My daughter has started talking... sort of. I know she's trying to communicate with me, but right now she just sounds like an angry bird. Lots of shrieking and squawking. She definitely gets this from the Blackwell side of the family.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Sittin’ pretty
After all the fanfare, I finally pulled the trigger and got Taylor-tot a Bumbo chair. And other than the snug-fit on her thighs, she really seems to like it. And that’s nothing a little WD-40 won’t fix.
So yes, I’m now a fan among fans of this wonder-chair. Thank you, Mister Bumbo. Maybe, for your next invention, you could make a pair of footie pajamas that don’t have 20+ snaps in the crotch. THEN my life would be complete.
So yes, I’m now a fan among fans of this wonder-chair. Thank you, Mister Bumbo. Maybe, for your next invention, you could make a pair of footie pajamas that don’t have 20+ snaps in the crotch. THEN my life would be complete.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Bum wheel
The mystery of Ruby’s funk mood has been solved. My four-legged daughter has a torn ACL. She had been limping around on-and-off for the past few months, most noticeably after a day when she ran a lot. Yesterday was a marathon day for her - Two walks and lots of tennis ball time. Ruby runs like a Clydesdale, very hard and very aggressive. Last night before bed she wouldn’t put any pressure on her back left leg, and this morning she was still tripoding around. Chris took her to the vet and they diagnosed her with a torn ACL, and he’s going to have a consultation next week to discuss surgery. Until then we’re on strict orders not to run her, and she’s on a cocktail of joint medicine and painkillers. And treaters. Lots and lots of treaters.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
My four-legged daughter
Ruby has been in a bit of a funk lately. We understand why. Four months ago she was an only child, and now she’s second in line to the cutest baby in the world. And even though Taylor isn’t breaking her toys or reading her diary, Ruby seems to be annoyed that we didn’t consult with her first in making her a big sister. She gets this from me. Apparently when Libba was born, I was so mad at my mom that I wouldn’t even go into the hospital room. I was pretty unhappy about being knocked off the pedestal. Chris, on the other hand, was supposedly this perfect angel of a big brother right off the bat when Ryan was born. Perfect, perfect, perfect. Puke, puke, puke.
The reason I think the Rubes is a bit down is because she’s taken up to hiding underneath the bed all day. And not even our bed, it has to be one of the guest beds in the basement. As if even being on the same floor as us in unbearable to her. She wakes up, eats, does her business and then straight down to the basement to hide under the bed all day. I try to lure her out with treaters and tennis balls, but she won’t budge. I’ve even tried crawling underneath the friggin bed to get her, but she’ll just scoot away from me. Sometimes she’ll sneak out long enough to grab something out of the garbage and then destroy it under the bed, knowing that the only thing that annoys me more than her being under the bed is having shredded toilet paper rolls under there with her.
When I was telling Libba about my predicament, she suggested that maybe Ruby just needed some time to herself and a place to get away from the chaos. I can see that. Up until four months ago, she had free reign of the house while we were at work. And now I‘m home all day with a new little person who cries and smells funny. Maybe she’s sick of us. Maybe the bottom of the bed smells like Italian sausage. Either way, she hides from me all day.
I know what she needs. She needs more attention. But some days I am so consumed with the new challenges of mommy-hood I don’t get a chance to brush my teeth until noon, so it’s hard to take the time to army-crawl under the bed and have a heart-to-heart with my dog. But I need to. Because I miss her too. So this is my pledge to her and to everyone, that I will start giving more love to my four-legged daughter. And much to the dismay of my dentist, I will put Ruby-time ahead of brushing my teeth. It’s not like she’s going to complain about my breath.
The reason I think the Rubes is a bit down is because she’s taken up to hiding underneath the bed all day. And not even our bed, it has to be one of the guest beds in the basement. As if even being on the same floor as us in unbearable to her. She wakes up, eats, does her business and then straight down to the basement to hide under the bed all day. I try to lure her out with treaters and tennis balls, but she won’t budge. I’ve even tried crawling underneath the friggin bed to get her, but she’ll just scoot away from me. Sometimes she’ll sneak out long enough to grab something out of the garbage and then destroy it under the bed, knowing that the only thing that annoys me more than her being under the bed is having shredded toilet paper rolls under there with her.
