Wednesday = Sucks

I don't have a lot of scheduled time during the week, but all of it is on Wednesday. Which is also the one day a week that Aaron has more than one class. Yesterday I felt like a little gerbil on a wheel scurrying around.

The trip to DC went well. I think the meeting, which was to recruit state health workers for my dissertation, was successful, but my project still could crash and burn at any moment. It was a fun adventure to travel with her though. I wish we had been able to go play in the city some because it was a nice day and it seemed like there was a lot going on. Dylan doesn't like the actual time on the plane, but she likes looking around in the airport and we had fun in the hotel.

My dad was there to help on the plane ride there and during the meeting. Dylan did great until he underestimated the height of the overhead bin relative to her head. The flight back was pretty empty, so we had some space to spread out.

Hanging out in the hotel

Dylan on a Plane

Dylan & Kate's Excellent Adventure

Dylan and I are off to DC this morning for a conference. Little parasite-face gets to come because I am still her only food source. My dad is going to be the nanny and escort us on the plane. I'm sure you all can't wait to hear about Baby's First Trip Through Airport Security.

We booted Dylan out of our room over the weekend. We had her in a bassinet attached to our bed until she outgrew it like Clifford the Big Red Baby. Then in early December we moved her to a crib. I think getting used to that was one of the sources of her sleep troubles in the past month and a half, but we've more or less got the bugs hammered out at this point. Not that her bed has bugs or hammers in it.

Putting Dylan's crib in her own room involved moving an intimidatingly large desk, a task we have been avoiding for, oh, about five months now. We didn't plan out the actual rearrangement of the furniture very well. We disassembled the crib in the middle of the day Saturday, then wandered away, distracted by shiny things and food. As Dylan's bedtime (she has a bedtime! but that's a whole other post) quickly approached, we realized that the desk was in the crib spot and the crib was still dismantled and all hell was about to break loose.

First we had to clear Dylan's extensive stuffed animal collection off the desk. Not pictured: the ENORMOUS stuffed bear from Josh and Laura.














As I am a weakling, we rolled the desk into the hallway, so it blocked both the bathroom and the office. And there it stayed for a full day until Kirsten came over and helped Aaron move it. Kirsten also brought Aaron a triple (3/4 lbs of meat) from Wendy's because I guess she wants him dead.














Then I put Dylan to sleep because when the time comes there is no stopping her. I had to hold her up for a full hour while Aaron moved and reassembled the crib. Good times for all. Aaron likes to use the intercom as a walkie-talkie (where's the crib sheet...I can't hear you...I'm taking offense at your lack of response), so that facilitated conversation throughout the process. But now she has her own room and we have our room back. Between the baby being in there and Aaron going to bed early from the bakery, I haven't been able to walk in my bedroom in the evening and turn the lights on in three years.

Brushes With the Law and Death

1. I was on the verge of hurling myself down a hill on a flying saucer when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a police car turning around a nearby service road. My friends down below asked if it was the police, and if so, Run! We herded the dogs and the sleds together and lumbered the 100 or so yards through the snow to my friends' house. We shoved the dogs through the fence gate because of course, officer, they have been playing here all along. Apparently neither off leash dogs nor sledding is allowed in the park. Nor are flowers. Or love. It is not clear whether the police had any interest in us, but they sure didn't catch us.

2. Later that day, Aaron, Melanie, Dylan, and I were driving to lunch because we know what's important. Suddenly Aaron pulls into a left turn lane at a field where I play ultimate sometimes. I questioned him (he hates it when I do that), as I had no plans to play ultimate that very minute, and, eye on the prize, lunch awaited. As is often the case, I was wrong to wonder what he was doing because he was that very minute being pulled over. The police had caught up with me. No one else in the car had been there though, so I could nobly confess and they could all go free. We had been going all of 23 miles an hour, so we really had no idea why we would be pulled over. The nice policeman thought our inspection had expired. But it had not. So that was that. I think he felt a little bad, and Dylan kindly screamed to try to rub it in.

