Daycare bummer

Well, this is getting to be a theme for us. We talk to someone about doing part-time daycare for Erik in the fall, they are interested, may even say yes, but then decide not to do it. This is the fourth time it's happened! This time, we'd interviewed a nanny and agreed to do a trial run. When I called her to set it up, she didn't return my call. I guess I should have been concerned but I figured she was on vacation. After all, just two weeks ago she was excited to be Erik's nanny. When I called her again tonight, she told me she didn't think she could do it. I completely understand, as she has her own infant and caring for two is a big responsibility. Unfortunately for us, that puts us back at square one. So after copying a friend's list of about 20 daycares, tonight I started to call. So far, the two I've reached have no infant openings.
Guess I'll be on the phone all day tomorrow.

Tummy time fun

Ok, did I mention that Erik can now reach for toys while in tummy time position? Did I show you a picture? He still prefers to explore with his left hand/arm and supports his weight with his right arm. The wierd thing is, he locks his right elbow straight so he ends up sort of pushing himself to the left over time.

The calm after the bath

To look at this picture of Erik, clean and happy and playing with his new blanket/bear, you would never know that just minutes earlier he was shrieking his head off in the bath. Erik has a tolerate/hate relationship with the bath. Somedays he does fine, somedays he cries the whole time, somedays he is a mixture. Tonight he screamed as though white hot needles were poking him the moment he touched the water. As soon as we were done rinsing off the soap and were getting the towel ready, he calmed down. So odd.






Here is a picture of Erik's first piggy back ride. Somehow Erik's pacifier was on the floor under his crib waaaay back in the corner. Despite being so big he barely fits under the crib, Joe had to be the one to go get it because, come on, there are bugs down there. I can handle bugs outside, but not in my house and not in the nursery.

Talk to me

Erik is so vocal now! Sometimes when he is playing on his own he will make all kinds of crazy sounds, cooing, squealing. What's really fun is when we have a "conversation". When I try to imitate the sounds he makes, he just keeps going talking to me. We can talk back and forth for several minutes. It's so fun! He's also more likely to respond to me if I make plain vowel sounds
with intonation. He gets a big kick out of that. I wish I could put an audio of him on here for those of you who are far away to hear. Instead here is a picture of Erik at his Aunt and Uncle Lois & Paul's lake home in the ancestral toddler chair.

Empathy?

A week or so ago, Erik's friends Brady and Brooke came over and played. Erik had just woke up from a nap and needed to nurse. Brady is eight months old and so is able to do lots of things that Erik can't do. This is exciting but with the fun and games comes the possibility for poking someone's eye out. Brady bonked his head on our hardwood floor and started crying and screaming a little. His mom was right there and was able to comfort him. When Erik heard Brady cry, he looked up from nursing, stuck out his little lip and started crying. This is a boy who until last week had rarely voluntarily popped off the breast during nursing. I held Erik and comforted him and he stopped crying but he was no longer interested in nursing. He cranked his head around and watched Brady until Brady had calmed down. I am just amazed at how babies this young respond to other babies in distress. Erik has heard other babies cry when they are hungry or tired, and he has responded a little (usually by looking at me to check out my response). Somehow, he seemed to understand that Brady's cry was a totally different type of cry.

The winner!

Ok, this is kind of low tech, but I took a digi photo of the print! He looks like a doll in this shot. I must say, he's by far the cutest baby I've ever had!

3 Months Old Day!

Hooray for our big boy. He turned three months old yesterday! It's so exciting to see all the skills he's learned since he was born. He can grab onto the handle of a dangle toy and pull the handle to activate the music. To celebrate his special day we met up with our friends the Ludtkes, Jessens and Kims at Bar Abilene for dinner. The Kims live in the greater Oakland area, and we hadn't seen them since their wedding a year ago Memorial Day. Ray let me try his mashed plantains. Yum! I probably wouldn't have dared order it myself since I'm not sure that I've ever tasted plantains, but it was really good. If anyone has a good recipe, feel free to email it to me.

