I picked up Miles from his first day of daycare yesterday. He was completely “zombified” which we expected. He is used to getting 2-3 hours of naps daily. At best, he got 45 minutes at daycare. Hopefully napping will get easier for him as he gets used to his new surroundings. They were able to feed him 2 of his 3 bottles. While I’m glad he ate, I’m a bit sad that he only got two feedings in those 8 hours (he just kept refusing some of the time).  The daycare provider shared her observations with me- that Miles is very strong and very “willful” (yep). He was constantly on-the-move or chewing on things. He was eager to explore every inch and very vocal when frustrated. She said that after a while, he began to get upset and look around for us. He even crawled to the front door to try and escape! Our hearts broke when we heard this. But they were able to distract him and get him happy again. She said it took both of them to diaper him because he wanted to roll off the changing table and was so strong. Not surprising…guess we’re just used to it. It only took a day, but they’re quickly becoming familiar with his many quirks. Oh, and remember how I said I could write a book about them? I did write a page-worth of “tips” regarding feedings and naps, and was profusely thanked for it.

When I got home, he sucked down a bottle and went right to sleep. He probably would’ve slept the whole night through if we hadn’t woken him up for dinner and a bath. We know this week (or two) will continue to be rough…heck, this whole new routine may be hard, but we don’t really have any other choice if we want to continue living the way we do. I could write a whole post on how it feels like a job to me for us all to get out of the house in the mornings, and to do what we need to do in the evenings, while actually working in between, but that would be a little depressing. As the song goes, we’re working for the weekend.

Anyway, we had Miles’ 8 month well-baby checkup this morning. We spoke with the doctor about the amount of sleep and naps he requires to function well, and she thinks it’s a curious case. She’s going to contact the Sleep Center at Children’s Hospital to get their take on it. We’re pretty sure nothing is wrong, as Miles is growing and thriving, but it is an anomaly of sorts. As far as measurements go, Miles continues his one-pound-a-month weight gain, weighing in at 18 pounds, 4 oz…..approximately the 23rd percentile. He is 28.5 inches, which is approximately the 60th percentile. He seems to have done all his crazy growth during his first 6 months and things are slowing down now. That’s good for us, since Nutella and I are too small to keep up with it! Milestone-wise, he is physically doing things at an increased pace. His language skills are slow to emerge, but no one’s worried. He babbles, but not much else. He’s still a fairly social guy.

Guess that about wraps it up. Since our appointment was later in the morning, we were both home for a half day and let Miles have a nice nap. We spent some good time with him at the doctor’s and I was able to give him a bottle at daycare before leaving. But from here on out, the new schedule reigns!

Happy new year to all of you out there!

We celebrated by leaving Miles overnight for the first time.  He stayed with Strawberry’s parents for approximately 15 hours while we went into the city for dinner, drinking, and a night in a hotel.  We put him to bed there and then were back for him at about the time of his morning nap.  He had a total blast with his grandparents (and their dog) and I know the feeling is mutual.  As much as we missed him first thing in the morning, it was lovely to not have to worry about him, to enjoy a throwback to our baby-free days of late night drinking and carousing, and to potentially sleep in the next day.  Of course, that last one didn’t technically happen, because neither of us slept much due to the unfortunate drunken antics until past the wee hours of morning by idiots on our hotel floor.  Oh well, you can’t win em all, and at least we didn’t have to drive.

Miles did a 1 hour trial at daycare on Wednesday and was “an angel” so we start full time on Monday.  If he had been upset at our leaving him, there would have been a longer trial on Thursday, but the care provider didn’t think he needed it.  I’m certainly glad that he’s an independent kid, and while I won’t lie and say that it didn’t sting  that he didn’t seem to miss us, this is a preferable outcome.  We are a little bit concerned how the scheduling and naps and feedings will all work out.  I’m sure it’s going to be rough going for a week or so until he gets used to the new routine and they get to know him better.  It’s great that they think he’s an angel, but in that time he didn’t need a nap, a bottle, or a change.  He was enthralled by the new toys and people, but when that charm wears off, I think it may be a very different story.  We trust them and I’m certain everything will work out in time.

For those of you that ended 2009 on a high note, we are so happy for you and hope that 2010 continues to smile upon you.  For those of you that are not sad to see 2009 come to an end, may this new year be a hopeful beginning and may you find your heart’s desires fulfilled.  We look forward to sharing our journey with you and following you in yours.

It’s been all crawling (preferably with a toy in his mouth, we’re not sure where he learned it because even our dog rarely does it) and pulling up to standing around here (the short video below demonstrates these). Standing is easily Miles’ greatest joy these days…he always looks so pleased with himself when he does it, and has been pulling up on the coffee table, the couch, the entertainment unit, the pack n’ play…whatever he can. He’s so close to cruising as well, especially when the dog is a little bit out of his reach on the couch. He’s certainly keeping us on our toes.

