I'm sure most other parents have gotten their hopes up about plates and bowls with suction cups on the bottom to help prevent mealtime from being four times messier than it should be. I'm also sure many of you have been sorely let down by the useability/effectiveness of these suction dishes. Most seem not to adhere to anyplace useful: high chair tray, table top, floor, etc. Though they seem to stick great to the counter top... which is basically useless.
After cleaning up Jude's snacks for the 16th time since giving them to
him 10 minutes ago and having zero success getting his suction bowl to
stick to anything, I finally thought, "What about sticking this bad boy
to a dinner plate?" I've found a way to make them not a total waste of money! Wet the bottom and stick them to a large heavy glass plate or casserole dish. Unless your baby is from Krypton, this should effectively limit the amount of dish throwing taking place. It's worked wonderfully.
Now the only reason there are cracker puffs on the floor is because he grabs them by the handful but only sticks one in his mouth. So when he lets go he drops all the rest. Oh, the trials and tribulations of learning to feed yourself. Haha.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Our Baby May Be Psychic
Jude responds to situations he should be totally oblivious to. Lacking any explanation, along with developing his ability to crawl, he's developing his psychic powers.
For example, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and just lie in bed for a while. I'm not making any noise or anything. I'm basically just laying there thinking about things. Life, things to draw, things to write, my day, someone else's day, etc. If I am up long enough, without fail, Jude will wake up too. This might seem normal if he was still co-sleeping, but he is in the nursery a whole room and two closed doors away. Unless he can somehow sense the change in my brainwave patterns, there is no explanation for this!
Another thing he does on occasion is complain if I go from being bored to having fun, which admittedly makes him sound like a Disney villain. Last week he was happily playing on the floor, facing away from me, so I figured I could read a chapter of a book or something. Only the moment I picked up the book he started fussing. There was nothing wrong... his diaper was dry, he wasn't hungry, thirsty, chilly, hot, wet, or gassy. When I put the book down he quit fussing. He was still facing away from me. The moment I picked it up again, he started to fuss. Book down, happy. Book up, fussy. I did this for about twenty minutes before just giving up as I had wound up reading the same paragraph repeatedly and still didn't know what I had read.
Yesterday something similar occurred. He was playing with his toys, not a care in the world, and I was just staring at my Facebook news feed bored out of my mind, waiting for someone to say anything. Then I decided since he was well occupied to log in to an MMO and play a bit myself. No sooner had I loaded the game he began to fuss. There was nothing wrong. I logged out, and he was fine again. Logged in once I was certain he was content and sure enough: complaints! Like he could sense the dopamine levels in my brain rising and was not okay with it. This doesn't happen all of the time, thankfully, but when it does it makes no sense! How the hell?
Magic baby.
For example, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and just lie in bed for a while. I'm not making any noise or anything. I'm basically just laying there thinking about things. Life, things to draw, things to write, my day, someone else's day, etc. If I am up long enough, without fail, Jude will wake up too. This might seem normal if he was still co-sleeping, but he is in the nursery a whole room and two closed doors away. Unless he can somehow sense the change in my brainwave patterns, there is no explanation for this!
Another thing he does on occasion is complain if I go from being bored to having fun, which admittedly makes him sound like a Disney villain. Last week he was happily playing on the floor, facing away from me, so I figured I could read a chapter of a book or something. Only the moment I picked up the book he started fussing. There was nothing wrong... his diaper was dry, he wasn't hungry, thirsty, chilly, hot, wet, or gassy. When I put the book down he quit fussing. He was still facing away from me. The moment I picked it up again, he started to fuss. Book down, happy. Book up, fussy. I did this for about twenty minutes before just giving up as I had wound up reading the same paragraph repeatedly and still didn't know what I had read.
Yesterday something similar occurred. He was playing with his toys, not a care in the world, and I was just staring at my Facebook news feed bored out of my mind, waiting for someone to say anything. Then I decided since he was well occupied to log in to an MMO and play a bit myself. No sooner had I loaded the game he began to fuss. There was nothing wrong. I logged out, and he was fine again. Logged in once I was certain he was content and sure enough: complaints! Like he could sense the dopamine levels in my brain rising and was not okay with it. This doesn't happen all of the time, thankfully, but when it does it makes no sense! How the hell?
Magic baby.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Slip and Slide
I am soaked.
Jude was crawling around and playing in the living room, so I diverted my attention to adding an appropriate amount of honey to my tea. When I looked up, Jude was in the kitchen with his hands in the cat's water. He had already splashed it everywhere, drenching the tile and himself, so there was really no rush to stop him at that point.
