And he just keeps on going....

It seems Jamey has gotten to the point where I can't keep up with the developments he has! One day he is eating rice cereal; three days later he is able to down an entire container of Gerber carrots in one sitting. (Not, of course, without getting a large amount on his face, and not without saving a little under his chin for later.)

As if that weren't enough, last Thursday, on the day before I was set to go back to work, he performed yet another trick to comemorate the day, when he mastered rolling over from his back to his front. A few months ago, he managed to flop over from his front to his back, and recently had figured out how to settle onto his side. However, the actual roll all the way over had been eluding him.

Using his stuffed giraffe Carter as bait, I got him to tilt his head back, forcing himself onto his side. I then cheered him on and watched him slowly roll his way over. Finally, he figured out to tuck his arm underneath him so that it wouldn't get in his way. That day, he was still having a few issues pulling that tucked arm out. That is not a problem anymore, though! Now, he just rolls over like a barrel and pulls that arm right out. This evening, I actually watched him roll over and stare into space as he wrenched his arm out from under him! I am not sure, though, if he has decided that he likes being on his belly.

I remember that Jess told me that once they figure out how to go to their belly, they never want to stop. And boy, was she right!!!!

And the last trick of all-- Jamey fed himself a bottle. We have taken to using his high chair as a seat for him to sit in while we do things in the kitchen. The other morning, Glenn leaned him back in the chair and handed him the bottle. We had known for a while that he had the strength to hold the bottle, but until that point, he had just opted to be lazy and let us hold it for him. But no more!

Back to Work!

Last Friday the day finally came when I had to return to my other "children". The ones who had apparently been missing me so badly. The ones who I really hadn't been thinking about for a while. Of course, with my return to work, came the inevitable two questions-- 1: Did you cry? and 2: Are you happy to back?

For one thing, I am happy to say that I did not cry. People often looked at me like I was lying when I answered this question, but I think Glenn put it best when he told the people he worked with, "It's not like he is at a regular daycare. He is staying with someone who was there the night that he was born." I hadn't thought of it that way, but he was completely right. This wasn't just another daycare and it actually wasn't just some friend of ours. This is a person who I consider to be a close friend. A person who was there in the waiting room the night he was born, waiting to hold him. And it is a person who has been doting on him since, and bringing him together with her own son, teaching him to say Jamey's name, which he does with joy.

And as for whether I was happy to be back, it actually is a little hard to explain. It wasn't as though I was overjoyed to be going back to work and the little bit of stress it brought. It wasn't as though I were clammering to be around a throng of teenagers all day, as much as I do love them! But at the same time, it was good to get back there and start picking up the pieces of the classes I had left behind. I had a feeling that they hadn't been learning exactly what I would have hoped, and I was right. As well, I knew that my job would bring me a different sense of accomplishment that I had been missing. Being a Mom is an incredible accomplishment, because I am sustaining this little life with what I do and the choices I make. However, at work, it is a different sense of accomplishment. A place where I make a list and I actually create a work. This was especially true of going back to doing the yearbook.

The two days so far have gone really well! My AP's, who have known me for 3.5 years, were overjoyed to get back to some of my routines. They had gotten quite used to my way of doing things. And all my classes seem to be very friendly. Quite possibly the best compliment I have been paid by one of my new students so far, a compliment that proves to me that I have come back and gotten right back to where I want to be, happened this morning. With ten minutes left in German 1, one of the guys said, "Wow, this class has gone by so quickly! That is awesome!"
For those of you non-teachers out there, when a class goes by quickly, that means that the student was drawn in and really interested. I couldn't ask for more!

And as for Jamey, he loves staying with "Tante Monica" and Christopher. He bounces, he swings, he plays, he laughs! This evening at dinner, he especially loved hearing her name. Whenever we would ask him, "Do you like hanging out with Tante Monica?" he would giggle. We tried to say other names like "Tante Idi" or "Tante Marla", but the only one he would giggle for was "Tante Monica." Hm!

Another Weekend of Firsts!

Once again, Jamey had quite a weekend!  Although we didn't do a whole lot of Saturday besides take a gander over to Target, we went there to buy a very important item for Jamey.... his first box of rice cereal.  That evening, we went about giving him his first bit of solid food.  It was somewhat successful, but Jamey in the end was too hungry and opted just to wait it out and nurse when we were done trying to get him to open his mouth.  

