God has a sense of humor

Drew rolled over today.

Twice.

I'm a head case.

Note: I just got an email from Rob.


Re: Do we not blog anymore?


Body of the email: "The peasants are getting restless."

I think he (and possibly my mom) are the only ones who check this every day hoping for something new, but sorry if anyone else has been crying themselves to sleep at night over my lack of posting.


"The theory describes a Type A individual as ambitious, aggressive, business-like, controlling, highly competitive, impatient, preoccupied with his or her status, time-conscious, and tightly-wound. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving "workaholics" who multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and ambivalence."*



Hmmm....  I've been known to clean out my email inbox in the middle of the night when I'm up to feed Drew.  Last night I checked ConsumerReports.com for the rating on a jogging stroller I decided I needed yesterday and am going to buy today.  I've spent most of my married life listening to my husband explain to me why it just won't WORK for me to be involved in YWA, Junior League, book club, bible study, bunko, yoga and working part time on the side.  I planned a trip to Europe where every day came complete with a schedule and instructions on EXACTLY how to get from one place to another.  I already mentioned on here that patience is not my virtue.

So yes, I think I'm pretty classic Type A.  I've certainly met worse Type A personalities, but I'm certainly part of that group.

So imagine my shock and surprise when I had a baby and I was 15 minutes late (at least) to everything, and any sort of schedule was a joke.  My Type A personality was having heart attack.  Then I went to the pediatrician who told me "Well, I can tell he is not getting enough tummy time.  He needs 45 minutes a day."

Ahh yes- challenging a Type A.  Just the thing to do.

So then I wrote about how Drew and I started "Tummy Time Boot Camp."  He had to do it.  I just prepared for the screaming and we pushed on through.  At one point I actually used the stopwatch feature on my iPhone to precisely track the number of minutes he spent on his tummy each day.

But a funny thing happened- my smiley little boy wasn't so smiley anymore.  In fact, he was just generally annoyed.  He was tired of me danging things over his head (to get him to grab), putting him on his tummy and trying to get a push up, putting him on his tummy and then pushing him over so he got the idea of rolling over, etc.  And I was miserable because we have been doing this for three days, why is he not getting it!?

And then my aunt said something this weekend while she was here that struck a cord.  "Lindsey, have you ever seen a grown adult that can't roll over?"  Good point, Anne. 

So I'm turning over a new leaf.  He is going to have more tummy time than he was getting, but if it's 15 or 30 minutes and not 45, well then, who cares.  We are going to keep playing on the floor and rolling over, but when he shows signs of being done, he is done.  He will roll over.  It will probably be sooner rather than later, but even if it is later, it will happen.

We are going to ENJOY our time together.

Because I'm a type A.  And if a type A says she's going to enjoy it, dadgumit, that's what's going to happen.



* Definition pulled from Wikipedia, so there is a very good chance it was written by a 15 year old from Des Moine, Iowa who wanted to prove to his parents that they are, indeed, type A.

Three Months!

Little Man, how in the WORLD are you three months old?  Where has the time gone?

Drew, you were always a precious child, but you are so much fun as you become more and more interactive.  You LOVE to smile, especially if someone "boops" you on the nose or bicycles your legs.  You love to gurgle and coo and lay in your crib in the morning just talking.  We got you a crib mirror, and one day I realized you had gone completely silent (already strikes fear in my heart!).  I ran over you find you staring at this handsome man who had joined you in your crib!

I am beginning to tell that you are NOT a morning person.  It takes you a good 20 minutes to fully wake up in the morning and get happy.  But you do make some of the most precious grouchy face while trying to do so that make you hard to take seriously. 




Good Morning (Sunshine?)


You now LOVE to stand up.  If we hold you up, you will lock those little legs of yours and just stand there, and do a pretty good job of holding up your weight.  I always find it funny when you can't hold your head up anymore, because you start to look like one of those inflatable college mascots whose head just bobs everywhere.  This month I put together the walker that Cali gave you, and the jumper that MaMommie gave you, hoping these would allow you to stand up.  Problem is, your little legs are still a bit too short, so we have been solving that problem by putting books under your feet.  You aren't too interested in the gadgets and gizmos yet, but I do think you like to be able to stand unaided.