Erik's grandparents have a great picture of Erik in his blue outfit he wore to the wedding a couple weeks ago. It's not from a digi camera, so I'll have to try to figure out a way to get it posted here. In the meantime, here's a picture of Erik in his new onsie from his Mormor.

Erik's 3 Month Day weigh in: 15 pounds.

laughing!

Last night after dinner Joe laid on his back on the floor and held Erik on his tummy. Joe then lifted Erik up and down. Erik thought it was soooo great he laughed and laughed! It was really fun. We got it on video so when we figure out how to post a link to video we'll let you all watch too!

Reach out and touch me

Erik has gotten very good at grabbing the giraffes on his bouncy seat dangle bar. For a couple weeks, he only reached with his left hand. Suddenly this weekend he was reaching with his right hand and using both hands to grab and hold the giraffes. I’m excited about this, however, I’m getting a little bit bored with the giraffes. So I decided to mix it up a bit. On Saturday I got out some new toys when Erik’s friend Alley came over to play. One of the toys is a colorful caterpillar. I decided to Velcro that sucker onto the dangle bar. The results were spectacular. As you see, Erik began exploring immediately.

As some Dads in ECFE mentioned, babies start at zero. It was amazing to see Alley, who is four months, reaching for toys while lying on her tummy. Erik has only recently moved from barely tolerating tummy time to being able to spend a couple minutes checking out the view from his tummy. Today I held out a rattle for Erik and he reached for it. It was so moving I’m tearing up just remembering it. While Erik has been able to engage me by grinning at me, this was the first time I have been able to reach out to Erik and he could reach back. Just wait little guy.

Showers of cuteness

Erik went to his first baby shower today. He highly recommends his Miracle Blanket to his friend-to-be, Baby Trombley.

Erik wore his runner-up outfit from last week's vote. He looked very stylish and got many compliments.

At this morning's weigh in, Erik had gained 7 ounces from last week. New weight: 14 pounds, 7 ounces.

Goooooooooooal!

Erik engrossed in the Final Game of the World Cup.

Halftime: FRA 1 ITA 1












Time to bring out the big guns: Erik's Catanian bib and elephant mascot.

When does the check clear?

Erik had an exciting day yesterday. He went down to the offices of the local Lutheran publishing house (here after known as AF) to be recorded for a website, or something. He was supposed to coo, laugh, giggle, etc. However, Erik was wondering why his nap was cut short and so was more musing to himself instead to cooing and giggling. When it came time to record him crying, he was happy to oblige. Mommy talked the editor out of putting an ice cube on Erik's foot, and instead we had a much more organic cry from Erik's being placed on his tummy. Then I was supposed to shush him. However, I shushed him with words instead of by saying "shhhh" so I'm not really sure AF got anything they can use. If they do use Erik's little voice, I will be sure to post a link here. How exciting. Note to self, next time you go downtown alone with Erik, bring the stroller.


Just as an aside, Erik has been a little fussy the last hour. He calmed enough that I could put him in his chair and work on the computer. I've been talking to him as he sat in his bouncy seat and I typed on the computer. His fussing slowly increased and I thought I'd better wrap things up and pick him up again. Suddenly, he was completely quiet, I peaked around the computer screen and he's engrossed and fascinated by the tree outside our window.

It's a nice day for a white wedding!

Well, it was a very close vote. The votes are still drifting in, but blue won. He looked cute and was a big hit. Elderly strangers at the wedding kept offering to watch him for me so I could go socialize. That was a bit wierd. I'm embarrased to say that this is the best picture we have of Erik in his outfit. It's a great picture of Joe and his college friends, but not so good of Erik!

