A Window Looking into Another World
Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Birth Announcements!
We received the proofs and copies of our newborn photos in the mail right before leaving for the holidays. I took some time this morning to create a birth announcement for Attison.
Here is a preview:
Here is a preview:
I expect to receive them mid January and mail them out. If you are not a relative of ours (with a few exceptions for close friends) and would like to receive a birth announcement, shoot me an email and I"ll be sure to add you to my list!
spaylor.raufer@gmail.com
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Face Time
Sometimes Mr. Boy makes silly faces:
He never smiles on cue:
So we return the favor, in turn:
JOKES!
We got 'em!
He never smiles on cue:
JOKES!
We got 'em!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas Post: One of (hopefully) Many
You would think that a post about Christmas would begin with Christmas Morning, or even Christmas Eve.
Begin at the Beginning, eh?
Nah, let's just cut to the evening...
After we were back at my parent's house, we realized that Attison (who loves trying out different arms to sleep in) had been asleep most of the day at the Raufer Christmas gathering.
So we decided to try to keep him awake a little past bedtime, lest he decide that the day after Christmas should start at 3:30am.
His Grandmother took this opportunity to help him count his toes.
Begin at the Beginning, eh?
Nah, let's just cut to the evening...
After we were back at my parent's house, we realized that Attison (who loves trying out different arms to sleep in) had been asleep most of the day at the Raufer Christmas gathering.
So we decided to try to keep him awake a little past bedtime, lest he decide that the day after Christmas should start at 3:30am.
17! Right on target!
So we giggled:
...well, we giggled. He just sat there with that smug look on his face.
Serious face!
And he shall be called...
As Advent has led to Christmas, and Christmas is now passing, and we look to the celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family, we have heard and heard again the reading from Isaiah 9:
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
The litany of names for the Lord prompted me to recollect the names we give to Attison (besides, obviously, Attison).
And so, in the days of Jenny's chew toys, in the land of Pittsburgh, he is called:
Buddy
Mr. Man.
Mr. Dude
Stinks.
Stank
Stinker
Boy (Mr. Boy)
Little
Sir Poops-a-lot
pooper
tooter
rooter tooter
Pretzel-Butt
Mr. Wiggles
Wigs
Chins
Poopsiclese
Bubbles
Squeaker
Dinosaur
Dipes (Short for Diaper-Man!)
we also address him by whatever article of clothing happens to have our (and/or his) attention at the moment
(for example: hey Mr. Socks).
or by whatever action he happens to be performing. (i.e. hello Yawns!)
or by whatever God-forsaken word happens to pop into our heads (especially in the middle of the night) (for example: Mr. Karate Tarts)
So, without further adieu, ladies and gents, I present Mr. Smiles:
Actually, when he gets that innocent, smug look ... he's probably pooping. Sorry.
But what really gets him relaxed, is Papa John:
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
The litany of names for the Lord prompted me to recollect the names we give to Attison (besides, obviously, Attison).
And so, in the days of Jenny's chew toys, in the land of Pittsburgh, he is called:
Buddy
Mr. Man.
Mr. Dude
Stinks.
Stank
Stinker
Boy (Mr. Boy)
Little
Sir Poops-a-lot
pooper
tooter
rooter tooter
Pretzel-Butt
Mr. Wiggles
Wigs
Chins
Poopsiclese
Bubbles
Squeaker
Dinosaur
Dipes (Short for Diaper-Man!)
we also address him by whatever article of clothing happens to have our (and/or his) attention at the moment
(for example: hey Mr. Socks).
or by whatever action he happens to be performing. (i.e. hello Yawns!)
or by whatever God-forsaken word happens to pop into our heads (especially in the middle of the night) (for example: Mr. Karate Tarts)
So, without further adieu, ladies and gents, I present Mr. Smiles:
Actually, when he gets that innocent, smug look ... he's probably pooping. Sorry.
But what really gets him relaxed, is Papa John:
... and his nose was made of cheese.
Around our house, we do a lot of diaper changing.
So Steph picked up a few of these arm and hammer odor neutralizers:
They're everywhere. (we got a ten pack).
And almost every time I see them, for a split second, I get excited because I think they are little cheeses:
::sigh::
Gets me every time!
(we'll keep you posted if I accidentally eat an air freshener.) (it could happen, especially in the middle of the night.)
