Ok, ok, I know it's been forever ...

Hopefully this blog will make up for it. So where should I start? How about some updates on our little man. Alex is now ...

1. Walking. Finally! But along with walking comes ...

2. Injuring himself on a fairly regular basis. We've gotten two calls from the day care saying, "We just wanted to let you know, in case you wanted to take him to the doctor ..." The first time we did (busted lip), the second time we didn't (giant bruise/bump on forehead). I feel terrible telling the daycare director, "nah, I'm sure he'll be fine." But, seriously, what can a doctor do with a bump to the noggin? Don't worry, if there had been a noticeable change in his attitude or behavior, we would have taken him in asap.

3. Still being super-picky when it comes to food. His diet largely consists of whole grain crackers, Gerber meat sticks, and whatever his poor teachers can get him to eat at school. The kid will absolutely not eat fruit. And trust me, it's not as easy as it seems to trick (or force) a 15 month old into eating something.

4. Saying two words! The first he's been saying a while (though not with as much frequency as he used to): meow. Actually it sounds like "ooowww." Which makes sense because that's how Riley, the only animal that doesn't run from Alex, sounds when he meows. Word #2 is: Uh-oh! He learned that from the "older kids" at school, who like to throw things, just so they can say it. So now when Alex drops/throws his food on the floor, he says "Uh-oh!" like he means it.

5. Throwing temper tantrums. They usually consist of prostrating himself on the floor and crying for a few minutes. They are not very big right now, but I know they'll get worse. And more frequent. And in the isles of Kroger. Can't wait.

6. Getting a little beer gut. Though, technically I guess it's a crackers and meat sticks gut.

7. Loving getting naked. This will be fun as he gets older and figures out how to remove his own clothes and diaper.

So that's what's new with Alex. Andy and I will have some changes of our own soon. This summer we both go back to school. Andy is registered to take three classes; undergraduate prerequisites to the Master's in Information Systems Management program he hopes to enroll in the fall (he's taking the GMAT soon). Assuming all goes as planned for me, I'm planning on starting the PhD program at Auburn in Forestry while working full time. It will be a slow process, since I'll only take one or two classes at a time. Our finances will be a bit tight over the next couple years, but we're pretty sure in the long run, this will all pay off. It will also mean that Alex will be an only child for a while. Sorry, little man, no siblings to pick on for a while. Also, Andy and I have finally found a church we like. Unfortunately, Alex doesn't seem to handle the nursery so well. Last Sunday we didn't even make it through the opening announcements of the service before our parent pager started buzzing. I'm sure the people around us were thinking "geez, I bet their kid is a handful if he can't make it 10 minutes."

So that's what's new in Dyerland. Here are some long overdue pics. I hope they make up for months of woeful neglect.


A boy and his Bop Bop:



Having waaay too much fun:


Not having any fun:


Being a big scary bubble monster:

Playing with all those toys is exhausting:

Yay for weather warm enough to play outside!

Baby's first (Alabama) snow:

Alex Update ... Finally (pics to come later)

I know an Alex update is loooonng overdue. The truth is, he hasn't really reached any major milestones lately. He kind of took his first steps on Christmas day, but has really just decided that crawling works fine for him. Unfortunately for us, though, he no longer likes to be held, especially out in public. So standing in line at the pharmacy with a squiggly squirmy 24lbs baby is super fun. But here's a list of things Alex is doing or enjoys these days:

1. Alex is starting to watch TV. I know, I'm a horrible mommy for being happy about this, but it sure does make things easier when we're trying to clean up the house.

2. Sleeping still continues to be a little bit of a challenge. Though the last three nights (knock on wood), he has slept through the night, about 9 and a half hours. It's been great. But I'm sure that will change the next time he gets sick.

