add one more to the list...

The Battle of Cold Bottle was lost here tonight adding #5 to our ever-increasing list below.

Since we've been home from the hospital we've given Grant breastmilk in a bottle that had been cold from being stored in the refrigerator. Out of sheer laziness I started taking a bottle out before I headed to bed so I wouldn't have to take the extra 25 steps to the refrigerator in the middle of the night. This is now the preferred temperature of milk for Grant and cold milk is NO LONGER an option.

Pete and I read somewhere that babies are the most vulnerable of all species. They're born with no instincts to protect themselves. If thrown to the wolves they'd be forced to get by on their cute looks alone. Tonight I realized they have a back-up plan - the blood curdling scream. At this point the wolves would turn on their heels and get the hell out as they have no way of covering their ears and no food is worth battling THAT noise. The same said noise causes humans to do every stupid trick in their power to interpret the cause and stop it. No matter how insane. "Fed? Yep. Diaper changed? Yep. Tired? No, just woke up. Is it his hat? Earlier he had his hat on and wasn't screaming try the hat. No, no, definitely not the hat that's made it worse. It's the oven mitt puppet... he wants the oven mitt puppet.. quick get the oven mitt.. for the love of God.. the oven mitt... that's not it?.. I don't know...put them on his feet. Oh. that's it. He likes oven mitts on his feet... now dance and sing he's getting fussy again." Please note when something works.. don't think you've now sorted out "his thing". Babies demand that you change it up. I think they're much smarter than we give them credit for and want to see how far you'll go and what an ass of yourself you're willing to make on their behalf. All controlled by that banshee-like scream.

Whether it be the insane cuteness or that banshee-like scream I think I've discovered we're not just under new management.. we're under a new dictatorship. :)

-misty

EDIT: What Misty doesn't tell you is last night I tickeld his belly and he let out a big smile and giggle - and we both melted :)

EDIT, EDIT: But it may have just been Mr Pooperheimer appearing too...

-peter

rapidly dissolving parenting resolutions...

When I was pregnant we had loads of time to discuss things we definitely were and weren't going to do once we had our little guy. Here's a list of some of them and how quickly our hard decisions were changed:

1. No pacifier - 2 days home from the hospital. Once we realized he was using our finger as a human pacifier the decision to replace it with a plastic one wasn't far behind.

2. No sleeping in his swing. Swing is to be used so I can get things done like showering - 1 nearly completely sleepless night. He loves this thing and his pediatrician said it was fine for him to sleep occasionally in it.

3. No co-sleeping, he needs to get used to sleeping in his crib from the beginning - this took about a week. As long as all 3 of us were horizontal I didn't care what it took.

4. No buying loads of newborn clothes since he's only going to be in them for a short time - 4 days home from the hospital. This is a sickness on my part. I can't resist little cute things. Old Navy and Oshkosh are killing me with their gorgeous little things that I can't pass by. I'm not sure there's any sort of cure for this. :)

I'm sure this list will only get longer and longer as time goes by.

Oh, and the sleeping through the night thing was a complete fluke. :P The instructor in my hospital class said one day is a "happening", 2 days is a "fluke", 3 days is a "coincidence", 4 days is a "trend" and 5 days is a "habit". Totally disheartening. We're a long way off from sleeping through the night.

-misty

***Update*** Ugh.. I really do need therapy for my shopping addiction.. not even 4 hours after this post I found myself in OshKosh where they were having a huge fall sale!!! How can 70% and 60% off so many little things add up to $70 so quickly? My euphoria quickly wore off when I got home and showed Pete my fantastic finds and he wasn't nearly as excited. He clearly doesn't understand the importance of smart clothes for all of these mommy groups Grant and I have joined.

a rose by any other name...

