So Many Reasons to Be Thankful

As we approach the last day of our Thanksgiving weekend, we realize how much we have to be thankful for.

In addition to this little turkey, Michael and I are SO very grateful for our families....

We realize how abundantly blessed we are for both sides of our family. Our families are so supportive, so helpful and so joyful...

The Barbers...for all your love, time spent watching Michael, great food, fun company, great advice, and all the little things you get for Baby Michael (and Michael and I) when we see you and come to visit, and how you go out of the way to make us comfortable..

The Campbells....for all your love, great food, envigorating conversation, baby advice, and the wonderful gift of three adorable, loving, well-behaved nephews that make us really look forward to having more kiddos!

The Gilmores....for all your love, great food, time spent watching Michael, and all the ways you help us like building cribs, storing our stuff, cleaning out Michael's room, your great advice and ways you go out of your way to make us comfortable...

(I did that in alphabetical order, by the way!)..

And of course to Grandma Horton, Grammy and Papa Tom, Lala, Marty, the McKinneys, Fr. Peter, the West Covina Barbers, Uncle Larry and Aunt Nancy...

...and all our friends and people we work with as well.

We are so thankful we live so close to both sides of our families so we don't have to travel hundreds of miles to get together and Michael can grow up knowing you....we are so thankful that our families are filled with so much love.

We are so blessed to have you in our lives, and Baby Michael is so blessed to get to grow up knowing you and calling you his family and friends. It became evident over the past several days that Michael is going to have so much joy everywhere he goes.

We're thankful for our jobs, which is so much more than employment, but truly bring us joy...

We're thankful for our health, and Baby Michael's health and happiness...

We're thankful for living in San Diego, and for being Americans, for living at one of the most exciting periods in history to be Catholics...

God is SO abundantly good to us!

It's Baaaaack!

Just a few short weeks into retirement, the Miracle Blanket, aka the "Straight Jacket" comes back into play for a reprise role....

Michael and I have been joking about doing something to prevent Baby Michael from constantly rolling over in his crib and getting himself stuck on his tummy....I mean just when all other sleep issues are starting to improve, now this. Time after time after time, morning, noon, and night, Michael rolls on his tummy and gets stuck, resulting in a cycle of crying and frustration that is hard to bring him down from. And when he gets stuck on his tummy, there's a very, very small window of tolerance...and if one of us doesn't get in there in that, oh...I'd say 30 seconds or so, he gets SO angry and then we don't have to just roll him over, we have to soothe him and get him to a place of quiet so he stands a chance of getting to sleep.

Well, we've been pretty patient....but last night was a real test. It was 3:30 in the morning and he got up to eat. No biggie. Routine situation. He ate, I changed his diaper and put him back to bed. Well, this routine of rolling on his tummy and getting stuck went on until almost 5am! He lost whatever sleepiness he had, and he was unstoppable!

It is a tricky balance because he is comfy on his side and tummy and sleeps really well here, but it is a very delicate calculation for him to find just the right spot at just the right level of tiredness. If it's not the right spot, or he's not tired enough, he just cries and insists on being on his back.

So, after hopping in and out of bed countless times, I was cooked! I needed something to tie him down. I had two choices: either get out my stapler and staple the kid's clothes to the mattress, or...yes! I know! Swaddle blanket!

I wrapped him up, hopped into bed and rubbed my hands together rather fiendishly, feeling like I've done something sinister by tying him up...and as I switched on the video monitor to see how he was liking them apples....

I saw......

....he was already fast asleep and stayed that way until past 8 and woke up smiley and cheerful ready to play.

Oh, thank heavens! So Swaddle Blanket will be back into play at least until he learns to roll from his tummy to his back!

What a character this kid is! He would do something like this wouldn't he?

Well, nevertheless, we love him to pieces and to be honest, find this little habit of his pretty darn endearing.

The Same Baby?

Sometimes, I think Michael has a twin brother who appears in the same body. But he's not an identical twin...he just happens to be the same name and age, but a different face and they can switch back and forth at a moment's notice. Like facial schizophrenia:

Are these two really from the same child?

He looks, like, 10lbs heavier in the second picture! He's our little double-agent!

The Long Walk

Today, I took Michael for a long walk. It was great.

He never used to like walks very much in the stroller, because he was in his car seat and couldn't see around very well, but I tried putting him in the stroller like a "normal baby" which gave him the freedom to look around.

And he loved it!! He looks so cute all ready to go and looking at the world!

