This weekend we tackled our first road trip with a baby. Mark's parents hadn't seen Mr. Mister since he was 2 weeks old, so we decided to make the trip to Pittsburgh for the weekend. The plan was for Mr. Mister and me to pick Mark up at work on Friday afternoon and leave from there. I was pretty proud of myself for packing our stuff, packing the car, and leaving in enough time to run some errands before arriving at Mark's work early enough to feed Mr. Mister before we hit the road.
I knew it was all going too well though...the way everything fit into the car (suitcases, the pack-n-play, the bouncer, the play mat and several other baby accessories), my early departure from home, the productivity of my errands, the beautiful weather for driving...it was all too good to be true....something difficult had to happen eventually. And it did.
I wanted Mr. Mister to wear his outfit that says, "Going to Grandma's" on it. I knew Mark's mom would love to see him arrive in it. But I also knew that a poopy blow out was inevitable so I waited all day to put it on him until right before we got in the car to leave. I pulled into the parking lot of Mark's office, found a somewhat remote parking spot, and proceeded to feed Mr. Mister while I talked on the phone to a friend. As I had him sitting up to burp, I heard the oh so familiar sound of a rumble in the diaper. Then I smelled it. And when I can smell it I know that it's not confined to just the diaper anymore. Sure enough, I picked him up and saw that the runny poop had leaked from the side of his diaper, down his leg, out the bottom of his pants and onto my nursing pillow! His pant leg was soaked in it and in my efforts to get out of the car as quickly as possible, it spread to the seat and my clothes.
Needless to say, the "Going to Grandma's" outfit was ruined. I set up shop to change him on the grass. I wonder what someone would have thought as they walked by the chaos...the car doors still open, his clothes thrown in the grass, dirty wipes in a pile, the contents of the diaper bag strewn everywhere, and a crying baby. It was quite the scene, I'm sure.
I finally got him changed but left everything thrown around the grass because I was still trying to console my crying son. As I stood holding him, watching the door for Mark to come out and come to my rescue, Mr. Mister spit up down the front of me. Icing on the cake.
Thankfully, the rest of our trip was pretty uneventful, besides driving through pouring rain from Columbus to Pittsburgh. But Mr. Mister slept peacefully in the backseat and we only had to stop once to feed him (this time the feeding was much less dramatic). We made it to Grandma and Grandpa's and enjoyed a very fun weekend with them and Mark's sister and her family. Mr. Mister did great being passed around (at least 12 different people held him throughout the weekend) and smiled at everyone who held him. I wonder why he won't let me put him down today!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Wedding #2 and the Pumpkin Patch
Mr. Mister is one social baby. He went to his second wedding this weekend. I was a bridesmaid in this one, so daddy was in charge. Mr. Mister came dressed in a collared shirt and khakis. The shirt was supposed to have a tie that goes with it, but the tie was too small to fit around his neck (all those chins get in the way!). He looked very handsome. Of course, he got hungry right in the middle of the ceremony, and as Mark fed him a bottle, his gulps were loud enough to be heard by the people in the next row...evidence of the extreme hunger that comes when two whole hours pass between feedings. He did great at the reception, posing for a few pictures before changing into his sleeper to sleep the night away with loud dancing music in the background.
One adventure for me from that night was nursing him in my bridesmaid dress in the bathroom at the reception hall. I snuck out during dinner, accompanied by my good friend Melanie. What a friend to sit in a bathroom and keep me company while I fed him. There was a Sweet 16 party going on at the same reception hall so while I was feeding him, 16 year old girls were coming in and out (dressed, by the way, in very short dresses that I can't believe parents let them leave the house in). I wonder what they thought as I told them that this is what they have to look forward to someday. Maybe it offered some sort of birth control for them.
The other big event of last weekend was Mr. Mister's first trip to the pumpkin patch. Mark and I have made a trip to Iron's Fruit Farm in Lebanon every fall since we've been married...it's definitely a highlight of our year. So we excitedly dressed Mr. Mister in a great pumpkin patch outfit...overalls, warm boots, and a pumpkin hat to top it all of. That was in the morning before church. By the time we were ready to go to the pumpkin patch later, it was 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky to offer shade from the hot sun. So we stripped him down to his onesie and endured the crowds and the line for the hayride in order to get him a tiny pumpkin out of the field. Something about it being hot and crowded at the pumpkin patch takes away from this nostalgic fall experience. Oh well, we had good intentions.
One adventure for me from that night was nursing him in my bridesmaid dress in the bathroom at the reception hall. I snuck out during dinner, accompanied by my good friend Melanie. What a friend to sit in a bathroom and keep me company while I fed him. There was a Sweet 16 party going on at the same reception hall so while I was feeding him, 16 year old girls were coming in and out (dressed, by the way, in very short dresses that I can't believe parents let them leave the house in). I wonder what they thought as I told them that this is what they have to look forward to someday. Maybe it offered some sort of birth control for them.
