Thursday, September 30, 2010

Grandmas are great!

I dropped my mom off at the airport this morning after a week of shopping, eating, napping, and watching our new guilty pleasure, “Friday Night Lights.” As always, my mom was more than generous while she was here, but mostly we loved just spending time with her. And I’m sure she loved spending time with her grandson. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures.

The other unfortunate thing? Miles was not on his best behavior. Previous to my mom coming, Miles and I had an excellent routine going; he napped three times and day and had started to sleep through the night (like almost 12 hours). Yes, he had been trying to wake up before 7 am, but we were working through it. But after my mom got here, he started crying way more before falling asleep, and he woke up some more at night. Now, I’m not saying it’s grandma’s fault, but it was sad that she couldn’t see how great he usually is. Really, he made me look like a bad mom.

And the past two nights it has been like having a newborn all over again—waking up every  couple of hours. I’m tired all over again.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The Long Awaited Arrival

 

Back when I was still pregnant and in the midst of my nesting phase, Chris and I spent A LOT of money at Babies R Us in one night; they were having sales, and we had coupons, so it just made sense to buy everything at the same time. In this shopping spree, we bought my rocking chair and ottoman. It’s a big, cushy brown corduroy arm chair that is super comfortable, especially in the middle of the night when I fall asleep while nursing. The only problem with this chair started about three weeks after Miles was born: major squeaking. I mean MAJOR. We tried to WD40 the problem but quickly discovered that the noise was coming from inside the chair, which would require taking it apart (way beyond our skill set).

Luckily, we purchased the buyer protection plan that they offer you for everything you purchase. I normally decline the warranties because how often do you actually need to use it?It’s just a ploy to get more money from parents-to-be that will do anything and spend anything for their babies. But the chair was one of the more expensive items (might have been the most expensive) we purchased.

So after three months of squeaking and not actually rocking in the chair because I was worried that the noise would actually wake Miles up instead of lulling him to sleep, I called to get the chair serviced as per the protection plan agreement. I spoke to a very nice man on the phone who told me that squeaking did not seem to be listed on his computer screen as things that could be fixed. But I am too smart for that.

I looked at the plan brochure in front of me and said, “It says here that the plan covers ‘defects in workmanship,’ and it seems to me that noise so loud that I don’t actually want to rock in the chair is a defect in workmanship.”

He agreed that that would be annoying (he has a child at home, too) and agreed to put in a service request and told me to expect a phone call from the service company in the next three to five days. After about six days, I got another call from the warranty department to tell me that there really is nothing they can do about the squeaking, so they would like to send me a merchandise credit for the retail price of the chair to buy me out of my service plan. I should expect a credit in the mail for $389.99 (more than we actually paid because we got it on sale).

The first thing that came to my mind?

I can totally deal with a squeaky chair!

We bought the chair when it was a new product which meant no customer reviews online, but now I see that pretty much everyone has the same problem. I’m not about the replace the chair with one that squeaks in the same way.

So I used my credit to buy the one item that I have had my eye on all summer: the BOB Revolution jogging stroller. I had been debating the purchase forever because they are quite a bit of money, but if I want to be able to run ever again, I need to have a stroller. Chris and I agreed that this would help my sanity, although I don’t think he understood how expensive they are.

After I placed the order online, I was obsessed with tracking the order. I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas. At least three times each day I tracked my package on the FedEx website, anxious for the glorious day when this would show up at my door.

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And yesterday was the day!

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I still can’t use it because the car seat adapter hasn’t arrived yet, but it sure does look pretty sitting in my dining room. Why the dining room? As it turns out, townhouses are really small. And jogging strollers are really big. I’m still looking for its permanent home.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Nap

 

Let’s talk about nap time.

Before our trip to Richmond, we had started “crying it out” for three naps per day. The first couple of days, it took an hour of crying followed by me going in there to put in a binky and holding him for a minute to get him asleep. But over several days, the crying time became less and less—on Wednesday, he was asleep within 10 minutes with no real crying.

But traveling threw us off.

Right now, he is whimpering. I think he was nearly asleep when the landscapers came around to trim our hedges. Wednesdays have been the hardest because it is lawn mower, edger, and leaf blower all day.

