Cream of Potato Soup

The teething situation hasn't dramatically improved yet. Ev still gets a cranky for stretches, but baby tylenol has helped take the edge off a bit and helped him to go to sleep for at least a little while.

It's hard to watch him like that, as it seems like its the most awful thing in the world when he's hurting, he screams and arches his back and flails, that's when you can tell its his teeth as opposed to just general unhappiness.

Here's to hoping that things settle down soon and the little man gets some teeth.

Since he's been starting this teething process, he hasn't wanted to breastfeed or drink his water/juice from a bottle as much as he used to. I can imagine it probably hurts to suck, but he's eating his solid foods just fine, which is good.

The bad part is the lack of fluids has made his, um, how do I say, pooping a little strained lately. He's been grunting and pushing all morning and every time we checked, nothing. Nada. Grunt grunt, check, nothing. A vicious cycle.

This morning after an episode, we checked his diaper figuring he must have gone this time. Imagine our surprise when we unbuttoned his onesie, got open the diaper to find a turd.

Seriously, a human-looking turd as opposed to the usual smear of yellow-y stuff he's been making since he was born. It even rolled around in the diaper and didn't leave hardly any mess. We should have taken a picture.

Needless to say, Jennifer and I enjoyed a good laugh over it. This is probably more of what we have in store in the coming months as Ev moves more and more into solid foods and away from breastmilk and a liquid-based diet.

And who said being a parent wasn't exciting? We've got a screaming, teething, cranky baby who now makes turds.

Awesome!

Posted by Mike at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Update: Ev did end up going to the doctor's this afternoon. I called them this morning because he was still very fussy and upset, and now wouldn't eat. So they wanted me to bring him in. Luckily, Aunt Louise was home today and was able to take us over there this afternoon. Thanks Aunt Louise!

After a full examination, doctor said he looked fine. He said it is most likely a teething issue, and could even be muscle aches or a minor virus. We were sent home with instructions to give him Tylenol three times a day--mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and at bedtime. Hopefully that will ease whatever pain Ev is having enough so that he can eat and sleep. I'll let you all know how this works.

Posted by jenny at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, it's been a long three days here in babyland. Evan's been up the past three nights, in a very weird fashion. He'll go to sleep at nine, and by 11:30 he'll be up screaming. He yowls and arches his back and won't calm, won't nurse, won't anything. He's like that for about an hour before finally going back to sleep. But then he is restless in his sleep, waking up several more times in the same way. His last waking is usually around four, and after that he sleeps until 8:30. Needless to say, Ev is tired and so are his parents.

So what could it be? At first we thought teeth, and we give him the baby Orajel and sometimes even some baby Tylenol to help soothe his painful gums. But then I notice that he doesn't really do the same type of waking and wailing during the day, so I began to doubt this was the main source of his trouble.

Last night after midnight I realize he's been doing this since we started giving him pears. I didn't think pears could cause such damage, but he does eat his last meal around 7:30, and he's having this trouble at night. Maybe fruit gives him a bellyache? We're still not sure, but we're going to take a break from fruit for a few days and just stick to veggies. We were due to start applesauce tonight, but I don't know that would be much better than pears. I guess we'll just wait and see.

Time for a new course of action. Maybe I should do fruit at lunchtime, maybe I should feed him earlier, maybe I should call the doctor. Any ideas out there, seasoned veterans?

Posted by jenny at 09:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today is Mike and my second wedding anniversary. Joyfully, we have someone else to celebrate with us this year, that someone being little Ev. It's nice to think back on that day and remember what fun we had, and how nice it was to have all of our loved ones there with us. We still have some wedding pictures up in the house, but for the most part those have been replaced with pictures of a babus. And life goes on.

Yesterday Evan had his first fruit--pears! He really enjoyed them all mixed up in his rice cereal that usually tastes like library paste. So far he's been doing really well with everything we've fed him, and no allergies have surfaced. Last night he was making eyes at my ox roast sandwich, so maybe that will be next. I think he might need a few teeth for that though.

Posted by jenny at 09:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think this will be my last post from Cleveland, as Mike is here now and we're busy kids. Last night we went to the A's-Indians game at the Jake with Jerry and Sarah, and Ev stayed here and chilled with his grandparents. When we got home he was sleeping, and he slept pretty well during the night. I guess things are different now that we have a seven month old!

