Unlike many children born in the South, Connor's very first Winter was graced with the appearance of snow. While he's too small to really enjoy it, he did look out the window at it and seemed somewhat fascinated. We were going to take him outside to get some pictures, but the snow turned to sleet and freezing rain and that's not fun to be in, no matter what age you are.
It's been a fairly quiet Saturday, otherwise. We've stuck to the house. Connor's napped a little and eaten a lot. He was sleeping for about 45 minutes, but started getting very fussy, so he's been snacking a little more. This may be the weekend that we try him on rice cereal, as the pediatrician gave the thumbs up. He's watching our food closely when Leigh and I eat, which is apparently a major indicator that he's ready to try something for himself.
Anyway, just a short post tonight. Going to try to get a good night's sleep to finish off this cold.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The four month check up
Real news, for once!
Connor had his four month check up today, which meant some immunizations (he apparently wasn't too pleased about the ones that involved a needle) and "official" measurements.
As of today, at four months and almost a week, Connor tips the scales at a whopping 17 pounds 3 ounces and measures a formidable 25.5 inches. Leigh told me that he was very fussy after the shots, but she eventually managed to get him down for a two hour nap.
When I got home, he was his normal, cheerful self. I was feeling well enough that I got some play time in with him. Connor's favorite new games are "Sitting Up" and "Standing." In both cases, he tries to get there himself, but requires a little assistance before he's in position. With "Sitting Up," he pretty much takes it from there, although he does requires readjustment every so often. "Standing," though, is a slightly more complicated effort.
While Connor supports his weight all by himself, he doesn't exactly have what you could call a sense of balance. But I'm amazed at how long and how well he can stand there with only a little support. I know it's not abnormal, but I've never really thought of how fast a baby can go from a sleeping/eating/pooping machine to a tiny human. This is what I hope this blog can remind me of in the years to come, because goodness knows that it goes by fast when you're living it.
But now, I think the cold meds are starting to kick in, so I'm going to shuffle off to bed. Until tomorrow.
Connor had his four month check up today, which meant some immunizations (he apparently wasn't too pleased about the ones that involved a needle) and "official" measurements.
As of today, at four months and almost a week, Connor tips the scales at a whopping 17 pounds 3 ounces and measures a formidable 25.5 inches. Leigh told me that he was very fussy after the shots, but she eventually managed to get him down for a two hour nap.
When I got home, he was his normal, cheerful self. I was feeling well enough that I got some play time in with him. Connor's favorite new games are "Sitting Up" and "Standing." In both cases, he tries to get there himself, but requires a little assistance before he's in position. With "Sitting Up," he pretty much takes it from there, although he does requires readjustment every so often. "Standing," though, is a slightly more complicated effort.
While Connor supports his weight all by himself, he doesn't exactly have what you could call a sense of balance. But I'm amazed at how long and how well he can stand there with only a little support. I know it's not abnormal, but I've never really thought of how fast a baby can go from a sleeping/eating/pooping machine to a tiny human. This is what I hope this blog can remind me of in the years to come, because goodness knows that it goes by fast when you're living it.
But now, I think the cold meds are starting to kick in, so I'm going to shuffle off to bed. Until tomorrow.
(Connor, 10/27/09. An early, practice game of "Standing.")
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The story of Floppy the Sheep
Well, as nothing major happened today, I thought I would take this opportunity to tell everyone about Connor's constant companion, Floppy the Sheep.
Floppy was part of a gift given to us by my father and step-mother during Leigh's baby shower. My step-mother found him at a bookstore and instantly fell in love with him. However, he was the second stuffed animal that we tried out with Connor. The first was a small, blue dog that Connor just didn't seem to react to. Floppy was an entirely different matter, though.
Almost as soon as we put Floppy next to Connor, there was an attachment. He would pull Floppy into a tight hug and move him around delightedly. When we go in to wake Connor in the morning, Floppy might be found anywhere in the crib (although on top of Connor's head seems to be a frequent nesting location). Since he's started teething, Floppy can frequently be found with an ear or limb stuffed in Connor's mouth.
