Archives: November 2007
« October 2007 |
Main
| December 2007 »
We have let Teo test a few solid foods over the last few days. My parents always make fun of me because I don't like peas, so I thought it fitting that Mr. T's first foray into real food be in the form of peas. Mateo likes to feed himself, and he understands the concept of a spoon, more or less. If you hand him the spoon, he will grab it and put it in his mouth. Sometimes it's the middle of the spoon that makes contact, sometimes he grabs the spoon by the food-filled part, sometimes the handle is of most interest to him. It's a real free for all. In the end, Teo didn't get a whole lot of peas into his mouth, but it certainly was fun.
I am not planning on really serving him solids for a few more weeks, but giving him a taste here and there is a treat for both of us. Him, because he gets a whole new gastronomic experience. Me, because I laugh a lot. On Thanksgiving we tested out sweet potatoes, a small portion of which he actually swallowed. I am thinking some sort of fruit should be next.
Also, Teo is beginning to lose his hair. I am excited to see what comes in once this stuff is out. Baby wisps are pretty precious too, though.
New pics up on flickr, starting here:
Read more »My parents have started watching Teo whenever I go to my new job at the BigChainStore. I am happy with my BCS part-time gig thus far, but I am even happier that the babysitting thing seems to be working out. The first time I left Mateo alone with them, I was all worked up and my stomach was in knots. Never thought I would be that mom, but what do you know? There are lots of things you don't know about yourself until you are forced to discover them.
Mainly, Grandma and Grandpa have been successful at getting Teo to sleep and to eat -- the two biggest concerns of any parent. The other night, however, was apparently a bit tricky. While Teo was crying and crying, I am told that the dog went and picked up one of his toys (a stuffed rabbit) and brought it towards the baby. We think the dog was trying to comfort him. The cuteness is just too much for me.
Happy Thanksgiving to everybody. We are playing it mellow and I couldn't be happier about that. I feel like I have been non-stop for the last few days (10 or so) and I am looking forward to a calm day of food, dad's "projects" and repeating stories to my grandma. For when it gets to be too much, we are all going to watch "Hairspray" together. I've heard it's good...
Oh my God, Teo, you are a giant. We established this over the weekend when you met your tiny peanut of a cousin. As Grandpa said, "You were a baby on Friday and by the time the trip was over, you were a five year old." In comparison to her, you suddenly doubled in size, or so it seems.
You and I have been through some serious changes over this last month, and I have to give you credit for weathering the storm with a smile. And a giggle. Oh the giggles! We got a bunch of them in a row while Grandma, Grandpa, mama and you all shared a very cozy hotel room. You were doing the full belly laughs and just having a ball -- now I want every night to end on a laughing note. I would do almost anything for that chuckle.
But yes, you have been an amazing baby with all of the traveling and jostling around we have put you through. It seems that every time you fall asleep, I have to get you out of the car seat or the stroller or the wherever just to truck you along to our next stop. You have flown more in the last month than most people do in a year, and, short of a few crying spells just before you fall asleep, you have been an excellent little jet setter. Unfamiliar places and people are not of much concern to you, and I am happy to see that you are the kind of baby who smiles at strangers. This part of your personality seems to be exploding this month, and I can't wait to see more of who you are.
This past weekend, after meeting the peanut, I got a little nostalgic about those early days with you. I was telling your aunt that it seems like raising a baby is all about the difficult nights during those first few weeks, and then, somewhere along the line, it becomes about the daytime care. You are such an active and alert baby -- you want to get your hands into everything -- and this is only getting more and more pronounced as your coordination develops. I am exhausted much of the time, as just maintaining you on a lap is sometimes more work than holding you upright and walking around a room. The action just never stops with you, and I am building up some serious biceps. Did I mention that you are huge?
On Saturday, we taught you to make a little farting noise with your lips, and then Grandpa and I spent at least ten minutes doing it back and forth while you responded. Seeing you go from not knowing how to do something to putting on your I-can-do-this! face was pretty neat, and it makes me think you're going to be a pretty determined little muchacho. I can't wait to see what this month brings.
Your uncle is a great dad, and I loved seeing him interact with his own daughter as well as with you. I'll admit to getting a little sad about how things have worked out with your papa -- not for my sake but for yours. I know you are surrounded by amazing men in this family, but nobody can replace a dad. Not even a mom who is determined to do the most she can. I don't quite know what to do about this. I have an odd mixture of guilt and sadness over it, I guess I feel like I am already starting you off at a disadvantage. You're a tough kid and I know it, and I am trying to be tough for you, too.
I can see you are on your way to eating solid foods, sitting up, and all kinds of big-boy things. It amazes me to think how quickly you have grown. We have a bit of a rocky road ahead of us -- what with the newness of everything and all -- but I am so glad we are going down it together. You really are one amazing little guy.
Every morning, we wake up together and I look at your big brown eyes and say, "Good morning Mateo!' in a groggy but excited voice. You give me a huge, gummy grin and I get all gooey from your cuteness. Every. Single. Time. I don't think that's ever going to get old.
Mr T is not the least bit expressive. I think he gets his stoicism from his uncle.
Check out his lack of interesting faces starting here (a five part series):
Read more »My niece Eleanor Joyce was born yesterday afternoon and I am about to explode with the excitement of it all. She is so, so wee and absolutely beautiful. I got the call that she had arrived while I was driving, and I actually had to pull over and park to talk to my brother. The new mom and dad are both very tired but I could hear the happiness in my brother's voice (once my own squeeling stopped ringing in my ears). I won't post a picture as she's not my kid, but man oh man, she's a beaut.
Welcome to the world little Eleanor!
This neighborhood REALLY gets into Halloween. What a great place for Teo to spend his first one. Kids started stopping around about six, and an hour later, I had to take the dog out for a walk. It was so fun to work our way through the neighborhood, greeting the herds of little ones in their costumes. Their excitement was infectious, and many of them stopped to check out the baby or the dog.
"I know a dog named Rocky! He is skinny and very old!!!" one Jedi told me through his missing front teeth.
"Is that a Westie? My best friend has a Westie!!!" a young princess announced.
Before I knew it, my little trio was encircled by at least ten children, all shouting and jumping around. They shared the most random information with me, and a few moms took pictures of all of us. When the dog started growling and the baby started crying, I decided it was time to go, but it was fun chatting with them. Kids are awesome.
One other neat thing about this 'hood is that people sit out on their porches and front yards in folding chairs, some of them with little fires going. At least two or three houses were cooking hamburgers and hot dogs, huddled around their mini grills. For a moment, it made me so happy to be back in the US.
We hurried home and spent the rest of the evening out on the front porch, handing out candy and enjoying the unseasonably warm evening. By quarter to eight, Teo was ready for bed, so we stuck out a bowl of candy and headed upstairs to calm down from the night's excitement. That didn't work out so well, as the dog felt the need to bark at all the trick-or-treaters, but eventually he went to sleep and we closed up our first Halloween together. When I stepped out on the porch, the candy bowls were empty.
Read more »
