That’s Just Wrong

Ok not to spoil it for anyone, but in spite of my genuine efforts, my mothering skills are not always seamless (insert gasps of disbelief here.)

DISCLAIMER: The following is intended to be read with a sense of humor (got that, all you grandmas out there?)

FAUX PAS #1
Holden has a dense foam incline sleep positioner that elevates his head above his chest. During the first month of life, he slept on the positioner placed in his Moses basket so he had four snug walls around him.

We stopped using both the positioner and the basket when his daddy found him with his feet propped up on the edge. He is now too long to fit in the Moses basket.

After he ate the night before last, Holden did not expel his usual triumphant belch. To help prevent spit up, I placed his swaddled bod on the inclined sleeper without the basket.

Somehow he turned himself sideways on the positioner and just like a ball on a ramp, he rolled down the incline and came to rest against the bumper pad! When I found him, my stomach knotted up and I apologized profusely as I removed him from the predicament. He just cooed, unaware of mommy’s horror.

FAUX PAS #2
During a recent diaper change, I found a strand of my hair in Holden’s poo. He had grabbed a handful the day before. Apparently I failed to extract all of it from his death grip.

FAUX PAS #3
Admit it … while handing out congratulations we all silently “analyze” the cuteness of newborns. They are too chubby, too skinny, too hairy, too bald, too stinky. Well, I always make note of baby acne. I have known all along that I was setting the stage for my own offspring to emerge with clogged pores, but EEEWWW! That stuff is weird.

Right on schedule, karma evened the score. Holden had a decent case of “T-zone” blemishes upon arrival. I chuckled to myself and thanked karma for keeping me in check.

There was this one little monkey right between his eyes that bugged me for a week. So I looked over my left shoulder … then my right to make sure no one was looking and scratched that thing off with my fingernail. Ahhhh, victory! Take that, cosmic harmony!

Then it started bleeding … and bleeding. First Aid 101 … I applied pressure. I felt so bad. Holden was oblivious to what was going on and I was on the verge of tears. The bleeding eventually stopped. No one would ever know.

Later that night my husband asked, “Did you pick that zit?”

John Deere & Buttercream

We survived our first off-campus sleepover with Holden!

Holden had more luggage than mom and dad combined. I spent an unsuccessful hour packing, unpacking, and repacking. All the while I asked myself, “how can someone that wears size 0 – 3 month onesies need so much luggage for one night?” Alas, he still needed 3 bags. No longer interested in organized travel, I stuffed my necessities including clothes into 2 Walmart bags.

Holden barely made a sound

during the drive. My husband and I actually had multiple conversations that had beginnings, middles, and ends. Though they were all about what? The baby, of course!

Sawyer’s John Deere birthday party was great. He spent the afternoon at a friend’s house napping while we decorated. Sawyer was so excited when he walked in to see all the smiling faces, green and yellow balloons, and the pile of presents.

Standard birthday merrymaking commenced as Sawyer and his friends played a game (something my sister made up with a dancing chicken, plastic eggs, and quarters,) decorated pink piggy cupcakes, and pinned the tail on the burro. My sister baked a very yummy birthday cake that we decorated together with homemade buttercream frosting. I offered to "clean" the spatula, mixing bowl, and beater. I followed up the “cleaning” with a milk chaser.

The party wrapped up with lasagna, salad, and sleepy conversation while everyone held Holden one last time. We hugged, kissed, waved goodbye, and began our trek home. Our little man slept all the way, then had a midnight milk snack, and fell back to sleep.

Next year we will be packing Holden’s size 12 – 18 month onesies…. sniff sniff.

-Carmen

A Tale of 2 Kitties

Our black long-haired cat Olive seems very uninterested in Holden. She does however think his toys, swing, play mat, and stroller are her toys. Our other cat, Onion (a tabby) pays some attention to Holden’s things, but she is much more interested in Holden himself.

Onion has always been attached to me, but while I was pregnant she took “clingy” to a whole new level. She often hopped into my lap with engine purring loudly, and marched on my stomach like she was kneading bread. When she wasn’t giving “Holden the fetus” a deep tissue massage, she was staring at my stomach watching him kick and reacting to every pulse.

A crying newborn on TV once sent Onion through the roof. She paced around the screen and behind the TV looking for the source of the cries. Jordan jokingly wondered if she was in “protective mode” or “smother mode.”

