Happy Trails

John unpacking what I've packed:

We've moving away in about one day! Happy trails to you, until we meet again . . .

Family Rosary

We recently let John start holding a cheap, plastic, non-blessed rosary when we pray our family rosary. It's very sweet to see his interest.

Grandmom Visiting

John's Grandmom came over on Friday to help play with John so I could focus on some packing in the basement. It was such a relief to able to work down there without having to wear John in my Ergo simultaneously! These photos show John holding onto Grandmom's hands because John was running down big hills (big for his size anyway).

Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Luke 1: 26-35 "... the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. "



"And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.

"Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."



Luke 1: 46-55
"And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.

"He hath showed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy: As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever."

Low Sunday (or Divine Mercy Sunday)

"Jesus said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you. When He had said this, He breathed on them, and He said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." -- John 20: 21-23

The Nosey Face

When John eats finger foods, he wants one snack for each hand. He doesn't want one, he wants two. When I hold out two snacks for him, he comes running while squiggling his hands and making his "nosey" face (as I think of it).
He does this every time. It's really funny.
John helping me pack the books:

When John stumbles in the grass, he holds his hands out stiff so that they don't touch the ground. He's very delicate about it all. Then he whines until I take pity and help him stand up.

Wednesday

John was quietly fascinated for ten minutes after I gave him the lid to a cup (containing a hole for a straw) and a pencil. I showed him how to insert the pencil into the straw hole and then enjoyed some peaceful time to myself!
John exploring my packed boxes:
I have a spare set of useless keys which I give to John to play with as a "special" treat (one of those toys I hide until I really want him to entertain himself). Today for the first time John tried to use the keys in the door to escape.

My sweet boy continues to surprise me with his observations. Yesterday I was driving behind a Bobcat construction vehicle. Of course, Bobcat's logo is a bobcat face which John spotted from the backseat, causing him to point and say, "meow!" Today while driving, John began pointing through the front windshield and saying "ffffffff!" (which seems to be his new sound for birds???) because he spotted two large birds swooping far in the distance at the top of some tall trees. John has also begun pointing out babies to me, whether he sees them in person, in books, on television, or simply sees their paraphernalia (he has a fascination with strollers, perhaps because he has almost never ridden in one). I am trying to discern whether John considers himself a baby or sees them as "other." The sign for POTTY and for BABY both involve a swinging motion so John's signs for each have morphed into one. I know which he means by the context in which he is "talking" to me!

Lump on a Log

I tried letting John watch Sesame Street again so I could get some packing done. It was actually really creepy how he sat limp in the chair for something like 15 minutes.
John has become a fiend for almonds. Two nights ago, we put shaved almonds on our green salads; we normally don't buy those but they were on sale, so we tried them. John tried an almond shaving and loved it, proceeding to eat probably the equivalent of three whole almonds (about 15 shavings). He's been eating almonds for the two days since! Also, on Easter evening he ate his entire snack pack of Teddy Grahams, given by his Grandmom in his Easter basket. Yesterday afternoon, John ate about 10 goldfish crackers and last night at dinner, we got Greek take-out and John ate the most meat ever: two pieces of lamb gyro meat, probably each the size of a domino playing piece. It's all so much fun!

Abbreviated video of John dancing:

This morning John turned on the stereo by himself. I had fed the cats and the coffee was brewing when John used baby sign to ask me to turn on some music. I said, "I'll turn on music later," because I was able to say some morning prayers. Suddenly I heard children's music playing and turned to see that John had picked up the correct one of two remote controls, pushed the "on" button, and pushed the "CD" button. I've got to think some of that was pure luck or I'm a little creeped out by how smart he was!

Easter Part II

Below are some photos from Chris' brother's camera. This is the clearest shot of John's Easter outfit (those are short overalls):
I wish I hadn't been wearing my sling while these photos were taken (ugly!). Here you see John and I practicing patty-cake:

Easter Part I

On the drive to Mass, John put on my chapel veil:
After Mass there was an Easter egg hunt for the children. At first we didn't realize that there was a protected "five years old and under" area elsewhere, so John was in competition with all the big kids. The eggs were gone in about sixty seconds flat as the kids dove for them. I was able to protect John so he could pick up a couple of them.

Then we discovered the under-five area where John could take his time to pick up some eggs. In total he collected five. I ate all his candy, but he didn't know any better. Any good mother would have spared him such bad food.

Our camera ran out of batteries, but some great photos were taken at Easter brunch with the family. When I get those photos from Chris' brother, I'll post the best ones here.

Happy Easter... Rejoice for He is Risen!

