I write on November 12, 2008. 8 months ago today, Andrew became our reality. As crazy as that feels, it is probably harder to believe that 6 years ago today Miss Sarah Katherine was born:) Happy Birthday, Sarah!
The last two months have been filled with new things that only a parent can truly be mesmerized by day in and day out - baby yoga! About 2 months ago, Andrew starting doing planks ALL the time! These planks are exactly what our instructors in gym class have us do to work our abs. Bluey perfected the plank the first time I saw it. From his tummy, he raised himself onto his palms and his feet - more accurately, onto just his big toes. His back was flat, tail tucked - truly the perfect plank! He stared at the ground in total concentration until his weight became too much for his wrists. Then he'd come down into what I have learned is the yoga term "boat". In our household, boat is affectionately called "superman". With legs fluttering behind him like freestyle, Andrew raises his arms off the floor, too, elbows at a 90 degree angle. He had been doing superman for a while---and push ups, too---so once he added planks, he had a great 3 position routine. I kid you not, Andrew would rotate between the three positions for hours! He wanted no toys to rattle, no books to eat, no arms to hold him. He merely wanted to do his yoga routine, seemingly curious about his own abilities.
What would be next? The baby rock. Eventually, the planks gave way to knees on the floor. Once the knees dropped, oh the rocking that began! Just like his mother (or so she's told), Andrew will rock on his knees with quite some force. When he's in his pack n play (a favorite past time for independent play time, usually leading to nap time), he can literally move the whole thing with one of two moves: the rocking on the knees will get so energetic that the whole pack n play will inch across the wood floor. The other move is the leg banging. Apparently it's enormous fun to lay on one's back, exercising the voice quite loudly, passing Woodstock from hand to hand to mouth, while tossing the legs up in the air just to thrust them into the pack n play as hard as possible. I realized how loud this particular routine was when I went to the mailbox one evening. While I wasn't surprised to be able to hear the constant commentary, I could do nothing but smile when I realized some of our neighbors could probably hear the leg banging as well. Little boys start early - what could possibly be more fun than making noise?!?!
When sharing joys and concerns recently with our young parents fellowship group, I said that Andrew being so close to crawling is both my current joy and concern! I look forward to it with the wonder of a child at their first amusement park, but it "scares" me a bit, too. It feels like my little baby is no longer a baby. Long gone are our infant days. We have a little man on our hands.
Now that he has turned 8 months old, he has an entire yoga routine down - planks, boats, downward dog, cobra, etc. I never thought I'd learn yoga from a baby, but sometimes the most innocent among us are our best teachers. In many respects, we really should take after our young more. Does life really have to be as complicated as we let it become?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Month 5-6
Having mastered rolling over, it's now on to sitting up! We found that Andrew wasn't a big fan of the bumbo chair, so he didn't learn to sit up in that and then have those "training wheels" removed. In fact, he would joyfully stand with assistance until his legs gave out, but he wasn't a big fan of the bumbo. So we just worked on sitting for seconds here and there, hit our head on the floor a few times, and before you know it, there it was! Sitting, although a bit wobbly at times, for minutes at a time. Many had told me what a fun stage this is - sitting up so that you can interact with them easily, but not mobile yet.
Sitting up brought a whole new world of excitement to Andrew. His most important discovery by far? Daisy and Molly! It was as if he woke up one morning and noticed they were there! More accurately, I should say that he noticed Daisy. Molly has been trying to lick up Andrew since we brought him home from the hospital - she shares my sentiment that he couldn't smell any sweeter:) I refrain from licking him constantly, but Molly shows no such restraint. But I suppose that while Andrew was busy soaking in the concept of Daisy, he also learned that there is more to Molly than her tongue.
Andrew's eyes would follow the girls around the room until they'd do something as boring as lay on their bed for a nap. By month 6, they were funnier than they ever knew they could be! If one of the girls would so much as walk by when he sitting in the middle of the room, he would cackle like he just learned to laugh for the first time. Now, whenever they are around, life is a bit more entertaining:) Molly and Andrew will be great friends before too long. Daisy remains patient and a bit uninterested, but Molly truly has a friend in the making. So far, so good with the grabbing and holding on it! Molly just tries to take him for a while (which goes over fine until head hit hardwood, but such is life!).
