Crawling, sitting, teething, oh my!

Disclaimer: I have been having a terrible time with the videos in this post, so it has taken me more than a week to get this published. I hope the videos work, especially after all the trouble they have given me!

It has been a whirlwind the last few weeks in the Lindley abode. Griffin is going and growing like crazy and doesn't leave much time for me to post updates. I have months of photos that I need to sort and update to our photo site, but decided a blog entry would be quicker and an easier task to tackle during nap time.

Speaking of nap time... I think Griffin is trying to reduce to one nap a day and I am SO NOT READY! As soon as we get into a rhythm he goes and changes the status quo. He certainly keeps me on my toes! The good news is that when he does nap, it's usually for 2-3 hours and that's not bad. Still, I just don't think a child who's only 8.5 months old should only take one nap a day. That's growing up too fast! A sentiment that I'm sure I will repeat again.

A few weeks ago (right around the time of his 8 month birthday), Griffin took his first few tentative crawl-steps and has since advanced to speed crawling. John and I joke that he's a racing baby (think "racing snail" from The Never Ending Story). I have posted a video below from day 2 or 3 of him crawling when he was still going at a manageable speed.

I took the next video more recently.

So fast (at least to me)! Oh, and you got to experience his squealing. He does that a lot these days...

Griffin is so much happier now that he can move on his own. He was a happy baby before, so now I guess he is ecstatic! John and I enjoy his mobility too. Last night when John came home from work, Griffin dropped his toys and immediately crawled across the living room to greet Daddy - SO CUTE! Griffin loves to chase me around the house and especially enjoys trying to catch my feet. He giggles endlessly when he corners one of my feet & tries to hold it down with both of his hands. This little game we play has made me cognizant to look down before walking since I never know when he will be underfoot.

Did you notice all the baby gates in the background of the videos? We have also installed outlet covers, moved all the houseplants to higher ground, removed cords, electronics, etc and yet every time I turn my back or leave the room (for even a brief moment) Griffin has found something he shouldn't be playing with. I feel like all the dangerous stuff is out of his reach (I dearly hope), so instead he goes for flip-flops or floor rugs. Neither of which I want him chewing on, but I have started telling myself "It could be worse."

On the same day Griffin figured out crawling he also figured out how to get himself into a sitting position. I didn't expect this achievement to fill me with such pride - but it did. Then again, I still praise him for burping and farting so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Griffin is still a great little eater and is filling out as a result. This week we started on protein with chicken (he LOVES his chicken & brown rice) and I am making many of his veggie puree's a little chunkier to get him ready for different textures. He now has one tooth (a tiny little thing that just a few weeks ago poked out from his bottom gum), so my next baby-culinary-adventure will be to make teething toasts. The toasts are supposed to be multifunctional both helping relieve some teething pain and teaching him how to feed himself. I'm excited for his exploration of new food, but I have a feeling that our days of relatively mess-free eating are near an end.

Griffin: solid food & other updates

Wow. I have been terrible about posting and there have been so many changes in the last few months! So here's a quick update...

Griffin is eating "people food" (as I call it) and loving it. He started with rice cereal at 5 months, and after his 6 month check-up was given the green light for everything else. I decided to make his food myself both to save money and to have discretion over the quality of ingredients. I also like to cook, and do almost every night for John and I, so it just made sense to cook for Griffin as well. I make batches of Griffin's food and freeze it in ice cube trays. That way I can pop out a few cubes each morning for his daily menu. I bought a cook book to help guide me (Cooking Light First Foods: Baby Steps to a Lifetime of Healthy Eating) and really like it.

So far Griffin has tried & enjoyed the following:

• peas
• carrots
• prune juice
• butternut squash
• bananas
• green beans
• apple juice
• avocado
• broccoli
• sweet potatoes

At first he wasn't too thrilled about the peas, but that was the first "people food" he tried and has since enjoyed them. Overall he is a great eater, but there is something that he really dislikes: beets. He shivered when I fed them to him and made a gagging face that I was sure would lead to vomiting. Luckily he didn't throw up, but now I have all these frozen beet-cubes that I have to mix in with other foods so he will eat them up! I do love introducing him to new veggies and fruits, and you win some, you lose some I guess!

Here's Griffin enjoying his peas!

Griffin is still on the small side, but he's been consistently small since we took him home from the hospital (hovering around the 5th percentile) so his doctor isn't worried. I was worried though, and decided to stop breast feeding at 6 months partly because I didn't enjoy it, and because I felt more comfortable knowing exactly how much he was eating at each feeding.

Other new developments for Griffin include sitting when placed in a sitting position (he still doesn't know how to get into a sitting position on his own, but will sit for a LONG time when placed there), and blowing raspberries. Griffin doesn't crawl yet, but he finds ways to move around just a little nonetheless. Most of his locomotion is based on rolling and squirming - and most of it is done when he is incredibly upset. He does this funny thing when on his tummy where it looks like he is trying to swim through the air. He balances on his belly and does the breast stroke - complete with frog-kick! I keep thinking he will start crawling any day now, but who knows.