So Steph picked up a few of these arm and hammer odor neutralizers:
They're everywhere. (we got a ten pack).
And almost every time I see them, for a split second, I get excited because I think they are little cheeses:
::sigh::
Gets me every time!
(we'll keep you posted if I accidentally eat an air freshener.) (it could happen, especially in the middle of the night.)
Sunday, December 23, 2012
You got questions, we got answers...
I thought I'd give some background as to how things roll around here at S Saint Clair a.k.a. Attison's house.
Where does Attison sleep?
Here:
Actually, as you can tell from the picture, he grew out of that napper, so now he sleeps on the elevated bottom of the pack and play, which serves as a bassinet.
Where does Attison hang out during the day?
Oh he has so many places to lay his little head. In the rock and play, the bouncer, the swing, the boppy pillow, the chest carrier, or in loving arms.
Where do you change his diapers?
As you saw above, there is a diaper changing station in the pack n play. We also have a desk downstairs with the goods on it. We have two cloth diaper laundry bags/bins that we dump the dirties in.
Did you ever fix all of your cloth diaper problems?
Yes. Well, no. Kind of. I think that some of the diapers that made it through our friend's two children have lost their diaperness. We've purchased some replacement diapers that seem to be working well. The main thing I've learned by reading online is that you just change them at least every 2 hours and they're less likely to leak. While traveling this weekend we have found that Attison cries when his diaper is wet, something he doesn't really do in cloth diapers. I could explain that more, but meh, who cares?
What size clothes is he wearing?
0-3 months, but barely. When he stretches his legs out it is easy to see he won't be wearing them too much longer. On to 3-6 mo.!
What other questions might you have for Attison?
Where does Attison sleep?
Here:
Where does Attison hang out during the day?
Oh he has so many places to lay his little head. In the rock and play, the bouncer, the swing, the boppy pillow, the chest carrier, or in loving arms.
Rock and Play
Bouncer
As you saw above, there is a diaper changing station in the pack n play. We also have a desk downstairs with the goods on it. We have two cloth diaper laundry bags/bins that we dump the dirties in.
Did you ever fix all of your cloth diaper problems?
Yes. Well, no. Kind of. I think that some of the diapers that made it through our friend's two children have lost their diaperness. We've purchased some replacement diapers that seem to be working well. The main thing I've learned by reading online is that you just change them at least every 2 hours and they're less likely to leak. While traveling this weekend we have found that Attison cries when his diaper is wet, something he doesn't really do in cloth diapers. I could explain that more, but meh, who cares?
What size clothes is he wearing?
0-3 months, but barely. When he stretches his legs out it is easy to see he won't be wearing them too much longer. On to 3-6 mo.!
What other questions might you have for Attison?
Friday, December 21, 2012
Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey...
As I mentioned earlier, I got sick last week. We thought it was food poisoning, but it wasn't. This horrible bug sets both ends on fire, exploding towards dehydration at an alarming speed. Then you remain wiped out and horribly dehydrated for much too long. It is like playing chicken with your stomach, trying to figure out when it is safe to drink again.
Katy (a roommate) got the same thing two days later. Then Tim got it. Then panic set in. What if Attison gets it? What about the other two roommates? I feel bad that the last two roommates not only had to watch us be sick, but that they are still being psychologically tortured, wondering if they will get it.
But this post isn't about sick, it is about milk. After I got sick, my milk started coming in less. I've been pumping so that someday, when I'm mentally prepared, I can leave Attison for more than an hour. After getting sick I was only able to pump 1 oz a day. I didn't realize how dehydrated I was though because it took 4 days until I was getting 3-4 oz again. Now our freezer is filling up, fast.
I seem to have a pretty healthy milk supply, so I've been thinking about donating to a milk bank. Unfortunately, not all women are able to produce enough milk for their babies. To some extent, you can do things like eat healthy and drink lots of water to increase your supply, but it isn't a one-size-meets-all solution. (We're not talking wet nurse here, I'll be shipping off bags of pumped milk)
A friend of ours pumps an extra 6 oz a day (which is a lot for those who don't know!) and donates to twins whose mother can't produce enough for her babies. She does it though a national bank that connects donors to local recipients via facebook.
