Something Fun

Today I signed baby Michael and I up for Parent/Tot swim classes at the college across the street. I am so excited!!

Of course, understanding that maybe my thrill of having Michael splash around in a whole pool may not match up to his actual enjoyment of it (sometimes babies are hard to predict) but getting out of the apartment to do something together sounds like a blast!

Plus, I think Michael will look cute in something like this:

With extra puffy swim diapers on :)

Now, the only trouble is that I will also have to find a swimsuit for myself. Aye. I'm not a big swimsuit person anyways (can't remember the last time I wore an actual swimsuit vs. short and a shirt (but I'm a little worried about being encumbered with a heavy shirt when I'm going to be soley responsible for keeping Michael's head above water!).

So add my normal shyness of being in a swimsuit to a big belly and...yikes! It makes the prospect a little intimidating.

But they have cute ones at various stores...I especially like ones with more of a skirt or short type bottom than a bikini bottom, so I'll probably go for some of those.

But swimwear aside, I'm looking forward to our little mother/son bonding experience starting in July!!!

Baby Michael's Wishlist

Ok, maybe this is tacky, but I'm going to give a few "suggestions" for Baby Michael's birthday. I would feel worse about doing this, were it not for the fact that my suggestions are not really things to buy for him, but more along the lines of "please don't feel the need to buy him anything...no...really."

In discussing this important matter with my eldest son and asking him what he wants for his birthday, he promptly responded, "more space to crawl, Mommy!" which would definitely not be accomplished by a truck load of toys.

Secondly, it is his first birthday, which means he will have no recollection of it save what we have in pictures which will largely consist of 1) him eating cake 2) people smiling at him 3) him tearing and probably eating wrapping paper (which, if planned strategically, can be still accomplished by wrapping empty boxes and he would never know the difference!

Thirdly, and I think most moms would echo this sentiment, the amount of time Baby Michael plays with toys vs. the amount of time he plays with things which are not toys is quite striking, meaning, he can be entertained for 5 minutes with a toy, but for 50 minutes with things that are not toys at all!

Case in point: yesterday, Michael crawled into our bedroom and was entertained for nearly a full hour by 1) a water bottle 2) a receipt 3) the button to make the fan oscillate 4) the handle on our dresser drawer.

Now, if you want to wrap up any one of these items for his birthday, go right ahead, I'm sure it will be a very well-used gift. :)

Did I mention I think Michael can read? I think he can at least read the words "Fisher Price" "Leap Frog" and other such toy company names, and when he reads them he knows that this item is intended for him and therefore, not as interesting as items that are not intended for him.

Ok, I can't be so much of a stick in the mud that I put a ban on presents for baby Michael. But seriously, have you seen our apartment lately? It can't take many more gift-giving occasions!

I am very serious in saying that first birthdays do not require gifts. Period.

I am also very serious in saying that our apartment is small and we don't have room for very much, especially with a new tenant on the way.

I am also very serious in saying that the most elaborate baby toys mysteriously pale in comparison to the most simple non-toy for the sole reason that one looks like he should have it and the other doesn't.

But if anyone feels compelled to "do" something, I would like to share a few suggestions that he might enjoy.

1) Keep things new: buy a toy, but bring it down with you when you visit and take it when you go, so when you visit, that toy is always new. Which a) solves the space problem and b) makes the gift keep on giving. How many times has Michael been so occupied with Jack, Thomas, and Peter's toys simply because they were not his and they were new to him? Lots! Sounds crazy, but it's the birthday gift that keeps its newness!

2) He loves pictures of people! Give him a photo of yourself, or make a little album of pictures of you, and your family so he can flip the pages himself and get to know you. He loves the pictures on the wall and we introduce people by name to him when we look at your pictures!

3) We love Mass intentions! Talk about a gift that keeps on giving! Offer it for his holiness, vocation, etc.

4) A little weird, but practical: a baby toilet seat that fits on top of a regular toilet (not unlike this one). We have baby book that suggests getting them aware of the toilet at a very young age (9 months is her suggestion...he's already a little behind, which is why we need the adapter..ha! I kill me with double-entendres!).

5) Cars are good toys, and in moderation, easy to pack away.

6) Big sized blocks/legos are good too (safe from being swallowed by him or baby brother!)

7) Not quite sure what I'm thinking of specifically, but religious-y type items that would be good "entertainment" for Mass but because they are religious in nature are spiritually edifying. Laminated holy cards that he could handle/bend/ (chew, even? Is that sacriligious?); medium sized crucifix (plastic may be best for now, and given his father's history of throwing them, maybe with a string?); Do they make Bibles for babies which may have some interactive component?

8) Push-car toy for when he can walk, especially for use at the park (this may require some coordination so we don't get multiples!)

