The long and the short

I had this whole post going last night (about how the baby had stopped screaming - for the night at least) and then the baby started screaming. Again. For the 4th or 5th night in a row I can't even keep count anymore. And then I lost the post. And while I was dealing with the screaming baby, I thought to myself that a perfect way to start this post would be something like this:

It's bad. Real bad.

But, it is and it isn't. That is to say. It's not bad during the day, but it sucks balls at night. And it's all because of the amoxocillin that I'm on for that crappy Lyme Disease I got from a stupid tick that bit me while checking my goddamn mail! Cole's digestive system is not happy with the trace amounts of the penicilin that pass through the breast milk. If I were just on it for a week it wouldn't have been so bad. In fact, it only started bothering him the end of the second week on it. Now we're in week 3 and it is Trouble. To try to help his poor wittle tummy we've been giving him two bottles a day with infant probiotics in it. This is on top of the probiotics I've been taking with my medication.

Add all of this to a husband who was sick (now feeling better thanks to antibiotics) and you've got the weekend from hell. We cancelled all our plans and just stayed in the whole weekend trying to soothe the baby and get rest at the same time.

Tomorrow is my last full week day with Cole before I return to work. Thankfully I have a day off next week, but my next day off (aside from the weekends) is not until Columbus Day. I'm sad, very sad about having to leave him with someone else. I truly believe he will be in good hands. In fact, I went there today and they were so happy to see him and he enjoyed sitting in the arms of one of the teachers. I asked if they would tell me everything that goes on during the day with him and they said they would, but they would keep to themselves any milestones, so that I'm not upset that he crawled or walked or did something like that in front of someone else first. The director said her daughter took her first steps at the babysitter's years ago.  The director was so upset, she cried. And I totally understood, because I think I would cry if I missed out on a milestone like that. So her experience influenced her philosophy for day care. Pretty cool. I get excited about things like him looking at his toes for the first time - a crawl or first word uttered in front of someone else who wasn't me, that would be hard to take. So I am thankful that they will allow me to experience it with Cole as if it was his first. Either way, he will be super excited, whether it was his first crawl or second crawl. And I think in this case, for me, ignorance will be bliss.

Today was my last meeting for New Baby, New Paltz and I came home with MORE CLOTHES! So freaking awesome. Two of the moms came in with tons of clothes (some for the colder months) so I jumped on those. I also picked out two itty bitty baseball type soft caps for Cole to wear to block out the sun. They are so cute! I put one on him while wearing him in the Baby Bjorn while walking to the store in New Paltz later on in the afternoon and he looked freaking adorable! I'll post a picture soon. The meeting was great. We talked about vaccines and sleep and swapped birth stories. There was no topic this week, but the conversation just kind of flowed from one topic to the next. I am sooooooo going to miss going to that group. It has helped tremendously and connected me and Cole to other mothers and babies.  After the meeting, I went with Emma and her daughter to P&G's. Emma is the other mother from our Bradley class. We had such a nice long lunch!

Be back soon for a post on my first week of work!

Daily Cuteness: Story Time

This is after a recent trip to the library for some more children's books. Cole loved this Dr. Seuss book. It has lots of bright colors and the words are so melodic, it's a lot of fun to read. We read it to him three times!

Daily Cuteness: Curious Cole

The fourth trimester comes to a close

Dear Cole,

It has been 3 months since you were born. I still remember the moment your father put you on my belly and I saw you and touched you and was stunned that you, this little person, had been living inside my belly just moments before. Yesterday it was 13 weeks since the exact day you were born and today marks the 3 month date.  You were weighed yesterday and are a whopping 12 lbs. 15 oz. You are 25 inches long! And your little head is now 16 inches in diameter!  Our backs certainly remind us of your steady growth. You are a strong baby - with the ability to hold his arms up for long periods of time and also to stand (assisted of course) for even longer periods of time.

The past week at night has been pretty tough. You've been really gassy and you've been teething so you have been extremely cranky and haven't been sleeping deeply. Hence, you wake up at every little sound and don't go back to sleep well. Last night felt like a nurse-a-thon.  I was sure I'd run out of milk. The doctor keeps promising us that you'll be a happier baby all around (especially since you should now be exiting the colicky phase of your life), and yesterday your father asked for that in writing. Of course we didn't get it, but that's not to say you don't ever have happy time.

Even though you have these difficult nights you still give us the most amazing smiles in the thick of it all. I marvel at your ability to turn a sad face into a smiling one from one moment to the next. It's so fluid. Of course that means you can also go from smiling to sad just as quickly.

You are the most curious baby. You have been since you were born. When you aren't cranking (as I've come to term it), you are looking around at everything and everyone, inspecting faces, sticking your tongue out in communication, and generally getting lots of smiles in response. You are the cutest most lovable baby and people can see that just by looking at you. You are loved, not just by us, but by your extended family and our adopted family - our close friends and neighbors.

You with daddy at 4 days old

You with daddy at 12 weeks and 3 days old

So as these 3 months come to a close - you've lived one third of a year! - I leave you with these pictures as reminders of how much you have grown and how much we love and adore you. (Don't read into the fact that daddy looks like he is sleeping in the second picture. He is just resting his eyes.)