Why all this fuss about breast milk you might ask? Why not just use formula? Well, breast milk is better for everybody. It is healthier for babies because it combines not only nutrients but antibodies from mom to protect from disease. Babies also benefit from skin-to-skin contact (also called Kangaroo care) that comes naturally with breastfeeding. They have even started putting on formula containers "G***** recommends breastmilk as the best start for babies." I feel kind of conflicted about that though, because although it is true and many people don't realize or care, there are plenty of mothers who know and understand, but just aren't able to breastfeed.
Well enough of that... If you are interested, here are a few links about the benefits of breastfeeding and Kangaroo care, plus the website about breastmilk donation.
This is Attison, the breast pump base (with the scary attachments removed so you don't have to make the mental picture of how it works) and a puddle of "mom didn't change my diaper first thing this morning so I peed in her bed."
Katy (a roommate) got the same thing two days later. Then Tim got it. Then panic set in. What if Attison gets it? What about the other two roommates? I feel bad that the last two roommates not only had to watch us be sick, but that they are still being psychologically tortured, wondering if they will get it.
I seem to have a pretty healthy milk supply, so I've been thinking about donating to a milk bank. Unfortunately, not all women are able to produce enough milk for their babies. To some extent, you can do things like eat healthy and drink lots of water to increase your supply, but it isn't a one-size-meets-all solution. (We're not talking wet nurse here, I'll be shipping off bags of pumped milk)
A friend of ours pumps an extra 6 oz a day (which is a lot for those who don't know!) and donates to twins whose mother can't produce enough for her babies. She does it though a national bank that connects donors to local recipients via facebook.
Well enough of that... If you are interested, here are a few links about the benefits of breastfeeding and Kangaroo care, plus the website about breastmilk donation.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/why-breastfeeding-is-important/
http://www.kangaroomothercare.com/
http://www.eatsonfeets.org/#about
http://www.kangaroomothercare.com/
http://www.eatsonfeets.org/#about
And as a final thought - although the milk flows around here, the honey doesn't. It's too cold and it crystallizes. The honey probably needs a blanket.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Theres too many blankets!!
In college, Tim lived in a big house on Andover Terrace with a bunch of crazies friends. We loved that so much that instead of buying a regular, old, single family house, we bought a big, old, single family house and have shared it with friends (and a few strangers) over these few years.
Please excuse the informality, I'm about to sum up 8 years and our chosen lifestyle and living arrangement in two paragraphs:
Some of our friends played instruments and started a band named it after the street - Andover Terrace. They had house parties and that the band played, which caused the setting you see below - the furniture was all removed from one of the living rooms so the band could have plenty of room to rock. There were blankets - many, many blankets, because it was pretty much always cold (no one wanted to/could afford to pay a high gas bill). Then there was this song:
A few things made it from Andover Terrace to S Saint Clair. Obviously, our sentiment for living in community with friends. Most of the furniture you see - the picture behind Patrick, the book cases, the foot rest. That blanket Miranda dances with, it's around here somewhere. The heat, well, we also keep it to a range of 64-67 degrees F. We also have too many blankets.
So our darling little infant child wears at least two layers all the time, not to mention his giant bowling ball of a diaper. He also gets covered in blankets when he sleeps alone, but usually feels the heat radiating off of one of the 5 people who take turns holding him. He, like us, is pretty comfortable with this temperature, as he has spent all but 9 of his days here in this house.
When we visit other people's houses, they usually keep their heat a bit higher, like at 70 or 72. So he probably doesn't need any blankets in those places. If he is napping, alone, on an inanimate object, sure, blanket him up. If his little fingers are cold, blanket him. If you are going to leave the front door open because you may or may not have been raised in a barn, blanket!! But other than that, discretion is advised. I can't tell you how many times I've agreed to let someone hold this boy and before they even touch him they say "do you have a blanket?"
Well, yes I have a blanket, what'sit to ya?
This little baby says "give me a friggin blanket!"
This little baby says "nah, I'm fine."
And this little baby says "ZzzzZzzzZzzzzzzzz...that feels just right."
Please excuse the informality, I'm about to sum up 8 years and our chosen lifestyle and living arrangement in two paragraphs:
Some of our friends played instruments and started a band named it after the street - Andover Terrace. They had house parties and that the band played, which caused the setting you see below - the furniture was all removed from one of the living rooms so the band could have plenty of room to rock. There were blankets - many, many blankets, because it was pretty much always cold (no one wanted to/could afford to pay a high gas bill). Then there was this song:
A few things made it from Andover Terrace to S Saint Clair. Obviously, our sentiment for living in community with friends. Most of the furniture you see - the picture behind Patrick, the book cases, the foot rest. That blanket Miranda dances with, it's around here somewhere. The heat, well, we also keep it to a range of 64-67 degrees F. We also have too many blankets.