Yesterday, we went with Erik's grandparents to the Taste of Minnesota (the mini-fair, or Minnefair). Joe's sister Susan is a guitar tech for Soul Asylum and they were playing. It was fun to see Susan do a sound check in front of the crowd. It was also fun to see Dave Pirner bring his almost 3 yr old son up on stage to sing the chorus of their new song "Stand Up and Be Strong". It was a very sunny and warm day, and while I filled the diaper backpack with baby things, I forgot a hat. So during the actual concert, I was mostly back in the grass behind the stage, where it was shady. It was perfect, I could sit on a bench or in the grass. It was shady and there was a breeze off the river. And being behind the stage the volume was perfect! Here's a picture of Erik and me enjoying the summer evening. And one of Erik at home with his grandparents.

All Through the Night

That's right. After dazzling us yesterday with his ability to roll tummy to back, he then capped off the day by sleeping from 11 pm to 6 am. Woo! Clearly, he has great things in store for him.

Erik and I took it easy yesterday morning and did not go to playgroup because he'd been coughing so much. I know every kid under the age of three will have this cold in a few days, I just don't want to be the one who passed it to them. Instead we stayed home and had some infant massage. Erik tolerated it very well, so we were able to move through legs, tummy, chest and arms. Often we don't make it that long. Then I turned him on his tummy to do his back. Immediately, Erik put himself into roll over position. It was very funny. I was torn between wanting to massage his back and wanting him to practice his new skill. So we compromised and did both. Erik did refuse to roll for the video camera though. He's so modest.

Last night Erik hung out with his friend Paavo. Paavo is two and kept introducing himself to Erik: I'm Paavo. He also was eager to pat Erik on the head and tickle his feet. When Erik fell asleep, Paavo volunteered to give Erik a nuk (or pacifier). I explained that Erik asks for his pacifier by crying when he's tired. So after Erik woke up and started crying, Paavo got to give him his nuk. We're looking forward to all the things Paavo will teach Erik as he grows.

Rollin', rollin', rollin' ...

Ok, maybe not rollin', rollin', rollin'; but definately rollin'.

Erik rolled over for the first time this morning!

After I changed his diaper, I put him on his tummy in his crib while I washed my hands. (It's so hard to get those tummy minutes in every day!) When I came back he was on his back! Here's a dramatic re-enactment:




before





after

Erik's trip to the doctor

Well, his cough was worse today so we went in and got him checked out. Fortunately, his lungs were clear so he can cough all he wants for two weeks. If he spikes a temp, won't nurse or has trouble breathing we'll go back in. What a relief. Erik took it suprisingly well. He didn't cry on the scale (13 lbs, 3 oz), and only cried a little when the doc put her cold stethoscope on his chest. What a trooper. He deserves a frozen treat. Lucky for me that Erik's frozen treats have to be eaten by me first! Mmmm.

It's your patriotic duty to vote

Erik will be attending his first wedding this Sunday. Our dear friend Natalie is getting married, and we will be bringing Erik to help celebrate the momentous occasion. In honor of this event, Joe and I have the weighty task of choosing just the right outfit for Erik to wear. We have two that we call his "Young Republican" outfits. One is blue, one brown. The comments section of Erik's blog will be open this week so that you, Erik's friends and family, can vote on which outfit should be worn to the nuptuals. Vote early, vote often. And remember, he'll probably spit up and need to be changed into the "vice-outfit" anyway! We promise, every vote will be counted, regardless of whether you live in the city, suburbs or country, and no thugs will come to your door to question your registration status. This vote is being personally overseen by Jimmy Carter to ensure no one tampers with the electronic voting equipment.

Under the weather

Hmm. Well, it seems we experienced our first minor illness from Erik this weekend. He's always been a sneezy kid, but Saturday night he began to cough as well. They seemed sort of phlegm-y and his breathing sounded like purring from the phlegm. Kind of cute. Saturday night he woke up more often than usual, almost every two hours. When he first woke he would be phlegmy again but would sort of cough it out when he cried while we changed his diaper. He would then nurse, get phlegmy, cough it up and go back to sleep.

