Monday Minute: Babysitting

We had the pleasure of watching little Ms. Alyson the other morning while her mommy ran a Hot Chocolate 5K (yes, you get hot chocolate AND chocolate fondue at the finish line!) I was supposed to run this race, however, I forgot to sign up before it was sold out... all for the better, though, since a) James still isn't great with the bottles, b) I can't eat chocolate because of the dairy, and c) who would have watched Alyson!?

Instead of Drew teaching Alyson bad habits, it was the other way around! She loved blowing raspberries and Drew thought it was the greatest thing ever. They were having fun doing it back and forth, which is what we tried to catch on video. I bet no one will be surprised that they stopped doing it once the camera was rolling (though we caught a brief moment at about 1:28), but you can't deny how cute these kiddos are!



P.S. I love how Drew and Alyson look adorable in their Sunday best while I'm still lounging in my PJs. :P

Drewless

To celebrate our anniversary Jason and I went out to dinner last night... alone!  You'd think it wouldn't be that big of a deal, "you've only had the kid for 2 weeks!" but you get rather used to having him around.  I know even Jason found it a bit odd to be "Drewless," but for me, after having had him with me 24/7 for 9.5 (actually, more like 10) months and having to "reattach" him every couple of hours or so, it was pretty hard.  I constantly felt like something was "missing".

We planned everything pretty well.  We didn't plan a specific time to go out knowing that it would really depend on Drew.  He decided he was hungry around 4:30 and that's when it was "go time".  After he ate I quickly got showered and dressed (and prettified of course) then we headed to Jason's dad and step-mom's house.  Drew actually managed to stay awake for the 1/2 hour car ride, so when we arrived at their house 2 hours after he last ate he was perfectly hungry.  I fed him and changed him, did the whole "here's where everything is" thing, and we headed out.  The biggest kink was that he didn't fall asleep even while feeding, so I was a bit worried as we headed out the door that he was going to stay awake and decide he was hungry again before we returned.  We have not yet introduced bottles, and don't plan to for a few more weeks, so I had left some expressed milk and a syringe but was hoping not to have to go that route.  Thankfully he fell asleep shortly after we left (you know I had to check-in... if I hadn't you wouldn't believe this was me writing!).

Dinner was delicious!  We actually treated ourselves and went to a cute place in a downtown city square and splurged on steaks.  I finally understand why some places charge so much for their food- even their vegetables were to-die-for! (In fact, even the "chex mix" they served when we first got there was fantastic, who knew!?)

We enjoyed having some time just the two of us.  As much as I was reluctant to leave Drew, especially so early and before we've introduced bottles, I knew it was important for us to have some alone time and really just enjoy each other.  There hasn't been a lot of that since our new arrival and alone time will probably be hard to come by as the years go on, but I think it's so important to remember that we're a couple first (that's how Drew got here!) and to take care of that relationship so that everything else falls into place.  I tried my best not to talk about Drew (okay, not to talk excessively about Drew... he turned 2 weeks yesterday after all!), and not to worry over him (I only did the one check-in!) so Jason would know I was enjoying my time with him.

And yes, everything was just fine.  Drew slept peacefully in his Nonny's arms pretty much the whole time we were gone (a whopping 3 hours!).  He actually continued to sleep so soundly on our trip home and after we returned that I couldn't even wake him to eat and had to pump!

Thank you Nonny and Poppy!

Taste testing

Don't you love when you get to try something before you buy it? Like free samples at the grocery store, or when you go to Baskin Robbins and can get a mini spoon-full of ice cream before you decide if you want a full scoop?

I've had a couple of opportunites to "taste test" this parenting thing the last few weeks.  Though I guess you can't really call it that because once baby gets here I don't really get to decide if I like it or not.  Of course, by that I don't mean whether or not I will actually like my baby.  I love him already! That's not the question.  But I don't really get to choose what "kind of baby" I get.  Like if he'll be one of those calm babies who sleeps a lot, or if he'll be a temperamental one who requires a little more work.  I don't get to pick what kind of personality he will have.  Heck, I don't even get to choose what he looks like!

It's been fun to get a "taste" of what life as a parent might be like though.  Today I got to go see my niece in her first softball game.  It was fun to watch her putting all her new skills to use and to see how proud of herself she was at the end of the game.  It was also funny to watch and listen to the parents in the stands.  I got to imagine myself sitting through many sporting events (because Jason is convinced that Floodling will be a pro-athlete of some sort).  I'm glad I have a little more time before I have to be "soccer-mom" though.

I also watched another "niece" of mine for a little bit today.  We had fun playing on the swings in her backyard, reading books, eating ice pops, practicing ballet, "mowing" the yard... all in a matter of 45 minutes or so!  Wow! Parenting is exhausting!  Gotta love nap time!

I also watched Stacey's 2 month old nephew a few weeks ago.  I took on the job thinking it would be good practice, though I freaked right before-hand... I worried "what if I can't do it? What if it's too hard?  What if I end up leaving this experience more terrified than I already am!?"  Thankfully it wasn't that bad, but it definitely did give me a taste of what things will be like with an infant.  It seemed like I would give him a bottle and change his diaper then all of a sudden it was time to feed and change again!  Several hours seemed to pass in mere minutes... how could two hours have passed already?  Stacey got back and we decided to "run errands" with him to see what that would be like with an infant. It seemed almost impossible to time things... we had to think about where we were going to be... and when... and how we were going to warm up his bottle, where we would change him, how to tote him around in the first place.  Phew!  I can see why so many new moms just don't get out, even though I swore I didn't want to be that way.

So I got my taste-test and even though I don't get to decide to "send it back" or "get a different flavor" I'm excited to see what this parenting thing will bring for me. It won't be too much longer before Floodling is here in my arms! In fact, only 9 more weeks!

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

I can attest to all that moving! Sometimes I wonder if this boy ever sleeps!  He's also "plumping up" as stated above... the ultrasound tech at our last appointment showed us his face and said "look at those chubby cheeks already!". :)