We have someone living in our household under a few different assumed names. We change them to suit the occasion. (Though I just realized that the nicknames could also suit Pete just as easily - except the last one). :)

Here's a running list of the names so far (listed in order of popularity):

Senor Fussybutt (no idea how to add the ~ above the n)
Sir Poopsalot
Mr. Poopenheimer
The Poopsmith
Mr. Wees-his-pants

I love the pictures Pete just posted. Especially the "deer in headlights" picture and the "Curly" from the 3 Stooges picture. As you can see from the pics he's suffering from baby acne. Of course I checked with the doctor and apparently I should hold off on the Clearasil and Pro-Active and it should clear up in a week or two.

-misty

OH!!! and important bulletin!!!! Last night Granty slept for 5 hours.. woke up ate and fell immediately back to sleep for 4 hours. I feel soooo well rested!! We're so close to sleeping through the night I can taste it!

Whoa I'm growing!

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Originally uploaded by Peter and Misty.

Grant went to the doc for a check up on Friday. He's now 11lbs and 23" long!

Some more new photos in the photo album.

sleeping on the job...

I'm realizing that I'm most tired at the 8am feeding time. I do pretty well getting up throughout the night but I think after many years of pulling college all-nighters that my body is just trained to get through the night knowing it will be compensated with sleep in the morning. But when morning comes around Grant still seems to want to eat and be taken care of.. (funny, that :)). Anyway.. I have a nice little squirmy alarm clock that grunts at me when I start to dip into sleepland. I keep snapping awake and realize I've been trying to feed him through his nostril or through the outside of his cheek. The first few weeks I kept thinking "oh weird.. he must have spit his bottle out". But I think I realized that he obviously wouldn't be grunting at me if this were the case. This new manager never lets up. :)

-misty

take two...

You would think after yesterday's "pea soup exorcism" that I'd not let that happen again any time soon. You would think. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong.

-misty

the demons have been expelled...

We were having a fairly peaceful afternoon. Grant was a little fussy but not anything out of the ordinary. I opened his diaper and simultaneously grabbed a wipe. I was quietly pleased at how good I was getting at this diapering business. Then, as I grabbed the second wipe all things that are unholy were expelled out of his bum. All over me, the glider ottoman, the glider, his pajamas, and the floor. The vomit scene in the Exorcist was a walk in the park compared to this. Clean up was a 30 wipe & steam cleaner affair. I was glad it was bath night. Though before we could bathe him I finally learned the lesson of "pointing him down". I picked him up after his nap and realized his entire pajamas, undershirt, and pants were wet. I apparently left him "pointing up" after the pea soup explosion earlier and he'd peed up out of his diaper soaking everything. Pete thought all of this was hilarious and I'm glad the camera was no where in sight or you'd all have lovely pictures to click through.

And now it's official. I'm one of those parents who talk to complete strangers about pee and poop.

-misty

Sling....

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Originally uploaded by Peter and Misty.

Not quite sure what Grant makes of his new sling for being carried around in....

More new photos in the photo album

Grant applied for his Passport at the Post Office on Friday - I've no idea what he made of it all but he had trouble finding the $82 for the application....

the best gift...

This morning when Grant started stirring I dragged myself in for his usual morning feeding. I always try and do a running commentary of what I'm doing because they say it's good for them developmentally. My normal "Good Morning Granty, Momma's here.. Let's get you some food!" was greeted with my very first smile. I thought it may have been gas so I kept talking to him and he smiled again and then giggled. It was the sweetest thing I have ever seen and heard. I'm not sure when I'll get a repeat performance but it made me forget all the sleepless nights in an instant.

Today I went to the gym....

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Originally uploaded by Peter and Misty.

