On Tuesday Eddie had an eye exam. Our pediatrician recommended it since I have an eye condition, Duane Syndrome. The optometrist told us right away that Duane's is not hereditary, so at first the visit seemed like a waste. They dilated his eyes, which meant some eye drops and he didn't even squeamish or squirm for them. Then we had to wait for a half hour for them to take affect. The eye exam indicated what we already knew: Eddie is perfect. The appointment, although seemingly unnecessary, did provide additional confidence, not only in the vision department, but also because it gave us more experience out and about in public. Eddie is really very well behaved and everyone, even strangers, seem to love him. A woman in the waiting room commented that he seemed "very good-natured." He enjoyed starring at the other kids, admiring their abilities to walk. And he really liked the doctor's office, full of equipment and machines. We were there from 10:30 a.m. until almost 1 p.m. and he only got fussy as we were getting dressed to leave. I decided he was hungry and breastfed him in the emptied waiting room, feeling proud of my son for handling the appointment so well, and proud of myself for exercising my right to nurse in public.
I wonder when the newness of baby companionship will fade into normalcy, and I will be able to feel completely at ease taking Eddie out and about - maybe never, I think, as I see other parents disciplining their toddlers and providing stimulation to distract their kids from the annoyance of waiting rooms and errands like grocery shopping. I tend to view every experience that occurs outside of our home with excitement and a bit of anxiety, not knowing how Eddie will act or whether he will become fussy. Today I took him with me to get my hair done - probably won't do that again though because I don't like him inhaling all the toxic hair chemicals and playing on the floor of a salon is not the most hygienic of places. Overall, he seems to respond very well to new people and situations - he stares with wide-open eyes taking in his new surroundings with wonder, and nine times out of ten he smiles at new people. I feel pretty lucky that so far he is so good, with no indication of any stranger anxiety.
An another note, Eddie is getting in more teeth. On Monday we noticed his two upper incisors, the ones next to the front teeth, poking through. They look like fangs. He is drooling a lot again, and gets fussy for brief periods during the day, but it is usually resolved by giving him a toy to chew on. He might not have any hair before he turns one, but looks like he could have a full set of teeth!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
the first sacrament
On Saturday we celebrated as we welcomed Eddie into the Catholic Church through baptism. He was very well behaved and engaged in the ceremony - even the priest commented on his joyful demeanor.
Monday, February 23, 2009
half a year
It's hard to believe that Eddie is already 6 months old. In a way, it seems like just yesterday that he was still in utero and I was questioning whether he was going to arrive at all. We think back to the first three months of his life when he was colicky and was sleeping in our bed, preventing us from getting any semblance of quality sleep and it seems so long ago...we are of course happy he grew out of that phase but in a way also miss that special phase of his life that brought us so close. Now he is a real live person, with emotions and characteristics and tons of personality.
Instead of going through the categories I established earlier for his monthly update, I guess I will briefly try to summarize what he is like and some of his new skills. He is still very tactile, grabbing for everything and liking things with texture, such as clothing or the upholstery on the chairs and couches. We have to start to watch him more now because the other day he motioned to grab the cord of the computer and could have pulled the whole laptop on top of himself. While breastfeeding he has always been one to grab hold of me, usually grabbing my clothing or skin and grasping over and over again as if to hold on tightly, but recently he also started grabbing at my face, my chin and putting his fingers into my mouth. One day he became so humored by it that he started to chuckle. You have to earn a laugh from Eddie. He is a happy boy, smiles constantly, but his laughs are harder to come by (laughs hard only once a day) and even more challenging to replicate. He will laugh at something hysterically, such as his rubber duckie spraying water, but then when you try to replicate it the next day, alas, he does not laugh again. He is very active and mobile for someone his age - always in a different position in his crib than that which you put him in and has started to get into the crawling position when placed on his tummy. The doctor actually asked at his last visit if he was active because his weight gain has not been consistent on the charts - he is now 16 lbs. 8 oz. and is 27 inches, which puts him only in the 50th percentile. He is still not sitting unsupported, but can sit well in his high chair and propped up with cushions. He is eating well and enjoying the homemade baby food and grains. He is eating millet now. We will start to increase his meals to 2-3 times per day although it is a challenge to get that many feedings in when he also takes about 3 naps a day. Lately his sleep has not been the greatest during the day - he has a hard time falling asleep, always rolling over and making noises, wanting to play and sometimes the nap gets aborted because he cries and whines for over 45 minutes and never falls asleep. There is no consistency to his naps, in duration and occurrence during the day. I thought his morning nap was pretty consistent, occurring about 1.5-2 hours after he woke up, but today he skipped the nap completely. There is nothing sacred. But his nighttime sleep is good and very consistent now. He only wakes up twice to feed, usually about 4 hours after falling asleep and then again 5-6 hours later. He starts his day typically around 7 a.m.