Speaking of gadgets and gizmos, mommy had a moment this month.  I hadn't put batteries in ANYTHING because I was tired of the brassy music that comes out of all children's toys.  But I finally got around to putting batteries in your "under the sea" playmat and realized that, once it is juiced up, it will play music and flash a light when you hit the items dangling over your head to encourage you to use your hands.  Had I known THAT I would have put those batteries in a lot sooner.  But you figured it out pretty quickly!

We didn't have a doctors appointment this month, so for the first time I don't know how long you are.  But we DID have to take you into the doctor a couple of days ago and you weighed in at 12 lbs, 10 oz.  Big boy!!  So I bet you are close to 13 pounds now, and you are getting HEAVY.  We took you to the doctor because I opened your pajamas and found you covered in red bumps.  Turns out, you have eczema.  The doctor said it was mild and it kicked in right at the time it got really cold in Austin and our heater was on all the time, so I think it will take a month or two to really know what we are dealing with.

Drew, you are a textbook child, which is just too funny.  You outgrew the end of your 0-3 month clothes about 2 days before you turned 3 months old.  You are exactly on that 50% mark for weight.  You started getting crabby and sleepy on Tuesday (your 3 month birthday), and when I looked it up, sure enough, most kids have a growth spurt around 3 months.  Eczema flairs up around 3 months.  You seem to be right on track.

Speaking of on track, the doctor DID say you have been spending too much time on your back.  You have continued to hate tummy time, and I haven't pushed it, but once she said that I realized we HAD to do it, whether you liked it or not.  Some quick time with google told me some parents put their kids on a pillow to prop up their chest.  We did that, and SURE ENOUGH, it worked.  Hallelujah.  So you are getting significantly more tummy time. I've also been known to let you take an afternoon nap on your belly when I know I will be around to keep your head out of the mattress. 

Tummy Time FAIL.

This month you celebrated Christmas, but really, you could have cared less.  You got tons of adorable things from your parents, grandparents and everyone else that loves you, but you weren't sure what was going on.  Everyone remarked that next year would be quite different, and it will be.  You also got to meet two of mommy's closest friends, Sara and Melanie.  I think they thought you were pretty cute.

This month we really started working on a sleep schedule for you.  You had been going to sleep when we did, around 10:30 or 11, and waking up a couple of times during the night.  Then you hit the magical 10-13 pounds number, where everyone said your little body should be able to drop a feeding, so we started right in on that process and tried to drop the middle of the night feeding.  This has resulted in us getting LESS sleep, since you still wake up just about every hour and have to be patted back to sleep.  Since you weren't getting the solid sleep you need, you were falling asleep in some of the funniest place.  See below for proof.

Your sister Sophie continues to be your best friend and protector.  She is always rightthere with us in whatever we do.  The other day, as you played on your under the sea mat and kicked your feet with glee, you continuously kicked the dog in the snout and eye.  And she didn't react or even move.  You guys are such a good team.

We love you, Drew.  If you can't tell, you light up our lives.

Mom and Dad

All the Single Mamas

I have a new found respect for single parents.  It. Is. Hard.

Rob was out of town at a bachelor party this weekend, and I had my cherub of a son all to myself Thursday through Sunday.  I had a few things to do (committee meeting for YWA, meeting with a friend of mine who is really involved in the Austin legal community, lunch with Vicki), but otherwise we were just going to hibernate and say out of the cold and rain.

I decided to use this time as a "Tummy Time Boot Camp."  It used to be that Drew got mad enough about being on his stomach that in his struggle to get off, he would pick his head up.  Now, not so much.  He just lays there and cries.  I tried putting all sorts of toys in front of him, playing music, laying on the floor and talking to him.  Sunday night, I figured it out.  I propped his chest under a pillow and faced him towards the TV (The Golden Globes).  Not sure if he was focusing on Megan Fox or just saw the colors, but he kept that head up and didn't cry.  I'm feeling a bit guilty about using the TV to make this work instead of some sort of classic wooden toy with lead free paint, but I'm getting over it.  Quickly.

