I haven't yet had a chance to do the comparison of his pictures each month, so for now I'm just sharing the 4 month pictures! Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
4 Month Pictures
I haven't yet had a chance to do the comparison of his pictures each month, so for now I'm just sharing the 4 month pictures! Enjoy!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Be Fit!
My company has launched an enormous employee health campaign called Be Fit! The whole idea is that to be healthy, you need to be physically fit, financially fit, and have a good work / life balance. As they say, "It's not one program, one change or one policy. It's a way of building a healthy and committed employee community with a financially secure future." It includes such initiatives as retirement savings plans, financial counseling, health coaching, gym membership discounts, and a healthy food initiative, where the food that is ordered for meetings and the food that is available in our vending machines and cafeterias adheres to certain guidelines. (i.e. no more donuts).
I'm definitely not the most fit person at work, and I more often than not take the elevator over the stairs. However, there are many people at work who are obviously less healthy. I work for a health care system and our corporate office is next door to one of the state's largest hospitals. One thing that just irks me is the gaggle of nurses and other health care providers who stand right outside the hospital door, in front of the no smoking sign, smoking. These are the people who are delivering radiation treatments to lung cancer patients, who are biopsying the tumors from a child who lives in a house with smoking parents. These are the caregivers who have to deliver the news to a patient that treatment isn't an option. And they're standing there smoking, like they don't really believe it will kill them. Like they're different from the patient recieveing Chemotherapy just inside those doors. Just behind that no smoking sign. Is there anything more disturbing than that? Why, yes there is. How about the patients who were wheeled outside by their caregiver, all hooked up to IVs, tubes running in and out of every orifice of their bodies... smoking. Are they just trying to hurry things up? Hello world. I'm not sure if you think that maybe it's a myth that smoking causes cancer or if you think you're "special" and it wouldn't effect you, but it does... and you're not. Okay, that is not what this post was going to be about. Sorry for that little rant. Back on subject, here!
So, health. I learned something inspiring today. As a promotion for this Be Fit! campaign, one of our Marketing and Communications employees is blogging her own journey to be fit. She is utilizing many of the tools available through our company, our insurance, and the greater health care system in general. One thing that she recently did as part of her journey, was take some tests through the LiveWell Fitness Center. In one of these tests, she realized that she was not consuming enough calories in a day. Wouldn't that be great news? Can you imagine, in the midst of your struggle to attain your ideal weight, hearing that you're just not eating enough? She was eating as healthy as she could all day long, watching her calorie intake carefully, but she would get really tired and really hungry in the evenings and end up snacking on whatever was easiest to find. So, naturally, I though - hey, maybe I'm not getting enough calories and that is the reason I am always so hungry and so tired! Surely, it isn't that I'm nursing a baby and giving him all of my nutrients and being woken up from my sweet slumber in the middle of the night to pass all of my nutrients on to him so he can grow and be healthy and not hungry and not tired all the time. No, surely it isn't that! So, I took the test.
I typed in my height, my weight, and my age and chose my daily activity level. There are five activity levels to choose from with 1 being Sedentary and 5 being Extremely Active. I first chose activity level 2, Lightly Active. I think I'm more active than that, but I do spent much of my day sitting on my butt and working at my computer. We all know that we should consume 2,000 calories a day, right? And if we want to lose weight, we need to consume fewer calories than that! It's everywhere. It's on the cereal box, it's on TV, it's in every diet plan. 2,000 calories, right? Wrong!! Look at how many calories I need to consume in a day to remain healthy when I am only Lightly active.
Just for kicks, I thought - okay... so what if I literally sat on my butt all day long. That would be Sedentary, right? Even if I did nothing all day, I should still consume more than 2,000 calories per day. You can access this test at http://www.allina.com/ac/behealthy.nsf/. Under Tools and Calculators, click on Caloric Needs.
I've never had a Barbie doll figure. (I mean, figure as in body shape, not as in figurine. I had lots of Barbie figurines!) In fact, I think I read somewhere that if Barbie were a real person, she wouldn't be able to even stand up with that big chest and those tiny feet. Many of us women think that we're supposed to look like Barbie. The magazines we read and tv we watch tell us all the time that we should have a size 0 waist, size 6 shoe, and a size 28C chest. How did this happen? When did a size 4 become a Large and a size 6 become an Extra Large? I was recently in a popular clothing store trying on a shirt and honest to goodness, the one that fit was an XXL. I would say I am probably average sized. I'm tall, so I'm bigger than many, but I don't think I'm that much bigger than I should be for my height. I'm no Heidi Klum, (maybe more like Heidi, the orphan Swiss girl who lives with her Grandfather in the mountains with broad shoulders and big bones.) Actually, I'm German and those Germans are big-boned too. I've always had an idea of what I thought my ideal weight should probably be. I found out what my healthy weight range was and guess what??? It's WAY more than I thought it was! I also calculated my Body Mass Index (see image).
I'll admit that I'm near the high end of my ideal weight range, so I could certainly stand to lighten up a bit and I'm hoping that this summer will provide me with that opportunity! Gavin's stroller is going to get a whole lot of use this summer! You can access the Ideal Weight calculator and the Body Mass Index using the same link as above. Note: * The ideal weight calculator is designed for an adult with an average body type. It is not designed for pregnant women. The ideal weight calculator is not necessarily indicative of your overall health. It does not take into account your frame (for example, the broadness of your shoulders or the size of your pelvis) or your muscle mass. Bodybuilders will often score as overweight or obese because they have more muscle on their bodies, and muscle is heavier than fat.
I'm definitely not the most fit person at work, and I more often than not take the elevator over the stairs. However, there are many people at work who are obviously less healthy. I work for a health care system and our corporate office is next door to one of the state's largest hospitals. One thing that just irks me is the gaggle of nurses and other health care providers who stand right outside the hospital door, in front of the no smoking sign, smoking. These are the people who are delivering radiation treatments to lung cancer patients, who are biopsying the tumors from a child who lives in a house with smoking parents. These are the caregivers who have to deliver the news to a patient that treatment isn't an option. And they're standing there smoking, like they don't really believe it will kill them. Like they're different from the patient recieveing Chemotherapy just inside those doors. Just behind that no smoking sign. Is there anything more disturbing than that? Why, yes there is. How about the patients who were wheeled outside by their caregiver, all hooked up to IVs, tubes running in and out of every orifice of their bodies... smoking. Are they just trying to hurry things up? Hello world. I'm not sure if you think that maybe it's a myth that smoking causes cancer or if you think you're "special" and it wouldn't effect you, but it does... and you're not. Okay, that is not what this post was going to be about. Sorry for that little rant. Back on subject, here!