I decided since he needed a bath anyway to just let him have his fun freeing up my time to feed myself breakfast as I watched him play. We were both thrilled with this arrangement until about five minutes in when Elmo came on TV and Jude immediately wanted to crawl back into the living room to watch.
The issue with this is that both he and the tile were wet, so after a mere few inches his hands slipped one direction and his knees slid the other then in trying to auto-correct himself he threw all of his weight to one side, effectively flipping himself over mid fall onto his back. This meant rather than just sliding down onto his tummy, he bonked his head.
Now his onsie and diaper are completely soaked with cat water and his face is wet with tears. I rush over and scoop him up for much needed cuddles and reassurance that the three inch tumble has not in fact ruined his life, but it takes some convincing. Enough that by the end I'm just as wet as he is and we both need not only a bath but complete outfit change.
Silly boy.
Jude was crawling around and playing in the living room, so I diverted my attention to adding an appropriate amount of honey to my tea. When I looked up, Jude was in the kitchen with his hands in the cat's water. He had already splashed it everywhere, drenching the tile and himself, so there was really no rush to stop him at that point.
I decided since he needed a bath anyway to just let him have his fun freeing up my time to feed myself breakfast as I watched him play. We were both thrilled with this arrangement until about five minutes in when Elmo came on TV and Jude immediately wanted to crawl back into the living room to watch.
The issue with this is that both he and the tile were wet, so after a mere few inches his hands slipped one direction and his knees slid the other then in trying to auto-correct himself he threw all of his weight to one side, effectively flipping himself over mid fall onto his back. This meant rather than just sliding down onto his tummy, he bonked his head.
Now his onsie and diaper are completely soaked with cat water and his face is wet with tears. I rush over and scoop him up for much needed cuddles and reassurance that the three inch tumble has not in fact ruined his life, but it takes some convincing. Enough that by the end I'm just as wet as he is and we both need not only a bath but complete outfit change.
Silly boy.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Ways to Make My Baby Not Hate You
1. Don't hold him like a baby.
Reclining is for babies, Jude thinks he's a grown-up and hates being reminded that he isn't. He's been this way since birth. His butt should be pointed toward the floor, nestled in your palm or on your arm and his head should be shoulder height or higher to promote maximum contentment.
2. If you're playing with him, make sure he knows that.
Don't just toss him into the air unexpectedly. Don't just start manhandling his ribs, knees, and neck trying to tickle him; start off slow and ramp up to full on tickling. Shit just suddenly happening to a baby kind of freaks them out.
3. Smile. Even if you're pissed or sad.
Babies pick up on facial expressions to an impressive degree. If you look angry, even if you're offering him food or playing with him, he's going to pick up on that and be upset about it. Same thing if you look sad, or have no facial expression at all. Look up Still Face Experiments on Youtube for examples.
4. Give him your full attention.
Sometimes he wants to play on his own. Sometimes he wants your full attention. Always assume the latter. Only once you are sure it's the former, should you feel free to disengage and tend to whatever else. He may act a lot like a puppy, but he is a human being and he demands (and deserves) respect. Plopping him in front of his toys and walking away doesn't display any. If you NEED to do something that's another matter, but if you just want to watch TV, read a book, or look at the Internet -- it can wait.
5. If you hurt his tiny little feels, apologize.
Babies are just developing their emotions. It is important if you've hurt their feelings to reassure them that you are sorry about it. Even if the reason their feelings were hurt is asinine. Like you made a mad face at the cat and he thought you were making a mad face at him. Your job as an adult is to make it better. Apologize, explain to him you aren't angry at him.
6. If you hurt him accidentally, comfort him.
Maybe he bonked his head on your chin or maybe he scratched himself on your fingernail, chances are the reason he's in pain is mostly his fault. Comfort him anyway. Don't minimalize his ouchies because it's his own fault. He's a baby. Just hug him and assure him it'll feel better in a minute.
7. It's breakfast/lunch/dinner time, feed him.
He eats at 10:00AM, 3:00PM, and 7:00PM. You should begin preparing his meals an appropriate amount of time in advance so that they will be ready or near ready at these times. He may be a baby but he is remarkable at keeping time when it comes to when food should enter his body. If you're late he's going to be displeased about it.
8. It's nap time, stfu and let him sleep.
He has a hard time falling asleep during the day and a difficult time staying that way. He naps at 11:00AM and usually again around 4:00PM. At these times it is your duty not to distract him by being a loud ass. If he doesn't get at least one two hour nap undisturbed, he's going to be a cranky miser until bed time. Don't complain if it's your fault. This is also applicable for the first hour of sleep during bed time.
