Life in the Baby Lane

In the past month I've made it a point to go to as many baby play dates and activites as possible. This helps fill the gap that a few of my friends left when they skipped town, and it also gives Seth the opportunity to try many new things and spend time with other kids. It's beautiful to see how well he acts when there are other babies in the house. He was cuddling with his new friend Kaleb yesterday, and if you remember from before, he was holding hands at his first playdate ever. I think he's just an affectionate boy, I'm so in love with him!

Seth is Learning to Walk!

Seth Learning How to Walk from Luke Erickson on Vimeo.

"Going Green" or the "Accidental Hippy"

The more I thought about my role as a mom, and my response to the previous comment on the garage sale post, was that I am a "green" mom. I am everything a hippy mom is like, but it was not totally intentional. Not that it's a bad thing, I'm totally into being responsible and respectful of our planet. It's just that I'm also not the stereotypical "green" person, who must buy organic everything, wear hemp, and try to become a vegan...you know what I mean. Anyway, the ways that I'm a green mom are:
1) Cloth diapering - yes, this is better on the environment, and I'm likely saving 2 tons of diapers from the landfills, but the diapers themselves are amazing. I do the bumgenius 3.0s and I (rarely) supplement with disposables. I just find that the cloth diapers contain the "explosions" really well, and though they are more work, in the long run I'm sure it's the same as I only have to wash the diapers instead of a million outfits that have leaks on them (not to mention his sheets, my clothes, etc. that are around the leaks). They are also cheaper then disposables, and a heck of a lot cuter.
2) We recycle - this is a no brainer with my mom working for the environmental mgmt of our county...though it's such a simple act, I'm rather shocked when I visit peoples homes that don't recycle. I mean, it's not much effort throwing a can/bottle/paper into a bin that is right next to the trash bin and it is good knowing that we aren't contributing to the detriment of our planet
3) I garage sale/buy craigslist - I've always been commented upon that I have champagne tastes with a poor mans budget - well this is how I get the best of both worlds! I find what I want, then buy it used...a lot of times it's in mint condition and for pennies on the dollar. Plus, there is great satisfaction knowing that if I ever wanted to "change it up" I can always sell the stuff and usually I will break even. Also, if something gets wrecked, I don't have that "sick to my stomach, I paid a thousand dollars for that!" feeling.
4) I breastfeed - it is definitely not the most fun thing in the world...being the only one my child can come to for nutrients (he's allergic to formula). However, I know it is healthier for him, and I think parents need to be self-sacrificing for their kids. Just one thing that we can do to make their lives better and healthier.

I Love Garage Sales!

I just love garage saleing! There is nothing like the thrill of paying next to nothing for nice things. $100 spent at a garage sale is like $1000 spent at regular stores. So, though I have said countless times "I'm done garage saleing for the year", I'm so glad that I didn't give it up! Yesterday, on a whim, I asked Amber if she wanted to do a little saleing as the weather was beautiful (though a bit hot). We passed by a few sales that didn't look like they had much to offer, but at the last two we struck gold! I found a puppet theater for $5 that was still new in the package, I looked it up online and the seller had originally paid $110! After that sale, I found the rest of the little people sets I was looking for (Noah's Ark and the Castle), so now I'm set! I would have to say this beautiful theater is exactly what I was looking for and for me is the ultimate garage sale find of 2009.

Seth's First Play Date

I joined a group of stay at home mom's via meetup.com. Today was the first official "play date" and it was really fun seeing all the kids interact. At one point, a little 9 mo. old boy named Henry came up to Seth and smiled. Seth smiled back and when Henry reached out his arm so did Sethy. They held hands briefly and we were able to get a few pictures, though Seth started getting mesmerized by the camera as soon as it was taken out.

More pictures!

Seth found his hands this week, he's so cute! He's still kicking away a lot, I have a feeling if I had him on his tummy more he'd be crawling by now, but I'm not ready for that! He's growing too quickly! He is really a sweet baby, and I'm happy he has his daddy's temperament. Luke came home last night and wanted to play the baby a song before bed on the guitar, unbeknown to him Seth would go CRAZY over it. His eyes got really huge and then he started dancing wildly. It took an hour for him to calm down and go to sleep...cute, but I told Luke he can only play guitar for him in the morning from now on!

Cuter by the minute

I'm sure every mother has the "oh, my gosh, he's sooo stinkin' cute!" moments. I had several today. For the first time, he waved "bye bye" to his grandma. My mom has been teaching him to wave every time she leaves and today he mimiced her motion and tried to even wiggle his fingers. CUTE! Luke had him in the baby bjorn for the first time and it was so cute to see father and son together. Now, if I could get Luke to wear it for nine months, he may have some more sympathy for my pregnancy.... ;) He was great, though. Can't believe my baby has grown so much, one of these days I'll be sitting front row to his wedding...*sob* My baby!!

3 month update

It is hard to believe that Seth is already 12 weeks old! He has grown so much, and it's been fun getting to know his personality. He has the "super baby" smile now, which I love. Yesterday I took him to get his pictures done at Kiddie Kandids and at JCPenny Portraits. They turned out really cute. Seth has now added "hello" and "kitty" to his vocabulary. I can also tell he has pretty good comprehension because I will ask him "Seth, where is the kitty?" and he will look around and when he sees it (painted on the wall), he gets a big smile. This morning he actually cooed "kitty" (more like "ki - e"). Super cute.