Love, Mommy

(Parent)hetical Equations

Gassy baby + sick husband = sleepless night & puffy eyes

Morning stroller ride +mommy+ gorgeous, cool breeze = sleepy baby

Sleeping baby + snoring sick husband = sleepless morning

Cat Survival 101

Today's topic: Surviving in a house with a new baby.
Lesson: To make sure you get fed, stand by an empty bowl until someone notices you.
To get someone to notice you, try sniffing the new baby's head.
To get someone to talk to you, run in front of someone as they are walking.
Sent from my iPhone

The funniest?

While I'm shushing Cole to sleep, I inadvertently put Keith to sleep first.
Sent from my iPhone

Cutting a tooth

I was so right. He IS cutting a tooth. (I just learned that new phrase today!) The maternity nurse who runs the breastfeeding support group at Kingston Hospital confirmed today what we already knew - he is so cutting a tooth. (So there doc!!) The tooth is there on the left hand side of his bottom front gum. It's a very small piece but it is there. A little sliver of a tooth. It totally explains the past several nights - which have been miserable!!! He either won't fall asleep or will wake up in tears in the middle of the night and then keep us up for an hour or more after. I got him a teething ring, which he liked and a crinkly book (at another mother's recommendation) which he kind of liked but didn't get that he could suck on it too. Instead he just hit it until he got upset and I took it away. I also got the homeopathic teething tablets, which were recommended by some friends on Facebook. We'll see if those work.

Here's the Baby Bjorn picture I promised...

Oh and for those of you interested in hearing about the Baby Balboa nursing pillow, I got it last week and updated my "Nursing Pillows" review page with a review of it.

Tomorrow begins Cole's immunizations. Please cross your fingers that he does OK after the shots. I'm more worried about how his body will react to the shots afterwards than how he does while getting a shot. I know it's going to hurt, and I know he's going to cry, as I'm sure I will. But I plan to nurse him immediately afterwards, and I think that will provide him with some comfort.

Get me outta here Mom!

So I got Cole this Space Saver High Chair (by Fisher Price) that works great for our small dining area.
You just attach it to a regular chair and VOILA! But the problem that Cole has with it is that it has straps. The same goes for the car seat, except that driving usually stops any escape plan and puts him right to sleep. Not so with the high chair. Nope. The past few days he's been spending most of his time trying to get out of it then enjoying the view. At first he loved it because he could sit up and face us. What a concept. We used to put him in the car seat and set that on the table but then he started to try to sit up in the car seat so there went that idea. I got the high chair thinking, well he wants to sit up, he can sit up! But now he wants to get out! This boy is on the move, and he's not even crawling yet! I say "yet" because he is certainly trying.

End of summer updates

• We got a bunch of used clothing from two different people - our neighbor and then a woman at the New Baby, New Paltz group I go to on Tuesday mornings. 
• Next Tuesday is my last group meeting! They're having a little send off for us moms returning to work (most of us are teachers) and the leader said she'd consider holding meetings on days we have off so that we could at least get together every once in a while during the school year. But back to the clothing - all of it seems season appropriate so that he will be set for the fall and winter. I am very excited!
• Cole turns 3 months on Friday and he gets his immunizations this coming Thursday. I am expecting the worst and hoping for the best. Many of my friends said their kids did just fine, so I hope the same is true for Cole. 
•  He starts day care (boo hoo!) next Thursday. 
• He will meet his great-grandmother next Saturday (9/4) when Keith and I go down to visit my dad (for his birthday) and then to go to another wedding (this time in LI) that night.
• We're having a baby blessing for Cole in September instead of a Catholic baptism.
• My friend, Andreea, lent me her Baby Bjorn and Cole loves it. I'll post a picture soon. He even fell asleep in it while we were walking around the Palisades Mall - facing out! 
• Cole has started to lift up his arms when he wants to be held.
• He laughed his longest laugh yet yesterday when I was trying to teach him how to clap his hands. He got such a kick out of that lesson.
• I also tried to teach him how to blow me a kiss (just with his lips) and he pursed his lips a few times to show me he was trying!
• As I was driving back into our development this afternoon I noticed a lot of leaves on the ground and suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks that Fall is right around the corner. I can't believe my summer with my baby is coming to a close. It seems like just yesterday he was born. Now he's almost 3 months! However, I am excited for cooler days when we can go hiking as a family and not worry about overheating.  It reminds me of last fall when we went on a bunch of nice hikes when I was only 2 months pregnant and Cole was still our little secret.

Daily Cuteness: Conked out

This was taken a month ago. I took about 10 photos of him sleeping and this was my favorite perspective.

The wedding

My handsome husband taking a self-portrait.

It would not be a wedding if my husband didn't take at least a hundred photos. The wedding was a total blast from the church ceremony (St. Cecilia's in Brooklyn) to the hotel room (Ravel Hotel in LIC) to the reception (Water's Edge in LIC). It was a beautiful clear night and I didn't have to worry about breastfeeding because I had given my entire frozen supply to Carolyn so she could feed Cole while we were gone. And we were gone for a full 24 hours. Yes, we missed the hell out of our baby, but we enjoyed our time again as a couple. It was a nice getaway. And here are just a sampling of the photos (drumroll please)...

This was the view from our hotel window. That is the Queensboro Bridge.

