As I’ve mentioned before, with an infant, I dont so much feel like I’m doing much parenting. But there is one area that has begun to speed up, and I feel the pressure to do it right.
Introducing AJ to real people food makes me very nervous. I spend hours a day consumed with thinking about what I could/should feed him, looking for healthy snacks and meals, and wondering what in the world I’ll do when he doesnt drink bottles any more.
We were late to the baby food game, as he came home at 7 months and it took us a month to get situated before it even occurred to me that he should be eating solids. But, in 3 months, he’s gone from Stage 1 foods to Stage 3 foods. He definitely prefers the more textures jarred food, but most of all, he prefers to eat what we eat. Unfortunately, we eat a lot of very unhealthy things. So, I’m working on adjusting our menu to include things we can share with AJ, as well as looking for alternatives to feed him when we have our much needed fried food. I really want him to eat healthy and enjoy a variety of foods. Which means I’m asking for his habits to be the opposite of mine (and I realize how unlikely that is). But, I will try my best to eat better in front of him, and save the trips to McDonalds for my lunch breaks.
Aside from the move to chucky foods, AJ has recently started using a sippy cup. Though he’s very good at sipping through the straw, he seems to enjoy spitting it all back out instead of swallowing. We’ve tried water and a variety of watered down juice. At this time, he should be drinking 4 oz a day, but I’d say he swallows less than an ounce. So, we keep trying.
Next task, introducing a spoon and fork (for his use). Cause things werent messy enough already.

I’m no clean freak or anything… but I have to admit its a little disconcerting to pick up your son from daycare when he looks like this:

And that doesnt even capture it. There is food in the folds of his neck. His arms are covered in flaky dried food. And though you can only see the orange dinner he had, the beige lunch is there too. Whats funny, is that his teacher told me they were almost out of the disposable bibs I had provided… and I had assumed they weren’t using them because he always came home with food on his shirt.
Dont get me wrong… I’m quite pleased with AJ’s teachers and daycare. And I totally understand what a pain it is to clean off a fussy baby. But still.

Last night, Steve did his usual bedtime routine with AJ, and when he laid him down in his crib, he was wide awake. All nights previous, as soon as Steve would make his exit, AJ would stand up and cry (for less than a minute, but still). Last night, he just laid there, not a single sound. We both expected him to start crying at some point, but he did not. I am still amazed. But it must have been a fluke. I would be crazy to expect the same thing tonight.
Also, this morning, when I dropped AJ off at daycare, he fussed only for a moment. No real crying, just a general: “I’m not happy about this, but oh look, a ball!” I was stunned. And a little sad. Amazing what happens to your ego when someone stops caring if you’re there or not.
Well, the fishie shoes definitely won out. But, I’m gonna have to go with Angela. The neutralness of the doggy shoes definitely has some appeal. If I like them in person as much as I do online, the fishies wont be far behind. Or maybe AJ will just ask for them for his birthday…

Fall/winter is on the way. And AJ’s starting to walk. So, that means one thing. Shoes. Up until now, AJ has been a socks only baby, which they recommend for the first year. I’ve done some research and come across a brand I’m happy with (offering both support and flexibilty, at a reasonable price), but now I cant decide which pair to buy. Thank God I dont have a girl, their shoes are ten times cuter.
But, help me out: doggy or fishie?

AJ has taken my leaving him at daycare extra hard the past couple of days. I think he’s finally caught on that I will be leaving him there. Also, he’s sleeping in more in the AM, which doesnt leave us much time to spend together before saying goodbye. This morning, I tried staying around a bit longer, hoping to get him settled in with a fun toy, but he wasnt having it. As soon as I stood up to leave, he started screaming crying (complete with Silent Cry 2.0), like someone was burning his face off. Its very hard to leave your crying baby behind. Yesterday, they said he was in a pissy mood most the morning. He wouldnt eat breakfast, and didnt care to play outside. After his nap, they said he was in better spirits. They say it gets better, but for now, I just feel bad.
While this crying is entirely justified, there is something new that AJ has stopped enjoying, and we have no idea why. All of the sudden, AJ doesnt want to take a bath anymore. He stands outside of the tub, gleeful and babbling, but as soon as he’s in the water, he gets upset (yes, I’ve checked to make sure the temperature isnt off). Its very odd, since he enjoyed splashing in the bath so much. I cant recall a bad bath experience that would trigger this, either. So, for the time being, we’re taking showers. Which, I’m sure you’re all happy to know, means my personal hygiene is back to where it should be.
As I mentioned before, AJ is sleeping in more. I think its because daylight savings is on its way, and so its darker in the mornings. On one hand, I’m thankful that he’s getting more rest. On the other hand, I’ve been late to work everyday this week. And if I had one more hand… boy it sure is hard to get out of bed myself when its dark and your baby is still sleeping.