Ev and I went swimming this afternoon, which he really enjoyed. He napped for a bit when we got home, but now his teeth are bothering him again. Why won't those buggers just poke through? E's downstairs complaining to Daddy as I write this. Good thing Daddy has a sympathetic ear.

Big moment this afternoon. As Mike was holding Ev on his lap, he turned to me and held his arms out for me to pick him up. He's never done that before, and it melted my heart. I know it probably won't be so magical the 5,000th time he does it when he weighs like 30 pounds, but today it was something special. Too cute. That kid really knows how to get me.

Tonight I think Mike and I are going to try to go out for our 2nd anniversary, which is Monday. My, how the years fly by. We were going to try to go to Baybreeze again this year, but it went out of business. Damn. We'll have to find a new anniversary tradition! And then it's back to Erie tomorrow night, so Mike can go to work on Sunday.

Posted by jenny at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ev is seven months old today! We spent most of the day just chillin'. We played on the floor, took a walk, jumped in the bouncy seat, and had a bath. A lazy but fun day. Tomorrow Daddy joins us in Cleveland and we can't wait for that!

Posted by jenny at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cleveland, day 2: a sunny, busy day. Today Ev got his first professional picture taken. They did a few poses, but one stood out from the rest, so we got quite a few of those. We were lucky to get a great big smile out of him when we asked...some of the other kids there weren't as cooperative. But Ev did very well...he's a very handsome boy. I'll post a copy of the pic when Mike gets here. I'm no good at the technical stuff.

E also took a trip to Babies R Us, where he was spoiled as usual. He got some clothes on clearance and some really cool bath toys. He had a ball trying his toys out tonight in the tub. It was great.

I have to rave about Babies R Us for a moment. Not only can you find everything you ever wanted in that store, but they have something I've never encountered before: a mother's room. Back with the regular restrooms (men's and women's) is a door marked mothers. Inside is a couch, glider rocker, and two sturdy changing tables stocked with free diapers and wipes. I cannot tell you how nice it was to find this when Evan got hungry during our shopping trip. It was wonderful to not have to go out and sit in the car to nurse or race home to feed the baby. I wish all stores and public places were as generous to moms and babies. They are definitely getting my business from now on, and a complimentary letter if I can remember to write it!

Posted by jenny at 11:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A guy I work with here had a baby a few weeks ago, and today they brought her in. She's cute, though nowhere as cute as my kid.

But it made me miss him and Jennifer while they are away in Cleveland. Luckily, there are a milion pictures for me to look at of him, and I feel a little better. I can't wait to give him a big hug in a few days.

I'm a wuss, huh?

Posted by Mike at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cleveland, day 1: It's rainy and we're having a quiet day in the house. Yesterday we got here around dinner time. E played for a bit, then it was off to the pool. We were there for about half an hour, and there was no one else there. Ev loved it. He laughed and splashed, but then he was getting cold so we had to head in. We had dinner and then just hung out until bedtime.

E had a rough night because his teeth are really bugging him now. I wish they would just poke through! The poor kid is miserable, but we're waging the war against teething with baby Orajel, baby Tylenol, and refridgerated teething rings. I hope this is over soon.

Now it rains, and I'm checking my e-mail and stuff before I head back down to work on my scrapbook. Ev is napping. He's wiped out from getting up at 5, then spending the morning yelling and rolling across the living room floor. Tonight will be more of the same I expect. We'll update again tomorrow.

Posted by jenny at 02:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's Sunday, and today Ev and I are leaving for our fabulous, all-inclusive, 7 day 6 night vacation at the magnificent Spa at Avon. Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?

We're going to visit Granny Mary Jane and Papa for a week. E and I head up today, and Daddy will join us on Thursday afternoon. I'm looking forward to a much needed break, and so is Mike. I'm hoping to catch up on sleep and scrapbooking while Ev basks in the constant attention of his grandparents. What more could you ask for?

I'll try to update a bit while we're gone. Ev is teething hardcore now, and he's getting pretty cranky, so I wouldn't be surprised if he has a tooth by this time next week. Isn't that something? If you don't hear from us, don't fret. We'll fill you in next weekend after we return home. Have a lovely week everyone!

Posted by jenny at 12:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've posted a new image gallery with some pictures from the last 2 weeks or so. As usual, Ev is his smiling, charming self, hamming it up for the camera. I think he knows what the deal is when we whip the ol' digicam out.