This is the ultra modern hotel room.

Richie serenading Joann. I believe the song was "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey

Keith & I on the balcony of the reception. Love that skyline.

Joann & I at the reception

The hotel room, as you can see was really cool. It had an open floor plan, which was pretty cool -although not after someone has done the dooce, but oh well. It supposedly had a waterfall shower but we couldn't get the dang thing to work. The reception was beautiful, right on the East River. We had a grand ole time dancing and talking and, of course, taking pictures. I drank a little bit but really not that much as I could have. I had three drinks and didn't finish any of them. I was having enough fun just being with Keith and being right on the river.  The music was a lot of fun, lots of 80's songs. As far as I can tell Richie is a good singer and he and Joann are a fan of 80s rock-  Bon Jovi, Journey, Guns N Roses. There were probably others, I just can't remember. Below is a picture of Joann and I when Sweet Child of Mine came on. Keith made us do it

Rock on!

There was a Booz Cruise after the reception, but we chose not to go so we could go back to the hotel and sleep. I slept about 6 hours straight, then woke up to pump. I don't think I've felt that engorged since my milk came in! But it was nice to not have any responsibilities for one night and one morning. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Kickboxer Strikes Again

Daily cuteness: Sitting up

The baby and his bottle

Cole is going through a growth spurt. Figures we are going to a wedding tomorrow night and NOW he has a growth spurt, which means he's more hungry than he usually is, and I sincerely hope I have enough milk for him to eat at Grandma's. I'm sure I will, but you know me - I worry.  Did I mention it will be our first night apart from the little guy?

Our first night of uninterrupted sleep.

I'll just let that sentence sit there, unbothered by anything or anyone. That is how I hope my sleep will be tomorrow night.

So as I was saying, he's been going through a growth spurt. After feeding him at 2:30 pm, my boobies had enough. I won't go into the details of how Cole had mistreated them, but they were sore. At 4 p.m. he was hungry again. I had a bottle in the refrigerator. I saw it and a light bulb went off over my head. I could give him a bottle!  Or I could at least try! Several minutes later, I had the bottle in hand and baby in the other. As soon as I set him down on the couch with me, he began rooting. He saw the bottle but the boob is much, much better. When I said no, he started to fuss. Then I put the bottle in his mouth. More tears. Then I talked to him and asked him if he was hungry. Then I put the bottle back in his mouth. He pushed it in a bit more and began sucking away. He downed that bottle in 10 minutes. Nice! It was my first bottle feeding and I'm glad he's so used to the bottle now that I can also give it to him.

Cole starts day care officially on Sept. 2, but I'm thinking I will bring him in two other days that week so that he can know that this is a safe place if I am there with him. I was also thinking of going there with a bottle and having one of them feed him. After all, it will be kind of strange for him to have a stranger feed him when he's there without us. Better to show him that the teacher is a friend not a foe.  He's been to the day care twice before but he was a newborn and probably won't remember. Besides, he was definitely sleeping the first time we went.

In other news, it would really help if we had cats that had some more color to them. I've sat on Clem or Kiwi god knows how many times in the past week. This definitely adds to my guilt of forgetting them.

My little baby is growing up!

Reading his first book!

Grandma Carolyn holding a curious Cole

Cole is 12 weeks old today! Wow. It really is incredible how time flies. Here are a few pics I thought you'd enjoy.

My absolute favorite picture. Peter took this. He liked it because you can see Peg looking on and Keith to my right waiting with the burp cloth.

Such a poser...

I took this picture after he took that toy from my hand. I showed him how to get hold of it and he mimicked me and took it from me! He held onto it for a while too! He is just so damn cute here I had to post it.

Many thanks to Grandma!

Today, despite my new status as Lyme Disease Sufferer, I still went about town and, later, got some work done. Cole and I, after a nice productive morning of playing on the floor and then napping, went to the monthly La Leche League meeting in New Paltz. Cole was enthralled by all the other babies and moms. He delayed his feeding for about 20 minutes while gawking at everyone. It really was adorable. He was paying particular attention to the baby next to me who happened to be born on the same day in the same hospital! Small world.

Afterwards, we got some groceries and came home. By the time Grandma Carolyn came over, however, my foot had swollen to the size of Alaska and she suggested I call the doctor's office. They told me to keep my foot elevated and call them in the morning if it wasn't any better. But I had planned to get work done in my office.  So keep my foot elevated? Bed rest long forgotten, I could barely keep it off the floor. I have work to do, people!

After all, I start teaching on Sept. 7 and we go back to work for conference days on Sept. 2 so I've got to get things in order. The time is a comin'. But what's a new mommy to do? That's why this post is dedicated to Grandma Carolyn. She is happy to babysit Cole, and I am thankful for the help. I managed to get a few hours of work done. I did not do any physical work in the office (despite it needing major reorganization) but managed to write my lesson for my first day. I also ordered my planbook and gradebook from this company that makes solid planbooks and gradebooks. Meaning - they don't fall apart halfway through the year.  

I really hate to spend the first day scaring and/or boring the shit out of my students, so I came up with a really creative lesson that I hope will get their attention and teach them to think critically about what they write in their everyday lives. Maybe, if I'm really ambitious, I'll post the lesson here and you can tell me what you think.

