ball

Atticus said "ball" for the first time on Monday. Chris took him out on a walk, and they saw a girl playing basketball. Atticus pointed to the ball and said the word several times, according to Chris. As you can imagine, Chris was especially pleased that Atticus bestowed a basketball with his new word. Wednesday Chris took Atticus to the toy store to buy him a fisherprice basketball hoop. Tonight Atticus scored his first shot.

Fingerfood update: Atticus is now eating several fingerfoods, including avocado, mozzarella cheese, and slivers of grapes.

What with teething and travel and the ear infection several weeks ago, his sleep schedule has gotten totally out of sorts. I did try to soothe him to sleep as normal tonight, but when he cried as soon as I placed him into the crib, I decided I was too tired to pick him up again, and that it was time to work on getting him to sleep well again. He cried for nearly two hours. :( I did go in a few times just to try to get him to lie down, to tell him goodnight and that I loved him. The last time I went in, I rubbed his belly, and he immediately closed his eyes and gave in to sleep. Maybe I should have rubbed his belly the previous times, and he wouldn't have held out for so long? I don't know. I'm glad he's sleeping peacefully now at least.

Crawling and Christmas (video)

Crawling and Christmas

tooth #7

Atticus has been working on his seventh tooth the last few days, the top left lateral incisor. This one has been particularly tough. Although he's always refused a pacifier the few times I've offered one, he had one in his mouth half of Sunday. That and his fingers, his toys, etc. He was just getting over an ear infection, which I decided to treat with visits to the chiropractor (and some garlic/mullein oil) versus an antibiotic, so now that he's pulling his ears again as he teethes, I'm the tiniest bit nervous, even though I'm 98% sure it's just the tooth pain that's nagging him.

On another note, I seemed to have hit upon a food Atticus doesn't care for: kiwi fruit. I gave it to him last week, and he made "yuck" faces. I tried again this evening, and he reacted as though I'd stabbed him in the mouth. It was an especially tart one, so maybe if I can find the perfect kiwi fruit...

He likes barley now. I guess I got the texture down right.

However, he's become finicky now about pumpkin and butternut squash, which he used to like just fine. I think it's more the spoon than anything else. He's much more apt to eat them if I spoon them to him with my finger. We don't have this problem with cereal or yogurt though, so who knows. sigh. (He NEVER tires of those damn puffed rice things. It's baby crack, I tell you.)

Hanging out on Sunday.

9 months (last Friday)

Still behind... Atticus turned 9 months on Friday (as my friend Eleanor put it, he's now been out as long as he was in). I've been looking back over his older baby photos a lot lately. It really is amazing how much changes so quickly.

He now weighs 22 pounds (just 1 pound up from three months ago), putting him in the 75th percentile. The nurse measured him at 30 1/4 inches, but I and the pediatrician strongly suspect she made a blunder. There's no way he grew just 1/2 an inch these past three months. I'll have to try to measure him on my own soon. If she's right, he's in the 95th percentile for height. His head measured 47 cm, the 90th percentile.

What's new lately:

• He's preoccupied with standing and sitting, back and forth like that again and again, as well as cruising from object to object. He drives me nuts during bath time. His sitting from a standing position has become quite smooth and controlled, but as we all know, bath tubs can be slippery.
• A sixth tooth appeared in the last week (I'm not sure when exactly). This one's on bottom, so that brings us to three on top, three on bottom. The third teeth on top and bottom are both on the right side of his mouth.
• He's learning how to high five.
• He's learning how to eat finger foods. I was a little skeptical about giving him those puffed rice thingies, but I have to admit they are way easier for him to handle than slippery bananas and apples, etc. He's loving feeding himself now.
• He had yogurt for the first time, and barley. He loves the yogurt (the tart plain kind with no sugar). He's undecided about the barley. I suspect it's the texture. I'll have to grind it more finely next time.
• He's now eating three meals a day, as well as a snack some days. He's always hungry, it seems like.
• He's consistently been sleeping the entire night, except when he's ill or not feeling well.
• Now that he's an expert crawler, he's quite the handful at mom and baby group. I had to chase him around the room much of Saturday, which kind of takes the mom part out of mom and baby group (it's as much for me, if not more so, as it is for him).
  
• He's so excited to see us when we've been gone. I've noticed that with Chris for months now--that Atticus jumps up and down in my arms and flaps his arms like a bird to see him when he comes home. He gets pretty excited when I pick him up from daycare--grinning and giggling. I guess that's not new exactly, but it's lovely and notable nonetheless.
  

a few Thanksgiving pics

Atticus and his cousin Connor


four generations of Riggs men


Atticus hanging out with Slick


Atticus and Rowan

getting the ball rolling

The holidays come along, and we inevitably fall behind in everything, including blogging.