The other big event of last weekend was Mr. Mister's first trip to the pumpkin patch. Mark and I have made a trip to Iron's Fruit Farm in Lebanon every fall since we've been married...it's definitely a highlight of our year. So we excitedly dressed Mr. Mister in a great pumpkin patch outfit...overalls, warm boots, and a pumpkin hat to top it all of. That was in the morning before church. By the time we were ready to go to the pumpkin patch later, it was 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky to offer shade from the hot sun. So we stripped him down to his onesie and endured the crowds and the line for the hayride in order to get him a tiny pumpkin out of the field. Something about it being hot and crowded at the pumpkin patch takes away from this nostalgic fall experience. Oh well, we had good intentions.
Conversations
Mr. Mister and I have regluar conversations these days. It's the cutest thing...he coos, then I respond with a coo or a short phrase, then he coos back...his little voice is so cute and I can't believe he'll actually be saying words some day. He is smiling all the time now. It melts my heart every time.
Monday, October 8, 2007
A Trip Down Memory Lane (Rt. 27)
27 North goes straight into Oxford. I still vividly remember riding with my parents on that road in a packed mini van, ready to move in to Miami University as a freshman in college. I've driven that road a million times since then. Leading YL at Fairfield throughout college provided hundreds of opportunities to take in the scenes of beautiful 27. I had some of my best thinking times during drives to and from Oxford.
Last week I drove it again, as I headed up to O-town to meet with some girls who asked me to lead a bible study with them. As I made my way through the rural parts of smalltown Millville, the sun was setting over the farm land and I couldn't help but become a little nostalgic. I let my mind drift into a sea of memories.
I entered Oxford and turned left onto Chestnut Avenue. I had to laugh when I saw a girl jogging immediately upon my entrance. And when I saw a second girl jogging a block later, it confirmed that not much had changed. I drove past many familiar houses and buildings, as well as some new construction. After a few more blocks, I turned right onto S. College Avenue, my old stomping grounds. The girls I was going to hang out with live across the street from the house I lived in my junior and senior year...the beloved 807 S. College Ave...The Roost as we called it (because everyone in Oxford names their houses). And that brought back another slew of memories.
It's crazy to think about how much time has passed since I lived there. Other people have come and gone in that house and sadly it's no longer called The Roost. I almost wanted to knock on the door and ask to see it, but I prefer to remember it as was. I think boys lived there after us, so I'm sure it's not as cute anymore.
I laughed when I remembered that we had one computer hooked up to the internet, which the four of us shared. We even had a landline with an answering machine and we took messages for each other because we didn't have cell phones. I'm sure every house in Oxford now has wireless internet and I assume very few have a house phone. Time flies and things change. But one thing was the same.....good old Don, the old man who lived next door with two other old men and who would wake us up with his hacking cough as he smoked out on the porch at random hours of the night...he was sitting on his porch as I walked out to my car at the end of the night. I wonder what Don thinks about as he sits on his porch day after day, watching Oxford change....people coming and going, living in the bubble that Oxford can so easily be. I have to admit, I sometimes miss that bubble. Riding my bike everywhere, friends within walking distance and time to hang out with them, local coffee shops and bakeries, the tree lined streets in the fall...it's funny how we only remember the good things, isn't it?
As I drove out of Oxford that night, down 27 back to Fairfield, I felt like I was driving back into the real world where time keeps ticking and life keeps changing. I was excited to get home to my husband and son....excited for life where I am now.
Last week I drove it again, as I headed up to O-town to meet with some girls who asked me to lead a bible study with them. As I made my way through the rural parts of smalltown Millville, the sun was setting over the farm land and I couldn't help but become a little nostalgic. I let my mind drift into a sea of memories.
I entered Oxford and turned left onto Chestnut Avenue. I had to laugh when I saw a girl jogging immediately upon my entrance. And when I saw a second girl jogging a block later, it confirmed that not much had changed. I drove past many familiar houses and buildings, as well as some new construction. After a few more blocks, I turned right onto S. College Avenue, my old stomping grounds. The girls I was going to hang out with live across the street from the house I lived in my junior and senior year...the beloved 807 S. College Ave...The Roost as we called it (because everyone in Oxford names their houses). And that brought back another slew of memories.
It's crazy to think about how much time has passed since I lived there. Other people have come and gone in that house and sadly it's no longer called The Roost. I almost wanted to knock on the door and ask to see it, but I prefer to remember it as was. I think boys lived there after us, so I'm sure it's not as cute anymore.