Daycare starts this week, but a short trial period. He’ll go for an hour tomorrow, and then 9-noon on Thursday. If all goes well, he’ll begin full time on Monday, with another half day on Tuesday because of a well-baby appointment. When he was 6 months old, the pediatrician told us to make his next appointment prior to 9 months if he was still having trouble staying awake more than 1-2 hours between naps. At 7 months, he was still having the same trouble so we made the appointment a month earlier. Now at nearly 8 months, he’s finally able to stay awake 2-4 hours between naps (typically 2-3 hours). But the appointment is already set and since we need the doctor to sign some immunization forms for daycare, it all works out.

The daycare provider told us to write down what his schedule has been like while at home and any other details she might need to know. I feel like I could fill a small book with details and quirks about our son. Like how he prefers to take a bottle while sitting on your lap facing outwards, and having your hands on either side of his face keeps him from turning his head back and forth to look at things constantly. Like how he will practically be falling asleep doing whatever he’s doing and the second you put him in the crib, he’ll start standing and talking like he’s a one-man act before he finally takes a nap. Like how carrying him around on your hip usually soothes him, but trying to cuddle him while you’re sitting hardly ever works. But these and many others are things she and her assistant are going to have to learn. I just need to keep reminding myself that they’ve been at this for years and years, and they’ve most likely seen it all.

And now for a little Miles…

We’d like to wish you all happy holidays, whichever you celebrate (or happy day(s) off work). May you find warmth and peace during this season.

Miles would also like to share the utter joy he feels when bundled up against the cold weather, and his pleasure at seeing so much beautiful brown white snow still around.

Can we move to Florida yet?

Quiz time!

What do you get when you add this:

to this:

Give yourself a pat on the back if you said THIS:

And that, my friends, is why we went out and bought a gummy rail guard. A little late however!

Miles would now like to share with you the joy he feels while standing, and how (at the end) he prefers to accept objects while practicing said task.

Illness struck our household this weekend, but seems to have moved on now. Sorry for the TMI, but Miles started having diarrhea every other diaper on Thursday afternoon (but no fever). Then during the wee hours of Friday, Strawberry began puking on and off for the next 12 hours, and fighting off a fever which landed her in bed all day on Friday. I had to work from home while taking care of a sick wife and baby, a baby who then had bad diapers every 2 hours and a low grade fever. This was with one of the biggest snowstorms in memory looming for the next day. I called the pediatrician who advised me to keep rehydrating Miles with pedi@lyte (we thankfully had a stock of it) and pay attention for signs of dehydration, including listlessness and no pee diapers, at which point we should head to the ER.

Luckily, Miles sucked down pedi@lyte like it was candy and didn’t give us cause to worry about having to go to the hospital. He did, however, reduce the amount of ounces he was taking in his bottles. Prior to his illness he would drink up to 30 ounces of formula a day. While he was sick, we were lucky if he drank 22. We are very lucky that he is such a big healthy kid, and we didn’t have to worry about this drop in calories for a few days. Fast forward to Saturday, when Strawberry is on the mend (leading us to believe that this illness was a stomach bug or at worst, rotavirus contracted from visiting daycares) and could lend a hand with Miles, whose bad diapers returned to every other one.  The snow fell fast all day, leaving us with about 17 inches.

Sunday was a day of recuperation. With Strawberry feeling much better, we both enjoyed the snow and then shovelled our cars out, with help from some very generous neighbors. Miles seemed to be doing better, however, he still refused to drink his full bottle amounts and acted in pain after drinking 3 or 4 ounces. Time to use Dr. Goo/gle. Apparently, after a bout with a gastrointestinal illness, many infants develop a temporary lactose intolerance until they have time to build up the enzyme that breaks it down again. So out I went to buy a lactose-free formula which, considering we’ve done the last 3 feedings without any problems, seems to have done the trick. We’ll switch him back by the week’s end and see how he does.

I feel like I dodged a bullet with this illness. It was awful taking care of a sick wife and baby. Although I was healthy for the most part, I did have a little solo pity party on Friday night when I lit the last Chanukkah candles by myself. Oh, and I’m recovering from a badly bruised tailbone I got when I fell down the last 5 stairs earlier in the week.

Today, things are better. So far, Miles is back to drinking normal amounts. Strawberry has a snow day off work and I’m working from home again, so as to avoid the roads, which are still rather bad. If we’re all feeling up to it later on, perhaps we’ll venture out for some fun in the snow.

Happy solstice, everyone!

Miles has been getting into the Chanukah spirit here at chez Vermillion…

Ooh, fire!