The irony of Lyme

The bulls-eye rash on my ankle

I hike in the forest and go camping in the deep woods. Yet, I walk down my driveway to check my mail, and that's when a tick latches onto me, bites and gives me lyme disease. That is the irony of lyme.

The rash developed on Saturday and was confirmed to be THE RASH that is evidence of Lyme Disease on Monday. And I am now on Amoxocilin (or however the hell you spell it) and will be on it for the next 3 weeks. Hopefully it will eradicate the lyme from my system or at least prevent me from getting those other awful symptoms. Way back when, in my previous life, I wrote an article about lyme disease and what it can do if left untreated - because not everyone gets the rash. And lyme is often misdiagnosed as something else. So I am thankful I got the rash. Would you believe I feel slightly lucky? At the same time, I am bitter about getting this disease in the first place. And I am trying awfully hard not to feel sorry for myself. Oh how easy it is!

My ankle is now mostly purple, swollen and hurts like hell. But apart from that I feel OK. Of course, this causes me to worry about Cole and Cole getting it through breastfeeding, even though my doctor says they've never told a patient to stop breastfeeding because of Lyme, so it can't be transmitted through the milk. But what of blood transmission? Could it have been transmitted through my cracked nipples? Although I've never seen blood, that's not to say it's not there.  And when I'm not worrying about him having the disease, I worry about the effects of the antibiotics on him. Will it damage his fragile digestive system? But that's me.  I am a worry-wort. I am a mother, and I am my father's daughter. That's how I roll.

The "ings": Solutions for Colic

How's the colic? you wonder. Today was a cranky day. Lots of crying and sleep-fighting. Thankfully, it's a Sunday so Keith shared in the endless holding, burping, bouncing, talking, walking, swinging, rocking, swaddling, smiling and singing, that are usually done solely by me on weekdays.

Something to look forward to

This column in the Poughkeepsie Journal was so eloquent and hopeful, I had to share it. It gives me something to look forward to.

Wherein Clem interferes

This is a funny story, in part because the root cause is the lack of attention we now give our cats. But please folks, tell me a person who gives more attention to a pet once their baby is born and I'll tell you they're lying.
So it was 4:06 p.m. and Cole had just fallen asleep in my arms. I had swaddled him, shushed him, swung him and had even tried the pacifier.  In some baby book somewhere Keith and I determined that it takes approximately 20 minutes for a baby to fall into a deep sleep. So, after swinging him and shushing him, it was clear he was on his way to a deep sleep. So I settled into our bed and sat up holding Cole waiting for the time to pass. Clem was in the window. I watched her, contemplating my next move. I knew that by 4:26 I would have to move Cole into the co-sleeper. I was conflicted - should I move Clem out of the window? I could picture her jumping down from the window (over the co-sleeper) and onto our bed, waking Cole up in the process. I did NOT want this to happen, under any circumstances. She answered that question for me (or so I thought) by jumping down with little fanfare while Cole was in my arms. However, instead of moving to her perch at the end of the bed, she saw the opportunity and struck. What opportunity, you ask? To be pet of course. So, she pushed her face against my hand and for the next few minutes tried to get me to pet her every which way. I tried to pat her, but I realized that the more attention I gave her, the more she sought and I was still holding a vulnerable sleeping baby in my arms. Finally, she got the hint (or so I thought) and jumped back into the window. At 4:24, I checked Cole's legs - totally limp. That meant my next plan was to be put into action.

I walked around our bed to the other side and partially kneeled on the bed as I strategically and ever so quietly placed Cole into his co-sleeper. Clem took this as her opportunity to win more attention from me. So she jumped down from the window, over my back, and landed behind me. Next thing I know, she's climbing up my back. Yes, you did not read that wrong. She began to climb. Somehow I managed to shake her off while still holding Cole and not moving him. Of course, the shake-off was not hint enough for this cat. No, she began to push her way into my arms. Yes, the arms that were holding Cole of course. Finally, I moved more onto the bed so as to block her body completely from interfering with the Delicate Transfer of the Sleeping Baby. After a few minutes, Cole was sleeping soundly in his co-sleeper, so turned on the monitor and slipped out the door, making sure Clem left before me. I did not close the door completely. It just needed a little push to re-open and that was fine, because that made the least amount of noise.

This whole time I had to go to the bathroom, so that's where I went first. And of course, Clem followed. As I'm sitting on the toilet (with the bathroom door open because that's how I roll), Clem prances over to the bedroom door and what does the little nervy heartless cat do?? She tries to push open the door. That's right. If you have cats you know that no cat likes a closed door. Whenever a door closes behind them or in front of them, they must suddenly open it. Even if they begged for hours to get in or our or wherever. They will change course immediately if it means a) they open the door themselves or b) they annoy the shit out of their owners until the owners open the door for them. So from my perch on the toilet I loudly snap my fingers at her. Normally, I'd yell "Clem!" but there was a sleeping baby behind door number 1 and I was not about to wake him. Nor was I going to let her! She listened for a second by backing up. Another second later and she's attempting once again, in front of my very eyes, to push open the door. I snapped my fingers even louder. And finally, finally, she got the hint I'd been trying to get across since she began bothering me - DO NOT WAKE THE SLEEPING BABY!!!!! Or in her small cat mind: "No."