To help prevent possible trauma, we have obtained three 'spare' Floppies to switch in if the original gets lost or damaged. One, nicknamed Floppette, has been swapped in once already to help get Connor's scent. The other two stare at Leigh and me from the bassinet that we still have in our room. It's a little creepy, but also a little comforting.
I'm also in the process of writing a childrens' book about Floppy, but goodness knows if I'll ever finish it. But it's fun to try.
Anyway, I still have a cold and I'm tired, so it's time to sleep now.
Floppy was part of a gift given to us by my father and step-mother during Leigh's baby shower. My step-mother found him at a bookstore and instantly fell in love with him. However, he was the second stuffed animal that we tried out with Connor. The first was a small, blue dog that Connor just didn't seem to react to. Floppy was an entirely different matter, though.
Almost as soon as we put Floppy next to Connor, there was an attachment. He would pull Floppy into a tight hug and move him around delightedly. When we go in to wake Connor in the morning, Floppy might be found anywhere in the crib (although on top of Connor's head seems to be a frequent nesting location). Since he's started teething, Floppy can frequently be found with an ear or limb stuffed in Connor's mouth.
To help prevent possible trauma, we have obtained three 'spare' Floppies to switch in if the original gets lost or damaged. One, nicknamed Floppette, has been swapped in once already to help get Connor's scent. The other two stare at Leigh and me from the bassinet that we still have in our room. It's a little creepy, but also a little comforting.
I'm also in the process of writing a childrens' book about Floppy, but goodness knows if I'll ever finish it. But it's fun to try.
Anyway, I still have a cold and I'm tired, so it's time to sleep now.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The "half push-up"
I feel like I'm coming down with a cold, so this is going to be a short post. I'm going to take my nighttime cold meds and pass the heck out. Anyway, I'm a little grumpy because I didn't get to cuddle the Spud. I could have, but I don't want an even better chance of getting him sick.
So as I mentioned in an earlier post, Connor's working on the whole "rolling over" thing. While he isn't close to perfecting his technique, he has been much more into the half push-up, raising the front half of his body up while supporting his weight with his arms so that he can look around. Just a few weeks ago, he'd lift his body up, but didn't understand how to support himself, so it was always a very short lift up. Now it goes on for minutes at a time.
On a side note, I'm very glad to be living in this time period. While I'm not one to trust everything that I read on the internet, I would be scared as heck if I hadn't seen so many people commenting on how teething babies can get constipated. Connor went through two poop-less days, but made up for it today. Leigh estimated that five diaper changes involved a stinky present.
On a final note, thanks to everyone who has told me that they've been reading. The best part of the parenthood journey so far has been watching Connor develop, but the second best thing has been knowing that there are other people sharing the journey with me. So goodnight, all. Be back tomorrow. If I'm feeling up to it and there's nothing more significant, I'll be telling the story of Floppy the Sheep.
So as I mentioned in an earlier post, Connor's working on the whole "rolling over" thing. While he isn't close to perfecting his technique, he has been much more into the half push-up, raising the front half of his body up while supporting his weight with his arms so that he can look around. Just a few weeks ago, he'd lift his body up, but didn't understand how to support himself, so it was always a very short lift up. Now it goes on for minutes at a time.
On a side note, I'm very glad to be living in this time period. While I'm not one to trust everything that I read on the internet, I would be scared as heck if I hadn't seen so many people commenting on how teething babies can get constipated. Connor went through two poop-less days, but made up for it today. Leigh estimated that five diaper changes involved a stinky present.
On a final note, thanks to everyone who has told me that they've been reading. The best part of the parenthood journey so far has been watching Connor develop, but the second best thing has been knowing that there are other people sharing the journey with me. So goodnight, all. Be back tomorrow. If I'm feeling up to it and there's nothing more significant, I'll be telling the story of Floppy the Sheep.
