Turn a Phrase

Before you read this post you may want to get yourself a bowl of tortilla chips because I am about to get all cheesy proud momma and it may just be the only way you can make it through… Dip away! River's vocabulary and sentence structure have literally EXPLODED over the past few months. Just this spring if you wanted River to say any sentence larger than 2-3 words you would have to feed it to him one word at a time. Now he is throwing all sorts of words together and the results are both hilarious and thought provoking.

Snow is coming. He has been saying this since the beginning of August. Every time he sees storm clouds he points to them and says, "Snow is coming." What the math? It is still summer! This observation is generally followed by "Hard to drive (or walk) in snow." How does he know that? Does he really remember? We certainly don't talk about it. To me the word fall is another "f-bomb" right now and yet River has already made his way to winter. Where on earth did he get this from? I blame Calliou and that rogue Christmas episode on-demand...

Hard to reach. Anything that isn't within his immediate grasp is "hard to reach." That includes everything from the spoon he threw on the floor, to the moon (which he loves to point out whenever he sees it and kid has a spankin' eye for that fickle moon).

Heard a noise in there. This one he started to say while we were in MT visiting Angie. And when he said it, it scared me real good! While visiting we stayed in the guest bedroom in Angie's basement. Right next door to the guest bedroom is the downstairs family room/man cave of Angie's husband. It went unused while we were there and the light remained off until one night when we were getting ready for bed and River said, "That room, scary." I didn't think much of this comment because the room was dark and children all have a healthy fear of the dark. He followed that up, though, with, "Heard a noise in there." Thanks, Bug. We still have to sleep down here tonight. Thus the light was turned on and stayed that way for the rest of our visit. Since that night he has said it several times thankfully not scaring me as badly.

Look Mommy, River is strong! This is generally followed by a silly walk that looks like he just got off of a horse all bow-legged and decided to start flexing his muscles.

Not all of his favorite phrases are easy to hear, though. One of the more recent phrases he has begun to use cuts me to the core and makes me question the decisions I have made as an adoptive and working mom.

River miss Mommy. It isn't always "miss Mommy." Sometimes it is "River miss Daddy (or Mimi, Papa, Abby, Grandma, Angie, etc.)" Sometimes it is even cute when he randomly says, "River miss Toby." You may not consider this a big deal. I got into an argument with one of my business partners (who is also a good friend) over whether this is just a standard child thing. My concern, though, is that he uses this phrase more than any other. He uses it when he is playing with his toys or reading books. The other night we read a book about Noah's Ark which had an animal matching game. Because the matching animals were not together he said repeatedly, "Animals miss their mommies." Recently I was watching him starry-eyed, proud mommy-style during his individual play time. As part of the conversation he was having with his vehicles he said, "Tractor miss his mommy." When I hear this phrase or any variation thereof I question myself and despair over the impact that the decisions we as adults have made about the course of River's life and how they are now and will continue to affect him.

Adoption Free and Funny Friday: Where does he come up with these things?

Every day on at least a few occasions I find myself with the overwhelming urge to climb into River's brain and figure out how it works. The way he works through things, what makes sense to him and what does not is almost an obsession of mine.

One of the things that River has struggled with has been language skills. He started out early with words like "light" and "kitty" at 11 months old. Then around 13 months he abandoned them in lieu of finger pointing and grunts. I don't blame him I mean really when you have two people hovering over you meeting your every need why bother with words? I'm sure any great king or pharoh would be able to tell you that.

Luckily over the past 6 months he has been slowly but surely working his way back into the speaking world. And I have found myself obsessed with the words he chooses to pick up on. Words that describe the things he loves like dog/doggie, car, or train hold no interest to him. Instead he prefers words like bubble, Ammon (the name of his nanny's dog), and tree. Monday he just randomly started saying the word "shoe." Then yesterday he started saying this gem...

boob

Yes, you read that correctly. He has started saying boob and is fully aware of what the word means. How do I know this? Oh, perhaps it is because he says the word over and over again while running after me with his finger pointed out trying to poke me in the...

boob

One might think that the word boob would rarely be used in daily conversation for a child to pick up on. Apparently, though, we must use boob quite often. I guess I have already written it 5 times in one sitting. Really it has to be one of the funniest words in the English language.

And I suppose he is a boy and all. But does the obsession have to start THIS early?

Boobies!

Palabras

Lately there has been a source of contention in my home, though it pains me to admit it. My wonderful husband and I are equally yoked when it comes to the virtue of strength (i.e. stubbornness) and so we have yet to resolve it. So, my blogging friends and family I would like to take our issue before you as a jury of our peers to see who's side you are on. To prevent any biases I will not disclose which of us is supporting which point of view. Please read through the following case and then vote for the side you are on in the poll to the right of this post.

Issue: Can River's use of the word light (or "ite" as he says it) be considered his first word?

