Watching Connor Grow

Few missing days and onward

2010-03-20T23:46:00.000-04:00

I've been pretty overworked and a little burned out recently. With a ton of school work and a nasty, nearly week-long cold on top of that, I'm taking a brief break from the blog. I'll be returning to regularly scheduled updates on Tuesday, in time for the Spud's half-birthday.

Not so much on the sitter front

2010-03-18T21:58:00.000-04:00

So, Zelda the sitter had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. We knew about that and had planned in advance. What we hadn't planned for is that Zelda's diabetes has apparently gotten bad enough that she's going to need dialysis. While I'm glad that she's going to get the medical attention she needs to maintain her health (because that's the most important thing) it leaves us looking for new Connor-sitting.

Speaking of Connor and sitting, he's been getting really good at it. He still drifts to one side from time to time and has had several loud head thumps, but he's getting very stable. He'll sit there playing with something, then stop and look back up at me over his shoulder and give that impish grin.

Still no new developments on the teeth. I think the pain is still getting to him from time to time. While he had a good streak of through the night sleeps built up, last night he woke up screaming at 2 AM and Leigh didn't get him back down until about 4:30 AM. (I was dead to the world thanks to night-time cold medicine.)

Anyway, only a day behind now. Hopefully I'll be all caught up come tomorrow.

Unexpectedly occupied

2010-03-18T21:50:00.000-04:00

Tuesday's biggest news was that Zelda, the sitter, wasn't able to watch Connor. This did not bode well as it was only day #2. So Leigh ended up taking Connor in with her. On one hand, she didn't have to deal with missing the Spud all day. But on the other hand, she got very little accomplished.

Other than that, there wasn't much new and interesting. So, instead, I present you with a picture!

Sitter time?

2010-03-17T23:19:00.000-04:00

Well, Monday was Connor's first day with the sitter. And it didn't go incredibly well.

Apparently Zelda (the sitter) hurt her arm and was having a hard time doing any lifting. Connor's not exactly a lightweight (weighing in at over 19 pounds now!), but fortunately she had her neice there to help.

Leigh stayed for the first hour, then went to work. She was not having an easy time of it. Despite her complaints of lack of time trying to watch Connor and work at the same time, she missed him horribly the whole day and was all but running to pick him up.

Apparently, though he did get a couple of good naps in, the Spud spent most of his waking time crying. We think it was just that he missed having anyone he knows really well (like Leigh, her father, or me) near him, but that's something he'll learn to get over in time.

Once I got home, Connor was in a nearly festive mood. He was all smiles and happy noises and a real pleasure to be around. After being changed, eating, and taking some gas drops (which has become a part of the nightly routine), he passed out, woke up once he was put into the crib, fussed for 10 minutes until he got picked back up, ate a little more, then promptly passed out for the rest of the night.

Only two more days of posts until I'm caught up. But I don't think the nighttime cold meds will let me get that done. So, until tomorrow...

Sunday Synopsis

2010-03-17T21:00:00.000-04:00

Since I'm now pretty far behind thanks to visitors and illness, I'm going to be a little less verbose than normal.

Sunday was a pretty relaxing day. Leigh had to head into the shop to pick up Connor's portable crib and whatnot since Monday was to be his first day with the sitter. While she was gone, my father, step-mother, and I entertained the Spud and a good time was generally had by all.

When Leigh got home, she fed him and he stayed out for about two whole hours! It was a mega-nap and we all mightily enjoyed it.

Other than that, it was a quiet day. I made jambalaya again and it seemed to go over pretty well. Connor got a full night's sleep in. And I managed to only have one argument with my father throughout the entire trip, so it was generally a win all around.

Well, that's one down. Maybe I can actually get caught back up tonight.

Non-Stop Saturday

2010-03-15T00:40:00.001-04:00

To say that Saturday was busy would be an understatement.

Leigh woke up early and did her normal Saturday morning stuff and Connor got a good nap in. This was good because there was a long day ahead of us.

Connor and I spent the morning hanging out with my father and step-mother. After Leigh got home, we had to get the cars into the dealership for maintenance. And then, we had to start getting ready to head over to her brother's for his daughter's first birthday party.

