Imma shoot straight with you

I have a difficult child.

I love him dearly. His smile lights up my life and he is so fun to figure out.

But he is difficult. "Can you come take him?" is commonly heard around our house. We are still dealing with reflux issues and he is only eating about 3 ounces at a time, which means 8 times a day we feed him, and 8 times a day we get crying fits.

Everyone tells me once a baby weighs __ pounds (10-12, depending on who is talking) he will sleep through the night. Drew is a little over 11 pounds, and there is NO WAY he is sleeping through the night anytime soon.

So why do I put such a Debbie Downer post on my blog? Well, I have never heard anyone in the moment say they have a difficult child. Once the kids are older people tend to look back and say it (just this weekend Rob's mom called him the worst baby ever), but in the moment it is all sunshine and roses and cooing babies. I sincerely hope all of my friends have the easiest, happiest children ever, but if you don't, you are not alone.

Santa Claus and Other Christmas Shenanigans

First off, pictures with Santa are bloody expensive- at least they are at the Domain.  $24.95 for ONE SHOT?  But of course I paid it, because I had to have the picture.

It's not even that great of a shot.  The first several he had the pacifier, and at this point the pacifier takes up 1/2 his face, so I didn't like those.  I figured we would have limited time before he started crying after we took it away, and I was right.  This is the picture where he realizes his pacifier has been taken away.  All the rest of the shots were of his screaming.  At least Santa looks happy.

(Note: Santa did not ask Drew what he wanted for Christmas.  I was all ready to tell him that what Drew really wanted was to sleep through the night).

Christmas with a baby, even one that wasn't really aware of what was going on, was lots of fun.  Both grandmothers swore they "weren't doing too much" and then we opened about 8 presents from each of them.  He got some precious stuff, though.  I think next year he will be right in the middle of "the-box-is-better-than-what-is-inside" phase, so it could be a pretty cheap Christmas for us all!

I (Lindsey) didn't have a bad Christmas, either!  Rob was tired of listening to me complain about my iPhone and figured if he was going to buy a new one, it should go under the tree, so I got an iPhone, and a matching iPad (THAT was a complete surprise).  Vicki gifted us with a DSLR camera (better pictures to come) and mom gave me some great "pampering" things (make up, Clearsonic Mia) and money to continue the pampering.  It was a lovely holiday!

Rob is off of work this week, so I have big plans to get things done around here and be able to run some errands baby-free.  We have basically had two whole weeks all together-- that must be some sort of record!

Two Months!

Drew,

What a difference two months make!  Drew, you are 100% different than that child they placed in our arms October 18th.  You are so much more interactive now- smiling and laughing when we make goofy faces at you.  I can see that you recognize your daddy and I.  You are developing a routine and a pattern and I am quickly figuring out what things you like and what things you don't.

First, it was a Christmas miracle.  On December 23, 2010 your umbilical cord FINALLY fell off.  Well, your dad actually pulled it off.  You didn't cry or scream or anything, so I think he just hastened something that probably would have happened naturally in a few hours, but I am suddenly having flashes of you in kindergarten or first grade with a loose tooth...... 

We have learned some of your little quirks this week-- like your need for "window" time.  After your bottle around 6 or 7AM, you are ONLY happy if we put you in the pack and play in front of our open window.  You will sit there for close to an hour wide awake and completely happy, talking to yourself.  The few days that we forgot to give you that time you were perturbed the whole day.  So we always make sure to put you in front of that window!!

You also love "knee" time, where your daddy and I will sit you up on our knees and talk to you.  During that time we get some of the biggest smiles from you!

Now, the doctors say you need "tummy" time, and you still hate that.  If we catch you at just the right time (a certain amount of time after eating but before you get tired) you will tolerate it and not cry, but generally you act like putting you on your tummy is akin to dragging you over hot coals.  You do seem to have an amazingly strong head anyway.

Our biggest challenge this month has been your acid reflux.  In the middle of feeding you you would push away your bottle, arch your back and start to SCREAM bloody murder.  We went back to the doctor almost every week this month looking for a solution.  The third time seemed to be the charm when we got you hooked up with Zegerid.  We are so happy to see that you are not in pain anymore.