3. Funny I should mention miles per hour. It has been about six months since I have been to the gym since running outside lets me wear Snuffy out at the same time. He was so tired from his snowy playdate that he put himself to bed in the basement in the middle of the day. He only does that when, um, never. So anyway, I was free to go to the gym to run. The fancy new treadmill asked how fast I would like to go. I said 13, meaning, I'll start at 13 minutes per mile. It thought I meant I would like to start at 13 miles per hour. Holy crap. My little legs kept going faster and faster until I made a flying leap to the side. From that safe vantage point I was able to find the emergency stop button, which I couldn't see from the actual treadmill because of the glare. This treadmill also had those heartrate sensors right at hand level and would periodically flash "using sensors while running is not recommended."

Snow!

Snuffy and I went sledding this morning. He is one snow-loving dog. Although not a sled-loving dog.

We had a nice visit from Melanie this weekend even though I don't think it got above 20 degrees the whole time she was here. Apparently winter starts in mid-January now.



























They sense weakness














Snuffy and Mochi work together to harass Emma. Great Teamwork, guys!

Daycare Update: Week Whatever

Yesterday we had an actual good day at daycare. Or to be more accurate an actual good three hours at daycare since we try to have Dylan there for as little time as possible, but we'll take what we can get. She played happily just about the whole time. She still takes crappy 20-30 minute naps there, but I think they're getting better at putting her to sleep. When I went to pick her up she looked around, like, hey, it's cool, I'm just hanging out here. So there may yet be hope...

She hasn't rolled over too much since she first did it, I think because being sick really took a lot out of her. She would just flop pathetically on her stomach, barely lifting her head up. Now she is getting her strength back, although she still has a nice smoker's cough. Speaking of smokers, since the hospital banned smoking on all parts of its campus, including the parking lots, there have been herds of smokers roaming through our neighborhood, spreading stink and cigarette butts wherever they go. Public health in action. I went to a talk today where they said they are "addressing the issue."

Shortly after this was taken, Snuffy turned into a cartoon and took flight

Thursday

I think we're coming out the other end of some bad bad sleep times. At least I hope so.

Barefoot in the kitchen, Aaron tends to the baby and the cooking

Classes Start Today, Pray For Us

The sleeping thing seems not to be a fluke -- Dylan put herself to sleep again twice yesterday for naps. In fact, she suddenly seems almost unable to fall asleep any other way (besides good old passing out while nursing, although then she wakes up soon after and wants to be put down). While I was running Aaron said he bounced her and rocked her and cradle swinged her and nothing worked, and eventually he just put her down and after just a bit of fussing out she went.

We got some nice snow yesterday. And it was 19 degrees all day. I like the snow because it makes Snuffy run around like a fool and wear himself out real quick-like, and I like the cold because it keeps the riffraff off the canal trail where I run.














We have been dabbling in fancy hot chocolates lately, the goal of which seems to be to suspend as much chocolate as possible in boiling water. Ah, the high life.

Setting up a dissertation project on no sleep is haaaaaaaaaaaaaaard.

Young SnotFace

I told Aaron we were going to the doctor Sunday morning, but it turns out he was asleep because he actually found out from checking the blog when he got up because I was back in bed by then. Whoops. Dylan is almost better now, just a little stuffy. We got a humidifier that I think helped her breathe.

For the past week or so we have had a terrible time getting her to sleep. Even if she is exhausted and it's bedtime, the minute she figures out she's being rocked to sleep she hurls her head back and screams. I thought that means it's probably time to train her to go to sleep on her own one way or the other, so I have been gearing up for that. Then last night when she starting writhing around, I just put her down in her crib. She tossed and turned a bit and 15 minutes later she was fast asleep. She woke up a couple of times and it worked again for one of them. So perhaps she already knows how to go to sleep and we were just standing in her way.

A majestic stream of drool adorns Dylan's face as we head to Wegman's

wah wah wah wah wah

We had to take turns holding Dylan up the entire night because she was so congested. I don't know how smart I'm going to be at school today. Everything outside is coated in ice, I took my life in my hands trying to get Snuffy to poop.