Connor 365
A while back, I remember seeing some friends of mine posting a picture a day album they did for (if I recall correctly) an art class. The idea stuck with me and I've been doing the same for Connor. After his first birthday, I'll be going through all of the pictures and taking at least one from each day and putting them all together.
While I'm not planning on doing anything quite so formal with this blog, I see it as being a similar exercise. Instead of visually tracking the changes, I'm tracking my observations. So, similar but different. But enough filler material.
Connor was apparently very annoyed today due to teething, so Leigh's pretty wiped out. But he still managed to be extra cute for a few pictures. While he still hasn't managed to roll from back to stomach, when I rolled him onto his stomach, he raised himself up, looked around a little, then rolled himself onto his back again. So there is definite progress being made.
I think I could see a white spot on his gum tonight, so hopefully it won't be too much longer before the first round of teething ends.
Finally, we're continuing to work on the baby sign language. We're focusing on just a couple of signs right now, including 'milk' and 'eat'. We figured that since those are related to his favorite activity, they should be the easiest for him to pick up.
Anyway, time for this little piggy to go home. Or, at least, to bed. But before I leave you, some more 'Classic Connor'...
While I'm not planning on doing anything quite so formal with this blog, I see it as being a similar exercise. Instead of visually tracking the changes, I'm tracking my observations. So, similar but different. But enough filler material.
Connor was apparently very annoyed today due to teething, so Leigh's pretty wiped out. But he still managed to be extra cute for a few pictures. While he still hasn't managed to roll from back to stomach, when I rolled him onto his stomach, he raised himself up, looked around a little, then rolled himself onto his back again. So there is definite progress being made.
I think I could see a white spot on his gum tonight, so hopefully it won't be too much longer before the first round of teething ends.
Finally, we're continuing to work on the baby sign language. We're focusing on just a couple of signs right now, including 'milk' and 'eat'. We figured that since those are related to his favorite activity, they should be the easiest for him to pick up.
Anyway, time for this little piggy to go home. Or, at least, to bed. But before I leave you, some more 'Classic Connor'...
Monday, January 25, 2010
Early riser
Under normal circumstances, Connor starts stirring at around 6:15-6:30 in the morning, but doesn't really wake up fully until around 7 AM, when I'm heading out of the door. This morning I was up early because I had scheduled 30 minutes of overtime before my shift, so I wasn't expecting much of a reaction from my habitual 'see you tonight' kiss on the forehead that I give Connor each morning. Imagine my surprise and delight when I found that his eyes were wide open and he was wearing the most beatific grin imaginable.
I checked with Leigh and that is apparently par for the course upon Connor's initial wakefulness. I just never get to see it, since I'm always in a rush to get to work. Since I was running a few minutes ahead of schedule, I took the opportunity to extend my smile time by giving Connor his first diaper change of the day.
I took a half-day at work and came home early to get some cleaning done. My father and step-mother are planning on visiting soon as are one of Leigh's best friends and her husband, so we're working to get the house as clean as it can be considering it is home to a baby. By getting some stuff done today, though, I was able to get in more time with Connor in the evening. It's a shame I can't do it every day, but c'est la vie.
At any rate, it's late again and I should be getting to bed. Classes start next week, so I'll have even less free time, but I still want to keep this blog going strong. Will I succeed? Tune in tomorrow to find out.
I checked with Leigh and that is apparently par for the course upon Connor's initial wakefulness. I just never get to see it, since I'm always in a rush to get to work. Since I was running a few minutes ahead of schedule, I took the opportunity to extend my smile time by giving Connor his first diaper change of the day.
I took a half-day at work and came home early to get some cleaning done. My father and step-mother are planning on visiting soon as are one of Leigh's best friends and her husband, so we're working to get the house as clean as it can be considering it is home to a baby. By getting some stuff done today, though, I was able to get in more time with Connor in the evening. It's a shame I can't do it every day, but c'est la vie.
At any rate, it's late again and I should be getting to bed. Classes start next week, so I'll have even less free time, but I still want to keep this blog going strong. Will I succeed? Tune in tomorrow to find out.