In the morning we called the nurseline and the nurse did not seem concerned. Erik's temperature isn't elevated so we were told to monitor him. He slept most of the day. After one afternoon feeding he spat up about an ounce. That's a lot! We tried the nurseline again but couldn't get through. So we went next door to our neighbor Michelle, who is a mother of two preschoolers. As an added bonus, her mother-in-law was there, and she's a nurse. They agreed that his symptoms didn't sound alarming, but if he spat up more feedings we should try the nurseline again. Fortunately, he did not. He slept again, nursed, kept the milk down and seemed more alert and more like his usual smiley self. I was curious to see if he would sleep at all last night, since he'd slept so much during the day.

It turned out I didn't need to worry. We fed him at nine. I, of course, was afraid the congestion would turn into bronchitis or croup and so I wanted to sleep on the same floor as Erik. So we set up the Pack n Play in the basement and Joe & I slept down there too. Erik did wake a couple times in the evening and need to be resoothed. However, once he finally settled down he slept from 11 pm to 5 am! I actually had to get up and pump because he went so long between feedings! Today he seems pretty much back to normal except that he's still coughing sometimes.

Whew. I did not enjoy that little foray into infant illness and I'm glad Erik seems to be on the mend. We're very grateful to Michelle for her support and sympathy. It's so helpful to know and talk to other parents. They just understand how scary it is when your kid is sick the first time. (and maybe the second time)

Baptism and shots

Well, we had a wonderful, busy weekend. There was a bison cookout on Saturday night courtesy of Paul and Lois. Sunday morning we all gathered at Edina Community Lutheran Church. It was fun to dress Erik in the baptismal gown that Jon and I wore over thirty years ago. I'm not sure that Erik enjoyed it quite as much as we did, but he took it in stride. He looked around and listened during the service, then was ready for a nap right about the time the baptism started! So he fussed some while Ronnaug was holding him, but everyone is used to that at a baptism. Pastor Pam walked around the sanctuary holding Erik and letting the congregation get a closer look at our beautiful boy. It may be a while before I can post pictures as we accidentally sent our camera home with Linn!

Everyone gathered at our house for lunch from Byerly's. The house was full of people talking and laughing. I hope we remembered to take pictures and video but we probably were too busy to remember! Sunday evening, 15 of our closest relatives ate at McCormick and Schmick's in Minneapolis. I had the Sunday $17 lobster. I'm not sure I've ever had a lobster before. It was delicious. Many people helped entertain Erik so I could eat. As Gary said, every time he looked up someone was gone from the table with Erik.

Tuesday was another big day for Erik. He had his two month checkup. He weighed 11 lbs, 13 ounces (although he's 12 lbs at home), and measured 24 1/2 inches long. That puts him in the 50th percentile for weight and 90th for height. I was very glad that Joe was able to get off work and come to the appointment. He stayed with Erik during his immunization shots. I had to look away. It didn't seem to affect Erik much except I would swear he spat up a lot more that afternoon and Wednesday. That was a relief.

Last night Erik went in four hour time periods between feedings. Hooray for Erik!

Velkommen

My Uncle Harald and Aunt Ronnaug arrived from Oslo today. They came to be part of Erik's baptism, which is Sunday. They will be sponsors for Erik, as will our friends Jonathan and Dawn Rundman. Tomorrow there will be an exodus from North and South Dakota as all of Erik's relatives drive to Minnesota for his baptism. Erik will be wearing the baptismal gown that Jon and I wore as infants. It's very long so I guess I'll have to dress him at the church, I think it would not work well in a car seat! Erik will be wrapped in a newly quilted blanket made from his Grandma Lois' wedding gown fabric and lace. It's about time he learns that people in his family don't throw things away, they just pass them on to the next generation! What a great tradition.

Here's how Erik sleeps when my mom the baby whisperer is around. We're counting down the days until my dad retires and they move up here! (That's 790.)