We were at the party for about three hours and, thankfully, Connor was extraordinarily well behaved. He got a little cranky towards the end, but he didn't seem to mind that there were a lot of people around, nor all of the noise and excitement. He enjoyed getting fawned over by a few people (including Leigh's uncle Dan and his fiancee who had come into town for the party) and was generally content playing with some of his cousin's toys. He's especially fond of a V-Tech driving game she has that Leigh and I are now looking for.

Anyway, with the party over, we got home and relaxed for a bit before preparing to head out to dinner.

We ended up going to the Cypress Grill (which I need to add to my list of restaurants to review in my food blog...) and the Spud snoozed through the first fifteen minutes or so. Then, waking up, he proceeded to fuss a bit. The restaurant had a lot of conversation going on, so his fussing didn't disturb any of the other dinners. He spent most of the rest of the night on Leigh's lap, delaying her eating, but otherwise being pretty well behaved.

When we got home, Connor ate and passed out. He slept well and was well rested for a relaxing Sunday. But that's next post.

Getting reacquainted with Grandpa Ken and NTB

2010-03-15T00:17:00.000-04:00

Friday was an exciting day for Connor: my father and step-mother got into town to visit. They're going to be leaving tomorrow (Monday) morning, which is why this post is a couple of days late.

Leigh stayed home again on Friday and managed to get the rest of the cleaning done in between Connor's fussy periods. (Incidentally, she did a fantastic job and deserves much praise for it.) When it was getting close to time for the visitors to arrive, she made a run to the store to get something for dinner. By the time she made it back, they'd arrived...and managed to get the car stuck in the mud. But that's another story.

"Grandpa Ken" and "Not The Bubbie" got to help Leigh feed the Spud some more sweet potatoes shortly before I got home, at which point they got to help me give him a bath. After a final feeding, Connor drifted off to sleep while the adults chatted for a bit before following his lead to rest up before a long Saturday. But that's the next post.

Thursday at Home

2010-03-12T00:38:00.001-05:00

Leigh came down with a cold last night and decided to spend the day at home with the Spud. My father and step-mother are coming for a visit, so this not only gave her a chance to rest a little and spend some quality time with Connor, but also get some more straightening up done.

Connor was apparently pretty well behaved throughout the day. He took an almost 2 hour nap, was generally very cute (I've posted some of the photographic evidence thereof on my Facebook page), and even managed to help his mommy feed him. Leigh took a "two spoon" approach to the sweet potatoes and, by alternating between the two, managed to get all but two bites into (or at least close to) the Spud's mouth. He even got a chance to try out one of his "Nom Nom Nom" bibs from thinkgeek.com.

By the time I got home, Connor was a little fussy. He ate on and off for a while, then left a large, smelly present in his diaper. Once changed out of the soiled diaper, he was able to fully focus on the meal at hand and was soon finished and passed out.

That's all for tonight. Expect short posts over the weekend, since there will be visitors and I have some homework to attend to. But hopefully timely updates, at least.

Flashing back to Wednesday

2010-03-12T00:25:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm running late on my blog updates. Fortunately(?), Wednesday was another slow news day.

Leigh was out and about for most of the day, so Grandpa Gordon got to look after Connor. Amazingly, the Spud took several long naps and was generally well behaved. He was a little cranky in the evening, but ended up settling down and having a full night's sleep.

The only other Connor news was that Leigh found a code for 50 free prints from kodakgallery.com and we uploaded a lot of new pictures and, in a week or two, should have new physical pictures to horde and share. And with that, I leave you all with a preview shot.

Tardy for Tuesday

2010-03-10T13:51:00.000-05:00

Well, obviously I'm a little late in posting Tuesday's update. It was mostly a slow day and then was compounded by Connor waking up at about quarter of 1 and not wanting to drift off easily to sleep. So this is going to be a short update.

Connor's sitting up a lot more and a lot more comfortably.

Teething continues and I can feel ridges on the Spud's lower gum. However, it is still "any time now" versus any real progress.

Sweet potato is definitely a hit in the baby food catagory. Next up will probably be string beans or peas.

Leigh sent me two videos of Connor from her phone. As soon as I can figure out how to embed them here, I'll include at least one in a blog post.

Other than that, things keep on keeping on. Something more substantial tonight. Promise.