He is very aware of his surroundings, looking at everything and welcoming new people with a smile. He listens to XM radio via the tv and smiles when the announcer's voice comes on. He recognizes certain songs and books well, with a smile. He smiles at himself in the mirror. People say that he is very calm, focused and can play well, as in he is content playing independently for long periods of time, sometimes up to 30 minutes. He likes to be around people, conversation and activity - it seems to not only stimulate him but soothe him.
We enjoy our little bomba, bombasta, bomby, bugaboo, messy bessy, drooly pooly and crab apples very much...he brings us and others who meet him much joy.
Instead of going through the categories I established earlier for his monthly update, I guess I will briefly try to summarize what he is like and some of his new skills. He is still very tactile, grabbing for everything and liking things with texture, such as clothing or the upholstery on the chairs and couches. We have to start to watch him more now because the other day he motioned to grab the cord of the computer and could have pulled the whole laptop on top of himself. While breastfeeding he has always been one to grab hold of me, usually grabbing my clothing or skin and grasping over and over again as if to hold on tightly, but recently he also started grabbing at my face, my chin and putting his fingers into my mouth. One day he became so humored by it that he started to chuckle. You have to earn a laugh from Eddie. He is a happy boy, smiles constantly, but his laughs are harder to come by (laughs hard only once a day) and even more challenging to replicate. He will laugh at something hysterically, such as his rubber duckie spraying water, but then when you try to replicate it the next day, alas, he does not laugh again. He is very active and mobile for someone his age - always in a different position in his crib than that which you put him in and has started to get into the crawling position when placed on his tummy. The doctor actually asked at his last visit if he was active because his weight gain has not been consistent on the charts - he is now 16 lbs. 8 oz. and is 27 inches, which puts him only in the 50th percentile. He is still not sitting unsupported, but can sit well in his high chair and propped up with cushions. He is eating well and enjoying the homemade baby food and grains. He is eating millet now. We will start to increase his meals to 2-3 times per day although it is a challenge to get that many feedings in when he also takes about 3 naps a day. Lately his sleep has not been the greatest during the day - he has a hard time falling asleep, always rolling over and making noises, wanting to play and sometimes the nap gets aborted because he cries and whines for over 45 minutes and never falls asleep. There is no consistency to his naps, in duration and occurrence during the day. I thought his morning nap was pretty consistent, occurring about 1.5-2 hours after he woke up, but today he skipped the nap completely. There is nothing sacred. But his nighttime sleep is good and very consistent now. He only wakes up twice to feed, usually about 4 hours after falling asleep and then again 5-6 hours later. He starts his day typically around 7 a.m.
He is very aware of his surroundings, looking at everything and welcoming new people with a smile. He listens to XM radio via the tv and smiles when the announcer's voice comes on. He recognizes certain songs and books well, with a smile. He smiles at himself in the mirror. People say that he is very calm, focused and can play well, as in he is content playing independently for long periods of time, sometimes up to 30 minutes. He likes to be around people, conversation and activity - it seems to not only stimulate him but soothe him.
We enjoy our little bomba, bombasta, bomby, bugaboo, messy bessy, drooly pooly and crab apples very much...he brings us and others who meet him much joy.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
sweets
Our little sweetie had a lovely Valentine's Day and long, 3 day weekend with his Daddy. On Vday, he stayed in his pjs all day, ate some brown rice and took an early evening walk with his parents while watching the sun set in the brisk air. Then he took a warm bath with Mom, played with rubber duckie and went to bed. Meanwhile his parents ate veal osso bucco, risotto with peas and chocolate souffle, accompanied by a bottle of wine we found in a little wine shop in Healdsburg, CA in 2007. On Sunday we took Eddie to church for his first time. He did well and only made a few sounds when he dropped his toy. We are all looking forward to this upcoming Saturday when he will be baptized.
