Week 14 - Here comes the sun!

Week 14 Picture

What a week! During the day, this was the best week I've had thus far with my little boy. With Kimbre back at school and no parents in town during the day to help out, I spent every day this past week with Jay during the morning and early afternoon while Kimbre was at school. And let me tell you, my timing could not have been better. Jay chose this week of all weeks to explode with personality. He smiles. He talks. He laughs. Pretty much any time he is not (a) hungry, (b) sleepy, or (c) dirty, he is an absolute joy to be around. It's almost like you can watch him in real time as he becomes more comfortable in his own skin. As I write this, he is laying on the floor by himself talking to his toys. This may not sound like a big deal, but only a week or so a go it was all but unfathomable that he not be held or least played with every waking second of his existence. And the best part is he has gotten a lot more expressive in his love for us. He lights up like a bolt of lighting with full face smile and squeals of delight when he sees either me or Kimbre when we get home .

The night, however, tells a different story. I feel like in this last week, Jay has regressed in his night time habits. This may ultimately be a result of my unrealistic expectations as he hasn't necessarily gotten worse per say. You would think as a baby gets older, they would get better at sleeping. But he just hasn't. And it's this lack of improvement that sucks. He gives us a good first chunk of sleep after we put him down around 10 - usually about 3 or 4 hours. After that, however, is hell. I feel like I used to be able to rock him to sleep and buy myself an extra hour or so when he first wakes up. This is no longer the case. When I feed him, he eats the bottle, but not without making it as difficult as he can. These new particular feeding habits require me to hold him in really unusual positions just to make sure he is getting milk and not air in the bottle. And the rest of the night does not get much better. Lately, he's been waking up every 1.5 to 2 hours expecting either attention, more food or both. It's really tough for me to fall asleep that quickly which means that I end up getting only 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night when I'm on baby duty. Probably the most frustrating part is that these new trends are not so unusual that we can justify trying something more drastic. We may try cry-it-out methods after my parents visit this coming week, but we've been saying that months now...

This week also marks the beginning of storm season. On Wednesday, that cloud in the picture above produced an F-1 tornado that touched down a few miles north of our house and caused a bit of chaos around town for a few hours. Honestly, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable spending even a few more months here without the storm shelter we had installed last summer. It's amazing how my perspective on things like that have changed since Jay was born. Chances I'd be willing to take with my own life are chances I'd never take with Jay's.

I'm responsible for this little man like nothing I have ever been responsible for before. I hope he turns out alright. I hope he has a great life. I hope he doesn't grow up to hate me and forgives me when I make mistakes.Thus far, parenthood has been relatively easy. Sure there are hard times, but I've never once wished it any other way. Still, I know that things are bound to get more difficult. If he has any part of me inside of him, when he gets older he's going to push back, talk back, and test limits. I guess it's payback for the times I did the same things growing up. Yet, I refuse to spend any time or energy worried about that though. I love my little boy and I'm plan to continue to look at my life with him as one big adventure.

 Even if it means we've gotta fill in as a chew toy from time to time.

Week 13 - There's no place like home

Week 13 Picture

In some ways, living in a different state than the majority of our family and friends has been good for our young family. I don't know if Kimbre and I would be as close as we are had we stayed closer to home. Our time in Oklahoma has not always been easy, but it has taught us a lot about being there for one another in the hard times and has helped us establish a life that is entirely our own.

That being said, we really miss Colorado. Not only would it be nice for Kimbre and I to get to spend more time with the wonderful people in our life that live there, but it would be really great for baby Jay as well. It makes me sad that my boy won't get to spend as much time growing up around his family as the rest of his cousins. Sure we'll have the chance to visit from time to time, but it never feels like it's ever quite enough. Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled about my job at Oregon State and I can't wait to start the next phase of our life in Oregon. This is just an unfortunate case of me wanting to have my cake and to eat it too.

 

We have really, really good people in our life. I don't know if I could every ask for or imagine a better group of family and friends than the ones we have here. I get emotional sometimes just thinking about it.

