353 days and counting...

Sadly, Cash is quickly leaving the "baby" phase and entering the "boy" phase. It is not all bad though because he is learning new things so fast and imitates everything we do. He loves to dance and talk on the phone and can say "hello". He also loves to give things away. He'll pick everything up that is on the coffee table and hand it to me. The cutest thing that he does lately is pick up a toy, hand it to me and then crawl into my lap, spin around and sit down to play with it - i love that! Hugging is also a new thing for Cash who is normally too busy and too curious to stop for one minute but now he'll throw his arms around my neck and lay his head on my shoulder for minutes at a time. If i sing to him he stays there even longer.
What a great little boy we've got on our hands.

walking

Cash is taking more and more steps by himself. today he took 2 steps before he went down to his knees to crawl. it isn't officially walking yet because he doesn't get very far but he's thinking about it. wont be long now. by his birthday maybe?

Update 12-27-08
what constitutes walking? cash is taking 3-4 steps every now and again but doesn't have any sort of consistent balance. I guess once he would rather walk somewhere over crawling i can say he is officially walking.

December 20 (11mo 2weeks)

Cash loves to clap now and does it every time Chandler and I cheer, "yay!". Also, he has picked up one of Chandler's silly habits. When Chandler is totally satisfied after a great meal he will push his plate out, raise his hands in the air and exclaim, "i'm out!" Now when Cash is eating, he'll take a bite of food, push the plate or cup and raise his hands over his head and laugh. he also likes to reach for the sky after he does something he's proud of.
Cash is going walk any day now. he stands without holding, he walks around and between all the furniture (barely holding on with one hand) and he'll dive into Chandler and/or I if we are sitting within 1 or 2 steps.
We're really excited for Cash's first Christmas although we are fully prepared for him to love the wrapping more than the actual presents.

stairs and the Boss

Cash loves stairs. Up and Down! Chandler and i decided that we weren't going to the baby gate thing because it is not only annoying for the parents but we want Cash to know about the stairs and how to manuver them. So far, so good. Cash got the going up thing FAST. he was practically running up the stairs before he could stand up. After a few scary moments going down Cash figured it out - he can't go down the stairs facing forward. Somehow he figured out how to stick his leg out, throw it over the edge of the stair and then turn around and go down the stairs backwards, on his belly - just how his mommy wants him to go down!!

Chandler swears that Cash loves Bruce Springstein. He says that they listen to Bruce on the way home at night and each time that "My Home Town" plays, Cash stops talking (or complaining) and either just listens to the song or falls asleep. cute...

more from month 11

Cash is really starting to recognize words. When he is cranky or complaining and i say "do you want a cookie?" he will stop his complaining and look up at me and gesture toward me - as if to say, "duh - of course i want a cookie." I can also ask him "where's Daddy" and he'll make a loud grunt noise (to which Daddy usually answers back from the other room) and then Cash will look at me and smile and laugh.
He is really the happiest baby with the most amazing disposition.
As we approach his first birthday i can say with all confidence that this kid loves routine. He knows what is going to happen each morning before he goes to Sylvia's, he knows what happens when Daddy picks him up and takes him home and he knows when mommy comes home it is time for dinner, playtime, bath and bed time. He'll even lead the routine - crawling upstairs when he's ready for his bath and nighttime routine.
His new favorite toy is the kookaburra that Pop brought him back from Australia. He did not like this toy at first (he was only a few months old) but now when we make the kookaburra laugh, Cash laughs right along with him. He goes crazy when he sees the kookaburra when we go into his room. Its really fun to see Cash recognize things that he likes.
Slider and Cash are also getting along better (not that they ever didn't, but now they are interacting). Cash will grab slider's ball or toy and hold it out for her. Slider will take it and run across the room and back, dropping it in Cash's lap. He thinks this is hysterical and they can repeat this game for a long time.

My only regret is that i don't get to spend more time with Cash. I know i need to work and like to work but i also feel amazing saddness at the fact that i only spend 1 hour a night with him before he is in bed. I try to make the most of the time i do spend with him - not letting anything distract me - but i can't help but think there is so much more i could be doing with him or teaching him with more time togehter...

mommy's home!

every night when i come home Cash is usually standing with his head in his toy drawers. As soon as he sees me come through the door he stops what he is doing, squeals, drops to the ground and races over to me! it is so cute and pretty cool that he knows that i'm home. Chandler says when he hears the garage door open he gets all excited too - one of these nights i'm going to remember to take my video camera to the garage so i can capture the homecoming on tape.