On Parenthood: Lessons Learned

1) Never wait until the last minute to buy diapers.

2) Always keep several diapers stashed in various places in the house so that when you don't follow Lesson #1 you have back-up.

3) NEVER leave a poop shoot unattended (by a diaper).

4) If the baby starts to make a face or whine or even cry while you're changing his diaper (and he's past his screaming blood murder phase) he's going to pee on you.

5) A little pee on your shirt is not a big deal.

6) Never change a baby's diaper immediately after nursing/feeding.

7) Poops, like sneezes, usually come in threes, and fours, and fives, and sometimes even in sixes.

8) If the baby is crying bloody murder and you've fed him, changed his diaper and he just had a nap, take him outside to look at plants. He will be mesmerized.

9) Changing a onesie because of excessive drool is futile. Instead, put on a bib. It's probably much easier to change a bib several times a day than a onesie. Trust me on this one.

10) It will take the father some time before he can remember the baby's date of birth in a split second. Remember, it took him some time just to remember your birthday. And even longer to remember your anniversary.

11) Pet the cats once a day. If you don't, they will start to walk on your back when you are bending over to put the baby down to sleep.

12) Showing the baby a new face always brings a smile to his face. It helps if it's a real person, but it's OK if it's just a picture.

13) Walking the stroller and texting/emailing are not recommended unless you live on a road that is not often traveled.

14) Something that worked yesterday may not work today.

15) Never leave a dirty diaper near a kicking foot.

Daily cuteness: Fully swaddled & happy!

11 weeks and growing

Cole turned 11 weeks old yesterday. (Every Thursday brings a new week). I can't believe he'll be 3 months old in just two weeks. It really is crazy how time flies. We went to the doctor and the nurse said he was 12.8! Insanity. He'll be able to fit into those swimmie diaper shorts we have for him by next week. I think that means it's time for another try in the pool.

Cole is extremely interested in his surroundings. What he loves most is to be taken outside to explore nature. If he has a bout of inconsolable crying in the house, sometimes all I have to do is take him onto the front porch and he quiets down considerably. He is napping right now (why else do you think I'm writing this?) but I think when he wakes up I will share with him a photo album of our honeymoon. He loves looking at pictures of daddy and I.

I took Cole to the doctor yesterday because over the past week he has been spitting up a LOT more than  normal and sometimes it seems as though he spits up the entire contents of a meal. This is extremely frustrating for me because it means he gets hungry sooner and it makes me feel that all that time I spent with him nursing was wasted. And a lot of effort as of late goes into my nursing. He gets so active when he's on the boob that I have to keep his head tight onto my body or else he'll pull off suddenly either because he has gas or because he's interested in the patterns on the couch. I went to a breastfeeding support group on Wednesday and the lactation consultant there said she was very concerned for my nipples because Cole keeps pulling on them and making them extremely sore. He's also very keen on sucking for the past few days because he is teething. Now I know it sounds odd that a baby so young can teethe, but that doesn't mean he's going to get a tooth in tomorrow. It just means his gums are getting sore etc, and he is desperate to get something in his mouth to relieve that soreness. He has been gagging himself as of late in his numerous attempts at getting his entire fist into his mouth.

Of course when I brought the issue of teething up to the doctor he immediately dismissed it and said he was too young - but he's not- he's just 2 weeks shy of three months and that is the age the doctor said babies could start teething. Sometimes, I wish the doctor would take a look at his age before seeing him.
It seemed like everything the lactation consultant told me on Wednesday, the doctor contradicted on Thursday, and I left his office extremely frustrated. (It was the lactation consultant who confirmed my belief that he was teething.) Getting back to the issue of spitting up - the doctor said he thought it was best to wait and see if his system matures soon and if the spitting up is still bad then there are ways to treat it. The doctor was reassured by Cole's good weight gain, so it must not be the entire meal he vomits- although it certainly seems so.

So I've learned that when it comes to raising babies the people offer the most unsolicited advice or anecdotes about sleeping. Sometimes it's nice to hear it, others not so much. The worst was our family doctor offering advice when I did not ask for it nor expect it, thereby blindsiding me. All I have to say is, if you don't plan on helping me get my son to stay asleep after a middle-of-the-night -waking, then you know where you can take your advice.

To Swaddle or Not to Swaddle?

That is the  question. By now you've seen numerous pictures of Cole in swaddle blankets or some form of swaddle ensemble like the Halo Sleep Sack, the Swaddle Me blanket, or the Miracle Blanket. Yes, sadly we own all three. We also own various types of receiving and swaddling blankets.

We first learned about swaddling at the birth center where we watched the DVD, Happiest Baby on the Block. We swaddled Cole from the very first night and Cole fought us from the very first day. It make sense. For five months he lived inside my womb, where he was constantly being squeezed by my contracting uterus. It was never harmful to him, but after most contractions, I felt Cole kick. Even in the womb, he hated to be confined. Yet, like all babies, it is that confinement that soothes him in the first few months outside the womb. Keith & I predicted correctly that Cole would not like to be swaddled. But just because a baby doesn't like something doesn't mean we shouldn't do it.