Onion is now frequently found outside Holden’s room or on the floor near his mat during playtime … perched like a gargoyle warding off evil.

And yes, I am one of those sick people that takes pictures of her cats .... in sweaters.


Sawyer’s birthday party is Saturday. Check back Monday for the recap.

-Carmen

Swaddle Me This, Batman

I forgot to put this picture on last night, or rather I was so tired I fell asleep zzzzzzzzzzzz.

Let’s talk swaddling. Swaddling does not receive the applause it deserves. At first I felt extremely uncomfortable binding my newborn’s arms to his torso, but now I think we should take it a step further and make little baby straitjackets…. straps and buckles, you know what I’m talking about.

Holden does not like the swaddling process. He grunts, groans, wiggles, and fights the entire time. Then as though someone flipped a switch…. quiet, serenity, and calm. His rigid torso and limbs give into the snuggly peace.

This was not always the case. Our stellar swaddling resulted from multiple internet searches, streaming video, a baby class, a DVD, and a LOT of practice. Early attempts were just sad. Eventually we would stand back post-swaddle with folded arms, grin, nod, and admire the “bundle with a baby head” only to observe a finger escape, followed by a hand … followed by an arm. Now my husband and I swaddle with confidence and grace. I think we may start timing each other like rodeo calf roping. I’d win.

-Carmen

Soup or Salad?

We met with mom, dad, my sister and her husband, and Sawyer for a belated birthday lunch. It was a whirlwind day. I think the good folks at Red Lobster were ready to see us go. Toting a baby, a toddler, and all the gear that comes with them, we looked like sherpas prepared to camp out in front of the lobster tank for the week. Sawyer, bless his heart, was sleepy and has inherited the unfortunate family trait of taking just as long to wake up as he slept.

Holden slept ALL day. He will be up ALL night…. sigh.

I’m pooped. That’s all I’ve got. I feel Sawyer’s pain…..


fading ...












fading ...













faded.












-Carmen

My Funny Valentine

Holden would like to wish everyone a very special Valentine Day.

Jordan and I went out to eat for his birthday last night then saw the movie Juno while Holden had a date with his Nana and Rowdy. Dinner and movie were both great, though I drifted off into dreamland during the previews. You know that weird place your mind goes as you fall asleep where reality is mixed in? I could hear an older lady whispering to her friend nearby and I drifted. For a brief moment I was dreaming about chocolate cake. The whispering woman giggled which jarred me awake to find Jordan staring at me. He said I was snoring. I don’t snore.

The night before last, Jordan was working so it was just me and the baby. Bedtime sent the “cuteness meter” through the roof. The last bottle of the day usually propels Holden into a drowsy place, but he was staring at me wide-eyed through the entire feeding. We commenced with the usual burping, swaddling, and story time all the while Holden is staring at me. We have been working toward Holden falling asleep in his crib instead of our arms, but I usually wait until he is relaxed to place him in the bed. Since I was going to be up with him apparently anyway, I put him in the crib, eyes wide open just to see what would happen. I hovered over the crib as he looked around in the dim glow of his moon nightlight. Then I slowly backed away on tip toes. Holden said “guhhhh,” followed by “guhhh?” as though he was carrying on a conversation with himself. I stood in the hallway for a minute listening to his baby ramblings prepared to swoop in and scoop him up the second he started wailing … which was certain to happen any minute now, right? But there was no wailing, just “guhh.” So I inched farther and farther away toward my own room. I laid in bed for the next 30 minutes or so listening to the baby monitor as my son talked to himself until he fell asleep and he stayed asleep until morning.

Happy Birthday, Daddies!

I’d like to send a special birthday shout out to my husband and father.

My husband is working today so Holden and I will go see him this evening and have birthday cake. I think hubby and I will go out tomorrow night while Holden stays with Rowdy and Nana.

I won’t get to see my dad for a couple of weeks. I guess we will reunite at my nephew’s (Sawyer) birthday party.

Sawyer’s birthday party theme is John Deere. I searched high and low for weeks for a pair of newborn overalls for Holden. They are not easy to find in his size! We finally found the perfect denim overalls – Holden-size and a John Deere green stripe onesie.