Short Monday Update

2010-03-09T00:07:00.000-05:00

I'm tired and want to just pass out, but I'm also tired of being behind on my posts. So this is going to be short and (hopefully) sweet. Only two major items of note today, anyway.

First of all, Connor seems to have found an amusing new position to sleep in. When I went to give him a kiss this morning, he'd rolled about 4/5 of the way over with his butt and one leg sticking up in the air. I wish I had taken a picture because it was ridiculously adorable. Leigh's caught him that way before, but it was a first for me. If he does it again tomorrow morning, I'm definitely snapping a shot.

Secondly, Leigh was out and about at work, so Connor spent the day being watched by his Grandpa Gordon. They had a good time, but the impressive thing was that he took a nearly two hour nap! I guess mommy's just too interesting for the Spud to sleep around.

Anyway, Connor's passed out, Leigh's passed out...and I should join them. Until tomorrow!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

2010-03-08T13:58:00.000-05:00

Sunday was a pretty quiet day up until the end.

Connor slept pretty well, although he didn't want to go back down for a nap after his first feeding. I watched him while Leigh went shopping in the afternoon and he napped for a little while then, allowing me to get some homework and housework done.

He was in a good mood throughout most of the day, but got cranky towards the end. We were able to partially settle him by setting up his new high chair in the kitchen. He always seems to calm down in the kitchen. I suspect it has to do with the bright lighting. But anyway, the Spud got an early bath, fell asleep during his last feeding and, ordinarily, that would have been that.

However, he woke back up at around quarter of midnight. I gave him some gas drops and did my best to soothe him for about half an hour, but he wouldn't even calm down enough for me to read the rest of Bartholomew and the Oobleck to him. (We're about 2/3 of the way through, now.)

Finally, Leigh woke up and came out to feed him. That took care of the last objections to sleep and Connor drifted off for the rest of the night. Fortunately, it was only about quarter of 1 at that point, so no one lost too much sleep.

Hopefully a more detailed update tonight.

Connor's Long Day

2010-03-07T23:46:00.000-05:00

It started off as a pretty typical Saturday. Leigh fed Connor before putting him back down for a nap while she went on her normal Saturday outing. He woke up at about 9:30 AM which got me up to change and feed him. But as I put him into his bouncy chair to play while I started on some homework, Leigh called to tell me that visitors were on their way.

One of Leigh's best friends, Jazz, was in town with her husband, Cooter. Jazz hadn't seen Connor in months and Cooter had never had the opportunity to meet the Spud. They dropped in and hung out for a while, chatting and getting in some quality time with the little guy. After they left, he managed to get about an hour of nap-time in, which was great because he had a long night ahead of him.

This was followed by an early dinner with Leigh's entire crew at a local Mexican place (that I really need to write a review of for my food blog once I finish the other review I'm behind on writing). Connor was extremely well behaved, getting a little fussy towards the end, but a bottle soothed that quickly enough.

After dinner, it was off to my brother-in-law's wife's last minute birthday gathering. Connor got some interaction time with a couple of other babies. He played well with others. Also, he spent a good portion of the time sitting up unassisted and playing with this V-Tech driving game. He started getting a little grumpy after an hour and we headed out, since there was yet another stop to make.

We headed over to Leigh's friend June and her husband Robbie's for a late holiday get together with present exchanges with Jazz and Cooter, since they'd missed the Christmas-time gathering. Connor spent a goodly portion of that in the spare bedroom, snoozing for a little while, then nursing, then fussing. Leigh spent a lot of the time with him with me spelling her from time to time, but Connor definitely wasn't in the mood to be out of the spotlight. We brought him out to hang with everyone and he was much happier.

It was almost 11 PM by the time we got home and, after an aborted lay down and a short feeding, he passed right out.

More milestones

2010-03-06T01:58:00.000-05:00

The Spud had a very big day today.

Leigh and I have been slowly adding a little rice cereal and oatmeal to Connor's diet and he's been hit or miss with them. But today, Leigh gave him a little sweet potato. Based on what she told me, it seems that milk might have some competition for its spot as the favorite food. It's hard to believe that he's already to the point where he's starting on 'real' food.

Connor's also been sitting up a lot more. Leigh had him in a bouncy chair during the day and he sat up in it on his own several times, staying stable for several minutes before leaning too far to one side. I got to witness this part personally, since he was also doing it at home. At one point, we had the nursing pillow behind him for support and, after laying back on it, he managed to get himself back into an upright (but not locked) position. Then he promptly fell over and bumped his head on the rug. Fortunately, he has his daddy's hard head.