So our darling little infant child wears at least two layers all the time, not to mention his giant bowling ball of a diaper. He also gets covered in blankets when he sleeps alone, but usually feels the heat radiating off of one of the 5 people who take turns holding him. He, like us, is pretty comfortable with this temperature, as he has spent all but 9 of his days here in this house.
When we visit other people's houses, they usually keep their heat a bit higher, like at 70 or 72. So he probably doesn't need any blankets in those places. If he is napping, alone, on an inanimate object, sure, blanket him up. If his little fingers are cold, blanket him. If you are going to leave the front door open because you may or may not have been raised in a barn, blanket!! But other than that, discretion is advised. I can't tell you how many times I've agreed to let someone hold this boy and before they even touch him they say "do you have a blanket?"
Well, yes I have a blanket, what'sit to ya?
This little baby says "give me a friggin blanket!"
This little baby says "nah, I'm fine."
And this little baby says "ZzzzZzzzZzzzzzzzz...that feels just right."
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Mobile Mobile part 2!
Monday, December 17, 2012
Jenny, revisited
Jenny the dog seems to be in a new stage of blatant disinterest in the boy. I think it might have started the day I accidentally told Attison we were "going for a car ride" which is a phrase Jenny takes to mean she is - well, going on a car ride. After being terribly disappointed that we walked out without her (she refused the treat I offered her in exchange), she looked out the window and was led to believe that we were taking the falcon on a car ride too. Yep, there was a falcon on our porch. (Or a hawk/falcon/owl, I don't know what the heck it was, but now that it is gone I don't care.) My main concern was not to let the bird thing eat the baby thing and hope Jenny doesn't actually come crashing through the window, snag the bird and eat it in my car while I drive her around.
Tim keeps trying to get Jenny interested in the baby again. There was awhile when Attison would cry and she would run frantically around trying to get everyone's attention in order to calm him. Now when he cries, she looks up from her place of rest as if to say "um, hello? The noise? Make it stop now."
She also has lost interest in his smells. For awhile I could count on Jenny to help me determine if the cloth diapers were actually wet or not, based on her level of interest. Now she will walk past a wet diaper and if caught sniffing it she quickly turns away and says "What? I don't even care about that, I can smell my own poop any time I want."
Next week we will be traveling for Christmas and I can only hope that the car ride and subsequent adventures in woods and back yards of relatives will remind her that we love her dearly, even though she has moved to #2 in our hearts. (#1dog though! #1 dog!!)
Tim keeps trying to get Jenny interested in the baby again. There was awhile when Attison would cry and she would run frantically around trying to get everyone's attention in order to calm him. Now when he cries, she looks up from her place of rest as if to say "um, hello? The noise? Make it stop now."
Next week we will be traveling for Christmas and I can only hope that the car ride and subsequent adventures in woods and back yards of relatives will remind her that we love her dearly, even though she has moved to #2 in our hearts. (#1dog though! #1 dog!!)
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Attison's first Blower Door Test.
The first time I read an article in a magazine about the up-and-coming field of energy audits, I was working for Glenn, and was a few months into my home inspection apprenticeship.
I remember thinking, "This is all the stuff that Glenn talks about that I can't find in traditional textbooks!"
And so began a slow and steady descent into the murky, uncharted waters of the home energy evaluation fields. I say uncharted because energy audits didn't exist 50 years ago, or 30 years ago. Or depending where in the world you found yourself, maybe as recently as 10 - 20 years ago.
And the last 5 - 10 years have seen this field ballooning. Blower door tests. Thermal Imaging. Infrared cameras. Weatherization. Air Sealing. PassivHaus. RESNet. BPI. They're still writing the book(s).
So, as I have watched this field unfold and spill over into my areas of interest (home inspections, remodeling, fancy tools, etc), I have begun to chart my own path to participation. It may not be long in the future that I decide to add Home Energy Audits to the repertoire of our inspection company. (It would be very similar to some of the consulting we now do, but with fancier tools, and more quantitative suggestions.)
