Miscellaneous Updates

* Trixie has settled into the family quite nicely. Actually, I think she was settled in five minutes after she got here. She was never skittish or hid or appeared nervous in any way. She just sort of moved right in and she fits perfectly. She’s the best cat EVER. Seriously. She’s a lap cat, she plays with Maddie without scratching her, she loves Sam and lets him shove parts of her into his mouth and she and our dog, Roxy, are total BFFS. I’m not kidding:

Her only really annoying habit is demanding to be in my lap when I’m working at night. She’s of the opinion that my laptop is infringing on her real estate. Luckily, we’ve come to a tentative compromise:

She’s also a good nurse. Maddie had strep throat this week and Trixie made sure to keep Mad’s feet warm while she rested on the couch.

* Once she was feeling better, Maddie decided that my hair needed some help:

She’s available by appointment only. If you’ve got a special occasion coming up, you’d better call soon. She’s booked solid for the next month.

* Sam is working on getting his top teeth. And by “working on,” I mean drooling, chewing on everything and generally being miserable. Except when he’s playing with daddy and giving him kisses.

* We’re planning our family summer vacation. We’ll be going home to Cleveland to visit my family. We haven’t been there since Maddie was four months old, so it’s long overdue. I can’t wait for my kids to meet my family. And to see them all again. I miss them terribly.

The downside is that we’re driving. And it’s 19 hrs. With two young kids. Why are we doing this? First of all, because it’s $1000 for three plane tickets. Secondly, both Gerald and I are completely opposed to the TSA bullshit that’s going on these days. I’m not about to let the airport see my babies naked in a scanner or, God help them, touch my babies in any way. Also, driving lets us control the environment for the kids and that seems better than being stuck on a plane. We’re doing the drive in two days, so hopefully that will make things easier. We’ll see. It’ll be awful no matter what, but let’s hope for the least amount of awfulness possible.

* This weekend, I’m having dinner with Jennie and Julie and going to my monthly book club meeting. I’m extraordinarily excited about both of these things.

* In two weeks Gerald will be gone for three days/two nights on a business trip. This will be my first time alone with both children for an extended period of time. Let’s hope we all survive it.

Dare to Compare

I really ought to shoot myself in the head instead of posting this, but I’ve never been the sharpest tool in the shed. So, let me lay it on the line: I’m feeling crushed by the ever-present Mommy Guilt. What about?

Well, I just read a blog post that was a letter to a little boy who was born two weeks before Sam was. It was very sweet and outlined the little boy’s achievements, likes, dislikes, personality, etc. The same thing I do for my kids. Only, this one caused me a fair bit of angst because her son? LEAPS AND BOUNDS ahead of Sam. He’s been crawling for a month and a half. He says like 10 words. He mimics his parents. Sam? Not so much.

Gerald and I have talked about Sam’s lack of interest in doing, well, anything and we’d basically come to the conclusion that he’s just the world’s laziest baby laid back. I was sure that he might be less ambitious than Maddie because he’s a boy, he’s second-born and he’s a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON. I try not to compare Sam and Maddie, but it’s impossible. The only experience I have raising a child is what I’ve gained with Maddie. It’s logical and reasonable for me to compare raising her with raising Sam. Maddie is an ambitious, independent, intelligent leader. She’s bossy, opinionated and never still. Sam is laid back, relaxed, happy and carefree. He’s pretty mellow for a wee baby and content to just go along with whatever’s happening.

The problem is now I’m comparing him with this little boy. Sam is nowhere near doing these things. And I’m worried. I’ve pretty much convinced myself that the reason Maddie was so far ahead of where Sam is at the same age is because I was able to devote almost all my time to her. Sam has to deal with getting way less attention and now his development is suffering for it.

To make matters worse, I feel like shit every time I have to tell Maddie I can’t play right now because I’m taking care of Sam. I can’t give either one of them my full attention so now they’re both suffering because of it.

Gerald and I are both only children so I have no idea how it’s supposed to work with more than one kid. Is this normal? That your kids are so! different! from each other? That you always feel like you’re short-changing one or the other? Will they both hate me when they’re older? Maddie, because I took away my undivided attention. Sam, because he got the shaft from the minute he was born. Have I ruined my kids’ lives by having two of them?

Yea Sam!

Sam has started clapping. Meal times are lot messier, but way more fun now.

Yea Sam! from Erica Dressed Up on Vimeo.

