The Marine Family Blog

WIC appointment

2009-11-20T11:56:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Hazen and I went to our Women Infants and Children (WIC) appointment. Hazen weighed 18 lbs 6 oz, so he gained 7 ounces in about 10 days. Hazen is still exclusively breastfed, and WIC has recently changed their guidelines so now breastfed babies over 6 months receive monthly 31 (2.5 oz) jars of baby food meats and 65 (4 oz) jars of baby food fruits and veggies.

My pediatrician said to wait until 9 months to introduce meats so I had to ask. The WIC nutritionist explained that the current leading research has found that breastfed babies should begin meats at around 6 months (or even, against the conventional wisdom of introducing rice cereal first, as their first food) because they do not get the iron and zinc that is fortified into formula. She went even farther to say that babies' tummies are better equipped to digest the fats and protiens in meat because they have, in a sense, been conditioned to because the lipids in meat better resembles that of breastmilk from healthy, nourished mothers. She said that rice cereal might, in fact, be some of the worst food for babies because as a simple starch, their bodies process it as if it were merely sugar. I don't want to pick this bone with my pediatrician (a resident, actually, who has told me that Hazen is her oldest exclusively breastfed patient), so I fed him the meat, but as long as all seems to go well, will probably fail to even mention it at Hazen's next appointment.

I read on the internet somewhere people's gripes that their babies hated the taste of meat. My only complaint is that it smells like catfood, but Hazen seemed to like it just fine. I have not fed him anything yet that he would not eat. Sometimes he makes a funny face at first, but he always eats it. Once again, this might merely be indicative that Hazen is breastfed. What a mother eats affects the flavor complexion of her milk. Some foods linger for several days, other flavors pass quickly, so breastmilk has a forever variable taste complexion. Formula just tastes the same, so formula-fed babies may be more sensitive to new flavors.

They also gave me a brand-new, top-of-the-line, double Medela breast pump. I already have one, but it was used so the motor is actually not as powerful as a new one. Also, the pump is a newer model than the one I already had. It is the advanced pump-in-style rather than the original so it has an automatic variable pump speed, which is more effective at stimulating let-down. They both do the same thing, but the new one does it faster. I'll take the new one and leave it at work (where speed is an issue), and use the older one at home. I'm thrilled that I don't have to lug one back and forth anymore.

To get the pump, you have to exclusively breastfeed for longer than 4 weeks AND work more than 20 hours per week. Apparently, very few people who work more than 20 hours per week also exclusively breastfeed their babies; so, there is not a very high demand for the free pumps from the WIC office. I wish I had this pump 5 months ago, but, oh well, I'll have it from the beginning with Hazen's younger sibling (when we choose to have another).

Oh, I forgot...

2009-11-17T18:42:00.001-05:00

This is an older video

Crackers are a hit!

2009-11-17T18:38:00.002-05:00

Hazen can sit

2009-11-16T18:35:00.000-05:00

6 month well-baby visit

2009-11-13T18:00:00.001-05:00

We took Hazen to the doctor last Monday, November 9. Hazen weighed 17 lbs 15 oz. He was 27 inches long. He received four vaccinations, which was no fun.

A few more Hazen videos

2009-10-27T19:28:00.002-04:00

Tooth

2009-10-05T19:34:00.001-04:00

Hazen's first tooth has erupted. We noticed it yesterday. Its one of the lower front, on the right. It is still too small to get a picture.

Another Hazen and Tom video

2009-10-05T18:54:00.000-04:00

Hazen loves Tom

2009-10-02T15:29:00.003-04:00

Tom is a good friend of ours who stops by almost daily. He loves Hazen and Hazen loves him.

Hazen and Hunter

Well Baby Visit

2009-09-30T18:25:00.000-04:00

Hazen went to his 4 month well baby visit at 5 months. He weighed 16 lbs 13 ounces (60th percentile for weight), was 28 inches long (50th percentile), and his head circumference was also in the 50th percentile.

Mailbox

2009-09-29T15:15:00.004-04:00

Some jerks smashed our mailbox over night.

Flat Rock Music Festival

2009-09-28T18:24:00.001-04:00

We took Hazen to his first music festival. It was hit, but we didn't pull it off without a hitch. It was actually pretty tough. It rained. It poured. Some friends of ours (with a baby 6 weeks older than Hazen) invited us to go in on a 14-bed (girls summer camp style, $500) cabin with them. We declined. Quite frankly, the only reason we were able to go was because we volunteer so the tickets came free, and if you work more than the required 8 hours, they give you "meal tickets." I also was afraid I'd get in there with some wretched snorer. I don't know though. We might try to spring for it next year.