When I was telling Libba about my predicament, she suggested that maybe Ruby just needed some time to herself and a place to get away from the chaos. I can see that. Up until four months ago, she had free reign of the house while we were at work. And now I‘m home all day with a new little person who cries and smells funny. Maybe she’s sick of us. Maybe the bottom of the bed smells like Italian sausage. Either way, she hides from me all day.
I know what she needs. She needs more attention. But some days I am so consumed with the new challenges of mommy-hood I don’t get a chance to brush my teeth until noon, so it’s hard to take the time to army-crawl under the bed and have a heart-to-heart with my dog. But I need to. Because I miss her too. So this is my pledge to her and to everyone, that I will start giving more love to my four-legged daughter. And much to the dismay of my dentist, I will put Ruby-time ahead of brushing my teeth. It’s not like she’s going to complain about my breath.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Sucka
My daughter is cursed in that she comes from a long line of Young-family thumb suckers. Libba, Will and I all sucked our thumbs. My Mom even admits that she sucked her thumb until a ridiculous age. She was so nervous we would carry on the tradition that she bribed me in the second-grade. Brooke, she said, if you go a whole week without sucking your thumb, I’ll get you a Barbie. And Libba, never the one to pass up a deal, totally quit cold-turkey so she could rake in a doll too. Of course she was done for good, while I still snuck a few thumb sucks now and then for a few years after. Just another example of my baby sister excelling in something far beyond me.
I thought Taylor would bypass the thumb sucking due to her LOVE of the binky. Not the case. She’s now prone to spitting out the pacifier and greedily devouring her fingers, drooling all over her hands and her outfit in the process. It’s an obsession now. I try to remove her slobbery digits and reinsert the binky, but all she‘ll do is spit out the plastic and go for the real thing. People will say, Oh, she's discovered her hands. Well, yes, if DISCOVER means shoving them so far into her mouth that sometimes she gags. Is there a Baby Bulimics Anonymous hotline I should be contacting?
I thought Taylor would bypass the thumb sucking due to her LOVE of the binky. Not the case. She’s now prone to spitting out the pacifier and greedily devouring her fingers, drooling all over her hands and her outfit in the process. It’s an obsession now. I try to remove her slobbery digits and reinsert the binky, but all she‘ll do is spit out the plastic and go for the real thing. People will say, Oh, she's discovered her hands. Well, yes, if DISCOVER means shoving them so far into her mouth that sometimes she gags. Is there a Baby Bulimics Anonymous hotline I should be contacting?
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The Famous Amys traveling band
On Saturday night we gassed up the Caddy and made a trip out to Waynesville for our good friends Chad and Amanda’s wedding. Their event was very intimate, about 30 people, and overlooked the Great Smokies in all their glory. It was simple, elegant and sweet - And we felt blessed to be able to share their special day with them.
Not only was it wonderful to celebrate the new Mr. & Mrs. Muri, but it was the first time that just Chris, Taylor and I had ventured away from home. Life has been very hectic since Taylor has arrived, and with Chris logging about 60 hours each week at work, last night’s wedding was a great break from our monotonous grind. Just the ride out there was fun. I miss taking road trips with my husband. It brought me back to college days - Driving from Iowa City to the farm or up to Wisconsin. Blaring the music, rehashing memories and having uninterrupted conversations. It was nice to relive that for our 45-minute drive to the wedding yesterday - But with the music at a reasonable level, as not to wake the baby. Man. We’re getting old.
