Us3

Us3

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Packing for our trip

Jason, Anderson and I are heading out for our first family vacation tomorrow and I've started thinking about everything we'll need to pack and the list is LONG now that we've got a baby. I'm really glad we bought a bigger car a few months back and hope that all this stuff fits! So far we'll need:

Pack N Play
Stroller
Baby Bjorn
Monitor
Boppy
Diapers
Wipes
Many outfits
Bath Towel for him
Breast Pump
Bottles
Blankets
Burp Cloths
Camera
Little Swimmers

Oh ya, and then we need OUR Stuff too! hahah

We're heading to our timeshare in Breckenridge- about a two hour drive. We don't have too many plans; we just hope to be able to walk around Main Street, look in some shops, perhaps go swimming in the indoor pool, and just relax and take it easy. I really hope that Anderson enjoys it and we don't screw up his schedule too much! We're really excited to get out of town!

Friday, August 22, 2008

When Will I Learn??

For some time now, I have been able to keep Anderson happy throughout the day and not terribly overstimulated... yesterday I did it again. It was a fun day, but we're both totally exhausted.

I had plans to meet a girlfriend for lunch at 11am down in Colorado Springs (1 hour drive with my Starbucks stop) and then had plans to meet up with another friend for dinner at 5:30pm also in the Springs. I purposely did this so I could see both friends and only have to do the drive once. What I hadn't really considered was how long of a day that would be for Anderson.

So, I packed up the car with extra diapers, wipes, and change of clothes and we left the house at 10am. Anderson was so good in the morning/early afternoon. He slept pretty much through lunch and while Joy and I did some shopping. She had her kids too (8 & 5) so went to a few toy stores and then just kind of walked around the outdoor mall and chatted. She had to leave at 2, so that left me three and a half hours to myself. Anderson and I walked around the outdoor mall some more- I decided at this point to put him in his Baby Bjorn to get him out of the car seat (stroller) so he could wake up. While we were walking, he was the hit of the mall. EVERYONE stopped to tell me how cute he was and ask about him. It was so nice to hear and so sweet. My only problem was that I think that people assume that if he's front facing in the Bjorn that it's their invitation to touch him!-NOT SO!

Anyway, after this I still had about 90 minutes so we went to a different mall in the Springs. They have an Old Navy so I figured I could waste some time in there. Keep in mind that since I don't have a home to go to during these many hours, I am feeding and changing Anderson in the car. He didn't mind, but I don't think he ate quite enough and was VERY off his routine (what little of a routine that we have).

Fifteen minutes before I'm supposed to meet Stacey for dinner, we're driving around and Anderson is WAILING! Just crying nonstop. He's overly stimulated and tired. Like the silly person I am, I think I can just drive him around for a few minutes, let him fall asleep and we'll enjoy our PF Changs... Boy was I wrong!

We hadn't even ordered our food at the restaurant and he was crying. Luckily, the place was loud and we had a table in the corner, so I decided to take him out of his car seat and have him sit on my lap. He was pretty good at this point and I was able to enjoy my lettuce wrap and diet coke. And then.. he was OVER IT! Before our main courses arrived, he was crying uncontrollably, fussy and just needed to be asleep- but he couldn't fall asleep or be happy unless one of us was holding him while standing..outside! Poor sweet Stacey was either sitting at the table eating alone or bless her heart, she would take him from me and walk him around outside while I shoveled a few bites into my mouth. I felt so bad for her as well as the other people in the restaurant and just wanted it to be over! I also wanted to enjoy catching up with Stacey and eating a nice meal!

Finally after about 30 minutes of tag team eating, he fell asleep in my arms. So, luckily we were able to sit down and talk for a little while and then we headed home. I thought that at this point, he'd just fall asleep in the car...again...WRONG! He cried NON STOP for 45 minutes the entire way home. He was just BEYOND DONE! And so was I actually- I was exhausted. So, we got home and I passed him off to Jason so he could change him and rock him for a while. Anderson finally fell asleep around 10 I think. Not the best nights sleep for either of us; he did sleep in his crib, but was up at least 4 times. Today is a new day- and we're keeping the day VERY simple :)

I learned yet another lesson...

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

3 Nights and Counting!

I'm SO very proud of my son! He's slept so well in his crib for 3 nights in a row! He sleeps in there all night- wakes up to eat 3-4 times and then by 6am or so I bring him into our bed to snuggle for an hour or so. He's doing so well! Jason puts him in his crib between 8-9:30 depending and it sometimes takes a few tries to get him to stay in there and be asleep (I wouldn't know the details tho as I'm asleep like a smart mommy!) and then he wakes up around 12pm, 3am and sometimes around 4:30ish... it really depends. The great thing is that he goes back to sleep in his crib very easily once I feed him. We are all getting MUCH better sleep!