Argument For: River LOVES to talk. Right now it is mostly baby talk with no rhyme or reason. However, in typical baby development he has started to mimic words and intonations in his regular gibberish and has started to use words though not for their intended meaning. For examples of his recent lingual developments see Exhibit A, B and C:

Exhibit A - For a while now River has said what sounds like, "Hi" when he first sees someone, when someone leaves the room and then returns shortly, and sometimes even randomly. It sounds more like the "h" sound followed by a high pitch mini scream but it was when he would use it that caused many to wonder if he was really using it as a salutation.

Exhibit B - Since he was around 8-9 months he has used the word "Mama" as an indicator that he wants to be picked up, wants you to hurry up fixing his bottle and/or food, is upset and is in need of reassurance, etc.

Exhibit C - Debbie, River's nanny told us that the other day when she walked by her refrigerator and a picture of her kids while holding River he said (filtered through baby speak), "Hi, kids!" Debbie said she usually says this when they walk by her refrigerator but on this particular day he decided to beat her to the punch and mimic the words she usually says.

Since he was a baby, River has LOVED lights. He reaches for them and stares at them often. Recently he has started saying, "ite" when pointing and staring at the light. He will also look and point at the nearest light when anyone says the word. His use and recognition of this word have been observed by myself, Cory and his nanny Debbie.

Therefore it is the argument of the party in favor of declaring this his first word that his use of the word and recognition of the word when used by others dictates that it go down in his records as his first word.

Argument Against: River LOVES to talk. On that there is no disagreement. Nor is there any disagreement on the fact that he has used words like "Mama" as indicator words or the fact that he does indeed recognize the word light when used by those around him and ocassionally uses the word himself. To call it his first word, however, is a bit premature. For evidence supporting this theory please see Exhibit D:

Exhibit D - River does not use the word light consistantly when pointing and looking at the light. Sometimes he will say, "A-da" or "Eeii" when pointing at the light. Also, he will not always repeat the word when asked to.

Therefore, it is the argument of the party against declaring this as his first word that his inconsistant use of the word, regardless of the fact that he recognizes it when spoken by others dictates that it is premature to call this his first word. Most likely it will be his first word but we need to wait until he uses it more regularly to dictate it so.

Thank you in advance for helping us to solve our issue!

Double Digits.

I remember back in the day when I turned 10 years old it was SUCH a big deal because I was finally "double digits" old. River is too young to appreciate or even realize that he is finally "double digits" old yet (in months as opposed to years) but it is big for me because he is only two short months from being old enough to measure his age in years. Yikes! Has it really been that long since he was born? It sure doesn't feel like it. Unfortunately, I have reached that age when time seems to go at warp speed.

In honor of the 10 months that our family has been complete here are 10 predictions I have for what we can expect for him as he grows up:

• He will be one busy little boy. He is constantly on the go crawling from one side of the house to the other in what seems like a matter of seconds. I'm hoping it will mean lots of fun and the loss of some of the extra pounds I am carrying around. But I also know there will be many exhausting, trying days.


• He will be one of those little boys that despite my best efforts will constantly have holes in his pants, scrapes on his knees, and dirt on his face from constant rough housing and playing. The other night he was hanging out with me while I was weeding in our rose beds. He was crawling right through the rock landscaping even though those rocks can be sharp. He was picking up the rocks and throwing them all while making his favorite growling sound. 100% Baby Boy!

River and Nico (she is SO patient with him it is amazing!)

• He will be at least a year old before he starts walking. Right now he is completely uninterested in walking. He'll do it if you hold his hands but half way to wherever you are walking him to he loses interest and you have to pick him up or let his legs drag. He loves to stand up on things but doesn't take the next step and walk around using the support of whatever he is standing up on. With the exception of in the bathtub, the very LAST place I want him to be wobbly walking!


• He will be a very snuggly, cuddly boy. We just started playing a game recently where I make a big circle around him with my arms and then slowly tighten up the circle until I'm hugging him tightly and he laughs and laughs and laughs. Once I release him he gives me a big hug and kiss.
  


• He will be a good drummer. Every baby loves to drum in some form. It is an activity they can do with their arms and hands before they really refine their motor skills. Even my weekly BabyCenter recommend getting baby drumming early on for development. However, Cory and River and I spend lots of time working on making music. Cory will be on the full set of drums or guitar and River and I will play one of the smaller drums. As a result I have noticed a marked difference in the understanding and technique River has on the drums. It is enough to bring a tear to one proud mommy's eye!
  


• He will be an adorable little boy and a looker when he grows up. Now, I fully recognize that this opinion could be biased because I am his mom and I would think he was cute even if he had a horn growing out of his head. But both Angie and his bfather are beautiful people and he has so much of their good features that I know he will be the same!
  