However, several authorities have different ideas about when a baby should cease being swaddled.
Our midwife says when they break out of it then that is a sign the baby has outgrown being swaddled and Cole's doctor seemed to vaguely agree. (I don't think he wanted to tell me what to do). However, Harvey Karp (author of Happiest Baby on the Block) says that even if a baby screams when he's swaddled - what happens when you release him from the swaddle? You got it - he screams even louder.

I write this because although Cole hates being swaddled, it's what helps him fall asleep and stay asleep. As I said before, Cole fights  it  - literally he tries to break out of it - but he's been doing that since he was born - so does that mean he's "grown out of it" ?  When he was about 1.5 months old I came across a brochure for the Miracle Blanket. After much research, I bought one directly from the company because they had a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Cole broke out of it the first night. I thought it was working and the next thing I know, his little hand is poking through. I considered returning it - I even called the company. But they gave me a few things to try before giving up on it. We did those and it seems to have worked better. Case in point - the Miracle Blanket is what we used to swaddle him on our camping trip and it worked like a charm. He did not break out of it, and he slept soundly (well, at least that first night). Many times, when he is struggling to break free, I ask myself - is this the right thing to do? Yet, when the swaddle keeps his arms from flailing into his face in the middle of a sound sleep, I have the answer to my question.

Weight Update

Cole is 12.4 pounds. Five pounds from his birth weight! Way to go mommy for persevering with breastfeeding!

Camping with Baby

So camping was a success. We camped at Devil's Tombstone near Hunter Mountain with Peter & Peg. Here's how it went...

Keith took this, of course,
and it would make a great pic
for a North Face ad

Day 1: Friday. We arrived there in the evening to learn that there was no plumbing. The "bathroom" was really a glorified outhouse, or, as Peg reported, a "comfort station." The outhouse was disgusting. There were two stalls, no lights, and lots of swarming flies. I made it to the stall, saw the sign "Keep lid closed," saw the swarming flies and quickly doubled back to the campsite. We decided to pee in the woods behind our site. There was a trail down an embankment that you could safely pee on without being seen by anyone. However, I soon discovered this location was less than ideal in the middle of the night. (I'll get to that later).We had a yummy dinner, thanks to cooking duo, Peter & Peg, and we, including Cole, enjoyed the campfire until quiet hours began at 10 p.m. Although Friday night was pretty cold, in the high 40s, we were prepared. (Who could forget camping in the cold - was it last year? - in Cape Cod and not being prepared whatsoever?) We even brought the green beanie that Nicole made for Cole. It was the same beanie we put on him the night he was born (see family photos entry). He looked absolutely adorable. Don't you agree? 

We also used this thing called "Baby Bag" that had been given to us by our natural childbirth teacher. It was a cross between a snow suit and a sleeping bag and we used it for Cole when he was outside of the tent. Our body heat and our 40 degree sleeping bags were enough to keep him toasty at night.

Day 2: Early a.m. I had to pee desperately for several hours. I tried to fight the urge but finally I had to give in. Because I am a big baby, I could not go into the woods. So I tried for the outhouse. I got halfway down the road from our campsite, saw the outhouse and after every horror movie I've ever seen flashed before my eyes, I hightailed it back to our campsite. Does anyone remember Blair Witch? That's what came to mind. I tried unsuccessfully to go to our usual peeing spot, but whimped out there too. Then when I got back to the tent, Keith was all "you seriously didn't go to the bathroom yet???" Finally, I manned up (if that's possible) and went to a spot about 15 feet from our site in the woods and prayed to God a bear did not come out and bite me in the ass. Fortunately, for Keith, none did.

Playing in the sun tent with Cole

Peter & Peg drinking Starbucks instant coffee
out of their Monkey Joe travel mugs

Later on that morning we had a nice bagel breakfast with bagels toasted on the firepit and me getting my bagel of choice - everything bagel. Then after some hanging out and much hemming and hawing, we managed to make a collective decision and go to North/South Lake for the morning.  We sunned ourselves for the better part of the morning in front of South Lake and just as the crowds started to roll in, we left to go to Maggie's Krooked Cafe in Tannersville for lunch.


Three hours later we found ourselves at North Lake watching a chipmunk dive into someone's lunch left stupidly on a picnic bench. Now here's an ethical question for you. If you see a chipmunk eating someone's lunch, do you a) shoo it away b) ignore it c) take pictures of it, while laughing the whole time?
What do YOU think we did?

c) take pictures of it while laughing the whole time

You got it! That evening, we had another delicious dinner with way too much food. Even though I was exhausted I stayed up for some smores, minus the chocolate. I am weary of caffeine after 5 p.m.

The next day Peter and Peg had to leave early, but Keith and I decided to go to South Lake for the morning.

Keith & Cole on South Lake

Cole & I in my new (used) sling -
yes, I finally found a carrier he will tolerate!

Wherein Keith attempts to make Cole smile
by putting him on a painted metal horse

We had a nice time, as you can see from the pics. Keith got a swim in and I got to read on a blanket. We left when the crowds started to roll in and Cole started to get cranky. We had a helluva time leaving though because Cole became downright irate as we tried to exit the park. We actually got held up an hour trying to soothe him and then when we finally got him calmed down, we were were able to drive. Once we reached Saugerties and stopped for a coffee, he started up again. Specifically, we were in the drive thru of a Dunkin' Donuts when he started to wail. Unfortunately, it was one of those drive thrus where you can't just make a quick exit - were were actually enclosed on both sides. So I made Keith back up out of the drive thru and then clear out the back seat so I could sit in the back and soothe Cole. By the time I got there, he was hysterical. So, we stopped in the village and the moment  I took him out of his car seat, he stopped crying.  That's where this picture was taken.