I laughed when I remembered that we had one computer hooked up to the internet, which the four of us shared. We even had a landline with an answering machine and we took messages for each other because we didn't have cell phones. I'm sure every house in Oxford now has wireless internet and I assume very few have a house phone. Time flies and things change. But one thing was the same.....good old Don, the old man who lived next door with two other old men and who would wake us up with his hacking cough as he smoked out on the porch at random hours of the night...he was sitting on his porch as I walked out to my car at the end of the night. I wonder what Don thinks about as he sits on his porch day after day, watching Oxford change....people coming and going, living in the bubble that Oxford can so easily be. I have to admit, I sometimes miss that bubble. Riding my bike everywhere, friends within walking distance and time to hang out with them, local coffee shops and bakeries, the tree lined streets in the fall...it's funny how we only remember the good things, isn't it?
As I drove out of Oxford that night, down 27 back to Fairfield, I felt like I was driving back into the real world where time keeps ticking and life keeps changing. I was excited to get home to my husband and son....excited for life where I am now.
I'm a Runner Again...Kind Of.
On Sunday I reached a new milestone in my postpartum recovery process....my first run since January! Well, it was really a run/walk....or maybe a jog/walk. Anyway, I've been wanting to run for a while now but was putting it off for three reasons:
1. I was waiting to be cleared by my doctor...didn't want any additional tearing going on.
2. I dreaded the painful-getting-back-into-running phase where it seems like your body has never done this before.
3. I didn't want anyone to see me in this attempt... I figured it wouldn't exactly look natural.
So early Sunday morning it was, when people are either already at church or sleeping in (and when it was only 75 degrees instead of 90 like it would be later). I left Mr. Mister with daddy and hit the road. I decided to walk when it was hilly and run when it was flat. No need to overdo it on the first day. I should have chosen a more hilly route. I ended up running...uh, let's be honest -jogging....for 20 minutes which was a lot more than I thought I would. I tried not to think about the short distance I covered in that time...I knew I was a long way from my Thanksgiving Day race pace last year. And when 20 minutes of jogging felt like a great workout, I wondered how the heck I ever ran 4 hours and 27 minutes just about a year and a half ago. But I'm not at all discouraged...I know full well that a lot has happened in the last year and that I can't compare pre-pregnancy Michelle to post-partum Michelle.
I have to be honest, even though I am very excited to run again, I will miss my morning walks. They're definitely more relaxing and they take so much less time because you don't have to do things like stretch before and shower after. Although I probably still won't shower after...showers are much harder to come by these days. A luxury, not a necessity.
1. I was waiting to be cleared by my doctor...didn't want any additional tearing going on.
2. I dreaded the painful-getting-back-into-running phase where it seems like your body has never done this before.
3. I didn't want anyone to see me in this attempt... I figured it wouldn't exactly look natural.
So early Sunday morning it was, when people are either already at church or sleeping in (and when it was only 75 degrees instead of 90 like it would be later). I left Mr. Mister with daddy and hit the road. I decided to walk when it was hilly and run when it was flat. No need to overdo it on the first day. I should have chosen a more hilly route. I ended up running...uh, let's be honest -jogging....for 20 minutes which was a lot more than I thought I would. I tried not to think about the short distance I covered in that time...I knew I was a long way from my Thanksgiving Day race pace last year. And when 20 minutes of jogging felt like a great workout, I wondered how the heck I ever ran 4 hours and 27 minutes just about a year and a half ago. But I'm not at all discouraged...I know full well that a lot has happened in the last year and that I can't compare pre-pregnancy Michelle to post-partum Michelle.
I have to be honest, even though I am very excited to run again, I will miss my morning walks. They're definitely more relaxing and they take so much less time because you don't have to do things like stretch before and shower after. Although I probably still won't shower after...showers are much harder to come by these days. A luxury, not a necessity.
6 Week Checkups
Mr. Mister and I both had our 6 week checkups last week. Mine was pretty uneventful, which is good. The doctor says everything is healed and my continued soreness is to be expected with the degree of the episiotomy I had. So I guess it will be a couple weeks before I am without pain again....that will definitely be a relief.
Mr. Mister's checkup went very well, minus the shot he had to get at the end...more on that in a minute. He weighed in at 12 pounds, 3 ounces....that's a gain of 4 1/2 pounds in 6 weeks and puts him in the 97th percentile for his weight. His head measures in the 95th percentile and his length in the 75th. The doctor said, "You have a big boy." My sister, whose 6 month old son has consistently measured in the upper ranges for weight so is used to hearing about having a big boy, argues that the doctor should have said, "You have a healthy, breastfed boy." That's better. I mean, it's not like I'm feeding him Cheetos and pizza as he sits on the couch playing video games.