9) I am a fan of books for babies.

10) And, in my opinion, one of the best gifts that doesn't cost much and is meaningful to him is he LOVES visitors! So don't buy a gift, but come for a visit. It's funny to say since we have family visiting most weekends of the month, so I'm certainly not saying this because he's not getting visitors, but really, playing with people is the thing that makes him the happiest, so it's the perfect gift! Don't feel like you have to do anything more!

11) Write a story about things that happened during his first year of life, either things about him, things in your life, or things in the world. How neat would that be for him to look at years later!

12) A little loaf of bread (banana, cinnamon, etc), or a roll, scone, etc for his breakfast snack following his birthday. He LOVES bread!

So, I'm trying not to be curmudgeonly at all, and I don't want to be all "bah humbug" about his birthday, and I don't want to take the fun out of buying a gift for his birthday, but in knowing him, knowing our space situation, knowing that the value of a person's gift has nothing to do with money, and that he will have no memory of his first birthday presents at all, I'm just making a few suggestions to help if anyone is wondering "what to do" for his birthday, but also again stressing the point no one has to do anything!! Trust me, Michael knows he is abundantly loved :)


Ok, I hope this helps. I feel better.

11 Month Update

This is the last time to celebrate just a "month" because next time, Michael will be a year old!

How can it have been a year already?

How can it only have been a year? Wasn't Baby Michael always a part of our lives (of course, he was for 9 months before he was born too...but it seems that he has always been!)

Everyday is something new for our little (but not the littlest anymore!) man.

Each morning now we are greeted by him standing up in his crib ready to go.

The process of him learning that skill was fun. He started by pulling up to kneeling, and surprising himself with it.

Then, as he was kneeling, he fumbled with his feet for a while and got himself to a wobbly stand, and really surprised himself and me!! He was pleased with my reaction and knew he needed to try for it again!

He then attempted it again and again until finally, it seems to be a pretty normal skill for him (but I still theatrically applaud him for being such a big boy. I wonder, should I encourage this behavior?!)

Not only does he stand up in bed, but he can get to standing pretty much anywhere that is strong enough to support his many attempts at it: his musical table. Imagine my surprise when one minute he was kneeling at it, I looked down to finish making his dinner and then look up to see him standing, beaming proudly waiting for me to theatrically applaud (which I did).

He also surprised me yesterday by pulling up to stand on the couch, and then today on a box of diapers!

So, he is firmly in the world of the vertical I think (well, as long as he has something to hold!).

He is now getting really adventurous with this too. Today, when he was standing leaning on his box of diapers, he moved to the wall, put both hands on the wall and kind of wobbled for a few minutes wondering what to do next. He dare not let go of the wall, but wasn't quite sure how to move!

By the time we had moved over to the couch, I was able to entice him with the glowing screen on my computer and he was able to move from one end of my (very) small couch to the other to tap on my keyboard. It took him several minutes, but he did it!

Next, he went from the couch to the adjacent recliner...so he's starting to get braver!

When he falls, even if he doesn't bump anything (just gets frustrated) it's always several minutes of him recovering, so hopefully he'll learn to toughen up a little bit, but he always pulls through and tries again.

He claps his hands (which has always been one of my favorite things babies do!). He knows the word "clap" by sound and has on an occasion or two even looked at the word "clap" and done it. Coincidence? Learning to read? Well, since I'm the mom and I'm entitled to think my kid is smart, I'll think the latter, but I won't fault you if you think the former...for now (but I'll have you know I will appeal to baby Michael's Mumma and aunt Noree' as a witness that he did it at least once!)

He picked up "rolling" his arms from playing Patty-Cake (hmm...never actually spelled that out before). It's cute!

He definitely has his father's love of music as evidenced by his "rocking out" every time Daddy Michael plays the guitar. He is really entranced by it and hits the car (sometimes even in rhythym), tries to strum the strings, "sings," and bounces up and down. Way, way, way cute.

I'm working really hard to get away from "baby food" and give him "real food." It's a tough move. When I give him "baby food" (meaning food I don't have to prepare more than opening up a jar...thanks Gerber for accomodating my laziness!), I know how much he eats and am always satisfied it feels like enough. When I break up pieces and put it on his tray, some of it ends up on the floor, some on his chair, some in his bib, some in his hair, some under his chin, some in between his fingers, and finally some in his mouth.

He's been spoiled by pureed food and by being spoon-fed. Food I know he likes, he'll turn his nose to if he has to put it in his own mouth. I kid you not, I've even taken some of his food from his tray, but it on a spoon and put it in his mouth and he'll eat it. Doh.

I mean, he's not a picky eater, but I think he really liked the smooth texture which I've really been straying from lately, so I'm not convinced he is feeling as full at the end of each meal. It's a learning curve for him and me, I guess. Though this has me tempted to start his brother off on non-pureed foods and induct him into chunky(but mushy)food-dom right out. Well, I've got a while to decide.

