6 months, and growing...a lot!

Our little guy is now a little older then 6 months old, how did this happen? Where did the time go?  Did I miss anything he has done? No well it all goes by so fast (as everyone has warned) and everyday brings something new.  It seemed like yesterday he was just a little peanut that we met in PA and now he is 6 months old, eating food and being messy and learning new things everyday.  Sometimes I wish things would hurry along like walking and talking (and sleeping lots) but these things will come in time and when they do I am sure they will be great.  For now I am enjoying the little milestones (or not) like sitting up and holding himself up on his arms.  Just yesterday it was 70 degrees and he was in shorts and 3 month clothes then one day he was too big for the 3 month clothes and now is in 6-9 month clothes, what happened?  The other thing I guess we weren't prepped for was the weather.  It was 70 degrees then one day it turned cold.  What  I didn't realize that day was James didn't have colder weather clothes that fit him!!  It was one of those things that didn't cross my mind because I just wear clothes from last season usually so I don't have to always buy new clothes!  This is going to fun since he is growing like a weed and seems to constantly need new clothes.  The good side is he doesn't care what he wears, and you know can can mismatch clothes and not care and well I don't care that much either if the socks don't match the shirt!  Plus as a boy the color choices seem to be limited to browns, grays, blacks, blues, reds and greens. They all match so its easy.  Occasionally an orange stripe will get thrown in but who cares, he spits up on them he isn't walking around yet, he is just 6 months old!  

recall on products or parents?

I am a new parent I admit I don't know everything.  I gladly admit that everyday is a new learning moment for me.  The one thing I feel I do have a grasp on is when something is MY fault and when something is the fault of a poor design.  When I put my child into a product or even on a raised surface he is not alone, ever.  The reason is because he is a wiggly, moving, bouncing, rolling, drooling child. If he was as limp as a rock and had no movement what so ever I think I would be more concerned with that then why a product is designed poorly.

I give you exhibit a.  This is an ACTUAL warning label from the Bumbo which is a hard foam seat which a baby sits in.  If I could draw your attention to the fourth line which reads "NEVER LEAVE YOUR BABY UNATTENDED."  Wait maybe for a min or so?  No just don't leave your baby unattended plain and simple.  There is a recall because babies wiggled and fell out of this seat.  Let's look at the warning clearly printed on the seat itself (its actually printed in two different places) "AS THE SEAT IS NOT DESIGNED TO BE TOTALLY RESTRICTIVE AND MAY NOT PREVENT RELEASE OF YOUR BABY IN THE EVENT OF VIGOROUS MOVEMENT."  Is it not clear or is it just me?  I read this as, "Hey your baby can get out of this thing, just don't leave him unattended."

Here is an example of some definitely unsafe toys (it will take you to a clip on Hulu just so you know) Watch it, it's funny.

End of parental Rant.

Orange foods...5 months

Squash

So here he is just 5 months old and trying to use a spoon.  James is getting really big!  We have mastered 4 different green foods; peas, beans, spinach and avocado.  We moved onto orange foods and he has done really well.  We are on the third orange food and he has had no problem with the other two.  I realize they are more sweet then the green foods.  I just have a feeling that he is just loving food.  I am going to be trying new veggies as we go and not move onto fruit until we have mastered some yummy new veggies.  I really want my kid to love veggies and healthy food. I realize biologically he is not my child but I am raising him and he is my child in my heart and soul.  I want him to reach for the healthy snacks for and ask me for veggies and fruits as snacks before he asks for candy and fast food.  At times there will treats and we will get there when the time comes but I want to raise a kid who knows healthy vs non-healthy.  I was raised on garden veggies and fresh fruit and I know the difference between the two.  Whether I eat healthy that is a choice that I make everyday.  I try best I can to eat healthy maybe 90% of the time, but I slip occasionally.  I want him to know that an occasional something bad for you is okay, and it is a treat not something you eat everyday.  Well for now we will stick with pureed veggies and go from there!  

...greens...

So as I am typing this I feel like it is an instruction manual.  I mean I have nephews, I have been a teacher of small children, I even have many classes in undergrad that I learned about early childhood lifespan, but I feel a lot of that was taking care of other peoples children, not mine.  So now I am writing my own chapter of the parenting book, or I should correct it and say Jeremy and I are writing the chapter together.  The past two weeks have been cereal, cereal, cereal, rice and oatmeal.  Now it's time for the veggies.  Conflicting information I am finding though, fruit first? veggies first? will he like the veggies if you start with fruit? will he eat anything else if you give him fruit first?  I have one person saying applesauce first to get him used to eating, and then someone says no do sweet potatoes, no do pears because they are better for digestion.  Well I say pishaw!  We are doing veggies: greens, yellows, oranges.  THEN fruit light to dark.  The only hole I see in this logic is what is considered a "green veggie."  I have read peas, beans (both are legumes not necessarily a veggie.  When I think green I think Spinach, broccoli, kale, collards.  They will come but not right now I guess.

  So here he is happy as a clam with a face full of peas!  Day one down and so far a lot better then the cereal. I hope because these things actually taste like something and not just bland old cereal.

Here we grow again!