The other smart feeding move that we just made was moving you to level 2 nipples a month ahead of time.  We just decided to try it, and sure enough you sucked down almost 4 ounces super quickly.  We were fighting you to get down 3 ounces with the level 1 nipples, so we are sticking with  level 2 from here on out.

Your one little trick that keeps mommy endlessly entertained is the fact that you only spit up on daddy.  Not sure how it happens, but daddy gets it every time.  Thank you, munchkin. :)
At your 2 month appointment you weighed 11 pounds, 1 ounce (55%) and were 23 inches long (75%).  The pediatrician says that between 11 and 12 pounds most kids drop the middle of the night feeding.  You don't really show any signs of wanting to drop that feeding, but we are hopeful that may happen in the next little bit.  You finally have your nights and days on the same schedule, so at least you go back to sleep pretty quickly in the middle of the night.  We are most thankful for that.
And the 23 inches- that was CRAZY.  You grew 2 inches in a month. And it literally seemed to happen over night.  I bought very few 0-3 month clothes, because everyone said their kids were only in them for a short time.  But you are still in them, so I've been doing laundry quite often.  There was one particular onesie that you wore on a Tuesday, and weren't anywhere CLOSE to getting in by Friday.  Amazing.

We love you, Drewbie!

Mom and Dad

Christmas will be a bit different this year

On October 18th, 2010 Andrew Edward Callegari came into this world.

On December 18th, 2010 Edward Jerome Callegari left this world.

After battling diagnosed cancer since June (I say "diagnosed" because once he got that diagnosis we all realized he had been battling the cancer for many months before), Rob's dad passed away.  The cancer made him physically weak, but his personality was unchanged until the very end.  His sense of humor, the way he would rib his family-- all of that was exactly the same.

He had been admitted to home hospice several days before he passed, so he was at home with his family and (hopefully) at peace.  He was buried on the 21st in Shreveport, Louisiana.  Rob delivered a eulogy that was simply amazing-- it expressed the love and respect we all had for Eddie while highlighting some of the more .... memorable... aspects of his life.

Wednesday, December 15th Eddies two oldest sons, Chuck and Chris were in town, and Eddies four boys sat in the room with him and recounted all their stories growing up with Eddie as a dad.  Listening to them talk, I realized it was NOT worth it to make a bet with Eddie- he ate everything from dog food to June bugs when his boys bet him he wouldn't.  And each of them swallowed their pride and their disgusting object of choice when he did.  Every so often you would see the faintest smile on Eddie's face, and I hope he enjoyed the walk down memory lane as much as the boys did.

Drew and I drove to Shreveport with my parents, and D was simply amazing.  We only stopped once, and that was because I insisted on a Starbucks before we hit the road at 6:30AM.  I sat in the back with Drew and gave him a bottle when he got hungry, and he stayed quiet on the 4+ hour rides up and back and during the funeral.  He was a bit off schedule that day, but it was worth it to have him there and in a good mood.

Eddie, we love you and will miss you terribly.  Right now we are all so happy you are not in pain anymore I'm not sure we fully recognize the extent of our loss.  But you have touched us all, and we are sure pieces of you will live on in your namesake.

Sophie's 3rd Birthday

Yep, we celebrate the dog's birthday around here.  We had a big hubbub for year one, hat and all.

Year two may have passed with just a toy to mark the occasion. I don't remember anything, and there is no pictorial proof of a party.

But I decided we needed to make a big deal out of year 3 because Sophie had been mighty neglected for 6 weeks due to this new addition to our family.  His name is Drew-- maybe you heard me mention him?  Anyway, I went all out.

Cake.  Homemade.  Candle included.

Presents.

[Not Pictured- Singing]

Not sure how many birthday celebrations she will get after this one, but it seemed appropriate to make a big deal of this particular birthday.  Doesn't she look happy?



Guilt Treats

According to the vet, Sophie has gained 5 pounds in the last 6 weeks.

:: I can't walk you right now so.... here's a treat!:::

I'm just sayin'.