So, health. I learned something inspiring today. As a promotion for this Be Fit! campaign, one of our Marketing and Communications employees is blogging her own journey to be fit. She is utilizing many of the tools available through our company, our insurance, and the greater health care system in general. One thing that she recently did as part of her journey, was take some tests through the LiveWell Fitness Center. In one of these tests, she realized that she was not consuming enough calories in a day. Wouldn't that be great news? Can you imagine, in the midst of your struggle to attain your ideal weight, hearing that you're just not eating enough? She was eating as healthy as she could all day long, watching her calorie intake carefully, but she would get really tired and really hungry in the evenings and end up snacking on whatever was easiest to find. So, naturally, I though - hey, maybe I'm not getting enough calories and that is the reason I am always so hungry and so tired! Surely, it isn't that I'm nursing a baby and giving him all of my nutrients and being woken up from my sweet slumber in the middle of the night to pass all of my nutrients on to him so he can grow and be healthy and not hungry and not tired all the time. No, surely it isn't that! So, I took the test.
I typed in my height, my weight, and my age and chose my daily activity level. There are five activity levels to choose from with 1 being Sedentary and 5 being Extremely Active. I first chose activity level 2, Lightly Active. I think I'm more active than that, but I do spent much of my day sitting on my butt and working at my computer. We all know that we should consume 2,000 calories a day, right? And if we want to lose weight, we need to consume fewer calories than that! It's everywhere. It's on the cereal box, it's on TV, it's in every diet plan. 2,000 calories, right? Wrong!! Look at how many calories I need to consume in a day to remain healthy when I am only Lightly active.
Just for kicks, I thought - okay... so what if I literally sat on my butt all day long. That would be Sedentary, right? Even if I did nothing all day, I should still consume more than 2,000 calories per day. You can access this test at http://www.allina.com/ac/behealthy.nsf/. Under Tools and Calculators, click on Caloric Needs.I've never had a Barbie doll figure. (I mean, figure as in body shape, not as in figurine. I had lots of Barbie figurines!) In fact, I think I read somewhere that if Barbie were a real person, she wouldn't be able to even stand up with that big chest and those tiny feet. Many of us women think that we're supposed to look like Barbie. The magazines we read and tv we watch tell us all the time that we should have a size 0 waist, size 6 shoe, and a size 28C chest. How did this happen? When did a size 4 become a Large and a size 6 become an Extra Large? I was recently in a popular clothing store trying on a shirt and honest to goodness, the one that fit was an XXL. I would say I am probably average sized. I'm tall, so I'm bigger than many, but I don't think I'm that much bigger than I should be for my height. I'm no Heidi Klum, (maybe more like Heidi, the orphan Swiss girl who lives with her Grandfather in the mountains with broad shoulders and big bones.) Actually, I'm German and those Germans are big-boned too. I've always had an idea of what I thought my ideal weight should probably be. I found out what my healthy weight range was and guess what??? It's WAY more than I thought it was! I also calculated my Body Mass Index (see image).
I'll admit that I'm near the high end of my ideal weight range, so I could certainly stand to lighten up a bit and I'm hoping that this summer will provide me with that opportunity! Gavin's stroller is going to get a whole lot of use this summer! You can access the Ideal Weight calculator and the Body Mass Index using the same link as above. Note: * The ideal weight calculator is designed for an adult with an average body type. It is not designed for pregnant women. The ideal weight calculator is not necessarily indicative of your overall health. It does not take into account your frame (for example, the broadness of your shoulders or the size of your pelvis) or your muscle mass. Bodybuilders will often score as overweight or obese because they have more muscle on their bodies, and muscle is heavier than fat. * The body mass index (BMI) calculator is designed for an adult with an average body type. It is not designed for pregnant women or children. The BMI calculator is not necessarily indicative of your overall health. It does not take into account your frame (for example, the broadness of your shoulders or the size of your pelvis) or your muscle mass.
I am so far from a health expert, I don't even have a gym membership and I've never done aerobics, pilates, spinning, or even yoga other than in front of the TV with a corny video going! Remember "Buns of Steel?" Yup, I have that one! Haven't used it in years! But, even though I'm not as fit as I should be, I think I am fairly healthy. Here is my healthy eating advice. These are only my opinions, not fact. Take it or leave it.
1. Make a rainbow out of your dinner plate. If your dinner plate is all orange, all yellow, or all brown - you are not getting the nutrients you need. You should have colors from each area of the spectrum - blues/greens (vegetables), reds/purples (berries, tomatoes) and yellows/oranges (citrus fruits). Meat doesn't count as a color and corn doesn't count as a green. You still need the protein in meats and the fiber in corn, but the more color variation on your plate, the better!
2. Avoid processed foods. If you don't know what it's made of, don't eat it. Here's a great example. I don't mean to be brand specific, but it's easier. Take Cheetos. What exactly is in cheetos? Is there cheese in cheetos? I doubt it. Cheese is a dairy product that contains calcium. I don't think Cheetos have calcium, but I'd have to read the package to be sure. And p.s. Cheetos don't count as an orange food. On the same note, if the product name includes the words "product" or "spread", don't bother. Those words typically indicate that it's not a natural food. "Buttery spread" is not butter. Butter comes from milk. Buttery spread comes from mars. Like Cheese - cheese comes from milk. "Cheese product" comes from something entirely different.
3. The more whole grains the better. Contrary to popular belief, a "granola bar" is not necessarily healthy. It may simply be rice cereal stuck together with corn syrup and have a few nuts added for interest. A more healthy granola bar is chock full of whole oats, almonds, dried unsweetened fruits, flax seeds, and honey. Along the grains notes, flour should in all essences be a grain. Yet, many times we buy bleached all-purpose flour. Why do we care if our flour is white? It is bleached to be white. That seems very unnatural to me. Unbleached flour is better. Whole wheat flour is even better.