This morning, after a remarkably long night of sleep (asleep by 7:30pm, awake once at 2:30am to eat and then asleep 'til 8:00!), I bundled him up, put his little Moose and a blanket with him and off we went.

We walked and walked and walked, through the park, through the college, and over to Starbucks. I ordered some coffee and a donut (and a cup of water, because despite my victorious reaching of Starbucks, water was the drink that actually tasted the best!) and we headed back home.

In total, we were gone about 50 minutes and the whole time Michael did great. He got a little whiny towards the very end because all the sights and sounds wore him out. He didn't want to eat...he wanted to go to bed!! So I put him in his bed, and after our normal routine of him rolling on his stomach and getting mad...then me rescuing him, and him rolling back on his stomach and me rescuing him...oh wait, now he's hungry, better feed him, put him back in his bed...doh! He's back on his stomach...ok, back on your back...stay....stay....phew! He's asleep!), Michael finally knocked out for a morning nap...a morning nap which he rarely takes.

Normally, his first visit to the crib is quiet time because he is too tired to continue to be out playing, but when he gets to his crib, he would rather play with his feet, make weird sound effects, kick the bars of his crib. He just never winds down enough to sleep, but the time apart from the stimulation of being outside of his crib is somewhat regenerative, so when I get him out of bed, he is in a good mood.Then, an hour after I get him out of bed, he's ready for his late-morning nap and takes that one pretty well (that lasts anywhere from 30mins to 1 hour).

Now, his whining toward the end of our walk makes me question if we should be doing a trip all the way to Starbucks...maybe it was just a tad too long. However, the fact that I found a solution that makes him tired while envigorating me....well, you just can't beat that!

Definitely His Daddy's Son

I've been taking lots of pictures of Michael lately (um...well, really, I always take lots of pictures of Michael) and this one stood out to me as a spitting image of Michael Sr.

So I took a picture of Michael and edited it so they were side-by-side.

Wow! Do they ever look alike! I love it!!

It also helps the family resemblance when you do this:

Must See Post...

....on Kathy's blog!!

Update for Four Months

This week has been good! Though we are still working on more of these naps (we've had a couple of 1 hour naps, and one more two-hour nap since my last post...) and some days are great, and other days, napping is still an issue, but Michael is making great strides. He just had a great doctor visit the other day, weighing in at 16lbs 6oz and 24.5 inches...five inches up from birth!

In other areas, Michael is having a lot of fun discovering his feet:

And continuing to grab on to little toys:

He is continuing to roll over more frequently in bed (often resulting in frustrating moments in the wee hours of the morning when he is mad because he got himself stuck on his tummy...however, only moments after "rescuing" him, he's back on his tummy. Not so fun when between Daddy Michael and I, we have to go in there about 5 times at 5 am...not so fun at all!).

He has also rolled over a couple times on a blanket, but this is much less frequent. He also doesn't roll from his tummy to his back as frequently as he did a few weeks ago (the day I took the video). It's almost like he either temporarily forgot how, or he just doesn't feel like doing it. So, we are waiting for him to more consistently become more mobile. But in the meantime, somewhat enjoying the security of putting him in one spot and knowing he can't travel.

For some odd reason, Michael seems to be going through a weird "shy" stage with some people at work. And by shy, I don't mean looking bashful...I mean suddenly breaking down into tears if someone starts talking to him. It's really sad!! It's not like anyone is getting in his face, or anything...he just stares at them for a few seconds and starts screaming!

I haven't seen a pattern yet...he's done it to men and women....I feel so bad! I mean, I feel bad for Michael because obviously something is on his mind, but I feel equally bad for these people who are his friends are by no means strangers to him all of sudden having him react so sadly!

I know no one can take it personally because babies are babies and they just go through stages...but knowing the joy of getting a baby to smile for you is so exquisite...having the opposite reaction does entail just a tinge of disappointment!

Well, hopefully it's just a phase and he'll resume being his smiley self with all his friends who care for him so much! Maybe I need to take him out more...who knows?

So, we are doing well as we hit the four-month milestone! It's funny how quickly things change, even though day in and day out, the changes seem so minutely incremental it's easy to appreciate the tremendous growth our little man has made in such a short time!

The Champion!

Michael holds his trophy high!!

Then he eats it!

From Halloween

Michael was on Halloween what he is everyday: our little sweetpea!

