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.

Week Seven for Mr. Devon

This week has resembled an EKG print out in our world - lots of really good highs and really awful lows all in about 7 days. Luckily the highs do outnumber the lows. So here we go –

Devon can add the Monte Carlo to the list of places he has been. Auntie Becca, Nanny, Russ and I took munchkin out last Sunday and he enjoyed it so much he slept the whole time. Nice. Note to metro area folks, the brunch at the monte is full of meat, all you can eat and super cheap on Sunday mornings.

We’ve been watching some of the Olympics and Devon has been cheering for folks rather inconsistently. Sometimes he squeals for the US athlete, sometimes the Swiss, sometimes the French etc. We’ll have to work on his American pride thing at some point.

We went back to the lactation lady this week for a check in and are doing well. He is MUCH less rambunctious when he is eating and has even started being happy afterwards instead of mad all the time. HOWEVER – He was beyond mad the day we got home from this appointment. The entire afternoon he was literally inconsolable. I tried everything – milk, burping, swinging, singing, swaddling, noise, etc etc etc and two hours into it I made Russ come home and give me a break. We eventually calmed him down by taking him to the basement bathroom and turning all the lights off. It scared me quite a bit as he has never had such an event before. I was really worried something was terribly wrong. So glad that was not the case. That night he slept from about 1030 until 530am! We were so happy with that but not willing to have a repeat performance if that is what it took to have such a long sleep.

Luckily, it doesn’t appear that we have to. Last night he again did 11pm until 530am with just a brief cry at 230 for his nook which I gladly gave him and went right back to bed. This week marks his graduation from the bassinet in our room to his big boy crib in his own room. He’s not so good at taking naps in the crib yet, but does really well with nighttime sleeping. Hence, no pictures yet of him asleep is his crib. Maybe next week.

Friday night we had some grown up time with Maggie and Nick hanging out with us. Champagne and pizza and the Olympics, what else do you need? Nick wrote a song for Devon which he got to present at the end of the evening. It’s fantastic. Can’t wait to have a recording of it!

On Saturday Devon and I went to tour his daycare and meet his teachers. He will be in a classroom with 13 other infants and this place. Is. awesome. Not a cheerio out of place, they make all their own organic food on side (for when he eats food), use cloth diapers, have a room called the Gym where the kids can run around when the weather is bad and the whole place is beautiful. Here are some shots of his Infant Classroom:


Perhaps it’s the additional sleep, but I have really started to notice changes in Devon in the last week. I realize he has gained 3 pounds since he was born but this week I could really tell for the first time. Also, he seems to know when we are nearby and will get upset if we leave his view at times. His eyes track very well and I see him watching me as I move about the kitchen. He is becoming less fussy during his awake time and talking a good deal more, including my favorite monkey noises. For the first time I put him under his Jungle Gym and he entertained himself by looking about for a solid 15 minutes.



He is not holding objects yet or smiling at people but you can encourage a happy face. I can’t WAIT for that huge solid smile at me when it happens!

Ok, I hear a hungry peeper calling from his crib…

Week 6

The only thing better than the looks you get at the liquor store when you are 8 months pregnant are the looks you get pushing a stroller with an infant out of a bar at 10pm. I’m pretty sure that woman thinks I’m the worst mother in the world and will up until she has her own babies and realizes that this is the perfect age to take them out.

Devon experienced his first Superbowl (or Superb Owl as Russ says) party and made lots of new friends. He also perfected his ‘it’s good!’ move and did this most of the game:


We’ve continued to make treks to the Y alternating between walking on the treadmill and the track with the stroller. I noticed last week that the babysitting service at the Y takes the kids out in these 3 kid big strollers and rolls them around the basket ball court. You would think being the Y, the staff would actually ‘walk’ with the strollers, but no. They set themselves up in a triangle pattern and push the strollers to each other. Huh. I noticed when they let the kids out to run around there are a variety of personalities the kids display– some immediately RUN FOR THE HILLS, some sit right down and start playing, some want to push the strollers or explore them in more detail and some hang on to the grownups. It makes me wonder which camp Devon will be in and what personality traits will be most prominent.


Just this week we started putting him into the Baby Bjorn in the hopes that we take walks or just have him in there in the future. So far, he hates it. Maybe once he gets a bit more head control it will be ok, but for now it’s akin to Tummy Time and we all know how torturous that is.
On Tuesday, Devon and I visited a lactation consultant to get some help. He has been a VERY rambunctious eater. He latches on just fine but then flails about, pulls off the nipple frequently and bites down a lot which as you can imagine I am not a fan of. I was also concerned because he would only eat for about 5 minutes at the most and even though he appears to be gaining weight fine I was nervous that this would hurt my milk supply.