River getting a hug and kiss from his cousin Tessa (only 3 weeks apart in age)

• He will have a good sense of humor. I often refer to Cory as my "child by marriage." I'm sure we all as women can relate to feeling, at times, that our husbands are more like children than grown men. However, despite whatever complaints I may have in this regard, Cory's childlike silliness and sense of humor are a good part of why I love him so much. Already he is sharing those characteristics with River who has already taken to them so much that I know once he is able to understand Cory's jokes he will follow suit.
  

River and Daddy enjoying River's first big pool experience

• I will get a taste of my own medicine and have to parent a child like myself that throws what my Mom referred to as "text book temper tantrums" or tempertantrums so bad you only read about them in books! Already the simple act of putting on clothes gets River fussy and don't even think about wiping a booger out of his nose or trimming his finger/toe nails unless you are prepared for him to cry so hard he stops breathing at times. As soon as the torture of regular hygiene is over, however, the tantrum immediately ceases and he is back to happy, bubbly, River.


• He will be a Mommy's Boy. This isn't that much of a prediction as it is already a fact. He loves Cory and I very much and when in the presence of strangers will go to either of us easily. However, when he has a choice between the two of us he shows his love for his mommy and I couldn't be happier about that. It eases the pain of a working mom who wishes her only job could be raising him full time.

River and Me at Great Grandma and Grandpa Craig's House

• He will not be the daredevil we initially thought he would be. When babies are little, little, bouncing is a great way to soothe fussiness, right? Well, River was no exception to that rule. It was the extent of the bouncing required that set him apart from the rest. He needed at least one foot from the top of the bounce to the bottom of the bounce to be soothed. As a result we joked and said he would be our little daredevil not afraid of heights. Yeah, so those days are over! He is now deathly afraid of heights. He loves to climb up the stairs but will only go up a couple before he gets "too high" and needs me to bring him back down. He is also afraid of swimming pools and even sitting in bath water by himself (only a few inches deep). I guess I won't have a daredevil son to go skydiving with me after all!
  

Happy double digits, River! We love you 1,000,000 pounds:)

Why thank you, Lukin! I think I WILL help myself.

I assume that when you mix furry, four-legged children and regular, human children, cross species food consumption is inevitable, right? Already our dogs have started taking up post under the table during dinner time knowing bits of what River is eating will find their way to the floor convinently within their reach. But yesterday and today River decided what's good for the goose (Nico and Lukin) is good for the gander (himself) and has helped himself to 2 pieces of dog food. The first piece was almost fully recovered from his mouth but this morning I thought I was on top of the dog food issue and as a result of my cockiness didn't catch the second piece until it was almost fully consumed. Yuck!

Normally, this would only be an issue when baby finds doggy's food bowl, see's interestingly colored, bite sized morsels placed on baby's level in a bowl. This issue is easy to correct. Simply keep baby away from doggy's food bowl. Yeah, not so easy in our house. Our male dog Lukin has a very odd habit that we assume is his way of letting Nico, our female, know who is boss. It all started when we bought cheap Ol' Roy Dinner Rounds (Walmart brand) dog food to mix in with their healthier more expensive food as a fun treat. To say that they love the Dinner Rounds would be an understatement! When the Rounds are mixed in with the healthier food they will pick out and eat only the Dinner Rounds until they get too hungry to hold out on the rest. Shortly after we first started buying the food Lukin would pick some of the Dinner Rounds out of his bowl, carry them in his mouth to wherever he was lounging in the house and then drop them 1-2 feet away from where he was laying. That way he could make Nico jealous, tempt her into trying to steal them and then scare her away when she tried. He likes to do this with most treats. We've since decreased the frequency of Dinner Rounds for this exact reason but he has kept up the habit with the regular, old, boring, healthy dog food. So it is not uncommon to have at least a dozen pieces of dog food in various places around the house because, of course, he never eats the food he takes around the house he just gives up on it if Nico isn't interested. Only to try it again 1-2 hours later with a new mouthful of food hoping for better results.

Since River started crawling and getting into every possible corner in the house Cory and I immediately increased our dog food patrol efforts. However, it seems as though Lukin has increased his dog food spreading efforts as both dog food consumption events occured when I was under the impression the floor was dog food free.

Dear River,

I know you are just learning how to chew and eat "grown up" food like Mommy and Daddy and I know that you are so excited to finally be mobile so you can explore your environment. I also know that when you put the two together those little bit size morsels Lukin leaves around the house for you must be very difficult to resist. But seriously, son... seriously... eating dog food is SO GROSS! So let's make a pact. Mommy will promise not to pop your pimples if you promise not to eat Nico and Lukin OR Louis' food!

Let's shake on it!

Love,

Mommy

Number nine... number nine...

Today River is 9 months old. My, my, my how time flies! I remember at one point when River was only 3-4 months old looking ahead to 6 months and imagining how much I would panic when he reached that age. Now he is 9 months old and luckily I have accepted the fact that he will inevitably grow up and I will inevitably feel bitter sweet about every moment. Sad to realize how truly fast he seems to grow up but happy to be able to watch him in every stage of his development.