Sitting up brought a whole new world of excitement to Andrew. His most important discovery by far? Daisy and Molly! It was as if he woke up one morning and noticed they were there! More accurately, I should say that he noticed Daisy. Molly has been trying to lick up Andrew since we brought him home from the hospital - she shares my sentiment that he couldn't smell any sweeter:) I refrain from licking him constantly, but Molly shows no such restraint. But I suppose that while Andrew was busy soaking in the concept of Daisy, he also learned that there is more to Molly than her tongue.
Andrew's eyes would follow the girls around the room until they'd do something as boring as lay on their bed for a nap. By month 6, they were funnier than they ever knew they could be! If one of the girls would so much as walk by when he sitting in the middle of the room, he would cackle like he just learned to laugh for the first time. Now, whenever they are around, life is a bit more entertaining:) Molly and Andrew will be great friends before too long. Daisy remains patient and a bit uninterested, but Molly truly has a friend in the making. So far, so good with the grabbing and holding on it! Molly just tries to take him for a while (which goes over fine until head hit hardwood, but such is life!).
Month 4
Everyone tells you that it all just keeps getting better and better. I guess they know what they are talking about:) At 4 months, Andrew starting rolling over. It was fascinating to watch this process. He'd get half way over with relative ease, and then get stuck on his poor little right arm long enough to turn the whole thing purple. As a first time Mom, it was hard not to run to the rescue and push him onto his stomach, but then how would he learn to achieve his objective on his own? Once he mastered the technique, tummy time was all he wanted. He discovered that he could soak up more of the world from his belly than on his back where straight up was his only view.
Bluey, as we still affectionately refer to him, found his favorite sleeping position on his tummy. From the time he could consistently roll over, he has found comfort in sleeping on his tummy. We put him on his back and he giggles and smiles, having finally learned that bedtime is the greatest part of the day!. He puts "Skip It" in his left hand, rolls right, stuffs that right thumb in the mouth, and makes the funniest little contented noises while he begins his journey. The journey remains a bit of mystery to Mom and Dad. Within a few minutes, this child---who is not quite crawling---intentionally gets himself from the middle of the crib to the top, back corner. Every night, without fail, he manages to wiggle himself into that same corner. He presses his head so tightly into the corner that the Pooh bumper is finally worth the purchase for more than aesthetics. Once comfortably smashed into the corner, he raises his little bum into the air, crosses his ankles, and slides his hands underneath his hips. There is not a thing about the position that looks comfortable, but it works for him, so Lord knows it works for us!
Bluey, as we still affectionately refer to him, found his favorite sleeping position on his tummy. From the time he could consistently roll over, he has found comfort in sleeping on his tummy. We put him on his back and he giggles and smiles, having finally learned that bedtime is the greatest part of the day!. He puts "Skip It" in his left hand, rolls right, stuffs that right thumb in the mouth, and makes the funniest little contented noises while he begins his journey. The journey remains a bit of mystery to Mom and Dad. Within a few minutes, this child---who is not quite crawling---intentionally gets himself from the middle of the crib to the top, back corner. Every night, without fail, he manages to wiggle himself into that same corner. He presses his head so tightly into the corner that the Pooh bumper is finally worth the purchase for more than aesthetics. Once comfortably smashed into the corner, he raises his little bum into the air, crosses his ankles, and slides his hands underneath his hips. There is not a thing about the position that looks comfortable, but it works for him, so Lord knows it works for us!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
My Mommy Loves Me
I'm the cutest Killian boy West of the Mississippi. My mommy loves me soooo much
I love her too...but while she is busy staring into my beautiful eyes, I just want to bounce!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
First 3 months
The first three weeks were wonderful, except for all of the catch up I felt had to be done immediately since we weren't quite ready for Andrew Grier. He slept and ate. That was it. While I slowly began to feel more exhausted, I told everyone I knew, "I understand why people get addicted to having babies! He's the most amazing thing in the world and I can't imagine my life without him. He's so easy, I'd get pregnany again in a heartbeat if I didn't know a little about what's to come!"