Taking After His Daddy

What does Michael want for Christmas? Don't go to Babies R Us, or any toy store...just head down to the snack aisle of your local grocery store:



Daddy Michael loved bags of chips when he was a baby too! So cute!

Not Sure Which I Like Better

Ok...so this blog, aside from the plethora of pictures I put up, could in general have the title, "The Drama of Michael's sleeping habits." Because, bar none, that is the principal concern of motherhood so far is Michael getting to sleep.

We have made HUGE strides in this area...mostly due to Michael just growing into his own little sleep pattern.

But despite the huge strides, Michael's little business of the short nap has never fully been resolved. Even though he learned to get himself to sleep, even though he is consistently taking naps, he has not consistently stayed asleep for very long, which is, according to some experts, almost akin to him not sleeping.

In fact, I have even resorted to breaking some serious rules because it helped Michael sleep better. Take a look. So cute, right?

But uh-oh...look what rule I broke!!



Take another look, though. Doesn't he look adorable? How could I not let him sleep on it.




Well, my Mom guilt got the best of me and after about 40 minutes, I finally took Michael off his pillow because I was worried the Boppy police were going to hunt me down. But you see how desperate I have become?! I broke the cardinal Boppy No-Sleep rule! I just want my baby boy to be well rested!!


Well, today, I have discovered that I just can't be pleased...or that motherhood entails endless worry, or both.

Michael has taken 3 LONG naps today (and by long, I mean hour +...actually moving close to two hours for the current nap). And you'd think I'd be thrilled!! You'd think I be dancing around (quietly of course)...but you know how I celebrated?


I called the doctor.

Why? Because Michael takes after both his mother and his father and seems to prefer to sleep on his tummy. Maybe he has always preferred to sleep on his tummy but now he finally has the mobility to get himself there. No matter how many times I flip him over to be on his back, Michael is back on his tummy before I can even leave the room.


And you don't have a baby these days without the mantra driven into your skull: Back to Sleep, Tummy to Play. Babies are NOT supposed to sleep on their tummies.


Of course, there is a point that babies reach where they get themselves on their tummies, and there is no stopping them once they learn that trick. Some experts recommend flipping them over...some say, leave them alone?

Me? I am not enjoying this nap time of his...I'm not accomplishing a lot...I am not relishing in finally having accomplished what I've been waiting for for 3.5 months...I'm pacing the floors, I'm staring at the monitor..and yes, admittedly, I'm even going into his room to flip him over, thus waking him up. Screaming ensued. Doh.

So, the doctor is going to call me back later with verdict...in the mean time, Michael is sound, sound asleep. I'm a nervous wreck that I'm permitting my son to stay in a position that could be life-threatening (I know, I know...chill out...everyone in my generation was on their tummy, and we survived!). But still...when SIDS is a threat, I'm am no longer sure which I like better...Baby Michael finally getting lots and lots of sleep and me worrying about his breathing...


...or having him awake...keepng me company...where I know he is breathing (and so do the neighbors).

A Year Ago Today...

...we found out that we had this to look forward to:


Since November 1, 2007, our whole lives have been categorically oriented to this little one, before we knew his name, before we knew it was even a little boy!

And amazingly, while we were just finding out about Baby Michael, he had already been alive for two weeks, and already had a little heart beat...the same heartbeat that he has today. Amazing. Now there's just a little bit more chub added to him!


It's shocking it's been a year on one hand, and that it has only been a year, on the other. We've been so consumed in preparing for, and for the past three months, receiving this astounding little gift, it's hard to remember what it was like before he existed. It seems like he always sort of been around!

Looking back to a year ago...especially since it marked the beginning of my sister's and my shared pregnancies. When we found out this was on its way:

..it was so exciting, but the reality has been even better than the hope of it.

Thank you Lord for life! Thank you for letting us share in creating it! And may all expectant moms and dads revel in awe of the dignity of that little life. That precious little life that starts out so small, but then, just a few months later, turns into this:

Especially as this election draws nearer and once again, the topic of the dignity of life is more and more at the forefront of our minds, the impact of the tragedy that people can't find joy in that budding little life, but instead feel that it is a burden, or heaven forbid, even a punishment, is a heavy one. If only people contemplating abortion could fast forward just a few months, they might think twice about destroying that precious little someone that will be as joyful, and lovable as the little lives that have come into our families this year.

May all the saints in heaven pray for all moms and dads who are expecting, especially those contemplating abortion. May we become a country to cherish our little ones instead of destroying them so that this world can be filled with the joy that lies in the gift of children.