Monthly Archives: April 2014

The Chiropractor

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I came home from school yesterday to find Janet, Jonah, and George all lazing about the bedroom. Jonah was passed out, and Janet had been catnapping. George looked as if she had been snoring before I interrupted her. I was totally stoked to be home to see everyone, but no one seemed to care. They’d been there all day with each other; eating, pooping, yelling, and sleeping. I get it: it isn’t super exciting when someone who also lives with you joins you at home. It’s far more exciting to come home. Le sigh.

Something Janet said triggered my desire to go see Dr. April, our chiropractor. (http://comethrivewithme.com/) We called, she was open, so we went! I got adjusted, Janet got adjusted, and then Jonah got his first adjustment! Dr. April said he was in good shape, and it was so cute to see him respond to her oh-so-gentle touch. There was no cracking of bones or twisting of necks. Just gentle feeling and touch. She pointed out that one of his cranial “stitches” (where his cranial pieces come together after being loosey-goosey for the descent through the birth canal) was maybe a bit misaligned. It would certainly work itself out, but we could help it along with the gentlest of finger pressing along his temple. She also told us to rub his sweet head to facilitate his lovely head shape. We already do that, because he’s got such sweet, soft hair.

Mr. Baby then slept for ages. We even went for pizza with Lea, and he snoozed through the whole event. He slept for upwards of 4 hours before waking up to eat again. Wowzers! Lea said that Liam and Marshall both slept a lot after their baby appointments with Dr. April, so we felt like it was normal. He’ll go back in a month for another check up! 

Meanwhile, Janet and I feel great from our adjustments. TG. 

 

Here’s sweet Jonah sleeping in the booth at Fellini’s. Image

Close up of the sleeping babe. Image

Mr. Baby takes a walk

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Mr. Baby takes a walk

I wrote this yesterday and failed to post it. So replace all the “yesterdays” with “the day before yesterday.” 

We went on Jonah’s first family walk yesterday evening. It was also his first spin in his stroller.

Before Jonah was born, I worried a lot about The Stroller. After a bit of research and sticker shock, Janet and I settled on a well-priced Baby Jogger City Mini GT. We registered for the 2013 model, saving $100 off the original retail price, and we were generously gifted the stroller by Uncle Steve & Aunt Emily. We also received the adapter to place the car seat on top of the stroller, so I got that put together the other day and felt like we were ready to ROLL!

Here’s the thing: With the car seat on top and small-ish inflatable wheels, it feels like it’s going to tip over whenever it goes over rough terrain (like driveway cutouts in the sidewalk). I’m guessing it won’t feel that way when he’s not in the car seat, but he nearly tipped over a few times on our first walk. We might be forgoing our view of him for safety in the future by strapping him directly into the stroller. GOOD GRIEF.

Other than that, it was very pleasant. George was stoked to get out of the house with her peeps, and Janet enjoyed stretching her legs and getting some sunshine. It was certainly a beautiful day for it, and spirits soared as we tooled around the neighborhood.

Also of note yesterday was a visit from Janet’s cousin Matthew. That photo is pending, as it’s on the camera and not on my phone. Anyway, Jonah thought he was neat. And very tall.

We turned on the television for the first time in weeks last night. Jonah was sleeping in his swing in the office, so we snuck away and watched the boob tube. Scandal is increasingly disappointing. Ugh. Why must everyone have adopted Olivia Pope’s emphasis? It makes watching the show soooo dull. We petered out before it was over.

Mr. Baby got his second bath. Oh! His umbilical cord fell off, so I submerged his tummy! GLORIOUS BELLY BUTTON! He hated it less than the first time. He still yelled at me, but there were moments during which I thought he might possibly, potentially, if I had to hazard a guess be enjoying the experience, though it’s hard to say. I put baking soda in the water to soothe his sore bum. I think it helped, as his diaper changes weren’t as torturous overnight (according to Janet).