Eight

Sam,

You are eight months old today. This is going to sound so incredibly trite, but I cannot believe how fast the time is going. First of all, I can’t fathom that my tiny baby is now almost a toddler. How in the world did THAT happen? I’m thrilled with all the new and wonderful things you can do (signing for “more!”, standing, using a sippy cup, rolling all over the house!) and at the same time, I’m sad that this age is so fleeting. This seven and eight month age is my very favorite. This is the age that makes me long for more babies and more babies until we outnumber the Duggars. Everything is so exciting to you and you’re so easy to please. I know that only too soon you’ll be off and running without a backward glance. I have to tell myself that one day in the near future, you’re going to be a total douchebag like your sister. It’s inevitable. So I’m trying to squeeze every single solitary drop of enjoyment out of my time with you.

When strangers see you, the first thing they comment on is how big you are. The second? How gorgeous your smile is. You’re rarely without one, Sammer. You’ve only recently started to notice that there are people around you that aren’t mama or daddy and that freaks you out a little. You’ll let someone else hold you, but only if you can keep an eye on me or your dad. You’re also learning object permanence and cry when I leave the room. It’s sweet and totally annoying all at the same time.

You’re still not sleeping through the night, but we seem to have found a compromise that’s giving us all more sleep. Thank goodness. You’re not quite the laziest baby in the world anymore, but you do have the laziest teeth. Those bottom incisors are taking FOREVER to come in and we’re all you’re miserable. I’m learning not to expect you to be the fastest baby on the block to master a skill, but when you do, you do it with gusto. You’re seldom still anymore. This afternoon it took me 10 minutes to get three blurry pictures of you. The rest them had to be deleted because between the time I pushed the shutter and the picture being taken, you were halfway out of the frame already.

Sometimes being a family of four is a lot of hard work. I still get panicky about having to take you and your sister out all by myself. I know things will get easier on that front and it helps that you’re so damn awesome, Sam. You’re my favorite boy in the whole wide world and I’m so glad you’re a part of our crazy-ass family, buddy.

I love you as big as the sky,
Mama

with your beloved Sofie

Progress!

We seem to have found the trick to helping Sam sleep more at night. He still wakes for a bottle every three or four hours, but since he can hold it himself I’m able to limit my time with him. I fix a bottle, give it to him, change his diaper and put him right back in the crib. He drinks it and goes right back to sleep. Usually without a peep. I’m trying to get him used to a lack of snuggles at night in the hopes that it’ll make it easier to night wean him. I’m usually only up for a whopping five minutes at a time so I’m getting more sleep, too. Bonus!

He also (FINALLY) started rolling from his back to his tummy. Although, I’m not sure why I was anxious for this particular milestone; because now he’s mobile. He rolls everywhere he wants to go. The other day I put him down on a blanket in the living room and went into the kitchen for something. I came back a minute or two later and found him across the room, chewing on a dog toy. So, the pack ‘n play is now set up in the living room and Sam is a member of the Gated Community.

Photomontage

I was going to use this to illustrate the fact that my son is STANDING, but instead I'd like to draw your attention to the attitude Miss Priss is displaying. Pity me greatly.

Couldn't you just DIE?

Sam got some swanky leather moccasins from Alaska for Christmas. Guest appearance by Sofie the giraffe. Whom he loves more than me.

Maddie completely loves this creepy Santa at my dad's house. Personally, I'm afraid it's going to come to life and kill me in my sleep.

Trying to take a picure of Sam yields this result more often than not.

We started a new family tradition of Mexican food for Christmas Eve dinner. And look who's a big boy and sat in a high chair for THE FIRST TIME EVER.

Again with the dying, amirite?

Maddie and my dad about to pass out presents.

I hope your Christmas was filled with laughter, love and shrieks of joy. Or at the very least, a large quantity of alcohol.

Love from the Dressed Up family to yours.

Ruining the healthcare system one copay at a time

I took Sam back to the pediatrician this morning. It turns out I wasn’t just being a worrywart. The doctor was unimpressed with his progress and decided to change things up. He wasn’t tolerating his liquid steroid and kept vomiting it back up, so we changed to a melty tab type one instead. She also added another steroid to the Albuterol for his nebulizer treatments. Which doubles the length of the treatment time. Yea. And his ears still look awful, so she took him off the Z pack and gave him a stronger antibiotic. We’re going to see if he’s improved by Friday and if not, then we’re looking at hospital admission because the doctor says she’s treating him at the maximum level she can.

He had a breathing treatment with the new steroids while we were there and immediately fell asleep afterward. He’s now napping in his crib for the first time in three days. I’d say this version makes him feel better, wouldn’t you?