So by now, many of you are asking - well what was it like at night, you know, when you went to sleep? Don't deny it, that's really all you wanted to know about - did Cole sleep through the night or did he wake up the entire campground with his sad heartbreaking cries. Well, the first night he slept 3 hours straight then woke up 2-3 times to nurse. Each feeding was quick and painless. He went right back to sleep. We had him tightly swaddled in his camouflaged Miracle Blanket (I'll post a pic of that in my Daily Cuteness later or tomorrow). I think that helped. The next night, however, he did not sleep as soundly and woke up often to feed, crying each time he woke up. Guess what I used as a pacifier instead of a pacifier? You got it. So, no complaints from the neighbors. Now, you wonder, how did I sleep? I slept poorly the first night, mostly because I was on high alert for Cole and his breathing, and also because I never sleep well the first night of camping. The second night was better despite the numerous times I was woken up. Each time I fell into a deep slumber after I finished nursing.

Our family

Would I camp again with Cole? Absolutely. I think it was a great idea to start him out young. Not only did we expose him to fresh air for a whole weekend, but we also exposed him to nature. And that is one of our goals as his parents - to instill in him a love for nature and the outdoors. Because it was such a success, we were even thinking of doing another weekend in September before the real cold weather starts. But we'll have to see how I juggle work and mommyhood and if I will be able to spare an entire weekend when my paid job begins!

Heads nor tails

There should be a cat at the other end of that tail, but I can't really tell for sure....

Morning nap

Who am I to deprive my child of his right to pull his knees to his chest and throw his hands in the air like he just don't care? That is why I have a nice, warm blanket and he doesn't.

Family Photos

Great-Grandpa Harold holding Cole several weeks ago.

So I have a few photos I want to share. I recently learned how to use a program called Lightroom, where Keith "develops" and catalogues all of his digital images. I just learned how to convert the large files into smaller files so I can post them here on my blog. Some of the photos are recent and some are from when Cole was first born. They are in no particular order. I tried ordering them but Blogger won't let me! :(

Grandpa Joe holding Cole the night he was born

Grandma Carolyn holding Cole the night he was born

Great-Grandma Joyce holding Cole several weeks ago

Keith and I in the birth center 2 days after Cole was born.

As you can see Cole has met two of his great-grandparents. He still has to meet his great-grandmother on my side, my grandmother, or Mom.

Daily cuteness: Determined

This is Cole around 4 am this morning intent on watching his wiggling toes. It was amazing to watch. He was tired, so I helped him stay somewhat upright while recording the moment. I even got it on video. I'll see about posting that.

Daily cuteness: Mama & baby

Growing, growing, growing

Boy is this baby growing - and at such a pace! Cole (who is now 9 weeks old) now tries to pull himself up to look at things (such as Keith's interesting t-shirt) and he finally grabbed his foot with his hand yesterday! I wish I had caught this stuff on camera, but when it's happening, I don't want to miss it. The last thing I want to do is futz around with my iPhone (because that's usually the only camera available). We've been noticing that the past few nights he's been sleeping less, he's been cranky more, and he's been eating more frequently. Luckily, I found out that these are all signs of developmental changes. According to my new "Wonder weeks" app on my iPhone he's able to perceive patterns (not only visually but also with his all of his senses). So he can feel patterns in his body, which means he is starting to learn how to control his limbs (THANK THE LORD!).

This afternoon, after Grandma Carolyn left -- I wish she had been able to see it, we tried to put him to sleep but he, as usual, refused. I nursed him, hoping that that would work, but then fate intervened (and I'm kind of glad it did). I decided to burp him midway through the feeding, since I hadn't done it last night and poor Cole had paid the price. Then Keith came in to help with the burping and then he started to interact and play with Cole and our plan to put him to sleep quickly disintegrated. I decided to do a few chores that involved sorting through Cole's clothes (we have gotten a bunch of new ones recently from family and friends and we also got a bag of used clothes from our neighbor). Then Keith left to go do some work and I sat with Cole in my lap on the bed. I had this toy that had been given to me as a gift off our registry and I put it in my lap in front of Cole. The toy is a Whoozit (pictured above) and has many different shapes and patterns. On the back is a black and white bulls eye. Needless to say, Cole wanted this toy. And he, I have discovered, is one determined little boy. He tried with all of his might to get that toy. Here's how he did it. First, as he sat in my lap, he kept his right hand in a fist and kept that below his head against his chest. He began to kick the toy with his feet to try to get it closer to him. A small part of me thinks he actually thought he could pick up the toy with his feet because he was wiggling his toes a bit too. He was successful at moving the toy, but he just couldn't get it close enough, so he had to bend his body forward to try to reach it with his left hand (yep, he'll probably be a lefty like Keith). He bent as far as he could and although I did not interfere with him grabbing the toy, I did assist him by keeping him from falling over. But he already had that covered. You see, he used his right hand (the one that was in a fist) to keep his body from falling to far and used it to help push his body back up again when he had finished his task. Did he complete his task?  Well, yes and no. I think his task was to pick up the toy, which he did not succeed in doing. He did however, briefly touch two ends of the toy (there are multiple ways in which he could have picked it up - either from one of the hanging shapes or from the polka dotted loop that can be used to dangle it from say, a car seat handle). In my eyes, he succeeded. In his eyes, he did not. How do I know this? Because he is a determined boy. He tried it again a few more times and when he started to fall over (probably because of extreme weariness - mastering these skills would make anyone tired!) he became frustrated, pushed himself back up again and started to cry.  And I started to shout with joy and told him how proud I was of him. Of course, by then, he was worn out, so I rocked him in the glider until he fell asleep.