And since Chris ironed his shirt on Friday night, I was able to spend most of the day coordinating Taylor and my outfits to match. Because I had the time, because I knew we would get a picture and because I wanted us to look like one of those cute, matching families in the magazines. And since Chris only had about three minutes to change and shower between work and leaving, he was unaware that we looked like a family band until we got to the wedding. And every time someone took our picture and commented about us matching, he looked at me like, Seriously. I’m so making you listen to sports talk radio the whole ride home.
Not only was it wonderful to celebrate the new Mr. & Mrs. Muri, but it was the first time that just Chris, Taylor and I had ventured away from home. Life has been very hectic since Taylor has arrived, and with Chris logging about 60 hours each week at work, last night’s wedding was a great break from our monotonous grind. Just the ride out there was fun. I miss taking road trips with my husband. It brought me back to college days - Driving from Iowa City to the farm or up to Wisconsin. Blaring the music, rehashing memories and having uninterrupted conversations. It was nice to relive that for our 45-minute drive to the wedding yesterday - But with the music at a reasonable level, as not to wake the baby. Man. We’re getting old.
And since Chris ironed his shirt on Friday night, I was able to spend most of the day coordinating Taylor and my outfits to match. Because I had the time, because I knew we would get a picture and because I wanted us to look like one of those cute, matching families in the magazines. And since Chris only had about three minutes to change and shower between work and leaving, he was unaware that we looked like a family band until we got to the wedding. And every time someone took our picture and commented about us matching, he looked at me like, Seriously. I’m so making you listen to sports talk radio the whole ride home.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Do these pants make me look fat?
I think these pants are starting to cut-off circulation. Time to upgrade to the six-month clothes. Or invest in some baby-spanks.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Rock the casbah
We have a new favorite toy. The Baby Einstein mini-music thingy. It lights up. It plays catchy tunes. It makes Taylor's frown turn upside down, and allows for Mommy to watch her addictive reality programs. I would feel guilty for watching these shows while pacifying my child with a music box, but I do feel that Jon & Kate plus 8 teaches me valuable lessons for mommy-hood.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Three months old
Happy quarter-year birthday, Taylor-tot! Our baby-cakes has grown so much this past month, both in character and in size. She’s very alert and loves playing with her rattles and noise-makers. And she’s definitely getting bigger. The polite descriptions would be well-fed and curvaceous, but our “little” girl is already busting-out of her three-month outfits.
She is rapidly developing her personality and letting us know her likes and dislikes. She likes being outside and stretching out on the floor. She dislikes having the hiccups and anything that happens between the hours of seven and eight at night. Taylor is definitely a morning person. She doesn’t cry when she wakes up in the morning, she just lays in her crib and shrieks and coos to herself. And when I finally come in and she sees me for the first time, she’ll crack a huge smile and start swinging her arms and kicking her feet. And it feels like someone injected my veins with glitter.
She’s found her hands. She’ll slobber all over her fists and gag when she sticks her fingers too far into her mouth. She’s also grabbing for thing and has quite the kung-fu grip. I’ve given up wearing long earrings and necklaces, and there have been many battles over my hair while leaning over her on the changing table.
And now that Taylor is grabbing at things and rolling over, I now have THE FEAR. The fear of her lodging something in her mouth. The fear of her rolling over and suffocating. The fear that wakes me out of a dead sleep and finds me staring at the video monitor, waking up Chris because she’s NOT MOVING. To which he’ll reply, Because she’s sleeping. And then I’ll wait for him to fall back asleep before I creep out of bed, sneak into her room and stare at her in her crib until I’m convinced that, Yes, she’s breathing. And I realize how ridiculous this is, and when I ask other mothers how long the fear will last, they give me a funny look and say, FOREVER.
She is rapidly developing her personality and letting us know her likes and dislikes. She likes being outside and stretching out on the floor. She dislikes having the hiccups and anything that happens between the hours of seven and eight at night. Taylor is definitely a morning person. She doesn’t cry when she wakes up in the morning, she just lays in her crib and shrieks and coos to herself. And when I finally come in and she sees me for the first time, she’ll crack a huge smile and start swinging her arms and kicking her feet. And it feels like someone injected my veins with glitter.