Martin elves

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

"Grace, she passed away thirty years ago"

We had a great day today despite our expectations. We took Cash to see Santa today at a great shopping center called Towne Square. We expected a crazy long line of crying and complaining toddlers. What we got was an awesome experience for our baby's first pictures with Santa. We parked right in front, there was no line, Santa was friendly and believable and they had an electronic option to receive the pictures so we could download them and send them to all our friends (instead of the typical prints). Cash was pretty neutral on the whole experience. He wasn't overly impressed by the Big Guy but he didn't cry like most kids so we called it a success. It was a really fun experience for us as new parents - we're probably never going to have another "Santa experience" like this one.
Merry Christmas

"I dedicate this house to the Griswold Family Christmas"

Chandler put the lights up today and we finally put the ornaments on (the top half of the) tree

Fall/Thanksgiving/11 month super blog

Cash is just shy of 11 months and he continues to amaze me every day. Our trip to North Carolina for Thanksgiving was super fun and we did a lot. I flew solo with Cash as daddy couldn't leave until later. This was the first flight we had taken after i weaned him so i couldn't nurse him to sleep on the flight and anyone who knows him knows that if he has any slight distractions he will not sleep. So the flight to North Carolina was 4 hours of playing baby. We played with the seatbelt, banged on the windows, put the tray table up and down, ate, drank, squirmed, waved, laughed and sounded the baby alarm (that is the shrill noise Cash makes when he is not being allowed to do what he wants). Luckily, we had a seat in between us and the nice man who shared our row - if not he would have grabbed him and bothered him for sure.
We got to Grammy's house (drove ourselves) and could finally relax (yay right). Cash was so tired but so wired that he couldn't sleep so it was late by the time he finally fell asleep (he cried a lot). Grammy bought a crib for her babies and Cash was lucky enough to be the first user of the new crib in Grammy's play room (he'll have to share soon enough).
Daddy had landed but still had an hour drive to get home - in between the time daddy landed and the time he got home baby Archer decided to start his arrival process. Elizabeth called and mother and I came runnin' (see Eliz blog for details). We spent the night with Wiley and took him to the hospital on Thanksgiving morning to see his bruder. The 3 of us arrived back in greensboro about 11am to begin prep for Thanksgiving dinner.
Honestly, i can't remember much from Thanksgiving day - i don't know if i was too tired or too rushed to slow down and savor anything but i assume it all happened.
Cash had a cold while we were in North Carolina - it got bad one day and Cash was noticeably bothered. He wasn't in a bad mood but he wasn't his jolly self.
If you asked Cash he would definitely tell you that the best part about the trip was Grammy's play room. I love this part to because it was the one place where i could shut the door and pretty much not worry about what Cash gets into. At home we are constantly taking things out of his hand or running interference between Cash and the dog's water, etc. in Grammy's play room, nothing is off limits!
We loved being around our family and got some exciting news about a new cousin on the way. Before we left we got to spend a few hours with Archer and Wiley at their house. Cash is no longer the baby in the family but i think he is ready to grow out of that title.
Cash is almost 11 months now - which is totally strange and enough fodder for a separate blog - and he is making some significant developmental strides. He is ready to walk. He wants to walk. He just forgets to move his feet sometimes. This means that is will stand up, let go and then just dive toward you with his arms wide open. Its actually really cute. He also "talks" more and repeats what you "say". He loves Slider and gets so excited to see her. Slider is also much more laid back around him now - i think she has figured out that he isn't going to hurt her. Cash eats and eats and eats - no problems there. He is an awesome napper and still takes 2 good naps a day - one long and one short.
He is getting more and more cheeky though. he loves to race toward the stairs and scare his mother. he loves to be chased. he loves to climb out of the bathtub.
MOrning is still my favorite time with him because it is like all the bad stuff from the day before was erased with a good night's sleep and he is so happy to see Chandler and I.
Next comes Cash's first Christmas. Larry and Louise are coming for a few days and we will spend Christmas day with Marilyn and the girls - another great playroom! Cash hasn't asked for much, probably just some toys. He'll probably find the rolls of wrapping paper more intriguing anyway.

da da da da da da da da da da da da...

Cash really prefers dada to mama - REALLY. he says dada to everything. Chandler and I are trying to figure out if he knows that he is calling Chandler dada or if he's just excited about how the words feel and sound coming out of his mouth. it is pretty cute when Chandler walks into the room and Cash looks at him, smiles and says "dada". Sometimes it even sounds like he is saying "hi dada".
As ususal, but even more so, Cash is into everything. he grabs and scoops and pulls on anything he gets near. everything in the house is piled up out of his reach.
Cash loves chocolate pudding!