In the beginning of the summer, when Hazen was 4 weeks old, we took him camping at Noontootla Creek with my brother Byron, his wife Sarah, and friends Jeremy and Lara. This was a nice weekend. The weather was beautiful (only rained a little at night, when we were snug in our tents). The creek, cold. We built a rather awesome dam. We had a good fire. Anyway, when the weekend came to a close, my brother had to leave early to make it for work. He inadvertently left a tarp.

This tarp became crucial to our music festival, rain-experience, survival. Before Hazen, we never bothered with a shelter; we just roamed from dry spot to dry spot. But Hazen needs a home away from home. And we were so grateful to have it. We arrived on Thursday afternoon, a whole day before the ticket-buying festival goers. We set-up camp in the artist campground and parking area, and then we set about the festival grounds. I "wore" Hazen much through the weekend as David searched for new friends to play music with. It didn't take long.

We stayed out pretty late Thursday night, and Hazen had long been asleep when I unwrapped him to climb into the tent. He was not happy about this, but I couldn't blame him, he had been asleep for 3 hours when I suddenly jostled him from where he had been comfortably sleeping (wrapped next to mama) to move him to the tent. David left us at camp and went back to play more music. Hazen screamed. Why am I not at home, he must have wondered. This isn't my crib.

I got him settled down, but he slept fitfully and woke frequently during the night, wanting to nurse. He ordinarily sleeps through the night. Friday morning, we got up to go to work. We helped set up the Artist Merchandise tent, where we'd be working throughout the weekend. At some point on Friday, the rain started but it stayed light - for the time being.

David stayed out all night, but Hazen and I went to bed. Hazen seemed to not be feeling well. His nose was runny and he sounded congested. And he seemed to realize that we weren't going home that night either. When David did finally come to bed, he woke up Hazen. I don't think he realized it though. When Hazen awoke, he was angry. He wanted to be at home, and he let EVERYBODY around us know. David turned over and growled, "we need to make peace with the neighbors." I had already talked to all our neighbors the day before about it, and all of them, having their own children, seemed to understand just perfectly and had empathy. At this point, I was quickly getting over this festival thing with the kid. I interpreted David's comment as "I've been out all night having fun while you've been caring for our fussy baby, and now that I am ready to sleep, I want you to keep him quiet." It was one of those things that I was later grateful that I just sighed, and didn't tell him what I was really thinking and feeling. It might not be this weekend, but I resigned, he'll eventually get it.

Of course, through all of this, it was pouring. So, no one could actually hear Hazen anyway. When we got up, it was still raining heavily. David was slow moving, and I wasn't going to be late to work because of him; I covered Hazen with a towel to keep him dry and bolted down the hill to work. We got to the tent and everything was soaked. It was still pouring, so the first acts were rescheduled in the gym. Because we had the baby, we were sent to manage CD sales there where it was nice and dry.

They had also moved the Kid's Village to the gym because of the rain. I really enjoyed watching these kids. They were having a real hoot. At one point, they got out bubbles, which the kids starting blowing into a big pile directly onto the gym floor. They then ran and slid through the bubble pile. Of course, this all made for a really slick floor and a potential lawsuit, so one proactive parent found a mop, took up the bubbles, and literally spent an hour moping the floor over and over again as people walked through and the kids played. The video does no justice to the fun these kids were having. Plus, because of the rain, it was pretty dark in the gym (we could see just fine, but it was too dark to get good video).

David was exhausted after his long night, so we had a mellow afternoon on Saturday after we finished work. It rained off and on, so we hung out at camp mostly. At about 6, we climbed into the tent to take a "nap." We laid in the tent and played with Hazen, who was in a much better mood. Before long, we were all passed out. When I awoke, it was nearly 3 in the morning, and Hazen was still asleep. He slept through the night for the first time all weekend. When we woke up Sunday morning, it was beautiful. The sun was shinning. We headed to work, and since it was so nice, we worked the merchandise tent at the main stage. Hazen was a hit. Everyone thought he was so adorable wearing his hat and sunglasses.

After work, we packed up camp. Then, we were really free to enjoy ourselves. We went to listen to the last band close out the festival. At this point, Hazen had a real blast. He loved dancing to the music. He loved it so much that he yelled when they played a slow number that we couldn't really dance to. Then we got in the car and drove home. Hazen slept the entire way.