SO here we are in month four aren't we stinkin cute???  James is growing like a weed and we couldn't be happier.  This picture was taken last week in his new outfit from Uncle Dom and Aunt Carrie, fitting since I grew up in Maine and I love Lobster, let's hope my love of Lobster transfers to James!  Anyways the summer has been way hot and I feel bad for the little guy hangin out in just a diaper, not loving the heat, he wasn't eating very well for a spell.  I think it all had to do with the heat but still as a new parent I was concerned!  One concern was that he fit so nicely in 3 month clothes when he was only 2 months old and then at 4 months the 6 month clothes were way to big!  Is he not growing? What is going on?  Then he started fitting in them and the world is right again.  James is a happy baby and so easy going we couldn't be luckier.  He is back to his healthy appetite and at his 4 month checkup was given the okay to start solids!  Yay rice cereal! 

Which brings us to the next picture. Yup Rice face.  This was the first day on rice.  He was curious, he took the bite and then took another and another.  The first day he nearly finished the bowl! I was a tad surprised.  Then the next day a different story, but were persistent and he ate the rice for 5 days. Then came the Oatmeal cereal, woo doggies same thing, didn't love it, but ate it.  I think he is ready he is ready for some real food.  We are going with the Barley next and I am sure he is not going to like honestly because it's barley...who likes barley??  A confession that I must make is that he already has tried some veggies, and honestly didn't spit them out and in fact was a little happy when I gave it to him.  Good thing it will be on the menu soon.  Avocado!  Do I have a little primal dude on my hands?  Avocado! This is one of my FAVORITE foods!  I am hoping he will like anything we give him, but if he doesn't like some "odd" foods, I won't push the subject. As long as he tried different foods and doesn't whine when presented with something simple and easy I am okay.  I realize as a family we eat some strange foods that I didn't even eat as a kid so hopefully he will follow suit and just try them.  I know I was a good eater as a kid and I believe Jeremy was too and we were exposed to a wide variety of foods, and now our variety has been expanded even more!  Only time will tell and we will keep at it hopefully winning the battle as parents!


On a different note: sleep...Ferberizing starts next week, I realize its a controversial topic, but daddies gotta sleep and James gotta learn to sleep better! I'll post more on that as it unfolds... 

"I wish to have a Happy and Healthy baby"

When we started our journey into the throws of adoption it was VERY over whelming.  So many things wen through my head.  Every possible scenario I could think of came to mind.  What if we don't get picked, what if we are bad parents, what if we get an ugly baby (sad but I think everyone thinks it,) what if our baby has a ton of health problems, lots of what ifs and not a lot of "I will love this baby with all my heart no matter what."  I think the negative was coming out because of the fact that we were a same sex couple so we would get looked over a lot.  

Well one day Jeremy and I went to this art installation in NYC at the New Museum and there was an installation about wishes, hopes and dreams.  Basically you would write down on a piece of paper a wish you have for yourself, someone else, or the world and then you would put it in a slot and take one of the pre-printed wishes.  There were probably 10 or so different ones to take, all ranging from curing cancer, to spending time with someone special, finishing college to "I wish to have a happy and healthy child."  So I wrote down my wish (I don't remember what it was" and took the ribbon out and put it in my wallet.  At the same time Jeremy was writing his wish and did the same thing.  We didn't tell each other which one we took but after we left we revealed that we had taken the same wish.  So we needed a place to put our wishes.  I always remember the horse shoe for good luck hanging over a door, or a mezuzah with the prayer in each room, or even a crucifix hang somewhere, so we picked two different locations and will take them down either when they crumble and disintegrate or we take know he is happy and healthy for sure.  We put one by the door we always come in from the outside which happens to be the backdoor and wrapped it around the banister.  The other we put on the door frame of our spare bedroom which eventually will be James's bedroom.  

For now he is happy and healthy and I am thinking the way things are going we don't have anything to worry about!

Back to work

So today I am going to work. I have been doing work from home with James close by and I have even brought him to an appointment that I had where I met an evaluator at Starbucks to discuss a device. Today though I am going without him. Jeremy went back to work pretty much when we came home from PA and I haven't thought anything of it, but now it's my turn. I have almost turned into a stay at home dad and sometimes I wish I could, but I think I would go nuts! At this stage where James is still little and just kind of wiggling around and needs me to hold him a lot and sleeps and eats and poops it is nutso, and I am getting quickly bored with laying on the floor or having tummy time. Don't get me wrong I am enjoying every min of it, but it's kind of like ground hog day, get up have a bottle, change a diaper, have a nap, play on the floor. I am excited for and dread the day he starts walking and can go on walks by himself. Anyways today I left and something happened, usually he has been waking up around midnight, gets swaddled and the is back to bed until 2:30/3am where he has a bottle and then asleep for another few hours and I get him out of his crib around 6:30. Well today he was still asleep at 6:30, and 7am...and 7:15...then he got up. My sisters are here for a few days so I can do some work and one of them got him up and dressed and I kissed I'm goodbye and left. I can't wait to get back home and see him! It's the first time with and "all day" babysitter,but he is in the capable hands of my sisters who have raised their own children and know what to do so I feel good, although I miss him terribly!