Baby's First Sick Visit

Well. Remember how I said I was looking forward to the weekend so I could make sure Dylan would get some decent naps? The Napping Gods frown on such arrogance. So to punish me for my hubris Dylan slept a maximum of 40 consecutive minutes over a 19+ hour period (the plus is because Aaron took the obscenely late night shift and I have no idea when he actually got her down and he's still asleep, although I do know she did not in any way sleep in). Until the sleep strike eventually destroyed her mood, I have never seen anyone so happy as Dylan was for most of yesterday.

She spent a bunch of last night just SCREAMING, not like crying, but like she was in pain. She had a terrible time getting to sleep and then couldn't seem to stay asleep either. When she got up this morning she was really hot. Her (butt! ha ha) temperature was 101.7, and she seemed unhappy and congested, but I wasn't really worried about her. I thought I would call the pediatrician just to make sure because she's so young, thinking they would tell me not to bother coming in. The Pediatrician Gods frown on such arrogance. They made me come in AND they gave her a finger stick. And it finally decided to be winter out and everything was covered in a thick layer of ice and dragging a sick kid out into that was the last think I felt like doing. One of the doctors at the practice has a beyond striking resemblance to a family friend, so it is always entertaining to see him. We first met him at the hospital when Dylan was born, when he told my mother that men are genetically incapable of dressing babies as he struggled with her little newborn shirt. At least the practice has Sunday hours and is walking distance.

Here are some pictures of Dylan working her Tommy Hilfiger outfit in happier times (uh, yesterday evening) before heading out to a birthday dinner for a friend:

Flip that baby

She Flipped, She Flipped!

Tummy to back. Just now. And she didn't even clonk her (petite) head.

I sort of tricked her into doing it by walking just out of her line of sight so she had to twist around to see me.

Snuffy just squiched himself onto the blanket on the floor with Dylan. He still likes to cozy on up to all the baby stuff.

I notice our friends come over a lot more now that we have the Wii

I have noticed that if I don't show up at daycare every 1.5 hours Dylan is generally hysterical when I arrive. That is not a lot of hours.

I have never been so excited for a weekend before. And the main reason is so I can make sure Dylan gets decent naps all day. I am BORING these days. And my head is sort of mushy since Dylan has been up late the past couple of nights.

We have big plans to go to the bookstore tonight. Because we know how to party.

daycare report

Well, daycare is marginally better. Although better doesn't mean that much when you're starting from such a place as we are. Dylan doesn't get hysterical quite like she did last month, and they can usually calm her down when she is unhappy. There have been only six kids in the room for a while, and I wonder if that isn't making the difference because she's getting more attention. They are getting to know her better too, and I think even the meager response she has given them has made them a little more enthusiastic about playing with her. Today at my suggestion they tried having the swing face the wall to get her to sleep because she seems like she can't bear to sleep with so much going on, and I think that worked better. At one point the center director walked in and was taken aback to see a baby apparently in timeout. I am still going over to feed her every 1.5-2 hours. We still haven't left her there all day, but we are slowly building up the amount of time she's there. I think it is starting to seem like we will be able to keep her there, although I think it will be at least another 6-8 weeks before I am really comfortable with her there.

I'm still running, although our trip derailed me a bit since I couldn't get out for a bunch of the days. I think I'm almost back to where I was before we left.

I'm getting better at working all day, although if we have a bad night it's hard to focus. My dissertation project is going well, but I have done just enough to realize all the obstacles to getting it done. And started. So many obstacles.

they could have just fired them

From the Democrat and Chronicle: "With sales down an estimated 25 percent, Snow Country has cut back on labor. On the weekends, the 25 people they typically have on the floor have been cut in half. "

See if you find this entertaining. They keep playing a clip on the public radio station here from a local Republican congressman where he says something like, "the Democrats said there were going to be big changes, as far as openness goes. But so far we haven't seen any change at all."

We are still enjoying the Wii, although I have been very sore from it for the past couple of days. The pain is worth it of course, and I bowled a 195 the other day. It is nice because it is something fun we can do without going anywhere, and Dylan likes to watch us jump around.