Months 2 and 3 were a different story. Right at 6 weeks, I hit my brick wall. Everyone said I would, and I slammed right into it with full force. I cried and cried and promptly booked a plane ticket to go see Mom and Dad. Momma can fix anything, right?!? While that's not exactly how it happened, I sure felt that way. Mom had been in the hospital herself the week after Andrew was born and was home recovering from surgery and an infection, but unable to fly. I couldn't stand it any longer, so Andrew and I went to her. At 6.5 weeks, he was a perfect angel. He ate and slept on the flights and that was all. What a dear.
Our trip to Richmond was exactly what I needed. A little TLC from Mom and Dad was all I needed and I loved the introduction. They also introduced me to the concept of rice cereal in a nithgtime bottle, which I loved even more! At 7 weeks, we cut out one middle-of-the-night feeding and never looked back.
Though we started to get into a bit of a routine, our evenings were rough. Nothing seemed to calm Andrew and I stressed that all Michael saw was a fussy baby. In retrospect, it was just exhaustion, but tired parents were very frustrated not to be able to encourage a tired baby to sleep instead of cry.
My time off work ended with a busy streak of family and travel. We went to Baltimore for Memorial Day and enjoyed great visits with the Killians. Susan hosted a fabulous crab feast during which most family and friends were able to meet baby Andrew. The Killian and Ebert little bitties enjoyed trying to help Andrew sleep by tossing all of their stuffed animals into his pack n play:)
Then Andrew and I drove to Vienna for a few days with the Jones. Kate was a wonderful aunt and Chris was a precious uncle:) Sarah and Abby stole the show, though. They were SO excited to help with baby Andrew. Abby, naturally, insisted on picking out his clothes each day while Sarah proved that she was old enough to hold Andrew AND feed him all by herself! They really were cute with him.
Andrew's first introduction to Alex certainly showed a difference a year can make! While the boys weren't terribly interested in each other (just give that some time, I'm sure!), we had a great dinner in Arlington and headed back to Vienna.
Next stop on the tour was Richmond. Andrew began to prove that he was sleep anywhere I schlepped him. We loaded all the cars, aquired Em, and head to Litchfield for a week at the beach. Michael was finally able to join us again and we enjoyed some much more favorable beach conditions than 2007 at Pawley's! Anne journaled that included in our busy week was a baby starting to sleep through the night. 6 hours on vacation (between the beginning of feedings) didn't quite seem like sleeping through the night, but I was welcoming it!
Months 2 and 3 were a different story. Right at 6 weeks, I hit my brick wall. Everyone said I would, and I slammed right into it with full force. I cried and cried and promptly booked a plane ticket to go see Mom and Dad. Momma can fix anything, right?!? While that's not exactly how it happened, I sure felt that way. Mom had been in the hospital herself the week after Andrew was born and was home recovering from surgery and an infection, but unable to fly. I couldn't stand it any longer, so Andrew and I went to her. At 6.5 weeks, he was a perfect angel. He ate and slept on the flights and that was all. What a dear.
Our trip to Richmond was exactly what I needed. A little TLC from Mom and Dad was all I needed and I loved the introduction. They also introduced me to the concept of rice cereal in a nithgtime bottle, which I loved even more! At 7 weeks, we cut out one middle-of-the-night feeding and never looked back.
Though we started to get into a bit of a routine, our evenings were rough. Nothing seemed to calm Andrew and I stressed that all Michael saw was a fussy baby. In retrospect, it was just exhaustion, but tired parents were very frustrated not to be able to encourage a tired baby to sleep instead of cry.
