Dear Coleman,
I'm sorry this is ages late. It appears your Daddy has rubbed off on me more than I realize. It's not that I forgot to post, it's that every time I think about writing, I get so emotional that I have a hard time putting my thoughts into words.
You are absolutely amazing. Everything about you is just overwhelmingly awesome. Your smile, your laugh, your curiosity, your development. You are growing up and learning so many things. I want to slow down so I can savor it all and take it in.
On the other hand, oh man, are you getting to be a fun little person! You love playing games of peek-a-boo and patty-cake. You love other babies and kids and are doing very well at daycare, socially. You definitely have certain toys that are your favorites and you reach for them with such enthusiasm- I love watching your face light up. My favorite part of the day is picking you up after work and seeing that drooly, toothless grin get so wide when you recognize me. You are quite capable of sitting, but fall to the front or the side a lot either out of laziness or just not knowing that you can stay sitting up.
We have our challenges, though. For one, you are still teething- those front teeth just haven't popped through yet, and I don't know that they ever will! Some days, you soak your onsies in drool and gnaw on anything you can get in your mouth. You like your teething ring, especially when it's been in the freezer a while. Our other major challenge is still sleep. You are just too busy to take a proper nap! We are working on making some adjustments to your napping schedule, but it's hard to get you to settle down when there are 9 other babies in your class at daycare who are doing so many other things! And, you still have that lingering cough and pesky snotty nose- *sigh*
We started some semi-solid food on your 1/2 birthday and you really enjoy it. You are definitely not a fan of rice cereal by itself (can't say that I blame you) but will eat it up if bananas or applesauce are mixed in. They feed you some at daycare, too, but I'm not sure what. You tried squash the other day and seemed to like it. Next up are sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, pears and peaches. We are only introducing one thing at a time, and this is just so you can learn how to eat, not to replace breast milk.
Oh, I almost forgot! At your 6 month check-up, you weighed in at 15 pounds, 1 ounce, 27 1/2 inches, still holding at long and lean, but definitely growing right along. You got several immunizations, but as always, you were a trooper and recovered as soon as it was over.
We love you, little man!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Tough week
Quick vent so I can move on:
It's been a rough week at the Holloway home.
Scott's great Grandma Vera who is 98 had to have surgery to remove a necrotic facial mass. She did grat during anesthesia and is recovering well, but the mass was more invasive than they thought, the weren't able to get it all, and had to cut wider margins than they had planned, so there's a good chance that here skin won't be able to hold the sutures well. We think she is coming home today, so that's good.
Kenton has been in Lubbock since Tuesday with her. When would anyone think they would have to be the primary caretaker for his grandmother? I'm sure he is emotionally and physically exhausted. Also, the man hates to be gone from home (more acurately, from the dairy) so I'd be willing to bet he's getting impatient.
So, since Kenton's been gone, Scott's been in charge of the dairy and working longer hours than usual, as in 4 am to 8 or 9 pm. He's worn out and burnt out. We've seen each other less than an hour a day, right before bed, you know, when we're at our best. He hasn't held his son since Sunday and has only laid eyes on him twice, in his car seat, at the dairy, for about 5 minutes each time. My prayer is that he doesn't unravel before his dad gets home.
Coleman is finally over his stomach virus, but quite sleeping at daycare, which meant that he quit sleeping at night, so I had been up with him 4 or 5 times a night. We had a chat about that with the daycare staff and may have finally broken that over-tired cycle. He slept great Wednesday night and did okay last night, but woke up at 6 this morning. I forgot to leave them his bottle this morning and they were fighting to put him down for a nap when I got there, so showed them what I do and then left- maybe that worked.
On top of all this, I threw my back out last Monday (changing a diaper). I can't take any kind of pain mess except Tylenol (which turns my milk pink, gross!) so it took a while to get over it. The I did it again yesterday morning. Do you have any idea how much fun it is to give a baby a bath, change diapers, nurse, rock, carry, and pick a baby up out of a crib with a super painful back? Jolena, I know you hear me. Also, this incident really shed some light on who takes care of the house. But I can't get mad, because he hasn't been home long enough to get a decent night's sleep in several weeks.
Okay, rant over. The weekend will be here in 6 hours. Plans are to keep Coleman up way past his bed time (I know....) to go see Daddy play his last softball game of the season tonight. Tomorrow, C and I are headed East to go see my best vet school friend Amanda and her new baby Landon; she hasn't met Coleman either, so it should be fun! Sunday is our preacher's last day to serve our congregation, so we have a big fellowship meal planned and then it's family day! I also have hopes of getting a few more things done in Coleman's room - here's to wishful thinking!!
It's been a rough week at the Holloway home.