On another note, Anderson had his first trip to the pool! Our community has an outdoor pool that is open during the summer and I finally worked up the courage to take him. We were there for maybe only 90 minutes, 30 of which he was asleep (and I was working on my tan). Once he woke up, I put him in his "Little Swimmers" and his bathing suit and we hit the water. The pool is what they call zero entry meaning there is no step, you just walk right in. So we sat in the VERY shallow part of the pool and put his feet in. At one point I sat him in the water, in between my legs. I don't know if he liked it or thought he was in the bath, but he didn't hate it!

Here's a pic- Man, he's cute!

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Monday, August 18, 2008

Picture of the Day

Lifeguard in Training..

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The Many Handmade Things for Baby Anderson

We have been incredibly fortunate to have many people make Anderson blankets and other things. I thought it would be nice to put it in the blog for everyone to see and as a reminder of how lucky and loved we are.



3 from Grandma Adele

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Great Aunts Connie & Skip
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Grammy Cory

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2 From Oma (Jason's Mom)
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Our Friend and Neighbor Kim Osoba
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Jason's Great Aunt Betty
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So proud of the munchkin!

Last night was a night I will not forget. It was Anderson's first night in his crib and he did SO WELL!

Jason and I had decided on Sunday that we'd had enough of the grunting, punching and kicking that Anderson does each night that keeps us both awake most of the night so it was time to try the crib. I personally was scared to see how he would do because he'd only been in his crib during the day a few times for about 30-40 mins each time. I wasn't so sure how he would do at night and I assumed by midnight I'd have him back in our bed. I figured with my lack of sleep when I heard him cry I would think it's just easier for him to come back to our room.

So, we decided to start pretty early in the evening to get a head start. I fed him and rocked him and tried to make sure he was good and asleep and then put him in the crib around 8:30pm. We had the sound machine in there and our video monitor (thankfully Jason talked me into getting the video monitor!) He was in there for a few minutes quiet and sleeping and I decided to take a nice relaxing shower as Jason kept the monitor in his office with him. Well, about 20 minutes later as I'm laying in bed Jason comes upstairs and the next thing I hear is SCREAMING CRYING from Anderson. Turns out he wasn't quite asleep enough. Jason took him and walked around with him a while longer and again put him in his crib. He didn't wake up until at least MIDNIGHT! LOVE IT!!

I got up with AJ at midnight and fed him and put him right back in his crib and I went back to my bed. Each time I did this (he only woke up 3 times last night) I ran out of his room to get out of there quickly hoping he wouldn't cry. He never did cry and I never did have to go back and soothe him.

The strange thing about last night is that as happy as I am that he did so well and as proud of Anderson as I am, I missed him terribly! I am used to sleeping with him and I was a little sad to not have him in our room. Not sad enough to have him back, but it was just a strange feeling.

The other thing is that I was TERRIFIED to have him so far away. All this time he's been with us, I've never been worried about SIDS - even though I should have been scared with him sleeping IN our bed- but now that he's so far away, I am a little more worried. So, last night I would wake up every so often to look at the monitor just to see his little stomach move up and down and then I would fall back asleep. I know this is normal and it'll get easier. This morning I decided to take the bumper off the bed just to allow myself to feel a little more at ease with this. Better safe than sorry, that's for sure.

We'll see what tonight brings us- if it's just as good or better or worse.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

We're being overun!

We have a pretty big house in my opinion- 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, family and living rooms, etc..., but it seems as though it's not big enough these days! It's not that Anderson is running around (not yet anyway) but he's got so much STUFF! And I am realizing that we're just beginning. I often think about 2 years from now when he's got all kinds of toys everywhere- we're going to have to move into a mansion! ha ha- kidding of course.

So, I guess the whole house isn't too small, but our family room certainly is. Imagine 2 couches, a large coffee table, side table, a baby, a bouncy, a boppy, a Baby Einstein playmat, 2 dogs and oh ya- Jason and I and in one room! Then I am typically doing laundry in there so for some portion of the day there are a few piles of folded laundry begging to be put away. It's total chaos and it's always a mess. Makes me crazy!

At some point we will convert my office uptairs into a play room, but since AJ can't climb the stairs yet it's pointless right now. For now, we'll just continue to make a mess of that room and clean it up nightly. I suppose it could be MUCH worse huh?