She’s found her hands. She’ll slobber all over her fists and gag when she sticks her fingers too far into her mouth. She’s also grabbing for thing and has quite the kung-fu grip. I’ve given up wearing long earrings and necklaces, and there have been many battles over my hair while leaning over her on the changing table.
And now that Taylor is grabbing at things and rolling over, I now have THE FEAR. The fear of her lodging something in her mouth. The fear of her rolling over and suffocating. The fear that wakes me out of a dead sleep and finds me staring at the video monitor, waking up Chris because she’s NOT MOVING. To which he’ll reply, Because she’s sleeping. And then I’ll wait for him to fall back asleep before I creep out of bed, sneak into her room and stare at her in her crib until I’m convinced that, Yes, she’s breathing. And I realize how ridiculous this is, and when I ask other mothers how long the fear will last, they give me a funny look and say, FOREVER.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Kanga and Roo
Starting when Taylor was one week old, a good way to soothe her was to put her in the baby-sling and wear her around. It was pretty obvious why she liked it - She was snug and tight against my body, just like she had been for the nine months I had her inside my belly. I also enjoyed it - She wasn’t screaming, we were mobile and my hands were free. It was great for shopping, taking Ruby out and getting chores done around the house.
The sling also very useful for when we went downtown or to an event, as strangers weren’t tempted to reach in and touch her with their grubby hands. I’m not a total germ-a-phobe, but now that Taylor can stick her whole hand in her mouth, I’m a bit cautious of who’s touching her and where their hands may have been. I’ve also been watching Good Morning America every morning, and the Health segments will scare the crap out of you. Word to the wise, NEVER put the actual lemon or lime into your beverage, just squeeze the juice out.
Well, as Taylor-tot became more and more full-figured, the sling became a little too snug. I didn’t want to give up being a marsupial-mom, so we transitioned to the Baby Bjorn. At first we tried it with Taylor facing inward, and she was not having it. She was all, Um, Hello. I already see your chest for a good chunk of the day. So as soon as her neck was a bit stronger, we flipped her around in the Bjorn so she’s facing outward. And not only does she now LOVE it, she look's pretty freakin' cute in it too.
The sling also very useful for when we went downtown or to an event, as strangers weren’t tempted to reach in and touch her with their grubby hands. I’m not a total germ-a-phobe, but now that Taylor can stick her whole hand in her mouth, I’m a bit cautious of who’s touching her and where their hands may have been. I’ve also been watching Good Morning America every morning, and the Health segments will scare the crap out of you. Word to the wise, NEVER put the actual lemon or lime into your beverage, just squeeze the juice out.
Well, as Taylor-tot became more and more full-figured, the sling became a little too snug. I didn’t want to give up being a marsupial-mom, so we transitioned to the Baby Bjorn. At first we tried it with Taylor facing inward, and she was not having it. She was all, Um, Hello. I already see your chest for a good chunk of the day. So as soon as her neck was a bit stronger, we flipped her around in the Bjorn so she’s facing outward. And not only does she now LOVE it, she look's pretty freakin' cute in it too.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Roly Poly
Taylor and I had a fabulous Fourth in Birmingham. After seven hours, three stops, four over-the-shoulder pacifier replacements and two melt-downs, we arrived at Libba and Dirk’s house relatively unscathed from the journey. And then Mommy had a margarita. My first post-pregnancy tequila, and it was all I could do to not eat the glass when I was finished.
It was so lovely to spend time with my family. I know I’m biased, but I think we’re about as fun as a family can be. Definitely the loudest. We always talk all over each other, and whoever has the loudest voice, which is usually the person who has had the most wine, will win the floor. And while Taylor has already been blessed with the Blackwell earlobes, I also hope she has inherited our ability to speak over everyone else in the room.