4. Fruit loops are not breakfast. They are sugar and food coloring. If the color in your food isn't there naturally, why is it there at all? Eat more foods that are as close to their natural state as possible.
I am so far from a health expert, I don't even have a gym membership and I've never done aerobics, pilates, spinning, or even yoga other than in front of the TV with a corny video going! Remember "Buns of Steel?" Yup, I have that one! Haven't used it in years! But, even though I'm not as fit as I should be, I think I am fairly healthy. Here is my healthy eating advice. These are only my opinions, not fact. Take it or leave it.
1. Make a rainbow out of your dinner plate. If your dinner plate is all orange, all yellow, or all brown - you are not getting the nutrients you need. You should have colors from each area of the spectrum - blues/greens (vegetables), reds/purples (berries, tomatoes) and yellows/oranges (citrus fruits). Meat doesn't count as a color and corn doesn't count as a green. You still need the protein in meats and the fiber in corn, but the more color variation on your plate, the better!
2. Avoid processed foods. If you don't know what it's made of, don't eat it. Here's a great example. I don't mean to be brand specific, but it's easier. Take Cheetos. What exactly is in cheetos? Is there cheese in cheetos? I doubt it. Cheese is a dairy product that contains calcium. I don't think Cheetos have calcium, but I'd have to read the package to be sure. And p.s. Cheetos don't count as an orange food. On the same note, if the product name includes the words "product" or "spread", don't bother. Those words typically indicate that it's not a natural food. "Buttery spread" is not butter. Butter comes from milk. Buttery spread comes from mars. Like Cheese - cheese comes from milk. "Cheese product" comes from something entirely different.
3. The more whole grains the better. Contrary to popular belief, a "granola bar" is not necessarily healthy. It may simply be rice cereal stuck together with corn syrup and have a few nuts added for interest. A more healthy granola bar is chock full of whole oats, almonds, dried unsweetened fruits, flax seeds, and honey. Along the grains notes, flour should in all essences be a grain. Yet, many times we buy bleached all-purpose flour. Why do we care if our flour is white? It is bleached to be white. That seems very unnatural to me. Unbleached flour is better. Whole wheat flour is even better.
4. Fruit loops are not breakfast. They are sugar and food coloring. If the color in your food isn't there naturally, why is it there at all? Eat more foods that are as close to their natural state as possible.
5. Frozen fruits and vegetables are fresher than fresh fruits and vegetables from the grocery store. The produce in the grocery store is picked unripe, then allowed to ripen on trucks, boats, and airplanes while it's making its way to the store. While being transported, the nutrients dissipate from the produce so the product you get is no longer that vitamin packed fresh food you thought you were getting. These products are often sprayed, colored, and waxed to look more appealing. Most frozen produce is picked at its peak, perfectly ripe, and then flash frozen to preserve the nutrients.
I can't WAIT to start planting my garden this spring so we can again have fresh from the garden veggies! Summer brings fresh berries from the yard and the woods, smokey grilled steaks (we just got about 120 lbs of fresh beef from my sisters farm), and crisp, fresh veggies! Yum!
Just a few more weeks and we can think about starting to plant! We can get outside and go walking! We can work in the yard! We can "Be Fit!" Yay!!! Welcome spring!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Pictures
Gavin's 4-month pictures will be posted shortly. In this case, "shortly" means some day between now and the next 365 days. Somehow, I don't seem to have time to even upload pictures lately! Everyone told me how I wouldn't have time for anything once "the baby" arrived. ...how my once glossy, fresh toe polish would become faded and chipped and would wear off on its own before I had a chance to soak in my lovely bubblebath, trimming and repainting my toes in a fresh shiny coat of perfect polish. ...how having shaved legs would become a luxury rather than a necessity. ...how I would wear a ponytail 6 days a week because I wouldn't have time for blowdrying or straightening my hair. ...how macaroni and cheese would become standard fare.
Well, last week, we had corn dogs and macaroni and cheese for dinner one night, I wore a ponytail 5 days of the week, I shaved my legs only twice, and I finally removed the last remaining tidbits of toe polish leftover from, ...get this, December! I do, however, still have the luxury of my bubblebath. Sometimes it's just 10 minutes to wash my hair after I hand freshly bathed Gavin to Cliff to be dried off and dressed, but a couple of nights a week, while Gavin is sleeping or hanging out with Cliff, I get into the tub and spend 20 or 30 minutes in there. It's not the three hours that I used to spend in the tub as recently as just a couple of years ago, but it's a relaxing bath.
I can't blame anyone else for my lack of free time though. It's not that I don't have it, it's how I choose to spend it. Cliff took Gavin to Menard's on Sunday morning and then to lunch at his parents' house so that I could get some of my pictures uploaded. So, they walked out the door, and what did I do? I sorted the laundry, got a couple of loads going, started cleaning out the fridge, cleared off the dining room table... and then kicked myself for not heading straight to the computer to upload pictures. I've been griping for weeks that I haven't had time to upload and print pictures (I'm going scrapbooking this weekend) and then I go ahead and take my one opportunity and instead do laundry? I can do laundry any time! It doesn't usually get folded until one of Gavin's Grandmas comes over, but at least it's clean. So, I did eventually get on the computer and worked with my pictures. I worked for three hours, staring at the computer screen, cropping, correcting red-eye, boosting color, recropping, saving, and finally... ordering some prints. You won't believe how far I got! I ordered prints of pictures taken from Nov 19, 2008 to Nov 30, 2008. That's only 11 days worth of pictures. Do you know how many pictures I took in those 11 days? How many times Gavin's angelic newborn face was captured in the viewfinder of my camera? How many MB of digital storage he takes up on our hard drive? For a short while, I had his photos on my work computer. I knew that if I kept that up, his photos were going to be the death of my computer, and how would I explain that one to the boss??? Not to mention one of the times that blue screen of death appeared, the computer would never come back again and the photos would be gone forever. Now they are safely stored on my hard drive. External hard drive. And backed up online just in case. But... only those through Nov 30th are backed up online. Remember when photos were stored under the bed in a cardboard box? Or better yet, in the damp, cobwebby basement? Or the moth-infested attic? Now they are backed up, stacked up, scrapped up, and shared. Speaking of sharing photos... Did I mention I will upload some pictures of Gavin soon? Maybe this weekend... no, I'll be out of town... scrapbooking! Maybe next week. I took his 4 month pictures on the chair and I think he may have even sort of smiled in one of them! I've always been a strong supporter of Proex for printing pictures. When the online photo sharing tools like shutterfly, flickr, snapfish, and picassa came out, I clung to Snapfish. It worked for me. I have hundreds and hundreds of pictures on Snapfish. Well, the other day, when I was uploading pictures, I decided to try out Wal-Mart's photo printing service. I had heard that people like it and it isn't as expensive as Proex. So I loaded all of these pictures on there and sent them to print. Great, right? I noticed that Wal-Mart's online photo sharing tool is EXACTLY like Snapfish's tool. It looks exactly the same. So, I thought, maybe they're run by the same... you know... people. I thought maybe I could just copy all of those albums that I have on Snapfish onto Wal-Mart and then they'd all be in one place. Do you think I could figure it out though? Nope! Why would they look exactly the same if they aren't? Why can't I copy albums from one site to the other? Ugh.