3. Alex loves infommercials. He is especially enamored with the voice of Billy Mays. Go figure.

4. Alex likes to lift up shirts. He also likes to reach down them. This is bad.

5. Alex's laugh his changing. It used to be more of a throaty chuckle. Now it sounds a little more maniacal. There's nothing better in this world than a baby laughing - no matter what it sounds like!

6. Alex still hates anything remotely resembling fruit or vegetables. We have decided not to fight this battle until he understands the concept of bargaining. For now, we just put bits on his tray and get a kick out of the look he gives us: "You seriously think I'm going to eat this s***?"

7. Alex has got some moves! The kid is a terrific little dancer. His teacher said his signature dance reminds her of the Pepsi commercial with Jimmy Fallon. She's totally right.

Seven things ...

My step-sister, who is waaay better about keeping up her blog than I am (in fact, she puts most bloggers to shame), bestowed this upon me:

So, in the spirit of "man, I guess I gotta do it," here it goes!

The rules are as follows: List 7 random things about yourself and pass it onto 7 honest bloggers.

1. I don't like reality TV, but for some reason, I could spend all day watching America's Next Top Model. Not sure why, I guess it's the 13-year-old in me judging yet envying beautiful, skinny women. But I still don't like Tyra Banks. Sorry.

2. I don't consider myself a materialistic person, but I love, love, love shoes! Not the $400 Jimmy Choos or anything (don't even know if I spelled that right), but regular, everyday sneakers, sandals, boots, etc. I have too many, but always want more!

3. In high school, I wasn't a particularly fun person. But on a weekend trip to Birmingham my senior year I did moon a bunch of truckers. I won't tell you what my best friend sitting shotgun in front of me showed those truckers! Let's just say we got several honks and headlights flashed (hint!).

4. I was in a Japanese commercial as a child. They actually wanted my best friend to do it, but she was sick. But since I had blond hair too, I could fill in. I got paid $200 (or whatever the Yen equivalent is).

5. Secretly, I always wanted to be a dancer. I guess it's not much of a secret anymore.

6. Before my son was born, I was always paranoid about having an ugly child. Obviously, that wasn't the case. But now I realize that even if he had been born with three eyes and both ears on the left side of his head, I would have thought he was the most beautiful child I had ever seen.

7. Growing up my dad always told me: "You'll never know how much I love you." I would always roll my eyes and groan "Da-ad, yes I do." Well, turns out my dad was wrong. I did figure it out. It just took 26ish years and having a child of my own before I knew what he meant.

Too bad I don't know 7 bloggers. So I'll pass it on the few I do:

McBaby and More
Fricknits
What the Springers are Doing ...
Southern Foothills Cookery

Here's to you, little man ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Almost there ...

As the one year mark approaches (sigh), here's a list of 10 things Alex is doing (or not doing) at this point. He's becoming such a big boy.

1. Alex is eating like a champ. Once we ditched the baby food and started the table food, Alex really started to get his eat on. He is now wearing 18m pants, despite that they're too long, because his 12m pants won't stay snapped. His favorite foods are meat, muffins, meat, and meat.

2. Alex is testing his boundaries. He is learning right from wrong, and likes to make sure we haven't forgotten which is which. His favorite no-nos to engage in are crawling up to the fire (darn floor-level hearth), opening the DVD bookcase doors, and playing with/smacking the PlayStation 3. He's gotten a couple of swats on the behind, but he just looks at us like: "Are you kidding? That's all you got?"

3. Alex is getting bored with his "baby" toys. Good thing his birthday and Christmas are right around the corner.

4. Alex is flipping over during diaper changes. Makes things difficult.

5. Alex is sleeping ok at night. He wakes up an average of twice a night, but at least we're able to pat him back to sleep relatively quickly. Still a vast improvement over the past several ear-infection-induced-screaming-all-night months.

6. Alex is starting to get a bit shy. No longer quite the big flirt he was, he is starting to clam up a bit when grocery clerks try to talk to him. That's ok, he's still manages to turn on the charm.

