Nap Success!

Max is a pro at morning naps.....

but the elusive afternoon nap is not exactly something he's embraced. Until one recent afternoon.....

On most days, I rock him, sing to him, lay him in his crib. No nap. So I bounce him, shush him, put him in the swing. No nap. Then I play with him, rub his head, put him in his chair. No nap. So I walk with him, pat him, and put him on a blanket on our couch. No......nap. Which is why some days I find myself steering our monster of a stroller aimlessly around Stoneridge Mall with the other new moms and their no-nap babies, weaving in and out of stores in a constant flurry of movement because being in the stroller is the only thing that will keep Max asleep. And I realize that the aisles at Sephora are way too small as I continuously bump Max's enormous limo into the lipgloss shelf and run over a whole display of vanilla-grapefruit smelly lotion. Which of course makes me realize that, after walking away with a sample size leave-in conditioner and my lips dressed in the latest coral shade, that I have got to teach this child how to nap AT HOME.

When my mom was here, we tried our best. And Max slept in the afternoon. For six minutes. And then after lots of hard work, for eight more. "Now I know why you can't get anything done around here!" my mom sighed. Thank god someone realized that.

And then this afternoon came. Max started to get sleepy when we were playing on the couch. I moved away from where he was resting on his blanket and let him zone out for a bit by himself. I turned the Spa Channel on our TV and crossed my fingers that the music would help him to bliss out, like he was in Aruba waiting for his deep tissue massage while sipping a fruity drink (oh wait....that's me!) He was chill for about ten minutes, and then started to fuss....so I wrapped him in his blanket and picked him up.....he snuggled in close, put his hand on my chest, and closed his eyes. And then opened them and smiled up at me. And closed them again. And then smiled one more time as if to say "I can DO this Mommy!", and fell asleep.

And I layed him down on the couch, snuggled in his blanket, where he slept for a very peaceful 40 minutes. BLISS. FULL.

Mommies Group

What we learned at Play Group (for 0-3 month old babies) today:


1. Max is a VERY verbal baby. He might not be talking yet, but he made all sorts of sounds to let the group know that he was there.


2. Max is quite flirtatious. He was lying on his blanket next to Baby L., and couldn't stop smiling at her! Then he was reaching out to try to tap her on the shoulder, and chatting with her non-stop. He would give her a huge gummy grin....he even ignored his other girlfriend, Baby S., when she tried to share her toy with him! When Baby L. wouldn't respond, Max gave her a big WHAT-EVER and spit up.


3. There are MANY different kinds of mommies. There are mommies who have daddies who help them and daddies who don't. And there are even mommies who have hired babysitters to watch their NEWBORNS so that they can take a shower, go to the gym, etc. Hmmmmm....shall I keep my thoughts on that to myself? ;)


4. Some mommies wear trendy "skinny jeans" to playgroup. Those mommies should just stay home. With their nannies.


5. Other babies barf on their mommies. Other mommies sometimes don't see when their babies barf over their shoulder and on to the little "Mommy chairs" that are around the circle. Which makes me feel better that I completely missed Max barfing on his blanket (his head WAS turned away from me!) because I was listening intently to the group leader talk about how important it was for mommies to have a "Girls Night Out" without the baby on a regular basis. Hmmmmm...


6. While all of us Mommies love our babies more than anything in this world, sometimes we totally suck at this job. Now most of the time we're all really damn good, and patient, and loving, and we know what to do when things go wrong. And sometimes we don't. Like yesterday when Max and I were visiting Kerrin and Max pooped himself (and his entire outfit, and his carseat). And it was 93 degrees out. And there was no bathroom in the sandwich shop. So I gave myself a moment to think (and SAY out loud, because it's Kerrin, and she's next ;) "What the FUCK am I going to do???". And then I remember that "I'm his MOM. It is my job in life now to FIGURE IT OUT." And really, life sucked more for HIM at that moment than it did for me. So I took him outside to the car (couldn't use the tailgate because it was way too hot and the AC wouldn't really reach back there). Opened up the front passenger door (blasting the AC at the same time) and tried to disrobe him on the front seat, but alas, it's tilted and he kept sliding down (poopy clothes and all) into the crack. At this point he's laughing. So I pull out his blanket (a cheapie one that we're not attached to, thank god) and put it on the floor on the passenger side. If he was any bigger this trick would not have worked. I then proceed to try to change him while bending over into the area underneath the glove compartment. He's not laughing any more. So now I'm trying to take his jumper off by sliding it past his hips and over his butt and legs, because going the other direction would get poop in his hair. I throw the outfit on the ground outside the car. Then I take his diaper off and try to clean him up as much as possible. Max is squirming and fussing now, as I'm throwing diaper wipes on the ground one after another. I felt so bad for him that at one point I picked him up and held him for a few minutes, his little naked butt soaking in the sunshine (PRAYING the whole time that he would see this for the peace offering it was, and not pee on me). Finally, I put a clean diaper on him, dressed him in a fresh onesie (3 Mommy Points for keeping a change of clothes in the diaper bag at all times), picked up the blanket/wipes/poopy outfit, and threw EVERYTHING in the trash.