On another "sweet" note, Eddie started eating sweet potatoes today. So far he has eaten Earth's Best rice cereal, banana, avocado, brown rice and now sweet potatoes. And so far we haven't really noticed much change in his bowel movements other than that they are a tad thicker in consistency. I really expected the poops to change a lot more, like that they would be green after eating the avocado. So far nothing big to report on that front. But several hours after eating sweet potatoes today he spit up a little while we were reading a book, and low and behold there was some orange in the spit up! Ok, it hardly sounds like something noteworthy, but it was an indication to me that he is really eating, i.e. swallowing and consuming the food, and not just wearing it - a ton ends up on his face during the process. More on food later...gotta run as he is waking up from a nap!
On another "sweet" note, Eddie started eating sweet potatoes today. So far he has eaten Earth's Best rice cereal, banana, avocado, brown rice and now sweet potatoes. And so far we haven't really noticed much change in his bowel movements other than that they are a tad thicker in consistency. I really expected the poops to change a lot more, like that they would be green after eating the avocado. So far nothing big to report on that front. But several hours after eating sweet potatoes today he spit up a little while we were reading a book, and low and behold there was some orange in the spit up! Ok, it hardly sounds like something noteworthy, but it was an indication to me that he is really eating, i.e. swallowing and consuming the food, and not just wearing it - a ton ends up on his face during the process. More on food later...gotta run as he is waking up from a nap!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
high tea
On Thursday Eddie and I went to the Four Seasons for high tea! We met a family friend, Mary Bush. I was very very proud of how well behaved little Eddie was. There was a plethora to look at in the lobby and the fountain provided much entertainment. As we sat at a nice table by the window overlooking Michigan Avenue, Eddie just sat on my lap, content for about a half hour. Then as I ate, I transferred him to the high chair and he sat there playing with his toys. The only fussing occurred right as we were leaving, waiting for the car. He was quite tired after a long day of socializing.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
avocado experiment
Here are some pics of the first feedings, including rice cereal, bananas and avocado. Eddie is getting to be a better eater, but is still more interested in chewing on his bib and the spoon. He really wants to feed himself too.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
go bananas
Eddie's first attempts at eating were not the most encouraging, or so I thought. I just kept saying, "he doesn't seem that into it," and was a tad disappointed since we expected him to be a good eater. But some observation and instruction from my mother made me realize that he is right on target and does like the process of eating, especially bananas. I guess I sort of expected him to open his mouth wide for the incoming spoon, twirling through the air like a plane, and to take in the full spoon and sort of chew - instead, as posted on the "just a taste" blog, he dipped his head down and sort of lapped up the food off the spoon. My mom made me realize that infants truly do not how know to eat - you have to train them. She showed me how to insert the spoon into the mouth and move it in a downward and then upward movement to get him to open his mouth wider and to clean off the spoon with his mouth. And although my first response to watching this process was, "oh no, don't force feed him!," I soon realized that this was all it took to instruct him how to use his mouth to take in and swallow the food. Now he is practically doing it on his own and even attempting to feed himself!
Why don't our parenting books discuss HOW to feed your baby? Why does the discussion on a baby's first meal emphasize proper timing (make sure they are in a good mood and don't force it if they seem uninterested) and proper spacing between foods (try a single food for 4-7 days to ensure there are no allergic reactions)? Times have definitely changed when it comes to feeding your baby. A look at my own sister's baby book (she was born in 1976) showed that she was given rice cereal at 2 weeks old and applesauce a few days later! To parents of today that just sounds crazy. The pediatric community is so worked up about allergies that we are not even supposed to expose our babies to wheat until 9 months and cow's milk until 1 year. And when I told my mom that Eddie's first egg will probably be on Easter, she said, "just the white though, right?" And I responded, "no, now they say only the yolk as they have determined it's the white part of the egg that causes allergies." It just proves how much the field of medicine changes over time, and yet we all survived, unscathed by allergies. Practical parenting, to me, means taking in all the viewpoints, the medical experts of the present and the traditions of the past that have led to healthy adults of today, and using the educated combined response to guide your decisions.