However, we showed Jamey once again that we were more persistent than he, and kept trying.  Lo and behold, yesterday, Glenn tried it at a time when Jamey wasn't quite set for a feeding yet, so hopefully wasn't overly hungry.  And boy, did it work a whole lot better.  Suddenly Jamey viewed the spoon not so much as a thing he didn't want near him; rather he saw it as just another thing that he could grab and stick in his mouth.  So he put his hands out, grabbed onto Glenn's and brought the spoon to him.  However, his face revealed that he hadn't quite predicted that the spoon would leave anything behind after we took it back out.  After the first few times, though, he got used to it, and this is how far we came by tonight...

As for the other firsts, they happened on Sunday.  Around 11, we met up with Monica, Chris,

 and Christopher and headed out to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum that is out our way.  Monica had to go to do some "research" for a paper for one of her classes, and invited us to come along for fun.  Because for this museum, the charge is by car, we all piled into the Davids' van, and went in.  In order to conserve space, which was already a little lo, as we all packed in, Glenn and I decided to see if Jamey was ready to test out his sitting skills in the "Big Boy

 Stroller" we have.  (In case you didn't know, Jamey can now hold up his weight pretty well.)  Although he leaned a little,he was fine reclining a bit in the stroller, as long as he was

strapped in.  And thus, his first excursion in the "Big Boy Stroller".

This was followed that evening by his first "Big Boy Bath" in a bathtub.  For a few weeks now, Glenn and I had said to each other, every time we used the baby tub, "We are going to have to move up to the bathtub soon."  Finally we said, "Tonight is the night."  So we laid a towel down in the tub for him to lay on, and filled it a bit with warm water.  Partly because it is getting colder nad partly because he wasn't sure what to make of this bigger area with water, Jamey cried a bit, but made it through-- with  few annoyed faces along the way when Mommy did things like pour water out of a cup over his head and body, and rubbed the bath soap on him.

His last first on Sunday was only witnessed by Glenn.  Let me preface the "first" by saying that occasionally when I am playing with Jamey, I will take off my glasses, lean down close to his face and just raise my eyebrows.  It usually makes him smile and giggle.  I also figured at some point, maybe he would catch on.  Well, on Sunday, Glenn was carrying Jamey around, facing outwards.  They walked into the bathroom to observe Jamey in the mirror, and when they left the bathroom, Glenn was laughing aloud.  

"Guess what Jamey did when he saw himself in the mirror?" he said.  "He raised his eyebrows at himself!"

And there you have it... Jamey's first "trick."

4 Month Update

Another trip to the doctor brought about the same question we always seem to be answering with Jamey: "Is he always like this?  Playing around and smiling?"  Actually, he was a little more serious this visit, but once we got him stripped down to his diaper to be checked out, and laying on his belly on the little bench for the patient, he was busy squirming around and tearing up the paper that they lay down over the bench to prevent the spreading of germs.  Once on his back, the doctor noted his new favorite game when on his back.  He lifts up his legs, curling them a little so he can stare at his feet for a second, and then in a swift motion, he slams them back to the ground.  Then he begins again.  (I have in fact heard him play this game in his crib when I am downstairs.  I sometimes think that he has hit something or that something has fallen, but no, it is just Jamey.)

Of course, he got his new measurements too, and this time around, he is perfectly proportional at the 90th percentile.  His weight is now 17 lb. 1 oz., his height 26 inches, and his head 17.5 cm.  Apparently when I was in last week and they said he was 17 lb. 5 oz., something was off.  He showed off all his newer skills from holding up his own weight to trying to sit up, to sticking everything in his mouth.  

It was also time for another 4 shots, but he went through like a trooper.  I stood over him and held his arms down.  Looking in my eyes, he started out with a smile, which went to serious mode.  By the time she was doing the 3rd shot, his smile had turned completely upside down to what I call "the sad face".  This is the super-frown that he puts on just before he lets out a loud, prolonged cry.  So he let that out, and then we were done.  The nurse was shocked because he immediately stopped crying and didn't start up again, as I got him dressed.  Glenn and I also got a shot, to make Jamey feel good... and also to prevent the flu.

The biggest news is that Jamey gets to start trying rice cereal now.  Don't worry-- as soon as we try it, it will be on the blog!

