The Key to Trick Horseback Riding is Precise Timing

I hesitated to post anything today since I don't really have anything all that important or interesting to say (at least I don't think so), but I'm making a concentrated effort to post regularly, so here we are.  I'm including lots of cute pictures in lieu of my usual wordiness ...



The fam!

 

Love this onesie, from Cody and Leslie ... I love monogrammed things!



You know I love that his onesie and the receiving blanket match ... this is also a good shot to show off what Alan refers to as Jones' "vulcan ears" ... he does look a little Spock-like in this shot ...

I took Jones to my office today.  He was a good boy, my little office assistant.  Didn't cause any trouble, and only got upset once, when it was time to eat and it took me longer than he thought it should to get his lunch together.  I loved his outfit today:  the onesie is a gift from my friends Cody and Leslie, and it is just precious, no?!  He also had on sneakers - I love how cute he looks when he has on shoes. 



I love all of his smiles!  This is after he threw a big fit about my slowness in getting his lunch to him.  Once he ate, he was a happy boy, as evidenced by this picture.



Being an office assistant is hard work.

 

Sleeping on the job!

 We're still working our way through the Harry Potter series.  So, as promised, a favorite excerpt from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:

"'So I should be in Slytherin,' Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore's fact.  'The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin's power in me, and it - '
'Put you in Gryffindor,' said Dumbledore calmly.  'Listen to me, Harry.  You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students.  His own very rare gift, Parseltongue - resourcefulness - determination - a certain disregard for the rules,' he added, his mustache quivering again.  'Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor.  You know why that was.  Think.'
'It only put me in Gryffindor,' said Harry in a defeated voice, because I asked not to go in Slytherin ...'
'Exactly,' said Dumbledore, beaming once more.  'Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle.  It is our choices,  Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.'"

I was watching TV the other night, and I watched something on the TV Guide channel, of all things, that was a countdown of the most unforgettable series finales.  It was actually a pretty good list, and one of my favorites that it listed and showed was the last episode of The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson's last night hosting it.  I have really fond memories of Johnny Carson and The Tonight Show.  When I would go and stay with my Grammy and Papa in the summer (one day, so the story goes, I up and told my parents that I wanted to go and stay at Grammy's "for 18 days" ... I don't know where 18 days came from, it probably just sounded like a really, really long time to a little kid.  Anyway, thus started the tradition of me going every summer up to Grammy and Papa's for 18 days ... those were really wonderful times ...), we would always stay up late and watch The Tonight Show.  I felt like such a big girl, getting to watch the grown up show.  And, you know, Johnny Carson was the best.  Anyway, here's the clip ... it brings a little tear to my eye, it's a really touching moment:

Spike Heels Come in Handy When it is Necessary to Break Glass

I've mentioned that I'm reading the Harry Potter series.  Make that re-reading.  It's been years since I first read them, and I've forgotten how lovely the writing is - obviously, J.K. Rowling is very talented, as is evidenced by the stellar success of the series (I think referring to writing as "lovely" is one of the highest compliments you can give ... you know what I mean?  Sometimes writing is just ... it's lovely, there's no better word for it).  Alan and I also watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 on Sunday night.  We both thought it was really good, and it even gave me a nightmare (not that I think giving someone a nightmare is a sign of a good movie ... but I guess it does prove that it stuck with me).  I think Part 2 comes out in July, so hopefully we'll be able to go see it in the theatre.  The theatre in Russellville, the Picwood, amazes me.  Seriously, I've never seen such a popular place in a small town, and I grew up in a small town.  You can't stir the people with a stick at the Picwood on Friday and Saturday night.  I remember when Alan and I first moved to Russellville, and we didn't really know anybody, we decided to go to the movies one night, and we arrived to see a line of people camped out outside the theatre for the next Harry Potter movie that was opening (I don't remember which one).  People were dressed up, they were really into it!  At the time, Alan and I were still missing NWA and we were still in the cynical yuppie mode that is au courant up there, so we laughed at these people, but in retrospect it really warms my heart and makes me smile (in a non-cynical way):  it's nice to see people enjoying something in such a pure way.  I love going to the movies, but we rarely go.  We prefer to Netflix it unless it's something we really want to see ... the last movie I watched in the theatre was True Grit (very good, love me some Jeff Bridges:  "The Dude!").

