Standing 8 Count

Aubrey has been doing very well at crawling and is picking up speed. I can honestly say that up to this point, there is nothing better than coming home and Aubrey crawling to my feet and wanting me to pick her up (it only happened once but I'll remember it). Once I get her picked up, she tries to squirm away but that's just her being, Aubrey - accomplishes something and right on to the next thing.

Because Aubrey is trying to pull up, LA and I have had to institute the standing 8 count and TKO for all face plants or noggin knocks. She gets 3 standing 8 counts before mommy and daddy call a TKO for the night. As referees, we have to judge the impact of the hit to the hardwood floor. Right now, we are using the crying and red mark method. If she falls and comes up crying immediately or the fall results in a red mark, she get the standing 8.

Last night she tried to pull up on my legs while I was standing and lost her balance and hit her forehead on the door molding and it didn't phase her which was surprising to me - so it was keep on keeping on. However the stairs were a different story. She doesn't have any problem standing up using the first stair because of it's height in relation to her arms. Up until last night she could not climb onto the first stair because she couldn't get her knees pulled up high enough. Last night, while supervised by mommy and daddy, she actually was able to climb the first two stairs. She did take a couple of tumbles that daddy minimized and others that daddy couldn't prevent. Her last fall produced the red mark and she got the TKO from daddy and mommy and she was done crawling and climbing for the night. It was her bedtime so it wasn't like we were punishing her just protecting her. It looks like a couple of gates for the stairs are our next purchase. Wonder how long after purchasing the gates will mommy or daddy trip and fall down the stairs climbing over the gates? I know it going to happen and I know it going to hurt. We better keep paying the insurance bills.

Working Out and Crawling

As you can tell, working out with and lifting weights never has been too high on my list of priorities. It is not in my DNA. Probably has something to do with not seeing immediate results (maybe I needed to be on the juice). However, that has all changed. For the past seven months, LA and I have been carrying around Aubrey in the car seat. Recently, we have been carrying her and leaving her car seat in the car when we go places to cut down on the weight we were carrying. The other day, I wondered how much Aubrey and the car seat weighed together - Aubrey tipped the scales at 20lbs and the car seat at 10lbs. We have a 30lbs dumbbell that we have been carrying around and lifting into the car, over tables and lifting high so others can see her. Hopefully, the pay off is coming for me - becoming ripped/chiseled.

I am still looking for a design engineer to help reinvent the car seat. I have yet to find a design that didn't suck. However, LA and I have the idea that will revolutionize the baby car seat industry but need technical help - millions are on the line...anybody interested?

CRAWLING

Just a quick update on the crawling. Aubrey is officially crawling. She can go anywhere she wants. Her main route right now is the living room to the kitchen and back. She is into everything along the way that catches her attention. She has a few stops along the way - her car seat, computer bags, power cords for cell phones and computers, shoes by the door, plant stand (that is going to fall on her, it's just a matter of time), her swing and the rug in front of the sink. Our evenings used to be so simple when she could only lay on her back or just roll over. Now we are on full alert the entire evening, for what she is getting into. It is going to "shocking" when she gets some teeth and chews on those cords (that's probably going to hurt). It seems that all we are telling her right now is "no". No wonder that is one of the first words babies learns to say. It doesn't have anything to do with it being two letters and everything to do with the fact that it's the only word they hear.

Oh, yeah she isn't satisfied with just crawling. She is now trying to pull up and stand up. She was successful pulling up on the steps. She can't conquer one thing before moving to the next.

The fun has begun.