Two follow ups

1. My child was in the back seat of the car, sweetly sound asleep, when I pulled into Wendy's to order a salad.  He stayed quiet while we waited for all the cars in front of us to order.  As soon as I pulled to the microphone (and before the order-taker had spoken), he started to scream.  I swear, this kid is determined that I shall not eat.  Good thing is cute and is smiling a lot more these days!

2. This morning Drew was crying in his pack-n-play.  Sophie ran out of the room, went to Drew's bouncy seat in the kitchen, and brought him back a new lovie blanket he got yesterday.  No one will ever be able to convince me that she wasn't bringing him a toy to try to make him feel better.  She has never, from the day we got her at 8-weeks-old, picked up ANYTHING (sock, shoes, paper) that wasn't hers.  Love that dog.

God's Preparations

I think most mamas would agree that God gives us 9 months to prepare for all the change that comes with having a child.  He isn't going to just leave us out there high and dry!  And now that the baby is here, I can look back and see the things that I was being prepared for. I don't think it's a coincidence that in the third trimester sleep becomes miserable and happens less and less.  Its preparation for the first 3 months!

Here are some I'm not sure God intended, but seem to be working for me anyway:

1. In the hospital, I lost all shred of dignity.  I'm pretty sure that was to prepare me for being spit up, peed and pooped on in the coming months.
2. God blessed my child with a built in detector for food.  The minute I sit down with a plate, he needs me.  Maybe this is God's way of helping me lose the baby weight?
3. All the money you didn't spend in the last nine months, because you didn't want to invest a small fortune in maternity clothes?  Dollars saved for diapers!
4. Thick, luscious hair due to pregnancy hormones?  Something you can feel good about when your body looks like a deflated balloon and the scale still reads numbers WAY above where it should!
5. Inability to do certain things (like clean the baseboards) in late pregnancy?  That's to prepare you for the idea that your house probably won't be that clean for a few years.
6. Baby crying every couple of hours keeping you from running all the errands that you used to?  Well, I think God does that to show you that yes, indeed, you can find money in the budget for a college fund.

So thanks, God, for all the things that you intended to prepare us for during pregnancy, and all those other things that you may or may not have intended.

Drew's First Thanksgiving

I have no photographic evidence of Drew's first Thanksgiving. :(   Mom saw this post and sent me 3 pics off her IPhone!  Thanks mom!

Just like we did two years ago, we spent Thanksgiving at our tailgate with 40 of our closest (or not so close) friends and family.  It is a great way to spend the holiday-- very low stress, lots of yummy foods because everyone brings their favorites, no one has a pile of dishes to clean up at the end of the day.  Lots of fun.

However, Austin was hit by sub-Arctic temps RIGHT as we made our way to the tailgate.  We had all checked the weather which indicated it was to be in the 60s until around game time, when it would get really cold.  So we all dressed for the 60s.  Except the weathermen guessed wrong again and the front rolled in early,  bring temps around 50 degrees and 15 mile an hour wind that left these Texas feeling like Thanksgiving was taking place on the Arctic tundra. 

Dad and Mike try to keep me warm as I eat my plate of food that is already cold.

All attempts at fashion went out the window as people tried to stay warm in any way they could.  I have fond memories of a favorite couple of mine who split up a pair of mittens and were keeping the other hand firmly in their pocket.  Or another lovely lady who chose to wear latex food service gloves on her hands the entire tailgate because some protection was better than nothing.  Everyone had dressed to show their colors (Yes, we had AGGIES at the tailgate, too (one of which was my brother).  Spirit of Thanksgiving.....), which were promptly covered by any piece of clothing that could be located.

I think the only one who stayed warm was Drew, since I kept putting layers in the diaper bag as I packed him up to go.  He was pretty bundled up, but couldn't have been cold because he stayed peacefully asleep outside the entire time.  At least one of us was warm.

I have a feeling the "tailgate Thanksgiving" tradition may be coming to an end after this year.  As our group of friends continues to get married and have kids, it is going to be harder and harder to justify spending Thanksgiving in the parking lot of the Erwin Center.  But it was a lot of fun while it lasted, and I'm glad Drew got to experience it, even if we don't have even one picture to show him.