All of this about Harry Potter to say that I thought I'd quote some of my favorite portions of the books as I go along.  I read them aloud to Jones sometimes when he's not feeling the play mat or the swing, and is tired of tummy time and tired of me just hanging out with him (yesterday we danced to my iTunes library ... he loved it!  I'm going to have to try and get some video of his dance moves (I make him dance sometimes ... hey, he smiles a lot so I think he enjoys it as much as me)).  He just looks up at me, very intently.  I think he likes the sound of my voice, and I think he just likes looking at my face.  Anyway, on to the quotations ...

From Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (the first book):

"'I don't need a cloak to become invisible,' said Dumbledore gently.  'Now, can you think of what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?' 
Harry shook his head.
'Let me explain.  The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is.  Does that help?' 
Harry thought.  Then he said slowly, 'It shows us what we want ... whatever we want ...' 
'Yes and no,' said Dumbledore quietly.  'It shows us nothign more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts.  You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you ... However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth.  Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what is hows is real or even possible ... It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.'"

"'But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?'
'Your mother died to save you.  If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love.  He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark.  Not a scar, no visible sign ... to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.  It is in your very skin.  Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason.  It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good.'"

See?  Lovely, right?

And now, a picture of my little wizard (I say that because Alan calls this sleeping gown Jones' wizard outfit):

Monday was Jones' two month check-up.  He is doing well, gaining weight like a champ.  Dr. Harrison said if you adjust his age for prematurity, he's right where he should be, and he's pleased with all of the progress.  The two month check-up also meant, (duh-duhn-duhn) SHOTS!  Broke my heart a little, he let out such a pitiful wail when they stuck him.  But he did really well, truly.  He wailed a bit, but as soon as the nurse let me pick him up and I snugged him up against me, he calmed down right away.  Actually fell asleep in the waiting room while we waited to make sure there was no reaction.  He slept pretty hard the rest of the day, but he doesn't seem to be holding a grudge:

Check out those cute bandaids - they have the Tasmanian Devil on them!  I mean, I hate that he had to go through getting his shots, but I have to admit I think this picture of Jones and his boo boo are pretty cute (easier for me to say since he took it so well ... probably wouldn't be so blase if he had had a reaction to the shots or gotten really ill afterward). 

How about an update on Jones, like I used to do for my pregnancy?

Jones at 10 Weeks

Jones weighs 10 pounds and 1 ounce and is 21 1/2 inches long.  His head is 38 1/2 inches around.  I don't know what percentile he's in because Dr. Harrison didn't say ... I think because we're not focusing on that right now because it's not really accurate due to his prematurity.  He is drinking 5 ounces every 3 to 4 hours.  He has long periods of wakefulness between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and again from about 5:00 to 9:00.  His favorite toy is the activity mat, and he likes, but doesn't love, his gumdrop pacifier.  Right now his favorite playmate is Mommy and his favorite game to play with her is to be wiggled around on her legs ("dancing").  He has just switched from newborn clothes to 0 - 3 months and I am really excited about that because he has some really cute outfits for 0 - 3 months, and I can start putting little shoes on him (so get excited about the pictures to come!).

So, this obviously isn't a Wordless Wednesday post (perhaps I should do a Wordy Wednesday post, seeing as I am, obviously, a fairly wordy person), but here are some pics that are un-related to this post that I thought you would enjoy:

My Favorite Boys:  Daddy, Augie, and Jones 

Daddy and the Wiz (remember that great 80s movie, The Wiz?  Anybody, anybody?  Bueller, Bueller?)

Snoozin' like a big boy in mom and dad's bed ...