Mommy Tunes

Often when Jamey and I are doing things up in my bedroom, I will prop Jamey up on my pillow, turn on the radio (and the fan for Jamey of course) and give him a toy to play with.  Whatever song is on, I try to insert Jamey's name into it, and of course I am always singing-- much like when I was pregnant.  Mommy's hits include, "When you Love a Jamey" by Bryan Adams, "Push It" featuring the line "Ooh, Jamey Jamey, Jamey Jamey" by Salt N Peppa, and the most recent addition to the songs: "Irreplacable" by Beyonce.  

Of course, I haven't found a way to insert Jamey's name into Beyonce's tune, but he seems to love the song nonetheless.  It is the latest thing to make him stop crying and smile.  Or maybe it is less the singing and the "eloquent" words of the song, and more the Mommy rendition complete with hand movements and dancing.   

Sleep Update

Last time I wrote I told about the troubles we have been having with Jamey's sleep training.  I am happy to say that Jamey is doing great with his sleeping.  At night, he has no problems.  He goes down, cries for a few minutes, and then falls asleep.  He sleeps through the night, wakes at 5 for a quick 15 minute feeding, and then goes back down for another 3 hours.

The daytime?  That is another story.  As I think I wrote before, Jamey only likes to nap for 30 minutes.  He has gotten really good at laying in his crib, crying for a minute or two, and then giving in to the lulling song of his "Ocean Wonders" aquarium.  Then, like clockwork, he wakes up after half an hour.  

I asked the doctor about this and she told me that because he is so healthy, it is quite possible that he is just a "cat-napper".  He takes little naps now and then.  Ah well!  Not exactly what I was hoping for, but at least now I don't have to let him lay there and cry and cry for an hour.

Oh, and speaking of "Ocean Wonders", we know for sure that Jamey loves it.  One morning, we woke up to find the Ocean Wonders music on.  Now, the time only goes for 18 minutes and it shuts off, and neither of us had turned it on.  Hmm....

So I got up out of bed to check the situation.  I peeked through the crack in the door, and saw Jamey laying in his crib facing the aquarium.  It wasn't on, and then with a swift kick of his leg, I watched him strike the button on the front that turns it on.  

Wonder where he got that temper..... ;)

When we were in the hospital, I remember very clearly that one of the lactation consultants who came to help me learn to breastfeed noticed that Jamey certainly did have a temper.  This was evidenced by his refusal to breastfeed, although we were doing absolutely everything that we should be doing, meaning that the consultant had no advice for us.  Five minutes after she left, he ate.  Basically, even then, he did what he wanted when he wanted and showed his temper and stubborn streak.  

I saw that nurse the day we were leaving the hospital and she said, "He certainly does have a temper.  You are going to have a lot of fun with that one as he grows up."  I laughed with her and said, "Well, his dad and I both have bad tempers, so I'm not surprised."  Indeed, both Glenn and I are absolutely jolly the majority of the time, but when you make either of us mad, WATCH OUT!  And so it is, naturally, with Jamey.

If you meet him he is a happy, smiley, and definitely flirty baby about 95% of the time.  That last 5% is when he is mad because he wants to be doing something else, because he is beyond hungry, or if he is beyond tired.  That is when you hear "the angry cry."  The cry where the baby gapes his mouth open for a few minutes before letting out a loud yell.  When we drove down to my parents in August, we got to listen to it for an hour, because Jamey simply didn't want to sit in his seat anymore!

As we begin sleep training, we have been hearing a LOT of the "Angry Cry" lately.  The time is coming closer that I have to go back to work, and I don't want Monica to have to be the one to get Jamey used to napping in a crib.  In the past, he has napped in his swing or simply on me, which was of course my favorite time.  And, as hard as it was to give up, I recognized that I didn't want him to get to be able to walk and not sleep in his crib.  Better that he learn to soothe himself before he can get up and follow me out of the room.

So we have been using the Ferber method, in which you wait til the baby is tired, and then lay him down to soothe himself to sleep.  If he doesn't immediately fall asleep, you simply let him cry.  And then, in ever larger increments you check on him, soothe him, and hope he falls asleep.   When it comes to nighttime, the technique is working well.  He eats and goes to bed pretty easily.  On the rare occasions that I have to get him in the middle of the night, I am able to feed him and get him back down in as little as 20 minutes.  And the other morning, Glenn and I caught him simply hanging out in his bed, laying on his side, sucking on his hand quietly.  We went in and played with him, and he didn't seem to mind being in his crib.