But it's not all good news. Today marked the end of Connor's afternoon nap streak. Time to try to start a new one tomorrow.

At any rate, it's bed time now.

Catching up again

2010-03-05T13:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a slow news day on the Connor front and, combined with an overwhelming sense of exhaustion, I failed to post. But I promised myself a post a day, so I'm making up for it now.

As mentioned, there really wasn't much of note that happened yesterday. Leigh was out of the office for a while, so her father was keeping an eye on Connor. Apparently, the Spud's newfound napping ability (with white noise machine, at least) has continued to blossom; his grandfather reported an hour long nap during the afternoon.

Overall, this has generally given Connor an even sweeter disposition in the evening. He's still inclined to not want to sleep and miss out on something, but with that nap in him, he's a lot less cranky.

He didn't drift immediately to sleep last night. He passed out mid-feeding and, after giving him a few minutes to make sure he was out, Leigh and I got him into his crib. A few minutes later, he was up and fussy. We gave him about 10 minutes to see if he'd settle, but he didn't. So we got him back up, fed him some gas drops, fed him a little more from the proverbial tap and he zonked right out.

The only other thing going on is Floppy. To be blunt, he's starting to smell a little. We've been giving him light washings, but I think something more drastic is going to be needed to get him clean. Leigh's afraid of washing the scent off of him, so we're still considering options. If anyone has any bright ideas, please share.

The secret to napping?

2010-03-04T00:17:00.000-05:00

Today was a break in an ongoing pattern of Connor's.

Due to the weather, Leigh's family's shop opened late, so she had a couple of extra hours in the morning. After she fed Connor, she worked on some stuff around the house and the Spud...napped in his nursing pillow. With as much trouble as he's been having with naps over the past month, it was nice to hear that he'd managed to get one in. But, while infrequent, the morning naps weren't anything to celebrate over.

The thirty or so minutes he spent asleep this afternoon, however, were a big relief for Leigh. And, based on his improved mood this evening, for Connor, too.

The secret? Leigh's brother's ex-girlfriend had worked at the shop for a while and had brought in a white noise machine for her infant. Leigh found it and tried it out today and it appears to have been the missing piece of the puzzle.

Between the teething pain and his natural inquisitiveness, it's tough for Connor to get to sleep when there is anything going on around him. The white noise, much like the radio he has playing in his room, helps him tune that out so that the tiredness can lull him into sleep. And, as a bonus, let Leigh get some extra work done.

With only another week and a half before the he starts with the sitter, this information is a little late in coming to us. But if it makes Connor a happier little Spud for a few more days, then I think it's safe to say that Leigh and I will be happier too.

Catching up

2010-03-03T13:56:00.000-05:00

I think I may need to start making my posts a little earlier in the evening. I was getting prepared to write last night and the next thing I knew, it was about 45 minutes later and I really needed to get to bed to finish the snooze I'd started.

Anyway, yesterday was a fairly typical day on the Connor front. According to Leigh, he barely napped during the day and was very vocal throughout. I found this kind of surprising considering the way the day started.

I'd been heading to bed shortly after midnight and Connor woke up in a fussy mood. Leigh and I tried to calm him down and get him back to sleep, but he wouldn't have it. Eventually, Leigh stayed up with him and fed/entertained him, but it was after 4:30 before she got back to bed.

When I got home, the Spud was napping, but he woke up shortly thereafter and fussed until he got carried around. Fortunately, once we ate, bathed him, then fed him, he was out for the count. I gave him some gas drops, just to be sure that he wouldn't wake up howling again. It seemed to work.

Anyway, my lunch time at work is almost over, so I'll wrap this up with a quick picture. More updates tonight.

You spin me right round

2010-03-01T23:22:00.000-05:00

Really only one item of interest today. Sure, there was the usual Connor cuteness and fussiness and failure to nap. And his falling asleep halfway through feeding is, without a doubt, adorable beyond words. But I've mentioned all of that before and I really don't want to be too repetitive.

But I digress.