I don't know when I heard about the Building Performance Institute (BPI), but around 2 years ago I decided that they are the real deal when it comes to credentialing. This was a conclusion I reached mostly by interacting with people who were BPI certified, and by obtaining a copy of the text used in their courses (Residential Energy by John Krigger and Chris Dorsi). A book that quickly earned a permanent spot on the night stand.
So maybe someday we won't remember a time when houses were drafty and uncomfortable and expensive to heat and cool, and sometimes even prone to making us ill.
Well, maybe Attison won't remember those things because before he even knew it, he was at an energy audit.
This picture was taken Saturday evening. I was fortunate to get to drop in on an energy audit for a woman I met through mutual friends in the neighborhood. The woman performing the audit was coincidentally a past client of Glenn's, and has been encouraging to me over the course of several interactions in the past few years.
The house being audited was a property I had inspected 2 years ago when a local developer snatched it off the auction block. The renovations to said property, for said friend, were performed by a guy named Mike. I met Mike in college, when he was doing campus ministry. He got me connected to several local contractors and to Habitat for Humanity. In the summer of 2005, I helped him frame the house he and his family now live in. He taught me a lot about being funny.
We told Attison to monitor the pressure reading, while we walked around looking for air leaks, and scanning the walls with an infrared camera.
"OK, Dad."
So it looks like the second week of 2013 I will drop the dime and sit for the 6 day BPI certification class. I am excited, but I know the class will demand more of my time and attention than I have had to give to anything recently, since Attison was born. A flexible work schedule is the biggest blessing I've known. That, and the great gift of being able to do work that I enjoy. I hope Attison finds the same.
I remember thinking, "This is all the stuff that Glenn talks about that I can't find in traditional textbooks!"
And so began a slow and steady descent into the murky, uncharted waters of the home energy evaluation fields. I say uncharted because energy audits didn't exist 50 years ago, or 30 years ago. Or depending where in the world you found yourself, maybe as recently as 10 - 20 years ago.
And the last 5 - 10 years have seen this field ballooning. Blower door tests. Thermal Imaging. Infrared cameras. Weatherization. Air Sealing. PassivHaus. RESNet. BPI. They're still writing the book(s).
So, as I have watched this field unfold and spill over into my areas of interest (home inspections, remodeling, fancy tools, etc), I have begun to chart my own path to participation. It may not be long in the future that I decide to add Home Energy Audits to the repertoire of our inspection company. (It would be very similar to some of the consulting we now do, but with fancier tools, and more quantitative suggestions.)
I don't know when I heard about the Building Performance Institute (BPI), but around 2 years ago I decided that they are the real deal when it comes to credentialing. This was a conclusion I reached mostly by interacting with people who were BPI certified, and by obtaining a copy of the text used in their courses (Residential Energy by John Krigger and Chris Dorsi). A book that quickly earned a permanent spot on the night stand.
So maybe someday we won't remember a time when houses were drafty and uncomfortable and expensive to heat and cool, and sometimes even prone to making us ill.
Well, maybe Attison won't remember those things because before he even knew it, he was at an energy audit.
This picture was taken Saturday evening. I was fortunate to get to drop in on an energy audit for a woman I met through mutual friends in the neighborhood. The woman performing the audit was coincidentally a past client of Glenn's, and has been encouraging to me over the course of several interactions in the past few years.
The house being audited was a property I had inspected 2 years ago when a local developer snatched it off the auction block. The renovations to said property, for said friend, were performed by a guy named Mike. I met Mike in college, when he was doing campus ministry. He got me connected to several local contractors and to Habitat for Humanity. In the summer of 2005, I helped him frame the house he and his family now live in. He taught me a lot about being funny.
We told Attison to monitor the pressure reading, while we walked around looking for air leaks, and scanning the walls with an infrared camera.
"OK, Dad."
So it looks like the second week of 2013 I will drop the dime and sit for the 6 day BPI certification class. I am excited, but I know the class will demand more of my time and attention than I have had to give to anything recently, since Attison was born. A flexible work schedule is the biggest blessing I've known. That, and the great gift of being able to do work that I enjoy. I hope Attison finds the same.
It's 5 o'clock somewhere...
It is 3:30am. I'm feeding the boy. He woke up around 3, ate and "fell asleep at the wheel" so I put him back to bed. He then grunted, groaned, cooed, spit up and basically made funny sounds until about 5 minutes ago when he turned his noises into little cries. I guess he couldn't sleep, so now he has decided he is hungry again.