We went to Chicago and Indiana for Thanksgiving. Atticus had a blast. He didn't fuss for a second on either flight. Both times, our neighboring flight passengers expressed their awe over his good behavior (and breathed some delighted sighs of relief). He did fuss a bit in the car here and there--so much driving!--but not too bad. Chris calmed him with Christmas music--from the radio and from his own throat. Atticus basked in the love of friends and extended family. He perfected his crawl. He cut his fifth tooth. He napped in the ergo despite some pretty chilly weather. He slept for over two hours on great-grandma Marty at Chris's 40th birthday party. He hung out with his great-grandfathers Slick and Loyd. He had his first turkey (which was also his first meat), and he loved it as much as he loves everything. He's an eater, my boy. He also had his first egg yolk. And his first jar of store-bought baby food (with all the running around, it wasn't always easy to make food for him, though I did make most of his food; I did buy Earth's Best organic with no additives or preservatives, etc.). He saw his first fireworks--from the skyline club overlooking the Christmas tree lighting in Indianapolis. He stared with wonder. Am I leaving anything out? Tons probably.

correction and...

Okay, Atticus drags his right leg as if it's lame, not his left leg. funny boy

And, Atticus's next new triumph: clapping! He clapped his hands together for the first time this evening--in the bathtub of all places. He must have thought we (okay, more me than Chris) were crazy making such a fuss about clapping, but having seen how much attention this new skill elicits, I'm willing to bet he will be showing off his new skill to many folks in the upcoming weeks.

He's also now clasping his hands together as he stretches his arms over his head--as if in the midst of a yawn.

crawling

I guess you could say Atticus has now got this crawling thing down--if crawling as if your left leg is lame counts. It's a bit strange, but he can truck it pretty fast. He was all over the house this morning--yanking my clothes off of their hangers, chewing on my shoes, trying to get into the wine cabinet. This afternoon he crawled under one of the bar stools...


then stood himself up as if he were playing "prison." (Aren't his baby leggings cute? They make cold-weather diaper changes much more palatable.)


Just documenting Atticus's drinking skills. I guess we have a few photos of him sort of doing this, but this one better shows that he doesn't drink as if one of his hands is lame (not all the time anyhow).

the interrogative mood

Some things I want to remember:

• One of Atticus's preferred sounds, in addition to "mama," is "eh" with an interrogative inflection, as if he is constantly asking us questions about the world around him, and probably he is. (a sign of things to come?)
• The other day Atticus and I shared a banana while I was wearing him in the ergo. I pulled off a piece for him, a piece for me, back and forth like that. I think it was our first truly shared meal, and it made me happy.
• Last night Atticus took his first crawling steps, but he then got jammed on one of his feet. This morning I noticed that he no longer cries and gives up as soon as he flops onto his belly. He's able to lift himself back up again. He's stronger and more confident. I think he's going to be full-on crawling in a matter of a few days. Watch out, grandparents!
• It occurred to me last week that Atticus knows what to call me since I'm frequently talking to him in third person (I read that this helps babies learn what to call you, etc.), but since Chris doesn't do this, Atticus probably doesn't know what to call him. I've made a concerted effort to refer to Chris as "dada" all week, and the last few days Atticus has been saying "dadada..." when Chris is present. Last night he did it as he reached for Chris and put his arms around him. priceless
• The other sound he's practicing a lot is "ba," perhaps inspired by my saying "ball" a lot since balls seem to be his favorite toys.

8 months!

Atticus is 2/3 of a year old today. He's more and more lovely each week, if that's possible. Goodness, I love him. I have several tidbits to report.

First, a few anecdotes:

1. Today, he made the "milk" sign as he said "mama." (The "ma" sound is by far his favorite sound lately, and though he doesn't address me in quite the same way as an older child might, it does seem pretty clear that he's made the connection between that sound and me. He tends to say it whenever he wants my attention.)
2. Yesterday, I mimicked Atticus after he coughed, and he busted out laughing. (He also laughes at his own sneezes.)
3. The day before that, he screamed and shed many tears over my not allowing him to jam the nail clippers into the roof of his mouth. (There have been several such temper tantrums lately. If Atticus doesn't get what he wants--whether that be an object or assistance standing, etc.--he cries, and sometimes pitches a fit. It looks like toddlerhood--I associate temper tantrums with toddlerhood--has already begun)

Sleep: Good news on the sleep front! We had a setback last week with the teething business, so we had to start over again Saturday evening. Saturday was traumatic. None of us slept well. Lots and lots of crying. However, Sunday night Atticus cried for just 20 minutes when he awoke at 9ish, before falling back to sleep on his own. Then he slept through the night, not waking up until 5:30! That hasn't happened since he was 2-3 months old. Monday night he awoke for a feeding at 2:30, but otherwise slept the night in his crib (he woke briefly two other times, but only fussed for about a minute each time). Last night he awoke for just one feeding as well.

Solid Food: I've been introducing new foods rather slowly--one every week or two. Tonight he had pureed peas for the first time. Every time I introduce something new, I half expect him to make a face and reject it, but that hasn't been happening. He seems to love everything. He ate those peas up faster than I could spoon them out of the bowl. Finger foods have been a little tricky so far. I think I've been choosing foods that are too sticky (e.g., bananas). Mostly he just makes a mess. I'm planning to steam diced carrots and apples tomorrow night to see if those are easier for him to handle.

Teeth: Atticus loves brushing his teeth. He started using one of those little banana brushes a few weeks ago. As soon as I place him into the bath, he looks at me expectantly, waiting for his toothbrush. Then I sing the toothbrushing song I made up while he scrubs away. He think the song is nifty too. I mumbled the song the other day while I was brushing my own teeth, and he giggled.

