Monthly Archives: December 2010

Happy Half Birthday (6m)

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Six months of Kieran.  Doesn’t seem possible that it’s already been six months.  And yet to look at this little person (for that’s truly what he’s becoming – a little person) it seems that he’s always been part of our lives.

He rolled over tonight.  He’s done it a time or two before, on accident.  But tonight he and I were playing on the floor with his blocks and I put him on his stomach with his blocks just out of reach to see what he would do.  It took him several tries, and a lot of red-faced effort – but he rolled over!  He had a smile on his face the whole time and when I clapped and cheered and covered his face with kisses, his squeal echoed in the hallway.  I put him back on his tummy to see if he’d do it again – and he did, almost immediately!  So proud of our boy.

Our life is so radically different from how it had been.  It’s still overwhelming, and we’ve only just begun.  There’s still near-daily tears for me, usually as I’m putting him to bed.  I cannot believe we’ve been blessed with this amazing little person.

Life is gonna get a bit more complicated now that Paul and I are both working full time.  Daycare is gonna take some getting used to for all of us, but we’re confident that we’ve made a good choice for Kieran and it’s up to us to make the best of the reality of a two-income family.  We’ll just look forward to spending time together as a family that much more.

Happy half-birthday, my little son.  You are the light of our lives.  We love you so very, very much.

Daycare Tips? (5m4w)

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In light of our sudden need for Daycare, we’re realizing that we haven’t talked about how this will change our routines.  I’m imagining all sorts of good and bad things that might be results of Kieran spending his days somewhere other than at home with Daddy.

So experienced Mamas:  HELP!!  What do I need to know about putting my 6-month-old into Daycare?  I know that every morning we’ll be packing all his pre-made bottles for the day, and dressing him in “outside” clothes (as opposed to the sleep & plays he lives in at home.)  We’ll be packing a whole day’s worth of cloth diapers and extra covers, as well as a large wetbag.  (Eep, I need to purchase a bigger wetbag or two.)  We’ll be packing a spare change of clothes or two as well.  (Once Kieran starts solids, they’ll provide all the baby food – I assume.  The other location did.)

I know we’re not supposed to send personal toys with him.  I wonder about a blanket though.  What about his pacifiers for naptime?  Hrm.  I think I need to make a list to take with us tomorrow on our tour.

Any hints or suggestions would be appreciated.  What can I do to make this transition to this new schedule easier on all of us?  Geez, am I really gonna need two diaper bags of stuff every day?  Eeik.

Christmas Miracle & the End of an Era (5m4w)

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What a week this has been!  Kieran’s first Christmas, surrounded by family.  I took some vacation time off work to combine with paid holidays to give us some time together as a family these last few days, and most of next week.

Turns out it’s a good thing I took the time off this coming week – because Paul won’t be home with us for a good portion of Monday – Wednesday.  You see, Paul will be AT WORK.

That’s right: PAUL GOT A JOB!!  A FULL-TIME JOB!!

The short story is that these folks came to Paul because of a tip from a VERY unexpected vector, based on work Paul had done while at the Venetian.  His photography and video (shooting & post-production) skills, his IT knowledge, and his ease when working with ‘talent’ are all coming back to serve him once again.  The job is full-time, Monday through Friday, at decent pay.  We are THRILLED.  (The “interview” was on Christmas Eve, with one day notice.  Not that it was an interview, really.  More like: “Here’s what we want you to do and here’s what we can pay you for it.  Does that work for you?”)  Paul will be working a couple of half-days this week to get up to speed.

But what this means is that Monday January 3rd marks the end of an era.  Daddy Day Care is closing, and Kieran will be spending his days in a daycare center.  Paul and I are doing our best to get right with this as quickly as possible.  We knew this day would come eventually.  It was supposed to happen much earlier.  But it doesn’t make it any easier.

We know that Kieran will do wonderfully at daycare.  He’ll probably learn to nap.  He’ll be surrounded by teachers who will play with him and hug him and make sure he’s well taken-care of.  He’ll learn sign language, and sharing and playing with others.  He’ll get over his burgeoning stranger anxiety.  All of this is to the good.

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New developments (5m2w)

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Just a little update here, cuz I still have a banging cold and should have been in bed an hour ago at least.

Kieran is sitting up unassisted for longer and longer periods of time.  I don’t know how long he has to go before it counts as “sitting” as opposed to “supported sitting” but he’s doing it.  Proof:

Still sitting up! What a strong little guy!

Also, Kieran is getting really good at reaching out for, grabbing, holding onto and bringing things to his mouth.  This is great for his pacifier (the infrequent times he uses it) because he can replace it in his mouth when he wants it.  This is not so wonderful for my glasses.  Proof:

Somebody got Mama's glasses again!

This little guy is a happy little goof.  Proof:

What a little goof!

Naturally, there’s more pictures.

5 month update (5m1w)

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I cannot believe how much Kieran has changed in the last month!! It’s like he went from ‘infant’ to BABY.  He’s so solid and sturdy now.  When he’s doing his happy baby kick & flail spaz-out on our knee thing – you’d swear he’s about to leap off and just go run around.

He talks to us now.  Not just mono-syllabic cooing anymore – but  multi-syllable sounds.  And a WHOLE BUNCH OF THEM.   Unfortunately, he likes to chatter up a storm at his overnight feedings.  Tells me about his day and what he dreamed – or tries to at least.  I spend a lot of our overnight visits shushing him.   We still have a good time on the changing table though – lots of discussions, usually involving blowing raspberries at each other and then cracking up. His little baby belly laugh is such a joy.  He’s gone from being a growly Baby Bear to our laughing happy little guy.

Kieran can now sit up with almost no assistance.  He can sit unassisted, but not for terribly long.  He’s had quite enough of his Bumpo for the most part though – he doesn’t seem to mind toppling over.  Paul works with him every day on little baby calisthenics – getting strong and stronger every day.  It’s only a matter of time before he’s sitting up on his own, and rolling over.  He keeps trying, and almost did it this past weekend.  We know as soon as he figures it out, everything changes.  We’re relishing these last days (weeks?) of assuming he’ll be in the same place we put him down when we turn around.

Kieran is getting easier to entertain – mostly because he can entertain himself more now.  He likes to hang out in his exersaucer – and is starting to figure out that he can spin around to get to the toy he wants.  It’s incredible to watch him interact with his toys.  It’s obvious he remembers what he likes now, and can ‘work’ his toys.  Like the push button on the talking mirror or the froggy spinning top on his exersaucer – he remembers how to make them go!  It’s incredible to watch him figure things out.  He’s SO smart!  (Not that I’m biased at all…)

Growth wise, Kieran is on fire!  We’re pretty sure we can hear him creaking in his crib overnight.  He’s kissing 16 pounds and is filling out his 6 month footie sleepers really well.  His little Charlie Brown head is getting bigger and bigger – and fortunately his hair seems to be keeping up.  He’s got a pleasant amount of baby chunk on his fat little thighs and arms.  We know he’s growing taller because his infant size cloth diapers are starting to get too small – he is sporting the occasional plumber’s crack.  Looks like I’ll be boiling the next size diapers this month!

If you can’t tell yet – we are just SO in love with this little guy.  He is the light of our lives and such a joy!

The Monthly Comparison gallery has been updated with 5 month pics.  (It’s getting harder to take these pictures because Kieran grabs the stuffed animals and flails them around like mad – so catching a picture with the stuffed animal in place is a matter of timing!)

It's getting harder to get a still shot with the Stegosaurus! (5mo)Self portrait before going for a ride on Air Mommy! (5mo)Sitting around with Eeyore! (5mo)