Well, last week, we had corn dogs and macaroni and cheese for dinner one night, I wore a ponytail 5 days of the week, I shaved my legs only twice, and I finally removed the last remaining tidbits of toe polish leftover from, ...get this, December! I do, however, still have the luxury of my bubblebath. Sometimes it's just 10 minutes to wash my hair after I hand freshly bathed Gavin to Cliff to be dried off and dressed, but a couple of nights a week, while Gavin is sleeping or hanging out with Cliff, I get into the tub and spend 20 or 30 minutes in there. It's not the three hours that I used to spend in the tub as recently as just a couple of years ago, but it's a relaxing bath.
I can't blame anyone else for my lack of free time though. It's not that I don't have it, it's how I choose to spend it. Cliff took Gavin to Menard's on Sunday morning and then to lunch at his parents' house so that I could get some of my pictures uploaded. So, they walked out the door, and what did I do? I sorted the laundry, got a couple of loads going, started cleaning out the fridge, cleared off the dining room table... and then kicked myself for not heading straight to the computer to upload pictures. I've been griping for weeks that I haven't had time to upload and print pictures (I'm going scrapbooking this weekend) and then I go ahead and take my one opportunity and instead do laundry? I can do laundry any time! It doesn't usually get folded until one of Gavin's Grandmas comes over, but at least it's clean. So, I did eventually get on the computer and worked with my pictures. I worked for three hours, staring at the computer screen, cropping, correcting red-eye, boosting color, recropping, saving, and finally... ordering some prints. You won't believe how far I got! I ordered prints of pictures taken from Nov 19, 2008 to Nov 30, 2008. That's only 11 days worth of pictures. Do you know how many pictures I took in those 11 days? How many times Gavin's angelic newborn face was captured in the viewfinder of my camera? How many MB of digital storage he takes up on our hard drive? For a short while, I had his photos on my work computer. I knew that if I kept that up, his photos were going to be the death of my computer, and how would I explain that one to the boss??? Not to mention one of the times that blue screen of death appeared, the computer would never come back again and the photos would be gone forever. Now they are safely stored on my hard drive. External hard drive. And backed up online just in case. But... only those through Nov 30th are backed up online. Remember when photos were stored under the bed in a cardboard box? Or better yet, in the damp, cobwebby basement? Or the moth-infested attic? Now they are backed up, stacked up, scrapped up, and shared. Speaking of sharing photos... Did I mention I will upload some pictures of Gavin soon? Maybe this weekend... no, I'll be out of town... scrapbooking! Maybe next week. I took his 4 month pictures on the chair and I think he may have even sort of smiled in one of them! I've always been a strong supporter of Proex for printing pictures. When the online photo sharing tools like shutterfly, flickr, snapfish, and picassa came out, I clung to Snapfish. It worked for me. I have hundreds and hundreds of pictures on Snapfish. Well, the other day, when I was uploading pictures, I decided to try out Wal-Mart's photo printing service. I had heard that people like it and it isn't as expensive as Proex. So I loaded all of these pictures on there and sent them to print. Great, right? I noticed that Wal-Mart's online photo sharing tool is EXACTLY like Snapfish's tool. It looks exactly the same. So, I thought, maybe they're run by the same... you know... people. I thought maybe I could just copy all of those albums that I have on Snapfish onto Wal-Mart and then they'd all be in one place. Do you think I could figure it out though? Nope! Why would they look exactly the same if they aren't? Why can't I copy albums from one site to the other? Ugh.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
4 Month Well Baby Visit
We went to see Rita tonight for Gavin's 4 month check up and he's doing well! He is over his last little cold and is feeling good overall. He has grown an inch and a half in length and just a little over three lbs in weight in the last two months. His current measurements and percentiles on 3-19-09 are:
Height 25" (50%)
Weight 15 lbs, 5 oz (70%)
Head Circumference 42 cm (50%)
So it looks like even though we think he is really growing so fast and getting so big, he is very average on his height and head size and just a bit over average on his weight. She checked him out from head to toe and told us there were no worries. She took a look at his belly button because I was a little concerned about it. It has a hard bump inside it and is darker inside than the rest of his skin. She said that is completely normal and is called the Ligament of Treitz, which isn't actually a ligament at all. Apparently when the umbilical cord is cut, those veins inside that were carrying the nutrients through the baby begin to shrivel up and become the "ligament". She said it will likely get softer and lighter colored as he grows and I've already noticed that it isn't as hard or as dark as it was earlier.
Overall he is doing great. He is no longer sleeping for long 8-9 hour stretches at night, so we think it might be time to try to feed him a little baby cereal or even have a bottle of formula before bed. We'll have to try it and see. It's funny, but this seems like a huge transition to me and I almost feel like I need to take a few days off work to do it. I know that is silly, but we don't know how to do formula or cereal yet and I feel like it will take some trial and error. I'm just not sure I'm up for the trial while busy with work! I guess this is as good a time as any. Maybe we'll try it next week.