9. He wants to be picked up, pick him up.
Babies have little understanding of the difference between a want and a need. Sometimes they want to be picked up, sometimes they need to be picked up. They don't know the difference. They become unhinged if they want something and you don't provide because they are convinced they need whatever it is or bad things will happen. Once they become more mobile on their own this won't be a problem anymore. You can't 'spoil' them.
10. Sometimes Mom is the only answer.
Sometimes something happens that only Mommy can fix. Even if you've fixed it before doesn't guarantee that you can fix it again. Every now and then the only solution is Mommy. Just hand him back to me. Don't stubbornly try to make it better yourself because for every minute he doesn't go back to Mommy his distress and subsequent crying only gets worse. I won't be judging you if you can't make it all better. I understand it's isn't anything you did wrong. If I'm not there for whatever reason, feel free to call me back. It's cool. I get it.
Reclining is for babies, Jude thinks he's a grown-up and hates being reminded that he isn't. He's been this way since birth. His butt should be pointed toward the floor, nestled in your palm or on your arm and his head should be shoulder height or higher to promote maximum contentment.
2. If you're playing with him, make sure he knows that.
Don't just toss him into the air unexpectedly. Don't just start manhandling his ribs, knees, and neck trying to tickle him; start off slow and ramp up to full on tickling. Shit just suddenly happening to a baby kind of freaks them out.
3. Smile. Even if you're pissed or sad.
Babies pick up on facial expressions to an impressive degree. If you look angry, even if you're offering him food or playing with him, he's going to pick up on that and be upset about it. Same thing if you look sad, or have no facial expression at all. Look up Still Face Experiments on Youtube for examples.
4. Give him your full attention.
Sometimes he wants to play on his own. Sometimes he wants your full attention. Always assume the latter. Only once you are sure it's the former, should you feel free to disengage and tend to whatever else. He may act a lot like a puppy, but he is a human being and he demands (and deserves) respect. Plopping him in front of his toys and walking away doesn't display any. If you NEED to do something that's another matter, but if you just want to watch TV, read a book, or look at the Internet -- it can wait.
5. If you hurt his tiny little feels, apologize.
Babies are just developing their emotions. It is important if you've hurt their feelings to reassure them that you are sorry about it. Even if the reason their feelings were hurt is asinine. Like you made a mad face at the cat and he thought you were making a mad face at him. Your job as an adult is to make it better. Apologize, explain to him you aren't angry at him.
6. If you hurt him accidentally, comfort him.
Maybe he bonked his head on your chin or maybe he scratched himself on your fingernail, chances are the reason he's in pain is mostly his fault. Comfort him anyway. Don't minimalize his ouchies because it's his own fault. He's a baby. Just hug him and assure him it'll feel better in a minute.
7. It's breakfast/lunch/dinner time, feed him.
He eats at 10:00AM, 3:00PM, and 7:00PM. You should begin preparing his meals an appropriate amount of time in advance so that they will be ready or near ready at these times. He may be a baby but he is remarkable at keeping time when it comes to when food should enter his body. If you're late he's going to be displeased about it.
8. It's nap time, stfu and let him sleep.
He has a hard time falling asleep during the day and a difficult time staying that way. He naps at 11:00AM and usually again around 4:00PM. At these times it is your duty not to distract him by being a loud ass. If he doesn't get at least one two hour nap undisturbed, he's going to be a cranky miser until bed time. Don't complain if it's your fault. This is also applicable for the first hour of sleep during bed time.
9. He wants to be picked up, pick him up.
Babies have little understanding of the difference between a want and a need. Sometimes they want to be picked up, sometimes they need to be picked up. They don't know the difference. They become unhinged if they want something and you don't provide because they are convinced they need whatever it is or bad things will happen. Once they become more mobile on their own this won't be a problem anymore. You can't 'spoil' them.
10. Sometimes Mom is the only answer.
Sometimes something happens that only Mommy can fix. Even if you've fixed it before doesn't guarantee that you can fix it again. Every now and then the only solution is Mommy. Just hand him back to me. Don't stubbornly try to make it better yourself because for every minute he doesn't go back to Mommy his distress and subsequent crying only gets worse. I won't be judging you if you can't make it all better. I understand it's isn't anything you did wrong. If I'm not there for whatever reason, feel free to call me back. It's cool. I get it.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Homemade Baby Food or Prepackaged?