He isn't actually eating though. He is now making slurping and other weird noises, wiggling out of his swaddle and being generally cute. All are endearing baby traits, except it is 3:35 am, not the time for the cuteness.
This is only the 2nd time awake tonight, so we are making progress. We brought Attison home from a friend's, we had a little dinner party tonight. Kara, Dan, Tim, Attison and I went to dinner at Zach, Melissa and Brynn's house. Brynn was born November 12 so she and Attison got to stay up late tonight and have a squock off. (Is squock a word? Autocorrect says no, but who can spell at this hour?)
So anyway, he fell asleep in his car seat around 9:00 and I let him sleep in it until midnight when woke up in a panic from a dream where he wiggled himself out of his car seat in a shopping mall. So he ate at midnight. If I'm lucky he will sleep until 7:30, but that is optimistic.
He us back in bed and grunting again. I am getting used to being up multiple times per night, but always prefer the cry, eat, back to sleep in 15 minutes feedings, not these hour long squock fests. Especially now that I am awake enough to seek an alternate task (like writing a blog post) rather than close my eyes and wish for a fast flowing tranquilizer-like milk.
And now he is asleep. Tim, Attison and Jenny are all breathing softly and rhythmically, the perfect time for me to pray thankfully for each of them and drift happily back to sleep. Goodnight sweet blogosphere. Thanks for tuning in, go have a margarita, or some warm milk.
He isn't actually eating though. He is now making slurping and other weird noises, wiggling out of his swaddle and being generally cute. All are endearing baby traits, except it is 3:35 am, not the time for the cuteness.
This is only the 2nd time awake tonight, so we are making progress. We brought Attison home from a friend's, we had a little dinner party tonight. Kara, Dan, Tim, Attison and I went to dinner at Zach, Melissa and Brynn's house. Brynn was born November 12 so she and Attison got to stay up late tonight and have a squock off. (Is squock a word? Autocorrect says no, but who can spell at this hour?)
So anyway, he fell asleep in his car seat around 9:00 and I let him sleep in it until midnight when woke up in a panic from a dream where he wiggled himself out of his car seat in a shopping mall. So he ate at midnight. If I'm lucky he will sleep until 7:30, but that is optimistic.
He us back in bed and grunting again. I am getting used to being up multiple times per night, but always prefer the cry, eat, back to sleep in 15 minutes feedings, not these hour long squock fests. Especially now that I am awake enough to seek an alternate task (like writing a blog post) rather than close my eyes and wish for a fast flowing tranquilizer-like milk.
And now he is asleep. Tim, Attison and Jenny are all breathing softly and rhythmically, the perfect time for me to pray thankfully for each of them and drift happily back to sleep. Goodnight sweet blogosphere. Thanks for tuning in, go have a margarita, or some warm milk.
Friday, December 14, 2012
A bottle!
Yesterday, thanks to a lovely bout of food poisoning, Attison and Tim
made some progress in their father son relationship. Tim fed Attison
his first (and second) bottle!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
My eyes!
This might just look like a baby in a swing, but you might notice how he is looking at me, taking a picture. Moments before he was laughing at those absurd rhinoceroses giving piggy back rides. Attison is looking at more than lights these days!
I did get some photos of him looking at the rhinos, but they are on the camera. Stay tuned for more!
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Christmas shopping
Attison went Christmas shopping with Sarah, Leslie and I on Saturday. We had a good day, shopping with an infant in a stroller is not easy. Those isles were not intended for a large stroller that "does not handle well." (This is according to Tim who ran back and forth from the front to the back of our house with said stroller) Also, after 5 weeks of using cloth diapers, we agreed paper were easier for traveling. So what did I forget? Every kind of diaper. Oops.
On another note...I am thankful for the big stroller though, you should have seen some of the dinkey crapola other kids were in. Did they fit in the stores? Yes. Do they have side impact protection? No.Could they cut corners of the concrete sidewalk of the outlet mall? Nope. Could they have exited the jam packed indoor mall as quickly as we did? No way. Are those kids mom's a ticking time bomb about to punch a small child ringing a salvation army bell? Probably not. In summary, our stroller rocks, mom, who can drive a stroller like a NASCAR driver, is working on her anger management and probably doing the rest of her shopping online (for the rest of eternity).
Bring it on bear...
Attison is Fulton county proud. He has his camo on, just chillin on a bear skin.
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