Lucky Seven

Sam,

You turned seven months old yesterday. As a congratulatory present you gave yourself RSV, strep throat and an ear infection. We spent two and a half hours at the pediatrician’s office. She reluctantly let us leave with promise to return on Thursday for a recheck and a nebulizer, two different steroids, an antibiotic and a decongestant. You are a very sick little pumpkin right now.

Pitiful Baby: Exhibit A

Other than the dire situation at hand, you’re still your lovable old self. And still the laziest baby in the world. At seven months old, you still DO NOT roll from your back to your tummy, hold your own bottle or sippy cup. You do, however, sit on your own for extended periods of time and stand whenever you get the chance. You’re going to walk before you roll over, aren’t you? I’m fairly certain you’re going to be 12 years old and still asking for help when you want to roll onto your stomach.

You absolutely adore: squash, daddy talking to you in funny accents, your sister’s hair, being tickled, baths and being read to. You loathe: all green vegetables, having your nose suctioned, waking up on your back, the vacuum cleaner and being startled. Confidentially, almost EVERYTHING startles you. You are the most easily frightened little man I’ve ever seen.

You’re also incredibly happy and laugh all the time. You’re going to be a talker, which is bad news for daddy. He’s already got two girls who never shut up.  But you do so love the sound of your own voice. Unfortunately, your favorite expression is The Screech. A close second is The Howl. Not pleasurable for your listening audience.

Your sister is beginning to understand your permanence. This week, for the first time, she asked if we could get rid of you because, well, she just doesn’t like you anymore. I’m sure this won’t be the last time she wants to get rid of you. And I know you’ll be wanting to be free of her a few times in your life, but I’m certain that you two are going to be friends. You already worship her and watch every move she makes. Once you’re old enough to play and she realizes you can be bossed around, well, then I bet Maddie’s going to be glad we kept you around after all.

I know I sure am glad you’re here.

I love you as big as the sky,
Mama

…to sleep, perchance to dream…

Listen, I need your help. Sam still isn’t sleeping longer than two or three hours at a stretch. He’s almost seven months old and he weighs 20 lbs; he’s old enough and big enough to go almost all night, if not all night, without eating.

Here are the difficulties I’m facing:
1. Sam doesn’t self-soothe. He doesn’t take a pacifier and doesn’t suck his thumb or fingers. He wakes up and the ONLY WAY he’ll go back to sleep is eating.
2. His room is right next to Maddie’s so I try not to let him cry very long so that it doesn’t wake her up.

What can I do to help him learn to self-soothe? Maddie slept through the night at a very early age and I’m convinced it’s because she’s a thumb sucker. She’d wake up, but sucking her thumb would put her right back to sleep. I never really had to do anything for her. I’m at a complete loss with Sam. And, to be honest, so many months of crappy sleep is really starting to wear on me. I don’t know how much longer I can do this. (Ok, that’s a lie. I’ll do it as long as I have to because that’s what we do as parents. But that doesn’t sound nearly dramatic enough for my purposes.)

I’m not against CIO or Ferberizing or whatever if it helps the child learn to get to sleep. I firmly believe that each kid is different and some things work for some and not for others. Sam goes to bed awake and puts himself to sleep, but he can’t seem to put himself back to sleep. Does CIO work for that, or just going to sleep at the beginning of the night?

If you’ve had sleep issues with your kid(s), PLEASE leave me some assvice, k?

Six

Sammy Sam,

How in the world has SIX MONTHS passed since you were born? I swear, you were just in the NICU like five minutes ago. I refuse to believe that you’re halfway to being a year old already.

This month’s vital statistics: You’re 19lbs 4 oz and 28.5 inches long. You’re in the 90th – 93rd percentile for weight and 75th-80th for height. In other words, you’re HUGE. You’re the Baby That Ate Texas. You’re rolling over from your tummy to your back, but not the reverse. You’re pretty much the world’s laziest baby and can’t really see the incentive for rolling onto your tummy when you hate it. Unless you’re asleep, that is. Then, being on your back is tantamount to torture. You can sit for approximately .17 seconds before falling over. (Much like me throughout most of my college days.)

Your personality is really blossoming. You’re such a happy baby. You love to be tickled and laugh at EVERYTHING. Except when you’re pissed. Then, holy hell, everyone had better watch out. Your fury cannot be contained and must be vented upon the closest living being. Namely, me. You’re also still the worst sleeper in the history of babies. Let’s get that squared away, mmmkay?

Sam, you’re an absolute joy to have around. When you’re not driving me batshit insane, that is. I’m so glad you’re a part of our family and I can’t wait to see the little boy you grow into.

Love,
Mama