He seems to be getting hungrier. I guess that’s a good thing? It just adds another level of surprise to the chaos we just got used to. 🙂

Mini-road trip, mini-meltdown, and an ignored holiday

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Today is Easter. (Technically yesterday, since it’s 12:08 AM, but who cares.) We don’t celebrate Easter in any sense. Not only are we not Christian, but we just don’t care about the holiday. I can totally get behind Christmas. I love the tradition, the festivities, the food, etc., but I just don’t see Easter the same way through my Agnostic lens. I’m sure that we’ll take Jonah to an Easter egg hunt some day, and I’ve even thought about what we’ll tell him about the holiday: “It’s a springtime celebration of renewed life. Just as the plants are starting to bloom, and the bears are starting to stir from their winter slumber, so too can we start fresh with outdoor activities, gardening, and celebrating the abundance of a wonderful time of year.” I realize it sounds totally canned. It probably will when I deliver it too, but I feel like there needs to be a valid reason to celebrate Christian holidays that makes sense for our family. We aren’t Christian, and we don’t celebrate holidays just because everybody else does (yet). I’m still conflicted, but I have a few years and Janet’s help to figure it all out.

We took Jonah for his newborn photos today. It was a mad dash to get ourselves ready and out the door by 11 AM today. We drove down to Jackson, Georgia to meet Melissa and Julie of Monkey Bean Photography at their home studio. (http://www.monkeybeanphotos.com/)

Jonah was great in the car, but wasn’t having any of the naked business once we got to their house. They had it warm and cozy for him, and they were oh-so-gentle with his sweet little body, but he was p-i-s-s-e-d. We stuffed him full of milk in hopes that he’d pass out, but he still fussed for a looooong time before they got him to settle.

They generously budget 4 hours of time for a newborn session, which we thought was going to be way too long. Now we know why they allot so much time! He was a real grump. But they got some great shots in some super cute hats, and we can’t wait to see the pics.

The route to Jackson is down 75 south, and then on some back highways for about 30 minutes. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A DRIVE! The skies were clear and blue, the sun was out, and the temps have finally warmed up again. I couldn’t WAIT to get home and take Jonah on his first family walk!

We headed home after an exhausting afternoon, and Janet and Jonah napped in the backseat. I got super sleepy and decided to have a wee nap when we got home. Fast forward to 8 o’clock, and we finally woke up. There went the whole day. No walk. Le sigh. Maybe this week?

Jonah is changing so much everyday, just as everyone said he would. I find myself wanting to cling to these days, while also daydreaming about the future with him. I’m fighting to remain present. What matters is right now. Yesterday will settle into the past, and the future is  unpredictable (to say the least).

Here are Melissa and Julie sweetly doting on our angry bundle of joy. They were magical with him, despite his efforts to thwart the shoot!

IMG_3895Sweetly sleeping after a long, hard day for the little guy.

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Jonah meets peeps

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Jonah’s met quite a few important folks over the last couple of days. It’s been pretty busy around here, and he’s been charming the pants off of everyone who comes over!

He met Alice last night. She was pretty funny about the whole thing. She was equal parts embarrassed and apathetic in a very 4-year old sort of way. When she walked in with Sarah and Lea, Sarah asked if she wanted to hold Jonah. Alice said, “Mommy! I’m not that interested!” HA! She was very sweet to Jonah and even posed for a couple of pictures. Here’s one I snapped:

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Today, Jonah met Robyn! She swung by after taking her mom to the airport, and she brought us eggplant parmesan! Here’s a sweet picture of Robyn, Jonah, and Janet:

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This evening, Blair and Mindy came by and also brought food. This whole have a baby, get fed by all your friends thing is AWESOME.

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After all his visitors, I gave Mr. Baby a bath. His umbilical cord has almost fallen off, plus we’re having his newborn photos taken tomorrow, so I thought it was a good time to get fresh and clean. Janet took a snooze, and I got a lovely bath drawn. It started out alright. He tolerated it and maybe even liked it. A little. Not a lot.