Developmentally, Gavin's come such a long way. I only vaguely remember the helpless little critter he was at just a few days old. He was just learning to nurse. He was all floppy and rag-doll like. His little body just curled into a ball when you tried to hold him upright. He couldn't control any of his movements and he seemed so fragile. Now he sits upright in his bebe pod seat and his walker and exersaucer. He tolerates tummy time and holds his chest up with his elbows and looks all around with his head. He laughs. He actually laughs when you blow raspberries on his belly or nibble on his toes. His smile is infectious! He's a little ham. He also arches his back and squeals when he's frustrated. When he realizes he is about to be fed, he can barely stand to wait the 5 seconds it takes to get everything situated. What was a little tiny, "Momma, I'm a little bit hungry" quickly becomes a "Feed me now, I'm starving, Can't you hear me? I'll say it louded. I'm so hungry I can't take it. Feed me now!!"
Yup, he's a growing boy! We love him to pieces! All 15 lbs and 5 oz of him!
Height 25" (50%)
Weight 15 lbs, 5 oz (70%)
Head Circumference 42 cm (50%)
So it looks like even though we think he is really growing so fast and getting so big, he is very average on his height and head size and just a bit over average on his weight. She checked him out from head to toe and told us there were no worries. She took a look at his belly button because I was a little concerned about it. It has a hard bump inside it and is darker inside than the rest of his skin. She said that is completely normal and is called the Ligament of Treitz, which isn't actually a ligament at all. Apparently when the umbilical cord is cut, those veins inside that were carrying the nutrients through the baby begin to shrivel up and become the "ligament". She said it will likely get softer and lighter colored as he grows and I've already noticed that it isn't as hard or as dark as it was earlier.
Overall he is doing great. He is no longer sleeping for long 8-9 hour stretches at night, so we think it might be time to try to feed him a little baby cereal or even have a bottle of formula before bed. We'll have to try it and see. It's funny, but this seems like a huge transition to me and I almost feel like I need to take a few days off work to do it. I know that is silly, but we don't know how to do formula or cereal yet and I feel like it will take some trial and error. I'm just not sure I'm up for the trial while busy with work! I guess this is as good a time as any. Maybe we'll try it next week.
Developmentally, Gavin's come such a long way. I only vaguely remember the helpless little critter he was at just a few days old. He was just learning to nurse. He was all floppy and rag-doll like. His little body just curled into a ball when you tried to hold him upright. He couldn't control any of his movements and he seemed so fragile. Now he sits upright in his bebe pod seat and his walker and exersaucer. He tolerates tummy time and holds his chest up with his elbows and looks all around with his head. He laughs. He actually laughs when you blow raspberries on his belly or nibble on his toes. His smile is infectious! He's a little ham. He also arches his back and squeals when he's frustrated. When he realizes he is about to be fed, he can barely stand to wait the 5 seconds it takes to get everything situated. What was a little tiny, "Momma, I'm a little bit hungry" quickly becomes a "Feed me now, I'm starving, Can't you hear me? I'll say it louded. I'm so hungry I can't take it. Feed me now!!"
Yup, he's a growing boy! We love him to pieces! All 15 lbs and 5 oz of him!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Sleep Deprived, but Smiling
The floor under my desk is looking awfully comfortable today. All day I've been fighting the urge to just curl up under there and close my eyes. I could pull my chair up close and no one would ever even notice me under there.
We had a delicious dinner last night with Cliff's parents and uncle in celebration of Cliff's birthday. We got home just in time to feed and change Gavin and put him to bed. Except he wasn't tired. He was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. What does that mean, anyway - bushy tailed? Does that mean you were awake enough to comb your tail fur? Well, he was bright-eyed anyway, and talking up a storm! He woke up babbling yesterday morning and was still babbling last night at 8:00... and at 8:30, and at 9:00... need I go on? I think he was actually singing Happy Birthday to Cliff when he woke up in the morning! So, Gavin finally fell asleep around 10:00 last night and I got in the bathtub. I fell asleep in the tub and only awoke enough to climb out of the tub and into my bed and I was asleep again in minutes! Then Cliff got into bed and I woke up. It was only 10:45, so I had only been asleep for a few minutes. A few minutes later, Gavin started fussing. I looked at the clock. I guess it wasn't a few minutes, but it certainly wasn't long enough for me to feel rested. It was midnight. I picked up Gavin and fed him. This usually lulls him into a deep milk-induced coma, all rag-dollish and floppy. I can scoop him up, burp him, and then lay him back in his crib without him even twitching a finger. Not last night though. Nope, he was bright-eyed and bu... well, you know - he was awake. Wide awake. I laid him back in his bed. He talked and he fussed and Cliff suggested we change his diaper and feed him some more. With a clean diaper and a full belly, he was laughing and talking and cooing and giggling and all smiley and happy, but he STILL wasn't sleepy. We put him back in his crib. He talked, sang us a little song, then when we didn't pick him up after a while, he fussed. Cliff talked to him, gave him a pacifier, rubbed his belly, tried to sooth him. No sleepiness whatsoever. Cliff got back in bed and put in his earplugs. I laid there listening... waiting for Gavin to quiet down and drift off. Nothing. I decided I'd let him cry for five minutes and then I would get up with him. I got him up and tried to feed him some more. Could he possibly still be hungry? Nope! Just awake. We went out to the living room at 1:30. He had already been up for an hour and a half, which meant so had we. I sat in the living room with him and rocked him. He fell asleep. I stood up to carry him back to bed and he started crying. Then he opened his eyes wide and smiled. Cliff came out to check on us. I sat back down and rocked him some more. He finally drifted off to sleep and I got him back into bed.
It felt like I had just fallen asleep when he was up again! It was now shortly after 5:00am and I had been asleep for roughly three hours. He normally sleeps for 8 hours or more with out waking up or eating. What was going on? I fed him. He acted like he was starving and hadn't been fed in days! After he went back to sleep and I crawled back into bed, I looked at the clock. 5:55am. My alarm was going off in 5 minutes. I turned the alarm off and went to sleep. 40 minutes later I woke up and got ready for work. I woke up Cliff and Gavin and neither of them wanted to get up either.
I'm so grateful that Gavin usually sleeps through the night. I can't imagine if he was still waking every few hours on a regular basis. I would never be able to function at work. Maybe he is going through a growth spurt and needs to eat more? Maybe he had too much chocolate and coffee yesterday and was hopped up on caffeine. No, he is just a baby without a schedule. Let's hope tonight goes better. I'm not a happy camper when I'm sleep deprived and our household will be much happier if we all sleep through the night tonight!! If you can't find me this afternoon, check under my desk. I may have just curled up there for a little snooze.