Keep Your Ice Skates Sharpened. You Just Might Be Called Upon to Impersonate a Figure Skater

In my last post I commented that parenthood changes your perspective on just about everything.  For example, a good's night rest means that of the three times that I got up to feed Jones in the middle of the night, it took no longer than an hour and he went right back down afterward, allowing me to get at least 6 hours of sleep (I'm looking forward to the day when that 6 hours isn't in chunks).  Other epiphanies I've had since becoming a mom:

1.  Fractions are important. 

I know everybody remembers studying fractions and learning how to add, subtract, multiply and divide, and I know that almost everybody uttered the words, "When am I ever going to use this in real life?"  The answer:  have a baby and feed him formula, and you'll learn real quick about the usefulness of fractions, and the usefulness of elementary school math in general.  Daily I stand over the sink and think to myself, "Okay, I need to make 8, 5 ounce bottles ... that's 40 ounces of formula.  It's one scoop of formula for every two ounces, so that would be 10 scoops.  Then I have to fortify it (to make it more caloric, since our goal is still for Jones to gain lots of weight and catch up) - that's 1/4 teaspoon for every ounce.  So, if I'm making 40 ounces, multiply that by 1/4, that's 10, so that's ..."  You see where I'm going with this.  When you're tired, this becomes extra challenging.


"Math makes my head hurt!"



2.  Three Men and a Baby had a lot of truths to it. 

For example, the scene where Peter is telling his "girlfriend" Rebecca about feeding the baby:  "It says, 'Feed - every 2 hours'.  Does that mean 2 hours from when I start or 2 hours from when I finish because I'm doing 2 hours from when I start and I'm feeding her all the time?!"  It can seem like that sometimes, and we're on a 3 hour schedule (for what it's worth, the answer to Peter's question is 2 hours from when you start), which occasionally goes to 4 hours, depending on what kind of day we're having. 

I have also lived out the scene where Jack takes a shower with the baby (not as icky on screen as it is in print).  In fact, I lived out that scene this very morning - I had popped Jones down onto the play mat in my bathroom while I took a shower.  When I get out, I noticed that he had spit up a little.  So I picked him up and took him over to our bed to lay him down and change his outfit.  It was at that moment that the little guy chose to finish spitting up, and it was a big one - projectile, going in all directions, including all down the front of me (remember, I was just out of the shower so, in the risk of giving everybody TMI, that means that I didn't have any clothes on ... which is really just as well, when you think about it), the front of him, and onto the part of the bed that I was standing near.  I thought about it for a minute, looked at me, covered in regurgitated baby formula (which smells about as awesome as you might think, being a milk product), looked at my baby, covered in formula and wailing (it was all over him - in his diaper, in his hair ... it was pitiful), and decided, "Well, necessity is the mother of invention.  What we both need is to be hosed off, and the best way I can think of to do that is the shower."  So I stripped him down, grabbed my recently discarded bath towel, and headed back to the shower with an extra passenger.  It actually went really well ... I think Jones liked it, really, and who doesn't like being clean?  So, he's currently in outfit number 3 on the day, and we've eaten our 4th bottle of the day, and I'm watching him to make sure this one doesn't come up as well (he's asleep in the swing at the moment), and the bedsheets and play mat are in the washing machine. 

I also like the scene where Michael turns to Peter and says, "I think she did a doodle and it's your turn to change her."  Peter replies, "I'll give you a thousand dollars if you'll do it."  I know that feeling.  Sometimes it seems like you just won't be able to take another dirty diaper, but you do, and of course it's fine. 

I think the last scene that I can think of that has been applicable to our lives recently is where Peter is reading aloud to Mary, and it's Sports Illustrated, a recap of a vicious boxing match.  Michael comes in and says, "What are you reading to her?"  Peter replies (in a sort of soft, gentle voice, the kind of voice you would use to read a bedtime story to a baby), "It doesn't matter what you read.  It's the tone you use.  Now where was I?  'The Champ began the next round like a man possessed."  I feel like that when I read aloud Harry Potter to Jones ... he has no idea about anything.  He does like the sound of my voice, though ... at least I think he does ...

