Jack meets Maya & Chloe

Nicole brought the girls up for a visit on Tuesday so that they could meet Jack. It was great to see them - with everyone's busy schedules we definitely don't get together often enough! Now we just have to convince them to babysit in a few years. They seemed skeptical. I was dying to babysit at their age (changing diapers for $2 an hour, sign me up)...they must just be smarter than I was. We'll have to buy them the Babysitter's Club books for Christmas. Perhaps that will turn them around on the subject.

Here the girls are reading Gallop (a St. Present's Day gift from Kathleen). The "scanimation" in this book is incredibly clever. Jack already enjoys watching the movement of the pictures. Maya & Chloe also enjoyed Jack's book about farts (a present from our friend Michelle...I can't wait until Jack is their age so that he can appreciate it too).

Chloe & Jack

Maya & Jack

Happy (1 Month) Birthday Jack!

Since I didn't make a proper "birthday" post on Monday, I'm just going to upload some photos from the past week for your viewing pleasure (I stole some of these photos from Josh, so there may be repeats on BrothersRoot).

I can't believe that the little bugger is already a month old - it's gone by so quickly (maybe that's because I'm so sleep deprived that it all feels like one really long day). Seriously, Josh and I find that we never know what day of the week or time of day (or night) it is. It all just sort of blends together. Unfortunately for Josh, he keeps thinking it's Friday when it's not...wishful thinking I guess, but disappointing when you realize that the weekend is still days away.

Jack meets his Uncle Ben.

Janee' (sorry, this stupid blog program doesn't have proper accents) was in town for the weekend, and stopped by with my sister to say hello to the newest member of the family.

Jack & his daddy. Laying upside down always helps with gas-related fussiness... (makes sense to me).

See how he makes eye contact now? I love it!

Clarification

Just a clarification about yesterday's post. I don't actually want your old meat. I happened upon that request when I was perusing yesterday's Freecycle listings, thought it was odd, and so posted it on the blog. The woman who posted the request is named Carol & her Skagit Freecycle ID is "geepers 578". Feel free to contact her, but please, whatever you do, don't send me your old, freezer-burned meat. I have enough problems as it is...

Old Meat

Here's a post from today's Skagit Freecycle list for your consideration:

WANTED: raw meat

Do you have some old meat in your freezer that you don't want, will
never use, or that has been sitting there too long? I'm looking for
old meat (beef, pork, poultry, fish, game, etc) that is raw (not
cooked, no casseroles, no sauces, no spices, no breading, just raw).
Freezer burned is not a problem.

I would like to come by and get it at your convenience.

Thanks in advance,
Carol ("geepers578")

Jack's New Toy

Since it turns out that Jack hated the jiggle chair that we bought him, we returned it and upgraded to the Fisher Price Rainforest Cradle Swing (see above) as recommended by our friend Greg (and his daughter Jane). Jack's favorite thing about it is that it swings not only front to back but also side to side! My favorite thing is that it is a big ugly plastic piece of crap that thoroughly blocks the only thoroughfare in our tiny house. Poor Griffen doesn't like it so close to his bed either. We're all making adjustments... At least the little one is happy (and sleeping contentedly) for the moment.

Chillin'

My daddy dressed me this morning...aren't I cute? The coffee stand girls certainly thought so! I swear, Josh has been hit on more in the past month than any married man deserves to be. There's just something really attractive for women about a handsome young dad taking care of his baby (especially if it seems like he might need their help - doesn't that hat need to be pulled up over the baby's eyes?). I'm really not exaggerating here. A woman tried to pick him up in the diaper aisle the other day. ("Pampers, huh? I like Huggies... It's tough being a single mom. Is it hard being a single dad?" and so on...) Are you kidding me? Did she think his two week old infant just hatched from an egg? (I guess he did, in a way, but you know what I mean.) He should have told her that Jack's mom ran off to Vegas to become a stripper. Probably could have gotten her digits.

For a woman on the other hand, toting a baby seems to be a potent man-repellent. Yesterday in the parking lot of the grocery store, the man getting out of the car next to me smiled and started up a conversation about the weather. I was busy trying to unload my multitude of bags and other assorted baby supplies (a simple errand to the store these days requires more gear than a 10-day trek through the mountains). As soon as I reached in to get Jack, however, he smiled apologetically, did a 180, and hurried away. Was it something I said?

Ouch, it's hurting my eyes!

