It's hard to believe it's been six months. Six months? Really? Have I not slept for that long?
I kid, I kid.
Sir had his six month appointment last week.. here are the stats:
-27 inches long - 75 percentile
-17.5 lbs - 50th percentile
-whatever the head circumference was, it was 25%
As of Friday we are done with the helmet! There are some pretty amazing before and after pics, email me if you would like to see them. I have it in a pdf and am not sure how, if I even can post them here. But it's pretty awesome. We are so glad he doesn't have to have it anymore - he seems so much happier without it and I know I won't miss the weekly trips to Skokie where I have to leave at 6:45 AM. Holy crap, those were some rough days. My favorite was the one last week where he decided to wake up at 4:15, then I had to get up at 5:15 to get ready to head out the helmet doc. I felt hungover all day just out of lack of sleep!!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Six month stats
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Baby fight!
We thought it was funny to put the babies facing each other over the lake weekend for the fourth. Mike and our friend Danny started narrating for them as if they were fighting. "I will stun you with my ninja moves!" We were having a good laugh over it.
The little one on the right is my friend Amy (she is right between Mike and Danny) and Tom's baby. His name is Everett. Isn't he such a cutie too??
Amy and I were due just a month apart with the boys, so we had a lot of fun being preggo together and now it's awesome to bounce ideas (and complaints about sleeplessness!!) off each other! :)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
State of the Apes
Here is my day:
6:00 - Up for the first time, if I'm lucky. Lately Sir has been waking himself up with coughing fits, and then crying for a bottle. Makes sense, what do I want after a coughing fit? Some liquids to ease my sore throat! Today was 5:15AM. I retire to the couch while I feed the bean. If it's after 4 we catch more z's on the couch. Before 4 I try to return him to his crib and crawl back into my own bed.
6:30 - Get myself and Sir ready
8:00 - Out the door. Drop bean at daycare, head to work.
8:45-5:20 - At work
5:15 or 5:25 train
5:30-5:40 - Pick up Sir from daycare, drive home while he screams in the back seat. How a content baby goes from being happy at daycare to wanting a bottle ASAP in the car I have no idea. It's obviously the evil car seat that bites him.
6:00 - Bottle Sir
6:30 - Feed myself
7:00 - Make bottles for daycare, do errands/chores like laundry or picking up the condo that constantly looks like a tornado hit it.
7:30 - Start Sir's bedtime routine. One person bathes and lotions the bean while the other cleans his helmet and preps a bottle. Then we play chicken to figure out who will bottle the little man. Each of us offers and then someone gives in and says "OK, you can do it." Haha.
8:00-8:30 - Sir drops off to sleep
8:30-9:30 - I get ready for bed, do other things I need to around the house, and get to sleep around 10.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
A couple weekends ago, I headed to my friend Tracy's to see her and her week-old twin boys! I was so excited to see them and oh my goodness they were so tiny! Just wee little men! One was about 5 lbs and the other was closer to 6. It blew my mind that at one point, Emmett was that small. My how things change. Sir turns six months old next week and is between 16 and 17 lbs! Carrying him is becoming quite the workout. And he's even bigger now after a growth spurt last weekend. Thank god that the spurt came on a weekend so that we weren't dying - he was up every two hours for a bottle. Geez. But the growing earned him one less week in his helmet! So that is positive :) The hope is that he will be done in two weeks!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Today is one of those days...
... that I just wish I could be a stay at home Mom.
I think I'd be a pretty crappy one though, truth be told.
The bean has a cough and so do I. I know my throat hurts and I can have hot tea, medicine, and cough drops. The bean just has to suffer. That thought makes me want to go steal him from daycare and cuddle him on the couch!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
5 months old!!
I can hardly believe that our little man is 5 months old already! I think I will say that every month as he gets older.
At five months, Emmett:
- Can easily roll to his side from either the belly or back, and has completed the full rollover a few times
- Likes to sit in his bumbo, finally. He used to hate the thing but now it gives him a new vantage point with little effort, so it's on the 'like' list
- Scootches around on his playmat.... gone are the days where he stays in the place where you put him. He can scootch around in circles or off the mat altogether. He generally does this via flapping his legs around and rolling from side to side
- Is getting really good at playing with/grabbing toys and can maneuver some of them to his mouth
- Throws arm around you when you pick him up and hold him. It's such a simple thing, but so cute.
- Loves to baby talk and hear his own voice. Loves to yell AHHH AHHH AHHHHH
- He is still all smiles on changing table
- Swings legs out when you pick him up - they don't just hang limply down when you grab him!
- Is a charmer and loves to smile and make new friends
- Has had his first couple of colds - the first one was Memorial Day weekend where he cried constantly and didn't want to be put down. He has another cold now that makes him stuffy and makes his eyes gunky, but his sweet and smiley personality is still there! Thank goodness. Both colds have him waking up for an additional bottle in the middle of the night, which we could do without.
- Attended his first Cubs game on Memorial Day weekend!
Sir swimming!