In addition to his "outgoing smile," "shy smile" and myriad of upset faces, he has added sucking on his lower lip to his repertoire of facial expressions. This new maneuver makes him look like an old man especially since he still hasn't had any teeth break through. He's been chomping on his hands and drooling a bunch for 4 months now - pretty much since colic ended. He actually chews on his hands so hard that it makes a squeaking noise as if he were chewing on rubber, but has no pearly whites to show for it.

We were doing better with sleeping through the night a while back, but not so well in the last few days. Just a few weeks back, Griffin was sleeping from 7 or 8pm to 6am with a feeding in the late evening around 10pm. Now however, he has reverted back to waking around 2:30-3:30am sometimes, much to John and my chagrin. We try to let him cry through it, and sometimes he will fall back asleep, but wakes again less than an hour later. It's possible a series of trips have thrown him off, or perhaps he is getting ready to go through a growth spurt. Not really sure what the deal is there, but I am looking forward to figuring it out and getting continuous sleep again. His day time naps have improved immensely since the introduction of "people food" 2.5 months ago, and now his average nap is anywhere from 1 - 2.25 hours long! He only naps twice a day now and is much better at falling to sleep, but still fusses at least a little (sometimes a lot) every time.

I started using sign language with Griffin at about 5.5 months, but he hasn't started signing back. He thinks it is funny when I sign to him and giggles often, but at least he is paying attention! I am not sure he possesses the fine motor skills to sign yet, but I have to remind myself often to provide motivation for him to sign back as well. It's so much easier to guess at what he wants, rather than stop, ask him (verbally while signing), and wait for a response. Hopefully he will start signing soon; I think it will make things better for everyone.

I think that's all for now, but if we have a sudden break-through you might hear from me again soon!

Feet; Griffin's favorite treat!

Griffin found his feet a few weeks back. I found his feet months ago and have been kissing them and mock-chewing on them for what feels like years! But G found them just recently (probably 'cause we use cotton diapers with a bulky water-proof wrap that makes them mostly inaccessible), and now his feet are one of his favorite things to put in his mouth. Many, many things go in his mouth these days, but his feet are by far his favorite!

Here's a little video of him chomping on his feet while I was changing him the other day.

Enjoy!

Griffin officially rolls over!

Let's back up...

Griffin first rolled over on Mother's Day (what a gift to me, ya?), but we chalked it up to him being in the slimmer disposable diapers on that trip to Texas (where we spent mother's day weekend. So much fun!). Usually G is in cloth diapers with a plastic-type cover that makes him have a serious booty! But on our trip to Texas both John and I refused to drag dirty diapers back to CA from a 5 day trip, so he got to be in disposables - & he got to roll over for the VERY first time!

The night of Mother's Day he rolled over 3 times in a row from belly to back (2 of which I was in the room to see!). However, after our trip to Texas we had not seen him roll for many weeks. That was up till last Thursday at the River Cats Game (Griffin's first baseball game & a AAA MIBL baseball team that we try to frequent here in West Sacramento as often as possible). We bought lawn tickets, which we usually do - lots of families, lots of space and a great price - and had Griffin laid out on his belly facing up-hill on the blanket. He rolled over a few times that night - which then we attributed to him being on a hill.

But today... today, he rolled over several times - while not on a hill & while in his big diapers! John would still like me to put in a disclaimer that he is "learning and not a master" but I think with babies that goes without saying for all of their firsts. Heck, not just babies, but all of us! The first time any of us do anything new we are still learning, and after we do things a couple of times in a row we then feel comfortable enough to tell people about it. I guess that is where we are at today.

Griffin rolls. He's not a master - and we have no idea when he will do it again, but we feel comfortable enough to share his accomplishment with everyone & we are so excited for what comes next!

Nobel prize here we come! Or maybe a mommy & me class would be a better place for me to set my sights!

A new baby

It has been a rough couple of months since Griffin's birth. Nothing out of the ordinary I imagine, but still much different than I expected. I must note that all my reading and the advice of parents around me warned that things would be crazy, but until you've lived through the "4th trimester" as my Doctor called it, you really won't know what to expect!

To start with, for the first 2 weeks after we came home from the hospital Griffin would not sleep unless he was lying on someone. This meant that we would take shifts throughout the night sitting in the recliner with Griffin nestled next to our tummy on our lap. At first I thought it was sweet that he needed us so much; that he was so utterly dependent on us for everything - even sleep. But after a couple of weeks of sleep in 1 and 2 hour increments, the novelty wore off.