We had a delicious dinner last night with Cliff's parents and uncle in celebration of Cliff's birthday. We got home just in time to feed and change Gavin and put him to bed. Except he wasn't tired. He was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. What does that mean, anyway - bushy tailed? Does that mean you were awake enough to comb your tail fur? Well, he was bright-eyed anyway, and talking up a storm! He woke up babbling yesterday morning and was still babbling last night at 8:00... and at 8:30, and at 9:00... need I go on? I think he was actually singing Happy Birthday to Cliff when he woke up in the morning! So, Gavin finally fell asleep around 10:00 last night and I got in the bathtub. I fell asleep in the tub and only awoke enough to climb out of the tub and into my bed and I was asleep again in minutes! Then Cliff got into bed and I woke up. It was only 10:45, so I had only been asleep for a few minutes. A few minutes later, Gavin started fussing. I looked at the clock. I guess it wasn't a few minutes, but it certainly wasn't long enough for me to feel rested. It was midnight. I picked up Gavin and fed him. This usually lulls him into a deep milk-induced coma, all rag-dollish and floppy. I can scoop him up, burp him, and then lay him back in his crib without him even twitching a finger. Not last night though. Nope, he was bright-eyed and bu... well, you know - he was awake. Wide awake. I laid him back in his bed. He talked and he fussed and Cliff suggested we change his diaper and feed him some more. With a clean diaper and a full belly, he was laughing and talking and cooing and giggling and all smiley and happy, but he STILL wasn't sleepy. We put him back in his crib. He talked, sang us a little song, then when we didn't pick him up after a while, he fussed. Cliff talked to him, gave him a pacifier, rubbed his belly, tried to sooth him. No sleepiness whatsoever. Cliff got back in bed and put in his earplugs. I laid there listening... waiting for Gavin to quiet down and drift off. Nothing. I decided I'd let him cry for five minutes and then I would get up with him. I got him up and tried to feed him some more. Could he possibly still be hungry? Nope! Just awake. We went out to the living room at 1:30. He had already been up for an hour and a half, which meant so had we. I sat in the living room with him and rocked him. He fell asleep. I stood up to carry him back to bed and he started crying. Then he opened his eyes wide and smiled. Cliff came out to check on us. I sat back down and rocked him some more. He finally drifted off to sleep and I got him back into bed.
It felt like I had just fallen asleep when he was up again! It was now shortly after 5:00am and I had been asleep for roughly three hours. He normally sleeps for 8 hours or more with out waking up or eating. What was going on? I fed him. He acted like he was starving and hadn't been fed in days! After he went back to sleep and I crawled back into bed, I looked at the clock. 5:55am. My alarm was going off in 5 minutes. I turned the alarm off and went to sleep. 40 minutes later I woke up and got ready for work. I woke up Cliff and Gavin and neither of them wanted to get up either.
I'm so grateful that Gavin usually sleeps through the night. I can't imagine if he was still waking every few hours on a regular basis. I would never be able to function at work. Maybe he is going through a growth spurt and needs to eat more? Maybe he had too much chocolate and coffee yesterday and was hopped up on caffeine. No, he is just a baby without a schedule. Let's hope tonight goes better. I'm not a happy camper when I'm sleep deprived and our household will be much happier if we all sleep through the night tonight!! If you can't find me this afternoon, check under my desk. I may have just curled up there for a little snooze.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
When Life Hands You Lemons... Wash The Dog
I pulled in the driveway yesterday after picking up Gavin from daycare and opened the garage door only to see smoke or steam or something pouring out from the garage. It took me a moment to realize that although it was really cold out and the garage was pretty darn warm, it wasn't that much of a difference that there should be that much "fog" and something must be really wrong. I sat in the car outside the garage for a moment to try to see into the garage and figure out what was going on. This fog kept pouring out of the garage and wasn't really clearing up. I had Gavin in the car and, unsure if this was smoke or steam or what it was, I was not about to pull the car into the garage. I left the car running and left Gavin in there, grabbed my phone, and hopped out of the car onto solid ice! I walked into the very warm garage and stepped right into 2" of water. The entire garage floor was covered in 2" of warm water and the air was thick with steam. I couldn't see anything, but I could hear water spraying. I made my way through the steam and the water over to the garage sink and felt water spraying out from the bottom side of the sink. I reached down and checked to make sure the water wasn't so hot that it would scald me and I turned off the hot water valve. That stopped the hot water from spraying, but the cold water pipes were still spraying, so I then I turned off the cold water valve. The garage was a sopping wet mess and the dog wasn't sure what to think of it, but was clogging around in the warm water, probably enjoying the summery swim. I closed the garage door since I didn't want the water to now start freezing and I checked the house quickly to make sure it was safe to bring Gavin in. Then I took him from the car into the house and went back out to the garage to take a closer look. Some of the water had come out underneath the garage door and frozen in the driveway and yard. The water obviously wasn't going down the drain in the garage floor, so I walked out back to find the end of the drain pipe and see if I could tell if so much water had flowed out there that it had frozen over the end of the pipe. None of the water had come out - I couldn't even find the end of the pipe in the grass. When I called Cliff, he said he was almost home so I told him what had happened and what I had done. He asked if either of the garage doors were open when I got home, since the logical explanation would be that we left a door open and the pipes froze. They hadn't been open when I got home.
Cliff came home and did a similar analysis to what I did. Normally, the dog who chews on almost everything would have been the first to blame for this, but there was no evidence of teeth marks on the pipes or anything. Cliff noted that unless the garage doors had been left open and someone stopped by and closed them, then the only other option was vandalism. Could someone actually have come in and opened those valves up intentionally? Well, we went in the house to get our rubber boots on and we had a message on the answering machine that a neighbor had driven by and saw the garage doors open earlier in the day so he stopped and closed them. Thank you for caring neighbors. Unfortunately, the pipes probably cracked while the garage doors were open and the water inside the pipes was frozen. Then when he closed the garage doors and the garage was allowed to heat back up to the temperature the thermostat is set at, the water in the pipes thawed and started spraying through the cracks in the pipes. We had a mess on our hands. I checked the basement and there was no sign of water down there. Thank goodness. Actually, thank God. This could have been so much worse. The house could have been flooded rather than just the garage. It could have been smoke pouring out of the garage rather than steam. Thank God that it was only water and it was only in the garage.
