Oh have we got it.
Poor Bubba's had it pretty bad. He was fighting off a virus for about a week, but seemed happy. Then came the puking. Oh so much puking. At daycare. At home. On me. On the bed. On the floor. Everywhere. Just when he seemed like he was getting better, he got hit with another virus/cold. Suddenly he wasn't eating, not acting like his self, all stuffy, and hit with a fever.
Nick Names: Bubba, Sweetness, Love bug
Height: 28 inches (Estimated - No doctor's appointment)
Weight: 19.5 pounds (Estimated)
Special Outings: Still going to count the trip to Florida, since that was also part of this month
Visitors: Alice and family, plus we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa!
Loves: Exploring, playing with friends, trips to Target, his moo cow, mooing, the kitty
Hates: Throwing up, being hungry, not being able to sleep when he's tired
There's a reason parents will give a knowing smile when people without kids, or parents-to-be, say they'll "never" do something.
And maybe you won't. You'll have rules and routines and will stick to your convictions. And then one day you'll find yourself in a new place, on vacation, and routines will go out the window. It will be late and everyone is tired and crying. You'll be at the end of your rope and you'll think...well maybe...
Yes it's easier to leave him home. Let him stay with Tom while I go hang out with my two favorite ladies. Two on one, big people to littles. It's a lot less hectic, a lot less tiring.
But.
The look on their faces when they see each other? When they realize that this wasn't just a normal outing, that they get to see their buddy? Pure joy, happiness and excitement.
I don't want to talk about it. Nope. I'm so over it, so done with it, I just want it to go away. So I won't talk about how since my last post, we got another storm which dumped 30+ inches of snow. I also won't talk about how today we're supposed to get ANOTHER storm today. I'm ready to jump back on a plane with a baby and run to Florida because I would rather deal with flying than shoveling at this point. I'M DONE!
So instead, I'm going to focus on a few small moments that have happened lately.
In case you were wondering how much sand a baby will eat before deciding it's not edible.. I don't have an answer for you. We never got to that point with E! Eventually we were able to distract him with pickles and oranges, but I swear that kid would have sat in the sand eating fistful after fistful.
I'm not sure where he'd rate the sand on the list of things he tried while in Florida, but I think I'd put Florida farmer's markets at the top. We spent one afternoon eating our way through one, and I think I'd gladly go every day if I could.
Despite declaring that I was done with winter, especially after a week in sunny Florida, winter has decided it's not done with us. In the form of some pretty big, back-to-back storms. First there was a wind and rain storm that knocked out a lot of power and flooded many areas (although we were mostly fine). Then there was a mini snow storm, but the snow melted by the time I got home from work. That wasn't that bad either.
E's been having a rough time lately. I think he's finally entered the separation anxiety phase. (Thanks Wonder Weeks for telling me it was going to happen back in December and making me think we'd skipped it entirely..)
It's weird for all of us, because it's not his personality. He loves strangers! He's independent! But he also needs to be touching us at all times now. But still running across the room.
There's something I love about family vacations. Especially low key ones with not a lot of plans. I'm talking the rent a house and go to the beach type vacations, as opposed to exploring a new city, every day has an itinerary type of vacations.
Something happens when you have that kind of time to spend together. To eat meals together, to get to know each other's quirks, to just be together. You get the moments that end up being my favorite memories from vacation. Not the baseball game or the children's museum or the beach - as fun as those might be.
Allow me to completely skip over our vacation for a minute, an answer the question that everyone really wants to know: How did we survive flying with a baby?
Not easily.
While it worked out pretty well, and I haven't ruled out flying in the future, it was something I spent a lot of time thinking about and planning for. I always find I handle situations better if I've run though every possibility ahead of time, so that when something does happen, I don't have to think. I just react. And I've got everything I could need at hand, so I can do it quickly.
I alluded to it in E's nine month update, but we recently went on a BIG TRIP!
Now this wasn't what I would have considered a big trip, pre-baby. In fact it was a trip I've made many times with various people. My parents go to Florida every year for spring training, and so I've visited them there multiple times. With cousins, with best friends, with Tom... Easy, quick trips.
Nick Names: The Bubba, Sweetness
Height: 27.75 inches (21st percentile)
Weight: 19 pounds, 4 ounces (40th percentile)
Head: 17.25 inches (15th percentile)
Special Outings: THE BIGGEST OF BIG OUTINGS! 30,000 feet in the air!! To a completely different part of the country!!!
Visitors: Becca, Oppedisanos
Loves: The Kitty, warmer weather, making friends
Hates: Getting face/nose cleaned, being tired or hungry
Although most days I'm back to feeling like myself - calm, level headed, in control, uncaring about obnoxious people - there are still occasional days where I can't turn it off. The anxiety that has popped up sporadically since giving birth makes a reappearance and there seems to be nothing to do but wait it out.
Warning: This post is obnoxiously long, filled with pictures (seriously it may not even load on your phone - I actually didn't post half of what I took because it was taking so long), and maybe not be that interesting to many people, but I like to post snap shots of our life from time to time and see how they've changed. Here's a peek into our life right now (on the weekends at least)
I've been in such a countdown and list mode lately. Countdown to visits or vacations or SPRING. Lists of things to pack or finish or put away. Constantly running through my head. And because of that I feel like I haven't let myself sit back and enjoy lately.
On the rare mornings when I get to wake E up, I'm thinking about getting him dressed and getting him a bottle more than just sitting and playing with him. At night I'm running schedules through my mind and making sure he's napping or eating or ready for bed instead of enjoying the minutes I have with him.
The Bubba is a funny creature. Once a baby that easily startled, he's now pretty easy going. Ice machines that used to make him cry, now make him laugh.
The Bubba can crawl now, but he'd like you to believe he can't. Until you leave your phone somewhere and then ZOOM! he's off to stick it in his mouth.