Then Griffin started suffering from colic (actually we all suffered from his colic). The incessant screaming was the worst - and not because I dislike a screaming baby, but because Griffin was obviously crying in pain and there was nothing I could do about it. I felt inadequate and powerless to help my tiny child, as well as overwhelmed, unsure, and terrified that I would some how break my baby. I am told that much of my feelings were normal first-time-parent responses, but that is small comfort when you're unable to sleep because of the fear that SIDS will claim your child, or after several days of nursing your baby every 2 hours or less. One of the only things that gave me comfort during the 3 crazy months postpartum was the reminder that nothing lasts forever. Now with the benefit of hindsight, and all the things we tried and learned during those months, I can understand why people say the next child will be easier... I can hardly imagine it being worse! (And now I have probably jinxed myself!)


It wasn't all screaming and sleepless nights though. Griffin did learn to smile very early on. At 4 weeks I began to see him smile, though I thought perhaps it was a grimace. But by 5 weeks it was obvious he was smiling, and those smiles couldn't have come sooner. His cute grin helped me keep my sanity! After a long day of constantly holding, rocking, and consoling my screaming little cherub, a smile would dance across his face and erase all my sorrow and frustration. His smiles gave me a glimpse of happier times in our future, and boy, was that glimpse sweet!


We also got to experience our baby's first surgery at 6 weeks of age - so much fun! (That was sarcasm if you couldn't tell.) One day during a diaper change I noticed a bump above Griffin's genitals that looked suspiciously like a hernia. Turns out it was an inguinal hernia which is very common in boys of all ages and specifically in babies (as if that fact makes it any easier for a new mom to deal with, ya know?). A few days after the diagnosis I carried my little baby boy back through the doors of the hospital where he was born so that he could undergo surgery. This surgery is very common, however with all surgeries there are always risks; some due to anesthesia, and in this case the surgeon had to be very sure not to nick any of the tiny veins & tubes otherwise poor Griffin might loose one or both of his testes (and before he could even use them!). But the surgeon did great and everything remained intact for use on a later day.

Griffin's surgery recovery was quick, but I have to admit that we secretly hoped his hernia was what caused him to scream all the time, not the ambiguous "colic." But alas, after a few days post-surgery his fussy-scream sessions continued. We asked the doctor about reflux, allergies, food intolerance - anything that could cause his pain and could be cured or managed! Unfortunately for Griffin, what was ailing him could not be cured with medicine (even Mylicon did nothing to help him), only time.

And now it appears time has worked her lovely magic! Babies usually grow out of colic between 3 and 4 months, and we have noticed steady improvement since the 3-month mark. Griffin is now 4 months old, and it's amazing the transformation and his happy demeanor. We no longer "swaddle & soothe" (from Dr. Harvey Karp's "Happiest Baby on the Block" - which helped out immensely. I cringe to imagine what it would have been like without the 5 S's!) and Griffin hasn't had a melt-down in several weeks! It's like he's a different baby. He's curious (though he was like that from the beginning), but now he spends much of his time playing in his play gym, bouncer, or on the couch with me and his soft blocks. He entertains himself during part of his awake time, and I fill the rest with dance sessions, standing practice, fly lessons and kiss-fests!

A friend asked me if I was falling more and more in love with my child everyday, and even during the rough, scream-filled days the answer is yes. Most definitely, yes! I thought I knew what it was to love. I love my husband passionately, my family completely, and my friends gratefully. But never have I loved someone the way I love my child. Even in utero I knew my love for my baby was different than any other I had experienced before, but I did not imagine that it would grow deeper and more tender with each passing day. So far, that is the greatest reward of parenthood; a love like no other. A love that surprises, envelopes and sustains you even in the darkest hour. Love that is truly amazing.

Time to catch up

Time. Ha.

Time is like sleep; you will have neither once you have children. When I was pregnant everyone kept telling me that children (and babies in particular) are a lot of work, and I thought I understood what they meant. But in reality, I don't think anyone can fully understand until their little one is born.

So on that note... and in case any of the few people who read this don't already know...


Griffin Anthony Lindley was born at 12:58pm on 1/28/10, weighing 7 lbs 1 oz. He never managed to flip from his breach position even after I endured painful daily acupuncture (I thought acupuncture wasn't supposed to hurt...) and numerous exercises that would supposedly help him flip, so he was delivered via c-section. After taking hypnobirthing classes to prepare for what I hoped would be a drug-free natural delivery I expected to be depressed about my c-section. Turns out I was so busy and overwhelmed by inexperience that I didn't have time to dwell on the nature of my little boy's arrival, and to this day I find I'm sort of ambivalent about it. I guess that's a good thing.