Chandler and I voted today and got our flu shots so we are pretty proud of ourselves.

yummy

Cash continues to experience new foods and love them...
Baked potato
Orange Jello
Donuts
Grilled Cheese (with cheddar and american)

we'll see what Grammy has in store for him next week!

Ore-y-gun

Today we discovered that a 5th tooth has popped through Cash's top gum. that makes 5 teeth at 9 months. three on top and two on bottom. this might account for his fever the other night and his diaper rash. Although, as the doctor predicted he has a rash over his body (little raised bumps like heat rash) as the infection leaves the body. it doesn't seem to bother him because he is as sweet as always.
Cash is also having a nice time visiting Oregon with his Grandparents. We've gone to a pumpkin patch and visited with friends. It is always challenging to travel with Cash because he doesn't sleep well if he isn't his own bed with his own stuff but we are making it work. it also didn't help that our flight was over 3hours delayed and we didn't get to Portland until 9pm (and then had to drive another hour to get home). We've tried to keep him napping whenever possible although he hasn't really gotten a good nap in (the long 3 hour naps that we both enjoy on Saturday and Sunday mornings...). we've taken to driving around and letting him sleep in the car. But tonight he went to bed very quickly and easily - we'll see if it lasts when Chandler and I crawl into bed later!
Next week we go to North Carolina - October has been dubbed travel-month.

stats

9 months:
20lb 12oz = 50th percentile
30" = 75th percentile
head 46" 50-75th percentile

had a fever when he went to the doctor's but it wasn't too bad (around 100), doctor said she wouldn't even give him tylenol for it.

hot stuff baby

Tonight Cash had a fever - really his first fever of any significance. 102.4! he was really upset about it.
Also the first time i successfully took his temperature rectally (the first time he pooped all over me).
We put him in a cool bath and gave him tylenol after one hour it was down to 99.9. He went down to sleep without any trouble so i guess he is feeling better.

9 months

This blog is for archival purposes only - it is not meant to hurt anyone's feelings or make anyone jealous.
9 months old today. what a good boy Cash is. he is happy all the time but doesn't like to be left alone. crawls to where his people are. loves the mirror. is a nightmare to change or dress. walks behind toys. laughs, smiles, claps, high fives, slaps, grabs. eats everything!

pulling the plug

i've decided that today was my last day pumping. i'm not totally at peace with the whole thing because i am sure i'll miss it and what it provides to Cash but i'm getting there. i am looking forward to not being a slave to the pump though.
I'm proud of myself for giving him 9 months of the good stuff.

top teeth - update

Cash's top 2 teeth are officially through the gums and coming down! one is further along than the other but they are both here. "its been a bear", says Sylvia. I AGREE! although considering how long it has taken for these to fully come in, Cash has been amazingly accommodating!! 9 month check up in a few weeks so we'll see what that brings.

sleeping through the night: 8pm - 7am
9/23, 9/24, 9/25

for all you haters, let me explain...
this child takes after his father - clearly. i can't take credit for this, he is as cool as a cucumber. he rolls with the punches and is always good.
he has not been a good sleeper until now - never falling asleep when there was even the slighted bit of distraction. he isn't one of those babies that will fall alseep in his high chair or in the middle of a party, etc. he hasn't napped at daycare since i started taking him there (until this week when i thought to bring his blanket with him) - now he is napping for 2 hours. let me qualify that by telling you that I've had to write a letter to Sylvia's social worker asking her for permission to let Sylvia put him to nap up in her bedroom where it is dark and quiet - i hope i don't get her shut down!
he has really turned a corner in the past few weeks with his sleep and i need to document this. he falls asleep on his own, sometimes he doesn't even need to nurse to sleep. and he will nap on the weekends on schedule.
and yes, i will be sure to document it when he starts waking up 3 times a night again (probably when he learns to walk).
finally - (for emily) i have not only not slept an entire night (except the one night i was away on a work trip) since he was born, i haven't slept an entire night since i was pregnant because you have to get up to pee so much. So yes, i am happy! and i am glad you are all happy for me.
Now - lets all think about what an amazing person Elizabeth is for doing it twice!
keep reading my blog because i tell you about all the naughty things Cash does (because i am sure that is going to be where he takes after me!)

