Month: February 2012

project 365 (feb 14-21)

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest
Project 365, Days 45-52


45/365: Finally winter.
46/365: The Official “DoodleBopsIsOnDon’tTalkToMe” Face.
47/365: Little Grayson.  Theo’s BFF at the babysitter’s house.
48/365: My little blonde rooster.
49/365: Baby Dawson is on the move.  One of Dexy’s BFFs.
50/365: How ’bout them apples, mama?
51/365: Shark sighting.
52/365: Hello cutie face.
I guess I was all about the baby boys this week.  What can I say? They inspire me.  My favorites this time?  Days 45, 51, and 52.  Which one do you like best? 
~C~
You can see ALL of my Project 365 posts by clicking here.

meet Daddy in the Midwest

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

I remember sitting in birthing class when I was pregnant with Theo, anticipating my turn to introduce myself.  You were supposed to say your name, if you were having a boy or girl, and what you were looking forward to the most about having your baby.  I’m sure I answered with some sort of rosy, sappy, hormonally driven response.  R said “when I can play video games with him.” 

Uh.  Yeah.  It’s gonna be awhile before that happens, buddy.  Two years later, here we are.  Our visions of what having kids would be like has certainly gone through a few transformations.  There is no doubt in my mind that he is still looking forward to playing video games with the boys, but between now and then, there are plenty of things that we have learned to look forward to each day.

Mama G’s Toddle Along Tuesday topic this week is “Babies and their Daddies.”  Bounce on over there and see what other mommy bloggers have posted about their baby daddies.  I’ve suggested to R before that he write a guest post on Mommy in the Midwest but he’s been reluctant.  What better time than now?

Without further ado…an interview with the Dada.

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You and Mommy in the Midwest don’t have a typical schedule.  How do you really feel about being home alone with the babies at night and getting them ready for the day all by yourself?

Most nights it’s fine.  Most of the morning is fine, until Theo starts throwing fits or they wake up in an inconsistent order.  The nights when they wake up multiple times in the middle of the night are not good.  Like when they’re sick – those nights are rough.  It’s gonna be more stressful when Dexter is as old as Theo is now because then I’ll have two kids running around.  

Honestly.  How did you feel after Mommy in the Midwest told you she was pregnant again when Theo was just 6 months old?

(Laughs).  Devastated.  Scared.  Helpless.  Guilty.  Regretful.  Worried.  (Laughs some more).  I felt like it was something I was always going to look back on, feeling like I ruined everything.  I felt bad for you and I felt bad for Theo because I felt like he wasn’t going to get as much attention as he should have. 


And now?

Now I feel like I wouldn’t want it any other way.  I’m excited for them to grow up together so close and be friends hopefully.  I’m excited to move past some of these early stages and not have to go through it again.  

Do you want to try for a girl?

Uh-uh.  Not right now.  I don’t think I do. I wanted a girl but now I’m really happy we have brothers and I think a family of four is good.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Pittsburgh.    

What’s your idea of the perfect day with your family?

Everything revolves around eating, sleeping, and playing.  They don’t wake up before us.  Theo is happy to see me in the morning.  I’d like to have some sun-gluss (Theo’s way of saying snuggles) in the morning, followed by breakfast.  Follow that with some play time with the kids, outside time would be nice.  Go on a walk or go to the park.  Then we’d go eat lunch.  The kids take a nap while mom and dad catch up on DVR or play the Wii.  Then repeat everything that happened between breakfast and lunch.  Maybe we take the kids shopping.  Theo says some funny stuff and we have a laugh or two.  We come home and eat dinner then go back out for some frozen yogurt.  We’ll come home and get ready for bed. 

So far, are you the kind of dad you thought/hoped you’d be?  Is there anything you would do differently as a parent?

Hmm.  I never really pictured myself being a dad at this stage.  I think I’m a good dad so far.  I just never pictured myself playing with babies.  I always pictured myself playing with older kids.  I wish I would take more video and pictures. 


Do you have any advice on keeping the spark in your relationship, while balancing all the day-to-day responsibilities?

Yeah, find time to be alone.  Find time to go to dinners together.  Find time to do the things you had fun doing alone before you had kids.  Also, learn to support each other and work together.  Don’t let the responsibilities of parenthood stress you out because stress leads to fighting. 

What’s your favorite thing Theo does right now?

My favorite thing is when he just snuggles with us.  This is bad, but he will now watch an entire 30 minute show on t.v., and he’ll just sit there and snuggle and suck his thumb and hold his Elmo doll.  My second favorite is listening to all the cute things he says and how he comes up with new things every week.  Like “who’s that name” when he wants to know what something is called and “talk about….(fill in the blank)”  He says it while he’s examining something. 


What’s your favorite thing Dexter does right now?

I think my favorite thing about Dexter is that he’s so easy to make happy.  It’s easy to make him laugh.  





Will you ever write a guest post on Mommy in the Midwest?

Maybe.  


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That’s about all I could get out of him!  Hope you enjoyed meeting the Dada!

xo,
~C~

my 9 month old babe.

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest
Dexy went to the doctor last Thursday and at 9 months, my lean machine weighed in at 18 pounds, 6.5 ounces.  I was sure he’d be closer to 20 but I guess he’s doing alright.  He gained three pounds but only grew 1” since his last visit.  I couldn’t believe that he hadn’t grown much considering how all of his pants seem to get too short after about the third wear. 
He’s in the 16th percentile for weight (up from 12th) and 39th for height (down from 69th).  I guess he’s getting a little more proportional.  I remember going into Theo’s 9 month appointment cool and confident because he didn’t have to get any shots.  Then all my dreams were dashed when the doctor basically said he might be delayed because he wasn’t crawling.  Then, a week later, he was crawling, pulling up, and cruising all at once.  Anyway, I felt good going into Dexter’s 9 month appointment knowing he wouldn’t get shots AND because he’s been crawling, cruising , and pulling up for a solid 2 months now.
There was a nurse practitioner student there.  I don’t know if she is just doing clinicals at the office or if she’s really interested in Peds, but she should study harder.  She came in and did her assessment before the doctor did a real one.  She was checking him out in the ol’ diaper area and I asked her if she noticed any signs of a hydrocele.  She gave me a puzzled look and I said “are you familiar with hydroceles?”  She shook her head no and I proceeded to explain what they are.  She also said that Dexter was the skinniest baby she had seen.  Really?  Come on.  He’s not malnourished or anything. 
The doctor came in and did all the same things she did, only better.  He did say his hydrocele was gone, as far as he could tell, and that we didn’t even need to go back to the surgeon if we didn’t want to.  The NP student piped up and said “he’s underweight!” like she made a medical discovery.  I furrowed my brow and looked at the doc.  He glanced at Dex’s growth chart and said “no, he’s not.”  Then he went on to explain to her how growth works.  You know, because that’s confusing.  He’s growing.  He’s gaining weight.  And he’s doing both on a smooth curve alongside the bigger children.  He’s thin.  He’s not “underweight.”  The doctor gestured to me and said “his parents are thin, he’s just thin.”  Well, thank you, doctor.  I will take that compliment and run with it.  
I really hope it was her first day.  I really hope Peds is not her specialty.
Here’s where I stereotype.  I thought she would have a bit more sense considering the fact that she was 40+ and mentioned straight off that she had two teenage children of her own.  Wrong.  That’s rude of me to say, right?  Because I probably would have given a 22 year old NP student more of a break.  Eh. Difference this time?  I knew she was wrong!
Signed,
the mother of children that are perfect in every way.