7. Alex is (according to his teacher) starting to get a little possessive of the toys at daycare. His teacher seemed to think this was funny. I'm not sure if that is because it is so out of character for him or what. As long as he doesn't become the class bully.

8. Alex is NOT walking. He uses his little lion walker all the time, but he's not so sure about letting go of it. He doesn't cry when he falls. I think he's just content with where he's at right now. And I'm ok with that.

9. Alex is NOT talking. Not even close. He's not even waving. He will imitate us, though, when we clench our fists in frustration and go "Grrrr!" Though his "grrr" sounds more like "eeeegggghhh!" or something like that.

10. Alex is growing up too fast!

Update

Tubes are in! Hopefully this will mean no more (almost) weekly trips to the pediatrician's after-hours clinic or calls from the day care saying "come get your kid; his ears are draining." Hopefully we'll all get some good sleep! Thanks to everybody for their words of encouragement!

Fun on the Farm

To celebrate Andy's, his mother's, and his brother-in-law's birthday (yes, they all share a birthday), we took the kids to Dreamfield Farms in Bullock County. Good times ...

Poor kid

Alex got another ear infection, which (again) burst through his ear drum. He's got an appointment next week with an ENT doctor. Looks like he'll be getting tubes. I'm feeling a little sad, but also a little hopeful. This lack of sleep for the last two months has been hell.

BOO!

Latest Pics of the Kiddo

Still not crazy ...

... Alex still has his ear infection (actually two). So on Friday he began a round of antibiotic shots. He's not crazy about the shots, but he already seems to be feeling much better. His cold has even seemed to clear up. His eyes aren't puffy and goopy anymore. He gets his last shot this afternoon. In his appointment on Friday the doctor actually said things like "I don't want to sound like an alarmist" and "we'll need to have a heart-to-heart about tubes" and "now, don't go all teary-eyed on me." Needless to say, I felt pretty crummy. But at least (yet again) my suspicions were confirmed that he still had an ear infection and that my little boy wasn't crying "just because." That makes me feel better. If only I could get baby to feel better too!

Late Bloomer

My name is Janice and my son is a late bloomer. There, I said it! Actually, I don't know if this is really true, but I think it is important that if it is true, I need to work on getting over it now. We're going to a wedding in Michigan on New Year's Eve and I was really hoping that Alex could stand/walk/dance by then. But here we are, on the verge of 10 months, and he still army crawls. He's not even really working on pulling up (unless you count the way he sits and yanks on the fireplace door handles). He seems perfectly content, especially now that he figured out how to sit up on his own (just last week). He doesn't eat baby food very well. Though he seems to really like trying to eat puffs. His manual dexterity is surprisingly good. He manages to pick up every speck of whatever the vacuum cleaner doesn't get (and, yes, we have a Dyson). Luckily, he's more interested in playing with his treasures than eating them. But he's still the only kid in his class that doesn't crawl up on his knees (several are walking by now). Maybe this means he'll just have a more laid-back approach to life. If that's the case, I'm totally down with this. If only his "laid-backness" extended to his nightly sleeping patterns. Sigh. One of these days we'll get to again bask in the luxury of uninterrupted sleep. Damn us for not enjoying those two months in which Alex actually slept through the night. We won't make that mistake again.

Yay! I'm not crazy! Oy. Alex is still sick.