We are now one full week into crawling and already he is ready to move onto pulling himself up to standing and his level of curiosity has seemed to quadruple. Being able to be there as he accomplishes new tasks and as his brain makes new connections has been the single most amazing experience of my life. In honor of his 9 months here are 9 of his most recent milestones.

1. Crawling.
2. Pulling himself up onto his knees and occasionally into the standing position.
   
3. Moving from sitting up to laying down and vice versa.
   
4. Saying "Ba, ba, ba, ba" and "Da, da, da, da."
   
5. Clapping.
6. Holding his own bottle.
7. Using different "voices" (mostly in the form of growling) when playing with toys.
8. Cutting 4th tooth. He now has the front two on both the top and bottom.
   
9. Using the word "Ma Ma" to indicate that he wants to be picked up, fed, or to let you know he is upset.

Thank you for putting up with my blatantly obvious first-time-mommy-ness! Here is a video of him cruising around on all fours :)

P.S. Curious to know if anyone gets the reference in the title of my post...

Shame on you, when I was your age I was 10 months old!

Today River is 8 months old. I still can't believe he is really that old, but I better get used to it because I will probably never believe how old he is. In honor of his crazy 8 months of life here are his top 8 likes and dislikes.

Likes

1. Mommy and Daddy. And I'm not just tooting our own horn (see Dislike #3). He is definitely shy around others. But when he is at home with us he is a moving, talking, giggling, snuggly, comfortable little bug.
2. Baby Dill Pickles. We've started giving him baby carrots, baby pickles, teething biscuits, licorice and other food items that he can hold in his hand and chew on but that don't present a choking hazard. Pickles are by far his favorite. Funny considering how sour they taste.
3. Tummy Time. When he was little I couldn't get him to put up with tummy time for more than 30 seconds without melting into a fit. Now, he sleeps on his tummy and prefers to play on his tummy as well now that he is preparing to move into the crawling phase... dun, dun, dun!
4. Making the motor boat sound. While playing with toys, crawling around, eating, bathing, whatever, he gets into moods where he will make the motor boat sound for five minutes straight only stopping to breathe in.
5. Playing the drums. He loves to pound on anything that makes a good sound. An empty cracker box, the books I read him, the table, the desk, the chest of whoever is holding him, and of course any of the official drums in the house. DH and I often will sit down and play the drums in our studio and River will pound on the bongos and "sing" (basically just making a constant string of sounds) along.
   
6. Louie our kitty. Despite the fact that cats are more independent and we have two dogs that are very loving and patient with River, he likes our cat Louie the best. All she has to do is walk by him to elicit a giggle and when she's around he doesn't take his eyes off of her. Sometimes he gets a devious gleam in his eyes when he sees her so I'm afraid DH may have partner in teasing her when River grows up.
7. Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma. To date this is the only recognizable sound that River makes. He is showing interest in moving on to "ba" but in the mean time he loves to say, "Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma." I'm soaking it in while I can because I know once he does move on to the next sound, "ma" may become a thing of the past.
8. Taking Walks. Whether in a sling or in a stroller walks both interest and relax him. Walks are always a good way to calm his fussy moods. He gets this far away look in his eyes when we are on a walk like he is deep in thought. Deep Thoughts, by River Preston...

Dislikes

1. Having his hands and face wiped after eating food. All babies are different in many ways, but some things, like this, are universal!
2. Getting buckled into the carseat. Again, some thing are just universal.
3. Being held by strangers. In general this is a good thing. We don't want him to be comfortable around real strangers. But when the "stranger" is just a family member that he hasn't seen in a while and he starts crying as soon as they hold him, that makes for some grandmas/grandpas, aunts/uncles with hurt feelings.
4. Sitting still long enough to have his diaper or clothes changed. You have to trick him into staying still. Toys are a great distraction, but even in a pinch the diaper I'm about to put on him will entertain him long enough.
5. Loud dog barks.
6. Loud sneezes or coughs.
7. Loud laughing. Dislikes 4-6 all startle him pretty bad and are almost always followed by tears :'(
8. Pacifiers as they are intended to be used. We knew the era of the pacifier had come to an end when we would put a pacifier into his mouth and he would turn around and try to put it in our mouths or just play with it like the rest of his toys :)

River, thank you for the 8 best months of my life!

Also thank you to everyone who voted on who River looks more like. Looks like it is a tie :)

The best birthday gift in the history of man!

Or woman... Or at least the best birthday gift in the history of this woman :) I apologize in advance for all of those who have given me wonderful birthday presents in the past. I have been blessed with many great friends and wonderful family that have shown me great love on my birthdays. However, it is difficult to compete with a gift giver like River.

My birthday was Friday the 17th and on that day River started to say, "ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma." Now I know that he has yet to connect that sound to the title that he will eventually use to refer to me but it is the first of the syllables that he has begun to repeat and it gives me hope that perhaps Mama will be his first word. Usually the "da, da, da, da, da" sound is easier to make and is the natural first step.

