Springtime baby

What a busy and relaxing week for us! Spring appears to really be coming as we were in the 60’s for a few days this week complete with sunshine. Devon got his first couple of outside walks in the stroller in as we explored what had changed in the neighborhood over the winter. As much as we love our stroller that the carseat clips into, it appears not to be the best choice for walking on the sidewalks in our neighborhood – very bumpy. So we hope to put him in the jogging stroller with its bigger wheels soon so he has a smoother ride. First however we have to dig it out of the garage…

We started off the week with a fantastic dinner with his godparents, Maggie and Nick. Devon was social for about 20 min and then needed to take a nap on a large floor pillow. We are so glad this kid can sleep anywhere.

As my maternity leave is winding down I’m trying to do as much visiting of friends as we can before our schedule gets a bit busier. This week Devon got to meet many new friends and made his first visit to the Guthrie. I had no idea I’d given birth to such a social butterfly.

Of course this week was St. Patrick’s Day and Devon insisted on celebrating:

The down side of the week was Wednesday’s doctor visit. Devon is very healthy and growing right on schedule but it was his first set of shots. We didn’t end up with a very good nurse (or MA, not sure) giving the shots so they took longer than I had hoped. It’s simply heartbreaking to watch his face go from calm, happy baby to a look of sheer terror. I wanted to cry right along with him. When she finally finished the 3 pokes and got the bandaids on, I fed him and that calmed him down pretty quickly. I think he felt kindy yucky after that so we took a nice long walk so he could sleep and a nice dose of Tylenol 

I hate to say it too loudly but remember last week when we told you all he slept through the night? (whisper) he is still doing it. Russ and I are amazed and thankful and nervous that it could end any day now. But 11pm till 7am makes for very happy parents.
You know what else makes for happy parents? KITCHEN CABINETS. The first two went in this weekend and two weekends from now the uppers are scheduled to go in!!!! I already put something on the shelf and in the drawer.

This week also marks my first real workout on a stationary bike. I’m back! Now all I need is a tuned up bike, some sun and a babysitter and I can hit the road.
This week we’re getting ready for our first road trip – to Grafton. Stay tuned for our adventures later next week.

10 weeks and on to spring

I’m going to start at the end of the week and work backwards this time because Devon hit a large milestone last night. He slept 8 HOURS. Straight. Without one wake-up-and-help-me-back-to-sleep session. When I looked at the clock and it said 7am the only reason I didn’t bolt up to see if he was alive was because I heard him cough. I feel like a million bucks today and hope to use all this energy to get a few things on my list done. If only I could figure out what caused such a wonderful night and duplicate it ALL THE TIME. And to think I was a little worried about daylight savings time messing him up. Ha! Let’s jump forward every night if it means he sleeps that long!

Saturday Devon came with me to the Volunteer Appreciation Party at my work. He did a really good job of being social for about an hour and then took a snooze in his baby bjorn. My coworkers and the volunteers loved meeting him and once he got cranky we were out of there which was not something I’ll be able to do in the future! This was also Devon’s first day wearing overalls. Big milestone. He has about 16 other pairs in various sizes so it’s just the first of many days in the future.

One of my former coworkers has a little guy who is about a year and a half and we have decided to try to swap babysitting services about every month so we can all go on date night. Russ and I got first crack at that Friday night. This was Devon’s first time away from the house with someone else watching him and he did great. Mom and Dad also did great and didn’t call to check in once. We had a lovely dinner together at a fancy smancy Italian restaurant called I Nonni. Gotta love those internet deals!

Other big firsts this week include waiting for his first oil change and visiting Menards and Home Depot. Stick with me kid and the fun will just get better and better. However the trip to Home Depot was to get a quote for our kitchen countertops!! We are getting closer and closer…

I’ve noticed Devon has started pulling easy things towards his mouth – such as his blanket if he is covered up and his clothing and of course his own hands. He is still doing stellar on the tummy time when he is in his birthday suit and when he is looking around propped up on a boppy.

Today we also noticed for the first time that he seems to be starting to 'reach' for toys in his jungle gym. Here is a video of him sort of playing with the bird:



The weather has very much turned towards the spring feeling and tonight we plan to take our first walk outside with Devon and get him used to being outside – he’s going to be spending quite a lot of it outside between our biking, camping and gardening this summer! Have a good week!

9 Weeks and still smiling

This has been the best week so far for Devon in many ways. He is becoming very consistent with his sleeping and eating patterns (even though that could change at the drop of a hat) and is a smiley, happy boy when he is awake. Unless he is thinking hard and then he puts on serious face or furrows his eyebrows. We believe we have entered the Winston Churchill phase. Russ has a theory that all babies at some point look like Winston Churchill for awhile. Here is photographic evidence and a photo we're sure he'll hate us for later:

Devon is also very good at letting us know when he’s had enough and is ready for a nap. He looks away, gives up sleepy eyes or starts to get cranky. Bundle him up, lay him in his crib with a nuk and bam, out like a light. We are so thankful since this means we get more rest.