One Month (Posted at almost 7 weeks)

Dear Drew,

You are one month old today.  Seeing as the baby book I purchased for you has yet to be written in, I think it's best that we document all the milestones in your life here.  Don't worry, I do plan to go back and put it in your book.

First, you are an absolute joy and your dad and I have just loved "figuring you out."  It took some time, but I think we are finally learning what your cries mean, able to read facial expressions, and generally just getting comfortable being parents.

You now weigh 8 pounds, 12 ounces and are 21 inches long.  You were born at 6 pounds, 11 ounces and 19.5 inches, and then dropped to 5 pounds, 11 ounces, so we are quite proud of our almost-nine-pound boy!

If you have any nickname, outside of your "given" nickname of Drew, it's Drewby.  Your dad and I started calling you that right after you were born, and then two of my friends called you that without knowing we were doing the same.  I'm not sure how we all came to the same nickname for you, but it just may stick.

Just like your momma, you go from content to STARVING in two minutes flat.  You can be dead asleep and then screeching for food in less time than it takes me to get a bottle ready.  I just try to remind myself that I, too, know what it is like to be miserably hungry.

"Hey Mom, faster next time!"

We got lots of good insight at your one month doctors visit today.  She tells me that you are tracking things with your eyes closer to that of a two month old, rather than the month old that you are.  That makes mama very happy to think you are "advanced," and I'm hopeful that you got your daddy's eyesight!

She thought your cry sounded good and you seemed to be a happy, mild little boy. 

Interestingly, your umbilical cord has not yet fallen off. We did everything the doctors told us to, but you seem to be hanging on to it. The doctors say they won't worry about it until 2 months, but it will be nice to get to drop that step when changing your diaper and finally put you in the bathtub!
You are a lot more interactive than you were, and have some good stretches of alert time every day now.  You love to stare at faces and whatever is closest to your face.  You seem to find great joy in light fixtures, ceiling fans, and walls.  I'm sure as your eyesight improves you will find less mundane things fascinating.

We try to do tummy time with you every day, but you absolutely hate it.  However, in your anger you start to lift your head and flail your arms, which is the point of tummy time in the first place, so I guess it is productive nonetheless.  What you really like is laying on your tummy on my chest.  When THAT happens you stay happy AND will lift your head to look at me.  Ever since you were born many people remarked that you seemed to have great head control. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if you can hold your head up on your own pretty early.

For being just 8 pounds, you are STRONG.  Your little fist has a way of snaking a fist full of my hair when you are mad, and you can yank like no ones business.  Luckily I have remembered to take out my earrings before I pick you up, otherwise we would have serious problems.  I think a ponytail will soon be the hairstyle of choice for me.

Our house is filled with various kiddo paraphernalia, including a bouncy seat and a swing.  Turns out you could care less about the vibration feature of these items, but you LOVE the music.  We were glad to find out what would soothe you, but the musical soundtrack of the Fisher Price My Little Lamb infant swing leaves something to be desired.  We just brought a CD player and some lullabies into the room to use to lull you to sleep at night, and those are quite a bit better. But we are going to need to get some new ones quickly or we are going to lose patience with those, too.  Both grandmothers have been told that might be a good Christmas gift for you!

You love to nap in your swing. We don't turn the thing on yet because you weigh so little that even on the slowest setting I'm afraid it will sling you across the room. But it looks to be a pretty comfortable place to nap in the living room, so you do spend quite a bit of time in there. You do love to look at the mobile when you are awake.

Speaking of grandparents, you have 4 who LOVE and ADORE you.  Luckily there haven't been many days were all of them were with you at the same time, otherwise we might have some issues dividing time holding you between them.  I text pictures of you to your grandmothers on most days, just so they can be caught up with your daily goings-on.

I think your sister Sophie has had the hardest time adjusting to you.  She was the center of our world before you were born.  I think now she has realized you are here to stay and is adjusting.  She has been very good about not licking you.  She does get curious when we put you in your bouncy seat on the floor-- she can finally see you at her level!  We keep telling her that you two are going to be best of friends in just a couple of months.

Drew, you make my world go round.  Just looking back at pictures from the last month I can see how much you are changing.  For as much as I want you to stay exactly the same right now and savor ever minute of this, I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us.

Much love,
Mom and Dad