As for my analytical response to the first question I posed, I think there is no instruction on HOW to feed your baby because a) doctors want you wait so long (until babies are 6 months) so that the baby has the oral and gross motor skills to be able to hold their head up and open their mouth, and b) because they are so fixated on obesity prevention that meals have ceased to be about caloric consumption and nutrition, and more about a potential life-altering habit, that if not healthy and done in moderation, could ultimately lead to one's demise. My mother came from an Italian family where the motto was 'you clean your plate, or else' and you did so to remain healthy and to have reserves in case you got seriously ill. So her, what I labeled "aggressive", form of feeding baby Eddie was derived from this mentality, along with the viewpoint that eating is a time for eating, not for playing. Many of the books I have read discuss the process of eating as a learning experience, which of course it is, and emphasize the importance of recognizing when your child has had enough. But I think they are also hindering first time parents by not discussing the technique of feeding your baby with a spoon, and as a result, parents, like me, will just put the spoon out there assuming their baby is naturally going to open his or her mouth and swallow. And furthermore, when the expected reaction does not occur, we assume our babies are uninterested and not ready to eat, thereby preventing them from receiving necessary caloric intake and more importantly, the learning experience.
So, I learned my lesson - read the books, but also learn from seasoned parents - despite the generation gaps, they undoubtedly know what they are doing. And since bananas are going well, tomorrow we will start mixing them with the rice cereal...and maybe introduce oats soon thereafter.
Why don't our parenting books discuss HOW to feed your baby? Why does the discussion on a baby's first meal emphasize proper timing (make sure they are in a good mood and don't force it if they seem uninterested) and proper spacing between foods (try a single food for 4-7 days to ensure there are no allergic reactions)? Times have definitely changed when it comes to feeding your baby. A look at my own sister's baby book (she was born in 1976) showed that she was given rice cereal at 2 weeks old and applesauce a few days later! To parents of today that just sounds crazy. The pediatric community is so worked up about allergies that we are not even supposed to expose our babies to wheat until 9 months and cow's milk until 1 year. And when I told my mom that Eddie's first egg will probably be on Easter, she said, "just the white though, right?" And I responded, "no, now they say only the yolk as they have determined it's the white part of the egg that causes allergies." It just proves how much the field of medicine changes over time, and yet we all survived, unscathed by allergies. Practical parenting, to me, means taking in all the viewpoints, the medical experts of the present and the traditions of the past that have led to healthy adults of today, and using the educated combined response to guide your decisions.
As for my analytical response to the first question I posed, I think there is no instruction on HOW to feed your baby because a) doctors want you wait so long (until babies are 6 months) so that the baby has the oral and gross motor skills to be able to hold their head up and open their mouth, and b) because they are so fixated on obesity prevention that meals have ceased to be about caloric consumption and nutrition, and more about a potential life-altering habit, that if not healthy and done in moderation, could ultimately lead to one's demise. My mother came from an Italian family where the motto was 'you clean your plate, or else' and you did so to remain healthy and to have reserves in case you got seriously ill. So her, what I labeled "aggressive", form of feeding baby Eddie was derived from this mentality, along with the viewpoint that eating is a time for eating, not for playing. Many of the books I have read discuss the process of eating as a learning experience, which of course it is, and emphasize the importance of recognizing when your child has had enough. But I think they are also hindering first time parents by not discussing the technique of feeding your baby with a spoon, and as a result, parents, like me, will just put the spoon out there assuming their baby is naturally going to open his or her mouth and swallow. And furthermore, when the expected reaction does not occur, we assume our babies are uninterested and not ready to eat, thereby preventing them from receiving necessary caloric intake and more importantly, the learning experience.