And sometimes we're GREAT at this. Like when MY baby, out of 15 other babies, calmly drank his bottle at playgroup nestled in my arms. And then burped after each ounce. And then layed on his blanket and moved his arms and legs, talking to all of the other babies and smiling away. And then let me rock him to sleep in my arms, kissing his forehead and swelling with pride at what an adorable, perfect, brilliant little boy I have.

Look Ma...My Hands!

Max found his hands today! It wasn't like they were missing or anything, he just hadn't figured out that he owned them and they were attached to his arms....until now.

While Max was in his car seat today, he had his hands folded across his chest and was looking down at them for a loooong time, as if to say "Hey....what are THESE?" Then, the whole way home, I could see him in the mirror trying to stuff his entire fist in his mouth! He'd get a few fingers in, gag himself, remove his hand, and try again. He's always moved his hands around a lot, and would sometimes even put them on his face (or wack himself in the head), but not on purpose....just baby reflexes so far. Today he would rub his eyes when he was tired, and use his hands intentionally.

He has always grabbed our fingers when they're close by, but tonight he saw my hand, reached up into the air, found my finger, and held on tight. It takes some serious smarts and hand-eye coordination to do that folks.....this kid is BRILLIANT, I tell you!

Welcome Back!

Baubee and Zaydee came back to visit Max this weekend, and they couldn't believe how much he had grown! Max impressed them with his huge smiles, his strong arms and legs, and his amazing ability to stay awake for hours on end. Baubee, Zaydee and Uncle Scott helped to watch Max while Mommy and Daddy finally did some chores around the house....and Max loved playing games with them and listening to some new songs. It's always great to see them, and such a welcome relief to have another set of helping hands!

Grillin'

Susie, Matt and Jack came over to help us eat what Daddy was grillin' today. While the big boys hung outside to tend to the meat, the little boys stayed inside where it was nice and cool. Max's Baubee had her hands full with TWO of the cutest babies in town.... They may not have been aware that their future best friend was RIGHT beside them, but at least now they know to play to the camera when the paparazzi swarms in....

"Don't worry Max, when the mommies stop taking these shots we can go back to just chillin'"

"Hey Jack, glad you got the memo that we were supposed to wear stripes today!"

Then the Daddies came back inside to check on their boys, and we all sat down for a feast of pulled pork sandwiches, home-made coleslaw, and corn. Another relaxing Sunday, just chillin'....and grillin'.

So Curious

When Max's Daddy was a little boy, he loved Curious George! Even as a grown-up, Daddy had a painting of Curious himself that was hanging in his house. Now that Daddy has a little boy of his own, he has hung that same picture in Max's bathroom.

Nana Nancy and Aunt Katie found a Curious George that was just Max's size (well, bigger!) and sent it to us as a surprise! Max thought it was ridiculously funny that Curious was trying to hold his hand in the picture above!

Now if only we could get Daddy to stop wearing that yellow hat!

Hold Your Head Up High

Max,

We slept in late this morning, and when I woke up you were snuggled in the swing underneath your blue fuzzy blanket. I love how you arch your back and stretch when I pick you up after a long sleep (you had slept for a whole 5 hours at one point last night...from 2:30 am to 7:30 am....a total first!). You curl your legs up like a little bean...it's a move that only a baby could make! You're so warm and snuggly, and when you start to focus on the world for the first time each morning, I whisper to you that "Mommy's here" and we sing our good morning song.

When I change you from your jammies to your daytime outfit I always lift you up and hold you for a minute while I put the new clothes on the changing pad. Naked except for your diaper, you always look so big...and yet so small....all at the same time. I hold you against me, your chest pressed up against my shoulder, and my hand cupping the back of your head. I kiss your soft cheek, and we look out the window together to see what's happening in our neighborhood each day.

Today, with my hand on your warm back, you held your head up high and looked out into the world beyond our window. You're like a little bird when you do that, bobbing your head around. Or a little gopher, poking your head out of your gopher hole to see what is going on around you. You are so incredibly alert and aware, and you look at me, and then out the window at the world, as if to say "What's going on?". Your head sits straight up in the air now, and more and more you are holding it up on your own for longer periods of time. You are so strong, and so determined to not miss a single second of what is going on around you. I am so proud of your curiousity and how you take every last detail in.

I love all of our little moments together Max,

Mommy