Now let’s talk about what I do during nap time.

Right now, I’m watching TV—not an unusual occurrence. I really feel like I should be more productive. Most days, I try to work out or take a shower or clean or something, but right now I just want to sit. When Chris walked out the door this morning I told him that I wanted working out to take care of itself. He told me that’s the problem.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Richmond, how we love thee?

We traveled up to Richmond on Thursday morning for Chris to interview with a group up there; apparently we have to start the process really early.

Let me start this post by proclaiming that my child is so GREAT! Chris was convinced that the drive was going to be miserable with a baby and wanted to give him Benadryl as a preventative measure. But the non-medical parent won out, and Miles was excellent. We stopped once to feed him and give him a break from the car seat, but the rest of the time, he slept or sat contentedly.

After checking into the hotel, Chris left to go tour the hospitals and talk with important people, and Miles and I wandered the city. Our hotel was very close to just about everything.  That evening we had dinner with two of the doctors (and one wife) from the group at a restaurant built in an old tobacco warehouse—very cool. And again, Miles was excellent.

That night was interesting though because Miles slept in the same room as us for the first time since he was under a month old. I woke up at every noise. And he was loud. Lots of rolling around, scratching the mesh siding of the crib, whimpering, etc. In fact, I think I actually fed him an extra time that he didn’t need, but it was easier to feed him than listen to him.

The next morning, Chris entertained Miles while I got ready.

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And then he put on his jeans, but commented that they felt kind of tight. That’s because they were mine. Sadly, they look better on his bum than they do on mine.

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We spent Friday getting a community tour from a realtor and wife of one of the doctor’s so that we could get a feel for where we might live if we moved there. We also had breakfast and lunch with this couple (and another from the group for lunch only). I was completely lost all day, but we saw some really nice areas. We went out again on our own that night so Chris could see in person some of the neighborhoods he has researched online.

We also went to the mall because I was promised a trip to H&M. Sadly, I did not buy anything. It’s hard when I feel rushed by a fussy baby. But Chris was a good sport and walked Miles around outside.

And finally, on Saturday morning we walked around the city a little bit before getting in the car. I think you can tell from this picture that the architecture is more important to Chris than  his wife and child. Why are we in shadows? Because he made us move over so as not to block the Capitol building.

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We really liked Richmond, but aren’t making any decisions any time soon. So stay tuned.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Miles: Four Months

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I truly can’t believe that I am the mother of a four month old, but alas, it is true. And I really think this past month has been my favorite. Yes, the first month was great because he was so small and precious, and all he did was sleep, but this month has brought so much personality.

We have been working hard on his sleep schedule, and for the most part, it has been working out pretty well. With some inconsistencies. I’m not sure if it has made a difference in his attitude, but it has definitely helped me to feel more sane. I can actually plan things. I can shower at a consistent time everyday. And…I can even…work out! Yes, finally. Occasionally he still wakes up needing to be rocked back to sleep about 15-30 minutes after he is put down, but we’re working on it. I think this next month will bring more crying-it-out.

And he really won’t sleep when Chris tries to put him down to sleep. Really.

I mean all out screaming!! It sounds like torture. But, they’re working on it. It helps that Chris will be home for bedtime all this next month.

Miles has discovered the joy of hands and feet of late. I didn’t think I would be able to tell when he “found his hands,” but it really has been remarkable to watch him progress. All of a sudden, he was scratching at the pattern on his boppy pillow or trying to grab at my face. Which means more manicures for him. He still isn’t very interested in grabbing toys, but that could be because he doesn’t have very many. He much prefers staring at the ceiling fan. Or my face. Or the TV. He really loves the TV. His feet have only been a discovery of the past week or so. They haven’t made it to his mouth yet. Yet.

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And what does this love of hands and feet bring?

Drool. Lots of drool.

Another big development is that my little blue-eyed-boy is turning into a brown-eyed-boy. Just the way I like them. Except on my husband who has blue eyes. 

We really love this little guy (who looks like he has blue eyes in this picture).

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And if you ever need to see more pictures of this adorable boy, go to my facebook page.