Click here to view the new pictures.

Posted by Mike at 02:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Friday again, and another trip to the zoo. Today Ev and I were joined by Aunt Louise and cousin Linda. It was hot and humid as usual, but E was well-behaved and really enjoyed himself. He got to ride the train this time around, and he liked that a lot. The only part he didn't appreciate was the scary safari land tunnel with the day-glo painted animals inside...that's the part where all the kids scream and Ev looked like his little head was going to explode. Poor guy. We'll have to remember that for next time. But it was fun just the same.

The veggie with cereal thing is going okay. I just have to be careful of the portions. With breastfeeding, Ev stops when he is full. With solids, he seems to open his mouth whenever the spoon comes his way. It's a little harder to tell when he's had enough. We're trying to take it slower and watch for clues that he's getting full. Hopefully this will iron itself out. I know it will, as eating is something we get to practice often!

Posted by jenny at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another sweaty week here in Erie, another week of E and Mommy hiding in the bedroom with the air conditioner. I'm trying to teach him to stand on the bed so he will have excellent balance.

Not much going on here really. We visited Grandma Feige last night, and Evan was his usual charming self. Today we went to the mall with Mikaele, Aidan and Logan, and then we went again in the evening with Daddy and Uncle Jer. It's nice to get out of the house, and E scored big off the clearance rack at Old Navy.

The food thing keeps getting better and better. Now we have moved on to green veggies, starting with green beans at lunch today. Now only peas stand between Evan and fruit. I just know he's going to love fruit. It seems like his appetite is getting bigger. I think we're going to do cereal and a veggie at each meal instead of one or the other. I'll let you know how that goes.

For now, we are off to bed. Another day of fun and play awaits us tomorrow.

Posted by jenny at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Poop! Evan pooped this morning. Hurrah!

Posted by jenny at 09:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Family reunion today. It was a lovely day for it, down by the lake, but a little warmer than young Evan would prefer. He was trying to be well behaved, but I think the heat made him sweaty and cranky and didn't allow him to nap well.

It was nice to see the extended family though, and E was recognized as the newest member of the family. He even got applause! His great-grandmother is still the oldest member at 95, and she was honored as well.

In other news, food is still going well. He's through all of the orange veggies now with no major difficulty. I think we'll stick with those for a few more days before moving on to the greens (peas and beans). I have a feeling he won't like them very well, but maybe I'm just drawing from my own aversion to peas. Yuck.

Last but not least, we're waiting for a poop. He hasn't gone since yesterday afternoon, and has been showing signs of upset tummy. Tomorrow we pull out all the stops (literally) in the hopes of producing so we won't have to call the doctor. Wish us luck.

Posted by jenny at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Evan is 200 days old today. That means he's been living here with Mommy and Daddy for 167 days. Awesome! I wonder if we can figure out how many diapers he's gone through already....

Posted by jenny at 09:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you notice that Evan now has an e-mail address? Daddy set that up for him, so you can send him a little note at any time. Keep in mind that he can't read yet, so Mommy or Daddy will have to read them to him!

Posted by jenny at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

All is well in baby food land. Squash is yummy and much enjoyed by Evan, so tomorrow he's moving on to sweet potatoes. Ev eats a veggie at lunchtime and rice cereal at dinner, and it's going very smoothly. We couldn't be more pleased.

I am a bit afraid though, that by the end of next week E will have turned orange.

Posted by jenny at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Six month doctor's appointment today. Evan is 24 inches long and weighs 13 pounds, 4 ounces. He is on or ahead of schedule as far as his development goes, so with three shots in the butt we were on our way. We don't have to go back until he's nine months old, so our next appointment is not until November 5.

We also got the green light to start solids. Hooray!! For some reason the CRNP recommends yellow veggies first, then green, then fruits, then cereal. So we stopped at Wal-Mart and got a sippy cup, baby spoons, and a few jars of yellow veggies...squash, sweet potato, and carrots. Mmmm. E had some squash for lunch and enjoyed it very much. He gobbled it right up. It made him a little gassy, but overall the reaction was a good one.

He's now down for the night. He seemed to be getting a bit feverish before bed, so he got a dose of baby Tylenol to help with that. It was a long day for us, but a productive one. Tomorrow we'll be ready for more adventures in baby food.

Posted by jenny at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)