Atticus feeds himself

Throwing the ball (video)

Throwing the ball

top teeth

Tooth #3 poked through the gums Monday night, and I just discovered this evening that tooth #4 has poked through the gums. It must have happened last night because I'm pretty sure I checked yesterday for it.

Hopefully this means Atticus will soon begin sleeping better at night. It's been a rough week sleep-wise. He's suddenly very difficult to get to bed (no crying it out whatsever this week--not while he's teething), and he wakes every 45 minutes or so. Thus, he's been coming to bed with me--once I'm done with my work. It's much easier that way. We both get more sleep than we would otherwise.

I'm thankful this teething business didn't start up last week while Chris was out of town. I would have had to use a good deal of vacation.

Oh, and I have a plan for preventing Atticus from getting any more ear infections. Time will tell whether it works. First, I'm mixing echinacea into his food. Second, I will no longer heed my pediatrician's advice about avoiding suctioning his nostrils unless he's so clogged he can't nurse. Dr. Sears (I'm not a Dr. Sears fanatic by any means, but...) has a list on his website of the various things you can do to help prevent ear infections, and one of them (in addition to echinacea drops) is to keep the nasal passages clear. The third thing, another Dr. Sears recommendation, is that from here on out, I'm taking Atticus to the chiropractor at the first sign of a possible ear infection (ear pulling), or maybe even just every time he gets a cold, since that's what causes them.

halloween

Atticus had just awoken from a nap prematurely and instead of soothing him back to sleep, I stuffed him into a way-too-hot-for-Tucson lion suit and took him next door to visit Miles, who donned a monkey suit and thought Atticus's mane was good enough to eat.


Neither Atticus nor Miles look thrilled about their costumes, but their parents enjoyed them.

nursery

We've had a few requests for some photos of the recent updates to Atticus's room. Here's his new book/toy shelf, already loaded with stuff.


Pictured here is our new rocker/recliner, and Atticus working at mastering crawling. He's getting so close!


Not updates to the room--just Atticus and Bean hanging out.

sleep training

First, I want to announce that the ear infection is now gone. Yay! There is, however, still fluid in his left ear, so the pediatrician joked that I should make sure Atticus doesn't get another cold. hmm

Also, for the first time in my recollection, Atticus made himself laugh in the backseat of the car, no one back there to entertain him. Sure, he laughs when I tickle him or hold him up in the air or show him pictures of babies, etc. But I don't think I've ever heard him crack himself up before. It was delightful.

Now, the sleep training part. Tuesday morning at 3am, Atticus woke up, seemingly ready to start the day. I slept terribly that night. I felt feverish, achey, etc. Chris left early Monday morning to work in Hawaii for the week (he doesn't return until Saturday evening!). So, I felt I was faced with no choice but to put Atticus into his crib, so that I could get some more sleep. What, you may wonder, is so shocking about putting him into his crib to fend for himself? sigh. Not only has Atticus been sleeping in the bed with me all this time, but I even wait for him to fall asleep before I leave him in our bed alone in the evenings while I finish up my work. And yes, I know that "they" say it's not safe for a baby to sleep alone in an adult bed, especially if they're able to roll around. sigh. What can I say except that I'm a mama who works a 40-hour week, and I'm too exhausted to take my chances trying things I'm not 100% sure will work. Until now, that is. So, Tuesday morning, as you may imagine, Atticus was not pleased when I deposited him into his crib and left the room. Despite that I felt shredded, I got out of bed about four times in approximately 50 minutes to go comfort him. After the fourth time, I decided that if I didn't get some more sleep, not only would I be unable to go to work that day, but I'd be utterly incapable of caring for my baby; so I turned down the volume on the monitor, and I passed out. When I awoke at 6:30 that morning, the monitor was silent. I actually had to wake Atticus at 7:10 to feed him and change him and take him to daycare. He didn't seem the least bit pissed at me, thank goodness. It bothered me not knowing how long he cried for, how long it took him to fall asleep, but desperate times call for desperate actions.

So, since I had inadvertently begun Atticus's transition to crib AND to falling asleep on his own, I figured, what the heck, I might as well stick with it and do this thing. I've been reading a fair amount about infant sleep these last few weeks; I've been worried about the prospect of Atticus rolling out of our bed when I'm not in it; we spent a pretty penny this month for a rocking chair/recliner so that I might be able to start putting his crib to use (and not have to sit on the floor if I need to nurse him before bed, etc.); we bought a white noise machine for his nursery last week; and I've been anxious about the fact that I can't ask anyone to babysit him in the evening without warning them that not only is he unlikely to fall asleep on his own, but once he does fall asleep, transferring him to our bed without waking him is a delicate operation. And it occurred to me this week that the fact that Chris is out of town is probably good. If you think it's difficult for one parent to restrain herself from quitting because she can't stomach her baby crying, try two parents.

Tuesday night Atticus cried for 59 minutes before falling asleep. I went to him every 10-12 minutes, and stayed a lot longer than I probably should have--as much as 7-8 minutes. It wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be though. Not as heartbreaking. Not easy by any means, but not devastating either. Perhaps I was just too exhausted to be devastated. He didn't wake up until 1:30, at which point I took him into bed with me. I've decided he can still sleep with me the second half of the night. I enjoy it, he enjoys it, so whatever.