Well, not sick, really, but he still has an ear infection. Again, I'm getting ahead of myself. Alex started a round of antibiotics two weeks ago to treat an inner-ear infection. We were supposed to give it to him for 10 days. Well, at the end of 10 days I had the nagging feeling that the ear infection had not gone away. He wasn't running a fever and he wasn't displaying any sure-fire signs of feeling bad. But he just wasn't the happy-go-lucky Alex I know. Not to mention the whole not eating or sleeping thing. But I thought maybe I was just being paranoid and I didn't want to have to pay another $25 for the doctor to tell me he was just fine (I know, shameful, but we had gone to the doctor twice already!). Then, on Wednesday night, a miracle: Alex slept through the night! He was a happy baby all day Thursday (even his teacher noticed a difference). Then yesterday evening he started screaming bloody murder. It wasn't his normal cry. I looked at his ear and it was all "boogery" (doctor's adjective, not mine); blackish-yellow crusties all in and around it. I panicked, took him to the doctor and told Andy to meet us there (he was headed home from work). Long story short: there's good news and bad news. The good news is that because of the building pressure, the infection had bored its way through his ear drum and finally made its way out. The bad news is he still has an ear infection. So we're on a new round of antibiotics and some ear drops. The antibiotics may turn his poop orange or red. We're pulling for orange so he can show his Auburn pride. Joking aside, I think there's a lesson to be learned here. That is that I need to trust my motherly instinct. I knew, just KNEW, he wasn't 100 percent. But with the rising cost of gas (Andy's 120 mile round-trip commute is a killer) and groceries I have become uber-stingy. Luckily, the doctor felt bad about this being our third trip in two weeks, so he knocked $15 off our co-pay. What a nice guy. If only the oil companies were so understanding.

CIO sucks

CIO - that's online parent-speak for "Cry It Out." It's just what it says, a method of getting the baby back to sleep by letting him cry his sad little eyes out. Well, it sucks. We gave it an honest-to-goodness try last night for the first time. We've kind of tried in the past, but usually caved in after a few minutes. But I'm getting ahead of myself ...

About a month and a half ago, Alex got sick for the first time. Before then he was sleeping through the night, but after he got sick he started waking up several times a night. Then, about two weeks ago, he got another ear infection. Ever since then, his sleeping has gotten even worse. With one night being the exception, every single night for the past two weeks, Alex has ended up on the couch or in bed with us. He may wake up off and on the first couple of hours, but then it's like clockwork: at 2:30 a.m. he starts screaming crying and will not stop no matter how long we stand there and pat his bottom or give him his pacifier. Andy suspects that Alex has got us figured out - he knows that we will eventually give up. I'm not so sure he's that smart yet, but I don't have a better explanation.

Anyway, last night we were at our wits end. At 2:30 on the dot, he started crying. We lay (laid?) there in bed and listen to him cry. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. By this time, it was blood-curdling, on-the-verge-of-vomiting screaming. And crying always sounds worse over a baby monitor, for some reason. Andy caved. He brought Alex to bed. The crying must have worn him out, though, because he slept very soundly the second he hit our bed (he usually wakes up a few more times, just for fun). For about an hour after being brought to our bed his breathing was staggered, punctuated by hiccups; the way you do after a good, hard cry. I felt a little guilty, but I also have visions of trying to convince a seven-year-old little boy that it's not normal to still sleep in the bed with his parents. Besides, if Alex ever wants a little brother or sister, he has got to cut this out. 'Cause it ain't happening otherwise.

Latest Pics

GO BRAVES!

DON'T I LOOK SWEET?

GOOD KITTY.

HANGIN' WITH GRANNY AT THE GAME.

YAY! SPLASHING IS FUN!

Worst. Night. Of. Sleep. Ever.

Last night was terrible!! Alex woke up about four times, then at about four a.m., he woke up screaming bloody murder. I'm amazed the neighbors didn't call the cops (of course, two houses on our street are owned by cops ...). Anyway, Alex was screaming his little head off. I think he had gas because when he screamed particularly hard, he would sqeeze out a fart. It would have been funny - if it hadn't been 4 a.m. So we gave him some Tylenol and Mylicon and settled on the couch. The three of us slept on the couch together for the first time since he was a newborn. It would have been nice - if we didn't both have to get up and go to work two hours later. On a lighter note, we attended our first Water Babies class. It was a blast. Alex loves, loves, loves the water. He was splashing and kicking and only cried a tiny little bit when we put him underwater. The third time we dunked him, he spit up in the pool. Oh well. I guess that's to be expected. At least he had a good time! Anybody think, though, there could be a connection between the swimming and the 4 a.m. screaming? Does swimmer's ear occur that quickly? Is there usually a fever with swimmer's ear? Do I need to buy a parenting book or what?