Naps are another story....  Jamey is used to napping either on me or in a swing, or simply somewhere where there is motion.  Now suddenly, we are putting him down in a crib and he is a little shocked.  One day, he actually cried for about 2 hours before finally falling asleep for his one hour nap.  In the last two days, he hasn't needed hardly any time to calm himself to sleep.  However, once he is out, he will only sleep for 30 minutes.  I am trying to figure out if this is all he needs or if this is just another case of his temper striking again.  The coming days will tell.  

Jump Up, Jump Up and Get Down!

Twenty points to anyone who can identify the song that I used as my title....

And to what does it make reference???  Well, Jamey's new favorite toy, of course.

This past weekend, the three of us took a journey to Grammy and Hoopapa's house in West Virginia to celebrate their birthdays.  While there, they showed Jamey a bunch of new toys they had gotten passed down to him, one of which is often referred to as a "Johnny Jumper" or a "Jumpereroo" or simply, "That Jumpy Thing."  No matter what you want to call it, there is no denying that Jamey took to it immediately.  

I had been noticing for the past week, that Jamey is far happier when I sit him up against my leg or in his Bumbo, or hold him standing up.  He sees all the grown-ups running around and wants to be part of them.  And so, having this mechanism that allows him not only to "stand" on his own, but also jump around and move, is fantastic.  

The best part about it, he will happily sit in it for as much as an hour, which allows Glenn and me to run around the house fervently cleaning and doing the things we can't when we are holding him.  He wore himself out so much the other day that he literally fell asleep in his Jumperoo.  Now if only he would stay asleep when we lay him in his crib....  

But that's another blog entry.....

What is this talking machine??

Jamey has gotten very good at finding voices when they talk, but is often puzzled when he doesn't see a person to attach to the voice.  The other day, he thought the lamp was talking to him, when it was really the radio down below.  And today, he sat on Glenn's lap to call and wish Hoopapa (Glenn's dad) a Happy Day After Birthday.  Putting him on speaker phone, it became clear that Jamey could hear that his Hoopapa was somewhere, but all that he saw was this little machine in "Daddy's" hand.  So he just decided to grab that.

Jamey's Dance Partner

After four short months, Jamey is no longer the "baby" of the dance group.  It only took that short amount of time before someone else in the group had a baby.  For months, we  had been debating whether Bill and Lara would have a boy or girl, giving Jamey a dance partner to waltz with, or someone to fight with in the Bankltanz (where two guys plattl and fight over a bench).  And then, about a week ago, Leah Nicole was born.  

I was excited to meet her, as I know she will be a big part of Jamey's life, as he grows up.  Someone to pal around with at dance practice, someone to learn to dance with, and someone to just be a kid with, and get into trouble.  Jamey's second girlfriend-- after Katie, of course.  

On Monday, our group was invited to a Thank You early Thanksgiving dinner at our favorite 

local restaurant-- Euro Bistro.  We were all excited to get to meet Leah, and when I walked in and saw how tiny she was, my jaw dropped.  I 

believe she is 6 pounds and with a now 17 lb 5 oz baby, even I was in awe of her size.  Bill held her in one arm, as she slept in his arms.  As soon as he saw me, he said, "Where is her dance partner??"  I scooped a sleeping Jamey out of his carrier and we posed for a picture.  And let me just say, this picture makes Jamey look like a giant!  As Glenn says, it's funny to see me, who is pretty small in size, with a big baby, and Bill, who is a big guy, with such a tiny baby.   On top of that, as I say, it looks like Jamey could eat Leah!

But really, congrats to Bill and Lara, and I look forward to watching the two of them grow up and see if Leah ever catches up with Jamey in size.

Jamey's Part of History

Although I am a little late in posting this, Jamey went out and voted two days ago.  We had bought a onesie for him that said "Vote now", and he was over my shoulder as I cast my vote.  I must say I was a tiny bit disappointed that we didn't get to use the electronic touchscreens, as I was going to make Jamey push the last button to send the vote out, but it's okay.  He got his sticker anyway.

I have to say that having Jamey puts a whole new light on such a big election.  It is really cool knowing that a moment of history happened while he was alive, and he will be able to say in 20 years that he "voted"/ was there when Obama was elected.