3.  Absolutes are not your friend.

I actually feel like I have made an effort for quite some time now not to say anything along the lines of, "I always ..." or "I will never ..." or "My child always ..." or "My child will never ..." because this is a sure-fire way to guarantee that you or your child will not always whatever and that you and your child will definitely end up doing or saying whatever it is you swore you would never do or say.  I never wanted the baby to sleep in the bed with us, because I didn't want to get a bad habit started.  There have been occasions (although they are happening less and less frequently now, as Jones gets bigger and older) where, exhausted and at my wit's end, I put the baby in the Boppy Lounger, laid him in between me and Alan at the head of the bed, and we all went to sleep like that.  So, you know, I don't think I ever actually said, "I will never let my child sleep in the bed with me", but I was aiming toward that and now look at me.  This is also why I try not to say things like, "My child will never throw a temper tantrum in a restaurant."  Because I'm sure it will happen, no matter what preventative measures we take or how sweet we think our boy is, and because saying something like that guarantees it will happen at a time that makes it ten times worse (like, in front of the people who heard you declare that your child will never throw a temper tantrum in a restaurant, at a nice restaurant, where you are celebrating some milestone of some sort with lots of people around to witness your humiliation).



4.  Things that never used to bother you will start to bother you and things that you would previously have believed would have bothered you have no effect on you. 

Case in point:  the spoiled labradors.  Love them.  They are family.  I never used to care a thing about their hair - I just swept and vacuummed and went on with it.  And I still do ... but now their hair makes me a little crazy.  I sweep and vaccuum a lot more.  And nothing makes me crazier than finding a hair on the corner of Jones' mouth, or by his eye or something.  It bothers me more than him, I think, but still ... but don't worry, we're not going to be those people who banish their pets outside when they have a baby.  The spoiled labradors are family and always will be.  I'll just be a very OCD cleaner for awhile.


Who, us?  Shed?  Nnnnnooooooo ....

Also, the spit-up story told above.  The spit-up didn't bother me at all.  Didn't gross me out or anything - my primary concern was to comfort the baby and see that Jones get cleaned up and happy as soon as possible.  And you would've been hard pressed to get me to believe a year ago that having what is essentially soured milk thrown all over me right after I get after the shower wouldn't bother me, but there you go.



That's all I've got for now, although I'm sure there are more to come, and I'll share them when I recognize them as the epiphanies that they are.  Parenthood, really, is one big epiphany.

It's Important to Take Time Out to Have Fun With Your Friends, Particularly if They Spend Considerable Time Doing Your Bidding

You may wonder what I've been up to for the past 9 weeks that has kept me from blogging ... or maybe not.  It should come as no surprise that we've been busy adjusting to parenthood.  And I do mean adjusting.  Our living room is no longer the cool adult hangout it once was - a swing, a bouncer, and an activity mat have taken up permanent residence in here.  There's a Boppy nursing pillow hooked over the back of one of my grandfather's vintage chairs.  There's a large, floppy, teddy bear cushion draped over the back of the couch.  All of the throw pillows have been banished to the guest room to make room for the Boppys (nursing and lounging ... that's right, we have two), the bear cushion, and various quilts for Jones to lay on.  The jogging stroller is residing in the dining room.  The kitchen counter has two different drying racks for bottles and bottle accessories.  Our cool, grown-up bedroom has another swing in it, the car seat resting by my beloved vintage slipper chair that I found for $12 at a flea market, and a pack and play has taken the place of the bench my husband built in college.  And you know what?  It doesn't bother me at all.  Because the trade off of losing some of the cool factor is that Alan and I get to have this little fella:

Precious, no?  I know when he's in a deep sleep because he puts his arms above his head.  Observe:

This picture was taken shortly after he started screaming, I think because he was overstimulated from playing in his activity gym:





We are starting to get the hang of parenting.  I'm learning all of Jones' cues.  For example, right before he really starts wailing (like, really, really wailing, so you know he's serious) he makes this funny little noise.  I can't describe it accurately in words, but I'll try:  it's like if you put your tongue up against your teeth, only open your mouth a little bit, and then pant a little:  hee hee hee, but with some wetness behind it?  I don't know.  And I don't like for my baby to be screaming or upset, but I will admit that that little sound cracks me up.  Alan and I can both imitate it really well by now, so if you want a demonstration, just ask one of us the next time you see us out and about. 

I've also learned about some must-haves (at least, in my brief experience and opinion) for taking care of a new baby:



1.  Bedtime Bath Lotion - laugh all you want, but this stuff works.  Calms him down, conks him out.  If you want extra ammo, bathe him first with the Bedtime Bath Wash and then lotion him up.  Out like a light, and it really smells good.

2.  Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail - I love this so much, that the last two baby showers I have attended, this is the gift I have given those expectant parents, and it's the gift I intend to give at every baby shower I attend from here on out.  Keeps everything smell-free and contained, no assembly required, easy to use.

3.  Gas Relief Drops - the first time I got Jones to sleep for more than 3 hours at a clip, I gave him a dose of these.  I woke up four and a half hours later in confusion (why do I feel rested?).  I credit these drops.  If Jones is unhappy and nothing seems to be helping, these will generally solve the problem.  I try not to use them all of the time, but they really do work, and I figure:  why let the little fella suffer (and Alan and I along with him) (also, did you notice that I now think that four and a half hours of sleep qualifies as "rested"? ... parenthood:  it changes your perspective on just about everything)?

4.  Bouncer - as much as I would like to hold Jones all of the time, that's not practical (a gal's got to shower, eat, clean the house, make bottles, go to the bathroom, etc.).  This bouncer has been the answer.  I usually rock him to sleep in his room and then (very carefully) deposit him in the bouncer and move it around with me while I get stuff done.  This bouncer allowed me to take my first relaxing bath since we came home from the hospital.  I tucked him into it, set it by the tub, and proceeded to take a relaxing hot bath and catch up on my Vogue and Shape subscriptions.  So, you know, I'm a devotee of this thing.  And Jones loves it (what's not to love, as my dad pointed out:  cushy, vibrating chair that plays soothing music?  Sign me up).

5.  Moby Wrap - I really mean any sort of sling or baby carrier besides a car seat.  I can't handle the car seat on my own, really.  That is to say, I can't carry it around for very long.  Call me weak, but once you put a 9 pound baby (that's right, Big Haas is up to 9 pounds!  We're so proud ... he managed to more than double his birth weight in less than 2 months, and he's not showing any signs of slowing down, which is awesome!) in a contraption that weighs 10 - 15 pounds on it's own, add to the fact that you have to carry it sort of away from the body (requiring some awesome arm muscles which, sadly, I do not have), it's next to impossible for me.  So, the Moby Wrap is great.  Jones loves it too.  He snuggles right in and goes to sleep.  The only down side I can find is that he gets hot in there.  I may buy another sling for the summer, something a little lighter, more breathable.  But the Moby is very secure - I'm not worried he's going to slide out or anything, and I might worry about that with a different one ... we'll see.