Was it just a coincidence that he started to say "ma, ma, ma, ma, ma" on his mom's birthday? Was he just trying to be a rebel (much like his proud mom) and do things differently from other babies? Or did his precious soul, much closer to the Lord than I, know that his insecure mother (who has wanted so desperately to be a stay at home mom for him and has felt horrible about the increasing number of hours she's had to work because they've kept her away from him) needed a subtle sign that he still loves her and understands that you gotta do what you've gotta do sometimes to support your family even if it takes you away from them more than you'd like.

In this life I will probably never know. But either way I want to say, thank you son! You couldn't have picked a better day or a better gift whether you meant it or not!

A March of Photos

For the first time in my son's short life I had to go out of town for 3 days for work. I wasn't happy about having to do it and the week leading up to it was full of anxiety attacks and fears of what I would miss, if he would forget me and if we would all be able to return safely to each other. Unfortunately, though, with the economy as it is we don't have much choice and the extra hours will be a huge benefit to us. During the time that I was away I called DH morning and night to talk to him and hear the playful sounds of my son in the background. I also kept photos on hand at all times to remind me of my two favorite people in the world.

Here are some photos for everyone to enjoy of our little family through the month of March with titles and commentary.

3 out of 3 Prestons Agree...

River is so cute we could spend all day looking at him. And now that he has discovered this mirror on his flying saucer he practically does spend all day looking at himself. He also immediately lights up whenever we pass by a mirror and he catches a glimpse of himself.

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Cracking Up

Can you guess what DH's profession is? If you guessed Plumber, you are correct! And apparently he's passing his trade on down to his son as early as possible.

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Baby Einstein


"[We] never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born." ~ Albert Einstein

My curious child glued to the Baby Einstein videos my sister lent us. Thanks, Sissy! I'm sending them back to you this week :)

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Wait 5 minutes

Here in Colorado, we have a saying about the fickle weather patterns caused by the Rocky Mountains to the west. If you don't like the weather in Colorado wait 5 minutes. I've also heard it said with 10 minutes but that is the longest we give it. On the previous Sunday the temperature was a degree shy of 80. A few days later the snow was significant enough to close down schools, universities, government offices, etc. Pretty much everything except for my office :(

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Stand in the place where you live...

"... now face west. Think about direction, wonder why we have it now, Stand! " Sorry, this portion of the song "Stand" by REM always gets stuck in my head when I see this photo. River loves to stand lately and this particular night he was standing like it was going out of style so I propped him up against the couch to see if he could keep himself up. He did it!

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The Man Show

This is a series of photos taken by DH while I was away and he was spending some fun bonding time with River. Notice the variety of weather experienced over just 3 days! Like they say just wait 5 minutes :)

Out like a lamb!

Good Morning, Son.

Good morning, son
I am a bird
Wearing a brown polyester shirt
You want a coke?
Maybe some fries?
The roast beef combos only $9.95
But its okay
You don't have to pay
I've got all the change

Everybody knows
It hurts to grow up
And everybody does
It's so weird to be back here
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
We're still fighting it, we're still fighting it
And you're so much like me

- Ben Folds, Still Fighting It.

In honor of my son's half dozen of one, six of the other months of life here are some old and new pictures set to the Ben Fold's song that I sing to him every morning when I wake him up. It just came naturally since the first line of the song is, "Good morning, son." Plus I love Ben Folds and he wrote this song for his son :)

Happy 6 month Birthday, River! Love, Mommy and Daddy

Photo of the day.

Wow, so this may be a first. I'll probably have to check my list of posts but this may be the first time I've blogged two days in a row! I have been trying to post more often lately and enjoying it immensely.

This evening River and I made a delicious dessert and then brought it over to my sister-in-law Jami's house to share in the deliciousness... and of course the calories! As proof of River's help I am posting my favorite photos of the day.


So the dessert making started out as River watching me crunch up the pretzels, mix in the butter and the sugar for the crust. But when I turned back around after putting dirty dishes in the sink I found him helping out by continuing the mixing. And I didn't even have to ask for his help!

ps Does anyone know how to get rid of that stupid orange banner up at the top?

pss Yay my two votes helped save Anoop! I was sad to see Jasmine go, though. I really liked her.

Let's get ready to BUMBOOOOO!

River loves to be in the upright position so he can be a part of what is going on around him. However, he still needs to be propped up on all sides to get him there. So, my awesome sister-in-law Jodi lent us her Bumbo (actually this one is called bebePOD, and looks cooler but is the same concept) and my mother-in-law and sister-in-law Kelli made sure it was sent off to us ASAP. I have been waiting with baited breath checking the mail daily for for its arrival and today was the big day that we received it! Here are some pictures of River enjoying his new seat!