More photos in the 'Grant' photo set... Check out the photo album link on the right here...

all's good on the hearing and eyeball front. :)

So we've been quietly worried about Grants hearing since he failed his hearing test a couple days after birth. They did tell us that it could have just been amniotic fluid in his ears that hadn't drained yet. So what's a good parent to do other than constantly clap and snap fingers loudly beside your child's ear.. also shouting his name just as he's dozing off to see if he can hear is another good test Pete tried a few times. Note that all of this time a flushing toilet, the bed creaking JUST as I've gotten him off to sleep, and the microwave bleeping with my piping hot food are all little noises that can wake him in an instant (not normally signs of someone with a hearing problem). Needless to say his 2 week recheck went absolutely fine and he can obviously hear and now we have a certificate to prove it.

So now that I'm not stressed out about his hearing I have more important things to spend my sleep deprived brain worrying about.. like 2 days ago when his eyeballs didn't seem to be working together. They were cross eyed and frog eyed and all over. I had a doctor's appt. that day and she assured me this was normal and it wasn't a problem. Convinced that she obviously didn't get a look at his wonky eyeball I spent the rest of the night researching "infant lazy eye" to find out what special eye devices that were going to be in our future. Needless to say this lazy eye episode only seemed to last the day and both eyes seem to be working as a team now.

He does have a "Heather toe" though.. which is where your 4th toe hangs out below the 3rd one a little. Heather will be really happy to know he's got this in common with her. :) I've resisted the urge to do a google search on toes. Give me another day. :)

Parenting is a little crazy for the obsessive worrier.

-misty

Photos

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Originally uploaded by Peter and Misty.

Per many requests - added a few new photos to the Flickr photo set... Use the link on the right for more...

first week at home with grant on my own...

So with my parents gone and Pete back in work this week was my first week flying solo at this whole mom thing. Pete's also been sick this past week and has had really big meetings at work so he's been sleeping in the spare room so he can get some rest from work. Here are some minor stats from the week...

Average hours of solid sleep time throughout the night and day 2
Amount of times I've been peed on 4
Number of non-baby related tasks I can manage in one day 1
Number of 1am car drives to get him to sleep 1
Number of outfits gone through per day due to unforeseen "blowout" 1-3

We had our 2 week check up today with the doctor and everything looks good. 75% percentile for height.. he's 21.5" tall now. It's amazing how much bigger he already seems. His hands and feet don't seem so tiny anymore.. however his closet is still full of 3 month - 6 months clothes that are way too big for him.

We're planning on take loads of pictures this weekend. He makes some of the funniest facial expressions and it'd be a shame to not get some of them in pictures to share. We'll try and post them tomorrow night.

Tomorrow will be Grant's first trip to Costco and to the mall... we'll see how he does and if I can work out the mystery that is our stroller.

-misty

Birth Certificates

Grant's birth certificates arrived in the mail today so we're all set to apply for his Passport once we get a Social Security number early next week. Then Misty and I need to find our birth certificates to apply for that - Complex business!

Oh No!

Tough day today as Misty's parents went back to Cozad after spending a week with us - We honestly don't know how we'll make it through without their help! Misty's mum is certainly the expert Baby Soother! Not only that but made all our meals for a week (and a supply for the freezer) - Thanks so much Irma!

On top Junior managed to not only re-arrange our messy garage into great shape but furred out our unfinished basement bedroom with 2x4's and added the closet - all we need to do now is get it dry walled and a drop ceiling put in - Thanks a ton Junior!! Not much of a vacation for either of them.

Now Grant is alone and left with Misty and I for his sole survival - hopefully we're up to the challenge! Last week he got a blocked tear duct so we have to put antibiotic ointment gel into his eyes 3 times a day - not the easiest thing!

Misty's legs/feet are still badly swollen and she has to spend much of the day off her feet until they go down....

Still need to find time to respond to all the kind emails we got after the birth - I will get to them!

under new management...

I've come to the realization that I have a new boss. He's bald, 21" long, and very demanding. He dictates when I sleep, eat, when I go to the bathroom and when I can contribute to this blog. He's amazing. :) Pete is convinced that being a baby is the career path that needs to explore. "You're constantly getting boobs shoved in your face, people are completely crazy about making sure you're well fed, well cared for and that you've gone to the bathroom enough each day." At 4am in a sleep deprived haze that was the funniest thing I'd ever heard. Lack of sleep makes me loopy and everything hilarious. Not really good if you're shaking your baby out of sleep by laughing your head off at his goofy facial expressions that he doesn't even realize he's making.