Scott's great Grandma Vera who is 98 had to have surgery to remove a necrotic facial mass. She did grat during anesthesia and is recovering well, but the mass was more invasive than they thought, the weren't able to get it all, and had to cut wider margins than they had planned, so there's a good chance that here skin won't be able to hold the sutures well. We think she is coming home today, so that's good.
Kenton has been in Lubbock since Tuesday with her. When would anyone think they would have to be the primary caretaker for his grandmother? I'm sure he is emotionally and physically exhausted. Also, the man hates to be gone from home (more acurately, from the dairy) so I'd be willing to bet he's getting impatient.
So, since Kenton's been gone, Scott's been in charge of the dairy and working longer hours than usual, as in 4 am to 8 or 9 pm. He's worn out and burnt out. We've seen each other less than an hour a day, right before bed, you know, when we're at our best. He hasn't held his son since Sunday and has only laid eyes on him twice, in his car seat, at the dairy, for about 5 minutes each time. My prayer is that he doesn't unravel before his dad gets home.
Coleman is finally over his stomach virus, but quite sleeping at daycare, which meant that he quit sleeping at night, so I had been up with him 4 or 5 times a night. We had a chat about that with the daycare staff and may have finally broken that over-tired cycle. He slept great Wednesday night and did okay last night, but woke up at 6 this morning. I forgot to leave them his bottle this morning and they were fighting to put him down for a nap when I got there, so showed them what I do and then left- maybe that worked.
On top of all this, I threw my back out last Monday (changing a diaper). I can't take any kind of pain mess except Tylenol (which turns my milk pink, gross!) so it took a while to get over it. The I did it again yesterday morning. Do you have any idea how much fun it is to give a baby a bath, change diapers, nurse, rock, carry, and pick a baby up out of a crib with a super painful back? Jolena, I know you hear me. Also, this incident really shed some light on who takes care of the house. But I can't get mad, because he hasn't been home long enough to get a decent night's sleep in several weeks.
Okay, rant over. The weekend will be here in 6 hours. Plans are to keep Coleman up way past his bed time (I know....) to go see Daddy play his last softball game of the season tonight. Tomorrow, C and I are headed East to go see my best vet school friend Amanda and her new baby Landon; she hasn't met Coleman either, so it should be fun! Sunday is our preacher's last day to serve our congregation, so we have a big fellowship meal planned and then it's family day! I also have hopes of getting a few more things done in Coleman's room - here's to wishful thinking!!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Goal Updates
Well, huh. Some goals going okay, others not so much.
Checking in as follows:
1. Decorating: Coleman's room is close to being finished. I need Scott to build me a wooden valance and put the Circle H brand on it, and finish his drawing, and bring the level home so I can hang some hooks. Then I need to print out some pictures and frame them and finish his chicken-wire bulletin board. One or two more touches and I'll be done. I have 15 more days. And counting.
2. Moving: I managed to get the green wooden shelf moved into the back room and set up and have a few books on it. Still need to get the stuff from our downtown storage and the little building at our old house. And then unpack it. :)
3. Exercising. Not so much. I do have to go to a wedding on November 9 and would like it if I weighed maybe 10 pounds less. I have just about 12 weeks until then and could maybe work my way up to a 5K by adding a 1/4 mile each week. Trick is finding time to do it when it's not 105+ degrees. Oh, and I threw my back out changing Coleman's diaper on Monday.
4. Breastfeeding. Going well. Have worked up to 4.5 ounces three times daily at daycare. Decided that 5 oz is too much for a breast fed baby. Have a small stash saved from his recent stomach virus when he wasn't supposed to nurse for a few days. Keep on truckin'.
5. Sleep. Cry-it-out sleep training went well, at first. He will only fall asleep on his tummy and only if he's sleepy enough. If he's mad at the world and doesn't want to be in bed, he flips himself over but not back. We did great the first week: to bed at 7, woke up once a night to eat, then slept until 6:30 or 7. However, due to vacation and illness, he now wakes up at 10, 1, 4, and before 6. I have been feeding him each time, just because I think he got dehydrated and obviously lost lots of Calories while he was sick- I think he's making up for lost time with a pseudo-growth spurt. For the most part, however, he goes down very easily and sleeps well. We will revisit this soon.
6. Stickers. Did I mention that we had 3 weeks of over 105+ degree temps? And that I threw my back out earlier this week?