Emmett went swimming for the first time this weekend! He wasn't a big fan when we first got in but once he got situated in his little floaty he was all smiles.
This thing has legholes below where he is sitting and he's supposed to sit up in it. But he was just too little. This will work for now!
Monday, June 06, 2011
Happy Sir likes his Bumbo
Emmett used to hate the bumbo with a white-hot fiery passion. Now that he can hold his head up much better, it's more fun!
And check our Sir's helmet. He has a wonky spot in the back where it's a bit pointy. 6 weeks and some moolah later and Sir will have a perfectly round head again. Oh, babies!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Summer gear
I love buying Emmett tiny versions of things Mike has...
Knockoff birkenstocks? Check.
Plaid shorts? Check.
The I love Daddy shirt was a post-poker, post-cocktail purchase in Vegas. My how times have changed, now when I have a few cocktails I peruse tiny baby onesies instead of cute dresses for myself!
Monday, May 09, 2011
Happy Mother's Day!
Saturday I got my hair cut and attended a baby shower, then Mike and I headed off to date night. Fondue by ourselves and then drinks with some friends. I had SUCH a good time. It's was SO good to have some time with just Mike and I and not worry about the little man at all. My Mom is such a sweetie for letting us get out a bit while she watched him! She was such a big help with him that this weekend was really relaxing.
On Sunday we headed to brunch at Bakin' and Eggs, and then walked up to see Jay and Kim's new place. After walking home we grabbed a nap and just hung out. I took Emmett's 4 month old pictures and I think they turned out really well!
His eyes are still really really blue. I am beginning to start to think they may actually stay blue. I guess I won't know for a long time still, because they can still change, even up to when he's like 3 years old I think? But I feel like it would be hard to imagine them changing so much from being so blue now. But it could happen. I have to admit, I never ever thought I would have a blue-eyed baby!
He's such a happy baby... loves to laugh.
Emmett's new trick is being able to maneuver his fist into his mouth to suck on it. He's constantly checking to see if someone has stashed milk there. He cracks me up sucking on the fist, he is all loud smacks and gusto.
I got a few in the Bumbo too, although it quickly killed the jovial mood. He hates this freaking thing!
Mom and Emmett took lots of time looking through his black and white picture book. He loves that book, I'm so glad I sought it out on Amazon.
Emmett's other fun/new trick is using his voice. He's constantly "talking" to us now. Mom thinks he'll be super vocal and be talking early. I guess he gets that honestly, I'm kind of a chatterbox. But it's super cute. He sometimes uses it as a pre-cry, so it's nice to be able to get to him and get him what he needs without escalating to crying. :)
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Sir's name
When we started trying to have a little one I bought a copy of The Baby Name Wizard. Swistle runs a baby name website, and loves this book. I read the baby name blog and had to get myself a copy. It's really a fun book - I would highly recommend it for anyone, even anyone not looking for a baby name. The book shows the meaning behind the name, the origin, a small graph of the name's popularity, the categories a name belongs to, and possible brother/sister names for that name. Each category is in the back and has a listing of names. So if you see that the name you like is in the "Antique Charm" section, like many of the ones I like, you can look in the back and see what other names fall into that category. It's super fun to look up all this information on names - one night we pulled it out while we had friends over and read the meaning for each person's name. Fun times!
So, I looked through the baby name book, writing down on a list any names that appealed to me at all. Once I did that, I looked at the categories each were in, and looked through those categories too. Once I did that I had a list of 7-10 girl names and about 5-6 boy names. I ran those by Mike and got some pretty solid vetoes. I suggested Mike do the same and he made up a listing of names. Then I got some vetoes (Herschel? Really?). We settled on a list of 3-4 boy names and about 5-6 girl names. Then we just let the lists marinate for awhile.
In the middle of all of this, my mom gave me a book my Grandma Stratton had filled out about her life. In it, there was a family tree. I noticed that one of the names I really liked, that was on our front runner list, was a family name. Although my Uncle Clyde goes by his middle name, his first name is Emmett. And his father, my great-grandfather, was named Dillard Emmett. To the family he was known as Nandad, but he went by the name Emmett. I knew Emmett was Clyde's given name, but hadn't known about Nandad using the name. I was thrilled to find out the extent of its use as a family name, because I really loved the name. And the family connection was such a great bonus that it overruled the fact that it was used in the Twilight movies.
In the meantime, Mike's favorite on the boy side was Wyatt. So over the pregnancy, our list really boiled down to Emmett and Wyatt on the boy side of things. We had a name picked out for a girl, but I'll keep that a secret in case we want to use that in the future :)
Emmett's middle name was much easier. I feel pretty strongly that middle names should be used to honor someone in the family (at least for us - of course not everyone has to do this!). You hardly ever use a middle name, and it means so much to have a child namesake. Why not use this as a time to show our family how much we love them? We tossed around the idea of using "Michael" but Mike felt that it was a bit narcissistic, and felt pretty strongly about using my Dad's first name, Jeffrey, as a middle name for a boy. One day he was like "Your Dad is a really good man. He loves his family and would do anything for any one of us. I really think we should use his name for a middle name." Once I knew how strongly Mike felt, that pretty much sealed the deal on the boy middle name.