Here's Jack looking confused by the sun (and also perhaps by the giant floppy sun hat that his silly mommy put on him). Considering our recent weather, he just doesn't have much experience in the sunshine department yet. Not to worry though, I'm planning to take him in for an airbrush tan next week. We'll get him ready for swimsuit season in no time!

Poor Baby Thrush Mouth

Jack & I survived our trip to the doctor's office. He does, in fact, have thrush. So, we have to rub medicine inside his mouth twice a day (which I'm sure will be loads of fun) and it should clear up in a week or so. It is a pretty mild case of thrush, as we caught it quite early, so is really nothing to worry about (other than the obvious discomfort).

Otherwise, Jack is in excellent health. His weight is up to 8 lbs. 1 oz., which is exactly where it should be based on his age (23 days) and birth weight (7 lbs. 7 oz.). Isn't it funny to think that he is so young that we are still counting his age in days? The doctor (Dr. McGuiness) was wonderful and really took his time examining Jack, explaining things to me, and answering my questions. His nurse was also one of those genuinely nice people who seem to really love their jobs. So, in a way I'm glad that I had to take him to the doctor, because now I feel like I have someone to call in case I have any other concerns.

The little patient is pretty calm this afternoon. As you can see in the photo, Oboe is doing his part to nurse him back to health. In addition to the frozen pacifiers, we have also found that he likes to suck on the ends of his new blankie toy. My Uncle Jack and Aunt Bobi sent him this cute little stuffed toy last week (thank you!), and as it turns out, it's also very practical. It's made from super soft cotton, and has little knots tied in each corner. I dampened one corner and popped it in the freezer until it was nice and cold. It's great for sucking on, and stays cool longer than the pacifier.

Happy Father's Day!

The macaroni necklaces and fingerpaint creations will have to wait until Jack is a few years older. For Josh's first Father's Day, Jack decided to give him the gift of thrush. Well, actually he gave it to me (he's a little confused about how this whole gift thing works). At least we have an explanation now for why our previously delightful little baby has gotten fussier and fussier each day over the past week and a half. Yesterday we noticed some little white spots on his gums, which I was a little worried about. Last night he decided to stop eating entirely because it hurt too much. Instead, he tries to eat for a couple of seconds and then pulls away and screams in pain (a cycle which was repeated over and over and over again all night long). He is able to drink from a bottle more easily though, so I have resigned myself to near constant pumping. We also have a rotation of pacifiers in the freezer (one in his mouth, one cooling off, and one ready to go when he spits the first one out). This helps for about 2 minutes (until the pacifier starts to warm up). Apparently you're not supposed to use Baby Orajel until after 4 months of age - I'm going to talk to the pediatrician about this today though, just to be sure.

I have to say, it's horrible to watch your baby suffer. I know this isn't a serious condition by any means, but he's in pain, and I hate it. Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated!

We have a doctor's appointment at 11:30, so I'll post an update this afternoon.

Jack slept in his crib!

I even have a photo to prove it! Okay, so it lasted for about 37 seconds - just enough time for me to grab a camera and snap a picture - but still, you have to start somewhere right?

Jack's musical preferences

Of all the different musical selections we've tried, Jack seems to be partial to Wu-Tang Clan. On the one hand, I should be happy about this because while I am not a fan of hip hop in general, I have always had a secret fondness for Wu-Tang. There, I admitted it. I don't know why. Their lyrics represent everything I hate about the genre. They are particularly offensive and misogynistic. I just really like their voices, and their beats make me feel like dancin'. It's hard to dance from up here on my high, hip-hop-hating horse though. So, because I don't want to be one of "those" parents, I am going to make an effort to lighten up and dance with my son to Wu-Tang at least once a day. It'll do us both some good. I just hope the first words out of his precious little mouth aren't "bitch gimme my money".

Fun day...long night...

Jack got lots of visitors yesterday. My gramma (Jack's great-gramma) stopped by with her friends on their way home from Birch Bay. They told stories about when their own kids were little and Jack snoozed peacefully while we passed him around from lap to lap.

Then Uncle Andrew & Aunt Gretchen came for a visit.

Next our friend Lisa & her adorable little girl Madelyn came to say hi. Mattie was so sweet with Jack. Here she's shrieking "AWAKE" because Jack had opened his eyes for a millisecond. He wisely decided to go back to sleep (or at least to fake it).
Things were going so well that Josh and I decided to join Andrew, Gretchen, Myke, Kevin, and Joey for sushi dinner at Osaka. Josh was going to meet us there after stopping by his CCA meeting. So, Andrew, Gretch, & Myke helped me to bundle Jack into his car seat for the drive to the restaurant. Before we even got out the door, he started screaming. By the time we got to the restaurant he was having a full blown meltdown. His little face was beet red and he was choking from crying so hard.