7. Bible study & Quiet time. Combine that with number 8. being a better wife. I used my obsession with social media to help me out on these. First, I get a daily FB post with the link to today's reading from My Utmost for His Highest- very deep and insightful posts. Second, yes, I know it's taboo for a COC gal, but I listen to Christian radio in the truck nearly exclusively. Is it not better to have the lyrics of a hymn stuck in my head than a song about bars? It's not in a worship setting, but I need to make sure I'm not making excuses. Third, I read a book (on my iPad, no less) and have started following a blog by Sara Horn called "My so-called life as a Proverbs 31 Wife". I am going to, hopefully, host a bible study/book study with the ladies in my young adult Bible class. There is a lot of interest from my friends, I think we all crave that fellowship and closeness that comes from studying God's word with each other, and I think that we will all make this a priority. This book really spoke to me about being a better wife and has challenged me to come up with new ways to love my hubby and I find myself praying for everything much more. However.... I need to work on getting back to the source- to studying, edifying, and searching the Bible for myself.
9. Housework and cooking. Also part of being the Proverbs 31 wife. I am doing better with this, until this week when I hurt my back, which makes it hard to scrub the shower, do dishes, and sweep the dirt into the dustpan. You should see me give Coleman a bath. We've also eaten at home much more this week because I finally made it to Wal-Mart.
10. Make time for myself. I got a haircut last week. The week before I was sick and slept for a day but then went shopping with Mom for a few hours to get decorations for the house. The week before that we were in San Antonio for the week and I had lots of downtown. So while I haven't made specific time for myself, I have had some down time each week.
If I give myself an overall grade: C
On to next month.
Checking in as follows:
1. Decorating: Coleman's room is close to being finished. I need Scott to build me a wooden valance and put the Circle H brand on it, and finish his drawing, and bring the level home so I can hang some hooks. Then I need to print out some pictures and frame them and finish his chicken-wire bulletin board. One or two more touches and I'll be done. I have 15 more days. And counting.
2. Moving: I managed to get the green wooden shelf moved into the back room and set up and have a few books on it. Still need to get the stuff from our downtown storage and the little building at our old house. And then unpack it. :)
3. Exercising. Not so much. I do have to go to a wedding on November 9 and would like it if I weighed maybe 10 pounds less. I have just about 12 weeks until then and could maybe work my way up to a 5K by adding a 1/4 mile each week. Trick is finding time to do it when it's not 105+ degrees. Oh, and I threw my back out changing Coleman's diaper on Monday.
4. Breastfeeding. Going well. Have worked up to 4.5 ounces three times daily at daycare. Decided that 5 oz is too much for a breast fed baby. Have a small stash saved from his recent stomach virus when he wasn't supposed to nurse for a few days. Keep on truckin'.
5. Sleep. Cry-it-out sleep training went well, at first. He will only fall asleep on his tummy and only if he's sleepy enough. If he's mad at the world and doesn't want to be in bed, he flips himself over but not back. We did great the first week: to bed at 7, woke up once a night to eat, then slept until 6:30 or 7. However, due to vacation and illness, he now wakes up at 10, 1, 4, and before 6. I have been feeding him each time, just because I think he got dehydrated and obviously lost lots of Calories while he was sick- I think he's making up for lost time with a pseudo-growth spurt. For the most part, however, he goes down very easily and sleeps well. We will revisit this soon.
6. Stickers. Did I mention that we had 3 weeks of over 105+ degree temps? And that I threw my back out earlier this week?
7. Bible study & Quiet time. Combine that with number 8. being a better wife. I used my obsession with social media to help me out on these. First, I get a daily FB post with the link to today's reading from My Utmost for His Highest- very deep and insightful posts. Second, yes, I know it's taboo for a COC gal, but I listen to Christian radio in the truck nearly exclusively. Is it not better to have the lyrics of a hymn stuck in my head than a song about bars? It's not in a worship setting, but I need to make sure I'm not making excuses. Third, I read a book (on my iPad, no less) and have started following a blog by Sara Horn called "My so-called life as a Proverbs 31 Wife". I am going to, hopefully, host a bible study/book study with the ladies in my young adult Bible class. There is a lot of interest from my friends, I think we all crave that fellowship and closeness that comes from studying God's word with each other, and I think that we will all make this a priority. This book really spoke to me about being a better wife and has challenged me to come up with new ways to love my hubby and I find myself praying for everything much more. However.... I need to work on getting back to the source- to studying, edifying, and searching the Bible for myself.
9. Housework and cooking. Also part of being the Proverbs 31 wife. I am doing better with this, until this week when I hurt my back, which makes it hard to scrub the shower, do dishes, and sweep the dirt into the dustpan. You should see me give Coleman a bath. We've also eaten at home much more this week because I finally made it to Wal-Mart.
10. Make time for myself. I got a haircut last week. The week before I was sick and slept for a day but then went shopping with Mom for a few hours to get decorations for the house. The week before that we were in San Antonio for the week and I had lots of downtown. So while I haven't made specific time for myself, I have had some down time each week.
If I give myself an overall grade: C
On to next month.
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