We met with a very nice lady who weighed him and watched as he ate. We did our usual on/off/cry/on/cry etc routine and in between she would weigh him to see how much he was eating each minute. Well, the problem is not that I don’t have enough milk or that he is a lazy sucker – I actually have so much milk it’s basically being poured down his throat. So he has been just trying to keep up. In 5 minutes he could easily drink about 3 ounces of milk (4 is what he should be eating at the most per meal right now). She also thought since it was so fast he was getting tummy cramps and that the foremilk was causing him a good amount of gas. Since then, we’ve made some adjustments that help reduce the amount of foremilk, changes in positioning and more use of the nook and it has definitely made a difference. It’s not perfect, sometimes he is still restless and upset but overall I feel like this is more doable than I did a week ago. We go back this Thursday for a follow-up visit. Mine as well since that out of pocket maximum is done for the year…

Devon’s Nanny (the lady formerly known as Gramter) flew up for a visit on Thursday for a few days. I got to catch up on some stuff and some naps and cooking which was great. She got to see how much he has grown since her last visit! This week’s big advancement is he has started to notice when I play peek-a-boo with him. If he’s in the mood, he’ll smile and wiggle once I pop up and he sees me. Mornings appear to be Devon’s Happy Time – that’s when he talks the most and has the most smiles to share. Perhaps he has to tell us all about the dreams he had last night. This morning in particular it was like a talk show going on in the dining room while I fixed myself some breakfast.


Friday night Russ and I left Devon with his Nanny and went on a date!

We had an excellent dinner at the Craftsman up the street (have the pheasant sandwich, it’s awesome) and then stopped home quick so I could pump a bottle and then laughed at Comedy Sportz for a few hours. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stay awake the whole time, but I did and enjoyed the evening. Hopefully we’ll start trading date night babysitting with some friends so we can make sure to continue.

Devon hosted his first dinner party last night with the Browns, our neighbors (for the moment) Andrea and Adam and Nanny and Auntie Becca. Happily he slept through dinner in his swing and then made a social appearance after for a bit.

It was great to have so many folks over to the house and enjoying themselves. All in all, this was a very good week. It’s a quiet one coming up and then Grammy Jan comes to town for several days so she and Devon can get to know each other.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Week Five

I'm wondering when I will feel it's time to stop titling all of our posts by Devon's age in weeks...

Everyone says to us (repeatedly) that the time goes so fast when babies are little, but I did NOT feel this was the case for his first month – it’s hard to believe it has only BEEN a month. I felt like I was taking each day as it came and they were really long and sort of indistinguishable from one another. Feeding, changing diapers, try to shower and sleep in cat naps. The second hospital stay sort of set us back farther than if we hadn’t had that interruption. Now we are finding more of a groove.

Devon is routinely sleeping from about 1030pm until 4am and then again from about 430 until 7 or 730am. He had his first Well Baby check up this week and did very well. He was:

a) Awake and happy the whole visit, even when the doctor put him on his tummy which he hates with a passion when his parents do it (see below)


b) 9 lb 6 oz which is right on target

c) 22 inches which is also good for him

Our big issue at the moment however is eating. We start off great and then a few minutes in its like someone put him underwater – he gasps for air and flails about like he’s trying to swim. Often he then refuses to go back on the boob so his meals are super short. I know he’s getting enough to eat, but this is hard on me. So we’re going to get some help with that next week to see if we can find a solution to calm him down.

The other not so great news is I’m not entirely healed yet. I have some sort of tear in my colon and I’ll just let you imagine what that means for daily life. We’ve got a plan and hope that all is healed in about a month. If not, there may be more details in this blog in the coming weeks than you really want to know about. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. It appears that pregnancy is not an issue for me, but the post partum time is a real kicker.

This week Devon met a few new friends and had some new experiences. He went to his first Monday Night burgers (baby in a bar!) and showed everyone just how much he loves being a monkey:


The look we got from a woman as we pushed the stroller out of the bar around 10pm was priceless.

Emma Boren and her parents paid us a great visit this week too. Emma was less interested in Devon and more interested in magnets, ribbons and running about. It’s amazing to think Devon will be about her size in just 11 months. And eating mac and cheese! Then on Thursday he met his new best neighborhood buddy, Benjamin. They are a month apart in age but many months apart in size! Devon is a bit of a peanut and Benjamin is a bit of a lumberjack. Both are healthy kids and happy kids, just completely different body types. It was hilarious to hold one and then switch to the other. Benjamin’s mom Jody and I are certain they will be the best of friends. Can’t wait to have play dates in the park!

Devon watched his first episode of Lost this week with some buddies. I really don’t think it matters much that he hasn’t seen the previous seasons. I have and I was still rather confused about many aspects of the ‘plot’. But he really enjoyed the chair. I guess we'll have to let him grow into it a bit - tough to reach your bottle when it's like 2 feet from your hand.



Bathtime has been a tough time for Devon in the last few weeks, but on Monday we had our first Quiet Bath. Which is very different than the past Oh-my-god-they-are-drowning-me-and–isn’t-anyone-coming-to-my-rescue-Baths. Maybe we’ll try the pool in a few weeks…
Tonight we are headed to a Superbowl party (Devon can’t wait for the commercials) and this week is fairly quiet for us until my family comes into town next weekend briefly.

As expected, Devon is learning about his vocal cords for activities other than crying. Here’s a video I just adore of him exploring making these noises. I call them his monkey noises. If you have a baby in your house, bring them to the screen for this as I hear they often talk back.