Then he hated it. He hated me. He hated everything.

And he peed. In his bathwater. I continued to bathe him in his peepee water. I am disgusting.

He screamed like it was waterboarding, I finished up as quickly as I could, and it took him 10 minutes to calm the f*ck down. I rocked him, and he clutched my chest and breathed like he’d just run a marathon. Good grief. We’ve gotta work on his willingness to not scream during everyday activities.

I snapped this pic before wrapping him up and cuddling him.

 

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He smells great, and his hair is so soft! It was worth it.

Nana came to town

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I called my mom “Nana” out loud today for the first time. She has another grandkid, but he calls her “Mommy.” It started out as “Mommy Bozorg,” which translates to big mommy in Farsi, but Anis (the nephew) shortened it to “Mommy.” I guess my sister (his mother) is okay-ish with that, but I’m not. Jonah’s already got two mommies. He needs a GD grandma. So I gently reminded my mom a few weeks ago that I thought she had “always wanted to be called ‘Nana’,” like she called her own grandmother. “Nana was pure love,” was what she said in response, so I took that as an affirmative and ran with it.

Every time she mentions Nana, she mentions her “grip.” Ya know – her satchel. Her bag. Her catchall. When Nana came to visit Mom’s family, she’d have something for each one of them in the grip. Seeing as there were seven kids, this was quite a feat. I asked her what Nana’d bring them, and she said she couldn’t remember, and it didn’t matter; there was one for each of them, and that’s what made it special.

Mom brought something for Jonah today. It’s a book called “I Love You More.” It’s pretty darn cute, and I can’t wait to read it to Jonah.

Here’s a picture of my mom holding the sweet nugget for the first time.

Nana & Jonah

One week old

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Jonah is one week old today. He already looks older, bigger, different. I really can’t believe how fast time has flown since he was born. I wish we could slooooow everything down. I want the housework to be done by fairies, the garden to be magically planted by gnomes, and the semester to be finished by smart little test-taking elves, so that I can just stare at him all day long.

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Look at that crazy kid and his laughter! He thinks his mama is so funny.

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Sleepy baby.

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His cheeks are coming along nicely, and he just loves to clasp his hands near his face. It’s pretty adorable.

Only two more weeks are left of this dang semester. And then: SUMMER! It’s gonna rock.

Mr. Baby goes for a ride

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Six days old

Jonah went to the pediatrician for the first time today. Clean bill of health! He weighed 5 lbs, 12 oz. He was wearing his cloth diaper, so that accounts for some of his heft, nonetheless, we’re stoked that he’s obviously gained some weight! Only four more ounces to six pounds!

Dr. Herrmann lived up to her reputation. She was weird and completely lovely. The office feels like a pediatrician’s office should; there are pint-sized handprints all over the walls with the tot’s name scrawled alongside. The waiting room walls are plastered with school photos, Christmas cards, and notes written by patients with backward r’s and adorable misspellings. The staff is kind and patient. It was a nice first outing for the munchkin and his moms!

Here’s a picture of Jonah at the doctor’s office in Janet’s arms.

Jonah doctor

And here is Jonah in his carseat after we got home. So tiny! One day we’ll marvel at how tiny he was. For now we’ll just marvel at how real he is.

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Baby Blacktael has made his debut!

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Taking his first breaths.

Janet and I welcomed Jonah on Wednesday, April 9 at 7:14 pm. He weighed in at 5 pounds, 7.7 ounces, and was 19.5 inches long. His head circumference is 12 inches, and his chest is 11 inches. He has a headful of brown hair (the same color as Janet’s!), and his limbs are long and skinny. His fingers are spindly, and he has big feet with finger toes!

The story of his journey, from conception to birth, will follow. For now, we are loving every warm and peaceful second of him. He is the best thing that has ever happened to us.