I had a meeting in Buffalo yesterday. The drive was just over an hour. Which meant I would be gone long enough that I had to either bring Dylan, which seemed less than professional, or have a very short meeting and get back right quick, which is what I opted for. It went fine, but I was cutting it close with how long she'll go without eating or losing it completely.

random baby observations

Dylan's bedtime is slowly moving earlier, and is now generally in the 9 - 11pm range. She's not rolling over yet, but she's getting stronger and twisting more and more. If you're holding her and eat or drink something she'll squirm all around to be able to watch your mouth. She likes peek-a-boo and being naked, and I would swear that she knows what bathtime means because when I plop her down on the bathmat in the evening and say bathtime she gets really excited. When we're not wrestling with daycare, she is now routinely taking a most excellent two-hour morning nap. Sometimes she'll take another long one later in the day, although more often it's two crappier naps. The reflux is definitely getting better. We still have to hold her up when she falls asleep eating, but sometimes not for quite as long (we're so beaten down by this that holding her up for only an hour seems like a treat). She babbles all the time now when she's in a good mood, although it has an unfortunate screeching quality to it. She has been very calm and laid-back for the past few days, which has been a lot of fun.

BabyFatReport 1.08.07

Dylan had her four month visit today with cloying nurse practitioner. Three fun shots, no useful information exchanged. Here are the stats:

Head: 41cm, 60th percentile
Height: 25.5 inches, 90th percentile
Weight: 14 pounds, 13 ounces, 95th percentile (hmm...why did she outgrow the 12-18 pound diapers?)

She has been trying desperately to get her feet in her mouth while she takes a bath. I help her out sometimes. I gave her the bottle while we were doing bottle practice, and she immediately started bringing it to her mouth (must...put...everything...in...mouth), then realized that it was in her mouth and started crying. An eternal conflict.

Daycare, still not great. She can't sleep or eat there, and they routinely give up on trying to comfort her and just put her down to cry. Ugh. We're trying to look at other options, but they are very limited since she won't take a bottle.

Snuffy loves it, I promise

We have another contestant in the Snuffy hoist:














Come over and lift up the enormous dog, and you, too, can compete.

I have been angry at the new camera for a while because its wide angle lens, while cool, distorts Dylan's face. A lot of people have met her in real life and said she doesn't look quite like the pictures. It makes her face look more stretched out than it really is. Apparently there is an easy fix, but I don't have the right software for it.

We have been playing lots of Wii around here. I like the bowling game in particular. It is strikingly (ha!) like the real thing, without having to lift or wait for the ball. Aaron scored over 200 the other day.

Dylan has been in a great mood for the past few days. It has been so much fun and it's so much easier to take care of her.

oven-roasted bleisenblogs

The Wii has a weather channel, so we have the 5-day forecast playing in the living room a lot of the time. It makes me feel like I'm in a hotel, which makes me feel like I'm traveling, which is, I guess, fun for me.

I aluminum foiled a couple of the windows in our room in an effort to let us all sleep in longer when we have late nights. I don't know if it's working, but it's awesome. The room is so dark. It looks like we're living in an oven.

We've got mail

Aaron waited patiently by the mailbox yesterday, but alas the mail was not delivered. He called again, and the woman said, oh, it turns out your mail was in Box 174, and I was looking in Box 171. Whoops. So back down to the post officewe all went. At the window, the woman congratulated us on getting through on the phone, as that is apparently quite an accomplishment. And finally we got our lovely pile of mail. (we love our mail here in our house -- if we're both home when it gets here we race each other to the mailbox)

Jesus Dylan takes the wheel














Oh, I forgot to tell you, look what Snuffy brought us for Christmas:














It was on his snout and was removed by a crack team of three highly untrained dog surgeons.

Today was the first day of daycare that I would label as okay. Dylan was there for four hours, and they were able to calm her down every time she got upset. She smiled and laughed for them a bit ("hey, she's sort of cute when she smiles"). She still has a lot of trouble sleeping there though, so no matter how happy she is going in, she gets tired eventually and then all is lost. No luck with the bottle still, I just go in to feed her every 2-3 hours.