Sleep ... finally!

For a while there, Alex was a dream baby (well, actually, he still is). He was sleeping through the night - every night - and eating like a champ. But then, about a month or so ago, he got sick. Not just the sniffles, but a fever and a virus that caused blisters in his throat. He projectile vomited for the first time. Anyway, he got over the illness quickly, but hasn't been quite the same ever since. He has been a horrible sleeper; on Sunday night, he woke us up about six times in the night (Andy and I each got up three times). But then last night, we had an honest-to-goodness full night of sleep! It was amazing. Even more amazing than when he first did it months ago. But we still need to figure out the eating thing. Before he got sick, he ate everything we gave him except peas and apples (I know, weird). He ate carrots and sweet potatoes and prunes and more. His favorite food, though, was peaches. Ever since he got sick, he will only eat peaches. Anything else we give him, he cries and shakes his head back and forth and slaps the spoon out of our hands. He won't even eat baby food that has peaches mixed with something else (like "fruit medley"). And, yes, we have tried airplane motions and noises. He thinks they are funny until the plane comes in for a landing. Any recommendations?? Anyone???

Parenthood

It never ceases to amaze me how sometimes the smallest tasks are so much more challenging with a child. I thought going into this whole parenting thing that the biggest challenges I would face would be the ones you see on TV - a baby that won't stop crying, explosive poopies, and never getting enough sleep. And, yes, it's true, I feel like I just can't catch up on sleep, Alex has basically proven me wrong. If he cries, all we have to do is pat his behind, pick him up or give him a pacifier. And while he has had his share of nasty number twos, none has been horrifying or unmanageable. The challenges we've encountered have been more dealing with run-of-the-mill chores. Yesterday, for example, I realized we desperately needed to order new checks. Alex had just woken up from a short nap, so he wanted some attention. I held him while I logged on the computer to order the checks. I managed to keep him from banging on the keyboard, but only because he thought the inner flesh of my arm would be a good place to chomp down with those six teeth. Ouch! I still have a bruise. Then the stupid website would not accept my routing and account numbers as valid. So I called. I got an automated voice message system. Now, is there anything more annoying than that? Anyway, I was in the process of ordering checks and the robotic voice was informing me of the option to purchase a variety of designs. Alex started to babble and the voice stops short and says, "Do you wish to end this call?" No! So I completed the rest of the call by craning my neck and turning my head as far away from Alex as possible so the voice wouldn't mistake Alex's babble for my request. I don't want to end up with 20 boxes of kitten checks for Andy and Janice BLA MOB BA Dyer. Whew, I finally finished the call, checks ordered. I looked down and at some point, Alex had thrown up (not spit up; this was remnants from his lunch of carrots) all over my shirt and rubbed the top of his head in it. Ahh, the sweet (sour) smell of parenthood.

An Addendum ...

... to my last post: I'm sure some paparazzo are very caring, loving people. Who knows, maybe they even volunteer at their local homeless shelter. I just used that as an example. I know that a person's career isn't his or her only contribution to society. Ok, so no throwing virtual eggs at me if I've offended you and your camera-wielding ways.

No Pictures ... But a List!

Ok, so I've been terrible lately about updating this blog. My dear friend, who has a 7-week-old, has been doing waaay better than me about her blog. What does that say about me? Sigh. Oh, well, I have a good reason. Sort of. When Andy got his job, we celebrated by dropping a week's paycheck on a new camera. We love the Canon Rebel, but the bad part is the memory card holds too many pictures. We've taken more than 300 since we got the camera and haven't uploaded a single one. Yesterday I tried to upload some pictures, but couldn't find the USB cord. We'll get there eventually. In the meantime, here's another one of my lists to keep you entertained ...