lovie, milk and poop

Today was a good day...
Sylvia had called and expressed concern that she just couldn't get him to nap during the day. i told her what i did on the weekends to get him to nap (sometimes for up to 3 hours). Cash has never been one of those kids who will fall alseep anywhere - he needs a very quiet environment with no distractions but most of all i have noticed that he loves to sleep with his "lovie" (his blue blanket). I only give it to him at nap and bed time and as soon as he sees it he burries his face into it and gets immediately drowsy. I hesitated taking it to daycare because i didn't want to have to remember to collect it every day but today i took it and Sylvia seemed very pleased (and well rested herself) when we picked Cash up and he had taken a 2 hour nap!
Tonight i gave Cash real cow's milk. we were eating dinner and he was having chicken, corn and applesauce and i thought he should have something to drink. i picked up some "red" milk (the creamy stuff Rick likes) at the store the other day - just in case. so i filled up his sippy cup and he loved it!! this is significant for a couple reasons. until this point cash had really only seen his sippy cup as a teething ring. it didn't matter what i put in it he wouldn't drink it, he'd just bite on the top. as soon as i put it in his mouth and he tasted the milk he started drinking it. You aren't supposed to give infants cow's milk until they are a year old because of allergies but i figure since i drink a large glass of milk every night Cash was bound to build up an immunity to any allergies over the past 8 months. lets hope he doesn't wake up covered in hives because the kid likes milk!
Tonight also marks the 2nd time that Cash has pooped on me. if you had asked me earlier i would have thought that 8 months in he would have pooped on me more but only twice so far. I was taking him to get in the bath and took all his clothes and diaper off and by the time i rounded the corner into the bathroom from his bedroom i had poop all over my arm, hand and pants. Gross. but nothing a packet of wipes and a shower didn't take care of.
All is good in the land of Martins tonight. Cash is sleeping, or at least working himself to sleep. and there are new shows on TV so i can wash some bottles and then relax on the couch.

food glorious food!

Foods Cash likes to eat:
Baby food - although now he eats it so fast we actually have to give him two buckets or we have to give him grown up food in between bites!
Green beans
Peaches
Bananas
Rotisserie chicken
Sliced Turkey
Cheerios
Ice cream (if he stays awake late enough to get it, which doesn't happen too often)
Yogurt (which i'm probably not supposed to give him)
Dog Food (which i know he isn't supposed to eat but gets into anyway)

UPDATE:
pork with gravy
broccoli
any kind of bread
pears
appricots (but not as much as pears)
tomato - much to his father's chagrin

so in short - Cash hasn't spit anything out yet!

8 months

Cash is growing up fast. And he is fast. he crawls so fast and can get anywhere he wants to. he can crawl over things or under things, he can pull himself up to see something or pull what he wants to see down. he loves to play with the dog and if she is laying up on the couch Cash will crawl over and stand up and pull on her feet, tail, ears, collar or whatever else is in arms reach. I can also tell when he is getting tired now because he starts to get sloppy. he'll fall over or collapse while crawling. I can immediately wisk him off to bed and usually have good results. now that he is moving more he is tired more too.

Top Teeth

Cash is 7 1/2 months and we have been waiting on Cash's top 2 teeth for a while now - almost a month. i feel like we are close though. one of them is right at the surface and you can feel a little rough spot on the gum and the other one is starting to come down because the gum is starting to puff out.

November 2008

I'd just like to second Elizabeth's blog about Obama. I get so excited when i think about the idea that it is a real possibility that my son (and future children) will get to experience real change and see for themselves that everyone has an opportunity to be great! very exciting!!!

update

Chandler and Cash had a good night last night. Cash went to bed no problem with a bottle from daddy and then woke up again at midnight for a little snack and then went back to sleep until 5:30am. That was a pretty early wake up call for the two of them but Chandler said that Cash got up and played for a little bit and then took a good hour nap while Chandler got ready for work. Overall Chandler says that he only lost about an hour of sleep and that makes me feel good that i didn't ruin my boy or husband!

what a waste

day one into my trip and i have "dumped" 25 ounces of milk. this makes me so mad and sad. i forgot my baggies to take it home and don't know how i was planning to transport 2 days worth of milk anyway...

leavin' my baby

Today marks the first time I will be away from Cash overnight - ever! I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand I'll miss him terribly but on the other I'm looking forward to a full night's sleep. I'm nervous for Chandler having full mom and dad duties for the night and have real concerns neither of them will sleep.we practiced having Chandler put cash to bed with a bottle and wake up with him in the night and it wasn't too bad. Cash definitely noticed he didn't get any mommy-love but daddy is very good at it and got him settled down and sleeping after only a little crying.