I went into Connor's room this morning to give him a kiss before I left for work and found him in an unusual position. For the most part, he sleeps up against the side of his crib closest to the door with his head towards the windows. He's moved around a little before, like rolling half onto his side or rotating 45 degrees or so counter-clockwise. But this morning, it was different.

When I walked in, the Spud had pulled a full 180. Apparently it's a genetic thing carried on the Y chromosome as both my father and I have done the same in the past. Leigh told me that it hadn't stopped there. By the time she went in to get him for his morning feeding, he'd managed to continue his circuit and gone almost a full 360 degrees.

That's all for tonight.

Sunday Funday

2010-03-01T13:52:00.001-05:00

Connor seemed to have a much better Sunday this week.

I woke up at about 9:30 AM and was joined by the Spud, brought in for a visit by his mother. The three of us hung out for a bit before I got up to get something to eat.

Once everyone had fed, Leigh packed up some coupons and headed into town to get the shopping done. It was an extended trip since she also had to stop by Lowes for a bulb for the laundry room's ceiling fixture. Needless to say, Connor and I got to spend some quality time together.

In addition to eating and taking a couple of brief naps, Connor spent some time bouncing in his bouncy saucer, playing on the floor, sitting up in the nursing pillow, and even sitting in this chair designed to help infants learn to sit up on their own. although, in the last example, he kept pulling the little saddle horn doohickey off, which compromised his balance. However, he seemed to be enjoying his new-found freedom.

Eventually, we settled down with Connor moving between my lap and the nursing pillow as we watched Balls of Fury. He seemed to enjoy the slapstick and bright colors. shortly after it finished, Leigh got home and I helped her unload the groceries.

Connor ended up taking another 30-40 minute nap after that, but it ended just before Leigh had a chance to take one of her own. Then she watched after him while I worked on getting some brown rice jambalaya made (recipe to follow on my food blog once I have the chance to tweak it a little more). After we ate, the Spud got his bath, had a quick meal, during which both he and his mother passed right out, then got moved to his crib for the rest of the night.

Floppette was subbed in for Floppy overnight to give the latter a chance to dry off a bit. But Connor didn't seem to notice at that point.

All in all, he was a lot more relaxed than he has been over the past few weekends. I'm not sure if it's because the teeth are gtting closer to popping out or what, but it's nice to have a sweet tempered child. At any rate, glad I managed to get this post finished. and now, to finish lunch and get back to work.

Another Saturday night

2010-02-28T01:58:00.000-05:00

It feels like I'm spending a lot of my blogging time writing about the same things. While Connor is growing rapidly and changing a little every day, the shifts are so subtle that they don't come out easily in the blog entries. But I made a promise to myself and damn it, I'm going to keep it.

Leigh had her normal Saturday morning activities to attend to and Connor wasn't down for his usual post-feeding nap, so I was up at about 7:30 AM to keep an eye on him. We had some good father/son time since Leigh also had a haircut scheduled and didn't get back until the afternoon. We had a good time, although I didn't get much accomplished. He did go down for a couple of 30 minute naps, which let me at least get my lunch and the dishes handled.

After Leigh got home, we spent some time relaxing as a family, then started getting ready for "Date Night". Leigh's father and step-mother had agreed to watch Connor (in truth, I think we could charge people to watch him instead of vice-versa, but...) so that the two of us could go out for a little while. We had a good time (a review will be coming tomorrow on my food blog), but every 20 or 30 minutes, we kept checking our phones to make sure that there weren't any calls coming in about the Spud.

When we got back, Connor was in a good mood. He had apparently fussed for a bit after we left, but it seems it was only gas. We got him home, changed him, fed him, and he passed right out. He's been quiet in his crib since then.

I still can't believe that I've got a child sometimes. But looking at him, watching him, and thinking about the way I feel every time I see him, I can't deny that he's my son. It's just weird to realize that I'm a father. I don't know how long it'll take to get used to the idea.

Better late than never

2010-02-27T13:41:00.000-05:00

I passed out unexpectedly last night, so I didn't get a chance to write yesterday's official blog post. Nothing worse than passing out stone-cold sober. But at least it meant that I was up early to take care of Connor this morning. But more on that tonight in the Saturday post.

Friday was a pretty typical day. Work with the promise of a baby at the end of the day when I get home to keep me going.