Things That Surprise Me, Even After 8 Months of Motherhood

1. High Cost of Food. I know that the price of groceries has gone up; blame it on biofuels, China and India, soaring oil prices, or whatever. But I never knew feeding a baby would get expensive. Alex gets four bottles of formula a day (my frozen breastmilk ran out about a week after I stopped pumping), baby food twice a day, and a bottle of juice once a day. The formula runs about $25 per week (and we go with the less expensive powder, not prepared stuff). The baby food about $15 per week. When I was in college, I could feed myself for $35 a week (it was a stretch, but I could do it). Nobody told me feeding a baby could cost almost as much as feeding an 18-year-old girl!

2. Pride. I knew I would feel pride at some point, I just had no idea that I would experience such strong pride at this early stage. It didn't matter that no one else was around to witness it, but when my baby army-crawled, slept through the night unswaddled, and drank all 5 ounces of juice for the first time (all in the last week), I couldn't have been more pleased.

3. Happiness/Sadness. It's funny how some parenthood moments truly are bitter sweet. Today Alex moved up to a new room at daycare. I was happy - he's getting older, he's becoming more developmentally independent, he's going to learn new skills from being around babies that are further along. But I was sad - he had a fantastic teacher in his first classroom, he's going to probably get less one-on-one attention, and he's going to be in a room with some babies who can walk (yikes!).

4. His Own Good. I'm surprised how easy it is to do things for Alex that I know are for his own good. I don't like to see my baby cry, but I will stick an aspirator up his nose twenty times in a row if that's what it takes to get all that mucus out and let him breath a little easier. He hates it and he hates me for doing it (not really), but I know it's best for him and that's what is most important.

5. Speaking of Snot. I never imagined how much it would suck to have a sick baby. I don't mean a seriously ill baby (I cannot begin to imagine the sorrow and anxiety that might cause), but a baby with a cold that just won't go away. I feel so bad for the little guy when I hear him cough or hear his wheezy breathing over the monitor. We do everything we can (saline drops, baby Vicks, two humidifiers, vapor outlet plugs, baby Tylenol/Motrin, warm baths, aspirator, etc., etc.), but you can't do much besides try to make him as comfortable as possible. But that's still not enough! Come, already, somebody invent a cure for the (all-too-common) cold!

6. Ralphie's Mom. Many moons ago I wrote in this blog that I wanted to be like Ralphie's mom from "A Christmas Story." I thought she was the image of a perfect parent - firm, but loving. Little did I know that I would be a lot like Ralphie's mom, just not quite in the way I pictured. Ralphie's mom had not had a hot meal in something like 10 years. We'll I'm working on it. The kid just knows when Mommy and Daddy are about to eat and he loves to get fussy just in time to spoil it. We're not sure if it is the sound of plates clanking or the smell of the food, but he has got it figured out somehow.

7. Magical Moment. I thought that by now the novelty of being excited to pick Alex up at the end of the day would have worn off. Boy, was I wrong. The best part of every day is the drive to the daycare, walking down the hall, and seeing my sweet baby boy playing in his classroom. I get all giddy and excited like it's the first day of school and I'm wearing the coolest outfit around. Ok, so maybe a different kind of excitement, but it really is fantastic. I know I probably walk in there with the goofiest grin on my face, but the staff all seem to understand. After all, who wouldn't be excited to see that cute chubby-cheeked face after a long day of work?

8. I Want to Make the World a Better Place. This doesn't require much explanation. I feel now that I have a child, my life has more value and I have more responsibility to build a more just world for my son and for all children. I know, sounds cheesy and a bit lofty, but I do. I just wonder how parents who have truly pointless jobs (like paparazzo who follow Paris Hilton around) justify their work. I know, I'm being judgmental, but seriously, does having pictures of some celebrity's cellulite do anything to create a better world for kids?