The worst was yesterday's nap. I debated whether to put him in the crib for naps too. Too much at once? But then again, why be inconsistent? I worried not putting him in the crib for naps too would only confuse him. It took me an hour and a half to get him to sleep at his nap time. :( Then he slept for only about 50 minutes. Then we both fell asleep in the recliner. Last night, however, he cried for only 19 minutes before falling asleep. I only had to go to him once. (Again, he awoke later at 1:30.)

Tonight he cried for a mere 7 minutes. I didn't have to go to him at all. I feel pretty proud of us both.

If you had told me 7 months ago that I would try this crying it out thing in any form, I probably would have scoffed. I still think the cold turkey approach is fairly cruel, but to each his own. But I also think Atticus benefits from learning to soothe himself to sleep, and that I benefit from not having to spend so much time getting him to sleep each night or worrying about him alone in our bed and about asking other people to put him to bed, etc.

damn ear infection

We spent Saturday evening at the ER because Atticus's fever was 103.4 (rectal thermometer) by 4pm. We figured he was just fighting off a cold, but wanted to be on the safe side. We found out that he did just seem to have a cold; however, the bad news was he still had an ear infection (this time in the left ear). We were there for five hours. My poor baby had a rough day--fever, no energy, and then kept up way past his bed time (he did sleep most of our time at the ER, but in fits) and given antibiotic shots that we warned several times are "very painful." The shot was divided into two, by the way--one in each leg. Poor Atticus was too dazed to cry much on the way home.

He was much better yesterday though, except that our shopping trip interfered with his second nap, so he was overtired by the end of the day, and it took me nearly an hour to get him to sleep last night. I've learned so, so much about A's sleep these last few months--when he needs to nap, how long for, and what happens if he doesn't get the sleep he needs. etc. It's amazing what a difference a missed nap makes. I try so hard to make sure nothing interferes with his naps, but once in a while, things are unavoidable. Okay, so the shopping trip wasn't exactly unavoidable, except that Chris really really needed a replacement nano before he took off to work in Hawaii this week (because surely he'd be bored without it, right?)

Today I took A to his pediatrician for a follow-up, and that damn ear infection still isn't gone. So he had to endure antibiotic shots yet again. And this time, because there was only one nurse to give them to him, he had to receive them one at a time. She was crazy apologetic about having to give him the shots, and like the other nurses, went on and on about how painful they are, etc. However, Atticus was tough. He cried less than he does when he gets vaccines (and when he gets oral antibiotics--hence the injections).

In other news, I discovered yesterday that a paper towel roll does not a good infant toy make when Atticus swallowed a piece of it when I turned my head for a minute. Today I discovered that the body does not digest paper towel rolls when I found the missing piece intact in Atticus's diaper.

Atticus tried to pull a fast one on me again today by pulling off one of his Band-Aids and stowing it away in his mouth right before I started feeding him his green beans. When he coughed over a bite of green beans I became suspicious, and discovered the bandage on his tongue.

first fever

Atticus started showing signs of a cold yesterday, and then by this morning he became feverish. He's a little out of sorts, but nothing worrisome--just fighting off the cold. One some level, it seems annoying that these things seem to always happen over the weekends. On the other hand, I'd rather he be sick when it's easy for us to stay with him and care for him.

Sounds of Atticus (video)

Sounds of Atticus

language

In the last two weeks or so Atticus has signed "milk" a few times. I don't think he's quite doing it with the intent to solicit milk yet, but it's good to see him practicing signing. The first time he did it (that I saw anyhow) was in response to me signing it.

Although he can't make the sign for "jump" yet, it's pretty clear he understands what it means. He gets excited when I do it, and this is before I show him the jumper or set it up.

Then a few days ago, Chris and Grandma Ginny discovered that he knows the word "dance." As soon as Chris said it, he started shaking his head and grinning. He did it again for me the next day.

He's also begun to mimic people more. Besides the "milk" sign, he mimics some of the goofy sounds we make; and now that I've had a nasty cough all week, he's doing fake coughs.

not conjunctivitis, but

he's got the beginnings of an ear infection. Fun fact I just learned from the pediatrician: babies' sinuses sometimes leak out their eyes, as well as their noses. So Atticus caught a cold, which made his eyes all gooey and pink, and which is now resulting in an ear infection. I thought my magical breastmilk was supposed to ward off evil ear infections. hmm. So far he's still feeling good, but the doctor said he will probably start feeling cranky by this evening. He prescribed amoxycillin, and that should kick in in about a day and a half. The good news is he's not contagious, so I no longer have to wash my hands 200 times a day and avoid my eyes like the plague; and he can go back to daycare tomorrow.

I have to give my pediatrician props for how efficient he is. There's no waiting in his office, not even when you have a sick baby. We were in and out in no time.

Recent pictures.

It's been a few weeks for pictures.  Life is busy.  Also, in response to Michelle, I have a paranoia about names and dates.  I am very bad with both of them.  It's to the point that even if I know the answer I still question myself.   I know Atticus was born March 10 but I had a safety blanket so I used it.

 Jean and Dad came to visit and build shelves in September

 Grandma Jean and Atticus spent a day shopping together

 Everyone worked really hard to get these shelve built

 Kelly Hansan had a weekend trip to Tucson and stopped by.