He really liked it earlier in the evening when DH first put him in it. Unfortunately, I waited until after his bath and right before bed to put him in it to take pictures and by this time he was a little cranky. I couldn't help including that second picture because his little pout is so cute. The picture doesn't even do it justice. I laughed so hard when he made this pout because he looked exactly like Spanky's (as in the Little Rascal) baby brother. Too cute for words even when he is pouting.

On a totally unrelated topic, I voted for an American Idol contestant for the first time since Elliot Yamin. That season, in my opinion, is the season when Idol hit its peak. If I had my druthers they would have bowed out George Costanza style at that point because each subsequent year has reached a lower low. (*cough* *sanjaya* *cough* *cough*) Why, oh, why do I not listen to myself when I promise that this year is the year that I won't watch past the horrid initial audition shows if even at all? I've promised myself this every season post Elliot. Unfortunately, I let myself slip yet again. Might as well just dive in head first. So I voted for Anoop Desai because I think that the judges were unfair to him. His performance wasn't too bad and certainly wasn't much different than that stupid poser emo kid who sang another "untouchable" Michael Jackson song. Why, oh, why do I do this to myself?

A requiem for things past...

As spring time nears I thought it appropriate to blog about a few of the habits that River has put to rest and the new habits that are beginning to bloom in all their glory... good and bad. Luckily, they have mostly been good!



Things past:

• The days of clothes sized for 3 months and younger. Now he fits into 6 month clothes and sometimes even 9 month clothes!
• Having to be bounced or rocked to sleep. When we lost the bouncy chair to bouncy fatigue I was very afraid of what nap times and bedtime would be like. It seemed to us as though he was incapable of sleep without some sort of repetitive movement to lull him to sleep. However, what we found is that a swaddle and a pacifier were all he needed. Sometimes he doesn't even need the swaddle or the pacifier... but more on that later.
• Okay, it's later! Heavy reliance upon the pacifier is a thing of the past. He now prefers his thumb. Even when I do give him his pacifier at bedtime or nap time, whenever I check on him a few minutes later, he has ditched the pacifier and shoved his thumb in his mouth.
• Happy peaceful teething :'( Now that tooth #2 has joined the club he often gets crankier during the day and the only thing that seems to help is to hold him and walk him around. I would venture to guess that within the past week or so I have walked several miles all within the walls of our small house.
• Breastfeeding. This has been a tough one for me. Unfortunately, I had to abandon night feedings because he took too long (sometimes close to 2 hours) to take an entire feeding. Then I had to abandon some daytime feedings while I was at work. Put that all together and EVERY feeding started to take too long (1 hour +). So after innumerable tears I turned the torch fully over to Playtex, Dr. Brown, and Soothie.
• Sleeping on his back. Now, almost 100% of the time when I check on him while he is sleeping I find him on his tummy. As a matter of fact the other day he was having an unusually difficult time falling asleep for a nap. As usual I had put him in his crib on his back (Back is Best!) with a pacifier. About 2 minutes after I put him in the crib he started fussing. So I put him on his tummy and made sure his hand was close enough to access his thumb should he want it. Sho'nuf he was practically asleep before I walked out of his room.
• I saved the best for last... And I announce this cautiously for fear of jinxing us... But, midnight feedings are a thing of the past! River now sleeps 10-11 hours consecutively! Words cannot describe how wonderful it has been. It has only been a couple of weeks that I've had uninterrupted sleep and already I've begun to wonder how I made it 5 months without it!

Out with the old, in with the new!

This one's for you, Gala!

Following in my footsteps, and to the delight of his Gala (DH's mom), River has started sucking his thumb! He has been a fan of his hands and fingers for a very long time now preferring them to most toys and pacifiers. Now, however, his thumb has nabbed the top billing! Last night as I was getting him ready for his bath he became very fussy most likely thanks to the new neighbor moving in next to Ol' Chomper (who has recently been renamed Dennis... as in Dennis the Menacing Tooth). Once in the bath he continued to fuss, which is very unusual, until he relaxed on my chest and started sucking his thumb. When the thumb was removed so I could suds him up or shampoo his hair he immediately started fussing again.

This morning River and I ran some errands before I had to go to work. It was right during his first morning nap time and thanks to shopping carts and car rides he still napped. As I was getting out of the car to drop off a movie at Blockbuster I noticed that River had fallen asleep with his thumb in his mouth! I snapped a picture on my cell phone which unfortunately has no connection to the computer so I can't include it with this post. However, I promptly sent it off to both Gala and Mimi (the grandmas) and DH. Then, when I woke him up from his second nap of the morning to head to the Nanny I again found him asleep, this time on his tummy, with his thumb in his mouth. When I laid him down in his bassinet, he had a pacifier but he ditched that for his comfortable, warm, permanently attached version... his thumb.