Gimme

For me? You shouldn't have.

Thanks, I've been looking for ways to add more fiber to my diet.

Hey! That's MY name!

We found a daycare.

We are so very relieved at this. It was the 4th home daycare we interviewed, having called a total of 14 places and interviewed 1 of 2 nannies we made contact with (the nanny was good, but more expensive and we preferred a home daycare anyway). When we arrived at the daycare yesterday, we met all (or nearly all) of the children there, including a 6 month old girl, 1 year old boy, a toddler boy and 2 toddler girls. They all seemed happy and active. There was a sunken living room area for them to play in, lots of toys and books around. The house was clean and babyproofed. Each baby had their own crib to sleep in next door to the living room. The woman whose house it was has two teenaged daughters, both of whom we met, and are lovely and also help out with the kids from time to time after school. But there is also another full-time staff person who was just leaving as we arrived.

Miles crawled around, inspecting the toys and books, and watching the other children. The woman kept remarking on how cute and good he was (not one of our reasons for going with this place lol). She exuded a warm feeling and was very sweet with the kids, and cuddly with the 6 month old. She allows drop-ins and made every effort to make us feel comfortable and welcome. We knew it was the place we wanted almost immediately. She also requires that each new child begins with a “trial” period, starting off with an hour or two at a time, moving to a half day, and then to a full day. Since I get a lot of time off for the winter holidays, this works out perfectly.

Now the hard parts… I am feeling anxious about him starting daycare, like most parents are. I know it will be good for him and am so relieved at having found a good, stable situation. It’s just going to be a huge change. He won’t be able to take his 3 naps in peace & quiet during the day…the kids usually take one long afternoon nap at this place. Knowing what a mess Miles turns into when he’s tired (and that’s still pretty often), I’m worried about how it will be for him and hope that he’s able to change his schedule in the way that’s needed. As the daycare provider said, usually the kids are tired at the time of pick-up and want to nap when they get home. That means seeing even less of him than we already do. I worry about him getting sick, which he definitely will now that he’ll be around many other kids. He’s only been mildly sick once or twice in his 7 months, so I’m imagining him coming down will all sorts of bugs now.

Finally, there’s the grandma situation. We’ll be paying for daycare 5 days a week. Miles will need time to get used to the new schedule and the new place. This won’t work if he is watched by one grandma at our place one day, then goes to daycare a few days, then is watched by the other grandma another day, then weekends with us. So this has to stop to allow Miles to adjust as quickly as he can or he will constantly be backpeddling and out-of-whack. With Miles at daycare, needing naps when we pick him up, and the mommies no longer working from home once a week while watching him, we’re going to be missing him like CRAZY. We’re going to want to spend our weekends focusing on him as much as possible. And the grandmas (and grandpas) will be missing him, too, but will have to understand when we need our time together as a family of 3. It’s going to be a huge adjustment for everyone.

So anyway, that’s where we stand. Relieved, anxious, satisfied, empty, happy, sad….such is parenthood.

I started a post on egalitarianism in parenting and I hated it. Perhaps we’ll revisit that some other time.

I’m an actress.  Have I mentioned that here?  Well I am.  Musical theatre is my thing.  I have a degree in it even.  As degrees go, it’s pretty useless and I’ll be paying off the loans I took to get it until Miles himself is in college, but still.  Our city has a thriving professional, semi professional, and amateur theatre scene.  I was part of it once.  We went to shows all the time. The last show I did ended in March of 2008.  I willingly chose to give up on performing for a while to become a mother.  Theatre isn’t going anywhere, I told myself.  The roles I can play will change, but there will always be shows to do.  Motherhood, on the other hand, seemed like a limited time offer.  But at the same time that a part of me is fulfilled, another part of me is empty.

I listen to showtunes in the car and I sing my heart out.  I watch Glee and silly movie musicals.  I stalk the F@cebook updates of my theatre friends, trying to stay in the loop of who’s playing what and where.  We went to a show a few weeks ago and had the grandparents watch Miles. But more and more I feel like an outsider.  Performing is so much a part of who I am.  But there just isn’t room for it in my life right now.  So I have to tend that ember, let it smolder, not allow it to go out or burst into flame.

I’m not ungrateful.  I am lucky and I appreciate that every single day.  I wouldn’t miss the time I have with Miles for the world.  Perhaps, if performing were my livelihood (nice work, if you can get it!) I think it would be different.  I’d have time with him outside of rehearsals and performances.  But in addition to working a 9-5?  It’s just not worth it to me to do shows now.  But when a certain song comes on?  Or when a friend posts about a great part they’ve got?  Or when the kids on the TV sing and dance and come together?  Whew, I miss it.