My time off work ended with a busy streak of family and travel. We went to Baltimore for Memorial Day and enjoyed great visits with the Killians. Susan hosted a fabulous crab feast during which most family and friends were able to meet baby Andrew. The Killian and Ebert little bitties enjoyed trying to help Andrew sleep by tossing all of their stuffed animals into his pack n play:)
Then Andrew and I drove to Vienna for a few days with the Jones. Kate was a wonderful aunt and Chris was a precious uncle:) Sarah and Abby stole the show, though. They were SO excited to help with baby Andrew. Abby, naturally, insisted on picking out his clothes each day while Sarah proved that she was old enough to hold Andrew AND feed him all by herself! They really were cute with him.
Andrew's first introduction to Alex certainly showed a difference a year can make! While the boys weren't terribly interested in each other (just give that some time, I'm sure!), we had a great dinner in Arlington and headed back to Vienna.
Next stop on the tour was Richmond. Andrew began to prove that he was sleep anywhere I schlepped him. We loaded all the cars, aquired Em, and head to Litchfield for a week at the beach. Michael was finally able to join us again and we enjoyed some much more favorable beach conditions than 2007 at Pawley's! Anne journaled that included in our busy week was a baby starting to sleep through the night. 6 hours on vacation (between the beginning of feedings) didn't quite seem like sleeping through the night, but I was welcoming it!
Going Home
Shortly after he was born, Michael and I debated our last two names---fitting disciples Andrew and Luke. While Watson grinned that David was a wonderful name, we explained that David was already the first born boy on one side. Luke being too short to offer Michael the plethora of nicknames he needs, we settled on Andrew. Andrew Grier Killian.
Our days in the hospital were crazy. You wonder where on earth the time goes, but it certainly goes somewhere! Michael slept at home on my orders and was with us except to go to lacrosse practice. The girls wondered where Mommy was, but Dad swooped in to feed them each day and take them to run at practice, so they weren't overly concerned.
Discharge from the hospital Friday was an unexpectedly emotional experience for me. I thought I'd be excited to get back to my own bed, but I was suddenly feeling clueless. What would we do without all of our friends here, all of the people with all of the answers, all of the people that take Andrew away so I can sleep and help me feed him with a tube since my milk isn't in? It's not an easy transition, but Michael had worked hard to get the base in the car that morning and he & Cigna said we were going to use that carseat whether I cried about it or not!
You can't imagine the feeling of walking into your house the first time with your first baby. It's as surreal of an experience as pregnany and childbirth are. Andrew was asleep, so I settled in for a nap, too. The next week is a blur. It was nothing more than cycles of crying, feeding, and sleeping...for everyone. Until my milk arrived for my starving boy Sunday night, feedings were a family affair involving syringes, tubes, and formula. Michael never knew he'd play a role in "breast" feeding! I hadn't realized how early on we would be tricking Andrew in order to protect him:)
Our days in the hospital were crazy. You wonder where on earth the time goes, but it certainly goes somewhere! Michael slept at home on my orders and was with us except to go to lacrosse practice. The girls wondered where Mommy was, but Dad swooped in to feed them each day and take them to run at practice, so they weren't overly concerned.
Discharge from the hospital Friday was an unexpectedly emotional experience for me. I thought I'd be excited to get back to my own bed, but I was suddenly feeling clueless. What would we do without all of our friends here, all of the people with all of the answers, all of the people that take Andrew away so I can sleep and help me feed him with a tube since my milk isn't in? It's not an easy transition, but Michael had worked hard to get the base in the car that morning and he & Cigna said we were going to use that carseat whether I cried about it or not!
You can't imagine the feeling of walking into your house the first time with your first baby. It's as surreal of an experience as pregnany and childbirth are. Andrew was asleep, so I settled in for a nap, too. The next week is a blur. It was nothing more than cycles of crying, feeding, and sleeping...for everyone. Until my milk arrived for my starving boy Sunday night, feedings were a family affair involving syringes, tubes, and formula. Michael never knew he'd play a role in "breast" feeding! I hadn't realized how early on we would be tricking Andrew in order to protect him:)
Monday, September 1, 2008
The Narration Begins
It's simply too difficult to believe that it has been more than 6 months since Andrew Grier blessed us with his adorable presence! My only regret? That I did not begin blogging this journey any sooner. In backtracking, I can only hope to capture at least the most profound moments of his first half year.
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