I found a position in the sling that Dylan LOVES. She is deeply deeply content hanging out there, looking all around. I couldn't do it earlier because she wasn't big enough.

If you liked those posts about insurance...

Ha! Yes! I am stupid! I'm glad we're all enjoying ourselves with that one.

Daycare was okay yesterday. I only kept Dylan there for two hours, not because she was hysterical but because she can't take a decent nap there and I can't stand not letting her sleep if she's tired. The infant room is very bright and the babies, they make noise, so she's not really used to sleeping there yet. She did cry, but they were able to calm her down. She'll take an ounce or two from the sippy cup pretty routinely if she's hungry, but she clearly considers it a diversion rather than a meal and usually wants to nurse afterwards. She is not as on edge as she was before we left on break, so I'm hoping she'll do better this time.

And now for a real life shaggy dog story. We put our mail on hold when we went away. Figuring it would be too much to deliver all at once, we said we would pick it up from the post office when we got back. The website said to go to your local post office, so I searched online to make sure I was going to the closest one. Aaron and I both carefully checked the website to make sure I was doing the right thing. I went at 5:00pm yesterday, which was the worst time possible because it was right before closing, right after work, right after the holidays so everyone has packages to return, and the day after it had been closed for three days in a row. So the line was beyond long. I wait and wait and wait as one of the three clerks takes a 15-minute break, a non-fluent English speaker tries to decipher the detailed instructions he was being given about preparing his package, and an impressively spherical couple slowly filled out forms for the 25 packages they needed to send. When I got to the front of the line, the woman looked at me like I was nuts, because of course they don't do that there, that's the other post office across town. So I went home sadly and Aaron and I resolved to go to the other branch later that evening. Fast forward a couple of hours. We load ourselves and babyface in the car and venture out again. I astutely note that the mail hold window is a different one than the regular window, so we competently go stand in that, quite short, line. Quite short but not. moving. When we got to the front of that line, the guy is like did you call ahead? Well, too bad because that section is closed for the day and you should have called this morning and here's the number, maybe you can leave a message. So no mail for us. Aaron is supposed to get it this morning, wish him luck.

Day 13: Home

I got up this morning and spent two hours packing up our stuff. Annabelle was in Ithaca visiting, and we filled her car up to take back to Rochester also. Of course, now we're not going to leave for another hour or more because Dylan and Aaron are both asleep, but it means I get computer time.

We have been playing the Wii a lot the past couple of days. My mom beat my dad in baseball, but it was a close game. Tommy and I have been playing the surgery game (a glorified version of Operation)...Tommy, do your homework...I can't, I'm in surgery. It's a lot of fun, and you really do have to clear out the room so you don't smack anyone when you swing the controller.

Dylan has been taking great naps the past few days and slept ten hours again for the past few nights. She is a much happier baby. She is not flipping over yet, and I think it might take her another couple of weeks still. We went and looked in Annie's baby book, and she was flipping over at 3 months and crawling at 6 months. We can't find my baby book, and Tommy's didn't have any entries in it until he was 11 months. At first I thought it would be really hard to be on the road so much because we use the cradle swing a lot at home to help her sleep, but it's actually been good because now we're much better at getting her to sleep without it.

I guess I better share this story with the Internet because it's already promising to haunt me forever anyway. We were getting ready to go to dinner on New Year's Eve. Everyone left without me because Dylan was napping and Annabelle hadn't arrived yet (I had to talk her in with the help of Mapquest because Ithaca is unpossible to navigate in the darkm or in the light for that matter). We finally get ourselves packed up and in the car, and Dylan starts screaming at the peak of hysteria. It's taking a while to get to the restaurant, so I finally call and ask how far past the hospital is this restaurant anyway? And it turns out it's not past the hospital at all, it's past Ithaca College, several miles in the opposite direction on a completely different hill. Ha ha let's all have a hearty laugh at Kate.

Day 12: We Eat Some More