  Grandpa Ross came to visit in early October

conjunctivitis

well, Atticus did look good this morning, but then his eye started having discharge again later in the day, then both eyes, and now he's got some pink under his eyes and his cheeks are abnormally rosy; it's clear he has conjunctivitis. What a way to celebrate his seven-month birthday :(

The triage nurse called in a prescription for eye drops tonight, and Chris picked them up. Atticus didn't like receiving the drops, as you might imagine. After I got a drop into one eye, he squeezed both eyes shut so tight, it took a lot of effort to pry the second one open. :( Hopefully he'll be better soon. And hopefully we won't catch it. My hands are already dry from overwashing them, and I've been careful not to touch my eyes whatsoever. Maybe it's lucky my corneas are wrecked. Not being able to wear contacts makes it a lot easier to avoid the eyes.

Atticus seems to be feeling pretty good for the most part. I took him to the Reid Park Zoo this morning, and to run a few errands after, and he was his usual cheerful, cooperative self.

sleep, food, etc.

Atticus's sleep has been so inconsistent lately. Some nights he sleeps pretty fabulously; then nights like last night, he wakes to nurse a trillion times. Luckily, he goes back to sleep easily most of the time, but still, it was kind of a long night.

On Friday, his second nap was shortened by a visit to the pediatrician's office for a flu vaccine and then a visit to my office. The result was one very overtired baby. When rocking and patting and singing and lots of other things didn't work, I started kissing him incessantly on the cheek. He calmed down immediately, eventually falling asleep early for the night. I kissed that baby over 500 times for sure.

Since this blog has become my baby book for now (some day I will update the hard copy again), I should document how the solids have been going. About two weeks ago, Atticus shifted from being mostly distinterested in solid food to adoring it. Now he's like a little baby bird, leaning forward and opening wide for each new bite. A week ago I started feeding him solids twice a day instead of just once. He now eats some kind of cereal mixed with fruit (mango, pear, or peach) at around 11am, and then some kind of vegetable (avocado, sweet potato, or butternut squash) at around 5pm, sometimes with some fruit too.

Atticus gave us a little scare yesterday. His eye was all goopey, and when he woke from his afternoon nap, it looked swollen shut, but it turned out the goop had just glued his eye like that. When I washed off his eye, he looked pretty normal. We called the doctor, and they told us what symptoms to watch out for (that would mean the ER). I hoped it was just some reaction to his flu vaccine. He looks normal this morning, so I guess that was all it was. thank goodness

btw, when Chris was on the phone with the hotline nurse yesterday, he paused to ask me Atticus's birthday. :(

reading and pancakes

reading:

I was reading the book Tickle Monster (highly recommend it) to Atticus this afternoon, and he laughed at the picture of Tickle Monster, or so it appeared--this was well before Tickle Monster prompted me to do any tickling. His usual reaction to my reading him a story is to grab at the book and try to chew on it. This time he really seemed to be studying the picture, and if he wasn't laughing at Tickle Monster's appearance, I don't know what the heck he was laughing at. I certainly don't think he was anticipating tickling since I hadn't read this one in a little while.

Later, when the story prompts us to make silly faces, Atticus cried. Apparently, my silly faces are more scary than goofy.

He babbled along with me for most of the story. He's been doing that lately when I read to him, as if he's reading along too.


pancakes:

No, I have certainly not fed Atticus any pancakes, but the cook at his daycare sure wants to cram pancakes down his throat. She told him yesterday that as soon as he got a few more teeth, she'd "hook him up with some pancakes." Nowhere in any of my baby food resources are pancakes mentioned as a good early food. I can't imagine why--sugar, white flour, and all those other nutrients. sheesh. (I'm not saying there's no way he'll have pancakes before the age of two. Maybe, but only if I make them myself using ingredients like buckwheat.) I spoke to the director of the daycare today to make sure they wouldn't ever feed him something I wasn't consulted about. She assured me they wouldn't. However, I learned that when he transitions to the one-year-old room, he would be expected to eat whatever meals the daycare serves. While she mentioned that I can make substitutions (bringing in say fruit in lieu of pancakes), she also stressed that they are trying to cut back on what foods they allow parents to bring, yada yada. My impression was that if I keep him in this daycare, he's going to be the only kid in the one-year-olds room eating the homemade organic food I pack him, while all the other kids chow down on waffles and canned peaches, which means I'd be the pain-in-the-ass parent everyone talks about behind her back, and that I'd constantly be wondering whether they are giving him stuff I didn't approve of or whether poor Atticus was confused about his special meals or being teased about them, etc. So, I'm going to start looking for a new place to transfer him to before he turns one.

p.s. we have loads of pictures to upload from the last several weekends--this weekend, I promise

teeth make a photographic debut

We have loads of catching up to do on the blog since multiple grandparents have visited in recent weeks, but until then, we'll leave you with this: a photo of Atticus showing off his two teeth. He's had them for about a month now, but we've been slow to capture them on photograph. But here they are, folks--framed by remnants of butternut squash.