The sleep deprivation is slowly settling in but isn't nearly as bad with my mom and dad here watching the little guy and forcing me to sleep. They say they want me to get my rest but I know they really want total uninterrupted Grant time. :)

Well it's our turn to cook tonight.. my mom has really spoiled us by cooking every evening. Now where did I put those Pizza Hut coupons?

Hospital Photos

The hospital "Official" photos went live over the weekend as well.... You can view those at:

http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babypage_view.asp?URLID=9Q9K0D0C6N

Be sure to click on the "Next photo" links near the photo to see some other, better, shots....

Also it was a BUSY day on 9/8 with eight babies born (7 caesarians, Grant was the only regular birth). http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/hospitals/template/hospitalpage.asp?hospitalID=5333

I've also uploaded some more photos to our Flickr photo site

Today he slept the longest ever during the afternoon of course - I'm sure we'll be up all night again now!!!

His first doc visit was yesterday and all was fine.... Back up to 8lbs 1oz from the 7lbs 14oz he'd dropped to post birth so things were looking good...

...And when I was two (days old) I went home

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Originally uploaded by Peter and Misty.

Today was the big day we returned home from the hospital with Grant. That and I'm rapidly learning perhaps 'perfect' was a slightly incorrect term as it forgets about the poop - lots of poop :) He is mastering the feeding art well and its showing!

The nurses had a lot of fun with Grant last night as they took him off our hands for 4 hours while we grabbed some sleep in the hospital before going home - He loves the baby swings apparently and spent ages trying to stop himself from falling asleep working it all out...

Everything is going well - Both of us are very tired but trying to grab naps as he does right now.

Misty's parents also arrived today so Grant met Grandma and Grandpa Dishman - I'm sure he also got very jealous of the steak dinner Irma cooked us too!

Big thanks to Gail as well for picking up Mistys parents from the airport this morning as it clashed with us checking out of hospital - That and the meal she brough Misty in hospital right after the birth were life savers! Thanks Gail!!

Also thanks to everyone for your emails after the birth - While we haven't had a chance to reply yet but we've read and enjoyed each and every reply and all the kind words and encouragement have been fabulous....

I've uploaded some more photos to the photo album at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dampier/sets/913008/show/

If the link is slow or not working try the 'Our Photo Album' link on the right hand side of the page here and view the 'Grant' photo set....

OK, off to grab some sleep (or try at least!)

Grant Michael Dampier

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Originally uploaded by Peter and Misty.

4.14pm, 8lbs 5oz, 19.5"

Perfect.

Misty and Grant doing great. Truly incredibly day on every level.

1 day overdue...

So Sept. 5th came and went with no Granty in sight. I haven't had any sort of symptoms or indication that labor is coming anytime soon. Not that I would really know what those things feel like anyway. He's definitely still wiggling around. More in the evenings and the minute I lie down for bed. We had a pretty productive weekend and got a ton of housey stuff done. I was excited today to finish up by sweeping, mopping and dusting the baseboards and finishing up other things . Definitely the whole "nesting" thing setting in. I can't believe I just typed that i was excited about doing housework! I also prepared 2 casseroles to freeze so we can have them after Grant is born. After being quite happy with my productive day I had to go back into the OB's office for another blood pressure check. I found out that it was elevated again. They had me rest and took it again 15 min later and it went way down. So their advice was to cut out my activities during the day again and only get up to do what I absolutely have to do. So much for being pleased about my productive day. So I guess I'll sit here with my feet up for the next few days. I'm sure someday I'll read back through this and wonder how I ever could have been annoyed by this advice but for now I'd better get in some good movies.