7 month trouble

i think by far this has been the toughest month to be a parent. cash has changed so much that i hardly recognize him any more. in addition to all the developmental milestones that Cash has reached - giving us a whole new set of challenges - he is really a lot more demanding of our time now. He hates it when we walk out of the room and he really doesn't like going to sleep without nursing. He's also waking up during the night a lot more and its hard to get him to go back to sleep.
A few months ago Cash was so busy with himself, sitting up and discovering toys that light up and make noise he didn't care if we were in the room or even the house. Just as recently as the last week in July, Chandler was able to easily put Cash to bed every night for a week - he was even able to put him to bed awake and Cash would fall alseep on his own.
I'm not sure what happened and/or what changed but now we have such a different baby than what we were used to.

Cash's summer review

the martins had a wonderful summer vacation. mommy and I drove up to Auntie Sarah's wedding and were later met by daddy. Grammy and Pop were there as well as Grandma and Grandpa. All my Aunts (and Uncles) and best of all cousin Wiley. We played and played and played - so much so that i hardly slept at all and was tired most of the time. After the wedding we spent a few days in cool, clean Lake Tahoe. I really liked the kayak and the golf cart rides. we spent time on the beach and played in the sand and the water. I really practiced my crawling and now i am an expert and can even climb in and out, up and over!
When we got home i was really off my schedule and didn't sleep well. i just got so tired that i couldn't relax enough to get a good night sleep - i was waking up a lot, making my parents very tired too. and to add to my pain my top teeth are starting to poke through and that makes me pretty cranky at night. recently mommy has been trying to get me to take a bottle more at bedtime so daddy can share in putting me to bed. i don't like it too much because i just want my mom to be there with me when i nod off to sleep. its hard each night but i think i am getting better at it.
Summer is almost over but i still had time for one more milestone. i started pulling myself up (on anything i can get some leverage on) and standing just recently. mom and dad get really upset with me when i try to stand up in the bathtub (its really easy to pull myself up using the soap dish) but they are there to catch me. they keep telling me that i am too young to be doing all this but i think i'll just start walking soon and get this all over with so i can move on with my life!

beep beep

Cash can really move now. Just shy of 7 months and the boy has life figured out (well, the life that he knows). He can get just about anywhere he wants - and fast too. He froggies across the room to wrap his lips around one of slider's toys, a dirty shoe or remote control. he can grab onto me and push up to his knees - I even saw him go all the way to his feet but i'm hoping that was a fluke.
He knows how to get the attention he is seeking - a good loud whine and then when someone turns around to look at him he gives you a big smile. He loves to eat fruits and veggies but so far any meat is out of the question. you wont believe how fast he can lock his lips down when he smells the ham coming - we'll keep trying.

Cash video

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

6 months

at 6 months Cash is 18lbs, 7oz and 27 inches long. his doctor says he is a superstar! he is in the 75th percentile for weight and height. looking back in my baby book, i was 15lbs, 4oz and 27 1/2 inches at 6 months.

he is wise to the goings on at the doctors office though, as soon as we saw Diamond (the nurse who always gives him his shots) he started to cry big crocodile tears. Diamond didn't even have a needle in her hand, it was pretty funny.

things i do now

now that Cash is 6 months old it is like he is a different baby. it is nearly impossible to keep him in one spot. he is on the move (constantly), scooting and scooching everywhere. he has an insatiable appetite. He sits by himself (for a few seconds at least). He loves biter biscuits and complains when you take them away from him (Slider is benefiting from the slobbery nubs). he wears a size 4 diaper! he has learned to squeal and thinks its the funniest thing ever. oh yea, and he's got 2 teeth!

we go get measured and weighed soon - i'm sure he'll excel there too.

Cash has been really good while his little baby teeth are errupting through his gums. the only problems we've had are diaper rash and extra clinginess. no crying, no fussing, nothing that we can't handle.

toofs

upon further inspection Cash is getting BOTH of his bottom teeth!!

toof

cash definitely has a tooth coming in. we've been waiting for 2 months - through drool and slobber and red cheeks and snotty noses, we can actually feel a tooth coming in. just in the last few days it has become apparent. its really hard to keep our little boy still to take a picture so you'll have to take my word for it. i felt it with my finger and it feels like the lower left tooth but we wont know until it grows in a little more. yea!! so excited, we did the happy dance. just shy of 6 months - baby Cash gets his first tooth!

so tired

Cash slept most of the day on Monday at daycare and then went to bed promptly at 7:30 that night. I had to wake him up at 7am this morning so i could leave for work. he was sleeping so soundly. I guess thats what happens when your cousin comes to visit and wakes you up each morning at 5 am by saying "where baby Cash is", "lets see baby Cash", "ohtay baby Cash", "wake up baby Cash".