My sweet Taylor-tot also picked up a new trick while we were in the Ham. During a short break from wrapping my parents around her finger, she learned how to roll over. And just my luck, I was in the back room pumping when she did it for the very first time. Libba came in post-roll with a guilty look on her face, ashamed to tell me the news because she knew I’d freak that I missed it. But then Taylor rolled over again. And again. And after the long drive home yesterday, she showed her new trick to Chris. And this morning we almost expected her to roll into our room and ask to borrow the car. Our girl’s getting so big.
It was so lovely to spend time with my family. I know I’m biased, but I think we’re about as fun as a family can be. Definitely the loudest. We always talk all over each other, and whoever has the loudest voice, which is usually the person who has had the most wine, will win the floor. And while Taylor has already been blessed with the Blackwell earlobes, I also hope she has inherited our ability to speak over everyone else in the room.
My sweet Taylor-tot also picked up a new trick while we were in the Ham. During a short break from wrapping my parents around her finger, she learned how to roll over. And just my luck, I was in the back room pumping when she did it for the very first time. Libba came in post-roll with a guilty look on her face, ashamed to tell me the news because she knew I’d freak that I missed it. But then Taylor rolled over again. And again. And after the long drive home yesterday, she showed her new trick to Chris. And this morning we almost expected her to roll into our room and ask to borrow the car. Our girl’s getting so big.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
And the kitchen sink
Taylor and I are gearing up for a road-trip to Birmingham for the Fourth. My parents are trekking down from Iowa, and we are all staying with my sister and Dirk. Ah, Dirk. I hope you’re ready for this. Chris has to work all weekend, of course. After eight years, I’m finally coming to grips with the fact that golf pros ALWAYS have to work on holidays and events where normal people have off. Because when normal people don’t work, they golf. And because the Fourth of July ranks second to Christmas for the Young family, I am so, so happy to be able to spend the holiday with my parents and Libba. I only wish we could transport Will in from Colorado, flip over a cattle tank and set off fireworks via farm-style. Maybe next year.
In the event of making the drive and three-night stay away from home with Taylor for the first time, I started making lists of all of the gear I’ll have to bring for her. And because I don’t know what’s a necessity and what’s a convenience, there are about 500 things on the list. The stroller, the bouncy chair, the bouncy-chair attachment, the Boppy, the Pack-n-Play, blankets, diapers, wipes, rattles, lullaby cds, eight pacifiers, 10 outfits. You get the idea. I’ve pretty much filled the car already, with only a toothbrush and underwear for me. Isn't it amazing how much stuff is required for someone who weighs less than 15 pounds? I know I’m going to forget some very important Taylor-thing, but at least I’ll have five extra lap-pads just in case.
And even though we’re not leaving until Thursday morning, I want to get everything done today because Chris is getting back in town from playing in a tournament in Myrtle Beach. He’s only been gone since Sunday, but we’ve really missed him. And I’m pretty sure that when we hear the beep from his car-lock tonight, Ruby, Taylor and I are going to be waiting at the door, tackle him to the ground and cover him in kisses.
In the event of making the drive and three-night stay away from home with Taylor for the first time, I started making lists of all of the gear I’ll have to bring for her. And because I don’t know what’s a necessity and what’s a convenience, there are about 500 things on the list. The stroller, the bouncy chair, the bouncy-chair attachment, the Boppy, the Pack-n-Play, blankets, diapers, wipes, rattles, lullaby cds, eight pacifiers, 10 outfits. You get the idea. I’ve pretty much filled the car already, with only a toothbrush and underwear for me. Isn't it amazing how much stuff is required for someone who weighs less than 15 pounds? I know I’m going to forget some very important Taylor-thing, but at least I’ll have five extra lap-pads just in case.
And even though we’re not leaving until Thursday morning, I want to get everything done today because Chris is getting back in town from playing in a tournament in Myrtle Beach. He’s only been gone since Sunday, but we’ve really missed him. And I’m pretty sure that when we hear the beep from his car-lock tonight, Ruby, Taylor and I are going to be waiting at the door, tackle him to the ground and cover him in kisses.
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