Atticus Blow Bubbles (video)

Atticus blows bubbles

A's first vomit

Yep, and it landed all over me. He only did it once--last night as I was putting him to bed. Then he awoke a few times in the night, wanting me to hold him, which he typically does only when he's experiencing teething pain. I don't think he's having teething pain right now, but I don't know what else could be up either. From what I've read, babies vomit easily and will do so for a variety of reasons, and that a single vomit is nothing to fret about. He seemed oddly fussy tonight before bed though. He passed out in no time and was as limp as I've seen him since his first few weeks of life beyond the womb. But then he awoke just 40 minutes later. I gave him some acetamenophen, and now all seems well.



In other news, I'm being referred from one doctor to another to figure out what is wrong with my eyesight. I went to the optometrist last week. She referred me to a retina specialist because she thought she saw the beginning of a retinal hole. I found out today that my retinas are holeless, but that now I need to see a cornea specialist. I hope she figures it out. I'm sick of leaning into the computer screen and squinting.

Atticus's New Dance (video)

Atticus's New Dance

Grandma Ross Meets Atticus (video)

Grandma Ross meets Atticus

steelers, grandma, pre-crawling, gripping toes

Atticus and dad sporting Steelers attire.


Atticus meets Grandma Becky. He got up somewhat early that morning and wasn't being very cooperative during picture-taking.


Atticus sporting still more Steelers attire. Here he is using his toes to grip the toys on his play mat. He uses his feet like hands quite often. I've even seen him pass a toy from one foot to another. ha.

A few weeks ago I reported that Atticus almost never rolled from back to belly since he seemed to hate being on his belly. Now rolling onto his belly is all the rage. He's eager to crawl but doesn't quite have it figured out yet. I suspect he's not yet able to lift that heavy torso of his. So instead he slithers about by grinding his head into the floor or mattress. It looks awkward, but he can travel quickly like this. I can no longer leave him momentarily unattended on the bed or other high places.

Today I fed him sweet potato not long after he awoke from a 1 1/2 hour nap, and he ate it all up. It appears that feeding him on an empty or almost-empty stomach is the way to go.

6 months!

Happy Birthday, Atticus!

Atticus had his six-month check-up today (very prompt). His new stats:

weight: 20 pounds 13.5 ounces (95th percentile)
height: 29 3/4 inches (off the charts; plus, this means we now officially need a new car seat)
head: 46 cm (95th percentile)

He took his vaccinations like a champ--only a few tears, despite that he bled all over my jeans. And this despite that he's been teething something fierce the last few days. I can now feel a tiny something of the second tooth above his gums.

The doctor went on about how I need to give him iron-fortified cereal soon, that breastmilk is insufficient in iron. Am I the only one who is suspicious of this claim? Okay, I know I'm not the only one, but seriously, how would we all be here if breastmilk was so darn insufficient? It makes no sense to me that my baby NEEDS processed white rice cereal with iron added to it. And if breastmilk really is an insufficient source of iron, which I doubt (and I've seen studies that challenge this claim), why not give him real foods with iron in them, such as spinach and beef and beans? Why processed foods?

the beach

We took our first family vacation Labor Day weekend--went to the San Diego area (more specifically, Carlsbad, to visit Mike and Lauri and kiddos [I thought I hated that word, but have found myself using it from time to time lately]).


Chris declared that Atticus was too young to play in the sand, that he might eat some of it (as if all hell would break loose if that happened). Lucky for Atticus, mommy thinks babies should eat all the sand they want. What harm can come from a few gritty diapers?


Risa kept telling Atticus that this was her bucket, and that he should get his own. "Baby Atticus, don't take my bucket!" Baby Atticus was also instructed not to pull hair.


sand beard--maybe he's trying to imitate his Grandpa Jimmy?

a father's love

Several days ago Chris was hanging out with Atticus at one of the parks in our neighborhood when a small child came over to them, swinging a long stick around. Chris says he politely asked the child to stop swinging the stick so close to them. The child grinned and swung his stick some more. Chris said, he reports, "If you poke my baby's eye out, I'm going to rip your arm off." The child departed.

tooth

Atticus cut his first tooth. There's nothing much to see just yet, but the tip sticking through his bottom gums is sharp as a razor. I suspect he's working at cutting its twin as I write this. He napped only for about 30 minutes today so far, yet he's deliriously wild and sucking away at his massaging teether shaped like a raspberry.

5 1/2 months

I think we forgot to mention that we took Atticus swimming for the first time a few weeks ago. He was very mellow, and kicked his legs around like a little frog. (He's going to see the ocean for the first time this upcoming weekend!)


Apparently, babies need to drink some water after eating solid foods. I tried giving him water from a spoon, but that seemed time-consuming and annoying. So now he's sucking it up through a straw. Some of the water runs off of his chin afterwards, but he enjoys using a straw as much as he enjoys eating. He's opening his mouth again for more faster than I can spoon it out sometimes. Thursday, he tried pear for the first time, his second food. The first time he tried it, he seemed somewhat unsure about it, but he had it again yesterday and today and gobbled it down in no time.


Here are a few pics of Atticus sitting up. I realized the other day that we had yet to take any photos of him sitting up and figured we better document.


I love this one! Good posture, huh?

A conversation with Atticus (video)

Talk to Atticus

Atticus's first solid food (video)

Atticus's first solid food

avocado!