    

The Two H's of the Fall: Homecoming and Halloween

For a baby, the fall has proven to be the most interesting time that there is.  Everywhere he looks, there are colors to see, sounds to hear, and crazy people to talk to.  Or perhaps the crazy people were just the members of our dance group.  Every morning, we take a walk around the neighborhood, and Jamey stares up at the trees and their many colors.  Where once was green, is now thousands of shades of orange, yellow, red, and brown.  

On top of that, fall is the time for Homecoming, whether it be in the high schools or at UVA.  Being in a county with 26 high schools, and with both of us teaching at one, Homecoming parades abound in the month of October.  And so, within three weeks, we enjoyed not one, not two, but three parades: Westfield, Centreville, and of course our local high school of Herndon.  

I must say, that the Herndon parade was by far the most impressive.  This wasn't just a parade for the high school.  It was a parade for the community, as throngs of kids marched through the main street in Old Town Herndon.  The Girl Scouts were there, the Boy Scouts were there.  Even the politicians showed up to shake hands and kiss babies.  And of course, every school in the area designed their own float, from the wee ones at the elementary school to the flat bed truck that carried the seniors from Herndon High.  What we expected to be a 20 minute stop on our way to the grocery store, turned into an hour of watching and listening.  All of which wore Jamey out, as he fell asleep in Glenn's arms.  The parade only reiterated to me how happy I am that we were able to find a place in this area.  Living in the Town of Herndon, there really is a sense of community and not just a huge amount of townhouses grouped together.

Jamey also got to experience Homecoming at UVA, as we went for a visit to show the Austrian teacher we are hosting what an American university looks like.  Although we couldn't get tickets to the football game, we say tons of people of all ages who once went to UVA.  On the way out of town, we stopped by the apple orchard that overlooks the city, and tried to make Jamey blend in with the pumpkins in the pumpkin patch.  Much to Glenn's chagrine, the Great Pumpkin didn't appear.  ;)

And of course, the season is capped off by the sweetest "H" of them all-- Halloween.  Although Jamey isn't quite old enough to understand what is going on, or why all this weird looking people are at the door, we had to dress him up.  Inspired by Jamey's Trogdor Dragon onesie, we decided that would be his costume.  At first we thought of putting it together ourselves, but in a recent trip to Target, we took the easy way out this year and bought him a costume.  That was a month ago, and we were relieved to see that the costume still fit him on Friday night.  

Dressed and ready to go, we marched up and down our street, visiting the few families that we know.  We also drove the five minute drive over to Katie's house to check out her costume.  She seemed to understand much better what was going on.  As we stood and talked to Jess, Jamey became cranky, and within seconds of me holding him in my arms, his head turned to deadweight on my shoulder.  And that was it for our trick-or-treating.  It was just past Jamey's bedtime.

Upon arriving home, I laid him on the couch while I ate some pizza, and when he woke up, I let his grabby fingers get ahold of the pumpkin that held his pile of candy, and watched him as he peered inside at the colors of the candy packages.  Sadly, we ran out of candy, and had to use Jamey's 

candy to give out to the kids who came around, so 

there will be no enjoyment of candy for him this year.  That's okay-- I will sacrifice and buy some candy to eat when we go out today.  That way, he will still get his dose of sweets!

The Amazing Grabbing Baby

In the past few weeks, Jamey has developed a habit of grabbing absolutely anything that is within reach.  If it is near him, he wants to grab it and not only that, he REALLY wants to try to stick it in his mouth.  Doesn't really seem to matter what it is; Jamey figures it must taste good.  Whether it is his burp cloth, the cord for the vacuum, a telephone cord, or just simply his entire fist, he is up for trying anything.  And while he doesn't seem to understand that you can't just eat any old thing, he has caught on to the fact that this stuff that Glenn and I are sticking in our mouths, is most certainly tasty.  

Often when we eat dinner, Jamey demands to sit on one of our laps.  So, naturally, we have become multi-taskers, capable of holding him on our laps as we eat with the other hand.  The other night, Glenn's salad bowl was within reach, and Jamey dipped his hand in to feel the slimey salad dressing.  And then, when we ate out at Corner Bakery, the plate was within reach and he slowly began hitting at the plate and moving it closer to the edge.  I didn't think I had to watch out for this stuff for another few months!  

Jamey is especially fond of giving his stuffed animals "kisses."  When laying on his back, I frequently sit his stuffed giraffe Carter on his belly.  He quickly flashes Carter a smile, reaches up and grabs her neck.  And then, he gets a little fresh with Carter.  Like I always say, "He is a big flirt."