The weekend went pretty well.  Drew was a doll for most of the weekend, but by Saturday night I think he was tired of my "entertain him every waking moment" plan, and started to break down.  So I sent Rob this gem of a text message:

"I will be leaving your son on the porch.  Please pick him up when you get in tomorrow."

It didn't help that I STILL have not properly cut his nails, so while he was fussing and flailing his hands he was slicing and dicing both of us.  He managed a cut in the middle of his forehead that had me calling him "Harry Potter" for a couple of hours.

Anyway, a bath got him happy again and I made it through the weekend.  I will say, it is REALLY hard to be "on" for 72 hours!  I don't know how single mothers (or the 17 year olds on Teen Mom) do it!

The very best part of the weekend?  When Rob got home on Sunday, Drew was sitting in my lap asleep. Rob was standing in front of us talking to me when Drew opened his eyes, took a second to focus, and then broke out in the BIGGEST smile when he saw his daddy.  It absolutely proves that "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and that Drew is well aware of who his daddy is.

Light as a feather (?), Stiff as a twelve-week-old boy

Drew has a new trick.  If he could talk, it would be screaming "I don't WANT to do that!" 

Instead, if you try to get him to do something he doesn't want to, like get in his car seat or sit in the bumbo or bath tub (anything that requires bending at the waist), the boy goes RIGID.  It's like trying to strap a plank of wood into a five point harness.  Luckily he can't hold that position for too long so it's just a minor inconvenience when we try to get on the road, but I worry that as he gets stronger and more and more willful I might start losing the battle!

The funny thing is once he actually gets in his carseat/bumbo/bathtub, he has no issues with being there. He just never wants to sit.

I love this boy and all the little quirky things he does. :)

"Should"

Should. 

A word that strikes fear into a mother's heart.

Don't believe me? 

When I was pregnant, I signed up for several weekly update emails from various websites.  Every week they would send me the details of what was going on with my little jellybean.  We went through the entire produce section in terms of size- cherry, grape, apple, medium banana, cantaloupe.  I was told when he would be getting eyelashes, fingernails or hair.  It was great to know exactly what was going on in my body.

But did I know exactly what was going on in my body?  Nope.  On a weekly basis I wouldn't be able to tell if Drew increased in size from a small banana to a large banana.  I didn't know if he started getting fingernails in week 24 or 30.  But because the emails told me so, I figured that was going on and proudly told my husband he was the size of a red delicious apple because the emails said so.

Well, once you have the baby, those emails turn into weekly updates on the babe.  And the emails that used to say "Your baby is the size of a large banana" now say "Your baby should be smiling at you now."  And now you know if your baby is or is not smiling at you.  And if he isn't, well.... FEAR.

For instance, the one I got today says Drew should be giving me "belly laughs."

Y'all.

"Belly Laughs?"  He laughs, sure.  But is it a belly laugh?  They don't define belly laugh.  Should he sound like Santa Claus?  If he did sound like Santa Claus, would that be a problem?  How do I elicit a belly laugh?

The emails don't ask answer any of those questions.  They simply tell me what he "should" be doing. 

Is this how the next 18 years will be?  I may have to delete myself from those lists.... :)

In Follow Up....

Both Rob and my mom were upset about this post, where I call Drew a "difficult" child.  I responded to both of them that I never heard ANYONE say anything but their child was precious and perfect.  And though I think my child is pretty precious and perfect, he can be HARD.

So this weekend I saw this article, about another young mother who didn't want to admit her child was difficult.  It hit home.

Freedom in Admitting Motherhood is Hard

Rubber Ducky, You're the one!

As I mentioned on here a couple of times, Drew's umbilical cord hung on for dear life.  Most kids lose it 1-2 weeks after birth.  Not Drew-- he kept it until 9 weeks, and only lost it then because Rob pulled it off (I was there- it didn't hurt him).  So we got to start the whole "bathing in a bathtub" thing later than most.  Everyone told me he would probably take some time to get used to the idea, since he was getting in so late.

