more furniture

This weekend I decided it was time to buy Cole's highchair. I've been feeding him in his bouncer and as he has gotten more enthusiastic about his solid feedings, the process has gotten messier. Plus, I've been trying to brace the bouncer with my legs to subdue his excited kicking and I've got some nasty bruises from the last few weeks. Picture if you can, me sitting on the floor, legs wrapped around the bouncer, one hand wrestling with his arms while my other hand holds the spoon. His food placed on the floor next to me along with a burp cloth and washcloth. It was time for the highchair.

Cole likes his new higher perspective, and I like that I can put a toy with a suction cup base on the tray to occupy his arms while I feed his little face. New this week--baby oatmeal.

5 months old

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Today Cole had a special photo shoot to commemorate the holiday and his 5-month birthday. This is Cole's first month without a check up, so there's no update on his height and weight this time...but his growth is obvious! I struggle to squeeze him into his carseat now, especially if he's wearing a few layers. We'll be installing the bigger carseats in our cars this weekend. It should be easier than when I installed his current car seat since I was nearly 9 months pregnant at the time. At least now I'll fit in the back seat.

This week, Cole's eating green beans and it looks like I've got a good veggie-eater on our hands. Although I've yet to find something Cole won't eat. At last week's yoga class, I asked the other moms if they've started solids with their babies, and no one else had. I was surprised because Cole is one of the youngest in the class. One mom said that she's worried about starting solids because she's not ready to stop nursing her daughter. It made sound strange to some, and even selfish, but I can totally understand how she's feeling. As difficult as it was in the beginning, I'm so glad I've been able to breastfeed Cole, and it's difficult to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it, but I'll try. Initially, I enjoyed it because I was amazed by my body's ability to feed and to soothe Cole. I loved being able to comfort him and his drunken little smile when he was full. Now, I appreciate the convenience of nursing, but it's the coziness and the forced time-out (for me, not Cole) that I'll miss most when the time comes to wean. Of course, starting solids doesn't mean weaning, but it is an important step. I'm just glad that Cole is transitioning very well.

Cole rolls over all the time now, sometimes more than he wants to. It's almost as if he's forgotten that he can lie on his back. As soon as you put him on the floor or in his crib he rolls over. If he's not tired, then he's happy and he'll hold his head up and smile. But if he's too tired, then he cries into the floor or mattress until you flip him back over. He's beginning to understand that he can lie on his belly and turn his head to the side but when he's tired, he's beyond all reason. Hopefully, he'll figure out how to roll back onto his back soon.

Only 3 weeks left of yoga class, but I plan to take Cole out for more walks and play dates with Nina as the weather gets warmer. Last week we had lunch with Elaine and Nina which was a lot of fun for all of us. It's neat to see how the babies interact with each other and what they notice. In the beginning they were oblivious to one another, but now they're becoming more interested and curious. Cole even tried to put Nina's foot in his mouth, but baby girl gave him a look and grabbed her own foot and pulled it away. There are photos from the playdate, Nina's baptism, and Cole's official 5 month photo shoot here.

field trip

This was unveiled last fall, and I think it would be a lot of fun to take Cole to see it once spring has sprung. As the days get longer and temps climb, I'm getting antsy to spend some time outside. Last week, Cole and I did some laps around the apartment complex. I got a decent workout and Cole got a great nap. I can't wait to log some more miles on the stroller.

4 months plus

Cole is nearly 5 months old, but I'm just now posting his 4 month check up results. Cole is continuing along his self-made growth curve and his measurements were 17 lbs. 11 oz. and 25 1/8" tall. I've added a link to his 4 month photo album in the side bar.

It's been an eventful couple of weeks. Cole rolled over for the first time 2/23. He looked over at me, smiled, and then let out a huge burp. I don't know if the smile was in response to the fact that he had figured out how to roll over or if it was the relief from the gas bubble. I know my smile was due to both.

On 2/26, Cole discovered his feet. I never really understood the whole "Has he found his hands yet?" thing. It seemed to me like he was always aware of his hands even if he wasn't very coordinated in the beginning, but when he found his feet it was a noticeable event. While I was changing his diaper he was doing his usual leg lifts when he reached for and then grabbed on to his feet for the first time. He was so excited. So now his new combo move is to grab is feet and rock from side to side.

Cole has begun to eat solid, well semi-solid, food. For 2 weeks he taste tested rice cereal once a day. Last week we added a second feeding of solids and introduced carrots. While he prefers the cereal over the carrots, he will eat either. Cole lets me know when he is full by keeping his mouth closed--an effective signal. This week's menu is sweet potatoes.

Cole is enjoying his bath time more and more which means I keep getting wetter. What had started out as a little kicking in the water has turned into all out splashing. Bath time requires a lot more towels than it used to.