I wonder how many gallons of water were lost. I wonder how many KwH the water heater used! It was definitely working hard! Since we couldn't get the drain pipe thawed, Cliff took advantage of the water and scrubbed the garage floor with a scrub broom and gave the dog a bath. Hey, when life gives you lemons... wash the dog! Then Cliff got started trying to thaw the drain pipe. He ran a hose out the garage window and turned the hot water on. He ended up putting a semi-flexible plastic tube on the end of the hose and pushing that up the drain pipe from the back yard thawing the ice in the pipe as it went. Finally, we had water flowage and the garage drained out!
I have a "card" game called waterworks that I used to love to play and my nephew Nathan now loves to play. It's a game where the cards have pieces of pipe on them and you need to build a plumbing structure from the valve/handle card to the spout/spigot card with at least 15 cards (pieces of pipe) between the two. Your opponent can put leaky pipes on your structure that you need to repair with a like card or a wrench before you can add anymore cards. We've been playing that game a lot lately. Who knew I'd be playing it for real?????
Cliff came home and did a similar analysis to what I did. Normally, the dog who chews on almost everything would have been the first to blame for this, but there was no evidence of teeth marks on the pipes or anything. Cliff noted that unless the garage doors had been left open and someone stopped by and closed them, then the only other option was vandalism. Could someone actually have come in and opened those valves up intentionally? Well, we went in the house to get our rubber boots on and we had a message on the answering machine that a neighbor had driven by and saw the garage doors open earlier in the day so he stopped and closed them. Thank you for caring neighbors. Unfortunately, the pipes probably cracked while the garage doors were open and the water inside the pipes was frozen. Then when he closed the garage doors and the garage was allowed to heat back up to the temperature the thermostat is set at, the water in the pipes thawed and started spraying through the cracks in the pipes. We had a mess on our hands. I checked the basement and there was no sign of water down there. Thank goodness. Actually, thank God. This could have been so much worse. The house could have been flooded rather than just the garage. It could have been smoke pouring out of the garage rather than steam. Thank God that it was only water and it was only in the garage.
I wonder how many gallons of water were lost. I wonder how many KwH the water heater used! It was definitely working hard! Since we couldn't get the drain pipe thawed, Cliff took advantage of the water and scrubbed the garage floor with a scrub broom and gave the dog a bath. Hey, when life gives you lemons... wash the dog! Then Cliff got started trying to thaw the drain pipe. He ran a hose out the garage window and turned the hot water on. He ended up putting a semi-flexible plastic tube on the end of the hose and pushing that up the drain pipe from the back yard thawing the ice in the pipe as it went. Finally, we had water flowage and the garage drained out!
I have a "card" game called waterworks that I used to love to play and my nephew Nathan now loves to play. It's a game where the cards have pieces of pipe on them and you need to build a plumbing structure from the valve/handle card to the spout/spigot card with at least 15 cards (pieces of pipe) between the two. Your opponent can put leaky pipes on your structure that you need to repair with a like card or a wrench before you can add anymore cards. We've been playing that game a lot lately. Who knew I'd be playing it for real?????
Germinator
Cliff has a new nickname for Gavin. Germinator. You can sing about it to the tune of Britney Spear's "Womanizer". Sing it with me, "Germinator, germinator, you're a germinator. Little germinator, germinator..." I mean germinator as in a carrier of an illness! This kiddo seems to have gotten EVERYONE sick, and yet, he is as healthy as can be! Let's see... here's the breakdown:
Monday 3/2 - One daycare kid throws up at daycare
Tuesday 3/3 - Another daycare kid is sick
Wednesday 3/4 - Daycare provider's daughter is sick, and Erin comes home from work sick
Thursday 3/5 - Erin stays home from work sick, Cliff's parents and Uncle watch Gavin
Friday 3/6 - Cliff's parents and Uncle watch Gavin and then get sick that night
Saturday 3/7 - Cliff's parents are still sick. Erin takes Gavin, picks up her Mom and friend Carrie and heads out to her sister Kathy's house for a visit
Sunday 3/8 - Daycare calls, daycare family has been sick all weekend. They're feeling better, but want us to know in case we don't want Gavin around the germs. Erin's Mom drives out to spend the night and then watch Gavin on Monday
Monday 3/9 - Erin's Mom goes home sick at 8:00am and Erin & Cliff take Gavin to Daycare. Erin and Cliff get 10 miles into their commute and Cliff needs to go back home - he's not feeling well. Erin calls sister Kathy to warn her of this highly contagious stomach flu and Kathy and three of the kids are all throwing up.
Tuesday 3/10 - Erin's mom is starting to feel better. Kathy & family are all still sick, including the fourth kid who wasn't sick on Tuesday. Gavin goes to daycare again.
Wednesday 3/11 - Erin's Dad goes upstairs to lay down - his stomach isn't feeling so good.
Thursday 3/12 - The jury's still out... no word yet
Moral of the story... no matter how much you love Gavin, it isn't worth it! It isn't worth seeing him, holding him, kissing him, hugging him... you might not even want to think of him. This thing is that contagious and that viscous! Think bucket, toilet, toilet, bucket, toilet, bucket and repeat. Glad you haven't seen us lately, aren't you!!!
Oh, and Gavin? He's just as healthy and happy as a clam!
P.S. that catchy little "Germinator" song at the beginning of the post? You can also sing a song to the same tune to tell your baby how fussy he is. That one goes like this, "Fussinator, fussinator, you're a fussinator. Little fussinator, fussinator, you're a fussinator." Then Cliff adds, "doo, doo, doo-yaa, doo, doo, doo-yaa" Just in case you want to tell someone all about how fussy they're being. Now you have a song.