With a girl name picked out and two boy names in competition, I had a strong hunch that the baby would be a boy. I would sit on the couch and point to my belly and say to Mike "You think there is an Emmett in here?" and smile. Mike was always unwilling to commit, and would just smile back and say "Maybe!" One day he admitted to me that he was waiting for a sign regarding what boy name to use. I laughed a little bit but thought we'd wait and see what happened.
Then, in December, the clouds parted and a sign was given. My brother's fiance, Kim, has a sister who was due two months before me. She had her little boy and the e-mail was sent out "We are calling him Wyatt." I did a little victory dance, knowing that the likelihood of using the name Wyatt was far less now. We talked about it a bit - not totally ruling Wyatt out but leaning FAR more towards Emmett.
We never did fully come to a formal decision... Mike just started saying "It's a good name" when I mentioned the name. And then when he was born and the doc asked me his name, I just kind of blurted out "Emmett Jeffrey." Thank goodness it was OK with Mike, because I love that little man's name!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Meat!
One of the butchers, Tim, calls Mike's number, and he steps up. Mike described him as "Big guy. Mustache like a walrus. Hands like hams!"
Mike requests two 8ish ounce fillets for myself and my friend Dora, then decides on New York strips for himself and Dora's husband. He asked Mike what steaks he wanted from the selection out under the counter.
Mike says "Tim, you ever had a steak before?"
Tim "One or two."
Mike "Why don't you pick a couple out for me"
Tim "Smartest thing you've said all day!"
So Tim picked out a couple strips... we'll see how they are tonight.
I'm still laughing about the "Hands as big as hams!!!" though.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Bananas
To be fair.... look at what I was working with. This is Emmett on discharge day, at 5 lbs 10 ounces. He was swimming in his newborn onesie, just a tiny little speck of a man.
Look at those little spindly legs!And now he is impossibly round and lovely. How time does fly.
The cheeks, they are kissable. He's getting to be such a big boy!
Baby laughs
I got a great video of Emmett laughing at Mike's grandma.... she was just cracking Emmett up!
I'm so glad that so many family members got to meet Emmett last weekend. I love showing our little man off!!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
I think we need to get this kid some shades....
or a hat!
Oh Emmett... this would have been such a good picture if you would have opened your eyes. Oh well.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Cop-out
A. Age: 31
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore you hate: Cleaning bathrooms. Which is why we have a cleaning lady now.
D. Dogs: Millicent Underfoot Knowles, Beagle!
E. Essential start to your day: Emmett snuggles
F. Favorite color: Pink
G. Gold or silver: Silver
H. Height: 5'5"
I. Instruments: I used to play the flute, piccolo, and piano, but don't do any of that anymore. I just donated my flute to Chicago Public Schools actually!
J. Job title: Senior Auditor
K. Kids: Emmett Jeffrey, born 1/8/2011
L. Live: What does this mean? Where I live? In Chicago! At the top of three flights of stairs that kill my will to live in the city.
M. Mom’s name: Gayle
N. Nicknames: Apes!
O. Overnight hospital stays: Two times for acid reflux that closed up my airways, and when I had Emmett. I think I might have stayed when I hit myself with a car when I was 4, but I don't remember.
P. Pet peeve: Cabbies who honk to see if you want a cab. Is my hand in the air? NO! Go away. Cabbies that don't pay attention when you DO need a cab. Cabbies that drive super slow down sidestreets and don't allow room to pass. Pretty much just cabbies in general.
Q. Quote from a movie: Pretty much anything from Office Space, Anchorman, 40 year old virgin, or the Hangover. I even made a baby version of the Tiger Song from Hangover for little Emmett. It goes like this:
What do babies dream of, when they take a little baby snooze? Do they dream of drinking bottles or hanging out in their birthday suit? Don't you worry your pretty baby head we're gonna get you back to Lincoln in your pretty baby bed. And then we're gonna find our best bear Doug and then we're gonna give him a best bear hug. Doug, Doug, Doug, Doug Dougie Dougie Doug Doug! Unless we caught out without any Pampers... then there'll be poop on your butt!
Yeah, I had a little extra time on Maternity leave. Also, I named Emmett's bear Doug b.c I couldn't figure out any other way to make the song make sense. And Lincoln is a nod to the street we live on.
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: Jay, 29 and Katie, 26
T. Time you wake up: All the time these days, with baby around. My ideal time for work would be 6-6:30AM although before he came along I got up at 7:30.
U. Underwear: They are awesome. haha.
V. Vegetables you dislike: Beets are so gross.
W. What makes you run late: Chores. I'm always trying to get too much done while I get ready.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth!
Y. Yummy food you make: Prosciutto-wrapped pork chops, goat-cheese stuffed chicken
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Funny post
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Working on my fitness
Right? Kind of like this guy who lifted the cow at the Olympics?