So, I learned my lesson - read the books, but also learn from seasoned parents - despite the generation gaps, they undoubtedly know what they are doing. And since bananas are going well, tomorrow we will start mixing them with the rice cereal...and maybe introduce oats soon thereafter.
routine
I have never been one for routines. In my own life I am more of a spur-of-the-moment type of person. However, I recognize the importance of establishing routines for a baby and young children, and have heeded to the advice of many professionals who speak to the importance of daily schedules in order to regulate your baby, in particular when it comes to sleep. Eddie is still not on a set routine, per se. His naps are still inconsistent in both their timing throughout the day and their duration. In general, he wakes up sometime between 6 - 8 a.m. and then goes down for a morning nap after being awake for 1.5/2 hours. This nap is typically short (45 min - 1 hr.). Then his afternoon nap is sometime between 11:30 and 2 p.m., again all dependant on when he woke up and how long his morning nap was. And then he often has an early evening nap sometime between 3 - 5 p.m.
But his real routine that we have been sticking to for over a month now is his evening bath. We noticed that he seemed to have an easier time falling asleep at night after having had a bath. So now we are dedicated to this ritual that occurs sometime between 4:30 - 6 p.m. every evening. Daddy Eddie has sacrificed going to the gym after work many a nights just so that he can come home, play with his son and partake in the evening bath. There have been a couple of times when he cannot be present and so I call in a substitute (my sister) to come over and help with the bath, since we feel more comfortable with another set of hands to pass Eddie in and out of the tub while I am emersed in the water.
This weekend I saw firsthand how important the routine is to little Eddie. Daddy Eddie went out of town for a hockey game and so we traveled up to Wisconsin on Friday to stay with Nanni. In the past, little Eddie has adapted quite well to new surroundings - even my parents' crazy house filled with endless stimuli and barking dogs. But this time Eddie seemed significantly more aware of the fact that he was in a new environment. Putting him down for a nap was a bit of a challenge - even the boob wasn't able to soothe him. And even though he enjoyed the bath in a different tub, he freaked out right afterwards and took ten minutes to calm down - truthfully, the episode was triggered by Nanni yelling at the dogs because she thought they were eating the pot pie. I wouldn't classify Eddie as having "stranger anxiety" quite yet, although I know that it can happen at various times within a baby's first year of life. But he is definitely sensitive (like his Mom) and probably a bit attached to his home (like his Dad). All in all he adjusted quite well and by morning he was his usual happy self, but his original discomfort did not go unnoticed by me, hence a tad of sressing and worrying on my part.
In a way this weekend was a slight wake-up call to me that it is important we expose Eddie to more people and new surroundings to ensure that he is comfortable with others and can adjust smoothly...not only for his own sake, but also for mine, as my tendency to worry escalates quickly when I see my baby is out of sorts.
But his real routine that we have been sticking to for over a month now is his evening bath. We noticed that he seemed to have an easier time falling asleep at night after having had a bath. So now we are dedicated to this ritual that occurs sometime between 4:30 - 6 p.m. every evening. Daddy Eddie has sacrificed going to the gym after work many a nights just so that he can come home, play with his son and partake in the evening bath. There have been a couple of times when he cannot be present and so I call in a substitute (my sister) to come over and help with the bath, since we feel more comfortable with another set of hands to pass Eddie in and out of the tub while I am emersed in the water.
This weekend I saw firsthand how important the routine is to little Eddie. Daddy Eddie went out of town for a hockey game and so we traveled up to Wisconsin on Friday to stay with Nanni. In the past, little Eddie has adapted quite well to new surroundings - even my parents' crazy house filled with endless stimuli and barking dogs. But this time Eddie seemed significantly more aware of the fact that he was in a new environment. Putting him down for a nap was a bit of a challenge - even the boob wasn't able to soothe him. And even though he enjoyed the bath in a different tub, he freaked out right afterwards and took ten minutes to calm down - truthfully, the episode was triggered by Nanni yelling at the dogs because she thought they were eating the pot pie. I wouldn't classify Eddie as having "stranger anxiety" quite yet, although I know that it can happen at various times within a baby's first year of life. But he is definitely sensitive (like his Mom) and probably a bit attached to his home (like his Dad). All in all he adjusted quite well and by morning he was his usual happy self, but his original discomfort did not go unnoticed by me, hence a tad of sressing and worrying on my part.
In a way this weekend was a slight wake-up call to me that it is important we expose Eddie to more people and new surroundings to ensure that he is comfortable with others and can adjust smoothly...not only for his own sake, but also for mine, as my tendency to worry escalates quickly when I see my baby is out of sorts.
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