We had such a wonderful visit with Wiley and Elizabeth - we wish we could see them all the time. I'm really glad we were able to do this even though Cash is young and probably wont remember the weekend i'll remember and be able to tell him how much he is loved by Wiley. Can't wait to see him again in August.

Wiley's here, Wiley's here

we have already had a lot of fun. we have played inside with a puzzle and punching balloons and we've been outside playing in the yard and putting rocks in Slider's doggie door. Wiley shared his toys with me - and even shared his hat. We took a bath together and played with the bubbles.

Great Big Weekend

we are all so excited anticipating a visit from Cousin Wiley, Auntie Elizabeth and Pop. Grammy is already here and wore me out playing today!

I love my walker, i have so much fun bouncing around in here. I play the piano, twirl the froggie and make lots of noise.

baby blanket

of all the toys and contraptions and machines Cash has there is one thing he doesn't have.

he loves to sleep holding onto something - i don't like him to have blankets in his crib so he usually grabs onto his bib but today he used a dishtowel. cash doesn't have a security blanket. poor baby - so mistreated. we're off to Babies r Us.

teeth?

The past two nights have been very hard on baby Cash. He has not been sleeping well, probably waking up every 2 hours or so. He is very unhappy when he wakes up in the middle of the night and actually cries - opposed to just stirring and making a little noise to let me know he is up (which is what he normally does). He’s been so uncomfortable in fact that he scratched his eye pretty badly, something he only does when he is frustrated and his hands become uncontrollable. Both nights he has woken up wet. Usually his super absorbent diapers keep everything in all night and then some. Now he has a little fever and runny nose and just seems generally uncomfortable. I can only assume since his runny nose is clear and just a nuisance that it isn’t an infection and signals teething and not an actual cold. I gave him some baby Tylenol and sent him off to daycare – I think this weekend will be nice for him to just relax and be taken care of by mamma.

scary

Last night i put Cash to sleep on his back and he was "talking" a little before he fell alseep. After the noise faded i went in to check on him before i went to bed and he was snuggled up close to the bumper on his crib - far from where i left him - on his stomach with his face burried in his arms. I flipped him over and went to bed. I woke up at about 3am (because that is what time Cash usually wakes up so i guess i'm used to it) and went in and checked him. Once again he was sound asleep on his belly at the opposite end of the crib. My doc says that he becomes the ruler of his own sleep once he starts rolling over but it is scary and strange to see your baby in a different place than where you left him.
Cash is also getting into eating rice cereal. We give him one meal of it a day (combo platter with rice cereal and breastmilk - the #3 dinner special) and he seems to like it. Not sure if he likes the actual food or the spoon going in and out of his mouth or the bowl he can grab or the dog that is attracted to all the leftovers but he likes it. We are still working on the consistency of the cereal - thicker stays in his mouth and is easier to clean up when it gets spit out in a large blob but it doesn't go down very easily. When the cereal is runnier more of it goes down his throat (by default) but it also runs right out of his mouth easier. Chandler changed a poopy diaper the other day and there was evidence of solid food - so we know at least somethings going down! and yes, Chandler changes poopy diapers.

Cash Van Winkle

bedtime: 8pm
wake up hungry: 5am
sleep some more: until 7am

Slobbermonster

Cash slobbers so much that when Chandler picked him up the other day Sylvia said she had to ask her husband if he had spilled something on Cash because his shirt was so wet!

New Tricks

Alright, so a few weeks back i was telling of Cash being the perfect little sleeper - that was then. This is now. Now Cash likes to perform his new tricks in his bead instead of sleeping. He will grab his feet and pull them to his mouth, he will flip over from back to front, pull or spit his dummy out of his mouth, he will roll from side to side, he will sing/talk/babble - anything but sleep. Last night it took 3 tries before he fell asleep. Finally i got him to sleep by putting him down on his side instead of his back.

What a difference a week makes

Last week Cash wanted nothing to do with the rice cereal i was attempting to feed him. he would just let it sit in his mouth and didn't event attempt to chew, swallow or even spit it out. Today however he was totally into it. Even though he was thrusting some of it out of his mouth he was actually making "chewing" motions and swallowing some. I think he ate about half of the cereal i mixed up. He even acted like he wanted more when we were finished. we'll keep trying and get better at it but i can't believe how different his reaction was today toward solid foods.

busy baby

THINGS CASH DOES NOW:
smiles (all the time)
laughs (is ticklish under the arms, inner thigh and feet)
grabs his feet
puts his whole fist in his mouth
sucks his fingers, thumb, toes, whatever comes near his mouth
reaches and grabs for toys (particularly those haning from the handle of his carseat)
pulls objects toward him
scootches all over
rolls over (although only when he wants to - not when mommy or daddy wants him to)

traveling man

4-23-08 Cash's first airplane ride to see Auntie Sarah in Santa Clara. He was a very good baby and the airplane ride didn't bother him at all. He played and smiled the whole time and it was only toward the end of our 4 day journey that he started to fight the car seat.
He was very happy to be home and see his daddy and puppy again. We'll see how he does at daycare today and how badly we compromised his napping paterns.
If he doesn't play baseball he has potential as a future wedding planner!