I went to my friend Lindsay's birthday dinner last night. It was nice to see my girlfriends. Lindsay looked gorgeous as usual. I think they may try to come over Friday to visit while my husband is working.

On the baby front … Holden is sleeping through the night! He sleeps 7 – 9 hours at night. Hallelujah! The little guy stays awake most of the day… fighting napping urges. Then at night we have our bedtime routine, I put him in the crib to fall asleep, and then we don’t hear a peep from him all night. Mommy on the other hand is not sleeping well yet. I still wake up every half hour to make sure he is breathing. Just a hunch, but by the sounds of my husband’s “breathing” … sleep is coming easy to him, too.

-Carmen

Look What I Can Do!

We have had not one, not two, but three feats of baby genius this morning. Post-breakfast, I put Holden back in his crib so I could eat my own breakfast and turned on the mobile overhead. He stared at it wide-eyed and wide-mouthed while the rest of his body stayed still. I went back to check on him just in time for the mobile to stop. He started kicking his stumpy legs and his face had this look of disappointment and shock that the fun had ended. He barked like a puppy. I turned the mobile back on and he was pleased. When the mobile stopped the second time he again barked to indicate that he was not prepared for the end.

Holden’s left hand met his right hand for the first time, today. He was thoughtfully holding his own hand. It was so cute! Then just when I thought our adventures for the day were through, he stuck out his right thumb and put it in his mouth instead of the back of his hand or his sleeve.

Genius, I tell you!

-Carmen

Happy 1 Month!

Holden is 1 month old today. I feel like he has always been a part of me, and then at the same time feel like he just got here. He had baggy newborn clothes that I thought would never ever fit him …. never. This morning I wiped the tears from my cheeks as I shoved tiny little boots onto his feet that he will likely never be able wear, again.

Being a mom changes you for sure. Being the protector of this dependant life pushes aside selfishness, fear, and tolerance for foolishness. I have missed feeding myself without noticing because I am feeding Holden, I have squashed a wasp with my bare hand because I didn’t want it coming near my baby (I am terrified of flying things with stingers), and I refuse to buy into the gloom and doom reports on the news.

Life is good, beautiful, amazing….

-Carmen

That Came Out of Someone That Small?

Early this morning my husband slipped out of our room to tend to Holden. I woke a couple of hours later to Holden’s wails echoing through the house. I got up to see if daddy and baby were ok and stopped only briefly to examine the sofa slipcover that was waiting in a crumpled lump and accompanied by a spray bottle of Shout stain lifter.

I found dad and Holden in the nursery. Holden was on the changing table screeching and my husband was changing a very …. very poopy diaper. Dad was gnashing his teeth and shot me a sideways glance, a glance I am becoming increasingly familiar with. He recalled the gory events of the morning that included non-stop crying, projectile spit up (that explains the slipcover), and multiple poopy diapers. He also pointed to a pile that consisted of swaddle blankets, the pants and onesie Holden was wearing when we put him to bed, and a half a dozen burp cloths. “Those all have puke on them,” he said.

I don’t know who I felt sorrier for. One of my boys was crying incessantly and the other was on the verge.

Everyone recovered and we have gone on to have a great day. The fate of the slipcover is still undecided.

The photo is of my two angels napping, yesterday.

-Carmen

National Treasure, take two

Holden stayed with Nana and Rowdy last night while hubby and I had our first date night as a married couple with offspring. Since my water broke ten minutes into the National Treasure sequel when Holden was born, we thought it prudent to finish the film. The movie was good, and I only thought about my baby 293 or so times and only felt guilty 137 times. We also had dinner and desert before picking up Holden from Nana. We had a great time together and realized how even though we are in the same house and usually the same room all day we really miss each other. Pre-pregnancy, we had a date night once a month and tried to do something we wouldn’t normally do. I think we will reinstate our adventures.

The picture is of hubby and a 7-month pregnant Carmen in Las Vegas.

-Carmen

A Moment

Holden is definitely making eye contact now. He has been doing it off and on for a while, but I was not sure if it officially qualified as “eye contact” or if it was just coincidence. Today, though was different… we had a “moment” and it was deliberate.

Holden also seemed impressed with himself when he smacked one of the dangly toys on his play mat with one his spontaneous baby slaps. When he heard the bell in the toy ring and saw it swinging he paused for a moment and had this look like, “did I do that with MY hand?”