Anyway, Mr. Mister is healthy and checked out well, even showing off some smiles and cute cooing noises for the doctor. Then the nurse came in with the needle. He was already getting fussy, understandably tired of laying on the examining table in just his diaper. Then she stuck him with a nice dose of Hepatitis B vaccine. His face turned bright red, his mouth opened wide to scream but for a couple seconds, nothing came out...he was so tense he couldn't even cry. And then he let it rip. The nurse put a cute purple band-aid on his leg and let me hold him. I cried as I held him...I hated seeing him so scared and upset. I tried to comfort him by telling him he got a cool band-aid out of the whole thing, but he wasn't soothed. He cried until we got in the car and started driving (the fail-proof way to put him to sleep). And this is just the beginning....more vaccinations, then it's scraped knees, mean kids at school, a broken heart....okay let's not get too carried away. He is only 7 weeks old.
Mr. Mister's checkup went very well, minus the shot he had to get at the end...more on that in a minute. He weighed in at 12 pounds, 3 ounces....that's a gain of 4 1/2 pounds in 6 weeks and puts him in the 97th percentile for his weight. His head measures in the 95th percentile and his length in the 75th. The doctor said, "You have a big boy." My sister, whose 6 month old son has consistently measured in the upper ranges for weight so is used to hearing about having a big boy, argues that the doctor should have said, "You have a healthy, breastfed boy." That's better. I mean, it's not like I'm feeding him Cheetos and pizza as he sits on the couch playing video games.
Anyway, Mr. Mister is healthy and checked out well, even showing off some smiles and cute cooing noises for the doctor. Then the nurse came in with the needle. He was already getting fussy, understandably tired of laying on the examining table in just his diaper. Then she stuck him with a nice dose of Hepatitis B vaccine. His face turned bright red, his mouth opened wide to scream but for a couple seconds, nothing came out...he was so tense he couldn't even cry. And then he let it rip. The nurse put a cute purple band-aid on his leg and let me hold him. I cried as I held him...I hated seeing him so scared and upset. I tried to comfort him by telling him he got a cool band-aid out of the whole thing, but he wasn't soothed. He cried until we got in the car and started driving (the fail-proof way to put him to sleep). And this is just the beginning....more vaccinations, then it's scraped knees, mean kids at school, a broken heart....okay let's not get too carried away. He is only 7 weeks old.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Great Grandma & Thoughts on Life
This past weekend Mr. Mister got to meet his Great Grandma Sirotak, my mom's mom. It was special for Mr. Mister to meet her because she is my only living grandparent. He and I met my mom at my grandma's assisted living home for their fall festival. We walked around outside on the beautiful sunny day, me pushing Mr. Mister in the stroller, my mom pushing her mom in the wheel chair. Ahh, the circle of life.
It was fun to have four generations there together. And even though my grandma has dementia and didn't really understand who Mr. Mister was, she got a big smile on her face as she talked to him. When we went inside to her unit, the other residents were gathered for lunch. It was pretty quiet and gloomy feeling as they sat, barely talking, waiting to be served their food. When we brought the baby in the room, however, all of a sudden there was joy. Their faces lit up when they saw him...he transformed the room....the joy of youth and new life brought them a sense of life as well.
Interesting how life works. It can be so hard to visit my grandma there because of the condition each of the residents is in. And I sometimes think, "Is this all we have to look forward to?" Then I am reminded that yes, here on earth, there is no security in youth and life...life is frail and brief. But this life is not all there is...we have hope beyond the deterioration of our bodies....hope in eternity, a life to come that will not end, will not deteriorate, will not disappoint. And that is our real destination.
Monday, October 1, 2007
A Trip to Winton Woods with a Baby
On Saturday we decided to spend the beautiful afternoon at Winton Woods. We packed the car with all kinds of fun things...the stroller for a walk around the lake, the Baby Bjorn for a possible walk in the woods, the basketball, the volleyball, the tennis rackets, the frisbee, water bottles, the diaper bag, and of course, the baby. We drove to the park in much anticipation for our fun family day. I pushed Mr. Mister in the stroller as I took a walk around the lake while Mark relaxed by the boathouse. Then it was time for Marcos to eat and he was fussy, so we got back in the car and drove home. As we unpacked the trunk full of all of our fun things, we laughed at what high ambitions we had....oh well, another day maybe we'll be able to do two fun activities at the park.
Part 3
Officially a Mom: Part 3
I had a dream about packing the diaper bag...deciding how many diapers and bottles to bring.
I had a dream about packing the diaper bag...deciding how many diapers and bottles to bring.
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