I'm not bragging but...

Cash is becoming a really good sleeper. It must be from daycare and Ms. Sylvia's schedule because I certainly am not good at any of that - scheduling or sleeping. We can put Cash down in his crib, in his own room, sleepy but awake and he finds his own way into dreamland. He takes 3 good naps each day all by himself (9ish, noonish, and 4ish).
Chandler and I were worried that we would have to swaddle him forever just to get him to sleep but one day he just decided that he didn't need to flail his arms around and instead they were much more comfortable resting in the "super baby" position. We knew the swaddler was on its way out when we would wake up in the mornings and it would be wrapped tightly around Cash's torso but his arms would be out and both his hands in his mouth.
Right now he is taking a nap - in his pack and play. I have learned that the more he sleeps, the better he sleeps.

4 months old

Cash is 4 months old today so here are his stats:
Head: 43cm
Length: 25 in
Weight: 15lb 9oz
He is a healthy and happy little boy, the doctor seems pleased with his development and couldn't help but saying he was really, really cute!

April

Time to reflect on the past month...
Cash is by far the most awesome baby in the entire world. He has really started to connect his actions with reactions. He reaches and grabs for things and can put them in his mouth. He kicks his feet and when the land on something - usually me - he notices how it feels. When he "talks" and gets a reaction out of Chandler and I, he talks more and louder.
My favorite part - really all his parts are my favorite - but one of the best parts about Cash is that he wakes up so happy. When we go to get him out of his crib he just looks up and gives us the biggest smile, almost to say, "you are exactly who i wanted to see". So many smiles out of this little dude - we can't wait until he pairs them with laughing.
He is definitely getting stronger too. He pushes himself all around his changing table and ends up at the opposite end of wherever you put him down. He refuses to put his head down - something he has done since the beginning but now it is constant. Whether he is laying in bed or sitting in his swing or you are holding him, he struggles to get his head up to see everything. He rolled over twice (says Chandler) but hasn't seemed to be able to replicate this effort. He sleeps through the night every now and again. It doesn't bother me that he wakes up at night, its actually kind of nice to just sit and watch him in the quiet.
Daycare is going well and he is charming the socks off everyone at Sylvia's. The little boys love to watch the baby and he is already better behaved than the little girl! He eats about 6oz every 3 hours - I'm working hard to keep up with that demand - and he gets to play on the mats with the other kids for a few hours.

4/23 Last night Cash slept through the night. I put him in bed at 10pm and had to get him up at 5:30am. good boy.
4/24 He did it again! next we move him into his crib.

Rolling

Cash is so close to rolling over we can taste it. He did it twice for Chandler but i missed it. We couldn't get him to do it again though - but he came close.

That's Pumpin' Hillarious!

Pumping at work is just cause for hillarity.
Everyone at WMC brings frozen lunches because getting in and out of the parking lot is such a hassle it takes 2 hours to go out for lunch - and we all know the HR Manager isn't going to stand for that!! So yesterday I was sterilizing my pump parts in a microwave steam bag and our very friendly man-ceptionist asked me what was for lunch - I guess he assumed that if i was putting something in the microwave it was probably a Lean Cuisine. I replied, "oh, just some steamed things." hee, hee, hee.
Also yesterday as I was leaving the office for the day a co-worker was passing me in the hall just as I was coming out of my office door. My pump was sitting on my desk in the big black case it comes in and the nice person looks into my office and kindly let me know that i had forgotten my purse. They went on to add that motherhood makes you forgetful.
Well I guess motherhood does make you forgetful because on Monday the tiny little ounce that i did manage to pump after having the stomach flu all weekend was left sitting on my desk after I got it out of the freezer to take it home. From the car I called my poor intern and asked her to put it back into the freezer for me. I bet that wasn't in her job description!
More to come from the land of boobs