Monday 3/2 - One daycare kid throws up at daycare
Tuesday 3/3 - Another daycare kid is sick
Wednesday 3/4 - Daycare provider's daughter is sick, and Erin comes home from work sick
Thursday 3/5 - Erin stays home from work sick, Cliff's parents and Uncle watch Gavin
Friday 3/6 - Cliff's parents and Uncle watch Gavin and then get sick that night
Saturday 3/7 - Cliff's parents are still sick. Erin takes Gavin, picks up her Mom and friend Carrie and heads out to her sister Kathy's house for a visit
Sunday 3/8 - Daycare calls, daycare family has been sick all weekend. They're feeling better, but want us to know in case we don't want Gavin around the germs. Erin's Mom drives out to spend the night and then watch Gavin on Monday
Monday 3/9 - Erin's Mom goes home sick at 8:00am and Erin & Cliff take Gavin to Daycare. Erin and Cliff get 10 miles into their commute and Cliff needs to go back home - he's not feeling well. Erin calls sister Kathy to warn her of this highly contagious stomach flu and Kathy and three of the kids are all throwing up.
Tuesday 3/10 - Erin's mom is starting to feel better. Kathy & family are all still sick, including the fourth kid who wasn't sick on Tuesday. Gavin goes to daycare again.
Wednesday 3/11 - Erin's Dad goes upstairs to lay down - his stomach isn't feeling so good.
Thursday 3/12 - The jury's still out... no word yet
Moral of the story... no matter how much you love Gavin, it isn't worth it! It isn't worth seeing him, holding him, kissing him, hugging him... you might not even want to think of him. This thing is that contagious and that viscous! Think bucket, toilet, toilet, bucket, toilet, bucket and repeat. Glad you haven't seen us lately, aren't you!!!
Oh, and Gavin? He's just as healthy and happy as a clam!
P.S. that catchy little "Germinator" song at the beginning of the post? You can also sing a song to the same tune to tell your baby how fussy he is. That one goes like this, "Fussinator, fussinator, you're a fussinator. Little fussinator, fussinator, you're a fussinator." Then Cliff adds, "doo, doo, doo-yaa, doo, doo, doo-yaa" Just in case you want to tell someone all about how fussy they're being. Now you have a song.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Ahhh, my nice relaxing bath
I love my bathtub. I have always loved the bathtub. I used to spend up to three hours in the bathtub when it was cold in the house and I got going on a good book. I would just turn on the hot water to warm up again after a bit if it got too cold. Often I would fall asleep and sleep in there for an hour or more. I just love a nice warm bath!
Gavin gets a bath every couple of days. He has a little baby bathtub that he has just about outgrown, but sometimes it's more efficient to hop in my tub with him than to give him his bath, then get him dried, dressed, fed, and to bed and then take my bath. Plus, it's a neat bonding time, since he really enjoys the bath and loves to "float" around in the tub with me holding his head and shoulders above the water. I get in and test the water and then Cliff undresses Gavin and hands him to me and we wash him up together and then Cliff gets him out and dries and dresses him while I finish up my bath.
So, tonight we're enjoying our warm, clean bath, floating around and splashing in the water and I start picking the lint out from the water. Gavin always has lint between his toes by the end of the day! Teasing him, I pick up some lint and say "That isn't mommy's toe lint, mommy wore black socks today!"
Then Cliff says, "That isn't Gavin's toe lint either, Gavin wore navy blue socks today."
So, where did the off-white lint come from, you ask? I pick it out and go to set it on the edge of the tub and Cliff says, "it's poop!" I looked at Gavin and teased him for pooping in my bathtub and then proceeded to tell Cliff how I was NOT going to get very clean if there was poop in my bath!!!
Cliff told me that Gavin didn't poop in my bathtub. When he handed Gavin to me and pulled off Gavin's diaper, he saw a couple of "lint balls" fall into the bathwater. Apparently they weren't lint balls. They were little rolled up, off-white colored, baby poo balls. Guess I was going to need new bath water!
There are just some things that really don't phase a person much after having a baby. Apparently baby poop in the bath water is one of them. I can think of grosser things. I will continue to hold my head up high though for the fact that I did indeed get myself some fresh clean bathwater to bathe myself in!
Next time I climb into the tub with a glass of wine and some bubbles, I'll do my best to avoid any encounters with poo.
Gavin gets a bath every couple of days. He has a little baby bathtub that he has just about outgrown, but sometimes it's more efficient to hop in my tub with him than to give him his bath, then get him dried, dressed, fed, and to bed and then take my bath. Plus, it's a neat bonding time, since he really enjoys the bath and loves to "float" around in the tub with me holding his head and shoulders above the water. I get in and test the water and then Cliff undresses Gavin and hands him to me and we wash him up together and then Cliff gets him out and dries and dresses him while I finish up my bath.
So, tonight we're enjoying our warm, clean bath, floating around and splashing in the water and I start picking the lint out from the water. Gavin always has lint between his toes by the end of the day! Teasing him, I pick up some lint and say "That isn't mommy's toe lint, mommy wore black socks today!"
Then Cliff says, "That isn't Gavin's toe lint either, Gavin wore navy blue socks today."
So, where did the off-white lint come from, you ask? I pick it out and go to set it on the edge of the tub and Cliff says, "it's poop!" I looked at Gavin and teased him for pooping in my bathtub and then proceeded to tell Cliff how I was NOT going to get very clean if there was poop in my bath!!!
Cliff told me that Gavin didn't poop in my bathtub. When he handed Gavin to me and pulled off Gavin's diaper, he saw a couple of "lint balls" fall into the bathwater. Apparently they weren't lint balls. They were little rolled up, off-white colored, baby poo balls. Guess I was going to need new bath water!
There are just some things that really don't phase a person much after having a baby. Apparently baby poop in the bath water is one of them. I can think of grosser things. I will continue to hold my head up high though for the fact that I did indeed get myself some fresh clean bathwater to bathe myself in!
Next time I climb into the tub with a glass of wine and some bubbles, I'll do my best to avoid any encounters with poo.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Flirtatious Little Happy Boy
Gavin is just a little flirt, isn't he. I just love these smiles!! They make me want to blow raspberries on his belly and smooch him all up. Actually, that makes me think of some chant or school cheer that Cliff occasionally recites, "Alligator, alligator, eat 'em up, eat 'em up". I have no idea where that came from, but when Gavin is so darn cute and flirty like this and I just want to "eat 'em up" I can't help but think of "Alligator, alligator, eat 'em up, eat 'em up" Must be a Wisconsin thing!
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