So to compound how much work I underestimated a new born would be, Griffin was labeled as having colic. Ah, colic. That catch all for fussy babies who have nothing "medically" wrong with them, but who are obviously in a great deal of pain for which there's NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT! Arg! As if being a new parent isn't hard enough! Poor Griffin would scream almost all day every day and sometimes the only thing that would help him feel better was to be held and cuddled. Needless to say holding a baby all the time prohibits you from doing many other tasks and for me that included blogging.

But now things are looking up! Griffin is growing out of colic and is becoming a very pleasant little child. There are many times each day where he plays on his own in his baby gym & his bouncer - allowing me the use of both my hands at the same time! Something necessary for typing (or at least efficient typing), so here's hoping that I'll continue to have more time and can start blogging again!

Time will tell.

We have a live one here!

I have been meaning to write about our active baby for some time, and since I have written in this blog so sporadically, I should probably start at the beginning.

First contact
When I was just over 16 weeks pregnant I felt our little one move for the very first time, yet I was not sure then it was baby I was feeling. I was laying down in bed resting before falling asleep, and I experienced an odd sensation in my lower abdomen which felt similar to a muscle twitch. You know how a muscle can twitch spontaneously - you can feel it move, but you did not instruct it to move? That is what it felt like. This sensation continued to occur and became more frequent daily. It did not take long for me to figure out that I was indeed feeling baby move around and I remember how excited I was. It was as if it finally occurred to me that I was really carrying a baby! Magical. That's really the best way to describe how I felt at this realization.

Daddy's baby
Not too long after I began to feel baby, John too was able to feel our little one move around. On the evening of 10/1/09 as I was reclining - almost laying down - I pressed John's hand to my abdomen below my navel when baby was particularly active. At first it was hard for John to differentiate between the movements of my ab muscles, my heart beat and the baby's kicks. But then, as if baby was trying to reach out to his Daddy, baby kicked very strongly - a sensation John couldn't mistake for anything other than baby's movements. John was so amazed, and almost a little weirded out at this encounter. Baby continued to kick strongly so that John could feel him move for several minutes more.

I cannot speak for John, but I can report that the look on his face was a mix of awe and disbelief. I could see his mind trying to grapple with the "oddness" of feeling baby move, and the strange realization that a little human is growing inside me. We consider ourselves thoughtful people, but feeling baby move makes the concept of gestation a reality!

Baby kicks!
In an effort to share pregnancy with John as much as possible, I tell him whenever baby is moving around. I announce "baby kicks!" whenever I feel a wiggle, jab or twitch from our little one. I think John likes these announcements, and I think he feels a bit of pride in how active his little guy is. New parents feel pride in every tiny thing, right?

But seriously, our little one is active, and I'm pretty sure we are in trouble when he is no longer in utero. Our OBs have us keep track of baby movements every day. The theory is that if baby moves 10 times in an hour, then there's plenty of amniotic fluid which baby must have to be safe and healthy as gestation progresses. The exercise is to keep track of how long it takes baby to make 10 movements, and to record them in a journal for the OBs. We have been monitoring this since my 28th week, so we've been at it for almost 8 weeks now, and only once has it taken baby more than 20 minutes to make 10 movements. Many days baby makes 10 movements in under 10 minutes which makes counting & tracking easy for me, but I can already imagine how things will be after he is born!

Feats of strength
In addition to the crazy amount of movement, now that baby is getting bigger his ability to kick at our hands and distend my abdomen is absolutely amazing. He is so strong! Daily I watch his somersaults; sometimes pushing my belly out a full inch! It amazes me that something so small can push so hard - especially considering he has to push against the inside of the uterus, ab muscles, and my generous "padding" first! You know how scientists speak of ants and their ability to lift things many times in excess their own body weight? Well that's how I feel about baby!

Play time
One of baby's favorite games is to push against anything resting on my abdomen (or as John calls it,"his" abdomen). It started one day with a book I was reading, which I had rested on my belly. All of a sudden the book started bobbing up and down very noticeably. My initial reaction was that I was breathing hard, but after checking myself I sat amazed watching baby nearly toss the book off my belly.

Later that same evening John placed his hand on my belly trying to catch some of baby's movements as he was wiggling all over. Baby stopped moving as soon as John placed his had on my belly (another game baby likes to play - one I think of as "playing possum"). But then, all of a sudden, baby started pushing vigorously against John's hand and only John's hand. Even though John was not pressing very hard, baby knew exactly where his had was placed. We decided to see if baby would push again if we moved John's hand to another location on my abdomen. Sure enough, every time we moved his hand baby found it and pushed back. Gestational patty-cake!

I'm guessing that none of these experiences are out of the ordinary during pregnancy, but they're certainly amazing to me! People have started to ask if I am ready for baby to come since his due date is just over 4 weeks away. And while I feel as "ready" as I will ever be, I know I will miss his little antics in my abdomen. I feel like I already know a little bit about him and his playful personality (he reminds me of John) and I thoroughly enjoy the connection we share.