Lazy Sunday
Just a short post before I pass out.
Spent the whole day at home with Connor. I watched him while Leigh and her brother worked on pricing a job. Leigh and I took him on his very first stroller ride to enjoy the fairly nice weather. Then I watched him while Leigh ran to the grocery store.
The teething continues, but it seems to be under control. The little guy is miserable when the pain flares up, but between the Orajel, teething tablets, and Tylenol, he's getting by. And now he's tucked in and sleeping peacefully, cuddled up with Floppy the Sheep.
Longer update tomorrow. Need sleep now.
Spent the whole day at home with Connor. I watched him while Leigh and her brother worked on pricing a job. Leigh and I took him on his very first stroller ride to enjoy the fairly nice weather. Then I watched him while Leigh ran to the grocery store.
The teething continues, but it seems to be under control. The little guy is miserable when the pain flares up, but between the Orajel, teething tablets, and Tylenol, he's getting by. And now he's tucked in and sleeping peacefully, cuddled up with Floppy the Sheep.
Longer update tomorrow. Need sleep now.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Four months and going strong
Today was Connor's four month 'birthday' and it was very busy. It started early, with a loud yelp from Connor, who had managed to wedge his leg in between the slats of his crib. He was quickly extracted with no damage, but it was not easy to get back to sleep after that. Well, not for me; the Spud was back to bed in record time.
Connor spent most of the day with his Grandpa Gordon and Grandma Grace (amazing amounts of accurate alliteration...) while Leigh and I went shopping in Virginia. Mind you, most of the shopping was for Connor, as he has been growing faster than we had anticipated and will shortly be in the '9 month' clothing range.
One of the most striking things to me about how much life has changed was how much I missed Connor throughout the day. Leigh and I loved having time to ourselves, but both of us commented on how much we missed him.
When we got back and picked him up, we bathed him, fed him, and got him into bed. We were so busy I almost forgot to take my daily picture of him. (For those who were unaware, I know some people who did a 365 day, 1 picture a day album of themselves and decided that I wanted to do that for Connor. I haven't missed a day yet, although I was technically a couple of hours late once or twice.)
Hopefully tomorrow will be a little more sedate. We need to get some grocery shopping done and I have a beef/venison stew to make, but other than that, I just want to spend some time relaxing with the Spud.
Connor spent most of the day with his Grandpa Gordon and Grandma Grace (amazing amounts of accurate alliteration...) while Leigh and I went shopping in Virginia. Mind you, most of the shopping was for Connor, as he has been growing faster than we had anticipated and will shortly be in the '9 month' clothing range.
One of the most striking things to me about how much life has changed was how much I missed Connor throughout the day. Leigh and I loved having time to ourselves, but both of us commented on how much we missed him.
When we got back and picked him up, we bathed him, fed him, and got him into bed. We were so busy I almost forgot to take my daily picture of him. (For those who were unaware, I know some people who did a 365 day, 1 picture a day album of themselves and decided that I wanted to do that for Connor. I haven't missed a day yet, although I was technically a couple of hours late once or twice.)
Hopefully tomorrow will be a little more sedate. We need to get some grocery shopping done and I have a beef/venison stew to make, but other than that, I just want to spend some time relaxing with the Spud.
Short post
It's late and I should really be in bed, but I'm sticking by my effort to post something every day.
Connor woke up early this morning. Usually, he goes to sleep at about 9:30 PM and is fully awake at about 7 AM. I give him a kiss in the morning before I head to work a little before then and he may or may not squirm and fuss a little, sometimes even peeking at me from beneath heavy lids.
This morning, though, he was apparently up and ready to go at about 5:30 AM. So instead of pumping then feeding him, Leigh fed him first. After he ate, Connor passed back out, so when I was getting ready to leave, I found him snoozing peacefully, halfway sitting up in his nursing pillow on the couch:
The teething is proceeding. Thank goodness for the teething tablets that my parents never had available to them.