Seth's Visit to the Doctor

Poor little Sethy was really fussy this past week. He was clawing at his face (self mutilating), and had tons of tiny bloody streaks everywhere from his little nails. His cheeks were red and bumpy and he had extremely dry skin. He also had puss in his left ear and it had a foul odor. After looking online I saw this indicated an ear infection, though it's rare for a baby this young to get it. So, I took him in and after some poking and prodding from the doctor (and some blood curdling screams from Seth), he said Seth did indeed have an ear infection. He also said that baby had eczema and told me to put hydrocortisone and lotion on it twice a day (which is why he was itching his face). So, after giving him his antibiotic and rubbing him down with lotions this morning I notice a drastic difference. His eyes aren't as swollen, there is less puss in his ear, and his cheeks are almost baby soft again! Praise the Lord! I guess it is true that baby's this young don't cry for no reason, we just though he was being feisty - turns out he was in pain. Poor baby!

Seth's First Video!

Here is a video that Luke made of little Sethy.

Sethy from Luke Erickson on Vimeo.

Belly Picts

38 weeks
36 weeks
33 weeks
30 weeks
15 weeks
10 weeks
5 weeks
I know these are SUPER late, but I thought some of you may have wanted to see my belly progression for my pregnancy.

Weekly Photos

Week 8
Week 7
Week 6
Week 5

My Baby is 8 Weeks Old!

Hard to believe two months has already flown by. Our little chunker sure has grown fast! He definitely has more of a personality now, cooing and smiling, grumpy face and grunting, and stealing our hearts every minute of the day. This month has been a lot easier than last, as there is finally some "reward" to the hard work. I have been garage saleing up a storm and have found some great deals on toys and outfits as well as a free power wheels dump truck (that he can't use quite yet...). Progress I've seen in month two:
1) Seth can hold his head up a lot better
2) Seth's personality has become quite a bit more noticible (my guess is that he is a meloncholy/phlagmatic as he loves to take naps, gets grumpy if fussed over, and likes his space)
3) Seth sleeps almost through the night - cluster feeding until about 8pm then out until 2am, feeding, then sleeps until about 6am
4) Diaper explosions are a lot less frequent - either mommy and daddy are getting the hang of it, or baby is taking it easy on us
5) Major growth spurt - I officially packed up 80% of his 0-3 month clothes and have moved on to 3-6 month range. The shocker was that the first time he wore his 3-6 month clothes, my friend commented that it didn't look like it would be fitting for that much longer!
P.S. For you doubters on the last blog - I'm going to have Luke video him saying (screaming) "hungy" one of these nights while I change his diaper and then I'll post it. There is no doubt about it! The other words are a little ify and haven't been consistent, but he definitely knows the word that gets him more food (his little swollen belly is proof of that)!

He Can Talk!

Well, that is the conclusion I have come to. A few weeks ago I was saying "hi, baby!" and he said "Hi!" back. I thought it was just a coincidence. Then, Luke was saying "hi, baby!" a few days ago, and baby said "Hi!" again. This morning he said "Dad" and what sounded like "I love you". The other phrases are when he cries, he says "hungy" (hungry) and "angy" (angry). He is seven weeks old today. I know it's a little young to be talking, but the more he does it, the more I'm convinced it's real and not just a coincidence that his coos sound like real words!

Rude Awakenings...

Just when you think you have the diapering thing down, it explodes in your face...literally! I awoke this morning pleased that I only had to get up once last night to feed baby. I thought to myself that I should feed him and then change him, but I thought he may be sitting in poop so decided to change him first. Bad idea. He immediately peed on me, I yelped and he peed again - IN MY MOUTH. So, I was wimpering and Luke came to investigate and took over so I could wash my face, hair, and brush my teeth. Seth ended up having three simultaneous explosions, and two outfits later he is now happily snoozing by my side. Happy Tuesday!

Finally, Feeling Like "Mommy"

For a long time, I did not feel like a mom. I was in "survival mode" - trying to get the basics down, and not really getting to enjoy things. Seth has finally started becoming more of a little person - cooing, smiling, and "talking" in baby talk. Yesterday, as I had my hands full - lugging the baby carrier, diaper bag, camera, and purse I saw my shadow and it really dawned on me that I am a mom. I think the reason it took so long was that I had waited so long for this...seven years - through which there were many ups and downs, disappointments, as well as the loss of our first child. It was hard to believe that my dream finally did come true. I'm very blessed. There is no better feeling in the world then knowing that not only do I help sustain my little guy by feeding him and meeting his basic needs, but I love that he looks for me when I leave the room and seems to genuinely miss me. As the intern at his doctor's office noted yesterday "this baby sure likes to look at his mommy!" Yes, that would be me. =)

Settling In

Baby holding up his head
5 Week Picture

Life as a mom has now started to settle down. It is very true that your first month with baby goes by as sort of a blur because it's nothing more than survival mode - feed baby, change diapers, get baby to stop being fussy...all the while trying to remember to eat, comb your hair, and shower. These are the days of living in pajamas, avoiding the scale, and at least two loads of laundry daily. There are also a lot of rewards - getting your first smile from baby, watching him sleep (sometimes laughing while sleeping), see baby go from fussy to cooing, watching baby get big chubby cheeks and knowing that I had something to do with it. Some things I have learned the past 4 weeks:
1) Schedules - seems no matter how hard we try to get baby on a schedule he has his own...life became much easier when we just let him have his way on this
2) Nursing - a nightmare at first, very time consuming, but I know it's what is best for him, and how could I feel like a better mom then when I'm nursing?
3) Cluster feeding - something I wish I had known about before, last week he did this and I had no clue what was going on. Basically he was hungry all the time at night, no matter how much I nursed him. He seemed to want to nurse for two hours straight. Turns out he was trying to "stock up" so he could sleep longer at night - a very good thing. When I started feeding him instead of giving him his Nuk out of frusteration, or thinking I wasn't giving him enough milk he ended up sleeping 4-5 hours straight. He's been doing this pretty consistently the past few nights, nursing for a long time and then only getting up twice to feed. Pretty nice!

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