I think it's fair to say he at least tolerates the bath.  He has never cried in the tub, but has yet to smile in it, either.  He SCREAMS when I take him out, though, which I totally understand.  That is the worst part of a bath/shower- getting into the cold air when you are nice and warm. 

Because our only bathtub is upstairs, D is now spending a lot more time in his room.  He loves the mobile mom and I painted for him, and I think he likes his crib.  Now if we could just get him to sleeping through the night I would be ready to put him up there for good!

New Boss!

As of today, I have a brand spanking new boss.  He is pretty demanding (He needed me from 3-6:30 this morning!!), but he is pretty cute.  Check him out in his new executive chair!

Exactly 3 years after I started, my time at the Attorney General's office came to an end last Friday.  I will miss my time there dearly.  As I told so many, it is strange to walk away from a job where you honestly can say you love your boss, your co-workers, and what you do day-to-day.  I had been working on the same case since the moment I started (yes, only one.  It was that big) and I hate not seeing it to completion.

But I am thrilled to have the time (and the financial ability) to take this time to be with my family.  As I left my office with my boxes and my diplomas on Friday, I had several (female) co-workers tell me they totally supported me and that I would never get this time back.  It was so nice to hear and have that kind of support.

I will probably re-enter the workforce one day, but I'm not set on when or in what capacity yet.  I'm just going to see what opportunities arise and when the time seems right.  But for now it's just me and Drewbie, taking on the world.

Now I just need to find a spot for my diploma and my law license....

2010 in review

It was a year of highs and lows- from gaining a child to losing a parent. But through it all we remained very blessed and thankful for what we have.  (Disclaimer- I'm SURE I am missing stuff here!)

January- toasted the new year with Vicki and Eddie eating steak and crab legs. That time is even more special now. Lost my beautiful Great Aunt Bo to cancer after quite the battle.  Took off on a 2 week journey to London, Rome, Florence and Paris with an unexpected stop in Amsterdam due to ice on the runway at Heathrow. Played in the snow in London. Guided tour of the Vatican. Basically alone in the Uffizi Gallery. Lots of wine in Paris. A newly developed love for Nutella on waffles, on crepes, or just by the spoonful.

February- Joined an amazing Beth Moore study on Esther.  Celebrated Dad and my birthday at Del Friscos.  Great Valentine's day brunch at Roaring Fork- talking about our future.  Hopeful for a baby.  This happened. Celebration ensued.

March-  Rob's birthday spent at an obs office confirming the pregnancy.  Spilled the beans about "jellybean" to the families.  Lots of shock and disbelief and excitement.  Baby shower for my friend Ashley Gladden.

April- Decided to remodel the house.  Took a Fincher family picture.  Still fit in my blue jeans.

May- Announced pregnancy to the world.  Employed the fabulous Holly Mathis to help me e-decorate my house.  Hosted Melanie and the great ladies from Boston on their "ladycation" to Austin.  Tanner Holcombe and Rachel Seastrunk get engaged!

June- Joined the fabulous Young Women's Alliance board.  Found out the baby was a boy!

July- Worst trip to Atlanta and Washington D.C.  Tickets were canceled.  Landing gear wouldn't shut, so had to return to Austin.  Electrical issues.  On the up side, got to visit with the lovely Liz Canzone!  Celebrated our 4th anniversary at Bess Bistro. Young Women's Alliance Fashion Evolution.

August- Baby Showers.  I get pink eye not once, but twice. 

September- More baby Showers!

October- This happened.  Celebration ensued.  Dressed him like a monkey for his very first Halloween.  UT football was a roller coaster of ups and down.

November-  So much to be thankful for.  Celebrated Thanksgiving in the Erwin Center parking lot in the blistering cold.  UT football roller coaster spiraled straight downhill.  Cody Carper gets engaged to Stefanie Jester.

December- Celebrated Sophie's birthday.  Mourned the loss of a great man.  Drew met Aunties Sara and Melanie.  Celebrated the birth of Christ.  Last day of work at the AGs office.  Rung in the new year with pizza and wine and a bath for the little guy.  Looked forward to what 2011 might bring.