When I got home, Connor was chowing down, but he finished pretty quickly thereafter. To free our hands so we could eat dinner, Leigh and I put him in his bouncy saucer and his eyes were immediately drawn to the dangling bird. Over the past few days, he's been trying his hardest to reach that bird and stick it in his mouth. He'd managed to grab the tail feathers, but wasn't quite tall enough to get further.

We'd tried putting a book under him to give a little more height, but it was small enough that he had trouble staying on top of it. So, in a moment of inspiration, Leigh decided that putting the Wii Fit board under him would solve everything.

Needless to say, Connor's got a new favorite game.

Bonus Post: Firsts I'm Looking Forward To

2010-02-26T21:34:00.000-05:00

Leigh and I received a baby book as a gift and, like most baby books, it has a list of firsts that you can record for later child-embaressment. But while things like "first tooth" and "first word" are important to record, they don't include a lot of the things that I want to remember. So for my long delayed but promised bonus post, I present to you...Connor 1sts that I want to see.

(Note: If any of these seem odd, remember that this is my list and there are a lot of things, such as where I grew up and my overwhelming love of food, that color my perspective.)

First soft pretzel
First cheesesteak
First pizza (date and flavor)
First ice cream (date and flavor)
First book read on his own
First movie in a theater
First video game
First complete sentence
First running attack hug
First joke
First hand-made card
First brain-freeze

There will be other firsts, but these are the ones that have come to me so far

Running around

2010-02-26T00:49:00.000-05:00

I took a half day at work today so I could get some errands taken care of and surprise Leigh. I knew Connor had been really fussy, so when she got home, I was waiting for her and able to take him off of her hands for a while.

He was really gassy again, but between a few burps, farts, and some Mylicon, he settled back down. What amazed me is that between the fussiness and cries, he was still full of smiles. He's definitely one of the most sweet tempered children I've ever known and I'm incredibly thankful for that.

So while I was running errands, I stopped at Best Buy. I had a couple of gift cards and had something I wanted to pick up. While I was there anyway, I decided to pick up a few movies. And that was where I discovered Shaun the Sheep.

I remember being introduced to Wallace and Gromit back in the mid-90s and finding that the same company had made a series of animated shorts starring a sheep (who bears a striking resemblance to Floppy) was too much for me to resist. I hope Connor enjoys it as much as I think I will.

Anyway, enough rambling for tonight.

Washing the Sheep

2010-02-25T00:07:00.000-05:00

It may just be that it's late, but I can't help but think that I came up with a title that sounds much too dirty.

Anyway, Connor spent another fairly restless day with Leigh, but by the time I got home he was relaxing on the couch while Leigh was making dinner (Chocolate chip pancakes and turkey bacon. Brinner FTW!). After we ate, we got Connor into the bath and, while he idly munched on his toes, I turned my attention to my son's best friend.

Floppy spends a lot of time with various parts in the Spud's mouth. In the course of an hour, I've seen all four legs, the muzzle, both ears, and the tail spend time between the gums. He spends so much time in Connor's mouth, in fact, that even after he was left at the cabinet shop overnight, his ears were still wet in the morning.

Needless to say, he's gotten a bit dirty and his ears have taken on a concentrated baby-droll smell. So while Leigh took care of one side of Connor, I scrubbed away at Floppy.

Now clean but damp, Floppy is spending the rest of the night watching over Connor as he sleeps. His usual position in the crib has been filled in by Floppette. And tomorrow, when he's dry, he'll resume his usual place at his best friend's side.

The Grunting

2010-02-24T00:49:00.000-05:00

Over the past couple of days, Connor's been grunting during some feedings. His face gets red and it seems like he's trying to poop, but he's not. It doesn't seem to be constipation; he's pooping fairly regularly. But it's weird and it's interrupting his feeding.

According to Leigh, the Spud has been a lot grumpier in the afternoons. He's still not napping much or well and he requires a lot of attention, which keeps Leigh from getting much work done. As much as we hate having to do it, I know Leigh is looking forward to having a regular babysitter.

Other than that, there isn't a whole lot going on. Got in some good playing on the floor time with Connor this evening. He was in a pretty good mood once I got home, although that had apparently only started about 5 minutes before I got home.

Anyway, it sounds like he may be fussing in his crib, so I had better check on him, then pass out. Until tomorrow.