Babysitting Injury

LA and I went the the JSL party and auction tonight at the Ponds. I was playing in the golf tournament on Saturday and it was included in the cost. We arranged to have Nanny Von and Gramps keep her and they were going to Wes's baseball game in Bamburg. At some point while at the game there was an accident with Aubrey grabbing Nana Von's Diet Coke can. She is very determined to get anything she can touch to her mouth and if it means pulling it out of your hands, she is up for the challenge. In the list of instructions we give to anyone taking care of Aubrey (don't laugh when you get your copy to read and sign before you keep her, we're serious), it plainly reads not to attempt to drink anything while holding her or if she is within reach of someone else. Evidently Nana Von decided to skip reading that part and not listen to the verbal instructions we gave her about this before she left. She had her Diet Coke can within her reach and Aubrey attacked and Nana doesn't really know what happened after that point. However, mommy and daddy's investigation of the event and other eyewitness reports indicated that the can got close enough for her to put her hand on the top and she got her index finger in the opening which then cut her as she pulled on the can. At that point eyewitnesses said the blood started to run out everywhere and Aubrey started crying. They finally got the blood stopped and she had a 3/8" cut in the first joint of her index finger from the germ filled opening of the Diet Coke can. They decided not to take her to the emergency room for stitches or a tetanus shot. We are sure Nana Von felt bad about Aubrey getting hurt and being the first one to keep her and injure her but I am pretty sure she was more worried about telling us what had happened. For two reasons, first our response and second, she knows what Section 3 part 4 says about injuries while keeping Aubrey - "you will be moved down the babysitting list to secondary status and called when all other options have been attempted". It's good news for everyone else because they moved up a spot on the babysitting ladder.

The cut ended up being like a paper cut and she has been fine with it. We did put a band-aid and some medicine on it and that was funny because she couldn't bend her finger and she didn't know what to do.

Our First Easter With Aubrey

For as long as I can remember (insert your old joke here), we have been going to Surfside Beach for the Easter weekend as a family. Most years Julie and her clan are able to make it and this year we were all together Friday - Sunday. It was good to all be together and Aubrey especially enjoyed being the center of attention. LA and I enjoyed it because we got one of the bedrooms again this weekend. This pregnant and baby thing has really paid off - Thanks, Julie and Chris

LA and I brought the entire house with us to Surfside. We didn't have to worry about robbers because we had everything with us. I am not sure if Aubrey even realized she wasn't in Summerville. Mommy and Daddy did some shopping on Thursday when we got to the beach. Mommy went shopping again on Sat with the girls and Daddy, Chris and Aube worked on the front porch replacing boards on Fri and Sat and picked up leaves. The golf cart stranded Chris, Meghan, and Katie at the beach and Chris pushed it home. Aube called the repair man and Saturday it was supposed to be ready to go. LA, Aubrey and I loaded up in the cart late Saturday afternoon for a ride and then a stop at the beach so Aubrey could put her feet in the water for the first time. The ride was a short one because the golf cart didn't seem to have much power. We figured the batteries needed charging so we decided to head straight to the beach. We almost made it and the cart died. I pushed it to the beach access and we got out and walked to the beach. Aubrey got to put her toes in the water for the first time. She didn't like it too much - probably because the water was cold. The Canadians weren't even swimming the water was so cold. We will be back when it gets warmer. I am sure she will like it then. After we spent some time on the beach, it was time to push the golf cart home. I let LA and Aubrey sit while I pushed. It is only 1.5 blocks but it might as well been a marathon. Holly cow, I am out of shape! I was spent when we finally made it home. The funny part of this story is that Aube got in the cart about 30 minutes later and rode around the block two or three times without any problems. The girls and myself decided to try it after dinner and I wasn't going too far from the house because I wasn't going to push it again and sure enough it died again but this time we were right in front of the house. So Aubrey first golf cart ride was a bust. I don't know how many more years daddy will be able to push the golf cart home. We might better stick to the car.

Easter Sunday
Mommy had everything planned out - green smocked dress for Aubrey, light colored summer suit and green shirt for daddy, green shirt and white pants for mommy. Daddy already had everything so he didn't have to buy Easter clothes. On Easter morning, we got Aubrey ready and daddy went to get his clothes and guess what wasn't in the closet - his suit. I had somehow left it at the house. I don't know how but evidently I had brought everything in the house but the suit. My first fall back plan was a pair of khakis that I wear to work that have some ink stains - not the best but they were going to have to do in a pinch. No one else had anything I could wear. After ironing the pants for some reason, I remembered that I had bought a pair of khakis on Thursday. The new khakis saved the day but I was still mad about the suit. It was disappointing. Hopefully, Aubrey and LA will wear their Easter outfits and I can wear my suit and we can get some pictures.