Dad's Birthday

2009-09-15T21:20:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was David's first birthday as a dad. Or second. I told him I was pregnant four days before his birthday last year. On September 14th last year, Lehman Brothers collapsed. This year, I've been suffering from an ear infection, and for me, it seems to be of epic proportions. Although, it probably won't make headlines. David stayed home with Hazen yesterday. I started out at work but ended up at Urgent Care. Hazen was cranky all day (still not used to mama leaving). I didn't get home until 7, and I was cranky. At least I could relieve David of Hazen and so we nursed. Hazen passed out and we cuddled while David put the succession of ear drops in my ear, doled out the motrin, fetched a cup of water, and fixed us each a bowl of soup that I had put in the slow cooker that morning. At least David got a good meal for his birthday.

The kind of things that David and Hazen like to do together

Doctor's Visit

2009-09-11T12:14:00.003-04:00

Oh, and I forgot to mention that when I took Hazen to the doctor on Tuesday, he weighed 16lbs 4oz. I didn't catch how long he was because the nurse was too busy playing with Hazen. I don't think she ever said it out loud and Hazen was being so cute that I forgot to ask.

Hazen also appears to have begun teething. No evidence of a tooth erupting just yet, but he's a drool-er.

Returned to work

2009-09-10T23:22:00.020-04:00

Well, I returned to work on Tuesday. Hazen and David are spending the days together right now so I know he is in good hands. My mom came up to "ease the transition" but I guess its just any excuse to see her grandson. It turned out to come in handy though because on Tuesday, Hazen was not happy. He refused to take a bottle or eat any cereal. He would only nap in my mother's arms. David sent me a text message saying that Hazen was "inconsolable."

On my way home, I called the doctor. They said anytime a baby is "inconsolable" is grounds for an office visit. I set an appointment for 6:15. But of course, when I got home Hazen was thrilled to see me. We got to the doctor's office, and he was back to his old cheery self. He thought the nurse was hilarious and she thought he was absolutely adorable. The doctor basically confirmed what I already knew: that Hazen was missing his mama. She said that after a while, he'll learn that I leave (and yes, that is tough) but I am always coming back, and that actually, him and daddy have a good time together during the day. But she said to expect for the next few days to be pretty tough on the two of them. Hazen was already doing better on Wednesday, but David said that by around 4 pm, Hazen was getting pretty fussy and obviously ready for mama to come home.

There is something about having to leave your baby that makes you appreciate them so much more. My mom bought David a slow cooker and a simple cookbook so that when I get home from work, I hopefully won't have to spend the precious 2 hours that I have before Hazen goes to bed fixing dinner.

Here is Hazen having a good time with David. Soon, he'll figure out that he can have this kind of raucous time even (or especially) when I am not around.

Sporting his favorite overalls.

Playing with his guitar in dad's music room

I am fortunate enough to have been successful at pumping breast milk for Hazen as well, and that is a rewarding experience. I get to take a few minutes out of my day to devote to my son even though he isn't with me at the moment. And I know he's getting the best he can get even when we must be apart.

This is my favorite. This dad is most certainly the best.

Finally set up a blog

2009-09-06T15:00:00.002-04:00

Alright, here it is. A spot (that is not facebook) where we can put postings about Hazen. I hope to update it fairly regularly.

Hazen is sleeping in his bouncy chair. He's gone on a nap strike lately. He sleeps great at night. He goes to bed in his crib around 8:20 after the B routine (bath if necessary, book, boob, and a few minutes of rocking). I lay him in his crib awake, turn on the fisher price aquarium thing, offer him the pacifier, and walk out. He wakes up when the sun rises, eats, and then cuddles in our bed for an hour before we get up. Of course, he's the sweetest in the morning.

But back to the nap thing. He won't take one. We put up darkening curtains in his room. I've set up a similar routine as the bedtime one, but there is one caveat: he stays awake, or if he falls asleep, he wakes back up again within 10 minutes. I've tried moving naptime later, hoping that maybe he'll be so tired that he just can't help but succumb to sleep. He only got crankier and more inconsolable. So, I tried moving naptime earlier, but that hasn't worked either.

Naptime is back to its natural time. I just let him lay in his crib in his darkened room for an hour, and then when he starts to fuss, I go get him. He seems a little recharged, but it doesn't take long for the signs of tired to start showing again. So, as we were eating lunch, trying anything to keep him happy for 5 minutes while we ate, he just passed out in his bouncy seat. Too afraid to move him, we've just been tiptoeing around him. It is actually pretty funny when I think of how this little guy has possessed our lives.

Right before lunch, he was helping David work on his jeep.

Oh and nobody is as funny as Daddy is.