Kind of on a whim last night, I decided to give Atticus his first solid food today. It wasn't totally a whim, I guess. I've been eager to allow him to try other foods for a while because he's been ready for a while. I could pull a single peanut out of my pocket twenty yards away, and I swear that boy would know it and stop whatever he was doing to watch me eat it. I wanted to wait until at least 5 1/2 months, and I decided last night that we were close enough (after all, he was born several days late). Since avocados are supposedly a good first food, and they're in season, and Chris and I both love them, that seemed like a good choice. So I mashed up some avocado and mixed it with breastmilk, and voila, baby's first "solid." I wouldn't say Atticus was ecstatic, but he was certainly interested. He opened wide and slurped up whatever he could off of the spoon.


As you can see, it wasn't long before Atticus was interested in feeding himself.


And perhaps you've noticed that his face really isn't all that dirty, but his bib sure is. Atticus wiped his face with his bib between bites. He's a mannered baby, it turns out.

a little bragging

I took Atticus to a play date today, and he sat up by himself for probably about 20 minutes--no toppling over whatsoever. I picked him up because he was hungry, not because he was having trouble holding himself up.

In other news, my baby seems to be suffering particularly bad this week from teething. Still no teeth, but an upward spike in slobbering, chomping down on things, crying, etc. :(

sitting up, rolling over, etc.

I suppose that if I would post more regularly, I wouldn't have to write these long lists to update you on what Atticus has been up to, but in the meantime, here we go:

• When Atticus is excited, which is frequent, he will oftentimes beat on his chest and belly with his fists like he's Tarzan, and his belly makes a sound akin to a bongo. Sometimes he does this with toys, even wooden toys. It looks and sounds painful to me, but he doesn't seem bothered in the least.
• Atticus has finally gotten the swing of rolling over. He's been doing it off and on for several months, but not with much recognition, as far as I could tell, of what he had done or how to do it again. Now he rolls over onto his back just about every time we put him on his belly.
• He's sitting up now too. He still topples over from time to time, but not very much. He can hold himself up for quite a long time, and I'm amazed at how comfortable he seems doing it--as if he's been doing it for ages.
• Tonight I let him sit up in the bath tub, which helped him discover that he can make big splashes with his hands too, not just his feet. He splashed himself in the face over and over.
• At daycare, he plays in a walker sometimes, and his caregiver, Lisa, has been telling me about how he jets around the room in that thing. I saw a little bit of that when I dropped him off this morning. He actually stands up off of the seat when he walks around in it. That boy has super strong legs. And the grin on his face was even bigger than the one he gives Sabine.
• Future Atticus will probably not like me sharing this, but today he made grunting noises to help his bowels move. I never before would have thought that could be cute.

I think that's it for now. I have to get back to work (yes, I am always working).

Atticus in Jumper (video)

Atticus in Jumper

Bubble Blowing (video)

Atticus bubble blowing

5 months

Today Atticus reached the five-month mark. Never has time seem so distorted. I can't believe he's already five months old, and I can't believe he's only five months old--perhaps more the latter than the former. Although I can still remember the various freedoms we've temporarily given up (sleeping in, reading for hours at a time, going out to dinner without having to find room for a stroller and a diaper bag, taking time to savor a meal, sleeping the night uninterrupted, watching some occasional television, etc.) and those we've given up for good (not having anybody but ourselves to worry about), Atticus is so embedded in our lives now, it doesn't seem possible we've known him for only five months. While all that we've given up is sorely missed, he does a pretty good job of lessening the pain. We're very lucky parents with so much to be thankful for.

eyebrows!

Atticus's eyebrows are coming in. A, we're not saying you didn't have eyebrows before. You did, but they were so pale and sparse, but now look at them! What a handsome baby!

***

Atticus's favorite things right now:

• flirting with Sabine: He goes wild every time Sabine saunters his way. Of course, Sabine is a little skeptical about his overeagerness , but perhaps he's flattered too. He gets close enough for Atticus to tug at his fur, and yesterday, he sniffed A's face. (Morocco has become an outdoor cat--of his own volition; we didn't see him for four full days, but he visited us briefly this evening.)
• being upside down: That boy loves to be held upside down. He giggles like crazy. And if you stop too soon, he cries.
• being tossed up in the air: Granted, he's way too heavy for me to toss him very far. He rises a mere inch or so up into the air before I catch him, but he thinks it's great fun. (Chris is scared to toss him.)
• grabbing every which way at my face when he nurses: What especially amuses him is to put his fingers in my mouth when I'm singing so that my words come out distorted, but the rest of my face is fair game too.
  
• putting his toes into his mouth: Yes, he's still into his feet.
  

***

Have I mentioned that A spends just about all of his night in bed with us these days? About a month ago he started freaking out unless we swaddled him at night (which we hadn't done since just after he was born). Around the same time, he started waking a lot more frequently--not just chatting, but crying. These days I'm thrilled if he makes it for more than two hours before waking after I put him into bed at night. So he begins his night in the bassinet, since I'm still up. Then the first time he wakes up after I go to bed, I pull him into bed with me. It's much easier than having to get up every few hours, not to mention trying to re-swaddle him with the aid of nothing but a nightlight. Truth be told, it's kind of nice snuggling up with a sweet baby. I wish he wouldn't wake so much, but I'm sure it will pass--some day.

lazy baby

The coworker who is always asking me about my supply, and who the other week suggested I must produce a large milk supply because I'm tall, today asked me if my not-quite-five-month-old is crawling yet. Keep in mind she does have a child of her own, so she doesn't have a very good excuse for being oblivious to the general timeline of mobility in humans. When I said that he wasn't, she asked if he's lazy. She laughed, so maybe it was just a joke, but if it was just a joke, she didn't make that very clear. She certainly didn't say "just kidding."