We head back to Oklahoma tomorrow morning. Although this trip has been a godsend, It'll be good to be back in our own bed and to get to settle back into our old routines. As great as these little breaks are, life inevitably keeps on moving. And that's alright. Forward momentum keeps me interested, engaged, and, at the end of the day, happy. The little time we have during our visits back to Colorado just makes us appreciate each and every opportunity all that much more.

 

Until next time. Stay beautiful Colorado.

Week 12 - On the Road

Week 12 Picture

I apologize for being a late on my post this week. It's been a crazy couple of days between trying to get the house ready to be listed, getting caught up on a pile of time sensitive work, and hitting the road for Jay's first trip to the motherland - beautiful, colorful, Colorado.

This is a big trip for us. For all but a select few members of our family and friends, this trip will be the first chance for all the important people in our life to meet our little man. We just arrived in Pueblo a few hours ago to begin the first leg of our journey. We'll be down here until roughly Tuesday, when we head up north to spend the second half of our trip in Denver.

Although I never though it would be easy, I somehow think I managed to underestimate how much more complex a long car ride becomes when you have an infant. Our car is packed to the brim with all the various things we need to take care of his various feeding, sleeping, pooping, and entertainment needs. The first couple hours of the drive were a bit rough, as he had never been in a car for that long his entire life. After that, he settled into a rhythm and slept most of the remaining trip. If anything, the long car ride improved his overall disposition in that it gave him a chance to catch up on some much needed sleep. This may explain why he's been especially sweet ever since we rolled into town - exactly how you want your baby to behave when meeting new people.

One big change we've noticed in his gross motor skill development over the last week is a marked preference for  maintaining his verticality. It can be a bit disconcerting holding him when he tries to throw his head forward so that he can get a better view of his surroundings. Letting him support his own neck goes against all those new parent instincts you quickly develop in the first few weeks that tell you an unsupported baby head is strictly forbidden. If anything, this is only a sign of things to come. Jay rolled over from him tummy to his back for the first a few days ago, although he's only successfully performed this feat on soft surfaces thus far. As with any change, there are things to look forward to as a result of his impending mobility and things to dread. The older he gets, the more advanced our relationship becomes, which has been super rewarding. Still, I'm not looking forward to the million additional things you have to worry about when baby's are able to navigate their surroundings on their own. Just today, I heard a story of a baby admitted to the ER after ingesting a watch battery. Nevertheless, Jay's continual development is really encouraging. It's when things stop developing that you have to worry.

So keep growing and changing son of mine. Just not too fast.

Week 11 - The Future!

Week 11 Picture

A great side effect of having little Jay in my life is that I am more excited and optimistic for the future than I have ever been before. This is not to say that I was not also excited and optimistic before he was born - just that the number of things to be excited about has grown. When I'm at work, I look forward to the time I can get home and get my welcome back smiles. When I change his diapers I get excited at how well he is growing and for the days when he'll fit in clothes one size bigger than those he's in now. When he's quietly sleeping on my chest, I fantasize about all the great years we will get to spend to together, all the fun experiences we'll get to share, and all the potential for great things he has available to within him. It's really nice.

Thus far, 2015 has flown by in a blur. My last semester at OU is half over and all the big changes I've been anticipating for so long are starting to kick into effect. It's not all bad. I picked up my gown, hood, and hat for graduation a few days ago, which was a lot of fun. That silly little hat is a physical manifestation of years and years of hard work. Putting it on top of the other thing I'm most proud of, my little baby boy, makes me smile something fierce. With as fast as everything seems to be moving these days, I'm doing my best to take a step back and appreciate how far we've come.

For those who were not aware, but are otherwise interested. Kimbre, Jay, and I will be back in Colorado from the 13th to the 22nd. I think the plan right now is to spend roughly the first half of the week in Pueblo and the second half in Denver. We'll be doing the best that we can to make the rounds when we're back. If you want to stop by and pay your respects to King Jay Henderson Hardy the Fourth, hit me or Kimbre up!