That's all for tonight. Maybe something more substantial tomorrow, since it's the weekend.
Connor woke up early this morning. Usually, he goes to sleep at about 9:30 PM and is fully awake at about 7 AM. I give him a kiss in the morning before I head to work a little before then and he may or may not squirm and fuss a little, sometimes even peeking at me from beneath heavy lids.
This morning, though, he was apparently up and ready to go at about 5:30 AM. So instead of pumping then feeding him, Leigh fed him first. After he ate, Connor passed back out, so when I was getting ready to leave, I found him snoozing peacefully, halfway sitting up in his nursing pillow on the couch:
The teething is proceeding. Thank goodness for the teething tablets that my parents never had available to them.
That's all for tonight. Maybe something more substantial tomorrow, since it's the weekend.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Another day
A lot of the day to day things that Connor does are pretty repetitive. I suppose it's like that for most children, but he's the only one I have any sort of detailed personal experience with, so I can't be certain.
Anyway, tonight was bath night. Leigh and I have been bathing Connor approximately every other night and it seems to be one of his favorite activities. Even if he's fussing up a storm, as soon as his little bottom touches the water, he settles down and starts smiling. While waiting for his little tub to fill, I weighed him (about 16.7 pounds) and he decided to let loose on me, necessitating a change of pants.
He's been teething for a few days now and we've settled into a new routine, adding some teething tablets and a little baby Tylenol when switching between...er...feeding stations. It seems to keep him from waking up in the middle of the night, which has both him and his mother much happier.
I think that's it for tonight. Maybe tomorrow I'll have something more interesting to share.
Anyway, tonight was bath night. Leigh and I have been bathing Connor approximately every other night and it seems to be one of his favorite activities. Even if he's fussing up a storm, as soon as his little bottom touches the water, he settles down and starts smiling. While waiting for his little tub to fill, I weighed him (about 16.7 pounds) and he decided to let loose on me, necessitating a change of pants.
He's been teething for a few days now and we've settled into a new routine, adding some teething tablets and a little baby Tylenol when switching between...er...feeding stations. It seems to keep him from waking up in the middle of the night, which has both him and his mother much happier.
I think that's it for tonight. Maybe tomorrow I'll have something more interesting to share.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
First post
As everyone who knows me is probably already aware, I have a very long commute. As much as I hate having so much of my day sucked away by the drive to and from work, it does give me a lot of time to listen to audio books or just get some thinking in.
The other day, I was thinking about how much I needed to get myself writing again. It didn't matter what I was writing as long as I was keeping myself in practice. I was also thinking about how quickly my son, Connor, had grown in less than four months. Much like the old commercials involving peanut butter and chocolate, a new idea was born.
I'm certainly not the only person keeping a blog about their child. I don't have any plans to load everything down with advice, tips, or hard learned lessons. Quite frankly, I'm new to this whole 'being a dad' thing and I don't feel qualified to give advice to anyone. But this is a way that I can keep in practice and have something tangible to look back on when Connor's older so I can remember what was going through my head at that time.
So for anyone else who may be reading this, I hope you get a couple of laughs. Whether I'm writing this for myself or not, I aim to amuse. And for an older me...just remember how cute The Spud was when this was written, even though he was teething.
The other day, I was thinking about how much I needed to get myself writing again. It didn't matter what I was writing as long as I was keeping myself in practice. I was also thinking about how quickly my son, Connor, had grown in less than four months. Much like the old commercials involving peanut butter and chocolate, a new idea was born.
I'm certainly not the only person keeping a blog about their child. I don't have any plans to load everything down with advice, tips, or hard learned lessons. Quite frankly, I'm new to this whole 'being a dad' thing and I don't feel qualified to give advice to anyone. But this is a way that I can keep in practice and have something tangible to look back on when Connor's older so I can remember what was going through my head at that time.
So for anyone else who may be reading this, I hope you get a couple of laughs. Whether I'm writing this for myself or not, I aim to amuse. And for an older me...just remember how cute The Spud was when this was written, even though he was teething.
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