This isn't a debate about which is better for your little one. While I prefer preparing my own food for baby at home using fresh bought ingredients, I totally understand not everyone has the time or desire to do that every day. Nutritionally, they are about on par. That's not what this is about though.
I know many people think their baby is a picky eater, refusing to eat certain foods outright. And that may well be the case, however consider the following before throwing in the towel:
While the majority of Jude's food is homemade, we do have prepackaged foods on hand in case of emergency. We may have run out of fruit, veggies, or something to mix them with. The food processor may be on the fritz. Whatever the case, once in a while I pull out a jar of baby food from the cupboard for him. Usually he makes a face, but eats it anyway.
But not green beans.
Up until recently this has been his only encounter with green beans and his reaction was strongly against. He would fuss after a bite, outright cry after three bites, and absolutely refuse to open his mouth anymore after five bites -- for anything, whether it was something he loved (yams!) or more green beans. You couldn't pry that little mouth open with a crowbar. He would rather go to bed hungry than eat green beans or any food that had the misfortune of sharing a plate with green beans. "He just doesn't like green beans," I thought.
Until last night.
Last night Aaron made fresh green beans for him and while he wasn't crazy about them like he is about yams or bananas, he not only ate them without incident. He enjoyed them! So, to all you Mama's out there who think you've got a picky eater on hand, try making your little one's problem foods homemade and see if that helps. Expanding the taste buds young is important. Good diet starts in the first years, so the more good-for-them foods they'll tolerate early on, the better! It's worth a shot.
Just steam 'em up and mash 'em. Most foods are soft enough that you don't need a fancy blender or food processor to make them baby-ready, those things just make it quicker.
I know many people think their baby is a picky eater, refusing to eat certain foods outright. And that may well be the case, however consider the following before throwing in the towel:
While the majority of Jude's food is homemade, we do have prepackaged foods on hand in case of emergency. We may have run out of fruit, veggies, or something to mix them with. The food processor may be on the fritz. Whatever the case, once in a while I pull out a jar of baby food from the cupboard for him. Usually he makes a face, but eats it anyway.
But not green beans.
Up until recently this has been his only encounter with green beans and his reaction was strongly against. He would fuss after a bite, outright cry after three bites, and absolutely refuse to open his mouth anymore after five bites -- for anything, whether it was something he loved (yams!) or more green beans. You couldn't pry that little mouth open with a crowbar. He would rather go to bed hungry than eat green beans or any food that had the misfortune of sharing a plate with green beans. "He just doesn't like green beans," I thought.
Until last night.
Last night Aaron made fresh green beans for him and while he wasn't crazy about them like he is about yams or bananas, he not only ate them without incident. He enjoyed them! So, to all you Mama's out there who think you've got a picky eater on hand, try making your little one's problem foods homemade and see if that helps. Expanding the taste buds young is important. Good diet starts in the first years, so the more good-for-them foods they'll tolerate early on, the better! It's worth a shot.
Just steam 'em up and mash 'em. Most foods are soft enough that you don't need a fancy blender or food processor to make them baby-ready, those things just make it quicker.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Babies V. Puppies
When I first announced my pregnancy I heard a lot of comments from family and friends about how different taking care of a baby would be from taking care of a dog or a cat. How much harder it would be, and so much more demanding. I'm sure some of you have heard similar, whether it was when you were pregnant or merely when you brought up that you were trying for a baby.
In my case everyone was saying taking care of a baby would be harder than taking care of Neelix, my 25 lb. 3' tall cat. He's not fat, just huge. One conversation in particular, where I was saying Neelix was actually great practice for motherhood the other participant said, "Yeah, but you've never had to clean poop all the way from his butt to his head."
To which I had to laugh and retort, "Yes I have." The cat suffers from a number of issues. He needs to be bathed because he cannot reach all his own parts due to his size, he has a sensitive tummy so if I'm not very diligent in timing and preparation his meals he'll wind up exploding into poop, he has allergies that require he takes antihistamine pills twice a day, and he is afraid of the dark. Just to name a few. But I digress.
Now, don't get me wrong, particularly in the first few months taking care of a baby is extremely taxing both physically and emotionally. That generally has less to do with the baby though and more to do with the after effects of labor and the transition from being with child to with child. It's a monumental adjustment. Before your baby arrived you probably had all sorts of expectations and predictions and you're bound to find out you were drastically wrong about some or all of them. This can take some getting used to, like living with a tiny dependent stranger. But that's another topic entirely.