I crawled into the back seat with him, while everyone else went in to sit down. I nursed him until he settled down, but the calm was shattered by the giant explosive poop he took. I changed him on my lap (not the easiest thing to do while sharing the backseat of the car with a giant baby carseat), cleaned up, and fed him again. By this point he was so upset that he was crying while nursing. Very sad. Although not as sad as the fact that his little tear ducts produce actual tears now. This was the first time that not only did I have to endure his screaming, but also the big crocodile tears streaming down his cheeks. Somehow that makes it so much worse.

Josh arrived to find his wife in the backseat of the car looking frazzled and holding a screaming baby. I had already tried everything I could think of, so he tried some of his patented daddy techniques - jiggling, dancing, singing - all to no avail. I gave Josh my takeout order and headed home. The second I left the parking lot Jack went to sleep (not for long though).

He screamed and fussed on and off all night long. Seriously, all night long. I'm exhausted. Josh is exhausted. I can only surmise that Jack is too, although he did sleep most of the day yesterday, and probably will again today. Perhaps I will try to join him for a nap this afternoon.

At least I'm having a better morning than Clarity. She called to say that she had just uttered words that (pre-parenthood) she could have never imagined herself saying - "Please tell me where else you hid the poop..." At least we have that to look forward to in 10 months. Yay!

My baby likes rap music...

A couple of days ago, Jack was really fussy. We didn't know what else to do for him. He was clean, dry, and fed, and we had already exhausted our (admittedly rather limited) repertoire of baby calming techniques. So, Josh took him for a walk out to the shop, where some of the guys were hanging out and using the climbing wall. They had on really loud rap music. Jack settled down instantly. Josh came in to tell me how much Jack liked the rap music, but I was sure it was just a fluke.

On Saturday when I drove down to Anacortes, he was fussy again. I put on some nice relaxing classical music. He screamed so loud I thought he might shatter the glass of the car windows. I tried easy listening, sports talk, classic rock, jazz, and country. The crying only got louder. So, I gave in and found a station playing really obnoxious rap music and cranked it up loud. Of course he stopped crying.

I am currently sitting on the couch listening to a fine little ditty about "bitches & hos." As long as the music keeps blaring, my precious little boy snoozes peacefully. As soon as it gets quiet though, look out because all hell breaks loose.

This wasn't exactly the way I had expected to share the joy of music with my son for the first time, but at least my baby is happy (see photo if you don't believe me...notice the speakers right by his little head). Josh seems to be enjoying himself too (a little bit too much if you ask me - I think it's less the music he enjoys and more the fact that I am so annoyed by it). Perhaps I will invest in a pair of earplugs today.

A week in the life of Jack...

Jack has had a very busy week.

He met his Uncle Andrew...
...and his Aunt Gretchen.

Clarity & Caspian came to visit.

He got to snooze in Grandpa's arms for hours.
His fussiness level has increased dramatically...
so, we bought him a vibrating chair.

He went to a BBQ at Tony & Myke's house.
We were both tired after all of that, so we took a nice long nap.

The Payoff

Seeing Josh feed our baby makes the stupid pump worth the hassle... (but I still hate it).

The things we'll do for our babies...

What is this woman's problem? Anyone who smiles like that while attached to a breast pump has something seriously wrong with them.

This week I joined the ranks of pumpers - women who willingly hook themselves up to these things and allow themselves to be milked like cows. I have never done anything in my entire life that has made me feel quite as ridiculous and un-sexy as this horrible contraption.

All I can say is that Jack is lucky he's so darn cute...


*In response to Sean's question about what kind of pump I used:

I started with a hand pump, but didn't have much success. It took me 45 minutes to get a measly ounce of milk, half of which leaked out through the seal between the bottle and the pump. After much online research and a conversation with the nice women at the Mother Baby Center (www.motherbabycenter.org) I think I figured out what went wrong. I followed the directions that came with the pump that said to boil all of the parts before using it for the 1st time. Apparently, doing so warps the plastic, weakening the seals and reducing the suction. Of course you can't return it. Awesome. So, I rented a fancy electric hospital grade pump before deciding whether or not to shell out the $250 for my own. It's definitely worth it!