Crawling with Frustration

The big challenge in our house right now is crawling. It's a lesson in frustration-- from both RTR's perspective and mine. RTR will end up on his tummy from a sitting position, but so far, squeals when he wants me to rescue him. He will also wake up crying and when I go check on him, he's on his tummy in his crib, needing to be flipped back over.

My worry is that he'll skip crawling and start walking. He already loves to motor around the house holding onto my fingers. Good for him, not so good for my back. Some research shows a lack of crawling MAY predict some later learning problems. The teacher in our Baby n' Me class had some great suggestions-- to spend more time with him on the floor. She pointed out it can be pretty boring being at floor level and then looking up at everyone else several feet above. Also to do more distal movements-- right hand, left leg, etc. with him. So far, RTR has spent more tummy time on the floor and CSR and I have joined him too. Hopefully that will help (at least me and my worries). But no real crawling yet.

Party Plans

We're having a birthday party in a couple of weeks. And when I asked our almost five year old son what kind of cake he wanted, he was pretty specific. Chocolate cake (the best flavor!) with pink frosting. Chocolate cake no problem. Pink frosting? Hmmm... I'm trying to remain open-minded, gender-neutral, but with a dozen other kids invited, if I go ahead with the pink frosting am I inviting more than just pint-sized guests? I'm probably worrying too much about this. My latest idea is to have pink and chocolate frosting. Or maybe a Pink Panther cake. That would put my cake-decorating skills to the test. What's a mother to do?

Before I Was a Mom

I know Mother's Day is still a couple weeks away. But my sister in-law sent this poem to me today and I thought it was worth sharing. Thanks Melissu. Author Unknown.

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

Spring Thaw

Here's a little weather report from last Friday, April 18. Yes, APRIL 18. It seems spring is a long time in coming to our area. It snowed some more on Saturday and again on Sunday. We had to dig out the winter clothes and snowman kit.

The ABC's of Me

A-Attached or single: Attached
B-Best Friend: Tyler
C-Cake or Pie: Both! Coconut please.
D-Day of Choice: Saturdays
E-Essential Item: Lip Balm
F-Favorite Color: Blue
G-Gummy Bears or Worms: Is Jelly Bellys a choice?
H-Hometown: Boise
I-Indulgence(s): Chocolate and caramel
J-January or July: July--gotta love summer in the northwest
K-Kids: Two boys
L-Life is incomplete without: Family
M-Marriage Date: Oct. 1, 2000
N-Number of siblings: Two
O-Oranges or Apples: An apple a day
P-Phobias or Fears: Earwigs
Q-Quotes: "There is a gigantic difference between earning a great deal of money and being rich." --Marlene Dietrich
R-Reason to smile: Too many to list
S-Season: Fall
T-Tag three Friends: Suzanne, Ann, Linsey
U-Unknown Fact about me: I am really good at parallel parking
V-Very Favorite Store(s): Paper Zone, Paper Source, Impress
W-Worst Habit: Not flossing
X-X-ray or Ultrasound: Ultrasound
Y-Your Favorite Food: Indian
Z-Zodiac: Libra

The Trouble with Chicken

The trouble with chicken and other food. Maybe it's the mother hen (haha) in me or that I need other interests in my life, but I have become a little obsessed with food. Where it comes from, where is it made, what's in it, how much it costs. With boneless chicken breasts being one of the main staples of my cooking repertoire, I have become really picky about it. I refuse to buy those grocery store jumbo packs of "Southern Grown" chicken-- they look really creepy to me. But the last time I bought Washington-grown chicken, I was also creeped out. They were freakishly big. Now that looks weird when typed out when talking about breasts (of any kind). Anyway, I've tried Costco's fresh chicken, frozen chicken, Draper Valley, Foster Farms, Tyson's frozen tenderloins-- Which I think the price per pound was over $4. What am I to do when about half of the things I make for dinner are chicken? Maybe it's a good thing I don't know so much about ground beef or we might become vegetarians.

A couple of months ago, while munching on dill pickles with lunch I was appalled to notice that my Nalley's pickles were labeled "Product of India." The slogan on the jar says "Great Taste of the Northwest"-- must be Northwest India? So now even our condiments are outsourced. Of course, last week, it was front page news in Seattle. That story also pointed out that Farman's, another "northwest" brand, also included Indian pickles. Both companies now owned by a corporation in Wisconsin. I am a label reader, but I didn't think I had to read the labels of products I thought were from the northwest. When Tyler and I talked about it, I thought he made a good point about how he'd give up these local brands that seemed to be a little deceptive in favor of a national brand that promoted itself a little more honestly. So next time I have to buy pickles, I will check to see what the Vlasic stork says.

Nine Month Stats

Okay, so RTR is actually ten months old, but he had his nine month check up just a couple of weeks ago. Here are some of his statistics:

Height: 29" (60th percentile--meaning 40 percent of babies his age are taller)
Weight: 18lbs. 4 ounces (10th percentile)
Head Circumference: 48 cm (97th percentile)

With these stats, he's kind of a candy apple with a big ol' noggin and a tiny body. No wonder he isn't crawling. He just doesn't have the core strength to hold up that head. Actually, he's been scooting around-- somehow making his way a couple of feet from where I set him on the floor. I should invent some sort of baby suit with Swiffer attachments so he can crawl around and sweep the floor too. He's been reaching farther forward too, usually getting himself "stuck" sort of leaning on something-- the basket of board books, a kids chair, his brother.

He's still only showing one tooth too. Our little snaggle-toothed baby. The picky eating habits are also back. Apparently my pureed veggies aren't up to his exacting standards, still waving me off when I try to feed him. Yogurt and fruit are what my friend Marianne dubbed "gateway foods"... I have dipped the offending food in yogurt or pureed fruit in order to get RTR to eat it.