Once you're adjusted to raising another human being it actually parallels raising a puppy pretty accurately though. It needs to be fed, bathed, cuddled to sleep, and talked to. It will go to the bathroom at inopportune times and you'll be cleaning up after it. It will make messes, some small, some enormous and you'll be responsible for cleaning those up too. You need to teach it things. It will need its own space and toys. You will be responsible for keeping it safe from harm. It will be curious about everything and you'll have to watch it constantly so that it doesn't choke or drown or get carried off by an eagle. You're "on the clock" even when it's asleep.
So what's the difference between raising a puppy and raising a baby? The baby is actually less work overall. After a few years it will become a more independent being, capable of doing many things by itself. It will no longer poop wherever it wants to. It can clean up its own messes. It will be out of the house for several hours a day attending school. It will be able to communicate with you using English.
A dog on the other hand will always require your constant attention. You're left guessing what the hell is wrong because it can't tell you. It never leaves the house without you. It cannot feed or bath itself, or do anything other than run, chew things, and bark without your help. You are solely responsible for cleaning up all of its messes and feces for the duration of its life, which for most large dogs is about seventeen years. Basically the length of time you're responsible for a child. Except at the end of those eighteen years (barring unforeseen tragedy) the child will go on to amaze you into adulthood; the dog will just make you sad because it will have died after all that time and emotion invested.
So really if it comes between collecting "fur babies" or just having a real one, you're better off just having a real one. That said, taking care of a pet is great practice for taking care of an infant human. I would suggest anyone intending to have children raise a pet first. It will really prepare you for the commitment, frustration, and rewards of caring exclusively for another life. If you cannot take care of a pet that doesn't mean you'll be a terrible parent and should never have kids, just that you should probably hold off a while. It is a big responsibility and time makes a world of difference.
In my case everyone was saying taking care of a baby would be harder than taking care of Neelix, my 25 lb. 3' tall cat. He's not fat, just huge. One conversation in particular, where I was saying Neelix was actually great practice for motherhood the other participant said, "Yeah, but you've never had to clean poop all the way from his butt to his head."
To which I had to laugh and retort, "Yes I have." The cat suffers from a number of issues. He needs to be bathed because he cannot reach all his own parts due to his size, he has a sensitive tummy so if I'm not very diligent in timing and preparation his meals he'll wind up exploding into poop, he has allergies that require he takes antihistamine pills twice a day, and he is afraid of the dark. Just to name a few. But I digress.
Now, don't get me wrong, particularly in the first few months taking care of a baby is extremely taxing both physically and emotionally. That generally has less to do with the baby though and more to do with the after effects of labor and the transition from being with child to with child. It's a monumental adjustment. Before your baby arrived you probably had all sorts of expectations and predictions and you're bound to find out you were drastically wrong about some or all of them. This can take some getting used to, like living with a tiny dependent stranger. But that's another topic entirely.
Once you're adjusted to raising another human being it actually parallels raising a puppy pretty accurately though. It needs to be fed, bathed, cuddled to sleep, and talked to. It will go to the bathroom at inopportune times and you'll be cleaning up after it. It will make messes, some small, some enormous and you'll be responsible for cleaning those up too. You need to teach it things. It will need its own space and toys. You will be responsible for keeping it safe from harm. It will be curious about everything and you'll have to watch it constantly so that it doesn't choke or drown or get carried off by an eagle. You're "on the clock" even when it's asleep.
So what's the difference between raising a puppy and raising a baby? The baby is actually less work overall. After a few years it will become a more independent being, capable of doing many things by itself. It will no longer poop wherever it wants to. It can clean up its own messes. It will be out of the house for several hours a day attending school. It will be able to communicate with you using English.
A dog on the other hand will always require your constant attention. You're left guessing what the hell is wrong because it can't tell you. It never leaves the house without you. It cannot feed or bath itself, or do anything other than run, chew things, and bark without your help. You are solely responsible for cleaning up all of its messes and feces for the duration of its life, which for most large dogs is about seventeen years. Basically the length of time you're responsible for a child. Except at the end of those eighteen years (barring unforeseen tragedy) the child will go on to amaze you into adulthood; the dog will just make you sad because it will have died after all that time and emotion invested.
So really if it comes between collecting "fur babies" or just having a real one, you're better off just having a real one. That said, taking care of a pet is great practice for taking care of an infant human. I would suggest anyone intending to have children raise a pet first. It will really prepare you for the commitment, frustration, and rewards of caring exclusively for another life. If you cannot take care of a pet that doesn't mean you'll be a terrible parent and should never have kids, just that you should probably hold off a while. It is a big responsibility and time makes a world of difference.
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