He loves cheese, chicken, beef, sausage, plums, apricots, yogurt, lasagna, orzo pasta with sauce, quesadillas, peaches-on-a-spoon, pototoes, eggs, and anything resembling bread.

He, so far, hates ground beef (snob!), peas that I blend or just put on his tray, sweet potatoes (which he totally used to love!), spaghetti-os, and mac and cheese that's not blended into goo.

Anways, we'll see as I think of new ideas and he gets used to big-boy food how things go. I just never knew worrying about getting your kid the right nutrition could be so stressful! Those baby food jars spoiled me because looking at the ingredients, it looked like everything was good for them, all blended into one nicely-looking and decently tasting medley!

Michael's personality and inter-relatability is really really fun. He actually communicates that he wants to play, be silly, make faces, or even just be left alone to do his own thing. He can just give a look which gets me laughing, which gets him laughing, etc.

He knows he is the center of our little world and exploits it shamelessly.

___

Baby Boy is doing well too, though I swear those two are already conspiring. Michael gets me all tired out during the day, and then as I lay my head down to go to sleep, that's when his brother has to get some attention. He takes FOREVER to settle down sometimes. He definitely lets me know when he doesn't approve of my sleeping position and is relentless until I accomodate his comfort. I just wonder what he's going to be like when he can really get kicking and shoving in there!

Of course, he's our little boy too and already taking his place in our family. I must watch his little video 20 times a day. I wonder what he'll look like, be like, how he'll be similar to Michael and how he'll be different. I wonder how Daddy Michael will survive with two boys clammering for his every bit of attention, and how baby Michael will adjust to the newest member. I laugh a lot because as Michael is crawling through the apartment, if something is in his way, he doesn't just go around it, or even just get it out of his way, he attacks it until it flies so far clear of his path it's outta sight, outta mind. I think about how he'll be with a baby brother...oh heavens!

So we are blessed abundantly as we celebrate 11 months with our little boy, and the joy and thrill of getting to do it all again soon!

P.S. Sorry for the super-abundance of bath pictures, but we think they are cute!

Say "Hi!"

Well, here he is!

Our littlest boy wants to say Hi to all his friends and family!

So our ultrasound was today and revealed a healthy little boy...so we'll have two little fellas roaming around here come November!

It's so funny being pregnant with the second...on one hand, it is a LOT less stress. Having been through it before, I'm not so paranoid about little things wondering if something is wrong or if that little pain is normal or this little symptom is alright.

On the other hand, dealing with the first trimester woes on top of chasing after baby Michael has been quite a handful! I'm still so tired! I thought I remember having more energy at this point last time, but I guess that's because I could essentially just sleep whenever I needed to or just lay down. Now I'm on my toes a lot!

It's also different because when we were waiting for Michael, we couldn't wait to welcome him to our family...just the two of us. We loved each other, and knew we would have a loving home for him to grow up in and be nurtured by. In preparing for the second one, I've been reflecting on how much BETTER it is even now than before because this little one is going to not only have his parents to love him, but a wonderful big brother! I've really grown to appreciate how much more wonderful our family is because Michael is here, and how excited we are to introduce the new baby to such a joyful, happy, silly little boy.

As I've mentioned before, bedtime is a very special time for the Barber family...and soon getting to add another little baby to the mix (especially once the new baby gets into a good sleep routine!); add him to our prayer time, get to cuddle and kiss and love two little boys...ah...I can hardly wait.

I've been over at the Campbell house when the boys are doing their prayertime and it is just SOOO unbelievably precious to see the two little boys offering their prayers with their candle, all dressed in their PJs bundling up in their little car/truck bedspreads and sheets. It's so beautiful! I look forward to having our two little boys (and whoever else God sends our way in the future!) doing the same.

So, as if there wasn't enough cuteness with Baby Michael to fill up blog posts with, there will be more Barber boy cuteness coming your way (assuming I'll have the time to post!)

We're SO excited to welcome this newest little man to our family!

The evolution of a hairstlye

Before Michael was born, during his 4D ultrasound, the technician said she was able to see the baby had "lots and lots" of hair. She wasn't too far off. Michael came into the world looking like this:

However, it didn't take long before things got a little weird....



...and our little boy started to develop a receding hairline at 1 month old.....

But, fortunately, things turned around and his hair started to grow back, slow but sure.

Look at how perfectly straight that hairline is!

As his hair density grows, so does his confidence!

Then by January, his hair actually was comb-able.

This turned from merely-combable, to full fledged toupee-likeness!

I mean look at that rug on that kid! It almost looks fake!