Boob Job

There are boobs and there are jobs. At some jobs there are boobs. At my particular workplace there are three boobs that currently matter. Two are mine and they need to be pumped every 3 hours for mine and my child's health and happiness. The other is the Human Resources Manager - she is a real BOOB. I have asked her repeatedly for a place to pump. My request has been simple and my needs moderate - a private room, an electrical outlet, a table (or even a box) and one chair. I started work on Monday and nothing...Tuesday, nothing. Tuesday I was informed that someone needed to use the room they were going to let me use so I would have to use the conference room (thats right, the conference room with all those windows, especially the floor to ceiling window overlooking the lobby; yes the conference room that i'll be kicked out of each time there is a meeting). Before learning of this however the HR Manager called me "haughty" and "out-of-line" for reminding her how important this decision was for me and that it wasn't an option - I will continue to breastfeed. In a tone that I still cannot believe, she told me she didn't care about my decision. She didn't care because she doesn't have children and my decision doesn't mean anything to her. Thats right folks, you heard me. The HR Manager said she didn't care about my decision. I'm not asking her to care about my decision but I am asking her to care about one of her employees' needs (isn't that her job?).

Sucka

For the past few days Cash has been sucking on everything he can get his lips around. At first I thought this just meant he was hungry but when i noticed he was doing this even when he was full I figured it was just something he did. He sucks on his food source, his dummies, his blankets, his clothes, my shoulder and most often, his hands.

I don't know why he is doing this...thank heaven for Google.

Swing Low

I know i keep talking about how big Cash is getting but that's about all that is going on these days...today's "big" adventure was on his swing. We put him in the swing, turned it on and it didn't go anywhere. It is time to turn it up a notch. We are now on speed 2!!!

Piggy Toes

Cash has discovered his feet and toes and whats more is that he has discovered they are connected to his body. I have noticed him (what i thought was) spacing out when he sits in his car seat but upon further attention i see that he was mesmerized by his toes. he would just watch his toes wiggle and his feet move up and down. i love seeing his wheels spin.

So Big

Cash went to the pediatrician today and surprised everyone! In the past 6 weeks he has gained 4 pounds & 11 ounces! He now weighs 13.3 lbs, his head is 40 cm and he is 23" long. By all accounts he is a big boy - 70th-90th percentile. He eats well and is happy and that's all we can ask for.

Then came a very disturbing moment of his vaccines. The nurse was very good and gave his shots in rapid fire. it was like nothing i've ever seen before and i was thankful it was over so quickly. Cash cried two good waaaa's and then fell asleep.

All-in-all it was a good visit.

8 weeks old

Cash is 8 weeks old today. When i compare him now to the pictures when we just brought him home the changes overwhelm me. His head is huge - hats that used to swallow his head now fit and hats that fit are now just little beanies on his head. He is so much longer too. I put one of his newborn outfits on him just for fun and it looked like Chris Farley trying to fit into his high school band uniform. When Cash is laying on my chest he refuses to put his head down - proving just how big he really is. He has started to push his legs straight and "standing" when i hold him up. But the best of all are the noises he now makes. Sure he has always been a noisy baby with his grunts and pushes but now he coos and talks to us. I love to hear him just cooing away when he lays in his bassinet - it makes me feel that he is a happy person and i am doing something right. We go for our 2 month appointment on Monday so i'll report back with some stats then.

Desert Living

Anyone that knows Chandler Martin knows there are two things he just cannot handle: 1. Snakes 2. Scorpions. Considering we have many of both those critters around here it is a wonder he goes outside. He didn't need to go outside to run into his first scorpion in the five years we have lived here. I found this 2" scorpion crawling up our wall the other day and i'll admit, came unglued. Chandler stepped up to the plate and smashed it so hard i thought he was going to put a hole in the wall! (I think it was somewhat therapudic for him.) Fortunately have our exterminator on speed dial. Unfortunately there is no "scorpion killer" that is worth a damn. The only thing you can do is get rid of their food - insects. We have the house sprayed monthly for bugs so he must have just woken up from his winter's nap and gotten lost (at least that is what i keep telling myself). We both had terrible nightmares the following night of scorpion attacks so after some research we learned that there are nautral predators of the scorpion you can keep around. Our shopping list is as follows: 4 woodpeckers, 2 cats, 6 bats, 1 blue tounge lizard (can't hurt), 2 roadrunners and a mongoose (for good measure).

What the airbrush is going on here?

My son is the exact same age as Nicole Richie and Christina Aguliera's babies and yet somehow those two children have escaped the grasps of baby acne. The recent People magazine covers show the most beautiful babies without a blemish to be seen. My baby's 5 week portraits look like an ad for the "before" shot of a Noxema commercial. I think it is sad that they airbrushed their babies - I assume they airbrushed them, otherwise they really are beautiful babies. I love my baby and all his baby pimples!