O God, who, on this day, through Thine only-begotten Son, hast conquered death, and thrown open to us the gate of everlasting life, give effect by thine aid to our desires, which Thou dost anticipate and inspire. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost.

[Taken from the Collect for Easter Sunday, 1962 Missale Romanum]

A Few Days of Photos

John has been eating so well lately! It makes my heart sing. Last night at dinner he ate half an (adult) bite of bread roll, half a large crouton, and four penne pastas. And, over the course of two and a half days, John ate an entire Kashi bar by himself. John, a few days ago, with macaroni and cheese which he had placed deliberately piece by piece into his hair:

We've begun packing up the house for our move and John enjoys playing in the boxes:
John has so much fun when he receives his own mail, like his Easter card from Gramma and Grampa Neil:

Our Scary Adventure

It all started when we needed to dry out our bathtub.

I'll jump to the punchline: No, we weren't killed by home invasion robbers!

We knew that our painter was coming to do some work on Tuesday and we wanted him to caulk a bathtub while he was here, so on Monday night John and I did not bathe in our normal tub. Instead we used the master shower. Everything was going along fine with John sitting on the floor of the shower, playing, until I heard him ask for help with a quiet questioning sound. I discovered that he had pushed his finger into one of the drain holes and it was decidedly stuck. I definitely did not help keep him calm because I began shouting loudly for Chris' help. John began crying, trying to pull out his finger.

I screamed for Chris to get us a screwdriver, thinking that we would unscrew the drain plate, then cover John's hand in vegetable oil, in hopes of lubricating his finger. If nothing else, we were off to the Emergency Room. While Chris was dashing into the garage for a screwdriver, I freed John's finger and he had only a circular scrape and some swelling.

We thought that all's well that ends well . . .

Later John and I were already in bed, John snoozing and my lying there with my normal insomnia. Chris was still up working in his office when we heard the beep-beep-beep! of a door opening. We have an alarm system, but it was not activated, so we would heard only the warning beep of any door opening.

Chris sneaked into our room to tell me that he was going to check things out and he wanted me to lock myself into the bedroom. I was overly calm, "knowing" that my husband would just take care of things and he certainly wouldn't be killed by a home invader. Had I been home alone with Chris gone on one of his many business trips, I'd have been nearly vomiting with fear!

Chris quietly checked things out, then crept back upstairs and whispered to me to call 911. Well, I did it fast! I don't think I've ever talked to a 911 operator. They are trained to ask what sound like some mighty funny questions, but they're not that strange when analyzed. Chris wanted to remain standing guard in the hallway and I stayed locked in the bedroom as the deputies arrived and checked the outside. Then the 911 operator told me to tell Chris to let the deputies in the front door. The officers came in and checked things out.

It turns out that in Chris' panic to get a screwdriver, he hadn't firmly shut the door between the kitchen and the garage. It looked shut, but in the middle of the night, the cold air finally pushed it open oh-so slowly, thus setting off the beep-beep-beep! of the alarm. What a relief! And to think that it all started because we needed to dry out some caulk! If nothing else, it was a great dry run in case of emergency and showed me how calmly I depend on Chris to protect us.

*****

John in his new upside down table fort:
Last night Chris and I had for dessert homemade lemon crunch cake with a squirt of canned whipped cream. Chris shared some of his with John; I didn't see how much, but it was a minuscule amount of whipped cream. Apparently our baby got a taste for it and began acting a bit like a crack addict! He took Chris' empty plate and carried it back and forth between us, grunting loudly for more. We kept saying no, so he began licking the plate of the remnant of whipped cream!

Check out the red rimmed eyes of the tired baby, all hopped up on whipped cream:

Second Sunday of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ

Matthew 21:8-11
And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way: and others cut boughs from the trees, and strewed them in the way: And the multitudes that went before and that followed, cried, saying: Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, saying: Who is this? And the people said: This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth of Galilee.

Playing Ball

Grampa Neil and John playing ball:


We had a great visit from my stepdad and Neil has flown home to my mom in California now. We will miss him! After dropping him off at the MARTA station, the three of us went to lunch. Here you see Daddy and John examining the menus:

Dancing to Music

Grampa Neil and John Outside

The weather has been lovely for most of this week: brilliantly sunny and around 70, so the fruit trees are now blooming.

Day at the Zoo

Grampa Neil is visiting from California, so today we went to the Atlanta Zoo.

Two photos of Mama and Baby:


Grampa Neil and my sweet boy in front of the elephants:

Afterward we had a delicious deep-fried lunch with Pop-Pops (who works right next to the zoo). A good day was had by all.