Then one day, the straight toupee' style started to get a little "body" to it. It started to get a little wave (even though the sides stayed pretty short).

But what started out as a well-groomed style on the sides, started to itself grow out of control. Little "wings" on the sides started to develop. Peter, here, thinks to himself "I told him so" when his advice to Michael to switch to a non-store brand conditioner went unheeded. Michael is clearly a bit embarrassed.

Within days, the curls on the side were out of control, but Michael seemed to be growing content with it.

Who, after all, wouldn't be proud to display such an impressive mop top at such a tender age?

And so here we stand today, not many months after his receding hairline days, with curls that keep curling more and more each day....

Or maybe even each minute!!

10.5 Month Update

I know I usually save these updates for once a month, but it seems like so much has happened, I won't be able to keep track of it all if I wait for another two weeks!

Michael is doing increasingly better making his way to pretty much wherever he wants to go. He is spending more time crawling on his knees, but still much prefers to drag his belly. I wonder when he will learn that the other way is much more efficient because, let me tell you, that belly of his can produce quite a drag!

Michael is moving into the realm of the vertical, and in his opinion, he can't get there fast enough. He is pulling up on whatever he can, or pushing up if there is something lower that he thinks can support his weight as he tries to climb on it. Once, he even tried to climb a stroller wheel and was a little miffed that he kept rolling to one side or the other. It was funny to watch.

We spend a lot of time after his nap times when I lower the gate of his crib, and he has fun pulling up on it. I'll usually attempt to "bite" his hands, feet, knees, or whatever I can, and he will shriek with delight as he falls back in his bed, then pulls up and starts all over again. It is really cute and very enjoyable.

He, on one occasion in his bed, even pulled himself up to standing! He so badly wants to do that all the time, but just hasn't gotten the hang of it all yet, though I think watching his cousin Peter on Friday who quite the master at it, did a lot to continue to spark his enthusiasm.

He loves to climb over things, like pillows or Mommy. That is fun for me, and I'm a sucker for attention from Baby Michael, so any time he comes charging towards me, pawing at me to climb over me, I savor the moment very much.

Michael's language skills are really taking off, often in a way that completely catches me off guard.

Some things he's been able to say for a while:

"Dada"

"Wow"

"Hi"

and "Mmm" (as in "this food is tasty")

He also as associated his own word with the crucifix which he very much still enjoys looking at. The word sounds something like "Gah" and he uses it pretty much every time he lookes at the crucifix and he only uses it for the crucifix, so he definitely has assigned some connection between the word and the thing. His father and I would like to suppose that he knowingly acknowledges Jesus as God...but maybe that is just one of those things parents think/say about their kids because the are convinced their kid is the smartest kid in the whole world. But whatever he is trying to say, we do like that he is making the word/object connection.

Also, another cool thing that I just can't possibly assign to coincidence is what he says whenever we come home to our apartment. Several weeks ago, we noticed he was fixated on the number aove our door posted on a large tile.

"99" it reads.

As we would unlock the door, he would stare up at it, and of course, we would say "ninety-nine! that's where we live! ninety-nine!"

One day earlier this week, I brought Michael home from somewhere, he looked up at the tile and said, "nah-eh-nah!"

I kid you not.

He does it, I would say just about 80-90% of the time when we come home. And the interesting thing is that he doesn't even hear me say it first. He just remembers that sound goes with that thing. It's neat!

It's also a super thing that we don't live in apartment 112 or something, since it would give me one less thing to brag about :)

Of coure, throughout the day, he's constantly babbling, sometimes saying things that really sound like real words--the most common I hear is "Ok." Once, he was hitting his dinner table with his hands (which I don't like!) and I told him "no hitting please" and he said "Ok" and then stopped.

For the life of me, I can't get him to repeat it, so I think it's just a sound, but those times when the sounds happen to fall into the context of being appropriate are always amusing, and they always make me wonder just a little bit how much knows compared to how much I think he knows. I can't tell you how many times a day I think to mysefl, "wow. Babies are smart!" I think underestimating is always a bad idea :)

His eating is continuing to do great and I am enjoying trying new things with him and he is enjoying it too! He loves to eat whenever we are eating, so if we are eating a snack during the time he is playing on the ground, he has to make sure he gets some too, and sharing it with him is very fun.

Sleeping is continuing to do well. Night sleep just keeps getting better and better! We are now well into a pattern of him not waking up before 7am (he even inexplicably slept until 7:45 once) and he is going to bed instantly at around 7pm each night. Morning nap time is pretty much a thing of the past, but afternoon nap time is great and actually no longer entails lots of bucking bronco wind-down time. Most days, I put him in his bed and in one minute, he is asleep. it's great!

So at 10.5 months, we are just continuing to do great!! What a boy!

Bath Time Part 3