This week we had a few fun outings and even ts. Devon went to meet my coworkers at Vision Loss Resources and it looks like he may be bound more for a career in the nonprofit sector as he was a super happy kid during this visit – unlike his US Bank adventure. We played Pass the Baby and he smiled a bit and then fell asleep. I’m sure some staff members wouldn’t have minded falling asleep during the meeting too, but well, less socially acceptable for them I guess.
Devon and I also met with the staff at the church where my aunt Barb is buried to finalize plans for redoing the rose garden near her. It’s a go! My Uncle Tom helped me come up with a plan and the church is on board and even willing to foot the bill of whatever we can’t cover so we can get it all done this year. I’m now working on the details of when and where to get plants and am really looking forward to this project. In a few years that garden will actually LOOK like a rose garden instead of a bunch of dead twigs and red woodchips.

Devon had another play date with his neighborhood friend Benjamin on Friday. While they don’t actually interact with each other yet, they did hand out near each other while Jody and I had lunch. And Devon lucked out and got some hand me down outfits that don’t fit Benji anymore. My kind of shopping! Now we have more than 4 outfits that fit him until he grows a bit more.
Today marks my return to water aerobics at the Y! And no, I am not bringing him to sit on the side of the pool with me. That just sounds like a horrible idea for the Y. Today also is the day we are getting a bike trailer!! I found a used Chariot on Craigslist and Russ is headed out to pick it up today.

And get this – it comes with the attachments like the jogging stroller, infant sling and wait for it….SKI attachment. That’s right, I can go skiing and pull Devon along behind me next year! Russ says that way maybe he can keep up with me…

I have been rather surprise d at how many people think that now that we have a baby our lives are basically going to stop. Of course it will be different and adjustments will be made but for goodness sakes, yes, I can sign my name and hold Devon in the other arm. Yes, I can spend 4 hours a month working on a volunteer project, yes I can go back to work, yes I can train for a bike ride and yes, I can garden. Not all at once of course but my goodness, Devon is a baby not a soufflé!

This week we're in for a bunch of shots and more field trips. Send soothing thoughts tomorrow afternoon to Devon!

2 Months already!

It’s getting harder to tolerate this continued winter as we get more and more used to life with Devon – I want to go outside for walks, ride a bike, show him the gardens etc! Come on spring, we welcome you with open arms this year. However, the weather man today said we could be in for a foot of snow next week. Oy. Devon is practicing for when he can ride a motorcycle:

This last week Devon met his first group of Computer Programmers. Sadly it doesn’t seem like he will grow up to be one – he spent most of the visit rather upset. Normally a car ride and a stroller walk will put him out like a light but not last Tuesday. We hope Russ’s coworkers didn’t take it personally.

Miss April came over to spend some time ‘snoogling’ with Devon while I went to the chiropractor and a few errands. They had a delightful time together and Devon tells me he can’t wait to see his April again.

I am exploring local places that are easy to take Devon out to eat at. Such as – places that have a good safe spot for his carseat and that won’t mind if he starts to get a little fussy. So far we have conquered the Longfellow Grill, Town Talk Diner this week (with his new friend Aubrey who is 2 weeks older) and then this weekend we went out for dinner at the Chatterbox. This place was ideal because it’s a) dark b) usually fairly loud with conversations and games being played and c) full of kids of all ages anyways. Plus the food is awesome. Grilled cheese and tomato soup ahoy!

The big excitement this week however was that Grammy Jan came up to meet and get to know Devon. Wednesday night she arrived for introductions. As expected, Devon loves her.

Colbie however isn’t convinced yet about him (the dog). We think she was a bit jealous of Jan holding another little being. Grammy spent lots of time with Devon while Russ and I got out of the house a bit. On Friday I had the BEST half hour massage of my life. Lifting and nursing Devon seems to have made my upper back rather tight and this massage made me feel a lot lighter. And after that I went into the hot tub at the Y for the first time since last March – divine.

The other great escape of the weekend was Russ and I had date night on Sunday. We went to Broders Pasta Bar which we’ve wanted to try for a long time. The food was fantastic and a big THANK YOU to Grammy Jan for such a nice evening.

Devon has had several nights of awesome sleep – 11pm until 530am – and some nights where he wakes up a few times, not necessarily hungry even. These nights I noticed Houdini had worked his arms out of his swaddle blanket. So we started using the Miracle Blanket which is a special swaddle blanket that has extra flaps to REALLY hold his arms down. I would say the nights we have used this so far he has stayed asleep until he is actually hungry! Yea for sleep!

The other good discovery this week was we tried doing Tummy Time like usual but minus any clothing. Point the little heater at the naked baby on his tummy and he is MUCH happier to work his back muscles. This kid will love summer.

Devon seems to have hit his stride. He’s discovered his hands and that they *sort* of fit in his mouth. He’s working on that skill as often as he can. He is eating well, putting himself to sleep more often than not and much less fussy in general. Now we actually have some smiling, playing time when he is awake instead of just trying to keep him from crying. This is a huge difference and makes it much more fun to get to know him plus it means I can get some other things done when he is awake other than entertaining him. One night he woke up about 3am and started talking and flirting with his mobile. Not sure how it responded but he fell back asleep after awhile on his own.

We said goodbye to Grammy Jan and Colbie on Monday morning and look forward to a fun week of smiles and naps.