I just have to say this - I am so proud of my son! What a little trooper! He is working so hard at growing up.

This picture to my right is a picture of Cole at the cafe on Saturday examining his hand.

Hiking: Lake Awosting

Cole enjoying the great outdoors

On Saturday we took Cole on his second hike. It was glorious! His first hike was at Peter's Kill a few weeks ago. That was fun, but it was pretty hot that day, even though we went in the morning. Saturday was perfect weather for hiking. Clear blue skies, warm dry air, cool breeze. This time we went to another part of Minnewaska State Preserve: Lake Awosting. We did not make it to the lake (we didn't intend to), but we did go on a decent hike on Mossy Glen Path, Blueberry Run and Lower Awosting Carriageway (a.k.a. Cardiac Hill).  We had planned on going to Split Rock at Mohonk and going on a hike to Lost City, but the parking lot was full and because we decided to sleep in, we paid the price and missed out on parking at several trailheads because of all of the climbers and weekenders who made it there before us. Oh well, that extra sleep was worth it. So we went to Minnewaska and no surprise there - that lot was closed. Fortunately, the Awosting lot was still open. I nursed Cole in the "V" (as Keith calls it), we changed his diaper, realized we had only packed one diaper (the conversation went something like this: "I thought you packed the diaper bag." "I thought you packed the baby essentials in the hiking pack.") It didn't turn out to be a big deal since Cole had taken his poop of the morning, so we didn't need to change it again until we got home.

Me walking down Mossy Glen Path

The hike was amazing. It started out kind of rocky- literally and metaphorically. Keith put the Beco on first and wore Cole. In typical Cole style, he started to cry and carry on. So we did a quick switcharoo on the pine-needle covered path, and I wore him. I figured if he kept up with the crying, I could nurse him while hiking (I nursed him once or twice before while wearing the Beco) and he would be OK. We really didn't want to go home. Once I started to wear him and we kept walking, he calmed down and just looked at the trees and leaves and sky until he fell asleep. It was great to be able to keep going and know that even if only for a little while, he was able to observe nature. (The last hike at Peter's Kill he pretty much fell asleep right away - probably because of the heat.) The trail itself was very rocky and had tons of roots, and wearing a baby while hiking is no easy feat. I worried that I'd lose my footing and fall over and hurt the baby, so I hiked slower and more carefully than I normally do. I also couldn't observe nature as much as I wanted to because I had to constantly watch the path in front of me. Only once did the top of my Montrails get caught on a root sticking out of the ground. Luckily, I was aware and caught myself.

We're about to ascend the most difficult climb yet

Pretty stream (although a bit dried up)

I have to say this about babywearing: even with a soft structured carrier like the Beco, it is not that comfortable after a while. After the first hour and a half, it became clear to me that my back was in severe pain. I had been ignoring it, but by the time we got to Lower Awosting Carriageway, I could barely even bend forward or backward. That's when we did the ultimate switcharoo - we moved the baby from one body to the other without waking him. I won't even explain how we did it, because it's probably illegal in three states, so I'll just say that we succeeded. Success is, of course, measured by not waking up the baby. Of course, we had a backup plan if we did wake him up (we always do nowadays). If he woke up I'd nurse him and then Keith would hold him. Luckily we didn't have to do that and we ended up waking Cole up to nurse him in the parking lot (we figured the car would be a sauna) about a half hour later when we returned. I was hesitant about nursing him IN A PARKING LOT, but we found a shady spot in front of a gigantic Lincoln SUV and I was able to do it discreetly (as you can see from the picture below.) The whole time I was doing it, I was praying the people who owned the Lincoln would not come and move their car and leave me exposed, so to speak. I was also worried they'd be freaked out. Later when we were leaving the lot (I ended up finishing nursing in the car since my back was killing me so much), we saw the owner of the Lincoln standing next to her vehicle. She was an older woman, wearing a yellow top and a long flowing white transparent skirt. She actually began to hike her skirt up and pull her underwear down right there in the parking lot. I averted my eyes, because I did not care to see someone taking their underwear off in a public parking lot. But Keith and I did exchange looks and said, "She wouldn't have cared."

Cole was wonderful the rest of the afternoon. We ate lunch at High Falls Cafe (where a table full of French tourists actually ate all of the french fries in the restaurant -- I had to eat sweet potato fries) and then we went food shopping at the local grocery store. Cole did not get cranky once. In fact, he woke up before we started eating and was making the most adorable faces. This is just one of the cute shots Keith got with his new point and shoot.