Post-Frenectomy Update

John successfully climbed atop the couch all by himself. Then he fell off (the short side). A new era has begun. (Here, showing me his nose.)
John became coated in chocolate after eating only one teeny tiny chocolate Teddy Graham. Then he hid under my desk because he wants to play with the wires (which he is not allowed to do). Look at the glee!

Several people have asked me for an update on how John is doing, now 11 days after his frenectomy. We think he's doing great!

Food: John is eating more quantity of food, although not big amounts and not typical amounts for a 15-month-old. The biggest difference is that he is swallowing what he puts in his mouth. I don't think I've seen him even gag once since the procedure. He really seems to be enjoying different flavors and textures. He's eaten such things as (not an exhaustive list): half a tortellini, rotini pasta with spicy red bell pepper sauce, about two tablespoons of little kid star noodles in red sauce, all kinds of crackers, graham crackers, Honey Bunches of Oats creal flakes, those chocolate-flavored teddy-bear shaped "crackers" (cookies), chicken, broccoli (twice--he really likes it), rice.

Water: John has long enjoyed sipping water from a cup. However, until the frenectomy, he usually let it dribble out of his mouth. This week, he learned the sign for WATER as opposed to just knowing EAT, so he has been asking for water all day long. And he's swallowing the water, taking multiple gulps at a time, and probably drinking two to three ounces per day! Also, this week he learned how to suck water consistently from a straw.

Nursing: I didn't think John's nursing hurt before this, but it feels distinctly different and more gentle now. His latch is clearly improved.

Vocalizations: Listening for changes in his vocalizations is an unscientific process. That said, I do think I have heard him making new sounds. At those moments, I've peered into his mouth and seen his tongue doing gymnastics I've never seen before.

Sleep: Perhaps this is not intuitive, but one sign of a tongue tie is very broken sleep (perhaps due to reflux caused by swallowing air, perhaps because the sinus cavities aren't shaped right so aren't getting enough oxygen). John's sleep truly has shown improvement in the last week and a half. He seems to be sleeping deeper. For example, during the night when John wakes, at least once per night I've been able to soothe him back to sleep by merely rubbing my hand on his back. This is the supposedly easy trick that works even on newborns but never even came close to working on my John ever! Once John fell asleep by himself while playing, which was a first. One night he slept a four-hour stretch and the next night he slept two three-and-a-half-hour stretches. I don't have scientific evidence, but I think I am observing John's daytime naps being longer with fewer, if any, wakings.

I haven't even begun any of the at-home tongue therapies I am supposed to be doing with John because at first I was waiting for his mouth to heal and then it slipped my mind because John was progressing so well! This reminds me to find that handout and try a few of the therapies with our boy.

Some Videos

John enjoying playing in the front yard on Wednesday:
Our neighbor's pretty flowers:
John is dancing more and more these days:

John is learning how to climb onto the lowest shelf of furniture, in this case the sofa table. He thinks it is a riot to pop up and laugh at me.

Every so often I have put on a specific kid-show on the television to see if John was interested. So far, he just isn't that interested, although sometimes he'll shock us when he doesn't seem to be paying attention to the television and will suddenly alert us to a dog or cat in a commercial. Today I put on Sesame Street for the first time and John was interested. I noticed that he was excited by the old-fashioned puppet pieces (like Bert and Ernie), but as soon as another type of clip would come on (say a cartoon or live action), John would wander off. Here he is enjoying the classic "Rubber Ducky . . ."

John is communicating more and more. Using sign language is just fantastic and makes my job easier. For example, I recently taught him a sign to use when he wants to get down from his booster seat at the table. I was getting really tired of his shaking his tray while whining and shrieking. I taught him the sign for DOWN and he is already using it to ask politely when he wants to leave the table. In fact, today he used it when asking for helping getting down from the bed, so he learned to apply the sign logically to another situation all by himself!

Also, when John passes gas, he has started informing me, "Dab-dah!" (diaper). He's either telling me, "I think you should change my diaper" or "I felt something in my diaper." It's funny, but it's also really useful!

Garbage Truck

On Tuesday I went out on a limb and tried jogging on my treadmill while watching John. I made some initial baby proofing modifications to the sitting room and I brought out one of the most exciting toys in the world: an old computer keyboard. The experiment had some success. John was completely occupied for the first six minutes of my jogging. Then I had to start hopping off the treadmill to redirect him. In all, I think we lasted 15 minutes. But it's a start.
John has begun showing great interest in large vehicles, such as the garbage truck, construction vehicles, and semi-trucks. When we remember, we like to take him outside on Tuesdays when the garbage truck comes. The video below seems pretty uneventful, but perhaps what is most cute is that John is so astonished by the big truck that he is nearly silent (not the norm for him!). Also, you can see his version of waving hello and goodbye.