I think it is adorable and hope he continues to suck his thumb. DH is concerned about the long term ramifications and already wants to stamp out the habit. He does have a point... I must confess that I sucked my thumb until I was in 1st grade and even 4 years later when I had to get braces my orthodontist knew all about my embarassing habit from the effects it had on my teeth.

So, if any moms still read my blog, let me know who's side you are on... Mine or DH's! And if you are on DH's, any suggestions on how to stop it? My parents had to resort to that icky tasting stuff you can swab on thumbs and finger nails to deter thumbsucking and nail biting to get me to kick the habit. Can't do that with River yet, though.

~Recovering Thumbsucker Jill - 22 years thumb free and proud!

Call me Ishmael.

Like Melville's Captain Ahab, this past week I have been on the hunt for an elusive white beast. I search after my white beast not for revenge for taking my boat and my leg (though he did bite me when I first discovered him) but to prove his existence. And I do not seek to take his life but to capture him on film. So far, these are the best images I have captured, though really they are not that good at all.

My beast's Latin name is Toothicus Rarus, but around our house we call him Ol' Chomper. He is a newborn and the only of his kind for the time being. I knew that eventually he and more of his kind would be born, but I did not expect him so soon. That is why unsuspecting and unprepared last Sunday I allowed River to grab my index finger and pull it to his mouth as he does with everything he can get his hands on. With my finger inside his mouth the once harmless and gummy bite turned painful and I discovered the existence of Ol' Chomper for the first time. I was in such shock and awe that I immediately ran downstairs to wake my sleeping husband and share the discovery with him.

River hit the big 5 month mark on Valentine's Day and Ol' Chomper made his first appearance almost an entire week earlier. I expected teething to start around the 6-9 month range but River decided to catch us off guard and start it at 4 months and 3 1/2 weeks old. Luckily, the arrival of Ol' Chomper has not seemed to bother River too much. He has occasionally had his moodier moments insisting to be carried around by Mommy to keep the crying at bay but otherwise he has done real well and continues to get happier, gigglier and wigglier each day. Knock on wood, we will continue to have luck through the teething process and will only have occasional moodiness. Another added bonus is that he is sleeping much longer and so we have been able to increase his 8 hour sleep schedule to 10. He now goes to bed at 9 pm, I give him a bottle between 10-10:30 pm before I go to bed, I feed him again when he gets up in the night and then he sleeps until 7 am. This is HUGE because a week ago it was a struggle to keep him in his crib until 6 am. Last night after a bottle at 10:30 pm he didn't wake up again until 4:30 am and after he ate he went right back to sleep until a little after 7 am. So perhaps Ol' Chomper is not the feared beast that I expected but instead a wonderful blessing to my sleeping pattern :)

I will continue to hunt for a good picture of Ol' Chomper and will post it as soon as I capture one. Ol' Chomper is very visible when River is smiling and crying. Hopefully I will get a picture of Ol' Chomper with the former.

Before I end this post I want to let everyone know that we lost a loved and trusted member of our parenting tools over the weekend and gained a new one. So I would like to say to River's bouncy chair, we thank you for your months of dedicated service. You will be sorely missed.

And I would like to welcome the Flying Saucer (as DH calls it) to our family and our home. May your days be long and may River love you like he loved his bouncy chair.


Oh, and one more thing... Here is a really cute picture of River in the 1980's butt rock outfit that DH put him in on Friday. He's not gonna to take it... NO! He ain't gonna take it! He's not gonna take it ANYMORE!


~Moby Jill

I love Hippos, Hippos love me!

Ahhhh! I am finally back to blogging. I didn't realize how much I would miss it until I went without it for over a month. I last blogged back in December but only recently published the post because I didn't have pictures downloaded from the camera yet. Also check my November blog again as I have added pictures there as well. We are picture fanatics and have millions of pictures of River (he is an irresistible subject to photograph) but when it comes to following through and downloading and/or printing them out, we were failing miserably until recently.

So here is a list of the latest developments I've been dying to blog about. It is amazing the difference that one month makes!

On December 27th River rolled over from his back to his front for the first time. He rolled from his front to his back for the first time at 2 weeks old and did it a handful more times between 2 weeks and 8 weeks old. But this was only when he was on his tummy and didn't want to be. Now he is highly entertained by his new mobility. We could tell he was getting ready to roll over right before Christmas because he kept on making what we called the "fish out of water" move... This move included practically throwing himself to one side like a fish flopping around on the ground or a fish jumping out of the water. Now he can roll over to his tummy and back very easily occasionally pinning one of his arms in the process. He also loves to curve his body into a C shape and then roll over to one side or the other for a different perspective. The downside is now it is not uncommon to find him sleeping on his tummy at night. This definitely scares me since pretty much every doctor and nurse that we've seen since the moment River was born has told us "Back is Best" and made it sound like sleeping on their tummy almost always resulted in SIDs. We have always had him sleeping on his back but apparently now he has decided that he wants to try tummy sleeping occasionally. The first night I found him on his tummy I barely slept after feeding him and returning him to his back. Sure enough when I went to get him up for his first morning feeding he was back to sleeping on his tummy! The paranoid mother in me is cringing just thinking of this. Any other moms have this problem and have any words of wisdom on how to deal with this?