We went to church at Belin UMC in Murrells Inlet and as with most churches on Easter Sunday it was packed. As we walked in with Aubrey there were two seats on the back row with easy access to the exits in case Aubrey didn't want to go to sleep and got fussy. Everyone else went about halfway up and sat down. Before the service started, as LA and I were sitting there an older gentleman that we did not know walked up and started talking to Aubrey and LA. After a few minutes of small talk, he picked up Aubrey and she attacked his glasses. I was pretty sure she was going to break them but he got them from her and then turned away from LA and I and started up the center isle. You can imagine the faces LA and I made to each other. Which was quickly followed up by "What do we do?". The lady sitting next to me said "I am going to assume that you do not know who that man is". My response was "No". About the time, he started up the center isle with her, Julie had turned around and saw Aubrey with him and looked at me like "what is going on?". My look back to her was "I don't know". I told LA that we were in church and he looked nice. He wasn't past Julie yet and we still had the back door covered so I didn't think it was time to worry "yet". He paused at this family and started talking to them and then everyone started to get up like he was going to sit down. At this point, LA and I were about to stand up and walk to him and get Aubrey but we could tell he was telling them he wasn't going to sit down yet. After what seemed like forever, he brought Aubrey back to us - crisis averted - no one tackled in church on Easter Sunday morning. Evidently he does this quite often we found out later - taking babies and showing them off. However, everyone that has ever had a child knows your reaction when someone you don't know starts to touch your baby - "don't do it, I don't know you." I am sure our response would have been different if we were not at church. We have gotten a pretty good laugh out of it. I wish we could have had a video on us and my sister when he started to walk away with her. It was priceless and probably could have won us some money.

Homemade Food

So LA and I thought it would be a good idea to make Aubrey's food instead of buying "baby food". Baby food isn't anything special. It is food that you and I eat that they package in small containers and call it "baby food". It is just a ploy to get parents to buy it instead of making it yourself. We didn't do this to save money. The money saved would hardly be enough to buy her a pack of diapers twice a year. If we saved a few dollars great but that wasn't the point of making her food. It is the pride you have in doing something for your child and they like it. We decided our first attempt would be to make her vegetables - peas, green beans, carrots.

Making baby food is the easiest thing ever - Can you boil water and do you have a clock/watch/or can you count one mississippi, two mississippi? If your answer is no then there is no hope for you and please tell your future wife/husband this before you marry him/her or if you already married and he/she stayed with you - God bless their soul and they love you more than you know! Give them a hug and a kiss they deserve it.

I am not going to bore you with the details. It's not like we're on 30 minute meals. We boiled the water, blended the food and froze them. The next day Aubrey gets to eat food made by her mommy and daddy (mommy did more than daddy - I admit it) So for dinner it's ham and green beans. This was also the first time for the ham and I probably should also let you know that up to this point she has eaten everything (fruits, veggies, combination's of fruit, combination's of veggies and meats) that she has been offered with no strange faces and not spitting it out. LA started with the ham and for the first time she spit it out immediately - we agreed that the ham wasn't the most appetizing. We moved on the the green beans and she took the first spoon full and then spit them out also. LA tried some more but without any luck. She didn't like them at all. We got some "baby food" out and she ate it without any problems. So dejected and wondering why she didn't like the veggies we made her, we decided to try a different one the next day. I'll give you the readers digest version - carrots didn't like them, spit them out, peas didn't like them spit them out. Now I have to tell you we tried. Every time she opened her mouth to cry, we would put a spoon full in and she would spit them out. We tried the mixing technique, something she likes for two or three spoonfuls and then the homemade veggies, same results. As soon as she realized it wasn't what she like or was used to she spit it out. I have to honest and say that it was funny watching her cry, cringe her face and spit it out. That was part of the reason we tried so hard to get her to eat them. We did get some of it on video and it is quite funny. The only thing we can figure is that the texture is different. We got them made so we are going to keep trying, otherwise mommy and daddy have some bland veggies to eat for dinner in individual 2.5oz containers. Maybe Gerber and Beachnut have something figured out on this "baby food" thing?