-Carmen

Heartbreaker

A couple of weeks ago while rocking my angel it occurred to me that I absolutely could not stand the idea of Holden being in a childcare environment where he would be lying in a crib all day. I want someone to hold him, rock him, and talk to him. It is already killing me that I cannot stay home with him. I cried and prayed and cried some more.

Rowdy put the word out and found someone. We met with her this evening. It went great! I think we found childcare and we aren’t compromising the kind of care we consider important for our son and our situation. She held him and rocked him while we chatted and Holden seemed thrilled and that made me so incredibly happy.

Holden was very pleasant through our meeting. When we got home he let loose for a second when his daddy extracted his paci for a picture. It turned out to be the cutest picture.

-Carmen

Thappy Birdhay

I was organizing some of our photos and have to share this pic. I took this picture of dad, mom, sister, and brother-in-law at the ICE! exhibit. It was our surprise birthday present to mom. I told everyone to huddle together and act like they were really cold which wasn’t a stretch since it was literally freezing in there. I guess dad is the only one that heard me. We had a good time. I think mom eventually had a very “thappy birdhay” (mysteriously appeared on one of her birthday cakes several years ago)… though I won’t surprise her ever, again. She hates surprises and she let us know it. Love ya, mom!

-Carmen

New Shoes Dance

Yesterday was a great day. Holden was feeling better and was in an excellent mood.

I bought new shoes and some new things for baby. My hubby gave me a gift card for shoes to be used when my feet finally deflated after the pregnancy. It was fun looking for shoes. It has been a long time since my body has resembled “normal.”

After shoe shopping, we had dinner at Nana and Rowdy’s house. Right before we left their house Holden had a bottle, and then fell asleep in the car so we were able to put him right to bed when we got home. My husband and I actually watched an entire hour-long show on our DVR.

We are going to try really hard this week to get on a schedule so that things go smoothly when we both go back to work. We got off to a bad start already … mom and dad slept late.

-Carmen

Giggle and Coo

On a much happier note....... Holden started cooing yesterday! He says "GUUHHH" loudly and smiles.

While daddy was exercising Holden's little legs this morning he tickled him and Holden shrugged his shoulders up, pushed his hands together, looked at his dad and smiled really big. That was the first time he has had a big reaction to being tickled. Our son may be a genius ... tee hee hee.

Tummy Trouble

It appears that Holden has an upset stomach. Poor baby did not feel good last night and still doesn't feel well today. Last night was pretty rough. He finally cried himself to sleep. It is hard to see your baby cry in misery and there isn't anything you can do about it. We tried and have continued to try today to exercise his little legs and massage his tummy. Last night's session ended with a late night warm bath. Alas, he still does not feel well.

Day at the doc's

Today we had a doctor’s appointment and visited MiMi and her friends at work.

Holden now weighs 7 pounds and 12 ounces and he is 21 inches long. We really like his doctor. She loaded us with lots of baby literature to read “in our spare time.” The doctor was impressed with his luxurious locks and said he looked like Jack Nicholson (Holden was sporting a mohawk), his big hands and feet, and his neck “babies don’t usually have necks!”

After visiting with MiMi it was “tummy time.” We put Holden on his belly occasionally to help prevent a flat head, but his doctor suggested more. Unfortunately, Holden is not a fan so we do not look forward to this. We put him on his belly and as expected he started wailing and flipped himself over on his back. We rolled him back to his tummy and he again turned over to his back. Should he be able to do that already? He’s been holding his head up, or at least trying very hard to hold his head up on his own since he arrived. Must be that baby neck!

When he screams, he looks like Yoda. “Care for tummy time I do not.”

Photo Preview

Isn't he cute! Check out those lips.

Picture Day

Holden is here! He has been such a joy and an incredible blessing. We cannot imagine life without him.

Today, Jennifer of Sugar Photography sugar-photography.com, graced us with her presence and one of her special photo sessions. We had a great time. Holden hardly made a fuss which is pretty amazing since he was in the buff almost the entire time and he HATES to be naked. We can't wait to see Jennifer's photos.

The large portion of Holden's umbilical cord fell off a few days ago, the remaining "raisin" fell out during the photo session today. Hopefully it will stop bothering him soon.

We are all doing well... tired, but that is a "given."