(Even the advanced-mobility baby in mom and baby group isn't anywhere near crawling yet!)

mimicry

Yesterday I held Atticus up to the bay window in our bedroom to watch the rain pouring down. (Yes, monsoon at last!) I don't think he knew there was glass between us until I started tapping on it to show him that it was there. He watched me for maybe half a minute, and then he started tapping away at the glass himself.

Today, he tapped on my face.

***

This past weekend I tried to bring A's feet to his attention. He's grabbed at them here and there, but he hasn't really seemed to notice them all that much except to walk around on them (with my support, of course). Now today his attention was focused on his feet every time he was horizontal. He spent about half his day with a foot in each hand. Several times he tried to get them into his mouth.

***

Atticus has recently become enamored with the cats. If one saunters into view, he won't take his eyes off of it. He pet both cats yesterday, meaning he clasped flaps of ear and clumps of fur in his fists. All the while, his eyes were fixated on their tails. I'm hoping he learns from my example how to pet the cats gently so that he doesn't get scratched.

Morocco seems interested in him too. Either that or he's s just renewing his obsession with me (and A happens to often be near me), which had sort of ended when I started neglecting him after A's birth. All of a sudden he's climbing into my lap now when I play with Atticus on the floor of his bedroom, and he's whining at my bedroom door when A and I are in there, door closed.

First family day at park.

rapid update

I'm exhausted, but I feel guilt about not having provided any updates recently other than photos. So I'll fill you in very quickly on a few of the things that Atticus has been up to lately:

• Perhaps a month ago now he started playing hide and go seek with himself. He flings a sheet or receiving blanket over his head and then takes his hands away, leaving the sheet or blanket over his face. It freaks me out just a tiny bit, but it is awfully cute. He gets excited when someone comes by to pull it away again and reveal him.
• His big thing right now is experimenting with his voice. He's a little morning song bird. Gone are the days when I could still snooze a little bit after he had awakened. Now he sings and sings, making sure everyone else is up with him. He's been moving his lips around, making different types of sounds; seeing how loud he can get, etc.
• He's also become quite the giggler. It's lovely.
• He's rolled over a couple of times now on the floor, but only once at a time. He hasn't quite mastered the skill. But he does enjoy belly time quite a bit now, so he'll get there.
• In case you, like our pediatrician, wondered if he can focus on a raisin, he can! When I filled out the questionnaire at his four-month check-up, I had no idea whether he could focus on a raisin, having never held a raisin up to his face before. There were several oddball questions like that. For example, if you sneak up on your child from behind and whisper to him, does he hear you? Or something like that. What parent out there just so happens to have tried all of these things, despite not having seen the questionnaire in advance? I felt as though I were somehow not observant enough that I couldn't answer half these questions.
• Atticus is definately showing an interest in food. I don't know that he necessarily wants to eat it, but he's always looking at my food and grabbing at it when it's within reach. The same goes for my water glass. I'm holding out at least until 5 months to introduce some solids, 6 or more months if I can.

Atticus belly time

5 Year Anniversary

Visitors

Visitor not apparent, but what a cute baby!


Atticus with Uncle Sky


Atticus with Auntie Brandi

Four-month Measurements

Atticus turned four months old on Saturday! He went to see the pediatrician for his four-month check-up on Friday. Here are his stats:

weight: 18 pounds 9 1/2 ounces (off the charts)
height: 27 1/2 inches (off the charts)
head circumference: 44 cm (75-90th percentile)

question: Why do they measure weight and height in U.S. customary units but head circumference in metric units?

According to our pediatrician Atticus is not teething; teething is something that happens over the course of a few days; and all four-month-olds drool and gnaw on things and it has nothing to do with teething pain. hmph. Is it not rational that all four-month-olds do these things because they are all experiencing the pain of teeth moving around underneath their gums? And doesn't it stand to reason that before teeth break through the gums, a good deal probably goes on behind the scenes in preparation for their debut? And how does he explain the fact that Atticus doesn't drool and gnaw on things 24/7 but goes through phases? He seems to have rough days and easy days. What is the pediatrician's explanation for the drooling and gnawing? He doesn't have one. He's of the mind that many of the things that babies do cannot be explained and that adults are foolish for trying. I'm liking him less and less, I think.

I have plenty more to say about how Atticus has been doing, but I either have really bad allergies or a cold right now, so I need to get to bed. :(

Sad boy needs his Mom's love.

 

You take pictures and almost everyone is fine. But, then every so often you get a special one. This would go in the special column. I am not sure what it is but you just want to linger on the best pictures for a while. I guess everyone wants to have that Mom wrap their arms around them. It doesn't matter if you are 4 months or 60 it's nice to think that "Mom" figure is there for you. It's doesn't even have to be a literal Mom either. It could be friends, family, your kids, your god, or just a kind soul.