Roulette And A Sick Baby

So after the exciting day at the park, I went to my meeting and LA went to Nana Von's and we both got home at about the same time. LA told me Aubrey didn't look like she felt to good and seemed to be warm. We took her to her room and checked her temperature. The thermometer shows the temperature as it is taking the reading. It is like Roulette in Vegas. When is the thermometer going to stop - 98.6, 99.9, 100.2, 102.5, 103.5. Place your bets and take her temperature. Maybe that would stimulate our bank account - any takers. The other thing it makes me think of is radio stations in the Charleston area - 104.5, 98.9, 103.5, 100.9. So what is Aubrey's temperature - it's the WEZL, Classic Rock, The Wolf...etc.

When her temperature reached The WEZL (103.5 on your radio dial) we decided to take her to the doctor, knowing ahead of time that giving her Motrin was all we could do as long as it was helping reduce her temperature but you take her to the doctor for confirmation and I guess for peace of mind. The doctor said she probably has the flu but couldn't confirm without the flu test that would tell us what she had so LA and I would know what we had it about 24/48 hours when she passes it to us but otherwise it wasn't going to change how we were treating Aubrey. We decided to save us the money or at least save our insurance company the money and skipped the test.

She's been a little fussy and had some problems breathing through her nose at night but I am fussy when I don't feel good so she really hasn't been that bad. It could be worse, I am sure. We are still getting pretty good sleep. It is just getting interrupted a couple of times each night. Hopefully the flu has run its course and the stuffy head and congestion will be around for 7-10 days. Actually, since she is in daycare it probably will not get any better.

The Doctor's Visit

I was going to put this in it's own post but decided to put it here. Aubrey's doctor was not in Monday afternoon when we went to the doctor so we saw a new doctor. He was super nice but caused me and LA to laugh. He reached over to pick Aubrey up and said "wow, she's going to hurt my back" while doing this he was looking over to her chart. I know he was trying to see how old she was. When he unbuttoned her onesie his first comment was "your a little chunk" and then asked LA and I if she had any brothers or sisters. When we told him "no" he replied "that's good because she's about ready to take them on." I stood up and asked him if he was calling my child fat because we could take this outside. He apologized and left the room.

I might have made up the last part but it sounds good.

Sunday At The Park

So Sunday turned out to be a pretty day for the most part - a little breezy but still warm. For the past couple of weeks,since the temperatures have been pretty steady in the 70's each day, I have wanted to take Aubrey to the park. I didn't know what she would be able to do but I thought it would be a fun time for us. A way to get out of the house. We loaded up the car and went to the Laurel St Playground. I know what your thinking - You live on Laurel street and you didn't walk the 1/2 mile (probably closer) to the park. Were lazy, what else can I say. Actually, I had a meeting and in case the park was a huge success and time flew because we were having so much fun LA could drop me off at the church in time for my meeting.

In figuring out were to start, we decided on the swings. I went to the first set of swings and attempted to sit down and my hips didn't fit. I guess I made them fit but it wasn't comfortable. I don't know who those seats are made for but they are definitely someone smaller than me. The other set of swings had bigger seats but were only about 12" off the ground. That's difficult for a 6' tall person to attempt. You basically are doing six inches the whole time you are swinging so your feet don't drag the ground. Aubrey sat in both our laps but I wouldn't say she had the time of her life. We went on to the rocking animals - the hippo and dinosaur. Not sure she really had a blast there either. We then went to the swings that she could actually sit in and swing with daddy pushing her. She liked that for a few minutes but that was about it. We then went to the slides. Surely, I was thinking that this would be the event of the day. We sat her down at the top and she started crying. The only way to get over the fear is to face it so we put her on the edge, pushed her and let her slide down. Mommy was at the bottom waiting to catch her. She didn't really like it either, especially when she hit her head on the slide. Mommy didn't seem to happy either. That didn't go quite as planned. Your right - We didn't push her down the slide. She did ride down two different slides with daddy and wasn't really thrilled.

So after spending some time at the park with Aubrey, it was a little bit of a disappointment. Daddy had plenty of time to make it to his meeting. The rest of the story however is that later on we figured out why Aubrey was fussy and not having too much fun. She was running a fever and was sick. I guess we will try again when she is feeling better and is a little older.