Cole laughs a lot now and it is absolutely my favorite sound ever. NOTHING beats it. Tony and I have been transformed into clowns, doing ANYTHING we can to amuse Cole just to hear him giggle. I get my exercise doing "baby lifts" and he's also fond of "baby squats"--pretty much any vertical movement cracks him up. If only I could figure out a way for sit ups to be funny, then maybe I'd actually get my middle back in shape.

i am so tired BUT

I could title every entry this way from now on. The most important word in that phrase is "BUT." I am tired, and my life is dramatically different, BUT the many roles I play besides mom must go on, and in reality, very few people really care that much if I'm tired, and it's not all that important. Ok, I know there are some people will take offense to that, and I don't mean it in a harsh or whiny way, so please don't add a false tone to that statement.

When I was still dealing with the palsy I was under the care of a great neurologist, one of the nicest doctors I've ever met. As I was leaving his office after he had stuck needles in my face to test nerves and muscles, we were talking about our plans for Thanksgiving. I told him about Cole's christening that was coming up and the celebration I had planned. Then he shared that his family was going to spend the holiday with close friends, one of whom was dying. I told him I was sorry to hear about his friend and how hard that must be to cope with especially during the holiday season, and he responded with calm and warmth, "This is life. Babies are baptized, people die, and life must go on." Such a simple statement, but I'm certain it's a way of looking at life that's been shaped by treating people with far more serious afflictions than Bell's palsy.

Life must go on. My lack of sleep means nothing to my clients or the IRS or telemarketers or to other drivers on the road. Work has to get done, the bills paid, the laundry washed, and the plants watered. I've come to realize that freshman year of college prepared me best for motherhood. Late nights in the computer lab are now late nights in my office. I learned to stretch my wardrobe in ways to minimize my laundry. Working on multiple projects prepared me for the many jobs I now juggle at once. Entertaining Cole on a daily basis requires as much creativity as any drawing assignment. There is one crucial difference though ... I'm now doing all of this without the benefit of caffeine.

I have much more to post. Cole continues to amaze me and is growing and changing right before my eyes. Cole's namesake, my freshman drawing professor taught me to appreciate the simple beauty of line, and I've recently picked up the old ebony pencil and sketchbook, and I want to post the results. I have so much more to share, but now it's finally time to sleep.

required reading

Christmas 1999 my mom gave me a book-a-day calendar. Each day offered a short review/description of a book. I have no idea how the selections were made because the calendar covered a large variety of topics and included recent publications and classics. Throughout the year I tucked away in a drawer the books that sounded most interesting either for me to read or to buy as a gift for friends. By November, I had most of my Christmas shopping done with the help of this handy little calendar.

For my friend Linda who was expecting her first child in December 2000, I bought Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year. At the time I didn't know if she was having a boy or girl, but based on the book's review, I thought she would enjoy it either way. As it turned out she did have a beautiful baby boy. I don't know if she enjoyed the book or ever even found time to read it...especially now that she has 2 boys!

When I found out I was going to have a boy, I remembered this book and picked up a copy, and I just finished it Saturday night. Needless to say, I don't have much time to read for pleasure. I had dusted off my paperback to bring along to a doctor's appointment last month. It was the first time ever that I enjoyed spending over an hour in the waiting room. Slowly I began to remember what it felt like to have totally "free time"...not "Cole's napping I've got 5 free minutes so what can I accomplish time"...but completely, utterly "free time." It was nice.

Saturday night after Cole fell asleep instead of going back to my office to work, I reached for my book and while I was tired, reading was more renewing than sleep. I finished the book and when my head hit the pillow I fell into a deep sleep almost instantly because I was so much more relaxed.

The book by the way is fantastic. It is the most honest text I have ever read. The author doesn't gloss over the ugly parts nor does she run away from sentimentality...she teeters in between and that's real life. You can bet I'll be buying more copies for pregnant friends in the future, and I'll be sure to give it to them before the baby is born so they might actually have time to read it.

happy valentine's day

Cole's first Valentine's Day was spent sleeping, playing, eating, and pooping. It was a good day. We took a trip out to the stores to redeem some gift certificates and Cole got some new duds. I also got a couple of new shirts with no spit-up stains because I have a business meeting this Wednesday with a new client. It's my first meeting since Cole was born, and the status of my wardrobe is still questionable.

I squeezed into a pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans last weekend, so I'm definitely making progress. I'm actually below my pre-preg weight now, but because I'm...ahem...shaped differently...my old clothes still don't fit quite right. To paint an even prettier picture of myself, I confess, my hair is also falling out at an alarming rate. You'd think once the baby's born that would be the end of the freakish body changes....but you'd be wrong. I'm afraid the weight I've lost is all hair! Someday, I'll be cute again. In the meantime, I'm happy to hide behind my cute baby. Speaking of which, check out Cole's Valentine photo shoot.