Now that he has conquered the task of rolling over like a pro, he is showing some interest in crawling. The other day River was laying on his jungle mat and I was laying on the ground next to him. He rolled over onto his tummy and had himself propped up on his elbows and was looking around. All of the sudden he raised his little bum up in the air and started trying to get his legs underneath it. I clapped proudly and complimented him in typical proud mommy fashion. All the while I was internally fretting over how much this was going to change things... flashes of baby gates, stairs, dogs, glass tables, plants, power cords, cleaning supplies danced through my head. Since that initial attempt to crawl he loves to lay on his tummy (especially while he is nude after his nightly bath) and kick his legs out wildly. He gets going so wildly with his legs that he arches his back like he is doing the yoga pose called locust.

River had his 4 month well baby exam today. He has had a huge growth spurt as of late and so I was surprised to see he weighed only 13lb 11oz. That dropped him from the 25th percentile in weight down to the 10th percentile but the doctor didn't seem to be concerned as he is obviously a well loved and well taken care of baby. He shot up from the 25th percentile to the 50th percentile in height and his head circumference stayed in the 75th percentile. We left the doctor with a clean bill of health and the go-ahead to start feeding him solids in addition to his regular formula feedings. Not that we needed it, though. I had been mixing rice cereal in his bottle to help him sleep at night (it didn't work AT ALL!) and last week I started feeding him rice cereal from a bowl. Next week we will start on baby food sweet potatoes. I wonder if they'll taste as good as real ones? UPDATE: We started on to sweet potatoes with great results. Only bad thing is, they stain big time and eating is always a messy affair.

While at his appointment the doctor and nurses noticed how happy and smiley River is. He knows how to work a crowd giving these cute smiles all while turning his head to the side shyly. A lady we go to church with recently told us she thought River was the happiest, smiley-est baby she had ever seen. A lady standing behind me in line at the post office told me that River was quite the flirt giving coy little smiles to those standing in line behind us. He loves to smile and laugh when you tickle him, bounce him up and down in the air, and sometimes he laughs for no apparent reason. His Nanny Debbie told me that yesterday he was laughing at her dog Troy (a VERY cute little wiener dog) while he ran around and hopped up on the furniture. This has been a pretty recent development as it has only been a month or so since River started to show interest in the world around him... with the exception of Mommy and Daddy. We have always had the honor of his interest and attention :)

Another big development has been the improvements in his sleeping pattern. At the end of last year he was getting up every 2 hours and it was exhausting! Luckily, (for mommy reasons NOT for money reasons) the company I work for decided to close down for the holidays starting on Christmas Eve. Business did not resume again until January 5th. I decided to take advantage of the the opportunity to nap during the day and the four large books I had to read by staying up with River all night to help gently nudge him into a schedule. The schedule is as follows:

• 9 pm River gets his nightly bath followed by tummy time play and then prayer and scripture study with mommy. You would not believe how effective praying and reading the Bible is in getting this kid to sleep. When all is said and done he is conked out! But then again, aren't we all after that ;)


• 10 pm, take him down to his crib once he is asleep. I decided to encorporate the switch to the crib at the same time in hopes that all would go well together. He has had no problems adjusting to the new sleeping location, luckily.


• 2 am, wake up and feed him. At first I would wake up at 2 am to feed him regardless of whether or not he was awake because I was afraid of how difficult it may be on him not to have enough to eat at night. However, now that he is used to the schedule we let him decide when he is ready to eat for his mid-night feeding. Usually he wakes up at 2-2:30 am on the dot, though.


• 6 am, wake up and feed him and get him up for the day.

It only took a few days for him to get into this schedule. He did MUCH better than I expected and it has been a huge blessing. Now he gets 8 hours of sleep at night consistently and when DH and I take turns with the shifts we both get much better sleep. Backing up a bit, I must confess that the four large books that I had to read were none other than the entire Twilight series... and yes I am referring to the ridiculously popular (amongst teen girls) series who's first book was recently made into a movie. Funny thing is, I got DH hooked on them too and together we read all 4 books in 8 days! And then rushed out to see the movie as soon as we were finished. It is painful to admit that I succumbed to the series but then again DH and I are also HUGE Harry Potter fans. I was a sorry sight on the day the last Harry Potter book came out trying to track it down on CD so Cory and I could listen to it together. But this blog is about adoption, not the less impressive moments of my life :)

Well, I will leave it at that for the evening. But I hope to get back to blogging at least once a week now. I have quite a list of topics that I really want to write about and I am even hoping to incorporate some guest blogging. Cross your fingers I'll have the time to follow through and that it won't be another month before I blog again!