times. You absolutely cannot cradle him unless you are feeding him and even then he sometimes will try to pull himself up into a seated position.
He loves cartoons. Since birth we have played the Baby Einstein Baby Beethoven DVD for him. Initially, the music soothed him and now that his vision is good he absolutely loves the images. Whenever we need to distract him for 30 minutes or calm him down we pop in the DVD. We have now discovered he likes Sesame Street. We think it's the puppets.
He likes being read to. I've started reading to him at night since I can sit him up in my lap without much support and hold the book at the same time. He likes this bedtime book we have with barnyard animals jumping over the moon.
He can grab everything now. His strength is amazing. I absolutely love watching him play with Pepita. Pepita is this toy that you can hang from the car seat or any type of rail. It dangles so he can pull it and once he pulls it will start to vibrate.
We are still adjusting to tummy time. He will now try to push up on his arms but he still prefers to lay on his back and tug at his blanket or Pepita.
Lastly everything cloth goes in his mouth. He absolutely loves eating his bibs and blanket. I have one picture below where he shoved the bath towel in his mouth. Oh and I am not usually an endorser but Carter has like the BEST baby bath towels. Oh and their blankets are amazing. Both are featured below.

 

Random Camera Pic Time. I don't understand the face.