6.  Glider - this is really the only sure-fire way to calm Jones down if he is really wound up.  We go in his rom and rock, rock, rock.  It's so peaceful (I love his room, but it's still a work in progress.  Still working on the art work.  I'll post pics as soon as it's done, I promise) in his room, it's quickly become my favorite place in the house (it gets the best light, we've discovered).  We just rock and rock.  Sometimes I sing (no lullabies, mostly because I don't know any ... Jones seems to like the Rolling Stones ("Wild Horses" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want") and Jimmy Buffett ("Banana Republic", "A Pirate Looks at 40", and "The Jolly Mon" are favorites ... I tend to sing the more obscure ballads that you would only know if you were a serious Buffett fan), and Joe Cocker's version of "Bye Bye Blackbird" and the acoustic guitar version of "Hey Ya") and sometimes I read to him - we've read The Little Engine That Could, The Velveteen Rabbit, The Runaway Bunny, Soonie and the Dragon, The Cat in the Hat, and Are You My Mother? and we are currently working our way through the Harry Potter series.  I'm a big reader, and I hope Jones will be too.  I'm already looking forward to reading all of the Roald Dahl books I loved when I was little (Matilda, The BFG, The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and all of the Beverly Cleary books (Henry Huggins, Beezus and Ramona).

7.  Grandparents - both my parents and Alan's parents have been so helpful.  My mom has kept Jones for me a couple of times so I could do some work (aaaahhhh, the life of the self-employed attorney ... no maternity leave in the traditional sense, plus with the crazy way Jones came into the world, with all of my hospital stays and his prematurity and everything, I wasn't able to get a lot of work things taken care of that I had planned on not having to worry about, so I'm having to worry with them now, while I'm home with the baby), both my mom and Alan's mom came and stayed with us during the first weeks of Jones being home and that was a huge help.  I enjoyed the company, and it was nice to be able to recover and get some rest right at the beginning.  All of the grandparents are great sources of information, too.  You can always count on good, experienced advice on everything from whether or not the baby has a fever to how to get him to burp, to how to get him to go to sleep, or, in the absence of advice, a nice shoulder to cry on.  

8.  The afore-mentioned floppy bear cushion thing (don't you love my descriptors?) - he loves it, probably because it's very soft and plush.  He lays on this when he isn't feeling the bouncer or the swing (sometimes a fella just wants to lay).  It's also good for tummy time or play time when he's not happy with the activity gym, and this is also where he was when he first rolled over (I hope this video works ... it's the first time I've tried to post a video to the blog, so we'll see):

The rolling over may have been a fluke.  He's only 9 weeks old, and he hasn't done it again since this video was taken on Sunday night.  He tries all of the time though, when we have tummy time on the mat or the bear, so I'm sure he'll do it again, I just don't know that we can claim victory as far as Jones being able to roll over at will.  But he did do it - I didn't help him, he did it himself, so we were proud, of course.  Plus, I'm glad he had on this cute little outfit with the frog on the butt (thanks Aunt Kim, Uncle Ricky and Cousin Jonah!) - it adds to the cuteness, right?!

9.  The Swing - I would post a video of him swinging in it, struggling to keep his little eyes open, but I haven't gotten to taking that yet, so that'll have to wait for another day.  Jones' swing is the Fisher Price My Little Snugabunny Cradle-n-Swing:

I like that the bouncer and swing "match" (hello OCD!), but this is great because it goes side to side and front to back (two different ways) has a tone of music, the mobile moves (Jones loves mobiles - we have one over his pack and play and he loves to watch it), and, best of all, it comes with an AC adapter so you don't have to constantly replenish the batteries in it.  This is a good thing to have because, like I said before, as much as I would like to hold and/or rock Jones all of the time, it's not always practical, and when he's craving movement or being rocked and I can't (for whatever reason), this usually does the trick.
It would probably be best if I had 10 things, right?  Lists are usually better if they're in tens, but this is all I've got right now.  Anywho, that's what we've been up to the last nine weeks, and I'm sure it's what we'll be up to for many weeks to follow.  I hope y'all don't get bored with pics of Jones ... I'm still working on good pics with the spoiled labradors, but it's a slow process.  It will probably require more skill than just myself alone to get a good pic of all three of them (you have no idea how long it took me to get the pic of the dogs in front of the gardenia bush ... suffice to say:  a lllllloooonnnngggggg time, but I think it was worth it).  So, I'll leave you with one more pic of the little guy:

This is my favorite thing:  having him snuggled up against me, head on my chest.  Love it.